, 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.
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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and rival Yum in China after a Chinese TV report in July 2014 alleged to show workers at a Shanghai unit of OSI using out-of-date meat and doctoring production dates.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)
Emmanuel Vincent holds a Ph.D. in climate science and is the founder of Climate Feedback (@ClimateFdbk), a global network of scientists who provide readers, authors and editors with feedback about the accuracy of climate change media articles. Daniel Nethery is editor of Climate Feedback. He holds a Master of Science in oceanography and is a Ph.D. candidate at the Crawford School of Public Policy in Australia. He is a contributor to Inside Story, The Canberra Times, Age, and The Conversation. The authors contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
An opinion piece published Jan. 24 in The Wall Street Journal presented false and misleading statements as if they were fact. In the op-ed, entitled "The Climate Snow Job," author Patrick Michaels suggests that scientists manipulate data to create the illusion that our planet is warming faster than it is, and downplays the magnitude of the consequences climate change has on economic losses. The essay ignores the preponderance of evidence that now leads businesses, economists, and even the recent World Economic Forum to recognize climate change as one of the top sources of financial risk.
There is no "snow job" in the climate data, according to an evaluation of the Michaels op-ed by 10 scientists, all experts in the field.
Reality trumps opinion
Even though Michaels has published peer-reviewed articles about climate science (most from one to two decades ago), the views he expresses in his op-ed are at odds with the current state of science and evidence emerging from the past two decades of research.
The false or misleading statements range from how global temperatures are measured to the effect of El Nino on global temperature, to the economic impact of climate change. Michaels claims, for instance, that "between 1910 and World War II, temperatures rose three-quarters of a degree Fahrenheit while carbon dioxide from economic activity could not have warmed us up."
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This is inaccurate, as explained by Shaun Lovejoy, professor in Nonlinear Physics at McGill University, who showed that "by 1944 there was already about 0.3 Celsius (0.5 Fahrenheit) of anthropogenic [human-caused] warming" in results he published in 2014 in Geophysical Research Letters and as seen on the figure below (adapted from the publication's Fig. 1a).
Beyond the claims
By mentioning so many distinct aspects of climate science, Michaels intends to pass himself off as an authority on climate science while presenting readers with three unsupported, misleading claims.
Claim 1: Michaels claims that the warming predicted by climate models is too high: "It is therefore probably prudent to cut by 50 percent the modeled temperature forecasts for the rest of this century."
This is the opinion of the author yes it is an op-ed, but there is no solid basis in science for such a claim. Climate models have successfully projected changes in climate observed in recent years, as shown by Kevin Cowtan, staff scientist at the University of York, and his colleagues in 2015 in Geophysical Research Letters, as well as by Jochem Marotzke, research director at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, and Piers Forster, professor of physical climate change at the University of Leeds, in 2015 in Nature.
The figure below also illustrates this nicely: The global temperature in 2015 as forecasted in 2000 lies precisely where the models indicated it would.
Claim 2: Michaels claims, "The notion that worldwide weather is becoming more extreme is just that: a notion, or a testable hypothesis."
Some extreme weather events such as heat waves and heavy downpours are becoming more severe and are occurring with greater frequency. The consensus among scientists is that those changes relate to climate change, and more importantly, evidence suggests such severe events will increasingly affect societies in the future. This became clear with the publication of the SREX report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2012.
Michaels also attempts to cast doubt on the science by claiming that the economic cost of extreme weather has remained stable over the past quarter century. The author misleads the reader into concluding that because the economic cost of extreme weather has not increased, extreme weather cannot have increased. But this reasoning presents only the tip of the economic iceberg.
Laurens Bouwer, a senior risk analysis adviser at Deltares, an independent institute for research in the Netherlands, told Climate Feedback that the claim that losses caused by severe weather have remained stable over the past 25 years is "not accurate." "There is an upward trend in losses, only after correction for population growth and wealth increase, this trend disappears So Patrick Michaels is misusing scientific information and consensus," Bouwer said.
The Michaels essay also belies the extent to which insurance agencies recognize the risks that climate change poses. In his article, Michaels cites data from Munich Re, one of the largest reinsurance companies in the world, to support his case that climate change does not present major economic risks. By contrast, the head of Geo Risks Research and Munich Re's Corporate Climate Centre, Peter Hoppe, has publicly stated that "climate change is one of the greatest risks facing humankind this century. Through a part of its core business, the insurance industry is directly affected and therefore assumes a leading role in devising solutions for climate protection and adaptation to the inevitable changes."
Claim 3: Michaels claims, "Without El Nino, temperatures in 2015 would have been typical of the post-1998 regime."
This is false. The current El Nino event contributed only a few tenths of a degree to the record global temperature observed in 2015, according to a study by scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). [What's Cookin'? Earth, Basically. But It's Not El Nino's Fault]
The year would have gone down as the hottest on record even without the El Nino event, as explained in this article by The Carbon Brief.
The idea is that an El Nino event usually has a greater effect on atmospheric temperatures the year following the event. For instance, the El Nino event of 1997 caused the global temperature to spike in 1998; this is why scientists anticipate that 2016 could be even hotter than 2015.
Michaels would have his readers believe that the observed increase in global temperature, underlined by the news of the hottest year on record, is "business as usual." And yet, by a wide range of measures, the reality is far from usual. Readers should draw the conclusion that no matter how conclusive the evidence, climate contrarians intend to go about their "business as usual," casting doubt on carefully gathered, deeply investigated science.
For more claims made by Michaels that have been debunked by scientists and current data, read this detailed analysis on Climatefeedback.org. Climate Feedback is a global network of scientists who collaborate to assess the credibility of major sources of climate change media coverage using cutting edge technology of Web annotations developed by Hypothes.is.
The following scientists analyzed the Michaels op-ed: Rasmus Benestad, Norwegian Meteorological Institute; Laurens Bouwer, senior adviser, risk analysis, Deltares; Peter de Menocal, director, Center for Climate and Life, Columbia University; Jennifer Francis, professor at Rutgers University; Shaun Lovejoy, professor at McGill University; Ken Mankoff, Pennsylvania State University; James Renwick, professor at Victoria University of Wellington; Victor Venema, University of Bonn; Emmanuel Vincent, University of California, Merced; Britta Voss, U.S. Geological Survey
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.
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Tuesday warned the country's second-largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), that time is running out to begin peace negotiations to end five decades of war. It called on the ELN to make clear and concrete efforts following its more than two years of exploratory peace talks so that formal negotiations can begin. "Time is running out for the ELN to form part of a political solution to the armed conflict in Colombia," said Frank Pearl, head of the government delegation engaged in preliminary talks with the ELN. The ELN has been saying it is ready for full talks since April. "If that organization truthfully wants to reach a negotiated solution to the conflict, it has to be capable of taking serious decisions and change its ambiguous and useless words and statements for clear and concrete efforts toward peace," Pearl added. He did not say what kind of steps he wanted the ELN to take. President Juan Manuel Santos's government is close to agreeing a peace accord with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the nation's biggest rebel group, in talks underway in Cuba. Any ELN talks would be independent to those underway with the FARC. More than 220,000 people have died in the conflict between the government, the ELN, the FARC and right-wing paramilitaries. The ELN has battled a dozen governments since it was founded in 1964 and is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. It has continued kidnapping and attacks on infrastructure even as the talks continue. Inspired by Cuba's 1959 revolution and established by radical Catholic priests, the ELN was close to disappearing in the 1970s but steadily gained power again. It has about 2,000 fighters. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Helen Murphy; Editing by W Simon)
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - World health officials mobilized with emergency response plans and funding pleas Tuesday as fears grow that the Zika virus, blamed for a surge in the number of brain-damaged babies, could spread globally and threaten the Summer Olympics.
The World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak an international emergency Monday, said it had created a global Zika response unit to contain the virus and get to the bottom of a corresponding rise in severe birth defects and a potentially crippling neurological disorder.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescents Societies joined the WHO in calling the outbreak an "emergency," and appealed for 2.4 million Swiss francs ($2.36 million) to fund the response.
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi meanwhile announced it had begun research into a vaccine for Zika, for which there is currently no specific treatment.
Developing a vaccine could however take years, experts say.
Zika, which was first identified in Uganda, causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash. But the apparent link to birth defects and a potentially paralyzing neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome is causing worldwide alarm.
In Brazil, which has been hardest hit by the outbreak sweeping Latin America, Olympics organizers said they are concerned but downplayed fears -- one day after the government warned pregnant women not to attend the Games.
"We are sure we will win this battle and it will not affect the Games," said Rio 2016 organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada.
The Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro from August 5 to 21, during the southern hemisphere winter, which means there will be fewer of the mosquitoes that transmit the disease, organizers underlined.
WHO expert Anthony Costello emphasized the urgency of rapid action, stressing there was no reason to believe the crisis would remain limited to Latin America, where 25 countries so far have reported Zika cases.
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"We are worried that this could also spread back into other areas of the world where the population may not be immune, and we know that the mosquitoes that carry Zika virus... are present through most of Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly south Asia," he said.
Underlining Costello's point, Thai officials announced a man had contracted the virus in the country.
Cape Verde, off the coast of west Africa, and Indonesia have also reported domestic Zika cases.
- Free abortion pills -
Jitters over the virus have spread far beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, where dozens of cases have been identified among travelers returning from Latin America.
Costello, an expert in microcephaly -- a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brains -- said health officials worldwide needed to adopt a standard definition and measurement of the condition in order to respond to suspicions it is being caused by pregnant mothers catching Zika.
"The development of diagnostic tests is absolutely critical," he said.
"At the moment we believe the association is guilty until proven otherwise."
UNICEF for its part said it was working with governments to get information out to pregnant women on how to protect themselves from mosquito bites -- currently the only way to prevent the virus.
A Dutch women's rights group meanwhile offered to send free pills to trigger an abortion to pregnant women in Latin America, a region known for its restrictive abortion laws.
"We are extremely worried that (the outbreak) might cause increasing unsafe abortions," said Rebecca Gomperts, founder and director of Women on Web.
Latin American countries, particularly Brazil, have reported a surge in babies born with microcephaly since the Zika outbreak was declared in the region last year.
Since October, Brazil has reported some 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, of which 270 have been confirmed -- up from 147 in 2014.
Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico have all warned women not to get pregnant.
Ecuador said Tuesday it had registered its first pregnant woman infected with Zika, saying her baby was at low risk for microcephaly because she was already near the end of her second trimester.
Zika panic also spread to the auto industry, as Indian carmaker Tata Motors announced it would rebrand its new Zica hatchback -- which stood for "zippy car."
DES MOINES, Iowa Ted Cruz won Iowa. But Marco Rubio gained a leg up in the consolidation wars.
Cruz was under immense pressure to win in Iowa, facing the prospect of possible elimination if he could not win in a deeply religious state that played to his strengths. Rubio deftly played the expectations game, keeping them low all along and then closing strong over the last few weeks.
Now, even with his Iowa prize in hand, Cruz arguably has a harder job in pushing Donald Trump (and, to a lesser extent, Ben Carson) out of the GOP primarys insurgent wing than Rubio might have in elbowing Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich out of the establishment lane.
SLIDESHOW Iowa caucuses Winners and waiters >>>
Rubios rivals Bush, Christie and Kasich have one week until the New Hampshire primary to catch Rubio. Even though Rubio is mired in fourth place, in a jumble with four other candidates around 10 percent in the Granite State, his star will now rise.
Rubio is positioned to best unite the GOP, said Scott Reed, the U.S. Chamber of Commerces senior political strategist.
Cruz, meanwhile, will have to deal in New Hampshire with Trump, who leads the polling in that state by 20 points. Whats unknowable is how Trumps loss in Iowa despite his lead in the polls here and his reaction to the disappointing result will affect the level of his support.
New Hampshire operatives said that Trump lacks organization in the Granite State, but that this matters less in a primary state than it did in Iowa, where voters had to show up at 7 p.m. and spend roughly an hour in their caucus meetings.
The New Hampshire primary will, among other things, be either a revival for Trumps candidacy or a dagger that proves he has been a hot air balloon all along, full of empty air and blown high into the stratosphere by the legitimate anger of the electorate, but ultimately not solid enough to convince very many people to hop onboard.
After New Hampshire, said Republican operative Henry Barbour, who talks to and speaks with many GOP donors, the consolidation of the field will begin in earnest.
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Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio talk after a presidential primary debate in January in Des Moines. (Photo: Chris Carlson/AP)
Trump was left to wonder how much his decision to sit out last weeks final debate before the caucuses hurt his standing among Iowa voters. Entrance polls showed that 45 percent of caucus-goers made up their minds about who to support only in the past week, and most of those voters went for Cruz or Rubio.
On Monday night, Trump aides were echoing their bosss four-minute concession speech, trying to cast a second-place finish in Iowa as a significant achievement for a candidate who had never before run for office and was dismissed by the partys establishment as a joke.
He came from nowhere and has driven the ideas in this race, insisted one aide, who declined to be named. The aide pushed back against the idea of New Hampshire being a must-win for Trump, pointing to big crowds hed attracted in South Carolina and Super Tuesday states like Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. The Trump campaign views those states as better possibilities for Trump than Iowa, where aides believe he was ultimately felled by his inability to win over more evangelical and social conservative voters.
Cruz is now on track to be a finalist in the GOP primary contest, thanks to record high turnout here in Iowa. A total of almost 187,000 Republicans voted in caucuses, up from the previous record that was set just four years ago in 2012, when 121,000 Iowans caucused.
Even though Cruz said Monday night that in New Hampshire he will continue to campaign the same way, sitting down person-to-person, leader-to-leader, VFW Hall to Dunkin Donuts, his Iowa win was driven as much by precision and discipline as it was by retail politicking.
The massive surge of voters was augmented by the Cruz campaigns surgically effective use of field organizing combined with data and analytics, tools used by President Obamas presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012 to identify potential supporters and make sure they showed up to vote.
Cruz started with an advantage in that his natural constituency social and religious conservatives in Iowa was made up of well-drilled, nearly professional caucus-goers. But taking no chances, Cruz recruited 12,000 volunteers, 15,000 precinct captains, and had a person lined up to speak for Cruz the campaign claimed at each of the states 1,681 caucus sites. About 8,000 of those 12,000 volunteers were from out-of-state. In fact, it was hard to find Iowa voters at Cruzs victory party at the state fairgrounds.
Cruz data and analytics chief Chris Wilson also said he was given a significant chunk of the campaigns budget to build out detailed voter profiles that helped the campaign identify the issues that mattered to individual voters, so that the campaign could reach out to as many as possible on specific issues that would most motivate them to caucus for Cruz.
SLIDESHOW On the trail and down to the wire in Iowa >>>
Wilson said that the Cruz campaign had 167 voter universes that they delivered specialized messages to, and he claimed that by contrast the Romney campaign in 2012 had only two. Former Romney officials disputed that number, but one acknowledged that Cruzs campaign run by Missouri operative Jeff Roe was breaking new ground on this front.
Cruzs campaign even identified Iowa voters who were most highly motivated by the potential legalization of fireworks, which are currently illegal in the Hawkeye State, and then messaged to them on that issue. The Cruz campaign identified 9,131 Iowans who were choosing between Cruz and Trump, Wilson said, and sought to peel them away from the businessman candidate.
Wilson said that since early in the primary, Cruz made sure I understood we were not going to be outperformed on analytics and digital.
Trumps support, meanwhile, turned out to be more flimsy than his polling numbers suggested. Its possible this was because potential supporters who talked to pollsters did not show up, or because some who had considered voting for him changed their minds in the end.
As late as Monday, the Cruz campaign wasnt sure what to expect. Despite confidently predicting an Iowa win in recent days, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler told Yahoo News that on Monday afternoon, as the start of the caucuses approached, he had become nervous.
But as the returns rolled in, and Cruz was declared the winner, Tyler and the others on team Cruz breathed a sigh of relief. And so too did many in the Republican Party, as well as probably some outside it, as they witnessed Trumps Iowa demise.
In a clear dig at Trump, Cruz called his win 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.
Trump aides declined to say if they will change anything about Trumps strategy going forward. The candidate has been criticized for holding big rallies instead of engaging in the more intimate one-on-one kind of retail politicking that is typically rewarded in the early states. But the aide admitted there would be some analysis of what to do better.
Were talking about Donald Trump. Of course, there will be.
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Clive (United States) (AFP) - Ben Swartz wasn't going to let his marriage get in the way of his politics.
"It's a house divided!" quipped the 84-year-old Swartz as he split with his wife, a supporter of Hillary Clinton, to go huddle with the few backers of low-polling Democrat Martin O'Malley.
Clinton supporters formed the lion's share of attendees at Monday's caucus in Indian Hills Junior High School in Clive, a suburb of Iowa's state capital Des Moines.
As Swartz shuffled toward the back of the hall, a woman handed him a Clinton sticker and patted his arm.
"Put this in your pocket," she smiled. "If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you."
Welcome to the very intimate, very local Iowa caucuses, where friends, neighbors and -- in some cases -- politically divided couples gather for one of the cherished traditions of American political life.
A few voters even brought cookies to share.
Iowa has kicked off the US presidential race every cycle since the 1970s, but it is far from the straightforward process that most states employ.
It began with supporters ticking off numbers: "197." "198." "199," went the counting for Clinton supporters.
Then, a conversation ensues with supporters publicly aligning with their candidates.
That's when things get interesting.
If a hopeful fails to pass a certain threshold -- in most cases 15 percent -- supporters are invited to join other groups.
When O'Malleyites fell short, one of them pleaded: "Can we make our pitch?"
They could, and a young man hopped onto a table and called on voters to reconsider. A Sanders backer did the same.
Caucus-goers listened. They clapped. They shook their heads or nodded.
Ultimately, most people stood their ground, and when the counting was done, Clinton earned 200 votes in Clive precinct 3, while her chief rival, Bernie Sanders, earned 112. O'Malley lagged at 18.
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- Republican nailbiter -
Republicans gathered down the hall in an auditorium, where Susan Murphy was taping Donald Trump posters to a piano.
Republicans conduct their caucus by secret ballot, writing the name of their candidate on slips of paper, which are collected and counted by precinct captains and aides.
It was a nailbiter, with billionaire Trump earning 65 votes, Marco Rubio earning 62, and Ted Cruz -- the night's overall projected winner -- at 59. The rest in the deep field were far back.
There was no real Republican arm-twisting. "They have already selected their candidate," Murphy said.
- 'Very chaotic' -
For Democrats, it's an altogether more complicated process.
"Yes, the procedures are messy," acknowledged Aaron Menick, 21, at another crowded caucus, where a whopping 485 people packed into a too-small room in Drake University in nearby Des Moines.
Organizers expected 100 voters.
"This is very chaotic but I'm happy that so many people showed up," he said.
The debate was robust, as young students, many participating in the process for the first time, openly voiced their support or concern about candidates.
"Clinton has had every job in the federal government except president," said Brandi Dye, 19. "I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing?"
But for her, Sanders is all "rainbows and butterflies."
Back in Clive, some 337 Democrats packed the school for the process led by caucus chief George Appleby.
"Democracy in action" is what he called it, highlighting "Iowans' important role in the election process."
And Ben Swartz, the O'Malley supporter who parted ways with his Clinton-backing wife?
"I shifted over to Bernie Sanders, but not very many of my compatriots did," he said by telephone after he arrived back home.
"And my wife is still with me."
Washington (AFP) - With peace negotiations underway, Colombia's Marxist FARC rebels could see their designation as a terror group end once it has fully disarmed, a top US diplomat said Tuesday.
The United States could opt to end the designation "if the FARC disarms completely, separates itself from all illegal activities, pursues a process of separation from all its former criminal activities, then that process will be allowed to be carried out," said Bernard Aronson, the US envoy to the talks aimed at ending Latin America's longest-running civil war.
If a group the State Department has deemed a terror threat "has fundamentally changed, given up violence, given up weapons and is not longer hostile to the US citizens and interests, that... can be reviewed," he said in a conference call.
Just how that may play out for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) "will be based on the conditions inside of Colombia," Aronson stressed.
Peace talks in the Cuban capital Havana between Bogota and the FARC have made several key advances in recent months.
The two sides have set a deadline of March 23 to sign a final accord -- though the FARC has warned "substantial" obstacles could get in the way.
The FARC was launched in the aftermath of a peasant uprising in 1964.
The conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced six million.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is to visit Washington on Thursday and will meet with President Barack Obama.
By Tom Ramstack
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A temporary ban on smoking marijuana in private clubs was unanimously extended by the District of Columbia Council on Tuesday as lawmakers debated limits on pot in the U.S. capital.
A final vote on a permanent ban was delayed by at least two weeks as a task force explores alternatives and the District of Columbia nears its first anniversary of legal pot.
The law that took effect in February 2015 allows adults to possess small amounts of marijuana and grow and consume it at home. Facing opposition from Congress, the District bans the sale of marijuana, but public smoking has become common as arrests have dried up.
"I think the time is right to consider communal use of marijuana," said Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who opposes restricting recreational marijuana consumption to homes.
Marijuana use is banned under federal law, and proponents argue that people living in federal housing are prevented from smoking marijuana. Parents who do not want to consume pot in front of their children also need a place to smoke, they say.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Cathy Lanier have pushed for the permanent ban.
The proposed prohibition forbids marijuana use anywhere outside a private residence. It authorizes the mayor to revoke the licenses of businesses that allow consumption on their property.
Besides the District of Columbia, the states of Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska also have made pot lawful for recreational use.
(Editing by Ian Simpson)
London (AFP) - British tycoon Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of no-frills airline easyJet, on Tuesday opened a pilot budget supermarket in London in an attempt to crack the country's booming discount grocery sector.
The neighbourhood-sized store in Park Royal, northwest London, will offer around 80 low-priced products, with all items costing only 25 pence (36 US cents, 33 Euro cents) throughout February as an introductory offer.
"This is another way the easy brand can serve the less well-off," said Haji-Ioannou.
"Given my experience in distributing food for free in Greece and Cyprus, this is a more commercial attempt to sell basic food."
Inside the store, whose motto boasts "No expensive brands, just food honestly priced", shoppers will be able to browse essentials such as tea, pasta, potatoes and tinned food, but only a very limited selection of fresh vegetables and no fresh meat.
Haji-Ioannou launched easyJet in 1995, and its distinctive orange and white logo, which also adorns the easyFoodstore supermarket, is now seen on 221 aircraft, serving 134 destinations in 32 countries.
Other brands in the "easy" range include buses, hotels, gyms and estate agents, helping the founder amass a fortune of around $1.5 billion, according to Forbes.
Budget supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi have gained market share in Britain since the financial crisis, and now account for 10 percent of grocery sales, double their share three years ago.
What Were Following: The Long Road to Democracy
After more than 50 years of military rule, Burma swore in hundreds of lawmakers in the countrys first freely elected parliament, three months after the National League for Democracy, the party of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, swept a historic election. One of the new governments first orders of business: choosing a president. Burmas constitution prevents Suu Kyi, who lived under house arrest for 15 years under the long-serving junta, from taking the job, but the leader has vowed to rule through a proxy.
A Public-Health Threat: The World Health Organization designated the spread of the Zika virus as a public health emergency of international concerna classification that will result in a global response to the mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to certain birth defects and has no vaccine. The designation is rare: The health organization previously declared such emergencies in the Ebola and polio outbreaks in 2014 and the H1n1, or swine flu, outbreak in 2009.
Recommended: Can Marco Rubio Really Secure the Republican Nomination?
A Bunch of People Standing in a Room: Voters across Iowa will huddle tonight at hundreds of locations to caucus for Democratic and Republican candidatesofficially kicking off the U.S. presidential race. Follow along as we liveblog at theatlantic.com.
Snapshot
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 31, 2016. See more scenes from the Iowa campaign trail here. (Andrew Harnik / AP)
Quoted
Some people brought chili beans. Not everyone thought that was the best choice for the weekend.Begona Vila, a NASA engineer, on being snowed in with her team during a blizzard
I cant sit there and talk and expect students that havent had any formal-education setting, where they have to be in a classroom, to just do what I tell them to do.Brandon Nattress, who teaches sixth-grade global studies
Every four years people are surprised to learn that this is such a screwy system, but once the race is over, people tend to stop asking questions.Elaine Kamarck, who studies primary elections
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Evening Read
Molly Ball reports on Donald Trump from Clinton, Iowa:
There was reason to doubt the magnitude of Trumps support, but not its existence. Again and again, I met Trump supporters whod never been involved in politics but were now totally committed to the cause. Weve never caucused before, but the four of us will go this year, Dennis Woods, a blond-bearded construction worker in a bright green Pabst Blue Ribbon sweatshirt, told me, indicating his friend Larry Otwell, a chemical-plant inspector, and their wives. This is the first year Ive realized we need a change, Woods added. I always thought my vote didnt count, but I heard Trump talk and he woke me up. Trump closed his speech with a plea, so there could be no mistaking what he was asking from his troops. Heres the thing: On February 1st, youve got to get out and caucus, he said. Youve got to do it. Weve got to do it. The bigger we can win by, the bigger we can win by, the bigger the mandate, the more we can do. And I promise you, you will be so proud and you will be so happy that you went out and you did it. One final promise: Were going to make our country sane. Were going to bring sanity. In the words of another great philosopher, Freddie Mercury: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Or are we caught in a landslide?
What Just Happened?
Coincidence is Gods way of remaining anonymousso goes an apocryphal quote. But when the threads of peoples lives collide in surprising ways, they have a choice: Write it off as random chance, or look for a deeper meaning.
Recommended: Does Ted Cruz Really Wear Two Watches?
Our science teams Julie Beck wants to hear about your coincidencesthe strange and wonderful and spooky moments where youve thought, What are the chances of that? Email your stories to hello@theatlantic.com.
News Quiz
1. In Japan, one raccoon-looking species of dog is being threatened by __________.
(See answer or scroll to the bottom.)
2. Sales tax on __________ garners millions of dollars of revenue for 40 U.S. states.
(See answer or scroll to the bottom.)
3. Turns out the carbonic acid in __________ can gradually wear away tooth enamel.
(See answer or scroll to the bottom.)
Reader Response
Amit Routh joins an ongoing debate about gun control:
It is surprising just how little attention, from both gun control advocates and gun rights advocates, is paid to the fact that while the majority of Americans choose to own guns for personal safety and protection, their reasoning doesnt match up with the reality of guns in America. This is the dismal trinity of firearms epidemiology: Despite this, I rarely see gun control advocates focus on this dismal trinity. So much effort is spent on mass shootings and scary rifles, while suicide with handguns are the far more deadly, if banal, evil.
Read the full note here.
Verbs
Top chef remembered, lions rediscovered, drone-snatching eagles trained, black holes explained.
Answers: actual raccoons, tampons, seltzer
Read more from The Atlantic:
This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Proposals to protect Britain and other non-euro zone countries from deeper euro zone integration do not grant London the right of veto over decisions, European Council President Donald Tusk told EU leaders in a letter on Tuesday. Publishing the letter moments after he released the draft proposal to keep Britain in the EU, Tusk said EU ambassadors would meet on Friday to discuss the plans. Tusk said that "giving necessary reassurances on the concerns of non-euro area member states cannot constitute a veto nor delay urgent decisions." EU leaders hope to agree the proposals at a summit on Feb.18. (Reporting by Robin Emmott and Jan Strupczewski; editing by Barbara Lewis)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The European Union has pledged 200 million euros ($218 million)in aid to Mozambique to bolster the public finances weighed down by a falling currency and commodity prices, the southern African country's official news agency said on Monday. Under a signed agreement, the money would be used to support Mozambique's budget in developing rural areas and building infrastructure, according to AIM news agency. Mozambican finances deteriorated over the past year as a sharp depreciation of the metical currency pushed up the cost of paying back foreign currency-denominated debt. A collapse in commodity prices has put further pressure on the natural gas-rich economy. ($1 = 0.9187 euros) (Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The EU's top justice official on Monday said a deal towards sealing a new transatlantic data-sharing pact was close, despite a missed deadline that could mean a crippling blow to American online giants including Facebook and Google.
European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said months of talks were nearing a deal that would replace the 16-year-old "safe harbour" agreement that was struck down by Europe's top court for insufficiently protecting Internet users from US spying.
"We are close, but an additional effort is needed," Jourova told a European Parliamentary committee hearing in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, a day after a January 31 deadline to reach the deal.
"I will not hide that these talks have not been easy," she added.
The European Court of Justice in October ruled that the EU-US arrangement allowing firms to transfer European citizens' personal information to the US was "invalid" because of US snooping practices exposed by Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who leaked a hoard of National Security Agency documents.
The case stemmed from a legal challenge brought by Austrian Internet activist and law student Max Schrems against Facebook in Ireland.
Schrems in a tweet said Jourova's remarks to MEPs were "100 percent laughable" and signalled he would head back to the EU's top court.
EU officials had set a January 31 deadline for a new pact, in time for a meeting Tuesday bringing together the heads of the bloc's 28 data privacy watchdogs, many of whom are quite sympathetic to the Schrems case.
But Jourova said she would hold further talks with her US counterparts, including later on Monday, as she defended the extension in negotiations to sceptical MEPs.
"I believe that the close partnership between Europe and the United States deserves these special efforts on their side and on our side as well," she said.
Since the court decision, major Internet firms in Europe technically no longer have the legal protection for transferring data of EU citizens to the US.
Top European and US trade groups in mid-January warned of enormous fallout for businesses and customers if the two sides fail to strike a deal.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain will likely reach a deal with the European Union on reforms aimed at keeping it in the 28-nation bloc but these may not be enough to convince British voters to vote 'yes' to staying in, the head of the European Parliament said on Tuesday. British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to reform Britain's ties with the EU and hold a public vote on EU membership before the end of 2017. A source in Cameron's office said earlier on Tuesday Britain had reached an agreement with EU officials on a mechanism to block unwanted EU legislation, in a deal that meets one of Cameron's four main reform targets. But European Parliament President Martin Schulz said voters may still not vote to stay in the bloc. "I am sure we will find an agreement with them. But whether that is sufficient to achieve a majority for staying in the EU - we'll have to see," Schulz, a German Social Democrat, told Deutschlandfunk radio. "My impression and my experience with referenda is that the people vote on everything possible but mostly not on the content of what has been negotiated," he added. (Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Richard Pullin)
LONDON (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. ($1 = 0.6929 pounds) (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Tony Jimenez)
ABUJA (Reuters) - The office of Nigeria's former vice president Namadi Sambo was raided on Saturday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a source at the agency said on Tuesday. Sambo served under the previous president Goodluck Jonathan, and is the latest high-profile official to be investigated for the corruption that flourished under that administration. "The office of the former Vice President was raided by officials of the EFCC in relation to an ongoing investigation. In the process, some useful documents were found," said the source at the EFCC. President Muhammadu Buhari won last year's election on a campaign to crack down on graft and the authorities have not wasted time going after figures previously thought untouchable. Goodluck's former national security advisor, several former ministers and a former militant leader from the Niger Delta are among those who have been charged with various forms of fraud. One major EFCC investigation, prompted by a presidential committee report, is focusing on how a sum of $2.1 billion intended for arms procurement was allegedly misused by the Office of the National Security Advisor and other former military officials. Buhari alleges that mind-boggling sums were plundered from the state coffers, which left the country with only paltry savings after several years of record high oil prices. Oil sales make up the bulk of government revenues for the OPEC member. The People's Democratic Party, ousted by Buhari after dominating politics since military rule ended in 1999, has accused its successor of conducting a witch hunt. (Reporting By Felix Onuah; Writing by Julia Payne; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, unveiled on Tuesday a draft reform package to help keep Britain in the EU following meetings between Prime Minister David Cameron and top EU officials. The following are key points of the proposal that will be discussed by EU envoys on Friday and which could form the basis of a deal with Britain at a summit on Feb 18-19. STARTING POINT The proposal is just the starting point for negotiations, which top officials expect will last until the very last minute. In anticipation of difficulties, no time limit has been set for the talks on the second day of the EU summit on Feb. 19. Nothing is agreed until everything is. A deal, needing all 28 national leaders' assent, could pave the way for a referendum as early as June. An impasse would probably spell more talks. The EU sees its proposals as legally watertight, safe from challenges in court and not requiring amendments to treaties now - something hard to pull off quickly across all 28 EU states. On some issues, Tusk has raised the possibility of the treaties being amended later to incorporate the substance, if not the exact language, of the proposals unveiled on Tuesday. MIGRATION Cameron wants to discourage other Europeans from coming to Britain by excluding them from the tax credits, child allowances and other non-contributory social benefits attached to low-paid British jobs for at least four years. Without changing EU treaties guaranteeing free movement of labour and barring national discrimination, the EU proposed an "emergency brake", limiting those fundamental rights where vital national interests or economic stability are at risk. Legislation to be drawn up by the European Commission is to give any state the right to curb in-work benefits for up to four years. This would hinge on the consent of a qualified majority of other European governments if there is an exceptional inflow of workers from elsewhere in the EU. Allowances for children that EU migrant workers send back to their home countries are to be indexed with purchasing power parity. This would effectively make payouts for children smaller in poorer member states such as Poland. EURO ZONE Cameron wants more legal safeguards for Britain's sterling-based economy and big financial industry from a risk of the euro zone countries writing EU rules to suit them. The EU said on Tuesday that no British company or citizen would face discrimination because they use the pound as a currency -- a safeguard for the City of London that it will not be left outside any EU financial projects because Britain is not, and does not plan to become, a member of the euro zone. The EU is also offering Britain a way to slow down euro zone legislation that it does not like, although it is careful not to offer London any veto rights on euro zone decision-making. NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY Cameron wants assurances that Britain need not hand more power to Brussels and to enhance the say of nation states within the EU. The Tusk package explicitly states: "It is recognised that the United Kingdom, in the light of the specific situation it has under the Treaties, is not committed to further political integration into the European Union." The EU also offers to allow a simple majority of national parliaments - each of which has two votes, regardless of size - to stop legislative proposals from the Commission. COMPETITIVENESS The least contentious area of Cameron's four reform "baskets", calling for less red tape and more economic dynamism has broad backing so a set of declarations will echo EU policy, but with elements to show Britain that Brussels is listening. The Tusk package endorses all that. (Reporting by Paul Taylor and Alastair Macdonald; Writing by Alastair Macdonald and Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Sue Britt
FERGUSON, Mo. (Reuters) - Residents of Ferguson, Missouri, which has a proposed agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to reform its police department after the 2014 shooting by a white officer of a black teenager, will voice their opinions on the deal at a meeting on Tuesday night.
The fatal shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, 18, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson exposed tension between the city government and the largely black community outside St. Louis that erupted into violent protests in 2014 after a grand jury chose not to indict the officer.
It was one of a series of highly publicized killings of black men, mostly by white police officers, that set off a nationwide debate about the use of police force, especially against minorities.
The Justice Department issued a sharply critical report last year that documented discriminatory actions by Ferguson police and the municipal court system, especially against blacks.
Under the terms of the proposed agreement, which were posted on the city's website, the Ferguson police department would be required to give its officers bias-awareness training, implement a strong accountability system and ensure that police stop, search and arrest practices do not discriminate on the basis of race or other protected characteristics.
The settlement also would require the city to change its municipal code, including sections that impose prison time for failure to pay certain fines and an ordinance used against individuals who do not comply with police orders.
Ferguson's city council plans to vote on Feb. 9 on whether to accept the agreement. Public comments also will be taken on Feb. 6 and Feb. 9, and in writing before the vote.
(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski in Chicago and Sue Britt in Ferguson, Missouri; Editing by Dan Grebler)
In the wake of the fatal shooting of ite police officer Darren Wilson, Ferguson, Missouri, became the epicenter of protests against police brutality. As racial tension fomented into unrest and turmoil, debates over how to mend the city's broken systems of government raged, never yielding clean-cut solutions.
But the results of a on Jan. 26 proved that sometimes, there is no grey area: Things really can be a matter of black and white.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, earlier this month Councilman Brian P. Fletcher, a white man, died of a heart attack, prompting the remaining five council members to appoint someone to the sixth seat. Council members moved to nominate white Ferguson-Florissant School Board member Rob Chabot, and a black woman named Laverne Mitchom, who participated in a number of Ferguson protests.
The two white council members voted for Chabot, whereas the three black council members moved to elect Mitchom.
It seemed like the 3-2 vote in favor of Mitchom should have been a case o but at a meeting on Jan. 26, Ferguson City Attorney Stephanie Karr told the audience present that the position requires a nominee to receive at least four votes to be seated, according to the Post-Dispatch.
"I really hope the council and the community members challenge this," Ferguson Democratic Patricia Bynes told Mic. "I can't even call Karr's decision an interpretation of the law because the city charter says 'majority.'" The Post-Dispatch reported that the charter in fact does not require four votes for an election.
Karr, in her capacity as Ferguson's prosecutor, is among the city officials who have maintained the status quo, according to Bynes, who claimed Karr's decision was an abuse of power. "The fact that she's still on board and pursuing t has made people very leery in believing there's going to be any substantial change from the city with her in place," said Bynes.
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An August protest in Ferguson, Missouri.
Mic reached out to Karr, who declined to comment. The City of Ferguson's Media Relations Coordinator also declined Mic's requests to interview council members and Mayor James Knowles.
In Bynes' eyes, the contentious council vote goes beyond Karr, and it even goes beyond race, though she emphasized that race isn't a factor to be dismissed. "There is a racial problem that exists in communities all across this country and Ferguson is the perfect case study, the perfect storm, of what happens when all of this bubbles to the surface at once," she said.
Bynes added, though, that the battle is really between those who want to see change in the city and those who don't, black or white.
According to Ferguson's charter, if no council member is elected in 30 days, it will be up to the mayor to appoint someone.
"I'm just hoping this motivates the community to get organized and involved," Bynes said. "You can't fall asleep at the wheel because they're pulling tricks at every turn."
By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - Automakers on Tuesday reported higher Canadian auto sales for January, even as forecasters expect demand in Canada for cars and light trucks to level off this year following a record-breaking 2015. General Motors Co notched Canadian sales of 14,395 vehicles in January, up 24 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, despite two fewer selling days. John Roth, vice president, sales, service and marketing for the company said in a statement: 2016 is off to a strong start for GM Canada." Ford Motor Co said its January sales increased 14 percent over a year ago, fueled by stronger demand for sport-utility vehicles and pickups. Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> reported sales of 12,045 vehicles, up 4.5 percent compared with January 2015. The Canadian figures come as U.S. auto sales appeared to fare better than expected in January, according to preliminary results on Tuesday, with the industry benefiting from low gasoline prices despite being challenged by the two fewer selling days and an East Coast snowstorm. In Canada, auto sales climbed a stronger-than-expected 3 percent last year to 1.9 million units, according to the Scotiabank Global Auto Report released last week. The report said 2016 sales are expected to be flat as growth in areas benefiting from the weak Canadian dollar and rise in non-resource exports is balanced out by lackluster demand in regions hit by soft commodity prices. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Subaru Co Ltd <9778.T> on Tuesday reported slightly higher January auto sales in Canada. FCA Canada said it sold a total of 18,156 vehicles in January, up 1 percent over a year ago, and fueled by stronger demand for the company's Jeep brand vehicles. Subaru Canada Inc said it sold 2,687 vehicles in January, up 2.1 percent from January last year. (Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by James Dalgleish and Tom Brown)
(Adds impact on U.S. financial markets) * U.N. agency launches Zika global response unit * Sanofi cites Zika's rapid spread in vaccine effort * Zika linked to severe birth defect microcephaly * Rousseff says Brazil, U.S. plan vaccine partnership By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the United States was reported in Texas on Tuesday by local health officials, who said it likely was contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite, a day after the World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency. The virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the Americas, and WHO officials on Tuesday expressed concern that it could hit Africa and Asia as well. Zika had been thought to be spread by the bite of mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, so sexual contact as a mode of transmission would be a potentially alarming development. Dallas County Health and Human Services said it received confirmation of the case in Dallas from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The county department said on Twitter that the person was infected through sexual contact with someone who had traveled to Venezuela. The person infected did not travel to the South American country, county health officials said. The Texas Department of State Health Services was slightly more cautious in its assessment, saying in a statement, "Case details are being evaluated, but the possibility of sexual transmission from an infected person to a non-infected person is likely in this case." County authorities said there were no reports of the virus being locally transmitted by mosquitoes in the Texas county. A CDC spokesman confirmed the results of a test for Zika infection but said local officials investigated the mode of transmission. Previously, international health officials had noted one case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission. But the Pan American Health Organization said more evidence was needed to confirm sexual contact as a means of Zika transmission. The medical literature also has one case in which the virus was detected in semen. The virus has been reported in more than 30 countries and linked to microcephaly, in which babies have abnormally small heads and improperly developed brains. The Dow Jones transportation average ended 2.9 percent lower following news of the first U.S. transmission of the Zika virus. MONITORING NEEDED The WHO has said the virus could infect 4 million people in the Americas. It said on Tuesday it launched a global response unit to fight the mosquito-borne virus. "Most important, we need to set up surveillance sites in low- and middle-income countries so that we can detect any change in the reporting patterns of microcephaly at an early stage," Dr. Anthony Costello said in Geneva. Costello is WHO's director for maternal, child and adolescent health. Twenty to 30 sites could be established worldwide, mainly in poor countries without robust healthcare systems. Brazil is the country hardest hit by Zika. In an address to a joint session of Brazil's Congress, President Dilma Rousseff said her government will spare no resources in mobilizing to combat the mosquito that transmits the virus. With no vaccine or treatment for Zika, efforts to curb its spread have focused on eradicating mosquito breeding sites. Brazil, which has 3,700 suspected cases of microcephaly that may be linked to Zika, is scheduled to host the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. Rousseff also said Brazil and the United States will enter a partnership to develop a Zika vaccine as soon as possible to stem the spread of the virus. VACCINE EFFORTS French drugmaker Sanofi SA on Tuesday announced that it has launched a project to develop a vaccine against the virus, the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine maker. The company said its Sanofi Pasteur vaccines division would use its expertise in developing vaccines for similar viruses such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and dengue. Other companies also joined the race on Tuesday to develop a vaccine. The University of South Australia said it was working on a Zika vaccine with Australian biotech Sementis Ltd. U.S. drug developer NewLink Genetics Corp said it has started a project to develop Zika treatment options. Experts have said a Zika vaccine for widespread use is months if not years away. Costello said the Aedes mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus "are present ... through Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly South Asia." Africa and Asia have the world's highest birth rates. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said on Monday it was "strongly suspected but not yet scientifically proven" that Zika causes microcephaly. The first Irish cases of Zika virus have been detected in two people with a history of traveling to a country affected by the mosquito-borne infection, the Health Service Executive of Ireland said. Chilean health officials said they have confirmed three cases in Chile of people infected with the Zika virus, all of whom were infected while traveling elsewhere in Latin America. An Australian state health service said two Australians were diagnosed with the virus after returning from the Caribbean, confirming the first cases of the virus in the country this year. (Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Shadia Nasralla in Vienna, Ben Hirschler in London, Anthony Boadle in Brasilia, Jane Wardell in Sydney, Amy Sawitta Lefevre in Bangkok, Pedro Fonseca in Rio, Rosalba O'Brien in Santiago, Padraic Halpin in Dublin, Ankur Banerjee and Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Jonathan Oatis)
By Letitia Stein
TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed an execution that was scheduled for next week, shortly after hearing arguments on the impact of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's capital punishment sentencing process.
Florida's high court did not specifically address the uncertainty now facing the state's 389 death row inmates but stayed the Feb. 11 execution of convicted killer Michael Lambrix.
The decision comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 last month that Florida unconstitutionally gives judges powers that juries should wield. The high court ruling threw into limbo the nation's second-largest death row, and invalidated a system that has allowed judges, rather than juries, to specify the aggravating factors that determine a defendant's eligibility for execution.
Florida lawmakers currently are debating legislation intended to address the high court's ruling while continuing the death penalty in the state, one of 31 with the death penalty.
The Florida Supreme Court heard arguments earlier on Tuesday about whether the U.S. Supreme Court's decision should apply retroactively in the case of Lambrix, 55, convicted in the 1983 murders of two people.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Republican, argued in a court filing that it did not.
"There is no question that retroactive application will be greatly disruptive to our justice system as there are nearly 400 death sentenced murderers in Florida," the state wrote. "Such disruption is completely unnecessary."
However, criminal defense attorneys contended the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling invalidated Lambrix's death sentence, along with potentially many others in the state.
(Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - Malaysia may have absolved its prime minister in a huge corruption scandal, but foreign authorities investigating suspicious global fund flows are making clear the affair is far from over and that the net may be tightening.
Malaysia's attorney general last week cleared premier Najib Razak of wrongdoing in accepting a mysterious $681 million payment from overseas, sparking accusations of a cover-up in a case that has shaken Najib's government to its core.
But within days, authorities in Switzerland and Singapore upped the pressure, pointedly responding that investigations into an array of Malaysian money movements were forging ahead and releasing new information.
The Swiss attorney-general's office on Saturday revealed that it believed $4 billion had been pilfered from Malaysian state companies, and on Monday Singapore announced it had seized a "large number of bank accounts" as part of investigations into a company closely linked to Najib, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Observers said the timing and tone of the Swiss and Singaporean statements appeared to indicate concern that Malaysia may seek to bury the issue.
"The Swiss and Singaporeans are obviously worried that (clearing Najib) looks detrimental to their ongoing investigations," said Cynthia Gabriel, head of C4, a Malaysian anti-graft NGO.
"But this is definitely far from over and looks like the noose is tightening on Najib," she added, referring to the new details announced by the Swiss and Singaporeans.
Malaysia has been rocked for more than a year by allegations that huge sums of money were diverted from 1MDB, an investment company, and the revelation last July of the $681 million payment to Najib.
While he is not yet known to be directly implicated in any overseas investigation, Najib launched 1MDB and still chairs its advisory board.
He and 1MDB strongly deny the widely-held public suspicion that the $681 million came from the now debt-strapped investment company.
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Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali last week called the payment a legal "personal donation" from the Saudi royal family. The explanation has been ridiculed in Malaysia as an implausible cover story.
Since last year, Najib's government has arrested whistleblowers and moved to muzzle media outlets who reported on the scandals, including shutting down one newspaper for three months.
He also purged his leadership of critics and sacked a previous attorney-general who was investigating.
That has left the threat of foreign action -- authorities in the United States and Hong Kong also said to be investigating -- as Najib's primary concern.
- Malaysia PM 'sweating' -
Last week, Apandi declared there was no need for Malaysia to cooperate with foreign authorities on Najib's "donation."
John Malott, a former US ambassador to Malaysia, called that a "very unfortunate statement" that likely caused anger overseas.
"Basically he was telling the rest of the world to drop dead, and the Swiss and Singaporeans have replied that 'maybe you think its the end, but we don't.' The timing of their responses was just too close," he said.
Malott said Najib now "must really be sweating" over whether American authorities -- reported by US media to be investigating -- will make an announcement, which they usually withhold until a solid case is built.
However, the recent Swiss and Singaporean announcements are already seen as raising the pressure.
Switzerland had announced last year that "tens of millions of dollars" in suspicious assets had been frozen, and that it had opened criminal proceedings against two former 1MDB officials and "persons unknown" suspected of bribery, money-laundering and other crimes.
On Saturday, the Swiss attorney general's office revealed that up to $4 billion may have been stolen from Malaysian state firms, with a "small portion" transferred into Swiss accounts held by current and former Malaysian and United Arab Emirates officials.
Requesting Kuala Lumpur's help, it added that the Malaysian companies concerned have oddly made no comment on their alleged massive losses.
Apandi pledged Saturday to cooperate.
Singapore said Monday it was "actively" probing allegations of money-laundering related to 1MDB and was communicating with Malaysian, Swiss and US officials.
A joint statement by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and police said: "Singapore does not tolerate the use of its financial system as a refuge or conduit for illicit funds".
By Guy Faulconbridge ROME (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he was encouraged by the progress of negotiations with the European Union but cautioned that the proposals will probably need further work to be crafted into a deal at an EU summit later this month. Speaking just hours before the head of the European Council was to present "new settlement" proposals aimed at keeping Britain in the bloc it joined in 1973, Hammond said there had been significant movement in recent days. When asked directly whether the proposals meant that he would not campaign to leave the EU, Hammond, who once said he would vote to leave if the EU refused to change, said: I cant say that definitely until I see the document but on the basis of what I have seen so far I am encouraged that there has been quite significant movement towards us in the last few days." Council President Donald Tusk, who chairs the meetings of EU states' leaders and plays a key role in seeking a compromise around London's demands for a better membership deal, will present his proposals at around noon on Tuesday. It may be that the document is so good that we say: 'Yes brilliant'. But I rather doubt it. I suspect that the document will be the basis of further work that we need to do in the run up to the Council. But we will see, Hammond told reporters in Rome late on Monday. Hammond has repeatedly warned that British voters would turn their backs on the EU unless the bloc's leaders give Prime Minister David Cameron a deal that includes changes to the way Britain pays out benefits for other EU workers in Britain. Hammond said he would inform Cameron if he felt the deal was not going to be approved by the British people but said senior ministers were united on what was needed. "We have been talking about the elements that are absolutely required to make a deal sellable. We know what they are I think. We are all agreed about them. We are not all on different places about what we need to have to have a deal that is sellable," he said. "Of course we all have different things that we would very much like to see in the deal over and above the basic necessities, he added. If Britain gets a deal at a summit of EU leaders on Feb. 18-19 then Cameron could call a referendum for June 23, Hammond said. You could certainly do it for then. Technically you could do it, he said, though he added that the date was secondary to getting the right deal. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Dan Grebler)
PARIS (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Michel Sapin on Tuesday ruled out striking a deal with Google over back taxes as the British government recently did with the U.S. internet giant. "French tax authorities do not negotiate the amount of taxes owed, there is a discussion underway about which rules apply, that's perfectly legitimate," Sapin told journalists on the sidelines of a finance sector conference. Sapin told the conference that the sums at stake in France were "far greater" than those in Britain, where Google reached a 130 million pound ($187.11 million) settlement for the period since 2005. (Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by James Regan)
Berlin (AFP) - Germany will soon require all clients of prostitutes to use condoms, according to a draft law approved by the government Tuesday.
The new rule, which will enter in force in July 2017 if it secures parliamentary backing, is part of a package of measures aimed at offering greater protection to sex workers.
Among other measures agreed under the package are tougher rules governing the ownership of brothels.
Any prior convictions of proprietors would be examined to prevent human traffickers from running such establishments.
Prostitutes would be banned from living in the same rooms where they ply their trade.
They would also be required to meet regularly with "counsellors" from the health services.
Prostitution was made legal in Germany in 2002 and the legislation in place offers sex workers a right to public unemployment insurance as well as medical coverage.
However, the only official report released since found that there had been no real "improvement in the social protection of prostitutes", with only one percent of sexworkers having a work contract.
Punxsutawney Phil may not know it, but groundhogs were part of the menu on Groundhog Day in the late 1800s.
Apparently, groundhogs were the "other white meat" on that day.
These days, Punxsutawney Phil doesn't have to worry about ending up on a dish. Revelers gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where they wait with baited breath to see whether Phil sees his shadow, indicating that winter will last six more weeks. If he doesn't see his shadow, there will be an early spring, folklore says. [Supernatural Powers? Tales of 10 Historical Predictions]
In fact, the annual Feb. 2 holiday has roots going back to medieval Europe, according to a 1985 report in the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine.
Winter is halfway over when Feb. 2 rolls around. (It marks the midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox.) Historically, this day was for "reckoning debts and establishing contracts between landowners and tenant farmers" in medieval Europe, historian Christopher R. Davis wrote in the report.
Moreover, Feb. 2 is also Candlemas, a Christian holiday that remembers when Mary presented the Christ child and had her ritual purification. Those who observe the day receive blessed candles at church.
An old English song ties Candlemas and winter's longevity together, said the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
A Scottish rhyme has a similar message, the club said:
If Candlemas day be dry and fair,
The half o' winter to come and mair,
If Candlemas day be wet and foul,
The half of winter's gone at Yule.
The two verses basically say the same thing that if the weather is sunny on Feb. 2, winter will linger awhile longer. But if it's cloudy on that day, winter is on its way out.
Candlemas transformed into the American Groundhog Day in the 1800s, when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania, the report said. People tended to use badgers as their weather prognosticators in the old country, but groundhogs (also known as woodchucks, marmots or whistle-pigs) were plentiful in Pennsylvania, and so a switch was made.
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Unfortunately for the woodchuck (Marmota monax), it also tasted good.
"Dinner guests were reportedly pleased at how tender the marmot meat was when properly prepared, tasting like a cross between pork and chicken," Davis wrote in the report.
Groundhog Day officially began on Feb. 2, 1886, said Katie Donald, the executive director of the Groundhog Club. Nowadays, the celebration lasts four days, and it garners worldwide attention, largely thanks to the 1993 blockbuster film "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray.
Officials claim that Punxsutawney Phil is 130 years old, but groundhogs typically live for about 6 years in the wild, according to Professional Wildlife Removal.
When Phil isn't showing off his celebrity on Groundhog Day, he lives in an enclosure with his wife, Phyllis, and a few of other groundhogs. But he also partakes in other events, including parades, festivals and sporting events, and visitation days at elderly care facilities and schools, Donald said.
"He enjoys meeting new friends from all over the world," Donald told Live Science in an email. "He generally is very mild-mannered."
Chilly but partly sunny weather is expected for the historic 130th Groundhog Day celebrations in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, tomorrow. Check back on Live Science to see whether the groundhog will get the forecast right this year.
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.
Geneva (AFP) - Children now make up over a third of the migrants making the perilous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece, the UN said, as two more babies drowned off Europe's shores.
For the first time since the start of the migrant crisis in Europe, there are also now more women and children crossing the border from Greece to Macedonia than adult males, according to UN children's agency UNICEF.
The figures emerged as Europe struggles with its biggest movement of people crisis since World War II, with more than a million people fleeing war, violence and poverty risking life and limb to reach its shores last year.
"Children currently account for 36 percent of those risking the treacherous sea crossing between Greece and Turkey," the UNICEF spokeswoman Sarah Crowe said.
"Children and women on the move now make up nearly 60 percent" of those entering from Macedonia, she added.
The figures mark a significant shift since June, when 73 percent of migrants were adult males and only one in 10 were under the age of 18.
Marie Pierre Poirier, UNICEF's special coordinator for the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe, said women and children were even more vulnerable to the dangers of trying to travel to Europe.
"The implication of this surge in the proportion of children and women on the move are enormous," she said in a statement.
"It means more are at risk at sea, especially now in the winter, and more need protection on land."
Underlining her point, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday that one in every five who drowned last month while trying to sail from Turkey to Greece was a child, with minors accounting for 60 of the 272 deaths.
Including during January, a total of 330 children have died in those waters over the past five months, many of them just metres from shore, the organisation said.
- Prey for traffickers -
The drownings continue a grim trend that accelerated last year when nearly 4,000 people died trying to reach Europe by sea.
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The plight of children was brought home last year when the body of Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi was found washed up on the shore of the Greek island of Lesbos, horrifying the international community.
The bodies of two more babies were recovered by the Turkish coastguard in the Izmir province on Tuesday along with seven dead adults, just days after another 37 people drowned off another part of the coast.
Children were among the dead, an AFP photographer said, although the exact number was unclear.
The EU on Tuesday urged Greece to check the flow of asylum seekers to its shores, including better registration and security checks, or risk having border controls imposed with other members of the passport-free Schengen zone.
Greece responded by saying the army will do more to help police and port authorities deal with the new arrivals.
In January, almost 62,200 migrants and refugees entered Europe through Greece, most of them from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, the IOM said, close to a third of them unaccompanied minors.
The Europol police agency warned Sunday that youngsters arriving alone were particularly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and trafficking.
More than 10,000 unaccompanied children registered after arriving in Europe over the past 18 months to two years had disappeared, the EU's law enforcement agency said.
Speaking to AFP on Monday, UNICEF's Crowe said European mechanisms for protecting children had not worked.
This "is really a failure of child protection systems across the region", she said.
"Procedures need to be a lot faster and children need to be part of that process so they don't fall through the cracks and they do not fall prey to smugglers and traffickers."
At the Westwood Village theater on Monday night, Ethan and Joel Coen looked back at their career in cinema and introduced the cast of their new film Hail, Caesar! with a joke: "The main character is usually a nitwit ... George Clooney is here!"
The world premiere of the film brought a slew of Hollywood couples to Los Angeles. The event drew George and Amal Clooney, Josh Brolin and Kathryn Boyd, and Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum.
Clooney expressed his admiration for the brothers, telling The Hollywood Reporter that "every actor you ever talk to would do a movie with them, it's that simple."
Said castmember Alden Ehrenreich: "I grew up watching so many of their films and loving them so much it just became a dream to work with them."
Added Seinfeld's Wayne Knight, who is credited in the film as "short extra" and ends up drugging and kidnapping George Clooney's character: "You know that you're dealing with great quality and people who are really brilliant. How can you say no?"
In the Coen brothers' new film, Brolin's character, Eddie Mannix is a Hollywood fixer type for faux studio Capitol Pictures. He'll pay you off, slap you around and shut you up. Whether Hollywood needed a Mannix type around more in the 1950s than it does today, Brolin said, "There was much more debauchery then than there is now. You can't get away with it now."
Said Knight, "There will always be someone who's trouble and there needs to be someone that can hose them down, threaten them and carry them off. We always need people like that, we don't like to admit it, but I think anytime you're dealing with egos and power you do need someone fixing stuff up."
"I'd like to have a fixer. I'd like someone running around, grabbing the guy from The Hollywood Reporter and strangling him," said Clooney as he jokingly pretended to strangle this THR writer. "I wouldn't mind that at all. I don't think you could do it now. For everybody that would take a pay off there'd be someone that would break the story."
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The film, also starring Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes, hits theaters Feb. 5.
Read More: 'Hail, Caesar!' to Open 2016 Berlin Film Festival
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, a humbled Republican presidential front-runner, conceded to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in Monday night's Iowa caucuses after placing second.
"I love you people. I love you people," Trump told his cheering supporters.
"Thank you. Unbelievable," he added. "I have to start by saying I absolutely love the people of Iowa. Unbelievable. Unbelievable."
Trump recalled how everyone had told him not to compete in Iowa, which has consistently been among his worst states, according to public polls.
Trump was widely expected to win in Iowa, where polls had him ahead. In addition to losing to Cruz, Trump also underperformed relative to Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who defied polls to finish just behind the billionaire.
"I said I have to do it," he said. "We finished second. And I want to tell you something: I'm honored. I'm really honored. And I want to congratulate Ted. And I want to congratulate all of the incredible candidates."
He also touted his polls in two of the next states to weigh in on the Republican primary: New Hampshire and South Carolina.
"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," Trump said. "I think we're going to be proclaiming victory, I hope."
The real-state mogul finished by saying: "On to New Hampshire."
NOW WATCH: Donald Trump's dominance on Twitter in January was 'unprecedented'
More From Business Insider
By Evelyn Lirri KAMPALA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Uganda dispatched a team of more than 370 health workers to the northern part of the country on Monday where a malaria epidemic ravaging the region since July has killed about 658 people. Uganda reported an unusual outbreak of malaria in the north of the country in July, which health officials say has affected one million people from a population of about 39 million. Uganda has one of the highest rates of malaria in Africa, with some 100,000 deaths, mostly pregnant women and children under five, and 16 million cases a year, according to the country's Ministry of Health. The emergency team sent to deal with the epidemic consists of 26 medical doctors as well as clinical officers and nurses. "The team has been contracted for a period of 30 days to offer case management at the health facility level," said Asuman Lukwago, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health. District leaders in the affected areas have also been asked to recruit more health workers, depending on the extent of the problem within their area. Northern Uganda has the highest number of registered cases of malaria in the country, government data shows. The region is recovering from a brutal 20-year insurgency that destroyed most of its infrastructure, including health facilities. "Due to various interventions, there has been a steady decline in the cases so far being registered," Lukwago said. "However, the outbreak continues to ravage people in the region." Globally, there were 214 million cases and 438,000 deaths from malaria in 2015, according to World Health Organization figures. Data shows a global decline in new cases, with the Sub-Saharan region carrying a disproportionate burden of the disease. Lukwago said as the ministry continues to monitor and trace more people with signs and symptoms of fever, it will also provide anti-malaria drugs and supplies to all health facilities in the affected districts. As part of a long term intervention, Lukwago said the government will, starting in June, also embark on an indoor residual spraying campaign targeting 4.5 million people in 16 districts in the east and north of the country. The government hopes the initiative will contribute to achieving and sustaining protection of at least 85 percent of the people at risk of malaria by 2017. Lukwago said the campaign will later be scaled up to include more 50 districts where cases of malaria are also high, as part of the Uganda Malaria Reduction Strategic Plan 2014-2020. However, the ministry is also appealing to the public to sleep under an insecticide treated bed net and destroy all breeding places for malaria vectors by clearing bushes, removing stagnant water near homes and working closely with village health teams to monitor and refer cases to facilities. "Those already diagnosed with malaria are requested to complete the dose of anti-malaria given to them," said Lukwago. (Reporting by Katy Migiro, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, womens rights, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)
Unilever, the multinational food corporation that owns the mayonnaise brands Hellmans and Best Foods, has been cast as the villain in the ongoing mayo wars. In October 2014, the company sued comparatively tiny San Francisco start-up Hampton Creek Foods for mislabeling its Just Mayo product as mayonnaise. The suit argued that Just Mayo, which is made with pea protein in lieu of eggs, could not be marketed as mayonnaise because the Food and Drug Administration defines the spread as an emulsion of oil and egg or egg yolk.
Just weeks later, Unilever dropped the suit. Then the FDA picked up the cause last year, making essentially the same argument against Just Mayo. The company reached a compromise with the feds at the end of the year, agreeing to emphasize on the label that Just Mayo is egg-free.
On Tuesday, a little over a year since the first salvo, Unilever announced that it will launch a product later this month: Carefully Crafted Dressing & Sandwich Spread, a carefully named egg-less competitor to Just Mayo.
Our fans have been asking us for organic and egg-less options with the creamy taste of Hellmann's for years, Russel Lilly, Hellmanns marketing director, said in a press release. We listened and responded by giving them choices that are priced competitively and available nationwide. The egg-free product will launch alongside an organic mayonnaise line, which will be made with cage-free eggs.
Carefully Crafted uses modified food starch made from corn and potatoes to bind the oilsoybean oil, rather than the canola used by Hampton Creekinto an emulsion. All the ingredients, including the soybean oil, are said to be non-GMO, although that claim is not verified by a third-party organization. In addition to the pea protein thats used in Just Mayo, Hampton Creek includes modified food starch in its product.
Hellmann's foray into egg-less mayonnaise is a vindication not only for Just Mayo but for the ancient Catalonians who, as far back as 77 A.D., were making a rich sauce for fish and vegetables by working olive oil into garlic paste with a mortar and pestlea vegan preparation appropriated by the egg-yolk-loving French in the 1750s and Hellmann's in 1912.
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When Unilever dropped its lawsuit, Mike Faherty, vice president for food at Unilever North America, said in a statement, We share a vision with Hampton Creek of a more sustainable world. He added, It is for these reasons that we believe Hampton Creek will take the appropriate steps in labeling its products going forward.
The exact nature of that shared vision looks a bit different in 2016, with Unilever following Hampton Creek into the egg-less mayo market rather than trying to use the courts to trip up its upstart competitor.
Related stories on TakePart:
American Egg Board Targets Vegan Mayo Start-Up
What Came First: the Mayonnaise or the Egg?
Justice Is Served: FDA Says Just Mayo Can Keep Its Name
Original article from TakePart
donald trump
Despite the record voter turnout that was supposed to catapult Donald Trump to victory in Iowa, the notoriously self-confident businessman was forced to modestly concede defeat to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in a notable Monday-night caucuses upset that kicked off voting in the Republican presidential race.
Though Trump has bragged for months about his lead in public-opinion surveys, there were no mentions of those Iowa numbers Monday night.
And for good reason: In key demographic areas in which Trump needed to expand his lead, he lost big to Cruz and even trailed a surprisingly strong Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
Here's how Trump's loss played out, according to NBC's exit polls.
As predicted, Trump performed best among voters with a high-school education or lower. But those voters represented only 16% of the electorate on Monday. Voters who had any education beyond high school 84% of the electorate mostly broke for Rubio and Cruz over Trump.
Trump's decision to skip last week's Fox News debate, as well as his reportedly less strong campaign organization, also appeared to work against him.
Voters who made up their minds in the past week almost half of the electorate broke for Rubio and Cruz over Trump, though Trump maintained a lead with voters who made their decision earlier.
There was also a notable age gap.
Though Trump has been popular with younger Republican voters nationally, he lost by a significant margin among voters below the age of 49, who accounted for 32% of the Republican turnout Monday. He also fell several points short of Cruz among voters 50 and older.
Voters were also pondering Trump's viability in the general election. Among the 20% of voters who chose a candidate based they thought could "win in November," Rubio was the top pick by 20 points.
Finally, ideology and religion also may have worked against Trump.
The mogul performed best among self-identified moderate Republican voters, a vastly smaller share of caucusgoers than those who referred to themselves as conservative.
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Of the 40% of voters who considered themselves very conservative, Cruz captured 44% of the vote, compared with Trump's 21%. Rubio won among the 45% of voters who considered themselves somewhat conservative, netting 29% of that portion of the vote to Trump's 24%.
And despite last-minute endorsements and appearances with major evangelical figures like Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, Trump also trailed among religious voters, who made up 62% of the GOP electorate on Monday. Cruz ran away with this group, beating Trump by 12 points.
ted cruz
Polling errors
Trump's poll numbers in Iowa may have artificially inflated his advantage in the lead-up to the caucuses.
Princeton University professor and polling expert Sam Wang pointed to the final Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll, considered the gold standard of Iowa polls. He said it may have underrepresented the share of evangelical voters.
"Pollsters in the Iowa caucus have previously missed by a bit with Santorum, who like Cruz had a lot of evangelical support," Wang said, referring to former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania).
One slight bright spot for Trump was his performance with new caucusgoers. He captured 30% of first-time caucusgoers, 7 points higher than Cruz.
And despite the bad night, polling analysts like Wang warned not to overstate Trump's loss. Trump's share was only slightly below expectations, and it doesn't mean he is about to see a collapse in support.
"It is premature to write off Trump," Wang told Business Insider.
Added University of Michigan pollster Michael Traugott: "I don't think Trump is in trouble until the outcome in New Hampshire differs from the polls."
For his part, Trump spun Tuesday that he was happy with second place.
My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place. Nice Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
NOW WATCH: A hair surgeon explains what's going on with Trump's hair
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton eked out a victory at Monday night's Democratic Iowa caucuses over Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, narrowly averting what might have been a political catastrophe, but assuring a long-term slog to the nomination.
By an improbable margin of roughly 50 percent to about 49.5 percent of the delegate votes, Clinton held off a Sanders challenge that threatened to upend what at one time appeared to be a certain march to her party's nomination and vindication for her startling loss to President Obama in the 2008 Democratic campaign.
The results were the closest in the history of the Iowa caucuses.
Related: Donald Trump Rolls Snake Eyes in Iowa
NBC News declared Clinton the apparent winner at 2:37 a.m. ET on Tuesday, with the results from one precinct still outstanding. The extraordinarily close results which Sanders dubbed a virtual tie -- may change before it's all over. But for now they raise numerous what-ifs for both contenders.
For Clinton, the question is whether she could have elevated her game more and excited her more centrist political base in the final weeks of the campaign to match the excitement generated by Sanders among liberals and college students. Is her assertion that she is more experienced and better prepared to lead the country enough to counter Sanders anti-establishment and anti-Wall Street message?
Also, did the Clinton campaign make a serious mistake by not challenging Sanders sooner on the practicality of his huge spending proposals and trillion dollar tax-hike proposals? And finally, was she hurt by the last minute reports last Friday that the State Department had identified 22 of her emails on a private server during her four years as the nations top diplomat containing "top secret" information?
As for Sanders, he must be asking himself whether going more negative over Clinton's email controversy would have made the difference. And for all his success in stoking the enthusiasm of college students and other young Americans, did he fail to make a convincing case to other Democrats that he has the experience and know how to be the next commander in chief?
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It was easier for Sanders to declare victory, even if he fell just short of a majority because of the optics of the election.
Related: Heres the Big Advantage Ted Cruz Has as Voting Begins
"What Iowa has done tonight is begin a political revolution, the 74-year-old White House contender told a raucous crowd of supporters.
Sanders who once was viewed as little more than a fringe candidate -- said the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message that it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics before going into this stump speech, calling for universal healthcare and free tuition at public colleges and universities.
The self-avowed democratic socialist who is not a member of the Democratic Party also noted that he has been criticized during this campaign for many, many things. Perhaps with that in mind, he proposed paying for some of his plans by imposing a tax on Wall Street speculation.
While Clinton addressed her supporters first, and confessed to breathing a big sigh of relief, she said, I am a progressive who knows how to get things done. Flanked by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea, a jubilant Clinton continued, And I am excited about really getting into the debate with Senator Sanders about the best way forward to fight for us and America.
Related: Why Trump and Sanders Share a Mandate for Universal Health Care
The former First Lady used her brief remarks to cast herself as a pragmatic problem-solver who knows how to make the levers of government work to further liberal causes but stopped shy of taking an outright victory lap.
With Iowa in the rearview mirror, both contenders now turn their attention to a town hall hosted by CNN on Wednesday and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, each looking to grab the Big Mo. Sanders added the benefit of likely defeating Clinton in friendly New England turf next door to his home state of Vermont. He has been running far ahead of Clinton in New Hampshire, leading at various times by as many as 20 to 30 points in Boston Herald/FPU and CNN/WMUR polls.
In 2008, Clinton briefly broke her Democratic rival Barack Obamas momentum coming out of Iowa with an emotional stand that earned her a victory in New Hampshire. She is not likely to repeat that feat against Sanders in New Hampshire, although analysts noted a drop off in Sanders popularity following a recent nationally televised Democratic town hall meeting in Iowa.
Had she lost to Sanders Monday night, there was the very real chance that Clintons campaign could have gone into a free fall.
One candidate who wont be making the trip is former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley. Despite spending more time in Iowa than Clinton or Sanders, his candidacy was never able to catch on, especially after Sanders launched his grass-roots bid.
"In conclusion, there is no conclusion. This fight continues, but look, we fought very, very hard in order to give the people a choice, and the people have made their choice tonight," OMalley said.
Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Hillary Clinton was declared the official winner of the Iowa Democratic caucuses by the Associated Press on Tuesday morning, defeating Bernie Sanders by a thin margin.
The former secretary of state received 700.59 state delegate equivalents, while the senator nabbed 696.82 delegates and former Gov. Martin OMalley was awarded 7.61, according to the Iowa Democratic Party. OMalley suspended his campaign on Monday night following the turnout in Iowa.
This means Clinton is set to receive 23 of Iowas delegates and Sanders will earn 21 delegates. The candidates remained deadlocked last night following surprisingly strong support for Sanders in a state where Clinton was expected to have the edge.
Clintons campaign announced early Tuesday that shed won with no uncertainty. She had come in third place in the 2008 caucuses.
Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa Caucus. After thorough reporting and analysis of results, there is no uncertainty and Secretary Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates, her campaign said in a statement. Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Senator Sanders can overcome Secretary Clintons advantage.
Clinton like Sanders practically declared victory in a speech to supporters on Tuesday evening in Des Moines.
As I stand here, breathing a big sigh of relief, thank you, Clinton told the crowd, alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Meanwhile, IDP Chair Andy McGuire said Tuesday that the results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history. The Party announced that it would not recount the close results.
Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Donald Trump at the Iowa Republican caucuses. Cruz received 28% of the GOP support, versus 24% for Trump and 23% for Rubio.
Related stories
Ted Cruz Wins Iowa GOP Caucus Over Donald Trump, Clinton Claims Victory Over Sanders
Hillary Clinton Closes Iowa Campaign With Contrast to Bernie Sanders
Thomas Tull, Haim Saban Give Seven-Figure Sums to Pro-Clinton SuperPAC
Tegucigalpa (AFP) - Honduras has declared a state of emergency after officials said the number of Zika infections is rising at an "alarming" rate in the Central American country.
Since December 16, when the first case of the mosquito-borne virus was detected, there have been 3,649 cases of people infected with the virus, said Health Minister Yolani Batres.
The number of people infected with Zika tripled in the past three days, according to government figures.
Batres did not mention any cases of infants born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, as has been reported in Brazil and linked to Zika in expectant mothers.
One elderly person may have died of Zika, but officials are still investigating.
"The number of people affected is rising each day in an alarming way," Batres told reporters at a press conference.
Zika causes flu-like symptoms and a rash, and is so mild that it goes undetected in 70 to 80 percent of cases.
There is currently no specific treatment for Zika and no way to prevent it other than avoiding mosquito bites.
Health officials say that some infected patients develop Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause paralysis or even death.
An elderly male patient with Guillain-Barre syndrome died two weeks ago at the Tegucigalpa University Hospital School, but the man may have contracted the syndrome before he was infected with Zika, officials said last week.
Zika originated in Africa and also exists in Asia and the Pacific, but has not been associated with microcephaly there. It first came to prominence in Brazil in October.
The World Health Organization says there is no definitive link between Zika and fetal brain damage.
President Juan Orlando Hernandez allocated an initial tranche of $10 million in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
The Aedes Aegypti mosquito also transmits viral diseases such as dengue and chikungunya.
Last year, five people died after contracting dengue, and more than 40,000 Hondurans were infected with the virus.
Two people died after contracting the chikungunya virus, which infected some 3,000 people, according to Health Ministry figures.
Meaux (France) (AFP) - A man found with guns in a Disneyland Paris hotel was on Tuesday condemned by a French court to six months' house arrest and made to wear an electronic tagging bracelet.
Prosecutors had sought a nine-month suspended sentence for the 28-year-old who was found to be carrying two handguns, ammunition and a Koran when he was arrested last Thursday.
Disneyland Paris said the guns were picked up by routine scanning of the man's bags at the hotel entrance.
A police source said at the time of the arrest that preliminary investigations did not point to terrorism, and that the man had said he was carrying the guns because he feared for his safety.
The Paris restaurant worker, a convert to Islam, will spend his sentence at his mother's house in the Loiret region southwest of Paris.
The court in the city of Meaux, east of the French capital, also banned him from carrying firearms for five years.
The defendant, with long hair in a bun and a short beard, told the court that he had bought his first gun to defend himself after being the victim of an act of aggression.
He added that he had acquired the second pistol after the November 13 jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.
Described as "a boy with a big heart" by his girlfriend and a "pathological liar " by the judge, the man told the court that had not wanted to leave his firearms at his mother's home where he was living.
Despite the discovery of the guns and the Koran, and after several Islamist attacks in and around Paris last year, investigators had quickly ruled out the possibility that the defendant had been planning a terror attack.
Prior to this case the defendant's only brush with the law had been for a traffic case.
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.
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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.
Des Moines (United States) (AFP) - Republican White House hopeful Mike Huckabee has suspended his campaign after winning barely two percent in the Iowa caucuses that launched the 2016 presidential race.
"I am officially suspending my campaign. Thank you for all your loyal support," the former governor of Arkansas tweeted as polling drew to a close in the heartland state.
With 90 percent of Republican precincts reporting in Iowa, Huckabee had just 1.8 percent of votes, far behind the frontrunning trio of Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, who between them split three-quarters of the vote.
In the Democratic race, Martin O'Malley was set to suspend his campaign after garnering less than one percent in Iowa, sources in his camp said.
The former Maryland governor was expected to make a formal announcement in Des Moines, Iowa, the sources said.
O'Malley garnered just 0.6 percent with 89 percent of precincts reporting, his campaign eclipsed by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders, who were running neck-and-neck.
The Hague (AFP) - The International Criminal Court said Tuesday it will deliver its verdict next month in the long-running trial of former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba accused of militia war crimes in the Central African Republic over 14 years ago.
It will only be the fourth verdict -- and the first against a former vice president -- to be handed down by the court, set up in 2002 in The Hague to try the world's worst crimes.
Bemba is charged with three war crimes counts and two of crimes against humanity committed by some 1,500 members of his private army in the neighbouring Central African Republic between October 2002 and March 2003.
His troops allegedly murdered, raped and pillaged after Bemba sent them into the country in late 2002 to help put down a coup against then-CAR president Ange-Felix Patasse.
His trial wrapped up in mid-November 2014, and the court Tuesday issued "an order scheduling the hearing to deliver the verdict in the case ... on Monday, March 21."
"The verdict will be read out in public and will either acquit or convict the accused. The accused before the ICC is presumed innocent," the court said in a statement.
- 'No command over troops' -
ICC prosecutors have alleged that Bemba had authority and control over his troops when they committed atrocities and that he could have stopped or sanctioned them.
But that has been vehemently denied by his defence team which said he had no "direct operational line of command" with his troops who were "resubordinated to the hierarchy of the Central African Republic forces."
Bemba, 53, who unsuccessfully challenged current DR Congo President Joseph Kabila in polls in 2006, went into exile after government forces routed his private militia in 2007. He was arrested in Brussels in 2008 and handed over to the ICC.
His trial before three judges was opened on November 22, 2010 and ended in late 2014. He was since been waiting for a verdict.
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If found guilty, Bemba will be sentenced at a later date.
"While the prosecution must prove the guilt of the accused, the trial chamber will convict the accused only if it is satisfied that the charges have been proven beyond reasonable doubt," the ICC said in a statement.
The verdict comes at a busy start to 2016 for the ICC, which was created under the Rome Statue in 2002 and began working in 2003.
Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and his co-accused Charles Ble Goude went on trial in the ICC's new permanent premises on Thursday in a process also set to last three to four years.
Former Congolese rebel commander Bosco Ntaganda is on trial in another courtroom. And next month judges will also meet to confirm unprecedented charges against an alleged Al-Qaeda militant of ordering the destruction of monuments in Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu.
New Delhi (AFP) - India's children's minister has called for mandatory tests to determine the sex of an unborn child to try to counter high levels of female foeticide, sparking fierce criticism Tuesday from women's activists.
Prenatal sex tests are officially illegal in India, a policy designed to stop so many unborn girls being aborted by parents desperate for a boy.
But in a speech late Monday, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said a more effective strategy would be to record the sex of a foetus at the outset of the pregnancy and then monitor its progress.
"How long are we going to keep making criminals out of people? How long are we going to put the onus on sonographers?
"My view is why not change the present policy. Every pregnant woman should be compulsorily told whether it is a boy or girl," Gandhi said.
"When a woman becomes pregnant it should be registered and that way you will be able to monitor right until the end whether she gave birth or not and what happened," she said in the western city of Jaipur.
Parents and doctors can be jailed for up to five years for asking for or conducting a pre-natal sex test. But the tests are still thought to be widespread, particularly in impoverished rural areas.
A 2011 study in the British medical journal The Lancet found that up to 12 million girls had been aborted in the last three decades in India.
India had 940 females for every 1,000 males, according to the last official census published in 2011, up from 933 in 2001 in a trend that some campaigners say vindicates the current policy of banning sex tests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously spoken out against the killing of unborn girls, warning that the gender imbalance will have serious consequences for the country's development, although he has not addressed the issue of sex tests.
Gandhi, who is the sister-in-law of opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, said she was "just putting out this idea" which was being discussed with her ministerial counterparts.
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"We have not reached a conclusion, we are still discussing the pros and cons," she said.
In a statement on Tuesday, her office said there was no "formal proposal" being considered by her ministry after some local media quoted her as saying one was being discussed in cabinet.
- 'Enormous pressure' -
Women's rights groups said a change of policy would result in women from rural areas coming under even more pressure from families to have an abortion.
"This is not a very productive idea, in fact it could make things worse," Ranjana Kumari, director of the Delhi-based Centre for Social Research think-tank, told AFP.
"This might work among educated women, but not for large numbers of women living in rural areas who are still under enormous pressure to live up to the social and cultural traditions to have a boy."
The All India Democratic Women's Association said Gandhi's proposal was "shocking" and appeared aimed at absolving the medical profession of responsibility for foeticide levels.
"It will fuel a proliferation of illegal facilities for getting rid of unwanted female foetuses," the organisation said in a statement.
"What is required is a continued and stringent implementation of the present act, which has clearly acted as a deterrent wherever it has been used effectively."
Since coming to power, Modi has sought to position himself as a champion of women's rights, emphasising education for girls and an end to female foeticide in a country where boys are seen as more desirable than girls.
A year ago, Modi urged a largely female audience in Haryana -- the state with the lowest ratio of female to male births -- to resist pressure from family and society to abort girls.
And in July he launched a Twitter campaign #SelfieWithDaughter appealing to parents to post snapshots with their daughters to tackle the skewed sex ratio.
Maneka Gandhi's was one of the more eye-catching appointments to Modi's cabinet given her family ties to the main opposition Congress party.
She is the widow of Sanjay Gandhi, whose mother Indira was assassinated in 1984 while prime minister.
By Nidhi Verma NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's oil imports from Iran fell more than a quarter in January from the previous month, although incoming shipments are expected to pick up in February as post-sanctions crude starts arriving, preliminary tanker data obtained by Reuters shows. Indian buyers of Iranian oil had been holding their purchases in check during the final months of international sanctions, anticipating a big marketing push by Tehran. Now, with January's removal of the international curbs on Tehran's oil, banking, insurance and shipping sectors, Indian refiners are talking to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) about raising their crude imports. Two of the refiners, Essar Oil and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, have already booked three cargoes for arrival in February that would bring India's Iran purchases for the first-half of the month to nearly 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), the tanker data shows. "India has asked for 6 million barrels more than the nominations they had made earlier, which means about 230,000-250,000 bpd more for February," an NIOC source told Reuters last month, although without saying what the initial nominations had been for the month. In January, India received 170,700 bpd of oil loaded from Iran mostly while sanctions were still in place, a decline of 27 percent from December and down 38 percent from a year ago, the preliminary tank arrival data obtained by Reuters showed. In the first ten months of the fiscal year that began on April 1, 2015, India's imports from Iran fell 9.5 percent to 228,600 bpd from the same period of the previous year. In January, state refiner MRPL was India's biggest oil client of Iran, shipping in 103,400 bpd, followed by Essar Oil, which received about 67,200 bpd. Post-sanctions Iran wants to raise its oil output by 500,000 bpd as quickly as possible to meet demand from new and existing customers, with about 200,000 bpd of that to go to Europe. An Iranian source has said Tehran is targeting India, Asia's fastest-growing oil market, as the main destination for its resurgent oil exports, which has been backed up by shipping schedules. The Islamic republic's overall exports will total around 1.44 million bpd in February and about 1.5 million bpd in January, according to data on Iran's preliminary tanker loading schedules, which would roughly reflect arrivals two to four weeks later, depending on the destinations. That data showed crude oil bound for India loading out of Iran at 183,000 bpd in January and 303,000 bpd in February. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Des Moines (United States) (AFP) - US presidential hopefuls trained their sights on New Hampshire and beyond Tuesday, with conservative Ted Cruz keen to build on his dramatic Iowa victory over Donald Trump, and Democrat Hillary Clinton reminded that she is not politically invincible.
Republicans in the rural state backed the ultraconservative Cruz for their party's nomination, leaving a humbled Trump in second place just ahead of Senator Marco Rubio, according to nearly complete results given by the party.
Clinton for her part was battled into a virtual tie with rival Bernie Sanders, as Iowans held the inaugural vote of the 2016 White House race.
While the Clinton campaign claimed victory in a middle of the night statement, the Iowa Democratic Party placed her slightly in the lead but said there were still outstanding results in one precinct.
"The results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history," party chair Andy McGuire said in a statement.
Iowans flocked to churches, school gymnasiums and libraries to be the first voices officially heard in the boisterous months-long nominating process that leads to Election Day on November 8.
"To God be the glory!" exclaimed Cruz, claiming victory with 27.7 percent of the vote and staking his claim to be the new standard bearer of the right.
"Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," he said, clearly pleased that his heavy investment in campaigning in the deeply conservative state had paid off.
And just like that, many of the candidates including Trump and Rubio pulled up stakes, whisked away on their jets to New Hampshire where they will hit the ground running Tuesday.
Cruz will be aiming to capitalize on his sudden momentum while Sanders will be returning to what can safely be described as his home turf, and the potential to land a hammer blow against the former secretary of state and her dreams to be America's first female commander in chief.
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Trump, who endured a tough night for a brash real estate magnate whose very brand is built on the concept of winning, will need to prove whether he can win in New Hampshire, where he holds a clear lead in the polls.
But his modest tally in Iowa -- just above 24 percent -- in the first vote since months of unprecedented wall-to-wall media coverage of Trump, raises serious questions about whether showmanship can be a winning presidential strategy.
A second hiccup, in New Hampshire, would spell political disaster for the billionaire.
"He's the big loser tonight," David Redlawsk, a professor at Rutgers University who was in Iowa for the caucuses, told AFP.
"Iowa didn't quite say you're fired, but it was certainly not ready to hire him."
Trump sought to brush off his loss, saying he was "honored" to finish as he did after being given no chance to win Iowa at the outset.
"I was told by everybody, 'Do not go to Iowa. You couldn't finish in the top ten'," he told supporters. "I said 'I have to do it'."
- Trash the establishment -
Rubio, whose star has risen in recent weeks, tried to capitalize on a strong showing and his status as the top mainstream Republican. He earned more than 23 percent, according to the nearly complete party results, essentially confirming that the Republican battle is no longer just a two-man race.
"Tonight we have taken the first step but an important step towards winning this election," said Rubio, clearly over the moon about finishing just one point behind The Donald.
Iowa Democrats also showed their doubt in their party frontrunner, with Clinton in a dead heat with Sanders, who has railed against Wall Street and money in politics.
With 99 percent of precincts reported, Clinton was on 49.9 percent and Sanders 49.6 percent.
Despite the razor thin margin, Team Clinton was declaring victory.
Sanders disagreed.
"What Iowa has begun tonight is a political revolution," said Sanders, a Vermont senator, as he focused on building a movement around campaign finance reform and a more equitable society.
"So you guys ready for a radical idea? Well, so is America," Sanders said to cheers.
Clinton had been looking to lay to rest the demons of 2008, when she lost in Iowa to now-President Barack Obama, and pursue her quest for history by dealing a solid blow to her upstart challenger.
But she now faces another tough battle in Sanders' backyard, New Hampshire.
Clinton may be seeking to merely tread water for this next week, until the race shifts to South Carolina and Nevada, where she has commanding leads in the polls.
After that, there are several key votes in southern states, where Redlawsk said Sanders may have a tough time appealing to the region's Democrats, who are traditional more conservative.
For many long-shot candidates, Iowa has spelled the end of the road.
Republican Mick Huckabee announced he was suspending his campaign, as did Democrat Martin O'Malley.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The latest on developments in Monday's Iowa caucuses, the opening contest in the 2016 race for the White House (all local times):
9:45 p.m.
"We want Ted" is the chant at Ted Cruz's jubilant caucus-night party in Iowa.
And supporters of the Texas senator who won Monday night's Republican caucuses are soon to get their wish. Cruz is flying from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines to join the celebration.
The crowd erupted in cheers when TV screen showed that the race was being called for their favored candidate.
9:40 p.m.
Republican Mike Huckabee says he's ending his second bid for the White House.
The former Arkansas governor writes on Twitter that he's "officially suspending my campaign." He's thanking his backers for their loyal support, adding the hashtag #ImWithHuck.
He joined the race last May, with an announcement in the hometown he shares with former President Bill Clinton. But Huckabee became just one candidate in a crowded field that included many political newcomers.
His campaign failed to take off with candidates like billionaire Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio dominating the race.
9:27 p.m.
It's Ted Cruz on top in the leadoff Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa.
The Texas senator has edged past of Donald Trump and a crowded GOP field.
Cruz won with strong support from Iowa's influential evangelical community and conservative voters
Cruz's victory in the first contest of the 2016 race comes just four years after he rode a tea party wave to win election to the Senate.
The race now moves to New Hampshire, where Trump has strong support among voters frustrated and angry with Washington.
Read More: Kid Rock Is "Digging" Donald Trump as His Republican Presidential Pick
9 p.m.
Democrat Martin O'Malley has suspended his presidential campaign.
The former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor never gained traction against rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
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Word about O'Malley's move comes from people familiar with his decision. They weren't authorized to discuss it publicly and requested anonymity.
O'Malley campaigned as a can-do chief executive who pushed through key parts of the Democratic agenda in Maryland. They included gun control, support for gay marriage and an increase in the minimum wage.
But O'Malley struggled to raise money and was polling in the single digits for months despite campaigning actively in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Associated Press writers Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report.
8:50 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is the top choice among very conservative caucus-goers in Iowa, while Donald Trump is No. 1 among moderates.
That's according to entrance poll interviews among those arriving at caucus sites conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
Those who say they're somewhat conservative are split between Marco Rubio and Trump.
Half of GOP caucus-goers say they prefer a candidate from outside the political establishment, while four in 10 say they prefer someone with political experience.
___
8:35 p.m.
The crowd has come alive for Marco Rubio at a concert hall that's hosting caucuses for two Iowa precincts outside Des Moines.
The Florida senator tells caucus-goers that he knows they might have come out to support other candidates in the Republican race. But he also says that he believes "with all my heart I can unite this party."
___
8:25 p.m.
Ben Carson plans to trade the cold of Iowa for the warmth of Florida for a few days.
A campaign spokesman says the Republican presidential candidate is heading home to West Palm Beach after the Iowa caucuses.
Carson plans to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and then will head to New Hampshire.
The plan is to leave Iowa Monday night in hopes of getting ahead of a winter storm.
"Not standing down" that's what spokesman Jason Osborne posted on Carson's Twitter feed.
___
8:15 p.m.
Donald Trump's voice is hoarse but he still has lots to say.
He's telling 2,000 Republicans in suburban Des Moines that "we're going to win again" and take back the country.
Trump is criticizing the Obama administration's foreign and trade policy, promising to command respect for the United States in the world.
Trump says his mission in the presidential race is to "make America great again."
___
8:05 p.m.
Early arrivals at Iowa's Democratic caucus sites are split among health care, the economy and income inequality as the top issue facing the country.
That's according to preliminary results of an entrance poll at caucus locations.
Almost three in 10 say experience is the most important quality in deciding which candidate to back. What's next? Honesty and someone who cares about people like them.
Six in 10 say the next president should continue President Barack Obama's policies.
The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters arrived at 40 randomly selected sites for Democratic caucuses in Iowa.
Read More: Glenn Beck Calls Donald Trump a "Narcissist to the Highest Level"
___
7:55 p.m.
Republican or Democrat Jeb Bush is criticizing them all.
President Obama. Clinton. Trump. Cruz. Marco Rubio.
Bush tells supporters in New Hampshire that Obama is "a failed president." And the former Florida governor is hitting Trump though not by name for "insulting" his way toward the presidency.
The latest statewide polls in New Hampshire show Bush in a fight for second place. Trump holds a commanding lead.
___
7:45 p.m.
Here's what's at stake on the delegate front in the Iowa caucuses.
The Democrats have 44 delegates at stake and the Republicans have 30. That's just a small sliver of what it will take to win each party's nomination.
For Democrats, it will take 2,382 delegates to win the nomination. For Republicans, it will take 1,237.
Hillary Clinton starts off with a big lead because of endorsements by Democratic superdelegates. They're the party leaders who can support the candidate of their choice.
Clinton has 362 endorsements to just eight for Sanders. O'Malley has two.
Republicans don't have nearly as many superdelegates.
Read More: TV Ratings: Fox News Debate Rises Without Donald Trump, Hits 12.5 Million Viewers
___
7:37 p.m.
Let the caucusing begin.
On a winter night, Iowans are meeting in party caucuses and expressing their preferences for the Democratic and Republican candidates in the race for the 2016 nominations.
At stake is crucial early momentum in the campaign. For some candidates, the future of their White House hopes may lie in the balance.
___
7:10 p.m.
Early arrivals at Iowa's Republican caucus sites are deeply unhappy with how the federal government is working.
That's according to preliminary results of an entrance poll of those arriving at caucus locations.
Four in 10 say they're angry. One-half say they're dissatisfied.
Almost four in 10 say the most important quality in a candidate is someone who shares their values.
Also, two in 10 want someone who can bring needed change.
The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters arrived at 40 randomly selected sites for Democratic and Republican caucuses in Iowa.
___
7 p.m.
The Republican race in Iowa seems to be a three-way contest among Trump, Cruz and Rubio.
That's according to entrance poll interviews with early arrivals to caucus sites conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
On the Democratic side, the race appears tight between Clinton and Sanders.
___
5:50 p.m.
For the election night party in Iowa, Cruz's campaign has booked a country music band that bills itself as having "blue collar roots and a fun attitude.'
Red, white and blue banners with Cruz's campaign slogans "Trusted" and "Cruzin' to Victory" are hanging from the ceiling of the Elwell Family Food Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
But most of the attention will be focused on two large video screens that will show results from the Iowa caucuses.
Read More: Adele: Donald Trump Does Not Have Permission to Use My Music in His Campaign
___
5:20 p.m.
Even before Iowa's caucuses get underway, Trump is predicting "a tremendous victory."
That's his message to supporters in a hotel ballroom in Cedar Rapids.
Trump is banking on a stronger-than-usual turnout. Polling shows many potential caucus-goers are new to the process.
Some of Trump's children plan to attend caucuses around the state and promote their dad's candidacy.
___
5:06 p.m.
Chris Christie says he's ready to be president and that Barack Obama wasn't in 2008.
Christie's message to New Hampshire voters: Don't put another first-term senator in the White House.
It's a knock by the New Jersey governor on two of the Republicans in the race freshmen Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Christie says they've never managed anything and running the country isn't something they're up to.
Obama was a first-term senator from Illinois when he beat Republican John McCain in 2008.
___
4:37 p.m.
The day began for Chris Christie in Iowa and ended in New Hampshire.
The Iowa caucuses were still hours away and Christie already was back in New Hampshire, appealing for support in the state's primary Feb. 9.
The New Jersey governor has focused much of his campaigning in New Hampshire and hopes for a strong showing.
___
2:48 p.m.
The National Weather Service says temperatures in Iowa are expected to remain above freezing when hundreds of thousands of people gather Monday night for the caucuses.
It's good news for presidential candidates who've been begging supporters to attend caucuses.
Look for snow to move in late at night, with up to a foot forecast. That could complicate the getaway plans of candidates and others set to head to New Hampshire for the Feb. 9 primary.
The World's Crude Oil Production: Who's Happy and Who's Not?
(Continued from Prior Part)
Irans crude oil production
The UN (United Nations) lifted the oil sanction on Iran on January 15, 2016. The lifting of the sanction means Iran gets access to frozen assets and can immediately sell 40 MMbbls of crude oil at sea. Preliminary estimates suggest that Iran might have produced more than 3 MMbpd of crude oil in January 2016. The lifting of the oil sanction and estimates of a better Iranian growth rate suggest that Iran will continue to produce more oil in 2016, putting pressure on the global oil market.
Irans crude oil exports hit new highs
Irans crude oil exports are expected to rise by 20% in January and February 2016 compared to last year during the same period. This is according to data from the loading schedules. The data suggest that Iranian exports could average around 1.4 MMbpd in February 2016 and 1.6 MMbpd in 2016.
The 40 MMbbls of oil in the oil tankers have also shipped, according to shipping sources from the data compiled by Reuters. Iranian crude oil exports to India are expected to increase to 300,000 bpd in February 2016 compared to 183,000 bpd in January 2016. Irans oil exports will increase by 200,000 bpd to Europe in the near term. OPEC member Iran estimates it will ramp up exports to China by 504,000 bpd.
The record global crude oil inventory and the contango market benefit oil tankers such as Nordic American Tankers (NAT), Frontline (FRO), and DHT Holdings (DHT). You can read more about the US inventory in the third part of the series. Record oil inventory will continue to put pressure on oil prices and the margins of oil producers such as ConocoPhillips (COP), Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), and Noble Energy (NBL).
The roller coaster ride in the oil market also affects ETFs and ETNs such as the United States Oil Fund (USO), the VelocityShares 3X Long Crude Oil ETN (UWTI), and the ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (SCO). In the next part of this series, well find out more about US crude oil production.
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By Arshad Mohammed and Crispian Balmer ROME (Reuters) - An international coalition is pushing back Islamic State militants in their Syrian and Iraqi strongholds, but the group is threatening Libya and could seize the nation's oil wealth, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday. Officials from 23 countries met in Rome to review the fight against Islamic State militants, who have created a self-proclaimed Caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq, and are spreading into other countries, notably Libya. While Western officials worry about the growing threat posed by Islamic State in the former Italian colony, there was no suggestion that foreign powers were preparing to launch a major military offensive against them there for now. Islamic State forces have attacked Libya's oil infrastructure and established a foothold in the city of Sirte, exploiting a power vacuum in the North African country where two rival governments have been battling for supremacy. "That country has resources. The last thing in the world you want is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars of oil revenue," Kerry said. Under a U.N.-backed plan for a political transition, Libya's two warring administrations are expected to form a unity government, but a month after the deal was agreed in Morocco, its implementation has been dogged by in-fighting. Kerry said the two sides were "on the brink of getting a government of national unity". Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said once it was in place, many countries would be prepared to respond to any request for help with security. However, Kerry said the United States was opposed to deploying any of its ground forces into Libya and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius dismissed media speculation that Paris was poised to intervene in the oil-rich country. "That is totally inexact," he told reporters in Rome. The United States is leading two different coalitions carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria that have targeted Islamic State, but the jihadist group has been left largely left untouched in Libya. "We are still not at the victory that we want to achieve, and will achieve, in either Syria or Iraq and we have seen Daesh playing a game of metastasizing out to other countries, particularly Libya," Kerry said, using a pejorative Arabic term for Islamic State. INTERRUPTING ISLAMIC STATE Defense ministers from the anti-IS group are due to meet in Brussels next week to discuss further options, while Kerry said he expected further consultations with allies at a security conference in Munich, Germany later this month. While the Islamic State remained undefeated, it had suffered many setbacks, Kerry said, losing 40 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and 20 percent of its lands in Iraq. "Our advances .. are undeniable. We have launched nearly 10,000 air strikes, we have interrupted their finance mechanisms, they have had to cut the salaries of their fighters, we have interrupted their capacity to get revenues," Kerry said. The one-day Rome meeting took place as talks have begun in Geneva to try to end the five-year-old Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in the United States and Russia on opposite sides. While Washington has long said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead, it has made clear that its first priority is to try to rein in Islamic State group. "If you want to beat Daesh quickly, then get a negotiated deal to end the Syria war," Kerry said. Tuesday's meeting also covered stabilizing areas such as the Iraqi city of Tikrit, which has been wrested from the group, as well as broader efforts to undercut its finances, stem the flow of foreign fighters and counter its messaging, officials said. (Additional Reporting by John Irish in Geneva; Writing by Crispian Balmer and Arshad Mohammed; editing by Ralph Boulton)
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Russia has agreed that two Syrian rebel Islamist groups will participate in Syria peace talks on an individual basis but said this did not mean that they were legitimate and not terrorists, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. The United Nations on Monday announced the formal start of peace talks in Geneva. Moscow, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main ally, had objected to the Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham groups taking any part in the talks. But on Tuesday Lavrov, speaking through an interpreter, told a news conference in Abu Dhabi it had been agreed the two groups would attend on an individual basis. "This does not mean that this is an acknowledgement of Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham as two legitimate partners in the negotiations," he said. "This is our stance and this is the stance of so many parties in the support group and they consider these groups terrorist groups," he said. A representative of Jaish al-Islam, Mohamed Alloush, is already in Geneva for the talks. He said on Tuesday he was not optimistic about their prospects. Lavrov said only Syrians could decide the future of their country through the framework of the Geneva negotiations, which Russia fully backed. "We will offer all our support to this process," he said after meeting his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Lavrov said some parties were trying to force the transfer of authority in Syria, which has been at war for nearly five years. He also called for the implementation of U.N. resolutions to remedy the humanitarian situation in Syria and called on U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura to "treat all parties in a balanced way". The stance of the Syrian government had been constructive, he said. (Reporting by Noah Browning, Writing by Sylvia Westall, Editing by Sami Aboudi and Angus MacSwan)
ROME (Reuters) - An Italian dairy cooperative has sold bonds backed by Parmesan cheese, the company said on Tuesday, a rare example of one of the country's plethora of small firms raising funding on capital markets. Three years of recession have choked bank lending and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's government is trying to encourage firms to raise money elsewhere and take advantage of a tentative economic recovery. Cheese-maker 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia has done just that, raising 6 million euros ($6.55 million) in mini-bonds guaranteed by wheels of Parmesan. 4 Madonne's chairman said it would use the money raised in the bond issue to improve its facilities and promote the thick-rinded cheese it makes in Italy's northern gastronomic heartland Emilia Romagna. More than 95 percent of Italian companies have fewer than 10 employees and traditionally rely on bank lending for financing. But banks' willingness to provide credit has eroded as bad loans piled up on their balance sheets during the recession, making it harder for smaller, more vulnerable companies to get funding. The government wants to spur lending to boost the economy, which is estimated to have grown about 0.8 percent last year. 4 Madonne's bonds will pay a fixed yield of 5 percent each year until they mature in January 2022. (Reporting by Isla Binnie)
AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebel group Jaish al-Islam denied on Tuesday a Russian defence ministry report that its jets had destroyed a stash of oil products belonging to them in areas they control in the eastern suburbs of the Syrian capital. The group, which is the most powerful rebel faction in the rural eastern suburban area of Damascus, has been a target of heavy Russian bombing since Moscow begin a major military campaign four months ago. Russian jets are also believed to have killed Jaish al-Islam leader Zahran Alloush in a December raid that targeted the group's headquarters, dealing a major blow to rebel control of the area. Jaish al-Islam denied the Russian report in an emailed statement received overnight. The group is one of the main rebel factions represented in the Saudi-backed High Negotiation Committee. It is ideologically at odds with Islamic State and al Qaeda, but is deemed by President Bashar al-Assad and his ally Russia to be a terrorist group. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Dominic Evans)
LONDON (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah says his country needs long-term aid from the international community to cope with a huge influx of Syrian refugees, warning that unless it received support the "dam is going to burst". In an interview with the BBC aired on Tuesday, King Abdullah said the refugee crisis was overloading Jordan's social services and threatening regional stability. Jordan has already accepted more than 600,000 U.N.-registered Syrian refugees. "Jordanians are suffering from trying to find jobs, the pressure on infrastructure and for the government, it has hurt us when it comes to the educational system, our healthcare. Sooner or later I think the dam is going to burst," he said. Last Thursday, officials said the European Union would promise some 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) at an international donor conference to be held in London this week to aid Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. British Prime Minister David Cameron said last month he would press the EU to relax export rules for Jordan, to help spur economic growth. "This week is going to be very important for Jordanians to see is there going to be help not only for Syrian refugees but for their own future as well," King Abdullah told the BBC. Part of the U.S.-led coalition that is bombing Syria, Jordan has long been praised for helping refugees and been a big beneficiary of foreign aid as a result. However, it has drawn criticism from western allies and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees over the situation near its border with Syria, where thousands of refugees are being kept far from any aid. The situation has deteriorated since Russia started air strikes last September to support President Bashar al-Assad. King Abdullah said if Jordan was not helped, the refugee crisis would worsen. "The international community, we've always stood shoulder to shoulder by your side. We're now asking for your help, you can't say no this time," he said. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Katharine Houreld)
By Julia Edwards
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday it would launch a review of the San Francisco Police, in the wake of the fatal police shooting of a black man that spurred protests and demands that the city's police chief be fired.
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 in December, the review will result only 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.
Protests have flared in San Francisco over the fatal police shooting on Dec. 2 of Woods, which was filmed by bystanders and described by San Francisco's public defender as unnecessary. Demonstrators have repeatedly called for Police Chief Greg Suhr's ouster.
Suhr has said that Woods was a suspect in a stabbing, that he was holding a knife and was a threat to officers who had tried to subdue him with pepper spray and bean bag rounds.
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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. In the video, Woods does not seem to be holding anything when he is shot multiple times, although police have said they recovered a kitchen knife.
Woods' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city in December for wrongful death, describing his killing as a "horrific public execution."
The death came amid unrest across the United States over high-profile police killings of black citizens in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, and Chicago since mid-2014, and a renewed civil rights movement dubbed Black Lives Matter.
(Additional reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco)
Rome (AFP) - With an unusual choice of language, US Secretary of State John Kerry waded into Islamic theological debate on Tuesday when he branded the Islamic State group "apostates."
The United States affords its citizens religious freedom and does not consider apostasy a crime, but Kerry chose the term to rubbish the jihadists' claims of piety.
"Daesh is in fact nothing more than a mixture of killers, of kidnappers, of criminals, of thugs, of adventurers, of smugglers and thieves," he declared using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.
"And they are also above all apostates, people who have hijacked a great religion and lie about its real meaning and lie about its purpose and deceive people in order to fight for their purposes."
Some Muslim legal scholars consider the proper punishment for turning one's back on the faith to be death and several majority Islamic countries execute convicted apostates.
The IS group claims to have founded a "caliphate" based on its interpretation of Islamic sharia law and itself often brands its Muslim enemies apostates.
Kerry was in Rome on Tuesday for a meeting of the 23 nations at the core of the US-led coalition fighting the IS group in Iraq and Syria and supporting local forces.
The end of a news conference by Kerry and Italy's foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni was briefly disrupted by protesters alleging US policy had caused the jihadists' rise.
Rome (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Syrian opposition negotiators to remain in peace talks despite the fact that they are still under bombardment by the regime's ally, Russia.
Speaking as the Geneva peace process still in disarray, Kerry promised that a ceasefire would be rapidly implemented if only the two sides could begin to negotiate.
An opposition coalition has sent envoys to the talks in Geneva but has demanded an end to the bombing of besieged and starving Syrian populations before they negotiate in earnest.
"To the question of Russia bombing while they are sitting at the table: We are all extraordinarily sympathetic to the limits of propriety and common sense in the opposition sitting at a table while somebody continues to bomb you," Kerry said, after a meeting of US allies in Rome.
"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. That would be crazy."
Kerry noted that Russia had supported a United Nations Security Council resolution that insists upon a ceasefire as soon as talks on a Syrian political transition begin.
"The ceasefire has been embraced and voted for by Russia and they have expressed their support for it," he said, adding that he had discussed the issue with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in recent days.
"A ceasefire should be doable. The Russians can control the Russian planes. The Russians together with the Iranians, because they are supporting Assad, can control his planes," he said.
"And the Iranians can control the IRGC and Hezbollah," he added, referring to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp and the Lebanese militia, which have sent troops to back Bashar al-Assad's regime.
"And it's up to those of us who support the opposition to get the opposition to live by a ceasefire."
Kerry said he was to call the UN envoy leading the Geneva talks, Staffan de Mistura, later in the day and that the 17-nation International Syria Support Group that includes Iran and Russia would meet again next week.
A major MERS outbreak in South Korea that scared off tourists dealt a blow to flag carrier Korean Air, whose net loss widened by 54 percent last year according to figures released on Tuesday.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome infected 186 people and killed 36 of them in the South -- the largest outbreak outside Saudi Arabia where the virus originated.
The outbreak -- which peaked in June and July before being declared over in December -- took a heavy toll on the nation's economy, especially tourism-related business.
The airline's net loss for 2015 widened to 703 billion won ($582.2 million), up 53.6 percent from a loss of 457.8 billion won in 2014, Korean Air said in a statement.
The airline gave no explanation Tuesday for the increased loss, but last year it blamed the MERS outbreak for a decline in sales.
Sales fell 3.1 percent year-on-year to 11.5 trillion won.
The number of foreign visitors to the South dropped 6.8 percent to 13.2 million last year, the first decline in 12 years.
On Tuesday, French luxury brand Chanel announced that the American actress would be the star of its upcoming 2016 eye makeup campaign.
Kristen Stewart has already fronted fashion and accessories campaigns for the house, but it emerged Tuesday that she has been signed as the face of Chanel's latest makeup campaign, "Collection Eyes 2016," shot by Mario Testino.
The campaign sees the 25-year-old star pose in a series of portraits, incarnating the different facets of a contemporary woman, according to Chanel. K-Stew can be seen in shots that play with tomboyish, mischievous, playful and star-like qualities.
A first black-and-white shot unveiled by Chanel captures the "Twilight" star's mesmerizing eyes, framed by a raised arm subtly masking the rest of her face.
This isn't the first time Kristen Stewart has worked with Chanel. The young star fronted the Metiers d'Art Paris-Dallas campaign in 2013, then posed for Chanel's spring 2015 handbag and eyewear collections. The actress was also picked to star in a short film, "Once and Forever," shot by Karl Lagerfeld for the Metiers d'Art fashion show in Rome in December 2015.
Some days, his students cant sit still. First, they get up for a tissue; then its another trip to sharpen a pencil. Even when theyre sitting in their chairs, theyre fidgeting.
This is when Brandon Nattress, a sixth-grade global-studies teacher at Weeks Middle School in Des Moines, stops and remembers to keep perspective. As a kid growing up in northwestern Iowa, he wasnt allowed to mess around in class like that. But some of the children in his classroom didnt come from a sleepy heartland townthey grew up in refugee camps after fleeing strife-torn countries such as Myanmar, Nepal, and Sudan. After years living in camps, they werent accustomed to the structure of the classroom, and a quick punishment wasnt going to change their mentality.
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I cant sit there and talk and expect students that havent had any formal-education setting, where they have to be in a classroom, to just do what I tell them to do, he says. Instead, he tries a more active version of the lesson, pairing half of the students with cards bearing a vocabulary word and the other half with the definition. They can move around the room and match the cards, learning and burning off energy at the same time.
Nattress, now 37, has immersed himself in the shifting demographics of Des Moines since becoming a teacher there in 2012, signing an alternative contract the citys public schools had just started offering. It came with a higher starting salary and the promise of a no-cost masters degree. In exchange for the free degree, he had to commit to working for the school district for eight years or repay the cost of the classes. Last summer, Drake University in Des Moines announced a partnership with the citys public schools. The well-regarded liberal-arts school began offering the first classes this month toward a reshaped masters degree that will focus on cultural competency and on instruction for children new to English.
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The experiment in Des Moines gives the 32,500-student school district a chance to train a nearly all-white group of instructors, many of them born and raised in Iowa, in how to effectively serve an increasingly diverse student population. The proportion of Hispanic residents in Des Moines doubled from 2000 to 2014to 12 percentand the number of African American residents has also grown, to 10 percent, according to federal census data. The city weathered the 2008 financial crisis relatively well, and immigrantsranging from resettled refugees to Mexican agricultural workers and entrepreneurstook notice. White students now make up less than half of the school population; Hispanics account for a quarter and African Americans for a fifth. A fifth of the students are enrolled in the English Language Learner program, having arrived from countries such as Bhutan, Bosnia, Burundi, Eritrea, Laos, Mexico, and Vietnam.
Teachers and administrators in Des Moines are still working to catch up to this new reality. Schools will always want innovative, caring, hard-working teachersregardless of racebut research suggests it can also help students to work with teachers who look like themselves. In a 2001 working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Stanford Graduate School of Education professor Thomas S. Dee found that a one-year assignment of students to a teacher of their same race resulted in higher math and reading scores for both black and white students of 3 to 4 percent.
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Its nothing unique to Des Moines, says Isaiah McGee, the school districts equity coordinator, but the administration has realized it must diversify its teaching ranks. In Iowa, where 87 percent of the population is non-Hispanic white, when you look at the students graduating with teaching degrees, its not really people of color, he notes. To compensate, he is trying to recruit minority teachers in nearby states, hawking Iowas quality of life.
The district is also trying to train its existing cadre of teachers in what it calls cultural proficiency, one of three major themes in Drakes masters program. (The others: effective teaching methods; and in-school leadership, such as designing curricula.) The district started this effort during the 2011-2012 school year. We really kept coming back to the rapidly changing demographics of our district, says the superintendent Thomas Ahart, and the teachers not being prepared really to address what they were facing in the classroom, with poverty, with English-language learners, mental-health issues, et cetera.
School administrators realized they needed a way to attract and keep the best teachers, while paying salaries on a par with other districts nearby. They settled on an alternative contract, with the incentive of a masters degree that the school district will pay for, starting after three years of teaching and completed while the recipient continues to work. To make the contract more lucrative, the pay scale is front-loaded, with a higher salary in earlier years.
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There was a problem, though: Ahart and other administrators doubted that a masters degree in itself would actually improve a teachers performance. While teachers across the country typically receive a pay raise with an advanced degree, studies have shown a negligible impact on student achievement. For the district to foot the bill for the advanced degrees, it wanted to create a masters program with its specific needs in mind, featuring an a la carte selection of courses that would best serve its interests. The district solicited proposals from universities around the Midwest, and a committee of administrators and teachers narrowed the candidates to two, including Drake.
From there, price became the biggest factor. Drake agreed to a competitive tuition rate of $330 per credit hour, paid by the district for teachers who signed the alternative contract but also available to Des Moines teachers employed under the standard contract. Drake was a good match, considering its convenient location and its history of working with the public schools. Under the agreement, the school district and the private university collaborate on the curriculum, composed half of new, Des Moines-specific classes and half of handpicked electives useful for the citys teachers. This is really a new program for Drake, Ahart says. Its not just a reworking of something they already had in place.
Courtney Ihnen, a 27-year-old music teacher at Hanawalt Elementary School, is part of the first cohort of 50 teachers enrolling in Drakes masters program. Shes excited. Having grown up in the suburb of West Des Moines, where most of the students in her school were (like herself) white and middle-class, she thinks shell benefit from the cultural-proficiency training. During her three years in the classroom, she has already adapted her approach to students in certain respects. When students didnt make eye contact with her in class, she learned that, in some cultures, its disrespectful to look an adult in the eye. In late October, she wasnt aware of the 15-day Nepalese festival of Dashain until an instructor in a professional development seminar for alternative-contract teachers mentioned that Nepali students might miss a few days of school and return to class tired or emotional. The training helps you be more knowledgeable about what theyre going through in their life, Ihnen says.
She has already developed a bond with the other teachers in the alternative-contract program, who have been meeting on a regular basis since they began in 2012-2013. In her eyes, these will be the next generation of leaders within schools across Des Moines, all equipped with a surer sense of how to work with students who dont always look like the Iowans of yore.
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NAIROBI (Reuters) - At least one person was killed in a grenade attack on a bar in Burundi on Monday night, witnesses said, in more violence since the African Union backed away from sending in peacekeepers without the government's consent. The grenades went off in the Butere neighborhood of the capital Bujumbura on Monday night. "One (person) was killed instantly," said Jean de Dieu, who was near the scene of attack. Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye confirmed two grenades were detonated and eight people were wounded. Burundi sank into a crisis last year after President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term of office, which he secured in a disputed vote. African leaders, who met in Addis Ababa at the weekend, agreed to send a team to try to persuade Nkurunziza to accept a 5,000-strong force after he rejected the plan and said any such force would be treated as an invasion. The Butere neighborhood was one of the flashpoints during the height of the violent protest against Nkurunziza's decision, along with the neighboring Mutakura and Cibitoke areas. When the peacekeeping plan was announced in December by the African Union's peace and security council, officials had said they could invoke an article of the AU's charter that allows it to act even without a government's agreement. But African leaders showed wariness of such a move at the summit and instead decided to seek approval first. Following a visit by the U.N. Security Council to Burundi late last month, Nkrunziza wrote to the 15-member body to say he took note of their concerns. "We have decided and issued instructions accordingly to the officials of the services concerned to make ourselves available to the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General," Nkurunziza wrote in a Jan. 25 letter, made public on Tuesday. He promised they would cooperate closely with the special adviser's team to support an inclusive national dialogue, disarmament, security, human rights and development. (Writing by Duncan Miriri and Edmund Blair; additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; editing by Katharine Houreld)
Its hard to blame Jordan Hill, here. If LeBron James came charging at us, even if it was just a feint, wed fall over helplessly as well. Heck, wed probably be even more of a cowering spectacle than Hill (also, sure, LeBron stepped on Hills foot, but lets not ruin the magic). LeBron then added insult to injury by draining the step-back over Hills splayed-out body, which is just so, so mean.
Tripoli (AFP) - After Iraq and Syria, will international military intervention against the Islamic State group now take place in conflict-ridden Libya as well?
Western powers including the United States, Britain and France are openly considering such a move, but appear reluctant to act without a government of national unity in place.
Such a government would bring together rival factions competing for power for more than a year and a half -- the Islamist-backed General National Congress in Tripoli and the internationally recognised government in the far east.
Foreign ministers from the coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, meet in Rome on Tuesday to discuss their efforts, with a possible expansion into Libya likely to be on the table.
Why would it happen?
"The failure of the political process and the simultaneous escalation of IS activities in Libya made all of this much more likely" in recent weeks, said Mattia Toaldo of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The Islamic State group has become the greatest jihadist threat to the region since seizing Sirte, hometown of deposed dictator Moamer Kadhafi, in June 2015. The city is just 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli.
The jihadist group is estimated to have some 5,000 fighters in Libya, and is trying to attract hundreds more.
"Action in Libya is needed before Libya becomes a sanctuary for ISIL, before they become extremely hard to dislodge," a US defence official said last month, using one of several names for IS.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned on Sunday that with the onset of better weather, IS fighters hiding among refugees travelling from Libya to Italy pose a "major risk" to Europe.
Le Drian said IS is now just 350 kilometres (220 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa, arrival point for thousands of migrants and refugees leaving Libya for the European Union.
Martin Kobler, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), has said African countries such as Niger and Chad are also concerned about IS spreading south through the vast desert.
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"Libya's neighbours in Africa and Europe are not likely to simply allow the threat from the Islamic State to grow unchecked," said Issandr El Amrani of the International Crisis Group.
"But the nature of that military action is far from certain."
How would it happen?
Foreign countries say there will be no intervention without a political agreement in Libya, and a national unity government requesting help.
In the meantime, options are being considered, ranging from an air campaign in support of Libyan forces as in Iraq, to the deployment of ground troops.
"But the latter seems unlikely," according to El Amrani.
For Toaldo, intervention will be along the lines of in Syria: "air strikes, some drones, some special operation troops on the ground".
The United States has sent in experts to make contact with local forces to ensure the support of the many militias controlling territory.
The recognised government based in Al-Bayda, in addition to air strikes, wants the speedy lifting of the arms embargo imposed by the UN in 2011.
Forces loyal to the government, calling themselves the Libyan National Army, say they can supply intelligence on IS positions, a determining factor in avoiding civilian casualties.
The support of the Tripoli administration backed by the Fajr Libya coalition of Islamist militants is less certain, especially if the UN-brokered political process fails.
Where would it take place?
Experts say foreign strikes would first concentrate on Sirte and its environs, the main area under IS control. Derna 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) east of Tripoli would also be a target, with IS fighters now on its outskirts after being expelled from the city in July by local forces.
Military intervention "will focus on ISIS rather than on Libya as a whole," said Toaldo.
"This makes it easier for European prime ministers who will be able in some cases to avoid parliamentary votes on this."
Who would take part?
The United States would appear determined to participate, but not necessarily to lead such an operation as it currently does in Iraq and Syria.
US officials believe Italy, the former colonial power in Libya, could lead an international operation.
France and Britain, who like the US joined the NATO intervention against Kadhafi in 2011, also plan to take part.
Would it succeed?
The debate has already begun.
"We do not believe at this time in a military solution to the Libyan crisis -- that would further complicate the situation," African Union Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui said on Sunday, insisting on the need for a political solution.
"I don't think such an intervention, without solid partners on the ground, could make a difference," Toaldo said.
El Amrani said: "It could have a positive impact in at least limiting the growth of IS in Libya, depleting its resources and making it more difficult to continue its current attempts to seize and/or destroy oil facilities east of Sirte.
"A larger scale intervention, however, could also have more uncertain consequences" politically, he said.
"This is why it would be important to garner support from Libyans on both sides of the mainstream divide."
DETROIT (Reuters) - Michigan environmental authorities presented a plan to federal officials on Monday to test lead-contaminated water in Flint to determine when the city's water would be safe to drink again, the agency said The plan calls for testing in homes, schools, restaurants and the water distribution system, as well as blood testing, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) said in a statement. Some portions of the city's water system could be given an all-clear on a rolling basis before mid-April, the Detroit Free Press newspaper reported, citing other state officials. Michigan's governor on Thursday extended a state of emergency in Flint until April 14 to help the cash-strapped city recover from the lead contamination crisis which began after it switched water sources in 2014 to try to save money. We want to have systems and structures in place that will lead us to better conclusions for the people of Flint, Michigan DEQ Director Keith Creagh said of the testing plan presented to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The plan calls for four rounds of testing, each taking about two weeks, Creagh told the Detroit Free Press. The Michigan city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water from Detroit's system to the Flint River in April 2014. The more corrosive water from the Flint River leached more lead from the city pipes than Detroit water did. Residents complained of various health problems from using the local water after the switch, despite officials' assurances that the water was safe. Flint, which is about 60 miles (100 km) 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. (Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Andrew Hay)
By Fedja Grulovic POLIKASTRO, Greece (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants set out on foot along a major north-south highway in Greece on Tuesday, heading north for Macedonia after being stranded for days by farmer and taxi driver protests on either side of the frontier. At least 80 buses packed with migrants, many of them women and children fleeing the war in Syria, were backed up 10 km (6.2 miles) short of Greece's border with Macedonia, halted by police. Taxi drivers on the Macedonian side have blocked the railway line between the two countries, protesting over the fact that police give priority first to trains and buses to take the migrants north to Serbia en route to western Europe. On the Greek side, farmers intermittently blocked the border crossing with tractors, part of a protest over a planned pension reform by the Greek government to satisfy international creditors. The border was effectively closed for migrants but regular car traffic had been flowing with minor disruption. Then, with patience running out, hundreds of migrants disembarked from their stationary buses and blocked the road, sitting on the tarmac and chanting "Macedonia, Macedonia!" One group set out on foot, according to a Reuters cameraman at the scene. Aid agencies and authorities had erected tents along the route to the border, but many male migrants slept outside on the ground, lighting camp fires against the winter morning chill. MANY WOMEN AND CHILDREN "It's not possible to get all these people into tents," said a refugee who gave his name as Sardar and said he was from Iraq. "There arent enough facilities, so we spent the night on the ground." More than 62,000 migrants, many of them refugees from the Syrian war, arrived in Greece last month by boat and dinghy from Turkey braving winter weather and rough seas, according to the the International Organisation for Migration. "(It) is many, many times what we saw a year ago in the previous January," IOM spokesman Joel Millman said in Geneva. He added that there were more than 360 deaths among migrants in the waters off Greece, Turkey and Italy during the month. More than 360 migrants died in seas off Greece, Turkey and Italy during the month. In the latest fatal crossing, nine people, including two babies, were found drowned off the coast of western Turkey on Tuesday. More than 1 million people fleeing poverty, war and repression in the Middle East, Asia and Africa reached Europes shores last year, most heading for Germany. Temperatures in the Balkans, having dropped below freezing in January, were back up into the teens this week, easing the journey for a growing proportion of women and children. "From one in 10 who were children, now we are looking at a significant proportion of women and children, up to 60 percent, Sarah Crowe, a spokeswoman for the U.N. childrens fund UNICEF, told a news briefing in Geneva. Asked about the taxi protest, a police official in Macedonia, who declined to be named, told Reuters: "Were working on the problem. We hope it will be resolved soon." (Additional reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade and Kole Casule in Skopje; Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Kieran Guilbert MONROVIA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Born into civil war, raised amid violence, hunger and death, and witness to the world's worst Ebola outbreak, Pandora Hodge is now playing her part in Liberia's recovery - through film. Disheartened by a lack of culture and jobs in the war-scarred West African nation, the 27-year-old launched Kriterion Monrovia - a student-run organization which hosts cultural events, screens films and offers young people part-time work. "Since the end of the war, Liberia's focus has been mainly on healthcare and education... cinema is a way of bringing back culture and inspiring communities across the country," she said. Liberia had been slowly rebuilding from a 14-year civil war that ended in 2003 when the Ebola epidemic erupted almost two years ago, ravaging the country and destroying livelihoods. While Liberia - the country hardest-hit by the virus with some 4,800 deaths - was declared Ebola-free for a third time last month, high youth unemployment in a country where six in 10 people are under the age of 24 is holding back its recovery. "Kriterion is a platform for culture... but it also offers hope, opportunities and work experience to young people, which may help them find jobs in the future," said Hodge. Kriterion, founded by students in Amsterdam after World War Two and adopted in post-conflict cities such as Sarajevo, was set up in 2011 in Liberia, a country with few filmmakers where people tend to watch movies in ramshackle bars and restaurants. The group has traveled to communities across Liberia armed with a projector and a variety of films - ranging from documentaries to Charlie Chaplin classics - giving many people their first taste of cinema and watching movies on a big screen. Films are chosen, based on discussions with the villagers, to educate, trigger debates and make people laugh, Hodge said. "I have never seen something make an entire community laugh so much as Charlie Chaplin. Every generation can relate to the daily trouble he gets into, it is timeless," she said, recalling hundreds of people huddled tightly together on wooden benches. ENTREPRENEURS WANTED Bustling around her recently-opened restaurant "Pandora's Basket" - greeting customers and taking orders - Hodge brims with pride as she talks about Kriterion's response to Ebola. Their screenings were brought to a halt in 2014 by a ban on gatherings during the epidemic, but Hodge and her team of 72 student volunteers were undeterred. They went to the Ministry of Health and asked to be trained to inform people about the virus. "We went door-to-door in communities where we had held screenings, where people knew us," Hodge said. "People didn't trust the government, but they felt comfortable talking to us." Frustrated that the Ebola response focused mainly on Monrovia, Kriterion visited every virus hotspot and more than 400 communities across Liberia - shooting footage along the way to produce a documentary called "Understanding kills Ebola". "We wanted to highlight the impact of Ebola outside of the capital and give voices to those going unheard," Hodge said. Kriterion has also encouraged people to direct, shoot and edit their own films, many focusing on common issues in Liberian society - ranging from the accountability of government to post-war recovery. Hodge was only eight years old when her family was forced to flee their home in Montserrado during Liberia's 14-year civil war - walking through swamplands to their second house in West Point slum to avoid the violence unfolding in the capital. "The hardest part of the war was people starving - everyone was malnourished and that was truly terrible to see," she said. But standing in the kitchen of her restaurant, frying fish while stirring a pot full of golden pumpkin soup, Hodge prefers to discuss Liberia's future rather than dwell on the past. The entrepreneur, restaurateur and sociology student plans to open Liberia's first art-house cinema, in the capital, and hopes that more young people will seek to better themselves. "More young people should be challenging themselves, seeking opportunities and getting creative," said Hodge, offering advice to her restaurant's 16-strong staff - half of whom are students. "Liberia needs more young entrepreneurs." (Reporting By Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)
Super Shore, the globe-spanning spinoff of Jersey Shore, is set to launch on MTV International on Tuesday.
A pan-regional co-production, a first for MTV, Super Shore merges the casts from the successful Spain version, Gandia Shore, with that of Mexicos Acapulco Shore for a 30-day shoot in the Mediterranean, using more than 50 exterior locations.
It was a natural idea to do it between Spain and Mexico because of the language, said Laura Abril, vp youth and music brands for VIMN South Europe, Middle East and Africa. Both of us [Abril and MTV Latin Americas Tiago Worcman] run several territories. So we decided we might as well extend the footprint, especially since both of the franchises had worked extremely well in many of those territories.
Abril pointed out that MTV has a good precedent with Spanish-language product traveling very well. Both Gandia, which set all-time highs for Digital Terrestrial Television when it aired in Spain in 2012, and Acapulco, which clocked two strong seasons at home in 2014 and 2015, traveled well to non-Spanish-speaking territories. For example, in Italy, Acapulco reached 9.4 million viewers and was the No. 2 show in the premiere period.
Read More: 'Jersey Shore' Creator Fires Shots at Reality Community
MTV did not use the new Viacom Miami studio, as Super Shore required on-site locations in Spain and on the Greek island of Mykonos. Spains Magnolia TV handled the production, which included dozens of robotic, Polaroid cube cam, Go Pro and other cameras, including a drone.
The show will premiere on the same day in Spain, France and 19 Latin American countries, with Portugal launching on Wednesday, Turkey and Greece on Thursday and Italy in March. Each territory will have its own customized version, with Portuguese subtitles in Portugal and local-language dubbing in France and Italy.
The franchise will allow MTV to introduce its newest app to synchronize audiences, Worcman said.
"Were unveiling the new MTV Play app, our first TV-everywhere service in Latin America, where we will premiere all MTV Super Shore episodes two days before they air on linear channel," Worcman explained.
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Abril said there were obvious economic benefits in getting two extremely successful franchises and sharing the cost between two big regions like Latin America and Southern Europe, particularly when banking on a well-known cast.
But most important, Abril said, the project represented MTVs "glocal" strategy, the combination of global and local flavor.
Read More: 'Jersey Shore' Alum Nicole Polizzi to Star in House-Flipping Series for FYI
We really want to reinforce this glocal approach to content," she said. "You will probably see in the next weeks and months that we reinforce this glocal-ness, either by doing local shows that can travel abroad or doing pan-territorial projects that are conceived for many regions from the starting point. We do expect to have more shareablity of content.
While she shied away from talking about a cross-regional MTV slate, Abril said: We hope its the first of many. There is a strong will to do more.
Worcman, however, said Brazilian show It's a Match, a docu-reality show that reveals how people look for love and sex through social media, and particularly on Tinder, "could easily travel to other territories."
Worcman said he sees cross-region productions becoming more common at MTV as everyone looks to order shows that will make a splash. He explained, "As we seek to create the most compelling content for our audience, we look forward to working together with partners from any of our other territories that can help us create this content."
If youre paying for Netflix in your local market but use a VPN service to access Netflix content from a different country, namely the U.S., youre violating Netflixs rules and youre considered by many to be a pirate. Youre probably paying a monthly or annual fee for your VPN access, but even if youre not downloading any illegal content using torrent services, and your only crime is accessing the Netflix content not available in your region, that still makes you a pirate.
Netflix finally put its foot down and took action against VPN offenders a few weeks ago, but the streaming company is fighting a battle that likely cant be won. In fact, Netflix probably shouldnt even want to win this war.
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Netflix does have to look and play the part. It needs to show its content partners that its at least trying to crack down on VPN use. So far, Netflix has only sent out warnings to VPN users, but VPN providers have quickly countered with moves of their own meant to prevent Netflix from detecting VPN traffic.
As Forbes pointed out a few days ago, several VPN providers are working on or have already found ways to stop Netflixs attempts to thwart VPN users. Australian VPN company uFlix found a fix for the problem. Recently, The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that uFlix is one of the companies that broke Netflixs ban on VPNs.
Apparently, using a private VPN IP address rather than a public one thats shared by many people is enough to avoid detection. Both TorGuard and PureVPN offer such features. Furthermore, TorGuard can keep switching to new IP addresses constantly in order to stay ahead of Netflix.
Circumventing these blocks is legal in Australia, and a consumer group believes that Netflix should let its 2.7 million customers in the country access the U.S. catalog despite the fact that the associated content is not licensed outside of America.
RELATED: This site ranks VPN speeds so you know which service will stream Netflix the fastest
We know that Netflix is successful in Australia because of its US content. It took advantage of that to build an Australian subscriber base of 340,000 people before launching here officially, the Choice group said. Its unfair of Netflix to be baiting and switching consumers like this.
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The group is also looking to offer Australians ways of evading the geoblock, which will be available in a guide for users anyone can help out by providing information at this link about their Netflix-over-VPN experience.
Ultimately, this is a cat-and-mouse game that Netflix will likely lose as VPN companies will almost surely find ways to fool the companys servers in the future. Netflix could try to actually ban users, but that would mean refusing money from paying subscribers.
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This article was originally published on BGR.com
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - News websites are not responsible for "insulting and rude" comments by readers, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday, after a Hungarian website was sued for messages on its forum.
The case related to the Index.hu news website on which readers posted a series of angry comments about a real-estate company.
In response, the real-estate company, which was not named in the ECHR judgement, successfully sued the news portal as well as an association for Hungarian Internet firms in the local courts for allowing the comments to be published.
Index.hu said it had immediately removed the offending comments after they had been flagged, but that it could not be held liable for everything readers posted.
Its lawyers argued that making the news site liable for comments "would have serious adverse repercussions for the freedom of expression and the democratic openness in the age of Internet."
The ECHR agreed, with its judges saying the Hungarian courts had failed to balance the need to prevent abuse with the right to free expression.
"Although offensive and vulgar, the incriminated comments did not constitute clearly unlawful speech; and they certainly did not amount to hate speech or incitement to violence," the judges wrote.
Hungary is regularly criticised by rights groups for its treatment of the media, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused of muzzling the press.
Orban brought in new media laws and a powerful central regulator in 2011, followed by a new media tax in 2014 that critics said was an attempt to tame the opposition press and push out foreign broadcasters.
By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC has not yet scheduled any talks with Russia and other non-OPEC countries aimed at supporting oil prices, two OPEC delegates said on Tuesday after Russian officials talked up potential cooperation with the exporter group. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was open to further cooperation in the oil market with OPEC and non-OPEC countries. The prospect of supply restraint by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and rivals has helped oil prices rise above $32 a barrel from a 12-year low close to $27 last month, despite widespread scepticism that a deal will happen. OPEC delegates have previously suggested OPEC and non-OPEC could hold talks in February or March. But no date has been scheduled, and one delegate said OPEC did not have a common view on the aim of such a meeting. "There is nothing from OPEC yet. It is not fixed," an OPEC delegate said, who added that expert-level OPEC meetings with non-members held in 2015 did not result in supply cuts. "We had two meetings before. The two sides discussed the market, but there were no concrete steps." A second OPEC delegate said there was little point in OPEC holding a meeting with non-OPEC until OPEC itself had agreed a common position. For example, Iran, after the lifting of Western sanctions, wants to recover market share, a source familiar with the matter said last week, not cut output. "Some of them, OPEC member-countries, are not sure what we are going to do in this meeting with non-OPEC," the delegate said. "If the meeting takes place without results, we'll have a big problem with the market, the price will go down." Venezuela has called for a standalone meeting of OPEC to discuss steps to prop up prices. But a number of OPEC members have reacted coolly to the idea, suggesting no meeting will take place. (Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama wants to boost U.S. aid to Colombia to help with security and a peace accord in the long-running war with the FARC, a plan he will discuss with Colombian President Juan Manual Santos on Thursday, the White House said. White House officials previewing the White House meeting between Obama and Santos with reporters declined to comment on how much additional aid Obama will propose in his budget request to Congress. Obama and Santos are also expected to discuss ways the two countries can coordinate the fight against the Zika virus, said Mark Feierstein, the White House National Security Council's senior director for the Western Hemisphere. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama lunched with the enemy Tuesday, hosting Republican Congressional leaders to find an elusive sliver of common ground in his final White House year.
Obama had sit-down talks with newly installed House Speaker Paul Ryan and veteran Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Oval Office, before holding a private lunch with Ryan.
How much Obama can achieve in this election year -- from passing a Pacific trade deal to closing Guantanamo -- will depend on the unlikely cooperation of the Republican-controlled Congress.
"The president spent some time highlighting five of the priorities that he's hopeful that we can work with Congress on this year," said spokesman Josh Earnest.
Discussions centered on efforts to ratify the vast trans-Pacific trade deal to be signed in New Zealand this week, Puerto Rico's financial crisis, securing funding for cancer research and tackling the surge in opioid use.
The trio also discussed efforts to reform America's criminal justice system, which has delivered both high rates of violent crime and the world's largest prison population.
McConnell described a "potpourri of discussions about a variety of different issues," and refused to commit to holding a vote on the Pacific trade deal before the November election.
"I have some problems with the agreement," he said, "it's my advice that we not pursue that, certainly before the election."
Ratifying the agreement would give Obama major foreign policy win, something Republicans are loath to do.
"The leaders also discussed a number of concerns that lawmakers have raised about the substance of TPP that must still be addressed," said Ryan.
Amid the legislative uncertainty, Obama will have to reassure South East Asian leaders that the deal will go ahead when he hosts them in California this month.
The issue is also being closely watched by European capitals.
Ratification of the Pacific agreement is seen as a necessary move before talks on a vast EU-US trade deal can conclude.
(In Feb. 1 story, corrects first name of Knox County prosecutor to Chip from Mitch in paragraph 3)
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 Chip 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 Heide Brandes
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - A former Oklahoma school band director was arrested on Tuesday on charges of having sex with a girl under his direction when he was working at a middle school, police said.
Kyle Whitmus, 33, faces five counts of sexual misconduct with a child under the age of 14, the Oklahoma State Board of Investigation said. A lawyer for Whitmus was not listed on arrest records.
Investigators believe Whitmus had a sexual relationship with a preteen girl at the Luther Middle School just east of Oklahoma City.
"The school district became aware of allegations of improper sexual contact between Mr. Whitmus and a student in April of 2015. Mr. Whitmus was immediately suspended and resigned shortly thereafter, said Luther Superintendent Sheldon Buxton.
Bail was set at $200,000 for Whitmus.
(Reporting by Heide Brandes; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Peter Cooney)
The latest cosmetics campaign from US brand Revlon features US actresses Olivia Wilde, Halle Berry and Mexican supermodel Alejandra Espinoza in a video spot.
Revlon's Choose Love narrative is the most recent in its Love Is On brand styling, and presents love as an active choice that women exercise control over.
"I didn't fall in love with you, I walked into love with you..." Wilde says in the advert, and Espinoza continues "...with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step of the way."
"The hope is to empower women to recognize the infinite possibilities for love and more boldly seize upon those opportunities each and every day," the company said.
An accompanying social media campaign, using the associated Choose Love hashtag, has also been suggested by the cosmetics manufacturer, in which participants could upload photos of themselves blowing kisses and tagging someone else to "pass it on."
Watch: #CHOOSELOVE TV spot: youtu.be/WFhWh8CCcVQ
Two demonstrators were shot dead and several more were wounded at Karachi's international airport on Tuesday when clashes broke out between security forces and staff from the national airline protesting privatisation plans, officials said.
Police and paramilitary rangers deployed tear gas and water cannon against the protesters from Pakistan International Airlines after they blocked the main entrance to Karachi's Jinnah International Airport around midday.
Gunfire later erupted, although the source of the shots was unclear. Both law enforcement agencies denied they had shot at protesters.
Dr Seemi Jamali, a spokeswoman for the government-run Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, told AFP the hospital had received a total of 10 wounded, one of whom later died.
"Four people with gunshot wounds were brought to the hospital, one succumbed to his injuries while the other three are in stable condition," she said. Six others, among them journalists who had been covering the protest, were treated for other injuries.
Another employee, who had also been shot, was taken to the private Aga Khan University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
"The PIA employee was brought dead to our emergency department and our team attempted to revive him for 20 minutes," a spokesman of the hospital told AFP, identifying the deceased as Inayat Raza.
Nadeem Jaffer, a colleague and friend of Raza, confirmed his death at the hospital.
Kamran Fazal, the police chief of the city's eastern district said: "The situation escalated when a couple of gunshots were fired. My officers told me that they might be fired from the crowd.
"We are searching for the empty shells and only then can we establish who opened fire."
The PIA employees' union had announced a day earlier its plans to shut down the airline's flights after weeks of token strikes against government proposals to complete the partial sale of the carrier by July.
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The move follows years of crushing losses and mismanagement that have battered the airline's reputation.
PIA suffers from frequent cancellations and delays and has been involved in numerous controversies over the years, including the jailing of a drunk pilot in Britain in 2013.
The airline has also traditionally handed out tens of thousands of free tickets each year, contributing to its losses.
By Estelle Shirbon DOVER, England (Reuters) - Stand on top of the white cliffs of Dover on a clear day and you can see the French coast and the constant traffic of ferries crossing the Channel, binding Britain and Europe through the flow of people and goods. Seen through many British eyes, the famous cliffs conjure up a different vision, that of a fiercely independent island nation with a nearly thousand-year history of repelling would-be invaders from the continent just 33 km (21 miles) away. The tension between these two facets of British identity goes a long way to explain the country's tetchy relationship with the European Union, which will come to a head in a looming referendum on whether to withdraw from the bloc. "We're a fairly insular lot. There's a degree of suspicion toward the continent," said local resident Iain Callum, enjoying a cup of tea and a sandwich at a clifftop cafe. "We should keep a little distance. I don't want to be a European." Holidays in Europe are commonplace while food and wine from the continent have never been more popular, yet only 15 percent of Britons feel European and that number has barely moved for decades, the annual British Social Attitudes Survey has found. "We have the character of an island nation - independent, forthright, passionate in defense of our sovereignty. We can no more change this British sensibility than we can drain the English Channel," Prime Minister David Cameron has said. The national psyche was marked by Britain's imperial past, which forged ties with far-flung corners of the globe, and by the defining experience of World War Two, historians say. The "Blitz" - when Prime Minister Winston Churchill's speeches galvanized the nation as Nazi Germany sent warplanes from occupied France to bomb British cities - looms large in the collective memory. "Our sense of ourselves as a nation is still so much shaped by the Churchillian moment of 1940, standing alone for freedom when the rest of the continent was either defeated and occupied or fascist," said Oxford professor Timothy Garton Ash. Furthermore, Britain has stuck with the same political system, a parliamentary monarchy, since 1689, unlike most other EU members, which have experienced dictatorships, revolutions, changes of constitution and other upheavals far more recently. The weight of all that history causes many Britons to chafe at perceived EU interference in national affairs. "There's a sense of 'we won the war and now people in Brussels want to tell us we can't have straight bananas'," said Sue Jones, a Dover town councillor, referring to EU regulations often portrayed - rightly or wrongly - as meddlesome and absurd by the largely eurosceptic British press. "HISTORIC MISTAKE" With Cameron saying the referendum could be held within a few months, immigration is a top issue for voters due to an influx of workers from poorer EU states in eastern Europe over the past decade and the refugee crisis that overwhelmed the bloc in 2015. This is a subject that touches the sovereignty nerve. "It's about self-government, controlling our borders. It is literally the white cliffs of Dover," said Garton Ash. Cameron has been negotiating with EU partners to try to introduce restrictions on state benefits for new EU migrants, but that is not good enough for eurosceptics like Callum. "I don't see why he has to ask permission from the EU for these things. I'm sorry, but it's our business," he said. Such reluctance about the EU goes back a long way. In the very early days of European integration, Britain kept itself apart, declining to join the six-nation European Coal and Steel Community, forerunner of the EU, when it was launched in 1951, driven by a desire for lasting peace between former foes. Britain, which unlike most of the continent suffered neither Nazi rule nor foreign occupation, saw things differently. "Part of the dynamic behind the European Union was to overcome the past. We didn't feel that need. We're proud of the past. That's a great difference in psychology," said Vernon Bogdanor, a history professor at King's College London. Ten years later, with the Empire almost gone and economic growth lagging behind that on the continent, the picture looked very different, and Britain applied in 1961 to join what was now called the European Economic Community. But the application was vetoed twice, in 1963 and 1967, by French President Charles de Gaulle, who feared Britain would act as a conduit for U.S. influence which he did not want, and said "insular and maritime" Britain would not fit in the club anyway. It was not until 1973, after de Gaulle had left office and died, that Britain finally joined the Common Market, as it was usually called then, but according to some pro-EU experts it was already too late for Britons to feel at home in the club. "It was a great historic mistake that we didn't join at the start because we would have seen it as our venture as much as the French and the Germans'," said Roger Liddle, Prime Minister Tony Blair's adviser on European affairs for seven years. "By 1973, the idea had been established that this was a Franco-German club which we were having to beg to join." BRITISH BEEF In 1975, Britain held a referendum on membership, with 67 percent voting to stay in and 33 percent voting to leave. Historians say this was an unequivocal but unenthusiastic outcome, reflecting no popular passion for Europe but rather a pragmatic economic choice encouraged by the leaders of both main parties, a decisive factor in those more deferential times. In any event, the referendum did not settle the issue. Both the Conservative and Labour parties have been dogged at different times by internal divisions over Europe, while public scepticism has been encouraged by an increasingly hostile press. In a famous example from 1990, the top-selling Sun newspaper ran the headline "Up Yours Delors" in a front-page attack on then European Commission President Jacques Delors. The Social Attitudes Survey has been tracking opinion on Europe since 1983. It has always found a majority in favor of staying in, but with a significant dose of eurosceptic sentiment that gets stronger at times when the public perceives Britain is failing to stand up for itself in Brussels. Two public opinion turning points came in 1984, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher secured a rebate on Britain's contribution to the European budget, and 1996, when EU ministers banned exports of British beef because of mad cow disease. The former caused support for staying in the bloc to surge, while the latter provoked a dramatic and long-term rise in euroscepticism. Since 1996, more than half of the British public have either wanted to leave the EU altogether or to reduce the bloc's powers, according to the survey. "We need to bring back our own laws. Our parliament should be making our laws, not people over there in Brussels," said John Cowdrey, another Dovorian on a tea break in the clifftop cafe, as he gestured toward the continent across the sea. Despite his frustration, Cowdrey said he would vote to stay in because it would be better for Britain to have a say in European affairs than to be left out in the cold. "We are part of Europe. There's no getting away from it," he said with a sigh. (editing by David Stamp)
Washington (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will on Tuesday preview the Pentagon's plans for its 2017 budget, including extra cash to fight the Islamic State group, previously secret mini-drones and a beefed-up US presence in Europe's east.
The base budget for fiscal year 2017 is expected to be $524 billion, augmented by $59 billion for an "overseas contingency fund" to pay for ongoing military actions in Afghanistan and against IS, defense officials told AFP on Monday.
America's gargantuan military budget far surpasses that of any other country, and exceeds the combined defense spending of the next eight biggest militaries in the world.
In a speech in Washington, Carter will highlight the world's changing "threat environment," one official said, including new risks presented by Russia since its 2014 annexation of Crimea and its subsequent support of pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The official said Carter would announce big increases to the so-called European Reassurance Initiative aimed at countering a Russian threat, and the extra money will be used to pay for significant US troop and equipment increases in countries such as Estonia and Romania.
Carter also plans to unveil some newly declassified technologies, including a small drone that is capable of flying alongside other units in a sort of swarm, another defense official said.
The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Carter's speech ahead of time.
A third official said the budget includes $7 billion to fight Islamic State jihadists, an increase of about 35 percent over last year.
The burgeoning anti-IS budget reflects an expected expansion in the fight against the jihadist group, including in areas beyond Iraq and Syria, like Libya.
The budget is also likely to detail Pentagon plans for the A-10 ground attack plane. The aircraft, developed in the 1970s, had been slated for retirement but has become invaluable in the US-led effort against IS jihadists.
A delay in its retirement could have knock-on effects for other cash-thirsty projects, including the costly F-35 fighter.
Carter is due to give his speech early Tuesday. The full Pentagon budget will be made public next week.
Love the article on Gaddaf
i
Samosa Iyoha
Hello from Johannesburg
I was amazed to find a website for Africans in Hungary .
Looks like you have quite a community there. Here in SA we have some three million Zimbabweans living in exile and not much sign of going home ... but in Hungary??? Hope to meet you on one of my trips to Europe; was in Steirmark Austria near the Hungarian border earlier this month. Every good wish for 2011. Geoff in Jo'burg
I'm impressed by
ANH
work but...
Interesting interview...
My comment to the interview with his excellency Mr. Adedotun Adenrele Adepoju CDA a.i--
B.Ayo Adams
click to read editor's mail
We must rise above tribalism & divide & rule of the colonialist who stole & looted our treasure & planted their puppets to lord it over us..they alone can decide on whosoever is performing & the one that is corrupt..but the most corrupt nations are the western countries that plunder the resources of other nations & make them poorer & aid the rulers to steal & keep such ill gotten wealth in their country..yemen,syria etc have killed more than gadhafi but its not A good investment for the west(this is laughable)because oil is not in these countries..when obasanjo annihilated the odi people in rivers state, they looked away because its in their favour & interest..one day!I think from what have been said, the Nigerian embassy here seem to be more concern about its nationals than we are for ourselves. Our complete disregard for the laws of Hungary isn't going to help Nigeria's image or going to promote what the Embassy is trying to showcase. So if the journalists could zoom-in more focus on Nigerians living, working and studying here in Hungary than scrutinizing the embassy and its every move, i think it would be of tremendous help to the embassy serving its nationals better and create more awareness about where we live . Taking the issues of illicit drugs and forged documents as typical examples.. there are so many cases of Nigerians been involved. But i am yet to read of it in e.news. So i think if only you and your journalists could write more about it and follow up on the stories i think it will make our nationals more aware of what to expect. I wouldn't say i am not impressed with your work but you need to be more of a two way street rather than a one way street . Keep up the good work... SylviaHe is an intelligent man. He spoke well on the issues! Thanks to Mr Hakeem Babalola for the interview it contains some expedient information..
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will want to see the details of an EU proposal to allow Britain to suspend social payments to migrants before accepting a plan for persuading London to stay in the bloc, President Andrzej Duda said on Tuesday. Poland, the biggest supplier of migrant labour to Britain, has been among the most vocal opponents of any measures it thought would discriminate its citizens working in Britain. European Council President Donald Tusk's plan, which has to be accepted by all EU member states, seeks to address a British push for EU reform to stem migration and to boost British sovereignty. While expressing some reluctance over the deal proposed by Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, including the so called "emergency brake" for migrants, Duda welcomed provisions that would bolster EU members' ability to stop legislation. "The deal can be evaluated in different ways. I would like to underline one thing: it is a preliminary deal and it will be subject to proper negotiations," Duda told TVP Info news channel. "Free movement of workers and services is a fundamental value of the European Union," he said. "There is a clause (in the deal) saying that in the case of a sudden influx of wage migrants some payments could be curbed. We will see what the interpretation (of the clause) is," he added. EU leaders are due to discuss the proposal at a summit on Feb. 18-19, but talks will continue in the coming days. British Prime Minister David Cameron travels to Warsaw on Friday. His Polish counterpart, Beata Szydlo, will be in London on Thursday, although is not scheduled to meet Cameron then. Szydlo's eurosceptic government, which was elected in October, has long called for Brussels to have less say over national issues. The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) is also against Poland joining the euro zone any time soon. "The deal includes important elements regarding strengthening sovereignty," Duda said. (Reporting by Adrian Krajewski; Editing by Justyna Pawlak and Alison Williams)
Pope Francis hailed China's "great history of wisdom" on Tuesday, holding out the prospect of reconciliation with Beijing sought by some Chinese Catholics but feared by many others.
In an interview to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year, he said China "has always been for me a reference point of greatness. A great country. But more than a country, a great culture, with an inexhaustible wisdom."
"I believe that the great richness of China today lies in looking to the future from a present that is sustained by the memory of its cultural past," Pope Francis said in an interview with the Asia Times published by the Vatican press service.
The pontiff did not directly address the status of the Church in China -- a government-appointed Chinese Catholic association nominates its own bishops -- but recalled early efforts of 16th Century Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci to evangelise the Chinese while respecting their culture.
Unconfirmed reports from the Vatican have suggested an accord was in reach between the Holy See and Beijing on the pontiff being able to nominate Catholic bishops in China.
Both sides are in regular if discreet contact though some Chinese Catholics -- who number an estimated 12 million -- have accused the Vatican of being prepared to sacrifice their interests on the altar of reconciliation.
Publication of the pope's interview came after a discreet visit by a Chinese delegation to the Vatican in January.
According to informed sources, Francis could very soon designate several bishops in China, with the agreement of Beijing. This would be the first such nominations since the breakdown in diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China in 1951.
The two countries have not had diplomatic relations for more than six decades, with Beijing making a renewal dependent on the Vatican cutting ties with Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
Within the Vatican two camps have for years vied for dominance. One led by Secretary of State Pietro Parolin believes the Holy See should show flexibility towards China which might then grant more freedoms to Chinese Catholics. The other fiercely criticises this approach, claiming that the Chinese regime has not changed at all.
"Riccis experience teaches us that it is necessary to enter into dialogue with China, because it is an accumulation of wisdom and history. It is a land blessed with many things," said Francis.
The Argentinian pope has made clear his fascination with Chinese culture. "(Do) I want to go to China? Of course. I'd go tomorrow," he told reporters last year.
Russia has added a major weapon system to the already impressive arsenal it has deployed to Syria.
Moscows supermaneuverable Su-35S fighter jets started to carry out military tasks last week in the war-torn country, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Monday.
Related: Russias Military Buildup Continues with Big New Fighter Jet Order
Russian media said the aircraft will provide another layer of protection to warplanes conducting raids in Syria. The four Super Flanker jets will support other elements of the Russian and Syrian air forces, which are also protected by an S-400 Triumf air defense system thats been installed at Moscows airbase near the Syrian city of Latakia.
The deployment gives Russian President Vladimir Putin another opportunity to showcase Moscows war machine and boost the Su-35 program. The twin-engine jet, which many analysts compare to the F/A-18 Super Hornet made by Boeing, flew in exercises in the Pacific last year. Now the plane, which has unusual maneuvering capabilities thanks to its thrust vectoring engines (see the video above), can be tested in a real war environment.
Earlier this month the Kremlin placed an order for 50 of the jets on top of the 48 it ordered in 2009. Sukhoi, Russias major aircraft manufacturer, recently struck a $2 billion agreement with China for 24 Su-35S jets and a deal to produce another dozen for Indonesia.
Related: Putin Flexes His Muscles in the Pacific with the New Su-35 Fighter
Russia has flown roughly 6,000 missions since Moscow launched its air campaign inside Syria last September, including 468 combat missions last week alone, according to Konashenkov.
Moscows air support has helped the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad fight insurgent forces to a standstill and even gain ground in recent weeks, according to fresh estimates of the five-year-old civil war.
Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Superstar Rajinikanth is being whisked away be security guards as he arrived at KLIA. (Photo source: "Kabali" Facebook)
2 Feb Indian superstar Rajinikanth is back in Malaysia once again to shoot the rest of his upcoming movie "Kabali" for more than two weeks.
Like his earlier visit to Malaysia on 26 October 2015, his arrival has set social media abuzz, as many fans are trying to take photos as well as catch a glimpse of the legendary actor.
According to The Star, he arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 6.15pm yesterday and will be staying here for 16 days to shoot the remaining scenes of his movie.
"He will be in town for the next 16 days, but the locations of shoot have to be kept secret for security reasons," confirmed an insider that refused to be named.
Inspired by a real-life gangster, "Kabali" will be the 64-year-old actor's 159th film. It is directed by Pa Ranjith and also stars Radhika Apte, Kishore, Kalaiyarasan and Dhansika.
The White House wants every child in the United States to learn computer science.
The presidents plan to reach that goal? Ask Congress to fund a new $4 billion program for states and another $100 million for districts to train teachers and purchase the tools so that our elementary, middle, and high schools can provide opportunities to learn computer science for all students, Obama said in his weekly address on January 30.
With Congresss approval, the $4 billion will be spent over three years to train teachers, connect schools with corporate and nonprofit partners, and expand instructional material. States would apply for a slice of the $4 billion and have five years to use the money. The funding programs, which will appear in the presidents forthcoming budget proposal for 2017, are just the latest effort from the White House to bring more science and technology education to students.
Recommended: A Radical Way of Paying for College From 18th-Century Scotland
The Obama Administration is hopeful that the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced No Child Left Behind, signals support for additional education spending. But is advocacy for the plan relying on faulty notions about the economys need for more coders? And is the price tag enough to underwrite the presidents ambitious goal?
The United States spends magnitudes more on educating the nations public-school students than the computer-science money the White House is proposing: Over half a trillion dollars go toward education spending, amounting to roughly $10,800 per studenta tenth of that coming from federal resources. On instruction alone, federal, state, and local governments spent $326 billion in 2013.
With 50 million students in U.S. public schools, the $4.1 billion proposal and additional $135 million from currently funded programs would translate into $86 per kid.
Among administration officials, theres been some acknowledgment that federal spending alone wont be enough to teach every student computing. This is an investment to accelerate state and local efforts, said acting Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. during a call on Friday with reporters. It will need to be accompanied by continued investments on the part of states and districts.
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Half a million new jobs over the next decade will require computer-science know-how.
Still, the White House is hopeful its computer-science-for-all initiative will get the ball rolling on exposing the nations students to coding and other related skills. During the press call, Megan Smith, the administrations chief technology advisor, said the initiative is an ambitious, all-hands-on-deck effort to get every student in America an early start with the skills theyll need to be part of the new economy.
The White House also enlisted advocacy chops of technology-industry heavyweights to back its proposal. Microsofts president, Brad Smith, stressed to reporters on the call that the United States is lagging behind other countries in producing talented workers who can fill computer-science positions. The country has a problem, he said, because the the skills gap is leading too many of these jobs unfilled. He noted that half a million new jobs over the next decade will be created that will require computer-science know-how, from agriculture to manufacturing to more traditional forms of information technology.
Recommended: Can Marco Rubio Really Secure the Republican Nomination?
But a loud chorus of researchers in education and labor markets question the notion that workers are unqualified for the growing sophistication of tech jobs. For several years some academics have pushed back against concern the U.S. labor market has a dearth of employees for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), citing data that shows positions in those fields arent experiencing spikes in wagessomething economists say would need to happen in a labor shortage because it shows employers are willing to pay more to attract the talent they need.
Michael Teitelbaum, a scholar on the history of STEM, said in 2014 to an audience of education reporters that the post-war U.S. period is dotted with repeated cycles of alarm, boom, and bust. He went on to say that many of the people who were attracted in during the boom phase into majors and graduate degrees in these fields end up graduating and finding theres no attractive career path.
Ron Hira, a scholar at Howard University who studies labor and technology, has been one of the most vocal skeptics about shortages in the informational technology fields. He argues that employers want to saturate the labor market with foreign employees who are here on work visas and typically earn less than their American counterpartswith the goal of, driving down wages in the IT sector. Others have argued the recent rash of layoffs at tech companies belies concerns theres a worker shortage in that sector.
Recommended: Does Ted Cruz Really Wear Two Watches?
STEM skeptics have their detractors, including Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, who has written that Hira and others are motivated by an agenda of redistribution that boosts the wages of all workers.
Atkinson has also argued that without warnings of worker shortages, public policy to improve STEM outcomes will lag. If you dont say theres a shortage, you dont drive improvement, he said in 2015 during a debate with STEM-shortage skeptics.
Other studies show that while information-technology jobs in the future will largely require a bachelors degree or higher, 40 percent of jobs wont, suggesting that a debate around the link between college and jobs may tell an incomplete picture about the STEM workforce landscape.
But even among those critical of the idea theres a skills shortage, scholars like Teitelbaum believe the U.S. education system could do more to educate students in the sciences. Indeed, national figures suggest computing isnt as widely taught as more traditional K-12 courses. A small fraction of U.S. high schools offer their students the Advanced Placement class for computer science4,310 out of the roughly 37,000 high schools in the nation in 2015. By comparison, students took biology, chemistry, and U.S. history AP courses in 9,000, 11,000, and 13,000 schools, respectively. And while roughly 49,000 students took the AP computer-science exam, more than 370,000 sat for biology and chemistry (470,000 for U.S. history).
Theres a diversity problem among AP computer-science students, too. Last years crop of test-takers were overwhelmingly male (78 percent) and just 13 percent were either black or Latino. In nine states not one black student took the test, Education Week calculated. (A review of 2014 test data indicates biology, chemistry, and physics Bthe most popular of the several physics AP testshad higher rates of black and Latino test-takers.)
There is no way that the private sector or philanthropy can fill this gap by itself.
Some data suggests studying computer science in high school can lead to a major in the field once students enter higher education. In 2012, the College Board, the maker of the AP program, released data suggesting that students who took the computer-science AP course were six to 10 times more likely to study the field in college.
Megan Smith said that in addition to funding computer-science education, the White House initiative would disseminate recent research on how different students learn coding and computing. One child might be more interested in earth science, one child might be more interested in gaming, one might be interested in social justice, she said.
The initiative would also encourage states to begin offering computer-science education to younger students, so that kids dont have the stereotypes already built in that much of our society delivers to them. To that effect, she said popular depictions of computer science could use an update to tell a fuller story of who codes. She noted that Obamas State of the Union Speech this year included a nod to Grace Hopper, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy whos credited with inventing the first user-friendly computer language.
The National Science Foundation has funded what it calls more equitable computer-science instructional guides to attract a wider array of students. Its also been a backer of the push to bring 10,000 computer-science teachers to the nations classrooms. NSFs curriculum designs have been embraced by the College Board and Googles own outreach efforts to expand computer-science education.
Joan Ferrini-Mundy, the assistant director of the NSF, said that Were ready now in what we know about how to help teachers develop, especially in fields that theyre not necessarily deeply expert in, and we know a lot about how to support the introduction of computing concepts and computer science in school, in conjunction with other subjects as well as separately.
Corporations and nonprofits have also been contributing financial support to train more teachers and students in computer science. Microsofts Smith said that the companys employees have taken part in training at 18 states plus the District of Columbia through its Technology Education and Literacy in Schools. Cartoon Network has also committed $30 million to computer-science education.
And its not just money. Microsoft and other tech companies have been advocating for computer-science courses to count toward high-school graduation requirements. White House officials said that 22 states dont allow such classes to count toward a diploma. (The White Houses Smith said in recent years 17 states have made the switch to have those classes count toward graduation requirements.)
But while the White House is urging private companies and philanthropies to do more to expand computer-science training in public schools, Microsofts Smith believes the government should be the main driver. We clearly need the tech sector to continue to do more, he said. But there is no way that the private sector or philanthropy can fill this gap by itself. We need more public funding and we need more federal funding.
Read more from The Atlantic:
This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Six months after one of the biggest bankruptcies in Hollywood history was declared, Ryan Kavanaugh and his team at Relativity were back in court on Tuesday in an attempt to get approval for a plan of reorganization for the studio. But it appears as though they will have to wait longer, with the judge not even committing to having this done by Feb. 20.
The bankruptcy has seen Relativity moving heaven and earth to settle with Wall Street financiers and other creditors, leading to the reduction of some $630 million in debt, but some of the paperwork on new money to fund the studio going forward is still being finalized and Netflix is being dragged across the finish line.The streaming giant has questioned the feasibility of the plan and whether a reorganized film studio to be headed by Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti can really deliver movies being promised.
At the hearing, Judge Michael Wiles told Relativity that he wasn't quite ready to approve confirmation of the reorganization plan. He told the studio's lawyers that they should make arrangements to extend the term of debtor financing, which was set to expire on Tuesday with expectations of approval.
While applauding the parties for Herculean efforts on making progress, the judge said he's "concerned" about the feasibility of the plan, pointing to expectations of new money in the form of a bank loan and vender financing to fund operations and remarking the "margin is thin." Wiles also admitted being "nervous about approving projections not necessarily explained to me."
He added, "I'm not willing to confirm a plan based on possibility of something being done. I need it to be done."
Regarding Spacey and Brunetti, the judge said, "I want the deals with Spacey and Brunetti to be nailed down."
Relativity's lawyer Richard Wynne revealed on Tuesday that Spacey and Brunetti made it a condition they wouldn't sign their deals until Relativity exits from bankruptcy. "That's Hollywood," he said.
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The development came with the judge's acknowledgement of disappointment by Kavanaugh's attorney, who pleaded for an opportunity to go back over the details of the plan.
At the hearing, Wiles asked Joseph Nicholas, a hedge-fund magnate who has recently poured significant money into Relativity, to answer a couple of concerns. The judge said he was troubled that the only equity raised was attributable to him, wondering whether there were other interested investors being turned away. "I can't tell if this is a situation where people are skeptical about the prospects [for Relativity]," he said.
Nicholas answered that there was at least one investor ready to pump $50 million into Relativity, but that this investor didn't want to do so while the company was in bankruptcy. "This will be our first call," said Nicholas. "There is definitely a ton of interest."
While Relativity has made one deal after another with an eye towards a bankruptcy exit the latest settlement is with CIT Bank, which extended tens of millions of dollars in production loans and voted against the plan the studio still hasn't dotted all the i's and crossed the t's on a P&A ultimates facility and has other last-minute amendments to its plan. This has caught Judge Wiles' attention, along with the objection from Netflix.
Des Moines (United States) (AFP) - Marco Rubio is likened by rivals to a Republican version of Barack Obama: they dismiss him as a youthful overachiever with a penchant for soaring oratory.
But Rubio, just 44, proved Monday he is a force to be reckoned with after muscling in to challenge the frontrunner Donald Trump for second place behind Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses.
The Florida senator, whose star has risen in recent weeks, took more than 23 percent in the contest that launches the long process to choose a new US president.
"They told me that we have no chance because my hair wasn't gray enough and my boots were too high," he told ecstatic supporters afterwards, in a nod to repeated jabs from his Republican rivals over his choice of footwear.
"They told me I needed to wait my turn. That I needed to wait in line.
"But tonight here in Iowa, the people of this great state sent a very clear message," Rubio said as he staked his claim to be the candidate of the Republican establishment.
The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio is a compelling package: charismatic with an engaging smile and snappy oratory.
Many envision him becoming the nation's first Hispanic commander-in-chief, in a rags-to-political-riches story embodying the American Dream.
He breaks the traditional social conservative mold: he goes to church with wife Jeanette and their four children, but since childhood he has been a hip-hop fan, often hailing genre pioneers Grandmaster Flash and Tupac Shakur.
And he is bilingual, a major asset for the Republican Party, which has felt the sting of Hispanic voter abandonment.
Rubio's strong showing in Iowa comes six years after he burst onto the national stage, beating his party's favored candidate to become senator for Florida in 2010.
Rubio was then little known and started off from scratch, working his way up in the polls and winning over voters as a fresh young face for conservative Republicans eager for a point man in Washington to counter Obama.
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He rode the Tea Party wave that sent several advocates of small government to Congress.
- Cuban son -
As a child, Rubio assured his exiled grandfather he would overthrow Fidel Castro to lead Cuba.
He was born in Miami in 1971, the son of poor Cuban refugees who fled the island 15 years earlier to escape poverty.
After Castro seized power in 1959, the family decided never to return to Cuba, a country Rubio has never known.
But Cuba is a recurring theme for the first-term senator, whose ambitions reflect those of generations of refugees eager to carve out better lives in America.
"I am the son of immigrants, exiles from a troubled country," he wrote in his 2012 memoir, "An American Son."
"They gave me everything it was in their power to give. And I am proof their lives mattered, their existence had a purpose."
The son of a bartender and a housemaid, Rubio grew up in Miami's Cuban-American community, although the family spent five years in Las Vegas, where they converted briefly to the Mormon faith before returning to Catholicism.
Influenced by his grandfather, who spoke no English, Rubio developed a passion for politics. He was a fan of Senator Ted Kennedy, a Democratic icon, before falling hard for Republican president Ronald Reagan.
Just two years after earning a law degree, he was elected in 1998 to the West Miami City Commission. A year later, it was Florida's House of Representatives, where he rose to become speaker in 2006. In 2010 he began his term in the Senate.
- Interventionist -
On his arrival in Washington, conservatives traumatized by Obama's election believed they had found their savior.
But his Tea Party support plunged in 2013 after he helped craft comprehensive immigration reform that would have legalized millions of undocumented migrants.
Rubio has sought to recover. While backing off his immigration plan, he has worked hard to prove that beyond his formidable communication skills he can lead a conservative renewal.
He has unveiled proposals to reduce poverty and introduced pension system reforms -- without forgetting fundamental conservative values like traditional marriage.
"We need to recognize societal breakdown, the fact that too many Americans in childhood are not acquiring values like hard work and sacrifice and self-control," he told AFP in 2013.
Rubio champions an aggressive foreign policy and muscular defense.
More interventionist than isolationist, he argues that global flashpoints require Washington to be more engaged abroad.
And yet he seeks to place Cuba in the same category as Iran -- isolating it at all costs -- and has led opposition to Obama's detente with the island of his ancestors.
Hold on to your wigs, because Logo TV's reality competition show RuPaul's Drag Race is almost back with the premiere of its eighth season. The show announced on social media on Tuesday that the new season will on Monday, March 7, at 9 p.m. Eastern on Logo, and will feature a new line-up of drag queens competing for the title of "America's next drag superstar" and $100,000 in prize money.
In a series of photos uploaded to Facebook and a set of videos on the Drag Race website, the show introduced the twelve who will be competing for the crown this season. The competitors include self-proclaimed "New York's Fiercest Drag Bitch" Acid Betty, Bob the Drag Queen, Chi Chi DeVayne, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Dax Exclamationpoint, Derrick Barry, Kim Chi, Laila McQueen, Naomi Smalls, Naysha Lopez, Robbie Turner and Thorgy Thor.
Watch. Rinse. Repeat! #DragRace season 8 premieres Monday, March 7 at 9/8c on @LogoTV ---> http://logo.to/204NtaT pic.twitter.com/4JybPcRWNY
RuPaul's Drag Race has been credited with "bringing drag and its reigning queen into homes from Sweden to South Africa," as a New York Times profile on host RuPaul claimed in 2014.
"Yes, we're a competition reality show, but because we're doing it in drag, other levels of consciousness seep in," RuPaul told The Guardian in 2015, speaking about the popularity of Drag Race. "Drag will never be mainstream because it breaks the fourth wall and it mocks our culture and identity: how much you have, where you're from, your economic background. Drag mocks all of that. It's the antithesis of mainstream."
Season eight of RuPaul's Drag Race premieres Monday, March 7, at 9 p.m. Eastern on Logo.
Chants of Clean water now! and Flint lives matter! rang throughout the First Trinity Missionary Church in Flint, Mich., where hundreds of people gathered for a town hall meeting with Russell Simmons Monday afternoon.
Photo: Russell Simmons via Instagram.
This is so dirty and so wrong, Simmons said of Flints contaminated drinking water. The hip-hop mogul, who said his prepaid debit card company, RushCard, donated 250,000 bottles of water to Flint, called on larger corporations like Time Warner to contribute to the relief effort.
Were late, he said from behind a podium surrounded by a tower of water bottles. But its better late than never.
SLIDESHOW Water crisis in Flint, Michigan >>>
Simmons personally delivered cases of bottled water to a number of Flint homes Monday morning before joining Baltimore pastor Jamal Bryant and National Bar Association president Benjamin Crump, and hundreds of Flint residents at the packed church.
Photo: Russell Simmons via Instagram.
This is intentional manslaughter, said the booming Bryant, who followed Simmons with an impassioned call to action. That you would put 95,000 peoples lives at risk suggested that you didnt think our lives matter.
Bryant, the social media-savvy head of Baltimores Empowerment Temple AME megachurch, said that Mondays event, which was slated to begin at noon, got off to a late start because of meetings with local representatives to discuss a proposal for state legislation to sue the Flint water department.
The goal, Bryant explained to rousing cheers and applause, is to refund the people of Flint for every dime youve spent on water over the last two years.
Flint has long had some of the highest water utility rates in the county, and even since the contamination of the citys water has come to light, residents have continued to receive huge bills for water they cant use.
Russell Simmons talks to Flint Mayor Karen Weaver at a town hall meeting Monday Feb. 1, 2016. (Photo: Jeremy Drummond)
Bryant admonished state officials for the potentially irreversible damage the leaded water might have caused the citys 9,000 predominantly black children because, he said, the state of Michigan doesnt wanna see black babies go to college they want to see them go to jail.
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Crump, a Florida-based attorney known for his pro-bono work in high-profile cases such as those of slain teens Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, vowed to petition U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to investigate which elected officials should be held responsible for the water crisis, pointing to the Watergate scandal as precedent.
"This is way worse than Watergate," Crump said. "People didn't die from Watergate. This is our children's lives at stake."
Also in attendance at the rally were Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who helped first expose the crisis with her report on elevated lead levels among Flint children.
I was just doing my job, said Hanna-Attisha, clad in a Flint Lives Matter T-shirt. My job is to make sure every one of our kids has the brightest future possible. I commit to you that our job has just begun.
Simmons has been a vocal critic of Michigans state and local officials, insisting last week on the talk show The Real that Flints water was poisoned as a result of environmental racism.
We need the governors hands in cuffs. If this happened in Beverly Hills first of all they wouldve found out in two minutes, and everybody wouldve been in trouble, he said on the show. You cant poison the whole community. Almost every kid may have brain damage. Its worse than what people are saying. We gotta dig deeper into this.
Simmons reiterated this argument on Detroits local Fox News station Monday morning before he arrived in Flint.
It has to do with sending less fortunate and people of color less services, Simmons said. "In this particular case, they were voters who didnt vote for the governor. Theyre underserved community members. ... The fact is, no one black voted for this governor, and I think theyre less important to him.
First Trinity pastor Ezra Tillman doubled down on this idea Monday, arguing that the water crisis is proof of the dangers of political apathy.
We are here because we didnt vote, Tillman said. From this point on, we need to vote.
Obama and Putin
The US will devote a substantial portion of its defense spending to building up its military presence in Eastern Europe in an effort to deter Russian aggression in the region, Obama administration officials told The New York Times.
Countries belonging to the NATO alliance in Central and Eastern Europe will apparently receive heavy weaponry, tanks, and other equipment from the US, which quadrupled its budget from $789 million to more than $3.4 billion for military spending in Europe through 2017.
"This is a really big deal, and the Russians are going to have a cow," Evelyn N. Farkas, the Pentagon's top policy official on Russia and Ukraine until October, told The Times on Tuesday. "It's a huge sign of commitment to deterring Russia, and to strengthening our alliance and our partnership with countries like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia."
The move comes four months after Russia launched an air campaign in Syria to prop up embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a move widely seen as an attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure and expand Russia's influence in the Middle East.
Russia's presence in Syria, however, has "undermined" virtually everything the West is trying to accomplish there and beyond, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in an interview with Reuters from a refugee camp in Jordan on Monday.
That includes the US's attempts to bolster "moderate" Syrian rebel groups, which have been targeted by Russian airstrikes, and the US-led anti-ISIS coalition's attempts to wipe out the Islamic State in Syria, which has largely been spared the brunt of Russia's punishing air campaign.
As such, the new funding being allocated to fortify Eastern Europe against Russian aggression "is not a response to something that happened last Tuesday," a senior administration official told The Times.
"This is a longer-term response to a changed security environment in Europe. This reflects a new situation, where Russia has become a more difficult actor," the official added.
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Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (centre R), U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C) and foreign ministers attend a meeting in Vienna, Austria, November 14, 2015. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Russia is unlikely to react kindly to an expanded NATO military presence along its western flank. In an interview with the German daily newspaper Bild in January, Putin asserted that Russia's tensions with the West largely resulted from NATO's eastward expansion after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Putin said:
Of course every state has the right to organize its security the way it deems appropriate. But the states that were already in NATO, the member states, could also have followed their own interests and abstained from an expansion to the east.
He added: "NATO and the USA wanted a complete victory over the Soviet Union. They wanted to sit on the throne in Europe alone."
Incidentally, Russia is now trying to dethrone NATO and position itself as an alternative to US influence in the Middle East, as evidenced by its alliance with Iran, Syria, and Iraq under the guise of fighting ISIS.
Putin Abadi
"Russia is of course trying to leverage the entire intervention [in Syria] as a way to lap up as much real estate in the Middle East as possible," Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told Business Insider in September. "It's classic Putin."
In pushing himself to the forefront of an "anti-ISIS coalition" and creating a distraction from Ukraine, Putin has tried to coerce the US into accepting and potentially embracing Russia's role in the conflict.
But Obama's new funding plan to bolster NATO's presence in Eastern Europe shows that his administration is trying to put a damper on Putin's plans to dislodge the West from the Middle East entirely by reasserting the US's role in the region.
From The Times:
Administration officials said the new investments were not just about deterring Russia. The weapons and equipment could also be deployed along NATO's southern flank, where they could help in the fight against the Islamic State or in dealing with the influx of migrants from Syria.
Another anonymous administration official speaking to The Times put it bluntly: "This is a message that we see what they're capable of, and what their political leadership is willing to do."
NOW WATCH: How a struggling Soviet spy became the most powerful man in Russia
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Photography by Yu Tsai
Still a style icon more than a decade after the end of Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker remains as relevant today as she did at the shows height, with a gangbusters shoe line, bestselling fragrance (now re-released on its ten-year anniversary), upcoming HBO series, and new film All Roads Lead to Rome hitting theaters and video on demand February 5. We talked to the actress about her upcoming movie, why shes embarrassed by selfies, and what she has to say about the SATC ending.
Yahoo Style: Congratulations on the movie! What drew you to the film?
Sarah Jessica Parker: Ive been an admirer of [director] Ella Lemhagens workshes made fantastic movies in Sweden, Patrick, Age 1.5 in particular, and when I learned she was the director, I wanted to work with her very much. We had a long phone chat, and I really liked her and that was even before [co-stars] Raoul Bova and Rosie Day came on board.
Im sure the opportunity to be in Rome must have been a draw too.
I have great wanderlust, and as long as my children could be taken care of in my absence I thought a trip to work in Italy would be such a pleasant way to spend time. I love museums and architecture and food of course, and all of that is amazing in Rome, but I also think working with a crew that speaks a different language is a very good experience. Not to mention the opportunity to live someplace while working is a great way to know it. Rosie and I rented bikes, and we would bike all the way across Rome. We got to bike into the Vatican and watch the Pope speak!
Tell me about the new HBO series youre starring in, Divorce.
I had been working on this idea for a long time and developing it with HBO, and meeting with Sharon Horgan [the star and creator of Catastrophe], I just immediately liked her. Thomas Haden Church was my first choice to play the husband character, and I never thought he would do it because he hasnt worked for so many years in television, so a lot of elements just came together.
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Why the subject of divorce?
You know, the particular landscape of divorce and the story of a marriage is really interesting to me because its so complicated.
Speaking of HBO, Darren Star recently made comments that the ending of SATC in which Carrie ended up married sort of betrayed the original idea of the series. Whats your take on that?
As I recall, the way Carrie and Big married was something she wanted rather than a feeling that life was slipping away and she best settle quickly. I dont think of it as someone diminishing herself by letting a man marry her it always felt that she had arrived at that on her own. But the beauty is we can all have lots and lots of opinions about lots of choices Carrie made that we object to or that we stand by. If thats Darrens feeling, I think its interesting!
Its fun to get to see your behind the scenes process on your Instagram.
I think I came late to social media in general, so I was very thoughtful about how I wanted to use it because there are countless examples and ways that are far too mercenary and awful and vulgar. I could never post a selfie. Im embarrassed to even do a selfie with a nice person on the street.
So whats your favorite way to use the medium then?
I do love to be in touch with people I dont get to see very often, and my friends and siblings and people in faraway lands. Having started an Instagram for the shoe collection has been the most interesting. We started with no followers at all. Its been such a gratifying and meaningful experience to be in touch with our customers. Its run by myself and one other person in my office whos my right hand. We take every picture ourselves and answer every question and write every single caption and stay in touch with everyone who says they have an issue with fit or a wonky box.
Thats so nice. As you know, the Internet can be a pretty dark place, especially for women.
Oh I mean, people have said unfriendly or vulgar things, and we have had civilized conversations about it! Ill come on and say, We dont have to all jump in because I find that mob mentality terrifying and disappointing. I cant bear when women use bad language on my page, and I dont enjoy wagging my finger and I dont relish a stern conversation but Im not afraid to say to somebody, Can you tell me what you mean? Can you tell me what is making you so angry? Im sorry I disappointed you. Its immediately disarming and they are like, Im sorry! Thats the secret.
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Riyadh (AFP) - A court in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday overturned a death sentence against a Palestinian poet convicted of apostasy, giving him eight years in prison instead, his lawyer said.
The court in the southwestern city of Abha "overturned the previous sentence to execute him for apostasy," the lawyer for Ashraf Fayad said in a statement he posted on Twitter.
The ruling follows widespread international criticism of the rising number of executions by the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom.
Fayad was also sentenced to 800 lashes, in sessions of 50 lashes, his lawyer Abdul Rahman al-Lahim said.
The poet must repent through an announcement in official media.
The defence objects to the new ruling and has asked for Fayad's release, Lahim added.
A lower court in November issued the rare death sentence for apostasy, apparently after an appeal.
That decision overturned another court ruling in 2014 sentencing Fayad to four years' prison and 800 lashes, Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch said at the time.
The complaint against Fayad stemmed from a cultural discussion group at a cafe in Abha.
"What Ashraf claims is that he had a falling out with other members of the group," said Coogle, a Middle East researcher for the New York-based HRW.
One man claimed he heard Fayad say things against God, while a religious scholar accused Fayad of blasphemy in a volume of poetry he had written a decade previously, Coogle said.
At the first trial, witnesses for Fayad testified that the man who complained was probably "out to get him".
Under Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic legal code, murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.
In 2015 the kingdom executed 153 people, mostly for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP tally.
Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades.
However, the tally was far behind that for China and Iran.
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.
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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."
Des Moines (United States) (AFP) - The candidates have already headed to New Hampshire for the next contest in the US presidential nominations race. But Iowa, where they jousted for months, holds key lessons for those seeking the White House.
Here are the most important takeaways from Monday's closely contested vote that saw Donald Trump knocked off his perch, and Hillary Clinton breathe a sigh of relief with a razor-thin win over Bernie Sanders.
Trump: giant with feet of clay
Trump had led in all the opinion polls in the run-up to Monday's caucuses in Iowa, but in the end, he didn't deliver, and conservative Senator Ted Cruz won the night with 27.6 percent of the vote to 24.3 percent for the tycoon. Why?
"While he looked sort of invincible, the reality was that a majority of Republicans did not have a favorable impression of him," David Redlawsk, a professor at Rutgers University who was in Iowa for the caucuses, told AFP.
"The media focus on him went way beyond what the reality was, and voters brought back the reality."
But Cary Covington, a professor of political science at the University of Iowa, cautioned that the large number of evangelical Christians in the state -- a strong base for Cruz -- was always going to be an obstacle for the billionaire businessman.
"Moving forward, he faces a more favorable path," Covington told AFP, with the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries next up.
Don't forget the ground game
Wooing Iowa voters from afar with crafty advertising, debate stage appeals and showmanship just doesn't work. Perhaps nothing matters more here than a top-rate operation that can get out the vote -- something that Cruz was able to do mightily on his way to victory.
Trump showed he had Iowa support, but he did not engage in the retail politics that is the hallmark of the opening stages of the presidential race. Cruz managed to rally his troops, with an extraordinary multi-pronged push.
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Trump's candidacy "befuddled" experts, and poll numbers flew in the face of collective knowledge about the system, noted Joseph Cammarano, an associate professor at Providence College.
"It turns out our knowledge is still relevant: the ground game matters, and a conservative demographic that tends to dominate in Iowa dominated again."
The question now is: will Trump engage more on the ground in the coming weeks?
Wake-up call for Clinton
Sanders showed on Monday that he is a viable alternative to the Clinton machine. While Clinton did not have a bad night -- she avoided the dreaded prospect of reliving her 2008 loss to Barack Obama -- it was not good either, and shows she has work to do to convince the US electorate to choose her.
"Clinton still needs to figure out how to get young people to trust her," Cammarano said.
Sanders, meanwhile, drew huge support from younger voters, and the question is how well the self-described democratic socialist can mobilize the younger generation to come out and vote.
New Hampshire is Sanders's backyard and he is expected to win there. But Clinton has the chance to flip the script after New Hampshire, where the race turns to states like South Carolina where she is more popular.
It then moves to a host of southern states that Clinton may well sweep, Covington said.
Voter anger is real
More than 90 percent of Republicans who participated in Monday's caucuses said they were angry or unsatisfied with the federal government, according to entrance polls. Trump and Cruz tapped into that anger, and it paid off.
"The angry electorate showed up," Covington said. "They were the dominant voices" on the Republican side, he added.
"And Bernie Sanders, in a different direction, taps into that impatience for change on the Democratic side," he said. The Vermont senator earned 84 percent of the vote among caucus participants under the age of 30.
Rubio - consensus candidate?
The rebels won the night in Iowa -- even if Clinton squeezed out a technical win on the Democratic side -- but the Empire can still strike back.
Marco Rubio exceeded expectations with a strong third place showing, proving that a mainstream candidate can still compete in 2016.
Rubio's performance was "very important to the Republican party establishment. They're looking for someone to rally behind," said Covington.
Anger and frustration have marked much of the election cycle, to be sure, but Rubio largely steered clear of the pessimism.
His bounce will give him dramatic increases in media exposure and air time, and donor money could pour in.
Do-or-die time for low-pollers
Thanks for playing. But should low-pollers Rick Santorum or New Jersey Governor Chris Christie really stay in the race? Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Martin O'Malley dropped out as Iowa's results were rolling in.
"One wonders what took them so long," said professor Paul Beck of Ohio State University.
"This is going to be a long campaign probably on both sides," he said, and the quicker the Republicans in particular can winnow their field, the better positioned they'll be to take on the Democrats.
Early favorite Jeb Bush's weak performance in Iowa means he needs to up his game immediately, or face irrelevance.
"He's just not performing, so New Hampshire is do or die" for him," Beck said.
South Korea's finance minister on Tuesday flagged a new government stimulus plan to help offset an extended export slump that is threatening growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
The stimulus package for the first quarter will be unveiled on Wednesday, Yoo Il-Ho told a business forum in Seoul.
"We will provide support more actively ... in order to bolster the business vitality of exporters," Yoo said.
"We will also provide all possible support so that companies can hire and invest more actively," he added.
Last year, the South's economy grew at its slowest pace since 2012 as exports -- which account for about a half of GDP -- faltered in the face of a global slowdown and rock-bottom oil prices.
Exports for the whole of 2015 fell 8.0 percent -- the first contraction for three years.
And 2016 got off to a bad start, with overseas shipments in January plunging nearly 20 percent on-year -- the sharpest fall in more than six years.
Low crude prices dealt a blow to many South Korean businesses that produce petroleum products -- a crucial segment of the export profile.
The Bank of Korea last month revised its GDP growth forecast down from 3.2 percent to 3.0 percent for this year, citing factors like the signs of a slowdown in China -- the South's biggest export market.
Fashion designer Stefano Pilati is rumored to be leaving his position as head of design at the Ermenegildo Zegna Group to fill the vacant spot at the French house of Lanvin.
Neither brand has confirmed the news, although WWD reports sources as pointing to the difference between the creative's couture-like designs and Zegna's core customer needs as reasons for the split. Marie Claire Italy has reported the alleged move to the Parisian house as a possibility, which the Israeli artistic director left in October 2015.
Pilati, formerly Creative Director at Yves Saint Laurent, joined the luxury menswear label in January 2013 and is currently responsible for both its ready-to-wear and couture collections.
London (AFP) - Stoke have splashed out a club record 18.3 million ($26 million) to sign Porto midfielder Giannelli Imbula, the Premier League club announced on Monday.
Imbula agreed a five-and-a-half year contract with Mark Hughes' side and the deal was sealed less than half an hour before the official close of the transfer window.
The signing surpasses Stoke's previous record of 12 million, which they paid to lure Xherdan Shaqiri from Inter Milan last year.
"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," Hughes told Stoke's website.
"He played against us in pre-season and although I was already aware of him, seeing him at first hand resonated with me."
Born to Congolese parents in Belgium, Imbula launched his career with French side Guingamp in 2009 and four years later joined Marseille, where he got his first taste of Champions League action.
The 23-year-old has represented France at Under-21 and Under-20 levels, but has since expressed his desire to play for Belgium although he is yet to make his senior international debut.
City Chief Executive Tony Scholes added: "Giannelli is a player we have been trailing for some time and we are delighted to have concluded a deal to sign him.
"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."
3D printers don't just produce whatever you choose to make they also let off fumes. According to a new study from researchers in Paris and the United States, those vapors may be more dangerous than you previously thought.
The study, printed in the Jan. 7 issue of Environmental Science & Technology, suggests that plastics such as nylon, ABS and polycarbonate used in 3D printing create particles of potentially dangerous materials like styrene, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies as a possible human carcinogen.
MORE: 8 Awesome 3D Printing Trends to Watch
Not all plastics were found to be as dangerous, though. Those printing with PLA plastic are subject to lactide, which the scientists suggest isn't toxic. There is also no data on whether the design of a printer or characteristics of particular printers have any impact on fumes and particles.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin and Ecole des Ingenieurs de la Ville de Paris.
In the Discussion section of the study, the researchers call for more studies, while also urging manufacturers to develop new, low-emitting filaments. "Until then, we continue to suggest that caution should be used when operating many printer and filament combinations in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces or without the aid of gas and particle filtration systems," the researchers wrote. The study also suggests using 3D printers only in well-ventilated areas to reduce your chances of inhaling potentially dangerous particles.
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The Supreme Court is on hiatus until February 19, but heres a quick look at three big cases to track, and three other significant cases with decisions due.
January was the last month in which the Court can usually accept new cases for its current term, which should end in late June. And as expected, the Justices added a case on January 19th to settle questions about President Obamas executive orders about immigration.
Three other major cases have already been heard by the nine Justices.
To Be Heard
Whole Womens Health v. Cole (Abortion)
Status: Arguments on March 2, 2016
The petitioners in Whole Womans Health v. Cole claim a Texas law enacted in 2013 would force about 75 percent of the states abortion services to close. Two provisions in the law require that doctors at clinics have hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles of the clinics, and that clinics have facilities equal to those of an outpatient surgical center. Texas officials believe the laws protect the health of the women seeking abortions by guaranteeing better care.
The Supreme Court will decide two issues. First, it will look at if the appeals court properly handled a question about if the new restrictions would actually work to protect the health of women. The appeals court said it needed to defer to the Texas state legislature on that issue.
The second question is a broader one. The Court must decide it the law imposes an undue burden on women who seek abortions. The Court last ruled on this question in a 1992 decision, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, which reaffirmed the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973.
Zubik vs. Burwell (Obamacare)
Status: Granted on Nov. 6, 2015, arguments to be scheduled
The United States Supreme Court in November consolidated seven cases challenging Obamacares birth-control mandate into one: Zubik v. Burwell. The current legal challenge, the fourth to be accepted by the Court since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, involves religious-sponsored non-profit corporations.
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These institutions object on moral grounds to an Obamacare provision that allows their employees to obtain contraceptive coverage through their health insurance, even if those contraceptive products are provided by insurance companies and the government, instead of the institutions.
The groups argue that even indirect participation in such a plan is offensive, and they want to be included in a broader Obamacare exception extended to churches, synagogues and worship-based employers.
The federal government believes that religiously oriented non-profit institutions such as hospitals and universities have numerous employees who dont share the beliefs of religious groups that sponsor the non-profits, and these workers would be harmed by the exclusions.
United States v. Texas (Immigration)
Status: Granted on January 19, 2016, arguments to be scheduled
The United States Supreme Court will hear a dispute between President Barack Obama and 26 states over the Presidents ability to issue sweeping executive orders about immigration.
The 26 states had hoped the Supreme Court would rule on several issues, including the ability of the states to sue the Obama administration; the alleged constitutional overreach of the executive branch in forming immigration policies conflicting with laws passed by Congress; and the alleged unwillingness of President Obama to honor the Constitutions Take Care Clause to execute laws passed by Congress.
Instead, the Justices will consider two of the three questions: on standing and the Take Care clause.
Two lower courts that ruled on the case agreed that the state of Texas had standing to sue the Obama administration because it had been potentially injured by immigration enforcement decisions, which could defer the deportation of 5 million undocumented immigrants. In November 2015, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower courts injunction that blocked President Obamas executive orders on immigration from taking effect.
The orders seek to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which gave prosecutorial discretion regarding the enforcement of immigration laws against certain young people. The orders would make millions more eligible for the program. A November 2014 executive action also established the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program (DAPA), which allows the parents of U.S. citizens to remain lawfully present in the United States. The District Court determined that at least 4.3 million individuals would be eligible for lawful presence under DAPA.
Cases Heard, Decisions Are Due
Evenwel v. Abbott (One Person, One Vote)
Status: Arguments heard on Dec. 8, 2015
In this case, the Court will decide if eligible voting population numbers can be substituted for total population numbers when voting districts are determined.
Back in 2013, the Texas legislature drafted new districts for electing the 31 members of the state senate. The lawmakers proceeded on a theory of equal representation by actual population, with just an 8.04 percent difference between the largest and the smallest districts. But the Texas legislature based its headcount on the total population of each district and not the numbers of people eligible to vote in each district. Due to an imbalance in the voting age population in the districts, the difference between the largest and the smallest districts rose to as much as 49 percent, when it came to who could actually cast votes.
The question before the Court is if the one-person, one-vote doctrine requires a legislature to use voting population numbers when there is evidence that using total population numbers would cause serious disparities in the strength of the votes cast.
Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (Affirmative Action)
Status: Argued on Dec. 9, 2015
In December. the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, a landmark challenge to affirmative action at Texas flagship public university. The University of Texas is required to admit all high school seniors who rank in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. Candidates for any remaining spots undergo a holistic evaluation process in which race is among the considered factors.
The Court has heard this case before. In 2013, the Court indeed issued a decision, but it sent the case back to the lower courts to be reviewed under a tougher constitutional standard.
Former University of Texas applicant Abigail Fisher contends that the schools discriminatory admission policies led to her rejection, even though her qualifications surpassed those of many admitted minority students. The university maintains a program by which the top 10 percent of students in each public graduating class are granted automatic admission; Fisher argues that this is enough to ensure diversity. (She narrowly missed the cut at Stephen F. Austin High School, finishing 82nd out of 674.)
Fisher argues the 14th Amendments the Equal Protection Clause prohibits the school from considering race in any manner as part of the admissions process.
Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (Public Union Dues)
Status: Arguments on Jan. 11, 2016
Friedrichs is a challenge to the practices of public unions. The Court will determine whether requiring public school teachers to pay mandatory dues for union activities violates the First Amendment.
California teacher Rebecca Friedrichs, supported by the Center for Individual Rights, argues that she should have no obligation to pay any union dues whatsoever, since any payment is still a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech.
A defeat for the Teachers Association could affect public-employee unions in about half the states that have fair share requirements.
Geneva (AFP) - Syria's main opposition group said Tuesday that it will not attend a planned afternoon meeting with the UN special envoy, adding further doubts about the prospects for peace talks in Switzerland.
"There is no meeting with (Staffan) de Mistura," said Farah Atassi, member of the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
"We presented the demands that we wanted to demand. At this moment, there is no reason to repeat ourselves with de Mistura," she told reporters outside of the UN headquarters in Geneva.
United Nations spokeswoman Khawla Mattar also confirmed that there would be "no other meetings today" with de Mistura, who met with the Syrian government delegation Tuesday morning.
The afternoon gathering was to be the opposition delegation's second meeting with the Swedish-Italian diplomat at the UN headquarters.
The announcement followed comments from the government's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari that formal indirect peace talks had not yet begun.
De Mistura had said Monday that his first official meeting with the HNC meant that the negotiations were indeed under way.
By Tom Perry, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and John Irish BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - A Syrian military offensive backed by heavy Russian air strikes threatened to cut critical rebel supply lines into the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday, while the warring sides said peace talks had not started despite a U.N. statement they had. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura announced the formal start on Monday of the first attempt in two years to negotiate an end to a war that has killed 250,000 people, caused a refugee crisis in the region and Europe and empowered Islamic State militants. But both opposition and government representatives have since said the talks had not in fact begun and fighting on the ground raged on without constraint. De Mistura acknowledged that a collapse of the Geneva talks was always possible. "If there is a failure this time after we tried twice at conferences in Geneva, for Syria there will be no more hope. We must absolutely try to ensure that there is no failure," he told Swiss television RTS. The opposition canceled a meeting with him on Tuesday afternoon, and issued a statement condemning "a massive acceleration of Russian and regime military aggression on Aleppo and Homs", calling it a threat to the political process. Rebels described the assault north of Aleppo as the most intense yet. One commander said opposition-held areas of the divided city were at risk of being encircled entirely by the government and allied militia, appealing to foreign states that back the rebels to send more weapons. The main Syrian opposition council said after meeting de Mistura on Monday it had not, and would not negotiate unless the government stopped bombarding civilian areas, lifted blockades on besieged towns and released detainees. Conditions are dire in a number of areas under siege by both sides, with many close to starvation. However, the Syrian Red Crescent delivered 14 truckloads of aid to the town of al-Tal north of Damascus on Tuesday, in an area surrounded by forces allied to the government. SLIM CHANCES The head of the Syrian government delegation also denied talks had started after discussions with de Mistura on Tuesday. Bashar al-Ja'afari said after two and a half hours of talks that the envoy had yet to provide an agenda or list of opposition participants. "The formalities are not yet ready," he told reporters at the United Nations office in Geneva. He also said that if the opposition "really cared" about the lives of Syrians it should condemn the killing of more than 60 people on Sunday by Islamic State bombers in a neighborhood that is home to the country's holiest Shi'ite shrine. A U.N. source said de Mistura had promised to present an opposition delegation list by Wednesday. Its makeup is subject to fierce disagreements among the regional and global powers that have been drawn into the conflict. The refugee crisis and spread of the jihadist Islamic State through large areas of Syria, and from there to Iraq, has injected a new urgency to resolve the five-year-old Syria war. But the chances of success, always very slim, appear to be receding as the government, supported by Russian air strikes, advances against rebels, some of them U.S.-backed. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Moscow to stop the bombing during the peace process. "We are beginning the talks, we are at the table and we expect a ceasefire," he said after a meeting in Rome of countries opposed to Islamic State. "DECISIVE BATTLE" The attack north of Aleppo that began in recent days is the first major government offensive there since the Russian air strikes began on Sept. 30. The area safeguards a rebel supply route from Turkey into opposition-held parts of the city and stands between government-held parts of western Aleppo and the Shi'ite villages of Nubul and al-Zahraa which are loyal to Damascus. "The supply routes were not cut but there is heavy bombardment of them by the jets," said a commander in the Levant Front rebel group who gave his name as Abu Yasine. "The Russian jets are trying to hit headquarters and cut supply routes." The Russian jets had been working "night and day" for three days, he added, and reiterated the rebels' long-held demand for anti-aircraft missiles to confront the assault. "If there is no support, the regime could besiege the city of Aleppo and cut the road to the north," said Abu Yasine, whose group is one of the rebel movements that have received military support from states opposed to Assad, funneled via Turkey. Advancing government forces seized the village of Hardatnin some 10 km (six miles) northwest of Aleppo, building on gains of the previous day, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring body. Another rebel commander said he had sent reinforcements to the area. "We sent new fighters this morning, we sent heavier equipment there. It seems it will be a decisive battle in the north, God willing," said Ahmed al-Seoud, head of a Free Syrian Army group known as Division 13. "We sent TOW missile platforms. We sent everything there," he told Reuters. U.S.-made TOW missiles, or guided anti-tank missiles, are the most potent weapon in the rebel arsenal and have been supplied to vetted rebel groups as part of a program of military support overseen by the Central Intelligence Agency. But while they have helped rebels to slow advances on the ground, they are of little use against fighter bombers. The Russian intervention has reversed the course of the war for Damascus, which suffered a series of major defeats to rebels in western Syria last year before Moscow deployed its air force as part of an alliance with Iran. In an interview with Reuters, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Russian President Vladimir Putin was undermining international efforts to end the war by bombing opponents of Islamic State in an attempt to bolster Assad. "The Russians say let's talk, and then they talk and they talk and they talk. The problem with the Russians is while they are talking they are bombing, and they are supporting Assad," Hammond said. Russia's Foreign Ministry said Hammond was spreading "dangerous disinformation", while the Kremlin said his statements could not be taken seriously. (Additional reporting by John Davison in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay and Kinda Makieh in Geneva and Crispian Balmer in Rome; writing by Tom Perry; editing by Philippa Fletcher, Peter Graff and David Stamp)
Beirut (AFP) - Syria's war has killed more than 260,000 people, uprooted more than half the population and left the country in ruins since it erupted nearly five years ago.
Key figures follow on the conflict that began with peaceful protests for reform in March 2011, but escalated into an all-out civil war drawing foreign jihadists and foreign intervention after a brutal crackdown on dissent.
- Casualties -
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a large network of sources across the country, says 260,758 people were killed between March 2011 and December 31, 2015, most of them combattants.
The fatalities included more than 76,000 civilians.
The toll excludes thousands who have disappeared, notably in Syria's infamous jails, and the hundreds of loyalists who have gone missing at the hands of rebels and jihadist groups, including the so-called Islamic State.
An Observatory toll published in March 2015 said nearly 13,000 people died of torture in regime prisons since the start of the conflict, while more than 200,000 have been detained.
A Syrian aid group in January denounced the incessant bombing of medical facilities in Syria, where 177 hospitals have been destroyed and nearly 700 health workers killed since 2011.
- Refugees and displaced -
In Syria, which counted 23 million inhabitants before the conflict, 13.5 million people have been displaced, according to the UN on January 12, 2016.
Some 486,700 are currently living in regions besieged by the army or by rebels, the UN says.
Dozens have died there from malnutrition or from lack of medical assistance, and 4.7 million have fled to neighbouring countries.
"It is the biggest population of refugees for a single conflict in a generation," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in July 2015.
Turkey has become the biggest host country for Syrian refugees, with between two and 2.5 million on its soil. Only 250,000 of them live in camps, with the rest in urban areas.
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Nearly 1.2 million have taken refuge in Lebanon, according to official sources. More than two thirds of these are in "extreme poverty," according to the UN.
Roughly 630,000 have taken refuge in Jordan, according to the UNHCR, but the authorities there put their number at more than a million. Some 225,000 Syrians have taken refuge in Iraq and 137,000 in Egypt.
The refugees are mired in poverty, health problems and growing tensions with local communities where they live in makeshift camps and extremely difficult conditions.
While a vast majority of refugees remain in the region, an increasing number make the perilous journey to Europe, at the hands of networks of traffickers.
- Economic consequences -
Experts say the conflict has set Syria's economy back by three decades, with almost all its revenues cut off and most of the infrastructure destroyed.
The economy has gone through a massive de-industrialisation as enterprises close, people go bankrupt, and amid looting and destruction.
Exports have plunged by 90 percent since the beginning of the revolt, according to a senior official, while the country is also hit by severe international sanctions.
According to the oil minister, direct and indirect losses in the oil and gas sector come to $58 billion (53 billion euros).
In March 2015, a coalition of 130 non-governmental organisations said Syria is living almost without electric light, with 83 percent of lighting no longer working because of the war.
By John Irish and Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - The chief Syrian government delegate at Geneva peace talks said on Tuesday it was too early for indirect contacts while a U.N. envoy's meeting with the opposition was canceled after a major Russian-backed offensive on rebel positions. Staffan de Mistura announced on Monday the formal start of the negotiations, but government delegation chief Bashar al-Ja'afari said the U.N. envoy had now realized conditions were not ripe for indirect "proximity talks" with government and opposition delegations in separate rooms. "The circumstances on the formalities are not yet ready. We are in the preparatory stage before the official launch of indirect negotiations," Ja'afari told reporters after a 2-1/2 hour meeting with de Mistura. "To prepare the official launch we have to have the presence of the two delegations, but on the other side the delegation has not been finalised." A U.N. source said de Mistura, trying to broker an end to a civil war that has killed 250,000 people and driven 10 million from their homes, had promised he would provide the opposition delegation list by Wednesday. Representatives of the main opposition High Negotiation Committee (HNC) - which includes political and militant opponents of President Bashar al-Assad - have warned that they will not negotiate unless the government stops bombarding civilian areas, lifts blockades and releases detainees. But supported by Russian air strikes, Syrian government forces and their allies ramped up advances against rebels in several areas of the country's west where the country's main cities are located, and on Tuesday were threatening rebel supply lines into the northern city of Aleppo. HNC spokesman Salim al-Muslat accused Russia of endangering the process. De Mistura's office said a scheduled Tuesday meeting with the HNC would not be taking place. "It is clear from the current situation that the regime and its allies - in particular Russia - are determined to reject the U.N.'s efforts to implement international law," Muslat said. "The regime and Russia's actions gravely threaten the political process at this early stage." He urged major powers to put pressure on Moscow. "It seems nobody is helping us. Nobody is serious. We really trust our friends ... but we need to see (it) - if they take one step then we will take 10. But let them do something." Asked whether Damascus was ready to discuss these issues, Ja'afari said all issues were a priority for the government, including terrorism and humanitarian matters. "Once the dialogue officially starts, we will start to deal with these issues," he said, repeating there should be no preconditions for talks. He added that if the opposition "really cared" about the lives of Syrians, it should condemn the killing of more than 60 people on Sunday by Islamic State suicide bombers at the country's holiest Shi'ite Muslim shrine. (Additional reporting by Kinda Makieh and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania plans to lift spending on industrial and infrastructure projects but wants to cut the budget deficit, its finance minister said in an outline of the draft budget for 2016/2017, which will be the first under the new president, John Magufuli. Finance and Planning Minister Philip Mpango presented the figures in a document outlining budget plans for 2016/17 that was presented to parliament on Monday. The detailed draft budget will not be finalised until closer to July 1. Growth was expected to rise to 7.2 percent in 2016 from 7.0 percent in 2015, Mpango said in his budget draft, making it one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. The document is the first indication of spending plans under Magufuli, who was elected in October. The former public works minister promised to improve the African nation's creaking infrastructure and create more jobs. Under the plans, spending would rise to 22.99 trillion shillings ($10.6 billion) in 2016/17 from 22.49 trillion shillings, but the deficit would shrink to the equivalent of less than 3 percent of gross domestic product from 4.2 percent. Mpango said the government would hike government revenue collection and find savings through some austerity measures. Magufuli began his presidency with a series of high profile moves to slash wasteful government spending, such as scrapping official functions, and reining in corruption. The finance minister said the government would borrow the equivalent of 1.78 trillion shillings, now worth roughly $817 million, from external commercial sources during 2016/17. Mpango said the goal in the medium term was to hit 8 percent growth. Financial aid and loans from development partners were expected to fall by 9.3 percent to 2.1 trillion shillings in 2016/17, Mpango's document said. Inflation was expected to remain in single digits and fall to 6.0 percent by June 2016 and stay between 5 and 8 percent in the medium term, the minister's guideline document said. Year-on-year inflation edged up to 6.8 percent in December. Spending would focus on industrial projects, new infrastructure to improve poor roads and a power shortfall, and a project to start gas exports. Tanzania says it has finalised land acquisition for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. BG Group, being acquired by Royal Dutch Shell, along with Statoil, Exxon Mobil and Ophir Energy plan to build the plant in partnership with the state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC). They aim to start it up in the early 2020s. ($1 = 2,180.0000 Tanzanian shillings) (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Dominic Evans and Raissa Kasolowsky)
(Reuters) - TE Connectivity Ltd, a Swiss-based manufacturer of electronics and sensors, said it would buy Creganna Medical Group for $895 million, expanding in the fast-growing business of making equipment used in minimally invasive procedures. The acquisition comes nearly a year after TE Connectivity bought AdvancedCath, a catheter systems maker, for $190 million. "We expect our interventional sales post Creganna will increase to well over $300 million," TE Connectivity President Terrence Curtin said on a conference call with analysts on Tuesday. Creganna had about $250 million in sales in 2015. TE Connectivity, which split from Tyco International Ltd in 2007, sold nearly all of its network gear business to CommScope Holding Co Inc for about $3 billion in January last year. Ireland-based Creganna Medical designs and manufactures minimally invasive delivery and access devices serving medical device original equipment manufacturers. "Creganna holds an 8 percent share in the medical interventional connector market. This provides TE Connectivity with another high-growth end-market to expand," Macquarie Research Mike Wood wrote in a note. Minimally invasive procedures involve using devices such as catheters to make tiny incisions instead of creating large openings on the body. TE Connectivity sells its wire and cables, as well as temperature and pressure sensors, to medical device makers. The company is acquiring Creganna from investment firm Permira, which bought a majority stake in the company from Altaris Capital for 220 million euros in 2010. TE Connectivity said the acquisition is expected to add 3 cents per share to earnings in the first full year after the deal closes, probably in the third quarter of 2016. Morgan Stanley was TE Connectivity's financial adviser, while Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP was the outside counsel. Piper Jaffray was the financial adviser to Permira funds and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP its legal adviser. TE Connectivity's shares were down about 3 percent at $55.35 in late morning trading. (Reporting by Kshitiz Goliya in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A teacher arrested in connection with the escape of three inmates from a Southern California jail was freed from custody on Monday after prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to charge her with a crime.
Authorities previously said 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 and 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. 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.
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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; Additional reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Dan Grebler and Michael Perry)
DES MOINES Hillary Clinton claimed victory in the Iowa caucuses early on Tuesday by an ever-so thin margin over Bernie Sanders.
Clinton had 49.9% of the delegates and Sanders had 49.6%, with 99.9% of the precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press. The state Democratic party called the race the closest in state party caucus history.
Meanwhile, Donald Trumps maverick campaign for president hit a bump, when he finished behind Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. The real estate magnate and reality show star, who has belittled losers for months during his campaign, struggled to remain in second place, just ahead of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
With virtually all of the caucuses in Iowa reporting on a night of record-high turnout, Cruz received 28% of the GOP support, to 24% for Trump and 23% for Rubio.
If Clinton holds on for a fractional victory, she will avoid the painful outcome that she endured in the state in 2008 when, after being an early frontrunner, she finished third behind eventual nominee Barack Obama and behind former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. Clinton fought back over a prolonged primary season in 2008, but never entirely recovered, as Obama went on to the presidency.
The one-time senator and former secretary of state stopped short of declaring victory in a speech to her supporters on Tuesday evening, but Sanders, an independent who has called himself a Democratic socialist, has surprised many of her supporters with his laser focus on income inequality.
As I stand here, breathing a big sigh of relief, thank you, Clinton told the crowd in Des Moines, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, standing behind her. She said that she is ready for a real contest of ideas.
Among those who came to Iowa from Los Angeles were CAAs Michael Kives, investor Sim Farar and his wife Debbie, Marketshare CEO and co-founder Jon Vein and political finance consultant David Wolf. All have been raising money for Clinton.
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It was a nail-biter, but we won, and that is the end result, so hopefully the discussion will be about Trump not winning Iowa versus how close our race was, said Lena Evans, of Rancho Santa Fe, who founded a philanthropic support organization and has been raising money for Clinton.
Once we get through New Hampshire, I think you are going to see the country galvanize around Hillary, Vein said. I think everyone in this room, if you asked them, they would say that they are happy that Bernie has raised the issues that he has. But Hillary should be the next president. Earlier in the evening, former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin had declared that, while narrow, Clintons margin held. A win is a win, he said.
Andy Spahn, president of Gonring, Spahn & Associaties, which advises clients such as Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, said that Clinton withstood the challenge of Iowa showing real grit and determination. Lets what happens when the rest of the country starts to weigh in on Super Tuesday.
At her campaign event at Drake University, a meeting room was energetic with supporters, but it cleared quickly after she made her remarks.
A short time later, Sanders addressed his supporters and said the outcome was too close to be decided and that he would emerge from Iowa with about half of the states delegates. He called the race a virtual tie.
What Iowa has begun tonight is a political revolution, Sanders said.
Political pundits predicted that the razor thin margin would bolster Sanders already potent fundraising among small donors. Giving an average of just $27 each, those contributors have been able to keep him competitive with Clinton, powered by much bigger donations and the aid of a Super PAC that has drawn seven-figure contributions from Katzenberg, Spielberg, Haim Saban and Thomas Tull.
Clinton is scheduled to return for Los Angeles for fundraising on Feb. 22, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers are holding a concert for his campaign on Friday.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley failed to reach the minimum voting threshold in most districts in Iowa and finished with just 1% of the caucus total. CNN reported that the long-shot candidate planned to drop out of the Democratic race, which would winnow the field to just Sanders and Clinton, the former Secretary of State and First Lady.
The results on the Republican side were immediately depicted as a setback for Trump and a boost for Rubio, who exceeded expectations and was said to be in a good position heading into next weeks primary in New Hampshire. With the final results barely in, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won in the Iowa caucuses in 2008, declared that he was also dropping out of the 2016 contest.
Trump was gracious in accepting his loss to Cruz, telling his supporters in brief remarks, Iowa, we love you. We thank you.
I think I may come back here and buy a farm, he said.
Rubio took the stage just after 9:30 pm local time Monday and said his strong finish defied the predictions of the experts and would propel him on to more victories in the primary season.
At the Clinton campaign party at Drake University, there was surprise that Trump fell short and appeared to be struggling to hold on to second place. I was shocked at Trumps loss, said Bree Bowen, a public relations executive from St. Louis, Mo. who has been volunteering for Clinton in Iowa. I think that in some ways it is a good thing because it shows people arent listening to the hateful rhetoric. It will be interesting to see what his reaction will be, in my opinion.
Bowen said she fears Rubio the most as a potential rival to Clinton, because he comes across as more moderate, but I think we are going to win either way.
The media presence in Des Moines was at times overwhelming. At a caucus precinct in the East Village neighborhood, a trendy area nestled between the state capitol and the Des Moines River, a caucus chairman struggled to count votes in a packed room where media members and observers nearly equalled those of caucusgoers.
There was a good reason for this: the precinct at the Iowa State Historical Building is one of the closest to downtown, convenient to the hotels where many national and international media are based.
The precinct got a bit raucous at times, as Sanders supporters shouted Come this way to feel the Bern in an effort to win over two undecideds after the initial tally. It showed Sanders with 80 votes, Clinton with 78 and OMalley with 8.
The caucuses are said to cull the field of candidates and occasionally lend momentum to candidates, but offer nothing close to a definitive judgment in the presidential nominating process. The last four times a Democratic incumbent was not in the White House in 2000, 2004 and 2008 the winner of the caucuses on the Democratic side went on to win the partys nomination.
Vice President Al Gore won Iowa in 2000; Sen. John Kerry prevailed in 2004 and Sen. Barack Obama took the top spot, ahead of Clinton and Sen. John Edwards, in 2008. In 1988, Rep. Dick Gephardt and, in 1992, Iowa favorite son, Harkin, took Iowa but were overwhelmed in later primaries and did not make the fall general election.
The Iowa contest has been even less predictive of final nominating results on the Republican side. In 2012, former Sen. Rick Santorum edged out eventually nominee Mitt Romney in Iowa. In 2008, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took the top spot in the Hawkeye State, but was overwhelmed by Sen. John McCain in the following New Hampshire primary. McCain went on to the GOP nomination and defeat at the hands of Barack Obama in the general election.
The Iowa caucus was a better predictor for Republicans in 1996 and in 2000. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas won Iowa in 1996 and went on to the nomination. Four years later, Gov. George W. Bush of Texas won Iowa and used the momentum to push all the way to the GOP nomination and an election victory over Gore.
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Des Moines (United States) (AFP) - Once reviled by fellow Republicans as a "wacko bird" eager to shut down the US government, Ted Cruz proved with his Iowa win that his arch-conservatism may yet propel him into the White House.
He has spent months seeking to out-maneuver his many rivals.
When he did so Monday night, surging past frontrunner Donald Trump as he rode a wave of enthusiastic support, it appeared to validate -- if only for a few fleeting hours before the presidential race resumes -- the political positions that have made Cruz such a compelling but controversial figure.
Cruz, who has fought hard to maintain a prominent place for faith in American life, is battling not just for the Republican nomination. He sees himself in a battle for the very soul of the country.
"Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," Cruz said in his caucus victory speech.
"We're seeing conservatives and evangelicals and libertarians and Reagan Democrats all coming together as one, and that terrifies Washington, DC."
As a US Senate freshman, the 45-year-old Texan -- an intellectual proponent of a grassroots movement that has simmered for years under the Republican mainstream -- has barely three years under his belt in national politics.
But in the 2016 presidential race, his outsider status has played well with the right-wing base furious with what he derides as the "mushy middle" GOP establishment unwilling to play hardball against US President Barack Obama.
For Democrats, Cruz is a dangerous demagogue they love to hate.
To religious conservatives, he is a patriot, a thinking man's champion of the common folk sent to Congress -- and perhaps to the White House -- to disrupt the ways of the go-along-to-get-along establishment and fulfill the principles of smaller government.
He has since become the movement's North Star, but critics blast him as a poster boy for Washington gridlock.
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Cruz, a master orator with a clear sense of mission, has angered elders in both parties for showing little deference to seniority and snatching the spotlight from more experienced political stalwarts.
He insists government has wrecked the economy, infringed on religious liberty, put constitutional rights "under assault," overtaxed Americans and sought to take away their guns.
In September 2013, his conservative star power soared when he spoke for 21 hours straight to try to block a stopgap spending bill in the lead up to a crippling shutdown the following month.
Many Republicans blasted Cruz for convincing Tea Party adherents in the House of Representatives to shut down government in a doomed quest to defund Obama's crowning domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act.
Cruz's apparent eagerness to gum up the works led an exasperated John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee, to deride Cruz and other Tea Party lawmakers as "wacko birds on the right."
- From Harvard to the Hill -
A Texas-raised, Harvard-educated lawyer with a Cuban father and an American mother, Cruz joined the legal elite when he was accepted as a clerk for US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 1996.
He was part of former president George W. Bush's legal team arguing the 2000 Florida presidential recount, later serving in Bush's Justice Department and the US Federal Trade commission.
He returned to Texas and in 2003 was appointed solicitor general, arguing many cases before the Supreme Court in Washington.
In 2012, he ran for the Senate with support from the anti-government, anti-tax Tea Party, defeating the establishment Republican and then steamrolling his Democratic opponent in the election.
Cuban-American Cruz may enjoy plenty of support in Hispanic-heavy Texas, but he is a staunch opponent of immigration reform.
He blasted Obama's efforts last year to shield millions from deportation as "illegal amnesty," and feuds with fellow candidate Senator Marco Rubio -- whose parents immigrated to the US from Cuba -- over who can clamp down harder on illegal immigration.
- A run from the right -
For millions of conservatives outside the US capital, the staunchly unapologetic Cruz is a hero, and he has fired up the base.
Cruz found himself in a crowded running lane: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, ex-senator Rick Santorum and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee have sought the far-right conservative vote. Cruz has outshone them all.
But only Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate tycoon who has refashioned himself as a conservative populist, had stood in Cruz's way of winning Iowa. Now, the challenge is securing the nomination.
With Trump upending the political playbook and launching personal attacks on his rivals, including Cruz, the Texan pledged not to sink "into the mud" in a battle of insults.
"I think issues and substance, policy and vision and record should be the meat of politics," he said during Thursday's Republican debate, which Trump boycotted.
Trump has hammered Cruz over his Canadian birth, suggesting bluntly that Cruz may not be eligible for the presidency.
It has emerged as a point of contention in the campaign, but Cruz insists he is a natural-born citizen.
How will voters know that he is the candidate who will defend life, traditional marriage and religious liberty?
"Pray on it," he suggested.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand should not worry about the Zika virus, its public health ministry said on Tuesday, just a day after the World Health Organization declared the virus an international emergency. Thailand is the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia, with an average of five cases a year since 2012, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Thailand has confirmed one case of the virus this year. In addition, last month, Taiwan reported one case of Zika infection in a man from Thailand after he set off a temperature scanner at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus an international public health emergency due to its link to thousands of birth defects in Brazil. "Thais should not worry. Thailand has no outbreak of this disease," the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement. "We have asked everyone to monitor and prepare measures to look after this disease ... Thais should not panic. Mostly if patients get this disease they recover," the ministry said. Neighboring Malaysia and Singapore have said they are at high risk for the spread of Zika if the virus is imported. The WHO said last month 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. Thailand's public health ministry has said there was "no technical evidence" of in-built immunity to Zika in Thailand. According to a June 2015 article in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene there have been "several cases reported in travelers returning from Thailand". Seven cases of Zika infection were found between 2012 to 2014 in Thai residents, it said. "These endemic cases, combined with previous reports in travelers, provide evidence that Zika is widespread throughout Thailand," the journal said. Sill, the public health ministry said it was not overly concerned. "I ask you to have confidence in Thailand's surveillance system," Amnuay Gajeena, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said in a statement. The health ministry has asked members of the public to help eliminate mosquitos around their homes and in their communities and has advised those traveling back from Zika-affected areas to report any symptoms. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Bangkok (AFP) - A man has contracted the Zika virus in Thailand, officials said Tuesday, as a global alert intensifies over the mosquito-borne infection blamed for a surge in serious birth defects in South America.
Authorities said the 22-year-old Thai man is likely to have caught the same strain of the virus that has caused panic in countries such as Brazil and Colombia.
The virus "was confirmed by blood tests", Air Vice Marshall Santi Srisermpoke, director of Bangkok's Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, told reporters.
"His symptoms were a fever, a rash and redness of the eyes," he said, adding he had not travelled abroad.
The man has recovered and been discharged from hospital, he added, without giving further details of how long he was in hospital, or where he contracted the sickness.
Amnuay Gajeena, director-general of the Disease Control Department of the Public Health Ministry, said it was "likely to be the same strain as the one found in South America".
"It's not a new disease in Thailand... we had the first confirmed case in 2012. Since then we have an average of not more than five cases yearly," he said.
"There is no need to panic... we have never had an epidemic of the Zika virus in Thailand all of the cases were one-offs."
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever, carries the sickness.
It breeds in tropical areas, including Thailand, which has seen a surge in cases of dengue in recent months.
The World Health Organization linked a spike in birth defects in South America to the virus.
The UN health body said that a rise in cases of microcephaly -- in which babies are born with an abnormally small head -- was likely caused by the mosquito-borne virus, and declared the situation a "public health emergency of international concern".
First detected in Africa in 1947, Zika was considered a relatively mild disease until the current outbreak was declared in Latin America last year.
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Brazil was the first country to sound the alarm on the apparent link with birth defects.
It has since become the worst affected country, with some 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, of which 270 have been confirmed.
As alarm grows over the surge in the number of cases, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico have warned women to delay conceiving until the Zika outbreak is brought under control.
By Steve Holland DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump's surprise defeat in Iowa at the hands of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz reflected shortcomings in his get-out-the-vote operations and an over reliance on his celebrity status in a state where voters prefer the personal touch. The New York billionaire and former TV reality star generated much enthusiasm for his anti-establishment message, but in the end he was out muscled by Cruz' more traditional ground game and saw some late-deciding voters side with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio. All signs had pointed to a Trump victory in the first nominating contest in the race for the White House, with the Des Moines Register's influential poll giving Trump the lead on the weekend before Iowans went to caucus on Monday. The loss, while not by a large margin, raised questions about Trump's ability to perform as well in voting contests as he does in polls. Prior to Monday, Trump had repeatedly boasted that he would easily win Iowa, and he has been the front runner in most national polls since last summer. Sensing victory, Trump had mocked Cruz's ground game in the hours before voters went to their caucus sites. I hear they all have these great ground games, they've got people pouring in on buses and trucks, Trump said at a campaign rally. They are spending all the money they have from special interests. For our country, I want the person who is going to spend the least amount and get the best results." Trump had relied on what Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann told Reuters was a "stealth" ground effort. For some though, the specifics of Trump's plan for turning out his supporters on Monday were questionable. Instead of aggressively trying to convert any and all Republicans to his cause as Cruz did, Trump relied mostly on signing up supporters from among those who attended his rallies. The challenge Trump faced was trying to persuade these people, many of whom had never participated in a caucus before, to show up. Tana Goertz, Trump's Iowa campaign chair, was frequently an introductory speaker at Trump events and would encourage attendees to make sure they knew where to go to caucus. Leaflets were passed out reassuring voters that the ballot is secret and, "most caucuses take less than 1 hour." "It's new to a lot of these people who were supporting him," said David McNeer, of Newton, Iowa, who steered his precinct into overwhelmingly voting for Trump. "It may be at the end that some of them didn't come out like they thought were going to come out." CHEESEBURGERS NOT CAVIAR Trump's bombastic style and flair for the dramatic may in the end have not helped as much as he would have hoped. As Cruz and Rubio went the more traditional route of talking to small groups of people at pizza parlors and hotel conference rooms, Trump would make a dramatic entrance in his private jet, emblazoned with his name, and tear into his rivals at rallies attended by thousands. He made pandering comments like wanting to buy a farm in Iowa and hoping his pregnant daughter would deliver her baby in the state. He did few small events. Gary Updegraff, an enthusiastic Trump backer and precinct chairman in Des Moines, said he believed Trump would adjust his style. "He's a very smart man, hes going to analyze this with his people, hell talk to his family probably about it. I think the genuineness of Donald Trump needs to come out a little bit more," Updegraff said. Trump took some initial steps in this direction in the final days before the caucus. He appeared with evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr., who asked Trump friendly questions that played up the candidate's contributions to charitable causes and pointed out he served cheeseburgers, not caviar, on his plane. At least some of his supporters think Trump might have performed better if he had participated in a Fox News debate last week instead of boycotting in opposition to anchor Megyn Kelly and a Fox news release he felt had a biting tone. "I think a lot of things caught up to him here in the last couple of weeks," said Trump supporter Brett Ridge of Des Moines, speaking shortly after Trump's concession speech. "When it comes down to it, he should have been at the debate last week." Trump noted in his concession speech that some had argued he would never do well in the state. "Iowa, we love you," Trump said in defeat. "You are very special. I think we might come back here and buy a farm." (Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson, editing by Paul Thomasch and Ross Colvin)
Santiago (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he was in Latin America to pursue a "strategy of opening" as he kicked off a three-country regional tour in Chile.
"Chile is a key country for our opening in Latin America and the Caribbean. This strategy of opening of the past 10 years has gotten a very important boost," he said after meeting Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
Trade between Turkey and Latin American countries has expanded 800 percent over the past decade, to $10 billion in 2014, and Ankara has opened new embassies around the region.
Erdogan said he planned to continue forging closer ties.
"We've gone from six diplomatic missions in all of Latin America to 13. But that's not enough, and we're going to continue increasing the number of embassies," he said.
"We can increase (trade) to improve our economic relations, based on free-trade agreements," he added.
Chile and Turkey signed a free-trade agreement in 2011, and trade has since nearly doubled, to almost $700 million last year.
As part of Erdogan's visit, the two countries signed a deal on closer ties between their government aid agencies.
Erdogan, who is traveling with some 100 business leaders, heads next to Peru and Ecuador.
The Turkish leader last year visited Cuba, Colombia and Mexico.
Turkey is seeking to diversify its partners beyond its traditional sphere of influence within the bounds of the former Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and the Balkans, analysts say.
With its opening to Latin America, it appears keen to forge alliances in new regions at a time of tricky ties with the United States, the European Union and Russia.
One of Turkey's major trade partners, Russia has imposed sanctions on Ankara after one of its war jets was shot down in November on the border with Syria.
In a sign of its growing soft power, Turkey's soap operas are taking Latin American countries, including Chile, by storm, prompting TV executives to start importing Turkish series to a region more used to exporting its own "telenovelas."
Turkish aid workers also flew in to help Chile after the country's devastating 2010 earthquake.
By William James, Elizabeth Piper and Jan Strupczewski CHIPPENHAM, England/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Council President Donald Tusk set out a plan on Tuesday for keeping Britain in the European Union to a mixed reception which underlined the challenges Prime Minister David Cameron faces convincing Britons they should stay in the bloc. Cameron mounted a strong defence of membership of the 28-nation bloc after Tusk released details of his plan following weekend talks, saying he would be ready to campaign to stay in the EU if the proposals won the backing of other EU countries. If the terms worked out with Tusk are accepted and some improvements are made, Cameron added, they will offer the "best of both worlds" for Britain. Cameron has promised a referendum which could happen as early as June. But with Eurosceptics branding the talks "trivial" and some of Cameron's allies questioning whether the package of measures will be enough, a summit of EU leaders that is due to discuss the proposals on Feb. 18-19 looks likely to be difficult. "Sometimes people say to me if you weren't in the European Union would you opt to join the European Union," Cameron told reporters and workers at a manufacturing plant in Chippenham, southwest England. "Today I would give a very clear answer: If I could get these terms for British membership I sure would opt in to be a member of the European Union because these are good terms and they are different to what other countries have." Tusk's draft text addresses all four areas where Cameron has demanded reform and officials claimed victory in winning concessions to stem migration and to boost British sovereignty. Cameron rejected criticism that he had watered down his demands, saying improvements to the deal could be made. "This is not a done deal yet, there is a lot more work to be done over these next couple of weeks," he said. Despite the prospect of further brinkmanship until the summit, financial markets and some business leaders took heart that a deal now appeared more likely, easing some uncertainty. Sterling jumped by almost half a U.S. cent to $1.4425 after the outline of the proposed deal was released. "The deal on the table is better than we expected," said Simon Walker, director general of the Institute of Directors, a business organisation. Initial reactions across Europe were cautious. Gunther Krichbaum, a conservative ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, warned against Europe becoming "more fragmented" by individual national demands. Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said Finland "can live" with the Tusk package. "GOOD DEAL" Cameron has spent months trying to get a deal so he can campaign to stay in a reformed EU at the referendum he promised in 2013 to try to put to rest the divisive subject of Europe that has dogged his Conservative Party for decades. The stakes are high. The referendum will not only determine Britain's future role in world trade and affairs, but also shape the EU, which has struggled to maintain unity over migration and financial crises, by ripping away its second-largest economy and one of its two main military powers. Officials were keen to show Cameron had won agreement with Tusk on two important areas of the renegotiation - on stopping EU legislation it opposes and on curbing migrants' benefits. The text envisages a legally binding provision allowing a group of 55 percent or more member states to stop EU legislation or demand changes, a measure Britain has sought to address voters' concerns that it has handed too much power to Brussels. It also includes a clause saying Britain could suspend some payments to migrants from the rest of the bloc for four years, starting immediately after the referendum, after meeting the conditions to trigger a so-called 'emergency brake'. Britain would also be excluded from the EU goal of "ever closer union" and be safeguarded against moves by the 19 countries that share the euro currency to impose rules by majority vote on London. But there were gaps in the proposals, for example on how long Britain could suspend migrant benefits for and how Britain could push back against decisions made by euro zone members. "I do think that the prime minister has been negotiating very hard and obviously very successfully but my view would be 'not enough' and we need to go further," London Mayor Boris Johnson, a possible successor to Cameron, told Sky News. CHARADE Some Eurosceptics say the difficulties in clinching a deal at the summit are being played up to make an eventual agreement seem like a triumph - something British officials have denied. "What the government is asking for from the EU is trivial. These proposals will not take back control from the EU," said Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, which is lobbying for Britain to exit the EU. Britain's pro-EU campaign welcomed the Tusk proposals, saying "with the changes set out today, Britain would be even stronger in Europe," said Stuart Rose, chair of Stronger In. The British media, like the public, were split over the deal, but perhaps most telling were the words of Britain's most powerful media owner, Rupert Murdoch, on Twitter: "UK-EU negotiations meaningless without complete control of borders." (This version of the story corrects first name in paragraph 11 to Simon, not Stuart) (Elizabeth Piper reported from London, additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels, Guy Faulconbridge in Rome, Michael Holden and Kylie MacLellan in London, Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels and William James in Chippenham, Paul Carrel in Berlin and Jussi Rosendahl in Helsinki; Writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Mark John and Gareth Jones)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Two passengers were injured in an explosion that blew a hole in the fuselage of a commercial plane taking off from the Mogadishu on Tuesday, an airline representative said. There was no immediate explanation of the explosion from the airline or Somali government officials. "Daalo airline was enroute to Djibouti but it landed shortly after it took off. A fire exploded and two passengers were slightly wounded," Mohamed Hussein, an agent for Daallo Airlines, the operator of the flight, told Reuters. Aviation website www.airlive.net said the explosion occurred on flight D3159, an Airbus A321, adding witnesses heard a loud bang. Daallo flies to several destinations in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, its website showed. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Duncan Miriri)
Washington (AFP) - American women should be required to register for the draft, two top military officials said Tuesday, following the Pentagon's decision to open all jobs including elite commando positions to females.
Though the US military has been an all-volunteer force since near the end of the Vietnam War, in 1973, all men aged 18-25 must nonetheless register for the draft in case of a national crisis and re-institution of conscription.
After Pentagon chief Ashton Carter in December announced a "No Exceptions" decision to unlock every occupation in America's vast military to women, lawmakers and observers have wondered if it is only fair they register for the draft, too.
Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, top generals from both the Army and the Marine Corps said it was time for women to be eligible for the so-called selective service.
"It's my personal view that, based on this lifting of restrictions for assignment ... that every American who's physically qualified should register for the draft," said General Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps.
Army General Mark Milley made a similar statement, saying "all eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft."
Some gender equality advocates argue the current law is sexist, and a men's-rights group in San Diego is suing the government to change it.
Currently, the government website through which young men sign up retains its male-only language telling people to register.
"It's what a man's got to do. It's quick, it's easy, it's the law," the site states, while noting there has been no decision to require females to be subject to a future military draft.
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who raised the issue at the hearing, said she would like to see women register.
"Asking women to register as we ask men to register would maybe possibly open up more recruits as women began to think about ... the military is an option for me," she said.
Milley noted that the first female recruits would likely arrive for infantry and armored basic training at the Army's Fort Benning in Georgia in the fall.
By David Randall NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. companies are growing more concerned about the prospects of a recession in the year ahead for the first time since the end of the financial crisis. So far this year, the number of companies whose executives have mentioned recession concerns to analysts and investors is up 33 percent from the same period a year ago; the first such increase since 2009. Some 92 companies have discussed a U.S. recession in their earnings calls, according to Thomson Reuters data. That gloomy talk highlights worries that growth in the world's largest economy may be coming to a halt. Gross domestic product grew 0.7 percent in the final quarter of 2015, down from 2 percent in the third quarter, while double the number of companies are cutting or flat-lining their capital spending in the year ahead, according to Reuters data. The benchmark S&P 500, a leading indicator of economic strength, had its worst January since 2009 as oil tumbled below $30 a barrel and remained near 12-year lows. While nearly all companies that have discussed recession say that U.S. consumers continue to look healthy, many are growing concerned that the steep declines in energy prices and job cuts in the industry are going to bleed into the larger economy. Overall, economists expect the U.S. economy to grow 2.4 percent in 2016, according to a Dec. 30 Reuters poll. Richard Fairbank, chief executive of Capital One Financial Co., for example, said he sees a recession as increasingly likely if financial market turmoil spreads into the real economy. "Obviously, the economy is something of a wild card," he said. "Perhaps the consumer economy is doing okay, but there is a depression in the energy economy and it feels like there is a general malaise if not a recession looming in the industrial and manufacturing economies, David Grzebinski, chief executive of tank barge operator Kirby Co told analysts. And household hardware maker Stanley Black & Decker Inc chief financial officer Don Allan told analysts that the company was prepared to cut jobs and pullback spending in the event of a slowdown. Not every company was downcast, however. Trucking operator Swift Transportation Co told analysts that one of its larger customers plans to spend $1.6 billion this year, up from $900 million last year. "These numbers are not signaling, to us, a consumer recession," said CEO Jerry Moyes. (Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. Marine Corps and Army generals said on Tuesday that women should be required to register for the military draft, along with men, as the armed forces move toward integrating them fully into combat positions.
"I think that all eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft," General Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on women in combat.
General Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, also backed registration for women, although two other witnesses, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy, said only that there should be a discussion of legislation requiring women to register for the Selective Service.
It was the first time Neller and Milley had publicly backed requiring women to register for the draft. They spoke in response to a question from Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who said she also believes women should register.
The White House said the comments did not reflect a policy change. "I don't know how seriously that is being considered," press secretary Josh Earnest said.
The U.S. military has been an all-volunteer force since the 1970s, but young men must register in case the draft is reactivated.
PROCESS WILL TAKE YEARS
The military leaders said it would take years for women to be fully integrated into combat units, although they generally voiced strong support for the plan to skeptical committee members.
Milley estimated full integration would take "no less than one to three years of deliberate effort."
President Barack Obama's defense secretary, Ash Carter, announced in December that the military would let women serve in all combat roles. The historic announcement prompted opposition from many Republican members of Congress, some of whom said it would force women to register for the draft.
Republican Senator John McCain, the committee's chairman, said there had been too little planning. He also pointed to studies that found that women suffer more injuries and did not perform as well. "Rather than honestly confront these realities, some have sought to minimize them," McCain said.
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Many Republicans fear the change would lead to quotas mandating specific numbers of women, which they argue could weaken some units, such as Marines in positions that might require hand-to-hand combat.
The military leaders repeatedly rejected that suggestion. "It would endanger not only the safety of Marines, but also the safety of our nation," Mabus said.
Some Republicans also reject such arguments.
"Our country is about treating people as individuals and having a meritocratic approach. ... The debate is over. Women are in combat. Women have been in combat," Representative Martha McSally, a former combat pilot, told Reuters at the House of Representatives after the hearing.
However, she acknowledged that requiring women to register for the draft could change the discussion, whether it meant eliminating the Selective Service altogether or including women.
"I'm not sure how that will go," McSally said.
(Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The international community must respond swiftly to North Korea's plans to launch a satellite within coming the days and impose new sanctions against Pyongyang, the State Department said on Tuesday. "The U.N. Security Council has a role to play by holding it (Pyongyang) accountable by imposing a tough, comprehensive and credible package of new sanctions and by ensuring vigorous enforcement of the resolutions already adopted," spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "This latest announcement further underscores the need for the international community to send the North Koreans a swift, firm message that their disregard for U.N. Security Council obligations will not be tolerated," he added. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton)
By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - A Ugandan general arrested after criticising President Yoweri Museveni and voicing support for the opposition was charged in a military court on Tuesday and sent to a maximum security prison, according to his lawyer. Museveni aims to extend his 30-year-old rule and is facing perhaps his toughest challenge yet ahead of an election on Feb. 18 which pits him against veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his ally-turned-rival, Amama Mbabazi. Human rights groups have accused the government of using state security to stifle criticism in the east African state and intimidate Museveni's rivals, charges the government denies. General David Sejusa, 61, was charged with being absent from the army without official leave and participating in politics in violation of army laws, Ladislas Rwakafuzi, one of his lawyers, told Reuters on Tuesday. "He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was remanded. He will be brought back to court on (Feb. 9)," Rwakafuzi said. Sejusa, who has been detained at a military facility since his arrest early on Sunday, was sent to Luzira maximum security prison on the outskirts of Kampala, after being charged. In 2013, Sejusa angered the government by alleging a government plot to kill officials opposed to a plan by Museveni to hand power to his son, Kainerugaba Muhoozi, a brigadier in the Ugandan military. Sejusa fled to Britain after making those allegations and while there also alleged that Uganda's 2006 elections were rigged in favour of Museveni. Sejusa was allowed to return to Uganda in December 2014 in what analysts said was a move by Museveni to prevent cracks in the military. Since his return, the general has expressed frustration at the army's apparent delay in retiring him despite persistent pleas, and maintained frequent criticism of the government. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Jerusalem (AFP) - A top UN official said on Tuesday he was "alarmed" by the condition of a Palestinian journalist on hunger strike over his detention without trial.
Robert Piper, United Nations coordinator for humanitarian assistance and development aid in the occupied Palestinian territories, raised concern for the fate of 33-year-old Mohammed al-Qiq, who the International Committee of the Red Cross say is in critical condition after 70 days refusing food.
"I am alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating health of Palestinian administrative detainee, Mohammed al-Qiq, who is on hunger strike in protest against the arbitrary nature of his detention and ill-treatment," a statement from Piper said.
Qiq, a 33-year-old father of two and a correspondent for Saudi Arabia's Almajd television network, was arrested on November 21 at his home in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
He has been refusing food since November 25 in protest his detention under Israel's disputed administrative detention law -- which allows the state to hold suspects for renewable six-month periods without trial.
Shin Bet, the Israeli domestic security service, says Qiq was arrested for "terror activity" as part of the Islamist group Hamas.
His family deny the claims and say he was only a journalist covering the West Bank.
Israel passed a controversial law in July last year allowing the force-feeding of prisoners in certain circumstances, but it remains unclear if it has been invoked.
Washington (AFP) - The United States blacklisted four Russians and a Ukrainian Monday under the Magnitsky Act, named after a Russian whistleblower who died in a Moscow prison in 2009.
The US Treasury Department added the five, identified by name but not by position, to its official sanctions list, which bans them from any business transactions with Americans or US businesses, freezes any assets under US jurisdiction, and also bans them from traveling to the United States.
Those named included Russians Oleg Urzhumtsev, Yevgeni Antonov, Boris Kibis and Pavel Lapshov, and Ukraine-born Aleksey Anichin.
The action was taken under the 2012 Magnitsky Act, which allows the government to blacklist anyone tied to the case of the lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who became a symbol for the fight against corruption in Russia.
The act can also be applied broadly to anyone involved in gross human rights violations against anti-corruption fighters and human rights defenders in Russia.
Magnitsky, who uncovered a tax fraud conspiracy involving hundreds of millions of dollars, was arrested himself and died at 37 after being held for a year and denied medical care that he needed.
No one has been arrested in Russia for his mistreatment.
The new action takes to 39 the number of people, mostly Russian officials, blacklisted under the Magnitsky Act.
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."
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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.
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Washington (AFP) - Washington called on Beijing Monday to explain the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers, with a State Department spokesman saying the incidents "raise serious questions about China's commitment to Hong Kong's autonomy".
The five, all affiliated with Hong Kong's Mighty Current publishing house which is known for salacious titles critical of Beijing leaders, disappeared in recent months and are feared to have been detained in mainland China.
"We urge China to clarify the current status of all five individuals and the circumstances surrounding their disappearances and to allow them to return to their homes," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry Lu Kang said Tuesday it was "not proper" for the US to comment on China's domestic affairs.
"Hong Kong residents have been fully entitled to freedoms and rights in accordance with law" since the territorys return to China, he told a regular briefing.
Three of the five went missing in southern China. Another disappeared in Thailand and a fifth in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, raising fears Chinese authorities are extending their reach internationally.
Mainland law enforcers have no authority to operate in Hong Kong, where Lee Bo vanished on December 30.
Lee, who has a British passport, and Swede Gui Minhai, who vanished in Thailand, were both born in China and were rumoured to be preparing a tell-all book about the love life of President Xi Jinping.
Activists, local media and various politicians in Hong Kong have expressed concern that Lee may have been abducted from the city.
This would be a serious breach of the "One country, two systems" agreement under which Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 while retaining its own government and freedoms not available on the mainland.
Some of the former British colony's pro-democracy lawmakers, activists and residents believe mainland authorities are kidnapping critics to try to silence dissent.
Lawmakers from Britain and the European Union have also spoken out on the disappearances, with Sweden's foreign minister saying the treatment of its citizens was "completely unacceptable".
Washington (AFP) - The United States threatened North Korea Tuesday with "tough" UN Security Council sanctions if it goes through with a planned satellite launch.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said it had received a shipping warning from North Korea of its intention to launch an earth observation satellite between February 8-25, in what Washington said would be "another egregious violation" of UN Security Council resolutions.
"The North is threatening to move in the wrong direction. It's the wrong direction from the point of view of the international community," said Daniel Russel, the assistant US secretary of state for Asia-Pacific affairs.
"North Korea is defying the UN security council, it's defying its () neighbor China, it's defying the international community to the detriment of regional peace and security, and to the detriment of North Korean people itself," he told a small group of reporters.
"This argues even more strongly for action by the UN Security Council and the international community to impose real consequences for the destabilizing action that the DPRK has taken, is taking, and to raise the cost to the leaders through the imposition of tough additional sanctions."
Although Pyongyang insists its space program is purely scientific in nature, the United States and its allies insist such launches are aimed at developing an inter-continental ballistic missile capable of striking the US mainland.
UN resolutions forbid the North from any use of ballistic missile technology, and imposed sanctions following its last rocket launch in December 2012.
If the notified launch goes ahead, it would be a further slap in the face of the international community as it struggles to find a united response to the North Korea's January 6 nuclear test.
Caracas (AFP) - A small group of Venezuelan opposition lawmakers launched a bill Tuesday proposing to oust President Nicolas Maduro, the latest anti-government offensive in the oil-rich country's tense political standoff.
The leftist Radical Cause party said it presented a proposed constitutional amendment to cut Maduro's mandate short by two years and call a general election by the end of this year.
Radical Cause is a minority member of the opposition MUD coalition, which took control of the legislature last month after voters fed up with economic hardship turned on Maduro in elections.
The resulting political standoff has raised fears of violence in the South American country, where 43 people died in anti-government riots in 2014.
The party proposed to change the constitution to reduce presidential terms from six to four years with immediate effect and put a limit on re-election, its secretary Andres Velasquez told reporters.
"Venezuela is going through an extreme, irreversible crisis and those who brought us to these depths show no signs of fixing things," Velasquez said, after formally presenting the bill to the leaders of the National Assembly legislature for debate.
Constitutional law expert Juan Manuel Rafalli told AFP that if the assembly passed the reform it would then have to be endorsed by a popular vote.
Maduro's current mandate runs until 2019 so if the reform went through he would be required to leave office in April 2017.
Radical Cause has four deputies in the 167-seat assembly, where the MUD overall has a three-fifths majority. The MUD is a broad coalition dominated by big center-right parties.
"One thing that everyone agrees on is that Nicolas Maduro cannot continue at the head of the government because of the risk that poses to the stability of the country," Velasquez said.
Senior MUD leaders had already promised to devise a way within six months to oust Maduro, possibly through a new constitution or a referendum.
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It was unclear whether they would back the Radical Cause move or propose their own means of cutting short his term.
"A referendum is very tedious. That method was designed to be very difficult to use," the MUD's executive secretary Jesus Torrealba told AFP.
"The most practical way to do it would be through an amendment or a reform."
By Colleen Jenkins
(Reuters) - The mother of a 13-year-old girl whose abduction and fatal stabbing have been tied to two Virginia Tech students cried on Tuesday as she recalled her daughter's battle against multiple childhood illnesses and love of dance, music and pandas.
Tammy Weeks shed no new light on how the first-year engineering students charged in daughter Nicole Lovell's death might have met the teen who lived near the university campus in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Instead, Weeks spoke of a girl who survived a liver transplant and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and dreamed of being on the television show "American Idol."
"Nicole was a very lovable person," Weeks told reporters at a news conference in Blacksburg, before hurrying away in tears.
Preliminary autopsy results indicate Lovell was stabbed to death, Montgomery County prosecutor Mary Pettitt said. Authorities believe Lovell died on or about Jan. 27, the same day she went missing.
After a four-day search, her remains were found about 90 miles away in a heavily wooded, rural area in North Carolina, officials said.
David Eisenhauer, 18, a member of Virginia Tech's cross country team, is charged with first-degree murder and abduction and faces a possible life sentence if convicted.
A fellow student, Natalie Keepers, 19, who was accused of helping to dispose of Lovell's body, will now face a charge of being an accessory before the fact of a first-degree murder, Pettitt said.
That charge substantially increases her maximum punishment from five years in prison to 20 years to life.
Keepers earlier was charged with transporting or concealing a dead body and being an accessory after the fact.
Attorneys for Eisenhauer and Keepers have not commented. Neither have the two students, who remain jailed, though police said Eisenhauer told them, "I believe the truth can set me free." There was no context given for the statement or indication about what he meant.
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Weeks has said her daughter may have met Eisenhauer on social media. Police said he took advantage of a prior connection with Lovell to kidnap and kill her but have declined to give more details.
Lovell's funeral service and burial will be held on Thursday, police said.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Jeffrey Johnson, associate professor of geosciences at Boise State University, contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
The next time you're served a flat Coke, impress your friends with volcano jargon. Complain to the waiter that your beverage is "depleted of volatiles." Then, suggest that if the cola were to be heated, its solubility might drop, catalyzing bubble growth, which would result in improved taste and/or a "paroxysmal eruption."
If they're still listening, tell them that this is what occurs in volcanoes. A new article published in the journal Nature recently demonstrated the "critical influence of heat variations in rising magmas" meaning previously unappreciated temperature changes appear to control the occurrence, and explosivity, of eruptions.
Kaboom
Volcanoes erupt explosively when gas-charged magma reaches Earth's surface. Volcanologists refer to magmatic gases as volatiles because the amount of those gases within the rising magma determines whether a volcano explodes (in a volatile fashion) or effuses lazily.
The formation and growth of gas bubbles are complex processes that fascinate nearly every volcanologist. There are volcanologists who peer inside tiny crystals to measure minuscule amounts of dissolved gas, and there are volcanologists who use spectroscopy specifically studies of how minerals absorb ultraviolet light to measure the copious gases billowing from a vent. Experimental volcanologists melt volcano rocks and infuse them with gases. And there are numerical modeling volcanologists, who might never venture into the field but develop sophisticated code to simulate degassing and eruptions. [50 Amazing Volcano Facts ]
But they all consider what happens to a parcel of magma as it rises toward, and breaks apart at, a volcano's vent.
Magma deep within a volcano starts its ascent slowly, but eventually, it accelerates toward the Earth's surface. This happens because as magma rises it escapes from crushing overpressure and bubbles grow. The magma's environment changes dramatically, and so does the character of the molten rock, including most vitally the amount of volcanic gas that fuels explosivity.
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Let's imagine magma's journey starting about 2 miles, or roughly 3 kilometers, below a volcanic vent. This is approximately the depth of a large volcano's base, and the pressures there are intense: Magma at this depth is subjected to nearly a thousand times the pressure that exists in the atmosphere. As a result, the magma travels through long fractures or sheetlike "dikes," rather than pipelike conduits that prevail near the surface. As the magma flows, the surrounding colder rock is cracked apart several inches, or maybe a couple of feet, allowing the magma to pass through.
At such depths, the magma is an extremely viscous fluid, often (but not always) swimming with crystals, but largely it is devoid of bubbles. The absence of bubbles doesn't mean there is no gas, but that it is mostly tied up, or dissolved, within the magma. At least 1 percent (and potentially as much as 5 percent) of the mass of magma at this depth will be invisible, locked-in gas.
While these gas amounts may not seem too significant, think of, for example, if magma were to fill 1 percent of the mass of a small hot tub's contents. It would contain more than 50 lbs. (roughly 20 kilograms) of gas, which, if expanded catastrophically as is typical during volcanic eruptions equates to the energy released by about 50 lbs. of exploding TNT, or about 100 megajoules of energy.
Magma, even when devoid of bubbles, ascends because of buoyancy. Because it is somewhat less dense than the colder rock surrounding it, it kind of floats its way upward.
At first, it may rise sluggishly, but as the magma reaches shallower levels, it can accelerate. Significant changes occur in the melt as the confining pressure diminishes. More bubbles start to appear, and they serve to diminish the overall density of the fluid. As these bubbles expand, the density decreases further. Buoyancy then increases, facilitating a quicker ascent, enhanced bubble creation and expansion. This feedback causes the density to drop and the buoyancy to increase.
This cycle continues until the magma is ripped apart. Those once-invisible bubbles rend the surrounding magma to shreds, and gas, ash and any piece of the volcano in the way is blown out of the crater.
Hidden role of heat
Such pressure-controlled degassing has been the standard scientific model for explosive eruptions. But now, Yan Lavallee, Professor within the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool in England, has introduced a major tweak to that model. In a new paper in the journal Nature entitled "Thermal vesiculation during volcanic eruptions."
Lavallee has demonstrated that while decompressing magma is prone to degas, it further degasses when it heats up. And it probably heats up and degasses a lot more than scientists have thought.
Scientists agree that, for magma to exist in melted form, rather than as a solid rock, it must be hot. On average, magma is approximately 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or around 1,000 degrees Celsius.
Less commonly recognized, however, is that magma can get quite a bit hotter via two processes that exist in most volcano conduits.
Firstly, magma gives off heat when portions of it start to freeze. Just like in water, the freezing produces crystals, and as the crystals form, they give off heat. A cubic centimeter (about 0.06 cubic inches) of "freezing" crystals, like quartz, will heat a kilogram (about 2.2. lbs.) of surrounding magma by 5 degrees C (9 degrees F). That added heat can induce gas to come out of the fluid magma.
Secondly, magma will heat up as it flows through constricted conduits. As viscous fluids are forced through cracks or narrow pipes, the flowing rock releases heat due to friction. Supersticky magma flowing into a crack is sort of like taffy being squeezed through the small-bore needle of a syringe. The taffy would also heat up and become more runny.
Lavallee, who was the lead researcher on the study, and his colleagues, suggest significant heating causes those processes, merging geologists' pre-existing understanding of geophysical constraints with analyses of rock samples and laboratory simulations of the processes.
Of volcanoes and evidence
Back in 2013, Lavallee scaled the dome of Santiaguito, an active volcano in Guatemala, to search for rocks that bear testament to frictional heating.
The dome's gray surface is a jumbled collection of house-size rock spines, extruded over the last decades, and is in some places still extruding. Immense blocks have been squeezed toward the surface as an incredibly sticky, viscous magma. In the process, these rocks broke and cracked before later annealing from continued exposure to the intense heat (around 1000 degrees C) inside the volcano.
Lavallee searched the dome lavas for these healed cracks, which he hypothesized would represent fossil passageways of escaping gas. When he returned to his laboratory, he found his evidence: Under an electron microscope, the textures of these annealed cracks revealed ash shards frozen in place following their transport by currents of hot gas originating on the cracks' margins.
Spectacular laboratory experiments also supported the theory. Lavallee and his colleagues took fist-size rock samples of lava and pushed them together with tremendous force, then rotated one rock sample slowly against another. This generated intense friction and heat enough to melt rock and release copious, previously locked-in gas.
The last piece of the puzzle ties the whole story together: Lavallee's geophysicist partners studied a nearby portion of Santiaguito's dome, located a quarter mile (about 0.4 km) away from where the samples were collected. This dome was actively erupting when the team visited, and approximately once per hour, the dome surface and its interior would lurch upward, forcing the viscous rock to flow and internally deform.
Viewed from a safe vantage point, the periodic activity was spectacular. Within seconds of an eruption's onset, columns of ash and gas plumes rise to hundreds of meters and eventually reach more than a kilometer high. Incandescent blocks the size of microwave ovens are blown skyward and then crash onto the volcano's flanks, breaking open and cascading downward.
The geophysicists captured the associated, subtle, underground movements at Santiaguito using an array of instruments, including seismometers (which measure movements in the ground) and tiltmeters (which measure the tilting of the Earth's surface). These sensors reveal the depth and magnitude of rock movement data the researchers used to estimate the amount of gas that accumulates during eruptive cycles.
According to Lavallee's theory, his rock and magma movements can induce temperature gains of hundreds of degrees, promoting volatilization of the previously "flat" magma and subsequent violent degassing. The dome rocks and eruptions at Santiaguito serve as tantalizing evidence of how frictional heating can lead to volcanic explosions.
In most ways, Santiaguito lava and flat cola are horrible analogues. Nonetheless, Santiaguito's behavior offers insight toward understanding vital processes that influence volcanic explosivity at other analogous volcanoes findings at the Santiaguito volcano laboratory are revealing the dynamics of hazardous, dome volcanoes across the globe.
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 .
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I think we may have finally reached peak drone, which says a lot given some of the bizarre footage weve encountered over the past few months. Sure, the drone with an attached flamethrower was pretty cool, and yeah, that swarm of lit-up drones we recently covered was beyond spectacular, but how can anything really top a bald eagle trained to snatch drones right out of the sky mid-flight?
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It sounds crazy enough, but the Dutch police recently embarked on a mission to gauge the possibility of using actual eagles as makeshift guardians of the sky.
IEEE provides a bit more context:
The Dutch police (like police everywhere) know that drones are going to become even more of a problem than they already are, so theyve been testing ways of dealing with a drone in an emergency, like if a drone is preventing an air ambulance from landing. The police are looking into electronic solutions, but also physical ones, including both nets and trained eagles.
The training is being carried out with assistance from Guard From Above, a raptor-training firm based out of the Hague with decades of bird-oriented training. According to reports, the eagles are trained to specifically identify drones, snatch them out of thin air with their powerful talons, and then take the back to a safe area for a reward.
[Its] a low-tech solution for a high-tech problem, Guard From Above CEO Sjoerd Hoogendoorn boasted.
If anything, thats selling this whole production short. Its more like an ancient solution to a high-tech problem. Either way, its a pretty amazing clip.
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Conspiracy theory fans never tire of spotting rocks which look like people, crabs or bears on Mars - but NASAs Spirit Rover might have just spotted something really important.
The cauliflower-like minerals found inside a Martian crater may have been created by aliens, researchers from Arizona State University have said.
The protrusions - which the scientists refer to as micro-digitate silica protrusions - were spotted by NASAs Spirit Rover in 2008.
But recent discoveries of similar shapes in the Chilean desert means that the rocks might have been shaped by living microbes - ancient aliens, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
Steven Ruff and Jack Farmer suggested in a speech at the American Geophysical Union that these cauliflower shapes might well be our best chance to prove life once flourished on Mars.
The scientists travelled to Chiles Atacama desert to investigate whether the shapes - which bear a remarkable resemblance to those on Mars - were sculpted by microbes.
Similar features in New Zealand bear the fossil imprints of ancient microbes - which suggests that the ones in the Mars-like desert of Chile might have been, too.
If thats the case, the rocks on Mars could lead to the biggest discovery in the history of space travel.
Paris (AFP) - The widow of top chef Benoit Violier reopened his acclaimed Swiss restaurant Tuesday, only two days after his apparent suicide sent shock waves through the culinary world, reports said.
Brigitte Violier, who ran the restaurant with her 44-year-old husband, reportedly gathered the staff Monday and decided the show had to go on.
"I reserved a table quite a while ago for Tuesday lunchtime," a diner at the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville at Crissier -- hailed as the best in the world only two months ago -- told Swiss newspaper 24 Hours.
"They called me and explained that Madame Violier wanted the restaurant to keep going and asked me if I would be there to support them.
"I found that very courageous," he added.
Violier was found dead with his hunting rifle by his side at his home near Lausanne in Switzerland on Sunday. The couple have a 12-year-old son.
In the less than four years he and his wife ran the restaurant, they earned the maximum three Michelin stars and it was also named the "best restaurant in the world" by the French-based La Liste in December.
In 2013, Violier had been crowned chef of the year by the prestigious Gault & Millau guide.
- Last interview -
In his last interview -- given only four days before he died -- Violier appeared in good spirits, although he did express worry that his success would not last.
He told the French daily Liberation that stars in guides did not matter to him. "It's all about clients coming back," he said in the interview published Tuesday.
"I hope that it lasts. With 54 employees you have only three months' grace," he said, referring to the waiting list for a table. "You have always to remain concentrated.
Amid rumours that Violier's deputy Franck Giovannini would now lead the kitchen, Swiss industrialist Andre Kudelski told 24 Hours that the baton must be passed to those that the great chef trusted.
"That which was built by Benoit Violier was built to last. It is extremely important to put our trust in those that he trusted," he added.
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This is not about money, this is "a human question, about people and families", Kudelski told the daily.
Violier claimed never to have heard of La Liste -- set up by the French department of foreign affairs as a counterweight to the British-based World's 50 Best Restaurants guide -- until AFP contacted him to tell him he that was top of their ranking.
- Disdain for star system -
Such was his disdain for the star system around which the world of haute cuisine revolves, that he made little play of his victories on his restaurant's website.
"The starification of our profession has gone too far," he told Liberation.
Friends and colleagues said Violier may have been affected by the sudden death six months ago of his mentor Philippe Rochat, whom he succeeded at Crissier in 2012.
Unlike the top French chef Bernard Loiseau, who killed himself in 2003 after losing a star, Violier appeared to have no financial problems and owned his own restaurant.
Business was brisk, with former Spanish king Juan Carlos and ex-German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder among those drawn to sample his signature game and seafood dishes such as turbot with Maltese oranges.
The cook's life-long passion for hunting had led him to write a 1,000-page encyclopaedia of European game birds.
The son of winemakers from western France, he narrowly escaped death as a child when a bottle of sparkling wine blew up in his face.
For a country so enamored with the Second Amendment, the United States certainly kills a lot of people carrying fake guns. An unidentified man was shot Monday morning by police in Washington, D.C., after he slipped and let what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol fall from his pocket while running away from officers, local television station WRC reported. The victim died at the hospital later that day.
Turns out the "weapon" was, in fact, a BB gun. D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier told reporters the victim was black, while the officer who shot him in the neck was white. She also highlighted that the neighborhood where the shooting occurred Clay Terrace, in northeast D.C. was being very heavily policed at the time. The Washington Post reports the victim was the fourth person killed by police in Clay Terrace since March.
"We have a lot of violent crime over there," she said. "This is why we have constant patrol presence in the community because we've had homicides in ... recent history just in that same block."
Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier
The victim in Monday's shooting was approached by the officer because he was "acting suspiciously," WRC reported. He had reached for the toy gun after the officer told him not to. While neither he nor the officer have been identified publicly, the killing prompts a clear comparison to other police-involved shootings where black victims have died while carrying fake weapons.
In August 2014, John Crawford III picked up a toy rifle inside a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio, and was killed by police a few minutes later. That November, in what became one of the more galvanizing incidents fueling the Movement for Black Lives protests, a 12-year-old boy named Tamir Rice was playing with a toy handgun outside a Cleveland recreation center when he was shot and killed by Officer Timothy Loehmann.
Grand juries declined to indict anyone for either shooting.
Demonstrators march in Cleveland after a grand jury declined to indict Officer Timothy Loehmann for killing 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
As protests continue across the country in response to various forms of anti-black state violence, heavy policing in black neighborhoods has drawn special criticism as a conduit for disproportionately targeting residents for petty crimes.
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In places like New York City, so-called "broken windows" policies have taken this practice to its logical extreme, claiming that by aggressively pursuing minor crimes, officers can prevent more serious ones from occurring. Meanwhile, satellite practices like the now-defunct "stop and frisk" which allowed police to stop and search anyone they wanted without demonstrating probable cause have been shown to disproportionately target black people and Latinos.
According to the Counted, a database by the Guardian of officer-involved killings from across the United States, America's police killed 1,139 people in 2015 with black people more than twice as likely to be unarmed when killed as white people.
h/t WRC
I met Matt Gallagher in Brookfield Place, a glittering cathedral to globalized capitalism in downtown Manhattan. "Kiss from a Rose" pumps softly through hidden speakers in the ceiling, and you could kneel at the altars of Equinox, Umami Burger, and Prada in quick succession, if you wanted to. Its indoor palm court could be in Dubai or Beverly Hills it was a bizarrely fitting place to discuss Gallagher's debut novel, Youngblood, which is set during the final chapters of the Iraq War, in an isolated town trying to recover from the devastation. Gallagher is a veteran of the war himself, who returned home with a viral blog turned nonfiction book, Kaboom, and planned to get an MFA at Columbia and write a novel. The product of that work is Youngblood, part love story, part mystery, and part war chronicle that has had reviewers praising Gallaghers ability to vividly re-create the life of an American soldier, both the banal and the unavoidably dramatic.
Youngblood's protagonist is a young Californian, Lieutenant Jack Porter, who attended Iraq War protests before joining up himself. If that sounds like a contradiction, so is much of Youngblood, which is mired in the utter confusion, morally and psychologically, caused by the invasion, occupation, and withdrawal. In addition to IEDs underfoot and scheming fallen sheiks, Jack has to contend with a new sergeant, a hardliner on his fourth tour who Jack suspects might have committed a war crime, and the legend of Shaba, an American soldier who supposedly married a sheik's beautiful daughter. I talked with Gallagher about romancing the desert, creating American and Iraqi villains and heroes, and how to make art, if not sense, out of war.
When did you know you wanted to write a novel, and why?
I was at Columbia; I was halfway through another novel that had nothing to do with Iraq or war. It was maybe a little about veterans, but mostly it was just about New York, because I just didnt want to write about it anymore. This is late 2011, when the American military withdrew from Iraq, and I was staying up at night, watching the news that lasting image of the last Stryker, which was the type of armored vehicle we were on when I was over there, going over that berm into Kuwait and I realized that maybe I wanted to be done with the subject, but the subject perhaps wasnt done with me. I put that other novel in a drawer and started this as a short story, and it kept expanding. I'd already written from my perspective about my time, so it was very freeing in that way. I didnt feel the impulse that a lot of first-time novelists do to write close to reality, I didnt need to. I could create this world, create this story, the way I wanted to. And then of course, in the ensuing years with ISIS rolling in, it gave me more of an imperative to see it through. I wanted to accomplish maybe not the totality of the nine-year American occupation, but something with some depth and fullness.
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Maybe you dont want to talk explicitly about your politics, but how do you employ a critical gaze without feeling like you're betraying something?
I think you try to capture that emotional truth and that emotional texture that good fiction can. War is inherently political, its charged with politics and ideology. It may not be overt I'll say, "Fuck Bush" at the pub, but as a reader Im not interested in that overt political message, at least in my fiction. So I didnt want to do that as a writer. There are probably coastal political sensibilities in the book, but that also comes from perspective, from knowing how our war played out. If I had written this in 2010, we came home thinking the surge had worked, we thought wed won the war. Which seems crazy to think of only five years later, but there was a real sense of optimism. How hollow would that ring now, if that was how Youngblood ended. I dont think Im giving too much away when I say things end poorly. There are so many other ways to cripple yourself when youre writing a book. Worrying about how something might be received because of political lenses its just something I couldnt concern myself with. Its hard enough returning to a draft every day.
You met Iraqis and worked with locals while you were there, but in a different capacity. What did you research? Was it difficult for you to imagine because you were in a more combative role when you were there?
I was there for 15 months the first six months were more combat oriented. And then the last it was right when the violence numbers plunged. The surge "worked." So we did start to do some of this stuff. But I did a lot of research. It got me out of my head, my Iraq, and into a different Iraq. Maybe some of the same towns and neighborhoods, but it was very different. A couple of books had an immense impact me. There's Nick McDonell, who's a friend, who wrote a book McSweeney's published called The End of Major Combat Operations, which was hugely instrumental in getting a feel of the more it was more administrative than my Iraq was. But the tensions there are lingering in the air, are less overt than it was during the surge. And also Jim Frederick's Black Hearts, which is about a war crime carried out by American soldiers on an Iraqi family. He did such a wonderful job interviewing the local Iraqis. I found it helped get an honest feel of what the occupation looked like through their eyes, and how it would affect them. It reminded me during early drafts that I needed to empower them. They were going to be three-dimensional characters. They couldnt just be backdrops or victims, although clearly their country has been victimized. But like anyone else theyre going to be active and smart and engaged because this is their home.
Do you read any Iraqi writers?
Hassan Blassim, who had a short story collection called The Corpse Exhibition last year. Which was really good but I'll admit, it was deeply uncomfortable as an American veteran to read. It reminded me that intentions are great, but intentions have no bearing on how something is carried out. It did not matter to him that we were young, that the veterans of my generation were young idealists who joined after 9/11. All that mattered was that we played a role in the collapse of his country. Those stories still linger with me. Theres also Sinan Antoons The Corpse Washer. He's a contemporary Iraq writer, and that was excellent. Those are both fiction. A couple of years ago there was Riverbend, she was an Iraqi female blogger who came out with a nonfiction set of dispatches that was fascinating. I actually remember reading it before we went to Iraq to try and get some sense from the other side of what it looked like. But theres not a lot out there published in English. Hopefully that changes. I think it's going to.
Do you think there are surge guys, or people who don't subscribe to that kind of reflecting on the war, who would read Youngblood and be uncomfortable?
I hope so, I think good books challenge. I hope whatever a reader's background is or perspective, that the book does more than just fulfill their preconceived notions. I know when I finish a good book I feel fuller because of the experience, I feel like I know something else about the human condition or a part of the world. So if it makes you uncomfortable, that probably means it made you think much in the same way that The Corpse Exhibition made me think. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is an important thing for both a reader and a writer.
Obviously writing was important to you as a veteran in coming back and synthesizing your experience. There's the blogging that you were doing during, but going to a workshop whats the emotional benefit, whats the mental benefit? Not everyone is going to want to be a novelist.
There's definitely a cathartic aspect, and that's why veterans-only writing workshops have found success. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but I look back on the blog and that was probably perfect. It forced me to try to make sense of the world even if it wasn't going to make sense, even if I was missing a jigsaw piece, at least attempting to put that puzzle together was important. But I got out of the army and moved here in 2009 and I wanted to be a writer, and those other workshops, they weren't for me. They were helping people come back. That just wasnt for me, though they do a great thing. Somebody recommended the NYU MFA program that hosted a veteran's workshop, and I said, "Ok, I'll give it a shot but it will probably be like those others." Then, day one I show up and I don't know anybody, and it turned out Phil Klay was arguing about Flaubert with Jacob Siegal, who is an editor of the Daily Beast now. And I'd only pretended to read Flaubert, so I thought, "Okay, maybe I'm in the right place." Some weren't in MFA programs, some went onto MFA programs like me, and we pushed each other to call each other on our bullshit. We wouldnt let each other skirt on the issues. Something that maybe a civilian reader would let go by or wouldnt even notice. That said, then, when I went back and got my MFA, working with civilians was instrumental because for some people I was maybe the first veteran they'd ever met, this was their first war story. Little things like, "Well, why did you call it IED here instead of roadside bomb?" lingered with me.
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Then when my friend Brian started Words After War, the literary nonprofit, and asked me to teach, we wanted to do something different. We knew we wanted to do something with a literary bent, and so we decided to open the workshop to veterans and civilians. Its been going on for three years now and its been some of the most fulfilling work I've ever done. It's important to remind people that your experience doesn't give you authority on a topic. Somebody like Ben Fountain has written arguably one of the best war novels of the last hundred years, and he was just a lawyer in Texas who was super interested in the subject and had something to say. So he did the research, he put in the work to get it right. When I first read it I just assumed he was a vet because it was so pitch perfect. But no, he just put in the work. If you look at Katherine Anne Porter's Pale Horse, Pale Rider, it's about influenza in Denver but its also about World War 1.
I was interested in the very small glimpse we got into one female soldier. When we're talking about the emerging canon of Words After War novels, there aren't a lot of women right now. Is that also something thats going to grow?
I know a few great women writers: Mariette Kalinowski, Teresa Fazio, Kristen Rouse. Some of them are Words After War people. I think it's just a matter of time. I dont know why its taken this long, it shouldn't. I have friends in publishing who said another war book would never sell, so there are challenges in that way. A war book written by a woman veteran really isnt something we see a lot of, so I think it's going to take the right editor and the right house to take a chance and do it right. I know those women writers and I'm sure there are many others out there elsewhere in the country who just need a chance.
Are you worried about becoming more fully a writer and leaving your identity as a veteran behind? As you're walking around Brooklyn and being a "writer" and you move onto your next project, which might not have to do with Iraq, do you feel ever guilty?
I think all human beings, but especially writers, hate being pigeonholed, reduced.
Related
The Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitos and linked to serious birth defects, has been transmitted within the United States. (Photo: Getty Images)
A person in Dallas County, Texas, has contracted the Zika virus through sexual contact with an infected person who had visited a country where an outbreak has been identified. Local health officials confirmed via the Dallas County Health and Human Services Twitter account, writing Dallas Countys 1st case of #Zika thru sex was acquired from someone who traveled to Venezuela, confirmed case did not travel.
Several cases of Zika virus had been confirmed across the United States, but only among people who were believed to have contracted the virus while traveling abroad in countries with active Zika virus outbreaks. The case in Dallas is the first time that experts believe a person with Zika symptoms contracted the virus within the United States.
Related: Four Zika Cases Found In New York Among Returning Travelers
Prior to the case in Dallas, experts did not know whether the virus could be spread through sexual contact. Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others, Zachary Thompson, Dallas County Health and Human Services director, said in a statement.
Experts expect the Dallas patient to recovery fully. Only 1 out of 5 people is going to exhibit symptoms, and for most of them its going to be extremely mild a little fever, a little rash, a little joint pain, says William E. Schweizer, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor and medical director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Langone Medical Center, in an interview with Yahoo Health.
What You Need to Know About Zika
Fever, joint aches, a mild skin rash, and reddened eyes (similar to pinkeye) are the key symptoms. Its the conjunctivitis, the red eyes, that I think is a little more unique than what you see with the flu or a cold, Schweizer tells Yahoo Health.
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What we know about the virus so far is that its a mild, short-lasting virus. Some people can actually have the virus and not even realize it, or not get very sick at all, says Angela Vassallo, MPH, MS, director of infection prevention and epidemiologist at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, California, in an interview with Yahoo Health.
The symptoms can be similar to the flu, Vassallo adds. Fever is very common, a mild and simple rash in the beginning, itchy eyes, and joint pain are the main symptoms, she says. Whats difficult about some of these symptoms when they initially present is that they can seem like another virus or illness.
As for a U.S. outbreak, Vassallo says, Because Zika is a mosquito-borne disease, its very unlikely that well have high numbers of transmission within the U.S. However, we know that the mosquitos that transmit the virus have been seen in the southern U.S. where it is hot and humid. I do not expect it to be as widespread as what weve seen in Brazil.
Birth defects associated with the Zika virus. (Image: Graphiq)
The Zika virus has been linked to serious birth defects, including microcephaly, a condition where infants are born with abnormally small heads. The disease has not been proven conclusively to cause microcephaly.
I think we need more research, especially in regards to pregnant women and women who are thinking of getting pregnant, Vassallo tells Yahoo Health. We dont know enough yet to make definitive statements. Theres a whole lot more we need to know.
Related: Brazil Is Struggling with Children Born with Microcephaly
Schweizer says that doctors are already screening pregnant women for the disease using ultrasounds and other technology. Currently our recommendation is that if a pregnant woman has been to an exposed area, were going to be doing sequential ultrasonography evaluation of the baby, specifically looking at the brain, the head circumference, and calcifications that may be indicitave of a supposed Zika infection, Schweizer tells Yahoo Health.
A blood test is available to screen for Zika, but it is controlled through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Schweizer explains. The blood test is limited, though, because it can only detect the Zika virus during a window of three to seven days after the onset of symptoms.
What Is the Zika Virus?
More on the Zika virus on Yahoo Health:
Is the Zika Virus Contagious?
Zika Virus Symptoms: What Are They?
Do Pregnant Women in the U.S. Need to Worry About Zika Virus?
What to Know About the Zika Virus If Youre Trying to Get Pregnant
U.S. Issues Treatment Guidelines for Infants Exposed to Zika
10 Essential Facts About the Zika Virus
What Happens When Countries Without Abortion Advise Against Pregnancy?
Can Brazil Zika-Proof in Time for the Olympics?
Spread betting is a form of market trading that allows you to bet on the movements in price of thousands of different markets. You can earn money whether prices rise or fall and, so long as spread betting isnt your main source of income, you dont have to pay any capital gains tax or stamp duty on your earnings, as spread betting in the UK isnt regarded as a form of trading, but as a form of gambling. In the past few years, there have been numerous instances of spread betting coming under scrutiny for various reasons.
Day Trader Lands Massive Fine
A day trader ended up with a 700,000 pound fine after exploiting a spread betting loophole he thought was perfectly legal. Barnett Alexander used Michael Spencers City Index platform to make a profit of Pounds 630,000. Mr. Alexander claimed he thought he was acting perfectly legally and that there was nothing wrong with him exploiting loopholes in the way spread betting works in order to make a bigger profit. He would wait until trading was slow, then he would place small share orders on the open market; then he would use the firms promises to match prices to buy shares at reduced prices. He would then place orders for a small number of shares and would sell them at high prices. Mr. Alexander said that if hed known that what he was doing was illegal, he would have stopped immediately, but no one told him.
Spread Betting Taxability
The problem isnt spread betting itself; what is problematic for the Financial Conduct Authority, the organisation that oversees UK spread betting, is that traders can earn a lot of money without having to pay tax on it; the main concern, therefore, is that traders can use loopholes to make large amounts of non-taxable money. In most countries around the world, including Australia, spread betting is classed as a form of investment, so any earnings made from it are taxed; likewise, any losses made are also eligible to be taxed, which is one of the reasons why spread betting isnt as popular in these countries. Nothing definite about the taxability of spread betting earnings in the UK has been announced yet, though given the UKs sensitivity to tax avoidance, it looks likely that spread betting will have restrictions imposed on it in the future.
Spread Betting Popularity
The popularity of spread betting does not, however, seem to be on the decline. On the contrary, spread betting firm CMC Markets is thriving, which offers Forex trading and CFD trading in addition to standard spread betting. One of the reasons why this companys operating profit grew to 143.6 million pounds in 2015 was because it offers different types of financial betting to appeal to its wide customer base.
So while there are concerns about spread betting, the popularity of the practice isnt going to die down any time soon. Whenever theres a major unexpected event, such as the Swiss franc event in 2015, where the cap was axed and the value of the currency soared against the euro, more people are encouraged to spread bet in order to gain from volatile financial markets. Even if restrictions do come into place, people will still spread to take advantage of the volatility of the stock market.
Female Chinese cashier shot in eye
Police said two men, one armed with a firearm and the other with a knife entered the establishment and announced a hold-up. Up to yesterday, reports stated that the bullet remains lodged in Xias eye and there are now fears she may lose her sight in that eye, if she survives.
A 20-year-old man of Monkey Town, New Grant, believed to be one of the bandits, was shot and wounded in the stomach and leg. He too is warded at the San Fernando General Hospital under armed police guard.
Police subsequently detained three other suspects aged 25, 21, 20, all of Monkey Town, New Grant and retrieved a .38 revolver, two rounds of .38 ammunition and one spent shell.
Investigations were led by ASP Pardassie and included Supt Rajkumar, Sgt Farrell, PCs Balgobin, Teeluck and Ali assisted by officers of the Princes Town CID and Task Force.
The suspects are expected to be placed on identification parades in connection with the hold up and other crimes. Detective Cpl Teeluck is continuing investigations.
Shot suspect hides in wardrobe
His accomplice who is known to the police however managed to elude capture.
According to reports, the injured man was one of two suspects who held up and robbed PH driver Andrew Bethel and an unidentified passenger of $1,800, and two cell phones. They also tied up and placed Bethel in the trunk before driving off in his Nissan Almera car which later crashed into a box drain, police said. The suspects were forced to abandon the vehicle while the victims managed to free themselves and report the matter to the Gasparillo Police.
PCs Guerrero, Ramdass and Maharaj assisted by members of the Southern Division Task Force and Rapid Response Unit responded and went in pursuit of the suspects, one of whom shot at the officers.
Police returned fire injuring one of the men, who ran into a strangers house and hid in the wardrobe.
The man with the gun, police said, made good his escape. Cpl Hosein is continuing enquiries.
Smoked-out burglar not yet charged
Investigators were expecting to get an inventory from 51 Degrees before laying charges against the man.
The home of one of the mans accomplices was searched on Sunday and a quantity of alcohol, believed to be part of the items stolen, was found. A warrant has since been issued for the arrest of that accomplice. Newsday understands that several charges are to be laid against the man and others for burglary, larceny and other offences.
Last Thursday, officers responded to a robbery at 51 Degrees and used teargas to flush out a man who was hiding in the air condition vents.
Police seize guns, ammo, stolen items, drugs
On Tuesday last, officers acting on information stopped and searched a vehicle in the La Brea area, in which two men from Sea Lots and Point Fortin were occupants.
When the vehicle was searched, police officers found 1.9 kilos of marijuana. The men were arrested and are expected to appear before a San Fernando Magistrate during this week.
During the same exercise, 1.6 kilos of marijuana were found in an abandoned area in Penal. No arrests were made in connection to that find.
On Tuesday last, a doubles vendor reported his vehicle stolen.
He told police he was closing his business in the Siparia area and left his key in the ignition. An unknown bandit got into the vehicle and sped off. Later in the week police received information that led them to a dirt track in Morne Diablo where they found the vehicle.
Another vehicle which was reported stolen on Wednesday last was found a day after by officers of the Siparia CID.
Police recovered stolen items, before victims could have reported it stolen. On Wednesday last, a sales representative of AS Brydens was conducting sales in the South Western Division last week, when he realised his vehicle was broken into. At the same time, officers responded to a report of persons acting in a suspicious manner in a vehicle in Penal. When they responded, police found two men from Port-of-Spain in a vehicle.
Their car was searched and two cases of vodka, valued at $1,000, were found.
Police officers took the men to the police station to account for the two cases, moments before the sales representative made the report. The stolen goods were returned and the two men are now in police custody assisting with investigations. A stolen television was also recovered in a separate incident as police officers issued a warrant to a Los Iros, Erin man.
Police said they issued the warrant last week and were searching the mans house when they noticed a 32 inch TV that fitted the description of one which was reported stolen last year on the same area. The man was arrested, the TV seized, and later it was identified as the stolen item.
Kiddies parade
The young masqueraders enjoyed their time on stage.
Some of the presentations will hit the city streets again this weekend in Saturdays parade at the Savannah and at the Downtown venue Independence Square. Photographers RATTAN JADOO and SUREASH CHOLAI captured the young masqueraders
I WILL RAPE, KILL YOUR WIFE
Constable Dev Ramadhin of the Southern Division Task Force (SDTF), senior police officers revealed yesterday, has been deemed as being under serious threat and since Saturdays incident at Chutney Brass, security measures have been implemented for his safety and that of his family. The man making the threat is Shameel Ali, 25, of No.
19 John Durham Road, Aranjuez who yesterday appeared before a San Fernando Magistrate to answer a charge of possession of marijuana and resisting arrest.
Magistrate Brahmanand Dubay heard that on being placed under arrest, Ali refused to be fingerprinted when taken to the Marabella Police Station. At the Chutney Brass fete, Ali was arrested for possession of marijuana and resisting arrest. His siblings Sarita Ali, 39, and Jeffrey Ali, 30, also of Aranjuez, were arrested at the fete for using obscene language, obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duties and resisting arrest.
PC Ramadhin and PC Denzil Deena, both from the SDTF, were on duty at the Chutney Brass fete at Guaracara Park when they confronted Shameel Ali about the unusual length of a cigarette he was smoking. Ali has been in custody since his arrest on Saturday while his siblings were granted own bail in the sum of $7,000 each, at the police station on Saturday, and allowed to leave.
Yesterday, Ali was handcuffed and taken before Magistrate Dubay.
He pleaded guilty to possession of 0.59 grammes of marijuana and resisting arrest. Court prosecutor Sgt Gordon Maharaj outlined details stating that at about 3.10 am on Saturday, PC Ramadhin confronted Ali (Shameel) about the cigarette, but he dropped it and using his shoe, stamped down on the cigarette.
Magistrate Dubay heard that when PC Ramadhin searched Ali, he found a packet containing marijuana in a pants pocket.
Prosecutor Maharaj then told the court that when PC Ramadhin and his SDTF colleague PC Deena, attempted to place handcuffs around Alis wrists, but he (Ali) shouted, I will find yuh wife and rape and murder she! I eh taking this lock-up so!.
If yuh have children, ah find them. If ah cyah do it, I will get people to do it. The prosecutor informed Magistrate Dubay that when the accused was taken to the Marabella Police Station, he refused to be fingerprinted. Attorney Nicole Michele Basraj, pleaded for leniency for Ali, admitting that he had three previous convictions for marijuana. Basraj said that Ali had driven his family to the chutney brass show and they all went there with the intention of enjoying the night, the least of which was to threaten any police officer.
On the issue of the threat to PC Ramadhin, attorney Basraj said that Ali did not quite agree that he did so. However, Magistrate Dubay asked Shameel if he had since apologised to the police officer, attorney Basraj said that he did not get the opportunity to do so. Ali then said in court, Sir, I sorry I told you those things. Magistrate Dubay asked Ali if he was willing to be fingerprinted and he answered in the affirmative. The accused was remanded into custody to return to court tomorrow, when an official tracing of his past criminal record would be done for submission to the magistrate.
In the afternoon court session, Alis siblings Sarita and Jeffrey, appeared before Magistrate Margaret Alert where the charges of using obscene language and resisting the arrest of PCs Ramadhin and Deena, were read to Sarita Ali. The charge of obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest were read to Jeffrey Ali.
They both pleaded not guilty and were granted continuing bail and ordered to return to court on May 6.
Granny, 55, on bail for sex charge
It is alleged that on dates unknown, between 2014 to 2015, she committed serious indecency against a minor. She was ordered to stay away from the victim and make no contact, either directly or indirectly, as well as stay ten metres away from the childs home and school.
The woman was placed on $70,000 bail. She was charged by WPC Rampersad of the Child Protection Unit of the Eastern Division, and was represented in court by attorney Donette Julien. She will return to court on April 5. The woman was arrested last Friday, after the seven-year-old schoolboy confided to police that he was indecently assaulted by a relative.
All hail Queen Sharissa
Camejo, the sister of this years Junior Soca Monarch (Primary Schools Category) Stefan Camejo, beat 15 other competitors with her song, Our Blessed Land at the Queens Park Savannah, Port-of- Spain.
In the song, she highlighted her patriotism and belief that although there are a few bad apples in society, they should not be allowed to spoil the barrel. Using the countrys watchwords, she sang, For TT I will toil, exercise discipline, as we work together in tolerance, everyone maximising production as we building up our blessed land. Speaking to reporters after, Camejo said it felt good that she had finally won the competition.
Asked what advice she would give others interested in entering the competition, she said, Just do it for fun and if you really want to win, think about how much you want it and you would get it. Placing second was former National Calypso Monarch Duane OConnors son, Duane Tazyah OConnor who sang, Dear Doctor.
The young OConnor, dressed in a suit, sang to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, saying he had a letter to deliver to him, with suggestions on how to build a true rainbow nation if he (OConnor) was Prime Minister.
He sang that he would take all Indians from Caroni and put them in Laventille and teach them how to cook pelau and make mauby. He then sang that he will take Africans youths who gone astray and take them to Debe.
Where they will learn to make doubles and learn how to have a business mind.
The 13-year-old student of St Marys College told reporters after that the song was written by calypsonian Brian London.
He said he felt relieved and was proud that he came in second.
This was his first time entering the competition and he said he was encouraged to do so by his father. Third place winner was Desle Julien with Sweet 40, a song dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Junior Calypso Monarch competition.
Last years winner Aaron Duncan placed eighth this year with his song, The Nations Future. The first prize winner received $25,000, a trophy and a trip to Barbados to be a guest at their Junior Monarch finals later this year.
Second place received a trophy and $20,000, third $15,000, fourth $10,000 and fifth to 16th place won $5,000
Panorama tickets increased
The price has changed a little, Diaz told Newsday. We have to take care of our expenses. We dont get a subvention from Government, outside of the support provided for Panorama. The money which we get from the State goes to all of the bands.
We have expenses for Panorama, including the prizes, appearance fees, transport costs.
There are about 177 bands involved in Panorama.
It is the largest cultural event in the Caribbean and 90 per cent of the funds are paid to the steelbands. Diaz said while there has been much discussion this year over the state of pan, the fact is economic conditions have played a role in lower than normal attendance levels. Many people making stories left, right and centre, he said. The Brian Lara fete was cancelled? Why? There is a recession in the country.
People are not able to purchase tickets as before. In relation to the Panorama semi-finals and the Pan on the Greens, he said, the crowd is a little less than years gone by because of what the country faces. The Pan Trinbago president said the organisation has offices in north, east, central Trinidad and at Tobago, in addition to its headquarters. The public must understand that we have expenses to meet, he said. We have to make some changes,and that is why we made some changes this year. Tickets for the Grand Stand special reserve are $800. Grand Stand general, east, west, central tickets are $500. Grand Stand east and west are $400.
North Stand tickets cost $450, which covers local delicacies and Angostura products.
The largest group of attendees can win an airline of ticket on any of JetBlue Airways international destinations.
All attendees will have a chance to win a door prize of two return tickets to any North American destination.
Twenty bands will participate in the finals, which begins on Saturday at 7pm. Trinidad All Stars will be seeking to defend its title.
Apart from the competition, stalwarts Curtis Pierre, Bertrand Kellman, Damion Holder and Wallace Austin will be honored.
PANORAMA FINALISTS
MEDIUM
Position Name Tune Arranger
1 Pan Elders Me Eh Fighting For No Man Duvone Stewart
2 Curepe Scherzando Madness Yohan Popwell
3 NGC Steel Xplosion W anted Dead Or Alive Arddin Herbert
4 Petrotrin Katzenjammers I Dont Mind Terrence BJ Marcelle
5 NGC Couva Joylanders Come With It Kareem Brown
6 NLCB Buccooneers Bass On Fire Seion Gomez
7 W est Side Symphony Dead Or Alive Mickiel Gabriel
8 Carib Dixieland S oca Baptist LeonSmooth Edwards
9 Courts Sound Specialists The Ganges and the Nile Ken Professor Philmore
10 Melodians Fete Amrit Samaroo
LARGE
1 NLCB Fonclaire Bass On Fire Ken Professor Philmore
2 RBC Redemption Sound Setters No No We Eh Going Home Michael Sheppard
3 Phase II Pan Groove Madd Music Len Boogsie Sharpe
4 S kiffle Steel Orchestra How She Like It Kendall Williams/Marc Brook
5 First Citizens SuperNovas Breakthrough Amrit Samaroo
6 PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars Panoramic Liam Teague
7 bpTT Renegades Music Inside Meh Head Duvone Stewart
8 CAL Invaders Take Dat Arddin Herbert
9 Desperadoes Different Me Carlton Zanda Alexander
10 Massy Trinidad All Stars Leave We Alone Leon Smooth Edwards
Dont postpone Carnival over Zika
Ragbir, who is also a deputy political leader of the United National Congress (UNC), said that it is too early to make affirmative statements about the virus being an STD, given that more research still has to be done.
Nonetheless, Zika remains of significant concern, and the nation must take the threat of this virus seriously,he said.
Standing in agreement with Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh, Ragbir a medical practitioner for the past 25 years said that an alarm must be raised now and a community effort employed to wage an effective war against this disease.
As to whether Carnival should be postponed, Ragbir responded, Absolutely not. The jury is still out on that. There is not enough data to suggest that its a sexually transmitted disease. I think that is ominous and more research has to be done on such. I think what we need to be worried about is that the World Health Organisation (WHO), has declared Zika as a global public health emergency, that requires an urgent response; that all countries need to be united in this fight against the Zika virus. Ragbir is advising that priority be given to protecting pregnant women and their babies from harm. He said apart from microcephaly (small brain) the children born to mothers who contracted Zika can have seizures, brain mal-development, blindness and deafness. Aside from advising citizens to protect themselves against being bitten by the aedes aegypti mosquito, Ragbir called for heightened surveillance in public medical institutions and private medical institutions across Trinidad and Tobago as one way to quarantine the virus.
He suggested a method like that used at the Sangre Grande Hospital some time ago to help control the spread of the H1N1 virus, where a tent was set up outside the emergency department and patients displaying symptoms were isolated to that area. Additionally, where the Zika virus is concerned, he said that steps would also have to be taken to protect health care staff.
They putting us on the breadline
The vendors said not only will the move put them at risk, as they believe they would be targeted by gunmen, but will eventually force the more than 160 vendors mostly single mothers to go out of business.
Vendors were heard chanting, No Chinatown, not in Charlotte Street!, and, We tired of oppression in Tim Kees Session!, as they held up placards during the protest.
Some of the women in the group shouted out, Tim Kee putting we on the breadline! Why are we being made to pay for our right to live, asked Maurissa Francis.
Why are you denying us our right to make an honest living? We have loans to pay, children to send to school, how are we going to live? You dont know our circumstances, Francis cried, as she directed her questions at Mayor Tim Kee.
Junior Joseph Lewis, head of the Charlotte Street Vendors Association told reporters that the vendors have been paying rent for their businesses for the past nine years.
He added that during a meeting with Mayor Tim Kee last week, concerns such as like traffic hindrances and fire hazards were cited as some reasons for the relocation.
But in response, Lewis said all vendors have been adhering to an agreement made with the Mayors Office back in 2006, where they do their business on one side of Charlotte Street, so vehicles would be able to pass freely. He added that vendors do all they can to give way when emergency services traverse the street.
Another vendor chimed in with a public plea to Mayor Tim Kee. The ultimate goal is to provide for our families and progress as entrepreneurs, said vendor Stacy Roberts.
Sending us to the Central Market would see us taking ten steps backwards. Does the Mayor really think the persons who buy from us will be willing to make the journey to the Central Market? Instead we should come to an agreeable implementation of rules and regulations.
Let us not dwell on the negative and minor complaints but focus on the positives, Roberts said as she called for a revamp of the 2006 agreement between vendors and the city corporation.
Other vendors complained that the move to the Central Market would make them easy targets for criminals.
According to vendors, just last week Thursday, a woman was shot at the Central Market a victim of a stray bullet. Vendors said they had to duck for cover as unknown gunmen fired indiscriminately in the direction of the market.
The gunshots seemed to have come from the John John, Laventille area. The woman is now warded at Portof- Spain General Hospital.
Vendors said they cant even ask police to protect them since the officers are asking to be paid extra duties to go into the Central Market whereas there would be regular police patrols on Charlotte Street as well as several others in the capital. Charlotte Street vendors have been ordered to relocate to the Central Market by February 11, and vendors plying their trade at Salvatori Building must relocate by February 14. Efforts to reach Mayor Tim Kee yesterday for comment, proved futile.
Shoppers, buy only what you need
The absence of the price tags was posing a big problem for shoppers in the supermarkets yesterday, although many seemed understanding of the need for the change in the VAT regime. The manager of one supermarket in East Trinidad said there had not been any complaints by midday, and the most the customers would do would be to ask the cashiers for a price check. She said the cashiers had been told to be patient with the customers over the next couple of days.
Elizabeth and Billy Wheeler, shopping in a supermarket in East Trinidad, said they understood the need for the changes.
considering the fall in the price of oil and natural gas. However, they said they were unable to tell whether they were paying more.
or less for the items they were buying. as there were no prices on the items on the shelves. They said they would only know how much they would have to pay when they reached the cashier.
Another customer, Stephanie, also pointed out that she couldnt comment on whether the prices had increased or decreased as there were no prices on the items on the shelves. She also said she had no problem with the changes because something had to be done given the situation of the country. Yet another customer said people had to be more economical, and make use of all the food. Dont throw away anything, she said. Everybody has to make sacrifices for the country to be better controlled. However, one customer studying his bill outside a supermarket said he was confused trying to decipher the changes although the items he had bought were items that he bought all the time.
He said he would have to study the bill carefully to look for the changes.
Anthony Gooding, manager of Cost Cutters Supermarket at the corner of Caura Road and the Eastern Main Road, El Dorado, said the staff had to work throughout the night to try to get the price tags in place. Still, they were not able to complete the job by the time the store opened for business.
One woman, who would only give her name as Gemma, said What I need I will buy, what I cant afford, I will do without. If the Government thinks it is necessary, we have to live with it. I guess they are doing what they think is best, we have to cope. Some shoppers said they didnt bother to check the prices, if it was something they needed they just bought it.
Amar Ragoobar, manager of Prices Supermarket in El Dorado, said the supermarket received the price list on Friday, but observed that a lot of companies had increased the price of their goods before adding the VAT. However, he said that up to midday there had been smooth shopping, and no complaints. Ragoobar said this was not surprising because most of the shoppers from the first to the fifth of the month were usually people using Government- issued food cards.
Customer Mohan Maharaj said Government should have published the prices so customers would know what they should be paying. As it is, I dont know which prices have gone up. All the tags have been removed to be changed so you dont know what is going on. Another customer said he was just buying what he needed, adding that when the price of oil goes up the price of the goods will go down. Desmond Best voiced the same sentiments, saying he was just shopping by guess because he didnt see any price tags. He was accepting of the changes as he said the Government earns revenue through taxes. However, he was being more discriminating about his purchases, buying fewer of some items than he would normally have.
First Moses, now Glenda joins National Security
Jennings-Smith, a former Assistant Commissioner of Police with extensive training in the policing and social impact of the gang culture and police outreach programmes, will assist National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, in these and similar programmes and the overall outreach activities of the uniformed services. Jennings-Smiths appointment was announced in a statement by the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.
The statement indicated that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, who is chairman of the National Security Council, advised President Anthony Carmona to make this appointment, as part of the comprehensive overhaul and reorganization of the national security and public safety effort. Jennings-Smith will be sworn in and receive her instrument of appointment at the Office of the President in St Anns today at 12.30 pm. On January 27, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dennis Moses was appointed a Minister in the National Security Ministry by the President, acting on Rowleys advice. A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister on that day said Moses, would assist Dillon in the performance of such duties as Dillon may specify from time to time. In a statement on January 29, Dillon identified migration, border security, immigration and transnational organised crime, particularly with respect to counter terrorism and human trafficking, as some of Moses new responsibilities.
Dillon also said Moses experience in international relations and diplomacy and his fluency in French and Spanish, will be an asset to the ministry.
McDonald: No word from IC
After the Opposition lodged a formal complaint, the Commission had previously said her matter had come to their attention, but had stopped short of announcing a probe.
McDonald spoke to reporters after a re-launch of the Blue Diamonds Panyard at George Street, Portof- Spain.
She reiterated her stance that in the event of a probe, she would co-operate.
Asked by Newsday if she was confident she would be cleared, she said yes. Asked if how she would respond to a query as to whether she had used undue influence for fiduciary gain for someone, she said her reply would be no comment, adding, Let the Integrity Commission do its work.
Asked if shed not want to clear her name ahead of any probe, she replied, My name is cleared already, Sir.
At her invitation to ask more questions, Newsday asked if she had ever had an advisor named Odetta Alexander, a name appearing in three purported documents requesting a housing unit for Carew sent to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) in 2008? Mc- Donald replied that she had already answered that question previously.
Newsday pointed out that another reporter had asked her if Odette Alexander was her advisor, not naming Odetta Alexander.
Newsday asked if shed like to deny Odetta Alexander had been her advisor? McDonald declined to deny or confirm the query, but instead advised Newsday to use the Freedom of Information Act to see if Odetta Alexander had been an advisor at the Minister of Community Development and Culture under her tenure of 2007 to 2010. See what you come up with.
Do your research and youll come up with an answer.
What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames
news
Dr. Mahesh Sharma addresses at All India Conference of Regional Editors at Jaipur
Jaipur, Tue, 02 Feb 2016 NI Wire
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. 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.
Source: PIB
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
Posted by Nogger - a legend in his own mind at | Categorized as
At the finish, Mar 16 London wheat was up GBP0.25/tonne at GBP106.25/tonne, Mar 16 Paris wheat was EUR1.00/tonne lower at EUR160.00/tonne, Mar 16 corn was flat at EUR153.00/tonne and May 16 rapeseed jumped EUR3.50/tonne to EUR367.75/tonne.
Egypt picked up no offers at all in their wheat tender today. The apparent lack of interest was due it seems to the recent alteration in the terms of the contract to include a zero tolerance to ergot.
Earlier changes to payment can be perhaps coped with, or at least be priced into any offer being made. The chance of suddenly finding yourself with an "afloat" cargo of wheat in the Med suddenly looking for a home is not an appealing one - nor one that is very easy to calculate the cost of when putting up an offer either.
The rejection of a 63,000 MT cargo of French wheat this week will have been costly to the shipper concerned, said to be Bunge. Even if world wheat prices are "cheap" the cost of the cargo concerned, arrived in the Egyptian port of Damietta on a bulk carrier, the Amira, on Dec 21 (six weeks ago yesterday), is reported to be around $12 million.
A spot buyer will now need to be found for this wheat, meaning an inevitable drop in price as the cargo is now "distressed" even if it conforms to other country's acceptable ergot limits. Interest and freight rates might be cheap too, but the cost of leaving $12 million floating around the Med for a month and a half won't have been negligible either. Freight will have been included in the original offer, but the "demurrage" cost of leaving the vessel loading and waiting around will not be recoverable.
So right now, even if they are the largest buyer in the world, Egypt are looking like a risky one from a sellers point of view.
This means that new homes might potentially need to be found for whatever wheat Egypt may have ultimately been in the market to buy in the coming weeks/months before a solution is found to this problem. It also keeps sellers of existing contracts to Egypt nervous ahead of their arrival and acceptance, unless they've been formally customs cleared before they sail.
Egypt have already recently stated that they have plenty of wheat bought to last them through to the beginning of their own harvest that begins not too long from now, so the timing of this latest "hard-line" on ergot has obviously been set to suit.
In other news, Russia may have raised grain exports in January from the 1.5 MMT previously estimated to around 1.65-1.79 MT due to a late month increase in activity due to talk of a change to the wheat export duty. Some 1.3 MMT of that total was probably wheat, they said.
The Russian analysts went on to forecast Feb grain exports at 1.55 MMT, including 1.2 MMT of wheat.
Bangladesh are tendering for 50,000 MT of optional origin milling wheat. 02/02/16 -- EU grains closed mixed, with perhaps the main news of the day revolving around Egypt's wheat tender.At the finish, Mar 16 London wheat was up GBP0.25/tonne at GBP106.25/tonne, Mar 16 Paris wheat was EUR1.00/tonne lower at EUR160.00/tonne, Mar 16 corn was flat at EUR153.00/tonne and May 16 rapeseed jumped EUR3.50/tonne to EUR367.75/tonne.Egypt picked up no offers at all in their wheat tender today. The apparent lack of interest was due it seems to the recent alteration in the terms of the contract to include a zero tolerance to ergot.Earlier changes to payment can be perhaps coped with, or at least be priced into any offer being made. The chance of suddenly finding yourself with an "afloat" cargo of wheat in the Med suddenly looking for a home is not an appealing one - nor one that is very easy to calculate the cost of when putting up an offer either.The rejection of a 63,000 MT cargo of French wheat this week will have been costly to the shipper concerned, said to be Bunge. Even if world wheat prices are "cheap" the cost of the cargo concerned, arrived in the Egyptian port of Damietta on a bulk carrier, the Amira, on Dec 21 (six weeks ago yesterday), is reported to be around $12 million.A spot buyer will now need to be found for this wheat, meaning an inevitable drop in price as the cargo is now "distressed" even if it conforms to other country's acceptable ergot limits. Interest and freight rates might be cheap too, but the cost of leaving $12 million floating around the Med for a month and a half won't have been negligible either. Freight will have been included in the original offer, but the "demurrage" cost of leaving the vessel loading and waiting around will not be recoverable.So right now, even if they are the largest buyer in the world, Egypt are looking like a risky one from a sellers point of view.This means that new homes might potentially need to be found for whatever wheat Egypt may have ultimately been in the market to buy in the coming weeks/months before a solution is found to this problem. It also keeps sellers of existing contracts to Egypt nervous ahead of their arrival and acceptance, unless they've been formally customs cleared before they sail.Egypt have already recently stated that they have plenty of wheat bought to last them through to the beginning of their own harvest that begins not too long from now, so the timing of this latest "hard-line" on ergot has obviously been set to suit.In other news, Russia may have raised grain exports in January from the 1.5 MMT previously estimated to around 1.65-1.79 MT due to a late month increase in activity due to talk of a change to the wheat export duty. Some 1.3 MMT of that total was probably wheat, they said.The Russian analysts went on to forecast Feb grain exports at 1.55 MMT, including 1.2 MMT of wheat.Bangladesh are tendering for 50,000 MT of optional origin milling wheat.
Posted by Nogger - a legend in his own mind at | Categorized as
At the finish, front month Mar 16 London wheat was down GBP2.10/tonne at GBP106.00/tonne, Mar 16 Paris wheat fell EUR2.75/tonne to EUR161.00/tonne, Mar 16 corn was EUR2.00/tonne lower at EUR153.00/tonne and May 16 rapeseed was up EUR0.75/tonne to EUR364.25/tonne.
Needless to say this was a new all time contract low for beleaguered Mar 16 London wheat, and the contract now stands less than GBP0.50/tonne away from taking out the May 15 lowest front month close since when as it?
The summer of 2010 that would be: when Apple released the first iPad; Volcanic ash from Iceland brought chaos to the European aviation industry; Wolves, Blackpool, Bolton and Birmingham City were in the Premier League.
Blimey! We must have seen some pretty dramatic changes since summer 2101 then? World wheat production '10/11 was 650 MMT (now 735.4 MMT, +11.6%); world wheat consumption '10/11 was 653 MMT (now 716 MMT, + 9.6%); world wheat ending stocks '10/11 were 198 MMT (now 232 MMT, + 17%).
How does the world corn situation look, now compared with back then? World corn production in '10/11 was 835 MMT (now 968 MMT, +13.7%); world corn consumption '10/11 was 853 TMT (966 MMT), +13.2%); world corn ending stocks '10/11 were 128 MMT (now 209 MMT, +63%).
So on a global level for both wheat and corn production levels have only increased relatively modestly, and rises have been almost matched by those of consumption.
Building ending stocks seems to be the problem, with those for wheat up 17% over the last 5 years (noting that then back in 2010/11 stocks of almost 200 MMT weren't low - they were 30% of consumption).
Corn stocks meanwhile have jumped more than 60% during this period, although the levels seen back in 2010/11 were tight representing 15% of global usage.
Paris wheat hit fresh contract lows also today, helped on it's way by Egypt confirming that it was rejecting a cargo of French wheat found to be containing ergot.
GASC immediately launched a new tender, with the results expected tomorrow afternoon. Who fancies it, and who doesn't (especially given their recent payment problems), and what the prices submitted might be will certainly make interesting viewing. 01/02/16 -- EU grains were mostly back in the red again today, save for rapeseed which was mostly a touch higher.At the finish, front month Mar 16 London wheat was down GBP2.10/tonne at GBP106.00/tonne, Mar 16 Paris wheat fell EUR2.75/tonne to EUR161.00/tonne, Mar 16 corn was EUR2.00/tonne lower at EUR153.00/tonne and May 16 rapeseed was up EUR0.75/tonne to EUR364.25/tonne.Needless to say this was a new all time contract low for beleaguered Mar 16 London wheat, and the contract now stands less than GBP0.50/tonne away from taking out the May 15 lowest front month close since when as it?The summer of 2010 that would be: when Apple released the first iPad; Volcanic ash from Iceland brought chaos to the European aviation industry; Wolves, Blackpool, Bolton and Birmingham City were in the Premier League.Blimey! We must have seen some pretty dramatic changes since summer 2101 then? World wheat production '10/11 was 650 MMT (now 735.4 MMT, +11.6%); world wheat consumption '10/11 was 653 MMT (now 716 MMT, + 9.6%); world wheat ending stocks '10/11 were 198 MMT (now 232 MMT, + 17%).How does the world corn situation look, now compared with back then? World corn production in '10/11 was 835 MMT (now 968 MMT, +13.7%); world corn consumption '10/11 was 853 TMT (966 MMT), +13.2%); world corn ending stocks '10/11 were 128 MMT (now 209 MMT, +63%).So on a global level for both wheat and corn production levels have only increased relatively modestly, and rises have been almost matched by those of consumption.Building ending stocks seems to be the problem, with those for wheat up 17% over the last 5 years (noting that then back in 2010/11 stocks of almost 200 MMT weren't low - they were 30% of consumption).Corn stocks meanwhile have jumped more than 60% during this period, although the levels seen back in 2010/11 were tight representing 15% of global usage.Paris wheat hit fresh contract lows also today, helped on it's way by Egypt confirming that it was rejecting a cargo of French wheat found to be containing ergot.GASC immediately launched a new tender, with the results expected tomorrow afternoon. Who fancies it, and who doesn't (especially given their recent payment problems), and what the prices submitted might be will certainly make interesting viewing.
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" ... 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
Tunisian forces on Monday clashed with a group of militants in the Gabes region killing at least two of them and suffering one casualty.
The confrontation took place during what the Interior Ministry calls counter-terrorism operations as the country is at grips with mounting terrorism since Libya became a training ground for Tunisian terrorists.
Tunisias security forces are on a campaign against Islamist militants who have targeted military checkpoints and patrols in outlying areas.
A young man, allegedly affiliated to the Islamic State group, was arrested by the counter-terrorism unit on Monday in Monastir province and according to the interior ministry he is helping to crackdown on other members of a terrorist cell.
The Ministry didnt point out how many alleged terrorists have been arrested but claimed that the cell was planning to attack key state installations, hotels, security centers and politicians in order to destabilize the country.
It is to be recalled that the fall of the Ennahda-led coalition Government which led to early elections and paved the way for Nidaa Touness to win these polls was provoked by the assassinations of opposition figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahimi in 2013 by suspected terrorists. In 2015, Tunisia suffered three major attacks, all of which were claimed by the Islamic State group.
Most members of the ISIL cells dismantled in Tunisia were trained in Syria and Libya.
To stop the flow of terrorists, Tunisia is building a wall along its border with Libya.
Mauritania is set to launch on Wednesday a new global initiative, the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI,) meant to improve the management of fisheries and preserve fish stocks.
The move comes following the warning of economic affairs minister SidAhmed Raiss who said that overfishing by foreign boats is threatening our way of life.
Highlighting the dangers posed by the overexploitation of the sector, the minister stated that take fisheries away from our people, and they will have little else to lose since poverty and unemployment make fertile ground for organized crime and terror as noticed in other countries.
Data from the World Bank stated that around 40,000 people are active in Mauritanias fishing sector providing 7% of gross domestic product. The new initiative is expected to help replace depleted fish stocks and improve catches while tackling overfishing. One of the major challenges continues to be widespread corruption and limited resources to ensure the enforcement of laws as huge foreign fishing trawlers often navigate near coast areas reserved for artisanal fishermen, catching tons of fish in waters rich in snapper, sardines, mackerel and shrimp. Such illegal activities put the livelihoods and food security of millions of locals at risk.
Some analysts warn that for the initiative to be effective, it is necessary to eliminate corruption, poor management and over-fishing.
Peter Eigen of Transparency International said many countries are losing millions and millions of tons of fish or revenues due to lack of good governance, illegal and unreported fishing.
Mauritanias FiTi is inspired by the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) a pioneering project that sets standards for companies to publish what they pay for oil, gas and minerals and for governments to disclose what they receive.
The Secret to Happiness is the Joy of the Lord;
and the joy of the Lord is His manifest presence in your life.
It is our Privilege and Responsibility to Glorify God;
and we glorify God by manifesting His character every moment and in every situation.
Humility and Pride
You can tell a humble man that he has a problem with pride and he will agree with you;
but if you tell a proud man that he has a problem with pride, he becomes your enemy.
This one thing I know for sure, that whenever there is a problem with my relationship with the Lord, it is not His fault.
Some people are just plain lazy;
some people are just overly sensitive to gravity;
others are simply economical with their energy.
It's not enough to preach the Gospel; you must be the Gospel.
If you can describe your life in a nutshell, there's a good probability that you're a nut.
As a good Canadian, I'd like to apologize in advance for anything I might say that offends you; sometimes my mouth hits high gear while my brain is still in low.
Never allow the thought, "I am of no use where I am"; because you certainly can be of no use where you are not. Oswald Chambers
We cannot even begin to approach the Truth until we are willing to go wherever the Truth leads us.
The newest object of idol worship is 'my opinion'!
Suffering is the only experience we have in common with every other human who ever lived.
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Rubio celebrates at his caucus-night party. Photo: Pete Marovich/Getty Images
For anxious members of the Republican Establishment, Donald Trumps failure to win Monday night provided the first sign in months that reality might return to a race dominated by the reality-TV star. Marco Rubios surprisingly strong third-place finish he trailed Trump by just one percent strengthened the emerging consensus that the Florida senator will be the one party elites can rally around. The Washington Establishments only chance at a candidate now is Marco Rubio, a top GOP consultant said. The only thing that stops Trump or Cruz is a winnowing of the field.
It says a lot about this years upside-down Republican primary that coming in third in Iowa is a victory. But, according to GOP insiders I spoke to Monday night, Rubios bronze-medal finish behind Ted Cruz and Donald Trump makes him the victor in the race to break out of the crowded Establishment pack. Having survived his immigration war with Cruz relatively unscathed, Rubio may be emboldened to take on Trump. According to a source close to the campaign, Rubioworld is now arming itself for an assault on Trump. Theyve done a lot of oppo research. Personal stuff, the source said. Its going to be personal to Trump because they know Trump will be personal to Marco.
Over the coming days, there will be a behind-the-scenes lobbying effort by Rubios camp to convince major donors supporting his rivals Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Jeb Bush to rally behind Rubio for the battle against Cruz-Trump. There is major pressure being brought to bear, one conservative financier said. Christie and Kasich are both running low on cash, and anything but a top finish in New Hampshire spells doom for their campaigns.
The central front in this donor war is the fight over Jeb Bushs vast fund-raising network. Rubio himself seemed to be speaking to Bushs backers during his concession speech Monday night. They told me I needed to wait my turn, that I needed to wait in line, he said in Des Moines. 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.
Rubios rising fortunes will amplify the criticism that the pro-Bush super-pac Right to Rise is sabotaging the Establishments chances by spending millions attacking Rubio when it should be blitzing Cruz and Trump. Its insanity! former Mitt Romney strategist Stuart Stevens said. If the purpose of Right to Rise is to run a campaign and not to settle grudges, they have to do that. Another GOP strategist said, There will be a hue and cry in the Bush constituency to attack Trump, regardless if its a kamikaze mission.
As the race moves to New Hampshire, however, Bush shows no signs of heeding these calls. Most people think Jeb is dead. But his ground game in New Hampshire is bigger than Rubios, Kasichs, and Christies, a Bush donor said. He has all his marbles on New Hampshire.
Cliven Bundy is a little late to the party. Photo: David Becker/Getty Images
Cliven Bundy, like any helicopter dad, couldnt just sit back and let his son see things through in Oregon. He had to chime in, and whats more, he had to disagree with Ammon Bundys call from jail for the four remaining holdouts at Malheur Wildlife Refuge to go home to their families. Yesterday the elder Bundy sent a letter to the Harney County sheriff, Oregon governor Kate Brown, and President Obama. We the People of Harney County and also We the People of the citizens of the United States, he wrote, do give notice that we will retain possession of the Harney County resource center [the militants name for the wildlife refuge]. That We does not physically involve him; hes still at his ranch in Nevada.
Notice to Harney Co. Sheriff.Share share share..... Posted by Bundy Ranch on Monday, February 1, 2016
He also called for the removal of all federal and state policing agents and requested the Harney County Sheriff post a guard at the entrance to the refuge to keep all from entering or exiting for a time. He did not specify how long the guard should remain. What this is saying is that Cliven Bundy is taking control of things, he told The Guardian in an interview from Nevada, referring to himself in the third person. If we dont retain it, then weve lost everything weve done in the last two months. Were not going to give up.
Perhaps hes taking credit for Ammons so-called achievements by genetic proxy. Although Cliven did acknowledge his sons call for holdouts to leave the refuge, it didnt seem to faze him. I dont think thats whats in his heart, he said. He probably got his arm twisted. Both Ammon and Ryan Bundy, along with six of their fellow militiamen, were arrested last Tuesday following a confrontation with authorities that turned violent. Only four militia members remain in the center, and theyve said theyll leave as long as no one arrests them. Sorry, Cliven, but it doesnt look like your strongly worded letter is the backup the Oregon militia was hoping for.
Yuge. Photo: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Somewhere around midnight on Monday, as the nations most helpless political junkies were refreshing their Twitter feeds, it became clear that the winner of Iowa would not be determined by the votes left to be counted in Polk County but by the journalists awaiting those returns.
As of Tuesday morning, Hillary Clinton appears to have eked out the narrowest victory in the history of the Iowa caucuses. But a 0.3 percent win means nothing unless the media says it does: Iowa divides its tiny number of delegates proportionally, so a victory of that size makes no significant difference in terms of delegate math. And as a reflection of popular will, its even less telling that percentage doesnt reflect raw vote totals, which will remain forever unknown. Since much of Sanderss support was concentrated in a few counties with colleges, its entirely possible the Vermont senator actually turned out more supporters last night than Clinton did.
The fact is, not much is usually at stake in Iowa except for the media narrative that its results generate. Which isnt to say that a lot isnt at stake if cable news decides that you made a weird noise after coming in third place, it can decide to put a hit on your campaign. While Donald Trump didnt emerge victorious Monday night, the fact that he came in second despite spending less than all of his rivals is a testament to the power of free media.
By producing an effective tie, Iowa Democrats gave journalists the opportunity to choose the narrative they wanted. And with 99 percent of pundits reporting, the media is now declaring Sanders the winner.
Take the two headlines CNN ran on its website Tuesday morning: Hillary Clintons tough night and Iowa gives Sanders momentum. Or this one on Politico: How Iowa went wrong for Hillary Clinton. Or How Sanders caught fire in Iowa and turned this into a real race, from the Washington Post. The Guardian, Salon, and The New Yorker all produced similar takes.
Photo: JIM WATSON
The New York Times Upshot blog did write How a Virtual Tie Helps Clinton, arguing that Iowas demographics are unusually favorable for Sanders, so his failure to secure an outright victory should be read as a win for Clinton. But right beside that column, the Times ran a dispatch from the Clinton camp, where the mood was so dour, reporter Amy Chozick ended up casually declaring Clinton to be Iowas loser:
Instead, they now head to New Hampshire, where Mr. Sanders is heavily favored in the polls, and brace themselves for another loss [emphasis added] before they reach more hospitable states like Nevada and South Carolina.
Theres a strong argument that, on paper, Monday nights narrow victory increased Clintons chances of securing her partys nomination. Clinton has nearly unanimous support from the partys superdelegates, so Sanders would have needed a large victory to put himself on pace for the nomination. Clinton still has the overwhelming support of her partys Establishment and a double-digit lead in national polls. So long as Clinton didnt lose by 10 points in Iowa Monday night and/or accidentally confess to murdering Vince Foster in her quasi-victory speech, she was going to remain the favorite Tuesday morning.
But Sanders performed well enough to give the media a choice and media bias tends to favor the more interesting narrative. As the Posts Ruth Marcus wrote, Between Sanders and Clinton, tie goes to the underdog.
In the pundit classs defense, it is a damn good story. A septuagenarian socialist, who trailed by 40 points in Iowa at the races start, takes on his partys handpicked candidate with absolutely zero Establishment support and builds a million Millennial movement that propels him to a virtual tie? Who doesnt want to see the next episode of this drama? Not a certain former New York senator, of course.
Photo: MICHAEL B. THOMAS/AFP/Getty Images
Sanders is incredibly well funded for an insurgent without a super-pac. He has a giant army of small-dollar donors who are far from being maxed out and committed volunteers across the country. He still doesnt have a great chance of actually winning, but all he needed to keep the political revolution rolling was to impress the media with his showing in Iowa. Todays front pages suggest he has done so.
Below you can view Tuesday mornings vote totals from the Democratic media primary:
Clinton Won
The Upshot: But in the end, a virtual tie in Iowa is an acceptable, if not ideal, result for Mrs. Clinton and an ominous one for Mr. Sanders. He failed to win a state tailor made to his strengths.
FiveThirtyEight: Hillary Clinton seems to have barely beaten Bernie Sanders in the closest Iowa Democratic caucus ever after holding a small lead in most Iowa polls before the caucuses. That means Iowa probably hasnt reshaped the Democratic race for president and Clinton remains the favorite.
Clinton Lost
The New York Times: Instead, they now head to New Hampshire, where Mr. Sanders is heavily favored in the polls, and brace themselves for another loss before they reach more hospitable states like Nevada and South Carolina.
CNN: Instead, even if she eeks out a win late tonight by a fraction of a percentage point, the Iowa caucuses looked like a defeat for the former Secretary of State. Once again, she has been knocked back on her heels by a challenger who her campaign did not take seriously until late in the race.
Politico: Iowa wasnt just supposed to be a tentative first step in Clintons inevitable march to the Democratic nomination, it was meant to be the cornerstone of a rebuilt political persona and her national team was built from Iowa outward, with a foundational goal of winning here, and winning big.
Sanders Won
The Guardian: The margin between Sanders and Clinton was razor thin all of Monday night certainly thinner than anyone would have imagined possible last spring, when he was down by 42 points in a national poll. Coming in anywhere near close to Clinton in the Iowa caucus wouldve been a significant victory for Sanders; the near-tie showed the deep resonance of his message.
The New Yorker: Not only has he pulled off a rags-to-riches story, he has done it on the basis of a message that is more radical than anything Presidential politics has seen in decadesa message that he repeats with such regularity and relentlessness that his stump speech has become familiar to many Americans.
Salon: For Sanders, the results in Iowa cap a remarkable year. Whatever happens now, he has just performed a gravity-defying feat of political dexterity. He has enlisted a groundswell of grassroots support, and thoroughly defined the contours of the primary race, much more than Clinton has.
The Washington Post: The closeness of the Democratic outcome offers concrete electoral proof of the power of Sanderss anti-establishment appeal. Between Sanders and Clinton, tie goes to the underdog. If you have any question about this, ask yourself: Which campaign was celebrating Monday night, and which was trying to figure out what went wrong?
CNN: Bernie Sanders finally got his political revolution. It wasnt an outright victory. But, for Sanders, who started this race as more stalking horse than viable candidate, fighting Hillary Clinton in a razor-thin contest in Iowa was more than enough.
The Democratic Party Won
Slate: For anyone who followed the 2008 campaign, all of this sounds wearying. But if you are a Democrat who wants to win the White House for a third termor a progressive who just wants to minimize the damage to your prioritiesyou should relish the upcoming combat. Why? Because a competitive primary will energize the Democratic Party and prime it for a tough and grueling general election.
The Democratic Party Lost
Vox: No modern political partys establishment has ever tried as hard to package up a nomination and tie it off with a bow as the Democrats did for Clinton over the course of 2016. And it didnt work out very well. The result ought to serve as a wake-up call to a Democratic Party elite thats gotten a little smug and out of touch over the past few years.
Is that a hissing sound? Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. This week: dissecting the results of the GOP and Democratic caucuses in Iowa.
Both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio can leave Iowa declaring a victory, which isnt the case for Donald Trump, despite his consistent lead in the Iowa polls leading up to Mondays caucus. What are the expectations for these three going into New Hampshire?
Before I get to your questions, heres the one thing that is indisputable coming out of Iowa: Once again weve learned that almost all predictions of the 2016 race, whether by pollsters or pundits, are worthless. As of last weekend, Nate Silver gave Bernie Sanders only a 20 percent chance of taking Iowa. Trump was thought a likely Iowa winner by most everyone, including me. I will not make the mistake of predicting what will happen in New Hampshire, though its safe to say that as goes Iowa, New Hampshire does not. Its hard to imagine Cruz winning there without the Evangelical base he had in Iowa. Indeed, Cruzs Iowa victory may prove an anomaly in the overall presidential race, just as Mike Huckabees and Rick Santorums were in the past.
But whatever Cruzs ultimate fate, the most important number in the GOP Iowa caucus results is this: If you add up the votes for the outsider candidates (Cruz, Trump, Carson, Fiorina), it amounts to 63 percent of the total. If you add up the votes for the Establishment candidates (Rubio, Bush, Kasich, Christie), it amounts to just under 30 percent. (The remaining 7 percent went to Paul, Huckabee, and Santorum.) This is a very angry, very conservative party.
In recent weeks, theres been a press consensus that Rubio was inevitably rising to the top of the pack of the Establishment field. (At the Times Upshot column, Rubio is now flatteringly characterized as a relative moderate even though he opposes abortions for rape and incest victims, among other far-right positions.) In Iowa, Rubio finally justified the repeated prophesies of his surge: His 23.1 percent of the vote bested the runner-up among Establishment candidates, Jeb! (2.8 percent), by nearly ten to one. Those who have theorized a Rubio surge have also argued that if he pulled it off, then it was incumbent on his Establishment rivals for the nomination, Christie and Kasich as well as Bush, to get out so Rubio can go mano a mano against the right-wing/outsider favorite, whether it prove to be Trump or Cruz. Should the others get out, and should Rubio inherit the fat-cat Establishment donors that have been scattered among them, can he really prevail in a party where a clear majority, in national polls as well as Iowa, prefers Cruz and Trump over Rubio and his relatively moderate cohort by a margin of two to one? Somehow I doubt it, unless he moves even farther to the Palin-nativist right than he already has. In any case, we wont learn one way or the other from New Hampshire, an independent-minded outlier among GOP primary states, but in the subsequent primaries in the solidly red states where the partys base dwells.
As for Trump, he will no doubt be hurt in New Hampshire by the Iowa results as Rubio will get a boost. But New Hampshire wont determine his fate or that of Cruz, who is unlikely to do well there. The real question about Trump is whether he will deflate like a big fat balloon now that he has been pinpricked by actual vote totals that dont match the poll numbers he is fond of wearing like a sable coat. He will never rebound from Iowa if he starts to act like a sore loser a real, and potentially quite entertaining, possibility. But he may well defy such expectations. Those who are pegging Trump as doomed the morning after Iowa are often the same voices who declared him dead back in the day when he had done the unthinkable of insulting John McCain, Megyn Kelly, and the entire populace of Mexico.
On the Democratic side, it looks like Bernie Sanderss January surge has brought him essentially neck and neck with Hillary Clinton. On the eve of a series of new debates, how will Clinton have to tweak her attacks on Sanders if she wants to hold him off?
Clinton cant go all out in attacks on Sanders because they will alienate the liberal Democratic base, without which she cant win an election. The real question is whether Sanders can tweak his Clinton critique to build a national campaign beyond his near-certain win next week in New Hampshire. But the biggest issue for Clinton is not Sanders so much as Clinton herself. She performed better in Iowa in 2016 than she did eight years ago, but she remains an uninspiring candidate with a bland message. The enthusiasm among Democrats, especially the younger Democrats who propelled Barack Obama to victory in 2008, is propelling Sanders with a force the Clinton campaign clearly didnt anticipate and which it has not found a way to counter.
Clintons weakness was further highlighted on the eve of the Iowa vote by the Times editorial endorsing her over the weekend an endorsement that provoked anger among the papers readers, who responded with an avalanche of comments that probably reflect the overall sentiment of the Democratic grass roots. The editorial was fascinatingly defensive. In making the case for Clinton, the paper praised Clintons experience in foreign affairs but never mentioned her biggest foreign-policy failure, her vote to authorize the war in Iraq. And the editorial never mentioned the murky finances of the Clinton family foundation, a continuing source of fascination to investigative reporters at every major news organization in the country, including the Times. Even as the editorial was published, Peter Baker, the papers chief White House correspondent, was telling CNN that inquiries by the FBI and the Obama Justice Department into Clintons email practices as secretary of State could lead to a summer indictment or a request for a special prosecutor which, in his words, basically turns this into a complete disaster for the Democrats in which it is too late to change horses. Even if Clinton had romped over Bernie Sanders in Iowa, it wouldnt have countered the uncertainty and anxiety that attend her vulnerable presidential campaign in an election cycle when, clearly, anything can happen.
Something else that may cause problems for Clinton is the documentary Weiner, which debuted at Sundance last week amid accusations that the filmmakers faced pressure to change their portrayal of Hillary Clinton and her closest aide, Huma Abedin. Did it show anything (or leave anything out) that she should worry about once its released more broadly?
The notion that any movie will have a seismic effect on our politics is oversold. Michael Moores Fahrenheit 911 didnt stop George W. Bush, and Bowling for Columbine didnt stop the American gun epidemic. Steven Spielbergs Lincoln, bounteously celebrated by politicians in Washington as a gift to racial justice, preceded one of the most violent periods in race relations since the 1960s. Michael Bays 13 Hours hasnt moved Benghazi into the national conversation any more successfully than Mitt Romney did during his presidential run. Weiner, despite its Sundance success, is unlikely to cause a ripple in the Clinton presidential run. Despite press reports to the contrary, most of the movie leaves us contemplating not Huma Abedin, but her husband, the title character, a self-destructive, if self-aggrandizing, putz who has become no more interesting or consequential in the aftermath of his juvenile sexting scandal than he was while it was going on: Hell always be remembered as that rare politician who was brought down by a sex scandal without ever actually having illicit sex. Abedin is a relatively small, if long-suffering, presence in the film. That she consented to appear at all in this account of her familys embarrassing ordeal suggests that she has zero political intelligence. Which does leave you wondering why a presidential candidate could have anyone so naive as her most trusted aide in the fierce political battle that lies ahead.
Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, and Ted Cruz, three horsemen of the apocalypse. Photo: Andrew Harrer/2016 Bloomberg Finance LP
The biggest mystery of the Republican race has been the curiously persistent appeal of the obnoxious, thrice-married, former Democratic donor Donald Trump. But the second-biggest mystery has been the absence of Establishment support unifying for Marco Rubio, Gods gift to the Republican donor class. Both of those things seem just a little less mysterious now. The intense exposure of the Iowa caucus brought up Trumps unfavorable ratings, publicizing his deviations from conservative orthodoxy. And Rubio has implanted himself as the leading, and probably sole, selection of the party regulars. As Rubios spokesman, Alex Conant, said Monday night on MSNBC, If you dont want Ted Cruz or Donald Trump as the nominee, you better get onboard with Marco Rubio.
The Republican field looks at the moment like a three-candidate race. The ideological contours are not exactly clear. Rubio is the candidate acceptable to the party elite the candidate who is providing a more attractive delivery mechanism for George W. Bushs policies, which is what Republicans have craved since the Bush administration. Cruz and Trump are unacceptable to the Establishment, for roughly opposite reasons. Trump has no record of sincere commitment to conservative policy doctrine. Cruz has positioned himself as the high priest of conservative orthodoxy, flaying his fellow Republicans for their inability to impose their policies over President Obamas veto. On foreign policy, Rubio is the most orthodox neoconservative hawk, and Trump and Cruz are more neo-isolationist. All three would repeal Obamacare and replace it with something undefined but wonderful, and pass gargantuan, regressive tax cuts. (Cruzs plan is the least fiscally irresponsible of the three, recompensing some of the tax cut for the rich with a tax hike on the middle class and poor.)
Rubio delivered the most partisan speech of the three candidates, assailing President Obama for his alleged violations of the Constitution and other sins, and promising to unite his party. Cruz ignored the Democrats. His enemy was deal-making, and his ally was the people. Trump vaguely and listlessly thanked Iowans and tried to look like he had not suffered a surprising defeat.
It is hard to say which candidate of the three is the favorite. The morning of the primary, I hesitantly assigned the following odds of winning the nomination: Rubio 40 percent, Trump 30 percent, Cruz 20 percent, and the field 10 percent. Rubio will soon enjoy unified Establishment Republican support, but suffer with border hawks for his since-repudiated attempt to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Trump faces the wrath of the conservative movement. Cruz has the support of Evangelicals but may not have the ability to expand his coalition to a majority (unlike Trump, whose support spans the ideological gamut of the party).
One can see contours of a party edifice consolidating behind Rubio already. Paul Ryan the pope of the GOP held a presentation at which political analyst Dave Wasserman briefed party donors on Trumps potentially damaging impact on the party in down-ballot congressional contests. Wasserman has written bluntly for FiveThirtyEight that Its Rubio or bust for Republicans who want to win. Bringing in Wasserman to make his case against Trump (and, presumably, for Rubio) is surely a sign of Ryans loyalties.
Iowa is a highly unusual state with an outcome that may not apply from here on out. It is dominated by religious conservatives to a degree rare outside the South; its caucus format holds turnout down to the very committed; and its voters are subjected to a barrage of campaigning and advertising unlikely to be replicated elsewhere. Its a bad state for Trump and a good state for Cruz.
Going forward, Trump may further benefit from Cruzs survival the fear that Cruz might win that took hold in December gave Trump his best moment of the campaign, driving some Republican regulars to his side. The longer Cruz stays alive, the longer Republican elites may need to keep Trump alive as a viable option against him. But it is also possible that Republican insiders will have finally seen the signs of life in Rubio they needed to bestow upon him his long-awaited crown.
Medical abortion pill RU-486. Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
As the Zika virus continues to spread explosively through Latin America, experts are investigating whether the mosquito-borne infection is indeed to blame for the uptick in cases of microcephaly, a birth defect in which infants are born with underdeveloped brains and heads. As a precaution, some countries health departments have suggested women avoid getting pregnant for six months to two years. (Pregnant women in the United States have only been advised not to travel to affected countries.)
Yet there are the already-pregnant women concerned about the possibility of having children with severe developmental problems in a region that greatly restricts abortion access. Now, Dutch reproductive health group Women on Web the same organization behind last summers abortion drone flight from Germany to Poland has said it will offer free medical abortions for Zika-infected pregnant women who live in countries that limit abortions, but there are a few caveats.
The medications (mifepristone and misoprostol) only work during the first nine weeks of pregnancy, and packages could take up to five weeks to arrive, so women interested in obtaining a medical abortion should contact the group as soon as possible. Women would email their lab results confirming a Zika infection to the group and complete an online consultation that a doctor reviews for eligibility.
The free medication is available to women in the following countries that restrict abortion: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Notably absent from this list is Brazil, the country at the epicenter of the Zika outbreak, which has seen nearly 4,000 cases of microcephaly since October. Abortion is illegal in Brazil except in the cases of rape; when the mothers life is at risk; or if the fetus has anencephaly, a birth defect in which the brain and skull are even less developed than in microcephaly. The group writes:
Kelsey and Baylee Soles finish each others sentences. Photo: CK2
If unisex, CK One, and Kate Moss were the adjective, scent, and face of the 90s, then genderless, CK2, and Kelsey and Baylee Soles are the Generation Z update. The Soles sisters, fraternal twins, are sort of like what would have happened if Mary-Kate and Ashley had grown up to become models instead of fashion designers and CEOs. Ever since Baylee crashed her sisters Saint Laurent casting, the two have been inseparable both professionally and personally. The Cut talked to them about working with Ryan McGinley, that mystical twin connection, and why baking soda is their secret beauty weapon.
What did Ryan McGinley tell you about the concept for your CK2 ads?
Kelsey Soles: We were two troublemakers who were trying to have a good time and be free. It was really fun. He definitely wanted a lot of interaction and to show that we have a bond that two random people wouldnt have. We were in Puerto Rico for two days, but only shot for five hours.
Baylee Soles: He gave us the concept and then we were just playing around and climbing, jumping, and flashing. We ran across that bridge a number of times. It was a workout.
Its interesting that CK2 is described as a gender-free fragrance.
K.S.: I like it because today, genders not really black or white. Its more gray. This perfume is showing gray. Its filling all the gray area where traditionally its masculine or its feminine.
B.S.: Its not like putting a label on anything, which I like.
What was your first scent memory?
K.S.: I would have to say fresh air and pine. We live in the woods in South Carolina with tons of pine trees.
B.S.: Fresh-cut grass. Maybe thats why I like this one so much. Because it has tons of fresh scents in it, like sandalwood. And herbs.
K.S.: Its like a spicy sandalwood. It kind of reminds me of my dad; for some reason, he always smells spicy and almost tobacco-y. Its a spice, that is kind of like a cigar. And the sandalwood just reminds me of the South. All in all, it smells kind of like home to me.
Its really interesting you guys kind of have similar scent memories.
K.S.: That twin life.
You two are fraternal twins. Apart from your hair color, what type of physical differences do you notice in each other?
K.S.: Shes a centimeter taller. And then we have different face shapes, I think.
B.S.: Yeah, like bone structure right here [motioning to jaw]. I think thats the main one.
K.S.: We used to keep track of our freckles and stuff on our faces.
B.S.: But now theyve moved! When I was born I used to have a red dot on my nose. I was born like that. I thought it would be there forever but it faded over time. But it was really helpful for our parents.
And you grew up with the same hair color?
K.S.: Yeah, blonde hair.
B.S.: And then we used to, like, bleach it because we were really Avril Lavigne-y.
K.S.: But then when we were like 18, I think, we dyed it separately.
What if one of you had wanted the others hair color, or to switch?
K.S.: I dont know!
B.S.: Some days Im like, Yeah, I want to go blonde! because with some outfits, I think blonde goes better. But brown hair has become like a part of me. It would be weird to be the same color for a long time because I like having my own identity.
Why do you think the modeling world is so interested in sisters right now?
K.S.: In pictures, you can feel the energy and feel the bonds that we have. Two strangers cant make a picture the way that two sisters who spend every moment together [can].
B.S.: Especially twins. Because twins are born with that natural connection. Youve shared so much throughout your lives, so you know so much about each other I think we can feed off of each other very well. And its way more fun!
K.S.: We dont really have to speak when were moving. Like normally if were with a stranger were like, Oh, do you mind if I put my hand here? Do you mind if I put my arm around you? But with sisters its like, Come here!
B.S.: Just throw her around!
What about when it comes to your beauty routines? Do you find that you guys have different skin types?
K.S.: We do have similar skin types. But if one of us has a blemish, its not like the other one does, too. Weve been together so much that weve molded into doing many things alike. We work out together and we eat a lot of the same foods because we cook together.
B.S.: Like, everything together.
K.S.: We do a really natural skin routine now. Just baking soda and water, I read about it on the internet. It works so well. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a tablespoon of water. It makes a paste and you can lightly exfoliate your face.
B.S.: Its amazing.
K.S.: It clears your skin so much. I used to get random blemishes all the time but now my skin is like so much better ever since I switched to that. I guess its more natural?
Also, when you get a zit, youre always like, Hey, the zits gone but now I have a scar. If you put the baking soda with a little bit of lemon juice, it makes a reaction and once you let it settle a little bit, you can massage it onto your skin and leave it for five minutes so that it will dry. Do that like three times a week maybe? Over time it will really lighten it.
B.S.: Like make it disappear, yeah.
K.S.: And I use coconut oil for everything.
B.S.: Yeah. When in doubt, put coconut oil on.
The CK2 ad. Photo: CK2
What do you do for your hair?
K.S.: I go to Hair Story and use their all-natural products in my hair. Its amazing!
B.S.: It really is! Makes your hair feel so light and voluminous. Ive never seen such a difference.
K.S.: And their New Wash, its changed my hair. Its amazing.
B.S.: One of the stylists really taught me that if you leave the wash on for like ten minutes before you wash it out, then its kind of like this little mask for your hair. Its really good.
Do you guys find it challenging to maintain separate identities?
K.S.: No, not at all. I feel like
B.S.: We balance each other out.
K.S.: Yeah.
B.S.: I feel like Im really assertive and sometimes Kelsey puts me in check. You know?
K.S.: Sometimes she comes on too strong with new people and so sometimes I have to balance it out and kind of make good connections with people and then bring Baylee in. Were really like yin and yang.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Clinton staffers watch Mondays speech in the Burlington, Iowa, office. Photo: MICHAEL B. THOMAS/AFP/Getty Images
For all those Democrats who fretted for the past year about the probability of a listless primary, and for any who (inanely) predicted a coronation for Hillary Clinton (I mean, just as a point of fact, in the U.S. we dont hand out president crowns, and especially not to women), Monday night put every fear to rest. Democrats could not have asked for a more riveting nail-biter. As of this writing, its still not clear whether Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton won, and I gather, after eleventy hours of listening to polling analysis, that it may not be clear for another eleventy hours.
Thats pretty thrilling. Democrats have two candidates about whom voters feel passionate. The win/tie is tremendous for Sanders, the long-shot challenger from the left. But its also pretty great for Clinton, who could have decisively lost Iowa but hung on, and who also became the first Clinton (and the first woman ever) not to have outright lost the state.
Clintons approach tonight her ballsy power-play move of stepping over Republican winner Ted Cruzs victory speech, and her happy-warrior tone showed a marked contrast from her 2008 loss in Iowa, a night when she came in nine points behind Barack Obama and one point behind John Edwards. Back then, her concession was dismal, wan, practically consumptive. Eight years later, she was energetic, brassy, and seemed to show shes learning something about navigating the choppy waters of running for president while female.
The key thing she did in her sigh of relief speech on Monday was right her flailing message about health-care reform, which in recent days had gone off the rails for her in a very familiar way.
She was firm and positive in her framing of her goal: I know that we can finish the job of universal health-care coverage for every man, woman, and child! she shouted affirmatively and warmly, in sharp contrast to the sharper tone shed deployed in recent days, culminating in a YouTube clip that was swiftly dubbed by her critics Hillarys Mean Scream. In it, Clinton had bellowed about how people who have health emergencies cant wait for us to have some theoretical debate about some better idea that will never, ever come to pass!
Clinton, who has in one way or another spent decades of her career pushing for universal health-care reform, was expressing her obvious lack of patience for a candidate whose idea of starting from scratch, rather than building on the reforms of the flawed but hard-won Affordable Care Act, strikes her as pie-in-the-sky.
But in failing to present an upbeat take on her disagreement with Sanders, Clinton had sounded like a scold, the disciplinarian, the mean mommy, the pragmatic downer all versions of a feminized role that she and many, many women have long found it incredibly difficult to escape.
Recall the days following the 2008 Iowa caucus, when the media took advantage of Clintons defeat to let loose with their resentment and animosity toward her. That was when conservative Marc Rudov told Fox News that Clinton lost because When Barack Obama speaks, men hear Take off for the future! When Hillary Clinton speaks, men hear Take out the garbage! It was in the days after Iowa that Clinton infamously got asked about how voters believed her to be the most experienced and the most electable candidate but are hesitating on the likability issue. In late January, columnist Mike Barnicle told a laughing all-male panel on Morning Joe that Clintons challenge was that she looks like everyones first wife standing outside of probate court.
What was true in 08 remains true this year. From her entrance into the campaign, Clinton has been tagged as unlikable, as the practical buzzkill, the boring one with the wonky facts and figures and experience whos going to show up and tell you that your big plans are impossible, but that shes thought of some smaller and more doable fixes. Meanwhile, Sanders, who entered the race shouting righteously and correctly about a system thats broken, has, as his campaign has strengthened, become the unlikely vehicle of idealistic hopes and dreams for America Free college! Free health care! A $15 minimum wage! The breakup of the big banks!
His vision of revolution, as Bryce Covert wrote in Mondays New York Times, differs significantly from Clintons approach, which Covert described accurately as pragmatism incarnate. Critics argue that his promises have no chance of coming to fruition, but their soaring scale and the righteous ideals to which they speak make him a candidate it is infinitely easier to feel emotionally inspired by. Clintons realism may in fact be one of the reasons that her supporters believe that shed make a more prepared and effective commander-in-chief than Sanders something that in fact provokes rational excitement, especially by those thrilled at the idea of an experienced, capable, hard-assed Democratic woman president. But hers is not an easy pose to pull off, if youre trying to win the hearts of America. In fact, MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell reported tonight that many young voters in Iowa had told her that their decision between Clinton and Sanders had come down to head versus heart, respectively.
That hurts, and it falls into a very old, very well-worn gendered pattern, in which women understanding that making promises they cannot back up will not get them taken seriously and that they must prove themselves extra-competent in order to be understood as basically competent become the nose-to-the-grindstone wonks, easily compared to know-it-all bores like Tracy Flick and Hermione Granger. Theyre the wet blankets, the ones all too acquainted with the limitations imposed by the world, and all too eager to explain their various ideas for working around them. Men, and especially white men, whose claims to public or political power are more easily understood, are permitted a slightly looser approach.
Theres been some talk about how a female candidate could never be as scruffy as Bernie Sanders, as uncombed and unkempt. A woman could never be as grumpy as Bernie, as left-leaning as Bernie, as uncooperative with party machinery as Bernie. And that stuff is true enough. But the bigger truth is that what Bernie does, to great acclaim, that Hillary Clinton could never do is make big promises of institutional overthrow, tug on our imaginative heartstrings by laying out a future that might not be grounded in reality, and urge a revolution.
Here is a truth about America: No one likes a woman who yells loudly about revolution.
And no, its not just this woman. This is a paradigm; its why Mom is the disciplinarian and Dad is the fun guy, why women remain the brains and organizational workhorses behind social movements while men get to be the gut-ripping orators, why so many women still manage campaigns and so many men are still candidates.
So here we are! On our way to New Hampshire, a state that inspiring Bernie Sanders is overwhelmingly favored to win. But for one of the first times, in her speech in Iowa, I saw Clinton work effectively to turn the pragmatic ship around, to take what she wants to say that Sanderss soaring promises are empty but her more modest proposals might come to pass and make it sound almost exciting.
This is a zine dedicated to black metal written by a practitioner of the black arts , This zine has been around in a different format for a while and I have decided to make an edition for www.blogger.com, for more information email occultblackmetalzine@yahoo.com, IF YOU ASK FOR AN ALBUM REVIEW OR INTERVIEW, DO NOT ASK FOR ME TO TAKE IT DOWN ONCE IT IS POSTED, ASKING WILL BE A WASTE OF TIME, https://www.patreon.com/OccultBlackMetalZIne no more facebook due to excessive bans so contact email
idec I will see this the weekend it comes out
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is derek not still married in the new movie?
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I loved Zoolander but this looks disappointing :(
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I'm loving all the promo for this though! Hopefully the movie won't be to disappointing
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Same :/
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i think its gotten to the point where its so iconic that any sequel will not beat it or match it in quality
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You know that is just so true :(
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DING DING DING
It's going to end up exactly like Anchorman 2. Has a few genuinely funny moments, but overall won't live up to or exceed the original and was made more for the sake of "hey guys, remember this?" than anything else.
Edited at 2016-02-02 04:08 pm (UTC)
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trash just like the first movie
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i'm loving the promo for this.
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Same! So good!
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I was howling with the one with ALEXANYA ATOZ (Kristen's character...)
"Distilled from the puddles of Indoo-nes-siya...."
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the promo has been so much fun
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this sounds like fanfic i wrote in middle school like when legolas fell into my high school and fell in love with me
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We all wrote that fanfic.
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lmao
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mine were always the villains
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I love the first one so you bet I'll be seeing this
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The promo for this movie is killing it. Even if the movie isn't good I'm watching anyway, good job marketing lol
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i hope this flops
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I sometimes quote the first movie and no one ever gets it. This will probably be stupid but I'll be there watching.
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same, i'm actually shocked by the amount of people who haven't seen it lmao
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I quote it because how can you not? There's so many classic lines
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MTE and I loved the original movie sfm, so pure classic
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lmao i quote it all the time in real-life situations
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I think about this scene a lot, from the dialogue to the footie penguin pajamas
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A coworker and I quote it all the time
Aside from my mom he's the only one that gets it :(
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ive watched the first one so many times, as much as i wanted a sequel this looks like it might be shit
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IDreallyGAF about fashion, but Cara's kind of growing on me. I hope I end up stanning for her in Suicide Squad.
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Between that instagram and Justin Theroux's hashtag puns, I'm feeling really excited for the movie.
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He was suing the shit out of them for 30 millions. Oops! a woman was killed. Very convenient if you ask me
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what in the 4th grade cursive hell
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He has a low IQ, what did you expect?
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um
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My cursive would probably look like that. I stopped writing in cursive the first chance I got. At least he still tries.
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lmao I look a few GREs where you have to write a short statement in cursive verifying that you are the person whose name is on the test, and it took me like 10 minutes and was definitely almost unreadable.
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it's sad...he has a low IQ and obviously not a lot of education and he's been in prison most of his life. so it's about right he'd be at about a 4th grade level :(
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cute classism
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Hello Len Kachinsky, we see you
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pathetic
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He has a 70 IQ and barely made it through school. IMO he probably would have a developmentally delayed label on his IEP, maybe an Oppositional Defiant Disorder as well.
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Do english speakers not normally write in cursive?
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My cursive would look like that tbh because I never write in it except for my signature.
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lol
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he is guilty
I've watched enough dateline and 48 hours to know
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Is this sarcasm?
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I think it's the equivalent of "I can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few shops in my time"
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But what about the ID network? That's where all the real knowledge comes from. I won't believe in your credentials otherwise.
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he is innocent
I listen to Serial.
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His penmanship is ugly but at least he can write cursive, few can
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that's not really true of people his age
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I'm pressed about schools abandoning cursive. It seems more adult and professional. Like, I have to be told to print in order for me not to use cursive.
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I'm surprised to learn cursive is not the norm tbh. In spanish speaking countries most people write in cursive.
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in Brazil as well. I'm baffled lol
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it used to be :/
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I'm always stunned when people don't tbh, I think I would find it harder to print(!)
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Same in Francophone countries. I think tbh, it's an American thing
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I still believe he's not guilty.
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Is there someone who actually thinks he is guilty?
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Definitely. I see quite a few people on r/makingamurderer who say he's guilty.
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I can't even remember the podcast I stumbled upon over the weekend, but the two dudes seemed to think he was. They believe in the DNA and they think police just overlooked the key the first 100 times they checked Steven's place. I didn't even finish the podcast because I got annoyed.
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The police man that "found" the key even found(!) the car of the victim before it was found by anyone else. He was even responsible for hiding informations because of Steven's prior trial. How is that possible that anyone can believe in that story?
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If it was Generation Why, I totally know what you mean. I listen to their podcost every week but it really felt like they were only saying he's guilty to "go against the grain" like they mad that MaM is a huge hit or something. I don't mind people having a different opinion on this but only if they are truly informed. People just taking Ken Kratz's word for things are not informed enough.
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I do. Not sure about the nephew but definitely Avery. It adds up.
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I think many people think he is guilty/was involved, but can agree that his court case was absolutely stacked and corrupt af.
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I think the documentary proved that the justice system is 1000% corrupt but I'm not totally convinced of his innocence.
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i do think he's innocent but whether innocent or guilty i definitely think he deserves a new trial. there was so much room for reasonable doubt it's crazy. i mean other people have been found not guilty with way, way less. cough cough casey anthony cough cough oj
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a lot of people do once they hear the cat story tbh
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He might be, we don't know. But there was absolutely no evidence at all that points to him.
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I'm still getting through the doc series, but isnt it possible he's guilty of the crime AND the police/county planted evidence to ensure a conviction?
Like, he was framed for a murder he actually did commit.
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I don't think he's completely innocent...I think he's involved to some degree, I'm just not sure of the extent.
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I think he might be guilty actually, but I don't think there was enough evidence to convict him. And Brenden definitely didn't kill her. And she definitely didn't get killed the way the State says she did. But I think Avery might have done it.
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lots of people think he's guilty because of his treatment of animals.
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I'm not convinced he's innocent. I'm not convinced he's guilty either. I am however 100% sure that Brendan is innocent. I cried when I saw he was found guitly.
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Nancy Grace.
I finally finished watching it and I'm really confused about it. I'd like to hear more about the cop who called in her vehicle before it had been found. There is something there that is a major piece to the story, I think.
I don't get how people can seriously think he killed her in his room or in the garage with absolutely no blood being found anywhere.
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I'm on the fence. I can't decide if he is or isn't, but I don't think he should've been found guilty with the evidence we were shown in the documentary.
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And why do you think he is innocent? You weren't there, you did not witness it. The producer of the documentary inserted their biases into their movie, so you are not getting the complete picture. I don't understand how people can come to a definitive conclusion about this story
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I absolutely think he was guilty, but I also think the police planted some stuff because they were worried the public/judge would be less likely to convict a guy who was just wrongfully imprisoned. I think people should be more focused on getting the nephew out of prison instead.
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Yes, he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and received a fair trial. I recommend people read all of the currently available transcripts with an open mind to get both sides of the story. Also keep a lookout for new facts not included in the documentary or trial to be presented this year. I'm happy to respectfully discuss the currently known public facts of the case with anyone that is interested.
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Do you think this makes him seem more innocent?
Like I think of the Adnan Syed case and how he was hesitant to agree to DNA testing but finally agreed to it at the end of the Serial podcast, and then suddenly afterwards "They've changed strategies" to not include DNA testing.
I know that the strategy thing can be true, but given some of his other issues, It to me made him look bad.
This to me makes Steven look good(IF he follows through)
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Not to me, really. There have been criminals who go along w/ DNA testing and it ends up working against them.
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its a good sign but some criminals believe their lies some hope for errors or that they can call inside job later it doesnt really prove anything
sucks to be innocent in this scenario as many documented cases have shown -_- . this is why i think we never invent time travel, all this stuff would be fixed no?
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Yeah, like that rapist/murderer who killed his SIL and swore up and down that he was innocent, claiming that DNA would vindicate him. He even became a born again Christian, got Christians to plead against the Death penalty to no avail. A few years after his execution, the DNA evidence proved that he was the one.
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His handwriting looks fine to me lol but my handwriting is the worst, so
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Same. It's funny to read people harping on it but I almost exclusively write cursive.
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Isn't it normal to write cursive? I do it all the time?
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I do half and half. I usually start the first few words/letters in print and then it devolves (evolves?) into cursive because it's faster.
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I can't write any other way
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I want to hear more from Brendan too.
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supporter's???
Bye
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Okay but who is working to free Brendan???
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mte, I just want that kid to have his life back!!!
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Yeah, I think Steve could be guilty, though I am by no means convinced he is (and there were issues with the investigation and trial for sure). BUT Brendan I 100% believe was completely innocent (not to mention screwed over by his lawyer, the system, etc.) and I feel so sad for him. I understand why Steve is the face of the documentary but I want more people fighting for Brendan.
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I hope he gets out and gets to sit front-row at Wrestlemania.
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If they free him, they will have to free Steven too
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honestly he's the one i care about the most
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I think the innocence project is actually working with him
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He's a shit person but I don't think he did it. Bendan is completely innocent in all ways and his is the most tragic part of this.
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I haven't finished the doc but I've seen all of his interrogation and I feel so bad for that poor boy. They truly brainwashed him and took advantage of the fact that he isn't very bright.
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Exactly. He reminds me a lot of my 7 year old who is on the spectrum. He's very eager to please and will tell you anything to make you go away if too much pressure is put on him and he can't handle it. It's heartbreaking.
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I honestly don't understand the US justice system. He's in for life because 12 people who know nothing about the law decided his nephew's testimony was true.
And about Brendan, how was he charged for raping her when there's no evidence that he was in there at all.
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That is always the thing that leaves me bewildered. Why are people who know nothing about the law deciding on crimes?
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Not to mention those people want to go home, they're sick and tired of being forced to take part in this stuff for weeks.
If I was in that jury and someone was paying me a fuckload to say he's guilty, I'd be in that room for as long as it takes. And people wanting to leave would probably just agree with me because they would want to be back to their lives.
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Yes! I don't understand why it works like that. It makes no sense to me that so much responsibility is given to random people that have no particular knowledge of the law and everything involved with it.
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Yeah I watched the show with my German bf and he just kept saying "What is this shit? In Germany JUDGES decide, not randos!" It made him really mad.
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I like her, but you're cruel for choosing that pic OP
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She looks like Cara Delevigne
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cruel
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she looks so malnourished and sleep deprived
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Blame her mommy and daddy for that face.
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I think this was when RDJ walked out of that interview last year during Age of Ultron promotion and he got grilled about his past with drugs out of nowhere.
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The camera operator at the interview RDJ walked out of.
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Like.... I can't even comprehend this kind of idiocy....
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I love this gif so much <3
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Omg this is too beautiful. Lmao her smug mug and that kid looks like someone marked her to be KStew's human sacrifice. Omg this is too beautiful. Lmao her smug mug and that kid looks like someone marked her to be KStew's human sacrifice.
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her smug mug
How is this smug? She's barely smiling.
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Looking smug does not have to include a full-on smile. Especially when you are Kristen Stewart and facial expressions aren't really your thing.
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Lol imagine if that kid was you? And this pic was your legacy... Sometimes I think of people in these crazy photos like where are they now lol
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damn op ! flawless gif choice!
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thanks bb
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is this like an authorized dog pile? cuz i'm in
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lol
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Lmfao, I'm really glad I decided to log on today.
You're doing the lord's work, OP. Brava!
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I never want to see someone who clearly can cry at the drop of a hat. Thats so uninteresting.
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Does she not know that actors basically train to do that shit lmao
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that just doesn't make sense. I can't just turn it on, so I'm always impressed by people who can.
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She's bored by actors with real skill, same way she's bored with the problem of gender pay equality. Is there anything that doesn't bore her?
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Her paychecks and own self-importance?
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lol exactly
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mte neil
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Lmao idk why but this kinda remind me of that plastic bag scene in American Beauty. #sodeep
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lmaooo mte
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Her and Jaden should hang out.
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hdu besmirch young galileo like this
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lmaooo
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looool (mte)
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I need that to be a reality show
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Did this post uprise from her last one? I knew I shouldn't have opted out
edit: Damn, now that I've read this post- lmao. She's a trip.
Edited at 2016-02-02 10:48 pm (UTC)
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Lol great post OP
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lol ty
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She's such a dumbass. lol @ her being so self-righteous about never appearing in a make-up campaign.
I was feeling a little self-conscious about the acting thing with my peers, but also my teachers became a problem. They didnt want to do the extra work or put packages together so I could keep up while away. They failed me. My teachers failed me. Not one, but all of them. my teachers became a problem. They didnt want to do the extra work or put packages together so I could keep up while away.
Why the fuck didn't she enroll in one of those schools known for dealing with working child performers then? It's such a cop-out. Your average teacher ain't got time for that. Don't put all the blame on them.
She then got the Twilight role because her boyfriend at the time was doing a movie with Catherine Hardwicke, director of the first Twilight movie, who introduced them. She went on to cheat on him with rpattz.
Edited at 2016-02-02 10:46 pm (UTC) ooh this postShe's such a dumbass. lol @ her being so self-righteous about never appearing in a make-up campaign.Why the fuck didn't she enroll in one of those schools known for dealing with working child performers then? It's such a cop-out. Your average teacher ain't got time for that. Don't put all the blame on them.
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Poor Michael, lol. You could tell he was really into her too
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He's been with Juno Temple for years now so I think he got the better end of the deal lol
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Yeah, that really annoyed me. If you're going to be gone for long gaps for filming or whatever the traditional school system isn't really built for that which (like you said) is why she should've gone to one of those actor's schools. Also it's not that the teachers didn't "want" to do the extra work, it's more like they literally couldn't bc teachers are usually swamped with doing stuff for their regular students and probably literally don't have enough time to do a specialized learning plan for one student who is voluntarily taking off for long gaps of time KRISTEN.
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Yeah, it's unfair of her to put the blame on the teachers. Her parents are rich; they could have hired a tutor or put her in those performing arts schools. I know I rag on some teachers, but it isn't their job to put together alternate lesson plans for students missing class. It reminds me of the guy who took his kids to Boston in the middle of the school year and wrote that note about them missing class, and how they were ~learning more outside the classroom than they ever could sitting inside~. And people wonder why their teenagers can't add or subtract.
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MTE
Teachers already have overcrowded classes with children who are unprepared. If she isn't going to be there and isn't some tiny Einstein, why would they bother?
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OMG MICHAEL OREGANO NOOOOOO
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Her parents let her brother drop out of school, too, and he didn't have the excuse of working on sets. Her parents just place no value on education.
Also, for contrast, Dakota Fanning went to a public school, graduated with honors, and went onto college. She continued to make films the whole time and never whined about any of it. It's possible to do both, you just need to have a modicum of intelligence and get your priorities in order.
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dude, kristen, fuck you. As a teacher, my rule is you miss class, you make up all of the work OUTSIDE OF CLASS. Talk to me about what you missed before or after class, not during. It's you're responsibility to make shit up, don't make me work over time just for one individual kid who is constantly out of class.
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She wouldn't be able to complain then.
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As a former teacher, this one really steamed me. Teachers get paid next to nothing to work themselves ragged. Her entitled little fit about them not doing EXTRA WORK for HER important ass is just vile. It was her job to figure that shit out, not theirs.
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any comments about medication like that are so damaging for people who want to seek help but are afraid of being medicated.
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Exactly. I hate her for that shit.
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Seriously, this cunt can go fuck herself. Stupid untalented fucking idiot.
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Yaaaaaaas Wednesday! Destroy ha!
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yeah she can go fuck herself for that
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yeah, she really ain't shit for saying something like that...
Edited at 2016-02-03 03:08 am (UTC)
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exactly. fuck her.
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I'm there at the moment tbh, and this quote:
"Self-exploration goes out the door with medication. You go, Oh god, I have a little stomachache, and they say, Here, we can help you with that. Well, why do you have that stomachache? Maybe its because your heads in your stomach, so maybe theres something youre ignoring that you can work out."
is similar to what's looping round and round in my head since I got my prescription for Prozac. I keep telling myself, if you take those tablets you won't worry so much and you'll feel happier. But you SHOULD be worried and upset or you won't fix your problems. That thing on your mind right now, you deserve to be upset about it, you should be losing sleep over that thing! If you take the tablets you'll be happy but you'll still be a mess.
hearing someone encouraging that thought process while I'm trying to fight against it is infuriating.
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lmao A+ post
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I love this post.
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Energy sector bankruptcies are mounting as we detox from the high of the shale boom, but while junk-rated energy bonds are experiencing staggering losses, and without any reprieve in site for low oil prices, some banks are still unwilling to throw in the towelbetting on a reversal of fortunes.
In 2015 alone, 42 oil companies filed bankruptcy proceedings, according to law firm Haynes and Boone. Total secured and unsecured energy sector debt moved into bankruptcy stood at a whopping $13.1 billion. According to Standard and Poors Rating Services, 50 percent of these oil and gas debts are considered distressed. With oil prices expected to remain low, the numbers could get much worse before they get better.
But banks arent necessarily viewing this in terms of dire straits, and they arent necessarily tightening the reigns on lending. In fact, some banks are holding out hope that the current crude oil crisis will force the industry to reduce production costs, allowing debt-laden companies to survive low prices and repay the mounds of debt taken on when times were good.
How much debt are we talking about, exactly? According to Barclays, the amount of bond debt owed by junk-rated energy producers expanded eleven fold to $112.5 billion at the height of the shale boom from 2004 through 2014. Related: Sales Tax Dispute Could Send Billions to Texas Oil Industry
Perhaps a few will adapt to the changes and endure. Unfortunately, there will be many others who will be unable to compete at todays prices, creating a problem for banks that continue to lend to companies rated BB and lower.
Hook, Line & Sinker
In 2009, crude oil prices rose sharply and held fast until 2014. Central banks around the world pumped massive amounts of money into the economy, anticipating that the demand for crude oil would continue to increase. The oil business was a profitable one with very limited risk, which bolstered bank lending in this sector. Quite simply, everyone wanted to be in on it.
(Click to enlarge)
Many of these debts are still outstanding today, putting the banks in a risky position.
Oil and gas companies need to regularly invest in new oil in order to continue production. With lower oil prices denting cash flows, they will be unable to operate their facilities without new loans. Related: This Could Be A Big Setback For Irans Oil Export Plans
This puts banks between a rock and a hard place. In order to recover their loans, they will have to keep the loans flowing, albeit at higher rates and using a more conservative approach. The other unattractive option is to cut bait and let a company default before the risks are too high. Either is risky for the lender.
According to the Wall Street Journal, citing financial research firm IPREO, oil and gas companies raised $255.7 billion through various public offerings and bond issues from 2007 through 2014. The total debt of the U.S. oil and gas companies, excluding Chevron and ExxonMobil, is expected to increase to more than $200 billion when all the 2015 financials come out. Thats a 55 percent increase since 2010all fueled by higher oil prices at that time.
A Painful FutureFor Some
Banks determine loan amounts by assigning a value to a companys proven oil reserves using the future price of oil and gas and discounting the future cash flow. These reserves are capped at a certain percentage of the total valuation to account for uncertainties.
The banks lend only 60 percent of this total valuation, and assess this amount bi-annually to account for volatility, essentially recalculating the borrowing base and final loan amount. Related: Is China The Big Sponge That Absorbs The Oil Glut?
Until recently, both sides in the lending equation were hopeful of higher prices, so the last assessment used higher oil prices than what we are seeing today. Now that the Energy Information Administrations (EIA) STEO has forecast $40/barrel until January 2017, the borrowing base of many companies is likely to be revised in April.
During the next review, banks are expected to throttle loans to these companies, but they will still lend enough to allow for continued operations. The risk here is that many of the new loans will turn into bad debts for the banks.
No one expects oil prices to remain low forever. The current crisis will likely result in a reduction of the supply glut eventuallyone way or another. Some of these oil companies will make good investment bets for the banks when oil prices recover, but only some. And larger banks will fare better because only a small percentage of their total loans are in energy.
Watch out for the smaller banks, thoughparticularly those who have lent large to oil and gas. For them, the industry distress will reach a painful conclusion.
By Rakesh Upadhyay for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The U.S. Senate will kick off deliberations over a (potentially) bipartisan energy bill this week.
Reaching consensus on energy legislation has been notoriously difficult, but the Republican lead on energy in the U.S. Senate believes that they could push something through for the first time in almost a decade.
But the bill faces an uphill battle. Any bill that is to make it to the Presidents desk will necessarily have to avoid a lot of poison pill issues. I want to change energy policy and you can't do that without the legislation becoming law, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the chair of the Senate Energy Committee, said last week. And so not only do we need the support of the House, we need to have the president support it as well.
Sen. Murkowski has tried to only bite off issues that could actually become law, while eschewing more controversial elements that would end up sinking the effort. She has worked with the ranking member on the committee from the Democrats, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who has lent her support, at least so far. Related: Is China The Big Sponge That Absorbs The Oil Glut?
The bill would include an acceleration of federal approvals for LNG export terminals. It would update energy efficiency standards for the first time since 2007. It would also update standards for the electric grid, address some cybersecurity concerns, and expand conservation funding. But the bill will largely steer clear of issues relating to fossil fuels, renewable energy, or climate change. In years past, those latter issues dominated the debate, causing previous efforts to go nowhere.
With a narrower focus on less contentious issues, 2016 could be different. The bill already got approval at the committee level, on a 18-4 vote, showing that there is definitely a degree of support from both parties.
Still, there are over 100 amendments to the bill, which could drag down the whole effort. The most high-profile of which is a push by the delegation of Michigan to include $600 million in federal funding for the water crisis in the city of Flint, Michigan. Sen. Murkowski has tried to keep the fragile coalition together on the bill by vowing not to include provisions that require increased spending. The Flint amendment could lead to Republican opposition. Related: This Could Be A Big Setback For Irans Oil Export Plans
Separately, the two Senators from California want to include an amendment that would require the federal government to get involved in the ongoing gas leak in Los Angeles. Also, Republicans are trying to include language that would block the Obama administrations latest decision to stop new sales for coal leases on federal lands. In a non-energy or environmental effort, another amendment seeks a resolution to Puerto Ricos debt crisis.
Nevertheless, Democrats are so far offering some support. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid called Murkowskis energy package a good bill. His counterpart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), described it as "the latest reminder of whats possible with cooperation in this Senate. For its part, the White House also lent some cautious support for the effort, citing the upgrades to energy efficiency, infrastructure and conservation. Related: Sales Tax Dispute Could Send Billions to Texas Oil Industry
Aside from deeper liberalization of LNG exports, there is not a whole lot in the energy bill that will affect energy markets in a significant way. Even the LNG issue might not matter too much in the near-term. There are already a handful of LNG export terminals that have received full approval from the federal government. Beyond that, new terminals might be difficult to pull off. Global LNG markets are oversupplied, and the glut could worsen in the coming years. LNG prices have crashed in Asia, and after factoring in the cost of liquefaction and transportation, exporting natural gas from the U.S. could be difficult.
So, the bill could become law in a rare bit of bipartisan consensus precisely because it includes only small-bore energy provisions. But that is just about all the bitterly divided Congress can stomach.
The Senate began working through the backlog of amendments on Monday, although not all of which will actually come up for a vote.
By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
What we have here is a failure to communicate. Thats what the warden says to Paul Newman in the movie Cool Hand Luke, right after he knocks him into a ditch. The oil and gas industry has its own failure to communicate and the longer prices bump along the bottom, the worse it seems to be getting.
Much of the communication problem centers on whether the world still needs oil and gas and how long that need will last. The additional source of confusion is what low oil prices have to do with the future energy mix. The best evidence of that failure to communicate can be seen in the comparison between President Obamas State of the Union address on January 12th and ExxonMobils projections on energy use released less than two weeks later. Their perspective on the role that oil plays in our economy no, actually in the lives of people all over the globe is so radically different that there is no common ground.
In the Presidents annual address to Congress, one of the big applause lines came when he pointed out that the U.S. has reduced oil imports by 60 percent under his administration and, gas under $2 a gallon aint bad either. Both Democrats and Republicans cheered for that.
Then he continued, Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future, especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. We do them no favor when we dont show them where the trends are going. Related: Russian-OPEC Production Cut Remains A Long Shot
What trend? The political and diplomatic efforts to address global warming. But the President missed, or chose not to recognize, another trend the world is not decreasing its use of oil and gas; it is increasing it. That information was highlighted a couple of weeks later when the ExxonMobil analysis was released. That study looks ahead to the year 2040 and projects that fossil fuels will still provide 80 percent of the worlds energy need.
The Cliff Notes version of the analysis is that:
1. Undeveloped nations will become more developed,
2. Populations will grow (from 7.2 billion people worldwide today to nine billion in 2040), and
3. Global energy demand will increase by 25 percent. About a third of the energy used will come from oil. Natural gas will be the biggest winner, with consumption up by about 40 percent. Renewable energy use will increase substantially and coal will be the big loser. Related: LukOil Back In Iran As Russias Output Faces Decline
That is a changed landscape to be sure, and not the sort of change that should cause policymakers to think they can ignore any energy source to fuel world growth. Interestingly, one of the biggest changes predicted in the report has less to do with energy sources and more to do with using our energy more efficiently. Where the study predicts that world energy use will go up 25 percent, we could see twice that increase if we dont adopt efficiency measures. To put it another way, we need to be aggressive in implementing efficiency measures or we may not have enough energy to meet growth demands.
Looking at one measure, light vehicles are predicted to use about 40 percent less fuel, not because we will all be driving electric cars, but because stingier gas-powered vehicles could get 45 miles per gallon.
To some extent, the difference between the State of the Union address and ExxonMobils vision of the future is a tale of two cities, Washington and Houston. One is driven by the optics of politics and the limitations of the legislative process. The other is driven by the realities of the marketplace and the simple realities of statistical analysis. But it also sounds like a tale of two planets one world in which energy sources can be changed with a flip of a switch and one world where people and governments continue to act in their own best interests. Related: More Oil and Gas Bankruptcies Are Assured
So where is the common ground? How do we stop the massive failure to communicate? How about this:
No one in the energy industry should believe that we live in a static economic model where oil continues to be king forever and there is no room for alternative energy sources. The costs of alternative energy will continue to decrease and the benefits of those sources under specific circumstances and for specific purposes will increase.
Oil and gas arent going anywhere. Petroleum engineers and geologists entering college next year will work their entire careers exploring for hydrocarbons.
While we are going through a historic down cycle in oil and gas, failure to plan for a future that includes those commodities risks shortages that could make the costs astronomical.
Somewhat higher (and predictably stable) oil and gas prices help every part of the energy pie. Low prices are killing the oil and gas sector, but they are also making it impossible for renewables to thrive without subsidies.
Incentives for efficiency promise to provide us with the greatest long-term bang for the buck.
Government policies need to be grounded in the reality that fossil fuels are going to be with us for a long time to come and that renewables will take time to prove themselves. Policies need to reflect a mixed and balanced approach to the full array of energy sources, the all of the above policy that the Administration once talked about but never fully embraced. Lets note that none of the Presidential candidates from either party are talking about a balanced energy policy either.
That approach is the only way to replace our failure to communicate with the type of public policy that transitions us into the future. To borrow from a guy who was pretty successful in communicating his message to the America people eight years ago, that would be change we can believe in.
By Ken Wells for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Very interesting drama unfolding in one of the worlds top mining nations the last few weeks.
Thats Indonesia where a top copper miner is grappling with its future in the country.
The firm is Freeport McMoRan. Which late last week once again ran afoul of Indonesian authorities over exports of copper concentrate from the companys mines.
Freeport had been exporting copper under a temporary license from the Indonesian government. A measure that became necessary after Indonesia imposed an export ban on unprocessed minerals in late 2013. Related: Russia Cries Dyadya (Uncle), Is Saudi Arabia Listening?
Since then, Freeport had been allowed a temporary export license after pledging to pursue the construction of a copper smelter in Indonesia.
But the companys latest export permit expired last Thursday. And reports suggest the Indonesian government has refused to renew this key permission.
And a few things happened right before the permit expiry, which make this case extra complicated.
For one, Indonesian officials had demanded that Freeport deposit $530 million for construction of a smelter. An amount the company says was not part of its contract with the government. Related: Politics & Oil - What The President Failed To Mention In His Address To Congress
Another key event has been recent demands by Indonesia that Freeport sells a 10.64 percent stake in its Grasberg mega-mine to the government. Which Freeport said in mid-January it would be willing to vend for $1.7 billion.
The government subsequently said that offer was overpriced. Suggesting officials will play hardball on the amount for this purchase.
With both of those issues still in limbo, its not surprising the government has halted Freeports export permissions. Company officials said Monday that operations are still running as usual at the Grasberg mine but it appears that copper ore may be headed for stockpile rather than sale here for the next while. Related: Banks On The Hook For Bad Energy Loans
At the same time, some interesting reports have emerged on Freeport in local newspapers in a completely different part of the world: Chile. Suggesting the firm may be looking at selling its 51 percent interest in the massive El Abra mine here.
Such a move could be aimed at raising some of the cash necessary to resolve the Indonesia situation. With local Chilean papers naming state copper miner Codelco as a possible buyer of El Abra.
Watch to see if this emergency mine sale does materialize and who the potential bidders and buyers are. This could mean a high-quality asset coming available to the market.
Heres to crisis and opportunity
By Dave Forest
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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The Atlantic Named Magazine of the Year!
Here's my tribute to the well deserved recognition.
Whenever I've had the chance to read Atlantic's investigative reporting, I've found the attention to fascinating detail to be exceptionally interesting and informative! The writers are not engaged in their ego development. Rather, the articles are focused on educating readers. Two particular articles I've read in Atlantic Magazine have actually changed the way I think about the subjects reported.
1. "The Year of Two Popes", January/February 2006, by Paul Eile. This article was written before March 13, 2013, when Pope Francis was elected and after Pope John Paul II died, in Rome.
In this article, I learned just how human the Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church are, when they're called upon to perform what's, perhaps, the most important of the leadership rituals they're charged with fulfilling, being electing a Pope. Through the risky investigative use of anonymous sources, Eile chronicled the ambitious journey of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as he negotiated with his colleagues as a member of the "Hole See" (the universal government of the Roman Catholic Church) to his election as Pope Benedict XVI. Here is my Dropbox url link to this particular article.
file:///C:/Users/Juliana/Dropbox/The%20year%20of%20two%20popes%20The%20Atlantic.pdf
What I learned was no surprise, but a validation about how the campaign to elect a Pope isn't nearly so inspired by the Holy Spirit, as the secret ballot process would often lead the faithful to believe.
2. "What ISIS Really Wants" was published in March 2015, reported by Graeme Wood. What's compelling about Wood's report is how he transcended the religiouisty of "Islamic" so called mysticism, concepts badly misrepresented by the "Islamic State" (a self declared "califphate"), to explain just how overtly the terrorist group intends to fulfill it's mission of destroying civilization as we know it. It's chilling report, precisely because Wood writes it in the secular media, rather than in a religious journal. Here's The Atlantic Magazine's url link to Wood's article.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isis-really-wants/384980/
Both articles influenced the way I think about (a) the Vatican - it's not so mystical a place as I might have once been naieve enough to believe and (b) ISIS is even more evil and degrading to the human condiiton than civilization can even imagine and, therefore, must be destroyed.
I'm sharing the links to the two articles as my tribute to The Atlantic Magazine for publishing cutting edge investigative reporting. My tribute is "blogged" with congratulations to Atlantic, for supporting exceptional writers who can explain complicated and emotionally charged topics in a prose even a blogger can understand.
(Byt the way, a journalist like Eile, who can report on how a Pope is elected in the Sistine Chapel by secret ballot, should also be able to astutely explain how a "caucus" really works!)
http://news.yahoo.com/atlantic-named-magazine-140000592.html;_ylt=A0LEVjnb.7BWLVYAacUPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--
Washington D.C. (February 2, 2016)The Atlantic was named Magazine of the Year in the 2016 National Magazine Awards for Print and Digital Media. The Ellie Awards, given by the American Society of Magazine Editors, were presented last night at a ceremony in New York City.
This is a tremendous tribute to the hard work of absolutely everyone at The Atlantic, who are as smart and as decent and as dedicated a group of magazine people as one could hope to be associated with, said James Bennet, president and editor in chief of The Atlantic.
This is a unique category, honoring our magazine work in print and in digital, but also in events, video, marketing, and services, said Bob Cohn, The Atlantics president and COO. The result here underscores our commitment to delivering the idea of The Atlantic wherever and however people want to receive it.
Across its 10 issues of 2015, The Atlantic published high-impact cover stories that sparked widespread attention and influenced the national conversation. The year began with James Fallows asking why the best soldiers in the world keep losing in The Tragedy of the American Military . was named Magazine of the Year in the 2016 National Magazine Awards for Print and Digital Media. The Ellie Awards, given by the American Society of Magazine Editors, were presented last night at a ceremony in New York City.This is a tremendous tribute to the hard work of absolutely everyone at, who are as smart and as decent and as dedicated a group of magazine people as one could hope to be associated with, said James Bennet, president and editor in chief of The Atlantic.This is a unique category, honoring our magazine work in print and in digital, but also in events, video, marketing, and services, said Bob Cohn,president and COO. The result here underscores our commitment to delivering the idea of The Atlantic wherever and however people want to receive it.Across its 10 issues of 2015, The Atlantic published high-impact cover stories that sparked widespread attention andThe year began with James Fallows asking why theTa-Nehisi Coatess The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration took an unflinching look at how the deep reach of Americas criminal-justice system has affected black families. Overt anti-Semitism prompted Jeffrey Goldberg to ask an agonizing question of an entire continent: Is It Time for the Jews to Leave Europe? . Goldbergs piece was also nominated for a National Magazine Award in the Reporting category. And Hanna Rosin reported on mounting pressures among elite students, with The Silicon Valley Suicides .
the most-read article on the web in 2015 The Atlantics most-read article of all time, and continues to be a leading source for readers around the globe looking for a clear-eyed explanation of what motivates ISIS. The magazines March cover story What ISIS Really Wants , was earning more engagement than anything else measured by Chartbeat. Ten months and 20 million page views later, Graeme Woods piece remainsmost-read article of all time, and continues to be a leading source for readers around the globe looking for a clear-eyed explanation of what motivates ISIS.
The award comes as The Atlantic embarks on its largest year of investment and growth, continuing the momentum of record audience, revenue, and profit in 2015. TheAtlantic.com broke three consecutive audience records at the close of 2015 and had 50 percent YOY digital growth, reaching a high of more than 31.5 million unique monthly visitors. Total revenues across platforms and businesses grew 20 percent in 2015. The Atlantic also increased its staff by 50 percent in 2015, and has similar hiring plans this year.
In early January, The Atlantic launched a multi-platform expansion of its coverage of WashingtonThe Atlantic is tripling its Washington reporting team and growing its events and business staffs.These gains follow an expansive redesign of TheAtlantic.com in spring 2015 and the debuts of the The award comes asembarks on its largest year of investment and growth, continuing the momentum of record audience, revenue, and profit in 2015. TheAtlantic.com broke three consecutive audience records at the close of 2015 and had 50 percent YOY digital growth, reaching a high of more than 31.5 million unique monthly visitors. Total revenues across platforms and businesses grew 20 percent in 2015. The Atlantic also increased its staff by 50 percent in 2015, and has similar hiring plans this year.In early January,launched a multi-platform expansion of its coverage of Washington Politics & Policy across TheAtlantic.com, the magazine, video, and live eventsfocused on offering a distinctively sophisticated understanding of power and ideas in the U.S. capital.is tripling its Washington reporting team and growing its events and business staffs.These gains follow an expansive redesign ofin spring 2015 and the debuts of the Science section and Notes , the sites return to blogging.
Labels: Graeme Wood, ISIS, Paul Eile, Pope Benedic XVI
"...Szubin's accusation is thought to be the first time that a
representative of the US government has made such direct accusations.}
Russian President Vladimir Putin is corrupt, according to a US Treasury officials comments Monday to the BBC. In fact, the country as a whole needs to do a better job of tackling corruption at all levels, President Putin in turn told his cabinet Tuesday.
Vladimir Putin inherited a culture of corruption that certainly existed even before Stalin and earlier.
Russia has long been plagued by allegations of corruption, but how much of a problem is it, and how does Russia compare with other countries? (How old is Russia? Corruption has existed that long.)
Russians live in a culture of bribery, kickbacks and black marketing. How do I know this? Honestly, it's knowledge passed on to me from father to daughter. What's different between the corruption in Russia today and how it was in 1908, when my father was born, is just more access to black markets and bribery. Okay, the knowledge I have about corruption in Russia is learned by oral history. Therefore, in m opinion, it's accurate.
How corrupt is Russia?
Russian President Vladimir Putin was accused by the US Treasury of being corrupt. Although Putin has been encouraging his cabinet to work harder against corruption. Is there any way of knowing where the corruption lies? (In my opinion, Russia's corruption is endemic in the culture.)
President Putin of Russia is now labeled as being "corrupt" if he's worth 40 billion then it's hard to understand where he's stashing his wealth. I suspect Putin visits Switzerland frequently, just my opinion.
Allegations against Putin emerged as Adam Szubin, in charge of US Treasury sanctions , told the BBCs Panorama program that the US government had regarded the Russian president as corrupt for many, many years .
My father would say, in his experience, all Russian politicans are corrupt.
Labels: Adam Szubin. Vladimir Putin, The Christian Science Monitor
By the time I landed in Park City, Utah Friday afternoon for the final weekend of the Sundance Film Festival, most of the party was dying down. Many of the big celebrities had already left town after the first week of premieres, and the press and industry people werent far behind heading back to the publications that sent them out west. Most of the years buzziest entries had already been bought up too in the case of "The Birth of a Nation," for a record-setting price.
However, the important parts the movies themselves were very much alive and in action, and over the course of my three days amidst the snow and the spectacle, I managed to cram in six movies, several of which were some of the festivals most talked about (unfortunately, I wasnt able to get into the talk of the town, "AbracaDeborah," due to reasons of it not being real). It was a fascinating mix of reality and oddity, tragedy and comedy, Anthony Weiner and Daniel Radcliffes wiener (Ill explain).
Before they all hopefully make it out to Milwaukee, here are my films of Sundance, ranked from worst to best.
6. "Kate Plays Christine": ** out of ****
In 1974, Sarasota TV newscaster Christine Chubbuck killed herself live on air. Over 40 years later, for some reason, this macabre yet still mostly forgotten chapter of media history was the source for two movies at Sundance: the narrative drama "Christine" and the "documentary" "Kate Plays Christine."
While the former may have had the star power namely Rebecca Hall ("The Gift," "The Prestige") in the lead the latter featured the most intriguing premise, following an actress desperate to learn more about Chubbuck after being cast as the newscaster in a cheapo movie adaptation. The result becomes less about the unfortunate news reporter and more about the impossible quest of trying to find meaning in the meaningless, some sense of logic or reality in the bizarre and the unreal with the meta-documentary toying with the viewers own sense of reality.
It all sounds very compelling in theory, but unfortunately "Kate Plays Christine" winds up a bit disappointing in practice. Near the middle, the film starts to drag as it seems to run out of things to explore or discover, and while it almost picks back up near the final third, it absolutely botches the landing with a finale thats preachy, hypocritical and unconvincingly performed. Its still an intriguing effort with plenty of ideas and thoughts swirling in its head, but unfortunately theyre much more satisfying to talk about than actually watch in action.
5. "Jim: The James Foley Story": *** out of ****
On a similar though much more conventional wavelength as "Kate Plays Christine," director Brian Oakes "Jim" hones its focus not on the horrifically public way its subject died (the doc says outright it wont show Foleys execution) but instead on the life that came before. For the most part, its a successful mission, sharing a lovingly intimate and personal not to mention compellingly photographed, thanks to Foley and friends urgent warzone footage eulogy for its fallen friend. It may not be the definitive in-depth look into Foley and his war photographer career we want the imbalanced structure sometimes leaves intriguing elements unmined and occasionally forgets Jim in his own story but its certainly the powerful and emotional tribute he deserves.
4. "Swiss Army Man": *** out of ****
Stop me if youve heard this one before: A man (Paul Dano, "There Will Be Blood") trapped on a desert island is saved when an unknown dead man (Daniel Radcliffe) washes ashore with gassy farts so violently potent, his alive compatriot is able to ride him like a man-shaped banana boat (a manana boat, if you will) across the sea to the mainland.
Hollywood, always telling the same old stories, amirite?
With a plot synopsis like that and thats really just the first ten minutes its no wonder "Swiss Army Man" quickly became Sundances most infamous movie. But theres actually much more to co-director Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's truly genre-bending feature debut than just the Daniel Radcliffe Farting Corpse Movie.
Thats certainly a good part of it, with the early going using Radcliffes fumes to hilariously deflate the potentially heavy drama like a well-placed whoopee cushion, refusing to allow the viewer to take the lead characters struggle through nature too seriously. And thats just the beginning, as Radcliffes slowly reanimating corpse amusingly becomes Danos grapping hook (dont ask), canteen (dont ask), compass (REALLY dont ask) and BFF. Its all quite inventively funny, and everybody from the writer-director duo to an incredibly game Radcliffe impressively commit to the delightfully crazy, macabre concept.
Hiding in plain sight, however, behind the flatulence and the boner jokes is a rather thoughtful story of a man witnessing his life flash rather bizarrely before his eyes through a dead man, fighting his way through depression and coming to terms with his weirdness. Its almost touching (cue explosive fart sound).
In case everything Ive just said didnt spell it out, its oddball nature certainly wont be everyones taste, and its far from flawless; the ending stumbles in trying to wrap up neatly, and I wouldnt mind sitting "Swiss Army Man" down on a psychologists couch to talk out its women issues. But of the two movies Ive seen in 2016 about a lone man struggling to survive in the woods featuring a bear attack, I found this one both more entertaining and enriching. And thanks to its purchase by A24 Films ("Ex Machina," "Room"), I think itll find an audience that appreciates it for what it is farts and all.
3. "The Birth of a Nation": *** out of ****
They hand out a lot of awards to several different movies at the end of Sundance, but the undoubted winner of the film festival was Nate Parkers bold debut "The Birth of a Nation." Not only did the Nat Turner slave revolt drama win both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize (which is becoming a regular occurrence), but it also scored a record-breaking payday when Fox Searchlight purchased the film for $17.5 million.
And on top of all that, the movie is quite good too.
While it pales in the impossible-to-ignore imposing shadow of the recent Best Picture winner "12 Years a Slave" Parkers filmmaking feels a little stagey and simple, especially when the mind recalls McQueens clear-eyed authenticity with both the horrific and the human the fire and potency of "Birth of a Nation" cant be denied. Parker is a force in the lead role, slowly transforming from a Bible-spouting pawn of the white slave owners into the slaves righteously furious revolt leader, combating their oppressors with first the weapon of the holy word they used to chain them and later the weapon of axes and violence. His passion, on and off screen, fuels the emotional charge of the film, one that feels electric when it comes time for the fight for freedom.
Even through its flaws I wish the female roles were more than support for its Great Man lead, and the revolt finale submits to some action cliche "The Birth of a Nation" feels utterly essential, a powerful reclaiming of film history (Griffiths infamously racist silent classic will now have to share its page with a Nat Turner biopic, and thats awesome) and American history. The final shot in particular is a cinematic roar for the ages.
2. "Little Men": ***1/2 out of ****
Between potent slave revolt dramas, crazy star-studded comedies and all of the other titles fighting for air at Sundance, its not surprising that a modest little family-and-friendship drama like "Little Men" feels like it fell through the cracks a bit. Do yourself a favor, though, if and when it becomes available to you: check it out.
Theo Taplitz and Michael Barbieri star as Jake and Tony, two New York boys who become friends, despite the fact that their respective parents (Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle on Jake's side, Paulina Garcia on Tony's side) get into an escalating feud over the new rent owned for a Brooklyn property that Jake's family newly inherited and Tony's mom houses her clothing store. Writer-director Ira Sachs follow-up to 2014s critically acclaimed "Love Is Strange" is perfectly pitched, from the performances to the drama. He never pushes it too hard or too big, instead crafting a very human story, not about bad people but about regular people in an unfortunate situation and the sweet, charming and natural young friendship hanging in the balance.
Its a tribute to Sachs simple, honest storytelling that a story can feel so small in actual stakes and so big in emotional stakes at the same time. And while the ending of "Love Is Strange" brought things to a depressing, empty end, the final note here is right on point, a childhood reality we all likely know very well.
1. "Weiner": ***1/2 out of ****
Whats in a name? If that name is Weiner, the odds are good you just guiltily chuckled a little bit, and if I told you its in reference to disgraced New York politician/serial sexter Anthony Weiner (AKA Carlos Danger), youd probably laugh even more. The documentary that bares Weiners unfortunately foreboding name, however, is no joke. In fact, directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinbergs debut doc is an early entrant in the years best film conversation.
Capturing a ton of remarkably candid behind-the-scenes footage of Weiners predictably failed post-scandal mayoral run, "Weiner" is the complete package: funny and fascinating, entertaining and incisive, a complex snapshot of a person and of politics.
In addition to the goldmine of personal and professional footage theres really no overstating how much incredible access granted to the filmmakers; even the filmmaker at one low point has to ask, "Why did you let me film this?" the duo also picked a terrific story, with two fascinating lead characters as expressive as Weiners last name is unfortunate. Every captured glance from Anthonys wife Huma also a Hillary Clinton aide, then and now carries a Hemingway novels worth of thought and emotion, while Weiner comes off as such an endearing schmuck of a sadsack, a pretty good politician who simply cant get out of his own way whether it be the fault of addiction, pride, naivety, ambition, actual belief, incompetence or ego. Or maybe its our fault, letting the ravenous media noise get in the way of a decent politician.
No matter your takeaway on the man, "Weiner" paints a biting, hilarious and human look at one of the all-time great political punchlines. Its a film so good, it might single-handedly redeem the entire 2016 political season.
Cliven Bundy is not helping his son's cause today, the very day Ammon Bundy is headed before a federal judge:
"Three men charged over the armed occupation of federal land in Harney County will appear in federal court on Tuesday. "Ammon Bundy, Peter Santilli and Joseph O'Shaughnessy are seeking release from custody pending trial. Bundy and Santilli were denied release on Friday. "O'Shaughnessy was granted release, but federal prosecutors are fighting to keep him locked up."
Ammon Bundy was previously denied released pending trial because the judge determined he is a danger to the community. He is asking a judge to allow him to leave for Idaho with a GPS enabled ankle bracelet.
Meanwhile, Ammon's own father may have hurt his cause. Late yesterday he publicly released a certified letter he sent to Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and President Barack Obama. The letter was meant to put Sheriff Ward "on notice":
Cliven Bundy is ordering the FBI to leave Burns, Oregon immediately ... or else. He also says the standoff will continue and they will not give up the refuge. Given the previous federal judge said there was no chance of release while the standoff is still going on and the fact Ammon Bundy and his wife Lisa Bundy have reached out both directly and indirectly to the remaining four militants at the refuge, pleading for them to leave, this isn't likely to help Ammon's case today in federal court.
Someone's Hating, Lord, Kumbaya
Make no mistake. What I decidedly am not saying in this article is that all leftists should sing "Kumbaya," become good Democrats, and stop "hating on" Hillary Clinton. The day I scrawl such indefensible bilge, somebody kindly shoot me.
Granted, I'd actually be delighted to see a huge bunch of us leftists joining hands and singing "Kumbaya." But only because we're all basking together in a toasty inner glow--of our common hatred for Hillary. If I have my druthers, we'll all link arms in a common task: to deprive her of the Democratic nomination. Or failing that (should she outrace the Clown Car and become president), we'll let her know she's starting her administration as the most hated and distrusted president in U.S. history--a sentiment publicly confirmed by our "huuuge" organized protest of her inauguration.
Hillary haters--especially leftist ones--can accomplish these noble goals; and Hillary's increasingly ham-handed alienation of Sanders supporters is guaranteed to help us. But only if we all bury the hatchet--or rather, jointly plunge that hefty tool where it righty belongs: in Hillary's corrupted skull. But the hatchet is really heavy, and wielding it to deadly effect will require an unprecedented joint effort by leftists. United by hating Hillary, we could--and should--"all just get along."
"People of the Book" vs. the TOXIC Establishment
With so much of today's politics having a religious, indeed cultish, feel--emotionally charged and impervious to evidence--it seems appropriate that I explain my case for Hillary hatred as the ultimate leftist uniter by citing a religious metaphor. My chosen metaphor is "People of the Book" , a religious idea found in the Qur'an.
People of the Book is actually a unifying idea, encouraging tolerance and mutual respect among people of different faiths--people who could easily get (and historically have gotten) quite mutually intolerant -- based on their common reverence for a set of sacred scriptures. Specifically, it refers to Jews, Christians, and other Abrahamic religions predating Islam--people who, like Muslims, revered what we now call the Bible (though differing among themselves about the scriptural value of the New Testament) and traced their ancestry to a common patriarch, Abraham. Though a formula promoting good relations with People of the Book, it was likewise a recipe for intolerance (and increased prospects of jihad) toward those who weren't.
It's in both senses--as unifying "People of the Book" and opening prospects of jihad against those who aren't--that I use the Qur'anic formula here. Specifically, I strongly urge Sanders supporters and harder leftists to unite based on common "reverence" for a set of political books (or at least the diagnosis of our political ills those books share) and to prepare for "holy war" against all unbelievers in those books' message. For reasons I'll soon make clear, I refer to those unbelievers as the "toxic Establishment"; what makes Hillary Clinton especially "hateworthy" is that she's simultaneously their perfect incarnation, their de facto leader--and their foremost hope of continuing their noxious reign.
While I cite "People of the Book" as an idea for unifying leftists around a common "book" and for targeting "unbelievers" in that book, that's where all resemblance between my concept and the Qur'anic one ends. For leftists' reverence for the "book" in question isn't a matter of faith at all. Rather, it's as if our "revered scriptures" consisted of purely rational and evidence-based treatises, like Newton's Principia or Darwin's Origin of Species. What I strongly mean to say here is that in terms of the most essential, evidenced-based political books of our time, Hillary Clinton and her supporters are virtual (and often voluntary) illiterates-- deserving sheer contempt from leftist "People of the Book."
So let me give a small, personal sampler of Hillary-damning political books. What I mean by "personal" here is that I own the books in question and have read them either in whole or in part; where the time demands of political activism have confined me to reading in part, I've at least read a substantial "executive summary" (as with Paul Krugman's review of Thomas Piketty's Capital ). But in speaking of Bernie supporters and harder leftists as "People of the Book," I'm demanding even less reading of the "canonical" books than I've managed, or perhaps even none at all. (Which again seems appropriate, given how illiterate religious people often are in their own governing scriptures.) What matters, rather, is that Bernie supporters and harder leftists have arrived at a common diagnosis of our political ills with the books in question. The books simply serve as strong, corroborating evidence for the rationality of our viewpoint: why all right-thinking minds reject Clinton.
A religious agnostic myself, the last thing I intend is to impose a "canon" of scriptures on political allies. Anyone sharing my views is welcome to recommend additions; I personally would be delighted to learn of other works that make our case. But besides Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century (cited by its shortened title above), I'd name five other books as combining to make a definitive case that there's extreme danger--to both our nation and all of humanity--in allowing the toxic Establishment, as incarnated by Hillary Clinton, its stranglehold over political power. In no particular order, these are Chris Hedges' The Death of the Liberal Class; Lawrence Lessig's Republic, Lost; Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything ; Mike Lofgren's The Deep State; and Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein's It's Even Worse than It Looks. Perhaps for good measure (and for people with too little time for whole books), we should throw in Adolph Reed's essay " Nothing Left" and (for more scholarly types) Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page's academic paper "Testing Theories of American Politics."
In mutually reinforcing ways, the works I've cited paint a picture of U.S. government captured by oligarch money and special interests, and for that reason hell-bent on policies that are disastrous for most people--and, in Klein's case, for the very climate humans need to survive on this planet. Mann and Ornstein's book may seem an exceptional case, since it focuses almost exclusively on today's toxic Republican Party; but as if to prove my point about these works being mutually reinforcing, both Hedges' book and Reed's essay point out Democrats' humungous complicity in letting Republicans get so dangerously dysfunctional. In all cases, the works point to the type of "toxic Establishment" Hillary Clinton embodies, and I defy anyone to grapple with their contents and still support her. One book in particular, Lofgren's Deep State, is especially scathing virtually every time it mentions Clinton by name.
Nailing Down the Part 1 Message
Especially in recent decades, the political Left has not been notable for unity. Our impotence-creating disunion has been such that Adolph Reed titled his astute, timely essay "Nothing Left." (Again, see here .) But if leftists are smart enough to seize the opportunity, Bernie Sanders' presidential run has created a generation of enthusiastic young leftists--many of whom do not yet identify themselves as such. Among the shrewdest things he's done was to identify his opponents as "the Establishment"; leftists should finish Bernie's savvy appeal to the spirit of rebellion by adding the appeal of rationality: we should always call it the "toxic Establishment." In that way, we proclaim ourselves not only rebels, but rebels with a cause; as rational "People of the Book," we have absorbed the lessons of the most important political books of our time and are fighting for the triumph of sweet reason. If God is on our side, that's only because sweet reason is.
And God (or serendipity) has clearly aided our fight: by providing us Hillary Clinton, perhaps the most repulsive imaginable poster girl for the toxic Establishment. So much so, that she has prospects of achieving something I long thought inconceivable: uniting a serious political Left.
Copyrighted Image? DMCA
The latest Oxfam report on poverty and inequality in our dysfunctional world makes a depressing read. It shows that the chasm between the richest 1% and the rest of humanity has considerably widened in the last few years. One statistic that is truly shocking is the number of people whose wealth is equal to that of the poorest half of the world's population (3.6 billion people); this number has gone down from 388 in 2010 to 62 in 2015.
These 62 people have a combined wealth of a staggering $1,760 billion, averaging $28.387 billion per individual. What is the point of owning so much wealth? If these individuals were to use 95% of their wealth to lift billions of people from grinding, oppressive poverty they would still be billionaires.
Their material life style need hardly change, but will be enhanced by having the inner contentment and happiness that comes from knowing that you have made such a positive difference to the lives of so many. I would like to think this is what I would do if I were in their position. But, wait; is there something in our psyche that makes us behave differently once we start accumulating wealth? Does our love of wealth dull our compassion and empathy with our fellow human beings? The answer to these questions is likely to be yes, and in that case do we need psychiatric help once we acquire such wealth?
These people have become members of the super-rich club, competing with one another on who has gone up and who has gone down in the table of the ultra-wealthy. This causes many of them anxiety and neuroses. This self-obsession renders them blind to the needs and suffering of fellow human beings in their own countries and beyond.
Imagine the contentment and happiness you feel when greeted by the smiles of adults and children as you visit places, knowing that your money has brought them such happiness and joy: children going to school instead of working to support a family simply to have enough to eat, health clinics to treat simple conditions to relieve pain and suffering, clean water to drink thus preventing disease and death that result from drinking contaminated water , shelter to protect families from heat, flooding and cold. The need is great, and the remedies are in our grasp if only the resources are made available.
Another issue highlighted by Oxfam is the use of tax havens. It states:
"As a priority, it[Oxfam] is calling for an end to the era of tax havens which has seen increasing use of offshore centres by rich individuals and companies to avoid paying their fair share to society. This has denied governments valuable resources needed to tackle poverty and inequality. It is three years since David Cameron told Davos that he would lead a global effort against aggressive [tax] avoidance in the UK and in poor countries, yet promised measures to increase transparency in British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, such as the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands, have not yet been implemented."
I really find it difficult to understand how democratic governments can tolerate the existence of tax havens. They serve no purpose other than to help the powerful, be it individuals or corporations, to hide their wealth, thus avoiding making contributions to their societies whose resources they used to create their wealth. Tax havens also help assorted despots, royals and the corrupted elite in the developing world to hide the wealth they pillage from their own countries. Oxfam reports that: "30 percent of all African financial wealth is estimated to be held offshore, costing an estimated $14billion in lost tax revenues every year." Let us shut down these relics from a bygone age that steal wealth from the impoverished to the benefit of the already bloated few.
We are having a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union; here is a suggestion for another one: Should Britain continue to allow the existence of tax havens in its overseas territories and crown dependencies? Let the people decide.
What sort of system have we created that relentlessly siphons wealth from the poor to the richest 1%, and in the process deprives humanity of the resources that could bring happiness, contentment and joy to billions of people? When, oh when, will world leaders take concrete steps to remedy this injustice and unfairness?
Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future
The results of the Iowa caucuses won't be known until late this evening, but we already know the big winner: Senator Bernie Sanders.
The 24/7 chattering classes focus on whether Sanders' young and new voters will turn out, whether his voters' enthusiasm can match Clinton's organization, whether the blizzard will hit before or after the caucuses. But Iowa isn't about who wins the most delegates; it is about who gains momentum and legitimacy. Whether he wins or loses in the final caucus count, Sanders is already assured of coming out of Iowa with momentum and legitimacy. The "fringe" candidate is for real. The prohibitive favorite has been pushed to the wall.
When Sanders first announced, he was universally dismissed as irrelevant, an unknown self-described "democratic socialist" who would strain to live up to the results of the boutique campaigns of Al Sharpton or a Dennis Kucinich. Hillary Clinton had all of the money, unprecedented establishment support, the best operatives, and wisely was building an unprecedented ground operation in Iowa. She led Sanders in a February 2015 NBC poll of Iowa voters by 68 percent to 7 percent (Biden has 12 percent). Sanders, at best, would provide a frisky trial-run pony, giving Clinton practice in debates, helping the campaign exercise its muscle, without forcing it to raise much of a sweat or spend much of its lucre.
That was then. Since then, Sanders has surged dramatically, running neck and neck in Iowa and capturing the lead in New Hampshire. He's set new records in small donations, proving that a populist candidate can be financially competitive in a national presidential race without support of the Democratic Party's deep pockets, largely located in Wall Street, Silicone Valley or Hollywood. His bold populist agenda -- break up the big banks, Medicare for all, $15 minimum wage, free public college and more -- has proven its appeal, with Clinton forced to move his way.
Sanders, the 73-year-old grandfather, has electrified young voters. The press has focused on polling that shows Sanders with wide leads among the young and new voters, while Clinton's strength is among older and experienced caucus-goers. The Sanders campaign faces immense turnout challenges as a result, but he's demonstrated that millennials -- the largest and most diverse segment of the population -- are looking beyond the offerings of socially liberal, corporate Democrats for a bolder and more populist politics.
Sanders also appeals, not surprisingly, to the party's liberals, professionals, technical workers and activists. But Clinton is also very popular among liberals and professionals. The Jacobin's Matt Karp offers an additional insight into the Sanders coalition: "A good deal of evidence suggests that Sanders has assembled a rather different kind of voter coalition than any primary challenger of the past generation -- that he is the rare 'progressive' candidate who can actually win over white working-class voters."
Karp points to a September Quinnipiac poll that showed Sanders with a 19-point lead among voters making less than $30,000 while Clinton led by 14 points among voters making more than $100,000. A more recent Quinnipiac polls shows that trend sharpening. More extensive polling in New Hampshire shows Sanders faring better among voters making less than $50,000, while Clinton does best among voters making at least six figures.
If these trends hold up, they will be a stark contrast to the support garnered by earlier "insurgent" candidacies of Barack Obama or Bill Bradley or Howard Dean. Their appeal was largely among affluent, young professionals. Clinton's comeback in New Hampshire in 2008 was fueled by the support among working people, particularly women. Obama cleaned up in voters making six figures or more.
And this suggests that Sanders' appeal comes from his integrity -- his independence of big money and willingness to take it on and call it out -- and his platform. It suggests that at least in Iowa and New Hampshire, working class voters are tuning in on what he has to say.
The last insurgent to put forth an agenda as bold as Sanders was the Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1984 and particularly in 1988. (Disclosure: I worked with Jackson on that campaign.) Jackson also championed universal health care, a living wage, empowering workers, challenged NAFTA, called for dramatic increases in public investment, and for curbing our interventionist foreign policies. Jackson's insurgency mobilized people of color, but gained increasing traction among working people, particularly union members.
To date, the Sanders campaign has gained little traction among African-American and Latino voters, the former providing the core of Clinton's much-celebrated "firewall" in South Carolina. These are the very voters that fueled the Jackson insurgency.
As an African-American civil rights hero, Jackson had name recognition, allies, organizers and ministers in support of his effort. Sanders is virtually unknown, despite a proud history with the early civil rights movement. Virtually all of the gatekeepers are with Clinton, who has, of course, universal name recognition.
Sanders will clearly come out of Iowa and New Hampshire with momentum. He'll have the resources to be competitive. He'll have to introduce himself and his ideas, with little time to do so. But his platform will appeal if it gets heard. As Black Lives Matter and the Dreamers have shown, throughout the black and Latino communities, young organizers are impatient with their leaders, angry at conditions, and ready to force change. Generally, blacks and Latinos tend to vote cautiously, better the "devil we know." But these are not cautious times. The African-American and Latino middle classes were devastated in the Great Recession, and have had the hardest time recovering from it. From Ferguson to Flint, the afflictions imposed on these communities are getting exposed. As Sanders introduces himself, he may generate a surprisingly receptive response.
Those, of course, are mere musings. But what Sanders has already won is very real. He's put forth a bold, populist agenda. He's challenged the grip of big money on our politics. And he's shown that his message can electrify the young and attract working people.
In this, Sanders has already begun to shake the establishment, evidenced by increasingly vitriolic attacks on him and his ideas. Sanders is putting the powers that be on notice. This rigged system doesn't work for the vast majority of Americans. And the complacent politics of the establishment center offer no way out. The elites of both parties better figure out how to cut Americans a better deal -- or Americans will demand a new dealer.
The conventional political wisdoms, that's right wisdoms, not wisdom, about Hillary Clinton before Iowa went like this. One, she bombed badly in Iowa in 2008, losing to both Obama and John Edwards, therefore if she doesn't do well in Iowa it will be 2008 all over again, and the wind will quickly taper to a faint breeze behind her campaign. Two, Iowa is one of the two whitest states in the union. This was tailor made for rival Bernie Sanders to bag the states Democrat's fiercely independent, contrarian, and liberal voters. Some polls showed Sanders with a clear edge over Clinton. Three, a Sanders win and a Clinton loss would ramp up support among more mainstream Democrats, party officials, donors and bundlers for Sanders. It would also give him an enormous public and media boost and dispel doubts about his electability.
Clinton's win made mush of each of those political wisdoms. Make no mistake, Sanders did do well with the vote, revving up and inspiring voters, especially young voters, and effectively messaging his call for an assault on Wall Street greed, wealth and income inequality. The brutal political reality, however, is that though he made the Iowa vote a close run up against Clinton, it was a loss for his campaign in more than just the vote. Let's do the math first. Sanders needed to win roughly 70 percent of Iowa's proportioned out delegates to stay close to Clinton in the projected national delegate total needed for the nomination. He didn't come close. He will get about 50 percent of Iowa delegates. That totals out to about 21 delegates. He needed at least 31 delegates to stay close to the projected national delegate totals for both candidates. Sanders got lots of support, and many of his votes, from ultra-liberal, progressives, and college students in Iowa.
http://theweek.com/articles/602929/sorry-bernie-tie-iowa-still-win-hillary
However, that's a voter demographic that pales in number, percentage and geographic placing to the Democratic voter base in other states, particularly the South and the West where blacks and Hispanic voters make up in some states a majority of Democratic voters, and in others a significant minority of the voters. They make up a big part of Clinton's core supporters, and polls repeatedly show that despite energetic efforts by Sanders to break the Clinton lock on her minority voter support, so far it has produced little results. One example is South Carolina which will hold its primary February 27. 84% of black voters in South Carolina supported Clinton, compared with only 7% who backed Sanders. Clinton racks up the same top heavy percent of the black votes in the other Southern state primaries.
http://www.businessinsider.com/poll-bernie-sanders-south-carolina-nevada-hillary-clinton-2015-10
The reasons Clinton beat the expectations of many in Iowa are the same reasons that polls still show her handily beating Sanders nationally. While it's true that a majority of Americans are sick of and disgusted with the dysfunctionality, deal making, and big money manipulation of American politics, there is little evidence that this now or for that fact ever translated into a repudiation of traditional party politicians at the polls. Sanders, for one, has done everything by the standard campaign book, made clear he's a staunch Democrat, and carefully frames his mantra issues of wealth and income equality, and the need for a "political revolution" as being a movement for reform not a radical overhaul of the system.
The drumbeat knock against Clinton from Sanders' fervent backers is that she's a Wall Street beholding, Iraq war backer, foreign policy hawk, and a beltway Democratic insider. The typecasting aside, she's also one of the best prepared White House candidates in years.
The other is the terrifying prospect of a Trump, Cruz or Rubio winning the White House and having say-so over the next round of appointments to the Supreme Court, as well as White House say so over dealing with climate control, jobs, taxes, abortion, gay rights, police violence, and the Middle East conflicts. The frontal and collateral damage of a GOP controlled White House should be more than enough to seal the Democratic Party deal for Clinton.
Iowa then was not just a big step toward the nomination for Clinton. It was a monster win for her.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is Trump and the GOP: Race Baiting to the White House (Amazon Kindle) He is a frequent MSNBC contributor. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network
Reprinted from Thom Hartmann Website
One of the most disturbing developments of the 2016 Republican race for president has been Donald Trump's popularity among the most racist elements in American society.
The New Yorker, for example, had a lengthy piece over the summer detailing the excitement he has generated in the neo-Nazi movement.
But here's the thing, Trump isn't the only guy with crazy, and frankly, dangerous supporters.
The media doesn't talk about it as much, but Ted Cruz, Trump's closest competitor for Republican frontrunner status, has also won the backing of some downright terrifying people.Take, for example, forced-pregnancy activist Troy Newman, who the Cruz campaign just tapped to head up its "pro-lifers for Cruz"As the head of the radical male supremacist group Operation Rescue, Newman and his group straddle a very thin line between "activism" and what many consider domestic terrorism.
His organization harasses abortion providers and their patients, and some its members have been involved in plots to blow up women's health clinics.Newman himself has called for the murder of abortion doctors, says AIDS was a warning from God, and believes that drought is God's revenge for abortion.Yes, he really believes that.Seems like a great guy, huh?Well, he's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ted Cruz's American Taliban-style supporters.There's also Dick Black, who the Cruz campaign has appointed the co-chair of its Virginia campaign.In addition to calling for the total outlaw of homosexuality, Black is also a rape truther.
Yes, a rape truther.
Back when he was a Virginia state delegate, Black openly questioned the existence of marital rape, something one of his opponents hammered him on in a campaign ad.
So in other words, as far as Dick Black is concerned, your wife is your sex slave and neither she nor the authorities can do anything about it.
By Ethan Indigo Smith
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World
The history of marijuana and hemp prohibition is a dark and shady story with all the makings of a diabolical thriller. In a dystopian world, shady oligarchs institute prohibition in order to benefit their institutions in the short term, leading to the inception of a police state in which sustainable agriculture is ridiculed, shamanic medicine is scorned, and generations are forced into punitive situations as a result of the plant's contraband status.
Now, I don't normally dwell in the "what-if's" and rarely speculate about the "what-might-be's" either; I think it's more important to consider the "what-is". But in fact, if we concentrate on the "what-is", we can more easily ponder the "what-if" (our potential) and, importantly, more decisively define "what-will-be" (our future).
In order to understand what the prohibition of marijuana and hemp has led to, and in order to understand the beautiful potential of this suppressed plant, I think it's important for supporters of marijuana and hemp prohibition (and even supporters of its legalization) to understand the "what-if's" of legalization -- by asking the question 'What if marijuana and hemp had never been prohibited?'
Hemp is Medicine, hemp is food
If marijuana and hemp were never prohibited, the cancer era may never have been, and certainly would be vastly mitigated. Why? Marijuana and hemp are natural cancer preventatives and curatives that alleviate multitudes of diseases, including cancers. Hempseed oil is one of the richest sources of essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, providing an excellent balance between omega-3, -6 and -9 fatty acids, fostering healthy brain function, supporting the immune system, repairing DNA damage and defending against inflammation, a major cause of chronic illness.
If cannabis were never prohibited, which enabled the concurrent rise of pharmaceutical medicine in its place, humanity would still be using ancient herbal cures instead of chemical symptom inhibitors that don't work. Cancer would be treated naturally and effectively, supporting instead of destroying the immune system in the process. (See: Over 100 Scientific Studies Agree: Cannabis Annihilates Cancer.)
Hemp in Agriculture
An example of an obvious change in the world, had marijuana and hemp ever been prohibited, is the potential vastness of our forests. Practically all the trees that have been cut down for paper and wood products, and to clear space for crops like cotton, might have just been left alone, as humanity utilized versatile, drought-tolerant and pest-resistant hemp to supply the raw material for paper, wood, fabrics, and building materials. (See: Move Over Cotton, Say Hello to Hemp -- The 'Forbidden' Crop That's Taking the World by Storm.)
What are the less obvious side-effects of there being more trees and more old growth forests? Of there being a far more efficient crop supplying our materials? Of being able to raise plants for usable materials in a matter of months, rather than over a period of several years? Of agricultural fields producing more than 10 times more oxygen and absorbing more CO2 than common crops? Would the air be more pure? Would we be more self-sustaining? Or live more peacefully?
And what of the wild ecosystem? If marijuana and hemp were never prohibited, they would have never been eradicated from the wilds. Recognized as an important natural flora, the cannabis plant grows like a "weed" -- hence the nickname -- as nature intended. Animals, humans and especially birds enjoy the seed and plant matter for food, which also feeds the cannabinoid receptors in their bodies that await THC as if it were vitamin C (suggesting there are far wider benefits of THC in the animal kingdom than we humans currently understand.) If marijuana and hemp had never been prohibited, our environment would be flourishing to its own natural design.
No 'War On Drugs'
If marijuana were never prohibited, there would be no Orwellian private prison system, which relies on the endless 'War On Drugs' and an overtly aggressive police force to fill its beds. The prison population would not be skyrocketing, and Americans, in particular African-Americans, would not be locked up at the alarming rates we see today, working for free for the private corporations that contain them. There would be no inexplicable inconsistency between rising prison numbers and a falling rate of violent crimes. The spiritual value of marijuana as a consciousness-altering herb could be explored once more, as it has for millennia, free of legal taboo. Those with genuine substance abuse issues would be offered medical and spiritual treatment, not punitive action. And there would be no motivation for the black market trade of the cannabis plant, removing the criminal element and with that, the motivation to become a criminal. (Please see: The War On Drugs: How the "Land of the Free" Became the "Home of the Slaves" for 2.3 Million Americans.)
Free speech is not for the faint of heart.
Nor is it for those who are easily offended, readily intimidated or who need everything wrapped in a neat and tidy bow. Free speech is often messy, foul-mouthed, obscene, intolerant, undignified, insensitive, cantankerous, bawdy and volatile.
Unfortunately, our appreciation for a robust freedom of speech has worn thin over the years.
Many Americans have become fearfully polite, careful to avoid offense, and largely unwilling to be labeled intolerant, hateful, closed-minded or any of the other toxic labels that carry a badge of shame today. We've come to prize civility over freedom. Most of all, too many Americans, held hostage by their screen devices and the talking heads on television, have lost the ability to think critically.
Societies that cherish free speech relish open debates and controversy and, in turn, produce a robust citizenry who will stand against authoritarian government. Indeed, oppressive regimes of the past have understood the value of closed-mouthed, closed-minded citizens and the power inherent in controlling speech and, thus, controlling how a people view their society and government.
We in the United States have a government with a ravenous appetite for power and a seeming desire to turn the two-way dialogue that is our constitutional republic into a one-way dictatorship. Emboldened by phrases such as "hate crimes," "bullying," "extremism" and "microaggressions," the government is whittling away at free speech, confining it to carefully constructed "free peech zones," criminalizing it when it skates too close to challenging the status quo, shaming it when it butts up against politically correct ideals, and muzzling it when it appears dangerous.
Free speech is no longer free.
Nor is free speech still considered an inalienable right or an essential liberty, even by those government entities entrusted with protecting it.
Consider some of the kinds of speech being targeted for censorship or outright elimination.
Offensive, politically incorrect and "unsafe" speech: Disguised as tolerance, civility and love, political correctness has resulted in the chilling of free speech and the demonizing of viewpoints that run counter to the cultural elite. Consequently, college campuses have become hotbeds of student-led censorship, trigger warnings, microaggressions, and "red light" speech policies targeting anything that might cause someone to feel uncomfortable, unsafe or offended.
Bullying, intimidating speech: Warning that "school bullies become tomorrow's hate crimes defendants," the Justice Department has led the way in urging schools to curtail bullying, going so far as to classify "teasing" as a form of "bullying," and "rude" or "hurtful" "text messages" as "cyberbullying."
Hateful speech: Hate speech--speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as gender, ethnic origin, religion, race, disability, or sexual orientation--is the primary candidate for online censorship. Corporate internet giants Google, Twitter and Facebook are in the process of determining what kinds of speech will be permitted online and what will be deleted.
Dangerous, anti-government speech: As part of its newly unveiled war on "extremism," the Obama administration is partnering with the tech industry to establish a task force to counter online "propaganda" by terrorists hoping to recruit support or plan attacks. In this way, anyone who criticizes the government online is considered an extremist and will have their content reported to government agencies for further investigation or deleted.
The upshot of all of this editing, parsing, banning and silencing is the emergence of a new language, what George Orwell referred to as Newspeak, which places the power to control language in the hands of the totalitarian state. Under such a system, language becomes a weapon to change the way people think by changing the words they use. The end result is control.
In totalitarian regimes--a.k.a. police states--where conformity and compliance are enforced at the end of a loaded gun, the government dictates what words can and cannot be used. In countries where the police state hides behind a benevolent mask and disguises itself as tolerance, the citizens censor themselves, policing their words and thoughts to conform to the dictates of the mass mind lest they find themselves ostracized or placed under surveillance.
Even when the motives behind this rigidly calibrated reorientation of societal language appear well-intentioned--discouraging racism, condemning violence, denouncing discrimination and hatred--inevitably, the end result is the same: intolerance, indoctrination and infantilism.
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Reprinted from Truthdig
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.
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," and added, "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.
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 Israel Defense Forces devastated Gaza. For 51 days, Israel bombarded Gaza with more than 6,000 airstrikes.
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 and 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.
Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website
Sergei Naryshkin, the Chairman of the Russian Parliament says that the growing tensions in international relations result from Washington's lack of morals and violations of international law:
"The increasing crisis in international relations is rooted in Western nations' lack of morals and their reluctance to observe basic norms of international law," State Duma chairman Sergey Naryshkin has said. "The tensions in the international situation have seriously increased over the past few years and this happens primarily because a group of Western nations, first of all, the United States of America, are neglecting the major principles of international law or interpret them freely," Interfax quoted the Russian parliamentary leader as saying at a meeting with law students on Monday. "I would be more direct -- it happens due to the lack of morals," Naryshkin added. He emphasized that the argument of "American exceptionalism" often used by many US politicians was against not only the legal principle of equality of all nations and peoples, but also contradicted basic human morality. The Duma speaker also said that at the moment he considered Russia as the key protector of the basic foundations of international law. He noted that as one of the victor nations in World War II, Russia played a decisive role in introducing international law and that it had paid a great price for this achievement.
In May 2015, Naryshkin published an article in the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily in which he urged European politicians to stop heeding advice from the United States and to start working on common Eurasian economic interests with Russia. If this doesn't happen, Washington will eventually destroy the EU's economic sovereignty by skillful manipulation of WTO mechanisms, Naryshkin wrote.
Naryshkin has also backed the idea of a future merger between the Russian Federation and the European Union, and in April 2015 he suggested immediately starting consultations. The idea of the possibility of such a merger originally came from Czech President Milos Zeman, who confessed to having a dream that one day Russia would join the EU."
Naryshkin has a good point. Until the advent of the "war on terror," torture was a rarely used tool of post-WW II governments in Europe and the US. But in the 21st century illegal torture became so commonplace that a magazine, Torture, was created to expose and combat torture. The magazine's editorial board consists of Nilantha Ilangamuwa, Lauren Glenmere, and Eric Bailey.
In the current issue, Marjorie Cohn explains that "Torture Is Just Plain Wrong." Morton Koch Andersen and Erik Wendt explain "Law As Repression." Ron Jacobs explains "The Murderer As Hero," as epitomized by American Sniper and the TV series NCIS. Noam Chomsky explains the disappearance of the US Constitution:
"The constitutional lawyer in the White House has introduced further modifications. His Justice Department explained that 'due process of law' -- at least where 'terrorism offences' are concerned -- is satisfied by internal deliberations within the executive branch. King John would have nodded in approval. The term 'guilty' has also been given a refined interpretation: it now means 'targeted for assassination by the White House.' Furthermore, the burden of proof has been shifted to those already assassinated by executive whim. As the New York Times reported, 'Mr. Obama embraced a disputed method for counting civilian casualties that in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants . . . unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.' The guiding principles are clear: force reigns supreme; 'law' and 'justice' and other frivolities can be left to sentimentalists."
Government in America reeks of lawlessness and violence, whether it is the police shooting down citizens on their streets and in their homes or the military killing and displacing millions of Muslims in Washington's attacks on seven countries. I explain the enormous threat that Washington presents to the world in my latest book, The Neoconservative Threat To World Order.
Who will be next to experience Washington's violent immorality?
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Why the GOP is No Longer a Legitimate Political Party The GOP has no unifying philosophy other than hate, fear, and kowtowing to billionaires and their giant corporations; the people who make up its governing class are similarly fractured Thursday, October 13, 2022The GOP has no unifying philosophy other than hate, fear, and kowtowing to billionaires and their giant corporations; the people who make up its governing class are similarly fractured
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How Republicans Conspire with Churches for Political & Social Control Shameless radical religious leaders are breaking the law while living off you and me - It's time to cut them off from the "free lunch" of tax exemption Tuesday, October 11, 2022Shameless radical religious leaders are breaking the law while living off you and me - It's time to cut them off from the "free lunch" of tax exemption
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Can America Stand On Her Own Two Feet? Americans can hold the same idea in two different contexts at the same time: While embracing interdependence at home, we must also embrace self-reliance on the international stage Saturday, October 8, 2022Americans can hold the same idea in two different contexts at the same time: While embracing interdependence at home, we must also embrace self-reliance on the international stage
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Is Something Called "Narcissistic Collapse" Coming To America? Trump's Fuhrerbunker moment, his abused-wife-is-leaving moment, his Jim Jones-in-the-jungle moment, when he turns on America, trying to destroy whatever he can in & of this nation, is coming... Saturday, September 24, 2022Trump's Fuhrerbunker moment, his abused-wife-is-leaving moment, his Jim Jones-in-the-jungle moment, when he turns on America, trying to destroy whatever he can in & of this nation, is coming...
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How the Supreme Court Set Up the Criminal Takeover of America So much money is sloshing around in our political system that honest politicians are buried and actual criminals are stepping up. Saturday, September 24, 2022So much money is sloshing around in our political system that honest politicians are buried and actual criminals are stepping up.
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Americans Used To Understand Public Schools and the Commons The idea of America as a true "land of opportunity" is anathema to their ideal of a nation of "classes and orders" where every person knows their place and morbidly rich white men are in charge Thursday, September 22, 2022The idea of America as a true "land of opportunity" is anathema to their ideal of a nation of "classes and orders" where every person knows their place and morbidly rich white men are in charge
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Why are We Surprised Barr Covered-Up Trump's Treason When He Did the Same for GHW Bush & Reagan? The corruption of our justice system is a cardinal characteristic of fascism, which is what Trump and "- it turns out, Barr "- were actively trying to do to America Friday, September 16, 2022The corruption of our justice system is a cardinal characteristic of fascism, which is what Trump and "- it turns out, Barr "- were actively trying to do to America
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When Trump is Finally Revealed as an Agent of Foreign Governments - Will America Wake Up? It's time to tell the truth about Trump: he's been an agent of organized crime and foreign governments for decades. And he's continuing his work for Putin, Xi, Erdogan, and MBS "- undermining Americans' faith in democracy "- to this day. Thursday, September 15, 2022It's time to tell the truth about Trump: he's been an agent of organized crime and foreign governments for decades. And he's continuing his work for Putin, Xi, Erdogan, and MBS "- undermining Americans' faith in democracy "- to this day.
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What Will the Collapse of Neoliberalism Bring to America & Russia? As the world watches its 40-year experiment with neoliberalism collapse, Republicans in the US and Putin in Russia are facing a crisis they once thought would be an opportunity Tuesday, September 13, 2022As the world watches its 40-year experiment with neoliberalism collapse, Republicans in the US and Putin in Russia are facing a crisis they once thought would be an opportunity
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It's Time to Enforce the Constitution & Ban Seditious Republicans from Congress It's time to enforce the Constitution, and a judge in New Mexico just kicked off the process. Democrats need to jump on this with the vigor of Trump crashing a Miss Teen USA dressing room Thursday, September 8, 2022It's time to enforce the Constitution, and a judge in New Mexico just kicked off the process. Democrats need to jump on this with the vigor of Trump crashing a Miss Teen USA dressing room
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Student Loan Debt Is an American Malignancy Born of Ronald Reagan When you invest in your young people you're investing in your nation. Friday, August 26, 2022When you invest in your young people you're investing in your nation.
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Is America Re-fighting the Revolutionary War? We must not let right-wing Redcoat/Redhat terrorists "- who have openly proclaimed their goal of Americans killing Americans in an ideological and racialized war "- prevail at this critical time" Thursday, August 18, 2022We must not let right-wing Redcoat/Redhat terrorists "- who have openly proclaimed their goal of Americans killing Americans in an ideological and racialized war "- prevail at this critical time"
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America's Founders Would Have Been Disgusted By Today's GOP & Trump No matter how hard Republicans try to reinvent the Founders & Framers in the image of their libertarian billionaire patrons, the reality is that America was history's first great liberal experiment... Wednesday, August 17, 2022No matter how hard Republicans try to reinvent the Founders & Framers in the image of their libertarian billionaire patrons, the reality is that America was history's first great liberal experiment...
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Afghanistan a Year Later: Can We Finally Speak Honestly About Bush & Cheney's "Little War"? Let's use this anniversary to honestly evaluate the actions that have so bloodied our soldiers, while transferring trillions of US taxpayer dollars to Bush- & Cheney-related military contractors Tuesday, August 16, 2022Let's use this anniversary to honestly evaluate the actions that have so bloodied our soldiers, while transferring trillions of US taxpayer dollars to Bush- & Cheney-related military contractors
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Can American Democracy Survive the "Fake News" Crisis So, how should America deal with media that purports to be "news" but, in fact, is offering a healthy serving of spin, misdirection, and outright lies? if you have any additional ideas, what are they? Friday, August 12, 2022So, how should America deal with media that purports to be "news" but, in fact, is offering a healthy serving of spin, misdirection, and outright lies? if you have any additional ideas, what are they?
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The "Share Buyback" Rape of American Business How CEOs pulled off their coup, ending the Golden Age of growth for the middle class while beginning the current era of the CEO as modern-day superyacht-owning Emperor" Friday, August 12, 2022How CEOs pulled off their coup, ending the Golden Age of growth for the middle class while beginning the current era of the CEO as modern-day superyacht-owning Emperor"
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Stop the Medicare "Advantage" Scam Before Medicare is Dead At the very least, let's stop the egregiously deceptive advertising. Only Medicare should be able to call itself "Medicare." Monday, August 8, 2022At the very least, let's stop the egregiously deceptive advertising. Only Medicare should be able to call itself "Medicare."
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How to Stop the GOP From Killing Medicare, Social Security, and Us The Republican Party is quite literally taking aim at the lives of low-income and working-class people of this country. Friday, August 5, 2022The Republican Party is quite literally taking aim at the lives of low-income and working-class people of this country.
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How a Child-Killer Set the Stage for Today's Republicans to Revel in Cruelty The libertarians have had 40 years to make their project work, we're hitting peak libertarianism and it's tearing our country apart, pitting Americans against each other, and killing people every day Monday, August 1, 2022The libertarians have had 40 years to make their project work, we're hitting peak libertarianism and it's tearing our country apart, pitting Americans against each other, and killing people every day
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Welcome To the Anthropocene - The Age Of Human Die-offs We are stumbling "- seemingly oblivious "- into the bared teeth of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch driven by humanity itself. We are walking straight into it and pretending it's not here Thursday, July 28, 2022We are stumbling "- seemingly oblivious "- into the bared teeth of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch driven by humanity itself. We are walking straight into it and pretending it's not here
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The "American Bull" In A China Shop No matter what top United States politicians - including President Joe Biden - say, one thing is certain. They all want a war with China. The recent provocations by Speaker Nancy Pelosi et al is evidence of this goading China into a dangerous military confrontation. But, the so-called West, led by the United States, do not want a protracted, bloody nasty war for a whole lot of unintended circumstances. Besides, a long, bloody Sunday, August 28, 2022No matter what top United States politicians - including President Joe Biden - say, one thing is certain. They all want a war with China. The recent provocations by Speaker Nancy Pelosi et al is evidence of this goading China into a dangerous military confrontation. But, the so-called West, led by the United States, do not want a protracted, bloody nasty war for a whole lot of unintended circumstances. Besides, a long, bloody
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Meet Brooklyn's 38-Year-Old Borough President Antonio Reynoso is a rising Democratic Party star in New York City. But Post-COVIID-19 challenges Loom Large Thursday, November 4, 2021Antonio Reynoso is a rising Democratic Party star in New York City. But Post-COVIID-19 challenges Loom Large
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The Real Cost of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact On Small Island Developing States (SIDS) In regions like the Caribbean, COVID-19 will wreak more havoc than any major hurricane and is projected to have a long-lasting economic, Thursday, September 30, 2021In regions like the Caribbean, COVID-19 will wreak more havoc than any major hurricane and is projected to have a long-lasting economic,
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Manufactured Ignorance Kills; COVID-19 IS real AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CARIBBEAN: Get vaccinated! Tuesday, September 14, 2021AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CARIBBEAN: Get vaccinated!
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Cuomo Should Have Known Better Angry white women and a weaponized #MetToo Movement tare taking no prisoners Tuesday, August 24, 2021Angry white women and a weaponized #MetToo Movement tare taking no prisoners
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Killing Black People IS THE RULE Today, people's ideas about cops are gleaned from news stories, which often repeat police lies verbatim, and more often, an endless line of TV cop shows, which spew B-roll propaganda into living rooms every night. Thursday, April 22, 2021Today, people's ideas about cops are gleaned from news stories, which often repeat police lies verbatim, and more often, an endless line of TV cop shows, which spew B-roll propaganda into living rooms every night.
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Putin is a killer? Mr. President what about the Saudi Crown Prince? Biden could not bring himself to "call out" the Saudi crown prince who oversaw the deliberate, planned and orchestrated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi - a FACT that Biden's own CIA confirmed. Wednesday, March 17, 2021Biden could not bring himself to "call out" the Saudi crown prince who oversaw the deliberate, planned and orchestrated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi - a FACT that Biden's own CIA confirmed.
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Can We End the Filibuster and The Senate? They Hinder Progress and Are Inherently Racist and Undemocratic. Time to end BOTH Tuesday, March 16, 2021They Hinder Progress and Are Inherently Racist and Undemocratic. Time to end BOTH
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Do not act surprised. White Supremacy Is part of U.S. History The events of January 6 happened, in the words of Malcolm X, because "the chickens came home to roost." Sunday, January 10, 2021The events of January 6 happened, in the words of Malcolm X, because "the chickens came home to roost."
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The Modern Cult of Ignorance The Trump Era has ushered in dangerous times. Never have so many Americans had so much access to so much knowledge and yet have been so resistant to truth and learning anything. Friday, November 27, 2020The Trump Era has ushered in dangerous times. Never have so many Americans had so much access to so much knowledge and yet have been so resistant to truth and learning anything.
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Divided We Stand - America, Biden and 70M Trumpites Given the fact that Trump is an impeached, corrupt, inept, incompetent and failed leader - the absolute worst in American presidential history - any candidate, except Satan, would have been acceptable to the American People. Monday, November 23, 2020Given the fact that Trump is an impeached, corrupt, inept, incompetent and failed leader - the absolute worst in American presidential history - any candidate, except Satan, would have been acceptable to the American People.
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The Murder Of American Democracy I'm not asking Joe Biden to do the heavy lifting required to save American Democracy and to protect it from the clear and present danger that is Trumpism. Thursday, November 19, 2020I'm not asking Joe Biden to do the heavy lifting required to save American Democracy and to protect it from the clear and present danger that is Trumpism.
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It's Stupid To Blame "Socialism" or "Sloganeering" Dems Down ballot Losses: And despite all of this Democrats raised over $1,5 billion in donations from July to September 2020 alone. Tuesday, November 17, 2020Dems Down ballot Losses: And despite all of this Democrats raised over $1,5 billion in donations from July to September 2020 alone.
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Trump's Right-Wing Base march All of this can set up a confrontation between MAGA fanatics with their gun-loving genes, and local law enforcement. Friday, November 13, 2020All of this can set up a confrontation between MAGA fanatics with their gun-loving genes, and local law enforcement.
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Nope. I'm NOT "Turning The Other Cheek" You want me to see "one America." You want me to buy in to the "no blue or red states - only the United States." All very lovely platitudes. All divorced from the reality of America today. Thursday, November 12, 2020You want me to see "one America." You want me to buy in to the "no blue or red states - only the United States." All very lovely platitudes. All divorced from the reality of America today.
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ROBERTS CONSULTING & ASSOCIATES PRE-ELECTION DAY Projections: Democrats and Joe Biden Tipped To Win I think that as the campaign progressed, Trump became acutely aware that he had to do something to win this election and that his base alone could not do the trick. Monday, November 2, 2020I think that as the campaign progressed, Trump became acutely aware that he had to do something to win this election and that his base alone could not do the trick.
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An Open Letter To My "Christian Friends:" You're All Hypocrites! As a critical and thinker, I cannot balance or equate the Christian notion and belief that "God is love" when put against the Old Testament's god-monster who killed multitudes of Egyptian children at Passover and drowned nearly everyone in Noah's flood just because they did not do what he wanted. Thursday, October 29, 2020As a critical and thinker, I cannot balance or equate the Christian notion and belief that "God is love" when put against the Old Testament's god-monster who killed multitudes of Egyptian children at Passover and drowned nearly everyone in Noah's flood just because they did not do what he wanted.
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Is There A "Shy, Silent Trump Majority" Vote? Nope. "October Surprises" in U.S. Presidential elections may now be becoming not too consequential in the scheme of things. Sunday, October 25, 2020"October Surprises" in U.S. Presidential elections may now be becoming not too consequential in the scheme of things.
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The Numbers Favor Biden And The Democrats Biden has 7 paths to 270; Trump has only one and it includes Florida, Pennsylvania and Arizona Monday, October 19, 2020Biden has 7 paths to 270; Trump has only one and it includes Florida, Pennsylvania and Arizona
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The Cruelty and Danger of "Performance Politics" However, the real danger here is that this performance with Trump as the "star" is telling the "story" that he's "winning" and that should the election go the other way, he'd be the victim of some political fraud and wrongdoing by Democrats. Tuesday, October 6, 2020However, the real danger here is that this performance with Trump as the "star" is telling the "story" that he's "winning" and that should the election go the other way, he'd be the victim of some political fraud and wrongdoing by Democrats.
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Welcome to "The Event" Step right up! Ladies, Gentlemen and those of voting age of all persuasions, let us cast our vote or as others encourage us to do cast it as in trout fishing requiring multiple cast so we can hook that sucker. There is the saying, "There is a sucker born every minute" and although P.T. Barnum may never had originally said 'there's a sucker born every minute, he believed it! Sunday, September 6, 2020Step right up! Ladies, Gentlemen and those of voting age of all persuasions, let us cast our vote or as others encourage us to do cast it as in trout fishing requiring multiple cast so we can hook that sucker. There is the saying, "There is a sucker born every minute" and although P.T. Barnum may never had originally said 'there's a sucker born every minute, he believed it!
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Reasons of Our Realities, Our Failures Before US and it is very Clear; A Nation in Despair Refuses to Seek Repair "We have wasted, $3 trillion," Carter, referring to American military spending. "China has not wasted a single penny on war, and that's why they're ahead of us in almost every way. "The difference is if you take $3 trillion and put it in American infrastructure, you'd have $2 trillion left over and high-speed railroads, bridges that aren't collapsing, roads maintained Our education system as good as South Korea or Hong Kong Friday, May 31, 2019"We have wasted, $3 trillion," Carter, referring to American military spending. "China has not wasted a single penny on war, and that's why they're ahead of us in almost every way. "The difference is if you take $3 trillion and put it in American infrastructure, you'd have $2 trillion left over and high-speed railroads, bridges that aren't collapsing, roads maintained Our education system as good as South Korea or Hong Kong
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'Warnings of a Grave Threat to Press Freedoms and Free Societies as the Grim Reaper comes for Thee!' We have been witnessing an eruption in the past couple of months of an awakening citizenry but in the last couple of months a "lightning war" or in German a "Blitzkrieg", calculated to create psychological shock and resultant disorganization through the employment of surprise, speed, and superiority in mate'riel or firepower. Let's call it a reaction to an uptick in resistance of the Empire/s that has no clothes. Tuesday, March 12, 2019We have been witnessing an eruption in the past couple of months of an awakening citizenry but in the last couple of months a "lightning war" or in German a "Blitzkrieg", calculated to create psychological shock and resultant disorganization through the employment of surprise, speed, and superiority in mate'riel or firepower. Let's call it a reaction to an uptick in resistance of the Empire/s that has no clothes.
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Why Artificial Intelligence (AI) will never be capable or can be entrusted in any pursuit of Happiness New Years, New Beginnings, A Promise to Reach Higher Tomorrow or whatever one thinks of as resolutions we must understand our nature and the nature that surrounds us in every endeavor, no matter how small or thought of as insignificant in our daily lives. Wednesday, January 2, 2019New Years, New Beginnings, A Promise to Reach Higher Tomorrow or whatever one thinks of as resolutions we must understand our nature and the nature that surrounds us in every endeavor, no matter how small or thought of as insignificant in our daily lives.
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Tulsi Returns with a Message for all People on Syria If you do not speak out about and resist, then you support that "all evil requires is for good people to do nothing" and you contribute regardless of any excuse be it fear or loss of stature in an evil assault on all good people, their Treasure, Commons and Inalienable Rights. Friday, January 27, 2017If you do not speak out about and resist, then you support that "all evil requires is for good people to do nothing" and you contribute regardless of any excuse be it fear or loss of stature in an evil assault on all good people, their Treasure, Commons and Inalienable Rights.
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Tulsi Gabbard to Represent US in Astana Peace Talks? Gabbard's office, citing security, says a lot of the details of the trip are not going to be revealed until she has returned to the United States, and they declined to say if she had met directly with President Bashar al-Assad, though they did confirm she'd met with several government leaders while in Damascus. Sunday, January 22, 2017Gabbard's office, citing security, says a lot of the details of the trip are not going to be revealed until she has returned to the United States, and they declined to say if she had met directly with President Bashar al-Assad, though they did confirm she'd met with several government leaders while in Damascus.
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Don't be Fooled Again! Are You a Progressive or a Neo Liberal? "We can speculate that some of these progressive elements view Trump with disdain for all the same reasons those outside the Deep State disdain him, but their decision tree is simple: if you want to rid America's Deep State of toxic neocon-neo liberalism before it destroys the nation, you hold your nose and go with Trump because he's the only hope we have". Saturday, January 21, 2017"We can speculate that some of these progressive elements view Trump with disdain for all the same reasons those outside the Deep State disdain him, but their decision tree is simple: if you want to rid America's Deep State of toxic neocon-neo liberalism before it destroys the nation, you hold your nose and go with Trump because he's the only hope we have".
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Throw the Bums Out Vote Ushers in New World Order! It is now time for the globalist to hear a "Great Sucking Sound" in reverse in memory of Ross Perot's truth in reality. Tuesday, January 17, 2017It is now time for the globalist to hear a "Great Sucking Sound" in reverse in memory of Ross Perot's truth in reality.
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Democrats have Lost the War, the People and all Three Branches of Government Democrat voters were left at the alter at the first Clinton presidency and through the Obama hope and change promises. They must accept accountability for the wrongs they have brought by deception. The party still promises to fleece us as it leads to the destruction by war/s for the MIC profit and strangle hold on power. Sunday, January 8, 2017Democrat voters were left at the alter at the first Clinton presidency and through the Obama hope and change promises. They must accept accountability for the wrongs they have brought by deception. The party still promises to fleece us as it leads to the destruction by war/s for the MIC profit and strangle hold on power.
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Any Doubt is Erased, US Foreign Nations Relations and Intel Community Purged! Any doubt about purging the current US Administration's foreign affairs and intel community relations around the Globe is a dead horse! Saturday, January 7, 2017Any doubt about purging the current US Administration's foreign affairs and intel community relations around the Globe is a dead horse!
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Watergate Politics has become the DNA of all Politics, Propaganda Resides in the Charisma of Political Leadership. Perhaps the term is premature. But sometimes when a word is born, a world is born with it. Post-truth might be one such word. A performative word that one senses might enact the politics of the future. We have to wait and see if it will be a promising future. Monday, January 2, 2017Perhaps the term is premature. But sometimes when a word is born, a world is born with it. Post-truth might be one such word. A performative word that one senses might enact the politics of the future. We have to wait and see if it will be a promising future.
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We have common enemies; Let us not forget our common goals! While MSM's spells and trances over the elections still focuses on divide and conquer rule there are gathering forces to eliminate endless wars and trade policies that undermine our Treasure, Commons and Inalienable Rights, Income inequality which is not last nor least of the battles still raging. We cannot disengage from these, not now not ever! Wednesday, November 23, 2016While MSM's spells and trances over the elections still focuses on divide and conquer rule there are gathering forces to eliminate endless wars and trade policies that undermine our Treasure, Commons and Inalienable Rights, Income inequality which is not last nor least of the battles still raging. We cannot disengage from these, not now not ever!
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Conspirators' Palimpsest Revealed in US Elections Conspirators' palimpsest Revealed in US Elections is an attempt to apply insights to things behind the veil in geopolitics of cause and effect and how we got to this dawn of a new enlightenment of evolution or possible destruction of the worlds we live in. Tuesday, August 30, 2016Conspirators' palimpsest Revealed in US Elections is an attempt to apply insights to things behind the veil in geopolitics of cause and effect and how we got to this dawn of a new enlightenment of evolution or possible destruction of the worlds we live in.
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Why Obama should not appoint a Supreme Court Justice It is time to stand aside and allow the citizens to recapture their treasure, commons and God given inalienable rights Sunday, March 6, 2016It is time to stand aside and allow the citizens to recapture their treasure, commons and God given inalienable rights
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Is the Fix In? DNC Chair has sold out US citizens to the financial sector of loan sharking! Bernie has a road to the Presidency and the wind at his back. Clinton's wins in the Southern states will not convert to any Democrat President's electoral votes. How ever the upcoming Florida caucus where there are many Floridians adversely affected by the loan sharks that has become the bosom buddies of the DNC and by by inference Hillary Clinton. Wednesday, March 2, 2016Bernie has a road to the Presidency and the wind at his back. Clinton's wins in the Southern states will not convert to any Democrat President's electoral votes. How ever the upcoming Florida caucus where there are many Floridians adversely affected by the loan sharks that has become the bosom buddies of the DNC and by by inference Hillary Clinton.
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The Ghost of Paul Revere Has Been Sighted Just as Bernie Sanders has spent decades fighting for the same unchanging causes so have others and it is time to look for them to serve in Bernie's call for a political revolution. Monday, February 1, 2016Just as Bernie Sanders has spent decades fighting for the same unchanging causes so have others and it is time to look for them to serve in Bernie's call for a political revolution.
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Why Bernie Sanders should be the next Commander in Chief! A new world order that eliminates the neocons and neo liberal war mongers of death and destruction Friday, November 27, 2015A new world order that eliminates the neocons and neo liberal war mongers of death and destruction
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As the world weeps for Paris, the Devil appears, uncloaked and yet to be dammed The world deceived. The world weeps for Paris, the Devil appears, uncloaked and yet to be dammed Tuesday, November 17, 2015The world deceived. The world weeps for Paris, the Devil appears, uncloaked and yet to be dammed
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Member of the Armed Services Committee Tells Truth to Power about Syria In no uncertain terms it points out a fatal flaw in Hilary's Syrian plan and US involvement as a repeat of the disaster in Libya 101 and to repeat the massacring of Christians and other minority groups. Tuesday, October 27, 2015In no uncertain terms it points out a fatal flaw in Hilary's Syrian plan and US involvement as a repeat of the disaster in Libya 101 and to repeat the massacring of Christians and other minority groups.
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Oregon Liberty Alliance
Dinesh DSouza, Michelle Malkin, Todd Starnes and Congressman Greg Walden!
Oregon Liberty Alliance member organizations are hosting the 2016 Freedom Rally on February 6th, 2016 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Join with fellow conservatives to show your support for Life, Common Sense Governance, Family Values, and our 1st Amendment Rights.
Hear from acclaimed filmmaker and author Dinesh DSouza, nationally syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin, Todd Starnes of Fox News and Commentary, and Congressman Greg Walden as they address todays most pressing issues from a conservative perspective. Also, enjoy a catered lunch, book signing opportunities, and networking with hundreds of conservatives from around the state.
More than 1,500 people attended last years rally. Your attendance is critical this year! Oregon needs to hear our voice, our views, and our values. The 2016 Freedom Rally is a place where that voice can be amplified.
Register today at www.oregonlibertyalliance.com. The registration cost is $35 per person with lunch included. Those 16 years and under are free to attend the event at no cost.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Bud Pierce
Oregon Executive Club
7:00 pm Wed. Feb. 3rd
Portland Airport Shilo Inn
Dinner optional.
Meet our February speaker, Dr. Bud Pierce, candidate for Governor of Oregon. Buds bio reads like an ad for commitment to God, Family, Country, and a career of service. Valedictorian in High School, Phi Beta Kappa in College Alpha Omega Alpha in Med Schoolwhile courting his brideand being a Marine. Then, in 1994, Oregon pulled him north. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Oncology, and Hematology, Dr. Pierce practices in Salem, and teaches at OHSU in Portland and Western University of Health Sciences in Lebanon. And serves on boards at his church, as well.
Too many awards to list, including, for 2014, Oregon Medical Association Doctor Citizen of the Year
Battling disease should prepare a person for battling other destructive adversaries, like excess government, bureaucratic bloat, regulatory sprawl, and out-of-control public payrolls.
So lets hear a conservative doctors prescription for restoring Oregons health.
Seriously, Oregon needs fixing; on that we all agree. Lets have a chat with a candidate who can do that.
Wednesday night, February 3rd.
~ ~ ~
Portland Airport Shilo Inn ~~ 11707 Northeast Airport Way
Bring a friend! ~~ $20 buffet option ~~ no host bar
And of course, the cigar room, afterward
Please click here in order to read our guidelines on commenting to the blog.
PIA flying, despite call for strike
ISLAMABAD: Despite a strike call by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees, flight operations are continuing "as scheduled", Civil Aviation officials said Tuesday.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of PIA employees reiterated their resolve to go on strike starting 7am but flight data at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport (JIA), Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) and Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIA) shows all PIA flights from 7am-9am have departed, and that only two flights PK-313 (Lahore to Karachi) and PK-314 (Karachi to Lahore) were cancelled. A total of 10 PIA flights departed on time from all three airports between 7am-9am.
Pakistan Airlines Cabin Crew Association President and JAC spokesman Nasrullah Khan told Dawn.com that the government had not accepted the body's four-point agenda.
The strike started at 7am, he said, adding that PIA employees would take out a rally at Karachi's Jinnah terminal around 10am this morning.
Flight operations at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport (JIA), Islamabad's Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) and Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIA) are running and are expected to continue as scheduled, Civil Aviation officials said.
"All the flights this morning left on time," a JIA official said.
An official at BBIA said flight operations were continuing as scheduled and would not be affected even later in the day. Television footage showed a heavy contingent of police deployed at BBIA for added security.
An official at AlIA said check-in was open for flights and "all flights so far had run on time".
Employees of the national carrier earlier threatened to go on strike from February 2 (today) due to what they called the governments refusal to accept their demand of calling off the organisations "privatisation plan".
Captain Sohail Baloch, convener of the PIA employees committee, had earlier told reporters that a four-point agenda had been presented to the government by the body. Failure on part of the government to fulfill these demands, he said, would result in suspension of flight operations.
Their demands are:
Government should immediately take back the bill passed on January 21 converting the national flag carrier into a public limited company.
PIA's employees be provided a chance to reform the airline. If the employees fail to do so, the government will have the freedom to do whatever it finds suitable.
Privatisation, in any form, whether it is in form of a strategic partner or selling of 36 per cent or 1pc of the organisation's shares, is not acceptable to the employees.
Government should immediately review the aviation policy and form a committee for this purpose comprising members from PIA employees' JAC along with PIA experts Khursheed Anwar, Kamran Hasan and Salahuddin.
Related: PIA privatisation postponed for six months
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday enforced the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act 1952 for six months, barring protesting members of the Pakistan International Airlines from participating in any union activity.
The law essentially restricts union activity in state-administered sectors, including railways, postal services, telephone and affiliated services, and airports and seaports.
Earlier on Friday, PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan had announced that the government had postponed the privatisation of the national flag carrier for six months and requested the protesting workers to end their strike.
Mushahidullah had asked the joint action committee of PIA employees to withdraw its decision of the strike and resume flight operations, otherwise the government would use its authority and impose the Essential Services Act, if PIA employees did not call off their strike.
The Act was also invoked by the government in January 2013 during the doctors' strike for better wages and regularisation, resulting in the sacking of young doctors for participating in a strike.
Speaking to reporters after the enforcement of the Act, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid made clear that strict action will be taken against protesting employees.
Let me make clear that those who continue the strike will be treated as enemies of PIA and Pakistan and they will end up losing their jobs.
Responding to a question, Rashid said flight operations will not be halted from Tuesday, adding that the government had made alternate arrangements of pilots and engineering staff to ensure that operations continue smoothly.
Rashid said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had made clear that no PIA employee will be laid off during privatisation, reiterating that the government will not tolerate strikes.
It must be recalled that during a pilots' strike last year PIA Chairman Nasser Jaffer had formulated a plan B to run the flight operations without interruption under which new pilots were to be inducted on contract basis while Pakistan Navys aviators were to be called in for assistance.
The National Assembly on January 21 witnessed the passage of six bills, including one to convert the national flag carrier into a public limited company.
Under the bill, Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIAC) is to be converted into a public limited company as Pakistan International Airlines Company Limited (PIACL).
Review of the blasphemy law does not mean that it could be changed or amended: Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani
ISLAMABAD: Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani has said that a review of the blasphemy law does not mean that it could be changed or amended.
It is the CIIs responsibility to review and assess all laws formulated in the country, he told reporters, adding, if the government, through the relevant ministry, forwards any amendment(s) in the blasphemy law, then the Council will certainly look into it.
The CII is mandated to review all laws in the country and suggest amendments to bring them in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran.
Maulana Sheerani, who is also a JUI-F MNA, recently raised hopes among activists when he said in an interview that the CII would be willing to review the countrys blasphemy laws.
CII has refused to consider changes to law at least thrice in the past
Speaking to Dawn, however, he said that reviewing a law did not mean that the CII would amend it to suit the wishes of a certain segment of society.
Most of the issues are to do with implementation of laws, and as far as the misuse of the blasphemy law is concerned, well, we can see that almost all laws in the country are flouted in one way or the other.
The CII has, in the past, turned down almost all proposals suggesting any changes to the blasphemy laws.
In Dec 1993, the CII ruled that to stop the laws misuse, there was a need to strengthen laws related to false evidence and lodging a false report. The CII even referred to Section 193 of the Pakistan Penal Code (which deals with provision of false evidence) and called on the government to make the law more stringent to prevent misuse.
Similarly, on a suggestion by the Pakistan Law and Justice Commission to make blasphemy a non-cognisable offence, the CII in April 1998 noted that misuse of the blasphemy law was a serious issue, but any changes in the law would be counterproductive, and may even lead to a rise in the instances of the offence.
There is a need to keep the blasphemy law as a cognisable offence, so police have the power to arrest the accused without a warrant. This will deter people from disrespecting the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), the CII report of 1997-98 stated.
The last such observation was made in 2013, based on a recommendation by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The ministry had stated that Christian citizens, in the aftermath of the riots in Lahores Joseph Colony, had demanded that the law be amended to ensure respect for other religions too.
The ministry had suggested that changes be made to the law so that disrespecting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would become disrespecting all the Prophets; and an insult to Islam be converted to insult to faith.
However, the CII had ruled that there were already laws that protected the integrity and sanctity of all religious and religious personalities, therefore, there was no need to amend the blasphemy law or formulate a new one.
There are fears that if there are any formal changes made to the blasphemy law, it will eventually lead to pressure to abolish the law altogether, the CIIs research department had ruled.
The same has been stated annual report of the CII 2012-13.
The report highlights, These changes in the blasphemy law look like they are a tit-for-tat move; since there are some Muslims who frame false cases against non-Muslims, so this change will allow non-Muslims to lodge false cases against Muslims as well.
Incidentally, a two-day CII meeting held in September last year witnessed divergent views over the question of awarding the death penalty to those who make false accusations. The matter was the subject of heated debate between two groups in the CII, and on 18 Sept 2013, the CII meeting suggested that the government made amendments in the blasphemy laws.
The CII meeting also agreed to the proposal of awarding the death penalty for individuals convicted of making false accusations.
This was my suggestion and it is necessary to end the misuse of the blasphemy law, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, a former member of the CII, told Dawn.
Incidentally, the following day, on Sept 19 2013, hardliners in the CII banded together to strike down this proposal.
Hafiz Ashrafi recently retired from the CII on January, 23, 2016.
If Maulana Sheerani was serious about improving the blasphemy law, then [I ask] why did he strike down my suggestion, he asked, adding, If he wants to take up the suggestion again and pass it under his own name, I have no objections.
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WASHINGTON, DC(Marketwired Feb 1, 2016) 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.
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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.
About Optoro
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 www.Optoro.com and follow us on Twitter at @optoroinc .
QUEENSBURY | A Corinth man who cashed a fake check at a business in Lake Luzerne last spring has pleaded guilty to a felony charge in Warren County Court.
Jeffrey B. Hamblin Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, a felony, in connection with the cashing of a $1,390 counterfeit check last April at Luzerne Market. The check had been issued in the name of a legitimate business in California, but was not legitimate, police said.
Warren County Judge John Hall put Hamblin on interim probation for a year. If he does well, he will be sentenced to a longer term of probation. If not, he faces a jail or prison term.
KINGSBURY Two Kingsbury residents were jailed Tuesday for allegedly possessing and selling crack cocaine, one of them a woman who was arrested in one of the biggest drug cases in Glens Falls history two decades ago, authorities said.
William G. Hafner, 58, and Joann E. Davis, 54, both of the same county Route 41 address, each face felony counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance for allegedly selling crack during a State Police investigation, police said.
The charges were filed after state troopers, Washington County sheriffs officers and Hudson Falls Police raided their home early Tuesday, discovering a marijuana growing operation inside, officials said. Each was also charged with unlawful growing of cannabis, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a non-criminal violation.
Police also seized a large quantity of crack from the home, which Hafner owns, authorities said.
Davis is no stranger to felony drug charges, as she was arrested in 1995 in what was at the time the biggest crack cocaine seizure in Glens Falls history. She was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance after a raid that netted 7 ounces of crack from an Elm Street apartment building where she lived.
Davis pleaded guilty to a felony and was sentenced to 6 months in jail and 5 years on probation.
Both were sent to Washington County Jail after arraignments in Kingsbury Town Court.
Police asked that anyone with information about the couples activities call them at 692-3015 or 746-2475.
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.
FORT EDWARD Washington Countys leaders are hiring an expert to help them determine how to best promote local tourism.
The first thing we need to do is an assets inventory. We need to have someone come in from the outside and tell us what we have got, county Administrator Chris DeBolt said Monday. Sometimes when you see things all the time, you dont know what you have. Thats why we need a consultant to come in and look at what we have.
DeBolt said Washington County needs to look at the two tourism giants around it Warren County and Saratoga County and figure out how to work with those counties, which have much bigger tourist draws than Washington County does.
After the consultant finishes the overview, DeBolt said, the second phase of the project will be to come up with some strategic plans. We need to know where we sit and what we can do. We really need to take a holistic approach.
For example, how can we get people to come to our county on tours on the days the track is dark? DeBolt said, referring to Saratoga Race Course.
The thoroughbred horse racing season runs from late July through early August. On Tuesdays, the track is closed.
DeBolt said he did not know how much the consultant would cost.
We have not figured that out yet, and one of the things we need to do is figure out whether we are going to take part in I Love New York this year and talk to those folks to see if we can use some of that funding for the consultant, he said.
This year has been one of turmoil for tourism planning in the county. The Board of Supervisors chose to end its contract with Tourism Director Christine Hoffer.
Supervisors initially intended to go without anyone coordinating tourism efforts, until supervisors figured out what they needed to do.
Then they appointed Economic Development Director Laura Oswald to handle tourism-related tasks, but that turned out to be too much work on top of her other duties.
They have since hired Sara Kelly, who runs Sara Kelly Graphics & Design, to oversee the county website and Facebook page. She will be paid a maximum of $2,400 for six months of work.
Oswald said she is glad supervisors are looking at getting a consultant to examine the issue.
We need to figure out how we are going to approach this, she said.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to speed up its response to water contamination issues in Hoosick Falls.
Gillibrand sent a letter urging the agency to expedite its response and take immediate federal action to support and add to the state's ongoing efforts.
I am extremely concerned by the presence of perfluorooctanoic acid in Hoosick Falls, given that studies have linked exposure to PFOA with increased detrimental health effects, including testicular and kidney cancer and thyroid disease, Gillibrand wrote in the letter.
She is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
The residents of Hoosick Falls deserve to know that every available resource at both the state and federal levels is being used to fully investigate the source of the PFOA contamination, and that aggressive steps are being taken by the EPA to identify the responsible parties and ensure that full remediation will occur," Gillibrand wrote.
The village, located in northern Rensselaer County, is home to approximately 3,400 residents. Perfluorooctanoic acid, commonly known as PFOA, has been discovered in the communitys environment.
The contamination appears to be coming from a plant owned by Saint-Gobain, a French company that also has a plant in Granville.
GLENS FALLS Arrests, traffic tickets and calls for service handled by Glens Falls Police all declined last year, but misdemeanor and felony drug arrests rose sharply.
The Police Departments annual report showed a 4.1 percent decrease in total arrests, but an increase in felony arrests as well as criminal drug cases.
Felony and misdemeanor drug arrests rose by 42 percent, a jump that Glens Falls Police Detective Lt. Peter Casertino, who supervises the detective division, attributed in part to the department putting more resources into drug investigations.
We definitely have been dedicating more resources to it because of the issues we are seeing with heroin, he said.
He said police agencies around the region are working well together, and the Glens Falls Police Departments patrol division has been working well with detectives to keep information on suspicious activity flowing.
Cooperation seems to be at its highest point in years, Casertino said.
Noncriminal drug arrests, mainly unlawful possession of marijuana charges, fell by more than 40 percent.
Calls for service dropped 11 percent, which acting Glens Falls Police Chief Michelle Arnold said can be credited in part to fewer problems on South Street because of an earlier closing time and the closure of several bars.
That has made a huge difference, she said.
A change in the way the department assigns and tracks property checks where officers periodically check homes and businesses for owners who are out of town has also caused the numbers to drop. Officers are still performing the checks, but each property is assigned to a specific officer to monitor, as opposed to having checks by officer shift.
Among other notable numbers:
* Driving while intoxicated arrests dropped from 57 to 51. The number of DWI arrests has fallen more than 45 percent since 2012.
* Traffic tickets dropped by 11.4 percent, with 2,285 issued last year.
* Motor vehicle accidents fell by 24.4 percent, with 587 reported in 2015.
* Parking tickets declined by 25.9 percent.
* Overtime hours fell by 7.3 percent, and have declined 35 percent since 2011.
* Officers used Taser stun guns twice, compared to once in 2014, five times in 2013 and 11 times in 2012. The people who were stunned were arrested in both cases. One was a man involved in a fight, whom police had been told could be armed. The other was a man who fought with officers during a traffic stop. No notice of claim was filed in either case.
CHESTER A former administrator at North Warren Central School is returning to become its new superintendent, the district announced Monday.
The North Warren school board plans on Feb. 8 to appoint Michele French to lead the roughly 540-student district, effective July 1. She has spent the past 16 months as principal of the K-12 Bolton Central School.
Before leaving in September 2014 to take the Bolton job, French spent 18 years at North Warren and rose to the position of assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
School board President John Maday said the school board is looking forward to welcoming back French to the district. The board was looking for a candidate who could make a long-term commitment to the district and has roots in the community, according to Maday. He cited Frenchs strengths as knowledge of special education issues and her ability to get along with faculty, staff and students.
Were confident that she will do a good job, he said.
Maday said the board decided to reach out to French in the fall because she had been interviewed during the past superintendent search that led to Bradys hiring.
We just went back to what we had already rather than open the search again. Theres a lot of searches going on right now, he said.
Among the school districts looking for permanent superintendents for the 2016-17 school year are Whitehall, Corinth and Fort Edward.
Interim Superintendent of Schools Bernard McCann, a retired North Warren teacher with administrator certification, also interviewed for the job during the last search. Maday praised his efforts.
He stepped in at a time when we needed someone and came up with a lot of great ideas to bring the staff together and bring the community into the school, he said in a news release.
Frenchs salary is yet to be determined, depending on successful completion of a contract.
French said she is sad to leave Bolton but hopes the two districts will continue to work together on initiatives.
I am very excited for the opportunity to return to North Warren, where I spent two-thirds of my career, French said in a news release. I live in the district, my daughter started here in preschool, and I care deeply about the school and the community.
Local BOCES Superintendent James Dexter said the district did not cast a wide net because there was mutual interest in having French return to the district. He said sometimes boards will conduct their own searches if they are interested in a candidate.
The district has lacked a permanent superintendent since June, when Peg Brady resigned, apparently over philosophical differences with the board. Her contract did not expire until January 2017, but the board paid her $108,000 in salary and unused sick time in exchange for her resignation.
Her tenure was turbulent, with concerns expressed over Common Core testing, staff hires, special education services and the treatment of transgender students.
School districts around the area will see new wireless systems and networks, security cameras and computers and other technology in the coming years, because of the states Smart Schools bond.
School districts are submitting plans to the state on how they will spend their allotment of the $2 billion bond, which voters approved in November 2014.
Among the items schools can spend money on are computers and technology infrastructure, security cameras and security infrastructure and building space for prekindergarten programs.
Each districts allocation is based on the share of total state aid it receives, excluding building aid, universal prekindergarten and the money taken away by the Gap Elimination Adjustment.
The Glens Falls City School District will focus on buying technology with its $1.6 million allocation, according to spokeswoman Skye Heritage.
Our first goal is to support and further expand the current Chromebook one to one initiative, she said in an email. Another example of equipment were looking at are interactive display panels to replace our smart boards as they cycle out of service.
Heritage added that Glens Falls will be submitting its plans in stages. This is a reimbursement grant, which means the district must spend the money first then get it back from the state.
We have already received approval on our technology survey, which was one of the steps in the process, she said.
Hudson Falls Central School District officials are looking to purchase more Chromebooks and replace aging smart boards.
Warrensburg Superintendent John Goralski said he wants to use his districts $1.1 million allotment to build up wireless infrastructure and technology services. In addition, the State Police has recommended the district tie its public address system into the districts phone system.
Now that weve done our building conditions survey and our five-year facilities plan, were starting to work on our next capital project, Goralski said.
Building up network and wireless infrastructure is on many school districts wish lists.
The South Glens Falls district is spending its $2.23 million on installing local area network wireless infrastructure, upgrading security at school entrances, putting in a new clock and phone system and buying additional computers for the elementary schools.
The Cambridge district will receive more than $900,000. School officials plan to build out its network and incorporate wireless communication where appropriate, add more mobile computer labs, add digital media centers at both the elementary and high school libraries and upgrade presentation equipment in classrooms.
The district also wants to add security cameras and upgrade safety at the entrances to the building.
The Abraham Wing School District is looking to spend some of its $120,000 allotment on a security system, with cameras identifying people at the front entrance and visitors getting buzzed into the building, according to Superintendent John Godfrey.
Our areas were working on is to increase building security, particularly at the front entrance, he said.
Hadley-Luzerne Central School officials are looking to spend their funds on installing a new phone system, public address system, cameras and keyless door entry, according to Interim Superintendent of Schools Beecher Baker.
Queensbury Union Free School District officials want to spend half of their $1.9 million allotment on cameras and infrastructure to improve security at the school entrances. They said previously the other half would be spent on computers such as Chromebooks and in-classroom technology such as smart boards.
Granville Central School District is making upgrades in phases with phase one focused on security, according to Superintendent Mark Bessen.
Among the items would be improved cameras and door security systems, a badge access system to allow people to access the building and the ability to lock down the building with one button and tie in the phone system to emergency communications.
It has been recommended that schools install these systems, according to Bessen.
Its all those things you wanted to get but could never afford, he said.
Phase two would focus on computers and in-classroom technology, according to Bessen.
Argyle Central School District officials plan to use a portion of the funding each year to implement a program where each student would have a computer, according to Business Manager Ron Black.
Some districts are further along in the process than others. Lake George Central School District Business Manager Kate DuBois said school officials have not finished their plans. Their preliminary discussions have been focused on upgrading wireless access and improving security. The district also wants to make sure that it can sustain any technology upgrades after the funding runs out, according to DuBois.
Corinth Central School District Business Manager John Hales said the district is also in the early stages of developing its plan. It is looking at enhanced security, an expanded wireless network, the purchase of more Chromebooks for students and classroom technology, such as interactive flat panel screens.
We are also deciding over how long of a time frame these new purchases should be as short as two years or stretched to 5-6 years, Hales said in an email.
WHITEHALL The school districts state English test scores for grades seven and eight were invalidated by the state last spring because school officials improperly photocopied the test booklets, according to the state Education Department.
The tests were determined to have been misadministered because test security was compromised, according to a June 5 letter from Steven E. Katz, director of the Office of State Assessment, which was obtained by The Post-Star through a Freedom of Information Law request.
A section of the memo is blacked out, presumably describing the action by the school personnel involved.
The next section states that: The 2014 administration of the New York State Grades 3-8 ELA Tests was the fourth successive administration in which school administrators and teachers were clearly advised that the test booklets were to remain secure following their administration and could not be photocopied by schools or used for staff development or instructional purposes.
The memo quotes from the 2014 edition of the School Administrators Manual, which states that the test books must be either returned to one of the state Education Departments contractors for destruction, using the shipping label provided, or kept securely at the school for one year and then destroyed.
Katz goes on to say that similar instructions were given to Whitehall school officials in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The Post-Star on July 30 requested copies of correspondence between the Whitehall Central School District and the state Education Department from May 7 through July 30, 2015.
The Katz letter is one of 28 documents released last Friday by the state. The other 27 emails are routine correspondence from state education officials about how to give the upcoming state tests.
Some records were withheld under the exemption of the Public Officers Law that prevents disclosure if it would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
Whitehalls testing problem caused 88 tests to be invalidated the worst instance in the state in 2015.
The problem was brought to the states attention by former Superintendent Elizabeth Legault, who left in April for a job in Massachusetts. State officials began investigating on May 1.
Former Whitehall Junior-Senior High Principal Kelly McHugh resigned over the issue. She will continue to be paid her $92,596 annual salary until March 1.
The district in October came to a settlement with the two teachers involved, Suzanne Ringer and Paul Gould, by placing them on unpaid suspension for the rest of the 2015-2016 school year. They will be allowed to return to work this fall, but school officials made clear this is their last chance.
Interim Superintendent of Schools William Scott did not return a message left for comment on Monday. He said previously, however, that the district has taken steps to correct the problem. Teachers and administrators will be following the checklist that details how to store the tests, open the packages and keep an inventory of the tests.
State education officials have said previously the most common causes of misadministration have been student cheating; student possession or use of a cell phone or electronic device; or testing accommodations mistakenly or incorrectly given. None of this took place in Whitehall.
WHITEHALL | Whitehall Winter Fest will be held Feb. 13 in the town and village.
The opening ceremony starts at 10 a.m. with talks by Mayor Ken Bartholomew and Supervisor George Armstrong. After a prayer and opening song, the brave (or at least the warm-blooded) will participate in the Penguin Dip in the chilly waters of Lake Champlain.
The festival also includes events at Skenesborough Harbor Park, Skenesborough Museum, Whitehall Municipal Center and American Legion Post No. 83. There will be crafts, a new Friends of the IBA exhibit, Disney princesses, face-painting, a photo booth, a bake sale, an art exhibit, a snowman contest, horse-drawn wagon rides, sledding, a presentation on Sasquatch and more.
To learn more, call Marge Mohn at 499-2435.
As a retired Army officer and combat veteran, I am saddened to see the deplorable condition of American flags flown by governmental agencies in Cambridge. The flags at the post office, police station, fire department, and at the Veterans Memorial are all ripped, frayed, faded or dirty. Fifty-five men who were in my unit in Vietnam died serving our country. It seems we could show some respect for them and for the others who gave their all by respecting our flag.
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether
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Identifying the Roots and the Resolve of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Sam Rohrer explores the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict in this discussion with Bill Salus. Topics discussed include: When and Why It Started. Gods Response: Past and Present. Resolving the Conflict, (Psalm 83)
Biden calls for a 2-State solution and Hurricane Ian bites back In this prophecy update Tom Hughes and Bill Salus look at the Hurricanes that hit Canada and Florida in possible relation to Lapid's, Biden's and Trudeau's push for a 2-State solution. Also discussed are the topics of the Obadiah fatal Palestinian Prophecies, the Destruction of Damascus and much more.
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Prophecies that can occur between Now and Eternity This message was given by Bill Salus at the Harvest Christian Centre Prophecy Conference 2022 in Park Hills, Missouri on 9/9/2022. He presents a Last Days 12-Stage Timeline of Prophecies that could occur between Now and Eternity which he has written about in his 5-book series, the NOW, NEXT, LAST, FINAL and MILLENNIUM Prophecies. He focuses this presentation on the Pre-Tribulation prophecies; prophecies that could find fulfillment before the Rapture.
The Wars Leading to Armageddon Join Bill Salus and Mondo Gonzales on this Prophecy Watchers TV show as they explore some of the unfulfilled biblical wars.
The Road to Armageddon: The Pre-Tribulational Prophecies Trailer ...This is the official trailer for a new 4-disc DVD from Prophecy Watchers TV that features Bill Salus and Mondo Gonzales.
Emergence of the Exceedingly Great Israeli Army in Bible Prophecy ...In this 5-minute video, Bill Salus and Tom Hughes explore how the Israeli Defense Forces exist in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. This video is an excerpt from the Pre-Tribulation Prophecies DVD.
The Terrorization of Egypt by the Israeli Defense Forces in Isaiah 19:16-18 ...In this short 4-minute video, Bill Salus and Tom Hughes discuss the future prophecies about Egypt in Isaiah 19:1-18. Egypt's peace pact with Israel ends when Isaiah's prophecies begin. This video is an excerpt from the Pre-Tribulation Prophecies DVD.
Does Psalm 83 Describe Israels War BEFORE Gog & Magog? ...On today's Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck is joined by author Bill Salus of Prophecy Depot Ministries to break down the Bibles mysterious Psalm 83 passage and whether it describes a future war between Israel and its enemies, led by Iran and its proxies. Some say this passage was already fulfilled in 1967 or 1948. However, Salus believes these events have yet to take place and will transpire before the war of Gog and Magog. Could Psalm 83 set the stage for Gog/Magog showdown as described in the Book of Ezekiel?
Future Prophecies Revealed | Tom Hughes and Bill Salus ...For the last 10 years Bible prophecy experts, Bill Salus and Pastor Tom Hughes have opened Gods Word and discovered a series of little-known future prophecies that have escaped the notice of most Christians. This TV show explores some of them.
The Spiritual Survival Kit for Those Left Behind ...If the Rapture happened today, would you or someone you love, be left behind to face the travails of the Seven-Year Tribulation Period? This treacherous period is when God pours out His wrath through a series of twenty-one judgments on Christ-rejecting humanity. Its undoubtedly the worst time to be alive in the history of the planet and the signs of the times point out that this time draws frightfully near! PREPARE YOUR LOVED ONES WITH THE SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL KIT FOR THOSE LEFT BEHIND.
Disaster in Iran: Iran has Double Trouble in the End Times Pastor Tom Hughes and Bill Salus explain the Jeremiah 49:34-39 prophecy of Elam. It seems ready to happen and it appears to be a nuclear disaster by the Persian Gulf. (This is an excerpt from their Pre-Tribulation Prophecies DVD).
The Destruction of Damascus is a Pre-Tribulational Bible Prophecy Bill Salus and Tom Hughes explain the Isaiah 17 prophecy about the destruction of Damascus. This is an excerpt from their Pre-Tribulation Prophecies 2-Disc DVD.
NEW 3-DISC DVD - EZEKIEL 38: WHEN GOD DEFENDS ISRAEL
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Will Ancient Prophecies be Fulfilled in Our Lifetime? On this Prophecy Watchers show, Bill Salus and Mondo Gonzales reveal some ancient biblical prophecies that could happen in this generation.
Iran's Double Trouble in the End Times In this interview with Kurt Hudspeth and co-host Dr. Larry Miller of the God Family and Radio Show, Bill gives his insight, based on years of study, into the future biblical battles that are now stage setting. These end times epic events will have a global impact and our world will be shaken. Bill sees Prophecy as a witnessing tool that authenticates the sovereignty of God, Who told us the end from the beginning and wants to inform us because He loves us. Bill hopes that as Christians learn about these things in the Word of God that they will evangelize to the lost.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: What Are The Prophetic Implications For Israel? ... Tom Hughes and Bill Salus give a timely update on Ukraine, Russia, USA and Israel in prophecy.
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The Coming Ezekiel 38 Invasion TV Show ...Bill Salus explains why Ezekiel 38 is the marquee event of the end times.
What Happens in the Aftermath of Ezekiel 38 and 39? In this Prophecy Watchers TV show Bill Salus and Mondo Gonzales explore the important details about what happens in the aftermath of the Lord's supernatural defeat of Russia, Turkey, Iran and their hordes in Ezekiel 38 and 39.
The MIDEAST WAR is COMMING! Tom Hughes and Bill Salus start with a Mideast update. Then Bill addresses Daniel 11:37, (will the Antichrist be a homosexual)? Also explored is whether or not the 144,000 Jewish evangelist are virgins as per Revelation 14:4. Several other prophetic topics are discussed.
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The Global Government in the Millennium - Christ Rules with a Rod of Iron In this short video Bill Salus teaches about the global government in the MILLENNIUM. This message explains how and why Jesus Christ rules with a rod of iron. Discover the Jewish and Gentile branches of government during this 1000 year Messianic Age.
Psalm 83: Is it an unfulfilled prophecy? In this 8-minute video below, Bill Salus responds to his critics about the Psalm 83 prophetic war
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The Destruction and Restoration of Planet Earth ...This short 2 1/2 minute video is taken from the Bill Salus DVD entitled, The MILLENNIUM Prophecies and the NEW JERUSALEM. At the end of the Seven-Year Tribulation Period the present planet will be destroyed, but the good news is that Jesus Christ will restore the earth to its former glories for the MILLENNIUM.
...In this short video, Bill Salus peers into the prophetic future and shares what he foresees coming in the Middle East. The stage is clearly set for, not one, but several last days biblical wars to happen. These epic foretold events could turn 2022 into an apocalyptic year. This video excerpt was taken from the timely Prophecy Watchers TV show entitled, Prophecy Update: Israel's Nuclear Showdown with Iran. This Prophecy Watchers show can be seen below.
Prophecy Update: Israel's Nuclear Showdown with Iran Join Mondo Gonzales and Bill Salus as they discuss and analyze the momentous events that are happening in Israel currently. The Nuclear talks in Vienna are going nowhere. Israel passed a $1.5 billion dollar legislative packet in October authorizing the training and preparation for a direct attack on Iran's nuclear sites. Iran's brigadier general openly acknowledges recently their desire to wipe Israel off the map. This isn't just the typical saber-rattling. There are new red lines that are being crossed and Israel is now being forced to take decisive action as Iran poses an existential threat.
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The Eternal Order and The New Jerusalem On this Prophecy Watchers TV show, Bill Salus explains the highlights of the Millennium and the Eternal Order that follows. He also covers the events in the Aftermath Age, which is a time period between the Millennium and Eternal Order.
Bill Salus and Tom Hughes are together again. This timely video explores several Pre-Tribulation Prophecies. This show ends with a live Q and A.
The MILLENNIUM Prophecies: the 75-Day Interval ...On this Prophecy Watchers TV show Bill Salus explains what happens in the 75-Day Interval that sets up the Millennial Kingdom.
The 3 Jerusalems (Bill Salus article)
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The Top 20 Pre-Tribulation Prophecies
Bill Salus & Tom Hughes Reveal The Pre-Tribulation Prophecies WATCH THIS RECENT PROPHECY WATCHER TV SHOW...
Salus and Marzulli discuss groundbreaking Bible prophecies ... This video received over 150,000 views, but was recently censored. So we have reposted it. Watch it before it gets removed again.
Mideast Update: The 3 Hamas Prophecies (11:25 minute video) Did you know that the Hamas and Palestinians appear to be identified in Bible prophecy? In this Mideast Update, Bill Salus discusses the current Hamas vs. Israeli conflict and reveals the 3 prophecies that appear to allude to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza.
Vintage Video: The Post-Rapture Pre-Tribulation Gap Period ...Bill Salus explains the gap of unspecified time between the Rapture and the Seven-Year Tribulation Period....We are building our YouTube channel by posting NEW and OLD videos into a library for our viewers. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE by clicking the YouTube button at the bottom right of this video. It will take you to our channel and then click on the SUBSCRIBE BUTTON.
2021 Update: Why America Will Fall From Superpower Status (Part 1) ...In this 24-minute video Bill Salus points out that America is morally and spiritually bankrupt. He identifies when the USA said "GOODBYE GOD," and how that provoked GOD to abandon America.
Why America will Fall from Superpower Status (Part 2) ...In this video, Bill Salus provides a summary of the Ezekiel 38 prophecy. Bill also presents the biblical, historical, archaeological, geographical and geo-political arguments that America is a cowardly young lion of Tarshish in Ezekiel 38:13. This means that America is a sideline protestor during the end times Magog Invasion into Israel. As such, America is pictured in a less than super-power status. Bill presents the possible scenarios that could cause America to decline between now and the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38.
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Nuclear Showdown In Iran ...Buy this book and DVD at prophecydepot.com
The LAST Prophecies on Prophecy Watchers TV Bill Salus has another information packed visit with Gary Stearman of Prophecy Watchers. They highlighted some key content of Bills new book, The LAST Prophecies. What is meant by the Final/Terminal Generation? What is the end times timeline? What starts the 7-year Tribulation and what is its purpose? They also discussed that there will be a final worldwide revival amidst the judgments of the Trib-Period and also pondered, what are the end time technologies that the ancient apostles and prophets tried to describe?
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Is AMERICA in EZEKIEL 38?
The Catholic Church in the Tribulation ... Bill Salus explains the future of the Catholic Church in Bible prophecy.
Revealing the Mystery of End Times Babylon Dr. David Reagan and Nathan Jones interview Bill Salus on Christ in Prophecy TV. The topic that is discussed is the true identity of the GREAT CITY called Mystery, Babylon. Is it New York City, Jerusalem, Mecca, Rebuilt Babylon, Iraq, or is it Rome, the city that sits on seven-hills? Watch this TV show to hear the arguments that strongly suggest that the Harlot world religion is the Catholic Church and that the GREAT CITY that it's headquartered in is ROME!
BILL SALUS EXPLAINS WHY PSALM 83 IS A NOW PROPHECY ON PROPHECY WATCHERS TV ... Many prophecy buffs believe that Ezekiel 38 is the prophecy that could happen Now, but Bill Salus explains why that is not likely. He says Psalm 83 is a Now Prophecy, but certain preconditions exist today that suggest Ezekiel 38 is a Next Prophecy.
While the focus was primarily on the offerings for adult readers among the 625 booksellers attending this years Winter Institute (held in Denver January 2326), childrens publishers and authors also took their turns in the limelight at the annual gathering of publishers reps, authors, and booksellers.
Of a dozen publishers presenting their 2016 releases at the Small Press Luncheon during Wi11, one, Creston Books, publishes books for children by debut authors and illustrators. The California-based press, which launched its first list in fall 2013, has 19 books on its list to date, 11 of which have received starred reviews in trade publications. Theres a lot of bang for our small list, publisher Marissa Moss said, before presenting her spring list of four releases: California Dreaming by Marissa Moss (April), the latest in the Miras Diary series of time-traveling historical novels; Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep by Robin Newman, illustrated by Chris Ewald April); Busy Busy by Lucy Scott (May); and The Girl Who Saved Yesterday by Julius Lester, illustrated by Carl Angel, which Moss described as gorgeous. Moss disclosed that it would probably be Lesters last book, adding, If you care about diversity, this is a book you should read.
While the other 11 small presses emphasized their adult offerings, several included a childrens book or series among the adult titles. Ben LeRoy, F&W/Tyrus publisher, presented Local Girl Swept Away by Ellen Wittlinger (June), the latest YA release from Merit Press, which is an F&W imprint of YA releases curated by author Jacqueline Mitchard. Matt Smiley of the University of Minnesota Press kicked off his presentation with the picture book, Wake Up, Island by Mary Casanova, with woodcuts by Nick Wroblewski (March), which is one of the presss top two releases for the trade market this spring. And Shana Capozza of Rowman & Littlefield presented among an extensive list of books about the outdoors five books in the Ranger Rick line of childrens books that are being released in June by Taylor Trade Publishing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ranger Rick magazine next year. Its about getting kids excited about visiting national parks, Capozza said.
Childrens authors received equal time during the Indies Introduce Anthology session immediately following the Small Press luncheon. Of the nine debut novelists presenting their spring releases to a packed ballroom of booksellers, four were YA authors the fifth YA author scheduled to speak, Goldy Moldavsky (Kill the Boy Band, Scholastic/Point, Feb.) was stuck in New York City because of the blizzard. The four YA authors selected for Indies Introduce who did make it to Wi11 included Lindsay Eagar, Hour of the Bees (Candlewick, March), which she described as a magical realism novel that she wrote in about 10 days; Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, The Smell of Other Peoples Houses (Random/Wendy Lamb, Feb.), about four teenagers in the early days of Alaskas statehood; Sean McGinty, The End of FUN (Disney-Hyperion, Apr.), described as a volatile blend of M.T. Anderson, Cory Doctorow, Andrew Smith, and Hunter S. Thompson; and Harriet Reuter Hapgood, The Square Root of Summer (Roaring Brook, May), about a 17-year-old physics prodigy who immerses herself in equations and theories in response to personal heartbreak.
Afterwards, Judith Lafitte of Octavia Books in New Orleans expressed appreciation for all of the debut novels presented, singling out The Square Root of Summer over the other eight adult and YA debuts, and describing it as something new, really different. It sounded like its going to be exciting to read.
The Square Root of Summer wasnt the only YA novel receiving special mention from both general and childrens booksellers. Several booksellers PW queried cited Ruta Sepetys Salt to the Sea (Philomel, Feb.), a historical novel about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945 during World War II as the book they are most excited to sell. Most of the booksellers PW spoke to had read the galleys before Winter Institute.
Thirty pages in and tears were running down my face, said Shirley Mullin, the owner of Kids Ink in Indianapolis, praising Sepetys extensive historical research into the sinking of the ship filled with refugees of various nationalities fleeing war. The authors research included interviews with both survivors and divers who have explored the wreck. I often read books in a few days, but I had such an emotional investment in the characters, it slowed down my reading, Mullin said.
There were also, as usual, discoveries made during the conference. Robert McDonald of the Bookstall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka, Ill. praised as his find of the show Ms. Bixbys Last Day by John David Anderson (HarperCollins/Walden Pond, June), and described the middle-grade read as sad and funny, all at the same time. It tells the tale of a teacher who, in the midst of reading The Hobbit to her middle-grade class, announces that she wont be finishing out the school year. How could I resist? McDonald asked PW. Linda Devlin of Lindas Story Time in Monroe, Conn., noted that, with three boys as the main characters and a light touch, Ms. Bixbys Last Day is going to do really well with boys, including reluctant readers.
Winter Institute is moving to Minneapolis in 2017, to be held January 2730, and with the number of childrens authors and illustrators residing in Minnesota, the Minnesota Mafia of childrens trade and educational book publishers clustered in the Twin Cities and Mankato, and the proximity of such iconic childrens bookstores as Wild Rumpus Books and The Red Balloon Bookshop, childrens books and authors are certain to remain front and center throughout next years three-day gathering of book industry people.
Im so psyched its such a great indie publishing town and such a great indie bookstore town for both adults and children, said Anmyram Budner of Main Point Books in Bryn Mawr, Pa., as Wi11 wound down with a small press reception. Why would we not want to be in the Twin Cities and while in town, check out [Wild Rumpus owner] Colette Morgans famed bookstore menagerie?
For more coverage of Winter Institute 11, see Kwame Alexander Becomes the 'Say Yes Guy' at the Show, Winter Institute 11 in Photos, and Bookselling Tips from Winter Institute 2016.
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.''
Anttonen told Joy business news "I think there is quite a lot we can do to widen our economic cooperation in telecommunications, the best Finns company is probably Nokia and they are already in the country, they are working here to improve Internet, we all know Internet is very important for economic development in industries, services and even in agriculture."
Government raised 1,761.47 million (or 1.76 billion) through Tender 1467 while Tender 1468 yielded 1,021.31 million (or 1.02 billion) and Tender 1469 raised 963.82 million. Tender 1470 produced 887.79 million.
Statutory payments $3.8 billion statutory debts settled
The Ministry of Finance projected to raise 2,100 million was scheduled to be collected via the 91-day T-bill, with 1,700 million planned to be received from the 182-day T-bill.
Also, some 120 million was billed to be contracted via the 1-Year Note, 300 million from the 2-Year Note, and 500 million from the 3-Year bond while a yet-to-be specified amount was to be borrowed from the 5-Year Fixed Rate Bond.
Government incurred local and international criticism in 2015, for borrowing about 50 billion through its Issuance Calendar for its securities, with the aim of refinancing maturing debt.
Government borrowing targets for 2016 is in excess of 30.47 billion for the first half from the issuance of bonds, notes and Treasury bills.
"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," WHO director general, Margaret Chan has indicated.
She said that the priorities were to protect pregnant women and their babies from harm and to control the mosquitoes that are spreading the virus.
She added an alert from WHO places Zika in the same category of international concern as Ebola.
The above concerns were raised after the WHO director general convened an Emergency Committee, under the International Health Regulations, to gather advice on the severity of the health threat associated with the continuing spread of Zika virus disease in Latin America and the Caribbean.
After a review of the evidence, the Committee advised that "the recent cluster of microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders reported in Brazil, following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014, constitutes an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world."
Currently, there is no vaccine or medication to stop Zika. 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.
Related Stories : > Safety FDA destroys unwholesome products in Wa
The FDA is therefore cautioning members of the general public to be careful not to look out for the FDA's seal of approval because using any product.
They revealed to Pulse Business that two suspected counterfeited are being investigated by the Ghana Police Service.
Below is the full statement released by the FDA as copied to the Pulse News:
FDA/CPEU/PR/16/0001 1st February, 2016
The News Editor
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) wishes to bring to the attention of the general public, the manufacturing, distribution and sale of fake/counterfeit So Klin Detergents 35g on the Ghanaian market.
The FDA, through its Post Market Surveillance activities with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service found and seized large quantities of fake/counterfeit So Klin Detergent being manufactured by two Chinese in a garage at Tema Community 2. The two suspects are being investigated by the Ghana Police Service for prosecution.
The fake detergent found has been seized pending further investigations and safe disposal. We have also taken steps to retrieve any of such products that may be on the market.
We further assure the public that FDA is collaborating with other state agencies to rid the market of such fake products.
The general public especially business owners, wholesale and retail facilities are hereby cautioned against dealing in counterfeit, fake or substandard medicines, food, medical devices, cosmetics and household chemicals.
We further encourage the general public to provide information on persons in any activities that are likely to endanger public health and safety with respect to FDAs mandate through any of the following contact numbers; 0244337235, 0246809509, 0200426256 or 0544863418.
You may also reach us on our Toll Free line or text to the short code as follows;
Toll Free Line: 0800-151-000 (Free only on Vodafone and Airtel Networks)
Short Code: 4015 (Free on all Networks excluding GLO)
HUDU MOGTARI
He was appointed by President John Mahama following the retirement of Matilda Baffour-Awuah as head of the Ghana Prisons Service.
Mr Adzator until his appointment as the Acting Director -General of Prisons, was the Deputy Director General of Prisons in charge of Finance and Administration of the Service.
Read more: Ghana to develop a prison inmate location system
In a statement, Mr Adzator has held several key positions notably, Deputy Director-General of Prisons in charge of Finance and Administration, Director of Prisons in charge of Operations and Acting Director of Prisons Administration.
Below are details of the statement
APPOINTMENT OF NEW DIRECTOR-GENERAL: GHANA PRISONS SERVICE
The President of Ghana, upon the recommendation of the Prisons Service Council, has appointed Mr Emmanuel Yao Adzator, Deputy Director General of Prisons, as Acting Director General.
Mr Adzator until his appointment as the Acting Director -General of Prisons, was the Deputy Director General of Prisons in charge of Finance and Administration of the Service.
See more: 1000 Nsawam prison inmates get free NHIA cards
The Acting Director-General is a product of Kpando Secondary School, and holds a Degree in Psychology from the University of Ghana, has also studied Human Resource Management at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, and attended several capacity Training Courses both home and abroad.
Mr. Adzator has also undertaken several training and leadership programs in Correctional Administration, and has been trained at the Evidenced Based Strategy and Tactics for successful Correctional Reforms, Re-Entry and Reintegration in Joyfields Training Institute-Las Vegas,Navada USA , also, he trained in New Approaches to Psychological Services in Correctional Institutions, at the Galilee College, Israel: as well as in Advanced Prisons Management, at the Galilee Management Institute, Israel.
He has also participated in several Correctional Management Conferences at the international level.
He was enlisted into the Ghana Prisons Service in April 1989.
Mr Adzator has held several key positions notably, Deputy Director-General of Prisons in charge of Finance and Administration, Director of Prisons in charge of Operations and Acting Director of Prisons Administration.
Other positions he held were,Regional Commander, Ashanti Region, Second- in-Command, Medium Security Prisons, Nsawam, Officer-In Charge Obuasi Local Prisons.
He was the General Staff Officer as well as the Criminal Records officer at the Prisons Headquarters.
Mr Adzator has served with the United Nations Mission in Darfur, (UNAMID) as a Corrections Advisor to the National Prisons Service at El Fasher-Darfur Sudan.
According to him, Italy is passionate about its investment in Ghana.
Read more: Matteo Renzi visits Ghana
He said the European country is taking strategic steps to enhance its long existing relationship with Ghana.
Addressing parliament Tuesday morning, Mr. Renzi called on other European countries to invest in Africa in order to send the right signals to future generations.
"Your wealth will be our wealth and your challenges will be shared across our collective efforts in finding solutions that work among the two countries in the spirit of collaboration.
"...Europe must invest in Africa in order to send the right message to future generations," he stated.
Recently the government of Italy disbursed the second tranche of a grant facility of five hundred and fifty thousand Euros to support the Private sector Development Initiative.
On his part, President John Mahama commended Italy's continued support to Ghana's small and medium scale Enterprises.
President Mahama, made the commendation when he hosted the visiting Italian Prime Minister Mateo Renzi to a state Dinner at the Flagstaff House in Accra.
According to him, the European country is taking strategic steps to enhance its long existing relationship with Ghana and is hopeful that the West African country will continue to open its doors to genuine cooperation.
President Mahama, however, called on the European Union to also support troubled African countries like Libya, where most migrants cross to Europe.
"One of the key issues for which Ghana will encourage Italy to rally and get the European Union to work hard at is the need to support troubled countries like Libya to build a stable and functioning government. Developing and troubled countries must be supported by their development partners to build industry aimed at creating employment opportunities for young people in order to stem the regular migrant flows into Western Europe," he added.
According to President Mahama "this visit by the Prime Minister will not only strengthen the existing cordial, political and socio-economic ties between Ghana and Italy but also confirm Ghanas international credentials as a sound political environment and one of Africas most promising emerging markets."
Nyarko was said to have been put before an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Mrs Patricia Quansah, the Daily Guide newspaper reported.
He has been charged with threat of death after he posted the following on his Facebook timeline: I would shoot him if I should see him [The US Ambassador].
The suspect, said to be a National Service person at the Ejisu M/A Experimental School in the Ashanti region, pleaded not guilty and is on a Gh?500,000 bail with two sureties while the case has been adjourned to February 19, 2016, the newspaper reported in its Monday February 1, 2016 edition.
ASP Cynthia Anderson, the prosecuting officer was said to have told the court that the complainant was the newly posted American Ambassador to Ghana while the suspect is a graduate currently doing his National Service.
According to the prosecutor, the suspect created an account on Facebook and had been posting his views on both private and public issues on his timeline, adding that he had been liking other comments from other persons as well.
She said on January 15, 2016 the American Embassy in Ghana posted news including a video on the appointment of the complainant and his arrival in the country on its official Facebook page and a friend of the suspect liked it, adding that on January 19, 2016 the suspect clicked on his page and saw it.
She continued that the suspect then threatened the Ambassador with the following words: Who cares! All whites are bad. I would shoot him if I should see him.
She said the Embassy, upon seeing the threatening message, reported the matter to the police for investigation and the police intelligence revealed that he was at Ejisu.
He was consequently arrested but nothing incriminating was found in his room.
According to him, the move is a landmark one, as it directs the country towards the right direction.
Former General Secretary, Mr Ivor Greenstreet, who is a person living with disability beat Samia Nkrumah on Saturday after winning the presidential primaries with 1,288 votes of the 1,992 valid votes cast.
The election of Ivor Greenstreet makes him the first person with disability to run for presidency in Ghana.
Speaking to GBC news, the Minister of Chieftaincy, Seidu Danaa who is also a person with disability asked the CPP flag bearer to get ready for some criticisms from several quarters.
"It is a great day for persons with disability but the word I have for him is that he should prepare himself...As you get along, you will meet people who will speak nicely to you. You would also meet people who will speak the unpleasant.
The Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi addressing Parliament in Accra Tuesday, 2 February, 2016, has given assurance that the $7 billion Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Sankofa Gas Project sponsored by Italian oil firm ENI will continue despite tumbling crude oil prices.
He said "We know this is a moment very difficult for oil prices, but Im here and I host in the delegation, the CEO of ENI to give a message of continuation and presence of Italian investors in this country."
Read more:Matteo Renzi gives assurance of continuation of OTCP Gas Project by ENI
But the NPP in a statement signed by the Communications Director, Nana Akomea said, "The negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu for gas from the Sankofa fields is too high by world standards, of between $5-7/MMBtu. It is even higher than the price of gas sold to Ghana from Nigeria, which stands at $8.3/MMBtu, delivered at Takoradi. It is even more expensive than our own Atuabo Gas price of $8.8/MMBtu delivered at Takoradi."
Here is the full statement:
The New Patriotic Party joins the Government and people of Ghana to welcome His Excellency Mr. Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy, to Ghana today. The NPP appreciates the enormous assistance of Italy to Ghana over the years and the excellent state of our relationship.
On this auspicious occasion of the Prime Ministers visit, however, the NPP is constrained to highlight for the consideration of His Excellency and, indeed, all Ghanaians aspects of Ghanas contractual relationship with ENI, a state-owned Italian oil conglomerate, and its partners over the exploitation of the Offshore Cape Three Points Block (OCTP).
Our worries, which have also been expressed by some Civil Society Organisations in the oil sector, include:
i. The Government of Ghanas provision of financial terms to ENI and its partners of 20% return on investment, instead of the normal 12.5%, is an unusually high rate for commercial transactions of this nature, especially as GNPC assumes all the risk in the project.
ii. The negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu for gas from the Sankofa fields is too high by world standards, of between $5-7/MMBtu. It is even higher than the price of gas sold to Ghana from Nigeria, which stands at $8.3/MMBtu, delivered at Takoradi. It is even more expensive than our own Atuabo Gas price of $8.8/MMBtu delivered at Takoradi. At the negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu, it puts to great risk Ghanas potential of becoming the Petrochemical hub of the region to Nigeria, due to that countrys lower gas prices.
iii. This agreement compels GNPC to buy up to 90% of ENI produced gas at a higher negotiated price of $9.8/MMBtu for 20 solid years. This gas sales same agreement is further guaranteed against default by three guarantees the government of Ghana, the World Bank and GNPC amounting to some $750 million.
Furthermore, GNPC, after buying the gas from ENI at a guaranteed price stands the risk of losing its market (VRA, IPPs, petrochemical industries) to other cheap gas suppliers. iv. Ghana also guarantees additional free cash flows to the company by allowing them to write-off 7% interest on all commercial loans from project revenues, when the normal provision is between 2-3%. This also reduces Ghanas potential tax revenues from this project by over $160 million. No other companies, whether from Jubilee or TEN, have been given this same rate of 7%.
See more: Matteo Renzi visits Ghana
v. The cost of the development of the Jubilee Fields, with more reserves of oil equivalence and with a water depth of 3,630 ft, came to $4 billion. The cost of development of the TEN oil fields, also with more oil reserves of oil equivalence, came to $4.9 billion. The cost of development of ENIs Sankofa is $7 billion, with less reserves of oil equivalence and at relatively lower water depths of 2,706 ft. We wonder the quality of due diligence done, if any.
We ask, what possible motives could drive the government of Ghana to bend backwards and grant all these unprecedented incentives, which are not even available to the original developers of Cape Three Points?
We are highlighting these issues, as this is potentially the largest single investment in Ghana, which will bind the Ghanaian people for the next 20 years. It is, therefore, important that the benefits of this project are not so one-sided as they seem today.
He has however, expressed disappointment at the posturing of some political parties he has approached to join forces with his PPP.
In a post on his Facebook page on Sunday, Dr. Nduom explained that for several weeks now, he has been promoting the building of a coalition capable of winning the 2016 elections to form an inclusive government using the best, competent men and women.
According to him, although some prominent people have made private and public commitments to support the coalition, the stance of some political parties he approached was intriguing.
What I find intriguing is the stance of some political parties - they ask, "Can you help our party to win the election?" They just don't get it. I am NOT talking about helping anyone to win an election, he said.
Over the years, there have been calls for the smaller political parties in the country to merge in order to make an impact and challenge the status quo which has seen the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the main opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) dominating Ghana's political landscape.
Although there have been a number of attempts by the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC), both parties end up contesting the elections with their respective candidates.
Dr. Nduom clarified that his party is not looking to merge with any political party.
Ever wondered how smart regular everyday Ghanaians are. Well, PulseTV set out on the streets to ask some simple questions and the answers we got from some of the people captured is sure to make your day. Watch below Season 2 episode 6 of think you're smart.
Event Producer Clementine Vervelde talking to the press said "the idea behind this edition of Love IsThe Musical is to take the exploration of the theme of love to a new elemental level that resonates with everyone at a very deep part of their soul.
The reference to a journey or a quest or a search of love is one that the audience will understand and connect with. At the end of the day, those in attendance will go home having watched more than just a show, but having enriched their personal experience and understanding of what love is, Vervelde said.
Telling a musical story of three female characters a poet, a professional dancer and a businesswoman who are on a journey in search of love, the musical show follows their journey of discovery as they attempt to answer the question What is Love?
To be preceded by an art exhibition entitled Love Becomes Art, the night will also witness comedians including Gordons, Igos and Emma Oh Ma God as well as performances by Yinka Davies and dance group Ijodi.
Created and directed by Ice Nweke, Love IsThe Musical is produced by Ixtreme and Limitless Mind Africa.
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! 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!
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!
They made their position known when Adamawa state commander of the NSCDC, Muhammadu Durumin Iya and his immigration counterpart, Ubi Ukpi visited the Malkohi camp.
The paramilitary officers donated bags of rice, cooking oil and sewing machines to the IDPs. Donating the items on behalf of the commander General of NSCDC, Abdullahi Mohammed, the Adamawa commander of the corp, Muhammadu Durumin Iya said the gesture is in fulfillment of the promised made by the interior minister, retired General Abdulrahman Danbazau.
Adamawa state comtroller of immigration, Ubi Ukpi also presented sewing machines on behalf of his comptroller General, Martins Abeshi to help the IDPs in the ongoing training and skills acquisitions at the camp.
He said the Nigeria judicial system, civil society organizations and the media which are vital components for any anti-corruption war to succeed are too weak.
Sanga who applauded President Muhammadu Buhari's fight against corruption, called on the administration to create conducive atmosphere for the war in every sector.
"For any anti-corruption war to succeed,certain ingredients must be in place. Political will to fight corruption as examplified by Mr President and effective law enforcement, judiciary, civil society and the media. But all need to be strengthen," Sanga said.
Renzi made the remark on Monday, February 1, 2016, while speaking to journalists after a private meeting with Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Italy will improve cooperation with Nigeria in areas of security, energy, agriculture and small and medium enterprise, he said.
Renzi also said that the Italian government would work with Nigeria and the global community to ensure the destruction of Boko Haram.
All the sentiment and friendship Italian government about the attacks of terrorists is that they know the world will destroy them, he said.
The international community is focused and determined to destroy them, he added.
Speaking in Abeokuta at a ceremony, marking the 40th anniversary of Ogun State, Buhari said he was not used to working as hard as Obasanjo worked, but he tolerated him for that long anyway.
He said, He tolerated me because God knows and he knows that I am not used to working as hard as he used to, but he allowed me to last that long and allowed me to work.
If you go into records, that government made so much investment and infrastructural development in the petroleum industry. Two refineries were built, Warri and Kaduna. More than 20 depots were built; more than 3,500 pipelines were laid; and we were exporting refined products of 100,000 barrels per day. But what do we have today?
He also commended the state Governor, Ibikunle Amosun for his people-oriented programmes and prayed that people of the state would continue being lucky to have a governor that would look after them.
I have previously, on commissioning of some projects, expressed my gratitude to the governor of Ogun state for inviting me and identifying me with his success"
On my commissioning in January 1963, my first posting was to Abeokuta, where 2nd infantry battalion Nigerian army used to be. We were living in wooden flats, which were built in the last war and I was here for some time before I was posted to Lagos.
But today if you drive me around Abeokuta and you ask me where the barracks is, I assure you that I will get missing. I wont be able to remember Lisabi Club where we use to sit, those of us who use to drink Fanta and listen to music.
Your programmes are certainly people-oriented. We have commissioned roads, schools and legal complex headquarters, where I met justices and I made an observation to the governor that women were more than men. I am just wondering that gentlemen, the ladies are taking over in very important profession.
Dasuki, co-defendants are facing trial for alleged diversion of N13billion, part of the $2.1million meant for the procurement of arms for the Nigerian Army for the fight against Boko Haram.
The need for the other co-defendants to also respond to an application by Dasuki to stop the trial was also part of why the proceedings could not go on.
However, according to The Cable, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Jacobs, had told the court at the commencement of trial at about 9:15am that Dasuki was not in court yet because he still dressing up, urging the court to either stand down the case or adjourn it.
The case was postponed to February 26.
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.
He said after the results of the 2015 Presidential election were revealed, and it turned out that he had lost to President Muhammadu Buhari, he started getting calls from different people, asking him not to accept the outcome, but he chose otherwise because he did not join politics for personal gain but to serve.
He said: "As African leaders, we must now be ready to set standards so that other people would begin to emulate us. In Nigeria, it is almost taken for a granted that anybody who contests for any office would always go to the tribunal to challenge an outcome that doesnt favour him. What that suggests is that nobody loses election in Nigeria. That tradition must also change.
"As a sitting president, I presided over an election in which I contested but I lost. Yes, INEC is an independent body but you and I know that the activity of any agency is under the supervision of a president. Some people were telling me to go to the tribunal or even stop the elections, citing cases of irregularities. But I rebuffed such advice. If INEC that was under me, and assuming the officials allowed cheating during elections as was claimed, why will I go to the tribunal to complain? If I did that, I would not be setting the right example. It would then mean that all I suffered to build would come to nothing.
"The point I am making is that people should always be prepared to make sacrifices for the sake of their country. We need to evolve that culture and imbibe it in our consciousness that we dont have to go to court each time we lose elections.
"Let me tell you a story that will shock you. When the results of the elections were declared and I got almost 13 million votes, while the incumbent president won with over 15 million votes, I recall one African leader telling me that if I decided to leave office, it would only be because I must already be tired of remaining in office. The implication of that statement was that many other leaders in my position would have stayed put, but that is just not me. My place in governance was to do my best and quit and not to sit tight and destroy everything I had built."
Ganduje, who is the younger brother of the Kano state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, was sacked over what the palace described as gross negligence of duty".
The action was taken because it is an offence for one to smear the good image of the traditional institution.
The Village Head was stripped of his turban as his offence bordered on gross official misconduct which the palace was all out to jettison for the sake of safeguarding the credibility of the revered institution, Sanusi said.
This is contained in a statement signed by the state's Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Toyin Suarau, in Lagos on Monday.
The commissioner in the statement declared that such unauthorised abattoir would not be allowed to frustrate the resolve to monitor the quality of meat sold to members of the public.
He said that it had become very necessary to monitor the whole process of meat handling, right from the animal markets to the abattoir, and even its transportation.
The commissioner said that the riot act was part of the measures to curb the spread of unwholesome processed meat and meat products.
He added that that government had handled the distribution aspect by introducing the Eko Refrigerated Meat Van, which was being used to transport meat, rather than the former obnoxious meat transportation.
"Government will continue to close down illegal abattoirs and slaughter slabs, which are not hygienic and not in compliant with the relevant laws governing meat slaughtering in the state," the official said
He said that the issue of animal slaughtering was still a big issue because a lot of animals must be inspected before and after slaughtering, to ensure compliance with the meat inspection law.
The danger with unrecognised abattoirs is that the animals slaughtered there are not inspected by veterinary professionals to detect the one that has diseased or even pregnant ones, because it is illegal to slaughter pregnant animals, he said.
Adetona, who made the appeal when he received President Buhari at his palace in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, said the call became imperative in view of the fact that corruption could kill Nigerians if not checked.
He said the people of Ogun had endorsed policies and programmes of President Buharis administration.
"I want to assure you that we endorsed everything you have done. I always say if we dont kill corruption, corruption will kill us.
"So, we dont want corruption to kill us.
"We call on you to make a good foundation for new Nigeria, where there will be peace and harmony; where there will be no corruption, a new Nigeria where every sector and section will develop, he said.
The Monarch, who offered special prayer for the success of Buharis administration, thanked the president for his visit to the state to rejoice with the people on the 40th anniversary of the state.
In his remarks, Buhari thanked the Awujale of Ijebu land for the reception accorded him.
He also commended the Monarch and the people of Ogun for ensuring peaceful coexistence among the diverse ethnic and religious groups in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Buhari, who was accompanied to the palace by Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, was welcomed by eight former governors of the state, 51 traditional rulers and 41 traditional title holders in Ijebu Land.
President Buhari, who travelled by road from Ijebu-Ode to Abeokuta, attended a calisthenics display and cultural performance to mark the 40th anniversary of the state.
INTERPOL is said to have issued a worldwide red alert on Maina due to his part in the alleged laundering of over N2 billion in pension funds, The Nation reports.
The INTERPOL has issued a world-wide red alert on Maina. The notice is based on a request from the EFCC, which on November 18, 2015, wrote to the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, seeking his assistance to issue an INTERPOL Red Alert on Maina, who was charged to the Federal High Court on July 10, 2015, a source said.
In a response to the anti-graft agencys request, Olushola Subair, commissioner of Police, INTERPOL, in a letter dated January 11, 2016, addressed to the Chairman, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, informed the agency that its request had been processed and a notice duly issued by the INTERPOL, the source added.
A response from Interpol read: Be informed that the Bureau has taken necessary action on the wanted fugitive as requested with INTERPOL General Secretariat, Lyon, France. He has been published on the INTERPOL Red Notice accordingly.
Maina is reportedly believed to be hiding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The spokesman of the group, Gabriel Godson-Ndinwa said they have written a petition to Mr. President and to the National Assembly concerning the issue.
According to him, the action of the group was predicated on a comment made by Minister for Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, that the University might be scrapped.
The groups spokesman said Amaechi made the comment On Janauary 19, 2016, when he appeared before Senate Committee on Maritime Transport.
They also added that they were inclined to believe the comment, because the presidency has not said anything to acknowledge or deny the comment.
Punch reports that Godson-Ndinwa also called on President Buhari to mandate the acting Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Haruna Jauro to release the N2bn take-off grant that was approved for the institution.
According to The Guardian, which quoted military sources, the vessel was taken on Friday, January 29, and the navy is said to be pursuing it.
Kanu, who was detained by the Department of State Service (DSS) on October 17, was accused of terrorism over his agitation for a breakaway state of Biafra, and for inciting violence with Radio Biafra, which he founded.
Although, report said a leader of a Biafran separatist movement, Uchena Madu, said Ben was not a separatist but some Niger Delta militants have shown interest in working with us.
Igbokwe said I advise the Obanikoro family to come back and prove that they have nothing to do with these allegations. They must come to clear their family name. It is important that they do this because the money that we are talking about is too huge for them to just brush aside.
Issuing statements is not enough especially when there is evidence that cannot be ignored. So, they better come back because if they dont, America, which has promised to support us, will extradite them.
Obanikoro, former Minister of State for Defence, has been accused of helping Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti to rig the elections that brought him into power.
Two of the former ministers sons, Gbolahan and Babajide, have also been indicted in the ongoing investigation into the $2.1b arms purchase scam.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleged that Sylvan McNamara Limited, a company allegedly owned by Obanikoros sons, got part of the $2.1b arms fund.
According to Vanguard, investigations revealed that N 4,745,000,000.00 was paid into the companys account number 0026223714 with Diamond bank, in bits, from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Musiliu Obanikoro has challenged the EFCC to make public its findings about Sylvan McNamara Limited, and also list the names of account signatories and directors of the company.
We set up the ICPC and the EFCC to tackle it head on. Today, corruption drains billions of dollars from our economy that cannot afford to lose even a million dollars, he said.
It seems we are just beginning the fight against corruption afresh. Until recently, it seems corruption had returned with a vengeance, taking seat at the very heart of government.
We must kick corruption out because it destroys almost everything and I am not talking about corruption of money; corruption of attitude, nepotism, favouritism, they are corruption in different forms," he added.
Obasanjo recently courted controversy when he criticized the National Assembly for planning to buy 469 vehicles despite the economic troubles being witnessed in the country.
The vice-president said this during an interactive meeting with a group of international investors at the State House, a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the Vice-President, Mr Laolu Akande, said.
Akande stated that the interaction involved global investors from companies, including 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.
The senior special assistant quoted Osinbajo as saying "this country has practically what it takes to run a solid economy that is not dependent on oil, but on business and commerce.
According to the vice-president, President Muhammadu Buhari has already given the mandate to ensure that conducive environment is created for business investments in the country.
He added that work had already started, with government looking at the different aspects involved.
The Vice President, alongside Dr Okey Enelamah, the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, also met with the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Ranking Team.
At the meeting, issues were laid out and specific lines of action identified on how to improve the business climate in the country.
The vice president explained that working with the state governments, the Buhari presidency would ensure that issues such as pre-investment approvals and land titles were reformed to attain ease in doing business in the country.
He explained that where necessary, government would rationalise agencies involved in granting approvals, thus creating space for businesses to thrive.
After the adventures in "Jand Hustle," Jimi Bendel returns to Nigeria from London with a car as a birthday present for his mother.Unfortunately, the car is stolen before he can present it to her. Now, armed with Scotland Yard Metropolitan Police training, Jimi Bendel is on a mission to find the stolen car, break a deadly all-female gang of armed robbers in Lagos, and return in time for his mother's birthday party.
Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, 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 Ekiti state Governor also said 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 has been in the eye of the storm lately, following startling revelations by the embattled former secretary of the Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Temitope Aluko, who claimed that the Ekiti Governor used the Nigerian Army to rig the governorship elections in the state.
This time the Governor has asked President Buhari to leave the judiciary alone to do their work.
This is coming on the heels of a comment by Mr. President where he said On the fight against corruption vis-a-vis the judiciary, Nigerians will be right to say that is my main headache for now.
According to Vanguard, Fayose said President Buhari should have simply told the whole world that he hated the Nigeria 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 also asked Buhari to respect the laid down democratic principles of separation of powers.
He also said 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.
Fayose accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to manipulate the judiciary.
He also said the APC convinced people to confess to rigging elections, just to rubbish his victory in the polls.
A statement signed by the Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications, University of Abuja, Waziri Garba made this known recently.
According to the statement, Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Michael U. Adikwu has confirmed that the institution has already set up a centre of excellence for sickle cell disease research and control and that it would also benefit from a 25 million pounds grant to Africa by Glaxo Smith Kline, (GSK) London meant for further research on the efficacy of the three existing drugs for the management of hypertension.
Adikwu stated this when he received a team from GSK which was on the main campus and the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital to inspect facilities for a trial pharmaceutical laboratory which is expected to focus research on three combinations of medications namely: Amlodipine-Lisnopril, Lisnopril-Thiazide and Amlodipine- Thiazide for the treatment of hypertension cases.
Leader of the Glaxo Smith Kline team who is also the Global Health Projects Director of the firm, Mrs. Ann Duffon, and the principal investigator, Dr. Ojji Dike, of the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of Abuja, said that the research on the combination drugs was to test for their efficacy and for those with less side effect in order to establish the best anti-hypertensive drugs for Africa.
However, when you talk about Africa, especially where tech is concerned, Nigeria will definitely get recurrent mentions. Nigeria, as an emerging market, has undergone a genuine tech explosion of sorts.
Startups keep popping up every other day, more and more investors are finding their way into the country, and tech adoption keeps increasing on a daily basis.
In a newly released infographic published by We Are Social Singapore, a social media agency with 8 offices worldwide, Nigerias key digital statistical indicators show that the country is headed in the right direction.
According to the infographic, Nigeria has a population of about 184.6 million with urbanization sitting nicely at 49%. Of the over 184 million people in the country, 97.2 million are active Internet users with an internet penetration figure set at 53%.
Furthermore, the infographic shows that about 15 million Nigerians are active on social media while at least 84% of the population (or 154.3 million people) have an active mobile subscription (i.e mobile phones, SIMs etc.). As for active social mobile users, Nigeria boasts a sizeable 11.0 million people with a 12% growth in the number of active internet users since January 2015.
Nigeria also experienced a 10% increase in the number of active social media users, 11% increase in the number of mobile subscriptions, and an 11% drop in the number of active mobile social users since January 2015.
The 13-yr-old identified as Lisa F, had earlier revealed to the police that she had been taken from a suburb in east Berlin, and had been held as a prisoner for 30 hours by 'foreign-looking men' who had also raped her during her captivity.
The Guardian reports that her parents had reported her missing on January 11, after she had not shown up at her school located in the Marzahn district of the capital.
Lisa had returned 30 hours later with bruises, convincing her parents that she had been grabbed by men whom she described to be of middle Eastern or North African origin.
Fortunately, following an interrogation session with trained specialists 3 days after she had returned home, Lisa had caved, admitting that her story had not been true.
The spokesman for the state prosecutor, Martin Steltner, revealed that the teen had been afraid to go home after her school had contacted her parents over an incident which had taken place earlier.
Further investigations had revealed that Lisa had spent the night with a friend as proved by her phone records although the said friend is not being held as a suspect in the case.
Monday's shooting between the security forces and the Somali Islamist militia occurred in Kenya's Boni forest in Lamu county, near the border with Somalia.
A joint force of military and police have been combing Boni forest since September to flush out militants, who are believed to be using the area as a hideout to plan and launch attacks.
On Sunday, suspected militants killed three men in the Pandanguao area of Lamu, the same location where they had killed at least 100 people in a series of attacks in June and July 2014.
Nelson Marwa, the coast regional coordinator, said the four suspects were part of a bigger group security forces were tailing.
"It is a major breakthrough. Our forces recovered a police vehicle that been stolen by the terrorists earlier," Marwa told Reuters by phone.
He said they also recovered four AK 47 rifles, three improvised explosive devices, three pistols and communication gadgets from the slain suspects.
Kenya is still recovering from a major al Shabaab attack on its military base in Somalia last month, which left several soldiers dead. Officials have not released the number of the dead, but the militants claimed they killed over 100 soldiers.
Al Shabaab has said in the past its frequent attacks in Kenya are in retaliation for Kenya sending its troops into Somalia in 2011. They are now part of an African Union peacekeeping force.
The grenades went off in the Butere neighbourhood of the capital Bujumbura on Monday night.
"One (person) was killed instantly," said Jean de Dieu, who was near the scene of attack.
Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye confirmed two grenades were detonated and eight people were wounded.
Burundi sank into a crisis last year after President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term of office, which he secured in a disputed vote.
African leaders, who met in Addis Ababa at the weekend, agreed to send a team to try to persuade Nkurunziza to accept a 5,000-strong force after he rejected the plan and said any such force would be treated as an invasion.
The Butere neighbourhood was one of the flashpoints during the height of the violent protest against Nkurunziza's decision, along with the neighbouring Mutakura and Cibitoke areas.
When the peacekeeping plan was announced in December by the African Union's peace and security council, officials had said they could invoke an article of the AU's charter that allows it to act even without a government's agreement.
But African leaders showed wariness of such a move at the summit and instead decided to seek approval first.
Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
The owner of Bowls: Urban Eats is pitching a new bar on East 3rd Street, Davenport, in space that belongs to the Adler Theatre.
Davenport aldermen are expected to hear details of the bar at their committee-of-the-whole meeting Wednesday. Bowls owner Chris Odendahl is seeking a 10-year lease agreement with the city, which owns the Adler.
Rick Palmer, Adler's executive director, said the proposed bar would open to East 3rd Street in 1,500 square feet of space that is not currently occupied by the theater. It would be located west of the theater's entrance.
"We believe it is a good deal," Palmer said. "We look forward to the council's reaction. Occupied space is better than unoccupied space."
The proposed bar would be called Raw, according to Bowls general manager Chris Torres, adding that Odendahl was in Sacramento, Calif., and could not be reached for comment.
"It would play on both aspects of drink and food," Torres said.
According to the proposed lease agreement, the tenant will be obligated to make $70,651 in improvements to the space that becomes the property of the city. In return, the city will provide a monthly abatement of $588 from the $917 monthly rent payment for the first two years of the lease. The base rent would increase in increments for the remaining years of the lease; the abatement would remain the same.
The city's finance department is recommending a motion to the City Council to set a public hearing regarding the lease of space within the Adler to Rawbar LLC. The date of that public hearing is recommended for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17, which is when the council meets again as a committee of the whole. If approved, the hearing will be held in City Hall, 226 W. 4th St.
UPDATED: DES MOINES An improbable nail-biter between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wore into the wee hours of Tuesday morning before Clinton claimed victory in the closest contest in the history of the Iowa Democratic Partys presidential caucuses.
At 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, 7 hours after the first-in-the-nation caucuses started, the state party reported all but one of the states 1,683 precincts had submitted its results, with Clinton claiming 49.8 percent of state delegate equivalents and Sanders 49.5 percent.
According to the state partys figures, the remaining available state delegate equivalents from the lone unreported precinct are not enough for Sanders to overcome Clintons lead.
If the results hold up, Clinton will be the first woman to win an Iowa caucus.
Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa caucus, Matt Paul, Clintons campaign director in Iowa, said in a statement issued immediately after the state party released its numbers. After thorough reporting and analysis of results, there is no uncertainty and Sec. Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates. Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Sen. Sanders can overcome Sec. Clintons advantage.
MSNBC's Kasie Hunt reported early today that Sanders, who had just got off a plane in New Hampshire, responded that he didn't know, when she asked him whether he would contest the Iowa result. Robert Becker, Sanders' state director in Iowa, said in a statement this morning: "We look forward to working with the IDP on full precinct-by-precinct accounting over coming days."
Martin OMalley, a former Maryland governor who campaigned relentlessly in Iowa, wasnt viable at most caucus sites and got less than 1 percent of the delegates. He suspended his campaign late Monday.
At an energetic rally on the Drake University campus late Monday, Clinton didnt declare victory, but told the crowd, As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief. Thank you Iowa.
On stage with former President Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, the former secretary of state who was once thought to be a shoo-in for the partys nomination, had to acknowledge the debate would continue and she said she relished it.
I am excited about really getting into the debate with Sen. Sanders about the best way forward to fight for us and America, Clinton said.
The race will now go to New Hampshire, where the Vermont senator is leading in the polls.
At his campaign party on Des Moines south side, Sanders portrayed the judgment rendered by Iowans across the state in broad terms.
As I think about what happened tonight, Sanders told cheering supporters, I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, the economic establishment and by the way, to the media establishment that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.
Returns on the Iowa Democratic Partys web site showed that Sanders and Clinton won counties across the state. Clinton had much of her strength in central Iowa, particularly around Polk County. Sanders fared well in Iowas college areas, as well as in bigger counties like Linn, Scott, Black Hawk and Woodbury.
In each of the counties, though, there were close contests in individual precincts. The state Democratic Party said early today that Clinton won 699.57 delegate equivalents, while Sanders had 695.49. OMalley had 7.68, and the outstanding precinct only had 2.28 delegate equivalents.
The party said turnout was 171,109, the second highest for the party's caucuses.
Mondays tight contest was never in the imagination of most political analysts a year ago.
In late May of last year, Clinton held a 41 point lead in Iowa, where she finished third in 2008 but was determined to grab the ring in 2016. She put a robust organization into place across the state and spent a lot of time in the state, even delving into state issues like closing mental health facilities and education funding.
Sanders, however, preached a revolution, and he began to draw huge crowds across the country. In Iowa, he first drew notice in the national media by drawing 700 people in a late May appearance in Davenport.
The next day the Vermont senator told the Quad-City Times, I think we will surprise some people how well well do here.
He did.
Sanders called for a $15 national minimum wage, revamping the campaign finance system, a single payer health care plan and breaking up the big banks.
At the Danceland Ballroom in Davenport the weekend before the caucuses, he exhorted 1,000 people to march with him, saying Mondays vote was about "whether Iowa is ready to lead this country forward in a political revolution that will transform America.
Clinton, drawing on her own experience, has pushed for a more incremental and, she says, realistic approach. Shes said shed build on the Affordable Care Act to lower out of pocket insurance costs and use the powers in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to deal with the financial industry. Im not interested in ideas that sound good on paper but will never happen in the real world, Clinton said in late January in Indianola.
Clinton's campaign was criticized for lacking passion, and some analysts said they didn't see the fire in her supporters they did in Sanders' backers. But by the end of the campaign, the tempo of the Clinton campaign picked up and her supporters got more vocal.
A late Iowa Poll said that, contrary to popular impressions, it was her supporters in Iowa, not Sanders', that were more excited.
The poll, by the Des Moines Register, said that Clinton was leading Sanders by a spare three percentage points, within the margin of error and a too close for comfort margin.
EARLIER REPORT: DES MOINES An improbable nail-biter between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wore into the wee hours of Tuesday morning before Clinton claimed victory in the closest contest in the history of the Iowa Democratic Partys presidential caucuses.
At 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, 7 hours after the first-in-the-nation caucuses started, the state party reported all but one of the states 1,683 precincts had submitted its results, with Clinton claiming 49.8 percent of state delegate equivalents and Sanders 49.5 percent.
According to the state partys figures, the remaining available state delegate equivalents from the lone unreported precinct are not enough for Sanders to overcome Clintons lead.
If the results hold up, Clinton will be the first woman to win an Iowa caucus.
Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa caucus, Matt Paul, Clintons campaign director in Iowa, said in a statement issued immediately after the state party released its numbers. After thorough reporting and analysis of results, there is no uncertainty and Sec. Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates. Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Sen. Sanders can overcome Sec. Clintons advantage.
MSNBC's Kasie Hunt reported early today that Sanders, who had just got off a plane in New Hampshire, responded that he didn't know, when she asked him whether he would contest the Iowa result. Robert Becker, Sanders' state director in Iowa, said in a statement this morning: "We look forward to working with the IDP on full precinct-by-precinct accounting over coming days."
Martin OMalley, a former Maryland governor who campaigned relentlessly in Iowa, wasnt viable at most caucus sites and got less than 1 percent of the delegates. He suspended his campaign late Monday.
At an energetic rally on the Drake University campus late Monday, Clinton didnt declare victory, but told the crowd, As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief. Thank you Iowa.
On stage with former President Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, the former secretary of state who was once thought to be a shoo-in for the partys nomination, had to acknowledge the debate would continue and she said she relished it.
I am excited about really getting into the debate with Sen. Sanders about the best way forward to fight for us and America, Clinton said.
The race will now go to New Hampshire, where the Vermont senator is leading in the polls.
At his campaign party on Des Moines south side, Sanders portrayed the judgment rendered by Iowans across the state in broad terms.
As I think about what happened tonight, Sanders told cheering supporters, I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, the economic establishment and by the way, to the media establishment that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.
Returns on the Iowa Democratic Partys web site showed that Sanders and Clinton won counties across the state. Clinton had much of her strength in central Iowa, particularly around Polk County. Sanders fared well in Iowas college areas, as well as in bigger counties like Linn.
In each of the counties, though, there were close contests in individual precincts.
Mondays tight contest was never in the imagination of most political analysts a year ago.
In late May of last year, Clinton held a 41 point lead in Iowa, where she finished third in 2008 but was determined to grab the ring in 2016. She put a robust organization into place across the state and spent a lot of time in the state, even delving into state issues like closing mental health facilities and education funding.
Sanders, however, preached a revolution, and he began to draw huge crowds across the country. In Iowa, he first drew notice in the national media by drawing 700 people in a late May appearance in Davenport.
The next day the Vermont senator told the Quad-City Times, I think we will surprise some people how well well do here.
He did.
Sanders called for a $15 national minimum wage, revamping the campaign finance system, a single payer health care plan and breaking up the big banks.
At the Danceland Ballroom in Davenport the weekend before the caucuses, he exhorted 1,000 people to march with him, saying Mondays vote was about "whether Iowa is ready to lead this country forward in a political revolution that will transform America.
Clinton, drawing on her own experience, has pushed for a more incremental and, she says, realistic approach. Shes said shed build on the Affordable Care Act to lower out of pocket insurance costs and use the powers in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to deal with the financial industry. Im not interested in ideas that sound good on paper but will never happen in the real world, Clinton said in late January in Indianola.
Clinton's campaign was criticized for lacking passion, and some analysts said they didn't see the fire in her supporters they did in Sanders' backers. But by the end of the campaign, the tempo of the Clinton campaign picked up and her supporters got more vocal.
A late Iowa Poll said that, contrary to popular impressions, it was her supporters in Iowa, not Sanders', that were more excited.
The poll, by the Des Moines Register, said that Clinton was leading Sanders by a spare three percentage points, within the margin of error and a too close for comfort margin.
EARLIER REPORT: DES MOINES The improbable nail-biter between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wore late into the evening after Monday nights caucuses with Clinton holding the barest of leads in the closest head-to-head contest in the history of the Iowa Democratic Partys presidential caucuses.
The state party had not reported the final results as Monday neared its end, but it was clear the nomination fight was exiting Iowa with Clinton acknowledging a tough fight ahead and Sanders declaring a virtual tie and that the call to revolution had begun.
With 99 percent of the states 1,683 precincts reporting early Tuesday, Clinton held a razor-thin lead over Sanders. The Iowa Democratic Party reported Clinton had won 49.9 percent of the state delegate equivalents, while Sanders won 49.6 percent. The party does not release raw vote totals.
Martin OMalley, a former Maryland governor who campaigned relentlessly in Iowa, wasnt viable at most caucus sites and got less than 1 percent of the delegates. He suspended his campaign late Monday.
At an energetic rally on the Drake University campus, Clinton didnt declare victory, but told the crowd, As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief. Thank you Iowa.
On stage with former President Bill Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, the former secretary of state who was once thought to be a shoo-in for the partys nomination, had to acknowledge the debate would continue and she said she relished it.
I am excited about really getting into the debate with Senator Sanders about the best way forward to fight for us and America, Clinton said.
The race will now go to New Hampshire, where the Vermont senator is leading in the polls.
At his campaign party on Des Moines south side, Sanders portrayed the judgment rendered by Iowans across the state in broad terms.
As I think about what happened tonight, Sanders told cheering supporters, I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, the economic establishment and by the way, to the media establishment that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.
Members of Sanders campaign expressed frustration with late-arriving caucus results, saying part of the problem was dozens of precincts that were run by temporary chairs recruited late in the process and not properly trained because the party was unable to fill those roles earlier.
The Sanders campaign said it was helping the state party find precinct chairs who as of early Tuesday had not yet reported their precincts results.
The Iowa Democratic Party issued a statement saying it was working with the campaigns to secure all precinct results.
These outstanding precincts have chairs who we are in the process of contacting to get their results, read a statement issued early Tuesday and attributed to a state party official. We have reached out to the campaigns for help in contacting the chairs for our outstanding precincts.
Sanders campaign spokeswoman Rania Batrice called the late-reporting precincts unfortunate.
It's ridiculous that the party has put campaigns in this position, Batrice said in an email. Field staff and volunteers have worked incredibly hard, and the fact that they have caused these kinds of questions in such an important process is unfortunate.
Returns on the Iowa Democratic Partys web site showed that Sanders and Clinton were winning counties across the state. Clinton had much of her strength in central Iowa, particularly around Polk County. Sanders was doing well in Iowas college areas, as well as in bigger counties like Linn, according to incomplete results being reported late into the evening.
In each of the counties, though, there were close contests in individual precincts.
Mondays tight contest was never in the imagination of most political analysts a year ago.
In late May of last year, Clinton held a 41 point lead in Iowa, where she finished third in 2008 but was determined to grab the ring in 2016. She put a robust organization into place across the state and spent a lot of time in the state, even delving into state issues like closing mental health facilities and education funding.
Sanders, however, preached a revolution, and he began to draw huge crowds across the country. In Iowa, he first drew notice in the national media by drawing 700 people in a late May appearance in Davenport.
The next day the Vermont senator told the Quad-City Times, I think we will surprise some people how well well do here.
He did.
Sanders called for a $15 national minimum wage, revamping the campaign finance system, a single payer health care plan and breaking up the big banks.
At the Danceland Ballroom in Davenport on the Friday night before the caucuses, he exhorted 1,000 people to march with him, saying Mondays vote was about "whether Iowa is ready to lead this country forward in a political revolution that will transform America.
Clinton, drawing on her own experience, has pushed for a more incremental and, she says, realistic approach. Shes said shed build on the Affordable Care Act to lower out of pocket insurance costs and use the powers in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to deal with the financial industry. Im not interested in ideas that sound good on paper but will never happen in the real world, Clinton said in late January in Indianola.
Clinton's campaign was criticized for lacking passion, and some analysts said they didn't see the fire in her supporters they did in Sanders' backers. But by the end of the campaign, the tempo of the Clinton campaign picked up and her supporters got more vocal.
A late Iowa Poll said that, contrary to popular impressions, it was her supporters in Iowa, not Sanders', that were more excited.
The poll, by the Des Moines Register, said that Clinton was leading Sanders by a spare three percentage points, within the margin of error and a too close for comfort margin.
In the aftermath of the closest contest in the history of the Iowa Democratic caucuses, Hillary Clinton moved victoriously onto New Hampshire on Tuesday, while it did not appear that rival Bernie Sanders campaign would mount any challenge to the results.
Nonetheless, questions were being raised about how the 1,683 meetings across the state were run.
Tuesday morning, the state Democratic Party said that with all precincts reporting, Clinton won 49.8 percent of the state delegate equivalents, compared with 49.6 percent for Bernie Sanders, a hairs breadth margin.
A lingering precinct in Polk County was not reported until after the sun came up Tuesday.
Both Clinton and Sanders were making campaign appearances in New Hampshire on Tuesday, where the nations first primary will be held in a week. And Tad Devine, a Sanders adviser, said the campaign does not have any plan or intention to challenge the result in Iowa, according to an Associated Press report.
Still, the campaign has raised some questions about the process, and among the concerns is whether the party had enough precinct chairs in place. Those chairs preside over the individual caucuses.
The Hill newspaper late Monday cited an unnamed Sanders aide saying that the party did not send impartial chairs to 90 precincts. An official from the Iowa Democratic Party, who also was not identified in the article, said that report was inaccurate.
However, Rania Batrice, a Sanders spokeswoman in Iowa, said on Tuesday the campaign had concerns about last-minute chairs who werent trained properly or precincts where there were chairs who did not show up and untrained people filled in.
In addition, there were reports of disputes in some parts of the state about whether accurate counts were taken of participants in individual caucuses.
A spokesman for the Iowa Democratic Party, Sam Lau, said Tuesday all precinct chairs are elected by the caucus, and that the campaigns were represented at the partys tabulation center and could, and did, bring up concerns. In the end, he said, the results were verified and that they are final.
Were really happy with how they went, he said.
The Clinton campaign, in a statement sent in the early hours of Tuesday, said there was no doubt about who won the caucuses.
Matt Paul, Clintons state director, said there is no uncertainty and Secretary Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates.
Iowas caucuses are regularly subjected to scrutiny, and the sometimes chaotic Democratic meetings, which dont utilize a ballot but divide people into preference groups to measure support for a presidential candidate, has led people in the past to question the process, too.
Brad Anderson, who ran President Barack Obamas general election campaign in Iowa in the 2012 election, said such a close contest like Tuesdays would inevitably invite scrutiny. He said that he thought Clinton could fairly declare victory but added, "I do think theres some fair questions that have been raised.
Thom Hart, the Scott County Democratic chair, said there was one precinct where there was not a chair to call the meeting to order, so a person from Illinois did so. After that, a permanent chair was elected by the caucus. Still, he thought that, in the main, things went well.
In Scott County, Hart said, there were two precincts where a flip of the coin decided the awarding of delegates. The use of a coin flip has drawn some criticism.
Hart said that one coin flip in the county went Clintons way, while the other went for Sanders. In one of those precincts, there was also a dispute about the number of people eligible to participate.
There was a similar dispute over the accuracy over a count taken at a Polk County precinct, according to a video posted on the Internet.
There also were reports of slow reporting of results. Kurt Meyer, who chairs a three-county Democratic organization in northern Iowa, said there were three Mitchell County precincts were results were reported to the state but did not immediately appear to have been presented.
The party employed an app from Microsoft to report results. But in this case, Meyer, said he phoned in results. Still, he said he did not have concerns about the results being reported.
I never, ever questioned the accuracy of the figures, he said. The latest reporting precinct was in Des Moines.
Mondays turnout of about 171,000 people the second highest in the partys history also was evident at some precincts.
Anderson, who caucused at an elementary school in Des Moines, tweeted Monday night, Officially too full at Perkins Elementary. Were getting kicked out to parking lot. Unbelievable!
At least one caucus-goer went away mad Monday from the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.
Gordon Siokos of Davenport tore up his ballot in frustration when he left the Precinct D73 caucus room.
Siokos changed his party affiliation from a Democrat to a Republican Monday night. His wife, meanwhile, was at a Democratic caucus in support of Hillary Clinton.
I regret coming here tonight because it was a waste of my time, Siokos said.
He said precinct chairperson Linda Greenlee went through the names of candidates to request speakers who wanted to speak in support of the candidates. When she said the name Donald Trump, she didnt pause, he said. I couldnt believe what she said. Nobody had a chance to breathe, Siokos said.
After the caucus, Greenlee said she wanted to apologize if she rushed the process after saying Trumps name.
I introduced myself to everybody and asked about any questions they had, she said. (Siokos) didnt say anything to me. No one spoke in support of Trump, who nonetheless earned 33 votes in the precinct. Marco Rubio came out ahead with 40 votes, and Ted Cruz was in third place with 30.
In hindsight, she said, she probably should have had a countdown 1, 2, 3 before moving on to the next candidate's name and after Trumps name, Greenlee said.
Siokos plans to vote for Trump. I think Hillary is part of the machine," he said.
Most of the issues voters are considering are financial, he said. Trump is a businessman. Harry Truman followed FDR. He was a gruff, swearing person, but he got the job done, said Siokos, who was a police officer in Chicago "under the Daley machine."
Long lines, crowded rooms, close races. The voters of Scott County gathered in gyms and auditoriums, school cafeterias and roller skating rinks to show support for their favorite candidate. In each room Monday night, many were caucusing by for the first time, brought in by the excitement.
Quad-City Times reporters visited caucus sites across Scott County. Here's what we saw.
Nathan Romans, 11, stumps for Cruz
Nathan Romans, 11, of Bettendorf, and a student at Hopewell Elementary, stumped for Ted Cruz during the Republican caucus at Pleasant Valley High School.
"He's kind of like Ronald Reagan, even though I wasn't alive at the time of Reagan," Romans said. "Reagan wasn't liked well in the government at the time, but look how well Reagan turned out. If Reagan turned out that well, will Ted turn out that well?"
- Thomas Geyer
Caucus-goer: Precinct leader didn't allow Trump supporters to speak
At least one caucus-goer went away mad Monday from the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.
Gordon Siokos of Davenport tore up his ballot in frustration when he left the Precinct D73 caucus room.
Siokos changed his party affiliation from a Democrat to a Republican Monday night. His wife, meanwhile, was at a Democratic caucus in support of Hillary Clinton.
I regret coming here tonight because it was a waste of my time, Siokos said.
He said precinct chairperson Linda Greenlee went through the names of candidates to request speakers who wanted to speak in support of the candidates. When she said the name Donald Trump, she didnt pause, he said. I couldnt believe what she said. Nobody had a chance to breathe, Siokos said.
After the caucus, Greenlee said she wanted to apologize if she rushed the process after saying Trumps name.
I introduced myself to everybody and asked about any questions they had, she said. (Siokos) didnt say anything to me. No one spoke in support of Trump, who earned 33 votes in the precinct. Marco Rubio came out ahead with 40 votes, and Ted Cruz was in third place with 30.
In hindsight, she said, she probably should have had a countdown 1, 2, 3 before moving on to the next candidate's name and after Trumps name, Greenlee said.
Siokos plans to vote for Trump. I think Hillary is part of the machine," he said.
Most of the issues voters are considering are financial, he said. Trump is a businessman. Harry Truman followed FDR. He was a gruff, swearing person, but he got the job done, said Siokos, who was a police officer in Chicago "under the Daley machine."
- Linda Cook
O'Malley supporters swarmed by Sanders, Clinton fans
Miriam Prichard of Davenport found herself one of six Martin OMalley supporters surrounded by hundreds of cheering, die-hard Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton fans Monday at Sudlow Intermediate School.
When the call came, both sides swarmed Prichard, shaking hands, making impassioned pleas for their candidate and arguing with each other over who best represents the little guy.
Prichard, a mental health counselor, went with Sanders. My heart is with Sanders, she said. I work with low-income people, and he speaks to the clients I have.
Alex Baker, a 20-year-old from Davenport and first-time caucus participant, won her over with a pitch that Sanders is the most genuine among the Democratic field.
He fights for income inequality, Baker said.
Tierra Ward made a pitch for Clinton.
Shes a fighter for the people, Ward said.
Sudlow elected three delegates for Sanders and two for Clinton. The schools turnout of 203 was 20 percent more than the turnouts in 2008 and 2012.
- Brian Wellner
Illinois voters lend hand
Living in Illinois didn't stop retired Alcoa steelworkers Bonnie Carey and Jerry Porter from joining all the excitement in Iowa on caucus night.
Members of Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees 11-4, or SOAR, they were volunteers at the check-in table at one of two Democratic caucuses held at Williams Intermediate School, Davenport.
"I wish we could have been in it," Porter said.
"We stayed out here and watched from the side," Carey said.
Carey, who now has helped with three caucuses, including one in Nevada, said "it's not as exciting in Illinois."
- Jennifer DeWitt
Delegate makes case for Rubio
Tyler Johnson, 45, and his wife, Traci Nelson-Johnson, 42, of Bettendorf, said were a bit surprised by the landslide vote for Marco Rubio.
"I think the delegate for Rubio did a great job," Tyler Johnson said, speaking of Jerred Pauwels, who spoke to the audience of 541 people about Rubio.
"He almost convinced me, but I still voted for (Donald) Trump," Johnson said.
- Thomas Geyer
3-month-old gets introduction to politics
Stephanie Maiers introduced her 3-month-old son to politics Monday night.
Cradling him, she said it was her first time caucusing after moving to Iowa two years ago.
Im excited to see what its all about, she said, adding that she was thinking about throwing her support to Bernie Sanders.
Leaving her husband and 2-year-old at home, she said, I like to be aware of whats going on and have a say about whats going on, especially since we have two kids now.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Couple leaning toward Cruz
Evelyn Vasquez believes it is a privilege to vote.
We have the opportunity and the freedoms we have here in America; we have to take advantage in a good way, the Davenport woman said.
She was undecided at the door of the Republican caucus at Williams Intermediate School in Davenport, but was leaning toward Ted Cruz.
Her husband, Hector Vasquez, knew he would support Cruz.
I think hes a strong leader and has the principles we need in place in America today, he said. He has stood up to the Democrats and Republicans.
He added, I share a lot of his views on immigration, protecting our borders and the economic situation here.
A Mexican national, Hector Vasquez said he came to the U.S. legally as a child with his parents.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Vietnam War vet wants to hear a VA plan
David Carstensen, a Vietnam War veteran, is still waiting to hear what the Democrats are going to do about the Veterans Administration situation.
I need to be convinced they have a plan, he said. The Republicans have come out with how theyre going to deal with the VA during the debates.
He was a county convention delegate in 2000 and 2008.
With health problems and a son who is a veteran, he said that nobody is bringing up anything for the veterans.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Learning experience at the caucus
Caucuses become a classroom lesson in Williams Intermediate School in northwest Davenport with government students from northwest Indiana and Chicago here to observe.
Clay Kingsbury and Ethan Carter were among 12 classmates from Culver Academy, a private boarding school in Indiana. As the students arrived, they split up between Republican and Democratic rooms.
I want to learn the reasons why people support the candidates and see how the caucuses are run, said Carter, 17, of Aurora, Colo.
Kingsbury, 17, of Raleigh, N.C., shared his interest. Its great to be able to see this something we studied in textbooks.
Sydney Box and Chayla Wolfberg, both high school students from the northwest Chicago suburbs, decided to travel to Davenport to see the political process for themselves.
We know how it works, but it will be interesting to hear what they have to say, Wolfberg said.
Were old enough to vote now, so were paying more attention to make an educated decision, Box said.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Cruz 'stands up for what he believes'
Mike Ehlers, 29, of Bettendorf said he is pulling for Ted Cruz.
"He stands up for what he believes," Ehlers said of Cruz.
Ehlers was an intern on Capitol Hill for Ed Royce of California in 2006. He said there is a lot of "wheeling and dealing going on behind the scenes that no one ever sees."
Cruz will listen to what people have to say, Ehlers said. "But he's not going to change his position and compromise his beliefs."
- Thomas Geyer
Rubio supporter from Alabama
A Marco Rubio supporter from Alabama spoke in support of Republican candidate Rubio Monday in the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.
Russ Elrod, a Rubio delegate from Alabama, was in town for a friends wedding over the weekend. He had never attended a caucus and wanted to learn about the process, so he stuck around for the Republican precinct caucuses (there were six) in the center.
I think Marco Rubio is in a good position to surprise, Elrod said at the D-11 precinct gathering. As a small business owner, I relate to his principles of job creation, lower taxes and a balanced budget.
Elrod is co-owner and general manager of logistics firm Arab Cartage in Arab, Alabama.
- Linda Cook
Quiet rustle carries the night
When the vote totals were announced in Bettendorfs precinct B41, putting Marco Rubio ahead of Donald Trump by 71 votes 171 to 100 an audible rustle of surprise passed through the crowd.
Trumps total of 100 brought yelling and clapping, but it was the quiet rustle that carried the night.
I am surprised, yes, a gray-haired woman sitting in the performing arts theater of Bettendorf High School. They said he was coming on, but
In B41. Ted Cruz was third with 83 votes.
Bettendorf High School was the site of three Republican caucuses.
Among the Rubio supporters was Brandie Sinkler, a new resident to Iowa who had never caucused before. She spent her life moving around the country with her husband in the military. They moved to the Quad-Cities when he retired in 2013 because they were so impressed with the area during a stay from 2006-09 when he was commander of the Rock Island District of the Army Corps of Engineers.
For Sinkler, the economy, the nations security and the shrinking middle class are top concerns. Weve been asked in the last eight years to cover the burdens of others and that has hurt the country, she said, referring to the taxpayer expense of the Affordable Care Act.
Because shes never had an opportunity to see candidates up-close before. its just fascinating to see them regardless of party affiliation, she said. She attended several appearances, including those of Trump and Hillary Clinton.
But it was Rubio who really impressed her during his campaign stop at the Tanglewood Pavilion in Bettendorf. That was because of how he interacted with people, she said.
He stood and spoke to each person in line for as long as they needed to speak, she said. I really respected that authenticity.
- Alma Gaul
18-year-olds supporting Trump
In Precinct B31, meeting in the schools old auditorium, were two 18-year-old, first-time caucus-goers, both supporting Trump.
Keaton Cain said this country needs to defeat ISIS and that Trump has a good plan to handle ISIS.
Mac Schoenfelder is concerned with the countrys trillion-plus debt. Were crawling more in the hole, he said. I want a president who pulls us out.
I want something new, I want something different.
Schoenfelder attended Trumps most recent stop at Davenports Adler Theatre and described it as electrifying.
- Alma Gaul
Iowa caucus veteran
Mark Johns said he has caucused since the mid-1970s when he voted for Gerald Ford. He supports Trump because I like the fact that hes not beholden to anybody. Too many people go to Washington promising to represent the voters but then once they get there, they get in lock step with the people who already are there, Johns said.
His main concern for the country is that over the last eight years, Ive seen the America I always knew change into something I dont recognize.
Johns wants a strong military so people dont dare mess with us and he wants a vibrant economy not hamstrung by regulations and the EPA and everything else.
He also wants all three branches of the government to be equal; he doesnt want a president who rules by executive fiat, as President Barack Obama has been accused of doing.
- Alma Gaul
Clearing out early
The high school was home to three caucuses, including B23 whose 71 voters cleared out immediately after the vote totals were announced. While the other two rooms also cleared considerably after the vote tallies were announced, not a single person stayed in the band room to help elect its two delegates to the county convention. Zero, Jim Kersten, caucus secretary and reporter said.
- Alma Gaul
44 student volunteers
People attending the caucuses were greeted at every turn by one of the 44 students from the Chicago-area city of North Lake, who made the trip as part of their honors political science class.
They signed people in and guided them to their appropriate room. No matter how much we teach kids out of books, its all about first-hand experience, said teacher Josh Bailey who helped organize the trip in coordination with the Scott County Republican Party.
- Alma Gaul
Smart goes for Bernie Sanders
Sally Plies, 55, of Davenport, made her first appearance at a caucus, one of the 105 people who turned out at the Democratic caucus at Smart Intermediate School, Davenport. She was there to support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"She fought for so long for the same things, and that really struck a chord with me," Plies said.
In the end, 58 people stood up for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and 45 for Clinton. One person came in late and was disqualified. Another person stayed with his original candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was deemed "not viable."
Gail Elder, 65, of Davenport, was a Sanders supporter from the beginning. "I just love his policies," she said, such as on Social Security and free college tuition.
Ann Fuller, Davenport, has been following Sanders' career for years, she said, before volunteering to be a delegate for the senator at the state convention.
"I'm glad it went the way it did," she said after the voting. But, she added, she actually could support any of the Democratic candidates for president. "The bottom line, is who will nominate the next person for the U.S. Supreme Court."
Clinton supporter Jean Scherlock, Davenport, was quiet at the end of the night. "I thought there'd be more people here. I made a lot of calls," she said.
- Deirdre Baker
'What a strange year this has been'
Retired Scott County Judge Douglas McDonald, 80, of Bettendorf, listened to each the stump speakers at the Republican Caucus at Pleasant Valley High School.
"I think there is a good group of people running for president on the republican ticket," he said.
"This is the worst president we've ever had," Douglas said of Barack Obama. "He taught constitutional law at Harvard for god's sake and he uses one executive action after another to bypass the legislature."
Bernie Sanders is not the answer to the nation's problems, McDonald said. "This is not a socialist country."
Hillary Clinton, he said, should be indicted for having top secret emails on her personal computer.
"If Hillary Clinton is indicted, I guess is Obama would pardon her," McDonald said. "Maybe Joe Biden would step into the race then. He's a better alternative."
With all that has gone on in American politics, McDonald said, "What a strange year this has been."
- Thomas Geyer
'Little boost' for Sanders
Lynne Anderson expected there would be "a lot more pressure" to sway her support away from Bernie Sanders.
It was not only her first caucus, but she also had to become a registered Democrat to participate. "I wasn't affiliated with any party before," the Davenport woman said.
But she decided to participate because "I thought he (Sanders) needed a little boost to the numbers."
After an orderly and relatively quiet caucus, she said, "It was interesting. But I thought there would be more talking and debating."
- Jennifer DeWitt
Clinton volunteer attends first caucus
Ann McAtee became a Hillary Clinton supporter and volunteer after a nice, young campaign worker showed up at her door. Monday night she participated in her first caucus.
"I think she is so intelligent. She's been in the White House and she knows what Bill went through," said McAtee, who helped write letters for the former U.S. Secretary of State's campaign.
Joined by her husband, Jim, who she said "also is a huge Hillary fan," Ann was impressed by the turnout at their Precinct 41 at Williams Intermediate, Davenport. "I think it's great so many people are involved," she said.
However, after her precinct split delegates between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, she said. "I'm so afraid she might get beat again."
- Jennifer DeWitt
Kasich finds friend in Bettendorf
Jerry Phillips made up his mind to support Ohio Gov. John Kasich just last week, based mainly through online research.
Phillips has caucused for Democrats in the past. In the general election, he votes for the person, not the party. He supports Kasich because hes intelligent, hes done an extremely good job in Ohio getting their economy back in shape, Phillips said.
And he doesnt attack like other Republicans and Democrats. His policies and planks are moderate and thats what I look for a moderate Republican or Democrat. Phillips also likes Kasichs plan on immigration.
Top national concerns for Phillips, who attended a caucus at Bettendorf High School, include the growth of entitlement programs and the environment.
- Alma Gaul
Rubio 'understands the Constitution'
Jerred Pauwels of Bettendorf stumped for Marco Rubio during the Republican Caucus at Pleasant Valley High School, saying that "Rubio will make a great president because he understands the Constitution is what protects us from the government."
Rubio will revert the country back to the Constitution of the country's founders, Pauwels said.
- Thomas Geyer
Long lines, crowded rooms, close races. The voters of Scott County gathered in gyms and auditoriums, school cafeterias and roller skating rinks to show support for their favorite candidate. In each room Monday night, many were caucusing by for the first time, brought in by the excitement.
Quad-City Times reporters visited caucus sites across Scott County. Here's what we saw.
Wood riles up caucus-goers on skates
Former Sen. Frank Wood, D-Eldridge, laced up his roller skates Monday night for the first time in more than two decades.
Im here to caucus, he said, as he waited to address the crowd of Democratic caucus-goers at the Eldridge Community Center and Skatepark. Its time to get this party started.
The former mayor of Eldridge, now an associate principal at North Scott High School, served in the state senate from 2004 to 2008. He also represented Iowas 92nd House District from 2012 to 2014.
As the 64-year-old awkwardly rolled across the middle of the community centers skate rink, which divided the citys two Democratic precincts, Wood attempted to stir up his fellow voters.
Its time for Democrats to start rolling over Republicans this year, he shouted.
Before the caucus began, Wood said he had not yet decided who he would caucus for, but was leaning toward Hillary Clinton.
I want to make sure we have a Democrat in office, he added before taking a seat in the undecided voter section at the E1 precinct.
As the discussions ensued, Wood eventually stood up to sit with Clinton supporters, including his wife.
I wanted to make certain that we have a happy home, he said.
By the end of the night, Clinton garnered six delegates from Eldridges two precincts, while Sanders received four.
- Jack Cullen
New generation stumps for Cruz
Nathan Romans, 11, of Bettendorf, and a student at Hopewell Elementary, stumped for Ted Cruz during the Republican caucus at Pleasant Valley High School.
"He's kind of like Ronald Reagan, even though I wasn't alive at the time of Reagan," Romans said. "Reagan wasn't liked well in the government at the time, but look how well Reagan turned out. If Reagan turned out that well, will Ted turn out that well?"
- Thomas Geyer
Trump supporters miss chance to speak
At least one caucus-goer went away mad Monday from the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.
Gordon Siokos of Davenport tore up his ballot in frustration when he left the Precinct D73 caucus room.
Siokos changed his party affiliation from a Democrat to a Republican on Monday night. His wife, meanwhile, was at a Democratic caucus in support of Hillary Clinton.
I regret coming here tonight because it was a waste of my time, Siokos said.
He said precinct chairperson Linda Greenlee went through the names of candidates to request speakers who wanted to speak in support of the candidates. When she said the name Donald Trump, she didnt pause, he said. I couldnt believe what she said. Nobody had a chance to breathe, Siokos said.
After the caucus, Greenlee said she wanted to apologize if she rushed the process after saying Trumps name.
I introduced myself to everybody and asked about any questions they had, she said. (Siokos) didnt say anything to me. No one spoke in support of Trump, who earned 33 votes in the precinct. Marco Rubio came out ahead with 40 votes, and Ted Cruz was in third place with 30.
In hindsight, she said, she probably should have had a countdown 1, 2, 3 before moving on to the next candidate's name and after Trumps name, Greenlee said.
Siokos plans to vote for Trump. I think Hillary is part of the machine," he said.
Most of the issues voters are considering are financial, he said. Trump is a businessman. Harry Truman followed FDR. He was a gruff, swearing person, but he got the job done, said Siokos, who was a police officer in Chicago "under the Daley machine."
- Linda Cook
O'Malley supporters swarmed by Sanders, Clinton fans
Miriam Prichard of Davenport found herself one of six Martin OMalley supporters surrounded by hundreds of cheering, die-hard Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton fans Monday at Sudlow Intermediate School.
When the call came, both sides swarmed Prichard, shaking hands, making impassioned pleas for their candidate and arguing with each other over who best represents the little guy.
Prichard, a mental health counselor, went with Sanders. My heart is with Sanders, she said. I work with low-income people, and he speaks to the clients I have.
Alex Baker, a 20-year-old from Davenport and first-time caucus participant, won her over with a pitch that Sanders is the most genuine among the Democratic field.
He fights for income inequality, Baker said.
Tierra Ward made a pitch for Clinton.
Shes a fighter for the people, Ward said.
Sudlow elected three delegates for Sanders and two for Clinton. The schools turnout of 203 was 20 percent more than the turnouts in 2008 and 2012.
- Brian Wellner
Illinois voters lend hand
Living in Illinois didn't stop retired Alcoa steelworkers Bonnie Carey and Jerry Porter from joining all the excitement in Iowa on caucus night.
Members of Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees 11-4, or SOAR, they were volunteers at the check-in table at one of two Democratic caucuses held at Williams Intermediate School, Davenport.
"I wish we could have been in it," Porter said.
"We stayed out here and watched from the side," Carey said.
Carey, who now has helped with three caucuses, including one in Nevada, said "it's not as exciting in Illinois."
- Jennifer DeWitt
Delegate makes case for Rubio
Tyler Johnson, 45, and his wife, Traci Nelson-Johnson, 42, of Bettendorf, said were a bit surprised by the landslide vote for Marco Rubio.
"I think the delegate for Rubio did a great job," Tyler Johnson said, speaking of Jerred Pauwels, who spoke to the audience of 541 people about Rubio.
"He almost convinced me, but I still voted for (Donald) Trump," Johnson said.
- Thomas Geyer
OMalley supporter cant be swayed
Bruce Storey stuck to his guns Monday night at his Democratic precinct in Eldridge.
From the get-go, the 62-year-old Martin OMalley supporter said he would not be persuaded to caucus for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders if the former Maryland governor did not garner enough support to be viable.
Bernies too liberal for me, and Hillarys part of an oligarchy, said Storey, an administrator at Black Hawk College. (OMalley) is more moderate on things.
As the persuasions ensued, Storey, one of two OMalley backers in Eldridges E2 precinct, which represented the south side of the city, proudly stayed put. The threshold of viability for E2 was 22.
When asked who he would vote for if OMalley dropped out of the race, which he eventually did, Storey shocked Clinton and Sanders supporters when he told them hed vote for a Republican candidate:
I wont go to Trump. Im not crazy. But I will vote for someone else to keep one of those two from winning.
- Jack Cullen
3-month-old sees first caucus
Stephanie Maiers introduced her 3-month-old son to politics Monday night.
Cradling him, she said it was her first time caucusing after moving to Iowa two years ago.
Im excited to see what its all about, she said, adding that she was thinking about throwing her support to Bernie Sanders.
Leaving her husband and 2-year-old at home, she said, I like to be aware of whats going on and have a say about whats going on, especially since we have two kids now.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Couple leaning toward Cruz
Evelyn Vazquez believes it is a privilege to vote.
But as she stood undecided at the door of the Republican caucus at Williams Intermediate School in Davenport, she said deciding who to support "is a hard one."
We have the opportunity (to vote) and the freedoms we have here in America; we have to take advantage in a good way, the Davenport woman said, adding she was leaning toward Ted Cruz.
Hector Vasquez knew he would support Cruz.
I think hes a strong leader and has the principles we need in place in America today, he said. He has stood up to the Democrats and Republicans.
He added, I share a lot of his views on immigration, protecting our borders and the economic situation here.
A Mexican national, Hector Vasquez said he came to the U.S. legally as a child with his parents.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Vietnam War vet wants to hear a VA plan
David Carstensen, a Vietnam War veteran, is still waiting to hear what the Democrats are going to do about the Veterans Administration situation.
I need to be convinced they have a plan, he said. The Republicans have come out with how theyre going to deal with the VA during the debates.
He was a county convention delegate in 2000 and 2008.
With health problems and a son who is a veteran, he said that nobody is bringing up anything for the veterans.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Learning experience at the caucus
Caucuses become a classroom lesson in Williams Intermediate School in northwest Davenport with government students from northwest Indiana and Chicago here to observe.
Clay Kingsbury and Ethan Carter were among 12 classmates from Culver Academy, a private boarding school in Indiana. As the students arrived, they split up between Republican and Democratic rooms.
I want to learn the reasons why people support the candidates and see how the caucuses are run, said Carter, 17, of Aurora, Colo.
Kingsbury, 17, of Raleigh, N.C., shared his interest. Its great to be able to see this something we studied in textbooks.
Sydney Box and Chayla Wolfberg, both high school students from the northwest Chicago suburbs, decided to travel to Davenport to see the political process for themselves.
We know how it works, but it will be interesting to hear what they have to say, Wolfberg said.
Were old enough to vote now, so were paying more attention to make an educated decision, Box said.
- Jennifer DeWitt
Cruz 'stands up for what he believes'
Mike Ehlers, 29, of Bettendorf said he is pulling for Ted Cruz.
"He stands up for what he believes," Ehlers said of Cruz.
Ehlers was an intern on Capitol Hill for Ed Royce of California in 2006. He said there is a lot of "wheeling and dealing going on behind the scenes that no one ever sees."
Cruz will listen to what people have to say, Ehlers said. "But he's not going to change his position and compromise his beliefs."
- Thomas Geyer
Rubio win surprises crowd
When the vote totals were announced in Bettendorfs precinct B41, putting Marco Rubio ahead of Donald Trump by 71 votes 171 to 100 an audible rustle of surprise passed through the crowd.
Trumps total of 100 brought yelling and clapping, but it was the quiet rustle that carried the night.
I am surprised, yes, a gray-haired woman sitting in the performing arts theater of Bettendorf High School. They said he was coming on, but
Ted Cruz was third with 83 votes.
- Alma Gaul
Military couple has unique perspective
Among the Marco Rubio supporters at Bettendorf High School was Brandie Sinkler, a new resident to Iowa who had never caucused before. She spent her life moving around the country with her husband in the military. They moved to the Quad-Cities when he retired in 2013 because they were so impressed with the area during a stay from 2006-09 when he was commander of the Rock Island District of the Army Corps of Engineers.
For Sinkler, the economy, the nations security and the shrinking middle class are top concerns. Weve been asked in the last eight years to cover the burdens of others and that has hurt the country, she said, referring to the taxpayer expense of the Affordable Care Act.
Because shes never had an opportunity to see candidates up-close before. its just fascinating to see them regardless of party affiliation, she said. She attended several appearances, including those of Trump and Hillary Clinton.
But it was Rubio who really impressed her during his campaign stop at the Tanglewood Pavilion in Bettendorf. That was because of how he interacted with people, she said.
He stood and spoke to each person in line for as long as they needed to speak, she said. I really respected that authenticity.
- Alma Gaul
Teens for Trump
In Precinct B31, meeting in Bettendorf High School's old auditorium, were two 18-year-old, first-time caucus-goers, both supporting Trump.
Keaton Cain said this country needs to defeat ISIS and that Trump has a good plan to handle ISIS.
Mac Schoenfelder is concerned with the countrys trillion-plus debt. Were crawling more in the hole, he said. I want a president who pulls us out.
I want something new, I want something different.
Schoenfelder attended Trumps most recent stop at Davenports Adler Theatre and described it as electrifying.
- Alma Gaul
Iowa caucus veteran
Mark Johns said he has caucused since the mid-1970s when he voted for Gerald Ford. He supports Trump because I like the fact that hes not beholden to anybody. Too many people go to Washington promising to represent the voters but then once they get there, they get in lock step with the people who already are there, Johns said.
His main concern for the country is that over the last eight years, Ive seen the America I always knew change into something I dont recognize.
Johns wants a strong military so people dont dare mess with us and he wants a vibrant economy not hamstrung by regulations and the EPA and everything else.
He also wants all three branches of the government to be equal; he doesnt want a president who rules by executive fiat, as President Barack Obama has been accused of doing.
- Alma Gaul
Clearing out early
Bettendorf High School was home to three caucuses, including B23 whose 71 voters cleared out immediately after the vote totals were announced. While the other two rooms also cleared considerably after the vote tallies were announced, not a single person stayed in the band room to help elect its two delegates to the county convention. Zero, Jim Kersten, caucus secretary and reporter said.
- Alma Gaul
44 student volunteers
People attending the caucuses were greeted at every turn by one of the 44 students from the Chicago-area city of North Lake, who made the trip as part of their honors political science class.
They signed people in and guided them to their appropriate room. No matter how much we teach kids out of books, its all about first-hand experience, said teacher Josh Bailey who helped organize the trip in coordination with the Scott County Republican Party.
- Alma Gaul
Smart goes for Bernie Sanders
Sally Plies, 55, of Davenport, made her first appearance at a caucus, one of the 105 people who turned out at the Democratic caucus at Smart Intermediate School, Davenport. She was there to support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"She fought for so long for the same things, and that really struck a chord with me," Plies said.
In the end, 58 people stood up for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and 45 for Clinton. One person came in late and was disqualified. Another person stayed with his original candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was deemed "not viable."
Gail Elder, 65, of Davenport, was a Sanders supporter from the beginning. "I just love his policies," she said, such as on Social Security and free college tuition.
Ann Fuller, of Davenport, has been following Sanders' career for years, she said, before volunteering to be a delegate for the senator at the state convention.
"I'm glad it went the way it did," she said after the voting. But, she added, she actually could support any of the Democratic candidates for president. "The bottom line, is who will nominate the next person for the U.S. Supreme Court."
Clinton supporter Jean Scherlock, Davenport, was quiet at the end of the night. "I thought there'd be more people here. I made a lot of calls," she said.
- Deirdre Baker
Youngest person in the room
With one look, Sarah Todd knew she'd be the youngest person in the room on caucus night in rural Louisa County.
Todd, who will turn 18 in June, wondered why more students from her high school didn't show up at this Republican site in Columbus Junction, a town of roughly 2,000.
"We're a small town, but we're still a part of the Iowa spotlight," said Todd, who checked Sen. Ted Cruz's name on the ballot. "It's cool to me that all eyes are on Iowa, and we get to have a chance to cast our vote. Our country needs a change of direction."
Todd joined about 50 people sitting in rows at Columbus Junction's City Hall, where Cruz won with 19 votes.
Twyla Kistner, 72, arrived a half-hour early with her "adopted parents" Warren and Connie Lewis, who are 86 and 90 respectively.
"I'm the driver of our gang,"said Kistner, who also sided with Cruz. "We just couldn't stay home tonight."
After decades of living in Iowa, Monday marked Kistner's first caucus.
"It just seems too important this time," she said.
Before the paper ballots were passed around, Josh Mohr, a 29-year-old caucus captain for Cruz, held up a brochure-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution and his family's Bible while talking in support of the Texas senator.
"I'm pretty mad and a little scared as well at the direction our country is going," Mohr said. "I'm worried about the future for my children. I don't really know what they have to look forward to."
- Amanda Hancock
'Little boost' for Sanders
Lynne Anderson expected there would be "a lot more pressure" to sway her support away from Bernie Sanders.
It was not only her first caucus, but she also had to become a registered Democrat to participate. "I wasn't affiliated with any party before," the Davenport woman said.
But she decided to participate because "I thought he (Sanders) needed a little boost to the numbers."
After an orderly and relatively quiet caucus, she said, "It was interesting. But I thought there would be more talking and debating."
- Jennifer DeWitt
Clinton volunteer attends first caucus
Ann McAtee became a Hillary Clinton supporter and volunteer after a nice, young campaign worker showed up at her door. Monday night she participated in her first caucus.
"I think she is so intelligent. She's been in the White House and she knows what Bill went through," said McAtee, who helped write letters for the former U.S. Secretary of State's campaign.
Joined by her husband, Jim, who she said "also is a huge Hillary fan," Ann was impressed by the turnout at their Precinct 41 at Williams Intermediate, Davenport. "I think it's great so many people are involved," she said.
However, after her precinct split delegates between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, she said. "I'm so afraid she might get beat again."
- Jennifer DeWitt
Kasich finds friend in Bettendorf
Jerry Phillips made up his mind to support Ohio Gov. John Kasich just last week, based mainly through online research.
Phillips has caucused for Democrats in the past. In the general election, he votes for the person, not the party. He supports Kasich because hes intelligent, hes done an extremely good job in Ohio getting their economy back in shape, Phillips said.
And he doesnt attack like other Republicans and Democrats. His policies and planks are moderate and thats what I look for a moderate Republican or Democrat. Phillips also likes Kasichs plan on immigration.
Top national concerns for Phillips, who attended a caucus at Bettendorf High School, include the growth of entitlement programs and the environment.
- Alma Gaul
Rubio 'understands the Constitution'
Jerred Pauwels of Bettendorf stumped for Marco Rubio during the Republican Caucus at Pleasant Valley High School, saying that "Rubio will make a great president because he understands the Constitution is what protects us from the government."
Rubio will revert the country back to the Constitution of the country's founders, Pauwels said.
- Thomas Geyer
Rubio supporter from Alabama
A Marco Rubio supporter from Alabama spoke in support of Republican candidate Rubio Monday in the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University, Davenport.
Russ Elrod, a Rubio delegate from Alabama, was in town for a friends wedding over the weekend. He had never attended a caucus and wanted to learn about the process, so he stuck around for the Republican precinct caucuses (there were six) in the center.
I think Marco Rubio is in a good position to surprise, Elrod said at the D-11 precinct gathering. As a small business owner, I relate to his principles of job creation, lower taxes and a balanced budget.
Elrod is co-owner and general manager of logistics firm Arab Cartage in Arab, Alabama.
- Linda Cook
Ron Paul 'fiscally responsible'
Jeremy Tatman, 34, of Bettendorf, stumped for Rand Paul at the Republican Caucus at Pleasant Valley High School.
"He's the only qualified candidate on this stage because he understands you can't have a strong country while the country is in debt."
- Thomas Geyer
'What a strange year this has been'
Retired Scott County Judge Douglas McDonald, 80, of Bettendorf, listened to each of the stump speakers at the Republican Caucus at Pleasant Valley High School.
"I think there is a good group of people running for president on the Republican ticket," he said.
"This is the worst president we've ever had," Douglas said of Barack Obama. "He taught constitutional law at Harvard for god's sake and he uses one executive action after another to bypass the legislature."
Bernie Sanders is not the answer to the nation's problems, McDonald said. "This is not a socialist country."
Hillary Clinton, he said, should be indicted for having top secret emails on her personal computer.
"If Hillary Clinton is indicted, I guess is Obama would pardon her," McDonald said. "Maybe Joe Biden would step into the race then. He's a better alternative."
With all that has gone on in American politics, McDonald said, "What a strange year this has been."
- Thomas Geyer
Jerry Phillips made up his mind to support Ohio Gov. John Kasich just last week, based mainly though online research.
Phillips has caucused for Democrats in the past in the general election, he votes for the person, not the party. He supports Kasich because hes intelligent, hes done an extremely good job in Ohio getting their economy back in shape, Phillips said.
And he doesnt attack like other Republicans and Democrats. His policies and planks are moderate and thats what I look for a moderate Republican or Democrat. Phillips also likes Kasichs plan on immigration.
Top national concerns for Phillips, who attended a caucus at Bettendorf High School, include the growth of entitlement programs and the environment.
DES MOINES Texas Sen. Ted Cruz scored a hard-fought win in Mondays caucuses, but Florida Sen. Marco Rubio leaves Iowa with the coveted brass ring of momentum with his surging third-place finish that surprised the experts and propels him forward in a grueling GOP presidential nominating process.
Rubio was projected to finish third, but his late groundswell of support has him feeling great about the momentum that gives us coming in here to New Hampshire, he said Tuesday in the Granite State.
So Cruzs powerful army of 12,000 volunteers marshalling a record 51,666 supporters to the 1,682 precincts was the major story Monday night. However, Rubios poll-defying surge grabbed the better-than-expected prize and gives him Marcomentum as his campaign calls it heading to states where Cruz cant rely on a similar well-organized legion of evangelical conservatives to carry his campaign.
Rubio is counting on that strong showing to bolster his argument he is the candidate mainstream Republicans should coalesce behind to thwart the Cruz and second-place Iowa finisher businessman Donald Trump.
Iowa is a lot about expectations, David Redlawsk, a former University of Iowa political scientist now at Rutgers University, said, so Rubios third-place finish less than a percentage point behind Trump may cast the New Hampshire race in a new light. Trump is leading the polls there, vowing a comeback while Cruz said he will rebuild the Ronald Reagan coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats.
Rubio also could present a challenge to the GOP mainstream candidates Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for example who were looking beyond Iowa to establish their campaigns.
Rubio wasted no time in heading to New Hampshire and declaring to Republicans who will vote in next Tuesdays primary that they cannot afford to lose the 2016 election and he offers the best hope of unifying and expanding the conservative movement to defeat either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders in Novembers general election.
His Iowa chairman, Sen. Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, believes it was that argument that swayed Iowa GOP caucusgoers, especially the infamous late-deciders.
The people who were making up their mind late, when they thought about who they could see in the Oval Office, a lot of them broke our way, Whitver said Tuesday. Twenty-eight percent broke his way, according to entrance polling, that showed Cruz getting 20 percent of late-deciders and Trump 14 percent.
Whitver also gave credit to a very meticulously built, but seldom talked about campaign organization.
We worked very hard down the stretch to knock on a lot of doors and make a lot of phone calls to make sure the people we had identified came out to caucus, he said.
According to national campaign manager Terry Sullivan, the Rubio campaign made more than 200,000 voter contacts in the last month, including 10,000 in the last four days of the campaign.
Apparently the strategy worked because the first-term senator was polling in the low teens, but finished with 23.1 percent of the ballots cast at GOP precinct caucuses earning his seven delegates the same as Trump, who captured 24.3 percent of the straw votes.
Cruz finished on top with 27.6 percent and eight delegates.
Rubios rise added wrinkle to the GOP race that had been a dogfight since November between Cruz and Trump with the lead see-sawing back-and-forth in the polls. They ran vastly different campaigns. Cruz made the full Grassley, visiting all 99 Iowa counties. He carried a majority of the 46 counties with fewer than 15,000 residents.
Rubio fared well in some of the most populous counties, winning in Polk, Scott, Story, Dallas and Johnson counties. He finished second in Linn and Dubuque, and nearly tied Cruz in Black Hawk County.
Cruz relied on an army of volunteers, many who he housed in a former college dormitory, and what Bob Vander Plaats referred to as a social media juggernaut.
They have a lot of followers that they communicate with on a regular basis through social media, Vander Plaats said. Thats the way people assemble today and it can be used as a real force for good.
Russ Elrod, a Rubio delegate from Alabama, was in town for a friends wedding over the weekend. He had never attended a caucus and wanted to learn about the process, so he stuck around for the Republican precinct caucuses (there were six) in the center.
Sally Plies, 55, of Davenport, made her first appearance at a caucus, one of the 105 people who turned out at the Democratic caucus at Smart Intermediate School, Davenport. She was there to support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"She fought for so long for the same things, and that really struck a chord with me," Plies said.
In the end, 58 people stood up for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and 45 for Clinton. One person came in late and was disqualified. Another person stayed with his original candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was deemed "not viable."
Gail Elder, 65, of Davenport, was a Sanders supporter from the beginning. "I just love his policies," she said, such as on Social Security and free college tuition.
Ann Fuller, Davenport, has been following Sanders' career for years, she said, before volunteering to be a delegate for the senator at the state convention.
"I'm glad it went the way it did," she said after the voting. But, she added, she actually could support any of the Democratic candidates for president. "The bottom line, is who will nominate the next person for the U.S. Supreme Court."
Clinton supporter Jean Scherlock, Davenport, was quiet at the end of the night. "I thought there'd be more people here. I made a lot of calls," she said.
In a complaint provided to the Quad-City Times, Elizabeth Mae Davidson, 26, of Bettendorf accused the Trump campaign of giving preferential treatment to male colleagues while she was a part-time district field representative with the campaign from June 2015 until Jan. 14, when she was fired. A Trump campaign spokesperson said the campaign has not yet been notified of the complaint.
A copy of the complaint was given to the newspaper by Dorothy O'Brien, Davidson's attorney.
Accusations include:
All full-time district representatives are male. Most female employees of the campaign are administrative assistants.
Male district representatives were given opportunities to speak at rallies, while Davidson's requests were ignored.
Male representatives played a role in planning rallies, but Davidson was denied the chance to do this.
Male representatives were paid more.
Davidson could not be reached Monday to comment about her complaint.
Hope Hicks, a Trump spokeswoman, emailed the Quad-City Times a statement:
"The campaign has not been notified of a complaint. Regardless, these claims from a disgruntled former part-time employee are without merit. 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."
O'Brien said she filed the complaint Thursday, days before Monday's Iowa caucuses, because the statute of limitations for these cases is "relatively short." Davidson also has the option of filing a lawsuit in state court after 60 days, but O'Brien said that has not yet been decided.
O'Brien is confident Davidson's case will succeed.
"People who work their hearts out on these campaigns and get treated this way is disheartening," O'Brien said. "What happened to her is sad."
A probable cause finding in the discrimination complaint could take a year, O'Brien said.
Latrice Lacey of the Davenport Civil Rights Commission declined to comment specifically on the complaint. When her office receives a complaint, it goes through a screening process to determine whether it merits an investigation by the commission's investigative paralegal. If so, an investigation is then conducted over a period of six to nine months.
After the investigation, Lacey reviews the file to determine probable cause. If there is a probable cause finding, both parties have the opportunity for mediation. If they refuse to participate, the case goes before the commission, which will determine if it then goes before an administrative law judge at a public trial to be held in the Davenport City Hall.
The judge will issue a decision with recommended damages and hand it back to the commission to reject or accept. The decision the commission reaches at this point would be its final decision in the case, Lacey said.
Either party can choose to appeal the commission's decision to state district court.
"Donald Trump campaign" is listed as the entity accused of discriminating against Davidson. O'Brien said if that entity dissolves for whatever reason, Davidson has the option to amend the charge and name Donald Trump personally.
DES MOINES Democrats who are young and looking for a trustworthy candidate caucused for Bernie Sanders.
Democrats seeking someone with experience who they believe can win the general election caucused for Hillary Clinton.
They turned out in droves, and when all was said and done nearly 17 hours later Iowa Democrats support for the two presidential candidates was split almost right down the middle.
Clinton edged Sanders in the closest Democratic race in Iowa caucus history, according to results posted just before noon Tuesday. Clinton secured 49.8 percent of the state delegate equivalents, and Sanders 49.6 percent.
More than 170,000 Democrats caucuses; thats the second-most in Democratic caucus history.
We had a good turnout, and it was just incredibly close, said Jeff Link, a political consultant and veteran of several Democratic campaigns in Iowa. I thought if the turnout was sort of in the 140,000 or 150,000 range, that Clinton was going to win and probably win with a little bit of a margin. And I thought if it was 200,000 or more than Sanders was going to win. We sort of landed at 170,000 or 180,000, and that made for a very close election.
Surveys of Iowans heading into and out of the caucuses showed distinctive splits between the Iowans who supported Clinton and Sanders.
Clinton, the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state, was chosen by older caucus-goers and those who valued electability and experience in a candidate.
In NBCs exit polls, 77 percent of Iowans who said it was important to choose a candidate who can win in the November election chose Clinton, as did 88 percent of Iowans who said they want a candidate who has the right experience.
I think Clintons pitch all along wasnt that she doesnt care about (progressive issues championed by Sanders), its that she has a more mainstream, middle-class pitch, said Kedron Bardwell, director of Simpson Colleges political science department. Its something that can broadly appeal across the party spectrum and not just target one specific faction.
Sanders, the independent U.S. senator from Vermont, was supported by young caucus-goers and those with lower incomes and who valued honesty and trustworthiness.
There was a heavy age split in CNNs entrance polls: more than 4 out of 5 caucus-goers ages 17-29 supported Sanders, while Clinton was the choice of a majority of caucus-goers 40 and older. And Sanders won majority support among those making less than $50,000 per year, while Clinton won with those making more than $50,000 per year.
Sanders was making his hard pitch for raising the minimum wage to $15 (per hour) and essentially free college education. These are things that are going to appeal to younger people and to people making less than $30,000 a year.
Clintons victory in Iowa was significant given her third-place finish here in 2008, said Christopher Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa.
Thats important for her campaign symbolically, Larimer said. All she needed ws 1 out of 2: she got the Iowa caucuses that she didnt get in 2008, and she probably wont get New Hampshire. But after that, its OK (for Clinton).
With one look, Sarah Todd knew she'd be the youngest person in the room on caucus night in rural Louisa County.
Todd, who will turn 18 in June, wondered why more students from her high school didn't show up at this Republican site in Columbus Junction, a town with a population of roughly 2,000.
"We're a small town, but we're still a part of the Iowa spotlight," Todd, who checked Sen. Ted Cruz's name on the ballot, said. "It's cool to me that all eyes are on Iowa, and we get to have a chance to cast our vote. Our country needs a change of direction."
Todd joined about 50 people sitting in rows at Columbus Junction's City Hall, where Cruz won with 19 votes.
Twyla Kistner, 72, arrived a half-hour early with her "adopted parents" Warren and Connie Lewis, who are 86 and 90 respectively.
"I'm the driver of our gang," Kistner, who also sided with Cruz, said. "We just couldn't stay home tonight."
After decades of living in town and other Iowa cities, Monday marked Kistner's first caucus.
"It just seems too important this time," she said.
Before the paper ballots were passed around, Josh Mohr, a 29-year-old caucus captain for Cruz, held up a brochure-sized copy of the U.S. Constitution and his family's Bible while talking in support of the Texas senator.
"I'm pretty mad and a little scared as well at the direction our country is going," Mohr said. "I'm worried about the future for my children. I don't really know what they have to look forward to."
The city of Moline is moving forward with its big projects, all the while operating not only within the budget, but expecting an income surplus.
Mayor Scott Raes spent Mondays lunch hour announcing past and future highlights to a combined meeting of Molines Rotary and Kiwanis clubs at the iWireless Center.
The biggest focus is on the Quad-Cities Multi-Modal Station, called the Q, located just south of MetroLINKs transit Center. Much of it is expected to be ready by the end of this year.
City Administrator Lew Steinbrecher told the crowd that while the governor suspended any further work on upgrading the tracks to the Q-C last May, and the start-up date for passenger rail service to Chicago has been delayed, we fully expect the state to announce a revised schedule within the next few months.
Steinbrecher said the developers of the Westin Element Hotel also are investing $14 million in a new, upscale facility, offering 95 rooms along with a restaurant and adjoining retail space.
The hotel developer is confident that, even without the rail, the project will be successful because the rooms are needed, economic development director Ray Forsythe said.
Raes said, Were pretty confident the rail will happen, but we dont know the timeline, adding that the railway station could sit empty for awhile.
Raes said the city expects $1.7 million more revenue this year than expenses. He specifically pointed to better-than-projected sales tax revenue through such businesses as Dicks Sporting Goods and Sams Club. The City Council has designated any such monies to go toward residential streets, above and beyond whats funded.
Raes said all city services and salaries are paid for by sales taxes, while property taxes specifically only go for the Police & Fire Pension Fund, the parks and the library.
We came into our first budget session knowing we were going to have an excess rather than having to look for cuts or revenue increases, he said, so that was very refreshing.
He also noted that, based strictly on the municipal tax rate and not counting school district expenses, it costs less to live in Moline than in Rock Island or East Moline.
Of those interviewed afterward, all were impressed with Molines progress.
I think its great, businessman Mike Thoms said. They have a lot of positive projects going, quite a few of them residential.
As to what the city could do better, Thoms said, You always would like to see more specialty retail, and I didnt hear too much about that.
Jerry Lack was upbeat, as the executive director of the Illowa Construction Labor & Management Council.
The city is planning a lot of projects so were excited about all the jobs that will create," he said. "And even any revenue increase is going for street repair and construction, so were happy about that, too.
Moline businesswoman Jody Smith, an Iowa resident, was pleasantly surprised.
Im amazed by Molines transformation over the past five years, and I wish we could get all the Quad-Cities to get that kind of 180-degree change, she said.
The third annual Valentine luncheon fundraiser for King's Harvest Ministries will be noon Feb. 6 at Biaggis Italian Restaurant, 5195 Utica Ridge Road, Davenport.
The fundraiser helps support the winter overflow shelter that is open from Dec. 1 until April 15. The shelter provides homeless men and women of the Quad-Cities a safe place to sleep.
In the event of a weather cancellation, the snow date is Feb. 20. Cost is $25 per person. Checks may be mailed to Kings Harvest winter shelter, 5837 Wisconsin Ave., Davenport, IA 52806 or payment is accepted online at www.kingsharvest.net. RSVP to Christie Schilling at 309-441 5112 or 309-714-8317 or Gale McClean at 563-370-6458.
I read with interest and support for Jon Alexanders recent column The victims of STEM. As a public school art educator for nearly 45 years, I have seen the need to advocate for the arts. Creating an educational balance for students hasnt been easy. The STEM movement in Iowa schools has been laid out loud-and-clear, but who advocates for students that have other interests, passions, or strengths? Where has the notion gone that a well-rounded and balanced education is good for all?
I find it refreshing and maybe ironic, that I find myself as the director of the Creative Arts Academy of the Quad-Cities. We are a public arts magnet school, focusing on creativity and exploring all of the arts. Our school also delivers quality education in mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies, all taught via a method of arts integration.
The Quad-Cities Regional Vision makes the Quad-Cities cool, creative, and prosperous. Creativity is at the heart of our school; we provide a new model of education that is already helping downtown Davenport revive.
Being an arts school or offering a STEAM education program does not mean every student will become a professional artist. Rather, we are focused on emphasizing project-based learning that provides students with real-life experiences that keep them engaged and enthused about their education. Students that are engaged can move our nation forward; this is the value of a STEAM education - a diverse generation prepared to make our society prosperous.
Joel Franken
Davenport
Editor's note: Franken is director of Creative Arts Academy of the Quad-Cities.
Mark Mickelson and Marty Jackley each appear to be in a strong financial starting position as potential candidates for governor of South Dakota in 2018, when current Gov. Dennis Daugaard will be term-limited.
Today, year-end campaign finance reports for 2015 were due to the secretary of state. The searchable online reports show that Mickelson, a state representative and the son and grandson of former governors, stands to benefit from a Friends of Mark Mickelson Leadership PAC (political action committee) that had $558,641.79 on hand at the end of 2015. The PAC could make unlimited contributions to his potential gubernatorial candidate committee.
Jackley, a Republican and the current South Dakota attorney general, has $56,261.71 on standby in a Friends of Marty Jackley PAC and $416,405.63 in his Jackley for Attorney General committee, both of which could make unlimited contributions to his potential gubernatorial candidate committee.
That the potential candidates each have around $500,000 might not sound like much in this era of runaway political spending, but it is a significant chunk of change for a South Dakota gubernatorial campaign, especially this far in advance of the 2018 election. According to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, Daugaard raised $3.12 million during his winning 2014 campaign.
Mickelson's standing is especially impressive, considering that the PAC bearing his name was not formed until August.
Another potential gubernatorial candidate is Republican U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem. She's currently raising money for her congressional re-election campaign. She has $1.53 million on hand for that race, while her presumed Democratic opponent, state Rep. Paula Hawks, has $45,601. Noem could eventually make unlimited contributions from her federal campaign account to a state gubernatorial campaign account, according to the Federal Election Commission, but the amount she'll have available will depend on how much she has to spend in her race against Hawks.
The latest rumor making the rounds in political circles is that former governor and current U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds might even consider leaving his Senate seat early and running for his old job. He has $118,440.98 in his still-active Rounds for Governor candidate committee and $21,420 in his federal campaign account left over from his 2014 U.S. Senate campaign. He is also connected to a federal political action committee, the Peter Norbeck Leadership PAC (named after a former South Dakota governor and U.S. senator) that has $109,382 on hand. But that PAC could only give up to $10,000 to a state candidate committee.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Matt Michels doesn't get much attention but might be interested in moving up to the top job. The 2015 year-end report for the Michels for Lieutenant Governor committee shows $15,678.98 on hand.
Of course, depending on who gets into the governor's race, one or more of the Republicans listed above could shift to a different race, like for U.S. House if Noem leaves that post to run for governor.
On the Democratic side, it's rumored that Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether will run. I see no state candidate committees or PACs attached to his name so far. I'm not familiar with his mayoral campaign fundraising committee or the regulations on donations from a city-level committee to a potential Huether for Governor statewide committee, but the last report I could find on the city of Sioux Falls website showed he had very little money on hand.
*This blog post has been updated from its original form to include the campaign finance information for Mark Mickelson, which was not available at the time the original post was written.
SAVOY | When Spearfish Falls was restored in 2003, crowds of people started hiking in to gaze at the cascading current of Little Spearfish Creek on the floor of Spearfish Canyon.
As the visitors trod an eager path to the falls, they skirted the edge of a private cabin retreat.
The hikers were unwelcome company for the cabins owners, the Romano family. Their resulting million-dollar lawsuit against the mining company that owns the land, and the charitable foundation that helped create a trail to the falls, is still raging in court, even as state government pushes ahead with a plan to turn the area into a state park.
The legal fight grew so intense last summer that the Romanos put a fence across the path that leads to the falls until a judge ordered the fence removed.
Given whats at stake, its no wonder the dispute grew heated. The prize is access to a site that features a picturesque waterfall with a roughly 50-foot drop at the bottom of a deep canyon characterized by high cliffs and pine trees.
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard raved about the beauty of the site last week. In his State of the State speech, he said the state would soon buy Spearfish Falls and some of the surrounding land from the Homestake Mining Co. to prepare for a proposal to create Spearfish Canyon State Park.
The governor did not mention that the only bridge providing access to the falls is not part of the purchase. That bridge is part of a small tract that remains mired in the Romano litigation and was removed from the current proposal to allow it to proceed. The state has an option to buy that tract after the litigation ends.
Meanwhile, the state plans to provide additional public access to the falls by rebuilding a wooden bridge across Spearfish Creek, farther up the canyon floor, that was washed out in 2013.
When the falls were dry
Members of the Romano family, including Kathy Romano and her son, Chris Romano, and his wife, Debra Jilka, all of Spearfish, did not respond to interview requests from the Journal.
But their story is told in court documents. They represented themselves without the aid of an attorney through the first seven months of the lawsuit, until hiring attorney Talbot Wieczorek of Rapid City. Wieczorek declined a Journal request to comment on the record.
The Romano family cabin is tucked into the pines about 250 feet north of state Highway 14A, also known as the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway.
About 800 feet west of the cabin is the junction known as Savoy, where Roughlock Falls Road splits off from the highway. On the south side of the highway at Savoy is Spearfish Canyon Lodge; on the north side is the Latchstring Inn. The inn is where visitors head out on the few-minute hike that descends past the Romano property en route to Spearfish Falls.
When the Romano family bought the cabin 43 years ago, there were no falls.
Spearfish Falls had been one of the jewels of the Black Hills until 1917, when Homestake Mining Co. diverted water from Little Spearfish Creek to power hydroelectric generators for a mine in Lead. The diversion made Spearfish Falls go dry, except for the occasional flood.
Kathy Romanos mother, Maxine Olson, and Maxines husband, Robert, bought the cabin in 1973 with other family members, according to the Romano court filings. Those filings say that Homestake provided the Olsons with easements legal rights to use Homestake's property. One easement was alongside the highway for parking, and another was an access easement consisting of a wooden foot bridge high over Spearfish Creek. Walking across the bridge from the small parking area was the only way to reach the cabin.
In 1991, Homestake sold a small lot of land around the Romano cabin to Kathy Romano and several others for $9,600. Homestake continued to own the still-dry Spearfish Falls.
Water brings people
Signs of a comeback for the falls arose in the late 1990s.
In 1997, the Spearfish Canyon Foundation and Homestake collaborated to place a new iron bridge alongside the old wood bridge used by the Romanos. The wood bridge was then removed.
In 1999, Homestake provided an easement so the foundation could create a loop hiking trail to the falls site. The loop passed through the Romanos parking easement and across the new iron bridge, which was the familys only way to access its cabin.
Water was partially restored to Spearfish Falls in 2000. Then, in 2003, after 86 years of full or partial dormancy, the falls roared back to life when Homestake permanently closed a valve that diverted water from Little Spearfish Creek.
The newly powerful torrent of water brought a flood of visitors. The Romanos claim in their lawsuit that the heavy foot traffic essentially robbed them of their easements.
For a time, there was another way to access the falls. Instead of heading south and east on the loop trail from the Latchstring Inn, hikers could head north on the trail and then descend down onto the canyon floor, where they could cross a low wooden bridge that was placed over Spearfish Creek through the terms of the foundation's easement from Homestake. But that bridge washed out in 2013, leaving the iron bridge near the Romano cabin as the only route to and from the falls.
The washed-out bridge still has not been rebuilt, but state government, which is buying the falls and surrounding land from Homestake, plans to rebuild it this year.
Family seeks damages
Kathy and Chris Romano and Debra Jilka filed a lawsuit in December 2014. They claimed, among other things, that they had been forced to repair the parking area after damage caused by the public; that they had been unable to haul appliances in or out of the cabin because of difficulties with an angled bridge landing; and that they were unable to haul firewood until cold winter temperatures kept visitors away from the trail and the bridge.
The Romano lawsuit seeks actions including the removal of the hiking path from the familys parking easement; a prohibition against use of the parking easement by anyone other than the Romanos and their guests; installation of a private bridge for the family alongside the iron bridge; and payment for damages totaling at least $1.04 million.
The three defendants are Homestake, which is still listed on land records but was merged into Canadian-based Barrick Gold Corp. in 2002, along with the Spearfish Canyon Foundation and the foundations former president, Jerry Boyer.
The defendants, in their filings, claim that the Romanos began using the iron bridge after the first bridge was removed and did not complain at the time. The defendants also claim, among other things, that the parking and bridge easements granted to the Romanos are not exclusive and not protected against other easements, such as the one Homestake provided for the hiking trail.
The defendants have filed a motion for a summary judgment, which is a judges ruling for one party against another without a trial. That motion is pending.
State park plan moves ahead
As the legal fight has dragged on, the state has continued its pursuit of the Spearfish Falls land.
That pursuit is culminating with the states acquisition of 73 acres, including Spearfish Falls but excluding the contested easements, from Homestake for $750,000. The purchase price will be covered by the Spearfish Canyon Foundation. Sometime later, the state hopes to spend $50,000 of its own to buy the easement areas that are mired in the Romano lawsuit.
Susan Johnson, the foundations current president, said the foundation has been saving its money to protect Spearfish Falls.
Our singular vision has been that this property be turned over to the Department of Game, Fish & Parks," Johnson said, "so it can be preserved and protected the way it needs to be.
As Daugaard outlined in his speech last week, the plan is to include Spearfish Falls in a state park. He said designating the area as a park would result in improved camping, hiking, fishing, sightseeing, facilities and roads.
The lodge and inn at Savoy are still privately owned, as are the Romano cabin and a neighboring house closer to the highway. The park boundaries would branch out from Savoy to include 129 acres of state holdings stretching southeast into Spearfish Canyon and west into Little Spearfish Canyon.
The park would include Roughlock Falls, which already is designated as a state nature area. The state acquired Roughlock Falls as part of a $2.7 million deal in 2006 that included other land at the mouth of the canyon near Spearfish.
The state hopes to add another 1,450 acres of U.S. Forest Service land, including two small campgrounds, to the proposed park with a land swap. The state is analyzing its holdings elsewhere to identify land that the federal government might desire, either adjacent to Black Hills National Forest boundaries or other federal sites such as national grasslands. The swap would require congressional approval, and the creation of the state park would require approval from the state Legislature.
Under the best-case scenario, state officials hope to open Spearfish Canyon State Park in the summer of 2018.
That means the Romanos might see more visitors in their neck of the woods.
Momentum is moving in the right direction, said Doug Hofer, director of the Division of Parks and Recreation for the state GF&P, and I think the governor and hopefully the people in South Dakota will support this effort to really enhance what we already have there.
Already a convicted sexual offender, Richard W. Melanson was only days away from being released from a state prison after serving 2-1/2 years of a 10-year sentence for possession of child pornography.
But a painstaking six-year investigation and a multinational effort by investigators from South Dakota and the federal government, who worked in concert with police in the small impoverished Central American nation of Guatemala, kept the Spearfish man locked up for what now is likely to be a life sentence or very close to it.
Melanson, 53, was given a 30-year prison term after an emotional sentencing in a Rapid City court this month after he had pleaded guilty to international sex charges.
The lurid tourism-for-sex case of Melanson is a story of international intrigue, interagency cooperation, solid police work and a healthy portion of good luck.
But most of all, its a tale of courage from two of his victims, young men who risked adding public embarrassment to their long-suppressed private humiliation of being coerced to commit sex acts for the promise of money from Melanson, who had traveled from South Dakota to Central America three times since 2007 to commit and photograph or videotape sex acts with the boys.
If any of them had walked away, Richard Melanson would be a free man today, said Brent Gromer, a South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation special agent and commander of the states Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Gromer, Department of Homeland Security special agent Michael Diaz, of Rapid City, and Sarah B. Collins, assistant U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota, traveled the 2,000 miles to Guatemala in March of 2014, as part of a long investigation into videos and photographs found on Melansons computer after he was initially arrested and charged in state court in 2011.
When Melanson, originally from Connecticut, was convicted on 10 counts of possession of child pornography in Lawrence County in 2012, evidence found on his computer included videos of Spanish-speaking young males and photos appearing to have been taken in Central or South America.
Department of Homeland Security investigators, charged with looking into child exploitation and human trafficking crimes along with counter-terrorism activities, took up the case. They worked with Guatemalan authorities to find what amounted to a human needle in a haystack the victims of Melansons alleged crimes, who were in a rural area in one of the world's most poor and undeveloped countries.
Their only tool: photographs and videos of the sex acts taken from Melansons computer.
Gromer said the photos numbered in the thousands. The massive collection ranged from pornographic still shots and videos that included the victims, to ordinary images of scenery taken during trips to Guatemala in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Investigators were able to group photos by date and time to determine Melansons location.
We were able to narrow it down to some locations. The photos of the victims were interspersed in those groups of photos, Gromer said.
Collins said the investigation nearly stalled when there were doubts of proving that the victims involved were indeed minors. And finding anyone in Guatemala, especially years after the acts portrayed in the photos took place, proved to be a daunting task.
I liken it to somebody sending me a picture of a kid at Mount Rushmore and saying can you find this kid in Rapid City? Gromer said. Thats a monumental task.
Diaz said a Guatemalan national, Juan Estuardo Tereta Campa of the National Police special investigations unit, was able to track down and identify five males, now adult men, whose images had appeared in Melanson's photos or videos.
Some of the victims were initially identified after open interviews on the street, but they were hesitant to cooperate because of a distrust of their home government and a fear of being exposed as a victim of a sexual crime. A Homeland Security Investigations forensic interviewer from Chicago, Alexandra Levi, helped open the door, Diaz said.
Levi was fluent in Spanish and was able to gain the men's trust by initially engaging them in conversation and eventually offering a neutral site for interviews.
Instead of just meeting with them and starting off interviews, she kind of just talked to them first, Diaz said. The way she progressed everything really helped the case. She was able to build a rapport with them and they opened up to a lot of the horrific acts.
Collins said one of the five victims had died in the years after the crimes were committed. Another had suffered from acute drug addiction and was incapable of cooperating with investigators.
Two of the victims, identified in court proceedings only by their initials, M.G.P.G. and D.A.P.M, eventually agreed to work with American investigators.
A third man, identified as B.T.R., had helped investigators, but declined to come to the United States because he was afraid, she said.
In a plea agreement, Melanson pleaded guilty to a charge of traveling outside the U.S. with intent to engage in illicit sexual acts. Two other charges, production of and possession of child pornography, were dismissed as part of the deal.
The guilty plea could have resulted in Melanson receiving a minimum of 10 years prison followed by five years of supervised release.
But on Jan. 11, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken sentenced Melanson to the maximum 30-year sentence in a federal prison, followed by strict federal supervision for the remainder of his life after the sentence is completed.
The testimony of the victims likely helped push the court to the maximum sentence.
The pair provided powerful testimony in graphic detail at the day-long sentencing hearing in Rapid City. On the stand, they spoke through interpreters and told of being coerced by Melanson to pose naked and face down on a bed while being whipped with a leather belt and a makeshift cat-o-nine-tails fashioned from leather boot laces. The boys were also forced to perform other sex acts in exchange for money.
M.G.P.G was only 15 when the crimes occurred in 2008 in a cabin along the shore of a lagoon in San Pedro La Laguna. D.A.P.M was 17 in 2010 when he was assaulted in a motel room in Santiago Lac Atitlan.
Melanson paid the boys both for the whipping videos and other sex acts, and prosecutors said he also threatened to post photos and videos online and publicly in both towns.
M.G.P.G. told Viken he feared humiliation from family and friends if the images and videos had been made public.
If those photos had been published in my home town, it would have been terrible, he testified in Spanish.
Collins said the sight of both men walking into Vikens courtroom at the Andrew Bogue Federal Building was the culmination of a long, arduous journey.
Since the time we all had met them in Guatemala, we had been living for that moment, Collins said. They were going to finally have the power to come in and confront him. He had had the power over them when he was in Guatemala.
It was one of the most moving moments of my prosecutorial career, she said.
She said their testimony, which included a cross-examination by a defense attorney, and seeing Melanson in person for the first time since he left Guatemala, helped secure a long prison sentence.
I truly believe that impacted the sentence the defendant got, Collins said.
Diaz said both men had never traveled far from their home villages. Going to Guatemala City to obtain passports, then flying for the first time to a foreign country, took a lot of courage on their part, he said.
When they got off the airplane they were taking pictures of each other with the snow, because they had never touched snow, he said.
Gromer said seeing the men in court after the years of pouring over the photos and video was surreal.
To get on that plane with nothing in their pocket but faith, and to travel this far was remarkable, he said.
It was one of the most interesting cases Ive worked just in the amount of computer forensics that went into linking all of those pictures, documents and dates, he said.
Collins said the investigative team's travels to Guatemala also helped build the mens willingness to cooperate in the case.
Had we not gone down there and had they not trusted us, they wouldnt have come up here. It was based on that relationship building, Collins said. I think in the end they were truly moved in how much we cared and how much we poured our hearts into this.
The Chadron State College Art Guild hosted area Girl Scouts Saturday at the fourth annual ArtVenture in CSCs Memorial Hall.
Between 30-40 local Girl Scouts participated in painting, mobiles, Zen tangles/drawing, ceramics, digital photography, weaving and fiber art workshops led by CSC faculty, students and volunteers.
Chris Carattini, CSC alumna and Chadron Middle School teacher, volunteered and instructed the Girl Scouts on weaving in her workshop. The girls learned basic weaving techniques, then employed their skills on a larger group project.
Carattini has been volunteering to teach textiles the past three years at artVenture.
I am a Family Consumer Science teacher at Chadron Middle School, and I also love working with different textiles and fabric. So, volunteering for artVenture is a lot of fun for me, she said.
One weaving workshop attendee was Carattinis daughter, Natalie Carattini. Choosing her mothers workshop was easy, because weaving is the young Caratinnis newfound hobby.
I have been weaving and cross-stitching ever since we moved to Chadron a few years ago. I love it. It is a very relaxing thing to do, like reading, she said.
Once group projects are complete, they are showcased at a local art show hosted by the area Girl Scouts and then sold at a fundraising auction, according to Mary Donahue, CSC professor of Art and Art Guild sponsor.
The CSC Art Guild was presented with a Community Benefactor Award from the Spirit of Nebraska Girl Scout organization Nov. 10, 2015. The award recognizes organizations not affiliated with Girl Scout members or troops, but who supply their programs with exceptional support.
The group plans to host another artVenture in January 2017.
Nebraska has a rich and powerful history of answering the call to serve. For nearly 150 years, our state has witnessed this bravery in each of Americas wars. The past decade is no different. Time and again, the men and women of Nebraska have risen to defend our precious freedom in Iraq, Afghanistan, and across the globe.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on American soil. These events changed our lives forever. Nebraskans stepped up, ready to fight. Those serving in uniform, be it active duty, the National Guard, or reserves, knew they would likely wind up on the battlefield at some point in the future. Many young Nebraskans enlisted after high school. We should all be thankful to these Nebraskans.
To honor this generation of Nebraskas heroes, I recently began a new initiative on the floor of the U.S. Senate. My focus will be on those who lost their lives in combat.
Each of our fallen Nebraskans has a special story. According to the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs, there are 77 Nebraskans who lost their lives to combat-related incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Telling their stories keeps their service and sacrifice alive in our hearts. These tales also remind us of the principles so many Americans fought and died for.
I began this new initiative by honoring Sergeant Josh Ford of Pender. Joshua A. Ford was killed in Iraq July 31, 2006. He joined the Nebraska Army National Guard between his junior and senior year at Pender High School in 2003. That same year, he began basic training at Fort Jackson. A year later, after graduating from Pender High School, Josh attended the Armys heavy-vehicle driver school at Fort Leonard Wood. He was assigned to the 189th Transportation Company, Detachment #1, in Wayne.
He was part of a 189th convoy on patrol hit by an improvised explosive device. For his service to his country, Specialist Josh Ford earned the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge. He was also promoted posthumously to the rank of sergeant.
Throughout this year and beyond, I plan to pay tribute to more of these brave Nebraska heroes. Our nation must know of their sacrifice and the honor they brought to our state.
His eyes rolled wildly in his head. His teeth chattered. He broke out in a clammy sweat.
Hugh Glass, the man he had left for dead, was standing before him. Was Glass going to end his life? No.
Jim Bridgers life was spared.
So goes P. St. George Cooks version of the legend surrounding Glass. The film The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio has rekindled interest in Glass crawl through northwestern South Dakota and into history.
In August 1823, Glass and Bridger were among a small group of trappers heading west overland to the Yellowstone River by way of the Grand River in present-day South Dakota.
About 12-miles south of present-day Lemmon, Glass was severely mauled by a grizzly bear. Glass survivedand began crawling toward the nearest settlement, Fort Kiowa, nearly 200 miles away.
According to legend, Bridger and John Fitzgeraldwere to stay with Glass until he died, but they abandoned him. When Glass regained consciousness he found himself alone on the prairie without a gun or other equipment. He vowed revenge against the men who had left him for dead.
Glass is said to have found Bridger and forgiven him.
In sparing Bridger, Glass spared the life of a man who would become one of the most important fur trappers and guides in the American West.
The Rev. Pierre Jean De Smet, the Belgian-born Jesuit missionary after whom the South Dakota town is named, described Bridger as one of the truest specimens of a real trapper and Rocky mountain man.
De Smetand Bridger first met in 1838, and became lifelong friends, according to Charles Edmund DeLand in Volume XI of South Dakota Historical Collections, compiled by the South Dakota State Historical Society.
Bridger came to the Upper Great Plains in 1822 when heanswered an advertisement in the Missouri Republicanseeking 100 enterprising young men to travel the Missouri River to its source. Bridger worked for various fur trading companies for the next 20 years, roaming the western third of the United States. He is credited with being the first non-Indian to report reaching theGreat Salt Lake.
There was scarcely an accessible spot in the mountains that he was not acquainted with, wrote DeLand. He had become a daring leader before 1830 and in that year was one of the partners of the newly organized firm of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He led his expeditions in every direction, saw many a fight with the Indians.
With Louis Vasquez, Bridger established Fort Bridger in southwest Wyoming in 1843. The fort became one of the main trading posts for those headed west on the California and Oregon trails.
Bridger was also in constant demand as a guide to military expeditions.
One military expeditionwould take Bridger back through South Dakota, as he guided for Capt. William Raynolds in an exploration of the headwaters of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. The expedition left St. Louis on May 28, 1859, and traveled on the Missouri River untildisembarking at Fort Pierre to travel overland.
Bridger proved to be overcautious and inaccurate as a guide until he reached familiar country in the Yellowstone River region, according to an article in Volume 5 of South Dakota History.
Bridger claimed in an article in the Cheyenne Daily Leader that he discovered gold in the Black Hills while with the Raynolds expedition, but according to the South Dakota History article, Bridgers claims had to be measured against the fact that the interview took place after the 1874 Custer Expeditions report of gold received national publicity.
In 1868, Bridger retired to his farm in Missouri, where he died on July 17, 1881.
In Mountain Men and the Fur Trade, Aubrey L. Haines states that Glass never named the men left to care for him after the grizzlys attack. Fellow trapper James Stevenson wrote that Bridger told him the story of Glass being mauled by a grizzly, butBridger never said he deserted Glass.
After his encounter with the grizzly, Glass survived several more brushes with death. His luck ran out during the winter of 1832-1833, when he and two companions were killed by Indians as they crossed the Yellowstone River.
A new biography about Glass, Hugh Glass: Grizzly Survivor, by historian James D. McLaird will be released by the South Dakota Historical Society Press this spring.
The City of Sturgis has annexed 60 acres of land it purchased from the South Dakota Game Fish & Parks Department into the city limits on Monday.
The land, known as the Marcotte property, was purchased by the city and paid for over three years.
The Sturgis City Council voted unanimously in December of 2012 to pay the 10-percent down payment of $60,810, or $10,000 per acre of the total purchase price of roughly $620,000. The city sought special legislation during the 2012 Legislative session to allow the state to sell the Marcotte Tract to the city.
The contract required the city to pay $182,430 each year in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They paid no interest on the payments.
The approval for the funds also included an authorization for the city manager to sign the Marcotte land agreement with the state.
Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie said the property was located outside the city limits adjacent to Elk Road which is actually in the city limits.
And for future development, the city would like to see the land within the city limits. He said there were not specific plans for the land currently.
During the purchasing process, the state required the property to be purchased at full-market value. It was indicated then that in order to recoup the cost of the purchase and fund future recreational development, some limited residential development may occur, he told the city council Monday.
The land first came to the attention of the city when officials realized that with development encroaching, it simply was no longer safe for hunting on the 60 -acre section of the Marcotte Game Production Area near Sturgis.
The overall game production area covers almost 600 acres, mostly forested hills at the southeast edge of Sturgis. Hunting for deer, turkey and other game remains popular in that larger portion of the area.
But in the smaller Marcotte tract down on the mostly grassy flats, hunting has been limited to archery because of the increasing residential development adjacent to the 60 acres sold to the city.
In other action at the council meeting Monday:
* Steve Keszler was sworn in as the newest City Council member following the resignation of Branden Bestgen. Keszler will serve out the remainder of Bestgens term.
* Mayor Mark Carstensen announced that petitions to run for city council and mayor are now available. Valid petitions must be turned in to the Finance Office no later than 5 p.m. Feb. 26. The number of required signatures vary by ward and are based on the number of voters in the last general election. The number of required signatures is determined by the Finance Officer. Candidates for office must live in the ward where they are running with the exception of the mayoral candidates.
Another timeworn landmark of Rapid City's eastern downtown district is falling to the onslaught of bulldozers and the march of progress.
Not long after the former home of McKie Ford-Lincoln was demolished at the corner of East Boulevard and Omaha Street, the old Imperial Hotel just a couple of blocks away is being torn down this week.
The car dealership has moved on to a new modern showroom off Exit 60 of Interstate 90 on the east edge of town, and its former home will make way for a corner convenience store and carwash.
But just what that march of progress will mean for the Imperial Hotel site, at 100 St. Joseph St., remains undisclosed.
There are no redevelopment plans in place for the hotel property, purchased in December by Rapid City businessman Ray Hillenbrand and his daughter Margaret.
Were just going to get it to ground level, then take a wait-and-see approach, said Dan Tribby, who manages Prairie Edge Gallery and other Hillenbrand-owned downtown properties, which include the Shops at Main Street Square.
Tribby said the new owners will await completion of an overall master plan for the downtown area being developed by a Denver consulting firm hired by the city last August.
Well see what comes out of that, he said.
By Monday morning, most of the hotels west wing had been reduced to a pile of shattered concrete blocks, sheetrock and steel. Tribby said crews encountered asbestos pipe insulation, which had to be removed, and also had to await recovery of refrigerant from rooftop air conditioning units before demolition could continue.
Its all part of the process, Tribby said.
The 119-unit, 90,000-square-foot Imperial Hotel included a restaurant and lounge known for most of its existence as Romans, in deference to Roman Kurylas, patriarch of the family that owned the hotel for decades.
Roman Kurylas died in August of 2014 at age 91.
Tribby said Hillenbrand also plans to keep in touch with other neighborhood business and property owners and is working with East of Fifth, a group promoting the potential for revitalization of the area between Fifth Street and the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
Andrea Schaefer, owner of the Barefoot Dance Studio on Fifth Street, said she was happy to see something positive happening to the property, in spite of a conflict with her sense of history in watching the old building come down.
Were excited to see change, she said. He (Hillenbrand) has done wonderful things to revitalize other parts of downtown.
Schaefer said her wish list for the property and other areas is based somewhat on comments received during East of Fifth informational meetings.
As an example, she said Mines students hope to see more restaurants within walking distance of campus, along with more access to everyday needs, such as what a drugstore might offer.
We heard so many comments, she said.
Even after the Imperial Hotel is no more, bits and pieces of it will remain in the neighborhood. At a December auction of the hotel furnishings and other items, Schaefer purchased several tables for use at her dance studio. Other businesses picked up sound system equipment and other items from the lounge, she said.
But for now, the goal is to get rid of the aging building, which dates back as early as 1970, and has been on a slow decline in recent years.
The aim is to get it on the ground and make it safe, Tribby said. Just having that building out of there is going to make the neighborhood look better.
PIERRE | Money doesnt guarantee votes, but the 2015 fundraising numbers said something today about the 2018 contest for the Republican nomination for governor.
Of the two most prominently mentioned potential candidates, State Rep. George Mark Mickelson, R-Sioux Falls, raised three times more money, and in less time, than state Attorney General Marty Jackley, of Pierre, did last year.
The 2015 campaign finance report filed for Mickelsons political action committee today showed an ending balance of $558,641.79.
The PAC received $583,244.05 in income and spent $24,602.26 from its start on Aug. 27, 2015, through Dec. 31.
Jackley meanwhile finished 2015 with $416,405.63 in his attorney general account and $56,261.17 in his political action account.
They are using PACs because businesses may donate to a PAC under South Dakota law but are not allowed to donate directly to a candidate.
PACs also can accept up to $10,000 annually from a contributor while a candidate committee can receive a maximum of $4,000 per year.
A PAC isnt limited on the amount it can donate to a candidate.
The Jackley PAC reported receiving $56,300 and spending $38.25, while his still-existent campaign committee for attorney general reported receiving $114,361.88 and spending $23,135.42.
Jackley is term-limited as attorney general. Mickelson is seeking election to a third term in the state House of Representatives.
Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, R-Yankton, doesnt appear to be aiming to be part of the 2018 field for governor. He didnt receive any money to his still-existent lieutenant governor campaign account in 2015.
Michels made $100 donations to Rep. Don Haggar, R-Sioux Falls, and Mathew Wollmann, R-Madison, and spent $5,450 on other items, mostly gifts and donations to charitable causes.
Michels finished 2015 with $15,678.98 in the account.
U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., has shown interest in seeking the 2018 Republican nomination for governor, but this year is focusing on re-election to a fourth term in the U.S. House.
Noem doesnt operate a state-candidate account.
Mickelson is preparing to be a Republican candidate for governor in 2018. His father, George S. Mickelson, and his grandfather George T. Mickelson were governors of South Dakota.
The Mickelson PAC report today showed income that included small non-itemized contributions of more than $4,023, itemized contributions from individuals totaling more than $515,000, donations from other businesses totaling more than $63,000 and a donation from another candidates committee of more than $800.
The 2015 campaign-finance report for his legislative campaign committee wasnt immediately available today.
Mickelsons PAC filing showed multiple contributions of $10,000. Among the businesses that gave the maximum were Bell Inc., Gil Haugan Construction and ethanol company POET, all of Sioux Falls.
Individuals giving $10,000 included Harry Christianson of Rapid City; Emilia Buchanan of Mill Valley, Calif.; Tad Buchanan of Mill Valley, Calif; Dana Dykehouse of Sioux Falls; George Lund of Scottsdale, Ariz.; the legislators mother, Linda Mickelson Graham of Sioux Falls; Larry Ness of Yankton; Elaine Pacquin of Sioux Falls; Thomas Reaves of Sioux Falls; Brooke Schieffer of Sioux Falls; and Kevin Schieffer of Sioux Falls.
Mickelsons PAC report also showed about 146 other contributions ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 from individuals and businesses and hundreds of smaller donations as well.
Jackley didnt report any $5,000 or $10,000 contributions to the PAC. His largest contribution was $4,000 from Sioux Falls businessman Phil Sonstegard to his attorney general committee. His PAC showed seven $1,000 contributions. His attorney general committee showed 47 contributions in the range of $1,000 to $2,000.
Jackleys PAC income included $30,350 in itemized contributions from individuals, $23,700 from political organizations in South Dakota, $1,600 from federal-level political action committees and $500 from his campaign committee for attorney general.
The income for his attorney general account included nearly $1,100 in non-itemized small contributions from individuals, nearly $92,000 in itemized contributions from individuals, $2,000 from in-state political action committees, more than $19,000 from federal-level or out-state political action committees, $500 from his political action committee and almost $50 in interest.
Democrats havent identified a candidate for governor yet for 2018. One possible candidate is state Sen. Billie Sutton, D-Burke.
Sutton formed the Cowboy Caucus PAC last year. Its purpose: To elect candidates with a rural and agriculture based focus to public office.
Suttons PAC raised $6,850 in 2015 from current and recent Democratic legislators.
Sutton contributed $3,000 from his legislative candidate committee and $500 from his personal checkbook. In turn the PAC spent $4,000 on consulting.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard spent about $1.2 million to win the five-way primary in 2010 for the Republican nomination.
In 2007, as lieutenant governor, Daugaard started fundraising for 2010 and received nearly $425,000 that year.
Daugaards campaign treasurer was Linda Mickelson Graham, widow of George S. Mickelson, who was killed in 1993 in the state plane crash while he was governor.
Today marked the deadline for many candidates and committees to file their 2015 campaign-finance reports.
The manslaughter conviction of Charles Birdshead may head back to the South Dakota Supreme Court, Circuit Judge Wally Eklund said Monday at the start of an evidence hearing.
Birdshead is serving a 45-year prison sentence for a 2013 fatal shooting in Rapid City. In a decision last October, the South Dakota Supreme Court gave Birdshead a sliver of hope in his appeal, ruling that Eklund had reviewed certain confidential records but had not explained why Birdshead's attorney, Jamy Patterson, was not allowed to see them.
But in December, Edklund wrote that he had never received those records for review. Patterson has asked for new trial, saying Eklund's lack of review of the records "violated ... the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution."
The records in question refer to the witnesses in Birdshead's trial. At an evidence hearing on Monday, Eklund said he now has received 77 pages of records.
"I assume this case is probably going up to the Supreme Court again," Eklund said, explaining that he would forward the records to the justices. "One way or the other," he said, "it's probably going there."
After Eklund rules on whether the records would have had any effect on the July 2013 trial, he said, the Supreme Court "can look at (the records) and decide whether I'm right or wrong."
But the battle between the prosecution and defense goes on. Patterson on Monday questioned two witnesses Pat West, supervisor of the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, and Gina Nelson, a Pennington County deputy state's attorney about the records Eklund is reviewing.
The records in question were kept by the state Department of Criminal Investigation.
Patterson is asserting that the records turned over to Eklund are insufficient because Eklund had ruled that records concerning all prosecution witnesses were supposed to be reviewed. The original list of those witnesses contained more than 40 names, but the prosecution called just seven witnesses at the trial.
Therefore, West said, he requested from the DCI just the records on those seven. He added that the DCI had records on only two of them.
Pennington County Chief Deputy State's Attorney Lara Roetzel tried to quash the subpoena for Nelson. Roetzel argued that "prosecutors are subject to subpoena only as a last resort."
But Eklund allowed Nelson to testify, and she and Patterson went back and forth several times, with Patterson asking why the prosecution had not requested DCI records on the 40-plus names on the prosecution's original list, and Nelson answering that the records were researched on only those called to testify.
Birdshead was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for killing a man in a drug deal gone bad outside the South Dakota Rose Inn.
The evidentiary hearing will continue at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12, with testimony from Sgt. Tony Harrison, a supervisor with the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, who is out of town this week.
Protests against a wastewater injection well in far northwestern Nebraska last year garnered widespread attention, and now three bills have been introduced in the Nebraska Legislature to alter how the states Oil and Gas Commission does business.
State senators Ken Schilz and Ken Haar took interest in the uproar that resulted when Terex Energy Corporation filed for a permit to inject up to 10,000 barrels of oil production and fracking water per day in an abandoned Sioux County oil well. The states Oil and Gas Commission awarded the permit last spring, but did amend it to restrict the company to 5,000 barrels per day.
Unlike in South Dakota, where laws are generally welcoming to new mining and mining-related industries, the proposed Nebraska legislation would encourage the commission to give more scrutiny to future project proposals, require more complete data submission by mining companies, and allow more public access to the projects, data and the approval process.
Since the Sioux County injection well permit was approved, two landowners have sued to halt the permit and the Legislature approved an interim study on the topic. In court, the case between Hughson Flying A Ranch and Jane Grove and the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is still proceeding.
One major concern of project opponents was for the protection of the fresh water within the Ogallala Aquifer, a vast ocean of subterranean water that is one of the world's largest aquifers, covering 175,000 square miles in eight states, including southern South Dakota.
Legislatively, Haar and Schilz used the controversy as the impetus to introduce LB 1082, LB 1100 and LB 1070.
LB 1082 would amend the current law that governs the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, removing much of the language that calls for the commission to promote oil production. Added to the law under LB 1082 would be requirements that companies sample and report their use of injection fluids, and a requirement that the commission have public informational meetings on permit applications.
Other stipulations under LB 1082 include:
The commission would have to notify the county, city or village when it receives a permit application for a commercial underground injection well.
The operator of the injection well will have to sample and analyze fluids injected into each well at least once a year.
LB 1070 would also amend current law and authorize the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to require proof of liability insurance of at least $1 million for any underground enhanced recovery injection well or disposal well and $5 million for any commercial disposal facility that handles more than 500 barrels per day of wastewater.
LB 1070 will also prohibit the drilling of an underground enhanced recovery injection well if the depth of the drinking water aquifer begins less than 50 feet below the surface of the ground or if the saturated depth of the drinking water aquifer extends more than 100 feet below ground surface.
The final bill of the trio separates the promotion of the oil and gas industry and establishes the Petroleum Education and Marketing Act. The bill would allow for a voluntary assessment of up to five-hundredths percent of the gross revenue from oil or natural gas produced from each well.
The assessment would be deducted from the proceeds paid by the first purchaser of the product. The revenue generated could then be used to coordinate an educational and promotional program, overseen by a five-member board.
All three bills will be considered by the Legislatures Natural Resources Committee.
Some parents are expressing outrage at the Rapid City school districts handling of a January incident at South Middle School in which one student was accused of threatening another with a box cutter.
The weapon incident is separate from another at West Middle School reported in Sundays edition of the Rapid City Journal.
Names of the students and a parent involved have been left out of this report to protect their identities.
The threat occurred at 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 19 in South Middle School, said Rapid City Police Community Relations officer Brendyn Medina. A seventh-grade student pulled a box cutter from his pocket, clicked the blade open, and pressed it close to a classmates stomach, according to police records. Both boys are 12 years old, Medina said.
The student with the box cutter was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, a felony, and possession of a weapon on school grounds, a misdemeanor.
The mother of the student who was threatened, pulled her son out of school on Monday after learning that the student with the box cutter would be returning to school this week.
I will not send him back and endanger him, she said over the phone on Monday. My sons safety does not seem to be (the districts) priority.
The mother, who usually picks up her son every day after school, remembered beginning to worry that something was wrong when she saw her boy approaching with the school liaison officer not far behind.
The officer peered through the window and told her that her son wasnt in any trouble, but she needed to come inside.
My heart just sank, the mother said.
She said the liaison officer told her what happened, that the boy with the box cutter would be suspended for 10 days, and then asked if she wanted to press charges. She said yes, and soon the meeting was over.
At the time the mother said she was under the impression that the incident had occurred right before she picked her son up at the end of the school day. She didnt learn until later that it had actually happened a little more than two hours prior.
Im pissed, she said. Im extremely mad. The principal, the vice principal, nobody ever approached me to talk about the situation. They didnt even have the decency to let me know that they were letting this kid back to school.
She called South Middle School on Monday morning and asked Assistant Principal Jeanne Deming when the student who threatened her son would be returning to school. The mother said Deming told her the students suspension would end this Wednesday.
The Journal has not been able to confirm the occurrence or the specific duration of the students suspension. The districts stance, according to Assistant Superintendent Brad Berens, is that that and any other information pertaining to this incident is confidential under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
I cant speak about a specific student or details about a specific incident, Berens said.
The policy handbook shared by all of the districts middle schools states that any student found in possession of a weapon on school property will by recommended for a long-term suspension or expulsion.
According to the policy, a standard suspension can last one to 10 days. The policy also states, however, that the district superintendent can decide to suspend a student for up to 90 days.
Superintendent Tim Mitchell, Berens said, was not made aware of the knife incident at South Middle School until the threatened boy's mother and other parents began calling his office on Monday.
Its a breakdown of the process, said Zach Porter. He and his wife, Alicia, are the parents of two sixth-graders at South Middle School. While the Porters said they dont want to know the identity of the student who pulled the box cutter on the threatened boy, they wished the district had notified them and other parents that a weapon was brandished openly at the school their children attend.
Depending on how the superintendent handles this will determine if I send my kids back to South Middle School, Porter said. My confidence is pretty low with this school and how it handled this situation.
School Board President Jim Hansen said the board has not been notified of this particular incident either, which in his view is a sign that the system is functioning as it is supposed to. As long as administrators follow district policy, Hansen said, he isnt worried.
Every student of Rapid City Area Schools 51-4, the districts discipline policy states, is entitled to learn and work in a safe school environment.
The mother of the threatened boy doesnt think the district is taking its own policy seriously.
What is going to stop (the student with the box cutter) from going to school and doing something to my son in retaliation or something to another student? she said. The district "isnt protecting my son at all, and theyre not protecting the other students by putting that kid back into school.
Her son has been putting on a brave face, she said, but she is convinced the incident has taken a severe toll on him. The boy has experienced migraines in the past, but they have worsened in recent days. He was in the bathroom getting ready for school on Monday morning when he started vomiting.
Hes not talking to any of us, the boy's mother said. We ask him if hes OK, and he says hes fine. But I know hes not OK.
We ignore geography at our peril.
Whether were talking about a day in the Black Hills or a hike through history, geography is a fair indicator of what we might do and how we might do it. For example, America is physically secure from most threats from other nations on the planet. We are an island of sorts, bounded by the closest possible ally on the north and by vast oceans to the east and west. The Mexican border is the only thing that sets us apart from island nations like Great Britain and Australia.
South Dakota is secure for similar reasons, but Mexico is not secure. Our border with our southern ally marks a frontier zone more than a physical line. The border passes through a desert bounded by mountains that are inhospitable and hard to control.
Great nations in world history have grown in power through dynamic expansion, either expansion in physical space or the expansion of ideas and influence. While in this mode China, Rome, the Ottoman Empire, the Russians and the United States spread across continents and far abroad, in fact or in influence. When we stopped expanding, when we got comfortable with where we were, we settled down and started building economies made possible with real wealth from vast natural resources.
When those who didnt have what we had decided to stay in motion, to keep looking for a better life, we built walls to keep separate them from us, physically or ideologically.
The Chinese built a wall to keep horsemen from raiding the agricultural heartland. The Romans built a wall that separated England from Scotland for similar reasons. Russia built a wall in Berlin to keep ideas from impinging on a failed political system.
When our neighbors to the south decided to come north to get away from the chaos and destruction of modern Mexico and the northern narco-tribalism now infesting the frontier, we built a fence. Now were talking about building a wall.
For those of you who were paying attention in history class, walls dont work, no matter how good they are. They fail and so do the nations that build them. Of the wall builders only China remains, reborn.
Lets reconsider before we start pouring concrete on the Mexican border. What Mexico needs is a stable economy and more middle-class families. They need freedom from narco-terror and effective state and federal governments. They need more of what North Americans have.
Our southern border is porous and will not become less so with a giant wall. The longer we allow the forces of anarchy to rule in Mexico the less stable well be. Of course, we have to maintain a balance of power in the world and we can with air and naval power, backed up by enough troops to support our allies and deter enemies.
Sending troops to Afghanistan may make sense. But helping Mexico find peace is also important. We dont need a wall. We need to help a neighbor, and ourselves.
WASHINGTON | Of the 545 days my colleague Jason Rezaian spent in an Iranian prison, perhaps the most unusual was the time his captors let him watch "The Shawshank Redemption" on Iranian state television.
The next day, a hulking man who was guarding Rezaian asked if he'd watched the film, in which the Tim Robbins character wrongfully imprisoned for 19 years escapes by digging a tunnel.
Rezaian, The Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief who was being held on bogus charges, said he had. "Isn't it kind of weird that I'm able to see that in here?" Rezaian teased. "You know, it might give me some ideas."
The jailer replied: "You can dig all you want. As far as you get in 20 years, you'll still be inside this prison."
Two weeks ago, Rezaian got out of that hellhole not by digging but by dogged diplomacy, and a prisoner swap, negotiated by Secretary of State John Kerry. Rezaian stopped in Washington last week before returning home to California. He's not yet doing interviews, but I had the pleasure of sitting down with him Thursday in his suite at the St. Regis hotel rather better surroundings than his cell in the notorious Evin prison to talk about his confinement.
A couple of hours earlier, he had taken the stage at the dedication of the Post's new headquarters, holding back tears as he spoke: "For much of the 18 months I was in prison, my Iranian interrogators told me The Washington Post did not exist, that no one knew of my plight, and that the United States government would not lift a finger for my release. Today I'm here in this room with the very people who helped prove the Iranians wrong in so many ways."
Among those was the secretary of state, who wept with joy when he met Rezaian for the first time backstage Thursday. Kerry said Rezaian's release "was really one of the days that I enjoyed the most as secretary of state." It was, indeed, one of Kerry's finest hours. Though the White House demonstrated a maddening lack of urgency on Rezaian's release, Kerry pursued the matter vigorously.
In prison, Rezaian saw Iranian reports of the nuclear talks and became hopeful he would be released as part of the deal. When he wasn't, he hit rock bottom. He got a small boost when his mother, allowed a brief visit, told him how CBS News' Major Garrett infuriated President Obama by asking why he was "content" to celebrate the nuclear deal without securing the release of Rezaian and others.
Rezaian arrived in Washington during a feel-good moment for the Post, when its glitzy new offices were christened. New owner Jeff Bezos and editor Marty Baron have led the Post past all competitors, including The New York Times, in online readership.
And now, after an 18-month campaign by the paper to keep Rezaian's case in the public consciousness, his release has been deeply gratifying to his colleagues.
Rezaian recounted for me Thursday how he and his wife were taken from their home at gunpoint, blindfolded and handcuffed, and thrown into solitary confinement. He considered himself a prisoner at first, but his captors made clear he was a hostage, a bargaining chip.
He lost 45 pounds on prison food, largely a nasty flatbread, then regained some when he bargained for use of a hot plate and cooked what he called "prison chili" with ingredients he was allowed to buy. For a time, guards let him use an exercise bike and weights in their staff room. He never feared for his life, but he wondered if he would languish for years.
Since his release, he reunited with family in Florida. He's had sushi twice, and there was a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue in his hotel suite. He turned on cable news to catch up on politics and, aghast, turned it off. He's heading home to Northern California, where he'll play Legos with his nephew. He's free in time to celebrate his 40th birthday and to catch his Oakland A's in spring training.
Rezaian feels well but wonders whether confinement changed his outgoing personality. He doesn't know what's next (the man who cut his hair in Florida recognized him from TV news and advised him to find a fat book contract) but he knows he wants to tell the story of his captivity, to "make sure that it wasn't in vain."
Undoubtedly Rezaian will, again, prevail.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard
When thinking about South Dakota, naval prowess might not be the first thing to come to mind. Still, our state has a strong and proud naval history from the men and women who have answered the call to serve to the ships that have borne the name USS South Dakota.
In the twentieth century, two naval battleships were named after our great state: the USS South Dakota (ACR-9) commissioned in 1908 and the USS South Dakota (BB-57) commissioned in 1942. The BB-57 was one of the most decorated warships of World War II.
Now, our state is being honored a third time. The U.S. Navy has commissioned a new USS South Dakota, the SSN-790. This Virginia-class submarine is already under construction and is expected to be completed in August of 2018. It will be the first submarine to bear the name USS South Dakota.
This namesake will be more than a fleeting, ceremonial connection between the new submarine and our state. A commissioning committee has been brought aboard to support events surrounding the submarines keel laying, christening and commissioning. Perhaps more importantly, the committee will work to forge a relationship between the state and the submarine for the duration of its service.
This coming week, we will start to build that relationship when the USS South Dakotas commanding officer, Commander Ronald Withrow, and four members of the boats crew will be visiting South Dakota.
They wont be able to make it to all of the great places in South Dakota, but they are doing their best to fit as much as possible into a few short days.
On Wednesday, Feb. 3, theyll be visiting the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial, meeting with veterans groups and stopping at a school in Sioux Falls. The next day theyll stop in Pierre where Commander Withrow will address both houses of the Legislature and the group will visit the Cultural Heritage Center.
Then on Friday the group will travel west to spend time at the Ellsworth Airforce Base, go to the Black Hills Stock Show, and experience Americas Shrine of Democracy.
I look forward to meeting Commander Withrow and the crew members. It is sure to be a good visit, and it wont be the only visit. I also look forward to supporting the commissioning committee as they work to raise funds, talk to people across the state about the USS South Dakota and develop long lasting ties with the crew of the boat.
The SSN 790 represents more than just a submarine. It offers an opportunity to continue the USS South Dakotas history of protecting our nation.
Polish PGNiG sues Gazprom over gaz price
MOSCOW, February 2 (RAPSI) - Polish oil giant PGNiG has filed with the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC) a lawsuit against Gazprom over gas prices, Polands company announced on its website.
According to the statement, arbitration proceedings do not rule out negotiations for trade between parties and reaching an agreement. The company did not provide more detailed information on the proceedings and its demands because of confidentiality.
From January to September 2015, Russia has supplied about 7 billion cubic meters of gas.
In November 2014, PGNiG requested Gazprom and its subsidiary Gazprom Export to revise the price of firm gas due to material changes at the European energy market in recent years.
Time for potential negotiations expired in May and PGNiG turned to court.
Eccentric artist Pavlensky charged with vandalism denied $13,000 bail
MOSCOW, February 2 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Tuesday refused to release Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky, who has been charged with vandalism after his alleged attempt to burn the doors of the Federal Security Service building, on 1 million-ruble ($13,000) bail, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.
The court upheld a lower courts decision to extend detention of Pavlensky until late February.
The accused artist was absent from court because he is undergoing psychiatric examination at the Serbsky Mental Institution in Moscow.
Pavlensky was arrested on November 9 along with several other people who claim to be journalists that were invited to the artists performance. On November 10, the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow ordered the detention of Pavlensky. He stands charged with vandalism on grounds of ideological hatred and faces up to three years in prison if convicted.
Pavlensky is known for a number of controversial performances.
In July 2012, he sewed up his mouth and stood at the Kazan Cathedral with a poster in support of Pussy Riot.
In May 2013, Pavlensky lay down on the ground in front of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly naked with barbed wire around his body.
In November 2013, also naked, Pavlensky nailed his scrotum to the Red Square pavement near the Lenin Mausoleum.
In October 2014, he staged an eccentric stunt on the roof of the Serbsky Mental Institution in Moscow by cutting off one of his earlobes.
Last February Pavlensky and his accomplices burned car tyres, waved Ukrainian flags and banged sheet metal with sticks in a show of solidarity with the anti-government protesters in Ukraine. The performance was held near the Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg.
Afghanistan is a bust. The Taliban is expanding its control. The number of security incidents was up a fifth in the last months of 2015 over the previous year. Popular confidence is at its lowest level in a decade. More than $100 billion in aid has been largely squandered. U.S. military officers now speak of a goal line defense of Kabul.
One begins to imagine a final evacuation like that from Saigon, via helicopter atop the U.S. embassy. Afghanistan is not yet there, but Washingtons expensive dream of remaking Central Asia almost certainly is dead.
The decline has come with extraordinary speed. I visited Afghanistan in both 2010 and 2011, the latter trip organized by NATO. Allied military officers and PR officials presented an optimistic case, that if only the money continued to flow the Afghan government could take over its defense. That is not proving to be the case.
Many Afghans fear their fate. There is little public confidence in a free and prosperous future. The young and well-educated, who have the greatest stake in a more efficient and better governed state, are most likely to flee. The majority of emigrants are under the age of 30. This is really scary, we have very limited qualified, specialist people, said Ahmed Siar Khoreishi, CEO of Ghazanfar Bank: The brains are leaving.
While the deadly geopolitical game is not yet over, it is hard to see how the current regime can survive without Washingtons continued combat support. Although the Obama administration appears committed to maintaining todays small military presenceand sacrificing brave mens livesin order to put off the inevitable collapse until the next president is inaugurated, America will be coming home. And with it will go any hope for a liberal, democratic, unified Afghanistan allied with the U.S.
The nation-building mission always was Quixotic. Even before Afghanistan the U.S. had an awful record of trying to turn impoverished, war-torn Third World states into respectable members of the international community. Most of Afghanistans people dont want foreign rule. Nor do they want control by Kabul. This conflict-ridden land was no candidate for immersion in Western values. For instance, the phenomenon of bacha bazi, or dancing boys, horrified American personnel, but the New York Times reported how the latter were ordered to ignore what amounted to Afghan security personnel raping children.
Indeed, the latest report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction shows how far this Central Asian land was and remains from developed status. And how ineffective U.S. aid programs have been in transforming it.
Post-Taliban Afghanistan started out poor, heavily reliant on poppy production. While it enjoyed some boom years amid the flood of cash from Western militaries, contractors, and aid workers, the benefits were concentrated in the well-connected. And this financial tsunami has receded. The reduced foreign presence has sharply cut the amount of cash flowing through Afghan hands. Moreover, domestic capital routinely flees for safer harbors elsewhere, especially in the Middle East. The money isnt likely to return, certainly not without an unexpected security improvement.
The foreign money also inflamed the problem of corruption. When I visited popular cynicism of the government was high, with discussions of officials suspected of secreting their ill-gotten gains abroad. People called large, garishly painted homes poppy palaces. The well-connected gobbled up foreign contracts. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute explained: The significant amount of aid and vast international military spending post-2001 has re-ingrained a culture of aid-rentierism: the Afghan elite competes internally for political rents from the international community.
Tougher times have not increased honesty. Indeed, the advance of the Taliban has made it more difficult for Kabul officials to oversee spending elsewhere. In its latest quarterly report, SIGAR noted that a recent Afghan task force reportedly found that millions of dollars were being embezzled while Afghanistan pays for numerous nonexistent ghost schools, ghost teachers, and ghost students.
Even worse, the same practice apparently afflicts the security forces. There are multiple reports of official yet nonexistent police and army personnel. SIGAR cited an Associated Press investigation: In that report, a provincial council member estimated 40% of the security forces in Helmand do not exist, while a former provincial deputy police chief said the actual number was nowhere near the 31,000 police on the registers, and an Afghan official estimated the total ANDSF number at around 120,000less than half the reported 322,638. That helps explain the Afghan governments difficulty in repelling Taliban advances.
Security never has been good during the conflict. Today it is worse than ever.
Explained SIGAR: in this reporting period, Afghanistan proved even more dangerous than it was a year ago. The Taliban now controls more territory than at any time since 2001. Vicious and repeated attacks in Kabul this quarter shook confidence in the national-unity government. A year after the Coalition handed responsibility for Afghan security to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), American and British forces were compelled on several occasions to support ANDSF troops in combat against the Taliban.
There is no reason to expect the situation to improve.
Yet the failure of U.S. aid programs reaches well beyond insecurity. Government-to-government assistance has an atrocious record around the world. It should surprise no one that despite pouring $113.1 billion into Afghanistan, Washington has surprisingly few sustainable, long-term benefits to show for it. About $8.4 billion in reconstruction funding remains in the pipeline, and little more should be expected from it.
Citing just a few of its earlier audits, SIGAR reported on Afghan government agencies suffering from divergent approaches and a lack of overall strategy, poor coordination and limited information sharing, unable to handle contract research, awards, and management, and lacking required documentation for contracts, task orders, and payments. SIGAR discovered a well-built development project in which the private sector had no interest; an initiative for quick delivery grants ground to a halt with nothing being done for months. U.S.-funded power and water systems [were] inoperable for lack of fuel while an industrial park had minimal occupancy. Yet despite constant and manifold failures, SIGAR found only one instance out of 127 [USAID] contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements where prescribed multi-tier monitoring was being used.
Its latest audits yielded little better results. Internal controls remain a problem. The inspector general conducted five financial audits which identified nearly $1.8 million in questioned costs as a result of internal-control deficiencies and noncompliance issues.
USAID devoted $488 million to develop Afghanistans oil, gas, and minerals industries. SIGAR found limited progress overall, and challenges prevent further investment and growth. U.S. agencies follow divergent approaches, Afghan ministries arent committed to reforms, many mining operations are still controlled by political elites, warlords, military personnel, and the police, transportation networks are inadequate, the central government delays work, and several projects show no results while others fail to meet key performance indicators.
Tens of millions of dollars went for training and equipping an Afghan National Engineer Brigade, which was ineffective. The NEB was hampered by army staff on leave for holidays, political events, low literacy levels, and security concerns. The brigade lacked initiative and was not capable of carrying out its mission.
Some $2.3 billion in USAID money went for stability programs, yet the agency appears to be largely indifferent to a critical outside evaluation of the results. Indeed, USAID made claims contradicted by these assessments. For instance, villages receiving USAID stability projects scored lower on stabilityan aggregate measure of whether the projects strengthened perception of good governance and effective service deliverythan similar villages that receive no such assistance. And some villages reportedly under Taliban control that received USAID stability projects subsequently showed greater pro-Taliban support. Overall, said SIGAR, villages that received USAID assistance showed a marked decrease in their stability scores relative to the overall decrease in stability scores for both villages that did and those that did not receive USAID assistance. Here, at least, American aid apparently proved to be a hindrance.
Despite a consistently bad record, the official line remains positive. On one of my visits a Marine Corps officer warned me that everyone is selling something. But the practical results often are dismal. While I received glowing reviews of the police training program from my NATO handlers, one of the contractor-instructors privately lamented the difficulty in teaching students of such limited education and different culture. He collected his paycheck, but had no confidence when confronting a real rather than ghost policemen.
The U.S. has been fighting in Afghanistan for more than 14 years. That is longer than the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and Korean War combined. It is time to turn the conflict over to the Afghans and let them determine their future.
Americans may not like the result, but attempting to establish a liberal Western outpost in Central Asia never made sense. The U.S. has no security need to do so, and the task cant be done at reasonable cost in lives and money.
Mr. President, its time to bring home the troops. No more Americans should die in Afghanistan on your watch for nothin
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From: Mr. Miller Mitchell
Date: 2/2/2016 1:49 AM
Subject: I acknowledge receipt of your email so without wasting much time;
Location:2002 West Chicago Chicago, Illinois 60622 Chicago ave and Damen
Inside At Counter Chicago, 606661033
Dated 2nd February, 2016
Attention Beneficiary,
I acknowledge receipt of your email so without wasting much time; I have to introduce myself to you this is last warning . I am U.s citizen working under DHL COMPANY Permanent Representative of the USA DHL WORKER for American as whole . We did received some letter from FBI and interpol office in USA here, that your Award beneficiaries,
that some so called claims coordinators has been extorting money from beneficiary's before they will agree to sign the funds release and make the funds available to you due, to that regards a meeting was held on the 28th of September to make sure that the files of your package box are being looked into and also check out, And that was when we actually found out that your package box contains the sum of $3.7million had not been deliver to your doorstep .
To that effect we the DHL COMPANY here in U.S CHICAGO IL decided to help beneficiary's to deliver the sum of $3.7million to your home address without wasting anytime, You don't have to pay any other charge/fees apart from the courier charges here in USA , I want you to bear in mind that we are only trying to help you because I believe that you have been running with the wrong people for a longtime now and yet you have not receive your package box and note that arrangement of this consignment box have been issue Us custom and FBI advice us to secure all property in this Us DHL COMPANY ,
I also want to inform you that we have secure all documents to help you receive your FUNDS PACKAGE BOX without any other delays, so you don't have anything to worry about.
Once again the lists of package content are:
1. ORIGINAL COPY OF INSURANCE BOND
2. USA DHL COMPANY CHICAGO IL INVITATION LETTER
3. CERTIFICATE OF CLEAR SOURCE OF FUNDS ORIGIN (Issued by Internal
Revenue Board).
So to enable us dispatch your package via the above stated express channels for delivery system kindly see below for the charges required for delivery, therefore we urgent you to make the payment of $110 as soon as possible to avoid more increase of your delivery charge, which also serve as the courier charge, We are sending to you details with which you are to make your payment with, for the delivery charges of your parcel.Please note that all payment for delivery should be made via (Western Union Money Transfer) and be advice to send the money to the correct information below and send it correctly to Benin as the origin of your package to enable USA dhl company Chicago will deliver to you
Here is the payment details were the $110 will be sent to them in Benin via money gram or western union tansfer OK!
1: Receiver Name; Gerard Chiezi
2.Country:::: BENIN REPUBLIC
3.City ::::/ COTONOU
4.: Sender's Address::::
5: MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number):
6. Amount $110 only
7: Text Question:::: How Long?
8.Text Answer.:::: Two Days
9: Senders Name should be your name please.
I advise that you try your possible best to come up with the payment as soon as possible so that your parcel can leave for dispatch before 12hours according to the agreement paper , Hope you understand? And on the receipt of your payment confirmation email,
your package will be set for delivery which you will receive within 12hours.We sincerely hope the above information is helpful to you, should you have any further queries do not hesitate to write to us. Please make sure you furnish us with your current delivery address to enable us proceed because once they confirm from Nigeria that the payment is received we will deliver within 12hours from this Chicago IL.
Kindly get back to us and also with the requested information's, am going to help you complete this transaction if you want us to proceed on this matter with urgent don,t fail to send the courier charge today.
Regards,
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/photos/large/2011_07/2011_07_04/volkov.jpg
Mr. Miller Mitchell
Managing Director. DHL Express International Chicago
On Sat, Feb 6, 2016 at 2:12 am, Mr. Miller Mitchell < simonewills@yahoo.com > wrote:
Location:2002 West Chicago Chicago, Illinois 60622 Chicago ave and Damen
Inside At Counter Chicago, 606661033
Dated 6th February, 2016
Attention Beneficiary,
I acknowledge receipt of your email so without wasting much time; I have to introduce myself to you this is last warning . I am U.s citizen working under DHL COMPANY Permanent Representative of the USA DHL WORKER for American as whole . We did received some letter from FBI and interpol office in USA here, that your Award beneficiaries,
that some so called claims coordinators has been extorting money from beneficiary's before they will agree to sign the funds release and make the funds available to you due, to that regards a meeting was held on the 28th of September to make sure that the files of your package box are being looked into and also check out, And that was when we actually found out that your package box contains the sum of $3.7million had not been deliver to your doorstep .
To that effect we the DHL COMPANY here in U.S CHICAGO IL decided to help beneficiary's to deliver the sum of $3.7million to your home address without wasting anytime, You don't have to pay any other charge/fees apart from the courier charges here in USA , I want you to bear in mind that we are only trying to help you because I believe that you have been running with the wrong people for a longtime now and yet you have not receive your package box and note that arrangement of this consignment box have been issue Us custom and FBI advice us to secure all property in this Us DHL COMPANY ,
I also want to inform you that we have secure all documents to help you receive your FUNDS PACKAGE BOX without any other delays, so you don't have anything to worry about.
Once again the lists of package content are:
1. ORIGINAL COPY OF INSURANCE BOND
2. USA DHL COMPANY CHICAGO IL INVITATION LETTER
3. CERTIFICATE OF CLEAR SOURCE OF FUNDS ORIGIN (Issued by Internal
Revenue Board).
So to enable us dispatch your package via the above stated express channels for delivery system kindly see below for the charges required for delivery, therefore we urgent you to make the payment of $110 as soon as possible to avoid more increase of your delivery charge, which also serve as the courier charge, We are sending to you details with which you are to make your payment with, for the delivery charges of your parcel.Please note that all payment for delivery should be made via (Western Union Money Transfer) and be advice to send the money to the correct information below and send it correctly to Benin as the origin of your package to enable USA dhl company Chicago will deliver to you
Here is the payment details were the $110 will be sent to them in Benin via money gram or western union tansfer OK!
1: Receiver Name; Gerard Chiezi
2.Country:::: BENIN REPUBLIC
3.City ::::/ COTONOU
4.: Sender's Address::::
5: MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number):
6. Amount $110 only
7: Text Question:::: How Long?
8.Text Answer.:::: Two Days
9: Senders Name should be your name please.
I advise that you try your possible best to come up with the payment as soon as possible so that your parcel can leave for dispatch before 12hours according to the agreement paper , Hope you understand? And on the receipt of your payment confirmation email,
your package will be set for delivery which you will receive within 12hours.We sincerely hope the above information is helpful to you, should you have any further queries do not hesitate to write to us. Please make sure you furnish us with your current delivery address to enable us proceed because once they confirm from Nigeria that the payment is received we will deliver within 12hours from this Chicago IL.
Kindly get back to us and also with the requested information's, am going to help you complete this transaction if you want us to proceed on this matter with urgent don,t fail to send the courier charge today.
Regards,
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/photos/large/2011_07/2011_07_04/volkov.jpg
Mr. Miller Mitchell
Managing Director. DHL Express International Chicago
If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more....
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" " Hundreds cross the Brooklyn Bridge after the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001. That was an example of a terrorist attack that succeeded but many others have not. Robert Essel NYC/CORBIS
If you're going to be a terrorist, you've got to play it cool. In 1999, would-be bomber Ahmed Ressam filled his car with explosives and drove it from Canada to the U.S. border. But at the very moment a customs inspector approached, he panicked and ran away. Naturally, Ressam's freak-out raised suspicion and resulted in his arrest [source: Schanzer].
Ressam isn't the only terrorist whose destructive attempt has been thwarted. In the 12 years since the 9/11 attacks, an estimated 54 other terrorist attacks on the U.S. have failed [source: Zuckerman]. And these are only the attempts we know about, which have been publicly documented through news articles and official briefings. The actual count of "almost" attacks is likely much higher.
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Some credit an effective trifecta for keeping the U.S. relatively safe from terroristic harm: police work, intelligence reports and citizens willing to report suspicious activity [source: Avlon]. And sometimes the terrorists themselves bungle the plan. Whatever the strategy to uncover current threats, there are powerful lessons to be found in examining previous plots that have failed. Let's start with one from way back in history.
" " That's a breast cancer cell as captured by a scanning electron microscope, which produces a 3-D image. Image courtesy Bruce Wetzel and Harry Schaefer)/The Web site of the National Cancer Institute
Thanks to a 2013 New York Times op-ed, we all know about Angelina Jolie's decision to have a preventive double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing future breast cancer. Her candid comments revealed that she has both a strong family history of the disease and, based on the results of genetic testing, a mutated form of the gene known as BRCA1, which gives her an 87 percent chance of breast cancer and a 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer [source: Jolie]. Faced with this reality, which can be more or less severe for different people, she chose to remove both breasts before the cells making up her milk-producing glands could turn into rogue cancer cells capable of uncontrolled growth.
If the procedure protects her from this disease, as probability suggests, she'll have lots of people to thank: the genetic counselors, the surgeons, and her family, of course, to name a few.
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Mary-Claire King may not make that list. A professor of genome sciences and medical genetics at the University of Washington, King helped to unravel the genetic basis of inherited breast cancer. Her work led first to the discovery of BRCA1 in 1994 and then, a year later, to BRCA2. Women (and men, too, as it turns out) who carry mutated forms of these genes are far more likely to develop a number of cancers, including breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.
King herself often points to another VIP -- Paul Broca, a French pathologist who first proposed in the 1860s that breast cancer might run in families. Broca's wife suffered from early-onset breast cancer, and when he studied her family tree, he found that the disease could be traced back through four generations. When King went to name the gene she had discovered, she wanted to call it BROCA to honor the Frenchman, but she was only allowed four letters. The final name -- BRCA -- abbreviates "Broca" while standing for "breast cancer" and perhaps even Berkeley, Calif., where King did her doctoral work [source: Check].
Nomenclature aside, the BRCA genes stand as a success story of modern genetics, proving that biomarkers can reliably predict a person's predisposition to develop a disease or condition. A decade or so ago, buoyed by the success of the Human Genome Project, forward thinkers promised a time when biological molecules found in the body would serve as indicators of phenomena such as disease, infection or environmental exposure. These signallers would lead to the eradication of cancer and other pernicious conditions. But a funny thing happened on the way to utopia: Biomarkers proved challenging to identify. And when they were, researchers couldn't develop assays sensitive enough or cost-effective enough to make them valuable diagnostic tools.
So the medical community welcomed the discovery of the BRCA genes, and the development of reliable genetic testing to identify them in individuals, with open arms. All of which has led to the next challenge: making sure the public understands what these genes are.
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Seventh Circuit panel upholds Wisconsin's lifetime GPS monitoring for certain sex offenders against various constitutional complaints | Main | "International Megan's Law" heading now to Prez Obama's desk
February 1, 2016
"Accommodating Justice: Victim Impact Statements in the Sentencing Process"
The title of this post is the title of a forthcoming book by Tracey Booth, the introduction to which can be downloaded here via SSRN. Here is the SSRN abstract:
Prominent criminologist, David Garland, has argued that VISs have led us into unfamiliar territory where the ideological grounds are far from clear and the old assumptions an unreliable guide. A victim impact statement (VIS) is a highly nuanced and individual narrative that can operate as both an informational device in the sentencing process and an expressive mechanism for crime victims. From the law perspective, VISs provide the court with details of harm caused by the offence and the consequences of the offending in order to further purposes of sentencing. As an expressive mechanism, VISs offer victims the opportunity and space to express their feelings, tell their personal story of the aftermath of crime, and be heard by the court, the offender, and the wider community. Though a well-established feature of contemporary sentencing hearings (at least in superior courts) VISs remain controversial in common law jurisdictions. The non-legal nature of VISs has generated uncertainty in relation to the functioning of the sentencing hearing and concerns have been raised that VISs are: inconsistent with established legal values, detrimental to the offenders entitlement to a fair hearing, detrimental to victims wellbeing, and harmful to the integrity of the legal proceedings. Accommodating Justice: victim impact statements in the sentencing process explores complex territory where VISs, the law and legal institutions intersect with a focus on the requirements of fairness, most particularly in the courtroom. And it does so from multiple perspectives: courts, offenders and victims. The book draws from a range of theoretical and doctrinal sources as well as empirical studies from Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. An ethnographic study of the performance of VISs in homicide sentencing hearings in the NSW Supreme Court woven through most chapters provides an innovative and evidence-based approach to the issues.
February 1, 2016 at 06:42 PM | Permalink
Comments
I was able to move on, being myself a vitim as a child. Because I was not constantly reminded of what happen. Help me. I feel that the DOJ violate the victims not more then people that are charge for viewing. Downloading . I don't condone they violate the law , but they did not harm anyone physically.
Posted by: Martha Morales a victim of child abuse | Feb 1, 2016 9:48:15 PM
I was able to move on, being myself a vitim as a child. Because I was not constantly reminded of what happen. Help me. I feel that the DOJ violate the victims not more then people that are charge for viewing. Downloading . I don't condone they violate the law , but they did not harm anyone physically.
Posted by: Martha Morales a victim of child abuse | Feb 1, 2016 9:48:15 PM
a victim a child abuse.
Posted by: Matha Morales | Feb 1, 2016 9:50:32 PM
I agree a VIP can be cathartic on some level for the victim. I have a hard time though, when a person can walk into a court room and spew about their lives and make accusations about a defendant, unhindered by the requirement of proof.
Posted by: The wife | Feb 2, 2016 10:28:09 PM
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"International Megan's Law" heading now to Prez Obama's desk | Main | Second Circuit panel laments the "Statement of Reasons" form used by sentencing judges
February 2, 2016
Do latest ugly gun crime numbers in Chicago disprove the "more guns, less crime" hypothesis?
The question in the title of this post is what first jumped to my mind as I reviewed this USA Today report on the ugly crime spike in the Windy City recorded in January. Here are the basics:
The nation's third largest city recorded 51 homicides in January, the highest toll for the month since at least 2000. Gang conflicts and retaliatory violence drove the "unacceptable" increase in homicides, the police department said in a statement. But the rise in violence also notably comes as the Chicago Police Department faces increased scrutiny following the court-ordered release of a police video showing a white police officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times, and as the department implements changes in how it monitors street stops by officers. Chicago routinely records more homicides annually than any other American city, but the grim January violence toll marks a shocking spike in violence in a city that recorded 29 murders for the month of January last year and 20 murders for the month in 2014. In addition to the jump in killings, police department said that it recorded 241 shooting incidents for the month, more than double the 119 incidents recorded last January. The rise in violence comes after the Chicago Police Department reported 468 murders in 2015, a 12.5% increase from the year before. There were also 2,900 shootings, 13% more than the year prior, according to police department records. In recent weeks, the police department pushed back against the notion that the rise in homicides could be due to cops becoming less aggressive due to the negative attention the department has received in the aftermath of the release of the police video showing the shooting of Laquan McDonald. The city saw several weeks of largely peaceful protests after the release of the video. The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation of the city. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who faced fierce backlash in the city's African-American community over his handling of the McDonald case, fired his police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, after the video's release. Interim Superintendent John Escalante expressed frustration earlier this month as the homicide toll climbed, but said it was due mainly to gang activity. He also said he was concerned about social media fueling gang disputes, with fatal incidents starting as a war of words on the Internet.... St. Louis saw a dramatic increase in the number homicides following the August 2014 police shooting death of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson, which spurred months of angry protests. And Baltimore saw a spike in homicides following the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in April, an incident that sparked unrest in the Charm City. In both Baltimore and St. Louis, the rise in violent crime began to increase prior to the high-profile incidents and accelerated afterward. The department says it has seen a decrease in investigative stops by cops on the streets after new rules went into effect Jan. 1 requiring the police department to bolster the monitoring of stops and protective pat downs known as "stop-and-frisk." The police department entered an agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union to record contact cards for all street stops after the organization criticized the the city's police for disproportionately targeting minorities for questioning and searches. In the past, police officers were required only to fill out cards for stops that didn't result in an arrest. The new contact cards also require police officers to offer greater detail about the stops than they have in the past.
This Chicago Sun-Times article, headlined "Street cops say 'ACLU effect' drives spike in gun violence," provides one account of what might be an importance cause of these latest ugly crime developments. But the title of this post is intended to flag the possibility that an increase in gun violence might also be attributed in part to an increase of gun availability, both legal and illegal, that seems to necessarily flow from the Supreme Court's recent Second Amendment work and continued controversies over gun control. For a host of reasons, I have long wished that there was a sound basis to believe (or at least hope) that increased gun availability could actually reduce crime. This Chicago news would seem to undermine such a hypothesis.
February 2, 2016 at 08:14 AM | Permalink
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Doug, the "more guns, less crime" hypothesis presupposes that law-abiding people have guns, not the criminals running around Chicago killing people.
Posted by: federalist | Feb 2, 2016 9:08:45 AM
It is already illegal in all 50 states for felons to own guns. It is also illegal for misdemeanor DV convicts to have guns. And for those adjudicated mentally ill to have guns. And for illegal aliens to have guns. And for drug users to have guns. And for those dishonorably discharged to have guns. And those subject to a DV protective order to have guns.
What more laws do we need? Just who is it that has an increased access to guns? It is certainly not criminals---they already aren't allowed to have them.
Posted by: Yeah, but | Feb 2, 2016 10:48:37 AM
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February 2, 2016
"International Megan's Law" heading now to Prez Obama's desk
As reported in this dispatch from The Hill, the US House of Representatives "easily cleared legislation on Monday to expand efforts within the Department of Homeland Security to track registered child sex offenders travel plans as a means of combatting human trafficking." Here is more about a bill often called an international Megans Law:
The measure, passed by voice vote, would codify the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) Operation Angel Watch program that determines whether countries should be notified of sex offenders travel. Under the legislation, sex offenders would be required to report to law enforcement when they plan to travel internationally. Sex offenders who fail to comply would face up to ten years in prison. In addition, the State Department will be obligated to create a unique identifier for child sex offenders passports. Lawmakers said the provisions would help prevent sex offenders from trying to break the law undetected. Child predators thrive on secrecy, said Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), the bills author. The House previously passed a version of the bill last January, and the Senate later approved it with amendments by unanimous consent in December. Congress last year approved legislation to create a fund for victims of sex trafficking and give prioritize states for federal grants if they establish safe harbor laws for child victims of trafficking.
Last month here at The Volokh Conspirary, David Post expressed concerns about this legislation. The title of the post reveals the basic nature of his concerns: "The yellow star, the scarlet letter, and International Megans Law." The Marshall Project has this new piece echoing similar themes under the headline "Congress Acts to Mark Passports of Sex Offenders: Target of legislation is sex-traffickers; critics call it a scarlet letter."
February 2, 2016 at 07:43 AM | Permalink
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Anyone who does NOT invoke Godwin's Law here is burying their head in the sand!
Gee, how could such awful atrocities take place in a "civilized" country like Germany? Now we know how they begin.
Posted by: albeed | Feb 2, 2016 11:08:09 AM
@albreed
Because every generation needs to rebel and conform at the same time. They do this by rebelling against their parents and conforming to each other. The fact that their evil behavior is simply old wine in new wineskins is irrelevant because it is the new wineskins that matter. I mean, it's not evil when WE do it.
Posted by: Daniel | Feb 2, 2016 12:44:55 PM
I'm sorry, I also cannot resist taking a shot at Doug B. This legislation is yet more evidence in support of why I am a pessimist. Because there is nothing in human history that shows human beings becoming less cruel over time, at least not as a result of political or legal processes. Chemists, pharmaceutical companies, and technology in general has made the world less cruel than anything the law profession has ever demonstrated itself capable of.
Posted by: Daniel | Feb 2, 2016 12:51:03 PM
" Chemists, pharmaceutical companies, and technology in general has made the world less cruel than anything the law profession has ever demonstrated itself capable of."
AMEN!
You can also throw in good engineers.
All you have to do is look at the economic and physical science stupidity of the "ethanol mandate" to realize what fools and evil beings we humans are, led by the pandering politicians.
Posted by: albeed | Feb 2, 2016 3:00:41 PM
When watching the documentary Paragraph 175 about the Nazi sex crimes law as the kick-start of the Holocaust, it was sometimes tempting to think, "Well, that was the law, don't break it" or, "Well, they deserved it" or some other common explanation for doing nothing. Then the cognitive dissonance seeps in when realizing the logical conclusion. Maybe today the EPA would frown on human ashes drifting in the air and would require the proper "regulations" or maybe not. Some would love the smell of burning people in the morning.
Posted by: George | Feb 2, 2016 3:19:49 PM
I am not sure, Daniel, either what I have done here for you to take a shot at me or exactly what your shot is.
Posted by: Doug B. | Feb 2, 2016 3:47:02 PM
I can see another possible disasterous scenario resulting from such a law. If airport and government officials use this international Megan's Law to create a new No Fly list, one could see any passenger affected by it act out at the airport in a dangerous way.
Imagine, if you will, a passenger is suddenly told that he or she cannot fly due to this new law, that individual might act out against this No-Fly law by deliberately running into a high-security/off-limits part of the airport with the intention of causing a lockdown over the entire airport, leading to cancellations of everybody else's flights--at least for several hours. You will have several angry passengers who will, though not subject to this law, nonetheless see their flights canceled. This former sex offender's rage at this law could, in other words, spell trouble for everybody else who wants to use the airport. Whether these passengers will want to lynch the individual former sex offender who deliberately set off the airport alarm with the intent of causing mayhem for all other passengers; or, whether they instead will more sensibly want to put blame on Belt Way politicians who engineered this stupid law in the first place is anybody's guess. I would call this scenario, the "If I can't fly from this airport, then nobody else can!" response by the person subject to this new No-Fly law.
Posted by: william r. delzell | Feb 2, 2016 4:17:45 PM
The passport marking will certainly be challenged ASAP after Obama signs this law.
As a CJS grad student, this "feels" blatantly unconstitutional. Can any constitutional scholars tell me how this will play out? Will a district court judge immediately issue an injunction? What are the odds this survives constitutional challenges?
Posted by: Joseph R | Feb 2, 2016 4:33:13 PM
@Doug B.
"Taking a shot" was not the best phraseology in this context. The discussion we had on MLK day in the comments section on this blog is still on my mind...that is what the "taking a shot" language was referring to. It wasn't anything personal.
Posted by: Daniel | Feb 2, 2016 6:11:19 PM
@Joseph R
My guess is that it will easily survive constitutional muster. If lifetime registry requirements are regulatory, and lifetime GPS monitoring is regulatory, I don't see how this bill is also not regulatory. SCOTUS has upheld such requirements against both a 4A (unreasonable search) and 1A challenge (compelled speech) so I don't see what new arguments are that would persuade anyone to change their minds. Indeed, given the special sensitivity the court gives to issues surrounding the border that seems to make passports more likely--rather than less-to be given deference.
So while I am sure it will be challenged my guess is that those challenges will ultimately fail.
Posted by: Daniel | Feb 2, 2016 6:19:29 PM
When I was a Soviet citizen, and after 1991 citizen of Belarus, there was a line in my passport which identified me as a Jew.
This looked like: 5. Nationality: Jew.
Even all russian jews was not religious, because soviet state destroyed all Jewish religious institutions, closed jewish schools, destroyed all books on their language. The only thing they kept was Jew in passport, just like nazi Germany J.
Nazi Germany was not the only country known to add such a moniker to the passports of its citizens. There were USSR and Belarus. As you understand identifying somebody as a Jew was very harmful for that person, discrimination at any situation like getting job, education and so on. Even beating by angry idiots hating you just for being a Jew.
I remember my grandfather story from ww2. He had document identify him as a Jew, and he took passport of dead person without such identity. This way he was not killed by Germans nazi. All people with jew in their documents were killed by nazi who also were christians.
Here is article i wrote:
http://fimafimovich.blogspot.com/2014/10/discrimination-of-soviet-jews-and.html
Posted by: Fima | Feb 2, 2016 7:15:02 PM
Last time I checked, Doug B was on our side. He doesn't care for idiocy of the politicians either.
Posted by: Book38 | Feb 2, 2016 7:35:01 PM
This law offers nothing more than a false sense of security. In all actually its nothing more than a Gateway Law. Once this law is implemented, whats to stop the government from passing a law which requires all U.S. citizens to state additional life threatening information on their passports. If you support this law then you are asking for a future where YOU will have YOUR PASSPORT stating such information as/but not limited to: YOUR RELIGION (imagine how dangerous this would be for you and your family to travel if the passport stated that you are Muslims, Christians, Jewish, Catholics, or any other religion which would target you and your family for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and/or threats) , YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION (imagine how dangerous this would be for you and your family to travel if the passport stated that you or one of your family members are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or some other sexual classification which would target you and your family for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and/or threats) YOUR OCCUPATION (imagine how dangerous this would be for you and your family to travel if the passport stated that your occupation or one of your family members occupation was in law enforcement, the military or any other filed which would target you and your family for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and/or threats). These are just a few examples. Whats to stop the Government from also passing a law that gives them the authority to stop you or any U.S. citizen from traveling outside the country? (imagine never being able to travel outside the country because you were delinquent on government college loans, imagine never being able to travel outside the country because you had a prior arrest for something as minor as disturbing the peace, imagine never being able to travel outside the country because you had a prior arrest even though it was dropped or acquitted, imagine never being able to travel outside the country because youve had too many driving tickets or DUIs, or imagine never being able to travel outside the country because of some other B.S. the Government deems credible) The government is simply using the publics hatred of sex offenders as a gateway to gain power and authority to overstep their United States Constitutional and Civil boundaries. This sex offender passport law violates numerous United States Constitutional and Civil Laws. Dont be deceived! Once we let the Government cross the line, there is no going back!!!
-Who is going to have a unique identifier added to their passport next? Is it going to be Muslims? Is it going to be gays? asks Janice Bellucci, a civil rights attorney.
The United States Constitutional and Civil Laws were made to protect us United States citizens from Government corruption. What is the point of this country having Constitutional and Civil Laws if we allow the Government to violate them?
**Branding a human being and FOREVER denying them the right to leave a country is exactly what the Nazis did to the Jewish people and its also a form of slavery. This is far more than just a Constitutional Rights issue, this is clearly a Human Rights issue and the United Nations should take notice**
Posted by: Wakeup American | Mar 29, 2016 8:43:40 PM
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February 2, 2016
Post-Hurst hydra develops new heads in Delaware as all capital cases get halted
In this post last month not long after the Supreme Court in Hurst v. Florida declared Florida's death penalty procedures violative of the Sixth Amendment, I coined the term term "post-Hurst hydra" to describe what will likely be multi-headed, snake-like litigation that will develop in various ways in various courts as judges try to make sense of just what Hurst must mean for past, present and future capital cases. Now, as reported in this local article, headlined "All Delaware executions, capital murder trials halted," a new head for this litigation hydra emerged yesterday. Here are the basic details:
All pending capital murder trials and executions have been halted until the Delaware Supreme Court determines the constitutionality of the state's death penalty law. The temporary stay, issued by President Judge Jan R. Jurden on Monday, is expected to impact at least four death penalty cases that were scheduled to go to trial in the next 120 days. Likewise, a spokesperson for the Department of Correction said Monday that all executions are also on hold, even though none were scheduled for the coming months. "I think it is a smart decision," said Delaware's Chief Defender Brendan O'Neill. "It makes sense to stay the cases until we get the Supreme Court's ruling on whether our death penalty statute is constitutional." The stay will give the Delaware Supreme Court time to consider five questions that have arisen in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling for Florida. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida's death penalty system, saying it gives too much power to judges, instead of juries. In that case, a man was convicted of the 1998 murder of his manager at a Popeye's restaurant in Pensacola and was sentenced to death by a judge. Delaware, Alabama and Florida are the only states that allow judges to override a jury's recommendation of life and, instead, impose a sentence of death. Judges in Delaware have not been using that power. The top U.S. court's recent ruling left prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges in Delaware with many questions about how to proceed in the state's approximately two dozen death penalty cases and with the 14 men on death row. In light of this, Superior Court Judge Paul Wallace solicited questions from Attorney General Matt Denn's office and O'Neill's office that they would like the Delaware Supreme Court to consider. The highest state court agreed last week to address the questions and set a timeline of mid-April for all briefs to be submitted. The court is using as a test case that of Benjamin Rauf, the Temple University law graduate charged with gunning down classmate Shazi Uppal, 27, in the parking lot of a Hockessin nursing home last summer. Police have said the shooting occurred during a drug deal gone awry.... Jurden wrote in the administrative directive Monday that the certified questions are directly relevant to the pending capital murder trials. "Specifically, the determination will control the procedure to be applied in all such cases," she wrote. "A temporary stay of the pending trials, penalty hearings, and any applications asking this court to declare Delaware's capital sentencing scheme unconstitutional is warranted to ensure the application of the law consistent with the Supreme Court's determination of the certified questions." Jurden went on to say that temporary stays have previously been entered, such as in 2003 and 1992, when questions about the validity of the procedures were being considered by the Delaware Supreme Court. The ensuing court battle is not the only challenge to the state's death penalty law. A bill to abolish the death penalty failed 23-16 in the House of Representatives on Thursday, but some lawmakers are vowing to give it a second chance this spring.
The administrative directive referenced in this article is available at this link.
Prior related posts:
February 2, 2016 at 05:07 PM | Permalink
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I think Delaware is being overly cautious. So far, the Supreme Court has not shown any indication that they are going to take an Alabama or Delaware case. In Hurst, they only addressed the "eligibility" issue. The discussion in Carr (and the earlier discussion in Marsh) suggests that there is no right to a jury trial on the "selection" issue. If my understanding of what I have read about Delaware law is correct, Delaware requires the jury to find that a defendant is death eligible as part of its recommendation and only allows a judicial override if the defendant is death eligible. Additionally, at worst, the potential for a judicial override is harmless in any case in which the jury recommends death.
Posted by: tmm | Feb 3, 2016 9:38:20 AM
Last time they executed someone was in '12 but their sixteen executions in the twenty years before that makes it somewhat notable actually as compared to most death penalty states.
Posted by: Joe | Feb 3, 2016 4:44:45 PM
I would be curious to hear a response by the blog to the 2/2 oral argument in Lambrix and swift response by FSC to stay execution.
Posted by: J_T | Feb 3, 2016 9:52:41 PM
When Delaware reinstituted the death penalty, they found out juries weren't voting for death (because it required a unanimous result). So they changed the law to a new one explicitly modeled after the Florida law in order to make the death penalty easier. Delaware's law really isn't functionally different except that Judges are required to give "great weight" to the jury's decision and cases where the jury voted 10-2 for life and the Judge overruled the decision were reversed (so the Alabama situation of Judges overruling a recommendation for life probably won't happen in Delaware).
Posted by: Erik M | Feb 4, 2016 8:47:06 AM
J_T
as usual, Polston and Canady seemed to be with the state. I don't think Labarga or
Perry said anything. However, Pariente and Lewis were very concerned about retroactivity. Lewis brought up the "who lives and who dies" arbitrary application well. Quince recused.
McClain said all inmates should be resentenced to life and of course, Browne opined no retroactivity to final cases. I believe he misspoke when he stated no state court ever found Ring retroactive. I have to go back and read State v. Whitfield. (Missouri)
A good opinion on Ring retroactivity is State of Arizona vs. Roger Wayne Murray.
Posted by: DaveP | Feb 4, 2016 11:17:09 AM
Does the fact that FSC stayed execution signal that the court is seriously considering retroactivity? I thought the arguments in favor of retroactivity under Witt were pretty weak. FSC recently found Miller v Alabama retroactive in Falcon but that was an Eighth Amendment case. Hurst is a Sixth Amendment case. Other Sixth Amendment cases (Apprendi, Blakely, Ring) were not found to be retroactive. I don't see how FSC can find otherwise in Hurst.
Posted by: J_T | Feb 4, 2016 9:03:55 PM
I think the FSC just wanted more time. This is probably one of the most important cases they will ever hand down. I cannot see them getting 4 votes to commute all the cases to life. Let us hope they don't tie 3-3.
They should follow Summerlin and possibly remand for harmless error the cases that are not final. Or they might send all the cases back for resentencing that are not final.
Last time they ruled on Ring's application to Florida's scheme, it was a very splintered opinion. I would expect the same
Posted by: DaveP | Feb 4, 2016 9:44:03 PM
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February 2, 2016
Second Circuit panel laments the "Statement of Reasons" form used by sentencing judges
A helpful reader made sure I did not miss the interesting sentencing opinion handed down by the Second Circuit yesterday in US v. Pruitt, No. 141921 (2d Cir. Feb. 1, 2016) (available here). Authored by District Judge John Gleeson sitting by designation, here is how the Pruitt opinion gets started:
Kaylon Pruitt appeals from the May 29, 2014 judgment of conviction entered against him in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (Suddaby, J.). Pruitt was sentenced principally to a 46month term of imprisonment on his plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(g). He contends that the district court committed procedural error during his sentencing by failing to explain the reasons for the sentence, as required by 18 U.S.C. 3553(c). We affirm but write to suggest to the United States Sentencing Commission and the Judicial Conference of the United States that the Statement of Reasons form included within the statutorilyrequired form for the entry of criminal judgments Form AO 245B be amended to bring it into conformity with 3553(c) and Supreme Court precedent. Specifically, a checkabox section of the form, which was checked by the district court in this case, invites sentencing judges to impose a sentence within the applicable Guidelines range simply because the judge finds no reason to depart. Because that both undermines the statutory obligation to state the reasons for every sentence and unlawfully presumes the reasonableness of the advisory Guidelines range, the form should be amended.
In a final notable footnote, the Pruitt opinion takes a notable shot at the US Sentencing Commission:
The form as a whole seems designed to encourage judges to sentence within the range. A path of least resistance is clearly marked, and it is consistent with the Commissions overall approach to sentencing in the postBooker era. In United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220 (2005), the Supreme Court held that the mandatory guidelines system was incompatible with the Sixth Amendment right to trial by jury, and it accordingly severed the provision of the Act that made the Guidelines mandatory. The Sentencing Commission has since repeatedly asked Congress to enact legislation requiring sentencing courts to give greater weight to the Guidelines range than Booker and its progeny permit. The specific proposals include laws that would require sentencing judges give substantial weight to the advisory Guidelines range and require appellate courts to accord a presumption of reasonableness to withinrange sentences. Thus, the objectionable part of Statement of Reasons form may reflect the law as the Commission wants it to be.
February 2, 2016 at 11:47 AM | Permalink
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The next time a lawyer tells me that I am arguing the law as I wish it was and not the law as it is (which is what REAL lawyers do) I am going to respond, "yes ma'am, just like the judges on the US Sentencing Commission."
Posted by: Daniel | Feb 2, 2016 12:39:48 PM
Then there is the fact that the statement of reasons form is not disclosed to the parties in some districts. So we are defending on appeal against a record we have never seen.
Posted by: defendergirl | Feb 2, 2016 3:10:30 PM
These are mostly ridiculous criticisms, since most of the judge's explanation comes in the form of an oral pronouncement and explanation of his or her sentence. Indeed, the case law makes clear that any oral pronouncement takes precedent over the "statement of reasons" form, if what is marked on the form is contrary to the oral pronouncement. It is true that the J&C, which typically includes the statement of reasons, is sealed, but in my experience that made available to the parties after sentencing and only on the rare occasion does it contradict or is inconsistent with the sentence and explanation provided in open court.
Posted by: GrizzlyBear | Feb 3, 2016 12:02:10 AM
These are mostly ridiculous criticisms, since most of the judge's explanation comes in the form of an oral pronouncement and explanation of his or her sentence. Indeed, the case law makes clear that any oral pronouncement takes precedent over the "statement of reasons" form, if what is marked on the form is contrary to the oral pronouncement. It is true that the J&C, which typically includes the statement of reasons, is sealed, but in my experience that made available to the parties after sentencing and only on the rare occasion does it contradict or is inconsistent with the sentence and explanation provided in open court.
Posted by: GrizzlyBear | Feb 3, 2016 12:02:12 AM
Perhaps the Circuits could goad the lower courts into doing better with explanations by, you know, actually reversing sentences that aren't adequately explained? CJ Roberts during oral argument in the Molina-Martinez case last month pretty much summed up the law as it currently exists: "I don't want to know anything more about it because if the judge is within the Guidelines, he doesn't have to say anything more about it." What incentive does the Commission or the AO have to update the forms if the courts reviewing sentences don't really care?
Posted by: AnonAFPD | Feb 3, 2016 8:26:12 AM
This is Gleeson giving the middle finger on his way off the bench next month. He has always been critical of the Guidelines and has never been shy about issuing decisions that say as much.
Posted by: Greg | Feb 5, 2016 1:24:28 PM
In case after case, when the sentencing judge departs from the guidelines, the statement of reasons is sealed. Doesn't this defeat a primary reason for maintaining open criminal proceedings, that the public understand how and why justice is administered pursuant to the authority it has granted to the court? Often, the judge does not really explain the departure from the guidelines in open court.
Posted by: mark bocchetti | Jan 23, 2018 2:05:32 PM
It is my belief that federal judges too often seal documents when they don't have to or when it is no legally allowed. After all, not many are going to challenge a federal judge on the issue but this country does not have "secret courts" therefore documents from the court should NOT be sealed. The only documents that should be allowed to be sealed are those that would place imminent danger upon others if the information was made public. That should be a very short list. The court should be required to show its burden to seal and force both sides to do the same. This gamesmanship with sealing documents is contrary to the open court system and needs to be stopped.
Posted by: Jerry | Nov 26, 2019 6:51:18 AM
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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.
Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a column that explores what one can rent for a set dollar amount in various San Francisco neighborhoods. Is one person's studio another person's townhouse? Let's find out! Today's price: $3,500.
For $3,500, you could get one ticket to the Super Bowl (section 229, row 15) or you could rent this two-bedroom apartment on the border of the Tenderloin for $3,495/month. This unit is newly remodeled, and it shows in the nicely planned kitchen. Although small, the space is laid out for work. (And since there doesn't appear to be a dishwasher, you will be working here.) There is what looks like a washer/dryer combo in the unit. There's also nice city views of Downtown. You can have small pets here (under 40 lbs., non-agressive breeds), but since there's no parking, you might want to skip the car.
This one-bedroom apartment in the Marina is also asking $3,495/month. Located at Beach and Cervantes Streets, it's close to everything the neighborhood offers: Marina Green, restaurants, bars, and shopping. The small kitchen feels smaller thanks to a ring of dark cabinets, but it has a dishwasher and an adjacent dining area. The living room has bay windows at the front, which makes it seem light and airy. The listing promises "fantastic" closet space. There's a coin-operated laundry and parking on site. No pets allowed.
This one-bedroom apartment in Noe Valley is asking for $3,395/month. As so many of the apartments on the market claim, it has just been remodeled. In this case, the listing makes it clear the new tenant would be the first to occupy it. As we've said before, it seems like white kitchens are mandated by law in SF. But here, the new galley kitchen is done in shades of green, taupe, and light-colored natural wood. The refrigerator and dishwasher look to be on the smaller side. The kitchen and living room make up one space. There is a washer and dryer in the unit, but no parking is available (although there are spaces for bikes). The owners do not accept pets.
The high-rise at 1188 Mission Street in SoMa has a one-bedroom unit looking for $3,480/month. The space is gallery white and minimal. The layout is an L-shape, which allows the kitchen to be somewhat separate from the living room. Large windows let in a lot of light and city views. The kitchen has a dishwasher and storage, although a pass-through to the entry (likely put there to allow light into the space) limits the number of upper cabinets. Laundry facilities are in the building (one per floor), and there's also a resident lounge with Wi-Fi and a fitness center. No parking, but secure bike storage is available. No pets allowed.
At their last meeting, the San Francisco Democratic Party's oversight body, the Democratic Country Central Committee, unanimously passed a resolution urging the state Democratic party to oppose a November ballot measure that would require condoms and perhaps other forms of protection like goggles to be used while filming porn.
The Bay Area Reporter explains the rationale for the SF Dems opposition of the ballot measure, which they hope they can convince the statewide party to share.
These issues arent intuitive for a lot of people, especially when the measure is referred to as the condoms in porn measure,'" Democratic County Central Committee member Matt Dorsey said. "The first question I would hear from people is, 'What is wrong with condoms?' Well, nothing. It really takes some going through the measure and understanding the context and larger narrative to get how dangerous this measure is. In the end everyone did their homework, and I applaud my colleagues on the DCCC for it.
The measure, which last November received the requisite number of signatures to land on the ballot, is the brainchild of AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein. He's argued that protection use in porn sets a healthy example for viewers in addition to providing safe working conditions for performers.
But local democrats think the measure is a bridge too far. Frequent testing of performers for sexual transmitted infections is already required by state law, they argue. Weinstein, they also note, has voiced support for goggle use and other restrictive protection measures in porn. If it included such stipulations, or even if not, his ballot measure might easily spook the roughly $6 billion California porn industry altogether, prompting production companies to move to less restrictive areas.
For background, recall AB 1576, which had BDSM pornographers like Kink.com running scared and moving shoots to Las Vegas. That, though, eventually died in committee back in 2014. Incidentally, the porn website may have anticipated further pushes for mandated condom use, and Kink has continued to convert its Mission District studios to office space.
Technically the vote from the DCCC doesn't represent anything official. It can't, as local DCCCs may not endorse or oppose ballot measures unless the state party opts not to take an official position. Nonetheless, San Francisco is a globally-recognized leader on HIV/AIDS issues, Dorsey said. This is a very strong statement from San Franciscos Democratic Party, and I hope it will send an influential message to the California Democratic Party, and to voters statewide.
Previously: Measure Mandating Condoms In Porn Approved For November Ballot
Here at SFist we can sometimes go months without paying much attention to the thrice weekly rantings of prickly local character and Chronicle columnist C.W. Nevius. But between the Mario Woods case, the Super Bowl, and the homeless crisis related to the Super Bowl, he's been on a tear lately, and it's hard not to notice and there was the whole Muni fare evasion thing, but he's been too busy to mention that again. Today he gets big front page space on SFChronicle.com proclaiming that "Buying Tents for SF's Homeless Isn't Helping Them." Does this mean Nevius definitely speaks for the entire Chronicle now on this issue?
As we know, Supervisor Scott Wiener has come out strongly on the side of removing the tent city under the Octavia/Duboce viaduct on Division Street, calling it "a public health and safety hazard for those living in them and for our neighborhoods." At the time, last week, there were reports from local news stations that homeless people's tents were being forcibly removed as people were getting moved into shelters and out of the rain.
Nevius is firmly on the side of Wiener in all this, and staunchly against this crowd-funding campaign that was launched to buy more tents for people and he wants to dispel rumors that the police or Department of Public Works are confiscating anyone's tents. DPW spokeswoman Rachel Gordon emphatically denies that. Referring to the fact that people have camped under this freeway for the past two years, Gordon says the department is simply doing regular cleanups that are necessary for public health, reporting that last week she herself saw "75 and 100 [discarded] hypodermic needles in one block."
The logic is that the only way to help these people, Super Bowl or not, is to get them into shelters or supportive housing of which there is clearly not enough, though he makes the point that campers are often resistant to accepting these services. Nevius also met a dude on his rounds of the camp whom takes as representative of the population and whom he quoted last week saying, "I could have a job, be living in an apartment and all that crap, but Im not ready. Right now I just like getting high.
Meanwhile, 48 Hills took their own trip to the camp and found at least one homeless college graduate who is not an addict, and who is just down on her luck.
But even if there are a fair number of people who ended up there exactly because they'd rather pitch a tent and get high than bother with counseling or shelter rules, Nevius and Wiener are frustrated by citizens' who want to support that, and simply accept that "Tents for San Francisco" should be a viable option for anyone.
People like easy answers, and throwing a few bucks at the cause of more tents seemed simple enough that $15,000 has been raised so far for these tents. Meanwhile the city was slow to open the promised, emergency winter shelter at Pier 80, which is reportedly opening Wednesday, and where 150 people will get to move indoors, use showers, store belongings, and even keep pets.
The only thing is, it's a temporary structure, and basically a glorified tent.
Previously: Amid Storms And Super Bowl Displacement, Crowdfunding Campaign Launched To Buy Tents For Homeless
On Saturday, February 6, New Belgium Brewing will be putting on a soiree in downtown Oakland to put on a soiree that is sure to end on a sour note. The brewerys Lost in the Woods sour release celebrates New Belgiums passion for sour beers, highlighting the brewerys wood cellar. The evening will feature 3 special New Belgium sour beers.
The 2016 vintage of Transatlantique Kriek, a wood-aged sour cherry ale, brewed in collaboration with Belgiums Oud Beersel brewery. Andrew Kelley of Wetten Importers, which imports Oud Beersel from Belgium, will also be on hand to talk about the partnership and discuss some of the love that goes into creating their beers. Rumor has it he will be bringing some Oud Beersel goodness, as well!
The party will also feature New Belgiums 2016 La Folie, the award-winning sour brown that launched New Belgiums wood beer program in 1997. When La Folie first rolled out it received a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival and continues to serve as one of New Belgiums most beloved sours.
We will also have a very rare sour, the NBB Love Blackberry Felix. Felix, one of the two base beers we blend to create La Folie, stands on its own in this beer, with a little twist. It has been aged in a blackberry whiskey barrel from our pals at Leopold Brothers in Denver, CO.
The event is free, however a donation to Bike East Bay gets you a bomber to take home and enters you into a drawing for sweet gifts, courtesy of Bike East Bay. Plus, there will be educational opportunities to learn about the beer and fantastic menu items to eat while sipping the beers. To RSVP for the event and/or donate to Bike East Bay, visit LostInTheWoodsOakland.Eventbrite.com.
This story has been updated since its publication
A man is in custody this morning, after a California Highway Patrol officer was reportedly stabbed by a homeless man at Fourth and Brannan Streets.
According to San Francisco Police Department Spokesperson Officer Grace Gatpandan, a CHP officer was stabbed near Harrison and Essex Streets at a little after 10 a.m. Tuesday.
That area is adjacent to a large homeless encampment that runs beneath the I-80 overpass. According to ABC7 reporter Wayne Freedman, the injured officer was speaking with a resident of the camp immediately before the attack.
CHP officer assaulted by a man with a knife at Bay Bridge,Essex at Harrison. Happened near homeless encampment pic.twitter.com/WNoBCONZPM Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) February 2, 2016
See debris on onramp. Appears the #CHP officer was speaking with some encamped homeless before knife attack. pic.twitter.com/QwtgWnZGkU Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) February 2, 2016
According to a tweet by ABC7 reporter Dan Noyes, the suspect is homeless. No other details on the man, including his name, were available at publication time.
Sources tell me CHP officer has been stabbed in SF by homeless man; just arrested. Story on ABC7 midday news at 11. #ABC7now Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) February 2, 2016
Here is one of the witnesses to the stabbing of the #CHP officer not far from #SB50 80 East Onramp at Essex pic.twitter.com/FmW617sjM0 Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) February 2, 2016
#SFPD officers took him from the scene a few moments ago. pic.twitter.com/cEf1b7cwBy Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) February 2, 2016
The stabbing suspect, who you see in the photos above and below, was arrested by police in the parking lot of the Wells Fargo at Fourth and Freelon Streets, which is between Bryant and Brannan Streets, Gatpandan says.
The victim was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, Gatpandan says. Information on his condition was not available at this time. According to Freedman, he was reportedly slashed in the throat, and though he's in surgery is "'Doing good' & 'expected to survive.'" The Chron reports that the officer was also stabbed in the arm.
Reports on scene that chp officer suffered knife wound to throat. He is at SF General pic.twitter.com/8oBY37neJw Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) February 2, 2016
Poice officers maintaining vigil outside SF General. Expecting information soon on condition of stabbed CHP officer. pic.twitter.com/TkfaYKy6lj Juan Carlos Guerrero (@JuanCarlosABC7) February 2, 2016
CHP officer in surgery after being stabbed multiple times. "Doing good" & "expected to survive", says SF police pic.twitter.com/A7PpsyBrNW Juan Carlos Guerrero (@JuanCarlosABC7) February 2, 2016
SFist reader Emily Seip, who says she works on Fourth Street between Bryant and Brannan "right where the suspect of this morning's stabbing of the CHP officer was arrested," sent the pictures you see above and below.
According to officers one hears via police scanner, traffic in the area is at a complete standstill, so it's best to avoid the area.
80E at Essex onramp remains closed, almost two hours since the stabbing of a #CHO officer. pic.twitter.com/tH2bsYVlOj Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) February 2, 2016
The "Uber Drivers United" representative whose call to protest the company's recent fare cuts from 10 to 45 percent in 100 North American cities such as San Francisco might have been tooting his own horn.
Instead of the 1,500 to 2,000 drivers he predicted, tenfold fewer, around 150 to 200 according to Engadget, assembled near Candlestick Park to drive to Uber's San Francisco headquarters yesterday.
"Who made this company a $60 billion company? Drivers!" one driver, who like others fearing retribution would not divulge his last name, shouted over a microphone. His call to arms: He had heard that the company would be lowering their rates to $.50 per mile ahead of the Super Bowl. For the record, the Drivers United would instead like $1.50 per mile, according to a list of demands.
But Uber spokesperson Laura Zapata tells NBC Bay Area that "It is absolutely false that Uber is lowering prices in the Bay Area to 50 cents a mile... We do not plan [on] making any more price cuts in the Bay Area this winter." In fact, Uber's prices could rise again but not just yet.
To recruit more drivers to the protest in hopes of staging a stronger showing like the one at the recent Uber Honk-In, Uber Drivers United first headed to SFO, where many cars pick up fliers. But there, takers were few.
"We support them, but we have to make money," one driver who didn't participate told Engadget. "This is the third or fourth time they've protested and nothing has changed," said another.
Before heading to Uber's Market Street digs, the convoy took to their location in Potrero Hill. Writes Engadget:
"They circle the block honking and disrupt traffic exiting highway 101. At this point it's tough to determine who is part of the protest and who is stuck in the snarl the caravan has created. Everyone is honking either out of frustration with the ride-share platform, or the traffic."
Was the message from Uber Drivers United even registered? Amid existing traffic conditions and Super Bowl business, it sounds as if the signal were lost in the noise.
Previously: 1500-2000 Uber Drivers Expected To Participate In Super Bowl Protest Monday
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Here are some highlights on developments in Monday's Iowa caucuses:
CRUZ BOOKS COUNTRY BAND
For the election night party in Iowa, Ted Cruz's campaign has booked a country music band that bills itself as having "blue collar roots and a fun attitude.'
Red, white and blue banners with Cruz's campaign slogans "Trusted" and "Cruzin' to Victory" are hanging from the ceiling of the Elwell Family Food Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
But most of the attention will be focused on two large video screens that will show results from the Iowa caucuses.
TRUMP PREDICTS BIG VICTORY
Even before Iowa's caucuses get underway, Donald Trump is predicting "a tremendous victory."
That's his message to supporters in a hotel ballroom in Cedar Rapids.
Trump is banking on a stronger-than-usual turnout. Polling shows many potential caucus-goers are new to the process.
Some of Trump's children plan to attend caucuses around the state and promote their dad's candidacy.
CHRISTIE SAYS HE'S READY
Chris Christie says he's ready to be president and that Barack Obama wasn't in 2008.
Christie's message to New Hampshire voters: Don't put another first-term senator in the White House.
It's a knock by the New Jersey governor on two of the Republicans in the race freshmen Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Christie says they've never managed anything and running the country isn't something they're up to.
Obama was a first-term senator from Illinois when he beat Republican John McCain in 2008.
FROM IOWA TO NEW HAMPSHIRE
The day began for Chris Christie in Iowa and ended in New Hampshire.
The Iowa caucuses were still hours away and Christie already was back in New Hampshire, appealing for support in the state's primary Feb. 9.
The New Jersey governor has focused much of his campaigning in New Hampshire and hopes for a strong showing.
SNOW MOVING IN AFTER CAUCUS
The National Weather Service says temperatures in Iowa are expected to remain above freezing when hundreds of thousands of people gather Monday night for the caucuses.
It's good news for presidential candidates who've been begging supporters to attend caucuses.
Look for snow to move in late at night, with up to a foot forecast. That could complicate the getaway plans of candidates and others set to head to New Hampshire for the Feb. 9 primary.
KASICH: TAKE DOWN NEGATIVE ADS
John Kasich says his rivals should follow his lead and call on the super political action committees supporting specific candidates to take down negative advertisements.
Kasich is spending Monday campaigning in New Hampshire rather than Iowa. The Ohio governor says candidates should spend the next week talking about "what they're for" rather than knocking each other down.
CARPET BOMBING
The commander of military operations against the Islamic State group says carpet bombing strikes against Islamic State militants a tactic proposed by Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is "inconsistent with our values" as a nation.
Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland spoke by teleconference from Iraq.
He says such indiscriminate bombing would kill innocent civilians as well as enemy combatants.
MaFarland says the United States has a guiding set of principles that govern how American forces conduct themselves on the battlefield.
SIOUX CITY | Caucus results in Northwest Iowa followed the statewide trend Monday, with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz leading Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders locked in a tight contest in the Democratic contests.
Cruz, who scored a big victory in the first test of the presidential nominating season, claimed the most votes in seven of 15 Northwest Iowa counties. Trump, the frontrunner in Iowa and nationally, captured the other eight counties, including Woodbury. Rubio nipped at their heels in third place.
With 93 percent of the vote in statewide, Cruz had 27.7 percent, followed by Trump with 24.3 percent and Rubio with 23.1 percent.
Clinton, a former secretary of state and first lady, garnered the most votes in eight Northwest counties, while Sanders finished ahead in seven others, including Woodbury.
Statewide, Clinton clung to a 50.1 to 49.4 percent lead, with 93 percent of precincts reporting.
In Woodbury County, Sanders led Clinton 53.3 percent to 46.3 percent, with 81 percent of the precincts reporting. Clinton won Woodbury in the 2008 caucus, besting then Sen. Barack Obama, who went on to claim the Democratic nomination and presidency that year.
In the GOP race Monday night, Trump finished ahead of Cruz 31.7 percent to 27 percent in Woodbury county, with Rubio third at 21.1 percent, with all precincts reporting. Ben Carson was a distant fourth at 7.8 percent.
Sioux City was a frequent stop for all the Republican and Democratic candidates, with Cruz, Rubio, Trump and Clinton holding large rallies in Iowa's fourth largest city in the final days of the campaign.
In Sioux County, the most Republican county in the state, Cruz narrowly finished ahead of Rubio, 33.2 percent to 32 percent, with all of precincts reporting. Ben Carson was third at 14.9 percent while Trump was a distant fourth at 10.9.
Cruz, Trump, Rubio and Carson repeatedly campaigned in Sioux Center and Orange City, the largest cities in Sioux, home to a large concentration of Evangelical Christians.
In Plymouth County, Trump led Cruz, 32.5 percent to 27.6 percent with 12 of 13 precincts reporting. Rubio was third with 19.9 percent. Clinton led Sanders, 55 to 45 percent in Plymouth with 93 percent of the vote in.
In Monona County, with all precincts reporting, Cruz beat Trump, 36.1 percent to 30.5 percent, with Rubio third with 18.4 percent. Clinton led Sanders, 60 to 38.8 percent. Martin OMalley was third with 1.3 percent.
Elsewhere in Northwest Iowa, Cruz topped the voting in Buena Vista, Clay, Emmet, Lyon, O'Brien and Osceola counties, while Trump finished ahead in Dickinson, Cherokee, Ida and Sac counties.
Clinton won the most support in Buena Vista, Crawford, Ida, Plymouth, O'Brien, Osceola and Sac, while Sanders finished ahead in Clay, Cherokee, Dickinson, Lyon and Sioux.
SIOUX CITY | For some, the 2016 Iowa caucuses were a routine, familiar event. But others were coming to caucus for the very first time to take part in the political process.
At a Democratic caucus site at Sioux City's North Middle School, Democrats adorned with buttons and shirts for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley gathered beneath the gaze of a bust of President Harry Truman in the school's media room.
For Scott and Mindy Rogers, it was their first caucus, having just changed their party registration from Republican to Democrat before sitting down.
They did not hide their support for Sanders.
The election, it really does affect our personal lives, Mindy Rogers said. Their son came out as gay a year ago, and they wanted to support someone with a strong history of being for same-sex marriage, she said.
Hes not a second-class citizen. So were excited to be here tonight, she said.
At a table nearby filled with Clinton supporters, Quan Tran was also participating in his first caucus after registering as a Democrat. He said he had no idea what was going to happen, but he was happy to support someone he thinks will win.
I want her to win tonight, so I get the chance to vote for her later in the election, Tran said.
Close by, at North High School, lines of first-time caucus-goers filled out registration cards for a Republican caucus.
Jeannie Newton came to vote for Donald Trump, convinced after attending a Trump rally Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre that he is the man suited for the White House, she said.
I think he can do the job, and I think he will win tonight, she said, adding that the Sioux City event was the first political rally she had attended.
Adam Galinsky filled out his voter information card behind Newton, saying he had an open mind as to who he would vote for.
Its my first time tonight, too, Galinsky said. My mom is really into politics, so Im trying to get into it as well. And if I dont vote, its like giving a vote to someone I dont want to win.
Suzan Stewart, a precinct coordinator at the North High School site, said the turnout -- despite the intensity of the campaign thus far -- was average.
We have a fair amount of new Republicans, or that this is their first time at the caucus, she said.
ROCK VALLEY, Iowa | Being a Democrat in Hull can be a lonely proposition.
Nancy Dykstra knows. She moved to Hull in 1980 and reported to the towns fire hall for the Iowa Caucus in 1984.
There were two of us there, thats it, said Dykstra, one of 13 Democrats from Hull who turned out Monday for the 2016 Iowa Caucus.
Sioux County has long been considered the most Republican county in the U.S., with more than eight out of every 10 voters being a member of the GOP. Hull is the most Republican city within the most Republican county in Iowa, as more than 82 percent, or 1,687 of 2,060 registered voters in Hull are Republicans.
The Democrats in Hull count as just 3 percent of the voting populace, or 69 voters.
So, while reports made the rounds that the Boyden-Hull High School Auditorium, a Republican caucus site, was packed, the folks here got down to the business of electing delegates in support of candidates to report to the Sioux County Convention in Orange City, Iowa, on March 12.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was favored by 10 of the 13 Hull Democrats when the caucus convened. One participant left the Bernie Sanders camp, realizing the Vermont senator wouldnt be viable with no one else joining. Another participant departed the camp of Gov. Martin OMalley, knowing the same.
It didnt take much convincing, said Greta Grond, the OMalley supporter who joined the Clinton caucus.
That left Jake Ney, who became a Democrat Monday night and would not commit to Clinton, Sanders or OMalley.
I just became a Democrat a few minutes ago, said Ney, who said that curiosity led him to this political fork in the road. I participated in the last two caucuses for the Republicans.
Hull voters were part of a collection of four precincts in Sioux County that caucused at Rock Valley City Hall. Of the 11 delegates up for grabs, nine went to Clinton, while one each went to Sanders and the uncommitted category.
I think that Hillary is the most qualified, said Wendell Sandbulte, of Hull, a voter who has participated in both GOP and Democratic caucuses through the years. Ive also been Independent. I had to call today to see what party I was in. Ive always voted more for the person than the party.
If you dont come and participate, you cant gripe, said Democrat Marj Wagner, of Hull. I think its gotten so nasty, and you dont have to be nasty to run things.
Wagner was elected precinct captain and did the job of turning in delegate counts to caucus chair Michele McGill, of Rock Valley. McGill sported a T-shirt that read, Sorry About Steve King Sincerely, Iowa.
King is the Republican U.S. representative from Iowas 4th Congressional District.
Rather than vote with paper ballots, Iowa Democrats gather in small groups for candidates they prefer. If a candidate cannot meet a minimum threshold, such as 15 percent of the group, people are persuaded to join another candidates camp.
Democratic caucus sites can hinge on a state of orderly chaos at times. As McGill, megaphone in hand, attempted to count delegates or announce important dates, participants could be heard voicing concerns about social security, border security, education, healthcare and Republicans.
I heard the gym in Rock Valley for the Republican caucus in town is standing-room-only, one Democrat uttered.
The imbalance in party affiliation locally didnt matter to one Iowa caucus newcomer. Robin Sandbulte, a native South Dakotan, moved to Hull in 2011. She sat wide-eyed, watching the process and listening to neighbors cast what amounts to a very public ballot.
This is my first caucus, said Sandbulte, a Hillary Clinton supporter. I think its great that people can campaign and then we can have this open opportunity. We may get tired of the phone calls and the ads, but its nice to have this freedom.
SIOUX CITY | The emergency department at Indian Health Services Hospital in Winnebago, Nebraska, was making do with a skeleton crew Tuesday as a blizzard bore down on Siouxland.
Janelle Hanna, a physician assistant at the hospital, said ambulances were being redirected to Sioux City, but she said no one in need would be turned away from receiving services. In the event an ambulance were to arrive at the hospital, she said staff were prepared to stabilize and resuscitate patients.
"We're not recommending people to come unless they're life or death," she said.
Dozens of clinics and urgent care centers closed across the region, something Leslie Heying, a spokeswoman for UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's, said hasn't happened for several years. The Christmas Blizzard of 2009 smashed weather records, burying residents in nearly 2 feet of snow.
Heying said traffic in St. Luke's emergency department Tuesday morning was "steady."
She said more than 30 staff members were staying overnight at the hospital Tuesday. Employees, she said, also volunteered to pick up their co-workers and bring them to work.
"It really is a team effort. We're fully staffed and ready to take patients," she said.
By mid-morning, Dave Smetter, vice president of communications and community development for Mercy Medical Center, said the hospital had received one patient who came by ambulance from Winnebago. None of the patients in the emergency department were there because of the storm, he said.
"Right now it's not busy. We have seen some patients -- nothing weather-related so far," he said.
Smetter said most medical staff made it to work Tuesday morning. If need be, he said employees would stay overnight at the hospital.
"We've dealt with blizzards quite often in the past so it's pretty routine," he said. "We have a lot of committed individuals that will stay for the extra shift or will go and get key personnel in by means of a four-wheel-drive vehicle."
All six of Family Health Care of Siouxland's clinics in Sioux City, Dakota Dunes, South Sioux City and Moville were closed Tuesday.
Bryce Robison, a family physician and Family Health Care of Siouxland's board president, said it's up to each clinic in the network whether they want to stay open or close. He said weather-related closures happen maybe once a year.
"We always try to work all the time. It's kind of a safety issue for patients," he said.
Patients can reach their clinic's on-call physician by calling the St. Luke's switchboard at (712) 279-3500. Robison said this is a good option for patients seeking medical advice.
Robison said a snow day is both good and bad for a physician. On the one hand, he's got work that's not getting done. On the other hand, he's getting a break.
"It is nice spending time with family and getting stuff around the home done," he said.
SIOUX CITY | Siouxlanders braced Monday for a winter storm that forecasters predicted would dump as much as a foot of snow on the region and create blizzard conditions.
Winter Storm Kayla was expected to move into the region after midnight Tuesday, with 3 to 5 inches of snow falling by 7 a.m. in some areas, said Phil Schumacher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.
The approaching storm was not expected to disrupt Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, which started at 7 p.m. Monday, with most expected to wrap up an hour or 1 1/2 hours later.
Snow will continue through Tuesday afternoon with another 3 to 5 inches possible, Schumacher said.
A total accumulation of 8 to 12 inches is forecast by the time the snow stops late Tuesday.
Areas closer to the the Minnesota border, Schumacher said, may receive less snow, from 5 to 9 inches.
Tuesdays storm also is expected to bring heavy winds, with gusts up to 35 miles per hour. He said traveling outside of city limits will become extremely dangerous.
People need to be aware that driving conditions outside of town will become life-threatening tomorrow (Tuesday), he said.
The National Weather Service warning strongly discouraged travel Tuesday.
With much of the tri-state area under a blizzard warning, nearly all schools called off classes for Tuesday, and many other events and activities also were canceled or postponed.
Due to the storm, the Iowa Secretary of State's office issued an emergency declaration to delay a special bond issue Tuesday for Iowa Lakes Community College in a 13-county area. Polls are now scheduled to open at noon Tuesday, rather than the scheduled 7 a.m. start.
Election officials warned a further delay could be possible, depending on the weather conditions Tuesday.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, metro Sioux City schools had announced that classes Tuesday had been canceled. The city of Sioux City announced public transit will be shut down Tuesday.
Because of projected snow totals, the city of Sioux City issued a winter weather advisory and encouraged motorists to move vehicles off city streets for snow plows.
Schumacher said there is no more snow in the forecast after Tuesday for the remainder of the week, while temperatures will stay steady in the mid-20s.
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SIOUX CITY | At least one-third of the 850 participants at a Westside caucus Monday night were new Republican voters a sign that candidates such as headline-grabbing Donald Trump had made an impact on the Iowa caucuses.
Among them: William Schurdevin, who wore a Trump button that read, We Shall Overcomb. Schurdevin said he had been a Republican in the 1980s, but an independent in recent years. He veered back to the GOP due to Trump.
"He's not one of the good old boys," Schurdevin said.
Five general election precincts met for caucusing at West High School, 2001 Casselman St. The site included a number of blue-collar voters, who were seen as a key to Trumps chances in Iowa. West High was also the spot of the biggest city crowd in the election cycle, when Trump drew 2,300 in October.
The Woodbury County caucus participation record was set with 3,700 in 2012. Due to interest in the caucuses, in the final four days prior to Monday, 697 Iowans statewide registered as Republicans and 624 as Democrats. More registered at caucus sites as the evening began.
There were nine Republican caucus sites in Sioux City, plus another 13 sites in towns outside the city in Woodbury County.
Doors opened at 5:45 p.m. for the 7 p.m. city caucuses, in order to give time for people who were registering as Republicans. Only people who registered with the Democratic or Republican parties could take part in the caucuses, which are overseen by the state parties.
The start time was not met, as at 7:05 p.m. 14 people were waiting to complete voting registration as Republicans and 85 others were waiting to be confirmed with registered status in order to participate. The speeches in support of candidates finally began at 7:25 p.m., then people broke into their five precinct groups to vote 45 minutes later.
Tina Smith was among the last to register, but didn't mind waiting. Smith moved from Michigan less than two years ago, and was enthused about participating in the caucus process.
"It is an opportunity that we need to take advantage of. I can't believe everybody doesn't do it," said Smith, who declined to cite who she picked.
North High School senior Anya Shorey, 18, was also participating in her first caucus. Shorey was going to wait for all the speeches, but was 90 percent sure she would caucus for Rubio, who has been third in Iowa polls, behind Trump and Cruz.
"I think I decided on Rubio. He is a little bit more moderate," Shorey said.
"It is interesting to see all the community come together. Even at school today, there was a buzz about it."
Tim Caskey, who came to caucus for Cruz, also got registered at the site. Caskey said Cruz "is a man of the people," while adding, "I am having a hard time trusting (Trump)."
Schurdevin had a much different view. He said Trump is best versed to strictly enforce immigration laws and reduce unfair advantages by big money influencers.
"He's not backed by Goldman Sachs," Schurdevin said.
SIOUX CITY | Summer and Breezy Prokop skittered through the crowd, handing out Hillary Clinton stickers to anyone who would take them.
Both elementary school students, they obviously weren't old enough to take part in the Iowa caucuses, but their enthusiasm was typical of the Democrats of Precincts 24 and 25 who gathered at Morningside Elementary School Monday night.
"I'm learning about what she's going to do to make this a better place," said Summer, a fifth-grader who came to the caucus with her little sister and grandmother, Susan Mitchell, who was participating in the caucus for the first time.
"Since I'm older, I just really want to get into this. I've been voting and never done this," said Mitchell, a supporter of the former secretary of state.
First-timers and long-timers, Morningside area Democrats showed spirited support for their candidates, with both Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders drawing loud applause and cheers when each one's name was mentioned.
Of the new voters, Sanders drew support from Morningside College students, many of whom fell within Precinct 25. Many of the candidates, including Clinton and Sanders, made appearances on campus.
"I think I really got excited for the caucus and elections when all the candidates started showing up. It seemed like everybody's vote is really important," said Kristen Brown, a Morningside College freshman from Denison, Iowa.
Sanders won Precinct 25 with 66 votes, with Clinton getting 34 and O'Malley supporters able to convince enough attendees to back the former Maryland governor to reach the 18 supporters needed to get to 15 percent of the vote.
It didn't come without some good old-fashioned bargaining.
After supporters broke into groups, only eight stood for O'Malley in a corner of the gymnasium.
"We're the fun group," an O'Malley worker called out, seeking more support.
The young O'Malley crew spread out, finding 10 more backers from the seven undecided and a few Sanders supporters. One was promised a beer if he'd support O'Malley. Which brand wasn't specified, but the promise was enough to gain another supporter.
Precinct 24 ended in a 57-57 tie between Clinton and Sanders after the four O'Malley supporters realigned with the Clinton crowd.
"We would have liked to have gotten some (Sanders) folks over, but we couldn't," Clinton supporter Cliff Switzer said.
Lines to register backed up well behind the registration tables, but by 7 p.m., only a few had yet to fill out the paperwork necessary for the caucus to begin. Many in the crowd were newly registered Democrats.
"You would think your tried-and-true would be the ones showing up, but it's great to see new people and independents registering as Democrats," caucus location chairman Alex Watters said.
MARINETTE, Wis. | In few other circumstances is Sioux City seen as an equal to a city such as Detroit, St. Louis or Indianapolis.
Even cities such as Omaha, Fort Worth and Little Rock have bigger reputations.
All are larger. Some have professional sports teams. Their names are in the news, and TV shows and stories originate from them regularly.
Sioux City isn't on equal footing in size or perceived prestige.
But now, in at least one instance, we take our place alongside them, standing on equal, maybe even higher ground.
On Saturday, the USS Sioux City, a member of a class of ships that is the most technologically advanced of all those built for the Navy, was launched into the chilly waters of the Menominee River in Marinette, Wisconsin.
Many of the ships in this class bear the names of those larger, more well-known cities. Currently docked near the Sioux City are the Detroit and the Little Rock. Already deployed is the Fort Worth. The Omaha was launched recently. St. Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, they're under construction.
Those cities may be bigger, but what Navy officers and contractors learned over the weekend is that of all of these cities that have ships named for them, few, if any, will match the pride and support Sioux City will show for its namesake vessel.
It takes about 10 hours to drive nonstop from Sioux City to Marinette. Yet two dozen or more Sioux Cityans made that trip, in the middle of winter, wanting to see those large letters spelling out Sioux City on the back of the ship and watch it slide into the water.
How many came from those larger cities when their ships were launched? Not nearly that many, Navy officials said.
Time after time on Friday and Saturday, shipyard executives, contractors and high-ranking Navy officers were amazed to see such a large turnout from Sioux City.
They were impressed, and the bet here is that they will continue to be impressed. We might not have all the attractions of those larger cities, but few will equal the amount of pride we'll take in this ship.
In a nod to Sioux City's proud military history, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus back in 2012 named this ship in our honor.
He knew what we all know: On an airstrip south of town, men learned how to fly bombers during World War II. The late Col. Bud Day, a Medal of Honor among the many decorations he received for his heroic service, called Sioux City home.
And Mabus is surely aware of the ongoing commitment of the many National Guard members and reservists from this area.
We, of course, know. And we're proud of it.
Now, the rest of the nation and the world will learn about it.
As Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott said Friday, we're a small city, one that doesn't receive honors like this too often.
But the honor belongs to everyone else.
Soon they, too, will know what we've known all along.
Sioux City has a lot to be proud of, and we'll stand right up next to anyone, no matter how far we have to go, to show it.
WASHINGTON -- Of the 545 days my colleague Jason Rezaian spent in an Iranian prison, perhaps the most unusual was the time his captors let him watch "The Shawshank Redemption" on Iranian state television.
The next day, a hulking man who was guarding Rezaian asked if he'd watched the film, in which the Tim Robbins character wrongfully imprisoned for 19 years escapes by digging a tunnel.
Rezaian, The Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief who was being held on bogus charges, said he had. "Isn't it kind of weird that I'm able to see that in here?" Rezaian teased. "You know, it might give me some ideas."
The jailer replied: "You can dig all you want. As far as you get in 20 years, you'll still be inside this prison."
Two weeks ago, Rezaian got out of that hellhole -- not by digging but by dogged diplomacy, and a prisoner swap, negotiated by Secretary of State John Kerry. Rezaian stopped in Washington last week before returning home to California. He's not yet doing interviews, but I had the pleasure of sitting down with him Thursday in his suite at the St. Regis hotel -- rather better surroundings than his cell in the notorious Evin prison -- to talk about his confinement.
A couple of hours earlier, he had taken the stage at the dedication of the Post's new headquarters, holding back tears as he spoke: "For much of the 18 months I was in prison, my Iranian interrogators told me The Washington Post did not exist, that no one knew of my plight, and that the United States government would not lift a finger for my release. Today I'm here in this room with the very people who helped prove the Iranians wrong in so many ways."
Among those was the secretary of state, who wept with joy when he met Rezaian for the first time backstage Thursday. Kerry said Rezaian's release "was really one of the days that I enjoyed the most as secretary of state." It was, indeed, one of Kerry's finest hours. Though the White House demonstrated a maddening lack of urgency on Rezaian's release, Kerry pursued the matter vigorously.
In prison, Rezaian saw Iranian reports of the nuclear talks and became hopeful he would be released as part of the deal. When he wasn't, he hit rock bottom. He got a small boost when his mother, allowed a brief visit, told him how CBS News' Major Garrett infuriated President Obama by asking why he was "content" to celebrate the nuclear deal without securing the release of Rezaian and others.
Rezaian arrived in Washington during a feel-good moment for the Post, when its glitzy new offices were christened. New owner Jeff Bezos and editor Marty Baron have led the Post past all competitors, including The New York Times, in online readership.
And now, after an 18-month campaign by the paper to keep Rezaian's case in the public consciousness, his release has been deeply gratifying to his colleagues.
Rezaian recounted for me Thursday how he and his wife were taken from their home at gunpoint, blindfolded and handcuffed, and thrown into solitary confinement. He considered himself a prisoner at first, but his captors made clear he was a hostage, a bargaining chip.
He lost 45 pounds on prison food, largely a nasty flatbread, then regained some when he bargained for use of a hot plate and cooked what he called "prison chili" with ingredients he was allowed to buy. For a time, guards let him use an exercise bike and weights in their staff room. He never feared for his life, but he wondered if he would languish for years.
Since his release, he reunited with family in Florida. He's had sushi twice, and there was a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue in his hotel suite. He turned on cable news to catch up on politics -- and, aghast, turned it off. He's heading home to Northern California, where he'll play Legos with his nephew. He's free in time to celebrate his 40th birthday and to catch his Oakland A's in spring training.
Rezaian feels well but wonders whether confinement changed his outgoing personality. He doesn't know what's next (the man who cut his hair in Florida recognized him from TV news and advised him to find a fat book contract) but he knows he wants to tell the story of his captivity, to "make sure that it wasn't in vain."
Undoubtedly Rezaian will, again, prevail.
We join our community in expressing local pride over the christening and launching of the USS Sioux City on Saturday.
The ship was christened at a shipyard in Marinette, Wis., where the vessel has been under construction since 2013, and was launched into the Menominee River.
The ceremony represented a significant contribution to this city's long, rich history of ties to America's men and women in uniform.
"I chose the name for our two new littoral combat ships after Midwestern cities from America's heartland, to honor the patriotic, hard-working citizens of Sioux City, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, for their support of and contributions to the military," Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said four years ago this month when he announced the USS Sioux City and USS Omaha.
The USS Sioux City will have an ability to operate in both shallow and deep waters and will support mine, undersea and surface-warfare missions, Mabus said in his announcement. The 378-foot-long vessel will reach speeds in excess of 40 knots.
About 80 percent of ship construction is finished, reported Nick Hytrek who, along with Chief Photographer Tim Hynds, staffed the event on Saturday for The Journal. Next for the ship, he wrote, is completion of construction followed by tests and trials on Lake Michigan.
The USS Sioux City is scheduled for commissioning by the Navy sometime in 2017, will be based in Mayport, Fla., and will operate across the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and in the Middle East, Hytrek reported.
Providing evidence of local interest in the USS Sioux City was the fact some two dozen residents, including Mayor Bob Scott, traveled to Marinette.
"We as a community are honored in a way you can't imagine," Scott said in ceremony remarks reported by Hytrek. "Our community has embraced this already and will continue to do so for the lifetime of the ship."
Based on our community's deep respect for America's armed forces, demonstrated in myriad ways over generations, we share the mayor's confidence Sioux City's bond to its namesake ship and its crew will remain strong.
We look forward to the day next year when the USS Sioux City officially joins the U.S. Navy's fleet.
In the aftermath of the closest contest in the history of the Iowa Democratic caucuses, Hillary Clinton moved victoriously onto New Hampshire on Tuesday, while it did not appear rival Bernie Sanders campaign was readying any challenge to the results.
Nonetheless, questions were being raised about how the 1,683 meetings across the state were run.
Tuesday morning, the state Democratic Party said that with all precincts reporting, Clinton won 49.8 percent of the state delegate equivalents, compared with 49.6 percent for Bernie Sanders, a hairs breadth margin.
A lingering precinct in Polk County was not reported until after the sun came up Tuesday.
Both Clinton and Sanders were making campaign appearances in New Hampshire, where the nations first primary will be held in a week. And Tad Devine, a Sanders adviser, said the campaign does not have any plan or intention to challenge the result, according to an Associated Press report.
Still, the campaign has raised some questions about the process in Iowa, among them whether the party had enough precinct chairs in place. Those chairs preside over the individual caucuses.
The Hill newspaper late Monday cited an unnamed Sanders aide saying that the party did not send impartial chairs to 90 precincts. An official from the Iowa Democratic Party, who also was not identified in the article, said that report was inaccurate.
In addition, there were reports of disputes in some parts of the state about whether accurate counts were taken of participants in individual caucuses.
Officials from the state party did not return calls and messages sent on Tuesday morning. But in a statement at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, party chair Andy McGuire praised the Iowans who participated and said with the advent of a tele caucus and satellite sites, the party fulfilled our promise to expand participation and improve on an already incredible process."
The Clinton campaign, in a statement sent in the early hours of Tuesday, said there was no doubt about who won the caucuses.
Matt Paul, Clintons state director, said there is no uncertainty and Secretary Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates.
Iowas caucuses are regularly subject to scrutiny, and the sometimes chaotic Democratic meetings, which dont utilize a ballot but divide people into preference groups to measure support for a presidential candidate, has led people in the past to question the process, too.
Brad Anderson, who ran President Obamas general election campaign in Iowa in the 2012 election, said such a close contest like Tuesdays would inevitably invite scrutiny. He said that he thought Clinton could fairly declare victory but added, "I do think theres some fair questions that have been raised.
Thom Hart, the Scott County Democratic chair, said there was one precinct where there was not a chair to call the meeting to order, so a person from Illinois did so. After that, a permanent chair was elected by the caucus. Still, he thought that, in the main, things went well.
Scott County was where delegates were awarded in two precincts with the flip of a coin, an oddity of the caucuses that got noticed Monday night.
Hart said that one coin flip in the county went Clintons way, while the other went for Sanders. In one of those precincts, there was a dispute about the number of people eligible to participate.
There was a similar dispute over the accuracy of the number of participants at a Polk County precinct, according to a video posted on the Internet.
There also were reports of slow reporting of results. Kurt Meyer, who chairs a three-county Democratic organization in northern Iowa, said there were three Mitchell County precincts were results were reported to the state but did not immediately appear to have been presented.
The party employed an app from Microsoft to report results. But in this case, Meyer, said he phoned in results. Still, he said he did not have concerns about the results being reported.
I never, ever questioned the accuracy of the figures, he said. The latest reporting precinct was in Des Moines.
Mondays turnout of about 171,000 people the second highest in the partys history also was evident at some precincts.
Anderson, who caucused at an elementary school in Des Moines, tweeted Monday night, Officially too full at Perkins Elementary. Were getting kicked out to parking lot. Unbelievable!
DES MOINES | An improbable nail-biter between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wore into the wee hours of Tuesday morning before Clinton claimed victory in the closest contest in the history of the Iowa Democratic Partys presidential caucuses.
At 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, 7 hours after the first-in-the-nation caucuses started, the state party reported all but one of the states 1,683 precincts had submitted its results, with Clinton claiming 49.8 percent of state delegate equivalents and Sanders 49.5 percent.
According to the state partys figures, the remaining available state delegate equivalents from the lone unreported precinct are not enough for Sanders to overcome Clintons lead.
If the results hold up, Clinton will be the first woman to win an Iowa caucus.
Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa caucus, Matt Paul, Clintons campaign director in Iowa, said in a statement issued immediately after the state party released its numbers. After thorough reporting and analysis of results, there is no uncertainty and Sec. Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates. Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Sen. Sanders can overcome Sec. Clintons advantage.
MSNBC's Kasie Hunt reported early today that Sanders, who had just got off a plane in New Hampshire, responded that he didn't know, when she asked him whether he would contest the Iowa result. Robert Becker, Sanders' state director in Iowa, said in a statement this morning: "We look forward to working with the IDP on full precinct-by-precinct accounting over coming days."
Martin OMalley, a former Maryland governor who campaigned relentlessly in Iowa, wasnt viable at most caucus sites and got less than 1 percent of the delegates. He suspended his campaign late Monday.
At an energetic rally on the Drake University campus late Monday, Clinton didnt declare victory, but told the crowd, As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief. Thank you Iowa.
On stage with former President Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, the former secretary of state who was once thought to be a shoo-in for the partys nomination, had to acknowledge the debate would continue and she said she relished it.
I am excited about really getting into the debate with Sen. Sanders about the best way forward to fight for us and America, Clinton said.
The race will now go to New Hampshire, where the Vermont senator is leading in the polls.
At his campaign party on Des Moines south side, Sanders portrayed the judgment rendered by Iowans across the state in broad terms.
As I think about what happened tonight, Sanders told cheering supporters, I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, the economic establishment and by the way, to the media establishment that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.
Returns on the Iowa Democratic Partys web site showed that Sanders and Clinton won counties across the state. Clinton had much of her strength in central Iowa, particularly around Polk County. Sanders fared well in Iowas college areas, as well as in bigger counties like Linn, Scott, Black Hawk and Woodbury.
In each of the counties, though, there were close contests in individual precincts. The state Democratic Party said early today that Clinton won 699.57 delegate equivalents, while Sanders had 695.49. OMalley had 7.68, and the outstanding precinct only had 2.28 delegate equivalents.
The party said turnout was 171,109, the second highest for the party's caucuses.
Mondays tight contest was never in the imagination of most political analysts a year ago.
In late May of last year, Clinton held a 41 point lead in Iowa, where she finished third in 2008 but was determined to grab the ring in 2016. She put a robust organization into place across the state and spent a lot of time in the state, even delving into state issues like closing mental health facilities and education funding.
Sanders, however, preached a revolution, and he began to draw huge crowds across the country. In Iowa, he first drew notice in the national media by drawing 700 people in a late May appearance in Davenport.
The next day the Vermont senator told the Quad-City Times, I think we will surprise some people how well well do here.
He did.
Sanders called for a $15 national minimum wage, revamping the campaign finance system, a single payer health care plan and breaking up the big banks.
At the Danceland Ballroom in Davenport the weekend before the caucuses, he exhorted 1,000 people to march with him, saying Mondays vote was about "whether Iowa is ready to lead this country forward in a political revolution that will transform America.
Clinton, drawing on her own experience, has pushed for a more incremental and, she says, realistic approach. Shes said shed build on the Affordable Care Act to lower out of pocket insurance costs and use the powers in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to deal with the financial industry. Im not interested in ideas that sound good on paper but will never happen in the real world, Clinton said in late January in Indianola.
Clinton's campaign was criticized for lacking passion, and some analysts said they didn't see the fire in her supporters they did in Sanders' backers. But by the end of the campaign, the tempo of the Clinton campaign picked up and her supporters got more vocal.
A late Iowa Poll said that, contrary to popular impressions, it was her supporters in Iowa, not Sanders', that were more excited.
The poll, by the Des Moines Register, said that Clinton was leading Sanders by a spare three percentage points, within the margin of error and a too close for comfort margin.
DES MOINES | Sen. Ted Cruz took a Texas-sized step toward the White House Monday night, leading an impressive army of volunteers who brought Iowans out in droves to best Donald Trump and Marco Rubio in the kickoff of the 2016 Republican presidential nominating process.
Cruz, 45, proved once again that organization trumps hype in a state where voters reward retail politics by garnering 27.6 percent of the support with 1,674 of Iowas 1,682 precincts reporting. Cruz won about half of Iowas 99 counties and topped 51,000 votes for the first time ever in the nations first test of candidate strength leading up to the selection of a GOP nominee in Cleveland this summer.
Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and across the great land. Tonight the state of Iowa has spoken, Cruz told his cheering supporters at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. He praised his supporters for producing the most votes for any Iowa GOP caucus winner in delivering a victory for we the people.
By winning the leadoff 2016 contest, Cruz was able to tatter Trumps storybook rise to the head of the class and at least temporarily derail the New York billionaires plan to run the table by capturing the Iowa vote and marching through New Hampshire and other early states amassing convention delegates.
Trump, who led in Iowa polling for most of the campaign, settled for second place with 24.3 percent of the Iowa vote, followed closely in third place by Rubio who may have carried the better-than-expected banner out of Iowa with 23.1 percent of the vote while closing on Trump as statewide results were reported.
In a three-and-a-half minute speech to enthusiastic supporters in West Des Moines, Trump proclaimed his love for Iowa and Iowans and suggested he might extend his real estate holdings to Iowa farmland.
I absolutely love the people of Iowa, the New Yorker said at the Sheraton Hotel ballroom.
Trump congratulated Cruz on his victory, but his remarks were not exactly a concession speech. He proclaimed confidence that he will win in New Hampshire where he is leading by more than 20 percent.
His second- place finish was much better than was projected when he joined 16 other candidate in the race last summer, Trump said.
They told me I couldnt finish in the top 10, he said.
Rubio, 44, another first-term U.S. senator making his first nationwide bid, offered himself as a new-generation Republican with fresh ideas and broad appeal among younger, independent and disillusioned Americans who could unite the country under a banner embracing conservative principles and focused on keeping America safe in a challenging and threatening international theater.
Rubio who polled in the 10 percent to 15 percent range from most of the caucus campaign season -- quietly built a strong get-out-the-vote ground game while fortifying it with solid debate performances and a barrage of paid advertising that paid dividends in what Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said was a record 180,000 turnout.
Fourth place went to Dr. Ben Carson, another first-time candidate who also tried to capitalize on voter anger and frustration with the partisan gridlock gripping the nations Capitol among the nations political elite. Carsons 9.3 percent support was followed by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul with 4.5 percent, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in sixth at 2.8 percent, former business executive Carly Fiorina at 1.9 percent, Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 1.9 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 1.8 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 1.8 percent and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at 1 percent.
Cruz and Trump waged a bare-knuckles political brawl in the weeks that led up to Monday nights caucuses, but the Texas senator succeeded in scoring a decisive win by enlisting the help of Iowa Rep. Steve King and conservative powerbroker Bob Vander Plaats in convincing the influential bloc of religious, social and liberty conservatives to unite behind Cruz rather than dilute their impact in a crowded 2016 GOP field.
The Texas senator amassed an impressive field operation with thousands of volunteers who enabled him to withstand body blows during tough campaigning from Trump, Rubio and other rivals who sought to siphon off support that Cruz had built early among the base of conservative Republicans in Iowa. However, Cruz may have a tough time maintaining the momentum he carries out of Iowa with a New Hampshire vote a week away where Trump holds a wide lead and other GOP contenders expect to fare better among New England Republicans.
Trump, 69, a billionaire New York businessman and former reality television star making his first presidential bid, tried to prove the doubters wrong and live up to the hype surrounding a celebrity campaign that attracted the media spotlight and large crowds everywhere he held events in Iowa.
The Donald as hes known worked hard to seal the deal with Iowa Republicans Monday by holding an afternoon event in Cedar Rapids with Sarah Palin -- a former Alaska governor, 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate and tea-party favorite and by making a personal appeal at several sites where Iowans gathered to caucus.
Trump defied convention in a state known for placing a premium on face-to-face retail politicking by holding rallies in large venues that drew Iowans from all 99 counties to come see him rather than him taking the traditional route of visiting all 99 counties to curry voter favor.
On the other hand, Cruz, a first-term U.S. senator making his first presidential run, crisscrossed the state in the final month leading up to Monday nights caucuses speaking to Iowans and building an impressive organizational structure. Cruz, who visited his 99th county in the run-up to Mondays dramatic end, pitched himself as an outsider who was taking on the Washington cartel by championing conservative causes that were being abandoned by other Republicans connected to the GOP establishment.
Both Paul and Huckabee entered Mondays test saying they were poised to shock the world but neither was able to make good on that claim.
Paul, 53, relied heavily on young voters, especially on college campuses, who liked his libertarian views on social issues and privacy rights, and the liberty voters who had delivered a third-place 2012 caucus finish for his father, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who returned to Iowa to rally support for his sons 2016 bid from his former backers.
Huckabee, 60, worked to siphon off support from Cruz and Carson by offering himself as someone with experience as a past governor of Arkansas who knows how to defeat the Clinton machine and could appeal to conservative Christians and gun-rights advocates alike. He said he likely needed a top three finish in Iowa to stay viable as a 2016 candidate and announced he was suspending his presidential bid Monday night.
Christie, 53, fell short in his goal of finishing first among the four governors competing in 2016, trailing Bush, Huckabee and Kasich after enlisting the campaign know-how of several operatives closely aligned with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad in hopes of making a respectable showing in a state where he did most of his intense campaigning down the stretch.
Kasich, 63, made occasional appearances in Iowa, while Bush, 62, and his super-PAC allies committed more time and considerably more resources to press his message and attack rivals here but failed to move the needle very far in his column despite his familiar family name and sky-high expectations heading into 2016.
Santorum, 57, and Fiorina, 61, both delivered strong debate performances and had messages that resonated with voters, but faced a difficult time punching through in a crowded field where rival campaigns with similar positions, more resources and higher electability ratings attracted support within a limited pool of conservative Republicans.
Chelsea Keenan of the Cedar Rapids Gazette contributed to this story.
As a picker and predictor of presidents, Iowa has historically not been that good, but it's gotten better of late.
Only one Republican, George W. Bush, won the Iowa caucuses and then went on to win the White House, the latter in a disputed result that took the Supreme Court to decide. That year, 2000, was the only the second time that both major party nominees won Iowa caucuses. Al Gore, who won the national popular vote but lost the Electoral College in 2000, won his party's Iowa caucuses. It happened in 1976, too, although what Republicans did that year was merely a straw poll sample from caucusing precincts and different from the caucuses of today.
Only two Democrats, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008, won the Iowa caucuses and then the presidency. But Carter's comes with an asterisk. "Undecided" actually got the most caucus support in '76.
Iowa Democrats are pretty good at picking their eventual nominee, the Republicans not so good. The state, however, does help establish an early pecking order for when actual primary votes are first cast in New Hampshire, which has held its first-in-the-nation primary by tradition and state party rules eight days after Iowans caucus.
Sometimes, the results can be muddied. Mitt Romney claimed victory after the 2008 Republican caucuses, only to have that flipped two weeks later when actual results made former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum the winner. But results from eight of the 1,774 precincts could not be located, and so Santorum's also was a qualified victory. Either way, it didn't make much difference in the long run, because Romney became the GOP nominee.
Second acts also are not always well-liked. Bob Dole twice won the Iowa caucuses and the second win launched him to his party's nomination in 1996. Santorum won the Iowa Republican caucuses in 2012, as mentioned, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won in 2008. But both are projected to finish far back in the pack next Monday, as the headlines and front-runner statuses have toggled between businessman Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
On the Democratic side, former St. Louis congressman and Democratic House leader Dick Gephardt won the 1988 caucuses. But after vying for front-runner status through much of the 2004 pre-caucus scrum, Gephardt faded and finished a distant fourth to Sens. John Kerry, John Edwards, and Hillary Clinton. Other second acts, like Edwards, have done better on the Democratic side.
The Clintons do not have a strong Iowa caucus history. When Bill Clinton won the nomination in 1992, he and most of the rest of the field ceded Iowa to favorite son and Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin.
Then Hillary Clinton lost front-runner status and an aura of inevitability her campaign had tried to build when she lost by more than 8 points to Obama and finished just behind Edwards in 2008.
Critics quadrennially complain that Iowa doesn't represent the rest of the country demographically and culturally. They say that so few people vote in the caucuses wins can be decided by hundreds or a few thousand votes, and Santorum got fewer than 30,000 votes in 2012, for instance - that its influence is vastly oversubscribed. But it persists in its first-in-nation status partly because those that benefit most from the overall nominating system and therefore are most able to do something about it the party nominees are not disposed to change a system that elevated them to the top.
DES MOINES | WellCare of Iowa, one of the four companies initially awarded a state contract to help manage Iowas $5 billion Medicaid program, fought on 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 Rantss 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.
Being a Democrat in Hull can be a lonely proposition. Nancy Dykstra knows. She moved to Hull in 1980 and reported to the towns fire hall for the Iowa Caucus in 1984.
Are you ready? Infusionsoft is building towards its March 2-4, 2016, ICON conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
For ten years, Infusionsoft has been hosting ICON conferences specifically designed to inform and assist small businesses. The aim is to make use of software and technologies which can improve small business results.
But this year analytics is a particular focus.
Jordan Hatch, senior product manager at Infusionsoft, told Small Business Trends, Small business owners often make gut instinct decisions. While that gut instinct may work in the beginning, it can sometimes lead them down the wrong path as their business grows. Thats why having a solid plan for collecting and analyzing data is vital to the long term success for a business.
Creating a culture of making data driven decisions in business not only reduces the margin of error, but enables the scalability of the business. As employees start to take over the business owners responsibilities, teaching them to make data driven decisions creates consistency in the business and can make up for a lack of intuition
Mobile payments will be another huge topic at this years conference.
Zach Vance, business development and payments manager at Infusionsoft, said, eMarketer is predicting an incredible 210 percent growth in total value of mobile payment transactions in 2016 alone thats up to $27.05 billion from $8.71 billion. Predictions like this and the countless others point toward continued strong growth in the mobile payments space, so its essential for small businesses to start implementing this technology.
In my breakout session, attendees will learn how to implement and navigate Infusionsoft Mobile Payments solution, best practices for payment processing, and the top three ways to maximize Infusionsoft Mobile Payments during a live event. I will be joined by Richard Lindner, president of Digital Marketer, and Rich Aberman, co-founder and Chief Product Office of WePay, as we share this content in a way that will cause attendees to look at payments from a very different perspective.
In the end, the event is about helping small business owners and other entrepreneurs discover the clues for success.
Susan Koehler, vice president of communications for Infusionsoft, stated in an interview with Small Business Trends:
Success leaves clues. Weve worked with tens of thousands of businesses over the last decade and each one left a clue for us. Weve been keeping track of what they did to succeed, so we have curated, not created, a process to demystify sales and marketing. This process is the Small Business Success Method. It will help business owners pinpoint exactly what they need to be doing in their business right now and in the future to keep growing. Before ICON 2016 is over:
Small business owners will assess their business and have absolute clarity into the strategy that would drive the biggest results for their business.
They will plan actionable next steps guided by industry leading experts.
And they will walk away from ICON16 already implementing their tactics.
Along with Phoenixs famous warmth and sun, there will be contacts and friends to be made and speakers teaching about ways to make your business better.
Featured speakers at ICON 2016 include Dave Ramsey, best selling author and radio host, Peter Diamandis, entrepreneur and New York Times best selling author and Tina Wells, CEO and founder of Buzz Marketing Group.
Pam Gibbons, director of events at Infusionsoft says, Capital is king. One of the many hats small business owners wear is finance management. From billing procedures, getting out of debt, and trying to be cash-flow positive, money is top of mind. Thats why we selected Dave Ramsey, Americas most trusted voice on money and business, to speak at this years ICON.
Based in Chandler, Arizona, Infusionsoft is an email marketing and sales platform that streamlines the needs of small businesses.
For those new to ICON, pre-training is offered at Infusionsoft headquarters for $99, which covers lunch and transportation.
Please send questions to ICON@infusionsoft.com. To register, click here.
Restaurant owners, staff and customers have long questioned the culture of tipping, but like any entrenched cultural practice, it has proven difficult to change.
Now, prompted by a slew of new minimum wage legislation in major U.S. cities, an increasing number of restaurateurs are experimenting with a no tipping policy as a way to manage rising labor costs.
In cities like New York, where tipping is subject to a confusing mix of federal, state and local regulations and tax laws, a no tipping policy would do more than just simplify bookkeeping.
Restaurant managers say a no tipping policy would also allow them to better calibrate wages in order to distribute earnings more fairly among employees, based on the complexity of their jobs and length of their service.
Last December, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo boosted minimum wage for tipped workers by 50 percent. The industrys response was not a new idea, said Jonah Miller, executive chef of the high-end Basque eatery Huertas.
Removing tips has been on peoples minds for many years, Miller told Cranes New York Business. There just hasnt been the right kind of catalyst to force the change.
But the idea of removing gratuities in New York is also motivated by long-simmering discontent over the inequality in restaurant earnings between the waiting staff and the back of the house, the kitchen staff.
By law, tips cannot be shared with employees who do not interact directly with customers.
So, when waiters celebrate a big night and cooks are left behind, There is always some level of guilt between the front and back, Miller explained.
Miller says cooks wages have stagnated at $10 to $12 an hour over the decade he has been in the high-end restaurant business. Waiters tip-based take, however, has risen with menu prices, he said.
The minimum pay for tipped workers in New York rose to $7.50 an hour from $5 on December 31, exacerbating the already obvious pay disparity between servers and kitchen staff, for whom base minimum wage inched up by a mere quarter.
Thats the impetus some city restaurateurs say has prompted them to change how they pay servers, who at most eateries are tipped employees, and back of the house workers like cooks and dishwashers who usually dont receive tips.
At least 18 New York City establishments have eliminated tips and implemented a general service fee to offset wage disparities, according to Grub Street.
Huertas and Fedora in Manhattan and Romans in Brooklyn are among the restaurants that have gone gratuity-free.
At Huertas, cooks will make $12 an hour (as opposed to the previous $11.50 to $13) and also get revenue shares, which should add $1.50 to $3 an hour, Miller said.
Under this new pay plan, servers at Millers East Village tapas bar will now make $9 an hour (the non-tipped minimum wage) and get employees revenue share payments equaling 13 percent to 14 percent of sales.
Miller says that will allow servers to bring home an average not that far from what servers might have expected with tips, roughly $25 to $30 an hour.
Romans and Fedora have also implemented a revenue-sharing pay model to keep servers wages stable after loosing gratuities. Customers, nevertheless, will have to contend with a 22 percent price bump as menu prices increase to make up for the wage hikes and no-tipping policies.
Theres a lot more costs incurred by the restaurant because the wages that we are paying are higher, Miller said, referring to sick pay and other benefits.
While decreasing the wage gap between servers and other back of the house employees is a key impetus for eliminating tips, it is not the only one.
By ending tipping, restaurants can sidestep the tipped minimum wage pay hike, a prospect that is appealing because it allows them to pocket the higher revenue while still retaining the flexibility to raise menu prices and workers wages.
However, as appealing as this no tipping policy idea is to owners, the number of restaurants that have implemented a no tipping policy is relatively small. Those that have signed on to the idea appear to cluster near the higher end of the price spectrum.
A majority of restaurants are adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
Nancy Bambara, vice president of DZ Restaurants, for instance, is quoted as saying that while her company has no immediate plans to move to a no-tipping policy, options are being kept open for the future.
Were talking to our staff and getting their thoughts on the matter, Bambara said. We want to do whats best for our staff and our customers.
When Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book in October 2015, the company also announced they would be available in an ultra-high-end configuration. This includes the Skylake CoreI7 processor, 16GB of RAM and enough storage to meet almost any demand, 1TB.
With each iteration of Surface, Microsoft is making the case that the computers it is creating can give any brand a run for its money.
While the first two versions left much to be desired, beginning with Surface 3 and now Surface Book and Surface Pro 4, the company is getting the attention of many power users.
Although the Surface family of computers have somewhat of a low starting price to fit most budgets, it is the high-end models that really have all the bells and whistles. And the latest two devices have practically doubled the storage capacity availability on earlier models.
However, there is a good news-bad news scenario. If you are outside of Canada and the U.S. you have to wait a little longer. For everyone in these two countries you are good to go.
Availability for the Surface Book is only online through the Microsoft Stores and select retailers. The Surface Pro 4, on the other hand, can be purchased online as well as at brick-and-mortar Microsoft Stores and select retailers.
Microsoft also released a new gold version of its Surface Pen to go along with the silver, black and dark blue versions. Unlike the computers, the pen is available in Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, in addition to Canada and the U.S.
The pen offers 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity with four different tips for writing and drawing. The reduced latency delivers real-time responsiveness, and if you are worried about the battery, dont. It can last up to 18 months.
The Surface Book is priced at $3,199, and the Surface Pro 4 at $2,699. They are not cheap, but for users that demand these configurations, they may be worth the price.
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.
The Islamic State and the Taliban wont get alongand thats a good thing for South Asia.
Is the Islamic State (IS, also commonly known as ISIS) obsessed with the Taliban? And if so, why? A new issue of the groups self-published magazine, Dabiq, offers some hints as to why this is the case. Dabiqs pages are filled with refutations of the Talibans ideology.
Thomas Joscelyn, in the Long Wars Journal, describes how the hostility that ISIS bears toward the Taliban stems from the fact that the Taliban draws its legitimacy not from a universal Islamic creed, but from a narrow ethnic and nationalistic base. In other words, while ISIS fights to establish a Caliphate encompassing the entire ummah (Muslim community), the Taliban merely seeks to establish an Afghan state that they claim is ruled ruled by Islamic Law. However, in an interview with the ISIS Wali (custodian) of Khorasan, a self-declared ISIS province that includes Afghanistan, the group denies that the Taliban even rule by Islamic Law at all:
Does the nationalist Taliban movement have areas of consolidation in Khurasan? And do they rule them by Allahs law? The Wali: The nationalist Taliban movement only has control of some regions of Afghanistan, nowhere else. As for ruling them by Allahs law, then it does not do that. Rather, they rule by tribal customs and judge affairs in accordance with the desires and traditions of the people, traditions opposing the Islamic Shariah.
Ironically, the Taliban claimed to rule by Islamic law and made much of sweeping away the tribal traditions it claimed were practiced by Afghan warlords. The 13th issue of Dabiq frequently uses the adjective nationalist to describe the Taliban, brandishing it as an insult. Despite its characterization of its mission as universal, this is evidence that ISIS retains a reputation of advancing Arab interests and the unlikeliness of it gaining much ground in South, Southeast, or Central Asia, despite the spread of Islamist activities in those regions.
The list of the Islamic States grievances against the nationalist Taliban are long, and most of it involves criticizing its alliances towards groups that ISIS also loathes, such as Shias and Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate. ISIS reserves the greatest loathing for the Shia, whom it labels as the Rafidah, or rejectors, a term considered incredibly derogatory. The 13th issue of Dabiq dedicates dozens of pages to attacking and explaining the necessity of killing Shia, going through the history of how Persia became Shia before concluding:
Initiated by a sly Jew, [the Shia] are an apostate sect drowning in worship of the dead, cursing the best companions and wives of the Prophet , spreading doubt on the very basis of the religion (the Quran and the Sunnah), defaming the very honor of the Prophet , and preferring their twelve imams to the prophets and even to Allah! Thus, the Rafidah are mushrik [polytheist] apostates who must be killed wherever they are to be found, until no Rafidi walks on the face of earth, even if the jihad claimants despise such
Not surprisingly, then, the Taliban are roundly condemned for believing otherwise, and the Taliban have historically not have had the best relations with the Shia minorities in Afghanistan or with the state of Iran. Afghanistans Taliban government nearly went to war with Iran in 1998. Dabiq attacked the Taliban for considering the Rafidah to be their brothers and publicly denouncing those who target the Rafidah:
Abdullah al-Wazir, the official correspondent of the nationalist Taliban media committee, said, The Shiah are Muslims Everyone who says there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is Allahs Messenger is a Muslim. The sects are many and Allah will decide between them on Judgment Day.
Dabiq goes on to criticize the nationalist Taliban for defend[ing] the Rafidi state of Iran both its government and public, and condemn[ing] attacks [in Afghanistan] against their Rafidi brothers. ISIS also condemned the Talibans alliance with Pakistan, whose forces are referred to as armies of apostasy because they are allied with Crusaders. Thus, the Dabiq argument concludes:
the war between us and the Taliban carries onthe jihad against the Pakistani and Afghan armies of apostasy is continuing and is proceeding with force, by Allahs grace, power, and strength. The mujahidin bravely carry on in fighting the armies of both apostate governments and their forces who have betrayed Allah, His Messenger, and the MuslimsIt is upon every Muslim who wants to support the Shariah to hasten in making hijrah [migration] to this wilayah [Khorasan] or to one of the other wilayat of the Khilafah, for it is their land, the land of Islam.
Though this may seem like petty factional infighting to outsiders, it cannot but be a good thing that the Islamist terror groups of much of the eastern part of the Islamic world are at odds with each other. This prevents the strengthening or consolidation of extremist ideology in Afghanistan and Pakistan since Islamist extremism discredits itself with such infighting. Moreover, it makes it possible for the Taliban to have cause to reign in their its excesses and continue to speak with the Afghan government. Additionally, Pakistans intelligence services may be incentivized to refrain from further entrenching extremism in the countrys northwestern regions, especially after some Islamist groups there allied with ISIS.Finally, ISIS will have a difficult time gaining a foothold in Khorasan and subsequently other parts of Central and South Asia. In a strange way, they have brought together groups and nations as disparate as the United States, Iran, and the Taliban in the fight against them. They may be entrenched in Iraq and Syria for a while, but they certainly wont be growing in Afghanistan and Pakistan, given the enemies they have made there with their hate for the nationalism of the Taliban in those countries.
We left Lebanon to escape the civil war, the violence and the danger. We came to Sweden where it was safe, to start a family. But it is not safe anymore She was not just my daughter, she was my angel.
After delivering his laugh line that Bernie Sanders would make a good candidate for president of Sweden," Senator Marco Rubio declared during the last Republican presidential debate on January 28that "We don't want to be Sweden, we want to be the United States of America."More than simply saying that we do not want to be Sweden, we need to learn from Swedens tragic mistake of becoming an open border sanctuary country for refugees from some of the most dangerous areas of the world. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, between 2010 and 2014 Sweden received, on average, the highest number of asylum-seekers compared to its national population.Swedes enthusiastically embraced their open door policy as an article of faith. According to an autumn 2014 Eurobarometer survey, No fewer than 72 percent of Swedes said they were either fairly positive or very positive towards immigration from countries outside the European Union.In 2015, this open border trend continued. Sweden welcomed more than 160,000 asylum seekers , which exceeded any other European Union state per capita. This total included 51,338 asylum seekers from Syria, 41,564 from Afghanistan, 20,857 from Iraq and 5,465 from Somalia.Sweden has paid a very heavy price for its generosity and devotion to leftist ideals. Swedens social fabric and sense of security are unraveling as a result of a refugee population that has gotten out of control. In the last few months, Sweden has begun to wake up but it appears to be too late.Case in point is the Swedish town of Molndal . With open arms, the town accepted more unaccompanied refugee minors than anywhere else in Sweden, mainly teenagers whom had arrived in Sweden without their families. Last autumn, the town was welcoming 400 refugee minors every week. The total for all of 2015 exceeded 4000.However, what may have begun as a well-intentioned humanitarian gesture to provide places to live and support to refugee minors, has caused the town to descend into utter lawlessness. The longtime residents of the town, a suburb of Gothenburg, Swedens second largest city, do not feel safe anymore for good reason. And the lawlessness has spilled over to Gothenburg itself.One Gothenburg police officer with more than three decades of experience told MailOnline that there were violent gangs roaming around the streets and the use of knives and other weapons have become normal, rather than a rarity as it used to be. Robberies, violent assaults and sexual harassment of girls are becoming more commonplace. The officer identified the gang members as mainly young men from North Africa. They will do anything to get money steal a persons wallet, iPhone, jewellery (sic), he added. And then they will attack their victim and kick them half to death.Now, after a fatal stabbing, Molndal, the most welcoming place for teenage refugees in Sweden, is beginning to seriously grapple with the tragic consequences of its open door policy. On January 25, Molndal became the scene of a brutal murder committed by one of the teenage refugees, a 15-year-old migrant boy from Somalia. He stabbed to death a 22-year-old social worker, Alexandra Mezher, who was working at the care home for unaccompanied refugee minors where her attacker lived. She was trying to restore peace after a knife fight had broken out between her murderer and another immigrant at the residence. The Somali murderer is in police custody and will be tried as an adult, Swedish authorities have announced.What adds even more poignancy to this tragedy is that Alexandra Mezher was herself of Lebanese-Christian origin. Her parents had migrated to Sweden from Lebanon more than two decades ago, leaving a civil war there behind. But unlike what we are seeing with todays refugees from war-torn regions of the Middle East, North Africa and Afghanistan, Alexandras parents made something of themselves in their adopted home. And their daughter wanted to give something back to Swedish society by becoming a social worker and helping the newly arrived teenage refugees from North Africa and other faraway places to adjust to their new home. In return, one of those refugees in her care stabbed Alexandra Mezher to death.Alexandras mother blamed the Swedish politicians whom had allowed the immigrant situation to get so out of hand:It is little consolation to Ms. Mezhers family that Sweden is finally deciding to deport as many as 80,000 immigrants, nearly half of those whom had entered Sweden seeking asylum last year.Whether this will be successful, considering that some immigrants are likely in hiding and others are not apt to leave quietly, remains to be seen. However, something meaningful must be done to reverse the tsunami of third world migrants that Swedens government allowed to engulf their country. Otherwise, a political backlash and increasing violence from anti-immigration protesters will heighten Swedens already precarious state.One thing is for sure. We do not want to be Sweden, despite President Obamas lavish praise for that country when he visited Sweden in 2013. In fact, he said he would blend right in politically. He has proven his affinity for Swedish policies in wanting to open the door to admit more refugees from Syria and other troubled countries in the Middle East region without a foolproof vetting system in place.We have already admitted Muslim immigrants who want to see Sharia law practiced in the United States and freedom of speech suppressed. Somalis, whom the State Department arranged to be resettled in Minnesota, admitted openly in an interview that they were fine with killing anyone who insulted their prophet Muhammad. Dozens have gone abroad to fight with jihadist groups such as ISIS and Al Shabaab. Yet President Obama wants to open our borders wider to admit even more potential jihadists.Moreover, similar to the crime problem that Molndal has been experiencing from refugee gangs, a sheriff of one county in Minnesota testified to a congressional committee about the specific emergence of Somali gang-related issues we are having in my countyWe are clearly faced with a challenge that requires an innovative approach including new investigative tools and focused resources.We certainly dont want to see American towns and cities follow down the same destructive path that Molndal, Sweden embarked upon. But unless President Obamas disastrous immigration policies are stopped in their tracks, we could well be facing a similar fate.
GREENBELT, Md.
(Feb. 1, 2016)Former Charles County Judge Robert C. Nalley, of La Plata, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to deprivation of rights under color of law for ordering a deputy sheriff to activate a stun-cuff worn by a pro se criminal defendant during a pre-trial court proceeding.The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Vanita Gupta; and Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office."Disruptive defendants may be excluded from the courtroom and prosecuted for obstruction of justice and contempt of court, but force may not be used in the absence of danger," said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein."Under our constitution, judges serve as the guardians and arbitrators of justice," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "When government officialsincluding judgesviolate the rights we entrust them to defend and break the laws we expect them to uphold, they undermine the legitimacy of our justice system."From 1988 to September 2014, Nalley was a judge of the Circuit Court for Charles County, Maryland. According to his guilty plea, on July 23, 2014, Judge Nalley presided over the jury selection for the victim, who was representing himself in a criminal proceeding in Charles County court. Before the proceedings began, a deputy sheriff informed Judge Nalley that the victim was wearing a stun-cuff. Judge Nalley was aware that when activated, the stun-cuff would administer an electrical shock to the victim, thereby incapacitating him and causing him pain.Several minutes after the proceedings had begun, Judge Nalley asked the victim whether he had any questions for the potential jurors. The victim repeatedly ignored Judge Nalley and instead read from a prepared statement, objecting to Judge Nalley's authority to preside over the proceedings, while standing calmly behind a table in the courtroom. The victim did not make any aggressive movements, did not attempt to flee the courtroom, and did not pose a threat to himself or to any other person at any point during the proceedings. Judge Nalley twice ordered the victim to stop reading his statement, but the victim continued to speak.Judge Nalley then ordered the deputy sheriff to activate the stun-cuff, which administered an electric shock to the victim for approximately five seconds. The electric shock caused the victim to fall to the ground and scream in pain. Judge Nalley recessed the proceedings.Nalley faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison followed by one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Connolly has scheduled sentencing for March 31, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta commended the FBI for its work in the investigation, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristi N. O'Malley and Daniel C. Gardner of the District of Maryland, and Trial Attorney Mary J. Hahn of the Civil Rights Division, who are prosecuting the case.
GREENBELT, Md. (Feb. 1, 2016)U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Charles Brian Curtin, age 46, of Mechanicsville, on Thursday, Jan. 28 to 200 months (16 years, 8 months) in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Field Division; Interim Chief Henry P. Stawinski of the Prince George's County Police Department; and St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron.
According to his plea agreement, from at least February through September 4, 2014, Curtin conspired with others to distribute cocaine in and around Prince George's County, Maryland. Curtin obtained cocaine from suppliers in Tennessee and Maryland. During the investigation, Curtin was overheard by law enforcement discussing the distribution of cocaine using coded language. Curtin stored cocaine, drug proceeds and firearms in multiple residences in Maryland.
On August 22, 2014, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a stash house in District Heights, Maryland used by Curtin and seized cocaine packaging material, a digital scale used to measure cocaine for distribution, and$178,020 in cash. Later that day, a second search warrant was executed at Curtin's home in Mechanicsville. Law enforcement seized drug paraphernalia, a scale, a .45 caliber handgun and a PLR-16 handgun. Curtin had previously been convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Curtin admitted that during the course of the conspiracy he was responsible for distributing between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the DEA, Prince George's County Police Department, and St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leah J. Bressack and Joseph R. Baldwin, who prosecuted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
Heres the good news for former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley: Iowa is not America in miniature. Neither is New Hampshire. Each state has an abysmal record for picking the next president.
Getting humiliated in the first two primary stateswhich seems highly likely for OMalley starting tonightmay not signal the demise of his 2016 quest. His carefully packaged liberal message is pegged to appeal to the broad Democratic Party base, which is not well represented in either Iowa or New Hampshire.
On the other hand, miracles can happen in these early primaries. Long-odds challengers have emerged victorious more often than not. Indeed, two times out of three, the Iowa winner is usually the underdog. It happens even more often in New Hampshire.
Thats a positive for OMalley, though hes so far back in the polls it is difficult to see him emerging out front.
No bump in recent polls
The Des Moines Register-Bloomberg poll on Sunday gave OMalley 3% of the Iowa vote. Other recent polls gave him 5% and 7%. Meanwhile, OMalley is polling 2% in New Hampshire. In the next primary state, South Carolina, OMalley also is running at 2%.
Even in neighboring Pennsylvania, where the ex-Maryland governor should be better known and respected by Democratic voters, hes getting just 2% in a recent poll.
OMalley can take modest comfort from a New York Times editorial endorsing Hillary Clinton for the Iowa primary caucus. In the editorial, the Time editors call him a personable and reasonable liberal.
Unfortunately, the rest of that sentence indicates how far he has to go to be taken seriously on the national stage. The Times editorial concludes OMalley seems more suited for the jobs he has already hadgovernor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimorethan for president.
Translation: Martin OMalley isnt even close to being ready for nationwide, prime time politics.
Polls and endorsements
Newspaper endorsements and polls can be misleading, though.
An editorial-page backing doesnt carry the weight with voters it once did.
And polls can prove highly deceptive in a caucus state like Iowa.
Voter sentiment in a telephone poll becomes meaningless in Iowa unless the voter is determined enough to attend one of 1,681 precinct caucuses Monday evening that could last for hours.
In Iowa, it will be candidates with the most hard-core followers who have the best shot at pulling a surprise. Precinct-level organizing is absolutely essential, too. The Iowa event is long, drawn-out and a test on voters patience and commitment to a candidate.
Thats why Hillary Clinton may have a decided edge over Bernie Sanders and OMalley. The depth of Sanders enthusiastic support among college-age students and disenchanted Democrats is one of the great unknowns.
GOP surprise?
Grass-roots organizing and caucus-level attendance could be key on the Republican side, too. Thats where Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas could surprise front-runner billionaire Donald Trump.
The same holds for Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, whose organizational strength and quiet determination to challenge Cruz among Iowas large bloc of evangelical Republicans could lead to a larger-than-expected showing.
As for retired Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, his meteoric rise in the polls has been eclipsed by his meteoric fall. His off-point remarks in the last Republican debate in Iowa emphasized how unready he is to live in the White House. Voters in polls seem to sense that, too.
Misleading indicators
Regardless of the outcome, losing candidates can take solace from the fact that Iowa and New Hampshire are hardly indicators of the eventual outcome.
If those two state primaries were true stepping stones to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the list of presidents by now would include Iowa and New Hampshire winners such as Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Paul Tsongas, Gary Hart, Tom Harkin and Richard Gephardt.
The media has made a BIG DEAL of these two early primary states. Inflating the importance of Iowa and New Hampshire has been great for TV ratings and created a surprise bonanza of advertising dollars.
Yet the truth is that this is deceptive reporting by the media. Television commentators are vastly overstating the role the two states play in the nominating process.
In the larger presidential election picture, Iowa and New Hampshire are minor starting points. Weve got a long way to go.
Barry Rascovars blog is www.politicalmaryland.com. He can be reached at brascovar@hotmail.com.
Dr. Tracy Harris, third from right, with the commissioners of St. Mary's County. (Photo provided by St. Mary's County Government).
During his visit to Charles County Feb. 1, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot toured the College of Southern Maryland and was briefed on college programs by CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried, CSM Trustee Chair Dorothea Smith, Calvert Commissioner Steve Weems and Charles County Registrar of Wills Loraine Hennessy.During the briefing on CSMs new Regional Campus which will house the Center for Trades and Energy Training (CTET), Franchot said, The private sector is desperate for trained people. The economics is changingthese blue collar jobs used to be looked down on in favor of a college education. These are good jobs, high paying jobs. CTET will be moving from an 18,000 square-foot leased facility in Waldorf to a 30,000 square-foot facility in Hughesville.Future plans for the Regional Campus include a Health Sciences facility accessible to students from throughout Southern Maryland. Our goal is to centralize programs, such as health sciences, that would be too expensive to replicate on each campus, said Gottfried.Franchot also visited the classroom of Professor Kathleen Parsons where he told third-semester nursing students that the economy is changing and that future growth in jobs will be in healthcare.The College of Southern Marylands Vice President/Dean of the Leonardtown Campus Dr. Tracy Harris was recognized by the Commissioners of St. Mary's County for his service on the Sheriff's Office Retirement Pension Plan Board and the Economic Development Commission. The ceremony, held during the Commissioners' Jan. 26 meeting, was to recognize the volunteers involved on St. Mary's County Government's various boards, commissions and committees.
WASHINGTON
(Feb. 1, 2016)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., is being awardedfor modification P00004 to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-15-D-0009) for performance based logistics supplies, services, and related support for KC-130J aircraft propulsion systems, including the AE2100D3 turboprop engine and the R391 propeller system, quick engine change kit, and associated propulsion components. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana (41 percent); Winnipeg, Canada (21 percent); Oakland, California (16 percent); Sterling, Virginia (14 percent); Al Mubarak, Kuwait (2.1 percent); Iwakuni, Japan (2 percent); Cherry Point, North Carolina (1.3 percent); Miramar, California (1.3 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (1.3 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2017. No funds are being obligated at the time of this award. Funds will be obligated against individual delivery orders as they are issued. This contract combines purchases for the Navy ($59,599,778; 92.38 percent), and the government of Kuwait ($4,916,111; 7.62 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded amodification to previously issued delivery order 0096 placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-12-G-0006 to exercise an option for integrated aircraft survivability equipment 24 A-kits for MV-22 aircraft to meet the joint urgent operational need in support of the Marine Corps. Work will be performed at Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (63 percent); Menlo Park, California (5 percent); Anaheim, California (5 percent); Corona, California (4 percent); Huntington Beach, California (2 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (1 percent); and various locations throughout the U.S. (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2018. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,194,706 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded amodification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-13-C-0021) to exercise an option for two V-22 Block A to B (50/60 series) upgrade retrofit kits. Work will be performed in Cherry Point, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed in October 2016. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,496,401 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded acost-plus- fixed-fee modification to a previously issued delivery order (0122) placed against a basic ordering agreement (N00019-12-G-0006) in support of the MV-22. This modification exercises an option for flight test sustainment support including test planning and execution, flight clearances, and technical reviews. Work will be performed at Patuxent River, Maryland (51.8 percent); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (26.7 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (21.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2016. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $20,809,451 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded ancost-plus- fixed-fee modification to a previously issued delivery order (0090) placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-12-G-0006. This modification to exercise options for common software support for the MV/CV-22, and training and training device support for the MV-22 aircraft. Work will be performed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (81.7 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (18.14 percent); and New River, North Carolina (0.16 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2016. Fiscal 2015 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,314,491 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Theis the contracting activity., is being awarded amodification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-14-C-0067) to exercise an option for the manufacture and delivery of 20 Lot III full-rate production P-8A aircraft for the Navy (16), and the Government of Australia (4). In addition, this option provides for efforts related to obsolescence monitoring, change assessment, and integrated baseline/program management reviews. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington (80 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (3 percent); Greenlawn, New York (2.8 percent); Cambridge, United Kingdom (1.7 percent); North Amityville, New York (1.1 percent); Rockford, Illinois (0.9 percent); Rancho Santa Margarita, California (0.7 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (0.6 percent); and various locations with the U.S. (9.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,052,571,034 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchase for the Navy ($2,052,571,034; 83 percent); and the Government of Australia ($417,011,961; 17 percent), under a cooperative agreement. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00003 to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-15-D-0001) to exercise an option for organizational, selected intermediate, and limited depot level maintenance and logistics services for aircraft assigned to the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, Fallon, Nevada. Services will be provided in support of 31 F/A-18A-F; three EA-18G; five MH-60S; 14 F-16A/B; and two E-2 C aircraft. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station, Fallon, Nevada, and is expected to be completed in January 2017. Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,417,976 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00012 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-14-D-0012) for calendar year 2016 program management, logistics, and engineering services for the governments of Switzerland, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, and Spain in support of F/A-18 A-F aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in January 2017. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $9,316,518 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for governments of Switzerland ($4,187,292; 44.95 percent); Finland ($1,763,053; 18.92 percent); Kuwait ($1,127,556; 12.10 percent); Malaysia ($1,002,289; 10.76 percent); Australia ($505,984; 5.43 percent); Canada ($372,788; 4 percent); and Spain ($357,556; 3.84 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor delivery order 5306 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0004) to incorporate Nacelles physical configuration audit support and 36 total production kits in support of the MH-53 and CH-53 in-service program. Work will be performed in Tallahassee, Alabama (90 percent); and Stratford, Connecticut (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2018. Fiscal 2014 and 2015 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,893,500 are being obligated on this award, $1,742,304 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded amodification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0031) for recurring logistics services support for F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Services to be provided include ground maintenance activities; action request resolution; depot activation activities; Automatic Logistics Information System operations and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas (35 percent); El Segundo, California (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Florida (10 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (5 percent); and Baltimore, Maryland (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed in February 2016. Fiscal 2016 operation and maintenance (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); Fiscal 2014 and 2015 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); and non-Department of Defense (DoD) funds in the amount of $61,943,088 will be obligated at time of award, of which $5,982,848 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($33,956,484; 55 percent); Marine Corps ($12,989,660; 21 percent); Navy ($9,767,503; 16 percent); and non-DoD participants ($5,229,441; 8 percent). The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor modification P00148 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable contract (N00421-09-C-0102) to exercise an option for rapid design, development, customization, fabrication, integration, test and evaluation, installation, certification, maintenance and upgrade, logistic, and life cycle support of new and/or existing communication-electronic platforms, equipment/systems and subsystems. These efforts are in support of the Naval Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Special Communications Mission Solutions Division. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (50 percent); Chesapeake, Virginia (30 percent); Lexington Park, Maryland (15 percent); and Fayetteville, North Carolina (5 percent); and is expected to be completed in July 2016. Fiscal 2016 working capital funds (Navy); and Fiscal 2016 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,237,376 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order 0002 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0057) for Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System developmental efforts for the Navy and the government of the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed in January 2017. Fiscal 2016 operation and maintenance (Navy); Fiscal 2015 other procurement (Navy); Fiscal 2016 research, development test and evaluation (Navy); as well as foreign military sales funds in the amount of $6,671,399 will be obligated at time of award, $168,254 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Navy ($7,867,057; 98.69 percent); and the United Kingdom ($104,592; 1.31 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity.
LEONARDTOWN, 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. 2, 2016)The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.1/26/2016 TRESPASS: Deputy B. Foor responded to the 22000 block of Three Notch Road in California (ABC Lounge), for the report of a subject trespassing. The suspect, Matthew Thomas Simmons, age 34, of St. Leonard, was trespassing the establishment after being served with a Do Not Trespass for disorderly conduct earlier the same day. Simmons was transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center and charged with Trespass(ing)Private Property. CASE# 4115-161/25/2016 THEFT: Deputy K. Flelage responded to the 30000 block of Mt. Wolf Road (Food Lion) in Charlotte Hall, for a theft. The suspect, Amy Marie Copsey, age 33, of Mechanicsville, attempted to leave the store without paying for merchandise. Surveillance footage revealed, a suspect matching Copseys description attempting to leave the store without paying for a cart of merchandise on January 21 and January 24, 2016. Copsey was placed under arrest and a search for contraband revealed merchandise in Copseys purse. Through joint investigation efforts, Sheriffs Office deputies discovered a previous suspect matching Copseys description leaving Bath and Body Works without paying for her merchandise. Copsey was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center. She was charged with Four Counts of Thefts Less Than $1000 and Theft Scheme Less Than $1000. CASE# 4022-161/21/2016 DOMESTIC ASSAULT: Deputy C. Ball responded to the 46000 block of Columbus Drive in Lexington Park, for the report of a domestic assault. The victim alleged the suspect, Brittany Nicole Medley, age 26, of Lexington Park, pushed and strangled the victim during an argument. The victim displayed injuries consistent with the allegations. Medley was arrested and transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center. She was charged with Second Degree Assault. CASE# 3680-161/19/2016 TRESPASS: Sergeant C. Safford observed the suspect, Willie Sheldon Miller, age 48, of Lexington Park, riding his bike through Millison Plaza. Safford confirmed Miller was previously served a notice Not to Trespass private property (Millison Plaza). Miller was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center. He was charged with Trespass(ing)Private Property. CASE# 3266-161/26/2016 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT: Deputy J. Smith responded to the 21000 block of Mattie Lane in Lexington Park, for the report of an assault. The victim alleged the suspect, Eric William Tayman, age 25, of Lexington Park, struck the victim with a motor vehicle. The victim displayed injuries consistent with the allegations. Tayman was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center. He was charged with Second Degree Assault and Reckless Endangerment. CASE# 4127-161/27/2016 ASSAULT: Corporal D. Corcoran responded to the 23000 block of Holly Hill Lane in California, for the report of an assault. The victim alleged the suspect, Alyssa Myranda Lewis, age 20, of Mechanicsville, scratched and pushed the victim. The victim displayed injuries consistent with the allegations. Lewis was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center. She was charged with Second Degree Assault. CASE# 4355-161/27/2016 TRESPASS PRIVATE PROPERTY: The suspect, Willie Sheldon Miller, age 48, of Lexington Park, was arrested for trespassing on private property (Bay District Fire Department). Previously, he was notified not to trespass by Corporal T. Snyder. He was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center. He was charged with Trespass(ing) Private Property. CASE# 4374-161/28/2016 ASSAULT: Deputy T. Seyfried responded to the St. Marys County Detention Center, for the report of an assault. The suspects, Alexander Yates Mill, age 25, of Hollywood and Travis Devon Floyd, age 28, of Lexington Park, assaulted each other during an argument. Both displayed injuries consistent with the allegations. Mill and Floyd were charged with Second Degree Assault: DOC Inmate. CASE# 4622-161/28/2016 THEFT: Deputy J. Krum responded to the 21000 block of Old Missouri Avenue (Americas Best Inn and Suites) for the report of a theft. The victim alleged the suspect, Queen Ella Champion, age 33, of Lexington Park, removed the victims money from a nightstand while cleaning the victims room. Champion was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Marys County Detention Center. She was charged with Theft Less Than $1000. CASE# 4559-16BURGLARY: Unknown suspect(s) attempted to force entry into a residence on the 28000 block of Autumnwood Drive in Mechanicsville. It appears no entry was made, and no items are missing from the residence.BURGLARY: Between 12/01/2015 and 1/15/2016, unknown suspect(s) entered a garage and stole property on the 45000 block of Locust Grove Drive in Valley Lee. CASE# 4747-16
Comptroller Peter Franchot. (Photo: MarylandReporter.com)
We are in an era of political figures engaging in speech that is extreme and inflammatory. Hoping for attention in that noisy environment, many give into the temptation to employ outlandish analogies and historical references that are wildly inappropriate. Those who do so often defend their language as not giving into political correctness, but what they really demonstrate is their own lack of appreciation of the original evil and a naked appeal to emotion rather than reason.How many times have you heard someone describe an action or policy they oppose as comparable to the Holocaust? How many times have you heard a political opponent characterized as similar to Hitler? Its always a mistake, but more and more public figures are resorting to this kind of rhetorical excess.To cite a prominent example from the current presidential contest, Marylands own Ben Carson proclaimed that the Affordable Care Act is the worst thing to happen in this country since slavery. The claim is so ridiculous and over-the-top that it just highlights how unqualified Carson is to be a candidate, much less president.Last week, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot plunged in where thoughtful people should fear to tread. Lets start with some context. Franchot is a skilled politician who has carved out a distinctive political space for himself in the state. He has morphed from a leading activist in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to a fiscal conservative who seems to feel more comfortable with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan than with members of his own party.As his supporters point out with increased frequency, Franchot was the leading vote getter in the 2014 Election. He is now in his third term and any potential opponent would face long odds running against him in 2018. One fascinating political sidebar is whether Franchot will even support the Democratic candidate for governor in the next round.For reasons only Franchot himself can explain, he has used his political standing to pick a series of fights starting in his second term and accelerating since his most recent reelection. Reasonable people can come down on either side of the issues that Franchot has chosen to champion. The problem is that the Comptroller has too often resorted to demonizing the people on the other side of the debate and questioning their motives as somehow dishonest or flawed.Its a fair question whether these crusades are truly within the normal job description of the comptroller. However, that seems like a nit-pick and not worth a lot of discussion. As a constitutional officer of the state, Franchot certainly has the right to speak out on a variety of issues as long as the basic work of the office is handled properly. Whether any particular political fight is a good use of his time and resources is a totally different matter.Currently, three items on his agenda are: pushing back the start of the school year until after Labor Day; privatizing liquor sales in Montgomery County presently under the control of county government; and pushing for installation of air conditioning in Baltimore County Public Schools.The first issue seems to be on hiatus, but you can count on Franchot returning to it at both the end and beginning of the school year. He has not had any success convincing responsible decision makers to institute the change, but he has found it to be a useful political issue.The second matter is harder than it looks for one reason. Montgomery County relies on revenues from its liquor store monopoly as part of the annual budget. Whatever case you can make for privatizing, the county would still have to figure out how to fill the budget hole. Its the exact reason that Pennsylvania has been struggling without success to make a similar switch at the statewide level.As to air conditioners in Baltimore County schools, Franchot has been using every forum he can find, including meetings of the Board of Public Works, to criticize the County, and particularly Executive Kevin Kamenetz, for not moving as quickly as he wants.There are, as I suggested earlier, arguments on both sides of this issue, but those got submerged by Franchots comments at the board meeting last Wednesday.He compared the fight for air conditioners to the situation in Flint, Michigan, where city residents have been contending with a water system contaminated by lead as the result of actions taken by state government. Complaints and appeals by Flint residents were ignored until the situation burst into public light a few months ago. Flint is facing a public health crisis and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is facing a political scandal.I dont have any problem with the comptroller advocating for air conditioners in the schools, although he has failed to acknowledge that there are legal and financial obstacles to his preferred solution. More significantly, however, his attacks on Kamenetz have every appearance of being motivated by political rivalry rather than a difference of opinion on public policy.Still, that fight is within the boundaries of normal politics. On the other hand, Franchots comparison to the Flint water crisis has the effect of trivializing lead poisoning. It shows the comptroller as lacking any sense of proportion and reason, and takes a political dispute to an absurd level.Rather than defending or rationalizing what he said, Franchot needs to back away quickly, admit that he made a mistake in his choice of words, and use his political capital in more constructive ways. His misstep on this issue is yet another example of the negative impact on public discourse of the hyperbole and name-calling that has become so widespread today.
Amidst allegations of price gouging, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has promised to take legal action against Gilead if it doesn't cut the price of its antiviral hepatitis C and HIV meds Sovaldi and Harvoni.
In a recent article on Fierce Pharma, Healey told Gilead CEO John Martin that Sovaldi's list price of $84,000 for a 12-week course ($1,000 per day), and Harvoni's $94,500 price tag "may constitute unfair trade practice" that violates state law.
Because Medicaid patients and prisoners comprise a large percent of the hep C population, this price gouging affects local governments to the tune of millions. Some states, like Texas, have refused to pay for the drugs altogether.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called on the FDA to break the California-based company's patent and allow generic hep C drugs. But Healey is the first state attorney general to suggest legal action against Gilead, contending that their pricing is keeping the drugs out of the hands of people who need it most.
The drugs' high cost essentially allows hep C "to continue spreading through vulnerable populations, as opposed to eradicating the disease altogether," Healey wrote. And that, in turn, "results in massive public harm."
Gilead maintains that its drugs are priced fairly, because they save the healthcare system much more money in the long run, by preventing liver transplants and cancer.
According to a Boston Globe article, Gilead spokeswoman Amy Flood said that it received Healey's letter and requested a meeting to discuss the issues.
"We look forward to working with [Healey's] office to address questions and concerns and ensure a mutual understanding of the work we are doing to deliver a cure for hepatitis C to as many patients as possible in Massachusetts and around the world," she said in a statement.
But Healey said that as infections for hep C have increased due to the rising national heroin epidemic, keeping the necessary medications to treat it out of people's hands has a huge impact on public health.
"This drug is priced in a way that puts it out of reach of people who need it," Healey said after addressing a breakfast meeting of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, which represents the state's drug makers. "Look, companies are entitled to recover for their costs and are entitled to reap profits. But we need to make sure these drugs are available to people."
Tibet NASA
The Ngari (Ali) prefecture of Tibet, one of the highest areas in the world, has recently emerged as a promising site for future astronomical observation.
Here we use 31 years of reanalysis data from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) to examine the astroclimatology of Ngari, using the recently-erected Ali Observatory at Shiquanhe (5~047~m above mean sea level) as the representative site. We find the percentage of photometric night, median atmospheric seeing and median precipitable water vapor (PWV) of the Shiquanhe site to be 57%, 0.8 and 2.5~mm, comparable some of the worlds best astronomical observatories.
Additional calculation supports the Shiquanhe region as one of the better sites for astronomical observations over the Tibetan Plateau. Based on the studies taken at comparable environment at Atacama, extraordinary observing condition may be possible at the few vehicle-accessible 6~000~m heights in the Shiquanhe region. Such possibility should be thoroughly investigated in future.
Quan-Zhi Ye, Meng Su, Hong Li, Xinmin Zhang
(Submitted on 3 Dec 2015)
Comments: MNRAS Letters in press
Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
Cite as: arXiv:1512.01099 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:1512.01099v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)
Submission history
From: Quan-Zhi Ye Mr
[v1] Thu, 3 Dec 2015 14:53:40 GMT (145kb)
http://arxiv.org/abs/1512.01099
STAND-UP comedy is a genre with a strong tradition elsewhere, but has only recently come to Slovakia. Thus, it seems to make sense to offer this type of show in English.
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After an attempt a few years ago, however, there was silence. Beginning in 2016, the Slovak stand-up comedy team Silne reci organised an International Edition in English, mixing Slovak and foreign comedians.
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The idea has been here for a while, organiser of Silne reci Jan Gordulic said for the Slovak Spectator. But who helped make it reality was our Iranian colleague Siavash from the Bratislava expat community. People flocked to the club [Nu Spirit Club] to the performances of him and his sister, and sometimes one of his foreign friends who play with the idea of stand-up joined in. It started to look as if we managed to have enough comedians to put together an English show.
In the January 7 edition, the forces were balanced: three Slovaks (Gordulic, Martin Hatala and Michael Szatmary) against three foreigners (Siavash Alamaghdan Motlagh; his sister, or girlfriend, or both, as Gordulic put it, Nasi A Motlagh, and American surfer Eric Lessner). It seemed that non-native English speakers prevailed not just among performers but also among the audiences but then, this is hard to determine based on a brief enquiry among visitors.
Foreigners added new points to the hot, topical issues discussed, like how does it feel as a foreigner during the recent migration crisis, or what is Slovakia like as a guest country. Sia(vash) pointed out: When asked to sum up Slovakia in one sentence, I said that it is a country where the impossible is still impossible.
The club seemed to be packed, and Gordulic confirmed this: This was our better-standard evening. We normally sell around 170-200 tickets, and this is the case also now, the organiser-comedian said, adding that the 2-euros lower introductory price may have played its role, too.
The next Silne reci International Edition will be on February 4 at the same location, Nu Spirit Club in Bratislava, with the goal of continuing it regularly once a month, according to Gordulic.
The audience reacted in the same way as at Slovak performances the stand-up comedy genre is entertaining for them and they want to come and laugh about things people do not usually discuss aloud and openly; be it in Slovak or in English, Gordulic summed up.
MAJOLICA from Modra, golden onyx from Levice, lace from Solna Bana or Piestany mud could be included among products with protected geographical indication.
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This stems from a non-legislative resolution passed on October 6 by the European Parliament.
MEPs call for enhancing the protection, which currently includes only agricultural products, to more local products. This step should support local products and local economies, tourism and consumer trust, in addition to the protection of cultural heritage and traditional know-how, the EP representation in Slovakia informed.
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I welcome the wide parliamentary support for the call for better protection of local know-how, MEP rapporteur Virginie Roziere said. Now, it is up to the European Commission to develop this idea and I hope that soon within the strategy of internal market, such a [legislative] proposal will come. The resolution was approved by the EP with 608 votes for, 43 against and 43 abstaining from the vote.
Previously, the proposal had been approved by the MEPs of the Committee for Legal Issues of the EP (JURI), press attache of the EP office in Slovakia, Sona Mellak, informed the SITA newswire.
The EP has identified, according to Mellak, more than 800 products that a new list could help; in Slovakia, this could concern golden onyx from Levice, lace from Solna Bana, Majolica from Modra, Slovak magnesite and Piestany mud. In the European Union, more than 3,000 geographical indications have been registered: for wine, alcohol or foodstuffs.
The EU-wide system of protection for geographical indications could have, as part of efforts to preserve cultural heritage and traditional know-how, a huge economic potential which mainly small and medium-sized businesses and individual regions could benefit from, according to MEPs. These products could also receive the same protection beyond EU borders, within negotiations on bilateral and multilateral trade deals of the EU with third countries. The system would offer consumers reliable information about product origins and production processes used, while removing misunderstandings caused by tricky names or descriptions, thus further enabling a better informed decision. The fight against forging and fraudulent use of geographical origin names could be also made more effective.
AT THE Agrokomplex 2015 agricultural fair in Nitra, visitors were able to watch the milking of a new Slovak breed, Slovenska dojna ovca Slovak Milk Sheep.
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So far, this is a synthetic population with a very good milking yield and fertility. Especially the milk production is much higher than in the traditional breeds: cigaja, zoslachtena valaska, the TASR newswire wrote.
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Milan Margetin of Research Institute for Animal Production Nitra likened the conception of a new breed to a long-distance run.
We started the fundaments of slovenska dojna in 1994; with the initial crossbreeds of the lacaune breed with elementary Slovak breed, he said. Since then, initial breeding-experimental breeding has started, when in the first phase, crossbreeds with various genetic shares of refining breeds were created. Currently, researchers are in the second phase, in which they make the next generation based on pedigree breeding. They cross-bred rams of Slovenska dojna with slovenska dojna ewes, and by August 2015, they were in the final stage of creating this new breed.
SOME of the communist-era products, especially food products, have become legendary.
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This goes also for the Morca-della can, a sauce meant for pasta, which was commissioned by the regime and created after years of experiments.
We are glad that our product played also in the US series Gossip Girl as one of the symbols of the former Czechoslovakia, marketing analyst of the producer, Tatrakon company, Miroslava Stykova, said as quoted by the Hospodarske noviny daily.
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Its beginnings date back to 1985 after it was developed for many years by the Frucona Kosice company. After many experiments and trials the ingredients were finalised: pork, soya, onions, tomato puree, sugar, salt and a mix of spices.
Success came quickly; and especially during vacation time, demand soared as people used to take the cans of Morca-della with them camping, a popular and typical style of holiday-making in communist times. Thus, the factory had to increase production by up to 40 percent during summer.
The meat-soya sauce became the flagship of the company and it also helped to manage the transition to a capitalist market, which was even more turbulent among the canning industry than in others.
Monopolistic business interests and state intervention prevent investment in renewable energy sources, improved efficiency and smart grid technology. They block the country from accessing free money that would make energy cheaper, cleaner and more efficient.
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WHEN the European Union was setting long term climate and energy policy 2014 the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) banded together in an effort to protect their manufacturing based economies.
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This made sense. Traditional industry is more energy intensive than other economic sectors and accounts for a much larger share of the CEE economies. In Brussels, a compromise was reached, and among other things certain goals were set for the EU as a whole rather than individual countries. Another provision saw the richer Western European states agree to help finance upgrades to energy infrastructure in CEE.
This seemed a fair deal that allowed the EU to move progressively to combat climate change without damaging the CEE economies, and it is also the best example of the newer CEE member states directly influencing major EU policy. Unfortunately, as a new report by CEE Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth reveals, CEE leaders are doing very little to take advantage of this opportunity to modernise their energy mix and economies.
Some 351 billion has been earmarked from various EU funding mechanisms to improve efficiency, alternative resources and cleaner use of traditional fuels. But regional governments are amazingly uninterested in using this money. The report concludes that the potential of the EU funds to catalyse the clean energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe from 2014 to 2020 remains largely untapped. As of now, less than 10 percent of the money put aside will be spent.
The section on Slovakia, which remains dependent on imported fossil fuels, is interesting reading. Any system change in the energy economy would require liberalisation and decentralisation which is in conflict with the interests of the largely monopolistic ownership structure of Slovakias energy sector, it reads. Though government documents regularly mention sustainable development, when opportunities arise to translate this into spending strategy and setup of investment measures, it is obvious that it is either not understood or purposefully neglected.
To summarise, monopolistic business interests and state intervention prevent investment in renewable energy sources, improved efficiency and smart grid technology. They block the country from modernising and from accessing free money that would make energy cheaper, cleaner and more efficient.
The other V4 countries dont fair much better in the report. The Czech Republic is criticised for little coordination and inappropriate planning and monitoring, so much so that, the transition to a low-carbon economy from EU funds [is] unattainable. Poland is trying to use the EU funds to help sustain, and not to transform, the current coal-based economy. In Hungary, funding from other sources like Russia is likely to reverse this development and lock the country into unsustainable energy production and consumption patterns.
The CEE managed to protect its manufacturing sector during the 2014 negotiations in Brussels, but why arent the governments interested in making their industry cleaner, efficient and more modern with free money?
Integrated service point opened in the old building of Ikea in Bratislava; yet office where foreigners can request residence permits remains at its old location in Petrzalka.
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A NEW client centre that was opened on Tomasikova street in Bratislava on February 1 should make dealing with authorities easier for citizens.
The contact point is similar to those that have emerged around Slovakia as part of the ESO reform of public administration, a flagship reform of the Interior Ministry in the current election term.
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The centre handles the agenda of state citizenship, trade licenses, issuing IDs and drivers licenses and verification of documents and signatures among other functions.
Located in the former Ikea store building, it houses offices previously scattered among 10 different addresses in Bratislava, the Interior Ministry informed. This includes the Transport Inspectorate, which issues car plates and car registrations and was previously located on Kopcianska street in Bratislava.
Residence permits still issued in Petrzalka
Bratislavas department of the Office of Border and Alien Police, which handles applications for residence and work permits for foreigners living in Slovakia, and which in the past has also been repeatedly reported as being located inconveniently and having insufficient capacities, has not moved to the client centre and remains at its location in Bratislavas Petrzalka district.
The client centre thus brings no change to migration-related services. The authorities, however, expect improvement after the office moves to a new location in Bratislava, which they say is likely to happen sometime in 2016.
The current auspices of the department in Petrzalka have been reconstructed and a new section was opened for the public in 2013, which has shortened the long waiting times the department has been notorious for.
Another one of the most often repeated complaints about the department is the lacking English language skills of the officers dealing with immigrants. Some also complain about the officers not going through all of the documentation an applicant brings to submit with his or her application, and thus not spotting all the errors in the documentation, inevitably requiring several separate trips to the department.
Management of the department, however, advises clients that they insist on the officer dealing with their application to go through all the documents they bring and point out all the mistakes, so the applicant can correct the documentation before their next visit to the department. If the officer fails to do so, clients are advised to report the failure to the Office for Border and Alien Police.
THOUGH Google is the biggest internet ad provider in the country, it pays taxes from only a portion of its revenues in Slovakia.
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The estimates indicate that Google earns tens of millions of euros on advertising. Slovakia, however, does not see the money flowing into its coffers as the cashflow goes to the Irish subsidiary of the company, the Hospodarske Noviny daily reported on February 1.
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The reason is that the company offers only additional services via its Slovak branch, such as data management, and not advertising. Google Slovakia reported its revenues in 2014 of only 1.9 million, while its untaxed profit amounted to more than 140,000. The company paid 65,000 in taxes, as reported by Hospodarske Noviny.
Head of Google Slovakia Rasto Kulich did not answer questions concerning taxes, and recommended the daily to turn to the Irish headquarters.
Slovakia joined the initiative of automatic exchange of tax information via which the possibilities of undesirable tax optimisation of international companies are minimised, State Secretary of the Finance Ministry Radko Kuruc told Hospodarske Noviny.
Moreover, the European Union adopted a package of measures against tax evasion and fraud, he added.
The fact remains, however, that taxation of Googles revenues is a hot topic across Europe. The British government, for example, agreed with the firm that it will pay nearly 180 million in additional taxes, Hospodarske Noviny reported.
SLOVAK Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak presented humanitarian assistance worth 42,400 in Kiev, Ukraine.
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Were seeking to help actual people who are suffering, as the situation in Ukraine is complicated, Lajcak said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. We mustnt lose sight of ordinary people even in national politics, let alone children whove lost their parents as a result of the conflict.
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As part of the package a symbolic cheque worth 25,000 was handed over to the chairperson of the Ukraine Slovakia SOS charity Hana Svacka. The organisation will use the funds for two childrens homes, and to build a playground and buy furniture and hygienic aids.
Two health care facilities in Uzhgorod, near the Slovak border, are also to benefit from the Slovak assistance. Head of a regional hospital for infectious diseases Mikhail Polyak received a grant worth 8,700 that is to be used to buy a high-tech diagnostic tool called the elisa analyser used in detecting infectious diseases, TASR wrote.
Meanwhile, head of the citys obstetrics clinic Oleg Onopko was presented a cheque for 8,700. The funds will buy medical equipment used in dealing with high-risk pregnancies and to look after prematurely born babies.
Apart from granting aid worth close to 3 million to Ukraine since 2014, Slovakia has also received over 140 Ukrainians for rehabilitation programmes in an effort to help them recover from their mostly mental ailments caused by the conflict there, as reported by TASR.
Lajcak meanwhile met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Parliamentary Chairman Volodymyr Groysman. After the meeting, he said that the current situation in Ukraine is fertile ground for populists, as it is much easier to criticise a government than support it. As a result, it is complicated to adopt difficult reform laws against such a backdrop.
A great deal of attention at the talks was paid to the Minsk peace process and the need to fulfil it. Lajcak deemed this to be a delicate matter, as it requires the adoption of difficult laws.
Its apparent that both sides are waiting for each other, said the Slovak official, as quoted by TASR.
Lajcak and Yatsenyuk also touched on energy, with the former noting that Ukraine views the Nord Stream 2 project very sensitively and has a negative outlook on it, because its damaging for the country both in political and economic terms.
Despite the fact that many other issues are now on the front burner in Slovakia, Slovakia is keeping tabs on developments in Ukraine on a daily basis, said Lajcak.
Its important for us to make sure Ukraine doesnt vanish from the agenda of talks at European forums, he added, as quoted by TASR.
SLOVAK Alexander Simon had the chance to experience what it is like to travel alone in a plane for the price of an economy-class ticket.
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A 28-year-old blogger, who currently lives in the Austrian village of Ischgl, was the only passenger in the plane of Philippine Airlines which travelled from Manila to exotic island Bocaray, British Daily Mail reported.
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When I arrived in the airport, I heard from a speaker: Sir Alexander Simon, please come to the information, Simon told British Daily Mail. So the lady explained to me that I dont need to wait two more hours for my connecting flight, were gonna start in 30 minutes because there are no more passengers except me. I was little bit surprised and I couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming.
The flight he took is usually packed, so Simon was quite lucky, said the flight attendant.
It was an unforgettable feeling to take a flight to the one of the most beautiful islands of the world, but to be alone and feel like a superstar it made it more special, Simon told Daily Mail. I just had luck, I think, that no one else was interested on this day to fly to paradise.
He posted a three-and-a-half minute video on his YouTube channel last February, but it went viral only this week after being shared by websites such as Digg, the daily wrote.
THE MOST commonly used illegal drug in Slovakia is marijuana, followed by methamphetamine and cocaine.
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Marijuana is also the most frequently used illegal drug in Europe. When grown indoors, its producers can harvest it up to four times a year, said Tomas Jakabovic from the National Anti-drug unit of the National Criminal Agency.
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On the other hand, the occurrence of hashish is rather rare, as its use in Slovakia does not have a tradition, as reported by the TASR newswire.
The second most commonly used drug in Slovakia is methamphetamine.
As a matter of fact, meth is almost a cultural feature in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Jakabovic said, as quoted by TASR.
Third place is occupied by cocaine, which is commonly known as a drug of the rich and therefore it is much more expensive.
Though heroin use is on the decline in recent years, there are new psychoactive and synthetic substitutes coming to the Slovak market.
These substances have been here for only a few years, Jakabovic said, as quoted by TASR. Its a risk that mainly young people have to be warned about.
He however failed to specify the names of such substances. It is not possible to put some of these substances on the banned list, which complicates the issue, while some substances have legitimate uses either in the chemical or pharmaceutical sectors, Jakabovic added.
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Son, this coffee is raw. This is a cupping roast, not suitable to drink.
Luiz Gabriel Pereira Villela, owner of Pereira Villela specialty coffee micro-roastery in the south of Minas Gerais, grew up hearing his mothers censure. Try as he might, through artifice and example to show her the world of specialty coffee, she always went back to a good old sugary over-roasted coffee concoction brewed in a cloth straineras taken in most Brazilian coffee farms. But Villela did not give up: his mothers taste in coffee is common here, but today the scene in Itajubathe Minas Gerais southern city thats home to Pereira Villelas roasting companyis changing. Customers come to the cafe, listen to him talk about preparation methods, and take some of it home with no apologies. Most of them will return to get some more. Villela has become like a Pied Piper for drinking quality coffee in this part of Brazil, faithfully leading the locals toward the glory that is their birthright: beautiful cups of coffee from the land they call home.
Itajuba is located at the southeastern border of Minas Gerais, Brazils largest coffee producer state, and just an hour drive away from Carmo de Minas, the star coffee-producing town in the Mantiqueira de Minas micro-region. As is the case in many producing regions, from Minas to Nyeri, the locals are not accustomed to drinking high-quality coffee at home. Most of it ends up being exported or sold to Brazilian big cities. Villela has been trying to change that, andthankfullyhes succeeding.
The Pereira Villela family comes from the Carmo de Minas region, too. Thirty years ago, when they inherited the Sao Jorge, Sao Jose, and Sao Bento farms, virtually no one was talking about quality coffee in the region. Luiz Villelas father, Leofabio Junqueira Villela, saw quality improve when they decided to invest in a de-pulping machine. From there, the beans from all the three farms began to shine in competitions and Luiz Villela saw his passion for coffee grow more.
Villela started roasting in 1988, when his father bought a commercial roastery plant in Itajuba. He took courses to improve his craft, and also oriented his father and brother to improve production methods on the farms, so that the coffee produced would yield a better cup. In 2007, he finally opened his own coffee shop, in partnership with his sister. At the time, they had a humble Saeco espresso machinehe told me, blushing. Soon after they invested in a La Spaziale S5, and then finally bought the La Marzocco FB80 with which he proudly works today. In 2013, Villela took the bold decision to open a tiny establishment, separated from the original coffee shop, solely dedicated to coffee. The only one behind the counter is him, juggling between roasting, brewing, and cleaning.
I ask him if he might not feel the need to have a helper, and he says he prefers to work alone: that way he can ensure everything is according to his standards. In the end, he jokes, he also gets really jealous over his machinery. The micro-roastery does not sell anything but coffee: beans to-go, espresso, or brewed in the V60, Chemex, or AeroPress. Most of the coffees he roasts in his Probatino have travelled less than an hour to get there, straight from Carmo de Minas co-op.
Villelas coffee shop is distinctive. Besides the fact that he is the owner, the producer, head roaster, and barista, one can stumble upon several producers across the counterover a macchiato, I had the pleasure of meeting Luciano Jose Braga, owner of Sitio da Pedra, one of Villelas coffee suppliers. When Braga saw that I had ordered a double machiatto, he ordered the same to Villela. He found the taste to be good, very fillingit was the first time he had tried one. Villela tells me later he prefers to source from small holders, like Braga, who ultimately make a true effort to produce better beans. Many of them wont sell their green coffee without first bringing it over for Villela to cup. He has purchasing priority.
When he first opened the micro-roastery, Villela would roast all day on his Probatino without many interruptions or customers coming by. Today, he cant anymore: loyal customers and newcomers will pop up throughout the day, so he has been coming in earlier and earlier to devote himself solely to roasting in the morning hours. Some of his coffees are already being served in Brasilia and Sao Paulo, and hes recently launched an online shop.
Villela is happy this way, with a modest setup and a close relationship with customers and producers. He says he does not know how to do anything else other than work with coffee, so he could not be in a better place. Score one for the good people of Itajuba.
Juliana Ganan is a Brazilian coffee professional and journalist. Read more Juliana Ganan on Sprudge.
Photos by Svein Wisnaes, used with permission.
Interviewed by Sputnik Arabic , Maj-Gen. Mousa, a professor of Strategy & National Security at the Nasser Military Academy in Cairo, complained that despite the fact that the US-led military effort against Daesh is now in its second year, the terrorist group "has only expanded and reinforced its existence in Iraq and Syria, and [spread] beyond these countries until it reached Libya precisely, to the city of Sirte."
"Sirte," the expert noted, "has the conditions and atmosphere which suits terrorists who come from all over the world." The city is located between the territories of Libya's two rival governments one based in the city of Tobruk, which is internationally backed, and the other in Tripoli.
Warning that the terrorism which reached France and other European countries "will reach the United States too," Mousa suggested that Daesh's spread can be attributed to Washington's "selective policy" in dealing with terrorism in the Middle East, "which serves its own interests and goals in the region," rather than the objective goal of mercilessly rooting out and crushing terrorism.
Over two decades ago, Bill Murray gave a whole new meaning to the words Groundhog Day, and it looks like Britains Sky Comedy decided to take the repetitious celebration to a whole new level, screening the legendary film 13 consecutive times. Whos up for the challenge?
Phil won't see his shadow. He's inside, watching Bill Murray over& over&over. #GroundhogDay pic.twitter.com/kNy38DgfeH Sandra Boynton (@SandyBoynton) February 2, 2016
Sadly, in Winnipeg, Canada Groundhog Day was cancelled as the local prognosticator Willow passed away just days before, on January 29. Locals and the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre staff remember her fondly as an adorable animal and a great carrot-lover, but some are somewhat worried about such an omen for the weather.
We are in complete shock and sadness with tears coming down our face to announce the passing of Winnipeg Willow this evening. She was acting her normal self this morning and eating a carrot but came in this evening to find her gone, Centre staff wrote on Facebook
On Monday Su Xiaohui of the China Institute of International Studies condemned what the US calls 'Freedom of Navigation' operations in the region. The US asserts that it has the right of navigation and flight there.
Xiaohui listed a string of grievances, beginning with the "widespread propaganda," which "paved the way for the incursion."
"For months, the US media have been hyping up the South China Sea issue. During his recent visit to Asia, the US Secretary of State instigated ASEAN countries to unite against China on the issue."
Xiaohui called the maneuver a "provocation" that was "deliberately timed." She sought to contrast the "aggressive manner of the US" with the restrained reaction of Chinese troops and navy vessels stationed on the islands, who responded with a vocal warning to the US Navy's presence.
"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 US military only stated that the vessel 'entered' relevant waters without providing further details, leaving room for the audience to imagine the 'magnificence' of the US military, which in fact was a hasty passing through."
"The US should bear in mind that China has never been afraid of 'paper tigers.' Courtesy calls for reciprocity. The US should be a friend, not a rival of China."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)The company's director general, Alexander Shcherbinin, said late last month that three remaining Mi-17V-5 Hip helicopters were due to be delivered to India "in the near future."
"The holding company delivered the final batch of helicopters to India under the signed contract. India received 151 Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters manufactured in the Kazan Helicopter Plant through Rosoboronexport," the press service said.
Rosoboronexport, Russia's state arms exporter, struck a deal to deliver 80 Mi-17V-5s to India in 2008. Four years later, the sides added three supplements to the initial agreement to deliver 71 more helicopters before the end of 2015.
EU Police Chief Brian Donald made the figure public on Monday, suggesting that the estimate is conservative. Donald said that the figure is based on police reports, as well as government and NGO information in the EU. The assessment covers a period of approximately 12 to 18 months to the present, or since the beginning of the current migrant crisis in Europe
In Sweden, a popular destination for asylum seekers, roughly 1,900 of the 55,000 of unaccompanied children that applied for refuge in recent years have been confirmed missing, according to statistics provided by the Swedish Migration Agency. Authorities have confessed that they have very little information on the fate of these children.
Donald pointed out that authorities are concerned that the missing children may end up in the hands of organized criminal groups operating in the EU.
Speaking from Ethiopia, head researcher Hans Bauer told Sputnik that the discovery was a huge surprise for the team.
"[I was] not confident at all I thought all lion populations would have been reported by now and was skeptical about the few unconfirmed rumors."
The Oxford team has estimated that there are somewhere between 100 and 200 lions in the Alatash National Park and the adjacent Dinder National Park in neighboring Sudan.
Despite the optimism associated with the discovery, Mr Bauer said it isn't likely that other hidden lion populations will be found in the future.
"I'm afraid this is a very rare occasion, probably the last I would be surprised if another undocumented lion population shows up anywhere. There was a single individual lion in Gabon last year, but that is dispersal, that can always happen and is very different. This finding is exceptional," Bauer told Sputnik.
"We have a habit of deleting populations from the distribution map, this is the first time I'm adding one. I don't know how significant it is, but it is certainly extremely satisfying," he added.
"One new small population does not alter the fact that declines in numbers of lions across Africa are worrisome, but for at least one day we should celebrate."
Lion Preservation: 'There Is No Silver Bullet'
The dark web ranges from social media sites to secretive corners of encrypted cyberspace. Encryption is a way of keeping date secure; a secret key or password is needed in order to decrypt it.
It's also how Internet, communications and businesses store personal information.
The British government want to pass a law to make it possible to request a warrant to force companies to allow agencies and authorities access to private encrypted data to catch potential terrorists.
Dubbed the Snoopers' Charter, the Investigatory Powers Bill will force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to store information on every website visited by a potential terror suspect for a year, allowing security agencies to intercept and bulk collect swathes of private communications data. If passed, the Bill risks compromising everyone's right to privacy.
According to an abstract written by Moore and Rid, ahead of the publication of their essay on the dark web: "Encryption policy is becoming a crucial test of the values of liberal democracy in the twenty-first century.
"The trigger is a dilemma: the power of ciphers protects citizens when they read, bank and shop online and the power of ciphers protects foreign spies, terrorists and criminals when they pry, plot and steal. Encryption bears directly on today's two top threats, militant extremism and computer-network breaches yet it enables prosperity and privacy," the abstract states.
The academics ask whether "the state limit and regulate the fast-growing use of cryptography?" and "if so, how?"
Mariarosaria Taddeo, computer ethics expert at Oxford University recently explained to Sputnik that encryption "is the most efficient way of ensuring privacy."
"It's a tool to protect your rights as citizens, yet also for criminals to hide. The government needs to strike a balance," Taddeo told Sputnik.
Last Wednesday Portuguese historian and writer Jose Milhazes presented his new book on Russia: "Russia and Europe: Part of the Whole", where he attempted to convey to Portuguese readers the history of relations between Russia and Europe since the ninth century to the twenty-first century.
The writer, who has a doctorate degree from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto and has been studying the History of Russia at Moscow State University, acknowledged that European diplomacy is often at fault due to its own convictions, and has a great deal still to learn.
European diplomats come to Russia in order to impose their own standards, which can potentially lead to disastrous consequences.
Independence
Patrick Minford, Professor of Applied Economics at Cardiff Business School told Sputnik that he's not surprised by the rise in Euroskeptic sentiment, saying there are many reasons why ordinary Britons would be leaning towards a Brexit.
He said that chief among those concerns is the perceived lack of transparency and erosion of national sovereignty associated with the EU.
"The point is that the EU has developed in ways that we never expected. It has become a very centralized, top-down organization with no real ability to change what it decides. People in the UK are a small, outnumbered group in the EU. What's happened is that they've lost the ability to government themselves by stealth. This thing [the EU] has grown and grown until suddenly we discover we're part of something that's like the Austro-Hungarian Empire."
Professor Minford says the issue of independence and being able to elect and dismiss governments is something that runs deep in the British psyche, and something he believes is at odds with the current EU set-up, particularly in regards to issues like immigration.
"I think they [the British people] want self-government, this has always been what British people have wanted. They don't like being bossed around by people that they can't get rid of that's the main thing."
Ideology
This push for independence taps into a larger national ideology about how Britain views its relationship with the rest of Europe, professor Minford says.
With a clear objective to have an agreement on #UKinEU of all 28 at the February #EUCO https://t.co/VyFPqtgLSX EU Council Press (@EUCouncilPress) February 2, 2016
He argues that unlike pro-EU political movements, which share popular public sentiment in some countries, the British establishment has by and large resisted the push for an "ever closer union" with many calling for the EU to revert back to an open market trade area rather than an ever closer political union.
As a result of this fundamental difference in ideology, professor Minford believes the only way to satisfy the British public is to leave the EU and negotiate a new form of arrangement with the bloc.
"We need to get out of the EU and completely change the relationship with Europe because the relationship with Europe is completely wrong for us. It might be right for other people but it's not right for us because we've lost our self-government and this is something that British people feel very strongly about," professor Minford told Sputnik.
Economy
The impact on Britain's economy has been one of the major points of discussion from politicians, think tanks and businesses throughout the Brexit debate, with both sides putting forward their arguments.
While pro-EU campaigners have argued that leaving the bloc would be an economic disaster, professor Minford disagrees, writing in his latest book 'Should Britain Leave the EU?' that the UK would flourish outside the bloc without being tied to Brussels.
Tonight, we're launching a new edition of a book by Patrick Minford Should Britain Leave the EU? More info here: https://t.co/pLus5vnJsw IEA (@iealondon) February 2, 2016
"People are saying that we've got to be in the EU because of reasons of economics, but what my book shows is that economics goes the other way. We're much better off outside from an economic point of view and what we need to do is renegotiate a relationship with the EU so that we're outside and have a bilateral treaty so we regain our sovereignty and we do things together that are done together and we do the other stuff separately," professor Minford told Sputnik.
Now that a set of proposals are set to be discussed among European leaders, debate over a possible Brexit is set to continue in the UK, and Minford believes the British public will vote to leave the bloc and radically change Britain's relationship with the rest of Europe.
"It won't be a Brexit it will be 'Bre-set.' We need to reset this relationship between a mature democracy and this attempted Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is of course beset by crisis. We will have a relationship with it that respects all of our mutual interests. But this business of them trying to run us from Berlin and Brussels is just going to have to stop. I think we're going to vote out and we're going to have a new treaty."
According to Rzeczpospolita, the three most serious shortcomings of Polish membership in the EU listed by respondents include the imposition of unwanted EU legislation, unequal treatment of member states when it comes to agricultural subsidies (Western European states have the right to more funding), and the sense that the EU views Poland as a pool of cheap labor.
41% of Poles believe that EU decisions which affect Poland decisions like whether to accept migrants or issues of climate change, must first be discussed in the country, and only then be debated at the EU level.
Moreover, die-hard supporters of the ruling Right and Justice Party (PiS) and the Eurosceptic KORWiN Party believe that issues affecting only Poland must be decided in Poland, without the need to pay any heed to Brussels. 19% of respondents proposed such an approach.
Asked what they like best about the EU, IBRiS polling found that first and foremost, Poles appreciate the open borders between European governments "the freedom of movement which is becoming more and more at risk in connection to the migrant crisis," Rzeczpospolita commented. Other positives include EU funding and subsidies, and the ability to get an education abroad.
For his part, the political scientist notes, King Salman's maneuver may come down to the fact that after Nayef becomes king, the title of deputy crown prince may be abolished altogether, and Prince Salman may not get his chance to rule. After all, the title of 'deputy crown prince' "had never been part of Saudi Arabia's monarchical power structure, and was only established by the last king, the elderly Abdullah, who died a few months later, in January 2015."
Meanwhile, the country's powerful Succession Council is rumored to be split, with "its members, the elderly princes and the King's closest relatives, too conservative in their views to agree on a new system of succession to the throne, although some of them did agree with the idea 'for the good of the cause'."
"But here what is needed is unanimity, or at least an absolute majority, and not a fifty-fifty split. In these circumstances, rumors have begun to spread in Riyadh among the upper echelons of power on the possibility of a coup d'etat by means of the monarch's abdication and self-appointment to the position of the 'Father of the King', followed by the appointment of his son, Prince Mohammed Salman, to the throne, without the Succession Council's approval. What's more, this change of power is meant to occur before the end of February."
"Of course," the political scientist notes, "the costs of such an option are clear and undesirable for the Saudi dynasty, but the alternative could be the beginning of the disintegration of the Kingdom, which is again facing unrest from the Shiite minority, and no money is to be found in the treasury due to a long run of low oil prices."
Things are bad, Orlov notes, "and have reached the point where preparations are being made to remove oil minister Ali al-Naimi, who is being prepared for the role of a 'scapegoat'."
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The conference will gather world leaders in London on Thursday in an attempt to draw attention to the plight of the Syrian people and to raise some $2.2 billion to neighboring countries affected by the refugee crisis.
"The psyche of the Jordanian people, I think it's gotten to boiling point. It hurt us when it comes to the educational system, our healthcare. Sooner or later, I think the dam is going to burst," the king told BBC in an interview.
According to Abdullah, the European countries would face more difficulties in dealing with the refugee crisis if they do not help Jordan, as the kingdom might be unable to accept any more Syrians.
Unfortunately, at present, the issue of the illegal seizure, transport and sale of oil and gas resources to third countries from so-called 'failed states' faces "a double difficulty from the point of view of international law."
"Firstly, the term 'failed state' remains controversial, and there is no coherent and generally recognized international legal doctrine in relation to such a state. Secondly, Daesh (the 'Islamic State'), despite its name, is not a state actor, but a terrorist organization, whose actions in the course of an armed conflict are not governed by the rules of international law."
With regard to Daesh's operations in Syria, Kasaev recalls that in the strict legal sense, what is going simply amounts to "an illegal seizure of a part of the territory of a state whose oil and gas fields are owned by the state (Article 14 of the Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic)."
What's more, in contrast to Article 55 of the 1907 Hague Convention (IV) Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and Its Annex, which notes that occupying states have the right to administer and use the resources of occupied territories, "in the case of Daesh, it is a matter of the annexation of a territory by a terrorist organization, which is not a subject of international law and which does not comply with the laws of war."
Therefore, the analyst notes, "it can be concluded that Daesh controls, produces and exports the production of Syrian oil fields completely illegally. However, it is worth once again drawing attention to the fact that this issue is not specified within existing international legal doctrine."
Four Mechanisms to Address Illegal Oil Smuggling
In the present situation, Kasaev suggests, there are four concrete international legal mechanisms which could help to definitively address the illegal smuggling of oil resources.
"First: It is no secret that Daesh concludes deals to sell oil and oil products from occupied territories in Syria with independent foreign traders (deals are done right near the wells themselves!). It is therefore necessary to approve of strict international legal rules which would prescribe punishment for both public and private sellers, commensurate with the scale of the offense."
"The second issue," according to the analyst, "is connected to the amount of oil and oil products supplied. For example, oil from Iraq to Turkey is sold under a bilateral treaty between the two countries. However, due to a strong element of corruption, which allows for contraband supplies to be exported to the Turkish market in addition to legal supplies, more oil finds its way to Turkey than the contract allows for. A similar scenario is now playing out in Syria."
"It seems, therefore, that it would be appropriate to establish a specialized international agency, accountable to the United Nations (and not to regional organizations such as OPEC or OAPEC), given the strong risk for corruption at the regional level. The main goal of the organization would be to control the volumes of oil and oil products moving from Syria to foreign markets. Moreover, the agency could ensure that everything on the domestic market in Syria was there legally as well."
Airborne IRBIS Radar
The Su-35 radar system can detect targets at distances of up to 400 kilometers, as well as track aerial targets and engage up to eight of these targets simultaneously.
Sukhoi Su-35S owes these capabilities to its new Irbis phased-array radar control system.
The state-of-the-art system enables the Sukhoi Su-35S to quickly detect and simultaneously track up to four ground targets or up to 30 airborne targets, as well as engage up to eight airborne targets of the same time. Additionally, the radar control system has a friend-or-foe identification capability for aerial and maritime objects, is capable of identifying the class and type of airborne targets and can take aerial photos of the ground.
The system can be used in any weather at any time of the day, and remain effective in the face of interference, either natural or organized by the enemy electronic warfare systems.
An oscillator with peak power output of 20 kW used in the passive phased array radar makes Irbis the most powerful radar control system in the world.
This puts the Sukhoi Su-35S radar system on par with the best state-of-the-art international designs, and ahead of most US and European active and passive phased array radars.
The report recalls that the 2003 EU Security Strategy goal of creating "a ring of well-governed countries to the East of the European Union and on the borders of the Mediterranean" has not come to pass. "This has turned into a 'ring of fire' instead. The European security and peace order is contested again, and the war in Ukraine remains unresolved. From Libya to Iraq, from Mali to Afghanistan, states are failing. Conflict is increasingly becoming boundless and borderless[Moreover,] the war in Syria has turned into an unconfined regional crisis[becoming] the main driver of the global refugee crisis, [making] 2015 the year with the most refugees since the end of World War II."
"Europe," the report notes, "has so far failed to build a credible common foreign and security policy as envisaged by the Treaty of Lisbon, with institutional arrangements for decisive crisis management actions. Instead, Brussels continues to be handicapped by multiple major problems: shaky agreement on sanctions against Russia; continuing question marks surrounding Greece and the euro; the threat of 'Brexit' and of re-erected borders; and, maybe most importantly, a resurgence of illiberal right-wing nationalism and populism."
Russia: 'Unpredictable' and 'Dangerous'
Citing a ranking of the 'top 10 risks for 2016,' compiled by the New York-based think tank Eurasia Group, the report puts Russian President Vladimir Putin on a par with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a "leader of an unruly pack" of "unpredictable" leaders.
"Russia under Vladimir Putin," the report states, "has been keen to demonstrate its status as a key global player, but its economy tells a different story." Moreover, attempting to put the blame for the crises in both Ukraine and Syria on Russia's shoulders, the report complains that a "durable settlement of the Ukraine conflict envisaged a year ago has not materialized," while "in Syria, Putin has demonstrated his determination to play a role in any post-Assad Syrian arrangement, without much regard for the continuing plight of the Syrian population."
Incidentally, what the report does not get into is how exactly the Ukrainian civil war is Russia's fault. Nor is it clear how Russia's assistance to the Syrian government, which is helping to prevent the country from falling to Daesh and other radical Islamist militants, shows 'disregard' for Syrians.
In his December 2015 article for Forbes, former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Doug Bandow criticized the Pentagon's decision to beef up the US military presence in Iraq, stressing that the lessons of the Iraqi War have been forgotten.
"It is striking how quickly the lessons of the Iraq War have been forgotten. Indeed, many US officials, such as Graham and McCain, never learned them," he noted.
Bandow cited retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, US Special Forces Commander in both Afghanistan and Iraq and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, who stated clearly that both the Iraq War and the invasion of Libya were huge mistakes.
"We were too dumb. We didn't understand who we had there at that moment. When 9/11 occurred, all the emotions took over, and our response was, "Where did those bastards come from? Let's go kill them. Let's go get them." Instead of asking why they attacked us, we asked where they came from. Then we strategically marched in the wrong direction," Flynn told Der Spiegel.
Now Baghdad is reaping the fruit of Washington's decades-long Middle Eastern policies.
"Iraqi 2015 humanitarian efforts fell way short of what's needed. This year won't be easier. Millions of internally and externally displaced refugees struggle to survive, deplorably little help forthcoming," Lendman concludes.
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The battle was not easier on the Republican side. Senator Marco Rubio came third trailing close behind businessman Donald Trump with only 1.2 percent of votes between them.
Coming in second, despite being tipped to win the Iowa caucus, Trump told his supporters in Des Moines that he would still go on to secure the Republican US presidential nomination.
"I think we're going to be proclaiming victory I hope," Trump said. "We will go on to get the Republican nomination and we will go on to beat Hillary [Clinton] or Bernie [Sanders]" in the November 2016 national election.
Rubio said of his third place finish that the Republican Party would galvanize behind a moderate, young leader and will go on to defeat Clinton in the national polls.
Rubio ran well ahead of his previous mentor, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who only gained 2.8 percent of the vote and came in sixth among the Republican candidates.
One Les Candidate for Each Party
Former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley has suspended his 2016 bid for the US presidency. OMalley received 0.6 percent of the Democratic caucus vote.
OMalley served as Mayor of Baltimore in 1999-2007 before being elected Governor of Maryland, a post he quit in January, 2015.
In 2007, OMalley supported Clinton as a Democratic nominee for the 2008 US presidential election, which was eventually won by Barack Obama.
Former Arkansas Governor Republican Mike Huckabee has also withdrawn his presidential bid following the Iowa caucus. Huckabee received 1.8 percent of the caucus vote.
Huckabee was the 44th Governor of Arkansas, serving in that position from 1996 until 2007. He also served as Chairman of the US National Governors Association in 2005-2006.
In 2005, Huckabee was named one of the Time magazines top five most effective governors of the United States.
Iowa Caucuses Launch Official Start of 2016 US Presidential Nomination Race
The 2016 US presidential nomination race officially kicked off on February 1 with the first in the nation Iowa caucuses where several hundred thousand Iowans voted to select the Democratic and Republican parties nominees for the US presidency.
The caucuses began on Monday at 7 p.m. Central Time (01:00 GMT Tuesday).
Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann told reporters on Monday night that a record number of Republican voters, at least 180,000, took part in the 2016 caucuses.
Democratic numbers were not tallied completely, but the Des Moines Register said all indications pointed to a "robust" turnout.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) In 2015, more than one million Syrian refugees fled to Europe. The United States accepted approximately 2,100 Syrians fleeing the ongoing civil war in that country.
"President Obama reiterated the commitment of the United States to continue to support those displaced by the violence in Syria and elsewhere in the region, as well as to help alleviate the pressures in Europe created by the unprecedented inflow of refugees," the press release stated.
Obama informed Cameron that Secretary of State John Kerry will announce at the London conference "significant new contributions" to support the relief efforts, the announcement said.
BERLIN (Sputnik)Germany expects the Syrian government to show goodwill for the ongoing talks with opposition delegates in Geneva to be effective, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Tuesday.
Glad that Geneva talks on Syria started. We now expect the regime to give positive signals like humanitarian access, the German Foreign Offices Twitter account quoted Steinmeier as saying in Rome.
The Syrian government delegation headed by Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari arrived at the Palais des Nations mid-Tuesday to meet with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Oman's Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al-Said on Tuesday exchanged views on the best way to promote peace and stability in Yemen and on upcoming Syria's Donors Conference opening, according to a statement published on the UN website.
"The Secretary-General met today with H.H. Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers of Oman. They exchanged views on the best way forward to bring peace and stability to the country [Yemen], as well as on the Syria Donors Conference opening in London tomorrow," the statement read.
Ban also welcomed Oman's contribution and support for the Yemeni talks.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry claimed that recent reports of Kiev's alleged plans to deploy troops to Syria are false, according to the Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper.
"This is fake. We cooperate with our partners in order to resolve the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, but deploying troops in the region for example, in Iraq or in Syria is out of the question," the ministrys special envoy Dmytro Kuleba said.
The outburst was prompted by an article recently published in the Independent which claimed that Ukraine has come up with plans for a potential military contribution to the ongoing campaign against Daesh in Syria. According to the newspaper, these plans were developed at the behest of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and they specifically highlight the possibility of Ukrainian troops clashing with Russian forces in Syria.
Trot Insider has learned that Standardbred breeder/owner Thomas Nooker MacNeil, from Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia, has passed away at the age of 76.
MacNeil had a career as a long-haul truck driver and had the opportunity to go to many of North Americas top tracks.
He was known for bringing used racing equipment to local horsemen in Nova
Scotia.
MacNeil had a few horses over the years with his son, Brendon. A few of the notable horses that he and Brendon had over the years were Hot Beaver and Payup
Bucko.
Information regarding visitation/funeral have not been made available at this time, but Trot Insider will update this notice with that information when it is received.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Nooker MacNeil.
The Chosen Elite
The Chosen Elite. This my expression for TPTB, "them" "they" the NWO, the international bankers, the Illuminati :- whatever you may know them as. The Chosen Elite. I prefer this expression, and will describe them as such from now on. The Chosen Elite.
Iowa is in the spotlight today, so it's time for pictures of barns.
But to save you waiting up, one important result is already in. Iowa generates a higher proportion of its electricity from wind than any other state in America ... 28.5%.
And, according to this report, this is set to rise to 40% by 2020. The industry also "employs around 7,000 people, has 12 turbine manufacturers, [and] has attracted $10 billion in capital investment" in Iowa alone.
It would be very easy for Wales, which also has a population of 3.1m, to do the same. Probably easier, because average household energy consumption in the US is about 11,700 kWh/yr compared with something like 4,600 kWh/yr here.
We are a long way behind them; in 2013, only 6.45% of our electricity was generated from wind.
Longview looked different in 1966. In particular, it was more local, said Patti Lamb, who moved to Cowlitz County that year from Hood River.
The restaurants were local. The stores were mom-and-pop stores, and the closest thing to a chain retailer was Augie Weitzs Super Valu grocery stores, she recalls.
The mill town also smelled a little different, Lamb, 61, said with a smirk. My biggest childhood memory of Longview is the smell, she said, laughing.
She lived in the area before the mills were cleaned up, but she remembers well the smelly car rides to Longview. She teased that each time she and her family passed Kalama, theyd take a nice deep breath of Longviews odor.
But there were perks to the town being centered around the mill. Everyone knew everyone, she said. It was filled with people whose families had roots that dated back to the towns founding in 1923.
She said she had trouble going through town without seeing someone you were related to or had cousins in common.
Lambs own family has Longview roots that date back to 1923. Her grandfather spent his formative years in a Chicago suburb, where his family settled after coming to America from Germany. When he turned 15, he moved West, ending up first in Idaho, where he met Lambs grandmother.
But he didnt find the success he wanted in Idaho, so in 1922 he headed for Southwest Washington.
Her grandfather set to work helping to shape the fledgling town. Based on old photographs, Lamb said her family believes her grandfather helped dig out Fowlers Slough to create Lake Sacajawea.
He helped level the building site for Long-Bells (lumber mill).
He also helped build the citys main streets, which are laid out in a spoke or wagon wheel pattern, Lamb added.
Any time Im driving down one of the core streets of the wagon wheel, I know that my grandpa worked there getting it ready for the concrete to come in.
Lamb said Longview hasnt lost its charm. She enjoys the comfort of a small town. She said even the new people moving to Longview people who dont have roots in the town are doing amazing things for the city and population in general.
Weve become more diversified, more separate, she said. Its still small town, and I still love it, but its definitely different than it was.
Lamb was raised in the home of a longshoreman. Her stepfather had union ties, and she remembers her mother shopped exclusively at union stores.
The strength of the union was a big deal, and it was quite an interesting trick for my mother to figure out how to buy groceries when the grocery clerks were on strike, she said, laughing at the memory. My stepfather absolutely refused to allow my mother to cross the picket line.
When the grocery clerks went on strike in the late 1960s, Lamb said it was difficult for her mom to shop at smaller-scale stores, which sold food at much higher prices.
That was quite the challenge for my mom to stay within the budget and honor the picket lines, she said.
Lamb said she believes the citys heyday is yet to come. Its still growing, she said, adding that the city is relatively young.
Ultimately, though, Lamb said much of her satisfaction with the city comes from knowing her relatives helped build and shape it.
Its a little bit of family pride to be part of a town that my grandfather helped build.
Man hit by car The Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office Sunday morning responded to the report of a man hit by a car at the 200 block Horseshoe Bend Estates Road near Castle Rock. The woman driving the car and the male victim had reportedly been in a dispute before she started off, carrying him for a few feet before he fell off the vehicle. The man refused medical aid and no arrest was reported.
Too much fun Kalama police Sunday were dispatched to the 700 block of Military Road for what sounded like a loud dispute. However, the residents said they were just celebrating receiving an advance on their income tax refund and were just having too loud of a good time, according to dispatch.
Possessing stolen property Longview police Sunday arrested Timothy Wayne Repp, 26, of Longview on suspicion of possession of stolen property and a stolen vehicle.
Drugs Longview police Sunday arrested James Ray Haines, 47, of Vancouver on suspicion of a drug charge, driving while intoxicated, driving with a suspended license and an ignition interlock violation.
Criminal impersonation The Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office Sunday arrested Jamaal Rashad Dacus, 28, of Kelso on suspicion of criminal impersonation and failure to appear warrants.
Another drug charge The Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office Sunday arrested Daryl Leroy Meindl Jr. on suspicion of a drug charge and failure to appear.
Burglaries
100 block Regal Lane, Kelso. Sunday.
1000 block of 11th Avenue, Longview. Sunday. Big-screen Panasonic TV.
Vandalism
2000 block of Sunrise Street, Kelso. Sunday. House egged.
300 block of 28th Avenue, Longview. Sunday. Window damaged.
Stolen vehicles
600 block of 17th Avenue, Longview. Sunday. Black Honda with broken-out back window, WA AXJ2028.
100 block of Pekin Road, Woodland. Sunday. Black 1995 Honda Accord four-door with tinted windows and a rear spoiler, WA AIF4287.
Between January 2003 and September 2006, out of 138 letters to the editor that I sent to the Financial Times before I placed them on this blog they published these 15 . Not bad! Thank you FT!Unfortunately, since then and until the very last day of the decade, out of some 1.000 letters that you can find here, FT published none, zero, zilch. Of course FT is under no obligation whatsoever to publish any of my letters and of course one should not exclude the possibilities that my letters might have quite dramatically gone from bad to worse yet one wonders.My usual suspects are:1. Someone in FT with a delicate ego feels his or her importance diminished by giving voice to a lowly non PhD from a developing country daring to opine on many issues of developed countries.2. That FT has some sort of conflict of interest with the credit rating agencies that makes it hard for them to give too much relevance to someone who considers they have been given too much powers.3. The FT establishment had perhaps decided there were only macro economic problems and not any financial regulation problems, and wanted to hear no monothematic contradictions on that.4. That FT feels slightly embarrassed when someone repeatedly asks the emperor-is-naked type question of what is the purpose of the banks and realizing this was something FT should have itself asked a long time ago.5. It is way too much oversight for FT to handle.6. Or am I just supposed to be a living example of one half of the Financial Times motto, namely that of "without favour"Which one do you believe is closest to the truth?
tech2 News Staff
Google CEO Sundar Pichai made the announcement during an earnings call for parent company Alphabet, which is now the most valuable company in the world. The Verge stated that this is seventh billion-user service for Google, which also includes Search, Chrome, Android, Google Play, Maps, and YouTube.
https://twitter.com/gmail/status/694290964559429632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
May last year, the company had 900 million users also opted the new Google Inbox to all users. Gmail had more than doubled its user base since 2012, when the number stood at just 425 million.
According to a previous report, in what appears to be a bit strange, Google had also begun to redirect its Gmail users to its experimental Inbox service. Users are reporting a pop-up message that reads, Thanks for trying Inbox! To make it easier weve updated Gmail to redirect you here, followed by two buttons, Turn it off or OK.
Recently, Facebook-owned mobile messaging service WhatsApp has also reached the milestone of one-billion users, with 42 billion messages being exchanged daily, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced. Founded by Ukrainian immigrants to America Jan Koum and Brian Acton in 2009, WhatsApp was acquired by social media giant Facebook for $19 billion in 2014. WhatsApp waived its annual subscription fee because it has not worked well.
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.
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Days before it starts its first online flash sale of Le1S smartphones in India, Chinese tech giant LeEco said it will advertise its products using Facebook's Immersive Canvas Mobile ads technology.
The social networking giant's new ad feature allows advertisers to use a mix of videos, photos and other elements.
"... LeEco has been selected as one of the first mobile brands in the world to test the Immersive Canvas Mobile ads, which look like normal sponsored posts in the News Feed, but when tapped, they open full screen and allow the viewer to flip and scroll through text, photos, videos and other content," LeEco said in a statement here on Sunday.
"It's like an alternate version of a brand's website but will load more quickly and be more interactive because the content is native to Facebook," said LeEco, which launched two "superphones" in Indian market in January.
"With canvas ads, we are giving advertisers a lot of flexibility to build the type of experience they feel best representing their brand identity, and ultimately achieving their business objectives."
"It is great to see LeEco being one of the first advertisers to embrace the new experience on Facebook." Fei Yu, Facebook's head of industry sales in China, was quoted in the statement.
IANS
tech2 News Staff
Netflix launching in India created quite a buzz among the smartphone-with-a-reasonably-fast-Internet-connection wielding urban, global travellers who favour Orange Is The New Black over saas-bahu sagas. The company is looking to add exactly those people to its subscriber base. The on-demand media streaming company has said that it wants to position itself as a premium service provider in India.
Subscribing to Netflix is possible only via credit card -- already a kind of filter. "We are after a small base of English-speaking people, who travel abroad, are wealthy and want to watch the latest shows that are being launched in the US," said a senior executive at the company, speaking to Times Of India.
Netflix launched in India last month with monthly subscription plans amounting to Rs 500, Rs 650 and Rs 800. The first month will be free. Puneet Manchanda, a professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan had said at the time of the launch, "I would say that the current price is a bit on the high side for what Netflix offers currently and it will have to keep increasing content quantity and quality over time to justify the price point.
"For the Indian media landscape, the current entry is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary as the English speaking market already has access to a lot of Netflixs India content, Manchanda said. However, if Netflix can crack the vernacular market by producing content in local languages with local talent, it has the potential to be revolutionary, Manchanda added.
The senior executive speaking to Times of India revealed that over time they will be looking at developing local content and are in talks with people to develop an indigenous TV series.
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Telecom regulator Trai on Monday 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-OperateTransfer/ 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 block 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 (NOFN) 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 per cent 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 per cent 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.
PTI
Naina Khedekar
Those moving into a new city will know how hard it could get to zero in on a perfect rental property hassle-free. And, it could get far more difficult if you are a singleton looking for shared accommodation. Well, most people rely on online classifieds like Sulekha, Just Dial and likewise, which help discover and connect you to property owners. However, Bengaluru startup goes beyond that for an end-to-end service that will help you discover a property that ticks all your criteria to settling into it, sans the need to deal with a broker.
In the past one and half year, the company has helped 11 lakh people find houses and currently claims 4.5 million monthly traffic.
We visited their plush office in Koramangala to meet the co-founder Pankhuri Shrivastava. In fact, Pankhuri tells us that GrabHouse is an idea emerged out of her own quest to search a good house for over two years. While the classified helped discover properties, it eventually boiled down to a tedious process related to middle-men and factors that you are unaware while renting a property. "When I would visit the broker I wouldnt have the visibility about the house and most of the time, they dont match my requirements. Even if I like the house there would be brokerage amount involved in it. There were lot of compromises the people were making in finding the right house," she said.
GrabHouse is a full fledged rental platform and the direct connect between the owners and the tenants, with all the information about the house and the neighbourhood under one roof. One of the prime verticals of GrabHouse is Shared accommodation. If you've ever moved to a city like Bangalore (and not limited to it), you will realise how important this vertical could get. So, we weren't surprised when Pankhuri said about 60 percent queries were looking for shared accommodation. "We have the vertical where we convert houses into shared accommodation, and manage the tenant in that. We manage the occupancy level, who comes in, who is leaving and the owner gets the rent every month," she explains.
The company has built an in-house software, a proprietary technology that handles these recommendations made to users. So, once you key in all the details on the site, some property recommendations will populate on your device's display. The software has been updated over the time and has gone from matching five date pointers to over 100 data pointers. These include the kind of room mates you prefer, type of house or locality, amenities and so on.
"Our recommendation engine also takes into consideration the lifestyle habits of people. And then we recommend the best kind of people. So they meet like minded people, stay connected with them through different kinds of content that we create and finally the deal is sealed, " she adds.
The startup then takes the feedback post your visit. A lot of organic information is captured from feedback about the property such as some may find the by lane unsafe for women. If you reject a set of recommendations, another set will be displayed. "So we are on discovery, we are in transactions; we are in helping people take the right decision. We are in time holding from a person start searching till they settle. So that entire experience is managed by us," she adds.
Last year in October,GrabHouse raised $10 million Series B Funding. All's never always well in paradise as we heard about numerous job cuts in the startup space, and Grabhouse was one such startup. It went through a complete restructuring.
The startup grabbed a lot of attention for restructuring in late December which also included handing over pink slips to over 100 employees. Currently, the company has 150 employees. Pankhuri explains that they are also in the learning process and GrabHouse is beyond discovery and what they do involve tracking every property from scratch to fulfillment on a day to day basis. This involved a lot of ground work. However, soon they realised that technology could handle these parameters, making a part of the work force redundant.
"All this happened because we have got lot of on ground information and intelligence formed by the people who were working with us and now we are able to create, and automate the technologies around it which replaced that. We did not need too many people to be doing that actively, manually, on ground, on field, so that is the reason all the restructuring happened," she said. In fact, she also adds that the recommendation earlier was not of that great level but today it has because extremely refined.
GrabHouse offers a brokerage free model, and makes money by charging users a minimal sum of about Rs 49 to Rs 99. However, it is limited to sharing the contact number. Explaining further, she adds, "Then we have a shared accommodation model where, the rent is routed through us and we take our monthly commission on per bed basis. Then we work with commercially run PGs also where for every transaction we have a certain percentage of closing that we take from owners end. So whatever service we take for getting a person to start living in a house is paid by the owner and this not a form of brokerage which is paid by the seeker of the property."
The company is a web service and has an efficient mobile site. It still hasn't planned on developing a mobile app. However, Pankhuri says that the roadmap for 2016 includes working on a mobile app along with refining recommendation engine and strengthening the tech team.
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About The Classical Reviewer
The Classical Reviewer has been involved in music for many years, as a classical record distributor, as a newspaper concert reviewer and writer of articles relating to music as well as reviewing for Harpsichord and Fortepiano magazine.
He assisted in the cataloguing of the scores of the late British composer George Lloyd and has co-authored a memoir of his friendship with the composer.
Having a particular interest in British music, he regularly undertakes talks on Elgar.
Tree Fitzpatrick and The Culture of Love blog, from year 2006 to current date. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Tree Fitzpatrick and "The Culture of Love" with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
New born baby stolen from clinic rescued in Bogra
Bogra Correspondent :
Police recovered a newborn from Baiguni Kaludanga village of Gabtoli Upazila and returned her to the parents on Monday, four months after the baby was stolen from Life Line Clinic and Diagnostic Center in Bogra town.
During the drive, three people, including a hospital staff, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the theft.
The arrestees are Azizul Haque, 40, his wife Silpi Begum, 35 and Ripon Mia, 28 a male attendant at Life Line Clinic and Diagnostic center said police.
Ripon Mia confessed that he stole the baby with the help of some other diagnostic center staff after the caesarean birth as the death of Azizul Haque's couple five years old son.
Later, Ripon took the baby and sold to the Azizul Haque's couple only Tk 6,000. Than they hide the baby after buying.
The baby was handed over to her parents Mukul Mia and Lucky Begum of Mundumala village of Sonatola upazila during a press conference at Gabtoli Police Station on Monday afternoon.
Officer- In -Charge (OC) of Gabtoli Model Police Station Md. Shaheed Mahmud said that on information a police team recovered the baby from the house of Azizul Haque's couple. No one submits any complaint to the police station in this connection till the report was writing yeterday afternoon, OC added.
Patients deprived of treatment
A Correspondent, Khulna :
Three Government hospitals of Khulna are limping with manifold problems including acute shortage of doctors, staff, medicines and logistics, much to the sufferings of the patients amid the ongoing cold wave.
As cold wave is sweeping through the southern region, cold related diseases including diarrhea, pneumonia and respiratory diseases have broken out, affecting particularly the children and elderly people.
The hospitals are" Khulna General Hospital, Khulna Medical College Hospital and Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital, running with severe crisis of physicians, staffs and medicines and other logistics since long. As a result, around 16 lakh Khulna inhabitants are depriving of health service.
Despite, the declaration of 500 bed of Khulna Medical College Hospital, manpower was not increased in the hospital. A total of 426 posts are lying vacant, against 760 posts in Khulna Medical college hospital.
Sources said, Khulna Medical college hospital was established on January 18, 1989 at city's Boyra area when it was a 250 bed hospital.
Later, on July 1, 2008 the hospital was approved as 500 bed are. But no touching of modernization was set at this hospital. Shortage of doctors, staffs , medicines and logistics, negligence of duty of doctors and other staffs are hampering the health service to the patients.
The condition of Khulna General Hospital is more miserable, comprising with 150 bed this hospital is also suffering from manpower crisis. A total of 180 posts in the hospital. Patients are depriving of getting treatment due to lack of logistic supports.
Another government hospital named Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital was established on March 30, 2010 with 75 bed. This hospital was scheduled to be 250 bed. But at present it has only 75 beds. From the very beginning it has been running with the crisis of manpower. Only 279 posts were approved in spite of the fact that 1243 posts were proposed. Recently 165 posts were created for ICU, Burn, Plastic Surgery and some other units.
Abu Naser Hospital authorities said, at least 800 employees including doctors, nurses officers and staffs are required to conduct the hospital as a full-fledged one.
During a recent visit to Sheikh Abu Naser hospital, this correspondent talked to Khokon Talukdar, 40 of city's Khalishpur area who took his elder brother Habib Talukdar, 65 for treatment in this hospital, but hospital authorities could not give him any bed and suggested to take treatment by keeping him in the corridor.
Rahima Begum, 32 another guardian of the patient Ratul, 8, told this correspondent that the behaviors of emergency doctors of Abu Naser hospital are not good at all.
This correspondent also visited Khulna Medical College Hospital and Khulna General Hospital where he found the patients lying on hospital corridors as the authorities could not provide beds for the patients. As a result the patients are groaning in the present cold days.
Sources Said, Doctors of all the three government hospitals are allegedly busy for making money by private practice at different private clinics in the city. They can't spend enough time for the patients of the hospitals. Due to their negligence patients are depriving of getting proper treatment. Some doctors often go to Dhaka for earning much more money by private practice, alleged Sources.
Admitting the acute shortage of doctors, staffs and other logistics, health director of Khulna division Dr. Mamun Parvez told The New Nation, we have already informed the higher authorities about the matter and we hope the problems would be solved in no time.
UN announces start of Syria peace talks as government troops advance
Reuters, Geneva :
The United Nations announced the formal start of peace talks for Syria on Monday and urged world powers to push for a ceasefire even as government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, launched their biggest offensive north of Aleppo in a year.
Government troops and allied fighters captured hilly countryside near Aleppo on Monday, putting a key supply route used by opposition forces into firing range, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
Rebels said the offensive was being conducted with massive Russian air support, despite a promise of goodwill steps by the Syrian government to spur peace negotiations.
The opposition has said that without a halt to bombing, the lifting of sieges on towns and freeing of prisoners, it will not participate in talks in Geneva called by the United Nations.
"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," Monzer Makhous, an official from the Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee, told Reuters Television on arrival in Geneva.
Still, opposition delegates met in Geneva for two hours with U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who said this session marked the official beginning of peace talks. The Syrian people deserved to see improvements on the ground and the opposition had a "strong point" in demanding goodwill steps, he said.
World powers, he said, should immediately begin talks on how to enforce a ceasefire: "There was a message ... that when the Geneva talks actually start, in parallel there should be the beginning of a serious discussion about ceasefires."
The Geneva peace talks mark the first attempt in two years to hold negotiations to end a war that has drawn in regional and international powers, killed at least 250,000 people and forced 10 million from their homes.
A senior U.S. official returned from a fact-finding visit to northern Syrian territory held by Kurdish fighters, who have advanced against Islamic State militants with the help of U.S. air support.
Opposition delegates agreed late on Friday to travel to Geneva after saying they had received guarantees to improve the situation on the ground. But the opposition says there has been no easing of the conflict, with government and allied forces including Iranian militias pressing offensives across important areas of western Syria, most recently north of Aleppo.
"The (latest) attack started at 2 a.m., with air strikes and missiles," said rebel commander Ahmed al-Seoud, describing the situation near Aleppo, once Syria's biggest city and commercial centre, now partly ruined and divided between government and insurgent control.
Seoud told Reuters his Free Syrian Army group had sent reinforcements to an area near the village of Bashkoy.
The British-based Observatory monitoring group 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. Syrian state television also said government forces were advancing.
The fighting has created a new flow of refugees. A Turkish disaster agency said more than 3,600 Turkmens and Arabs fleeing advancing pro-government forces in northern Latakia province had crossed into Turkey in the past four days.
The death toll from an Islamic State suicide attack near Damascus on Sunday climbed to more than 70 people, the Observatory said.
The opposition High Negotiations Committee indicated it would leave Geneva unless peace moves were 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 as a condition to begin them.
The humanitarian crisis wrought by the almost five-year-old conflict has worsened as a result of the increased fighting. International attention has focused in particular on the fate of civilians trapped and starving in besieged towns.
The United Nations said on Monday the Syrian government had approved "in principle" a U.N. request for aid deliveries to the town of Madaya, under siege from government forces, as well as the towns of al-Foua and Kefraya, beset by insurgents. No date was given for aid shipments.
Opposition delegate Farrah Atassi said government forces were escalating their military campaign, making it hard to justify the opposition's presence in Geneva.
"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."
Since the last Syrian peace talks took place in early 2014, militants from Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh, have proclaimed a "caliphate" in swathes of Syria and Iraq, drawing a U.S.-led coalition into the conflict with air strikes.
Brett McGurk, U.S. envoy to the coalition, said he had visited territory held by Kurdish fighters in Syria over the weekend to assess the counter-Islamic State campaign.
The Kurds have proven the most capable allies of U.S.-led forces on the ground in Syria. But their relationship with Washington irks U.S. ally Turkey, which sees the Syrian Kurds as allies of its own Kurdish separatist militants. The Syrian Kurds have so far been excluded from the Geneva talks.
McGurk said he had discussed next steps in the Syria campaign with "battle-tested and multi-ethnic anti-ISIL fighters", and Washington backed an inclusive approach to the talks.
All previous diplomatic efforts have failed to stop the war.
A senior Western diplomat said the opposition had shown up in the Swiss city so as not to play "into the hands of the regime" by staying away.
"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."
ISIL suicide bomber kills Iraqi troops near Ramadi
In Ramadi\'s eastern Shujirayah neighbourhood, Iraqi forces are attempting to clear out about 300 ISIL fighters .
Al Jazeera News :
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group killed 18 Iraqi soldiers in a suicide car attack north of Ramadi, continuing their counter-assault after being driven from the city by Iraqi Security Forces last month.
Military sources told Al Jazeera that Tuesday morning's attack took place in the town of Al-Bu Dhiaab, just a few kilometres north of Anbar province's capital.
Three ISIL suicide bombers attempted to attack members of the 39th brigade of the 10th army division, but two of their vehicles were demolished by anti-tank missiles, the military sources said.
The third bomber, however, managed to make his way to the gate of the army's headquarters and detonate the explosives, killing at least 18 soldiers.
"This is a major blow for the Iraqi Security Force. The north of Ramadi was supposed to be secure," said Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad.
Khan said that it was too early to say that ISIL's recent attacks against Iraqi forces around Ramadi could be labelled a "resurgence".
"What we do know is that ISIL is able to mount attacks because they are a lot more nimble," he said.
The Iraqi army declared Ramadi liberated in early January after a major offensive reclaimed government offices in the city centre.
But since then, Iraqi forces have faced continued onslaughts from ISIL and fierce resistance in areas it holds in Ramadi's suburbs - with dozens of Iraqi soldiers killed in attacks last week.
Elsewhere, in Ramadi's eastern Shujirayah neighbourhood, Iraqi forces were attempting to clear about 300 ISIL fighters believed to be holed up there.
"This is the fourth time Iraqi forces have mounted an offensive to take these eastern neighbourhoods, the last remaining pocket of ISIL fighters," Khan said, adding that booby traps set by ISIL have so far slowed the advance.
DIU signs MoU at AUAP Confce
Campus Report :
Daffodil International University (DIU) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with more than 10 universities at the 31st Annual conference of the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP) recently held at I-Shou University in Taiwan.
Mohamed Emran Hossain, Director of Administration and Member of Board of Trustees of DIU represented the university during signing the agreements with the universities from USA, Taiwan, China, Korea, Thailand, Japan Philippines, etc. Few of the universities are: California Baptist University, USA National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan, Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand, Lyceum of the Philippines University-Laguna, Philippines, Zhengzhou Information Engineering Vocational College, China etc. The major areas of academic collaboration of these agreements were regular student exchange, faculty exchange, summer program, internship exchange, library and resource sharing etc.
FBS-DBAA holds AGM
Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University inaugurates the 1st AGM of Faculty of Business Studies-Doctor of Business Administration Association at Dr Abdullah Farouk Conference Hall of FBS of the university recently.
Campus Report :
The committee formation and 1st AGM of Faculty of Business Studies-Doctor of Business Administration Association (FBS-DBAA), Dhaka University (DU) was held recently at Dr Abdullah Farouk Conference Hall of FBS, Dhaka University (DU). The FBS-DBAA organized the program for formation of Committee followed by Dinner.
Prof Shibli Rubayat -Ul-Islam, Dean of Faculty of Business Studies (FBS) presided over the function while Vice Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique of DU was the chief guest.
Pro Vice- Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Akhtar Hossain was the special guest in the function along with Prof Dr Kamal Uddin, Treasurer and Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed, President of Teachers' Association.
Benazir Ahmed, DG of RAB has been elected as President of the Association. Syed Md. Aminul Karim, Member Grade 1, Tax Policy and Md. Ariful Islam, Mutual Trust Bank Ltd have been elected as the Vice President and General Secretary respectively of the Association.
Bilateral ties with Bhutan excellent: President
Speaker of the National Assembly of Bhutan Jigme Zangpo paid a courtesy call on President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban on Tuesday. nPhoto: Press Wing, Bangabhaban
Speaker of National Assembly of Bhutan Jigme Zangpo made a courtesy call on President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban here on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the President underscored the need for making joint efforts for the promotion of business and investment, especially in the field of tourism.
Abdul Hamid said Bangladesh and Bhutan enjoy excellent bilateral relations. He said Bhutan has surplus electricity and both the countries can benefit if Bhutan supplies it (electricity) to Bangladesh.
The President said Bhutan can use Mongla Port for increasing its trade and investment.
Jigme Zangpo apprised the President of the structure and activities of the Bhutanese parliament.
The Speaker praised Bangladesh for its socioeconomic development, political stability and attaining self-sufficiency in food production.
2 DB men stabbed in Gazipur
Staff Reporter :Two members of the Detective Branch (DB) of Police were stabbed in an attack by miscreants at Shibbari intersection of Joydebpur in Gazipur district on Monday night.The injured detective officials have been identified as Sub-Inspector Moniruzzaman and Assistant Sub-Inspector Sumon Mia.They were shifted from Razarbagh Police Lines Hospital to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in a critical condition on Monday evening, police said. Police also detained a man in this connection. He was identified as Sarafat Hossain, a local unit of Jubo League activist in the area. Alam Chand, Inspector of DB police of Gazipur, said, "A gang of miscreants suddenly swooped on Moniruzzaman and Sumon when they were taking tea at a tea stall in the area around 9:15pm, leaving them injured, following a quarrel with the locals over serving tea.The DB members opened fire in self-defense and arrested one Sarafat Hossain, but the rest of the attackers managed to flee the scene.The injured policemen were sent to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College and Hospital instantly and then shifted to Razarbagh Police Lines Hospital in a critical condition. Finally they had been admitted to DMCH in the evening. Khandakar Rezaul Hasan, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Joydevpur Police Station, said that a cease was filed in this connection on Monday morning. "We are investigating the case seriously, the police official said. The arrested man is being interrogated in this connection, he said.
Yet another inferno
Sweater factory in Gazipur gutted, 6 workers injured: It is an accident, says BGMEA
Matrix Sweater Factory in Gazipur gutted by fire on Tuesday.
Staff Reporter :
A devastating fire broke out at Matrix Sweater Factory in Signboard area of Gazipur city on Tuesday leaving at least six workers injured.
The fire also burnt down valuables worth about Tk 100 crore, factory authorities claimed, saying that over 7,000 workers work at the factory.
Fire Brigade personnel along with workers and local people brought the fire under control after five and a half hours of frantic efforts.
However, there was no report of any casualty in the fire, which also panicked the locals. Smock and blaze of the fire made many workers unconscious when they were struggling to douse the fire. The sweater factory, housed on the top floor of the eight-storied building, caught fire at about 7:30am yesterday. Fire accidents have been a major concern for the country's burgeoning garment industry, which annually earns about $25 billion from exports mainly to the United States and Europe, since a devastating fire at Tazreen Fashions Limited at Ashulia industrial belt that had killed at least 117 workers and injured about 200 others in 2012.
"I, along with 20 to 22 workers-employees and some security personnel, was at the ground floor when we first saw the flames. We all ran to the top floor of the building to douse the fire but failed as we were panicked and terrified seeing the huge smoke and blaze of fire," Mohammad Al Amin, a worker of the factory said. Al Amin, who received burn injuries, is now under treatment at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital. "As we failed to douse the fire we started running hither and thither for safety," he said.
"The flames raced up more quickly than anyone can imagine. It was horrible. We thought there must be so many workers inside the factory. Thanks to Almighty Allah as it is a miracle that no one was killed," Masum Billah, a resident adjacent to the sweater factory, said.
Assistant Director of Gazipur Fire Service Aktaruzzaman said the fire originated from the thread godown of the sweater factory housed on the top floor of the building.
"As many synthetic goods were kept at the factory, the fire started engulfing the whole floor quickly. It was terrible," he told journalists.
He added the fire engulfed the whole floor of the sweater factory. It also spread to the seventh floor. "The reason behind the fire could not be known immediately," he said. Talking to journalists Mujibur Rahman, General Manager of the factory, said as the workers were on the way to their factory, none of them was present inside the factory during the fire. "However, six workers received burn injuries while they were trying to douse the fire," he said, adding the injured workers were sent to the hospital. He said their efforts to bring the fire under control went in vain due to lack of adequate sources of water in the area.
"The loss is estimated about Tk 100 crore," he said.
At least 22 firefighting units from different fire service stations, including Joydebpur and Tongi, rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control at about 1.00pm.
Vehicular movement on the busy Dhaka-Mymensingh highway became normal in the late morning after hours of disruptions. When contacted President Siddiqur Rahman and Senior Vice President Faruque Hassan of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said they have already started investigating the fire incident.
"We always remain alert to avert any accident. But accident is accident. We have taken the incident seriously and now investigation is on to know whether it is sabotage or an accident," he said while replying to a query. "We have learnt lessons from the past few unfortunate incidents that took places in recent years and are trying our best to ensure RMG sector a safe and sustainable one," the BGMEA President said.
Senior Vice President Faruque Hassan termed the fire incident as an accident saying such fire may occurs anytime anywhere in the world. "But I'm not ruling out of sabotage. As the fire broke out before workers' joining, we are investigation who were responsible for keeping the factory safe and secured," he said.
No break with Pak now: FM
The government is not yet thinking of severing its diplomatic ties with Pakistan, says Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali."We're observing the whole situation. Time is very important here. We don't want to do anything right now (cut ties with Pakistan). But, future will say what direction the relations will go to," he told Parliament on Tuesday while replying to a supplementary question from the treasury bench.AL MP Abdul Mannan (Bogra-1) came up with a question whether Bangladesh will permanently cut diplomatic relations with Pakistan following the latter's unnecessary repeated interventions in the internal affairs of Bangladesh. In response, Mahmood Ali said, "It's not like that diplomatic ties have to be severed if there is any tension. Even there were many instances of maintaining diplomatic ties in wartimes in the world." But the national interest, he said, will always have to be kept in mind in case of maintaining or severing any diplomatic relation.Considering the national interest, Bangladesh always evaluates international relations and takes steps based on evaluation, he said adding, "It's also applicable for Pakistan as well." Earlier in the day, the government summoned Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka Shuja Alam to inquire about the missing and subsequent return of a staff member of Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad.Acting Foreign Secretary and Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) Rear Admiral (retd) Khurshed Alam summoned the envoy around 1:00pm on Tuesday. Secretary (Bilateral and Consular) Mizanur Rahman was also present at the meeting held at the Foreign Ministry. Bangladesh-Pakistan relations have suffered a blow after Pakistan's 'brazen interference' in Bangladesh's internal affairs over the execution of two top war criminals in November last year.There have been incidents of 'retaliation' by Pakistan when its diplomat Fareena Arshad had to leave Dhaka on December 23 amid an allegation that she was involved in 'terror financing'. Dhaka then had to shift former Counselor-Political at the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Moushumi Rahman to Lisbon at the request of Islamabad.
Women workers less interested to go to M-E
Shah Alam Nur :
The Bangladeshi workers, who returned home in recent months discourage female workers from going to some of the Middle-East countries, exposing the inhuman working conditions there. As a result, female workers are not showing less interest despite huge demand in those countries.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), against a demand for around 10,000 female workers per month, the Bureau is able to send only about 2,000 workers, as female workers are less interested to go to the Middle-East.
The BMET data also shows that out of around two lakh Bangladeshi women workers abroad, 90 per cent of them are in the Middle-East. But many of them had gathered bitter and frustrating experience. Poor pay, long working hours and almost prisoner's life discourage the job seekers. Returning home, the Bangladeshi workers often complain of physical and mental torture and late payment of salary. So bad was her experience that Asma Akhtar from Faridpur, who returned from Lebanon in November last year, told The New Nation on Tuesday that she would never go to the Middle-East.
Almost every month, many female workers return home and share their horrific experiences with others.
The female migrant workers, especially the domestic helps, have to work 18 hours a day. They do not have any leisure day, and their employers do not allow them to go out of their workplaces.
"My employer used to lock me in a room until I would have finished the household chores. I had to work from 6:00 am to midnight every day," said 20-year-old Tamanna Rahman, who returned home last December.
She went to a Middle-East country two years ago with high hopes to bring solvency to her poor family. She had come back empty handed.
She said, "As our financial condition was poor, my father had sent me (abroad) through local brokers," adding she was paid only $120 a month. Sources said female migrant workers used to get $100 to $150 a month in the Middle East. The very good employers pay around $200 a month, but they are very few in number.
But the demand for female workers remains very strong in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
Preferring not to be named, a high official of the Manpower Ministry said that apart from the Middle-East, they do not have many optional destinations for our female workers." The government, however, has time and again urged the Middle-Eastern countries to look into the working conditions of women migrant workers, but the situation remains the same.
Fraudulent and exploitative practices are also very common in the recruitment stage, said Sumaiya Islam, Director of Bangladesh Female Migrant Workers' Association. Bangladesh recently has decided to send its female labour force to new Asian destinations, including Hong Kong and Singapore, where working conditions are better. Director General of BMET Begum Shamsun Nahar said that around 40,000 women had registered on online so that they could be sent to these new destinations.
She said "We have placed some recommendations, including increase of salaries and weekly leave facilities for female migrant workers."
Trader shot dead in city
Staff Reporter :A hotel businessman was shot dead in the capital's Paikpara area on Tuesday morning. The deceased was identified as Rafiqul Islam Junayed, 40, owner of a residential hotel in Mirpur area. He was son of Billal Bepari, resident of Uttar Tularbagh in Mirpur of the city.The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) morgue for an autopsy, police said.Quoting the locals, Darus Salam Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Selimuzzaman said that they recovered the body from a road near the Dakshin Bisil Kuwaiti Mosque at Paikpara Government Staff Quarter following information around 5:30am.He was shot on the left side of his chest, the police official said."Junayed went to his Shah Jalal Restaurant at about 12:10am, but since then he had not returned.He might have been killed over business matter," the OC said."Police will be clear after getting the autopsy report. We are looking for the report," the police official said.A case has been filed with the police station in this connection, the OC said.
Zika virus isnt just an epidemic
Laurie Garrett :
(From previous issue)
Virus hunter Edward Hayes of the Barcelona Centre for International Health Research writes that, "There is to date no solid evidence of nonprimate reservoirs of [Zika]," though rodents can be infected experimentally. He concludes that any sylvatic cycle would have to involve monkeys and apes - which are plentiful in places like the vast Amazon, but rarely seen in the large urban centers of the Americas. Nikos Vasilakis of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has shown through his work that dengue and yellow fever - both viruses native to the Old World - have established firm sylvatic cycles in South America, infecting monkeys and a range of wild mosquito species, and occasionally spilling over into urban areas to infect and sicken people. So, given evidence that other mosquito-carried viral diseases that are new to the Americas have found permanent homes there, including in New World animals and birds, how likely is it that Zika will become a permanent feature of the public health landscape and ecologies of the Western Hemisphere? I polled several prominent arbovirus experts in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico, and asked them how likely a sylvatic scenario might be for Zika.
Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira of the Sao Jose do Rio Preto medical school in Brazil told me that virtually zero funding is available for the study of disease ecology in Latin America, and none of the research that is urgently needed is supported by the region's governments. Nogueira's U.S. colleagues say the funding situation is equally bad in the country, and funding cycles are so distant that scientists would have to wait until 2017 to get money to chase mosquitoes and animals in the Everglades, or capture and test wild mosquitoes all over the country.
The Zika blood test is quite poor, researchers bemoan, and even when using sophisticated laboratory technology it is extremely difficult to find the virus in infected people, much less insects, birds, and animals. Lyle Peterson and his team at the CDC have developed an improved RT-PCR test - nerd-speak for a DNA-based screening method - but even within the United States only a handful of public health labs know how to use it, he told a special Jan. 28 Zika meeting at the WHO.
There are enormous gaps in our understanding of Zika, the scientists tell me, and it is unlikely funding will materialize before the virus has taken up residence all over the hemisphere. Virtually nothing definitive is known about the interactions between Zika and New World animals. Scott Weaver of the University of Texas Medical Branch, in a lengthy correspondence over email, told me he thinks it's highly unlikely Zika will be spread by Culex and notes that the Aedes mosquitoes are so efficient in spreading the virus that the Culex issue may not be very important. Kansas State University expert Stephen Higgs says that it is very difficult to predict what will happen when a new virus enters a complex insect and animal ecology or to know which mosquito species will play a role in transmission: There have been surprises. He notes that in 2007 Zika was spread by albopictus, or "tiger mosquitoes," in Gabon, which was a complete surprise at the time. West Nile virus has now been found in some 60 different mosquito species in North America, he says - also a complete surprise.
When G.W.A. Dick of the National Institute for Medical Research in London discovered Zika in 1947 in Uganda, he used captive rhesus monkeys to see if the yellow fever virus infected primates, tying the animals to trees and waiting for them to be bit by mosquitoes. The animals were bit, but the virus inserted by the mosquitoes into their blood was something never previously seen. Dick named it "Zika" after the local forest area. Today, despite startling advances in metagenomics research and virus analysis, Dick's 1947 experimental method is not much improved. It is difficult to hunt down infected animals, snare wild forest mosquitoes, and analyze them in a laboratory.
At the U.S. National Institutes of Health, David Morens is leading new Zika research initiatives. He tells me that Zika has found new life cycles in each new ecology it has entered and will likely do so across the Western Hemisphere. "But what would they be? We can only speculate at this point," he said. In the spirit of speculation, Morens added, "Regarding birds, while it can't be ruled out, the Western Hemisphere is a new area for this virus, with different species and ecologic niches. It wouldn't be my greatest fear, but it has to be considered a possibility."
Overall, the scientists I was in touch with who work in this field told me two things: First, not enough is known about Zika (especially in the New World) to definitively answer the question; and second, other similar viruses (dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya) have become endemic and sylvatic in the Americas, so, why not Zika, too?
I asked Claudio Maierovitch, the director of Communicable Diseases Surveillance for Brazil's Ministry of Health, at a WHO press conference Thursday about the possibility. "Most things about the Zika virus are not known yet, and that is a big question," Maierovitch said, noting that most of Brazil's work is at the cellular level, infecting insect and human cells. Bruce Aylward, who runs the WHO's epidemic response unit, added, "It would be a mistake to say [that what is now known about Zika] explains what we see now," in the Americas.
But Zika has been circulating in South America since last April or May, and explosive spread in Brazil has been underway since October. The correlation (if not causation) between Zika, pregnancy, and microcephaly has been noted by Brazilian health authorities since November, as have a worrying number of cases of paralytic Guillain-Barre syndrome. Yet the WHO has done little publicly throughout November and December, save releasing a few press statements. This week, the New York Times and Newsweek, among others, asked whether the WHO was asleep at the wheel.
My conclusion is that public health leaders and politicians had better brace for a very long haul on Zika. The virus will hide, infecting a range of insects, perhaps monkeys, even birds. And it will return in seasonal cycles, as have other mosquito-carried viruses, such as yellow fever, West Nile virus, chikungunya, and dengue. Because so many "foreign" viruses carried by mosquitoes are now spreading across the Western Hemisphere at the same time, there will be misdiagnosis, mystery, and perhaps acute illnesses due to co-infections. Until we have an effective vaccine and have executed mammoth immunization campaigns in all of the nations of the Americas, Zika will haunt us, sicken some of us, and endanger our babies.
(Laurie Garrett is senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Pulitzer Prize winning science writer). (Concluded)
Cornerstone of peacemaking
Thomas Miller, Kathryne Bomberger :
Today, the number of missing and disappeared persons around the world as a result of conflict and political unrest can be measured in millions. This means millions of families may never know the fate of a loved one. It means millions of reasons for fear, for anger and for alienation.
From Sri Lanka to Mexico to Pakistan, addressing the issue of MDPs is a prerequisite for political and social recovery. Over the last two decades a new consensus has emerged that resolving this issue is a cornerstone of peacemaking.
The International Commission on Missing Persons is leading a concerted effort to turn this emerging international consensus into an effective global strategy. It was originally established in 1996 at the initiative of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, to help the authorities in the Western Balkans account for 40,000 persons missing as a result of the Yugoslav conflict.
ICMP spearheaded a program that brought together scientists, civil society, and political, judicial and police authorities to identify more than 70 percent of the missing in the Western Balkans, including nearly 7,000 of the 8,000 men and boys who disappeared in the Srebrenica genocide. It has gone on to help countries throughout the world tackle the issue of MDPs.
"This is a complex problem that can only be tackled effectively if there is political will, civil society engagement, and institutional capacity based on the rule of law."
While ICMP is the only international agency exclusively mandated to work on this issue, diverse organizations are making important contributions from different perspectives and with different levels of resources and expertise. It is essential that this multi-agency effort is properly coordinated - because it can deliver extraordinary results.
This week ICMP, along with the mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, brought together diplomats and experts at the United Nations in New York to explore core aspects of the global missing persons crisis, and to consider realistic strategic solutions.
The meeting highlighted the crosscutting, global nature of the problem. Among the speakers, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein addressed the issue of human rights violations and conflict; Sister Consuelo Morales, a Catholic nun from northern Mexico, explained how her organization successfully brought together stakeholders from the judicial and law enforcement sector to work constructively with families of the missing; and David Tolbert, president of the International Center for Transitional Justice, explained how international legal instruments can be deployed more effectively to ensure that states fulfil their statutory obligations in regard to missing persons.
This is a complex problem that can only be tackled effectively if there is political will, civil society engagement, and institutional capacity based on the rule of law. These essential elements can be brought together, and they can - and must - be applied in societies recovering from conflict. They are necessary for peace to be achieved.
ICMP, together with the U.K. mission to the United Nations, brought together diplomats and experts at the United Nations in New York this week to explore core aspects of the global missing persons crisis, and to consider realistic strategic solutions.
Three practical strategies include:
1. Applying existing resources in more productive ways, leveraging media focus into political support for effective programs, and applying legal instruments more vigorously and proactively. In the Western Balkans, for example, ICMP worked to get a wide variety of government agencies in the region that were responsible for accounting for the missing to share information, making it easier for agencies in different countries to work effectively.
2. Developing media and lobbying strategies with organizations of families of the missing enabled families in the region to play an active role in the effort to account for the missing and gave them tools to ensure that the authorities did what they were mandated to do. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, many years of work went into creating a law on missing persons and establishing institutions capable of accounting for the missing in a just and systematic way, but this made the undertaking sustainable.
3. Using advanced technological resources - such as ICMP's high throughput DNA identification system. But one of the key lessons of almost 20 years of experience in this field is that DNA is not a magical elixir. It is an essential component of a holistic program.
Moving forward from this week's U.N. meeting, ICMP will establish an Inter-Agency Committee on Missing Persons to coordinate the efforts of international organizations, civil society organizations, and forensic agencies as well as governments.
And at the end of this year ICMP will convene a Global Forum on Missing Persons, bringing together policymakers, legal experts, academics, civil society activists and others to advance international discourse on this issue.
These are concrete initiatives that can have a huge and positive impact on efforts to promote peace and recovery in post-conflict societies around the world.
(Thomas Miller is the chairman of the International Commission on Missing Persons. Kathryne Bomberger is the director-general of the International Commission on Missing Persons).
Myanmar`s stride towards democracy is welcome
MYANMAR'S first democratically elected Parliament opened on Monday in capital Naypyidaw as a milestone event after a half-century of military rule. It is a defining moment and victory of democracy that Myanmar's 53 million people won through a free, fair and peaceful election. We welcome the development to our neighbour across the border. The new move for which Myanmar people waited for long started to take shape following the landslide victory of National League for Democracy (NLD) in last November election led by democracy leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who inspired the nation all along to fight for democracy and dream about an elected government by the people. But one should not also lose sight at the same time of the unequivocal contribution of President Thein Sein of the military led civilian government whose reformist policies after 2012 slowly created the environment for transition to democracy. Earlier NLD similarly won a landslide election victory in 1990 but the military junta refused to recognize it and the restoration of democracy missed the chance. In fact Myanmar was reeling under military rule since 1962 and it goes without saying that the changing outlook of the military has at last paved the way for ending the junta's monopoly on power. They also released Suu Kyi from house arrest after 15 years as part of democratic reforms. But it is not all that selfless. The new Constitution, which the junta framed prior to bringing about political liberalization, has reserved 25 percent seat in Parliament to be nominated by army and that Suu Kyi can't be president since she was married to a foreign national. Army has also retained the rights to nominate ministers in key posts including the Minister for Defense, interior and borders. So despite having 80 percent of Parliamentary seats, outside the reserved seats for the army, Suu Kyi has no room for complacency and rather be enough far sighted not to pick any issue that may make the army critical to her government. The real test of the transition lies ahead. Her observation that she would operate above the President may give scope for misgivings to many. The new government has many challenges to address including combating poverty, underdevelopment and defusing ethnic fights. The new political beginning has renewed new hopes among the people, but to make it happen support from every quarter would be necessary for Suu Kyi led new government to be formed in April next. Moreover the election of a new president needs to be acceptable to all.Bangladesh is looking at the development in Myanmar with keen interest when democracy here is also facing many challenges. We hope that the people to people relations between the two countries will further strengthen under the new democratic government.
Safety by police escort is denial of safety to others
Police authorities are busy and anxious giving assurances about safety at the Ekushey Book Exhibition being held in the capital. It sounds unfair that it is for the police alone to take the whole burden of safety and security.The officers are asked to offer the impossible of providing police escort to some individual writers for their coming to the Book Exhibition. In Bogra a girl student has been provided police escort for going to examination centre. It is normal for the government high-ups to enjoy visibly special police protection. So politics is over stretched. As if the police have become police for the chosen ones and not for the general public.It is not denied by the police authorities themselves that some police are getting involved in committing grave crimes. There is also little police protection against crimes committed by many others with political links. In Rajshahi a banker has been abducted by miscreants in day time from a tea stall. It is a matter of painful concern that children are killed allegedly for ransom money and killing of children has gone up. Threat of cross-fire is used for committing crimes both political and penal. Yesterday, a daily published a report showing graphically the extortion of money by police from buses and trucks at night in different check posts of Dhaka. The indisciplined police are more dangerous than dangerous criminals. So our concern is how the police should be saved. Some of the police officials are so confident of their impunity that they are emboldened to harass university female students as well. An SI of police was suspended for sexually harassing a student of private university.There were cases when court's intervention was called for to initiate criminal investigation into alleged police participation in serious crimes. The highest court's order became often necessary to accept FIR by police. For sure, there are disorder and political pressure hindering police to act as impartial law enforcers.Safety through police escort to individuals and groups is an admission of political failure to attain safety in the country. The present idea of police management is bureaucratic and not political at all. Besides, safety by police escort is denial of safety to others who are not so privileged. It is unfortunate that the government cannot see how increasingly difficult the running of the country is becoming for it. The security situation is going out of control and uncertainty about security is hampering economic activities also. Extortion has become a regular source of income for some. But the government appears incapable of changing its ways to establish good governance. Another dangerous sign as reported in the media is that illegal arms are recovered from time to time. Last Monday a large number of fire arms including anti-aircraft missiles were unearthed. It is apprehended by the official source that these weapons were stocked by Indian insurgents known as Ulfa. We have yet to know if such dangerous weapons have not been kept hidden by others in other places. This is not government's success in fighting terrorism when the people are in constant fear of their safety and police help is unsure. Anybody can do any crime to anybody including killing and there is no guarantee that guilty persons will not be able to buy their escape. The political tolerance or free debate does not kill anybody but they are essential for people's cooperation in organising peace and safety in a society. We are not all selfish and brutal.But there is too much intolerance for the political opponents and angry polarisation of the people. To be sure, social tranquility cannot be achieved by police power, contrary is true.The government's pressure to make bail difficult will help the police to confine anybody without the urgency of proving the allegations openly in court. This will render police more irresponsible about accountability for discipline. In our view the politicisation of police has largely contributed to police indiscipline. Besides, if the judiciary or the police could alone be fully effective for maintaining law and order in all circumstances, then so much importance would not have been attached to the need of having a people's government. Any political leader will appreciate the importance of the judiciary and police to be kept out of political interference.No matter how many more police are recruited police will not be able to make us safe if politics remains intolerant and violent. The more police may also cause more indiscipline and more abuse of police power. To run a country is not a simple matter of easy talks amenable to simple solutions. Much damage has been done to police for using them against political opponents. It is agreed that where the people are helpless there is more need of a strong judiciary. In the prevailing situation of police fear and their abuse of power the judiciary is the only beacon of hope against break down of law and order more openly and terribly.The truth is we are not seen particularly as a brave people for upholding the values of greater good to greater number. Duplicity and courage do not go together. To be easily sold is not courage or dignity. It is for the safety of all that we express our deep anxiety so insistently and so intensely. We want a society where every life is worth saving whether in power or out of power, whether one is privileged to enjoy police escort or not. Our people are so unlucky that they have continued to be powerless despite their immense sacrifices for securing a free Bangladesh. The people are living in fear and uncertainty for being denied to be the master of their own destiny. It is a shame to be betrayed by their own ones.
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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
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Two local attorneys, a former probation officer, a law enforcement official, a deputy clerk of court and a DMV employee facing felony state charges resulting from cooperative effort between AG Jeff Landry and FBI.
Louisiana AG Jeff Landry at podium with, from left, Don Bostic of the FBI and AG officials Joe Picone, Brandon Fremin and Sonceree Clark
Photo by Wynce Nolley
As part of what he calls a new, renewed focus of working together with the FBI, Attorney General Jeff Landry announced Monday the arrest of six individuals he says played a role in the pay-for-plea scheme that went on under District Attorney Mike Harsons watch from 2008-2012.
Mondays announcement outside of the Lafayette Parish Courthouse follows the six guilty pleas obtained by the feds in recent years in connection with the conspiracy, in which people facing OWI and other criminal charges in the 15th Judicial District would pay up to $5,000 to private investigator Robert Williamson for favorable outcomes in their cases.
As a result of the federal probe, Williamson and Barna Haynes, Harsons longtime administrator, were sentenced to 6.5 years and 18 months in prison, respectively. For her access to defendants and assistance with the paperwork that allowed for a quick disposition of the criminal charges, Haynes was paid $500 a pop, federal investigators have said.
An assistant district attorney and secretary in the office also pleaded guilty, as did two former workers of Acadiana Outreach.
Arrested Monday as part of a state investigation into the bribery scandal that helped end the tenure of longtime DA Mike Harson in 2014 were, from top left, Justina Ina, attorneys Christopher Luke Edwards and Dan Kennison, Kevin Ozene, Kenneth Franques and Joy Trahan.
Arrested Monday in the state case were Kevin Ozene, Christopher Luke Edwards, Dan Kennison, Justina Ina, Kenneth Franques, and Joy Trahan. All were booked in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center Monday.
Ozene, who has worked as a deputy clerk of court for Lafayette Parish over the past three decades, is accused of injuring public records and malfeasance in office. He was put on leave immediately after his arrest, Clerk of Court Louis Perret tells The IND.
Edwards and Kennison, both criminal defense attorneys, were arrested for corrupt influencing, criminal conspiracy and accessory after the fact.
Ina, a former probation officer for the DAs office, was arrested for malfeasance in office. District Attorney Keith Stutes says Ina retired from the office in November.
Franques, a reserve deputy city marshal working full-time for the Maurice Police Department, is facing a public bribery charge. Maurice Police Chief Warren Rost tells The IND Franques, an ex-sheriffs deputy who once served as spokesman for former Sheriff Don Breaux and unsuccessfully ran to replace his boss in 1999, has been a patrolman with the Maurice department for about five months. Franques had been out sick for several weeks, according to Rost, who says he learned of the arrest Monday when authorities were trying to track Franques down. The chief said Monday he is in talks with the city attorney about Franques future with the department.
Trahan, a manager in the Lafayette branch of the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, was arrested for malfeasance in office and criminal conspiracy.
Additionally, an arrest warrant was issued for PI Williamson, who began serving his prison sentence in November, for public bribery, corrupt influencing, filing false public records and criminal conspiracy.
The AG investigation into possible violations of state law was supposed to have started under Landrys predecessor, Buddy Caldwell, who pronounced in August 2013 that no state charges would be filed and that the case was closed. Here is what Caldwell said at the time:
The Louisiana Attorney Generals Office has concluded its inquiry... We find that no state charges are warranted. We are aware that there is an ongoing federal investigation and that the U.S. Attorneys Office is pursuing the criminal conduct which took place in this matter. Therefore, we consider our file to be closed.
Landry, however, says among his first actions in office has been to conduct a thorough review of such cases.
While federal authorities took action to complete their portion of this problem, those stemming from federal law violations, the state under the previous administration did not complete its actions under state law, Landry said. These arrests are part of my review to ensure those who have committed actions of public corruption see the results of their actions. The actions taken today are part of my review of the Louisiana Department of Justice; from ongoing court cases, to unfinished investigations, to cases awaiting actions.
It now seems crystal clear Caldwell was playing politics with the case, as it was not until November 2014, after Stutes a former assistant district attorney defeated Harson, that the probe commenced under Caldwell, who had a close relationship with Harson.
Stutes, who had investigated his own office while still an ADA in 2012, had forwarded his findings to the FBI, Department of Justice and then-AG Caldwell, hoping the state official would look into possible violations of state law.
In 2012, as an Assistant District Attorney, I commenced an investigation which ultimately led to the recusal of the District Attorneys Office and the transfer of the investigation to the Department of Justice and FBI and to the then Louisiana Attorney General, Stutes writes in a statement to The IND. Though the District Attorneys Office, of which I now am the newly elected DA, is still recused, I applaud the efforts of the DOJ, FBI, and the AGs office in their further investigative efforts and will continue to give full assistance, cooperation, and support.
Although Landry says the investigation is ongoing, Mondays announcement appears to be a bookend on the sordid saga, though at least one IND source with close with connections to the investigation believes more charges could come.
For many close observers, the charges were a long time coming.
In early 2013, right before the guilty pleas started in the federal case, The IND reported that attorney Christopher Luke 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 conspiracy.
No attorneys, however, were nabbed by the feds.
Williamson was the last of the six charged in the federal case to plead guilty in June of last year. In addition to his prison sentence, he also got three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $77,000 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.
The feds maintained that Williamson, 67, paid Haynes about $70,000 over the course of four years for her assistance; she pleaded guilty to accepting $55,000 in bribes. For his efforts, Williamson was paid no less than $444,000 from 2008 to 2012 (though the feds say some of those monies were for fines, penalties and other expenses).
In the federal case, 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; she reported to prison in August. 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.
Don Bostic, supervisory special agent for the FBI, which began investigating the DA's office in 2011, joined Landry at Monday's press conference, thanking him for the cooperative posture he has taken to tackle public corruption since assuming office in January.
"All citizens of the state of Louisiana should expect and demand honest government at all levels," Bostic said. "The integrity of those involved in the judicial process is not an option; it is essential. Those who peddle their influence in return for personal gain damage the very fabric of the judicial system."
Bostic added that people should all be treated fairly, "regardless of their access to those with influence or their ability to pay bribes."
Never before has the Louisiana House of Representatives politics been under so much much scrutiny.
Taylor Barras Photo by Robin May
But with the defeat of Gov. John Bel Edwards handpicked speaker candidate, a slew of committee assignments from last week that lean heavily Republican and a set of contentious legislative sessions on tap, all eyes are turned to the lower chamber.
Much of it has to do with a partisan divide that appears to be growing, with Edwards and the Democrats on one side and lawmakers from the Louisiana GOP on the other.
Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, announced last week that he has chosen 12 Republicans to chair 16 of the chambers standing committees, giving conservative more control over the House than any other time in recent history.
Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, will chair the budget-drafting Appropriations Committee while Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans, is taking over the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Democrats dont consider Abramsons appointment an outright win, since he supported Barras for speaker and opposed the candidacy of Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, who was Edwards pick.
The governor traditionally has considerable sway over the election of the House speaker and subsequent committee assignments, but Republicans in the House, who have a majority, say they are striking out and grasping independence from the executive branch.
Depending on how this new relationship progresses, Edwards could simply present his budget with his menu of options, which include tax increases, and leave the House alone to find solutions. But hes expected to be hands on and the imbalance could work to his political favor, Democrats say the governor will either be able to lay blame at the feet of the independent House or take credit for what it produces.
Reaching 70 votes in the House for constitutional amendments and certain tax measures will be a recurring theme over the next few months and the coming four years. It could force Edwards to rely more on executive orders than any other governor in modern times, but that would certainly water down what he truly wants to accomplish.
Meanwhile on the Senate side, some of their assignments there have business interests and conservatives worried and represents more of a balance compared to House appointments. Most notably, Democrats control the money panels, with Sen. Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte, over the Finance Committee, which will receive the budget, and Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, chairing the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee, which is in charge of tax policy in the upper chamber.
The question is whether a conservative-controlled House heavy on GOP chairs will create a Washington-like gridlock during the upcoming legislative sessions when contrast against a Democratic administration and a Senate with Democratic money chairs.
With the House getting the budget first in the regular session, and taxes having to originate in the lower chamber during the preceding special session, representatives will certainly get the opening shot.
Third Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Jimmy Genovese, right, visits with Jan and Mike Skinner at a reception honoring his bid for the state Supreme Court. Genovese confirmed this week that he will be a candidate in the November election.
Photo by Robin May
Appellate court Judge James Jimmy Genovese confirmed Feb. 1 that he has entered the race for Louisiana Supreme Court in the Third District, which encompasses Lafayette, Acadia, Vermilion, St. Landry, Avoyelles, Jeff Davis, Cameron and Calcasieu parishes.
Genovese is running to replace retiring Justice Jeannette Theriot Knoll, who is nearing the end of her second 10-year term on the states highest court. Knoll will retire at the end of the year.
Genovese serves on the Third Circuit Court of Appeal, a seat he was elected to in 2004 after having been a district judge from 1995-2004.
As the next Supreme Court Justice, I will bring absolute fairness and equality to our states highest judicial body, Genovese said in making the announcement. I believe in a level playing field with a balanced approach for every case that appears before me. I have no allegiance to any special interest group, and I will issue every opinion strictly following rule of law. We do not need judges legislating from the bench.
Genovese says over the last two decades he has been a fair and deliberate jurist who is tough on crime and thorough in his due diligence before issuing rulings.
I enter this race as the only candidate with appellate court experience, he said. That is a critical and important distinction that separates me from anyone else who will be running. I have the experience the citizens of this district deserve and the integrity they should expect in their next state Supreme Court justice.
Also running for the seat being vacated by Knoll is 15th Judicial District Court Judge Marilyn Castle. Both Castle and Genovese are Republicans.
Before his election to the bench, Genovese was a practicing attorney in Acadiana for 21 years. Born and raised in Opelousas, he still lives in St. Landry Parish. He and his wife, Martha, have five daughters and two grandchildren.
The election is in November.
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!
An independent and grassroots forum for reflection, dialogue, and the exchange of ideas within the Catholic community of Minnesota and beyond
The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of liberalism they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.
Socialist Party presidential candidate Norman Thomas
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.
Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.
In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.
India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.
Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.
But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?
Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.
If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.
I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.
I want more variation in masturbation
I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.
If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.
What is sex toys for Indian?
Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.
It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.
They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.
Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.
The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.
It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.
In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.
Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.
In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.
Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.
Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.
But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.
More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.
Sextoy situation in India
Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.
In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.
Mumbai
Kolkata
Bangalore
Delhi
Chennai
Hyderabad
These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.
In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.
If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.
If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.
What are Sextoys for beginner?
Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.
Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.
I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.
I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.
If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.
Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.
Advantages of using sextoy for Indians
There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians
You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.
Can have stimulating sex
Can develop new sexual zones
If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.
However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.
You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.
Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.
There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.
This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.
When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.
It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).
For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles
[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...
Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.
Sextoy for beginner men in India
So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.
For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!
The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men
Masturbator
Cock rings
Love Doll
Sex Lubricants
Toys for the prostate
Lets check each one in detail.
Masturbator
The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.
It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.
Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.
They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)
Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.
Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !
Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018
Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.
If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here
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Cock Ring
A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.
It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.
It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.
In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.
Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.
Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.
Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.
Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.
You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.
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Love Doll
Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.
There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.
Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.
The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.
You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.
There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.
You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.
If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here
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Sex lubricants
Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.
It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.
Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.
There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.
Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.
If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.
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Toys for the Prostate
Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.
The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.
Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.
Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.
What is the prostate?
The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.
You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.
By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.
Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)
The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.
Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.
sextoy for beinner women in India
The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.
The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.
Vibrator.
Dildo
Electric Masserger
Lets check out what each one is in detail.
If you want to check out womens toys, click here.
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Vibrators
A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.
Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.
It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.
Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.
For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.
Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.
Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.
This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.
Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.
When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.
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Dildo
A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.
It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.
A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.
They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.
It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.
A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.
Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.
For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.
This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.
To learn more about dildo, please click here.
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Electric Masserger
A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.
It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.
Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.
Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.
It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.
For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.
It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.
If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?
To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.
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How to choose a sextoy for Indian
Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.
Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)?
Does the size fit you (your partner)?
Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?
Price range
First of all, the choice of size is quite important.
Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.
For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.
Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.
Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.
If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.
Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.
Finally, there is the price range.
The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.
Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.
Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?
I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.
For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.
If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.
How to buy sextoys in India
The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.
For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.
Sextoy is one of them.
Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.
SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.
They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.
Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.
To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.
ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.
Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.
Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.
Cautions for Indians using sextoy
When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind
Keep sex toys clean
Watch out for electrical leakage
Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy
As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.
Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.
It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.
In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.
Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.
If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.
You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.
Summary
What did you think?
In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.
The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.
As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.
However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.
If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?
Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.
I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
In 1992 we decided to expand the group of free shopping guides I was working at in suburban Milwaukee. We already covered five communities in Waukesha County but we thought the time was right to move into Milwaukee County. West Allis here we come.
I hired a new sales representative, convinced/bribed one of my established salespeople to hand over her established list of accounts to begin anew and we were ready to go. We started by creating our own database and by doing it the extreme old-school way. We drove (ok, sometimes we walked) slowly up and down every retail street in the city and wrote down the name and address of every business. That barely-legible list was then handed off to someone in our office who looked up phone numbers and called to get the name for advertising decision makers. And all of this information was entered on a shiny Mac Plus into a program called Filemaker Pro. Oh, the dawn of computers.
Beginning two months before we launched our new paper, we met every day at Dennys for coffee and some carbohydrate masterpiece or other. We plotted that days sales calls and got an update on contacts and sales made the previous day. The birth process of starting something new was exhausting but always invigorating.
Of course by noon each day I was back at our main office overseeing the sales staff that worked with advertisers in our existing five zones. There were of course the inherent occasional mistakes in an advertisement, a call here and there from a city official who accused us of littering by distributing our free paper, and a host of other issues associated with an established business.
By 4:00 p.m. most days I couldnt wait until the following morning when I could again focus on the newness associated with our startup.
We repeated this entire process every year throughout the nineties as we slowly grew our group to twelve separate shopping guides. Along the way we forced a competitor to sell to us; increased the advertising base in our existing zones and kept thinking about what we could do to make next week better and newer.
Its an attitude I would do well to remember and practice every day. Theres only so much enjoyment a person can get from maintaining. Every day I have to look at our business like Im seeing it for the very first time and relentlessly scour the competitive landscape to see what we can do to help a constantly increasing number of local advertisers to grow their business.
Legacy businesses (and newspapers are most certainly an example) run the risk of thinking that their best days are in the past. And if we think that way, we guarantee that that thought process fulfills itself. I prefer to look for new opportunities staring me in the face. Theyre always there; I just miss them far too frequently.
CARTERVILLE City officials and members of the Carterville Area Rotary Club are working together to unleash plans to build a dog park in town.
If plans come to fruition, it would be the third in the area. The first opened in Murphysboro at Riverside Park in 2011, and one opened this past year at Herrin City Park.
Pinckneyville entrepreneur scooping up sizable portion of dog food market American dog owners spend nearly $40 monthly for dog food, and for more than 25 years Pinckn
Carterville Mayor Brad Robinson said he thinks it is a good idea with little risk to the city. Rotary Club members have been exploring ways to raise money to build the park through fundraisers and partnerships with other civic organizations and businesses.
Brian Flath, the clubs president and a resident of Carterville, said the project is probably still more than a year out, but noted there has been discussion for some time about how to go about providing a place for Cartervilles furry, four-legged citizens to exercise, socialize and play.
The biggest thing on our end, as far as Rotary in concerned, is getting a solid idea of what kind of costs are involved with the project, Flath said.
He said that projected costs range from $10,000 to $25,000. The construction of a dog park primarily involves fencing, but there are other associated costs that can include building concrete paths to the dog park, installing waste bag holders and purchasing trash cans and park benches, among other things.
There are also costs associated with ongoing maintenance including for liability insurance, trash service, keeping the place stocked with waste bags, and ground maintenance.
Robinson said city officials have identified an acre at Cannon Park that could be utilized for the dog park in Carterville. But that proposal has yet to advance from the Parks and Cemetery Committee to the full council, Robinson said. He said he hopes to see that happen within the next few months as the details are worked out over ongoing maintenance and costs.
The perfect team: Willing Partners pairs dogs with veterans When Linda Krutsinger drops a nickel on the ground, her golden retriever Juno knows to use h
There is interest within committee and the city, but there are also some unanswered questions. Cost is an issue, Robinson said. But overall, Robinson said he thinks it is a good idea that could benefit the city, and he's confident that these issues can be worked out.
Patty Bateman, chairwoman of the Dog Park Committee of the Friends of Murphysboro Foundation, the civic group that oversees the dog park in that town, said she has had some discussions with people in Carterville about what it takes to build the dog park and keep it going. Bateman said she would be happy to help Carterville, or any other community that wants to take on a similar project.
The dog park at Riverside Park in Murphysboro opened in 2011, the first of its kind in the area. Bateman said that since dog parks were new to Southern Illinois, it required a great deal of work to educate the community about their purpose. Bateman said there were some in the city who thought a dog park was simply a place for owners to take their dogs to go to the bathroom.
But dog parks, she said, are primarily to provide a social activity for both dogs and their owners. The dog park in Murphysboro is open sunrise to sunset, and is regularly utilized, she said. Senior citizens enjoy it because they may not otherwise be able to walk their dogs, she said. Dog owners also enjoy conversing with other dog owners, as almost everyone there shares a love of dogs as a common interest, she said.
It took four years of hard work getting residents to understand what a dog park is, she said, noting that today it is very popular.
Friends of Murphysboro made an agreement with the Murphysboro Park District to lease an acre of land at Riverside Park that wasnt otherwise being regularly utilized. Building the dog park cost roughly $10,000, she said. Ongoing maintenance is also the responsibility of the civic group, though the Park District in later years offered to take back over mowing responsibilities.
Bateman said annual maintenance costs are roughly $4,500, and sometimes more if a major repair is needed. The annual budget includes money for trash and water service, trash liners and doggy poop bags, which can cost upwards of $2,000 annually, she said. Funds for the dog park are raised at an annual event, the Dog Day 5K in October.
Randy Crompton, of Herrin, and a member of the Herrin Park District board, said park officials in Herrin also looked to Murphysboro for guidance for its own dog park. That dog park opened in late 2015.
Police and fire dogs have big role in the department Some work in police and fire departments are left to some of the furriest and hardest workin
Crompton said the park district was able to build it relatively inexpensively by re-purposing some fencing it already owned, and plans to continue to improve the facility as money is available. A bank account has been established for people who wish to donate to the dog park's upkeep and improvements, he said.
But so far, he said, it's been a success. It also has largely alleviated the problem of dog owners letting their pets run lose at the ball parks.
"People have been excited about it. I drive home that way and go to work that way. There's people there all the time," Compton said. "It's really kind of nice. So far, so good."
As we reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we think about African-Americans as agents of history. Well-documented gaps in unemployment rates, earnings, poverty and wealth too often lead to viewing African-Americans as bystanders to America's economy. At worse, there is a tendency to observe the gaps in economic success and blame African-Americans for being disengaged and not trying to respond to clear economic realities -- a lack of investment in education, skills, training and personal saving.
But a clear and fair understanding of King's legacy is that African-Americans have been fully aware of the barriers they face to success and have been steadfast to struggle to remove them. Indeed, King was assassinated during a campaign by black sanitation workers in Memphis to exercise their right to organize, strike and demand fair wages -- a key theme of American worker advancement during the first 80 years of the last century and one repeated this King holiday by airport workers demanding a living wage.
The lack of wealth in the African-American community is well known. The median net wealth of white households is 12.2 times greater than that of black households. The difference in wealth does not grow smaller when comparing white and black households headed by college graduates, or when controlling for differences in income. Because the easy answers like education and income differences don't explain the wealth gap -- which measures accumulated savings over multiple generations -- the fall back is often to blame the savings' behavior of blacks. And, here, old stereotypes of African-Americans being profligate can easily substitute for documentation.
This is why those early years after emancipation are key in addressing the deep history of African-Americans as their own agents. During the Civil War, African-American leaders, most famously, Frederick Douglass, campaigned hard to have black soldiers officially sworn into the fight to end slavery. With issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln also finally signed on that in 1863 not only would slaves in the rebellious states be free, but African-American men would join the United States Army and Navy in quelling the Southern revolt. Close to 180,000 black men signed-up as official members of America's Armed Forces to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. They became the largest paid workforce of African-American men to that point in America's history.
The issue quickly arose as to where could they deposit their paychecks? A few fledgling efforts were made to start banks. And that effort culminated with the establishment of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust by Congressional act in March 1865; the Freedmen's Bureau bank. Recently the U.S. Department of Treasury and Secretary Jack Lew dedicated an annex to honor the Freedmen's Bureau Bank.
By 1870, the bank operated 37 branches throughout the South, with African-Americans trained as branch managers. In all, almost 70,000 African-Americans made deposits in the bank, reaching savings of about $57 million. Those facts stand to clearly demonstrate the efforts of a people, subject to slavery, freed with nothing from their previous labors to start anew having built wealth for others for free.
But fate would intervene. The accumulation of those savings came during a period when the federal government still stood in the way of restoring the South's old hegemony of white southern planters. And, it came when the nation's banks were still conservative following the uncertainties of the Civil War. Southern banking laid prostrate, devastated by the collapse of the Confederacy and the meaningless holdings of Confederate dollars, and the long mystery of the disappearance of the gold reserves that backed that currency on its desperate journey south from Richmond, Virginia in April 1865 as Robert E. Lee surrendered the fighting cause at Appomattox Court House under the vigilant eyes of 2,000 black men in seven units of the U.S. Colored Troops.
By the start of the 1870s, the expansion west made possible by the Homestead Act and transcontinental railroad - both enacted during the Civil War - restored the nation's prosperity and financial zeal. The result was over speculation in railroading. In Europe, financial pressures mounted from the Franco-Prussian War. Germany refused to continue issuing silver coins. This resulted in plummeting silver prices, and the eventual move by the United States to go from backing its currency in silver and gold, to use only the gold standard. This led to the collapse of investments in silver mines in the western United States. The result was a global financial collapse that swept Europe and the United States in 1873. With it came the collapse of the U.S. banking system.
Sound familiar? And, with that collapse came the collapse of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust as well. At a time of general financial collapse and no Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation -- a creation learned from the Great Depression -- many depositors lost their savings. The millions in savings of the newly free went away, too. Not too different than the 240,000 homes that disappeared from the African-American community after the financial collapse of 2007.
In 1876, a compromise to resolve the presidential election resulted in the removal of federal protection of African-Americans in the South. The end of reconstruction meant the restoration of southern white hegemony and the evisceration of voting rights for African-Americans, the protection of the access to many occupations and the limiting of their equal access to education. This too sounds familiar.
To accurately measure history, it takes measuring all the hills and valleys right. Dedicating a building to the Freedmen's Savings and Trust allows us to properly assess the toil and efforts of African-Americans. It shows the hard work and industrious nature of a determined people. It reminds us of the mountains of betrayal as well.
Fifty years ago, the Civil Rights Movement led to a series of laws banning public discrimination. African-Americans were no longer barred from certain restaurants, some schools were integrated and fair housing laws created more living options. But today, it's clear that court rulings and legislation didn't change the root cause of conscious and unconscious bias -- the widespread belief in racial hierarchy still exists.
As a nation, we didn't understand the power of this belief, this misguided notion that some people are either superior or inferior because of the color of their skin.
This bias manifests in many ways. Unarmed men and women are killed by police and civilians, the justice system seems tilted toward whites and there remains unequal treatment for children and adults when it comes to health, education, housing and employment. David R. Williams, a sociology professor at Harvard University, cites studies showing that when whites, blacks and Hispanics visited hospital emergency rooms with the same ailment, white patients received pain medication more frequently than people of color.
Does that make the physicians racist?
That may not be the case. With the advancements in neuroscience, we now know much more about the power of the mind. We understand that unconscious beliefs are deeply held, that centuries of this belief system have unconsciously shaped how some of us respond. But now, 21st century technology -- YouTube, cell phones, dashboard cameras, body cameras -- are leveraged to shape new beliefs about our humanity. They are capturing and exposing vivid samples of people of color abused and dehumanized. We must move beyond the absurd notion that some people have more value than others.
What's promising is that recent polling data demonstrates a palpable desire for a positive change in how we view one another and how we shape our society to reflect the inherent value of all people. We have carried the burden and the weight of this mythology of a hierarchy of human value, allowing it to weigh our country down for centuries. We must jettison that belief and move forward with the truth of our equal values as a human family.
It's significant that a polling analysis conducted by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in conjunction the Northeastern University School of Journalism has found that a majority of whites now acknowledge that racism still exists, and that it creates bias in structures such as the criminal justice system. Furthermore, a majority of Americans believe more needs to be done to eliminate racism. In a poll last year, 53 percent of whites said more changes needed to be made to give blacks equal rights with whites, up from just 39 percent a year earlier.
Those findings underscore that now is the time for the Truth Racial Healing & Transformation process, which the Kellogg Foundation launched on Jan. 28. More than 70 diverse organizations and individuals ranging from the National Civic League to the YWCA USA to the NAACP are partners in the TRHT process. This broad coalition seeks to move the nation beyond dialogues about race and ethnicity to unearthing historic and contemporary patterns that are barriers to success, healing those wounds and creating opportunities for all children.
Specifically, the TRHT process will prioritize inclusive, community-based healing activities and policy design that seek to change collective community narratives and broaden the understanding that Americans have for their diverse experiences. TRHT will assemble national and local commissions that will hold public forums on the consequences of racial inequity and work toward mobilizing systems and structures to create more equitable opportunities. In the forums, we will also discuss racial hierarchy and how best to dismantle it.
Clearly, there must be broader knowledge of the harm that comes from the devaluation and from the structures of inequality. They create physical harm, they create mental and emotional harm, and when there's harm, healing is needed.
When an unarmed black person is killed, I have a bodily reaction to that tragedy. I relive losses of my own, such as when I was a teenager in Cleveland. My first cousin was shot and killed by a white thrill-seeker in our segregated neighborhood. I recall that we buried her that week, while he enlisted in the Navy and left the city. It was the first funeral I ever attended. Despite all the joyful moments my cousin and I shared growing up together, my only lasting recollection is of her body lying in that casket.
All of us must become more cognizant of the cost of violence and the harm. We must be willing to invest in the processes that help to bring about healing.
TRHT will lead this transformation. Other Truth and Reconciliation efforts around the world aim to reconcile. But America's genesis is this hierarchy. And so we don't have to come back, we don't need to reconcile, this nation needs to transform. The TRHT will chart that course.
Investigators say that Charlie Thomas Riley committed the crime of attempted murder when he shot a man in the chest.
But Rileys attorney, Sen. Brad Hutto, says he fired in self-defense.
He was defending himself, his wife and his property, Hutto said during Mondays bond hearing for the 47-year-old Cordova man.
The incident happened at 12:10 p.m. Saturday in Rileys yard at 154 Parker St.
According to an incident report, Lee Edward Greene, 42, of Orangeburg, and another man arrived in Rileys yard. Riley repeatedly asked them to leave.
A witness told Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office deputies that Riley and Greene argued about a Chevrolet Suburban.
The witness said that Greene pushed Riley, despite Rileys repeated efforts to ask him to leave, the report said.
Riley told deputies that he went inside his home and retrieved his shotgun.
He also told deputies that as he walked outside with the shotgun, he continued to ask Greene to leave.
Thats when Greene went to the trunk of the car he arrived in.
Riley said that he thought Greene may have retrieved a weapon from the trunk, but he didnt see a weapon.
Greene continued to argue with him, Riley told deputies.
Riley said he then shot Greene in the chest, according to the report.
Thats when Greene sat in the passengers seat of the vehicle and Greenes friend drove him away, Riley said.
Riley then called 911.
A deputy who arrived at the Regional Medical Center wrote in a report that Greenes cousin stated that he transported Greene to the hospital.
When a deputy asked Greenes cousin what happened, he said, Charles shot my cousin in the chest with a 20-gauge shotgun over a car.
Greenes cousin also said that Greene was inside of the vehicle, which was moving in reverse, when Riley allegedly approached the moving vehicle on the passengers side.
Greenes cousin said that Riley took a slight step back, placed the shotgun on the edge of the window, pointed it at Greenes chest and fired.
Sgt. John Stokes is leading the investigation.
At Rileys bond hearing on Monday, Orangeburg County Magistrate Peggy Doremus presented him with charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Riley told the court that hes married, has two children, is a lifelong resident of Orangeburg County and doesnt have any previous charges.
Hes also been employed at the same company for more than two decades.
Victims advocate Alexis Guinyard told the court that Greene is still fighting for his life. She noted that he had a portion of one of his lungs removed due to being wounded.
Doremus set Rileys bond at $25,000 for each charge, cash or surety, with a 10 percent option.
She also ordered him and his family not to have any contact with Greene and his family.
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A cousin bait posting on the Pierce brought me an email this week from Dea, whose great-grandmother, Sarah, was the second wife of Albert Or...
Azerbaijan and Turkey are strategic partners of Georgia, Tinatin Khidasheli, the Georgian Defense Minister, said at a briefing in Yerevan, Sputnik Georgia reported.
"Azerbaijan and Turkey are our strategic partners, the Georgian defense ministry quoted Khidasheli. Turkey is our neighboring country that is a NATO member. And this further intensifies the relations between our countries. Georgia is grateful to everyone supporting and assisting it. Turkey offers assistance at the political level at the ministerial and high-level meetings."
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 AzerNews/
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.
/By Azernews/
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.
/Azernews/
By Laman Sadigova
Arms sale to Armenia, which is in a state of war with Azerbaijan upon keeping 20 percent of the neighboring country under occupation, raised many concerns.
The social networks have spread information about that Armenian soldiers using sniper rifles "PGM Mini-Hecate" and "Arctic Warfare.338LM" made in France and the UK.
Armament of the post Soviet nation known for its aggressive policy in the region in fact controverts the international law and these countries-exporters cannot be in the dark about the purposes for which Armenia needs these weapons. By this way Armenia maintains its occupation of the Azerbaijani lands and shelling of peaceful settlements on the frontline.
France, which is the member of the OSCE Minsk Group, dealing with solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, should be doubly concerned about this information and take measures for its explanation.
Moreover, the Arms Trade Treaty prohibits weapon selling if it violates the measures taken by the UN Security Council or break the international obligations of States under international agreements.
Armenia has rejected to fulfill four UN Security Council resolutions on unconditional withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has expressed its concerns over arms sale to Armenia in large quantities.
Hikmat Hajiyev, the spokesperson of the ministry, said that exercising and increasing the combat readiness of the personnel using these sniper rifles suggest that these rifles were imported to Armenia in large quantities and taken into service.
"Initially it was said that Armenia received only two sniper rifles Arctic Warfare.338LM for test purposes. But the massive use of these weapons in the military forces of Armenia proves the opposite.
The Armenian Armed Forces' use of sniper rifles made in France and the UK is a major concern. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made a appeal on April 25, 2015 in connection with the supply of such weapons to Armenia by producing countries, but no clarification has followed so far.
Hajiyev also said that France and the United Kingdom declare that they had complied with the conditions of the OSCE in respect of the arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan. "At the same time within the European Union there is a strict regime of weapons export control. Arms delivery to Armenia via third people raises questions. According to the export control regime, during operations on export-import of military weapons exporter must require the end-user certificate (end-user certificate).
Selling weapons to occupant Armenia targets continuing the occupation and preserving the status quo. It is a serious impediment to resolving the conflict through negotiations and establishing peace and stability in the region.
The spokesperson added that Armenia uses this type of sniper weapons not only for combat purposes, but also against the civilian population, including women and young children, who live along the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontline.
The fact that Armenia buys sniper weapons in various ways, including through fake business transactions or "black market", proves once again that the statements of its government about the withdrawal of snipers from the contact line and its attempts to call it "building confidence", are unfounded and false.
Azerbaijan, in its turn, hope that France and the UK, on the basis of international obligations and the requirements of national legislation, will seriously investigate the matter and take appropriate action, Hajiyev said.
Turkey is willing to build a refugee camp in northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, the Turkish Milliyet newspaper wrote Feb. 2.
This issue was discussed with the Russian and US presidents during the recent G-20 summit in Turkey," Erdogan said, adding that no decision on this issue has been taken yet.
President Erdogan said that the new refugee camp is intended for Syrian refugees who are currently living in Turkey.
Currently, Turkey is hosting more than two million Syrian refugees on its territory.
The Syrian refugee camps in the country accommodate about 300,000 people. The rest of them are spread across the provinces and cities of Turkey.
In Istanbul alone, there are currently 40,000 refugees from Syria. Ankara has so far spent $8 billion to upkeep the Syrian refugees.
The President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov demanded to strengthen the fight against corruption during the working conference meeting, said the message released by the government.
Stressing that all the work carried out in the country must comply with time requirements, the president said that strict measures will be taken against executives who admit the offense in subordinated structures.
The message said that at present, there are a number of shortcomings and offenses in trade sphere of Turkmenistan.
The president expressed serious dissatisfaction with the countrys ministry of trade and foreign economic relations.
Earlier Berdimuhammadov expressed dissatisfaction with the work of the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange of Turkmenistan.
An official with Irans foreign ministry has rejected reports on sending Afghan immigrants to Syria to fight alongside forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
The source speaking on condition of anonymity said that claims about sending Afghans right into the middle of the Syrian crisis by some Iranian organizations are not true and follow promotional goals, Irans ISNA news agency reported Feb. 2.
The official further said there is information that the Afghanis are fighting on both sides, however it is impossible to define whether they are fighting along with the IS (ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) or not.
The source further said that according to undisclosed evidence, some Afghan nationals involved in the confrontations, have been residing in Syria, while others arrived there from Afghanistan, in some cases, through Iran.
Human Rights Watch accuses Iran's Revolutionary Guards that has recruited thousands of Afghans, some by coercion, to fight in Syria.
Iran has not just offered Afghan refugees and migrants incentives to fight in Syria, but several said they were threatened with deportation back to Afghanistan unless they did," Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at the New York-based HRW said Jan. 29.
Tehran has always expressed support for the Syrian government since it sees the Assad regime as its main strategic ally in the region and as a part of an axis of resistance against Israel.
Western countries accuse Iran of running military operations in Syria, but Tehran denies these accusations. Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that they only provide military consultations to Syrian forces.
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has inked a Dh55 million ($15 million) loan agreement with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to set up a geothermal power station in the southern Caribbean country.
The agreement, between ADFD and St Vincent and the Grenadines, was signed between Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and H.E Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The project is being funded as part of the dh1.285 billion ($350 million) ADFD/Irena project facility, set up in 2012, to provide concessional financing for renewable energy projects in developing countries affiliated to International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
One of the five projects selected for funding as part of the second loan cycle facility, the power plant aims to utilize naturally occurring geothermal energy to plug the power shortage in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In the long term, the project will help drive the wider energy sector and accelerate sustainable economic development across the countrys 32 islands.
Gonsalves said: The proposed geothermal power plant will give a strong boost to the energy sector in our country, supporting its economic growth and development programmes.
ADFD plays an active role in financing development projects that translate into significant economic and social impact in beneficiary countries. My government is keen to leverage our collaboration with the Fund to push ahead with more development projects that deliver key sustainable development goals and benefit the overall economy.
Al Suwaidi said: ADFD has paid particular attention to the renewable energy sector given the essential role of the sustainable energy in meeting the growing needs of developing countries, and supporting their social and economic development.
The renewable energy projects financed by the Fund since 1974 to date have contributed to delivering clean energy for millions of people in more than 24 developing countries across the globe. These projects have generated thousands of megawatts of renewable energy, and stimulated economic growth in the beneficiary countries, he added.
The geothermal power plant in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with a capacity of almost 15MW, will enhance the electricity grid in the island by leveraging its natural renewable sources, while cutting the cost of electricity generation by 25 per cent.
In addition, the associated construction, operations and maintenance of the plant, the conversion station and 40km of transmission lines to connect the plant to the grid is anticipated to create several job opportunities for the local population. TradeArabia News Service
China State Construction Engineering Corporation (Middle East) said it has been awarded a $95-million contract by UAE-based Zaya Real Estate Development for a high-rise hotel project in Dubai.
The upcoming project, a 33-storey serviced apartment with a building area of 110,000 sq m, is located in the Jumeirah Village Circle JVC) area, said a statement from the Chinese group.
The 126-m tall buiding will boast of a total of 467 apartments with adequate parking lots besides other amenities such as swimming pool, gyms, childrens club and a coffee house, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
A total of 16 major railway projects worth a whopping $352 billion are currently under way in the Middle East as the region forges ahead with its plans to set up a strong passenger and freight transport network, said a report released ahead of a key industry event in Dubai.
The Middle East Rail, a major rail exhibition and conference in the region, will be held from March 8 to 9 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The event, to be held in partnership with the Ministry of Public Works UAE and the Federal Transport Authority - Land & Maritime, will bring together rail operators to source solutions in building the Middle East rail network, said the organiser Terrapinn Middle East.
"With current market conditions as they are, its a great opportunity for international rail suppliers to enter the market. Governments are now diversifying their resources, putting more emphasis on projects that are not oil-related," remarked Jamie Hosie, the project director at Middle East Rail.
"With transport and logistics sectors playing an increasingly important role in the regions economies, governments are now looking towards innovative technologies to boost economic sectors that will boost intra-regional trade and tourism activities," he added.
According to ICAEW Economic Insight Middle East report, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman will likely net the biggest windfalls, with logistics forecast to contribute 13.6 per cent, 12.1 per cent, 11.7 per cent and 11.7 per cent to their respective economies by 2018.
Alongside a compelling two days of keynotes, panel discussions and research sharing, the show will spotlight projects updates, with key government departments, railway operators and construction companies giving a first look at 2016 tenders and an understanding of the techniques and technologies being implemented to build these futuristic networks, observed Hosie.
The Middle East Rail will feature a line-up of over 300 exhibitors, covering all aspects of rail infrastructure including rolling stock, fixed stock, systems integrators, consultancies, operators, signalling and communications and maintenance.
There will be workshops at the conference which will discuss key issues such as stations and terminal design, building intelligent transport IT solutions and GCC rail interoperability.
A dedicated Cargo zone will focus on how businesses can best utilise the multimodal infrastructure in the region, said the organisers.
Many of the exhibitors are upgrading the size of their stands this year. Siemens, Greenbriar, Bombardier, Autodesk and Ansaldo are among the main sponsors for the show.
On the 10th anniversary of the show, Hosie said: "For almost a decade, Middle East Rail has helped shape the regional rail market through knowledge sharing, educating the market and facilitating influential meetings."
"In 2016, visiting ministries and rail operators from the Mena region, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent will discuss the development of passenger and freight rail projects alike and the key challenges faced in rolling out and operating successful rail networks," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based Dayal Building Material Trader (DBMT) will start its operations from Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah from March.
Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, director of Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone) and Dinesh Moorjani, managing director of DBMT signed a lease agreement today (February 2) in this regard.
We have leased 55,000 sq m of land in the Phase 2 area. We will start logistics and storage facilities operations by March this year and will open its steel fabrication facility by 2017. We have plans to invest Dh20 million ($5.4 million) to 25 million for this project, Moorjani said.
With a strong presence in the GCC, DBMT, the UAE's leading structural steel distributor, covers all of the key steel markets like Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the US and Europe.
We welcome DBMT to our fraternity. Our goal is to create a robust business environment by meeting the needs and demands of our investors, said Al Mazrouei.
In steel industry, HFZA is one of the market leaders in the Middle East. The regional industry consists of fabrication yards and engineering workshops and thus, the steel industry is very important to Hamriyah Free Zone. We have been developing this sector for over a decade and today a number of well-established steel firms are operating within our zone, Al Mazrouei explained.
Moorjani added: We supply steel mainly to the oil & gas sector as well as EPC contractors, steel fabricators and contracting companies. This new facility will provide easy access to all the emirates as well as the international markets due to the strategic position of Hamriyah Free Zone in the UAE. TradeArabia News Service
A total of five French companies from the dairy and gourmet food sectors located in eastern France, will be participating at the upcoming Gulfood 2016, a leading annual food and hospitality trade show, to be held later this month, in Dubai, UAE.
The event will take place from February 21 to 25, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
CCI International Franche-Comte will support these five companies which are part of the France Pavilion at the event.
The participating companies will include Velleminfroy Water, Elixia Lemonade, Paturages Comtois Cheesemaker, Perrin Vermot Cheesemaker and Vilux, said a statement.
Business France is organising the French Pavilion at the event, it added. - TradeArabia News Service
Republican Senator Ted Cruz beat billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders remained deadlocked in the first presidential nominating contests of the 2016 White House race.
Cruz, a conservative lawmaker from Texas, won with 28 percent of the vote compared to 24 percent for businessman Trump in the Republican contest. Marco Rubio, a US senator from Florida, came in third with 23 percent, easily making him the leader among establishment Republican candidates.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, and Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist US senator from Vermont, both came in at roughly 50 percent with 95 percent of the state's precincts reporting results. Sanders declared the results a tie.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who had trouble gaining any traction in the Democratic race, suspended his campaign. He took third place with less than one percent.
Cruz's win and Rubio's strong showing could dent the momentum for Trump, whose candidacy has alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies such as his calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US.
"Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech that lasted more than 30 minutes. Buoyed by evangelical voters, Cruz thanked God. He said the results showed that the nominee would not be chosen by the media, the Washington establishment or lobbyists.
Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination for the November 8 election.
"I'm just honoured, I'm really honoured," Trump told supporters. He said he looked forward to the next contest next week in New Hampshire, where polls show him ahead.
Clinton, 68, said she was breathing a "big sigh of relief" after the results. She lost to then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008. The former first lady congratulated Sanders and did not declare victory in her remarks.
"It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas," she said.
Sanders, 74, said he and Clinton were in a "virtual tie" and said he was overwhelmed. "Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America," he said. - Reuters
Dubai has announced plans to build the biggest library in the Arab World, designed in the shape of an open book on a Arabic lectern, at a cost of Dh1 billion ($272 million), said a report.
The 1 million-sq-ft Mohammed bin Rashid Library, to be built in Al Jaddaf area in Dubai, will house more than 4.5 million books and include several areas for interaction, events, activities, educational and cultural festivals, reported the state news agency Wam.
The ambitious seven-storey facility was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday in the presence of senior government officials.
The gaint library will also be a museum of the Arab heritage and the history of human civilisation as well as venue for arts and literary exhibitions, heritage preservation initiatives.
It will also boast a 500-seat theatre for lectures, seminars and launching of intellectual and cultural initiatives regionally and globally, said the report.
The library will also host several cultural and cognitive initiatives, such as the Dh2.4 million ($653,266) 'Arabic Language Award', launched recently to help people embrace their Arab identity.
It is scheduled to open in 2017, the report stated.
Speaking at the launch, Sheikh Mohammed said: "We are the leaders of civilisation, duty and culture, and so we need to revive the spirit of learning and curiosity within our culture through innovative initiatives that push our boundaries."
"This is why we decided to start the Year of Reading by launching this state-of-the-art library and to let everyone know that we will transform the UAE into an Arab and global cultural and learning centre while strongly establishing reading as a societal norm," he stated.
"The human mind is the centre of development and the book is the tool used to renew the mind. A nation can never grow without a renewed mind and a lively, knowledgeable spirit," remarked Sheikh Mohammed.
"We want a dynamic library which will reach you before you reach it, visit you before you visit it, and which encourages you to start reading from childhood, while supporting you as a scientist, researcher or specialist, when older. It will be a compound for books, a community for readers and writers, and an association for content, culture and thought owners," said the Dubai ruler.
The library will also serve as a platform for hosting and launching the most significant intellectual and cultural initiatives regionally and globally, said the Wam report.
The library is based on six pillars: the first is the main library, which includes eight specialised libraries: for Children, Youth, Family, Business, Arabic, International, Popular and Multimedia, it added.
Lauding the initiative, Dewa managing director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, said: "While the Arab World faces many challenges, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library, with its printed, audio, and electronic books, is a unique opportunity for 42 million readers in the region."
"This project is a sign of hope: a beacon that lights the way and revives the hope of achieving a real knowledge renaissance in all Arab countries. It will bring about positive change in Arab societies by raising a generation who value reading and culture as important tools in the development of people and progress of countries," he remarked.
In his comments, Empower chief executive Ahmad bin Shafar said: "It is no wonder that the Dubai Creek area was chosen to establish the first public library in Dubai more than 50 years ago as well as the largest Arabic knowledge-based project of our times, as the spot serves as a knowledge oasis and a cultural hub, hosting a multitude of cultural landmarks in it."
"This library will contribute to strengthening the cultural and scientific development in the UAE, which is always determined to be a capital of culture and a venue for multi-civilizations, as well as an oasis of knowledge and scientific research regionally and globally," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
X Jets, a joint venture between Private Jet Charter and Jet Connections - the newly established regional company based in Dubai, has said that streamlining the traffic in the Middle Easts upper airspace would be a powerful catalyst to the regions aviation sector.
X Jets, which has reported strong response to its aircraft management options, is upbeat on the growth prospects of the regions private jet industry in 2016. X Jets has positioned itself as a niche provider of integrated services to the aircraft industry, according to Hugh Courtenay, co-founder of the company.
Quoting the findings of a new report commissioned by NATS, the UK based global air traffic management specialists, X Jets says that an estimated $16.3 billion in economic benefits can be achieved in the Middle East over the next 10 years by delivering enhancements to air traffic control systems.
Courtenay said that X Jets got a positive response within weeks of its launch in Dubai, driven by the reputation of both mother founding companies. The company has developed integrated services that cover the full spectrum of aircraft owner requirements, including crew recruitment, trip schedule, maintenance, procurement of fuel, insurance and catering services, among others.
The launch of X Jet was in response to increased demand for high-quality aircraft management services in the region, added Zaher Deir, co-founder, X Jets. Through the global network of Private Jet Charter, and the support of Jet Connections, we have succeeded in creating a significant client base for X Jets in the Middle East in a record time. The company is witnessing phenomenal growth through it is in business just a few months.
Supported by two global gurus in the aircraft industry, craft owners outsource their requirements to X Jets teams of experts. The company also helps jet users to enjoy their air taxi experience without the hassles of airport paperwork, and with quick access at gates.
With the launch of X Jets, we seek to transform the way owners truly enjoy their travel in their private jets, concluded Courtenay.
X Jets covers all aspects of aircraft management, including maintenance, catering, staffing, clearance at airports as well as purchasing, trading and selling of aircraft. TradeArabia News Service
Travel insurance sales for trips to Latin America have surged as vacationers consider scrapping their plans to avoid the rapidly spreading Zika virus, one of the top US providers, RoamRight, told Reuters on Monday.
The Maryland-based company, part of insurer Arch Capital Group Ltd, said revenue jumped 81 percent in January from a year ago for its "Cancel For Any Reason" policy covering trips to Zika-impacted areas in the Americas.
The rise provides an early insight into how traveller patterns are changing because of the mosquito-borne virus, even as airlines and hotel chains say it is too soon to tell whether Zika has dented bookings.
The World Health Organization on Monday called the virus, linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, an international health emergency that could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas.
"We see that kind of growth when there is a terrorist attack or some other event that precipitates people thinking about protecting their travel costs," said Linda Fallon, head of RoamRight and senior vice president of travel for the group's Arch Insurance Company division.
RoamRight, ranked third by sales in 2015 on travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth, declined comment on how the boost would impact its profitability because it does not know how many customers will claim refunds and therefore what losses it will incur. For this reason, it also was too early to consider whether to charge customers more, Fallon added.
Parent Arch Capital does not disclose RoamRight's total sales but reported group revenue of $932.6 million and net income of $64 million in the third quarter of 2015.
PEACE OF MIND
The "Cancel For Any Reason" policy, whose pricing has not changed in the past year, repays claimants 75 percent of all non-refundable trip costs, from airfare and hotel to on-site tours and excursions, RoamRight said.
Top US airlines are currently promising refunds for tickets to the region, although American Airlines Group Inc has limited the offer to pregnant travellers and their companions, while other carriers have specified a deadline for invoking the offer.
Fallon said vacationers were turning to insurance, not necessarily scrapping plans altogether, because they were not yet sure how the virus would impact them or how severe outbreaks would be at the time of travel.
"People are just looking to take precaution," she said. "This gives people the peace of mind."
Since December 2015, RoamRight has seen a nearly 10 percent rise in orders for all its policies covering trips to the more than 20 countries and territories in the Americas impacted by the virus, it said.
Rival Tin Leg said it has not seen a significant increase in sales attributable to Zika but noted that cancelling a trip because of concerns of the virus was not covered by its standard policies. It added the virus was "a major topic of questions we receive from our customers."
InsureandGo USA, Travel Insured International, AXA Assistance USA and Trip Mate did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters
Amazon River is the greatest river of South America and the largest drainage system in the world in terms of the volume of its ...
Art reception
Thursday
ART 321-Casper Artists Guild, 321 W. Midwest Ave., will open an exciting new February exhibit featuring the works of four very talented and well know Casper artists, Lynn Newman, Jannet Zambai, Ann Tollefson, and Bev Mathisen. This exhibit will be open for the entire month of February. Please mark your calendars to visit with these artists at a reception featuring music and an open bar from 4 to 8 p.m., on Thursday. Free and open to the public. Hope we will see you there.
Super Bowl at Elks
Super Bowl Sunday at the Elks! Bar opens at 2 p.m., beer and drinks specials, raffles and door prizes. This is going to a potluck, so please bring your favorite snake to share with everyone! Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839.
Planning at Elks
Planning meeting for the 2016-17 year of events at the Casper Elks Lodge starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. All members welcome.
Limited tickets for Winter Ball
Tickets for 307 Dance Academys annual father/daughter dance, Winter Ball are going FAST! This enchanting night, Woodland Fairy Dream is 6:30 to 9 p.m., this Saturday! Tickets are available downtown at the Cadillac Cowgirl and at Pier 1 Imports in the Blackmore Plaza. The night includes light snacks, beverages, a professional keepsake photograph, dancing with a live D.J., American Girl doll raffles, beautiful handcrafted fairy homes, and more. Fairies are real. Come and find them in our enchanting forest atmosphere. There will be no tickets sold at the door so hurry and grab your tickets.
Pancakes at UCC
Join us for this small fundraiser as we share a simple feast of pancakes, bacon, milk and juice at United Congregationa Church Casper from 5 to 7ish p.m., on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Come and go as your time permits and let us do the cooking! Children free, free will donation for adults.
Coin club talks counterfeit
The Casper Coin Club will meet at 7 p.m., on Wednesday, February 10, at Casper College, Strausner Hall, room 207. Topic for discussion will be doctored or counterfeit coins. Call Al at 237-1156 if you have questions.
Robotics tourney Feb. 13
The 2016 Wyoming Robotics Tournament is 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13, at CY Middle School. For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Shannon Fischer, NCSD Robotics facilitator at 253-4346 or shannon_fischer@natronaschools.org All events are free and open to the public.
Public defender speaks to Dem forum
Obstacles and Inequalities Facing the Poor in Americas Criminal Justice System is the title of Natrona County Public Defender Robert Oldhams talk at the Democratic Womens Forum on Saturday noon, Feb. 13, at the Casper Petroleum Club.
The Casper attorney said he went to law school with the intention of defending the poor, and got his chance with the State of Wyomings Public Defender service in the year 2000. He is now the District Supervisor of the Natrona County Public Defenders Office. He completed his law degree in 1997 at the College of William and Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Growing up poor, but very fortunately loved is the way Oldham explains his urge to defend the powerless among us. Over the years he has defended thousands of indigent citizens charged with crimes ranging from Minor in Possession of Alcohol to First Degree Murder. His youngest client was 9, and the oldest was a gentleman in his late 80s. Rob is also a death penalty qualified attorney who has represented several individuals facing death as a punishment for their crimes.
Oldham is the father of two, grandfather of six, and great grandfather of three.
The Democratic Womens Forum meets at the Casper Petroleum Club for buffet lunch at noon, the $15 charge including tax and gratuity. Meetings are open to anyone interested in the programs, regardless of gender. Luncheon reservations are needed by calling Jerre at 234-8625 the Thursday prior to the meeting.
Sweetheart Ball at Elks
Sweetheart Ball Dinner and Dance in the Casper Elks Lodge Ballroom on Feb. 13. Dinner begins at 6 p.m., in the ballroom, dinner will be prime rib, $25; crab legs, $35; or $45 for both. Includes a $5 drink ticket. Dance to Dawn and Randy Copas. Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839 or 237-2432.
Father Daughter at Elks
Father Daughter Dinner and Dance at Casper Elks Lodge on Feb. 27. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Music by Good Times Only! If you dont have a daughter, borrow one and come on down to the Elks Lodge for dinner, dancing and door prizes and get your picture taken. Tickets are fathers, $10; daughters 14 and up, $9; 8 to 13 years old, $8, and 7 and under are free. For more information, call 234-4839.
Long Island Medium coming to Casper
Theresa Caputo, from TLCs hit show, Long Island Medium, will be appearing live at the Casper Events Center at 7:30 p.m., on Wednesday, April 6. Theresa will share personal stories about her life and explain how her gift works. She will deliver healing messages to audience members and give people comfort knowing that their loved ones who passed are still with them, just in a different way.
Tickets go on sale at 11:30 a.m., this Friday and can be purchased at caspereventscenter.com, 800.442.2256, or the Casper Events Center Box Office. Tickets start at $39.75 (plus applicable service charges) and are subject to change. Purchasing a ticket does not guarantee a reading.
The Experience brings Theresa face-to-face with her fans, as she lets spirit guide her through the audience. A video display ensures everyone in the venue has an up-close-hands-on experience regardless of seat location. The experience isnt about believing in mediums. Its about witnessing something life-changing, says Theresa Caputo. Its like Long Island Medium live, witnessing first-hand spirit communication.
Earth Angels Feb. 12
If you would like to bless our community through your sewing, snipping, stuffing, pressing, knitting, and/or crocheting, join Earth Angels! Earth Angels meets once a month! It is a gathering of women who will meet on February 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3420 South Poplar to make bibs, lap covers, preemie baby gowns, caps for cancer patients, dolls, bears, quilts for preemie babies, heart pillows, and any other items that will be of help to bless those who are hurting. Take a small luncheon salad to share at each monthly meeting (drinks are provided) as well as your scissors and your sewing machine if you own one. Please call Dolores at 237-2992 for additional information about Earth Angels.
Ash Wednesday at St. Marks
Ash Wednesday services on Feb. 10 at St. Marks Episcopal Church, 7th and Wolcott, will be at 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and will include Holy Eucharist and imposition of ashes.
Also on Ash Wednesday, Ashes to Go will be available from noon to 1 p.m. in the side chapel at St. Marks for persons who work and would like to receive ashes.
The service schedule for St. Marks during Lent starting Wednesday, Feb. 17, includes 5:30 p.m., soup supper and fellowship followed by Lenten study for children, youth and adults at 6:15 p.m., and concluding with compline at 7:15 p.m.
On Fridays during Lent, Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at 7 a.m. at St. Marks.
For further information, call St. Marks at 234-0831.
Tommy Dorsey tickets on sale
Tickets are now on sale for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, one of two headline acts for the 49th Annual Kinser Jazz Festival February 8-10, 2016.
The Dorsey Orchestra will perform on both Feb. 9 and 10, each night beginning at 7:30 in the Wheeler Concert Hall. Tuesday night will feature the Wyoming All-State Jazz Choir, directed by Brennan Baglio, as the opening act. Wednesday night will feature only the orchestra.
The festival includes three days of jazz performed by senior and junior high school jazz bands, combos and vocal groups. Nearly 700 junior and senior high school students and their instructors will participate in the festival.
Tickets for either the Tuesday or Wednesday night performance of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra are $30 each and can be purchased online at caspercollegejazz.com or by calling 268-2606 or 800-442-2963, ext. 2606. The first night of the festival will feature the Air Force Falconaires, however tickets for that concert are sold out.
The festival will take place in the Music Building on the Casper College campus. All festival daytime events are free and open to the public.
Fleece blanket club underway
The Fleece Blanket Club will meet again this Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., at First Christian Church, 520 CY Ave. This informal group welcomes volunteers from numerous churches, groups and other agencies whod like to help cut and tie fleece to make brightly colored, soft warm blankets to be given out to the homeless and people in need in Natrona County. Distribution of blankets will be done through Interfaith, Community Action, the Sandwich Ministry, homeless NCSD students and to individuals in need.
Volunteers of all ages are welcome. In addition to volunteering your time, you may donate fleece (two or 2 1/2 yards each of two complimentary colors/patterns). Bring sharp sewing scissors if you have them, or just come and tie!
Last Saturday, 20 volunteers from five churches/groups made 40 blankets and we have enough fleece to double that number! Come join the fun and help someone in need during this cold weather.
Community impact at Pizza Ranch
Pizza Ranch, 5011 E. Second St., hosts Community Impact nights from 5 to 9 p.m. normally on Mondays and Wednesdays. Members of nonprofit groups bus tables for tips, and 20 percent of meal tickets from diners who mention the group are donated as well. Dine-in, delivery or pickup orders qualify.
February nonprofits include Feb. 4, Centennial Junior High Orchestra; Feb. 8 Lighthouse Baptist Church; Feb. 10, Casper Voltage Softball; Feb. 11, Boy Scout Troop 94; Feb. 15, Casper College Occupational Therapy Assistance Club; Feb. 17, Natrona County High School Cheerleaders; Feb. 18, Casper College ECLC; Feb. 22, Kelly Walsh High School Spanish Honors; Feb. 24, University Park Elementary School; Feb. 25, First United Methodist Church; Feb. 29, CY Middle School Cheerleaders.
Free chili at CC homecoming
The Casper College Alumni Association will host the annual Homecoming festivities at the Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gym this Saturday as the T-Birds take on the Mustangs of Western Wyoming Community College from Rock Springs.
The alumni association will serve free chili, beginning at 2:30 p.m. prior to the start of the womens game at 3 p.m. The men will take to the court at 5 p.m.
The first 400 fans through the door beginning at 2:30 p.m. will receive a free rally towel. In addition there will be face painting for the kids, a t-shirt toss, a 50/50 raffle to benefit the alumni association, and CC logoed items from the McCann College Bookstore, with 20 percent of the proceeds benefiting the alumni association.
Admission is only $1 per person for both kids and adults. The games can also be viewed at caspercollege.edu/webcast.
iPad fundamentals Saturday
A class to help those who have some iPad experience will be offered at Casper College through the colleges Center for Training and Development.
iPad: Fundamentals (CEU 1141 60) will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Saturday. Students taking this class will learn how to get the most out of their Apple iPad and enhance their productivity by learning user tips and tricks including using iTunes, helpful apps to get started, syncing with iTunes, organizing, and personal and professional uses for the iPad, said Daniel Dike, instructor. Students are asked to bring their iPad updated to iOS 9 to class.
The cost of the class is $55 per person and those who complete it will earn .3 continuing education units. To register or for more information contact Ann Dalton, workforce training specialist, at 268-2085 or adalton@caspercollege.edu
Western Rebels at senior center
Steve Frame and his Western Rebels will be playing at the Casper Senior Center on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Admision is $5, snacks to share are welcomed and served from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Come out and enjoy the dancing and entertainment. For information, call Sheldon Wood, 234-8754.
The Pentagon will delay until 2022 its plan to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack jet, a mainstay at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Tuesday.
During a preview of the Pentagons fiscal year 2017 budget request at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Carter said the agencys requested $582.7 billion defense budget defers the final retirement of the A-10 Warthog until 2022, replacing it with F-35 Joint Strike Fighters squadron by squadron.
The Pentagons formal 2017 budget request is due out next week.
The proposed retirement of the A-10 has been a contentious issue in Congress, which for the last two budget years has blocked the Air Forces plan to retire about 300 remaining A-10s including more than 80 in three squadrons at D-M by 2019.
A-10 supporters including Arizona Sen. John McCain, R-Phoenix, and Rep. Martha McSally, a Tucson Republican and former A-10 combat pilot, have argued that there is no ready replacement for the A-10 for persistent close air support, and that retiring the plane would put American troops at risk.
In a news release, McCain called Carters announcement a credit to the brave airmen from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and military installations across the country who are providing unmatched close-air support in critical missions throughout the world.
McCain said the plan to replace the A-10s squadron-by-squadron will avoid a capability gap as we confront a complex array of conflicts and crises.
Further details on the new A-10 retirement timetable werent immediately available.
McSally said the A-10 has been instrumental in the battle against Islamic State militants, in Europe where it was deployed to reassure and train U.S. allies amid increased Russian aggression, and in South Korea against North Korean belligerence.
But she noted that even 2022 represents an early retirement for the A-10, after the Pentagon spent about $1 billion on upgraded electronics and stronger wings to keep the Warthog flying until 2028.
"No other plane can perform the tasks for which the A-10 is uniquely suited and no other weapon system we have has the same ability to protect troops lives on the ground," McSally said in a prepared statement. "Ill continue to lead the fight to ensure we keep the A-10 until a suitable alternative yet to be identified is developed, tested, and proven to do the mission.
Carter said also said the department is requesting $7.5 billion, 50 percent more than in 2016, to deal with the accelerated military campaign against ISIL.
The bustling Joesler Village shopping center at River and Campbell has a new date spot specializing in gourmet Italian food.
Orenccios Ristorante Terrazza opened its doors in late January, bringing in wood-fired pizzas and a substantial seafood menu including dishes like lobster ravioli and Naples-style clam chowder. The Tucson restaurant owned by German Canez is actually the second Orenccios location; the first being in Nogales, Arizona.
The colors of the intimate dining room at 1765 E. River Road have been muted since its days as Om Modern Asian Kitchen, and the team has installed a wood-fired pizza oven behind a new bartop in the center of the restaurant. In the future, there will also be a 40-person patio with misters for the summer heat.
The menu leans toward upscale, with pasta dishes averaging about $14 and heartier meats and seafoods upwards of $20. Chefs specialties include several steaks like rib eye, filet mignon as well as veal osso buco plates for $36. All entrees come with a soup or salad.
Orenccios has a full bar with 16 wines by the glass and a basic cocktail list of classics like the Orange Negroni with Hendrick's Gin. The team also plans to roll out a 3 to 6 p.m. happy hour with food and drink specials. There's also live music Thursday through Saturday nights.
97, passed away on January 23, 2016 at Peppi's House at TMC, in Tucson. Harold came to Tucson with his wife, Wannietta and daughter, Jocelyn in 1943 to find relief from Tuberculosis. After finding his first paying job at J.C. Penny he became one of the first x-ray technicians in Tucson. He then aspired to become a Dentist and went to the UofA and then on to the Univ. of Calif. Dental in San Francisco. Upon graduation with honors he returned to Tucson to establish his practice. He soon branched out to Nogales and not only succeeded in private practice but performed dental procedures pro bono for a great many indigent children in Arizona and Sonora. At retirement he spent many hours volunteering at St. Elizabeth Clinic and St. Alban's Episcopal Church. During his various careers he received many acknowledgements for service and accomplishments. He was preceded in life by his wife, Wannietta, whom he loved and admired greatly. He is survived by his daughter, Jocelyn Clark (Don) and granddaughter, Renee Clark Jordan (Patrick). A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, 3738 N. Sabino Canyon at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2016. In lieu of flowers, at the wishes of Dr. Coffman, donations may be made to St. Alban's Episcopal Church. Arrangements by HUDGEL'S SWAN FUNERAL HOME.
When Khenpo Dean Pielstick, the leader of the Awam Tibetan Buddhist Institute, began searching for other Buddhist groups in Tucson, he found at least 22.
On the newly launched tucsonbuddhism.net, Pielstick wants to create a resource and shared space for Tucsons various Buddhist traditions. So far, he has listed organizations he has found and is contacting them to verify their information.
I was aware that a lot of Buddhist organizations in town dont know much about each other, Pielstick said. Part of the idea was sharing that information so that people within the religious community would know more about each other, but the other reason was to provide a place for people in the community or visitors to find information about a group.
The Awam Tibetan Buddhist Institute, called the Dharmakirti College until 2012, has been around since 2000. But it wasnt until November 2014 that the group got its own space, moving out of the Little Chapel of All Nations at the University of Arizona and into its current home at 3400 E. Speedway.
Pielstick estimated that in one week, the institute sees between 20 and 25 active participants. Among adults in Arizona, only 1 percent identify as Buddhist, according to the 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study by the Pew Research Center.
Since Pielstick moved to Tucson in 2003, he hasnt seen much collaboration between the Buddhist communities here. An exception, he noted, was a day of meditation in Armory Park last spring, sponsored by Empty Mountain Sangha, a secular Zen Buddhist community.
The event, called Change Your Mind Day, brought together teachers from different meditation traditions. Dharma teacher Frank Jude Boccio of Empty Mountain Sangha called Tucsons Buddhist communities insular at the time, but now he thinks that is changing.
Change Your Mind Day, this time co-sponsored by Empty Mountain Sangha and the Shambhala Meditation Center of Tucson, returns to Armory Park on Saturday, March 19. Since then, Boccio said he has seen an uptick in collaboration among traditions.
Theres the idea that theres a real variety in the expression of the dharma and teachings of Buddha, Boccio said. I think it helps to be aware of that from the beginning so there can be a respectful dialogue and acknowledgment of those differences.
Pielstick hopes the online Tucson Buddhism Network can facilitate that sort of communication.
Jane Stanley, an active member at the Awam Tibetan Buddhist Institute, said understanding other teachings actually corresponds with the Rime movement, a movement that encouraged the recognition of and respect for differences within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
The website is meant to be a 21st-century version of that, expanding to include other branches of Buddhism, as well.
Its something Buddhists should do, Stanley said, calling this kind of study a tradition within the Buddhist family.
On practical level, the website provides a central space for groups and centers especially smaller ones lacking their own website to post the specifics of their traditions, schedules and locations.
A popular Fourth Avenue bar is facing possible discipline by the state for failing to report two violent assaults to law enforcement, documents show.
OMalleys Bar and Grill, 247 N. Fourth Ave., violated state law by not reporting the 2015 assaults to law enforcement or the Arizona Department of Liquor, an investigation by the departments Liquor License and Control division concluded last week.
On Feb. 8, a customer was struck in the back of the head twice, then turned around and was struck on the forehead by a bottle. Instead of calling an ambulance or 911, a security guard gave her a bandage and told her she needed to go to the hospital since she was bleeding profusely, the investigative report says. A Tucson police officer checked whether any calls were made to 911 from OMalleys and there werent, the report adds.
On May 9, police interviewed a woman who said she was hit on the head with a bottle several times while dancing, the report says.
After OMalleys security separated the two women, the victim was asked to leave, along with her assailant, according to the police report.
Although police were called in the two incidents now deemed violations by the state, it was by the victims and not anyone affiliated with OMalleys. State law requires that the liquor-license holder call police or follow up later to tell the liquor department what happened.
The two violations have been forwarded to the liquor departments compliance unit to review for disciplinary action. It could take up to 45 days for a decision to be made, or longer if bar owner Brian Cummings gets an attorney, said Lee Hill, a department spokeswoman.
The state investigation began after the Star reported in December that police records showed four aggravated assaults occurred at OMalleys between February and August 2015. However, a state database showed no liquor law violations at OMalleys in 2015. The Star contacted the department of liquor to verify that the database was correct.
At the time, Hill said no acts of violence had been reported by Cummings. Thats when the state investigation began.
The state report found that two of the four assaults the Star found in police records were not actionable liquor violations.
The Star reached out to bar owner Cummings in December via phone calls, email and certified mail but received no response.
Since 2002, OMalleys has had 10 violations with the state department, including allowing disorderly patrons to remain on the premises, failure to protect the safety of patrons and, most notably, repeated acts of violence in 2011, according to the departments database.
Two people were killed and 22 suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel were arrested during what is believed to be an unprecedented cross-border law enforcement operation in Sonora, officials say.
Mexican officials had been investigating a stash house that was used for drugs and people in a rural area of the border town of Sonoyta, Sonora. The town is across the border from Lukeville, the popular border crossing used to reach the beach town of Puerto Penasco.
On Friday, Mexican federal officers raided the property, resulting in a shootout with armed men guarding the property.
The names of those killed and those arrested have not been provided, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said over the weekend that those arrested were in the custody of the Mexican government. American officials were to seek extradition of individuals facing criminal charges here.
Mexican law enforcement staged for the operation in Lukeville with the assistance of U.S. law enforcement agencies, which some call a first.
Ive been living here for 15 years, and theres no precedent for a mega-operation, even less so of a binational one, said Hugo Regalado, Sonoytas 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 Mexican federal police vehicles and four or five helicopters, Regalado said.
The city awaits specific information about the operation, he said, noting that local government was not notified before the raid.
While the cross-border cooperation is unusual here, a 2011 report by The New York Times noted that the Obama administration was allowing the Mexican police to stage for 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. That is what has been described in Fridays raid that launched from Lukeville.
Tony Coulson, who retired as the agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administrations 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.
In Fridays raid, authorities 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.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of worlds most notorious drug-trafficking rings.
PHOENIX State lawmakers took the first steps Monday to eventually allowing all 1.1 million children in public schools to get vouchers of tax dollars to attend private and parochial schools.
The House Ways and Means Committee agreed to allow what are called empowerment scholarships beginning next school year for any child attending kindergarten through fifth grade. These scholarships are roughly equivalent to what the state would provide in aid for a public school.
That would expand through eighth grade the year after that, and all grades in the 2019-2020 school year.
These vouchers originally were enacted for students with special needs. But lawmakers have slowly expanded it to include foster children, children of members of the military, children attending a school rated D or F by the Department of Education and, most recently, children living on Indian reservations.
Sydney Hay who lobbies for the American Federation for Children, said those limits, which have resulted in only about 2,400 youngsters getting vouchers, are too restrictive.
There could be any number of reasons why parents need this program, Hay said.
There is a restriction that requires a student to have attended a public school for one year.
But Mark Barnes of the Arizona School Administrators Association, said thats still leaves the door open for state tax dollars to help pay for private schools for students whose parents would have sent them there anyway. He said simply having a child go to kindergarten meets that requirement.
Janice Palmer, lobbyist for the Arizona School Boards Association, warned lawmakers of the financial implications.
How are we going to fund this? she asked lawmakers. Palmer said as limited state dollars go out the door in the form of vouchers there will be pressure to reduce spending on public education and health.
But Michael Hunter who lobbies for the Goldwater Institute said those fears are unwarranted. He told lawmakers he expects that most children will continue to want to go to public schools, whether traditional district schools or charter schools.
The measure now goes to the full House.
PHOENIX A state House panel on Monday approved a measure that, had it been in effect in 2000, would have meant Al Gore becoming president.
The legislation is designed to do an end run around the Electoral College system, which has been in place since the United States was formed.
The system assigns electoral votes to each state based on the number of congressional seats. More to the point, the president is elected only when a candidate gets at least half of the 538 votes, regardless of who got more popular votes nationally.
Nothing in Arizonas HB 2456 would change that.
Instead, the proposal by Rep. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, would require the state to enter into deals with other states: Once there is agreement by states totaling 270 electoral votes, each would require its electors to cast their vote for whoever wins the national popular vote.
Put simply, at that point it would no longer matter if Arizonans supported the Republican candidate for president. Its electors would have to vote for the Democrat if he or she got more votes nationwide.
The move came over the sharp objections of a series of speakers who feared what would happen.
Its a direct attack on our republic and will lead us down the path to what is known as direct democracy, that is, direct government ruled by the majority, often referred to as mob rule, said Robert Hathorne.
That theme was echoed by former state Rep. Barbara Blewster, who said the founding fathers set up the electoral system so that residents of states voted for electors, people who were more learned on the issues of the day. Then the electors would go to Washington and decide who would make the best president.
But Mesnard said thats not the system we have now. Instead, Arizona law requires all 11 electors to cast their ballots for whoever wins the statewide popular vote.
That, he said, makes Arizona irrelevant in the national election as candidates spend their time and money in swing states with a large number of electoral votes.
So what happens is we get ignored, Mesnard said, making Arizona a flyover state as presidential hopefuls cater to voters in places like Ohio and Florida. By contrast, if a candidate has to get more popular votes than any foe, that makes each and every popular vote matter even those from Arizonans.
He conceded that would have made Democrat Al Gore the president in 2000. He got 50,996,582 votes, according to the Federal Register, against 50,456,026 for George W. Bush. But Bush tallied 271 electoral votes, versus 266 for Gore.
Mesnard said future elections could just as easily go the other way, with a Republican outpolling a Democrat for the popular vote.
But thats not really the point, he said. The point is whats good for Arizona.
Thats also the assessment of Patrick Rosenstiel, who runs a political consulting firm in Minnesota and testified to the committee.
Unless you live in one of 11 battleground states you are not overly relevant to the presidential campaigns, he told lawmakers.
For example, he said in 2012 presidential candidates from both parties spent more than $175 million in Florida. Rosentiel said total in-state spending by candidates in Arizona was $40,350.
But he said its not just about money. He said the candidates spent more time trying to cater to the issues of Florida voters than those here.
And he said once a president gets elected, the issues in those battleground states are likely to get more attention than those elsewhere.
PHOENIX A House panel approved a change in the redistricting process that, if ratified by voters, could have the lines for future legislative and congressional elections drawn only by Republicans.
The 4-2 vote by the Elections Committee would keep the Independent Redistricting Commission that voters created in 2000 to wrest control of the process from the Legislature. Proponents say it would help remove the politics from the decennial process.
But HCR 2009 takes the chore of appointing its members from legislators from each of the two major parties and instead has commissioners running for office like any other politician. Rep. Ken Clark, D-Phoenix, said that, given the GOP voter registration edge, it is virtually certain to produce a commission of five Republicans.
Potentially more significant, the measure would remove restrictions that now exist on who can serve. Clark said that would allow candidates and even registered lobbyists to create legislative and congressional districts.
Rep. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, did not dispute any of those contentions. But he insisted that a directly elected commission would be more accountable.
And Rep. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, was undeterred by the prospect of having the lines for legislative and congressional districts once again drawn by a partisan group.
You cant remove the politics, he said. It is impossible.
Until 2000, the Legislature was in charge of creating congressional and legislative districts. That usually resulted in the party in power crafting districts designed to benefit its candidates.
That year, voters created the Independent Redistricting Commission. Democrat and Republican party leaders each choose two members, and select a fifth person who is a political independent to chair the panel.
The GOP majority in the Legislature did not object after the elections following the 2000 census leaned toward Republicans. But all that changed after the 2010 census, when Colleen Mathis, the independent chair, sided with Democrats to craft lines that Republicans said were unfair.
A vote by the Legislature to remove Mathis as being derelict in her duty was slapped down by the Arizona Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court last year rejected a challenge to the ability of the commission to draw congressional lines. And that court is now weighing a separate claim that the commission illegally drew legislative lines favoring Democrats, a claim previously rejected by a panel of three federal judges.
Petersen said this would be a better system.
Its a matter of restoring integrity to the redistricting commission, he said. Petersen said candidates would have to convince voters they would follow the constitutional guidelines for drawing districts, including keeping communities of interest together.
But Clark said all it would do is effectively return Arizona to the system that existed in 2000, allowing the majority party to further cement its power.
As state lawmakers start to look at budget plans for the year ahead, county officials speculate the proposals could cost local taxpayers million of dollars.
Nothing has really changed from last year, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said.
In a memo to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Huckelberry wrote the budget proposal from Gov. Doug Ducey would have a negative impact on county finances.
We had hoped this budget would include reduction or relief of past egregious state cost transfers, Huckelberry wrote. The FY 2017 state budget contains neither.
Huckelberry said the proposal would require a Pima County payment to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections of more than $1.8 million.
Pima County operates its own juvenile corrections department and facility, and sends few child offenders to the state facility.
The daily costs at the state-run juvenile corrections facility are greater than the county provides locally.
While the state previously charged the jurisdictions directly for juvenile corrections services based on the number of inmates housed who were convicted in each county, last year it changed that and began charging based on each countys share of the overall state population, costing Pima County more.
Other complaints county officials have with the state budget plan include a requirement for the county to pay more than $1 million to the Arizona Department of Revenue to help pay the costs for sales and income tax collections.
Huckelberry said the charges arent warranted because the county doesnt levy a sales tax and doesnt receive the benefit of the state income tax.
The presidential preference election is another cost the county will have to bear. That election, which county officials say is done for the benefit of the political parties, would cost an estimate $800,000.
Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said elections are a function of county government.
Further, Scarpinato said, many of the countys complaints represent matters the state settled with last years budget.
For us to go back to last year and undo everything that was done to bring the state out of deficit would put us right back where we were, he said.
Other concerns with state funding the county has include transportation.
The county estimates the state budget plan would use the Highway User Revenue Fund the gas tax to fund about $96 million of the Arizona Department of Public Safety budget.
The actual diversion of HURF is a little greater than last year, Huckelberry said. Without the diversions, he said, the county could have about $3 million more in transportation funding.
County officials fear another Ducey initiative could cut an additional slice from the HURF pie, reducing the amount for the county.
The governor has proposed a $31.5 million DPS border strike force.
Huckelberry said the funding source has not been identified for the new unit, which would fight border-related crime, but county officials fear the funding would come from the HURF pot.
In addition to the funding concerns, Huckelberry said the strike force would be duplicative. We already have a border crimes unit in the sheriffs department, he said.
A DPS study on the border strike force notes the counties would have to bear the costs of housing and prosecuting the defendants the unit arrests. It suggest reimbursement for those costs, but does not specify a funding source.
PHOENIX The knocks Kelli Ward is making against John McCain may be paying off but not for her.
A new statewide survey shows the former state senator from Lake Havasu City remains the choice for U.S. Senate of just 11 percent of Republicans questioned. That is virtually unchanged from November when Ward began lashing out at the five-term incumbent.
McCains own support also barely budged, with more than a third of GOP voters remaining uncommitted.
But in that same period, Democrat challenger Ann Kirkpatrick 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 that 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 theres 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 on hand.
For Kirkpatrick, the figure was just $850,000. But he said hoarding that 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 dont spend money until after the primary.
Thats a mistake because they need to define themselves, de Berge continued, and do it before Republicans with their 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. But de Berge said Ward needs to do a better job now to define herself. And that means spending money.
The Behavior Research Center poll of 590 registered voters was conducted last month, including 221 Republicans, 192 Democrats and 177 independents.
A federal judge said Monday she was considering an agreement between Arizona and an inmate to end a claim of racial segregation in the states 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 Rudisill 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.
Its not a valid argument on its face. Just because a person is black doesnt mean hes more prone to attack a white or a Latino, the plaintiffs attorney Bert Deixler said.
There are about 35,000 inmates in 10 Arizona prisons. Rudisill, who is serving time for aggravated assault, was housed in the Tucson prison when he filed the complaint.
Stop your shivering and sniveling.
This winter has been neither abnormally cold nor overly wet current conditions notwithstanding.
On Monday, forecasters said it will be below freezing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, with a hard-freeze watch in effect for overnight Tuesday.
With the first two months of meteorological winter in the books, Tucson is 0.4 degrees below normal for temperature and just a smidge wetter than average.
Forecasters still hold out hope that a weather pattern caused by the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, part of a very strong El Nino pattern, will reassert itself in the coming months.
That pattern, which brings moisture across Southern California and into Arizona and beyond, dumped prolific amounts of rain and snow across the state on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, and more modest moisture on Sunday night and Monday.
It made for a wetter-than-average January that combined with a dry December for a winter rainfall total in Tucson of 2 inches, just 0.13 inch above normal.
Mondays short-lived storm didnt account for much, though the snow piled up in higher elevations. The next couple weeks will be dry and warm, said Mike Crimmins, a climate specialist at the University of Arizona.
The weather folks have said all along that a strong El Nino, which were still experiencing, usually brings extra rain, but sometimes does not.
They still hold out hope that February, March and even April will be wetter than normal.
Crimmins helped author a CLIMAS report last month that said the second half of winter might be wetter. Now, with the February long-term forecast looking a bit sere, hes not so sure. It certainly wont be the soggy winter he once envisioned. In my imagination, we had rain every day, waterfalls everywhere and gray skies, he said.
The reality was short bursts of storms in December and January, followed by dry days
Im going to be a perpetual pessimist for the rest of the event, because it will never meet my expectations, said Crimmins, a climate science extension specialist.
The lack of moisture led to temperature extremes as the desert cooled off quickly after dark. Warm days were followed by cool nights. Januarys temperature extremes were 81 degrees and 31 degrees.
Overall, Tucson averaged a very normal 52 degrees for the first two months of winter, according to the climate report compiled monthly by John Glueck of the National Weather Service in Tucson.
Models hint at a return of a more typical pattern, with maybe a burst of rainfall later in February, and a wetter than average March, Crimmins said. El Nino still has its hold on our climate, he said.
The other good news is the snowpack, he said. The stations in the mountains are in amazing shape, way ahead of average for this time of year.
Most of the state is out of drought. These are the best conditions weve had in five years, he said.
Mondays storm gives way Tuesday to clear skies and lower temperatures. A hard-freeze watch is in effect for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, when the Tucson temperature will drop to around 26 degrees, said Greg Mollere, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. It will be even colder elsewhere in Southern Arizona.
PHOENIX Abortion foes at the Legislature on Monday proposed new restrictions on fetal research that would be even more restrictive than federal law.
SB 1474 would make it a crime to do research or experimentation on a human fetus, embryo or even the fluid that results from an abortion. The only exception would be to diagnose the health of the fetus to preserve its life or health or that of the mother, or a pathological study to determine why a fetus aborted on its own.
But the more significant part of the proposal by Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, would ban the sale, transfer or even giving away any fetus, part, organ or fluid.
Planned Parenthood Arizona says that, unlike other affiliates, it does not provide fetal tissue for research. But this measure likely would preclude any Arizona doctor from ever doing that, even though such donations and medical research remain legal under federal law.
Barto said the breadth of the measure is justified.
The bill seeks to protect the dignity of unborn infants in all respects, whether for profit or not, she said.
The legislation is the direct outgrowth of undercover videos released last year by an anti-abortion group that purports to show officials from Planned Parenthood discussing the sale of tissue.
There are already restrictions on fetal-tissue research in Arizona law.
Jodi Liggett, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, pointed to the bills provision that says anyone who performs an abortion or has fetal tissue cannot even donate it for legitimate research. This is bad for medical research, she said.
donations blocked
Separately Monday, Senate President Andy Biggs introduced legislation to permanently block state employees from making donations to Planned Parenthood through payroll deductions.
Members of the State Employees Charitable Campaign executive policy committee decided last year the organization was too controversial to be on the authorized list of charities available to state workers. But Planned Parenthood likely will renew its efforts for inclusion this coming year. SB 1485 is designed to undermine such a request by pre-emptively disqualifying any organization that performs elective abortions.
biggs concedes
There was a small victory of sorts Monday for Planned Parenthood: Abortion foes have given up in their effort to defund the organization.
A 2012 Arizona law barred any organization that provides elective abortions from participating in the Medicaid program.
Both state and federal law bar the use of tax dollars for such procedures. But proponents argue that any money that goes to Planned Parenthood for family planning services effectively subsidizes the organizations abortion services.
A federal appeals court ruled the restriction was illegal, saying that Medicaid patients are entitled to choose any qualified provider for family planning, even one that also does abortions.
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In the second of the five personal stories of half widows, Raqib Hameed Naik narrates the story of Naseema Dar.
Tengpora (Srinagar): On April 19, 1997, the Dar family of Mumin Abad, Tengpora, Srinagar, had had a tiring day. It was the second day of Eid-al-Adha, after visiting neighbours and relatives, the family of Razzaq Dar decided to call it an early day and his son, 34-year-old Mehraj-ud-din Dar, followed his fathers orders.
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Mehraj U Din Dar
Mehraj-ud-din had been a witness to, and a participant in, Kashmirs uprising in the early 90s. Like thousands of other youth, he too had joined the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). He was later caught up by the security forces, sent to jail and later released in 1994 after serving his term. As soon he came out of jail, he decided to leave behind his past on the insistence of his wife Naseema Begum and opened a shoe shop near his locality, which became the sole source of earning for his family. But the ex-militant could not shake off his past, and this was to play a detrimental on the night of April 19.
Just as Mehraj had thought he had dozed off, he heard the sounds of jackboots passing through the alleys which were close to his house. Within a few minutes, the air was heavy with cries from a neighbouring house, where army men were interrogating the occupants. As the cries intensified, the Dar family got more restless. They knew that this could not augur well for them, and grew restless with passing time. Mehraj feared the worst; he had all the reasons to do so.
It was just nine months ago that Mehraj was blessed with a baby boy after eight years of marriage. The hour needle touched 3, and as his child slept next to him and his wife, the sound of boots intensified. Within the next few minutes, Mehraj and Nassemas life turned for the worst, forever. The 20th Grenadiers, Rashtriya Rifle under the command of a Major, were carrying search operations in Tengpora, localities and had just knocked down the door of the house of the Dars.
The Army men rounded up all family members and locked them inside a single room. The pattern was eerily similar to that of the story of Safiya Azad .
He was taken into another room where he was asked the most common question posed to every arrested Kashmiri in the 90s: Samaan kahaan hain? (Where is the ammunition) As Mehraj replied in negative to their repeated inquiries, the Army men called his father and asked him for hot water and chilly power to be used in torturing him.
The torture went on unabated for two hours. It was only after the call for Azan, call for prayers in early morning, that the Army men received a message on their wireless communicating devices to return back to the camp located in Boatmen colony in Bemina, Srinagar.
Naseema Begum
All of Mehrajs family members: father, mother, sisters and a brother, who had been locked inside, managed to free themselves after breaking their door but he had already taken away by army men to their camp. The day marked the start of intensive search for Mehraj which continued for over a decade. After he was picked up by the army, I went to their camp continuously for 10 days but they didnt even acknowledge that they have picked him up, says Naseema, the half-widow of Mehraj. Again, the similarity with the case of Safiya Azad is visible. She too, had to suffer the indignity of watching army officials not even acknowledging that her husband was detained, let alone being tortured.
Later when they realised I am going to come again and again they told me that they will arrange a meeting with my husband but they never did, added Naseema.
Naseemas search for her husband never came to halt as she continued to look for him in different army camps in Uri, Baramulla, Pattan and even in Tihar jail but every time to return back with similar replies, Wo Yahan Nahi Hai(He isnt here).
In 2000, the case went in State Human Rights Commission and after six years, the commission directed the government to pay Rs 1 Lakh to the victims family and a government job. This was of course, out rightly rejected by the family. My father-in-law had said to the commission members that give me your son and take Rs 2 lakh, says Naseema.
The disappearance of Mehraj marked the start of hardships for Naseema, as she was left alone to raise and support the education of his son and a daughter, who was born some months after his disappearance.
Months after the disappearance of his husband, Naseema was asked by her father-in-law to leave the house. As we had mentioned in Part 2 of the series, this is a common problem faced by many half widows. Naseema returned to her parents in Mansbal and they helped her financially apart from of course, the emotional support. It was only in 2005 when his brother-in-law came to her rescue. He came to my parents place for inviting me for his marriage. I went there along with my kids. After marriage, he and his wife asked us to live with them. It was only then that my father-in-law gave me a single room to sleep and cook out of the eight-room house.
Shabnum Mehraj,16 year old daughter of Naseema Begum.
Naseemas son Sahil Mehraj, who at the time of his fathers disappearance was an infant, is now a 17-year-old teenager and completed his matriculation exams recently. He is currently working as salesmen in a local shop which fetches him Rs 1,500 per month. Her daughter Shabnum Mehraj, 16, is studying in 10th standard in a local school.
We have no other source of income. Initially I used to get help from my parents, then some neighbours used to help us monetarily but that wasnt sufficient to completely cover the expenses of running this house because my father-in-law dont helps us financially in any way. It is difficult to survive with so little money, but we hardly have a choice, says Naseema.
She was told by her family members and in laws to remarry, but she choose to live as half widow believing that someday her husband will return and reunite with his family.All through these years I waited for my husband but he didnt return.
Now I have lost hope, my only request to the government is: if he is alive hand him over to us. If he is in Jail, let us speak with him. If he is dead, show us his grave, says Naseema amid tears.
Naseema remembers visiting a senior National Conference leader, Ali Mohammad Sagar to seek his help in finding his missing husband. When I went to ask him for his help, he told us unsympathetically that he might have gone over to Pakistan and we must stop our search for him. But when we showed him the copy of FIR, he asked us to get out from his chamber.
Her only source of comfort, or rather, sharing the pain, is the Pratap Park rally she attends on the 10th of the every month with APDP .
Some months back, Naseema filed a fresh litigation in a Srinagar Court to reinvestigate the disappearance of her husband with the help of APDP. But Naseema and her kids are anticipating the return of Mehraj, even though it has now been close to 19 years. We can only hope that he is alive, but God knows better where and what has happened with him, she adds
Read Part-I here: Armed with a pictures that tell a thousand words: The protestors of Pratap Park
Read Part-II here: The half widows of Kashmir: A story of endless wait and hardships
Watch Short Film here: Half Widows of Kashmir
Read Part-III here: Married at 17, Half widowed at 18: Safiya Azad continues to wait even after 23 years
Help India!
By TCN News,
New Delhi: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has termed the imposition of Presidents rule in Arunachal Pradesh as blatant misuse of power by the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre and alleged it to be an attempt to subvert Indian democracy.
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President Rule is imposed in Arunachal Pradesh on January 26 after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Union Cabinets recommendation to impose Presidents Rule in Arunachal Pradesh. A Congress-led government was in power in the state, but following defections, when 21 out of 47 legislators had rebelled against the chief minister, the governor had advanced the session of the Assembly.
The Congress had gone to court and obtained a stay on the proceedings but without waiting for Supreme Courts ruling NDA government proposed President to impose its rule in Arunachal Pradesh.
Reacting to this development, Adv. Sharfuddin Ahmad, National vice president of SDPI in a statement reminded Modi Government that its pro-active role in imposing Central rule in Arunachal Pradesh was against the spirit of its pre-poll promise of maintaining cooperative federalism during its rule.
Ahmed also said that the Central government has not only acted in haste but with malice in taking this undemocratic step. It has usurped the rights of the people of Arunachal Pradesh to be governed by the elected leaders and thrust a Hindu right wing RSS governor, he added.
Alleging that NDA Govt. has no respect for the Constitution, he said that the power hungry government is indulged in rampant corrupt, communal, criminal, anti-dalit and anti-minority activities.
Terming Supreme Court as guardian of constitution, he also urged it to take stringent action against this murder of democracy by imposition of President Rule when the matter is seized of with it.
Surely this govt. assumes to be above the law and so was keen on setting up National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) as well to keep judges under its control, but failed, said the party leader.
Ahmed further said that Arunachal Pradesh is not the right stage for the theatre of political absurdity and this political instability will bode well for the state considering the fact that it is a border state and two third of Arunachal Pradesh is under the control of China.
Instability, whether political or (related to) law and order in nature is not a good thing for a border state. China closely observes events occurring in India, which is an open book, but India hardly gets to know whats happening in China, he suggested.
In addition to this, he further alleged that in India post of governor has become a mockery and need serious amendments in the laws empowering the Central Government with respect to the appointment of the Governors in the States.
Firstly, a Governor should not belong to a political party but be a retired High Court Judge or defence personnel of captain or Colonel rank officers, he opined.
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By Zafar Anjum for TwoCircles.net,
No man is born great. Men become great by dint of their hard work, sense of mission and their service to mankind.
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Dr. Syed Hasan or Syed Bhai as he is affectionately known, was such a man. Choosing service over fame and fortune, he spent all his life contributing to nation-building through education. He was my teacher and a teacher of thousand others who came in contact with him through INSAN School and College. Leaving behind a life of promise in the United States in the 1960s, Dr. Hasan chose Kishanganja very backward region in Biharas his karmbhoomi, his field of action.
In 1966, he founded INSAN School, which became a centre of excellence in education with a unique philosophy of work.The eleven years that I spent at this School, I saw Dr. Hasan working tirelessly as the director of INSAN Schoola very unique title to adopt for a school or college principal or founder. The entire school campus was his set, and like an accomplished film director, he would direct all the cast and crew members on his set. The films he produced, year after year, were blockbusters, in academics and leadership. Many of his students went on to achieve success in various fields of life, in India and abroad.
Syed Bhai never taught me any particular subject in class. Seeing him run the school as a leader was a great education in itself. He personified many dictums that are ideals of behavior. Simple living and high thinkinghe showed how to lead a simple life and yet keep ones thoughts high and lofty. He lived in a simple cottage, with little creature comforts. He raised his family in such circumstances and gave them the same life and education that others were receiving on the campus.
He also personified Nehrus famous slogan: Aaraam Haraam Hai (there is no time for rest). He worked tirelessly, come rain or shine. If it rained, he would say, keep working in the rain. The rain is doing its job and you should do yours. He believed in doing manual labour and made all his students participate in sanitation exercises.
The school campus was like Tolstoys farm. It was an orchard of bamboo-thatched huts and cottages. Syed Bhai believed in using local materials and local expertise to construct these dwellings. We were told this was very much like Tagores Shantiniketan. Every street and lane in the school exhorted us to keep reading and keep growing; and becoming good and honest citizens.
In INSAN School, we were made to wear gerua (saffron) shirts as uniform. This colour signified sacrifice. Hindu sadhus also wore clothes of the same colour. For Syed Bhai, this was an attestation of his secular values.
The last time I met Syed Bhai was in late 2014. I had gone to INSAN School to present him a copy of my book, Iqbal: The Life of a Poet, Philosopher and Politician (Random House India, 2014). The book is dedicated to Syed Bhai. He had met Iqbal as a school child in the 1930s in Lahore. It was a great personal moment for me.
I have not seen Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Allama Iqbal, Tolstoy or Rabindranath Tagore, but in Syed Bhai, I could get a glimpse of those great soulseducationists and poets who thought better of the humanity. May his soul rest in peace!
(Zafar Anjum is a Singapore-based journalist and writer)
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By TCN News,
Delhi: The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice had requested the Indian Peoples Tribunal to send a fact finding team to investigate into the death of Rohith Vemula on 17th January 2016 on the Campus of the University of Hyderabad.
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A team of Justice (Retd) Justice Suresh H, Sujata Surepalli Editor Desi Disa, US Rao- Chairman CBC Federation, Meena Menon Writer-Researcher and Senior Advocate Gayatri Singh visited the University of Hyderabad on 25th and 26th of January 2015 and met with students, faculty, friends and family of Rohith Vemula and some of the administration authorities who were available.
The observations of the Fact Finding Team are as below;
1. The death of Rohit Vemula was caused by the acts of omission and commission of the authorities.
2. On 18th December 2015, Rohit along with other members of ASA met the VC and requested to revoke the Order of Suspension and raised the humiliating issue of social boycott. He was pained to know that the VC was adamant and refused to resolve the issue on the spot. Rohit wrote the letter dated 18th December 2015 which indicates his assessment that the students would not get any justice from the Vice Chancellor.
3. The Office of the Vice Chancellor suppressed the letter dated 18th December 2015, refusing to invoke even basic protocols in such situations. This is not only dereliction of duty cast on University Authorities but it also constitutes grave contempt of the Orders of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, particularly in the conduct of the composition of the Committees, procedure mandated for incidents that may lead to expulsion, and appellate provisions thereto.
4. That the Office of the Vice Chancellor allowed the incident of 3 / 4 August 2015 to spiral out of control is shocking. It is evident from the documents on record that Vice Chancellor allowed his office to be pressurized by the Minster of Human Resource and Development to advance their own political agenda.
5. Recommendations of the Proctoral Committee are shocking to say the least. The prohibition by the Committee against students associating in groups transgresses on fundamental protection of association provided within the Constitution. That the Committee could prescribe such a punishment reflects their lack of understanding of the Constitution, and is a matter of concern.
6. That the extended members of the Proctoral Committee were not allowed to deliberate and influence the outcome of the Extended Proctoral Committee exposess the sham it was.
7. The call of the Proctoral Committee to ban all associations on the basis of ideology, Caste, Religion reflects a deep rooted prejudice against politically active students and their associations and goes to root of the matter that ails this university. That the administration can echo a position that is contrary to the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution is a matter of deep concern.
8. That the Executive Sub Committee constituted by the Vice Chancellor did not take umbrage to the aforesaid observations of the Proctoral Committee casts doubt over the competency of a primafacie extremely prejudiced Executive Sub Committee.
9. The dereliction of duty exhibited by the Office of the Vice Chancellor, to even engage with protesting students, is a clear abdication of his foremost duty to act in the best interest of students.
10. That the University of Hyderabad , failed to take cognisance of recurring suicides by students from rural and marginalised communities is horrifying. That comprehensive investigations were taken up only in some cases is disturbing. That the recommendations of these investigations were ignored, strengthens our resolve that the disregard for students from rural and marginalised communities seems to be a concern that will require systemic correction.
11. That Rohit Vemula was folded into the alleged incident of 3rd August 2015, when he was not even present at the said incident or referred too reflects a pre-set agenda to target him. This is further borne out by the sequence of events which shows the taking cognisance on a complaint by a rank outsider, manipulation of facts, tampering with evidence. That these events followed the intervention of Bandaru Dattaray and the Minister of HRD strengthen our view that the University was not concerned about an impartial investigation but was only keen to bend over backwards to please the Minster of HRD.
12. That students from Rural and Marginalised Communities are denied timely payment of their Fellowships, runs contrary to the purpose and objective of the fellowships. That there is no effective administrative oversight to ensure timely payments to students from rural and marginalised communities, has allowed systemic bias to be perpetuated without any redress. It is obvious that this system enjoys tacit approval of the administration and even some of the faculty members.
13. The continuing and growing incidence of tragic suicides of students belonging to marginalised sections of society makes it imperative that a Rohith Law be enacted, which is the demand of both students of the Joint Action Committee and Rohiths family. This should ensure punitive action against university administrations guilty of encouragement, abetting or even inaction in the case of the persistence of exclusionary practices in Universities.
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New Delhi: A delegation of Muslim clerics and social leaders met union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday and discussed issues concerning the community.
The delegation emphasised that Indian Muslim youth have not fallen prey to any propaganda in the name of Islam and expressed satisfaction at the steps taken by the NDA government for creating an atmosphere of peace and security in the minds of the minority community, a home ministry statement said.
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The delegation, which included Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad, chairman of Confederation of Minorities Educational Institutions Kamal Faruqui, and noted journalist Qamar Agha, condemned all kinds of violence in the name of religion.
Islam stands for peace and well-being of all and no one should be misguided or carry an understanding contrary to this fact, the delegation was quoted as saying.
The members of the delegation also said that they were against any sort of terrorist or violent activities, including cross-border terrorism.
Muslims were safe and enjoyed freedom in India the kind of freedom and security not available to Muslims even in Muslim-ruled countries, they said.
The delegation raised the issues of educational and economic backwardness of the community and requested the government to take positive steps for their betterment.
It was also suggested that a forum for dialogue to strengthen communal harmony be created consisting of religious and social leaders from different communities and other stakeholders.
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New Delhi: The Indian Womens Press Corps on Tuesday expressed concern over Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhis statement on registering sex of the foetus, saying it will go against the Beti Bachao campaign.
The Beti Bachao (Save Daughter) campaign is a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that promotes education and equal status for the girl child.
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The IWPC, in a statement, expressed concern and dismay over the reported proposal to make sex determination tests legal.
While the government too wants in all its earnestness to address the declining sex ratio and child sex ratio, any proposal to make sex determination tests legal will be counterproductive to the Beti Bachao campaign of the government and will not address the problem at all, the statement said.
It would give a licence and fillip to all those who believe in male child preference and to those who practice it medically and gain from it commercially, it said.
The women journalists organisation said any move to alter the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act in this direction can only be regressive.
We urge you to take measures to ensure compliance with the Act and to penalise those who conduct the tests and take advantage of the societal bias towards the male child. It is because there are unscrupulous practitioners in the medical community that the child sex ratio still does not show remarkable levels of improvement.
Inaugurating the All India Regional Editors Conference in Jaipur on February 1, the minister said that in her view, a pregnant woman should be compulsorily told whether the foetus is a male or female. The fact should then be registered to enable tracking of deliveries.
The ministry, however, clarified on Tuesday and said some news reports about Gandhis remarks were factually incorrect.
Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said there is an alternate point of view that if each pregnancy could be registered and the sex of the foetus made known to parents and if it happens to be a female, the delivery should be tracked and recorded.
Such a system will help ensure that a foetus is not aborted only because it is a female, said the statement issued on Tuesday.
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By TwoCircles.net Staff reporter,
New Delhi: A delegation of Muslim clerics and social leaders today met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here and discussed several issues concerning the community. The meeting was also joined by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.
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Prominent among others in the delegation included Kamal Faruqui, Chairman, Confederation of Minorities Educational institutions and Kamar Agha Noted Journalist and Expert on International Islamic affairs.
The delegation raised many issues that also included breaking minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Jamia Millia Islamia by the central government. The meeting lasted three hours and fifteen minutes.
The group also talked about educational and economic backwardness of the community and requested the government to take positive steps for their upliftment. It was also suggested that a forum for dialogue to strengthen communal harmony be created comprising of religious and social leaders from different communities and other stakeholders.
Condemning all kind of violence in the name of religion the delegation explained that Islam stands for peace and wellbeing of all; and no one should be misguided or carry an understanding contrary to this fact. They also added that they were against any sort of terrorist or violence activities including cross-border terrorism.
An understanding arrived during the meeting that an Interfaith Dialogue Commission be created comprising of prominent religious and social figures of all faith to create broader understanding in the society.
Following this understanding, Imams in the meeting said they will make specific mention of this fact in the Friday sermons in the Masjids.
Speaking with TwoCircles.net Dr. MJ Khan, National Convener, Muslim Economic Forum, who mounted the delegation said, The meeting lasted for more than three hours and ministry listened to all of our concerns. We talked about 15-18 points including arresting of youths, languishing of many in jail without trial, minority status of AMU and Jamia, increasing confidence of minority in the government.
We told ministry that AMU and Jamia issue is of highest concern and the community will come on street to restore its minority status. The minister did not commit on this issue but said will talk with HRD Minister and PM, he added.
He said Rajnath Singh showed quite interest in understanding the concerns and himself made a note of all the suggestions provided by the delegation.
As NSA was also in the meeting we told minister that Hindu Sena is openly taking arms training whose photos and videos are making round in social media but nothing is done against it so far by the security agency, that is a major threat to the communal harmony, he added.
The delegation has decided to meet Home minister every three months.
The delegation also included the names of Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, Prominent Shia cleric, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti, Chief of Dargah Ajmer Sharief, Ajmer, Niaz Faruqui, General Secretary, Jamait-Ul-Hind, Maulana Iqbal Ahmed Chisti, General Secretary, Maulana Wamiq Rafiq Warsi Sahab, Head, Dargah Dewa Sharief, Janab Mohibulla Nadvi, Chief Imam, Parliament Masjid, Maulana Mohammad Alim Nadvi, Haryana Imams Organization, Yamuna Nagar and Dr. M.J. Khan.
Idris Elba has every reason to feel delighted after his one hundred percent success rate at the recent Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. The Luther star scooped both awards in the categories he was nominated for, on a night when the cast of the hugely popular Downton Abbey costume drama also picked up a gong.
Elba the star of the night
Not only did the 43-year-old Londoner collect the prize for the best supporting actor in a Film recognising his part in Beasts of No Nation but he backed that up with success in the best TV actor category. That award was due recognition for his leading role in the gritty BBC drama as the detective John Luther, a part that has previously earned him a Golden Globe.
Harrowing war drama
The American war drama Beasts of No Nation that was shot in Ghana has already attracted plaudits across Europe. Written, shot and directed by the multi-talented Cary Joji Fukunaga, the story of a young boy who survives despite his country going through a horrific civil war took the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the Venice International Film Festival last year.
SAGs awarded since 1995
The SAG Awards are awarded annually but are particularly prestigious to their recipients, given that they are being honoured by their peers for their outstanding work in film and prime time Television.
Although the Hollywood event has only been running since 1995, in recent years it has often provided a guide as to the likely winners at the Academy Awards ceremony.
Leonardo DiCaprio will certainly hope that is indeed the case, as he picked up the SAG Award this year for best actor for his role in the western epic The Revenant.
Diversity not an issue at SAG Awards
While the run up to this years Oscars has been somewhat dominated by the perceived lack of diversity in terms of the nominations, that same argument could not be levelled against the SAG Awards ceremony.
Five of the major prizes were awarded to black performers, with many observers considering that to be a pointed response to the outcry elsewhere within the industry. Besides Elbas brace, there were also successes for Viola Davis, Uzo Aduba and Queen Latifah.
Third award for Downton Abbey
The cast of Downton Abbey won their third award in the TV categories, as they walked away with the prize for the best ensemble drama. With the curtain having been brought down on the British production last year, it was a fitting way to mark that occasion.
Khenh Taiveng, a local entrepreneur who has invested in a piped water system in Poutiban Commune, Kandal Province
UNICEF Cambodia/2015/Jorge Alvarez-Sala
Clean water supply at a household in Chheu Khmao Commune, Kaoh Thom District, Kandal Province
UNICEF/2015/Jorge Alvarez-Sala
Khenh Taiveng (wearing black t-shirt) at the construction site with representatives from UNICEF and other stakeholders
UNICEF Cambodia/2015/Jorge Alvarez-Sala
Treatment plant of raw water from the Bassac river in Chheu Khmao Commune, Kaoh Thom district, Kandal Province
UNICEF Cambodia/2015/Jorge Alvarez-Sala
In Cambodia, more than 2.25 million people live in arsenic affected areas. The southwestern province of Kandal, through which the Bassac River flows, is the most severely affected province in the country. In Kandal, 35 per cent of wells tested have proven to have arsenic greater than national standard of 50 parts per billion (ppb). In some wells the concentration of arsenic exceeds the WHO standard of 10 ppb by more than 200 times. Arsenic was first confirmed in drinking water in Cambodia during the Cambodia Drinking Water Quality Assessment, conducted in 2000. Ever since, UNICEF has been supporting the Ministry of Rural Development in an arsenic mitigation programme, which includes awareness raising campaigns in arsenic affected areas and promotion of alternative water sources. One alternative is harvesting rainwater, however the dry season lasts for up to six months and most families do not have any way to store enough water to last that long. Using surface water from rivers or ponds for example is another option, however this water must be treated which is a complicated and unaffordable process for many families.Therefore the most suitable alternative is piped water from a water treatment plant yet less than 10 per cent of rural Cambodians have access to piped water. At the current rate of investment, including both government and development partners, it would take around 40 years to expand piped water systems to the entire population.There is a clear need for further support and investment to fulfil peoples human right to clean water, especially in arsenic affected areas.In this context, entrepreneurs like Khenh Taiveng can play a key role. Taiveng is a local businessman who is investing in the construction of a piped water system in Poutiban Commune, Kaoh Thom District, Kandal Province. This is the second system in which Taiveng has invested: the other is successfully providing clean water to families in another district of Kandal.Taivengs investment has been secured through an innovative programme. The Department of Industry and Handicraft of Kandal Province opened a competitive bidding process for the licence to build and operate the piped water system in Poutiban. A number of entrepreneurs from both Kandal and Cambodias capital Phnom Penh submitted applications, but Taivengs bid was successful. Several criteria were taken into consideration, including the previous experience of each bidder and that Taiveng was already successfully operating another water system.The bid assessment committee also considered the maximum price of the water being supplied: Taiveng will charge less than US$0.50 for 1,000 litres of safe water. Compare this to what many families in Poutiban currently pay: up to US$1.75 for 1,000 litres of unsafe river water delivered by truck or cart by local water vendors. During the height of dry season when water is most scarce, water vendors charge even more up to US$3 per 1,000 litres.A household of five people is likely to use between 3,000 and 6,000 litres of water each month for domestic purposes. Therefore the new system where the unsafe water from mobile water vendors is replaced by clean piped water could result in a household financial saving of between $3.75 and $7.50 every month in addition to numerous health benefits.For the water system in Poutiban Commune, more than half of the capital investment will be provided by the entrepreneur; the rest is covered by UNICEF and its partner organisation GRET. GRET, a French non-governmental organization, is also in charge of site supervision during the construction phase and makes sure that the provision of water includes the most vulnerable groups, including poor households and those living far away from the commune centre.When completed, the new system will provide clean water to residents of the nine villages within Poutiban Commune. Water will be pumped from the Bassac River into the water treatment plant. There dirt and other particles are removed from the water, it is filtered, and finally chlorinated. The water then goes into an elevated water tower 25 meters tall, which generates the pressure required to distribute the clean water throughout the piped water system.The main pipe network, transporting water along the 16 kilometre length of the commune, has been installed by Taiveng. Each household will be responsible for making a contribution of US$35 to cover the cost of connecting to the main pipe network an affordable fee given the savings that each household will generate once connected. UNICEF will cover half of this connection cost for the poorest households in the commune, to ensure that all families have access to clean water.This model has been successful because it:(1) Reduces the capital investment costs of the government and its development partners, as there is a significant contribution from the private sector. Private investors like Taiveng are expected to fully recover their investment within 10 years;(2) Ensures the sustainability of the system. Many rural water supply systems have a short lifespan due to poor operation and maintenance. In this model the financial investment of the operator guarantees that the system will be functional and provide a good service, because if the system fails or provides sub-standard services the entrepreneur will lose their investment.The benefit for rural communities is clear: access to safe, treated water that would have been unaffordable and/or unsustainable by using any other models. The taps installed in every household provide arsenic-free water, and both quality and price are controlled by the Provincial Department of Industry and Handicraft. The cost of the piped water is affordable even to the poorest members of the community.This model is an excellent example of how the private sector can contribute to improve the living conditions of, and the provision of basic services to, rural Cambodian families. The country needs entrepreneurs like Taiveng, and an enabling environment that makes investments possible. The scalability of this model is extraordinary: millions more Cambodians require access to safe drinking water. Further investment following this model will help to realize that basic human right.
Govt eager for South Korean investment in Yangtze River Delta Updated: 2016-02-02 08:16 By Zhong Nan(China Daily)
A vessel sails on the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges area in Zigui county, Central China's Hubei province, Nov 29, 2015, with red leaves seen on the riverside.[Photo/Xinhua]
South Korean companies are being encouraged to invest in the Yangtze River Delta region to allow more businesses and residents in the area to benefit from the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.
Officials said Zhongfa Group, a Beijing-headquartered company that manages more than 100 billion yuan ($15.2 billion) of capital and assets in the real estate and insurance businesses, for instance, will partner with seven South Korean companies from the service industry to build large hospitals, hotels, educational, financial and consulting businesses, as well as a movie and TV themed town in Yuecheng, a district of Shaoxing, this year.
The Federation of Korean Industries, which helps South Korean companies facilitate new business in overseas markets, and Shaoxing government and China National Building Material Group Co, will also build industry and innovation parks in Shaoxing to jointly develop new material, electric vehicle and energy-saving products through the industrial cluster effect this year.
Zhang Yuzhong, deputy director of the investment promotion agency of the Ministry of Commerce, said investing in Zhejiang province shows that these companies are keen to further develop service businesses in China's wealthy areas including Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces and Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Limited by land size and natural resources, South Korea is proficient in operating service industry trade and related sectors such as logistics, tourism, shipping, healthcare, education, finance and smart city development.
His comments came after some foreign media reported that the China-South Korea FTA only benefits certain areas in China, mainly Liaoning and Shandong provinces, which are closer to the country. However, the ministry dismissed such claims.
Foreign direct investment in China from South Korean companies surpassed Japan's for the first time in eight years to reach $3.7 billion between January and November 2015, according to the China Chamber of International Commerce.
There are 170,000 South Korean students, business personnel and their family members currently living in Shanghai, as well as in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, according to the South Korean embassy in Beijing.
"Developing service business in Shaoxing will also provide a platform to South Koreans in these places to obtain services similar to those in their own country," said Meng Xiaosu, vice-president of China International Council for the Promotion of Multinational Corporations, a business promotion organization under the Ministry of Commerce.
Meng said both Chinese and South Korean companies believe the FTA can be enriched and diversified through an investment-fueled economic development model.
Tian Liang, general manager of China New Building Eastern Co, a subsidiary of China National Building Material Group Co, said both local and South Korean companies have discovered that market demand in China is changing as consumers spend more on services, as well as high-value-added consumer goods.
China court upholds cult leader's life sentence Updated: 2016-02-02 22:05 (Xinhua)
GUANGZHOU -- A southern Chinese court upheld the life sentence of a man who was convicted of organizing an illegal cult, rape, fraud, and production and sale of harmful food on Tuesday.
Wu Zeheng, founder of "Huazang Zongmen," was sentenced to life in October by Zhuhai City Intermediate People's Court in the southern province of Guangdong. He was fined 7.15 million yuan ($1.09 million dollars).
Three of his followers were also given sentences of up to four years in prison on conviction of fraud and perverting the course of justice.
Wu and one of his followers, Meng Yue, appealed against the court's ruling. Meng was sentenced to four years in prison.
The provincial Higher People's Court rejected their appeals Tuesday, saying the sentences were meted out fairly and based on sufficient evidence.
Wu, born in 1967 in Guangdong, has been propagating the pseudo-religion Huazang Zongmen as a lofty sect of Buddhism and claimed to be the successor of several eminent monks.
In the name of charity and life science and through his inflammatory preaching, Wu drew a large number of followers who were interested in Buddhism, suffering diseases or simply believed that associations with the cult would ward off ill fortune.
Wu seduced many women saying he could give them "supernatural power." He was also found to have amassed more than 6.7 million yuan in ill-gotten gains, according to the court.
Rare Romanian artifacts on show at Beijing museum Updated: 2016-02-02 08:16 By Lin Qi(China Daily USA)
Fifteen years ago, a group of treasure hunters uncovered 24 spiralling, solid gold bracelets from the remains of Sarmizegetusa Regia, a site in Romania's central mountainous area that was the capital of Dacia, a once mighty kingdom until it was destroyed by the Romans in about AD 106.
The bracelets were traded in Europe and the United States via an international criminal network. It took Romanian authorities almost a decade to find and bring home 11 of the looted items, with the help of museums.
The returned heirlooms of Dacian culture are now with Romanian museums, and one of them has just arrived at the National Museum of China, for public viewing.
The dazzling armband, which dates back to 200-50 BC, weighs about 1.2 kilograms. Its two ends are elaborately crafted in the shape of a snake's body and head. It was recovered from the United States in 2007.
The armband is a key highlight of the Treasures of Romania, the ongoing Beijing exhibition that celebrates the richness and diversity of Romania's cultural heritage.
Some 445 pottery items, gold and silver ware and textiles which are on show are testimony to a civilization where East and West met, developing from the prehistoric times to the late 18th century.
The exhibits come from 31 museums and galleries, and many of them are Romania's national treasures.
The exhibits include two figurines, "the thinker" and "the seated woman", unearthed from a Neolithic-period grave in 1956 and believed to represent a couple, a bronze chariot used for religious sacrifices that can be traced back to the Iron Age and a silver helmet made about 2,300 years ago.
It's the first time that Romanian artifacts are being displayed on a large scale in China, thanks to a cultural cooperation agreement signed by the two governments in 2013, according to Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu, director of the National History Museum of Romania.
Four decades earlier, Chinese cultural relics had first been shown in Romania.
In 1973, the first Chinese exhibition in Romania displayed ancient objects, opening a link between museums in the two countries. And Tarnoveanu, who was then a college student of archaeology, had seen the display.
The latest exhibition from China was in 2014 and included 101 items of bronze, Terracotta Warriors and imperial objects from several Chinese museums. The display was on at the National History Museum of Romania.
Wang Jun, director of Art Exhibitions China, says: "The event, which ran for three months, attracted 50,000 viewers, which is quite extraordinary for a foreign exhibition in Romania."
Art Exhibitions China, the Beijing-based institution, under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, was established in 1971 to organize foreign art exhibitions in China and Chinese art exchanges abroad.
Tarnoveanu hopes Wang's organization can take more exhibitions to Romania, where he says interest in ancient Chinese culture is growing .
Taking cultural legacies to each other's countries is one aspect of the cooperation that the two sides are looking to deepen.
Both China and Romania are often victims of crimes such as archaeological poaching, illegal exports and money-laundering through such transactions.
Tarnoveanu hopes for more exchanges with his Chinese counterparts in tracking stolen cultural treasures and bringing them back home.
Tarnoveanu, who also presides over Romania's national committee of museums and collections, provides expertise to police and prosecutors in helping to retrieve looted cultural objects.
Tarnoveanu, who has worked in the field for the past decade, has helped establish an interdisciplinary team of judicial, cultural and diplomatic experts.
"Policemen and prosecutors need our professional skills to identify smuggled cultural goods, and to protect relics from organized crime. Sometimes they can't understand the code words between these thieves which we can decode quite quickly," he told a full house of National Museum of China members on Friday, sharing Romania's experience in fighting such crimes.
Tarnoveanu says Romania's museum curators have assisted in recovering many treasures that had been considered as "being lost forever".
He says the museums not only store and research cultural heritage, but that experts at the museums are obliged to combat crimes targeting cultural property outside the museum buildings as well.
The Treasures of Romania will tour Sichuan's provincial museum in Chengdu in the summer.
linqi@chinadaily.com.cn
Exhibits from Treasures of Romania include (from left to right) a figurine, "the thinker", unearthed from a Neolithic grave in 1956, a bronze chariot used for religious sacrifices that can be traced back to the Iron Age, and a silver helmet made about 2,300 years ago.Photos Provided To China Daily
(China Daily USA 02/02/2016 page7)
Govt eager for South Korean investment in Yangtze River Delta Updated: 2016-02-02 08:15 By Zhong Nan(China Daily USA)
South Korean companies are being encouraged to invest in the Yangtze River Delta region to allow more businesses and residents in the area to benefit from the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.
Officials said Zhongfa Group, a Beijing-headquartered company that manages more than 100 billion yuan ($15.2 billion) of capital and assets in the real estate and insurance businesses, for instance, will partner with seven South Korean companies from the service industry to build large hospitals, hotels, educational, financial and consulting businesses, as well as a movie and TV themed town in Yuecheng, a district of Shaoxing, this year.
The Federation of Korean Industries, which helps South Korean companies facilitate new business in overseas markets, and Shaoxing government and China National Building Material Group Co, will also build industry and innovation parks in Shaoxing to jointly develop new material, electric vehicle and energy-saving products through the industrial cluster effect this year.
Zhang Yuzhong, deputy director of the investment promotion agency of the Ministry of Commerce, said investing in Zhejiang province shows that these companies are keen to further develop service businesses in China's wealthy areas including Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces and Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Limited by land size and natural resources, South Korea is proficient in operating service industry trade and related sectors such as logistics, tourism, shipping, healthcare, education, finance and smart city development.
His comments came after some foreign media reported that the China-South Korea FTA only benefits certain areas in China, mainly Liaoning and Shandong provinces, which are closer to the country. However, the ministry dismissed such claims.
Foreign direct investment in China from South Korean companies surpassed Japan's for the first time in eight years to reach $3.7 billion between January and November 2015, according to the China Chamber of International Commerce.
There are 170,000 South Korean students, business personnel and their family members currently living in Shanghai, as well as in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, according to the South Korean embassy in Beijing.
"Developing service business in Shaoxing will also provide a platform to South Koreans in these places to obtain services similar to those in their own country," said Meng Xiaosu, vice-president of China International Council for the Promotion of Multinational Corporations, a business promotion organization under the Ministry of Commerce.
Meng said both Chinese and South Korean companies believe the FTA can be enriched and diversified through an investment-fueled economic development model.
Tian Liang, general manager of China New Building Eastern Co, a subsidiary of China National Building Material Group Co, said both local and South Korean companies have discovered that market demand in China is changing as consumers spend more on services, as well as high-value-added consumer goods.
Ministry to support Chinese investment in S. Korea
The Ministry of Commerce said it will support more Chinese pharmaceutical, finance, cultural and consumer goods companies to invest in South Korea to extend their business reach to a market with more access to companies from China.
Zhang Yuzhong, deputy director of the ministry's investment promotion agency, said that in comparison with the China-Singapore or China-New Zealand free trade agreements, the China-South Korea FTA has many "advanced articles" in highlighting services and investment.
"As Chinese companies carry out a 'going global' strategy, they can certainly benefit from South Korea's industrial advantages and well-developed service sector to seek new market growth points, as well as the country's strong business ties with the United States, Canada and Brazil," said Zhang.
Last year, Shenzhen-headquartered Anbang Insurance Group Co, China's largest property insurer by assets, invested $1 billion to acquire a 63 percent stake in South Korea's Tongyang Life Insurance Co.
"Even though the shift is still in its early stages, it could have meaningful business implications, since it comes at a critical time when both countries are keen to improve their competitiveness to compete with other economies such as Japan," said Huo Jianguo, former president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the ministry.
zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily USA 02/02/2016 page14)
COSCO charts course for entry into Cyprus Updated: 2016-02-02 13:36 By Maria Petrakis In Athens For China Daily(China Daily USA)
Shipping group joins 13 others in bidding for Limassol Port
Fresh from its success in securing control of Greece's Piraeus Port Authority SA, China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, better known as COSCO, is now bidding to run the port of Limassol on the island of Cyprus, in a bid to extend its reach in the Mediterranean Sea.
China's newly combined and largest shipping company by capacity is among 14 investors who expressed interest in placing bids for three concession opportunities, according to a senior source in the Cypriot government.
COSCO is one of the six bidders for the port's container terminal and one of five vying for the multipurpose terminal, according to the source. Another three companies have placed bids to run a marine services concession, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works said on Jan 21.
Other companies interested in the concession opportunities are DB World of Dubai and Phillipines-based International Container Terminal Services Inc, the source said.
COSCO's interest in the Limassol port came after it was declared the preferred, and only, bidder for a controlling stake in Piraeus Port, Greece's biggest harbor, and one of the largest in the Mediterranean.
COSCO consolidated its hold over Piraeus Port Authority SA on Jan 20, agreeing to pay 368.5 million euros ($402 million) for a 67 percent stake after increasing its offer to clinch control of what is seen as a key thoroughfare into Europe.
Limassol Port is the main port in Cyprus, serving most of the island's seaborne cargo and passenger traffic. The port accounts for nearly all container traffic, about half of total cargo and 75 percent of passenger traffic on the island, according to the tender documents.
Andreas Michaelides, general director of the transport ministry, said in an earlier statement that the country's aim was to make the port of Limassol a "gateway for development for the future".
The Cypriots hope to draw investment to a port that may well be able to offer hydrocarbon support services in the future to support a burgeoning offshore oil and gas industry in the region, considered instrumental to Cyprus's future economic development.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a visit to Nicosia last month that China is interested in operating Cypriot ports and wants to help turn the eastern Mediterranean island nation into a regional shipping hub.
Chinese investment in the region is a key part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, which envisages creating the 21st century land and maritime equivalent of the Silk Road.
Since the Chinese shipping behemoth started container operations in Greece in 2009, traffic has surged at Piraeus, making the harbor one of the fastest-growing ports in the world.
View from the dockside of the Santiago in the port of Limassol,Cyprus. REUTERS
(China Daily USA 02/02/2016 page16)
The two particular terms - "economic espionage" and "trade secrets" - have become disquieting and even worrisome among Asian Americans.
As the world's two largest economies keep expanding exchanges and cooperation in a wide spectrum of fields - including science, innovation and technology - we are noticing that the number of Asian Americans or Chinese nationals suspected or being accused of economic espionage is also on the rise.
As I try to understand the complexities of the US legal environment and the geopolitical background of national interest and security, I simply cannot accept the federal government's inclination to view certain citizens as more suspicious than others, simply because of their race, origin or skin color, with seemingly no other solid evidence.
Consider the ordeal of 60-year-old scientist Sherry Chen, a naturalized US citizen originally from Beijing.
At a series of activities held last week in Silicon Valley to support Chen and similar victims of racial profiling, Chen told the community that finally "she was not feeling alone any more".
The former civil service employee of the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, was arrested on Oct 20, 2014, and accused of being a spy for the Chinese government.
The government alleged Chen used a stolen password to get access to information about the nation's dams and passed it to a high-ranking Chinese official in Beijing.
In March 2014, just a week before she was scheduled to go on trial, prosecutors dropped all charges against Chen without explanation, saying only that they were "exercising our prosecutorial discretion".
Chen has continued to suffer from a tarnished reputation, loss of her job and financial difficulties ever since.
On Thursday in Palo Alto, the Committee of 100, in collaboration with APAPA (Asian Pacific-Islander American Public Affairs Association), hosted a seminar entitled Trade Secrets and Economic Espionage: Legal Risks in Advancing Technology between the US and China to explore issues particularly relevant to Chinese-American and Asian federal employees, government contractors and professionals in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), as this specific ethnic group has increasingly become the focus of criminal investigations and prosecutions involving national security, intellectual property theft and corporate espionage in the United States.
On Saturday, a legal defense fundraiser was held in Chen's name in Santa Clara and drew about 250 attendees.
Chen is no stranger to Silicon Valley. Ten years ago she went to Intel to receive on-the-job training. This time around, she made her case to unite the community, to awaken Asian Americans to fight against injustice and prejudice and educate professionals in the high-tech arena on self-advocacy and protection.
"I knew I did not commit any crime and had done nothing wrong," said an emotional Chen at the gathering. "For over 20 years, I've been working so hard and have given my best to the American people and this country."
She admitted that she has become stronger and more resilient. "This year is different than last year. I have received so much support from people all over the country after my case was made known," she said.
The unswerving support of, among others, Congress members such as Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Mike Honda, and opinion leaders from the Asian Pacific American Caucus, APAPA and Committee of 100, has had an influence on the outcome of Chen's case.
Last month, 20 renowned scientists - including Nobel laureates Peter Agre, David Baltimore and Paul Berg - published a petition on the website change.org asking the US Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation into the cases of Chinese-American scientists Sherry Chen, Xiaoxing Xi, and other similar cases to determine whether race, ethnicity or national origin played an illegal role.
Even though the group supports the government's efforts to investigate and prosecute those who steal government and corporate secrets, the scientists said they were still "appalled" by the apparent singling out of Chinese Americans.
According to the petition, those cases were "without adequate investigations by federal law enforcement and prosecutors on the basis of ethnicity in violation of their equal protection rights".
Xiaoxing Xi, chairman of the physics department at Temple University, was dragged from his home on May 22, 2015, with guns pointed at his wife and children. He was later released, after charges of selling sensitive US defense technology to the Chinese government were dropped.
Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.
(China Daily USA 02/02/2016 page2)
Chinese break into US home goods Updated: 2016-02-02 12:19 By Niu Yue in New York(China Daily USA)
Chinese exhibitors showed off their innovative edge on Monday at the ongoing NY Now, one of the largest home dcor and lifestyle product exhibitions in the US.
More than 100,000 new and trendy products from more than 400 companies from 60 countries were on display at the New York's Javits Center.
At least seven Chinese-owned companies participated in the show, according to Sean Altberger of NYC & Company, a marketing organization.
Dai Mei, owner of MC Oasis , an Oregon-based textile company, said that the key to breaking into the US market was to adjust locally.
The textiles her company had on display were mainly silk scarves made in China but designed in the US.
Dai said textile products from China were receiving better recognition in the US market than ever before. She said one of the obstacles for Chinese businesspeople to make it in the US was the cultural barrier.
"You could be a good manufacturer but you may not be a good designer," she said. "Some Chinese designers who have little knowledge of the US market sometimes can't cater to the aesthetic standards of Western clients."
Dai said almost all of her clients were local Americans and the increasing frequency of bilateral personnel exchanges had brought more understanding of each other's culture. "Obviously more and more Chinese manufacturers are market-focused," she said.
The design process remains a weak point in most Chinese home-style product manufacturers, said Hai Yunbo, sales manager of New York-based DM Healthy Limited Company.
DM Healthy exhibited a variety of metal products, ranging from punk-style wine stoppers to glittering stainless kitchenware. Hai said their products were "branded in the US but made in China", a major method of catering to the local market.
Hai said most of his metal and wooden home products were made in southeastern China. "But the structural problem was the lack of innovation in design and self-branding," he said.
The international trade is primarily comprised of two different models in selling and manufacturing: OEM (original equipment manufacturerand ODM (original design manufacturer). Hai said China still needed to help its domestic manufacturers change from OEM to ODM, from a lower-end to a high-end in the chain of production.
Chinese porcelain exhibitors showed more innovative capacities at the show.
Jeff Sung, vice-president of California-based Artistic Porcelain Company, said the more intense competition left him no choice but to innovate.
Sung, a Hong Kong immigrant who came to the US almost 40 years ago, told China Daily that more Indian and even US domestic porcelain manufactures in recent years have left 40 percent of Chinese-owned porcelain businesses in the US bankrupt.
He said Chinese porcelains used to have a sharp price advantage, but this edge had been continuously eroded by competitors and the ever-rising price of porcelain made in China.
Sung's solution was to reinvent the definition of porcelain products beyond the old school of home decor. Now most of his products are porcelain lamps, avoiding the fully-saturated tableware market.
Andy Zhao, sales manager with Legend of ASIA, the largest sales group specializing in Jingdezhen porcelain in the US, said there had been "an upheaval" in their porcelain business in the US.
Zhao said all his porcelain followed the tradition of using hand-painting techniques rather than the industrialized painting and coloring techniques.
Zhao's company also caters to the US audience by making more series of porcelain, from the traditional blue-and-white to the auspicious red.
Long Yifan in New York contributed to this story.
Republican Cruz bests Trump in Iowa race, Clinton and Sanders tie Updated: 2016-02-02 12:34 (Agencies)
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz speaks, with his wife Heidi Cruz by his side, after winning at his Iowa caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa, February 1, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
DES MOINES, Iowa - U.S. Senator Ted Cruz soundly defeated billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa's Republican nominating contest on Monday, upending the party's presidential race and creating a three-way competition with establishment candidate Senator Marco Rubio.
A conservative lawmaker from Texas, Cruz won the first state Republican contest with 28 percent of the vote in Iowa compared to 24 percent for businessman Trump. Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, came in third with 23 percent, making a stronger-than-expected finish.
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont came in deadlocked, both receiving roughly 50 percent in a race that was too close to call. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, declared the result a "virtual tie."
Cruz's win and Rubio's strong showing could dent the momentum for Trump, whose candidacy has alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies ranging from his calls to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States to promising to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.
"Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech lasting more than 30 minutes.
An uncharacteristically humbled Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination. Opinion polls show Trump leading nationally and in New Hampshire, which holds the next nominating contest.
"I'm just honored," Trump said.
Unusually large crowds poured into schools, churches and other venues for the so-called caucuses, in which voters gather together to select a candidate.
Cruz's well established get-out-the-vote effort helped overcome the enthusiasm from large crowds that have shown up for Trump's rallies. Trump skipped the last Republican debate before the caucus because of a dispute with host FOX News. A Trump adviser said his second-place finish was expected.
Iowa has held the first contest in the country since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning candidates.
Rubio, 44, may benefit from that momentum as much as Cruz, who was buoyed by evangelical support and thanked God for his win. The Florida lawmaker established himself as the mainstream alternative to the two front-running rivals.
"Rubio has staying power. He weathered $30 million in negative ads and late deciders broke his way due to his upbeat and optimistic close," said Republican strategist Scott Reed.
Cruz wins Iowa; Clinton in nail-biter Updated: 2016-02-02 23:48 By AGENCIES(China Daily USA)
Peop le gather for caucus at the Iowa State Historical Society in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday. Brian C. Frank/REUTERS/
Senator Ted Cruz beat billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa's presidential nominating contest on Monday, dealing an upset to the national front-runner in the race to be the Republican Party's White House nominee in 2016.
Cruz, a conservative lawmaker from Texas, won with 28 percent of the vote compared to 24 percent for businessman Trump, according to MSNBC.
Marco Rubio, a US senator from Florida, came in third place with 23 percent, making him easily the leader among establishment candidates.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, held a lead of 50 percent to 49 percent over Sanders, a self-styled democratic socialist US senator from Vermont, with 84 percent of the precincts reporting, as of 10:33 pm ET.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, held a lead of 50 percent to 49 percent lead over Sanders, a self-styled democratic socialist US senator from Vermont, with 74 percent of the precincts reporting.
Iowans began choosing candidates at 7 pm CST in the first state-by-state battle to pick nominees for the Nov 8 election to succeed President Barack Obama.
Republican voter turnout far exceeded the normal average from previous years. Long lines were reported at many caucus sites with many new voter registrations.
"They say the record crowds are good for us so we'll see what happens," Trump said, acknowledging he was "a little bit" nervous.
"We can and we will get back to the founding principles that made America great," Cruz said on Twitter.
A win for Trump would have validated a campaign that has alarmed the Republican establishment, dwarfed the efforts of many seasoned politicians and 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.
Iowa has held the first nominating contests, called caucuses, since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the US electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning candidates. The caucuses are voter gatherings that take place in 1,100 schools, churches and other public locations across Iowa.
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.
On the Republican side, opinion polls showed foreign policy hawk Rubio's strong showing would help him stake a claim as the best hope for the party's mainstream.
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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.
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
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.
WATERLOO In the aftermath of the closest contest in the history of the Iowa Democratic caucuses, questions were being raised about how the 1,683 meetings across the state were run.
Tuesday morning, the state Democratic Party said with all precincts reporting, Hillary Clinton won 49.8 percent of the state delegate equivalents, compared with 49.6 percent for Bernie Sanders.
One precinct in Polk County did not report results until after the sun came up Tuesday.
Black Hawk County had several precincts reporting late. At 1:30 a.m. about 12 precincts statewide had not reported, including three in Black Hawk County, two in Hancock County and one each in several counties.
Black Hawk County Democrats chairwoman Pat Sass said a late start to some caucuses, plus difficulty in getting through to Iowa Democratic Party headquarters in Des Moines accounted for the delay.
Because of a large turnout of voter registrations, many caucuses did not begin on time, Sass said. Several polling sites required extra copies of voter registration forms.
Additionally, Sass said difficulties were encountered getting through on phone lines to party headquarters in Des Moines.
You had to phone them in, she said. Local precinct workers also reported receiving calls from state party staff in the wee hours Tuesday to re-verify results, given the closeness of the race. Results were called in and entered electronically after a password was entered.
WATERLOO | Black Hawk County, like Iowa, did its job in winnowing the field in Monday nights precinct caucuses.
While local Republicans followed the state in picking Ted Cruz, the contest on the Democratic side wasnt the neck-and-neck horse race it was statewide.
While Clinton and Sanders hovered within tenths of a percentage point of each other statewide, Sanders carried Black Hawk County with 54 percent of the delegate counts.
On the GOP side, Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio each had more than 20 percent of the vote statewide. Rubio was particularly strong in several urban counties including, Polk, Scott, Johnson and Story and edged Trump for second place in Black Hawk County.
However, at least one Waterloo Democratic caucus site, the Waterloo Center for the Arts, different caucuses yielded different results.
In Waterloos Ward 1 precincts 1 and 2, Bernie Sanders took a slight majority of delegates, to applause.
Elsewhere in the building, in Ward 4, Precinct 3, a heavily African-American part of the city, Hillary Clinton took a wide margin, including support from many individuals who supported President Obama in 2008. Only by recruiting undecided caucusgoers and supporters of candidates who werent viable was Sanders given one delegate from the precinct.
We couldnt really persuade any Clinton supporters, said Abraham Funchess, who worked to establish the Sanders representation.
The precinct had a couple of heated moments when Clinton supporters worked to persuade people not to join Sanders camp.
In contrast, a throng of Sanders supporters turned out in two precincts at the University of Northern Iowas West Gymnasium, which went decisively for Sanders in a heavy student turnout
It was so neat to see all these kids and they were so polite, said Sandy Glenn, a former Cedar Falls City Council member and longtime Democratic activist, who helped students register. Many had rental lease agreements and other proof of residence to show they were in the right place.
UNI freshmen and friends Kylie Carroll of Cedar Rapids and Samantha Stolp of Des Moines, both Sanders supporters, were attending their first caucus.
Its cool. Its exciting, said Carroll, a graduate of Linn-Mar High School. I wanted to support Bernie, and I wanted to make a difference in the election.
Stolp, a graduate of Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, said, Ive been part of the UNI for Bernie Sanders group with Kylie since the beginning of the year. Weve kind of followed what theyd be doing, going to their events.
I wasnt sure what it would be like, she said of the caucus. Its pretty cool. Its a little chaotic, but I like it.
Both plan to stay involved after the caucus.
Just down Seerley Boulevard, Cedar Falls Republicans caucused at Peet Junior High School. Richard Fowlkes and his wife Sue Fowlkes were wearing their Choose Cruz T-shirts.
I think you can believe what he says. Thats what Im after, Richard Fowlkes said. Not somebody that tells a lie every time they open their mouth. Thats his strong point. I think hell do what he says hes going to do.
Both the Fowlkes and Eric Simmons said they liked Cruz because of his strong faith and his convictions.
I think Ted Cruz is the strongest conservative candidate that we have, and I think that behind his leadership, we can make America great again, Simmons said, co-opting Trumps well-known campaign phrase. I think just his experience in the government and the fact that behind his faith and his belief in God that we can make the country what it was.
Jeff Starbeck, however, had to be won over after becoming disillusioned with Trump.
Honestly, the fact that the people dont like him. Honestly, thats the main reason. Theres a reason for that. So, I guess after losing my faith in Trump, this is my next progression, said Starbeck.
The way Cruz is disliked by so many of his colleagues, however, is exactly the reason Phil Curry was casting his caucus vote for Trump.
Cruz is a, I dont know, he just seemed like he wanted to shove things down peoples throat, and when it came out that he couldnt get along with anybody in Congress, I didnt know what he was going to get out of that, and Im hoping Mr. Trump will be able to do something in there with Congress.
Jacob Rathmacher, however, was another one of those not won over by Trump. But instead of supporting Cruz, he planned to vote for Ben Carson.
I like that hes not a politician, but hes a little more soft-spoken compared to Trump, and I feel like he backs up his facts a little more than what Trump says, just saying, I want America to be great again, Rathmacher said, adding he liked that Carson is strong in his faith.
Ciara Gust, a first-time caucusgoer, said she supported Marco Rubio because he can win.
I think he has what it takes. I think hes strong enough to take on Hillary or Bernie, whoever the (Democratic) candidate may be, Gust said. I really like the issues that he stands on, and just overall, hes a great candidate.
Back with the Democrats in the UNI West Gym, Bill Clohesy, a UNI philosophy professor, was on one side of the gym, for Sanders. His wife, Stephanie Clohesy, was on the other side, for Clinton. They both backed former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in 2008.
I loved Hillary, but I was too afraid in 08 she would be martyred by the right wing, Stephanie Clohesy said. I was too afraid it wouldnt be a politically wise thing to run her. This time, I cant resist her. Shes smart, shes experienced, shes loyal on the issues important to me.
Its all very friendly. As long as its Democratic, were happy, Bill Clohesy said of his and his wifes differences this year. If theyre short someone (in preference groups) for a delegate, Ill go over there and shell come over here if we need one.
Staff writers Christinia Crippes and John Molseed contributed to this story.
CEDAR FALLS Black Hawk County Republicans have been eyeing their presidential contenders since last spring, sizing them up in person and weighing their public comments against their primary opponents.
On Monday night, they were ready to vote.
Though there were a dozen candidates to choose from, precincts gathered at Peet Junior High in Cedar Falls heard from only a few precinct captains making last-minute pleas for their preferred candidates. Instead, caucusgoers were watching their votes being counted within an hour of the 7 p.m. start time.
Eric Simmons was one of a couple of dozen voters in Cedar Falls Ward 5, Precinct 2 who stuck around after the ballots were cast to watch the votes being counted. His patience paid off when he learned his preferred candidate Ted Cruz won at least his precinct out of the 1,681 across the state.
I think thats a good sign that people are believing in the same thing I believe in, and I think thats a positive sign going forward, Simmons said after watching the tally that had Cruz with 35 votes, Donald Trump with 28 and Marco Rubio with 26 to round out the top three.
Ciara Gust was also among those to stay and watch the votes being counted in the same precinct.
The University of Northern Iowa senior also spoke up on behalf of her preferred candidate, Rubio. As a fan in a Peet gymnasium whirred around her and another precinct conducted its business in the same room, the soft-spoken Gust began her pitch, Im not a strong speaker, but I am a strong supporter of Marco Rubio.
While Rubio didnt win her precinct, he grabbed significantly more votes than his next closest competitors.
Im really pumped about that one, and I actually just, I had somebody come up to me after voting, and I changed her mind to Rubio, so that was cool, Gust said.
Gust was one of several first-time caucusgoers to show up at Peet Junior High. Many, however, were newly registering or registering in a new location.
Trent Schulte, 22, could have voted in the 2012 election, but didnt feel like he understood the process well enough to participate. Four years later, he is not only planning to vote for whoever is the Republican nominee, but hes participating in the caucus to be among the first to cast his support for Trump.
He said he decided to be a Republican after seeing the tax plan put forth by Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders.
If that would go through and all that kind of stuff, our country would kind of be turned upside-down, Schulte said.
Jeff Starbeck was another first-time caucusgoer, but thats because the Iowa native has lived in California for the past 25 years. Now that hes back in Iowa, Starbeck wanted to make his voice heard.
Starbeck said he initially supported Trump, but ultimately planned to back Cruz in Mondays caucus.
I just visualized Donald Trump with the little button and do I want him pushing that button, or knowing that he would? Starbeck said. So, I guess after losing my faith in Trump, this is my next progression.
WATERLOO The heaviest amounts of snow may already be on the ground, according to the National Weather Service, but additional accumulation could arrive late Tuesday and continue until Wednesday morning.
Preliminary totals showed Webster County got about 10 inches and Mason City counted 7. Unofficial reports suggested Clarksville and Eldora picked up 5 inches and Waverly saw about 4.
Black Hawk County collected slightly more than 3 inches, according to the weather service, and places in western Iowa received more than 9 inches by noon Tuesday.
Though the biggest blast has passed, the system created hazardous driving conditions in large portions of Iowa.
According to the weather service, a heavy snow band developed over southern Iowa and moved quickly north Tuesday morning.
Impacts: Extremely hazardous travel to nearly impossible at times. Please reconsider any travel plans, the agency suggested early on.
Sustained winds by afternoon topped 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph or more across Iowa, according to the weather service.
The University of Northern Iowa canceled classes and put the campus on reduced operations. Officials asked essential employees to report for work as normal, according to a statement.
Iowa State University held classes, but officials urged travelers to put safety first. Light rain, a bit of snow and fog settled over Iowa City.
Roads in southwest and central portions of the state by 8:30 a.m. Tuesday were deteriorating, according to the DOT. U.S. Highway 63 south of Tama and Toledo near Malcom was blocked for a time by a semi that jackknifed. A similar incident shutdown Iowa Highway 14 near Holland in Grundy County.
Officials in some places pulled snowplows off the states highways, and Interstate 29 at the Missouri River bridge in Sioux City was closed because of the storm.
The DOT also reported whiteout conditions at about 9 a.m. Tuesday around Sioux City and warned travel was not advised. Tow bans went into effect in many counties, meaning stranded vehicles had to stay where they landed for a while. By afternoon, though, officials lifted the prohibition in many areas.
At 10 a.m., MidAmerican Energy reported 8,800 customers without power. Most about 5,600 were in the Council Bluffs area. Another 3,000 were near Des Moines, according to the company.
But by 3 p.m., MidAmerican had just slightly more than 300 without service. Of those, about 250 were in the Council Bluffs area, according to the company.
Allaint Energy reported nearly 5,500 customers without service. Of those, about 3,300 were in Linn County with another 540 in Benton and 500 in Tama counties. By 3 p.m., the total figure dropped to about 400 with the majority of outages 283 reported in Boone County.
The storm also has affected the judicial system. Dustin Jeffersons third trial for first-degree murder was scheduled to begin Tuesday in Jasper County, the new location after Judge Mary Chicchelly moved the proceedings out of Tama County on a change of venue. Chicchelly postponed jury selection for at least a day, according to a court official.
Dallas Tisue, 9, of Dunkerton, was among the students in Iowa who did not have school Tuesday. He wasnt particularly upset.
No, Im happy, he said.
For road conditions in Iowa, go to the DOTs website at 511ia.org.
WATERLOO Two people reported being robbed as they sat in their vehicles on Friday night.
The crimes happened about an hour apart, but it isnt clear if they are related. No injuries were reported.
According to police reports, Kelsey Sawtelle told police she had just pulled up to her home in the 1300 block of Magnolia Parkway at about 8:10 p.m. when three men approached her vehicle. At least two of the men were armed with pipes, police said. They took her purse and ran off.
Then at 9:10 p.m. Sarah Castro had just pulled up to her home in the 700 block of Riehl Street following a trip to a store when two men in masks walked up to her vehicle. One of the men was armed with a handgun, and they fled with cash and other items.
No arrests have been made in the holdups.
Meanwhile, Cedar Falls police continue to investigate at Friday night robbery near the University of Northern Iowa campus.
In that case, residents in the 1100 block of 20th Street told police they went out to smoke at about 9:35 p.m. when they were approached by three people in masks. A scuffle broke out, and the suspects fled, apparently dropping an airsoft gun.
Gunfire reported
in Waterlood
WATERLOO Police are investigating two incidents of gunfire Friday night.
No injuries were reported, and it wasnt immediately clear if the shootings were related.
Neighbors on Riehl Street called police at about 6:20 p.m. Friday after hearing gunshots. Officers found nine spent shell casings in the New World parking lot at 504 Riehl St. but were unable to locate any damage.
At about 7:40 p.m., patrol officers heard gunfire in the 100 block of Edwards Street, which is about half a mile away. Police found two spent shell casings but no damage.
Snowmobiler hurt in crash
MAYNARD A Maynard man was injured in a snowmobile crash last Friday.
The Fayette County Sheriffs Office said the crash was about 3:15 p.m. near the intersection of 100th Street and Highway 150 in Maynard.
Deputies said Mason R. Bantz, 20, was southbound in a farm field on his snowmobile when he struck a culvert/ditch. He was transported to Mercy Hospital in Oelwein with injuries and chest pain.
WATERLOO Polling places will open at 7 a.m. as scheduled for one bond issue referendum Tuesday, but the threat of a winter storm is delaying the start of another until noon.
Waterloo Community Schools residents can vote from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Denver Community Schools residents will have to wait until noon to cast their ballots, though.
The Iowa Secretary of State has ordered the polls will open at noon instead of 7 a.m. for school special elections in 17 Iowa counties, including Bremer County where Denver is located, due to the impending snowstorm. Polls will close at 8 p.m.
The Secretary of States office will remain in contact with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the National Weather Service to determine if further action is necessary.
Voters will cast ballots on a $47 million measure in the Waterloo district and on a $10.4 million measure in the Denver district.
Despite the full day of voting planned in the Waterloo district, people lined up Monday afternoon at the Black Hawk County Courthouses second-floor election office to cast their ballots early. The line still stretched down the hall at 4:45 p.m. A number of people told The Courier they decided to vote absentee to avoid the weather issues Tuesday.
Because of the storm coming in tomorrow and I want my vote to be cast, said Mandi Severson, a teacher who stopped in at the courthouse after work.
Michael and Angela Whitaker said the impending storm played into their decision to vote early, as well. But Michael Whitaker always expected to vote in advance.
Im a truck driver, he said. Im not going to be around.
CEDAR FALLS | Accounting students at the University of Northern Iowa are providing free income tax assistance again this year through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
Assistance in the preparation of tax returns will be available on Monday and Wednesday nights from Feb. 8 through April 6, except for March 14 and 16 during spring break week.
Returns for foreign students will be prepared beginning March 7. Returns are being prepared from 7 to 9 p.m. with registration in room 223 of the Curris Business Building on the UNI campus. No appointment is necessary.
Room 223 will open at 6:30 p.m. Organizers encourage people to arrive early.
VITA was established by the Internal Revenue Service to help low-income taxpayers with tax preparation. Students will be available to electronically prepare and e-file federal and Iowa tax returns for eligible taxpayers.
Taxpayers should bring Social Security cards for the taxpayer, spouse and dependents; valid photo identification; a copy of last years tax returns; Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, from each employer; Forms 1099, for such things as interest, dividends or retirement payments; a list of other income and expenses; Form 1098-E, student loan interest statement; Form 1098-T, tuition payment statement (also bring institution billing statement); banking information (account and routing numbers) for automatic deposit of refund; and all other information pertinent to the 2015 tax return.
Clients will be asked about health insurance coverage for themselves and their dependents. Bring a Form 1095-A statement if applicable.
For information, call the UNI department of accounting at 273-2394.
Despite claims to the opposite, the increasing chances of Donald Youre fired! Trump changing to I, Donald do solemnly swear Trump is not a sign of the coming apocalypse.
Granted, the end could be closer than we think when any billionaire steps off his Boeing 757 airliner and declares, I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldnt lose voters.
Its more likely, however, the apocalypse will arrive in something far less breathtaking than a 757 and far more mundane like, say, a Land Grant University extension bulletin. For example, heres a Jan. 19 bulletin from Kansas State University that explains (I think) one of the many local options to 2016 federal farm program benefits this way:
ARC pays the difference between the (5-year Olympic average MYA Price (OAP) X 5-year Olympic average county yield (OACY) X 86%)MYA price X actual county yield. For example, $6.70 wheat OAP X 35 bu. OACY X 86% = $201.67)$5.00 MYA price X 38 bu. actual county yield = $190 =$11.67 per payment ac. X 100 base ac. X 85% = $991.95.
And, as Im sure you noted while reading the explanation, this analysis is not complete because, of course, all is Subject to: Stop loss equal to 10% of gross guarantee or 10% X ($6.70 OAP X 35 bu. OACY) =$23.45 X 100 base ac. X 85% = $1,993. In this example, the payment is less than the maximum payment of $1,993, so FSA would pay $991.95 to the farmer.
No, Im not making this up. Congress, however, did. Yes, its crazy and, yes, few on Capitol Hill or any hill between there and your farm know what this pretzel-bending really means.
On second thought, this probably is more a sign of the times than a sign of the end-of-times.
One sign that the apocalypse is near is the near-perfect dissidence on what the nonprofit Center for Food Integrity says consumers want in food labeling and what farm groups say consumers will get in food labeling.
Its simple: noted the very first sentence of a 2015 CFI report that compiled three years of detailed consumer research, if you increase transparency, you will increase trust.
The two groups most responsible for that transparency are food manufacturers and (f)armers, explained Charlie Arnot, CFIs chief executive officer, to members of the American Farm Bureau Federation at their mid-January convention in mid-January.
But while consumers trust farmers, Arnot told the AFBF crowd, theyre not sure they trust farming.
Thats not clever double-talk; its an insightful explanation to the ever growing disconnect between farming America and consuming America. In short, eaters like farmers but, increasingly, they dislike how they farm.
That gap grew when farm and commodity groups successfully lobbied Congress last December to repeal Country of Origin Labeling for imported meat and poultry. No COOL means less transparency and, in turn, less trust of farmers by consumers. Its exactly what CFIs Arnot told Farm Bureau conventioneers not to do.
Now, just weeks later, a new U.S Department of Agricultures Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook forecasts that U.S. consumers will see more imported, unlabeled pork in American stores because COOL Repeal Likely Means a Slow Increase of Live Swine Imports.
Interestingly, slow to USDA means that Imports of Canadian live swine in 2016 are expected to increase about 9 percent, from 5.6 million head in 2015 to 6.2 million head this year.
A 9 percent, 600,000-head increase in Canadian hog imports may not be apocalyptic to USDA, but the decrease it brings to domestic hog prices will trim U.S. farm profits while it pads global meatpacker profits.
Thats a terrible tradeoff for farmers, consumers, and the rural economy now or in the best of times.
Train picture
CINDY STARKEY
WATERLOO I get so upset when I see Jeb Bush on the side of a train. He has never laid a rail or kept snow and ice off the tracks so trains can get through. My husband worked 30 years on the railroad and died from cancer at 53 years of age. In fact, all the guys he worked with had cancer. It was awful, and Bush has the guts to put his picture on the side of a train. I cant believe he did this.
GOP and roundabouts
KARL STROHBEHN
REINBECK Our governor continues to be extremely loyal to his main campaign contributors.
Roundabouts will do for University Avenue what tax increment financing has done for College Square Mall.
Sixty percent of Republican House members voted for an out-of-control budget bill. Iowas delegation did not. That is why the establishment Republican party is imploding.
Help children
ERNEST POKEY PETE PETERSEN
CEDAR FALLS We like to invest to get a good return on our investment. The stock market has had a big drop in the past week. I hope all the investors enjoy the return they did receive.
Likewise all lottery ticket buyers who bought into the $1.5 billion prize of hope to win have received the pleasure of their dream to receive a wonderful life to never work again. As a school night janitor, please may all of both groups join me in giving children a better life with that money so you can have great memories. We can make a better world.
Planned Parenthood
RONALD WOOD
WATERLOO Taxpayer funding accounts for 41 percent of Planned Parenthood over all funding.
Hillary Clinton and Sylvia Burwell (U.S. Secretary of Health Services) rushed to defend Planned Parenthood. They stated, What I think is important is that our health and human services funding is focused on issues of preventive care for women, things like mammograms. Planned Parenthood states, helps women nationwide get access to mammograms as part of the range of health centers.
This claim is oozing with deception. Planned Parenthood does not manage a single mammography facility in the United States. Not one. Of the licensed mammography facilities in America, Planned Parenthood operates exactly zero.
Federal Qualified Health Centers provide low-income populations with the same services, but do not do abortions. There are 13 times more FQHC service sites nationwide compared to about 700 Planned Parenthood. The FQHC serves 21.1 million yearly, nearly eight times more than Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood spent $1.6 million lobbying Congress and contributed a total of $1.5 million to pro-choice candidates, PACs, outside groups and political parties. They, Planned Parenthood, received $528 million taxpayer dollars. No taxpayer dollars should go to Planned Parenthood.
Troop help
EUGENE JUNG
WATERLOO We should send American troops to Honduras and Nicaragua to stop the bandits from causing these poor people to have to come to the United States and have to pay coyotes a lot of money to get into the United States.
It would not be the first time U.S. troops went to Central America. This is very sad situation and the conscience should be on the minds of Americans.
Waterloo
Fire Alarms Jan. 29
10:44 a.m., 131 Tower Park Drive, passenger vehicle fire.
12:19 p.m., 104 Berkshire Road, alarm system sounded.
5:29 p.m., 200 W. 18th St., motor vehicle crash.
6:24 p.m., intersection of West Fourth and Bayard streets, motor vehicle crash.
10:36 p.m., 123 Arizona St., sprinkler activation.
Fire Alarms Jan. 30
3:24 a.m., Tokyo Bay restaurant, 1931 Sears St., cooking fire, confined.
Police Log
Antoinette Sarita Austin, 53, of 1027 Webster St., was arrested Jan. 28 at 2060 Crossroads Blvd. for second-degree theft. She allegedly took items from Dillards department store.
Devonte Antonio Emanuel Putman, 22, of 1306 W. Donald St., No. 211, was arrested Jan. 28 on Mayard Avenue for third-degree theft. He allegedly took items from Kmart.
Dillion Dean Simon, 25, of 521 Evergreen Ave., was arrested Jan. 28 in the 500 block of Evergreen for serious domestic assault. he allegedly assaulted Tessa Truez, 20.
Benjamin Allen Burens, 34, of 917 W. First St., was arrested Jan. 26 on Conger Street for possession of meth with intent to deliver. Authorities found items used to make methamphetamine in a rented vehicle on Dec. 18.
Presious Laroyce Coleman, 21, of 1738 Flower St., was arrested Jan. 26 at her home for second-degree theft and third-degree burglary. She allegedly took a TV from 707 Cottage St. on Dec. 21, and deposited a counterfeit check at a bank and withdrew $1,462 Dec. 16.
Frederick Cartell Haslett, 34, of 624 Linn St., was arrested Jan. 26 at his home for second-degree robbery. He allegedly took money while at 1423 Franklin St. on Jan. 1 and then assaulted Torie Roby and left when Roby confronted him.
Mitch Eugene Fluhr, 24, of 307 Oak Ave., was arrested Jan. 20 for third-degree burglary and fourth-degree theft. He allegedly entered 355 E. Eldora Road in Hudson in September.
Brett Michael Anthony, 30, of 614 Elm St., was arrested Jan. 17 for carrying weapons, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of a prescription drug. Police found marijuana, a scale and a stun gun.
Burglary: Robert McFee reported the theft of a generator, a jump pack and an electric scooter during a burglary to a shed at 208 Toland Ave. on Jan. 31.
Jeni Suzanne Lynch, 31, of 3684 W. Fourth St. St., No. 7, was arrested Jan. 30 in the 1000 block of East Mitchell Avenue for first-offense operating while intoxicated and interference with official acts.
William Austin Johnson, 25, of Fox Lake, Ill., was arrested Jan. 29 at the intersection of Martin Road and U.S. Highway 63 for first-offense operating while intoxicated.
Christopher James Kammerer, 22, of 1118 Tiffany Place, No. 2, was arrested Jan. 29 at the police station and charged with serious domestic assault, domestic assault with strangulation and child endangerment causing bodily injury.
Travis Cortez Neal, 30, of 1023 Independence Ave., was arrested Jan. 29 at the intersection of Sixth and Franklin streets and charged with second-degree burglary, fourth-degree criminal mischief, obstructing emergency communications, violation of a no-contact order and two counts of failure to appear
Jennifer Rose Randall, 35, of 247 Kenilworth Road, was arrested Jan. 29 at the jail and charged with third-degree theft.
Edward Earl Roby, 19, of 657 Dawson St., was arrested Jan. 29 at the intersection of East Fourth Street and Hawver Court and charged with the sale or manufacture of marijuana.
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Westpolitik is a term that describes the foreign policy that was adopted by Germany in the late 1890s. The sole intention of this policy was designed to make German a leading power as it sought to expand, strengthen itself and a raise a formidable empire that would rival those that already existed. The policy demonstrated the aggressive approach that the Germans wanted to implement. This aggressive nature resulted in friction with other nations. The policy sought two major developments one was the expansion of the German colonies and the second was the development of a large High Seas Fleet.The results of this policy have been said to range from the World War I, formation of the Great Power Diplomacy and its subsequent crisis, formation of alliances, Treaty signing, Military developments, isolations and encircling of German, government and constitutional changes as well as dynamic foreign policies adoption by various nations.Westpolitik describes the Germanys foreign policy adopted with intentions to make Germany an expansive, strong and a formidable empire in several fronts in 1897. To many, this policy was seen as a precipitating factor towards the World War I. The aggressiveness exhibited by this foreign policy indeed rattled many powerful nations. Prior to this the Germans had adopted realpolitik which emphasized on diplomacy based on practical and real scenarios rather than on ideological approaches. The then foreign minister, Bernhard von Blow openly stated that Germany was implementing it. Parliamentary proceedings of December the 6th 1897, Bernhard stated that we do not want to place anyone into the shadow, but we also claim our place in the sun. 1 Kaiser Wilhelm II initiated this policy in 1888 after the death of Wilhelm I. This radical shift in Germans foreign policy was in contrast with the opinion that had been held by Bismarck and Kasier Wilhelm I, who had widely held to the belief that Germany was a European giant with goals and objectives cutting across the entire European continent. Kaiser Wilhelm sought to make Germany a leading power with interest to the maritime and in the larger Europe.The Weltpolitik had two major dimensions. The first one was fast widening or expansion of German colonies in the world (colonization) and the second one was the development of a large navy to be at per with the France, US, Russia and the Japanese navies. The colonization policy had already been started by Bismarck and it led to Germany becoming the third largest colonial empire. The enactment of the 1898 Navy Law ushered in the dawn to threaten the British Empire.This policy had with it various repercussions all-over Europe and the world in general. Namely, one of its effects was the destabilization of the Great Power diplomacy. Its aggressive nature caused friction with other foreign nations and was closely linked with Great Power diplomatic crises prior to the First World War. 2. Its quest to have its place in the sun caused discomfort to other large empires. Understandably, it meant that German had adopted a policy geared towards making an industrial giant by creating its own colonial empire to compete with its rivals. This was to be achieved by the progressive development and expansion of it High Seas Fleet (navy) with sole aim to oust the rivals namely the British. This caused what was known as the Aglo-german naval race as each empire tried to outdo the other. At home in Europe, the British Empire felt that this policy threatened their existence.This policy was seen by many as a result of nationalism, an ideology that had shaped the history of the Germans for many years. As efforts prior were directed towards achieving the unification of the West and the East German, in this new policy, all efforts and resources were directed towards building an international powerhouse with establishment of a colonial empire being seen as the most viable option.Mit Erlaubnis des Reichskanzlers gesammelt und herausgegeben von Johannes Penzler Frst Blows Reden nebst urkundlichen Beitrgen zu seiner Politik.. I. Band 18971903. Berlin Georg Reimer, 1907. p. 6-8Retrieved on 26th May 2010 from .httpwww.historyhome.co.ukeuropecauseww1.htmThis policy was seen by many as a result of nationalism, an ideology that had shaped the history of the Germans for many years. As efforts prior were directed towards achieving the unification of the West and the East German, in this new policy, all efforts and resources were directed towards building an international powerhouse with establishment of a colonial empire being seen as the most viable option. The doctrine of survival for the fittest blended with nationalism which had existed provoked the nation with its notion that the fittest were to survive and if a nation by then was weak, it would be destroyed or its bargaining power drastically reduced.This policy thus resulted in nations entering into treaty with each other.The creation of two divisions in Europe, (Triple entente and Central Powers)cleared demonstrated the intricate balance that was to be considered and it was seen as a time bomb in triggering a war should either two nations enter into a war. 3. This would immediately have resulted in the entrance by the other nations. This policy changed the stability mechanisms that had existed in Europe. This Entete comprising Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy agreed to support each other if attacked by either Russia or France. This made France feel threatened and together with Britain which also felt the same, they signed the Entete Cordiale which majorly was to encourage them to face the threat. Later, France joined the force as it perceived the threat of the large German navy.Military alliances were also seen as a result of this policy. Many nations, joining forces to counter perceived threats, came together with sole aim of countering the military threats of the other. This was an extension of the various treaties that were signed by the various national governments.Various nations foreign policies shifted due to the Westpolitk policy. Nations which had policys of defense radically changed to policies of aggression. An example would be Russia, which had an aggressive approach in the Far East was geared towards countering the Japanese war with China. It was designed to further exploit and expand their empires. Nations sought this by being aggressive rather than being defensive. Noteworthy, is that, all the nations involved all employed aggressive and defensive approaches.This policy led to nations coming out of isolations and saw the signing on new treaties.. Example was Britain. This was because the British interests were maritime and imperial with no need to join alliances. The ideology of the Germans made the British Empire to reconsider its policy and thus joined the already existed alliances with a common goal. Britain tried to enter into treaties with German as a diplomatic way to hold the threats being unleashed by the Germans. Some treaties were the Aglo-German treaty and the Aglo-German China treaty. Further, the British went ahead and signed many treaties with other nations namely, Japan, Russia and France.Retrieved on 26th fromhttpusers.dickinson.edurhyne232SixTriple_Alliance_1882.htmlGrowing tensions due the Westpolitik policy led to shifting of foreign policies by different nations. The Germans being isolated. Shifting of alliances was witnessed and nations also changed their diplomacy. Defensive policy was adopted by nations that had prior been aggressive. Nations example Russia adopted diplomacy after defeat by the Japanese. They even entered into a treaty with the French with aim to defend each other in the case of a Germany attack. Tsar unlike the Kaiser, preferred a partial mobilization after the Australia declared war on Serbia. This was a different approach demonstrated by the Germans. Thus being offensive was being decided by the defensive capability of a nation. Nations sought to protect their interests.The policy led to the centralization of the Habsburg monarchy (Austria-Hungary) the head normally was referred to as the Ruler of the Roman Empire. This was a defensive strategy geared towards power consolidation in the event of an attack. The centralization of this monarch was a direct result of the threat that was occasioned by the Germans. Austria and Hungary had co-operated in various fronts and this one was seen as strength in raising their defense against any external aggression.This policy precipitated the World War 1.The objectives of the Westpolitik policy made nations to heighten their military and defensive capabilities in readiness for war. This was seen in the later during the occurrence of the World War 1. The German policy is seen by many historians as the precipitating factor that led to this First World War It is a war that involved the Great powers assembling in two different camps and lasted from 1914-1918. The Triple Entete and the Central power faced each other. Nearly 70 million military personnel with about 60 million Europeans were mobilized for this war. 4. This changed the spending that various Empires had adopted. Human and economic resources were threatened by this war. Key trade routes and key source of raw materials were a source of greater conflict as each side sought to win the battle. The assassination of the heir to the Austria-Hungary Monarch in 1914 was seen as the trigger for this war. But analysis of preceding factors would tell otherwise. Foreign policies of various Empires including the Germans, Russians and the Hungarians, definitely had a hand in this war.The aftermath of the war led to radical changes in the composition of governments. Constitutional changes were witnessed in major nations with case example being Britain. The expansion of various governments powers and responsibilities was witnessed. Nations which now enjoyed this advantage included the USA, Britain, France and the Dominions of the British Empire. Resultant new ministries and centers of powers were created to harness their grip. 5Stephen J. Lee Europe, 1890-1945. (n.d) retrieved on 26th May 2010 from thttpbooks.google.co.kebooksidRzb2gmOWGeECpgPA15lpgPA15dqGerman27sWeltpolitikeffectssourceblotsiLqdIEMV3CsiguA7Sz2hcOSergsKZ4s3o8zGJcXohleneifA39S8cEoJPiBuiFzKELsaXoibook_resultctresultresnum3ved0CCAQ6AEwAgvonepageqffalseSpencer Tucker Encyclopedia of world war . (n.d.). Retrieved on 26th May 2010, from httpbooks.google.combooksid2YqjfHLyyj8CpgPA273dqhlenvonepageqffalseThe taxes introduced during this period have remained even up to today. This is evident in the taxation regimes of various nations. Distinct changes were observed in the governance structures. Executive powers of governments were expanded and governments became active in the lives of people. Democratic government structures were put in place with strengthening of political parties in Britain.The establishment of the Treaty of Versailles effectively made the Germans and its Allies accountable for all the damages and loss encountered during the war and subsequently provided a means for compensation. This treaty brought the foreign power shifting and also brought control over the Germans Westpolitik policy. The defeat in the war loudly, made the Germans to retreat on their aggressive policy. This burden is explained by many as to having led to the end of the Westpolitik era for the Germans. It paved way for the rise of Adolf Hitler. It is stated that the Germans will finish paying the debt in 2010 while the rest will be paid in 2020. 6Various views are held in debating whether the Germans really provoked theWar. This has led to doubts and suspicious treatment of the Germans even in the modern world. The German foreign policy has drastically shifted to one that is focused on the local scenario rather than the larger external nations. Its aggressive foreign policy approach has been shelved. German provided the Austria-Hungary with a blank cheque and encouraged the Serbia war. After Russian mobilization, German became the first to declare war. This subsequently led to war with France and the invasion of Belgium. This clearly shows that German was the ahead in provoking the retaliation that span into wide scale war.
New Japan Pro Wrestling fever has gripped the WWE Universe! The year started off with the shocking announcement that top NJPW stars AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows were headed to WWE and, since then, fan speculation has run wild - how will the new talent fare? Will WWE host a Bullet Club reunion? What will Finn Balor's involvement be? Answers are starting to form. AJ Styles debuted in the 2016 Royal Rumble match, entering at #3 to a huge reaction and lasting nearly 28 minutes. Not only were fans elated to see Styles, but the reception for the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion carried over to Raw and Smackdown, too! Styles' debut was followed by the news that Nakamura - who spent his entire career in New Japan - would be making his NXT debut at the Pre-WrestleMania TakeOver: Dallas show. While there's been no word on when Anderson and Gallows will arrive in the company, news will presumably come after they finish their NJPW commitments this month. All four men are talented competitors who will be worthy additions to the WWE roster, but they're far from the first New Japan alumni to compete in WWE. Even now, the company's roster is full of men who have plied their trade across the Pacific, winning adulation from fans at the Tokyo Dome, Ryogoku Kokugikan, and Korakuen Hall. Here are ten WWE superstars that you (perhaps) didn't know wrestled for New Japan.
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Here comes Woman Scream Festival 2016!
Women Poets International Movement (MPI) Inc. Invites you to the worldwide acts of the 6th Woman Scream International Poetry and Arts Festival 2016 under the theme "Desert Flowers", a tribute to the Iranian Soraya Manutchehri victim of stoning, as well as all victims of ancestral torture methods such as ablation, acid attacks, crimes of honor, among other practices. The events will be celebrated in over 30 countries throughout the month of March from 1st to 31st. The festival grand opening will take place for the first time in the city of Madrid the days 2, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 12 March 2016. The 6th Woman Scream Festival will include exhibitions, concerts, theater, music, dance, performance and other presentations, with the participation of poets and artists from different supportive institutions and groups, acting together as a big chain of events in favor of non-violence against women. Festivals events are free and open to the public in general.
Among the Woman Scream 2016 participating countries we can count The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain (2016 host), Argentina, Mexico, USA, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Portugal, Canada, France, Haiti, Greece, Morocco, Italy, Australia, Russia, Switzerland, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, India, Germany, Macedonia, among others.
Woman Scream contemplates since 2011, a long chain of simultaneous events in over 500 locations across 5 continents. Born and coordinated from the Dominican Republic and created by the writer Jael Uribe, the festival counts with the support of hundreds of helping institutions worldwide, with a main goal: Paying a tribute to women throughout the month of March, and delivering messages of self esteem, respect and zero tolerance against women violence.
Through Woman Scream, the Women Poets International Movement motivates their followers, friends and colleagues to join massively to the cause by attending the festival from its different locations and venues, and to volunteer supporting the wonderful mission of Woman Scream cause, projects and ideas.
You can access the WS calendar and updated list of participating cities by visiting www.gritodemujer.com and clicking the English section on the menu. Or by visiting the blog http://womanscream.blogspot.com
That was on Friday the 8 th of April 2022 at the Bemenda central Prisons boulevard where in a colorful ceremony full of pomp and Fanfare,...
EPRDF regime's self image of ethnically Balkanized Ethiopia, established by late Dictator Melese Zenawie. Freedom of Press is Dead in ethnocracy based irridentism. Fertile land is grabbed by foreign speculators, over 5 million are starving. 500'000 kids are on the streets. Millions are displaced by force. The regime is arming proxy warriors. Dams are built wantonly risking the existence of millions of indigenous people. Eritreans Moles are Ruling even after seceding in 1991.
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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The players used to play the game slot online in the land based casinos in the past time. But now with time after the invention of the online casinos players play the game slot online. Online platform provide the players with the convenience in playing and even better winning. Even after keeping a good percentage of the profits, they distribute good funds to players.
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Now that youve got an idea of what to look for when choosing an online casino, heres some tips for making the right choice
It really comes down to personal preference. No two people are exactly alike, so everyone has an opinion on what they like and dislike about each casino. That said, here are some things to consider in order to narrow down your choices
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It's been a while since I last updated about how things are going with the twins so I wanted to take advantage today to share both that and our progress with their nursery. First of all, as of now I am in the 30th week of pregnancy. Word from my doctor is that these twins will most likely arrive (probably will be planned) between week 37 and 38, so really not that much longer to go. This is both exciting and terrifying.
We have been going to the doctor every two weeks to track how the girls are growing and we went yesterday for what will end up being one of our last appointments because things looked so good we won't be back for 5 weeks. Which puts us almost at the end...unless of course I go into labor or have some other kind of emergency before (which I am hoping won't happen). Yesterday Vera (who has always been a bit bigger) weighed in at 1.6 kilos which is about 3.5 lbs. Laura is more petite and weighs 1.3 kilos or about 3 lbs. They are both good sized babies for being twins and my doctor was surprised that they continue to grow as if they were singletons (usually twins are smaller). Besides their weight he checked their heartbeats and all the other regular stuff, all looked good and since I have no issues (no high blood pressure, no gestational diabetes, no contractions) things are looking good.
Obviously as time goes on I am more and more uncomfortable. I have the same problems as most pregnant women in their last trimester, maybe just a little bit earlier and for a little bit longer since there is more baby in my belly. Heartburn, not sleeping, aching back, not being able to pick things up off the floor, being hungry all the time, feet hurt, stretch marks, you have probably heard it all. I am thankful that I am able to rest a lot and that Jose is really helpful (he cut my toe nails last night for example). But really all in all, so far, so good which is a blessing.
Besides growing these babies, I (more like Jose) have been getting their nursery ready. My apartment has three bedrooms, the master and two smaller rooms. One we had set up nicely for guests who came to visit and the other we called Cooper's room since it had a bed and not much else and was where Cooper stayed when we were out of the apartment. We have moved the guest room furniture into Cooper's room to make it into the nursery.
At the left you can see the before picture of what is now our nursery. We painted the walls a mint green color over our Christmas break and have since added a crib, changing table/dresser which I got second hand and added contact paper to jazz it up, curtains and shelves. We also put together the babies' stroller so we can practice folding it.
Here is the new guest room which is across the hall from the nursery. We moved the bed in there and added a giant wardrobe from IKEA. Usually Jose and I will assemble furniture together (and fight) but this time I talked him into paying for them to come and do it. It was well worth it since the two guys were here most of the morning putting the wardrobe together. Since I am not much help with lifting or in general moving I can only imagine the stress that would have been trying to put together a giant IKEA piece. It is nice to have more storage.
New wardrobe in guest room
And now for your viewing pleasure here are some pictures of the nursery thus far. We don't really have a theme, maybe travel but the main colors are white, dark blue and light green. We are still waiting on a big map we are having framed for one wall and to put some finishing touches but more or less things have come together.
Here you have our crib. We are going to start with only one and eventually add another. It has been recommended to us that the girls sleep together in the beginning since lots of times twins are so used to being close to one another that they will sleep better knowing the other is near. The other crib will form an L shape in front of this one in the empty space.
Our double stroller which is just hanging out for now in the nursery. We chose this one because it is light weight, fold easily, is easy to turn and can be converted into a stroller for one if need be. When the girls are bigger we will trade out the bassinets for seats. I also like that the girls can either face towards me or away from me and that this stroller was side by side. I don't much like double strollers where one baby goes in front of the other.
Another angle of where our crib is. Here you can see better how the other one will fit in the space. Plus we added shelves above them. This was an incredible hassle but I think in the end it looks nice.
You can see that we left the small wardrobe that was in this room before in its place. Our wall decorations are a plate we bought on a trip to Morocco and a gift of framed US stamps that was given to us as a wedding present.
It is hard to get a good shot of this corner of the room because the window lets in so much light. You can see that we have the curtains up (the same fabric is being added to the crib skirt as a border thanks to my mother-in-law). We also have some shelves for books and toys as well as the changing table which still needs a new cover.
This is the last corner of the room where the door is. It is quite boring but to give you an idea of how the nursery is set up I wanted to post it. The framed map will go over the changing table when it is finished. It is pretty big and will take up most of the wall. So as you can see, we have things mostly finished. We now just need to organize and clean. I am having a small baby shower this weekend which I am excited about so I will post about that soon. Keep your fingers crossed for us that things continue to go well!
About Me The Alphonso Journey: Australian Chapter So after four years of living in India we returned to our homeland - Australia. This is how the second chapter of our adventure unfolds... View my complete profile
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This isn't your typical potato chowder. That said, I'll argue that it still checks all the boxes - hearty, chunky, warming, satisfying. It's the sort of bowl you want to enjoy on the coldest of days, or when you're trying to shake off a chill after a day outdoors. The chowder itself is quite simple, and winks at the Japanese pantry with a finishing swirl of miso, and a touch of sake in the base. You can make it with whole dairy milk, or organic soy milk, and I can imagine a coconut milk version being great as well, but haven't worked out the ratio. To the potato chowder base I add some cooked green lentils (or mung beans) and blanched broccoli, as a protein boost and then to work in some vibrant green - making this a true one-bowl meal. You can enjoy the chowder on it's own, or finished with a spicy chile sauce (I've included a special recipe for that below as well)....
This inspiration for this came in a round-about fashion. Wayne and I went to a friend's house for New Years Eve. Malinda made a beautiful meal inspired by this book. One of my resolutions for 2016 was to cook more in clay, and having that meal kick off the year seemed wonderfully serendipitous. Malinda's meal was cooked in various Japanese clay vessels and donabe (hot pots). My thoughts on donabe cooking warrants a post of it's own, but there are so many things I love about it - the way cooking vessels are used as communal serving vessels, the sensory theatre that happens as you lift the lid from a pot, passing shared plates...
There are just so many nuanced differences about cooking and serving in clay. And as far as technique goes, cooking in covered clay (for example in this sort of rice pot, or with this sort of smoker), is...different. Because you aren't supposed to be checking on your progress constantly - you often cover and commit. It requires you to get to know your pots and stove (or heat source) in a more intimate way. Trust builds over time, because you can no longer rely on your eyes to tell you how things are progressing. It's like shooting with an old film camera. Malinda sent me home with her copy of Naoko Takei Moore & Kyle Connaughton's book - Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking, and I used one of their chowder recipes (Salmon Chowder with Miso Soy-Milk Broth) as a jumping off point for this vegetarian version. For this recipe a donabe is not required, but you can use one if you have one. I'll also include their Chunky La-Yu recipe below, a spicy toasted sesame and chile oil - you can make it ahead of time, and it's good on everything, especially this chowder.
I posted a photo of the chowder to Instagram a couple of weeks back. Leftovers served over rice, with chile oil, and lots of broccoli. Enjoy! -h
Biyas daughter Brenda Biya is a student at the University of California (UC IRVINE) located in Irvine, some 64 km from Los Angeles.
But her parents have chosen her a house in Beverly Hills, the most expensive city in the United States, the city of movie stars and top musicians in the US. In a recent video where she claims to be a victim of racism, she says regularly she pays 400 US dollars (about 250,000 CFA francs) to taxi back from the univrrsity to Beverly Hills where she lives.
Considering that she has classes four times a week and makes this trip once or twice a day, one can thus infer that the taxi fares of the daughter of the head of state costs about 1 to 2 million CFA francs each week to the Cameroonian taxpayer .that is about 4 to 8 million per month and 48 to 96 million FCFA per year. 237online.com What is interesting is the fact that the daughter of the head of state, does not pay for any taxi,because her father is president she often goes or returned from school in a Limousine. Indeed, the distance between UC Irvine and Beverly Hills is about 1 hour 30 minutes. In most US cities the normal price of such a distance is between $ 100 and $ 180 maximum. Which means Brenda Biya does not take the normal taxi, but the luxury limousines. UC Irvine on distance to Bervely Hills, are the most expensive states in the United States, its highest luxury taxi fare is at 296.56 dollars (about 160,000 CFA francs).
But THE DIVA OF OUR TAXES says that daddy takes care of everything. If the expenses of the maintenance of the chauffeurs and bodyguards assigned to her security, his lodging, nutrition, clothing, pocket money, tourist trips are added.It is clear that Brenda Biya alone can send hundreds of young people to colleges and universities in Cameroon for free. Even the daughters of Barack Obama, Sasha and Malia do not go to school in a limousine.
One can therefore understand why the driver had doubts about her credibility because even in the richest and most powerful country in the world, students or young students do not take luxury taxis as breakfast.
Simo Shuh
Feb 1, 2016 | By Kira
In order to pay tribute to what was potentially the most anticipated television event of 2016that is, The X-Files reboot, which premiered last week on FoxFrench musician and 3DVarius creator Laurent Bernadac has covered the infamously eerie X-Files theme song using his unique transparent 3D printed electric violin. Hes also created an equally spooky black and white music video that perfectly captures the ghostly and sinister feeling of the original X-Files series, while showing off the stunning, one-of-a-kind design of his entirely 3D printed musical instrument.
A whopping 21.4 million viewers tuned in to the first episode of the new The X-Files series, which saw David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their roles as Mulder and Scully, special FBI agents taking on terrifying, paranormal science cases and supernatural mysteries across America. The science fiction horror series, which originally ran from 1993 until 2002 was a major hit for the Fox TV network, and even after its cancellation, has remained a cult classic to this day.
Mulder and Scully werent the only icons to make it into the pop culture canon: The X-Files theme song, an instrumental number composed by Mark Snow, became a hit in and of itself. In fact, a remixed version released in 1996, also composed by Snow, went straight to #2 on the UK Singles Chart, and even went Gold in France. In fact, The X-Files musical score was such a defining part of the show that Snow reprised is role as the new series composer, and 23 years later, the original theme song is as good as ever.
To celebrate both the song and the shows revivaland to show off just how good his 3D printed violin soundsBernadac covered The X-Files' theme song in all its glory, complete with echo-effects, and of course, that unmistakable, high-pitched whistle.
We previously wrote in detail about Bernadacs transparent 3D printed electric 3Dvarius, a work of 3D printing and musical art. Using SLA 3D printing technology, Bernadac and Geraldine Puel of 3DVarius created a unique violin designed to respond to the strict expectations Bernadac had as a professional music. His goal was to create a unique design, inspired by the shape of a traditional violin (the Stradivarius), and refining the forms and supports to obtain a more aesthetic design, that is simpler, lighter and transparent, said Puel.
The result is a truly stunning 3D printed electric violin that looks as good as it sounds, and recreates the original X-Files theme song like youve never heard it before. Check out the entire video, shot by Puel, below. Mulder and Scully would probably tell you to Trust No One, but when it comes to 3D printed muscal instruments, you can trust us--it's definitely worth a listen.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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Feb 2, 2016 | By Kira
Ourobotics, the Irish 3D bioprinting company behind the Revolution multi-material 3D bioprinter, has won first place in the inaugural SVOD (Silicon Valley Open Doors) Europe startup competition, hosted by Google at its European Headquarters in Dublin. Founded by scientist and engineer Jemma Redmond, Ourobotics has developed an affordable, reliable and modular 3D bioprinter with a unique re-tooling system that can handle ten 3D printing materials or more in a single 3D bioprinted structure, and can thus be used to for human tissue engineering, pharmaceuticals, synthetic biology, 3D printed bio-textiles and more.
The aim of the SVOD competition is to connect the most promising Central and Eastern European technology startups with investors and experts from Western Europe and Silicon Valley. The event was attended by over 450 delegates with representatives from over 50 venture capital funds in attendance, and Redmond found herself competing against 25 equally ambitious startups, including Israeli project Recast and the Ukraines Wishround, which took second and third place, respectively.
As the winner of the coveted top prize, Ourobotics proved that there is multifaceted and definite interest in the booming 3D bioprinting market, and that the Revolution 3D Bioprinter offers as much potential as its name suggests. As the winner, Redmond will now attend and present at the next American SVOD conference, taking place on May 25th, where she will have the opportunity to connect with even more potential investors. Ourobotics also took home a $5,000 Google Adwords checque to help promote the business.
Ourobotics founder Jemma Redmond accepting part of the SVOD Europe first place prize
The conference was really helpful, not only did we win, but we also received a lot of great adive and introductions. Its definitely worthwhile for any startup company to attend, said Redmond.
It was fantastic that, in a competition based purely on the merit of business and technological advantages, our winner is a female founder from Ireland. Her project beat off stiff competition from 25 Startups from across Europe to win the prestigious competition, said Anna Dvornikova, founder of SVOD Europe.
Redmond entered 3D bioprinting after studying applied physics nano-bioscience. She started by building 3D bioprinters on her kitchen table, funding herself throughout university in order to experiment with creating models of tumors in gelatin, tumors, reproductive tissues and more. Yet as the SVOD Europe competition has confirmed, Redmond is today is the founder and engineering genius behind one of the most promising 3D bioprinting startups in the world.
The Ourobotics Revolution 10+ material 3D bioprinter
I have been working with on biomaterial research and the bioengineering techniques associated with it since 2009, and Jemma was the first person that I met with the potential to revolutionize the 3D bioprinting industry, said Stephen Gray, Ourobotics Co-Founder, bioengineering PhD, and postdoctoral research associate at Professor Roger Kamms Lab, based between biological engineering at MIT and SMART Centre Singapore. The woman is a creative engineering genius. Indeed, both Gray and Redmond have quite a bit in store for the 3D bioprinting industry, including a particularly exciting and upcoming announcement regarding a new Ourobotics 3D bioprinter model (stay tuned for those details).
The first SVOD Europe competition, whose theme was Myth vs. Reality, was held at Google Europe HQ in Dublin between January 27th and 28th, with the support of key sponsors Almaz Capital Partners, PWC, and Google. The next SVOD Europe conference will take place in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April 2016.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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Feb 2, 2016 | By Tess
While some of us may automatically think of the drug marijuana when the word hemp is mentioned, the material, which does indeed come from the same cannabis plant that marijuana does, has been used since at least the 18th century to manufacture such products as wax, rope, twine, cloth, paper, and even fuel. Now, in the tradition of using the versatile plant as a manufacturing material, innovative 3D printing filament company 3Dom USA have just launched their new product, Entwined, an eco-friendly hemp based 3D printing filament.
Entwined is the third product launched as part of 3Dom USAs partnership with fellow North Dakota based bio-composite company, c2Renew. Together, the companies have been developing truly unique bio-based and sustainable 3D printing filaments, which include their coffee based filament, Wound Up, and their beer based 3D printing filament, Buzzed. You might also remember 3Dom USA for having developed a popular Glass Filled PLA 3D printing filament earlier in 2015.
Their new release, Entwined, is made from industrial hemp that comes from a nearby Manitoba, Canada hemp producer. Compared to corn crops, which are often used in PLA filaments, hemp crops grow denser and no not require herbicides or pesticides, making them a more ecological option for manufacturing purposes. Additionally, the company claims that their new material stands up against PLA materials in both quality and ease of 3D prints.
As you can see in the photos of objects made from the hemp 3D printing filament, Entwined does not contain any artificial dyes and has remained its natural golden-brown color. As Jake Clark, 3Dom USA CEO explains, Its almost iridescent in its ability to showcase different shades and densities within the same printed object. Theres a large amount of visible bio-fill, something you dont get with standard PLA.
While the color and grain may be distinct from PLA filaments, Entwined can still be used on any 3D printer that is equipped to 3D print in PLA materials. 3Dom USA has even tested their new material on a variety of 3D printer brands, such as MakerBot, LulzBot, and FlashForge, to assure that Entwined will work for you. Through testing, the company found that the bio-based filament prints best between 180-210 degrees Celsius, and they recommend starting off 10 degrees cooler than what you would use to print in PLA. If you are using a heated bed, which is not required, they recommend setting it to 45 degrees Celsius.
Entwined which is being launched today, can be purchased through 3Dom USAs website. Each 1kg spool of filament, which is available in either 1.75mm diameter, or 2.85mm diameter, retails for $59 and will be shipped from 3Dom USAs local production facility in Fargo, North Dakota. The filament itself comes spun around the 100% bio-based Eco-Spool.
Excitingly, the company has also given us a useful tidbit of information, as we have another innovative bio-based filament to look forward to in the spring, made from switchgrass. The switchgrass filament will be officially ready for shipments in April 2016, though preorders are possible through 3Dom USAs site.
After coffee, beer, hemp, and switchgrass based filaments, we can hardly imagine what 3Dom USA will print with next!
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
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Kristain mace wrote at 5/3/2016 3:30:12 AM:I'm trying to 3 d print a 35m x12@ m catamaran ... money isn't a issue .I would rather the bead form product ..
Feb 2, 2016 | By Alec
Tech conventions are often the best place to learn more about new 3D printing innovations, and it looks like SolidWorks World 2016 is no different. Currently ongoing in Dallas, Texas, it showcases plenty of 3D design innovations. But perhaps most fascinating is a new approach by SolidWorks to more adequately incorporate 3D printing into their software. In part, they are aiming to realize this through a collaboration with Sindoh, in which their software is to be integrated into the 3D printing process of Sindoh 3D printers thereby greatly speeding up the whole process. Mother company Dassault Systems and a number of other partners, meanwhile, are working to integrate material selection for 3D printing into SolidWorks.
SolidWorks, of course, is a truly professional piece of design software meaning a lot of options, but a lot of pitfalls too. Its no wonder many beginning users are advised to look elsewhere. There are, after all, quite a few steps involved with 3D printing something in SolidWorks: Finish a design in SolidWorks, Export it as an STL file, import it into a separate application, reorient and scale the model, add support structures, and finally print. Before you know it, quite a lot of time has flown by. But according to Dassault Systems boss Bernard Charles, the entire focus of SolidWorks is changing because 3D printings many benefits have made the technology essential to makers everywhere.
In part, they are trying to solve this issue by removing the need for additional software through this partnership with Sindoh, which you might know as one of the largest players in the South Korean 3D printer market. Unlike other additive manufacturing companies at hundreds or thousands of machine-production scale, Sindoh is applying experiences accumulated through millions of 2D printers into 3D printers. By leveraging 56 years of expertise and massive manufacturing capacities, Sindoh is able to ensure consistent quality, improve user experiences beyond technology, and provide competitive pricing, SolidWorks says of their partner choice.
So how will this integration work? Well, it basically adds a new dedicated command bar to SolidWorks when using a Sindoh 3D printer. You can add a local or network printer just like 2D printers, they explain. We can set print quality, slice the model, add support structures automatically and so on. Then once we hit Print, we can find the estimated time and filament needed. And, on the Task panel on the right hand side, we can even monitor printing progress. The camera feed can also be monitored on your phone. BB Lee, the senior vice president of Sindoh, further revealed that they are even working on an image recognition solution, which will enable the company to analyze 3D printing processes through the web and offer necessary support.
Its a very interesting concept that should help makers a long way, with the only downside being that its only limited to Sindoh 3D printers for now. If successful, however, we can expect that to change soon. For more information, check out Sindoh is in Booth #702 in the Partner Pavilion at SolidWorks World 2016.
But more generally, SolidWorks is seeking to add a whole new dimension to the 3D printing experience by incorporating material design into their process, something that became apparent from talks by senior officials from SolidWorks and mother firm Dassault Systems. They revealed that their focus has shifted to materials, which they see as the true added value of 3D printing integration. 3D printing is essentially about developing new materials. The material properties need to become the new parameters on which engineers are focusing. Design is about more than just shape, but also about getting the most out of material properties. Discovering new materials should become a key part of the design process, argued SolidWorks CEO Gian Paulo Bassi.
Bernard Charles further argued that the design process should also focus on the function that is to be realized through design. The system needs to present the best results, based on the characteristics the engineer is searching for. Though a number of collaborations have been set up with an eye on integrating materials into SolidWorks, nothing concrete is known just yet. However, it is clear that the focus is shifting towards 3D printing.
Posted in 3D Software
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Ban Ki-moon in the New York Times:
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 Nationslast 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.
At the same time, thousands of Palestinian homes in the West Bank risk demolitionbecause of obstacles that may be legal on paper but are discriminatory in practice.
More here.
From Teachersincharge:
It is estimated that between 1890 and 1925, an African American was lynched every two and a half days. The academic and intellectual community was no different from the bulk of mainstream America. Peoples of African descent were visibly absent in any scholarship or intellectual discourse that dealt with human civilization. Black history events, African Americans were so dehumanized and their history so distorted in academia that slavery, peonage, segregation, and lynching were considered justifiable conditions. Under Woodson's direction and contributions from other African American and white scholars, the Negro History Week was launched on a serious platform in 1926 to neutralize the apparent ignorance and deliberate distortion of Black History. Theme of black history month 2016 is, Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories.
February was selected by a man named Carter Goodwin Woodson, who was a noted historian and publisher, and who was a pioneer in American Black history. He selected February for several reasons, in that this month has an enormous significance in Black American history. First it is in celebration of two historical figures who had a great impact on the Black population. They are Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Other noteworthy persons whereby the month of February is significant are: W.E.B. Dubois, who was born on February 23, 1868, and who was a Civil Rights leader and co-founder of the N.A.A.C.P. The 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed on February 3, 1870 which gave Blacks the right to vote.The first Black senator, Hiriam R. Revels took office on February 25, 1870. The N.A.A.C.P. (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was founded in New York City of February 12, 1909, and Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism was shot and killed by Black Muslims on February 21, 1965.
More here. (Note: At least one post will be dedicated to honor Black History Month throughout February)
SpecPage, Inc., a Switzerland-based technology company that develops software solutions for the food manufacturing industry, has relocated its North American branch offices from Warwick, Rhode Island to Bradenton, FL with support from the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC).The EDC assisted the Swiss company in site selection and in applying for a performance-based economic development incentive grant from the Manatee County government. The Manatee County Board of Commissioners approved the incentive, based on SpecPages plan to add 15 jobs in Bradenton over the next five years. SpecPage now occupies 1,100 square feet with options to expand at Wildwood Office Park, 3645 Cortez Road, Suite 100, in west Bradenton.We are a global company and plan to strengthen our position in the North American market. The growing, yet affordable area of Bradenton provides good opportunities for future hiring as well as convenient access to several airports for national and international travel, says SpecPage North America VP Paul Meunier.Meunier says that SpecPage plans to create up to 15 jobs based in its new Bradenton offices over the next three years, primarily in sales and support roles. The growing companys clients currently include global brands such as Campbell Soup Company, Kelloggs, Mondelez and Nestle Wagner.Sharon Hillstrom, President and CEO of the Bradenton EDC , views the Swiss companys relocation of its North American offices to Manatee County as a valuable step in a multi-pronged effort to retain the talent emerging in record numbers from area colleges and universities.One of the things were really focused on at the EDC, as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Realize Bradenton, is [the young professional] demographic. Each organization is addressing some component of how we can attract and retain talent here. It is of prime interest, and our belief is that the more companies we have coming here, the more opportunities will present themselves to graduates, Hillstrom says.Hillstrom notes that there are currently five institutions of higher learning in Manatee and Sarasota County that are working in collaboration as the Consortium of Colleges on the Creative Coast to attract students and strengthen the Tampa Bay areas economy. Bringing global and IT-based companies like SpecPage into the area, Hillstrom says, confirms Bradentons value as a destination for other businesses to base their operations.This area provides a great business climate. We are a business-friendly government, labor costs are somewhat lower here, and the quality of life obviously speaks for itself. Bringing in companies like SpecPage is the best advertisement we have in that sense. We plan to use those types of wins to recruit other companies to the area, Hillstrom says.
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Giving back is a hallmark of the accounting profession, both on the individual and the firm level, but few accountants have thought their charitable and community activities through to the degree that Williston, Vt.-based CPA firm Davis & Hodgdon has and even fewer have taken the next step and created a formal policy to maximize their results.
Since mid-2014, the 27-person firm has had an official corporate social responsibility policy in place to structure how it integrates economic, social and environmental considerations into its day-to-day operations and its overall business strategy and to let staff, clients and the community at large know what its priorities are. The CSR policy also gives the firm an extra set of ways to measure its success beyond just financial results.
The 19-page document is built around three main components:
Community Works, which covers the firms partnerships with local nonprofits, its charitable giving and donations, and its Employee Volunteer Program;
Environmental Standards, which covers how the firm manages its environmental footprint, including its stringent recycling program, its use of renewable energy through the solar panels on its roof, and its commitment to locally sourced farm-to-table business in its catering, among other things; and,
Staff Wellness, which covers how the firm treats its staff in terms of compensation, work-life balance, training and career development, and more.
CSR policies have become much more common among large businesses over the past decade, but they are still extremely rare among small businesses, and almost non-existent among professional services firms. When Davis & Hodgdon started developing its policy four years ago, We found ourselves being first in the CSR world for small businesses in our marketplace, said firm administrator Kathryn Baccaglini.
Pioneering a new approach to measuring the impact and success of a business wasnt the firms main motivation in starting the process, however. In fact, they werent looking to create a CSR policy at first they simply wanted to get a better handle on their charitable activities.
THE MISSION: A MISSION
The original trigger for all this was that we were finding that we were donating money and donating services to many different nonprofits and organizations in the area, and we werent properly tracking them, and we didnt have a system to organize them, Baccaglini explained. We started the process of figuring out who we were donating to and what nonprofits we were providing pro bono services to, and we realized what we really needed to do was to stop just giving to anyone who asked we really needed to have a mission to our community work. We really needed to have a mission and a goal for our donations.
The team quickly realized that they would benefit from the expertise of an outside consultant, and hired Leslie Halperin of consultancy Resilient Philanthropy. While Halperin had previously consulted primarily with large businesses like Ben & Jerrys, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Keurig, she quickly gave the small accounting firm some homework assignments, starting with mapping out all of its charitable activities, including how much it had given and to which organizations.
It was all over the board we were into arts and culture, social services, human services, health services so we really needed to focus after we went through that exercise, explained Jennifer Krause, the firms marketing coordinator. After we mapped out those initiatives, we determined what our social mission priorities were going to be, and from there we created our mission statement: To contribute to our local community to produce a strengthened economy and entrepreneurial spirit. It was a cyclical model that benefits everybody the community, nonprofits, the economy, and then us.
Having defined its mission, Davis & Hodgdon next needed to identify the cause areas that supported its missions and CSR goals; it eventually narrowed those down to three: financial literacy, Vermonts green economy and entrepreneurship. With Halperins help, they were then able to vet a long list of local nonprofits to determine which aligned best with their mission and begin supporting these signature partners immediately with donations and volunteer time.
To support the CSR policy, the firm also developed a number of tracking tools a series of spreadsheets for measuring giving, volunteer hours, pro bono services and anything else it might be doing as well as forms for donation requests, employee matching requests, and the like.
The entire project, including sending a draft of the policy out to staff for their feedback, took 18 months. There was a huge time commitment to this, noted firm founder and managing partner John Davis. There were a lot of homework assignments as we went through the process.
PLEASANT SURPRISES
Some of that homework revealed that the firm was ahead of itself (and its peers) in many ways.
For instance, in looking at best practices and guidelines for the Environmental Standards section of the CSR, the firm realized that it had already implemented many of them. These were all things we had been doing already, said Krause, such as installing solar panels on its roof in 2010, or using high-efficiency light fixtures, or being the first and only CPA firm certified as a Vermont Green Business by the Vermont Business Environmental Partnership.
Similarly, the Staff Wellness section didnt require the firm to do much that was new. We have a long list of things that we do for staff, and as we started to document them, the staff saw this and realized, Oh my gosh, youre right this firm really does a lot for its staff, Baccaglini said. It was a refresher for staff to realize all of these benefits that they have, and maybe they werent utilizing them or they just forget about them, so its been very beneficial to have it.
INITIAL RECEPTION
It took some time and education, however, before the value became clear to staff, whose initial reaction and feedback were cautious.
It wasnt as much of a warm and fuzzy as I expected, Davis said. In the long run, though, it was good feedback because it helped to improve some of our wording so it didnt sound as self-serving.
I had to spend a lot of time with staff explaining that its OK, Baccaglini said. The basic concept is that you have a successful business like Davis & Hodgdon, and because were successful, we are able to contribute and give back to the community, and the goal for that is to grow the economy, to grow and improve businesses, to improve our community, and yes, there can be a payback to us. You cant give if you dont have anything to give. Staff didnt think of it that way, and when we explained it to them and educated them about it, it was an Aha! moment.
Davis explained that clients were also hesitant: It was a bit of a lukewarm reaction, in that we were saying effectively that we are measuring what we donate and we do convert it into a dollar figure. It took them aback a bit in the long run, and in part because weve changed the wording in some of our proposals, they have warmed up to what we are doing.
Now the firm makes a point of explaining the policy in detail to prospects, so that they can understand how organizations that are aligned with Davis & Hodgdon can really benefit from its clearer, more streamlined focus and clients have come around.
Some of the nonprofit organizations have come back to us and said that they appreciate that perspective, that the whole shotgun effect doesnt work, and that they like that we pick one organization to focus on, Davis said. They like that, rather than giving a lot of them a little bit of money that doesnt have any long-term benefit, we give a fair amount of money and a lot of time to one organization in the hope and expectation that theyll be much better for it and it will last for a number of years.
RESULTS
With the completed CSR policy in place, and staff and clients properly educated, Davis & Hodgdon has started to reap the rewards. To start, the policy and particularly the Staff Wellness section, with its long list of employee benefits has been a major help with recruiting and retention, as well as with promoting the firm as a whole.
It has really differentiated us from your traditional accounting firm, Baccaglini said. Once we started this process and started publishing information about it, making it known nonprofits and legislators in the area and the community were used to seeing only big businesses do this, and to realize that this can be done on a small scale, it really made us stand out.
Perhaps most important, it has had a major impact on the very issue that sparked the whole process in the first place: helping the firm get a handle on its charitable and community activities. For me, one of the biggest advantages has been that it has simplified my administrative processes, said Krause. We get several requests for donations from local organizations, and having this policy in place makes it so much easier to respond to those requests I can refer to the policy and if it aligns with what were doing, thats great, and if not, then I can explain to them that it doesnt and we move on. It allows us to focus those efforts, and its easier for me to respond to those requests.
Beyond that, Krause added, Its also provided the tracking tools to help us budget for all of those sponsorship activities, charitable giving, etc. ... We can easily pull the information at any given time how much pro bono services have we provided up to this point? It makes it easy to answer those questions.
It was a lot of work and it took a lot of time, but it has saved us so much time on the back end, Baccaglini added.
LESSONS LEARNED
For all the benefits, the firm is quick to note that it was no minor undertaking. From start to finish, the firm spent two years on it, and while Davis said that they would be happy to talk to other accounting firms about creating their own CSR policies, what he really recommends is working with an outside expert like Halperin.
There is the need for the consultant, he said. It holds your feet to the fire. You could do a cookie-cutter approach particularly if you had something like our document to refer to but you really need to put thought into what needs to be addressed. Im a big believer that when youre paying someone, youre going to take it a little more seriously. If we were just doing it internally, the timelines would have been looser, the effort placed into it might have been a little less. I would definitely recommend finding someone.
The firm even considered offering CSR consulting services to its business clients, but in the end decided against it, according to Davis: We promote the concept, but its not really something thats our expertise, other than having gone through it we recommend it, but its not a service that we offer.
It has, however, found a way to apply many of the concepts it learned in another area, he explained: In financial planning, were going through the exercise of trying to bring the CSR policy down to the individual level, with a service that would help individual clients figure out who theyre donating to, and why. We hope to have something up and running by the end of the summer.
AT A GLANCE
Firm: Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs
Headquarters: Williston, Vt.
Founded: 1990
Managing partner: John Davis
Staff: 27
Clients: App. 450 individuals, 350 businesses
Service areas: Tax planning and compliance; audit and attest services (with a particular focus on nonprofits); entrepreneur services; QuickBooks and software support; financial planning (through affiliate Copper Leaf Financial)
Deloitte India recently released the report, Driving Through the Urban Used-Car Market based on the findings of its survey, which was conducted to gauge the pulse of the used-car market in India. The used-car business has been one bright spot in a slow growing automotive industry in the last few years. The rush to buy diesel cars a few years ago with the prices of petrol being pegged to the open markets and then, the sales going down on account of the inability of the customers to buy new cars led to a visible growth in the used-car volumes. This growth supported by the investments by the manufacturers in the dealer network, branding and reliability of processes made it possible for the customers to consider used cars as a viable option.
With the used-car market estimated at the same size as the new-car market currently, the survey was conducted to provide perspectives on customer profile, buying process, decision factors, norms and benchmarks related to the trade.
Commenting on the survey, Kumar Kandaswami, Partner, Deloitte India, said, With formal networks growing, it is increasingly becoming cool to buy used cars. Among the urban buyers, there is a clear preference for branded players who enjoy a large share of the market. This is seen across the regions, suggesting the coming of age of this business
The survey was concluded in 16 cities including Ahmedabad, Ahmednagar, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Pune and Ranchi. The survey respondents were two-fold customers and dealers. Respondents included 220 customers and 112 used-car dealers across the mentioned cities. The survey respondents include 67 per cent between the age group of 26 to 35 and 22 per cent between 36 to 48 years old.
The report indicates that, while the customer has a budget in mind, they were open to fully utilizing it or even extend the budget to acquire the product they felt was right. The customers are willing to extend their budges up to 20% and the nature of the dealership seems to have an influence over this decision.
The survey also talks about the age of the car where most of the customers prefer to buy a 2-4 years old car. This trend is largely similar across regions and from both customer and dealer perspectives. Customers in North and East India region seem to buy 4-6 years old cars in slightly greater proportion. The OEM affiliated and Multi-brand dealers sell a relatively higher percentage of used cars that have run more than 50,000 km in comparison with local traders and other types of dealers, possibly indicating the comfort with the warranties that are provided with refurbished cars.
Other key findings from the survey report include:
The buying process: As in the case of the new cars, the used car buyers too depend on word-of-mouth. The internet is used for sourcing information. The customers make more than one visit to the dealers before they buy. Interestingly, the share of the internet based players as it relates to sales volume was seen to be quite small across the regions.
Financing the purchase: According to the survey, about 21 per cent customers required loan/financing to purchase the car. 57 per cent of these customers approached banks for loan, 17 per cent opted for dealer-nominated finance companies or banks, 11 per cent sought loan from OEM-owned finance companies and 9 per cent approached NBFCs.
Nature of purchase: A majority of the used car customers are first-time buyers, 78 per cent of them being from South and West India. North has the lowest level of first-time buyers at 62 per cent. Among these, a high numbers of customers have upgraded from owning a two-wheeler to a car. 38 per cent of customers from North are repeat buyers and 18 per cent of them owned a used car previously. 20 per cent customers from East were used car owners previously.
Usage: Contrary to popular perception, a majority of customers buy the used car for personal use. More number of customers from East buys the used-car for both personal & commercial use. The dealers also expect most of their urban customers to be buying for personal use. Unlike the OEM affiliated dealerships, the local traders/agents and stand-alone multi-brand dealers seem to attract more customers who buy for personal and commercial use.
Customer visits: Majority of customers across all regions visit a minimum of 1-2 sellers before finalizing the purchase. 71 per cent of the customers buying from OEM affiliated dealers decide on the purchase by visiting 1-2 dealers and 66 per cent of these customers finalise the purchase within 5-10 days.
The Advertising Standards Council of India receives and processes complaints against advertisements from all sectors released in the digital media. This has come to highlight mostly because of the recent discussions related to obscenity and vulgarity shown in the digital space in the form of trailers or promos of commercial cinema and TV programs. Not many citizens are aware that such promos, even if there is no payment made for its release, forms a part of advertising and comes under ASCIs remit. Definition of Advertising in ASCI code clearly states that Any communication which in the normal course would be recognised as an advertisement by the general public would be included in this definition even if it is carried free-of-charge for any reason."
Currently, when technology is progressing at a tremendous pace, digital space provides advertisers a powerful platform to promote their products and services. This medium plays a key role in grabbing eye balls of target audience almost instantaneously and with the potential of reaching millions if it goes viral. The regulatory mechanisms that have certain controls over traditional media such as Cinema or TV are yet grappling with the challenge of overseeing this digital space due to its fast evolving nature. The advertisers, at times, push the envelope due to this ambiguity and the notion that Digital media is largely unregulated.
However, consumers would find it heartening that ASCIs code of self-regulation is quite comprehensive and covers all media including the internet or digital media. Again, definition of Advertising in ASCI code establishes that "media are any means used for the propagation of advertisements and include press, cinema, radio, television, hoardings, hand bills, direct mail, posters, internet, etc. ASCI takes up complaints on advertisements appearing on websites, e-Commerce portals, Social Media platforms and so also the movie promo videos / YouTube trailers that people have objections to for being offensive.
According to Mr. Benoy Roychowdhury, Chairman, ASCI, Public should keep in mind that for any objections regarding digital advertisements, they can approach the ASCI, as not just product or service ads but even promos or trailers of commercial cinema or TV programs are also considered as advertisement. If viewers see any ads violating the provisions of ASCI code such as making misleading claims, showing obscenity or promoting hazardous behaviour, etc. on Internet or any other media they should complain to ASCI."
Speaking about what mechanism does the ASCI have to reign in extremely offensive advertisements, he continues to say, As per ASCIs Codes of Self-Regulation, Chapter II requires that Advertisements should contain nothing indecent, vulgar, especially in depiction of women, or nothing repulsive which is likely, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, to cause grave and widespread offence. Incase an advertisement is seen to cause serious breach of this or any other Code, ASCI has the power to curtail the ad by moving Suspension Pending Investigation (SPI). SPI is invoked in extreme cases only.
It is in the interest of the advertising fraternity to show restraint in what is put out in digital media as, such alarming level of vulgarity and offensive content would result in inviting strict censorship from authorities. So advertisers should self-regulate to enjoy the continued freedom to express themselves and demonstrate responsible advertising.
Final GPS IIF satellite moves to next processing phase toward launch
When a space vehicle is loaded with 320 pounds of hydrazine, the 45th Space Wing's Airmen-led GPS processing team knows they are in their final stages toward launching a premier capability to the warfighter.
All of the intricate processing steps from delivery of the satellite to launching into orbit are part of their standard operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. But, its a bitter sweet moment when the team reflects on the extensive years of history they have processing GPS systems for the Air Force.
"GPS II processing at the Cape started while the Shuttle program was here, when the Air Force was still launching Delta IIs and the Cold War was still going on," said Capt. Trung Nguyen, the field program manager for GPS IIF at the 45th Launch Support Squadron. "The GPS processing program has been a staple at the Cape. There are engineers and technicians here who worked on the first GPS II block satellite. Some have launched over 20 satellites. Some have been with the program since 1989."
The 45th LCSS processing team received its 12th and final Air Force GPS IIF model on Oct. 8 and unpackaged it in the NAVSTAR Processing Facility, where successful functional tests of the system made sure the satellite operates as expected when it is in orbit next month. The team is currently in the next phase of preparation for launch at the DSCS Processing Facility where major milestones occur, such as fueling.
"The NPF portion of the campaign lets the customer know that the satellite they paid for works," Nguyen said. "For this final mission, we executed the functional testing like we've always done."
Before they began tests, the team unpackaged the satellite and watched Air Force contracted partners give it a good shake down to ensure the satellite didn't suffer any inadvertent deviations during its transportation from the factory, delivery and transition into the NPF. A team carrying flashlights inspect every nut and bolt to make sure things are in order.
"Just because it looks like the final one, it is not exactly the same; each spacecraft is built by hand and thus is a little different from every previous unit," said Scott Chappie, the lead Air Force responsible engineer for GPS IIF-12, who has processed the previous four satellites that launched.
The Air Force team mounts the satellite to a test stand where an extensive suite of electronic tests are performed to verify the functionality and performance of each unique space vehicle. This process in the spacecraft control room can take up to 10 days with an Air Force mission responsible on station 24/7 to monitor the data received from a variety of cables plugged into the satellite. They don't install batteries until they know everything is operating as expected.
During this functional testing, proper operation of the subsystems is demonstrated, and the test procedure is designed to detect any malfunctions or failures that may have an impact on the satellite while in orbit.
"We also take a photo of every inch of the space craft in case we need to refer to it to trouble shoot something while it is in orbit," said Chappie, who has worked in military space for 20 years before coming to the Cape Canaveral AFS last year. "This forces us to look at every piece again. It is an extremely detailed procedure designed by the contractor - what to do, in what order and what tools are needed."
The closer the team gets to launch day, the higher the value of the satellite. This means there is less room for risk as they move forward. The Air Force team provides independent mission assurance to constantly monitor all launch site processing and assess the risk of those operations on spacecraft mission success.
In the final processing phase at the NPF, the space vehicle propulsion system is pressurized to the maximum expected operating pressure using gaseous nitrogen, which verifies that the reaction control system is working properly without any leaks in a simulated fueling test before it is transported and unpackaged at the DSCS Processing Facility.
Although the GPS moved to another location to continue processing, the control room remained at the NPF and is in contact with the satellite through every other phase of processing until the moment the rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral AFS.
The DSCS Processing Facility is configured to handle fueling operations safely with minimum personnel in the trench-lined hangar bays. Once fueled up and ready, the satellite can be mated to United Launch Alliance's Ground Transport Vehicle and encapsulated in the payload fairing. During this time, multiple electrical tests occur to ensure that all electrical paths are still operating nominally. Then the satellite will be transported to the Vertical Integration Facility, where it is mated to the top of an Atlas V rocket.
"We are here to protect the interests of the warfighter in this critical national asset," Chappie said. "We verify the satellites functionality and performance before we commit to launch."
T-minus two days from launch the integrated team is on console ready for power configuration to launch. Using fiber optic cables they can test their ability to communicate with the satellite. On the day of launch, they are ready to assist with any situation that may come up with close eyes on the telemetry data.
Following the completion of the processing and launch of the last of the GPS IIF Block spacecraft, the Air Force team looks forward to launching the GPS III spacecraft, which are already being built at a contractor factory.
Compared to other spacecraft, GPS IIF-12 is a modest size platform weighing in at 3,600 pounds, Chappie said. Although the design is impressive, the engineer said the impact it has is astonishing.
"That space craft is going to touch the lives of hundreds of millions if not billions of people on a daily basis," he said. "It not only vastly increases our military's position, navigation and timing capabilities all over the world, but so many people and business activities have also come to depend on GPS. This is a stunningly, successful program -- the way the Air Force conceived it and the way they continue to manage and implement the program."
Members of the mission assurance team, ranging from young military officers to career enlisted troops to seasoned civilians, look forward to the Atlas V's scheduled launch with GPS IIF-12 on board Feb. 5.
Once the satellite is on orbit, it communicates with the GPS Master Control Station, operated by the 50th Space Wing's 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. This squadron is responsible for monitoring and controlling the GPS as a 24-satellite system, consisting of six orbital planes, with a minimum of four satellites per plane. There are currently 40 vehicles in the GPS constellation.
GPS satellites serve and protect U.S. warfighters by providing navigational assistance and timing standards for military operations on land, at sea, and in the air. Civilian users around the world also use and depend on GPS for highly accurate time, location, and velocity information.
Eligible senior airmen, staff sergeants, technical sergeants, and master sergeants in 122 Air Force specialties can apply for a high year of tenure extension and, if approved, will be able to extend between 12 and 24 months past their current HYT.Eligible Airmen who apply for an extension should be approved by their unit commander or civilian leader, and should meet regular re-enlistment criteria as well. Airmen with a re-enlistment restriction are not eligible to apply for an HYT extension.The HYT extension application window will be open Feb. 1, 2016, through May 31, 2017.Eligible Airmen with a current HYT in February 2016 should apply as soon as possible to obtain approval prior to their current HYT. Eligible Airmen with a current HYT March 1-May 31, 2016, should apply at least 30 days prior to their current HYT. All other eligible Airmen should submit their requests for extension at least 120 days prior to their current HYT.Eligibility is limited to specific control Air Force specialty codes and grades as of Jan. 26, 2016, but the following Airmen may also apply:- Airmen who previously held an eligible AFSC, who are projected to return to the eligible AFSC on or before Sept. 30, 2017, and who have a current HYT between Feb. 1, 2016, and Sept. 30, 2017, may apply. Airmen in this category should provide documentation showing their projected return date with their HYT extension request.- Airmen who are in a special duty or developmental special duty assignment, who have an eligible AFSC, and who have an assignment availability code or date eligible for return from overseas date that expires on or before Sept. 30, 2017, may apply. Airmen in this category should provide documentation of the eligible AFSC with their HYT extension request. DEROS and AAC curtailment requests will not be approved for this program.Airmen approved for an extension should get required retainability within 10 days of being notified or they will forfeit the opportunity for an HYT extension.For complete eligibility criteria and application information, go to the myPers website , select "Any" from the search drop down options and enter "FY16/17 High Year of Tenure Extension Program" in the search window.For more information about Air Force personnel programs, go to the myPers website. Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following the instructions on the Air Force Retirees Services website
Comms program hits 100,000 hours of warfighter connectivity
A program managed here to ensure warfighters can stay connected despite differing networks and austere environments recently reached a significant milestone and is also on a path to keep moving forward.
The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) program reached 100,000 combat flight hours Jan. 30. The system, which provides coalition interoperability among air, space and surface systems by forwarding and translating voice and data across disparate networks, began operating in theater in 2008.
In 2015 alone, the system flew on more than 1,500 combat missions and 21,000 combat flight hours.
"For more than seven years now, BACN has been deployed supporting warfighter critical communication needs," said Maj. Gen. Craig Olson, the Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks program executive officer. "This capability has revolutionized the way we think about communications, providing strategic agility to DOD and coalition partners through increased interoperability and range extension for ground, air and space forces."
BACN began as an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration in 2006 to meet the challenges associated with operating in mountainous regions with limited line-of-sight, and in 2009 became a Joint Urgent Operational Need program to support Operation Enduring Freedom. It currently operates on two airborne platforms: one manned, the E-11A aircraft; and one remotely piloted, the Global Hawk Block 20s.
According to program officials, BACN provides the warfighter a high-altitude relay, providing reliable, dynamic communication links. Its myriad abilities include: an extended range of voice and tactical data networks; data exchange and translation across TDNs using various message standards and systems; voice communications interoperability between disparate radio systems; and unification of separate TDNs into a seamless, larger network.
The group operating the system in theater realizes the benefits BACN provides.
"BACN has been instrumental in extending communications and enhancing situational awareness throughout Afghanistan," said the contracting officer's representative for the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron. "The missions range from support for troops in contact to enabling strikes against key targets. BACN is a key part of the C2 backbone."
They also realize the significance of the milestone.
"The entire team in country is proud to have contributed to passing the 100,000-hour milestone for the BACN program," said the 430th EECS commander. "Having the E-11As overhead on a 24/7 basis has provided important radio bridges and datalink extensions to the warfighters on the ground and in the air. We are happy that we can support the ongoing efforts of the entire Freedom's Sentinel and Resolute Support missions."
And the program office is working to ensure this support can continue. In December, they released a notice of contract action. They intend to award a sole source follow-on contract for operations and support to Northrop Grumman Corp. for operating and maintaining the BACN system payloads. The work is expected to begin in January 2017 and may continue through January 2021 in optioned intervals of no more than 12 months each. Work will include continued payload operations and maintenance, periodic software upgrades and providing spares and repair parts.
"Achieving 100,000 combat flight hours for a program with JUON origins is an incredible milestone which highlights the importance of this capability," Olson said. "BACN has become a true force multiplier, and it is laying the foundation for the future of aerial layer networking. The BACN team and I are excited about the future of the program and we are ready to support this warfighter requirement for as long as it's needed."
(Editor's note: Names from expeditionary units were not included for security reasons.)
Incorporating various observations and assessments from the first year under the new enlisted evaluation and promotion systems, the Air Force is making several adjustments for year two to ease execution and strengthen processes.In 2015, the Air Force began execution of the new enlisted evaluation and promotion systems with the goal of ensuring performance as the main factor when promoting or evaluating Airmen. The new systems also increased a commanders opportunities to identify top performers and clearly indicate an Airmans promotion potential to the boards.Enlisted performance reports available for review by senior NCO evaluation boards will decrease from the previous 10 to five years beginning with the calendar year 2016 master sergeant evaluation board. This change allows an increased focus on recent performance and compliments implementation of restricted stratification and forced distribution rules that also emphasize recent performance.With the change from reviewing 10 years of reports decreased to five years, the Air Force is also transitioning to a single-phase process for the upcoming master sergeant evaluation board.Starting with the 2016 promotion cycle, the master sergeant evaluation board will be condensed into a single-phase process in which all weighted factors and board scores are combined into one score for each Airman. Accordingly, this single-phase approach will eliminate the EPR points as a separate weighted factor similar to senior and chief master sergeant evaluation boards.After going through the first master sergeant evaluation board in 2015, we were able to assess our capacity to review all eligible Airmen. We now know our systems, facility and annual board schedule can support boarding all eligible technical sergeants, said Brig. Gen. Brian Kelly, the director of military force management policy. This adjustment allows every technical sergeant a chance to have their performance reviewed on its own merit directly by the board.Under these adjustments the master sergeant evaluation board will review all eligible technical sergeant selection folders containing each Airmans evaluation brief, EPRs closing out within five years of the promotion eligibility cutoff date (PECD), and all decorations received over the Airmans entire career. Any Article 15 received within two years of the PECD and recommended for placement in the selection folder by a commander will also be visible.Another announced adjustment for 2016 is the continuation of the previously-planned reduction in points associated with time-in-service and time-in-grade. For calendar 2016, the multipliers for calculating total TIS and TIG points will be reduced again by another one-third, impacting the 2016 E-5, E-6, E-7, E-9, and 2017 E-8 promotion cycles. The Air Force will again conduct analysis on the impact of this change and determine if future reductions to completely eliminate the TIG and TIS weighted points from the Weighted Airman Promotion System will continue in calendar 2017.Finally, beginning in calendar 2016, EPR point calculations for promotion to grades E-5 and E-6 will be based solely on an Airmans last three forced distributed reports in their current grade. This adjustment provides an equitable method for transitioning from the legacy to the new system. Accounting for legacy EPRs, if in current grade, is accomplished by considering and factoring them into an Airmans promotion recommendation. This allows a clean break under the new Forced Distribution system where no points are awarded for legacy EPRs.For more information about senior NCO evaluation board processes or other adjustments related to enlisted evaluation and promotions, visit the myPers website
Character
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.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character, said Martin Luther King Jr., in one of his most famous speeches.
Character is what's deep inside each of us, its who we are on a daily basis, it's who we are when things go well and more importantly, when things go wrong. Its who we are when we're in leadership positions, as well as with the family in our living rooms. Character is our moral and ethical strength; it is who we are when no one is looking. Character is a mix of traits that are distinct to each person and baked into that person's life. It's much more than just what we try to display for others to see, good character is doing the right thing because it is right to do so.
For those of us who serve in the military, we are and should be held to a higher standard than the general public. We are servants of our country and our bond to those we serve is tied to our reputations and inevitably, to the character that reputation is built upon. Reputation is a long-term display of good character traits and we enhance that display, by making our character traits consistent by living our morals and ethics every day.
We must model good character for ourselves, our families and our service organizations daily. When promises are made, no matter how small, they must be kept. Be a great example, be known as a promise keeper. Never take shortcuts, communicate the importance of quality to your team and make sure that in times of stress, the importance of delivering quality is not lessened. Stay consistent when you deal with others. Treat everyone with respect, regardless of how long the day has been or the number of setbacks created by people in the organization that "just dont get it."
Finally, always self-audit. At the end of the day, week and month, review your decisions for bias and consistency against the character goals you're striving to achieve. Every action reflects on your character, as Whorton says, "no matter how small." Make sure your reflection is in line with who you are.
Intel paints battlefield picture from windowless room
In a windowless room, illuminated only by the light of computer screens, intelligence Airmen of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron paint a picture of the battlespace clear as day.
With intelligence gathered from multiple platforms, from ground forces to satellites, the unit collects, analyzes, and formulates up-to-date reports for commanders to make critical decisions where lives are sometimes on the line.
Intelligence informs operational planning based on the commanders needs and the particular military objective, increasing chances for success, said Tech. Sgt. Jarom Saurey, the 455th EOSS Intelligence Flight superintendent. Analysis reports draw on all available sources of information, including existing and newly collected material. These reports are used to inform and influence the planning staff and seek to predict the adversarys intent.
In order to meet this goal, Airmen from several intel Air Force specialty codes use several scientific and mathematical processes, such as using geo-locational mensuration functions, historical trend analysis, and manipulating geospatial databases. While it may sound like a Ph.D. in rocket science is needed to decipher these techniques, the 455th EOSS intelligence flight Airmen find parallels in a simpler explanation.
A good analogy of what intel does is similar to the weather flight, said Maj. Joseph Shupert, the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing senior intelligence officer. We are both analysts who collect and interpret data that we can't control, determine what it means to air operations, and present the combined data and assessment to aircrews and leaders to ensure mission execution.
However, intelligence isnt just a one agency job. Airmen from the 455th EOSS work with other services, civilian entities, and sometimes other countries to ensure that they provide decision makers with best information available.
As the senior Air Force intelligence element in theater, we coordinate with lateral and higher headquarters intelligence elements from our sister services, coalition partners, joint headquarters, and national-level intelligence agencies which allow us to leverage their capabilities for our intelligence requirements, Shupert said. The various intelligence products we create provide leaders with situational awareness that enables them to make threat-informed decisions, risk assessments, force protection measures, manning decisions and many more.
To best accomplish their mission in the combined-intelligence stream, the intelligence flight has developed a unique set of skills.
Our various skill levels and experiences allow us to identify opportunities to constantly improve our intelligence products, Shupert explained. Through this we gain ever increasing levels of expertise on the threats our Airmen face operating at Bagram and conducting missions across Afghanistan.
From the squad leader protecting the base from the ground, to the F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots conducting strikes from the air, every mission in Afghanistan is reliant upon good, up-to-the-minute intel. The Airmen of the 455th EOSS Intelligence Flight provide this every day, even if they cannot technically see outside their windowless room.
: Most recent bulletins on economy and development October 10, 2022 AfricaFocus 3.0: Not A Nation of Immigrants http://www.africafocus.org/docs22/af-221010.php
Coming in 2023: AfricaFocus 3.0 July 20, 2022 Africa/Global: Oligarchs of All Nations http://www.africafocus.org/docs22/books2207.php
"Biden Concedes Defeat on Climate Bill as Manchin and Inflation Upend Agenda" - New York Times, July 16, 2022 June 9, 2022 Africa/Global: Ukraine, Africa, and Our Planet http://www.africafocus.org/docs22/upd2206.php
An end to this terrible war based on dialogue must be the international communitys highest priority. Support to the people of Ukraine must be matched by efforts to advance Russian/Ukrainian negotiations, European security dialogue, and wider risk-reduction measures to prevent nuclear escalation. - The Elders, May 25, 2022 May 11, 2022 Africa/Global: Debt, IFFs, and Inequality in Africa http://www.africafocus.org/docs22/ineq2205.php
43 African governments are facing expenditure cuts totalling $183 billion (equivalent to 5.4 percent of GDP) over the next five years, reveals new analysis from Oxfam and Development Finance International (DFI) today. If these cuts are implemented, their chances of achieving the UNs Sustainable Development Goals will likely disappear. - Oxfam International and Development Finance International April 21, 2022 Africa/Global: Climate Put on Back Burner by War http://www.africafocus.org/docs22/clim2204.php
While media attention focuses on the cost in human lives on the ground in Europe, the direct and indirect effects are also leading to many more lives lost around the world, not least in vulnerable countries on the African continent, according to a report issued on April 13 by the United Nations. The direct effects alone are projected to devastate the world economy (https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-impact-war-ukraine-food-energy-and-finance-systems). March 25, 2022 Africa/Global: Updates from AfricaFocus http://www.africafocus.org/docs22/upd2203.php
This is the first AfricaFocus Bulletin since January. Towards the end of that month, major issues with my home office computer systems crippled the interface which I normally use to publish the Bulletin, and catching up on a variety of medical issues also limited what I could do. Nothing life threatening, but lots of doctor appointments. January 19, 2022 USA/Africa: Bronx Fire Devastates Gambian Community http://www.africafocus.org/docs22/migr2201.php
This is the heart of the problem. If housing vulnerable people is an asset class not a social good, or a human right then generating returns for investors will always be in a zero-sum relationship with providing safe housing for those people. Landlords will always be in the middle; and when theyre taking sides, as they must in housing for profit, investors will always win. - Annia Ciezadlo December 23, 2021 USA/Africa: Pandora Papers Keep Giving http://www.africafocus.org/docs21/iff2112.php
2021 was a banner year for attention to national and international tax reforms to reduce tax evasion and avoidance, with legislation in the United States spearheaded by the FACT Coalition and a global reform deal proposed by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). But the Pandora Papers also demonstrated the pervasive scale of illicit financial flows that siphon off wealth into an offshore world of secrecy. November 23, 2021 Africa/Global: From Climate Denial to Deceit and Delay http://www.africafocus.org/docs21/cop26-2111.php
Asad Rehman of War on Want spoke to the presidency of COP26 with words that resonated far from Glasgow: The rich have refused to do their fair share, more empty words on climate finance. You have turned your backs on the poorest who face a crisis of Covid, economic and climate apartheid because of the actions of the richest. It is immoral for the rich to talk about the future of their children and grandchildren when the children of the Global South are dying now. Less than 2 minutes. Watch here! November 2, 2021 Africa/Global: The Heat is On! Time to Act! http://www.africafocus.org/docs21/clim2111.php
The warnings are consistent and devastating, across the political spectrum from the International Monetary Fund from climate activists mobilizing at the climate summit in Glasgow and around the world. There are only eight years to have any chance of bending the curve of fossil fuel emissions sufficiently to avoid mounting climate chaos. Predictions are also consistent that the government officials gathered at the summit will continue to let promises and belated minimal policy shifts substitute for significant action. October 15 , 2021 Africa/Global: Hardly a Dent in #VaccineApartheid http://www.africafocus.org/docs21/vac2110.php
Millions of people remain at risk of dying from COVID-19 because high-income countries (HICs), including the US, continue to hoard excess vaccine doses, warns a new report released [on October 11] by Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). The international medical humanitarian organization is calling on governments to commit to a concrete plan to redistribute vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) via COVAX or regional procurement bodies by the end of October. August 26, 2021 Mozambique/Global: Most Egregious Corruption Case of the 21st Century http://www.africafocus.org/docs21/moz2108.php
In my view the hidden debt scandal is the most egregious corruption case of the 21st century. In dollar terms, the Malaysian 1MBD case is larger, but Malaysia is far wealthier than Mozambique, ranked 47th out of 185 countries on GDP per capita whereas Mozambique ranks 180. - Richard Messick, senior contributor to the Global Anticorruption Blog and pro bono legal counsel to the Budget Monitoring Forum, a civil society coalition in Mozambique. Complete listing of bulletins on the economy and development, 2003-present
Six Canadians died in a bloody terror attack on a luxury hotel and cafe in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, that killed at least 28 and injured countless others over the weekend.
In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, On behalf of all Canadians, we offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all those killed and a speedy recovery to all those injured. We are deeply saddened by these senseless acts of violence on innocent civilians.
We have offered assistance to the Burkinabe authorities in their investigation of this terrible crime.
All of the Canadian victims are from Quebec. Four of them are from the same family, and had been in the country for nearly a month to aid in the construction of a school.
Recently retired teacher Yves Carrier, 65, and his wife Gladys Chamberland, who worked for the national resources ministry, were killed along with their son, Charlelie, and Carriers daughter, Maude. The family lived in Lac-Beauport, in the Quebec City region.
The two other Canadian victims were their friends and humanitarian work companions, Louis Chabot who worked as a teacher with Maude, and Suzanne Bernie, both also from Quebec.
According to reports, the family and friends had just completed their work on the school when the attack occurred. The group had left Quebec for Africa in December on behalf of the Congregation des surs de Notre-Dame du Perpetuel Secours along with two other volunteers, according to reports.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Trudeau led a moment of silence to honour the victims of the Burkina Faso while he was speaking at a restored mosque in Peterborough, On., that was firebombed in the aftermath of the deadly attacks in Paris in November.
The attack Friday by multiple people in Ouagadougou started with explosions and hostage taking at about 7:30 p.m., targeting the Splendid Hotel, the nearby Cappuccino Cafe and another hotel. A 12-hour standoff lasted through the night and well into Saturday, with the siege ending after local and French security forces stormed the hotels, killing at least four of the attackers.
Two of the three attackers were identified as female, the Burkina Fasos President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said in a national radio address.
At least 20 people died and 17 were wounded after a suicide car bomber and gunmen attacked a beachside restaurant-hotel in the capital of Somalia, authorities said. Six attackers were also killed.
Government forces fought a gun battle with the the attackers, who were identified as members of the al Shabaab terror group. The countrys security minister said the alleged commander of the attack was captured alive by security forces. The commander was not named.
This is a barbaric act and we condemn this act, government spokesman Abdisalam Aato said. Al Shabaab is trying to disrupt the peace and Somalis will not stand for it. We will not be intimidated.
The Marrakech conference on the protection of religious minorities in Muslim countries, calls on Muslim states to protect Non-Muslim minorities and ensure religious freedom for all regardless of their faith.
Marrakech held a three-day conference on January 25-27, on The Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities: Legal Framework and a Call to Action.
Hundreds of Muslim scholars from over 120 countries and leaders from all religious groups gathered in Marrakech in southern Morocco between January 25 and 27 to reaffirm the principles of the Charter of Medina for the protection of non-Muslims living in the Arab World.
The final document of the conference referred to as the Marrakech Declaration builds on the Charter of Medinawhich guaranteed the religious liberty of all, regardless of their faith.
The declaration reaffirms the principles of constitutional contractual citizenship, such as freedom, solidarity, defense, as well as justice and equality before the law, using Common Word without bias or violence.
It calls on Muslim authorities to further develop the concept of citizenship based on Islamic tradition but inclusive of all groups regardless of religious identification.
It also urges educational establishments to review any material that may lead to extremism, violence and terrorist acts, and calls upon politicians to strengthen relationships among religious groups living in the Muslim World. The declaration asks artists to raise awareness on the rights of minorities.
The declaration emphasizes the need to call upon representatives of the various religions, sects and denominations to confront all forms of religious bigotry, vilification, and denigration of what people hold sacred, as well as all speech that promote hatred and bigotry.
It is unconscionable to employ religion for the purpose of aggressing upon the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries, the declaration adds.
In the wake of the recent terrorist acts that have shaken several countries including Lebanon, Syria, France, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Palestine and the United States, the Muslim world has been blamed for the acts of criminals that do not represent Islam.
Hate crimes against Muslims across the world have risen to alarming levels as well as intolerance and violence toward non-Muslims in Muslim majority countries.
Morocco, known as a tolerant and moderate country where religious minorities can coexist in peace and harmony, hosted the three-day conference that set up the legal framework for the protection of non-Muslims.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama hailed the Marrakech Conference in a speech in Washington D.C. at the Embassy of Israel, during the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocausts Righteous Among Nations Award Ceremony.
In Morocco, leaders from Muslim-majority countries around the world just held a summit on protecting religious minorities, including Jews and Christians, Obama said.
President Obama asked everyone to speak out and stand firm against evil that seeks to divide us based on our religious preference and to learn from our shared past and reject indifference.
It means cultivating a habit of empathy, and recognizing ourselves in one another; to make common cause with the outsider, the minority, whether that minority is Christian or Jew, whether it is Hindu or Muslim, or a nonbeliever; whether that minority is native born or immigrant; whether theyre Israeli or Palestinian, he added.
The spectre of terrorism now hovers over much of the region. During the past 12 months alone, two other Sahelian capitals Bamako and NDjamena also experienced their first ever jihadist incidents. Moreover, the Ouagadougou attack signifies a continuing shift in the modus operandi of Sahelian terror groups. From 2013 to 2015, Islamist forces in northern Mali typically concentrated on targeting UN and foreign military personnel with mortar and IED attacks. However, the latest assault by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) on civilians at the Cappuccino cafe and the Splendid hotel echoes al-Mourabitouns attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako in November 2015, in which the Malian-based group took 170 guests hostage. Containing the expanding reach of terrorist groups will require enhanced regional cooperation, as Malis prime minister stressed earlier this week. Nevertheless, the reported merger of the two Islamist militant groups, both of which have operated in Mali since 2012, is likely to reinforce their capabilities and increase the threat level for Western personnel operating in West Africa.
UN peacekeepers and Malian army unable to tackle persistent terror threat
Despite the success of Operation Serval, which saw French and Chadian troops drive Islamist terrorists out of the cities of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal in 2013, northern Mali remains a haven for militants. Although the Bamako government concluded a peace deal with Tuareg-led armed rebels in June 2015, the authorities have negligible control over the three northern regions. The large expanses of uninhabited desert provide an ideal environment for training exercises and evading capture. Jihadists also have easy access to bountiful supplies of weapons from Libya.
Even the presence of around 10,000 UN peacekeepers in northern Mali continues to have little impact on the security landscape. Having already suffered one of the highest casualty rates of any UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA forces are largely preoccupied with protecting themselves and their bases from attack. Indeed, several senior MINUSMA officials have privately told Verisk Maplecroft of their frustrations with the missions limited resources and mandate, which does not permit counter-terrorism or anti-trafficking operations.
The Malian government, though, has begun to acknowledge the importance of reducing Islamist militants access to weapons and their control of smuggling activities. On 11 January 2016, Malis foreign minister urged the UN Security Council to consider enabling MINUSMAs troops to confront terror groups. Yet, neither MINUSMA nor the Malian government has even begun to challenge the militants control of lucrative trafficking routes between northern Mali, Niger, Algeria and Libya. The only capable counter-terrorism force in the region is Frances Operation Barkhane. However, the mission only comprises 3,000 troops spread over five countries, meaning that only 1,000 soldiers are permanently stationed at the Gao and Tessalit bases in north-eastern Mali. So long as Frances allies fail to offer more substantive support to the mission, Barkhane will only be effective in the tiny patches of the vast Sahel where it operates.
Niamey and Dakar are likely new targets in 2016
Nigers capital Niamey will be on particularly high alert ahead of Februarys presidential election as Islamist terrorists seek to target the country for its cooperation with the West. President Mahamadou Issoufou has been an enthusiastic supporter of French and American counter-terror efforts in the Sahel, having granted the US permission to establish two drone bases on Nigerien soil since 2013. Furthermore, Nigers ongoing contributions to MINUSMA in Mali and the Multinational Joint Taskforce (MNJTF) combatting Boko Haram in Nigeria provide terror networks with additional reasons to attack the country.
Meanwhile, Senegals capital, Dakar, provides an attractive target for jihadists owing to its status as a regional hub for international organisations. The large numbers of expatriate residents and foreign visitors in Dakar mean that major hotels, restaurants and bars are vulnerable to attack. In fact, there is already evidence to suggest that militant groups have begun to develop networks in Senegal. The arrest of a Senegalese Boko Haram member in Niger in October 2015 led to the discovery of plans to create a jihadist cell in Senegal and launch an attack in Dakar.
International military coalitions have proven broadly successful at recapturing territory from terrorist organisations in Mali and Nigeria. Yet, there is little indication at present that MINUSMA, the MNJTF, or regional governments are capable of preventing attacks spreading to hitherto untouched locations. Thus, further terror incidents targeting foreign nationals in West African capitals are highly likely.
By Jeremy H. Keenan
Africas Sahel region has been in the international news a lot since 2012, largely because of its increasing political instability and insecurity. More recently, the region has gained attention because of a terrorist attack on the Radisson Blue Hotel in Malis capital, Bamako, on November 20, 2015 the attack killed 22 people, including two attackers and a similar attack on the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on January 15 of this year, which left a death toll of 30.
At least four militant jihadist groups have claimed responsibility for one or both of the attacks. These include al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al-Murabitoune, Ansar al-Dine, and the Macina Liberation Front (FLM). Members of MUJAO (Mouvement pour lunicite et le jihad en Afrique de lOuest), now mostly dispersed amongst these other four groups, were also probably involved.
Following the Ouagadougou attack, the BBC called the Sahel a new frontier in the war on terror. But it has been a new front for some time now. Similar words were used by Washington in 2003 when the Bush administration referred to the Sahel, which had just experienced its first encounter with post-9/11 terrorism, as a second front in the global war on terror. The response of President Bush was to launch the Pan-Sahel Initiative (PSI) in 2004, followed by the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative (TSCTI) in 2005. Both programs were based largely on fabricated, false-flag and exaggerated incidents of terrorism. (I discusses this at greater length in my books on terrorism in the Sahara, The Dark Sahara and The Dying Sahara.)
The Sahel is possibly Africas least known region. The word sahel in Arabic means shore and refers literally to the southern shore of the Sahara; a semi-arid zone roughly 600 miles wide between the desert and the savannah and about 3,500 miles long from the Atlantic to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
Today, the term is used increasingly in a geopolitical context to refer to the countries of the western Sahel, namely Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Chad, and now, as a result of the January 15 attack, Burkina Faso. These countries have become increasingly destabilized politically first, as a result of Washingtons PSI and TSCTI, and more recently (since 2011), by the fall-out from Muammar Qadhafis overthrow in Libya.
The Sahel is Africas most ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse region, being the interface between Islamic and non-Islamic Africa, and between white-skinned (Arabs and Berbers) and black-skinned Africans, racial designations that are still used in the region today. The Sahel is home to Muslims, Christians, and animists; nomads and farmers; Arabs, Berbers, and African tribes alike. Its extraordinarily rich ethnic diversity and power structures are rooted in the ancient kingdoms and empires of Ghana, Kanem-Bornu, Mali, Wolof, Songhai, and Fulani that emerged between the 8th and 19th centuries.
The region was under French colonial rule from the late 19th century until 1960. Since then, its countries have remained linked by their shared historical and colonial experiences, their predominant Islamic sufi religion, and their shared problems of recurring drought, underdevelopment, poverty, and now terrorism.
The post-colonial era has seen a painful, drought-driven, and often conflict-ridden shift from the predominance of nomadism and herding (especially in the north) to subsistence and commercial agriculture. In the last decade-and-a-half, the region has also added the contemporary lifestyles of the digitalized world: cell phones and the social media.
The population of these four Sahel countries is estimated at 50 million people, plus a further 17 million if Burkina Faso is included. Racial divisions were prominent in both pre-colonial and colonial times, and are still socially and politically relevant today. In 2014, for example, the Mali government urged the killing of white-skinned Arabs and Berbers whom it designated as terrorists, while in Mauritania, slavery and the mentality of slavery are still the countrys most defining social characteristic.
Even though almost wholly Muslim, the region is riven by different Islamic movements, many of which have come to the fore and been the cause of serious conflict in the last few years. The main tension is now between the regions traditionally more moderate Sufi beliefs and more fundamentalist Wahhabi doctrines, with the last four years seeing the rise of violent salafist-jihadism.
In Mali and Niger especially, independence in 1960 resulted in political power being vested in the African peoples of the more densely populated southern regions. The previously dominant Tuareg and Arab tribes of the north became ethnic minorities. Post-colonial Mali and Niger have both been characterized by a series of unsuccessful revolts by Tuareg groups against their southern rulers in Bamako (Mali) and Niamey (Niger).
Following the USs launch of its global war on terror into the Sahel in 2003, corrupt governments in Bamako and Niamey provoked Tuareg rebels to take up arms in order to portray them as terrorists and so gain further military and financial support from Washington.
The overthrow of the Qadhafi regime in Libya in 2011 further destabilized much of the Sahel notably Mali and Niger and triggered a further Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali, known to Tuareg as Azawad. By April 2012, the Tuareg rebels had put the ill-equipped and ill-led Mali army to flight. However, the rebels, having declared an independent Azawad, were themselves soon sidelined by salafist-jihadist insurgents covertly backed by Algerias secret intelligence serve. A military coup detat in Bamako and the collapse of Mali into a state of crisis left southern Mali on the brink of falling to the insurgents. With regional and international organizations dithering, France took it upon itself to intervene militarily in Mali in January 2013 in what was known as Operation Serval.
However, far from destroying the jihadists, the French military intervention merely dispersed them to Tunisia and Libya, and across the Sahel. In mid-2014, France expanded its military counterterrorism operation throughout the Sahel as part of Operation Barkhane, the successor to Operation Serval. However, in spite of a UN peacekeeping force of some 10,000 in Mali, at least 3,800 French troops spread across the Sahel, and contingents of several hundreds of Dutch, Swedish, and German troops aided by US specialists, radical violent extremism has taken a deeper hold of the Sahel. 2015 saw Boko Haram spreading from Nigeria into Niger and Chad, while Mali suffered an average of about two jihadist attacks per month. Jihadist ideology in the region is being couched increasingly in language that is opposed to the weak, ineffective, and corrupt local governments, as well as the West and especially France, whose military presence in the region would appear to be exacerbating rather than diminishing extremist militancy. Spokespersons for the jihadist groups are now even talking about the creation of a Saharan caliphate.
This historical and political context points toward the greater need to understand the Sahel before rashly developing another round of military missions in the area. While the Sahel isnt a new front in the war on terror, it is certainly one deserving closer attention. Decades of division and instability and years of counterproductive Western counterterror operations mean the region is a fertile recruiting ground for terrorist organizations.
The Senegalese authorities have arrested more than 500 people as part of a security crackdown after terrorist attacks in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali.
The police operation around the cities of Dakar and Thies started on Friday and saw 900 people in total questioned for a range of offences from possession of drugs or counterfeit currency to not having the proper documentation for vehicles, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said.
Soro Diop said that while not directly terrorism-related, they were aimed at ensuring Senegal does not fall victim to an attack like its neighbours.
The police carried out these security measures as part of an operation against the threat of terrorism, he said. Security has been reinforced on all levels.
Earlier this month, the Splendid Hotel and Cappuccino Cafe in the capital of neighbouring Burkina Faso were attacked by gunmen who killed 30 people.
Pizzas are seen on the terrace of the Cappuccino restaurant after an attack on the restaurant and the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The aftermath of the attack on the Cappuccino Cafe Photo: REUTERS/Joe Penney
In November, the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali also fell victim to terrorists, with 20 people killed.
Responsibility for both attacks was claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) operating in alliance with al-Mourabatoun, another terror group.
Senegal is a beacon of peace and stability in West Africa and a strong economy in the region but it also shares a border with Mali, where AQIM is principally based in the Sahara Desert. Security experts say its popularity as a base for international organisations makes Senegal the next obvious target.
Senegalese President Macky Sall has warned that extremism has no place in his nation, where Muslims and Christians coexist peacefully.
Major hotels that host foreigners have been told to improve their security measures or face closure, and the police presence in Dakar has markedly increased. Last week, vehicles entering downtown Dakar were also stopped and inspected.
The American and French embassies have denied reports in the local media that its intelligence had picked up direct terror threats towards Dakar and Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast.
Sean Smith, West Africa Analyst for consultants Verisk Maplecroft, said Dakar was an attractive target for jihadists.
The large numbers of expatriate residents and foreign visitors in Dakar mean that major hotels, restaurants and bars are vulnerable to attack, he said.
In fact, there is already evidence to suggest that militant groups have begun to develop networks in Senegal. The arrest of a Senegalese Boko Haram member in Niger in October 2015 led to the discovery of plans to create a jihadist cell in Senegal and launch an attack in Dakar.
An international coalition is pushing back Islamic State militants in their Syrian and Iraqi strongholds, but the group is threatening Libya and could seize the nations oil wealth, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday.
Officials from 23 countries met in Rome to review the fight against Islamic State militants, who have created a self-proclaimed Caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq, and are spreading into other countries, notably Libya.
While Western officials worry about the growing threat posed by Islamic State in the former Italian colony, there was no suggestion that foreign powers were preparing to launch a major military offensive against them there for now.
Islamic State forces have attacked Libyas oil infrastructure and established a foothold in the city of Sirte, exploiting a power vacuum in the North African country where two rival governments have been battling for supremacy.
That country has resources. The last thing in the world you want is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars of oil revenue, Kerry said.
Under a U.N.-backed plan for a political transition, Libyas two warring administrations are expected to form a unity government, but a month after the deal was agreed in Morocco, its implementation has been dogged by in-fighting.
Kerry said the two sides were on the brink of getting a government of national unity. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said once it was in place, many countries would be prepared to respond to any request for help with security.
However, Kerry said the United States was opposed to deploying any of its ground forces into Libya and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius dismissed media speculation that Paris was poised to intervene in the oil-rich country.
That is totally inexact, he told reporters in Rome.
The United States is leading two different coalitions carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria that have targeted Islamic State, but the jihadist group has been left largely left untouched in Libya.
We are still not at the victory that we want to achieve, and will achieve, in either Syria or Iraq and we have seen Daesh playing a game of metastasizing out to other countries, particularly Libya, Kerry said, using a pejorative Arabic term for Islamic State.
INTERRUPTING ISLAMIC STATE
Defense ministers from the anti-IS group are due to meet in Brussels next week to discuss further options, while Kerry said he expected further consultations with allies at a security conference in Munich, Germany later this month.
While the Islamic State remained undefeated, it had suffered many setbacks, Kerry said, losing 40 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and 20 percent of its lands in Iraq.
Our advances .. are undeniable. We have launched nearly 10,000 air strikes, we have interrupted their finance mechanisms, they have had to cut the salaries of their fighters, we have interrupted their capacity to get revenues, Kerry said.
The one-day Rome meeting took place as talks have begun in Geneva to try to end the five-year-old Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in the United States and Russia on opposite sides.
While Washington has long said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead, it has made clear that its first priority is to try to rein in Islamic State group.
If you want to beat Daesh quickly, then get a negotiated deal to end the Syria war, Kerry said.
Tuesdays meeting also covered stabilizing areas such as the Iraqi city of Tikrit, which has been wrested from the group, as well as broader efforts to undercut its finances, stem the flow of foreign fighters and counter its messaging, officials said.
Tunisia must stop widespread abuses under its draconian drug use law by drafting new legislation to eliminate prison sentences for recreational drug use or possession, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
The controversial Law 52, passed under toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, lays down harsh jail sentences for drugs use, in most cases cannabis resin, or zatla as it is known in Tunisia.
HRW said in a statement that thousands of people are jailed each year in Tunisia merely for consuming or possessing small quantities of cannabis for personal use.
The New York-based watchdog issued a 33-page statement that said documents the human rights abuses and social toll that stem from enforcement of the countrys draconian drug law.
The group said it interviewed 47 people who have been jailed in Tunisia for drugs offences and found that enforcement of the law had resulted in serious human rights violations.
The people interviewed described beatings and insults during arrest and interrogation, mistreatment during urine tests, and searches of homes without judicial warrants, it said.
One identified only by the initials S.T. said he felt broken after five months behind bars for using cannabis, before being pardoned.
When I got out, people would look at me as a criminal, he was quoted as saying. Someone who spent time in prison is always a criminal.
People convicted of drug offences account for 28 percent of prisoners in Tunisia, and about 70 percent of them were jailed for using or possessing cannabis, HRW said, citing the justice ministry.
If you smoke a joint in Tunisia, you risk getting arrested, beaten up by the police, sent for a urine test, and then sentenced to a year in an overcrowded prison with hardened criminals as your cellmates, said Amna Guellali, Tunisia director at HRW.
If Tunisia gets its drug law reform right, it can be a model for the region, she said in a statement.
A group of activists named Al Sajin 52 (Prisoner 52) says the law is destroying lives.
A draft amendment was sent to in parliament in late December, but the assembly has yet to announce a schedule for its debate and vote.
The draft law abolishes jail terms for first- and second-time offenders.
However, HRW said it would also outlaw public incitement to commit drug-related offences, a provision it warned would harm freedom of speech, with possible repercussions on rap artists.
The new draft bill tacitly acknowledges the heavy toll that the current drug law has imposed on Tunisians, especially its youth, said Guellali.
Parliament should take the logic to its conclusion by eliminating prison sentences altogether for drug use or possession for personal use.
As of December 15, 7,451 people were in Tunisias prisons after being convicted of drugs offences under Law 52, the watchdog said, citing justice ministry figures.
Sameer Bhujbal, former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbals nephew and a former Member of Parliament was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the multi-crore Maharashtra Sadan construction scam. Former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has already gone through inquiry and somewhere he will come clean as the Anti-Corruption Bureau filed an FIR against him in connection with Maharashtra Sadan scam. Bhujbal was Public Works Department minister in the previous Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra. The FIR names him, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and 14 others. The case relates to awarding of contract for construction of new building of Maharashtra Sadan, the state governments guest house in New Delhi. In all these FIRs, real big fishes are missing.
The other accused named in the FIR are Arun Deodhar, Devdutt Marathe, Bipin Sankhe, Krishna Chamankar, Pranita Chamankar, Tanvir Sheikh, Sanjay Joshi, Manik Shaha, Deepak Deshpande, Anil Kumar Gaikwad, Pravina Chamankar, Prasanna Chamankar, Iram Tanvir Sheikh and Geeta Joshi. Following a complaint lodged by Aam Aadmi Party leader Anjali Damania, state ACB had initiated a probe against the Bhujbals. Damania had alleged that there had been rampant corruption and large-scale irregularities in the construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan.
As per allegation, the Public Works Department, under Bhujbal, awarded sub-contracts to firms in blatant violation of rules. All these firms were floated or controlled by the members of the Bhujbal family. In April 2015, the Bombay High Court had observed that there was prima facie evidence and ACB can register an FIR if a case of corruption was made out. The new Maharashtra Sadan was built at the cost of Rs. 100 crore when Congress-NCP coalition was in power in Maharashtra.
I am stating some of my findings here, and also curious to know why those big names are not included in the FIR, those were actual culprits in the entire scam? Who is shielding them?
If you go by the FIR as ACB says collectors permission was not sought. However, in public private projects (ppp) all approvals from proposal stage to tender stage are in accordance by infrastructural committee of the cabinet. This committee is headed by the Chief Minister along with ministers/chief secretary and various secretaries. When this proposal was approved by INFRA committee, then where does the question of collectors permission arises?
ACB says super built-up area was considered while calculating probable income of developer in feasibility report which benefited India Bulls.
Basically, feasibility report is based on estimated assumptions by the officers of the department who has some logic along with rules and experience. Feasibility reports are initial estimation of the project.
Developer is appointed after the completion of bidding and according to the tender received. So, here keeping any developer in sight or mind at the time of feasibility report doesnt exist. I think ACBs understanding is weak or they were not guided properly and working in pressure.
Furthermore, super built up concept is not based on any government rules or regulations or any specific guidelines. In the past too chief architect was instructed to add super built up area of (25% to 35%) on and above actual built up area to calculate the probable earning of the developer, so in some of projects PWD department followed it.
Later on, while submitting latest feasibility report of Kalina project, it was noticed that government was very aggressive on super built up concept. The government passed the rule that builders should be put behind bars for 3 years if found adding super built up area on actual built up area. Even during public accounts committee meetings, such issues were never discussed or solved, may be because super built up area as per rules were not an issue.
One of the PWDs officer told me that Maharashtra Government has lost about 50 crores on account of non-considering super built up area, which is not only baseless but against the law.
ACB points out that tender papers were approved by changing technical criteria.
Now let me explain, for drafting tender papers for approval chief engineers are fully competent authority, he can make any change in the criteria etc. This DTP (Draft Tender Paper) goes to chief engineer for approval, so even in this Kalina case the draft of tender was read and approved by then chief engineer Mr. S B Tamsekar.
DTP (Draft Tender Paper) was approved by Tamsekar, after receipt of India Bulls tender which was found much more beneficial for the government. That tender was recommended by Tamsekar to the government for acceptance, but this Chief Engineer Mr. S B Tamsekars name is missing in the FIR, why? Is ACB trying to act against only OBC candidates?
The said India Bulls tender was processed by G M Kandhare, secretary to INFRA Committee but even his name is not included in FIR, why?
Those who process tenders are not mentioned in the FIR but on account of not considering super built up area in feasibility report, three officers names are mentioned in the FIR. Out of three, one is bedridden and about to leave this world and other two worked on the instructions of mentioned names and ministers. What ACB is trying to prove?
Moreover, feasibility report is internal document which is not known to prospective developer. His role comes after open tendering, till then all these details remains inside the department. Moreover, feasibility document is not to calculate losses or profits etc. Once bid is received through competitive bidding with wide publicity, question of loss/profit is decided.
To conclude, here are some points:
NCP termed Sameer Bhujbals arrest as a politics of vendetta and said that BJP is misusing the government machinery for settling political scores with their party, whereas Kirit Somaiya hints Pankaj as the next target.
Politics of vendetta has taken centrestage in Maharashtra after the arrest of Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the multi-crore Maharashtra Sadan construction scam. Ever since the BJP government has come to power in the state, it has ordered for a probe into the various scams in which the Bhujbals family members name has cropped up.
The timing of Sameers arrest coincides with the US tour undertaken by Chhagan Bhujbal. After Sameers arrest, BJP MP from Mumbai North East Kirit Somaiya tweeted, We have done it, Pankaj to follow.
Kirit was referring to Bhujbals son Pankaj who is also one of the Directors in the firms that are alleged to be involved in money laundering activities. Thus, BJP is planning to weaken NCP ahead of the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections and Nashik Municipal Corporation elections.
Sameers arrest is a ploy of the BJP. Its one more attempt to malign the reputation of Bhujbalji while he is representing the country abroad, said his family member, when AV contacted them.
We are being harassed without any reason, Chhagan Bhujbal said, reacting to Sameers arrest. The arrest has been made without any evidence, the former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister said.
NCP termed Sameer Bhujbals arrest as a politics of vendetta and added that BJP is misusing the government machinery for settling political scores. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, 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.
This proves that BJP plans and the agencies execute it. Our party has full faith in (the) judiciary, he said.
For the first time since he was discharged from hospital, Sharad Pawar, Chief of Bhujbals party in support said, The Bhujbal family is being targeted and the investigating agencies are being pressurised.
Stating that the person complaining in the case belongs to a political party, Pawar accused the state government of misusing power saying, I have not seen such harassment before. It is a vindictive approach. The same family is raided again and again by the state agency and then national agency.
Bhujbal was arrested under certain sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for failing to cooperate with the agency during the probe. The agency also carried out searches at nine different locations in Mumbai, including Bhujbals residences in Worli, Santacruz and Mumbai Education Trust (MET) in Bandra, an institute run by the family. This is not the first time that agency has carried out investigations.
A senior ED official told that the agency had summoned Sameer and Pankaj (Bhujbals son) in the past but the former MP from Nashik had failed to turn up. He finally reached the EDs regional office in Ballard Estate, in South Mumbai, on Monday afternoon. He was questioned for nearly nine hours, and on failing to give satisfactory replies, was placed under arrest.
According to the official, there are many unexplained transactions which the agency suspects are kickbacks received by the Bhujbals by floating dummy companies. The ED had filed a case under the PMLA against Bhujbal and his kin last June. Bhujbal is already facing a probe by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau, into alleged irregularities in the award of contracts for three building projects in 2006 when Chhagan Bhujbal was Deputy CM and PWD Minister.
Anupam Kher, on Tuesday submitted a 100-page proof that he was ready with all the necessary documents regarding a visa to Pakistan to attend the Karachi Literature Festival on February 5 but was barred by the Pak officials.
Shortly before the press conference commenced, Kher shared the invitation letter from Director of Karachi Litfest on his Twitter page.
At the conference, Kher said that two months ago he received an invitation from the Karachi Litfest. However, after PM Narendra Modi visited Lahore, he was convinced that he should attend the Litfest.
I did not personally ask for a visa, the organisers of Karachi Literature Festival did. For last 15 days, all my visa documents are ready. The organiser of the Karachi litfest said that Governmentt officials told her that dont invite Anupam Kher. I dont know why, said Kher.
I am not angry at anyone, I am hurt and saddened, Kher said.
Kher claims only he has been singled out of the 18 delegates who applied for the visa. I am very sad and disappointed that out of 18 participants, 17 were given visa and I was denied, Kher said.
Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa on second time in a year, while around 17 people will participate in the Karachi Literature Festival as guests, Anupam had tweeted earlier.
It was in May last year that the actor was first denied a visa to Pakistan. He was due to visit Lahore for an event hosted by an NGO, but according to reports, back then it was denied on security grounds.
This time, he was invited as a guest at the three-day Karachi Literature Festival, which begins on Friday. Among the Indians who will be present at the literature festival are Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Rahul Singh, Om Arora, Urvashi Butalia and Ashok Chopra.
Upset about the visa denial, Kher tweeted: Has my visa been denied because I speak about Indias rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian government welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan government bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue, he tweeted.
Jaish-e-Mohammad Chief Maulana Masood Azhar has threatened to retaliate if Pakistan shuts down terrorist groups operating against India.
Writing in a Jihadi magazine, Azhar has said that his army wont let his enemies celebrate if he is held.
Masood Azhar is sought by India for masterminding the recent Pathankot terror attacks. Pakistan had said that it had received intelligence on the perpetrators of the Pathankot attacks.
Azhar said, I have prepared an army that adores death. To uproot this army is not in the power of our enemies. God willing, this army will not let our enemies celebrate, nor occasion for anyone to miss my presence.
Azhar also issued a veiled warning to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for engaging in talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
The rulers of our country are sad that we have disturbed their friends. They wish to arise on the Day of Judgment to be judged as friends of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (former Prime Minister) Atal Behari Vajpayee,Azhar wrote.
The Jaish chief wrote in a jihadi based magazine dated January 26.
Chiding Sharif, Azhar added: Acting on the orders of others, Pakistans rulers have reduced their own country into a heap of fire and explosive. Every single one of them comes, spreads fire and then escapes abroad.
This comes even as India has maintained that they have provided several proofs to Pakistan, including call records, which reveal the hand of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar in the Pathankot terror attacks.
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 on Tuesday.
Today, I am happy to announce that in December, Rs 1.14 lakh crore investment has come in electronic manufacturing in India. We have attracted around 15 new mobile plants. Earlier in 2014, 68 million (mobile phones) were being manufactured and now 100 million are being manufactured, Prasad said at Global Business Summit here.
Smartphone sales in India also reached 100 million by the end of December, 2015, he added.
All the major companies in the world namely Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Nidec, Samsung, Bosch, Jabil, Flextronics, Continental are in India besides all the top Indian companies who are already here, Prasad said.
Indian Cellular Association founder and President Pankaj Mohindroo said that in terms of value, mobile phone production in the country has increased by 95 per cent in the ongoing financial year as compared to the previous fiscal.
Government has made sincere efforts to boost mobile phone production in the country. The new investment has created 30,000 new jobs in the country and state governments have shown keen interest in attracting these investments, Mohindroo said.
Prasad said penetration of Internet is rising rapidly and increased by 100 million in a year to 400 million, including through mobile phones.
With Gods blessing, I am confident that at this growth rate we will cross 500 million, he added.
The minister reiterated his support for experimentation of new technologies in the country, including that of Project Loon by Google and White space spectrum use for broadband by Microsoft.
Once the pilot becomes successful, then depending on security concerns, final call will be taken, Prasad said.
He added that India is growing at a phenomenal pace and the government is looking to expand reach of technology through broadband network being laid out in rural India.
We have scaled up optical fibre laying work by 500 times (compared to work done under previous government), Prasad said.
The minister lauded the efforts of operators who have built huge telecom networks in the country but asked them to use it optimally for providing good service quality as well.
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.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday referred to a five-judge bench a curative petition against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.
A bench of three seniormost judges Chief Justice TS Thakur, Justice Anil R Dave and Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar referred the curative petition by NGO Naaz Foundation and others seeking re-examination of its verdict criminalising homosexuality under Section 377 of Indian Penal Code.
Kapil Sibal, arguing against Section 377, told the court that banning gay sex bound present and future generations to indignity and stigma. Christian church body and Muslim Personal Law Board have opposed the petitions against Section 377. Your Lordships, a persons sexuality is his or her most precious, most private of rights Any provision that penalises an adult persons expression of consensual sexuality in private is significantly unconstitutional, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said in his opening argument to the Bench.
The open court hearing was the fruit of two years of waiting since the batch of eight curative petitions was filed in March 2014 by parents, civil society, scientific and LGBT rights organisations against a January 28, 2014 apex court verdict dismissing their review petitions on the ground that Section 377 is Constitutional and applies to sexual acts irrespective of age or consent of the parties.
The Review Bench in January 2014 had agreed with its original appeal judgment on December 11, 2013, setting aside the historic and globally accepted verdict of the Delhi High Court. The High Court had declared Section 377 unconstitutional, and said it was in violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.
The High Court, led by its then Chief Justice A.P. Shah, had read down Section 377 to apply only to non-consensual, penile, non-vaginal sex, and sexual acts by adults with minors.
Your past judgments not only affect the present but will bind future generations to a life of indignity and stigma, Mr. Sibal submitted. If not corrected now, your verdicts may result in immense public injury, he argued.
We shall overcome, activists sang on learning that the top court had kept the legal battle alive instead of throwing out the petition.
In 2009, the Delhi High Court exempted gay sex between consenting adults from Section 377, which bans carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal.
The Supreme Court reversed the landmark ruling in 2013, ending four years of decriminalisation that had helped bring homosexuality into the open in largely conservative India. The court said only Parliament can remove or change laws.
The apex court clubbed together 8 curative petitions filed by gay rights activists and NGO Naz Foundation against the apex courts December 11, 2013 judgement upholding validity of section 377 (unnatural sexual offences) of IPC and the January 2014 order, by which it had dismissed a bunch of review petitions.
A curative petition is the last judicial resort available for redressal of grievances in court which is normally decided by judges in-chamber.
The petitioners, including the NGO, which has been spearheading the legal battle on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, contended that there was an error in the judgement delivered on December 11, 2013 as it was based on an old law.
The news has come as a ray of hope for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Were very happy, now we can produce facts and evidences in a better way, LGBT activist Rituparna Borah said.
By John Stone
Amid continuing false claims regarding the historical incidence of autism by mainstream media plugged authors Steve Silberman, John Donvan and Caren Zucker AoA re-publishes a series of articles by John Stone, UK Editor, chronicling data abuse and fabricated adult autism numbers, which also impacted heavily on opinion in the United States. These articles document the official drive to paper over the catastrophe engulfing so many of our children. The first in the series dates from October 2009 (updated 2015) deconstructing the then recently published National Statistics survey of "Autism Spectrum Disorders in adults living in households throughout England. Interesting to note that its publication in 2009 coincided with the US National Institutes of Mental Health unveiling a figure of 1 in 100 fur US children. Six years later the figure has been admitted as 1 in 45. But for Silberman, Donvan and Zucker they are out there dancing around pretending the Emperor has clothes.
1 in 100: How the UK Government Arrived at the Adult Autism Figures
By John Stone
UPDATE April 10, 2015 (corrected). Revisiting this article five and half years on there are a small number of additional points. For clarity the original survey of 2007 from which this data was derived was looking for instances of Asperger Syndrome only. No mention was made of "higher-functioning autism" until the Eurekalert Press Release in 2008 but by 2009 both the terms "Asperger" and "high-functioning autism" had disappeared to be replaced by "autism spectrum disorders" but it was the same data set re-labelled to give a false idea of what was being surveyed. It can also be pointed out that not only were the diagnostic tests non-standard, and diluted the criteria for diagnosis but also that the assessments were not carried out by people qualified to make a diagnosis of autism. In the end it is impossible to say that there were any real cases of Asperger Syndrome let alone autism in this survey. Finally, the survey, originally published as National Statistics, was re-published as peer review study which came to be cited by Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institutes of Mental Health, and Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating committee (here , here and at IACC meetings) as if it was a credible source.
[Original article] Sometimes events across the pond seem connected. Just a few days ago the UK National Health Services Information Centre announced its new survey, which purportedly showed adult incidence of Autistic Spectrum Disorders running at the rate of 1 in 100 according to them exactly the same rate as for schoolchildren, thus clearing MMR vaccine (or any other vaccine exposure for that matter) from being implicated in autism. Never mind that the rate was projected from a base of just 19 unconfirmed cases, or that the survey included young adults born between 1986 and 1991 who may have had MMR, or that the study had only high functioning and Asperger cases in it, or that the autism rate amongst schoolchildren in the UK runs at more like 1 in 64 - what an excellent opportunity for the US National Institute of Mental Health to concede that the autism rate for US children was also now 1 in 100, up from 1 in 150. There is now an official statistic they can cite that a rate of 1 in 100 for autism in both children and adults is perfectly normal, and nothing whatever to worry about.
To set the very curious British adult autism survey in context it is enlightening to return to the Eurekalert media announcement of May 2008 University of Leicester to lead adult autism audit (HERE) . We read:
Professor Terry Brugha, Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Health Sciences is spearheading the study in conjunction with a team of research experts including the the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), Research Autism and Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of the Autism Research Centre. It will report in 2009.
Interesting, first of all, to note that though it does not anticipate the result of the survey it does go on to cite a 1 in 100 autism rate figure for children in the UK:
The number of children with autism is as high as 1 in 100 (according to studies by Prof Howard Meltzer of the University of Leicester and Prof. Baird's 2006 study). The new prevalence study now underway will give the first ever accurate picture of how many adults have the condition.
This statement was highly misleading. Meltzer, who is a signatory to the new paper, seems to have been responsible for the 1 in 100 figure for children in UK National Statistics but this was not true of the Baird study which gave a rate of 1 in 86, while Baron-Cohen - who was not in the end a signatory - had already headed a study which when it was finally published furnished a childhood figure of 1 in 64 (HERE).
But perhaps the most astonishing statement from the 2008 press release in retrospect is this:
The prevalence study will make use of new data collected in 2007 by NatCen and Professor Brughas team to record the number of adults with Asperger's syndrome and high functioning autism. There will also be an additional part to the study on the number of people with autism who have more complex needs and learning disabilities. The aim of the combined research will provide good epidemiological information in terms of prevalence and the characteristics and problems of this group.
The new report, therefore, is based not on the full range of ASDs but solely on the data collected for the Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism by Prof Brugha in 2007; the additional part on more complex needs and learning disabilities has not been included at all, if it was ever conducted. On the other hand the report has been incorrectly published under a title which suggests that it is in fact a survey of all Autistic Spectrum Disorders Autistic Spectrum Disorders in adults living in household throughout England (HERE) , and this was how it was announced to the media.
Other key questions arise:
By Anne Dachel Read comments and see the links after the jump. Feb 1, 2016, Boston Globe: Five charged with assault at special needs school
Boston Globe
Four men and a woman were arrested in connection with an investigation into allegations of physical and emotional abuse of students at Eagleton School, a private special needs school for boys and young men in Great Barrington.
...The Eagleton School is a residential school for students aged 9 to 22 who have autism, Asperger syndrome, and other cognitive disabilities. It is on 40 acres in the Berkshire Mountains.
I have no words for stories like these. Imagine what will happen when hundreds of thousands of autistic adults are in residential care in the coming years.
Foreign Policy Journal
This is a documented case of massive corruption within the CDC and an attempt to change research, protocols and ultimately hide their own findings.
The video is being circulated.
Fox26 Houston
This Houston mom is upset because her 11 year old son was given three vaccines at school without her permission on Jan 21. One was the shot for HPV. The other two were ones he'd already received. The reporter ended the story saying,
"We're glad to report, no negative health impact." That's hardly proof of anything since this happened only a week and a half ago. One might ask why vaccines are being given at school in the first place.
The Jewish Chronicle
...It soon became clear that the mysterious rise in diagnoses was not restricted to California, where I live. The same thing was happening all over the world.
To put the rising numbers in context, I familiarised myself with the basic time-line of autism history, learning the story of how this baffling condition was first discovered in 1943 by a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner, who noticed that 11 of his young patients seemed to inhabit private worlds, ignoring the people around them. They could amuse themselves for hours with little rituals like spinning pot lids on the floor, but they were panicked by the smallest changes in their environments, such as a chair or favourite toy being moved from its usual place without their knowledge. Some of these children were unable to speak, while others only repeated things they heard said around them or spoke of themselves detachedly in the third person.
...As the mainstream world had a long argument about vaccines, newly diagnosed adults were engaged in a very different conversation about the difficulties of navigating and surviving in a world not built for them. By sharing the stories of their lives, they discovered that many of the challenges they face daily are not "symptoms" of their autism, but hardships imposed by a society that refuses to make basic accommodations for people with cognitive disabilities as it does for people with physical disabilities such as blindness and deafness.
A seemingly simple question began to formulate in my mind: After 70 years of research on autism, why do we still seem to know so little about it? To find the answer, I decided to start my research at the very beginning, even before Kanner's and Asperger's allegedly independent discoveries of autism in the 1940s. By taking nothing for granted, I learned that the standard time-line of autism history - its creation myth, so to speak - is fundamentally flawed in ways that render autistic people in previous generations harder to see.
...Though the spectrum model of autism and the concept of neurodiversity are widely believed to be products of our postmodern world, they turn out to be very old ideas, proposed by Hans Asperger in his first public lecture on autism in 1938.
The idea of neurodiversity has inspired the creation of a rapidly growing civil-rights movement based on the simple idea that the most astute interpreters of autistic behaviour are autistic people themselves rather than their parents or doctors.
I found this story from a couple of months ago. Silberman again blames society for being distracted with the vaccine controversy while refusing "to make basic accommodations for people with cognitive disabilities..." It seems that all the greater awareness has not been followed up with compassionate care and concern like we have for people with physical disabilities. We should all be asking how that could possibly be true.
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Psychopaths are known to Dr. Hyde and Jekyll kind of character where they are able to put on show two contrasting characters with the more sinister one being kept from the eye of close acquaintances. This is exactly what Marcella Carby-Samuels has done by putting up a very different and innocent character whilst being a major player in her inhumane treatment of her own mother. It is therefore not surprising to find out that people at the Lund University do not believe Marcella Carby-Samuels will even be capable of hurting a fly. What the entire Lund University community do not know is that this same innocent looking woman was able to enrol as a PhD student through the support of Dr. David Tenenbaum of Lund's Department of Geography who in reality happens to be her husband. Just by maintaining her maiden name, she was able to fully convince the University community that she has had no relationship with anyone who could compromise the integrity of her treatment relative to other graduate student on campus.
A clear insight into the personality of a psychopath as shown in CBC's Doc Zone on YouTube shows that such people tend to act as Puppet Masters having a group of people who are always willing to please them. Marcella has similarly surrounded herself with a group of people like her husband, father in-law and her own father and these people have been assisting her to realise her wicked and evil machinations.
Marcellas ability to gain admission into the Lund University to pursue her PhD in Human Ecology should have been seen as an act that deserves commendation but the mere fact that her husband, Dr. David Tenenbaum in the related Geography Department played an instrumental role leaves a lot of questions unanswered. A look at CBCs Doc Zone on YouTube portrays them to have a mind that lacks empathy but surprisingly preys on the sympathy of others in order to manipulate and carry out their hidden agendas. Marcella has used her psychopath mindset to craftily manipulate the entire Lund University community and people around in her apparent self-serving ego-driven for self-aggrandizment and power even to the extent of boasting about her actions.
Marcella has been able to deflect all questions about her mothers issue by portraying her own brother, Raymond Carby-Samuels as a "mentally deranged person" with an ulterior motive to "kidnap" their mother which is a furthermore shocking allegation because Raymond has enjoyed no criminal record in spirte of Marcella's efforts to engineer one for him though mischief and deceit. Psychopaths have always held that intrinsic notion that they are superior to any other living thing on the surface of the earth mainly due to the fact that they do not show the level of emotions that humans are supposed to have. These psychopaths view the idea of being emotional as a weak link in humans and their ability to show no such emotions gives them the edge over other humans. This can be clearly related to how Marcella Carby-Samuels has been able to show no empathy or emotion towards her own mother and as such gone ahead to unleash all kind of inhumane treatments on Dezrin. The end result is the rendering of this beautiful and once vibrant old woman unable to speak or walk.
According to Dr. Stephen Porters analogy on YouTube which happens to be one of the numerous insights given on the topic of psychopaths, Psychopaths do operate at the very basic physiological level and as such do not experience the kind of emotions that the rest of us do which makes our lives quite rich. Marcellas attitude to her own mothers plight shows a complete resemblance to Dr. Stephen Porters description of psychopaths. The ability to show empathy towards one another is a thing that makes humans stand out from wild animals but Marcellas inability to display such an emotion towards the woman who gave birth to her makes the conclusion that she is a psychopath very sane and correct. Psychopaths are also known to react very negatively to therapy and any other plan to help them and this can also be seen in Dr. Stephen Porters investigation of a criminal psychopath. Putting his findings alongside Marcellas behaviour makes it understandable that even with all her high educational achievements; she still cannot see what is wrong with her deeds against her own mother.
Sadly enough, psychopaths are everywhere and are ready to take whatever risks in order to achieve his or her selfish desires. Dr. Robert Hare who is also known as the Godfather of Psychopathy looks at the issue of psychopaths as being people whose minds know the right thing to do but somehow chose not to do it. It should therefore be seen that Marcella really knows the appropriate thing to do with regards to her mothers condition but she has chosen to shut all such human emotions off and subject Dezrin to the worst treatment that a daughter can unleash on her own mother. Studies conducted about psychopaths shows that the world has around 1% to 2% of its entire male adult population being psychopaths. What this means is that there can be around 600,000 psychopaths living in Canada alone and not all of them are convicted criminals. Their ability to put up completely contrasting behaviours makes it possible for them to live with us as our neighbours, partners, parents or children. It is therefore not surprising to find out that Marcella Carby-Samuels has been able to execute all her evil machinations against her own mom whilst acting in the capacity of a daughter and a PhD candidate. This is enough proof to the analogy that psychopaths are everywhere and until the world decides to take a firm action against them, they will continue to see themselves as the predators whilst we become their prey.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2016 -- China National Chemical Corp. is close to an agreement to buy Swiss pesticide-and-seed-maker Syngenta AG for almost $43 billion, Bloomberg Business and the Wall Street Journal are reporting.
The acquisition - which would be the biggest-ever by a Chinese firm -- could be announced as early as Wednesday when the Swiss company reports earnings, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Those same sources cautioned that the acquisition could still fall apart.
The deal would transform ChemChina into the worlds biggest supplier of pesticides and agrochemicals, while snatching an asset coveted by Monsanto. The St. Louis-based company dropped its pursuit of Syngenta in August after Syngenta spurned a sweetened offer of $46 billion in cash and stock.
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Bloomberg Business also said the deal would underscore the importance China attaches to owning seed and cropcare technology that can increase agricultural output and help feed a growing population in the worlds most populous country.
The deal would further shrink the number of companies dominating the global seed and pesticide business. Late last year, DuPont Co. and Dow Chemical announced plans to merge.
#30
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February 1, 2016
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The nine-year siege on the Gaza Strip has caused Gaza City to resemble anything but its old self. One can find Egyptian, Turkish, Israeli and Chinese cultural and commercial products but rarely Palestinian products from either Gaza or the West Bank.
The siege, occupation and Islamic rule have altered Gaza Citys true character culturally and economically, but experts assert that these effects are not radical or permanent.
The Egyptian culture is a major influence. Since the blockade was imposed on Gaza in 2006, more than 2,000 smuggling tunnels have been dug between Egypt and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Though the Egyptian army has closed most of the tunnels now, they were widely used, making Rafah Gazas window to the world.
Al-Taliah, a 70-year-old bookstore, is in Palestine Square, one of Gaza Citys largest markets. The store sells Egyptian novels such as "The Future File," "Beyond Nature" and "Flowers," by prominent Egyptian authors such as Nabil Farouk, as well as Egyptian paperback novels that were popular in the mid-1980s.
The store's shelves are stacked with hundreds of audiocassettes of Egyptian Quranic reciters such as Abdul Basit Abdus Samad. Facing those shelves are tapes of old Egyptian films, mostly featuring Egyptian actor Adel Imam. In the bookstore, it feels as if time has stopped because everything is so old.
We have not had new novels and books in the shop for more than two years" said Haitham al-Wahidi, who runs the bookstore. "We used to sell more than 30 films and novels a day, but [almost] nothing today.
Books by Gazan authors are almost absent because of the blockade and the high cost of paper for local presses. Local feature films are also absent. Artistic and cultural pieces are almost completely missing.
Near the bookstore, Nour Abu Assi sells fresh juice in a decorated cart that roves around. He told Al-Monitor, I saw similar carts that sell ice cream and juice in Egyptian films and Turkish series, so I thought, why not do the same? The [idea] succeeded even though the cart is not intended for juice but for transporting merchandise.
Gazas streets have vendor carts selling sandwiches, coffee, tea and boiled corn in cups, as the products cost little and are in high demand. Atta al-Ghandour sells boiled corn, adding salt and lemon. He told Al-Monitor, The idea came to me while watching scenes of street vendors on the Nile Corniche in Egyptian films. But of course my main motivation was not to imitate, but because of poverty.
The influence of Egyptian culture is mainly due to the Gaza Strip being connected to Egypt historically, according to social specialist Zahia al-Qara. Egypt, the closest neighbor, ruled the Gaza Strip administratively between 1948 and 1967.
Gaza has always been more open to Egypt than to northern Palestine or the West Bank, since Israel separated the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and closed the roads between them with military checkpoints, she told Al-Monitor.
In times of crisis, like during the current blockade, people invoke other cultures to distract them from their problems.
In this case, we find that they [Gazans] took from Egypt the culture of poverty and the subsequent emergence of certain behaviors, such as social castes and pushcarts selling juice or corn, Qara said.
About Egyptian books and films, she said, The educated middle class in Gaza studied in accordance with the Egyptian curriculum, read Egyptian novels and was the first to watch black-and-white Egyptian films.
Schools in the Gaza Strip taught the Egyptian curriculum from first grade in primary schools until the third grade in secondary schools. That lasted until 2001, when the experimental Palestinian curriculum was introduced gradually. By 2007, the Palestinian Education Ministry had uniformly implemented the curriculum. The Egyptian curriculum, which tackled Egypts history and geography, was no longer used in Gazas schools. The Palestinian curriculum thus contributed to forming the Palestinian character and preserving its identity, as it aligns with Palestinian societys needs.
This absence of cultural and creative identities is contrary to the Strategic Plan for Culture and Heritage (2014-16), published in 2013 by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture. The plan has two main objectives: to enable Palestinian culture to contribute to a pluralistic national culture to strengthen unity, and to protect and renew Palestinians' cultural heritage. This plan can be achieved by collecting and archiving stories, proverbs, tales, legends, oral history and manuscripts, and raising awareness of the value of heritage.
Gazans also take their fashion cues from other cultures.
Abu Ahmed Mushtaha, a Gaza City clothing store owner, told Al-Monitor, I have fashion [items] from Turkey, China and Israel. All come through the commercial crossings. But I have no goods from the West Bank or Gaza. The best-selling fashion is Turkish, whether for veiled women or others.
The area's Omar Mukhtar Street looks almost like the fashion stores in Istanbul's Taksim Square, especially since many young men have Turkish beards, which has become a trend among the youth: They grow their beards and get short haircuts. As for the Turkish hijab trend, it consists of covering the hair completely and tying the veil from behind, unlike the traditional way of tying it from the front.
But Turkish fashion does not detract from the impact of Egyptian culture. The popular Koshari al-Nile store in Gaza City sells the famous Egyptian dish Koshari, which is made up of pasta, rice, lentils and sauce, and topped with fried onions.
Koshari's owner, Osama Hassan, told Al-Monitor, I opened my store Koshari in the central province in Nuseirat and in Gaza City. Both stores succeeded because most people here either studied in Egypt or lived there. All have memories [from Egypt] and like to recall them by eating Koshari.
Qara feels the Egyptian effect is superficial, not deep-rooted. Throughout history, the Gaza Strip was always a corridor for various civilizations and commercial convoys. But it was always resistant to change, similar to the minorities who hold on to their identities in the face of change. Gaza continues to resist whatever may change its identity, whether this change comes from Egypt, Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
Political writer Ibrahim Abrash wrote in his study The Problem of Culture and Intellectuals in Palestine, published in October 2015, that there is a lack of a specific culture and national identity in the Gaza Strip for several reasons, the most significant being the wars waged by the Israeli occupation against the Strip, wars that devastated everything.
The study also blames Hamas, which "hides its failure as a political authority by wearing a religious cloak and pushing toward fake religiosity, which rejects creativity."
Placio is the last store that Al-Monitor entered, in Gaza City's al-Wahda Street. Ahmed al-Yazji sells antiques there.
"The worlds finest copper is first-grade Egyptian copper," he said. "The hobby of me and my two brothers is to import first-grade Egyptian copper, which has fans in Gaza.
The store feels like an old mansion. There are various copperplates: mirror frames, large lamps, some artifacts made of Indian ivory and Thai rugs. But there is barely a Palestinian product. It is as if this small city, which cannot travel to the outside world because of the blockade, has decided to bring the world to it and place it on store shelves.
February 1, 2016
RAFAH, Gaza Strip The Saturday flea market stretches along the Egyptian-Palestinian border, from the Salah al-Din Gate (known as the Rafah land port) south of Rafah city to al-Awda roundabout in the city center. Because of its location, the market has been known for its Egyptian goods, where merchants and customers from all over the Gaza Strip flock on a weekly basis.
Egyptian goods smuggled through tunnels between Egypt and Gaza invaded Gazan markets between 2007 and 2014. The tunnels were the main source supplying Gazans with various foods, clothes, construction materials such as steel, cement and gravel, and other materials. However, Egyptian goods, as popular as they might have been and despite where they were being sold, have disappeared from the Saturday flea market and in the rest of Gazas markets and have been replaced with Turkish goods imported through Israel. The Turkish goods have a better quality that goes along with their elevated prices, yet they are within reach for the middle-income bracket in Gaza.
Turkish goods in the Gaza markets are not limited to basic commodities. They include all sorts of clothing, home appliances, home accessories and more.
After Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took office in 2014, the Egyptian army launched a major military crackdown to destroy the tunnels situated along the border between Egypt and the city of Rafah. These tunnels have been used by Palestinian smugglers to supply the market with Egyptian goods, since the Israeli blockade was imposed on the Gaza Strip in 2007. The destruction campaign affected the flow of Egyptian goods and other goods imported through Egypt to the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian media outlets reported in mid-January that a shipment of 3,500 tons of cement was sent from Turkey to Gaza via the Ashdod port in Israel, to help assist reconstruction projects in the Gaza Strip, following the major devastation caused by the 2014 war.
Nabil Abu Muaileq, deputy chairman of the Palestinian Contractors Union, said in a press statement Jan. 11, These shipments will be subject to careful inspection according to UN monitoring mechanisms, and will be sold in accordance with the same mechanisms. The Turkish cements entry to Gaza is not related to political affairs; it is rather the result of commercial cooperation between Palestinians and Turks.
Speaking to Al-Monitor, Maher Tabbaa, manager of public relations and media at the Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that the markets in the Gaza Strip are full of Turkish goods, as official importers in the Gaza Strip restored relations with export companies in Turkey. He ruled out the possibility that the Turkish imports are the product of any political agreement designed to ease the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Tabbaa believes that the main reason behind the infusion of Turkish goods into the Gaza Strip markets is consumer desire to be supplied with quality basic commodities, regardless of the source.
He added, The commodities that entered through the tunnels were not subject to quality control, and were sold to the consumer directly. Meanwhile, the Turkish goods are subject to quality control since they officially enter through the commercial crossings, which explains their higher quality compared to the goods that used to be smuggled in.
Al-Monitor met with a number of customers at the Saturday flea market after Turkish products replaced the smuggled Egyptian goods. Mahmoud Abdul Karim is a regular customer of the market. He is an employee for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and provides for his family of four.
Abdul Karim told Al-Monitor that he has been buying Egyptian goods for years, but prefers Turkish goods for their quality, despite their higher price compared with Egyptian products.
Although Abu Muaileq and Tabbaa denied the entry of Turkish goods to the Gaza Strip having any political dimension, there have been talks lately about a reconciliation agreement that is being prepared between Israel and Turkey, where the latter demanded easing the blockade on Gaza as a condition for normalizing ties with Israel. Ties between both countries have been strained since 2010 following the Mavi Marmaras attempt to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli navy attacked the ship, which resulted in the killing of 10 Turks and injuries to 50 others.
These talks were further stressed when Turkish Minister of Customs and Trade Bulent Tufekci said in a press statement Dec. 26, The talks with Israel resulted in allowing Turkish goods to enter the Gaza Strip without obstructions. It also noted, All the humanitarian aid will enter the Gaza Strip through Turkish institutions until the blockade is lifted on Gaza. Tufekci did not specify which institutions will lead the process nor the quality of aid and goods that will enter Gaza in order to ease the blockade.
On the political level, author and political analyst Akram Atallah told Al-Monitor, This Turkish interest to ease the blockade on Gaza has a political dimension, and it is the result of an ideological rapprochement between Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey. It is possible for the talks between Turkey and Israel to result in easing the blockade on the Gaza Strip if an elaborate agreement is signed between the two countries. This way, all parties would avoid the outbreak of a new confrontation between Hamas and Israel.
It seems that the Hamas policies and foreign relations affect Gazans directly. The movements stance toward the Egyptian regime resulted in the closure of the Rafah crossing and the demolition of tunnels, since Hamas considered that the events beginning on June 30, 2013, were a coup against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, with whom it had close ties.
Meanwhile, Hamas good ties with Turkey resulted in easing the blockade to a degree. Yet, this easing has not resulted in drastic solutions to the major problems plaguing the Gaza Strip, such as the electricity crisis and the restriction of Gazans' international movement resulting from the closure of the Rafah crossing.
February 1, 2016
For Hezbollah to choose between Lebanese presidential candidates Michel Aoun and Suleiman Franjieh is like choosing between sweet and sweeter, but the choice itself is bitter.
Both Christian parliament members are close allies of the Islamist movement and fully supportive of all the controversial decisions the group has made in the past few years. Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, and Franjieh, head of the Marada Movement, both had been in the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc until the latest standoff over the presidency began in November. Future Movement leader Saad Hariri stirred the pot by nominating Franjieh for presidency after they met secretly Nov. 17 in Paris.
Franjieh is a close friend of both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah Saudi Arabias main rival in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia opposes the Assad regime.
At the same time Hariri was nominating Franjieh, Hariris ally Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces party, nominated Franjiehs associate Aoun, a former Lebanese army commander and also a Hezbollah supporter.
That unique and complicated situation shuffled Lebanon's political cards, temporarily loosening the iron grips of the March 8 and March 14 coalitions, whose rivalry dominated the Lebanese political arena after the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, father of Saad Hariri.
Since May 2014, when President Michel Suleiman left office at the end of his tenure, Lebanese political factions have repeatedly failed to reach a consensus over who should be the countrys new president. Geagea was March 14s candidate and Aoun, March 8s. Hezbollah, the dominant faction in the March 8 coalition, has boycotted elections, insisting on several occasions that betting on a president lacking a clear vision for confronting the threats that are facing the country will make us lose our entire homeland, even if that happens in a constitutional manner.
To Hezbollah, Aoun is the only candidate with a clear vision. Nasrallah has expressed this position on several occasions and in interviews; he reiterated this position in his Jan. 29 speech.
When the presidential issue started, Hezbollah mulled its choices and we unanimously agreed that Gen. Aoun is naturally a candidate who enjoys the needed characteristics. Based on these characteristics and our political vision, and out of loyalty to Gen. Aoun's stances, we decided to back this nomination and we discussed the issue with the allies, Nasrallah said in his speech. The allies Nasrallah might have meant are March 8 inside Lebanon, and Iran and Syria in the region.
But why is Hezbollah still supporting Aoun after the nomination of Franjieh?
Many are asking this question. There was speculation that since Franjieh is also a close ally and can calm Hezbollahs concerns, he might be able to convince Hezbollah to support him. Franjieh visited Nasrallah on Dec. 10 and discussed his candidacy, asking Nasrallah how long Hezbollah would continue to support Aoun.
In his Jan. 29 speech, Nasrallah clarified his partys position on Franjieh's nomination, recalling what he told Franjieh in that meeting: When [Franjieh] told us about the [secret Nov. 17] Paris meeting [with Hariri], we asked him to be cautious because certain parties might seek to sow discord between him and Aoun, or between Hezbollah and Aoun," Nasrallah said. "When Franjieh asked about our camp's response if the proposal was serious we told him that that would be a new development that we would have to discuss with Gen. Aoun.
Nasrallah elaborated, We told him that we trust him and that we believe he has the needed characteristics, while noting that we are politically and morally committed to Aoun's nomination and that the issue needs to be discussed with [Aoun].
Yet many observers believe Lebanon's protracted electoral process is, in part, a product of the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hezbollahs opponents accuse the party of serving an Iranian agenda that aims to disrupt everything in the country, not to just [veto] a name or a candidate, but to prevent the election of a president in Lebanon, parliament member Ammar Houri of the Future Movement said in a Jan. 7 interview with Lebanon Files, a local news website.
That point of view sees Iran attempting to pressure Saudi Arabia by every means possible. Nasrallah responded to these allegations in the Jan. 29 speech, saying, "Iran, the powerful country in this region, does not need the issue of Lebanon's presidential vote to solve its nuclear program.
Nasrallah added, "If Iran wants to hinder the presidential elections in Lebanon, then it should have utilized this issue in its international relations."
He explained why Hezbollah is committed to Aouns candidacy, stating that the groups alliances are not only based on political interests, but also on trust and friendship.
Hezbollah believes there is a moral commitment to Aoun, not only because Hezbollah told him this when he announced his candidacy, but because of Aoun's position on the 2006 war with Israel. Back then, Nasrallah said that Aouns support is a debt until judgment day. And later, Aoun stood firmly by Hezbollah during its internal crisis, the 2007-2008 anti-government demonstrations, and then when Hezbollah decided to intervene militarily inside Beirut in 2008, to block the governments decision to dismantle the groups telecommunication network and remove the Beirut airports security chief. But the main milestone that tightened the bond was the Aoun position on the war in Syria.
Aouns speeches and public appearances during 2013 gave Hezbollahs intervention in Syria a much-needed Christian umbrella. The border stretching from Arsal to Akkar was abandoned, leading to Syrian rebels crossing in and from Lebanon, Aoun said in a July 2013 speech, adding, This almost led to a civil war between residents of Arsal and Hermel. Hezbollah then was forced to interfere in Syria and put an end to all this.
The stance became stronger and stronger with Aouns media machine highlighting the threats of the rebels in Syria on Christians; this involved news, documentaries, talk shows and even comedy.
It is true that Franjieh himself took the same approach regarding the Syrian war, even stronger sometimes, given his strong ties with Assad, yet Franjiehs movement is domestic, as his influence is situated mainly in north Lebanon, while Aoun is a nationwide, even regional, Christian leader.
A good example that explains the difference from Hezbollahs perspective is the Feb. 6, 2006, memorandum of understanding that was signed by Nasrallah and Aoun. Until then, the majority of Lebanese Christians had negative views of Hezbollah, even though the group had several Christian allies, including Franjieh.
After the signing, a major change occurred in Shiite-Christian relations, to the extent that some Christians now display Nasrallahs posters at their homes. This would not have happened without Aoun, who himself became a national hero for his pro-Hezbollah stances in the eyes of many Lebanese Shiites.
Hezbollah is not giving up on Aoun, and it will always use its party's veto of any other candidate, especially now that Aoun has received the support of his main foe, Geagea. This alone despite the hostility between Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces party gives Hezbollah even more reasons to stand behind Aoun, as he now has the support of the majority of the Lebanese Forces the second most popular Christian group in the country.
February 2, 2016
NASIRIYAH, Iraq The abduction of 26 Qatari hunters, including members of the ruling family, by a Shiite armed group which demanded a $1 million ransom for their release, according to the London-based Asharq al-Awsat daily in the desert of Iraq's southern Muthanna province on Dec. 16, 2015, is still being handled by politicians and the media.
Sunni parties, including Mohammed Karbouli, a member of the National Security and Defense Commission in the Iraqi parliament, told Russia Today on Jan. 15 that militias, which he did not name, abducted the hunters for political purposes.
The abduction has shed light on the Iraqi desert and wilderness, which is a popular refuge that not only attracts many types of birds but also hunters. Hunting has turned from a hobby into a career path that generates money for hunters and merchants alike; the trapped birds are sold in local markets or smuggled to Arab Gulf countries.
Many parts of Iraq are known for their biodiversity, and especially falcons are popular prey for Iraqi hunters and those from the Gulf states. The latter are continuing to make hunting trips to Iraq despite the deteriorating security situation in regard to the presence of the Islamic State in Mosul and parts of Salahuddin province, and other armed groups. It seems that their lust for adventure and money is greater than their fear.
Hatem al-Hashemi, a hunter from Najaf, told Al-Monitor that the interest in hunting in Iraq by Qatari, Saudi and Kuwaiti hunters is nothing new, and that in 2013, he accompanied Kuwaiti hunters who arrived in Iraq during the hunting season, which runs from the end of August until the end of October. Hashemi recalled that prior to 2003, foreign hunters did not make hunting trips to Iraq under Saddam Hussein's rule because of strict security measures.
He added that these Shiite Kuwaiti hunters spent almost the entire month of September in Iraq, where they visited the holy shrines in Karbala and Najaf before going on falcon hunts.
Law No. 57 of 1938 bans the practice of hunting without a license, while environmental protection regulations set out in the Wildlife Protection Law Act (Law No. 17 of 2010) prohibit the hunting of rare and endangered birds and wild animals, most notably the Saker falcon.
In this context, Hashemi said, Gulf hunters return to their country of origin carrying falcons and prey, without abiding to the laws that are in force.
This was confirmed by Ali Salman, a police chief in Najaf, who told Al-Monitor, A lot of rare species birds or even cattle are being smuggled through the desert to neighboring countries. The huge desert and lack of sufficient monitoring bodies and warning devices to deter smuggling operations have facilitated this practice.
He added, Hunters from the Gulf states are able to go through border crossings carrying rare falcons, because the law is disregarded or customs employees are bribed.
The falcon hunters in the Iraqi desert of Karbala and Najaf, the countryside of Babil and ad-Deir in Basra, and the vast agricultural areas in Wasit and Diyala rely on their expert skills and hunting experience. To learn more about the hunters and their activities, Al-Monitor joined Riad Qassem, a hunter from Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq, on a hunting expedition.
Qassem told Al-Monitor at the beginning of the trip that he hunts in areas close to his city. I often only go as far as 10 kilometers [roughly 6 miles] to hunt birds such as francolins and swans, which can be found close to the swamps. Yet now we are going deep into the desert, to increase our chances to hunt falcons, he said.
We were accompanied by men carrying hunting gear that included hunting rifles, binoculars, nets, ropes, a small tent and a small cage containing birds and crows. Our pickup drove 60 kilometers (37 miles) into the desert to the Qatia area, where, at an elevated position, Qassem tied up the crow in order to attract falcons. He said, The crow will sense the falcon approaching and starts cawing, which is our sign to prepare the net for our catch.
Two falcons subsequently approached the crow, but the attempts to catch them failed. Pieces of raw meat were then placed next to the crow underneath a net supported by a stick. When a falcon goes underneath the net, the stick is removed and the falcon is caught.
No firearms were used this time. Qassem said, We hunt falcons by using this trick, because an unharmed [bird] can be sold at a good price.
We caught a peregrine falcon a common species in Iraq that is sold in local markets for $40.
On the way back, the hunters killed francolins that would be used as food, in addition to sandgrouse that would be sold in the market as pet birds.
Some hunters, professionals and amateurs live in the desert. Ismael Latif, a professional hunter who hunts rare birds, told the media in May 2013 that he spends many days in the desert close to Samarra in northern Baghdad to hunt falcons a hobby he inherited from his grandfather.
While Act No. 57 of 1938 prohibits hunting during mating season, many hunters are not educated on environmental issues in this regard and hence ignore the law.
Police chief Mohammed Ali told Al-Monitor, The use of hunting firearms without a license and hunting during times of reproductive activity is causing a disaster, namely an environmental unbalance in Iraq. Security authorities in the provinces are preparing to take drastic security measures to halt arbitrary and illegal hunting, and protect hunters deep in the desert to avoid abductions such as the Qatari hunters abduction. These measures include increased patrols and warning devices.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry is the party issuing hunting licenses and monitoring the enforcement of the Wildlife Protection Law Act, which stipulates the imprisonment of not more than three years and a fine not exceeding 3 million Iraqi dinars ($2,700) for violations of the law.
However, the law is not being enforced and whoever wants to go on a hunting trip can do so without obtaining a license. This has prompted the Iraqi Hunters Association, which is a respected organization that was established in 1983, to work on raising awareness of the preservation of rare species and the effects of hunting on the environment.
Nongovernmental organization Nature Iraq said in November 2014 that large numbers of migratory birds stay at the Mesopotamian Marshlands, and called on the government to fight arbitrary hunting using toxicants and hold violators accountable.
February 1, 2016
The French initiative caught us unprepared. We didnt expect them to surprise us like that, admitted a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus inner circle speaking on condition of anonymity in response to the diplomatic initiative announced by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Jan. 29. The initiative itself is quite problematic, at least as far as Israel is concerned.
Briefing French ambassadors a few weeks before leaving office, Fabius said that France will be taking steps over the next few weeks to convene an international conference with the participation of the United States, Europe and Arab states. The purpose would be to ensure that the two-state solution remains a viable and tenable option. As he put it, Unfortunately, Israeli settlement construction continues. We must not let the two-state solution unravel.
This is not the first time that France has presented an initiative to advance a two-state solution in the past few years. What distinguishes this particular effort, however, is the ultimatum accompanying the proposal: If the conference fails, France will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. This means that the international pressure Israel has faced over the past few years, because of diplomatic stalemates stemming from Netanyahu governments, has risen to a whole new level.
France is a country friendly to Israel. It is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, it took an even tougher stance than the Americans over the timing for lifting sanctions. The obstacles that the French put in the way were, among other things, a consequence of talks that Fabius had had with Netanyahu when the prime minister was still lobbying to block the agreement, which was ultimately reached last July.
When Fabius met with Netanyahu on June 21 during a visit to Israel, he expressed concern about the ongoing deadlock in the diplomatic process. At the time, Netanyahu told him that he was prepared to return to the negotiating table without preconditions and accused the Palestinians of incendiary rhetoric. It is quite possible that the prime minister believed that this would buy him more time, at least as far as France was concerned. Then Fabius popped up Jan. 29 with a new ultimatum, creating a whole new set of circumstances.
In response, Israeli diplomatic sources took aim at the French foreign minister, alleging that the conference Fabius is orchestrating and the ultimatum he put on the table are direct consequences of his desire to leave a mark in the history books, before he leaves office, and that the move itself makes no sense. Thus, in the end, it will vanish just as quickly as it appeared.
Even if these sources are correct, it should not be taken lightly that a country like France is issuing an explicit ultimatum over the Palestinian issue. France is not Sweden. It is a major European state, and its ultimatum culminating in unilateral support for a Palestinian state should be a warning sign for Israel.
Also, even if the reason behind the French ultimatum is Fabius' personal desire to go down in history, it still represents increased pressure on Israel by one of its closest friends. Unfortunately, as the train that is unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state barrels down the tracks, Netanyahus government continues to keep its blinders on, responding in a confused manner, without a systematic foreign policy approach.
Israel responded as follows to the surprise Fabius dropped on it: First came attacks on Fabius' motives from the inner circle of the prime minister, who also happens to be Israel's foreign minister. This was followed by reported sarcastic remarks by diplomatic sources. For example, Will France be calling for an international conference with the Islamic State, too? It has, after all, been conducting terrorist attacks on French territory. Another snide remark attributed to diplomatic sources in Jerusalem asserted, Past experience teaches that this is just another one of many French initiatives that will never be implemented.
Amid these jumbled responses, Zionist Camp and Knesset opposition leader Isaac Herzog was accused of coordinating the move with the French during a visit to Paris Jan. 22. At that time, he met with Fabius, as well as with President Francois Hollande. Of course, Herzog denies the charges.
Daniel Shek, a former Israeli ambassador to Paris who accompanied Herzog to meetings, said in an interview with the Israeli news site Walla that he left the meetings without any impression that the French were about to launch such an initiative. According to him, over the course of the talks, the French did say, however, that they were troubled by the absence of a diplomatic process between Israel and the Palestinians, and that consequently, they were considering a number of options. Nevertheless, he said, they did not sound like they were about to act immediately.
While Israel went on the defensive and took an aggressive stance against the initiative to relaunch negotiations, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised the French effort. In a speech in Addis Ababa Jan. 30, Abbas promised that the Palestinians would make contact with France and other countries to advance the initiative. By doing so, he managed to present himself, yet again, as the side interested in negotiations in contrast to Israels stubborn rejection.
In fact, Israels reaction to the ultimatum remained confused for some 48 hours. It took two whole days for Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Netanyahu to officially respond. As expected, he launched a bitter attack against the effort, using the photo op before the weekly Cabinet meeting Jan. 31 to say that the initiative actually offers the Palestinians incentive not to compromise. He added, Our position is very clear: We are prepared to enter into direct negotiations without preconditions and without dictated conditions.
Although Netanyahus response represented the death knell for the possibility of convening a regional conference, it will not be enough to stop even Israels closest friends from continuing in the general direction they have been going. Israels allies are losing patience with the diplomatic standstill of Netanyahus fourth government. They will not be satisfied by the prime ministers platitudes about his desire for negotiations. While his previous two governments which included parties from the center and the left made attempts to restart negotiations, the current right-wing government isnt even willing to give the impression that it is engaged in dialogue.
In this atmosphere, even if nothing comes of the French ultimatum, it is a step in a dangerous direction as far as Israel is concerned. It signals that even friendly states, like France, are no longer willing to simply keep waiting for Israels next move on the diplomatic front.
February 1, 2016
The Intercept published Jan. 29 information about Operation Anarchist, an extensive spying initiative of the United States and the United Kingdom against Israels covert aerial activities. The article generated an enormous storm in Israels security circles and also in its highest political echelons. According to the report that was drawn from Edward Snowdens documents, the national wiretapping services of both the United States and the United Kingdom the National Security Agency and Government Communications Headquarters, respectively set up secret spying facilities atop Cyprus Troodos Mountains. For 18 years, they have been tracking Israeli activities of fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UCAVs or combat drones) and Israels entire aerial deployment. According to the documents, the Americans succeeded in breaking the code encryption of Israels drone alignment including the Israeli Heron. The leaked documents claim that this is an unmanned aircraft capable of attacking deep in enemy territory. According to the published information, even the operating code of the Arrow project's Black Sparrow target missile was breached by the superpowers. The Black Sparrow is a missile launched by Israeli fighter planes from a very high altitude; it resembles the Iranian Shahab missile that the Arrow is supposed to intercept and damage at high altitude.
The official Israeli response to these publications was expressions of disappointment. Official Israeli speakers tried not to inflate the crisis. Israels working assumption is that the United States listens to every word uttered by the states leaders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convinced that he is under surveillance even in his office and his private home in Caesarea. He has asked the Shin Bet more than once to try to install wiretap disrupters in his private home. When Netanyahu is in the United States, he does not talk about classified matters while at Blair House, the official guesthouse. Instead, Netanyahu confines all his private talks to the embassy in Washington. When Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin used to travel to the United States, his entourage always picked a last-minute, random apartment in Washington as the place for transmitting important security updates. The premise was that the Americans would not have time to install wiretapping equipment in an apartment at such short notice.
Behind the scenes, however, the drama is far greater than Israels laconic disappointment response outlined here. Ephraim Sneh, former deputy defense minister and brigadier general in the reserves who is still well connected to the countrys top brass, bitterly castigated the American-British espionage setup this week. Israel and the US have the same enemies, he told Al-Monitor. Instead of working together positively, it turns out the Americans are investing tremendous energy in an attempt to breach Israels codes. Operationally that means that whoever knows where you are today can also know where you plan to be tomorrow. And technologically what we see is a conscious decision to invest much energy and resources in breaching Israels encryption system. They use Americas cutting-edge technology against Israels. That should worry us.
Snehs words reveal only the tip of the iceberg of the new suspicions that threaten the already-fragile intimate security relations between Israel and the United States in the Obama era. The Americans are our partners in the development of the Arrow, said another Israeli source, on condition of anonymity, who is still active in the security system. Why are they investing all this effort to breaking the code [encryption] of the 'target missile'? All they have to do is ask nicely and we will involve them; Israel passes on to the US everything it reveals and decodes. I personally participated in meetings in which Israeli security sources met with the US national adviser. Our side would spread out satellite photographs and classified material regarding covert activities of Iran, Hezbollah or other dangerous operatives in the region. The fact that they invest so many resources in the attempt to breach the operations of the unmanned squadron is simply disappointing.
Behind closed Israeli doors, there are others who raise additional worrisome thoughts: If the Americans succeeded in cracking the codes of the combat drones, then perhaps they are also breaching the codes of most undercover units such as the General Staff reconnaissance platoon, and keeping tabs even on the activities of this elite unit. If that is indeed true, then the situation is far worse than we thought. Another Israeli military contact told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, All this time, we were convinced that America is our ally, and they never appeared on our list of threats. Now it is not clear at all that we were correct.
More calming voices oppose this approach. Israel is a world power in the cyberfield, codes and their operation, and electronic warfare, said an Israel Defense Forces source, who asked that his name not be published. It is hard to believe that the Americans succeeded in breaching the codes of these sophisticated drones.
Until about 10 years ago, Israeli drone codes were not encrypted at all. The policy change was prompted by the Naval Commando Disaster in September 1997 in which 12 Israeli naval commandos were killed in Ansariya, Lebanon. According to one of the accounts, Hezbollah succeeded in cracking the code of an Israeli combat drone that carried out a number of spying missions over the territory in which the commandos were going to operate. This foreknowledge caused Hezbollah to place ambushes on the site and inflict much harm on the Israeli forces.
Israels Signal and Electronics Corps is responsible for the code encryption of combat drones, which is graduated or phased: The level of encryption rises with the level of stealth and combat danger faced by the UCAV. An Israeli security expert also speaking on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor, With regard to these code encryptions, even if an external source cracks the code, these codes change all the time and are replaced very frequently. But this statement does not mollify the Israelis. It is absolutely possible that a world power like the US with its tremendous super computers, unlimited manpower and resources has attained impressive code-breaking abilities that supersede Israels code encryption abilities. And if that is the way things look, then we need to worry, he added.
The assessment is that the spying project under discussion reached its climax from 2009 to 2013, when talk about an Israeli assault on Iran was at its peak. In those tense years, the Americans demanded that Israel not surprise us with anything connected to an attack on Iran, but the Americans came up empty-handed from this request. American tracking of aerial activity of Israels combat UCAVs could have given President Barack Obama a ''safety margin'' of several hours' warning before an Israeli attack. That would have allowed Obama to make a quick phone call to Netanyahu to try to block the whole process.
In 2010, Israel carried out a large-scale aerial maneuver over the Mediterranean Sea, involving more than 100 fighter jets. Even before all the planes returned to their bases, then-US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen called his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, to find out what was going on. Its no secret that the Americans know when anything from this area goes into the air, said a former high-ranking Israeli air force officer this week. Now we understand that in addition to being able to detect aerial activity, they also can figure out the targets and trajectories in advance. We need to learn how to live with this.
February 2, 2016
The situation of unmarried mothers, faced with a delicate dilemma and deprived of rights, makes a telling allegory for modern Tunisia a country increasingly liberated but that still promotes conservative values.
On one side, the mere existence of unmarried mothers breaks the great taboo of premarital sex. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center from 2013, 89% of Tunisians say sex outside of marriage is morally wrong.
On the other side, a growing number of individuals are emancipating themselves from traditional family values. This trend is mainly reflected in delayed marriage. In 2012, the average age of marriage was 28 for women and 33 for men, leading to an increase in premarital sex. According to psychoanalyst Nedra Ben Smail, who authored the book "Vierges? La nouvelle sexualite des Tunisiennes" ("Virgins? The new sexuality of Tunisian women"), only 20% of Tunisian women remain virgins until marriage.
Despite the countrys rapidly changing ways, Tunisia struggles to adapt its legislation to its modernizing society. In November 2011, 10 months after Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country, Souad Abderrahim, a female representative of the Islamist party Ennahda, called single mothers a disgrace. Her statement caused significant outrage in the media and on social networks. Articles were published in response on the award-winning collective blog Nawaat, while Tunisian activist Lina Ben Mhenni, a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, called Abderrahims declaration outrageous.
However, more than four years later, no real public debate has taken place on the issue. The country is ruled by President Beji Caid Essebsi, who was elected in December 2014 after a virulent anti-Islamist campaign against Ennahda, the governing party at the time. But Essebsi and his secular liberal party, Nidaa Tunis, allied with Ennahda just after the election. The two parties support conservative policies regarding moral issues, refusing to amend, for example, the law that criminalizes homosexuality.
At a press conference held Dec. 16, Rim Brahmi, a representative of the Tunisian minister of social affairs, said that 862 children were born out of wedlock in 2014.
Malek Kefif, president of Amal, the only Tunisian association entirely dedicated to the issue of unmarried mothers, estimates this figure to be closer to 1,500. The official statistics underestimate the phenomenon because many births are not declared and escape the legal [system], he explained to Al-Monitor.
Most of the women who get pregnant outside of marriage prefer to run away from home to avoid scorn and humiliation from their family a difficult decision to make in a society where family remains the basic unit and represents for individuals a form of social welfare.
Facing the rejection of their family, single mothers often find themselves in a situation of isolation combined with deep economic insecurity, Kefif pointed out.
Abortion has been legal in Tunisia since 1973. "But," Kefif said, "these women often come from disadvantaged circles, with a low level of education and a misunderstanding of their body and contraceptive methods. He added. It is often too late when they learn theyre pregnant.
Tunisia created a family planning program in 1966, but there is very little sexual education in schools, and even if there exist some information campaigns, you still find women that ignore the basics of reproductive health, said Kefif.
Under these circumstances, many women are forced to abandon their children. According to a recent study by the nongovernmental organization Sante Sud, less than half of single mothers keep their babies. Those who choose to keep their children are mainly taken care of by private associations, such as those of the Amen network, which includes Amal.
The Amen network provides literacy programs, helps some mothers finance business projects and promotes mediation to try to reintegrate these women into their families. But still, Some mothers find themselves in the streets, Kefif said, noting, There is no public center well adapted to take single mothers.
Amal opened an emergency shelter for homeless single mothers. Located in the suburbs of Tunis, the center has 17 beds and accommodates about 50 women every year. We offer our patients a four-month stay, which can be extended on a case-by-case basis if they show a willingness to improve their condition. They have to find a job, a stable source of income, manager Hajer Zaim explained to Al-Monitor.
We also give them psychological assistance and an opportunity to pursue vocational training, Zaim added.
In December, 13 women, four of them pregnant, and nine children stayed at the shelter. Most of these women, from 20 to 25 in age, told the same story as F., who was staying at the shelter with her 4-month-old daughter and prefers to remain anonymous for security reasons.
In my youth, I was a victim of domestic violence, she said, adding, I was in love with the father of my daughter. We planned to get married. But when he learned that I was pregnant, everything was cancelled. He told me that he had no financial means to support a family.
Without the shelter, I would have had to give away my child, said M., the 24-year-old mother of a 7-month-old girl. She also prefers to remain anonymous. Like the majority of unmarried mothers staying there, she was referred to Amal by social workers when she gave birth in a public hospital.
The women rescued by Amal also receive legal support. "If an unmarried mother declares her child alone, the newborn will take the name of the mother and will risk being stigmatized at school and in his professional and social life, Monia Ben Jemia, a jurist specializing in the issue and the president of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women, explained to Al-Monitor.
A law passed in 1998 known as the patronymic name law now allows unmarried mothers to conduct a paternity search, using DNA testing if necessary, when the father is known but refuses to recognize the child. The law obliges him to cooperate so the child can receive a full identity and mother can claim and receive alimony.
This is an undeniable breakthrough, Ben Jemia said, but it remains insufficient.
In the case where paternity is established, Tunisian law does not necessarily give custody to the mother. "Even though the mother raised the child, the father is the one who decides. At every moment, he can decide to exert power on his childs life for example, intervening in crucial decisions regarding his education or health care without even taking care of him on a daily basis, Ben Jemia added. Another problem is that very often, the jurisprudence denies inheritance to children born out of wedlock.
As the Sante Sud report points out, Tunisia is nevertheless the country where the cause of women, and especially that of unmarried mothers, seems best promoted, compared to nearby Algeria and Morocco. Of these three Maghreb countries, Tunisia is the only one to have legalized abortion.
Tunisia also has the most progressive legislation regarding women and families. The Code of Personal Status, adopted in 1956, abolished polygamy, recognized civil marriage that requires the consent of both spouses and instituted judicial proceedings for divorce. It gave men and women equal rights, except on the question of inheritance sons inherit twice as much as daughters.
But so far, there is no upcoming legislation aiming to recognize the specific status of unmarried mothers. The Amen network tries to raise awareness about the issue and combat the social exclusion faced by these women. These organizations also push for legal reform to grant the right of inheritance to children born out of wedlock.
We mostly advocate for the childrens rights, Kefif said, adding, Advocacy for unmarried mothers is far more difficult, because they face a harsh moral judgment from the public.
The issue is still a taboo, Ben Jemia admitted, adding, and the problem is that all the laws relating to the family are linked to the Code of Personal Status. If you want to improve the rights of unmarried mothers, then you have to amend this code. But no one is willing to do so. The Islamists think a debate in parliament would lead to an even more progressive code, which they dont want, while the liberals fear it could end up with a backlash against womens rights. The status quo is hard to break.
Sebastian Castelier contributed to this report.
February 2, 2016
Tensions between Russia and Turkey continue to escalate following the downing in November of a Russian Su-24 fighter jet that strayed into Turkish airspace.
Questions are being raised now whether the two countries are heading for a military confrontation. A leading Turkish military expert told Al-Monitor that such a Russian move could spell disaster for Turkey.
Turkey accused Russia of violating its airspace again last week and summoned Russias ambassador in Ankara to lodge a formal protest. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also warned Moscow that it was playing with fire and would have to face the consequences.
Tellingly, however, the Russian Su-34 fighter jet was not shot down this time. Despite Ankaras dire warnings to Moscow, the protest lodged with the Russian ambassador shows that Davutoglu's government, despite its apparent tough stance, is treading more cautiously to avoid another head-on military incident with Russia.
In its statement Jan. 30, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said an Su-34-type Russian aircraft violated Turkish airspace Jan. 29.
Before the violation actually took place, the Russian plane was warned numerous times by Turkish air radar units both in English and Russian, it said, adding that this new violation was another example of Russian escalatory behavior.
The statement indicated that such actions would lead to serious consequences, for which Russia would be totally responsible. Moscow has denied these accusations, referring to them as Turkish propaganda.
"Statements by the Turkish side of an alleged case of violation by the Russian Su-34 aircraft of airspace are unsubstantiated propaganda," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement Jan 30.
Talking to reporters prior to flying to Chile for an official visit Jan. 30, Erdogan also said the latest Russian violation was an attempt to escalate the crisis between the two countries. If Russia continues to violate Turkeys sovereign rights in this way, it will suffer the consequences, Erdogan warned.
A similar warning came from Davutoglu a day later in Riyadh, where he was for talks on Syria. Deriding Russias denial, Davutoglu said that it was impossible to hide such violations from anyone in this day and age.
Turkey does not intend in any way to increase the tension with Russia, Davutoglu said, pointing out that the operation the Russian jet was conducting when it violated Turkish airspace indicated that Moscows intention were not good.
We are warning Russia once again. The damage they are doing to Syrian opposition elements and the threatening stance they are maintaining with regard to Turkish airspace is not to Russias advantage, he said, adding that Turkey had taken all the necessary precautions along its border with Syria.
The Turkish media has reported that the Turkish air force has put its bases on orange alert and deployed additional jets to bases near the Syrian border, while ordering its pilots to strike, without further orders, anyone violating Turkish airspace.
The Pentagon has also corroborated the violation by Russia. We are aware of reports and can confirm that yesterday another Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish and NATO airspace, Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright was cited by the Russian media telling the RIA Novosti agency in a written statement.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also weighed in on Turkeys behalf and called on Russia to act responsibly and fully respect NATO airspace. He added, Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again." Stoltenberg said, "NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our ally, Turkey."
Meanwhile, developments in northern Syria are aggravating tensions between Ankara and Moscow. Following the downing of its jet, Russia intensified its air campaign, particularly against the Turkmens, but also against radical Islamic groups supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar that are fighting the Syrian army.
Russia has a particular ax to grind with the Turkmens because it was their fighters who killed the Russian pilot in his parachute after he ejected from the Su-24. Turkmen refugees have started entering Turkey as the Syrian army gradually takes control of the region with Russian air support.
Turkeys preventing the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the largest group representing the Syrian Kurds, from joining the Geneva talks on Syria on the grounds that it is a terrorist organization allied to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) seems to also have played into Moscows hand.
Russia has an added incentive now to support the PYD and hit Turkey in its most sensitive spot, namely the Kurdish issue. Russia says it is unthinkable that the PYD can be kept out of the Geneva talks and insists the group will be part in these talks in the future.
Meanwhile, the Turkish media is reporting that Russia had started to provide air support to the PYDs military wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), west of the Euphrates River. This is bound to further fuel tensions between Ankara and Moscow.
Worried that the Syrian Kurds will gain an autonomous region along its border with Syria, Ankara has declared a PYD/YPG presence west of the Euphrates to be a red line. But what can Turkey do to stop this and the Syrian advances in northern Syria with Russian help? The same question comes up if Russia violates Turkish airspace again.
Al-Monitor discussed this matter extensively with retired Brig. Gen. Naim Baburoglu, who is currently an adviser to the Ankara-based National Security and Foreign Policy Research Center and a frequent commentator on military matters.
Baburoglu indicated that Ankara had entered a high-risk area in its crisis with Russia. Since the downing of its Su-24, Russia has augmented its forces in the region with Su-34 and Su-35 fighter jets, which are far more advanced than Turkeys F-16s, Baburoglu said.
Unlike the Su-24, which only has air-to-ground capabilities, these jets have air-to-ground as well as air-to-air capabilities and are supported by the most advanced radar technology, he added.
Baburoglu said Russian President Vladimir Putin is not prepared to let this affair go and is trying to draw Turkey into a fight, not just by violating Turkish airspace but also by destroying the Turkmens in Syria and supporting the YPG.
Judging by what Baburoglu says, there seems to be little Turkey can do to respond to the Russian challenge.
Since the downing of the Russian jet, Turkish F-16s are unable to fly in Syrian airspace. The US doesnt want them there either in case they confront Russian jets, Baburoglu said. He pointed out that the Russian Su-35 Flanker-E type jets deployed in the region, which are far more advanced than anything Turkey has, is of concern to Washington.
Russia is trying to draw Turkey into a fight to avenge the downing of its jet. Putin is confident he can win. He also needs this to counter domestic difficulties. Downing one or two Turkish F-16s will make him a hero at home, Baburoglu said. It will also be a serious embarrassment to Turkey and the Turkish air force, he added.
Baburoglu also doubts that NATO will rush to Turkeys assistance the way Ankara wants in the event of a confrontation with Russia.
Decisions are taken unanimously in NATO. The US and UK may support Turkey militarily, but it is doubtful that countries like France, Germany and Greece will. All NATO is likely to do is to deploy Patriot anti-ballistic missiles in eastern Turkey and allocate AWAC [Airborne Warning and Control System] planes to support the Turkish air force.
Baburoglu conceded that domestic considerations may still push Erdogan into supporting an intervention in Syria, but he believes such an intervention could have disastrous results for Turkey.
February 1, 2016
Whenever there is major terror attack like the ones we saw at Suruc, Diyarbakir and Ankara, we start debating about the ease with which the Islamic State crosses borders and then we forget about it. The 98-kilometer (61-mile) stretch of border that has the only two openings between IS and the rest of the world, the Jarablus and Al Rai crossings across from Turkeys Gaziantep and Kilis, has been the main point of contention between Turkey and the United States. During the recent visit of Vice President Joe Biden to Istanbul, recovering Jarablus from IS was again on the agenda. Turkey has declared the movement of Kurds west of the Euphrates River and their attempt to form a Kurdish corridor a red line.
The roads from Kilis to Jarablus and Al Rai have been the scenes of some strange events over the past few years. The government, under pressure to control the militants' border access, has been erecting walls at key crossing points. The measures have caused some reduction in this traffic, but not stopped it entirely.
Although everyone looks at Jarablus, the town of Elbeyli in Kilis province facing Al Rai is still the main point of crossings by militants. Daily logs by the Turkish Armed Forces are full of apprehensions of people trying to sneak over the border. According to Turkish intelligence reports, in 2015, Turkish security forces apprehended 961 IS members from 57 countries.
A perusal of the logs shows that most were caught crossing from Syria to Turkey and that many of them had their wives and children with them. Here are just a few examples of attempted crossings by suspected IS militants from Syria to Turkey:
On Jan. 27, 43 people with 22 children were caught trying to enter Turkey illegally from Syria.
On Jan. 24, two people were caught with two children at Kilis attempting to cross.
were caught with two children at Kilis attempting to cross. On Jan. 23, 23 people were caught at Elbeyli accompanied by 21 children.
were caught at Elbeyli accompanied by 21 children. On Jan. 22, six people were caught trying to illegally enter Turkey at Elbeyli accompanied by eight children.
Reading the logs, one gets the impression that the border is sealed against illegal crossings. If you ask the Ankara government, no other country does as much to combat IS as Turkey. The reality is that the border is not sealed, nor is it truly open.
Selim Bayturkmen, who publishes a local newspaper in Kilis, told Al-Monitor that there are fewer crossings than before, although entries via the villages of Cildiroba and Besiriye continue.
To prevent border incursions, concrete blocks 3.6 meters high, 2.5 meters wide (roughly 12 by 8 feet) and weighing 8 tons are being installed along the border. The first phase of this plan will cover the 20-kilometer (12-mile) stretch between Elbeyli and Kilis.
A local source involved in transportation in Elbeyli told Al-Monitor, There arent all that many measures the government is boasting about. Up until six months ago, 2,000-3,000 people used to cross the border daily in both directions. It was a beehive of activity with buses and minibuses forming long lines. Those vehicles are engaged only in bringing people from the Kilis bus terminal to Elbeyli to sneak into Syria. A ditch was dug and a wall is going up. Crossings have declined, but not ended. They take place mainly in the evenings, particularly from the villages of Arpakesmez, Akinci and Inanli. I cant give you an exact figure but we have daily traffic of 200 to 400 people.
The man, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, then explained why illegal crossings have not ended despite all the talk of measures, saying, Smugglers make deals with soldiers. They buy them with money. Sometimes soldiers open fire; people get killed. For example, a deal may be made with a noncommissioned officer but soldiers dont know about it and open fire."
He went on, For the crossings to stop for good, the state must want it that way. I dont think the government really wants to stop it. The border has always been there. Before, there was no ditch, no walls and no soldiers but nobody violated the border in those days. We have fields near the border. We used to come and go freely. Now we are afraid to go to our fields even in daylight because of this illegal activity. If the state really wants it, nobody can cross illegally. Otherwise, walls wont stop it.
Controls on roads are insufficient. At Kilis, there are two checkpoints that operate at certain hours. But there are scores of other roads you can use to get out of Kilis. Sometimes, because of complaints, the police show up and check identities for 10 to 15 minutes and leave. There is no serious control.
Human traffickers are not under pressure. I havent heard of anyone detained for smuggling people. There is much money in this business. Smugglers have houses right on the border. They charge $100 to $300 per person to cross over. At nights they pay a noncommissioned officer $2,000 to $2,500 to look the other way for 15 minutes. Imagine how much money they must be making. All the border villages got involved in this business and many people have become rich.
IS controls the Syrian village of Havar, which faces Turkeys Akinci, a known crossing point. Ighde in Syria, facing Turkey's Arpakesmez, is controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra.
IS documents obtained by the Kurdish People's Protection Units provide details of the traffic that took place between Turkey and Tell Abyad, which was retaken by the Kurds in June. Some of the documents, passenger manifests for buses going back and forth, are stamped by the "IS Migration Committee," which regulated that traffic.
Mahmut Togrul, a Peoples' Democratic Party deputy from Gaziantep, said those organizing the border crossings actually reside in refugee camps in Turkey, and that officials know all about them but dont interfere. Togrul told Al-Monitor, We were visiting the Oncupinar border crossing in July. We saw a man in military uniform, with long beard and hair. He had three telephones and was speaking constantly on them. I learned that he actually lives in our refugee camps. I informed the deputy governor of Kilis. He said to me, We cannot lock them up in camps and keep an eye on them constantly. This senior local administration official practically admitted knowing all about illegal crossings."
Togrul emphasized that despite some efforts, illegal crossings go on. Traffic definitely continues. This is the only exit of IS to the outside world. They are seriously organized in Gaziantep. If you catch one, there are many others. You may say that for IS, Gaziantep is their human resources center.
Reminded that the Turkish Armed Forces' website reporting the daily capture of IS militants gives the impression that there is no tolerance whatsoever at the border, Togrul replied, Do you know how long they are detained? We are told they are apprehended, but most of them are quickly released. Their organization in Gaziantep is not a secret. They operate in broad daylight. Many nongovernmental organizations in side streets are actually IS fronts. [The Justice and Development Party's] struggle against IS is not sincere. The local administration is not honest either. They dont consider IS militants terrorists. Also, this human trafficking has become a lucrative source of income for our border villagers. We know that in the 98-kilometer gap they provide crossing services for IS and earn big-time money.
This story appears in Birmingham magazine's February 2016 Issue. Subscribe today!
Step into the Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, and it looks just like you might expect. It is old-school exotic, with walls and seats colored lucky-red, and decorations depicting dragons and pagodas flanking a large carving of Buddha.
But its emphasis on regional cuisine puts the Valley Avenue landmark, which has been open some three decades, on the cutting edge in Birmingham, even among the city's growing crop of Chinese restaurants offering traditional fare.
Great Wall's main menu highlights dishes from Shanghai, on China's east coast. A separate menu features the often fiery and numbing food from the central province of Sichuan (sometimes spelled Szechuan).
The latter was quickly dubbed the "Secret Menu" when it premiered in late spring 2015, although it wasn't really a secret--owner Sunny Liu just wasn't sure how many people would want it. Regulars now routinely ask for it and newcomers get a copy when they show interest in spicy food. "I was worried some people would find it too spicy," says Liu, who bought the restaurant in 2010. "But American people love Sichuan food. We moved some items to the Sichuan menu because so many customers now only order from that."
Just as cuisine varies within the United States, food in China changes profoundly across the 33 provinces. Liu says the fare in Shanghai, where she was born, leans toward the sweeter side. The city's coastal location means seafood is prevalent. But Shanghai's specialty is Pan-Fried Bun ($7.95 at Great Wall), pork dumplings that release a bit of broth when bitten. They are made in-house at Great Wall.
The spicy burn in Sichuan food comes from dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorns, which cause a numbing sensation. Each chef has a special recipe for the master sauce. "Some are spicier," Liu says. "Some are more colorful."
Authentic Sichuan dishes often are drenched in chile oil. It flavors the food but is not intended to be consumed like a sauce or soup. When ordering the classic Sichuan dish Dan-Dan Noodles ($4.95), eat the white-wheat noodles and the topping of chiles, garlic, onions, and sesame seeds. Leave the oil in the bowl.
Americanized dishes like Szechuan Chicken ($9.95; more sweet than spicy) appear on Great Wall's menu. But traditional dishes dominate, from Braised Beef ($13.95) to Pig's Trotters with Vegetables in Clay Pot ($12.95).
Ordering is a matter of how adventurous you want to be. Stay safe with beef, chicken, lamb, duck, or shrimp. Stray a bit with beef tendon or pork kidney. Dive deep with chicken feet, dishes made with preserved egg yolk, or Vinegar-Pepper Shredded Potatoes ($8.95).
For even the most bold, Boiled Duck Blood Curd in Hot Spicy Broth ($18.95) may sound off-putting, but the squares of congealed blood have the flavor and consistency of seasoned tofu. The broth is spiked with chiles and spices like star anise and cinnamon, and packed with scallops, squid, flounder, Chinese ham, tripe, wood-ear mushrooms, tofu, and vegetables. The result is complex with surprisingly balanced flavors that linger.
Adventurous eaters might also try Rice Noodle in Hot and Sour Sauce ($6.95). The thumb-sized translucent noodles made from gelatinized soy beans provide a neutral counter to the hauntingly tasty sauce.
Great Wall is best enjoyed by a group sharing several appetizers and entrees. The duck curd dish, which comes in a large ceramic bowl, is sized to share. Another potential crowd-pleaser: the spicy dishes collectively called Flaming Pan, which are served in metal pans perched over a flame-heated base.
Each is built around a protein like beef, chicken, or crab, and served in a sauce with chiles, five-spice baked tofu, bean-curd skin, onion, potato, and bell pepper. Try Spicy Fish Balls in Flaming Pan ($14.95), pieces of flounder that are breaded and deep-fried then cooked in the sauce.
Be-For-Time ($14.95) is an intriguing transliteration for breaded and deep-fried pork ribs or flounder "balls" served under a mix of salted bread crumbs, onions, and garlic slivers that are first pan-fried until slightly toasted. Liu suggests spooning the Be-For-Time topping over steamed rice.
Liu is proud of the quality of ingredients and the skill with which the chefs prepare them. Circulating among the customers, she smiles when she sees two diners enjoying perfectly rendered slices of crunchy pig ear swimming in chili sauce. "No fat," Liu says. "Only a good chef can do that."
While visiting family in Shanghai, Liu recruited a chef from her hometown and added traditional dishes when she reopened Great Wall in January 2014, after a fire in 2012 temporarily shuttered the restaurant. Birmingham customers clamored for more spicy food, inspiring Liu to hire a Sichuan chef from Chicago.
"I'm glad I am the first one to bring real Sichuan food here," Liu says. "When you eat it you fall in love."
Details
Great Wall Chinese Restaurant; 706 Valley Ave. | 205.945.1465 | greatwallbirmingham.com
Open Mon-Thu, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
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Clarkston Square, a $9 million apartment community off Meadowbrook Drive next to the new Grissom High School. (Courtesy photo)
A new affordable housing option is now available for the Huntsville community's growing senior population.
Atlanta-based TBG Residential and Neighborhood Concepts of Huntsville said this week they have secured a $385,000 HOME loan from the City of Huntsville's Community Development Department to build Clarkston Square, a $9 million apartment community off Meadowbrook Drive next to the new Grissom High School.
Leasing is underway at the 56-unit property, which targets residents ages 55 and older with income levels at or below 60 percent of the area median income.
"With rents rising at almost 4 percent annually on a national level, affordability has become a real issue for our senior population, many of whom are on fixed incomes," said Neighborhood Concepts Executive Director Mary Ellen Judah.
Clarkston Square, a $9 million apartment community off Meadowbrook Drive next to the new Grissom High School. (Courtesy)
The site offers one- and two-bedroom apartments with several amenities, including a clubhouse, computer center and fitness room. Rent ranges from $474 per month for a one-bedroom home to $578 for a two-bedroom, two-bath home.
Additional funding for Clarkston Square included an allocation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits and a HOME Loan from the Alabama Housing Finance Authority. Regions Bank also provided financing for the project.
Leasing information is available by phone at 256-542-0241.
"Clarkston Square offers a quality affordable options for those seniors who are most cost burdened by the current housing market," Judah said.
Neighborhood Concepts is a nonprofit that strengthens communities by offering affordable housing and fostering economic opportunities. The group provides microloans to north Alabama small businesses with more flexibility than most regulated financial institutions.
In October,
The organization was one of 29 in the U.S. to receive an award.
Construction jobs are on the rise in the Huntsville area despite a growing worker shortage across the nation.
The Associated General Contractors of America announced Tuesday the Huntsville metro was among the fastest-growing in the nation last year with the addition of 1,400 new jobs between December 2014 and December 2015.
That's an 18 percent increase for the area, which employs 9,200 workers in the construction industry, up from 6,700 when local employment bottomed out in 2009.
"That means that construction employment in the Huntsville metro area grew at a faster rate than any of the 358 metro areas we track, except for one," said AGC America spokesman Brian Turmail.
The Weirton-Steubenville, W.Va. and Ohio metro ranked No. 1 for construction employment after seeing a 60 percent jump in new jobs over the past 12 months. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich. (16 percent), Saginaw, Mich. (16 percent) and Urban Honolulu, Hawaii (16 percent) rounded out the top five.
Nationwide, 190 metros added new jobs, including Birmingham-Hoover (11 percent), Decatur (3 percent) and Mobile (2 percent). Florence-Muscle Shoals (-14 percent), Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville (-13 percent), Gadsden (-8 percent) and Tuscaloosa (-3 percent) were among areas that lost construction employment during the same period last year.
While the Huntsville area leads the nation in new construction job growth, Turmail said the increase comes at a time when many workers are leaving the industry for retirement, school or different careers.
"We've got to take steps to prepare and recruit a new generation of construction workers," he said.
Dell McDonald, owner of Dell McDonald Construction in Huntsville and president of Alabama Associated General Contractors, said it's challenging to find qualified employees as most experienced operators are currently in their 50s.
"It's hard to bring an 18, 19 or 20 year old on and put them in a $350,000 piece of equipment and say, 'Learn how to run it,'" he said. "It's kind of tricky. You have to do that sometimes, but it's a process."
The AGC Alabama chapter is trying to address the workforce shortage through the statewide Go Build Alabama campaign. In 2015, the group wrote and passed the Alabama AGC Craft Training Act, which will raise $3 million to $5 million annually to provide skills training to workers across the state.
The program, administered through the Construction Division of the Finance Department, is funded by increasing building permit fees by $1 per $1,000 project.
McDonald said the industry broke away from unions about 35 years ago without replacing the mechanism to properly recruit and educate skilled workers. Until recently, he said training was mostly in the field or in some classroom settings.
"The need for skilled labor in the construction industry is rapidly reaching crisis levels in our state and nationally," he said, adding 41 percent of Alabama contractors said they experienced difficulty filling positions in 2015.
The AGC of America has unveiled a new Workforce Development Plan with steps federal, state and local leaders can take to create more training programs for construction workers throughout the U.S.
A news conference announcing the new AGC of America analysis was held at the future Midtown Marketplace, a neighborhood shopping center under development at the corner of Browns Ferry Road and Wall Triana Highway in Madison. Crews are in the process of building the site, which will be home to a new 114,000-square-foot Kroger and 12,000 square feet of additional retail.
Billie Jean Young as Fannie Lou Hamer
Billie Jean Young's one-woman show, "Fannie Lou Hamer: This Little Light" will be presented by Red Mountain Theatre Company and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Friday, Feb. 5, and Saturday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Birmingham's RMTC Cabaret Theatre.
(Robin McDonald)
By Billie Jean Young, an Alabama native and MacArthur Fellow who wrote, directed, and stars in a one-woman show about the triumphant spirit of Civil Rights icon, Fannie Lou Hamer
When I decided to create a one-woman show on the life of Civil Rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer, my modest goal was to make certain that Mississippi women would not forget her. I wanted them to remember her as their role model of leadership. I was a recent law school graduate and, since I had been unable to attend Mrs. Hamer's funeral a few years earlier, I felt I owed her one. I had no idea what she would give to me. However, the decisions we make about others often prove to be turning points in our own lives.
Mrs. Hamer's speech was the same as my mother's-- my first tongue before I started school. Here was a chance to celebrate my mother's wisdom as well. Little did I realize that 32 years later I would still be performing Mrs. Hamer's life story, over 800 shows and counting.
I have traveled the world with Mrs. Hamer-- 'trotting with Fannie Lou,' I call it. Performing Fannie Lou Hamer: This Little Light has taken me before a Prime Minister in Belize, Central America; the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing, China; an amphitheater before thousands in Ghana, West Africa; rural women in Delhi and Mumbai in India; the Schomburg Center in New York; and the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. to name a few.
Billie Jean Young as Fannie Lou Hamer
It has not always been pleasant: I felt some trepidation when I performed for a women's conference in the Caribbean under a repressive regime's police guard; and I was more than annoyed when, during the 2004 Boston Democratic National convention I was accosted by security as I made my way to the stage at an event commemorating the 40-year anniversary of Mrs. Hamer's historic 1964 speech. I had been introduced and I was in costume. It was clear to me that the young security woman who grabbed my arm thought I did not belong there. The audience included a congressman and many distinguished Americans, and significantly, no other people dressed like Mrs. Hamer. It was a telling moment.
In 1983, following my first performance at Tougaloo College in Jackson, MS I was invited to Mrs. Hamer's hometown in Ruleville to perform for the day care center named for her. Upon arrival, I stopped at the Hamer home to visit with her husband, Perry (Pap) Hamer, and her daughters, Jackie and Lynora. The girls gave me Mrs. Hamer's bedroom to change into costume. Surrounded by her things, the bed she had slept in, her wig, and her personal items -there amid so much authenticity--I became fearful that I wouldn't get it right, that I would shame Mrs. Hamer and myself in her hometown. In that room, beneath a portrait of Mrs. Hamer I knelt beside her bed, crying, and I prayed for divine guidance. When I emerged from her room, the house was quiet; the family had already gone to the community center, had left me alone with her. I have never been afraid again, and I always spend time in meditation and prayer prior to a performance no matter what the venue. While I was in the business of teaching others about Mrs. Hamer's life, Mrs. Hamer's legacy was teaching me a thing or two about fearlessness.
In the more than three decades since I embarked upon this journey with Mrs. Hamer, my hosts have been as varied as the culture itself. I have performed in rural schools, community centers, at conferences, and on postage stamp size stages, sometimes with very poor acoustics. Still, I have enjoyed larger, state-of-the-art theatres at some of the nation's premier universities, and I have been hosted by the military and other government entities.
Sometimes people forget that I am a performing artist; other times they assume I am only an actress. Even so, I carry the message of Mrs. Hamer's light, a timeless message of love, courage and longsuffering that outshines mortality, illuminating darkness with perspective.
One of my most important learnings from this decades-long sojourn is this: We cannot entrust our stories to anyone else's telling; we must tell them ourselves. We must be the preservers of our own truths.
Billie Jean Young's one-woman show, "Fannie Lou Hamer: This Little Light" will be presented by Red Mountain Theatre Company and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Friday, Feb. 5, and Saturday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Birmingham's RMTC Cabaret Theatre.
We Alabamians like to be different. The folks at one Albertville radio station thought celebrating Groundhog Day with a, you know, groundhog, was just too common. After all, everyone hauls out a groundhog on Groundhog Day. Instead, 105.1 WQSB celebrates with a possum known as Sand Mountain Sam, which predicts the weather on air each Feb. 2 with the help of "possum whisperer" Dee Miller.
Still, Alabama does have two celebrity groundhogs who make appearances - Birmingham Bill and Smith Lake Jake.
Here's a look at Alabama's famous rodents:
BIRMINGHAM BILL
Species: Groundhog, aka woodchuck
Home: Birmingham Zoo
Handler: Kelly Garrison
Groundhog Day appearance: Birmingham Bill will emerge from his habitat following a show Tuesday in the Birmingham Zoo auditorium. Games and activities begin at 9 a.m., followed by a wildlife show at 10 a.m. and photos with Bill at 10:30 a.m. Event included in zoo admission.
History: Birmingham Bill has been at the zoo since before Kelly Garrison's arrival more than 10 years ago, she said. His background is "part of the mystery of Birmingham Bill," she said. Bill can only be seen on Groundhog Day and at special wildlife shows. He cannot be seen in a zoo exhibit but "lives behind the scenes."
SMITH LAKE JAKE
Species: Groundhog
Home: Graysville, Ala., at the home of Heath and Ginger Whitworth
Handler: Ginger Whitworth
Groundhog Day appearance: Jake "is not an early riser," Ginger says, and typically does not emerge to make a prediction until 10 a.m. Jake does not forecast based on his shadow, Ginger said. "If hairs on his tail stand up, we'll have more winter. But, if he's happy and calm, spring is on its way." The results are typically broadcast on Fox 6 TV in Birmingham; however, a station spokeswoman said Jake will not appear for Groundhog Day 2016. Instead, check Jake's website for updates.
History: Jake, known for wearing flashy hats and often sporting seasonal costumes, was discovered in the wild several years ago and adopted by the Whitworths. He "comes in and out of the doggie door whenever he pleases, digs burrows in the basement and sometime sleeps with us," Ginger said. Jake also makes predictions on "American Idol" winners and political races and makes appearances in parades and at festivals.
Favorite foods: Smith Lake Jake loves spaghetti, key lime pie, Milo's Tea and chocolate milk shakes.
SAND MOUNTAIN SAM
Species: Opossum
Home: Lives in the wild, Albertville, Ala.
Handler: Janet Potocki
Groundhog Day appearance: Each year, a local woman, Janet Potocki, chooses a possum in the wild to become a celebrity for a day and adopt the moniker Sand Mountain Sam. Each Feb. 2, Sam's results are "interpreted" by Dee Miller and reported on air at WQSB in Albertville by a local student chosen as Possum Queen. The 2016 queen is Kalie Davis of Crossville High School.
History: A possum chosen annually to be Sand Mountain Sam has been making appearances since 1993 when General Manager Barry Galloway began the tradition. Sam has only been wrong one year, radio host Mary Bailey said.
In conjunction with Sand Mountain Sam's weather predictions, the station holds a Possum Queen contest who reads the annual proclamation from Sam.
Updated at 10 a.m. with the name of the possum queen and to correct the name of the handler of Sam Mountain Sam.
Join al.com reporter Kelly Kazek on her weekly journey through Alabama to record the region's quirky history, strange roadside attractions and tales of colorful characters. Find her on Facebook or follow her Odd Travels and Real Alabama boards on Pinterest.
Lawyers for a Gadsden man accused of killing his toddler daughter in 2013 with either a sword or knife told a judge today that Alabama's death penalty statute is unconstitutional.
Stephon Lindsay, 38, accused of killing his daughter, 20-month-old Maliyah Tashay Lindsay, was in court today before District Judge Billy Ogletree in Gadsden.
His lawyers, Morgan Cunningham and Jacob Millican, have filed several motions contesting the death penalty, as well as the judge's prerogative to override the jury's recommendation in the trial's penalty phase.
Gadsden police discovered the body of Maliyah Lindsay in a wooded area at the dead end of Plainview Street in Gadsden on March 12, 2013 after Stephon Lindsay was arrested in connection with the child's disappearance.
Stephon Lindsay
Relatives later said Lindsay may have killed the child as a result of some kind of ritual. An autopsy ruled the child died of blunt force trauma and that a knife or sword was used in her death. Lindsay is set for trial Feb. 22.
In a hearing today, Cunningham focused on one argument - that Alabama's death penalty statute is unconstitutional because it closely mirrors Florida's. On Jan. 16, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of Florida's death penalty statute because it did not give jurors a large enough role in determining whether defendants should be executed.
Etowah County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said the court did not strike down all death penalty statues, but merely Florida's. He also said Alabama's statute had been held up by the court, and that the court had turned away an request for a stay from Alabama inmate Christopher Brooks, who was executed less than a week after the Supreme Court's Florida decision.
"It's not as though the Alabama statute is unknown to the United States Supreme Court," Reid said.
Ogletree said he would rule later this week on the motion. Ogletree also stated that both Lindsay's defense team and prosecutors are waiting on the results of a second medical exam as to Lindsay's mental state at the time of the crime.
One man was killed and two other people injured in a Tuscaloosa County crash early today.
Alabama State Troopers this afternoon identified the fatality victim as Joseph Brian Summerlin. He was 29.
The crash happened at 4:50 a.m. on U.S. 11 near the 108 mile marker, about a mile and a half north of West Blocton. Troopers said Summerlin was a passenger in the 1998 Honda Civic that collided with a 2009 Toyota Tacoma.
Summerlin was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the Honda, 30-year-old Stephen Shirley, was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham. The driver of the Tacoma, 78-year-old Billy Ray Gamble, also was taken to UAB.
A UAB Hospital spokeswoman said Shirley and Gamble are both listed in fair condition. The crash remains under investigation.
A Missouri couple on the run after two abductions and a robbery attempt in Alabama on Sunday is believed to have struck in Georgia Monday night.
A clerk in the city of Perry was abducted during a holdup at a gas station/convenience store there, police confirm. The clerk was later released unharmed, just like the victims abducted in Tuscaloosa and Vestavia Hills. Police believe the suspects are still in the silver Ford Edge stolen out of Vestavia Hills.
The holdup happened at 11:04 p.m. at the Murphy Express on Sam Nunn Boulevard. They took the female clerk about 15 miles south on Interstate 75 and dropped her off at another exit.
Georgia police have now joined the U.S. Marshals and police from three Alabama cities in the search for Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper, both 30. The U.S. Marshal's Service is offering a $5,000 reward for the capture of each, for a total of $10,000.
"I don't know whether to label them desperate or brazen or a little of both,'' Vestavia Hills police Lt. Kevin York said this morning. "They continue to do what they've been doing all along and that is robbing and abducting and, as they go, they continue to amass serious felony charges."
Perry police Chief Steve Lynn today spoke with AL.com about the Monday night crime. He said the department's 911 center received a call at 11:30 p.m. from customers who had gone into Murphy Express, which is right off I-75. The customers realized there was no clerk in the store, and the cash register was open. They called Perry police who quickly responded to the scene.
While officers were there, they were notified by Dooly County, Ga. sheriff's deputies that they were with the 19-year-old clerk who had been abducted. She was brought back to Perry and was able to tell them what happened.
The victim, whose name hasn't been released, said a white male, later identified as Fitzgerald, entered the store, got a soft drink out of the cooler and then approached the clerk's counter. He asked for cigarettes, pulled a gun and demanded money. He forced her at gunpoint to get into the front seat of the Ford Edge. Harper was in the backseat.
The pair drove about 15 miles to another exit, in a rural part of the county, where they released the victim on the side of the road. She was able to find a business that was still open, and sought help there. "Fortunately she was not physically harmed, but she was obviously shakened,'' Lynn said. "It's remarkable that for someone that young, she was able to help us with the investigation and talk detectives through what happened."
Lynn said he can only speculate on why Fitzgerald and Harper are abducting their victims. "The only thing that would remotely make sense is to delay the reporting to authorities,'' the chief said. "It expanded their getaway about 20 to 30 minutes and until we had contact with the clerk, we didn't have a vehicle description."
That's not say it makes sense. "If you look at it in prison time, it's a terrible trade off,'' Lynn said. "Kidnapping can carry up to life in prison without parole."
He said the Perry Police Department is collaborating with all of the Alabama police agencies, the U.S. Marshal's Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshal's Middle Georgia Fugitive Task Force. "We've obviously blanketed the entire Southeast with the bulletin, as I'm sure Alabama had already done before us,'' the chief said. "We're hoping we're able to catch them before somebody does get hurt. When you take people at gunpoint, that's a recipe for disaster. It just requires one small thing for something to go terribly wrong."
Already, Fitzgerald and Harper are charged 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.
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 black 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.
Vestavia Hills resident Connor Graves was coming home from breakfast when a man, who turned out to be the Tuscaloosa victim - flagged him down in the Montreat condominiums 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 and her family were preparing o 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.
Police in Vestavia Hills, Hoover and Tuscaloosa announced charges against the pair on Monday.
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. They should be considered armed and dangerous.
A convicted felon released from prison less than three months ago is back behind bars, now charged with the pistol-whipping and carjacking of a man in Birmingham's Southside community.
Birmingham police tonight announced charges against 22-year-old Jeffrey Hall. He is charged in a Jan. 14 holdup in the Idlewild neighborhood. Sgt. Bryan Shelton said Hall and another man approached the victim and one of them struck the victim in the face with a pistol.
The assailants then took several items from the victim, including car keys. They fled in the victim's vehicle.
Hall is now charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree assault. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail Saturday, and remains there with bond set at $75,000.
Hall was released from prison in November on probation after serving five years of a 20-year sentenced for armed robbery. That robbery happened Oct. 29, 2009 when four men, one of them armed with a revolver, burst into the Subway restaurant on Center Point Road. They took $355 in the holdup.
Jefferson County sheriff's deputies investigated that robbery and were able to identify one suspect. Through questioning, they were able to identify the other three. At the time, Hall was 16. The other suspects were 15, 16 and 18.
At the time the warrants were issued against Hall in the 2009 holdup, he was already in juvenile detention on another matter. He pleaded guilty in 2010.
"Our officers are working extremely hard every day, patrolling and investigating crimes. The unfortunate reality is there are times where it appears we're caught in a strange catch and release program where we arrest them and they are released right back into their former lifestyles," said Birmingham police Chief A.C. Roper. "This violent criminal has been free for only 2 months so it didn't take long to return to a life of crime. Hopefully the system gets it right this time."
A Moody man is to spend weekends in jail over a six-month period after pleading guilty Monday to reduced charges in the 2013 high-speed wreck on U.S. 280 that killed the Hot and Hot Fish Club sous-chef and injured another man.
Cortez Hill, 25, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault charges under a plea agreement with the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office. Hill had been set to go on trial this week on felony reckless manslaughter and second-degree assault charges.
Under the plea deal Hill was sentenced by Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tommy Nail to a split 12-month split sentence, with 48 days to serve on weekends over six months beginning March 4. Hill is to turn himself into the jail at 7 a.m. on Fridays and be released at 7 a.m. on Sundays, court records show.
Hill had been charged in the June 29, 2013 wreck on U.S. 280 that killed 37-year-old Martin Mayorga, of Birmingham.
The wreck happened in the 3100 block of U.S. 280, near The Summit shopping center. Mayorga, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was the driver and lone occupant of a 2006 Toyota Prius that was hit on its passenger side by a Dodge Charger driven by Hill. Mayorga was the lone occupant in his car. The other man , who was injured, was in a third car struck in the wreck.
"In pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide, the defendant acknowledges that he failed to perceive the substantial risk that driving at an excessive speed could result in the loss of life," said Deputy District Attorney Megan Cuckler. " Sadly, his failure to perceive that risk and to operate his vehicle within the confines of the law caused Mr. Mayorga's death."
"In addition, his criminal negligence also left another motorist, Mr. (Michael) Yarbrough, injured in the collision," Cuckler stated. "Both Mr. Mayorga's and Mr. Yarbrough's families are satisfied that the disposition of the case reflects justice for their loved ones."
Hill's attorney, Randy Dempsey, declined comment.
Mayorga was turning off Highway 280 into the Chevron station when his car was "T-boned" by Hill's vehicle.
An investigator testified at a preliminary hearing that according to the "black box" in Hill's car, he was driving 84 miles per hour five seconds before impact. The speed limit in that section of the road was 45 miles per hour.
Investigators did not suspect Hill of driving while impaired. An autopsy on Mayorga showed that his blood alcohol content was above the legal limit, Shorts testified.
Alabama court records show that Hill has pleaded guilty to speeding at least three times since 2008. In 2014 Hill had his $30,000 bond revoked and raised to $50,000 after he received another speeding ticket in another state, according to court records and court officials. Hill posted the new bond and was released again.
Mayorga worked as a sous-chef at downtown Birmingham's Hot and Hot Fish Club. A month after his death, friends and co-workers organized a Beatles tribute concert and raffle to benefit the family he left behind - a wife, a 4-year-old daughter, a 6-month-old son and another baby on the way.
Stephanie Smith and Mandalynn Smith
Stephanie Smith is kneeling beside daughter, Mandalynn Smith, who is laying in a hospital bed at Children's Hospital of Alabama during an infusion of pamidronate, a drug in the bisphosphonate family, used to treat bone diseases, as part of UAB's Undiagnosed Diseases Program, 2015.
(Steve Wood UAB Photo)
Stephanie Smith's third child, Gage, was different from the start. He didn't cry like a normal baby, and as he grew, he missed most major milestones, she said.
Smith enrolled her son in physical therapy and sought answers from medical doctors, who couldn't pinpoint a problem with her son. They diagnosed his delay and provided a bleak prognosis that he might never learn to walk, talk or take care of himself.
Gage defied expectations and learned to communicate and read at a 3rd-grade level, Smith said. Then, when he was 9 years old, he began complaining about pain in his hips.
Smith made an appointment with a doctor, who took an x-ray and immediately referred the family to Miami Children's Hospital.
"The doctor said, 'He has the bones of a 90-year-old man,'" Smith said.
Gage's bones appeared to be breaking down. But that wasn't all - Smith's two youngest children, Aiden and Mandalynn, began to have learning problems as they entered school, and also suffered a mysterious breakdown in bone that caused crippling pain.
Gage traveled to Tampa and Orlando, where Smith said doctors performed a biopsy of the bone.
"The doctor came out in the middle of the surgery," Smith said. "He said, 'I've never seen anything like it in my life. You can take your finger and press on his bone and it's like a kitchen sponge.'"
The biopsy did not provide any useful clues as to what was ailing the Smith children. Nor did subsequent tests performed in South Carolina. Doctors simply identified all three children as suffering from an unknown bone disease, and tried to treat the symptoms.
The Smith family moved to Boaz and began bringing the children to UAB, eventually landing in the office of pediatric rheumatologist Dr. Robb Lowe, who treated the two youngest children.
Lowe typically treats children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, which he almost immediately ruled out for the Smith children. Still, he kept the children in his care, since he often encountered patients with confusing clusters of symptoms, he said.
"We get a lot of mystery kids in rheumatology," Lowe said. "I have a collection of kids, I don't know what they have, but I don't tell them to go away because they have no other place to go."
Lowe referred the family to the newly created Undiagnosed Diseases Program, a partnership between UAB and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology that uses innovative whole exome sequencing to identify the genetic causes of debilitating diseases. The program launched in 2013.
After more than two decades of searching, the program finally found an answer for the Smiths. The three youngest children suffer from a disease called mucolipidosis III, which impairs cells' ability to process waste.
The disease is so rare that only about 650 cases have been diagnosed worldwide, Smith said. Both parents must carry the gene that causes the disorder, and each baby has a one-in-four chance of developing the disorder, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
For the Smiths, diagnosis won't lead to a cure, but it does provide some needed answers.
"It has helped with being more aware of what to expect," Smith said, "and not having everyone think that you're crazy."
Lowe has also started Mandalynn on an experimental treatment that has showed promise for patients in New Zealand. Soon after she began the treatment, her mother said her teacher noticed improvement in her attention.
Dr. Bruce Korf, director of the Undiagnosed Diseases Program, said the clinic was launched to help families like the Smiths. So far, about 100 patients have been admitted to the program. Not all of them have received diagnoses, but several have, Korf said.
Patients typically arrive at the clinic with large medical files that must be reviewed by physicians, Korf said.
"Sometimes we have to sort through one to two decades of medical records," Korf said.
After the records have been reviewed, patients may be offered cutting-edge genetic tests.
"Often, it ends the diagnostic odyssey," Korf said. "For some patients, it really changed their course of treatment."
Late last year, officials from UAB announced the creation of a new clinic at Children's of Alabama that will provide improved services to pediatric patients.
Korf said clinic doctors have diagnosed diseases such as mucolipidosis III, which are known but rare, alongside conditions that have only been identified one or two times.
The clinic can also provide some answers for patients and families suffering from conditions that have never been identified in the medical literature, he said.
"There are things that are in a certain sense new discoveries," Korf said. "We find things that no one has ever seen before."
Global Hawk.jpg
One of NASA's Global Hawk drones outfitted with yellow-and-black pods under the wings to house atmospheric measurement probes. They were among 13 instruments installed on the autonomously operated aircraft for the 2014 Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment over the western Pacific Ocean. (NASA Photo/Tom MIller)
NASA is denying that the hacking group AnonSec roamed through secure data on its computers and took control of one of its unmanned Global Hawk high-altitude drones and tried to crash it into the Pacific Ocean.
In a statement released late Monday, NASA Headquarters said, "Control of our Global Hawk aircraft was not compromised." The statement also said the space agency "had no evidence to indicate the allegedly hacked data" released by the group "are anything other than already publicly available data."
The report posted Jan. 31 on the website infowars.com says AnonSec claimed to have spent more than two years roaming around NASA's servers. The group released videos from aircraft and weather radar, flight logs and other data from the alleged hack, the report said.
NASA's statement, released by headquarters spokesman Allard Beutel, said, "NASA strives to make our scientific data publicly available, including large data sets, which seems to be how the information in question was retrieved."
NASA specifically mentioned the following data sites:
open.nasa.gov, data.nasa.gov, api.nasa.gov, code.nasa.gov, and github.com/NASA.
"NASA takes cybersecurity very seriously and will continue to fully investigate all of these allegations," the statement said.
Donald Trump
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a event at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
(Andrew Harnik)
One in four federal employees said they would consider quitting their job if Donald Trump is elected president.
A poll conducted by Government Business Council, Government Executive Media Group's research arm showed 14 percent of government workers said they would definitely consider quitting if Trump wins the White House. Another 11 percent said they might consider it.
Among Democrats, 42 percent said they would consider leaving while 48 percent said they would not. Only 8 percent of Republicans said they would quit if Trump, a billionaire turned politician, wins the presidential election.
Among all federal employees, almost 60 percent said they would be "embarrassed" to have him as their boss. Fifty percent of those who responded said they would be embarrassed by Hillary Clinton compared to 45 percent for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and 37 percent for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt; and 20 percent for Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida.
Trump's mixed numbers
While the survey shows some federal employees have mixed feelings about Trump, it also reveals he maintains a commanding lead among the GOP field.
The poll showed Trump was the top choice for 32 percent of the government workers who said they would be voting in the GOP primaries, an increase of 12 percent from August 2015. He is followed in the Republican field by Cruz at 17 percent, Rubio at 12 percent and Dr. Ben Carson at 9 percent.
Among federal employees who identified as Democrats, Clinton was the top choice for 51 percent, followed by Sanders at 35 percent.
The poll was a random sampling of government employees representing more than 30 civilian and defense agencies. It was conducted Jan. 20-26.
Tens of thousands of Alabamians with past drug convictions are now eligible for food stamps and other assistance benefits.
Starting this month, Alabama residents who have been denied federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, because of felony drug convictions can reapply for the benefits. Applicants still must meet other eligibility requirements.
"The end of Alabama's SNAP and TANF ban is good news for state budgets and for families," said Carol Gundlach, a policy analyst for ARISE Citizens Policy Project. "The policy change will help cut corrections cost in the cash-strapped General Fund budget by making it easier for released prisoners to reintegrate into the community, which will help reduce recidivism."
Under a 1996 federal law, people with felony convictions for drug offenses were given a lifetime ban from receiving food stamps and TANF. The restrictions didn't extend to other convicted felons and many states took advantage of a provision that allowed them to exempt some from the mandate. Alabama's ban was lifted as part of the comprehensive prison reform bill passed in the last legislative session.
It's not clear exactly how many people will be affected by the change. Alabama Arise said that in 2011, 11,000 people throughout the state were incarcerated for drug offenses. About 3,700 were released that same year but it's not known how many of those would have been eligible to apply for welfare benefits.
Women have been particularly hard hit by the ban.
In a 2011 report, The Sentencing Project estimated as many as 9.500 women alone had been affected by the TANF restrictions from 1996 to 2011. The study showed as many as 86 percent of adult TANF recipients were women; woman are also about twice as likely as men to receive food stamp benefits at some point in their lives.
As of October 2015, Alabama had 881,402 total SNAP recipients as compared to about 29,500 TANF recipients. The vast majority of funding for both programs comes through the federal government.
To receive assistance, applicants must have completed their sentences or be in compliance with any probation requirements. Also, TANF applicants that had a drug conviction in the last five years may be required to pass a drug test to receive their benefits. Federal law does not permit the testing of SNAP recipients.
All other requirements will also apply for applicants, including new work regulations for those without dependents. A provision of that law, however, makes participation in an alcohol/drug treatment program an exception to the work requirements.
Households already receiving SNAP or TANF can also apply to have a household member with a drug conviction included in the numbers used to calculate their total benefits.
It appears winter weather won't last much longer.
Punxsutawney Phil this morning didn't see his shadow, predicting an early spring.
It was all part of the weirdly wonderful tradition of Groundhog Day, live from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
It's the 130th anniversary of Ground Hog Day in Punxsutawney so you can expect a big celebration.
Groundhog Day's best known weather forecasting rodent made an appearance Tuesday, Feb. 2 from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob in front of thousands of excited onlookers. If Phil had seen his shadow, there was to be six more weeks of winter.
The tradition, which started with early German settlers in Pennsylvania, has been held since the 1800s. In the early days, Punxsutawney Phil - whose full name now is Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary -was known as "Br'er Groundhog" but that was later changed to honor King Phillip of France.
Phil's prediction is passed along to a member of the Groundhog Day Inner Circle in what it calls "groundhog-ese." Statistics show Phil's prediction skills are rather iffy: Since 1988, Phil's prediction was correct 13 times and incorrect 15 times.
He doesn't always limit his predictions to weather, however. During prohibition, Punxsutawney Phil once threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter if organizers didn't get him some alcohol. (No word on what alcohol does to ground hogs, by the way.)
Phil's still pretty special, though. Members of the Inner Circle said he's 130 years old - about 124 years more than the lifespan of the average groundhog. They attribute this longevity to a special elixir that he drinks each year to give him seven more years of life.
How you can see Punxsutawney Phil's prediction
The broadcast starts about 5 a.m. CST. You can watch it live here.
You can also follow Punxsutawney Phil's own Twitter account at @GroundhogClub.
If you want to see just how crazy Groundhog Day can be, check out this video from 2014.
capitol mug 2 dec 1.jpg
(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)
The Alabama House Democratic Caucus will seek funding to make prekindergarten available statewide, automatic voter registration with driver's license renewals and a required warning on advertisements for e-cigarettes.
That's in addition to some previous proposals, including a lottery to fund college scholarships and an increase in the minimum wage.
"Our focus is going to be on education, the economy and elections, the three E's," House Minority Leader Craig Ford of Gadsden said in a press release. "We're offering a lot of new things this year, as well as continuing to push for some of our long-time priorities, like the lottery."
The caucus announced its agenda for the 2016 legislative session, which starts today.
Democrats hold only 33 seats in the 104-seat House of Representatives, so they would need Republican support to pass any of their initiatives, which they have not gotten in previous years.
-- Lottery: Proposed constitutional amendment to authorize a lottery, with the proceeds to fund scholarships for two-year and four-year colleges.
-- Education employee pay raise: A 5 percent raise for teachers, support personnel and other employees in public schools and two-year colleges. A 2 percent cost of living adjustment for retired education employees.
-- Prekindergarten: Repeal of the state's Rolling Reserve Act, which sets aside money from the Education Trust Fund as a savings account against proration. Use an estimated $144 million annually to expand pre-kindergarten so that it's available for all 39,000 4-year-olds in the state.
-- E-cigarette warnings: Require advertisements for vapor cigarettes to include a disclaimer warning about the presence of nicotine and its addictive nature.
-- Pay equality for women: To address concerns that women working full-time earn less than men overall, pass legislation to protect employees who discuss their pay with co-workers and and allow them to file complaints with the Alabama Department of Labor without fear of employer retribution.
-- Made in Alabama Act: Require state contracts to go to Alabama companies if their bid is no more that 5 percent above the lowest responsible bid.
-- Minimum wage: Gradually increase it to $10.10 an hour with an automatic cost of living increase when Social Security benefits increase.
-- Early voting: Allow voters to cast their ballots at their county courthouses during the six days leading up to an election day. Thirty-seven states allow early voting, according to the caucus.
-- Automatic voter registration: People would be automatically registered when they obtain or renew a driver's license or state identification card. Those who did not want to could opt out.
-- Redistricting: Create an independent, five-member board to draw the state's legislative and state Board of Education districts, which is required after each 10-year census. The districts would have to be approved by the Legislature, but legislators and BOE members would be prohibited from communicating with the commission members until the districts were submitted to the Legislature.
Rep. Adline Clarke, D-Mobile, said in the news release that bills in the agenda were long overdue, including the one on women's pay.
"The path to a stronger economy begins with paying women fairly for the work they do," Clarke said.
House Majority Leader Micky Hammon of Decatur issued a statement characterizing the House Democrats' agenda as one that only Democrats could support.
"I am sure that Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton would be proud to endorse the Alabama House Democrats' liberal agenda," he said.
state house mug by julie.JPG
(Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)
State Superintendent Tommy Bice today asked state lawmakers to fund a 5 percent pay raise for education employees and to provide funding to hire at least 440 more teachers to reduce classroom sizes.
Bice gave an overview of the state Board of Education's priorities during a hearing held by the House and Senate budget committees.
Besides the pay raise, the BOE focused its requests on the basic operational expenses called the Foundation Program, which Bice said have never been fully funded by the Legislature.
Bice said he was not placing blame and understood the challenges facing lawmakers. But he said some local school systems have suffered because they don't have the money to make up the difference in Foundation Program costs like transportation, utilities and school support workers.
The BOE asked for increases in funding for teacher positions, transportation, classroom instructional support and other current expenses, which includes support personnel.
Overall, the BOE is seeking a $298 million increase in the Foundation Program, about 8 percent more than this year.
As an acknowledgment that might not be doable, the BOE suggested phasing in the increases over two years.
The Foundation Program increases would be aside from an education employees' pay raise, which would cost about $35 million a year for each percentage point, or about $175 million for a 5 percent raise for all K-12 employees.
Lawmakers will know more about the budget outlook on Tuesday when the Legislative Fiscal Office and the governor's budget office present their official revenue estimates. The legislative session officially begins at noon Tuesday.
The Legislature is expected to have more revenue available in the Education Trust Fund next year than in the current year.
There is broad support in the Legislature for a pay raise for education employees.
Education employees in K-12 schools received a 2 percent raise in 2013, their only across-the-board COLA in eight years.
"We're hearing that the money is going to be there for a 5 percent raise," said Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Semmes, vice chairman of the Senate budget committee. "And I think with the teachers waiting this long, I don't think we need to wait any longer."
Glover, a retired high school history teacher, said the state faces a teacher shortage and must take steps to attract more people into education.
House Democrats are calling for a 5 percent raise for active employees in K-12 schools and two-year colleges, as well as a 2 percent COLA for education retirees.
House Republicans, who hold 71 of the 104 seats, support a raise for education employees but have not specified an amount.
"I don't want to put a number out there right now and have the expectations of 5 percent and then give a 3 percent and there be disappointment among the teachers and the educators," said Rep. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, a member of the House budget committee.
"Let's make sure when we have the numbers we can give a pay raise that's sustainable."
As for reducing classroom sizes, Bice used an example from Lamar County to illustrate the need.
He said the daughter of state BOE Vice President Jeffery Newman teaches third grade there and has 33 students in her class, including six with special needs.
"We know we can make miracles happen, but it's very, very difficult when you have that many little ones in a classroom," Bice said.
The BOE requested $70 million to fund 880 additional teacher units, or $35 million to fund an additional 440 under a two-year plan.
For Donald Trump this was his first test before voters anywhere.
For months, hes barnstormed through the presidential election campaign, ripping up the rule book, changing conventional wisdom.
He said he could win Iowa. And a respected poll, published by a respected local newspaper just days before the states caucus, predicted a win.
But after the voters were counted in Iowa on Monday, he fell short.
His momentum, his showmanship and all the free publicity that brought in werent enough to overcome Texas Senator Ted Cruzs expensive and methodical get-out-the vote operation.
Yet this shouldnt be considered a big loss for Trump. Certainly the claim of being the winningest president ever has been punctured but its not devastating.
Difficult game to play
If anything Trump is guilty of raising expectations, always a difficult game to play in politics.
But then Trump isnt known for being modest and understated.
The reality is with most of the Republican voters in Iowa describing themselves as evangelical or born-again Christian, this was a hard place to play for Trump.
His past positions on abortion, on universal healthcare and the fact hes been married three times would all have been obstacles to overcome. He will play better in the south of the US with working-class voters.
RELATED: Cruz takes down Trump to win Iowa caucuses
Cruz looked as if hes peaked too early, heading the polls at the turn of the year and then dropping.
But his campaign remained confident Iowa was within their grasp. And it was.
He now needs a good finish in New Hampshire, but will be looking further forward to Super Tuesday on March 1.
Thats when many southern states including Texas and Kentucky hold primary and caucuses, and its where he has spent a lot of time and energy.
Nights big winner
The big winner on the night was Marco Rubio. He spent the weekend telling everyone whod listen he was doing well.
He talked a big game and he delivered.
The Florida senator surged through the field, winning most of the votes of those deciding who to back on the day and came within 1.4 percent of snatching second place.
It makes him the stronger candidate going into New Hampshire.
Nominating contests often develop into a battle between outsiders and establishment. Cruz and Trump are seen as the insurgents, railing against the Washington political class and disliked by many in their own party.
And in Iowa they took more than 50 percent of the vote.
Face of the establishment
Rubio is, for the moment, the face of the establishment.
A good performance in New Hampshire will increase pressure on the three governors still in the race Jeb Bush, ex-governor of Florida; Chris Christie of New Jersey; and Ohios John Kasich to step aside and throw their support and financial muscle behind Rubio.
All three virtually ignored Iowa, believing they had a better chance in New Hampshire, and all three are polling well there. And all three say they have plans for South Carolina and beyond.
That helps the insurgents. While the establishment remains fragmented, Trump and Cruz will continue to pick up states and more importantly delegates.
Republican candidates need 1,237 delegates to win the nomination and they are awarded in most states by proportional representation.
The field will winnow.
Mike Huckabee, a former Iowa caucus winner who once served as Arkansas governor, has already dropped out.
At the time of writing, its inconceivable that Carly Fiorina and Rick Santorum wont follow soon.
A win in Iowa and a follow-up victory in new Hampshire would have made Trump almost unassailable.
He continues to command big leads in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the next two states to hold nominating contests.
He must look to convert his fans into actual supporters, people who will do more than post their backing online or turn up to catch a glimpse at events.
Thats what has fuelled his rise in the polls.
But Iowa proved the polls can be misleading. Now he needs them to get out and vote.
How a Syrian refugee is bringing a little piece of home to Germany in the form of traditional Syrian cheese.
Gunzburg, Germany When Rami Haki fled to Germany in early 2015, becoming an entrepreneur was the furthest thing from his mind.
He had enjoyed a successful career as an electrical engineer and university professor in Damascus, Syria, and anticipated finding work quickly in the robust German job market.
But, says the 38-year-old, when I arrived, I saw that it is very difficult because you need to speak good German and get your qualifications [authenticated].
Rami now calls Gunzburg, a quaint Bavarian town where traditional houses line the streets of the historic centre, home.
He lives in a refugee shelter with his wife, Hanaa, and their four young children. It is an old barracks-style building where 42 people from across the world live in eight large rooms and 12 smaller ones. A kitchen is shared between 10 people.
The German government prevents refugees from working until they are granted asylum, but it does provide the family with a $1,743 monthly stipend to cover their expenses.
Still, this troubles Rami. His father instilled in him the belief that one should earn ones own keep even in difficult circumstances and he says that he feels uncomfortable relying on the government to support his family.
I didnt want to take money from social services all the time for doing nothing, he says. It was very harmful to my mind.
Knowing that he could not find employment, Rami tried to find meaningful ways to fill his time making friends, joining associations and learning German. He even became a member of a traditional shooting club, typically a bastion of the regions more conservative elements.
But, despite his efforts to keep busy, the idleness began to take a toll on his mental health.
For the first few months, every day when I woke up, I asked myself why I came here, he says.
In Syria, Im an important man. When somebody works for 20 years and you say to him, Now just sit in the house, its very hard.
He decided to develop a project that would help to restore his professional pride and, he hoped, one day help him regain his financial independence.
An accidental passion
As Rami was devising a way out of his professional hibernation, he was also missing those foods that reminded him of home Syrian cucumbers, kibbeh and cheeses. No matter how hard he looked, he could not find the white akkawi cheese he craved.
He tried all sorts of cheeses German, French, Danish and Swiss hoping that one would come close but with no luck.
Its not that its not good, he says. But I have something from my country in my head and in my heart. I want to eat what I ate for 37 years [in Syria].
German cheese is perfect, but the cheese here isnt the same as in my country.
He reached out to the Syrian community on social media, hoping that somebody would be able to point him in the direction of a shop that stocked akkawi. But nobody knew of one.
An idea began to form in Ramis mind: He decided to become Germanys first Syrian cheese-maker. A relative in Syria gave him a recipe, and Rami and Hanaa collected the ingredients: farm-fresh milk, nigella, a black seed used in Syrian cuisine, rennet and salt. Little by little, the duo transformed their shared kitchen in the refugee shelter into a dairy laboratory.
First, everything must be clean and sanitary, says Rami, who closely adheres to Germanys strict food preparation laws. He learned them online and from a Palestinian friend who has lived in Germany for 25 years.
Cleanliness is important in Syrian culture, he explains, adding that it is especially so for those living as refugees. Syrian people want to give the German people a correct and good image of Syria, he says.
INTERACTIVE: Alex Assali The Syrian refugee giving back to Germany
Rami and Hanaa begin by pouring five litres of milk into a pot. After bringing the milk to a boil, it is left to cool. Once it has reached 40C, Rami adds rennet to solidify the milk and nigella for flavour. The pot is then wrapped in a thick blanket for 45 minutes.
As he waits for it, Rami begins to speak about Syria. He remembers friends some of them dead now and others who have fled to different parts of the world. He talks of the country hes left behind. His eyes fill with tears.
As he was talking, the milk turned into a soft cheese.
Hanaa places the akkawi into a soft net to remove the water. She salts the drained cheese and lets it sit for another hour. She is quiet as she concentrates on squeezing the cheese.
A trained nurse from Damascus, Hanaa is the daughter of a wealthy landowner who was murdered, Rami explains, on the orders of a jealous neighbour and former family friend. He was shot dead by a hired gunman in the street. Her brother was killed 15 days later, and her mother a short while after that. Another brother also died in mysterious circumstances.
Hanaa became the sole heir to the familys fortune, and it soon became clear that she was next on the hit-list.
When Rami received a phone call telling him that his wife was the next target, he knew it was time to leave.
I didnt want to leave Syria, but my daughter asked me: Papa, please take me to Germany,' he remembers.
Bringing a small piece of Syria to Germany
Rami recalls the first batch of cheese he attempted to make: I was very sad because it didnt work, he says. The taste and texture were wrong. But my father taught me that you dont always succeed the first time, so you have to have courage to try again.
So, he carefully followed each step again. This time, the result was the taste of his childhood. My wife told me it was perfect. My friends tried a piece and said You can sell this,' he explains proudly. Rami was inspired. His goal became to share this little piece of Syria with the Syrians living in Germany.
When he told a Facebook group for Syrians in Germany about the cheese, the reaction was instant. Many people wanted to order cheese, he says. I didnt have enough for everyone.
They now produce around 10kg of cheese a day, but their efforts still cannot satisfy demand. I want a big kitchen and a big place to make the cheese, says Rami.
He has already shipped more than 1,000kg of akkawi. For now, the enterprise does not turn a profit they barely cover production costs. And Rami likes to give out free samples.
This is smart business. It is a type of propaganda, he laughs.
A member of German society
Throughout the entire asylum process, Rami has kept his papers diligently organised. He even arrived in Germany with his familys documents already professionally translated from Arabic into German.
The case officer told me that she had never seen anyone do that before, he says.
If his refugee status is approved, the budding entrepreneur would like to register for a business licence to mass produce akkawi. Rami knows that German law can be rigid, but he is determined to get his small business off the ground.
When I sell something, I want to pay my taxes, he explains. If someone from the government could show me how to succeed, I would be happy.
While his heart is in Syria, Rami now wants to give back to the country that has sheltered him and his family. His goal is to become a tax-paying member of German society.
For Rami, making akkawi has given him a renewed sense of purpose. I want to make Germany fall in love with my cheese, he says.
When Rami and Hanaa finish making the cheese, their children clamour into the kitchen for a snack. The oldest are attending school and already speak fluent German.
The parents call their youngest son, Ricardo, a Made in Germany baby. He was conceived shortly after their arrival and was born in the nearby city of Ulm. Named after a new Portuguese family friend, he is the culmination of their journey to Germany and a symbol of their desire to succeed in their new country.
Away from political debates about refugees, some previously run-down cities are being rejuvenated by their arrival.
Buffalo, New York When Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called for a halt on Muslims entering the United States, he was probably not thinking about Nadeen Yusuf, a hard-working Iraqi refugee who lives in Buffalo with her family.
A year after coming to the US, Yusuf already speaks decent English. She wakes at 4am each day for her shift in a supermarket bakery before heading to run her craft market stall. Down the line, she wants to buy a house and manage a home-making school for teenage girls.
Not only is she living the American dream of upward mobility, but families like the Yusufs are credited with breathing new life into crime-ridden parts of Buffalo and helping a rust-belt city turn the page on decades of decline.
That is why it stings doubly hard when Trump and others say she is unwelcome.
Even when its only 1 percent of people who say something to make you upset, it will hurt, Yusuf, 44, told Al Jazeera.
Im glad Im here. If I was in my country, I would never get this job or my kids would never have a school like this. We are doing well, but I cant say I am happy. Because you leave all of your life, your memory, your parents, your sisters, everything.
They dont trust us
The Yusufs fled Baghdad by car in 2006 during the sectarian bloodletting that followed the US-led invasion of 2003. Syria proved just as dangerous; they finally passed the US stringent security checks and gained refugee status while in Turkey in 2014.
Now she talks about growing her business by learning macrame and other skills via YouTube. Refugee agencies have helped her too much with English classes, handouts, cheap rent and other support, but not everyone has rolled out the red carpet, she said.
RACISM IN THE US: The melting pot is boiling over
They dont say anything directly but they dont trust us, Yusuf explained.
Some people think because we are refugees we are poor, did not go to school and came just for benefits. We came because we did not want to lose our life, not for money or welfare.
Bringing life back to the city
Buffalo has become a refugee hub over the past decade. The surrounding county absorbed 1,380 of the 4,085 refugees to settle in New York State in 2014. Many had fled war, hardship and persecution in Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Congo and Bhutan.
Nowadays, 8.4 percent of Buffalos population were born overseas and 15.6 percent speak a language other than English at home, according to the US Census Bureau, which counts refugees, immigrants and other newcomers together.
Like Yusuf and her craft business, refugees are linked with industriousness. They open shops, restaurants and other small businesses, often on the citys West Side, where locals can now dine on delicacies from Burmese black rice to Ethiopian injera.
A few decades back, it was a run-down hotbed of vice and crime. Now it boasts supermarkets, eateries and mobile phone sellers. Once-dilapidated buildings sport new paint jobs and property values are climbing.
It was like a war zone. Abandoned houses, drugs, prostitution, resident Karen Greenspan told Al Jazeera. Theres a really neat resurgence because of refugees and immigrants. Theyre rehabbing houses, opening restaurants, stores. Its bringing life back to the city.
More than 16 percent of high-street businesses in the Buffalo area are owned by foreign-born entrepreneurs, according to a 2013 report by the Americas Society and the Fiscal Policy Institute, called Bringing Vitality to Main Street.
Buffalo needs it. The citys heyday has long passed.
The City of Good Neighbours
Despite its harsh winters, Buffalo grew rapidly after the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, which linked the Great Lakes with the Hudson River, New York City and the Atlantic for a lucrative trade in wheat and other goods.
Shipyards, iron and steel mills, meat-packing plants, flour mills, and railway industries followed. In the 1890s, engineers gave the city another boon by harnessing waterpower from the nearby Niagara River and the world-famous waterfalls.
But as trains and lorries replaced barges in the 20th century, Buffalo was increasingly sidelined. Its population fell from a peak of 580,000 in the 1950s to about 259,000 today as factories closed and left the region a forsaken rust belt.
Buffalos mayor, Byron Brown, says that downward trend could be over. The city is witnessing a renaissance thanks to refugees and immigrants, as well as empty nesters moving back from the suburbs and millennials opting for cheaper places such as Buffalo over New York City and Chicago.
In 1950, we were as big as the city of Boston, for example. Every decade since we have lost population. It is finally projected that for the first time since the 1950 census we might see our first population gain in 2020, Brown told Al Jazeera.
Buffalo has also been the centrepiece of New York Governor Andrew Cuomos effort to revitalise the upstate economy, with a $1bn pledge the so-called Buffalo Billion for creating 14,000 jobs via a solar panel factory, a drugs research complex and other schemes.
Brown, the grandson of Caribbean migrants, holds up Buffalo as a model of integration. While Republican politicians across the US call for undocumented Latinos to be kicked out or the door closed on Syrians and Iraqis, such divisive rhetoric carries little sway in Buffalo, he said.
We havent had protests. We havent had buildings burned. We havent had a house of worship defaced. But we dont want to get to that point, Brown said.
Sean Mulligan, a staffer in the city council, says there have been grumbles in public meetings, with residents complaining that newcomers cannot speak English, but that Buffalo is mostly living up to its nickname as the City of Good Neighbours.
Buffalonians are closely connected to their own history, Mulligan told Al Jazeera.
The threat of ISIL
Sited on the land of Seneca Indians, Buffalo has received German, Irish, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian and Latino migrants, among others, as well as blacks fleeing the south via the Underground Railroad, a slavery-era web of escape routes and safe houses.
Buffalo was losing jobs way before the refugees arrived, Mulligan added. The fact that people are willing to come and live here is really appreciated.
Syrian refugees in the US: I came to live in dignity
Not all officials toe the mayors line. After the November attack in Paris claimed 131 lives, county politician Joseph Lorigo said Syrians should not be welcomed to Buffalo, warning: The risk to our community is far too great.
Last year, Arafat Nagi, a Yemeni-American from nearby Lackawanna was arrested after buying night-vision goggles, a machete and body armour and travelling overseas to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which controls swaths of Iraq and Syria.
His town, home to many Yemeni immigrants, has been closely watched since the so-called Lackawanna Six were arrested in 2002 for attending an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan shortly before the 9/11 attacks.
Last month, two Iraq-born Palestinian men who lived in the US as refugees were arrested in Texas and California on terror-related charges.
Rights groups say they were isolated cases and that most refugees eschew groups such as ISIL. But while their narrative of diligent workers reviving run-down towns is compelling, it is not the whole story.
Many refugees cannot speak English, which makes it hard for them to find jobs. And qualifications gained overseas can be worthless in the US, with the result that refugees with PhDs sometimes end up driving taxis.
Back to zero
Adolphe Chebeya, 35, has been in the US for only three months and is daunted by his new home. He fled Congo after government forces killed his brother and threatened him. He spent four years in Uganda before landing a US visa.
Now he studies English and gets $350 each month, food stamps and free housing. He is worried about his benefits drying up, and wonders why his experience in a university in Africa has not lined him up for a good job in the US.
Theyre not interested in me. I did university. I worked with many international organisations, but they put me back to live on zero, to learn the ABC. Im obligated to do it. If I dont go, they wont give me food, they wont pay my rent, Chebeya told Al Jazeera.
MAGAZINE: Life and death along the Thai-Myanmar border
Buffalos largest refugee contingent hails from Myanmar. It has been plagued by a spate of burglaries that is widely believed to be the work of teenage refugees. But victims, fearful of the police shakedowns they experienced back home, seldom dial 911.
Some have lived in jungles without electricity, leading to mishaps with appliances and burned-out kitchens. Many fall victim to crooked landlords or estate agents seeking to unload shoddy properties at premium prices.
Adapting to the US can be tough for people who are traumatised by having lived in squalid camps for years, enduring torture or persecution at the hands of government officials or seeing loved ones get blown apart by rocket fire.
According to Lamin Tamang, a Bhutanese refugee who reached the US in 2012, most of his compatriots suffer some kind of mental illness after bearing the brunt of a government deportation of ethnic Nepalese in the 1990s.
People struggle with the challenges of a new country, Tamang told Al Jazeera.
They are scared of being shot, afraid of the presence of guns in America. They see terrible crimes on television and think the same could happen to them. After they stay a couple of years, they get to know what is real and go outside without fear.
READ MORE: Meet the refugee helping to feed Cleveland
Refugees: A driving force
Back in Nepals refugee camps, Tamang taught schoolchildren for five years. In the US, he works as a translator for Bhutanese refugees with mental health issues and spends his evenings at college studying for a US teaching qualification.
US refugee agencies target cities such as Buffalo for their relatively low rents. This also means they send newcomers to poor areas with high unemployment and overstretched social services. Buffalos poverty rate is 30.7 percent.
When I imagined America, I imagined New York City or Boston, like in the movies. But I was put somewhere in the junk, I would say. Where there are less people and the housing isnt comfortable. I consider myself in kind of a slum area, Tamang said.
Refugee children have their own problems, often getting low grades in schools where teachers struggle amid the dozens of languages in use. Beset by abysmal graduation rates, Buffalos Lafayette High School is set to close.
The challenges and opportunities faced by Buffalos refugees are replicated across the country.
According to the Americas Society report, refugees and other immigrants are a driving force in regenerating run-down areas. Nationally, they own 61 percent of petrol stations, 58 percent of dry cleaners and 53 percent of grocery stores.
Let your smile change the world
Immigrants give a critical population boost to declining areas, says the 42-page study. Cities such as Philadelphia, St Paul and Nashville have pro-immigrant policies. Shrinking cities such as Baltimore, St Louis, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Chicago might do well to take note.
Others highlight the cost of resettling refugees, not the payback.
Jessica Vaughan, an analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies, says that the five-year resettlement of each Syrian refugee costs $64,000, which could break the bank of the often-poor neighbourhoods where they are typically sent.
The US is the worlds most generous host of refugees, admitting three million since 1975. In that time, the number of those in need has risen. The UNs refugee agency, UNHCR, warns that 60 million people globally are currently displaced by conflict.
As the European refugee crisis of Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans, Somalis, Afghans and others made headlines last year, US President Barack Obama, a Democrat, raised the annual US refugee intake to 85,000, to include 10,000 Syrians displaced by civil war.
His decision was welcomed by some, but also prompted fears of Paris-style attacks on US soil. Trump called for banning all Muslim travel to the US. His lead rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Senator Ted Cruz, said some resettled refugees should be sent back home.
In November, a Bloomberg Politics poll found that 53 percent of Americans wanted to turn away Syrian refugees. Pew Research Center describes similarly lacklustre support for welcoming Hungarian refugees in 1958, as well as Indochinese in 1979 and Cubans in 1980.
Right-wingers are likely to debate the issue up until Novembers presidential election, but efforts by some congressional politicians and state governors to limit refugee numbers and boost security vetting are not being implemented.
None of this seems to bother Yusuf, back at her craft stall in Buffalo. She is too busy with her childrens education and devising new macrame products from key rings to baby gifts and wall hangings.
She embodies many trademark Republican values: a strong work ethic, devotion to her four children and social conservatism. Yet her religion and war-ravaged homeland put her at odds with much that Republicans espouse.
Nevertheless, she remains upbeat. Her macrame wall decorations feature colourful pictures and pithy maxims to lift the spirits. One of the adages is particularly fitting for the challenges facing Muslim refugees in the US.
Let your smile change the world, not the world change your smile, it reads.
Follow James Reinl on Twitter: @jamesreinl
Last week began with a tough message for Israel from the Trudeau government and ended with lifting sanctions on Iran.
Antonia Zerbisias is an award-winning Canadian journalist. She has been a reporter and TV host for the Toronto Star, the CBC, as well as the Montreal correspondent for Variety trade paper.
Those who grew up after World War II in North Americas Jewish neighbourhoods might be familiar with the expression, But is it good for the Jews?
Thats because, post Holocaust, post pogroms, post all the anti-Semitism that propelled Jewish migration to Manhattan, Montreal and Miami, just about any major event, political or otherwise, was being measured by its level of threat to Jews.
Today, despite the apparent rise in anti-Semitism in some corners of Europe, the Jewish people no longer face annihilation. And so the question has become ironic, sort of a joke, something to say, half in jest, when evaluating, say, a presidential candidate or political party leader
But, last week in Canada, as a series of events unfolded, the question was heard again.
It all began on Sunday, January 24, when Stephane Dion, the recently appointed foreign affairs minister, issued a terse statement expressing concern over the continued violence in Israel and the West Bank.
Abandoning Israel?
Reiterating Canadas support for a two-state solution, he declared: Unilateral actions, such as Palestinian initiatives towards statehood in international forums and continued Israeli settlements, are unhelpful and constitute serious obstacles to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
Israeli and Canadian Jewish media erupted. Bloggers accused Canada of abandoning Israel. Conservative Senator Linda Frum, sister of former George Bush Jr speechwriter David Axis of Evil Frum, even took to Twitter to complain of moral equivalence.
READ MORE: Europe, stop branding refugees
The next day, a Dion spokesperson walked the contentious statement back: Were steadfast allies and good friends, and good friends can occasionally deliver tough messages, but its by no means to suggest that were somehow retreating from any kind of support of Israel.
Not that the original was tough to begin with.
What really made the statement significant is that, 10 days earlier, the Canadian Press published a little-noticed report on a confidential briefing memo to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which stated, a truce between Israel and Hamas would be in their respective interests.
Meanwhile last Monday, at Torontos York University, Paul Bronfman, a member of one of Canadas richest Jewish families, complained about a mural in the student centre. It depicts a young man in a keffiyeh emblazoned with a map of Palestine, holding rocks behind his back while watching a bulldozer bearing down on an olive tree and a building.
Denouncing the painting as anti-Semitic, Bronfman, whose cousin Paul serves as Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus chief fundraiser, withdrew his financial support when the university refused to take it down.
Denouncing the painting as 'anti-Semitic', Bronfman, whose cousin Paul serves as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief fundraiser, withdrew his financial support when the university refused to take it down. by
Lifting sanctions on Iran
Then, on Tuesday, Dion announced that Canada would be lifting sanctions on Iran, a country that the former Stephen Harper Conservative government had designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. Calling Harpers views on Iran ideological and irrational, Dion told reporters that not trading with Iran was bad for Canadian businesses such as Montreals Bombardier Inc, which last month lost an aerospace contract to its European rival, Airbus.
Finally, on January 27, which was International Holocaust Memorial Day, Trudeau commemorated the Nazi slaughter of 12 million without ever mentioning Hitlers efforts to wipe out Europes Jews.
So not a good week for Canadas Jews.
For nearly a decade, former prime minister Stephen Harper was most decidedly good for the Jews. He stood foursquare in his words, through fire and water behind Israel and he marched in step with his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.
You are a great friend of Israel and the Jewish people, the Israeli prime minister declared in 2014 when Harper visited Israel, complete with an entourage of 208, including rabbis, Christian evangelical leaders, lobbyists for Israel and even a representative of the Jewish Defense League.
No wonder that, throughout the contentious 2015 federal election campaign that would end with Trudeaus Liberals vanquishing Harpers Conservatives, there was much hand-wringing in the Israeli and Canadian Jewish media over whether the change in government would be good for the Jews.
READ MORE: Israel need not worry about Justin Trudeau
Well, for the first few months it seemed as if it might be. After all, Trudeau had baldly blasted the BDS -Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. He had issued statements all but blaming the bombing of Gaza on the Gazans. And, throughout last years bitterly fought election campaign, he spoke at synagogues and Jewish community centres, saying his party will have Israels back not because its in our political interests to do so at home but because it is the right thing to do.
And so it came to pass.
Inalienable rights
Right after the election, Trudeau took a congratulatory call from Netanyahu.
In November, Canada voted against UN resolutions promoting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including those expressing grave concern about the extremely detrimental impact of Israeli settlement policies, decisions and activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, including on the contiguity, integrity and viability of the territory.
The two prime ministers would pose together for photos at the Paris climate talks. At the economic summit at Davos last month, Netanyahu announced that the two have a very, very good relationship.
But for a brief hiccup last autumn when Dion suggested that Canada would take a more even-handed approach in the Israel-Palestine conflict, acting in its former traditional role as, as one report put it, honest broker in the region, all seemed to be peaceful in the Canada-Israel valley.
Now, not so much.
Needless to say, the Conservatives who kept their seats in Canadas parliament are furiously making the political most of last weeks events. One MP called Dions not-so tough message statement of last week, outrageously vague.
The cancellation of Bronfmans financial support for York University has once again raised the issue of Jewish students feeling unsafe because of campus support for BDS and Israeli Apartheid Week activities.
As for Iran, Israels supporters criticise the lifting of sanctions as a sop to big business.
Last, but far from least, Trudeaus not emphasising the Shoah in his statement commemorating the Holocaust well, he quickly corrected the record, on Twitter and on the governments website.
But, in the end, none of these events was particularly bad for Canadas Jews.
They just werent particularly good for Israel.
Antonia Zerbisias is an award-winning Canadian journalist. She has been a reporter and TV host for the Toronto Star, the CBC, as well as the Montreal correspondent for Variety trade paper.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The UN must play a part in resolving conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan but only if there is a shared desire for peace.
Tajikistan, Central Asias poorest state and Afghanistans northern neighbour, is under dangerous pressure both internally and externally, according to an early warning report by International Crisis Group.
The peace and security that has lasted for almost 20 years in Tajikistan is now facing serious threats. Nevertheless, it could be argued that the fact that peace has lasted for two decades is in itself significant. It is indicative of the relative success of the architecture of the Tajik peace accord of June 1997, which may have lessons for the diplomatic efforts under way for peace in both Afghanistan and Syria.
Clearly the scale and details of these wars vary considerably but the essential elements that make up a successful peace process are relevant.
First, unlike the present examples of Afghanistan and Syria, the Tajik peace process was from the outset designed and implemented by the United Nations in cooperation with key regional powers.
Desire for peace
Secondly, for about one year before signing, the process benefited from a strong shared desire for peace by the warring sides. This key element made compromise possible.
The peace accord was the culmination of a hard-fought, three-year-long negotiation process; a process characterised by extended periods of deadlock, often interrupted by spasms of violence between the warring parties.
READ MORE: Why the Syria talks remind me of the Oslo process
It followed five years of fighting at the cost of up to 100,000 lives, devastating the economy and with dire humanitarian consequences.
The peace process must be mutually acceptable, both sides must be prepared to give concessions, leaders must agree on the accord, and, most importantly, all parties must have shared perceptions on the desirability of an accord. by
An important element was the persistent demand of the people of Tajikistan for peace. Earlier, they had staged a 59-day, non-stop demonstration in the capital, Dushanbe, demanding a change of government in scenes not dissimilar to Syrian demonstrations at the outset of its troubles. Although this did not happen immediately, it was a powerful driving force in the Tajik negotiations.
Perhaps it is based on such experiences that before the peace talks in Geneva, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, appealed to the Syrian people: We count on you to raise your voice, to say khalas, it is enough, he said in a video message to Syrians. Enough killing, murdering, torturing, prisons.
Richard Haass, who was involved in the Northern Ireland multi-party negotiations, argues that for diplomacy to succeed four conditions must be considered ripe.
All four conditions in his model are necessary, and the absence of any one is sufficient to preclude agreement: The peace process must be mutually acceptable, both sides must be prepared to give concessions, leaders must agree on the accord, and, most importantly, all parties must have shared perceptions on the desirability of an accord.
Objective mediator
In the case of Tajikistan, all these conditions came together and the UN was trusted as the objective mediator and allowed to play its part. This was unlike in Afghanistan, where the government has repeatedly insisted on an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process, discouraging the UN from participation.
Likewise in Syria, the UN itself turned into the main battlefield between the permanent members of the Security Council with veto powers.
Moreover, in the case of Tajikistan, through UN diplomacy the key neighbouring countries were encouraged to play their part. Iran and Russia, which were the primary rivals in the conflict, eventually found mutually acceptable terms. That cooperation continues today on the world stage. Other regional players were brought in to act as observers to the peace process.
Some figures with moral authority such as Prince Karim Aga Khan, leader of the Ismaili population (a sizeable community of Ismailis reside in Tajikistan) or the commander of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who did not live to see peace in his own country, were among the main peace brokers.
READ MORE: Has the West betrayed the Syrian people?
Twenty years ago this year, on December 11, 1996, Massoud, with the then Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, mediated the initial agreement which in turn demarcated the overall shape of the final Tajik peace accord.
So far attempts at holding peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have been mismanaged by constant secrecy and confusion from a lack of objective, well-meaning diplomacy and dialogue.
In the case of Syria, it has taken five years and hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced for the UN to be given a mandate in December 2015 by the Security Council to act. Even as talks begin, the shadow of boycotts threatens the atmosphere and it is not clear whether there is that mutual consensus to give peace a chance.
The UN is often accused of being ineffective, and in many instances its gigantic administrative machinery causes delays. However, it remains the most qualified organisation to design and implement peace. The UN cannot, however, operate if it is not given a mandate at the outset of a conflict; if its envoys are not supported by powerful members of the Security Council; and if it does not have the power to hold to account those responsible for the continuation of bloodshed and contravention of international law.
ICG is right to warn that Tajikistans peace must be safeguarded by the international community because as we see all around us, reaching peace is never easy.
Dr Massoumeh Torfeh is the former director of strategic communication at the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan and is currently a research associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science, specialising in Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The emergence of ISIL in Libya appears to have tipped the balance in the war-torn country.
While Syria and Iraq may have grabbed the headlines over the past few years, another country has been preying on the mind of some Western officials. In private, French, Italian, British and United States defence officials and diplomats have expressed their huge concern about Libya. Now that the likelihood of a military intervention has increased, 2016 may turn out to be the year of Libya.
Back in November 2013, former Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan warned that the international community cannot tolerate a state in the middle of the Mediterranean that is a source of violence, terrorism and killings. Only a handful of nations listened to him.
In a May 2014 interview, I stated that the US, French and Algerian special forces had been allegedly conducting operations against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) since early that year.
In August 2014, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia were on high alert after an alleged US tip-off that Libyan jihadists were planning to fly planes into buildings in these countries, in attacks similar to that of September 11.
Taking the threat seriously, Morocco mobilised 70,000 soldiers across the country and installed anti-aircraft batteries in Casablanca, Marrakesh and Tangier to shoot down any civilian plane that might have been taken by terrorists.
Algeria took similar measures. In 2014, it had reportedly conducted operations for almost two months inside Libya involving up to 5,000 soldiers to root out jihadists.
As the joint Egypt-United Arab Emirates air strikes in Libya showed in 2014, regional powers are not going to sit idly by as dark clouds gather nearby, which could mean that Libya becomes the most dangerous place, not only for North Africa but for Europe. It could even shift the focus from Iraq and Syria.
A new Syria?
Libya has the largest stockpile of loose weapons in the world according to some reports, even larger than the British armys arsenal plus about 4,000 surface-to-air missiles and 6,400 barrels of uranium concentrate powder, known as yellowcake, that could pass into the hands of terror groups such as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), AQIM or al Mourabitoun which controls large swaths of territory in the south.
While the worsening situation in Libya failed to trigger an international military intervention in 2015, the emergence of ISIL in Libya appears to have tipped the balance.
Libya is ISIL's second largest 'market' after Iraq and Syria, and as it was extensively featured in the September issue of ISIL magazine Dabiq, it has the potential to become a popular training ground for European recruits. by
While Italy, for example, has said that it will not attack ISIL in Syria, it has indicated that it might attack in Libya, which could mean air strikes as well as special forces on the ground. Italy has now taken the lead over France when it comes to fixing Libya, which isnt surprising when one considers Italys colonial past in Libya, its commercial interests there, and the fact that Rome has been repeatedly threatened by ISIL.
Another nation, Canada, is actually withdrawing its fighter jets from the coalition in Iraq and Syria, so that it is ready to take part in a military operation in Libya.
Britain is actually preparing to send up to 1,000 troops and special forces to Libya. This should not come as a surprise following the June terror attack in Tunisia, in which 30 British citizens died, because the attacker was an ISIL operative trained in Libya. At the time, David Cameron, the British prime minister, said that he was ready to launch immediate air strikes against terrorists in Libya.
Russia could also get involved in Libya after General Khalifa Haftar reached out to them for support.
The new Saudi-led coalition against ISIL could also see more action in Libya than Syria or Iraq because of both Egypt and the UAEs interests there. Finally, both France and the US have recently been preparing public opinion for an imminent intervention.
Once initiated, the air strikes are likely to focus on ISILs stronghold in Sirte and possibly the two large ISIL training camps in Hun, 200 kilometres south of Sirte.
The appeal for ISIL
ISIL is believed to have between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters in Libya, but that number could rise quickly for two reasons: Firstly, some of the fighters leaving Syria could join ISIL in Libya; and, secondly, new recruits are expected to swell their ranks.
OPINION: Libya, extremism and the consequences of collapse
Libya is ISILs second largest market after Iraq and Syria and featured extensively in the September issue of ISILs magazine Dabiq. It has the potential to become a popular training ground for European recruits. In November 2015, two Frenchmen were arrested in southern Tunisia reportedly on their way to join an ISIL training camp.
A North African from Brussels, Paris or Amsterdam would have much more in common with someone from Libya rather than in Syria or Iraq, making it more appealing to recruits. And while entry to Syria is getting more difficult, Libya is now seen as a possible springboard to destabilise neighbouring Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
And while ISIL would be the main target in Libya, it is interesting that it was a recent AQIM video that called on Libyans to rise up against the invaders from Italy, France, the US and Britain.
Given the situation in Libya a failed state with three governments, no real army, a plethora of militias and several seasoned terror groups any international military intervention force will have its work cut out..
Olivier Guitta is the managing director of GlobalStrat, a geopolitical risk and security consultancy firm with a regional specialisation on Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Taiz, Yemen Last month, Hani Mansour took his wife, who was expecting their first child, to the Republican Hospital in the city of Taiz.
After spending hours at the state-run hospital, Mansours wife gave birth. Mansour was overjoyed to hear the news, but was shocked when the doctor told him that his son needed to stay in an incubator because his lungs were not fully developed.
However, because of Yemens ongoing civil war in which the Houthi rebel group is besieging Taiz, the Republican Hospital has no oxygen cylinders, and its incubators do not work.
I tried to move my child to al-Hikma private hospital, but there were no oxygen cylinders there either, so my child died five hours after his birth, Mansour told Al Jazeera.
READ MORE: Injured Yemenis Unable to leave, unable to stay
As the war in Yemen continues to rage, 37 of the 40 hospitals and medical institutions in Taiz, Yemens second city, have closed. Only the Republican and al-Hikma hospitals have incubators, but because both hospitals usually lack oxygen supplies, the incubators do not work regularly.
Around 20 oxygen cylinders arrived at the hospital in the last two weeks, Dr Rania Mohammed, the supervisor of the incubators department at the Republican Hospital, told Al Jazeera. But these cylinders are not enough, as some of the children need to stay in the incubators for several weeks and sometimes for two months, and these cylinders only last for a few days.
Mohammed added that power cuts further complicate the use of the incubators: The fathers of the newborn children have to bring generators to the hospital to turn the incubators on.
That was the case for Ridhwan al-Ashari, whose wife gave birth at the Republican Hospital on January 13. The child was in dire need of oxygen, and although there were oxygen cylinders in the hospital, there was no fuel for the generator powering the incubator.
I brought my own generator from my house and I turned the incubator on. But after two days, the oxygen cylinders ran out, and my child needed to stay in the incubator for two months. So after all these efforts I made, my child died, Ashari told Al Jazeera.
READ MORE: Starvation in Yemen We are hoping just to survive
Abdul Hakeem al-Ameen, a doctor on the medical committee in Taiz that is responsible for distributing medicine to hospitals, said that 25 people died last month because of the lack of oxygen cylinders in the city, including 13 children. An additional 30 people died in December, he said, most of whom were children.
There are around 600 patients waiting for surgical operations, and they cannot do them because of the lack of oxygen. So some of those patients may die if they do not do the operation, Ameen told Al Jazeera.
The Houthi rebel group prevents the import of basic commodities, as well as medicine, propane, and oxygen cylinders, to besieged areas of Taiz.
According to Mohammed, the only way oxygen cylinders can be brought in is by smugglers, who carry goods on the backs of camels on a road cutting through the mountains.
The oxygen cylinders are transported from Aden province to Talooq village, only four kilometres from Taiz. Then, the smugglers take the oxygen cylinders to Taizs al-Maradei area.
Mohamed Moqbel, 45, a camel owner, is one of these smugglers. He told Al Jazeera that he started this work last month.
Every morning, I go to Talooq with around 20 camel owners to meet doctors. Then they give each camel owner two oxygen cylinders, and we leave Talooq towards the city. After four hours, doctors meet us in al-Maradei in Taiz to take the cylinders, Moqbel said.
I get 5,000 rials [$23] for each cylinder, and my camel carries two cylinders at once. So it is profitable work for us, as we get 10,000 rials [$46] a day, but sometimes we do not find cylinders to smuggle.
WATCH: Hospitals in Yemen on the brink of shutting down
Moqbel said that he is very proud of his work as an oxygen smuggler, because he is helping patients in the besieged areas. The smugglers also carry medicine and other commodities.
But Abdul Kareem Shamsan, the head of the Taiz-based Humanitarian Aid Coalition, a local coalition of aid organisations, said that the oxygen cylinders smuggled into Taiz only cover less than 15 percent of the total need, and the casualties because of the lack of oxygen cylinders are increasing every day.
He said that each cylinder, with the added price of transportation, now costs 15,000 rials ($70), compared with only 3,000 rials ($14) before the siege began.
Prosecutors say one of the convicts headed group behind series of attacks on civilians during 1971 independence war.
A Bangladeshi tribunal has sentenced two pre-independence figures to death for war crimes during the 1971 conflict which culminated in the dismemberment of Pakistan.
Lawyers for 66-year-old Obaidul Haque and Ataur Rahman, 62, immediately announced that they would seek to overturn Tuesdays ruling by the International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic court which lacks international oversight.
Both men were convicted of killing seven people and raping a woman in the northern district of Netrokona, and of torturing six others to death after abducting them.
A total of 23 prosecution witnesses had testified against the pair since charges were laid against them last year.
The court has so far convicted two dozen people of atrocities in the conflict, in what was then East Pakistan, which broke away from the rest of the country to become Bangladesh.
READ MORE: Between justice and politics in Bangladesh
Following Tuesdays verdict, Mokhlesur Rahman Badal, a prosecutor, told Al Jazeera: The prosecution is satisfied with this judgment.
Ziad al-Malum, another prosecutor, told Al Jazeera that with the verdict, the tribunal made it clear that there can be no more debate over the number of three million martyrs whose sacrifices have given us an independent state.
Prosecutors had told the tribunal that Haque was not only one of the leaders of an anti-independence political party in 1971, but also the head of an armed group behind a series of attacks on civilians.
Rahman was accused by witnesses of being a member of the same armed group.
We will challenge the verdict with the Supreme Court and hope our clients will be proved not guilty and be acquitted, Gazi Tamim, a defence lawyer, said after the sentence was handed down.
Twenty-four people have so far been convicted of war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal.
Most of them were senior figures in Jamaat-e-Islami, the countrys largest Islamist party.
Three of the Jamaat leaders have so far been executed, along with a senior leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The government of Sheikh Hasina Wajed says the trials are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict.
The BNP accuses the prime minister of presiding over politically motivated killings.
Jamaat, which was banned from contesting the 2014 general elections, says the executions are part of a strategy aimed at eliminating its leadership
Previous convictions and sentences handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal have set off political violence, with up to 500 people killed over the past three years.
With reporting from Mahmud Hossain Opu in Dhaka
Washington says five missing booksellers raise questions about Beijings commitment to Hong Kongs autonomy.
The United States called on China to clarify the status of five missing Hong Kong booksellers, saying the case raised serious questions about Chinas commitment to Hong Kongs autonomy under the one country, two systems framework.
The booksellers including Lee Bo, 65, a dual British and Chinese national and owner of a publisher and bookstore specialising in books critical of Chinas Communist Party leaders are believed by many to have been abducted by mainland agents.
Bookseller critic of China government goes missing in Hong Kong
US State Department spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing on Monday the United States was deeply concerned.
These cases raise serious questions about Chinas commitment to Hong Kongs autonomy under the one country, two systems framework, as well as its respect for the protection of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, Kirby said.
We urge China to clarify the current status of all five individuals and the circumstances surrounding their disappearances and to allow them to return to their homes.
The British government is still waiting for responses to its diplomatic requests for information and access to Lee, who disappeared from Hong Kong on December 30.
Lees wife visited him in a mainland guesthouse on January 23 and issued a statement saying he was healthy and in good spirits, and that he was a witness in an investigation.
Four other booksellers are believed to be still in mainland detention, including Swedish national Gui Min-hai, who disappeared from the Thai resort town of Pattaya last October.
Gui surfaced on Chinese state television last month, stating he had voluntarily turned himself into Chinese authorities over a fatal drunken driving case more than a decade ago.
Wife sheds light on missing on missing Hong Kong publisher
The disappearances have prompted fears that mainland Chinese authorities may be using shadowy tactics that erode the one country, two systems formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to China from British rule in 1997.
Britain handed Hong Kong back to China under agreements that its broad freedoms, way of life and vaunted legal system would remain unchanged for 50 years.
Chinese authorities have not responded to multiple requests for comment from Reuters, nor have they made any substantial statements explaining Beijings role in the disappearances or the fate of the men.
Officials recover bodies of nine refugees, including two children, as attempted crossings to Greece surge dramatically.
At least nine refugees two of them children have drowned after a boat sank off the Turkish coast and the International Organisation for Migration warned of a dangerous surge in the number of drownings and attempted crossings into Greece.
Turkeys Dogan news agency reported that the latest sinking occurred near the Aegean coastal town of Seferihisar, which is near the Greek island of Samos.
The Turkish coastguard managed to rescue two refugees, while another 11 people managed to reach the shore, the report said.
Tuesdays deaths came after 37 refugees drowned off another part of the Turkish coast on Saturday in harrowing scenes reminiscent of the death of Alan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler whose body was found lying face down on a Turkish beach in September.
The deaths also came as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said that the number of refugees arriving in Greece topped 62,000 in January.
The IOM said that more than 360 people died in the waters off Greece, Turkey and Italy while attempting the journey during the month.
[It] is many, many times what we saw a year ago in the previous January, IOM spokesman Joel Millman said.
More than 10,000 refugee children missing in Europe
Turkey reached an agreement with the European Union in November to stem the flow of refugees bound for Europe in return for 3 billion euros ($3.2bn) in financial assistance, but the agreement has failed to check the tide of arrivals.
Turkey, which is hosting at least 2.5 million refugees from Syrias civil war, has become the main launchpad for people fleeing war, persecution and poverty to Europe.
Neither the deal with the EU, nor the harsh winter conditions have appeared to deter refugees trying to reach Europe, many of whom pay people smugglers thousands of dollars for the risky crossing.
The Turkish government said on Monday that it was working on new legal measures to strengthen penalties for human smuggling by making it an act of terror and organised crime.
Dutch plan seeks to ferry refugees back to Turkey
Around 100,000 people stuck in railway stations as snow and ice disrupt the worlds largest annual human migration.
Nearly 100,000 Lunar New Year travellers in China are stranded in the city of Guangzhou, as snow and ice disrupt what is thought to be the worlds largest annual human migration.
Many trains to the capital of the southern province of Guangdong have been delayed since Monday after north and central China were hit by icy conditions, leaving no transport available for those waiting to leave.
Al Jazeera confirmed that the number of commuters stuck at two of the citys main stations, Guangzhou and Guangzhou East, had reached nearly 100,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
Almost 4,000 police and security guards were mobilised to maintain order at the sites, AFP reported.
Senior Al Jazeera meteorologist Steff Gaulter said the forecast for the region looked more favourable over the next few days, with no further heavy snow expected this week.
READ MORE: Chinese new year, a getaway like no other
Guangdong, Chinas manufacturing powerhouse, is a major hub for vast numbers of migrant workers who leave their homes in the countryside to labour in its factories.
Many workers only return home once a year, when tradition dictates that all family members must gather before midnight on the eve of the Lunar New Year, which this year falls on February 8.
The phenomenon puts huge pressure on Chinas transport infrastructure.
The government estimated that 2.91 billion trips would be made over the holidays 40-day travel season, in what is believed to be the largest yearly movement of people in the world.
Much of China was struck by a cold snap late last month that broke decades-old records, with snow falling in some areas for the first time in years.
Police urged passengers not to travel to railway stations too long before their trains scheduled departure time to avoid waiting for overly long time and overcrowding the surrounding areas.
Test case mounted by Human Rights Law Centre will challenge the legality of countrys offshore processing centres.
Australias High Court is set to rule on Wednesday in a test case that will challenge the legality of Australias offshore detention of refugees.
Should the verdict come down on the side of the government, 267 asylum seekers currently in Australia could be deported to the Pacific island of Nauru.
The group includes 39 children as well as 33 babies who were born in Australia.
The government has shifted the goalposts during the case by passing retrospective legislation with broad political support. by Tom Clarke, Human Rights Law Centre
Most of the 267 refugees were taken from Nauru to Australia for specialist medical care and have been living in limbo while waiting for the High Court to rule on the legality of the Nauru centre.
The legal challenge will focus on whether Australia can constitutionally fund offshore processing centres.
The Australian government has sought to convince the court that it is legally entitled to send asylum seekers to Nauru and that it is not responsible for the people housed there, despite spending more than AUD$1bn ($700m) for running two offshore centres.
The government has passed retrospective legislation in an attempt to hold off the challenge. In June 2015, laws were passed with bipartisan parliamentary support that made the funding of the centres legal.
In October 2015, just two days before the High Court was due to hear legal arguments in this current case, the Nauru Centre was opened, allowing asylum seekers free movement around the island.
The asylum seekers were no longer officially detained, thus distancing the Australian government from any claims of illegal detention.
Tom Clarke from the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), which has brought the challenge to the High Court, said that whatever the judgment, asylum seekers would be unlikely to be able to stay on the Australian mainland.
They are all at risk, whether we win or lose, Clarke told Al Jazeera.
The government has shifted the goalposts during the case by passing retrospective legislation with broad political support.
If the High Court decision goes against the government, it is possible that asylum seekers may be moved to Christmas Island, an Australian territorial island closer to Indonesia that the Australian mainland.
The Christmas Island detention centre was the scene of riots in November last year.
If the decision is handed down in favour of the government, the first of the 267 asylum seekers could be deported to Nauru as soon as Saturday.
The High Courts decision may have significant implications for Australias off-shore processing regime, but whatever the outcome, it will be up to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Immigration Minister to decide the fate of our clients, Daniel Webb, the director of legal advocacy at HRLC, told Al Jazeera.
The stroke of a pen is all it would take for Mr Turnbull to do the decent thing and let these families start rebuilding their lives in safety.
Clinton and Sanders in virtual dead heat in Democratic race in first voting event of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Republican Ted Cruz has beaten Donald Trump in Iowas presidential nominating contest for the Republican party, the first in the 2016 race for the White House.
In the Democratic poll, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were squared off in a virtual dead heat late on Monday.
Cruz, a conservative politician from Texas, won with 28 percent of the vote against 24 percent for the controversial businessman Trump.
Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation, Cruz said in his victory speech.
Voting to begin in key US state of Iowa
Iowa has given notice that the next Republican nominee will not be chosen by the mainstream, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment, will not be chosen by the lobbyists but will be chosen by the most incredible, powerful source the American people, he added.
Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, came third with 23 percent, making him easily the leader among establishment Republican candidates.
William Schneider, a professor of public policy at George Mason University, said the candidate from Florida is likely to go all the way.
Republicans had a division, those who voted with their hearts voted for Cruz. Those who voted with their heads voted for Rubio because he looks like a winner, Schneider told Al Jazeera.
At this point, the Republican power-holders are very fearful of Cruz taking the nomination because they dont think he can get elected. Youre going to see pots and pots of money being thrown at Marco Rubio.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, held a lead of 49.8 percent in the Democratic race against 49.6 percent for Sanders, a self-styled democratic socialist senator from the state of Vermont, with 99 percent of the precincts reporting.
This is astonishing, really. It was really Hillary Clintons race to lose, Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett reported. When Bernie Sanders launched his candidacy, Clinton was some 50 points ahead. Now it is virtually the same number.
Halkett said while a win in Iowa of the Democratic or Republican caucuses doesnt always point to an eventual win of the nomination, it provides important momentum and and drives donations for further campaigning.
Historically a win is important for another reason too. No candidate who has finished less than third place has ever gone on to win the White House, she said.
READ MORE: US elections and horse race journalism
In the Democratic race, former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley was considered the most endangered Democrat before the caucuses.
Sources close to his campaign told Al Jazeera that OMalley would suspend his campaign after the poll.
On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee announced that he was pulling out of the presidential race after a poor result on Monday.
Further departures may occur after Iowa, but New Hampshire on February 9 may be more of a winnowing event, because that is where more of the hopefuls are pinning their expectations.
At least 18 soldiers killed in latest ISIL attack against Iraqi forces in Anbar provinces capital.
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have killed 18 Iraqi soldiers in a suicide car attack north of Ramadi, continuing their counterattack after being driven from the city by Iraqi troops last month.
Military sources told Al Jazeera that Tuesday mornings attack took place in the town of Al-Bu Dhiaab, just a few miles north of Anbar provinces capital.
Three ISIL suicide bombers attempted to attack members of the 39th brigade of the 10th army division, but two of their vehicles were demolished by anti-tank missiles, the military sources said.
The third bomber, however, managed to make his way to the gate of the armys headquarters and detonate the explosives, killing at least 18 soldiers.
Al Jazeeras Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said: This is a major blow for the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). The north of Ramadi was supposed to be secure.
He said that it was too early to say that ISILs recent attacks against Iraqi forces around Ramadi could be labelled a resurgence.
What we do know is that ISIL is able to mount attacks because they are a lot more nimble, our correspondent said.
The Iraqi army declared Ramadi liberated in early January after a major offensive reclaimed government offices in the city centre.
READ MORE: New ISIL attack kills more than 30 Iraqi soldiers
But since then, Iraqi forces have faced continued attacks from ISIL and fierce resistance in areas it holds in Ramadis suburbs with dozens of Iraqi soldiers killed in attacks last week.
Elsewhere, in Ramadis eastern Shujirayah neighbourhood, Iraqi forces were attempting to clear about 300 ISIL fighters believed to be holed up there.
This is the fourth time Iraqi forces have mounted an offensive to take these eastern neighbourhoods, the last remaining pocket of ISIL fighters, Al Jazeeras Khan said.
He said booby traps set by ISIL have so far slowed the advance.
Trapped in Falluja
Tens of thousands of trapped Iraqi civilians are running out of food and medicine in the western city of Falluja, an ISIL stronghold under siege by security forces, according to local officials and residents.
The Iraqi army, police and Iranian-backed Shia militias backed by air strikes from a US-led coalition imposed a near total siege late last year on Falluja, located 50 km west of Baghdad in the Euphrates river valley.
The citys population is suffering from a shortage of food, medicine and fuel, residents and officials told the Reuters news agency by phone, and media reports said several people had died due to starvation and poor medical care. Insecurity and poor communications inside the city make those reports difficult to verify.
Sohaib al-Rawi, the governor of Anbar province where Falluja is located, appealed to the coalition to air-drop humanitarian supplies to the trapped civilians. He said this was the only way to deliver aid after ISIL mined the entrances to the city and stopped people leaving.
No force can enter and secure (the delivery) There is no option but for airplanes to transport aid, he said in an interview with al-Hadath TV late on Monday, adding the situation was deteriorating by the day.
The government of the southern African nation of Lesotho has declared a national emergency as drought continues to hit farming communities.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said hundreds of thousands of people will need food aid in the coming year.
In the Leribe district of the country, Mapuleng Khalala, a farmer, packs away her empty corn bag as her crops fail to produce food for her family.
It is going to be very difficult to live in this situation, because I live on farming, so I dont know what I am going to feed my children, she told Al Jazeera.
The WFP said the drought will hit 80 percent of Lesothos rural population the hardest.
Most people in rural areas are dependent on subsistence farming, and a severe shortage of potable water is making the situation worse.
Already, more than half of the countrys population survives on less than a dollar a day.
The worst-case scenario if we do not react now, we will have people without their assets, their cows, their sheep, Mary Njoroge, a WFP official, told Al Jazeera.
They are selling whatever asset they have. It means they will fall into deeper poverty where it will be more difficult.
The government has pledged $10m for drought relief. But it needs three times that amount.
Across the mountains, farmers like Mapuleng said any rain now would be too late. And as winter approaches, communities worry about the road ahead.
Juba, South Sudan Setting up a unity government in South Sudan has been further delayed, a setback in efforts to end a brutal conflict that has killed thousands of people over the past two years.
Despite missing key deadlines, warring parties were scheduled to establish a transitional government after a peace deal was signed by President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar in August.
But the progress has been slow.
Al Jazeera spoke to Riek Machar of the armed opposition Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM/A IO) about the efforts to implement the signed peace deal.
Riek Machar, rebel leader in South Sudan
Al Jazeera: Government officials weve talked to allege you are the one holding back the process of forming a unity government. Whats your response?
Riek Machar: First of all, Im not holding back the process. We were engaged in the process of incorporating the peace agreement into a constitution. There have been differences over this issue and particularly over the new 28 states. We are saying that the creation of 28 states is a violation, and this violation must be corrected first.
I think that IGAD council of ministers have now changed the sequence of the road map to the formation of the transitional government of national unity. We will now form the government after Juba is demilitarised and our troops go in. So the sequence is slightly changed, we think this is good.
We will prepare ourselves and our troops to go to Juba to form the joint integrated security force. In total 2,910 of our troops will be going to Juba and the government will have nearly 3,000 troops, then the rest will go out of Juba. After that, we can start forming the government of national unity.
READ MORE: South Sudans army accused of suffocating 50 civilians
Al Jazeera: And what is the time frame for this?
Riek Machar: If we get assistance from the international community to take our troops to Juba it should take a maximum of three weeks.
Al Jazeera: The matter of the 28 states has that been resolved?
Riek Machar: If we take the IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) communique, the 28 states issue will be shelved until a month after we form the government of national unity. We will together discuss the need of having 28 states, maintaining the 10 that are already in place, or finding a middle ground. I think its no longer an obstacle to the formation of the transitional government of national unity, nor is it any more an obstacle in trying to have an agreed draft for the constitution.
Al Jazeera: Theres so much mistrust between your side and the government. How will you govern a country with such division.
Riek Machar: I dont think there is what you call mistrust. There are disagreements. There was disagreement over the 28 states. Sometimes theres different interpretation of the text of the agreement. This I cant say to be mistrust.
READ MORE: South Sudan moves towards forming unity government
Al Jazeera: Every time progress is made, a new condition comes up. South Sudanese are frustrated. Will there be further stumbling blocks?
Riek Machar: I think you are a good judge and you know whats wrong. If the government introduces 28 states 39 days after the peace agreement was signed by them, that is clearly creating an obstacle to the implementation of the peace agreement. In actual fact for the past three weeks, the discussion was over this issue. The lack of progress on the constitution was because of this issue.
Al Jazeera: Can you assure the people of South Sudan that you will not go back to Juba with more conditions, and you will, together with the government, form this transitional government theyve been waiting so long for?
Riek Machar: I want to be in Juba. I want the government of national unity to be formed as soon as possible. All we need is to ensure that the obstacles that were creating difficulties for us are removed. There should be no reason to delay the formation of the transitional government of national unity. Once Juba is demilitarised the troops that are supposed to take over the security of the city are deployed from both sides then I will be in Juba. Juba is my home.
Two men attacked Shia mosque during Friday prayers, killing four and wounding another 33 people.
Saudi Arabian authorities have identified an Egyptian national as the second attacker involved in a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque during last weeks Friday prayers.
Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Mansour al-Turki said in a statement on Monday obtained by the Associated Press that the attacker, Talha Hesham Abdo, had lived in the kingdom on a visitor visa since 2013.
Abdo and a Saudi national, identified a day earlier as 22-year-old Abdulrahman al-Tuwaijri, were both wearing explosive belts. Abdo was wounded and detained after an exchange of gunfire with security forces outside the mosque.
Al-Tuwaijri died when he detonated his device at the entrance of Imam Reda Mosque in al-Ahsa, killing four people and wounding 33 others.
No group has claimed responsibility for Fridays attack, but Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters have targeted the kingdoms minority Shia in the past.
In late October, ISIL claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Najran city, in which one person was killed and 16 others were injured.
ISIL also claimed responsibility for an attack at a mosque inside a special forces headquarters in the city of Abha in early August. Fifteen people were killed and nine wounded in that attack.
Backed by Russian air strikes, government forces capture strategic towns north of Aleppo as talks resume in Switzerland.
The Syrian government launched a major offensive from the north of Aleppo and captured several strategically important towns, as talks in Geneva on a ceasefire continued on Tuesday.
Mondays advance opened the way for President Bashar al-Assads forces to retake Aleppo, Syrias largest city, as troops marched through the towns of Hardatnein, Tal Jibbeen, and Deir Zaitoun.
Hundreds of families were reportedly fleeing their homes because of heavy Russian air strikes on the area assisting the Syrian governments advance.
Opposition leaders in Switzerland condemned the offensive, saying that it shows the government is not committed to finding a peaceful resolution to the civil war.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, also warned on Tuesday that the situation on the ground for the Syrian people is unfathomable.
We havent seen a catastrophe like this since World War II, and its unfolding before our eyes, Kerry said at a conference in Rome on countering the advances of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
Talks in Geneva continued on Tuesday as the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, was to meet representatives of Assads government.
Meanwhile, Syrian opposition leaders were meeting a Russian deputy foreign minister.
Discussions are meant to develop a road map to end the nearly five-year conflict that has resulted in more than 250,000 Syrians being killed.
Opposition sounds warning as military advance opens way for Assad government forces to recapture countrys largest city.
Syrias main opposition bloc has given warning that attacks by government forces in Aleppo province could stand in the way of the peace talks under way in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The Syrian government launched a major offensive from the north of Aleppo and captured several strategically important towns on Monday.
The warning was sounded by the Higher Negotiations Committee (HNC), which sent a 17-strong opposition team, including three rebel leaders, to Geneva on Saturday.
Salim al-Muslet, HNC spokesman, said the opposition was waiting for reaction to the developments in Aleppo and other provinces.
It is important for us to see the lifting of sieges of children starving to death, he said.
Since last night, big massacres have taken place in Syria and nobody is doing or saying anything.
We do not know if the international community is completely blind or they do not want to do anything. We are here to know if they are keen to do anything.
The HNC condemned the Aleppo offensive, saying it showed President Bashar al-Assads government is not committed to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Inside Story: Will Syrias warring sides reach the negotiating table?
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed on Tuesday the reports from Aleppo, saying that at least 270 air strikes had been documented in the last 24 hours.
The monitoring group said at least 11 civilians, including two Red Crescent volunteers, were killed in the attacks in addition to 39 government troops and rebel fighters.
The sense of cynicism here among the Syrian opposition is just as high as it is among the regime, Al Jazeeras Mohamed Jamjoom, reporting from Geneva, said.
The meetings are part of a process outlined in a UN resolution last month that envisages an 18-month timetable for a political transition, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections.
Our correspondent said the HNC met earlier on Tuesday for two to three hours before deciding to postpone their meeting with Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy.
The opposition continues to maintain that these talks cannot actually begin in good faith until the Syrian regime actually lifts the siege and allows the entry of humanitarian aid and the release of political prisoners as a sign of good faith, he said.
Mondays military advance in Aleppo opens the way for Assads forces to retake Syrias largest city as troops marched through the towns of Hardatnein, Tal Jibbeen and Deir Zaitoun.
Reporters Notebook: The shifting lines in Syria
Hundreds of families were reportedly fleeing their homes because of heavy Russian air strikes assisting the Syrian governments advance.
Separately, John Kerry, US secretary of state, has also given warning that the situation on the ground for the Syrian people is unfathomable.
We havent seen a catastrophe like this since World War II, and its unfolding before our eyes, he said at a conference in Rome on Tuesday on countering the advances of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
The Geneva peace talks are the first since two rounds of negotiations collapsed in 2014.
When the weak negotiates with the strong, it is the strong that dictates. What is going on in Geneva is deformed on so many levels, Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst, said.
Syria: Starvation as a weapon of war
These are asymmetrical talks talks between the opposition that is being bombarded every day and a regime that is responsible for the disaster.
The Geneva negotiations are meant to develop a road map to end the nearly five-year conflict that has resulted in more than 250,000 Syrians being killed.
The conflict has also displaced millions more and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing as refugees to Europe.
President denounces killing of conservationist after his helicopter was shot down by elephant poachers.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli has condemned the killing of a British conservationist after his helicopter was shot down while he chased poachers, saying five people were arrested.
Roger Gower, 37, was killed when his helicopter took fire from poachers during a patrol last week of the Maswa Game Reserve in northern Tanzania, close to the world-famous Serengeti National Park.
Gower, who worked for the Friedkin Conservation Fund, had been tracking poachers after spotting the carcasses of recently killed elephants.
This is a sad incident that must be strongly condemned, Magufuli said in a statement, ordering that all those involved should be aggressively pursued and brought to justice.
Five suspects were arrested and questioned by police.
Magufuli vowed to boost efforts to protect wildlife.
I personally support the fight against poaching in our game reserves and national parks Let us join hands against the poachers, said Magufuli.
READ MORE: Illegal ivory trade driven by China demand
Gowers South African colleague, safari guide Nicky Bester, survived the helicopter crash.
Pascal Shelutete, Tanzanias National Parks spokesman, said poachers can be heavily armed with sophisticated military weaponry.
Ivory is sought out for jewellery and decorative objects and much of it is smuggled to China, where many increasingly wealthy shoppers are buying ivory trinkets as a sign of financial success.
It is estimated that more than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year across Africa.
Warning comes as diplomats from 23 nations meet in Rome to plan steps to stop group from seizing North African country.
Italys foreign minister says time is running out to stabilise war-torn Libya as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group is expanding its reach in the North African country.
The warning came as the European nation on Tuesday hosted in Rome representatives from 23 countries who are part of the US-led coalition seeking to prevent ISIL from seizing Libya and targeting the West from across the Mediterranean Sea.
In an interview to the Messagero newspaper, Paolo Gentiloni, Italys foreign minister, said there was no enthusiasm in Rome, or within the coalition, for hasty military intervention.
If anything, we need to be ever more wary and more watchful because we know that the more Daesh [ISIL] is squeezed in its core territories, the more tempted it is to pursue its terrorist activities elsewhere, he said.
We are witnessing renewed activity in Libya and in sub-Saharan Africa.
Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Rome, said the coalition was working on a plan for potential air strikes on ISIL positions in the coastal area that stretches from Bin Jawa to the west of Sirte, which lies about 370km east of the capital Tripoli.
The biggest problem that the international coalition faces is that it doesnt have reliable allies on the ground, he said.
The international coalition is hoping to have a strong government operating in Libya that can establish a well-trained national army that can take on ISIL.
Our correspondent said the coalition was likely to rely on gathering more intelligence about the presence of ISIL in Libya for the time being and then launching air strikes as a first phase.
The second phase would be to encourage the warring factions in Libya to set their differences aside and form a national unity government, he said, describing it as the only efficient way to maintain stability and to continue to fight to prevent ISIL from establishing a platform in the coastal area where they can easily launch attacks against Europe.
After the talks in Rome, Gentiloni said Italy was ready for requests from a new Libyan government on several fields, including security.
But we have to have a political process going on and a government of national accord having the endorsement of a parliament in the next few weeks, he said.
Kerrys appeal
According to the US, a 66-nation coalition to fight ISIL, which has seized territory in Iraq and Syria, has now been established, with Afghanistan becoming the latest country to join.
But only a small group of 23 nations has taken the lead in carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria to train and arm local forces to fight ISIL.
Speaking in Rome on Tuesday, John Kerry, US secretary of state, said the effort now needs to be stepped up, citing the example of US deployment of small numbers of special forces troops inside Syria.
According to Kerry, the allies needed to push ahead with a strategy we have learned will work and to do so relentlessly, giving Daesh no time to regroup, no place to run, no safe havens in which to hide.
Kerry said 10,000 air strikes in the year since the coalition was launched had yielded undeniable progress with ISIL forced to give up 40 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and more than 30 percent in Syria.
Countries now required to work together to understand birth defects in Brazil and suspected Zika virus.
The World Health Organizations declaration of a global health emergency in response to a growing number of birth defects or microcephalic babies in Brazil means that its 194 member states must now work together to investigate the cause of the problem.
This is the fourth global health emergency declared by the WHO since the system was established in 2005, and is a way for the UN health body to force its members to act in the interests of global public health.
There are two major questions that need to be answered, Edward Wright, a senior lecturer in medical microbiology at the University of Westminster, told Al Jazeera.
Why is the outbreak in Brazil so big, and is the possible link between Zika infection and microcephaly real?
He said the declaration on Monday would open the way for this to happen. It releases funds [and] releases resources so that people can study and answer these questions.
Previous emergencies were declared in 2009 to address the spread of H1N1 (swine flu), and twice in 2014 in relation to the eradication of polio and to address the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
The WHO is able to declare a global health emergency when a situation is regarded as serious, unusual or unexpected.
It must also have regional or global implications and may require immediate international action.
In this case, the WHO was responding to a surge in the number of suspected cases of babies born with birth defects over the past few months in northern Brazil.
The first US case was reported on Tuesday in Dallas, Texas, according to local health officials who said there are no reports of the virus being locally transmitted by mosquitoes in the county.
RELATED: Rio Olympics to go ahead despite Zika virus outbreak
Dallas County Health and Human Services said the case was acquired through sexual transmission, adding that it received confirmation of the infection from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although it is not known exactly how many cases there have been, as of Monday 4,180 suspected cases had been reported since October.
Only 270 of these have been confirmed and the cause of the birth defects is still unproven, but the WHO says it strongly suspects the Zika virus.
Margaret Chan, World Health Organization director-general, said: A coordinated international response is needed to improve surveillance.
She said this was necessary [to improve] the detection of infections, congenital malformations and neurological complications, and to expedite the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines to protect people at risk, especially during pregnancy.
Until they have those answers, governments in the region are stepping up fumigation and eradication programmes against the mosquito which transmits the Zika virus.
They are also recommending that women delay getting pregnant where possible.
The Brazilian government is also being blamed for helping to create the problem, after failing to continue an eradication programme started in the 1940s which eradicated the mosquito responsible for spreading Zika.
That mosquito had been wiped out of Brazil but the Brazilians let down their guard, the mosquito came back and created a tinderbox for which Zika was just the match, said Amir Attaran, professor in the Faculties of Law and Medicine at the University of Ottawa.
The last time the WHO declared a global health emergency, in response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa which killed more than 11,300 people, it was harshly criticised for being slow and ineffective, resulting in delays that may have cost thousands of lives.
Since then the WHO has made changes that, it says, make it more responsive in emergency situations, but this will be tested in its handling of the situation in Brazil and the wider Americas over the coming months.
In an ancient city torn apart by modern conflict, can food help to bridge political and religious divisions?
The ancient city of Jerusalem is sacred to three different faiths: for Jews it is the site of their first holy temple; for Christians it is the scene of Jesus Christs death and resurrection; and for Muslims it is the location of the Prophet Muhammads ascent to heaven.
A site of vast historical and religious significance, this beautiful city is also a tragic one fought over for centuries and coveted by millions who have never set foot in it. It is at the heart of the ongoing and seemingly unsolvable Israeli-Palestinian conflict and everything there is overshadowed by politics.
Jerusalems old city enthralls with its bustling markets and vibrant street life, but inside its walls, tensions are never far from the surface. History is a dimension of the present and there is little unity to be found in a city which Palestinians regard as their occupied capital.
In the struggle for the soul of a city, even food a marker of identity, an expression of history, culture, and values plays a part, and the roots of certain foods are fiercely debated.
For Palestinians, denied a state and with a national identity which is constantly undermined, food plays an even greater role in defining who they are.
Almost half of Israeli Jews come from Middle Eastern backgrounds where their parents and grandparents lived alongside Arabs in countries such as Iraq, Yemen and Morocco. Many dishes are a reminder of the shared history and culture of Arabs and Jews something easily forgotten in todays divided politics.
In a city where Israelis and Palestinians attach great meaning and symbolism to food whether religious, political or both we visit a unique place, Eucalyptus, which is jointly owned by Palestinians and Israelis.
There, we sample dishes made by an Israeli Jew, a Palestinian Muslim, an Armenian, and a Palestinian Christian who, as Chefs for Peace, cook together to bridge religious and political divides. Convinced that ignorance about the other is at the heart of the conflict, the chefs try to educate people about others history, traditions, and culture through the medium of food.
This film was first broadcast on Al Jazeera English in July 2008.
In this article, I summarize 10 key contracts for small and growing businesses. These contracts need to be well thought out and well drafted and can be crucial to the success of a business.
Sample forms can be found in the Forms and Agreements section of AllBusiness.com.
Employment Offer Letters
One of the best ways to protect your business from legal liability and misunderstanding with an employee is to have an employment offer letter issued and sent to the prospective employee. The employee should then be required to sign it, evidencing the scope of the employment relationship between the parties.
A good employment offer letter covers the following points:
The particular job offer
The responsibilities of the job
The salary and the benefits
That the employment is at will, meaning the employee can quit or the employer can terminate him or her at any time
That the employee is required to sign a Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement (discussed below)
That the letter constitutes the entire agreement of the parties, and can only be amended in the future in writing, signed by the employer and the employee
That any disputes will be handled exclusively by confidential binding arbitration (other than certain designated types of disputes, such as those related to workers compensation)
Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreements
Employees have access to a companys confidential information. Moreover, many businesses expect their employees to come up with ideas, products, business strategies, and inventions.
To make sure the employees keep the proprietary information of the company confidential, you should require them to sign a Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement. This agreement deals with the confidentiality issue, but it can also provide that the ideas, business strategies, and other work product developed by the employee belong to the company, and not to the employee.
If you expect to have venture capitalists or other professional investors invest in your company, they will expect that you have these agreements in place for all of your employees.
Service Contracts
If your company provides professional services as opposed to selling a product, it needs to have its own good, standard form Services Contract (which can be labeled many things, including an Agreement for Professional Services). This type of agreement lays out the terms and conditions under which you provide services and specifically spells out your responsibilities and liabilities.
Having a good contract here is important. You want to avoid misunderstandings and undue liability. Ideally, this agreement gives you flexibility in completing the services, lists the fees for the job (and additional fees if you encounter unforeseen circumstances), and sets limitations on your liability (such as limiting that liability to the amount of the services fee).
Sales Contracts
Many businesses sell products, and therefore need a good Sales Contract. The Sales Contract lays out the price, terms, and conditions for the sale of goods, equipment, or other products. Of course, some businesses (like the corner grocery store) dont need Sales Contracts, but if your products sell for significant dollars, then you likely need a Sales Contract.
The actual Sales Contract can take the form of fine print on an order form or an invoice, or it can be tailor-made for a particular sale. You always want to start with your own form of contract. The key terms in Sales Contracts include price, price adjustments in certain events, responsibility for taxes, payment and credit terms, warranties to be given, disclaimers of various warranties, and liability limitations.
Confidentiality Agreements
Numerous instances arise in which you want to share confidential or proprietary information with another party. You may want to show the information to get them interested in doing a deal with you, investing in your company, or working together on some strategic arrangement. Producing an agreement to prevent the other side from stealing or using your ideas is very important in these situations.
The Confidentiality Agreement (also referred to as a Non-Disclosure Agreement or NDA) provides that the recipient of proprietary information holds the information in strict confidence and will only use the information for the purposes of evaluating whether or not to enter into a business relationship with you. The key to this agreement is that you should enter into the agreement before any disclosure.
A good Confidentiality Agreement lays out the recipients confidentiality obligations, the exclusions from the confidentiality (such as information already in the public domain), how long the confidentiality obligation lasts, limitations on the use of the information, and the right of the disclosing party to seek injunctive relief to stop the other side from disclosing the information.
Web Site Terms of Use Agreement
Most growing businesses have established (or should establish) a Web site to market their company and their products. Essential to these Web sites is a Terms of Use Agreement, which is intended to be a contract between the Web site owner and the users of the site and any purchasers of goods or services from the site.
A good Terms of Use Agreement is essential for avoiding legal liability to the site owner. The well-drafted agreement includes: limitations on how the site can be used, copyright protection warnings, disclaimers, liability limitations, disclosure on the sites privacy policy in dealing with customer information, jurisdiction where any disputes must be brought (ideally, the home town of the site owner), and much more.
Letters of Intent
A letter of intent can be a very advantageous and quick way to get momentum for a deal. The idea for a Letter of Intent is for the parties to get a handshake deal on the major points, and then move to creating definitive legal agreements.
You need to be very careful about what you want to be binding or nonbinding in the letter. Most Letters of Intent are nonbinding and are merely expressions that the parties have a particular deal in mind and want to further negotiate to a definitive complete agreement. Letters of Intent can also be binding contracts, however, so be careful what you say in these letters.
Stock Purchase Agreements
Start-up and emerging businesses often need to raise capital to fund their business. They often do this by selling stock in the company.
Stock Purchase Agreements are the vehicle where stock sales can be effected. Such agreements can run from a few pages to 50 or more, depending on the investors and the complexity of the deal.
In most agreements, you need to carefully lay out the following: the type of the stock sold, the price and number of shares, the representations and warranties of the investors, the representations and warranties of the company, the conditions to closing, the rights of the investors, and potentially much more. This is an agreement on which you typically need advice from an experienced corporate counsel.
Leases
A business lease for office or retail space is often one of the most significant contracts for a business. The starting place for most lease negotiations is the landlords allegedly standard lease, which tends to be incredibly one-sided in favor of the landlord.
Because the lease can constitute a major commitment for the business, you have to watch out for all the gotchas. Most important, you have to ensure that:
The space fits your needs.
The uses the landlord permits for the space are broad enough for your business.
The lease term is sufficient, with a right to extend if possible.
The economic terms are competitive.
The lease clearly spells out the landlords obligations.
You have some flexibility in assigning or subletting the lease.
There is a limitation on pass-through operating expense and tax increases.
Loan Agreements
Many businesses enter Loan Agreements with banks or financial institutions and simply sign the lenders standard form. The standard form tends to be very one-sided in favor of the lender, with various restrictions on the borrower.
The borrower under a Loan Agreement needs to fully understand (and negotiate better terms than those contained in the standard form) a number of key issues, including the following:
The total cost of the loan
The payment schedule
The right to prepay the loan without penalty
The flexibility on use of the loan proceeds
The right to cure defaults
The appropriate representations and warranties of the borrower
The covenants that can trigger a default
To download samples of these important business contracts and other forms, contracts, and checklists, visit the Forms and Agreements section of AllBusiness.com.
Copyright by Richard Harroch. All Rights Reserved.
A skeleton discovered near Millhopper Road a week ago likely belonged to a white, middle-aged male who died between six and 24 months ago, officials said.
The man is believed to have been about 40 to 60 years old and about 5 feet 10 inches tall at the time of his death, according to a press release issued Monday afternoon.
The skeleton was found Jan. 24 in a thick forest near the 5700 block of NW 88th St., according to the release.
It was found among a pair of brown work boots and jeans, said Sgt. Brandon Kutner, a spokesman for the Alachua County Sheriffs Office.
Deputies, along with UFs C. A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory and the District 8 Medical Examiners Office, have been investigating the case, Kutner said.
The next step, he said, is to find the mans identity and then a cause of death.
Right now, as far as identification purposes go, its in the hands of the scientific community, he said.
Deputies have been cross-checking what they know about the man with state and national databases, said Art Forgey, a spokesman for the sheriffs office.
Contact Marin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org.
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Disciples of the Second Amendment have been snubbed. The worlds largest social network took defining steps in the arduous effort for reasonable gun control Saturday. Facebook announced it would be banning users from coordinating private, person-to-person sales of guns on its website as well as through Instagram, though licensed gun dealers and gun clubs will not be affected by the companys action. (Phew! Thank you, Jesus.)
The decision is one that came from increased pressure by gun control advocates in the wake of a violent and gun-toting 2015. It also stemmed from President Barack Obama and state attorney generals looking for any medium outside of the gridlock of Congress to be progressive on the matter and actually get something done. It is also a bold step in the right direction for curbing gun violence and the illegal distribution of high-powered firearms.
Or, it represents a relentless assault on the constitutional right of citizens to bear arms. But only one of those two things actually rings true.
The grand, storied and ongoing incestuous relationship between Congress and the National Rifle Association has paved the way for the U.S. to become the first in the world in gun ownership and last in the spirit of compromise in regard to this right. They have successfully propagated to a vast majority of cowardly and insecure Americans a narrative that tells of a faction of cabal-like Federalism whose sole purpose is to take every gun from the hand of the patriotic American. Entertaining and captivating, but a fictitious narrative nonetheless.
Advocacy for sensible gun reform and regulation never meant the cessation of the governments acknowledgement of the Bill of Rights. It does, however, mean a call for persons who have been placed on a no-fly list not to be able to purchase firearms. It also calls for common sense background checks that would prevent the sale of firearms to individuals with a history of mental illness. Why, then, when acknowledging the truth of the mission for gun reform, is there a massive faction of Americans who insist on comparing these attempts at compromise for safer and less gun-ridden cities to steps the Third Reich took in its brief, albeit brutal, conquest of Europe?
Speaking frankly, this portion of the American populace is a stupid and cowardly one. Stupid in being easily persuaded by the millions spent on campaigns and attack ads by the gun lobbies and cowardly in their clinging to firearms that compensate for their detachment from the reality of death. This applies equally from the Chief Keefs of Chicago to the Ammon Bundys of Idaho.
Facebook is acting for those who want to see just a smidgen of reform in the advent of a government that is subservient to those who will not allow any of it. On the micro scale, businesses in states that have plagued their people with a perverted interpretation of the Second Amendment are refusing to allow people to carry in their restaurants, as is their right.
The future of this fight seems to be in the hands of corporations that have a conscience. Now theres a first.
Justin Ford is a UF journalism junior. His column appears on Tuesdays.
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2005 ..
The Secretary-General met with H.E Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. They discussed the situation in Somalia including the progress achieved in recent years towards stabilizing the country as well the need to strengthen efforts to build effective security forces and other key institutions that would enable the Somali Government to expand []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
The Secretary-General met on Sunday with H.E. Mr. Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Guinea. The Secretary-General commended the President on the appointment of a new Government in January and his decision to hand key ministerial portfolios to women. He assured President Conde that the United Nations would continue to accompany national stakeholders in []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
Press Statement John Kirby Department Spokesman Washington, DC January 29, 2016 The United States regrets the decision of the Zanzibar Electoral Commission to announce a date for a new election on Zanzibar without achieving an inclusive, negotiated agreement on the way forward. We call on the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and President []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today released US$ 100 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for aid operations in nine severely underfunded emergencies. Tanzaniahistorically a host to millions of refugees from neighbouring countries over many yearshas been allocated US$ 11 million of this amount, to respond to the urgent needs of refugees []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...
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By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him
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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]
The U.S. Department of Justice has 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.
The review will be done by the DOJ's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which promotes improvements to officers' ties with communities.
Law enforcement experts say the review is a less-onerous process for the police than if the DOJ's civil rights division had launched an investigation.
The civil rights division can force departments it investigates into court-monitored legal settlements after finding constitutional violations like it did recently in Cleveland and in Ferguson, Missouri.
The review from the so-called COPS office is usually designed to help the targeted 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 persistent calls for the resignation of the city's police chief, who has asked the Justice Department to examine police operations. Last week, Mayor Ed Lee also called on the DOJ to look into the department following similar calls from the American Civil Liberties Union and lawyers representing the family of Mario Woods, 26, who was shot dead by officers 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, but protests over Woods' death have persisted.
The department already was grappling with rising racial tensions when Woods was shot.
Earlier in the year, a judge ruled that Police Chief Greg 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. So far, the mayor has stood behind the chief, who says he has no plans to resign.
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 Associated Press
In the Democratic race, the Iowa party chair released at statement saying "the results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history." Clinton was awarded 699.57 state delgate equivalents, and Sanders 695.49 with one precinct outstanding.
Democratic caucus-goers were choosing between Clinton's pledge to use her wealth of experience in government to bring about steady progress on Democratic ideals and Sanders' call for radical change in what he described as a system rigged against ordinary Americans.
Clinton, the former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, entered the Democratic race as the heavily favored front-runner. Clinton was seeking to overcome the ghosts of her loss to Obama in 2008. Her campaign spent nearly a year building a massive get-out-the-vote operation in Iowa.
Yet she faced an unexpectedly strong challenge from Sanders, the self-declared democratic socialist from Vermont.
On Monday night, Clinton appeared before voters to declare she was "breathing a big sigh of relief." But she stopped short of claiming victory and declared herself ready to press forward in "a real contest of ideas."
Sanders had hoped to replicate Obama's pathway to the presidency by using a victory in Iowa to catapult his passion and ideals deep into the primaries.
I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment, and by the way, to the media establishment, Sanders said. That is, given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.
Despite his strong showing, Sanders still faces an uphill battle against Clinton, who has deep ties throughout the party's establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that plays a larger role in primary contests in February and March.
Even before the caucuses began, Sanders was working to discount the importance of any Clinton edge coming out of Iowa, telling reporters that if the former secretary of state "ends up with two delegates more of many, many hundred delegates, you tell me why that's the end of the world."
He served notice: "We're taking this all of the way."
The knife-edge results in Iowa mean the Democratic vote in New Hampshire takes on even greater import because a win in Iowa represents crucial early momentum in any presidential campaign, and for some candidates, the future of their White House hopes altogether.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's dropped out of the race even before a winner had been declared but as early results showed O'Malley garnering negligible support in the first primary contest. He was awarded 7.68 state delegate equivalents.
On the Republican side, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said he was suspending his campaign for the Republican party nomination. Huckabee won the Iowa caucus in 2008.
Candidates faced an electorate deeply frustrated with Washington. While the economy has improved under the Obama administration, the recovery has eluded many Americans. New terror threats at home and abroad have also ratcheted up national security concerns.
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.
Even so, Iowa has decidedly mixed results in picking eventual nominees. The past two Republican caucus winners 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 Democratic nomination, easing the anxieties of those who worried the young black senator would struggle to win white voters.
Monday's contest was the first hard evidence of whether Trump could turn the legion of fans drawn to his plainspoken populism into voters. "I think a lot of things caught up to him here in the last couple of weeks," said Trump supporter Brett Ridge of Des Moines, speaking shortly after Trump's concession speech. "When it comes down to it, he should have been at the debate last week."
Cruz modeled his campaign after past Iowa winners, visiting all of the state's 99 counties and courting influential evangelical and conservative leaders.
Cruz spent the closing days of the Iowa campaign focused intensely on Rubio, trying to make sure the Florida senator didn't inch into second place. Rubio is viewed by many Republicans as a more mainstream alternative to Trump and Cruz.
Monday night, five current or former governors were in the Iowa mix Chris Christie, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Martin OMalley and combined, their totals do not equal the support gained by one first-term senator: Republican Marco Rubio of Florida.
Two of the former governors Huckabee, a Republican out of Arkansas, and OMalley, a once Marylands top Democrat suspended their campaigns after Mondays poor showings. The others New Jerseys Gov. Christie, Ohios Gov. Kasich and former Florida Gov. Bush have all staked their political futures on the New Hampshire primary, now just a week away.
But, for all three of those Republicans, New Hampshire really is a make-or-break vote maybe each doesnt need a win, but without a surprisingly strong second- or third-place finish, those men can join their gubernatorial brethren in the ex-candidates club.
What makes the governors night even more numerically disappointing is that Rubio didnt win the Iowa caucuses. He didnt even come in second. But with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz taking the top spot for the GOP, and celebrity candidate Donald Trump tallying a solid number two, Rubio has become the de facto establishment firewall against the self-proclaimed and dutifully dubbed outsider candidates who each garnered more votes.
But the idea that Rubio originally an insurgent senatorial candidate with tea party ties who beat the odds and a well-known veteran Republican to become Floridas junior senator represents the GOP establishment is still a little hard to fathom. That this pro-torture, anti-government, military hawk is the moderate in the Republican race (perhaps because he once tried to cobble together a compromise immigration bill with some Senate Democrats) is emblematic of just how far his entire party has moved to the right.
Still, whether this GOP establishment, however it is defined, now gravitates toward Rubio and more importantly, whether the establishment money does will be much discussed this week. And with Trump still the prohibitive favorite to win in New Hampshire, many will watch which direction the Cruz campaign feels it needs to focus its attacks.
Many too will look to see if GOP kingmakers ask the other establishment New Hampshire hopefuls to take it easy on Rubio. Bush, who really needs a top-three finish in the Granite State to maintain any claim of a viable campaign, has been especially tough on Rubio, spending millions on attack ads against his fellow Floridian.
And the field will have to sort itself out quickly. Yes, Cruz showed he could take a punch, weathering weeks of high-profile attacks from Trump and still winning Iowa. But Iowa is a high barrier state one where the relative difficulty of participating in the electoral process (the caucuses) rewards well-run, well-funded political machines. And one of the best political operations in the race, which belongs to Cruz, still had to hang on for a narrow victory over a political neophyte, Trump, who did many things Iowa experts tell you not to do (helicoptering, or jetting, in, skipping a debate, choosing large, media-driven events over retail, handshake politics) if you hope to win there.
With Trump well ahead in opinion polls in many low-barrier primary states, Cruzs Iowa triumph is still in danger of mirroring earlier GOP victories, like Huckabee in 2008, and Rick Santorum, still a candidate this cycle, who was eventually declared the winner of the 2012 Iowa caucuses.
"We can't put our finger on specific reasons for the increase, the city's interim police superintendent, John Escalante, said. But he noted the increase coincides with an equally dramatic decrease in the number of street stops made in January.
He noted the decrease comes after a policy change that went into effect this year requiring officers to fill out lengthier forms than the brief contact cards they used through 2015. It could be that officers are taking more time to fill out the forms as they adjust to the change, preventing them from making more stops, he said. Officers are going through training now to help them deal with the new forms, he said.
Escalante also said officers have expressed concerns about being the next viral video. Even when they're doing something right, they're concerned that their actions will be questioned and they will be the one that goes viral.
Chicago has become a national symbol of gun violence since at least 2012, when the number of homicides climbed past the 500 mark, far higher than any other U.S. city. With police initiating a number of crime-fighting measures and spending millions of dollars on overtime, the city saw the total fall closer to 400 in each of the next two years, and 2014 ended with the fewest homicides in decades. But last year the number of homicides and shooting incidents rose again.
There has been a growing concern that the rising number of shootings and homicides in Chicago, and around the country, can be linked to less aggressive policing following high-profile officer shootings, some of which were caught on camera and inflamed public outrage.
In October, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said officers are going fetal, pulling back and second-guessing themselves for fear that scrutiny of their actions would get them into trouble.
Then in late November, the city dealt with one of the biggest crises in Chicago Police Department history and of Emanuel's political career sparked by the release of a video showing a white officer shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. Officer Jason Van Dyke has been charged with murder in the shooting, police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired and the U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation.
Escalante said he does not believe the McDonald video has made officers reluctant to do their jobs. He pointed out that the department didn't have a significant drop in the number of street stops in December.
Also on Monday, the Chicago Tribune released a poll that found Emanuel's job approval rating has dropped to 27 percent, the lowest in his administration. This is a drop from 52 percent in late March 2015, before his April re-election.
The poll of 985 city voters conducted Jan. 20 to 28 had an error rate of plus or minus 3.2 percent.
Three out of four voters said they did not believe Emanuel's statements about the McDonald shooting. Protesters have said officials took too long to charge Van Dyke and release the video, and have called for Emanuel's resignation.
Wire services
Hillary Clinton narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president.
The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday that it would not do any recount of the close results. Sanders spokesman Ted Devine said his campaign does not have "any plan or intention" to challenge the results, citing Sanders comments from Monday that the race appears to have ended in "a virtual tie."
Even a narrow victory for Clinton over an avowed socialist could complicate her quest for the nomination. But Clinton has deep ties throughout the party's establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that will play a larger role in primary contests beyond New Hampshire, where Sanders is favored.
Clinton, who entered the race as the heavily favored front-runner, was hoping to banish the possibility of dual losses in Iowa and in New Hampshire. Two straight defeats could set off alarms within the party and throw into question her ability to defeat a Republican.
Sanders, for his part, was hoping to replicate President Barack Obama's pathway to the presidency by using a victory in Iowa to catapult his passion and ideals of "democratic socialism" deep into the primaries. He raised $20 million during January and hoped to turn an Iowa win into a fundraising bonanza.
Clinton, in New Hampshire Tuesday campaigning ahead of the state's Feb. 9 primary, said she was "so proud I am coming to New Hampshire after winning Iowa" adding, "I've won and I've lost there and it's a lot better to win."
Clinton's victory in Iowa means she will collect 23 delegates and Sen. Bernie Sanders will win 21. With her advantage in superdelegates the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice Clinton now has a total of 385 delegates. Sanders has 29.
It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.
Portia Boulger, a 63-year-old who traveled to Iowa from Chillicothe, Ohio to support Sanders, declared a razor-thin outcome as good as a victory for Sanders.
"The political revolution is here and it's started in Iowa," she declared. "Win, lose or draw we have won."
Caucus-goers were choosing between Clinton's pledge to use her wealth of experience in government to bring about steady progress on democratic ideals and Sanders' call for radical change in a system rigged against ordinary Americans.
"Hillary goes out and works with what we have to work with. She works across the aisle and gets things accomplished," said 54-year-old John Grause, a precinct captain for Clinton in Nevada, Iowa.
"It's going to be Bernie. Hillary is history. He hasn't been bought," countered 55-year-old Su Podraza-Nagle, 55, who was caucusing for Sanders in the same town.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, unable to turn it into a three-way race, ended his quest for the nomination.
The Associated Press
A nationwide struggle over how to integrate solar energy into the electrical grid is underway as rooftop solar has become more cost-competitive and utilities are looking at how new technology affects their business models, experts say.
Solar rule making is a topic that will heat up around the country, due to the affordability and attractiveness of rooftop solar, said Kevin Haley, director of communications at the American Council on Renewable Energy, a non-profit group based in Washington, D.C.
Regulators at the Public Utility Commission (PUC) in Nevada and California have recently updated their policies regarding costs for solar customers, showing two different directions for reform: one that bolsters the solar market and the other aimed at protecting non-solar customers.
The most divisive issue in Nevada is the PUC's proposed changes to its net metering policy for solar customers a policy that credits utility customers who have rooftop solar at the full retail rate for the excess power they generate and supply back to the local grid.
Nevadas PUC (PUCN) approved changes to its net metering policy on Dec. 22 that would reduce the credit solar customers received for selling power back to the grid instead of being paid at full retail value they would receive wholesale value prices. Additionally, this decision would be retroactive, PUCN said.
The decision to grandfather those changes will be reviewed at a hearing next week, according to Peter Kostes, public information officer for PUCN.
For Nevadas 17,000 net metering solar customers and the venture capitalists who have supported the renewable market in the state, the decision will significantly impact their ability to make money back on their investments, critics say.
Solar Energy Industries Associated has asked the PUCN to reconsider the new rates, saying failure to do so would cause private investment in renewable energy to drop, impacting economic growth, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
But the PUCN maintains that solar customers arent paying their fair share for grid maintenance, even though they require the grid be available to them when their solar arrays arent producing energy and they must import electricity from the grid.
The PUCN wants to reduce the amount solar customers would receive for selling energy back to the grid, as well as increase the fixed charge as much as tripling it for connection to the grid.
Current rates enable net metering customers to avoid paying for some of the fixed costs associated with the sale of electric service by NV Energy to net metering customers, the PUCN said in a press release following the rule changes.
That solar customers were paid at full retail value for extra energy supplied to the grid unreasonably increases the costs that are ultimately borne by other ratepayers, the PUCN release said.
The debate over net metering pits powerful interests against each other, experts say.
Utilities dont want to risk losing financial (compensation) for their investments in the grid to serve all customers, while rooftop solar developers dont want to lose business opportunities if their potential customers are not compensated as highly by utilities when excess rooftop solar generation is sent back to the grid, read a recent blog post by Pierre Bull, a policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Following Nevadas decision, Californias new rules for solar customers showed there is a better way, Bull wrote.
Californias PUC decided last week to take a pause to look at grid impact and market analytics before making its decision.
In the meantime, they have assured existing net metering customers that their generation will continue to be credited at the full retail rate, which is a good, reasonable approximation for the benefits they provide to the grid, Bull wrote.
Last week, Californias PUC upheld net metering by 3-2, allowing solar customers to continue lowering their overall power bills which assists them in paying off the investment in rooftop solar.
While home and business owners celebrated the decision, some utilities argued it rewarded solar customers while leaving the burden of cost to maintain the grid on non-solar clients.
To address that concern, California regulators added an increased fee to solar customers to offset those costs.
Under the proposed decision, the utility meter will continue spinning backward at full retail rates for solar customers when they are generating more electricity than they are using, but a new fee will partially offset the value of those credits, the California Environmental Justice Alliance said in a press release on Jan. 29.
"Solar customers will be required to pay increased charges for upkeep of the grid, the release added.
At least 42 states have passed laws to allow net metering at full retail value, but significant drops in the cost of solar arrays in recent years have led some to call for an end or changes to the policy.
Critics of PUCNs decision to end net metering said its too early in the solar markets development to end policies that foster its growth. Since the decision, at least two major solar companies have announced they will end operations in the state.
In the first week of January, Sunrun exited Nevada, affecting 550 of its employs in the state. The same week, SolarCity Corp said it would cut hundreds of jobs, relocating workers to more business-friendly states.
Unlike Nevada's new rules, California regulators' decision showed there can be a balanced policy that meets the needs of both solar customers and utilities, experts say.
As tempers in Nevada are running high, its important to pull back and realize that theres a middle ground available to both the utility sector and the solar companies, Haley said.
The solar industry shouldnt be completely shut out to appease utilities, he says, just as utilities and non-solar customers shouldnt bear the burden of grid maintenance and solar integration on their own.
Getting to that middle ground is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one, Haley said.
With wire services
The two sides have been locked in talks trying to find a way for Cameron to win what he calls the "best deal possible" for Britain while keeping other EU states onboard before a referendum which could take place as early as in June.
The draft deal was made public in a letter to EU leaders. It must be endorsed by Britain's EU partners and is set to be thrashed out at a summit in Brussels on Feb. 18.
"To my mind it goes really far in addressing all the concerns raised by Prime Minister (David) Cameron," Tusk wrote. "The line I did not cross, however, were the principles on which the European project is founded."
Tusk proposed that more power be given to national parliaments to potentially block legislation. The plan would not bind Britain to deeper EU integration, which is written into the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
On the contentious issue of benefits for EU migrant workers, Tusk says that EU treaties must be respected, but he has suggested there is room for maneuver by saying that current rules on the free movement of people could be clarified.
The EU's executive Commission has drawn up a "safeguard mechanism" which could be used for Britain to respond to "exceptional situations of inflow of workers" from other EU countries.
In the text, Tusk's proposal would have a legally binding provision allowing a group of 55 percent or more member states to either stop EU legislation or demand changes to address concerns Britain has handed too much power to Brussels.
It also included a clause saying Britain could suspend some payments to migrants from the bloc for four years, starting immediately after the referendum, after meeting the conditions to trigger a so-called "emergency brake."
Both should go some way to appeasing critics of EU membership in Cameron's party, although even an ally, London Mayor Boris Johnson, said he doubted the deal would be enough.
Cameron wants to hold a referendum by the end of next year on whether Britain should leave the EU, with this June already shaping up as a possible time for the vote.
Experts from EU nations are due to meet Friday for a first joint discussion of the proposals, hoping to pave the way for an agreement at the summit.
While it is a full member of the EU, Britain is often seen as having one foot in and one foot out, with the right to opt out of certain legislation, particularly in the areas of justice and immigration.
But Cameron's push to hold a referendum has raised troubling questions about the future of the European project at a time when a refugee emergency and economic crisis in Greece weighs heavily on the bloc.
Wire services
The FBI is working with a multi-agency team investigating the lead contamination of Flint's drinking water, alongside Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigators who can tackle criminal violations of federal environmental law, officials said Tuesday.
Several local, state and federal officials have resigned since doctors revealed last year that using the Flint River for the city's drinking water supply caused elevated levels of lead in some children's blood. Lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities and other problems. Michigan's governor has apologized repeatedly for the state's role.
FBI spokeswoman Jill Washburn told The Associated Press in an email that the agency's role is "investigating the matter to determine if there have been any federal violations." She declined to say when the FBI got involved.
Officials haven't said whether criminal or civil charges might follow the investigation.
In addition to the FBI and the EPA, the team includes the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Gina Balaya, a U.S. attorney's spokeswoman in Detroit, told AP in an email. The Detroit Free Press first reported the FBI's involvement Tuesday.
In November, the EPA announced it was auditing how Michigan enforces drinking water rules and said it would identify how to strengthen state oversight. The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit said in January that it was investigating the water crisis with the EPA.
Flint switched its water source from Detroit's water system to the Flint River in 2014 to save money while under state financial management. The river water was not treated properly and lead from pipes leached into Flint homes. The city returned to Detroit's system in October while it awaits the completion of a separate pipeline to Lake Huron this summer.
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is expected to hold a hearing Wednesday on Flint's water crisis. Detroit schools emergency manager Darnell Earley, who was state-appointed emergency manager for Flint when its water source was switched, had been asked to testify but declined the invitation, Detroit Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Zdrodowski said in an email.
The federal investigation is one of several taking place into Flint's water supply. Last month, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced the appointment of a special counsel to help his office investigate whether laws were broken.
An independent panel appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder has determined that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality was primarily responsible for the water contamination. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission also plans to hold hearings to explore whether the civil rights of Flint residents were violated.
The Associated Press
Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a community forum on substance abuse September 17, 2015 in Laconia, New Hampshire. Darren McCollester/Getty Images
HOLLIS, N.H. Visits to the local pharmacy by presidential candidates have become a tradition in Hollis, a town of 7,600 people in southern New Hampshire. On a brisk morning in January, Republican hopeful Carly Fiorina was surrounded by children on one side and veterans in garrison caps on the other while she spoke passionately about the problems in Washington she wants to fix. Her appearance had extra meaning for the pharmacys owner, Vahrij Manoukian. Both he and Fiorina have lost children to addiction. When he asked her about her plan to combat drug addiction, she recalled the day her stepdaughter was convicted of driving under the influence. I can remember standing in a courtroom and pleading with a judge not to send my daughter to jail, Fiorina said. But his hands were tied, and off to jail she went. That did not help her. It did not treat her. New Hampshire is a small state, but it has an outsize role in presidential politics. It hosts the first primary in the nation, this year on Feb. 9, and it is at the center of the nations heroin and opioid abuse epidemic, with 351 deaths from heroin or other opioids in 2015, according to the states Office of the Chief Medical Examiner up 116 percent since 2013. With voters across the state affected, presidential hopefuls in both parties have turned opioid addiction into a national political issue. As she waited for Fiorina to arrive at the pharmacy, Anita Beaulieu, a retiree from Hollis, said that she knows several people who have also lost adult children to addiction. When youre losing young lives almost every day, its a problem, and its time to do something about it, she said.
New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Mary Savage, 67, had several employees who struggled with addiction when she was the chief operations officer of a company in Hollis. The company stood by them, she said, and some were able to find help. But she wants to see much more done at the state level. I think we locally have to get our acts together and do some other things coming out of Concord. Thats starting to happen. On Thursday, New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan signed two fast-track bills recommended by a special commission created last year. The new legislation will create a commission to study naloxone, a drug used in emergency treatment of opioid overdoses; increase funding for the states prescription monitoring system; and strengthen the penalties for distributing fentanyl, a powerful drug that contributed to 72 percent of New Hampshires known opioid deaths last year. A bill on addiction education in schools is pending. Earlier this month, the Addiction Policy Forum, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., hosted a forum for presidential candidates to discuss the opioid epidemic with New Hampshire policymakers. Fiorina and four of her GOP rivals Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Jim Gilmore attended. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin OMalley sent surrogates. During the event, which drew national media coverage, Fiorina and Bush shared stories of seeing their children struggle with addiction. Months before, a video of Christie talking about a law school friend who died from prescription painkiller addiction went viral online, and Ted Cruz has since spoken at campaign events about his older half-sisters death from drug abuse. That represents a real shift and may help lift the stigma around addiction, according to Jessica Nickel, the Addiction Policy Forums executive director. No one brings you casseroles and homemade apple pies when your kid is struggling with a heroin addiction, she said. Im really hopeful that having so many prominent leaders really be honest and open about this will help us change that a bit.
While some candidates are telling their stories, others are mostly listening. At a town hall in Rochester last week, Clinton said New Hampshires opioid epidemic became an obsession for her after learning about the extent of the problem while on the campaign trail. I wouldnt have necessarily known that if I hadnt been sitting in a little cafe in Keene listening to people tell me about what was breaking their hearts, she said. In September she released a plan to combat drug and alcohol addiction. It includes $7.5 billion for federal-state partnerships and changes in regulations so nurse practitioners and physician assistants may prescribe medicines to treat opioid addiction. Sitting in the balcony before Clintons town hall, Karen Prazar, 35, said she sees the effects of addiction every day as a community health nurse. The states Medicaid expansion last year helped, she said. But she believes the federal government should do more to make up for what she says is a lack of state services, from food and housing assistance to the number of opioid addiction clinics that accept Medicaid. We see the problem, she said. But we have nowhere to send people. Sanders, Clintons main rival, has other proposals. He has pushed to lower the price of naloxone, and at a Democratic debate in December he laid much of the blame for the opioid crisis at the feet of doctors and pharmaceutical companies. They have got to start getting their act together, he said. We cannot have this huge number of opiates out there throughout this country, where young people are taking them, getting hooked and then going to heroin. The week before Clintons Rochester event, nearly 1,500 people crowded into an auditorium at Dartmouth College in Hanover to hear Sanders. There he didnt address the opioid epidemic, focusing instead on his plan to decriminalize marijuana under federal law a move that he said would cut down on drug convictions, which make it difficult for people to find work. This focus on broader drug policy and economic issues seemed to resonate with Sanders supporters. Allison Zito, a 55-year-old teacher who attended the Hanover event, tied the opioid problem to income inequality a cornerstone of his campaign. She said she has seen neighbors making good money selling drugs while others scrape by. An increase in the minimum wage, she argued, might lessen the appeal of dealing drugs. If youve got no hope, why not go ahead and live up the life that you want? she said. I mean, the drug dealers have people coming over every seven minutes bringing them money. Aaron Cheese, 19, a member of the Dartmouth College Democrats, linked the opioid crisis to a broader lack of social services, consumerist thinking and what he called failed drug policies. Growing up in Atlanta, he saw two high school classmates overdose on heroin. I havent really heard many politicians speaking about it, but its been fairly present in my life, he said. It is something Id like to see addressed the war on drugs, which hasnt been very effective.
[Doctors and drugmakers] have got to start getting their act together. We cannot have this huge number of opiates out there throughout this country where young people are taking them, getting hooked and then going to heroin. Bernie Sanders Democratic presidential candidate
A Turkish news agency says at least nine refugees two of them children have drowned in a new boat sinking accident off the Turkish coast.
The private Dogan news agency says the refugees drowned Tuesday near the Aegean coastal town of Seferihisar, which is close to the Greek island of Samos. Two refugees were rescued while 11 others had apparently managed to reach the shore, the report said.
Officials could not immediately be reached for confirmation.
On Saturday, at least 37 refugees, among them several babies and children, drowned after their boat struck rocks and capsized while attempting the short sea journey from the town of Ayvacik, north of Seferihisar, to the island of Lesbos.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of them fleeing violence in Syria and other parts of the Middle East, have come through the Mediterannean region over the past year as they seek asylum in Europe.
More than 500,000 people crossed through neighboring Greece in 2015, according to the United Nations. Drownings and other accidents at sea are frequent, with thousands of people dying before they reached the shore last year.
Al Jazeera and wire services
A court in Saudi Arabia dropped the death sentence against Palestinian poet and artist Ashraf Fayadh, along with the charge of apostasy for which it had been imposed. But the court did convict Fayadh of having "inappropriate relations with the other gender," for which it sentenced him to eight years in prison and 800 lashes over a protracted period of separate sessions.
Fayadh was originally sentenced to death on Nov. 17 last year for alleged blasphemous statements he made in a discussion group, and in a volume of his poetry entitled "Instructions Within" and published in 2008. One of the poems in the collection was alleged to have shown that the poet had renounced Islam. He was also accused of using his poetry to spread atheist thinking.
Fayadh denied the charges, and claimed that he was a victim of false accusations made to the religious police by another man following a personal dispute.
Fayadh had been designated by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience, and the human rights organization had lobbied for his release. His lack of proper legal representation at his trial, Amnesty claimed, had violated both international and Saudi law.
Our relief that Ashraf no longer faces beheading is diminished by the extended injustice and mercilessness of the new sentence dealt to him for the simple human act of artistic expression, said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Director of Free Expression Programs at PEN America, in a press release. Words do not constitute crimes. World leaders must stand firmly behind this principle in pressing Saudi authorities to release immediately Fayadh and others imprisoned in the Kingdom for peaceful acts of expression.
Fayadh was born to Palestinian refugee family in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Abha. In 2004, the Shatta artist group, of which he had been a member, organized the Kingdoms first public exhibition of contemporary art. In 2013, before his arrest, Fayadh curated "Mostly Visible," an underground event, self-organized by artists ... to highlight the real art currently produced in Saudi Arabia, the artworks and thoughts that are directly rooted in our society, Fayadh wrote. He also contributed an artwork of his own to the show a video projection called "Damage."
At the 55th Venice Biennale in 2011, he co-curated Rhizoma, an exhibition of contemporary Saudi artists, writing at the time: "We aim to provide a clear vision of the radical transformation in Saudi art.
Saad Abedine contributed to this report.
College campuses are a new front in the campaign for a national $15 minimum wage.
This fall, after pressure from activists, the University of Washington announced that it would raise the hourly wage for campus workers to at least $15 by 2017. Within a month, the University of California followed suit, raising wages across the public school systems 10 campuses and five medical facilities. As Lydia DePillis and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel subsequently reported for The Washington Post, Students at about 20 schools, including University of Maryland at College Park, Columbia University (New York), Northeastern University (Boston) and San Francisco State University, are mounting campaigns demanding better pay for all campus workers, including students.
Going into 2016, these campus-based drives are adding momentum to the effort to bring a $15 minimum hourly wage to all parts of the country. The movement has made substantial progress in the last two years, mostly at the municipal level. Seattle and San Francisco passed $15 an hour wage ordinances in 2014, and in July 2015, Los Angeles followed suit.
Universities and the medical centers that are often attached to them are major players in local labor markets. According to the Institute for a Competitive Inner City, so-called eds and meds provide 11 percent of jobs in American inner cities. As urban studies theorist Richard Florida notes, Across the nation, eds and meds make up roughly 13 percent of total employment in U.S. metros. The challenge for communities is to make sure that these jobs pay enough that all employees are able to escape poverty and support their families. The Brookings Institution found in 2008 that the eds portion of university employment pays about 14.5 percent less than the average industry for a given set of worker characteristics. Even while cities are increasingly turning to these institutions to attract highly skilled workers, lower-paid support staff members at these workplaces are witness to growing inequality.
Fortunately, there has been a significant uptick of labor activism on college campuses in the past five years, with graduate students and adjunct faculty members demanding the right to join unions. As universities depend increasingly on part-time lecturers and professors without long-term contracts to teach their classes, adjunct faculty members are organizing for fair wages and working conditions. Over the past year, scores of universities in at least 23 states have had union drives and university administrators and trustees have fiercely contested them.
Already, the American Federation of Teachers represents 90,000 adjunct faculty members, and thousands more are members of the Service Employees International Union or other unions. Graduate students are organizing on campuses such as Boston University, Indiana University and the University of Southern California, and even some student athletes have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to recognize a union for them.
France has jolted the Middle East peace process with its announcement this weekend that it will organize an international conference by this summer to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution and will recognize a Palestinian state if the conference fails.
This is uncharted diplomatic territory. The relative isolation of the Israelis and the disunity and marginalization of the Palestinians clearly rule out any serious bilateral diplomacy. The French move simultaneously challenges and tests all critical dimensions of the conflict: the positions of the Israelis and Palestinians; the failed role of the United States as mediator; the potential for a larger role by European, Arab and Asian powers; and the ability of the United Nations to regain its relevance.
This effort could succeed if it turns out that France is acting in quiet consultation with the U.S. and its European partners, which are frustrated with Israeli policies. Or it could be just one more case of the West tackling the conflict with empty diplomatic flourishes rather than substantive actions that move both sides toward a permanent peace agreement. Nevertheless, the specific, forceful French initiative demands attention for several reasons.
First, it breaks Washingtons long, futile, probably unserious monopoly on mediation. Any serious initiative by a world power besides the U.S. should be welcomed if it offers a more evenhanded approach that is anchored in international law and that takes into account the key needs and rights of both sides rather than continue Washingtons clear pro-Israel tilt.
Second, France is well placed to earn the trust of Israelis and Palestinians because of its proven concern for both sides in recent years. It can credibly claim to be evenhanded. Its sometimes disruptive interjections in last years multilateral negotiations with Iran mainly sought to assuage Israeli concerns, which earned it important trust among many Israelis. Paris has long supported both sides in various ways, from providing early nuclear technology and arms to the nascent Israeli state to speaking out forcefully for Palestinian self-determination decades ago. Frances ability to be genuinely impartial means it can support core goals of both sides while trying to achieve them through an international negotiation. Perhaps this French legacy of trying to be evenhanded is why Israel and the U.S. quickly spoke out against this initiative, since they seem to prefer the U.S.-mediated peace process, which tilts towards Israel and therefore has moved nowhere for the past 22 years.
Third, the drive to convene an international conference means the attempt to resolve this conflict would not reflect military advantages on the ground that favor Israel but would be anchored in international law, rights conventions and U.N. resolutions that treat both parties equally. The Palestinians have been aiming for such a shift for years, while the Israelis and Americans have resisted it.
About Me Andrew Mulenga Andrew Mulenga is a self-taught, freelance arts journalist whose main focus is documenting the contemporary art scene of his home country Zambia. He studied Art & Design at the Africa Literature Centre, Kitwe and began his career as a graphic designer and illustrator at Mission Press in Ndola. He later joined The Post Newspapers Ltd. in the same capacity working his way to an appointment as Deputy Editor of the Education Post while establishing himself as the publications resident art critic. He is the 2012 CNN Multi-choice African Journalist of the year for Art & Culture. In 2014 he received a Media Institute of Southern Africa award for arts journalism. He completed an MA Art History at Rhodes University on an Andrew Mellon scholarship in 2014. He is currently on an Art History and Visual Culture Scholarship for a PhD at the same university. Since 2012 his articles have been regularly adapted in the modules of the Zambian Open Universitys art curriculum. Through his writing as an emerging art historian his current ambition is to encourage Zambian artists to question the sociopolitical, cultural, historical, moral and aesthetic implications of the work they produce. View my complete profile
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I'm currently finishing up my law degree in Madrid. Read on to find out more about that, plus my many adventures and misadventures around Europe.
Well, I am starting a Wall of Shame for people who show that they have no clue about plants in general. I will be totally fair and I'm not going to expect ...
12 years ago
North Korea has joined the Svalbard Treaty, signed in 1920, TASS reports, citing local media. By doing so, North Korea received an international legal guarantee for carrying out economic and research activity near the Spitsbergen (Svalbard) archipelago.
The treaty recognizes the sovereignty of Norway and grants its signatories equal rights to access the natural resources of the archipelago and its territorial waters. In 1925, Norway officially announced Svalbard as part of the Kingdom of Norway.
There are now over 50 signatories, including Russia, the US, Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Bulgaria, Denmark and Poland.
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]
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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. The World Health Organization declared a "public health emergency of international concern" over the Zika virus and the health problems that doctors fear it is causing, Armenpress reports, citing CNN.
The agency said the emergency is warranted because of how fast the mosquito-borne virus is spreading and its suspected link to an alarming spike in babies born with abnormally small heads -- a condition called microcephaly -- in Brazil and French Polynesia.
Syndrome, that can lead to paralysis, have also risen in areas where the virus has been reported. Health officials have specifically seen clusters of this in El Salvador, Brazil and French Polynesia, according to WHO's Dr. Bruce Aylward.
The conditions have not yet been conclusively linked to the virus.
"The experts agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven," Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general said.
But the large area potentially affected by the virus, the lack of vaccines and reliable diagnostic tests, and lack of population immunity in the affected countries contributed to the need for the declaration, according to the WHO.
Chan described Zika as an "extraordinary event" after the first meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
"Members of the committee admit that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern," she 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."
The declaration is intended to facilitate international coordination of tracking, research and response to the virus and its effects.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. The enemys activity noticeably increased in the contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijani antagonistic troops during February 1 and the night of February 2.
The Press Service of the NKR Defense Ministry informed "Armenpress" that during the mentioned period Azerbaijani armed forces fired more than 900 shots towards Armenian positions from weapons of different calibers including AK rifles, DShK machine guns, SVD and Istiglal sniper rifles, 60 and 82mm mortars and AGS-17 grenade launchers.
In order to suspend the activity of the rival, the front units of the Defence Army organized preemptive actions and took absolute control over the entire length of the contact line.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan and Hungary must answer to questions of the European Court of Human Rights on Azerbaijani assassin Ramil Safarov's extradition and early release. The lawyer of Margaryans family Nazeli Vardanyan mentioned in the interview with Armenpress that the applicant side strives to do everything in order the Armenian Republic to be considered as a side, because Gurgen Margaryan was a serviceman representing Armenian Republic when he was brutally killed by Azerbaijani perpetrator Ramil Safarov. The fact, that the mentioned case is already under proceeding of the court, is a serious progress. We have waited for it for 3 years as we filed the suit in 2013. February 28, Vardanyan said.
Margaryans relatives are represented by the Centre (based in Middlesex University) and Legal Guide (Armenian NGO) in ECHR. The complaint side demands to recognize that the transfer of Ramil Safarov from Hungary to Azerbaijan and his pardon, justification and glorification by Azerbaijan is essentially a violation of Article 2(the right to life) and article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights may oblige Azerbaijan to extradite the perpetrator back to Hungary or face the rest of the punishment in Azerbaijan.
Margaryan's relatives also point out that the officer became a victim of national hate crime, which later got an excuse by pardoning and releasing the killer. Hungary, in its turn extradited Safarov to Azerbaijan without guarantees that the offender will serve his sentence completely. The case is also brought by Hayk Makuchyan, an Armenian military officer whom Ramil Safarov was convicted of intending to murder during the same incident in Budapest.
Both men were attending a NATO-sponsored English-language course in Budapest. On 19 February 2004 Safarov murdered Margaryan by decapitating him with an axe. In April 2006 Safarov was found guilty of murder by the Budapest City Court, and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the possibility of conditional release after 30 years. The court found that Safarov had intended to kill two Armenian participants at the course on the anniversary of the beginning of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. After the Court of Appeal upheld this judgment in February 2007, Safarov began serving his sentence in a Hungarian prison.
In August 2012 the Hungarian Minister of Justice approved Safarovs transfer to Azerbaijan with a view to his serving his sentence there (under the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners 1983). However, a few hours after Safarov was transferred on 31 August 2012, he was granted a pardon by the Azerbaijani President and set free. He was also promoted to major, awarded eight years salary arrears and offered a flat.
In a report published in December 2012, the Hungarian Ombudsman criticised the Hungarian Government for approving the transfer before any assurances about the treatment of Safarov had been received from the Azerbaijani authorities.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. ARF refuse to comment on the rumors about the meeting of the representative of ARF bureau Hrant Margaryan and the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. The reporters tried to find out the authenticity of the rumors circulating about the meeting, but the head of ARF fraction of the National Assembly Armen Rostomyan refused to answer to the reporters' questions. I am leaving the session now. When I go out, Ill speak, Armenpress reports, Rostomyan said.
According to rumors circulating on February 1, the meeting of the representative of ARF bureau Hrant Margaryan and the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan was going to take place in the evening, during which the format of the cooperation would be finally clarified.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan is doing everything to damage the efforts of Co-chairs and the Minsk group format, in the framework of which is intended to reach to the peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. According to Armenpress, during the annual press conference summarizing the activities in 2015, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian answered to the question of one of the reporters. In his words the announcement of Minsk group co-chairs was not a surprise for the PACE delegates, as well as for Azerbaijan. I think that it couldnt be a surprise for Azerbaijan, the thing is that the country is disappointed that the position refers to them. Who tries to move the issue out of the Minsk group format? Of course, its Azerbaijan. As to Armenia, we have repeatedly said the same thing as the co-chairs. Our opinions coincide over this issue,. , Edward Nalbandian said.
He stressed the fact, that the PACE delegates voted for the peaceful solution of the conflict and didnt allow the report to pass.
Referring to the report on the Sarsang reservoir, the Minister noticed that it is illogical, that the author of the report didnt visit Nagorno-Karabagh despite the numerous invitations. Advising not to exaggerate the meaning of such documents, he noticed that the Azerbaijani and not the Armenian top officials had mentioned that the PACE resolutions are just pieces of paper.
In his remarks, Azerbaijan, noticing that he cant pass his unilateral approaches around the negotiation table, tries to find consolation using other formats and is against of both OSCE and PACE.
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. Minsk Group co-chairs had called on other European institutions not to try to transfer the negotiation format into other platforms.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian will again meet with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs within the coming days. Minister Nalbadian announced about this during the annual summing press conference of 2015, stating that the Armenian side is committed to continue collaborate with Co-chairs for the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. There are no alternatives for negotiations; we shall continue our efforts with the Co-chairs to find a solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict. We have already reached an agreement to hold a meeting with the Co-chairs within the coming days, Armenpress reports, the Minister said.
He also noted that Azerbaijan does not succeed in making its maximalist and one-sided position acceptable for the international society, while Armenia speaks to the international society in the same voice.
On December 19, in the capital of the Swiss Confederation Bern the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev conducted negotiations aimed at the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh issue. The negotiations were mediated by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The meeting, which took place at the Landgut Lohn reception hall of the Swiss government, started with the participation of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mamedyarov, Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov (Russia), James Warlick (USA), Pierre Andrieu (France) and the Personal Representative of the OCSE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasperzuk and later was followed by the tete-a-tete meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
During the negotiations steps aimed at reducing tension in the conflict area and possibilities to move forward with the resolution of the issue were discussed.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is ready to continue and deepen the collaboration with EU, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian informed during the final conference, in the interview with journalists, as Armenpress reports.
We announced about the launch of negotiations with the European Union after which the first phase of the negotiations took place. An agreement has been reached on schedule of the future rounds before the end of this year. New high-level visits both to Armenia and Brussels are prepared. As a result new agreements will be gained and will push forward our relations in different directions, Nalbandian mentioned.
Armenian Foreign Minister once again reminded Armenia's readiness to continue cooperation with EU. One thing is obvious: Armenia repeatedly stated and remains in its position that we are ready to go forward with EU, strengthen and deepen the collaboration in all possible directions and formats which EU will propose taking into account our commitments in integration processes, he said.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Pope Francis will play himself in the new religious movie Beyond the Sun, marking his acting debut and the first time that a pope has appeared in a feature film. Armenpress reports about this citing variety.com
Beyond the Sun from Ambi Pictures is a family adventure based on the Gospels. Pope Francis asked the filmmakers to make a movie that communicated Jesus message to children.
AMBI co-founders Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi will finance and produce the film. Graciela Rodriguez wrote the screenplay and will co-produce with Gabriel Leybu. Monsignor Eduardo Garcia will be Pope Francis advisor.
All profits from the film will be donated to Argentinean charities El Alemendro and Los Hogares de Cristo, which aid at-risk children and young adults.
Iervolino made his first film in his hometown of Cassino, Italy, at age 15.
Our excitement and gratitude toward His Holiness, Pope Francis participating in this film is beyond words, he said. This is not just a movie for us, its a message, and who better to have on your side to deliver an important societal and spiritual message than the Pope.
Bacardi said, It is a great honor for Andrea and I to have the opportunity to work with His Holiness, Pope Francis, to spread the awareness of his message, through this film. We will make a movie everyone involved with can be proud of. Not only will families from around globe enjoy this film and be entertained, but they will be moved.
Principal photography is slated to begin early this year in Italy. Ambi will oversee worldwide distribution for Beyond the Sun through its Los Angeles-based international sales division.
Ambis slate includes a remake of Christopher Nolans Memonto; Lamborghini The Legend, a biopic on Lamborghini founder Ferruccio Lamborghini; Septembers of Shiraz, starring Salma Hayek and Adrien Brody; This Beautiful Fantastic, starring Jessica Brown Findlay and Tom Wilkinson; the Federico Fellini documentary The Man of La Dolce Vita; and James Francos In Dubious Battle, starring Franco, Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, Vincent DOnofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris and Bryan Cranston.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia Armen Ashotyan does not want to comment on the information of his possible appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Belgium. You want me to confess now? If I wish to express my opinion, I will do that, Armenpress reports, Ashotyan mentioned.
To the remark of one of the journalists that the sphere of education had long been in the hands of the ARF and there are rumors now that the ARF again wants to assume that post, Ashotyan answered that irrespective of which party will lead the sphere, the aim is the same: to create national school with international standards. Ashotyan added that there may be tactical differences but the strategy has remained the same for 25 years.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. President of the National Assembly of Armenia received the delegation led by Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli on February 2. As Armenpress was informed from the Public Relations and Media Department of the National Assembly, the President of the National Assembly, hailing the Ministers visit to the parliament, hoped that such mutual visits will greatly contribute in further expansion and strengthening of Armenian-Georgian friendly relations.
In his speech, Galust Sahakyan documented that Armenian-Georgian parliamentary relations have significantly activated in the recent years.
He mentioned that despite the friendly relations between the parliaments of the two countries, cooperation on international platforms is not yet successful.
Galust Sahakyan highly appreciated Armenian-Georgian military cooperation and expressed an opinion that Georgias agreements with Turkey and Azerbaijan in military industry will not impede implementation of Armenian-Georgian joint programs.
President of the National Assembly of Armenia also referred to Georgias balanced stance over Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The head of the parliament mentioned that being in a military alliance with Russia, Armenia strives to display balanced position over Ossetia issue. Galust Sahakyan highlighted official and non-official visits between Armenia and Georgia and mentioned that the Armenian parliament will work in the direction of implementation of planned projects.
Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli expressed gratitude for the reception and conveyed the greetings of Georgian head of parliament to Galust Sahakyan. She congratulated on the occasion of holding the referendum: Georgia also has passed through this difficult path.
At the end of the meeting the interlocutors talked about deepening political dialogue between the two states, as well as development of economic cooperation and other issues of mutual interest.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenias efforts on international recognition and condemning the Armenian Genocide as well as on preventing the new crimes against humanity will be continuative, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian announced during the meeting with journalists on January 2.
There are various anniversaries: 50 years ago, Armenian Genocide was one of the dark pages in the history of mankind during the 50th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Today we can say that Armenian Genocide got world recognition due to joint and collective efforts which Armenian people took during these years. Consistent work will not stop neither before nor after the anniversaries, foreign minister mentioned as Armenpress reported.
Edward Nalbandian emphasized that thousands of exhibitions were organized during the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide as in Armenia and in various parts of the world.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. US welcomes Armenia's commitment to adopting Syrian refugees. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America (US) to the Republic of Armenia Richard Mills considers it important that Armenia is the 3rd among European countries on adopting largest number of Syrian refugees.
During the opening ceremony of Arevik Center of children and adults with disabilities (mental and physical) the ambassador mentioned that it is gladsome that Armenia welcomed Syrian refugees with open arms. It is a big honor for me to be here. As the UN refugee commissioners show, the number of displaced people was doubled. The doubling is due to the tragic events taking place in Syria. There were also lighter moments, one of which is Armenias adoption of Syrian refugees with open arms, Richard Mills mentioned, Armenpress reports.
According to US ambassador, the Syrians were warmly received in Armenia due to Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan and her leaded Ministry. Last year, the US government has allocated 6 billion worldwide in assistance to refugees. We supported also the mentioned project, the ambassador emphasized.
The opening ceremony of Arevik Center of children and adults with disabilities (mental and physical) was held on February 2. Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan also attended the project.
Refugees from Syria's civil war have flooded into Europe this year, moving mainly towards Germany, Sweden and Armenia. The Economist formed this list. The top three European countries are followed by the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Denmark, Switzerland, Great Britain, Greece and France. The bulk of the refugees are in Turkey 1 million 558 thousand, Lebanon - 1 million 147 thousand and Jordan 623 thousand and Iraq - 234 thousand.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Head of National Assembly ARF faction Armen Rustamyan again referred to his announcement stating that the authorities are discredited. In an interview with journalists at the National Assembly Armen Rustamyan stated that media has reported his speech out of the context, insisting that his announcement derived from the analytical analysis of the situation and does not take his words back. If there is serious disappointment, and that disappointment exists, and I believe that the number of citizens having voted against the new Constitution documents that there is disappointment, does not it mean that there are unsolved issues, accumulated problems which are not solved and need solution? Naturally, authorities cannot have high reputation if it has not solved the problems facing it. The lack of that reputation is also our trouble; we do not observe it as a problem referring only to the leadership. We want to make such changes in the country that the people trust their authorities, Armenpress reports, Rustamyan mentioned.
Rustamyan added the cooperation with the RPA is merely tool for ARF to reach goals. Our cooperation is a tool; I am focused on goals aimed at solving the problems facing our country. We have serious problems in the country which must be overcome. For that goal Dashnaktsutyun is ready to sacrifice everything, even its reputation. No one should have doubts over that. We have launched a good process, and we must continue it to improve the situation by recording positive results.
Leader of ARF faction ensures that they are ready to cooperate with the authorities for the sake of the state and the people. The debate over the portfolios that is disseminated by media is unacceptable for us. We do not struggle for portfolios or posts. We want to solve issues accumulated by our participation and we always say it, the MP mentioned.
Referring to rumors over Serzh Sargsyan-Hrant Margaryan meeting, Rustamyan clarified that the meetings will be continuous as long as there are no final decisions. He added that they have explained clearly how they want to go on, and those meetings are means to solve the issues raised by them.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Representatives of Nagorno Karabakh must participate in the confirmation procedures of agreements and the process of the settlement of Artsakh problem. The presidents of the Minsk Group Co-chair countries have stated about this several times, especially the RF Foreign Minister made such an announcement recently. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian announced about this answering the following question of Armenpress, What is the stance of the Co-chairs towards bringing back Artsakh to negotiation table and is it possible to make tougher claims over the issue in case Azerbaijan continues un-constructive policies?
Minister Nalbandian noted that it is stated in the negotiations that Nagorno Karabakh must be represented not only in the final stage of signing a treaty, but in different stages of the negotiations.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. National Assembly spring session entered into force, and considering that 2016 is a pre-electoral year and consequently there will be no lack of emotional and populist announcements in this hall. National Assembly Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov told about this at the parliament. This is natural as it is an inseparable part of politics. Anyway, I have to mention that the authorities, in the face of the Republican Party, cannot afford such extravagance. We must first of all act and withstand numerous domestic and external challenges, Armenpress reports, Sharmazanov mentioned.
In his words, after the Constitutional reforms we live in a new reality, and steps, stemming from the reforms, must be taken. First and foremost, new electoral code must be adopted. The Republican Party is committed to make the entire electoral process more transparent and democratic nulling the possibility of frauds and double voting and calls on all the constructive forces to actively participate in the discussion of those discussions. Under the existence of the amended electoral code we will have an opportunity to steadily follow the path of democratization which has no alternative in our country, the National Assembly Vice President concluded.
Kudos to John Kanas and BankUnited for throwing in the towel and ceasing to originate retail mortgages. The savvy decision recognizes the dilemma retail mortgage lending creates for most bank CEOs: originating and holding these loans pumps up earnings but not shareholder value.
Kanas's decision to exit retail mortgage lending will prove to be one of the most important banking stories of 2016 if other bankers across the country do the math and realize that most residential mortgage lending is an ineffective use of shareholder capital.
BankUnited is far from alone in its inability to earn a satisfactory return on equity from retail mortgage lending. Residential mortgage loans are the largest asset sitting on the balance sheets of U.S. banks comprising 22% of all loans. But here's the problem: mortgages are also the industry's least profitable product.
The industry faces a number of trouble spots, from declining oil prices to nonbank competition. Just look at stock prices. The share prices for a majority of publicly-traded banks are lower today than they were at the end of 2004. Banks holding on to their mortgage origination business may be contributing to the slide. When your most important asset is also your least profitable, that is not a positive sign.
Here are a few facts regarding mortgage lending in the U.S. in 2015.
In my analysis, I have grouped together the 500 U.S. banks with the most residential mortgages relative to their total loans, and compared those institutions to other peer groups and to the industry as a whole. While the nation's roughly 6,000 banks had a median return on equity of 7.82% through the third quarter of last year, our peer group's median ROE was only 3.5%. Meanwhile, the peer group of banks with the lowest ratio of residential loans to total loans had a median ROE of 9%.
In addition, the median U.S. bank generated 55 cents of net income for every dollar paid in salary and benefits last year. But the 500 banks with the most mortgage loans had a median ratio of net income to salary and benefits of only 31 cents. Banks with the least commitment to a mortgage business had a ratio more than twice as high, at 70 cents.
The 500 banks with the most mortgage loans on their books also are burdened with the highest capital ratios in the country. In other words, they face twin problems: too little income to cover too much capital. But reducing their capital still may not be an answer. Cutting capital in half would still not produce an acceptable ROE for 90% of these banks.
No surprise, the banks with the most residential loans also show the worst efficiency ratios among banks.
The low efficiency ratio reveals three stubborn problems with this type of lending. First, with mortgages, often the consumer looks only for low price. Second, for the vast majority of banks, the product is still delivered via a 20th century labor-intensive distribution model. Third, there appear to be few barriers of entry preventing banks and nonbanks like Quicken Mortgage from ramping up mortgage origination activities.
As a result, pricing is razor thin, distribution costs are exorbitant, and return on investment is inadequate to cover cost of capital.
Now some may argue that dynamics still allow large scale players to succeed in the mortgage business. But that isn't necessarily so. It has to do with how big banks comply with recent capital requirements following their agreement to huge mortgage-related settlements following the crisis.
Capital-happy bank regulators have a quandary they have yet to discuss publicly. Basel rules assign capital based on a bank's historic loss experience. When the nation's biggest banks paid out tens of billions of dollars in legal settlements and fines associated with home mortgages, the banks were required to input these operational losses into their regulatory capital calculations. According to Basel rules, the banks then must show sufficient capital going forward to cover 99.9% of potential losses based on past experience. What this means is that regulatory capital levels for the mortgage business are now so high that it cannot possibly make economic sense for big banks to even be in the business.
Perhaps at some time in the future policymakers will ease the Basel rules, or at least the guidance for complying with them. But until then, there is a question whether the capital requirements and contingent liabilities are so great that megabanks should avoid residential mortgage lending.
Do not be surprised if other shareholder-minded bankers join Kanas and BankUnited in exiting conventional residential mortgage lending. The combination of high origination costs, heavy capital burdens, and incalculable contingent liabilities is bad math for bankers and bank investors.
Richard J. Parsons is the author of Broke: America's Banking System. The analysis for this post is from his new book, "Investing in Banks: Strategies and Statistics for Bankers, Directors, and Investors," to be published by RMA in April.
This year, migrants around the world will send a record $610 billion across borders, according to World Bank projections. And although that would be a 25% surge from 2010, some things haven't evolved: namely, the high fees associated with the service and the long waits for the money to go through.
A handful of startups in the burgeoning fintech space are trying to change that. Some of these companies, including TransferWise, Zenbanx, Ripple, WorldRemit and Currency Cloud, are gaining customers and payment volumes. But hurdles remain, including a lack of interoperability among countries' payment systems and the hodgepodge of correspondent banks that funnel money between countries.
In 2015, 244 million people, or 3.3% of the world's population, lived outside their country of origin, according to the United Nations. According to the World Bank's latest numbers, migrants to the U.S. sent $56 billion to their home countries in 2014.
The average cross-border payment is around $200, according to the World Bank, and the average cost per transaction is 5% to 10%. (Sending money from the U.S. cost an average 6.3% at the end of last year.) A cross-border payment sent from a bank or money transfer operator today takes two to five days.
"Anything that can reduce friction, cost and time is something that as a financial institution is a worthwhile contributor to moving society along," said Arkadi Kuhlmann, founder and CEO of Zenbanx.
His company and TransferWise, among others, are addressing the market with mobile apps. International remittances sent via mobile technology accounted for less than 2% of remittance flows in 2013, according to the World Bank's latest data.
A study released last month by Juniper Research shows demand for mobile remittances. Among nearly 3,000 users of international money transfer service users from migrant communities in the U.S., U.K., and Germany, 82% of those who sent money across borders using money transfer operators and banks said they are dissatisfied with their current options; 83% said they are willing to use mobile payments for these transactions, provided they are offered a service that is more secure, more convenient, faster, and competitively priced.
Kuhlmann's Zenbanx account and mobile app, which officially launched in the U.S. in December 2015, lets people store money in multiple currencies in an FDIC-insured account (held by Delaware bank partner WSFS) and send mobile payments in those currencies to users in other countries for a set fee of $4.95, regardless of the size of the payment. A few thousand U.S. users have signed up so far. (In Canada, where Zenbanx launched first, more than 20,000 customers have joined.)
"The differentiators with Zenbanx are the ease with which a person can send money internationally from their mobile device versus a brick-and-mortar location and the flat fee for sending," said Kuhlmann, who previously pioneered direct banking as the founder of ING Direct.
Money sent internationally with Zenbanx is available in the recipient's bank within two days. The person sending the money is notified when the recipient receives it.
"It takes the guess work out as both parties get notifications," Kuhlmann said. The sender is also notified if the recipient doesn't pick up the money she's been sent, so the sender can check in with the recipient to make certain everything is OK.
Zenbanx users can send messages and photos along with their payments. While this feature brings to mind Venmo, the payment app and social network popular among U.S. millennials, Kuhlmann said his customer base is mainly immigrant communities.
"When they travel, they don't travel for pleasure, they travel because they're seeing family, they're working, they're importing and exporting, the children are going to school," Kuhlmann said. "So they're very industrious, they work very hard for their money, and they support family members and investments back in their native countries. There are 35 million first and second generation Chinese Americans. This is not for the American Express gold card member."
Another provider of a cross-border mobile payment app, London-based TransferWise, says its users move $750 million a month over its service. It launched in the U.S. market in February 2015 and hit $1 billion in U.S. dollar transfers within eight months.
"I've often heard people describe us as international Venmo and I use that description myself sometimes," said Joe Cross, U.S. general manager at TransferWise.
The company started when its founders, Taavet Hinrikus (Skype's first employee) and Kristo Kaarmann (a former management consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers), realized how much it cost to transfer money between the U.K. and Estonia. Hinrikus was based in London but was paid in euros; Kaarmann worked in London but paid a mortgage in Estonia in euros. They figured out a way to exchange money between themselves, without the markup rate and fees charged by banks. They saved thousands of pounds and realized there might be a market for such a product.
"The founding principle of our company is fairness otherwise you'd be screwing over your friend and no one wants to do that," Cross said.
TransferWise uses a peer-to-peer platform that matches payments with one or more people making an opposite exchange. If there is no one to swap a payment with, the company buys the needed currency.
TransferWise says it always uses "the real exchange rate" and charges a flat fee that varies depending on the route. From the U.K. and Eurozone, for example, it charges 0.5%. From Australia it's 0.7%. From the U.S. the price is 1% up to $5,000 and then 0.7%.
Transfers are typically complete within one or two working days "up to five times faster than a bank," Cross said. "We are now able to offer instant transfers on a number of our bigger routes."
But due to fundamental payment infrastructure issues, mobile apps can only do so much.
"The fanciest mobile payment application might look nice and attractive, but it's still weighed down by this antiquated infrastructure" of older payment systems and correspondent banking networks, said Chris Larsen, CEO of Ripple, which proposes to solve this with distributed-ledger technology.
"Things might work well within a country or payment system some countries are very real-time and super-efficient, others are trying to catch up," Larsen noted. "But even for the ones that are real-time cutting edge, there's still the problem of no interoperability between even the best systems."
For instance, the U.K. and Mexico both have fast payment networks but no interoperability between them.
"The rails between those countries [are] still based on 1970s technology and correspondent banking, and that's the problem with any cross-border payment, whether it's a corporation or an immigrant trying to help his family back home," Larsen said. "Because of that correspondent banking, you're facing very long delays, very high cost, and kind of a lack of access only a handful of global money center banks can do this directly."
Ripple has signed 90 banks to use its shared-ledger technology, which works similarly to a blockchain; 30 of those banks are in pilots and four have gone into production. Last year it introduced Interledger, a protocol for payments across different systems.
Larsen envisions cross-border payments eventually looking a lot like the Internet itself.
"The Internet was not formed around a single Oracle database. It's millions of databases all connected through a common internet protocol," he said. "We think there will be millions of ledgers, mostly core systems of banks, all connected through a common value exchange protocol or interoperability protocol."
Editor at Large Penny Crosman welcomes feedback at penny.crosman@sourcemedia.com.
After the Hitler and Stalin disasters, Europeans swore Never Again! over and over again. Never Again to the Holocaust and Stalin massacres, but also to the many occasions of mass bloodshed that began with the wars of the Reformation.
And yet, today we can see Europes boastful old narcissism again.
It is a troubling and ominous sight.
I dont mean to pick on Europe -- there are plenty of mad political movements in the world. But Europe has been the source of all major international wars for centuries. Maybe it was only the Industrial Revolution that made Europe so destructive. But its neurotic repetition compulsion goes back at least to the invention of the printing press, which made mass political movements possible.
Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad, said the Greeks, and they were right. The very same signs of severe mental pathology seem to show up before every major bloodletting in history. If you look for historical patterns, you can see the signs long before mass violence breaks out again. Today, the most stunning example of pathology is visible in the suicidal policies of the European Union, a grossly dysfunctional family if ever there was one.
Many historians consider World War I to be the greatest disaster of the 20th century, because it killed a whole generation of highly educated men, who could have given constructive political and cultural leadership for decades to come. World War I itself was triggered by a century of tit-for-tat Franco-German wars, and it led directly to Hitler and the Cold War.
The war brought Lenin to power in Russia, followed by the first Marxist Terror. Hitlers rise was driven by a desire to take revenge for WW I. Without WW I the world would have been spared much suffering.
Every European disaster echoes the previous one, which is why the historical pattern looks so neurotic. Europes propaganda line changes, but it always comes down to the same old narcissistic grandiosity, the same glorious rhetoric of Empire. Today the European Union is seriously intent on taking over the world via bureaucratic imperialism, using a network of international laws that nobody has ever voted for. Euro-imperialism is the reason behind the global climate fraud.
Not surprisingly, in the end the Eurocracy serves no one but itself. The elite helped to ruin viable economies on its own Mediterranean shores, simply in pursuit of a glorious new euro currency; the EU has knowingly imported 50 million easily radicalized Muslims; and Euromedia have fallen back into their bad old habits of viciously scapegoating anybody who stands in the way of their fantasy life. Europrop is no different from the imperial propaganda of Kaiser Wilhelm, Hitler, or Stalin. Only the designated scapegoats change.
(See this website for excellent coverage of the German media).
America and Israel are Europes favorite scapegoats today -- putting Germany into that old mood of arrogant superiority -- but scapegoating is a primitive emotional defense mechanism, which can be directed at any target. The psychology of scapegoating empowers demagogues -- its practically the definition of demagogy. Which what makes Europolitics so neurotic today.)
For 70 years American power helped to hold back Europes mood swings, by protecting the Continent from Soviet aggression. Europe responded to Uncle Sams free ride by cannibalizing its own defense capabilities, to buy more welfare votes to keep the Left in power.
As a direct result, today the EU is utterly helpless in the face of Putins new imperialism. The end of the Cold War and the rise of Jihad has ripped the lid off that leaky old pressure cooker. The EU is defenseless without the U.S., and the Obama administration has systematically pulled down all the Wests strategic defenses.
This story will not end well.
Historians still argue why WW I ever started, because they cant figure out any sane motivation. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 was the act of a madman, but it never posed a strategic danger. Nobody benefited from war; instead, Europe ruined itself. The French had cheered on generations of anti-German propaganda, and the Germans hated the French just as much, while the Brits tried to pit the other powers against each other.
But even today nobody knows why the two opposing alliances suddenly went to all-out war, leading to millions of deaths. WW I followed the usual mass propaganda campaign, nationalistic scapegoating, and revanchisme (revenge campaigns), repeating all the old Franco-German wars. But that is not a rational reason for a world war.
The world wars followed a purely neurotic compulsion to do what was never done before, covered up with delusional propaganda slogans. Just like today.
Why is this neurotic history relevant today? Because Merkels collapse before the Syrian rapefugee invasion is simply not explainable on sane and rational grounds. Recent news reports say that 90% of the phony Syrian refugees were men, mostly of military age. We hear that news now, but Merkel has an intelligence apparatus to tell her long before the invasion happened. And yet -- she acted completely shocked, helpless, and self-destructive.
This is not rational.
Jihadists are not just after trendy sex. They are doctrinaire killers, slave-takers, torturers and terrorists, who will quickly impose brutal Sharia slavery on as many women as possible. The police in Germany, Norway, and Sweden are acting helpless. In Norway the cops retreated before a mob engaged in mass rape of a ten-year-old boy, the most shameful European surrender to sadistic barbarism since you-know-who.
The Jihad invasion is an obvious return to the psychology of the Hitler Jugend, who were also young, easily indoctrinated males, happy to die for Der Fuehrer. Jihadists kill and die for Allah, but the mindset is similar. Jihadists are stuck in pre-modern times, in the glorious war theology of the 7th century desert.
If Angela Merkel doesnt know that, she is grossly ignorant.
Turkey was probably a major power behind the overwhelming wave of jihadist immigrants. But there is reason to think that the EU, which has been trying to dilute its own native populations by mixing in some of the least adaptable immigrants, was also behind the biggest Trojan Horse in history.
The European Union, which generates constant peace-and-love propaganda, is a complete and utter fraud. Nobody in the Eurocracy is actually elected by voters. European voters are completely helpless, and national parliaments are constantly yielding power to the appointed bureaucracy in Brussels. All EU propaganda consists of barefaced lies. This is a mass psychiatric problem -- self-delusion being the biggest sign of neurosis.
Reality distortion is always the key. Narcissistic grandiosity is simply the boastful lie that such people tell themselves to compensate for nagging feelings of inferiority. Badly depressed people have the opposite problem: They are cruelly self-critical. True psychotics suffer from extremely disturbing auditory hallucinations, and paranoids suffer from a host of delusional suspicions. But they all suffer from a distorted sense of reality.
T.S. Eliot wrote that Humankind cannot bear too much reality. But how can you help more than 300 million people who are constantly indoctrinated in the newest grandiose-narcissistic-imperialistic dream of the ruling class? Narcissists only improve when they finally realize that they keep running into the same brick wall, over and over again. Its very hard to change individual narcissists, and when a whole media culture turns into a narcissistic cult
Massive delusion via the media is always the first sign of a European disaster in the making. The musical Cabaret takes place in the Weimar Republic before Hitler, when Europe went through the same kind of self-loathing and self-sabotage that we saw in multiculturalism. But the disease goes back before the French Revolution, which was also preceded by a cultural breakdown. Marquis de Sade wrote several of his books around the time of the French Revolution.
When Europe sneezes, America catches cold. Our university campuses are full of Eurosocialist propaganda artists pretending to be professors. Barack Obama and his fellow leftists are just as deeply indoctrinated: Eurosocialists verging on old-style Leninists. Obama has never really known any normal people, which is why he still believes exactly what he believed eight years ago.
Our media are mental plague carriers. While journalists used to learn their craft by doing it, today they first have to go through cult indoctrination at Columbia or Harvard. Which is why we have actors wearing trenchcoats instead of television news anchors, and a grandiose narcissist in the White House.
The European Union was founded by French bureaucrat Jean Monnet. It began as a free trade area, becoming a great economic success.
But prosperity was never good enough for the bureaucracy. In some half-hidden way the EU has charted a path to a new European Empire, the old, delusional dream of making Europe a great power again.
All for the sake of world peace, of course.
Trump Nation has little tolerance, indeed any interest at all, in ideology, even less with intellectual volleying amongst political scientists. Donald Trumps commanding poll standing on the cusp of the Iowa caucuses, and the New Hampshire primary, has frightened ideologues, and virtually the entire so-called professional political class.
Both the hard-boiled conservative social, fiscal, and limited government warriors as well as softer right-sided analysts -- more interested in civility, tone, and thoughtful governance/electoral philosophy than the real pulse of voters -- believe either Donald Trump is a menace, or that hell lose in a landslide to Hillary/Bernie/whomever.
Donald Trump appeals to an astonishingly wide swath of Americans -- right, left, and middle -- all of whom have dismissed platform and policy. They display no patience for nuance, or apparent complexity. Trump Nation deeply distrusts policy language because policy talk is a cover for cluelessness about transactions.
The current Republican lineup has failed to close on any transactions -- keelhauling ObamaCare, stopping illegal immigration, cleaning up malicious incompetence at the Veterans Administration, prosecuting unrepentant crooks at the IRS, checking Obamas foreign policy treachery. Since the wave of Tea Party victories in 2010, regular Joes and Janes have not won a single transaction, despite repeated promises by the victors.
And so, Trump Nation wants a transaction president. Period. A splash of charismatic leadership is welcome, but only if charisma advances the transaction. Transformation? All Gibberish.
Thus, closing the borders is neither an ideological conviction about sovereignty, nor a socioeconomic thesis about multiculturalism, downward assimilation, and displacement of opportunity vs economic growth. Closing the borders is a simple pragmatic transaction to deny threats to livelihood, way of life, and personal safety.
Trump Nation wants things to work without being set upon by a mindless, incompetent bureaucracy that steals more out of our paychecks, never delivering results. Government criminals never face prosecution, instead receive lavish bonuses. Trump Nation wants deals that work for them, not deals that require them to pay for someone elses socially engineered lifestyle, nor pay for rewarding corruption, condescension, and callousness.
Trump Nation is tired of failed transactions leaving only humiliation, disrespect, hardship, and despair. Trump Nation wants a transaction president.
Donald Trump knows transactions. Donald Trump advertises that hes not only a high stakes negotiator. Trump will save the nation in the grandest transaction yet.
It is that simple.
Just like Trump Airlines.
Recall Trumps promises in 1988 -- a lot more than a simple transaction in keeping the aging Eastern Airlines shuttle fleet flying. Trump promised luxury, convenience, style, personal touches, affinity to grandeur, and profitability.
Except for convenience, Trump delivered nothing else for which customers were willing to pay. The Trump Shuttle was a flaming financial wreck. Customers had already defected to upstart Pan Am. In desperation Trump trashed his rival, claiming Pam Am execs were losers, and Pan Am was unsafe. (Sound familiar?)
Soon enough, Donald Trumps transaction to transform the airline business was a bust. His most important transaction was confounding third party creditors in bailing out his personal guarantees.
Donald Trumps prefabricated brand is of the quintessential transactional leader. Hes a master, even negotiating brilliant escape hatches when he fails.
Trump Airlines, perhaps Trumps boldest venture far removed from his core expertise, still displayed Trumps leitmotif --engineering a brash makeover for an overvalued transaction to get into the airline game, unable to command the nuts-and-bolts knowhow needed to gain market share and stop bleeding margins, thus in desperation finally piloting a perilous landing, coaxed to the ground by Citibank controllers leaving the third party creditors, and employees, to find the exit row chutes, fending for themselves.
Yet Trump Nations version of Hope and Change is that Donald Trump will be their transaction savior. Of course, until the transaction no longer works for him, or a smarter broker/dealer sits across the table.
Trump Nation loyalists have an unflinching belief that Donald Trumps transactions will work for them too. Will they be rewarded for their fidelity?
Will the Trump Shuttle fly again? Well, as Mark Twain quipped in Puddnhead Wilsons New Calendar: Faith is believing what you know aint so.
Ill build the wall and Mexico is going to pay for it. If Donald Trump can deliver on that absurdity, then he can also honor a faded boarding pass for the Trump Shuttle from New York to DC.
They couldnt be more different, most folks would say. Trump is a loud decadent capitalist and Sanders is a shrill socialist, or worse. One is running as a Republican, the other a Democrat. And we all understand how different political parties are these days.
Donald is coifed, fabulously rich, and much married to beautiful women. Bernie looks like an unmade bed, lives off a government salary, a guy who might have trouble getting a date. One flies around the country in a private jet or helicopter and the other uses a bus or calls Uber. Donald Trump speaks to issues in broad generalities and Bernie Sanders sounds like a Brooklyn grocer counting pennies to make the rent.
At first glance, you might say the differences couldnt be more profound, at last a real choice between radically different socio political philosophies. Alas, things are never quite what they seem in politics. Turns out, in America, labels tell you as little as possible. Right is often left and the left is often hysterically nostalgic. Loud political distinctions are not necessarily differences.
So whats going on here? Both sides of the political spectrum and most of the media are attacking the two outer borough brothers. Everyone but the voters have their knickers in a knot. Whoda thunk it?
Elites, right and left, are not pleased with the wisdom of crowds. And if we are totally honest, Donald and Bernie are not the real worry for the establishment. The real threat to traditional elites comes from the people -- the voter folks with real jobs who pay taxes. Cooking the media books along with primary poll picks, the jackass class and media brass see their sinecures and monopolies at risk in 2016.
Forsooth, choice, for the most part, is a bit of a chimera in social democracies in any case. Still, Trump versus Sanders comes close to real choice compared to the usual sleep walkers from the status quo stables. Nonetheless, if polls are omens, the true opponents in 2016 primary race feature the usual suspects against the usual chumps. Only this time out, the American lumpen proletariat seems to have had it with media spinners and party puppet masters.
In this, Trump and Sanders are brothers by other mothers, two outsiders bucking the same system, a bull and a bear squaring off in a cage match of their own making. Wow! Who would have thought that American politics might be transformative, interesting -- and entertaining?
Lets just assume that the early auguries have it right. A Trump versus Sanders match might not have as much drama as you might think. Indeed, a bull and bear contest in the big show might just turn out to be a bromance.
Both are outsider animals. Both are calling for revolution. Both are running against the Beltway bandits. Both are New Yorkers, Queens and Brooklyn boys. Turns out those New York values, whatever they are, are an asset not a liability. Unlike the Clintons and the Obamas, neither Trump nor Sanders are breeding lawyers. Indeed, both frontrunners are normal family men of a sort.
Both attract large enthusiastic crowds. Neither has much of a following among the media, party hacks, feminists, special pleaders, Islamists, cold warriors, moneyed interests, the legal profession, or race hustlers. Both seem to be inclined to fix things on the home front before they try to mend the dysfunctional world. Both also agree that Hillary shouldnt get a third term in the White House. And neither Trump nor Sanders, quite frankly, seems to give a damn about what George Will, Rich Lowry, Nina Totenberg, or Chris Matthews thinks America should be.
Nonetheless, we are led to believe that both Trump and Sanders would be disasters. Really? Compared to whom? Surely not a Bush, an Obama, or another Clinton. America has had three doses of Bush, two draughts of Clinton, and now two too much of Obama. At home, the country is still burdened with debt, deficit, and flirts annually with default. Abroad, those Muslim wars are now about to have Platinum Jubilee with no end to terror, or toxic religious refugees, on the horizon.
After seven seasons of inertia, fiscal incontinence, and yes, serial foreign policy disasters, a lottery might have picked better presidential timber than either of the two American political parties. So why not have the people pick a commander-in-chief 2016? Almost anyone should do better than the usual suspects.
Hillary Clinton might be the perfect example of all thats wrong with American politics in both major parties. Primarily, Ms. Clinton wouldnt know the truth if it bit her on that junk in her pant suit trunk. Whatever the subject -- Arkansas shenanigans, bimbo eruptions, human rights for women, wall street donors, speaking fees, Benghazi, Islamists, immigrants, and now private email servers -- Hillary provides no candor or adult explanations save happy talk.
The Clintons are royalty in an American shyster cult where truth and justice are a function what you can get away with. America needs another pair of lawyers in the Oval Office like Brazil needs more mosquitoes before the Olympics.
Indeed, Mrs. Clinton believes that America is stupid enough to put another empty symbol in the White House. She is a passenger on Bills and now Baracks coattails. Hillary is coasting too, for the most part, on her vagina, just as Barack Obama ran primarily on melanin and Jeb Bush now runs for dynasty.
Hillarys core constituents are social dependents and women who get their information from the View, their values from daytime soap operas, and their baby sitters from the Simpsons, South Park, and the Family Guy. The only voting demographic that might be more callow is one that takes cues from the National Review frat house.
Believe what you will about Bernie Sanders. Hes not Bill Clintons wife. Say what you will about Donald Trump too. Hes nobodys bitch either.
G. Murphy Donovan writes about the politics of national security.
Some developments in international affairs occasion no surprise. The announcement on January 28, 2016 by the military wing of the terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, that seven of its members were killed when a tunnel, which they were repairing in order to attack Israeli civilians, had collapsed reminded the world that Islamist terrorism continues. The eagerness of European countries to make business arrangements with Iran illustrates that the supposed concern for human rights and about the threat of a nuclear Iran is of small importance compared with economic opportunities.
What is a surprise, and a significant one, was the tripartite cooperation agreement signed in Nicosia on January 28, 2016 by Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. It was the first summit among the three countries to work together on a number of issues. Already on the previous day, Israel and Greece had made agreements as well as making clear that Turkey was not excluded from the cooperative arrangements.
In July 2015, stunning mosaics were found in the ruins of the floor of a fifth-century synagogue in the village of Huqoq, near Capernaum in the Galilee in Israel. One of them suggests an image of Alexander the Great, thus reinforcing or confirming the legend of his meeting with the Jewish high priest of Jerusalem. This is highly likely because of the presence in the mosaics of elephants associated with Greek armies.
Whatever the accuracy of the meeting between Greeks and Jews twenty-four hundred years ago, there were no elephants present, nor is there any legend about the meetings between present-day Greek and Israeli leaders in recent months. Relations between the two countries have been uneven, to say the least, since the end of World War II, so the growing relationship has come as a surprise.
This is especially the case regarding the utterances and policies of Alexis Tsipras, Greek prime minister since January 2015 and leader of the radical left-wing political party Syriza, thought to be unfriendly toward Israel. In his visit to Israel on November 25-26, 2015, Tsipras when signing the guest book of Israeli president Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem said it was a "great honor to be in your historical capital."
The present and future U.S. administrations might take notice. So far, no other leader of a European country or any U.S. president, in spite of the urging of Congress, has acknowledged officially that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel.
For some years, Greek leaders have looked favorably on the Palestinian cause. The Greek parliament passed a non-binding resolution calling for recognition of a Palestinian state independent of negotiations between the parties. One small gesture, in contrast, was the Greek law of 2011 to allow Holocaust survivors and their descendants to regain Greek citizenship. The gesture was largely sentimental and symbolic, since few Jews were likely to accept it.
The change in Greek policy was demonstrated on December 1, 2015 by a statement of Greek foreign minister Nikos Kotzias. Greece became the second European country, following Hungary, to refuse to accept the guidelines of the European Union not to label as "Made in Israel" products made in the disputed Israeli settlements. Greece had refused to engage in what is in part a boycott of Israel.
Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu in meeting Tsipras and Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades told them that the Old City of Jerusalem, the city of David, "is our Acropolis." Certainly, the two peoples, Greeks and Jews, share a rich heritage and have laid the basis for much of modern civilization. Greece and Israel can rightfully claim to be based on that historic heritage.
Equally important today are the bilateral agreements by the two countries in recent months on a number of issues: tourism, public security, infrastructure, road safety, water, and training of diplomats.
The new positive attitude of Greece toward Israel, both concerned with scientific and technological development, has been warmed by two factors: mutual economic benefit and cooperation between the two countries and Cyprus.
The dramatic cooperation is planned in two ways. One is the joint venture among Greece, Israel, and Cyprus to build a natural gas pipeline from the Eastern Mediterranean via Cyprus to Crete and then to the European mainland, tapping large gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, estimated to be between 10,000 and15,000 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Greece will be the bridge for the transfer of Eastern Mediterranean gas to the European mainland.
The second is an ambitious proposal to create what would be the world's largest underwater power cable, the high-voltage EuroAsia connector.
These proposals have been fostered by the discovery off the southern coast of Cyprus of a large supply, the so-called Aphrodite Gas field, in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is about 21 miles from an Israeli gas field. In addition, Israel, which already has discovered the Tamar and Leviathan fields in 2009 and 2010, has now found signs of another large natural gas field, about 9 trillion cubic feet, off its coast.
Cyprus and Israel demarcated their maritime border in 2010, but Turkey has not recognized a border agreement with Cyprus. Israel has called on Turkey to recognize the right of Cyprus to explore for natural gas.
The tripartite arrangements will have both general benefits, political and economic, and specific benefits, such as agreements on issues of water management, tourism, and high tech.
The arrangements will not only have an economic impact, aiming to promote development and stability in the area. They can also have an important political impact as Greece and Cyprus have suggested in playing a role in better relations between Israel and the EU and also help in a peace process with Palestinians.
The tripartite agreement may have two other impacts. It may mitigate the hostile attitude of Turkey toward Israel since the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010 and hasten the return of full diplomatic ties, a subject now discussed in secret negotiations, which it broke at that time. It explains the unexpected statement of Turkish president Erdogan that normalization of relations with Israel are possible.
Also, it might lead to better relations between Turkey and Cyprus. Paradoxically, in this tango of international relations, Israel may act as the peacemaker between Greece and Turkey. The friendliness of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus is not aimed at hostility toward Turkey.
As in the case of Greece, the attitude of Cyprus to Israel was not always friendly, especially in the 1980s, when it supported the Palestinian point of view, in spite of the fact that Cyprus benefited economically because often it was the destination for Jewish couples to wed if they were unable or unwilling to have a religious marriage in Israel. But since then, the two countries have cooperated on various military, cultural, and political issues. Today, only about 450 Jewish families, mostly foreign citizens there for business purposes, live in Cyprus.
The tripartite agreement is not simply important in itself. It gives the answer to those individuals and groups, academic and religious, who have taken the reactionary route in calling for a boycott of the State of Israel and its citizens. Why are these reactionaries so opposed to the kind of cooperation, progress, and development that Greece and Cyprus are advocating?
On January 13, Department of Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson trekked to Dearborn, Michigan, where he spoke to students and law enforcement at the University of Michigan, Dearborn about the departments efforts to engage the Muslim community. He also met privately with student leaders in a meeting closed to media.
Reportedly, Johnson did not meet with leaders of the local Muslim community. He did say that he was open to the idea of meeting with faith leaders in the future, but it still seems odd, considering that DHS billed the talks subject as community engagement.
Its possible the secretary was simply too busy. He may have thought the students were more of a priority, given the youth of so many people attracted to ISIS and other terrorist groups, and felt felt he could not take the additional time needed to meet with community leaders.
Or perhaps there is more to it. Johnsons message included this plea to Muslims: Terrorist organizations seek to pull your youth into the pit of violent extremism. Help us to help you stop this. If you see someone turning toward violence, say something. Say something to law enforcement, or to one of your community or religious leaders.
Contrast the secretarys comments with a poster on the website of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan chapter, exhorting readers: If the FBI contacts you, contact us. The poster supplies CAIR-Michigans telephone number, 248-559-2247. While the FBI is part of the Department of Justice rather than the Department of Homeland Security, the message is consistent with CAIRs oppositional attitude regarding government efforts to counter violent Islamism including its opposition to a bill that would fund DHS counter-extremism efforts. The Arab American Institute has likewise been critical of government efforts to counter violent extremism.
Local Muslim religious leaders like Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, leader of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, have also denied a connection between Islam and the crimes of violent Islamists. Unlike, for example, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has called for a religious revolution within Islam, or the recently launched Muslim Reform Movement, which openly states it is in a battle for the soul of Islam, Elahi speaks of Islam as a victim of Islamist terrorists and urges, Dont blame Islam for the evil actions of its enemies.
Johnson parroted the administrations party line, the very essence of the Islamic faith is peace, but also called on the community to speak up against extremism in order to counter ISIS. The administration has received pushback on the latter request from groups like CAIR, and it also seems contrary to the message of Elahi and other religious leaders in the Dearborn area.
For all the administrations bending over backward to include Muslim groups like CAIR and its fellow travelers within the Muslim community, perhaps the latters efforts to obstruct government anti-terror efforts are beginning to register within the administration. Maybe he thought a group that tells its constituents, If the FBI contacts you, contact us, isnt the right partner for a talk urging listeners, If you see something, say something to law enforcement. Perhaps Johnson decided the leadership of the local Muslim community in and around Dearborn are a bit too radicalized and uncooperative to make engagement with them productive and has written them off as a practical reality.
Johanna Markind is associate counselor for the Middle East Forum.
A new set of regulations passed by the New York State Ethics Panel puts a muzzle on free speech and on a free press. These regs stand in violation of prior Supreme Court rulings that defined the difference between paid lobbying and free speech and would infringe on the rights of public relations professionals, political consultants even politically active bloggers.
The U.S. courts have defined lobbyists, according to the Wall Street Journal, as either those who directly petition government officials as the paid employees or agents of others. Those are lobbyists, who can be required to register and to follow certain reporting guidelines. However, that other category, grassroots lobbyists, are those including anyone from a PR firm, every political consultant working in New York State, and even a politically active blogger who are involved in directing efforts to spur others to directly petition government officials.
Not content with imposing the highest taxes in the nation or stripping millions of citizens of their Second Amendment rights, New York has now launched a campaign against free speech and free press. The obvious target includes public relations professionals; less obviously so, the target also includes any blogger who advocates for a specific law, regulation, or other form of bureaucratic red tape.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
New York political consultants contact with the media will be treated as lobbying that requires registration and public disclosure under a controversial new rule approved by the state ethics commission. A public relations consultant who contacts a media outlet in an attempt to get it to advance the clients message in an editorial must register and report lobbying activity, states a regulatory opinion issued Tuesday by the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics. Any attempt by a consultant to induce a third party whether the public or the press to deliver the clients lobbying message to a public official would constitute lobbying under these rules, it reads. The ethics board, which is appointed by the governor and lawmakers, says the expanded lobbying law is intended to generate transparency and is in no way intended to restrict a reporters ability to gather information or to seek comment from representatives of advocacy groups as part of reporting the news. Critics say the state is extending the reach of its lobbying enforcement far beyond what courts have permitted under the First Amendment.
It is easy to see how this restriction could also be made to apply to a passionate blogger advocating for or against some law or regulation. The next logical step is to force every citizen with an opinion to register as a lobbyist and file monthly reports to the state.
Ironically, in an Orwellian twist, this regulation apparently also applies to PR professionals who work as employees for, or who consult with, the state government including the governor and his cabinet officers, and even the legislature itself.
Where is the harm? Well, it certainly stifles free speech and the free press. For instance:
It should be obvious that requiring someone to report every conversation with an editorial writer is intimidating to both journalists and advocates, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Donna Lieberman, told WSJ.
The governor, who appointed this commission but now claims that he hasnt monitored their activities, is said to be studying this new regulation. However, if the past is any indication, Governor Cuomo has never met a regulation especially one giving more power to the state that he didnt love.
This is the kind of regulation against which our colonial ancestors rebelled. While some justification might conceivably be made for regulating what paid advocates can do when dealing directly with legislators and their staffs, it is quite different when the state starts to regulate the contacts between citizens (regardless of where they work, or whom they work for) and members of the Fourth Estate. The ACLUs Donna Lieberman is right this will intimidate those whose job it is to talk with the press.
If allowed to stand, this represents a major restriction in two cherished First Amendment freedoms.
Ned Barnett, CEO of Barnett Marketing Communications in Las Vegas, has worked as both a journalist and a PR professional for both the government and the private sector. He was, for several years, a registered lobbyist in South Carolina and later worked for a dozen years as a grass roots lobbyist i.e., a PR professional dealing with public policy issues.
So far, things are working out exactly as I hoped in the Democrat presidential nomination race. Long story short: the ultra-left wing of the left-wing Democratic Party is waking up to the fact that Hillary Clinton is a vicious, crooked phony, who will do anything to win fair or foul. Welcome to the club, lefties. Thats step one in waking up to the political corruption that is destroying our country. Meanwhile, assuming Hillary continues to muscle her way into the nomination and escapes indictment, the odds are that embittered Sanders supporters will stay home in November.
Perfect.
With her characteristic arrogance, Hillary last night claimed victory while the returns from Iowa were still coming in, and the race was 50-50. But she will come out ahead in delegate count. First of all, the super-delegates are in the bag, and second of all, she had some remarkable, statistically improbable (1 in 64) luck with the coin tosses that decided 6 precincts in her favor, 6 out of 6.
Best of all from my perspective was the apparent fraud captured on the C-SPAN cameras in a Polk County caucus. The Examiner summarizes:
The video shows Clinton caucus chair Drew Gentsch and precinct captain Liz Buck allegedly not conducting an "actual count of Clinton supporters and deliberately mislead caucus." The location in question was prescient #43 in Des Moines, IA, as the caucus event was held at Roosevelt High School, as the video was broadcasted live on C-SPAN2. The final delegate count finished with Clinton receiving five and Sanders pulling in four. Multiple rounds of voting took place, as the head count changed from round to round, which raised questions from those in attendance. On Reddit, the incident was explained in further detail. "It was assumed by the chair, Drew Gentsch, that the voter difference was due to a few people that left the building before the second round began. The question is whether there were really 456 total people present for the second round of voting. That was not clear, as Clinton's team did not perform a recount of ALL of the Hillary supporters during the second round of voting." The account of the incident also states that Buck "lied about whether she recounted all of the Clinton supporters during the second count." In further detail, the report notes, "It's all on tape. The Sanders supports were unsuccessful at getting a recount conducted, even though several of them protested vigorously."
Now that defending Bill Clinton from those awful Republican prudes in impeachment is no longer a factor (and Bill is known to visit Orgy Island with his sex criminal pal), blinders are falling away from the eyes of some Democrats when it comes to the Clinton Machine.
Make no mistake: the fix is in for Hillary. Even if Sanders continues to do well, the Democrats have the ability to rig the convention to nominate Hillary.
The best of all possible outcomes would be a third-party run by Sanders, but by the time he wakes up, it may be too late to qualify for the election in key states. So I have got my fingers crossed that he and his supporters wake up after it is too late and become embittered, staying home in November.
All parents of teens or even older young men and women, parents who are struggling to pay for college and/or wondering what the future holds for their children, should run, children in tow, to see three films: In the Heart of the Sea, 13 Hours, and The Finest Hours.
For at least two generations, our young people have been sorely abused by progressive tenets the alleged insidiousness of patriarchy, the conviction that misogyny has undermined women for centuries and still does. This is the nonsense that gave birth to militant feminism, to silly notions like "gender as a social construct." Then there is the academic, educational, and cultural mandating of tolerance and acceptance of every social/cultural/gender fad, real or imagined, that has done terrible damage to at least two generations of young men and women.
They have been, in calculated fashion, disabused of the glory and wonder of old-fashioned masculinity. Our young people, unless they are from a military family, know nothing of the type of man who is brave, selfless, protective of his family and of strangers if need be. They have been indoctrinated to believe all men are cads, that male college students are all potential rapists, that men in general are to be feared, not to be respected, let alone loved.
This is why these three new films are so necessary for all young people to see. Each is based on a true story. In the Heart of the Sea is based on the shipwreck of the Essex, a whaling ship that was destroyed in 1820 by a huge white whale. Herman Melville based his extraordinary novel Moby Dick on this real event in 1851. 13 Hours is based on the terrorist attack in 2012 on the diplomatic outpost where Ambassador Christopher Stevens was stationed in Benghazi and on the CIA facility a few miles away. Stevens and three others were killed. Four incredibly brave men saved the lives of their colleagues despite a stand-down order, abandonment by the State Department, and the denial of the awesome power of the American military that was not allowed to rescue them.
The Finest Hours is the phenomenal tale of the greatest small-boat rescue in American history. Against all odds, a Coast Guard crew of four men saved the lives of 32 men after their tanker split in half in a ferocious storm off the coast of Massachusetts in 1952.
The common denominator of all three films is the wonder and talent of men; very smart men, brave men. In each story, an unlikely leader arose to lead. Each of those men was an expert on navigating the slice of the world he knew so, so well. The men who followed their lead knew a leader when they saw one. They were all as one with their chosen life's work.
The complexity of a whale ship in the early 19th century is a wonder to behold. The youngest member of the crew of the Essex was 14, an orphan and the only survivor still alive for Melville to interview many years later. The obstacles the heroes of 13 Hours overcame are nothing short of miraculous. The same is true of the rescue of the men of the Pendleton in The Finest Hours.
But while these glorious tales of heroism abound, our children are being taught outrageous things in school. Our girls are being taught to fear men. Our young men are being taught to fear women. Universities are requiring new students to answer extremely personal questions about their sexual history when most of them do not have one. Academia is intent upon driving another nail in the coffin of traditional families, a longtime progressive goal. A professor of mine once said in a women's studies class: "The nuclear family is the most destructive institution in the Western world." Wrong. It is the rock of Western civilization, the basis of all that is good in the world.
Men have taken care of women for centuries. Women have taken care of men for centuries. But it is not a zero-sum game; men and women are profoundly different. That is life as a human on this planet. For decades, though, the progressive left has been submarining the whole notion of traditional family, of men as protective of women and children and of women as homemakers. Traditional family life is like holy water sprinkled on the devil to the left. It undermines their totalitarian instinct, their drive to control how people live.
Women and girls, pay attention! Most men are good men. They want a woman to love who will love them. They want a family for whom to strive and care. College men, most of them, are not rapists. Watch these films and learn what good men are made of. Then watch Mamet's The Edge and Spielberg's Bridge of Spies. Learn what "the edge" is character and what a "standing man" is. Learn and remember.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Ways to reach condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and find a fair solution to Artsakh problem continue to remain foreign priority issues for the authorities of the Republic of Armenia. Vice President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov told about this at the parliament on February 2. Bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide is being elaborated in France by the initiative of French President Hollande. Bringing back this issue onto the agenda proves that the struggle against Turkish denialism not only continues but enters into a new phase, Armenpress reports, Sharmazanov mentioned.
Referring to the solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem, the National Assembly Vice President noted that the wreck of the report prepared by pro-Azerbaijani Walter in Strasburg was a huge blow against Aliyevs false propaganda. This was another Azerbaijani adventure which can have no future the way the Turkish denialism has no future, the National Assembly Vice President concluded.
It's true, folks. Patriot sister Sharron Braveheart Angle has taken on battling voter fraud, sounding the alarm that it is running rampant in America. What good is winning the hearts and minds of voters if we allow Democrats to steal elections?
Sharron suffered the devastation of election corruption when she almost defeated Harry Reid in 2010. Illegals voted for Harry Reid. There is evidence that Reid possibly stole the election from Sharron Angle using dead voters, people in prison, and illegals.
Romans 8:28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. I suspect that Sharron's painful loss has made her a passionate crusader, committed to cleaning up the electoral process.
Remember the Black Panther Party thugs who stood outside the polls armed with clubs? Though they were charged with voter intimidation, Obama's DOJ arrogantly and without apology outrageously dropped the charges because the perpetrators were black. Can you believe that, folks? Meanwhile, Obama looks down his morally superior nose at us, proclaiming himself a defender of equal justice.
South Carolina's attorney general found evidence that at least 900 dead people voted in an election. Philadelphia flagged 50,000 duplicate registrations. Voting machines are changing people's votes. A voter was caught registering six times. Meanwhile, Democrats act outraged and seek to shackle and flog Republicans in the public square for suggesting that all Americans must show a photo ID to vote, claiming it is an evil racist Republican plot to disenfranchise black voters. Fearlessly, along with fighting voter fraud, Sharron has a voter ID initiative.
As an American who happens to be black, I am highly insulted. In essence, Democrats are saying it is too challenging for us poor inferior simpleminded blacks to find our way to the DMV or other places to acquire a photo ID. It frustrates me that fellow black Americans remain blind to the truth that Democrats consistently talk down to them. Posing as compassionate and fair, Democrats always seek to lower expectations and standards for blacks, inferring that we are inferior. But I digress.
Sharron Angle is leading the charge to stop voter fraud, producing Not on My Watch, a 90-minute documentary scheduled for nationwide release in theaters June 2016. The documentary will show undeniable evidence of voter fraud and smart ways to stop it. I'm excited, folks.
Angle believes that her documentary will be an integral part of a win for constitutional conservatism in 2016. She believes that it will inspire voters to go to the polls and vote and volunteer to be eyes on the process.
True the Vote plans to have 1,000,000 trained citizens as poll watchers in place across America on Election Day 2016.
Sharron's documentary is a grassroots, We the People project, folks. She needs your help to git-r-done. Please go to the website and do whatever you can.
Sharron has an LLC to take big donations that will fund the completion of the documentary with returns on those investments of $20,000 or more.
Two out of three American voters are wisely concerned about the serious problem of voter fraud Democrats stealing the 2016 presidential election. We simply cannot allow that to happen, folks. Every America-loving voter must proclaim, Not on my watch!
Freedom and the integrity of our electoral process are under siege, hanging in the balance. All hands on deck, folks. Please, please, please rally behind our brave sister Sharron Angle, leading an army of patriots on her white horse, her sword of faith held high in the air while yelling, Freedom-m-m-m!
This presidential election is about changing the ungodly course that our country is on, crucial to the survival of our Founding Fathers' vision of America. We must not tolerate honest election vote counters saying, We see dead people.
Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American
Chairman: The Conservative Campaign Committee
LloydMarcus.com
Ethanol is a public policy disaster of the first order. Even accepting the premise that CO2 is harmful to the global climate (which it isnt), ethanol does no good, at enormous cost. The amount of CO2 generated by producing it is enormous because ethanol requires lots of trucks and railroad cars to transport, because its production is energy-intensive, and because it produces CO2 itself in combustion.
Meanwhile, it deteriorates car parts; gets lower mileage than gasoline (so consumes more fuel for the same amount of driving); costs consumers more; and, by raising corn prices globally, causes third-world people to starve. Greenies lied; people died.
But it does enrich Iowa corn farmers. Hence, until Ted Cruz showed that it is possible to oppose the ethanol mandate and survive popular Governor Terry Branstads opposition, the GOP has failed to oppose it with sufficient vigor.
Best of all: Those who pandered got defeated. Stephen Kruiser explains at PJ Media:
Trump and his supporters like to portray him as tapping into the zeitgeist over business as usual on Capitol Hill. Trump, however, is an opportunist and many who aren't caught up in the cult-like fever surrounding him know that many of those opportunities have had more than a hint of Washington cronyism to them. Conservatives in the Republican electorate aren't just angry about the party's awful performance on immigration, we're sick of the abuse of the American taxpayer in the pursuit of bloating the federal bureaucracy. It's painful to be the adult and begin actually saying no. Ted Cruz said "no" and it didn't hurt him. Yes, Marco Rubio's third place performance was a big story tonight, but not as big as the ethanol lobby coming up woefully short on its home turf. Media hacks are already dismissing Cruz, trying to lump him in with Huckabee in 2008 and Santorum in 2012. The difference is, all of Cruz's eggs (read: money) aren't in the Iowa basket. He still has plenty of money, as well as highly functional organizations, especially in the "SEC Primary" states. Maybe the Cruz victory can start a trend of letting the Democrats deal exclusively with path-of-least-resistance pandering and Republicans listening to their constituents who want a fiscal grown-up in the White House.
OK, Trump and all the others: Time to wake up and stop pandering on ethanol and global warming.
Weve recently covered the British Google tax settlement, often inaccurately reported as the David Cameron / Google settlement when the arrangement was mate between the British tax office and Google. This issue has divided European policy makers and lawyers as to how the separate European states deal with the profits from large non-European corporations, typically American. There are two sides to the argument: on the one side, these businesses are seen as successful employers bringing technological innovation to an area or country and on the other, these same multinational giant businesses have deliberately complicated internal structures so as to convolute the tax collection side of things and effectively sidestep corporate taxes. Its the latter side of things that means for some Governments and media agitators, the large multinational businesses are a relatively easy target: many countries have a budget deficit to fill.
We have seen differences between the individual European countries treatment of corporate tax for over a decade now as well as the rate of corporate tax. Different member states have different tax regimes so as to encourage overseas investment into their particular country, with Ireland as one example where the Government has set its corporate tax rate at a deliberately low rate in order to encourage overseas investment. There are rules in place to stop one country from providing a particularly favorable set of rules to encourage businesses to operate from within its borders. We are aware of at least two investigations currently taking place by Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner with the role of being the Euroblocs chief tax inquisitor. One investigation is between Apple and Ireland and the other between Amazon and Luxembourg. These investigations are to determine if the host country gave unfairly preferential terms to the business in order. Companies and Governments state that they have done nothing wrong.
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In the past, where Margrethe has found that existing tax arrangements have fallen foul of the European Union law, she has ordered Governments to collect back taxes from the companies concerned. Luxembourg has been ordered to recover $34 from Fiat, the Netherlands around the same from Starbucks and the Belgium Government has been told to collect over $750 million from around 35 companies. And now Margrethe may be turning her attention to the British Google deal following a letter from the Scottish National Party. A spokesman from the Eurobloc tax office said that the complaint needs to be studied to see if it warrants a formal investigation.
The difficulty for the European Union is that each individual country is able to adjust the overall tax regime to suit particular purposes and that this right is considered national sovereignty and many individual Governments are unwilling to sign this over to Brussels. The flexibility afforded by the current rules means that individual countries are still jostling for the opportunities afforded by large American corporates, especially technology businesses, setting up store in their turf. Individual countries need to balance the wish to support a struggling economy with hard cash together with the draw of a large multinational technology corporate, where the value added to a region is not the same as tax revenue. The European Commissioner for financial affairs and taxes, Pierre Moscovici, announced a series of measures designed to close many of these so-called corporate tax loopholes around the Eurobloc on the same day that Margrethes office announced they were considering the Scottish National Partys letter. Pierre explained at a news conference that these loopholes contributed to a loss of almost a70 billion a year.
The issue was neatly outlined by Neal Todd, an international tax expert and partner at the Berwin Leighton Paisner: National governments have competing objectives here. Whilst nearly all governments want multinationals in general (and U.S. tech groups in particular) to pay more tax, none of them want to change their own rules only to find that businesses simply relocate to warmer fiscal climes.
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We have seen something of this happening already but on a more global scale. The tax treatment of North American companies operating in Europe has also caught the attention of officials in the United States: some members of Congress have studied how large American businesses are using mergers and acquisitions in order to relocate their headquarters to a different country and so benefit from a more favorable tax regime. These arrangements, called tax inversions by the financial media, can significantly reduce corporate tax bills and of course for a business relocating out of North America, reduces the revenue earned for the American economy.
The European Union must tread carefully. Ashley Fox, leader of the British Conservatives at the European Parliament, said this on the matter: Globally, there is a battle raging for jobs and growth. The E.U. must ensure that its proposals do not act as a deterrent to international investment and employment.
When it comes to accessories, it seems that people cant get enough of them. Whenever we buy a new smartphone we often buy a case or two to change up the look every now and then and of course to protect them. A fancy pair of earphones and perhaps a holder for the car, a second charger and possibly a charging dock are some staple accessories that people buy. Consumers are more than happy to buy these because theyre not expensive, and in the case of cables and chargers, theyre good for your next device as well (or that is until now, anyway) but what happens when an accessory costs upwards of $250 or so? Then people are less likely to put their money where their mouth is and thats perhaps the reason why smartwatches arent taking off quite as quickly as people thought they would. Thats because, for the majority of smartwatches out there including those running Android Wear thats all they are, accessories, and they need to be a lot smarter to get more people putting their money up.
Ive been a big fan of the whole smartwatch idea, I got onboard early with a Sony SmartWatch 2 (which was actually a pretty great device at the time), then jumped at the LG G Watch when I could, followed by a Moto 360, a G Watch R and now a Fossil Q Founder. I have worn a smartwatch every day, all day for the past two years or more, and I couldnt be without one. Thats not because my watch does something truly smart however, its more just because I wear a watch, I like wearing a watch and well, theres one feature I couldnt live without; notifications.
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The notification argument is something you come across a lot online Quicker to take your phone out and check!, Why not just use your phone?!, My phone tells the time just fine! etc etc. Problem is that its not quicker to take my phone out and I couldnt care less how good a job my phone did telling the time. One of my very good friends here in the UK is constantly on his phone, messages from Facebook, SMS messages, eBay notifications and so on keep his phone making noises all of the time. It is infuriating. The idea of a blind SMS beep, telling me I have a message from someone, but I have no idea how urgent it is, who its from or what it says until I take my phone out and check. I dont want to take my phone out of my pocket, especially when Im out with friends or whatever, Id rather see what the message is about and then either deal with it or get on with my day.
Getting notifications on my wrist has genuinely helped me become less stressed. I no longer have to check what that email noise was, I can quickly see it from my wrist, archive something or then get my phone out if I need to. Knowledge is power, and the more I know about a notification, the better. Aside from this magical power to keep better informed without pulling my hair out my Android Wear watch does.well, not much else, really.
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I realize that I, personally, am perhaps a minority here as I live in Middle England and its hardly Silicon Valley over here when it comes to tech. The idea of paying with your phone around these parts is craziness, and whenever I present my watch to the lady behind the counter at Tesco (think Wal-Mart) to scan my loyalty card I get treated like some sort of wizard. The fact is however, that I dont want to explore the extra features my watch can offer me, because theres just not many of them. Aside from replacing a few small barcodes of my keyrings for select chains and coffee shops, choosing music through Spotify and dealing with todo lists via Wunderlist, I just dont see what else my watch can do.
I feel that theres a big problem when talking specifically about Android Wear here and thats that the fitness side of the equation just doesnt add up. We can poke all the fun we want at the Apple Watch for well, being ugly and ostentatious, but the overall design gets a crucial element right. Straps are quick and easy to change, making it easy to wear an Apple Watch for fitness as well as for the day-to-day. The only Android Wear watch that comes close to this is the Sony SmartWatch 3, but then that doesnt come with a heart-rate sensor so not too great for serious fitness. Then theres the Moto 360 Sport, which is a little better, but its not going to look great with a shirt and tie or whatever. Google Fit doesnt even try that hard, either. Its gotten a lot better, but what does it offer for smartwatch wearers beyond simple run tracking and step counting? Not much.
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Apps on Android Wear have certainly come on leaps and bounds since the platform launched. I count Stocard, Spotify, Wunderlist, Coffee and Pocket Casts among my favorites, but have you noticed these are mostly extensions of what my phone does? Aside from Stocard, I dont have a single Android Wear app that is useful in and of itself, which is just depressing. On the flip side though, the watch face selection on Android Wear is fantastic, I just discovered Weareal and love the animations on those, and I find WatchMakers community fascinating. As someone who want to wear a watch first, gadget second, this selection of watch faces is thoroughly enjoyable and from afar you might not ever know I was even wearing a smartwatch.
Taking a look at Samsungs latest offering, the Gear S2, and its clear that Samsung wanted to offer something a little more comprehensive right out of the box, and it paid off. While the breadth of Android Wears catalog isnt available on Samsungs Tizen-powered watch, there are some pretty great apps out there, and lets not forget the potential to pay for things with Samsung Pay in the future. It might not be as fully-featured as an Android Wear watch loaded up with aftermarket apps, but out of the box theres a lot of value available from Samsung.
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It seems to me that smartwatches from the Huawei Watch, the Gear S2 all the way down to the Pebble have settled on a few key areas; notifications, voice commands, and fitness. The first one they all do very well these days, the middle one is still hit and miss every now and then and the last feature is only really done all that well on the right model. This needs to change. These watches need to do more, and its clear that everyone has an uphill battle on their hands.
Android Wear has been available for years now, and yet few banking apps do anything with the platform, a handful of airlines around the world have adopted it for boarding passes and few store apps make good use of the platform. This is despite Android Wear being fairly easy to develop for should you believe Google, at least. Pebble got some big scores on their watch when they were the hottest smartwatch available by forging partnerships with well-known brands, and its clear that Google havent done that quite as they should have done with Android Wear.
Courting developers and businesses around the world to add Android Wear support to their Android apps is something Google should definitely be working on, but Android Wear itself needs to get smarter, too. In terms of hardware, not a single Android Wear smartwatch has NFC, making Android Pay essentially useless on smartwatches and why these watches didnt launch with speakers for taking quick calls has flummoxed me for a couple of years now. 2016 is a new year, and Mobile World Congress is just around the corner, so perhaps there is more in store for Android Wear this year, but if Google arent careful, theres room for someone else possibly Samsung to emerge with the best wearable platform available.
The Minister of Finance in France, Michel Sapin, dismissed the possibility of making any kind of deal with Google regarding potential back taxes they owe to France during a finance sector conference held in Paris earlier today. The journalists on-site were told that the French tax authorities do not negotiate the amount of taxes owed with anybody, Google included. However, Sapin admitted that there is a discussion underway about which rules apply to the US tech giant, which he described as a perfectly legitimate thing to do. The French minister was asked about a potential tax deal with Google in the context of a somewhat similar and rather recent controversial agreement made between the American company and the UK government in late January. However, he explained that the potential amount of money owed to France is far greater than the one the British tax office settled for ten days ago. For reference, Google came to an agreement to pay 130 million ($187.11 million) to the UK in back taxes dating back to 2005.
The question of whether or not to ambush foreign companies that are avoiding taxes in their home countries by hiding in Europe is now fresher than ever on the Old continent, especially regarding giant tech corporations and related technology tax affairs. This is because unlike in the US, most fiscal years in Europe have either ended or are just about to end and pretty much every country is looking to fill their budgets with new revenue streams. Naturally, theyre looking to do as little cutting as possible in the process. Last Thursday, the eternal political dilemma saw an interesting twist as the EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager threatened to investigate the aforementioned controversial tax settlement between the British tax office and Google. Given her history with taking on and more importantly beating giants such as Gazprom, Starbucks, and even Google itself, in the past in similar situations, her words are definitely not to be taken lightly by anyone involved. At the same time, Brussels seems keener than ever to overrule national governments and not only cancel but also take back what they deem are improper tax breaks given to huge multinational companies by introducing a universal taxation standard.
Yesterday, Vestager even publicly appealed to companies breaking the European law in this manner and mentioned a possibility of lower fines for those that admit to wrongdoing on their own. Granted, an unsolicited admission of guilt by anybody in the industry isnt likely to happen, but this just illustrates that the EU is losing trust in the power of national governments regarding taxation of huge companies which are creating jobs and boosting their own economies.
Tablet sales may be in decline as a whole, but that doesnt seem to be deterring leading Android OEM Samsung Electronics from launching newer products in the market. The companys second-gen Galaxy Tab E range of slates now seem to be heading for US shores, if listings on the website of online retailer, United Office, is anything to go by. According to the latest development, a number of mid-range tablets in the aforementioned lineup are being imported by the online retailer for sale in the country. At least four distinct devices (in multiple color options) have been listed on the website, including the Galaxy Tab E 8.0, which is a mid-range slate that comes with an 8-inch touchscreen display.
Some of the other listed devices include the Tab E Lite, the Tab E Lite Kids and a 7-inch version of the Tab E, all of which will apparently be available for purchase in the country at some stage presumably in the near future. While the second-generation Galaxy Tab E 8.0 was launched a couple of weeks back in Taiwan, the rest of the devices have only been rumored on internet tech forums, without any concrete info on any one of them. All the tablets are listed as being Out of Stock, and there is no ETA given for any one of them. Of course, theres no price listed either, which is to be expected, seeing as none of the products have actually been launched officially in the country till now.
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While theres not a whole lot of verified info regarding most of these upcoming slates, the Tab E 8.0, by virtue of it being already announced officially, does give us an idea regarding what the second-gen Tab E series might look like. The Taiwanese version of the device features an 8-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display, is powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 410, and is priced at NT$8,990 ($268) in the island nation. While that doesnt mean that Samsung will launch the same version of the device at the same price-tag in the US, it does point towards a distinctly mid-range device, which should ensure more affordable pricing when compared to the more premium Tab S2.
Cloud computing can mean many things to many people, but one of the foundations of the technology is having computing work completed remotely from whatever terminal is being used to access the service. If you use Gmail rules and the Gmail application on your smartphone or tablet, this is one very simple example of cloud computing. The Google Photos search is another example, as the search function is performed by Googles cloud system and farms of servers hosted somewhere else on the planet. For businesses as well as individuals, there are many advantages in using a cloud computing service. One is the potential access to more powerful computing technology but only as and when it is needed, rather than having to buy or lease the equipment and maintain it 24/7. Another is that cloud computing is inherantly dispersed from your main office or manufacturing plant as the work is completed off site and merely piped into and out of the server.
In the sector today, there are currently many businesses offering cloud services. The number is dwindling as these companies look to consolidate, but the leader is universally considered to be Amazon. Microsoft is positioned in the number two spot with Google making inroads, having invested a considerable amount of time and effort into new facilities and technologies. Despite this investment, Google is still seen as playing catch up with the bigger two businesses. Google is considered to be in the number three spot but the reality is that we cannot be certain: many of Googles core services rely on cloud computing and the business has been making a push into the technology. Weve recently seen Google hire Diane Greene into the cloud business to help push it forward and in the very recent earnings call, Googles Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai, explained that Googles cloud platform now runs four million applications.
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Four million sounds an impressive number, but unfortunately it is difficult to put this into context: four million applications is not the same as four million customers. Sundar did not discuss the revenue generated by the cloud platform or the revenue run rate (this is a figure based on projected revenue across the next twelve months). Sundar also explained that the cloud business is already getting significant traction. Its a strongly growing business for us. Google is making the cloud technology a major investment area as we head into 2016, but one potential stumbling block is how committed Google is to offering cloud computing. A Google trait is dropping support for a business that it is no longer interested in, as we have seen the company do again and again. Enterprise customers do not want to invest into the Google cloud platform to find in a few years that Google is not interested and closing the unit down.
Modern cellular networks are akin to the circulation requirements of a living animal. Voice calls, text messages and data must be carried to and from the extremities subscribers in a highly organized and efficient manner. Each carrier uses similar technology, although often arranged and deployed in a different way, in order to achieve these stated objectives. There are a variety of different cell sites, or towers, in use today from the larger, macro sites, to smaller sites, including those that are very directional or designed to cover a very specific area. This deployment is suitable for everyday purposes, but there are some human activities that change how the cellular networks are used. One such example is that of a major sporting event, such as this weekends Super Bowl in Santa Clara.
The issue that the carriers face is not simply that of a huge number of people crammed into the one relatively small space, but instead is that of a significant number of people trying to use their devices data network at a similar time. This creates a massive spike in traffic, which unless adequately prepared for, would likely overwhelm the networks even todays modern, high performance, high capacity LTE networks. Furthermore, major sporting events have a different mix of data traffic than normal conditions. Usually, the majority of data is downloaded to a device but for a major sporting moment, the amount of data uploaded is usually close to the downloaded data. This is because people are busy uploading social media updates, selfies and videos to show off to their buddies what they are missing out on. And with a million people expected to visit the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend, this means an awful lot of selfies.
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Each of Americas national carriers has prepared their network for the onslaught of use this weekend. Years ago, customers may have expected the data networks to crash with overload but today, customers expect their smartphones to work. The carriers have been planning their network upgrades around two years ago, with AT&T having invested $100 million and Verizon, $70 million over and above what it would have already invested. For AT&T, this includes six new macro sites and nine mobile sites. In the case of Verizon, the carrier has installed 75 new small cell sites in the Bay Area, typically sitting behind traffic signs and on top of poles. Verizon has also added another fifteen macro cell sites into the area with ten of these being in San Francisco. Both Sprint and T-Mobile report that they have improved their network capacity in the area. We are aware of Verizon having established a local network operations center, some forty miles south of the city, with repair crews on standby should any of the networking equipment suffer a technical failure.
Interestingly enough, Verizon reported that the improvements to the Bay Area were in addition to planned upgrades to the network in the area, which is experiencing high growth in demand for Verizons services. It is currently deploying 150 small cells into the San Francisco area, but this number will ultimately be increased to 400 over time.
Xiaomi is currently the number 1 smartphone manufacturer in China, at least as far as sales within the country go. This China-based company is constantly battling Huawei for the no. 1 spot in China, but it seems Xiaomi managed to keep it, at least according to Canalys and Strategy Analytics, market research companies which released their findings yesterday. That being said, Huawei has a significant presence overseas, while Xiaomi might expand to new markets this year, in order to grow further. We still dont have any official info as when that might happen nor which markets is Xiaomi aiming to expand to, but well keep you in the loop.
That being said, you probably already know that US Mobile announced the availability of a couple of Xiaomi-branded devices yesterday. The US-based carrier said that theyll offer Xiaomi Mi 3, Mi 4 and Redmi 2 in the country. Now, what was interesting when it comes to that announcement, is the fact that none of those devices support 4G LTE connectivity, which is quite normal considering theyre not manufactured for the US market, things will probably be significantly different if Xiaomi opts to officially sell devices in the country. Speaking of which, Xiaomi has reached out to us to clarify all this US Mobile business, read on.
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According to Xiaomi, US Mobile is not their official partner, and is not authorized to sell the companys products in the US. This basically means that US Mobile decided to acquire supplies from a third-party source, a China-based reseller most probably. Xiaomi has also confirmed that they have no plans for selling their smartphones in the US at the moment. Now, on top of all this, it seems like US Mobile removed the listing for all three Xiaomi smartphones from their site, and the Meizu M2 Note which was placed there alongside with Xiaomis products yesterday. The phones might get listed again, but thats not likely at this point. It seems like US consumers are, once again, limited to purchasing XIoamis accessories in the country, at least as far as official availability goes. We do hope that Xiaomi will make their smartphones available in the US, but well see. Either way, well keep you informed, stay tuned.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. The Eurasian Economic Commission Board convened its first session with the new composition on February 2. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of EEC, at the opening speech the newly appointed Board Chairman Tigran Sargsyan stated that the key goal of the new composition is to deepen the integration process within the Eurasian Economic area. The Eurasian Economic Commission, being a supra-national institution, bears responsibility in fostering integration processes, Sargsyan mentioned.
He also emphasized the fact of the continuity of the Board activities, reminding that the majority of the Board members worked in the previous Board. The decisions of the Chairmen ensure continuity. This significantly eases our works, Tigran Sargsyan said.
In the words of the Board Chairman, currently new challenges face the EAEU member states. I am convinced that we will manage to solve the problems raised by the presidents by joint work. We must accumulate the entire experience and act wisely. I am sure we have no right to stall, we have to move forward. At the same time we must act consolidated. I will do my best to create that consolidation within our team, the Board and our works, Tigran Sargsyan stated.
The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) started its activities on February 1 with a new composition, headed by the chairman of the Commission, ex-prime Mminister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan.
On February 1, 2016, the updated EEC Board under the leadership of the new Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Tigran Sargsyan, started its works. It was approved in the last December at the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council by the Presidents of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the press service of the Commission informed about this.
Particularly, by the decision of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, each country of the Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) is now represented in the Council by two, instead of three, members of the Board (Ministers).
Therefore, from February 1, the Board consists of 10 members.
However, the Presidents of the EAEU countries have maintained continuity: eight of ten newly appointed EEC Ministers previously held similar positions.
The only new face in the Board, other than the Chairman, is Veronika Nikishina (representative of the Russian Federation) who replaced her predecessor Andrey Slepnev as Minister for Trade.
In accordance with the Decision of the Supreme Council of the Eurasian Economic Union, a new position was introduced to the Commission - Member of the Board Minister in charge of Domestic Markets, Informatisation, and Information and Communication Technologies.
This post has been taken by Karine Minasyan (Republic of Armenia).
According to the Treaty on the EAEU, the EEC Boards term of office is four years.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Inadequacy of Azerbaijan impacts Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process and there is no progress there just because of its un-constructive steps. Armenpress reports Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told about this at the annual summing press conference.
According to the Minister, Azerbaijan not only does not realize that it does not receive any assistance from the Minsk Group Co-chair states due to its un-constructive policy, but even tries to create an imaginary reality for itself, blaming the Co-chair states of Islamophobia. It is hard to imagine, but they say that Azerbaijan is an Islamic state, and as the Co-chair states are Islamophobes, they act against Azerbaijan. It must be comprehended that speculations over religious factors may be very dangerous under the current conditions, which is not the first time; they have made such attempts in different institutions, Minister Nalbandian said.
In the words of the Foreign Minister, Azerbaijan blames Armenia for all its failures. They say that the condition over human rights is perfect in Azerbaijan, and Armenia is to blame for Azerbaijan being criticized by the world. They say that Armenia is to blame for drop of oil exports from Azerbaijan, and they say that those local oligarchs, who are no longer under the patronage of their leadership, have Armenian origins. It is very simple and easy. Armenians are to blame for everything. They know seven songs, all of them about Armenians, Edward Nalbandian added.
The Minister also added that Azerbaijan cannot present its country from better positions by organizing symposiums and shows. They say they are the most tolerant and multicultural country, the only one in its type. They are really the only one: no one else can be like them in terms of tolerance, the Foreign Minister noted.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. Russian-Armenian businessman Ruben Vardanyan has been elected as member of AGBU Central Board of Directors. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of AGBU, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) announced today its plan to launch a bold program to transform and expand its mission.
Since its founding 110 years ago, this global institution has acted as the largest philanthropic entity to protect and preserve Armenian identity and heritage throughout the diaspora and has a presence in over 30 countries. Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, AGBU's mission expanded with philanthropic initiatives in Armenia, including major cultural and educational programs. Aiming to reconstitute the Armenian nation, which was forcibly shattered and dispersed to form the current Armenian diaspora, AGBU's transformation initiative will build on the organization's successes across the diaspora and in Armenia to begin a new era for the organization and Armenians the world over.
The year 2015 marked the centenary of the tragic genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian nation. With the momentous genocide centenary commemorations throughout the year, Armenians across the world are leaving a painful century behind with dignity and supportive attention from the whole world. Bolstered by the heroic efforts of many institutions throughout the diaspora, Armenians succeeded in surviving, recovering and reviving, finding themselves now at a historic juncture.
A century after receiving a second chance at life, Armenians have committed "to remember and demand," the official motto of the centenary commemorative events. They are also confronting what it means to "be alive" as a nation, evaluating how the memory of victims and the generosity of those who helped many survivors would be best served in the future.
Building on its illustrious legacy, AGBU has decided to boldly move forward to address the special challenges of the 21st century in order to ensure a sustainable future for the Armenian nation worldwide with the state of Armenia at its core. Specifically, AGBU will engage with initiatives aimed at enabling a prosperous future for Armenia while continuing to preserve and enrich the Armenian identity worldwide.
To achieve this ambitious goal, AGBU will (1) reenergize the Armenian diaspora with a new aspiration to reconstitute the widespread Armenian nation, (2) enlarge its scope to include economic development of the homeland in addition to its historic socio-cultural mission, (3) further professionalize its governance, structures and functioning, (4) significantly expand its access to resources through fundraising and partnerships, (5) enlarge and reinvigorate its global networks of volunteer members and affiliates, and (6) leverage synergies with other organizations in order to rapidly gain critical mass in program execution.
In pursuing these strategic goals, AGBU is returning to the original intentions of its founders in the early 20th century, which were forcibly altered by the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath.
As a first step in this process, AGBU is proud to announce the election of Ruben Vardanyan to its Central Board of Directors. Mr. Vardanyan is a highly successful Armenian-born entrepreneur, an internationally recognized expert in the economy of Russia and emerging markets, and an international philanthropist. Among his major business achievements is the prominent Troika Dialog investment bank in Russia, which Mr. Vardanyan built in the period 1991 to 2012, and sold to Sberbank, the largest bank in Russia.
In 2001, Mr. Vardanyan co-founded the Armenia 2020 national development think-tank project working together with AGBU board member, Dr. Noubar Afeyan. This led to the creation of the private-public partnership, the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, in 2007 and subsequently the IDeA Foundation. Founded in 2013 and operating out of Armenia, the IDeA Foundation is a 300-professional strong philanthropic organization that identifies, develops and implements socio-economic programs in Armenia. The foundation has successfully invested more than 300 million USD over the last years in prominent programs like the Tatev Revival program, the UWC Dilijan International School and the Dilijan Urban Renewal program. In 2015, together with co-founders Dr. Vartan Gregorian of the Carnegie Foundation and Dr. Afeyan, Mr. Vardanyan launched the 100 Lives project and its accompanying global humanitarian award, the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. This annual prize, which will be awarded for the first time in Yerevan on April 24, 2016, will donate one million USD towards courageous world citizens who have put their own lives in danger to save others facing tragedy. The Aurora Prize was established in 2015 on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide as an expression of gratitude to those who saved Armenian lives, and in order to bring the world's attention to ongoing humanitarian injustice around the world as well as to recognize modern acts of heroism.
"As part of our new initiatives, I am particularly proud and excited to welcome Ruben Vardanyan to the Central Board of AGBU. Having known Ruben for over 20 years, I consider him a true role model of a successful Armenian through his many achievements and unwavering personal integrity. Through his work, Ruben demonstrates a combination of vision, passion and devotion towards the future of the Armenian nation. As a modern, entrepreneurial philanthropist he brings exciting innovative ideas and strong synergies through the IDeA Foundation, with whom AGBU has already been collaborating through the UWC Dilijan College. Finally, as a citizen of Russia, he helps us reach out to the important Armenian communities in Russia and Eastern Europe. We are very much looking forward to his contributions to our new strategic aspiration," commented Berge Setrakian, President of the AGBU Central Board of Directors.
On this occasion, AGBU also announced its intention to initiate a broader set of collaborations with Armenia-based IDeA Foundation. Accordingly, Berge Setrakian and Vasken Yacoubian have been elected to the Board of Trustees of the IDeA Foundation, joining current board member Noubar Afeyan.
Ruben Vardanyan, founder of the IDeA Foundation, said: "I feel privileged and honored to join the AGBU Central Board. This institution has been one of the most significant drivers of the survival of Armenians in the last century through its sustained and fine work in service of the Armenian nation and its many communities across the world. AGBU is in a great position to influence future prosperity in the homeland and redefine what it is to be Armenian in the 21st century. I am deeply committed to contributing my energy, know-how, philanthropic capabilities and network to this fine institution. I also look forward to the budding collaboration between AGBU and the IDeA Foundation as well as to our planned steps towards creating a powerful force for the advancement of Armenians throughout the world."
On the occasion of this announcement, Central Board member Noubar Afeyan commented: "Since joining the AGBU board over two years ago, I have had the pleasure to work closely with President Berge Setrakian and many members of the central board to expand the vision for AGBU's future. We have worked closely with Ruben and his team at IDeA Foundation to develop a roadmap for AGBU 2.0. During this time, we have also forged a growing and successful strategic collaboration with the pioneering TUMO Centers initiative founded and led by long-time AGBU board member and philanthropist, Sam Simonian. With my longtime partner Ruben now joining the AGBU board, we all look forward to engaging in the next phase of transformation. Buoyed by the energy and strength Armenians showed during the centenary, we remain cognizant of the opportunities and challenges we will face."
"This marks an exciting phase of advancement and partnership for AGBU," commented Sam Simonian, Vice President of the AGBU Central Board. "I especially look forward to strengthening AGBU's educational offerings by leveraging TUMO Centers, IDeA's UWC Dilijan International School, American University of Armenia, and many other new initiatives," he added.
Established in 1906, AGBU is the world's largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
28 prisoners escape after women dressed in dominatrix gear for mass orgy handcuff guards
Inside the Nova Mutum public jail, near Cuiaba, central Brazil, three female visitors are dressed in saucy knickers and dominatrix gear. They promise male prison guards a night they will never forget. To loosen up the guards for the mass orgy ahead, the women give them booze. Its spiked. The women handcuff the men to the beds, break into the guns and munitions store, and flee.
Says police chief Angelina de Andrades Ferreira: The plan was to seduce them. They served them cheap whisky with some substance to knock them out, then unlocked the central gate which accesses the internal cells. Whoever wanted to escape left by the front door. From the moment they drank the whisky the agents dont remember a thing. One was found dizzy, trying to wake up. Another slept for the whole afternoon and couldnt even be questioned.
He could be feeling dizzy for months years, if his wife is waiting.
The three prison officers had been arrested and will be charged with facilitating a jailbreak and culpable embezzlement because of the theft of firearms.
Of the 28 prisoners who walked out, 8 have been recaptured.
The other 20 have a thing for police officers with helicopters, and will be at the big tree at midnight. Come alone.
Anorak
Posted: 1st, February 2016 | In: Reviews, Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Let it be light between us,brothers and sisters from the Earth.Let it be love between all living beings on this
Galaxy.Let it be peace between all various races and species.We love you infinitely.
I am SaLuSa from Sirius
Channel:Laura/Multidimensional Ocean
, .
. -
. .
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:Laura/Multidimensional Ocean
Transfer balls: Aubameyang in Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal clickbait boost
Gabon and Borussia Drotmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has not signed for any Premier League club. Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke was asked about his star player leaving. He replied:
If an offer comes, then we need to discuss it. If it should go into the hundreds of millions, then we also need to talk to the player. But Im not worrying about it because at the moment we want to keep him as long as possible, best beyond 2020.
If a team offers nutzoid money for Aubameyang, Dortmund will flog him. Maybe. By the time that statement reached some readers it had mutated into all manner of Transfer Balls:
The Express conjured up news about Arsenal and Liverpool:
Are Arsenal and Liverpool shocked to learn that if they offer hundreds of millions of pounds for a player they stand a decent chance of recruiting him?
The Telegraphs readers hear that Aubameyang could join Arsenal for hundreds of millions below the headline:
Aubameyang back in the picture
No. Hes not. Well, not unless Arsenal decided to spend hundreds of millions on one player and hes painted by Picasso and Van Gogh.
The Metro conjures: Dortmund will consider selling Arsenal target Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Yes. They will. Just as Barcelona will consider selling Lionel Messi to Manchester United / Arsenal / Bournemouth / anyone for, say, 2billion. Make the number big enough and Manchester Uniteds owner would probably sell the club to Manchester City.
The apogee of this utter balls is in the Star, which tells Arsenal and Liverpool fans:
A boost. Being told the player will stray at Dortmund unless a team pays hundreds of millions is boost is a boost.
Liverpool and Man Uniteds owners must be punching the air.
Anorak
Posted: 2nd, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Liverpool, manchester united, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Cairo, February 2 - Missing Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni is not being held by Egypt, an Egyptian security source told ANSA Tuesday. "All the intelligence services are looking for (Regeni) jointly with all the State services," the source said. Regeni went missing in Cairo on January 25, the day of demonstrations marking the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. About a dozen people were arrested in Cairo that day. Italy's foreign ministry said the disappearance occurred under "mysterious" circumstances. The Egyptian interior ministry revealed last week that of 191 disappearances listed by the country's National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), 99 occurred in custody.
(ANSA) - Milan, February 2 - Standard & Poor's ratings agency said Tuesday that Italy's plan to reduce its banks' non-performing loans is not a panacea. The measure, while positive, is not likely on its own to significantly impact the toxic loan burden, the agency said in a report on an agreement between Italy and the EU to offload Italy's bad loans. Italy's banks hold 201 billion euros in gross non-performing loans, Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said earlier in the day. "We're working on a decree containing many measures on the banking system," Padoan told reporters on his way out of the Parliamentary Committee for Intelligence and Security Services (COPASIR) earlier in the day.
(ANSA) - Rome, February 2 - One in three Italian students report cases of homophobia among classmates or teachers at school, a survey showed on Tuesday.
The survey of about 4,000 secondary school students on Skuola.net, published while the Senate is examining a controversial bill on civil unions, also showed that one in three students have never attended classes in which homosexuality is discussed.
Italy, with its deeply Catholic roots, is the only western European country not to have either legalised gay marriage or recognised civil unions between same-sex couples.
One in seven students said that when they talked about homosexuality at school their teachers described it as an illness.
Meanwhile one in five said that if they realised they were gay they would not talk about it with anyone.
Fiorenzo Gimelli, president of the Agedo association of parents of homosexuals said that before talking about homophobia, it was necessary to deal with "sex-phobia".
"For years we have insisted on the need to teach sex and emotional education at school, but we meet too much resistance," he said. "If you don't have the means to manage your own impulses and emotions it's clear that it's difficult to relate to others, and that can lead to discrimination and homophobia".
(ANSA) - Accra, February 2 - Italian Premier Matteo Renzi told the Ghanaian parliament in Accra on Tuesday that the European Union appears to have strayed away from the values it was founded upon. "Europe seems very distant from the values of the founding fathers," said Renzi, who has been engaged in a war of words with the European Commission in recent weeks over various issues. "Africa is often considered a problem, rather than an opportunity, especially when it comes to immigration.
But we are committed to changing Europe's direction".
Renzi told the Ghanaian parliament Tuesday that "parliament in every nation is the home of democracy and you must be very proud of your democracy which is a model for your neighbours, and not only them". He stressed that "democracy is the antibody against terrorism". Renzi said "terrorism is in Africa but also in Europe, they want to take away our freedom and our way of life. They want to make us live in fear but we must refuse this message".
Renzi said that war against terrorism was necessary to stop those who were acting to "disintegrate society".
He also stressed the importance of culture in defeating terrorism. Renzi told the Ghanian parliament Tuesday that "a few days ago I was in Mantua which is (Italian) capital of culture this year. Culture helps us to defeat terrorism and fear. The terrorists want to destroy us and if they can't do that they want to make us live in fear. We all must refuse this message". In Ghana Renzi is on the second stage of a three-day Africa trip that started in Nigeria Monday and will conclude in Senegal Wednesday.
(ANSA) - Rome, February 2 - Airline Ryanair is set to close its bases at Alghero in Sardinia and Pescara on Italy's eastern coast, cut some flight routes and halt all flights from Crotone in Calabria due to tax hikes, the company said on Tuesday.
Ryanair said it was reducing operations due to the "illogical decision of the Italian government to raise municipal taxes further".
The firm said during a news conference that 16 air routes would be cut, 800,000 clients would be lost and 600 jobs will go.
(ANSA) - Rome, February 2 - US Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday vowed to crush Islamic State (ISIS) at a meeting of the coalition against the Islamist militants in Rome.
Kerry said that the coalition fighting ISIS will prevail. "The world expects security from us and we'll destroy ISIS," Kerry told the meeting of the Small Group of the anti-ISIS coalition.
Gentiloni echoed Kerry, but was slightly more cautious.
"There have been steps forward on the ground with respect to the Paris summit," he said. "But no triumphalism is warranted, we must continue the armed effort in Iraq". He said that in the fight against ISIS "important progress has been made" though "we are faced with a very resilient organization and therefore we must not underestimate it".
Gentiloni said that "there is a risk that Daesh (ISIS) will multiply its activity in Libya. "But it is comforting for Italy to know that there is agreement among us on the need to bank on the negotiated process that has been opened".
Kerry said that "Italy's commitment in the anti-ISIS coalition is substantial" and for that "we thank it".
Kerry said that Italy has been "great" in the fight. He said "its commitment to the coalition is one of the biggest in terms of people, and financial and military contributions in Iraq." Kerry thanked Italy "in particular for its leadership role in Libya in the process of forming the government." The US "pushed" for a deal on the Mosul Dam - recaptured from ISIS recently - that will see Italy's Trevi Group repairing and maintaining it, Kerry said. He said President Barack Obama had been carefully following the situation.
Italy and it allies are betting on stopping the ongoing civil war in Syria, Gentiloni went on. "In Syria our bet is that the Geneva talks will (bring about) a cease-fire and stop the greatest humanitarian tragedy of the last decades," Gentiloni said Kerry said that the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Syria must be ended.
He said it would help "if those who say they are fighting ISIS actually fight ISIS".
Kerry, who once more ruled out US boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria, urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to take "immediate measures" to end the siege of cities where Syrians are dying of hunger. He said only 13 of 130 UN requests to deliver humanitarian aid had been met by the Syrian authorities.
"People continue to die of hunger. And that is an intentional tactic by the regime," he said.
Kerry said that the Rome talks looked at how to "increase efforts" to win the war. Kerry arrived Monday in Rome and met representatives from 23 countries who are already involved in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State at the Italian foreign ministry. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the initiatives staged over the past year and to strengthen and, most of all, accelerate the joint effort in the perspective of confronting the various challenges that are still open, with the hypothesis of the opening another front in Libya. "In #Rome & #London this week for important mtgs on progress against #Daesh & humanitarian response to #SyriaCrisis", tweeted Kerry before the meeting.
(ANSA) - Rome, February 2 - Jailed leftwing cooperatives leader Salvatore Buzzi brought 200,000 euros in cash to the offices of rightwing ex-Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno's New Italy Foundation, the former CEO of AMA trash collection public contractor told a Rome court during the so-called Capital Mafia case trial on Tuesday. A close Alemanno associate, ex-city councillor Marco Visconti, collected the cash, Franco Panzironi told the court.
Speaking during the trial involving a ring of gangsters, businessmen and politicians who muscled in on lucrative city contracts, Panzironi said that while he was secretary of the New Italy Foundation in 2012, Alemanno and Visconti told him that Buzzi wanted to contribute 400,000 euros to electoral campaigns.
Alemanno is accused of corruption and illegal party financing.
Prosecutors say money was funnelled to him by three defendants in the Capital Mafia case. They were named as Buzzi, acting in agreement with Panzironi and one-eyed former rightwing terrorist and gangster, Massimo Carminati.
(see related) (ANSA) - Accra, February 2 - Italian Premier Matteo Renzi told the Ghanaian parliament in Accra on Tuesday that the European Union needed to adopt a strategy to cope with the crisis it faces with asylum seekers and avoid unnecessary rows.
"If we want to solve the problem of immigration, we need a long-term strategy, not petty squabbles," said Renzi, whose executive has been at odds with the European Commission over various issues in recent weeks. "The time when Europe told us what we should do is over.
We give Brussels 20 million euros (a year) and we get back 11.
We want to work, but we are not taking any lectures". Renzi has complained that the European Union left Italy alone for too long to cope with the Mediterranean migrant crisis and then added insult to injury by opening an infringement procedure against Rome for failing to comply with regulations on taking asylum seekers' fingerprints.
Renzi told the Ghanaian parliament that the European Union appears to have strayed away from the values it was founded upon. "Europe seems very distant from the values of the founding fathers," said Renzi, who has been engaged in a war of words with the European Commission in recent weeks over various issues. "Africa is often considered a problem, rather than an opportunity, especially when it comes to immigration.
But we are committed to changing Europe's direction".
The European People's Party (EPP) European Parliament caucus whip said Tuesday there's no more margin for financial flexibility. "Even Socialist commissioners - I'm thinking of (EU Financial Commissioner Pierre) Moscovici - realize there's no margin for further flexibility," Manfred Weber said. "Yesterday (European Commission President Jean-Claude) Juncker sent (Premier Matteo) Renzi a letter to remind him of his European obligations - I hope it reached its destination".
Renzi told the Ghanaian parliament Tuesday that "parliament in every nation is the home of democracy and you must be very proud of your democracy which is a model for your neighbours, and not only them". He stressed that "democracy is the antibody against terrorism". Renzi said "terrorism is in Africa but also in Europe, they want to take away our freedom and our way of life. They want to make us live in fear but we must refuse this message".
Renzi said that war against terrorism was necessary to stop those who were acting to "disintegrate society".
He also stressed the importance of culture in defeating terrorism. Renzi told the Ghanian parliament Tuesday that "a few days ago I was in Mantua which is (Italian) capital of culture this year. Culture helps us to defeat terrorism and fear. The terrorists want to destroy us and if they can't do that they want to make us live in fear. We all must refuse this message". In Ghana Renzi is on the second stage of a three-day Africa trip that started in Nigeria Monday and will conclude in Senegal Wednesday.
(ANSA) - Rome, February 2 - Other countries in the anti-ISIS coalition say they want to help train Iraqi forces, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Tuesday. "Several coalition countries have expressed interest in helping Italy," he said.
Italy's mission in Iraq is to train Iraqi police and some 2,200 Kurdish fighters, he said. The latter "have been very active in the liberation campaigns" to free Iraqi cities from the so-called Islamic State terror group, he said. "Italy pays special attention to involving Sunni (Muslims) and women in its training programs," he added. The ISIS insurgency espouses a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim interpretation of Islamic teachings.
Gentiloni spoke at a joint press conference with United States Secretary of State John Kerry after a summit of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition in Rome.
(ANSA) - Rome, February 2 - Monuments across Italy will be lit up with purple for International Epilepsy Day on Monday as part of a global initiative to raise awareness of the widespread neurological disease. The leaning tower of Pisa, the Barcaccia fountain in Rome's Piazza di Spagna and the Maschio Angioino castle in Naples are just three of the monuments that will be tinged with the internationally recognised 'symbol' of epilepsy for the event that takes place on the second Monday in February each year.
Roughly 500,000 people suffer from epilepsy in Italy, with around 30,000 new cases diagnosed each year. On Monday centres recognised by the Italian League against Epilepsy will also be open to inform the public about the services they provide.
(by Denis Greenan).
ROME - US Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday vowed to crush Islamic State (ISIS) at a meeting of the coalition against the Islamist militants in Rome.
Kerry said that the coalition fighting ISIS will prevail. "The world expects security from us and we'll destroy ISIS," Kerry told the meeting of the Small Group of the anti-ISIS coalition.
Gentiloni echoed Kerry, but was slightly more cautious.
"There have been steps forward on the ground with respect to the Paris summit," he said. "But no triumphalism is warranted, we must continue the armed effort in Iraq". He said that in the fight against ISIS "important progress has been made" though "we are faced with a very resilient organization and therefore we must not underestimate it".
Gentiloni said that "there is a risk that Daesh (ISIS) will multiply its activity in Libya. "But it is comforting for Italy to know that there is agreement among us on the need to bank on the negotiated process that has been opened".
Kerry said that "Italy's commitment in the anti-ISIS coalition is substantial" and for that "we thank it".
Kerry said that Italy has been "great" in the fight. He said "its commitment to the coalition is one of the biggest in terms of people, and financial and military contributions in Iraq." Kerry thanked Italy "in particular for its leadership role in Libya in the process of forming the government." The US "pushed" for a deal on the Mosul Dam - recaptured from ISIS recently - that will see Italy's Trevi Group repairing and maintaining it, Kerry said. He said President Barack Obama had been carefully following the situation.
Italy and it allies are betting on stopping the ongoing civil war in Syria, Gentiloni went on. "In Syria our bet is that the Geneva talks will (bring about) a cease-fire and stop the greatest humanitarian tragedy of the last decades," Gentiloni said Kerry said that the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Syria must be ended.
He said it would help "if those who say they are fighting ISIS actually fight ISIS".
Kerry, who once more ruled out US boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria, urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to take "immediate measures" to end the siege of cities where Syrians are dying of hunger. He said only 13 of 130 UN requests to deliver humanitarian aid had been met by the Syrian authorities.
"People continue to die of hunger. And that is an intentional tactic by the regime," he said.
Kerry said that the Rome talks looked at how to "increase efforts" to win the war. Kerry arrived Monday in Rome and met representatives from 23 countries who are already involved in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State at the Italian foreign ministry. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the initiatives staged over the past year and to strengthen and, most of all, accelerate the joint effort in the perspective of confronting the various challenges that are still open, with the hypothesis of the opening another front in Libya. "In #Rome & #London this week for important mtgs on progress against #Daesh & humanitarian response to #SyriaCrisis", tweeted Kerry before the meeting.
(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT - Dubai has invested one billion Dirham, or 250 million euros, to build a library that vies to become the largest cultural center in the region and that will be built as an open book.
The newspaper Gulf News reported today that the library 'Mohammad bin Rashid' will be erected within the next year in the Al Jaddaf district in the heart of Dubai. It will stretch over one million square meters and the building will host 4.5 million books, including 1.5 million printed volumes, two million electronic books and one million audio books.
Presenting the project Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and governor of Dubai, stressed that such plans mean to fill the educational gap affecting the Arab world. ''We mean to transform the UAE in an Arab center of global culture and education'', added Al Maktoum.
The library, with 2,600 seats and a planned nine million visitors a year, will also be provided with a theater with 500 places and a museum including a center for the restoration and conservation of manuscripts. (ANSAmed)
AMMAN - About 2000 farmers from south Jordan dumped thousands of tonnes of tomato in the streets to protest low prices and absence of support to export abroad, activists and farmers said today.
The farmers from the southern Jordan followed footsteps of hundreds of other farmers in the Jordan valley, the kingdoms fruit and vegetable basket, who have been angered by the extremely low price of tomato.
President of the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruit and Vegetables Zuhair Jweihan described the situation as disastrous.
"The government must take an action. They should help us market our prodcuts or we are facing a serious catastrophe," he told ANSA by phone.
Central market price of a box of tomato has been hovering around JD 0.32 TO JD 0.50, or less than one US dollar, he said, warning that thousands of farmers will go bankrupt unless prices improve.
Jordan has lost its traditional markets such as Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon due to the civil wars and difficulty of finding safe routs for the products. The oil rich gulf states place sever restrictions on importing vegetables from Jordan.
Syrian and Iraqi markets used to consume 400,000 tonnes of tomatoes per year.
Official figures show that local production of tomatoes stands at 1,000 tonnes daily, but daily consumption is no more than 400 tonnes. Jordan is one of the top 10 countries in the world in producing and exporting tomatoes, representing 65 percent of exported agricultural produce.
ISTANBUL - A reported 368 people have died in January while they were crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe's coasts, including 60 children, the Internal Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday. Most of the migrants - 272 - died in the Aegean Sea.
According to IOM, over the past five months, 330 children have drowned in the Mediterranean.
Overall, over 62,000 migrants have landed in Greece since the beginning of the year. The great majority hailed from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq while 5,000 others crossed the central Mediterranean from Libya to the coasts of Italy.
The percentage of unaccompanied minors taking the trip to Europe by sea ''has grown hugely'' at the beginning of this year, said IOM spokesman Joel Millman, explaining that in 2015 they were approximately one in seven while in January they accounted for almost one-third of the total.
Anti-ISIS coalition summit today in Rome Libya, unidentified air raids on Sirte stronghold
(by Benedetta Guerrera) (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 2 - The diplomatic offensive of the United States kicks off once again in Rome to boost the anti-ISIS campaign. US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived yesterday in the Italian capital to meet today at the Italian foreign ministry Farnesina with representatives from 23 countries who are already involved in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
This is an occasion to discuss initiatives over the past year and to strengthen and, most of all, accelerate the joint effort in the perspective of confronting the various challenges that are still open, with the hypothesis, which is at this point gaining momentum, of opening another front in Libya.
''In #Rome & #London this week for important mtgs on progress against #Daesh & humanitarian response to #SyriaCrisis'', tweeted Kerry yesterday on the meetings, upon his arrival at Rome's Ciampino airport.
The gathering in the Italian capital is the coalition's third summit as a ''small group'' after meetings in London (on January 22, 2015) and Paris (June 2, 2015). This choice, according to diplomatic sources, shows how much Italy weighs within the international coalition and how significant is our country's role in Iraq, with its leadership in training local police forces, as well as in the Syrian crisis.
On the Syrian dossier, the Obama administration has, in particular, appreciated Italian diplomatic efforts in gathering around the same table rivals like Saudi Arabia and Iran. Italy talks with everybody and this is a huge advantage compared with other coalition countries like, for example, France.
Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti yesterday sent a clear message on Rome's role in the fight against terrorism. ''Italy's alert level on terrorism is not high, it is extremely high. We are well aware of the risks of the threat posed by ISIS and the migration situation. Italy is aware of its role. We are proud of what we do'', assured Pinotti, directly responding to French Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian who had warned against the ''great risk'' that ISIS militants could be hiding among immigrants travelling from Libya to Lampedusa. Libya will naturally also be on the agenda today at the summit. France will be represented by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
In the perspective of a new anti-ISIS front in Libya with European countries on the frontlines, Washington has repeatedly stressed it is counting on Italy's experience and ability in managing the crisis in the North African country.
The Italian cabinet, for its part, has always stated it is ready to take on a leading role in potential military intervention, provided it will be requested by a recognized government. Meanwhile reports from Libya spoke of ''unidentified military planes'' carrying out raids ''against ISIS strongholds'' in the outskirts of Sirte, the 'capital' of the Islamic State in the country. Such a circumstance gives relevance to the hypothesis that raids carried out by western countries have already started on Libyan territory. Raids like the one reported on January 10, when ''unidentified planes'' hit ISIS positions near Sirte and the Libyan air force denied taking action.
Today's summit, diplomatic sources stressed, will be an occasion to stress the full support to indirect negotiations between the regime and oppositions that have made a difficult head start in Geneva, thanks to the work of special UN envoy Staffan de Mistura.
There is a ''real opportunity'' to solve the crisis, according to Secretary of State Kerry, although he has noted the road remains difficult and success is not ensured. (ANSAmed).
Italian FM warns ISIS may step up activities in Libya 'Prepared to respond to gov't requests'
(ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 2 - Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni warned in a press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry after an anti-Islamic State (ISIS) coalition summit at the ministry on Tuesday that the terrorist group may intensify its activities in Libya. However, he added, "it is comforting for Italy to know that there is convergence between us on the need to focus on the negotiations route that has opened up".
"It is very comforting that there is a great deal of convergence on the Libyan issue among the countries represented on the need to consolidate the negotiations route opened up", he continued. "Italy is prepared to respond to the requests of the new Libyan government in several fields and in security. The key is a political process. A national unity government that has the backing of the Libyan parliament in the next few days is possible. This is what we are working on", he added. (ANSAmed).
We will crush ISIS, say Kerry and Gentiloni Int'l anti-ISIS coalition summit in Rome
(by Denis Greenan).
(ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 2 - US Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Tuesday vowed to crush Islamic State (ISIS) at a meeting of the coalition against the Islamist militants in Rome.
Kerry said that the coalition fighting ISIS will prevail. "The world expects security from us and we'll destroy ISIS," Kerry told the meeting of the Small Group of the anti-ISIS coalition.
Gentiloni echoed Kerry, but was slightly more cautious.
"There have been steps forward on the ground with respect to the Paris summit," he said. "But no triumphalism is warranted, we must continue the armed effort in Iraq". He said that in the fight against ISIS "important progress has been made" though "we are faced with a very resilient organization and therefore we must not underestimate it".
Gentiloni said that "there is a risk that Daesh (ISIS) will multiply its activity in Libya. "But it is comforting for Italy to know that there is agreement among us on the need to bank on the negotiated process that has been opened".
Kerry said that "Italy's commitment in the anti-ISIS coalition is substantial" and for that "we thank it".
Kerry said that Italy has been "great" in the fight. He said "its commitment to the coalition is one of the biggest in terms of people, and financial and military contributions in Iraq." Kerry thanked Italy "in particular for its leadership role in Libya in the process of forming the government." The US "pushed" for a deal on the Mosul Dam - recaptured from ISIS recently - that will see Italy's Trevi Group repairing and maintaining it, Kerry said. He said President Barack Obama had been carefully following the situation.
Italy and it allies are betting on stopping the ongoing civil war in Syria, Gentiloni went on. "In Syria our bet is that the Geneva talks will (bring about) a cease-fire and stop the greatest humanitarian tragedy of the last decades," Gentiloni said Kerry said that the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Syria must be ended.
He said it would help "if those who say they are fighting ISIS actually fight ISIS".
Kerry, who once more ruled out US boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria, urged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to take "immediate measures" to end the siege of cities where Syrians are dying of hunger. He said only 13 of 130 UN requests to deliver humanitarian aid had been met by the Syrian authorities.
"People continue to die of hunger. And that is an intentional tactic by the regime," he said.
Kerry said that the Rome talks looked at how to "increase efforts" to win the war. Kerry arrived Monday in Rome and met representatives from 23 countries who are already involved in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State at the Italian foreign ministry. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the initiatives staged over the past year and to strengthen and, most of all, accelerate the joint effort in the perspective of confronting the various challenges that are still open, with the hypothesis of the opening another front in Libya. "In #Rome & #London this week for important mtgs on progress against #Daesh & humanitarian response to #SyriaCrisis", tweeted Kerry before the meeting. (ANSAmed).
In 1936, Fr Nilles left Germany for New Guinea. In mid-July 1937, on a sunny day, he flew over the Bismarck Range into the Simbu Gorge in a small mission plane and landed at Mingende.
He fulfilled his childhood dream and became a priest, entering the Society of Divine Word (SVD) of Father Arnold Janssen. His superiors selected him to come to New Guinea.
As a young boy, he was captivated by stories about missionaries in faraway places. So at an early age he decided he was going to become a missionary and serve in these lands.
FATHER John Nilles (1905-93), who was to be accorded the Simbu name Kawagl, was born in a small town in Germany, the eldest of five children.
Fr Nilles first job in Mingende was to learn the Kuman language. This he achieved in less than one year, speaking it fluently. The other priests at that time also spoke fluent Kuman - Fr Alphonse Schaefer (German), Fr Boellen (German) and Fr Welling (American). The Lutheran Rev William Bergmann was another who also spoke the Kuman language.
Apart from his pastoral responsibilities, Fr Nilles other main job was to train catechists who could help spread their mission work into the rural areas.
During World War II, Fr Nilles was interned in Australia with other missionaries of German origin. Before the Australian soldiers took him away, he arranged with local believers to hide all his work and books in the villages.
He spent four and half years in Brisbane: the first few months were behind barbed wire but later he was allowed to do pastoral work in the Australian countryside.
Fr Nilles also studied through Sydney University on the culture of Simbu and earned a Diploma in Anthropology.
When his internment ended in July 1947, he returned to New Guinea and came straight to Simbu and his people at Mingende. There was great joy and, in the true Simbu way, feasts were made for him and the other missionaries.
In Simbu he continued his mission work but also spent more time on his other passion; studying the culture of the people.
He taught the people to preserve their good aspects of their culture and do away with the bad. One of the biggest practices he strongly discouraged was tribal fighting.
Some of his views on preservation of culture came into conflict with established church laws. For example, polygamy was part of the Chimbu culture. Fr Nilles asked Rome to recognise such marriage so men and wives could be admitted to the church to receive sacraments.
The church disallowed this and said people who practiced polygamy could not take part in sacraments and other church activities. Fr Nilles had strong opinions that the church should respect the culture of the people and apply leniency in its judgments on traditional marriages.
He took part in people of Simbus cultural activities and lived as one of them. He enjoyed mumu food and helped pay bride prices with steel axes and shells and took part in compensation and other cultural activities.
He was a great orator and attracted great crowds to his public speeches. These are virtues Simbu people identified with in leaders and in Fr John Nilles they found one.
The people trusted and followed him and he was taken as one of their own, a Simbuand not a white man. The people named him Kawagle after the first Siambelga leader who brought the Catholic mission to Chimbu from Bundi.
He had said that when he died, he must be buried among the Simbu people where his soul would be forever and his grave would be looked after by them.
During his 54 years in Simbu, he returned to Germany six times to visit relatives and on official church work. He also made presentations about the Simbu people and their way of life to large audiences in his native land where he secured funds to develop the church in Simbu.
Fr Nilles was made a member of various government committees in Simbu. In 1970, the Simbu people asked him to stand for election in the Simbu Regional seat in the national parliament.
He thereupon renounced his German citizenship and stood for election which he won, representing Simbu in the Third House of Assembly. He defeated a young rival, Iambakey Okuk, who was runner-up. Okuk was to win the next election in 1972 and go on to become an iconic figure of Simbu and PNG politics.
John Nilles election at the time was resented by many people due to his background in the priesthood. He justified his election and stood firm for his people of Chimbu.
In his first speech in parliament in June 1970he challenged his critics saying, I am not ashamed to be called a Chimbu man..I shall be responsible to my conscience and my God.
In 1989, he was diagnosed with a bone disease in his legs and went to Germany believing that he would get well and return to PNG and Simbu. Most Simbu people did not know he had gone. Those who did thought he would return.
Fr John Nilles was never to return. He died three years later in 1993. He was buried in Germany and not among his Simbu people as he had promised.
In recognition of his efforts in mission work in New Guinea, a street in his home town in Germany was named Pater Nilles Strasse (Father Nilles Street).
The people of Simbu remember him as Papa Nilles, a man who became part of a big family, the Simbu people.
Bottom photo: Sir Ignatius Kilage, Fr John Nilles and Lady Regina Kilage. The late Sir Ignatius was a great Simbu leader. The first highlands priest worked closely with Fr Nilles. Lady Regina died in September this year
Born in Barcelona city in 1981, Jordi Borras is a Catalan illustrator and photojournalist that has specialised in investigating the network of Spanish nationalist groups in Catalonia and their ties to the far right. His book Desmuntant Societat Civil Catalana (Catalan Civil Society: an Expose) is about a group which he regards as being more dangerous than the fringe far right.
You are an illustrator and a photojournalist who has put pen to paper to paint a picture of Societat Civil Catalana (SCC)
It is a full on picture. I deliberately chose not to put together a photo album of Spanish nationalism. When photography fell short, I resorted to words and this is how Desmuntant Societat Civil Catalana came to be.
What did you set out to expose about Societat Civil Catalana?
I meant to show why, how and who founded and funds this group, which aims to be the Spanish nationalist mirror image of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC).
Would SCC have had the same impact, had it lacked any grassroots support?
Societat Civil Catalana has virtually no support at a grassroots level. They barely managed to gather enough people to fill Barcelonas Placa de Catalunya on Spains National Day in 2014 despite the vast amounts of money spent the event cost over 330,000 bringing people from Spain by the busload. The rally garnered so much attention from Spanish media that you would have thought it was the greatest event ever in Catalonia. SCC is a vertical organisation, built from the top down and driven by three circles of power; namely, politics, finances and a very worrisome third: Roman Catholic fundamentalism.
In your book you mention an ongoing fight through the media. What does SCC fight? Who is their enemy?
SCC is an instrument of the Spanish State. We wont know until we find out where the funds come from and who started it, the ease with which they were allowed to make some moves It is a face-off with the Spanish State.
Were you able to ascertain where SCCs funding comes from?
I wasnt. In my book I provide some evidence that points to large IBEX 35 corporations, such as Telefonica. We do not know for sure. But we do know that in 2014 SCC spent 1,084,000. The group has 75 members and 4,000 volunteers. In 2014, 97 per cent of its funds came from anonymous donors. We dont know who they were.
Are you suggesting the cash came from a state-controlled slush fund?
I suspect that the Spanish State has its finger in the pie, one way or another, be it through a slush fund or by pulling favours from corporations. It is obvious that the financial powers are involved.
Ive heard you say that SCC is more frightening than the skinheads with swastikas that march in Barcelona on Spains National Day (October 12). What exactly do you mean?
Societat Civil is a group that advocates democratic principles, but shelters and is founded, conceived and managed by far-right people. But it is not a far-right group in itself. It is worse than that because it is able to draw in the far right and sugarcoat its discourse.
Still, someone might argue that it is not SCCs fault if non-democratic groups try to cozy up to them.
It is hardly surprising that they are approached by people like that. After all, some of SCCs founders and promoters are the likes of Josep Alsina, a former member of the Spanish National-Socialist Party (PENS) who directs a publication called Nihil Obstat, and Javier Barraycoa, former Secretary General of Comunion Tradicionalista, a Carlist party; also Josep Ramon Bosch, the former SCC chairman who stepped down recently following a judicial probe into threats issued from a Facebook account which he allegedly managed. On his account he praised far-right groups and admitted to having been a member of the youth branch of Fuerza Nueva, the Spanish fascist group, when it was led by Jose Maria Fuster-Fabra Torrellas, who happens to be Boschs lawyer nowadays.
Shouldnt it be normal to have a civil platform that represents Spanish nationalists in Catalonia, just like the ANC does within the pro-independence bloc?
I was actually happy when Societat Civil Catalana was publicly presented because I thought that, for the first time ever, Spanish nationalists were at last getting their act together and they would take the Catalan independence process seriously. The group could have become the all-embracing organisation that might have represented unionism across the board, had they managed to keep out the far right. Its no wonder that progressive unionists dont fancy going to a SCC rally: there are people waving fascist flags and members of Movimiento Social Republicano, Plataforma per Catalunya (1) and so on. Spanish nationalism has not learned to ignore these groups, partly because it cant.
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(1) N.T. Movimiento Social Republicano and Plataforma per Catalunya are two fringe fascist/racist political parties.
I broke the story on social media on Friday afternoon. An immediate response came from Ms Merrell and Ms Twivey. This was expected on account of their client, Peter O'Neill, allegedly being implicated in the unlawful transaction.
Ms Merrell posted a rather convoluted article in response which was poorly argued and for most part misconceived....
Merrell:
"It is becoming increasingly rare that any of the good citizens of PNG are prepared to go on record openly criticising the shenanigans of Messrs Damaru and Gitua of the PNG Fraud Squad and theres much that needs scrutiny."
"For even as the Prime Minister goes to some lengths to enact measures to rein in an ill-disciplined police force, Gitua and Damarus insubordination has been sanctioned time and time again by the PNG courts."
"People are frightened and so they should be these two senior police officers are now a law unto themselves vigilantes."
My response:
What sanctions have the Court issued against Damaru and Gitua for insubordination? None. Both Supreme and National Courts have supported their applications to-date to join the court proceedings against the Prime Minister.
Are people frightened of Damaru and Gitua?
No, but I suspect Peter O'Neill and others implicated in high level corruption would be "very frightened." Corrupt politicians have reason to be afraid of honest officers who can't be bribed or intimidated about upholding the law.
I understand Ms Twivey may also be afraid, if her client goes down, she may face criminal charges following the recent ruling of the Supreme Court by Judge Kirriwom, expressing the view that Twivey and the then lawyer for Commissioner of Police, Sam Bonner, could be guilty of collusion in perverting the course of justice.
Twivey and Bonner filed an application in the District Court attempting to stay Secretary of Treasury Dairi Vele's arrest. Twivey and Bonner signed a consent form to set aside the warrant of arrest against Vele without notifying the Detective Chief Inspector Gitua who had applied for the warrant.
The contentious issue is that Police normally prosecute the accused and don't turn up to court supporting applications preventing their arrest.
Twivey and Bonner have appealed Kirriwom's findings, including his decision to refer them both to the Law Society to be disciplined. The risk is, should the three-man bench of Supreme Court uphold Justice Kirriwom's ruling, then the question of their guilt will be beyond doubt. What should follow is for Fraud to lay formal charges against the duo on account that perverting the course of justice is a criminal offence.
It is also important to note that Sam Bonner was charged back in July 2014 for stealing, conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. The charges related to allegations that he was involved in the Paraka legal corruption scandal having received illegal funds on behalf of the law firm; the same funds the prime minister is facing criminal prosecution over.
One has to ask how is it that Bonner, an accused lawyer, ended up being engaged by the Police Department to represent its highest ranking officer and support all those accused - including the prime minister - instead of siding with the Police officers who were upholding the law.
Merrell:
".disgraceful intimidation of Mr Aloysius Hamou."
My response:
So what evidence did Merrell provide to support Fraud disgracefully intimidating Mr Hamou.
None, other than that they fronted up outside Mr Hamous home at 7am, ignored the prime minister's lawyers claims that Mr Hamou was not compelled to accompany them to the police station and that he had no authority to provide the police with any Treasury documents.
Every member of the Police Force has constitutional powers to arrest, lay, prosecute, or withdraw charges against any person they suspect of committing an offence. The constitution (section 198(2) also provides that members of the Police Force are not subject to direction or control by any person outside the Force.
So the advice by the Prime Minister's lawyers was clearly misconceived and a lie. A person accused of committing an offence is obligated to accompany Police to be interviewed. Should they refuse, Police may compel them by exercising their constitutional powers to effect their arrest, taking them into custody to lay formal charges against them.
Merrell:
"In spite of the fact that Mr Desmond Kipa of Twivey Lawyers informed Mr Gitua and other police that Mr Hamou was precluded, legally, from giving them information they interviewed him anyway. (Mr Kipa also gave them of copies of the Supreme Court order from SCA83 of 2014 which restrains the Police from investigating any matter concerning the Prime Minister and Police from harassing, intimidating, threatening or assaulting the Prime Ministers lawyers) and it is well known that the Fraud squad was investigating the Prime Minister on the turbine matter.
"Mr Hamou said nothing (at least one lawyer was with him all the time and can attest to that) and signed nothing he was charged anyway."
My response:
Correct, an accused reserves the right to remain silent and is not obliged to produce any evidence that may be used against him. However Police have every right to interview an accused including requesting information.
Most innocent people are only too willing to assist police with their investigation. Any self-respecting citizen would be happy to provide any evidence in their possession. It may also serve to exonerate them of the charges. While if you are guilty of a crime it is certainly not in your interest to co-operate with Police.
So what does the Supreme Court order SCA83 have to do with the arrest of Deputy Mr Aloysius Hamou? Absolutely nothing! Peter O'Neill obtained a temporary stay in the Supreme Court proceedings SC87 after he filed statements claiming that he and his staff were being threatened by members of the Fraud Squad. The Fraud Squad were never afforded the right to appear and dispute those claims. In my view they were nothing more than lies. However the Supreme Court late last year granted the Fraud Squad request to join those proceedings as a party and they have since filed an application to dismiss the entire proceedings for abuse of process.
Vele and Hamou are not staff members of the Prime Minister, they are staff members of the Department of Treasury. On account that O'Neill is implicated in this unlawful transaction, I can understand why his lawyers would make such a dimwit claim.
Merrell:
"He was charged with breaching section 92(1), which is a misdemeanour (a summary offence dealt with by the District Court) and is a charge that is NOT the jurisdiction of the Fraud Squad. Nevertheless the Fraud Squad had taken an inordinate interest in prosecuting (and persecuting) Mr Hamou."
My response:
False. Misdemeanour is not a summary offence but an indictable offence. Section 3 of Criminal Code explicitly states Crimes and misdemeanours are indictable offences."
There are typically three types of offences; "Simple or Summary" offences where the penalty is less than 1 year and typically tried in the District Court; "Misdemeanour" offences are more serious where the penalty is between 1 and 3 years and the most serious "Crimes" where the penalty can be anywhere between 3 to life imprisonment or death. Misdemeanour and Crime offences being more serious are typically tried in the National Court.
While Section 420 of the Criminal code provides that some indictable offences may be summarily tried in District Court, the Code also provides a list of such offences (schedule 2) and Section 92(1) is not one of them.
So Merrell and Twiveys assertion that Fraud had no jurisdiction to charge Mr. Hamou under section 92(1) and the charge should be have been tried as a summary offence confirms both lack of any basic understanding of criminal law. This is concerning on account Ms Twivey is a practising lawyer and former law lecturer at the University of PNG.
Merrell:
"The Officer in Charge of the police station was timidly reluctant to give Mr Hamou own recognisance bail as the amounts he said were too large and referred the matter to senior officers. Really? For a misdemeanor an issue that should have seen bail granted as a matter of course?"
My response:
In this instance it was the sole discretion of the arresting officer whether or not to grant bail. While at this stage Mr. Hamou has only been charged under Section 92(1) of criminal code its my view he may also face further charges of misappropriation and official corruption.
Merrell:
These rogue cops are merely shaking the tree hoping the Prime Minister will land at their feet, never considering that he may not be up the tree in the first place.
My response:
So what evidence was produced to establish the Fraud squad were rogue cops?? None. Not one iota of evidence. The Prime Minister and his Lawyer Ms Twivey made the same claims against the Fraud squad back in June 2014 hoping to convince the National Court to stay his arrest.
However the Court ruled that, "I find no such evidence of this. There is in fact no evidence that the current criminal investigations of the plaintiffs are the work of rogue policemen or that the investigations are politically-motivated as described by the Prime Minister in his affidavit."
So between Ms Twivey, a lawyer, and Ms Merrell, who boasts of holding two degrees and PhD in Political Science, both struggle to submit a simple logical argument to support their claims.
Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet...
SEL to National Guard Bureau chief visits ARPC
Chief Master Sgt. Mitchel Brush, senior enlisted leader to Gen. Frank Grass, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, visited the Air Reserve Personnel Center Jan. 29, 2016, during an enlisted call hosted by Chief Master Sgt. Ruthe Flores, ARPC command chief, on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Brush toured ARPC, then gave the perspective of an SEL, and answered questions from servicemembers
Brush, who advises the Chief, National Guard Bureau on all enlisted matters affecting training, effective utilization, health of the force and enlisted professional development, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1987 where his initial duty assignment was the 2851st Security Police Squadron, Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. In December 1992, he left active duty and joined the Great Falls, Montana police force. In fall 1994, he enlisted in the Montana Air National Guard to serve in Security Forces.
In 2008, he was promoted to chief master sergeant and assumed duty as the Montana Air National Guard State command chief master sergeant. He currently works in his hometown as a patrol sergeant with the City of Billings Police Department.
Enlisted Developmental Education Board Invitation to Apply and Application Release Notification
Air Reserve Personnel Center officials will release the Invitation to Apply and open the application cycle for the annual Enlisted Developmental Education Board Friday, Feb. 5. The EDEB will convene May 16 at HQ ARPC. All applications are due to ARPC no later than April 15, 4:30 p.m. MT.
Call the Total Force Service Center at DSN 665-0102 or 210-565-0102 for questions or further information.
//signed//
CONSTANCE C. JOHNSON-CAGE, Colonel, USAFR
IMA to the Vice Commander, HQ Air Reserve Personnel Center
Infested
If you dont already know, in this article you are going to learn what it is. America has been infiltrated and hijacked by a foreign based entity, the Worlds largest Organized Crime Syndicate the Khazarian Mafia (KM), its main action-agent Israel and its espionage fronts. This group of soulless evil mass-murderers gained a foothold in America in 1913 when it bribed Congress and the President to get the Federal Reserve Act passed, which gave it the illegal, unConstitutional power to create all the money it wanted in order to bribe, buy and take control the USG and its various elected and appointed officials. This must be stopped and we must take America back from these RICO criminal hijackers.This massive infestation of parasites in DC has infected all of America, destroying the Rule of Law, rendering most USG agencies, Law Enforcement and its Courts of Law crooked, for the rich and connected special interests only.The corruption arising from this massive infestation inside the Beltway in DC has dragged us into illegal, unConstitutional pre-emptive, aggressive foreign wars resulting in millions of innocent civilians mass-murdered and displaced, and many thousands of American soldiers needlessly killed and horribly wounded, maimed and disabled. And all this hell on Earth created simply to put massive war profits into the pockets of the Banksters and their defense contractors and increase their illegitimate central authoritarian power.America is now descending into a third world economic hell and its basic institutions are being destroyed by this evil infestation more and more each day.The question always arises how can candidates for Congress and the Presidency espouse such strong American values and then turn their back on all that and violate their Oaths of Office? The answer is complex, but basically it is an issue of subculture and norms that comprise a sick, twisted, evil anti-Constitution system. You either conform or you are quickly pushed out, banished and black listed from any other decent job.When one is elected to Congress or appointed to a high USG office, he or she enters a specific subculture with its own norms and values, but also its own peculiar reality or way or interpreting events and the world. Over a period of time these elected and appointed officials internalize that DC culture which is one of treason and betrayal in exchange for power, privilege, status and vast wealth.The sad truth is that when you get to Congress you either take the AIPAC Loyalty Oath to Israel, accept all the vast benefits and power and play their game, or you are quickly driven out, often smeared and ruined, sometimes like Senator Paul Wellstone, you get assassinated.We now know for certain how our USG has been completely compromised, thanks to the historical testimony of Cynthia McKinney. She is an esteemed, highly respected former US Congresswoman from Georgia who was forced out of Congress by the Khazarian Mafias redistricting and lavish support of an opponent.and connections to get an opponent elected in her place?What did Cynthia McKinney do to bring the full wrath of the KM down on her in a well organized effort to knock her out of Congress, especially when she was popular in her district?The real reason Cynthia McKinney was not re-elected was that she refused to sign the AIPAC Oath to place Israel first even before America.Obviously taking such an oath to a foreign power would be a violation of ones Oath of Office and a complete abrogation of ones duty to be loyal ones own nation.The US Congress should have declared war on Israel and those it represents the City of London private Central Bankers and their vast, worlds largest Organized Crime Syndicate the Khazarian Mafia (KM).Some time after Israel attacked America on 9-11-01 it became known Israel did it by some top US Intel and High Military Command that were not a part of this false-flag and would never betray their nation.Fortunately there are numerous individuals from the Intel community who know Israel did 9-11-01 and have been running a rear guard action to awake Americas masses up to this fact that Israel and the KM did 9-11-01 helped by a VP driven Pentagon stand-down.These men and women have been doing everything they can to help take America back from these foreign-based invaders, Israel and the KM and their stateside dual citizen traitors and Sayanims. They are best referred to as the Intel Cowboys. By the way, the Intel Cowboys and their assets are sick and tired of American Soldiers being sacrificed as mere cannon fodder for the Khazarian Mafia (KM) and Israel and they are doing everything they can to expose this and stop it cold.So far they have prevented a major new air and ground war in the Mideast that Israel and the KM have been attempting to coerce the US Administration and Congress into.We now know for certain beyond any question of a doubt that Israel attacked America on 9-11-01 with the help of Israeli-American Israeli-first dual citizen traitors in high positions of the USG, Pentagon and US Military.In America these were the PNACer and top NeoCon traitors, and many linked to the AIPAC, ADL and their numerous associated espionage fronts inside America.This 9-11-01 attack was planned and run by Bibi Netanyahu and the Likudists and their stateside Sayanims and assets. We know this for certain because of a voice recording of Netanyahu planning the attack in a well-known watering hole in Israel beforehand.Thus we now know for certain that any Member of Congress who signed that AIPAC Loyalty Oath to put Israels interests first before Americas and has not retracted it since, is now actively in a state of committing TREASON against America and We The People, and is unworthy to serve.But even more, they should be immediately impeached and arrested, tried, convicted and hung on a military gallows publicly like the folks involved in the President Lincoln Assassination.The only reason Israel, the KM and its stateside Traitors and perps were not brought to justice by a US Congress that should have done its job is that members of Congress and the US Administration were completely compromised, bought and owned by AIPAC and the Israel Lobby. You can see why America is now has painted itself into such a difficult and terminal situation as a nation. This is what when we have our whole Congress filled with and run by TRAITORS that serve a foreign power first. These Traitors are actually functioning as agents of foreign Israeli and KM espionage inside America. Instead, they should actually be representing the interests of We The People as they are obligated to do by their sacred Oaths of Office.where our own elected representatives who run our government are actually helping a foreign enemy do espionage to destroy our way of life and our Republic and transform it into a slave state to be asset stripped and depopulated?The answer is disturbing but the main root cause is that a foreign power who set up and now runs Israel was allowed by bought-off and compromised Traitors in the America Government to hijack our monetary creation and distribution system in America in 1913. This group, the City of London Khazarian Mafia private central Bankers thus gained a foothold in America and could print and issue all the money they needed to continue buying and bribing the whole US Congress, member by member.This has allowed them to take total control over the American government top to bottom. It has also allowed them to take complete control over the American Major Mass Media and form a well managed Cartel, an illegal News and Media Monopoly. This has given them the ability to mind-kontrol the American people to support the fighting of all of Israels wars using American Soldiers as mere cannon fodder.But Israel went just too far when they attacked America on 9-11-01 on behalf of their COL bosses who run the KM and private central Fiat make all you want money creation systems. The Israelis have had so much hubris because of the immense COL financial and political power behind them that they never expected to be found out as the true perps of 9-11-01.The KM/Israeli big lie repeatedly broadcast by their Controlled Major Mass Media (CMMM) the Islamics did it worked for a while, but after some years too much evidence emerged from insiders who were fed up and started leaking the horrible truth.Right now the only strong faction inside America that is doing everything they can to expose and stop the KM and its main action agents the Israeli and their owned officials in DC are the loyal Americans who are embedded deep inside the Pentagon, the US Military and American Intel, the Intel Cowboys and their assets.They include great American Heroes such as Gwyneth Todd and Sibel Edmonds, and other who have not gone public. It was Gwyneth Todd who actually blocked an attempt to start a hot WW3 in the Mideast over Iran. She now lives in a foreign country because the FBI tried to assist in an assassination of her, and it is not yet safe for her here in America. And the Fifth Fleet is very dirty and clearly treasonous at its command level.And we know that the FBI tried to forever gag Sibel Edmonds , but that has now failed too. Any National Security letter (NSL) ordering suppression of information is ILLEGAL if it is being used to cover up a crime, a violation of the US Constitution or espionage or treason within. Such is a serious felony.Any normal person can see that the FBI is now doing all of this and has been for years, especially Division 5, which is completely infiltrated by CIA and Israeli agents and has murdered many over the years. The FBI is now generally recognized by numerous insiders as little more than a cover-up agency for the KM and the Establishment.Not only is the FBI not properly chartered according to the US Library of Congress, but has no right to even exist. Besides, it is a RICO criminal organization that directly serves the KM and Israel and the Federal Reserve Counterfeiting System.What else might one expect from an operation set up by a known pedophile cross-dresser J. Edgar Hoover who ran his own private murder squads (see the book by Michael Milan entitled The Squaddespite numerous intercept attempts and blog postings to smear the book, it is dead on accurate).And what else would you expect the FBIs HRT boys to be other than a bunch of soulless, cold-blooded murderers of innocent women and children like they did at Ruby Ridge and Waco? Why do they still keep saying to each other we are honed to kill, like evil little parrots?These three great American women Heroes, Gwyneth Todd, Sibel Edmonds, and Cynthia McKinney, have incredible courage and cannot be compromised. What a sad loss for America that Cynthia McKinney was driven from office by felonious acts of RICO crime by the Israeli lobby, a known foreign-based espionage group inside America. Everyday more and more Americans find out that Israel attacked America on 9-11-01 and it was a stand-down, that is, the USAF and NORAD which is supposed to defend us stood-down and aided our Israeli attackers. And the man that ordered this stand-down was none other than Dick Cheney who seized control over the whole USG at this time on behalf of the KM. And more and more Americans are finding out that our Members of Congress and our Presidents have betrayed us and sold us out to foreign enemies who have attacked us on 9-11-01.Obviously when you have an evil foreign power, the worlds largest Organized Crime Syndicate, the Khazarian Mafia, infiltrating and hijacking all of your institutions including the USG, it is difficult to drive them out of America and defeat them. And the .01% that run the USG now deploy high tech surveillance and harassment techniques to stifle dissent including NSLs, placement of Terror Watch lists, No Work List and No-Fly Lists, and even induced illness and sometimes various kinds of covert, crafty murders including staged arkencides.This surveillance and harassment is now run by Homeland Security against all Americans. DHS was set up to mimic the East German Stasi by the KM through Israeli-American Israeli-first Dual Citizen traitors. These same Stasi functions are now being run by DHS (a RICO criminal organization top to bottom) inside America to suppress all forms of dissent, and this includes tampering and faking electronic vote totals. Putin and the Russian Federation are now attacking the KM with truth and so far this is proving to be an effective novel weapon of covert war.The American Major Mass media should be following Putins example by deploying massive truth in their major broadcast stories about how Israel did 9-11-01 with the help of Cheney and the Pentagon, or how the JCS, LBJ, GHWB and the CIA used Op40 to assassinate JFK and it WAS NOT Oswald.However this is not possible because the KM controls the six Media Moguls that run the CMMM. This leaves the job of spreading the truth as a covert weapons of war against the KM to We The People via the alternative media of the Worldwide Internet.It is now time for all good Americans to stand up against this infestation of verminous traitors in Washington DC, including Congress and the Administration and take America back, restore Rule of Law and strengthen our great Republic. Learn the truth about this KM infiltration and hijacking of all our American institutions and our USG and then share this truth with all your family and friends.We need to drive out, prosecute, impeach and do whatever is necessary to save our Republic from these vermin that have infested our government and are working hard to steal everything we have and trying to destroy our very nation itself.Note: The term Khazarian Mafia was coined by VTs own Financial Editor, VT author and VT talk show Host for the Short End of the Stick every Tuesday and Thursday 7-9 PM Central Standard Time, Mike Harris. Iron Mike was part of the team of Top VT Directors that attended the groundbreaking and historical International Conference on Combating Terrorism and Religious Extremism in Damascus December 2014. It was the Keynote Address by VTs own Chairman, Managing Director and Editor in Chief of VT, Gordon Duff who for the first time ever publicly declared that there was no real Terrorist problem in and by itself, but it was actually an organized crime problem caused by the worlds largest Organized Crime Syndicate. It was Mike Harris who first identified this worlds largest Organized Crime Syndicate by name as the Khazarian Mafia (KM), after his extensive research of its secret hidden history that has been largely excised from most public libraries and history books. Mikes research has included reading translated Russian documents with never before released facts about the Khazarian Mafias 1,000 year blood feud against Mother Russia. Mike has been given the nickname Iron Mike for his well known ability to take a punch that would normally knock someone out and still be able to come back and win. Most of the top Directors of VT are well trained over many years in full contact martial arts and are extremely proficient, including ground fighting and advanced hand to hand combat.For those who have time and want more information, here is a great video, All Wars are bankers Wars .
By: Winnindo Business Consult
Editor: Mourme Taruna Halim
With a total population exceeding 250 million, Indonesia is a great market opportunity for foreign companies seeking to expand their consumer base and bolster production. The majority of Indonesians are middle class and, at 28 years of age, the average citizen is at the height of their productivity and nearing peak consumption years.
Firms seeking to increase their global footprint in particular, through the establishment of regional production hubs should therefore strongly consider Indonesia as an exciting entry point to ASEAN and the region at large.
During the process of tapping into the archipelagos emerging advantages, Indonesia like any foreign market can at times present complicated and often costly due diligence. Potential investors, and particularly those with limited resources, such as startups, may therefore need to explore the market to ensure operations are conducted in a seamless manner.
While full incorporation within Indonesia comes with costly capital requirements, many of the preliminary activities a company may wish to carry out are readily accomplished through a Representative Office (RO). Prospective investors that wish to limit due diligence to any of the following activities should strongly consider the establishment of Representative Offices over investment such as limited liability companies:
market research and testing
negotiating with local companies
distributing products or services through local distributors
promoting products or services without doing direct business activities and profit generation
Types of Representative Offices in Indonesia
Depending on the nature of a companys operations and the activities that it wishes to carry out within Indonesia, two types of Representative offices available to investors:
Trade Representative Office
By far the most common, Trade Representative Offices (TROs) are controlled under the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal BKPM). The range of activities that may be conducted by TROs, however, are quite narrow. In particular, they may not engage in trading, own production facilities, or undertake operational business activities. As a result of these limitations, TROs cannot accept orders, participate in tenders, sign contracts, or engage in the import, export or distribution of goods.
Trade Representative Offices are mainly reserved for firms wishing to participate in marketing, promotional, and other information gathering activities on behalf of the parent company.
Construction Representative Office
Established for the purposes of entering into joint operation agreements with Indonesian entities, for the purpose of engaging in construction and/or construction consulting services, Construction Representative Offices (CROs) are is controlled under Ministry of Public Works.
The Guide to Establish a Trade Representative Office
The following steps outline the registration, staffing, and compliance procedure for the Establishment of Trade Representative offices in Indonesia. Those interested in establishment through other avenues explored previously are strongly encouraged to contact relevant government officials or engage professional investment services:
Step 1 Registration
To successfully register a Trade RO in Indonesia, the following information and documentation must be prepared and submitted to the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM):
RO application form, Letter of Intent, and Letter of Statement
Letter of Appointment from principal company
Letter of Reference from Indonesia Embassy Representative in the principal country
RO work plan
Statement letter of labor companion from Ministry of Manpower
Foreign Worker Employment License, if RO employ a foreign employee
Step 2 Staffing
ROs require the employment of at least one employee as RO head. The RO head must submit curriculum vitae, education certificate, and valid ID card when completing RO registration. If the RO head is a foreign employee, the minimum education requirement is a bachelor degree with three years working experiences in a similar field.
Please keep in mind that if an RO wishes to hire a foreign employee as the RO head, they also must hire at minimum three local employees as experts or administration staffs; proven by employment contract, copy of identification card, and salary slip.
Processing and Validity
Following submission of registration paperwork to the BKPM, a license for the operation of the RO will be issued within a month.
Although the validity of this license is set at three years, updated regulations have removed previous limitations on the number of renewals that could be applied for. Currently, following successful compliance with guidelines outline below, licenses may be renewed indefinitely.
Compliance
Similar to Limited Liability Companies, ROs are subject to a variety of compliance requirements. Although prohibited from conducting profit generating activities within Indonesia, it should be noted that RO compliance does include tax filing.
All ROs operating within Indonesia should be prepared to submit the following information:
RO activities report (if RO license extension is required)
Monthly tax filing
Monthly social security report
Further Support from Winnindo Business Consult Successful investment strategy in Indonesia continues to require careful procedures. All firms considering investment within this country should be sure to conduct a careful review of their opportunities and maintain clear a understanding of regulatory responsibilities. In the event that questions arise, relevant government officials or professional services should be contacted to ensure compliance. RO establishment can prove a complex and challenging procedure, even Indonesia nowadays is modernizing its economy policies to be investor friendly. With experience of helping companies set up business operations in the region, the specialists at Winnindo Business Consult are well placed to help companies overcome these challenges. For more information, please get in touch with our specialists at info@winnindo.com.
The Asia Sourcing Guide 2015
In this issue of Asia Briefing, we explain how and why the Asian sourcing market is changing, compare wage overheads, and look at where certain types of products are being manufactured and exported. We discuss the impact of ASEANs Free Trade Agreements with China and India, and highlight the options available for establishing a sourcing and quality control model in three locations: Vietnam, China, and India. Finally, we examine the differences in quality control in each of these markets.
The 2015 Asia Tax Comparator
In this issue, we compare and contrast the most relevant tax laws applicable for businesses with a presence in Asia. We analyze the different tax rates of 13 jurisdictions in the region, including India, China, Hong Kong, and the 10 member states of ASEAN. We also take a look at some of the most important compliance issues that businesses should be aware of, and conclude by discussing some of the most important tax and finance concerns companies will face when entering Asia.
The Gateway to ASEAN: Singapore Holding Companies
In this issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, we highlight and explore Singapores position as a holding company location for outbound investment, most notably for companies seeking to enter ASEAN and other emerging markets in Asia. We explore the numerous FTAs, DTAs and tax incentive programs that make Singapore the preeminent destination for holding companies in Southeast Asia, in addition to the requirements and procedures foreign investors must follow to establish and incorporate a holding company.
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Chinese authorities ban foreign travellers from the autonomous region between 25 February to 30 March, a period Tibetans use to mark past popular uprising against Maoist forces, the Dalai Lamas flight, and the protests against the Beijing Olympics. Restrictions are also imposed on local residents who cannot travel beyond ten kilometres from their place of residence.
Lhasa (AsiaNews) Chinese authorities announced that all foreign travellers will be banned from the Tibet Autonomous Region and travel by local residents will be restricted at the end of this month and for the whole month of March because of upcoming anniversaries of past anti-Communist unrest, like the March 2008 incidents that rocked the plateau in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.
Provincial authorities issued a notice to all major cities and counties that all foreign visitors must leave the region by 25 February, and that the province will be closed until 30 March.
Local residents have also been informed that they cannot travel more than ten kilometres from their place of residence, and that they would be punished if they failed to respect the restriction.
Travel agencies expect that the first week of April might be the likely date for the reopening of the region for tourism.
The first significant anniversary remembered in this period goes back to 1959 when an armed uprising, which had begun in eastern Tibet in 1957, spread to the rest of the country, including the capital Lhasa. Following the invasion by the Peoples Liberation Army, the Dalai Lama fled Lhasas Norbulingka Palace, on 17 March 1959, disguised as a soldier. After finding refuge in India, he set up a Tibetan government-in-exile.
Some 30 years later, unrest broke out in March 1988 and then again in March 1989, when hundreds of people took to the streets to mark the anniversary of the 1959 invasion. The then local Party Secretary, Hu Jintao, who later became president of the People's Republic of China, used an iron fist to clamp down on the protest. A few months later, he sent Chinas paramount leader Deng Xiaoping a telegram congratulating him for the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The last time the region saw unrest was in 2008 when Beijing hosted the Olympic Games. For the first time in two decades, Lhasa monasteries opened their doors that year to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinas occupation.
Between 300 and 400 monks walked out of two of the largest monasteries near the Tibetan capital, and marched in procession, calling for the release of detained religious and lay people and the return of the Dalai Lama to his homeland.
As expected, Chinese authorities reacted with violence: hundreds were arrested and an unknown number of people were killed.
Today the deputies elected from the Aung San Suu Kyis Democratic League take up their seats in the lower house and upper chamber. In late March, they will elect the new president of the country. "This is a day to be proud of in the political history of Myanmar." The transition from dictatorship to democracy begins.
Naypyataw (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The first democratic parliamentary session opened today in Myanmar led by the deputies of the Aung San Suu Kyis National Democratic League (NLD) who swept the elections last November.
After decades of military dictatorship, the Assembly voted by the citizens , have taken their seats. They will now have to elect a new president, the highest office of the state, at the end of March. For most of the deputies appointed to the parliament, this is their first political experience. Many of them are former democratic activists persecuted for years by the military junta.
On 8 novembre 2015,the NLD led by Su Kyi won 80% of the vote at the polls, defeating the armys Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and thus obtaining the right to form the new government. However, under the Constitution, the junta keeps a quarter of the seats in parliament and three key ministries (Interior, Defense and Borders).
Moreover, according to the 2008Constitution (in an ad hoc norm) Aung San Suu Kyi can not run for the office of President, for having married a British citizen. The leader, who spent 15 years under house arrest, however, has said that she will govern "above and beyond" the role of president, whom she will chose. The NLD will make public nominations for the presidency in the second week of February.
The Speakers of the upper house and lower chambers are also drawn from among the ranks of the NLD. "Today - said Win Myint, speaker of the lower house - is a day to be proud of in the political history of Myanmar, for its democratic transition." The transition from military to democratic rule ends on April 1, when the mandate of the current president and retired General Thein Sein will end.
Deemed free by observers who spoke to AsiaNews, the election saw the participation of about 80 per cent of the 30 million eligible voters. At present, the NLD has 390 seats (out of 440) in the lower house and 168 (out of 224) in the upper house, for a total of 558.
The party will thus govern until the next elections, scheduled for 2020, but it will not be able to amend the constitution because one quarter of all seats are assigned to military appointees. The Democratic League can not, however, amend the Constitution by itself, because it needs a majority of 75 % plus one vote.
Aung San Suu Kyi has so far kept a low profile, making no claims of victory but stating that elections were only the first step. In fact, there are many unresolved issues in Myanmar such as political prisoners, the arrest of students and activists and the military's influence on public life. Today the Lady sat on the sidelines in parliament, and listened to the first session without intervening.
In the Mass ending the Jubilee of Consecrated life, Francis said, woe betide routine in spiritual life; woe betide the crystallization of our charisms in abstract doctrine. In fact, Our founders were moved by the Spirit and they were not afraid to get their hands dirty with everyday life, with peoples problems, they were not afraid to courageously walk the geographic and existential peripheries.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis on Tuesday addressed consecrated men and women during Mass in St Peter's Basilica marking the end of the Year of Consecrated Life. In his homily, he said that Consecrated persons are called to be a concrete and prophetic sign of Gods closeness, of this sharing in a condition of fragility, of sin and of the wounds of man in our time, noting also that they are in a permanent state of mission.
Todays celebration marks the end of the Year of Consecrated Life. The Year, which began on the First Sunday of Advent in November 2014, came to a close today, 2 February 2016, World Day of Consecrated Life.
In a St Peters Basilica bathing in the light of thousands of candles for the feast day of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which is also known as Candlemas, the pontiff concelebrated the liturgy with priests from many orders, congregations and religious institutions.
Commenting on todays Gospel reading, Francis said, Today, before our eyes is a simple, humble and great fact: Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. He is a child like many others, just like the others, but He is unique: He is the Lords only son who has come for all mankind. This Child has brought the mercy and the tenderness of God: Jesus is the face of the Fathers Mercy. This is the icon the Gospel offers us at the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life, a year which has been lived with much enthusiasm. Like a river, it now flows into the sea of mercy, into the immense mystery of love that we are experiencing through the Extraordinary Jubilee.
Today's feast, especially in the East, is called the Feast of the Encounter. As a matter of fact, in the Gospel we can read of several encounters (cf. Lk 2,22-40). In the temple, Jesus comes towards us and we go to meet him. We contemplate the encounter with the aged Simeon who represents Israel that trustingly awaits the coming of the Lord and the exultation of the heart for the fulfilment of the promise. We can also admire the encounter with the prophetess, Anna, who upon seeing the Child exults with joy and praises God. Simeon and Anna are the awaiting and the prophecy, Jesus is the good news and the fulfilment: He presents himself to us as Gods perpetual surprise; in this Child who was born for all, the past, made of memory and promise, and the future, which is full of hope, meet.
In this we can see the beginning of consecrated life. Consecrated men and women are called first and foremost to be men and women of encounter. Vocation, in fact, is not motivated by a project that has been planned at the drawing table, but by the grace of the Lord who comes to us through a life-changing encounter. Those who really meet Jesus cannot stay the same as before. He is the novelty that makes all things new. He who lives this meeting becomes a witness and makes the meeting possible for others; he also becomes a promoter of the culture of encounter, avoiding a self-referential attitude that causes one to remain closed within oneself.
The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews that we just heard, reminds us that Jesus himself, in his meeting with us, did not hesitate to share our human condition: " Since the children have flesh and blood, Christ too shared in their humanity" (v. 14). Jesus did not save us "from the outside", He did not stay out of our drama, he wanted to participate in our life. Consecrated persons are called to be a concrete and prophetic sign of Gods closeness, of this sharing in a condition of fragility, of sin and of the wounds of man in our time. All forms of consecrated life, each according to its characteristics, are called to be in a permanent state of mission, sharing The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted (Gaudium et Spes, 1).
The Gospel also tells us that Jesus father and mother were amazed at what was said about Him (v. 33). Joseph and Mary safeguard the wonder for this encounter which is full of light and hope for all people. And we too, as Christians and as consecrated persons, we are custodians of wonder. A wonder that asks to be constantly renewed; woe betide routine in spiritual life; woe betide the crystallization of our charisms in abstract doctrine: the charisms of the founders - as I have said before - are not to be sealed in a bottle, they are not museum pieces. Our founders were moved by the Spirit and they were not afraid to get their hands dirty with everyday life, with peoples problems, they were not afraid to courageously walk the geographic and existential peripheries. They did not stop before the obstacles and misunderstandings of others, because they kept the wonder of their encounter with Christ in their hearts. They did not tame the grace of the Gospel; they had a healthy yearning for the Lord in their hearts, the yearning to bring Him to others, just as Mary and Joseph did in the temple. We too, are called today, to make prophetic and courageous choices.
Finally, we learn from today's feast to live the gratitude for the encounter with Jesus and for the gift of a vocation to consecrated life. To thank, to give thanks for the grace: the Eucharist. How beautiful it is when we meet the happy face of consecrated persons, who are perhaps already advanced in years, like Simeon and Anna, happy and full of gratitude for their vocation. This is a word that can sum up everything we have lived in this Year of the Consecrated Life: gratitude for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which always inspires the Church through its various charisms.
The Gospel ends with this expression: "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him" (v. 40). May the Lord Jesus, through the maternal intercession of Mary, grow within us, and each increase in each of us the desire of encounter, the custody of wonder and the joy of gratitude. Then others will be attracted by His light, and will be able to meet the Father's mercy.
The students are seen mocking Islamic prayers in a video. The teacher who made the latter was sentenced to three years in prison. For the kids lawyer, because of a random and spontaneous prank, his clients are forced to hide at home to avoid retaliation.
Cairo (AsiaNews/Agencies) Three Coptic students charged with insulting Islam will stand trial this week after appearing in a video mocking Muslim prayers. Their teacher was sentenced to three years in prison in a separate trial over the same charges.
The incident became known in April 2015, shortly after 21 Coptic Christians were beheaded by Islamic State militants on a Libyan beach, fuelling Muslim-Christian tensions in Egypt.
The 30-second video, filmed by the teacher, shows the students pretending to pray: one is kneeling on the floor whilst reciting Quranic verses and others are standing behind him and laughing. One waved his hand under a seconds neck in a sign of beheading.
The video sparked anger among local Muslims, who called for the eviction of the three students and the teacher.
The kids lawyer, Maher Naguib, said that community elders expelled the teacher and his family from the village.
For him, a youthful prank sadly has had serious repercussions. The students couldnt attend school and remain indoors to avoid insults, beating and harassment, he said. This is all because of random and spontaneous action by some youngsters inside a bedroom and for only few seconds.
After Iowa, What's Next For The Candidates?
Trending News: After Iowa, New Hampshire Will Make Or Break These Campaigns
Why Is This Important?
Long Story Short
Long Story
Because we need to handicap our office pools by next Tuesday.As expected, there has been a massive bloodletting of candidates following the Iowa caucus , and the front-runners have formally emerged. Their next test comes in a week, in a battleground very different from Iowa.Iowa is the first step in a long process, and the second one coming next week in New Hampshire is critical to a candidates success or failure.Here are some of the things each of the front-runners have to consider as they move from socially conservative, heavily evangelical Iowa to fiscally conservative, more moderate New Hampshire.
Ted Cruz: Despite a big win in Iowa, the Tea-Party/evangelical favorite is going to have a much tougher time convincing flinty New Englanders to vote for him. As the Washington Post points out, evangelicals won Iowa in 2008 and 2012 (Huckabee and Santorum, respectively) but lost New Hampshire.
My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place. Nice Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
: Although his peculiar, mercurial rise to serious contender status has been dented, dont count Trump out, not by a long shot. Observers said his Iowa chances were never great to begin with, despite his leading in polls, and that hell bounce back in New Hampshire, where his numbers remain impressively strong
Marco Rubio: New Hampshire is where the GOP establishment can bounce back, in the figure of the 44-year-old Florida senator. His strong third-place finish just a point behind Trump shows that his candidacy is viable. And may inherit invaluable donor networks behind other erstwhile Republican hopefuls like Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich.
Hillary Clinton: For the Dems, New Hampshire is if anything harder to predict. The Clinton camp is hoping, praying even, that the more conservative New Hampshire voters will reject Sanders avowed socialist leanings. The near-tie in Iowa can practically be considered a victory for Sanders. Clinton has to work on solidifying her support among baby boomers and women and count on her campaigns strong organizational abilities outpacing the excitement and enthusiasm generated by her rival among younger voters.
Bernie Sanders: New Hampshire is practically home turf for Sanders, and the long-time senator is said to be widely admired. Like Trump, his outsider status is appealing to voters there. The New York Times reports that most Democratic primary voters already know who theyll vote for, making the choice less about persuasion than turnout. Sanders has the numbers to take the state, but Clintons army of volunteers wont make it easy.
New Hampshire Profile | FindTheHome
Carson statement: Ben is not suspending his campaign, he just "needs to go home and get a fresh set of clothes." pic.twitter.com/juvgvOpRrl Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylor) February 2, 2016
: New Hampshire may spell the end of the road for some Republican hopefuls (Martin OMalley, the third Democratic candidate, ended his campaign following Mondays vote). Jeb Bush in particular has bet heavily on New Hampshire, and if he doesnt do well there, he really has no business staying in the race. Same goes for Christie and Kasich. They may not quit immediately after the vote, but their donors will surely be asking why bother funding a losing cause?As for the other, even fringier candidates? Mike Huckabee is already out, Rick Santorum, unable to poll better than abysmal in heavily-religious Iowa, is likely to follow, leaving Ben Carson (who went home to get new clothes?!), Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina and former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore (who got 0.0% of the vote) to fight over also-ran status.
Own The Conversation
: Can the Tea-Party favorite Cruz retain his momentum in the Granite State? Will Hillary solidify her shaky lead over the Bernie insurgency?: Indie-minded New Hampshirites will go for the candidates who appeal to their anti-establishment views. Go Trump, go Bernie!: Only one candidate has ever gone on to win the presidency after losing both Iowa and New Hampshire in the past 40 years: Bill Clinton in 1992.
Queenslands DPP outlined the crowns summary of argument and why the High Court should return Gerard Baden-Clays murder conviction in documents submitted late yesterday.
The move follows the downgrade of Baden-Clays conviction from murder to manslaughter by the Court of Appeal in December, saying the jury could not have proved beyond reasonable doubt that he had intended to kill his wife, sparking heavy controversy.
But now, the DPP has argued the motive for murder, the ABC reported.
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 documents said.
This is evidence of motive ... which a jury might infer intention.
The documents also said that Baden-Clays actions following his wifes death also show intent.
He got rid of the primary evidence, the body of his wife, by driving it 13 kilometres away and dumping it in mud under a bridge in a most cold-blooded way, the documents said.
He put on fake concern about his wife and play-acted that concern by sending texts to a phone he knew she would never answer.
The documents also noted his lies about scratches to his face and disposing of her body should be considered.
According to the ABC, Allison Baden-Clay was reported missing by her husband in April of 2012. Her body was found beside a creek 10 days later. Her husband was found guilty of her murder in 2014 and sentenced to life in prison.
The Court of Appeals decision in this case is the latest in a line of Queensland cases inconsistent with recent decisions of the Victorian Court of Appeal about the significance of post-offence conduct in deciding whether a killing is murder or manslaughter, the DPP said.
Baden-Clays defence team has 21 days to lodge their response.
As part of the firms innovation strategy, Gilbert + Tobin has held a successful, industry first hackathon, bringing together lawyers and technology specialists with the legal team from client Westpac and legal start up LegalVision.
A hackathon, simply an event where computer programmers get together with software users to collaborate on projects, was used to find technical solutions to solving routine or frequent legal problems.
The sort of solutions we were looking for were around how to help automate tasks that are relatively simple but are time consuming, G+T chief operating officer Sam Nickless told Australasian Lawyer.
Teams of more than 50 techies and lawyers competed against one another to find the most innovative solution, judged by a panel of Westpac operational managers and G+T partners.
Running from lunchtime on Thursday last week right through to lunchtime on Friday, the hackathon began with lawyers describing a business problem. The technology specialists then worked through the night to find a solution and ended with teams testing a prototype the following morning to see if it made sense.
The winning team produced a prototype portal for legal self-service and response management.
Sharing some of the things that were doing in our internal practice with our clients is a real opportunity to add value to them as well as to build the relationship, Nickless said.
I think one of the things for us in law firms is that law and legal processes is our business, thats all we do.
Were thinking about applying technology to legal processes and we can that with the in-house legal teams that perhaps dont have the same access to technologies that we have or the same focus that we have on that.
Nickless said that following the inventive solutions to come out of the event, the firm will look to do more innovation projects like this one.
The firm won Australia Client Service Law Firm of the Year at the 2015 Chambers Asia-Pacific Awards and placed second overall in the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers Awards 2015.
Jones Day opened its doors in Sydney back in 1994 and expanded westward to Perth in 2014.Managing partner Stephen J. Brogan said the new office reflects the firms commitment to Australia and its role in the global economy. In an announcement yesterday, the firm said the new office would initially focus on M&A, major projects, and project-related disputes, with an emphasis on the natural resources, construction, transport and agriculture sectors.Newly appointed Brisbane partner-in-charge, John Cooper said new opening reflects client demand.We have opened an office in Brisbane following some of our clients asking us to represent them on matters in the energy and resources sector and Brett Heading deciding to join our firm, he told Australasian Lawyer.We see a great opportunity to act for the firm's clients in the energy and resources, transport, construction, property and agricultural sectors.Former McCullough Robertson partner Brett Heading will join the firms Brisbane office, following his resignation as drug developer Invion chairman, a position he took up in April of last year. Invion announced yesterday that chief executive Greg Collier would take over the position of chairman in the interim.Mark Crean, former deputy senior partner at Herbert Smith Freehills will join Heading in the firms new office.With Brett joining in Brisbane and Mark Crean having joined the firm in Sydney, we see a great opportunity for the Firm in Australia in the corporate law area, Cooper said of the considerable M&A experience of both new partners.We already have very senior lawyers in the corporate, construction and infrastructure and property development who understand the industries in which they work and doing business in Queensland, and who have access to leading lawyers from other jurisdictions who collaboratively work together across jurisdictions as one firm worldwide.
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A team of five partners and 24 fee earners has joined international firm Clyde & Co from Lee & Lyons in Sydney. The team includes the Aussie firms two founding partners David Lee and Lucinda Lyons who set up their firm in 2002. David Amentas, Michelle Dunne and Christopher Smith are the other three partners who are now part of Clyde. Scott Castledine has also joined the firm in Sydney as a senior associate from Allens . He is a commercial litigator who specialises in professional defence.King & Wood Mallesons has added to the capabilities of its Singapore office with a disputes resolution practice alongside its existing M&A and investment funds and energy practices. Chau Ee Lee will lead the new team having joined from Drew & Napier where he was head of construction.Meanwhile at Reed Smith, Richard Lovell joins the team in the city state as partner. He brings his experience of admiralty and casualty response to the firm from Ince & Co where he was head of shipping and managing partner of the Singapore office.Slater & Gordon is considering debt restructuring and has brought in FTI Consulting according to cityam.com. The Australian-listed law firm has lost 90 per cent of its share price in the past year especially following the UK governments announcement of a proposed rule change that will lead to a cut in personal injury claims following road accidents.The MELT Festival which supports the LGBTI community in Brisbane has been given the support of Herbert Smith Freehills. The law firm has become the first corporate diversity partner to support the festival which runs from this Wednesday until Valentines Day. The firm is about to mark the third birthday of its own LGBTI Network in Australia and partner Peter Smith says that linking with the Festival is a fitting way to celebrate.The Solicitors Regulation Authority says it has received thousands of responses to one of the biggest surveys it has ever carried out. The UK regulator asked legal professionals and the public to share their views on what should happen to lawyers who fall below professional standards set out in the SRA Handbook. More than 2,350 responses have been received and the regulator will publish its findings in the summer.
By Peter Ellerton, Lecturer in Critical Thinking, The University of Queensland
Shutterstock/ra2studio
When a group of Australians was asked why they believed climate change was not happening, about one in three (36.5%) said it was common sense, according to a report published last year by the CSIRO. This was the most popular reason for their opinion, with only 11.3% saying their belief that climate change was not happening was based on scientific research.
Interestingly, the same study found one in four (25.5%) cited common sense for their belief that climate change was happening, but was natural. And nearly one in five (18.9%) said it was common sense that climate change was happening and it was human-induced.
It seems the greater the rejection of climate science, the greater the reliance on common sense as a guiding principle.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott also appealed to common sense when arguing against gay marriage recently.
But what do we mean by an appeal to common sense? Presumably its an appeal to rationality of some sort, perhaps a rationality that forms the basis of more complex reasoning. Whatever it is, we might understand it better by considering a few things about our psychology.
Its only rational
Its an interesting phenomenon that no one laments his or her lack of rationality. We might complain of having a poor memory, or of being no good at maths, but no one thinks they are irrational.
Worse than this, we all think were the exemplar of the rational person (go on, admit it) and, if only everyone could see the world as clearly as we do, then all would be well.
Rather than being thought of as the type of reasoning everyone would converge on after thoughtful reflection, however, common sense too often just means the kind of sense we individually have. And anyone who agrees with us must also, logically, have it.
But more likely, as Albert Einstein supposedly put it:
[] common sense is actually nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind prior to the age of eighteen.
In other words, common sense is indeed very common, its just that we all have a different idea of what it is.
Thinking that feels right
The appeal to common sense, therefore, is usually nothing more than an appeal to thinking that just feels right. But what feels right to one person may not feel right to another.
When we say to each other that sounds right, or I like the sound of that, we are generally not testing someones argument for validity and soundness as much as seeing if we simply like their conclusion.
Whether it feels right is usually a reflection of the world view and ideologies we have internalised, and that frame how we interact with new ideas. When new ideas are in accord with what we already believe, they are more readily accepted. When they are not, they, and the arguments that lead to them, are more readily rejected.
We too often mistake this automatic compatibility testing of new ideas with existing beliefs as an application of common sense. But, in reality, it is more about judging than thinking.
As the psychologist and Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman notes in his book Thinking Fast and Slow, when we arrive at conclusions in this way, the outcomes also feel true, regardless of whether they are. We are not psychologically well equipped to judge our own thinking.
We are also highly susceptible to a range of cognitive biases, such as the availability heuristic that preference the first things that come to mind when making decisions or giving weight to evidence.
One way we can check our internal biases and inconsistencies is through the social verification of knowledge, in which we test our ideas in a rigorous and systematic way to see if they make sense not just to us, but to other people. The outstanding example of this socially shared cognition is science.
Pixabay, CC BY
Science is not common sense
Its important to realise that science is not about common sense. Nowhere is this more evident than in the worlds of quantum mechanics and relativity, in which our common sense intuitions are hopelessly inadequate to deal with quantum unpredictability and space-time distortions.
But our common sense fails us even in more familiar territory. For centuries, it seemed to people that the Earth could not possibly be moving, and must therefore be at the centre of the universe.
Many students still assume that an object in motion through space must have a constant force acting on it, an idea that contradicts Netwons first law. Some people think that the Earth has gravity because it spins.
And, to return to my opening comment, some people think that their common sense applied to observations of the weather carries more weight on climate change than the entire body of scientific evidence on the subject.
Science is not the embodiment of individual common sense, it is the exemplar of rational collaboration. These are very different things.
It is not that individual scientists are immune from the cognitive biases and tendencies to fool themselves that we are all subject to. It is rather that the process of science produces the checks and balances that prevent these individual flaws from flourishing as they do in some other areas of human activity.
In science, the highest unit of cognition is not the individual, it is the community of scientific enquiry.
Thinking well is a social skill
That does not mean that individuals are not capable of excellent thinking, nor does it mean no individual is rational. But the extent to which individuals can do this on their own is a function of how well integrated they are with communities of systematic inquiry in the first place. You cant learn to think well by yourself.
In matters of science at least, those who value their common sense over methodological, collaborative investigation imagine themselves to be more free in their thinking, unbound by involvement with the group, but in reality they are tightly bound by their capabilities and perspectives.
We are smarter together than we are individually, and perhaps thats just common sense.
Peter Ellerton will be online today, Tuesday February 2, 2016, to answer your questions or comments on common sense. Here are the times for Australias states and territories:
2pm and 3pm (Qld)
3pm to 4pm (NSW, Tas, Vic and ACT)
2.30pm to 3.30pm (SA)
1.30pm to 2.30pm (NT)
Noon to 1pm (WA)
Peter Ellerton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.
Originally published in The Conversation.
Currently in a difficult position. I'm an Australian citizen who has won some funding in China to start a company there. Both myself and my partner, who is Japanese and has applied for an 820 Partner Visa in Australia, will be back and forth between Australia and China. My partner currently has a 6 month BVB which expires mid March.
However, we are currently in China, and have to apply for our Chinese resident visa in China in order to work/be there. The problem is that this process can only commence after Feb 15 (when government offices open again after Chinese New Year), and they take your passports away for 3-4 weeks to process the visas.
It's possible that we may not get our passports back before my partner's BVB expires. As we are mid way through an Australian 820 Partner Visa application, this would be a huge issue.
Does anyone know if its possible to get a BVB extended while it is still in force, so that we could complete the process in China and she is able to return on a valid BVB?
As per Michael Martinez of the The Detroit News , the Dearborn-based manufacturer is going to implement a vetting procedure for the first 250 units of the 2017 Ford GT. The online application website will go live in a few weeks time, and the selection process boggles the mind of anyone willing to get in line for the twin-turbo supercar.First of all, the application form will include a question that goes like How many Ford vehicles have you owned? Of course, previous-gen Ford GT owners have an edge on previous Pinto or LTD Country Squire owners. Fair enough, we get that condition. But FoMoCo is also interested in how often youre willing to drive a supercar and how popular you are on social media. Yes, you have to be a popular figure on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to convince the company to let you put a deposit down on the 600 horsepower-plus 2017 Ford GT.According to the report, Ford is interested in customers that will actually drive the car, rather than locking it in a garage to protect its resale value. As a petrolhead, I agree with the way Ford is thinking. But this is the United States of America, the land of the free and the land of opportunity.If I had the $400,000 or so to pay up for the car, I would take the opportunity to buy the Ford GT. I would also expect the Ford Motor Company to take my hard-earned green dollar bills instead of gratuitously conditioning me with social media popularity this and previous owner that. Im not famous and I haven't ever owned a Ford, but I'm paying $400,000+, for goodness sake!As if these conditions werent enough whitewash, FoMoCo also has the nerve to force you into signing a contract in which you, the owner of the $400,000+ 2017 Ford GT, agree not to sell your car for a certain period of time.This will keep speculators from flipping the GT on the used market for a markup. But still, the owner should be the only person to choose whether he or she wants to sell it immediately after purchase or if theyll keep the 2017 Ford GT in their family for generations.By the looks of things, the all-new GT will get in the hands of rich celebrities with lots of followers on social media networks. Jeremy Clarkson is one of those celebs, more so if you consider that he used to own a fault-ridden Ford GT... until he sold it to make way for a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. Jay Leno, Lewis Hamilton, and young Hollywood socialites are other examples that meet the criteria.
Well, the time has come for such dreams to become a reality, with a blue LC 500 having recently been spotted out in the wild. The grand tourer was shot by the folks over at motor.es while the car was out shooting for a commercial on Spain's Almeria coast.We'll presume this is Lexus' Electric Blue. And we have to tell you that, to our eyes, this shade looks just as good on the big coup (yes, we do appreciate the two-plus-two status of the car) as the color we've seen in the metal.Then again, when you need an overly trained eye to tell the production car from the LF-LC concept, it's no wonder the color is not that relevant. Speaking of which, we'll remind you the Japanese automaker has played this red-blue game before, with the concept mentioned above having been shown in both versions back in the day.The spotting episode becomes even more interesting when you think about the fact that, officially speaking, the LC 500 hasn't set foot on the Old Continent yet.The European public will be able to get up close and personal with Lexus' new flagship at the Geneva Motor Show in March.However, the moment we're holding our breath for is the one that will see the automaker expand the LC's engine range. While the naturally-aspirated V8 delivering 477 is tempting, nowadays such an engine is far from enough when it comes to the lavish status of such a vehicle.We're not worried, though, since Lexus is well aware of this, with its engineers currently working on the matter.
Claudia Castillo, as the woman calls herself on YouTube (this is the name of her channel), was passed by a Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) car while she was driving close to downtown Miami. As she later explained to the cop, she was doing 35 mph (56 km/h), but ended up climbing to 80 mph (about 130 km/h) in her pursuit.Legal or moral implications aside, there's something particularly peculiar about a Dodge Charger Interceptor being chased and eventually pulled over by a civilian vehicle and yet this is precisely what happened.With the driver flashing her lights, the officer noticed and came to a stop on the shoulder, thinking the woman had a problem and needed assistance.Once the officer came to her window, Claudia introduced herself in a very LEO-like (Law Enforcement Officer) manner, starting the conversation with a "the reason I'm pulling you over today" line.This is the point where things become even stranger - as some police officers wrongfully act when stopping citizens on certain occasions, the woman acts as if her car served as a radar. Confronting the cop, the woman explains she estimates the Charger was doing about 90 mph (145 km/h).We can see the officer jumping from one facial expression to another before apologizing for speeding and assuring the woman he'll "be sure to slow down." One explanation about leading through the power of example later, the driver closes the case, together with her vertical-filming smartphone and the officer is free to go.The woman captured three pieces of footage, with the first two showing the chase, while the final one involves the role shifting, and you can see all of the clips below.
From third place in 2014, Ford Commercial Vehicles of Europe managed to step up to first in 2015 thanks to the renewed Transit lineup. FoMoCo sold over 280,000 commercial vehicles last year on the Old Continent, which is 23 percent better than in 2014. The four-model transit lineup alone sold 233,000 units of the grand total.At the same time, the medium-sized Ford Ranger pickup truck managed to move 27,300 units in the previous calendar year, up by 27 percent over 2014. What that means is that the trusty old Ranger is Europes best-selling pickup truck. But the most surprising thing about the Ford Motor Companys 2015 sales in Europe is that the cheeky Fiesta is the undisputed leader of its segment yet again.For the fourth year in a row, most customers in the market for a B-segment hatchback decided to take the Fiesta over everything else available on the market. Compared to calendar year 2014, the Fiesta sold 5,312 units more in 2015. Thats an increase of only 2 percent, but still, its genuinely remarkable that sales are still going strong for a B-segment hatchback that started production in 2008.Mind you, the Blue Oval did lots of things over the years in order to keep the Fiesta as fresh as a daisy. The latest update came in May 2015, when the Fiesta gained three new exterior colors (Silver Silk, Candy Red, Magnetic), a 1.5-liter TDCi diesel-powered model marketed as the ECOnetic, and a 140 PS version of the 1-liter EcoBoost three-banger.If it were your money, would you choose the Fiesta over newer models such as the Fabia or Corsa
Moto2 represents the final gap in KTM's road racing activities, but the Austrian maker plans to fill it as soon as possible. House Mattighofen has been working with their subsidiary WP and engineered a tubular trellis frame that is ready for track testing.Suspension specialists WP are also in charge of engineering the suspensions of KTM's RC16 machine that will make the debut in the premier class next year. The WP Racing Department is, however, developing an entire motorcycle for the Moto2 class, anticipating an end to Honda's engine supremacy.KTM already tested the bike at the Almeria circuit in Spain, but no official results were revealed to the public. The 2015 Moto2 champion Johan Zarco won the world crown using WP suspensions, thus proving that the Austrian company has a real potential in terms of Grand Prix performance.After KTM's Moto2 team becomes operational, a rider can, at least in theory, climb the performance ladder without changing the manufacturer, KTM CEO Stefan Pierer says.The Moto2 project has a great significance for us. Through our growth and long-term investments we are in a position to close this final gap in our activities in the sport of Grand Prix road racing. A young rider can gather his first experience in the Rookies Cup and then advance to our own in-house Moto3 team, then further, via the new Moto2 project into the MotoGP class. These are concepts that have repeatedly proved to be successful for KTM and WP in professional racing, and in the future we want to have riders for our MotoGP project that have advanced right through the entire KTM Academy.If KTM can build such a racing structure, it might change the sport, and why not, inspire other manufacturers in trying to replicate the recipe.
SUV
The first pictures of the vehicle have been published on the companys official media site. The Skoda VisionS is a design study that the Czech brand owned by the Volkswagen Group will use as inspiration for its futureThe VisionS will be an exhibit at the companys stand at this years Geneva Motor Show.Like other Vision design studies before it, the VisionS shows the main lines of the upcoming production model. The first of the Vision concept cars was the VisionC design study , shown in 2014, that anticipated the companys design language and inspired the Rapid model.In the case of Skodas latest design study, the letter S stands for SUV, and the model shows how the companys upcoming SUV could look. The vehicle has generous proportions, with a length of 4,700 mm, a width of 1,910 mm, and a height of 1,680 mm.As a reference, the Skoda VisionS Concept car is longer, wider, and taller than the current Audi Q5. However, the vehicle is 100 mm shorter in length, 30 mm narrower, and shorter by 29 mm in height than the current Volkswagen Touareg.The sheer size of the VisionS allowed the people of Skoda to design an interior with three rows of seats, and would seat seven people in the production variant.Without showing any interior images, the brands officials have stated that the interior recreates traditional Skoda values and offers generous space for six occupants. Judging by the statement, the concept car could feature three rows of two seats each.Concerning design, the Skoda VisionS concept car is an attractive concept vehicle. We must admit we like the design of the tail lights, and the angular headlights look excellent as well.Naturally, the massive alloy rims will not be available on the production model, and the car will have door knobs, along with more tempered lines, but the main shapes shown by this design study are expected to be carried over to the production model.
Riverview Landing, Jamestown's $300 million mixed-use development on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, will be a carrot in the face of millennials who crave proximity to Atlanta and a suburban family atmosphere, according to at least one key player in Cobb County. In a story titled "Smyrna to get its own version of Ponce City Market," Smyrna councilmember Ron Fennel posited that his city is an ideal place for millennial housing; the Jamestown project will be 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta and other major employment centers, and people generally "are sick and tired of being stuck in traffic They want to have a short trip to take advantage of city life," Fennel told the newspaper. As for the millennial magnet that is alternate transit, Fennel said city officials are engaged in "aggressive" and "robust" talks with Cobb Community Transit but couldn't be more specific.
Fennel's position on millennials contrasts that of some fellow Cobb Countians who lashed out against a proposed 280-unit apartment complex on Windy Ridge Parkway last year. Neighbors who supported that project claimed a contingent of locals was discriminating against millennial renters in favor of newcomers who would buy property.
Weeks later, a Cobb County Chamber of Commerce official attempted to set the record straight, saying the county covets millennials and their youthful energy and ideas, especially around the Cumberland District.
Whatever the case, it sounds like the Riverview Landing project, like Ponce City Market, could have unique appeal across the metro area by capitalizing on what's already there in this case, a waterfront. Like a concrete timeline, the project's exact scope isn't yet clear, but it's safe to expect a mix of homes, shops, restaurants and green spaces on the former industrial site bordering southwest Smyrna. According to the AJC, a vital piece of the puzzle the reconstruction of Riverview Road began last month, and will connect the project to the Silver Comet Trail and the Beltline.
Smyrna to get its own version of Ponce City Market [AJC]
Is Cobb County Rife with Millennial Discrimination? [Curbed]
Cobb Chamber of Commerce: We Really do Like Millennials [Curbed]
We owe tractors a lot. Not only have they changed the way our food is made, but they also changed how wars are fought. That's right! Where do you think the British got the idea for the tracks that they put on the first tanks, built during WWI?Today, we are going to look at a monster. No, it's not the Caterpillar in front or the two that are coming right behind it. It's the plow they are dragging that we are interested in since it's apparently the biggest and the badest. There are certainly longer plows used in America, but this one is so heavy it requires 650 horsepower to pull it through the ground.The plow is self-built by the administrators of this Dutch company and goes two meters deep into the soil. The top layer of dirt is plowed under, and the lighter sand and peat soil is brought to the surface to make the land more suitable for other crops. It also makes it easier to work on in the future.They don't need to do this every year, but this operation is required for agriculture on an industrial scale. We're not agricultural experts here, but people who know more than we do tell us that the operation may only be carried out once every 50 years. You can see how the plow is bringing up a sandy layer from below, which may be useful for growing potatoes or better drainage.This is serious business with a high cost per acre. Just to give you an idea of how serious the equipment is, the D8H bulldozer in front is sometimes used by the US Navy to create makeshift landing areas in the jungle. It weighs about 36 tons, so you can't drive it down to the pub after a hard day's work.
Photo of Renault Sandero courtesy of Renault.
Groupe Renault, PSA Peugeot Citroen, and Mitsubishi FUSO Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) will increase production in Iran or return to the country following the lifting of economic sanctions on Jan. 16, the companies have announced.
For more than 10 years, Renault Pars has produced nearly 500,000 vehicles in the country under a joint venture with Iran's two main auto manufacturers, SAIPA (French Societe Anonyme Iranienne de Production Automobile) and Iran Khodro.
In 2015, the venture manufactured the Logan pickup with Iran Khodro and the Sandero hatchback with SAIPA. Renault will considerably intensify operations in Iran and prepare future model releases in association with its two local partners as soon as smooth relations have resumed between French and Iranian banks, according to Renault.
In 2015, Renault Group sales increased 56.1% from 2014 to reach 51,500 vehicles and a 4.8% of market share.
During Iran President Hassan Rouhanis recent state visit to Paris, PSA Peugeot Citroen, which has operated in Iran for more than 30 years, and Iran Khodro signed a joint venture agreement to produce latest-generation vehicles in Iran.
This 50-50 joint venture is expected to invest up to 400 million (US$435.8) over the next five years in manufacturing and R&D capacity. The investment will contribute to facilitate the development of a competitive manufacturing base for producing, launching and marketing Peugeot 208, 2008, and 301 models, fitted with latest-generation engines. The first vehicles will roll off the production line at the Tehran plant in the second half of 2017, according to the company.
Iran is a key component of the PSA development strategy in the Middle East and Africa region, which is PSA Peugeot Citroens third-fastest growing international market. The group sold 180,200 vehicles in the region in 2015, up 6.4%, according to the company.
Following Daimler Trucks, which has announced its recommitment to the Iranian market, Mitsubishi FUSO Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) has announced it will enter the Iranian market as part of Daimler Trucks sales strategy. FUSO has entered into a sales contract with Mayan, which will serve as FUSOs distributor in Iran, according to the company. Mayan is part of the Dubai-based Mammut Group, a large truck bodybuilder and distributor in the Middle East. Sales of FUSOs light-duty Canter cabover through Mayans dealer network will begin this year.
Daimler Trucks intends to open a regional representative office in Tehran carrying the Mercedes-Benz and FUSO brands in the first quarter that would contribute to economic growth and infrastructure improvements in Iran. Daimler trucks have been sold in the country since 1953.
Chinas Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., recently inked a deal to expand the auto companys production capabilities in Iran. Chery initiated cooperation with Irans Modiran Vehicle Manufacturing Company (MVM) in early 2004 to export CKD kits for vehicle assembly. In 2009, Chery acquired MVM as the largest shareholder. Chery has built a plant with an output of 60,000 units per year, and successively established over 150 sales and service network in Teheran, Mashhad, Isfahan, and Tabriz. Cherys after-sales service and vehicle quality have been ranked top in Iran, according to an analysis report released by ISQI.
Cherys joint venture has become Irans third-largest automaker behind Irans two state-owned enterprises, IKCO and SAIPA. Chery topped the list of foreign brands in Iran with sales of nearly 40,000 units in 2014 and 2015 consecutively. By late 2015, Cherys market share in Iran had reached 180,000 units, accounting for over 50% of Chinas total passenger vehicle exports to Iran, according to Chery.
Since its entry into Iran, Chery has launched models such as Tiggo 5, Tiggo 3, E5, Fulwin 2, and new QQ minicar based on local market demands. Chery is planning a future launch of up to three new models a year to meet local demand.
Chery has also worked out a plan for expanding Iran Industry Park. Chery will build a new auto industry park with an added output of 100,000 units per year that adds to the current 60,000-unit production level. Chery hopes to sell 100,000 units annually in the next three years.
Frances DS Automobiles has also opened its first dealership in Iran and announced the local launch of two models, the DS 5 and DS 6. The launch of the brand in Iran follows the October announcement of a deal between DS and ARIAN Group to operate and oversee the automotive brands first venture into the Middle East. The range will be expanded this year with the arrival of DS 5LS sedan and other models.
Photo courtesy of LeasePlan.
The European Central Bank has approved the sale of LeasePlan N.V. to an investor group, clearing the way for the closing of the transaction by April 1, the Dutch fleet management company has announced.
The bank has issued a "declaration of no objection for the acquisition of LeasePlan." Other regulators, including EU and local anti-trust authorities, have already approved the acquisition, according to a LeasePlan statement.
LeasePlan N.V., the largest global fleet management company, is being acquired by a consortium of investors in a $4.05-billion deal announced July 23. The investors include the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Danish pension fund ATP, Singapore-based investment firm GIC, Dutch pension fund PGGM, and London-based private equity firm TDR Capital.
The consortium is purchasing the company from Global Mobility Holding, which is owned by Volkswagen A.G. and German banker Friedrich von Metzler.
Photo of 2016 Prius Four courtesy of Toyota.
Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend production at assembly plants in Japan next week due to a steel factory explosion that will delay shipments of the new 2016 Prius hybrid.
All assembly lines will halt production from Feb. 8 to Feb. 13, the company announced in a statement. The stoppage stems from a Jan. 8 explosion at an Aichi Steel Corp. manufacturing facility that has caused parts shortages.
"Toyota will continue to take any measures necessary to minimize the impact of this incident on vehicle production," according to the statement. "Such measures may include production on alternate lines operated by Aichi Steel and procurement from other steelmakers."
Toyota counts on Japan for 40% of its vehicle production, including all assembly of the Prius and some Lexus model such as the NX compact SUV, reports Bloomberg.
Toyota will resume plant operations on Feb. 15.
Chelsea Marie and cis-chick Amy Faye pair up for the first domestically shot scene in this mostly Brazilian flesh fest. Fayes enthusiasm for the tryst is strikingly obvious even before her plush fairy wings are off her back, and Maries she-cock proves that the feeling is mutual. Savannah Fox shows up for her scene with Venus Lux ready to fuck, but has to wait until Lux sees fit to remove her gag and let her slobber on her cock first.
The final four scenes employ the same bathroom and bedroom, which means a lot of hot t-girls stand in front of the mirrors admiring themselves before their fellow scene-mates arrive to distract them.
Cute Danielly Colucci struggles to get a vibrator up her ass and finds that turning it on is a big help. Fernanda Critine knows the value of lube, which means Sheylla Wandergirlt slides her ass down Critines shaft with ease. Giselly Araujo is fed ice cream before cock, and Bianca Sereia sizzles with a tight tattoo-themed mini dress, a series of cigarettes, and two mens dicks.
A Cessna Citation 525 twin-engine jet broke up in flight while maneuvering near Cedar Fork, Utah, the NTSB says in a preliminary report now posted online. The pilot and passenger both were killed. The CJ3 took off from Salt Lake City International Airport about 9:50 in the morning on Jan. 18, headed for Tucson International Airport. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot called ATC to report a failure in the flight management system, and said he needed to fly straight ahead and climb while he tried to program the backup FMS. The controller told the pilot to climb to FL310 and provided vectors around light precipitation. The pilot then declared a Mayday, and said he was having trouble with the backup FMS and was hand-flying the airplane.
At this time the controller issued the pilot a no-gyro turn to the left to avoid precipitation, after which the airplanes airspeed was observed to fluctuate significantly, according to the NTSB report. The airplane was then observed turning to the right before the radar target was lost. There were no further transmissions from the accident airplane. According to local news reports, witnesses told the Utah County Sheriffs Office they heard a loud boom and saw the airplane, on fire and coming apart, fall to the ground. The wreckage was found in an open pasture about 28 nm south-southwest of SLC. The debris field extended about 1 nm on an east-west orientation, the NTSB said. The left engine was not found at the site. News reports identified the pilot of the airplane as Donald Baker, 59, of Tucson, and the passenger as his wife, Dawn Elizabeth Hunter, 55.
Audio clip via LiveATC.net.
The Armenian government has refused to extradite a Bahraini activist who was arrested in Armenia last month after fleeing Bahrain to avoid imprisonment on what human rights groups consider politically motivated charges.
The whereabouts of Fadhel Radhi have been unknown since his release from an Armenian jail on Sunday, however. One of his Armenian lawyers suggested on Tuesday that the 25-year-old was deported to neighboring Iran.
Radhi was arrested by the Bahraini police and charged with involvement in mass disturbances, arson and terrorism in 2013, two years after the Gulf states ruling Sunni dynasty quelled a Shia uprising hailed by Iran. He reportedly fled the country shortly before being sentenced to seven years in prison in 2014.
Radhi was detained at Yerevans Zvartnots international airport on January 2 on a warrant issued by Interpol. According to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), the activist planned to proceed to Germany and ask for political asylum there.
An Armenian court promptly placed Radhi under a 30-day arrest pending a decision on his extradition to be made by Justice Minister Arpine Hovannisian. The latter is legally empowered to reject extradition requests submitted by foreign states.
Human rights organizations were quick to call on the authorities in Yerevan not to hand over Radhi to Bahrain, saying that the oil-rich monarchy is notorious for torturing its domestic critics and suppressing dissent.
Bahrain has an abundantly clear history of detaining and sentencing activists, pegging unfounded charges on them, and extracting false confessions through severe torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, about a dozen mostly Arab watchdogs said in a joint statement released on January 4.
The BCHR echoed this appeal on January 16, dismissing the charges levelled against the fugitive activist as politically motivated and saying that he would be at a high risk of being tortured by the Bahraini authorities.
Armenian human rights campaigners added their voice to these concerns. Some of them helped Radhi hire two local lawyers for his extradition battle.
The spokeswoman for the Armenian Justice Ministry, Lusine Martirosian, told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) on Tuesday that Hovannisian has rejected an extradition request received from the Bahraini authorities through non-diplomatic channels. She said the justice minister found a number of flaws in that petition and also took into account the fact that Armenia and Bahrain are not bound by extradition treaties.
Martirosian added that Radhi was set free in time for the expiry of his 30-month arrest. She could not say anything about his current whereabouts.
One of Radhis Armenian lawyers, Tigran Safarian, revealed, meanwhile, that neither he nor the other attorney has seen their client since his release late on Sunday. Safarian said Radhi walked free and was driven away by a civilian car in an unknown direction shortly before he was due to be greeted by his lawyers outside a Yerevan jail. They had agreed that they will take Radhi to a hotel where he would live until the Armenian authorities decide on political asylum requested by the Bahraini national, said the lawyer.
Speaking to RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), Safarian said that according to his preliminary information received from government sources, Radhi was unofficially -- and apparently willingly -- deported to Iran.
Iran, which has a cordial rapport with Armenia, had condemned the suppression of the 2011 Shia revolt in Bahrain. Relations between the two Muslim countries have been very strained since then.
Bahrain was among several Arab states that severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic last month out of solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Also in January, the Gulf island kingdom claimed to have caught an Iranian-linked cell plotting attacks on its territory.
Despite being at loggerheads with Tehran and hosting the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Bahrain has repeatedly faced criticism of its human rights record from Western powers in recent years. In September 2015, for example, the United States and 31 other countries cited reports of harassment and imprisonment of persons exercising their rights to freedom of opinion.
While being bemused by the lack of information about Radhis whereabouts, Armenian human rights activists voiced relief at his release from Armenian custody. Avetik Ishkhanian, a veteran campaigner leading the Armenian Helsinki Committee, said that by rebuffing the Bahraini authorities the Armenian government acted in accordance with international law.
The Bahraini citizens extradition would have been absolutely wrong for legal and moral reasons, said Ishkhanian.
2 February 2016 13:07 (UTC+04:00)
By Laman Sadigova
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the population of Armenia fell below the level of 3 million.
In 2015, the countrys population decreased by 12,000 people, while during the last five years it decreased by 35,000 people, and since gaining independence in 1991 - by 634,700 people. Thus, based on the 2011 census, 2,998,600 people live in the country as of January 1st 2016.
But the situation is even worse than those figures suggest, as one can only guess the real numbers.
More and more Armenians are leaving the country, and the ones staying on are more eager to escape than ever before if such chance emerges. The problem of migration is like a ghost for the Armenian society everybody knows about the growing trends, people feel the impact, but nobody knows real numbers.
Yerevan cannot hope to stop outmigration, as Armenians increasingly feel that they have no future in a country that is in economic blockade and whose government has done little to fight domestic corruption or crime.
The landlocked country has faced economic isolation since the closure of its borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan, due to the occupation of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The fact that the country is in military conflict with its neighbor increasingly affects the migration rate as nobody wants to die, defending the occupied territories. Moreover, the state of the Armenian Armed forces is very poor and soldiers die even in non-combat conditions here.
Furthermore, Armenia lacks any opportunities to open new jobs for young people, who prefer to leave the country for better life abroad. Some of them want to study, work, or to live there and marry, and in most cases, they do not go back to their motherland.
One-third of the Armenian population lives below the poverty line. Unemployment, monopoly, corruption, and migration are joined by problems such as the increasing prices of basic utilities from year to year, in particular, gas and electricity prices, which makes the already difficult situation hopeless.
Lame economy in Armenia has also shackled many financial and industrial fields, including banking, mining, wine production etc. This turmoil ended in closure of numerous workplaces in the country, pushing citizens to seek jobs abroad.
The recent poll in Armenia revealed that 39 percent of the respondents are willing to leave Armenia for permanent residence in another country. Considering the current situation with migration in the country, those numbers inspire fears for the countrys future.
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Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
2 February 2016 17:54 (UTC+04:00)
By Laman Sadigova
Former of pilots and engineers-technologists with disabilities received as a result of professional activity at the now bankrupt Armenian Airlines held a protest in front of the Government House in Armenia.
Protesters demanded reparation for the harm caused to their health during their professional activity.
No funds have been paid out since September 2006, said the protesters.
Desperate former pilots added that after the bankruptcy of the airline company, the government was obligated to pay compensations.
However, the experience shows that the corrupted Armenian government hardly remembers about its responsibilities in front of its own nation.
One of the former pilot said, "We are not asking for a charity but money allocated for us."
More than 60 employees of Armenian Airlines, which has been declared bankrupt, received a disability during their work there.
In parallel with the protests pilots appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
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Follow Laman Sadigova on Twitter: @s_laman93
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
2 February 2016 13:55 (UTC+04:00)
By Laman Sadigova
Azerbaijan has lost its credibility on the OSCE Minsk Group, who is brokering the long-lasting Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for over 20 years without any effect achieved so far.
Baku has repeatedly criticized the inefficient activities of the 'trio' of international mediators representing the U.S., Russia and France, but now there are real reasons to suspect their disinterest in resolving the conflict.
The OSCE Minsk Group did not take any steps to move the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from a standstill, hereby leading to a broad gap in the peace process. Despite making competent proposals to achieve a solution to the problem, the mediators just got satisfied with declarative statements in fact keeping the status quo.
The OSCE Minsk Group monopolized the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and is trying to prevent the imposition of the conflict for discussion in the framework of international organizations.
The Minsk Group, to somehow justify its importance and significance, commit random acts, trying to create illusion of importance and to impose its will on other international institutions.
The mediators recent statement counteracting the discussions of two reports on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict at the PACE session indeed showed their unwillingness for a peaceful settlement of the problem.
"We remind the Assembly, as well as other regional and international organizations that the Minsk Group remains the only accepted format for the talks," reads the statement of the co-chairs of the OSCE MG.
"We appreciate the interest of members of the Assembly, but the urge not to take steps that could hurt the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group or hamper the continuation of the negotiations."
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a report on inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan who are deliberately deprived of water at its Winter Session in Strasbourg but the second report Escalation of Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan" was not adopted.
During the meeting dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the First Youth Forum, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that "Armenia is delaying the negotiation process while the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen aspire to freeze the conflict, rather than resolve it. They do not put pressure on Armenia, but also protect it from possible problems."
The organization does not take a single step to resolve the situation, and prevents any outside initiative to positively affect the conflict. What role dose the Minsk Group hold on the problem then?
20-year of slack activity gives grounds to say that the chairmen are not interested in a fair settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and try to leave the issue in the format of "frozen conflict", renewing it for many years.
Azerbaijani officials earlier criticized the OSCE and its actions, calling its chairmen tourists, but now they subject credibility of the organization.
Indeed, the OSCE is trying to demonstrate the activity because its actions do not go beyond an imitation of flurry activity -- a half policy completely exhausted its potential.
To be frank, the OSCE MG lacked any sympathy in public in Azerbaijan long ago, but now the public organizations urge to reject their services.
The Association for Civil Society Development (AVCIYA) called on the Azerbaijani government to cease cooperation with the OSCE Minsk Group over the painful problem of the nation, which lost 20 percent of its territory as a result of Armenian aggression. The statement said that the intervention of the OSCE Minsk Group in the activities of the PACE was a gross violation of international law. "The OSCE Minsk Group has no legal basis to interfere in Azerbaijan's attempts to seek justice in other international organizations," the public union said in its statement. "It tries to keep in its monopoly of conflict resolution.
Despite the presence of specific proposals in the negotiations, the OSCE does not put high on agenda them in the settlement process, but only focusing on secondary issues.
The OSCE Minsk group co-chairs are incapable of fulfilling their mission even on a normal level, not to mention a high level, Novruz Mamedov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administrations foreign relations department, said.
Experts think that the chairmen do not strive to solve the conflict because they have perfect conditions for staying in Azerbaijan big salaries and as it can be seen, the lack of work.
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2 February 2016 14:09 (UTC+04:00)
By Laman Sadigova
Arms sale to Armenia, which is in a state of war with Azerbaijan upon keeping 20 percent of the neighboring country under occupation, raised many concerns.
The social networks have spread information about that Armenian soldiers using sniper rifles "PGM Mini-Hecate" and "Arctic Warfare.338LM" made in France and the UK.
Armament of the post Soviet nation known for its aggressive policy in the region in fact controverts the international law and these countries-exporters cannot be in the dark about the purposes for which Armenia needs these weapons. By this way Armenia maintains its occupation of the Azerbaijani lands and shelling of peaceful settlements on the frontline.
France, which is the member of the OSCE Minsk Group, dealing with solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, should be doubly concerned about this information and take measures for its explanation.
Moreover, the Arms Trade Treaty prohibits weapon selling if it violates the measures taken by the UN Security Council or break the international obligations of States under international agreements.
Armenia has rejected to fulfill four UN Security Council resolutions on unconditional withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has expressed its concerns over arms sale to Armenia in large quantities.
Hikmat Hajiyev, the spokesperson of the ministry, said that exercising and increasing the combat readiness of the personnel using these sniper rifles suggest that these rifles were imported to Armenia in large quantities and taken into service.
"Initially it was said that Armenia received only two sniper rifles Arctic Warfare.338LM for test purposes. But the massive use of these weapons in the military forces of Armenia proves the opposite.
The Armenian Armed Forces' use of sniper rifles made in France and the UK is a major concern. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made a appeal on April 25, 2015 in connection with the supply of such weapons to Armenia by producing countries, but no clarification has followed so far.
Hajiyev also said that France and the United Kingdom declare that they had complied with the conditions of the OSCE in respect of the arms embargo on Armenia and Azerbaijan. "At the same time within the European Union there is a strict regime of weapons export control. Arms delivery to Armenia via third people raises questions. According to the export control regime, during operations on export-import of military weapons exporter must require the end-user certificate (end-user certificate).
Selling weapons to occupant Armenia targets continuing the occupation and preserving the status quo. It is a serious impediment to resolving the conflict through negotiations and establishing peace and stability in the region.
The spokesperson added that Armenia uses this type of sniper weapons not only for combat purposes, but also against the civilian population, including women and young children, who live along the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontline.
The fact that Armenia buys sniper weapons in various ways, including through fake business transactions or "black market", proves once again that the statements of its government about the withdrawal of snipers from the contact line and its attempts to call it "building confidence", are unfounded and false.
Azerbaijan, in its turn, hope that France and the UK, on the basis of international obligations and the requirements of national legislation, will seriously investigate the matter and take appropriate action, Hajiyev said.
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2 February 2016 12:53 (UTC+04:00)
The Azerbaijani President`s Assistant for Public and Political Affairs, Ali Hasanov, has met with representatives of the general public in Quba region.
Prior to the meeting, Hasanov laid flowers at a monument to national leader Heydar Aliyev in Quba city center.
The meeting discusses the tasks set by President Ilham Aliyev in his speech at the conference dedicated to results of second year implementation of the State Program on socio-economic development in 2014-2018.
The meeting is attended by MPs, heads of enterprises and organizations, law enforcement agencies of the region, as well as entrepreneurs and representatives of the general public, Azertac state news agency reported.
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For the first time in more than 25 years, state Sen. Michael Nozzolio won't be on the general election ballot in his state Senate district.
Citing health issues, Nozzolio, R-Fayette, announced Tuesday he won't seek re-election this year. The news shocked colleagues in the state Legislature, many of whom said they had no prior knowledge of the decision.
Nozzolio's departure raises an obvious question: Who will succeed him in the state Senate?
The 54th Senate District covers all or parts of six counties Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Tompkins and Wayne. The cities of Canandaigua and Geneva are in the district, along with a portion of Auburn.
Republicans hold a sizable enrollment edge. There are 14,255 more active GOP voters than Democrats in the district.
"While it's too early to discuss specific candidates, the 54th Senate District is a strong Republican seat and we certainly expect to retain it," said Scott Reif, a Senate GOP spokesman.
There is a reason for the GOP's confidence. Since 1998, Nozzolio only faced a Democratic opponent twice Paloma Capanna in 2008 and Ed O'Shea in 2010.
Nozzolio won both races by 52,442 votes and 34,899 votes, respectively.
In the past two elections, he ran unopposed.
On the Republican side, there are plenty of potential successors, including three members of the state Assembly.
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, who lives in Canandaigua, declined to discuss a potential run for Senate. He said Nozzolio's health is the biggest concern.
"I think there's plenty of time for politics down the road," he said in a phone interview.
Other possible contenders include Assembly members Gary Finch and Bob Oaks both of whom live in the 54th Senate District.
Finch, R-Springport, said he received phone calls about the now-open Senate seat, but he's focused on representing his Assembly district.
"I'm flattered, but I haven't made up my mind," he said. "I'd like to see how things play out for the senator and his health issue. I don't know if this is the time to even think about something like that."
For Democrats, the bench isn't as deep. But there are local elected officials who live in the 54th District, including Cayuga County Legislature Chairman Keith Batman and county Legislator Ben Vitale.
Mike Murphy, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats, didn't address the Senate seat that will be up for grabs this fall. Instead, he focused on Nozzolio's health.
"We wish him the best and a speedy recovery," he said.
2 February 2016 11:56 (UTC+04:00)
The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) has revoked the license of Texnika bank OJSC, as the total capital of the bank didnt correspond to the CBA minimum requirement of 50 million manats.
The total capital adequacy ratio amounted to three percent [the CBA minimum requirement is 10 percent].
The bank couldnt fulfill its obligations to creditors and didnt manage its current activity prudentially, said the CBA.
Under the countrys laws, the Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund will pay the compensation to the banks clients for insured deposits.
Currently, some 36 banks have banking activity licenses in Azerbaijan. The CBA has revoked the licenses of seven banks since early 2016 [Bank of Azerbaijan, Gence Bank, United Credit Bank, NBCBank, Atra Bank and Caucasian Development Bank, Texnika bank].
Texnikabank has been operating in Azerbaijan since 1994 (previously - Rashadbank).
Until now, the bank's shareholders comprised of Beaufort Investissements S.A investment company [head office is located in Luxembourg] with interest of 78.4421 percent, while 21.5579 percent belonged to physical entities.
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2 February 2016 14:17 (UTC+04:00)
By Amina Nazarli
A short film Shanghai, Baku by Azerbaijani film director Teymur Hajiyev will compete at the prestigious Tampere Film Festival.
The festival, being one of the most important short film festivals in Europe will be held in the Finnish town of Tampere on March 9-13.
Loosely based on a short story The Naughty Boy by Russian writer Anton Chekhov and shot in 2015, the experimental film brought together famous Azerbaijani actors and actress such as Rasim Jafar, Roza Ibadova and Gurban Ismayilov.
It tells about the relationship of a young couple and obstacles to their happiness. Samir is an amateur filmmaker. Together with his despotic father and elder sister Roza he resides in "Shanghai" - a slum located in close proximity to downtown Baku, the capital of the oil rich Azerbaijan.
By sheer accident, Samir captures a video of Roza getting intimate with her boyfriend Rasim, an Azerbaijani gastarbeiter from Moscow. Samir blackmails Roza and Rasim with the video, well aware of threat that the couple may face in the society and reactionary mindset of his father. Rasim tries to bribe Samir, however the issue happens to be much deeper than it appears.
Teymur Hajiyev is a talented young director, producer and successful marketer. The young director, who came to this profession purely out of his personal interest to this field, believes that every beginner needs a chance to shoot a film.
Teymurs first project was a 17-minute film The Wound shot in 2014, which was premiered at the Palm Spring International Film Festival.
Earlier in 2014, the film Torn produced by Hajiyev, written and directed by Elmar Imanov and Engin Kundag had its world premiere at the Directors Fortnight in Cannes.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli
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2 February 2016 10:37 (UTC+04:00)
OPECs 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 Pinos 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 players 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.
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2 February 2016 14:34 (UTC+04:00)
By Gulgiz Dadashova
Trans Caspian gas pipeline, one of the most popular energy projects that can allow Ashgabat to diversify its energy routes, has again occupied the agenda of the Turkmen government.
The Turkmen side announced on February 1 that it has activated works for supplying gas to the European market via the planned Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP), advocated by Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, and backed by EU and Turkey.
The diversification of Turkmen energy supply is expected to be discussed during the seventh Turkmenistan Gas Congress scheduled for May 19-20 in Avaza.
"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 national program on energy export diversification envisages developing new routes in the Eastern and European destinations, the governmental statement said.
The TCP stipulates transportation of Turkmen gas through Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and onwards to Turkey and Europe. Despite disputes relating to their marine borders, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have expressed support for the TCP project. After all, it is much better to have several gas hungry clients than one.
Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov recently emphasized that the pipeline project is receiving much international support, while Maros Sefcovic, the vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union, said Europe expects to get the Turkmen gas in 2019.
As the hydrocarbon-rich Caspian Sea has whetted the appetites of many European policy-makers, the European Commission has favored the pipe, but Moscow and Tehran have objected to the construction of a pipeline on the seabed.
Experts say although Irans opposition may be weak due to the removal of sanctions for oil and gas supplies, Russia will not be happy with this pipe given its highly ambitious goals in the global politics.
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.
Stern told Trend 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.
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 countrys eastern regions to European markets.
Azerbaijan, whilst continuing to push its role of transit country for Turkmen gas, as the country already started realization of its west routes -- the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) as well as the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
The initial capacity at the projects first stage in envisaged to be 8 billion cubic meters. TCP will branchoff at a connection with the East-West pipeline in Turkmenistan at the Turkmen shore. Offshore gas production is expected to feed into the system as well. It will be connected to Sangachal terminal in Azerbaijan, which will then be linked to the European gas grid.
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2 February 2016 17:20 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan is an important partner of the EU in the energy and transit sectors, Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis said in an interview with The Business Year journal.
The president said that Latvia appreciates the role of Azerbaijan in the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project.
We highly value the role of Azerbaijan in the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor and the ongoing work on the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), he said.
The Southern Gas Corridor project envisages the transportation of ten bcm of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe (with a possibility of increasing up to 20 bcm). This large project aims at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply that will enhance energy security of Europe. The Southern Gas Corridor project will ensure Caspian gas supply to the European markets for the first time in history.
At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the second phase of development of Azerbaijani gas condensate Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. At a later stage, other sources may join the project.
Although cooperation between Latvia and Azerbaijan has deepened in recent years, I consider that there is still huge potential for the further expansion of our relations, especially in political, economic, and cultural areas, the president said.
In addition to already existing fields of cooperation, which account for the major volumes of bilateral trade and investments exchange, I would like to add metal processing and machinery, IT, life sciences, healthcare, timber industry, green technology (CleanTech), and the food industry, he said.
The president said that Latvia, as a firm supporter of strengthening the relations between the EU and Azerbaijan, believes that the cooperation in the framework of the Eastern Partnership should be continued.
The Eastern Partnership program envisages political association and economic integration of EU with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It does not envisage the EU membership.
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2 February 2016 10:54 (UTC+04:00)
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 countrys 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.
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2 February 2016 12:11 (UTC+04:00)
By Aynur Karimova
Russian energy giant Gazprom does not rule out its participation in the implementation of a number of export-oriented projects in Iran, RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Gazprom, as saying.
Gazprom and the National Iranian Gas Company held talks in December on expanding Irans underground gas storage and its gas transport network, as well as equipment deliveries from Russia.
"With regard to Irans 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," Medvedev said on February 1.
He made this remark during an Investor Day in New York, commenting on the removal of western sanctions on Iran 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 Irans demand for gas has been discussed quite specifically in the course of our recent meetings with Iranian colleagues."
Iran possesses the worlds largest proven natural gas reserves, at 34 trillion cubic meters, or 18 percent of the worlds total proven reserves.
The energy-rich Iran has long been eyeing the lifting of sanctions and returning of foreign companies to the country. The foreign companies, such as BP, Total, Lukoil, Gazprom and many other companies are keen to return to the Iranian market.
Iran has recently unveiled new oil and gas contracts called IPC (Iran Petroleum Contract), which offers exploration, development, and production at oil and gas fields in an integrated package.
The IPC that was unveiled to investors in Tehran in November 2015 has replaced buyback deals which required the host government to pay the contractor an agreed price for all volumes of hydrocarbons it produced.
In January 2016, Gazprom expressed interest in exploring the possibilities of closer cooperation with Iran after the international sanctions against the country were lifted. Russias gas giant believes that Irans new format of oil sector contracts has provided a new vision of the countrys energy investment prospects.
Gazprom intends to share its experience in various fields of the gas industry with National Iranian Gas Company.
The NIGC and Gazprom can cooperate and exchange experience in various fields including construction of gas pipelines, gas storage, gas compressor stations and CNG as well as the construction of gas refineries.
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2 February 2016 11:05 (UTC+04:00)
The International Court of Arbitration court has ruled against Iran in its gas dispute with Turkey,said Hamidreza Araqi, Irans deputy oil minister.
Under the courts ruling, Iran should provide Turkey with compensation of 10-15 percent for the gas supplied to that country during 2011-2015, Araqi said, Tasnim news agency reported.
Although the court's ruling is final, the money which Iran should pay out to Turkey has not yet been determined," he said.
He estimated that the compensation maybe about $1 billion.
In 1996, Iran and Turkey signed a 25-year deal on supplying 30 million cubic meters of gas to Turkey per day. Ankara appealed to the International Court of Arbitration regarding the price on Iranian gas in March 2012.
Although the contract is still in place, it remains a sore point in the two countries gas relationship. The two sides have held new talks on both price and volume of imported gas from Iran.
Turkey wanted a 25-percent discount from Iran for the supplied gas, while Iran said to agree to the discount if Turkey increases the amount of imported gas. Eventually, the sides has to settle the dispute in the court.
Iran is Turkeys second supplier of gas after Russia, providing for one-fifth of the countrys consumption.
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2 February 2016 15:35 (UTC+04:00)
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov demanded to strengthen the fight against corruption during the working conference meeting, the government reported.
Stressing that all the work carried out in the country must comply with time requirements, the president said that strict measures will be taken against executives who admit the offense in subordinated structures.
The government stamen says that today there are a number of shortcomings and offenses in trade sphere of Turkmenistan.
The president expressed serious dissatisfaction with the countrys ministry of trade and foreign economic relations.
Earlier Berdimuhammadov expressed dissatisfaction with the work of the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange of Turkmenistan.
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2 February 2016 18:05 (UTC+04:00)
Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov has instructed the relevant government ministers to consider possibilities of increasing cement production in the country, the Turkmen Altyn Asyr TV channel reported.
The Turkmen president said that if necessary, private sector representatives should be rendered assistance in obtaining loans for construction of these enterprises as soon as possible.
Local entrepreneurs maybe urged to establish construction of mini plants in the country for the production of 100,000 tons of cement per year.
In January-November 2015, cement plants of Turkmenistan produced more than 3 million tons of cement, which exceeded the annual plan for its production.
The production of cement in Turkmenistan has grown by 3.8 times during the period 2007-2015,.
While there has been a decline in the production of cement around the world since 2008, Turkmenistan continued to increase the pace and constructed new plants.
Availability of rich raw materials for cement production in Turkmenistan opens export opportunities as well before the local industry.
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Lago Resort & Casino has scored a legal victory after a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by local opponents of the project.
Yates County Judge W. Patrick Falvey tossed the lawsuit filed by a group of Tyre residents who accused the town of not abiding by the State Environmental Quality Review Act.
A similar challenge was successful last year. Casino Free Tyre, led by Desiree and James Dawley, sued to void the casino's site plan approval.
A state appellate court sided with Casino Free Tyre, saying town officials failed to provide an explanation for why the casino wouldn't impact the environment when it granted a negative declaration two years ago.
Lago's developers and Tyre officials restarted the environmental review process. The town approved the plan last fall and again granted a negative declaration.
The opponents, though, believe that a full environmental review is necessary. They filed another lawsuit challenging the town's decision.
On Monday, Judge Falvey dismissed the lawsuit.
"We are extraordinary pleased that Justice Falvey has found that the town of Tyre acted appropriately and legally in its actions finding that Lago will not have any significant adverse impacts on the town and its citizens," Lago co-chair Tom Wilmot Sr. said.
Desiree Dawley said they will appeal the ruling.
"We are hopeful that the appellate court will overturn this again, just as it did the last time this case was appealed," she said.
This isn't the only legal challenge Lago is facing. The Oneida Indian Nation, which owns Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona and Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango, filed a lawsuit in January against Lago and the state Gaming Commission.
The court actions hasn't halted the project's progress. Construction crews are continuing work at the Tyre site.
Wilmot said the casino should be open for business in early 2017.
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A brand new patisserie and Champagne concept, The Fizzy Tarte, will open in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District next month.
Featuring cocktails, VIP membership and pastries, this latest launch from Cranleigh Boutique, will have seating for 70 people.
Cranleigh owns the Cranleigh Boutique Hotel, The Church Suites and Hideout House, all also in the Lake District but The Fizzy Tarte will be the companys first bakery offering.
There will be an in-house baker, and ingredients for the pastries will be locally sourced where possible, and we may also bring pastries in from London, Cranleigh told British Baker. It will have a Parisian feel to it, with gorgeous upmarket pastries.
Stephen Hargreaves, chief executive of Cranleigh, said: Were really excited about the launch of The Fizzy Tarte, a trendy bar and cafe that will be completely unique. Theres nothing in the Lake District like it.
The Fizzy Tarte will echo the look and feel of a sophisticated city pavement cafe.
Hargreaves is keen to create a strong, loyal customer base by introducing a VIP membership and will be giving away 100,000 worth of Champagne.
The London brownie company won a 60,000 investment from the dragons.
On last nights episode, (31 January), business partners Morag Ekanger and Paz Sarmah agreed to give investor Touker Suleyman a 30% stake in their bakery business Bad Brownie, as part of a deal to secure the 60,000.
Bad Brownie Company makes gourmet brownies at its production unit in south east London, which it then sells in markets across the capital. Following the investment, Ekanger and Sarmah now plan to open a high-end shop in central London.
All five dragons enjoyed the brownies, but only one, Suleyman, chose to invest. He has 40 years retail and manufacturing experience, and is best known as the founder of British menswear brand, Hawes & Curtis.
Sarmah said on the show: We both love chocolate. We are obsessed by it. We basically force feed each other constantly.
When asked about the secret to their great taste, Ekanger said: We dont hold back on anything, anything at all. So they are absolutely packed full of really good dark chocolate, loads of butter and loads of any ingredient that makes the flavour stand out.
But one of the dragons, Sarah Willingham, said that it would be impossible to make money, based on their expected turnover. Deborah Meaden agreed, saying: I do think that retail is the wrong route to go down. They are lovely brownies but as an investment I dont get it.
New York's wealthiest residents would pay a higher income tax rate and the middle class would receive a tax cut under a plan released Tuesday by the state Assembly Democrats.
The proposal would reduce the tax rate for those earning between $40,000 and $150,000 from 6.45 to 6.25 percent. The tax rate on income between $150,000 and $300,000 would remain at 6.65 percent.
A new bracket would be created for taxpayers who earn more than $300,000, but less than $1 million. The rate would be set at 6.85 percent the current level for those with incomes between $300,000 and $2 million.
Currently, the top marginal tax rate is 8.82 percent. This applies to earners with annual income of more than $2 million.
Under the Assembly's proposal, New Yorkers who earn between $1 million and $5 million would be in the 8.82 percent bracket. Two new levels would be created for high earners 9.32 percent for those paid between $5 million and $10 million a year and 9.82 percent for those making more than $10 million a year.
The proposal would generate more than $1 billion in revenue each year, according to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie's office.
Along with changes to the income tax code, Assembly Democrats want to increase the earned income tax credit by five percentage points over a two-year period. Heastie, D-Bronx, said this would increase the average credit for more than 1.6 million New Yorkers.
"The Assembly majority is committed to doing everything in our power to help New York's families achieve financial independence and success," Heastie said in a statement. "It is critical that we fight for a fair and progressive tax structure that reflects this commitment and leads us toward a future where working families have more of the income they need to achieve their goals."
The Assembly's proposed tax changes would take effect in 2018.
While the plan enjoys strong support in the Assembly, it won't pass in the Republican-led Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan said his conference doesn't support raising taxes.
"Senate Republicans have a long history of standing up for taxpayers, and we recognize that New York should be cutting taxes across the board to help families make ends meet and to spark economic growth and opportunity all across this state," he said.
Here is the Assembly's proposal compared to the existing tax rates:
New York's current tax rates Annual income Rate $40,000-$150,000 6.45% $150,000-$300,000 6.65% $300,000-$2 million 6.85% More than $2 million 8.82% Assembly Democrats' proposal $40,000-$150,000 6.25% $150,000-$300,000 6.65% $300,000-$1 million 6.85% $1 million-$5 million 8.82% $5 million-$10 million 9.32% More than $10 million 9.82%
(Source: New York State Assembly)
Auburn officials met with U.S. Department of Justice representatives Monday to discuss federal spending accounts managed by the city's police department, the city attorney said.
The meetings will continue Tuesday regarding the Auburn Police Department's cache of funds from the federal Asset Forfeiture Program, said Auburn Corporation Counsel John Rossi. The federal program appropriates funds from drug seizure operations to state and local law enforcement agencies.
A spending freeze remains in place on the APD's two forfeiture accounts more than a month after the hold was mandated for unspecified compliance issues. The DOJ did not disclose the reasons for the hold, though city officials have said the issue stems from an accounting measure that has been corrected.
In addition, a recent decision by the DOJ to suspend the Asset Forfeiture Program due to a federal spending bill means future funding allocations to any program accounts will be deferred indefinitely.
Regardless of the overall program's suspension, the hold on spending from what the APD has left in its accounts remains because the DOJ did not understand that the city's police department oversees not one, but two asset forfeiture accounts, Rossi said.
One account monitors forfeiture funds allocated directly to the APD while the other has allocations from operations through the former Finger Lakes Drug Task Force, which was a multi-agency operation. Rossi said DOJ representatives will audit the latter account and told city officials they will lift the hold once the procedure is completed.
"Once that's done, I'm confident everything's going to be fine and we'll be done with it," he said.
A DOJ representative confirmed Monday that the hold remained in place, but declined further comment.
The handling of the APD's Asset Forfeiture funds as managed by Police Chief Brian Neagle has been questioned in recent months by members of the local police union. Union leadership contends that the funds can be used to restore the APD's Emergency Response Team, which was disbanded more than a year ago partly due to outdated equipment.
Rossi said it is likely the ERT dispute will be discussed in the present meetings with DOJ representatives. City officials maintain federal regulations disallow the purchase of replacement equipment with forfeiture funds and are exploring alternative funding solutions, such as outside grants.
Once the freeze is lifted, Rossi said, the city will continue to expend forfeiture funds within the DOJ's policies and procedures despite the federal program's indefinite suspension.
"If we spend it all, it'll be dormant until more money is received, which lord knows when that's gonna happen," he said.
City
Clinton C. Allwood, 26, Transient, Auburn, was picked up on a bench warrant Jan. 26.
Hayley L. Smith, 30, 66 Cottage St., Auburn, was picked up on a warrant Jan. 26 and charged with third-degree sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Carl E. Phillips, 29, 2 Schwartz Drive Apt. O176, Auburn, was picked up on a bench warrant Jan. 26.
Dain R. Schneider, 32, 6977 Owasco Road, Auburn, was picked up on a bench warrant Jan. 26.
Duncan E. Bouknight, 54, Transient, Auburn was picked up on a warrant Jan. 26 and charged with two counts of petit larceny and two counts of sixth-degree conspiracy.
William C. Cooper, 46, 84 Orchard St., Auburn, was picked up on a warrant Jan. 26 and charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief.
Joseph P. Silke, 29, 32 E. Genesee St. Apt. 3, Auburn, was charged Jan. 26 with aggravated driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated.
William C. Cooper, 46, 84 Orchard St., Auburn, was charged Jan. 26 with third-degree assault.
Kimberly A. Switzer, 50, 14 Grover St., Apt. Upper, was charged Jan. 29 with third-degree burglary and petit larceny.
Ashley N. Dodge, 23, 2792 Sand Beach Road, Auburn, was charged Jan. 29 with second-degree obstructing governmental administration.
Angelina S. Penn-Sampson, 25, Trenton, New Jersey, was charged Jan. 30 with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.
Marrissa L. Carpenter, 23, 27 Derby Ave., Auburn, was charged Jan. 30 with resisting arrest.
Emilie J. Keeney, 22, 109 Washington St., Apt. 2, Auburn, was charged Jan. 30 with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.
Megan R. Nightengale, 28, 226 Genesee St., Apt. R2, Auburn, was charged Jan. 30 with DWI.
Sabrena D. Thomas, 25, 67 Wall St., Apt. 1, Auburn, was charged Jan. 30 with petit larceny.
Bruce D. Gilfus ,22, transient, was charged Jan. 31 with second-degree criminal contempt, false personation and resisting arrest.
Nicole M. Aldrich, 22, 28 Barber St., Auburn, is charged Jan. 31 with resisting arrest.
Kimberley Louise Anderson, 38, 7 Genesee Place, Auburn, was picked up on a warrant Feb. 1 and charged with two counts of petit larceny, fourth-degree conspiracy and sixth-degree conspiracy.
Laura Anne Emerson, 24, 8246 State St. Road, Port Byron was charged Feb. 1 with petit larceny.
Michael David Richards, 36, 9 Lawton Ave., Apt. 1, Auburn was charged Feb. 1 with endangering the welfare of a child.
State
Michael E. Rizzo, 30, Rochester, was charged Jan. 25 with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Stepheny J. Fox, 29, Watertown, was charged Jan. 31 with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Jordan E. Hanmore, 19, Fleming, was charged Jan. 30 with third-degree burglary.
Raymond J. Hutchinson, 30, Cato, was charged Jan. 30 with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, DWI and driving while ability impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Jerome F. Moye, 52, Brooklyn, was charged Jan. 30 with second-degree introducing prison contraband, first-degree introducing prison contraband and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
George A, Crowningshield, 57, Sennett, was charged Jan. 30 with third-degree criminal mischief.
Sarah E. Updike, 34, Auburn, was charged Jan. 31 with DWI.
Robert J. Howard, 40, Skaneateles, was charged Jan. 29 with unlawfully growing cannabis.
Brittany A. O'Connor, 19, Port Byron, was charged Jan. 29 with second-degree burglary.
Charles E. Henry, 32, Auburn, was charged Jan. 29 with driving while ability impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Eileen C. Stanistreet, 51, Cato, was charged DWI.
June Rosen Lopez Valentine's Jewelry Party, Feb 11 & 12
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Just in time for Valentine's Day, New York jewelry designer June Rosen Lopez is opening up her home gallery in the Romantic Zone of Puerto Vallarta to host her Third Annual Valentine's Day party! Everyone is invited to visit her Gallery on February 11 and 12th from 1:00 to 8:00 pm and view her collection of custom made jewelry pieces.
What makes Valentine's Day so special here in Mexico is that this day celebrates all relationships, including family, friends and lovers. In fact, in Mexico February 14th is known as "El Dia de la Amistad" which, literally translated, means "friendship day."
For the last few years June Rosen Lopez has been opening up her home to celebrate this special day here in Puerto Vallarta. This holiday has motivated her to focus in on the heart as a symbol of adornment, and she has enjoyed giving this symbol her own personal touch to create delightfully original jewelry.
Realizing that not everyone likes hearts, or feels that they are "heart people," June's Valentine's collection is not just hearts. This year she is adding other jewelry pieces influenced by her travels over the last year to the collection, and they are all definitely worth a look!
June's collections have gone through many changes since she first started making jewelry in 1973, but one thing remains a constant - she believes in classic jewelry that is affordable, wearable, and never goes out of style.
She hopes you will come out on February 11 and 12th from 1:00 to 8:00 pm to see her work, relax, visit with old friends, make some new ones, have a few laughs, and enjoy some Valentine treats.
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SKANEATELES | Before she opened Bijou Salon in Skaneateles nearly 10 years ago, Kim Baker was barely thinking about opening her own business despite having worked as a stylist at a few different salons.
But, working at a booth rental salon in Skaneateles and living in the village, Baker said she had a client at that salon who owned the former Angels by the Lake gift shop in Skaneateles.
The two knew each other from a Cornell University business class they attended at the same time when Baker thought she might open her own salon in the future and the woman planned her store.
At the salon one day, the woman told Baker she was getting out of the business and leaving the area. She told Baker she should open a salon in the spot, but Baker thought otherwise and didn't like the idea.
But, Baker was paying $1,200 to have one chair at the salon, and the woman was paying the same amount to rent her space in Skaneateles all Baker needed to do was buy equipment and set up shop.
Baker said she thought about what the woman told her and decided to call her parents if anyone else thought opening a salon was a bad idea, surely her parents would.
"They don't think I can do anything," Baker said. "They're probably going to tell me, 'Are you nuts?'"
But, they thought it was a great idea, she said, so she next contacted the building's landlord, Ted Kinder he might have reservations about a salon.
"The landlord might not want a salon. It's a different toll on a building," Baker said. "He's like, 'A salon is a great idea. That's the perfect place for a salon.'"
She next talked to her then-boyfriend, now-husband, and he asked what scared her about the idea of opening her own salon.
"I'm really good at two or three things," Baker said. "If I have more than three balls, forget it. I drop them all, and there's a lot of balls I'd have to juggle."
One ball was the financial aspect of the business, but Baker's husband told her his family owned a business and he could help her run hers.
With him on board, Baker figured the true test was getting funding from the bank as a single mother with hardly any money, she probably was not going to get approved for a loan.
Yet, after she gave the bank her business plan, she learned the bank did consider her a risk but was willing to take a chance on her and her salon.
"I guess I'm opening a business," Baker said.
Bijou Salon opened in 2007 at 6 Jordan St. in Skaneateles, behind what was then the Bella Blue clothing store at the front of the building.
When that store closed in 2009, Bijou wasn't ready to expand but didn't want to lose the space, so the salon took over the front occupied by the clothing store.
"It was actually really good," Baker said. "We never even really hesitated about it, but it was scary."
Heading into its ninth year, Baker said Bijou has grown nearly every year with the exception of one year when five stylists went out on maternity leave and three others left the salon, Bijou has seen positive growth.
"After that, the next year was our best year ever," she said. "This year was our best year yet. We grew an additional 20 percent."
The salon heads into its ninth year having implemented a level system two years ago under which stylists are paid based upon their years of experience and amount of education.
Before, Baker said, clients paid the same price for the same haircut, meaning a someone with 22 years of experience earned the same as someone with two years of experience.
"A lot of times, girls end up leaving the salon because they're like, 'I can't possibly add any more hours and I need to make more money,'" Baker said, noting the level system makes Bijou desirable for stylists and gives them a chance to advance.
Instead, Bijou started investing in its stylists' education, giving each one up to $2,000 to take classes. Baker noted a good, three-day class from an accredited instructor costs between $775 and $1,000 for stylists to get hands-on experience in the systems and foundations behind a haircut.
At the same time, Bijou added the level system in which stylists with more experience and more education earn more. Baker and two others are master stylists with 20-plus years of experience though a regular haircut costs $35, a haircut from one of them costs $39.
Four of the girls are at level 2 stylists, and four others are regular stylists. To move up, they must take more classes and show productivity based upon how booked they are at the salon as shown by the computer system.
Baker said the stylists can be evaluated by their superiors and themselves for advancement once they show a certain level of productivity for three months.
Often, she said, stylists may hesitate about moving up because it means telling their clients that they are raising their prices. That can be difficult since the level system is a newer concept in Skaneateles.
"Girls have to be comfortable with moving up," Baker said. "They could have some clients who say, 'I don't want to pay that much for a haircut.'"
Bijou's stylists are also working together in hopes of earning awards in Salon Today magazine's annual Top 200 salon contest. After winning for growth and customer service categories in 2014 and growth, technology and philanthropy in 2012, Bijou didn't earn any awards last year.
"This is OK because this shows me that not everybody wins, and that's something to me," Baker said. "I was really sad for not winning. This year, we've completely organized ourselves."
That includes a private Facebook page for the salon to help Baker and the stylists keep track of the things they do over the course of the year pertaining to various categories in order to write essays for the contest.
Baker noted Bijou also added a salon manager for the first time a longtime friend of Baker who helps with "all of these balls I've been juggling for years," she said.
The salon owner also said she and the stylists promote an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competition, which she said is the main difference between a commission salon like Bijou and booth rental salons.
For example, if a client wants something that her stylist cannot do, such as a certain color, that stylist can refer her to a colleague who can do it.
"Hairdressing is a lot like art. Everyone has their own little niche," Baker said. "We all work as a team. That's really important to all of us as a whole that we all rely on each other."
And after nine years in business, that teamwork is important to Bijou, Baker said, because it in turns promotes customer satisfaction.
"We all work as a team, and it's more important for you to be happy," she said. "If you get me and you're not happy with what I do, there's 10 other girls in the salon that could help you."
SKANEATELES | Residents heard an overview Wednesday of the school districts fiscal position and how it plans to build the 2016-17 budget.
In the Waterman Elementary auditorium, Superintendent Kenneth Slentz spoke to approximately 50 taxpayers at the first of three community forums.
Earlier this month, he said, Gov. Andrew Cuomo released his proposed education budget. It referenced a $2 billion allocation to schools, plus introduced new state aid categories.
That is not accurate, Slentz said. Its not untrue, but its not accurate.
Describing Cuomos projection as misleading and as a two-year figure, Slentz explained the governors plan includes monies already owed to schools via expense-based aid. The model reimburses schools for monies spent on aidable projects.
Last year, for example, the district spent $100,000 on a building maintenance project, for which it receives 63 percent back from the state. The district will realize that money this year.
Because the state Legislature has yet to approve the governors budget, Slentz said the district will mete out expense and revenue budgets in coming weeks once Albanys numbers solidify and become more reliable.
In the meantime the district will prepare for the budget by turning to the mission to ground the school boards budgetary decisions and actions.
The missions critical points demand the district be responsible for providing successful learning experiences for all Lakers. That faculty strives to know how best to serve each students learning style and provide various pathways toward college or workforce readiness. Plus, maintain an emphasis of high expectations that challenge and motivate students and faculty.
Despite a 96 percent graduation rate in 2015, the district needs to attend to the 4 percent of non-graduates, Slentz said.
What did we miss, he said. What can we do better?
Maximizing the districts return on its investment in instruction, facilities and personnel with relationship to the budget keeps the district aligned with prudent business practices, he said.
Slentz updated attendees on state audits conducted by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in the last two years. The state surmised Skaneaeteles was in danger of moderate to low susceptibility of negative financial exposure. DiNapoli didnt find any illegalities, but rather systemic accounting practices requiring improvement. By way of mandated corrective measures, including a realignment of personnel and updated technical assistance, the district is now out of danger, Slentz said.
The district can anticipate more efficient use of funds due to a rethinking of replacement schedules for its buses, vehicle fleet and equipment. Instead of owning these items for 10 years and incurring maintenance costs on the aging items, the district will replace them every five years to maximize warranties and resale value.
Attendees also learned about the districts six reserve funds established to assist in keeping the overall budget predictable and smooth, Slentz said.
The turf reserve fund, for example, boasts a $225,000 balance. When the time comes to replace the turf surface, at an estimated cost of as much as $750,000, a hefty portion of which qualifies for state aid, the reserve fund can cover the balance, he said, with no impact on the taxpayer.
With input from its various advisory panels, such as the strategic planning committee, the district will continue evaluating building needs relative to declining enrollment. Aging infrastructure and outdated building features must be managed.
We cannot let repairs go unattended, Slentz said. Or we risk loss of value.
Australia's one-term Prime Minister above ... Events of interest from a libertarian/conservative perspective below
Charity scam
Scammers posing as a charity bilked a Flagstaff woman out of thousands of dollars.
According to the police report filed this past Thursday, the victim answered a Craigslist job post ad that appeared to be for a nonprofit called the New Guinea Women's Project. The victim thought she was being hired to purchase supplies for the charity and then send them to the New Guinea embassy in Washington D.C. Although there is a Papua New Guinea Embassy, there is no embassy for New Guinea, as it is an island but not a country.
The victim received a $3,950 check from a company called Clear Visions Technologies in the mail Dec. 21. She deposited it into her bank account a couple days later and then withdrew $3,722, which she sent to a third party via Western Union.
This past Wednesday, her bank informed her that her bank account was more than $3,000 in the negative because the check she had deposited was fraudulent. The bank closed her account as a result.
The investigation is ongoing.
Charged with DUI
Ashlee Marie Stoops, 26, of North Izabel Street was arrested and charged with DUI at 10:58 p.m. this past Thursday.
City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.
Habitat for Humanity in Citrus County is getting some special help this week.
A group of traveling carpenters from Pennsylvania is in Inverness to share their time and talent.
Their mission is simple: help build and fix up homes.
Terry Reed is heading up the group of 20 traveling carpenters. They're helping Habitat for Humanity build eight homes.
"It is something that we felt we are called to do," Reed said. "It is critical for people to have a decent, safe place to live."
Sponsored by a church in Pennsylvania, the group makes several trips a year, bringing their talents to locations all over the U.S., including Maine, Alabama, West Virginia, Georgia. They partner with organizations that build or fix up homes for those in need. They even show up after disasters like floods and hurricanes.
George Rusaw, president of Habitat for Humanity in Citrus, says the traveling carpenters were here last year and are welcome anyt ime.
"Donating your time is probably the greatest gift anyone can give," Rusaw said.
"It's a blessing to us as much as it is for the people we work for," Reed said.
They started hitting the road back in the mid-1980s.
Hillary Clinton has been declared the winner of the Iowa Democratic caucuses.
Clinton wins the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, beating back a strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president, according to final results from the Iowa Democratic Party.
The final decision in Iowa came several hours after the caucusing ended late Monday-early Tuesday.
The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday that it would not do any recount of the close results, and a spokesman for the Sanders campaign said it does not intend to challenge the results of the caucuses.
The basics:
Sen. Ted Cruz wins the Iowa Republican Caucus, with Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio coming in a tight second and third.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley suspended his presidential campaign tonight.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee suspended his presidential campaign tonight.
THE LATEST
(All times in Central Standard Time)
Current caucus numbers as reported by Associated Press:
DEMOCRATS:
1,624 of 1,681 precincts: 97 percent Hillary Clinton: 50 percent Bernie Sanders: 50 percent Martin O'Malley: 1 percent
97 percent
REPUBLICANS:
1,676 of 1,681 precincts: 99 percent Ted Cruz: 28 percent Donald Trump: 24 percent Marco Rubio: 23 percent Ben Carson: 9 percent Rand Paul: 5 percent Jeb Bush: 3 percent Mike Huckabee: 2 percent Carly Fiorina: 2 percent John Kasich: 2 percent Chris Christie: 2 percent Rick Santorum: 1 percent
99 percent
Data curated by InsideGov
11:05 p.m.
However Iowa's Democratic caucuses turn out, Hillary Clinton is assured of at least half of the state's pledged delegates.
The Associated Press has awarded 43 of the 44 pledged delegates at stake. Clinton currently leads Bernie Sanders, 22 to 21.
Her delegate lead so far is due to a stronger performance in a congressional district in the southwestern part of the state.
The remaining delegate to be awarded will go to the winner of Iowa.
Sanders says he and Clinton are in 'virtual tie" in the Monday night caucuses.
___
10:55 p.m.
Bernie Sanders says it looks like he and Hillary Clinton are in a "virtual tie" for first place in the Iowa's Democratic caucuses.
The Vermont senator is congratulating his chief rival for waging a "very vigorous campaign" in the first contest of the 2016 election.
Sanders who calls himself a democratic socialist says he came to Iowa nine months ago with no money, name recognition or political organization. He says he took on "the most powerful political organization in the United States of America" namely the Clinton family.
Sanders says the people of Iowa have sent a profound message that it's too late for what he calls "establishment politics" in the United States.
___
10:50 p.m.
Voter turnout for the Iowa Republican caucuses was up when compared with the count four years ago.
There were more than 180,000 people at Monday's GOP caucuses. That's up from about 121,000 in 2012.
___
10:40 p.m.
Hillary Clinton says she's excited for the campaign debate ahead with Bernie Sanders now that they're the only two candidates left in the Democratic presidential primary.
It's too close to call right now in Monday night's Iowa caucuses. But there's already been a big development: Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has dropped out of the race.
Clinton tells supporters that she's breathing a big sigh of relief. She says Democrats have a clear idea about what their campaign stands for and what's best for the country.
___
10:25 p.m.
Democrat Martin O'Malley is pulling out of the presidential race after the Iowa caucuses on Monday night, but says the party must "hold strong" behind the eventual nominee.
The former Maryland governor says Democrats must stick to their beliefs, including a responsibility to advance the common good.
___
10:02 p.m.
Ted Cruz tells The Associated Press that his victory in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses is a victory for the grassroots, and he says his triumph is part of a larger movement of conservatives against what he calls the "Washington cartel."
Cruz says his win "was a victory for courageous conservatives in Iowa and all around the country."
The first-term Texas senator says that from "Day One, we built our campaign as a movement for Americans to organize and rally to band together against the disaster of the Washington cartel."
___
10 p.m.
Donald Trump says he's honored by what he's calling his second-place finish in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses.
Trump is speaking at an event with supporters after Ted Cruz was declared the winner of the Monday night contest _ the first of the 2016 election.
Trump says that when he started the campaign, he was advised not to compete in Iowa because he couldn't finish in the top 10. Trump says he felt he had to do it and wanted to give it a shot.
Trump is congratulating Cruz and the other candidates. He says he thinks he'll win the New Hampshire primary next week and that he will go on to be the GOP nominee and win the White House.
___
9:45 p.m.
Sen. Marco Rubio's concession speech in Des Moines, Ia. sounds more like a victory speech, and he has a right to be jubilant. Rubio came in a close third in the Iowa Republican Caucus, behind Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.
Rubio thanked his supporters for defying those who said he had no chance and needed to "wait his turn" before he could run.
Rubio did not take shots at his fellow Republicans, but did hit hard on Hillary Clinton, who is clinging to a tight lead against Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic caucus. Rubio said Clinton was "disqualified to be commander-in-chief" based on the ongoing investigation into her emails.
"I will be our nominee thanks to what you have done here in Iowa," Rubio told supporters.
___
9:35 p.m.
Mike Huckabee suspends his Republican presidential campaign via messages to his supporters.
It's Ted Cruz on top in the leadoff Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa.
The Texas senator has edged past of Donald Trump and a crowded GOP field.
Cruz won with strong support from Iowa's influential evangelical community and conservative voters.
Cruz's victory in the first contest of the 2016 race comes just four years after he rode a tea party wave to win election to the Senate.
The race now moves to New Hampshire, where Trump has strong support among voters frustrated and angry with Washington.
___
9:25 p.m.
Ted Cruz comes out on top in the leadoff Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa, pushing aside Donald Trump and emerging from the pack of candidates.
Current caucus numbers as reported by Associated Press:
DEMOCRATS:
1,412 of 1,681 precincts: 84 percent Hillary Clinton: 50 percent Bernie Sanders: 49 percent Martin O'Malley: 1 percent
84 percent
REPUBLICANS:
1,421 of 1,681 precincts: 85 percent Ted Cruz: 28 percent Donald Trump: 24 percent Marco Rubio: 23 percent Ben Carson: 9 percent Rand Paul: 5 percent Jeb Bush: 3 percent Mike Huckabee: 2 percent Carly Fiorina: 2 percent John Kasich: 2 percent Chris Christie: 2 percent Rick Santorum: 1 percent
85 percent
___
9:05 p.m.
Multiple sources now reporting former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will suspend his campaign tonight. He has generated few votes in Iowa, and did not have enough supporters at many precincts to remain viable there.
The former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor never gained traction against rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Word about O'Malley's move comes from people familiar with his decision. They weren't authorized to discuss it publicly and requested anonymity.
O'Malley campaigned as a can-do chief executive who pushed through key parts of the Democratic agenda in Maryland. They included gun control, support for gay marriage and an increase in the minimum wage.
But O'Malley struggled to raise money and was polling in the single-digits for months despite campaigning actively in Iowa and New Hampshire.
_Associated Press writers Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report.
___
9 p.m.
Current caucus numbers as reported by Associated Press:
DEMOCRATS:
1,163 of 1,681 precincts: 69 percent Hillary Clinton: 51 percent Bernie Sanders: 49 percent Martin O'Malley: 1 percent
69 percent
REPUBLICANS:
1,048 of 1,681 precincts: 62 percent Ted Cruz: 28 percent Donald Trump: 25 percent Marco Rubio: 22 percent Ben Carson: 10 percent Rand Paul: 4 percent Jeb Bush: 3 percent Mike Huckabee: 2 percent Carly Fiorina: 2 percent John Kasich: 2 percent Chris Christie: 2 percent Rick Santorum: 1 percent
62 percent
___
8:55 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is the top choice among very conservative caucus-goers in Iowa, while Donald Trump is No. 1 among moderates.
That's according to entrance poll interviews among those arriving at caucus sites conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
Those who say they're somewhat conservative are split between Marco Rubio and Trump.
Half of GOP caucus-goers say they prefer a candidate from outside the political establishment, while 4 in 10 say they prefer someone with political experience.
___
8:45 p.m.
DEMOCRATS:
1,070 of 1,681 precincts: 64 percent Hillary Clinton: 51 percent Bernie Sanders: 49 percent Martin O'Malley: 1 percent
64 percent
REPUBLICANS:
794 of 1,681 precincts: 47 percent Ted Cruz: 29 percent Donald Trump: 25 percent Marco Rubio: 21 percent Ben Carson: 10 percent Rand Paul: 4 percent Jeb Bush: 3 percent Mike Huckabee: 2 percent Carly Fiorina: 2 percent John Kasich: 2 percent Chris Christie: 1 percent Rick Santorum: 1 percent
47 percent
___
8:35 p.m.
The crowd has come alive for Marco Rubio at a concert hall that's hosting caucuses for two Iowa precincts outside Des Moines.
The Florida senator tells caucus-goers that he knows they might have come out to support other candidates in the Republican race. But he also says that he believes ``with all my heart I can unite this party.''
___
8:35 p.m.
Ben Carson plans to trade the cold of Iowa for the warmer Florida for a few days.
A campaign spokesman says the Republican presidential candidate is heading home to West Palm Beach after the Iowa caucuses.
Carson plans to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Thursday and then will head to New Hampshire.
The plan is to leave Iowa on Monday night in hopes of getting ahead of a winter storm.
"Not standing down" -- that's what spokesman Jason Osborne posted on Carson's twitter feed.
___
8:30 p.m.
Current caucus numbers as reported by Associated Press:
DEMOCRATS:
862 of 1,681 precincts: 51 percent Hillary Clinton: 51 percent Bernie Sanders: 48 percent Martin O'Malley: 1 percent
51 percent
REPUBLICANS:
418 of 1,681 precincts: 25 percent Ted Cruz: 30 percent Donald Trump: 27 percent Marco Rubio: 19 percent Ben Carson: 10 percent Rand Paul: 4 percent Jeb Bush: 3 percent Mike Huckabee: 2 percent Carly Fiorina: 2 percent John Kasich: 2 percent Chris Christie: 1 percent Rick Santorum: 1 percent
25 percent
___
8:25 p.m.
Donald Trump's voice is hoarse but he still has lots to say.
He's telling 2,000 Republicans in suburban Des Moines, Iowa, that "we're going to win again" and take back the country.
Trump is criticizing the Obama administration's foreign and trade policy, promising to command respect for the United States in the world.
Trump says his mission in the presidential race is to "make America great again."
Early arrivals at Iowa's Democratic caucus sites are split among health care, the economy and income inequality as the top issue facing the country.
That's according to preliminary results of an entrance poll at caucus locations.
Almost 3 in 10 say experience is the most important quality in deciding which candidate to back. What's next? Honesty and someone who cares about people like them.
Six in 10 say the next president should continue President Barack Obama's policies.
The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters arrived at 40 randomly selected sites for Democratic caucuses in Iowa.
___
8:15 p.m.
Early Caucus numbers as reported by Associated Press:
DEMOCRATS:
617 of 1,681 precincts: 37 percent Hillary Clinton: 52 percent Bernie Sanders: 48 percent Martin O'Malley: 1 percent
37 percent
REPUBLICANS:
273 of 1,681 precents: 16 percent Ted Cruz: 30 percent Donald Trump: 27 percent Marco Rubio: 19 percent Ben Carson: 10 percent Rand Paul: 4 percent Jeb Bush: 2 percent Mike Huckabee: 2 percent Carly Fiorina: 2 percent John Kasich: 1 percent Chris Christie: 1 percent Rick Santorum: 1 percent
16 percent
___
8:10 p.m.
Republican or Democrat Jeb Bush is criticizing them all.
President Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump. Ted Cruz. Marco Rubio.
Bush tells supporters in New Hampshire that Obama is "a failed president." And the former Florida governor is hitting Trump though not by name for "insulting" his way toward the presidency.
The latest statewide polls in New Hampshire show Bush in a fight for second place. Trump holds a commanding lead.
___
8 p.m.
Early Caucus numbers as reported by Associated Press:
DEMOCRATS:
320 of 1,681 precincts: 19 percent Hillary Clinton: 53 percent Bernie Sanders: 47 percent Martin O'Malley: 1 percent
19 percent
REPUBLICANS:
115 of 1,681 precents: 7 percent Ted Cruz: 30 percent Donald Trump: 29 percent Marco Rubio: 18 percent Ben Carson: 10 percent Rand Paul: 4 percent Jeb Bush: 2 percent Mike Huckabee: 2 percent Carly Fiorina: 2 percent John Kasich: 1 percent Chris Christie: 1 percent Rick Santorum: 1 percent
7 percent
___
7:50 p.m.
Here's what's at stake on the delegate front in the Iowa caucuses.
The Democrats have 44 delegates at stake and the Republicans have 30. That's just a small sliver of what it will take to win each party's nomination.
For Democrats, it will take 2,382 delegates to win the nomination. For Republicans, it will take 1,237.
Hillary Clinton starts off with a big lead because of endorsements by Democratic superdelegates. They're the party leaders who can support the candidate of their choice.
Clinton has 362 endorsements to just eight for Bernie Sanders. Martin O'Malley has two.
Republicans don't have nearly as many superdelegates.
___
7:45 p.m.
Several Republican candidates spoke at caucus sites before voting began -- including Dr. Rand Paul, Dr. Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.
___
7:10 p.m.
Early arrivals at Iowa's Republican caucus sites are deeply unhappy with how the federal government is working.
That's according to preliminary results of an entrance poll of those arriving at caucus locations.
Four in 10 say they're angry. One-half say they're dissatisfied.
Almost 4 in 10 say the most important quality in a candidate is someone who shares their values.
Also, 2 in 10 want someone who can bring needed change.
The survey was conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks by Edison Research as voters arrived at 40 randomly selected sites for Democratic and Republican caucuses in Iowa.
___
7 p.m.
The Republican race in Iowa seems to be a three-way contest among Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
That's according to entrance poll interviews with early arrivals to caucus sites conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
On the Democratic side, the race appears tight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
___
6:50 p.m.
For the election night party in Iowa, Ted Cruz's campaign has booked a country music band that bills itself as having "blue collar roots and a fun attitude.'
Red, white and blue banners with Cruz's campaign slogans "Trusted" and "Cruzin' to Victory" are hanging from the ceiling of the Elwell Family Food Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
But most of the attention will be focused on two large video screens that will show results from the Iowa caucuses.
___
5:20 p.m.
Even before Iowa's caucuses get underway, Donald Trump is predicting "a tremendous victory."
That's his message to supporters in a hotel ballroom in Cedar Rapids.
Trump is banking on a stronger-than-usual turnout. Polling shows many potential caucus-goers are new to the process.
Some of Trump's children plan to attend caucuses around the state and promote their dad's candidacy.
___
5:06 p.m.
Chris Christie says he's ready to be president and that Barack Obama wasn't in 2008.
Christie's message to New Hampshire voters: Don't put another first-term senator in the White House.
It's a knock by the New Jersey governor on two of the Republicans in the race freshmen Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Christie says they've never managed anything and running the country isn't something they're up to.
Obama was a first-term senator from Illinois when he beat Republican John McCain in 2008.
___
4:37 p.m.
The day began for Chris Christie in Iowa and ended in New Hampshire.
The Iowa caucuses were still hours away and Christie already was back in New Hampshire, appealing for support in the state's primary Feb. 9.
The New Jersey governor has focused much of his campaigning in New Hampshire and hopes for a strong showing.
___
UPDATE: 2:36 p.m.
Republican Donald Trump is asking his supporters to keep an eye out for potential tomato-throwers at a rally in Cedar Rapids.
Trump says he was informed by security before walking onstage at his final pre-caucus rally that someone in the Doubletree Hilton ballroom might have one to lob.
He tells supporters if they see someone getting ready to throw a tomato, they should "knock the hell out of them."
He says, "I will pay for the legal fees, I promise."
Trump is working to get out the vote ahead of tonight's caucuses.
He was introduced at the rally by his most famous backer: Tea Party star Sarah Palin.
Trump is telling Iowans that it's been a pleasure campaigning in their state and is encouraging people to get out to their caucus sites tonight.
He says, "this is the day we take our country back."
12:45 p.m.
John Kasich says his rivals should follow his lead and call on the super PACs supporting them to take down negative advertisements.
Kasich, who is spending Monday campaigning in New Hampshire rather than Iowa, says candidates should spend the next week talking about "what they're for" rather than knocking each other down.
Kasich's campaign on Monday told the super PAC backing him not to air a negative television ad against rival Marco Rubio. Campaigns and super PACs are barred from coordinating, but the super PAC chose to replace the negative ad with a positive spot about Kasich.
Kasich, who has largely declined to hit his rivals, has started shaming them for promoting what he says are lies about his record. Many of his GOP opponents use his expansion of Medicaid in Ohio to tie him to President Barack Obama. But Kasich isn't backing down from his choice, saying it's saved lives in his home state.
Data is curated by insidegov.com
12:30 p.m.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has a chance to sway at least one undecided voter at one of his final campaign stops in Iowa.
Jane Gaines of Churdan, Iowa, came to see Cruz on Monday and she doesn't know who she will caucus for just hours later at night. Churdan says she came to hear Cruz's message, but she's leaning toward supporting retired surgeon Ben Carson.
Churdan says, "I look for real. I look for transparent. I look for a statesman and not a politician."
Others at Cruz's event in Jefferson, Iowa, say they plan to caucus for him.
Tracie Perez of Scranton, Iowa, says she has been a Cruz fan since he ran for the Senate in 2012. Perez says she's "praying hard" for Cruz, but worried rival Donald Trump may win.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
February started off coated in white after a winter storm dropped 9.7 inches of snow at Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport between Sunday night and Monday afternoon.
On Monday morning, drivers encountered slippery, snow-covered roads around Flagstaff, but no major highway closures.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Highway Patrol saw five to 10 slide offs in the Flagstaff area during the day, with three minor collisions.
(Thats) typical for us during these types of weather/driving conditions, said DPS spokesman Bart Graves.
There was a rollover on U.S. Highway 180, but the occupants sustained only minor injuries. There were no serious weather-related injury collisions on the highways around Flagstaff.
According to Flagstaff Police Department, there were 24 accidents within city limits between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday. Two of the collisions resulted in injuries. Both happened on South Lone Tree Road. Police did not release the extent of the injuries.
The storm also caused the first flight out of Flagstaff Pulliam Airport to be canceled Monday morning.
Flagstaff Unified School District canceled classes due to the weather, making it the district's fifth snow day this winter. Page schools closed as well, which was the second cancellation this winter.
The snow caused power outages for hundreds in the east Flagstaff and Mormon Lake areas. Nearly 300 people in neighborhoods around Coconino High School and Killip Elementary School were without power in the middle of the day. In the Mormon Lake area, 382 APS customers saw their power go out at 10:35 a.m. due to a tree that fell on a power line. Power was expected to be restored by 8 p.m. The American Red Cross opened a warming shelter at the Mormon Lake Fire Department for affected customers, according to APS.
City of Flagstaff snowplows were working hard throughout the day. The first priorities for city snowplows include main arterials, major hills, the downtown, Mountain Line Transit Routes and school bus routes. All other streets are considered second priority streets, which the city has a target of clearing within 18 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. (3 a.m. to 7 a.m. in the downtown core). 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.
The most recent storm raised the total winter snowfall in Flagstaff to 71.2 inches, which is almost 20 inches above normal for this time of the year. Last year, the city had received just 29.7 inches by Feb. 1.
Residents in northern Arizona also witnessed a rare weather phenomenon Sunday night when thunder and lightning struck during heavy snowfall.
The cold Pacific storm was set to clear out Monday night, leaving frigid temperatures behind statewide. Lows were expected to drop to 5 degrees in Flagstaff, with wind chill values as low as negative 6.
"Whatever falls to the ground is going to stick and just be a sheet of ice," said meteorologist Robert Bohlin.
Tuesday is forecasted to be sunny but with a high of just 27 degrees and an overnight low of zero, followed by a high Wednesday of just 31 degrees.
Whale Washes Up; Dolphin Finds on N. Oregon Coast Slightly Concerning - Updated, Video
Updated 02/02/2016 at 5:51 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff
(Seaside, Oregon) UPDATED PHOTOS, W/ VIDEO. Five creatures washing up on the beaches of the Oregon coast all at once isn't exactly commonplace, but it's not regarded as highly unusual or alarming. But when three of them are one kind of ocean mammal with no clear signs of how they died, some officials get a little concerned. (Photo above: the Humpback whale in Seaside, taken by Angi Wildt).
This is what happened this weekend when a young Humpback whale washed up in the surf at Seaside, along with a harbor porpoise at Camp Rilea and then three striped dolphins all within 48 hours. The deceased Humpback isn't too unusual, although they don't wash up often. The harbor porpoise is quite commonplace, according to Keith Chandler of the Seaside Aquarium.
Three striped dolphins, however, make Chandler think something may be connecting them. One was found in Cannon Beach, another at Ocean Park on the Washington coast, and a third washed up Monday in Seaside.
The most dramatic certainly for the public was the 24-foot Humpback juvenile. Chandler guessed it was about a year old or just tad more so. It began rolling in on Sunday, flopping around just beyond the tide line, and in conditions too dangerous to get to for Marine Mammal Stranding Network crews.
But it hadn't been a dead a real long time because it didn't smell so bad, Chandler said. Some of the skin was sluffing off. But it wasn't too bad.
Necropsy results should be available tomorrow, Chandler said. Until then there are no clues why it passed away.
How it and the other creatures washed up can usually just be attributed to large surf conditions. Things die out there, and then sometimes they simply wash up in bunches because of what's happening with the waves.
Chandler said the three striped dolphins may have another possibly distressing element.
That's fairly unusual that we have three particular animals in such a short time, Chandler said. We usually get a striped dolphin every one or two years. The whale was not that fresh. The three striped dolphins all looked very fresh.
The necropsy on the dolphins is being done right now as well, and so far there wasn't any sign of trauma or what else might've killed them.
My suspicion is perhaps they got caught in a net, Chandler said.
If so, a necropsy would reveal drowning, but even that wouldn't necessarily prove a net. Chandler said all they can do is wait for results, but he is still a little concerned something out-of-the-norm may be at play.
In the meantime, the whale will be eventually buried in the sand by Seaside city crews. While the creature is still on the beach, Chandler urged the public not to touch it or to let dogs near it. It likely has harmful bacteria on it. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours
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Below: previous dolphin incidents, photographed by Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium.
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North Carolina's identification law requires voters to produce one of six accepted credentials including a drivers license or passport. Facing immediate criticism from civil rights advocates, the legislature added language permitting the submission of a provisional ballot if the prospective voter submitted a reasonable impediment declaration explaining why they lacked identification.
Since the Supreme Court in 2013 effectively lifted preclearance requirements for states and counties with a history of race discrimination, states have passed a raft of new voter ID laws and taken other steps which they claim will prevent voter fraud. The challenge to North Carolinas voter Identification law underway in federal court may be ground zero for this issue.
Civil rights advocates consider the law as just another effort to suppress the black vote. One of the plaintiffs is a ninety-four year old woman who had to travel back and forth to distant government offices to get the right documentation because her drivers license and voter registration card did not match.
The in-person fraud where someone falsely pretends to be a valid voter, cited as a rationale for the new more stringent ID laws, rarely happens. Instead, a more pernicious form of fraud consisting of vote buying and selling is prevalent.
Campaigns get the needy to turn out for them even when they know the candidates dont do anything for them. As an old lady in Louisiana said, They dont do anything for me, they never do what they promise, but at least they give her a little somethingfive dollars and a porkchop sandwich. When she and other poor people are induced to cast votes for people who they would otherwise not vote for and who dont give them anything beyond this chump change, it is just another form of voter suppression. Voter fraud indeed exists across the country in state and local elections, but it is through campaigns misusing absentee ballots and buying votes, sometimes with the collusion of voting officials.
Vote buying and selling happens all over the country and is done by operatives for state and local candidates in Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia or rural counties in West Virginia or in the parishes of Louisiana and the counties in Mississippi and Texas. Walk-around money and street money is used to prey on old people in nursing homes and the poor wherever they are. All done in the effort to increase turnout of each candidates voters.
The outcome of the battle over voter suppression affects not just presidential elections but state and local contests where matters directly affecting daily life, such as roads and schools and clean water, are decided. Court decisions will come in due course, hopefully striking down these voter ID laws and other restrictive measures. But the election calendar will not wait. In some states a vote in the primary is more crucial than in the general election along with votes in state and local elections not just the presidential contest.
We should not place our reliance on the courts. While the litigation fight goes on, civil rights organizations, churches, fraternities and sororities, and other local groups could make sure non-registered voters, who dont have the resources, possess whatever documentation is required and transport them to the registrars offices to obtain IDs. This can be done while working on ending voter suppression. After all, individuals need photo IDs not only to vote but often to even enter buildings where government or medical services or provided. The groups undertaking this work will need outside financial contributions given the intense poverty among local residents without IDs.
Combined with candidates and issues that give the unregistered something to vote for, a Lets get IDd, Lets get registered campaign may not only inspire more registration but more actual turnout on Election Day without vote buying and other fraudulent tactics. More turnout just might lead to positive political change.
About the Author
Mary Frances Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, and the author of nine books. The recipient of thirty-three honorary degrees, she has been chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, is a regular contributor to Politico, and has appeared onReal Time with Bill Maher, Anderson Cooper 360, The Daily Show, Tavis Smiley, and PBS's NewsHour. Follow her on Twitter at @DrMFBerry.
Randy Edwards
After speaking to the district attorney and the Texas Ethics Commission, a Jefferson County constable seeking re-election said he would use tape to cover the listing of his county-issued email address on up to 1,500 of his campaign signs.
Precinct 1 Constable Nick Saleme said the email address was included on the signs following a "mix up" at printing companies. Saleme said he did not notice it was listed before he gave the yard signs to a campaign staffer for placement.
PHOENIX -- Abortion foes at the Legislature on Monday proposed new restrictions on fetal research that would be even more restrictive than federal law.
SB 1474 would make it a crime to do research or experimentation on a human fetus, embryo or even the fluid that results from an abortion. The only exception would be to diagnose the health of the fetus to preserve its life or health or that of the mother, or a pathological study to determine why a fetus aborted on its own.
But the more significant part of the proposal by Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, would ban the sale, transfer or even giving away any fetus, part, organ or fluid.
Planned Parenthood Arizona says that, unlike other affiliates, it does not provide fetal tissue for research. But this measure likely would preclude any Arizona doctor from ever doing that, even though such donations and medical research remain legal under federal law.
Barto said the breadth of the measure is justified.
"The bill seeks to protect the dignity of unborn infants in all respects, whether for profit or not,'' she said. And Barto said the outright ban eliminates the problem of tracking whether a profit was being made.
Beyond that, Barto said there is no justification for such research.
"Fetal tissue research has failed to produce a single successful treatment for human disease,'' she said.
"Adult stem cell (research) has produced 73 treatments for different diseases including several forms of cancer, Parkinson's, cardiac disease and many others,'' Barto continued. "And that doesn't require the killing of innocent human life.''
The legislation is the direct outgrowth of undercover videos release last year by an anti-abortion group that purports to show officials from Planned Parenthood discussing the sale of tissue.
None of that involved the Arizona organization which does not make fetal tissue available. But federal law does allow organizations that donate fetal tissue to charge what amounts to a service fee to cover legitimate costs.
There already are restrictions on fetal tissue research in current Arizona law.
But Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, said federal courts have said the language is too vague to enforce. She said this new language should plug the legal loopholes.
Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Jodi Liggett, however, said it does more, pointing to the provision that says anyone who performs an abortion or has fetal tissue cannot even donate it for legitimate research.
"This is bad for medical research,'' she said.
Herrod, however, said nothing in the measure governs embryos created for in vitro fertilization.
Separately Monday, Senate President Andy Biggs introduced legislation to permanently block state employees from making donations to Planned Parenthood through payroll deductions.
Members of the State Employees Charitable Campaign executive policy committee decided last year the organization was too "controversial'' to be on the authorized list of charities available to state workers. But Planned Parenthood likely will renew its efforts for inclusion this coming year. SB 1485 is designed to undermine such a request by preemptively disqualifying any organization which performs elective abortions.
Biggs acknowledged that such abortions are legal under both Arizona and federal law. But he said the Legislature is entitled to determine that those who perform some medical procedures should not be allowed to solicit donations from state employees through payroll deductions.
"One takes a life,'' Biggs said. "Another does not.''
There was a small victory of sorts Monday for Planned Parenthood: Abortion foes have given up in their effort to defund the organization.
A 2012 Arizona law barred any organization that provides elective abortions from participating in the Medicaid program.
Both state and federal law bar the use of tax dollars for such procedures. But proponents have argued that any money that goes to Planned Parenthood for family planning services effectively subsidizes the organization's abortion services.
A federal appeals court ruled the restriction was illegal, saying that Medicaid patients are entitled to choose any "qualified provider'' for family planning, even one that also does abortions. That decision was left undisturbed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In December, Biggs announced he had found a way around that ruling and would be introducing legislation. But on Monday he conceded that was not legally possible given that Medicaid rules are set by federal law.
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On Twitter: @azcapmedia
The film crew that followed Robert Patillo for four days was more a blessing than a nuisance.
The 67-year-old owner of Patillo's Bar-B-Q recently received publicity he says is long overdue - 104 years to be exact.
The century-old restaurant, now in its fourth generation of ownership, is being honored by Southern Foodways Alliance, a Mississippi organization that studies the diverse food cultures of the South, at a March food and wine festival in Charleston, S.C.
The organization hired 1504, a studio that specializes in narrative content development, to follow and interview Patillo as he started his week at Sunday Mass.
The resulting video will be shown at a dinner during the food and wine festival, where Patillo will cook his signature barbecue for about 150 guests, said Melissa Hall, assistant director of Southern Foodways Alliance.
Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn first alerted the organization to Patillo's after writing an in-depth piece about Patillo's heritage and the beef sausage links that float in a pool of grease, commonly known as "grease balls."
The Texas Monthly article came out in November, several months after Vaughn visited Beaumont to give a lecture on Texas barbecue at the McFaddin-Ward House.
During his lecture, Vaughn told the crowd that Patillo's, at 2775 Washington Blvd., was one of his favorite places. After that, business started picking up.
"It's long overdue," said Patillo, sitting in his restaurant last week.
Patillo spoke with most of the customers who walked through the door. He's seen generations of families come through there.
They're not just customers, Patillo said. They're the soul of the restaurant; they're family.
Rodney Fuller, 57, has been a regular at Patillo's Bar-B-Q in the Pear Orchard neighborhood for more than four decades.
"When I was 12 years old, I used to mow yards, and when I got paid, first thing I'd ride my bicycle over here to get a chipped beef sandwich," he recalled while stopping to pick up his lunch order Friday.
He still gets the chipped beef sandwich, and now frequently picks up a bag filled with multiple orders after introducing friends and co-workers to the establishment.
Lately, newcomers have been arriving at the doors of the small, wooden building.
The other day it was two travelers from Sweden and a couple from Nebraska.
He credits the new business not just to publicity but to God.
Patillo is a devout Catholic who goes to Mass every morning at St. Andrew's before coming in to work.
"(God) picked this time to send business to me when it's a hassle to get over here," Patillo said, referring to construction along Washington Boulevard.
Patillo grew up in the restaurant he now runs.
As a child, he did his homework in a back room while his father cooked and his mother waited on tables.
He working under his grandfather when he was 13, for $3 a day.
"He'd work my butt off," Patillo said.
The recipes came long before his parents, dating to his great grandmother, Roxie Patillo.
Roxie Patillo learned to cook from her mother, who worked for the McFaddin family.
Hall said family restaurants usually tend to close by the third generation, which is one reason Patillo's really stuck out to the Southern Foodways Alliance.
The organization was also impressed that sausage is the restaurant's most popular item. Barbecue joints don't typically survive by relying on hard-to-make links, Hall said.
"Having a business model that requires 500 links of sausage a day, that's extraordinary," she said.
MHeath@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/mheath31
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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
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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.
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.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seems determined to hang on to his job even though he will probably be fighting three felony charges for most of his first term. That's deplorable, of course, but at least Paxton should heed the recommendation by the Texas Ethics Commission not to accept donations from non-Texans to cover his mounting legal bills.
Paxton's case is unusual because he was indicted after he was elected but still serving as the state's top legal officer. An ethical person would have resigned to fight those charges instead of letting that cloud hang over the attorney general's office. Paxton, unfortunately, has no such intention.
Medical providers may have prevented 1,744 lives and saved $1.7 billion in malpractice costs if they have communicated more effectively, based on a CRICO Strategies malpractice study, according to STAT.
The report analyzed 23,658 malpractice cases from 2009 to 2013, which account for about one third of all paid malpractice claims in the nation.
Here are six insights:
1. The malpractice report found 30 percent of the malpractice cases had communication errors.
2. One instance involved a nurse not informing a surgeon that a patient had abdominal pain and a drop in red blood cell level. The patient died of a hemorrhage.
3. The reported noted busy workloads, hierarchical workplace cultures, electronic health record challenges and interruptions contribute to communication errors.
4. Electronic medical records have hurt communications somewhat, as providers sometimes assume other providers will see results even when not flagged.
5. Medical staff miscommunication when transferring patients accounted for 80 percent of medical errors, based on a Joint Commission study.
6. The report suggests improvement through I-PASS, a program Boston Children's Hospital established in 2008. The program offers a way for providers to relay information when changing shifts.
Lafayette (Ind.) Radiology has signed a contract with McKesson Business Performance Services for a full range of revenue cycle management services.
McKesson will provide the group with documentation training, coding, claims management, denial management, compliance and business intelligence reporting. Additionally, McKesson will provide Lafayette Radiology with Physician Quality Reporting System support.
"McKesson's continuing documentation education is helping our staff adjust to the new world of ICD-10," Teresa Mitchell, executive director of Lafayette Radiology, said. "At the same time, we are benefiting greatly from McKessons long-standing expertise in radiology coding, billing, denial management and compliance."
Coconino Community College welcomed its new president, Colleen Smith, Monday morning.
Smith, a former college president and CEO from Texas, was chosen as the colleges new president in September, but did not officially begin her duties until February 1. She took over for Veronica Hipolito, who had been serving as the interim president since June.
The college began the search for a new president after Leah Bornstein announced her resignation in May. Bornstein served as CCC president since 2007.
Smith was chosen as the colleges new president after a series of public forums with the governing boards top five candidates.
In the public forums, Smith said she was active in legislative work at Cisco College in Cisco, Texas, where she served as president and CEO. Most recently Smith was the district senior vice president of academic affairs for Collin College in McKinney, Texas.
Smith also said she had experience working with fundraising, and said she planned to approach the community and local leaders about why the community college is worth funding.
You have to ask for what you want and explain why you need it, she said.
In the August forums, Smith said she planned to spend her first few weeks in office getting to know faculty, staff and students and observing how the college worked.
I want to collect as much information as I can from all directions, Smith said in August.
"Everyone I have met at Coconino Community College has shown a sincere concern for students and learning, Smith said in a statement Monday. CCC has a strong district governing board with dedicated members who bring varied life and work experiences to support the college. The opportunities I have had to interact with them have demonstrated that they truly care about the college and the communities of Coconino County.
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission made a number of recommendations to Congress regarding the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital program in a report released this week.
Here are five takeaways from the MACPAC report.
1. MACPAC said more complete and reliable data on Medicaid payments to hospitals are needed to better analyze current policy and new approaches to target DSH payments. "Greater transparency in how hospitals are being paid is also important to understanding states' use of Medicaid funds and the extent to which these are consistent with federal requirements," according to MACPAC.
2. To address data gaps, the commission recommended that HHS collect and report hospital-specific data on all types of Medicaid payments for all hospitals that receive them.
3. MACPAC recommended HHS collect and report data on the sources of nonfederal share necessary to determine net Medicaid payment at the provider level.
4. The commission said DSH allotments and payments should be better targeted toward states and hospitals that service a disproportionate share of Medicaid and low-income patients and have higher levels of uncompensated care. "The scheduled cuts in DSH allotments make such targeting particularly important," said MACPAC.
5. About half of all U.S. hospitals receive Medicaid DSH payments, but more than one-third of DSH payments are made to hospitals that do not serve a particularly high share of Medicaid and other low-income patients, according to MACPAC.
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Editor's Note: This story was updated on Feb. 3, 2016.
Sayre (Okla.) Memorial Hospital, a 31-bed nonprofit hospital, abruptly closed on Monday, according to The Oklahoman.
Sayre Memorial ceased operations Monday afternoon, and officials said the closure was due to a number of factors, including Oklahoma's decision not to expand Medicaid.
"The closure is due to the continual financial strain that the hospital has felt. After the 2008-2009 recessions, Sayre was hit with the federal sequestration, which cut Medicare payments by 2 percent," hospital officials said in a statement quoted by the report. "Then in 2012, CMS reduced reimbursements by 30 percent to 35 percent to Sayre for Medicare patients who can't cover their out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to these strains, the State of Oklahoma not expanding Medicaid has been detrimental to the hospital's operations."
The local economy also had a negative effect on Sayre Memorial. The hospital said the shutdown of North Folk Correctional Facility in Sayre contributed to its closure.
Sayre Memorial's financial troubles have been ongoing, and the city has helped keep the facility afloat. The Sayre Chamber of Commerce said, "The city had been making payments and keeping the hospital open by funding payroll. With the huge loss of city revenue there is no money left to give."
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Mounting data illuminating the national opioid and heroin addiction epidemic has prompted President Barack Obama to add $1.1 billion in new funding in his fiscal year 2017 budget to help those struggling with addiction.
Each year, more Americans die from drug overdoses than they do in car crashes. Data from the CDC show that opioids were involved in 28,648 deaths in 2014. The agency also found a steep increase in heroin-involved deaths and an emerging increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.
President Obama has clearly stated the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic is a priority for his administration. Under the Affordable Care Act, substance abuse disorder services are considered essential health benefits that are required to be covered by health insurance plans sold on the exchanges. The law also requires that covered substance use disorder benefits are comparable to medical and surgical benefits in pricing and quality.
President Obama's fiscal year 2017 budget includes a two-pronged approach to combat the opioid and heroin epidemic. First, it includes $1 billion in new mandatory funding over two years to expand access to treatment for prescription drug abuse and heroin use. This funding includes:
$920 million to support cooperative agreements with states to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. States will receive funds based on the severity of the epidemic and on the strength of their strategy to respond to it.
$50 million in National Health Service Corps funding to expand access to substance use treatment providers. This funding will help support approximately 700 providers who provide substance use disorder treatment services including medication-assisted treatment in areas that have the greatest need for behavioral health providers
$30 million to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs employing medication-assisted treatment under real-world conditions and help identify opportunities to improve treatment for patients with opioid use disorders.
The second part of the president's proposed budget includes roughly $50 million an increase of more than $90 million to continue to develop efforts across the Departments of Justice and HHS to expand state-level prescription drug overdose prevention strategies, increase the availability of medication-assisted treatment programs, improve access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone and support targeted enforcement activities.
Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pa., has fired a nurse's aide for accessing patient records without proper authorization, according to a report from The Times-Tribune.
The hospital informed 390 patients of the potential exposure of their information. Information that may have been inappropriately accessed includes Social Security numbers, insurance information and diagnoses, according to the report.
The unnamed nurse's aide was fired for violating HIPAA. The hospital is offering affected patients a year of free access to a credit monitoring service, according to the report.
For many working professionals, sitting at a desk for long stretches of time is part of the job. In the wake of new findings on the health risks of being stationary for too long each day, many health-conscious workers are seeking solutions.
Standing desks are becoming increasingly popular in offices, but for those who are sticking to the traditional sit-down desk, long hours hunched over the computer or stooped over spreadsheets can take a toll on the body.
Fortunately, there are several exercises and stretches you can do at your desk to prevent neck and back pain without changing your clothes, breaking a sweat or distracting your officemates.
Here are four stretches compatible to an office setting, according to the Harvard Business Review.
1. Shoulder rolls. While sitting up straight, raise one shoulder toward your ear, then slowly roll it back and down. Alternate shoulders, repeating each side three or more times. Then repeat the same motions with both shoulders. Breathe deeply with each raise and exhale with each roll down.
2. Open chest stretch. Either sit on the edge of your chair or stand up straight and interlace your fingers behind your back with your palms facing each other. While leaning forward slightly, slowly raise your arms until you feel your chest expanding. Hold this pose while breathing deeply for 10 to 15 breaths.
3. Neck stretch. Sit upright so your head, neck and spine are all completely aligned. Drop your ear toward your right shoulder without moving your shoulders or turning your head. Breathe deeply and feel the stretch on the left side of your neck. Slowly raise your head to the center and switch sides.
4. Back twist. Sit up straight at the edge of your chair. As you inhale, twist to the right so that your left hand reaches around to the outside of your right knee or thigh while your right arm opens up and reaches toward your back. If your chair has armrests, your right hand can reach for the back of the right armrest. Release your breath as you twist and stretch. Return to the center, inhale and repeat the stretch while twisting on the left side.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has criticized the healthcare plan of rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), saying it will "never, ever come to pass," according to CNN.
Earlier this month, Sen. Sanders released details of a universal healthcare plan that would essentially provide "Medicare for All," but cost about $1.38 trillion annually, much of with would be paid for through taxes.
Although Ms. Clinton has supported a single-payer plan in the past, she is now casting Sen. Sanders proposed plan as going backwards against progress made by the Affordable Care Act, a point that Sen. Sanders has refuted. "I want you to understand why I am fighting so hard for the ACA. I don't want it repealed. I don't want us to be thrown back into a terrible, terrible national debate," Ms. Clinton said Friday, according to CNN.
Sen. Sanders' plan has been criticized by others, including Minority Leader of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who said last week House Democrats do not support Sen. Sanders' tax plan. In all likelihood, Sen. Sanders would have difficulty getting the plan to pass Congress, even with Democratic support.
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed on healthcare consulting firm Manatt Health to stabilize the city's financially struggling public hospital system, NYC Health + Hospitals, according to Politico New York.
Manatt Health, a division of law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, aims to determine whether NYC Health + Hospitals can benefit from state reforms and national trends, despite impending federal cuts. The public hospital system, which serves a primarily Medicaid population, is facing a multi-billion dollar deficit, according to the report.
Mayor de Blasio said he would provide an additional $337 million to the more than $700 million the city intends to give the hospital next year. However, this extra funding won't solve the system's long-term problems. The system's deficit is expected to double to nearly $2 billion over the next three years, a recent state comptroller's report says, according to Politico.
Ram Raju, MD, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, defined his turnaround plan for the system last year. His plan centers on improving patient service to attract more consumers and enhance patient loyalty. Dr. Raju wants to increase the number of patients treated at the hospital system from 1.4 million in 2015 to 2 million by 2020, and double the number of people enrolled in MetroPlus, NYC Health + Hospital's insurance arm, according to the report. The system's hospitals and clinics will also increase their focus on population health management.
New York State's Medicaid redesign program is providing the hospital system with more than $1 billion to transform its delivery system. Manatt had previously signed a multi-million dollar contract with NYC Health + Hospitals for consulting services relating to the program.
A proposed class of Anthem workers has filed a lawsuit claiming the Indianapolis-based health insurer loaded its 401(k) plan with high-fee mutual funds, according to a Bloomberg BNA report.
The workers claim Anthem selected high-priced share classes of mutual funds over lower-cost share classes that are "readily available" to plans of this size. The plan allegedly has more than $5.1 billion in assets, according to the report.
The workers also allege Anthem paid excessive fees to the Vanguard entities that service the 401(k) plan.
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In early July, Hartford, Conn.-based health insurer Aetna proposed to acquire Louisville, Ky.-based Humana in a $37 billion deal. Now officials are determining what the structure of Humana will look like once the acquisition is completed, according to Louisville Business First.
"All the leadership decisions, operating model, management process are still to be defined," said Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini, according to the report. "I mean, they're still a competitor and so we don't have the kind of visibility or command of that organization to make those decisions."
However, Mr. Bertolini did say there will be "stay bonuses" for people who are necessary for ongoing operations, and leadership will "approve those as part of the merger agreement going forward."
Mr. Bertolini added that he and Humana CEO Bruce Broussard are "in constant conversations about this and making sure that we're keeping the people we need to keep," according to the report.
In January, Mr. Bertolini said he expects the Aetna-Humana deal to close at some point in 2016. Later that month, he traveled to Louisville, where he told residents the city was "the most important part of our business."
Aetna plans to "continue to work diligently with the Department of Justice and the state regulators toward final approval of [its] proposed acquisition of Humana" and "continue to advance [its] integration readiness plans," according to Mr. Bertolini.
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Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen has a partnership in place with Verily Google's life sciences arm and Biogen's vice president of corporate development and strategy, Adam Koppel, recently weighed in on that partnership and Google's business model, according to MedCityNews.
Biogen develops, markets and manufacturers therapies for people living with serious neurological, autoimmune and rare diseases. Through its partnership with Verily, the company plans to use sensors and data analytics to understand how multiple sclerosis presents itself differently from patient to patient, according to MedCity.
At the recent Harvard Business School Healthcare Conference, Mr. Koppel spoke about the Biogen-Verily partnership and conclusions he has drawn through discussions and data sharing with Google.
Mr. Koppel said Google recognizes that "current payers, using actuarial math it's like the 19th century." He said the Silicon Valley giant realized it can figure out real-life outcomes in people by pooling big data, according to the report.
"They want to take over CMS," Mr. Koppel said, referring to Google's ambitions. "And they will say that to you."
However, Google faces a challenging quest to become the next CMS, as it will be difficult to get healthcare providers to hand over their data, according to the report.
Mr. Koppel also said Google wants to become a payer a realistic goal given the company's data-generating partnerships with the life sciences industry and the increasing coordination between patients, providers and payers.
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After a Fresno, Calif.-based Community Regional Medical Center surgeon put a patient in serious jeopardy by leaving a surgical towel inside his body, the cancer center had to rethink its surgical count program.
CRMC agreed to pay a more than $86,000 fine and implement a plan of correction, according to a report from the California Department of Public Heath.
About one month after receiving surgery on April 8, 2014 for bladder cancer, the patient stated, "I had lost 43 pounds, my bowels were not working right, I had no energy, no stamina and I felt like I might not live," according to the report. The patient added, "I couldn't even drive myself to my doctor appointments during this time, and I could not even walk from the bed to the couch without becoming fatigued."
The operating room team had found the scissor count incorrect post surgery and issued an X-ray of the patient, but found nothing, according to the report. However, at the time, they did not have a procedure in place to count the blue surgical towels, because "the towels are well documented everywhere else and it has always been known by the surgical staff not to use those towels on a patient" a risk manager told the Department of Health.
The towels were not radiopaque, so they were not picked up by the initial X-ray. It was not until the patient saw a third physician for his complications that an abdominal mass was found on a CT scan. In a second surgery, the blue surgical towel was discovered.
The Department of Public Health found the hospital failed to follow its OR counts procedure, which led to the towel being retained in the patient for three months, causing serious injury and putting the patient at risk of death, according to the report.
During a DPH interview with the director of surgical services and the manager of surgical services at the hospital, the officials stated, "This was a lesson learned, the blue surgical towels will no longer be allowed on the surgical field once an incision is made. Only radiopaque towels will be allowed," according to the report.
Immediately after CRMC was informed of the mistake in July 2014, it implemented a towel count program, according to the report. Once a surgery begins, CRMC now requires only radiopaque towels to be used if needed, and the towels are required to be counted, according to the report. By July 15, 2014, an audit found this procedure was being followed 100 percent of the time, according to the report. An additional audit was completed in November 2014, and continued randomly twice a week to ensure compliance, according to the report.
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Aetna plans to stay in the public health exchange market in 2016, according to Medscape.
Here are five key points:
1. This decision is despite the payer losing money in the market in 2015.
2. Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini reinforced the payer's commitment to provide coverage for all Americans.
3. The health exchange accounts for 5 percent of Aetna's membership and 6 percent of its total operating revenue.
4. The payer will withdraw from the Kansas market.
5. Aetna predicts its products will experience mid-single-digit growth in 2016.
Massachusetts primary care physicians ask patients about their mental states half of the time, based on a Massachusetts Health Quality Partners survey, according to The Boston Globe.
The survey asked 44,000 adults patients if they had spoken with their primary care physicians about mental health issues in the past year.
Here are five insights:
1. The physicians scored a 56 out of 100 points in 2015, compared to a score of 53 in 2014.
2. Some physicians find speaking about patients' mental health uncomfortable, as they often don't have the resources to treat a condition like depression.
3. The Chelsea HealthCare Center, affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, gives patients an emotional health questionnaire. If scores are concerning, physicians discuss stress management skills, medication options or psychiatrist referrals with the patient.
4. Some advocates are calling for annual depression and substance abuse screenings. Mental health often impacts physical health; screening for mental health issues may result in better and cheaper healthcare for patients.
5. A federal government advisory group suggested routine healthcare should include depression screening.
The evolving healthcare landscape allows surgeons to perform more total joint procedures in the outpatient setting. With this shift, medical providers must be prepared to handle the transition while maintaining organizational efficiency, quality, supply chain delivery and implant acquisition.
In a webinar titled, "Total Joints in an ASC: Protocols for Success," Ken Cherry, MD, co-founder of University Orthopedics Center in State College, Pa., and co-owner of Advanced Center for Surgery in Altoona, Pa., and Scott Reid, senior vice president of the Global Knee Franchise Smith & Nephew, discussed the changing payment trends for total joint replacements.
BPCI & CJR
Healthcare is shifting away from fee-for-service and toward value-based payments, with programs targeted at incentivizing improved care and reducing readmissions.
The Affordable Care Act added another 15 million covered Americans, and its payment reforms bolstered the transition from volume to value. "Aside from just expansion of more people getting coverage, you have a great many programs geared toward patient safety and improving quality," said Mr. Reid.
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement program is a voluntary CMS program intended to decrease costs and improve quality. This model involves a patient paying for a coordinated care treatment versus paying separate bills to various medical providers.
"You know in advance what's going to be paid," explained Mr. Reid. Under the BPCI program, medical providers select participation among 48 different episodes. Therefore, medical providers can choose to participate in the system with conditions and timeframes that present feasible improvement. Under the bundled model, the costs are accrued and then compared against the bundle's target price. Thus, if the costs prove more than the target, the CMS receives payment. But if the costs come in less than the target, the savings are shared.
Under the mandatory Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement program, CMS hopes to decrease costs and improve quality of care. This model involves mostly inpatient total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty, with an episode lasting 90 days post-discharge. The costs are reconciled annually. CJR will take effect on April 1, 2016 and involve 800 hospitals.
Participating hospitals are at-risk for total cost of care, including expensive postsurgical rehabilitation. Medicare won't cover total TJA in the hospital outpatient department or ASC setting, but some private payers cover the costs in ASCs.
Physicians and hospitals should expect the increasing intertwinement of payments and quality outcomes. The industry will also see more risk-sharing and episode of care assurance programs. Mr. Reid also predicts a higher volume of orthopedic procedures in the outpatient setting, as well as the use of protocols and implants that result in less rehabilitation.
Moving to the outpatient setting
Dr. Cherry began performing outpatient surgeries in 2013, and reported outstanding outcomes. In 2013, about 2 percent of TJA were performed in the outpatient setting, but the number is poised to increase substantially in the coming years.
"There's a great deal of change and with change comes anxiety," said Dr. Cherry. "But for me, change brings opportunity."
The key factors driving outpatient procedures include:
1. Retail consumer: The average patient is younger and more informed. "They are looking for a specialized, boutique program and want quicker rehabilitation," said Dr. Cherry. In the coming years, consumer-directed health plans will increase, incenting consumers with favorable deductibles for selecting high quality and low-cost tiers of providers.
2. Payers: Within the pay-for-value model, surgeons will be incented by additional reimbursements and insurers will incent patients to the high value providers with $0 deductibles and $0 copays.
3. Technology: Dr. Cherry stated technological advancements like the JOURNEY II BCS, VISIONAIRE and VERILAST TECHNOLOGY allow for the success of these outpatient procedures. "Technology is also driving this trend toward more rapid-recovery surgery," he said.
4. System of CARE improvements: There are penalties for slacking health systems. The Hospital Acquired Conditions Reduction Program, Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program and Hospital Readmission Reduction Program carry out these penalizations.
5. Physician ownership in ASCs: Accountability, convenience and additional income results in improved care for patients. "There is financial incentive and lifestyle incentive," said Dr. Cherry. He noted the BPCI model aligns with these three pillars.
Some barriers to success exist, however. "Insurance companies tend to follow the government and we know the government doesn't do anything quickly," said Dr. Cherry. "The biggest barrier is the home health agencyThe readmissions will kill you in the bundled system."
The shift of total joint procedures to the outpatient setting requires the consideration of patient selection, patient education, surgical technique, multimodal pain management, rehabilitation, home nursing agency and implants. The patients need to have a support network at home that can help during recovery, but also a strong network of physicians who understand the protocols.
"You want to have universal protocols. You can't have physicians involved in this if they want to do their own thing," said Dr. Cherry. "Get physicians to buy into this and leave their egos at the door."
Listen to the webinar recording here and view the webinar slides here.
Physicians Mom Group declared Feb. 3 as National Women Physicians Day in honor of Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, according to The Huffington Post.
Here are five things to know:
1. February 3rd is Dr. Blackwells birthday.
2. She was the first woman to obtain her medical degree from an American medical school in 1849. She earned her medical degree from Geneva, N.Y.-based Hobart and William Colleges, formerly known as Geneva Medical College.
3. Renowned for her support of medical education for women, Dr. Blackwell is also known for her public reform work.
4. A firm believer that patients should be treated holistically, Dr. Blackwell published various books and essays on preventative medicine.
5. Hala Sabry, DO, founded PMG, a nonprofit comprised of nearly 50,000 women.
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A Belfast businessman embroiled in a legal battle with US vulture fund Cerberus is building a massive multi-million pound housing development close to the world famous Bushmills distillery, it can be revealed.
Gareth Graham has been locked in a court fight to try and win back control of some of his companies after loans linked to the firms were transferred over to the Republic's bad bank, Nama.
But outside the courtroom it appears to be business as usual, as a company run by the 44-year-old, Bushview Developments, is now behind the 34-apartment housing project in the Co Antrim village, famed for its whiskey.
And it's located just metres from the Bushmills plant.
The development, which sits beside the River Bush, will include 34 apartments - a mixture of two and three bedrooms - alongside two retail units and parking facilities.
The bulk of the development will be based on unused land, while there also be renovation and refurbishment of a listed building which looks on to Main Street.
A spokesman for Mr Graham told the Belfast Telegraph: "The development in Bushmills will be a welcome addition to the residential property market in that area.
"We have cleared what was previously a derelict site and we intend to build approximately 30 high quality apartment units for which we believe there will be a high demand.
He added: "Our plans have been well received by local representatives and we hope to get planning permission in the months ahead."
The housing development has been designed by Belfast firm Like Architects.
Initial plans for a smaller development in the area, made up of 19 apartments, was given planning approval back in 2010.
But there has been no significant progress on the development until now.
Meanwhile, a date for Mr Graham's ongoing court battle against Cerberus has now been pushed back until May next year.
However, the businessman's legal battle with the US investment fund may now go to mediation, the High Court heard in December.
Mr Graham is challenging Cerberus' right to put them into administration, claiming that his businesses were financially strong and that they never missed a repayment.
Back in September, he also appeared in front of a Stormont committee investigating the sale of Nama's Northern Ireland loan book.
He told the committee he had recorded phone calls which allegedly show an "ingrained culture of inappropriate and possibly illegal conduct" across the worlds of politics, banking, law and accountancy.
In 2014, Cerberus snapped up Nama's entire Northern Ireland portfolio, named Project Eagle, in a deal which was worth more than 1bn.
Northern Ireland's biggest homegrown insurance broker Abbey has snapped up rival Open + Direct in a multi-million pound deal.
The move creates the dominant player in the Northern Ireland market, with a total of 200,000 customers and 420 staff.
It will be bigger than broker Hughes Insurance, which has 150,000 customers.
And it returns Open + Direct to Northern Ireland ownership for the first time in nearly 10 years.
Abbey said buying Open + Direct from its owners, Swinton Group in England, would extend its branch network across the province.
All employees of the acquired firm are transferring over to Abbey.
There are 15 Abbey branches and 13 Open + Direct offices, which will be rebranded as Abbey in coming months.
Most Abbey locations are in the east of the province, while Open + Direct is focused on the west.
A spokeswoman said that in locations where both entities have offices, mergers were likely to take place. There is duplication of offices in a few locations, including Londonderry and Glengormley.
Trevor Shaw, who is the chief executive of Abbey Insurance Brokers, said that the business had needed to acquire another firm to continue its growth.
"We looked carefully at Open + 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."
Abbey has 220 employees, while Open + Direct has 200.
A spokeswoman said: "The company will continue to provide customers of both companies with a competitive range of home, car, travel and van insurance, combining an increased high-street presence with a strong online offering."
Abbey Insurance Brokers was set up in 1973 in Newtownabbey by George Storey, who is now the group chairman.
Open + Direct has been operating in consumer insurance since 2000 and was bought over by Swinton Insurance Group in 2009.
The deal was financed by Ulster Bank. Kenton Hilman, its head of corporate and property banking, 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."
He said that it was one of the biggest deals in Northern Ireland in recent times and that it was a "welcome sign of renewed appetite".
If you're serious about growing a technology company, you have to head west at some point. A 15-strong group of Northern Ireland entrepreneurs spent last week in California, as part of the third annual NI Tech Mission, led by Stormont Ministers Jonathan Bell and Stephen Farry.
"It was a definite step up on last year," said Steve Orr, director of the Northern Ireland Science Park's NISP Connect programme, which organised the mission along with Invest NI.
"We had a session with 16 mentors including senior people from major companies. Our entrepreneurs had three or four meetings each, around 80 meetings were held in three hours. The mentors were very impressed with our companies.
"California is used to seeing international delegations of entrepreneurs. Our people were well prepared and the mentors were impressed that many of them already have revenues. They got a deep grilling on their technology and they stood up to it.
"Some of the companies were looking for distributors, others for collaborators to help them take their products to market. Some were looking for investment and I know that at least one was made an offer on the spot following a pitch. That's very rare on a trip like this. The companies have lots of follow-up work to do now."
The Northern Ireland "brand" was also enhanced by the success of the tech mission and the presence of the enterprise and employment ministers, said Steve.
"We're building a brand for the Northern Ireland tech sector and events like this really help to put us on the map with some of the biggest companies in the world. The ministers put their names to what we were doing, it helped to raise the profile and meant that we're moving in bigger circles. It all helps."
Steve Orr believes that the majority of the companies taking part on the mission have the potential for significant growth.
"Four of five of them certainly will become major players in the tech sector," he said. "Here in Belfast we've now developed a capability of incubating tech companies that is as good as you will find anywhere in the world, including California."
One of the firms taking part in the mission was Re-Vana, a Queen's University spin-out company in the life sciences field. Its founders have developed innovative technology for delivering drug treatment to patients with eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis and glaucoma.
"We're looking to raise money to take the company forward," said Re-Vana's Rob Grundy. "We wanted to make connections with venture capitalists and private angel investors who are familiar with biotech investment, and California is a real centre of funding in this sector.
"In addition, the technology we have developed requires integration with other people's technology and we were able to meet with two companies who are leading the way in opthamology drug treatment.
"Relationships have been built and consolidated and now we can share data about the latest innovations."
Rob added that travelling as part of the NI Tech Mission helped to open doors and enable access to the right people.
"Invest NI and NISP Connect did a tremendous job in pulling in people for the pitches who were well-informed and knowledgeable. We were at Stanford, the best university in the world, meeting people who are leaders in the sector."
Although California is the undisputed centre of the tech world, Rob Grundy believes that companies can be based in Northern Ireland and still achieve scale.
"There's always tension between where you are based and where the funding comes from. There are, of course, more funds available in Boston and California. But I'm adamant that we can build successful life science companies in Belfast. The world is a smaller place and doing business worldwide is a lot easier now. We have great universities and entrepreneurial talent here. There's no reason why we can't succeed."
Thornton's managing director Stephen Thornton said his company hoped to benefit from a recovery of the UK's construction sector
Two Co Antrim family-run firms in construction and manufacturing have announced they are creating 100 new jobs.
That includes roofing and cladding firm Thornton Roofing, which is creating 50 new jobs as part of an 8m expansion as it benefits from the lift in the building trade.
The company, which operates throughout Ireland from its Toomebridge headquarters, has landed a series of big contracts over the last few months.
These include one for work on the new Waterfront Hall extension, along with one for Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry.
And Ballymoney firm Dowds Group is adding another 46 jobs to its workforce, paying an average of 21,300.
The firm, which designs and builds mechanical and electrical products for industry, has received almost 200,000 from Invest NI to create 32 of the new posts.
James Dowds, managing director, said the company has also committed around 1m to expanding its business in Great Britain and the Republic.
"The introduction of new staff gives us greater capacity and enhanced confidence to deliver on our strategy of long-term growth," he said.
"We have secured contracts which will see our turnover increase by 35% for 2016 and we will continue our investment in new talent to build a stronger company and further develop our customer base."
And as well as creating 50 new jobs, Thornton is taking on more than a dozen apprentice joiners. It also celebrates 50 years in business in 2016.
Stephen Thornton, managing director, said his company hoped to benefit from a recovery of the UK's construction sector.
"While we do work in the Republic and Britain, from time to time, our core business over the last five decades has been drawn from Northern Ireland, latterly in the form of projects at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Altnagelvin Hospital, the Museum of Free Derry and the Seamus Heaney Centre in Bellaghy," he said.
"A key element in our growth programme, however, will be securing of contracts in England and Scotland. Having experienced consistent growth in recent years, we believe we are poised to enjoy the benefits of our growing reputation for roofing, cladding, small works, maintenance and architectural metal-works."
Mr Thornton said he's now confident he can almost double staff numbers over the next five years.
"We envisage the recruitment and training of bright young apprentices as critical to achieving further growth with employment levels being increased from 60 to 110 by 2021," he said.
"As part of the growth programme Thornton plans to expand its office accommodation and manufacturing facilities at Toomebridge with the addition of a new 1,000 sq m building."
Congratulating Dowds Group on its expansion, Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell said: "The new positions will contribute over 980,000 annually in salaries to the Northern Ireland economy and signals encouraging growth in the construction sector."
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Margaret Canning Opinion Conservatives have gone back to traditional territory with a mini-budget that just might cost the party the next election
Many of the measures in Kwasi Kwartengs first big statement as Chancellor had been trailed in advance changes to stamp duty, the cancellation of both the rise in National Insurance and the rise in corporation tax, and bringing forward a cut in the basic rate of income tax to 19 pence.
Gwyneth Paltrow described ex-husband Chris Martin as "like my brother" as she revealed their amicable family arrangement that regularly sees them sleeping over at each other's house.
The two "consciously uncoupled" in March 2014 but are often pictured together with their two children Apple, 11, and Moses, 9.
She told the American edition of Glamour magazine: "We spend a lot of time together. He's been away for two weeks (promoting his album). Last night he got in at midnight and slept here so he could surprise the kids in the morning, we could all have breakfast, and he could take them to school.
"So we're not living together, but he's more than welcome to be with us whenever he wants. And vice versa: I sleep in his house in Malibu a lot with the kids. We'll have a weekend all together; holidays, we're together.
"We're still very much a family, even though we don't have a romantic relationship. He's like my brother."
Asked if she would marry again, Paltrow, 43, replied: "I don't know. I guess so. I mean, I believe in marriage. But I'm not even divorced yet! So give me a minute."
She also revealed she was willing to take "slings and arrows" to carve a new path for women as mothers and businesswomen.
"Our daughters will look at us and be like, 'Oh, so you get to work and be a mommy and wear beautiful lipstick'."
She continued: "I mean, when they have a hole in their uniform, I sew it. I make the food; I bathe them. And I'm a sexual being and a powerful woman and entrepreneur. I'm all of those things. We now realise that we have permission to be everything."
But she lamented the "appalling" behaviour of critics who continued to pit her and fellow celebrity entrepreneurs Jessica Alba and Reese Witherspoon against each other and attack her lucrative lifestyle website Goop.
"I'm like, 'If you want to f*** with me, bring your A-game. At least have all your information... I don't lose sleep over it. It's my business to live my life and learn my lessons. I don't care what anybody else thinks," she railed.
The Oscar-winner has just created a line of organic cosmetics with Juice Beauty, the lipstick range of which is named after her A-list squad, including Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson.
She explained the importance of her pals: "If you were to ask me what my biggest success is, it's that I've been able to maintain and nourish my relationships. As you get older, you choose friends based on not only what feels resonant and warm but if they're bringing something to your life."
Gwyneth grew up in a rich and famous family as the daughter of director Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, but her parents cut off her funds at 18 when she dropped out of University of California, Santa Barbara to be an actress.
Few will be able to picture it now, but she recalled having to "scrounge quarters to buy Starbucks and walk there to save gas", with her father offering her just one hot meal at home when she told him she was broke.
"People think, 'She's just a rich kid'. Until I was 18, I was. Then I was broke. I've never taken a dime off my parents. I'm completely self-made," she said.
:: The full interview is available in the March edition of Glamour US.
Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar last year and is the running for this year's awards
James Norton said Eddie Redmayne was a great ambassador for British drama
James Norton has spoken out in defence of Eton-educated Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne.
Norton, who is currently starring as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in the BBC's latest adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War And Peace, offered his take on "well-spoken" actors.
"If there's a higher amount of period drama, there's a higher amount of 'well-spoken' actors," he told the Radio Times.
The London-born star added: "It's a real shame, though, when you get somebody like Eddie Redmayne, who is such a great ambassador for British drama - two Oscar nominations in two years, it's extraordinary - and at least half the press coverage on him is about the fact he went to Eton."
Norton called the focus on the Oscar-winner's education "ridiculous".
The upcoming second series of Happy Valley, written by Last Tango In Halifax's Sally Wainwright, will see the 30-year-old reprise his role as psychotic Tommy Lee Royce.
Set in the Yorkshire Valleys, BBC One's award-winning crime drama stars Sarah Lancashire as police sergeant Catherine Cawood.
Dedication to her job masks Cawood's personal family tragedies: she believes Royce is responsible for her daughter's rape and eventual suicide.
Grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah) is a product of the assault on her daughter.
The policewoman's marriage to Richard Cawood (portrayed by Derek Riddell) broke down, she is estranged from her son Daniel (Karl Davies) and Cawood's sister Clare (Downton Abbey's Siobhan Finneran) is in recovery from heroin addiction.
Norton's acclaimed 2014 portrayal of unhinged Royce turned out to be his breakthrough role.
He received a Bafta nomination for best supporting actor in 2015, losing out to Stephen Rea who won for The Honourable Woman.
ITV's Grantchester followed, with Norton heading the cast of the 1950s-set series as sleuthing vicar Sidney Chambers.
The Yorkshire-raised actor also impressed as Sir Clifford Chatterley in BBC One's 2015 version of Lady Chatterley's Lover.
As the second much-anticipated series of Happy Valley gets under way, Royce is in jail.
With little to do other than work-out, the imprisoned man's focus is on his nemesis.
"He's spent hours and hours just lying on his bed, filling himself with hate for Catherine," Norton said.
To depict Royce's increased muscle bulk, the Rada-trained actor avoided alcohol and went to the gym for a month.
The relationship between Cawood and Royce was a highlight of the first run, but series two will see a change.
"It wasn't hard for me to get back into the on-screen relationship with Sarah, even though I don't, in this series, have the privilege of acting so much with her."
But Norton promised aficionados "an even stranger dynamic between them this time."
::Happy Valley is broadcast on February 9 at 9pm on BBC One.
Radio 1 DJ Greg James has been limbering up for Sport Relief and will complete the first of five gruelling 50-mile triathlons across the UK in Belfast this coming Monday.
For what's being dubbed the 'Gregathlon,' the 30-year-old broadcaster told the Belfast Telegraph all about his preparations, his hopes to catch up with old BBC pal Uncle Hugo and how an eye-opening visit to a refugee camp in Jordan inspired his training.
"The training has been going very well," he said. "I've really hit my stride. I'm ready physically, it's just the mental challenge of doing five triathlons in five days. Even saying it out loud is scary."
After an intense training regime, the DJ will have to swim through freezing open waters and brave the harsh winter elements as he runs and cycles through the city streets.
"It's my own fault," he admitted. "Because I said I wanted to do a big challenge and Sport Relief came back with this idea, they made it harder and the distances a bit longer and now I've to fly to Belfast and jump in the sea."
At 50 miles, each stage of the Gregathlon is a punishing 18 miles longer than the standard Olympic triathlon distance of 32 miles.
Greg said he hopes to inspire those in all the cities taking part - Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Sheffield and Norwich - to sign up for flagship Sport Relief events in March this year.
Laughing off the challenge, he said: "It's not necessarily a speed challenge at all, it's more like 'don't die'."
He added that he will be the last to know the route of the Belfast leg of the Gregathlon.
"In Belfast it's going to be open water, it'll be in the sea," he said. "I don't know exactly where, I don't think they're going to tell me until the morning."
As if a daily 'super triathlon' wasn't enough, Greg has also set himself the challenge of presenting his daily three-hour Radio 1 show each day. "That's definitely the bit that's unknown for me," he said. "I'm only thinking about the activities that I'm doing, but when it gets to three o'clock I'll be thinking, 'Oh my God I've gotta do the radio in a minute.'
"But I think it will be entertaining for the listeners at the very least. I imagine we'll be doing the show from BBC Radio Ulster which I've been to many times before and I'm looking forward to meeting some of my old favourites - Uncle Hugo being one of my absolute heroes.
"He's a wonderful man is Uncle Hugo. We used to do some stuff with him on the show, we used to feature him quite a lot when I first started and I eventually met him when I came to Belfast so I was very excited."
In preparation for his Sport Relief campaign, Greg says a visit to a refugee camp in Jordan last weekend gave him the determination to train.
"It really gave me such a brilliant focus for this challenge because I got to see the people the money from this challenge will be helping," he said.
He recalled the harrowing story of one Syrian family he met who were separated when their father was arrested on the Syrian border.
The mother and daughter then endured two years of waiting in the refugee camp in Jordan to learn he had been killed.
"The scary thing is that this is not an abnormal story," he said. "That sort of thing happens quite a lot and it's really affected me just hearing those sorts of things.
The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday, Jan. 28:
The unlawful armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon could be close to ending. Or not. Such vigilante actions have a way of inspiring copycat protests elsewhere, often by militants who are more fanatical than their predecessors. So there could be more trouble just around the bend even if authorities are able to end the nearly monthlong seizure of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore.
The death of at least one militant and wounding of another in a shootout with law enforcement officers Tuesday is regrettable, but the protesters seemed to be prepared for this eventuality. In fact, they were inviting it. As soon as this Jan. 3 seizure escalated to armed confrontation, responsibility for any tragic conclusion rested solely with the extremists.
Protest leader Ammon Bundy, who was arrested in Tuesdays confrontation, always had it in his power to disarm and turn the symbolic occupation into an encampment-style protest sort of a right-wing Occupy movement. That wouldnt have made his protest legal, but it certainly would have made it more palatable to those Americans who dont share the distorted view that government overreach requires a militia-style uprising.
Instead, Bundy and his supporters decided to make this a gun-rights stand on top of other ill-conceived demands that federal lands be ceded to private ranchers. This occupation mimicked a 2014 armed standoff at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada that arose over the familys disagreement with federal grazing-rights restrictions.
The protesters took on the mantle of lawless fanatics, initially using their guns to stand up for two men convicted of arson for having set fire to federal land and to hiding the fact that they had been poaching. Their message seemed to be that U.S. law was theirs to define, as though it were a smorgasbord from which citizens may pick and choose.
The gunmen defied local police and federal authorities to intervene. Local groups urged the protesters to end their siege. Law enforcers demonstrated extraordinary tolerance when Bundy and others would leave their encampment to travel, hold meetings or stock up on food. They pushed everyones patience to the limit, and the time for an intervention was overdue.
Never once did they convey a desire to end this peacefully. Their taunting manner and threats to shoot law enforcers turned the protest into something more akin to a terrorist standoff than a fight for liberty.
The Bundy Ranch Facebook page describes the protesters as peaceful patriots supporting the Constitution and asks, Who are the terrorists?
They were not peaceful. They were not patriots, and they were not supporting the Constitution. In our book, they are outlaws whose infliction of terror was never justified, regardless of the cause.
Americans feeling charitable
The following editorial appeared in The Orange County Register on Tuesday, Jan. 26:
If you are down on your luck and in need of a helping hand, you can take heart that your fellow Americans are the most generous in the world, according to The Almanac of American Philanthropy, published by the Philanthropy Roundtable. In fact, not only does the U.S. donate the highest percentage of its GDP in the world, Americans voluntary donation rate is twice as high as that in Britain and Canada, and nearly 20 times as high as the rate in Germany and Italy.
Shattering myths about the stinginess of the wealthy and bleeding-heart liberals monopoly on compassion, the Almanac also revealed that the top 1 percent of income earners (with annual household income of at least $394,000) account for about one-third of all charitable giving, and that even though conservative households earned 6 percent less income than liberal households, they donated 30 percent more to charity.
In a 2015 national poll commissioned by the Roundtable, when asked if their first choice for solving a social problem would be to use government or use philanthropic aid, 47 percent of Americans chose private charity, compared to 32 percent for government. This is partly just a response to what we see around us: In crucial areas like medical care, disaster relief, college education, family life, addiction treatment, sharing the arts, expanding home ownership and so forth, the most effective actors are often charitable and voluntary groups, not state agencies, the organization explained.
Even some of those who prefer government action recognize that it is less efficient at addressing social problems, as reflected by the 59 percent who said private charities are most cost-effective, versus just 20 percent who said government is.
Americans generosity has persisted despite the fact that governments exponential growth has crowded out much private charity and social services previously offered by mutual aid societies, or fraternal organizations, which operated locally and had a greater interest in helping those in need while economizing their members contributions. Just imagine how much more generous Americans would be if governments did not waste so much of their money on inefficient programs with bloated administration, politicians wasteful pet projects, military adventurism and programs and causes with which they do not agree.
Ban on life terms for youths fair
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday, Jan. 26:
In a logical extension of a previous call, the U.S. Supreme Court made retroactive its 2012 decision to ban mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles.
Mondays 6-3 ruling provides much-needed clarity for 2,300 inmates, most of whom live in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Louisiana. As of last fall, Pennsylvania had more than 500 such prisoners.
The courts earlier decision declared that mandatory life for juveniles violated the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. This weeks ruling, in which conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy joined the liberals on the court, addressed the case of Henry Montgomery, who was convicted of killing a sheriffs deputy in 1963 in East Baton Rouge, La.
Montgomery, who was a teenager back then, is now 69. The decision alone will not trigger the mass release of Montgomery and similar criminals, but it will give them an opportunity to apply to their state courts for re-sentencing or parole after having served, in many cases, long prison terms.
The justices were correct more than three years ago in distinguishing between mandatory life sentences for youths and adults. Juveniles lack the maturity and judgment of adults, which is why young people are not accorded the same legal rights and responsibilities. Teenagers also are more impulsive to act, yet slow to understand the consequences of their actions.
In his majority opinion, Justice Kennedy wrote: Allowing those offenders to be considered for parole ensures that juveniles whose crimes reflected only transient maturity and who have since matured will not be forced to serve a disproportionate sentence in violation of the Eighth Amendment.
It was only fair that the courts wisdom, shown in 2012 toward future cases, should be applied to others left from the past.
Thailands aid: The US ignores the law on military funding
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday, Jan. 28:
Good U.S. relations with Thailand have been important for many years, but they now face two significant challenges.
The first is an impending difficult succession in the countrys monarchy.
The second is a hurdle for President Barack Obama reconciling the federal law that requires a cutoff of U.S. military aid to governments installed by coups detat with retaining the close relations that have existed with Thailand.
So far, the Obama administration has chosen to disregard Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act in regard to Thailand, just as it has with the Egyptian government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former field marshal who was installed through a military coup.
Thailands coup occurred in 2014, when the military responded to a murky electoral situation and the inability of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, now 88, to resolve such matters due to ill health. The coups leader, Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, became prime minister.
The U.S. military is scheduled to co-host with Thailand 11 days of joint exercises called Cobra Gold beginning Feb. 9. Although five other countries will participate and 21 will send observers, Thai forces will be the largest group. The United States will provide 3,288 troops, including air, ground and sea forces. This 35th version of Cobra Gold is expected to be the largest military drill held in Asia in 2016.
The Obama administration sees Cobra Gold as a demonstration of U.S. military power and allies in the region dominated by China. It accompanies a summit of leaders in the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations that Obama will host in Sunnylands, Calif., Feb. 15-16.
The importance of good U.S. relations with Asian nations is certainly understandable. What is not justified is the Obama administrations violation of law, which Cobra Gold appears to constitute.
The X-Files was the longest running sci-fi show in US TV history with 202 episodes under its belt in 2002 (Fox/PA)
David Duchovny returns soon to UK screens as one half of power-dressing FBI special agent couple Mulder and Scully - but he admits those sharp suits made him think twice about the reboot.
The X-Files, starring Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, resurfaces for a new six-part series on Channel 5, 14 years after time was called on the hit sci-fi series, but the actor's hatred of Mulder's wardrobe has not abated.
"I always wanted to be engaged, creative and imaginative - and not have to go into an office every day. That was the life I wanted. I didn't want to wear a suit and tie, which is the f*****-up thing about having to play Mulder again," he told Radio Times.
He admitted he had also "really screwed myself" with new Charles Manson crime drama Aquarius, in which he spends his time in - you guessed it - a suit and tie.
The X-Files was the longest running sci-fi show in US TV history with 202 episodes under its belt in 2002, but its lead stars became embroiled in rumours of fractious on-set arguments towards the end.
Duchovny said: "We'd spent eight or nine years working together 12 to 14 hours a day. On top of that, we went from complete obscurity to worldwide stardom. Not just America. I think we both went somewhat crazy."
It is not Anderson that Duchovny now has to worry about on set, but his children - 16-year-old Madelaine and 13-year-old Kyd, with ex-wife Tea Leoni.
Duchovny said he had enlisted Madelaine's boyfriend to help him on the show, but he had a tougher time convincing her that the cult series could compete with fan favourite Game Of Thrones when she visited.
"I kept telling her, 'We're just as good as they are'," he said.
Part of the show's appeal was its conspiracy theories, mainly that the US government was hiding the existence of extraterrestrials on Earth, but Duchovny is not convinced by the speculation.
"I find it hard to believe they're keeping aliens from us because it's pretty juicy. There are too many people, too many secrets to keep. It's not human nature," he said.
But he is surprised how successful he has ended up as an actor, something he never expected as a child.
"I was always afraid that I'd end up in the gutter. That was our fear growing up - not to have any money and to end up homeless," he admitted.
The X-Files begins on February 8 on Channel 5 at 9pm. Read the full interview with Duchovny in the Radio Times, out now.
After her baby was rushed to hospital with a brain injury, Elise Schwarz found herself under suspicion of hurting him. She explains to Chloe Hamilton how keeping a diary of his short life kept her sane and why she feels no anger for the nanny convicted of abusing him.
On February 17, 2012, Elise Schwarz's life changed for ever. It was a Friday evening in New York and the weather was mild. She was on her way home from work when she checked her phone and saw a text message from her child's nanny, informing her that her five-and-a-half-month-old baby boy, Evan, wasn't breathing.
What followed was two years of heartache, fear and frustration. Evan was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome, a condition characterised by cranial injury and retinal haemorrhage, which is typically seen in babies who have been violently jolted or shaken. As a result, Evan suffered a massive brain bleed and a cardiac arrest. The evidence pointed to his nanny, Norma - but questions would also be asked of Elise, leaving her fighting for custody of her sick baby.
That fateful night, Evan was taken to the intensive care unit at Columbia University Presbyterian Hospital in New York, where Elise was living, although she grew up in Scotland. He was kept for a month before being moved to Blythedale Children's Hospital in New York State. Nine months later, he moved - with Elise and a team of carers - into a Manhattan apartment for two weeks, before making the journey back to Scotland, where he lived for eight months in the Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow (now called the Royal Hospital for Sick Children). Finally, Evan moved into his mother's childhood home, which is where he spent the last six months of his life. Evan Louis Schwarz died on February 21, 2014, aged two-and-a-half.
Early on in Evan's hospitalisation, a friend handed Elise a notepad and suggested she "write it all down". Now, Elise has turned her diaries into a book that documents Evan's journey. She says she found the process of writing therapeutic. "It stopped me from just going over the edge," she says.
Elise (45) grew up and went to university in Glasgow. At the age of 24 she moved to the US, living in San Francisco for five years before moving to Washington DC to attend law school.
After graduation, she passed the New York bar exam and moved to New York City, where she decided to set up her own law practice. She had long wrestled with her sexuality and came out as gay when she was 31.
Not long after this, she decided she wanted to raise a child on her own and, after 16 months of fertility treatment, she became pregnant with Evan.
But after Evan became ill, Elise gave up her law practice in order to stay by his side full-time. "Sometimes I miss it - I certainly don't mourn it," she says of her work. "I loved the way it allowed my mind to work. But I just miss Evan." Elise describes Evan before his injuries as a "very placid baby" with "the most beautiful broad grin".
When she left him in Norma's care at 8am on February 17, 2012, she says he wasn't crying, "just smiling the sweetest smile".
When she next saw him, Evan was comatose and he didn't open his eyes for another three months. When he did open them, Elise says they were "lifeless", and it wasn't until Evan was 11 months into his hospitalisation that she began to sense he was no longer in a coma. He was also dependent on a ventilator and fed through a tube in his stomach until he died in 2014.
His numbed face meant he couldn't smile. Elise learned to read his heart monitor - an increased or decreased heart rate was often her only clue as to how her baby was feeling.
He made slow progress, but Elise celebrated each accomplishment, however small, and encouraged others to do the same, although this didn't stop some doctors suggesting she withdraw care. "I kept life as positive as I could for Evan," she says. "But I always thought I was hanging on by the skin of my fingernails and I felt that way for a year or so - just incredible fear, anxiety and terror."
This would be torture enough for any parent, but Elise also had to deal with the fact that the Administration for Children's Services in New York petitioned to have Evan removed from her care, despite neither the police nor the doctors involved considering her a suspect. For months, her son - who was fighting for his life - was in the custody of the state. This meant that had he been discharged from hospital, he would have had to go into foster care or to a long-term rehabilitation centre, instead of home with his mother. Elise fought a lengthy and expensive battle to prove that she wasn't responsible for Evan's injuries, but it wasn't until September 2012, eight months after Evan became ill, that the ACS finally withdrew the petition against her.
She is no longer angry with the authorities. "I never thought it was malicious - I thought it was incompetent," says Elise.
"There's no point in feeling anger towards them. It wouldn't help me, and certainly there was never a stage at which it would have helped Evan."
Remarkably, she doesn't even feel anger towards Norma, the nanny to whom she entrusted Evan's care. Norma has never revealed exactly what happened on February 17. When charges were eventually brought against her, she submitted to the court's jurisdiction, accepting a finding of child abuse. As a result, her name was added to the central registry as a child abuser and she was banned from working with children for 28 years.
At the end of the book, Elise writes a letter to Norma that she doesn't send, but which she says helped her find a level of acceptance. In it, she says that if she had to choose between being in Norma's position and being Evan's mum, she'd choose to be Evan's mum every time.
"I've felt a lot of forgiveness, even without really knowing what it was exactly that happened," she says now. "The ACS made everyone focus on shaken baby syndrome. In fact, two doctors missed vital warnings. It could be that Norma didn't actually do anything, but if she did, it could be she did it in reaction to Evan not breathing - completely wrong, but not malicious. Of course, this all depends on my believing Norma did not act maliciously, which is what I want to believe. So, if I have the luxury of that being an option, then it wouldn't be kind of me not to feel sorry for her."
Throughout the book, Elise comes across as a warrior mother, hell-bent on protecting her son. In conversation, however, she's calmer, more resolved. The hanging-on-by-the-skin-of-her-fingernails stress is over. She no longer lives in fear because, she says, the worst thing that could have happened, did happen.
Now, however, she's dealing with cataclysmic grief, which is a whole new ball game. "Grief is a really isolating experience," she says. "Even if two people are grieving for the same person."
Fortunately, Elise has a rock-solid support network. Her siblings may be scattered across the globe (Cambridge, Madrid, San Francisco), but when Evan was ill, they all pulled together. Her brother arrived on a plane from San Francisco the morning after Evan was taken into hospital. Her sisters visited and prayed, and people took it in turns to sit with Evan in the hospital while Elise went to court or flew to Glasgow to visit her elderly mother. Elise has fond memories of Evan's time in Yorkhill Hospital and then later at home with her mother.
She says returning to Scotland made her feel safe. Sense Scotland, a charity for people of all ages with sensory impairments, provided much-needed respite for them both.
TouchBase, the charity's special-sense facility, offered various art and music classes for Evan.
"They normalised things for us and they made things fun," says Elise. "And the people just loved Evan. I felt wonderful being there, and you could tell Evan was really happy."
Although Elise has not written the book specifically to raise awareness of shaken baby syndrome, she would be pleased if that did happen.
What she really wants, more than anything, is for people who read it to think of Evan as the epitome of happiness and joy.
"It hurts me that people will think of Evan only as something awful that happened," she says.
"I want people to remember Evan and to remember how fantastic he was."
Ultimately, the book is a mother's tribute to her much-loved son. Elise's relationship with her boy is front and centre of this story. "He's absolutely the best thing that's ever happened to me," she says.
"I certainly would rather be here, even though it's without him, than have my old life, if that meant never having him at all."
Smiling through: Melanie Kennedy, who is living with secondary cancer, with her sons (left) Josh and AJ
Sad loss: the deaths of from left, Alan Rickman, David Bowie and Sir Terry Wogan have helped raise wareness of cancer
The deaths of Terry Wogan, David Bowie and Alan Rickman prompted a huge outpouring of sympathy but Bangor mum Melanie Kennedy, whose cancer is incurable, and UUP MLA Jo-Anne Dobson, whose close pal died on Sunday from the illness say its vital the publicity also boosts funds for research.
The shocking deaths during January of celebrities Sir Terry Wogan, David Bowie and Alan Rickman from cancer have prompted a young mum with an incurable form of the disease to highlight the need for more research into secondary cancers.
Melanie Kennedy (38), from Bangor, posted a passionate response to Terry Wogan's death on Facebook in a bid to highlight the relentless loss of young life from secondary cancers.
While saddened by the news of BBC presenter Wogan's passing, Melanie, who was given five years to live in January 2014, says she knows of 16 women her age who also died last month from advanced cancer.
Her call for more awareness and support for research into secondary cancers was also backed last night by grieving MLA Jo-Anne Dobson, whose best friend Louise Peacock passed away as a result of secondary breast cancer on Sunday, aged just 48.
The Ulster Unionist MLA said she was devastated by the loss of her "very brave and strong" best friend and vowed to keep her memory alive by continuing to work on behalf of cancer charities.
Mum-of-two Melanie bravely spoke out too in support of the many people like herself who have no hope of a cure.
She says: "In all cases where celebrities have sadly passed away they will have had a primary cancer and then a secondary cancer, which is the cancer that kills.
"There is a lot of focus on the prevention of primary cancers and a lack of understanding that the same amount of people develop secondary cancer.
"When a celebrity dies of cancer it is always spoken about in terms of their brave battle and I do find that sort of rhetoric annoying because as one of the 30% of people who develops secondary cancer, does that mean I didn't fight hard enough? Through the various support groups which I have got involved with online, I know of 16 ladies who have passed away in the month of January with advanced breast cancer, and yet they are not in the headlines.
"The high profile which celebrities get has given me this opportunity to let people know that this is happening every single day to young people who would love the chance to live until they are 69 or 70, like David Bowie and Alan Rickman."
Since her own initial diagnosis in January 2013, Melanie has become passionate about campaigning for more research and awareness of secondary cancer.
She developed primary breast cancer just six months after giving birth to her youngest child, AJ, who is now three years old. She also has a 15-year-old son, Josh.
She had to undergo a mastectomy, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and then in October 2013 she was given Herceptin treatment.
A month later a routine MRI scan picked up cancer in her liver. In January 2014, she was told her breast cancer had spread to her liver and lungs and was now incurable. She was given five years to live.
She says: "Apparently pregnancy is a trigger and it happens to a lot of younger people because of the changes in the breast tissue during pregnancy.
"It is still breast cancer, but it basically means it has gone into my blood stream and I now have cancer cells floating around my body.
"When you are told it is incurable it is like walking around with a bowling ball in your stomach, and you don't know where to go or what to do.
"I did a lot of research and found support groups, mostly online, for people with advanced breast cancer.
"One girl, Julie Phillips, set up a charity called Second Hope for advanced breast cancer prevention and awareness, which I now support and have got a lot of strength from. At the moment, only 5% of money raised for research goes into researching advanced cancer which kills, and this needs to change."
A former accountant, who also ran a convenience store and filling station, Melanie gave up work after her diagnosis to try and cut stress from her life. She also started running and takes part in races to raise funds for a number of cancer charities.
Her disease is currently being controlled with medication and she is in remission.
She is optimistic that with different developments in treatments that people with incurable cancer can continue to live a good quality of life, which is something she is also passionate about highlighting.
She says: "The landscape has changed and it is not an immediate death sentence any more and you can hope for a good quality of life with treatments, so it's not all doom and gloom.
"I have a lot of friends who have outlived their prognosis and they made me realise that you can live with it and make the best of it and not let it control your life.
"I have lost my hair twice, but I don't let it stop me from living a normal family life.
"I have good friends and family who support me on days when I don't feel so good. People are living with cancer and there is hope.
"Even though mine is incurable, I'm still here living a normal life and I am a functioning member of society and I think we should be making cancer a long term chronic condition, but that can only happen if enough research is done."
Jo-Anne Dobson, who last night was trying to come to terms with the loss of her best friend from cancer, supported Melanie's call for more research and awareness.
Her friend Louise Peacock, from Waringstown, Co Down, died on Sunday after a 10 year battle with breast cancer. Louise passed away in the Northern Ireland Hospice in Newry on her husband Gavin's birthday. She leaves behind two young children Josh (17) and Amy (15).
Jo-Anne says: "I know it sounds cliched, but Louise really was the real deal. She moved from Letterkenny to Waringstown seven years ago when my son Mark was in hospital having his kidney transplant, and she was such a great support to me that I always said she was sent to look after me.
"It wasn't just my life she touched, but so many others.
"Celebrities are so well-known and loved that their deaths always draw big headlines, but Melanie is right when she says that this is happening every day in our community and to people who should never be forgotten."
Jo-Anne said that Melanie was taken into the hospice last Wednesday, on the day that her Private Members' Bill on organ donation went before the Assembly's health committee.
In what she described as one of the worst weeks of her life, she said she found the strength to face the debate - which went against her - because of her friend.
"It was a hell of a week with the bill and Louise being admitted to the hospice that same morning that it was to go before the health committee.
"I honestly didn't know how I was going to even go to Stormont, but I thought of Louise and her strength and what she has come through and that gave me the strength to go, but it was very, very tough.
"Louise had such a fighting spirit and was such a stunning girl and she didn't let her illness hold her back.
"I do believe more research needs to be done and I will be doing whatever I can in memory of Louise.
"We are losing too many young women and it touches every family.
"I lost my granny, May Evans, at the age of 41 to breast cancer.
"I was just two, so I never got to know her and it is still happening today and we need to do more to stop it."
A Nicaragua health ministry worker fumigates for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmits the Zika virus at the Oriental Market in Managua (AP)
WHO, the World Health Organization, declared the Zika virus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on February 1, 2016.
Here the organization explains how it came about and who should be concerned about it.
Where does Zika virus occur?
Zika virus occurs in tropical areas with large mosquito populations, and is known to circulate in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and Western Pacific.
Zika virus was discovered in 1947, but for many years only sporadic human cases were detected in Africa and Southern Asia. In 2007, the first documented outbreak of Zika virus disease occurred in the Pacific. Since 2013, cases and outbreaks of the disease have been reported from the Western Pacific, the Americas and Africa. Given the expansion of environments where mosquitoes can live and breed, facilitated by urbanisation and globalisation, there is potential for major urban epidemics of Zika virus disease to occur globally.
How do people catch Zika virus?
People catch Zika virus by being bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito the same type of mosquito that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
How does Aedes mosquito reproduce?
Only female mosquitoes bite; they are intermittent feeders and prefer to bite more than one person. Once the female mosquito is fully fed, it needs to rest 3 days before it lays eggs. The eggs can survive up to 1 year without water. Once water is available, and small quantities of standing water are sufficient, the eggs develop into larvae and then adult mosquitoes. Mosquitoes get infected from people with the virus.
Where can the Aedes mosquito survive?
There are 2 types of Aedes mosquito capable of transmitting the Zika virus. In most cases, Zika spreads through the Aedes aegypti mosquito in tropical and subtropical regions. The Aedes aegypti mosquito does not survive in cooler climate temperatures. The Aedes albopictus mosquito can also transmit the virus. This mosquito can hibernate and survive cooler temperature regions.
Can the Aedes mosquito travel from country to country and region to region?
The Aedes mosquito is a weak flyer; it cannot fly more than 400 meters. But it may inadvertently be transported by humans from one place to another (e.g. in the back of the car, plants). If it can survive the temperature climate of the destination, it may theoretically be capable of reproducing itself there and introduce Zika virus to new areas.
What are the symptoms of Zika virus disease?
Zika virus usually causes mild illness; with symptoms appearing a few days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. Most people with Zika virus disease will get a slight fever and rash. Others may also get conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and feel tired. The symptoms usually finish in 2 to 7 days.
What might be the potential complications of Zika virus?
Because no large outbreaks of Zika virus were recorded before 2007, little is currently known about the complications of the disease.
During the first outbreak of Zika from 2013 - 2014 in French Polynesia, which also coincided with an ongoing outbreak of dengue, national health authorities reported an unusual increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome. Retrospective investigations into this effect are ongoing, including the potential role of Zika virus and other possible factors. A similar observation of increased Guillain-Barre syndrome was also made in 2015 in the context of the first Zika virus outbreak in Brazil.
In 2015, local health authorities in Brazil also observed an increase in babies born with microcephaly at the same time of an outbreak of Zika virus. Health authorities and agencies are now investigating the potential connection between microcephaly and Zika virus, in addition to other possible causes. However more investigation and research is needed before we will be able to better understand any possible link.
Guillain-Barre syndrome is a condition in which the bodys immune system attacks part of the nervous system. It can be caused by a number of viruses and can affect people of any age. Exactly what triggers the syndrome is not known. The main symptoms include muscular weakness and tingling in the arms and legs. Severe complications can occur if the respiratory muscles are affected, requiring hospitalisation. Most people affected by Guillain-Barre syndrome will recover, although some may continue to experience effects such as weakness.
Should pregnant women be concerned about Zika?
Health authorities are currently investigating a potential link between Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly in their babies. Until more is known, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should take extra care to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
If you are pregnant and suspect that you may have Zika virus disease, consult your doctor for close monitoring during your pregnancy.
What is microcephaly?
Microcephaly is a rare condition where a baby has an abnormally small head. This is due to abnormal brain development of the baby in the womb or during infancy. Babies and children with microcephaly often have challenges with their brain development as they grow older.
Microcephaly can be caused by a variety of environmental and genetic factors such as Downs syndrome; exposure to drugs, alcohol or other toxins in the womb; and rubella infection during pregnancy.
How is Zika virus disease treated?
The symptoms of Zika virus disease can be treated with common pain and fever medicines, rest and plenty of water. If symptoms worsen, people should seek medical advice. There is currently no cure or vaccine for the disease itself.
How is Zika virus disease diagnosed?
For most people diagnosed with Zika virus disease, diagnosis is based on their symptoms and recent history (e.g. mosquito bites, or travel to an area where Zika virus is known to be present). A laboratory can confirm the diagnosis by blood tests.
What can I do to protect myself?
The best protection from Zika virus is preventing mosquito bites. Preventing mosquito bites will protect people from Zika virus, as well as other diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes such as dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
This can be done by using insect repellent; wearing clothes (preferably light-coloured) that cover as much of the body as possible; using physical barriers such as screens, closed doors and windows; and sleeping under mosquito nets. It is also important to empty, clean or cover containers that can hold even small amounts of water such as buckets, flower pots or tyres, so that places where mosquitoes can breed are removed.
Should I avoid travelling to areas where Zika virus is occurring?
Travellers should stay informed about Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases and consult their local health or travel authorities if they are concerned.
To protect against Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, everyone should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes by taking the measures described above. Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should follow this advice, and may also consult their local health authorities if travelling to an area with an ongoing Zika virus outbreak.
Based on available evidence, WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions related to Zika virus disease. As a precautionary measure, some national governments have made public health and travel recommendations to their own populations, based on their assessments of the available evidence and local risk factors.
Can El Nino have an effect on Zika?
The Aedes aegypti mosquito breeds in standing water. Severe drought, flooding, heavy rains and temperature rises are all known effects of El Ninoa warming of the central to eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. An increase in mosquitos can be expected due to expanding and favourable breeding sites. Steps can be taken to prevent and reduce the health effects of El Nino, in particular by reducing the mosquito populations that spread Zika virus. WHO and partners are working together to provide support to ministries of health to:
increase preparedness and response to El Nino;
strengthen any action that helps control mosquito populations such as source reduction measures targeting main mosquito breeding spots, distribution of larvicide (insecticide that is specifically targeted against the larval life stage of the Aedes mosquito) to treat standing water sites that cannot be treated in other ways (cleaning, emptying, covering), etc.;
strengthen vector surveillance (e.g. how many breeding sites in an area, percentage of sites reduced) and
monitor the impact of actions to control the mosquito populations.
Individual households can also help reduce mosquito populations. Containers that can hold even small amounts of clear water such as buckets, flower pots or used tyres should be emptied, cleaned or covered so that mosquitoes cannot use them to breed (including during severe drought).
What gaps do we have in our understanding of Zika virus?
Key issues to be addressed in our understanding of Zika virus disease include:
Epidemiological characteristics of the virus, e.g. its incubation period, the role mosquitoes play in transmitting the virus and its geographical spread.
Potential medical countermeasures (including treatments and vaccines) that can be developed.
How Zika virus interacts with other arboviruses (viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and other arthropods) such as dengue.
Development of more specific laboratory diagnostic tests for Zika virus that can reduce misdiagnosis that may occur due to the presence of dengue or other viruses in a test sample.
What is WHO doing?
WHO is working with countries to:
Define and prioritize research into Zika virus disease by convening experts and partners.
Enhance surveillance of Zika virus and potential complications.
Strengthen capacity in risk communication to help countries meet their commitments under the International Health Regulations.
Provide training on clinical management, diagnosis and vector control including through a number of WHO Collaborating Centres.
Strengthen the capacity of laboratories to detect the virus.
Support health authorities to implement vector control strategies aimed at reducing Aedes mosquito populations such as providing larvicide to treat standing water sites that cannot be treated in other ways, such as cleaning, emptying, and covering them.
Prepare recommendations for clinical care and follow-up of people with Zika virus, in collaboration with experts and other health agencies.
Source: WHO
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 handwritten 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 near 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 yesterday for a variation on that, arguing that it was disproportionate.
Peter Corrigan also contended that the defendant's 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.
A County Londonderry man has admitted starving his pet Husky to death and then leaving its body in his kitchen for four months.
Robert Porter was charged with animal cruelty after the dog was discovered by an animal welfare officer at his former home in Maghera.
The Derry man, whose address was given as Ballysillan Drive, Belfast, appeared at Magherafelt Magistrates Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to causing the dog to suffer unnecessarily and failing to take steps to ensure the needs of the dog were met.
The court heard that on May 20, 2014, animal welfare officer Sam Jackson went to Porter's previous address at King William III Crescent, Maghera, following a complaint. Inside, he was immediately struck by the smell of a decomposing body. He found the dog's remains in the kitchen, and noted the animal was very thin.
Further searches of the house uncovered rubbish, including empty tins of dog food.
Following a post-mortem examination, a pathologist found the dog was malnourished and weighed just 11kg.
He had been dead for some time, his skin was dry and there was thick mould inside his mouth. There was no food in his stomach and the dog did not have a disease. The post-mortem found the dog died from starvation and dehydration.
During police interview, Porter said he was the owner of the Husky, admitted the dog had been dead for four months before it was found, and that it had not been fed for several weeks before it died.
District Judge Alan White described it as a "shocking" way for an animal's life to end.
He told Porter that he had seen photos of the dead dog which were "disgusting".
A prosecuting solicitor told the court she was seeking a lengthy disqualification order against Porter.
Porter's solicitor, Enda McKaigue, told the court that a pre-sentence report was being prepared ahead of sentencing, on March 1. The case was adjourned until then.
Judge White said he was taking a serious view of the matter. He told Porter he would have to co-operate with the Probation Board and that, if he did, he would consider a non-custodial sentence and a lengthy disqualification order.
In a statement, Mid Ulster Council said: "The council is committed to safeguarding the welfare of domestic pets and horses and will investigate complaints thoroughly, taking all appropriate action.
"This includes prosecution, as in this particularly harrowing case, which should serve as a warning to anyone who does not properly care for their animals."
In the period 2014-2020 the agriculture and rural sector in Northern Ireland was set to receive 2.53 billion euro from Europe, Michelle O'Neill said
A Brexit will spell disaster for Northern Ireland farmers and leave everyone in the region paying more for agri-products, Stormont's agriculture minister has warned.
Michelle O'Neill told the Assembly a potential loss of billions of euro of European farm subsidies if the UK exited the EU was unlikely to be replaced by the Government in London.
However, DUP MLA Gregory Campbell challenged the minister and said talk of "nightmare" scenarios was hindering a rational debate on the important issue of whether the UK should stay or go.
Outlining her views on Brexit during Assembly question time, Ms O'Neill said the future outside the EU was an uncertain one, claiming the impact of exit would be "disastrous".
She said in the period 2014-2020 the agriculture and rural sector in Northern Ireland was set to receive 2.53 billion euro (1.9 billion) from Europe.
"There are so many uncertainties," she said.
"We don't know what the future holds, we don't know what a post-Brexit situation looks like. And without any of those certainties it is very difficult for anyone to make a rational choice in terms of going forward.
"However, I think 2.53 billion (euro) is significant and speaks volumes in terms of what it means to our local economy, what it means to the agri-food sector and what it means to everybody - because if farmers aren't subsidised to produce food then all consumers will be paying more for food, which we will have to import from other countries around the world."
She said a Conservative government would be unlikely to meet the multi-billion shortfall.
"I wouldn't hold out much hope in terms of the Tories, who have an ideological position opposed to subsidy," she said.
Mr Campbell said the tone of the debate needed to change.
"Would the minister not agree that to talk in terms of nightmare situations in the context of a Brexit situation doesn't help the discussion?" he asked.
"It should be a rational discussion on whether the UK, and Northern Ireland as part of the UK, stays in Europe or leaves it and that the uncertainty she rightly talks about equally exists whether we stay in Europe or whether we leave, in terms of the financial assistance that may be on offer to our farming communities."
Ms O'Neill said there was the need for a "real and meaningful debate" and acknowledged that change within the EU was required.
An immediate reduction in the number of MLAs could finance 90 more PSNI officers or 90 new nurses, the Alliance Party has claimed.
Slashing the current figure of 108 Assembly members to 90 would save the public purse around 11m over five years, the party said.
A smaller Stormont is already on the cards - with only five MLAs from each constituency compared to the present six - but it will not take place until the election after next, in 2021.
Alliance, however, wants the axe to fall in time for this May's election, when the number of government departments will be cut from 12 to nine.
Sinn Fein and the DUP are likely to join forces to defeat the move, and could be supported by the SDLP which has argued that fewer MLAs will not automatically make Stormont less dysfunctional.
Former minister Alex Attwood said: "Anyone who thinks that reducing the number of members will automatically make something more efficient and effective does not recognise the scale of the issues that face the Assembly and politics in the North."
And he warned against going "down the road of further mechanisms that might, innocently or otherwise, lead to the removal of the principle of inclusion that was so denied to our politics for so long and to our people for too long".
The Ulster Unionists, TUV leader Jim Allister, Green Party leader Steven Agnew and independents John McCallister and Claire Sugden have voted against the plan being fast-tracked through the Assembly, as the bill's 'accelerated passage' continues in the Assembly today.
UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said: "There is plenty of time, and rather than further overloading the remaining legislative programme, which will, as I understand it, keep us late (in the Assembly) many sitting nights, this would be a very appropriate bill to introduce as the first item of business for the next mandate after May 5."
But Alliance spokesperson Nuala McAllister said: "We are in a really bizarre situation.
"People have agreed the reduction - but are holding off until 2021."
And she asked: "Why get a power to do something and then wait five years to use it?"
The Belfast councillor said the public would like to see an 11m saving over the five years before the 2021 election which would finance 90 new police officers or 90 new nurses.
Independent unionist John McCallister argued, however: "The Assembly has teetered on the edge for a long time.
"In fact, during this mandate, we put the election off for a year.
"So why the rush?"
The number of government departments at Stormont is to be cut from 12 to nine
Legislation cutting the number of Stormont departments from 12 to nine has cleared its final hurdle in the Assembly.
While the DUP said it would create a leaner and more efficient government, the SDLP claimed it could lead to paralysis as the new bodies took time to bed in.
The number of offices will reduce after the May elections under the Departments Bill, a pledge of the Fresh Start Agreement, which passed its final stage on Tuesday.
Emma Pengelly, DUP junior minister in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, said: "It shows our commitment to a leaner, more efficient structure of government here.
"This is a good day for government in Northern Ireland. This is a good day for a better way of doing business and it is a good day for delivery."
West Belfast Assembly member Alex Attwood urged people to tread boldly but had words of caution.
He said there was a short term risk of "a degree of paralysis as those departments settle themselves and embed in the wider life of Government.
"There is a tendency within some management levels of government to err on the side of conservatism and caution."
The new departments will be:
:: Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
:: Infrastructure.
:: Economy.
:: Education.
:: Finance.
:: Health.
:: Justice.
:: Executive Office.
:: Communities.
Meanwhile, Alliance Party MLA Chris Lyttle has hit out at other parties for not backing an Alliance amendment on separate legislation which would have seen the number of MLAs reduced in time for May's election.
Under the Fresh Start Agreement, such a cutback will take place at the first election after May.
Mr Lyttle said he could not understand why other Executive parties did not want to see the change now.
"We are in the strange situation of the parties having agreed to this reduction already but while Alliance wants to see it carried out now, others are holding off until 2021. Why agree to do something but wait five years to implement it?
"Estimates are it would save the taxpayer around 2.2 million each year, or 11 million per Assembly term, in wages, expenses and office costs.
"That effectively means 75 more police officers or 90 more nurses each year. In a time of austerity, there is no need to potentially wait five years before that money is put back into the public purse.
"A population the size of Northern Ireland does not need a legislature as large as the one we currently have. It is disappointing other parties decided to act in self-preservation and not follow Alliance's lead to carry out much-needed reform, while still ensuring representation for smaller parties."
Stephen Gethins warned that a rush to hold the EU referendum would create a "missed opportunity for a full, comprehensive debate on the UK's EU membership"
Stephen Gethins warned that a rush to hold the EU referendum would create a "missed opportunity for a full, comprehensive debate on the UK's EU membership"
A cross-party group of MPs has warned David Cameron against holding his EU referendum in June, arguing it will be too close to important elections in May.
A Commons motion claimed a vote in June would be "disrespectful" to elections in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London and local authorities.
If the Prime Minister secures a deal on his reform demands at the February 18-19 EU summit, he is believed to be considering an early referendum in June, before the school summer holidays.
But the MPs, led by the SNP's Stephen Gethins, warned that a rush to hold the referendum would create a "missed opportunity for a full, comprehensive debate on the UK's EU membership".
The call from Mr Gethins, MP for North East Fife, has the support of MPs from the Conservative Party, Labour, the DUP, SDLP, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats.
He said: "If David Cameron wants a referendum on our membership of the EU then we need to ensure that we have time for a proper debate. Rushing through a referendum in June just after important elections in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, London and across England, is totally disrespectful to those elections and will simply not give sufficient time to address the key issues about our future relationship with the EU.
"Those MPs who have signed this motion may have different views about the UK's future membership of the EU but we agree that there should be a proper debate.
"One of the many lessons of the Scottish independence referendum was the importance of having a debate in which people were engaged and could have their say. To do anything other with the EU referendum has to be resisted."
The warning to Mr Cameron follows a call from Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister to delay the referendum.
Martin McGuinness said he would be concerned about the "close proximity" of a referendum to the Stormont elections in May.
He also had "huge concerns" about Mr Cameron adopting a strategy of "sleepwalking all of us into an exit from Europe".
To the editor:
I am a physician who is specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology and I read with concern that Arizona lawmakers again try to restrict medication abortion [January 27, 2016].
As a womens health care provider my role is to provide patients with accurate information and appropriate care. The bill proposed before the Arizona State Senate, SB 1324, would directly interfere with the ability of Arizona doctors to provide our patients with medically appropriate, compassionate care.
Abortion is a common and safe medical procedure in the United States today. For women who choose a medication abortion, this is a safe way to end a pregnancy. Doctors use the best available medical evidence to provide the best possible care to every patient we see.
It is important to note that laws restricting how medication abortion can be provided are written by politicians, not doctors. Politicians are not medical experts. Medical organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) oppose laws placing restrictions on medication abortion.
Contrary to claims by politicians behind these laws, telling doctors how to provide medication abortion does not benefit womens health. In fact, restrictive legislation can be harmful by eliminating a safe option that is preferred by many women. As a physician who is dedicated to providing excellent, safe, and evidence-based care for women, I urge our state legislators to reject SB 1324.
KATHERINE GLASER, MD, MPH
Flagstaff
A man allegedly discovered working at a cannabis factory in Co Armagh was a human trafficking victim surviving on tins of dog food, the High Court heard today.
To Duc Tien said he was controlled by Vietnamese criminals to whom he had paid $27,000 to be smuggled into Ireland.
Details emerged as the 32-year-old was granted bail on charges linked to the seizure of 275,000 worth of drugs from a house in Mullaghbawn.
Tien, of no fixed address, is accused of importing, cultivating, possessing and conspiracy to supply cannabis.
He faces further counts of dishonestly using electricity and causing it to be diverted.
The Vietnamese national was arrested during a raid on the property in April last year.
Police swooped as part of a wider operation against an international drugs smuggling racket.
That investigation, in partnership with the National Crime Agency and Italian Carabinieri police, has also led to arrests and seizures in Italy.
Prosecution counsel Kate McKay said three rooms in the house on Newry Road, Mullaghbawn had been turned into a cannabis factory, with 530 plants recovered.
"This applicant was in the kitchen and said he was an illegal immigrant controlled by a Vietnamese crime gang," Mrs McKay told the court.
"He said he had been charged $27,000 to be smuggled into Dublin to work."
The accused claimed his passport was taken from him before he was handed over to a Chinese man who took him to the house raided.
Mrs McKay accepted Tien appeared to be a human trafficking victim.
Despite concerns he may flee, she confirmed that a migrant help organisation was prepared to provide him with accommodation in Belfast.
Defence barrister Michael Ward also stressed the hardships allegedly inflicted on his client.
"I'm instructed that in the house he was found in there were half-eaten tins of dog food," Mr Ward disclosed.
"That is what this man had been surviving on in that particular cannabis factory."
Granting bail for Tien to live in Belfast, His Honour Judge Lynch ordered him to surrender any travel documents and report to police.
He added: "It may be this applicant is as much sinned against as well as being a sinner."
The Attorney General has cleared the first stage in his bid to have a serving policeman punished for allegedly threatening to arrest one of Northern Ireland's most senior judges.
John Larkin QC was granted leave to bring prosecution proceedings against Thomas Anthony Carlin for contempt of court over his approach to Lord Justice Gillen.
With Mr Carlin facing possible imprisonment if found guilty, a full hearing of the case is expected to take place later this month.
The 43-year-old's alleged outburst came at the end of a ruling in a house repossession case in the High Court last month.
He had been representing himself in the legal battle with Santander bank over a property in Co Antrim.
At the end of the hearing he allegedly got up and moved towards the bench, claiming he was going to arrest Lord Justice Gillen.
Security and court staff intervened before he was led from the courtroom.
He was arrested on suspicion of two counts of common assault, but subsequently released without charge.
The Police Ombudsman was also notified.
Mr Carlin is alleged to have interrupted proceedings without justification, refused to resume his seat, approached the presiding judge, threatened to arrest him without lawful excuse and physically interfered with a court tipstaff.
He has rejected the offer of legal representation and, so far, declined to apologise for his actions.
At a previous hearing he turned up at court in full police uniform.
Mr Carlin was not present, however, when the Attorney General went before the High Court today to apply for the right to bring proceedings against him.
Mr Larkin has formed the view that his alleged actions constitute potential contempt which merit punishment if found guilty.
Granting leave to take the case, Mr Justice Horner indicated the case should be dealt with as soon as possible.
A man has been charged with being drunk and disorderly on an airplane and failing to obey the captain's command regarding the safety of the aircraft.
Jay Woolsey (25), of Brownstown Park, Portadown, is alleged to have committed the offences on November 27 last year.
He appeared at Antrim Magistrates Court on Tuesday to face six charges arising out of the incident.
As well as being charged with being drunk in an aircraft and behaving in a disorderly manner towards a member of the crew of the aircraft, he is also charged with failing to obey a lawful command which the commander of the aircraft gave for the purpose of securing the safety of the aircraft and of persons or property carried therein.
He is also charged with assaulting a man and woman and being disorderly in a public place, Belfast International Airport.
A police officer said he believed he could connect the accused to the charge.
The case was adjourned to February 9 for a plea to be entered and District Judge Alan White released the accused on his own bail of 300.
No further details were outlined.
Boarded up windows at Bairds Funeral Directors who carried out the funeral of Robert Black
The undertakers who handled the cremation of notorious child killer Robert Black have had their premises attacked.
Three windows were smashed at funeral directors Bairds of Antrim over the weekend.
It is believed the company was attacked because it agreed to handle the paedophile's funeral, at the request of the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
The prison authorities had struggled to find any local undertakers to handle the funeral arrangements after nobody came forward to claim the killer's remains.
On Saturday, the Belfast Telegraph exclusively revealed that a secret funeral for Black - whose victims included nine-year-old Ballinderry schoolgirl Jennifer Cardy - had taken place at Roselawn Crematorium.
The Presbyterian chaplain of Maghaberry Prison, Rev Rodney Cameron, carried out the six-minute service last Friday - 17 days after the Scottish inmate's death in the jail, aged 68. Black's ashes are currently with the chaplain, who will now dispose of them.
Given the sensitivities of the case, the Belfast Telegraph decided not to reveal the identity of the undertakers involved in the funeral. Despite this, the company's premises came under attack over the weekend.
A spokeswoman for Bairds told the Belfast Telegraph: "We can confirm that over the weekend some damage was caused to three windows at the front of the funeral home and we are currently liaising with the police on this matter."
The attack has been condemned and there have been calls for those behind it to be brought to justice.
It is understood the dead killer's body was taken directly from the mortuary to the crematorium in a service vehicle, not a ceremonial vehicle, and was not in the undertaker's care at any time.
The Belfast Telegraph has learned that the cost of Black's funeral was 1,000. Prison chiefs had been lambasted for their persistent refusal to say what was happening to Black's remains, and at what cost to the public purse.
The Prison Service finally confirmed the details yesterday. "His ashes have been entrusted with the Prison Chaplain at Maghaberry for discrete and appropriate disposal," a spokesman added.
"Funeral costs are estimated at 1,000, to include the cost of cremation and undertaker's fees."
Black was serving 12 life sentences for the kidnap and murder of four little girls when he died in jail on January 12.
Jennifer Cardy's family were not informed when or where Black's funeral was to take place, although they knew he had requested to be cremated after his death.
Last night, Jennifer's father Andy said his only feeling now is one of regret that Black never revealed the true extent of his crimes.
He added: "I'm just so sad that a man died without any repentance or ever admitting to what he had done, and has not given up all his secrets where he buried children.
"It's people like the Tates and Mary Boyle's parents and others who have not found the bodies of their children that I feel for now.
"We just want to try and get on with our lives now and keep striving forward."
Justice committee member Edwin Poots welcomed the fact the funeral costs were kept to a minimum, and condemned the attack on Bairds as "totally wrong".
"Jennifer Cardy's mother and father have spoken very clearly; this is what they want and we need to respect their views.
"The wider public also need to respect the Cardys; they are the people who suffered at the hands of this beast."
Mr Poots said Bairds was just doing its job. "Many people are asked to do jobs they don't want to do but nonetheless they have a role," he said.
"There should be no attacks on the undertakers. They must be free to carry out their business without fear of attack."
Ukip's David McNarry hit out at the attack, saying: "It's a disgrace and I would appeal to whoever did it to turn themselves into the police."
A female prison officer has been taken to hospital with scalding wounds after her and three colleagues were attacked in Maghaberry jail.
The Prison Service has launched an investigation into the incident which happened on Sunday.
It is believed that the officer had been helping to move a prisoner back to his cell when a fracas broke out.
The prisoner, refusing to return, allegedly lashed out at the four staff, scalding the female officer's leg with boiling water from a kettle in the struggle.
Her male colleagues received less serious injuries but are believed to be off sick from work as a result. The attack is being blamed on a staff shortage at the Lisburn jail which has been ongoing since 2008.
DUP Assembly member Edwin Poots said more needs to be done to recruit people to the Prison Service to prevent frustrations between staff and inmates.
He said: "There have been staff shortages at the prison for a while and it has been a big problem.
"Recruitment has been ongoing but so far the new officers are not in post yet.
"It can only be addressed by having more trained officers on the corridors and by addressing the officer/prisoner ratio.
"Staff shortages mean prisoners cannot have as much time out of their cells and I believe that is what happened in this incident."
He added: "I sympathise with the injured officers. HMP Maghaberry has been starved of personnel for two years, due to the lack of resource more is being asked of fewer staff and is leaving them stretched and vulnerable.
"It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or worse if this matter is not addressed as a matter of urgency."
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said: "In line with Prison Service policy, a full investigation will now be carried out."
The attack comes only weeks after the prison was blasted as failing in a report that documented the mounting tensions within the jail, citing staff absences as one of the problems.
Released in November 2015, the report highlighted that "prisoners were experiencing severe disruption to the daily regime, leading to many frustrations throughout the prison. This meant prisoners at Maghaberry spent very long periods locked in their cells, restricting access to showers, telephones, association and other everyday domestic tasks".
Shortages in staffing are so severe that it's often one prison officer per 80 inmates, meaning prisoners must remain in their cells for longer periods.
Nick Hardwick, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in England and Wales, was commissioned to assist the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland inspection team.
He said Maghaberry was "the most dangerous prison" he had ever seen. He found that the prison would struggle to meet UN minimum standards for prisons worldwide and said if the situation was not addressed a major risk of "serious disorder or loss of life" would remain.
Mr Hardwick said conditions at Maghaberry were akin to those of a Dickensian Victorian jail.
Sammy Wilson has ridiculed David Cameron's EU negotiations, saying even Del Boy would be embarrassed by his "dodgy deal".
Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the East Antrim MP said: These proposals do not meet the Prime Ministers promise to restore control over our own affairs to this parliament.
"To exercise any veto over unacceptable EU laws or put a brake on benefits to immigrants, we still need to go cap in hand to other European Parliaments or the EU Commission to seek their permission.
"This is a dodgy deal which even Del Boy would be embarrassed to be associated with.
David Cameron has said the package of proposed reforms to Britain's membership of the EU will allow the UK to be "better off, more secure, more prosperous" as a member of the 28-nation bloc, as he set the scene for an in/out referendum within a matter of months.
Mr Wilson's DUP colleague, Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds, also levelled criticism at the PM.
He said it is clear the Government is not asking for any more and appears satisfied with what Donald Tusk, the European Council President, has tabled.
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Despite the Government saying there is still work to do and there is an ongoing process it is now clear that it is not going to ask for any more.
"It seems prepared to settle for what one Tory MP has described as 'very thin gruel'."
Mr Dodds added: "When the Prime Minister comes to the Commons tomorrow after PMQs he will need to explain how this so called deal compares to the demands he set out just a few months ago.
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The Prime Minister said the proposals drafted by European Council president Donald Tusk were "something worth fighting for", and were good enough that he "sure would" back Britain joining the EU under these terms, if it was not already a member.
The changes - which offer an "emergency brake" on migrant welfare, protections for non-eurozone states and a legal-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 the European Council while allowing it to remain outside the euro and the Schengen border-free area.
The publication of the Tusk proposals kicks off an intensive period of negotiation with the other 27 EU states ahead of the crunch European Council summit on February 18-19, starting with a visit to Poland and Denmark by Mr Cameron on Friday.
Failure to win unanimous support from all 28 members would almost certainly prevent a referendum in June and may delay it until after the summer.
The devastation on the Shankill Road in the aftermath of the 1993 IRA bombing of Frizzells fish shop
A woman whose parents were killed in the Shankill bomb has appealed to the IRA to meet her and hand over the stolen document which allegedly shows that police could have prevented the atrocity.
Michelle Williamson said she was devastated by a newspaper report that the north Belfast IRA commander behind the attack had tipped off his Special Branch handlers about the bomb but they had failed to act.
The document alleging possible collusion is said to have been among files stolen by the Provisionals during the Castlereagh break-in. The Police Ombudsman is investigating the claims.
Ms Williamson, whose parents George and Gillian died in the 1993 blast, last night told the Belfast Telegraph: "These claims of collusion are driving me out of my mind. To think that my parents' lives could have been saved brings pain beyond belief.
"To wait years for the outcome of the Police Ombudsman's investigation would be unbearable. It is not fair for myself, or any of the victims, to have these allegations hanging over us for that length of time. So I am asking the IRA to meet me and hand over the document. They could put us all out of our misery now.
"I am prepared to go to Ardoyne, or wherever they want, to get answers. I will not be reporting them to the police, they can be absolutely assured everything will be confidential. I am not interested in prosecutions. I have long given up on the hope of justice. I just now want the truth."
Ms Williamson said she had been distraught when she saw the claims in the Irish News. "When I read the newspaper report, I ran into the bathroom and was physically sick," she said.
"I feel as if my head is going to explode. If this document is genuine and the IRA, or anyone who was in its ranks, wants to expose collusion, then I will help them do it.
"They have nothing to lose by meeting me and everything to gain. It would make their case against the authorities very powerful if they had a victim like me publicly pointing the finger at the security services as well. My only agenda in asking the IRA to meet me is that I am desperately seeking closure."
Ms Williamson also called for a public inquiry into the Shankill bombing. Last week, it was alleged that the IRA's north Belfast commander, an agent code-named 'AA', had passed on information to his handlers which potentially could have prevented the attack.
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It was claimed that the Provisionals discovered the agent's identity in files stolen during the 2002 Castlereagh break-in. A family member of one of the Shankill victims has lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman. Nine civilians, including two schoolgirls, plus Thomas Begley, one of the two IRA bombers, were killed in the blast.
Ms Williamson said she had instructed a solicitor to lodge a complaint with the Police Ombudsman. She said that other Shankill victims were doing the same.
Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister met some of the victims at Stormont yesterday. He said he has written to the Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, to ask if any of the information stolen in the Castlereagh break-in is capable of yielding allegations that the security forces had prior knowledge of the Shankill bombing.
"It is well within the malevolence and agenda of the republican movement to circulate misinformation. It is vital that the Secretary of State gives clarity on this matter and does so as quickly as possible," Mr Allister said.
Two people have died in a yachting accident near Cape Town
An Irish woman and a Scottish man have died after a yacht ran into trouble and crashed on the western coast of South Africa.
The man, understood to be George Mills, 61, was discovered at the scene of the accident, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.
A 66-year-old man from the Republic survived and managed to raise the alarm, and the South African Maritime Safety Authority is now investigating the incident.
Mr Mills is understood to have been a long-term member of the Royal Cape Yacht Club and owned the 47ft (14m) yacht Tara.
Marina manager Joshio Fisher said: "The owner has been a member for a long time. We have had the burgee, the club's flag, at half-mast.
"The club has got a very tight sailing community. Club members do make use of the restaurant and the bar facilities.
"This owner used to be quite well-known within the club.
"It's been quite a dramatic incident for the club."
He said the yacht had left the club's marina for Port Owen, further up the west coast, and then returned, making one stop, before hitting the rocks.
The NSRI received reports that a yacht had capsized between Bokpunt and Gansekraal on the Western Cape just after 4.30am on Monday.
Sea rescue crafts responded along with a police dive unit but the yacht was discovered broken up among rocks on the shore.
The NSRI said it was not known what had caused the yacht to hit the rocks and whether it had capsized before running aground.
A spokesman said there were three crew members on board, reportedly sailing from Langebaan to Cape Town.
Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is liaising with relatives of the Irish woman.
She had been living in the Western Cape for years.
"The department is aware of the death of an Irish citizen in the Western Cape and consular assistance is being provided," a spokesman said.
Picture posed by a model: people continued to be housed in the home despite claims of abuse
Some healthcare workers responsible for people with disabilities being kept in a foster home where rapes allegedly occurred are still employed by the state, it has been revealed.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) said three people with authority for a woman, known as Grace, being kept in the home in the south-east 14 years after admissions stopped had since left the public service.
But director general Tony O'Brien told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that other staff involved in her care are now working for Tusla: the Child and Family Agency, others are in the HSE, and he is powerless to discipline them while criminal investigations continue.
Five files have been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions over the scandal but no criminal charges ordered.
"What I am not going to do is give them a get out of jail free card by putting something into the public that everyone wants to read, that I have read, that is horrendous and if I put it out there one thing is for sure - no-one will be convicted, no-one will be disciplined," Mr O'Brien said.
"This is a terrible situation. I have no agenda of seeking to defend what went wrong but I do have an obligation of creating the conditions for justice to be done."
A commission of investigation into the scandal has been ordered by the Government.
The committee heard some of the people who lived in the foster care home suffered sexual abuse and rape, including with implements, physical abuse which led to some ending up hospital with bruising and at least one had no belongings or finances.
One of the alleged perpetrators is dead, the committee heard.
"This involves allegations of abuse and neglect of the most egregious nature," Mr O'Brien said.
John Deasy, PAC vice chairman, said: "It was probably some of the worst, or the worst examples of abuse that I'd ever come across."
Forty-three families received written apologies for having a relative placed in the home while another three people connected to the home on records could not be traced. Many of the former residents cannot speak.
Whistleblowers have revealed the woman known as Grace stayed in the facility until 2009 - 14 years after other foster children under the care of the then South East Health Board were removed amid concerns over the risk of abuse.
The HSE further compounded the controversy after it emerged the agency did not apologise to Grace and her family even though it told a parliamentary committee it had.
That did not happen in December 2015 when the HSE said it did, which Mr O'Brien apologised for and said was due to miscommunication and was unintentional.
The HSE also stands accused of "despicable" treatment of the whistleblowers over the last six years when they first raised concerns about the home.
The committee heard the Brothers Of Charity stopped sending people with disabilities to the foster home in 1990 amid concerns of abuse but the HSE continued its associations up until 2013 even though admissions stopped in 1995.
A second woman, identified only as Ann, who is now 35, was first placed in the home when she was 12 and she was one of nine private placements.
The committee heard she remained there until November 2013 on a part-time basis under a private arrangement her family had with the foster mother.
The HSE did not tell her relatives about the allegations of sex abuse.
Mr O'Brien claimed gardai were responsible for explaining the dangers to the family.
Mr Deasy said: "It's morally disgraceful. That's the issue that is at the centre of all this."
Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein deputy leader, said: "The onus was left on the family to make the call.
"That's a derogation of your duty. Irrespective of what the family thought, there was a responsibility on the state."
Mr O'Brien said he had concerns about similar historical cases in other parts of the country but that the HSE did not have any live lines of inquiry about abuse in other state run care homes.
"Only a fool, a complete fool, would sit here and say to you that there can be no concerns that similar things happened in the past in other parts of the country," he said.
The PAC sought details on how much money would have been paid to the foster mother for taking in the 47 people but the HSE did not have the figures.
John McGuinness, PAC chairman, said he had been told the foster mother in the home would have earned 70,000 euro (53,000) in disability allowances for Grace.
He also claimed that when the woman was moved to new care in 2009 she had no belongings, no documentation and no money.
During at times heated exchanges between the politicians and HSE officials, the HSE was accused of stonewalling after Mr O'Brien repeatedly warned gardai had advised that details of two internal reports on abuse at the home - the Devine and Resilience reports - could not be revealed.
But he admitted liability on behalf of the HSE.
"Where harm has occurred... as I see it there is no conceivable defence. There's no corporate interest in seeking to defend," Mr O'Brien said.
In his final day in the PAC chair, Mr McGuinness called for new whistleblower laws to be made more powerful.
"I think it's proven that it now needs to be strengthened as the whistleblower more often than not ends up in the iron mask, silenced in an office with no work and the culture that allows that to happen needs to be rooted out," he said.
Announcing the inquiry Taoiseach Enda Kenny said words do not exist to adequately describe the revulsion felt at the alleged abuse and failure.
"Grace, because of her condition, was silent. But by her treatment and her abandonment she was silenced," he said.
"Those who left her to her fate, pressed the mute button on her young life and appalling experience.
"Above all, they pressed that mute button on her dignity, her humanity, on her civil and human rights, on her innate worth as an innocent, precious, fragile life on this earth."
Mr Kenny said good foster parents are heartbroken over the scandal.
"I believe there is a resonance, that the last days of this administration should concern itself with such matters," he said.
"Because they are the very matters, of doing not what is correct, but as I said in my first day here as Taoiseach, of doing what is right.
"With this commission we will seek to do right by Grace, and all the young people and adults, who have been similarly treated."
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".
Google reported an 18% increase in revenue over the last year, as well as profits of more than 3 billion
Google owner Alphabet has knocked fellow US tech giant Apple off its top spot to become the world's most valuable public company.
Alphabet posted a fourth-quarter profit of 4.9 billion US dollars (3.4 billion) on Monday, up from 4.7 billion US dollars (3.3 billion) a year ago.
The announcement sent its share price up as much as 9% in after-hours trading on Monday night.
It means Alphabet's market value stood at 555 billion US dollars (386 billion), compared with Apple which is valued at 533 billion US dollars (371 billion).
Though Apple reported record profits in its own financial results last week, the California-based firm predicted iPhone sales would decline for the first time in the device's history in the next quarter.
Google reorganised itself under Alphabet last October, and this set of results is the first time the group split itself out into its two major divisions.
Google holds its lucrative businesses such as digital ad sales, search engine and YouTube.
The rest of Alphabet is made up of the group's more experimental ventures such as self-driving cars and internet balloon programmes.
On an annual basis Alphabet's other businesses, which it labels Other Bets business, lost 3.6 billion US dollars (2.5 billion) during the period.
Google's finance chief Ruth Porat hailed the "vibrancy of the business" during the announcement, with video-sharing site YouTube, as well as the widely used Google search engine, named as the core of the company's growth.
However, the continued rise of search and advertising could be down to rival Apple, one analyst has argued, suggesting that as more mobile users move to its iOS platform over Google's Android, Google actually benefits.
Richard Windsor, analyst for Edison Investment Research, said: "The greater usability of the iOS user experience when compared to that of Android means that an iOS device generates around double the traffic of an Android device at the same price point.
"Consequently, there is far more opportunity in iOS to target users with marketing, resulting in meaningfully higher revenues.
"Edison estimates that Google's revenue per user on iOS is more than double that on Android. Consequently, when the user shifts from Android to iOS, Google benefits in the short term."
Google is currently at the centre of a tax row in the UK after it agreed to pay 130 million in back-taxes that stretch back to 2005. The agreement was seen by some as too lenient for the internet giant.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid, in an interview with the BBC, said the settlement "wasn't a glorious moment".
The company will also give evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on countering extremism on Tuesday alongside social network Facebook, which last week posted its own financial results, which included a revenue rise of more than 40% to 12.5 billion.
A person is 10 times more likely to be shot dead in the United States than in other high-income countries
A person is 10 times more likely to be shot dead in the US than in 22 other high-income countries, a study has found.
Gun homicide rates were 25 times higher in the US, the research showed.
While overall suicide rates were similar throughout the developed world, Americans were eight times more likely to use a gun to kill themselves.
The evidence, published in The American Journal of Medicine, is based on data gathered by the World Health Organisation in 2010.
Investigators found that the US had similar levels of non-lethal crime, but experienced far more fatal violence than other high-income countries, mostly due to guns.
Compared with the rest of the developed world, people in the US were seven times more likely to be violently killed, 25 times more likely to be a victim of gun homicide, eight times more likely to commit suicide with a gun, and 10 times more likely to suffer a firearm-related death overall.
Homicide - murder or manslaughter - was the second leading cause of death for young Americans aged 15 to 24, and the third leading cause of death among 25 to 34-year-olds.
US citizens in the younger age bracket were 49 times more likely to die from a homicidal act involving a gun than their counterparts in other high-income countries.
Professor David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Centre and one of the research authors, said: "Differences in overall suicide rates across cities, states, and regions in the United States are best explained not by differences in mental health, suicide ideation, or even suicide attempts, but by availability of firearms.
"Many suicides are impulsive, and the urge to die fades away. Firearms are a swift and lethal method of suicide with a high case-fatality rate."
The investigators found that despite having only half the population of the other 22 high-income nations combined, the US accounted for 82% of total firearm deaths.
"Overall, our results show that the US, which has the most firearms per capita in the world, suffers disproportionately from firearms compared with other high-income countries," said co-author Dr Erin Grinshteyn, from the University of Nevada-Reno.
"These results are consistent with the hypothesis that our firearms are killing us rather than protecting us."
Jeff Anderson on stage as Jesus with Karen Hawthorne as Mary Magdalene and David Latham as Judas
A Co Down musical and reality show star has appeared in court charged with a raft of child sex and voyeurism offences.
Jeff Anderson (25) first found fame taking part in Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC talent show Jesus Christ Superstar.
As the show's youngest contestant, he earned himself the nickname "Baby Jesus".
While he didn't win the part of Jesus, he went on to be chosen as the understudy and toured the UK with the production.
He appeared on TV screens again in 2014 when he took part in BBC singing show The Voice - although he failed to impress judges and didn't make it past the audition stage.
Yesterday, Anderson, of Crawfordsburn Road, Newtownards, appeared at a sitting of Downpatrick Magistrates' Court to face 16 charges.
The court heard that charges were brought against him after an investigation from police lasting more than two years.
Anderson is charged with theft, specifically stealing photographs in 2011, three counts of possessing an indecent image of a child in 2013, two counts of indecent assault on children on dates between 2005 and 2007, and 10 counts of voyeurism on various dates between August 2005 and August 2013.
Anderson's solicitor, Paul Dougan, applied for a bail variation to allow his client to travel outside the jurisdiction to the Republic for work from February 1 to February 21.
A police officer told the court: "If he was to leave the UK, it's a lot harder to bring him back. We would prefer him to stay within the UK."
But Mr Dougan said the police investigation had been ongoing for more than two years and, during that time, when questioned voluntarily, Anderson has always travelled back to Northern Ireland from various places.
"Because of the work that he was doing, he's trying to secure employment in different forms and areas," he said.
The bail variation was granted.
Anderson was banned from owning any device capable of recording, excluding a mobile phone.
He was also told not to apply for a passport after surrendering his to police on January 7 and not to contact any witnesses involved with the case.
The district judge told Anderson: "You don't need me to tell you that failure to return to this jurisdiction will result in a European arrest warrant."
Anderson was released on his own bail of 750 to appear again at Newtownards court in March.
Outside the court, he made no comment and was taken away in a waiting Jaguar car.
Syrian refugee students attend an open house at Zarqa University in Zarqa, Jordan, as King Abdullah warned the 'dam is going to burst' in his country (AP)
Jordan has warned it cannot continue to take in Syrian refugees unless it is given significant extra support, as international figures prepare to gather in London for talks on the crisis.
King Abdullah said the "dam is going to burst" in his country, which is straining to cope with the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have crossed its borders seeking sanctuary.
Jordanians are reaching "boiling point" as schools, hospitals and others services come under strain, he warned.
He told the BBC: " Whenever the international community has asked for Jordan to fight the good fight alongside our colleagues all over the international community, we have never said no.
"We are now asking for your help, y ou can't say no this time around to us," he added.
Prime Minister David Cameron has held talks twice in recent weeks with Queen Rania of Jordan over action to ease the plight of refugees fleeing Syria.
International figures will meet in London for the Supporting Syrian conference on Thursday to agree extra funding to tackle the humanitarian crisis.
King Abdullah added: "The psyche of the Jordanian people, I think it's gotten to a boiling point.
"Jordanians are suffering from trying to find jobs, the pressure on infrastructure for the government. It hurt us when it comes to the educational system, our healthcare, Jordanians just trying to get along with their lives.
"Sooner or later, I think the dam is going to burst and I think this week is going to be very important for Jordanians to see, is there going to be help - not only for Syrian refugees, but for their own future as well."
Mr Cameron spoke to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim, and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Monday night to discuss preparations for the conference, Downing Street said.
"Both the Emir and Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, agreed with the Prime Minister that it was very important that the international community were generous in their pledges to the Supporting Syria conference, to be held in London later this week," a No 10 spokesman said.
George Osborne has warned against demands to shake-up the way multinational firms are taxed following the row over the 130 million deal with Google.
The Chancellor insisted strengthening the existing corporation tax system based on profits was better than moving to a levy on turnover.
Mr Osborne has come under pressure following the internet giant's agreement with HM Revenue and Customs covering 10 years of back taxes.
The Chancellor was challenged about the Google settlement while answering questions at a FSB conference in London, where he was told that corporate giants should be made to play by the "same rules" as smaller firms.
Mr Osborne said: "There is a challenge, which is the tax laws used to tax multinational corporations were devised in the 1920s and they didn't keep pace with not just the growth of the global economy and all the trade that has happened since then, but also the growth of the internet.
"We have been trying to get international agreement to change those laws and that international agreement is coming - only last week we got 30 other countries, the rich countries of the world, to sign up to an agreement to exchange information on the tax affairs of companies, so we know what each other are up to as tax authorities and we are seeking to get a change so that they also publish that information so there is transparency."
Critics of the Google deal have claimed that the amount the firm has agreed to pay 3% tax on its profits from UK sales, but the corporation tax system is based on profits from "economic activity" rather than sales.
Mr Osborne said: "I have heard lots of proposals about getting rid of corporation tax altogether and raising a turnover tax.
"I would just enter this note of caution: that means a business that has made no money in a particular year, it maybe in a recession or a company that has lost a big order - they would be being hit with a tax bill.
"So I think before we rush to some other solution I would try and make corporation tax work, which is a tax on profits.
"And in particular - and this is where all the anger has come - make sure we are taxing the genuine economic activity that happens in this country.
"That's always a challenge, because if you make a car in Britain and sell it in another country, how much of the profit is because it was well sold in the sale room and how much of the profit is because it was built in Britain, the designers were in Britain and so on.
"This is not an easy issue to deal with but clearly the internet has made it much more challenging."
Mr Osborne said his "diverted profits tax" was designed to address the issues posed by multinational firms.
"This new rule means that if we can show real economic activity happening in this country it should be taxed in this country, rather than passed off to some other country in the world.
"In the end, for me, the real solution to the problem is this: many of the companies you are talking about and have been in the press are American companies. We need more of these British companies, we need British companies growing and succeeding on the internet."
Mr Osborne's comments came as Google owner Alphabet knocked fellow US tech giant Apple off its top spot to become the world's most valuable public company.
Alphabet posted a fourth-quarter profit of 4.9 billion US dollars (3.4 billion) on Monday, up from 4.7 billion US dollars (3.3bn) a year ago.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: "When Google is seeing its UK revenue rise to 1.9bn US dollars (1.3bn) in one quarter alone, to then pay a potential single digit tax rate just seems like a slap in the face to taxpayers, and it only seems like a lack of ambition from a Chancellor when he describes it as major victory'.
"It's time that George Osborne got a grip of this situation as it's becoming a daily occurrence that we read yet another multinational are not paying their fair share in tax meaning other taxpayers have to shoulder the burden.
"George Osborne should use the EU negotiations not to cut the pay of people on low incomes but to get a deal at EU level on tax so that we are getting the tax status of these big multinationals under control."
Stuart Hinton is alleged to have given a misleading account of a meeting with Andrew Mitchell
A police officer accused of giving a misleading account of a "Plebgate" meeting praised MP Andrew Mitchell for his "candour" before telling the media the politician had been evasive, a tribunal has heard.
Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and two other Police Federation representatives met the Tory MP at his constituency offices in October 2012, three weeks after Mr Mitchell was involved in a high-profile incident with Met Police officers in Downing Street.
Following the meeting, serving Warwickshire Police officer Mr Hinton made comments about what was said at that meeting in an interview on BBC Radio Five Live on October 13, which it is alleged were misleading.
A misconduct panel has been convened at the force headquarters to hear an allegation that the officer breached the force's professional standards of honesty, integrity and conduct.
Mr Hinton, who was secretary of the local Federation branch at the time, denies any wrong-doing.
A recording of the meeting with the Sutton Coldfield MP played to the tribunal heard that Mr Mitchell had opened the meeting with an apology saying he was "profoundly, deeply sorry".
Mr Hinton then asked him for his account of what he had said to officers at the gates of Downing Street.
The MP replied: "I did not say - and I give you my word - I did not call an officer a f****** pleb, and that you should know your f****** place."
Mr Mitchell also said: "I complied with the officer and picked up my bicycle and, you know, but I did say, you know, under my breath but audibly - in frustration, 'I thought you lot were supposed to f****** help us' - I did say that and it is for that I apologise."
Opening the case today, presenting officer Aaron Rathmell said that the next day, Mr Hinton appeared on BBC radio and commented: "He (Mr Mitchell) still won't say exactly what he did say, which suggests that the officer's account is more likely to be the accurate one."
During the interview he also backed a call for the then chief whip Mr Mitchell to resign.
Mr Rathmell said the police officer made these comments despite the MP giving what he described as a "positive" account of his exchange with Met officers on September 19 2012.
It was Mr Rathmell's case that Mr Hinton had seemed satisfied with the answers he heard in the meeting, telling Mr Mitchell: "I appreciate your candour," later telling him: "Everybody can have a bad day."
Mr Rathmell said: "The key controversy in this case surrounds exercising of judgment as to whether Sgt Hinton gave a misleading account regarding the meeting with Mr Mitchell, rather than facts or witnesses' statements being in dispute."
At the time, the Police Federation representatives were preparing to launch a campaign against Government budget cuts to policing.
The panel heard that before seeing the MP, Mr Hinton and his colleagues Inspector Ken Mackaill, of West Mercia, and Sgt Chris Jones, of West Midlands Police, were advised by their media strategist to use the meeting as "a springboard" for that campaign.
If the case is found to amount to gross misconduct, Mr Hinton could be sacked.
The hearing at Leek Wootton, near Warwick, which has been scheduled for up to three days, continues.
A judge ruled in 2014 that the MP probably did call Met officer PC Toby Rowland a "pleb" after the politician was stopped from riding his bicycle through the vehicle gate in Downing Street.
More than a third of those coming into policing have a degree or post-graduate qualification
New police recruits could be fast-tracked from university into specialist roles in an overhaul of routes into the service.
Most would-be officers will be expected to complete a police degree under a proposed shake-up set out by the professional body for policing.
The planned model raises the prospect of forces moving graduates quickly into in-demand areas such as child abuse or cyber crime rather than spending long periods cutting their teeth on the beat after they join.
Candidates would gain experience of policing on the streets during practical placements as part of the new degree course, while they could also develop knowledge of specific areas by taking specialist modules during their studies.
Launching a consultation on the plans, College of Policing chief executive Alex Marshall said: " The fact that it's a practical police degree means they will have already spent a lot of time on the street in uniform with experienced officers working in local communities.
"This will allow police forces to work out what they need particularly in terms of specialisms and will allow a different make-up of the workforce and people to move much more quickly into those specialist roles."
Policing has changed a lot in recent years, he said, citing an increase in online crime and public protection work.
He added: " I have a lot of sympathy with people who ... may well say, 'well, I didn't need it when I joined, so why do they need it now?'.
"That's a view I expect we will hear in the consultation but anyone who has a good look at how police work has changed and is changing and the new skills we need I think will appreciate the reasons behind it."
Those who gain a professional degree in policing will have to fund their studies themselves in the new regime, which could yield "substantial" savings for forces.
Currently the cost of training an applicant after they are accepted is met by the taxpayer.
Bursaries, scholarships and loans could be used to help those unable to fund the costs of the course.
The college conceded that those who complete the degree course will not be guaranteed a job and will have to go through normal recruitment processes.
More than a third (38%) of those coming into policing currently have a degree or post-graduate qualification but t here is no set education level nationally for any role or rank.
The college said the inconsistency "risks undermining the professionalism" of the service and called for a nationwide "qualifications framework".
Existing officers and staff would have the option of gaining accredited qualifications for the skills they have already mastered, while three new entry routes for constables would be created: an undergraduate policing degree, a conversion programme for graduates in other subjects, and a higher-level apprenticeship combining on-the-job training with studying for a qualification.
Mr Marshall said: "We know there have been concerns about academic qualifications putting off potential applicants which is why we are proposing a higher level apprenticeship where new recruits can earn while training and gaining their degree-level qualification.
"There is evidence that the status of professions can be important to people from minority ethnic backgrounds so this may attract higher numbers of people from some under-represented groups."
Graduate-level entry to policing is unlikely to be introduced before September 2019.
The Police Federation of England and Wales backed accredited qualifications for existing officers and the idea of a standardised training framework.
Chairman Steve White said: "However, we are concerned by the implication that would-be police officers might be put off joining the service because they are unable to pay the upfront costs of training.
"What would be next - fighter pilots in the RAF having to pay for their flight training?
"There is a real danger of marginalising and excluding good quality candidates from all communities by limiting the pool of potential candidates."
He added: "We have serious concerns around the idea of direct entry to specialist positions - for instance, superintendent level - because a degree is not an indication that someone will make a good police officer.
"Policing is a complex business that requires on-the-ground knowledge.
"The bedrock of the tradition of British policing is the omnicompetent officer - around the world the standard of British policing is held up as great, and we do not want to see that diluted."
The mother of a teenager murdered in a racially motivated axe attack has said her family feel "deeply betrayed" by a High Court judge's recommendation that the sentence of one of his killers be reduced.
The judge recommended one year off Michael Barton's 18-year tariff after hearing of his transformation from "racist thug" to a "sensible realistic young man" who had raised money for charity.
The tariff is the minimum term before Barton can be considered for release from prison. He was found guilty in November 2005 of the murder of "blameless young black man" Anthony Walker, 18, who was found with an ice axe in his head after being ambushed by Barton, then 17, and co-defendant Paul Taylor.
Condemning the outcome, Mr Walker's mother, college lecturer Gee Walker, said her family felt "deeply betrayed," and "disappointed".
She said: "We put our trust in the judges, in the law, and then they go and do this. It's just wrong. I will have to live with it, but what about the people who have not got a faith like me? Where does it leave them?
"This sends completely the wrong message to criminals. It tells them that if they pretend to be good they will win.
"I don't believe what he has done in prison is anything more than pretence. I believe he is playing a game and he sees that he is winning by doing that.
"This decision to cut his minimum sentence does not make any sense and it dishonours Anthony's memory.
"They promised me and my family that Barton would serve a minimum of 18 years. It is not fair to make a promise like that and then come back and say they have changed their mind.
"A promise is meant to be a promise and judges should not break a solemn promise that was made to us. We have to live this ordeal for the rest of lives. It is utterly wrong."
Barton, now 27, from Huyton, Merseyside, was sentenced on December 1 2005 to detention for a minimum term of 18 years. The trial judge Mr Justice Leveson said he was satisfied the crime was racially motivated.
Barton denied the killing at the time, but has since accepted his role in the offence. Taylor, then 20, who struck the fatal blow at McGoldrick Park in Huyton on July 29 2005, admitted the crime.
The trial judge described the attack as "racist thuggery of a type that is poisonous to any civilised society".
On Tuesday, Mr Justice Mitting - sitting in London - recommended Justice Secretary Michael Gove to reduce Barton's tariff by one year to 17 years, less four months spent on remand.
The judge said the progress made by Barton, whose brother is former Manchester City star Joey Barton, had been exceptional.
A blunt summary of a post sentence evaluation was that Barton, was "a racist thug". Although he denied holding racist views, the authors of a youth offending service report were rightly convinced that he held them, said the judge.
He had also fed his appetite for cannabis and other drugs by robbery, burglary and drug dealing as part of a gang - "violence was routinely deployed by him and other gang members".
But there had been a remarkable transformation of his outlook and conduct when he entered the adult prison system, and his offender supervisor Julie Hill had said she would not hesitate to urge consideration of a tariff reduction.
The judge said Barton now understood "the devastating and irreplaceable loss which he has caused his victim's family". This demonstrated the many offender courses he had undertaken had worked.
The risk of him re-offending had been reduced from high to low and he had undertaken cookery, cleaning and business development courses. He planned to set up in business in the catering industry if, and when, released.
For many years he enjoyed enhanced status in the prison system and was a trusted mentor.
Ms Hill, who took over as his offender supervisor in May 2014, had stated "she would not hesitate" to urge a consideration of a reduction in his tariff.
The judge ruled: "His transformation from a racist thug into the sensible realistic young man described by Ms Hill satisfies the high threshold for a reduction in the minimum term imposed by a sentencing judge on a young offender."
Members of the Walker family, including Anthony's sister Donna, were in court to hear the decision and fear it could pave the way for Barton to make an application for early parole.
The scene where a tacht ran into trouble and was found crashed into rocks on the western coast of South Africa (National Sea Rescue Institute South Africa/PA)
A Scottish man and an Irish woman have died after a yacht ran into trouble off the western coast of South Africa.
The man, understood to be George Mills, 61, was discovered at the scene of the accident, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.
A 66-year-old man from the Republic of Ireland survived and managed to raise the alarm, and the South African Maritime Safety Authority is now investigating the incident.
Mr Mills is understood to have been a long-term member of the Royal Cape Yacht Club and owned the 47ft (14m) yacht Tara.
Marina manager Joshio Fisher said: "The owner has been a member for a long time. We have had the burgee, the club's flag, at half-mast.
"The club has got a very tight sailing community. Club members do make use of the restaurant and the bar facilities.
"This owner used to be quite well-known within the club.
"It's been quite a dramatic incident for the club."
He said the yacht had left the club's marina for Port Owen, further up the west coast, and then returned, making one stop, before hitting the rocks.
The NSRI received reports that a yacht had capsized between Bokpunt and Gansekraal on the Western Cape just after 4.30am on Monday.
Sea rescue crafts responded along with a police dive unit but the yacht was discovered broken up among rocks on the shore.
The NSRI said it was not known what had caused the yacht to hit the rocks and whether it had capsized before running aground.
A spokesman said there were three crew members on board, reportedly sailing from Langebaan to Cape Town.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are liaising with local authorities and providing support to the family of a British national who has sadly died in Cape Town, South Africa."
Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs also confirmed it is liaising with relatives of the Irish woman.
She had been living in the Western Cape for years.
"The department is aware of the death of an Irish citizen in the Western Cape and consular assistance is being provided," a spokesman said.
Scottish Power said the cut in bills Scottish Power would benefit more than one million customers
Scottish Power has announced it is to cut its standard domestic gas prices by an average of 5.4% from mid-March, the third supplier to announce such a drop in two weeks.
Scottish Power said the reduction, effective from March 15, would benefit more than one million customers and reduce the average annual standard gas bill by 32.
It follows SSE announcing on January 28 that it will lower standard gas tariffs by 5.3%, also saving household gas customers on average 32 a year, and E.ON saying on January 20 that it will lower gas prices by 5.1% from February 1.
Neil Clitheroe, Scottish Power's chief executive of retail and generation, said: "Over the past year, we have tried to always offer our customers competitively priced dual fuel tariffs.
"This has encouraged more of our customers to switch between tariffs with now close to one in two on fixed price products. This is one of the highest proportions of fixed price customers of the major suppliers."
The cuts come as the industry faces a backlash amid calls for cuts to be faster and deeper.
Consumer groups have said households are not seeing the full benefits of recent steep falls in wholesale energy prices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the energy market since last summer.
An early report by the CMA last February found that the large companies were overcharging loyal customers who did not switch suppliers by up to 234 a year.
Ofgem's senior partner for consumers and competition, Rachel Fletcher, said: "This is a movement in the right direction for loyal customers, but the size of today's price cut is dwarfed by the savings available by switching from a standard tariff to a fixed deal.
"You could save more money - up to 300 - faster by switching. It's easy to shop around and impartial advice and links to Ofgem-approved price comparison sites are available from www.goenergyshopping.co.uk."
Ann Robinson, uSwitch.com director of consumer policy, said: "ScottishPower is doing the right thing with a price cut but, yet again, it falls well short of what customers have a right to expect.
"This is yet another demonstration that the energy market is broken. In a healthy, competitive market, drops in wholesale prices - which make up around half of bills - would be passed on. We should be seeing reductions of at least 10% on standard gas and electricity tariffs.
"Instead of waiting around for token-gesture price cuts, Big Six standard plan customers should do their own price cut by switching to a cheaper fixed deal, saving more than 320 a year."
Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said energy companies are " finally waking up to calls to cut high bills".
She said: "It's encouraging Scottish Power has become the third Big Six company to cut its gas bills. But customers will have to wait until March to feel the benefit.
"All customers should be feeling the benefits of plummeting wholesale costs so other suppliers must now follow and reduce their prices too.
"More could still be done to help consumers and we urge all firms to cut deeper and faster."
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said: "I am putting bill-payers first and am absolutely clear that energy companies must do the same by passing on savings to them. Scottish Power has taken a step in the right direction but the Big Six need to up their game to compete with the other 30 suppliers now available thanks to Government action.
"By helping more and more suppliers enter the market, Government is ensuring that hardworking families and businesses don't have to get stuck on expensive deals. We are also making it easier and quicker to switch, rolling out smart meters to every home and business, and will continue to increase competition in the energy market."
The watchdog said the CPS performance when it came to how sex attack victims were dealt with must improve (picture posed by model)
Rape and sex assault victims are being let down in as many as one in three cases, a study by the prosecution watchdog suggests.
Inspectors found specialist CPS units had insufficient resources and staff and warned the level of care provided to complainants is "falling well short of what is expected".
A review of 85 applicable cases by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) found that 53 - less than two in three - were dealt with by a rape specialist.
Victims also faced staffing changes, with "continuity of prosecutor" in just 44 of 72 relevant cases.
Of a total of 90 files examined, it appeared that they were dealt with in a dedicated unit in only 42 cases, with a further eight where the situation was unknown.
There was compliance with all relevant victim policies in 66.7% of cases.
HMCPSI said that since Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (Rasso) Units were rolled out in CPS areas in England and Wales in 2013, different models have developed in each area - leading to a lack of consistency and limited compliance with minimum standards.
Chief Inspector Kevin McGinty said: "While I acknowledge that considerable work has been undertaken by the CPS to prioritise improvement in rape prosecution outcomes, and that work continues, our inspection showed that the level of care being provided to victims in these sorts of cases is currently falling well short of what is expected.
"It is essential that the CPS makes sure that the minimum standards required for these units are met more consistently to ensure they provide a better service to victims and witnesses in these sensitive cases.
"The level of performance must improve."
Feedback from police, counsel and the judiciary suggested that because workloads exceed units' capacity, it is difficult to achieve "quality casework", the report said.
It went on: "In addition, it was felt that there is considerable pressure on the CPS to improve on success rates and to prosecute more cases, which may lead to some cases being pursued even though there is little chance of obtaining a conviction after a trial.
"Further, that decisions on cases are rushed to achieve timeliness targets and then subsequently dropped when more thought is given to the detail of the case."
HMCPSI made a number of recommendations for improvement, including that CPS Headquarters provides detailed guidance of the recommended national model to be deployed locally and that all Rasso lawyers undergo refresher training.
The report acknowledged that the service was undertaking its own internal review of its Rasso units, which did not fall within the inspection timeframe.
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: " The CPS has already made considerable progress since this inspection was carried out," she said.
"Most of the recommendations within this report had already been identified by the CPS and were being addressed before the report was published.
"However, there is always more that we can do.
"The CPS has taken a leading role in the criminal justice system's response to rape, reversing a fall in the volume of rape referrals identified in 2012/13."
She said dedicated teams now handle all specialist rape and sexual offence cases, adding: " The CPS saw the highest ever numbers of these cases last year, with the highest ever volumes of charges, prosecutions and convictions."
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.
Talks are being held to head off a strike by London Underground workers
Crucial talks are being held today in a bid to avert a planned 48 hour strike by London Underground workers.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are due to walk out from 9pm on Saturday, February 6, in a dispute over ticket office closures, jobs and rosters.
The union said if talks with the company fail, the row will be referred to the conciliation service Acas.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "The union demands to LUL on its Fit for the Future Stations programme are simple - no imposed rosters, no short notice duty changes and no imposition of new framework agreements.
"RMT will be attending the talks but with the clock ticking we are making it crystal clear that if there's any dragging of heels we will be calling for an immediate reference to Acas.
"With surging Tube demand, and against a background of chronic overcrowding, the union cannot and will not sit back while safety-critical jobs, that are the eye and ears of the service, are ripped away from our stations."
The dispute is separate from one which has delayed the start of an all night Tube service.
From left, Hermione Cornfield, Ellie Bamber, Suki Waterhouse, Millie Brady and Bella Heathcoate attend the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies European premiere in Leicester Square, London
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" but did not think it would fit in with character of the pompous cleric Mr Collins.
Smith also said he liked the 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."
The 'unprecedented epidemic' could be leading to thousands of babies being born with birth defects
Australian health officials have confirmed two cases of Zika virus in passengers who had flown back to Sydney from the Caribbean.
The news comes hours after the World Health Organization's declaration of a "public health emergency of international concern".
The New South Wales Health department said the virus did not, however, pose a serious threat to Australia.
Dr Vicky Sheppeard Director of Communicable Diseases told Sydney Morning Herald: "It is very unlikely that Zika virus established local transmission in NSW as the mosquitoes that spread the infection are not established here - although they are found in some parts of north Queensland."
WHO officials have predicted as many as four million people could be infected with the virus this year.
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.
Zika has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil.
Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis.
Pregnant women are being advised to delay travelling to regions with a Zika outbreak, and Public Health England said men in the UK should wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the 23 countries affected by Zika.
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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 found no public health justification for restrictions on travel or trade to prevent the threat of Zika virus," said Dr Chan.
"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."
Since the start of the outbreak last year, five UK travellers have been diagnosed with the Zika virus.
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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.
In the UK, the 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 advised that any patients who suffer from a severe, chronic medical condition, or have medical conditions that weaken the immune system, should seek advice from health workers before travelling.
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.
PHE said the risk of transmission of the virus through sex was very low but condoms should be used as a precaution.
At present, there are no vaccines, specific treatments or rapid diagnostic tests for the virus.
Staff and volunteers of the Hillary Clinton Burlington, Iowa campaign field office cheer as Hillary Clinton speaks on the television at the Boogaloo Cafe on February 1, 2016 in Burlington, Iowa. Ted Cruz felled long-time Republican frontrunner Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton was battled into a virtual tie with rival Bernie Sanders, as Iowans held the inaugural vote of the 2016 White House race. / AFP / Michael B. ThomasMICHAEL B. THOMAS/AFP/Getty Images
A coin toss was used to decide whether Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders won at six precincts in the Iowa caucus.
Ms Clinton won all six coin tosses in Newton, Ames, West Branch and Davenport, as well as two precints in Des Moines, the Des Moines Register reported.
Under Iowa's Democratic caucus guide, ties between two or more candidates can be determined by a coin toss.
The guide states: "Note: In a case where two or more preference groups are tied for the loss of a delegate, a coin shall be tossed to determine who loses the delegate."
As the Des Moines Register explains, precinct 2-4 in Ames held a coin toss because the preference group counts left one delegate unassigned.
Unable to account for the orphan deligate, the Sanders campaign challenged the results and precinct leaders called a Democratic Party helpline for advice.
Party officials recommended they settle the dispute with a coin toss.
Politics website FiveThirtyEight points out a delegate awarded a coin toss is only for a county and does not carry the greater importance of a statewide delegate.
Speaking after the caucuses, Bernie Sanders said he and Ms Clinton were "in a virtual tie".
Independent
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)
The results of the Democratic Partys Iowa Caucus may have been a virtual tie but there was a clear winner in the contest among young people.
Bernie Sanders, the self-described democratic socialist senator from Vermont who has surprised pundits by giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money, swept the board in younger demographics.
According to figures published by the USs New York Times newspaper, Mr Sanders won 84 per cent of the vote of people aged between 17 and 29 a huge landslide.
Mr Sanderss political programme has focused on fixing Americas broken healthcare system and replacing it with a public, free-at-the-point-of-use system similar to the NHS.
He also supports a significant rise in the minimum wage the US equivalent of a living wage and scrapping tuition fees at public universities.
With the very last votes being counted in the poll it appears that Hillary Clinton very narrowly won the overall electorate with 49.9 per cent, with Mr Sanders close behind on 49.6 per cent.
Mr Sanders campaign has wrong-footed seasoned Washington DC observers and he has been credited with forcing Ms Clinton to swing leftwards and focus more on issues of social justice and equality.
With a lack of other credible candidates Martin OMalley has struggled to even poll single figures the narrative of the race for the Democratic nomination has been polarised between Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders.
The senator also did well amongst voters making less than $50,000 a year and amongst voters who described themselves as very liberal, the NYT reports.
Voters aged 17 were polled because people aged 17 are allowed to vote in primary elections in Iowa if they are set to be aged 18 when the presidential election occurs.
The Iowa Caucuses are the first of 50 local state contests to decide who becomes the Democratic and Republican nominee for president/
The other contests, most of which are conventional primary elections, will be held over the next few months.
In the Republican contenst, held concurrently with the Democratic one, Texas Senator Ted Cruz pulled off a surprise victory, beating frontrunner billionaire Donald Trump into second place. Congressman Marco Rubio also outperformed expectations.
The winners of the two primary seasons will go head-to-head in the US presidential election on 6 November: candidates from other parties are rarely given the time of day.
Independent
The Nigerian separatists are demanding the release of detained leader Nnamdi Kanu
Nigerian separatists have hijacked a merchant ship and threatened to blow it up with its foreign crew if authorities do not release a detained leader agitating for a breakaway state of Biafra.
Nigerian defence spokesman Major General Rabe Abubakar said the hijacking occurred on Friday. Other officers say the navy is in pursuit.
There are indications the separatists in the south-east are working with some Niger Delta oil militants in southern Nigeria, escalating conflict in a country already burdened by a deadly north-eastern uprising by Boko Haram.
Secret police detained Biafran separatist Nnamdi Kanu on October 17, accusing him of terrorism. His cause sparked a 1960s civil war that killed a million people.
The hijackers have given the government 31 days to free Kanu or say they will blow up the ship along with its crew.
The ultimatum was given at the weekend by a militant identified by the name of General Ben. Ben is not a separatist but "some Niger Delta militants have shown interest in working with us", said Uchena Madu, a leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of a Sovereign State of Biafra.
Niger Delta oil militants have been blamed for recent bombings of oil pipelines in the oil-rich south.
Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and oil producer, is also battered by slashed petroleum prices.
Secret police on Oct. 17 detained Nnamdi Kanu, director of banned Radio Biafra, and since have accused him of terrorism, sparking protests in which police are accused of killing several demonstrators.
Nigeria's Igbo people prosecuted a civil war to create a separate state of Biafra. Many Igbos claim they still suffer discrimination.
Less than a month after its purported H-bomb test, North Korea has announced it is planning a rocket launch as soon as next week.
Though speculation of a launch had been growing for about a week, experts say that with underground railways, giant tarps and a movable launch pad structure in place North Korea is getting a lot better at hiding its preparations.
North Korea's announcement it is preparing a rocket, which it made by informing international organisations of a February 8-25 launch window, comes after what it claimed was its first H-bomb test on January 6 and statements by American and Japanese officials that they were seeing heightened activity at its main rocket facility.
North Korea typically informs groups such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of a pending launch so that cautions can be issued for shipping in the area. The IMO confirmed it had been informed of the plan on Tuesday.
The announcement ends speculation over whether North Korea was actually preparing a rocket. Though it says the rocket will carry a Kwangmyongsong - or Bright Star - Earth observation satellite, the type of rocket that will be used is not yet clear.
There are indications - including the construction of a new and taller gantry, visible in commercial satellite imagery - that it could be a bigger and better version of the Unha 3 space launch vehicle that lifted off from the Sohae facility in 2012, on the west coast of North Korea.
That would be in line with North Korea's own previous announcements.
The Unha 3 successfully delivered North Korea's first satellite into Earth orbit.
A January 2013 report by Rodong Sinmun, the ruling party newspaper, which has since been deleted from its online edition, quoted a scientist as saying there would be a series of launches of observation and communication satellites culminating with Unha 9, which would carry a lunar orbiter.
A North Korean space agency official told an Associated Press television crew last year that more satellite launches are planned in the years ahead.
Models of the larger and much more formidable-looking Unha 9 rocket have since been displayed at various events in North Korea, including annual flower shows held in honour of national founder Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il.
Although there are important differences, the United States and others have strongly criticised such rocket launches because similar technologies can be used in the development of ICBMs, which North Korea is banned from doing under UN restrictions. North Korea says it has the right to maintain a peaceful space programme.
Tightening its punitive squeeze on North Korea, the US treasury on January 17 announced sanctions on 11 individuals and entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile programme, including Iranian officials it said had direct links to North Korea and work being done by the North on "an 80-tonne rocket booster".
It said two of the sanctioned Iranians "have been critical to the development of the 80-tonne rocket booster, and both travelled to Pyongyang during contract negotiations". Iran has, coincidentally, suggested it might also conduct a rocket launch this month.
Whether the booster would be a new first stage for the Unha rockets or something different is not known.
The idle musings of a former military man, former computer geek, medically retired pastor and now full-time writer. Contents guaranteed to offend the politically correct and anal-retentive from time to time. My approach to life is that it should be taken with a large helping of laughter, and sufficient firepower to keep it tamed!
Army of Islam official Mohammed Alloush gets in a car heading to a meeting with the opposition's High Negotiations Committee, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP)
Russia has said it supports the inclusion of all opposition parties in Syrian peace talks, including representatives of two hard-line Islamic groups.
The announcement came as Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops captured a village north of the country's largest city with the aid of Russian air strikes.
Syria's official SANA news agency reported the capture of Hardatneen, north of Aleppo, as UN envoy Staffan de Mistura kicked off what he called a second day of peace talks in Geneva by hosting a government delegation for the second time since Friday. He also planned a separate meeting with the main opposition group later in the day.
Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country has been a pivotal player along with the US in helping bring about the talks, told reporters in Abu Dhabi that Russia believes all opposition parties in Syria except for the Islamic State group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front should take part in the negotiations.
He said the inclusion of members of the Army of Islam and Ahrar al-Sham, hard-line Islamic groups, reflects the "realistic stances" on the ground in Syria. But he added that the groups' participation in Geneva does not mean "recognition of them as legitimate partners" for peace.
Mr Lavrov reiterated Moscow's view that the two Saudi-backed factions "are considered terrorist groups", and that one or two individuals from the two who are at the peace talks must agree to end all killings and respect Syria's territorial integrity.
The peace talks "should represent all parties of Syrian society", he said, adding that he hoped the presence of the two groups would not derail the talks. He called on Mr de Mistura, who is hosting the talks in Geneva, to deal with all parties in a balanced way.
His remarks came just days after the Syrian government said it would "never accept" the inclusion of the two groups in the talks.
Moscow has been a key ally of the government throughout the five-year uprising and began launching air strikes on behalf of Assad's troops four months ago.
The strikes have allowed Syrian troops to advance on a number of fronts. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that monitors both sides of the conflict through activists on the ground, said government troops have captured three villages near Aleppo since Monday, opening access to a key supply route into the city.
The Observatory said heavy aerial bombardment, presumably from Russian warplanes, helped the troops advance.
In Geneva, meanwhile, both sides have accused each other of bad faith. The opposition has insisted that government air strikes and sieges of rebel-held areas must stop ahead of the talks, which aim to bring an end to a war that has killed at least 250,000 people, displaced millions from their homes and given an opening to the Islamic State group to seize vast swaths of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
US secretary of state John Kerry, speaking from Rome at an international conference focusing on the battle against IS, called for immediate steps to help Syrians trapped in besieged villages, towns and cities with little access to food and medicine.
"The Syrian regime has a responsibility - in fact, all parties to the conflict have a duty to facilitate humanitarian access to Syrians in desperate need. And this has to happen not a week from now, not two weeks, not in a month," he said. "It shouldn't even be a bargaining chip. It ought to happen in the first days, and I hope everybody here will help us to make that happen."
King Felipe asked the leader of Spain's Socialists to try and form a government
Spain's king on Tuesday asked Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez to try to form a government following an inconclusive December election in which the country's conservative Popular Party came in first but failed in more than a month of efforts to drum up enough support for a coalition or a minority government.
King Felipe VI made the decision after meeting with Mr Sanchez and with acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who heads the Popular Party, parliamentary speaker Patxi Lopez told reporters.
Mr Sanchez now faces the difficult task of trying to negotiate with two new upstart parties who made big inroads with voters upset with austerity, high unemployment and official corruption.
The election smashed Spain's traditional two-party system in which the Popular Party and the Socialists have alternated running Spain for decades.
The Popular Party won the most votes this time but got only 123 seats in the 350-member lower house of parliament, losing the absolute majority it held since 2011.
The far-left Podemos came in third in the December 20 election and the business-friendly Ciudadanos came in fourth - robbing votes and seats from Socialists and the Popular Party.
Mr Rajoy had proposed forming a so-called grand coalition with the Socialists and Ciudadanos, but Mr Sanchez ruled out any deal with the Popular Party and Mr Rajoy.
Negotiating a governing deal will not be easy for Mr Sanchez. Among the biggest hurdles he faces is a pledge by Podemos to allow voters in the north eastern Catalonia region to hold a referendum on seceding from Spain.
The Socialists are strongly opposed to permitting separatists from holding a secession referendum.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, from left, former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea acknowledge supporters during a caucus night party at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Donald Trump, pauses for a selfie as his wife Melania, right, watches while visiting Saint Francis of Assisi Church West Des Moines (AP)
Staff and volunteers of the Hillary Clinton Burlington, Iowa campaign field office cheer as Hillary Clinton speaks on the television at the Boogaloo Cafe on February 1, 2016 in Burlington, Iowa. Ted Cruz felled long-time Republican frontrunner Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton was battled into a virtual tie with rival Bernie Sanders, as Iowans held the inaugural vote of the 2016 White House race. / AFP / Michael B. ThomasMICHAEL B. THOMAS/AFP/Getty Images
WEST DES MOINES, IA - FEBRUARY 1: Ben Carson speaks at his Iowa Caucus Night Party in the Marriott Hotel on February 1, 2016 in West Des Moines, Iowa. Carson is projected to finish fourth in the GOP running. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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)
DES MOINES, IA - FEBRUARY 01: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at his Iowa Caucus night gathering February 1, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has won the Iowa Republican Caucus. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***
Hillary Clinton has narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president.
The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The Iowa Democratic Party said that it would not do any recount of the close results, and a spokesman for the Sanders campaign said it does not intend to challenge the results of the caucuses.
The Iowa caucus-goers had to choose between Mrs Clinton's pledge to use her wealth of experience in government to bring about steady progress on party ideals and Mr Sanders's call for radical change in a system rigged against ordinary Americans. Young voters overwhelmingly backed Mr Sanders.
Mrs Clinton was bidding to banish the possibility of dual losses in Iowa and in New Hampshire, where she trails Mr Sanders, who is from neighbouring Vermont.
Mrs Clinton appeared before supporters to declare she was "breathing a big sigh of relief".
Mr Sanders had hoped to replicate Mr Obama's pathway to the presidency by using a victory in Iowa to catapult his passion and ideals of "democratic socialism" deep into the primaries.
Mr Sanders still faces an uphill battle against Mrs Clinton, who has deep ties throughout the party's establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that plays a larger role in primary contests in February and March.
Iowa has long led off the state-by-state contests to choose delegates for the parties' national conventions. Historically, a victory has hardly assured the nomination, but a win or an unexpectedly strong showing can give a candidate momentum, while a poor showing can end a candidacy.
Earlier Republican Ted Cruz swept to victory over billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Senator Marco Rubio in Iowa.
Tonight is a victory for the grassroots, for conservatives across Iowa, and conservatives across the nation. pic.twitter.com/WPsvqyJ3sl Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 2, 2016
Mr Cruz's victory in Monday's caucuses, which drew a record turnout, was a blow to Mr Trump, who has roiled the Republican field for months with controversial statements about women and minorities.
Mr Cruz, a fiery conservative Texas senator loathed by his own party's leaders, now heads to next Tuesday's first-in-the nation primary vote in New Hampshire as an undisputed favourite of the furthest right voters, including evangelical voters and others who prioritise an abrupt break with President Barack Obama's policies.
But Mr Trump still holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire and national polls.
New Hampshire has historically favoured more moderate candidates than Iowa, and more than 40% of the state's electorate are not registered in any political party, giving them the power to choose which parties' primary to vote in on February 9.
Mr Cruz suggested he was focused on New Hampshire but also on South Carolina, which votes 11 days later.
Mr Trump came in second slightly ahead of Mr Rubio, whose stronger-than-expected finish could help cement his status as the favourite of mainstream Republican voters who worry that Mr Cruz and Mr Trump are too extreme to win the November general election.
Mr Trump sounded humble in defeat, saying he was "honoured" by the support of Iowans. And he vowed to keep up his fight, telling cheering supporters that "we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up".
Former president Bill Clinton said he was satisfied with his wife's narrow victory in Iowa, casting the state as difficult political terrain.
"It's hard there," he said. "It was a jump ball and I'm glad it came down on our side of the coin."
Iowa and New Hampshire, he said, are "two of the most challenging places" for Mrs Clinton's presidential campaign. Though she won New Hampshire eight years ago, Mr Sanders has long represented the bordering state of Vermont, making him a familiar figure to voters.
Mrs Clinton's victory means she will collect 23 delegates and Mr Sanders will win 21.
With her advantage in superdelegates - the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice - she now has a total of 385 delegates. Mr Sanders has 29.
It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.
After her Iowa win Mrs Clinton admitted she has "some work to do" to attract young and first-time voters to her campaign for president.
In an interview on CNN's Situation Room, she said that she's pleased that so many young people are participating this year in the Democratic nominating contest and recognises that rival Bernie Sanders did well among that group in Iowa.
Mrs Clinton says that in next-up New Hampshire and beyond, she'll be emphasising her plans to help young people start their lives, including a proposal to make college more affordable.
I suspect that it was Bans comment about the Jewish colonisation of Arab land that the Israeli Prime Minister didnt like (AP)
Has Benjamin Netanyahu gone bananas? I dont mean this as an aberration, like a politician who loses his marbles during a particular crisis.
No, it was when I read the Israeli Prime Ministers response to Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, that I realised he just might be a bit insane. Ban referred to the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians especially young people since an increase in attacks on Israelis began last October.
What Ban was saying was the truth, that Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half-century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process. And he spoke of how oppressed peoples have demonstrated throughout the ages, it is human nature to react to occupation
Now I grant that Ban, like most UN secretaries-general, has about as much political power in the world as the leadership of Fiji (and this is no disrespect to Fijians). But why on earth did the Prime Minister of Israel condemn Ban for encouraging terror?
You might think he was talking about the old Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But no. Prime Minister Netanyahu ever more out of tune with the rest of the world, with the massive shift towards Iran by America, Europe and Russia had it in for the diminutive Ban.
But then, of course, we have to remember that it was Netanyahu at the UN in New York who produced his ridiculous cartoon of a bomb with a large black fuse to show the world what would happen if sanctions were lifted on Tehran: we were all going to die. A number of Israeli writers thank heavens the indefatigable Uri Avnery was among them mocked this ludicrous performance. There was something cartoon-like about it all.
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It wasnt going to stop the Americans and the Russians and the EU, not least because if the Americans had maintained their sanctions, Europe would not have done so. But doesnt Netanyahu himself now realise how enraged Europeans have become at his governments treatment of the Palestinians?
Did he not pay attention to the French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, last week when he said that France would face our responsibilities by recognising the Palestinian state if the peace process failed?
I dont think there ever was much of a peace process (and certainly not when Tony Blair got his claws on it) because it was always going to be the occupied versus the occupiers, where everyone had to pretend that Palestinians and Israelis were on an equal level. Which was not and is not ever going to work.
A few words of history here. Israel conquered the West Bank of the Jordan in 1967. It built colonies on the land, which the West calls Israeli settlements like the Western settlements in the American Wild West, which gave them an almost European flavour and then found itself condemned by Washington and its allies for illegally building homes for foreigners (Israelis) on other peoples property.
This is exactly what the Israeli government did, and what many Israelis have debated since, because it made Israel the owner of property outside its own UN-recognised borders making Israel the only country still participating in a colonial war.
The Palestinians the rightful owners of the land under Ottoman (and British) rule have rightfully said that this is theft. It is. Lands owned by Palestinians have thus been taken by Israel for its own territory and its products vegetables, and so on, illegally sold as the products of Israel to the EU and when the EU has complained about this, it has iniquitously been called anti-Semitic. Thus are hatreds made.
I suspect that it was Bans comment about the Jewish colonisation of Arab land that the Israeli Prime Minister didnt like. What he said was that continued settlement activities are an affront to the Palestinian people and to the international community, and I rather got his point.
Because we know, just as Ban said, that people who are occupied do indeed resist occupation, which becomes a potent incubator of hate and extremism. Is that not how Iraqis reacted to us? And how Afghans react? And, indeed, how Palestinian Jews decided to act when theyd had enough of Britain in Palestine?
But in Palestine now (alas, the inverted commas are ever more necessary these days), there are an unfree people. And we know what happens under occupation. The people either resist, however murderously, or they leave.
Netanyahu would probably be happy if they left because then he could colonise their land at an ever faster pace. But what if they decided to make the trek to Europe from the West Bank? Weve already seen how Arabs and Muslims walked all the way to Austria and Germany. What if little boats set out from the midden of Gaza to join the armadas arriving off Greece or Italy?
There are dangers out in the Middle East which Europeans should be more aware of.
Do they, in fact, realise the truth but just dont want to say so? And, for that matter, doesnt the Israeli Prime Minister know the truth? Or has he gone bonkers?
Independent
Pictured murderer Adrian Hayes in Maghaberry Prison. Images taken from the BBC Series Life Inside: Part 1 of 4. Aired Wed May 14th 2008.
Adele Best leaves Belfast's High Court (29-01-2016) after failing to get an injunction against the Sunday Life.
Former drug-taking party girl Adele Best had found God only months before she was allowed into Maghaberry Prison to tell inmates like Adrian Hayes of her dramatic conversion.
Adele Best was introduced to killer Hayes by Bangor preacher Martin Tuson who regularly spoke to life sentence inmates inside Maghaberry.
Born again Martin Tuson who runs Set Free Prison Ministries claims he has witnessed many miracles inside the jail and he believes Jesus turned water (mixed with blackcurrant cordial) into wine for one Maghaberry inmate who was awaiting trial for murder. Tuson claims on his website that he tasted the wine himself.
Adele Best was 33 when she first visited Maghaberry jail in 2009 a visit which had a profound impact on Hayes who claims God immediately told him that she would be his bride.
PARTYING
It is not known exactly what Best said in her jail testimony but in three accounts of her conversion on Mr Tusons website she gives a flavour of her previous life of casual sex, partying and drug abuse.
Adele, now a respectable manager with a leading firm, tells how she was a rebellious middle-class Bangor teenager who toyed with the occult and got sucked into the world of drinking, drugs and parties. From 18 and into her 20s she was smoking hash, then onto speed, ecstasy, acid and mushrooms.
She claimed Jesus tried to talk to her during a time when she was sin drenched but she thought it was drug induced hallucinations.
Among the experiences she discusses are taking coke and mushrooms in Thailand and smoking crack cocaine in Istanbul to numb her grief and regret following her second abortion.
She says she was finally saved while living in New York aged 33 just months before her return to Bangor.
I realised my life was an absolute mess as I hadnt been living the way the Lord tells us to in His Holy Word...I repented of all my fornications, sex outside of marriage, drugs, drink, every evil thing I had done. I got down on my knees in my tiny flat in New York and asked the Lord to help me get back to wherever I should be....
In Martin Tusons 2014 book Free On The Inside, he explained how much to his own surprise in 2005 he was given a pass for pastoral visits at Maghaberry which allowed him access to inmates in their cells.
CELLS
He says for the next three-and-half-years he was free to minister every Friday to any prisoner who was willing for me to pray for them. He added: No restrictions were placed upon me to what I could say or the cells I could visit. In fact the only person I had to answer to was God.
He says on his website that he was not accompanied by Prison Service staff while making a documentary Behind Prison Walls with life sentence prisoners at Maghaberry. It featured armed robber Joe Lockhart and child killer Ronnie Graham.
Tuson says a governor later told him that it had been a mistake to allow him to film without supervision.
There is no suggestion that Tusons helper at Free Prison Ministries, Adele Best was allowed unsupervised visits at Maghaberry. But questions are likely to be raised over what factors are considered by the Prison Service when allowing visitors to address inmates including convicted murders.
Read the full story here.
A Samsung Gear VR headset with virtual 3D scans of objects and a tablet are used by a visitor to navigate through a virtual reality roundhouse from the Bronze Age section at the British Museum
A visitor uses a Samsung Gear VR headset with virtual 3D scans of objects from the Bronze Age section at the British Museum
We already know that Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy S7 smartphone on 21 February, but they could be revealing a 360-degree camera at the same time.
Samsung fan website SamMobile claims to have confirmed that the company is getting ready to launch the Gear 360, a video camera that can capture 360 degrees of footage at once, allowing viewers to see different angles within a single video, or even watch it through a virtual reality (VR) headset.
The disc-shaped camera works by using a number of fisheye lenses to film all of the area around it at once, before stitching these different videos together into a single 360-degree image.
SamMobile claims it will be compatible with the S7 via Bluetooth, potentially allowing 360-degree video streaming and phone controls.
The camera reportedly has a built-in power supply, so there's no need for long cables, and boasts many of the variables and video customisation options that you'd find in a high-end video camera.
Samsung helped bring VR technology to the masses with their Gear VR headset, a low-cost device that uses an ordinary Samsung phone to give users a surprisingly good VR experience.
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If the Gear 360 camera really is due for an imminent unveiling, Samsung could do the same for 360-degree filmmaking.
Most 360-degree cameras currently cost hundreds and even thousands of pounds. The models available to ordinary consumers are a bit cheaper, but they're all fairly limited in image resolution and how long they can record for.
Whether the Gear 360 will take off or not depends heavily on the price, which hasn't been revealed yet.
SamMobile said they expect the new camera to make its debut alongside the Galaxy S7, at the pre-Mobile World Congress announcement in Barcelona on 21 February.
Samsung did make a lot of hints about its VR operation in a teaser trailer for the event, but only time will tell if we'll see the Gear 360 this month.
Independent
Top award: Belfast Telegraph Editor Gail Walker (right) with The OUTLETs marketing manager Siobhan McKeown, ready to hand the trophy to this years recipient
Looking forward: Joyce Craig with her Mum of the Year Award
As she prepares to mark the first anniversary of her son Michael's death next Tuesday, Belfast Telegraph Mum of the Year 2015 Joyce Craig has revealed plans to create what will be a lasting tribute to his bravery.
Michael's decision to refuse treatment when diagnosed with an advanced, inoperable and incurable brain tumour in August 2014 was one which bought both him and his mum quality time together.
Although initially shocked that her son refused treatment, Joyce stood by him. And it was only when she lost him five months later that she realised his decision had been the right one.
Now, in the hope of helping others who face the same difficult decisions, Joyce is launching a website as a tribute to her son, to be called Michael's Choice.
Michael was just 25 when he died last February. His illness had been diagnosed the previous August, just as he was putting plans in place to start a new life in Australia where the family had lived for two years when he was a child.
Joyce (58) also lost a daughter, Nicola, who was disabled, four years ago, aged 26. The Bangor mum has a 23-year-old son Christopher who has cerebral palsy and requires round-the-clock care.
As we call for entries for the 2016 Woman of the Year Awards, Joyce, who won our Mum of the Year title last year, says she can look back with happiness to those final precious months with Michael - thanks to the choice he made not to have treatment.
"When people are diagnosed with cancer, they go on what I call 'the cancer conveyor belt'. There is no time to think and you are put straight onto that conveyor belt of surgery and treatment and off you go," she says. "When you get a cancer diagnosis, it is the loneliest place to be - it was certainly the loneliest I have ever felt.
"You go out of that hospital room and there's nothing and no one there." The tireless mum adds: "I hope the website will bring people together to talk to each other and ask questions about cancer.
"We didn't go down the treatment route, although I would like to know more about that. I would also like to show people what it is like if you choose not to.
"I know Michael didn't suffer - which was an eye opener for me, because most people suffer and would tell you that the end is very unpleasant."
Joyce says she wants to share her memories of Michael's journey to help inform others that there is another option besides treatment following a cancer diagnosis.
"Initially there was great hope when Michael was told that his tumour was slow growing and low grade," she recalls.
But 10 days later, after a biopsy, Michael and his mum were stunned and shattered to be told that, tragically, it was a high grade, inoperable and incurable tumour.
Michael was offered a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which he was told would not save him, but might buy him some time.
Joyce recalls a nurse telling her that Michael was fortunate to be offered treatment as it wasn't available to everyone. She was told the fact Michael was young and fit were the reasons he qualified.
She was naturally relieved to be told her son could be treated, but Michael wanted to think about his options before deciding to have treatment.
Although medical staff were shocked when he turned the treatment down, his mother understood why her son had made his choice. From that moment until she lost him five months later, Joyce stayed by his side and made the most of every moment.
Joyce says: "Michael made me think outside the box and I'm grateful for that. He said to me: 'Mum I am going to lose my hair, will probably end up in a wheelchair and maybe eventually lose my mind and for what? They are not going to save me'.
"Michael made it clear he wanted to spend his last Christmas with me and from that moment he took me on a journey with him.
"The more I listened to him, the more I thought 'this young man knows exactly what is going on'. I told him I would do it with him and hold his hand until I couldn't hold it any longer."
Joyce says being by her son's side reinforced her respect for his decision. "In those months I certainly had my eyes opened. One chemo tablet that doctos wanted him to take was so toxic the nurse giving it to him had to wear gloves," she adds.
"That horrified Michael and I. In the end, he didn't even need morphine and he passed peacefully.
"The few months we had together were very special and we played cards together and watched TV.
"When he was well enough we went out for lunch or Michael went out with his friends."
Joyce told of a particularly poignant moment when Michael was admitted to Marie Curie Hospice in late November.
They had been enjoying a game of cards together as usual when Michael suddenly collapsed in bed.
Doctors and nurses rushed in and told a horrified Joyce that her son was dying. Michael went quiet and all the indications were that he had passed away.
In what was a miraculous moment, Joyce recalls: "I just thought 'no, I need him to go happier than this' and I started talking to him and telling him how much I had loved him from the day he was born.
"I said I had never been so proud of him and his strength, and when they said he had gone I leaned over and whispered in his ear 'please don't leave me yet' and his head moved and his eyes, too.
"The doctor said she didn't understand what had happened and she had never seen anything like it before.
"He was incredible and so brave. He gave me the most pleasant way of saying goodbye, because he didn't suffer."
Michael got his wish to spend Christmas with his mum and they had a lovely day with family in the hospice.
Now, as the first anniversary of his death approaches, Joyce says the first year without her son has been a year of huge change. She says she has done things she hadn't planned and would never have dreamt of doing - and she believes that Michael has been there with her throughout it all.
Before he died, Joyce promised Michael she would fly to Australia and mark his 26th birthday on the spot where he had planned to start a new life, which she now affectionately refers to as "Michael's Island".
The trip brought more comfort than she could ever have hoped for, as she met people Michael had been friendly with on Facebook.
While there, she also heard their stories of how he had made a positive impact on their lives.
Since losing her son, Joyce moved to a new house in Donaghadee in December because she couldn't bear to be at home without him.
"I've had the most amazing year and I've done things I would never have expect to and they were happy things," she says.
"I believe he is still around and things happen which I can't explain - I call them Michael Moments."
One of these special moments for Joyce was winning the Belfast Telegraph Mum of the Year Award last year.
On her first Mother's Day without Michael, which she had been dreading, Joyce was shocked to be told that she had been nominated for our award.
It was a special moment which she believes Michael had a hand in - to help her get through the tough first month of March without him.
"It just lifted my heart and was so out of the blue and totally unexpected," she says.
"The night of the awards I felt happiness and I wasn't expecting to feel happiness again so soon afar losing Michael."
Joyce has decided that she doesn't want to mark the death of Michael's anniversary every year and, while she has made plans for his first anniversary next week, she says it will be the first and last time.
"I have put together a collage of pictures of his life to post on my Facebook page and leave at the tree I planted for him and my daughter in Clandeboye Cemetery," she says.
"I have planned to go away with a friend that day.
"I had 25 wonderful years with him and I don't want to regret the years we didn't have, but instead celebrate the time we did have. After this year I plan to celebrate his birthday and not the day I lost him."
As well as the website, Michael's Choice, which she hopes to launch in March, Joyce has also recently set up a Just Giving page in her son's memory to raise funds for Marie Curie.
She also plans to set up a charity in his memory to support research into the causes of brain tumours.
"I want to raise funds to research the cause - not the cure - of brain cancer, which is the biggest cancer killer in under-40s ,and I would love to help discover what is causing it," she says.
"Hopefully the website will be positive and uplifting. Michael made a choice which, up until he left me, allowed his life to be as positive as it could be.
"It is that positivity I hope to celebrate and hopefully inspire others, too."
You can support Joyce's appeal at https://www.justgiving.com/MichaelsChoice
Celebrating women of substance
Do you know a special woman who has made a difference in your life or the lives of others someone who has gone the extra mile, endured more than most or succeeded against the odds? If so, we want to hear from you.
The 2016 Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year Awards, in association with The OUTLET, Banbridge will once again celebrate the exceptional women in our society.
This year our glittering awards night will be held on Friday, March 18 in the five-star Culloden Hotel in what is set to be a memorable and inspirational evening brimming with emotion and one that will make you proud of the ladies from all across the province.
We are asking you to nominate outstanding women you know in each of our nine categories.
Nominations can be made by anyone who knows an incredible woman they believe is worthy of an award.
For each category, the nominee should have been in her line of work for at least 12 months and have shown particular success, a demonstrable measure of achievement, how she inspired others around her and how she has demonstrated passion, drive and energy in what she does.
Siobhan McKeown, marketing manager at The OUTLET, which is one of the main sponsors of the awards, says: For a third year, The OUTLET Banbridge is delighted to be associated with a prestigious event that recognises the outstanding achievements of women from across our province.
This amazing Belfast Telegraph event is a celebration of the immense contribution that women can make to our society.
Customers visit The OUTLET Banbridge from all over Northern Ireland.
We take great pride in offering them great quality and value for money. An example is our exclusive W5 Lite childrens interactive zone a free to enter taster of the main W5.
The Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year event gives us an opportunity to showcase the latest in our Spring Summer collections from LK Bennett, Jaeger, Next outlet, to mention a few. Smarter shopping and a great day awaits you at The OUTLET.
Each category winner will be presented with a beautiful Belleek Living trophy at our gala dinner hosted by Wendy Austin.
You may enter nominations in any or all of the nine categories. The overall award for Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year in association with THE OUTLET Banbridge, will be chosen by the judges from the winners of the nine categories. Each of the nominations must be supported by a citation which should not be more than 200 words.
Citations should also include your name, address and daytime telephone number as well as the contact numbers for the person you are nominating, and should arrive not later than 12 noon on Thursday, February 25. Send them to: Belfast Telegraph Woman of the Year, Belfast Telegraph, 124 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1EB or email to: womanoftheyear@belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
To secure your seat or for further information about the event, contact Sarah Weir at JPR, tel 028 9076 0066 or email mail@jprni.com
Categories from business to beauty
Business Woman of the Year
A woman in the business field who has shown determination, drive and has made a real difference in her working environment
Woman of the Year in Hair Beauty and Fashion
Sassy, vibrant and in touch with real womens needs, the Woman of the Year in the Fashion Industry has to have a real sense of style and an eye for the X factor
Mum of the Year
Mum of the Year is a woman who is an outstanding mother, leader and role model
Woman of the Year in the Arts
This can be any woman in the performing arts, music, the written word or visual medium, whether its behind the scenes or in public a woman who has truly maximised her talents
Woman of the Year in Education
Whether this is a teacher, classroom assistant, dinner lady or caretaker, we are looking for someone working in education who has gone that extra mile for children, teenagers or students and their education
Woman of the Year in Healthcare
She can be any woman working in any area of the health sector as a nurse, doctor, medical technician or any of the many roles across the sector
Woman of the Year in the Voluntary Sector
Working in the Voluntary sector, this woman could be a carer, a fundraiser or simply someone who sacrifices their time for others
Inspirational Woman of the Year
The Inspirational Woman of the Year will be someone who has inspired others with that extra special achievement: whether it be overcoming illness or difficulties, or devoting their time to a worthy charity. Whether its behind the scenes or in the public eye, this person should be an inspiration in terms of her attitude, work and life
Sportswoman of the Year
This award sets out to recognise a keen sportswoman who has either achieved much herself or has successfully inspired others in sport
Francis the First. In a cinematic first, Pope Francis will become the first pontiff to act in a scripted movie.
In AMBI Pictures Beyond the Sun, Pope Francis portrays himself in an inspirational story based on Gospel parables. The concept for the feature film is said to have emanated from Francis himself who asked the filmmakers to do a movie for children that communicates Jesuss message.
Pope Francis willingness to actively participate in the movie was, no doubt, enhanced because all profits from Beyond the Sun will reportedly be donated to El Almendro and Los Hogares de Cristo. The charities, both located in Argentina, help aid at-risk children and young adults in need.
Beyond the Sun is described as a family adventure story where children from different cultures emulate the apostles while searching for Jesus in the world around them. The film will be uplifting and is intended to spiritually engage and encourage audiences of all ages to transmit Jesus words, to understand them and integrate them to live a better life, make good choices and help others.
AMBI co-founders Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi are fully financing and producing the film through their AMBI Pictures banner. Co-producers are Graciela Rodriguez and Gabriel Leybu. Rodriguez wrote the films screenplay based on her own concept.
Producer Iervolino says Our excitement and gratitude toward His Holiness, Pope Francis participating in this film is beyond words. This is not just a movie for us, its a message, and who better to have on your side to deliver an important societal and spiritual message than the Pope. Iervolino added, This movie will provide funds to support extremely worthwhile causes that we take very seriously. This message and cause are very dear to the entire AMBI family and we are honored and inspired by the level of collaboration from the Vatican.
Bacardi adds It is a great honor for Andrea and I to have the opportunity to work with His Holiness, Pope Francis, to spread the awareness of his message, through this film. We will make a movie everyone involved with can be proud of. Not only will families from around globe enjoy this film and be entertained, but they will be moved. There are creative ways to help those in need all over the world and we hope this film does just that. We appreciate Pope Franciss permission to film him and use his image in our movie.
Principal photography is slated to begin early 2016 in Italy. AMBI will oversee worldwide distribution through its Los Angeles-based international sales division, AMBI Distribution.
Encourage one another and build each other up 1 Thessalonians 5:11
The Jagriti Publications booth includes a tribute to publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan, who was slain in his office in October, Feb. 2, 2016.
Updated at 1:40 p.m. ET on 2016-02-04
Nearly a year after secular writer and blogger Avijit Roy was stabbed to death by suspected militants during Bangladeshs premier book festival, his works are no longer for sale in the South Asian country, publishing sources say.
About 100 publishers are participating in this years edition of the Ekushey Boi Mela (Ekushey Book Fair), which opened Monday but none are selling books by Roy, who was murdered on a busy Dhaka street after leaving the event on Feb. 26, 2015.
Abul Bashar, an owner of Hatey Khori publication house, told BenarNews: Why should we sell his books? Is there any guarantee that we will not meet similar fate?
Roy, who ran the secular blog Mukto Mona (Free Mind), was killed when assailants blocked the rickshaw carrying him and his wife, Rafida Bonya Ahmed. She lost her thumb and suffered serious stab wounds in the attack. Islamists issued threats to Roy on Facebook prior to the attack.
Roys was the first of five deadly attacks on secular writers and publishers in 2015 and the violence has cast a pall on intellectual life in Bangladesh.
Now, before writing anything, we always think lest anything could anger the militants, Shabdik Tutul, a Dhaka University student, writer and film maker, told BenarNews.
A deadly year
The last of the five men killed was Faisal Arefin Dipan, who published two of Roys books. On Oct. 31, 2015, he was hacked to death inside his office, Jagriti Publications, in Dhaka.
Shuddhushwar Publications owner Ahmedur Rashid Tutul and two secular bloggers survived similar attacks at Tutuls office the same day.
Jagriti Publications has a stall at the book fair on Dhaka University campus this year. A banner honoring Dipan hangs in the booth, with his portrait and the words Good Sense Prevails on Everyone.
We are not going to publish Avijit Roys two books any more. This may be for security or for other reasons, Razia Rahman, Dipans wife and Jagriti proprietor, told BenarNews.
Sarwar Saany, a Jagriti staffer at the fair, told BenarNews that because the publisher has stopped printing them, Roys books are no longer available in Bangladesh.
Language Martyrs
Bangladesh treats February as a cultural month as the nation marks the killings of Bengalis by Pakistan forces on Feb. 21, 1952, when Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan. On that day, paramilitary forces killed people protesting the decision to scrap Bangla as the national language.
Since then, Feb. 21 has become Language Martyrs Day in Bangladesh, and it is now celebrated worldwide as International Mother Language Day.
In addition, the national Bengali Research Center, Bangla Academy arranges the month-long book fair, Ekushey Boi Mela, to showcase new books and encourage young writers. Writers and poets from home and abroad hold meetings, seminars and cultural events tied to the book fair.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal addressed safety at this years festival.
We have taken adequate security measures for the Ekushey Boi Mela. A police station has been stationed there and an adequate number of intelligence staff members have been deployed for the security of the book fair, Khan told parliament on Tuesday.
Members of the local militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and individuals affiliating themselves with al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Police have arrested eight suspects in the murders, including one who had threatened Roy online.
So far, we have yet to find a link among the eight persons arrested, Mashruqur Rahman Khaled, a deputy police commissioner, told BenarNews.
An Aedes Aegypti mosquito clings to human skin in a lab of the International Training and Medical Research Training Center in Cali, Colombia, Jan. 25, 2016.
There is no outbreak of Zika in Thailand with only one domestic case confirmed in 2016, Thai health authorities said Tuesday while downplaying reports about the countrys potential exposure to the mosquito-borne virus.
The situation in our country is not an epidemic, unlike in other areas. And, in the past, Thailand never had epidemic levels caused by the Zika virus, Amnuay Kagina, director of the Thai Department of Disease Control, told a news conference in Bangkok.
But health officials in neighboring Malaysia issued a public warning the same day, suggesting the country was vulnerable to the virus carried by Aedes mosquitoes a species that also passes on dengue fever, a disease that afflicts Southeast Asian countries.
There is a high chance that the virus, once it strikes, can spread swiftly and vastly in Malaysia, as we already have the fatal carrier, the Aedes mosquitoes also responsible for our dengue problem, Malaysian Health Minister S. Subramaniam told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
Coordinated response needed: WHO
The statements from Thai and Malaysian officials came a day after the U.N.s World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika a public health emergency of international concern.
Cases of Zika have exploded in South and Central America within the past year, with 1.5 million cases reported in Brazil alone since April, Agence France-Presse reported.
WHO reported pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the virus because Zika is suspected of causing congenital malformations and neurological complications in newborns. Pregnant Brazilian women infected with the virus have given birth to babies with undersized heads, according to reports.
A coordinated international response is needed to improve surveillance, the detection of infections, congenital malformations, and neurological complications, to intensify the control of mosquito populations, and to expedite the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines to protect people at risk, especially during pregnancy, Dr. Margaret Chan, WHOs director general, said in declaring a Zika emergency.
Such a declaration by WHO is rare.
Two years ago, the U.N. agency was widely criticized for not issuing an early warning about the Ebola virus, which spread across West Africa rapidly, reportedly killing thousands of people.
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, Chan said in issuing the emergency declaration on Zika.
No vaccine
There is no specific treatment or vaccine available for the disease, WHO said. People infected with the Zika virus develop symptoms, including a mild fever and skin rash, which can last two to seven days, the agency said.
The virus is known to circulate in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, said WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the Atlanta-based American agency, Zika outbreaks have occurred before 2015 in Africa, Southeast Asia and islands in the Pacific.
To date this year, at least two cases have been reported in Southeast Asia: the case of a Thai man diagnosed and treated for Zika from Jan. 24 to 26, according to Thai health officials; and the case of a 27-year-old Indonesian man from Sumatra Island who was infected with the virus, AFP reported. In January, Taiwan also reported a case of a man from northern Thailand who came down with Zika.
Widespread throughout Thailand
Several cases of Zika were reported in travelers returning from Thailand and seven cases of acute Zika infection across the country were confirmed between 2012 and 2014, according to a study published last year by the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
These endemic cases, combined with previous reports in travelers, provide evidence that ZIKV [the Zika Virus] is widespread throughout Thailand, said an abstract to the study.
Thailand first found a Zika patient in 2012 and, after that, there have been an average of five people contracting Zika annually, Dr. Pahurat Kongmuang, another official at Thailands Department of Disease Control, told BenarNews.
Thailand has established a monitoring system for this sickness since 2013, and we are able to track down the disease, while some other countries in ASEAN cannot, she said in a phone interview.
Amnuay, the departments director, said that it mounted a campaign during the past two weeks to kill mosquitoes in their habitats, and that this would go on for another fortnight.
Malaysian, Bangladeshi response
In Kuala Lumpur, Health Minister S. Subramaniam announced that his ministry would circulate a set of guidelines to ministries and the public advising them on measures to protect people from being infected with Zika.
The guidelines, which were issued on Tuesday, for instance warn pregnant Malaysian women not to travel to countries where an outbreak of Zika is occurring.
The document also advises people traveling to Malaysia from South and Central America to go to the nearest hospital or health center should they develop a fever or rash.
Prime Minister Najib Razak echoed these concerns in a statement on Tuesday. He warned that Malaysia had to monitor the situation carefully because its climate was suited for the breeding of the Aedis species of mosquito.
I have directed the health ministry to take all necessary preventive measures to protect Malaysians, especially pregnant women from the Zika virus, Najib said in a message on his official website.
We need to prevent and eliminate sources or vectors to [control] both an outbreak and the virus. Do not give the slightest room for it to multiply, he said.
Meanwhile, a senior health official in Bangladesh, said the Zika virus did not exist there.
"But we are not complacent because the vector, the Aedes mosquito, is present in Bangladesh, Abul Hakir Md Shamsuzzaman, the official in charge of disease control at the Health Ministry, told BenarNews.
It can enter into Bangladesh anytime. We will focus more on preventive measures such as destroying the habitat of the vector, he said, adding that raising public awareness about Zika was another in the strategy in preventing the virus from spreading within his country.
Fahirul N. Ramli, Nontarat Phaicharoen and Kamran Reza Chowdhury contributed to this report.
by the Benton Harbor Community Water Council Since the Benton Harbor water crisis began in 2018, Benton Harbor has been ground zero for lead...
As many readers are aware, our old friend Stephan Lewandowsky has recently published a paper in Nature that sets out his views on the circumstances in which scientists should release their data to others - the thrust of the piece being that he thinks that a favourable answer need only be given to his mates.
I had rather rolled my eyes at this and wondered if I actually wanted to give him the attention that a rebuttal might bring, so I had resolved to ignore it. However, a post by Professor James Coyne, a psychologist who works in Groningen in the Netherlands, suggests that Lewandowsky's article is just part of a wider trend in academia.
Coyne is interested in the scientific controversy over chronic fatigue syndrome, and in particular the so-called PACE trial, a controversial UK-funded research project that assessed different treatments for the condition. The results were published in PLoS One, which demands that data should be made available on request, but unfortunately, when Coyne asked to see the numbers, the authors, led by Professor Peter White of Queen Mary University of London, decided that they were not going to comply. According to an earlier Coyne post, in order to reinforce their point White et al then set their lawyers on the journal:
PLOS One is squaring off with its lawyers against the PACE investigators and their lawyers who are resisting given me the data promised by the PACE investigators having published in PLOS One.
This is where it gets interesting, because familiar names start appearing at quite a pace:
Its also no secret that Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet has put pressure on the PLOS management to quiet me down at both at their blog site and in social media. Yup, Horton demanded that PLOS clamp down not only what I upload to their blog, but what I say on Twitter and Facebook.
Horton, you will no doubt recall, was on Muir Russell's (alleged) inquiry into Climategate. [Update: Horton wrote the report on peer review for Russell but was not strictly a panel member]
Next up it's Lewandowsky. We learn that:
Peter White [...] enlisted Stephan Lewandowsky to disseminate a misrepresentation of the PACE investigators commitment to transparency
...the misrepresentation being, apparently, that Lewandowsky claimed that some of the PACE data had been released. I think it's fair to say that misrepresentation by Lewandowsky is not exactly a surprise.
And then the Science Media Centre gets involved. Lewandowsky's co-author on the Nature article was Professor Dorothy Bishop, who we noted at BH towers some weeks back as a new advisory board member at the SMC. Now according to Coyne, the SMC has been quietly lobbying to get FOI laws amended:
The SMC is coordinating a letter writing campaign to Parliament instigated by Peter White attempting to get an exclusion from the Freedom of Information Act for request for data.
Just as you think Coyne is going to come out on the side of the angels, however, he says something that shows that his position on data transparency is almost identical to Lewandowsky's:
Lewandowskys claim was made in reaction to the two of them being criticized for lumping those who seek the PACE data, like me, with science deniers who must be resisted...
You would have thought that a full professor would have worked out that for FOI to have general support, it must be blind to the identity of the requester. Either we are equal under FOI law or we are not. If all you have to do to resist a data request is to shout "denier" or "vexatious" then not a single datum will ever see the light of day. From White's perspective, Coyne is a "denier":
[In another blog post I will] discuss the origins of the smearing of critics of the PACE trial as science deniers. Ill explain why we are being lumped with animal rights activists and climate change deniers, but not opponents of fracking.
Grief, some people lack self-awareness, don't they?
At the first council meeting of the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef), being held on Saturday 13 February 2016 at the Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town, members will discuss the media industry amid its high profile resignations.
Guest speakers are chief electoral officer Vuma Mashinini on the IEC's preparations for the local government election and Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration, Ayanda Dlodlo, who co-chairs the global Open Government Partnership.
Quarterly council meetings offer editors the opportunity for introspection and robust debate about the state of the media industry. The media landscape has changed dramatically over the past five to seven years. Digital has exploded as the new normal, but without the concomitant revenue to support growth. Legacy media have in the main stagnated or regressed, with a huge impact on the revenues that support its outlets and the digital growth.
The squeeze on revenues has spawned new pressures on media companies and industry bodies, including job losses. Of particular concern, for Sanef, is that the state of affairs is unhealthy for editorial departments in fulfilling their functions and that it may also result in increased tensions between editors and management. Top of the council agenda will therefore be a discussion about the apparent threats to media freedom and editorial independence from within the industry itself.
Sanef is particularly concerned about the spate of editor resignations and the loss of experienced journalists over the past 24 months, amid persistent rumours and speculation about editorial interference by media management executives. Sanef believes that editors must defend the right of South Africans to get news and information from reliable independent outlets and editorial teams. These outlets and teams must remain independent from management and business, as well as political pressures, including the threatened Media Appeals Tribunal and the Protection of State Information Bill that still hangs over the industry's head.
Other issues to be discussed include media ethics, given the allegations against some journalists of unethical and criminal conduct, as well as other alleged contraventions of the Press and Broadcasting Codes. Council will also receive an update on efforts to ensure that journalists and photographers are able to do their jobs without interference from the police and/or members of the public.
In this past month alone, a photographer was assaulted and his equipment taken in Cape Town. Despite laying charges with the police, no progress has been made. Also in Cape Town, a journalist was attacked at a political event and had his glasses smashed and in another incident, police threatened to shoot a journalist who was filming them on duty. Sanef's management committee encourages Sanef members to attend the council meeting and to participate in the discussions. A media statement will be released after the daylong gathering.
Residents in cities throughout Nebraska were urged Monday to make plans for off-street parking to make room for snow removal.
Lincoln and Omaha areas are in a winter storm warning for Tuesday. In and south of Lincoln, rain was forecasted Monday through midnight. Snow likely won't start adding up until early Tuesday morning.
A blizzard warning covers an area from south-central Nebraska to northwest Iowa, where the heaviest snow and strongest winds are likely. Kearney, Columbus and Sioux City, Iowa, are included in the blizzard warning.
National Weather Service forecasters said to expect 8 inches of snow in Lincoln, but it's on the south side of the storm.
In those areas, more rain could fall, significantly cutting into the amount of snow that accumulates.
Only a few miles could make a difference in snowfall totals. The Weather Service, for example, has Seward County in a blizzard warning, with around 10 inches possible. Gage County, meanwhile, is in a winter weather advisory, with 5 inches in the forecast.
Falls City, in extreme southeast Nebraska, might get away with no snow.
City workers in Lincoln have already applied anti-ice brine on the citys emergency snow routes, bus and school routes and other major arterials. City crews are also preparing material spreaders and plows in anticipation of the predicted storm. City crews will work in 12-hour shifts and will be prepared to respond to events as needed as the storm unfolds.
It is imperative for the continent's countries to work together to secure business events. Yet in 2014 out of the 124 meetings hosted as a country only 13 were association meetings from Africa, yet there are 200 associations throughout the continent.
This is problematic says Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, chief convention bureau officer at the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB), the unit of South African Tourism that hosts Meetings Africa. "African associations need to rotate their meetings across the continent."
She was addressing the media and stakeholders at the launch of the 11th edition of Meetings Africa. With less than 24 days go, Meetings Africa 2016 is scheduled to take place later this month, from 22 to 24 February in Sandton. The event, which brings together business leaders of the continent with international buyers from across the globe, is a great platform to showcase the continent, with South Africa recognised as a big player in the business events sector.
According to acting chief executive officer at South African Tourism, Sthembiso Dlamini, last year the event hosted 178 buyers and 200 media with 270 exhibitors from 30 countries with over 1500 visitors. "We have no doubt that we will surpass these numbers this year."
She added they have been very pleased with the growth of the event over the years. "The business events industry is a great driver of economic development and going forward our goal is to foster collaboration so the event grows Africa as a key destination for business meetings, events and conferences. Hence our theme this year is Advancing Africa Together."
Kotze-Nhlapo added to this saying that the theme could not be more fitting. "We want the continent to help itself. As the SANCB we want to encourage investment on the continent."
One such initiative is the African Society of Association Executives (AfSAE), which will officially open its doors in Johannesburg office on 21 February. She explains that the Association was launched at Meetings Africa last year to encourage meetings to be held and rotated across the continent and thus benefitting the African economy.
She says that when we think of Africa, we think of someone is innovative. "I hope that this will be reflected in the exciting programme we have lined up for the event this year."
The first of these, and a first for South Africa and Africa is the hosting of the European Cities Market (ECM) Summer School just prior to Meetings Africa, in Cape Town, from 19 to 21 February. This is the first ECM Summer School to take place outside of Europe. It will cover topics and subjects aimed at improving South Africa's global competitiveness and will showcase the most up-to-date trends in the meetings industry.
It is a worldwide trend that trade shows are so much more than just the business happening; today it is also about education, skills transfer and economic development says Kotze-Nhlapo.
At the launch Dlamini also announced that SA tourism is looking to work with a strategic partner. "We are a government organisation, not an exhibitor. An announcement will be made in May around this," says Dlamini.
Events at Meetings Africa 2016
Monday, 22 February
The first official day of the actual trade show, known as BONDay (Business Opportunities Networking Day), designed to equip the industry, providing educational sessions for them to learn news trends and therefore further their business. BONDay is also about networking.
Other events on BONDay include:
IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leader Forum Africa AIPC Africa Summit
The Business Events Associations Joint Conference
Event Greening Forum AGM
Corporate Business to Business Speed Marketing Sessions Local Corporate Buyer Event
Tuesday, 23 February
The official opening of the event by Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom, followed by his address and a panel discussion where the impact of a country's image on its business events industry
The final day of Meetings Africa features the Green stand Awards ceremony for the top green stands.
I have come to the realisation that we as humans are changing the way we react to marketing at a ridiculous pace. We expect different things from companies than we did last year.
The old ways of doing business are gladly fading away. Advertising noise is ubiquitous and we are experiencing a sort of marketing fatigue - anaesthesia of the senses. To remedy this, marketers are always burning grey matter to think differently and be innovative - to stand out from the crowd and be noticed. We need to have a holistic approach to marketing involving product, marketing, content and innovation.
Wavebreak Media Ltd via 123RF
Omni-channel marketing became the most innovative way of engaging with customers across all their devices and across all channels. Creating a seamless narrative and experience to build lasting relationships with customers. This was, and still is, one of the most effective strategies marketers have at their disposal. But what's next for marketing as we hurtle towards the future - where customers expect a deeper bond with brands and their products. And where software and hardware production are becoming quicker, cheaper and easier to produce?
The answer in my opinion is that we need a new paradigm for marketing. A fresh perspective, one where we look through the eyes of our customers, and not through the lens of a marketer. Future-marketing is where product, marketing, content and innovation meet. A unison of action that runs so subtly parallel with customer's lives and purpose that they hardly even notice they are active advocates of your brand. I have separated the four pillars product, marketing, content and innovation of this approach below:
Business and its products
Future-marketing involves your brand becoming more experiential, more interactive, more tangible and more usable. Innovation must occur both, on the product level and on the marketing level. On the product level innovation will be useful and value led. It will have real utility to the user, and align with their purpose and values. Your product will have to be the strongest marketing tool you have with a value-centric approach - where business and user goals run in tandem. One of the most salient brands doing this - for me anyway - is Patagonia Outdoor Clothing. Their commitment to business transparency and responsible business practices aligns perfectly with my values and mission for environmental preservation and sustainability. They provide outdoor clothing that I can wear with pride and identify with.
How to align to the customer's purpose and values?
We are informed of who we are by the stories we are told. The stories in the media, the stories of brands, the stories of our history and the stories from our social interactions. We distil these stories into cultures, archetypes and self-identifiers.
An article on our autobiographical selves written by by Jennifer Ouellette explains this phenomenon in more depth.
We seem to strive for the purest form of these self-identifiers. Action sport enthusiasts will want to be as pure and close to the archetypical narrative as possible and by being associated with edgy, action sport brands (I am thinking of GoPro/Northface/O'neill here) will inform them and others of who they are. Similarly a person who identifies themselves as a geek, or belonging to geek culture will own geeky paraphernalia that aligns them to the geek archetype. Why is this? Well, for geeks it is deeper than a love of geeky technology, and culture. It is a self-identification as an outlier, a non-conformist. It's a kind of exclusive and chauvinistic "I am part of this tribe and we are awesome", kind of mind-set. It's a form of tribe where belonging and a sense of commonality are felt.
In my opinion, the need for self-identification is greater than the self-reinforcement from others. When we feel like we are the purest version of an archetype we feel sincere and genuine - we have purpose. External reinforcement is also important however. Look around you, very few people don't fit into a specific archetype. We are social animals and the need for belonging is fundamental.
The deeper our business and its products resonate with the customer, the stronger the bond. A product that aligns to deep character values and purpose will elicit more advocacy than a product that resonates on a more superficial level - the level of transient interests and personality traits. Products that have a deeper connection with a customer will always be more successful and have real staying power in the market.
Marketing
If products mostly sell themselves, where does that leave marketing? Marketing will serve an important role as the face and the voice of the brand.
Purpose
Brands reflect their business' purpose, values and utility, they will be more of an exposition of the business - its products, its purpose and its values. These aspects need to align with your customers' own purpose and values. Your marketing strategy should position your brand with deep character values that resonate with your market. Both your product and your brand should be based on solid customer interaction and research. Customers will show you what they want from a product and also tell you who your brand is and what it stands for. This is an outside in approach, with the customer at the helm. A design thinking methodology is a very effective process that not only solves business problems, but can be very effectively applied to marketing. I will get back to this later in the article.
Marketing technology
Technology advancement is moving faster and faster and if Moore's Law continues to stand true, technological advancement will only get faster. Technology is also becoming more cheaply and easily manufactured, thus, we are getting more bang for our buck. An article from Mark J. Perry from Encyclopaedia Britannica compares the prices of the 1984 Apple Macintosh and the 2009 Apple iMac. The iMac came out 26% cheaper - the Apple Macintosh costing $5,186 and the iMac costing $3,849.
Marketing departments will be able to afford developing intelligent and crafty hardware of their own, they will go beyond just smartphone apps and social media. We are seeing a move towards ideas shaping what technology is capable of. Already we are seeing brands use new technologies in innovative ways. Beacon technology like: Estimotes Nearables, Apples iBeacon and Googles Eddystone, are all already being used in innovative ways.
SXSW used iBeacons to alert attendees who downloaded the app, with their registration code, when they were near registration booths, making their experience that much more intuitive. Hillshire Brands used iBeacons to sell sausages by tracking users in stores and sending them coupons when they approached the section of the store where their sausages were being promoted. These are two innovative ways of using technology to influence consumers in their micro-moments.
Another crafty use of technology is the Coca-Cola mini-bottle integrated digital campaign. Where customers were invited to create mini-me avatars of themselves in an online game. They then had to take care of these online mini-me avatars, and the winners of these games won the opportunity to create mini 3D printed versions of themselves. This campaign gained international recognition for innovation.
People love to be wowed; they enjoy innovative new ways to interact with brands. This in combination with a campaign that really touches your customer on a deep emotional level is a recipe for success.
Content
Content is the substance, the tangible focus on which marketing supports. Content is the "marketing product" that customers consume. It is the focus of all your marketing efforts. Without it your campaign is just a quasi-abstract combination of research, strategy, channel and media. Content is the value your marketing campaign provides to your customer - and there always has to be a value add to the customer. It could be an educational blog article, a delicious, cup of coffee, or a fun, little 3D printed version of you. Always make sure that your customer receives something in exchange for their attention and time.
To add value to your customer you need to know what sort of content would best suit them. Advancements in audience insights and tracking mean that you will be able to target your content to the right customer, at the right time. Content will also have to be customised, giving your customer a sense of inclusion and familiarity with your brand and its content.
Curate, syndicate and aggregate
We have no shortage of information to consume these days, but cutting through the information that we are not interested in is a challenge. Content curation, aggregation and syndication are how we distribute, organise and compile our information. Tools and websites like [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit]], Flipboard, Feedly and Digg are becoming the default ways in which we access our information. Leveraging these tools in an intelligent way to syndicate your brands content is a smart way to distribute your message and learn more about your customer. The data from these tools will tell you what your customers willingly choose to consume. In a sense customers will do some of the work for you, they will provide insight into what their drivers and interests are. The value exchange for personal data will have to be desirable to the user.
Business transparency
In a hyper-connected world people are becoming more informed and educated. Unlike any time before us we are exposed to world events as they happen. I recently watched a live streamed Periscope of the Saint-Denis terrorist police raid in Paris - as it happened, before the news teams were even there. It was filmed by Benson Hoi a resident of the area, and I found it in a thread on Reddit. This is how news works these days. It is therefore important your brand is transparent and socially responsible. People expect you to do responsible business that is good for the environment, communities and customers. If your brand is involved in a scandal - yes, I am talking to you Nestle and Volkswagen - you need to be honest and quick to the mark with response and crisis management.
If you like crowdsourced news check out Storyful which is a social news network that verifies the news articles for you.
Innovation
Ah yes, the buzz word of the decade - innovation. Most people and marketers think of innovation as sparkly new smartphone apps, location beacons or nifty drone deliveries. Well, they are sort of right - but that is not the whole story. Technology is a huge part of innovation and plays a key role in innovation strategies, but organisations and marketers need innovative ways of thinking and innovative systems and operating models.
Design thinking
The design thinking methodology is a problem solving methodology used most commonly by technology or UX project teams. It can also very effectively be used in the marketing space too. It basically involves understanding the problem - in our case a marketing problem (you would be amazed at how many organisations are solving the wrong ones). This means taking marketing or business' objectives and strategy and talking to real customers and asking them what they think of the objective/strategy, does it align to what they want from your brand and how to go about implementing that objective/strategy. You would identify motifs and patterns with the data you gather from your in-person, ethnographic research of your customers and lay out a set of marketing tactics to incorporate into your strategy. Get real creative and concepts out quickly and test with sample audiences and iterate. The finished campaign will also be agile and be based on empirical data from your design thinking process and marketing insights.
Most large corporations suffer from a slowness. They are encumbered by the weight of bureaucracy and protocol. In order to incorporate new ways of thinking and systems, businesses need new ways of operating. Whether it is agile workflows; scrum, kanban or scrumban methodologies, or something else. Whatever allows your business to evolve and become more customer-centric and therefore more successful.
Sustainability and innovation
Your business also needs to ask whether or not its business practices are sustainable. The world is changing fast and to keep going you not only need sustainable products, but sustainable systems, operations and workplaces. Innovation in all these spheres is increasingly important, but getting CEO sign-off on sustainable innovations isn't easy. At the moment it is still a decision between social and environmental responsibility and the bottom line. Research shows that going "green" can actually yield top and bottom of the line returns. Consumers are becoming savvy to the ways of business, and are starting to make the ethical choices.
Whether it is on a product, marketing, systems or any other level, innovation means a paradigm shift. A new way of thinking and doing business. Product, marketing, content and innovation are becoming so intermingled with each other it is hard to have clear cut distinctions between them. The age of marketing's pulling the wool over the eyes of consumers is done.
Marketing and innovation
An omni-channel approach should be maintained for your campaigns but this will have to evolve and anticipate changes in the market and in technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) and the Internet of Everything (IoE) movement mean that it's not just mobile phones that are going to be smart and connected - handbags, washing machines, medicine cabinets and bicycles will all be connected to each other and to the web. We should start thinking about how we can leverage these new channels and platforms, before the competition does.
These movements bring with it a wealth of modalities that could augment your marketing campaigns and enable even further integrated channels. In light of these new advancements, marketers will have to be more cognisant and sensitive to privacy and data issue. Offering a value exchange to customers, where sharing their data reaps great benefits to them. These issues are becoming salient among consumers and the media, and will probably become even more so in the future.
What does the IoT and IoE movement mean for marketers? I don't think there is one single answer, but this is an exciting time for us marketers and if we wear our innovation hats, we can really change the landscape of what's possible.
Nebraska has a rich and powerful history of answering the call to serve. For nearly 150 years, our state has witnessed this bravery in each of Americas wars. The past decade is no different. Time and again, the men and women of Nebraska have risen to defend our precious freedom in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the globe.
This year will mark the 15th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on American soil. These events changed our lives forever. Nebraskans stepped up, ready to fight. Those serving in uniform, be it active duty, the National Guard or reserves, knew they would likely wind up on the battlefield at some point in the future.
Many young Nebraskans enlisted after high school. Reserve Officers Training Corps units in Nebraska had no problem filling their ranks, and applications for military academy nominations poured in at record numbers. We should all be thankful to these Nebraskans for answering the call and standing up to defend freedom around the world.
To honor this generation of Nebraskas heroes, I recently began a new initiative on the floor of the U.S. Senate. My focus will be on those who lost their lives in combat.
Each of our fallen Nebraskans has a special story. According to the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs, there are 77 Nebraskans who lost their lives to combat-related incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Telling their stories keeps their service and sacrifice alive in our hearts. These tales also remind us of the principles so many Americans fought and died for.
I began this new initiative by honoring Sergeant Josh Ford of Pender, Nebraska.
Joshua A. Ford was killed in Iraq on July 31, 2006. His parents, relatives, and high school classmates look back lovingly on the boy who quickly grew to be a courageous soldier. As a young teenager, Josh was described as a couch potato who liked video games, painting and watching horror movies. But deep inside, there grew a strong desire to serve his country in military uniform.
He joined the Nebraska Army National Guard between his junior and senior year at Pender High School in 2003. That same year, he began basic training at Fort Jackson. He was just 17 years old, and it was a tough transition. Joshs parents, along with his classmates and friends, noticed how dramatically Josh had changed when he returned from basic training.
A year later, after graduating from Pender High School, Josh attended the Armys heavy-vehicle driver school at Fort Leonard Wood. He was assigned to the 189th Transportation Company, Detachment #1, in Wayne, Nebraska. A senior sergeant remembers that Josh grew up from a kid to [a] soldier, almost overnight.
In the early evening of July 31, 2006, near An Numaniyah, Iraq, the heat was unbearable, but it was typical for summer in Iraq. Specialist Ford and his battle buddy, Specialist Ben Marksmeier, were part of a 189th convoy that was driving through an area they had patrolled many times. Out of nowhere, a blast from an improvised explosive device obliterated their vehicle. Specialist Marksmeier was seriously injured, but Specialist Ford died at the scene.
For his service to his country, Specialist Josh Ford earned the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge. He was also promoted posthumously to the rank of sergeant.
Our nation and all Nebraskans are forever indebted to his service and sacrifice. Sergeant Josh Ford is a hero, and I was truly honored to tell his story, lest we forget his life and the freedom he fought to defend.
Throughout this year and beyond, I plan to pay tribute to more of these brave Nebraska heroes. Our nation must know of their sacrifice and the honor they brought to our state.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process. I look forward to visiting with you again next week.
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My gut says I shouldn't make the same joke many people have already made this morning, but it's so obvious.
Today is Groundhog Day so, naturally, Republicans will vote to repeal Obamacare, again, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there today.
From the Associated Press:
Tuesday's vote was an attempt to override Obama's veto last month of legislation gutting much of the law and ending federal payments to Planned Parenthood. Republicans had no chance of mustering the two-thirds majority needed to reverse a veto, but Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the effort would send an important signal. "What we're proving today is if we have a Republican president next year, we will repeal Obamacare," Ryan told reporters, using a nickname for a law that GOP lawmakers have despised since it was pushed through Congress six years ago.
What congressional Republicans have also proven is they're prepared to repeal the law without replacing it. They've proven that they find the old status quo of pre-existing conditions and runaway costs to be acceptable; maybe even preferable.
Republicans have talked about replacing Obamacare since the day it was signed into law but they've made no significant progress toward doing so.
I for one will take Paul Ryan at his words and accept that a Republican president would agree to repeal the law. I'd advise everyone to take the possibility seriously and turn out to vote in November.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been forced to scold the House Science and Technology Committee for launching an investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email account, but not for reasons that would make any sort of traditional sense.
McCarthy isn't upset because they've launched yet another pointless investigation. He's upset because that's Trey Gowdy's job.
House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) sent letters of inquiry to the security companies responsible for protecting Clinton's email server which is not within the committee's jurisdiction according to McCarthy.
The letters have caught McCarthys attention, who told reporters he believed those inquiries should have been purview of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, chaired by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) I have the same impression as you, that it would be Gowdy's jurisdiction, McCarthy said Monday afternoon, when asked whether Gowdys panel should be overseeing the investigation.
Can we keep our witch hunts straight here? Investigating the email account clearly falls within the jurisdiction of the Select Solyndra IRS Committee to Investigate the Benghazi ACORN Birth Certificate.
Just because McCarthy says this is not the Science Committee's job doesn't mean Chairman Lamar Smith will stop. House Republicans don't exactly have a high opinion of Mister McCarthy.
None of them are going to stop. It's all Benghazi all the time between now and November and at that point in time we will have witnessed more than four years of "Benghazi!" which began before the attack was even over when Mitt Romney took the stage and used the ongoing attack as a prop.
How will the Science Committee find time for doing science-y things if they're too busy investigating an email account? Maybe it's actually for the best if they don't focus on science. Chairman Lamar Smith is a climate change denier.
Stories about Americas political, economic and cultural crises are dominating headlines across the nation. Widespread bipartisan dissatisfaction with the status quo is propelling a new conversation against the dysfunction and gridlock that have thwarted effective government in Washington. As struggling families across the country face pressing challenges, elected officials often prioritize divisive rhetoric instead of empathy and imagination. Disagreements have widened into chasms, exhausting our countrys spirit and distracting us from possibilities.
In the midst of a contentious presidential primary season, maybe its time to pause, change the subject, and celebrate some examples of the best our country has to offer.
In the gym of Beemer Elementary School in northeast Nebraska, the community recently celebrated the life of Joseph Lemm. While deep sadness marked the occasion, the communitys desire to gather, tell stories and honor this remarkable man pointed to a much deeper understanding of the values that bind us.
Joe chose to put on three different uniforms, first by enlisting in the United States Air Force after high school, then in a career with the New York City Police Department, and finally with the New York Air National Guard. He served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In December, Joe gave his all for his country, along with five other Americans who were killed in Afghanistan. Although Joe left Nebraska a long time ago, he carried his early formation with him throughout a life of service, and I suspect Nebraska was never far from his heart.
Before the service, Joes mother Shirley embraced me, Governor Ricketts, and Senator Sasse as though we were family members and maybe we were. Everyone in the gym in the little town of Beemer knew that in the midst of this deep grief and loss, Joseph Lemms life had great value and purpose.
This week, Washington was buried in an avalanche of snow, and I had more time than anticipated to spend in my office in Lincoln. I noticed some young people walking around in the signature blue Future Farmers of America (FFA) jackets. I love those jackets emblazoned with the name of their hometown below the FFA symbol.
These young people had gathered with others from the Distributive Education Clubs of America; the Future Business Leaders of America; the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America; Educators Rising; and Future Health Professionals Skills USA to discuss food security. Even in Nebraska we face problems with structural poverty. These young students recognize the problem of children facing hunger, leading the way to find solutions for the impoverished, vulnerable members in their own communities.
The same snowstorm that kept me from Washington did not deter hundreds of other Nebraska students who left the comfort of their homes and drove through the night on buses to exercise their fundamental American rights: the freedom to assemble and the freedom of speech. In the face of the devastating blizzard, these principled boys and girls participated in the annual March for Life.
They are young people who refuse to accept the current settlement of our wounded culture. They traveled to Washington to explicitly express their pro-life views and proclaim that we must do better as a nation in caring for unborn children, their mothers and our broader society. Although our nation experiences sad differences over this question of abortion, I think we should commend these students for responsibly exercising their rights and standing up for their deeply held beliefs.
Nebraskans continue to demonstrate a better pathway for America. In public servants and military veterans such as Joseph Lemm, in young people gathering to tackle systemic childhood hunger, and in students trekking halfway across the country and hazarding dangerous weather in defense of vulnerable persons, perhaps we can find the answer to what is right about America at a time when so much seems to be going wrong. Our best traditions, carried forward by our families and communities, are the social force that will turn our country around.
WASHINGTON The House Natural Resources Committee will "very soon" begin forming legislation designed to aid Puerto Rico following a hearing one of its panels held on Tuesday on the need for a federal oversight authority in the commonwealth, said committee chair Rob Bishop, R-Utah.
The committee's Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs hearing included testimony from several witnesses with histories of working with control boards and others who were involved in Puerto Rico's current struggle with about $70 billion in debt.
Bishop said on Monday that he believes the House can meet a March 31 deadline that Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., set for committees with jurisdiction over Puerto Rico to have a legislative solution for the commonwealth. Bishop also said he will work with Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's sole representative in Congress and a member of the committee.
Pierluisi said during the hearing that any bill or package the committee crafts will have to be "bipartisan and balanced."
"A bad bill will not be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by the president," Pierluisi said. "So we are either going to pass a good bill or no bill at all."
Puerto Rico officials have consistently asked the federal government to extend Chapter 9 bankruptcy protections to the commonwealth's public authorities, but have been wary of a federal control board as it risks usurping the territory's authority over local affairs.
Pierluisi said he supports creating an independent board to approve things like Puerto Rico's long-term financial plan, annual budgets, and effort to publish accurate and timely financial information. But he warned that "if the forthcoming bill seeks to extinguish rather than enhance" Puerto Rico's democracy at the local level, he "will do everything in [his] power to defeat it."
Democrats have mostly sided with Pierluisi's view that any oversight authority would have to allow Puerto Rico to keep some control. They also have said legislation should link an oversight authority with the ability to restructure under Chapter 9.
Republicans generally have been wary of granting the island any Chapter 9 protections and instead have backed a strong federal authority that is both acceptable to the Puerto Rico government and has the ability to reform Puerto Rico's financial accounting and approve any financial plans the commonwealth creates. One exception is Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., who has a bill pending that would provide public authorities in Puerto Rico with Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in exchange for the commonwealth's acceptance of oversight from a presidentially-appointed five-member Financial Stability Council.
The members of the subcommittee agreed that some type of oversight authority that respects Puerto Rico's government is necessary, but there was no final consensus on what specific powers the authority should have.
"Our biggest challenge will go back to how to give the territory the needed assistance without making it more of a colony," said Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y. "To bring Puerto Rico to its knees when it is already on one knee would just add more pain."
The question of extending Chapter 9 protections to the commonwealth's public authorities had even less of a consensus.
Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, echoed other committee Republicans when he called Chapter 9 a possible "tool" for Puerto Rico, but added he "is not sure bankruptcy should come in at all."
Anthony Williams, a former mayor of Washington D.C. who worked with the city's control board and is a current senior advisor with Dentons US, said talk of restructuring should follow a joint effort by Puerto Rico's government and an appointed authority to put the commonwealth's "basic housekeeping in order" by reforming things like the island's tax collecting capabilities.
Williams said any authority should have to approve the commonwealth's financial plans and have goals of both achieving financial stability and a balanced budget for the island. Carlos Garcia, a former chair and president of Puerto Rico's Government Development Bank, agreed with Williams, saying it is important for Puerto Rico to establish strong practices to create confidence with creditors and the federal government.
An ideal authority for Puerto Rico, according to Williams, would be limited to between five and seven members who have the necessary experience to address Puerto Rico's crisis and a portion of which are Puerto Rican residents or of Puerto Rican ancestry. There would also be a chief financial officer to coordinate with the board staff and meet regularly with the Puerto Rico administration and the commonwealth's creditor groups.
Thomas Moers Mayer, a partner with Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, told the subcommittee he also supports a "bipartisan, strong" authority for the commonwealth that has control over the commonwealth's funds and makes Puerto Rico's access to federal funds contingent on the authority's approval of a Puerto Rico budget. Mayer represents Franklin Advisors and OppenheimerFunds in connection with their investment in approximately $10 billion of bonds issued by the commonwealth and most of its 16 governmental corporations. "A substantial amount of the [Puerto Rico] problem is found in government mismanagement and not in investment," Mayer said.
Mayer, representing a long-held position of the funds with Puerto Rico holdings, added he opposes a Chapter 9 bankruptcy solution because it would not force the commonwealth to take steps toward reforming its systems. Instead, he proposed that after Puerto Rico commits to an oversight authority and follows the body's direction, it should be allowed to restructure its debt contingent on the majority of bondholders supporting the restructuring proposal.
There are currently a number of bills circulating in Congress to address Puerto Rico's situation, but Duffy's is the only one to include both the Chapter 9 restructuring Democrats have favored and a strong oversight authority more acceptable to Republicans.
WASHINGTON A House panel hearing on a federal oversight board for Puerto Rico has been postponed until Feb. 2 as a Republican governor urges Congress to refrain from a Super Chapter 9 solution, but calls for restructuring and doesn't rule out bankruptcy access for the commonwealth's authorities.
The House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs had previously scheduled its hearing for Jan. 26 but rescheduled after the weekend's blizzard and subsequent big dig-out.
The hearing is expected to include testimony from: Anthony Williams, the former mayor of Washington D.C., which had a control board for several years; James Spiotto, managing director of Chapman Strategic Advisors in Chicago and bankruptcy expert; 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.
While the hearing will not directly address Super Chapter 9 for the entire Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a proposal from the Treasury Department included the idea and discussion of it has come up during past congressional hearings.
Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Douglas Ducey is urging Congress to oppose Super Chapter 9, which he said would create "a moral hazard for states and territories" and "disincentivize states from guarding against the risks and consequences of profligate spending." If Puerto Rico were allowed to use Super Chapter 9, it would be able to restructure its constitutionally backed general obligation debts, something states cannot do under federal law.
"Of most concern to me as a governor, granting Puerto Rico such unprecedented bankruptcy authority would likely raise the borrowing costs of our state, reducing our ability to invest in vital services and eroding investor confidence in the whole notion of full faith and credit debt," Ducey said. "The proposed policy amounts to a bailout for Puerto Rico's unwillingness to make tough decisions as we have in Arizona, and may encourage other states and territories to make similar unwise choices."
He also cited a warning from the Republican Governors Association in 2011 that said states should not be given the authority to declare bankruptcy themselves because it would result in market volatility that would raise the cost of state governance.
Treasury first floated the idea of a Super Chapter 9 solution in late October as part of a four-part plan to help Puerto Rico. The plan also includes a federal oversight board and changes to the way the federal government treats Puerto Rico for tax and healthcare purposes.
The plan has yet to gain traction in Congress as the majority of legislators arguing for a bankruptcy solution only want Chapter 9 extended to Puerto Rico's public authorities to match up with the current federal law for states.
Ducey said keeping Chapter 9 confined to just public authorities on the island would be "a more prudent course of action" but added Congress should most importantly encourage Puerto Rico to engage directly with creditors to come up with a consensual solution to its debt problems.
The Association of Financial Guaranty Insurers, which represents companies that insure more than $14 billion of bonds issued by Puerto Rico or its public authorities, made a similar push for consensual restructuring in a Jan. 20 letter. But the first example of consensual restructuring, a creditor agreement with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, ran into trouble on Friday after Puerto Rico politicians failed to pass legislation the deal required by the agreed upon deadline.
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.
The Spectra of Nonconforming Sexuality
Sex: "The sex you were assigned by the doctor in the hospital" at birth. Sex is either Male or Female a binary distinction. Gender Identity: The sex you know yourself to be. Gender is also Male or Female, but is a spectrum, not binary. Gender Expression: A characterization of how you dress, talk, style your hair, accessorize, use makeup, and so on, which is described as being more or less Masculine or Feminine. Sexual Orientation: The sexual attraction you experience, whether to those of the same sex, opposite sex, or people of both sexes. Affectional/Emotional Orientation: The pattern of romantic attachments you form; whether you tend to "fall in love" with and seek emotional closeness with men, women, both, or persons who see themselves as somewhere between or beyond the categories of male and female.
Is Sexual Discrimination Really the Problem?
Is Sexual Nonconformity a Mental Disorder?
Where Is the Evidence?
Surgical Mutilation Is Not the Answer
Stop Catering to Delusion and Make Laws Based on Reality
In recent months, there has been an explosion of highly controversial legislation, threatened executive edicts, and heavy-handed federal mandates regarding discrimination and public accommodation laws that require among other things public and private institutions, businesses, and schools to allow biological males who self-identify as females to use the toilet facilities and locker rooms of females (and vice versa). These developments have been accompanied by a chorus of pundits and editors expressing derision for "bigoted" opponents and cheerleading the valiant proponents of "transgender equality."What is missing from the conversation about these laws is any sound legal or scientific basis for the proposed changes. Who, exactly, are the groups who are supposed to be protected or accommodated? On what legal basis are those groups to be protected or accommodated? What are the consequences and implications for the larger society?Lawmakers and commentators should grasp the variety of people who claim to be "nonconforming" to American understandings and expectations of sex and gender before leaping into action on their behalf. A continuing legal education program held recently in Massachusetts taught participants that nonconformists fall on various places on five different spectra of being, expression, and attraction:While there is no consensus even among transgender people on these distinctions and definitions, it seems abundantly clear that modern discrimination law based on dividing people into various subgroups is going to be under severe stress within such an extremely complex scheme. Is it possible or desirable for people with widely different types of "nonconformism" to be treated as a single identifiable group?While the application of discrimination law to a particular individual can involve a complex analysis, "Nonstandard Sexuality" would be a protected group that truly makes a mockery of our already risible "protected" categories. Who, specifically, within the spectral clusters of nonconformist sexuality, is to be protected from discrimination? Should, for example, the simple desire to cross-dress place a man into a legal category of citizen "protected" against discrimination, or require businesses and institutions to accede to his request to use women's facilities?The federal Department of Education recently mandated that schools provide access for nonconformist students to the toilet and locker room facilities of their choice, on the grounds that requiring biological males and females to use the facilities appropriate to their biological sex amounts to a violation of rights under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. That is, such biological sexual segregation constitutes sexual discrimination, because it discriminates against students who are of a "trans" sex and produces a hostile, intimidating, or offensive environment for them. This Title IX finding ignores any definition of the categories of students to whom it applies; it even ignores the research on the sexual development of children who outgrow their feelings of gender dysphoria.The new regulations also ignore the very real possibility that such "inclusion" will create a hostile, intimidating, and offensive environment for sexually conformist students, staff, and teachers. This is remarkable, since less than two years has passed since the Department of Education mandated that every student who found any action including speech of anyone at her or his school offensive is entitled under Title IX to make a complaint of sexual harassment that must be investigated by the school.Proposed accommodation statutes, commonly called "Bathroom Bills," would require that toilet facilities and locker rooms must be made available according to the wishes of sexually nonconforming individuals regardless of the wishes of the other individuals using the same facilities. The proponents of such laws ignore the invasion of female students' privacy that can occur when males are admitted to facilities where the girls are often in the nude, and of males in the comparable situation. Invasion of teens' physical privacy can be intensely painful even traumatic but most pundits belittle any harassment or privacy issues felt by conformist students or parents.Lacking not only accepted and acceptable categories of disabilities much less reliable diagnostic categories of mental disorders such forced accommodations have no reasonable basis in law or medicine.Return now to the complicated spectra of nonconforming sexuality and gender expression laid out above. On what basis are some or all of these myriad sexual nonconformists supposed to be protected under discrimination law if not on the basis of a specific sex? It is possible that these laws are being proposed not on the basis of sexual discrimination, but on the grounds of the Americans with Disabilities Act as applied to psychiatric disorders. If so, are they being proposed on the belief that sexual nonconformists suffer from the mental disorders of Gender Identity Disorder (the old term), Gender Dysphoria (the new term), or any of the other possible disorders of gender identity variants?That poses a very large problem for legislators and enforcers. There exists no consensus among psychiatrists on the question of which nonconformists fall or should fall into the medical category of mentally disordered. There is no consensus among the nonconformists either. Difficult, too, is the fact that most transgendered people do not regard themselves as mentally ill and do not wish to be identified as "disabled."A "transgender disability" should one exist and be accepted by those so labeled would have to be a mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual. What would that impairment be? In what ways would the life activities of affected individuals be limited? It is very hard to conceptualize nonconforming gender identity as a disabling condition.Disabilities law requires reasonable accommodations. Even if we postulated that nonconformists were somehow disabled in pursuing some life activity, how are they to be reasonably accommodated under disabilities law? How is a state legislature to lay out the range of reasonable accommodations for the whole spectrum of sexual expression? What is a reasonable accommodation and for whom? One size clearly does not fit all. There is no rational basis upon which such determinations can be made.More fundamentally, there is no consensus on the etiology of the diverse expressions of "gender identity variants." Some LGBTQ advocates theorize that nonconforming sexuality is caused by certain family dynamics in the context of a bi-gendered patriarchal society. Others postulate that unidentified genetically based sex-hormone abnormalities cause transgenderism or homosexuality, even when there are no abnormalities of the reproductive anatomy.Evidence-based conclusions are utterly lacking, whatever the claims of activists. Without clear distinctions not only among categories of the potentially mentally disordered but also between the mentally disordered and the normal population, how are diagnosis and treatment decisions to be made? It is hardly possible to pass disability laws without reliable diagnostic categories.Most proposed legislation is driven not by medical research or theoretical differences but by the desire to make private or government insurance money available for hormone and surgical "treatment" for nonconformists experiencing psychological distress. The American Psychiatric Association has stated this unambiguously in its DSM-5, the current diagnostic manual. Pathologizing states of mind even distress simply to make insurance money available for attempts to change those states through surgical, medical, and cosmetic alterations to the body is simply not sound science. Neither is it just to the larger community that pays for medical insurance and funds the Affordable Care Act. Surely, in a domain with such drastic proposed "therapy," it is not too much to ask for a solid evidence-based statement of who is being treated, for what, and why, before writing the prescription.Our society cannot reasonably be expected to unquestioningly accept psychiatric "treatments" that strain our concepts of medical ethics, standards of care, and malpractice up to and past the breaking point.Some psychiatrists and surgeons have already collaborated to employ mutilation of healthy body parts as "psychotherapy." The conviction that one is a "one-limbed person trapped in a multi-limbed body" is now being treated as an actual mental disorder called "Body Integrity Identity Disorder." Seven such patients are reported as having had an arm or a leg electively amputated as "treatment" for this disorder. Immediate post-operative reports seem to be positive, but what about follow-up reports on life as a voluntary amputee ten and twenty years after the surgery? How about an extensive social discussion of the ethical limits of elective amputation both for the doctors and for the society at large?The genital mutilation of healthy bodies of men and women demands no less serious consideration. The suicide rate in post-surgical patients has been reported to be twenty times higher than in controls matched for birth year and birth sex. It is hard to imagine more iatrogenic treatment. As one prominent member of the DSM work group on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders put it It is difficult to justify the term "natural" variation for a condition that compels the respective individual to severely alter a healthy body by gonadectomy with attendant infertility and the replacement of intact primary and secondary sex characteristics with those of the other gender.Let us be clear: there is no such thing as "sex-reassignment" surgery. A mutilated male pumped full of estrogen remains just that a mutilated male pumped full of estrogen. He has not "transitioned" into being a woman. He can never be a woman. Nor are the hundreds of thousands of women who have undergone total hysterectomies for various reasons transformed into males. They remain women whose ovaries and wombs have been removed. They are not men.While no one is yet publicly advocating the surgical alteration of children, loud voices in the media and among advocates even at Boston Children's Hospital have called for and have even implemented hormone therapy to delay the onset of children's puberty in order to facilitate gonadectomy later in their teens or young adulthood. Research on the sexual development of children who at some point are seen to be nonconformist shows that more than 80 percent of such children outgrow their "transgenderism" by the end of their teens . Interference with the normal sexual development of children on the basis of political ideology is not just unethical it is child abuse. It is not only past time for an extensive public discussion of this practice; it is past time to put an end to it.Many both in and out of the mental health community see the conviction of oneself as "transgender" as a delusion a technical term referring to a fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence.The larger community should not accommodate this delusion by pretending to accept it as reality. A deluded person is not "treated" by requiring everyone who encounters him to accept the validity of his or her delusion, contrary to all reality.Up until the very recent past, reality testing was a fundamental component of psychotherapy. The opposite approach is irrational and indefensible. Indeed, one prominent psychiatrist in this field has termed this accommodation " collaborating with madness ." That is what American society is being asked to do by people who are well-meaning but profoundly confused about the realities of transgenderism.We expect our legislators to have rational bases for the laws they enact. We expect our judges to have rational bases for the decisions they reach. Even amid political pandering by those seeking reelection, we expect at least a veneer of rationality in the exercise of legislative and judicial powers. There is simply no rational basis for the laws being proposed and imposed in the realm of transgenderism. There is very little knowledge at all no common definitions of terms, no accepted methodology, no outcome analyses, no testing and rejecting of hypotheses, no agreed-upon standards, no science. There currently exists no reliable foundation for making these laws that will shape the actions of the larger community as they relate to sexually nonconforming individuals.Laws that restrict our freedoms and direct our actions should never be passed without a clear definition of the interests and parties to be affected and a precise explication of the ways the laws will serve those interests. At present, we have no such definitions or explanations. Put the brakes on transgender lawmaking until we do.
The Census (Art. I, 2, cl. 3)
Publishing the Journals of the House and Senate (Art. I, 5, cl. 3)
Salaries of Senators and Representatives (Art. I, 6, cl. 1)
Salaries of civil officers of the United States (Art. I, 6, cl. 2 & Art. II, 1, cl. 7)
Pay the Debts (Art. I, 8, cl. 1 & Art. VI, cl.1)
Pay tax collectors (Art. I, 8, cl.1)
Regulate commerce with foreign Nations, among the several States, and with Indian Tribes (Art. I, 8, cl.3)
Immigration office (Art. I, 8, cl.4)
The mint (Art. I, 8, cl. 5)
Attorney General to handle the small amount of authorized federal litigation involving the national government (e.g., Art. I, 8, cls. 6 & 10)
Post offices & post roads (Art. I, 8, cl. 7)
Patent & copyright office (Art. I, 8, cl. 8)
Federal courts (Art. I, 8, cl. 9 & Art. III, 1)
Military and Militia (Art. I, 8, cls. 11-16)
Since Congress has general legislative authority over the federal enclaves listed in Art. I, 8, next to last clause, Congress has broad spending authority over the tiny geographical areas listed in this clause.
The President's entertainment expenses for foreign dignitaries (Art. II, 3); and
Since Congress had general legislative authority over the Western Territory before it was broken up into States, Congress could appropriate funds for the US Marshalls, federal judges, and the like for that Territory (Art. IV, 3, cl. 2).
If it's on the list of enumerated powers, Congress may lawfully spend money on it.
But if it's not on the list, Congress usurps powers not delegated when it appropriates money for it.
And to add insult to injury, the limits on spending are fictitious because they can be waived whenever Congress 2 votes to waive them.
How do we go about downsizing the federal government to its constitutional limits?
Endnotes:
Does our existing Constitution permit the federal government to spend money on whatever they want?No! It contains precise limits on federal spending.Federal spending is limited by the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government. If you go through the Constitution and highlight all the powers delegated to Congress and the President, you will get a complete list of the objects on which Congress is permitted to spend money. Here's the list:Did I leave anything out? Take a few minutes and, armed with a highlighter, read carefully through the Constitution and see for yourself.Congress is to appropriate funds to carry out this handful of delegated powers; and it is to pay the bills with receipts from taxes.Pursuant to Article I, 9, clause 7, the federal government is to periodically publish a Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures. Citizens could use this Statement and Account - which would be so short that everyone would have time to read it - to monitor the spending of their public servants.So that's how our existing Constitution limits federal spending:It was unconstitutional spending and unconstitutional promises (Social Security, Medicare, etc., etc., etc.) which got us a national debt of almost $19 trillion, plus a hundred trillion or so in unfunded liabilities.Since the Constitution delegates to Congress only limited and narrowly defined authority to spend money; the Constitution doesn't provide for a budget.We never had a federal budget until Congress passed the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 . By this time, the Progressives controlled both political parties and the federal government.The Progressives wanted a federal budget because they wanted to spend money on objects which were not on the list of delegated powers.The result of a BBA is to legalize spending which is now unconstitutional -And because a BBA would permit Congress to lawfully spend money on whatever is put in the budget, the powers of the federal government would be lawfully increased to include whatever THEY decide to put in the budget.You must read proposed amendments and understand how they change our Constitution before you support them.All federal and State officials take an oath to support the federal Constitution (Art. VI, clause 3). When people in Congress appropriate funds for objects not listed in the Constitution; and when State officials accept federal funds for objects not listed, they violate their oath to support the Constitution. According to the PEW Report, federal funds provided an average of 30% of the States' revenue for FY 2013. Look up your State HERE . Were those federal funds used to implement unconstitutional federal programs in your State?Power over education, medical care, agriculture, state and local law enforcement, environment, etc., is not delegated to the federal government: those powers are reserved by the States or the People. Congress spends on objects for which it has no constitutional authority; and bribes States with federal funds to induce them to implement unconstitutional federal programs. It was the unconstitutional spending which gave us this crushing $19 Trillion debt.We stop the unconstitutional and frivolous spending one can read about all over the internet.We begin the shutdown of unconstitutional federal departments and agencies by selecting for immediate closure those which serve no useful purpose or cause actual harm such as the Departments of Energy, Education, Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency. 3Other unconstitutional federal departments and agencies must be dismantled and their functions returned to the States or The People.An orderly phase-out is required of those unconstitutional federal programs in which Citizens were forced to participate - such as social security and Medicare - so that the rug is not pulled out from American Citizens who became dependent. The phase-out could be funded by sales of unconstitutionally held federal lands.The federal government is obligated (Art. I, 8, cl. 11-16) to provide for service related injuries suffered by our Veterans.The Constitution delegates to Congress the power to appropriate funds for "post Roads" (Art. I, 8, cl. 7). While there may be room for argument as to what is included within the term, "post Road"; clearly, some federal involvement in road building is authorized by our Constitution. State dependence on federal highway funds might be reduced by eliminating or reducing federal fuel taxes, and the substitution of fuel taxes collected by individual States. And there is nothing immoral about toll roads.Since our Constitution was written to delegate to the federal government only the few and defined powers enumerated in the Constitution, we don't have to change the Constitution to rein in federal spending. The Constitution isn't the problem - ignoring it is the problem. Let us begin to enforce the Constitution we have.Our original Constitution authorized only excise taxes & tariffs on imports (Art. I, 8, clause 1), with any shortfall being made up by an apportioned assessment on the States based on population (Art. I, 2, clause 3).Compact for America's (CFA) version of a BBA permits spending limits to be waived whenever Congress and 26 States agree. CFA's version also authorizes Congress to impose a national sales tax and a national value added tax in addition to keeping the income tax! See THIS Paper George Washington's Cabinet had four members: Secretary of State, Secretary of War, Secretary of Treasury, and Attorney General.For the Love of God and Country, heed this warning.Very truly yours,Publius Huldah
Considering that upwards of 100 FBI agents are working around the clock, discerning whether and how many unsecured emails were Top Secret, as well as the many other investigations into Hillary Clinton's possible illegal /criminal behavior as secretary of state; if a suggestion from the FBI that she be indicted goes unheaded by Obama's Democrat DOJ: Should someone be impeached by congress? 35.71% President Obama 64.29% Attorney General Loretta Lynch 0% Let it be; it's only our national defense 14 total vote(s) Voting has Ended!
The two front runners for their party's respective nominations both lost their bid in the Iowa Caucus, although the former New York Senator tried to claim victory (she still lost), before she literally bolted from the Hawkeye State. Republican front runner Donald Trump, Manhattan real estate developer, did at least lose (28% of the total vote to his 24%) to a hyper intelligent, and consistent Conservative Texas Senator, Ted Cruz. Hillary, instead, lost to a 74 year old Socialist, from a tiny New England state, who appears to spit when he talks.What was secondarily important from the nation's first primary, via caucus, after Hillary B's disastrous showing, was that Florida Senator Marco Rubio ran a very close third to Donald Trump's second (23% of the total vote cast). Senator Rubio is young, whip-smart, and, like the boldly intelligently Senator Cruz, is of Hispanic descent from Cuban parents. Marco is now being called the 'Establishment's Candidate', but Marco is far more conservative than many political neophytes give him credit as being, and any RINOs moving their support to Rubio now as their last best hope of taking the Republican Party to a more moderate posture, will eventually get their feelings hurt, and hurt real hard.Now back to Hillary, whose dwindling political persona born from her unnatural incapability of expressing truths while dealing with the reality of her public world; her natural plight of incessant lying should be the bane of the Democrat Party should Ms. Benghazi become their nominee. With the shroud of certain indictment, in a principled world, hanging over the growling, cackling pumpkin headed former secretary-of-state-for-sale, one must continue to remember that she is a Democrat, and the vast majority of elected Democrats are egregiously unprincipled people (I reference the Benghazi cover-up ). That is the reality of it, so, she may well be their nominee. All she has to do to be such, along with Socialist Bernie , is to promise the low-information Democrats that she will continue to carve up America, at home abroad, and re-distribute to effect the Socialist Democrat ideal of keeping give-it-away Liberals in office.Furthermore to currently accomplish this, the Democrats' president, Hussein Obama, is the most unprincipled man to occupy that high office in modern times, and a pretty fair liar himself . One need only watch how Hillary has promised the world, on the Democrat campaign trail, that she would unequivocally be Barack's third term if elected to know that she is pining hard for America's current Criminal-in-Chief to make the certain indictment to certainly melt away.It has often been my first-hand experience to hear from establishment RINOs within the Republican Party that Republicans should be more like Democrats, and should coalesce around our rare politically wounded people, who are deeply principled challenged; however, unlike the Democrats, we help destroy them, and that is good. It is the patriotic duty of a wise electorate to expect principled behavior from our elected representatives. Remember Richard M. Nixon. That poor man was taken down hard, with the guiding help of Republicans, for far less than America's current Liar-in-Chief committed in his first term ... far, far less.This could well be the nomination process to one of the most critical presidential elections in modern times: Principled Republicans seeking their party's nomination tear and one another to position themselves to lead the Executive Branch back from its deadly dark place, while Democrats struggle to protect Hillary B. Clinton's right to be America's first woman president.But thoughtless ladies, and other low-information Liberals, I must ask: Do you really want to be responsible for putting this lying, unprincipled Bitch in the People's office ... all the People's office? You well may feel this way if you do not have one good patriotic bone in your body. Possibly, you are like Bernie when he pronounced:For me, personally, I am not a Donald J. Trump fan. He was a Democrat, and acted like a rich unprincipled Democrat for far too long. But, if he is the Republican nominee, I will do my part to keep that lying Bitch, or the Socialist, who spits when he talks, out of this very important office at this very critical time.I've known many people from in, and around New York City, plus I keep my eyes wide open, so I well understand Senator Cruz's slight within his discussion of "New York values"; however, if Donald J. Trump is the last Republican standing, and it is his version of "New York values" versus Hillary B's criminal version of "New York values" ... well then, count me in for that fight on The Donald's side. He will have my full endorsement.If Donald J. Trump does not act in a principled and patriotic manner as the People's president, I will help take him down, and hard. That is the kind of Republican I am.
NEW DELHI (PTI): 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 to New Delhi last December.
Sources said the deal could 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 in 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 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.
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
Google will discover if it has surpassed Apple as the most valuable company in the world when the stock markets reopen.
The latest round of financial results last night saw the internet company report an 18% increase in revenue over the last year, as well as profits of more than 3bn.
The news sent share prices up by 8% in after-hours trading, enough to take the company past Apple's US$534bn market valuation, but only when trading begins again today will Google have confirmation of its position.
Google's finance chief Ruth Porat hailed the "vibrancy of the business" during the announcement, with video sharing site YouTube, as well as the widely used Google search engine, named as the core of the company's growth.
Though Apple reported record profits in its own financial results last week, the California-based firm predicted iPhone sales would decline for the first time in the device's history in the next quarter.
Google chief Sundar Pichai also announced that email service Gmail has surpassed one billion users for the first time.
However, there was no mention of the company's tax deal with the British Treasury, with the 130m sum Google has agreed to pay back in tax and interest having been criticised in some quarters as "derisory".
Business Secretary Sajid Javid, in an interview with the BBC, said that the settlement "wasn't a glorious moment".
The company will also give evidence to the British House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on countering extremism today alongside social network Facebook, which last week posted its own financial results, which includes a revenue rise of more than 40% to 12.5bn.
Last July, the PAWS Animal Rescue centre in Mullinahone, Co Tipperary, rescued a dog that was so traumatised that she couldn't pry her face from the wall of her kennel.
It turned out that Cara, a sight hound (a type of dog that includes greyhounds which relies on its sight, not scent, to navigate the world) was showing signs of anxiety brought on, according to her rescuers, by years of severe abuse.
A new initiative to help victims of sexual assault is being launched at colleges around the country today.
The Say Something card has been developed following research indicating 16% of students experience unwanted sexual experiences while at college.
West Ham 2 Aston Villa 0
Jordan Ayew was sent off in disgrace as Aston Villa were shoved a step closer to relegation following a 2-0 defeat at West Ham.
Ghana striker Ayew left his struggling side in the lurch when he was dismissed for a vicious elbow into the face of Aaron Cresswell after just 17 minutes.
And it was Villa who ended up with a bloody nose after Michail Antonio and Cheikhou Kouyate struck in the second half to end the 10 mens resistance.
Rock-bottom Villa were actually well on top, having forced a couple of corners and seen a reasonable penalty shout turned down when Gabriel Agbonlahors cross hit Antonios arm.
So it was utterly mystifying when Ayew, who was jostling for position with Cresswell from a throw-in deep in West Ham territory, swung out his elbow into the defenders face and left him sprawled on the floor.
Referee Jonathan Moss produced a straight red card and Ayew trudged off to leave his team-mates facing a long evening a man down.
Villa promptly retreated back into their own half, with their remaining nine outfield players camped behind the ball, as West Ham set about what proved to be a difficult task of breaking them down.
They were inches away from making the breakthrough when James Tomkins lashed Cresswells centre back across goal but Enner Valencia could only divert the ball over the crossbar.
Antonio fired wide after a crafty backheel from Alex Song, and Tomkins burst into the area again only to blaze over before Valencia curled a free-kick wide in first-half stoppage time.
The one-way traffic continued after the break, with Micah Richards hooking James Collins header clear from under the crossbar, before Mark Noble crashed in a superb volley from the edge of the box, only to see Mark Bunn make an equally fine save.
Patience was clearly the order of the day for the hosts, and it finally paid off in the 58th minute when Noble floated a long, diagonal ball into the area.
Antonio timed his run perfectly to stay onside and guided a deft header back across Bunn and into the far corner of the net.
Cresswell, Noble and Dimitri Payet curled efforts narrowly wide as the Hammers looked for the killer second.
It came with five minutes remaining courtesy of a lightning break from a Villa corner. Valencia collected Payets neat touch on the edge of his own area and went haring up the field.
Kouyate had somehow kept up with the winger and got his reward with an inch-perfect pass to fire past Bunn and complete another miserable chapter in Villas nightmare season.
Now that Stillwater Mining Co. has signed a new labor contract with its largest workforce, CEO Mick McMullen says the company is in a better position to compete in a low-price environment and to continue expanding in Montana.
McMullen said Monday last weeks ratification of a new four-year contract with about 800 union workers at the main Nye mine and Columbus smelter is a big achievement for both sides.
Were relieved to have it behind us. I think it serves us, the company and employees, to move on with life, and concentrate on working safely, McMullen said in a telephone interview from Colorado, where his office is located.
Shares of publicly traded Stillwater were selling for $6.77 at close Monday, rising about 3 percent following announcement of the labor deal.
Members of the United Steelworkers local 11-0001 voted Thursday and Friday to approve the contract after negotiations were restarted in January. It includes no pay increases and an option in two years to renegotiate base pay.
According to the company, miners at the Nye mine cost Stillwater are paid about $126,000 annually on average, which includes incentives, health insurance and retirement contributions.
The base pay tops out at about $34 an hour for the most experienced workers, or about $70,720 annually, according to the union.
The union miners have been working since Sept. 1 under the contract they twice rejected last year after the two side reached an impasse. The one they approved last week is mostly the same, except for a minor change to monthly production incentives for rock breakers.
Negotiations restarted after the union filed an unfair labor practice complaint that was rejected by the National Labor Relations Board.
The new incentives are a big change compared to the miners previous four-year contract, according to the union. Now, part of that incentive pay is based on the cost-per-ounce mined, which encourages miners to work more efficiently to meet overall company goals, according to McMullen.
He added that miners had feared this would amount to a pay cut, but the past five months have shown otherwise for most.
If we get the right cost per ounce income, they have the opportunity to not only make what they were getting, but more, he said.
Scott McGinniss, president of the local union, agreed, but added that hitting those incentive benchmarks could be harder this summer. Many workers are being asked to do more after the company laid off 119 workers at the Nye mine in September because of low metals prices, McGinniss said.
Its going to be a tough road to hoe. Could they achieve a maximum incentive? Yes, but it will be tough, he said.
In early January, during negotiations with the union, Stillwater directors awarded five company executives, including McMullen, stock bonuses worth about $1.6 million at the time. McMullen said the timing was tough and definitely made life more difficult, but was part of the base pay for the executives.
The restricted stock could end up worth nothing or pay out in the millions, he added.
Columbus-based Stillwater is Montanas largest mining company and the only U.S. producer of platinum and palladium. Prices for those metals have fallen more than 30 percent over the year, largely because of oversupply worldwide.
Perhaps people didnt quite understand where commodity prices were going. We have seen the (precious metals) prices fall pretty significantly over the past 12 months. Our view is that we were preparing the business for sustainability in the future, McMullen said Monday.
McGinniss added that miners aim to be as productive as possible until prices improve.
Weve just got to hunker down and weather this out. Hopefully, the prices come up, he said. Workers at the company's East Boulder mine also signed a new four-year contract in December.
The strong U.S. dollar has also hurt Stillwater because competitors in South Africa and Russia can better keep costs down against weaker currency, McMullen said.
On the positive side, Stillwater is moving forward on its $205 million Blitz project, which will expand the companys J-M Reef near the main Stillwater mine, McMullen said.
The company received permits in August to begin tunneling and is on track to begin production in 2018, if not sooner, McMullen said.
We want to have Blitz online as quickly as we can, he said.
Australia's Prime Minister has told government colleagues that he may call an early general election within weeks.
Malcolm Turnbull alone decides the timing of the next election, and has maintained that he plans for his government to run a full three-year term which would make the poll due around September.
But he told his colleagues at their first meeting at Parliament House for the year that the election could be called much sooner, a government minister said.
Mr Turnbull said he could call a double dissolution election, so-called because both the House of Representatives and the Senate are dissolved.
He told his colleagues "we can reasonably expect an election to be at the normal time, in the August-to-October period, but that is not set in stone," the minister told reporters.
"He said a double dissolution was a live option, which would have to be weighed up."
An ordinary election in which the entire House of Representatives and half the Senate go to the polls can be held any time from August 6 until January 14 next year.
A double dissolution election can be called earlier to break a legislative deadlock after the Senate has twice rejected a bill passed by the House of Representatives.
After the early election, the rejected bill goes to a vote in a joint sitting of both chambers.
The Senate has already twice rejected a minor bill on improving governance of organisations, meaning Mr Turnbull could call an election as early as March 12.
Early elections are rare and unpopular with voters.
The last double dissolution election was in 1987.
But since Mr Turnbull replaced Tony Abbott in September, the ruling centre-right coalition has overtaken the centre-left opposition Labour Party in opinion polls.
A thief who stole a grieving fathers laptop from the funeral of the victims six-year-old boy has been jailed for four and a half years, Scotland Yard said.
The computer had been used in the service to show precious photos of the boy, TJ Martin, who died after battling a rare illness.
Mourners left the service at the Pentecostal City Church in Harlesden, north-west London and went to the nearby Kensal Rise cemetery for the burial.
When they returned to the church they discovered the laptop had been stolen.
Franklyn Mathurin, 47, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to carrying out the burglary on November 2.
He was jailed today at Londons Harrow Crown Court, police said.
The boys parents have previously issued an emotional appeal for the return of the computer, which has not been found.
Pat Martin, the boys mother, said: Its as important as life itself that we get the laptop back.
Unfortunately, TJs life is no longer, hes been taken from us, and that laptop has all of our memories of him, short of what we hold in our hearts.
Her son was born with Candle syndrome, a rare disorder characterised by inflammation and fever, and spent much of his life in hospital before losing his fight with illness.
Norris Martin, the boys father, said: The photos on the laptop are six years of family photos, even from (TJs) birth.
All the memories that we have of him are on that laptop. We have a few on my phone, but thats only the last year and a half.
GILLETTE, Wyo. Like a trusty pickup, Gillette has bounced through tough times before and pulled through, thanks to coal.
Lately the bumps for an industry that's brought wealth and jobs to this town are getting bigger bankruptcies of major producers, pollution rules that have made burning coal more expensive and the decline of a once-promising export market.
Now, another threat has struck coal's remaining U.S. stronghold: A potential end to relatively easy and cheap access to billions of tons of the fuel held in publicly owned reserves across the West.
President Barack Obama's administration has ordered a three-year moratorium on sales of federal coal reserves, and it's putting a rare mood on folks in Gillette, a ranching-turned-energy town of 32,000: pessimism.
"Most of the time it comes back. This time, I don't know," said Bobbie Garcia, watching her daughter summit a two-story climbing structure at the town's $53 million recreation center largely built with coal money.
Until recently, the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana remained a rare bright spot for the industry. Even as Appalachian mines shut down and cheap natural gas started crowding out coal as a power plant fuel, economies of scale kept the region rumbling.
Massive strip mines sprawled across tens of thousands of acres, much of it in the Thunder Basin National Grassland, produce roughly 40 percent of the nation's supply of the fuel.
For Gillette and other communities, that means more than 7,000 mining industry jobs. And not just fly-by-night, roughneck gigs, but the sort that sustain families year after year, pointed out Michael Von Flatern, a state senator who has lived in Gillette since the early 1970s.
"I cannot picture myself in Gillette without a coal mine," Von Flatern said. "That's a big part of it, the steadiness of it."
Coal's significance isn't easily overlooked here. Mining equipment businesses, offering everything from generators to front-end loaders for rent or sale, line the southern approach into Gillette on Wyoming 59 like a vast aisle of life-sized toys for boys.
Parking fine collection boxes downtown proclaim Gillette the "Energy Capitol of the Nation." Orange clouds of toxic gas released by mine blasting smudge the distant horizon.
Along with oil and gas revenues, coal has brought money for the state and local governments to build top-of-the-line schools and the rec center, which features a 200-meter indoor track and an aquatic center with a 3-meter diving platform.
Signs of economic troubles first appeared a few years ago, when drilling for natural gas trapped in water-saturated coal seams went bust. Thousands of wells were idled as companies shifted focus to fracking for gas in Texas and the Northeast.
Then last year, mining company Alpha Natural Resources filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Industry giant Arch Coal Inc. followed in early January. Each company has two major mines in Wyoming. Arch's Black Thunder mine ranks among the largest in the world.
Less than a week after the Arch bankruptcy came the Obama administration moratorium on new coal lease sales.
It targets an Interior Department program that's been criticized for decades by members of Congress, for allowing mining companies to profit off a taxpayer-owned resource they lease for just pennies per ton through a largely uncompetitive bidding process.
The projects are on hold for three years while the Interior Department reviews the leasing program.
To locals already reeling from the coal bust, the moratorium was the final straw.
"All these rules and regulations just make it harder to conduct business," said Susan Doop, owner of a local alternative therapy business. "Everything (Obama) does to make it more costly to do business makes it harder. People are losing their jobs."
Doop and her husband, Marlin, who owns an auto body shop, already are seeing the changes. He just spent three weeks focused exclusively on repairing a Ford Super Duty pickup from a coal mine that had a crushed cab and bent frame.
A $15,000 check he got from Arch the same week the company filed for bankruptcy bounced. He said he can't afford health insurance and was going to use the money to pay for another round of treatments for advanced liver and colon cancer.
Now he's waiting in line with anybody else for recourse through federal bankruptcy court.
"Could be one to five years. And then when they settle, they always settle with the biggest companies first. And then the little guy gets stuck," Marlin Doop said.
Analysts say the moratorium will add to the uncertainty in Gillette. At stake are the industry's long-term prospects, and if it will be profitable to keep mining at current levels if costs increase after the review. It could apply to as many as 28 projects in nine states, although federal officials said they still were working out the full implications.
As it is, the coal companies themselves have been unwilling to lease any new coal in the Powder River Basin for the past three years, due largely to the uncertain market for the fuel.
"The damage has already done by current market conditions and a decision to regulate carbon dioxide," said Robert Godby, who directs the Center For Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming.
The leasing moratorium, he said, represents "more nails in the coffin. I don't want to say they're already dead, but you get the idea."
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Johanna Thompson is the first to admit that she's a very private person when it comes to her emotions, and, for the most part, that didn't change upon her diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in 2013.
But a 2015 retreat organized and paid for by the local chapter of a national nonprofit that sends breast cancer survivors on fly fishing trips gave her the chance to let her guard down.
"It's important to get together with people that can help you tell your story. You have to be strong for everybody else around you, but there I didn't have to do that," Thompson said. "I remember one night sitting there around the fire, I said things I didn't say to anybody all the way through my treatment. I wasn't emotional before because I didn't want my kids to worry. I didn't want my family to worry."
The annual retreat is a key feature of Casting for Recovery, a national nonprofit that helps and encourages women with breast cancer through education, support and fly fishing at no cost to the participants.
In Montana, the Trailhead Country chapter of CFR serves the eastern half of the state, including Billings, and has funded and organized trips for dozens of breast cancer survivors since 2008.
Thompson joined 13 other breast cancer survivors on a three-day September fly fishing trip to the Nine Quarter Circle Ranch outside of Gallatin Gateway. While the trip is organized around fly fishing, it serves a much deeper purpose to aid survivors in their recovery.
"It helps to give these women a safe environment," said Diane Arkava, a Billings Clinic licensed clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist who volunteers as part of the trips' medical team. "It gives this nurturing area where these women can come and feel safe sharing their stories. Were not here to make them all fly fishers and casters. Were here to help them heal."
In 2013 and at the age of 35, Thompson first learned that she had breast cancer after noticing, and initially dismissing, a lump in one of her breasts.
"I actually had two different types of breast cancer in the same breast, which is rare," she said.
By June of that year, she'd started a chemotherapy treatment that would last until mid-December. Also as part of the treatment, she underwent a mastectomy.
Through treatment, Thompson relied on family and friends. Her young son would come to some of her chemo treatments, and the two would play games or finish puzzles, while friends came to other sessions and turned it into more of a lunch party than a medical treatment.
"It's easier to be strong when you've got so many people there to hold you up," she said.
Even so, as the mother of two young children, she felt she had to keep going for her family, even as the treatment was taking its toll both physically and emotionally. She continued to go to work daily as an occupational therapists at Billings Clinic's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and didn't let on much about how she was feeling.
"It's my kids, it's my family," she said. " I don't ever want them to see cancer as something that took anything from them ... It's a bump. If I have to push myself and do those other things to get there, then I'll do that."
But the fly fishing trip gave Thompson the chance to open up. She'd first heard about Casting for Recovery from Arkava, whom she knew from work.
On the trip, she had all of the perks normal on a CFR trip but abnormal to a fly fishing expedition. Staff provided them with everything they needed, fed them well and were ready at an instant to fetch any item they might need, from lip balm to a new fly rod.
She also had the chance to listen to other breast cancer survivors' stories while sharing her own, and bonding over the common threads.
"I remember the spiritual part, the peaceful part," she said. "We are all survivors, but we are all women that are thriving now. We weren't struggling any more. We began understanding that a lot of the feelings you repress are ones that everyone has, or ones that are common."
Thompson also learned to fly fish, something she's wanted to do for years. She has since been able to put the skill to use and realized the benefit of the activity on her mental state.
"It was almost hypnotic," she said. "It was something where everything else melted away. You focus on the rhythm, you say, 'I focus on me. Look at how healthy I am. I'm surrounded by all this beauty.'"
Arkava said that the joy and happiness, along with the friendships formed, that come from the women during the trips is evident even to the volunteers and staff working there.
It gives them the opportunity, she said, to relax and let somebody else care for them while relating to other women who've been through similar illnesses.
"It's just a wonderful experience," she said.
To help fund its operations and to continue providing trips for women like Thompson, CFR is holding its third annual Pink Pookie Gala in Billings.
Named for a specific type of fly used in fishing, the gala will be held on Feb. 20 and aims to raise money that will, among other things, buy new fishing gear to provide during the trips while funding trips and regular operations for the organization.
"Thats really why we do this, so that they can have that experience," said Sharon Scharosch, program coordinator for the Trailhead Country chapter.
Applications for the 2016 Casting for Recovery Trailhead Country fly fishing trip are due by July.
Nationwide, the group has served more than 6,500 women on almost 500 retreats.
A coroner's inquest begins Tuesday into the shooting death of a 28-year-old man in January 2015.
A seven-member jury will determine if former deputies Jason Robinson and Christopher Rudolph were justified in shooting Loren Simpson on a snowy backroad in Huntley last winter.
The inquest will be conducted by Park County Coroner Al Jenkins, who will be assisted by Senior Yellowstone County Deputy Attorneys Brett Linneweber and Victoria Callender.
A wrongful death lawsuit against the county has been filed by Simpsons family and is pending before Montana U.S. District Court Judge Susan Watters.
The suit includes documents from the sheriff departments investigation, which have been sealed by Watters pending the inquest.
In a report to Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder, a separate department review board "determined there was an actual or perceived threat and that deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury.
The two deputies resigned five days after the Jan. 8 shooting. Rudolph left the department. Robinson took a guard position at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, according to Linder. Rudolph joined the sheriff's office in September 2014 and Robinson joined in December 2011.
Family of man killed by sheriff's deputies files civil lawsuit County officials have yet to respond to a civil lawsuit filed by the family of Loren Benjami
On the day of the shooting, the two deputies responded to a call about a purple Ford Explorer without proper registration parked in Lockwood. The deputies found nothing suspicious about the vehicle and took no action, according to a search warrant filed in the case.
Later in the day, the Explorer was reported stolen from a auto dealership lot.
While responding to a reported burglary on Justice Trail in Huntley, the deputies spotted a purple Explorer and followed it from a distance up White Buffalo Road before they got stuck. At no time did the deputies attempt to pull over the Explorer, the warrant stated.
Three teenagers getting off a school bus nearby helped the deputies get their car unstuck and told them White Buffalo road had no outlet, records state.
Robinson exchanged his telephone number with one of the teens and asked to be alerted if the teenagers saw the Explorer headed back toward the patrol car.
The deputies partially blocked a lower part of the road with their patrol car where they waited until they got a call from the teen saying the Explorer was headed toward them.
Rudolph, carrying a 12-gauge shotgun, got out of the patrol car from the driver's side. Robinson exited with an AR-15 rifle. Both waited with their guns out for the Explorer, the warrant said.
Robinson yelled twice for the Explorer to stop, according to the warrant.
The deputies fired at the Explorer after Robinson said the vehicle accelerated toward them.
The two deputies found the driver dead and discovered a dog in the vehicle had survived being shot. The dog was taken to a veterinary hospital.
The deputies didnt know the identity of the driver until later in the investigation.
Simpson had one prior felony charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs from 2012. A rifle was found in the stolen Explorer.
In the civil suit, Simpson's family alleges the deputies used excessive force to stop Simpson.
The sheriff's office conducted its own investigation, which will be released during the inquest, according to Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito.
A coroner's inquest is not a criminal proceeding. Jurors are instructed to determine whether or not the shooting was justified.
Regardless of the inquests findings, Twito has the option of pressing charges. During his tenure as county attorney, he has never gone against an inquests finding.
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CASPER, Wyo. The jury trial for a Casper man charged with sexually abusing two girls began Monday in Natrona County District Court.
Shaun Kenneth Hamilton faces five sex crime charges.
Prosecutors say Hamilton, 30, raped a 14-year-old girl last January. She reported the assault the day after it occurred. After looking into her case, police reopened a 2009 investigation in which Hamilton was accused of raping another girl, then about 8 years old.
Both girls, now 15 and 14 respectively, took the stand Monday. Prosecutor Kevin Taheri and defense attorney Hampton Young asked the girls questions about their lives and the alleged abuse.
Hamilton, who wore a white dress shirt and a gold tie, sat at the defense table. His trial is expected to last four days. Natrona County District Judge Daniel Forgey is overseeing the proceedings.
The jury is made up of nine men and four women, one person being an alternate.
Child sexual abuse cases infrequently go to trial, said Natrona County District Attorney Michael Blonigen. More often, prosecutors and defense attorneys reach an agreed-upon sentence as part of a plea deal.
Blonigen is not serving as prosecutor for the trial and was speaking generally about child sex abuse cases.
"Its a very tough situation for any witness to testify, but to be a child and testify about sexual abuse ... is a very tough situation to be in," Blonigen said. He noted if attorneys can't reach an agreement, then the case will go to trial and the victims will testify. "But we don't want to do it unnecessarily," he said.
Authorities charged Hamilton in May with one count of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. He faces up to 190 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Hamilton was originally set to stand trial in October, but it was postponed for unknown reasons. He was released from jail while he awaited trial.
The first girl reported the rape to a school employee the day after the alleged crime. The employee contacted police, and the girl was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Project. A rape kit was later performed at Wyoming Medical Center.
After learning of the alleged rape, police reopened the 2009 investigation in which Hamilton was accused of raping the other girl. She told police Hamilton touched her inappropriately on several occasions and raped her, with the abuse beginning in 2007.
When interviewed by police, Hamilton denied the allegations.
Taheri, the prosecutor, told jurors during his opening statement that DNA tests linked Hamilton to the January 2014 rape. He said despite there not being DNA evidence available for the 2009 case, he expects to leave the jury with no reasonable doubt of Hamiltons guilt.
Young, the defense attorney, told the jury there are inconsistencies in the victims statements, though he did not elaborate on what those inconsistencies are.
I believe youll find problems with the prosecutions theories, Young said.
He also asked the jury to consider why police chose not to charge Hamilton in 2009.
These are serious charges, Young said. These are awful charges Shaun Hamilton is horrified that he has been accused of these alleged crimes.
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Linda Dismore Diz Swift, a former Chevron scientist and executive, will speak twice in Billings this week about Montanas response to the federal Clean Power Plan.
Swift, a fourth-generation Montanan, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Royal Johnson Community Room at the Billings Public Library and again at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Elks Club, 934 Lewis Ave., as part of the League of Women Voters of Billings meeting. Lunch will be served for $10 before the Thursday talk.
Swifts roles in oil and gas exploration include research and corporate planning.
According to a news release from the League of Women Voters, she plans to speak on causes and potential solutions for climate change, including business opportunities.
In regard to the Clean Power Plan, Swift will help answer these questions: Why is reducing carbon emission so important? Why is Montana being hit so hard? Can free enterprise solutions rather than government-imposed solutions be used to reduce emissions and comply with the Clean Power Plan? What are the options for coal employees?
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The Billings City Council asked to learn more about how city administrators conduct contract negotiations with the three unions that represent nearly 75 percent of city employees, and during Mondays work session, they got what they were asking for.
But one question remained following Mondays discussion: how much input will or should the City Council have on upcoming negotiations, beginning with spring bargaining sessions with Billings firefighters?
While some council members asked City Administrator Tina Volek if they could receive updates from her during a closed session, she reminded them that state open meetings law prohibits that from occurring outside the publics purview.
The bargaining sessions are open to the public, but residents arent allowed to comment, and Volek compared the sessions 7 or 8 all-day sessions is the norm to watching paint dry.
Volek said the negotiations cost $325 per hour in staff time.
When the city sought private negotiators to represent the city in 2011, the bids ranged from $250 to $490 per hour.
Volek said another advantage to city staff doing the negotiating is that theyre the ones who administer the contract throughout the life of the contract. If we arent involved in the discussion, its hard to know what the intent is when problems arise, she said.
If I were in the union, I would much rather see the city represented by an outside negotiator, Mayor Tom Hanel said.
If you hire a stranger, he or she doesnt have the dedication to the community that our own employees do, said Councilman Brent Cromley.
Im not interested in hiring a consultant, Councilman Larry Brewster said, but I would like more information and input during the process.
At the end of the day, whether were giving the city administrator some cover or not, it is Ms. Voleks job, said Councilman Ryan Sullivan. If we get an outside negotiator, we are shirking our duty to hold Tina accountable.
In addition, Sullivan said, speaking publicly about what City Council members want out of the upcoming firefighters bargaining sessions could tip the citys hand over where officials stand.
We can voice our wants, Sullivan said, without voicing what we will give up.
Councilman Dick Clark requested Mondays presentation shortly after taking office last month. Last year following bargaining, police were given raises of 3.2 percent this fiscal year, 3.2 percent in 2016-17 and 3 percent in 2017-18.
The one who hasnt been represented at the bargaining table is the taxpayer, and frankly that is our role, Brewster said. It is important for us to have input on issues that we think will be important to discuss.
Some council members said they were frustrated that the only input they have on the bargaining process is approving the contract after its negotiated and agreed on by both sides.
According to a survey of Montanas largest police departments, first-year officers in Bozeman now make 3.3 percent more than their Billings counterparts, while first-year officers in Missoula are paid 3.2 percent more.
Those pay differences are reduced the longer an officer serves. After 20 years, Bozeman police, at $34.41 per hour, make 1.1 percent more than Billings veteran officers, who are paid $34.04 per hour.
Missoulas 20-year veteran officers are paid 0.5 percent less than Billings 20-year officers.
In other business, Marty Connell introduced the new coordinator of the Billings Industrial Revitalization District, Tim Goodrich, organizer of the Magic City Blues Festival. Goodrich topped the list of five finalists, said Connell, BIRD board president, and will begin work Monday.
Connell said a developer is interested in building a hotel near MetraPark now that water and sewer services have been improved. The developer is naturally interested in a bridge or a tunnel that would take guests and others from the hotel to MetraPark, and a committee is studying the issue before a study is commissioned.
A police report indicated that 44 people were issued warnings during 2015 for using their hand-held cellular devices while driving, and four people were ticketed.
Hanel, a former Billings police lieutenant, urged police to write more citations.
It is still a very visible problem, he said, adding its dangerous for the driver and passengers, for pedestrians and for other motorists as well.
Fairfax Media is partnering with ProductReview.com.au to leverage data for marketing campaigns for advertisers.
ProductReview.com.au allows consumers to post reviews of products ranging from washing machines to cars to weight loss programs.
Fairfax and ProductReview.com.au hope to leverage data for marketing campaigns.
Fairfax Media, publisher of The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, will have access to ProductReview.com.au's consumer data across industries, combining it with its own data to produce marketing campaigns and targeted digital advertising.
"This partnership is the latest example of Fairfax Media's investment in securing valuable, insightful and high-quality data to deliver targeted advertising and deep audience insights to clients and advertisers," Fairfax Media, Australian publishing media commercial and marketing services director Tom Armstrong said.
We lost another young Australian to drugs this week. Dean Shield, 17, was found dead, allegedly after consuming a synthetic drug.
What are synthetic drugs? In many respects they are akin to many illicit substances they are, more often than not, manufactured and sold in shoddy conditions and without any control. But synthetic drugs are different in that they are the cheaper and nastier version of many other illicit substances although it's difficult to believe cheaper and nastier is possible.
Synthetic cannabis has been implicated in the death of Dean Shield. Credit:Ken Irwin
Once again, the calls from police and politicians have begun. "Police and politicians warn kids considering experimenting with drugs not to do so." Yes. "Say no to drugs." If it was as simple as that, Shield wouldn't have tried the drug in the first place.
And no, he didn't try it because he'd been given the wrong information. He didn't try it because he was a bad kid. He tried it because he was a kid. Statistics show that about 42 per cent of Australians aged 14 years and over have used illicit drugs in their lifetime. Nearly half of us.
Alone in a cemetery in the small village of Equetot in Normandy, France, lies the body of an Australian airman, Vernon Hansen, who was killed in World War II. I know this because a British Army friend of mine sent me the photo, with the request that I find his family and show them where he lies.
As it happens, Vernon Hansen was a Queenslander, a boy from Freestone, near Warwick, who was 19 years old when he joined the RAAF in 1942. To do so, he had to get two people to "certify as to his moral courage and suitability for service" in the RAAF. His enlistment photo shows he was tall, slim and good looking.
Flowers are laid at Vernon Hansen's grave, yet his family may have no idea he is buried in France.
By early 1944 he was in England, where he was trained as an air gunner, and promoted to Flight Sergeant. By that time in the war British losses were so high that Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders were sent overseas to fill the ranks of the RAF.
So it was that on the May 30, 1944, Vernon Hansen arrived at 158 Sqn RAF. This was a bomber squadron flying Halifax heavy bombers.
The signing ceremony on February 4 in Auckland for the Trans-Pacific Partnership is mainly a public relations exercise.
It masks the fact that for Australia and most TPP countries, the public debate and parliamentary process to pass implementing legislation, leading to final ratification of the deal, is just beginning, and it will be a rocky road.
Many groups are opposed to the TPP deal, in the name of protection or even regulation. Credit:Chip Somodevilla
After six years of secret negotiations, the 6000 page text was released on November 5, 2015, but was still subject to "legal scrubbing". The scrubbed text was only released last week, with not enough time to check it before the ceremony. We do know that US corporate interests had been furiously lobbying to get last-minute changes. No wonder the 2015 Senate report which criticised this secret and undemocratic process was called Blind Agreement.
The TPP text is likely to be tabled in the Australian Parliament soon, and examined by parliamentary committees over several months before Parliament votes on the implementing legislation.
A two-time winner of the Victorian Indigenous Art Award, Peter Waples-Crowe describes his new triptych for Chapter House Lane as "auto-ethnography".
From Thursday, Waples-Crowe's painting, Loss, with a blue vision feat. J. RAE and J. Baerg, will fill the three panes of the window-based gallery, which is adjacent to St Paul's Cathedral.
Peter Waples-Crowe's Broken, 2015.
The title, with its hip-hop-style guest artists' credit, refers to the fact that the new work incorporates an older project, Blue Vision, made in collaboration with Indigenous Canadian artists Jen Rae and Jason Baerg.
Waples-Crowe says the "loss" in the title, as well as the nature of this international First Nations collaboration, draws attention to the "erasure and loss of Aboriginal cultural knowledge worldwide".
Amy Amos Gebhardt's nude portraiture celebrates difference
With its human figures floating free against the clouds and sky, Amy Amos Gebhardt's multi-screen video installation, There Are No Others, is nude portraiture that celebrates a difference.
Amy Amos Gebhardt: There Are No others.
The subjects in these images identify as existing beyond traditional gender binaries.
In glorious high-definition and slow motion Gebhardt used a digital camera capable of filming 1000 frames a second they seem to levitate, "skyclad" in ritual-like nudity, across five massive floor-to-ceiling projection screens at Gertrude Contemporary, where the exhibition opens this Friday.
A Turnbull government MP took a publicly funded "study tour" to Europe that included a visit to a Polish coal mine in which he owns shares.
Luke Simpkins, a West Australian Liberal, slugged taxpayers nearly $5000 for his seven-day jaunt through Poland and the Netherlands in April and May last year.
In his written report to the Department of Finance, Mr Simpkins said the purpose of his journey to Poland was to "examine the bilateral relationship, including economic opportunities for Australian businesses".
But he did not disclose that he had a direct financial interest in the one Polish coal mine he chose to visit - the Australian-owned Prairie Mining project in Lublin, two hours' drive south-east of Warsaw.
A Catholic priest repeatedly sexually abused three young altar boys in regional NSW in the 1980s, including raping one child at the church's altar, a court has heard.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is being tried for 17 offences allegedly committed against the boys, aged 11 and 12, between 1980 and 1984.
The court heard the man, who is no longer a priest, has already pleaded guilty to 40 other child sex offences and is awaiting sentencing for those crimes.
In his opening to the ex-priest's trial in the Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Bryan Rowe outlined a series of alleged incidents in which the accused groped, molested, raped or forced oral sex on the boys.
He said one of the boys was the victim of 11 separate offences, including repeated indecent assaults during trips to a local swimming pool.
WASHINGTON 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 House's most important chairmanship, the Ways and Means Committee. Because revenue bills must originate in the House, Brady now wields Congress' most important gavel, all because the committee's previous chairman, Paul Ryan, now sits in Boehner's chair.
If there is going to be growth-igniting tax reform and if there isn't, 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.
Brady 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 America's corporate tax, the highest in the industrial world. "(The $2 trillion) won't 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.
Fewer U.S. taxpayers
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 can't," 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 GOP's tariffs were indirect, hidden sales taxes that crimped consumption by Americans with small incomes. In 1913, the first year of Wilson's 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's tariff plan
Trump, who works himself into a lather because Nabisco is making some Oreo cookies outside the country, is obsessed with America's trade with China. "We're 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, N.J., just seven miles from his Fifth Avenue penthouse.
Brace yourself for Jaymes Diaz 2.0.
That's what critics in the Liberal party are warning, anyway, after a secret meeting of the party's top brass has Blacktown political boss Jess Diaz once again holding all the aces for the upcoming preselection of Greenway, the seat his son Jaymes lost in 2013 after imploding in a now-famous interview.
Jaymes unexpectedly pushed votes away from the party, after a Channel 10 interview in which he mentioned the Liberals' six-point plan for stopping asylum seeker boats, but when asked to recite the points was left looking utterly flummoxed.
Father Jess sits on Blacktown council and works with Jaymes in the family practice in migration law. Local political joke has it he built his political powerbase by handing out Liberal party application forms to clients along with their visas.
Police believe the threats made to 10 Queensland schools on Tuesday were an elaborate hoax made from overseas.
Tuesday morning schools in Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Townsville, Rockhampton and Cairns received threatening calls that indicated there would be a "blood bath" at the schools within 40 minutes.
Schools acted quickly and evacuated classrooms at each of the affected schools.
Officers from Queensland Police were treating the threat seriously and meticulously searched each of the schools but reported in the afternoon that there was no cause for alarm.
Brisbane City Council's incentive scheme to attract new purpose-built student accommodation has attracted an average of nearly two applications a month since it was introduced a year ago.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the council had received 23 applications, eight of which had been so far approved, which meant there were 7500 student accommodation beds in the city's development pipeline.
UniLodge's 850-room student accommodation building at South Brisbane is under construction.
Cr Quirk said after the first year of incentives, which included discounts on infrastructure charges for developments within a four-kilometre radius of the CBD, Brisbane was "heading in the right direction" to meet the need for 10,000 student beds.
"I've said that this is a three-year incentive, so people need to have their applications in really two years from now and then we will cut (the incentives) out," Cr Quirk said.
The Gold Coast's first 100-storey building will be built in Southport, but Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate is wary of transport problems the City of the Gold Coast already faces.
The Gold Coast's new City Plan - which came into effect on Tuesday - allows unlimited ceiling heights in Southport, Surfers Paradise and parts of Broadbeach and Coolangatta.
The Q1 is the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere, but it may be dwarfed in the near future. Credit:Glenn Hunt GTH
Broadbeach's Q1 - the southern hemisphere's tallest building at 78 storeys - and the proposed 88-storey "Project 88" in Surfer's Paradise will inevitably be eclipsed in height, Cr Tate said.
"I think by the end of this month you will see excavations start at Project 88 (Southport) and that will rival Q1," he said.
Police have suspended the search for a 31-year-old man believed to have gone missing while kayaking at the Gold Coast early on Tuesday morning.
At sunset Queensland Police made the decision to stop searching for the man as conditions were no longer optimal.
The search will recommence at first light.
Earlier, police said a woman had reported seeing a kayak with a dog in it but no person, floating along a canal near Monaco Street and Rio Vista Boulevard at Broadbeach Waters about 8am.
A Southport man has been hailed a hero for climbing on a burning truck to rescue the barely conscious driver, after it jackknifed on the M1 at the Gold Coast on Tuesday afternoon.
Athen Barnaby, 33, said the truck crashed right in front of him on the motorway at Nerang about 1.45pm after a flock of birds flew into its windscreen.
The truck then rolled and crashed into a bridge, exploding in a fireball that sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.
Mr Barnaby, clad only in thongs and light clothing, told Channel Nine's Today Show he had no hesitation in rushing to the burning truck to help the driver.
Two Queenslanders who were among the 237 on board when Malaysian Airlines MH370 disappeared in 2014 will have a park next to their former Brisbane home named in their honour.
Rod and Mary Burrows were among the first to move into Camelot Circuit at Middle Park and took particular pride in what had become officially known as Camelot Park.
Missing on MH370, couple Rod and Mary Burrows will have a park next to their former Middle Park home named in their honour. Credit:Queensland Police Service
Brisbane City Council on Tuesday decided to dedicate that park to Mr and Mrs Burrows' memory, with it set to be renamed Rod and Mary Burrows Park.
Matthew Bourke, chairman of the council's Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee, said the Burrows had built their home next to the park in 1992 and had been a "strong part of the local community".
A Queensland police officer has fronted court on an assault charge, accused of throwing a stapler at an offender in a Brisbane watchhouse.
Sergeant John Lloyd-Jones from the Richlands Watchhouse in the city's south was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm whilst armed over the August 9 incident.
A Queensland police officer is accused of assault in a Queensland watchhouse. Credit:Louie Douvis
Police will allege the 51-year-old became frustrated while trying to process an offender who wasn't cooperating.
He threw the stapler and it hit the man in the side of the face, causing a minor impact injury to the jaw, prosecutors will allege.
The officers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have had their suspensions lifted after a review of the allegations by the police Professional Standards Command cleared them of any wrongdoing.
Two Ballarat police officers are arguing they should not be subject to potential self-incrimination.
The Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is investigating the male and female officers over the arrest and detention of an intoxicated woman at the Ballarat Police Station in January last year.
Two Ballarat police officers being investigated by the state's anti-corruption body over allegations they used excessive force against a woman in their custody, are challenging the watchdog's legal authority to investigate them in the country's highest court.
Yet as part of a broader probe into police brutality in Ballarat and the proficiency of the force's internal reporting system, IBAC is investigating an allegation that a mentally unwell woman, who was arrested for being drunk in a public place, was kicked and stomped on, as she lay handcuffed on the ground inside the Ballarat Police Station.
It was alleged the woman was strip-searched in front of male officers.
David Grace, QC, argued on behalf of the two officers in the High Court on Tuesday, that IBAC did not have the power to force the officers to self-incriminate.
He said the watchdog did not have the ability to override the common law privilege against self-incrimination. This privilege entitles a person to refuse to answer questions if the consequence would be self-incrimination.
Solicitor-General for the State of Victoria, Richard Niall, QC, argued that the watchdog had the power to investigate people suspected of, but not charged with a crime.
If two public elected bodies agree to a public meeting and one then backs out, nobody benefits.
The Billings Public Schools board of trustees looks bad for canceling attendance at a meeting set for tonight in Lockwood. Yes, some Lockwood folks (not necessarily trustees) delivered vitriolic criticism of Billings schools and the high school redistricting process on Jan. 26. Its true that last time the two school boards had a contentious meeting when they last gathered in September. But the solution to these disagreements isnt stopping or further postponing communication. The path forward is talking, respectfully and thoughtfully, with the focus on the welfare of all the students attending our Billings schools.
The current flashpoint is the passionate concern of many Lockwood folks that all Lockwood students continue to have a choice of attending Senior or Skyview. Preserving that option while eliminating overcrowding at Senior would mean busing other students students who live close to Senior to Skyview, according to data compiled in the redistricting process. When the nine Billings trustees ultimately decide on a redistricting plan, they must decide on whats best for all students kids from Lockwood, Blue Creek, Independent, Canyon Creek, Elysian, Elder Grove and Billings.
Trustee Susan Layton, who represents the elementary districts other than Lockwood, has correctly pointed out that Billings trustees should be meeting with leaders of all those districts, not just Lockwood.
Open meeting advice
In a letter dated Jan. 28, Billings board Chairwoman Greta Besch Moen and Vice Chairman Joseph Rafiani said the district wants to clear up an open meeting law compliance issue before meeting with Lockwood trustees. Certainly, the Billings board needs legal guidance to ensure that the redistricting team the board called for and the consultant it hired have followed the law, and will follow the law. But we fail to see why that question should cancel or postpone a meeting that the Billings board had agreed to just two days before its leaders backed out.
The agenda, agreed upon by both Lockwood and Billings board leadership, was limited to two items: smoothing the transition to high school for Lockwood school graduates, and helping high school graduates prepare for career and post-secondary success. We take all leaders at their word that they would stick to the agenda.
Members of the public might comment on redistricting or other concerns. We recommend that such comments be handled in the same fashion as the Billings board does at its meeting: The elected trustees listen to the public, but make no comments of their own. The chair keeps order in the meeting and limits comments to a reasonable time frame so there is ample time for the board to discuss agenda items.
Thankless, unpaid jobs
Moen and Raffiani expressed concern that volunteers on the redistricting committee were the targets of disparaging remarks last week. We would remind all community members who care about their schools that Montana school trustees work for free, too. They are elected, but unpaid devoting countless hours to an important but often thankless job.
If Billings trustees decide to attend the meeting tonight, they and Lockwood trustees will have an opportunity, as Lockwood Chairwoman Susan Vinton said, to get to know each other as people. Billings trustees should attend, and Lockwood trustees should make them feel welcome. Please dont miss this opportunity to communicate.
At least one Victorian school that was forced to evacuate due to a hoax bomb threat has said the call was linked to the select-entry state school, Nossal High School.
The principal of Berwick Lodge Primary School, Henry Grossek, whose school was evacuated on Friday after receiving a threatening call, said the call had been traced to Nossal High School, which is located at Monash University's Berwick campus.
He said the call was not automated (as was the case with calls to other schools) and the caller sounded like an Australian male.
Police have arrested a suspect in the shooting of a man in the kneecap in Melbourne's west on Tuesday morning.
Armed crime taskforce's Detective Acting Sergeant Steve Boskovski said it is believed a shotgun was fired at a 30-year-old man inside a unit in McLennan Street, Braybrook, at 7.25am on Tuesday.
A man was left in a serious condition after a shooting in Braybrook.
"As far as we know it was verbal [altercation] then it's escalated to a shot being fired, over what we don't know," Detective Acting Sergeant Boskovski said.
It is believed two men fled the scene.
A violent offender, who was once mistakenly released from custody, later repeatedly bashed a woman he had provided shelter to for several weeks, a court has heard.
Andrew Brian Males, 37, who in the first half of 2014 spent about a month on the run when wrongly released by Corrections Victoria, brutally and regularly assaulted a woman who was staying with him in his Altona North bungalow, the County Court heard on Tuesday.
Andrew Brian Males
Between late December 2014 and January 9 last year - after Males had been apprehended following his wrongful release, and then bailed on other offences - he met the woman, offered her a place to stay and inflicted increasingly serious injuries on her, prosecutor Luisa Dipietrantonio the court.
The woman told police she sat at Males' family Christmas lunch with a "busted and bruised face", and later wore clothing to conceal her injuries when in public, Ms Dipietrantonio said.
Concerned parents and students at a Melbourne Catholic school have boycotted mass after calling for their priest to resign over abuse allegations.
A group of parents at St Patrick's School in Mentone and St John Vianney's School in Parkdale have been demanding that parish priest Father John Walshe stand down.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne has accepted that an 18-year-old seminarian was sexually abused by Father Walshe in 1982. Credit:ABC News
The Catholic priest defended Cardinal George Pell at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and has been accused of sexually abusing an 18-year-old seminarian in 1982.
He was in his early 20s at the time and had been recently ordained. He denied the abuse and said the incident was consensual.
It sounds like every teenager's dream - an extra week of school holidays and then a term of classes on the beach.
The opening of Albert Park College's new year 9 campus has been delayed, leaving 200 students without a conventional classroom to return to after an extended summer break.
Albert Park College students Sienna Di Benedetto and Christina Burke Broderick on South Melbourne beach. Credit:Justin McManus
Its main campus can't accommodate any more students.
The school has come up with a creative solution to the overcrowding. It will run classes out of South Melbourne and Port Melbourne Life Saving Clubs and the nearby Gasworks Arts Park .
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He can rebuild them!
A Bushwick photographer depicts Nairobi artists as superhuman cyborgs in a new exhibit opening in Dumbo on Feb. 4. The Kenyan-born creator of the Jua Kali exhibit says that his fanciful images provide a view of his home country that stands in contrast to many media portrayals.
Ive always wanted to depict Nairobi as this fantastic place with characters that can achieve anything and moreover, depict my country differently from what you see in the media, said Tahir Karmali. Nairobi is a growing metropolis that has created revolutionary technology and solutions for the African continent.
The show takes its title and inspiration from the Kenyan capitals informal economy of laborers who provide goods from reclaimed waste material much of it electronic waste from the United States. The words Jua Kali Swahili for fierce sun refers to the scorching daytime conditions under which they work.
The 29-year-old photographer scoured through Nairobi junk yards and trash heaps to select items that resonate with his theme, such as spark plugs, electrical wiring and hard drives. He immediately photographed each bit of refuse against a sheet of white paper.
He also photographed members of citys creative class, including dancers, painters, entrepreneurs, and musicians, applying a tribal face paint to them before the shoot. He then combined the photos digitally, adorning his subjects with gears, wires, and circuit boards.
Sitting still life: Photographer and painter Tahir Karmali works in his Bushwick apartment. His exhibit of digitally manipulated photos opens in Dumbo on Feb. 4. Photo by Louise Wateridge
The resulting mix of human and machine results in characters that are somewhat superhuman, he said, reflecting the heroic challenges the artists face in Nairobi.
Through their talents they overcome obstacles presented to them economically. For me it symbolizes perseverance and resilience that the Jua Kali workers embody, he said.
The enormous final images, each three feet tall, have a rich color that almost looks painted.
Karmail, who is pursuing a Masters degree in photography at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, plans to return to Kenya after graduation.
Jua Kali at United Photo Industries Gallery [16 Main St. at Water Street in Dumbo, (718) 8018099, www.unite dphot oindu strie s.com ]. Opening reception Feb. 4 at 6 pm. Exhibit runs until March 26.
by Tatiana Tenreyro
photo: Frankie Cosmos @ BVCMJ 2015 (more by Amanda Hatfield)
Frankie Cosmos has announced the release of a new album Next Thing, which will be out on April 1 via Bayonet. The first single off the album is "Sinister," where she casually sings about feeling sinister and not being able to be like Arthur Russell and write happy songs. Stream it below.
In support of their new album, they'll be heading on tour with Frankie Cosmos member Gabby Smith's other band, Eskimeaux, in April. They'll be kicking off that tour with two record release parties at Shea Stadium on April 1 & 2 that also have Anna McClellan on the bill. Tickets for both shows go on sale Friday (2/5) at noon.
The rest of the tour dates are listed, along with the tracklist and artwork for Next Thing, below...
---
Next Thing Tracklist:
Next Thing Tracklist:
01. Floated In
02. If I Had A Dog
03. Fool
04. Embody
05. Too Dark
06. Tour Good
07. Interlude
08. I'm 20
09. On The Lips
10. Sinister
11. Is It Possible
12. Outside With The Cuties
13. Sappho
14. What If
15. Where Are You Now
Frankie Cosmos -- 2016 Tour Dates
Fri-Apr-01 Brooklyn, NY Shea Stadium
Sat-Apr-02 Brooklyn, NY Shea Stadium
Sun-Apr-03 Washington, DC DC9
Mon-Apr-04 Richmond, VA Strange Matter
Tue-Apr-05 Chapel Hill, NC Kings
Wed-Apr-06 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade - Purgatory
Thu-Apr-07 Birmingham, AL Syndicate Lounge
Fri-Apr-08 New Orleans, LA Siberia
Sun-Apr-10 Austin, TX Sidewinder
Tue-Apr-12 Sante Fe, NM Meow Wolf
Wed-Apr-13 Phoenix, AZ The Rebel Lounge
Thu-Apr-14 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
Fri-Apr-15 San Diego, CA Che Cafe Collective
Sat-Apr-16 San Francisco, CA Swedish American Hall
Mon-Apr-18 Portland, OR Analog Theater
Tue-Apr-19 Vancouver, BC TBD
Wed-Apr-20 Seattle, WA Vera Project
Thu-Apr-21 Boise, ID El Korah Shrine
Fri-Apr-22 Salt Lake City, UT Diabolical Records
Sat-Apr-23 Denver, CO Lost Lake
Mon-Apr-25 Minneapolis, MN 7th St Entry
Tue-Apr-26 Madison, WI High Noon
Wed-Apr-27 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
Thu-Apr-28 Cleveland, OH Mahall's
Fri-Apr-29 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Roboto Project
Sat-Apr-30 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
HELENA Methamphetamine use in Montana not only harms parents who use the drug and their children, it's 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, the number of abuse and neglect cases has doubled from 2009 to 2015, said Beth McLaughlin, Montana Supreme Court administrator.
The number of abuse and neglect cases rose by 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.
Yellowstone County District Court had 512 new and reopened abuse and neglect cases in 2015, the most of any district in the state. The next closest district was Cascade County District Court with 389. Yellowstone County District Court had a total of 9,750 new case filings and reopened cases in 2015, which was an increase of 856 cases from last year.
Criminal cases are up, McLaughlin said. Most of that growth happened in the 13th judicial district in Billings.
She attributed that increase to population growth and people migrating to the region after not being able to find work in the Bakken oil fields.
Several respondents to a survey sent out to people who work in or are involved with the public defender office cited these sorts of cases as being a drain 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.
She 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, McLaughlin 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 overdoses.
After his arrest, he was 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 the form completed by an applicant before a public defender is assigned.
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.
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.
Hooks said theres no data on how many people may have misrepresented their financial situations, but he thinks by and large a lot of people we represent qualify.
Task force member Juli Pierce, who is deputy county attorney in Yellowstone County, said shes had cases where shes had serious concerns about people who were denied public defenders, including a rape case and a deliberate homicide where the court got involved to appoint attorneys.
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.
In 2014, the first year of a pay bump for trial-level attorneys after an increased appropriation from the 2013 Legislature, the turnover rate for those attorneys went from 20 percent to 9 percent. Freebourn attributed that to the increase in pay, noting the rate went back up to 19 percent.
Prior to the wage adjustment, most of our people were leaving because they had too much work and too little pay. Now, he said, the departures are workload related.
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 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 is $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 an hour for death penalty cases.
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.
The X-Files delivers the best of the first three revival episodes with Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster. Not only does it stir up memories of the fun season 5 episode Bad Blood, its an hour filled with Easter eggs, entertaining guest stars, an existential crisis and a certain red Speedo. In short, its the kind of episode Id show someone not completely sold on the series.
Just as Mulder is debunking his own work a prank here, a hoax there, to explain what he once thought was the unexplainable he and Scully get a case in which eyewitnesses describe seeing a three-eyed monster. But whats really going on in Oregon?
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Tyler Labine and Nicole Parker-Smith return as stoners (previously seen in War of the Coprophages and Quagmire). Kumail Nanjiani, Rhys Darby and Richard Newman bring the comedy with their roles as Pasha, an animal control officer questioning his life decisions; Guy Mann, who is in the middle of the case in a unique way; and Dr. Rumanovitch, Guys psychiatrist. Alex Diakun, having already appeared in three episodes (Humbug, Clyde Bruckmans Final Repose and Jose Chungs From Outer Space') and the second movie, plays the motel manager.
Look at the Moon
The stoners high is interrupted when they hear and then see a man being attacked by some sort of creature. The creature flees and the man is fine, but the body next to him? Not so much.
When better than as Mulder is throwing pencils into Scullys I Want to Believe poster and realizing just how much of the unexplained has been explained in their time away for them to get this case? Hes now looking at things with fresh, if not wiser, eyes. Scullys response? Mulder, have you been taking your meds? Mulders wondering if he wants to spend the rest of his days chasing after monsters.
At the crime scene, Mulder has a perfectly reasonable explanation to attribute everything to an animal attack. The animal control officer who was attacked, Pasha, didnt see what attacked him because it was a mountain lion and they attack from behind. Three more victims are found over there because it was a wolf, and wolves take prey to their lairs. One of the victims was found naked because he was a nudist and on a midnight hike when he was attacked.
And when Scully points out that the uniqueness of the wounds implies a human element, hes ready to leave his profiling background even further in the past than his monster-believing one. Youve seen one serial killer, youve seen them all. Still, whatever is going on, there are people being killed.
The creature strikes again, though this time the eyewitness confirms it only had two eyes and horns (like a lizard) and was wearing tighty whities. In their attempt to track it down, Mulder and Scully run into Pasha, out looking for a stray puppy and, as he tells them, just overall questioning his life.
Mulder ends up chasing after the creature, phone out, snapping photos with a new app he has no idea how to use, and by the time Scully catches up to him, hes on the ground and they see the creature run into a porta-potty. When they open the door, however, a man is inside, and once they leave the area, he exits and he has horns in the back of his head.
If nothing else does, the conversation Mulder and Scully have over a victims body reminds you that this is 2016 and not the days when their phones were the size of cordless ones in your home. Mulders attempt to take a photo of the creature results in a lot of unnecessary flashing and photos and a few useful images, like ones of the man-sized, hairless creature, and a video of Mulder screaming as it shot blood at him from its eyeballs. He even has a scientific explanation for that: its the horned lizards defense mechanism. Mulder, the Internet is not good for you, Scully says. (It really isnt.) Overall, this does sound silly, but its nice to see them enjoying themselves.
Well, When You Check into This Type of Motel
If you looked up sleazy motel on the side of the road, youd find a picture of this place and this manager. When Mulder checks on why the manager is screaming about a monster, he claims it was about a guest who hadnt paid his bill. Mulder takes a look in the trashed motel room with its door open and finds a prescription for Clozapine, along with a passageway in the walls for the peeping Tom manager to look in on guests through the eyes of the animal heads on the walls in each room.
The managers attempt to explain that? A security feature. Its okay, though, Mulder assures him. When one checks into an establishment such as this, one expects the manager to be a peeping Tom. Hes more concerned about what he saw that had him yelling monster! That would be the man Mulder and Scully found in the porta-potty, Gun Mann, yelling at himself in the mirror, getting angry, smashing it, destroying his room and turning into a monster for what he hoped would be the last time. (I wonder if that turns the manager off his peeping Tom ways)
Cue Scully getting to just sit back and watch Mulder theorize and give her counter (To which I know youre going to say), which really brings up memories of the old days. This is how I like my Mulder, Scully says. (Me too.) But, no, that doesnt mean she agrees that theyre dealing with a monster or an experiment-gone-wrong. What they can do is follow up on the lead they do have on the rooms occupant (the prescription bottle Mulder found) and check out of that motel ASAP.
Mulder goes to see the psychiatrist who prescribed the meds, and this guy I like. A lot. He tells Mulder the tale of a man trying to kill a man-eating lizard by stabbing it in the appendix with a lance made of green glass (These old fairy tales, the monster must always be destroyed by some form of penetration. Obviously, our ancestors were as obsessed with impotency as we are.), only to discover that he was the monster all along. The moral of the story: Its easier to believe in monsters out there in the world than to accept that the real monsters dwell within us, whether thats in a persons head, heart or somewhere else in their body.
After briefly mixing up his patients werewolf was on Monday Dr. Rumanovitch shares with Mulder that he prescribed the anti-psychotic and suggested that Guy take a quiet stroll in the local cemetery the next time he had an episode as a reminder that no matter how overwhelming our anxieties might be, they will soon be resolved when we are dead and buried for all eternity. Probably not the best advice to offer someone as a psychiatrist. Oh, and he has a prescription for Mulder too because, Who is in more need of an anti-psychotic, a man who believes himself to be a were-lizard or a man who believes that man?
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Woe is Guy
Scully finds Guy working in the local phone store, but when Mulder gets there, hes gone and the place is trashed. When she asked if she could ask him some questions, he quit and went on a rampage, she explains. Mulders out the door before she can even get around to telling him the lab results that came back.
Mulder finds Guy in a cemetery (and leaves flowers at Kim Manners grave!), bemoaning that people die and looking to confess that life is nonsense and he wants it all to end. He even makes a pathetic (and very obvious) attempt to go after Mulder with a broken bottle to try to get him to grab the bottle and use it to kill him, but Mulder knows what hes trying to do (green glass lance to the appendix). Instead, he promises to kill him (receiving a gracious Youre, like, the only nice person I ever met in return) if he tells him the whole story.
So heres Guys story. He had just been lounging around, as a man-sized lizard like himself does, when he heard a struggle and ended up in the middle of one man attacking another. He was bit, and the next morning he turned into a human, physically and mentally. He was overcome with the need to cover his naked body, so he stole the clothes off one of the dead bodies and was possessed by the need to hunt. For a job. By the end of the day, he had been made manager because he now has the Darwinian advantage that humans have over other animals: the ability to BS [his] way through anything. Who needs a social security number or references when you have that?
Is he BSing Mulder now? Maybe. After work, he committed a murder. Of a cow. He ate a cheeseburger, even though in his natural state, hes an insectivore. He then spent the rest of the day watching porn. Sometime during the night, he was delighted to find himself changing back, until the next morning when he became a caffeine-addicted human. He returned to work, realized how much he hated it and quit, but then was overcome by the fear of being able to pay his bills, get a loan, start a mortgage and save for retirement.
When the meds from the psychiatrist didnt work, he did something insane: adopted a puppy. He was out looking for it when he ran into Mulder and saw the man who bit him, Pasha.
But why did he turn human again in the porta-potty? Theres no external logic to it, so why should there be an internal one? Guy argues. He returned to the motel, only for the jackalope head on the wall to scream at him, so he fled, turned human again, went to work and met Scully, who lured him into the back room and they had sex.
Thats when Mulder stops him, knowing that hes lying. Guy admits that since he became human, he cant help but lie about his sex life, but everything else is true, so kill him now, please? No, this is all just too silly, Mulder decides. And it just gets sillier (in the best way). Once Guy learns that hes an FBI agent there investigating murders and thinks hes responsible, he gets offended that he wants to arrest him for something he didnt do and runs off, calling him the monster. What else is Mulder supposed to do but drink?
If Youve Seen One
When Scully calls, Mulder tells her hes fallen off the wagon, gotten a taste of his own monster-hunting ways and downed the whole bottle. He wonders if hes just a fool as he goes through the photos and video hes taken on the case. Shes at the animal shelter to talk to Pasha, and the puppy (Guys puppy) there bites at her finger, reminding her of Queequeg (Queequeg!) and making her miss having a dog to love and someone to hold grudges for her. Pasha attacks Scully, just as Mulders noticing the bite on the creature in one of the photos, and hes on his way, calling for backup and the location of the animal shelter.
By the time he gets there, Scully has subdued their murderer. She had known it was Pasha because he had left behind a pole with tissue and blood from his previous victims. (Rookie mistake, serial killer.) It started as a child, he tries to explain, his uncontrollable urge to torture small animals and then seen one serial killer, seen them all. Theres no need to hear the speech he had prepared, and hes taken away.
You forget, Im immortal, Scully reminds Mulder when he calls her out on approaching dangerous suspects. (Watch/rewatch season 3s Clyde Bruckmans Final Repose.) And, hey, Scully gets a new puppy.
As the episode ends, Mulder finds Guy in the woods, stripping and on his way to go hibernate as his kind does. How long does this hibernation period last? 10,000 years. Thats not possible, Mulder protests, part of him still seeing all of this as absurd. However, he then admits, I want to believe. Guy walks over to him, tells him hes glad he met him, holds out his hand for him to shake and turns into the creature again. Likewise, Mulder says as Guy runs off.
The X-Files airs Mondays at 8pm on FOX.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Bordentown exhibit showcases items belonging to Napoleon's brother
The Bordentown Historical society is gaining international attention for its Joseph Bonaparte exhibit, former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon.
MISSOULA A Missoula County Public Schools district investigation has determined a recent edition of a student newspaper violated board policy by including photographs of partially nude women perceived to be students and lewd and vulgar language.
The district has recalled all copies of the January issue of the Willard Wire, a publication created by students at Willard Alternative High School, which is distributed to all four public high schools in Missoula as well as to several businesses that advertise in the paper.
The issue featured a cover story on the Free the Nipple movement, and the cover photograph showed several topless men and women with red dots covering their nipples and their faces cropped out. An editorial inside by student Chase Boehmler was accompanied by a similar photo of a fully topless woman and man. Boehmlers editorial asked, among other things, why should gender define the appropriateness of your chest?
The district found that a separate, attributed article titled Misconceptions SLAMMED used lewd and vulgar language referencing sexual acts to make an argument in support of public breast-feeding.
"MCPS supports student voices and student exploration of challenging topics handled with respect to standards for civil and mature discourse," said Superintendent Mark Thane. "On a daily basis, our teachers work with students to develop critical thinking skills and explore challenging topics in a way that can further understanding and avoid polarization or discrimination."
The district concluded that the photos and the lewd language violated MCPS Board Policy 3221, which states that materials in school-sponsored publications may not be libelous, obscene, or profane and that school authorities may edit or delete material which is inconsistent with this policy.
Although issues of the Wire contain a paragraph stating the newspaper does not receive funding from the district and therefore has more editorial freedom, the district said the claim is false.
The Willard Wire is published by students attending the Journalism class at the Willard Alternative High School Program and is directly linked to district curriculum, the districts statement about the conclusion of the investigation said. In addition, the district found that Willard Wire is a district-funded publication and is therefore covered by the board policy. MCPS curriculum standards extend to those actively taking courses where publications are produced as well as the student audiences for the publications.
Student speech does have First Amendment protection, but it is different than that offered outside of the school, according to MCPS. The district cited three Supreme Court decisions as precedent in determining that students publications must align with district curriculum: Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School (1969), Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986) and Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988).
The editorial Free the Nipple is well reasoned and provides an avenue for reasonable discourse on a controversial topic, the districts statement said. It is the use of photographs of partially nude women perceived to be students that violates board policy.
Because school-sponsored publications are considered to be a part of curriculum, school staff are required to take an active role in making sure they are consistent with the curriculum.
The proper administrative or teacher response in these circumstances would be to delay the printing or not allowing the printing until the language can be corrected and the photos can be edited or replaced, Thane said. Those actions were not taken by the teacher of the course nor the principal.
Hatton Littman, director of technology and communications at MCPS, said Thane would comment Tuesday on whether the district intends to take disciplinary action against Lisa Waller, who advises the Wire staff, or Willard Principal Jane Bennett.
OFICIAL UCRAINEAN:
"Pericolul ca Rusia sa redeschida un front nordic din Belarus este tot mai mare"
Leading European automaker Volkswagen on Tuesday unveiled its sub-compact sedan, the Ameo, marking its entry into the highly-competitive segment. The new, sub-four-metre model will be manufactured at its Chakan plant near Pune and has been designed for the Indian market. The car was launched by Jurgen Stackmann, head of sales and after sales, Volkswagen AG. The top executive apologised to its customers and dealers in India for the inconvenience caused by its involvement in last years global scandal relating to cheating of emission tests. Stackmann said the company was determined to win back the trust of its customers by voluntarily recalling all disel cars with EA 189 engines. The carmaker will have to pay billions of dollars in fines for the incorporating cheating devices in about 11 million cars worldwide. According to the senior executive, all Volkswagen cars in India comply to emission norms. Referring to Ameo, he said production is expected to begin in the first half of 2016. Volkswagen has invested nearly Rs6,000 crore in its India operations at Chakan. I am fully aware that the most important task for Volkswagen is to solve the global emission levels issue, he noted at the launch. We made some big mistakes and I am truly sorry and I apologise to our valued customers, authorities, dealers. I assure you, we are committed to making things right.
Source : BS Motoring
Kolkata-based Birla Corporations Rs 5,000-crore deal with Lafarge India to buy two cement units has gone sour, with the former planning to seek a legal solution.
In a regulatory filing with the BSE, the company said it is in the process of taking appropriate legal measures in consultation with lawyers. It claimed Lafarge had stated its inability to proceed with the agreement.
In August last year, the companies had struck a deal with an enterprise value of Rs 5,000 crore, whereby M P Birla group's flagship company was to acquire the integrated cement unit of Lafarge at Sonadih (Chhattisgarh) and a cement grinding unit at Jojobera (Jharkhand) along with Concreto and PSC brands.
These units, with cement capacity of 5.15 million tonnes per annum and mineral rights over adequate reserves of limestone, would have given Birla Corporation an edge in the business, helping it strengthen its position in the market.
According to the filing, Birla Corporation has discussed the matter with its legal advisors and has decided not to accept their contention before taking the call to sort out the matter legally.
When contacted by Business Standard, Birla Corporation refused to provide any details.
Lafarge-Holcim, however, confirmed that it is no longer in discussion with Birla Corporation for the sale of Jojobera and Sonadih cement plants in eastern India.
The agreement with Birla Corporation was subject to approval by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) along with other regulatory approvals and customary conditions," the company said in response to an inquiry from this newspaper.
The legacy merger between Lafarge and Holcim received conditional clearance from CCI but required the new entity Lafare-Holcim to disinvest part of its assets to fulfil the norms.
The group remains in dialogue with CCI and will communicate any further updates to the divestment process in India in due time, Lafarge-Holcim said.
Avantha Group company Crompton Greaves posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 107 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared to a net profit of Rs 274.29 crore for the corresponding quarter in the previous year. The loss was on account of lower sales, even as the company booked one-off gains worth Rs 30 crore during the quarter.
The performance includes the financials of the de-merged consumer products business, whose net loss of Rs 32 crore reflects in the latest . Excluding the same, the net loss stood at Rs 75 crore compared with a profit of Rs 218 crore in the year-ago quarter.
According to a Bloomberg poll, consensus estimate for net profit was Rs 48.5 crore whereas net sales were pegged at Rs 3,243 crore.
Consolidated net sales came in at Rs 2,068 crore versus Rs 2,409 crore in the year-ago quarter, a decline of 14 per cent. Revenue from power systems decreased to Rs 1,591 crore against Rs 1,963 crore, down 19 per cent whereas industrial systems' revenue increased 4.6 per cent year-on-year to Rs 475 crore.
Apart from weak operating performance, the profit numbers were also influenced by exceptional gains.
The year ago quarter also saw exceptional gains, though much higher at Rs 267.5 crore, which helped Crompton post profit at the net level. However, for the recently concluded quarter, the loss before interest and tax (before exceptional items) stood at Rs 36 crore versus a profit of Rs 29 crore in the year ago period.
Likewise, loss before tax and exceptional items stood at Rs 59 crore versus a loss of Rs 2 crore in the year ago quarter.
The net exceptional items worth Rs 30 crore for the December 2015 quarter include profit of Rs 426 crore earned from sale of land at Kanjurmarg (Mumbai), sale of investment in associate company worth Rs 14 crore as well as provision towards advances given to its subsidiaries (including loss on sale of its Canadian operation) worth Rs 410 crore.
IN THE RED Revenue from power systems decreased to Rs 1,591 cr against Rs 1,963 cr in the same period a year ago
Industrial systems' revenue increased 4.6 per cent y-oy to Rs 475 cr
loss before tax and exceptional items stood at Rs 59 crore versus a loss of Rs 2 crore in the year ago quarter
Operating profit (before other income, finance costs, exchange gain/loss and exceptional items), however, stood at just Rs 8.6 crore as against Rs 62.3 crore in the year ago quarter
The companys stock closed 3.2 per cent lower on the BSE at Rs 167.10 on Tuesday
Nevertheless, operating profit (before other income, finance costs, exchange gain/loss and exceptional items) stood at just Rs 8.6 crore as against Rs 62.3 crore in the year ago quarter.
The company's stock closed 3.2 per cent lower on the BSE at Rs 167.10 on Tuesday. Since the came post market hours, expect some more pressure in Wednesday's trade.
Senior Management Changes
Meanwhile, the company on Tuesday announced senior management changes. The company's chief executive officer and managing director, Laurent Demortier will step down from February 3 and he will be replaced by KN Neelkant, who was the CEO of Avantha Power and is currently an executive at Crompton Greaves.
Further, Madhav Acharya, from April 1, will join as a member of the board as an executive director finance in addition to being the CFO of the company.
The company has also appointed Jean Michel Aubertin as the CEO of the international power system business and will become a member of the international board of the company. He had joined the company a year ago.
Norberto Santiago will remain as the CEO of the international automation business and will report to the international board of the company.
GREX Alternative Investments Market, a Pune-based start-up that provides exchange-like transaction platform for start-ups and unlisted looking to raise funds, is gearing up to facilitate venture debt to start-ups, according to its founder and chief executive officer Manish Kumar.
Venture debt is missing in the ecosystem. Today, start-ups understand only equity, while small and medium enterprises (SMEs) understand only debt. This is just not optimised. GREX is currently in active talks with seven banks and non-banking finance (NBFCs) to enable loans to start-ups. This aggregation service would go live sometime during the March time frame, he told Business Standard.
"The idea is to build comprehensive and seamless solutions and integrate all of them in one platform. The central government's announcement on credit guarantee for lending to start-ups will only help us on this (venture debt)," he added.
Launched almost two years ago to facilitate seamless flow of need-based capital access to early-stage start-ups through the private placement route as per the Act 2013, GREX currently has over 450 start-ups and close to 800 private investors on board. Next Gen Paper Solutions Private Limited (Kleeto), an end-to end record and information management company, was the first start-up to raise capital (Rs 1.5 crore) on the GREX platform in October 2015.
"We expect at least 12 start-ups to do their fund-raising rounds fairly quickly on our platform within the next three to four months, with the average investment size hovering around Rs 1.5 crore. The fundraising activity is expected to increase after March as the instrument will change with the addition of the debt component," Kumar said.
GREX had raised Rs 4 crore in its first round of funding from a cluster of private investors in August 2015, to strengthen its technologies and add new financial products and features. "We are in advance talks with Indian as well as overseas investors for raising between Rs 8 crore and Rs 10 crore to strengthen its base," Kumar had earlier told Business Standard.
Kumar said GREX had signed an agreement with credit rating agency CARE to assess and grade start-ups and SMEs registered on its platform and help investors to make an informed decision in terms of the attractiveness of a specific start-up and its potential risk. "The framework has been built and is currently in data testing with various companies. It will be out by the end of this month."
Electrical goods company Havells India is targetting 10 per cent growth in the current fiscal in Uttar Pradesh, which contributes nearly 13 percent to its overall revenues.
Havells is also targetting Rs 1,000 crore in revenues from UP during 2016-17 financial year.
"UP is an important market, which has shown tremendous growth opportunities for long term growth. We will expand our network and add more Havells Galaxy showroom in the state during the next 2-3 years," Havells associate director Rakesh Mehrotra said today.
The company intends to expand its channel network from 550 to over 1,000 in the next couple of years in UP. Meanwhile, Havells unveiled its new range of products.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby of Billings, Montanas longest-serving full-time magistrate judge and its first female federal judge, on Tuesday announced her resignation from the bench effective Dec. 1.
Ostby notified Chief U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen, of Missoula, of her resignation in a letter Tuesday. The court made a formal announcement in a press release.
Ostby said Tuesday afternoon she had been in the job 14 years and that there were other things she wanted to pursue.
While declining to comment extensively about her decision, Ostby said her interest is in the judicial system and doing what she could to promote its integrity.
"I've never thought it's about me," she said.
"There are a lot of good lawyers out there who can do this job well," she said.
Magistrate judges are appointed by a majority of the district court judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve eight-year terms. Ostby will be leaving two years short of her second term.
A magistrate judge hears both criminal and civil cases. In criminal cases, magistrate judges have jurisdiction in misdemeanor cases, conduct arraignments and initial hearings in felony cases and can issue search and arrest warrants and decide other motions. The judges also can hear felony cases with consent of the parties.
Appointed to the job on Feb. 25, 2002, Ostby, 64, began her tenure in Great Falls until she relocated to the Billings Division in January 2007.
Throughout her distinguished career, Judge Ostby has set a fine example for others to follow, the release said. Although possessed of a sharp intellect and known for her exacting scrutiny of legal arguments, she is unfailing courteous, fair and reasonable, and treats every person who appears before her with dignity and respect. The United States District Court is deeply appreciative of Judge Ostbys many contributions to the administration of justice in the District of Montana.
Ostby graduated in 1977 from the University of Montanas School of Law and served as a law clerk to Chief U.S. District Jude Russell E. Smith of Missoula from 1977 to 1979. She also worked in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. from 1979 to 1981.
Beginning in 1981, Ostby practiced law for 20 years as a partner in the Crowley Law Firm, focusing primarily in natural resource litigation and complex commercial litigation.
Ostby is a member of the American Law Institute, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation and the Committee on International Judicial Relations of the U.S. Judicial Conference.
India should bet on cognitive computing to differentiate itself from the rest of the world and to achieve a prominent position in the technology sector, IBMs president and chief executive officer Ginni Rometty (pictured) said on Tuesday.
The 21st century will be the Indian century and India can leapfrog over others in many areas. We believe that the cognitive era will help you differentiate yourself, Rometty said at the IBM India Watson Summit in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
The IBM CEO is in India on a three-day trip to showcase technologies including IBM Watson, its cognitive computing platform, to customers. She will meet Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan in Mumbai later this week.
Haryana-based talent development service InspireOne Technologies and marketing insights firm TEXTIENT from Chennai have become the first Indian companies to adopt the Watson platform to develop smart solutions for their customers.
The two firms will leverage Watsons application program interface, or API, to analyse natural language and gauge sentiment to turn dark data into valuable insights. They are looking to leverage Watsons human-like cognitive abilities to extract intelligence something not possible with traditional analytics.
InspireOne Technologies has built Supernova, a product that assesses employees eligibility to take up leadership positions by gathering intelligence through emails they send and analysed by Watson. Over the course of 6-12 months, even if a fraction of emails can be analysed, we can build a leadership profile of a person, said Kartik Mohla, founder and CEO of InspireOne.
IBM Watson made its debut in India in collaboration with Manipal Hospitals to improve individualised care for cancer patients back in December 2015. Oncology has been one of the key focuses for Watson in the healthcare space.
In two years, IBM Watson has gone from having three partners to 500 partners now. While several firms partnering with the company are oriented towards carrying out research and arent financially viable, it claims one-third of its partners are on the market.
Today, when we look at whats happening in the world, much of the data is being left untapped. A third of all data today is video. Theres a tremendous amount of knowledge, but it goes virtually untapped. Data is much like oil in the ground. By itself, its not very valuable but if you extract it and refine it you start to get new insights, said Stephen Gold, chief marketing officer, IBM Watson.
The Indian leather is eyeing an opportunity to increase exports to the US and other countries, at at time when Chinese shipments to these markets are becoming more expensive, said senior officials from the Council of Leather Exports (CLE). The Council is the nodal agency for the international promotion and overall development of the Indian leather and leather products .
Speaking to the reporters while announcing the launch of the 19th International Technical Footwear Congress, organised in India for the first time in collaboration with the International Union of Shoe Technicians and the Desighners Fair for Leather Industry, the Council said that while so far Indian exports were focusing in European countries, there is an opportunity in the US and other countries that are opening up to Indian exports.
"Markets like the US has been mainly served by China so far, but with the cost of production going up in China, the products from that country are getting expensive and India has spotted an opportunity to export to these countries," said P R Aqeel Ahmed, regional chairman-South, CLE.
India is one of the largest footwear manufacturers, exporting around 10-15 per cent of the output. Almost 65 per cent of shipments are to Europe, while the US was not an impressive market so far.
Currently around $12 billion in size, the leather industry has been identified as a focus sector under the Make In India scheme of Government of India.
Around 50 per cent of the leather business is in exports, while the rest is the domestic market. It envisages to increase the business to around $27 billion by 2020, by when the domestic business would be around $15 billion, according to the officials.
"We are confident that the future of leather industry is bright, as there is emerging opportunity both in domestic as well as export market," said Naresh S Bhasin, regional chairman-West, CLE.
The industry has already started training programmes to create adequate skilled manpower to meet the target and expects more overseas to come to India and set up operations in future.
The Technical Footwear Congress would discuss the latest developments in footwear manufacturing, under the theme Future Footwear Factory, with topics including intelligent manufacturing and digital smart factory, sustainable and regulatory trends impacting factories and attractive footwear factories and new way of management. Around 403 Indian delegates and 165 overseas delegates from 27 countries would be participating in the event, which is scheduled to start on February 3, 2016.
The Designer Fair, started on Monday, has around 24 overseas designers, two Indian designers and three institutions participating in it.
CLE is also the largest representative organisation of the Indian leather industry with over 3,500 leather, leather products and footwear manufacturing and exporting as its members.
Karnataka has cleared a proposal by chipmaker Intel Corp to invest Rs 1,100 crore in an eight-acre facility in Bengaluru, which could generate 3,000 jobs in the tech city.
Intel has presence in Bengaluru building new fabless chips and contributing to semiconductor programmes for the company. The firm already employs 7,000 professionals in the city. Intels investment proposal was cleared by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. The government has also cleared four information technology projects worth Rs 3,000 crore, which could generate 40,000 jobs.
Intel has invested $2 billion in India so far. Additionally, Intel Capital, which manages investment for the US chipmaker, has made strategic investments in firms to help stimulate technological innovation in India, the company said on its website in line with a $250-million funding commitment for the country, the company said on its website.
Velankani Electronics is investing Rs 1,130 crore to set up an electronic products factory on the outskirts of Bengaluru, which would generate jobs for 2,400 people.
Similarly, Saltire Developers is setting up an IT park and Hical Technologies is setting up an engineering services centre near Bengaluru.
Since mid-2014, Chinese smart-devices company Lenovo has had a dream run in India from not even being in the top five to becoming the third-largest smartphone seller in late 2015. The company is now preparing for the next round of the fight: it is currently rebranding its devices under its existing brands Vibe and Moto to reduce cannibalisation and consolidating its portfolio for better product management and positioning.
The rebranding exercise has been in the works for some time now. Vibe a global Lenovo sub-brand, which caters to the mass segment of smartphones was introduced in India a few months ago. Moto (formerly Motorola), which was acquired in a $2.9-billion deal from Google in 2014, will be positioned as a premium brand offering the latest technology. This will help the company reduce cross competition and confusion over its devices' focus.
The rebranding, say analysts, will only boost the companys growth story.
Faisal Kawoosa, General Manager, Telecoms & SemiTronics, CMR, feels the companys success is based on two factors. While Lenovo successfully established its brand and delivered superior products at the right price, its rivals inability to cope with the challenge helped it achieve such high growth, he says.
Being a full-range player also helped Lenovo to win consumer trust, apart from hitting the right price point, Kawoosa added. The success of other products like the laptops, personal computers (PCs) and tablets also helped the brand, while a fleet of new models during 2015 kept the buzz alive.
In the past six quarters, Lenovo (including Motorola) has not only gained market share from less than 5% in June, 2014 to some 11% in December 2015 but also toppled home-grown Intex in the last quarter to be the third-largest smartphone vendor in India, reports from CyberMedia Research (CMR) and Canalys say. In fact, the companys rise to the current spot began in 2015 when it became the fourth-biggest seller in September with a 9.5% market share.
Yuangqing Yang, chief executive, Lenovo, declared his bullish bets on India at the unveiling of the companys new logo in November last year. It aims to become one of the top 20 in India with annual revenue of Rs 40,000 crore (US$ 6 billion) by 2018, he had said.
However, the battle is not over yet. The two market leaders, Samsung and Micromax, have a strong retail presence in the country. Other biggies such as Lava, Karbonn and Intex are strong in a market where brick-and-mortar stores still account for nearly 75% of the smartphone industry's revenue a number which probably led the company to sell Moto smartphones through offline channels too. Adding to the challenge will be how to make Vibe a household brand, a feat that will be crucial if Lenovo wishes to hold on to its achievements so far.
Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), the promoter of Maruti Suzuki, will look at developing new technologies with component and raw material manufacturers. SMC wants the Indian arm to focus on developing more fuel-efficient vehicles and cater to the local demand.
T Suzuki, president and chief operating officer of SMC, denied any plan to tie up with Japanese peer Toyota. "Joint development of future technologies with component and raw material makers seems a more probable option," he said in an interaction with journalists here. Suzuki is here to attend the Auto Expo that begins from Wednesday.
Suzuki said it was becoming increasingly difficult for one company to work on all areas of technology and, therefore, joint work would be required. He said the company would focus on improving fuel efficiency of petrol and diesel engines.
Maruti will make efforts to minimise the cost increase that will come with the introduction of stringent regulatory norms related to emission and safety in India.
Going forward, Suzuki said he expected Maruti Suzuki to shoulder more responsibility in developing India-specific products focusing on high-end technology. This will lead to a lower royalty for the Japanese auto major. The main responsibility of our Indian R&D is to develop suitable products for the Indian market. Maruti Suzuki will be shouldering more and more responsibility in this regard, Suzuki said.
He said the firm was facing competition from the entry of other global auto majors in India. Generating profit is also becoming relatively tougher. We have to develop more suitable products for the Indian market.
Suzuki said there would be a threat for the company if SMC's Japanese rival Toyota were to increase stake in Daihatsu to 100 per cent, not only in India but also in other global markets and it would have to plan counter measures, which haven't been decided yet.
When pointed out that this could mean lesser royalty to SMC, Suzuki said the Japanese parent had been focusing on high-end technology products like hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, which could be used by Maruti, as India moves to stricter emission and safety norms in the future.
"But irrespective of changes in royalty, we will continue to invest in R&D in Maruti," Suzuki added. Maruti currently pays a royalty ranging from 5.6 to 6 per cent to Suzuki.
Maruti is investing Rs 2,500 crore to set up its R&D centre at Rohtak, which boasts of a test track among others, to enhance its production development capabilities.
The countrys largest car maker will be unveiling compact SUV Vitara Brezza on Wednesday at the Auto Expo, a global product in which Indian engineers have made major contribution towards design and development.
When asked about SMC's plans to avoid overdependence on India, Suzuki said the aim was to expand in Europe, Asia and other markets and increase profitability while at the same time ensuring that the Indian operations also continued to increase profitability.
Bosch, the world's largest manufacturer of fuel injection systems and engine technologies, sees the skipping of Bharat Stage (BS)-V norms by India as a challenge. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management at Bosch, tells Ajay Modi that in spite of the criticism diesel technology has received, it remains a clean option. Edited excerpts:
What does the skipping of BS V in India mean for Bosch?
The automotive industry has to concentrate on what feasible concepts and measures are to reach BS-VI in one step. We are in a position to provide suitable technologies. The secret lies in coming up with a holistic concept and not just make small changes to be able to manage the cost challenge. Finally, BS-VI must also be an affordable solution that results in affordable vehicle prices for end customers. This is a challenge and a journey in which we will support vehicle makers. We are rather positive that India-specific solutions can and must be found. It cannot just be done by importing technologies from abroad.
What sort of time is required? Is 2020 a realistic deadline?
Looking at the timeline of four years, I must say it is challenging. Low surplus fuel must be available during time of development and validation. In 2020, fuel must be available for end use as well. Within four years it is not likely that the entire fleet can be upgraded to BS-VI. All new models can be equipped by 2020. The existing fleet will take another couple of years.
Are there capacity challenges at your end?
First, we need to figure out the right concept for identified models and then we can see where we have a need for adding capacity or installing further manufacturing units or lines. These discussions will happen once we have identified the concepts. We need to be clear what is needed. There are various, if not many, ways to reach BS-VI. We need to have a holistic view on what is needed.
Is there a need for working more closely with the original equipment manufacturers?
We are already working very closely. The challenge ahead is big enough and we need to work even closer, because time is limited. We need to come up with good concepts and do validation and testing.
So, cooperation will be further intensified.
Diesel engines are attracting a lot of criticism in India. There has been a temporary ban on some categories of diesel vehicles. Is diesel polluting?
Our position is very clear. Diesel combustion engine can be very clean and the way to move forward is to focus our energies on making combustion engines (diesel and petrol) cleaner. It is proven that the technology is clean. We believe that diesel engines, with filters and new technology, can be clean machines. Diesel emits less carbon dioxide than petrol. We cant simply shift from petrol to diesel.
There is a growing stress on hybrid and electric vehicles worldwide. How are you responding?
We are investing in alternatives. We are trying to prepare alternative solutions that can work and be affordable. However, because of low oil prices worldwide, we see a low penetration of electric and hybrid models. It affects Europe and US. A lot of companies are afraid to invest more on alternative technologies as oil prices are low. That may change once oil price starts moving upwards.
Does BS-VI mean more revenue for Bosch from India?
We have not started calculating yet. That may become clear once we identify the solutions that are needed. Our intent is to provide the right technology at an affordable cost.
The Sahara group told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it had entered into an agreement to sell its interests in Londons Grosvenor House hotel (pictured) to the state of Qatar. Senior counsel Kapil Sibal submitted a sealed cover, which also included the details of another deal with Russian lender VTB Bank for refinancing the loans linked to the groups stakes in New Yorks Plaza and Dream Downtown hotels.
The deals are likely to generate between Rs 2,200-2,300 crore additional funds for the group, which could be deposited with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), Sibal told the court. The money is expected in 30-40 working days, according to the group.
The group also submitted an application to divest its stake in more assets. Sibal said Sahara wanted to sell the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai, its 42 per cent stake in Force India Formula One Team and four aircraft. These assets would fetch a further Rs 3,000 crore, according to the group.
Amicus Curiae Shekar Naphade raised questions about the deals almost immediately. My only problem is about the valuation of these assets. Who has valued these assets? The court has asked the Amicus to look into the various aspects of the deals. In a statement issued later in the day, Gautam Awasthi, counsel for Sahara, said, In view of the current situation, whereby Sahara has been able to formalise deals with regard to three foreign properties, the culmination whereof will make Rs 2,200-2,300 crore being available to be deposited with Sebi. Other assets proposed to be sold would fetch another Rs 3,000 crore, he added.
The proposals gave fresh hope for the group, which is contesting an application by Sebi to appoint a receiver to realise dues, which have now swelled to Rs 40,000 crore. The court posted the final hearing on Sebis receivership petition and the groups challenge to last years order by the court to March 29.
However, those were not good enough to get the groups jailed chief Subrata Roy a fresh term in special conference room facilities inside the Tihar Jail.
Nothing is getting finalised. All that has happened is that a book has appeared, Chief Justice T S Thakur said referring to lavish events organised across the country to launch a trilogy of books purportedly written by Roy during his 23-month stay in the jail. Many of these months were spent in the conference room inside the prison complex allowed by the court to finalise a deal to sell the groups various assets in India and abroad.
The apex court had sent Roy and two other directors of the groups companies Sahara India Real Estate Corp and Sahara Housing Invest Corp for failing to repay Rs 24,029 crore to some 29.6 million investors, along with an interest of 15 per cent. As Sahara has struggled to comply with the directions of the court, which date back to August 2012, having coughed up only Rs 5,120 crore, the interest component has been steadily rising, taking the dues to around Rs 40,000 crore.
For Roys release, the court had initially set a sum of Rs 10,000 crore as bail amount, half in cash and half in bank guarantee. However, in June last year, it linked his release to payment of full dues.
Meanwhile, the groups troubles with its domestic deals continued as the court refused to entertain a deferred payment proposal by Divine Infra Solutions, which had agreed to buy a property in Choma, near Gurgaon. Out of the Rs 1,200-crore deal for land totalling 185 acres, Divine has paid Rs 498 crore, but has developed cold feet. The company has alleged though it has received titles for 67 acres, Sahara has not been able to provide contiguous land for the remaining portion. The court directed Divines executives to be present at the next hearing.
The court also allowed Sebi the reimbursement of Rs 41.44 crore incurred for sorting and digitisation of truckloads of investment receipts and other documents sent by the Sahara group.
Sun Pharmaceuticals and Lupin have launched the generic versions of top selling drugs with 180 days sale exclusivity in the US market.
The product launches will give a boost to the US business of the two companies, which have been hit by fewer approvals as well as regulatory compliance issues. Both the firms reported a drop in revenue from the US market in the second quarter of FY16. For the two companies, the US market accounts for 40-50 per cent of the total revenue.
Sun Pharma has launched the generic version of Novartis anti-leukemia drug Gleevec after receiving US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA)s approval in December last year. The product had total sales of $4.5 billion globally and $2.5 billion in the US, according to IMS data. Sun Pharma has 180-day exclusivity to distribute the product in the US.
Sun Pharma had applied for the product launch from its Halol plant, but following FDAs adverse observations on the plant, it shifted the manufacturing of tablets to a site in the US.
The company has also launched a campaign to make its drug more popular among doctors and patients with a patients-access programme and a helpline.
Meanwhile, Lupin has said it has launched the generic version of Valeant Pharmaceuticals diabetes drug Glumetza. The company has 180-day exclusivity for the product, which had sales of $450 million in the US. The firm said it had launched 10 products in the US and received approvals for 21 products.
Lupin had secured the right to sell the generic version of Glumetza following a settlement with Santarus Inc in 2012, which owned the drug then. Later, in 2013, Santarus sold the diabetes drug to Salix Pharmaceuticals. In 2015, Salix was acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals.
BOOSTER DOSE
Finance Ministry has responded favorably to Civil Aviation Ministry's demand of service tax exemption as well as customs duty relaxation for MRO activities. Though a decision on this matter is yet to be taken, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today said talks between the two ministries have been encouraging."In this regard, the discussions with the Finance Ministry have been encouraging," the minister said on the sidelines of a seminar on Make In India in civil aviation sector. Additionally, he also requested the states to bring down the VAT (Value Added Tax), it would encourage the MRO industry.In the draft civil aviation policy, ministry had proposed several sops in order to boost the industry.
Proposed sops include zero service tax on MRO, services, infrastructure status for MRO resulting in extended tax breaks, simplification of import processes for aircraft spares, exemption on customs duty for maintenance tools and tool kits. Raju said the tax break was important for reducing imports in the aviation sector. "So, we need to find a way where this activity (MRO) gets an exemption (from service tax) and the customs (duty) window is three years on spare parts," he said. Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) works of aircraft are mostly done overseas by local carriers as costs are high in India. Noting that for the aviation sector most of the things are dependent on imports, Raju said that even for routing checks of aircraft, the planes are being taken to Singapore, Dubai and Sri Lanka.
"We need to pull in the $700 million worth MRO business into India. We had consultations (with the Finance Ministry) and it looks encouraging on the issues of service tax and (increasing) the customs duty window from one year to three years," the minister said.
CASPER, Wyo. On Monday morning, when Liz Cheney used Facebook to explain why she was running for U.S. House, the post's location was listed as Alexandria, Va.
People across the country shared a screen shot of the message on Twitter and Facebook throughout the day. Cheney, the Republican daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has faced criticism that shes not firmly enough rooted in the Cowboy State.
Liz Cheney lived in Wyoming as a child, including attending Casper public schools for three years. She and her husband bought a house in Wilson in May 2012. In an interview Sunday with the Casper Star-Tribune, Cheney said shes been involved in her community as a mother to five children.
The campaign, which launched Monday in Wyoming's coal country, has since removed the location from the message.
It was a campaign glitch, said Cheneys campaign manager, Bill Novotny. Were in Gillette.
Cody resident Deb Simpson, who is volunteering for one of Cheneys GOP opponents, state Sen. Leland Christensen, was drinking coffee Monday morning and looking at Facebook when she noticed the message.
Simpson started writing a response to it, questioning Cheneys Wyoming credentials, when she noticed the location. She took a screen shot and posted it on social media.
I dont think there will be a large differentiation in ideology in this primary, said Simpson, whose father-in-law, former U.S. Sen. Al Simpson, is backing Cheney. Youre going to see small differences, but these Republicans are going to be pretty similar on the issues. That then causes voters to look for the other issues.
Other issues include whether the candidates are authentically from the state they want to represent in Washington, she said.
But Novotny said the Facebook location isnt important.
Lets start discussing the issues, he said.
United Breweries Ltd, majority owned by Dutch beverage maker Heineken, said third quarter profits grew 80.57% to Rs 72.12 crore and sales by 15.71% to Rs 1157.67 crore on increased volume growth in Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala.
Bengaluru-based beer maker UB had reported profits of Rs 39.94 crore and sales of Rs 1,000.42 crore in the same period last year, the company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange.
UB stock was up 3.76% or Rs 29.30 to close at Rs 808.10 on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Tuesday.
In Kerala, liquor is banned except in five star hotels, while the state has given licenses to beer and wine outlets. Telangana and Karnataka traditionally have high beer consuming population.
Northern states such as Delhi, Chandigarh and Madhya Pradesh has also seen better growth in the quarter.
The beverage industry grew 13% in the quarter, UB said in a statement.
UB Managing Director Shekhar Ramamurthy in a recent interview had said that the second half would be better than the first half of the financial year due to favourable market conditions.
"The beer industry has been flat in the first half. We are hopeful that the second half of the year will start showing 5-6% growth," Ramamurty said.
Pune-based Kalyani family maybe fighting a court battle for family assets, but the younger generation is equally focused on business growth. The 25-year-old executive director of Kalyani Forge (KFL) brother of Sheetal Kalyani, who has filed a civil suit against uncle Baba Kalyani, chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge is busy shaping expansion plans for his company. Kalyani, who joined the company as executive vice-president in 2012, refrained from commenting on the feud. In an interview, he tells Hrishikesh Joshi about KFLs growth strategy. Edited excerpts:There is a strong need for transformation because of changing market conditions at the global level and in India as well. And we have consistently managed to be a globally-competitive company taking a lead in quality and technology. But, at the same time, we don't want KFL to be a mass producer of components or just a supplier company.
We are setting up new benchmarks for quality of products. We are looking to achieve a turnover of Rs 500 crore through organic growth in the next two to three years, from the current Rs 250 crore, by entering into new product ranges. We are expanding our machined components capacity by 25 per cent, apart from concentrating on process improvements and removal of non-value adding activities through Lean Management Systems as a strategy to grow aggressively.
You were planning to invest Rs 200 for expansion, what is the status?
We have already invested around Rs 25-30 crore in the first phase. This is mainly for the modernisation of our manufacturing facilities in Pune. We are focusing on organisation architecture, system enhancement, culture development, strategic decision-making and customer orientation. We have a very low debt-equity ratio and have improved cash flow significantly.
Bharat Forge has been diversifying into other sectors, would KFL also diversify into non-automotive sectors?
We are not going to follow this trend. Diversifying the business is definitely a part of the strategy. We see lot of strength in automotive sector. Different markets will behave differently. It does not mean that we will swing from one to another. At the same time, we continue to leverage our expertise and experience in the auto sector as it has tremendous long-term potential in India and lots of headroom for growth, notwithstanding the current slowdown.
At the same time, we are exploring new emerging sectors of our economy such as mining, construction, infrastructure and railways.
How much does the automotive sector contribute to your business? What about exports?
More than 70 per cent of our business comes from the automobile sector. We are also growing the industrial segment. We have had a presence in the railways sector for the past 15 years and have been supplying components for metro rail projects around the world. As of now, we are not very keen on the defence sector. At present, exports are 25 per cent of the total business.
What is your strategy for international markets?
We are setting up a new company called Kalyani Europe in Germany to cater to the European market. Currently, KFL has a marginal presence there, but with this new entity, we will be putting more efforts for overseas markets. Our effort is to improve export contribution in future.
The Yuvraj Singh-run seed fund company, YouWeCan Ventures, plans to start an incubator soon. The company said the first two arms of this company would be set up in Gurgaon and Bengaluru.
We want to be a 360 degree fund. Usually, you see funds taking a step up and trying to invest in larger ticket sizes. We want to take a step back and get in on the ground floor, said Nishant Singhal, director, YouWeCan Ventures.
The company plans to invest in 30 companies in the next three months and wants a portfolio of 70 companies by the end of 2016-17. Once the company graduates from the incubator, YouWeCan will put in seed investment to help entrepreneurs continue their growth. Exits will come once the company reaches Series C and D rounds of capital investment.
Only the top 10 companies in the country have inflated valuations, the others can explain why they price their equity at a certain price, Singhal said.
He said the reason for starting the incubator was to tap into a nascent community of entrepreneurs that had no access to angel investors. There are just 4,000 angels in the country. There is a need for more incubators. Someone to help entrepreneurs prepare a product, he said. At the seed stage where YouWeCan Ventures typically operates, the fund deals with companies with an established product. Now, Singhal said, the company wanted to help make products that would be country-independent and could be scaled up faster. But with incubators comes the risk of failures. We know there is a much bigger risk than in seed investment, but with risk comes bigger rewards, said Singhal.
The fund will start by providing office space, high-speed Internet connections and mentors, just like other incubators. Along with that the incubator will provide fledgling companies access to top-end law firms. The company is leveraging Yuvrajs brand to create a mentor network that will include Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm and Rahul Yadav, founder and former CEO of Housing.com. We will add more mentors from our seed funds portfolio companies as time passes, he said.
Also unlike other incubators, YouWeCan will not partner any educational institution.
What the likes of IIT and IIM do is increase your deal flow, but we have Yuvi. He is one of the biggest brands in the country, he said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will inaugurate the two-day India Investment Summit on February 4, the government said in a statement on Tuesday. The summit will be organised by the finance ministry and is aimed at attracting long-term foreign investors to the infrastructure sector.
During the summit, Jaitley will also unveil the logo of the Rs 40,000-crore National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF), the statement said.
Several foreign pension and sovereign wealth funds are expected to participate in the summit which will be held here on February 4-5. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority managing director H H Sheikh Hamid Bin Zayed Al Nahyan would deliver a special address during the inaugural session, the statement added.
The summit would have multiple sessions including one titled 'Current Status, Outlook and Investment Opportunities in Developing Urban Infrastructure'.
Other sessions would focus on outlook and investment opportunities in power and renewable energy sector and another on road transport, highways and ports. Also, one would be on investment opportunities in the railways sector.
Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, railways minister Suresh Prabhu, minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha, Reserve Bank of India deputy governor H R Khan, SBI (State Bank of India) chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya and top bureaucrats from finance and infrastructure ministries would attend the summit.
There will also be state sessions where Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Gujarat, will showcase investment opportunities available in their places.
The finance ministry is seeking participation from SWFs for the Rs 40,000-crore NIIF, which will act as a nodal agency for funding long-term projects, including stalled ones. The ministry is in the process of finalising the first set of foreign investors in NIIF.
Additionally, economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeted on Tuesday: "NIIF signs MoU with Rusnano of Russia for setting up India-Russia High Technology Fund. NIIF fast taking shape."
Since coming to power in May 2014, the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government has relaxed Foreign Direct Investment norms in over a dozen sectors, including defence, banking, railways, construction, and medical devices. Jaitley has on several occasions said the country needs to attract foreign investment to supplement domestic efforts to accelerate growth.
The summit would showcase and discuss the huge long-term infrastructure investment opportunities in India. Also a booklet containing the list of possible infrastructure projects for funding will also be released during the summit.
The government has named the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, as the two centres for diagnosis of the Zika virus infection.
Experts said the challenge lay in how to use the test kits and on which patients in the case of an outbreak. The Zika virus results in dengue-like symptoms in 20 per cent of patients. The other 80 per cent do not show any symptoms or illness.
Moreover, health experts are trying to establish the link between infants born with microcephaly, abnormally small head, and their mothers who may have the Zika virus infection. "That is the only serious thing in relation with this virus that people have started noticing. But studies are already on to understand the relation between Zika and microcephaly, including the role of other contributory factors. This is the only area where it becomes tricky, otherwise this is not a deadly virus," said Dr BR Das, president, research and innovation, SRL Diagnostics.
The government has begun procuring test kits to detect this virus. In a meeting on January 29, Health Minister JP Nadda constituted a technical group to monitor the situation arising out of the spread of the Zika virus in other countries and to advise on steps that need to be taken.
On Tuesday, the ministry issued comprehensive guidelines to deal with this virus, where it said the NCDC, Delhi, and NIV, Pune, had the capability to provide laboratory diagnosis of the virus attack in acute febrile stage. Ten other laboratories will be strengthened by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to expand the scope of diagnosis.
"We don't have any commercially available test for this virus. If and when there is an outbreak, we will have to see what the availability of the test is at those places of outbreak. Since it is not a fatal disease, it has to be analysed whether it would be cost effective to perform it on all patients showing symptoms," said Dr Monica Mahajan, senior consultant, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.
"Moreover, the turnaround time in the test would also need to be considered to avoid a situation that a patient has already recovered by the time the results come in," she added.
The government has asked all the international airports and ports to display billboards providing information to travelers on the Zika virus. It has asked people returning from affected countries and suffering from febrile illness to report to Customs authorities. "The Airport/Port Health Organisation would have quarantine/isolation facility in identified airports," the guidelines added.
The Supreme Court has vacated an interim order of Madras High Court staying the issue of patta under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), based on an application filed by Ministry Tribal Affairs, says an announcement by the central government.
At a time when the Forest Rights Act is being implemented across the country, it had come to a standstill in the State of Tamil Nadu, as the Madras High Court had passed an interim order dated April 30, 2008 under which the High Court had directed that no patta or title under FRA shall be issued without its permission.
Following this, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs filed a petition for transfer of the writ petition to the Supreme Court and also filed a Special Leave Petition against the interim order of the High Court. The Ministry also requested the Government of Tamil Nadu to file an application for vacation of the interim order.
A three judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre and Justice Amitava Roy heard the matter this week.
P S Narasimha, additional solicitor general appeard for the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs submitted that when the FRA is being implemented across the country, there is no need for an order to restrict its operation in only one State. The bench passed an order setting aside the interim order of Madras High Court, which was under challenge.
So far, around 44.12 lakh claims have been filed and more than 17.10 lakh titles have been distributed in the various States with the exception of the State of Tamil Nadu, where the implementation of FRA has been at a standstill.
Though 21,781 claims have been filed in the State of Tamil Nadu and 3,723 titles are ready for distribution, the State Government had, till now, not been able to distribute the titles due to the stay order of the Madras High Court being in force, said an announcement by the central government.
With the vacation of the interim order, it is anticipated that the filing and processing of claims and recognition of forest rights in the State of Tamil Nadu will gather speed and the forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and the other traditional forest dwellers in the State of Tamil Nadu can look forward to their forest rights being finally recognised, vested and recorded, it added.
The Supreme Court today is set to hear a curative open court petition challenging its 2013 verdict re-criminalising homosexuality in the country.
A curative petition is the last legal recourse available to litigants. In rare cases, such petitions are given an open court hearing.
A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur has agreed to hear the curative petition filed by gay rights activists and NGO Naz Foundation against the apex court which had reversed the Delhi High court's 2009 decision on December 11, 2013, upholding validity of section 377 (unnatural sexual offences) of IPC.
The law
Section 377 of IPC is a pre-independence era law which came into force in 1862, and defines unnatural offences. The act mentions, Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
A long legal battle and the Delhi High court's decision
A movement to repeal Section 377 was initiated by AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan in 1991. However, as the case prolonged, it was taken up by the Naz Foundation (India) Trust, a LGBTQ activist group, which filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court in 2001, seeking legalisation of intercourse between consenting adults of the same sex. The Delhi High Court in 2003 refused to consider a petition regarding the legality of the law arguing that the petitioners had no locus standi in the matter. Naz appealed to the Supreme Court which decided that the activists did have the standing to file a PIL in this case and sent the case back to the Delhi High Court.
On July 2, 2009, the Delhi High Court overturned the 150-year-old law; in a 105-page judgement, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S Muralidhar, said that if not amended, Section 377 of the IPC would violate Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, which states that every citizen has equal opportunity of life and is equal before the law.
SC re-criminalises homosexuality
Since the de-criminalisation in 2009, many homosexuals had come out in the open about their sexuality and relationships. But in a stunning reversal, the Supreme Court struck down the Delhi HC verdict in December 2013. An SC bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi (since retired) upheld the validity of Section 377, and referred the matter to Parliament, asking the legislature to take a call on the provision.
The central government filed a review petition on 21 December 2013, in which it clearly stated, The judgment suffers from errors apparent on the face of the record, and is contrary to well-established principles of law laid down by the apex Court enunciating the width and ambit of Fundamental Rights under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. This review petition was bolstered by one from the Naz Foundation. On January 28, 2014, however, the Supreme Court dismissed both review petitions.
SC verdict on transgenders
In a landmark judgement in April 2014, the Supreme Court directed the government to declare transgenders a third gender and include them in the OBC quota. Underlining the need to bring them into the mainstream, it said they should have all rights under law, including marriage, adoption, divorce, succession and inheritance, the Hindustan Times reported.
Child Abuse and 377
While the Delhi HC's verdict de-criminalising homosexuality was criticized b6y child-abuse activists on the ground that Section 377 was needed to tackle cases of child abuse, the enactment of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, there doubts too have been addressed. POCSO is more child-friendly and much more stringent.
Implications for the LGBTQ community
Business Standard reported on December 13, 2014 that since the 2013 judgement several cases have been reported of Section 377 being used to blackmail and harass members of the LGBTQ community. While this continued into 2015, the year also saw a consolidation of opinion against Sec. 377, both in the political and social sphere. Gay Pride marches in major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru became the most visible and popular signs of protest. In popular media, advertisers, filmmakers and book authors came out in support of gays. On Twitter, that seemingly final arbiter of public opinion in the 21st century, #comingout and #outofcloset trended for months.
International developments
There have been many positive developments in favour of the LGBTQ community on the international front. In May 2015, Ireland legalised same-sex marriage, becoming the first country to allow same sex marriage a level by popular vote. Soon after in June 2015, the United States Supreme Court handed down a historic judgement legalising gay marriage. France, Canada, Scotland and Brazil are among other major nations who already have legalised same-sex marriages.
Canada's new government headed by Justin Trudeau, is strongly supportive of the LGBTQ community.
India currently stands with a host of countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Mauritania, Qatar and Pakistan which criminalizes homosexuality
Growing political consensus
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in November 2015, had said that the apex court should not have reversed the Delhi High Court order de-criminalizing consensual same-sex acts. "When you have millions of people involved in this (homosexuality) you can't nudge them off," Jaitley said. "The Supreme Court's 2014 verdict banning gay sex is not in accordance with the evolving legal jurisprudence and the court needs to reconsider it."
Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come out in support of transgenders, regretting the deplorable conditions of the community in the country and urging the government to change its outlook towards them.
Switzerland could backtrack on a recently proposed law, which would have helped countries like India get information about black money.
After the data leaked from HSBC Private Bank (Geneva) by whistleblower Herve Falciani in 2008 was shared by France with 30 countries, Switzerland was flooded with requests for further information. However, Swiss authorities didnt share any such information claiming that they were bound by strict secrecy laws.
In September 2015, under increasing pressure from the international community, the Swiss Federal council proposed a new law and said Switzerland would respond to such requests if a foreign country had obtained the data via normal administrative assistance channels or from public sources (that is not from those who leaked the data). Switzerland also acknowledged that partner countries find Switzerlands current practice too restrictive. The most pertinent illustration is the case of India (HSBC list).
The reformed law could have helped several pending information requests from India. It would have also helped Switzerland clear the ongoing peer review by the Global Forum for Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes that brings together 130 member countries, including India.
Switzerland needs to clear its ongoing peer review, which is in the second and final phase, to avoid being blacklisted as a non-cooperative secrecy jurisdiction. This would require peer countries to have a favourable opinion of Swiss efforts to provide information for tax purposes.
However, when the Swiss draft law was recently put up for public consultation, it was severely criticised by most of the right-wing parties that constitute majority in the newly-elected Swiss Parliament. According to a leading Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung, Switzerland now wants to postpone the parliamentary debate on the new law. Once Switzerland clears peer review at the Global Forum, India could remain stuck in the impasse for years. This can only be avoided if India ensures that the Switzerland passes the new law before the peer review process gets over.
Last week in Davos, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley held a bilateral meeting with the newly elected Swiss Finance minister, Ueli Maurer. Maurers party seems to be against the passing of this law. However, Jaitley had told Press Trust of India that Switzerland was very keen on greater cooperation in the fight against black money.
Centre will learn from the experience of other countries and ensure that Ayurveda and other Indian systems are propagated and popularised, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While speaking at the third Global Ayurveda Festival in Kozhikode, the Prime Minister said that his Government is committed to promote the use of traditional medicine in country's Public Health System through regulation of research and appropriate integration of quality products, practices, and practitioners into the health system.
"Our efforts are to tap the real potential of Ayurveda and other AYUSH systems in imparting preventive, promotive and holistic healthcare to the people. We will maximise the utilisation of Ayurveda and Yoga and other traditions of healing in accordance with their genius and acumen and help promotion of integrative medical facilities," said the Prime Minister. He said that young entrepreneurs who are planning a start-up could find a lot of opportunities in holistic healthcare.
He added traditional medicine is affordable to many of the rural people and that it is locally available to the communities, time-tested for its safety and efficacy. Above all, Modi said, it imbibes the culture and eco-system of the communities within which it grows.
"In many parts of developing countries, traditional medical practices are the only resources of healthcare within the physical and financial reach of the poor people. It is therefore even more important that we ensure the quality of these systems," said the Prime Minister.
He noted there have been great efforts in China to develop and establish policies and regulations for promoting the safe use of traditional Chinese Medicine, which comprises a large chunk of the international trade of complementary and alternative medicine.
"We would like to offer our institutions as referral centres for training, capacity building and information & technology exchange programs in Ayurveda and other AYUSH systems," he said.
The Prime Minister said the real potential of Ayurveda remains untapped because of many reasons and most importantly because of inadequate scientific scrutiny and concerns regarding standards and quality.
The National AYUSH Mission has been started to promote AYUSH medical systems through cost effective AYUSH services, strengthening of educational systems, facilitating the enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani & momoeopathy drugs and sustainable availability of raw-materials.
For quality control of AYUSH drugs, steps are being taken to bring regulatory amendments for effective enforcement and strengthening the regulatory framework at the Central and State levels, he said.
GILLETTE, Wyo. 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.
Gillette is a city of 32,000 near open-pit mines that supply almost 40 percent 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.
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.
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, Wis. As she did in 2013, she is facing criticism that she is an opportunist.
"Liz Cheney is only interested in being a Wyomingite when it is politically expedient to her ambitions," Wyoming Democratic Party Executive Director Aimee Van Cleave said in a release. "If she is so interested to return to the East Coast, she could just as easily return to her home in Virginia."
In an important milestone for Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), its new basic trainer aircraft, the Hindustan Turbo Trainer 40 (HTT-40) rolled out for the first time from the hangar where it was built and began preparations for its first flight, later this month. For years, the Indian Air Force (IAF) flatly opposed the HTT-40 project, demanding the defence ministry scrap it. In its place, the IAF wanted to import over a hundred new trainers from Swiss company, Pilatus, to supplement the 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mark II trainers it had already bought.
The IAF repeatedly told the ministry the HTT-40 would be over-weight, over-priced and under-performing. But HAL doggedly continued development, committing more than Rs 350 crore of company funds.
Given this history, there was jubilation amongst the HTT-40 design team as their first prototype, fully designed in India, rolled out of the hangar with all its lights flashing and its cockpit powered on. The project has managed to steer through the initial headwinds and now is going full throttle, said T Suvarna Raju, the HAL chief.
An HAL media release on Tuesday noted: The team composition of HTT-40 is the youngest ever on any prototype program in HAL.
The IAF, now convinced about the HTT-40s viability, wants to take charge of the project. However HAL, in a demonstration of confidence, insists on funding and controlling the project until the trainer takes to the skies. After that, the HTT-40 will be overseen by an integrated project management team (IPMT), headed by Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar, who attended the rollout.
Before actually flying, the HTT-40 will undergo a series of ground tests. First, US firm Honeywell, which has supplied the TPE-331-12B engine, will verify it is properly integrated with the airframe. After that, the HTT-40 will do low-speed taxi runs, and then high-speed taxi runs. In the latter, it will speed down the runway, coming close to lift-off, but remaining on the ground. Only after all systems are proven on the ground, will inspectors allow the aircraft to actually lift off.
If all goes according to plan, the HTT-40 will complete its flight test programme in two years, and be inducted into the IAF from 2018. HAL tells Business Standard that the HTT-40 production line will build two trainers in 2018, eight in 2019, and reach its capacity of 20 per year from 2020 onwards. Some 70 HTT-40 trainers will join the fleet, supplementing the 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mark II already in service; and another 38, whose purchase is currently being negotiated.
HAL is looking beyond the IAF, at exporting the HTT-40 to air forces across the region. The designers say it can be developed into a capable ground attack aircraft that would be ideal for countries like Afghanistan, which need to provide air support to their ground troops, but cannot afford full-fledged fighters. There are plans to weaponise and optimise HTT-40 aircraft, said Suvarna Raju. HAL says: Its role includes basic flying training, aerobatics, instrument flying, navigation, night flying, close formation etc.
The PC-7 Mark II and HTT-40, both propeller-driven turbo-prop aircraft, will be used for Stage-1 training of rookie IAF pilots. While Stage-2 training is currently being done on the HAL-built Kiran Mark II, it could shift to the new Sitara intermediate jet trainer, which HAL is now completing after long delays. Finally, budding fighter pilots will do their Stage-3 training on the Hawk advanced jet trainer, which HAL builds under licence from BAE Systems.
In the governments continued push to showcase its farmer-friendly face, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address four farmer meetings across India by February 28.
All ministers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Members of Parliament will also reach out to people to popularise the recently launched crop insurance scheme by the Centre.
The PMs public meetings will culminate a day before the presentation of the Budget by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, on February 29. According to sources in the government, the Budget is likely to increase allocations for schemes for rural areas, including for the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Rural Guarantee Act.
The focus on rural areas is important as five states will see Assembly polls soon Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam. The BJP is looking at long-term prospects in these states, but also wants to consolidate position in agrarian states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where elections are due by early 2017.
The PM will address farmers rallies in Bhopal on February 18, Bargarh in Odisha on February 21, Karnataka on February 27 and Uttar Pradesh on February 28. BJP President Amit Shah will start touring UP from February 24. On January 27, the PM took stock of the performance of agriculture ministry at a meeting of members of his ministerial council.
Discounting the stiff opposition of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), a government panel has recommended the formation of a new regulatory authority, National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), as early as possible.
Major economies of the world have already established such regulatory bodies. The committee by a majority view recommended that NFRA should be established early. Consultation may, however, be carried out with ICAI with regard to the jurisdiction of NFRA and the ICAI representation on NFRA, said the panel, which recommended changes in 78 Sections of the Companies Act, 2013.
ICAI said it had submitted a letter, dated August 18, 2015, to the panel raising concerns with respect to the constitution of an NFRA. It further said the committee by a majority view has not accepted the recommendations of the ICAI. However, the committee was pleased to state that consultation might be carried out with ICAI with regard to jurisdiction of NFRA and the ICAI representative of NFRA.
Through Section 132 of the Companies Act, 2013, the government was to introduce a new regulatory authority, with wide powers to recommend, enforce and monitor the compliance of accounting standards. Experts say the various objectives of NFRA, as prescribed in the law, are that of ICAI.
Consequently, ICAI submitted a letter dated August 18, 2015 to the panel, wherein ICAI had raised concerns with respect to the constitution of NFRA. It was stated that the ICAI is already discharging its regulatory functions with regard to discipline through a robust mechanism the Chartered Accountants profession sees constitution of NFRA as an interference in the functioning of the profession, multiple layers of regulation would lead to delay/duplication of work and therefore suggested for omission of Section 132, said the panel report.
After ICAIs submission, the panel deliberated on the matter in detail and 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. According to Yogesh Sharma, partner, Grant Thornton India LLP, the introduction of NFRA is in line with the international practice (for example the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) of having an independent regulator, which monitors the auditors.
An accountant from one of the Big Four firms said if NFRA was set up, the role of ICAI would be reduced to conducting exams for chartered accountants and recommending accounting standards to the authority.
When contacted, ICAI said it had submitted a letter, dated 18th August, 2015, to the panel raising concerns with respect to constitution of NFRA.
It further said the Committee by a majority view has not accepted the recommendations of the ICAI. However, the Committee was pleased to state that consultation may be carried out with ICAI with regard to jurisdiction of NFRA and the ICAI representative of NFRA.
DECODING NFRA
nMany functions of ICAI would now be replicated by NFRA overseeing the quality of service of professionals associated with ensuring compliance; monitoring and enforcing the compliance with accounting standards; making recommendations to the central government on the formulation and laying down of accounting and auditing policies
nAccording to the new Companies Act, NFRA would have the same powers as vested with a civil court under the Code of Civil Procedure. These could be related to discovery and production of books of account and other documents; summoning and enforcing the attendance of persons and examining them on oath; inspection of any books, registers and other documents of any person, etc.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday claimed credit for his government having revived the rural employment guarantee scheme. At another event, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi said the government was now praising a scheme it had severely critricised earlier.
After calling NREGA 'living monument of INC failure' Govt now hails it as cause of 'national pride and celebration'! Shining example of Modiji's political wisdom, Gandhi tweeted. The Congress also launched a social media campaign to highlight the successes of MNREGA.
Addressing a conference to mark 10 years of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), Jaitley said the scheme was a major engine for Indias continuing economic growth, when much of the world was experiencing an economic slowdown. The scheme also ensured welfare of a large number of people but was treated with apathy during the last year of the United Progressive Alliance-II (UPA-II) government. When the government changed in 2014, I would get to hear, both inside Parliament and outside, speculation that allocation for the scheme would be stopped or a new scheme will be unveiled. But our government has not only taken it forward but also increased the money given to the scheme.
The scheme, initiated by the Congress-led UPA-1 government, guarantees 100 days of paid employment in a financial year to a rural household.
Jaitley also claimed that his government had stopped the earlier policy of announcing funds for the scheme but reducing the amount later. The minister said Budget announcements grab headlines but little attention is paid when the government cut Plan expenditure later in the year. But this will be the first year that has not only seen no cuts but expenditure being more than the original allocation, Jailtey said.
The minister said there were obvious political and social reasons to strengthen MNREGA as a large population of people lived in rural areas.
With the private sector unlikely to contribute significantly to gross domestic product, the minister said, increased government spending would fuel rural and urban demand and help the country continue to grow at 7-7.5 per cent. Jaitley said the government planned to invest in rural areas, including in road construction, electrification, healthcare and education. Currently, the private sector is not contributing significantly. Monsoon has been poor in the last two years that is affected farm production and rural purchasing power. In such a situation, government spending on infrastructure development has increased. Foreign investments have increased and urban demand has increased.
Jaitley pointed to several government schemes as drivers of rural development rural electrification, construction of rural roads, PMs village irrigation scheme and even the cleanliness campaign under which toilets are being constructed in villages.
Interest subvention on farm loans and the recent crop insurance scheme were some other efforts with rural focus, he said.
Addressing the event, Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh said from April, 2016 all wage payments to MGNREGA workers will be done through direct benefit transfer. Currently, 94 per cent of the wage payments are directly deposited in the account of beneficiaries, Singh said.
Later in the day, several Congress leaders alleged that the NDA government ignored MNREGA. It reduced by 32 per cent and prevented 14 million people from falling into poverty. Unfortunate that such a scheme has languished due to step-motherly treatment by this current government, said Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Those who mocked it are now rushing to celebrate, said Ahmed Patel.
National Conferences Omar Abdullah tweeted: "BJP never tired of criticising MNREGA and are now selling it as if it was their gift to the nation. Abdullah thanked former PM Manmohan Singh for launching the scheme.
The BJP-led government in Maharashtra, in a bid to further strengthen its investor friendly image, on Tuesday announced formation of a separate cell under its single window scheme for providing number of approvals at one place within a stipulated time.
Besides, the government also said that 20% of its industrial plots will be reserved for scheduled castes at a cheaper rates. Both these decisions were declared ahead of Make In India week to be observed during February 13 -18 in Mumbai.
The list of approvals and permission will be notified as per the provision of the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, 2015.
A committee headed by the industries secretary will be delegated powers to make suitable changes in the list of permission and approvals in future. An online wallet will be made available for the payment of processing fee.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to provide interest subsidy to micro, small and medium enterprises for the new manufacturing unit being promoted by an investor from the backward class.
Besides, capital subsidy of 15 to 30% will be provided for units coming up in remote and under developed areas. For start up unit additional 10% incentive will be given. A subsidy in electricity duty will be offered for five years after payment of due charges for use of power.
These sops are being offered on the lines of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka who hav e put in a framework to encourage youngsters from backward classes to turn entrepreneurs.
Centre has initiated efforts to reform EPFO and ESIC for benefit of organised sector employees and its plans to extend ESIC benefits are part of a larger scheme to upgrade facilities for medical education and specialised tertiary care, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.
Modi was speaking after inagurating a newly-constructed building of ESIC medical college and hospital in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The project cost is about Rs 580 crore.
"Our plans to expand ESIC facilities, indeed the establishment of this medical college itself, is part of a larger plan to upgrade the facilities for medical education and specialised tertiary care," he said.
A Universal Account Number (UAN) has so far been allotted to over 6 crore sector workers, enabling portability of their EPF accounts. Further, the government proposes to expand coverage and offer additional facilities and services through the ESIC, he said. The coverage of ESI scheme has been proposed to expand the coverage from only the industrial and commercial clusters within a district to the entire district by end March, said the Prime Minister. He noted, since August last year, the scheme has been extended to construction workers.
The Prime Minister said the Centre is committed to the development of a generous and comprehensive social safety net for all workers.
For the over 45 crore unorganised sector workers and in addition to the RSBY health insurance program, started the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and the Atal Pension Yojana to provide life and accident insurance.
"This commitment to the builders of modern India comes from the firm belief that a 'Swasth and Samridh Shramik will make a Samridh Rashtra'," said the Prime Minister.
He noted, the ESI Scheme today is implemented across 830 centers in 34 States and Union Territories. It covers over 7 lakh factories and establishments across the country and benefits 2 crore workers and about 8 crore beneficiaries. In Tamil Nadu, the scheme has over 85,000 participating employers and over 28 lakh insured persons, with Coimbatore itself having nearly 27,000 employers. It is available in 31 districts of Tamil Nadu.
ESIC proposes to expand coverage by complementing its own services with Public Private Partnerships. Apart from cancer detection, cardiology treatment, and dialysis, the Corporation also proposes to offer in a phased manner pathological and X-ray facilities in all its dispensaries through PPPs. Besides allopathic treatment, ESIC hospitals will also provide AYUSH treatment in a phased manner.
The Prime Minister said the government has taken a number of path-breaking steps for the welfare of workforce of our country.
From September 2014, we have revised the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) pension to a minimum of 1000 rupees per month. The wage ceiling for EPF benefits has been raised from Rs 6500 to 15,000 rupees. An EPFO Mobile App has been launched for easier access to its services for both workers and employers. The Bonus Act has been amended to increase the ceilings for eligibility and bonus payable to Rs 21,000 and 7000 rupees per month respectively.
A Shram Suvidha Portal has been created for online services related to 16 labor laws, including administering a process of transparent and random inspections of businesses. A LIN number has been issued to nearly one million employers, enabling them to process single online filings on eight labour laws. The services offered by ESIC and EPFO have been integrated with the e-Bis portal of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to promote ease of business and limit transaction costs. Further, it is proposed to promulgate new EPFO and ESIC Acts providing more choice, increased coverage among workers and employers, and better and expanded range of services for organised sector workers.
He added, the Ministry is simplifying central labour laws by consolidating the existing 44 laws into four labour codes. Namely, on wages, industrial relations, safety and security, and health. This would considerably increase the ease of doing business and facilitate job creation, without compromising on the genuine protections and rights available for workers. We are progressing on the reform path by building consensus on these reforms through extensive stakeholder consultations with employers, worker's representatives, and state governments.
"We have also approved a scheme for up-gradation of existing State and Central Government medical colleges to increase MBBS seats. Through this, we hope to increase 10,000 MBBS seats and support the colleges with funds for equipment and infrastructure," said the Prime Minister.
Acknowledging the problems faced by exporters with regards to ease of doing business, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday promised to engage with the environment, textiles and finance ministries to iron out complications to this end.
Sitharaman held consultations with various export promotion councils (EPC) to discuss ways to boost India's sagging merchandise exports, which fell for the 13th consecutive month in December, 2015 to $22.2 billion (Rs 1.5 lakh crore) as a result of a steep decline in engineering and petroleum shipments.
After a two-hour-long meeting, where EPCs raised issues like including non-tariff barriers of other countries, currency volatility, and special economic zones (SEZs), Sitharaman said many of the issues that are enablers to enhance exports have been identified. "Issues which may have a bearing on the forthcoming Budget were also raised," she added.
In the discussion on the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) initiated to incentivise exporters, exporters asked that the benefits of the scheme be extended to Category C countries.
The Apparel Export Promotion Council requested for early finalisation of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which, they said, could create 10 million jobs. Exporters raised concerns about the detrimental effect of the Asean FTA, saying a wide range of products were being imported at zero duty, while similar exports were unable to be made from India.
Sitharaman said the ministry would take up issues related to Customs with the ministries of external affairs and finance.
Engineering exports, accounting for around 21 per cent of total exports once again registered a fall of 29 per cent to $4.76 billion (Rs 32,353 crore) in December. Cumulative exports during the April-December period declined 18.06 per cent to $196.6 billion (Rs 13.3 lakh crore).
Later, Sitharaman said the commerce ministry has pitched for exemption of the 20 per cent minimum alternate tax on SEZs to make Indian merchandise globally competitive. She said SEZs still contributed 40 per cent of all exports.
She said India's traditional import partners in Africa and Asia were also facing currency volatility and the effects of the global downturn.
She said the government needed to calculate how best to provide stimulus to the economy. In the budget, she said the government might have to find a way to stick to the 3.5 per cent fiscal deficit target and increase capital spending at the same time.
Commerce Minister Holds Consultation with Export Promotion Councils . Nirmala Sitharaman advises EPCs to take a Pro-active Stance for Promoting Exports . .
Commerce Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman today held an interactive meeting with Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) to deliberate on export related issues. The Export Promotion Councils gave suggestions/ observations on the issues faced by them. The Commerce Minister assured them that these issues would be sorted out through discussions with the concerned stakeholders. She specifically advised the EPCs to inform the Ministry on what is not happening and what should ideally happen." She also requested them to talk with their respective members and seek speicifi9c intervention from the Ministry based on their inputs. .
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The EPCs that presented their cases included Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Engineering Exports Promotion Council (EEPC), Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetics Export Promotion Council (CHEMEXCIL), Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (PHARMEXCIL), Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). .
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Some of the observations raised by EPCs pertained to issues arising out of Online applications of the DGFT website, Request for increased duty drawbacks, Inclusion of more scrips in the MEIS scheme, Request for abolishing service tax on exports, Delays in getting Environmental issues and more measures aimed at ensuring Ease of doing Business. .
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In their submission, MPEDA suggested that the higher value added products should attract higher duty drawback. Engineering Exports Promotion Council Chairman, Mr T S Bhasin said in his presentation that the lack of clear-cut directions from the government regarding the steel policy has created considerable uncertainty in the market. Seeking government's attention to realise the gravity of the situation arising out of a sharp fall in engineering exports, the EEPC India today said the promotional schemes for the external trade must be re-aligned immediately in the wake of worsening conditions in the global market. EEPC also raised concerns regarding higher taxes and delay in getting refunds. Mr Bhasin said at present India is putting all eggs in one basket: this is the RCEP region. We must not ignore CIS, Africa and Latin America .
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The representatives of CHEMECXIL highlighted the issues arising out of FTA with ASEAN under which they said that the duty structure was not bilateral in nature. CHEMEXCIL also raised issues relating to inordinate delays in getting environmental clearances. They requested the government to take up the matter with the Environment Ministry to ensure that the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Boards should act as facilitators to promote exports. .
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PHARMEXCIL raised operational issues arising out of steep registration in fee hike and challenges thrown by steep devaluation of several competing countries such Venezuela, Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique and CIS countries. Pharmexcil also raised the issue of long gestation periods of as high as three years with the environmental clearances. .
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AEPC requested for an early finalisation of the Indo-EU FTA which, they said, could create 10 million jobs. AEPC also raised the issue relating to an average 12-14% extra duty on the sector which was making them uncompetitive before the neighbouring countries such Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc. They also spoke about higher energy and financial cost that was making this sector uncompetitive. Highlighting that the apparel sector employed more than 11 crore people out of which 60% are women, AEPC requested for incentives to set up garment producing centres in the semi-urban areas. .
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Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESCEPC) requested for including IT services in the basked of exports. They suggested that a greater focus of Ease of Doing Business could help in relocating hardware business from countries like Korea, Taiwan, China to India. .
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EPCH requested for benefits of interest subvention for emergent exports also. They pointed out that during a short period from 1.4.2015 to to 14.7.2015 the sector has been left out of the interest subvention scheme. .
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APEDA requested for inclusion of packaged basmati rice in the MEIS list. They also requested for 5% interest subvention on the GuarGum exports to enable the sector to compete in China also. .
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? Responding to the suggestions from the EPCs, Commerce Secretary Ms. Rita A.Teaotia informed that the review of ASEAN FTA has already been initiated. The Government will also look into the likely impact of GST on exports. She suggested to EPCs to have a collaborative approach so that conflicts between the different EPCs on specific issues could be resolved and an integrated approach adopted. .
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Later, briefing the media persons, Commerce Minister said that the Ministry is looking into all the issues raised by the EPCs and will also approach Ministry of External Affairs and Finance Ministry for customs related issues. She assured the exporters that all the issues raised during the meeting would be addressed after undertaking a comprehensive consultation process with the respective stakeholders. .
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Delegation of Muslim Clerics and social leaders calls on Shri Rajnath Singh . . Delegation condemns any violence in the name of religion . .
A delegation of Muslim clerics and social leaders called on the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh here in New Delhi today and discussed the issues concerning the community. The delegation emphasized that Indian Muslim youths have not fallen prey to any propaganda in the name of Islam and expressed satisfaction for the steps taken by the NDA Government for creating an atmosphere of peace and security in the minds of the minority community. .
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Condemning all kind of violence in the name of religion the delegation explained that Islam stands for peace and wellbeing of all; and no one should be misguided or carry an understanding contrary to this fact. They also added that they were against any sort of terrorist or violence activities including cross-border terrorism. .
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Highlighting the fact that Muslims were safe and enjoyed freedom in India the delegation said that this kind of freedom and security is not available to Muslims even in Muslim-ruled countries. .
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The delegation also raised the issues of educational and economic backwardness and requested the government to take positive steps for their upliftment. It was also suggested that a forum for dialogue to strengthen communal harmony be created comprising of religious and social leaders from different communities and other stakeholders. .
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The delegation included the names of Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, Prominent Shia cleric, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti, Chief of Dargah Ajmer Sharief, Ajmer, Niaz Faruqui, General Secretary, Jamait-Ul-Hind, Maulana Iqbal Ahmed Chisti, General Secretary, Maulana Wamiq Rafiq Warsi Sahab, Head, Dargah Dewa Sharief, Janab Mohibulla Nadvi, Chief Imam, Parliament Masjid, Maulana Mohammad Alim Nadvi, Haryana Imams Organization, Yamuna Nagar and Dr. M.J. Khan, National Convener, Muslim Economic Forum. .
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Prominent among others in the delegation included S|hri Kamal Faruqui, Chairman, Confederation of Minorities Educational institutions and Shri Kamar Agha Noted Journalist and Expert on International Islamic affairs. .
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The British Institute for the Study of Iraq is a UK charity. We fund and carry out research and public education on Iraq and neighbouring countries. BISIs academic coverage includes anthropology, archaeology, history, geography, language and other fields in the arts, humanities and social sciences, from the earliest times until the present.
Finance Minister to inaugurate India Investment Summit 2016 on 4th February, 2016: Focus on Investment Opportunities in different Sectors in India including Road, Highways, Oil and Gas, Urban Infrastructure and Railways among others . .
The Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley will inaugurate the two-day India Investment Summit 2016 on Thursday, 4th February, 2016. The Finance Minister Shri Jaitley will also unveil the logo of National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF) beside delivering Inaugural Address on the occasion. A film on NIIF will also be shown during the Session. H.H. Sheikh Hamid Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority will deliver the Special Address during the Inaugural Session. The two day India Investment Summit 2016 is being held in the national capital on 4th & 5th February, 2016. .
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Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development will deliver the Opening Address in the First Session on Current Status, Outlook and Investment Opportunities in Developing Urban Infrastructure. Other Panelists during this Session will include Dr. Nandita Chatterjee, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Alleviation, Dr. Samir Sharma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development and Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson, State Bank of India. .
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Other Sessions on the First Day of the Summit include a Session on Current Status Outlook and Investment Opportunities in Power and Renewable Energy which will be addressed by Shri Pradip Kumar Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India and Shri Upendra Tripathi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India among others. Another Session will be on the Current Status Outlook and Investment Opportunities in Road Transport, Highways and Ports which will be addressed by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping. Other Panelists during the Session include Shri Rajive Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, Shri Sanjay Mitra, Secretary, Department of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India and Shri Raghav Chandra, Chairman, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). .
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The Second Day of the Summit will start with a Session on Regulatory Architecture which will be addressed by Shri Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Finance, Government of India along with Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA), Shri H.R. Khan, Deputy Governor, RBI and Shri S. Raman, Member, Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) among others. .
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Thereafter, there will be State Sessions where States of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat will showcase the investment opportunities in the respective States. These sessions will be addressed by the senior officers of the respective State Governments along with presentations on investment opportunities in different Sectors in the States. .
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The Concluding Session will be addressed by Shri Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Railways where Investment Opportunities in Railway Sector in India would be on focus. Other participants during the Session will include Shri A.K. Mittal, Chairman, Indian Railway Board and Shri S. Mookerjee, Financial Commissioner, Railway Board among others. .
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Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Between National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Ltd and Rusnano OJSC of Russia; both Agreed to Set-Up The Russia-India High Technology Private Equity Fund for Joint Implementation of Investments into Projects in India . .
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RUSNANO OJSC of Russia .
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The signing of the MoU is a follow-up of the Prime Ministers visit to Russia on 23-24 December, 2015 and discussions between NIIF and RUSNANO over the past several months. Both sides agreed to cooperate in diverse sectors and facilitate high-technology investments in India. .
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Both NIIF and RUSNANO have agreed to set up the RUSSIA-INDIA HIGH TECHNOLOGY PRIVATE EQUITY FUND for joint implementation of investments into projects in India: .
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Both the Parties will establish a joint working group with a view to further develop cooperation between the Parties and work on the development of the definitive agreements based on the principles outlined in the Memorandum. .
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Earlier, the Government of India has established the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) as a Category II Alternate Investment Fund (AIF) under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Regulations. NIIF is financed from Governments own contribution and is expected to have equity participation from both foreign and domestic strategic anchor partners, with the Governments share being 49%. The initial authorized corpus of NIIF is Rs. 40,000 crore, which may be raised from time to time. The objective of NIIF is to maximise economic impact mainly through infrastructure development in commercially viable projects, both Greenfield and Brownfield, including stalled projects and other nationally important projects in India. .
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RUSNANO is a Russian development institute with interest to invest in projects in the field of high technologies and defense including the projects aimed at establishment of manufacturing industrial enterprises in India. .
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Shri Kiren Rijiju addresses the All India Regional Editors Conference at Jaipur . .
The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju addressed the All India Regional Editors Conference at Jaipur today. He shared with the regional editors the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Disaster Management. .
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India is the largest country both in terms of size and population in South Asia Region. Due to this vast size there is high diversity in terms of physiography, climate, socio-economic and culture in the country. These factors make the country rank high in terms of reported number of disasters and risk to natural hazards. Keeping in view the vulnerability of India to various disasters, the Government has brought about a change in the approach to disaster management. The change is from a relief-centric to a holistic and integrated approach covering the entire gamut of disaster management encompassing prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation. Following recent initiatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding disaster management were shared by the Minister with the regional editors: .
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The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which was set up to provide immediate response in case of disasters, is being strengthened further both in terms state-of-the-art training and equipment, has emerged as a professional response force. NDRF is not only doing a stupendous job in addressing national disasters but responding to disasters in the region and beyond. India helped during Japan Earthquake in 2011 in disaster response. India envisages a bigger role in capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region and looking forward to build sustained regional and international partnerships under the Sendai Framework 2015-2030. .
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As a part of institutional strengthening, the Government of India has constituted the NDRF Academy by merging the National Fire Service College (NFSC), Nagpur and National Civil Defence College, (NCDC), Nagpur. The NDRF Academy would provide advanced search & rescue training to personnel of Fire Service, NDRF and State Disaster Response Force. Headed by an officer in the rank of Inspector General (Training), the academy shall function under the overall guidance and control of MHA. .
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The Government of India with the approval of Home Minister has approved the constitution of Disaster Response Medal for the personnel of NDRF, who have served NDRF for at least three years. This initiative is to motivate and strengthen the morale of the primary responders of the NDRF who work in the most hazardous situations. Since inception, NDRF lost 9 rescuers in different operations while trying to save the victims. .
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The Government of India is firmly committed and is making consistent efforts to promote regional cooperation in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction. India hosted the SAARC Disaster Management Centre which worked upto Dec 2015 towards putting in place a comprehensive regional disaster management framework to reduce disaster risks and promoting knowledge sharing among the SAARC countries. India has plans to further strengthen this Centre. .
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The SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters signed on 11th November, 2011, institutionalizes the regional cooperation on disaster response among the member countries. It provides a mechanism for rapid response to disasters to achieve substantial reduction of disaster losses in lives and in the social, economic and environmental damages through concerted national efforts and intensified regional cooperation. Besides rapid response, the Agreement requires the incumbent member countries to organise periodic mock drills/forums in rotation, wherein other Member States be invited to test the effectiveness of regional preparedness for response. Accordingly, the SADMEX 2015 was organized in Nov. 2015 by the NDRF in Delhi. The joint exercise addressed the important aspect of responding to disasters by pooling of resources and expertise and the imperative of presenting a well-coordinated response to disasters situation in any of the SAARC countries..
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India has made proactive response measures to address some of the major crisis in the region. In December 2014, when the Maldivian capital faced an acute water crisis after a fire in the city's water treatment plant, India sent an Indian Air Force transport aircraft and naval vessels carrying a large consignment of water to meet the immediate requirement of over 100,000 people. .
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In a major rescue mission in April 2015 in Yemen, India evacuated about 4640 Indian nationals and nearly 960 foreign citizens of 32 countries when the country was facing the civil war like situation. During that mission, Indian Air Force and Navy were deployed. .
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In July, 2015, twelve Regions and States of Myanmar have been severely affected by Cyclone Komen, which has led to widespread floods and landslides in that country. Around 250,000 people have been affected and over 500,000 acres of farmland destroyed. Government of India was specifically requested by the Government of Myanmar to send emergency supplies of rice and medicines by air to locations that are currently hard to reach through other means. In response, India had dispatched about 100-tonne load of rice and noodles and 10 tones of medicines were dispatched emergency relief supplies to Myanmar. .
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In the wake of devastating earthquake in Nepal, the National Disaster Response Force was deployed within 5 hours, assisting Nepalese Government in their rescue and relief operations. Government of India provided relief materials like food, water, medicines, tents, blankets, tarpaulin amounting to about Rs.327 crores. Further, besides technical assistance, India has further committed USD 2 billion to Nepal for rebuilding Nepal. .
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The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), in Hyderabad, provides early warning not only to India, but also to 28 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim. .
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The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, on 6th August, 2015 in recognition of their areas of academic and administrative research, education and training in disaster management has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU will lead to enhanced academic cooperation between the institutions for establishment of a Centre for Excellence in Disaster Research and Resilience Building at JNU promoting research, capacity building and manpower development within a multi-disciplinary framework. .
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In an effort to demystify the Sendai Framework for Action, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a set of priority actions to the all the State Governments. This set of guidelines is as per the goals, targets and priorities of Sendai Framework 2015-2030. .
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India in pursuit of its commitment towards Sendai Framework for substantial reduction of disaster risk in the Asian region, would be hosting the First Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in 14-17 November, 2016. The intended outcome of the conference is to develop a Regional Action Plan for implementation of the Sendai Framework. A dedicated Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) Secretariat with adequate physical and man power resources has been set in the Ministry of Home Affairs to undertake various activities pertaining to all preparatory work of the First AMCDRR. A dedicated electronic mail id has been created i.e., amcdrr.india@gov.in for doing all correspondence pertaining to AMCDRR. The website and logo have been developed and launched during Asia Leadership Meeting in Nov, 2015. .
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The Asia Leaders Meeting towards Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia was organized by Government of India on November 17, 2015 in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Kiran Rijiju, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ms. Margareta Whalstrom, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh also graced the occasion. The meeting was attended by about 120 key dignitaries and senior ministers from the nations of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, South Korea, and Thailand;, delegates from various countries and international organisations, and officials of Government of India and the State Governments. The aim of the meeting was to bring together Ministers from the countries that have hosted previous Asian Ministerial Conferences on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) to set a future policy direction towards implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030 in Asia. During the meeting, the Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju was recognized as a Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction for a series of policy decisions to strengthen disaster risk governance and partnerships in education, disaster preparedness and response in his country. The Asia Leaders Meeting was followed by second ISDR Asia Partnership (IAP) meeting, a key regional platform providing necessary consultations and technical support to implement the SFDRR 2015-2030. The focus of the meeting was to collectively set the policy direction for the implementation of SFDRR in Asia and discuss substantive preparations of the first AMCDRR, post Sendai Framework, which is scheduled to be held in India in Nov. 2016. .
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Shri Kiren Rijiju also interacted with the editors and answered various queries and issues raised by the editors at the Jaipur conference. .
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Shri Nitin Gadkari Addresses All India Regional Editors Conference, Says the Target is to Achieve Constrction of 30 Kms of Highways Per Day by March End; Study Undertaken for Building a Navigation Canal From Kori Creek, Kutch to Jalore in Rajasthan . .
Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Sh. Nitin Gadkari has said that the construction of highways in the country has now gone up to 18 kms per day and the target is to increase it to 30 kms per day by the end of March this year. He was addressing the All India Regional Editors Conference in Jaipur today. Shri Gadkari further said that he aims to create a capacity for construction of 100 kms highways per day in the country. He said that the target is to have over 1.5 lakh kms of road as national highways from the present 97,000 kms and this length may also go up to 1.75 lakh kms after discussions with the states. .
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While giving details of new road works undertaken, Shri Gadkari said that most of the work of Delhi-Jaipur highway has been completed and remaining work will also be completed soon. He said work is being undertaken in Uttarakhand for construction of road for easy access to Kailash Mansarovar, for which machines have been procured from Australia. He added that in order to connect Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand, 900 Kms of road will be constructed with Rs 11,700 crore investment, and the work will be completed by the year 2020. .
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The Minister also highlighted certain innovative steps planned in road construction, including use of plastic waste which can be mixed upto 7-8% in tar road construction. He said solid waste will be used while constructing new highway connecting Delhi and Meerut. He emphasised the use of cement and concrete in road construction with bitumen surfacing. .
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Stating that with the increase in length, about 80% traffic will be on national highways, Shri Gadkari said that efforts will be on reducing accidents. He said Rs. 11,000 crore have been earmarked to fix the problem of 726 identified black spots. He added that the target is to reduce road accidents by 50% in the next five years. In order to address the issue of pollution Shri Gadkari underlined the need for using ethanol, bio-diesel, bio-CNG and electric vehicles for transportation. He also informed that the country will switch to BS VI emission norms from April, 2020. .
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Shri Gadkari emphasised on development of waterways. He said that the National Waterways Bill, 2015 which has been passed by the Lok Sabha is likely to be moved for consideration of Rajya Sabha during the forthcoming Budget Session. With this the number of national waterways will go up to 111 including five existing national waterways. .
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The Minister announced that a study for alignment and environmental impact has been undertaken for building a navigation canal from Kori Creek, Kutch to Jalore in Rajasthan. It will be completed by March, 2016. He added that study is also being undertaken to determine navigable stretches of Indira Gandhi canal. .
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Shri Gadkari said that the Sagarmala Programme aims to promote port-led development in the country. He said a national perspective plan for comprehensive development of Indias coastline and maritime sector is under preparation. Stating that the emphasis is on modernisation, mechanisation and computerisation of ports, the Minister said the Government plans smart ports in the country where waste water will be fully recycled. Modern hospitals, engineering colleges and ITIs will also be opened at these places. He said that subsidies will be provided to fishermen groups to buy fishing trawlers. .
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The Minister informed that on the Jal Marg Vikas, National Waterways -1: River Ganga, multimodal terminals are being developed at Varanasi, Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and Haldia. He said that the first phase of the River Information System between Haldia and Farakka has been inaugurated while in Phase II, stretch between Farakka and Patna and in Phase III, stretch between Patna and Varanasi will be covered. .
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Text of PMs address at the inauguration of newly constructed building of ESIC medical college and hospital, Coimbatore
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Vanakkam, .
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I have great pleasure to be amidst all of you at Coimbatore, the textile capital of South India and the commercial hub of Tamil Nadu, to inaugurate the newly constructed building for the Medical College and the Hospital. On this occasion, the Central Government has also handed over the existing hospital, the medical college, and related buildings to the Government of Tamil Nadu. It reinforces my governments commitment to co-operative federalism. I hope that the Government of Tamil Nadu will act quickly to start the College. .
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This project worth 580 crore rupees will be a boon to ESIC beneficiaries and their family members in and around Coimbatore. Of the 100 MBBS seats proposed here, 20 seats will be reserved for the children of persons insured under the ESI scheme. We should strive to make this medical college and hospital a model for high quality medical education and treatment to workers of the State. .
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My government is committed to the development of a generous and comprehensive social safety net for all workers. For the over 45 crores unorganized sector workers, we have, in addition to the RSBY health insurance program, started the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and the Atal Pension Yojana to provide life and accident insurance. This commitment to the builders of modern India comes from the firm belief that a Swasth and Samridh Shramik will make a Samridh Rashtra. .
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We have initiated major reforms of the EPFO and ESIC for the benefit of organized sector employees. A Universal Account Number has so far been allotted to over 6 crore sector workers, enabling portability of their EPF accounts. Further, we propose to expand coverage and offer additional facilities and services through the ESIC. .
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The ESI Scheme is based on the Gandhian principle of contributions as per the ability and benefits as per the requirement" . This principle entitles an insured person or their family members to uniform benefits though only paying a contribution proportionate to his or her wage. Apart from Medical Benefit, ESIC also provides sickness, disablement, dependants, maternity, and unemployment allowance benefits to the insured persons. Its unique character, with no restrictions on the expenditure and instances where more than 30 to 40 lakh rupees have been spent on treatments, means that ESIC health scheme has been a boon to millions of workers. .
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Friends, from its modest beginning in 1952 with just two centers in Kanpur and Delhi, the ESI Scheme today is implemented in 830 centers in 34 States and Union Territories. It covers over 7 lakh factories and establishments across the country and benefits 2 crore workers and about 8 crore beneficiaries. In Tamil Nadu, the scheme has over 85,000 participating employers and over 28 lakh insured persons, with Coimbatore itself having nearly 27,000 employers. It is available in 31 districts of Tamil Nadu. .
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There are ten ESI hospitals in Tamil Nadu. After handing over this hospital, there will be eight ESI Hospitals in the state run by the State Government. The ESIC Hospital Tirunelveli is proposed for upgradation from 50 to 100 beds. There is a large network of 210 ESI dispensaries in the State for out-patient treatment for the insured persons and their family members. Coimbatore itself has 50 dispensaries. .
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My Government is dedicated to the welfare of our brothers and sisters who are our Rashtra Nirmatas. Sensing the need for expansion of ESIC, I had launched a Second Generation Reform Agenda named ESIC 2.0 in July last year during the Indian Labour Conference held in New Delhi. .
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The coverage of ESI scheme has been extended to the remaining North-East States Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman & Nicobar Island. It is proposed to expand the coverage from only the industrial and commercial clusters within a district to the entire district by 31st March this year. Since 1st August last year, the scheme has been extended to construction workers. .
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I strongly believe in the improvement of public service delivery standards. In keeping with this, several initiatives have been started to improve the quality of service delivery in ESI hospitals. They include online availability of electronic health record of ESI beneficiaries, establishment of an emergency medical helpline, and creation of special outpatient services for senior citizens and differently-abled persons in ESIC hospitals. To improve cleanliness, the Abhiyan Indradhanush changes bedsheets according to the rainbow pattern each day of the week. And cleanliness is an important aspect of preventive healthcare. Studies show that it can lead to savings of almost 7000 rupees per year for a poor family. .
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Among other initiatives, the ESIC has resolved to adopt two model hospitals in each State, apart from a mother and child care hospital. I am happy that ESIC proposes to expand coverage by complementing its own services with Public Private Partnerships. Apart from cancer detection, cardiology treatment, and dialysis, the Corporation also proposes to offer in a phased manner pathological and X-ray facilities in all its dispensaries through PPPs. Besides allopathic treatment, ESIC hospitals will also provide AYUSH treatment in a phased manner. .
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Friends, my Government has taken a number of path-breaking steps for the welfare of workforce of our country. From September 2014, we have revised the Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) pension to a minimum of 1000 rupees per month. The wage ceiling for EPF benefits has been raised from 6500 to 15000 rupees. An EPFO Mobile App has been launched for easier access to its services for both workers and employers. The Bonus Act has been amended to increase the ceilings for eligibility and bonus payable to 21,000 and 7000 rupees per month respectively. .
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Keeping in mind our commitment to minimum government, maximum governance", the Ministry is simplifying central labour laws by consolidating the existing 44 laws into four labour codes. Namely, on wages, industrial relations, safety and security, and health. This would considerably increase the ease of doing business and facilitate job creation, without compromising on the genuine protections and rights available for workers. We are progressing on the reform path by building consensus on these reforms through extensive stakeholder consultations with employers, workers representatives, and state governments. .
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A Shram Suvidha Portal has been created for online services related to 16 labor laws, including administering a process of transparent and random inspections of businesses. A LIN number has been issued to nearly one million employers, enabling them to process single online filings on eight labour laws. The services offered by ESIC and EPFO have been integrated with the e-Biz portal of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to promote ease of business and limit transaction costs. Further, it is proposed to promulgate new EPFO and ESIC Acts providing more choice, increased coverage among workers and employers, and better and expanded range of services for organized sector workers. .
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Our plans to expand ESIC facilities, indeed the establishment of this medical college itself, is part of a larger plan to upgrade the facilities for medical education and specialized tertiary care. .
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We have also approved a scheme for up-gradation of existing State and Central Government medical colleges to increase MBBS seats. Through this, we hope to increase 10,000 MBBS seats and support the colleges with funds for equipment and infrastructure. So far 23 medical colleges have been approved to increase over 1,700 MBBS seats. I am happy to inform that four state government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu at Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Madurai have been approved for upgradation by adding 345 more MBBS seats. .
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With similar objective, we are also promoting the establishment of AIIMS like institutions across the country. One such institution has also been approved for Tamil Nadu and with the active support of the State Government I hope this institution will start admissions quickly. .
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Friends, we all know that the Father of the Constitution is Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. But not many of us are aware of the immense contribution made by Babasaheb to the formulation of our Labour Laws. I am therefore happy to inform that Ministry of Labour & Employment organized a conference in Delhi last month to commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary Year of Dr Ambedkar. I urge each one of you to read the booklet Dr B R Ambedkar Labour Welfare & Empowerment: Initiatives to make his vision a reality" which was released on that occasion. We are committed to resolve to work collectively and collaboratively to realize the vision of Dr. Ambedkar for labour welfare. .
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Friends, industrial peace and harmony can be achieved only when the goals of employment and employability are in tune with the goals of industrial development and growth. It is our shared vision to have an environment which is conducive for inclusive growth and development of the country. I assure the state government all the cooperation from the central government in all its efforts in this direction. .
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I am encouraged to work more for the welfare of the workforce of India and strive towards Making India a Better Work Place for All". .
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Let us all come together in making our country the best place to work and live in. .
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Jai Hind! .
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Senator Ted Cruz of Texas won Monday's Iowa Republican caucuses in an upset over billionaire Donald Trump, while Democrat Hillary Clinton eked out the narrowest of wins over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida exceeded expectations with a third-place finish that will give him a chance to make a case that establishment Republicans, uneasy at the prospect of Trump or Cruz as the party nominee, should coalesce around him. With 99 per cent of precincts counted in the Republican contest, Cruz led Trump 27.7 per cent to 24.3 per cent. Rubio trailed close ...
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects an public health emergency on Monday, a rare move that signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries new tools to fight it. An outbreak of the Zika virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, was detected in Brazil in May and has since moved into more than 20 countries in Latin America, including two new ones announced Monday: Costa Rica and Jamaica.
The main worry is over the virus's possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and, in the vast majority of cases, damaged brains. Reported cases of microcephaly are rising sharply in Brazil, ground zero for the disease, though researchers have yet to establish that Zika causes the condition.
At a news conference in Geneva, Margaret Chan, the director general of the WHO, acknowledged that the understanding of the connection between the Zika virus and microcephaly was hazy and said that the uncertainty placed "a heavy burden" on pregnant women and their families throughout the Americas. She said the emergency designation would allow the health agency to coordinate the many efforts to get desperately needed answers.
Officials said research on the effects of Zika in pregnant women was underway in at least three countries: Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador. "The evidence is growing and it's getting strong," Chan said. "So I accepted, even on microcephaly alone, that it is sufficient to call an emergency. We need a coordinated response."
But the agency stopped short of advising pregnant women not to travel to the affected region, a precaution that US health officials began recommending last month. Some global health experts contended the WHO's decision was more about politics than medicine. Brazil is preparing to host the Olympics this summer, and any ban on travel, even just for pregnant women, would deliver a serious blow to the Brazilian government.
"I think there was a political overtone," said Lawrence O Gostin, director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. "If it were my daughter and she was pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant, I would absolutely warn her off of going to a Zika-affected country, and the WHO should have said that".
The current outbreak of Zika has taken the world by surprise. The virus was first identified in 1947 in Uganda, and for years lived mostly in monkeys. But last May in Brazil, cases began increasing drastically. The WHO has estimated that four million people could be infected by the end of the year. The rapid spread is because people in the US have not developed immunity, public health experts say.
Health officials in the US, however, say the risk of a major homegrown outbreak is low because mosquito control programms are systematic and effective. They cite a related virus, dengue, which is also transmitted by mosquitoes but has not spread very much since first appearing locally a few years ago.
An emergency designation from the WHO can prompt action and funding from governments and non-profits around the world. It elevates the agency to the position of global coordinator and gives its decisions the force of law. It could also help standardise 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 non-existent in most people. Over reaction 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 Monday's 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 didn't 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.
But many health experts said Monday's announcement lacked details, and they expressed concern that it would not jolt the agency into action. Among the most urgent needs, experts said, were aggressive efforts to control the populations of mosquitoes that spread Zika and know no boundaries.
"They should have presented a specific list of interventions and the most obvious one is mosquito control," said Dr Peter J Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "This is their window of opportunity."
If no action is taken, he said, a country like Haiti, which has very little public health infrastructure and nearly non-existent mosquito control, could be facing "tens of thousands of cases of microcephalic babies seven to nine months from now."
The WHO has declared a public health emergency three times since 2007, when it first established the procedure: in 2009 for the influenza pandemic; in 2014 when polio seemed resurgent; and in August 2014 for Ebola. Many experts applauded the decision to add Zika to the list.
"This makes it formal," said Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. "If there is a ministry of health anywhere that hasn't awakened to this problem, this will do that."
The last time the WHO declared a public health emergency was when Ebola was tearing through West Africa. But the agency was strongly criticised for its tardiness in declaring Ebola an international emergency, and many global health experts said it was unlikely that the agency's director, Dr Chan, would let that happen again.
"The WHO took a very serious hit to their reputation," said Dr Ron Waldman, a professor of global health at the Milken School of Public Health at George Washington University. "They do have to be mindful of the politics, but they have to get the science right, too. They don't have much room for slip-ups."
Still, there are major differences between Zika and Ebola, the most significant being that thousands of people died of Ebola, while Zika is not known to be fatal.
But some experts said there were enough indications of a link between Zika and microcephaly that global health agencies should act more aggressively.
"This is not a curveball out of nowhere," said Dr Michael T Osterholm, director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, adding that there were cases of microcephaly in French Polynesia, where Zika struck in 2014. "Clearly something is going on."
2016 The New York Times News Service
have slipped in the nefgative territory owing to weakness in the oil shares on account of declining crude oil prices coupled with losses in Index heavyweights. At 1:35 pm, the S&P BSE Sensex shed 60 points at 24,765 and the Nifty50 lost 25 points at 7,529. ___________________ (updated at 12:00pm) have teurned positive after a knee-jerk reaction to the RBI stance on renewed buying interest in banks and Capital Goods.
However, weakness in the energy shares on the back of declining crude oil prices capped the upside.
At 12:00 pm, the S&P BSE Sensex gained 62 points at 24,887 and the Nifty50 climbed 9 points at 7,566.
________________(updated at 11:05)have trimmed intra-day gains after the RBI at its monetary policy review kept key rates unchanged.At 11:05am, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 20 points at 24,805 and the Nifty50 was down 14 points at 7,542.The RBI at its sixth bi-monthly monetary policy review on Tuesday kept the repo rateor the rate at which the central bank infuses liquidity into the system, unchanged at 6.75%. The cash reserve ratio (CRR), or the portion of a banks money maintained with the central bank in cash, was unchanged at 4%.__________________(Updated 10:40amMarkets continued to trade flat with bank shares in focus ahead of the RBI monetary policy review later today.At 10:40am, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 31 points at 24,856 and the Nifty50 was up 1 points at 7,557.IT major TCS and Infosys were the top gainers up 0.7%-1.2% each.In the pharma pack, Lupin and Dr Reddy's Labs were up over 1% each.Among others shares, Nitta Gelatin India has locked in upper circuit of 20% at Rs 201, also its 52-week high on the BSE after the company reported a net profit of Rs 7.51 crore in December 2015 quarter (Q3FY16) on back of strong operational performance and lower finance cost.Tata Elxsi was trading higher by nearly 2% at Rs 2,278, extending its over 30% rally in past seven trading sessions on the BSE, after the company reported 40% year on year (yoy) rise in its net profit at Rs 39.90 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 (Q3FY16).Shares of State Bank of Travancore were up nearly 3% at Rs 405 after the bank reported a 23% increase in its net profit at Rs 91.5 crore in the third quarter on the back of higher income from operations and despite increase in provisioning.________________________(updated at 9:45amMarkets opened flat as investors are eagerly awaiting signals from the Reserve Bank of India at its monetary policy review later today.Meanwhile, stock specific action is likely to continue post the announcement of the third quarter earnings.At 9:45am, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 29 points at 24,853 and Nifty50 was up 6 points at 7,564In the broader market, the BSE Midcap and Smallcap indices are up 0.2%-0.4%e each.Market breadth was strong with 911 gainers and 504 losersThe Indian rupee was marginal down at 67.89 compared to the US dollar ahead of the RBI monetary policy review.Foreign institutional investors remained net buyers in domestic equities worth Rs 254 crore.BSE IT index was the top gainer up 0.8% followed by Capital Goods, Metal, Oil and Gas indices among others.IT exporters TCS and Infosys were up 1% each contributing the most to the Sensex gains on hopes of order inflows. Wipro was up 0.5%.ICICI Bank rebounded and was trading 0.6% higher after the sharp correction post its third quarter earnings.Other Sensex gainers include, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Auto and Maruti Suzuki among others.L&T was down 0.5% on profit taking after gains of nearly 2% in the previous session post its third quarter earnings.Sensex losers include, ITC, ONGC and Reliance Industries among others.Among other shares, Nitta Gelatin India has locked in upper circuit of 20% at Rs 201, also its 52-week high on the BSE after the company reported a net profit of Rs 7.51 crore in December 2015 quarter (Q3FY16) on back of strong operational performance and lower finance cost.Asian shares are trading largely in the red barring China shares after crude oil prices slipped on oversupply concerns and sluggish manufacturing data raised worries about global growth.
Japans Nikkei, Hong Kongs Hang Seng has slipped up to 0.2%. On the flip side, Chinas Shganghai Composite has rebounded and is trading nearly 2% higher. US equities closed flat taking cues from a downbeat China manufacturing data and falling oil prices. Meanwhile, US economic data indicated that the manufacturing activity shrink in January for a fourth straight month.
Ankit Patel (23), a Lucknow-based mutual fund (MF) advisor, is worried about the prospects of his advisory business if the commission he gets has to be disclosed in the monthly account statements given to investors. According to him, it's hard to convince new investors about mutual funds as an investment product. If investors get to know my commission, they might discontinue investments with me or ask for a share of it, he says.
His apprehensions come in the wake of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) asking the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) about fund houses view on disclosing distributors' commission in investors' account statement to further increase transparency.
Patel's views are echoed by many in the sector. Most fund houses are not in favour of any such move. They say it will impact distributors as well as independent financial advisors, who are considered the foot soldiers of the sector. This, they say, will have a negative impact on the sector.
In its letter to Sebi, Amfi has written that the mutual fund sector is not yet ready for this move. It added that if disclosures were to be made at all, it should be 'relevant' disclosures like what fees the asset management company (AMC) should charge investors in a scheme.
If the regulator mandates it, we have no other option but to follow it in letter and spirit. But, the question is, what is it going to achieve? Transparency can't be at the cost of sector's growth, says a CEO, who did not wish to be named.
Customer acquisition comes at a high cost and if the customer is a new entrant to the sector, costs are even higher. Who pays the initial costs? It's the distributors. And, if I do not come to help him, why would he work for me or the industry? I can't compensate him the way I want now-a-days - upfront is capped, initial trail is not enough to keep the distributor running and now on top of it, the distributor has to disclose his commission to investors, said an industry official.
Sundeep Sikka, CEO of Reliance Mutual Fund, said in his tweet: Relevant disclosures are good. Disclosing commission on account statement (is) not the solution but important to disclose total expense charged by MF schemes."
Many in the sector agree with this stand. Such disclosures will let investors know the total fees they are charged for their investment. This will help investors understand that it's the AMC which is charging them and it is up to the fund house how much it pays to the distributors," says the CEO of a mid-sized fund house.
However, some others say there is no need for such disclosures at this moment. The penetration of MFs stand nowhere compared with banking or insurance products. Despite the past two years of robust inflows, the fact is we continue to be in a business of financial products, which need to be pushed. Bombarding the investors at the very beginning with such disclosures will not be a win-win situation for anyone.
Sebi has not put its observations back to Amfi on the matter.
COMMISSION DISCLOSURE: ANOTHER TROUBLE BREWING FOR MFs
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed former chief justice of India, R M Lodha, as head of a committee to probe the PACL ponzi scam. The committee will take over the assets of PACL (formerly Pearls Agrotech Corporation Limited) and group companies and refund the investors from whom Rs 49,000 crore is said to have been collected. Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India), which is the capital market regulator, has been told to co-ordinate asset sale and refund.
Supreme Court told the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), which was probing the scam for over two years, to hand over the documents to the committee. The Supreme Court barred other courts from hearing petitions on the scam. PACL has also been barred from collecting funds from the public. The CBI has already arrested the group chief Nirmal Singh Bhangoo, who is accused of cheating 50 million investors by promising land in return for money. The group is said to have land in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Maharashtra. It is also said that the group has assets in Australia.
Sebi had started its probe two years ago after receiving complaints from investors. It had initiated recovery proceedings against the company, its promoters, and directors. The company then challenged Sebi in the Rajasthan High Court, which granted it relief. Sebi then appealed to the Supreme Court, which asked Sebi to investigate and take action.
Some directors and promoters appealed to the Supreme Court. They included Tarlochan Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Gurmeet Singh, and Subrata Bhattacharya. Some of them appealed against CBI action in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will hear the case on August 2.
An inmate has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly stabbed another prisoner at the North Dakota State Penitentiary in December, leading to a lockdown at the facility.
Tovias Carrillo-Cerna, who was in prison awaiting an August trial for a slaying in Williams County, faces new felony charges of attempted murder and possessing a weapon in a correctional facility.
An inmate told special agents with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation that a commotion occurred in the weight room on Dec. 9, according to an affidavit. The inmate said Carrillo-Cerna and the victim, a male prisoner, were fighting.
Four inmates said Carrillo-Cerna stabbed the man.
While at a medical facility, the victim told an investigator that his lung collapsed as a result of the incident. He said a doctor informed him he had 17 stab wounds.
An investigator found a bump on the back of Carrillo-Cerna's head, recent injuries on his face and blood on his pants, according to the affidavit.
Officials with the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported finding bloody clothes in the trash after the incident.
The penitentiary issued a lockdown in wake of the fight. Officials lifted it on Dec. 15, six days later.
On Jan. 7, a corrections officer discovered a piece of metal turned into a weapon hidden in the weight room's heating unit, according to the affidavit. The weapon was a sharpened metal rod with a handle made from cloth that had blood on it.
Carrillo-Cerna was being held at the facility after allegedly shooting Juan Palacios in January 2014.
After he was taken into custody, he led Williston police officers to the area where he disposed the body 13 miles east of Williston on N.D. Highway 1804, according to an affidavit. Police later located Palacio's remains at the site.
Court documents show that Carrillo-Cerna has a history of violence while incarcerated.
He faces felony charges of aggravated assault and tampering with physical evidence after he allegedly attacked an inmate at the Williams County Correctional Center in March 2015. The inmate suffered a fractured orbital lobe and cuts to his head, which required stitches and staples, according to an affidavit.
In a separate incident, Carillo-Cerna pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a weapon in a correctional facility, stemming from a December 2014 "shake-down" at the Williams County jail.
Officers searching his cell found a "shank" made of a sharpened object with a handle fashioned from the waistband of a pair of jail underwear, according to an affidavit.
They also discovered an orange "spork" with a sharpened handle that formed a shank.
Commodity markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has decided to review the existing risk management systems, delivery mechanisms and procedures for supervising warehouses by commodity exchanges. For this, Sebi has set up a task force, which will submit its report in three weeks.
The regulators move follows the recent developments in agri-commodity derivatives. To curb volatility, Sebi had increased margins to trade across commodities. In chana contracts, almost 100 per cent margin was imposed because of spiralling prices and excessive speculation.
Sebi also reversed liberalisation in some of the position limits and the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) had to suspend castor seed contracts, one of its most liquid commodities, to avoid defaults.
When Sebi took over as commodities markets regulator in September last year, it added Section (44 D, 2) in the regulations to ensure guaranteed settlement of trade and delivery. Task force will examine whether the exchanges have complied with this provision.
Ensuring delivery is a sensitive issue in agri commodities, because goods are not standardised and there are several regulations governing the same commodity. There have been instances in the past when deliveries could not happen because of clash of regulations. For instance, a few years ago, delivery of NCDEXs black pepper stock was affected because the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had a different set of norms. More recently, chana delivery in a few warehouses in Delhi was not happening because the city government took a different stand regarding stock limit compared to the prevailing norms.
Commodity exchanges have to accredit warehouses where commodities traded on the exchanges are stored.
Those intending to deliver goods on an exchange have to deposit them in exchange-accredited warehouse; deliveries to buyers are made by these warehouses.
It is the responsibility of the exchanges to see that the warehouses follow proper processes for grading, storing and delivering goods.
Agri-commodity market participants have tuned cautious after recent changes regarding position limits and suspension of castor seed contracts by the NCDEX. Quick response by the regulator to understand and solve issues of agri market should help soothe their nerves, said a market participant, who did not wish to be named.
WATCHDOG IN ACTION
Refuting the allegations of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) workers having allegedly thrashed two local Congress leaders, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday blamed Congress for fuelling the confrontation.
"It is a completely baseless allegation. It is an example of what local Congress leaders are doing in Telangana. At 1 pm I was told that my concerned MLA of that area and a Congress contestant has been arrested by the Police. Police said that it was preventive arrest," Owaisi said.
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The incident occurred when the Congress leaders were about to leave the Mir Chowk police station after the release of a Congress candidate on bail.
Just then, several AIMIM workers led by Owaisi arrived at the police station and a heated argument led to the incident.
"At 4 pm, I was told that Congress president, in 30 cars and with 150 people, had barged into the Mirchowk police station and pressurised the local ACP to release the Congress contestant. And then he was released," Owaisi said
"The Police will investigate, we will cooperate with them," he added.
Several Congress leaders, including Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Uttam Kumar Reddy, sustained minor injuries in the scuffle.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who was to attend the Karachi Literature Festival on February 5, has been denied visa by Pakistan.
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Kher was due to arrive in Karachi to attend the Karachi Literary Festival as one of the distinguished guest.
Talking to ANI, Kher said that he was very sad and disappointed that out of 18 participants, 17 were given visa and he was denied.
However, the Pakistani High Commission has refuted Kher's claim and said that they have received no visa application from the actor.
The actor was denied a Pakistani visa in May 2015 as well, when he wanted to visit Pakistan to attend a literary festival in Lahore.
At least 20 people were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul at a police base on Monday, days before the reconciliation talks with the group were set to take place.
According to The Express Tribune, 29 people were 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.
Deputy interior minister of Afghanistan Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said ten people were reportedly killed and 20 others injured in the boming in Deh Mazang square of Kabul city.
He alsos said that most of the victims were civilians.
Kabul police spokesperson Basir Mujahid reported a death toll of nine, adding that as many as 12 people including a woman were wounded.
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 Pakistan Government's fact finding committee has been condemned by Charsadda's Bacha Khan University (BKU) administration for accusing them responsible for security lapses on campus.
Dawn reported that the university also rejected the committee's advice for the removal of the vice-chancellor(VC) over the attack, which claimed 21 lives.
The administration also announced the campus would remain closed until foolproof security was provided to it.
Bacha Khan University(BKU) Employees Welfare Association and Universities Employees Federation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rejected the fact finding committee's report and demanded judicial probe into the January 20 terrorist attack.
A three member committee formed by the KP government has blamed university administration for security lapses and recommended the sacking of the VC and security chief.
University staffs, however said several civilian, public and military institutions in the country were targeted by terrorists in the past but the head of not a single entity, including interior minister, was removed from office.
Pakistan Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani has said that a 'review' of the blasphemy law does not mean that it could be changed or amended.
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Sheerani told the Dawn that it is the CII's responsibility to review and assess all laws formulated in the country and if the government forwads any amendment in the blasphemy law, then the Council will certainly look into it.
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The CII is mandated to review all laws in the country and suggest amendments to bring them in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran.
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Sheerani , however, said that reviewing a law did not mean that the CII would amend it to suit the wishes of a certain segment of society.
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The CII has, in the past, turned down almost all proposals suggesting any changes to the blasphemy laws.
The Government of the Canadian province of Ontario is pleased to announce an investment of CAD$ 900,000 through the Ontario-India Research Collaboration Fund (OIRCF) for three projects.
This bilateral program between the Ministry of Research and Innovation and India's Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) will improve health and sustainable technologies.
DST and DBT are also partnering with IC-IMPACTS - a pan Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence cohosted by three Canadian Universities including the University of Toronto - on a CAD$ 2 million call for proposals, matched by the Indian government for the upcoming year.
The Ontario-India Research Collaboration Fund (OIRCF) project in bio-sciences will develop new treatments against drug resistant malaria that can be deployed in remote areas. The two projects in clean-technology will develop a new water treatment system, as well as community energy storage facility in an Indian setting.
IC-IMPACTS and DBT, in collaboration with Ontario institutions are partnering to develop novel, rapid and portable diagnostics that are suitable for deployment and use in rural and remote settings and which will enable more effective health intervention and treatment across both nations.
This initiative will augment existing partnerships between Ontario and Indian researchers in the areas of antimalarial therapies, Dengue, and West Nile virus diagnostic technologies. On sustainable technologies, India and Canada are working together to ensure reduced energy use in buildings, increased water conservation and development of innovative low carbon construction materials and improved performance of structures and flows, including networks and internet connectivity.
These important partnerships and combined investment of CAD$ 2.9 million with matching funding from the Indian government will help further Ontario's leadership in biotechnology and clean technology research within Canada, providing a continuing platform for bilateral academic and industry collaborations that will create new market pathways and improve the lives of Canadian and Indians.
The Crime Branch arrested a dreaded criminal namely Sandeep alias Kale on Tuesday. He was wanted in a double murder case.
Sandeep had also been accused of murdering a retired Delhi Police head constable Harikishan. A swift car used for the crime has been recovered.
The criminal duo Rakesh alias Boda and Sandeep were accused in the Jhajjar shootout in which three under trials were gunned down in police custody three months back.
The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have joined hands to launch a four million Euro project to help Nepal restore education for one million children in nine districts affected by the devastating earthquakes last year.
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The project will include construction of 650 transitional learning centres, provision of essential learning materials in all newly established centres in collaboration with the Department of Education and the concerned district administrations and NGOs, the EU and UNICEF, reports The Himalayan Times.
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The project will be launched in nine districts that were badly hit by the last year earthquake.
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Thousands of buildings including schools were damaged in western, central and eastern districts of Nepal in the temblors that killed around 9,000 people last year.
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UNICEF has been working very closely with the government and partners to minimize the disruption to schooling in the earthquake affected districts.
Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe, who are expecting their first child, have already started preparing for the arrival of their baby.
The 'Danish Girl' actor said in a recent interview that the arrival of their baby is few months away, but they have started looking at all the logistics, reports News24.com.
The 34-year-old actor added that they have started preparing the list of things that they meant to get before going to the hospital.
Though Redmayne has a plan for the kind of toys he wants for his child he admitted that he has been advised that he'll be more likely to succumb to entertaining his offspring with gadgets.
The vice chairman of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has apologized for questioning whether declining enrollment at one college is due to its diversity. Steve Sviggum said in a statement issued late Tuesday that hes willing to learn and must do better, referring to his comment about falling student numbers at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Sviggum said during a board meeting last week that he has received a couple letters from friends who decided not to attend Morris because it is too diverse. He said the prospective students just didnt feel comfortable there. Sviggum wrote that he was truly sorry too those he offended. He added that his question was meant to encourage discussion about enrollment, which is down 50% from its peak.
Asserting that his government is fully committed to development of a generous and comprehensive social safety net for all workers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said a healthy and prosperous workforce can transform the nation.
"My government is committed to the development of a generous and comprehensive social safety net for all workers. A healthy and prosperous workforce will make a affluent nation," said Prime Minister Modi.
"We should strive to make this medical college and hospital a model for high quality medical education and treatment to workers of the state," he added.
Prime Minister Modi, who was delivering his speech after inaugurating the ESI Hospital here, said several initiatives have been started to improve the quality of service delivery in ESI hospitals.
"From modest beginning in 1952 with just two centers in Kanpur and Delhi, ESI scheme today is implemented in 830 centers in 34 states and Union Territories," he added.
He pointed out that the government has taken a number of path-breaking steps for the welfare of the country's workforce.
"From September 2014, we have revised the Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) pension to a minimum of Rs.1000 per month. The wage ceiling for EPF benefits has been raised from Rs. 6500 to Rs. 15000 since 1st September 2014," he said.
"Bonus Act has been amended to increase the ceilings for eligibility and bonus payable to Rs. 21,000 and Rs. 7000 per month respectively," he added.
Prime Minister Modi further said that the concerned ministry is simplifying central labour laws by consolidating existing 44 laws into four labour codes.
He said that four state government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu at Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Madurai have been approved for upgradation.
The Prime Minister also remembered Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's contribution as Labour Minister and his efforts towards labour welfare.
Criticising Islamabad for denying visa to Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, the Congress Party on Tuesday said that 'intolerance' is prevalent both in India and Pakistan.
Kher, who was to attend the Karachi Literature Festival on February 5, has been denied visa by Pakistan.
"To deny visa to somebody who is an Indian artist is incorrect and is actually condemnable," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala told ANI.
"A culture of intolerance prevails both in India as also in Pakistan," he added.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit refuted Kher's claim and said that they have received no visa application from the actor.
Kher earlier accused the Pakistan High Commission of lying on the claims that he never applied for visa.
The actor was denied a Pakistani visa in May 2015 as well, when he wanted to visit Pakistan to attend a literary festival in Lahore.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to keep the Section 377 debate alive by referring the matter to a five-judge bench for further hearing on a curative petition challenging its earlier order.
Celebrations broke out across the nation as the apex court's ruling came to light, but petitioners in the case maintained a cautionary stand.
"Today the government did not say anything for or against but at least they were silent on the issue. The only opposition came from the Church and the Muslim law board and I understand why that resistance is there. We need to understand that times are changing and the way young people are thinking is also different. We are not asking for the moon here, just please don't deny the rights of millions of citizens," Anjali Gopalan, executive director of the Naz Foundation who is a petitioner in the case, told ANI.
She added that religious groups should be able to accept the LGBT people who belong to their community and should not be turned away due to their sexual orientation.
"Acceptance needs to be practiced by religious groups and they need to rethink the way they are looking at this issue," Gopalan said.
Echoing similar sentiments, LGBT activist Vimal Bhai expressed hope that the court had batted for a 'greater and equal' India and said that the nation could not be bereft of equality no matter how far it went on the scale of development.
"Hope that the court goes for a greater, equal India. But equal India does not mean that you're hiding some people away from their Constitutional rights. In the court today, Kapil Sibal spoke on our behalf and now we feel that hope has risen again. The world's eyes are on us now," Bhai told ANI.
The activists and petitioners in the case were happy with the fact that for the first time they will be able to put their side and view forth for all to hear in an open hearing, which was a first of its own kind.
"The court said today that this is an issue related to human rights and that it also pertains to the future generations. For the first time it is going to be an open hearing and we can actually put up our side for everyone to hear," LGBT activist Veena told ANI.
Meanwhile in Chennai, people took to the streets, danced and burst crackers to express their happiness over the Supreme Court's ruling.
Mumbai and Kolkata also saw similar scenes with the people of the LGBT community celebrating the apex court's decision.
The Congress has also expressed its approval to the court's ruling saying that the move indicated towards a positive outcome for the LGBT community.
"This is good that the SC has reopened this issue. It is evident that they want to take it in a positive direction. This is definitely a positive development," Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor told the media.
"The Congress has always believed that every person should have the liberty to do what one wants. We have always supported the cause of LGBT community and I believe the constitutional bench will give verdict in positive," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala told ANI.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court referred the matter to a five-judge bench for further hearing on a curative petition challenging its earlier order.
An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur had earlier agreed to hear the curative petition against its December 2013 order, upholding validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalises sexual activities against nature, arguably including the homosexual acts, and a January 2014 order by which it had dismissed a bunch of review petitions.
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court on Monday observed that homosexuality could be a ground for divorce. The court's observation came while hearing two matrimonial discord cases involving a gay man in one and a lesbian woman in the other.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, commonly known as the LGBT has pinned their hopes on the Supreme Court's verdict on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code set to be declared on Tuesday.
The rainbow flagged pride is awaiting the decriminalisation of homosexuality after the Supreme Court put the ball in the Parliament's court, saying it was for the legislature to take a call on the desirability of the controversial provision.
Section 377 of the IPC came into force in 1862 and defines unnatural offences. It says, "Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine."
With India still reeling with the question of legalising same-sex marriage, here are the latest 10 countries that gave legal recognition to same-sex marriage or other types of partnerships:
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1. United States: On June 26, 2003, sexual activity between consenting adults of the same sex as well as same-sex adolescents of a close age was declared legal nationwide.
It was on June 26, 2015, all states licensed and recognised marriage between same-sex couples on account of the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.
2. Ireland: In May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage on a level by popular vote.
Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in the state. Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1993, and most forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation are now outlawed. Same sex marriage still remains illegal in Northern Ireland.
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3. Finland: A bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Finland was approved by the parliament on December 12, 2014 and signed by the President on February 20, 2015. Because other acts required follow-up changes, the law will not take effect until March 1, 2017.
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4. Scotland: In 2015, Scotland was recognised as the "best country in Europe for LGBTI legal equality". Same-sex marriage was approved by Scottish Parliament in February 2014 and received royal assent on 12 March 2014. It came into effect on 16 December 2014
5. Luxembourg: The parliament of Luxembourg passed a law enabling same sex marriage and adoption rights in June 2014 and took effect on 1 January 2015. The country has, however, been largely tolerant of LGBT rights.
6. France: France became the thirteenth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013, despite receiving opposition from across the country.
7. England/Wales: Same-sex marriage was legalised in England and Wales on the March 29, 2013 under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. Britain has, however, seen many highs and lows related to LGBT rights.
8. Brazil: On May 5, 2011, the Supreme Federal Court voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples the same 112 legal rights as married couples. Consequently, on May 14, 2013, The Justice's Council of Brazil legalised same-sex marriage in the entire country.
9. New Zealand: Same-sex marriage was legalised and went into effect on August 19, 2013.
10. Uruguay: LGBT rights in Uruguay are among the most liberal in South America. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal with an equal age of consent law since 1934. However, it was on August 5, 2013 that same-sex marriage became legal in Uruguay.
Nobel prize laureate Malala Yousafzai will seek to persuade leaders at a conference in London to raise 1.4 billion dollars in 2016 for Syrian refugee children's access to education.
Heads of state and government and ministers from countries around the will meet in London for 'Supporting Syria and the region' conference, which aims to raise funds for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian war, the Dawn reports.
According to a report issued by the Malala Fund, some 7,00,000 Syrian children living in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and in other Middle Eastern countries do not attend school.
Malala said in an interview that she had met many refugee children from Syria who are not going to school. It came as a complete shock to her and said that they need teachers and schools.
Search and rescue operation teams on Tuesday morning fished out the body the 14th and the last student,who were swept into the sea when they went for a swim in Murud-Janjira beach adjoining Raigad district in Maharashtra on Monday afternoon.
The teams resumed aerial search for the missing boy off Murud coast, pressing two helicopters -one each of Navy and Coast Guard - into service.
The incident occurred when 18 students, undergoing BSC and BCA computer courses in Pune's Inamdar College, were swept into the sea when they went for a swim in the afternoon.
However, one student was still missing, whose body was fished out on Tuesday morning.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted, "Extremely saddened & shocked to know about the Murud incident where 14 students lost their lives. My deepest condolences to the families.
"Instructed the Collector to take care of all students.He informed that 14 bodies recovered,saved lives of 5 girls & are being hospitalised.
"Coast guard has started rescue operation as 1 student is missing.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said that no heed should be paid to Jash-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar's warning and added that Pakistan should shut down the factories of terrorism.
"Not only our government, but the whole nation has zero tolerance towards terrorism. There is no laxity in this attitude. What Masood Azhar is saying is not important? What is important is the attitude and the policy with which India is combating terrorism?" Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
Meanwhile, former home secretary and BJP MP R K Singh said that Pakistan was breeding terrorists in the form of snakes in its own backyard and added that they would at one point of time turn and bite Islamabad.
"This is what happens when you breed snakes in your backyard. One or two or all of them will turn and bite you. If you keep saying that you are also a victim of terrorism then for God sake shut down the factories of terrorism," Singh said.
Azhar, one of India's most wanted terrorists, wrote in Peshawar-based jihadi magazine al-Qalam that his 'army' loves death and warned his 'enemies' that any action against the jihadis operating against India from Pakistan will have dangerous consequences.
Azhar also issued a veiled warning to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for engaging in talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Tuesday said that his viewpoint on Kasmiri Pandits or his pro-Prime Minister stand might have forced Pakistan to reject his visa.
"Maybe it has been done due to my point of view on Kashmiri Pandits or my pro-PM stand that my visa has been denied," Kher told ANI.
Kher accused the Pakistan High Commission of lying on the claims that he never applied for visa.
"Technically, they have to say something, if I haven't applied for it then on what basis Karachi Lit Festival had put my name, I didn't tell them to put my name. The Pakistan High Commission is lying, rest of the 17 people got visa only I was denied," he added.
Kher further said that art and culture don't have boundaries.
"Yesterday Amina, called my manager and apologized for my visa not getting approved," he added.
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He further requested the government to take this issue with Pakistan.
Pakistan Government is facing internal pressure for taking a series of aggressive steps for ratcheting up the pace of implementation of National Action Plan (NAP) on countering terrorism and extremism.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a meeting, emphasised that successful implementation of NAP is imperative for everyone.
The government continues to be pilloried for not doing enough to execute the 20 point National Action Plan almost 13 months after NAP was initiated in the aftermath of Army Public School tragedy of December 2014.
Sharif added that terrorism will be eliminated from every nook and corner of the country and praised the progress of Operation Zarb-i-Azb.
Pakistan Chairperson of Senate Standing Committee (SSC) on Foreign Affairs Nuzhat Sadiq has called upon the United Nations (UN) to play its role to settle the Kashmir issue.
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Chairperson said that India should give Kashmiris their right to self-determination.
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Radio Pakistan reported that she said it was India that had taken the issue to UN and accepted people of Kashmir's right to self determination.
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She said India should give Kashmiris their right to self-determination in line with the UN resolutions.
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The Chairperson added that the 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' will be observed on February 5.
In a split 3-2 vote, the Burleigh County Commission on Monday approved moving up a one-half mile of paving project for 57th Avenue Northwest from No. 20 or unfunded status on its project priority list to No. 7 for possible funding in 2016.
Commissioner Jerry Woodcox made the motion to add another half-mile of paving on 57th Avenue to a section already paved west of Washington Street to intersect with 15th Street Northwest. Paving 15th Street is not planned for earlier work, however.
Chad Moldenhauer, a developer of Heritage Ridge and Heritage Park, told commissioners that it was his understanding before he started the development that the section of 57th Avenue would be paved. He reminded commissioners that the Northwest SubArea Study shows 57th Avenue will be one of the main arteries for northwest Bismarck traffic and will affect at least three developments.
"This has always been a project on the county priority list," he said. "There will be probably be a few more people using that in a short amount of time."
County Engineer Marcus Hall said 15th Street probably won't be paved until at least the 2017 construction season.
Burleigh County has already paved 57th Avenue about 1.5 miles west of Washington Street and graded another 1.5 miles more for future paving. Eventually, 57th Avenue could be paved to River Road if development merits it and enough road easements are obtained, Woodcox said.
Commissioners voted to delay paving 15th Street Northwest, but said it will eventually become another north-south thoroughfare for Bismarck. Cost of paving the additional half-mile is estimated at $200,000. the Cost of paving both a mile of 15th Street Northwest and the half-mile section of 57th Avenue was estimated at $640,000 before they were divided
Commissioner Chairman Brian Bitner and Commissioner Doug Schonert gave the opposing votes. Schonert had questioned the project being in city limits. Hall said when efforts started on 57th road improvements it didn't lie in city limits and it was important to have a paved section lined road to get to traffic.
Former home secretary and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP R.K. Singh on Tuesday said that the Pakistan High Commission denying a visa to actor Anupam Kher to attend the Karachi Literary Festival sends a contradictory signal on what Islamabad wants.
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"I think this is very unfortunate and this also shows the mentality of some elements in Pakistan, and this also sends a contradictory signal. On the one hand, you say that you want normal relations whith us (India), and on the other hand, you deny a visa to one of our leading artists," Singh told ANI here.
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Singh asked, "I want to know where are those 'so called' intellectuals who were protesting when Ghulam Ali was not allowed to come. Where are their voices?"
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Singh further said that He (Anupam Kher) was raising voice on the right thing as Kashmiri pandit has become refugee in their own country.
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"So, the issue he was raising was right. And to deny a visa on that account by Pakistan sends a wrong message on what Pakistan wants. You can look at it in connection with an incident where one of Kohli's fan was given 10 year jail. I mean what does Pakistan wants? They should be clear about it," he added.
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Kher, who was to attend the Karachi Literature Festival on February 5, has been denied visa by Pakistan.
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Talking to ANI, Kher said that he was very sad and disappointed that out of 18 participants, 17 were given a visa and he was denied.
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However, the Pakistani High Commission has refuted Kher's claim and said that they have received no visa application from the actor.
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The actor was denied a Pakistani visa in May 2015 as well, when he wanted to visit Pakistan to attend a literary festival in Lahore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would deliver an address at the Third Global Ayurveda Festival here on Tuesday.
He will also inaugurate the ESIC Medical College and Hospital building in Coimbatore, which he would hand over to the Tamil Nadu Government.
The Global Ayurveda Festival is an international Ayurvedic biennial event started to serve as a force to galvanise the Ayurvedic sector to aspire, plan and achieve greater heights.
Punjab is coming up with Educity, the most ambitious education project of Punjab Government at new Chandigarh, Mullanpur. The Educity will be modeled on the Oxford University. With a variety of institutions, several constituent colleges and a wide range of academic departments, the Educity would house schools, colleges and universities offering state of the art facilities.
Speaking about the project Deputy CM Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "The ultra modern Educity with a contingent of schools and colleges for varied streams will not only provide the best of education but also the environment to fill the "Innovation Gap" in the curriculum and requirements of the industry.
This will also bring the world class education within the reach of overseas education aspirants."
The process of acquiring and developing 1700 acres of land for the Educity project has already begun.
Land will be acquired in villages Kansala (419 acres), Takipur (354 acres), Rajgarh (337 acres), Boothgarh (303 acres) and Kartarpur (287 acres) for this ambitious project.
The project so completed would offer education facilities in courses like Engineering, Medical, Management, Biotech, Tourism, Hospital, Multimedia, pharmaceuticals etc. Land may also be allotted to some IT companies in this Education City.
Apart from allotment of land to various educational institutions, residential and commercial areas will be developed in the project for the convenience of the students and the faculty.
Apart from setting up the new centers, Punjab Government has been upgrading the existing educational institutes and universities. Punjab Govt has released Rs. 60 crores to Patiala University; 20 croresto Punjab University Chandigarh; 50 crores to Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar and 20 crores to Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law Patiala. The Government has also released Rs. 329.16 crores for private aided colleges in the state of Punjab. Budget provision of Rs.35 crores has also been made for bus pass facility to the students.
By making quality education accessible to its students, Punjab is sure to upgrade the quality of its human resources and take a leap in the economic development too.
Scores of students from different political wings on Tuesday staged a protest outside the Delhi Police headquarters against an incident of alleged cop brutality with students protesting outside the RSS headquarters in Jhandewalan with regard to the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula.
Students from the All India Students' Association (AISA), Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) protested shouting slogans against the Delhi Police.
The Delhi Police is facing their ire after a two-day-old video surfaced showing men in police uniform, and even in civil dress, ruthlessly beating up some students.
The students targeted in the video were reportedly protesting against the tragic death of Hyderabad University Dalit scholar Vemula.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to express his ire over the incident, saying that the Delhi Police was being used as a private army by the BJP and the RSS.
Kejriwal also attacked the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of being "at war with students all across".
The Syrian Government has approved the United Nations bid for aid deliveries to three besieged towns in the country where children eat grass to survive.
The move comes after a breakthrough in talks that took place in Geneva between the Syrian Government and the opposition.
Hundreds of civilians are facing severe malnutrition in Madaya, Foua and Kfarya, with some having tragically starved to death.
A spokesman for Doctors without Borders said on Friday that 16 people have died in Madaya since the relief convoys began arriving on January 12, the Daily Express reports.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN's Secretary General, has branded the deliberate starvation of civilians as "war crime".
He urged both the Syrian government and rebels to end the sieges before peace talks started.
However, the main opposition coalition kept up its demand for humanitarian aid to the needy at the Geneva talks yesterday.
A Bhopal court on Tuesday granted two-day transit remand to a suspected Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) agent who was arrested yesterday.
He will now be produced before a Delhi court.
The operation was a joint effort of the Investigating Agency (NIA) officials and Bhopal Crime branch.
In last three months the NIA and the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) across India have arrested more than 12 ISI agents, who had been working on the payroll of the Pakistani agency and had been allegedly providing vital information to them.
The chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Pakistan Senate has urged the United Nations to play an efective role in settling the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India.
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Radio Pakistan tweeted, "Chairperson Senate body on Foreign Affairs urges UN to play role to settle #Kashmir dispute."
The Kashmir dispute is a territorial conflict between India, Pakistan, and to a limited degree, China.
It is said to have started just after the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, including wars in 1947 and 1965, as well as the Kargil War of 1999.
Both countries have also been involved in several skirmishes over control of the Siachen Glacier.
India claims the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, and, as of 2010, administers approximately 43 percent of the region. They control Jammu, the Kashmir Valley, Ladakh, and the Siachen Glacier.
India's claims are contested by Pakistan, which administers approximately 37 percent of Kashmir, namely Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas, or Gilgit-Baltistan.
China currently occupies Demchok District, the Shaksgam Valley, and the Aksai Chin region.
China's claim over these territories has been disputed by India since China took Aksai Chin during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
The root of conflict between the Kashmiri insurgents and the Indian Government is tied to a dispute over local autonomy.
The New York-based United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued two resolutions between 1948 and 1949 with regard to the Kashmir Dispute. The first resolution (Resolution No.47) calls for a plebiscite to be held for Kashmir's citizens. It also called for observers in Kashmir and an enlargement of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan's (UNCIP) membership. The second resolution issued on January 5, 1949, states that the question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through a free and impartial plebiscite.
As per the 1948 and 1949 UNCIP Resolutions, both countries accept the principle, that Pakistan secures the withdrawal of Pakistani intruders followed by withdrawal of Pakistani and Indian forces, as a basis for the formulation of a truce agreement whose details are to be arrived in future, followed by a plebiscite;
However, both countries have so far failed to arrive at a truce agreement due to differences in interpretation of the procedure for and extent of demilitarisation one of them being whether the Azad Kashmiri army is to be disbanded during the truce stage or the plebiscite stage.
Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Hillary Clinton claimed early leads in the Iowa caucuses as voters begun meeting in schools, churches and other venues across the state.
Early results showed Cruz, the senator from Texas, holding a small but stable advantage over real estate mogul Donald Trump, The Washington Post reports.
Cruz was winning 28 percent of the vote to Trump's 25 percent, with 62 percent of the precincts reporting.
On the Democratic side, Clinton was leading 51 percent to Senator Bernie Sanders's 49 percent, with 69 percent of the precincts reporting.
Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley had negligible support.
Voters gathered at caucus sites in 99 counties around the state. Political operatives predicted a high turnout and there were reports that some sites were so packed that officials had trouble closing the doors, despite a significant snowstorm that was bearing down on the state.
US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials today announced an agreement of Advance Pricing and Mutual Agreement office (APMA), a representative office of the US competent authority, will begin accepting requests for bilateral advance pricing agreements (bilateral APAs) between the United States and India to begin from February 16.
This announcement represents an important step forward in strengthening ties between the two governments in the taxation of multinationals. Bilateral APAs provide greater predictability in taxation, easing the uncertainty of doing in each country.
"We appreciate the efforts of the Indian Competent Authority and his team, as well as the IRS team, for working to reach common understandings and procedures for resolving differences fairly," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
"Multi-national firms operating in both the US and India are the beneficiaries of this effort."
An APA is an agreement between the IRS and a taxpayer covering issues arising under section 482 of the Code or other issues for whose resolution transfer pricing principles are relevant.
A bilateral APA is an APA in which the issues and methods covered by the agreement are premised on an underlying competent authority resolution reached between the US competent authority and a foreign competent authority.
In January 2015, the US and Indian competent authorities jointly announced that they had reached agreement on a framework for resolving longstanding competent authority cases involving Indian-resident affiliates performing information technology-enabled services or software development services.
In light of this agreement, APMA began accepting requests in March 2015 for pre-filing conferences (PFCs) for bilateral APAs between the United States and India.
As a result of the competent authorities' progress in concluding cases since that time, the US competent authority and the Indian competent authority are now ready to accept requests for bilateral APAs covering information technology-enabled services, software development services, or other issues for whose resolution transfer pricing principles are relevant.
The IRS's APA program increases the efficiency of tax administration by encouraging taxpayers to come forward and present all the facts necessary for a proper evaluation of their proposed covered issues and to work towards a resolution of such issues in a spirit of openness and cooperation.
The voluntary and prospective nature of the APA process lessens the burden of compliance by giving taxpayers greater certainty regarding covered issues and promotes the principled resolution of these issues by allowing for their discussion and resolution in advance.
All requests for bilateral APAs covering Indian transactions, whatever the issue, must be submitted to APMA in accordance with Rev. Proc. 2015-41, 2015-35 IRB 263.
Taxpayers with questions about this announcement should contact John Hughes, Senior International Advisor, Treaty and Transfer Pricing Operations, 202-515-4307.
Researchers will take around three to five years to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus, the Brazilian president's chief of staff said, as the Health Organisation declared a global health emergency over the disease.
Jacques Wagner said Brazilian researchers were working with researchers in the United States, Stuff.co.nz reports.
Wagner said that it could be three years if we are fortunate enough.
Wagner made the estimate just hours after the Health Organisation declared an international emergency over the spread of Zika virus.
It was in line with previous estimates by health officials working to combat the spread of the virus.
The UN health agency yesterday convened an emergency meeting of independent experts in Geneva to assess the outbreak of the virus. The meeting was convened 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.
The Health Organisation (WHO) has declared an international emergency over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects in America.
The UN health agency yesterday convened an emergency meeting of independent experts in Geneva to assess the outbreak of the virus. The meeting was convened 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.
WHO estimates there could be up to four million cases of Zika in the American continents in the next year, but no recommendations were made to restrict travel or trade. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that it was important to understand that there are several measures pregnant women can take like delaying travel. She added that if they needed to travel, they could get advice from their physician and take personal protective measures, like wearing long sleeves and shirts and pants and use mosquito repellent.
The last such public health emergency was declared for the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. A similar declaration was made for polio the year before.
In Brazil, authorities have said that there is no chance that the Rio Olympics will be cancelled because of Zika virus outbreak. They said there was no risk to athletes and spectators, except pregnant women, at the August event.
Media days for the 2016 Indian Auto Expo will commence as of tomorrow and just before the mega biennial event, Honda has officially teased an image of its upcoming and highly coveted compact SUV on its official social media channels. It is clear from the spied images that the Japanese automaker will be showcasing an accessorised version of its utility vehicle, Honda BR-V, at the show. Speaking of the accessories, one can easily spot the bumper extensions being showcased in the teaser image. Hondas compact SUV is expected to be made available in two layouts, which includes a 5 seater and a 7-seater variant.
The car will compete with Renault Duster, Maruti S-Cross, Nissan Terrano and its arch rival the Hyundai Creta. To make sure this SUV is up to the task, the Japanese automaker has revamped the face completely, which now looks nothing like the Mobilio MPV and provides BR-V with its foundations. The updated compact SUV flaunts diamond cut alloys and DRLs, which are encased in a headlamp cluster that also houses projector headlamps. A similar story continues on the inside, as BR-V flaunts the same touchscreen infotainment system, which one can find in the City sedan and Jazz premium hatchback. Other creature comforts in the car includes an automatic climate control, foldable third row seats (exclusive to 7-seater variants), rear AC vents, electrically controlled wing mirrors and rear parking camera, etc.
Under the hood, the premium compact sedan will incorporate a 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol powerplant, which will produce 120PS of power of output and 145Nm of peak torque. For the diesel variants, Honda is expected to bestow BR-V with a re-tweaked version of the 1.5-litre i-DTEC unit, which produces 100PS in other models of the automaker, and those include the likes of Amaze compact sedan and Jazz premium hatchback.
Source : CarDekho
Sales decline 45.65% to Rs 190.02 crore
Net profit of Maharashtra Seamless declined 85.87% to Rs 4.95 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 35.03 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014. Sales declined 45.65% to Rs 190.02 crore in the quarter ended December 2015 as against Rs 349.62 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2014.190.02349.620.0910.1914.4053.096.9145.794.9535.03
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Tata Motors rose 1.37% to Rs 343 at 09:21 IST on BSE after the total sales rose 10% at 47,034 vehicles in January 2016 over January 2015.
The announcement was made by the company after market hours yesterday, 1 February 2016.
Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 44.95 points, or 0.18% to 24,869.78
On BSE, so far 41,538 shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average volume of 6.89 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 344.60 and a low of Rs 342 so far during the day. The stock hit a record high of Rs 605.57 on 3 February 2015. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 279.15 on 29 September 2015.
The large-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 577.44 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.
Tata Motors said total sales of Tata Motors passenger and commercial vehicles rose 10% at 47,034 vehicles in January 2016 over January 2015. The domestic sales of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles rose 7% at 41,398 units in January 2016 over January 2015. In commercial vehicles, medium & heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCV) sales grew 30% at 14,693 units in January 2016 over January 2015. The light & small commercial vehicle sales rose 12% at 15,977 units in January 2016 over January 2015. The overall commercial vehicles sales for Tata Motors in the domestic market rose 20% at 30,670 units in January 2016 over January 2015. This significant increase has been enabled by light commercial vehicles (LCV) growth supplementing the already prevailing M&HCV growth, Tata Motors said. 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, the company said.
Tata Motors passenger vehicles sales fell 18% at 10,728 units in January 2016 over January 2015. The company's sales from exports rose 42% to 5,636 units in January 2016 over January 2015.
On consolidated basis, Tata Motors reported net loss of Rs 429.76 crore in Q2 September 2015 compared with net profit of Rs 3290.86 crore in Q2 September 2014. Net sales rose 1.1% to Rs 60853.03 crore in Q2 September 2015 over Q2 September 2014.
Tata Motors is a market leader in commercial vehicles in India. The company's British unit Jaguar Land Rover sells premium luxury cars.
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As many as 14 aspiring models will debut at the forthcoming Autumn-Winter 2016 edition of Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW), being organised by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).
Justin, Regina, Olivia M, Kosha, Masha, Meenakshi Rathore, Drida, Natalia, Aishwarya Sushmita, Mehr Sandhu, Ashwati Ramesh, Ugochi, Ikram, Radhika Bopaiah are the names of those who were selected as models after a nationwide hunt conducted by FDCI for the upcoming 27th edition of the AIFW in association with Maybelline New York Autumn-Winter 2016.
The five-day fashion week will start on March 16 at a sparkling new venue at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
A jury comprising celebrated designers Namarata Joshipura, Nainika Karan, Gauri Karan and Rina Dhaka as well as choreographer Aparna Behl shortlisted the 14 faces. These models were evaluated on poise, self-confidence, attitude, elegance and a winning personality.
"The auditions for AIFW Autumn-Winter 2016 saw interesting faces being selected from a sea of aspiring models. There were more than 110 models who came for the auditions. FDCI has always attempted to select not just pretty faces, but ramp-scorchers, who have an innate ability to connect with the audience, which reflects in their demeanour as they get set to take the catwalk by storm," said Sunil Sethi, president, FDCI.
About 45 percent of the 74.23 lakh electorate cast their votes on Tuesday in the elections for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) which were marred by lack of enthusiasm among voters and sporadic incidents of violence.
GHMC commissioner and special officer Janardhan Reddy said roughly 45 percent voters exercised their franchise. "This may change by two to three percent as the final figures will be available later," he said.
The polling ended at 5 p.m. but those standing in the queues were allowed to cast their votes.
The turnout exceeded 42.92 percent recorded in 2009 polls but far below the expectation of GHMC officials, who were hoping a 20 percent increase in the voting.
Janardhan Reddy said the polling was "peaceful barring minor incidents".
There was lack of enthusiasm among voters as the polling began on dull note but did not pick up as expected.
Clash between MIM and Congress workers and the attack by MIM workers on the house of deputy chief minister Mahmood Ali in the evening marred the polls.
Congress party's Telangana state unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy and leader of opposition in state legislative council Mohammed Ali Shabbir received minor injuries in the attack by Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) workers at Mirchowk police station in the old city.
Demanding arrest of MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and others involved, the Congress leaders staged a sit-in at the office of director general of police.
MIM workers also attacked the house of deputy chief minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Mahmood Ali in Azampura. They tried to manhandle Mahmood Ali's son Azam Ali.
Police arrested MIM lawmaker Ahmed Balala for the attack. Another MIM legislator Ahmed Pasha Khadri and Congress leader Mohammed Ghouse were arrested in the old city.
Polling began at 7 a.m. at 7,802 polling stations spread across the city.
A total of 7,423,980 voters, including 3,453,910 women, were eligible to cast their votes to decide the political fortunes of 1,333 candidates.
With the deployment of over 30,000 security personnel, election authorities made elaborate arrangements to ensure peaceful polling.
As many as 46,545 personnel were deployed for the election duty.
The officials of the commission and police were monitoring the balloting process through webcasting from 3,200 polling stations.
The state government has declared a holiday for all offices, educational institutions, shops and business establishments. Half-day holiday has also been declared for IT/ITES companies.
E. S. L. Narasimhan, who is governor of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and his wife Vimla Narasimhan cast their votes at a polling booth in Khairatabad.
Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya along with his family members cast their votes in Ramnagar.
Telangana's Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao, who led the ruling TRS' campaign, cast his vote in Banjara Hills. Deputy Chief Minister Mehmood Ali, Home Minister N. Narasimha Reddy, Commercial Taxes Minister T. Srinivas Yadav, and TRS general secretary K. Keshava Rao were among key leaders of the ruling party who cast their votes.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu's wife Bhuaneswari, son Lokesh, daughter Brahmini cast their votes in Jubliee Hills. Naidu's brother-in-law and popular Telugu actor Balakrishna also exercised franchise.
Owaisi, his brother and party legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi also voted.
This is the first GHMC election after formation of Telangana state and the second after Greater Hyderabad was created in 2007 with the merger of eight municipalities and 12 villages of neighbouring districts with Hyderabad. This had made Greater Hyderabad the second biggest urban agglomerate in the country after New Delhi in terms of area (621.48 sq. km).
TRS, which did not contest first GHMC elections in 2009, is making a determined bid to capture power in the state capital. TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has already indicated that it will have a post-poll alliance with MIM to get the posts of mayor and deputy mayor.
MIM, a key player in city politics, had shared power with the Congress party in the previous municipal body.
This time Congress, the main opposition party, is contesting the elections on its own.
The TDP-BJP alliance is confident of giving tough fight to TRS by mainly banking on the voters from Andhra Pradesh settled here. They are estimated to be about 40 percent of the total electorate.
TRS, which had bagged only two of the 24 assembly seats in GHMC limits in 2014 elections, has also reached out to voters from Andhra Pradesh.
-Indo-Asian News Service
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At least 46 militants were killed in airstrikes by the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, officials said on Tuesday.
"Acting upon intelligence reports, the drones of the coalition forces stormed the hideouts of Taliban rebels in Gomal district of the eastern Paktika province on Monday night killing 17 armed insurgents," a provincial government official told Xinhua news agency.
In different airstrikes also launched by the coalition forces in the south-eastern Nangarhar province, 29 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed and a radio station belonging to the militant group was destroyed.
"The foreign forces conducted four air raids against IS positions in Achin district on Monday night, killing 29 militants and destroying an IS radio station," the provincial government statement said.
The victims included five radio station workers and several high-ranking IS members, Xinhua news agency reported.
The district, bordering Pakistan, is considered to be an IS stronghold, the statement added.
US drones continued to hover over Jalalabad and Achin district on Tuesday morning.
Chinese smartphone maker LeEco on Tuesday sold a whopping 70,000 units of its Le1s smartphones in just two seconds during a flash sale on Indian e-tail major Flipkart, a top company official said.
"We have sold 70,000 phones in two seconds in our first flash sale and are extremely happy about it. I think its a new industry record and we are just delighted about it," Atul Jain, COO, smart electronics business, LeEco India, told IANS.
"It's amazing to see the kind of response we have got in the Indian market on the opening day. We had got 650,000 registrations for the first sale," he added.
Jain, a former Samsung official, reiterated his claim of being among the top three smartphone companies in the Indian market. "A strong opening has given us a hope. We are hoping best for it," he said.
The company had on January 20 launched two "superphones" -- LeMax and Le1S -- in the Indian market.
"India is our new destination. We look forward to making our presence felt strongly in the Indian market, a market of youths," Jain had said at the launch event.
Earlier in January, the company had showcased in a select preview event, a series of its smart devices, including 3D helmet, Bluetooth headphone and super cycle.
LeEco, a chinese internet giant, claims affordable devices to be its unique selling point.
Earlier IANS in its verdict of Le1s had said: "The Le 1s with all its features and a price of Rs.10,999 is a good buy. Display quality, good user interface, fast charging, lag-free multi-tasking and handy design that lets user work with one hand are some of the features to look for in the phone. Phone loses points for incorporating a quite basic camera."
The phone boasts of: 2.2 GHz Octa-core Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10 processor with PowerVR G6200 GPU | 3 GB DDR3 RAM | 5.5-inch display | 32 GB storage | 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with ISOCELL technology and blue glass infrared filter | 5-megapixel front camera | dual 4G/LTE | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth | 3,000 mAH battery | mirror-finish fingerprint identification system.
Celebrities came out to vote in the elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and appealed to urban voters to participate in the poll process.
Leading Telugu actors like Balakrishna, Junior NTR, Nagarjuna and Allu Arjun cast their votes at polling centres in the posh Jubliee Hills area.
Nagarjuna accompanied by his actress wife Amla cast their votes. They appealed to people to come out of their houses and exercise their franchise.
"Majority of the voters are youth. They often complain that they lack amenities. They should come out and vote to elect good representatives," said Nagarjuna.
To a query, Nagarjuna said his actor son Akhil's name is missing from the voters' list.
Veteran actor Balakrishna, son of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder N.T. Rama Rao, also cast his vote at a polling booth in Jubliee Hills. Brother-in-law of TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, he is a member of Andhra Pradesh assembly.
Balakrishna's daughter Brahmini, who is married to Naidu's son Lokesh, also cast her vote. She was accompanied by Lokesh and her mother-in-law Bhuvaneswari.
Balakrishna's nephew and popular actor Junior NTR and his wife cast their votes. "Please be responsible citizens and vote. You can question only if you vote," Junior NTR told people.
Young actor Allu Arjun too cast his vote. "Vote.. if you don't vote you don't have the right to complain," he tweeted.
Movie Artists' Association (MAA) president Rajender Prasad along with family members exercised their franchise.
The polling in Hyderabad is often marked by voter's apathy. The turnover was less than 45 percent in GHMC elections in 2009.
The GHMC officials and state election commission conducted voter awareness programmes this time with the help of civil societies, NGOs and residents' welfare association with an aim to increase the polling by 20 percent.
Once known in intelligence cirlces as the breeding ground of the homegrown Indian Mujahideen (IM) terror outfit, Karnataka's small coastal town of Bhatkal, a tourist destination with a lot of history, is unfortunately now being seen in the security establishment to be emerging as a possible incubator of the Islamic State's Indian terror module after a string of arrests from the town and nearby areas in the southern state.
Shafi Armar, who, intelligence agencies say is the main recruiter of Indian men lured to the IS ideology -- some of whom have even gone to fight alongside the Islamist terror militia in Syria -- also belongs to Bhatkal where he was born and lived with his two brothers, before leaving India in 2009.
Knowledgeable sources, speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Armar started as a member of the IM before fleeing from India to Pakistan with other top operatives of the outfit, Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal. Armar's elder brother Sultan, now dead, had also left India with him.
Armar, the sources further said, later went for training in Syria and is now believed to be a key member of Ansar-ul-Tawhid, a recruiting wing which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
He then formed an IS India module called Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind whose 14 members were arrested in a nationwide raid conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last week. Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind has reportedly been active since April 2015, the sources said.
After Armar, intelligence sources said, some more IS sympathizers named Suhail Ahmed, Damudi, Mohammed Afzal, Najmul Huda and Muhammad Abdul Ahad - all in NIA custody - have their links with Bhatkal, which is otherwise famous as a tourist destination.
"All the arrested suspected terrorists having links with Bhatkal are being quizzed to ascertain their role in the module. Interrogators are also trying to find out the exact number of people recruited from the town," the sources told IANS.
The sources privy to the investigation, however, said that the arrested IS suspects were not only asked to target Bhatkal to recruit members but to seek sympathisers across India for which they had organised several meetings in Lucknow, Mumbai, Mangalore, Tumkur (in Karnataka), Haridwar and Hyderabad.
Another official, close to the investigation, said that the main India-module recruiter of IS has been targeting his former IM aides who belong to Bhatkal and nearby towns in Karnataka.
Asked if Bhatkal town has become a "breeding ground" for IS's recruiters, Additional DGP (Internal Security) Karnataka Sunil Kumar told IANS on phone: "It's a matter of investigation."
"We are in constant touch with the NIA. Several people were recently arrested from Mangalore, Tumkur and Bangalore, but their role to recruit new IS members from Bhatkal or other states is a matter of inquiry and it cannot be shared," Sunil Kumar stated.
(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)
Ovide A. Gendreau, 89, Mandan, died Jan. 29, 2016, at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center, Bismarck. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mandan, with the Rev. Joe Deichert as celebrant and the Rev. Nick Schneider as concelebrant. Burial will be at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, at noon following the service. Military committal services will be provided by Mandan American Legion Post No. 40 and VFW Post No. 707.
Visitation will be held Wednesday from 3 to 9 p.m. at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, with a rosary and vigil at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the service on Thursday.
Ovide A. Gendreau, Mandan, formerly of Walhalla, was born Jan. 7, 1927, in the Walhalla area. He was the son of Albert and Emelia (Lepire) Gendreau. Ovide was raised on a farm and graduated from Walhalla High School. He attended the School of Accounting at Golden Gate College in San Francisco, and also the American Institute of Banking. He worked in banking for a number of years. After his banking career, he worked as a credit manager for a leading newspaper in San Francisco.
Ovide returned to North Dakota and moved to Mandan in 1976. He then started training at the Heartview Foundation through Mary College and became a licensed certified addiction counselor. Ovide retired from the Heartview Foundation June 30, 1990, as a licensed certified addiction counselor after 14 years in his practice.
Ovide served in the U.S. Army and later attended finance school and upon graduation, he continued his duties in the Army's Finance Department until he was honorably discharged on Nov. 16, 1946, as a sergeant.
Ovide had traveled extensively; some of his highlights were Europe, Italy and Spain, parts of Africa, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Finland, Mexico, Portugal and the Caribbean and many cruises including the Panama Canal. Ovide achieved his dream when he visited the Holy Land and walked the Lord's footsteps, which became a reality in 1995. At one time in his life, he had a desire to become a priest. His strong faith in God has gotten him through many trials in life. He enjoyed helping people with their needs and he said, "If he lived like his Mother's way, he'd have no fear." Working at Heartview, he felt that his ministry was to help others with their addiction.
Ovide was very close to his Canadian friends. On a yearly basis, he traveled to Canada to visit his ex-patients and their families. He always felt well received and respected by them. His reward was seeing his patients turn their lives around and stay well to embrace a life of spirituality and sobriety.
He was a member of the American Legion in Walhalla, Bartlett-Ressler VFW Post No. 40062, becoming a member in 1974. He was also a member of the Mandan Elks since 1977.
Ovide is survived by his two brothers and sisters-in-law, Morris (Patricia), Lake Havasu, Ariz., and Stanley (Evelyn), Langdon; two sisters, Doris Gapp, Minnetonka, Minn., and LaRae McDonald, Minot; his sister-in-law, Gloria Gendreau, Walhalla; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Emil Gendreau; two brothers-in-law, Albert Gapp, and Jim McDonald; and his nephew, Wayne Gendreau.
Memorials may be given to Masses at Christ the King Catholic Church, Mandan; Home on the Range Sentinel Butte; and/or North Dakota Diabetes Association.
Go to www.weigelfuneral.com to sign the online guest book and view tribute photos.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday exhorted farmers and people of the state to come forward for conservation of the crane, which was also the state bird.
Speaking at a two-day international symposium at his home village Saifai in Etawah, he said it was important not only to save cranes but also to ensure that the wetlands, which was their habitat, were also protected.
Underlining how of the total population of cranes in India, 60 percent was in Uttar Pradesh, the chief minister said people should realize that the cranes were very friendly to humans and also gave them the message of living with a partner all through the life span.
He also said that the Shekha lake had been chosen for development as a world lake and it would be beautified to make it world class. He also assured the experts from all over the world who are attending the symposium that funds would not be a constraint in implementing their suggestions.
Akhilesh Yadav also released a coffee table book "Crane - A pictorial Life History", books "Crane Constituency" and "Bird Festival - a report" and pen drives where works "UP Eco-Tourism" and "Birds of UP" had been loaded.
On the occasion, a MoU was also exchanged for the conservation of wetlands and cranes between the state forest department and the International Crane Foundation.
Experts from India, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia are attending the symposium. Other than them, wetland experts from various countries, representatives of the Bombay Natural History Society, International Crane Foundation and the Wild Fowl Trust also took part.
Cranes are found in India in states like UP, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and parts of Maharashtra. There are six species of cranes in India but Saras is the most common.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Tuesday said he has been denied a Pakistani visa for the second time, and described it as "sad". A Pakistani diplomat here however said that he had "not submitted" any visa application -- a claim that the actor has called a "lie".
Anupam was to attend the Karachi Literature Festival which begins on Friday. However, while 17 out of the 18 Indians who were due to go received their visas, the 60-year-old says he was "singled out".
"Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa on second time in a year, while around 17 people will participate in the Karachi Literature Festival as guests," Anupam shared on Twitter.
It was in May last year that the actor was denied a visa to Pakistan. He was to visit Lahore for an event hosted by an NGO, but according to reports, back then it was denied on security grounds.
This time, he was invited as a guest at the three-day Karachi Literature Festival. Among the Indians who will be present at the literature festival are Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Rahul Singh, Om Arora, Urvashi Butalia and Ashok Chopra.
However, Manzoor Ali Memon, a diplomat from the Pakistan High Commission, told IANS: "He (Anupam Kher) has not submitted (any) visa application. Please check out from him if he has any receipt."
Upset about the visa denial, Anupam tweeted: "Has my visa been denied because I speak about India's rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian government welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan government bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue," he tweeted.
"Didn't Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs red flag my name to Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi? Why hide facts deliberately? Pakistan High Commission should know their own rules. #KarachiLitFest had given my name to authorities one month back and have my name in every poster."
Even his son, actor Sikandar Kher, said that his father's uninhibited views on numerous social and political issues could have ruffled feathers and could be the reason why the veteran actor, who has been chosen for a Padma Bhushan, was denied a Pakistan visa.
Anupam, who was feeling "bad for all those people who were looking forward to meet me in Pakistan and vice versa", even said he will present all proofs and documents "to prove Pakistan High Commission's lie that I didn't apply for visa".
A 25-year-old private bus operator was beaten to death here by some people who were competing with him for passengers on the busy Delhi-Gurgaon route, police said on Tuesday.
Amit Dabas, a resident of Delhi, was attacked on Monday evening by some people near IFFCO Chowk on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hawa Singh said.
A case was registered here on Tuesday against Vinit, Pravesh, Ravinder and Moda.
Competition for passengers over route from Delhi's Dabri Chowk to Gurgaon's IFFCO Chowk appeared to be the cause of the murder, the police officer said.
China is set to release another captive-bred giant panda into the wild this year, the media reported on Tuesday.
Hua Yan, a two-year-old female, will be the sixth giant panda bred in captivity to be released into the wild after completing a two-year wilderness training programme, said Huang Yan, chief engineer of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP).
"This will be the first time we have released a giant panda in spring. This is part of a wider programme to introduce more captivity-bred pandas into the wild to diversify the gene pool," said Huang.
Previously, pandas were released in late autumn or early winter, the time when wild young pandas usually leave their mother to live independently.
Hua Yan lives in the wilderness training reserve at Tiantai mountain in Sichuan, along with another three pandas who are also being trained.
China began releasing captive-bred pandas into the wild in 2006 when Xiang Xiang, a five-year-old male, was released in the Wolong National Nature Reserve. However, Xiang Xiang died roughly a year later after fighting with other pandas.
In 2012, 2013 and 2014, Tao Tao (male), Zhang Xiang (female) and Xue Xue (female) were released in Liziping reserve.
The latest release was Hua Jiao, a two-year-old female, in November 2015.
Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. Fewer than 2,000 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi. There were 375 giant pandas in captivity at the end of 2013, about 200 of them at the CCRCGP.
Two top Congress leaders party were injured in an attack by MIM workers in the old city here during elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Tuesday.
Congress' Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir sustained minor injuries in the attack in front of Mirchowk police station.
MIM workers attacked Uttam Kumar Reddy's car, damaged its window panes and manhandled the Shabbir, who is leader of opposition in Telangana legislative council.
Shabbir sustained injuries including one near his eye. The attack took place in the presence of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who had reached the police station to protest presence of the Congress leaders.
The incident led to tension in the area. Congress leaders led by Uttam Kumar Reddy later marched to the office of director general of police and staged a sit-in, demanding Owaisi's arrest.
The Congress leader demanded repolling in all divisions in the old city. He alleged that MIM in collusion with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) rigged the elections.
Uttam Reddy also claimed MIM workers also attacked a reporter of Urdu daily "Siasat" when he raised an objection to rigging.
Trouble began after the Congress leaders came to the Mirchowk police station to demand release of party leader Mohammed Ghouse, who was earlier arrested in Khilwat area.
Owaisi with his party workers also reached the police station raising slogans against the Congress leaders. The MP wanted to know from police why the Congress leaders were allowed.
Ghouse, who recently resigned from the MIM to join the Congress, and MIM leader and Charminar legislator Ahmed Pasha Khadri were arrested in Khilwat when they clashed near a polling station after accusing each other of influencing voters.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Delhi government and Delhi Police on a PIL by an AAP legislator who sought a judicial probe into the death from drowning of two students in two different schools.
The Delhi High Court issued notice to the city government, Delhi Police, SDMC and Ryan International School on the PIL that sought a judicial inquiry into the death of a six-year-old Class I student in the premises of the private school last week.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also sought response from Delhi Disaster Management and MCD school in Kapashera area of south Delhi where a five-year-old boy, Ankit, died after falling into an open septic tank on January 27.
"Its very, very unfortunate. It's a matter which needs consideration. File status report on the action taken by all the concerned authorities and also the proposed action plan to ensure no such incidents happen again," said the bench posting the matter for February 9.
The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by AAP legislator Col. Devinder Sehrawat (retd.) seeking a judicial inquiry into the death of both the kids.
Devansh Meena, the class I student in Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, was inside the septic tank till sewage workers reached there and fished him out. Police have registered a case of negligence against the authorities 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.
Sehrawat also sought similar inquiry into the death of Ankit after falling into an open septic tank in an MCD school in Kapashera area. The petition has sought direction for payment of Rs.50 lakh each as compensation to the families of the children.
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 the Delhi government, civic officials, disaster management authority and the Delhi Police.
The DCW has issued summons to Delhi Police over non-compliance with its requests for "crucial data" on crime against women and directed Police Commissioner Bhim Sain Bassi to appear before it on February 8.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) sent a letter to the Delhi Police on August 1, 2015, followed by another letter dated October 10, 2015 seeking "certain crucial data from the Delhi Police".
It again sent notice to the police on January 11 and January 27 this year.
"The commission takes strong note of the fact that despite sending various letters and notices... and despite the passage of several months, you have unjustifiably failed to provide crucial information sought by the commission, which is imperative for the commission on the issue of women safety and safeguards for women in Delhi," the summons dated February 1 said.
"If you fail to comply with this order without lawful excuse, you will be subjected to the consequences of non-attendance as provided in law," the DCW said.
However, a postscript to the summons said the police chief could be exempted from personal appearance if the police department produced the documents/records sought by the DCW on or before the due date.
"If you are summoned for production of records/documents described in this summons and not to give evidence, you shall be deemed to have complied with the summons if you cause such records/documents to be produced before the commission," it said.
Actress Deepika Padukone has packed her bags and left for Canada to shoot for her debut Hollywood film "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage", opposite Vin Diesel.
Her "Bajirao Mastani" co-star and rumoured beau Ranveer Singh on Tuesday shared the news about the actress flying off to shoot for her maiden Hollywood project at the NDTV Indian of the Year 2015 awards ceremony here.
Deepika was presented the Actor Of The Year trophy by her "Piku" co-star Amitabh Bachchan and Pawan Munjal, chairman of Hero MotoCorp.
"Deepika we are really proud of you. Since you are leaving tonight (Tuesday) to go and shoot your action Hollywood blockbuster, we all wish you all the best. May you conquer this new frontier and make us proud as you always had," said Ranveer in reference to her upcoming foreign project.
According to a source, the actress has left for Canada to shoot for the movie, and will begin working in a day or two. However, the exact location of the shoot is not known.
Deepika is all geared up for the project and has worked on her fitness level as she often shares photographs and videos of herself training in the gym for her character in the movie.
The Hollywood action icon also posted several photographs from the shooting location of the upcoming action film through his official Facebook page.
One of the images features the actor on a motorbike with a girl in a bikini in front of a green screen.
Diesel is back as Cage who returns to the National Security Agency after an eight-year absence in the movie, which also stars Nina Dobrev, Samuel L. Jackson, Ruby Rose, Jet Li and Tony Jaa.A
"xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" is expected to release in 2017.
For Deepika, 2015 was an eventful year with three successful films -- "Piku", "Tamasha" and "Bajirao Mastani". And it seems that the actress has started 2016 with more power starting with the international project.
The 30-year-old had shared her excitement over venturing to foreign shores with her acting talent with IANS earlier as she said "I'm very excited and at the same time nervous about the film".
The proposal for setting up a Rs.231 crore defence components park in Kerala's Palakkad district, an official said on Tuesday.
The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) Defence Park is a part of the Make in India initiative.
KINFRA Managing Director G.C. Gopala Pillai said the park could start operation in one year and reach maximum production in two years.
The project was approved by the department of industrial policy and promotion, the state government official said.
It is a part of the Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (MIIUS). The park will have all modern common infrastructure and facilities to manufacture components for the defence industry with the central government's assistance.
KINFRA has acquired 60 acres of land in Palakkad and it will ensure dedicated power and water supply, communication facilities for the easy start up of industrial units.
The project will have facilities such as a tool room, environment testing facility, training facility, warehouses, R&D, incubation centre and a quality certification centre.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said the government would carry out stringent monitoring in the wake of mosquito-borne Zika virus.
"Till now no case of Zika virus has been found in Delhi. But as a precautionary measure we held a meeting a few days ago and decided to conduct a stringent monitoring in the city," the minister said.
Zika virus is transmitted by the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquito which breeds in water-storage containers. Like dengue, it is a day-biting mosquito, meaning it is most active during daylight.
World Health Organization has declared emergency over the "explosive" spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The Centre on Tuesday issued detailed guidelines for combating the disease, including a travel advisory that asks pregnant women to either defer or cancel their travel to the affected areas of the world.
Jain said the symptoms of the disease are more like flu. India is prone to Zika because Aedes aegypti mosquito is found here which also causes dengue.
"We have also sought directions from the central government to deal with Zika virus. Every needed step will be taken in accordance with the Centre's guidelines for the disease," the minister said.
Meanwhile, Jain also announced 150 polyclinics would be opened in the city by the year-end. Of these, 65 polyclinics will be opened within four months.
"These polyclinics will be opened in the buildings of the existing dispensaries and will be attached to the government hospitals of the respective areas," he added.
It seems just about everybody loves email. It is, after all, a convenient way to hold private conversations. Unless, of course, youre a city councilor, school board member or county commissioner who is discussing official business with fellow elected members.
At this time, however, nothing in South Dakota law prohibits a majority of an elected body to discuss an agenda item or other public business via email, which according to Dave Bordewyk of the South Dakota Newspaper Association is a growing problem in the state if you are a proponent of open meetings and government transparency.
A bill co-sponsored by 22 lawmakers seeks to address that by bringing clarity to the murky waters of electronic communications and defining what actually constitutes an official meeting in South Dakota.
Senate Bill 73, whose sponsors include Senate Majority Leader Corey Brown, addresses two soft spots in the states open meetings law. First, it defines what constitutes an official meeting. Now, based upon a previous attorney generals opinion, it is generally understood that it requires a quorum or a majority of elected officials present for a meeting to be considered official.
The quorum requirement, however, is not addressed in state law. HB 73 changes that and applies the official meeting standard to teleconferences, which is when elected officials take advantage of technology to attend meetings via the telephone or through video services.
The proposed legislation also broadens the definition of teleconferences to include the Internet to discourage elected officials from taking advantage of what Bordewyk calls the "slippery slope of conducting public business via email."
The general manager of the newspaper association says he has heard from numerous editors and reporters who suspect that elected officials are making decisions via email before meetings are held. In one case, Bordewyk said he saw emails exchanged by elected officials that clearly show a decision being made before the meeting.
Since emails exchanged by government officials are not public information in South Dakota, it is difficult if not impossible to tell how many decisions are being made behind the firewall of the Internet. While HB 73 doesn't change that troubling fact, it does make it illegal for say six of the 10 Rapid City council members to discuss public business via email unless the city devises a method to let the public participate in the official meeting, which seems impossible at this time. A violation of this proposal would be a Class 2 misdemeanor, which means a possible penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.
Certainly, a determined group of elected officials can find ways to skirt this proposed addition to the state's open meetings law, but nonetheless the legislation makes it illegal to do so and provides consequences for conducting the public's business in private.
The Legislature should overwhelmingly support HB 73. It sends the right message to the public and elected officials.
Rapid City (S.D.) Journal
The Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) has urged India's Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati to consider Air India flights to connect different Indian cities with Brussels.
The Brussels-based trade body wrote to Raju after India's largest private airline, Jet Airways, announced shifting of its scissors-hub operation from Brussels to Amsterdam Schiphol airport for flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Newark and Toronto from March 2016.
Jet Airways was using the Belgian capital as its hub since September 2007, making it the first Indian carrier to have full-scale operation in the European Union capital, EICC secretary general Sunil Prasad said in the letter sent on Monday.
He said the space created by Jet Airways' shifting to Amsterdam offered India's national carrier Air India "a unique business opportunity to make Brussels its hub for maximising its European and long-haul connections to Latin America and Africa".
"There is a great potential for Air India to make Brussels its scissors-hub operation for several other reasons too. With Air India regaining its past glory, pride of place and charm with 'Maharaja' hospitality, we believe that connecting to and making Brussels its hub will serve Air India in its long-term strategic business interests in Europe," Prasad said.
The EICC speaks for multilateral rule-based trading system and improvement in European and Indian competitiveness and is realising its mission through high-level strategic dialogue and debate, he added.
Scandal-ridden Brazilian oil giant Petrobras' former international head has been jailed for 12 years for corruption and money laundering, the media reported on Tuesday.
Jorge Zelada, the former director of the company's international division, was sentenced on Monday on charges of taking $31 million in bribes from Vantage Drilling Corporation in exchange for granting the company a contract to carry out sonic studies, Xinhua news agency reported.
Zelada headed his division from 2008 to 2012, replacing Nestor Cervero, who is also in jail, along with dozens of former Petrobras executives.
Moro also convicted Zelada of laundering more than 11 million euros ($12 million) through secret bank accounts at several offshore tax havens, and Brazilian courts have already confiscated some $30 million from Zelada's offshore accounts.
Regarding the Petrobras scandal which has been deemed the biggest corruption scandal in Brazil's history, prominent politicians and businessmen are under investigation over suspicious contracts worth $22 billion.
Continuing a positive trend and supporting private consumption, Germany's unemployment rate fell to a new record low level in January, said official data on Tuesday.
The number of people registered as unemployed at German Federal Labour Agency fell by 20,000 in January to 2.73 million. The adjusted jobless rate declined from 6.3 percent in December 2015 to 6.2 percent, a new low record since the country's reunification, Xinhua news agency reported.
"The good performance of the labour market has continued at the year beginning," said Frank-Juergen Weise, head of the labour agency.
An envy of most European countries, Germany's employment stood at record high in 2015. Roughly 43 million people had jobs.
The German economy grew by 1.7 percent last year. A similar pace was expected in 2016. Private consumption was considered as the main driving force.
Economists said the influx of refugees could push the unemployment to a higher level since it takes time for the newcomers to integrate into German labour market.
The NCP on Tuesday accused the government of deliberately targeting its leaders and said power and government machinery were misused in the arrest of party leader Chhagan Bhujbal's nephew.
"NCP leaders are being deliberately targeted by the government. Never before in a democracy has power and government machinery been misused in this manner," Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar told the media here.
He criticised the arrest of former parliamentarian Samir Bhujbal, a nephew of former deputy chief minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday night.
Throwing his weight behind the beleaguered Bhujbal and his family members, the NCP president said they were being targeted by a Bharatiya Janata Party MP. He, however, did not name the parliamentarian.
"The Bhujbal family is being willfully targeted. What is the need for three raids in one single case? This has raised questions on the intentions of the investigating agencies, which seem to be working at the behest of one MP," the former union minister said.
However, Pawar made it clear that the NCP will not launch any agitation on the issue since there are "bigger issues of public interest" than this. He assured "full cooperation" with the investigating agencies.
Samir was held after sustained interrogation for over nine hours in connection with two money-laundering cases lodged against his uncle Chhagan Bhujbal, his family and others.
The arrest was preceded by daylong searches at nine premises belonging to the Bhujbal family - Chhagan, his son Pankaj and nephew Samir.
Samir Bhujbal, arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, will be presented in a city court here on Tuesday.
The raids and arrest came as Chhagan Bhujal left for Washington DC at the invitation of the US Congress to address a three-day event on social justice and education, to be attended by select representatives from 140 countries, besides an interaction scheduled with US President Barack Obama on Thursday.
BJP's Lok Sabha member from Mumbai Kirit Somaiya, who has been campaigning against the alleged corrupt activities of the Bhujbals, tweeted: "We have done it... Samir Bhujbal arrested by ED."
He hinted that Pankaj will be the next to be arrested and even Chhagan Bhujbal if they did not cooperate with the investigators in the cases with the ED.
Meanwhile, the Bhujbals' supporters protested against Samir's arrest in their home town Nashik where a strong police posse has been deployed.
The Sahara group on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it was selling its Grosvenor House Hotel in London to Qatar and was in talk with a state-owned Russian bank for refinancing its two hotels in New York - New York Plaza and Dream New York hotel.
A bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice Anil R. Dave and Justice A.K.Sikri was informed that sale of Grosvenor House Hotel would fetch Rs.3,000 crore which would be paid to market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) towards the payment of Rs.10,000 crores as directed by the apex court on March 26, 2014.
Of Rs.10,000 crore - Rs.5,000 crore are in cash and Rs.5,000 crore in bank guarantees, Sahara has to pay SEBI will be a part payment of investors money that Sahara had raised from the market in 2008 and 2009. It is also a condition for release of Sahara chief Subrata Roy and two director - Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary - who are in Tihar Jail since March 4, 2014.
Appearing for Roy, senior counsel Kapil Sibal sought the court's nod for disposing off its four small aircrafts, the Sahara Star hotel in Mumbai, its stakes in Force India Formula One Team and two properties in Bengaluru to mobilise the money. Sahara had in 2011 picked up 42.5 percent stake in the Formula One Team which was thereafter rechristened as Sahara Force India Formula One Team.
The court inquired if the four aircraft that Sahara intends to sell were in airworthy condition or grounded, and Sibal said that Sahara can't sell these assets without its permission.
As court expressed its unhappiness over the way things were going, he told the court about the difficulties beging faced by his client. "Nobody wants to buy them. When one hears SEBI-Sahara (litigation in the apex court), no body wants to touch them," he said, seeking to explain the difficulties being faced by the group in complying with the court's orders.
Apparently displeased with the state of affairs, the court refused to, for now, extend the communication facilities that were extended to Roy to speak to prospective buyers of his hotels in London and New York.
The apex court March 26, 2014 had said Sahara Group will deposit Rs.10,000 crore as part payment of investors' Rs.24,000 crore that its two companies - Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Limited and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Limited - had collected through optionally fully convertible debentures as a condition for the release of Roy, Dubey and Choudhary.
The apex court by its August 31, 2012 order had directed the Sahara to return investors money with 15 percent interest.
According to SEBI counsel the amount that Sahara has now to return has touched Rs. 36,000 crore.
While a debate rages on about the veracity of events depicted in new Bollywood flick 'Airlift' on India's massive evacuation efforts in war-ravaged Kuwait, a former Air India official said it was carried out with 'clock-work precision' and made it to the Guinness World Records.
"The film 'Airlift' has brought the evacuation of over 117,000 Indians residing in Kuwait once again on the centre stage after 25 years. How did the feat get listed as a record in the Guinness Book makes for an interesting reading," said former Air India (AI) executive director Jitender Bhargava in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Bhargava said as head of AI's Public Relations, he would issue daily media statements about the number of flights that were operated in the past 24 hours, the number of stranded passengers safety brought from Amman in Jordan to various Indian cities, the next day's plans of flight operations, etc.
"Since it wasn't the era of Google which enables one to source information easily, I walked from my office in Air India building to the book store in Eros Cinema complex near Churchgate in Mumbai, picked up a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records to access the address of the editor/publisher of Guinness book," he recalled.
Armed with that, he posted (the world didn't know e-mails then) a letter to the Guinness editor enquiring if any record of evacuation by a civil airliner existed.
A fortnight later, Guinness editor replied through a letter that it did not have a record in their books, Bhargava said.
Meanwhile, the evacuation continued briskly with AI deploying as many aircraft as possible and even the now-merged entity, the domestic carrier Indian Airlines, and Indian Air Force extending a helping hand with their aircraft to bolster capacity to meet the growing demand.
"After the evacuation operation was completed, I sent a comprehensive letter to Guinness providing details of total number of passengers carried, flights operated, duration of the entire exercise, etc. Guinness accepted the record and duly intimated us through a letter," Bhargava said.
Then, there was a long waiting period and it was only after a few months that the new edition of the Guinness Book of World Records was published with Air India's achievements duly listed.
"I once again walked to the same book store from where I had sourced the Guinness address to buy a copy of the book for our company's archives," Bhargava recalls with a smile.
AI's achievement is still a part of historical records, a feat performed between August 13-October 11, 1990.
More than 170,000 Indians were stranded in Kuwait at that time and AI operated some 488 flights to evacuate them from Amman to Mumbai, a distance of more than 4,000 km.
The massive operation was conducted during the Persian Gulf War and helped evacuate Indians living in Kuwait and Iraq.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Tuesday said he has been denied a Pakistan visa for his visit to Karachi for a literature festival for the second time. A Pakistani diplomat here however said that he has "not submitted" any visa application.
"Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa on second time in a year, while around 17 people will participate in the Karachi Literature Festival as guests," Anupam shared on Twitter.
It was in May last year that the actor was denied a visa to Pakistan. He was due to visit Lahore for an event hosted by an NGO, but according to reports, back then it was denied on security grounds.
This time, he was invited as a guest at the three-day Karachi Literature Festival, which begins on Friday. Among the Indians who will be present at the literature festival are Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Rahul Singh, Om Arora, Urvashi Butalia and Ashok Chopra.
Upset about the visa denial, Anupam tweeted: "Has my visa been denied because I speak about India's rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian government welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan government bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue," he tweeted.
"Didn't Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs red flag my name to Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi? Why hide facts deliberately? Pakistan High Commission should know their own rules. #KarachiLitFest had given my name to authorities 1 month back and have my name in every poster."
Moreover, the actor, who was chosen to be conferred the Padma Bhushan -- India's third highest civilian award -- said he feels "bad for all those people who were looking forward to meet me in Pakistan and vice versa".
"Sorry to them. Hopefully one day," he added.
Manzoor Ali Memon, a diplomat from the Pakistan High Commission, told IANS: "He (Anupam Kher) has not submitted (any) visa application. Please check out from him if he has any receipt."
This, Anupam, said on a TV channel, is a "laughable explanation".
He said he wanted to be in Pakistan to meet the people as exchange of ideas is important.
"It is important to discuss about books, countries... I wanted to talk about my country as well, the problems of Kashmiri Pandits, and also speak about anti-terrorism -- an issue that even Pakistan is suffering with," he said.
Later on Tuesday, Anupam will address the media at his acting institute in Mumbai.
Border security and maritime cooperation were among the issues that came up for discussion during a meeting between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and his Bangladeshi counterpart. Md. Shahidul Haque, who is here on a two-day visit from Monday, an official source said here on Tuesday.
The meeting on Monday reviewed the progress made on the decisions that were taken during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka in June last year. Twenty two agreements were signed between India and Bangladesh during the visit.
"The foreign secretaries emphasised the need for stepping up cooperation between the border security agencies so that no lives are lost along the border," the source said.
The two foreign secretaries also highlighted the need for strong maritime cooperation between the two South Asian neighbours.
"With the decision on the international maritime boundary line being taken, it was suggested that both countries should be more proactive on the issues related to fishermen. The fishermen should be sensitised so that incidents related to straying into each other's waters are minimised," the source said.
The Teesta waters issue also came up for discussion with both sides agreeing to schedule a meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission at the earliest.
The two sides also discussed beginning shipping services at the earliest for the benefit of both Indians and Bangladeshis.
Among the other issues discussed were cooperation in water and power sectors, boosting bilateral trade, improving people-to-people contact and visa facilitation.
The Indian-American community across America celebrated the 67th Republic Day of India with cultural programmes and a call to renew commitment to the Gandhian ideals and help their motherland achieve its full potential.
In Washington metropolitan area, the National Council of Asian Indian Associations (NCAIA) in partnership with over 15 community organizations marked the day with an event in Greenbelt, Maryland over the weekend honouring the monumental achievements of Mahatma Gandhi.
In a keynote address, Frank Islam, a prominent Indian American entrepreneur and philanthropist, said in these "extremely troubling and turbulent times" India was "engaged in a battle for the ideals that Mahatma Gandhi propagated."
"In 2016, radical extremists are countering Gandhi by preaching of hate, violence, and war," he said. "If they are successful, Republic Day in India and in places around the world that celebrate democracy will become a distant memory."
As concerned "citizens with connections to two great nations - India and the United States," Islam said, it was their responsibility as those "who understand the values of a free society to prevent that apocalyptic vision."
He called on the community to "bear witness to and reaffirm and renew our commitment to the Gandhian ideals of love, non-violence, and peace as means for achieving the full potential of India."
India was "destined to be a great nation and a force for good in the world", Islam said. "As Indian Americans who understand our civic responsibilities, I am confident that we will do whatever we can to help her achieve that destiny."
The event also featured a cultural show, which included several patriotic songs, Indian dance performances and a fashion show.
India Association of Greater Boston celebrated the day with an event with the theme of Folk Art of India that featured folk music and colourful folk dances from across India at Burlington High School in Burlington, Massachusetts.
A number of vendors and non-profit organizations had set up their stalls and booths, creating a festive and mela-like atmosphere outside the auditorium, according to ethnic India New England News.
In Texas, the Indian-American community held the celebrations at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in the city of Irving.
In Ohio, the Federation of Indian Association of Central Ohio (FIA-Ohio) celebrated the day with flag-hoisting ceremony held at the State House in Downtown Columbus.
In Chicago, the Federation of Indian Associations hosted the Republic Day celebrations.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Arch conservative Ted Cruz, a Tea Party favourite, scored an upset victory over Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were locked in a virtual tie in the nation's first presidential race.
With about 99 percent of the Republican vote in in Iowa caucuses, which traditionally kick-off the presidential race, Texas senator Cruz was ahead of real estate mogul Trump 28 percent to 24 percent, with Florida senator Marco Rubio at 23 percent.
With Trump failing to translate his formidable media presence into votes, Cruz who spent months touring the state and reaching out to evangelical voters, emerged as a formidable contender in the delegate-rich, Southern states holding primaries in the coming weeks.
As he claimed victory, Cruz fired immediate shots at both Trump and the party elites who disdain him. "Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment," Cruz said.
Trump delivered a short but gracious speech, saying he loved Iowa and vowed to go on next week to win the New Hampshire primary.
"We will go on to get the Republican nomination and we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie," Trump told supporters. "We finished second, and I have to say I am just honoured."
Rubio's strong showing could set him up as the best placed potential establishment candidate to take on "outsider" challengers Cruz and Trump, observers said.
"This is the moment they said would never happen. For months, they told us we had no chance," a jubilant Rubio said.
The caucuses resulted in two casualties - one on each side. Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, both dropped their candidacies after faring poorly.
On the Democratic side, Clinton is holding the narrowest of leads over insurgent candidate Bernie Sanders. She was ahead 50.1 percent to 49.4 percent with 95 percent of the votes counted.
"It's rare that we have the opportunity we do now," she said in a speech that didn't explicitly claim victory. "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."
She added that she was "excited" about debating Sanders and was breathing a "big sigh of relief" after the caucuses.
A loss in Iowa does not mean the end of the road for a contender though a victory gives a candidate a momentum.
For instance, all Democrats who won Iowa have gone on to secure the party's nomination. Then Senator Barack Obama's victory Obama unravelled Hillary Clinton's first presidential run in 2008.
On the other hand, none of the Republican winners in Iowa got the party nomination in the last two rounds. Huckabee won Iowa in 2008, but the nomination went to John McCain who had finished fourth in Iowa.
In 2012, Mitt Romney the eventual nominee was declared the winner by only eight votes over former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, who is again running this year.
But a certified tally issued a few weeks later found Santorum had won by 34 votes. But by then he had lost the momentum.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Have you noticed the very obvious change of tone of the left wing editorial pieces in our newspapers? The Bismarck Tribune; the Fargo Forum; the Grand Forks Herald; and the big news makers the New York Times? Suddenly the ardor and panting for Hillary Clinton has turned to something else. She no longer is the sure thing the shoo-in. And not said by the likes of Richard Cohen or Paul Krugman as they back away from Clinton, is the possibility that she will be charged with a felony by the FBI for her carelessness in handling highly secret documents in her private (hidden in Colorado) server.
Not since Aaron Burr was in the running for president of the U. S. have we seen such an ethically compromised character so close to becoming president. Burr lost to Thomas Jefferson but it was close. Now we have Clinton as the only viable candidate of the Democrats; Clinton with all the Clinton baggage and three decades of one scandal after the other, which they together brought to the White House when Bill Clinton was president. Now we have the falsehoods of the e-mails; the preposterous story of Benghazi; the hundreds of thousands of dollars for each of Bill Clintons speeches to needy friends. Do we want to go through that again? When she speaks what words can we believe?
The Japanese government on Tuesday announced that it has readied itself for a possible test-firing of a ballistic missile by North Korea by deploying both ground and sea-based anti-missile interceptors.
Japan's Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said his ministry was fully poised for any rocket or missile tests by North Korea, stating that Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, surface-to-air missile systems have been deployed at 34 locations, Xinhua news agency reported.
The locations comprise the ministry's facilities in Ichigaya in Tokyo, as well as in Asaka and Narashino, which is close to the capital.
Nakatani said a launch could occur without prior notice and as such Japan had to ready itself for a number of potential scenarios.
He said past launches have come without any warning, and, as such, the potential for rocket or missile-related objects falling into waters around Japan existed.
The minister added that the Maritime Self-Defence Force's Aegis destroyers, equipped with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor systems have also been deployed in the Sea of Japan and surrounding waters.
In 1998, North Korea's Taepodong-1, medium-range ballistic missile and successor to its Nodong class of missiles, was launched and flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
The defence ministry said at the time that the missile landed in the middle of the Sea of Japan, south of the Russian city of Vladivostok and hit the water some 386 km from the Noto Peninsula, the nearest coast of Japan, which lies 690 km northwest of Tokyo.
Japan is set to ease visa regulations for people travelling from India and Vietnam as multiple-entry visa terms are to be doubled for nationals of the two countries, the media reported on Tuesday.
The easing of rules, effective from February 15, will affect people initially travelling for "business purposes and for cultural or intellectual figures", the foreign ministry said in a statement. Subsequent visits on the same visa can be social in nature, the Japan Times reported.
Currently, Indian and Vietnamese nationals can obtain multiple-entry visas of up to five years' duration. The change will grant them 10-year visas.
The 10-year visas will be the longest that Japan will issue, the ministry said.
Holders of such multiple-entry visas will be restricted to visiting Japan for business purposes or academic exchanges but can then re-enter multiple times for tourism or to meet friends and families, the ministry said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the planned visa relaxations during a visit to India in December 2015 and also at a summit with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, in September 2015.
"These measures are expected to further advance people-to-people exchanges with Vietnam and India," the ministry added.
A man from Jammu and Kashmir was arrested by Punjab Police on Tuesday for allegedly spying for Pakistan in Pathankot, by clicking photographs of sensitive defence establishments, police said.
Irshad Ahmed, who belongs to Surankote area of Jammu and Kashmir, was working as a labourer with a contractor in Punjab.
Police recovered photographs of Mamun Cantonment, the largest cantonment of the Indian Army, and other defence installations in the area, from the spy's possession, an officer said.
"He was supplying photographs to his ISI handlers in Pakistan," the officer said.
Sources said that based on interrogation of the arrested spy, his brother was also arrested from Jammu region on Tuesday.
Pakistani terrorists had attacked the sensitive Pathankot Air Force Station on January 2, leaving seven security personnel dead. All six terrorists were killed by security forces.
On July 27 last year, three terrorists from Pakistan had attacked Dinanagar town, leaving seven people, including four security personnel, dead.
Terming as "unfortunate" the present situation in Delhi, where tussle between the Arvind Kejriwal government and the central agencies is causing immense trouble to citizens, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said the present regime has "failed to work in tandem with the central government" for betterment of the national capital.
"It's unfortunate and sad for Delhi that the chief minister is having problems with the lieutenant governor, police commissioner and others," Dikshit told IANS in an interview.
"He (Kejriwal) is blaming others for things that he promised he would do," she said, adding that the capital city is in chaos because municipal workers and officials have gone on strike.
Dikshit, who served the city for three consecutive terms from December 1998 to December 2013, said that Delhi could have done better in terms of dealing with problems like traffic jams, scarcity and contamination of water, and air pollution, had there been a cooperation among the agencies concerned.
"Cooperation is the key to get the work done," the former chief minister said, adding that Kejriwal had failed to coordinate and cooperate with the central agencies and had created a "difficult situation" in the city.
Commenting on the Aam Aadmi Party government completing one year in office on February 14, Dikshit said there was a lot to be done in terms of promises the party had made before the polls.
The fact that Delhi was not a full-fledged state and any party forming the government would have to work in tune with the Centre was known to everybody, Dikshit obvserved.
But Kejriwal still made promises which were "unreasonable and impossible to fulfill", said the 77-year-old, who is known for giving Delhi a number of flyovers and other infrastructure during her 15-year long regime.
"You could not have asked for more seats (in the assembly). People gave you a huge mandate. They thought you would deliver on your promises," she said.
Dikshit said it was impossible to provide free electricity, water and other services to the people as everything costs.
Admitting that pollution was a serious problem in Delhi, Dikshit said the Kejriwal government must come up with "good measures" to deal with it. "Odd-even did not help much," she added.
On the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) introduced in parts of Delhi by her government, Dikshit said it did not work the way it was expected to.
"But demolishing it with fan fare was not required," she said.
(Sushil Kumar could be contacted on sushil.k@ians.in)
Chinese smartphone maker LeEco on Tuesday sold a whopping 70,000 units of its Le1s smartphones in a flash sale on Indian e-tail major Flipkart, a top company official said.
"We have sold 70,000 phones in two seconds in our first flash sale and are extremely happy about it. I think its a new industry record," company's India chief Atul jain told IANS minutes after the sale ended.
The main accused in the killing of an Indore girl in Patna was arrested on Tuesday, police said.
Shristi Jain, 23, from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, was shot dead on January 25 allegedly by Rajnish Kumar in Jakkanpur locality of Bihar's capital city.
Deputy Inspector General (Patna) Shalin told the media here that Rajnish Kumar was arrested from Patna. "We will produce him in court and he will be sent to jail."
He said police would also approach the court for his police remand.
"Investigation is on in the case and the exact cause of killing will be known only after the main accused is interrogated," Shalin said.
According to preliminary investigations, the deceased girl had come to Patna on January 23 to meet Rajnish kumar.
She had published a matrimonial advertisement in a newspaper and Rajnish Kumar, a resident of Raghopur in Vaishali district, had responded to it. Rajnish Kumar, police said, had also spoken to the girl before her arrival in Patna.
The Congress on Tuesday hit out at the Centre over minister Maneka Gandhi's statement on female foeticide, saying it reflected the government's insensitivity, complete lack of awareness and understanding of the ground realities.
At an event in Jaipur, Maneka Gandhi said: "There is an alternate point of view that if each pregnancy could be registered and the sex of the foetus made known to parents and if it happens to be a female, the delivery should be tracked and recorded. Such a system will help ensure that a foetus is not aborted only because it is a female."
Reacting to this, All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Oza said: "The Modi government appears determined to convert 'Save the girl child' campaign into 'Banish the girl child' campaign."
"Shocking and outlandish statement made by Maneka Gandhi proposing to lift the ban on sex determination test and instead to make it mandatory, reflects the insensitivity, complete lack of awareness and understanding of the ground realities on part of the BJP government."
Shobha Oza said: "Preposterous and bizarre as it is, lifting the ban will undo years of hard work, institutional mechanisms and legal framework that has been put in place for last two decades to discourage female foeticide."
"Instead of implementing Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act in letter and spirit, the Modi government appears to completely abdicate its solemn obligation, thereby opening flood gates for medical termination of pregnancy originating on account of sex of the foetus," said Oza.
Oza also said Maneka Gandhi appears to be either completely naive or myopic in her belief that those wanting to kill the girl child will state the true reason for termination of pregnancy.
"What is even more outrageous is the fact that the BJP government wants to keep a track of all pregnant women in India from the time of conception of child up to the delivery."
"The suggestion in itself borders on eccentricity. Does the Modi government intend to act as a police state and employ state machinery to track each and every woman who becomes pregnant?" Oza asked.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted Narendra Modi government for not grating special status to Andhra Pradesh.
Addressing a public meeting in Bandlapalli village in Anantapur district of the state, they said Prime Minister Modi had the responsibility to fulfil the promise made by the central government.
Manmohan Singh recalled that when parliament was debating the issue of formation of Telangana state, he, as the then prime minister, had assured people of Andhra Pradesh that government will grant special category status.
"Unfortunately UPA lost elections in 2014 and the BJP government now in power in Delhi has refused to honour this solemn commitment I had made as prime minister to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh," he said.
Gandhi said the central government had promised that after bifurcation, it will extend all help to Andhra Pradesh and give it special category status.
"This promise was made by UPA government but it was not a mere UPA government. It was the government of India. The NDA government should realize that as the government of India its responsibility is to fulfill this commitment," Gandhi said.
He said it was the responsibility of Prime Minister Modi to fulfill the promise. "Perhaps for the first time in history of independent India that the central government made a promise to a state but is not fulfilling it," he remarked.
The meeting was organized by Congress party to mark 10 years of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme or MGNREGA. It was in this village that the UPA had launched the scheme.
Top Congress leaders Meera Kumar, Ambika Soni, Oscar Fernandez, Anand Sharma, party's Andhra Pradesh unit chief Raghuveera Reddy and several former union ministers were present.
A scheduled meeting between the United Nations (UN) and the major Syrian opposition on Tuesday afternoon was postponed to an as yet unspecified time.
The opposition is accusing the latest Syrian government and Russia military actions as threatening the current peace talks.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, was scheduled to meet with the Syrian main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) delegation for the second time on Tuesday afternoon at the UN headquarters here, but the meeting was later cancelled, Xinhua reported.
"No additional meeting related to the intra-Syrian talks will take place today," the office of the UN Special Envoy said in a statement late on Tuesday afternoon.
"Last night and today we are receiving reports of massive escalation of Russian and regime military aggression on Aleppo and Homs, including attacks on hospitals and critical infrastructure. The target, as always, are overwhelmingly civilians," the HNC official said in a statement.
The official highlighted De Mistura's statement to the HNC that paragraphs 12 and 13 of a UN Security Council resolution, which calls for the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid throughout Syria as well as a cessation of attacks against civilians and civilian objects, were non-negotiable.
"The regime's and Russia's actions gravely threaten the political process. We need the international community to take immediate, serious and clear steps to ensure the credibility of this process," the opposition delegate concluded.
The UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks on Tuesday struggled to continue in Geneva when the UN representative met again with government delegation in the morning.
After the meeting, Syrian ambassador to the UN and head of the government delegation, Bashar Jaafari, said the current talks attempting to broker peace for the war-torn country were still in their preliminary stages.
The stalled talks come one day after the special envoy's announcement that intra-Syrian talks had officially started, following his meeting on Monday with the opposition.
Tension prevailed in Mirchowk area in the old city of Hyderabad following a clash between MIM and Congress workers during elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Tuesday.
Police had to baton-charge the two groups to disperse them. Some leaders and activists of the two parties were injured.
Trouble began after the Congress party's Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir with their supporters came to the Mirchowk police station to demand release of party leader Mohammed Ghouse, who was earlier arrested in Khilwat area.
The Congress leaders alleged that the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) resorted to rigging with the support of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government and police. They demanded repoll in Puranapul division.
MIM president and Hyderabad Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi with his party workers also reached the police station raising slogans against the Congress leaders. The two groups had heated arguments.
Some MIM workers attacked Uttam Kumar Reddy's car. Police arrested the MIM activists and used mild force to disperse the two groups.
Ghouse, who recently resigned from the MIM to join the Congress, and MIM leader and Charminar legislator Ahmed Pasha Khadri were arrested in Khilwat when they clashed near a polling station after accusing each other of influencing voters.
Bismarck Police Chief Dan Donlin described two officer-involved shootings in less than two weeks as very concerning" and will leave the department down the three officers involved as they were put on administrative leaves.
On Sunday night, Travis Clark, 26, of Bismarck, was shot by two Bismarck police officers after he ignored the officers commands and reached for what was believed to be a weapon in his vehicle parked outside a mobile home at 1119 University Drive.
On Jan. 23, Sgt. Jordan West shot Miguel Stubing, 18, of Mandan, after he ignored the Bismarck police officers commands and allegedly drove a stolen vehicle at him.
(Its) concerning for my staff, my officers, their families. (Its) concerning for the community, Donlin said at a news conference on Monday. We have now had two incidences where two individuals are not following simple commands by the officers.
There have been four officer-involved shootings since 2013, including one in 2014, one in February 2015 and the two most recent shootings, according to Donlin. He said officers follow a department policy on the use of deadly force, which is reviewed annually as part of the departments national accreditation process.
The officers go by state law when they can use deadly force and dictates by the U.S. Supreme Court, Donlin said.
According to the policy, which was updated in November, the use of deadly force is applicable if the officer is defending against imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury or to stop a fleeing suspect whom the officer believes has committed a felony and another person may be harmed if the suspect is not apprehended.
"Its a last resort that they want to use deadly force, said Donlin, attesting to a situation in 2003 where he had killed someone during a SWAT 14-hour standoff.
No officer ever wants to get involved in something like this, he said. It is very difficult on an officer from experience to go through this psychologically and emotionally. This isnt TV, its not just you walk away from this and (say), OK, on to the next call.
With three officers on paid administrative leave, Donlin said the department may look at temporarily shifting officers around to fill the spots.
To have two back-to-back (shootings) really creates a difficult situation, Donlin said. Now, we present this dangerous situation where the officer might hesitate to fire when they might be justified in shooting.
Sunday incident
Clark was arrested Sunday for a felony burglary warrant after he allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's home with a revolver last month, violating a court-issued protection order. At 6:08 p.m., Bismarck police received a request from the Mandan Police Department to check a University Drive address for Clarks vehicle.
An officer arrived at the mobile home and saw Clark get out of his vehicle and walk into a mobile home.
Donlin said the officer, who was very familiar with Clark, was concerned that he was armed and waited for several other officers to arrive as back up and establish a perimeter.
While officers were unable to contact Clark by phone, the suspect exited the mobile home at 7:30 p.m. and began walking to his car. Officers ordered him to stop and put up his hands. Clark ignored their commands and got into his car.
He continued to ignore the officers commands and then started yelling at the officers to Get away, get away and get back! Donlin said.
Clark allegedly made a quick, deliberate move, which the officers interpreted to be reaching for a weapon, according to Donlin.
Two of the approximate seven officers on scene fired their weapons simultaneously, one officer firing, what Ive been told, one round, and the other officer firing more than one round, Donlin said.
Neighborhood upset
Heather Lane, who lives on the same street where the shooting occurred, said her children told her they heard eight shots fired.
They were all pretty freaked out, said Lane, who had been in her car and driving around the mobile home park to make a phone call. She said she returned right after Clark was shot.
I heard him screaming when I got out of the car, said Lane, adding that the shooting happened too close to home.
Were getting more and more cops in this trailer park, Lane said. Its getting pretty bad.
When Clark told the officers he had been shot, he was rendered aid and transported to Sanford Medical Center on Sunday night for surgery, according to Donlin.
A Sanford spokesman couldnt provide any information on Clarks condition on Monday.
A revolver was reportedly found in the front seat of Clark's vehicle.
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting the Bismarck Police Department in the investigation. Donlin said BCI and the states attorneys office will determine if any additional charges will be filed against Clark.
We have to wait and see what the investigation reveals, Donlin said.
The body of a student missing in Monday's drowning tragedy at a beach here was fished out of the waters on Tuesday, an official said.
The Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard personnel had resumed their air and sea search for the missing student, Saif Madki, and after over three hours, located his body floating in the waters at Murud Beach.
An Indian Navy Chetak helicopter and an interceptor speedboat had resumed search for Madki at daybreak -- 15 hours after a massive tragedy struck there, killing 13 other students, including 10 girls, of Pune's MCES Abeda Inamdar College.
The students were among 130 besides a dozen of teachers and support staffers who had come for the college-sponsored annual picnic which soon turned into a tragedy.
While 13 bodies were recovered and another six students were rescued from the treacherous waters by late Monday, Madki's body was found nearly 18 hours later.
Maharashtra Governor C V Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have expressed grief and deep shock over the tragedy and the state government announced an ex-gratia of Rs.200,000 to the families of each victim.
Aged between 19 and 23 years, the victims were mostly students of BSc (Computer Science) of a minority-run institution in the Azam Campus of Pune's Camp area.
They are: Rafiya Ansari and her sister Shafiya Ansari, Sumaiya Ansari, Sheefa Kazi, Supriya Pan, Sana Shaikh, Swapnali Salgar, Sajeed Choudhary, Iftekar Shaikh, Samreen Shaikh, Mohammed Ansari, Farin Sayyed and Rajlaxmi Pandugayala.
Although the exact cause of the mass-drowning is unclear, local fisherfolk and villagers claimed that they had warned the students against venturing too far out in the sea waters. Their warning went unheeded.
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.
Rome, Feb 2 (IANS/AKI) A yacht owned by Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, where he had trysts with his mistress Clara Petacci, was among millions of euros of assets impounded from an Italian businessman accused of large-scale tax evasion.
The yacht, originally named Konigin II, was in 1935 given to Mussolini who renamed it 'La Fiamma Nera' (The Black Flame).
He sank the vessel in 1943 to prevent it from falling into enemy hands but after World War II the boat was raised by an Italian count, who restored it and renamed it 'Serenella'.
The yacht was among the 28 million euros worth of assets seized by finance police agents on Monday from an unnamed businessman suspected of links to a mafia-style crime gang accused of infiltrating Rome's city council and creaming off millions of euros of public funds.
Among the other assets seized are 32 plots of land and 75 properties, some of which had been rented to Eriches 29, a company run by one of the organised crime gang's alleged ringleaders, Salvatore Buzzi.
--IANS/AKI
pku/vm
A Myanmarese businessman with stakes in South African and Australian offshore oil blocks is keen to invest in diverse sectors in India which is poised to become the world's fifth largest consumer market by 2030.
But he says India still needs to bring business reforms to attract foreign investments.
"Yes I am looking for some business opportunities in India like trading agricultural products and some kind of consumer goods," Silver Wave Energy chairman Minn Minn Oung told this visiting IANS correspondent here.
His company, with a turnover of around $10 million, is one of Myanmar's leading businesses, with interests in mining, renewable/green energy, oil and gas exploration and real estate and hospitality sectors.
Minn Minn, 41, who has business interests in South Africa, Australia, Japan and Singapore, is travelling to India shortly. He has 36 offshore oil blocks in South Africa and small investments in oil blocks in Australia.
"I am planning to visit India very soon," he said.
According to him, Myanmar needs investment in agriculture, consumer goods, banking, education, medical, real estate and solar and wind energy.
"In India we are keen to invest in energy sectors like solar and oil refinery. Even in the hospitality industry we are looking for investments," said Minn Minn, whose company had partnered with India's state-run gas utility GAIL to access offshore blocks in Myanmar.
His investments in his country are over $60 million in mineral and oil exploration.
But he feels Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to act fast to facilitate foreign investments.
"During the elections, Modi made a loud pitch for business reforms. So far he has failed to resolve foreign investors' concerns of doing business and investing in India," he added.
Minn Minn said his company, which is going to be listed in London Stock Exchange (LSE), could manage billions and billions of dollars of investment in India's oil and gas exploration and production.
India, which is Asia's third largest economy, is promoting oil exploration to reduce dependence on imports.
At 23 percent of total energy supply, petroleum is India's second largest source, half the market share of coal, Forbes magazine says.
Boosted by falling crude prices, it says, India is expected to overtake Japan to become the world's third largest oil consumer, at about 4.1 million b/d (barrels per day).
Since 2005, India has been responsible for 20 percent of incremental global oil demand increase, versus 55 percent for China.
Minn Minn, whose company is going to acquire two LSE-listed oil companies, said there is good demand of medicines, consumer goods and agricultural commodities in Myanmar.
"The Indian companies could set up their bases in Myanmar with local partners that would be helpful getting speedy project clearances," he said.
About the new democratically elected government in his country that is going to replace the 25-year-old military ruled government, he said: "Let's wait and watch. We expect the new government would be more open and transparent, which will be better for all, especially the youth who are migrating to China and Malaysia for jobs."
India's ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare says in 2014-15, the country exported agricultural commodities worth $84.9 million to Myanmar.
India's principal exports were soybean oilcake, soybean flour and meals, lentils, wheat, cotton and coffee essence.
India's agricultural imports from Myanmar, at $845.48 million, mainly comprised moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, chickpeas, betel nuts and turmeric.
The ministry says India's deficit in agriculture trade with Myanmar is due to the high value pulses, which account for about 98 percent of imports.
(Vishal Gulati was in Myanmar at the invitation of Indian Buddhist spiritual leader Gyalwang Drukpa's global charity 'Live To Love'. He can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
The Nepal government on Tuesday expressed concern over statements made by some leaders in India's Bihar state, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, on supporting the Madhesi agitation during a meeting with some leaders of the community.
Leaders of the Madhesi community were in Bihar and met Indian leaders, many of whom pledged their support to the agitation in Nepal's southern Terai region.
The attention of the Nepal government was drawn to media coverage in Tuesday's newspapers that said political leaders of Bihar made statements about "inherently internal issues" of Nepal, said Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs in a statement.
"The statements are provocative and uninformed about the ground realities and do not serve the fundamental interest of the two countries," the foreign ministry said.
"The government of Nepal expresses deep regrets over such statements. They are not helpful in the ongoing efforts aimed at normalising the situation," it said, without referring to the meeting between Lalu Prasad and Nepali Madhesi politicians.
The ministry said the Nepal government "urges all to exercise restraint from making statements that may seriously undermine the harmonious relations between the two countries".
The statement called for positive attitude and contribution from all concerned to promote bilateral relations.
Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal chairman Upendra Yadav, Sadbhawana Party chairman Rajendra Mahato and Terai Madesh Sadbhawana Party chief Mahendra Raya Yadav met Lalu Prasad at his residence in Patna on Monday.
They are scheduled to meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushil Kumar Modi and others.
The Nepali leaders told local reporters that they reached Bihar to seek sympathy from Indian leaders for the Terai agitation that has lasted for more than five months.
The Indian leaders reportedly pledged support to the Madhesi leaders, and assured them that they will talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the Nepal government to meet their demands.
Former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh is a spent force and there is no chance of his return to the party from which he was expelled in 2010, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Mohammad Azam Khan said.
"He is a 'daga kartoos' (spent cartridge) and is not coming into the SP," the urban development and minority affairs minister told reporters late Monday night in Kanpur.
"While I can fetch votes for the ruling party, people like Amar Singh who travel in BMWs are not even sure whom their wives will vote for," Khan remarked.
The minister's comments are in stark contrast to recent hints dropped by SP leaders about the return of former Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh to the party fold.
SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav recently said Amar Singh "is in my heart", while his younger brother and Public Works Department Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav said Amar Singh was always a family.
On Monday too, Yadav said in Jaunpur that whenever Mulayam Singh wants, Amar Singh will be back in the party.
There have been strong indications that both sides may bury the hatchet before the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, due early next year.
Two employees of Pakistan International Airlines were killed after a standoff with police on Tuesday, which led the national flag carrier to wind down its operations across the country.
As news of the deaths spread in the evening, the flight operations began shutting down in solidarity with the protestors, officials said.
The operations were suspended around 4.00 p.m. at Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta airports, officials confirmed.
PIA Lahore spokesman Athar Awan said flight operations were halted after two PIA employees were killed in clashes with police and Pakistan Rangers.
A Civil Aviation Authority official in Quetta, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that flights to and from Quetta were delayed indefinitely following the protest outside Karachi airport.
Two protestors died after they sustained bullet injuries and five others were injured, but Rangers and police denied "handling protestors violently" and opening fire on them at the site of the clash, Dawn reported.
The incident came a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enforced the Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1952, for six months in an effort to block the impending strike of the airline staff.
The employees of Pakistan International Airlines are opposing the airlines' privatisation and are determined to disrupt flight operations from Tuesday despite the government's threat to terminate their services for work stoppage.
A large contingent of Rangers and police personnel was stationed outside the major airports to control the protestors and avoid any violence.
Pakistan and China on Tuesday held the Second Maritime Cooperation Dialogue in Islamabad and agreed to enhance their cooperation in the maritime domain, a statement said.
Representatives from various government departments of the two sides also attended the dialogue and reviewed overall maritime situation in the region, security of sea lanes of communication, anti-piracy cooperation, rescue and relief operations, maritime science and technology cooperation and exchanges between the two navies.
Lauding the Chinese Belt and Road initiative, the prime minister's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz stressed the need for greater maritime cooperation between the two countries, a foreign ministry statement said.
The Chinese delegation head, Assistant Minister (Asia and Consular Affairs) Kong Xuanyou, expressed satisfaction over the progress in bilateral Maritime Cooperation Dialogue, and said that many new proposals have been shared by both the sides which would promote cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.
Both sides also expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved since the first round of dialogue held in Beijing on July 8, 2014.
BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said it was up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to decide if he should relinquish his post as union minister after being named as the party's Assam chief ministerial candidate.
"This is the desire (whether to continue as union minister) of the prime minister and not my individual choice," Sonowal told IANS during his visit to the Meghalaya capital after launching the official 12th South Asian Games jingle and 'Special Cover' and 'My Stamp' by India Post.
On January 28, the BJP parliamentary board tasked Sonowal to ensure a repeat of the party's 2014 Lok Sabha election performance in the upcoming polls to the 126-member Assam assembly scheduled to be held in April-May.
In the parliamentary polls, Sonowal was credited for the BJP's best performance in the state, winning seven of the 14 seats and reducing the Congress to just three.
Sonowal, who is also the president of the BJP unit in Assam, said talks were on with all regional parties, including the Asom Gana Parishad to come on the NDA platform.
"We are expecting a landslide victory as this is the only party (BJP) which has ensured development in the northeastern states. I am not going to tell you the figure, but we will get a sizeable number of seats which will be sufficient to form the new government in the state," he said.
Stating that the people of Assam are fed up with the misrule of the Congress in the state for the past 15 years, Sonowal said: "The people of Assam will ensure the BJP's victory.
"In the last 15 years, the Congress has done nothing for the people but promoting the culture of nepotism, malpractices and made the system non-operational."
"I don't think the people will trust the Congress after witnessing the wrongdoings of the Congress in the past 15 years. The growth is not visible, and the electoral promises they have made were all broken, and they have become a betrayer of the people," he said.
He said the people of Assam and other northeastern states are now moving towards the BJP to ensure all-round development.
"If we look back at the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee era, it was the BJP which created a separate ministry of DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) with an objective to ensure all-round development.
"It was the BJP-led government who also initiated Assam's Silchar-Saurashtra (East-West) corridor project besides other infrastructure," he said.
"The efforts of Vajpayee government did not end there and now our prime minister (Modi) has further taken new initiatives to promote the development in the northeastern states. He even ensured that union ministers visit the region every fortnight to ensure the development of the region," he added.
On the ongoing peace dialogue with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Sonowal, a former president of the All Assam Students' Union, said the NDA government was sincere in its efforts to make the initiative result-oriented, which the then Congress-led government failed to do.
He said the NDA government took steps to bring ULFA's 'general secretary' Anup Chetia back to the country from Bangladesh to expedite the peace process.
Polling was under way peacefully and amid tight security for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Tuesday.
Polling began at 7 a.m. at 7,802 polling stations spread across the city and will continue till 5 p.m.
A total of 7,423,980 voters, including 3,453,910 women, will decide the political fortunes of 1,333 candidates, who are in fray in 150 divisions.
With deployment of over 30,000 security personnel, election authorities have made elaborate arrangements to ensure peaceful polling.
As many as 46,545 personnel have been deployed for the election duty for smooth conduct of the poll process.
The state election commission is webcasting polling at 3,200 sensitive polling stations. The officials of the commission and also police were monitoring the balloting process.
The state government has declared a holiday for all offices, educational institutions, shops and business establishments to enable people to cast their votes.
Half-day holiday has also been declared for IT/ITES companies.
Polling began on a dull note with less than 12 percent voters casting their votes in the first three hours. The GHMC officials hope that the turnout will pick up as the day progresses.
Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya along with his family members cast their votes in Ramnagar.
Telangana's Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao, who led the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi's campaign, cast his vote in Banjara Hills.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu's wife Bhuaneswari, son Lokesh, daughter Brahmini cast their votes in Jubliee Hills. Naidu's brother-in-law and popular Telugu actor Balakrishna also exercised franchise.
Nearly a quarter of the 74.23 lakh electorate cast their votes on Tuesday in the elections for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), officials said.
About 22 percent of the voters had exercised their franchise till noon, said officials of the Telangana state election commission. Polling began at 7 a.m. at 7,802 polling stations spread across the city and will continue till 5 p.m.
A total of 7,423,980 voters, including 3,453,910 women, will decide the political fortunes of 1,333 candidates, who are in fray in 150 divisions.
Officials said the polling was progressing peacefully barring minor incidents in few places.
Voters in some divisions complained that their names were missing from the voters' list.
With the deployment of over 30,000 security personnel, election authorities have made elaborate arrangements to ensure peaceful polling.
As many as 46,545 personnel have been deployed for the election duty.
The state election commission is webcasting polling at 3,200 sensitive polling stations. The officials of the commission and police were monitoring the balloting process.
The state government has declared a holiday for all offices, educational institutions, shops and business establishments. Half-day holiday has also been declared for IT/ITES companies.
Polling began on a dull note but the GHMC officials hope that the turnout will pick up as the day progresses.
E. S. L. Narasimhan, who is governor of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and his wife Vimla Narasimhan cast their votes at a polling booth in Khairatabad.
Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya along with his family members cast their votes in Ramnagar.
Telangana's Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao, who led the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi's campaign, cast his vote in Banjara Hills. Deputy Chief Minister Mehmood Ali, Home minister N. Narasimha Reddy, Commercial Taxes Minister T. Srinivas Yadav, TRS general secretary K. Keshava Rao were among key leaders of the ruling party who cast their votes.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu's wife Bhuaneswari, son Lokesh, daughter Brahmini cast their votes in Jubliee Hills. Naidu's brother-in-law and popular Telugu actor Balakrishna also exercised franchise.
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, his brother and party legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi also exercised their franchise.
This is the first GHMC election after formation of Telangana state and the second after Greater Hyderabad was created in 2007 with the merger of eight municipalities and 12 villages of neighbouring districts with Hyderabad. This had made Greater Hyderabad the second biggest urban agglomerate in the country after New Delhi in terms of area (621.48 sq. km).
TRS, which did not contest first GHMC elections in 2009, is making a determined bid to capture power in the state capital. TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has already indicated that it will have a post-poll alliance with MIM to get the posts of mayor and deputy mayor.
MIM, a key player in city politics, had shared power with the Congress party in the previous municipal body.
This time Congress, the main opposition party, is contesting the elections on its own.
TDP-BJP alliance is confident of giving tough fight to TRS by mainly banking on the voters from Andhra Pradesh settled here. They are estimated to be about 40 percent of the total electorate.
TRS, which had bagged only two of the 24 assembly seats in GHMC limits in 2014 elections, has also reached out to voters from Andhra Pradesh.
MADISON, S.D. -- Charlie Johnson of Madison, S.D., a former president of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agricultural Society, sees a strong future for organics, and that's because of the rise of organic meat demand in America.
Charlie and his brother, Allan, grow organic corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa on about 1,600 tillable acres. They have another 800 acres of pastures, sloughs and building sites, and a 200-head beef cow operation.
The beef operation is not certified organic, but it consumes the Johnsons' entire organically-produced hay crop. They market the calves and provide beef from about 30 head, on a private-treaty basis.
In 2015, nearly 70 semi-truck loads of grain left the Johnson farm, but none of them were unloaded in South Dakota.
"They were left for other states -- Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois," Johnson said. "If we could take even a small part of that grain shipment and develop an organic livestock sector in this state, we'd be better off as a livestock state and far ahead as a community in South Dakota."
Johnson doesn't agree with state economic policies that favor CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations). Instead, he favors efforts such as those by Clear Lake, S.D.-based Dakota Rural Action to establish an organic dairy network in existing, recently-used dairy facilities. And Organic Valley CROPP Cooperative of La Farge, Wis., is trying to kickstart organic farming on existing dairy producers, with organic producers feeding grain into those operations.
40-year veterans
The Johnsons are among the longest-running organic producers in the region. His late father, Bernard "Bernie" Johnson and an uncle, Steve Johnson, started organic farming in 1976. Charlie served on the NPSAS board chairman from 2013 to 2015.
Johnson said organic premiums for grains have been more consistent, because of the ascendance of organic livestock, dairy and poultry, Johnson said. In the past five years. the Johnsons have averaged $10 to $12 per bushel for their organic corn. Soybeans are about $20 to $27 per bushel range. Oats are $6 to $6.50 per bushel. They've been selling organic hay to a small dairy for about $200 per ton.
Only in the past three to six months has he seen adverse price pressure. Initial sales of 2015 crop corn have been $9 per bushel. Soybeans are still at $24 to $26 per bushel. They're all contracted ahead of time. Oats were still at $6 per bushel.
Johnson said his best information is that only half of the grains fed to organically- grown livestock in the U.S. is actually grown here, so there are opportunities for domestic producers. "My premise is, if we had more organic farming practices being done out here on the countryside, we'd have a far better and more viable rural neighborhood out here," he said.
While less than 2 percent of the food Americans eat today is organic, Johnson thinks that could grow significantly. "Anybody that's willing to provide more management and stewardship in their operation to manage a viable crop rotation, a viable soil program, they're going to be on the way to getting started in organics. There's rewards for those who sustain an organic system," he said.
"Ironically, it would have been better for producers to have switched over to organic in 2010 to 2012, when commodity prices were extraordinarily strong," he said. "Even conventional producers (then) were getting $7 corn."
The black macaque in the world-famous "monkey selfie" which it took after pressing a button on a camera owned by a wildlife photographer four years ago in Indonesia has another chance to fight for the copyright ownership, media reported.
"The organisation [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] has means to amend -- meaning that if it wants, PETA can try yet again to get damages from nature photographer David Slater and the self-publishing company Blurb, Inc," a report on motherboard.vice.com said.
The situation has been uneasy for Slater as he is claiming the photo to be his but entities like Wikimedia contested this claim, "concluding that the selfie is in public domain because it was taken by a non-human".
Animal rights organisation PETA has taken Slater to court, claiming that the monkey selfies are neither in public domain nor the property of the photographer -- in fact, they belong to the black macaque named Naruto.
"The attorney for Naruto, David A. Schwarz, suggested that a ruling in favour of the macaque would be a progressive step forward similar to women's emancipation or the liberation of the slaves," the report said.
After a recent hearing, although the judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuit, PETA was given leave to file an amended complaint -- meaning that Naruto the macaque will have a second shot at claiming his copyright.
In September last year, PETA filed a lawsuit in the federal court in San Francisco against Slater and his company, Wildlife Personalities Ltd., which both claim copyright ownership of the photos that Naruto indisputably took.
The macaque is known to field researchers in Sulawesi who have observed and studied him for years as they work in the region.
In 2011 in Indonesia, Slater left an unattended camera on a tripod.
That was tempting for a curious male crested black macaque who took the camera and began taking photographs -- some of the forest floor, some of other macaques and several of himself, one of which resulted in the now-famous "monkey selfie".
PETA has not yet decided whether it will file an amended complaint, the report said.
Demanding confidence-building measures from the Centre, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said steps need to be taken to give a fillip to a new government in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Today, it is not about the Bharatiya Janata Party and the PDP. It is about what we tell the people about fulfilling Mufti sahib's vision. We need measures to give the new government a fillip. We need confidence-building measures from the Centre," Mehbooba told reporters after meeting Governor N.N. Vohra at Raj Bhavan here.
"I don't have the vision nor do I have the experience right now which Mufti sahib had. The Centre needs to create an environment to infuse confidence, and unless that happens, we cannot move forward," the PDP leader said while referring to her late father and chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who died on January 7 in a Delhi hospital.
She said the governor had called the PDP leadership for a meeting on Tuesday to know its views on the formation of a new government.
"Mufti sahib had taken a big decision by forming an alliance with the BJP. There were problems during the 10 months he was in power because of inherent contractions between the PDP and the BJP," Mehbooba said.
Earlier, senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh called on Mehbooba at the state circuit house here.
Sources said Singh assured her of continued BJP support to head a coalition government in the state.
PDP sources said she categorically told the BJP leader that unless the "highest leadership in the BJP gives me concrete assurances", she would not stake claim to form the new government in Jammu and Kashmir.
BJP leaders are also scheduled to call on Vohra on Tuesday evening to make clear their stand on government formation.
Thailand's Election Commission (EC) has proposed imposing penalties against people who inappropriately criticise the draft of the new constitution.
Thanit Sripratet, a senior expert with the EC, told EFE news agency on Tuesday that the proposed list of penalties will be long. However, he did not provide further information.
Distorting details about the draft, using rude language to criticise it, or inciting people to go against it are among the activities that might face punishment, Thanit said.
People will be permitted to approve or disapprove of the charter draft through a public referendum or can air their views constructively in public.
By the same token, the military will help the public to develop the right understanding about the draft, Col Sirichan Ngathong, deputy spokeswoman of the Royal Thai Army said on Monday.
"The Commander of the Thai Army has ordered every division of the army to help promote right understanding (about the charter draft) to communities on a regular basis to keep people informed and updated," said Sirichan.
At least 29 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed after US-led coalition forces carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, an official statement said on Tuesday.
"The foreign forces conducted four air raids against IS positions in Achin district on Monday night, killing 29 militants and destroying an IS radio station," the provincial government statement said.
The victims included five radio station workers and several high-ranking IS members, Xinhua news agency reported.
The district bordering Pakistan, is considered to be an IS stronghold, the statement added.
US drones continued to be hovering over Jalalabad and Achin district on Tuesday morning.
The battle to liberate the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State terror group will be "difficult, bloody and long", the US-led coalition fighting the group in Iraq said on Tuesday.
Coalition spokesman US Army Col. Steve Warren told a press briefing here that Mosul was the centre of IS power and "we estimate between 5,000 and 8,000 fighters from IS in Mosul and some parts of Nineveh province".
Warren said that he believes the IS fighters will fiercely fight back and "there will be difficult battle, bloody battle and will be long one," Xinhua reported.
Warren pledged to free Mosul from IS militants, but he asked the people in militant-seized city to wait for longer time until the Iraqi troops will be ready carry out their major offensive, saying "it is difficult to say how long we need to free Mosul, but I would like to tell the people in Mosul you will be freed just hold on it will take time".
He also said that there is no plan to bring more troops in Iraq only if the Iraqi government asked for more troops, stressing that currently there are around 5,600 of the coalition troops; 3,600 US troops and some 2,000 more from other international coalition countries, on the Iraqi soil, all of them were brought at the invitation of the Iraqi government to provide training support and advice to the Iraqi security forces.
Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces stunningly abandoned their weapons and posts and fled.
Goa Police have given an update to US consular officials regarding a probe into an American national's death last month, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.
"US officials requested Goa Police for an update on the probe into the death of 30-year-old Caitanya Lila Holt on January 12 in the coastal village of Korgao, 40 km from Panaji. We informed them about the latest developments, including post-mortem report," Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg told reporters at police headquarters here.
The latest developments in the case will be passed on to the family of the deceased US national.
Ohio-born Holt, a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, died mysteriously after allegedly choking on mud in a paddy field in Korgao in north Goa, after he was chased by villagers and policemen who mistook him for a thief.
A post-mortem examination said Holt died of asphyxia, also revealing injuries of non-fatal nature on his body.
While the Goa opposition said Holt's death was technically a murder and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said the death was an unfortunate accident. No arrests have been made so far in the case.
New tourist spots would be opened as part of a new tourism policy in Uttar Pradesh, an official said on Tuesday.
Under this new policy, the infrastructure at existing tourist destinations would be further strengthened and made more attractive, and many new tourist spots would also be opened, Principal Secretary (Tourism) Navneet Sehgal told IANS.
"We propose to market Uttar Pradesh's tourism as a major and competitive brand across India and even abroad," he added.
In 1998, 7.27 lakh tourists visited the state, and the number grew to 29.09 lakh in 2014. The state wants to capitalize on the good environment prevailing in the state, Sehgal said.
He said the focus would be on ensuring a "happy and safe experience" for tourists.
"In the coming days we will ensure that there is forward movement in these key areas and that the state becomes a more sought after spot for both domestic and international tourists," he said.
It was in February 2006, that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was for the first time notified on an experimental basis in 200 odd districts across the country exactly 10 years ago.
India currently faces many challenges. This article presents ideas on what the finance minister may do to meet some of these challenges.
Europe has as much to lose from Brexit as the UK. David Cameron looks set to secure limited concessions from the European Union (EU), Reuters reported on February 2. The European Union has grounds to offer thin gruel - it knows Brexit would hit member states' budget and trade unevenly. But given what it might unleash politically, a subpar deal is risky for Brussels as well as for Britain.
Cameron's proposed deal sounds like a classic European fudge. The idea is for a reformed European Union to feature a break for national parliaments to block European laws. Yet even though this "red card" could - unlike previous safeguards - be legally binding, it would require 55 per cent of EU parliaments to agree. That looks high.
If Europe faced certain catastrophe post-Brexit, the threshold would have been lower. But while member states would face higher individual budget costs, these sums are only euro 4.9 billion on average, Citi reckons. And while states that do lots of trade with the UK - like Holland, Ireland and Belgium - could see between three per cent and six per cent of their jobs being put at risk, that figure falls to around one per cent for Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, ING estimates.
Some states may even see Brexit as an opportunity. Between 2000 and 2014 the UK snapped up a fifth of European foreign investment, some of which could relocate. The financial services sector looks particularly vulnerable: the UK's might not be protected by trade deals, such as the one Switzerland has with Europe.
Yet the EU authorities still could be shooting themselves in the foot. Britain's departure would galvanise other populist movements in France, Italy and Germany. And, if Scotland were to leave the UK, secessionist movements in Spain and Italy might thrive.
Lastly, the loss of the UK would make a big difference to the balance of power within Europe. Countries that have historically supported free markets would no longer hold a blocking minority under Europe's qualified majority voting system, according to Open Europe, a think tank. Ideological differences between member states would become more acute.
The balance of power probably still lies with Europe, as the UK has more to lose, and its negotiating position after Brexit would be weak. However, the long-term consequences mean that both sides have an incentive to find a deal. Brexit should be an avoidable accident.
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- She was known region-wide for flogging fleischkuechle and knoephla, in a distinctively German bark more reminiscent of a drill sergeant than a dear little old lady.
But to the man who cast her two decades ago as "an authority figure" to sell his tagline for Kroll's Diner -- "Sit down and eat!" -- Clara Hedin turned out to be even sweeter than your typical pie-pushing granny.
Hedin, 88, of Moorhead, died Thursday.
"She was just a peach," Mark Hanson said.
Hedin had only recently taken a back seat in her promotional duties for the small chain of North Dakota restaurants that made her and fellow Kroll's lady Pat Sondrall of Fargo famous. She and Sondrall starred in more than 20 Kroll's commercials beginning in 2000.
Hanson was working for another ad agency that wanted to sell Kroll's as the latest 50s-style sock-hop spot. But when their research discovered Kroll's big draw was its western North Dakota-influenced German cooking, Hanson decided youth wasn't the way to sell the diner.
"When people are zigging, I like to zag," he said.
Instead, a little-old-lady search landed him Hedin, who had worked in food service and the hospitality shop at then-St. Luke's hospital, now Sanford Medical Center, for the last 25 years, said her daughter, Loree Brenna of Moorhead.
Hedin's stern, Teutonic line readings of his scripts for the ad campaign made Hanson laugh right off the bat, and boom -- Hedin had a new career.
"She'd just spout back these lines, and they'd be so weird the way they came out," he laughs. "She was the original star. She was the shining light of the whole thing."
The ad campaign moved with Hanson when he went to H2M in 2001, and Hedin and the Kroll's account went with him.
"There's been no copycats," he said of the campaign, which once featured the Kroll's ladies getting covered in flour and soda pop and flashing a "gang sign" driving a Kroll's vehicle. "It made a lot of money for them."
Hanson said Hedin was a good sport through all the shenanigans, but Brenna said that was just her mom's real personality.
"The commercials were just like her normal self," Brenna said. "She was not acting."
Two new Kroll's ladies were cast in 2011, when co-star Sondrall moved away to be closer to family. Sondrall died in 2013, at 84, followed by one of the "new" Kroll's ladies, Eileen Veitch of West Fargo, in 2014.
But Hedin, who'd been living on her own here, didn't stop working for Kroll's until about two years ago, when her health made it difficult for her to get around.
She was recognized wherever she went, even in the nursing home, her daughter said.
"You just can't replace a Clara," Hanson said.
GOING FOR GOLD
Why gold will always remain the eternal and enduring investment
Nanda Menon
Portfolio Penguin
214 pages; Rs 499
"Gold is God, sir. Gold is God! Gold is God and you must never forget it!" That is how an Indian jewellery merchant explained the concept of gold to a European investment director. In the recorded history of the human race, gold is the only asset that has fulfilled the condition of safeguarding, protecting and transferring wealth inter-generationally. Gold is valuable, portable and its ownership can be kept confidential. Gold can also be easily transacted from the busiest commercial centre to the remotest hut in far-flung areas, a characteristic that no other instrument possesses.
This book, divided into two parts plus a fairly lengthy introduction, examines the intrinsic appeal that gold holds for people - security and the desire to own something of beauty - and investment strategies.
As Mr Menon, an investment banker, points out at the start, gold has been intimately associated with different cultures. In India, gold has a unique position for Hindus as the sacredness of the metal goes back to the start of creation. The Rig Veda describes all creation beginning with Hiranyagarbha, literally the Golden Egg or Golden Womb, from which Brahma, the creator, emerges. And India has been receiving gold for thousands of years by way of payment for trade, mainly of spices, from other countries. And even in the modern era, when less than half of Indian households have a bank account, nearly 90 per cent hold gold, such is the sway of gold for Indians.
Since gold cannot be created by alchemy, there is a finite amount of gold that can be extracted. It is this quality of scarcity and rarity that has helped gold remain the ultimate representation of money for nearly 12,000 years. A fiat currency is just an aberration from the norm, the author observes. And, again, "A paper currency in the hands of governments is like giving the keys of a distillery to an alcoholic - they are simply unable to say no."
In systematically analysing the demand for gold, the author points out that the explosion in demand is not restricted to China and India. It is spreading to countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Turkey. Illustratively, in Istanbul, the world's first ATM for dispensing gold is being established. In the context of the global supply of gold, the estimate is that only 1,77,200 tonnes of gold have been mined so far. This is not a large amount and can fit into a square room of 25 meters. Annually, about 2,770 tonnes of gold is physically produced, of which 60 per cent is used for jewellery, 20 per cent for investment and 20 per cent in industry, which includes the coffers of central banks and manufacturers of electronics, semi-conductors, and medical equipment.
The author explains in detail the various stages of the production cycle of gold and the risks involved in investing in mines and mining stocks, using as illustration the story of the Bre-X scandal of 1997, when it was found that the Canadian group had fraudulently overestimated gold resources in its Indonesian mines.
In the chapter on futures and options, the author suggests that the current unprecedented oscillation between backwardation (when the future price of a commodity is higher than the spot price) and contango (when the future price of a commodity is below the spot price) indicates a long-term bull market in gold. In chapter 10, after examining silver, platinum, and diamonds, the author concludes that there are no alternatives to gold that would provide comparable liquidity, reliability and ease of transaction as a repository of wealth. Therefore, in the absence of any alternative, demand for gold can be expected to increase even further, especially when income levels in many countries, including Africa, rise.
Gold was created when, over 4.5 billion years ago, meteors brought gold from a neutron star - the densest and smaller stars known in the universe - to earth, which was still raging red hot with volcanic activity. Because gold was dense and heavy, it descended deep within the molten mantle of the earth. It was later, some millions of years ago, when tectonic activity resulted in the formation of continents, that gold was ejected from the magma and came to the surface.
So the critical question is: how long will gold supplies last? Of the 510 million square km of the earth's surface, 361 square km is covered by oceans; these may have significant gold deposits but they cannot be extracted owing to technological and cost constraints. Of the remaining 149 million square km of land area, millennia of human habitation and exploitation have resulted in many areas largely being mined out, including in India. There are, however, still some unexplored belts in Latin America, West Africa and the Ring of Fire of the south Pacific. The other issue is whether there is a floor price for gold. Again, the author observes that the cost of mining is substantial and therefore $1,200 per oz. is perhaps the ideal floor price for gold.
The book is well-researched and cogently discussed. Mr Menon covers, with the ease and elan of an expert, issues ranging from the conceptual and mundane to explanations of the most sophisticated global markets. It is compulsory reading for any scholar studying monetary policy or for policymakers considering a shift back to the gold standard.
The reviewer is RBI chair professor of economics, IIM Bangalore
Faced with protests over mandatory toilet clause for panchayat and local body elections, the Nitish Kumar-led state government has decided to remove the provision altogether.The provision, which barred people without toilets from contesting election, was passed by the state assembly in August last year with a sole purpose to promote hygiene and cleanliness.
The state cabinet on Tuesday removed the provision from the Bihar Panchayati Raj Act, 2006. This now enables people without having a toilet at home to contest the local body election, scheduled for the April and May in the current year. More than 2.58 lakh people are to be elected during the process, which is expected to run for almost a month. "Using its executive powers, the state government has decided to remove the aforementioned provision from the act. Now everyone will be free to contest these elections," said Brajesh Mehrotra, Principal Secretary of the Cabinet Secretariat Department.
Officials argue that the earlier provision was not fair to poor and less fortunate people as they will be deprived of their constitutional right. "It was envisioned keeping in view of promoting sanitation and hygiene. However, it would have been discriminatory for weaker section of the society, who doesn't have means or knowledge for constructing latrines.
Therefore, we decided to abolish the rule," said one senior official.
However, the real reason is said to be the wide-spread protest against the provision. Cutting across the party lines, most of the hopefuls were not happy with the provision and wanted it to be gone. Recently they took out a protest-march against the provision. It was also making the ruling collation's stand untenable against the various state governments' decree to bar uneducated or less educated people from the Panchayat elections. RJD Chief Lalu Prasad and the Chief Minister have repeatedly criticised such state governments.
However, the state government's plans to promote sanitation and discouraging open air defecation will take a hit by this decision. According to the central government's data more than 78% households (more than 1.68 crore households) in the state don't have a toilet and relieve themselves in open fields.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday alleged that the Maharashtra government was targeting important leaders of opposition parties in the state and "blatantly misusing" the state machinery.
Pawar was reacting a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former MP Sameer Bhujbal under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) with the contention that he was not co-operating with investigation and thus his custodial interrogation was necessary.
The NCP leader, who was recently discharged from hospital, also defended former minister Chhagan Bhujbal, saying the Bhujbal family is "being targeted and the investigating agencies are being pressured".
"I have seen other governments besides [those headed by] the Congress and the NCP. I have very closely observed the Shiv Sena and the BJP government in 1995. But in a democracy, I have not seen such blatant misuse of power in the past 40 years," Pawar said.
However, he clarified that former public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal should co-operate with the investigation and come out clean of all charges.
ED has filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the PMLA, based on the FIRs filed earlier by Mumbai police to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land-grabbing case.
Pawar said it was quite unprecedented that three central agencies are investigating one allegation. ''It means that they want to continue investigating till they get what they want. There is just one family that is being targetted here for political gains," he added.
Meanwhile, he said the drought situation in Maharashtra was very serious and he has asked the party workers to ignore the political vendetta and concentrate on helping the affected people.
In the aftermath of the Pathankot terror attack, Indian Air Force plans to raise 10 additional squadrons of Garud commandos, consisting of about 1,000 personnel, to protect its 950 flying and non-flying establishments across the country.
The Force also plans to expedite its planned fortification of 54 main flying bases across the country with better sensors and electrical fencing.
The decisions were taken after the IAF completed security audit of its establishment in the aftermath of the Pathankot terror attack.
Defence sources said the IAF which has about 1,080 Garud commandos at present, will seek permission to raise 10 more squadrons.
When the Garud force was first formed in 2003, the plan was to have about 2,000 personnel.
The sources also said the setting up of electric fences with better sensors will be speeded up.
Electric fences have already been set up at bases in northern areas and as per the plan earlier, Pathankot air base would have been the first in the western sector to get it, sources said.
Top sources in the IAF had said the audit, ordered after the Pathankot airbase attack last month, has identified chinks in the security and measures would be taken to plug them.
Asked if Defence Security Corps, made up of retired soldiers, would be replaced with other security personnel, the sources said Garud commandos are already present at its facilities and, if needed, more will be added.
They had made it clear that the security of bases will
continue to be handled by the DSC personnel and Garud commandos.
The sources said identification of loopholes in security has been completed and the next step will be to test them.
The Garud (special forces of IAF) was formed in 2003 for providing specific in-house role capabilities to IAF.
Garuds are specially trained to be a Quick Reaction Force at important IAF bases, protect IAF's high-value assets, conduct search and rescue during peace and war, and undertake counter-terrorism tasks and special missions.
Garuds have been effectively deployed as part of Indian peacekeeping missions in support of the UN and for evacuation of Indian nationals from war zones.
The Defence Ministry is in the process of setting up a committee to review security at all armed forces facilities in the country based on the "risk factor", besides the audit undertaken by the individual services themselves.
"A specific team is being made. It will visit (the bases) and look into priorities like risk factor, sensitivity and assets. It will also talk to the local commanders," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said on January 21.
At least two persons were shot dead and 10 others injured today when clashes erupted between security forces and staff of Pakistan International Airlines who were protesting at Karachi's international airport against the planned privatisation of the ailing national flag carrier.
Security personnel said that in a bid to disperse demonstrators of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), they resorted to lathicharge and fired rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas shells.
Though two of the protesters died of bullet wounds, Rangers and police denied "handling protesters violently" and firing at the site near Jinnah International Airport here.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has called for implementation of the Essential Services Act.
Pakistan yesterday enforced Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against PIA as the employees of the ailing national carrier announced an indefinite strike from today following the failure of talks with the government on the proposed privatisation move.
Pakistan Airlines Cabin Crew Association President Nasrullah Khan said that the strike would go ahead as the government has not accepted their four-points agenda.
A heavy contingent of Rangers and police personnel were deployed at the site to prevent protesters from entering the cargo gate and moving onto Jinnah Avenue, DawnNews reported.
Television footage showed security personnel firing tear gas shells and water cannons at protesters as they attempted to force their way into the cargo gate.
Inayat Raza, a member of PIA's engineering department, died after being shot in his chest. Saleem also died in the incident. Officials said that at least 10 persons were injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General East Kamran Fazal said bullet casings have been collected to ascertain who opened fire on the protesters. He claimed the bullets were not fired by policemen.
The Pakistan government has postponed the planned privatisation of its national flag carrier after ongoing protests by PIA employees.
According to sources Pakistan has already decided to offload several big organisations running into losses, including PIA, under an agreement with IMF and will ultimately sell it.
Though, the government is giving the impression that with sale of limited share it was not going to privatise PIA.
At least two persons were shot dead and 12 others injured today during clashes between security forces and staff of Pakistan International Airlines protesting at Karachi's international airport against the planned privatisation of the ailing national flag carrier.
The clashes led to the disruption and then suspension of many domestic and international flights around the country's main airports.
The incident took place near the Jinnah International Airport here after the joint action committee which represents all unions of PIA gave a complete strike call for today despite the government enforcing Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) under which all union activities were suspended and employees told to report on duty.
Though two of the protesters died of bullet wounds, Rangers and police denied opening fire at the site.
Kamran Afzal, the Deputy Inspector General (East Zone), has denied that the police backed by paramilitary rangers had opened fire on the protesting employees including women.
"The police fired tear gas shells and used water cannons but no shots were fired. Police officials on duty say gun fire was opened from within the crowd. We are investigating and will find out the truth after examining the two submachine gun shells that were found from the site," he said.
Pakistan yesterday enforced ESMA against PIA as the employees of the ailing national carrier announced an indefinite strike from today following the failure of talks with the government on the proposed privatisation move.
Pakistan Airlines Cabin Crew Association President Nasrullah Khan said that the strike would go ahead as the government has not accepted their four-point agenda.
A heavy contingent of Rangers and police personnel were deployed at the site to prevent protesters from entering the cargo gate and moving onto Jinnah Avenue.
Two employees including a member of PIA's engineering department have died in the incident. At least 12 persons were injured, Sohail Baloch, who heads the joint action committee of the PIA employees, said.
As soon as the of two employees' death was broadcast, PIA's flight operations across the country began shutting down in solidarity with the protesters, he said.
Domestic and international flight operations from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Multan were disrupted with many flights being cancelled, Baloch claimed.
However, Danish Gillani, spokesman of the PIA told PTI that there were some disruptions in flights schedule but otherwise back up arrangements had been made for undisrupted operation of the flights.
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Last week, the government postponed the planned privatisation of its national flag carrier after ongoing protests by PIA employees. It, however, has said that it will go ahead with the privatisation plans of the national airlines which at present has total losses and debts of around 254 and 300 billion Pakistani Rupees (USD 2.8 billion).
According to sources, Pakistan has already decided to offload several big organisations running into losses, including the PIA, under an agreement with the IMF and will ultimately sell it. Though, the government is giving the impression that with sale of limited shares, it was not going to privatise PIA.
Television channels showed passengers waiting outside at airports in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and others in lounges waiting for their baggage to be delivered to them.
"Since all staff of the airlines is on a complete strike, there is no one to load or offload the baggage of passengers at different airports," one passenger said from Lahore.
PIA, which was launched in 1955, presently has a workforce of around 14,700 employees with a ratio of around 390 employees for one aircraft, the biggest number in any airline.
Officials and analysts said the airlines, which was once a source of pride and profits for Pakistan, has been bleeding losses and has accumulated debts, as in the last six years alone around 5,700 employees were hired afresh in the tenures of the Pakistan Peoples Party and PML-N parties.
"Since 2010, the losses have only increased from 20 billion rupees annually to 32 billion in 2014 and around 20 billion in the first eight months of 2015. In 2013, the losses were around 44 billion rupees," an analyst said.
At least three persons were shot dead and 12 injured today during clashes between security forces and staff of Pakistan Airlines protesting at Karachi's airport against the planned privatisation of the ailing national flag carrier.
The clashes led to the disruption and then suspension of many domestic and flights around the country's main airports.
The incident took place near the Jinnah International Airport here after the joint action committee which represents all unions of PIA gave a complete strike call for today despite the government enforcing Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) under which all union activities were suspended and employees told to report on duty.
Though two of the protesters died of bullet wounds, Rangers and police denied opening fire at the site.
A third patient succumbed to his wounds later in the night.
Following the deadly clash, PIA Chairman Nasser Jaffer announced tonight that he has resigned from his post.
He expressed grief over the deaths of the PIA employees and lamented at the events which lead to their deaths. "My conscience doesn't allow me to head the organisation anymore," he said.
"I have resigned from the post," the PIA chairman told TV channels while in tears.
The PIA chairman said that he has sent his resignation to the prime minister.
Jaffer said he was resigning since no one was willing to to accept his advice anymore and even the joint action committee did not try to resolve the matter through dialogue.
Kamran Afzal, the Deputy Inspector General (East Zone), has denied that the police backed by paramilitary rangers had opened fire on the protesting employees including women.
"The police fired tear gas shells and used water cannons but no shots were fired. Police officials on duty say gun fire was opened from within the crowd. We are investigating and will find out the truth after examining the two submachine gun shells that were found from the site," he said.
Pakistan yesterday enforced ESMA against PIA as the employees of the ailing national carrier announced an indefinite strike from today following the failure of talks with the government on the proposed privatisation move.
Pakistan Airlines Cabin Crew Association President Nasrullah Khan said that the strike would go ahead as the government has not accepted their four-point agenda.
A heavy contingent of Rangers and police personnel were deployed at the site to prevent protesters from entering the cargo gate and moving onto Jinnah Avenue.
Three people including a member of PIA's engineering department have died in the incident. At least 12 persons were injured, Sohail Baloch, who heads the joint action committee of the PIA employees, said.
Domestic and international flight operations from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Multan were disrupted with many flights being cancelled, Baloch claimed.
However, Danish Gillani, spokesman of the PIA said that there were some disruptions in flights schedule but otherwise back up arrangements had been made for undisrupted operation of the flights.
Four former Blackwater security contractors found guilty in a deadly Baghdad shooting have appealed their convictions, saying a key witness against them had changed his testimony after the trial and that prosecutors lacked jurisdiction to even bring the case.
The appeals, long expected, represent the latest legal volley in a criminal case that's spanned years in Washington's federal court and that concluded with guilty verdicts following a months-long trial in 2014.
Nicholas Slatten is serving a life sentence on a charge of first-degree murder. Three other former guards -- Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Herd -- were found guilty of manslaughter and firearms charges carrying mandatory 30-year sentences.
The case arose from the September 2007 shooting in Nisoor Square that prosecutors say left 14 civilians dead at the crowded traffic circle in downtown Baghdad. The shooting strained international relations and drew scrutiny to the role of American contractors in war-torn Iraq.
The two sides presented the jury with radically different accounts of the events: Prosecutors described the killings as a one-sided ambush of unarmed civilians, while defense lawyers said the guards opened fire only after a white Kia sedan seen as a potential car bomb threat began moving quickly toward their convoy.
Central to the appeal is a witness who defense lawyers say changed his account of what happened in a way that undermines the government's narrative.
The witness, an Iraqi traffic officer, testified that the killings were unprovoked and that the driver of the Kia was killed by the first shots that were fired.
But just before the sentencing hearing last April, the same witness submitted a statement saying that the driver of the Kia was alive when the shooting started.
The judge refused to grant the men a new trial, but the defence team said the new account dismantled the prosecution's theory.
Local residents today put up a road blockade on National Highway 33 after three youths were run over by a speeding bus at Kujju in Ramgarh district, police said.
The victims, in their mid-20s, were travelling on a motorcycle when a speeding bus ran over them, killing all the three on the spot, police said.
In protest against the incident, a large number of locas squatted on the highway demanding arrest of the bus driver and adequate compensation to the victims family, sources said.
The victims were all local residents of Kujju and were working in a garage and tea stall.
Meanwhile, adequate police force reached the spot and were pursuing the protestors to withdraw the agitation.
The road traffic on the NH was badly hit and a serpentine queue of vehicles were seen stranded on either side of the road.
Around 150 activists of various student unions and Dalit outfits were arrested here today for staging a black flag protest against the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya to the city.
Police said the agitators raised slogans against Modi and Dattatreya over the issue of the suicide of Rohit Vemula of University of Hyderabad.
They demanded the immediate arrest of the Union labour minister, whom they held responsible for Vemula's death, police said.
The Prime Minister,who arrived at Kozhikode in Kerala to attend the Global Ayurveda meet, will later in the day address a public meeting in this textile city and launch an ESI medical college.
Congress today threw the ball in the PMO court over questions in the wake of a media report in which the Narendra Modi government is accused of offering Italy the freedom of two marines in exchange for evidence linking Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her family to the AgustaWestland copter scam.
"PMO needs to answer on this issue," party's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala remarked.
He was asked to react to a report in a Calcutta daily, The Telegraph, which spoke of a British arms agent wanted by Indian investigators in the scam of making such an allegation.
Party General Secretary Digvijay Singh took to Twitter to pose a question to Modi on the matter.
"Mr Prime Minister is it a fact?" he asked on the micro-blogging site by posting a picture of the report alongside.
Christian Michel, the 54-year-old agent, has made the allegations in a letter to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Seas in Hamburg and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague where Italy and India are battling legally over murder charges against the marines.
Michel has claimed Modi made the offer at a secret "brush-by" meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi during the UN General Assembly in September 2015 when both leaders were in New York.
AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of the Italian firm Finmeccanica at the time, was the firm that in 2010 won the contract to supply 12 choppers to India for Rs 3,600 crore, specifically to fly the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister at high altitudes.
The Telegraph, which ran the report, said it could not independently verify Michel's allegations.
"The charges are too ridiculous to comment on," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told the newspaper which shared Michel's letter with the government for its response.
Ahead of the meeting with the Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra to clear its stand on government formation, BJP's core group will hold an important meeting in Jammu, the winter capital city, today.
BJP's three-member panel from its state's core group yesterday rushed to New Delhi and held consultations with central leadership before meeting the Governor to discuss government formation.
This is the second core group meeting in past 24 hours.
"At 4 PM, we will hold a meeting of the core group to discuss the issue. The panel which had gone to New Delhi for meeting with the central leadership will brief us", BJP's General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul told PTI.
He said that after the meeting, the BJP teamwill meet the Governor over the issue.
Replying to a question on uncertainty over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Koul said, "From our side there is positivity and we feel the same from the other side. There is no uncertainty from BJP side".
He maintained that the party is sticking to the "agenda of alliance" but "adamancy is from PDP".
A three-member panel of former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, state BJP Chief Sat Sharma and Jammu MP Jugal Kishore had gone to New Delhi yesterday soon after the core group meeting here and discussed the issue with central leadership last evening.
After tough talk by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, BJP yesterday made it clear that it will not come under any pressure over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir even as it is committed to the common minimum programme chalked out last year.
On the eve of meeting Governor N N Vohra to convey its stand, BJP put the onus of carrying forward the alliance on PDP, saying Mehbooba has to take a call on continuing the road-map laid by her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The political crisis in Jammu and Kashmir arose after Sayeed died on January 7.
Sayeed's daughter and PDP Chief Mehbooba said on Sunday that before taking a call on continuing the alliance, she wants to "reassess" whether the Narendra Modi government would take substantive steps within a 'set time-frame' to address the "core" political and economic issues of the state.
After the core group meeting yesterday in Jammu, state BJP chief Sat Sharma told reporters that there was "no concrete" demand or condition from PDP in writing.
The Governor has written to leaders of the two parties asking them to clarify their stand on government formation by today.
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 January 7.
American and Afghan officials say airstrikes on a remote eastern region of Afghanistan have destroyed a radio station operated by the Islamic State group.
An official with the US military said today the strike had destroyed "Voice of the Caliphate" radio operated by ISIS near the border with Pakistan. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media on the subject.
In an official statement, US Army Col Mike Lawhorn, spokesman for the US-NATO mission in Afghanistan, said "two counter-terrorism airstrikes took place in Achin district" in Nangarhar province yesterday.
Lawhorn had no further details.
The Islamic State group emerged in Afghanistan in the past year. The radio station was broadcasting illegally across Nangarhar, in an attempt to boost recruitment.
Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) Company Ltd today told the Gujarat High Court that alternative route for the north-south corridor of this proposed transport service was not possible.
MEGA said this in response to a petition filed by the project-affected residents of housing societies in Vejalpur area.
22 residents of Vejalpur area of the city, who might have to lose their residential properties to the metro rail project, had moved the high court, alleging that acquisition of their properties, including houses and shops, by MEGA was not in accordance with Land Acquisition Act of 2013.
"Objections raised by the residents of the affected societies was premature as the final report on social impact assessment (SIA) was yet to be submitted," General Manager (Planning) of MEGA Company Ltd, Anil Gupta, said in an affidavit.
"The route for the North-South corridor was deliberated upon and Western Railway was involved in finding out the feasibility, so that there is minimum acquisition of private property," Gupta added.
However, the railway officials ultimately did not agree with the second option in their inspection note dated September 10, 2014, he told the the HC bench of Justices Harsha Devani and G B Shah.
The petitioners, residents of two societies located near Jivraj overbridge in Vejalpur area, from where the north-south elevated corridor starts, have claimed that they would lose their houses and shops due to the project.
They also said that state-owned MEGA, which is undertaking the project of metro rail, is not ready to provide anything beyond the cash compensation against the acquisition of their properties, which is a "violation" of the Act.
Gupta said the state government had approached the
Western Railway with the request to use its "underutilised railway corridor" for the two corridors of the metro so as to limit acquisition of private property.
While the Western Railway gave in-principle approval for East-West corridor, it did not agree with the option provided by MEGA for North-South corridor as it failed to meet the "engineering requirement and safety norms of railway working," the respondent stated.
MEGA has appointed a private consulting firm to provide socio-economic information of PAFs. Rail India Technical and Economical Services (RITES), which has been appointed by the state government to prepare a social impact assessment report, is yet to submit its final report as residents of the affected societies did not participate in the public consultation meetings.
"The fact remains that RITES is yet to submit its final report...Under the circumstances, to comment upon the various aspects referred to by the petitioners in the said ground ...Would be premature...," he stated.
Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh today criticised the Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju for his reported statement that "Punjab was still a disturbed area."
Talking to reporters after addressing a meeting of the MGNREGA workers here today, Amarinder pointed out, that Punjab was among the most peaceful state in the country.
"Just because some infiltrators from Pakistan infiltrate into the state and cause some incident does not mean the state is disturbed", he said.
The former Punjab Chief Minister said the statement made by Rijiju during his visit to Amritsar was "highly irresponsible" and it conveyed a wrong message that was far from the truth.
The PCC president said the minister should have done his homework properly before making such a statement that can have far reaching consequences.
He said such statements lead to fear and uncertainty among the investors and they avoid coming to Punjab.
Amarinder expressed surprise over the "strange silence" of the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son Sukhbir Badal on the issue.
"The government must lodge a strong protest against such statement", he said.
Earlier, addressing the MGNREGA workers, Amarinder lashed out at the Akali government for allegedly "failing" the landless labourers in the villages, who mostly belong to underprivileged communities, by "not implementing" the MGNREGA in Punjab.
"Punjab is the one of the worst performers in MGNREGA and CM Parkash Singh Badal has to be blamed as he cannot say he doesn't have money as the Centre under law is supposed to pay all the money to the state which it does..," he said.
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Amarinder also blamed the Modi government for transforming the country's borders into a "war zone", dismissing as "totally contemptuous", BJP chief Amit Shah's statement that the country's borders were "more secure" today than ever.
The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief was reacting to Shah's statement at the Punjabi Suba celebrations in Amritsar on Tuesday.
Shah had attacked the previous UPA dispensation on the issue of border security, saying that the Narendra Modi government has secured the borders.
"Shah seemed to be totally and comfortably oblivious of the fact that border areas were being subjected to unwarranted and unprovoked assault from across the Line of Control (LoC) every day, leaving both soldiers and civilians dead or injured.
"The entire Jammu border area has become a war zone, thanks to the thoughtless and weak defence policies of the Modi government," Amarinder said.
All that the government, through Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, was interested in was to take political mileage from the surgical strikes, alleged the PPCC president.
"The escalation of tension at the border is a clear sign that the situation is fast getting out of control and needs to be addressed immediately, before it snowballs into a full-fledged war," he warned.
Amarinder said New Delhi needed to engage diplomatically with Islamabad to resolve the border issues and restore peace, in the interest of the nation's security and the safety of its people.
Instead of engaging with opposition parties to find a meaningful solution to the festering border issue, the Modi government was going all out to "seize political advantage" from the situation, which it was "deliberately allowing to aggravate," he added.
He said the Congress was always ready to support and cooperate with the government in ensuring peaceful resolution of the border tensions.
The US-led coalition of countries combatting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria vowed today to "accelerate and intensify" their fight against the jihadist group, pledging more cash for reconstruction work and broader military action.
Speaking after talks in Rome, US Secretary of State John Kerry said 10,000 airstrikes in the year since the coalition was launched had yielded "undeniable progress" with IS forced to give up 40 per cent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and more than 30 per cent in Syria.
Kerry said he was confident that promises made today would lead to a "very substantial amount of money" being pledged at a donor conference for Syria in London on Thursday.
And he said coalition defence ministers would gather in Brussels next week to harmonise commitments to increased help with the bombing campaign, as well as in related areas such as training, medical supplies, providing ammunition and demining in areas relinquished by IS, which he said Norway had promised to provide forces for.
Kerry said the coalition had helped train 10,000 Iraqi and Peshmerga soldiers to fight IS as well as 1,000 Iraqi police.
IS had been forced to cut its fighters' salaries and reduce weapons purchases thanks to coalition moves to cut off its financing and access to oil.
"Unequivocably, together with our allies on the ground, we are pushing Daesh out of territories it once controllled," Kerry said.
"That is one reason we see their people going to Libya or some other places."
In a joint statement, the coalition ministers said: "We will intensify and accelerate the campaign against ISIL/Daesh in Iraq and Syria, act in concert to curb its global ambitions, and take every measure to ensure the protection of our citizens.
"We reaffirm our commitment to deliver a lasting defeat to this barbaric organisation."
The statement expressed concern over "the growing influence" of IS in Libya but stopped short of threatening air strikes there.
It said only that the allies would "continue to monitor closely developments there, and stand ready to support" a proposed national unity government that is struggling to establish itself.
Non-issuance of a visa by the Pakistani government has led to the cancellation of actor Anupam Kher's participation in the Karachi literary festival starting February 5.
Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day festival by the organisers but he is the only one whose visa has not been cleared. The other 17 Indian participants have been given visas.
Kher, who has just been honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Indian government, was to participate in at least two sessions and his name figured prominently in the festival schedule.
Confirming that he has not been issued a visa, Kher told PTI here today that he was very saddened by the development as he was looking forward to participate in the festival and use the platform to dispel misunderstandings in the minds of people there.
"We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity," he said.
As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, "I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India."
Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him.
Bollywood actor and BJP sympathiser Anupam Kher has been denied a visa by Pakistan to attend a literary festival in Karachi beginning Friday.
The Pakistani High Commission in Delhi, however, claimed today he had never applied for any visa application.
Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day prestigious event by the organisers but he is the only one who has been denied the visa.
The other 17 Indian participants who have been given the travel document included senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and actor Nandita Das.
The noted actor, who has just been honoured with Padma Bhushan by the government, today said he was very "sad and disappointed" over the matter and wondered whether he was denied visa for raising the issue of Kashmiri Pandits, supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for being a patriot.
"I am very sad and disappointed that so many people were given visa but I was the only one who has been denied it. We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity," he told PTI.
When contacted, Pakistan High Commission's head of media Manzoor Memon said Kher had never submitted visa application to Pakistan High Commission. "So the question of issuing or denying him visa does not arise."
But the organizers of the annual Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) said they are unaware of the reasons for rejection of visa to the actor.
Ameena Syed, the spokesperson for the KLF, told PTI that they had been advised by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to tell Kher not to submit a visa application as he would not be issued one.
"That is all we have been told. They told us that the remaining 17 guests invited from India should be asked to submit applications as they would be issued visas," she said.
Kher was also denied a visa last year in May to visit Lahore on an invitation of a Pakistani NGO and security reasons were cited for the decision.
Rejecting Pakistan High Commission's contention that he had not applied for visa, Kher called it a "laughable explanation". He said organisers had completed the formalities for the visa.
"I do not know why they denied me the visa. Is it because of my patriotism, because I talk about my country. Is it because I do not go to that country and critcise my country there. I do not speak the language of terrorists. There can be millions of reasons," said Kher.
The actor said he would request the government to take up the issue with Pakistan, adding he had planned to speak about India, its tolerance among other issues.
Sources in the Pakistan government said in Karachi since
Kher is very much active and vocal in the social media on sensitive issues pertaining to religion and Indo-Pak relations he was not asked to submit his application.
The KLF spokesperson said around 35 invitees from abroad are participating in the festival including from the US, Britain and Bangladesh besides India.
On Pakistan High Commission's claim that he had not applied for the visa, Kher said if it was true then how 17 others got the document and that why the organisers had put his name in their posters.
"They are telling a lie. I do not have to do it. The organisers had done it," the actor said.
Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him.
"We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity," he said.
As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, "I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India or because of my pro-PM talk."
KLF's Sayed felt the Bollywood star's presence would have given the Karachi audience a different perspective.
"We had organised an exclusive session for him with Ashok Chopra with a very large audience. People would have asked him questions about his views. He would have had a chance to talk to them, to engage with them, to answer their questions and in the process some understanding would have developed.
"His coming here could have made such a difference. It might even have led to some change in his opinions or it might have changed or would have resulted in more understanding of his views, but it is only when you come face to face," she said.
Actor Vicky Kaushal, who assisted Anurag Kashyap before bagging his breakthrough role in "Masaan", says he considers the filmmaker as his mentor as he learnt all about acting and cinema from him.
Vicky assisted the "Dev D" director on the two parts of "Gangs of Wasseypur" in 2010, which the actor says was like a "film school" to him.
"Anurag Kashyap is my guru, my mentor. Whatever I have learnt about cinema and acting is through him. Working on 'Gangs of Wasseypur' was like a film school experience," Vicky told PTI.
"I got to know how a film is made, the technicalities of it - lights, camera, sound... How actors function. I am thankful I had that experience because that has helped me immensely," he said.
The actor will be next seen in the musical drama "Zubaan", written and directed by debutant Mozez Singh.
Vicky says he bagged the film much before "Masaan" happened, and the feeling took time to sink-in.
"The feeling didn't sink in for sometime. I called my dad and told him, he started jumping. I thought wow, that is how I should be reacting. I went home, told my mom and she was so happy, for the first time I saw her dancing. That night I called Mozez again and met him. It then finally hit me. It took a whole day to sink-in."
The actor, who had previously appeared in minor roles in films like "Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana" and "Bombay Velvet", was initially scared about his first solo lead.
"I knew I had a big responsibility. A debutant director was depending and trusting a new guy, for a film he wanted to make since 7-9 years. I was scared but very excited. I had been struggling for work, auditioning, doing theatre. I knew when I got the role I had to surrender myself. I started understanding his vision.
"Zubaan", which also stars Sarah Jane Dias, is a
coming-of-age story of a young boy, played by Vicky, who loses his faith and develops a fear of music. It is his journey in fighting that fear and eventually finding himself.
Vicky is aware there would be comparisons with his performance in "Masaan", where he earned special praise for his portrayal of a low caste boy in love with higher caste girl. The actor, however, does not feel any pressure to deliver again.
"No, I don't have any pressure. I treat every film as my debut. Nobody knew me, or expected anything from me before. 'Masaan' is history now. The only thing which matters to me is the process of playing a character and then the need to let go of it once it's done. I can't be attached to it," he said.
Even though he was appreciated in "Masaan", Vicky says he has "no complaints" of not getting an award for it.
"The response that I've received has been overwhelming. There is no space for cribbing, no resentment that 'oh I didn't get any award.' The acceptance that I got from the industry is beautiful.
"I feel very blessed. This is what I always wanted. I've no complaints of not getting an award," he said.
Actress Archie Panjabi is set to play the lead role on ABC anthology drama "The Jury".
The former "Good Wife" actress is the first person to be cast in the drama, said The Hollywood Reporter.
The series is described as "12 Angry Men" meets podcast "Serial".
It follows a single murder trial as seen through the eyes of the individual jurors, exploring the biases and experiences that influence their judgement and how their preconceptions change along the way.
Panjabi, 43, will play Kim Dempsey, the drama's protagonist.
The character radiates quiet strength and is described as a force of nature cloaked in a professional demeanor who isn't interested in making friends but instead in finding the truth.
VJ Boyd will pen the script alongside Mark Bianculli, who is set as a co-executive producer.
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" writer Carol Mendelsohn will executive produce.
"The Jury" is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television (where Mendelsohn is based) and ABC Studios.
The role would mark Panjabi's return to series television following her 2015 departure from CBS' "The Good Wife".
A 30-year-old Arizona man has been arrested in Nevada on charges accusing him of killing two federally protected golden eagles and illegally possessing more than 120 individual eagle and hawk feathers that he reportedly told authorities he kept for religious ceremonies.
Dana McIvor faces six counts of unlawful possession of raptor and raptor parts, and one count of unlawful kill of an eagle, Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Joe Doucette said yesterday.
McIvor is a Native American who is a member of the Ojibwe tribe in Canada and listed his address as the Navajo reservation in Red Mesa, Arizona, Doucette said. He could face additional federal charges on top of the seven current state misdemeanor counts, each of which is punishable by up to six months in jail and a USD 1,000 fine.
"The investigation is continuing. More than likely there will be federal charges or possibly other states filing charges," Doucette told The Associated Press yesterday.
McIvor was arrested in Elko, Nevada, on Sunday after local authorities searched his car following reports of a reckless driver on US Interstate 80.
Police and sheriff's deputies seized a .17-caliber bolt-action rifle, spent cartridges, two dead eagles, a dead hawk, two complete wings from recently killed hawks, and 124 separate eagle and hawk feathers. They said the seized raptors and their parts could be worth as much as USD 10,000.
"McIvor admitted to keeping the raptor parts for religious celebrations," said Quinn Hesterlee, a game warden for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
Another person was with McIvor at the time of his arrest but has not been charged, Doucette said.
Elko County Undersheriff Clair Morris told the Elko Daily Free Press that McIvor allegedly admitted to killing at least one of the birds in Nevada. He was released from the Elko County Jail on Monday after posting USD 5,370 bail.
McIvor could not be reached immediately for comment. There's no record of him having hired an attorney, a jail spokesman yesterday. His arraignment on state charges is pending.
Nevada Department of Wildlife Game Warden Quinn Hesterlee said eagle feathers often are sold and traded illegally to be used in Native American celebrations, as well as sold for profit in international markets. Individuals must obtain a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to legally possess raptors or raptor parts, he said.
The federal agency provides such feathers to tribes legally through the National Eagle Repository. Nevada is among states that annually transfer killed and euthanized raptors to the repository, Hesterlee said.
"It's unfortunate that these amazing birds get killed each year for religious celebrations when there are perfectly legal ways to obtain them," he said.
An estimated 45 per cent polling was reported in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election today, which passed off peacefully barring minor clashes in the old city area.
Citing preliminary information, GHMC Commissioner and election officer B Janardhan Reddy told reporters that about 45 per cent turnout of voters was reported till 6.30 PM.
The final figures may vary after compilation of the data.
Around 43 per cent polling was reported in the last GHMC elections in 2009.
Mild tension prevailed at Mirchowk in the old city when activists of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Congress clashed towards the fag end of the polling process.
According to Srinivas Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mirchowk), police had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse the warring groups when both sides gathered at Mirchowk police station.
Trouble started when Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress leader in the Legislative Council Shabbir Ali reached Mirchowk Police station to get released their party candidate Mohammad Gouse, who was taken into custody.
MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also reached there at the same time and tension mounted. MIM MLA Pasha Quadri was also taken into custody when he and Gouse confronted each other.
A vehicle belonging Reddy was damaged by miscreants.
"This is a conspiracy by both TRS and MIM. Somehow they want to win the elections. They have arrested our contesting candidate. After lot of pressure, the police released him," Reddy told reporters.
"We were attacked by Asaduddin Owaisi and his supporters. They broke my car. They manhandled the Leader of Opposition (Shabbir Ali)," Reddy claimed.
He further said he has filed a police case on this issue.
Later in the evening Congress party held a dharna in front of Telangana Director General Police's office demanding punishment for those responsible for attack on its leaders.
Meanwhile, police said they dispersed MIM party workers
who allegedly tried to attack Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali's son Azam Ali.
Police took MIM MLA Ahmed Balala into custody in connection with the incident.
Popular Telugu actors Nagarjuna, Ramcharan, Allu Arjun, junior NTR and Balakrishna, who is a TDP MLA in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, were among the celebrities who exercised their franchise in the polls.
TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's wife N Bhuvaneswari, Naidu's son Lokesh, who is TDP General Secretary, also voted in the GHMC elections.
About 72 lakh voters were eligible to cast their vote in the GHMC area which covers about 24 assembly segments in Telangana.
The counting of votes would be taken up on February 5.
A court today rejected the bail plea of Trinamool Congress leader Naren Chakraborty, arrested for trying to board a Chennai-bound flight with an unlicensed gun, and remanded him to 14 days' judicial custody.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Barrackpore Mayukh Mukherjee rejected the bail application of Chakraborty and remanded him to judicial custody.
Chakraborty, a top functionary of the Burdwan Zilla Parishad and Pandabeshwar block Trinamool Congress president, was on a day's police custody yesterday.
Central Industrial Security Force personnel, in-charge of the security of the airport here, initially detained Chakraborty on January 31 for trying to board a Chennai-bound flight with an unlicensed gun and cartridges. The police later arrested him.
The Turkish coastguard today recovered the bodies of nine migrants including two children after their boat sank off western Turkey while trying to reach Europe, local media reported.
The boat set off from a town in Izmir province in an apparent bid to reach Greece, the private Dogan agency reported.
The Turkish coastguard started the search after being alerted by two survivors who swam to shore, according to the report.
These deaths come after 37 migrants drowned off another part of the Turkish coast on Saturday -- in harrowing scenes reminiscent of the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler whose tiny body was found lying face down on a Turkish beach.
Turkey reached an agreement with the European Union in November to stem the flow of migrants bound for Europe in return for 3 billion euros (USD 3.2 billion) in financial assistance, but the agreement has failed to check the tide of arrivals.
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.
Neither the deal with the EU nor the harsh winter conditions have appeared to deter migrants trying to reach Europe, many of whom pay people smugglers thousands of dollars for the risky crossing.
The government said yesterday it was working on new legal measures to strengthen penalties for human smuggling by making it an "act of terror and organised crime.
Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) today arrested an alleged arms dealer, who had been absconding after being released on bail.
Vinod R Mehrol (42) was nabbed from his home in Mumbra area of adjoining Thane district, police said, his associate Manoj Mehrol is still at large.
Vinod and Manoj were apprehended in 2012 by ATS in Mumbai. The ATS sleuths had then recovered a sophisticated automatic revolver, a country-made pistol along with a few bullets from them, police said.
The duo was later released on bail after which they went into hiding and never turned up in the court for hearing in the arms seizure case. This prompted the court to declare them proclaimed absconders and issue arrest warrant, they said.
Last week, the Vikhroli unit of ATS received a tip-off that one of the accused was hiding in Mumbra, where the Anti- Terror Squad laid a trap and arrested Vinod.
Police suspect Vinod was involved in several arms smuggling rackets in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
Over 20 schools across Australia were today evacuated or locked down after receiving threats of bomb and shooting attacks believed to have originated overseas to cause disruptions, in the third scare within five days.
A series of threats were made to schools ofeither bombing or shooting attacks, leading to evacuation of a number of schools in the Victorian state, media reports said.
However, they turned out to be hoaxes. There were similar scares at schools in France, Italy and Britain last week.
Autralian Police in a statement on Facebook said that the schools had been evacuated as a precaution.
In Queensland, about nine schools were evacuated after receiving similar phone calls. Bomb threats were called in to Queensland schools, while Sydney's Cherrybrook Technology High and Denistone East Primary School were also affected.
Education Minister JamesMerlinosaidalmost 20 schools across Victoria hadreceived threatening phone calls, including threats of violence.
He said emergency management plans were implemented immediately once the calls were made.
Chief Commissioner Ashton said the threats were a "hoax scenario" but each needed to be taken seriously. "It may be that a particular call that might come in that is not a hoax."
Several schools in New South Wales were evacuated yesterday and Friday after receiving similar phone calls.
On Friday, thousands of students were evacuated from schools in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria due to the threats. The threats had come on the first day of the opening of the schools after the long Christmas break.
NSW police said they were investigating the incidents, adding that threats appear to be hoax calls from overseas.
"There is no evidence these are anything other than hoaxes designed to cause unnecessary disruption and inconvenience," NSW police said.
Bangladesh today summoned the Pakistani envoy in Dhaka and handed him a protest note amid renewed tensions in bilateral ties after the two countries 'detained' each other's diplomatic staff for hours over the 1971 war crimes trial.
Pakistan High Commissioner Shuja Alam was summoned, a foreign ministry spokesman here said but declined to elaborate immediately.
The Pak envoy, emerging from the office of the acting foreign secretary Mohammad Khurshid Alam's office, told reporters he was asked about the incident in which a Bangladesh High Commission official in Islamabad went missing.
"I have been informed of yesterday's incident and I will convey the details to the (Bangladesh) foreign ministry after discussions with the Islamabad authorities," he said.
Requesting anonymity, a foreign ministry official said a "protest note" was handed over to the high commissioner on the "detention of our staff".
Bangladesh foreign ministry officials earlier said the personal officer of a Bangladeshi diplomat in Islamabad had gone missing but returned home "unhurt" early this morning.
"Our High Commissioner in Islamabad briefly talked to Jahangir Hossain (who went missing). We are trying to know the details of what actually happened to him," a foreign ministry spokesman told PTI.
He said Hossain had left the office to pick his daughter before going home but went missing as he stepped out of the High Commission and his cell phone too remained switched off.
The incident came hours after police in Dhaka detained Abrar Ahmed Khan, an official of Pakistan High Commission here for his "suspicious movement".
Khan was detained for questioning and later handed over to officials of the Pakistan High Commission after taking an undertaking from him, a spokesman of Dhaka Metropolitan Police earlier said, without elaborating.
But the Pakistan High Commission said in a statement that
it noticed "a disturbing pattern of harassment of its officers and officials, followed by a mud-slinging campaign and media trial".
It said Bangladesh Police and security agencies were accusing the Pakistani mission staffers of having links to militants.
Diplomatic sources in Dhaka said Hossain's 'brief detention' seemed to be a counter action to what happened in Dhaka the same day.
The developments came a month after Islamabad withdrew a woman diplomat posted in Dhaka amid an uproar over her suspected links to Islamist terrorists nearly 12 months after Bangladesh expelled another Pakistani on identical charges.
Two weeks after Fareena Arshad's expulsion, Islamabad asked Bangladesh to recall a woman diplomat in Islamabad which Dhaka deplored and called it a "face saving" move.
Dhaka-Islamabad ties began to be strained since 2013 after Pakistan passed a national assembly resolution protesting execution of Jamaat-e-Islami's former Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Mollah over the war crimes charges.
The bilateral relations witnessed further strains two months ago over Pakistan's sharp reactions following executions of another two major 1971 war crimes convicts Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, who were found guilty of carrying out atrocities during the liberation war against Pakistan.
In a tit-for-tat, Bangladesh and Pakistan have reportedly detained each other's diplomatic staff amid a spat between them over the 1971 war crimes trial.
Bangladesh foreign ministry officials said the personal officer of a Bangladeshi diplomat in Islamabad went missing yesterday and returned home "unhurt" early this morning.
"Our High Commissioner in Islamabad briefly talked to Jahangir Hossain (who went missing) as he returned. We are trying to know the details what actually happened to him," a foreign ministry spokesman told PTI.
He said Hossain had left the office yesterday to pick his daughter before going home but went missing as he went out of the High Commission and his cell phone too remained switched off.
"Our High Commission immediately informed the matter to the Pakistan foreign ministry and law enforcement agencies there and conveyed the incident to the foreign office in Dhaka," the spokesman said.
The incident came hours after police in Dhaka detained Abrar Ahmed Khan, an official of Pakistan High Commission here for his "suspicious movement".
A spokesman of Dhaka Metropolitan Police earlier said the detectives detained Abrar Khan for questioning following his suspicious movement and was handed over to officials of the Pakistan High Commission after taking undertaking from him.
But the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka in a statement said it noticed "a disturbing pattern of harassment of its officers and officials, followed by a mud-slinging campaign and media trial".
It said Bangladesh Police and security agencies were accusing the Pakistani mission staffers of having ties to militants.
Diplomatic sources here said the incident of Hossain's missing seemed to be a counter action on what happened in Dhaka the same day.
The developments came a month after Islamabad withdrew a female diplomat posted in Dhaka amid an uproar over her suspected links to Islamist terrorists nearly 12 months after Bangladesh expelled another Pakistani on identical charges.
Fareena Arshad, a second secretary in the Pakistan high commission, had left Dhaka two days after Bangladesh sought her withdrawal as police said a detained operative of outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh reported that she maintained links with the outfit.
Dhaka-Islamabad ties have witnessed tension over Pakistan's sharp reactions following executions of two major 1971 war crimes convicts Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, who were found guilty of carrying out atrocities during the liberation war against Pakistan.
Amid outrage over a video that shows police thrashing students, including women, during a protest, Delhi top cop B S Bassi today appeared to defend his force suggesting that the protesters may have provoked them.
"Right to protest coexists with what Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr said - The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins," the police commissioner posted on microblogging website Twitter.
Although, Bassi attributed the quote to American Jurist Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, its origin is disputed as the adage is attributed to various legal luminaries. The quote is also recorded in a 1919 Harvard Law Review essay by legal philosopher Zechariah Chafee which contained a version spoken by an anonymous judge.
Referring to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's tweet that Delhi Police was being used as RSS and BJP's "private army", Bassi said that he will try to clear the CM's "misgivings" when they meet next.
ALSO READ: Kejriwal slams Delhi Police over attack on students at protest march over Rohith Vemula suicide
"DP handled 11,156 L&O events in 2015, most peaceful. Whenever I meet Hon'bleCM, I shall try to clear his misgivings. DP is bound to protect freedom of free speech and peaceful assembly. Help DP and democracy by agitating at JantarMantar," he said in a series of tweets.
The video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair during a protest over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide has triggered widespread outrage with Congress and AAP seeking action against the erring cops.
Yesterday, Bassi ordered an inquiry into the incident, that took place near the RSS headquarters on January 30, which, he said will be probed from all aspects, including examining whether there was any "indiscretion".
A Delhi School of Social Work (DSW) student, who was at the receiving end of the police assault, alleged police took turns in "brutally" thrashing him and did not even let him sip water.
Bengal Warriors, strengthened in attack by the inclusion of army man Nitin Tomar, gave an impressive display with a 25-17 win over Telugu Titans in the concluding tie of the first leg of the Pro Kabaddi here today.
The Kolkata-based outfit hadn't performed well last season and the home team was expected to put it across by riding on the crowd support.
But Nitin dashed their hopes as he found an able ally in Mahesh Goud in attack. The duo turned the tide after the break when the two teams were tied 9-9. The match took a decisive turn after the defending pair of corner men, Captain Nilesh Shinde and Girish Ernak struck a purple patch.
For the home team nothing went right in all the departments. Rahul got only two points for a tally of four with two tackles in the match. Sukesh Hegde was also nowhere near his usual self, scoring just a solitary point in a do-or -die raid.
Girish who had 5 tackle points, teamed up so well with Nilesh (4 tackles) that within a space of two minutes the fate of the match was decided. From a slender 15-14 advantage in the 31st minute they went up 20-15. In the process they scored an all-out, the only one of the match in the 33rd minute of play. Nitin got rid of the dangerous Meraj Sheykh and Prashant Kumar Rai to register the all-out.
Girish then came up with two good frontal blocks and a double thigh hold to get rid of the Iranian Meraj and the Telugu Titans' star raider Rahul Chaudhari to make it 22-15 with the last five minutes call given by the referee.
The losers had to come with a superlative effort but that wasn't to be. The Bengal Warriors had the last laugh when a bonus awarded to Rohit Baliyan who had a good match was negated by the TV umpire.
The losers in the bargain lost an opportunity to grab one point for not losing the tie by less than a seven-point margin.
At the end of the Vishakhapatnam leg, the Telugu Titans still top the table with 11 points in four outings. The Jaipur Pink Panthers have 6 in two and Bengal Warriors are placed third with the 5 they pocketed today.
Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. recently stirred up a bit of hubbub over his endorsement of Donald Trump, praising the billionaire presidential candidate as a servant leader who lives a life of helping others, as Jesus taught.
For many evangelicals, the disconnect behind such a statement is more than a bit palpable. Thus, the critiques and dissents ensued, pointing mostly to the uncomfortable co-opting of Trumps haphazard political proposals with Christian witness.
As Russell Moore put it:
Politics driving the gospel rather than the other way around is the third temptation of Christ. He overcame it. Will we? Russell Moore (@drmoore) January 18, 2016
Richard Muow picks up on this same point over at First Things, noting that this third temptation has lured many Christians throughout church history, and was aptly warned against by Abraham Kuyper, the great Dutch statesmen and theologian.
Himself a Calvinist, Kuyper traced many of these errors within his own tradition, though concluding that the proper corrective comes from within Calvinisms own theological resources.
As Mouw explains:
In tension with the practices and events that Kuyper deplores, he holds up an underlying Calvinist celebration of the liberty of the individual consciencea theme clearly on display, he observes, in the way our Calvinistic Theologians and jurists have defended the liberty of conscience against the Inquisition. Indeed, Kuyper argues, it was the genius of Calvinism to oppose the French Revolutions corrupt notion of individual liberty as the freedom for every Christian to agree with the unbelieving majority in favor of the kind of liberty, as Calvinism eventually came to endorse explicitly, which enables every man to serve God according to his own conviction and the dictates of his own heart. This healthy understanding of liberty was put on display in a special way, says Kuyper, under Calvinisms influence in the Netherlands. There, he observes, the Jews were hospitably received; there the Lutherans were in honor; there the Mennonites flourished; and even the Arminians and Roman Catholics were permitted the free exercise of their religion at home and in secluded churches.
Or, as Kuyper himself put it in his 1879 political manifesto, Our Program (now available from Lexham Press in partnership with the Acton Institute):
The mission of our republic was to use its armies and fleets and its commercial influence to protect the free course of the gospel throughout Europe and other continents and to safeguard the free course of the gospel at home in accordance with freedom of conscience for everyone. The inspiring ideal of our nation at that time was civil liberty, not as a goal in itself but as the vehicle and consequence of that much higher liberty that is owed to mens conscience. And so people knew what they lived for; they knew the purpose of their existence. They believed, they prayed, they gave thanks. And blessings were plentiful: the country enjoyed prosperity, happiness, and peace. William of Orange was the spiritual father from whom this type grew and who preserved it from those excesses of the left and of the right that led similar efforts in Westminster and New England to such totally different outcomesThe motto Hac nitimur, hanc tuemur leaning on the power of God in his holy Word and deeming liberty a priceless good was a marvelous and meaningful expression. When struck on coins it was a cautionary reminder for a trading nation that this treasure of Orange was to be deemed of greater value than all the spices from the Orient.
Evangelicals are right to seek a political order that protects Christianity, if by this we mean the protection of a robust religious liberty that spans religions and dogmas, reinforcing a broader flourishing of society from the bottom up.
But this wont come from the Trumpian definition, wherein Christians are another disaffected interest group, primed for poisonous identity politics that seeks power and privilege as both its means and ends. Whatever visions of greatness Trump promotes along the way generic, libertine, or otherwise Christians must be wary of swallowing the bait.
As Mouw concludes, The religious freedom we long for has to come as part of a larger movement for justice that generates a more comprehensive vision for a pluralistic society.
For more on Kuypers contribution to Christian social thought, see Our Program and the rest of his Collected Works in Public Theology from Lexham Press.
The agreements and disagreements between BJP and Shiv Sena ministers at the weekly Cabinet meeting, held every Tuesday afternoon at Mantralaya here, today gave way to egg curry, 'modak' and 'usal sabzi' which the council of ministers relished.
The joint lunch of BJP and Sena ministers was an idea of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who had asked his ministerial colleagues to give the 'snehbhojan' on Cabinet meet day a try.
Many ministers brought tiffins to the Mantralaya and those who didn't also joined in.
It remains to be seen if this lunch diplomacy improves the "strained" relations between ministers of the two parties.
Fadnavis had suggested that the lunch spread represents a variety of cuisines from different parts of Maharashtra, asking ministers belonging to various regions to carry food prepared in their respective homes, an official said.
So, every Tuesday, one can expect all kinds of delicious veg and non-veg dishes - fish from Konkan, white and red (rassa) curry from Kolhapur, Saoji mutton/chicken, patodi rassa (Nagpur), Varhadi hot non-vegetarian preparations from western Vidarbha and Khandeshi Mutton/chicken, Baingan ka Bharta from north Maharashtra.
Nepal today voiced concern over remarks of some political leaders from Bihar in support of agitating Madhesis and said such comments on its internal issues are "provocative" and may seriously undermine its harmonious ties with India.
"Serious attention of the Government of Nepal has been drawn to media coverage in today's broadsheets attributed to senior political leaders of Bihar State of India making statements about inherently internal issues of Nepal," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It said "the statements are provocative and uninformed about the ground realities and do not serve the fundamental interest of the two countries."
"The Government of Nepal expresses deep regrets over such statements. They are not helpful in the ongoing efforts aimed at normalising the situation," the statement said.
The Government "urged all to exercise restraint from making statements that may seriously undermine the harmonious relations between the two countries and peoples."
It called "for positive attitude and contribution from all concerned to promote bilateral relations."
Top Madhesi leaders from Nepal yesterday met RJD president Lalu Prasad in Patna and urged him to exert pressure on the Centre to ask the Nepal government to fulfil their demands.
After the meeting, Lalu supported the demand of the Madhesis agitating over the new Constitution and assured that he would raise the issue with the Centre.
"The demand of Madhesis is genuine and it should be fulfilled by the Nepal government," Lalu had told media.
Senior RJD leader Raghubansh Prasad Singh had also supported the Madhesis and even took out a march in their support.
Nepal's Madhesi community, largely of Indian origin, are opposed to the new Constitution that divides their ancestral homeland under the seven-province structure and have led an ongoing blockade of key border trade points with India.
The agitating community that shares strong cultural and family bonds with India is demanding demarcation of provinces, fixing of electoral constituencies on the basis of population and proportional representation, and have launched a protest for months that has claimed at least 55 lives.
Birla Corporation, flagship firm of the M P Birla Group, today said it will take legal action against Lafarge India over the firm's "inability" to go ahead with the deal to sell its Jojobera and Sonadih cement plants.
In August last year, both firms had signed an agreement through which Birla Corporation was to acquire Jojobera and Sonadih cement businesses from Lafarge India Pvt Ltd (LIPL) for an enterprise value of Rs 5,000 crore.
In a regulatory filing, Birla Corporation said: "LIPL has since informed their inability to proceed with the agreement. The company has since discussed the matter with its legal advisors and has decided not to accept their contention and is in the process of taking appropriate legal measures in consultation with lawyers."
The firm did not specify reasons behind LIPL expressing its inability to complete the deal.
Birla Corp was to acquire LIPL's cement business, which comprises an integrated cement unit at Sonadih (Chhattisgarh), a cement grinding unit at Jojobera (Jharkhand), along with Concreto and PSC brands.
The acquisition would have added an additional cement capacity of 5.15 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to Birla Corp's kitty and would have helped the firm consolidate its position in the eastern India cement market.
The firm has a total operational cement capacity of about 10 MTPA with units in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Shares of Birla Corporation today fell by 3.55 per cent to settle at Rs 387.20 apiece on the BSE.
The BJP today attacked the Nitish Kumar-led dispensation alleging that it has failed to pay fees and hostel charges, under a government stipend scheme, of over 1000 dalit students studying engineering outside Bihar.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said here that about 60 dalit students from Bihar were recently sent back from Rajdhani Engineering College Bhubaneswar due to non-payment of fees and hostel charges for the past one-and-half years.
The students - 18 from East Champaran district and 42 from West Champaran - are in second year in the college and face threat of early termination of their studies, he said.
These students have been sent back home by the college's authority pending payment, he added.
Modi said the students met senior officers in the SC & ST Welfare department, but to no avail.
Across the country, over 1000 other SC/ST students are facing similar apathy of the state government, he claimed.
The state government, Sushil Modi said, had promised to pay Rs 7000 annual fee and Rs 10,000 as hostel charges to these students under the Dalit Stipend Scheme had but discontinued it, leaving their future in the lurch.
Sushil Modi, who is Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council, also alleged a "big racket" is operating in the SC & ST department.
Officials of the department seek Rs 5 lakh from lesser-known engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states for empanelling them in the list of 58 colleges where dalit students would be sent from Bihar under the scheme, he alleged.
"Instead of students, the department choses which dalit student will go to which engineering college irrespective of marks," he alleged and demanded a high-level inquiry into the "big racket" in the stipend scheme.
The BJP leader also demanded increase in quota for SC and EBC from existing 37 per cent to 50 per cent in the election to panchayat and urban local bodies slated for next month.
A businessman has been summoned as an accused by a Delhi court in an alleged tax evasion case filed against him by the Income Tax Department.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pritam Singh took cognizance of the IT department's complaint and directed 59-year-old Vikram Dhirani, a South Delhi resident, to appear before it on March 8.
"Complainant has filed complaint for the offence under sections 276C(1), 277 and 276D of the IT Act for the Assessment Year 2007-08 with identical allegations against the accused.
"Perusal of complaint and materials available on record, prima facie discloses commission of offence under sections 276C(1), 277 and 276D of the IT Act for the relevant assessment years. Hence, cognizance of the offence is taken... Let accused be summoned for March 8," the court said.
In the complaint, the department alleged that Dhirani, director of Karam Chand Rubber Industries Pvt Ltd and Karam Chand Chains Ltd, was holding an account in HSBC Bank in Dubai which was opened in April 2006, but had not disclosed it to the tax authorities here earlier.
It claimed that in July 2011, a search was conducted at Dhirani's premises. He was questioned during which he admitted having a foreign bank account and that he had not disclosed it to the tax authorities, it alleged.
A notice was issued to him to furnish details of the foreign bank account but he willfully did not disclose it, the IT complaint alleged.
It also alleged that Dhirani had Euros 19,15,148 (Rs 11.87 crore) in his foreign account in which he had not disclosed to Indian tax authorities and it was treated as undisclosed income for assessment year 2007-08.
The assessment was framed at a total income of Rs 13.21 crore and a penalty of Rs 4.14 crore was levied on him for willfully concealing the true income, the department alleged.
"The accused by not disclosing his foreign bank account and by not declaring transactions made by him in the account, had willfully attempted to evade tax and concealed his true income and committed an offence under section 276(c)(1) of the IT Act," it said.
It also booked him under sections 277 and 276 D of the IT Act alleging he had made a false statement in verification and not furnished details willfully respectively.
The body of a student, who drowned along with 13 of his colleagues out on a picnic, was today recovered from the Arabian Sea off Murud beach in Raigad district even as initial information suggested that the tragedy struck when 10 students formed a human chain to save four drowning campus mates and ended up meeting a watery grave.
A defence spokesperson said the body was recovered this morning. The bodies of 13 students were recovered yesterday itself in searches conducted by the Navy and the Coast Guard.
"We have received information that the body of Madaki Saif Ahmed has been recovered. His parents had rushed to the spot and after the post mortem, the body will be brought back to Pune ," said P A Inamdar, president of Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, which runs the Abeda Inamdar Senior College in Pune where the students were studying.
Hundreds of relatives and friends of the deceased, meanwhile, gathered at various burial grounds and crematoriums in Pune for their last rites.
Fourteen students, including 10 girls, aged between 18 and 20, had drowned in the sea at Murud yesterday afternoon.
"As per the primary information received from the spot, some three to four students, who went ahead inside the water, started drowning. As other students saw them, some ten students, formed a human chain and they too ventured into the sea and drowned along with their campus mates," Inamdar said.
He said the college would initiate an inquiry to find out if there was any negligence on the part of the faculty members who accompanied the students on the picnic.
The picnickers were accompanied by around ten staff members, including teachers, college authorities said.
"We have sent our trustees and teachers to meet the families who lost their children in the tragic incident. We are ensuring them complete support in this situation," Inamdar said.
Meanwhile, the college declared a holiday today to pay homage to the deceased students.
Maharashtra has announced Rs two lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.
(REOPENS BOM 11)
Meanwhile, terming the incident as the biggest 'human
loss' for the institute, Head of Computer Science department, Shakila Banu Mulla, said despite issuing necessary instructions to students before they ventured into the beach, they lost them and it is an "unrecoverable" loss for both the institute and parents.
"It was a horrific scene as in few moments, the picnic turned into a tragedy and all happened in front of our eyes," Mulla, who had accompanied the students on the picnic, said.
Mulla, who was seemingly in a shock, reached Pune this morning from Murud and said this is not the first time they took students on educational excursions to a beach site.
"Every time we go for such trips, we issue instructions to our students and always keep an eye on their movements. Yesterday also, instructions were issued to them," said Mulla.
"Suddenly a high tide came and some students got swept away and those who ventured inside the water to save them, started drowning too," she said.
She said on the very moment when faculty members came to know about drowning, they raised an alarm by shouting for help and local people rushed to rescue.
"A small boat was pressed into action by locals, who managed to rescue some students," she recalled.
"We are yet to believe that such a tragedy has taken place in reality. This human loss is really unrecoverable for the institute as well as for parents," she said.
Government bonds (G-Secs) dropped on sustained selling pressure from banks and corporates and the overnight call money rates also remained lower owing to subdued demand from borrowing banks amid ample liquidity in the banking system.
The 7.88 per cent government security maturing in 2030 fell to Rs 98.79 from Rs 99.19 previously, while its yield rose to 8.02 per cent from 7.97 per cent.
The 8.27 per cent government security maturing in 2020 declined to Rs 102.2975 from Rs 102.48, while its yield climbed to 7.63 per cent from 7.59 per cent.
The 7.59 per cent government security maturing in 2029 dipped to Rs 97.1450 from Rs 97.5925, while its yield gained to 7.94 per cent from 7.89 per cent.
The 7.59 per cent government security maturing in 2026, the 7.72 per cent government security maturing in 2025 and the 7.68 per cent government security maturing in 2023 also quoted lower by Rs 99.09 and Rs 99.14 and Rs 99.33, respectively.
The overnight call money rates remained lower at 6.15 per cent from Monday's closing level of 6.50 per cent. It resumed higher at 6.95 per cent and moved in a range of 7.10 per cent and 6.00 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF), purchased securities worth Rs 75.09 billion in a 17-bids at the overnight repo auction at a fixed rate of 6.75 per cent as on today, while it sold securities worth Rs 41.04 billion from 31-bids at the one-day reverse repo auction at a fixed rate of 5.75 per cent as on Feb 1 evening.
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone India has contributed Rs 1 crore towards the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for people affected by Chennai floods.
A cheque was handed over to the Prime Minister's Office by Bridgestone India Director Ajay Sevekari, the company said in a statement today.
"Bridgestone hopes to play a part in rebuilding the lives of the people of Chennai," Company's India MD Kazuhiko Mimura said describing the natural calamity as an unforeseen and unfortunate incident.
The donation is aimed at providing aid to the affected people of Chennai for their speedy recovery, along with the re-building of infrastructure destroyed during the floods, the company said.
Last year, Chennai was hit by unprecedented floods which affected millions of people and damaged properties.
In 2014, Bridgestone had also donated Rs 1 crore to Prime Minister's Relief Fund towards rehabilitation of victims of floods in Jammu & Kashmir.
British Airways today announced a three-day special scheme under which it is offering economy class return trip tickets to London starting at Rs 53,542.
It is also offering business class return trip tickets to London starting at Rs 1,45,517.
"The offer is valid for sale period, February 2-4 and for outbound travel period until June 30, 2016," the airline said in a statement.
The offer is valid on flights booked from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The scheme is part of the company's new brand campaign, a short film titled 'Fuelled by Love', inspired by a real-life experience of a British Airways cabin crew member.
"India is British Airways' second largest market outside the UK and after the US. Through this film and the brand campaign, we want to show the actual experiences of our cabin crew members serving customers on our India routes," British Airways' South Asia Regional Commercial Manager Moran Birger said.
"Many of them have shared stories of how care and thought that goes into every part of their journey have helped them connect with our customers and provide a more personal service," he added.
British Airways currently operates 49 flights a week from London, Heathrow to five Indian cities -- New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
A private bus operator was lynched in public by four persons including his cousin just 20 metres from a police booth near Delhi-Gurgaon Toll Plaza at busy IFFCO Chowk here.
Police said the assault, which took place yesterday evening, was the fall-out of a business rivalry between the 25-year-old victim, Amit Dabas, and his cousin Vinit.
A case was registered today by the Gurgaon police nearly 12 hours after the incident. The Gurgaon police delayed filing the FIR on account of an issue of jurisdiction of the spot with Delhi Police.
Police said the incident took place around 6 pm when Amit was going from Gurgaon to Delhi by a bus. As he reached IFFCO Chowk, Vinit and his three associates came in a car and dragged him out of the bus.
"After the attack, wounded Amit called Gurgaon police control room but no police team reached the spot for over 30 minutes. The helper of the bus took Amit to a hospital in Dwarka where doctors declared him dead on arrival," said Harendra Dabas, brother of the victim.
Gurgaon police APRO and ACP Hawa Singh said Amit was a native of Ranikheda in Haryana while the accused were from Jakodakhedi village. There was business rivalry between Amit and Vinit as they were plying their buses on the same route from Gurgaon to Dabari in Delhi.
Police have registered a case of murder against the four accused and have formed three teams to nab them, Singh added.
School in Sweden Teaches Pupils Israel Doesnt Exist | Main | DEA Uncovers Hezbollah Drug and Money Laundering
February 02, 2016
Defense One: Israel Is a Rising Cyber Super Power
Israel is a rapidly growing power in cybersecurity. An article in Defense One, a publication that focuses on military and international affairs, details Israels expanding cyber power (The Middle Easts Quietly Rising Cyber Super Power,? Jan. 27, 2016).
Author Adam Segal, a senior fellow at the New York City-based think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), describes Israel as having an ambitious domestic and international agenda designed to make it one of the worlds super cyber powers.? Segals focus at CFR, where he runs a blog called Net Politics, is on cybersecurity and cyberconflict.
Israel currently has more than 300 cybersecurity companies and accounts for 20 percent of the worlds private investment in cyber. The Jewish state currently exports $6 billion in cybersecurity technology.
Segal attended the January Cybertech 2016 in Tel Aviv, at which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about Israeli cybersecurity and its future. Delegations from the International Monetary Fund, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and business and banking officials from Canada and Japan, among other countries attended the conference. The Jerusalem Post called Cybertech 2016 the largest exhibition of cyber technologies outside the United States (Israels electrical grid attacked in massive cyber attack,? January 26).?
In his conference speech, Netanyahu highlighted the February 2015 establishment of an Israeli National Cyber Authority as part of a comprehensive plan to boost Israels cyber readiness. The authority is tasked with ensuring a comprehensive response against cyber-attacks and strengthening the resilience of organizations and sectors in the economy,? according to a press release by the prime ministers office. Netanyahu also hinted at bureaucratic turf battles between the Shin Bet, Israels domestic security agency, and the authority over cybersecurity responsibilitiesa conflict that Segal called an entirely predictable outcome of bureaucratic politics? that is expected to be resolved quickly.?
Netanyahu, Segal reported, also evidenced skepticism towards the idea of a universal code of cyber norms. Instead, he advocated a meeting of like-minded countries to define norms and sanctions against those who violate those standards.?
The Israeli prime minister said the Israeli government is expected to release soon guidance on export control laws for cybersecurity products.
On January 26, the day before the Cybertech Conference, Israels electrical grid was the target of a massive cyberattack. Speaking about the incident at the conference, Israeli Minister of Infrastructure, Energy and Water, Yuval Steinitz said, the virus was identified and software was activated to neutralize it.? The perpetrators of the attack have not been named.
Steinitz added: This is a fresh example of what we need to be prepared to face at any time.?
As Defense One noted, Israel appears to be taking such preparation seriously.
Posted by SD at February 2, 2016 01:30 PM
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The government is likely to consider tomorrow a proposal for hiving off profit-making Rajasthan Electronic and Instruments Ltd from Instrumentation Ltd into an independent central public sector enterprise.
"It has been proposed to delink REIL from Instrumentation Limited, Kota, as the latter has been incurring losses. It will pave the way for conversion of REIL into a CPSE under the Department of Heavy Industry by transferring entire shareholding of IL to Government of India," a senior official told PTI.
The Union Cabinet is likely to take a decision on the proposal tomorrow, the official added.
REIL is a joint venture between Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation (RIICO) and Instrumentation Limited, Kota, with 49 per cent and 51 per cent ownership respectively.
The Kota unit has been in the red for many years.
Last year, employees of the Palakkad unit of Instrumentation Limited which too has been making profits, had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that the unit either be given an independent status or merged with a profit-making PSU.
Political uncertainty is set to prolong in Jammu and Kashmir with a bitter PDP today saying it "cannot move forward" in forming government with BJP unless the Centre takes "tangible" CBMs to address thecauses of alienation and works towards a lasting solution to the state's problems.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who was invited by Governor N N Vohra for consultations on government formation, told him that she would like to see the Centre take "concrete steps" to address causes of the state's "political uncertainty, economic disempowerment, development deficit, unfulfilled promises" before she makes any moves to form the government with BJP.
Vohra, who had stepped in to break the month-long impasse, also held consultations with BJP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who said the party will take any step only after PDP elects its Legislature Party leader and notifies the Governor about it.
BJP asked the Governor for 10 days' time to "resolve whatever is outstanding" with PDP.
Mehbooba asserted that "the Centre needs to create an environment to infuse confidence, and unless that happens, we cannot moveforward."
She said, "if a government is to be formed in the state, it (Centre) will have to take tangible measures to address thecauses of alienation, trust and development deficit in Jammuand Kashmir and work towards finding a long-lasting solutionto the problem plaguing the state for the past more than six decades."
In a statement tonight, she said, "Today, it is not about the BJP and PDP. It is aboutwhat we tell the people about fulfilling Mufti Sahab's vision. We need tangible confidence building measures to be taken bythe Central government to give the new government in J&K a fillip."
Displaying her bitterness towards the Modi government, she said in a statement tonight, "Despite having taken a huge politicalrisk of going against the public sentiment in Kashmir byaligning with BJP, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was virtually made torun from the pillar to post by New Delhi to get event heconstitutionally-guaranteed funds for the development of thestate."
She said, "Although PDP faced various challenges in the 10 months of its alliance with BJP, unfortunately,Mufti Sahab's resolute decision was not reciprocated by the central government, the way he expected it to be."
Earlier, emerging from the meeting with Vohra, Mehbooba insisted that there are "no differences" with BJP and that she was willing to take the coalition forward but Jammu and Kashmir needs a "good atmosphere, space and a fillip" if a new government is to be formed as it is different from others.
Top Telugu Actors Balakrishna, Nagarjuna, junior NTR, Allu Arjun are among the celebrities who cast their vote in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) here today.
All of them appealed to the electorate, especially youth, to exercise their franchise as a basic responsibility of a citizen.
"Voters should vote, especially youth. Our country has substantial population of youth," Nagarjuna Akkineni, who was accompanied by his actor-wife Amala, told reporters.
Several youngsters thronged Nagarjuna at the polling station to take selfies with him.
Balakrishna, son of TDP founder N T Rama Rao and a TDP MLA in Andhra Pradesh, came to vote in his trademark white shirt and trousers.
Balakrishna's nephew, junior N T Rama Rao (popularly known as junior NTR), was accompanied by family members when he came to exercise his franchise.
Senior actor and Movie Artist Association (MAA) president Rajendra Prasad was also among film personalities who cast their vote.
Meanwhile, Naidu's wife N Bhuvaneswari, son Lokesh, who is TDP General Secretary, and his wife Brahmani also exercised their franchised.
Lokesh campaigned vigorously for the success of TDP-BJP combine in the GHMC election.
The polling started at 7 AM and would continue till 5 PM. Nearly 72 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in about 7,000 polling stations.
There are 150 divisions (wards) in the GHMC limits, which covers 24 Assembly segments in Telangana. About 1,300 candidates are in the fray.
About 40,000 security personnel and others have been roped-in to see that no untoward incident takes place. Web casting of polling process is also being done.
The counting of votes would be taken up on February 5.
Former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today welcomed the Supreme Court decision to refer to a five-judge constitution bench the reexamination of the verdict on same sex relationships and hoped that the Delhi High Court judgement on it will be upheld.
"I am happy that an error is being corrected. This is only the first step. I look forward to the day when the SC will uphold the judgement of the Delhi High Court," he said in a statement.
Chidambaram was reacting to the decision of a three- judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur to refer a bunch of curative petitions seeking review of the 2013 judgement that had reversed the Delhi High Court verdict that had decriminalised sex among gay adults.
The former minister, himself an eminent lawyer, has been strongly in favour of the Supreme Court reviewing the 2013 judgement.
A women's legal aid centre shut down in Beijing was probably ordered to close because it took money from overseas donors, state media said today after US presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton backed its founder.
Beijing police ordered the closure of the Zhongze Women's Legal Counselling and Service Centre, which represented low income Chinese women free of charge, the state-run Global Times said.
"The (police) request may have resulted from funds that came from overseas organisations," it said, adding that the centre received funding from the US-based Ford Foundation.
The article comes as charity workers in China report increased police pressure about foreign funding, and as state-run media accuse overseas organisations of plotting to undermine the country's authoritarian political system.
China last month detained and expelled a Swedish human rights activist who had aided Chinese lawyers, after parading him on state television confessing to breaking the law.
The Zhongze centre, founded by lawyer Guo Jianmei after a high-profile United Nations conference on women held in Beijing in 1995, was seen as symbolising an emerging civil society in China attempting to use courts to challenge injustice.
It said in a statement on its website that it was closing as of Monday, thanking supporters without giving an explanation.
Potential Democratic presidential nominee Hilary Clinton, who attended the conference, said on Twitter: "True in Beijing in 1995, true today: Women's rights are human rights. This center should remain-I stand with Guo."
Under President Xi Jinping, China's ruling Communist party under has reasserted controls over civil society, detaining more than 130 human rights lawyers and legal staff in the past year.
Beijing is preparing a new law which according to drafts would give police tighter controls over foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
In an op-ed, the Global Times said the centre's willingness to "take on sensitive cases and take foreign funds provides a perspective on this issue".
The editorial, attributed to Shan Renping, a penname for the paper's editor Hu Xijin, added that foreign aid "had a political slant and selectivity which could disturb Chinese society."
The Zhongze centre was renowned for defending Deng Yujiao, who in 2009 stabbed a government official to death after he attempted to sexually assault her. Public pressure led prosecutors to reduce the original charge of murder to the lesser "intentional assault".
To provide a boost to the domestic aviation sector, the Civil Aviation Ministry has sought service tax exemption as well as customs duty relaxation for MRO activities.
In this regard, the discussions with the Finance Ministry have been "encouraging", Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said today.
The Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) works of aircraft are mostly done overseas by the local carriers as costs are high in India.
Noting that for the aviation sector most of the things are dependent on imports, Raju said that even for routing checks of aircraft, the planes are being taken to Singapore, Dubai and Sri Lanka.
"We need to pull in the USD 700 million worth MRO business into India. We had consultations (with the Finance Ministry) and it looks encouraging on the issues of service tax and (increasing) the customs duty window from one year to three years," the Minister said here.
According to him, service tax is a notional revenue as far as MRO is concerned, it does not exist but it is discouraging enough for the activity not to come.
"So, we need to find a way where this activity (MRO) gets an exemption (from service tax) and the customs (duty) window is three years on spare parts," he noted.
At present, spare parts of aircraft have to be used within one year of import and for that period they are exempt from basic customs duty.
Discussions with the Finance Ministry have been encouraging and if the states also bring down their VAT (Value Added Tax), it would be practical to have MRO industry in the country, Raju said.
"While taxes are a reality, taxing an economic activity to extinction is not what we are planning," he noted.
The Minister was speaking at a seminar on 'Make In India: Challenges and Opportunities in Civil Aviation Sector'.
With regard to airports, Raju suggested there should be more number of parallel runways.
"Modern infrastructure is also an issue. By modern airports, I mean parallel runways," he said, adding that at present airports at Hyderabad, Delhi and Bengaluru have parallel runways.
On when the new civil aviation policy is likely to be finalised, Raju said, "I don't put timelines for the policy". Policy is not the truth for all times and policy would have a definiteness so that economic activities can be planned, he added.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey and Pawan Hans CMD B P Sharma, among others, were also present.
The United States and Italy warned today that the Islamic State group is expanding its reach, threatening to seize Libya and launch attacks in western countries.
Representatives from the 23 countries of the US-led coalition battling the jihadists' self-declared "caliphate" gathered in Rome to assess and renew their efforts.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and US Secretary of State John Kerry told their allies that, since their meeting six months ago, the IS group had suffered setbacks in its core territory in Syria and Iraq.
But the hosts warned that the group is adapting to the pressure on its heartland and is redirecting efforts to Libya, where it has seized new territory, and to attacks like those in Paris, Ankara and San Bernadino, California.
"We are surely not here to brag about anything," Kerry said, after saying IS fighters have lost 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria.
"We're here to recommit, we're here to re-evaluate, we're here to make judgements about things we have started that we could do better," he said.
Gentiloni said the challenge facing the coalition of mainly Western and Arab nations is stark.
"We know that we have in front of us an organisation that is very resilient and able to plan strategically and so we should not underestimate it," he said.
"If anything we need to be ever more wary and more watchful because we know that the more Daesh is squeezed in its core territories the more tempted it is pursue its terrorist activities elsewhere," he warned, using an Arabic name for IS.
"We are witnessing renewed activity in Libya and in sub- Saharan Africa," he said.
Italy has taken the lead with the coalition in planning for how to address the IS threat a short boat ride from its southern shores in the Libyan city of Sirte.
"In the past few months the threat in our own homelands has taken on a new more dangerous dimension requiring the coalition's focused and coordinated attention," he added.
Washington likes to claim that it has built a 66-nation coalition to fight the IS group - the latest country to join this week was Afghanistan, Kerry said.
But a so-called "small group" of 23 nations has taken the lead in carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria and training and arming local forces to fight the jihadists.
Governor Krishna Kant Paul today said if concerted efforts in the right direction weremade, Uttarakhand could become a much sought-after "ideal hub" of higher education.
In an address at Uttarakhand Technical University here onits foundation day, the Governor said this was an occasion for stock-taking and planning for the future.
He said if proper measures were taken, Uttarakhand could, due to its salubrious climate and pollution-free environment, become a centre of excellence in higher education and then people from the state would prefer to pursue their higher studies here instead of leaving the state.
Noting that universities today need to contribute to nation-building by inspiring young students to innovate and think creatively, he said students of technology must be encouraged to do out-of-the-box thinking from which innovations result.
"Research-based innovations can increase productivity and improve the economic scenario. Universities are the cradle for innovative ideas," he said.
The Governor appreciated the roadmap for the future presented by UTU VC Prof P K Garg and exhorted the faculty as well as the students to ensure its implementation so that UTU could come up in the university ratings.
To ensure that the huge number of affiliated colleges maintain the standard, the Governor advised the VC to ensure surprise inspections of these colleges.
Other measures that he stressed upon wereensuring industry-academia interface and introducing more and more job-oriented courses to increase employability of youth.
Taking a step forward in the series of initiatives taken by him in the sphere of higher education (honouring the best teachers, students and researchers),the Governor announced the institution of an inter-university Chancellor'strophy for excellence.
Referring to the schemes launched by the Prime Minister, Paul said students must be briefed by the universities on Digital India, Make in India andStart-Up Indiaand should be counselledabout the concessions and facilities being offered by the government under these schemes.
He said awards for original research must be instituted by universities as this would encourage students to develop the inclination and dedication towards research that would contribute substantially to various branches of knowledge.
On the occasion, the Governor also released the newsletter 'Kulgeet' and flag of the university besides inaugurating the new auditorium where the function was held.
Principal Secretary Om Prakash launched the system of providing online marksheets by the university.
Rejecting Government's claim of having brought a "transformation" in NREGA, Congress today attacked it for praising UPA's flagship rural job scheme in a "characteristic U-turn" and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was eroding the effectiveness of the welfare effort.
Leading the charge, Rahul Gandhi mocked Modi saying his government's praise is a "shining example" of PM's "political wisdom" while former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh alleged that there was an attempt to "kill the soul and spirit" of NREGA.
"After calling NREGA 'living monument of INC failure' Govt now hails it as cause of 'nat pride & celebration' !Shining eg of Modiji's pol wisdom", the Congress Vice President said in a tweet as NREGA completed 10 years today.
Gandhi's reference was to Prime's Minister snide remarks about the UPA flagship scheme during the Budget Session last year.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who along with Gandhi addressed a gathering Bandlapalli village in Andhra Pradesh today to mark the completion of ten years of MGNREGA, also trained his guns at the NDA government, alleging that Modi government wants to "kill the soul and spirit" of MGNREGA.
"Despite the enormous potential of MGNREGA as a social security programme, Prime Minister Modi does not like it. He has called MGNREGA as an epitome of Congress failure--a living proof of 60 years of Congress misrule.
"The Modi Government seeks to kill the soul and spirit of MGNREGA by withholding payments to states for MGNREGA works. In 2014-15 alone, Government of India did not make payment of Rs 6,000 crores to states for already executed MGNREGA works.
"It is up to the people to mobilise their sources in support of the effectiveness of MGNREGA to convince the Modi Government to desist from the negative path of eroding the effectiveness of MGNREGA as an instrument of people centered development," Singh said.
AICC Communication Department Chief Randeep Surjewala accused the government of having dealt a "severe blow" to the scheme and listed a number of purported steps taken taken by Modi government to hammer home the charge that "Modi and his Government did everything possible to destroy MGNREGA".
"After having dealt a severe blow to one of the landmark Rights Based Legislation, that provided right to livelihood and employment and changed the rural landscape of the country like never before, the Narendra Modi led BJP Government has in a characteristic U-turn suddenly discovered the virtues of MGNREGA.
"Modi has come around from a position of criticizing the Programme to celebrating it. Unfortunately, his actions of neglect speaker louder than his words," Surjewala said hours after the goverment reiterated its commitment to the scheme, claiming it released more funds for it than UPA governments and carried out a "transformation" in to benefit people more.
Surjewala noted that while rural India was enthused by
getting this legal right to work, BJP started a "negative campaign" against this scheme from the first day itself.
"Their criticism reached the limits when Prime Minister Narendra Modi viciously criticised the MGNREGA in Lok Sabha by saying that the 'Digging holes is the result of 60 years of your misdeeds and this scheme is a living monument of the failures of the previous government.'
"However, one year down the line, the same Prime Minister is lauding MGNREGA along with another flagship UPA programme - AADHAAR. And asking his MPs to work for its success. Before reaching this point of 'U' turn, Modi and his government did everything possible to destroy MGNREGA," he said.
The Congress spokesperson listed out measures to back his claim and alleged that the number of families getting 100 days of compulsory employment under MGNREGA has been systematically brought down by about half.
"Whereas, 51,73,487 families of got 100 days of employment in 2012-13 and 46,59,347 families got employment in 2013-14. It has drastically come down to 24,93,840 families in 2014-15 and a dismal 20,45,161 families in 2015-16," he said.
He also rued that despite severe rural distress, instead of a 100 days, "only an average 39.98 days of employment is been made available to workers under MGNREGA".
"Even on such a reduced number of days the payments made to the workers is never on time and the gap between the workdays and wages is constantly increasing," he claimed.
Countering the government's claim that fund allocation per person-day as well as wage payment under the scheme increased after NDA came to power, Surjewala listed details of purported delay in wage payment and absence of funds with states.
"Whereas, the government spent Rs 39,778.27 crore and Rs 38,552.62 crore on the scheme in 2012-13 and 2013-14, respectively, the expenditure on it went down to Rs 36,033.81 crore and Rs 34,226.80 crore in 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively.
"There is close to around 50 per cent delay in the total wages to be paid. Wages amounting to more than Rs 11,000 crore have not been paid in the current financial year. In the last financial year, average delay in wages was almost 60 per cent.
"Funds with states have dried up and 14 states, including Andhra Pradesh, are showing negative balance.
"There is decline in average days of employment per household in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to 40 days, a sharp decline from the previous years. Only 4 crore households were provided work in 2014-15 as compared to 4.8 crore households in 2013-14," he said.
Surjewala also rued that the average wage rate per day
increased only by Rs 8 in this financial year. Alleging that there has been a decline in the households completing 100 days in last two years, he said, "Only 25 lakh have completed 100 days in 2014-15 as against 47 lakh in 2013-14."
Reeling out figures he claimed that these contrasted with the "rapid strides" made under MGNREGA in bringing about unprecedented socio-economic change in rural India during the previous regime.
Surjewala said it was "shocking" that in a rural economy marred by drought while 1,95,13,989 families asked for jobs under MGNREGA in January 2016, jobs were made available to 86,75,141 people.
"Whereas, 7.97 crores people got jobs under MGNREGA in 2012-13, during the Modi government, it fell to 6.22 crore in 2014-15 and 5.79 crore in 2015-16," he said.
"What is further unfortunate is that the social audit provisions in the Act to ensure transparency have been undertaken by this government only in 145 out of 662 districts even though financial year is coming to a close," he said.
Earlier in Bandlapalli, Rahul said one out of five persons in the country have worked in MGNREGA and it was for the first time money came into the pockets of crores of people.
"Those who were not given any importance, could for the first time seek guaranteed work. They could go to officers and ask for work. I met MGNREGA workers, I met sarpanches. They told me that they have not seen a better programme than MGNREGA. They said that for the first time they have got money to educate children," he said quoting from people's experience of the scheme.
He also recalled that some time back some economists had come to him and and told him that a big reason for the the fast rise in growth rate in last few months was MGNREGA.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the implementation of MGNREGA provides an opportunity to strengthen democratic process and represents an enormous step towards empowerment of vulnerable sections of society through Panchayati Raj institutions.
"They have to turn to actively participate in democratic institutions at the grass roots and acquire a greater role in decision making and control over resources. Such empowerment is the essence of rural development," he said.
Highlighting that MGNREGA has a clear focus on the poorest of the poor, Singh said, "It seeks to reach out to those in need for livelihood security. It comes to the aid of those who may be under pressure to migrate in search of livelihood. It helps us empower the poor to fight poverty, disease and indebtedness.
"MGNREGA is a unique social security system. It confers upon groups the right to demand work when they need it. This is especially made for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, for poor women, who are the worst sufferers of social inequality."
Holding that MGNREGA is the gift of UPA to our people to assist them to fight poverty, ignorance and disease, Singh said that UPA is not in power now and hence it is "up to the people to defend this revolutionary programme.
Congress activists today protested outside the West Bengal BJP office here today against the disconnection of water and power supply to a bungalow occupied by Congress MP and WBPCC President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Delhi and accused the party of pursuing politics of vendetta.
"We are here to protest against the politics of vendetta pursued by the BJP government. They are trying to subvert the democracy and that is why they are harassing leaders of opposition parties," said a Congress activist.
BJP was pursuing the politics of vendetta as Chowdhury had time and again had come down heavily on Narendra Modi government both in and out of Parliament, the protestors said.
Officials reached the 14, New Moti Bagh residence of Chowdhury, who has failed to move to an alternative accommodation provided to him, and snapped the electricity and water connections besides moving out his furniture.
The Lok Sabha MP from Murshidabad attempted to get the eviction stayed by Delhi High Court which did not interfere with the disconnection of utilities and ordered status quo till tomorrow morning when it will hear the matter.
According to Directorate of Estates, the MP has been allotted another house on Humayun Road and given sufficient time to vacate the ministerial bungalow which it said he was not entitled to. But Chowdhury did not vacate despite several reminders in the past, they said.
Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh today expelled party leader Bhupinder Singh Bittu from the primary membership of the party for a period of six years for defying the party's decision to boycott the Khadoor Sahib assembly by-election.
Bittu had defied the party's boycott decision and is contesting the bypoll as an Independent candidate.
Khadoor Sahib assembly bypolls are scheduled to be held on February 13.
The seat had fallen vacant after Congress' Ramanjit Singh Sikki, the sitting MLA had resigned over incidents of sacrilege in his constituency last year.
The Congress had last week announced that it boycott the Khadoor Sahib by-election, with Amarinder Singh maintaining "since the basic issue of the sacrilege of the holy Guru Granth Sahib, for which Sikki resigned, still remains unresolved, the Congress party decided there was no point in contesting the election".
Cotton exports are expected to rise by 21.27 per cent to 70 lakh bales (170 kg each) during the 2015-16 season, mostly due to rise in demand from Pakistan, a senior official said today.
Exports during the previous cotton season, which begins from October 1, stood at 57.72 lakh bales, Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta told reporters here.
"The demand in Pakistan has grown due to crop damage in Punjab region. Almost 33 per cent of cotton crop in Pakistan has been damaged from whitefly. In the first three months till December 31, Pakistan has already imported 16.60 lakh bales from India, while it had imported overall 3.79 lakh bales in the entire year of 2014-15," she said.
This year, Pakistan will overtake Bangladesh as the top importer of Indian cotton, she added.
Gupta said output is estimated at 352 lakh bales in 2015-16, compared to 380 lakh bales in the previous season mainly on account of crop damage in Punjab due to whitefly, white ball worm in Gujarat and drought in Karnataka.
The production in Punjab is expected to be 9 lakh bales this season from 12 lakh bales last year, while in Gujarat, it will be 101 lakh bales from 108 lakh bales and in Karnataka, it is estimated to be 20 lakh bales from 31.50 lakh bales earlier.
Meanwhile, the Textile Commissioner has formed a five-member committee that will look into best practices in the sector and will submit a report in six months.
"The purpose of this committee is to look at research and innovation, best practices and their replicability and techniques of conserving water, among other things, that will help in making cotton growing more sustainable," Gupta added.
An ISIS suspect, who was arrested by NIA, was today sent to two days' transit remand by a court here for his production before a special court in New Delhi.
Azhar Iqbal, who was arrested by NIA as part of the agency's crackdown on sympathisers of the Middle East terror group, was produced before the competent Court.
The court has granted him two-day transit remand for his production before the NIA Special Court in New Delhi, an NIA release said.
Iqbal, a resident of Barkheda Raisen, Madhya Pradesh, was arrested in connection with a terror conspiracy.
A total of 16 persons were arrested by NIA on December 9, 2015 in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. While 15 people were arrested by the agency last month, Iqbal was the 16th arrest in the case.
The CPI(M) today said it would form a Left and democratic front to launch a movement to resist the Modi government's alleged attempt to make India a 'Hindu rastra'.
"After the Modi government came to power, people are facing severe economic crisis, the state's secular fabric is under attack, the risk of communalism is on a rise and the history of the country is being distorted," CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said here.
"Now we have taken an initiative to form a Left and democratic front to resist all these," he said without elaborating.
The party's recently held Kolkata plenum has resolved to make it "a revolutionary party with mass line", and launch movements against the NDA government led by Narendra Modi, the senior party leader said.
People are facing deep economic crisis and the value of the currency compared to USD was going down day by day, he said adding fuel price is going up though it is downwards in the international market, he said.
"The growth of manufacturing industry is now minus three per cent. Growth of agriculture is minus two per cent, and, as a result of which peasants were committing suicide.
So, the economic crisis is rising and the burden on the people is also rising," he said.
Yechury was addressing a function on centenary celebration of Dasharath Debbarma, a former Chief Minister of the state and a legendary tribal leader.
He said the party's politburo meeting on February 15 and Central Committee meeting on February 17 and 18 would decide about forging an alliance with Congress in West Bengal.
A CRPF officer was injured in a grenade attack by militants during a search operation in Anantnag district of south Kashmir today, police said.
CRPF sub-inspector D Shah received splinter injuries when the militants attacked his team at Arwani village near Bijbehara, 45 km from here, this evening, a police officer said.
He said a joint team of Police, Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF had launched a search operation in the village following specific information about presence of some militants.
As the security forces were busy searching the area, ultras hurled a grenade at them, he said, adding the injured was evacuated to hospital where his condition was stated to be "stable".
The officer said the search operation was going on to flush out the militants.
Police are struggling to determine the exact sequence of events leading to the death of a six-year-old boy at Ryan International school even after conducting several rounds of questioning in this regard.
They are awaiting forensic report in connection with the incident along with the medical board's opinion on the boy's postmortem examination. The initial report has, however, suggested the boy died of drowning, a senior police official said, adding foul play can still not be ruled out.
In the last three days, police have questioned several teaching and non-teaching staff, including the principal of the school. Their versions were corroborated with what the boy's parents had to say, following which the police have found significant differences.
Such differences have so far been the major hindrance in determining the proper sequence of events in the case, the senior official said.
Meanwhile, some of the staff members have also come under the scanner and are suspected of tampering with evidence. If it turns out to be so, Section 201 of IPC will be added in the existing FIR, the official said.
Divyansh Kakrora, a Class I student of the school in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, was found dead on January 30, following which Delhi government had also ordered a magisterial probe.
In a similar incident which took place around three days before Divyansh's death, a five-year-old boy had died after he fell into an open septic tank in a corporation-run school in southwest Delhi's Kapashera area.
Terming as "unfortunate" the death of children in both the cases, the Delhi High Court today sought response of the AAP government, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the school authorities.
By connecting the dots in Divyansh's case, what police have so far been able to infer is that Divyansh had gone missing before the seventh period and later his body was found floating in a water reservoir under the school's amphitheatre.
Regarding the time when the boy went missing, they are confronted with two inputs, one suggesting that Divyansh was last seen attending the sixth period and the other that he went missing since recess (before the sixth period), said the official.
(REOPENS DEL42)
The other differences in versions revolve around who was entrusted with the maintenance of the reservoir, whether the fact that the door of the amphitheatre was open was known to the school authorities and who exactly sp(REOPENS DEL42)
The other differences in versions revolve around who was entrusted with the maintenance of the reservoir, whether the fact that the door of the amphitheatre was open was known to the school authorities and who exactly spotted the body first and at what time, the official said.
The school authorities had taken the boy to hospital instead of informing police first. The boy was declared brought dead there and the hospital authorities called up the police around 2.40 PM, the official said.
Sources said police's suspicion aroused when it found the door to the reservoir locked after the incident. This, they said, could indicate tampering with evidence.
Divyansh's parents are both paramedical staff at AIIMS and the family lives in south Delhi's Mehrauli area.
The boy's father termed it a conspiracy and alleged someone from the school was behind the incident. The family has demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
Charging the AAP government of trying to "fail" the BJP-ruled municipal corporations by denying them funds, Delhi BJP today asked Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to intervene for release of Rs 2,900 crore to end the crisis due to the strike by employees of civic bodies.
A delegation of leaders of three BJP-ruled municipal corporations led by Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay met Jung and sought his "direction" to the Delhi government for "immediate" release of Rs 2,900 crore recommended by 3rd Delhi Finance Commission, to the municipal corporations.
"Acceptance of 4th DFC recommendations by the Delhi government shows it knows how much fund is needed to run the corporations but it is not being implemented as the government wants them to fail," Upadhyay said.
The delegation asked the Lt Governor to intervene in view of the hardships being faced by people due to municipal corporation employees' strike and direct the Delhi government to immediately release Rs 2,900 crore and implement the 4th DFC recommendations, he said.
A memorandum submitted to Jung also sought his help in release of pending property tax dues on various central and Delhi government institutions.
Mayors Subhash Arya (South), Harshdeep Malhotra (East) and Ravinder Gupta (North) along with other leaders of three municipal corporations were part of the delegation.
Delhi government Chief Secretary KK Sharma today held a meeting with the Commissioners of north and east Delhi Municipal Corporation to discuss the situation arising out of the ongoing strike of Municipal employees and find a way to end it.
The meeting came a day after striking sanitation workers, the Mayors of the three BJP-controlled civic bodies, and other leaders met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.
The LG had directed the Chief Secretary and Urban Development Secretary of Delhi to call a meeting with Commissioners to discuss ways to end the strike.
Sources said the officials discussed the option of paying salaries, a major demand of the striking employees. A preliminary assessment was made regarding the amount needed to pay the salaries, sources said.
As the strike entered its seventh day, the LG has voiced concern over the "serious situation" and recommended that the AAP government extend "conditional" loans or grants to the civic bodies so they can pay salaries to their employees.
Jung, in his letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, said if the strike by sanitation workers, teachers and doctors of MCDs continued, the law and order situation in the city may deteriorate, according to sources.
The hospitals under Delhi government will provide free medicines round-the-clock to avoid any inconvenience to patients, officials said today.
In the first phase, the facility will be provided at five hospitals -- Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.
"The aim is make medicines available 24X7 inside the hospital premises so that patients do not face any inconvenience. Usually, they have to run from one chemist shop to another to buy drugs," Delhi health Minister Satyendra Jain said.
Last month, a team of Health Department officials of Delhi government visited AIIMS to examine the model.
Besides, the Delhi government has also decided to outsource the maintenance of medical equipment.
"There are medical equipment which have not been working for a long time. Also, often some machines collapse, bringing the work at halt. To ensure smooth operation at the hospitals, we have decided to outsource the maintenance of medical equipment," Jain said, adding the Health Department has floated tenders for it.
As per the plan, Jain said there will be a central agency which will look after the maintenance of equipment.
The teaching and non-teaching staff in the government run and aided schools in the national capital will now be able to register their grievances at four levels and also file an appeal if they aren't satisfied with the decision of the concerned committee.
The notification, which will come to rescue of those who fall prey to false complaints, comes after the HRD Ministry had last year amended the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) rules to include a grievance redress mechanism for teachers.
According to the mechanism notified by the Directorate of Education (DoE), the School Management Committee will be the first level of the grievance redressal mechanism, where a teacher can submit his or her grievance in writing to the Convenor or Member Secretary of the committee. The committee has to examine and redress the grievance within 15 days from the date of receipt.
"Any staff member, if aggrieved, shall make a written complaint to the School Staff Grievance Redressal Committee consisting of Vice-Chairperson of School Management Committee who shall act as the Chairperson of the said committee.
"Other members of the panel would be the teacher convenor, Principal/Head of School, two parent members of School Management Committee and one staff representative elected by the staff of the school for this purpose," DoE said in a circular.
If the committee fails to respond to the teacher or if
the latter feels the response is unsatisfactory, he or she can represent their case to the Zonal-level Grievance Redressal Committee, comprising the Zonal Deputy Director of Education as the Chairperson and the Supervisor Physical Education along with three other members who are not employees of the school.
This committee has to address the grievance within 30 days of receiving the complaint.
If the complainant is still unsatisfied with the response, he/she can approach the District-level Grievance Redressal Committee which will be headed by the District Collector and would be required to respond within one month.
At the top-most level, the grievance can be sent to the Regional Director-level Grievance Redressal Committee, which will be headed by the Regional Director of Education and would comprise two members nominated by the Education Secretary.
This committee would also have a 30-day time-frame within which it is expected to resolve the grievance.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant is imploring high-achieving college students to remain in Mississippi after graduation and build their careers in the state.
"Stay here. Grow where you're planted," Bryant said Tuesday during an event at the Capitol to honor community college and university students for academic success.
Speaking to more than 100 students, parents and university and college faculty members, he said graduates have been a growing export for Mississippi.
"We send you off to strange places like Atlanta and Dallas," Bryant said to the laughter of some. "You will think, 'I need to be there to achieve my dreams.'"
He said some graduates may need to leave for a while, but he hopes they will come home. "Mississippi needs you here," he said.
The second-term Republican governor talked about being the first in his family to attend college. He said that in 1973, he was working at a shop changing tires 5 1/2 days a week when he received a postcard that said, "'You, too, can go to college.'"
He earned an associate's degree at Hinds Community College, a bachelor's degree at the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's degree at Mississippi College. He said when he received a letter about being on the dean's list, his mother proudly showed it to friends and neighbors -- and that kept pressure on him to maintain his grades.
Trevoris Word of Southaven, a 20-year-old sophomore at Coahoma Community College, was among those listening to the governor. Word is working on a degree in nursing and said he plans to attend Jackson State University to major in biology. He said he intends to become a physician and work in Mississippi.
His mother, Adrian Word, said she wants her son to earn a living close to home.
"I preach that to him all the time," Adrian Word said. "We need more doctors in the state of Mississippi to make it a better place."
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ALSO AT THE CAPITOL:
--House and Senate committees are holding their first meetings after members were appointed last week.
--Kimberly Turner, the attorney who leads the secretary of state's elections division, spoke to a Senate committee about proposed changes to election laws, including one to allow online voter registration. She said 33 other states already have online registration.
--Wednesday is the deadline for members of the House and Senate to request bills to be drafted for the 2016 session. Next Monday is the deadline for general bills to be filed.
The Director General of Police (Prisons) Satyanarayan Rao today inspected the district jail here today in the wake of reportsof recurring clashes among the inmates.
Two inmates belonging to rival groups were injured in a minor clash in the prison on January 29.
In a serious clash, two convicts belonging to rival gangs, Madoor Isubu and Ganesh Shetty were killed inside the prison on November 2 last.
Rao later told reporters that steps were being taken to shift the jail to Mudipu, where the government had sanctioned 63 acres of land.
Funds had also been released andthe construction work would start soon, he said.
On reports that inmates were using mobile phonesdespite frequent raids, he said there were lapses in the functioning of jail staff.
Rao also said mobile jammers and more CCTV cameras would beinstalled in the jail by the end of the month.
Continuing his broadside against the Modi government, Rahul Gandhi today accused it of attempting to impose the "failed RSS ideology" on everyone and alleged Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula was "crushed" by the ruling dispensation.
He also took on Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj over her reported statement that Rohith was not a Dalit.
"Your government crushed FTII students and beat up JNU students. Why all this is happening because you are trying to impose one ideology on youth of the country. He (Rohith) alleged that you were trying to finish off the education system at universities and IITs.
"You are attempting to forcefully impose the failed ideology of RSS on everyone. Just try to do it and see what the youth of India will do to you. You will see Rohith in every school, college and university. Don't try to crush Indian youth. This is my advice to central government," he said.
"Our students in colleges and universities are being suppressed. Rohith Vemula was made to commit suicide. Why... because he was expressing his views. He did not harm anyone. He did not kill anyone. But the Indian government crushed him," the Congress Vice-President said at a public rally held to mark 10 years of UPA's flagship MGNREGA programme.
"And now a Minister of central government says he was not a Dalit. Sushmaji, it is not the question of whether Rohith was a Dalit or not. The question is of a youth of India, who wanted to study and learn, was killed by Indian government," the Amethi MP asserted.
Earlier, activists of ABVP, BJP's student wing tried to disrupt Rahul's speech by raising slogans and holding placards but police personnel immediately intervened and took them away from the public meeting venue.
The Congress leader had last week visited Hyderabad Central University to express solidarity with students protesting the suicide of Rohith.
Weeks before it finalise schedule for assembly elections in five states, the Election Commission will visit Puducherry and Tamil Nadu for three days beginning February 9 to review poll preparedness.
The three Election Commissioners, along with other senior officers of the poll panel, will be in Puducherry on February nine and in Tamil Nadu on February 10 and 11, 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 Chennai on February nine from where it will proceed for Puducherry. The Commission will return to Chennai the next day and hold interaction with top civil and police officials along with political leaders of Tamil Nadu for two days.
The EC team will be in Kerala on Wednesday, February 3 and return to Delhi on February 5. In Kerala, it will visit Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
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.
EU president Donald Tusk today unveiled key proposals to keep Britain in the bloc, including a four-year brake on benefit payments for migrant workers and protection for counties that do not use the euro currency.
Tusk sent the proposals for a "new settlement" to European capitals, firing the starting gun for two weeks of frantic negotiations with the other 27 European Union leaders to secure a deal at a summit on February 18-19.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants a deal so he can hold a referendum in June on his country's membership of the EU, said Tusk's proposal "shows real progress" but added that "more work" was needed.
"To be, or not to be together, that is the question... My proposal for a new settlement for #UKinEU," Tusk tweeted, adapting a famous quote from English playwright William Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
The proposals will not take effect until Britain avoids a so-called "Brexit" and votes to stay in the EU in the referendum, the draft adds.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the proposals took into account all issues that Cameron raised in a letter to Brussels last year, and also took into account the concerns of other EU states.
The proposals include an "emergency brake" to stop EU migrants claiming benefits - such as income top-ups for low- paid workers - for up to four years after their arrival if a country can prove that its welfare system and public services are being overwhelmed.
It says they would have to prove that an "exceptional situation exists on a scale that affects essential aspects of its social security system" to get the limit approved by the European Commission.
It would then have to be voted for by a qualified majority of EU states.
But the question of how long Britain could apply this for is left blank in the draft circulated to EU leaders, where the issue will be one of the most contentious points.
The plan has angered the so-called Visegrad Four -- the central European states of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia - which have thousands of citizens working in Britain.
They say it breaches the EU's principles of free movement and is discriminatory.
Cameron will hold talks in Poland on Friday with Polish leaders aiming to win them over to the changes. He is also set to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hamburg on February 12.
The EU and the UNICEF have joined hands to implement a project worth 4 million euros to help restore education for one million children affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal last year.
"The project worth 4 million euro includes construction of 650 transitional learning centres, provision of essential learning materials in the newly established centres as well as psychosocial counselling training to teachers in nine earthquake affected districts of Gorkha, Kavrepalanchowk, Makwanpur, Nuwakot, Okhaldhunga, Ramechhap, Rasuwa, Sindhuli and Sindhupalchowk," a statement issued by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Nepal office, said today.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with the Department of Education and the concerned district administrations and non governmental organisations, it said.
"Over the years, Nepal has made significant educational gains, including the nearly 100 per cent primary enrollment rate," said Rensje Teerink, Ambassador, European Union (EU) delegation to Nepal.
"These gains are at a risk today, especially with massive damages to schools and classrooms during the Nepal earthquakes," he said.
A structural assessment of all schools in the 14 most affected districts found that over 34,500 classrooms were damaged or destroyed beyond use, affecting the education of one million children.
"Collective efforts are needed so that all kids have decent learning opportunities to avoid negative long term effects of the 2015 disaster," Teerink said.
The EU-UNICEF partnership seeks to help restore the education of these children by assuring safe learning environments and emotional support for them," he added.
The Nepal earthquake which happened in April killed over 9,000 people and injured more than 23,000 was followed by about 300 aftershocks. An estimated 500,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.
The EU and United States struck a new deal today on data transfers relied on by Facebook and Google, after Europe's top court struck down the previous pact for failing to protect users from US spying.
Dubbed "Privacy Shield", the agreement replaces the 16-year-old Safe Harbour arrangement that was ruled illegal in October in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations on US intelligence.
Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic had expressed concerns about the legal limbo and warned of the fallout if the two sides failed to reach a new agreement, which was meant to happen by the end of January.
But privacy campaigners -- in addition to mocking the pact's new name and comic-book style logo -- expressed concern that the new deal does not produce the necessary safeguards and warned the arrangement could end up back in court.
"I'm glad to announce today that we have finalised negotiations with the United States on a renewed and safe framework for transatlantic data flows," European Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told a press conference.
She said she expected the deal to take effect in about three months.
In Washington, US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said: "Beyond being central to transatlantic commerce, this deal also signals the closeness of the EU-US relationship."
In October, the European Court of Justice ruled the arrangement allowing firms to transfer European citizens' personal information to the US was "invalid" because of US snooping practices exposed by Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who leaked a hoard of National Security Agency documents.
The case stemmed from a legal challenge brought by Austrian Internet activist and law student Max Schrems against Facebook in Ireland.
Schrems sent out a series of tweets mocking the new deal, including calling Privacy Shield a "strange name," and issued a statement that the new deal could end up back in the court in Luxembourg.
He said the deal was based only on a couple of letters from the administration of President Barack Obama, adding that it was "by no means a legal basis to guarantee the fundamental rights of 500 million European users in the long run, when there is explicit US law allowing mass surveillance."
But Brussels said the deal would protect Europeans.
The World Health Organization said today it had created a global unit to respond to the Zika virus, voicing fears the disease blamed for a surge in birth defects in South America could spread across Africa and Asia.
"We have now set up a global response unit, which brings together all people across WHO in headquarters, in the regions, to deal with the formal response" to Zika, said WHO expert Anthony Costello.
The UN health body had said Monday that a surge in cases in South America of microcephaly -- a devastating condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain -- was likely caused by the mosquito-borne Zika virus, and declared the situation a "public health emergency of international concern."
The WHO is under pressure to move swiftly to tackle Zika, after admitting it was slow to respond to the recent Ebola outbreak that ravaged parts of west Africa.
Costello, a paediatrician and an expert on microcephaly, told reporters in Geneva that the WHO's new response unit would aim to use "all the lessons we've learned from the Ebola crisis" to help quickly address Zika and the birth defects and neurological conditions it is believed to cause.
He emphasised the urgency of rapid action, stressing there was no reason to believe the crisis would remain limited to South America, where 25 countries so far have reported Zika cases.
"We are worried that this could also spread back into other areas of the world where the population may not be immune, and we know that the mosquitos that carry Zika virus (...) are present through most of Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly south Asia," he said.
Underlining his point, Thai officials announced Tuesday that a man had contracted the virus in the country.
Cape Verde, which lies off the coast of west Africa, has also already reported domestic Zika cases.
Jitters over the virus have spread far beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, where dozens of cases have been identified among travellers returning from Latin America.
Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever, and was first discovered in Uganda in 1947.
"Given that there is a vector, and given that we are in a global world, and presumably it crossed the Atlantic at some stage to get into Latin America, there is no reason particularly to think it couldn't travel in the opposite direction," Costello said.
The Madras High Court today impleaded the Union Ministry of Broadcasting as a respondent in a petition by a Sri Lankan Tamil staying in a refugee camp here seeking a direction to the police to permit him to shoot a short film.
Johnson has said in his petition that he wants to participate in a short film competition in London for which he wants to shoot a film at Pulicat near here.
He has submitted that when he went with the inmates to the shooting spot, an Inspector of Thirupalaivanam Police Station in Thiruvallur district prevented him from shooting and directed him to get necessary permission from higher police officials.
Johnson said when he approached the Superintendent of Police of Thiruvallur the official told him that refugees cannot be permitted to shoot films without permission from concerned officials, following which he moved the High Court.
Police, in its counter affidavit said Johnson has to follow certain norms and conditions as "no foreigner shall produce or attempt to produce any picture, including documentary or feature films for TV and they should get permission in writing subject to the conditions specified by the Centre."
He has to obtain a No-Objection Certificate from the police for shooting and after securing it apply to the Directorate of Information and Broadcasting and Public Relations Department of the state government for permission, police submitted.
Justice R Subbiah then directed that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting be impleaded in the case and posted the matter for further hearing on February 16.
An aviation official in Somalia says a passenger jet has made an emergency landing at Mogadishu's international airport after a fire broke out on board the commercial flight.
Ali Mohamoud said the plane, operated by Daallo Airlines and headed to Djibouti, was forced to land minutes after taking off from the Mogadishu airport.
He said two passengers were slightly injured as the 74 passengers and crew of the plane were evacuated after the plane made a safe landing.
He couldn't confirm reports that an explosion may have triggered the fire.
Tanzanian president John Magufuli has condemned the killing of a British conservationist after his helicopter was shot down while he chased suspected poachers, saying five people have been arrested.
Briton Roger Gower, 37, was killed when his helicopter was gunned down by suspected poachers during a patrol of the Maswa Game Reserve in northern Tanzania, close to the world famous Serengeti National Park, on January 29.
Gower, who worked for the Friedkin Conservation Fund, had been tracking poachers after spotting the carcasses of recently killing elephants.
"This is a sad incident that must be strongly condemned," Magufuli said in a statement, ordering all those involved to be "aggressively pursued and brought to justice."
The statement said five suspects have been arrested and were being questioned by police.
Magufuli vowed to boost efforts to protect wildlife.
"I personally support the fight against poaching in our game reserves and national parks... Let us join hands against the poachers," added Magufuli.
Photographs of the crashed helicopter show twisted metal, as well as apparent bullet holes in the fuselage, and smears of blood on the pilot's seat.
Gower's South African colleague, safari guide Nicky Bester, survived the helicopter crash.
Tanzania's National Parks spokesman, Pascal Shelutete, said that poachers can be "heavily armed with sophisticated military weaponry."
Ivory is sought out for jewellery and decorative objects and much of it is smuggled to China, where many increasingly wealthy shoppers are buying ivory trinkets as a sign of financial success.
It is estimated that more than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year across Africa.
IMG_3658.JPG
Jackson County Board of Supervisors discusses issues at Monday's Board of Supervisors meeting. (Tyler Carter/Gulflive.com)
Melton Harris
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi --Jackson County supervisors have backed out of the county's participation in the controversial Lake George project.
During Monday's board meeting, supervisors voted 3-2 to back out of the project, with Troy Ross and new supervisors Ken Taylor and Randy Bosarge voting in favor of ending Jackson County's participation, and Melton Harris and Barry Cumbest voting to continue.
The Lake George project would result in damming a tributary to the Pascagoula River which would result in the creation of two lakes for water reservoirs and recreation. The majority of the estimated 3,000 acres of lakes would be in George County.
Prior to Monday's vote, Jackson County had been one of the applicants seeking environmental approval for the project from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Harris explained his support of the project.
"I have had people to speak in favor of Lake George for various reasons," Harris said. "Number one, the county has $44 million that hinges on the wood pellet plant. This wood pellet would come out of George and Greene County and the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, along with the Jackson County Utility Authority supported the idea."
"The concept of Lake George is to develop water for shortages and recreation. Lake George will not be used as a hostage for other things," Harris continued, "but as a process to allow this process to work and lets see how it plays out. We have a huge investment in this totaling around $44-47 million and I strongly oppose the idea of pulling out of this deal."
During the public comment session of Monday's meeting, an audience member criticized Cumbest for his support of the project, noting that Cumbest owns land in the project area, but Cumbest says he simply wants what it best for the people of Jackson County.
Barry Cumbest
"The reason I was behind it was to see if it were even feasible for these lakes to be built and I would have liked to have stayed in it long enough to know it were feasible," Cumbest said. "It would kind of be the icing on the cake one way or the other. With us backing out, I'm afraid the Corps (of Engineers) would no longer go in and do all of the studies and that is what I was afraid of. Time will tell."
Borsage said on Monday that he has heard from the people of his district in every shape, form, and fashion about why the supervisors should not continue with the project. Cumbest, meanwhile, says he has heard just the opposite from constituents.
"You hear from the ones who are against this project and they are the ones who will holler the loudest," Cumbest said. "I have spoken with people in my district and they do not see anything wrong with it."
Randy Bosarge
Borsage stands on the fact that the people in the county voted him in and that he will speak for them and do what they ask him to do.
"I don't think we need to be on the application for that project to move forward," he said. "There are a lot of people who have called me who understand this deal and when you have a couple hundred people who reach out to you, as their supervisor, I will listen and do what is best for them. I ran for office to listen to and represent the people."
Ross said the project could be good for Jackson County long term if he had voted for the Lake George project, but underlying factors kept him from voting for the project.
"What I have said all along is that the concept of Lake George sounds like it would be something that would be good for Jackson County and good for George County long term, but this project is not a Jackson County project," Ross said.
Troy Ross
"After talking to different people in the industrial sector, I didn't see anyone who said we had a direct need for that project now, so for that reason, I decided we should take our name off of the permit. As that project proceeds, if we feel like it is something we need to jump onto that helps along the way, then we can, but for now, we will let it go through the Army Core of Engineers to see if it is even a viable project."
According to WLOX, Larry McDonald, President of the George County Board of Supervisors, said Monday's vote sets a "disturbing precedent" and "threatens to undo a very positive six-year working relationship on this project."
Ross responded saying, "I know Lake George has been a project desired by people longer than I have been alive, but if this right here was the one thing to kill that project, it was never viable to begin with."
Noting that the justice delivery system in the country was slow, 'Forum for Fast Justice' today sought the cooperation of advocates in speeding up the process.
The Forum had started its 'Justice Rally' from New Delhi and reached Jalandhar today where it held discussions with local advocates on 'speedy and efficient' justice.
"The pace of judicial processes in the country is very slow and that in a way is injustice. The process should be hastened so that the common man is satisfied with the justice," said Praveen Patil, convenor of the rally.
Patil said the rally will continue till March 4 and during the period it aims to raise awareness among people for "speedy justice". The rally will next move to Amritsar, he said.
Four police constables were suspended after they allegedly failed to reach on time at the venue of a programme in east Delhi's Patparganj area where Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was the chief guest, police said today.
The four constables, including a woman, were posted in Pandav Nagar police station. They were deployed for security arrangements at the inauguration programme of a community hall in Patparganj area, where Sisodia was to arrive by 11 AM on Sunday, a senior police official said.
The constables failed to reach on time, following which the ACP concerned initiated an inquiry into the matter and they were suspended yesterday, the official said.
The action has been taken for dereliction of duty, DCP (East) B S Gurjar said.
As India and France work on the deal for 36 Rafale jets for the IAF, a high-level team of Dassault Aviation met senior officials here, pitching for the naval version of the fighter plane for the country's next indigenous aircraft carrier - Vishal.
Sources in the know said the team from France gave a detailed presentation to senior Navy officers on various aspects of the naval version and the benefits it would offer with two arms of defence forces using Rafale fighter jets.
The Air Force is set to acquire 36 Rafale aircraft manufactured by Dassault Aviation under a government-to government deal.
The development comes when the Navy is in the 'design phase' of the next aircraft carrier project.
Sources said India had written to four countries, including France, seeking proposals for the design of the aircraft carrier that will have over 50 planes on board.
While India currently operates two aircraft carriers-- INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat-- the latter is set to be decommissioned soon. The country's first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is already under construction in Kochi and is scheduled to be handed over to the Navy by end of 2018.
The Navy will deploy MiG 29K fighter aircraft on Vikrant. However, it is not clear if it will stick to MiG 29K or go in for a new aircraft for Vishal.
As per the Navy's plan, Vishal would be a 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier, about 300 metres in length and around 70 metres in width.
While the exact propulsion system for it has not beeen decided yet, sources indicated it could well be a nuclear apparatus.
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced today that it had begun research and development into a vaccine against the mosquito-borne Zika virus, blamed for causing a surge in brain-damaged babies.
The company said the success of its Sanofi Pasteur vaccines division in developing a vaccine against dengue fever could be "rapidly leveraged" in the fight against Zika.
"Sanofi Pasteur leads the vaccine field for viruses in the same family as Zika virus (ZIKV), with licensed vaccines against yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and, most recently, dengue," it said in a statement.
It continued that "Sanofi Pasteur's expertise and established R&D and industrial infrastructure for the newly licensed vaccine for dengue, Dengvaxia, can be rapidly leveraged to help understand the spread of ZIKV and potentially speed identification of a vaccine candidate for further clinical development."
The announcement comes a day after the World Health Organisation declared an international emergency over the Zika virus which it last week warned was "spreading explosively" in the Americas.
The UN health body also said a surge in serious birth defects in South America was "strongly suspected" of being caused by the Zika virus.
Brazil has now warned pregnant women to stay away from the Olympics due to open in August in Rio de Janeiro.
"Sanofi Pasteur is responding to the global call to action to develop a Zika vaccine given the disease's rapid spread and possible medical complications," vaccine project head Nicholas Jackson said in the statement.
"In addition to the serious possibility of congenital complications associated with Zika, investigations are also underway to assess another reported connection between Zika and a dangerous neurological disorder," he added.
There is currently no treatment for Zika. The virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever, and which is found everywhere in the Americas except Canada and Chile.
WHO has warned that the Americas region could see up to four million Zika cases this year alone.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in his early career monitored employees' work hours by memorising their license plates to keep a track of them.
Gates, who is now co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, described his intense management style from Microsoft's early days during an interview to BBC Radio.
"I worked weekends, I didn't really believe in vacations," Gates said of his early years at the helm of Microsoft.
"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," he stated.
Gates dropped out of Harvard aged 19 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 company's chairman in 2014.
Asked if he was ruthless in business, Gates said, "No, only if you define having super-low prices as ruthless. It's hard to compete with somebody who's betting on the volume and saying, 'Hey, we're going to have... These super-low prices.' That's very intimidating and in that sense, yes we were aggressive."
Candidly Gates talked about fixing the school scheduling software with Paul to ensure he was the only boy in classes of girls.
"Paul did the computer scheduling with me. Unfortunately for him he was two years ahead of me and he was off to college by then. So I was the one who benefited by being able to have the nice girls at least sit near me. It wasn't that I could talk to them or anything - but they were there," Gates said.
"I think I was particularly inept at talking to girls, or thinking, 'OK -- do you ask them out, do you not?' When I went off to Harvard I was a little bit more sociable. But I was below average on talking to girls," he said.
Gates also spoke about his relationship with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
"Steve really is a singular person in the history of personal computing in terms of what he built at Apple. 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 said of Jobs.
The top American commander in Afghanistan says most of the problems facing the Afghan security forces stem from poor leadership.
Army Gen. John F. Campbell, testifying today before the House Armed Services Committee, says the Afghan National Army has replaced 92 general officers, including a high-level commander in volatile Helmand province.
He says the Afghan interior ministry is still "lagging behind" in making leadership changes. But the U.S. Forces are "taking steps to remedy this."
President Barack Obama plans to cut American troops numbers from the current 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office. Obama backtracked from his initial plan to reduce the force to 1,000 by the end of 2016.
Campbell is expected to retire soon and Obama has nominated Army Lt. Gen. John Nicholson, Jr., to replace him.
The global temperature does not rise or fall chaotically in the long run and should remain stable unless pushed by outside forces, according to a new study.
Scientists at the Duke University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory examined how Earth cools itself down after a period of natural warming.
The new evidence contradicts the belief that long-term global warming occurs in an unpredictable manner, independently of external drivers such as human impacts.
"This underscores that large, sustained changes in global temperature like those observed over the last century require drivers such as increased greenhouse gas concentrations," said lead author Patrick Brown, a PhD student at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
Natural climate cycles alone are insufficient to explain such changes, he said.
Using global climate models and NASA satellite observations of Earth's energy budget from the last 15 years, the study found that a warming Earth is able to restore its temperature equilibrium through complex and seemingly paradoxical changes in the atmosphere and the way radiative heat is transported.
Scientists have long attributed this stabilisation to a phenomenon known as the Planck Response, a large increase in infrared energy that Earth emits as it warms.
Acting as a safety valve of sorts, this response creates a negative radiative feedback that allows more of the accumulating heat to be released into space through the top of the atmosphere.
"Our analysis confirmed that the Planck Response plays a dominant role in restoring global temperature stability, but to our surprise we found that it tends to be overwhelmed locally by heat-trapping positive energy feedbacks related to changes in clouds, water vapour, and snow and ice," Brown said.
"This initially suggested that the climate system might be able to create large, sustained changes in temperature all by itself," he said.
A more detailed investigation of the satellite observations and climate models helped the researchers finally reconcile what was happening globally versus locally.
"While global temperature tends to be stable due to the Planck Response, there are other important, previously less appreciated, mechanisms at work too," said Wenhong Li, assistant professor of climate at Duke.
These other mechanisms include a net release of energy over regions that are cooler during a natural, unforced warming event.
There can be a transport of energy from the tropical Pacific to continental and polar regions where the Planck Response overwhelms positive, heat-trapping local effects.
The research was published in the Journal of Climate.
Supporting the demand for lifting restrictions on women's entry in Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, NCP chief Sharad Pawar today said God cannot discriminate between genders and that he feels nobody should be barred from praying.
"What kind of God is this who bars entry of women in temples? If there is indeed such a God, I do not believe in Him. My God cannot discriminate between genders," Pawar told reporters here.
"I have already spoken to the temple authorities and requested them to re-consider their decision and allow women to enter the temple. Let us see the outcome," he said.
Replying to a query, Pawar said the government cannot do anything much about the issue until villagers are convinced to shun traditional customs.
"First the villagers need to be taken into confidence on the issue and only then can the government do something about it," he said.
Defying an age-old tradition of not allowing women inside the sanctum sanctorum of Shani Shingnapur shrine, women protesters had recently tried to force their way into the temple but were stopped from doing so.
They later met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and submitted a memorandum to him in the regard.
Fadnavis had later, in a series of tweets, advocated for a change in cultural traditions, saying that Indian culture and Hindu religion give women the right to pray.
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will also visit Shani Shingnapur on February 7 in a bid to resolve the deadlock between temple authorities and villagers.
Realty firm Godrej Properties today reported a 10% increase in its consolidated net profit at Rs 51.99 crore for the quarter ended December despite fall in sales.
Its net profit stood at Rs 47.24 crore in the year-ago period, Mumbai-based Godrej Properties, the real estate arm of the Godrej Group, said in a filing to the BSE.
Income from operation declined to Rs 422.27 crore during the third quarter of this fiscal from Rs 519.30 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.
Total income fell to Rs 450.29 crore for the quarter ended December from Rs 538.64 crore in the year-ago period.
ALSO READ: Godrej Properties forays into Noida residential market
Profits went up because the company's total expenditure declined to Rs 345.95 crore from Rs 457.68 crore, while other income rose to Rs 28.01 crore from Rs 19.34 crore during the period under review.
Godrej Properties is developing residential, commercial and township projects spread across 111 million square feet in 12 cities.
Last month, the company tied up with Vihang group for development of a housing project on a 15-acre land in Thane, Mumbai. It also forayed into the Noida property market by partnering local developer Lotus Greens.
Godrej Properties has entered into a development management agreement to develop a group housing project in Noida. Spread over 36 acre, the project will offer around four million sq ft of saleable area. This will be company's first project in Noida and sixth within the National Capital Region.
Alphabet, the new parent firm for Google, pushed into record territory as a strong quarterly report put it on track to be the world's most valuable company.
Alphabet yesterday reported that quarterly profit rose five per cent to USD 4.92 billion on the back of strong online advertising revenue.
The California-based Internet colossus said its revenue topped USD 21.3 billion in the final three months of last year.
Alphabet shares jumped more than five percent to USD 794 on earnings figures that beat expectations.
If those gains hold in official trading, Alphabet would overtake Apple as the world's biggest company by market value.
At the official close of trade, Apple was worth USD 534.7 billion based on its share value to USD 530.1 billion for Alphabet.
"Our very strong revenue growth in Q4 reflects the vibrancy of our business, driven by mobile search as well as YouTube and programmatic advertising, all areas in which we've been investing for many years," Alphabet chief financial officer Ruth Porat said in the earnings release.
"We're excited about the opportunities we have across Google and Other Bets to use technology to improve the lives of billions of people."
The earnings report was the first in which recently formed parent corporation Alphabet separated money made by Google from "other bets" such as its work on self-driving cars or delivering Internet using high-altitude balloons.
Alphabet's earnings listed a loss of about USD 3.6 billion last year in a consolidated "other bets" category that brought in USD 448 million in revenue.
Alphabet reported that its overall revenue for last year rose to USD 74.5 billion from USD 65.7 billion in 2014.
Alphabet subsidiaries include Google, Nest Labs, and Google X labs devoted to big-vision new technologies such as self-driving cars.
The move unveiled last year gives the tech giant more ability to focus on its core business, while offering startup-like flexibility to long-shot, trailblazing projects.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- With weather forecasts calling for an approaching cold front to bring low temperatures in the 30s to the Mississippi coast, an Ocean Springs church will open a cold weather shelter for those in need.
Living Well Ministry, a community outreach program of St. Paul United Methodist Church, will open the shelter at 2820 Government Street at 4 p.m. Thursday and it will remain open until 8 a.m. Friday morning.
"The City of Ocean Springs appreciates the input of the Homeless Coalition and in particular the efforts of St. Paul's to provide this facility for our most vulnerable population," said Mayor Connie Moran.
Volunteers and donations are also needed for the shelter.
"We are currently registering volunteers to help us with the Cold Weather Shelter", said Leslie Van Sickel of St. Paul's. "We also need snacks and dinner to be brought in each evening."
Those interested in volunteering or donating should contact Van Sickel at 228-281-0788 or lvansickel@gmail.com.
Living Well Ministry is a program providing support for the homeless population along the Mississippi coast. The ministry offers twice weekly programs at its Government Street location, which is near the city fire station just west of the intersection with Ocean Springs Road.
The MNS today accused the Maharashtra government of failing to make available sanitary napkins vending machines at higher education institutes in the state.
MNS general secretary Shalini Thackeray, referring to recent RTI reply to a query filed by activist Nilesh Bhosle, said the reponse has showed that out of all engineering colleges in the state, only two colleges have installed the machines, proving that the government has "miserably failed" to uphold the right and dignity of women.
"Every woman has a right to basic sanitation, which begins in her school or college," she said adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship 'Swachch Bharat' and 'Beti Bachao- Beti Padhhao' campaigns stand futile if women and young girls are deprived of basic healthcare facilities.
According to a directive issued by National Commission for Women in September 2014, it had mandated all schools and colleges to install vending machines for sanitary pads in order to safeguard the health of female students.
An official letter in this regard was issued by the Directorate of Technical Education and subsequently by state Higher and Technical Education department on November 20, 2014 and December 5, 2014, directing all schools and colleges to install sanitary napkin vending machines.
According to the RTI reply furnished by Directorate of Technical Education last month, it showed that only two engineering colleges in the state have installed the vending machines.
The colleges are - Shree Sant Gadge Baba College of engineering in Bhusaval and Vidyavardhini College of engineering and Technology in Thane's Vasai.
Thackeray termed the appraoch of the government as "callous" and said, "I have written to higher education minister Vinod Tawde and women and child development minister Pankaja Munde in this regard. Majority of the girls avoid attending school or college during menstruation, depriving them of their basic right to education."
It is important for the state government to ensure implementation of the directive at all education institutes, she said.
The Commerce Ministry today asked exporters to come up with specific suggestions which could be taken up with various ministries, including Finance, to improve ease of doing business and boost waning exports.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought specific inputs to reverse the negative trend in exports during her interaction with the representatives of 12 export promotion councils (EPCs).
After the meeting, the minister said, "The Commerce Ministry will follow up with environment, textiles, customs and finance for easing out of few more things related to export promotion so that there is an ease of doing business from the exporters' point of view."
She asked the EPCs to inform the ministry on "what is not happening and what should ideally happen" on the respective area.
The minister also asked the council members to talk with their respective members and "seek specific interventions from the Ministry based on their inputs."
The minister assured them that the issues raised by them would be sorted out through discussions with the concerned stakeholders.
Sitharaman assured that her ministry would look into all the issues raised by the EPCs and will also approach External Affairs Ministry and Finance Ministry for customs related issues.
On the concerns raised by the exporters on India-Asean free trade agreement, Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia informed that the review of the pact has already been initiated.
"The government will also look into the likely impact of GST on exports," a ministry statement said adding the secretary suggested to have a collaborative approach so that conflicts among EPCs on specific issues could be resolved.
During the meeting, several issues were flagged by the exporters including the impact of India-Asean FTA on the country's exports, non-tariff barriers of other countries, currency volatility, special economic zones, problems in dealing with customs authorities and service tax.
Asean is a ten-country bloc of South East Asian nations.
Engineering Export Promotion Council Chairman T S Bhasin said that the government needs to take steps to boost exports.
"We talked about long term solutions. We have raised issues related to FTAs which are impacting our exports," he said adding "the government should think of discussing FTAs with regions like Africa, Latin America and CIS countries".
The Commerce Ministry is holding stakeholder consultations to discuss ways to boost exports, which are in negative zone since December 2014.
India's exports contracted for the 13th month in a row, dipping about 15 per cent in December to USD 22.2 billion due to steep decline in engineering and petroleum shipments.
The cumulative exports during the April-December period declined by 18.06 per cent to USD 196.6 billion.
To improve ease of doing business, the EPC's raised
issues arising out of online applications of the DGFT website, delays in getting environmental clearances and in getting refunds.
They sought enhanced duty drawbacks, inclusion of more scrips in the MEIS scheme and abolition of service tax on exports.
Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council suggested that a greater focus of ease of doing business could help in relocating hardware business from countries like Korea, Taiwan, China to India.
Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) suggested that the higher value added products should attract higher duty drawback.
EEPC said the lack of clear-cut directions from the government regarding the steel policy has created considerable uncertainty in the market.
Chemicals sector exporters highlighted the issues relating to inordinate delays in getting environmental clearances.
They requested the government to take up the matter with the Environment Ministry to ensure that the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Boards should act as facilitators to promote exports, the statement said.
Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council raised operational issues arising out of steep registration in fee hike and challenges thrown by steep devaluation of several competing countries such Venezuela and Nigeria.
Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) requested for an early finalisation of the India-EU free trade pact which, they said, could create 10 million jobs.
Further Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) asked for inclusion of packaged basmati rice in the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) list.
"They also requested for 5 per cent interest subvention on the guargum exports to enable the sector to compete in China also," it added.
Concerned over a sizeable number of South Indians getting attracted to ISIS, government will soon reach out to prominent Muslim leaders of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala to counter the influence of the dreaded terrorist group over community youth.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will meet prominent Muslim personalities of South India so that they could persuade youth not to fall prey to extremist ideology and eventually join terrorist groups like ISIS.
Sources said politicians like AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi may be roped in to appeal to youth against radical propaganda, especially those coming through social media and other internet platforms.
The Home Minister today held a meeting with Muslim leaders, mostly from North India, seeking their help to counter the dreaded terrorist group and check cross-border terrorism.
According to Home Ministry statistics, a majority of the incidents of youth getting attracted to ISIS came from the five South Indian states.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of whom six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq-Syria.
Around 150 Indians are under surveillance for their alleged online links with ISIS.
As many as 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East.
Expressing concern over high base price for spectrum as recommended by regulator Trai, global telecom body GSM Association today said the government should keep it at "a reasonable level" to achieve the objective of Digital India.
"Setting reserve prices at reasonable levels will be key to achieving Digital India objective and allowing operators to focus their resources on building necessary infrastructure to deliver high-quality mobile services," GSM Association Chief Regulatory Officer John Giusti said in a statement.
The telecom regulator Trai has recommended spectrum pricing for seven bands, including the premium 700 Mhz frequency at a record base price of Rs 11,485 crore for the next round of auction, which could fetch the government a staggering Rs 5.36 lakh crore.
Of the estimated amount, 700 Mhz spectrum could alone contribute over Rs 4 lakh crore if all frequencies are sold at pan-India base price of Rs 11,485 crore per Mhz - which is the highest price for any telecom radiowave.
However, the total potential revenue from the spectrum sale, which is expected to be held in May-June this year, is more than double the gross revenue of telecom services industry. Telecom service providers had a gross revenue of Rs 2.54 lakh crore in 2014-15.
"Spectrum's greatest value does not come from high sales prices, but rather from its use to expand social and economic opportunity for all of India's citizens," Giusti said.
Trai for the first time has suggested a base price for 700 MHz band, which is considered as the most efficient frequency for high-end mobile services.
Leading operators had requested the regulator to defer the sale of 700 MHz spectrum, saying the ecosystem for providing services in this band has not been developed and a sale would lead to underutilisation of the spectrum for several years.
Echoing telecom operators' concern, Giusti said India has one of the lowest average revenues per user (ARPU) across the world -- USD 2.45 at 2015-end.
"Combined with so far limited revenue contribution from data services, competitive pressure on operators' revenues and high capital expenditure to upgrade network, this makes it more challenging for operators to recover from high spectrum prices," Giusti reasoned.
High reserve prices and an unrealistic pre-determination of spectrum value, according to Giusti, could reduce the willingness of potential bidders to buy the spectrum.
"For example, in Australia, an unrealistically high reserve price resulted in a valuable portion of the 700 Mhz spectrum left unsold and unused. Unused or under-utilised spectrum benefits neither the economy nor society," Giusti added.
A day after Supreme Court rapped it for non-implementation of National Food Security Act, Gujarat government today said it is prepared to implement the Act.
"Gujarat government is prepared to implement the Food Security Act. For this, we have already identified the eligible households as per the prescribed criterion. Under the Act, we have to publish a list in all the villages and cities to invite objections from citizens," Gujarat government spokesperson Nitin Patel said.
"Till now, this process has been completed in all the villages. Now, we will start this process in cities and towns. We will also apprise the Supreme Court about these steps in the next hearing on February 17," Patel told media persons here today.
Patel, who is also the Health Minister, said Supreme Court will be informed on the implementation front in the next hearing.
The apex court yesterday rapped Gujarat government as well as some other states for not implementing the National Food Security Act.
The court observed, "Does Gujarat want to breakaway from India? A law is passed by Parliament. Can a state say that it will not follow the law?"
"What is Parliament doing? What is Government of India doing? Is Gujarat not a part of India? The Act says it extends to whole of India and Gujarat is not implementing it," a bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said.
State minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Bhupendrasinh Chudasama yesterday claimed that the state administration has planned to implement the National Food Security Act by April this year.
Meanwhile, on being asked on Union WCD minister Maneka Gandhi's suggestion made recently that sex determination test should be made compulsory, Patel said all states are governed by central laws and they cannot have a different view.
"There is a central law about sex determination and all states abide by it. Thus, as a health minister of a state, I cannot have a view of my own on this," he said.
Gandhi yesterday suggested that sex determination test should be made compulsory to track women pregnant with a girl child as a measure to check female foeticide.
A state disaster response force (SDRF) will be formed to handle relief and rescue operations during natural and man-made calamities in Gujarat, state police chief P C Thakur said today.
The 1,100-strong force will have personnel of constable and head constable ranks selected from various battalions of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), an official release from the DGP office said.
The decision was taken after Thakur had a meeting with heads of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Rapid Action Force (RAF), Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority and Commandants of nine different SRP battalions of the state, it added.
To make this force as effective as NDRF and RAF, SDRF will receive training in line with them and get latest equipment and audio-video devices used by the central relief forces.
All the 1,100 personnel will undergo six weeks of primary training at SRPF campus in Vadodara, the release added.
Thakur will act as the head of SDRF while IG state Armed Units Ajay Kumar Chaudhary will be nodal officer, it said.
According to the DGP, such force was needed for quick and effective operations during flood, earthquake, Tsunami, cyclone as well as chemical and biological disasters.
According to the release, during a recently held meeting of the DGPs in Kutch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked respective heads of state's police to strengthen disaster response operations.
Freight rates for nine-tonne pay load section for Guwahati and Baroda dropped by Rs 1,000 in the local truck transport market today following insufficient cargo movements.
Transporters said ample trucks position against inadequate cargo mainly pulled down Baroda and Guwahati freight rates.
Capital to Baroda and Guwahati freight rates went down by Rs 1,000 each to Rs 22,000 and Rs 52,000.
Apart from it, other centres freight rates from capital managed to hold overnight closing levels on some support.
Islamist movement Hamas today marked the 10th anniversary of the legislative election it won in 2006 with a call for new parliamentary and presidential polls in the Palestinian territories.
At a conference, senior Hamas figures in Gaza called for "the announcement of a precise date for presidential and legislative elections."
First deputy speaker of parliament Ahmed Bahar said Hamas and rival Palestinian factions should work to achieve reconciliation "and to close the gaps opened by years of political division."
Palestinian elections have not been held in a decade due to the bitter split between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank-based Fatah faction led by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Representatives from the rival factions are expected to meet, however, in the coming days in Doha in a fresh attempt to implement a 2014 reconciliation deal which provided for elections by the end of that year.
The elections never materialised, with the two sides blaming each other.
Bahar welcomed the talks due to take place in the Qatari capital.
The Palestinian parliament has not met since 2007, the year Hamas seized the Gaza Strip by force and drove out Fatah from the enclave buoyed by its 2006 election victory.
Hamas caused a shock by winning the majority of seats in the polls, which were seen by some as the most transparent to be held in the Palestinian territories.
But the international community refused to accept the results, demanding that Hamas renounces violence, recognises Israel and respects agreements signed between Palestinian and Israeli leaders.
The dreaded Haqqani network remains the most capable threat to US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, planning and executing the high-profile attacks, the top American General in the war-torn nation said today.
Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General John F Campbell, testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, said the al-Qaeda has been significantly weakened, but as evidenced by the recent discovery of its camp on the southern border, the group is certainly not extinct.
"The Haqqani network remains the most capable threat to US and Coalition forces, planning and executing the most violent high profile attacks in Kabul," he said.
Haqqani network, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several deadly attacks against Western and Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul.
Campbell said 70 per cent of Afghan territory is under government control, while Taliban controls only two per cent.
"Of the 407 district centers, eight (or two per cent) are under insurgent control. We assess that another 18 (or 4 per cent) are under what we call insurgent influence," he said.
Often, these district centers are in remote and sparsely populated areas that security forces are not able to access very often in force, he noted.
Additionally, at any given time there may be up to 94 district centers (around 23 per cent) that we view as "at risk," he said.
While over the last eight years the Afghan security forces have made advancements, beginning as an unorganised collection of militia and developing into a modern security force with many of the systems and processes of an advanced military, a lot needs to be done, he said.
"Capability gaps still exist in fixed and rotary-wing aviation, combined arms operations, intelligence collection and dissemination, and maintenance," he said.
One of the greatest tactical challenges for the Afghan security forces has been overcoming the Afghan Air Force's extremely limited organic close air support capability.
"Admittedly, we began building the Afghan Air Force late and are constrained by the time it takes to build human capital," he underscored.
Of the view that reconciliation is the path needed to obtain a negotiated settlement and end the conflict in Afghanistan, Campbell said current reconciliation efforts are an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned initiative.
Noting that it has been over a year since the formation of the National Unity Government, Campbell said it has faced institutional and political difficulties, yet it can lay claim to some meaningful reform and progress during its first year.
"The unity government may be fragile, but it is holding despite being challenged, it is making continued progress, and building momentum to create an increasingly viable future," he said.
In a bid to promote its cultural heritage, Haryana government today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Council for Cultural Relations even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the state will roll out a new film policy.
The state government has taken steps to promote the cultural heritage of Haryana besides ushering an era of social, economic and industrial development, Khattar told reporters in Gurgaon today after signing the MoU.
The MoU with ICCR, which works to foster India's external cultural relations, will further help boost the cultural heritage of Haryana, he said.
While replying to a question, the Chief Minister said a new film policy was being framed in the state and for which a separate budget provision will also be made.
To another query, Khattar said the state government would support budding entrepreneurs in setting up their units related to art and culture and added thatduring the Global Investors Summit to be held in Gurgaon onMarch 7 and 8, a special session for 'start-ups' would be held where the youth would be able to give valuable suggestions on various issues concerning art and culture.
The ICCR, which has 36 centres abroad and 20 within the country, has also signed agreements with six states in India. Today's agreement is the seventh in the series, ICCR deputy director general Namrata said.
Shepard State Park
Shepard State Park in Gautier has 395 acres abounding with trees and wild flowers, bike and nature trails, 28 developed campsites, 1 bathhouse, tent camping, picnicking and an 18-hole disc golf course.
(gulflive.com)
GAUTIER, Mississippi --- Gautier city leaders are scheduled to consider a request from its Purchasing Agent Cindy Steen during Tuesday night's city council meeting to advertise for bids for a project that would included the repair of 5,000 linear feet of existing trails at Shepard State Park.
Funding would come from the Recreational Trails Program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration that develops and maintains recreational trails and trail-related facilities for motorized and non-motorized recreational trails uses.
Steen described the project's scope as including removal of trees, clearing of trails, leveling of walking surfaces, wooden bridge construction, removal and reconstruction of two wooden boardwalks, laying of concrete pavers, replacing two wooden picnic tables and replacing wooden benches. The city would provide materials.
This would not be the first such grant for the park. In January, 2014, the city also took similar steps to improve 5,000 linear feet of the Park's trails.
The city entered into an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and parks in December, 2012, to assume operation and maintenance of the park. The park serves not only recreation needs, but is a forest reserve, public park and bird and wildlife sanctuary.
Since the takeover, the city has made many improvements including the placement of a competitive class archery range, listing on the National Audubon Society's birding sites and the addition of a dog park (in partnership with Huntington Ingalls employee volunteers.
Plans are to move the historic log building, The Wilson House, from its Allen Road location to Shepard State Park where it will be used as a general store and natural museum.
The municipal corporations today told Delhi High Court that they have paid salaries to their employees till December 2015, even as sanitation workers continued their strike claiming non-payment of wages.
The corporations also told a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath that they did not have the money to pay salaries for January 2016 and the coming months.
They alleged that Delhi government has not released the entire funds that it has to give them each year and asked how it could "abdicate its responsibilities" towards the corporations.
Delhi government on the other hand contended that it had released the entire plan and non-plan grant-in-aid that was due to the corporations.
It also said that in view of the poor performance of the corporations, year after year, the municipal reform funds would not be given to them.
Municipal reform funds are provided under the recommendations of the 3rd Finance Commission for Delhi.
The government also told the court that Delhi Development Authority (DDA) owed the three MCDs a total of over Rs 1555 crore as property tax.
The court, thereafter, sought responses of DDA and the Centre on the issues raised and listed the matter for further hearing on February 10.
The court was hearing a PIL claiming that due to non- payment of salaries and arrears since 2003 to the workers of the municipal corporations of Delhi (MCDs), the sanitation staff was not removing the garbage from the streets.
Meanwhile, an association representing doctors employed by the MCDs has sought impleadment in the matter.
They have also sought a direction to take away health services along with doctors from the corporations and hand them over to the Delhi government.
The association has alleged in its application that the corporations are "giving lame, false and misleading excuses" for non-payment of salary as the MCD managements were "working for their personal gain and political motives".
Apart from sanitation workers, the MCDs' doctors too have
been on strike for last 72 hours over non-payment of wages, prompting an association, representing young lawyers across the country, to move a PIL seeking directions to the doctors to immediately call off their strike.
Youth Bar Association of India, through its President Sanpreet Singh Ajmani, has asked "whether the call of strike by practicing
Doctors, nurses, hospitals, pathology labs, ambulance operators and clinics is legal, proper and justified."
In its petition, it has sought directions to doctors and nurses on strike to call it off and "resume medical services with immediate effect in the interest of public at large" as thousands of people went to hospitals and clinics being run by the corporations daily.
The petition has contended that doctors and nurses provided an "essential public service" and thus, should not go on strike.
The court is likely to hear this PIL tomorrow.
The Allahabad High Court today dismissed a Public Interest Litigation demanding appointment of an Up-Lokayukta (deputy ombudsman) in Uttar Pradesh and objecting to some of the provisions of the Lokayukta Act.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Yashwant Verma, rejected the PIL of Anoop Barnwal, an advocate of the High Court, who had sought the directions to concerned authorities for appointing an Up-Lokayukta in the state.
The court turned down the petition observing that a new Lokayukta had assumed office in the state only on January 31 last and hence "it cannot be said that the responsible authorities are in fault" since the Up-Lokayukta had to be appointed by the Governor in consultation with the Lokayukta. The court also concurred with the state government's submission with regard to the second relief sought by the petitioner that objections raised against the provisions of the UP Lokayukta and Up Lokayukta Act were not maintainable since these had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The Madras High Court today issued notice to Tamil Nadu government on a petition which alleged that funds allocated by the Centre for Dalits' welfare schemes had been diverted to other state programmes.
A division bench, comprising Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice R Mala, issued notice to the state Adi Dravidar and Tribal welfare Department and posted the matter to March 15.
Petitioner M Selvaraj, state General Secretary of BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha, sought a direction to the department to provide details of the exact amount of money allegedly diverted to other departments.
He submitted that as per information obtained through RTI query, funds allocated by the central government for Scheduled Caste community were not fully utilised and the same were diverted to other state welfare programmes.
A representation sent by him in this regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 30, 2015 was in turn forwarded to the Commissioner of the concerned department in Chennai for investigation, he submitted.
Subsequently, the investigation made by the concerned department found the information to be true, the petitioner claimed.
He prayed with the court to direct the authorities concerned to furnish details of the exact amount that was diverted to other departments under different heads of account from funds allotted for the SC community by the Centre.
He also wanted the court to direct the authorities concerned to collect the funds from other departments and use it for the welfare of SC and ST people.
In the backdrop of the suicide by Hyderabad Central University's student Rohith Vemula, NCP chief Sharad Pawar today called for "stringent action" against the minister responsible for writing a letter to authorities seeking action against the student.
"Since the last few days, NCP has been protesting against the student's death. I firmly believe that stringent action should be taken against the minister who wrote a letter to authorities to build pressure on them to act against the student," Pawar told reporters here.
The university campus has been the seen of protests after the Dalit student was found hanging in a hostel room on January 17, two weeks after he and four other students were suspended and banned from the hostel, the cafeteria and other common areas for allegedly beating an ABVP activist in August.
There are allegations that the action against the five students was a result of discrimination against them at the behest of Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts".
Subsequently, after Vemula's suicide, the university revoked the suspension of the four students.
The students' agitation on the issue in the form of relay hunger strike, peaceful seminars and rallies has received support from almost all non-BJP parties. Also, 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.
State-run Hindustan Insecticides is planning to sell 5.6 acres land in the national capital, estimated around Rs 350 crore, to finance its expansion plans.
HIL is looking to appoint a consultant for the sale of 5.6 acres of land at Zakhira near the Delhi-Rohtak road, a source said.
"The company wants to monetise its assets for its expansion plans therefore they are planning to sell this piece of land which is estimated to be around Rs 350 crore," the source added.
At present Hindustan Insecticides Ltd (HIL) has three plants one each at Cochin, Bathinda and Rasayni with combined capacity of 30,000 kilo litres per annum of pesticides.
"The company has prepared plans to expand its current capacity and at the same time also exploring to venture into other similar business," the source added.
Recently, the Department of Fertilisers has certified HIL as importer of decontrolled phosphatic and potassic fertilisers.
HIL was incorporated in March, 1954 for supplying DDT for National Malaria Eradication Programme launched by the government.
Subsequently, the company diversified into agro pesticides to meet the requirements of agriculture sector and has grown manifold with a turnover of about Rs 340 crore in the last financial year.
Company has also entered into the field of safe and ecofriendly botanical and bio-pesticides for public health and plant protection. At present its product range includes insecticides, herbicides, weedecides and fungicides etc.
Telecom operator Idea Cellular today launched its 4G mobile services in 12 major towns of Orissa.
Among the 12 major towns being covered with Idea's 4G are Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Baleswar, Jharsuguda, Jatni and Khurda, the company said in a statement.
"With revised capex guidance for financial year 2016 at Rs 75 billion, we are accelerating our 4G rollout to cover the length and breadth in the 10 telecom circles, including Maharashtra and Goa and North East that are slated for launch before March," Idea Cellular Deputy MD Ambrish Jain said.
The company will further expand services to 18 major towns in Orissa which will include Sambalpur, Brahmapur, Rourkela, Bhadrak, Rajagangpur, Sundargarh by March end, the statement added.
By June 2016, Idea has plans to expand 4G network in 750 cities across ten telecom circles.
With this launch, the company has expanded its 4G service footprint to eight telecom service areas.
These service areas include four telecom circles of South India-- Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and Chennai -- and three telecom circles of North India covering four states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab.
Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these ten telecom circles.
Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring 'Right to Use' 1800 MHz spectrum in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West).
Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 per cent of Idea's revenue base in the country, the statement further said.
With Myanmar's new Parliament beginning session, the US has hailed the development as a "very important step forward" but cautioned that impediments to realisation of full democratic government remain.
"Millions of people around the country, including many voting for the first time, elected their representatives on the 8th of November of last year," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference, during which he "congratulated" all the elected members of the new parliament of Myanmar, which the US still calls as Burma.
The session yesterday marked a historic turnaround for the National League for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's Democracy party, which for years was suppressed by the military.
The party won 80% of the elected seats in general elections in November for the upper and lower houses, qualifying it to form a government.
"This outcome is a testament to the courage and sacrifice shown by the people of Burma over many years, including more than 100 former political prisoners who will now take their seats in Burma's parliament," he said.
"The seating of this parliament is a very important step forward in Burma's democratic transition, although of course there remain important impediments to the realisation of full democratic and civilian government," he added.
The US, he said, is encouraged by the commitment of Myanmar's political leaders to work together in the spirit of national unity and reform.
Kirby said the US is hopeful that this will continue throughout the transition period and beyond.
"We stand ready to support the new government and remain committed to assisting the people of Burma in their pursuit of democracy, development, and national reconciliation," he said.
"We look forward to providing support for these new parliamentarians as well as all the people in this country seeking to promote democratic practices in the coming years," Kirby said.
Acknowledging that Afghanistan remains a "dangerous place", the US has said Taliban's continued terror attacks underscore the importance of the peace talks to get to a "productive conclusion".
"We continue to encourage that process to move forward," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday.
"It is absolutely true that Afghanistan remains a dangerous place; there's no question about that. Today's attack underscores that," he said referring to the latest suicide attack in Kabul that killed at least 20 people.
"It actually underscores all the more the importance of getting reconciliation talks (between the Afghan government and the Taliban) going and getting to a useful conclusion there, a productive conclusion to that," he said.
It also underscores the importance of the continued mission in Afghanistan to continue to improve the capability, confidence and competence of Afghan National Security Forces, Kirby said.
The Afghan National Security Forces continue to do an admirable job inside the country and even when an attack like today happens, responding effectively and efficiently as best they can, he stated.
"There's still a lot of work to be done in Afghanistan. We recognise that. But again, all of this is a reminder of how important it is for everybody to see these reconciliation talks continue," Kirby said.
Challenging the assertion that Taliban has no interest in the peace process, Kirby said they are not a monolithic organisation the way that some people want to paint them as.
"We still think that that's the way forward. We still think that there's room to make that happen. Today's attack is just that much more of a reminder that that's really the answer here, and we're going to continue to encourage that progress," he said.
"We still believe it's the right way forward. There has been interest in the recent past, and we would want to encourage that interest to continue," he added.
India and Bangladesh today discussed ways to broaden collaboration in combating terrorism and better management of water resources and took stock of agreements signed between the two nations during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the neighbouring country last year.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque, who is on a two-day visit to India, said the first meeting of the Maritime Task Force of the two countries will take place in the first week of March in Dhaka to discuss ways to translate the objectives into action.
Haque, who yesterday had an extensive meeting with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, today called on National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with whom he discussed issues pertaining to security.
"We primarily discussed four clusters of issues. One was peace, development and security and talks ranging from border management, anti-trafficking and terrorism and countering extremism," Haque told reporters here.
Asked about the issues related to terrorism that were discussed, the Bangladeshi diplomat refused to divulge the details of the talks held between him and Indian officials, but said "all were very satisfied with the level of cooperation including combating terrorism."
Both the countries have solved the long pending issue of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), but sharing of Teesta river water still remains a contentious topic between the two.
Haque also met Amarjit Singh, Special Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and discussed the issues of water and basin management.
Asked whether Teesta river water sharing issue was discussed, Haque said "We discussed all aspects of water management. I found it (the talks) encouraging, and India's willingness and openness in looking at all the aspects."
Elaborating on the Joint Task Force on Maritime, which is an outcome of the MoU between the two countries he said, it is a new area of collaboration between the two countries.
"One area which is relatively a new area, which is about the joint task force with India to look at that particular understanding we signed.
The meeting in Dhaka, may also include talks on the use of
Chittagong port.
In the joint-statement last year, Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina had expressed satisfaction at the amicable settlement of the maritime boundary between the two countries.
The two had agreed on development of ocean-based Blue Economy and Maritime Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and chart out the ways for future cooperation and had signed an MoU in this regard.
Terming his visit to India as "successful", Haque said there was no issue on which both the sides "disagreed".
"The meetings were very warm and with an open agenda. We discussed the progress of 22 documents signed during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Dhaka. In terms of progress, I must say, it is very fast, satisfactory and productive. We also discussed regional and global issues," Haque said, adding business and trade and people to people contact were also discussed.
"We also discussed all aspects including the visa, but I must say that there has been a tremendous improvement in terms of (procuring) visa. We are very happy, but this is a work in progress."
Responding to reports on Bangladeshis shot dead on the borders in Assam and West Bengal, he said the topic came up for the discussion between the two sides and he was "happy with the outcome.
An Indian has been appointed to a key position in the World Bank with President Jim Young Kim assigning him a role to provide strategic leadership to address the challenge of fragility, conflict and violence.
Saroj Kumar Jha is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Jha till last week was World Bank's Regional Director for Central Asia based in Almaty since February 2012.
Jha assumed the position of Senior Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group at the World Bank yesterday.
Jha has been tasked by World Bank President Jim Young Kim to provide strategic leadership to address the challenge of fragility, conflict and violence, working across the Bank Group and in close collaboration with partners.
An Indian national, Jha joined the World Bank in 2005 as a Senior Infrastructure Specialist in the Sustainable Development Network, after significant experience with the Indian Government and the United Nation's Development Program (UNDP) as a senior executive in the field of public sector management, infrastructure financing, natural resources management, natural disaster prevention and environmental sustainability.
He supported transformative innovations in regional cooperation, water and energy security, social safety nets, inclusive governance and grievance redress mechanisms in various regions of the world.
Earlier, Jha worked as the World Bank's Global Manager for Disaster Risk Management Practice.
He alsoserved as head of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, now the world's largest global fund for disaster prevention and post-disaster recovery operations.
In addition, he has led international response efforts to many global catastrophic disasters, the bank said.
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.
WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
A UK-based Indian-origin family with business interests across metals and renewable energy has invested in a multi-billion-pound tidal lagoon power project.
The Gupta family's SIMEC division has acquired a substantial stake in the UK's Tidal Lagoon Plc, a holding company established by Tidal Lagoon Power Ltd, to finance the development of full-scale tidal lagoons in the UK and India.
"We are very pleased to invest in this ambitious and innovative enterprise that promises to provide low-carbon, baseload energy and drive economic renewal through the development of a high-value supply chain that will create thousands of new jobs. As a group we are expanding internationally on several fronts and renewable energy is right at the heart of that expansion," said Sanjeev Gupta, chief executive of SIMEC's sister group firm Liberty House.
Liberty House had last year stepped in to acquire units of Caparo Group, Lord Swraj Paul's steel company that went into administration.
The latest investment, completed yesterday, leads to the creation of a joint venture between the Guptas' global energy and commodities company, SIMEC, and Tidal Lagoon Power to develop large-scale tidal lagoons for power generation in India.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in November last year, British Prime Minister David Cameron had signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the field of clean energy.
Last month, India joined the UK in the International Energy Agency's Ocean Energy Systems intergovernmental collaboration programme. The latest acquisition by the Gupta family, pegged at an estimated eight-figure sum in pounds, is expected to plug into the programme.
The past year has seen SIMEC and sister company Liberty House acquire extensive power generation, steel production and engineering capacity across the UK, including the Uskmouth Power Station at Newport.
The move is part of a wider strategy by the Gupta family to create multi-billion pound renewable energy capacity worldwide and apply innovative technologies to provide low-cost power for energy-intensive industries, particularly steel.
The first tidal lagoon under the project is planned for Swansea Bay in Wales is expected to open in 2018, with an estimated cost of 1 billion pounds.
The suspected killer of a 23-year-old woman from Indore in a moving auto rickshaw here was arrested from the city today after being on the run for eight days.
Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj told PTI that the person, suspected to the woman's love interest, had been evading the police dragnet since the incident on January 25.
He was arrested following a tip-off when he was planning to flee, the SSP said.
The Indore woman was shot dead allegedly by the man while she was going to Patna railway station in the auto rickshaw.
The woman had come to meet him and the man, who was accompanied by his cousin, allegedly pumped four bullets into her body.
The man hails from Hajipur in Vaishali district, the SSP said adding the weapon used in the crime was yet to be recovered.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Shalin said the police would take the killer in its custody after production in the court and interrogate him.
Union Minister Uma Bharti today termed the issue of intolerance as a "false propaganda" against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and called upon BJP workers to rebut the wrong perception.
"The opponents criticised governance of Narendra Modi while he was Chief Minister in Gujarat. However, the Muslims are happy in Gujarat...
"The workers of the BJP should respond to such false propaganda and counter them who are telling that there is intolerance in India," the Union Minister of Water Resource, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said at a BJP workers' meeting here.
Bharati also said if water and mineral resources are handled properly, Odisha could be the number one state in the country. "I will call on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday evening and present a road map for development of Odisha through proper management of water resources," she said.
Bharati said she would visit the Hirakud Dam tomorrow morning and discuss with the Odisha Chief Minister about the pollution of river Mahanadi.
Speaking highly of the BJP workers of Odisha, she said, "They have continued their struggle despite being in opposition."
Senior party leader Suresh Pujari, former Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayana Mishra, Kuchinda MLA Rabi Naik, Brajarajnagar MLA Radharani Panda were present at the meeting.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasudhara Raje today expressed concern on the expanding reach of terrorism and the threat posed by ISIS in particular and said extra vigil was needed to check its spread in the country.
Raje said that the terror organisations have no boundaries and use the name of religion to draw people to its course but it kills people of all faiths.
"ISIS represents some serious terrorist threat. Their sophisticated use of internet and social media means that they have significant reach across the world.
"The recent arrests of people of ISIS ideology in parts of the country including Jaipur point towards the spread and reach of this organization," she said at the Counter Terrorism conference inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.
"We have to be vigilant for the threat of radicalization. The internet has changed so many aspects of our life for betterment, but it has also worked as advantage to terrorists so we need to be more vigilant," she said, while expressing concerns on home grown extremism.
"The only way to counter terrorism and extremism is to engage our own communities. We need to make people aware to work together irrespective of class, religion and economic background, she said.
It is also important to educate youth and to help them become employable in order to build the nation, the Chief Minister added.
Chief Executive of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu were also present in the conference.
Israeli forces demolished 24 Palestinian buildings in a disputed military zone in the West Bank today, including 10 funded by the European Union, leaving families homeless, authorities and residents said.
Soldiers destroyed the structures in and around the village of Khirbet Jenbah south of Hebron, the Association of Civil Rights in Israel said. Israeli officials said the buildings were illegal.
An EU spokesman denounced the demolitions and said that 10 of the buildings had been constructed with funds from ECHO, the European Commission's humanitarian arm.
The soldiers arrived at around 7:00 am (0500 GMT) and carried out the demolitions, leaving 12 families temporarily homeless, said Nidal Younes, head of the local council of a neighbouring village.
"In total it is around 80 people," he told AFP.
Israel has carried out a long campaign to relocate the residents of the area, which was declared a military zone by the Israeli government in the 1970s.
Human rights groups have repeatedly challenged Israel's claim to the land, arguing it is illegal to establish a military zone in occupied territory, Sarit Michaeli from the B'Tselem NGO told AFP.
The families argue that their ancestors, who were cave dwellers, have lived on the land since long before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.
A statement from COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit that administers civilian affairs in the West Bank, confirmed "enforcement measures were taken against illegal structures and solar panels built within a military zone."
The EU called on Israel to change its policies in the occupied West Bank.
"The EU expects its investments in support of the Palestinian people to be protected from damage and destruction," said a spokesman, who condemned the demolitions.
A High Court injunction later in the day ordered a halt to all demolitions until at least February 9.
The residents of the region had been undergoing a process of arbitration with Israeli authorities after a High Court ruling, Michaeli said.
However talks broke down in recent days.
"This basically means we are back to square one. The government wants to remove them. The residents object," Michaeli said.
Israel has 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.
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 yesterday 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".
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.
An Israeli court has convicted former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on two counts of obstruction of justice for pressuring a confidant not to testify in multiple legal cases against him.
Yesterday's ruling follows a plea bargain Olmert signed last month in which he pleaded guilty to the charges. The deal calls for six months imprisonment, which Olmert will serve concurrent to a separate 18-month prison sentence he received for a bribery scandal. The plea deal should not add prison time to the earlier sentence.
Olmert is set to report to prison on February 15. He will be the first Israeli leader to go to prison after Israel's Supreme Court upheld the bribery conviction against him late last year.
Olmert is appealing the convictions in other legal cases against him.
Dropped from the Indian T20 squad for Sri Lanka, speedster Umesh Yadav will try to get back his rhythm with the red ball as he challenges a Saurashtra team having Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara in its ranks in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final starting here tomorrow.
Pujara, a dependable batsman in the longer format would like to show his prowess in familiar surrounding as Vidarbha would need to have elaborate gameplan for the 'Rajkot Run-Machine'.
On paper, Vidarbha looks a more balanced side with domestic veteran Subramanium Badrinath leading the side. Not to forget the presence of former Test opener and Mumbai stalwart Wasim Jaffer, who can murder any bowling attack on a given day.
Former Karnataka player Ganesh Sathish making it a trio of professionals just like Rajasthan had Aakash Chopra, Rashmi Ranjan Parida and Hrishikesh Kanitkar during their dream run in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.
However all eyes will be on Umesh as to how well he bowls after a disappointing Australia tour where he got dropped from the playing XI after the ODI series. Umesh is going to get quality support from off-spinner Akshay Wakhare, who has been among the top wicket-takers this season.
Just before their meetings with Governor N N Vohra on government formation, BJP leader Nirmal Singh today met PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti here and expressed confidence that the coalition will continue and an elected government will be in place "very soon".
Singh, former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP Legislature Party leader, drove to the government Guest House to meet Mehbooba soon after she arrived here from Srinagar for the first time since the demise of her father and then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The BJP leader met the PDP chief after returning from Delhi where he along with two other colleagues held consultations with party chief Amit Shah on the way forward.
"It was a courtesy call. Nothing more than that," he told reporters after meeting Mehbooba.
"We wish to continue with vision envisaged by (Narendra) Modi Ji and Mufti sahib on J&K," Singh said
Asked whether the PDP-BJP coalition would continue, he said, "yes".
On when the government would be formed, he said "At present, I cannot give a time frame. But we hope very soon democratic government will be put in place here."
Vohra has invited Mehbooba as well as leaders of BJP for separate meetings today to discuss the government formation in the state which has been under Governor's Rule since January 8, a day after Sayeed passed away.
YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy today met family members of a man, belonging to the Kapu community, who allegedly committed suicide in support of reservation demand for the community under OBC category.
Reddy arrived here from Srikakulam and drove straight to the residence of C H V Murthy, who hanged himself from a dish antenna at Bennet Club in the Collectorate yesterday.
The Opposition leader consoled the family members and assured them of his party's full support.
Later, talking to reporters, he blamed Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for the present plight of Kapus and also the suicide of Murthy, a TV mechanic by profession and a resident of Kakinada.
Reddy demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of Murthy and a government job to one of his family members.
The Chief Minister should convince the Centre to amend the Constitution to raise the quota limit from present 50 per cent, he said.
Meanwhile, former Andhra Pradesh Minister Vatti Vasantha Kumar extended support to the agitation launched by Kapus for reservation in jobs and education.
Kumar met Mudragada Padmanabham, who is spearheading the agitation, at his residence in Kirlampudi, East Godavari district and extended his support to the quota stir.
He said Naidu should treat the quota demand as a social issue and not a political one. "The Chief Minister should take a proper decision on the issue," Kumar said.
"The Kapu community is facing severe problems. The Chief Minister should fulfil his promise made in 2014 election manifesto (to provide OBC status to Kapus).
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will on February 4 inaugurate the two-day India Investment Summit, which is aimed at attracting long-term foreign investors into the infrastructure sector.
During the summit, Jaitley will also unveil the logo of National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF), a Finance Ministry statement said.
Several foreign pension and sovereign wealth funds are expected to participate in the summit which will be held here on February 4-5.
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority MD H H Sheikh Hamid Bin Zayed Al Nahyan would deliver a special address during the inaugural session, the statement added.
The summit would have multiple sessions including one titled 'Current Status, Outlook and Investment Opportunities in Developing Urban Infrastructure'.
Other sessions would focus on outlook and investment opportunities in power and renewable energy sector and another on road transport, highways and ports. Also one would be on investment opportunities in the railways sector.
India has been trying to attract foreign investments to succeed its 'Make in India' campaign, boost economic growth and generate employment opportunities.
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya and top bureaucrats from finance and infrastructure ministries would attend the Summit.
The second day of the summit will focus on 'Regulatory Architecture' which will be addressed by Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, and attended by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian and RBI Deputy Governor H R Khan, among others.
Thereafter, there will be 'State Sessions' where Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat will showcase investment opportunities available in their places.
The Finance Ministry is seeking participation from SWFs for the Rs 40,000 crore NIIF, which will act as a nodal agency for funding long-term projects, including stalled ones.
The ministry is in the process of finalising the first set of foreign investors in NIIF.
Since coming to power in May 2014, the NDA government has relaxed foreign direct investment norms in over a dozen sectors including defence, banking, railways, construction and medical devices.
Jaitley has on several occasions said the country needs to attract foreign investment to supplement domestic efforts to accelerate growth.
The summit would showcase and discuss the huge long-term infrastructure investment opportunities in India. Also a booklet containing the list of possible infrastructure projects for funding will also be released during the summit.
Japan is set to relax visa norms for Indian nationals as multiple-entry visa terms are to be doubled for people from the country to 10 years, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said today.
The easing of visa rules, effective from February 15 and also for Vietnamese nationals, will initially benefit businesspeople, academics and artists from the two countries, Japanese Kyodo agency reported.
The Foreign Ministry said that the move was part of the government's drive to increase the number of foreign tourists to Japan, as well as people-to-people exchanges.
The 10-year validity of multiple-entry visas is the longest issued by the Japanese government, the ministry said.
"We hope that the relaxing of visa will increase repeat visits to Japan and enhance convenience in businesses," Kishida said.
Holders of such multiple-entry visas will be restricted to visiting Japan for business and academic exchange purposes on their first visit but can enter Japan for tourism or to meet friends and families on subsequent trips, the ministry said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the planned visa relaxation in his summit with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party last September, and in his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December.
In December, Modi had also announced that India will extend 'visa on arrival' to all Japanese citizens from March 1 this year.
Japan says it has found no evidence its WWII government and military forcibly rounded up women to be sex slaves, Tokyo has told a UN committee, the latest pronouncement in a corrosive row over interpretations of history.
The confirmation yesterday, ahead of a conference on women later this month, is likely to renew anger among the dwindling number of surviving former "comfort women", who say the country has never taken full responsibility for what it did in wartime.
It could also further complicate a troubled deal between Tokyo and Seoul sealed in late December -- one their top diplomats called "final and irreversible" -- but which has sparked anger among former South Korean comfort women and their supporters.
Up to 200,000 women, many of them South Koreans but also from China, the Philippines and what is now Indonesia, are estimated to have been forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Tokyo has offered repeated apologies over the issue, and says that while there was military involvement in the establishment of "comfort stations" there is no evidence its officials were involved in the abduction of women for the purpose.
It says private brokers were responsible in some cases, and in others, the women were common prostitutes.
In a report submitted to the committee in December and posted on its website, Japan said it carried out a "full-scale fact-finding study" by investigating documents and interviewing people including former military officials since the early 1990s.
"'Forceful taking away' of comfort women by the military and government authorities could not be confirmed in any of the documents that the GOJ (government of Japan) was able to identify," it said in a report dated December 8.
"The Japanese delegation will explain our position" on that and other women's issues at the Geneva conference that begins February 15, a foreign ministry official in charge of gender issues told AFP, declining to give her name.
The UN-sponsored conference is part of the ongoing Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said the opposition parties were creating hurdles as they were "jealous" of progress of the state under the TDP rule.
"Under the TDP rule, Andhra Pradesh is making progress more than other states. With the vision to move ahead with investor-friendly policies, the state is attracting huge investments for industrial advancement and to provide better employment opportunities," Naidu told TDP workers while interacting with them via video-conferencing from here.
According to a release by the Information and Public Relations Department, Naidu told his party men that the state government successfully conducted CII summit, where MoUs for investment of about Rs 4.71 lakh crore.
The state government also convinced many multinational firms at the recently-held World Economic Forum at Davos to set up their units in the state, Naidu was quoted as telling the party men.
"But all such efforts by the state created jealousy in the minds of opposition leaders and hence they create disturbances to pose difficulties in the path of development," he said.
The Chief Minister asked his party men to explain to the people the facts on both the success of the government in many fields and the role of opposition in disrupting development initiatives.
Karnataka Government today cleared nine IT projects with a combined investment of Rs 3,097 crore, including a proposal by global chip maker Intel's Indian subsidiary, which will invest Rs 1,100 crore in software and hardware facilities in the city.
"The state high level clearance committee, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, cleared four major IT projects, with combined investment Rs of 2,957 crore, while the single window clearance cell, chaired by IT Minister SR Patil, cleared five projects with combined investment of Rs 140 crore," said a statement released by the Karnataka Industries Ministry here.
Chip maker Intel will invest Rs 1,100 crore to set up its second computer software development centre and hardware design services facility in Bengaluru, which would create jobs for 3,000 engineers, the statement said.
As much as Rs 1,130 crore investments will be made by Velankani Electronics Limited at Electronic City to expand its capacity to manufacture electronic products and create 2,400 jobs, the statement said.
Saltire Developers Ltd will invest Rs 463 crore for creating a SEZ for IT/IT-enabled services with job potential for 25,000 people, it said.
Amin Properties will invest Rs 264.25 crore to set up a SEZ atPujanahalli in Devanahalli near the city's airport for IT/IT-enabled services with job potential for 8,000 people, the statement said.
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.
A major MERS outbreak in South Korea that scared off tourists dealt a blow to flag carrier Korean Air, whose net loss widened by 54 per cent last year according to figures released today.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome infected 186 people and killed 36 of them in the South - the largest outbreak outside Saudi Arabia where the virus originated.
The outbreak - which peaked in June and July before being declared over in December - took a heavy toll on the nation's economy, especially tourism-related business.
The airline's net loss for 2015 widened to 703 billion won (USD 582.2 million), up 53.6 percent from a loss of 457.8 billion won in 2014, Korean Air said in a statement.
The airline gave no explanation today for the increased loss, but last year it blamed the MERS outbreak for a decline in sales.
Sales fell 3.1 per cent year-on-year to 11.5 trillion won.
The number of foreign visitors to the South dropped 6.8 per cent to 13.2 million last year, the first decline in 12 years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted that government is engaged in carrying out labour reforms through consensus and dialogue with stakeholders including workers without compromising on their genuine protections and rights.
Modi's assurance to the working class comes against the backdrop of the campaign by central trade unions against labour reforms and their plans to hold a day-long all-India strike on March 10 against the "anti-worker" polices of the central and state governments.
"We are progressing on the reform path by building consensus on these reforms through extensive stakeholder consultations with employers, worker's representatives, and state governments," he said addressing after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of ESIC Medical College and Hospital here.
Modi further said, "Keeping in mind our commitment to 'minimum government, maximum governance', the ministry is simplifying central labour laws by consolidating the existing 44 laws into four labour codes. Namely, on wages, industrial relations, safety and security, and health."
The Prime Minister expressed hope that this (reforms) would considerably increase the ease of doing business and facilitate job creation, without compromising on the genuine protections and rights available for workers.
Modi was of the view that industrial peace and harmony
can be achieved only when the goals of employment and employability are in tune with the goals of industrial development and growth.
"It is our shared vision to have an environment which is conducive for inclusive growth and development of the country. I assure the state government all the cooperation from the central government in all its efforts in this direction," he added.
Talking about the ESIC's medical college in Coimbatore, he said the project worth Rs 580 crore will be a boon to ESIC beneficiaries and their family members in and around Coimbatore.
"Of the 100 MBBS seats proposed here, 20 seats will be reserved for the children of persons insured under the ESI scheme. We should strive to make this medical college and hospital a model for high quality medical education and treatment to workers of the State," he added.
Elaborating about the government's plans for upgradation of existing state and central medical colleges to increase MBBS seats he said, "Through this, we hope to increase 10,000 MBBS seats and support the colleges with funds for equipment and infrastructure."
"So far 23 medical colleges have been approved to increase over 1,700 MBBS seats. I am happy to inform that four state government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu at Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Madurai have been approved for upgradation by adding 345 more MBBS seats," he added.
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Modi said the Centre has also initiated major reforms in the Employees Provident Fund Organsation (EPFO) and Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) as it wanted to provide increased coverage and better and expanded range of service for organised sector workers.
"We have initiated major reforms of EPFO and ESIC for the benefit of organised sector employees. A universal account number has so far been allotted to over six crore workers enabling portability of their EPF accounts," he said.
"Further, we propose to expand coverage and offer additional facilities and services through the ESIC," Modi said.
"My government is dedicated to the welfare of our brothers and sisters who are our Rashtra Nirmathas (nation builders). Sensing the need for expansion of ESIC, I had launched a second generation reform agenda named ESIC 2.0 in July last," he added.
Stating that the coverage of ESI scheme has been extended to the remaining North-Eastern states, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar Island, the prime minister said it was proposed to expand the coverage from the present industrial and commercial clusters within a district to the entire district by March 31 this year.
Among other initiatives, ESIC has resolved to adopt two model hospitals in each state, apart from a mother and child care hospital, he said.
He said his government was committed to the development of a generous and comprehensive social safety net for all workers and pointed to the social security insurance schemes launched last year.
"This commitment to the builders of modern India comes from the firm belief that a Swasth and Samridh Shramik will make a Samridh Rashtra," he said tracing the growth of ESI scheme since its modest inception in 1952.
Noting that Tamil Nadu had a large network of 210 ESI dispensaries for out-patient treatment for the insured persons and their family members and that the state would run eight of the ESI hospitals, the Prime Minister assured the Centre's cooperation to the state government.
Leather exports are expected to contract by 7-8 per cent in 2015-16 due to unfavourable market conditions and global slowdown, an industry body said today.
"There is growth in exports always. But this year the industry has been slow in terms of export growth, which is mainly due to recession in global economy," Leather Exports Council's Regional Chairman (South) P R Aqeel Ahmed said.
"Normally we have 10 per cent growth. But due to the recession we expect about 7-8 per cent drop in exports by March 2016, compared to last year," he told PTI here.
The country's overall merchandise exports have declined by 18.06 per cent year-on-year to USD 196.6 billion in April-December period of the current fiscal.
The outward shipments were on the decline for 13th straight month in December, contracting 14.75 per cent to USD 22.2 billion in the month due to a steep fall in shipment of petroleum products and engineering goods amid tepid global demand.
However, Ahmed exuded confidence that the leather industry would pick up next year as there was huge growth potential.
"Overall we are looking at 12-14 per cent growth next year (2016-17)," he said.
Referring to the Centre's Make in India campaign, he said leather is a focus product and five countries had been shortlisted for attracting investments.
The council is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
"Leather is a focus product under the Make in India campaign. Foreign (leather) companies have to come and invest here because there will be flow of foreign currency into India. With that as a special area, we focus on five countries, USA, Brazil, China, Germany and Italy", he noted.
Ahmed and representatives from International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC) are here to attend the 19th edition of bi-annual 'Congress Technical Footwear Conference' beginning tomorrow.
The theme for this year's conference is 'Future Footwear Factory'. Around 568 people, including 154 delegates from 26 countries such as France, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Italy, Spain are participating in the event.
India is the second largest footwear producer in the world after China.
Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today summoned Delhi Police joint commissioner S K Gautam and sought a report over the police action against students during a protest outside RSS office in central Delhi's Jhandewalan area that has sparked widespread outrage.
Sources said that Gautam, who is the joint commissioner of Delhi Police's central range, briefed the Lt Governor over the issue at the latter's office today. Jung is learnt to have sought a detailed report on the incident which occurred on Saturday.
Gautam is heading the probe into the matter. The probe was initiated by Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi after due consultation with Special Commissioner (Law & Order) Deepak Mishra.
Delhi Police came under severe criticism after a video emerged in which its personnel were seen thrashing protesters and dragging activists by their hair outside the RSS office 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.
Ruling out scrapping reservation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made a veiled attack on Congress saying a "campaign of lies" has been let loose on the issue of dalits under a "deliberate conspiracy" to disintegrate the country.
"Earlier they tried to instigate farmers. That did not succeed.....Now in the name of dalits, lies are being spread. Wherever they go, whenever they go, they utter lies. They repeat the lies on top of their voice. A campaign of lies has been let loose to mislead and fool dalits.
"It is a deliberate conspiracy to mislead people, make them fight against each other and to disintegrate the country. They are feeling frustrated because power has been taken away from them. They always believed that they (dalits) are their voters and now Modi is working for them. They fear what to do with Modi. They want to prevent dalits from backing Modi," he said.
Though he did not name anyone, the Prime Minister's attack appeared to be directed against Congress and its Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who recently made two trips to Hyderabad University to join protests over the suicide of a Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula.
On Saturday, Gandhi had accused Modi and RSS of trying to crush the spirit of students by imposing "one idea from the top".
The public meeting was to kickstart BJP's campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu but Modi concentrated on national issues and made no reference at all to the state politics.
He said the Opposition was worried over the NDA government taking several steps to highlight the achievements of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.
Utilising the occasion, the Prime Minister said "lies are also being spread that Modi is going to take away reservation from Dalits, OBCs, oppressed and the depressed. Please listen to me carefully. Dalits should progress. I assure the nation that nobody can do away with reservation till the name of Dr B R Ambedkar remains alive."
He listed various steps and initiatives taken by his government in commemoration of Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary.
Modi underlined that unity, harmony and peace were
essential for the country to progress.
He also attacked the Congress over stalling Rajya Sabha saying ever since "a tea seller" came to power at the Centre, the opposition party has not been able to reconcile itself to the defeat and loss of power.
"In the last 19 months, there has been no corruption charge against anyone. No scam. They are worried 'what can we do with Modi'. So they decided not to allow Rajya Sabha (to function). We will stall Modi. Several bills are pending there. What is this politics. Don't damage the country," he said in an apparent reference to the stalling of the GST bill by the Congress in the upper house.
The Prime minister said in Lok Sabha the government was able to carry out its business and pass bills. When they came to power, the government decided to scrap 1,800 antiquated laws which were for the benefit of poor.
Modi said the Lok Sabha has already scrapped 700 laws but they are pending in Rajya Sabha. What the Congress is doing is against the poor and deprived of the country.
He said the Lok Sabha has passed a bill to provide for higher bonus payment to poor labour but the Opposition did not allow it to be passed in the Rajya Sabha.
"But the government's priority is to work for the welfare of dalits, backwards, the oppressed and the depressed. From our side, we will not spare any efforts," Modi said.
He said that not a single day has passed since they came to power without a good initiative from the government in the interest of the poor.
Modi said steps like dedicating the first two days of the Winter Session of Parliament to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar and acquiring the latters house in London has rattled the Opposition as they thought the dalit community was their vote-bank.
He said the Opposition was blaming the government for any untoward incident against the dalits.
On the economic progress of the country, Modi said the government had put in place several reforms to push growth.
He said international bodies like the World Bank and IMF had projected India to be amongst the fastest growing large economy.
"Across the world, be it organisations like the World Bank or Credit agencies, if there is one country which they see as a brigh spot of growth it is India", he said.
"Imagine how the situation was just two years ago," he said adding it was marred by scams and scandals.
In the past one and a half year, however, every section
of the people has now both faith and an expectation after the BJP-led NDA regime assumed power, Modi said.
He began his speech at the CODISSIA (Coimbatore District Small Industries Association) grounds here by saying "Vanakkam, Indru Kovaikku Vanthathil Magizhchi," (greetings, I am happy to be here in Coimbatore today).
Modi arrived here after participating in an Ayruveda conclave in Kerala for his one-day Tamil Nadu visit.
Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the ESIC Medical College and Hospital here built at a cost of Rs.580 crore and handed over the new facility to the Tamil Nadu government.
Referring to the hospital handover to the state as a commitment of his government's mantra of "cooperative federalism," he said Tamil Nadu should act quickly to start the medical college hospital of 500 bed capacity.
"It reinforces my government's commitment to cooperative federalism, I hope government of Tamil Nadu will act quickly to start the college," he said.
Out of the 100 MBBS seats, 26 of these will be reserved for children of those under the ESIC coverage.
He asserted that his government was committed to the welfare of over 45 crore unorganised sector workers and referred to initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyothi Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana for their welfare.
As many as 44 labour laws will be simplified, amalgamated and brought forth as four Labour Codes, he said.
Union Ministers Bandaru Dattareya, Pon Radhakrishnan BJP National Secretary H Raja, State-unit party president Tamilisai Soundararajan were among those who attended the function and the public meeting.
A "Power Agent"is entitled to file papers in the court on behalf of his principal and the same filed by him could not be returned by the Judicial Magistrate, ruled the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
Setting aside the order of the Tirumangalam Judicial Magistrate, who returned the papers filed by a power agent in a bus accident case, on behalf of the owner of the company, Justice S Vaidhyanathan said there is a clear distinction between "Appearing on behalf of the Principal and submitting the papers and arguing the case on behalf of the Principal."
In the accident case, the petitioner Santhi M Vannan had authorised her Manager Baskaran to initiate legal proceedings for interim custody of the bus, which was involved in a collision with a two-wheeler.
Subsequently, the Judicial Magistrate asked the petitioner to deposit the Regisration book and Rs 20 lakh cash.
As the permit of the bus expired on Jan 1, 2016, in order to expedite the matter, the petitioner gave authorization to submit the papers at the Judicial magistrate court.
However, the Magistrate returned the papers on the ground that the power of attorney was not entitled to address on behalf of the principal and submit papers.
Hence, the petitioner submitted that her bus was damaged by locals, following which she had filed a case against some people demanding compensation for the damages costing Rs 75000, and a chargesheet was filed by the police in connection with the incident.
There was nothing wrong in the power agent filing documents in the court, Justice S Vaidhyanathan said while setting aside the order of the Judicial magistrate.
He also directed the Judicial Magistrateto number the case if there was no other impediment.
A former Malaysian law minister has filed a legal suit challenging a decision by the country's attorney general not to prosecute Prime Minister Najib Razak over a financial scandal that involved more than USD 700 million dollars channelled into his private bank accounts.
Zaid Ibrahim said today that statements by the anti-corruption agency and other agencies investigating an indebted state investment fund linked to the premier indicated "strong evidence of wrongdoing" by Najib.
He says possible offences included money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
Zaid says Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali's decision last week not to prosecute Najib was "unreasonable and constituted an improper exercise of discretion."
Apandi said most of the money was a personal donation from the Saudi royal family and that Najib had returned most of it.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today told a special court here that it was of the opinion that stringent MCOCA was not applicable in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case and the Attorney General's opinion is being sought in this regard.
Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur of a right wing group are among the accused in the case.
"The prosecution is awaiting necessary advice from senior supervisory officers and law officers at NIA, New Delhi, and they are now of the opinion that MCOCA is not invokable in the instant case," the NIA told the special court Judge S D Tekale.
"Since the issue is important, it has been referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs with the request that the opinion of the Attorney General of India (AGI) should be obtained in this matter," it added.
The court adjourned the case till February 15 after Special Public Prosecutor Avinash Rasal sought it saying that they were waiting for the AGI's reply to NIA's letter.
The court had fixed the matter today for framing of charges in the case. However, the judge adjourned the hearing till February 15 and told the prosecution that if the agency fails to file a report till the next date of hearing, then it would go ahead with the case.
Meanwhile, Aparna Purohit, wife of accused Prasad Shrikant Purohit, told reporters that with NIA's letter being sent to the AGI, the case has come full circle as the MCOCA court had dropped the stringent law from the case in 2009 but the Bombay High Court had reversed the order.
Two days after Delhi government started a scheme to provide all prescription medicines for free at state-run hospitals, Health Minister Satyendar Jain today said that a mobile app will soon be launched where people seeking treatment at government hospitals will be able to report about non-availability of medicines.
Last month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced the scheme under which government will provide free medicines at all its hospitals to patients from February 1.
The government has also issued a helpline - 8745051111 - for registering complaints pertaining to any shortage in medicine supply via text message at government hospitals.
"We will launch a mobile application tomorrow through which people getting treatment at government-run hospitals can complain of non-availability of free medicines prescribed by the doctors. People will have to upload the picture of prescriptions through the app.
"Once the picture of non-availability of medicines is sent via this app, he or she will instantly get a message or call informing the complainant when these medicines will be available in the hospital," Jain told reporters here.
Similarly, complainants can also send the names of shortage of medicines on 8745051111 via text message. Soon after, he or she will get response and will be informed when the medicines prescribed by the doctors will be available at the hospital.
On January 17, Kejriwal had announced to waive user charges at all government hospitals from February 1 and would make available medicines and diagnostic tests free of cost, using the money "saved" from three flyover projects.
He had made the announcement at the inauguration of an elevated corridor between Mangolpuri to Madhuban Chowk at Outer Ring Road, which he had said was built at the cost of Rs 300 crore, "well below the sanctioned cost of Rs 450 crore".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address 'Kisan Sammelans' in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh starting February 18 to highlight his government's pro-farmer initiatives.
BJP general secretary Arun Singh said various farmer organisations will also felicitate the Prime Minister at these programmes for the initiatives taken by his government.
"Farmers will felicitate the Prime Minister during these 'kisan sammelans' where various initiatives taken by the government for their welfare will also be discussed," he said.
He said while the first such farmers' rally will be held in Madhya Pradesh on February 18, the second will be organised in Odisha on February 21, followed by Karnataka on February 27.
The last 'Kisan Sammelan' will be organised in Uttar Pradesh which goes to polls early next year.
The party is, however, yet to finalise the places where these events will be held, Singh said.
Among the pro-farmer initiatives taken by the Modi government in the recent past are provision of soil health cards, Prime Minister's irrigation scheme, crop insurance scheme, providing neem-coated urea to farmers and helping their coverage under various social security schemes, he said.
Singh said the farmers are keenly looking forward to the restarting of fertiliser producing units in Uttar Pradesh that were shut earlier due to various reasons.
Touting the new crop insurance scheme of the NDA government as a "historic step" in farmers' interest, BJP's Kisan Morcha would organise the "Jan Jagran week" across the country from March 9 to 15 to help take the scheme to farmers.
Opposition coalition Meghalaya People's Front (MPF) today demanded that the Congress led state government convene a Special Session of the Assembly to discuss the recent High Court order for framing uniform laws on headmen.
"We request you to convene a Special Session to discuss this important issue," MPF secretary James K Sangma said in a letter to Assembly Speaker AT Mondal.
Meghalaya High Court recently directed the state government to frame uniform laws on the functioning of the traditional chiefs (headmen).
The decision to demand a special session of the Assembly was taken at a recent meeting of MPF consisting of United Democratic Party, National People's Party, Garo National Council and Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement.
North Korea today confirmed it was planning an imminent satellite rocket launch that would amount to another major breach of UN resolutions following its nuclear test last month.
The International Maritime Organisation said it had received a shipping warning from North Korea of its intention to launch an earth observation satellite between February 8-25.
The dates suggest a launch aimed at coinciding with the birthday on February 16 of late leader Kim Jong-Il, father of current leader Kim Jong-Un.
Although Pyongyang insists its space programme is purely scientific in nature, the United States and its allies insist such launches are aimed at developing an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the US mainland.
UN resolutions forbid the North from any use of ballistic missile technology, and imposed sanctions following its last rocket launch in December 2012.
If the notified launch goes ahead, it would be a further slap in the face of the international community which is struggling to find a united response to the North Korea's January 6 nuclear test.
In particular it throws down a defiant gauntlet to the United States which has spearheaded efforts to draft a tough UN resolution with harsh sanctions in response to what was the North's fourth nuclear test.
There had been widespread speculation in recent weeks regarding an imminent rocket test, after satellite images showed increased activity at the North's main Sohae satellite launch station.
Since early 2013, North Korea has been upgrading the Sohae launch complex to handle larger, longer-range rockets with heavier payloads, but most experts say Pyongyang is still years from obtaining a credible ICBM capability.
"North Korea is still a long way off from being able to strike the US mainland," Siegfried Hecker, one of the foremost authorities on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme, said in a recent interview.
"It has only had one successful space launch. It needs a lot more, but it has made a large effort in that direction," Hecker said.
Although the 2012 rocket launch was successful in putting a satellite in orbit, experts say the North still faces the technical challenge of developing a missile and warhead that can withstand the heat of re-entry.
Briefing reporters in Washington last week, US defence officials said any rocket launch was seen as a developmental threat.
"Our concern is that when they do a space launch, it happens to be the same components that can be used in an ICBM," one official said.
Confirmation that the North is planning a fresh launch is likely to put more pressure on China, Pyongyang's chief diplomatic protector.
Beijing has been resisting Washington's push for tougher sanctions on the North, but a rocket launch would bolster calls for China to bring its maverick neighbour into line.
China's top envoy on the North Korean nuclear issue, Wu Dawei, arrived in Pyongyang for talks on Tuesday, just hours before the rocket launch notification was issued.
North Korea today issued a shipping warning for a satellite launch, confirming speculation that it is preparing a long-range rocket launch in violation of UN resolutions.
The International Maritime Organisation said the North had sent notification of a satellite launch scheduled between February 8-25.
National Conference today hit out at PDP and BJP over the political uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir and said fresh elections should be held if the two partners are unable to form the government.
"PDP and BJP has created political uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir. The combine has created a Constitutional crisis in the state," NC's provincial president Devender Singh Rana told reporters here.
"If they (PDP and BJP) are unable to form the government, they should clear their stand with Governor (N N Vohra) so that the Assembly is dissolved and fresh elections are held," he said.
Rana said if PDP and BJP have felt that "10-month-long rule on the basis of 'Agenda of Alliance' had failed and people have been deceived, they should go to the people again. We are ready for polls."
Feeling that elections had become "inevitable", Rana said NC cadres should get ready for polls.
"After protracted drama over the formation of government, the PDP is seeing now the coalition as unpopular while BJP is crushing its core agenda to be in the government," he said.
He said the "opportunistic partners" have brought the state to such an impasse where public interest has been hit by personal ambitions.
"People have been watching the political developments with disgust and are wondering as to how the coalition partners could trample the mandate they had given for steering the state to peace, progress and development," he said.
Rana expressed surprise over the "realization dawning" on PDP after nearly a year of alliance with BJP.
"During electioneering, they kept telling voters something different and vowing not to allow RSS footprints in the Valley," the NC leader said and asked the PDP to "shun hypocrisy and make public admission of their wrong judgement, misgovernance and poor performance.
A three-day-old baby boy was stolen by a woman impersonating as a nurse at a government hospital here, prompting authorities to suspend two hospital staff.
The child was yesterday stolen by the woman who took the baby from his mother Nasrin, a resident of Navneet Nagar, on the pretext of getting him vaccinated, District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar said.
Nasrin gave birth to the child on January 29.
After the accused did not return with the baby, Nasrin and her husband Amin complained to the hospital superintendent Dr B D Bhaskar.
The family members and neighbours of the victims also protested at the hospital premises and raised slogans.
The couple claimed that the accused woman was seen talking with the hospital staff. They also accused the hospital staff and Dr Bhaskar of being hand in glove with the woman who stole the child.
Following the incident, the DM reached the spot and a ward boy Deepak and maid Anita were suspended. He also recommended that action be taken against the hospital superintendent.
On the basis of a complaint by the child's father, an FIR was registered against the accused hospital staff, DSP Chakrapani Tripathi said.
Several teams of police have been deployed for searching the baby, the DSP said.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr Vivek Mishra has asked the hospital administration to install CCTV cameras.
The national capital's water woes may soon come to an end with the National Green Tribunal today giving its nod to the 40 MW Renuka Hydro-Power Project in Himachal Pradesh and refusing to quash the environmental clearance granted to it.
The green panel also declined to stall the land acquisition proceedings for the dam by the state government since the project has been declared "a project of national importance" by the Centre.
"Considering the national importance of the project and declared by the Supreme Court as 'cannot be allowed to be killed by any kind of apathy or indifference', we find that the environment clearance granted is not to be quashed as sought for by the appellant. Considering the national interest and the amount already spent, we are not inclined to accept the submission of the appellant to quash the EC.
"Complying the principle of sustainable development, giving due regard to the protection of the environment, we consider it necessary to issue certain directions to ensure that the development is not to be sacrificed as well as irreversible damage and degradation of the environment is not permitted," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
The NGT also constituted a committee to look into the resettlement and rehabilitation policy for villagers displaced due to the power project and decide the conditions that should be imposed upon the project proponent to ensure that the dam does not have any adverse impact on ecology and environment.
"The committee shall assess and examine the present status of the compliance done by the project proponent in terms of condition imposed by the National Board of Wild Life and the Supreme Court while granting clearance for diversion of 49 hectare of Renuka Wild Life Sanctuary.
"The committee shall examine the proposal of the project proponent with reference to the actual forest and non-forest land required, public and private," the bench said.
Conceived to fulfill the water water of Delhi and surrounding areas like NOIDA, Faridabad, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, the Renuka dam project is proposed to be built on the Giri river in Sirmaur district.
The total project cost which was initially estimated at Rs 3498.86 crores as in March, 2009 is likely to go beyond Rs 5,000 crores with delay in the execution of the project.
Water from the 148-metre high and 430-metre wide dam was to be discharged into the Yamuna river through its tributary, Giri, and then released at the Hathni Kund barrage from where it would pass to the Munak channel and finally reach the capital.
A 42-year-old Nigerian national has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for trying to export 2.8 kg heroin out of India by a Delhi court which took a lenient view towards him considering his clean antecedents.
Special NDPS Judge Deepak Garg, while awarding the minimum sentence for the offence, also referred to an observation made by the Supreme Court in which it had said while punishing a convict, he must be given an opportunity to reform himself.
"Within the parameters of the law an attempt has to be made to afford an opportunity to the individual to reform and lead the life of a normal, useful member of society and make his contribution in that regard.
"Denying such opportunity to a person who has been found to have committed offence in the facts and circumstances placed on record would only have a hardening attitude towards his fellow beings and towards society at large. Such situation has to be avoided within the permissible limits of law," the apex court had observed.
Referring to this observation, the ASJ said, "In view of the fact that convict has no previous criminal antecedents and the fact that he has family members who are dependent upon him, he deserves lenient view to be taken by the court."
The sessions court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on Nigerian national Patrick Umechukwu, who was arrested on June 8, 2011 by Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) raiding team at a courier company's Delhi office where he had gone to inquire about the status of a parcel sent by him.
The raiding team, which had already reached there after it got a tip off, caught Patrick, searched the parcel and found 2.8 kg heroin in it, the prosecution said, adding that later when his house was searched, 180 gm heroin was also recovered.
The court, while holding him guilty under provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, said, "Prosecution has been able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that accused had booked the parcel from which 2.8 kg heroin was recovered and hence he made an attempt to export the said quantity of contraband out of India and further that 180 gm heroin was recovered from his residential premises."
During the proceedings, Patrick had denied the allegations levelled against him and claimed he was falsely implicated.
As the world ramps up its fight against the Zika virus, West Africa is battling to contain a growing outbreak of Lassa fever with nine people in Benin reported dead.
"Right now, there are a total of 20 suspected cases with nine deaths," government health official Orou Bagou Yorou Chabi said.
The first Lassa fever case in the West African country of 10 million people was listed at the Hospital of St Martin de Papane, in Tchaourou, a city 350 km (220 miles) north of Cotonou, the United Nations children agency UNICEF said in a statement.
An ongoing epidemic in neighbouring Nigeria has already killed 84 people, out of 168 suspected cases, according to UNICEF.
Stocks of Ribavirin, a drug used to treat the infection, were being shipped to Tchaourou and Cotonou, the UN agency added.
Benin was last hit by a Lassa fever outbreak in October 2014, when nine people suspected of having the virus died.
Lassa fever belongs to the same family as Marburg and Ebola, two deadly viruses that lead to infections with fever, vomiting and, in worse case scenarios, haemorrhagic bleeding.
Its name is from the town of Lassa in northern Nigeria where it was first identified in 1969.
Endemic to the region, Lassa fever is asymptomatic in 80 percent of cases but for others it can cause internal bleeding, especially when diagnosed late.
The virus is spread through contact with food or household items contaminated with rats' urine or faeces or after coming in direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.
The US State Department has dismissed reports that its office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan will be merged with the South and Central Asia Bureau that handles India, saying there are no such plans.
"I know of no such plans to do so," State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, a day after a media report said the Department was considering such a move.
The powerful office of Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) headed by former high-profile diplomat late Richard Holbrooke, was carved out of the South and Central Asia (SCA) Bureau of the State Department soon after Barack Obama was sworn in as the US President in January 2009.
While for technical reasons, SRAP office falls within the SCA Bureau, for all practical purposes SRAP, which is currently headed by seasoned US diplomat Richard Olson, is a separate entity which reports directly to the Secretary of State.
SRAP office is the focal point of the US Government on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Reports had emerged saying that the US was considering a re-merger of the Af-Pak office with the South and Central Asia desk.
Vowing to protect the rights of Dalits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said there was no question of scrapping reservation for them and lashed out at the Opposition for spreading "lies" in this regard.
Virtually kicking off his party's poll campaign for the upcoming Assembly election in Tamil Nadu, Modi told a well attended rally that the Opposition was feeling jittery following the NDA government's efforts to highlight the achievements of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.
"Dalits should progress, till the time Dr Ambedkar's name is there, reservation for Dalits would be there," he asserted.
Modi said steps like dedicating the first two days of the Winter Session of Parliament to commemorating the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar and acquiring the latter's house in London has rattled the Opposition as it thought the Dalit community was its vote-bank.
He accused the Opposition of unnecessarily blaming the government for all untoward incidents against Dalits.
Referring to steps taken by his government to push growth, he said international bodies like the World Bank and IMF had projected India as among the fastest growing economies.
"Across the world, be it organisations like the World Bank or Credit agencies, if there is one country which they see as a bright spot of growth, it is India," he said.
"Imagine how the situation was just two years ago," he said, adding the government then was mired in scams and scandals.
In the past one-and-a-half-years, however, every section of the people has faith and expectation from the BJP-led NDA government.
Lashing out at Congress and other Opposition parties he said: "To some it pains and gives concern that a tea vendor won (the election) and that too with full majority," he said.
He criticised the Congress for disrupting the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha in the last session and termed the party "anti-labour and anti-poor".
He began his speech at the CODISSIA (Coimbatore District Small Industries Association) grounds here with "Vanakkam, Indru Covaikku Vanthathil Magizhchi," (greetings, I am happy to be here in Coimbatore today).
Expressing his happiness at the sight of "sea of humanity" , he thanked the people for their love.
Modi arrived here on a day's visit after participating in an Ayruveda conclave in Kerala.
Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the building of
Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital here built at a cost of Rs 580 crore and handed over the new facility to the Tamil Nadu government.
Modi said the hospital was an example of his government's mantra of "cooperative federalism". "It reinforces my government's commitment to cooperative federalism, I hope the government of Tamil Nadu will act quickly to start the college," he said.
He said out of the 100 MBBS seats, 26 will be reserved for children of those under the ESIC coverage.
Modi said his government was committed to the welfare of over 45 crore unorganised sector workers and referred to initiatives like the Pradhan Manthri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana for their welfare.
As many as 44 labour laws will be simplified, amalgamated and brought forth as four Labour Codes, he said.
Union Ministers Bandaru Dattareya, Pon Radhakrishnan BJP National Secretary H Raja, state party president Tamilisai Soundararajan were among those who attended the function and the public meeting.
Less than a month after its purported H-bomb test, attention is now focused on whether North Korea is readying a rocket launch.
With underground railways, giant tarps and a movable launch pad structure in place, experts say, the North is getting a lot better at concealing its preparations.
American and Japanese officials say they are seeing heightened activity at North Korea's main rocket facility, though they stress it's still unclear if a launch really is in the works or how soon it might come.
Intelligence officials in Seoul, stung by their failure to predict the North's January 6 nuclear test, are also cautiously warning another provocation could happen abruptly.
What North Korea might launch is a big question mark.
There are indications -- including the construction of a new and taller gantry, visible in commercial satellite imagery -- that it could be a bigger and better version of the Unha 3 space launch vehicle that lifted off from the Sohae facility in 2012, on the west coast of North Korea.
That would be in line with the North's own previous announcements.
The Unha 3 successfully delivered North Korea's first satellite into Earth orbit. A January 2013 report by Rodong Sinmun, the ruling party newspaper, which has since been deleted from its online edition, quoted a scientist saying there would be a series of launches of observation and communication satellites culminating with Unha 9, which would carry a lunar orbiter.
A North Korean space agency official told an AP television crew last year that more satellite launches are planned in the years ahead, but didn't elaborate.
Models of the larger and much more formidable-looking Unha 9 rocket have since been displayed at various events in North Korea, including annual flower shows held in honour of national founder Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il.
Although there are important differences, the US and others have strongly criticised such rocket launches because similar technologies can be used in the development of ICBMs, which North Korea is banned from doing under UN restrictions.
North Korea says that it has the right to maintain a peaceful space program and announces launches ahead of time to maritime authorities, in keeping with international standards.
Tightening its punitive squeeze on the North, the US on January 17 announced sanctions on 11 individuals and entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile programme, including Iranian officials it said had direct links to North Korea and work being done by Pyongyang on "an 80-ton rocket booster."
It said two of the sanctioned Iranians "have been critical to the development of the 80-ton rocket booster, and both travelled to Pyongyang during contract negotiations."
Iran has, coincidentally, suggested it might also conduct a rocket launch this month.
Whether the booster would be a new first stage for the Unha rockets or something different is not known.
The Madras High Court today issued notice to Tamil Nadu government on a petition seeking that students of a private college at Villupuram, where three girls recently committed suicide over alleged exorbitant fee demands, be allowed to continue their studies in a government college.
The HC issued notice to Special Government Pleader V Jayaprakashnarayan on a petition by S Ravi Kumar, a student of SVS Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy, to continue their studies in the Government College of Naturopathy and Yoga Science here.
Kumar submitted that the students had lost the opportunity to attend the internals and practical exams as the college was sealed by authorities after the girls' suicide last month.
Since Tamil Nadu Dr Medical University, the affiliating university, was taking steps to finalise the exam schedule, a proper scheme to conduct the internals and practicals has to be assured. Unless this was done, as also for continuing the remainder of their studies, his future, as well as that of the other students would be ruined, he said.
Hence he prayed for a direction to government to arrange for holding of these exams and to enable them continue their studies either by taking over the college or by special orders permitting them to continue their education in the Government College of Naturopathy and Yoga Science here.
Justice R Subbaiah, before whom the petition came up for hearing today, issued notice to SGP to get instructions and posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.
On January 23, three girl students of SVS Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy committed suicide by jumping into a farm well after harassment by the management demanding 'exorbitant' fees.
The college head Vasuki Subramaniam surrendered in a court in Chennai on January 25 and was remanded to judicial custody while two others, including its principal, were arrested in connection with the case.
On January 27, the HC allowed a fresh autopsy of one the three college girls who committed suicide on a request by her father.
Tamilarasan had moved a petition on January 25 in the HC, seeking a CB-CID inquiry and a fresh post-mortem in a state-run hospital in Chennai.
He had also requested that a doctor of his choice be present during the autopsy.
Keeping in view the growing number of people from the state visiting Mumbai for studies or medical treatment, Odisha government today sought an additional one acre land from its Maharastra counterpart.
"I would request you to provide an additional land of one acre preferably in the areas of Kharghar or Panvel, Navi Mumbai for construction of another Odisha Bhawan for accomodation of needy cancer patients and students from the state," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Maharastra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Stating that an Odisha Bhavan has been established at Vashi, Navi Mumbai over a plot area of 4046.87 square meter, Patnaik said the growing number of cancer patients of the state to Mumbai for better treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital required more accommodation facilities.
This apart, a number of students visiting Mumbai to attend interviews for higher studies also compounded the demand of additional accommodation in the metropolis, he said.
"It has now become absolutely necessary for creation of more accommodation facilities in Navi Mumbai for cancer patients and students," Patnaik pointed out seeking an early response by the Maharastra government over the matter.
The head of an international group monitoring South Sudan's peace process said today that people are starving in the country's Western Equatoria state as the government and rebels delay forming a transitional government to end the country's civil war.
A ceasefire monitoring team that recently visited Western Equatoria state found starving people in the Mundri area, which has been a hotspot of violence in recent months, said Festus Mogae, a former president of Botswana.
"I am staggered that things have been allowed to get this bad," Mogae told a meeting of government and rebel representatives in the capital, Juba. "I plead with you to avoid ruin: Form the transitional government of national unity without further delay, restore stability, repair the damage that has been done before it is too late."
Mogae said he is disappointed that President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar missed a deadline last month to form the new government as called for in an August peace agreement.
Implementation of the agreement has stalled because Kiir ordered the creation of 28 states from the existing 10, undermining a power-sharing provision in the deal which gave Machar's side control of two of the original states. Mogae told an African Union summit over the weekend that the government is responsible for the impasse.
Western Equatoria state was relatively peaceful during most of South Sudan's civil war, which was concentrated in the country's northeast, but the area has seen an increase in violence since August.
Thousands of people have fled the latest fighting between government forces and various rebel militia, including to neighboring countries, according to the UN.
World oil prices extended losses in Asia today on weak economic data from top energy consumer China and realisation that a hoped for deal among producers to cut output would not happen.
Prices had been given a boost late last month by speculation that Russia and members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would reach agreement to slash output in the oversupplied petroleum market.
But the upward momentum hit a snag after traders became increasingly sceptical about such a deal, and the latest news that manufacturing activity in China contracted at its fastest pace in more than three years in January dealt a further blow to sentiment.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in March was down 50 cents, or 1.58%, at $31.12 and Brent crude for April dipped 45 cents, or 1.31%, to $33.79 a barrel by 0320 GMT. Both contracts settled lower on Monday.
The rise in oil prices last month "was based on shaky foundations, namely hopes that Russia and OPEC would agree to cut output," Capital Economics said in a market commentary.
"We doubt that there will be any coordinated agreement even though the market remains oversupplied. Meanwhile, US inventories of both crude oil and gasoline have continued to build over the last month. Indeed, US crude oil stocks are now at record highs."
Oil has lost around 70% of its value since June 2014 as supplies piled up and demand was not strong enough to soak up the barrels due to a global economic slowdown led by China, the world's second biggest economy and top energy consuming nation.
Government data released in Beijing on Monday showed China's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), which tracks activity in factories and workshops, fell to 49.4, the lowest figure since 49.2 in August 2012, and was below market expectations.
PMI readings above 50 signal expanding activity, while anything below indicates shrinkage.
"Global economic growth remained lacklustre at the start of this year," Dutch bank ABN-AMRO said in a note.
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Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today accused BJP of claiming credit for the rural jobs scheme even as he thanked the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during whose tenure MGNREGA was introduced.
"BJP never tired of criticising #MNREGA & are now selling it as if it was their gift to the nation.
"Thank you Dr Manmohan Singh Sahib," Omar wrote on twitter.Com.
The National Conference leader, an admirer of the former Prime Minister, said history will judge Singh more favourably than how it is has been so far.
"Dr Manmohan Singh is right, history will judge him far more favourably than he has been judged so far. #MNREGA being a case in point," Omar added.
As MGNREGA completes 10 years, the Narendra Modi government, which had earlier appeared critical of the UPA's flagship rural job scheme, hailed the measure saying the achievements of a decade are a "cause of "national pride and celebration".
The Andhra Pradesh government has signed an agreement with the administration of the Canadian province Ontario under which the two will share knowledge on climate change and also help deepen trade ties.
The agreement was signed during the Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne's visit to the state.
Government of Ontario also signed an agreement with the Department of Science and Technology under which Ontario will provide USD 9,00,000 in funding over a two-year period to support three new collaborative research projects under Round 3 of the Ontario-India Collaboration Fund. The funding would be matched by India.
In all, 18 pacts worth USD 98 million were inked in sectors like higher education, clean energy, tourism and power between firms based in Ontario and their Indian counterparts.
"Ontario government ministers signed its first MoU with the state of Andhra Pradesh. This agreement will make it easier for the two regions to share knowledge about climate change and will support economic cooperation through joint activities such as seminars, trade missions and conferences," an official release said.
"My trade mission to India is off to a positive and successful start. I have met Indian political leaders and business innovators to showcase Ontario's expertise in infrastructure, sustainable development and technology.
"Throughout the mission, I will continue to build these important relationships and help Ontario businesses to connect with Indian partners," Wynne said.
Ontario-based Novo Plastics, which has developed the world's first plastic exhaust system for autos, announced a JV for production and selling in India.
"We expect Indo-Canada bilateral trade to touch USD 15 billion in next 3-5 years from around USD 6 billion at present," Kam Rathee, Vice-Chairman, Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) who is accompanying Premier Wynne, told PTI.
Some JVs between Ontario's educational institutes and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) were also forged yesterday.
The NSDC and five colleges of Ontario launched a joint initiative aiming at enhancing training programmes for Canadian and international standards while strengthening educational and economic ties between India and the province.
Besides, an agreement was signed between Ontario's Seneca Collega and Max Institute for Health Education and Research (MIHER)to provide training for an initial 3,500 medical-sales graduates.
(Reopens BOM 27)
Pershing said India should opt for a fuel that is carbon free to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Part of the reason for the US and China being number 1 and 2 respectively in greenhouse gas emissions was due to their failure to address the carbon issue, said Pershing, who is in India as part of the US-India Strategic and Commercial dialogue.
Addressing students on the impact of climate change and the urgent need to address it, Pershing said electricity contributes one-third to GHG emissions, and a collective effort at the global level is necessary to reduce the emissions.
This could be done through use of better technology and also the use of renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, hydro and nuclear energy, he said.
"I am agnostic about nuclear energy. It is for each country to decide on which source to use. It is necessary to ensure the source does not produce carbon," he said.
To ensure that global temperatures do not rise above 1.5 degrees Celsius, the US government has made it mandatory for all manufacturers to incorporate climate change in every decision, Pershing said.
The US agriculture department is working on processes for farming which lower GHG emissions, he said.
"Climate change makes everything we worry about such as high tides, rains, and droughts worse. We are at the edge and a small tip would lead to chaos," he said.
"Ours is the generation that could change the situation. Our parents did not have the chance to do so and our children won't have it," he added.
Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif today said Balochistan had become a hotbed for proxy wars for regional and global powers pursuing a grand strategy as he accused foreign forces of supporting terrorism in the state.
"Foreign adversaries are more than eager to exploit any opportunity to destabilise Pakistan by harbouring, training and funding dissidents and militants," he told a seminar on peace and prosperity in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
He said that terrorism and militancy was being supported by foreign forces and facilitated by insiders.
Gen Sharif said issues in Balochistan were complicated by the foreign interference across a porous border spanning hundreds of kilometers. "This is a battle that we all are fighting, and we shall continue to fight till peace prevails across the width and breadth of the province," he added.
Gen Sharif said the law enforcement agencies and the people of Balochistan had defended the integrity of Pakistan with unflinching resolve.
He noted that law enforcement agencies had carried out over 2,400 intelligence-based operations in Balochistan since August 2014 during which 204 lives were lost.
"The fact is that in the current security situation diverse and divergent interests have created complex problems in the province," he added.
He said that lack of developed infrastructure, extreme poverty, poor educational and health facilities, and rampant unemployment lend credibility to the complaints of the aggrieved section of society.
"I understand that use of force brings nothing but destruction, distress and suffering, often to those who had no part in it. Involvement of the people and state institutions, therefore, is the correct way forward for the prosperity of Baluchistan," he added.
BJP today attributed the continued uncertainty over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir to "adamancy" of ally PDP while asserting that it is committed to the common minimum programme of the coalition.
BJP is sticking tothe "Agenda of Alliance" but "adamancy is from PDP", state party unit's general secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul told PTI here.
"From our side there ispositivity and we feel the same from otherside. There is no uncertainty from BJP side," he said.
His comments came just hours ahead of the party leaders' meeting with Governor N N Vohra who had asked the coalition partners BJP and PDP to clarify their stand on governmentformation.
The core group of the state BJP will meet here before the meeting with the Governor this evening.
The core group met yesterday also after which BJP's three-member panel rushed to New Delhi and held consultations with central leadership on the government formation after tough talk by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on carrying forward the alliance.
The political crisis in Jammu and Kashmir arose afterthe demise of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed January 7.
Sayeed's daughter and PDP Chief Mehbooba said onSunday that before taking a call on continuing the alliance, she wants to "reassess" whether the Narendra Modi government would take substantive steps within a 'set time-frame' to address the "core" political and economic issues of the state.
After Core group meeting yesterday in Jammu, State BJP chief Sat Sharma told reporters that there was "no concrete" demand or condition from PDP in writing.
The Governor has written to leaders of the two parties asking them to clarify their stand on government formation by today.
PDP, with 27 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly and BJP with25 legislators, ran a coalition government headed by Mufti Sayeed for 10months before his demise on January 7.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has rejected a PIL seeking directions for Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, to Bahujan Samajwadi Party founder late Kanshiram.
"As to how the recipient for civilian awards are to be declared and all the ancillary aspects are matters for consideration at the appropriate level. We find no element of public interest being involved in this petition and no reason to exercise PIL jurisdiction. The petition stands rejected," the court said.
A division bench of justice Dinesh Maheshwari and justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya passed the order on Monday on a PIL filed by a local lawyer.
The petitioner submitted that he had made representations for conferring posthumously the highest civilian award to Kanshi Ram but these were kept pending.
Contrary to expectations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today skirted any reference to Tamil Nadu politics at a public meeting here which was billed as BJP's pre-poll campaign launch in the state where elections are due in about three months.
Modi, on his first visit to the city after assuming office, dwelt in detail on his government's achievements and trained his guns at political rival Congress on many issues but made no mention of state politics.
It came a surprise because the state BJP leaders, including Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, had last week said Modi would sound the BJP's poll bugle at the meeting.
However state BJP leaders, including its President Tamizhisai Sounderrajan, spoke onissues like calling for total prohibition and employment generation. Radhakrishnan touched upon the vexed fishermen issue and recalled Modi government's efforts in securing the release of five Indian fishermen on death row in Sri Lanka. Senior leaders H Raja and L Ganesan slammed Dravidian politics and criticised DMK and AIADMK on a host of issues. The state BJP leaders also spoke on the issue of alliance, saying the party was prepared for both--to lead a front or contest alone all the 234 assembly seats. Earlier the Prime Minister was accorded a rousing reception at the meeting venue, where he had addressed a campaign rally during the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. Scores of party supporters chanted "Modi! Modi!" as he entered the venue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at a conference on Asia next month that will take stock of the strong economic performance and policy challenges of the region.
The three-day conference beginning on March 11 is being jointly organised by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Indian government.
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde would also be a keynote speaker at the conference on 'Advancing Asia:Investing for the Future' to be held in New Delhi.
The conference to be attended by finance ministers and representatives of 30 countries of Asia and the Pacific region will take stock of Asia's strong economic performance, its increased resilience to shocks, and the region's ongoing economic policy challenges.
"Advancing Asia provides a forum for Asia-Pacific leaders to discuss a region renowned for its economic successes over the past decades," Lagarde said.
"As Asia has advanced, emerging markets and developing economies move to the next stage of success, they face the key challenge of how to maintain and enhance the region's high growth record while boosting jobs, reducing inequality, accelerating infrastructure and human capital development and implementing other growth-enhancing reforms," she added.
This conference will also explore how the region can meet these policy challenges through investments in the future, she added. It will also focus on the most effective drivers of growth; income inequality, demographic changes, and gender; infrastructure investment; climate change; managing capital flows; and financial inclusion, in the region.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley; President of the Asian Development Bank Takehiko Nakao; Minister of Finance of Indonesia Bambang Brodjonegoro and Governor of Bank Negara of Malaysia Zeti Akhtar Aziz, are also expected to participate in the conference.
PMK today moved the Madras High Court challenging the appointment of advocates allegedly owing allegiance to AIADMK as members of Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission.
Petitioner K Balu, President of Advocates Forum for Social Justice, affiliated to PMK, submitted that six out of 11 members nominated are either government lawyers or standing counsel of state-owned undertakings.
He alleged that government had misused the provision available in Article 316 of the Constitution and appointed the members in return for their "impeccable affinity" to AIADMK for legal services rendered by them in court cases, defending Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during crisis.
He also alleged that the five others were also individuals "without integrity" and were ineligible to be nominated as members of TNPSC.
He said the Chief Secretary had failed to give adequate representation to women and experts from various fields of medicine, engineering, agriculture, administration, so that it may contain a comprehensive composition.
Balu contended that the appointments were made without following any transparent procedure and in an arbitrary manner without laying down any guidelines or following the mandatory law laid down by the apex court.
He also alleged that the members appointed belonged to one particular community. The petitoner claimed that for the first time in the history of TNPSC, seven out of 15 members belong to the non-service category.
Hence, he sought a direction to declare the Jan 31, 2016 appointment of the members as illegal and to consequently set it aside.
The Forum also sought an interim stay on operation of the Government Order issued during pendency of the writ petition.
As per the G.O, AIADMK government appointed Dr R Prathap Kumar, V Subbaiah, S Muthuraj, M Sethuraaman, A V Balusamy, M Madasamy and others as TNPSC members.
Pope Francis today stressed the "respect" in which the Catholic Church holds China as he noted the country's "great history of wisdom," in an interview to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year.
China "has always been for me a reference point of greatness. A great country. But more than a country, a great culture, with an inexhaustible wisdom," said the pontiff.
"I believe that the great richness of China today lies in looking to the future from a present that is sustained by the memory of its cultural past," Pope Francais said in an interview with the Asia Times published by the Vatican press service.
The pontiff did not directly address the status of the Church in China - a government-appointed Chinese Catholic association nominates its own bishops - but recalled early efforts of 16th Century Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci to evangelise Chinese while respecting native culture.
Unconfirmed reports from the Vatican have suggested an accord was in reach between the Holy See and Beijing on the pontiff being able to nominate Catholic bishops in China.
Both sides are in regular if discreet contact though some Chinese Catholics - who number an estimated 12 million - have accused the Vatican of being prepared to sacrifice their interests on the altar of reconciliation.
The two countries have not had diplomatic relations for more than 60 years with Beijing making a renewal dependent on the Vatican cutting ties with Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
"Ricci's experience teaches us that it is necessary to enter into dialogue with China, because it is an accumulation of wisdom and history. It is a land blessed with many things," said Francis.
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio says Pope Francis has inspiring and revolutionary views on the issue of climate change.
The 41-year-old "Revenant" actor said it was a great honour that a spiritual leader is endorsing a scientific movement, reported People magazine.
""I think he wrote this encyclical, which is one of the most important things in the climate change history, so to speak. Basically, spreading the gospel that we should care about the planet we live in. It's a sin to destroy our planet.
"He's been inspiring and revolutionary to come out and be outspoken about the issue of climate change and endorse the scientific community...The fact that he's come out as this spiritual leader endorsing the scientific movement is unprecedented and was an incredible Honor," DiCaprio said.
During the 15-minute meeting, the actor presented the pontiff with a check from his environmental philanthropy foundation for the Pope to use for charity works, and gifted him with a book containing works by the painter Hieronymus Bosch.
A View From the Bridge
In Wilsonville Stage's production of "A View From the Bridge," Kevin Martin plays Brooklyn longshoreman Eddie (left), Rayman Kirby plays Italian immigrant Rodolpho and Eve Bradford plays Catherine, Eddie's niece and Rodolpho's sweetheart.
(John Fervia Jr.)
Wilsonville Stage presents Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge."
This month Wilsonville Stage will begin its production of Arthur Miller's play "A View From the Bridge."
This show, directed by Terry Kester, is considered by many to be Miller's finest work.
A New York Times reviewer recently stated that "A View From the Bridge" was "what Greek tragedy once felt like, when people went to the theater in search
of catharsis." Director Terry Kester's recreation of Arthur Miller's play, which opens February 18th at the Wilsonville Grange, takes us into emotional territory
seldom achieved in community theater.
Dates and locations:
February 18, 19 20, 25, 26, 27 and March 3, 4, and 5.
Wilsonville Grange
27350 S.W. Stafford Road, Wilsonville
February 23
Trudy's Living Room
9740 S.W. Wilsonville Road, Wilsonville
February 24
Charbonneau
32020 S.W. Charbonneau Drive, Wilsonville
March 2
Meridian United Church of Christ
6750 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville
All above productions are open to the public. We will give a closed show at Coffee
Creek Correctional Facility on March 1.
Time: The curtain goes up at 7:30 with the exception of the Charbonneau venue, where it will go up at 7:00.
Price: $12.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and seniors (60 and above).
On February 18 and 25 all military veterans will be admitted for free. Tickets must be obtained at the door.
We will dedicate our February 26th production to the wonderful work being done by our Wilsonville Rotary.
Visit our website at
to purchase tickets.
-- Wilsonville Stage
In an obvious reference to Pakistan, President Pranab Mukherjee today asked the world to proscribe nations that support or sponsor terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
Asserting there is no good or bad terrorism, Mukherjee termed it as a "cancer which must be operated out with a firm scalpel" and world, in one voice, reject all its manifestations, without distinction.
"It is imperative that the world in one voice rejects all manifestations of terrorism, without distinction, and proscribes States that support or sponsor terrorism as an instrument of State policy," he said after inaugurating the second edition of counter-terrorism conference organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with government of Rajasthan.
Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav is member, Board of Directors of the India Foundation.
Terming the 9/11 terror attack in the US as a watershed moment, the President said the country needs to carefully examine and learn lessons from the success and failures of counter terrorism strategies followed since then.
"From that single incident have flowed most of the interventions in the counter terrorism sphere that we see happening at the international level as also at the regional and domestic levels.
"Faced with the spectre of terrorism, the Western world has undertaken a lot in terms of strategy and tactics and has achieved results also. We need to carefully examine and learn lessons from the success and failure of these strategies," he said.
The US had carried out an operation to kill dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden, said to be behind the 2001 attack, in Pakistan, nearly ten years after the incident.
Mukherjee said the predominant focus has to be on the political management of terrorism.
"This includes addressing issues of ideology and dealing with countries that sponsor or support terrorism.
Mukherjee said as a nation we have to strengthen
plurality so that it acts as bulwark against radical ideologies and thought processes.
"Fragmentation of civil society, rather than its consolidation, is not a wise strategy. The former course leads to radicalisation, which thereafter leads to competitive violence. Think tanks and civil society organisations have a larger role to play in this process of social integration."
Mukherjee said a pluralistic and inclusive society like India has long presented a model for multi-cultural living and it is for this reason that global terror outfits have not been able to find traction in India.
The President said till the end of the 20th century, terrorism had regional or national connotations.
"With the emergence of first Al-Qaeda and now IS, those boundaries have shattered. Non-state actors are trying to be the State themselves, spreading radical ideologies across societies, using technologies to the fullest extent to attract youth.
"In such a scenario mere political and military strategies will not suffice. We need to take social, economic, religious and psychological aspects into consideration," Mukherjee said.
The President said counter terrorism effort has to be more pointed, more focused, more objective and more professional.
"While doing so there will always be a dilemma of whether we are threatening individual liberties or human rights. We have, therefore, to be judicious in protecting larger freedoms and democratic values," he said, suggesting concerted action to shut down the financial networks that support and sustain terrorism.
Citing Paris and Pathankot terror attack cases, Mukherjee said terrorism is undoubtedly the single gravest threat that humanity is facing today.
"Terrorism is a global threat which poses an unprecedented challenge to all nations. No cause can justify terrorist acts. It is imperative that the world acts in unison against terrorism, without political considerations. Therefore, there is a need to take a resolve to not justify terrorist means whatever be the reason or the source," he said.
Peace is the primary objective of rational consciousness as well as a moral universe. It is the foundation of civilisation and a necessity for economic progress, the President said.
(Reopens DEL86)
Mukherjee said there is unprecedented turbulence across vast regions, with alarming increase in regional instabilities.
The scourge of terrorism has reshaped war into its most barbaric manifestation. No corner can now consider itself safe from this savage monster, he said.
"Terrorism is inspired by insane objectives, motivated by bottomless depths of hatred, instigated by puppeteers who have invested heavily in havoc through the mass murder of innocents. This is war beyond any doctrine, a cancer which must be operated out with a firm scalpel. There is no good or bad terrorism; it is pure evil," the President said.
Mukherjee said South Asia has been facing terrorist violence since decades in various forms.
There is a peculiar nature to this terrorism. To counter that, South Asian countries, including India, have developed certain capabilities, he said.
"We need to similarly discuss and deliberate on the effectiveness of these strategies and how these have impacted on our counter terrorism capabilities.
"An important aspect of counter-terrorism strategy is capacity building to prevent attacks through intelligence collection and collation, development of technological capabilities, raising of Special Forces and enactment of special laws. Though we have evolved certain mechanisms in this direction, there is scope for further intensifying these efforts," the President said.
Chief Executive of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and other dignitaries attended the programme.
Nepalese Army chief General Rajendra Chettri will be conferred with the honorary rank of 'General of the Indian Army' by President Pranab Mukherjee tomorrow.
Chettri, who arrived here last night on a six-day official visit, met with his Indian counterpart Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag today. This is his first visit abroad after assuming the top army post in September last year.
The Nepalese Army chief's visit comes ahead of the proposed visit of Prime Minister K P Oli to India later this month.
Chettri has received field artillery and air defence artillery training in the early years of his service from India, Pakistan and China. He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Ft Leavenworth, Kansas, US.
He is also a qualified Psychological Testing Officer from the Defence Institute of Psychological Research, New Delhi.
The Gujarat government today said the process to withdraw non-serious cases against Patel youths associated with the quota stir was underway.
"We are in process of collecting information about all non-serious cases against Patel youths. A process is on to withdraw the cases after scrutiny," said Minister for Health and spokesperson for the Gujarat government Nitin Patel.
According to Patel, no cases yet have been withdrawn by the government.
Yesterday, a BJP leader of Patan district in North Gujarat, K C Patel had said they (the party) were ready to withdraw 41 cases against Patel youths registered mainly for damaging property inside BJP offices and other similar non-serious offence during quota violence in August last year.
"There were some cases lodged in Patan district in this regard. Our local leader had announced that party is ready to take back those cases. But the final decision will be taken by the state government," Patel said.
Earlier, the Gujarat government had already announced that it will withdraw 74 police cases filed against 382 Patel community members across the state during quota agitation.
In total, 457 FIRs were registered in 18 different districts across Gujarat after the quota agitation.
As per the government, police have arrested 1,750 persons named in these FIRs. However, 1,736 of them received bail immediately.
Patel had said the government would also take up cases having serious charges, including sedition cases against 22-year-old Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel and his aides, in second phase and review it one by one to see if they can also be withdrawn.
Year-end pressures must be mitigated by the banking system to provide adequate credit to engineering exporters, industry body EEPC India said today.
"Even though operating in an embattled global economic environment, exporters are finding it hard to get adequate bank credit in the wake of tight liquidity creeping in the financial markets," EEPC India chairman TS Bhasin said in a statement.
The Reserve Bank today left the key policy rate unchanged at 6.75 per cent and the reverse repo rate at 5.75 per cent.
"RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has recognised the issue of tight liquidity in the banking system. The situation is particularly precarious for the SME exporters who do not find favour with the banks, especially when there is a liquidity crunch," he said.
Against this backdrop, Bhasin said reducing the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from the existing 4 per cent would have helped.
"There are reports that the RBI has been intervening now and then to strengthen the rupee, a policy which will not help the cause of the exporters.
"A sharp fall in the currency value of other competing economies is exerting pressure on Indian exporters," he said.
A local green NGO has asked the Goa government to publish an annual report on water security of the state covering all river basins, as a part of its forthcoming Water Policy.
"State of Goa should publish a report on annual water security of the state covering all the river basins and sub watersheds," read the suggestion submitted yesterday by Goa-based Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan (MBA) to state Water Resources Minister Dayanand Mandrekar.
The Abhiyan, which was formed to save Mandovi river from construction of dam upstream by neighbouring Karnataka, has also asked Goa government to publish an annual report on chemical and biological quality of water.
The state should cap exploitation of groundwater in industrial estates by private tanker suppliers, the NGO said in its suggestion for the 'Goa Water Policy', the draft of which would be kept for public objections shortly in various panchayats and municipal councils.
The Abhiyan, led by former state power minister Nirmala Sawant and environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar, has also suggested that Goa should not permit privatisation of (water) supply from public sources of water.
Goa should study the impact of salinisation of groundwater due to sand mining and stop such activities. It should also survey, map and conserve all natural springs and fountains and rejuvenate those which are in ruinous state, it suggested.
The Abhiyan has also recommended use of eco-friendly technologies for restoration of water quality in mining areas.
The water resource department should promote sustainable micro-irrigation schemes for the benefit of small farmers, it said.
A no-development zone should be marked to protect catchment ares of all the streams, springs, fountains based on satellite imagery, the NGO said.
The Punjab government and Province of Ontario today signed an agreement to promote trade and commerce and exploring mutually beneficial avenues of economic cooperation.
The agreement would focus on exploring opportunities of doing business and investment in Ontario and Punjab through seminars, exchange of ideas by industrialists on both sides through trade missions and delegations, an official spokesman said.
The pact was signed in the presence of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario by Principal Secretary, Industry and Commerce Anirudh Tewari and Helan Angus, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Citizenship Immigration and International Trade here today, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed satisfaction over the keen interest shown by the delegation to explore the sectors including smart city and developing infrastructure in the state, besides exchanging expertise in various fields by both the states in emerging areas.
Badal said emphasis would also be laid on exchanging expertise in skill development, a field in which Punjab is emerging as a major player.
He expressed confidence that members of Punjabi Diaspora settled in Canada would take this opportunity to invest in Punjab.
Terming Punjab as favorite destination for investment, with two successful progressive Punjab Investor summits, Badal said the state government has facilitated establishing new business ventures by setting up Invest Punjab, which is a one stop place where businessmen desirous of making investments have to submit one application for acquiring all necessary clearances instead of making rounds of multiple departments.
Badal offered to invest in food processing sector as Punjab has declared tax free regime for food processing units.
He also informed that the state has decided to provide cheapest power and other incentives for upcoming units.
Badal said this MoU would herald a new era of co-operation to both Ontario and Punjab with specialized focus on core sectors of urban infrastructure (including environmental technologies, clean/renewable energy technologies, intelligent transportation technologies) and information and communications technology (ICT).
Besides, it would help sectors like advanced manufacturing in automotive, food manufacturing and processing, agriculture including technology and skills training and development, education and skills development.
On the occasion, premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne offered to form a joint team of both provinces to explore potential areas where investments could be made and expertise could be shared.
Software provider Quick Heal Technologies has fixed the price band at Rs 311-321 for its Rs 250-crore initial public offer (IPO), which will hit the market on February 8.
The IPO, which would end on February 10, involves a fresh issue of equity shares by the company.
Besides, the issue consists of an offer for sale of about 62.70 lakh equity shares by promoters Kailash Sahebrao Katkar and Sanjay Sahebrao Katkar, as well as Sequoia Capital India Investment Holdings III.
ICICI Securities, Jefferies India and JPMorgan India are the book running lead managers while Link Intime India is the registrar to the public issue.
"Quick Heal Technologies Ltd will hit the capital markets with its IPO on February 8, 2016 with a price band of Rs 311 to Rs 321 per equity share of face value of Rs 10 each," the company said in a statement.
While the proceeds from the offer of sale would not go to Quick Heal Technologies, the Rs 250 crore funds raised from fresh issue of equity shares would be used by the company for advertising and sales promotion and capital expenditure for research and development.
The proceeds would also be invested to purchase, develop and renovate its office premises in Kolkata, Pune and New Delhi, as well as general corporate needs.
The company is a provider of security software products and solutions in India.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, it generated a total revenue of Rs 294 crore.
Quick Heal's equity shares are proposed to be listed on the BSE and the NSE.
Pitching for a special status for Andhra Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi today said that it was the responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfill the promise given by his predecessor (UPA) government when Telangana was carved out as a separate state.
"Government of India had made a promise to Andhra Pradesh that after the bifurcation, it will help the state fully and give it a package. This promise was definitely made by the UPA government but it was also a promise by government of India.
"Narendra Modiji should remember that before being NDA government, it is government of India and that government had made a promise to Andhra Pradesh," the Congress Vice President said addressing a rally here.
The UPA-led central government had in 2014 given its nod to divide Andhra Pradesh and carve out a separate state of Telangana.
Rahul Gandhi had written to the Prime Minister four months ago pressing for early grant of special category status for Andhra Pradesh, detailing the "disappointment and pain" among people over the Centre's "failure" to honour its commitments.
He had noted in the letter that the southern state was facing a huge revenue deficit and development initiatives have been at a "standstill".
Gandhi had also accused the TDP-led state government and the opposition YSR Congress for not doing enough to pressurise the Centre on the issue.
Months before his current term as RBI Governor ends in September, Raghuram Rajan today said he sees himself back in the academic world five years from now, while researching and writing in Chicago.
"Five years from now? In my academic office, writing or thinking," Rajan said replying to a specific question on the career trajectory he would like to choose in that time.
When asked if he sees himself back in Chicago, he said, "Yeah, Chicago has been kind to me over my history".
Rajan is on-leave Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has also served as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The academic-turned-central banker Rajan, whose three-year term as the Governor of RBI ends in September this year, declined to answer a direct question on an extension in the same office, calling it a "hypothetical question".
Rajan assumed charge in one of the most testing times in economic policymaking where the rupee was battered due to the 'Fed tantrums' to be one of the worst performing currencies in the world.
The RBI Governor, who famously predicted the 2008 global financial crisis, is well respected for his opinion on world finance and has built a profile which endears him to the investors.
However, experts say it is his not-so-warm equations with North Block and the government which will have a major bearing on whether he continues at Mint Road post-September.
Amidst increasing attempts by ISIS to lure Indians into its fold, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today held a meeting with top Muslim clerics and sought their cooperation to check the growing tentacles of the dreaded group among Muslim youth.
The hour-long meeting, also attended by NSA Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry officials, apprised the Muslim clerics about activities of the Middle-East terrorist group and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold.
The Home Minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who offered all help to the government in this regard, official sources said.
The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to ISIS, the growth of ISIS influence in India's neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response.
Those who attended the meeting include Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti of Ajmer Sharif, Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi of Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Tauqeer Raza Khan, Rafiq Warshiq, Shia leader Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Qalbe Jawaid, Kamal Farooqi, Mushafa Faruqi besides others.
The need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed, especially in the area of information technology were also discussed threadbare.
In his remarks, the Home Minister said India's traditions and family values will overcome such nefarious designs of terrorist groups and that while the traction that ISIS has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant in comparison to other countries, there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner.
This was for the first time that the Home Minister had a meeting with Muslim clerics on the issue of ISIS.
Last fortnight, the Home Minister had a meeting with top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states and discussed steps to check the growing influence of ISIS among youngsters through social media and other sources.
(REOPENS DEL33)
Singh had reviewed the situation arising out of some Indian youths getting attracted towards ISIS on several occasions in the past and how to deal with the challenge.
The Home Minister had also said a large number of people and most Muslim organisations in India had come out against both ISIS and other forms of terrorism.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of whom six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq-Syria.
Among the 23 are two absconding members of the banned Indian Mujahideen who had gone from their hideouts in Pakistan.
The dead were identified as Athif Vaseem Mohammad (Adilabad, Telangana), Mohammad Umar Subhan (Bengaluru), Maulana Abdul Kadir Sultan Armar (Bhatkal, Karnataka), Saheem Farooque Tanki (Thane), Faiz Masood (Bengaluru) and Mohammad Sajid alias Bada Sajid (Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh).
Around 150 Indians are under surveillance for their alleged online links with ISIS.
As many as 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East.
Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youths from Kalyan near Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian.
Several Indians, who were trying to recruit youths into ISIS, were deported from friendly countries, including the UAE, recently.
Katie McGinty
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Katie McGinty
(PAUL CHAPLIN)
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
We're going to take our eye off the Iowa caucus results this morning just long enough to update you on some unusual doings in Pennsylvania's closely watched U.S. Senate race.
That's where we find a recent fund-raising email from Democrat Katie McGinty's campaign, which takes aim at what it says is a flood of unregulated, so-called "dark money" into the coffers of Republican incumbent Pat Toomey.
"Just this morning, Bloomberg News reported that outside special interests like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Koch Brothers have already spent over $7 million dollars on ads, trying to distract voters from Toomey's disastrous record and the harm he's done to working families," the Jan. 28 email,which was obtained by PennLive, reads. "You can bet that's only the beginning of what they're going to spend supporting him this cycle."
While it is true that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and groups linked to the shadowy conservative billionaires did spend some money on Toomey, McGinty's email takes a more than a few liberties with the facts.
According to the actual Bloomberg story, while Toomey did feature in more than $7 million worth of ads, more than half of that spending came from groups that were critical of the Lehigh Valley Republican and his record.
Those groups included the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Environmental Resources Defense Action Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In total, those groups spent $4.3 million criticizing Toomey, Bloomberg reported.
The Koch-linked groups, meanwhile, spent a total of $2.4 million in advertising in support of Toomey, whose seat could determine the future balance of the Senate.
Ironically, an email sent out by the state Democratic Party, also last week, managed to get the $2.4 million figure correct, arguing that "the big banks and the Koch Brothers know Pat Toomey is their guy," and that the cash influx proves it.
McGinty, a former Wolf administration aide, is one of three Democrats looking to unseat Toomey in this fall's general election. McGinty made that clear in her email:
"It's indisputable - control of the Senate depends on Pennsylvania's seat," the email reads. "That's why special interest groups are flooding the airwaves to support Pat Toomey. They know he'll be a reliable vote for their agenda in Washington."
But as the Bloomberg story notes, these advocacy groups, which do not have to report their funding, are spending heavily on both sides of the aisle this year, mostly on issues, and not candidates.
With the White House and control of Congress at stake, untold millions will be flowing into elections in 2016 from both the right and the left.
So while it's fair to take aim at the groups that are supporting Toomey, it's also important to note that there's just as much money arrayed against him this cycle. You wouldn't get that idea from the McGinty fund-raising email.
But that's politics.
The rest of the day's news starts now.
Transportation funding is expected to fall $6 billion short in Pennsylvania this year, The Tribune-Review reports.
Former state Rep. Jesse White, a Democrat from Washington County, wants his old job back, The Post-Gazette reports.
In case you missed it, here's our analysis of the contest in Iowa last night.
A new stadium for the Temple Owls could proceed despite some neighbors' objections, PhillyMag reports.
AG Kathleen Kane has a trial date and a new PAC is looking to get her fired. Busy day.
A group is demanding more diversity at Susquehanna University, WITF-FM reports.
Mayors tell states - give us help or get out of the way, NewsWorks/WHYY-FM reports.
There's a flood watch in the Lehigh Valley today, The Morning Call reports.
Katie McGinty has picked up the endorsement of the SEIU, PoliticsPA reports.
New tax credit programs are helping states put old churches back on the tax rolls, Stateline.org reports.
Politico looks at Hillary Clinton's narrow win in Iowa on Monday night.
It's now a three-way race for the Republican nomination, The National Journal reminds us.
What Goes On.
At 11 a.m. in the Main Rotunda, the Pa. Budget & Policy Center talks about the state budget. Could be this one. Could be the next one. Or it could be both.
What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).
The Dauphin County Republican Chairman's Club holds a 5 p.m. reception at the offices of Greenlee Partners on State Street. Admission is a flat $1,000.
Heavy Rotation
Howzabout some
Lauryn Hill
to get your day going? Thought so.
And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.
To check growing attempts by ISIS to attract Indians, the government today reached out to prominent Muslim leaders seeking their help to counter designs of the dreaded group and also fight violence and cross-border terrorism.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry officials apprised the Muslim leaders about activities of the Middle-East terrorist group and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold.
The Home Minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who offered all help to the government in this regard, officials said.
While the Muslim leaders offered all help to the government to counter terrorism, they raised the issue of alleged persecution of some Muslim youths in the name of terrorism.
The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to ISIS, the growth of ISIS influence in India's neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response.
Condemning all kinds of violence in the name of religion, the delegation explained that Islam stands for peace and well-being of all and no one should be misguided or have an understanding contrary to this fact.
The Muslim leaders said they were against any sort of terrorist or violent activities including cross-border terrorism. Underlining the fact that Muslims were safe and enjoyed freedom in India, they said this kind of freedom and security is not available to the community even in Muslim-majority countries.
The delegation emphasised that Indian Muslim youths have not fallen prey to any propaganda in the name of Islam and expressed satisfaction on steps taken by the NDA government for creating an atmosphere of peace and security in the mind of the minority community, a Home Ministry statement said.
Among those who attended the meeting were Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, a prominent Shia cleric, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti, chief of Dargah Ajmer Sharief, Niaz Faruqui, General Secretary, Jamait-Ul-Hind, Maulana Iqbal Ahmed Chisti, General Secretary, Maulana Wamiq Rafiq Warsi Sahab, Head, Dargah Dewa Sharief, Janab Mohibulla Nadvi, Chief Imam, Parliament Masjid, Maulana Mohammad Alim Nadvi, Haryana Imams Organisation, Yamuna Nagar, and M J Khan, National Convener, Muslim Economic Forum.
Chief Imam, All India Imam Organisation, Imam Umer Ahmed
Ilyasi told reporters after the meeting that the government has asked them to address the issue and appeal to the youth through mosques to stay away from ISIS.
"This is part of a series of meetings to be held soon. We have raised various issues concerning Muslims, including radicalisation attempts by ISIS and persecution of Muslim youths by security agencies," he said.
Chairman of Confederation of Minorities Educational Institutions, Kamal Faruqui said the issue of youths getting attracted to ISIS was a serious concern.
"Government has reached out to us and we appreciate it. We have also shared our concerns to the government," he said.
The need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed, especially in the area of information technology, was also discussed threadbare.
In his remarks, the Home Minister said India's traditions and family values will overcome such nefarious designs of terrorist groups and that while the traction that ISIS has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant in comparison to other countries, there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner.
This was for the first time that the Home Minister had a meeting with Muslim clerics on the issue of ISIS.
Last fortnight, the Home Minister had a meeting with top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states and discussed steps to check the growing influence of ISIS among youngsters through social media and other sources.
Singh had reviewed the situation arising out of some Indian youths getting attracted towards ISIS on several occasions in the past and how to deal with the challenge.
The Home Minister had also said a large number of people and most Muslim organisations in India had come out against both ISIS and other forms of terrorism.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of whom six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq-Syria.
Around 150 Indians are under surveillance for their alleged online links with ISIS.
As many as 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East.
Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youths from Kalyan near Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian.
Several Indians, who were trying to recruit youths into ISIS, were deported from friendly countries, including the UAE, recently.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has sought suggestions from the main opposition Congress and industrialists for a growth-oriented and all-pleasing annual Budget which is scheduled to be presented next month.
The Budget Session ofChhattisgarhAssembly will commence on March 1 and continue till March 31.
Singh, who holds the Finance portfolio, may present the new budget in the first week of the session.
"The CM has assured that like previous year this year also budget will be for the welfare of everyone and pro-people. The budget will focus on the growth of farmers, labourers and all the needy section of the society besides development in all the sectors," a public relation official said here today.
The CM has started taking ideas and suggestions from MPs and MLAs of the state before giving final touch to the budget 2016-17, he added.
As a part of this exercise, CM held a discussion with Congress legislators yesterday while a meeting in this regard was convened with industrialists today during which several crucial suggestions were poured in from them, he said.
However, CM had already held discussion with his party lawmakers to discuss the provisions of the budget, the official added.
The CM today had a detailed discussion with the representatives of the industry at his official residence.
"The industries had played a vital role in the rapid development of the state. The Budget will focus on all sections of the society including the industry," the official quoted CM as saying in the meeting.
Commerce and Industry Minister Amar Agrawal, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand and other senior officials besides heads of industries associations and a lot of top industrialists were present at the meeting.
A person convicted for rape will not be eligible for furlough under an amended prison manual notified in Maharashtra.
State Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has notified 30 new amendments to the jail manual, including exclusion of rape convicts from being eligible for furlough.
"The amended jail manual has now gone for printing, after which it will be uploaded on the government's website for public view," Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, B K Upadhyay said, while noting that the proposed amendments have been notified by the Governor.
According to a senior official from the state Prisons Department, 30 amendments have been made in the existing prison manual, which also includes extending the continuous period of furlough granted to convicts.
A convict gets a total of 28 days of furlough in a year, out of which he can take 14 days at a time (and is entitled for another 14 days if authorities permit).
"Now, the period of furlough has been extended to a maximum of 21 days for a convict who is serving a sentence of less than 10 years, plus a seven day extension if authorities find suitable, and a convict serving a term of more than 10 years will get 28 days furlough at a stretch," he said.
"Also, a person convicted for rape will not be eligible for furlough," he said.
The official further said that according to the amended manual, police will not be required to reinvestigate a request of granting an interim extension of parole.
"Thus, if the police feels, they can grant an extension of parole without investigating into the matter. But, it will be the responsibility of the police to ensure the convict appears before it every two days," he said.
He said the jail authorities will now have the power to send back the medical certificate provided by a convict to appropriate police or hospital authorities, if they find the certificate produced to be doubtful.
The manual also calls for restricting new constructions in the vicinity of the central prison.
"Area within 150 metres of a central prison is now a no-man's zone where no construction is allowed. The restriction will be 100 metres for a district prison and 50 metres for a lower prison like taluka or a tehsil prison," he said.
"Also construction of a structure between 150-500 metres will be decided by a high-powered committee that will look into technicalities like height of the structure. The committee will have officials from municipal corporation, Urban Development Department, police and prison," he said.
The official said there will also be provisions for creating new medical staff posts in prisons.
Underscoring the need to boost the start-up ecosystem, the Reserve Bank today said it will simplify rules and regulations which impede their growth and ensure that an entrepreneur does not have to run from "pillar to post" to start a business.
"We want to simplify the process...We are supporting the start-up process by making it easier to raise money, often from abroad, but also simplify the compliance with regulations including putting lot of forms online so that they don't have to go from pillar to post," RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan told reporters.
He cited the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs, starting right from the complicated contracts for fund raising, which are not allowed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act.
"Can we make it possible for those contracts to actually be undertaken?
"There have been a variety of cases when the entrepreneurs have come to us and told us that they want some relaxations," he said, adding that the changes will be incorporated into policymaking, starting with a document to be released shortly.
He also spoke of the difficulties faced by an entrepreneur during sale of a company which entails an elongated period of receiving the funds.
"During that time, the amount is escrowed. Can we extend the time for which the amount is escrowed so that sales can take place easily," Rajan said.
In a detailed statement issued later, the RBI said in case of transfer of ownership of a start-up, the escrow arrangement can be extended till 18 months.
It will also work for enabling start-up enterprises to receive foreign venture capital investment and also "explicitly enabling transfer of shares from foreign venture capital investors" to others, the statement said.
It will also look at the issuance of innovative FDI
instruments like convertible notes by start-ups and streamlining their overseas investment operations.
In the sixth bi-monthly policy statement, Rajan said the measures will create an enabling framework "for receiving foreign venture capital, differing contractual structures embedded in investment instruments, deferring receipt of considerations for transfer of ownership, facilities for escrow arrangements and simplification of documentation and reporting procedures".
In the detailed statement issued later, the RBI said it has already created a "dedicated mailbox" to provide assistance and guidance to the start-up sector.
There have been sustained efforts to encourage the start-up ecosystem in the country in the recent past.
Capital markets regulator Sebi has come up with norms for listing of start-ups after a series of meetings with stakeholders.
The government has also launched the 'Start Up India' campaign.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a slew of incentives to boost start-up businesses, offering them a tax holiday and inspector raj-free regime for three years, capital gains tax exemption and Rs 10,000-crore corpus to fund them.
He also announced a self-certification scheme in respect of nine labour and environment laws and said there will be no inspection during the first three years of launch of the venture.
Also, a liberalised patent regime is being brought to help start-up businesses register patents, for which the fee will be slashed by 80 per cent.
India, which has the third-highest number of start-ups globally, will also support the ventures by removing the criteria of experience and turnover for bagging government procurement contracts.
Modi said profits earned by start-ups will be exempt from payment of income tax during the first three years of business.
To boost financing, a 20 per cent tax on capital gains made on investments by entrepreneurs after selling of assets as well as government-recognised venture capitalists will also be exempt.
Suresh Prabhu, Sadananda Gowda, Ashok Gajathi Raju and Ravi Shankar Prasad are among the few ministers to have invested in financial instruments like bonds and stocks, while real estate seems to be the preferred asset- building avenue for most of the members of the union cabinet.
As per the latest details of the 'assets and liabilities of the union council of ministers' disclosed by the Prime Minister's Office, a few ministers such as Sushma Swaraj and Venkaiah Naidu do not own any vehicle in their names while many others have got multiple cars including luxurious ones.
At the same time, most of the ministers have jewellery, while the real estate properties including houses and flats account for the bulk of their total assets.
The 'cash in hand' component declared by the most ministers are only about a few thousands of rupees, while quite a few including Swaraj, Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Ramvilas Paswan have parked their money in fixed deposits.
The assets disclosed are as on the end of the last fiscal 2014-15 and the details were last updated on PMO website on January 30, 2016. The details are yet to be disclosed for some top ministers including Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Manohar Parrikar, Maneka Gandhi and Harsh Vardhan.
Among ministers of state with independent charge, Mahesh Sharma has disclosed five house properties worth a total value of Rs 19.19 crore, including one he inherited.
He has also investments in company shares and owns two cars -- Toyota Land Cruiser and Mitsubishi Lancer.
Jitendra Singh's assets include a house worth Rs 1.97 crore in Jammu and agricultural land worth Rs 33 lakh.
Among Cabinet ministers, Smriti Irani has disclosed one 'residential flat' in Mumbai worth Rs 90 lakh and a 'residential apartment' in Goa worth Rs 87.50 lakh, among other immovable properties.
Her movable assets include two cars, jewellery, bank deposits, FDs, NSCs and shares in unlisted companies.
Radha Mohan Singh has disclosed properties in Bihar and Noida worth Rs 62 lakh, as also agricultural and non- agricultural land in Bihar. While Singh does not own any vehicle, he has parked money in FDs and his other movable assets include gold, two mobiles, one watch, one revolver and one rifle.
Thawar Chand Gehlot has disclosed two housing properties worth about Rs 39 lakh, one petrol pump (alloted for Rs 20 lakh and with a current market value of Rs 1.6 crore), two motorcycles, a tanker lorry, two cars (Maruti Swift and Tata Safari) and one scooty.
His other assets include gold jewellery, mobile, iPad, and bank deposits. He also has one revolver and one gun.
Birender Singh has three houses in Haryana and one in Delhi, as also agricultural land and commercial building property in Haryana. He has two cars -- Mercedes and Innova -- as also FDs and other deposits in banks.
Narendra Singh Tomar has disclosed residential properties in Madhya Pradesh, as also jewellery, FDs and insurance policies as part of his assets.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal's assets include investments in banks, shares in unlisted companies (including shares gifted by her husband Sukhbir Singh Badal in Orbit Resorts Ltd) and an investment account with brokerage firm Sharekhan Ltd.
Ashok Gajapathi Raju has disclosed bank accounts, FDs, as also shares and bonds of various companies. The shares include of companies like Tata Steel, Agro Tech Foods, Ashok Leyland, Balaji Telefilms, Cairn India, Bharat Electronics, Dhanalaxmi Bank, Exide, Havells, HDFC Bank, Infosys, NDTV, NHPC, NTPC, Sun TV, TVS Motors, Wipro, Bharti Airtel, Coal India, HDFC Ltd, Idea Cellular, TV Today, United Spirits and Yes Bank.
Raju's disclosure is the most detailed and his assets also include a jeep and a Tata Nano car. His immovable assets include land, as also commercial and residential properties.
J P Nadda has disclosed saving bank accounts, fixed deposits and insurance policies, but said he had no investments in shares or bonds. He has also disclosed two cars, jewellery, as also residential and land assets.
Ravi Shankar Prasad's assets include deposits with banks and as many as 25 financial investments including bonds, debentures and mutual funds. This also includes Rs 2,54,156 as 'investment in Sahara Multi Plus'.
Besides, Prasad has four cars, jewellery, agriculture land, non-agri land and av residential property.
Ram Vilas Paswan has disclosed a flat and agriculture land in Bihar, but has no jewellery, cars or financial investments. His wife, however, has disclosed jewellery, a proprietorship firm and a petrol pump as her assets.
Uma Bharati has disclosed four residential properties, including two inherited and two purchased by her, gold and silver wares and ornaments for God, bank deposits and FDs and an insurance policy, but no cars.
Sadananda Gowda has disclosed six house properties, seven land parcels, as also car, telephone, mobile, computer, a gun and a revolver among his assets. Besides, he has jewellery, bank deposits and investments in stocks/bonds/debentures.
Suresh Prabhu has disclosed a flat in Mumbai, as also agriculture land in Maharashtra and non-agri land in Goa. He also has invested in mutual funds, bonds and shares of listed and unlisted companies, but has no fixed deposits.
M Venkaiah Naidu has no land, residential asset or commercial property in his name, although his wife has some. He has over Rs 28 lakh as bank deposits, but no investments in shares, bonds or debentures and his assets do not include any cars or jewellery. There are no vehicles in the name of his wife as well.
Sushma Swaraj has disclosed one residential flat in Delhi and ancestral land in Palwal, while her movable assets include jewellery (worth over Rs 23 lakh) and FDs.
She has no cars in her name, but her husband has two vehicles (Mercedes and Volkswagen).
Swaraj as well as her husband have further declared they have "no investment in stocks, shares, companies or mutual funds" and "no insurance policy".
Citing reluctance of nations in implementing global counter-terrorism plan, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah today emphasised upon regionalising such an initiative.
Addressing a conference here, he said although nations generally agree that terrorism threatens the security of the whole humanity, each state is developing its own homegrown capabilities to tackle the direct threat it faces within its milieu.
"They have been reluctant to adopt and implement a global counter-terrorism action plan, even though terrorism sees no borders, nationalities, religions, creeds or cultures.
"Ironically, however, in some cases, terrorism has helped bring old adversaries closer. And it has at times turned foes into allies and, in some cases, allies into foes. Such half-heart measures have only addressed the symptoms rather than the causes of terrorism," Abdullah said.
He said that there is not much difference in the officially stated regional definition of what constitutes terrorism and how to counter it.
Looking at how India, China, Pakistan, Iran, and others have defined terrorism, one can see that there is not much difference in their individual definitions of the threat, Abdullah said.
"Then what bars us from collectively acting against terrorism, as we have witnessed the tragic terrorist attacks claiming many innocent lives in Kabul, Mumbai, Peshawar, Paris, Ankara, San Bernardino (California), and so many other places?
"In simple terms, why can't we regionalize our national counter-terrorism action plans," he asked.
Abdullah was speaking at the inauguration of a counter-terrorism conference here. He said "we don't lack regional mechanisms of cooperation".
The Heart of Asia Process, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC), are the appropriate mechanisms, through which we could organize our collective efforts in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and other such threats, Abdullahsaid.
On peace with the Taliban groups, Afghanistanposition is clear: "Those Taliban groups, who are willing to join the process, they are welcome. While those, who refuse to do so, would be dealt with militarily."
"In effect, we don't differentiate between the Taliban and ISIS affiliated groups, and are firmly committed to fight and defeat any militant groups that share the ideology of Al Qaeda and ISIS," he said.
"As we continue our peace efforts, we invite all our neighbors to cooperate with Afghanistan. The National Unity Government of Afghanistan has repeatedly called on all stakeholders, including our neighbors, to commit the collective will and resources to confront what is a common security threat. Afghanistan has done more than lion's share," Abdullah said.
He said: "We must put aside all double-standards in the fight against terrorism and apply our domestic counter-terrorism policies and laws to tackling the threat of terrorism at the regional and global levels.
Russia placed five Americans on a blacklist today for alleged rights abuses, shortly after Washington added five persons to its sanctions list, accusing the United States of "medieval torture".
In a response to the yesterday blacklisting of four Russians and a Ukrainian under the Magnitsky Act, named after a Russian lawyer, Moscow banned entry to five former US officials, including former prosecutor general Alberto Gonzales, the foreign ministry said.
"We must remind that it was the United States that officially legalised and actively used medieval torture in the beginning of the 21st century," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Besides Gonzales, it blacklisted former US undersecretary of defense Douglas Feith, CIA lawyer John Rizzo, former assistant attorney general Jay Scott Bybee and former general counsel of the department of defense William James Haynes II.
They would be barred from entering Russia "as a response to Washington's anti-Russian policy," the ministry said.
It also pointed out "current American problems like police violence with racial undertones and a penitentiary system that is far from perfect, something Washington should address first."
Sergei Magnitsky was arrested after pointing out a fraud scam perpetrated by high-placed officials, and died in a Moscow jail in 2009, unleashing an international scandal.
Moscow however denied that his arrest and death was a corruption cover-up and today once again accused Washington of "hypocrisy," advising that it should solve its own problems before accusing Russia.
Russia said on Wednesday it supports the inclusion of all opposition parties in Syrian peace talks, including representatives of two hard-line Islamic groups, as President Bashar Assad's troops captured a village north of Syria's largest city with the aid of Russian airstrikes.
Syria's official SANA news agency reported the capture of Hardatneen, north of Aleppo, as UN envoy Staffan de Mistura kicked off what he called a second day of peace talks in Geneva by hosting a government delegation for the second time since Friday.
He said he would meet with the main opposition group later in the day.
But opposition figures said they had no scheduled meeting with de Mistura today, and condemned what one member called the "crazy escalation" by Syrian and Russian forces around Aleppo.
"We need the community to intervene with Russia to stop its indiscriminate bombings," opposition figure Farah Atassi said.
"It's clear from the current situation that the regime and its allies, in particular Russia, are determined to reject the UN's effort to implement law," she added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking from Rome at an conference focusing on the battle against the Islamic State group, also called for a halt to the bombing.
"We are all extraordinarily sympathetic to the limits of propriety and common sense in the opposition sitting at the table while someone continues to bomb them," Kerry said.
He added that the UN agreement underpinning the talks states that "when the political dialogue begins, there will be a cease-fire.
The expectation is that it shouldn't take long."
"We're not requiring people to sit at the table for months. This is a matter of now," Kerry said. "We expect a cease-fire. And we expect adherence to a cease-fire. And we expect full humanitarian access."
Gareth Bayley, the British special envoy for Syria, took aim at Moscow's tactics, tweeting: "Reports of further intense Russian strikes in Syria on moderate opposition in Aleppo and Homs. While Russia talks, it also bombs."
Moscow has been a key ally of the Syrian government throughout the five-year uprising and began launching airstrikes on behalf of Assad's troops four months ago.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today welcomed the start of UN-sponsored Syria peace talks in Geneva, saying efforts to resolve the conflict were entering a crucial time.
"Regarding Syria talks, this period is decisive," Lavrov said at a press conference in Abu Dhabi with Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
In remarks translated into Arabic, Lavrov said the talks needed to be "comprehensive" and to aim for "reaching common ground between the government and the opposition".
The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is hosting the talks this week in the Swiss city.
Today he met with representatives of President Bashar al-Assad's regime and was to hold talks later with the main opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
Lavrov, whose country is a staunch supporter of Assad, said "only Syrians themselves can decide the fate of their country".
"We welcome the start of the inter-Syrian talks in Geneva. They are just beginning and a search for the best ways to conduct these negotiations is under way," Russian state agency RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov as saying.
He said the presence at the talks of representatives of powerful rebel groups Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham - whose participation has been criticised by Damascus and its allies - did not mean they had been recognised as "negotiation partners".
"We agreed - and the government delegation agreed - that if they take part in negotiations, they will do so in a personal capacity," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Embattled Sahara Group today came up with a fresh proposal before the Supreme Court for the sale of its assets to raise the amount for the release of its jailed chief Subrata Roy.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A R Dave and A K Sikri, sought response from the market regulator SEBI within four weeks.
Sahara's counsel and senior advocate Kapil Sibal said the Group was in negotiation to sell its Mumbai hotel -- Sahara Star, company's 42 per cent share in Formula 1 and four aircraft.
Further, the Group said negotiations were underway to sell three overseas hotels, Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the New York Plaza and Dream New York hotels.
The counsel said Grosvenor House Hotel is being negotiated with the State of Qatar which will fetch around Rs 2,300 crore.
Further, the Group has convinced a Russian Bank to re-finance its two hotels in the United States.
Sahara also sought permission to sell its properties in Bangalore.
The group has to arrange Rs 36,000 crore for making the payment in the SEBI-Sahara account for refunding the money to its investors.
For the interim bail of 67-year-old Roy, the court had put conditions like depositing Rs 5,000 crore in cash and a bank guarantee of equal amount and tough terms including payment of the entire Rs 36,000 crore including interest. The money will be paid back to the investors of Sahara.
Roy is in jail since March 4, 2014 with two other directors of Sahara companies -- Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary.
Meanwhile, the bench also asked SEBI to respond after
properly examining the plea made by Sahara group in its fresh application seeking permission to borrow money from a foreign entity for raising the amount for securing Roy's interim bail.
For the interim bail, the court had put conditions on Roy like depositing Rs 5,000 crore in cash and a bank guarantee of equal amount and tough terms, including payment of the entire Rs 36,000 crore, including interest, to be paid back to the investors.
When Sibal was drawing attention to the fresh plea, the bench asked senior advocate Arvind Datar, who appeared for SEBI, to respond to the application after carrying out a thorough investigation.
"You look into all the aspects with a pinch of salt. We are not convinced with the application. You investigate thoroughly and properly," the bench told Datar.
The bench said it has never restrained Sahara from raising the money.
The group's application had stated that Sahara needed to borrow money from Reuben brothers of United Kingdom for depositing it in the SEBI-Sahara account opened at the apex court's direction for refunding money to investors.
It had earlier informed the court that the loan on overseas hotels that was given by Bank of China has been taken over by billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben of United Kingdom, whose main activities were in real estate, private equity and venture capital.
Roy, on August 26, had offered in Supreme Court to pay an additional Rs 300 crore to SEBI but said the amount should be adjusted as bank guarantee.
Sahara had also informed the court that it was negotiating the sale of its three overseas hotels -- Grosvenor House Hotel in London, New York Plaza and Dream New York hotels.
On August 3, the court had extended Roy's parole till
September 16 with a condition to deposit Rs 300 crore with SEBI.
Roy's parole, granted on humanitarian grounds following the death of his mother, was extended after he had deposited Rs 300.68 crores, giving him the opportunity to raise the remaining amount to secure bail in the case.
The apex court had allowed Sahara group to go ahead with sale and alienation of their properties to raise an amount of Rs 5,000 crore as a bank guarantee which they have to deposit in addition to Rs 5,000 crore to get bail for Roy.
The Sahara chief had earlier told the court that by December, the group would be in a position to fulfill all the conditions and that talks were going on with Canara Bank for Rs 1,500 crore bank gaurantee.
The apex court had passed an order on March 29 stating that SEBI would not sell any property owned by the beleaguered group for a price less than 90 per cent of the circle rates for the area in question without the permission of the court.
The court had asked SEBI to initiate the process of selling "unencumbered" properties of Sahara group, whose title deeds are with the market regulator, to generate the bail money for release of the group chief.
Tolino Vineyards
One of the stops of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail's annual passport program will be at Tolino Vineyards in Bangor, Northampton County.
(Facebook)
The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail has announced its wine and food pairings for its annual Vino in the Valley passport program that's held annually in March.
Participants who purchase a passport for $35 can visit each of the wineries during the first four weekends in March (5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26; the wineries will be closed on Sunday, March 27, for the Easter holiday). Event hours at each winery are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. A total of 1,800 passports are printed each year; about 500 remain. You can buy a passport at this link.
Participants receive tasting-sized food and wine pairings to sample at each winery. Their passport is stamped at each winery, and once it has been stamped by at least eight of the nine member wineries, participants fill out their contact information at the bottom of the passport and turn it in at the last winery they visit to be entered into the grand prizedDrawing to win one of 30 Lehigh Valley Wine Trail gift certificates, each worth $25. Each passport holder also receives a Wine Trail Vino in the Valley event T-shirt.
The nine wineries will not accept commercial vehicles of any type (buses, limos, vans, etc.) during weekends in March. For passport holders traveling by private passenger vehicle in a group of eight or more, appointments are required at all wineries they plan to visit. Call ahead to each winery to make appointments at least three days in advance.
Here are the pairings that are planned at each winery:
Week 1 - Three Cheese Meat Lasagna paired with Cabaret Amore
Week 2 - Italian Wedding Soup paired with Vidal Blanc
Week 3 - Grilled Italian Chicken in a Vodka Sauce over cavatelli pasta paired with Cayuga
Week 4 - Chicken medallions and pasta Florentine, roasted red peppers, artichokes, and mushrooms in a lite garlic wine sauce paired with Chambourcin
Weeks 1-4: It will offer Cuban Sopa de Frijoles Negros paired with its Dry White Seyval.
Week 1: Italian Pulled Pork made by Giovanni's Gourmet Italian Catering paired with 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Week 2: Penne Pasta in White Wine Sauce with Goat Cheese and Cranberries made by Fenstermacher Catering paired with 2012 Chardonnay
Week 3 - Red Wine Pumpkin Chili paired with 2014 Chambourcin
Week 4 - Mushroom and Blue Cheese Napoleons paired with 2010 Merlot
Featuring food from the newly renovated K-Town Pub Taphouse & BBQ who specializes in authentic Southern style BBQ.
Weeks 1 & 2: Duo of tacos with a side of homestyle mac & cheese. Will also be serving signature sangria. Pinot Grigio paired with Brisket Taco - Texas-Style smoked beef brisket served on a flour tortilla with shredded lettuce, Pico de Gallo and Cotija cheese. Chardonnay paired with Pulled Pork Taco - Smoked and pulled port shoulder served on a flour tortilla with a mustard-vinegar BBQ sauce and apple slaw.
Weeks 3 & 4: Duo of sliders with a side of homestyle mac and cheese. Will also be serving signature sangria. Turtle Rock Red paired with a Turkey Slider ~ Smoked Turkey, sage aioli, cornbread stuffing, cranberry BBQ sauce on a brioche slide. Oak Vidal Blanc paired with a smoked meatball, red wine BBQ sauce, onion marmalade, asiago, on a brioche slider.
Week 1 - Gourmet Crab Mac & Cheese paired with Seyval Blanc
Week 2 - Mini Short Rib Cheese Steaks paired with Evanswood
Week 3 - Seafood Chowder with Oyster Crackers paired with White Jade
Week 4 - Cashew Chicken Salad Croissant Sliders paired with Catawba
Inspiration - The Dolomites, fusion of German & Italian cultures, where the land has changed hands countless times over the centuries. Suppe/Zuppa - Cream of Horseradish & Potato, hearty fare fit for a winter day. Wine - Gewurztraminer, born in this region of Northeast Italy circa 1000AD.
Week 1 - Louisiana Classic - Jambalaya (vegetables, rice with sausage and other meats) paired with 2015 Dry Vidal or 2014 Vidal Blanc
Week 2 - pulled pork slider with 2013 Chambourcin and 2014 Quaff
Week 3 - Senate Bean Soup - a soup that has been offered in the Senate dining room daily since the early 1900s - paired with 2014 Chardonnay or 2015 Cayuga
Week 4 - Mac and Cheese paired with 2014 Merlot or 2014 Quaff
A taste of some of the best Lehigh Valley food trucks
March 5 and 6 - pairing Papa's Red with hummus, baba ghanoush or gibna beyda, (marinated eggplant) served with homemade pita chips made by the Taza Truck
March 12 and 13 - pairing Pinot Grigio with mini pierogies with bacon and cheese made by the Aioli Food Truck
March 19 and 20 - pairing white blend, Lilly, paired with Taza's falafel bites with tahini sauce
March 26 - lemon bars from Trixie's Treats Food Truck paired with Sunnyside, a sweet red
Free live music will be available on Saturdays: Robin and Jim on 3/5; Chris Cummings Jazz Trio on 3/12; Chuck Schubert on 3/19; and George Baier on 3/26. Also on Saturday, 3/26 the winery will welcome the Easter Bunny in a helicopter from noon until 2 p.m. for pictures (weather permitting).
Week 1: Vynecrest will be working with the local food truck Stuffed to the Grills who will be featuring their Brie Bites with 2014 semi-sweet Riesling. The Brie Bites are puff pastry wrapped brie, deep fried and drizzled with a raspberry sauce and powdered sugar which pairs exceptionally with the acid and slight sweetness of Riesling. The Stuffed to the Grills food truck will be on site all weekend as well with a full array of menu items for sale for passport holders and non-passport holders alike.
Week 2: Vynecrest will be working with the BOB-B-Q Food Truck who will be featuring their Pulled Pork with 2014 Lemberger. Bob's pulled pork is smoked 14 hours and rubbed in his world famous seasonings and even promises to have some Vynecrest Lemberger in the recipe. The BOB-B-Q food truck will be on site all weekend as well with a full array of menu items for sale for passport holders and non-passport holders alike.
Week 3: Vynecrest will be working with the local food truck Stuffed to the Grills who will be featuring their Brie Bites with 2014 semi-sweet Riesling. The Brie Bites are puff pastry wrapped brie, deep fried and drizzled with a raspberry sauce and powdered sugar which pairs exceptionally with the acid and slight sweetness of Riesling. The Stuffed to the Grills food truck will be on site all weekend as well with a full array of menu items for sale for passport holders and non-passport holders alike.
Week 4: Vynecrest will be working with the BOB-B-Q Food Truck who will be featuring their Slow Roasted Chicken with our 2014 Traminette. Bob's chicken will be brined in Traminette and cooked slow and low. The BOB-B-Q food truck will be on site all weekend as well with a full array of menu items for sale for passport holders and non-passport holders alike.
A court in Saudi Arabia today overturned a death sentence against a Palestinian poet convicted of apostasy, giving him eight years in prison instead, his lawyer said.
The court in the southwestern city of Abha "overturned the previous sentence to execute him for apostasy," the lawyer for Ashraf Fayad said in a statement he posted on Twitter.
The ruling follows widespread international criticism of the rising number of executions by the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom.
Fayad was also sentenced to 800 lashes, in sessions of 50 lashes, his lawyer Abdul Rahman al-Lahim said.
The poet must repent through an announcement in official media.
The defence objects to the new ruling and has asked for Fayad's release, Lahim added.
A lower court in November issued the rare death sentence for apostasy, apparently after an appeal.
That decision overturned another court ruling in 2014 sentencing Fayad to four years' prison and 800 lashes, Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch said at the time.
The complaint against Fayad stemmed from a cultural discussion group at a cafe in Abha.
"What Ashraf claims is that he had a falling out with other members of the group," said Coogle, a Middle East researcher for the New York-based HRW.
One man claimed he heard Fayad say things against God, while a religious scholar accused Fayad of blasphemy in a volume of poetry he had written a decade previously, Coogle said.
At the first trial, witnesses for Fayad testified that the man who complained was probably "out to get him".
Under Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic legal code, murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.
In 2015 the kingdom executed 153 people, mostly for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP tally.
Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades.
However, the tally was far behind that for China and Iran.
A Saudi national who used Twitter to call for the release of prisoners convicted of "terrorism" and security offences has been jailed for 10 years, a newspaper reported today.
The Okaz daily said the accused, who was not named, opened several Twitter accounts.
A special court for terrorism cases found him guilty of using the accounts to "call for protests and spread chaos to release detainees that are held for security and terrorism charges".
He also joined a protest calling for the release of one detainee outside the prisoner's home, it said.
Twitter is widely used in the conservative kingdom, which has repeatedly denounced bombings and shootings carried out in various countries by the Islamic State group and other extremists.
The kingdom itself has been targeted in attacks claimed by IS against minority Shiites and members of the security forces.
Last year the interior ministry said it had arrested hundreds of suspects involved in attacks and plots.
At the same time, the ideas of fundamentalist preacher Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab, who co-founded the Saudi state, have been accused of fuelling deadly Sunni extremism around the world.
It is an offence for Saudis to travel abroad to fight, but they comprised the second largest nationality among "foreign terrorist fighters" with IS, according to a report last year by the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force.
In a separate case, Okaz reported that the special court for terrorism sentenced a Saudi to 3.5 years in prison "for supporting Hezbollah" and possessing the flag of the Lebanese-based Shiite militant movement.
Alleged leaders of Hezbollah are under sanction by Saudi Arabia.
The Supreme Court today appointed an expert committee headed by former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha to monitor the sales of assets and refund of money to the investors of PACL.
A bench, comprising justices Anil Dave and Adarsh Goel, also said that the title deeds of various lands belonging to PACL should be handed over by the CBI to the SEBI, which shall accordingly take appropriate steps to ensure their sale for the purpose of refunding the money to the investors.
It also directed the Pearls Agrotech Corporation Ltd (PACL) not to accept any deposit from the public and restrained any court from interfering with sale proceedings.
The bench posted the matter for further hearing on August 2, 2016.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has initiated recovery proceedings against PACL Ltd and its promoters and directors, including Nirmal Singh Bhangoo, for their failure to refund Rs 49,100 crore to investors.
Earlier, the SEBI had passed a refund order against the various group companies of PACL after finding them guilty of illegitimately pooling funds from the public through a collective investment scheme.
SEBI has found that PACL had collected money from crores of investors through unauthorised collective investment schemes in the name of real estate projects. It is also said to have been involved in agricultural land-related schemes.
The plea was filed by PACL Customers and Employees Association seeking a direction to the SEBI to initiate proceedings against PACL for allegedly swindling around Rs 500 crore from various investors in Kerala.
Government's initiatives like Digital India, Make in India and Smart Cities Mission present American businesses a good opportunity to sell high-tech products in the country, US Exim Bank said today.
"I want to emphasise the potential for cooperation in three government-led initiatives.
"Digital India will present American businesses with an opportunity to sell their products towards new high-speed internet and digital infrastructure in India.
"The Make-in-India initiative offers US high-tech companies the chance to sell equipment to Indian manufacturers harnessing the globally competitive resources of innovators right here in India," Export Import Bank (EXIM) of the United States Chairman Fred P Hochberg said here.
Delivering the keynote address at the Global Trade Review's (GTR) India Trade and Export Finance Conference, Hochberg said the Smart Cities mission will also offer US exporters the chance to provide engineering and high-tech products towards the modernisation of the world's largest democracy.
Several American companies are looking at opportunities in the renewable energy, transportation and construction sectors.
"We are working with a number of renewable energy companies in the US and they are looking to increase their business here," Hochberg said, adding that India's commitment to renewable energy, particularly solar, is comprehensive and given the country's scale, it has the potential to change the global energy game.
He pointed out that India plans $142 billion investment in railway projects and its aviation sector is fastest growing in the world, increasing by nearly 20% every year.
This offers a huge opportunity for US locomotive and aircraft manufacturers as well as engineering and construction firms that will be bidding to build hundreds of new train stations and airports.
At a time of global economic disruption and with a diminishing number of bright spots, competition for projects among exporters will increase in places like India, he remarked.
He said export credit agencies like Exim play a key role in fostering global economic growth through infrastructure investment by filling financing gaps.
"Our mission is to support US jobs and promoting companies headquartered in the US. We also support the Indian companies to invest in the US and export from our country," he added.
Delhi Police today arrested the principal of a municipal school in southwest Delhi's Kapashera where a five-year-old boy died after falling into a septic tank.
The principal, Rekha Kakkar, who was suspended following a preliminary enquiry by SDMC, was arrested this noon after the police received a report from the civic body and its findings corroborated statements recorded earlier, a senior official said.
The principal of the SDMC school was later released on bail, the official added.
DCP (south-west) RA Sanjeev confirmed that the principal was arrested today but did not share any other details.
SDMC authorities had ordered a probe into the incident by the civic body's Additional Commissioner (education) Rajesh Pathak.
Inquiries by the police and civic officials suggested that though the open septic tank was brought to the notice of school authorities, it was still not covered.
A case under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) was registered in connection with the incident.
The incident took place on January 27 when the nursery student, Ankit Kumar, slipped into and drowned in the tank on the school premises.
With the controversy over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide refusing to die down, the Shiv Sena today said it fears the issue will further gain political heat and may lead to washout of the Budget session of Parliament.
"The Budget session (of Parliament) is merely 15 days away and it seems that the whole session will be wiped out over Rohith Vemula's death. There will soon be Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and thus the suicide matter will be heated up for political gains," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed grief over Rohith's death and had remarked that "We have lost a son of the soil," it noted.
Criticising a senior BJP leader for his reported comments against Vemula, the ruling ally said the party high command should now clarify if the student was a son of the soil or a "supporter of terrorists".
While expelling Vemula after a Union minister's intervention may be termed as a disciplinary act, why was he not allowed to put forth his views, the Sena sought to know.
"In our country, talks are carried out with Assam's ULFA and agreements are made with Nagaland's terrorist outfits. Naxalites and Maoists are also spoken to and in the Kashmir Valley, terror elements get an invite to hold talks. Not only this, dialogue with Pakistan is also on and Supreme Court works at night to deliberate if (1993 Mumbai serials blasts convict) Yakub Memon should be hanged," it said.
"Inspite of all this, why was Rohith Vemula not given a chance to put forth his views despite his numerous pleadings," the Sena asked.
A Shiv Sena MLA was today held by the Chandrapur police for allegedly threatening and abusing a village patwati (revenue official), who was taking action against sand mafia in the area, police said.
Balu Dhanorkar was arrested after a complaint was filed by patwari Eknath Gadekar filled yesterday, Chandrapur Superintendent of Police Sandip Diwan said.
Police officials said Gadekar took strict action against the sand mafia which was operating in the area. The mafia was allegedly illegally excavating and transporting sand through trucks.
Gadekar had halted and searched a truck allegedly carrying illegally excavated sand in his jurisdiction. The truck driver failed to produce any legal document when asked by him, they said.
He asked the truck driver to park the vehicle at tehsil office but the driver fled from the spot.
Dhanorkar summoned Gadekar to his Warora office on January 31 and allegedly reprimanded him for taking action against the sand operator, police added.
Local MLA Dhanorkar is alleged to have berated the patwari and even threatened to kill him if he fails to withdraw the case against the sand operator, they said.
A case under section 294 (obscene act) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered against the MLA and he was later released on bail, officials added.
AAP also lashed out at the ruling SAD-BJP alliance over
the issue. Its leader Ashutosh said it reflects BJP's desperation as his party is "sweeping" the polls scheduled to be held early next year.
"Now ruling Akalis do not have any issue with them for contesting polls and they know that they are losing their ground.
"Therefore they have resorted to these things which are highly condemnable. It is a political conspiracy to defame AAP ahead of elections. We knew that ruling party will indulge in such cheap moves," AAP's Punjab Convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur said.
Kejriwal will be in Amritsar today as part of his three- day visit to Punjab. He will release party's youth manifesto, besides meeting different section of the society at Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Jalandhar and Khanna.
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BJP and Congress attacked AAP over the issue saying
Arvind Kejriwal's party has been exposed.
"People have seen the real face of AAP, which is trying to create communal tension in Punjab for electoral gains but it will not be successful," BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said AAP was led by a person who is "mad with lust of power". "AAP is a communal party and it will exploit any emotive issue," he said.
China's point man on North Korea arrived in Pyongyang, the country's capital, today amid a flurry of diplomacy over the North's recent nuclear test.
The visit by Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, comes after North Korea said it successfully tested its first H-bomb on January 6.
China has said it firmly opposes the nuclear test and supports a new UN resolution and sanctions. But nearly one month after the test, there is no sign of an agreement among the US, its allies and China on exactly what sanctions should be adopted.
Pak Song Il, deputy director of the America department at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, greeted Wu in the VIP area of Pyongyang's airport.
North Korean authorities have not confirmed any details about Wu's visit, including how long he will be in Pyongyang or who he will meet. That is normal in North Korea when foreign officials visit for sensitive talks.
Wu Dawei met the US State Department's special representative for North Korea policy, Sung Kim, in Beijing last week.
Concerned over increasing pay disparity between defence personnel and their civilian counterparts, the three Service Chiefs today met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and discussed issues related to "anamolies and shortcomings" in the 7th Pay Commission report.
The service chiefs had earlier written to Parrikar highlighting various aspects of the Pay Commission report which the military felt was a "let down".
"The three Chiefs had detailed, comprehensive and constructive discussion on the issue," defence sources said.
The armed forces' personnel are of the view that if the Pay Commission report is implemented in its present form, it will position them much below their civilian counterparts in terms of salaries, facilities and status, the sources said.
One of the main issues that the armed forces face is with regard to the "risk-hardship matrix" dealing with the allowances for posting in difficult areas.
The government had recently set up a 13-member Empowered Committee of Secretaries (CoS) headed by the Cabinet Secretary for processing the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission, which has bearing on remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners.
Navy chief Admiral RK Dhowan was the first among the three service chiefs to officially comment on the Pay Commission report.
"Whatever we feel are the shortcomings are being taken up by the three services with the Ministry of Defence to see that whatever we feel is necessary for our men, our officers, our civilians, is made available to them," Dhowan had said earlier.
Besides, having discussions on the 7th Pay Commission, the chiefs and the Defence Minister also held deliberations on the issue of One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP).
Shree Cements today reported a 10 per cent rise in standalone net profit at Rs 102.86 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015.
The company had clocked a net profit of Rs 93.68 crore in the year-ago period, it said in a BSE filing.
Company's total standalone income rose by 18 per cent to Rs 1,828.83 crore in the October-December quarter as against Rs 1,544.50 crore during the same quarter last fiscal.
Total expenses, however rose by 19 per cent to Rs 1,707.10 crore during the quarter under review from last year's Rs 1,439.36 crore.
In a separate filing, Shree Cement said it will invest Rs 160 crore to expand the capacity of its grinding unit in Aurangabad, Bihar from the existing 2.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 3.6 MTPA by the end of the April-June quarter this year.
The firm will manage the amount through internal accruals.
Besides, the firm will also expand its integrated cement plant in Gulbarga (Karnataka) with clinker capacity to 2.4 MTPA and cement grinding capacity to up to 4 MTPA,
It said its board has given in-principle approval for the expansion and the details of funding, completion and mode of financing will be intimated in "due course".
Shree Cement said its Board has declared an Interim Dividend at the rate of Rs 12 per equity share for 2015-16 fiscal. The Dividend will be paid from February 12, 2016.
"Board has approved re-appointment of H M Bangur as the Managing Director of the company for 5 years with effect from April 1, 2016 subject to approval of the members in the ensuing Annual General Meeting," it added.
Board also approved re-designating Prashant Bangur as Joint Managing Director with effect from February 2, 2016, subject to approval of members in the ensuing Annual General Meeting, it added.
Shares of the company closed 2.84 per cent down at Rs 1,0374.95 apiece on BSE.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today defended the state government's decision to increase the petrol allowance to ministers from 750 litres to 1,000 litres a month.
He said BJP has no moral right to criticise it because their government at the Centre did not reduce petrol and diesel prices even after the prices of international crude oil fell to USD 28 per barrel.
"Please ask them (BJP), what was the rate of crude oil when the (previous) NDA government was there? What is the rate of crude oilnow - it's USD 28 per barrel. When the UPA government was there, it was USD 120 per barrel," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
"In spite of falling crude oil prices, why have they not reduced the rate of petrol and diesel? What moral right do they have to criticise (our move to increase petrol allowance of ministers)," he asked.
The state government on January 28 had issued a notificationincreasing the petrol allowance of 31 ministers from 750litres to 1,000 litres per month.
BJP criticised the decision, saying it came at a time when as many as 136 taluks in Karnataka are reeling under drought.
They also contended the hike in petrol allowance would prompt the government to shell out Rs 63,380 per month compared to Rs 47,535 per month per minister.
Siddaramaiah also flayed the central government for increasing excise duty when it had saved Rs 1.50 lakhcrore in crude oil alone due to fall in international prices.
Home Minister G Parameshwara saidthe hike in petrol allowance was not related to the ministers'privileges.
"These are not related to one another. Theseare the steps a government has to take. This has nothing todo with the ministers' privileges," he said.
Sometimes, the ministers themselves bring some austerity measures, depending on the severity of the situation, he said.
Asked if it was necessary to hike petrol allowance to 1,000 litres when it is not possible for any minister to use the entire quota, Parameshwara said, "No, it is a provision made. It is not necessary to use the entire 1,000 litres.
Singapore Airlines has introduced all inclusive return fares to Singapore starting from Rs 22,000 for the Economy class.
The offer, available till February 29, would be valid for travel from February 1 to March 31, 2016.
The carrier, along with Singapore Tourism Board, have announced special fares for Economy as well as Premium Economy classes.
For Economy class, the all-inclusive return fares start from Rs 22,000 and for the Premium Economy seats, the ticket price begins from Rs 40,000. These fares would be available till March 31.
"The Economy class fare is applicable on all Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights from India. Premium Economy class fares are valid on Singapore Airlines flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Singapore," the carrier said in a release today.
SilkAir is the regional wing of Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Airlines' General Manager (India) David Lau said there are over 90 weekly flights to choose from and convenient weekly connections are available from 11 key Indian cities.
Customers would also be entitled to choose from a host of complimentary Singapore attractions, including a one day pass to Universal Studios there, the release said.
The complimentary Singapore Experience Pass offer would be valid for travel from February 15 to March 31, 2016.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has written to the Prime Minister saying that approving commercial cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) mustard crops, a proposal under the Centre's consideration, would "threaten" agriculture, farmers, health and environment.
Sisodia claimed scientists were conducting trials in this regard at Delhi University without Delhi government's 'no objection certificate'. This makes the experiments being conducted "illegal", he said.
"(I) Have come to know from media reports that the Centre is going to approve GM mustards on February 5. An application in this regard is lying with the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) of the Environment Department. If approved, it will emerge as a major threat to our agriculture, farmers, food health and environment," Siosida wrote in the letter.
Sisodia said the Centre should have engaged the states in a dialogue over the issue.
"According to our Constitution, agriculture, food, and public health come under the state government and GM crops are facing resistance from state governments, top scientists and public. If any decision is taken in this regard without the permission of the state govt, then it will be against the constitution," the letter said.
Sisodia noted that even a Parliamentary Standing Committee and a technical expert committee of the Supreme Court have already expressed concern over the issue in 2012.
"The reports say that we do not have a mechanism to ensure safety of GM crops."
Sisodia said that BJP had in its electoral manifesto promised not to permit GM crops. "Then what has happened now that the govt is in a rush to give permission to the same," he asked.
"I demand that the government make all relevant data and reports public and hold public hearings. We won't tolerate any interference in what our farmers produce or people eat," he said.
A nine-member Standing Committee on Defence (SCOD) today visited the Indian Naval Academy (INA) at nearby Ezhimala.
The committee, led by Maj Gen B C Khanduri (retd), was on an on-the-spot study visit to the INA, the sole ab-initio Officer Training Academy of the Indian Navy, an academy release said.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in- Chief, Southern Naval Command and Vice Admiral P Ajit Kumar, Commandant, received the members of the committee upon their arrival at INA helipad.
Later, they were briefed on various aspects of infrastructure development, training processes and means adopted to keep training at INA designed to suit the future Navy needs.
The members, who also visited various training facilities and support infrastructure, training area, Cadets' squadrons and outdoor training facilities, were highly appreciative of the world-class facilities and the meticulous training regimen at INA, the release said.
The committee is visiting defence establishments in cities like Bengaluru, Ezhimala, Hyderabad and Port Blair from February 1 to 5 in connection with the examination of various subjects like "Training of Defence Personnel", "Research and Development initiatives", "state of present operational preparedness of the Defence Forces", it said.
Objecting to St Stephen's Principal Valson Thampu's facebook posts about sexual harassment complaint of a research scholar, 30 teachers of the college have sought the intervention of National and state Commission for Women.
In a petition sent to the chiefs of National Commission for Women (NCW) and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) as well as Supreme Council of St Stephen's, the teachers attacked Thampu's clean-chit to the accused professor.
"Despite a criminal investigation pending and the matter sub-judice, Thampu had in a series of facebook posts come out in open support of Satish Kumar and had terms his defence of him as the most heroic thing he had done in his life.
"He had also taunted the sexual harassment victim by saying that if she had come to him directly he would have helped. He had gone to term the sexual harassment complaint a 'diabolic lie'. Thampu had also hit out at women's rights groups who supported the victim as 'handlers'," the joint petition said.
"We demand strong action against Thampu for his highly improper comments and verbal attacks on the Phd Scholar as well as members of the staff who had spoken out against the sexual harassment episode and the college's handling of the issue," it added.
In the most recent Facebook post, Thampu claimed that he only "stood by a disabled colleague who was hounded precisely because he was upright and incorruptible". In a separate post, he used terms like "I curse you" and "Monster" to describe a particular "teacher" who is, according to him, behind concocting the sexual harassment charges against the accused.
DCW had last month taken cognizance of Thampu's controversial Facebook posts and issued him a show-cause notice.
The PhD scholar had approached police in July last year, alleging that she was molested by Satish Kumar, an assistant professor in the college's Chemistry Department with 85 per cent disability.
She had also accused college principal, Valson Thampu of "shielding" the teacher when the matter was reported to him.
The allegations against Thampu had paved way for demands for his resignation by certain students, teachers and women rights group.
Thampu, who will retire this month, was not available for his comments on the issue.
China's official agency today released a cartoon featuring an animated bald man with waistcoat tucked into his trousers disco-dancing and rapping President Xi Jinping's signature "Four Comprehensives" ideological slogan.
The catchphrase, premiered by Xi in 2014 and since plastered across newspapers, banners and TV programmes, is typical of the Chinese Communist Party's predisposition towards numerical but nebulous buzzwords, such as Jiang Zemin's "Three Represents".
The Chinese-language Xinhua video, which features tooting MIDI horns, a flying saucer and a giant fruit-filled wheelbarrow, begins with a countdown.
The ruddy-nosed portly man, along with a giant-headed cartoon girl, repeatedly chant: "Say it with me, the four comprehensives, the four comprehensives."
Interspersed are the lines "Moderate prosperity is the goal", "Reform is the driving force", "The rule of law is guaranteed" and "Building the Party is the key".
The video, which lasts for more than three minutes, is packed with hallucinogenic imagery: a baby monkey swings from a crane, a silver Rubik's cube floats in front of an undulating bullseye, and the figure 666666666 drifts across the screen without explanation.
It is the latest in a series of propaganda efforts that use catchy tunes to promote Communist Party ideology.
In December state television released a rap number featuring a tinny beat and clip-art mountains whose lyrics praised the "Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms".
Two months earlier the country's dry economic planning was given a chirpy theme song in a psychedelic animation that went viral. It showed four cartoon characters travelling through a mint-green and fuchsia dreamscape atop lily pads, China's Great Wall and a Volkswagen bus, singing in English about the country's 13th Five-Year Plan.
Despite the use of themes from musical forms including disco, hip-hop and jazz in the videos, Xi's administration has sought to minimise or counteract the influence of what authorities deem to be Western values and culture on the country. "If we treat the foreign with reverence, treat the foreign as beautiful, only follow the foreign," Xi said in a speech in October, "there is absolutely no future!"
The cartoon released today ends with an ensemble including a construction worker, police officer, nurse and farmer all singing the "Four Comprehensives" chorus to the tune of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".
The municipal workers' strike continued to hit multiple services in the city on the seventh day today, prompting Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to recommend AAP government to extend "conditional" loans to the civic bodies as he felt further protests may cause law and order problem.
The strike crippled functioning of hospitals and schools run by civic bodies, besides garbage disposal even as Delhi Government insisted that it has already released the entire fund to the BJP-ruled municipal bodies under non-plan head.
Contractors of North and East Delhi Municipal corporations today joined the stir, further compounding the problem.
The three civic bodies told the Delhi High Court that they do not have the money to pay salaries for January 2016 and the coming months to their employees and questioned the government as to how it can "abdicate its responsibilities".
The employees have been paid salaries till December 2015, the civic bodies told a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath. The Delhi government has not released the entire funds, they alleged.
In his letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, Jung warned the law and order situation in the national capital might deteriorate if the strike by sanitation workers, teachers and doctors continued any further, sources said.
"The Lt Governor in his letter written to Kejriwal and Sisodia said that there is presently a serious situation in Delhi and, if the strike continues, the law and order situation may deteriorate in Delhi," sources said.
They said, "LG has recommended to the government to extend conditional loans or grants to the municipal corporations so that they could pay salaries and other dues being demanded by the striking employees."
Meanwhile, the contractors of NDMC and EDMC have also extended their support to the ongoing strike, threatening they will stop all ongoing works of the two municipal corporations from February 10.
Thousands of agitators also took out a protest march from the Civic Centre to Rajghat carrying begging bowls in hand to draw attention to their demands. It threw traffic out of gear on outer Ring Road, ITO and other arterial roads.
The protestors included sanitation workers, doctors, engineers, nurses, paramedics and other technical and ministerial staff of municipal corporations.
"Except for emergency services all other services including OPD and admission of patients have been crippled due to strike by the doctors, nurses and paramedical staff of North and East corporations," Dr RR Gautam, president of Municipal Corporation Doctors Association, said.
Around 8,000 senior and resident doctors, 10,000 nurses as well as paramedical staff of 7 hospitals and hundreds of polyclinics and dispensaries under NDMC and EDMC are on strike since January 27.
Agitated over the alleged assault on student protesters by police, students from various universities across Delhi today staged a protest outside police headquarters here blocking the traffic at ITO.
A video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair outside RSS headquarters here during a protest over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide had triggered widespread outrage with Congress and AAP seeking action against the erring cops.
The students from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) staged a demonstration outside the police headquarters demanding action against the cops who allegedly assaulted the protesting students.
"Government is not listening to our demands, police is attacking us, where are the students supposed to go? Hang ourselves like Rohith did and succumb to their atrocities?," said JNU Students Union Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora.
A KYS protester said, "The police commissioner needs to tell the country why cops behaved in this manner and on whose instructions they did so. They were so prompt in taking action against the students, why is the top cop not acting against his own policemen now?"
The protest by the students caused traffic jam at the ITO stretch as they did not allow the vehicles to move ahead.
The students alleged that they have been treated in similar manner by the police whenever they have tried to stage any demonstrations and raise their voice against any issue.
"Be it the 'Occupy UGC movement' or protests against sexual harassment by any professor, we always had to face similar crackdown from police. So many times we tried to go to the HRD Ministry but we were not even allowed to submit memorandums," said Sunny Kumar, a protester.
The students from Jawaharlal Nehru University had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike last week when they were detained from outside HRD Ministry for staging a protest there against the alleged delay in justice to Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar who was found hanging at Hyderabad Central University's hostel on January 17.
The protesting students have been demanding the resignations of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and the Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad University over the issue.
The students also alleged the police is acting at the behest of Centre as two of its ministers are facing flak over the issue.
"We demand independent probe into the issue. The video is very clear where police and RSS goons assaulted students then why Bassi is taking so much time to act," asked 25-year-old Dinesh.
Another protester Nikita alleged, "Delhi Police has shown that its original colour is not khakhi but saffron. They are the private army of the Central government which thrashes protesting students demanding justice".
"The entire country is aware of our demands that Smriti Irani, Dattartreya and VC must resign immediately instead of crackdown on students," said Ritesh.
RSS had yesterday rejected allegations that some of its workers were involved in thrashing a group of student protesters along with police personnel outside its headquarters.
Police today filed a charge sheet against four corporators in a local court in builder Suraj Parmar suicide case.
The around 3,050-page charge-sheet was filled against the four accused corporators - Nazeeb Mulla and Hanumant Jagdale (both NCP), Vikrant Chavan (Congress) and Sudha Chavan (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) - in the court of Thane Additional Sessions Judge V V Bambarde.
Thane Police had registered a case of abetment of suicide under IPC and criminal misconduct under Prevention of Corruption Act as the purported suicide note named these four corporators.
The charge-sheet was filled by Additional Commissioner of Police Dilip Gore in the case.
Parmar, a leading builder, shot himself on October 7, 2015. His suicide note alleged that a nexus of corporators and officials was harassing him for bribes.
The four corporators are currently lodged in jail and the bail application of Nazeeb Mulla,, filed before the Thane court, is expected to come up for hearing this week.
The bail plea of Hanumant Jagdale, filled before the Bombay High Court, is scheduled to come up for hearing sometime next week.
Syria's main opposition group said today that it will not attend a planned afternoon meeting with the UN special envoy, adding further doubts about the prospects for peace talks in Switzerland.
"There is no meeting with (Staffan) de Mistura," said Farah Atassi, member of the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
"We presented the demands that we wanted to demand. At this moment, there is no reason to repeat ourselves with de Mistura," she told reporters outside of the UN headquarters in Geneva.
United Nations spokeswoman Khawla Mattar also confirmed that there would be "no other meetings today" with de Mistura, who met with the Syrian government delegation today morning.
The afternoon gathering was to be the opposition delegation's second meeting with the Swedish-Italian diplomat at the UN headquarters.
The announcement followed comments from the government's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari that formal indirect peace talks had not yet begun.
De Mistura had said today that his first official meeting with the HNC meant that the negotiations were indeed under way.
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The latest push to end Syria's tangled conflict was in fresh disarray today 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).
UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura yesterday 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 today, 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 this mafternoon, 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 today, 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".
Syrian regime forces edged closer to breaking a long-running rebel siege on two government-held Shiite villages in Aleppo province on Tuesday, backed by heavy Russian air strikes.
A Syrian colonel on the ground said government forces were "three kilometres (1.9 miles) from Nubol and Zahraa."
He said they planned to "break the siege on them and cut the only remaining rebel supply route between Aleppo city and the north of the province."
Earlier today, Syrian state agency SANA said government troops backed by pro-regime militants had "restored security and stability to the village of Hardatneen," about six kilometres away from Nubol and Zahraa.
The capture was also reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, which said government forces had also seized part of the nearby village of Ratyan.
The advances came as Russian planes carried out heavy air strikes throughout the area north of Aleppo city, with the Observatory reporting some 270 raids since Monday morning in the region.
The group said at least 18 civilians had been killed in the raids today, including five women, three children and two emergency workers.
It also reported at least 20 members of regime forces and 38 rebels had been killed since the fighting began on Monday, when government forces seized two other villages in the area.
Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said the capture of Ratyan and one smaller village could allow regime forces to effectively break the siege on Nubol and Zahraa, a longstanding government goal.
The government advance comes almost exactly a year after a similar regime offensive aimed at reaching Nubol and Zahraa and severing rebel supply lines into Aleppo city.
The city was divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east after fighting there began in mid-2012.
The situation is largely reversed in the surrounding countryside, with rebels controlling much of the area west of the city, and the regime present to the east.
Last year's government offensive saw troops capture several villages in the area, but it stalled after a rebel counterattack and stormy weather.
The current offensive is one of several the government has launched since Russian strikes began on September 30.
More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict started with anti-government protests in March 2011.
The biggest push to date to end Syria's tangled war was thrown into fresh disarray today as the government denied formal peace negotiations had begun and the opposition cancelled a meeting with the UN envoy.
Chief regime negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari insisted that discussions were still "in a preparatory phase," only a day after UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura announced the Geneva talks had officially started.
"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.
"We also asked for the names of participants and the agenda of indirect talks... We are waiting to know... Whom we will negotiate with," he said, saying the opposition delegation was not made up of "professional politicians".
De Mistura, the third person to be UN Syria envoy, said late Monday that his first formal meeting with the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) signalled the official start of the hoped-for six months of peace talks.
He said he expected the talks to be "complicated and difficult" but hoped they would "achieve something" in time for a mooted meeting of key outside players announced by Russia for February 11 in Munich, Germany.
In another sign that political momentum had slowed, HNC representatives told journalists they would not attend a scheduled meeting with de Mistura today.
"There is no meeting with de Mistura," said HNC member Farah Atassi.
"We presented the demands that we wanted to demand. At this moment, there is no reason to repeat ourselves with de Mistura," she added.
The HNC has demanded the regime allows humanitarian access to besieged towns, stops bombing civilians and releases thousands of prisoners -- some of them children -- languishing in regime jails.
"We are waiting for an answer from de Mistura on what we discussed yesterday. We need to see the lifting of sieges," HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet told reporters.
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 Turkey, Iran and the Gulf states to Western nations and Russia.
The chaos has also fuelled the rise of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group which has overrun swathes of Syria and Iraq and staged a raft 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.
WHO today urged Southeast Asian countries and India to strengthen surveillance and take preventive measures against Zika virus, especially as the mosquito responsible for its spread is found in many areas of the region.
WHO also urged countries in the region to build capacity of their laboratories to detect the virus and strengthen surveillance for cases of fever and rash, neurological syndromes and birth defects while recommending intensifying vector control programme measures.
"Countries in the region should strengthen surveillance and take preventive measures against the Zika virus which is strongly suspected to have a causal relation with clusters of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities.
"Countries should build capacity of their laboratories to detect the virus and strengthen surveillance for cases of fever and rash, neurological syndromes and birth defects. Countries should intensify their vector control program and prepare health services for managing Zika virus," said WHO Southeast Asia Regional Director Poonam Khetrapal Singh.
The World Health Organisation declared an international emergency yesterday over the explosive spread of Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, saying it is an "extraordinary event".
The Centre today also issued detailed guidelines, including a travel advisory for pregnant women urging them to either defer or cancel their travel to the areas affected with the virus.
Singh said Zika virus is of "concern" in the WHO Southeast Asia region as the Aedes aegyptii mosquito which is responsible for its spread is found in many areas and there is "no evidence of immunity" to the virus in many populations of the area.
WHO's South-East Asia Region comprises 11 countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
It said that in the past sporadic Zika virus cases were reported from Thailand and Maldives.
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Singh also urged countries to share information on
suspected Zika virus cases to enable early detection and containment of any outbreak in the region.
All sectors that can assist, should be engaged and the public informed of the risks and preventive measures against the virus, she said.
Singh said that people can protect themselves against mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing clothes that cover as much of the body as possible and using physical barriers such as screens, closed doors and windows.
"Everyone should help prevent breeding of mosquitoes by emptying containers that hold standing water in and around their houses," she said.
Noting that WHO is providing support to countries to step up surveillance and preventive measures, Singh said the UN agency has has activated its new incident management system, established under the organization's emergency reform programme.
"WHO is supporting countries to reduce the international spread of the disease and in nations where the disease has been detected to help understand the potential link between Zika virus and birth defects," she said.
Zika virus, first discovered in Uganda in 1947, is spread through bites from Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector for dengue.
The most common symptoms of Zika virus infection are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. The illness is usually mild with the symptoms lasting a week but there is no vaccine for it, WHO said.
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal today alleged that he was being targeted by the BJP government as he belonged to a backward community and because some people were trying to settle scores with him.
Bhujbal's nephew Samir was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case in Mumbai yesterday after the agency conducted multiple searches in connection with its probe against Bhujbals and others.
In a video released from the US, Bhujbal alleged that he is being targeted by the BJP government, because he is a leader of the OBCs.
"Some people are trying to settle scores with me for the fight that I have put up for the cause," the former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister said.
Samir's arrest was preceded by multiple searches in Mumbai conducted by the ED in connection with its money laundering probe against Chhagan Bhujbal and others.
The Union Government, in the winter session of Parliament in December, had said that Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigations against Chhagan 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.
"I am in the US to attend a conference by the US Congress.
I came to know my nephew is arrested, and that they are behind my son Pankaj as well. Also once I reach Mumbai they will be targeting me as well. What are the reasons?" Bhujbal said.
The former Deputy Chief Minister said that the Maharashtra Sadan that came up in Mumbai was build on a B-O-T basis under the chairmanship of an Infrastructure committee headed by the Chief Minister.
"The decision was taken after a lot of discussion. There is no irregularity and even officials from the present government have seconded that. But still BJP MP Kirit Somiya is making allegations that there is a scam," he said.
He alleged that his children were running legitimate business, but some people were working in a direction to destroy the Bhujbal family.
"This is because I am a fighter and on the other hand, through my organisation- Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad- I have been working for the backward classes all over the country. And hence, some are keen to settle scores with me. And that's why I am being sacrificed. But, I am sure that I will get justice," Bhujbal said.
Tata Motors has decided to rename its soon-to-be launched hatchback 'Zica' in view of the outbreak of Zika virus that has caused hardships across many nations.
Although spelt differently, the name sounds the same as the virus. 'ZICA' was derived from 'Zippy Car'.
"Empathizing with the hardships being caused by the recent 'Zika' virus outbreak across many countries, Tata Motors, as a socially responsible company, has decided to re-brand the car," a company statement said here.
The World Health Organization has declared an emergency over the mosquito-borne virus, suspected of causing microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, in babies.
Tata Motors did not announce the new name of the car, which will be showcased for the first time at the Auto Expo 2016 at Greater Noida, near here, from February 3-9.
"While it carries the 'Zica' label for the duration of the event, the new name will be announced after a few weeks, ensuring all necessary consumer/branding and regulatory aspects are addressed, and the launch will take place thereafter," the statement said.
Tata Motors said the new car is backed by Tata Motors' "Made of Great" campaign, with the motto, 'What drives us from within is what makes us great'.
The company said it is committed to doing what is right for its customers.
"The car, which has been designed for young people, has already received enthusiastic reviews from informed commentators, and the company is determined to place it in the market addressing all relevant needs of the target audience," the statement added.
(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.)
Three persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of a youth in north Delhi's Civil Lines area, police said today.
The accused have been identified as Shahnawaz, Shahbaz and Sonu. They allegedly strangulated the deceased, Anas Qureshi, and then stabbed him with an ice pic, said police.
Shahnawaz was Anas's uncle and he told the police that it was the latter's step-mother, Rubina, who had paid him Rs 10 lakh for killing Anas, the legal heir of her husband's property. Rubina's husband, Ayub Qureshi, passed away around eight months ago, said police.
Shahnawaz, who was Ayub's brother, roped in Shahbaz and Sonu, both labourers at the Azadpur wholesale fruit market, promising to pay them Rs 60,000 for the job. However, he paid only Rs 2,500 to each after they killed Anas, leading to a dispute, police said.
All three accused were known to the deceased. They offered the deceased coffee, laced with sedatives, on Sunday evening, following which they took him to Kamla Nehru ridge, where he was murdered. It was next morning, locals found the body and raised an alarm, police said.
"A special team was set up and the case was cracked largely by technical surveillance. The confessions made during interrogation are being verified. More arrests are likely," a senior police official said.
Meghalaya forest department has sought the views of law department on the High Court ruling which allowed only traditional mining of limestone and sand in the state.
"We have sought the views of the Law department on the recent High Court ruling which allowed mining of limestone but with a rider that such mining should be undertaken only with traditional methods," Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong said today.
"I have also requested the Law department to submit a report on this as soon as possible. I have spoken to Law secretary," Tynsong told PTI.
Meghalaya High Court in its January 27 order directed the state forest authorities to allow traditional excavation and transportation of limestone and sand.
Turkish police say they have detained two members of a banned far-left group who were allegedly planning to carry out attacks in the country.
A police statement said that the suspects are members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Army-Front, or DHKP-C, and include a man who is wanted for the 1996 assassination of a prominent businessman in Istanbul. Police seized weapons and explosives, it said.
The two were arrested today at the town of Soke near the Aegean coast and are believed to have crossed into Turkey illegally from one of the Greek islands.
DHKP-C, among other attacks, carried out a 2013 suicide bombing on the US Embassy that killed a security guard. DHKP-C militants also opened fire on the US Consulate in Istanbul last year. No one was hurt.
Police today arrested two junk dealers in connection with the theft of heritage furniture that included 15 sofa chairs designed by French architect Le Corbusier.
Police said Sunil Kumar, a resident of Bhaskar Colony, Sector 25 here and Faqir Chand who resides in Kansal, near here, were arrested and 10 stolen heritage sofa chairs, a fortnight ago, were recovered from them.
Two women, also identified as suspects, were absconding, police said.
Faqir Chand buys all types of furniture from auctions held at different places from time to time.
During the preliminary investigation, they said they had bought these heritage sofa chairs from two women-- Sweety and Shakila, residents of Sector-25, Chandigarh. They are yet to be arrested, they said.
Police said more arrests are likely to be made in the case and a special investigation team had been constituted by the Chandigarh police after the theft came to light.
The heritage furniture, designed by French architect Le Corbusier, were stolen from the Chandigarh College of Arts here days before the high-profile visit of French President Francois Hollande on January 24.
A Chicago Teachers Union bargaining team rejected an offer from the school district on Monday that would have prevented layoffs and given teachers a pay raise, but would have required new teachers to shoulder the entirety of their pension contributions as part of a new four-year contract.
In a press conference following the vote, union President Karen Lewis and other members of the Big Bargaining Team said the issue came down to one of trust: Union members did not trust the school district to deliver on what it was promising.
Lewis also said that she did not want to sow division in the union by pitting members against members.
With the rejection of the offer, the fact-finding phase begins. A teachers union strike is not off the table and one could be called as early as May 23, Lewis said.
Last Thursday, the union and CPS announced that the union was considering a serious offer from the district, but declined to make details available.
Sources have since told Chicago-area media that the four-year contract offer would have barred economic layoffs through the life of the contract, provided a small salary increase, and required members to contribute more toward their healthcare costs and pensions, with new teachers covering the full cost of their pension contributions.
The proposal also included a limit, with some exceptions, on charters beyond those already existing, the Chicago Tribune reported.
But Lewis said on Monday that charter schools could still circumvent that agreed-upon cap by going to the charter schools commission. She urged the city to work with the commission around a cap.
The city should also declare a surplus of funds in TIF (Tax Increment Financing)a financing mechanism used to support public projectssome of which the union would like to go toward resolving the districts financial crisis. It also wants the city to support a bill in Springfield by the House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie that would use funds from TIF that are not yet tied to debt service for Chicago Public Schools.
Forrest Claypool, the school districts CEO, said Monday that he was disappointed in the unions decision, which came after 14 months of negotiations.
In a statement, Claypool said the districts offer included pay increases, job security, and met the unions key demandsincluding charter school caps, pay increases for seniority, cost-of-living allowances, and more autonomy for teachers.
Claypool also said that the offer included $87.2 million in funds from the TIF surplus. However, the TIF surplus would not solve CPSs structural budget problem, he said.
While we are disappointed by todays result, CPS remains committed to reaching an agreement with our partners at the CTU that is in the best interest of our students, parents, teachers and city, Claypool said.
We are committed to returning to the bargaining table and working around the clock to reach an agreement. As we continue to bargain, we must move forward with plans that restore fiscal stability to the district.
American women should be required to register for the draft, two top military officials said today, following the Pentagon's decision to open all jobs including elite commando positions to females.
Though the US military has been an all-volunteer force since near the end of the Vietnam War, in 1973, all men aged 18-25 must nonetheless register for the draft in case of a national crisis and re-institution of conscription.
After Pentagon chief Ashton Carter in December announced a "No Exceptions" decision to unlock every occupation in America's vast military to women, lawmakers and observers have wondered if it is only fair they register for the draft, too.
Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, top generals from both the Army and the Marine Corps said it was time for women to be eligible for the so-called selective service.
"It's my personal view that, based on this lifting of restrictions for assignment ... That every American who's physically qualified should register for the draft," said General Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps.
Army General Mark Milley made a similar statement, saying "all eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft."
Some gender equality advocates argue the current law is sexist, and a men's-rights group in San Diego is suing the government to change it.
Currently, the government website through which young men sign up retains its male-only language telling people to register.
"It's what a man's got to do. It's quick, it's easy, it's the law," the site states, while noting there has been no decision to require females to be subject to a future military draft.
Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, who raised the issue at the hearing, said she would like to see women register.
"Asking women to register as we ask men to register would maybe possibly open up more recruits as women began to think about ... The military is an option for me," she said.
Milley noted that the first female recruits would likely arrive for infantry and armored basic training at the Army's Fort Benning in Georgia in the fall.
Two members of the notorious Razakar Bahini, an auxiliary force of the Pakistani army, were today sentenced to death by a Bangladeshi warcrimes tribunal for crimes committed, mainly against Hindus, during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.
Obaidul Haq Taher, 66, and Ataur Rahman Noni, 62, are members of the Razakar force, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan Army. They face six charges, including murder and genocide. They had pleaded not guilty, Dhaka Tribune reported.
They were given death penalties on two charges and imprisonment till death in two other charges by the country's International Crimes Tribunal. The court acquitted them in two other charges.
The court said the government can execute them either by handing them by the neck or by shooting them.
Taher and Noni were involved in the abductions and killings of at least 30 people and looting of 400-450 shops and setting fire to those on fire in 1971.
The tribunal on March 2 last year framed six charges against the two. Twenty-three prosecution witnesses testified against them.
Taher and Noni joined the local Razakar Bahini and were notorious for the atrocities committed in various parts of Netrokona including the Sadar upazila and Barhatta, mainly against the local Hindus. Taher was the commander of the local Razakar unit, the report said.
With today's verdict, 18 of the 26 accused in 22 war crimes cases so far have been handed down the capital punishment.
Bangladesh so far executed four war crimes convicts since the belated trial process of the top Bengali perpetrators of 1971 atrocities started in line with the electoral commitment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2008.
Bangladesh says three million people were killed during the nine-month liberation war against Pakistan in 1971.
Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachhadar today termed as "unfortunate" the recent visit by leaders of United Democratic Madhesi Front to Delhi and Bihar to seek help for their ongoing agitation in the southern Terai plains.
"It was unfortunate for the Madhesi leaders to visit Bihar and Delhi to seek help from Indian leaders for the ongoing agitation," said Gachhadar, senior Madhesi leader and president of Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum-Democratic.
He asked the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) leaders to seek resolution to the issues related to provincial boundaries through the amendment of Constitution.
Gachhadar accused the UDMF leaders of provoking people and making them suffer in the name of Madhesi agitation.
He was speaking at a cadres' meet in Biratnagar, an eastern Nepal town today.
"Constitution has already been amended as per the demands of UDMF and there was no need of continuing blockade and general strike in the southern Nepal for the demarcation of provinces," Deputy Prime Minister Gachhadar said.
Claiming that Nepal's Constitution was one of the best in the world, Gachhadar said that it has ensured rights to Madhesi, Aadivasi, Janajati, Tharu, Dalit and women.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen cadres of the Madhesi Front were arrested from Saptari district, as they were trying to disrupt the municipality level meeting of main opposition Nepali Congress, as part of their preparation for the 13th general convention, slated for next month.
Madhesis, who are inhabitants of the Terai region, are opposed to the new Constitution that divides their ancestral homeland under the seven-province structure and have led an ongoing blockade of key border trade points with India.
The agitating community that shares strong cultural and family bonds with India is demanding demarcation of provinces, fixing of electoral constituencies on the basis of population and proportional representation, and have launched a protest for months that has claimed at least 55 lives.
The UN envoy for Syria sought today to press President Bashar al-Assad's regime to ease the suffering of ordinary Syrians to enable fragile peace talks in Switzerland to "go deeper".
Staffan de Mistura declared yesterday that indirect negotiations between Assad's government and the main opposition umbrella group to seek an end to Syria's brutal civil war, had finally begun in Geneva.
But the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main opposition umbrella group, remains sceptical, insisting that the regime to allow humanitarian access to besieged towns, stop the bombardment of civilians and release prisoners.
In an apparent gesture of goodwill, Syria's government yesterday agreed "in principle" to allow aid into three besieged towns, the UN said. One of them is Madaya where 46 people have died of starvation since December.
While welcoming the "positive messages" from de Mistura, the HNC said today it was awaiting the outcome of his talks with Syrian government envoy Bashar al-Jaafari.
"The regime will without doubt make some small signs," HNC spokesman Munzer Makhous told AFP, saying the Madaya announcement was "designed to distract the international community's attention."
After his first official meeting with the HNC yesterday, De Mistura said it had a "very strong point" with its demands, saying the Syrian people "deserve to hear and see facts on the ground".
"When I meet the Syrian people they tell me: Don't just have a conference, have also something that we can see and touch while you are meeting in Geneva," he told reporters.
De Mistura was today meeting with a 20-strong government delegation ahead of afternoon talks with the HNC "to go deeper into the issues".
The Swedish-Italian diplomat said he expected the talks to be "complicated and difficult" but hoped they would "achieve something" by February 11 when key global players are to meet over the talks.
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, with the conflict dragging in a range of international players, from Turkey, Iran and the Gulf states to Western nations and Russia.
The chaos has also fuelled the rise of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group which has overrun swathes of Syria and Iran and staged a raft of deadly attacks across the globe, including those in Paris in November.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Rome today meeting foreign ministers from the US-led coalition against IS to discuss efforts to combat the group which claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks at a revered Shiite shrine near Damascus that killed more than 70 people.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein will visit Sri Lanka this week amid an uncertainty over foreign judges' involvement to probe the alleged atrocities committed during civil war with the LTTE.
Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva today said the UN rights chief will be in Sri Lanka for four days from February 6. He will hold talks with leaders from the government and the opposition, and would also meet civil society members.
The visit comes as a sequel to the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka adopted in October last year, that had prescribed an investigating mechanism with the participation of international judges, prosecutors and investigators.
The visit assumes significance as an uncertainty prevails over the inclusion of foreign judges, after Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in an interview to BBC Sinhala last week ruled out the participation of foreign judges in the inquiry.
However, days later Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government did not rule out international involvement in the domestic judicial process to fix accountability of those who committed rights abuses and war crimes during the last phase of the brutal 30-year civil war that ended in 2009.
Civil Society members have expressed concern over the contradiction and demanded a government policy statement on the UNHRC resolution, which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka.
Hussein in his report has advocated an international hybrid court to probe the alleged abuses. Sri Lanka has opted for a domestic mechanism with international experts assisting in the investigation.
The UN rights chief has also cited historical attempts to cover-up investigations through domestic mechanisms, rather than genuine processes to seek the truth.
Hussein is expected to raise the issues when he meets Sirisena, Wickremesinghe, leaders of main Tamil party -- the Tamil National Alliance.
The unity government of Sirisena and Wickremesinghe is facing domestic pressure from Sinhala majority nationalists to not allow foreign judges to try army soldiers.
Nationalists view the military as war heroes for ending the separatist campaign of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009 during which about 100,000 people were killed.
The Syrian government has 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 UN humanitarian office announced the approval yesterday 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 UN 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.
Around 12,000 home guards posted in 10 districts of Western Uttar Pradesh today abstained from duty demanding hike in salary.
The agitators, under the banner of Uttar Pradesh Honorary home Guards Association, also staged a sit-in here to press their demand of salary hike.
A memorandum, addressed to the chief minister, was handed over to the Ghaziabad district magistrate, said Davendra Chowdhary, district president of the Association.
Addressing the striking home guards, Association leader Sujit Kumar Giri said UP is the only state where the home guards are getting a salary of Rs 225 per day whereas home guards in Telangana and Punjab get Rs 500.
UP's 1,17,443-member strong home guard department is the country's biggest disciplinary force supporting the civil police in maintenance of law and order.
The government must hike the salary of home guard and provide them facilities similar to that of police force, Giri said.
The US has expressed concerns over the disappearance of five Hong Kong residents associated with a publisher involved in production of books banned in China, saying it raises "serious questions" about Beijing's commitment to the territory's autonomy.
The five residents are associated with Mighty Current Media and the Causeway Bay Bookstore and have disappeared since October from mainland China or Thailand.
"We continue to follow closely the developments of these cases," State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
"These cases, including two involving individuals holding European passports, raise serious questions about China's commitment to Hong Kong's autonomy under the 'one country, two systems' framework as well as its respect for the protection of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms," he said.
Kirby urged China to clarify the current status of all five individuals and the circumstances surrounding their disappearances and to allow them to return to their homes.
A US meat supplier is disputing a Chinese court's verdict that its local subsidiary sold expired chicken and beef to McDonald's, KFC and other fast food restaurants in China.
OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois also said that it's considering appealing what it called an "unjust verdict" by a Shanghai court yesterday to fine two of its Chinese units and sentence 10 employees to prison in the case.
The scandal was exposed in 2014 by Shanghai's Dragon TV station, which reported that OSI's subsidiary repackaged and sold old meat.
The case disrupted operations at chains including Burger King and Starbucks. It also added to the long list of Chinese product safety scandals over the past decade, including phony or adulterated goods such as milk powder and drugs that have sickened or killed infants, hospital patients and others.
Shanghai's Jiading District People's Court said it fined OSI subsidiaries Shanghai Husi Foods Ltd. And Hebei Husi Foods Ltd. 1.2 million yuan (USD 182,000) each. OSI China general manager, Yang Liqun, was sentenced to three years in prison and a 100,000 yuan fine. Yang, who is an Australian citizen, was also ordered to be deported.
"After an actual investigation was completed, all authorities involved have recognized that this case has never been about food safety," OSI said in a statement. "The verdict is inconsistent with the facts and evidence that were presented in the court proceedings."
The company added that it is "forced to consider an appeal through all legal channels" and is also weighing legal action against Dragon TV.
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter today announced a major boost in military spending to counter future threats and increase presence in eastern Europe and Asia Pacific to deter America's "most advanced competitors" Russia and China, while also stepping up the war against ISIS.
Preparing ground work for the proposed USD 582.7 billion defence budget for the year, which would be submitted to the US Congress by President Barack Obama a week from now, Carter said this budget takes a long term view.
"We have to, because even as we fight today's fights, we must also be prepared for the fights that might come, 10, 20 or 30 years down the road," he said in his address to the Economic Club of Washington.
In his speech, Carter identified, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and non-state actors represented by terrorist groups in particular the ISIS as five major threats to the US.
"Here, our approach is being able to deter our most advanced competitors. We must have and you seem to have the ability to impose unacceptable costs on an advanced aggressor that will either dissuade them from taking provocative action or make them deeply regret it if they do," he said.
"To be clear, the US military will fight very differently in coming years than we have in Iraq and Afghanistan or in the rest of the world's recent memory," he said, adding that the Pentagon will be prepared for a high-end enemy.
"That's what we call full spectrum. In our budget, our plans, our capabilities and our actions, we must demonstrate to potential foes, that if they start a war, we have the capability to win. Because the force that can deter conflict, must show that it can dominate a conflict," he said.
Describing Russia and China as America's "most stressing competitors", Carter said they have developed and are continuing to advance military system that seek to threaten US advantages in specific areas.
"And in some case, they are developing weapons and ways of wars that seek to achieve their objectives rapidly, before they hope, we can respond," he noted.
"Because of this and because of their actions to date, from Ukraine to the South China Sea, DoD (Department of Defence) has elevated their importance in our defence planning and budgeting. While we do not desire conflict of any kind with either of these nations - and let me be clear," he said.
The US military is working to defeat ISIS, he asserted.
The US is reinforcing its posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia's aggression.
"In Pentagon parlance, this is called the European Reassurance Initiative and after requesting about USD 800 million for last year, this year we're more than quadrupling it for a total of USD 3.4 billion in 2017," he said.
When combined with US forces already in and assigned to Europe all of this together by the end of 2017 will let them rapidly form a highly capable combined arms ground force that can respond across that theater, if necessary, he said.
"We're also investing more in cyber, totaling nearly USD 7 billion in 2017. And almost USD 35 billion over the next five years," he said.
The American Youth Policy Forum is calling for more collaboration between after-school programs and competency-based learning initiatives in order to better prepare students for college and work.
Students need a range of knowledge, skills, abilities and dispositions in order to be successful, said Jennifer Brown Lerner, the forums deputy director. In order for students to be able to gain those things, we have to create a variety of different types of learning experiences for all students.
Lerner is the co-author of a white paper on the topic the forum released last month. The Intersection of Afterschool and Competency-Based Learning examines what the forum calls the emerging concept of after-school programs informing competency-based learning and vice versa.
The forum defines after school broadly to include any learning opportunities outside the normal school day. And, through competency-based learning, a student can only advance once he or she has demonstrated mastery of all the course standards or objectives.
Lerner says both areas are student-centered.
In after school, a student selects the opportunity that they would like to pursue, said Lerner. In competency-based learning, again, the student is able to take ownership or control of how they demonstrate their mastery of the learning.
She and her co-author, Jenna Tomasello, a forum program associate, say one of the biggest benefits to students is preparedness for life after graduation.
We think that because this facilitates anywhere, anytime, any pace learning that these two fields coming together better prepares students for college and careers, said Tomasello.
The paper lists two programs that are intentional and transparent about the development of students readiness for college and work. They are Urban Alliance and After School Matters, Chicago .
Competencies as Currency for Course Credit
But the report acknowledges that its been difficult for school systems to create sustainable initiatives whereby competency-based experiences in after-school programs lead to academic credit. It cites two examples of this model working successfully: the Providence After School Alliance and New Hampshire Extended Learning Opportunities .
Badges
The report also explores the impact of issuing badges or other certifications to students who show competencies in after-school programs. It notes that while badges may not be accepted by the K-12 education system yet, they may be valued by employers, higher education institutions, and other institutions. The forum also praises digital badges as being particularly valuable to young people. The paper explores two badging programs, OregonASK Digital Badge Pilot and Kansas EPIC Pilot .
Challenges
We are organized around schools being the primary provider of the educational experience, or the educational experience that is credentialed, said Lerner. This begins to challenge that notion.
The white paper notes that for these collaborative programs to work there must be policies in place to allow them at both the state and district level, and these policies must be adhered to and understood.
The report also asserts that for after-school programs and competency-based initiatives to work together, other agencies must often get involved. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor may be called upon to ensure that an internship program is safe for students.
To read the full report, click here .
Photo: Sixth graders at Woodland and Kenneth C. Hanrahan elementary schools in the Jennings, Mo., school district take part in an after-school chess program. (Courtesy Jennings School District)
The US government has urged a Manhattan judge to drop charges against an Iranian man to satisfy the terms of a prisoner swap between the countries.
Assistant US Attorney John Cronan yesterday told US District Judge Kevin Castel that charges against Alireza Goudarzi should be dismissed as part of a "one-time, unique agreement" to get US prisoners held in Iran released.
Goudarzi, 31, has been a fugitive since the Malaysian government refused his extradition to the United States after he was arrested by Malaysian authorities in October 2012 to face charges that he was illegally trying to buy military parts. He was later freed.
President Barack Obama announced the deal last month granting clemency to six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial in the United States. The deal also called for the dismissal of charges against 14 Iranians, including Goudarzi.
In a letter to the judge, Cronan said there was no realistic expectation that the United States would be able to arrest and extradite Goudarzi in the future since there were no promising leads to his whereabouts.
He also noted that none of the individuals granted clemency had been charged with terrorism or violent offenses. He called their release a "one-time gesture to Iran, given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances surrounding the release of American prisoners in Iran."
Goudarzi was indicted in November 2012 on six counts, alleging that from October 2010 to October 2012 he conspired to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by violating US trade sanctions against Iran. That law allows the president to impose economic sanctions against another country.
The judge had directed the government to explain why he should not deny its request, since it had said little more than that its decision was "based on significant foreign policy interests."
Cronan noted that the US government has made clear to Iran that the prisoner swap would not affect how the Justice Department prosecutes future cases involving Iranians.
Alleging that the Russian aggression in Ukraine has left countries in Eastern Europe concerned about their safety, US President Barack Obama today announced to strengthen America's robust military posture in the region.
"As we approach the 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, it is clear that the United States and our allies must do more to advance our common defense in support of a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace," Obama said.
That is why today the US administration has announced a four-fold increase in European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) funding for Fiscal Year 2017, he said.
The Pentagon quadrupled its budget from USD 789 million to more than USD 3.4 billion for military spending in Europe.
"An ERI funding level of USD 3.4 billion will enable the United States to strengthen our robust military posture in Europe and improve our ability to uphold our Article 5 commitments to NATO members," Obama said.
It should make clear that America will stand firm with its allies in defending not just NATO territory but also shared principles of international law and order, he added.
Describing this as a challenging and important time for NATO, a cornerstone of transatlantic security that is increasingly called upon to be a cornerstone of global security, Obama said NATO is necessarily evolving to meet a range of challenges, not just to its east but also to its south, where civil war and failing states continue to fuel mass migration and terrorism.
"All 28 NATO allies are members of the counter-ISIL coalition, and NATO allies and partners must continue to work together to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces," he said.
"This budget request ensures that the US is prepared to meet its commitments to NATO, and should be a reminder that every ally must properly resource its defense and invest in the capabilities our Alliance requires," Obama said.
The White House said ERI funding will enable the United States to expand and deepen activities.
The United States will maintain its commitment to a persistent rotational presence of air, land, and sea forces in Central and Eastern Europe for training.
In order to enhance deterrence, the United States will also augment its force presence in Europe through continuous US armored brigade rotations, it said.
In addition to increased presence, the enhanced US force presence in Europe will enable more extensive US participation in exercises and training activities with NATO allies and partners, improving overall readiness and interoperability, the White House said.
(Reopens FGN 34)
As announced in June 2015, the European Activity Set, which includes one US armoured brigade combat team's vehicles and associated equipment, is being prepositioned on the territory of several NATO allies, including Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania, in order to support exercises and training throughout Europe, the White House said.
The budget request will place additional Army Prepositioned Stock in Europe. These additional combat vehicles and supplies are intended to reduce force deployment times and enable a rapid response to potential contingencies, it said.
Improvements throughout Europe on installations such as airfields, training centers, and ranges, will improve allied military readiness in the region and provide for quick dispersal of forces if required, it noted.
ERI funding will also continue to build the capacity of Central and Eastern European allies and partners to defend themselves and enable their full participation as operational partners in responding to crises in the region, the White House said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel today urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his influence to rein in pro-Kremlin rebels in eastern Ukraine, a day after the German leader warned that a peace deal was not being fully implemented.
During a phonecall, Merkel "made it clear to President Putin that in order to obtain further progress towards a comprehensive political solution", a ceasefire had to be respected and unfettered access given to observers monitoring the truce.
"Here, Russia must use its influence on the separatists," she said, according to a statement issued by her spokesman.
The conversation came a day after Merkel hosted Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko for talks, with the Ukrainian leader accusing Russia of continuing to send troops and weapons into his country in violation of a ceasefire deal.
Kiev and Moscow finalised the peace accord brokered by France and Germany in the Belarus capital of Minsk last February, but sporadic clashes still took place on the frontline.
Poroshenko blamed "Russia and its proxies" for the violence, saying they have failed to observe the ceasefire and were responsible for 1,200 shellings in January alone.
He also said observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were being denied access to the border.
Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting the insurgency and sending regular troops across the border.
But Putin has repeatedly denied playing any direct role in a war that began less than two months after the ouster of Ukraine's Kremlin-backed president.
More than 9,000 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in the conflict in Ukraine since April 2014, according to the United Nations.
The Vatican is disputing a US film studio's claim that the pope is making his movie debut, saying no scenes were shot for the venture and that the pope isn't an actor.
Los Angeles-based AMBI Pictures headlined its press release: "Film Will Mark First Ever Big Screen Participation Role for the Leader of the Worldwide Catholic Church." Monsignor Dario Vigano, the head of the Vatican's communications operation, acknowledged that he couldn't exclude that the filmmakers got hold of some clips of the pope.
But in comments broadcast on Vatican Radio today, Vigano disputed the press release claiming that Francis would "play himself" in the film "Beyond the Sun."
He said: "The pope is not an actor."
AMBI described the film as "a family adventure story where children from different cultures emulate the apostles while searching for Jesus in the world around them."
AMBI Pictures has produced a handful of releases, including Barry Levinson's "The Humbling," with Al Pacino, and an upcoming John Steinbeck adaptation by James Franco. In November, it drew headlines when it said it would remake Christopher Nolan's "Memento."
The company said "Beyond the Sun" initiated with Francis asking the filmmakers to make a movie for children that communicates Jesus's message.
The press release was accompanied by photos of the pope with the filmmakers.
The Vatican works hard to control the pope's image, enforcing tough copyright restrictions on all visual media, and Vigano's reaction to the announcement was a clear sign that the Vatican didn't appreciate the hype.
But Francis has been known to go his own way on several occasions, allowing friends to shoot video of him to convey messages to private gatherings: He delivered such a message to the Argentine Jewish community and to a gathering of American Pentecostals.
Vigano's comment that he couldn't exclude that the filmmakers had some footage of the pope suggested that they might have secured some video of him in the privacy of his hotel reception rooms.
Metals and mining conglomerate Vedanta Resources will repurchase bonds worth up to USD 250 million (about Rs 1,700 crore) of its outstanding USD 1.25 billion convertible bonds due this year.
Last month, the firm led by NRI billionaire Anil Agarwal had announced plans to repurchase in cash bonds worth USD 500 million (about Rs 3,300 crore) out of its outstanding USD 1.13 billion convertible bonds due in July this year.
But the London Stock Exchange-listed company had later trimmed the bond repurchase offer to USD 227.40 million.
"The Offeror (Vedanta) proposes to purchase up to USD 250 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding of bonds on the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Tender Offer Memorandum.
"The Offeror reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to purchase less than or more than the Maximum Acceptance Amount, subject to applicable law," Vedanta Resources said in a statement late last night.
The firm, with businesses ranging from metals to oil, said it is inviting holders of outstanding bonds (USD 1.25 billion 5.50 per cent guaranteed convertible bonds due 2016) to tender them for purchase for cash at a price to be determined through a modified Dutch auction.
This is a type of auction in which the price on an item is lowered until it gets a bid.
The offer commenced on February 1 and will close on February 8 with settlement scheduled for February 10, 2016.
JPMorgan Securities Plc and Standard Chartered Bank will act as the Dealer Managers for the offer.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has condemned the attempts by "vested interests" for projecting the Hyderabad University scholar, Rohith Vemula, as a non-Dalit.
It is most unfortunate to know that "vested interests" are working hard to disprove the fact that Rohith is a Dalit, he said
"I will not allow such things to happen and I condemn this in very strong words," he said.
In a letter to Radhika, the mother of Vemula who committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17, Siddaramaiah expressed regret that the university campus has become a "place for unscrupulous elements to achieve their politically motivated, caste-based agenda."
"The university campus, which should have a cordial atmosphere for the students to learn and achieve all round growth, unfortunately, has become a place for unscrupulous elements to achieve their politically motivated, caste-based agenda," the senior Congress leader said.
Noting that he has learnt a lot about the plight of students belonging to SC, ST and OBC sections at the campus, he told Rohith's mother that he was aware of the circumstances that must have forced him to take the extreme step.
While some BJP leaders have claimed that Rohith was not a Dalit, the Chief Minister did not specify who the "vested interests" were.
Congress has been demanding the sacking of HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya along with the removal of the Hyderabad Central University Vice chancellor in the wake of the suicide.
German auto major Volkswagen today unveiled here its compact sedan 'Ameo', which will be launched later this year in the country.Besides Ameo, the company also plans to launch three new models including premier SUV Tiguan and Passat hybrid during the next financial year.
"We will launch Ameo in the second half of this year. It is a car specially designed for the Indian market. It will mark our entry into the growing volume segment in India," Volkswagen Passenger Cars India Director Michael Mayer told reporters here.
The compact sedan segment continues to garner much interest among Indian consumers and the company is happy to mark its presence in this competitive segment, he added.
The company has so far invested 800 million euros in India.
The sub-4 metre sedan will be available with both petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2 litre petrol engine will be mated to 5 speed gear box while the 1.5 litre diesel engine will be available in 5 speed manual and 7 speed automatic transmissions.
Volkswagen Ameo has been designed specifically for the Indian market. It will be manufactured at VWs Chakan facility in Maharashtra.
It will compete with the likes of Maruti Swift Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze, Tata Zest and Ford Figo Aspire.
These sub-4 metre compact sedans are priced in the range of over Rs 5 lakh to around Rs 8.3 lakh.
Michael Mayer(L),Director, and Jurgen Stackmann,Board member for Sales and Marketing. Volkswagen Group Sales India Ltd,at the launch of New Volkswagen Ameo car in New Delhi. Photo: PTI
The company has positioned VW Ameo as made-in-India and made-for-India carline.
Elaborating on the product pipeline for the next fiscal, Volkswagen Board Member for sales and marketing Jurgen Stackmann said: "During the next fiscal, we will be launching four new models bringing our greatest model range ever to the Indian showrooms."
Besides, Ameo, Tiguan, Passat Hybrid, the company would also launch Polo GTI during the period.
Volkswagen currently sells Polo, Vento, Jetta and Beetle in India.
Sunny Deol, who is launching four new faces with his upcoming directorial venture "Ghayal Once Again", says he will launch his son Karan in his next movie.
The 58-year-old "Gadar" star will serve as the director for the project, which he will start working on after seeing the response on his current movie.
"After 'Ghayal Once Again' I will talk about my son's debut. That is the next thing I will be working on," Sunny said in a interview here.
The actor, whose film "Mohalla Assi" made headlines for the abuses in the trailer, said he does not understand why people go away from the very essence of the subject, just because it has cuss words in it.
"'Mohalla Assi' is a nice subject... One should try and understand deeper into it, which we never do. There are no abuses in the film which we have put forcefully. We lose the subject and go offtrack," he said.
Sunny has become very particular when it comes to choosing his films and the actor considers lack of exciting scripts responsible for his absence from the big screen.
"I am not getting any good scripts. I am eagerly waiting for something good to come my way. We are talking about 100 crores, 200 crores but nobody talks about people liked it or not. That is sad and I am not in favour of it," the "Yamla Pagla Deewana" actor said.
"I am keen to work with any director, who is not full of himself, but full of the subject," he added.
After spending over three decades in Bollywood, Sunny has managed to keep a clean image and shares a good rapport with everyone. However, he says he does not share personal bond with any of the industry insiders.
"We are colleagues. We are not enemies. Enemies are those, who keep fighting till they kill each other. Friendship is always till school. That's the era of friendship, after that everything is professional."
Produced by Dharmendra, "Ghayal Once Again" also stars Om Puri, Soha Ali Khan an Tisca Chopra. The film will hit the screens this Friday.
A 65-year-old woman allegedly lost her bag containing 40 sovereigns of gold ornaments while travelling from Chennai to Alappuzha by a train, police said today.
In her complaint lodged with the police, the woman said she was returning from Chennai by the Chennai-Alleppey Express after attending a marriage and had kept the bag by her side while sleeping last night.
When the woman woke up during the wee hours, she found the bag missing and lodged a complaint with police who are investigating the case.
The official reorganisation of China's military will enhance both its ability to win wars and the Communist Party's control over it, state-run media said today.
State broadcaster CCTV repeatedly showed footage of President Xi Jinping presenting flags to the officers leading five new theatre commands, down from seven military regions previously.
The reforms put the new commands under the direct control of the ruling party's Central Military Commission (CMC).
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is technically the armed force of the Communist Party, rather than the Chinese state.
Beijing has been building up its military for years, with regular double-digit increases in its official budget, as it pursues a more assertive stance towards neighbour Japan and in the South China Sea.
The latest changes are intended to help the country's armed forces become "prepared for combat and winning wars", said an editorial in the Global Times, a paper with close ties to the ruling Party.
"The more powerful the PLA grows and the more capable it is of engaging in a war, the country will embrace a peaceful rise all the more", it said.
"Otherwise the outside world will only consider that peace is... Our compulsory choice", it added.
In a speech marking the occasion, Xi called on the military to "strictly obey political discipline and rules, and carry out their orders and instructions to the letter", said the People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece.
Xi, who is chief of the Communist Party and also head of the military, has taken his anti-corruption campaign to the military's highest levels, prosecuting a number of generals, including Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, both formerly second in command of the CMC, for graft.
Most of the heads of the new theatre commands were previously commanders of one of the seven regions, but a military analyst quoted by the Global Times said the reshuffle will "strengthen the authority of the CMC's leadership by preventing cliques within the armed forces".
While the changes are intended to tighten party control over the country's military, they also come as China makes efforts to modernise and streamline its armed forces, which have suffered from bloat as well as widespread corruption.
Xi previously announced plans to slash China's troop numbers by 300,000 to roughly two million to craft a more efficient fighting force.
At the same time, the country has made a strong push to increase its military muscle, investing in an expanded fleet of submarines and its first indigenous aircraft carrier, as it seeks to build a navy capable of projecting power abroad.
The reforms have also included the establishment of a new PLA Rocket Force to oversee China's arsenal of strategic missiles, and an army general command headquarters for land forces.
Oregon Militia Members Face Federal Criminal Conspiracy Charge
Freedom fighters often pay for their struggles with prison time, and this is certainly true for the crew that occupied the Malheur wildlife refuge in Oregon last month in a standoff against the federal government. The Oregon militia members were protesting the imprisonment of two men prosecuted for fires on national parklands. Now they too face prosecution.
The felony charge they face is conspiracy to impede federal officers from discharging official duties through the use of force, intimidation, or threats. This could result in fines and six years in prison, and according to an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, the government was very careful in choosing the charge.
A Rarely Used Statute
The conspiracy charge lodged against the militia members is one that comes from a rarely used federal statute, writes Ken White, a former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. He explains that the choice was a shrewd move for two reasons.
First, although White says the statute the fed are relying on is "not one of theJustice Department's big guns ... the virtue of such conspiracy charges are their flexibility." He writes in LA Times, "The government need prove only that two or more of the defendants agreed to prevent some federal employee from discharging his or her duty by force, intimidation or threat. Prosecutors don't have to prove they were successful."
Second, the defendants themselves have made the case easy to prove. Although historically conspiracies were difficult to demonstrate and convictions hinged on circumstantial evidence, today we make our intentions clear using technology.
According to White, the government's complaint is astoundingly compelling because militia members publicized their intentions using the Internet and social networks. If you doubt that the militia members meant to thwart the government, then you can check for yourself on the YouTube videos and Facebook posts they provided.
"The defendants have a right to indictment by grand jury within a few weeks, and that indictment may include more charges and more creative theories," writes White. "For now, though, it seems the government is taking a low-key approach."
Charged With a Crime?
If you or someone you know has been charged with a crime of any kind, do not delay. Meet with a criminal defense attorney today. Many lawyers consult for free or no fee and will be happy to assess your case. Get help.
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Samajwadi Party today announced the the names of candidates to the 31 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council which will be held on March three.
Of the total 31 seat, the party gave ticket to 16 Yadav candidates, four Muslims and one Brahmin besides others.
The outcome of the polls to be held on March 3 is likely to catapult the ruling SP to majority in the 100-member Upper House and in the process facilitate the government to ensure passage of bills that normally get stuck because of lack of adequate strength.
Anand Bhadauria and Sunil Yadav Sajan, who were expelled last month during Panchayat polls for anti-party activities and re-inducted later, were given tickets from Sitapur and Unnao respectively.
Bhadauria and Sajan were former national presidents of SP Lohia Vahini and SP Chhatra Sabha respectively.
Narendra Singh Bhati, who had a confrontation with IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal in an illegal mining case, has been given ticket from Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Brijkishore Singh, brother of cabinet minister Rajkishore Singh has got ticket for Basti, former Director Education Vasudev Yadav for Allahabad, and Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya's cousin Akshay Pratap Singh from Pratapgarh.
"Once we get majority in the Upper House, our government would be able to breathe easy as many of our projects have been spiked or voted out because of being in minority in the Vidhan Parishad," Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhry, himself an MLC, told PTI.
Of late many legislations passed by the Vidhan Sabha, have been referred to the Select Committee and the government was forced to re-introduce them in the Vidhan Sabha. "Precious time would be saved once we are in majority," he said.
As the term of 36 MLCs ended on January 15, BSP's strength fell from 45 members to just 11.
The SP at present has 29 members and the party is likely to get majority with a number of the candidates assured of facile victory.
Around 200 youth Congress activists today held a demonstration near Karipur Airport here against the alleged anti-people policies of the NDA government as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here to attend the Global Ayurveda meet.
Police blocked the protesters, who were holding banners showing pictures of Dalit Research scholar Rohith Vemula of Hyderabad University, who had committed suicide.
They were removed and the Prime minister's convoy moved to the venue of the meet.
October 15, 2022, Saturday
US President Joe Biden has said Pakistan is one of the most dangerous nations in the world as it has nuclear weapons without ...
By Dmitry Zhdannikov
LONDON (Reuters) - After a year of secret diplomacy and hushed-up private talks around the world, OPEC's mighty Saudi Arabia and rival Venezuela were persuaded to cut a deal by non-OPEC Mexico which overcame mutual acrimony and led to a much-needed rise in oil prices.
It was 1998, trust had long broken down within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and it took outside mediation as a last resort to stop the squabbling to clinch deals at secret meetings in Riyadh, Madrid and Miami.
Now, with oil prices touching their lowest level since 2003, OPEC officials and deal brokers are looking back nearly two decades and asking whether a behind-the-scenes deal to curb oil output between OPEC and non-OPEC Russia could be struck.
Some see OPEC rifts as insurmountable and Russia as a wild card that cannot be trusted, but others say economic necessity to boost oil revenue could overcome acrimony and distrust and lead to a global deal to cut supply and mop up the glut.
There are plenty of reasons, however, to dispel optimism.
Unlike in 1998, the challenge goes beyond rebuilding bridges between just two OPEC producers.
It pitches the interests of Saudi Arabia alongside fast-rising OPEC producers Iran and Iraq as well as non-OPEC Russia, the world's largest oil nation. All four are involved in conflict in the Middle East but also desperately need money to keep their oil-dependent economies afloat and meet social costs.
"The 1997/98 deal brokered between Saudi, Venezuela and Mexico took over a year to negotiate and it was touch and go as to whether it would get done or not," said veteran OPEC-watcher Yasser Elguindi of Medley Global Advisors.
But low prices are making producers desperate. Prices sank to below $30 per barrel this year from as high as $115 a barrel just 18 months ago due to one of the worst oil gluts in history.
PERFECT STORM
This perfect storm was due to a boom in the extraction of oil from shale rock in the United States and a decision by the Saudi ruling elite to ramp up crude supply to regain market share from higher-cost producers.
Saudi Arabia has pushed its output to record highs over the past year above 10 million barrels per day, almost equal to Russia. Iraq also raised production sharply above four million bpd over the past months as foreign investment in oil fields paid dividends. Iraq expects to raise output further in 2016.
Meanwhile, Iran says the removal of European sanctions in January should allow it to claw back oil production and a deal with OPEC is unacceptable until output reaches four million bpd.
"You cannot have a deal with non-OPEC, until you achieve a credible OPEC framework which at the moment is not possible because of Iraq and Iran. Until there can be some framework between Iran, Saudi and Iraq, all this non-OPEC talk is just noise," said Elguindi.
Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, who has been in office since 1995, has said the kingdom would join cuts if key OPEC and non-OPEC players cooperated.
But insiders say, Saudi Arabia and it Gulf allies Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are all deeply sceptical that a workable consensus can be reached. "Iran and Iraq remain the main challenges inside OPEC and Russia won't agree to a cut and is not to be trusted," a senior Gulf OPEC delegate told .
CHANGE IN DYNAMIC
In the past month, however, all parties involved have sent signals suggesting the world oil dynamic may be changing.
Iran's main oil export official, Mohsen Qamsari, said in January he did not want a price war and might increase shipments gradually to avoid hurting world prices.
And Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also said his country would support an extraordinary OPEC meeting if a joint cut with non-OPEC could be agreed beforehand.
"It is useless to go to a meeting without deciding up front. We said 'yes' if others are willing to go but we have to decide before. Otherwise this will backfire on us," he said.
The statements by Iran and Iraq coincided with a change of rhetoric from Russia where the head of its pipeline monopoly and close ally of President Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Tokarev, said joint action was possible to halt slumping prices.
For years, Russian officials said oil production cuts were technically difficult after an ill-fated deal with OPEC in 2001, when Moscow agreed to cooperate but raised exports instead. It was this that created the mistrust that exists today.
But back then Putin was only at the start of his first presidential term and had little control of the oil industry, split between various oligarchs following the chaotic privatisation after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Fast forward 15 years, and the oil industry is mostly owned by the Kremlin and Putin has almost absolute power.
"You have to take this seriously now. Key will be if Russia can deliver," said OPEC watcher and founder of U.S.-based Pira Group Gary Ross, who was involved in the 2001 Russia-OPEC talks.
Putin and his ally, head of Kremlin oil major Rosneft, Igor Sechin, have yet to speak about the recent talk of a joint move with OPEC.
But Sechin in the past said he would not support cooperation by Russia, where one popular conspiracy theory maintains that the low oil prices of the 1980s were orchestrated by Saudi Arabia and the United States to undermine the Soviet Union. Sechin has also said OPEC had "lost its teeth".
A year ago, Putin said it was possible that the current price crash was orchestrated in the same way as the crash of the 1980s, which effectively led to a collapse of the Soviet Union - a huge tragedy, according to Putin.
"There is a lot of talk today about why it is happening. Maybe it is a Saudi-U.S. plot to punish Iran, or put pressure on the Russian economy or Venezuela," Putin said back then.
But with the Russian rouble sinking to a record low and a parliamentary election this year and a presidential election in 2018, pressure is rising on the Kremlin to protect state revenues and limit public discontent.
"GRAND BARGAIN"
Russia's latest rhetoric has left OPEC watchers and Kremlinologists guessing if it is just a verbal intervention to lift oil prices or whether it is part of a real deal for Putin, which may also involve a compromise with Saudi Arabia over Syria or indeed any other "Grand Bargain".
Putin has dispatched heavyweight veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to the Middle East this week. Lavrov, who has almost never spoken about oil, will travel to Oman and the UAE to discuss the oil market.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino will visit Russia, Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia this week to drum up support for a joint cut in oil production.
And just like in 1998, behind-the-scene talks are gathering pace. When Putin met the Emir of Qatar last month in Moscow, oil was on the agenda, according to a senior source in the Gulf.
And just as in 1998 and 1999, when it took two years and many secret meetings in Miami, Madrid, the Hague, Amsterdam and Riyadh to clinch two decisive supply cuts, the process in 2016 could be equally painful.
The head of Kremlin-backed Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriyev, said a deal between Russia and OPEC was possible but at the right time, "maybe within a year", when the markets rebalance and it became easier to reach agreements.
Goldman Sachs, which is bearish on oil, said it believes cooperation between OPEC and Russia would be "highly unlikely" and also self-defeating as higher prices would bring shelved output, including in the United States, back onto the market.
But sceptics could do well to read a paper by Robert Mabro, founder of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies who helped to broker the 1998 deal. Mabro wrote at the time: "Changes in policy are always possible, even likely, when significant revenue losses are at stake".
(Additional reporting by Rania El Gamal, Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Peter Millership)
Maybe not.
The median share price forecast of 31 analysts who raised price targets after Alphabet reported strong results on Monday was $924, suggesting that the company formerly known as Google could be valued at $628 billion in the next 12 months.
Apple, tracked by 49 analysts, would be valued at $748.5 billion, at the current median price target of $135.
That's not all.
A look at the most bullish price targets on the companies' shares shows that Alphabet is expected to be valued at $734 billion in the next 12 months, while Apple could hit $1.10 trillion - making it the first publicly listed company ever to be worth more than $1 trillion.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, an Apple investor, said in May that the iPhone maker was "dramatically undervalued" and should trade at $240 per share. At that price, the company would be valued at about $1.30 trillion.
Alphabet easily beat Wall Street's forecasts, helped by strong mobile advertising sales.
Alphabet's shares rose as much as 4.4 percent to $804.50 on Tuesday, valuing the company at $546.50 billion, making it the world's most valuable company - for now.
Apple shares fell 1.2 percent to $95.28, giving the company a market capitalization of $528 billion.
Alphabet, which rejigged its operating structure last year to separate its core Google business from its so-called "moonshots" also broke out results for these operations for the first time on Monday.
BULLISH ON BOTH
Sustaining the lead could be tough, though.
The two tech giants have long wrestled for the top spot, as the likes of IBM have declined.
Once allies, they fell out after Google launched its own Android mobile operating system in 2008.
Alphabet's stock has surged 43 percent in the past year.
Apple, on the other hand, has struggled due to softening demand for its signature iPhone, especially in China, and the apparent lack of another blockbuster product in its pipeline.
Apple's shares fell last week after the company reported disappointing results and have yet to recover.
Still Apple - whose stock has fallen about 18 percent in the past year - has an upcoming catalyst in the form of the iPhone 7 launch in September. That could spur sudden growth.
Alphabet is expected to gain more gradually from growth in mobile search and monetization of YouTube.
To be sure, analysts remain bullish on both stocks.
No analyst rates either stock a "sell".
Apple shares trade at 10.59 times forward 12-month earnings versus Alphabet's 22.47, among the most expensive in the tech sector.
"We think the current re-rating in GOOGL shares is two-thirds of the way complete and is likely to grind to $1000+," Deutsche Bank analyst Ross Sandler wrote in a client note.
Sandler, the most bullish analyst on Alphabet, raised his price target on the stock to $1,080 from $900 on Tuesday.
Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White is the most bullish on Apple stock, with a target of $200.
(Reporting by Sayantani Ghosh and Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Tenzin Pema; Editing by Ted Kerr)
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Birla Corporation Ltd , whose business interest include jute and cement, plans to take legal action against the Indian unit of LafargeHolcim after a pact to buy some of the assets of the Swiss-French cement giant fell through.
In April, LafargeHolcim agreed to divest two of its Indian plants to win approval from the local anti-trust regulator to merge Indian assets of France's Lafarge and Switzerland's Holcim.
Birla Corp said in August it had entered into an agreement with Lafarge India Private Ltd to buy the two cement businesses in eastern India for an enterprise value (equity plus debt) of 50 billion rupees ($735 million).
On Tuesday, Birla Corp said in a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange that it had now been informed about Lafarge India unit's "inability to proceed" with the transaction. The Indian company did not elaborate.
"The company has since discussed the matter with its legal advisors and has decided not to accept their contention and is in the process of taking appropriate legal measures in consultation with lawyers," it said.
The deal to acquire the two plants would have taken Birla Corp's cement production capacity to over 15 million tonnes per annum, with a strong presence in the eastern part of India, up from about 10 million tonnes now.
LafargeHolcim confirmed in a statement it was no longer in talks with Birla Corp for the divestment of the Jojobera and Sonadih cement plants in eastern India. It said it would inform the local anti-trust regulator about the divestment process.
($1 = 67.9982 rupees)
(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Mark Potter)
By Norihiko Shirouzu
BEIJING (Reuters) - Some global automakers are worried that China is pushing its weight around as the world's biggest car market - by enforcing its own, often outdated, vehicle certification standards on foreign cars.
China previously allowed global brands to sell cars without local certification in many cases, as long they were approved under international standards. Chinese rules essentially apply older standards to features such as bumper strength, brake performance and the size and positioning of lamps and mirrors.
Global car makers say the move to enforce local standards more rigorously highlights the unpredictability of doing business in China, is a step back in technology and could mean costly re-designs and delayed new car launches.
In one instance, Chinese regulators made an issue of the position of a Nissan Motor <7201.T> car's fog lamps - something that has since impacted other automakers, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Shifting a lamp by a few centimetres can mean re-designing exterior body panels, investing in stamping dies and lighting assemblies, and delaying planned launches by more than a year, said people close to the Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association (JAMA).
"It's an inconvenient and sudden departure from the status quo," said an executive at a leading international automaker. "We're essentially being asked to redo some aspects of new vehicles in China using outdated standards. This may cost us critical time and money."
To be sure, compliance won't break the bank, but car makers are concerned they may be sacrificing technical advances as China's standards can lag global norms by as much as a decade.
"They can enforce whatever standards they want. The question is: are those standards high enough to protect consumers," said Yale Zhang, head of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight. "People think China does not have proper standards and that's why the car quality here is lower."
STANDARDS LAG
As European certification standards - the de facto global norm - have evolved in line with advances in technology, China's have lagged behind. Foreign car makers say this is in part because China wanted to help protect its domestic automakers from competition.
Feng Yi, director of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC), which oversees the National Technical Committee of Auto Standardization, said there was no aim to protect local producers or hinder foreign automakers. In emailed comments to Reuters, he said local standards had lagged those from Europe, though China was now speeding up setting its own standards, based on European rules.
"However, because it takes quite a long time to set up or update standards and prepare new auto products, new standards will still be one step behind compared with (Europe)," he said.
After a decade of double-digit growth, helped by subsidies and other policy measures, China's light vehicle sales slowed to single-digit growth last year, and research firm JD Power predicts that will likely be the norm for the next few years.
"We'll see more of this as the market slows ... to make sure state-owned and domestic automakers will be solvent," said John Humphrey, a JD Power consultant. "Without that, a lot of those companies won't be able to withstand the raw market forces."
A spokesman for Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely [GEELY.UL] said he did not know if the shift was benefiting local car makers. "Geely Auto's design, R&D and production facilities fully comply with standards and certification in China and in overseas markets where our vehicles are sold," he said.
INNOVATION HURDLE
In another case, Honda Motor <7267.T> was told by Chinese regulators that sensor frequencies in one of the on-board diagnostic systems monitoring engine and transmission performance and tyre pressure on one of its new models did not meet their certification standards.
Spokespersons for Nissan and Honda declined direct comment, but said they support the JAMA playing a lead role on this issue. A Toyota spokesman declined to comment.
The JAMA sent a delegation to Beijing in November to voice its concern to the CNCA department that deals with automotive certification, three people close to the JAMA said. Feng at the CATARC said he was not aware of any such meeting.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), which represents firms including Volkswagen , Daimler and BMW as well as top U.S. manufacturers, says it prefers its car makers to try to resolve issues themselves case-by-case.
China representative Dominik Declercq said the ACEA welcomed signs of China embracing the rule of law, and "less arbitrarily" than before, but has concerns about the impact on future sales.
"It's not hard to see how (this) might be harmful to the introduction of innovative products to China," he said. "We do sense (global automakers) collectively may face new hurdles."
(Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
By Nidhi Verma
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's oil imports from Iran fell more than a quarter in January from the previous month, although incoming shipments are expected to pick up in February as post-sanctions crude starts arriving, preliminary tanker data obtained by shows.
Indian buyers of Iranian oil had been holding their purchases in check during the final months of international sanctions, anticipating a big marketing push by Tehran.
Now, with January's removal of the international curbs on Tehran's oil, banking, insurance and shipping sectors, Indian refiners are talking to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) about raising their crude imports.
Two of the refiners, Essar Oil and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, have already booked three cargoes for arrival in February that would bring India's Iran purchases for the first-half of the month to nearly 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), the tanker data shows.
"India has asked for 6 million barrels more than the nominations they had made earlier, which means about 230,000-250,000 bpd more for February," an NIOC source told last month, although without saying what the initial nominations had been for the month.
In January, India received 170,700 bpd of oil loaded from Iran mostly while sanctions were still in place, a decline of 27 percent from December and down 38 percent from a year ago, the preliminary tank arrival data obtained by showed.
In the first ten months of the fiscal year that began on April 1, 2015, India's imports from Iran fell 9.5 percent to 228,600 bpd from the same period of the previous year.
In January, state refiner MRPL was India's biggest oil client of Iran, shipping in 103,400 bpd, followed by Essar Oil, which received about 67,200 bpd.
Post-sanctions Iran wants to raise its oil output by 500,000 bpd as quickly as possible to meet demand from new and existing customers, with about 200,000 bpd of that to go to Europe.
An Iranian source has said Tehran is targeting India, Asia's fastest-growing oil market, as the main destination for its resurgent oil exports, which has been backed up by shipping schedules.
The Islamic republic's overall exports will total around 1.44 million bpd in February and about 1.5 million bpd in January, according to data on Iran's preliminary tanker loading schedules, which would roughly reflect arrivals two to four weeks later, depending on the destinations.
That data showed crude oil bound for India loading out of Iran at 183,000 bpd in January and 303,000 bpd in February.
(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Tom Hogue)
By Devika Krishna Kumar
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell sharply for the second straight day on Tuesday as hopes of a deal to curb one of the worst supply gluts in history continue to fade, with concerns about weak demand amid a mild winter deepening the rout.
The oil markets erased most of last week's four-day rally, when soared almost 20 percent from the lows touched in mid-January, after Russia's Energy Minister said OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia suggested a production cut.
This week though, those hopes have dimmed as no deal has emerged and talks between Russia's energy minister and Venezuela's oil minister on Monday failed to result in any clear plan to reduce output.
The front-month contract for U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell $1.21, or 3.8 percent to $30.41 per barrel by 12:55 p.m. EST (1755 GMT), after falling to as low as $29.81.
Brent for April delivery was down 92 cents at $32.32 a barrel after touching a low of $32.23, down 5.9 percent, in the session.
With forecasters projecting the weather in the United States will moderate during the last eight weeks of the November-March winter heating season, U.S. heating oil futures were down 2 percent and gasoline 6 percent lower.
"For whatever reason, there's a lot of hope that some deal will be pulled off," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.
"As they continue to disappoint, we're going to trade lower, until the market forces them to do something and I think that's at a much lower price than here."
Goldman Sachs said it was "highly unlikely" the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries would cooperate with Russia to cut output, saying the move would also be self-defeating as stronger prices would bring previously shelved production back to the market.
Prices are in danger of returning to the $20s unless there was concrete reaction on the supply side, said Thomas Saal, analyst at INTL FC Stone in Miami, Florida.
Still, Citi called a bottom on prices on Tuesday, saying that even while a deal may not materialise, the current lows will be short lived.
Oil stockpiles are still on the rise, with Russian output hitting a post-Soviet high in January, while U.S inventories forecast to have added 4.8 million barrels to record supplies last week. [EIA/S]
The American Petroleum Institute (API) will release its data at 4:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT), ahead of the government's report on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the prolonged downturn in crude prices has crushed the oil majors' results.
Exxon Mobil Corp , the world's largest publicly traded oil company, reported its smallest quarterly profit in more than a decade and said it will cut 2016 spending by one-quarter, while BP reported to its biggest annual loss and announced thousands more job cuts.
(Additional reporting by Simon Falush in London, Keith Wallis in Singapore and Felix Bate in Paris; Editing by Chris Reese and Marguerita Choy)
By Devika Krishna Kumar
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil prices slid as much as 7 percent on Monday, pressured by weak economic data from China, a U.S. forecast for mild weather and growing doubts that OPEC and non-OPEC producers would come together to reduce the swelling global supply glut.
Chinese manufacturing contracted in January at the fastest pace since 2012, adding to worries about energy demand from the world's largest energy consumer.
"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."
A mild U.S. winter has also dented demand for oil. Forecasts for warm temperatures through mid-February sent U.S. New York Harbor heating oil futures down as much as 5 percent.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slid to its biggest daily loss in five months, down 6.9 percent to an intraday low of $31.29 in volatile afternoon trading. That was still 19.5 percent higher than the more than 12-year low of $26.19 hit in mid-January.
The contract eventually settled at $31.62, down 5.9 percent or $2.
Brent April crude futures settled at $34.24 a barrel, down $1.75, or 4.9 percent.
Oil prices also were pressured by a drop in U.S. stock prices after weak manufacturing and flat consumer spending data.
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 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 leader Saudi Arabia on managing output and were ready to talk.
In a sign investors were speculating on an oil rebound, data from the IntercontinentalExchange showed net long positions in Brent rose last week by the most in four years.
But analysts have been raising doubts about a possible cut in OPEC output. Goldman Sachs said it would be "highly unlikely" that OPEC producers and Russia would cooperate to cut oil output.
The influential U.S. bank said it expects crude to trade between $20 and $40 a barrel until the second half of this year, low enough to force production to fall in line with demand.
Analysts noted that Iran plans to boost exports after years of sanctions and is unwilling to participate in cuts. Iraq, another OPEC member, reported rising exports in January.
(Additional reporting by Karolin Schaps in London and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Lisa Shumaker)
Examining Religious Exemptions to LGBT Protections
Compromise is often the only solution. Extremes rarely lead to agreement. You can try to get your way and likely fail, or you can concede a bit in order to advance your interests. It is generally accepted that by compromising, we make incremental progress, and that's a good thing.
But when do we make so many exceptions to a rule that it becomes irrelevant? Is that what's happening to new and proposed LGBT legal protections around the country, as Think Progress reports? Are provisions for religious institutions undermining the very cause these laws are mean to protect, including LGBT people's rights to nondiscriminatory hiring?
Looking to Utah
The state of Utah last year advanced legal protections for its LGBT citizens that included unprecedented religious carve-outs, reportedly. The compromise solution put Utah ahead of 28 states that have no such protections. But it also raises questions about how much compromise is too much.
Does making allowances for LGBT discrimination for religious reasons ultimately undermine the very purpose of the legislation? And what influence will the Utah exceptions have on the kind of laws passed around the nation?
Some LGBT rights activists have expressed concern about using Utah as an example, saying the religious exceptions to legal protections for LGBT citizens there are dangerous. Using Utah as precedent will lead to deceptive legislation nationwide, they argue, and they warn that we should be wary of one person in particular, who was instrumental to the passage of the Utah law, and is promoting similar leglislation elsewhere.
"At the forefront of this push is Robin Fretwell Wilson, a law professor at the University of Illinois ... She has been touring the country, sharing her ideas with state lawmakers as well as the press at every opportunity, purporting to support passage of LGBT protections," writes Think Progress. But Wilson could help to de-claw any laws that do pass, making it okay for religious organizations to discriminate.
So What Does This Mean?
The Utah law, for example, does not consider religious organizations employers, thus allowing discrimination to continue in such institutions despite new civil rights protections. What this means is that in theory Utah employers can't discriminate, but in practice it's allowed in some places, perhaps the places most likely to object to hiring LGBT workers.
That is a bitter irony for those who need protection from discrimination and fought for new laws in Utah. It is also as a reminder to the rest of us that, although compromise is good, sometimes nothing is won without sticking to your guns.
Consult With Counsel
If you are an employer concerned about hiring and other policies in your place of business, consult with counsel. An employment attorney can help with labor law and a business lawyer can advise you on keeping commercial operations legal and profitable.
Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+.
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Sun Pharma launched a generic version of Novartiss leukaemia drug Gleevec on Monday in the United States and hopes to poach a third of sales in six months by pricing the copycat some 30% cheaper, its Sun's North American chief executive said.
Gleevec, or imatinib mesylate, costs up to about $90,000 annually in the United States, implying Sun's price could be roughly $60,000. Gleevec posted $4.7 billion in global revenue in 2015, and Swiss-based Novartis has said the US patent expiry puts around $2.5 billion in annual sales at risk.
Last week, Novartis blamed Gleevec's expiration as the major reason its total 2016 revenue and profit would stagnate at last year's $49.4 billion level. It has been one of the Basel-based drug company's mainstay products since 2001.
In a phone interview, Sun North American CEO Kal Sundaram said initial shipments of the generic, made at the company's U.S. facilities, should be on pharmacy shelves within two or three days.
Im expecting a steady pickup from here on, Sundaram said from New York. "If we pick up a 30% share, we'll be happy."
Sun's version was granted 180 days of marketing exclusivity by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it was the first to file on the generic.
Imatinib mesylate is a kinase inhibitor to treat adult and paediatric patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia and other blood diseases.
Sun makes half its $4.5 billion sales in the United States, where 6,600 new cases of chronic myeloid leukaemia are diagnosed annually, with 1,140 annual deaths.
Gleevec's introduction 15 years ago transformed the blood cancer into a chronic disease. One study found 90% of patients were still alive five years after starting treatment.
Novartis could have faced Gleevec competition from Sun earlier, but reached a court settlement with the Mumbai-based company in 2014 that delayed its version's introduction until this month.
Its arrival comes at a time when U.S. debate over pharmaceuticals pricing has reached a fever pitch, with Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sparring over how to reduce costs.
"I anticipate that the healthcare system in the country will have savings in the order of 30%," Sundaram said, on the generic's price, adding first-year sales may depend on whether doctors prescribe Gleevec or the cheaper alternative for first-time leukaemia patients.
"I would anticipate the insurance to be taking an active role," he added.
Novartis has been touting its newer drug Tasigna, saying studies show it is better than Gleevec in some instances. But in 2015, Tasigna sales worldwide were just a third of Gleevec's, at $1.6 billion.
By Aditi Shah
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Suzuki Motor Corp's <7269.T> position in India and other markets is under serious threat from Toyota's <7203.T> buyout of rival Daihatsu <7262.T>, Suzuki's president said on Tuesday.
Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, is to buy its remaining stake in Daihatsu as part of a strategy to strengthen its push into compact cars for emerging markets -- a move likely to increase competition for Suzuki in one of its biggest and fastest-growing markets.
Profit generation will become a more challenging proposition for Suzuki as multiple competitors seek to muscle in on the Indian market, Toshihiro Suzuki told reporters in New Delhi.
"It is not only the Toyota alliance, but the entry of other international (car) manufacturers in India which is making the competition tougher," the Suzuki president said in Japanese through an interpreter.
The company will need to build and sell cars that exceed buyers' expectations and will also need to enhance its sales and service network, Suzuki said, as it plans to launch 20 new models globally by 2020, 15 of which will be brought to India.
In the year to March 31 the company's Indian business Maruti Suzuki India accounted for 41 percent of group sales. Maruti sold 1.2 million passenger vehicles in the period.
Maruti is India's top-selling carmaker, with nearly 50 percent of the passenger vehicle market, but it faces growing competition from the likes of Hyundai <005380.KS> and Honda <7267.T>.
The business is rationalising its production process and in the next five years will reduce the number of platforms on which it builds cars in India to three or four, Maruti's head of engineering, C.V. Raman, told .
This will enable the carmaker to use the same components in multiple models to achieve economies of scale and allow it to reduce car weights to improve fuel efficiency, Raman said.
"It is one of the core engineering inputs ... to improve our competitiveness," Raman said, adding that parent company Suzuki will invest in developing the technology for the platform.
To reduce dependence on India, Suzuki said the Japanese carmaker needs to increase sales in Europe and Asia while improving profitability in those regions.
He said the company is not planning to form any kind of alliance with Toyota or any other carmaker but will instead work with component manufacturers and raw material suppliers to enhance safety and fuel-efficiency technology.
(Additional reporting by Naomi Tajitsu in Tokyo; Editing by David Goodman)
By Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is not among those accused of wrongdoing in an investigation by Switzerland's chief prosecutor into alleged corruption involving the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign fund, a Swiss official said on Tuesday.
The Swiss Attorney General's office said last Friday that it had identified four cases of alleged criminal misconduct in the suspected misappropriation of about $4 billion from Malaysian state companies.
Andre Marty, spokesman for the Office of Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber, said in an emailed response to a query on Tuesday, "In the ongoing criminal proceeding of the OAG (Office of Attorney General), Mr. Najib Razak is not one of the public officials under accusation."
Lauber's office announced last August that it had opened criminal proceedings related to 1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Najib.
Late last week, Lauber's office issued a statement in which it said it had formally asked the Attorney General of Malaysia for assistance in Switzerland's investigation.
It said the investigation related to possible bribery of foreign public officials, misconduct in public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement and that the criminal investigation involved two unnamed "former officials" of 1MDB and "persons unknown."
The statement came days after Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib of any criminal offenses or corruption, declaring that $681 million deposited into his personal bank account was a gift from Saudi Arabia's Royal Family.
Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing, and said the funds were a political donation and he did not take any money for personal gain.
The Malaysian Attorney General's office said on Saturday that it would take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with its Swiss counterpart, but said the investigations into donations made to Najib were entirely separate from those into 1MDB.
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball in Washington; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
By Jim Christie
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The outlook is so bleak for a bankrupt biotechnology company briefly led by controversial investor Martin Shkreli that its management should be replaced by an independent trustee, a government bankruptcy watchdog argued on Monday.
KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Inc , based in South San Francisco, California, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December just weeks after Shkreli was arrested for engaging in what U.S. prosecutors said was a Ponzi-like scheme at his former hedge fund.
The U.S. Trustee, an arm of the Justice Department that oversees bankruptcy administration, on Monday asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to consider putting KaloBios under a trustee or having the company's case converted to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
In a Chapter 7 case, a company is liquidated rather than reorganized as a going concern as in a Chapter 11 case.
KaloBios is down to nine employees, has no ongoing trials and has no significant ongoing operations, interim U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara said in court papers.
Additionally, a potentially pivotal deal to acquire a drug made by privately held Savant Neglected Diseases LLC is now off the table and KaloBios has only $2.9 million in unencumbered cash, Vara said.
"Investors, creditors, and parties in interest are now left to wonder whether KaloBios is the latest in Mr. Shkreli's series of allegedly fraudulent moves, and whether any of his actions 'taint' the company and its current prospects," Vara said.
KaloBios was not immediately available for comment.
Shkreli took control of KaloBios in November, saving the company from closing, and became its chief executive on Nov. 20.
He was arrested on Dec. 17 for an allegedly fraudulent scheme at his former hedge fund and at Retrophin Inc , a pharmaceutical company he previously headed.
On Dec. 29 KaloBios filed for bankruptcy, putting itself in the hands of a chief restructuring officer with the aim of developing a restructuring plan.
Shkreli had gained notoriety before his arrest when as chief executive of Turing Pharmaceuticals he raised the price of a drug used to treat a dangerous parasitic infection to $750 a tablet from $13.50.
He resigned as Turing's CEO on Dec 18.
The case is In re KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Inc., Case No. 15-12628 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
(Reporting by Jim Christie; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Albemarle receives permission to increase lithium brine extraction in Chile
The increase will enable the company to meet the accelerating demand for lithium, especially high purity lithium compounds required for the production of lithium batteries
The increase will enable the company to meet the accelerating demand for lithium, especially high purity lithium compounds required for the production of lithium batteries
Albemarle Corporation, one of the leading producers of lithium and lithium derivatives, has been granted approval by the Environmental Assessment Commission (CEA) of the Antofagasta Region to increase its currently authorised lithium brine extraction rate at the company's facility in the Salar de Atacama, Chile. The increase will enable the company to meet the accelerating demand for lithium, especially high purity lithium compounds required for the production of lithium batteries.
In addition, Albemarle has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Chilean Government defining the terms of a partnership for an increased lithium quota consistent with the principles and goals of the Lithium National Commission, as established in its final report issued in January 2015.
The MOU provides Albemarle with sufficient lithium to support the production, over a 27-year period, of 70,000 metric tonne (MT) annually of technical and battery grade lithium carbonate and 6,000 MT annually of lithium chloride at Albemarle's two manufacturing facilities in La Negra, Antofagasta, as well as at a third lithium carbonate facility that Albemarle will commit to construct under the MOU.
As per the terms of the agreement, Chilean Government will receive commission payments based on sales price per MT and Albemarle will extend research and development support for lithium applications and solar energy in Chile. In addition, the MOU provides Albemarle with an exclusive option for an additional lithium quota in connection with the development of lithium hydroxide production directly from brine.
Luke Kissam, president and CEO of Albemarle Corporation, said, This agreement will not only establish Chile as the global leader in the production of value-added lithium-based products, it provides economics that justify Albemarle's continued investment in the region. As a result, we will be better positioned to capture 50 percent of the growth in lithium applications and solidify our leadership position in the industry.
BS B2B Bureau
Shell to sell stakes in Malaysian refinery to MHIL for $ 66 mn
The company has sold the stakes in Shell Refining Company to Malaysian Hengyuan International as part of its strategy to concentrate on its global downstream business
The company has sold the stakes in Shell Refining Company to Malaysian Hengyuan International as part of its strategy to concentrate on its global downstream business
Shell has reached a conditional agreement with Malaysian Hengyuan International Limited (MHIL) for the sale of its 51 percent shareholding in the Shell Refining Company (SRC) in Malaysia for $66.3 million. It is MHILs intention for SRC to invest in the upgrades needed to meet the Euro 4M and Euro 5 requirements. The transaction is expected to complete in 2016, subject to obtaining regulatory approval.
Shell Malaysia Trading will ensure security of supply to its retail and commercial customers in Malaysia and honour other existing commitments through an existing comprehensive supply strategy that includes a long term offtake from Shell Refining Company.
The sale is consistent with Shells strategy to concentrate its global downstream footprint and businesses where it can be most competitive. Malaysia continues to be an important country for Shell, which is countrys leading retail fuels and lubricants provider.
Other recent downstream divestments include the sale of downstream businesses in Australia and Italy; a number of retail sites in the UK; and the initial public offering of, and further drop downs to, Shell Midstream Partners LP. Shell has also agreed the sale of its marketing business in Denmark and Norway, its LPG businesses in France and a 33.24 percent shareholding in Showa Shell Sekiyu KK.
BS B2B Bureau
The passing of all stages of the Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2015 officially took place yesterday. The bill has now been sent to President Higgins to be signed into law this week.
The Government claims the Credit Guarantee Scheme will help viable businesses which have been refused conventional bank credit facilities access a state-backed guarantee. When it was originally introduced the guarantee covered 75% of their loan. The borrower pays a 2% annual premium, which partially covers the cost of providing the guarantee.
Some 279 companies have availed of the Credit Guarantee Scheme since its inception and more than 45 million has been loaned to these companies right across the country. The Government estimates that these loans helped to create 1,142 new jobs and to maintain 907 existing jobs.
Some of the changes to the Credit Guarantee scheme now include broadening of the definition of lender in order to cover additional financial product providers such as lessors, invoice discounters and other non-bank financiers, as well as changing the definition of loan agreements to include non-credit products such as invoice finance and leasing, and to include overdrafts.
It also re-balances the level of risk between the State and the extended finance providers, with the State taking an 80% share, up from 75% previously.
The Minister for Business and Employment, Ged Nash yesterday commented, "This Bill therefore revisits and updates the 2012 Act to ensure that Irish firms have the full suite of supports necessary to compete and succeed, and that they can operate on a level playing field when compared to international competitors.
"I believe that this reformed and expanded legislation will play a significant role as time goes on, and help deliver the Action Plan for Jobs 2016s target of 200,000 net additional sustainable jobs by 2020 for the benefit of all."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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It was announced today that the merger of Paddy Power and Betfair to create Paddy Power Betfair PLC has completed.
The new company, which begins trading on both the London and Dublin stock exchanges this morning, has an opening market capitalisation of approximately 8.84bn (11.67bn) and a debt-free balance sheet on day one.
The stock will join the FTSE 100 index after the next constituent review in early March and will also be a constituent of MSCI European large-cap indices.
The combined equity value of the company has risen by approximately 77% since the merger proposal announcement on August 26th last.
Paddy Power Betfair will report earnings for the first time as a merged entity on March 8th. The figures will be reported in sterling and will cover calendar year 2015. As such, the statement will include detail on the divisional earnings breakdown at Paddy Power in the second half of 2015. The statement will also provide the market with Betfairs undisclosed earnings for the last two months of 2015.
Davy Stockbrockers have predicted the combined entity has the potential to be a global leader in online gaming. They predict that the group will deliver 27% compound annual earnings growth over the next three years.
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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Chopped, the health food company, have opened a new outlet on Grafton Street.
The new store is the first of six new Chopped outlets planned for the first half of 2016. This outlet, which will create 10 new jobs, will be followed by five other Chopped franchises across North County Dublin, South County Dublin and Dublin City Centre in the first half of 2016.
There are currently three wholly owned Chopped outlets in Dublin which include Baggot St, Ballsbridge and Fairview. In mid-November a Chopped Raw concession was opened in Stephens Green to serve Choppeds popular raw juices and smoothies.
The opening of Chopped Grafton Street brings the combined employment numbers to over 80 people.
Co-founder and Managing Director of Chopped, Brian Lee says, "This new Chopped outlet is situated in the heart of Dublin city centre on one of Irelands most famous and busiest streets.
"Were looking forward to providing everyone from tourists to students with the Chopped experience. More people want well-balanced, nutritious meals and we are passionate about providing everyone with the food they want."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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In Divorce, Am I Entitled to Half of My Spouse's Retirement?
When you got married you imagined that you and your true love would retire together in Florida after a long and fulfilling marriage. But things did not work out and now you and boo are splitting up your lives and cutting your losses.
Are you entitled of a share of the money that your spouse put into a retirement plan when you were together? And if so, how will you collect, considering the many years left before this plan is tapped?
Entitlements Vary
Whether you are entitled to a portion of your now ex-partner's retirement plan will depend on a few things. First, do you live in a community property state or one that follows equitable distribution laws?
In community property states -- Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin (and Alaska should the couple elect this form of distribution) -- all property acquired during the marriage is split in half. That includes money earned and saved in a retirement account.
If you live in a community property state, you are entitled to half of the money saved in a retirement plan during the marriage. But you are not entitled to just half of everything the other person ever earned, which means that if your spouse started saving decades before you met, you will not get half of the money earned before you married.
In equitable distribution states judges determine a fair distribution of assets based on a number of factors, including length of the marriage, spousal contributions, ability to earn in the future and more. You can't be sure that you will receive half of the money saved in a retirement account but you can certainly make arguments that you are entitled to as much.
QDRO Low Down
If you are getting divorced and are entitled to a portion of your spouse's retirement plan, this will be court ordered in a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). This allows an ex-spouse to collect funds from a retirement account. These orders are used to pay out the portion that is due either in the community property split or as spousal or child support. In other words, you don't have to wait until your spouse actually retires to receive the funds.
Talk to a Lawyer
If you are getting divorced, or are considering divorce, consult with an attorney to get an idea of what is ahead and what to expect. Many attorneys consult for free or no fee and will be happy to talk to you about your case.
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Irish Bioprinting company, Ourobotics, were celebrating this month after winning the inaugural SVOD Europe startup competition.
The Startup competition was held as part of the inaugural Silicon Valley Open Doors (SVOD) Europe conference, supported by Google and held at its European Headquarters in Dublin. The theme of the event was Unicorn vs Narwhal. Myth vs Reality and was held over two days, January 27th and 28th.
Ourobotics which is headed by Jemma Redmond has developed a bioprinter capable of printing limbs for use in medicine. Jemma pitched her business to a panel of US and local investors as well as industry experts from Western Europe and Silicon Valley.
Jemma will now attend and present at the Silicon Valley Open Doors conference in the United States on May 25th this year and she also wins Google Adwords credit to promote her business.
Israeli project Recast took second place, while Ukrainian project Wishround came in third in the competition. The event was attended by over 450 delegates with representatives from more than 50 VC funds in attendance.
Google Director, Paddy Flynn said, We strongly believe in supporting the Startup community and this event is another great opportunity for the Irish and European Startup community to connect with US and local investors and as a location Ireland is now seen as major tech hub and is very well placed with its US and European connections.
Source: www.businessworld.ie
Finalists from the Small Firms Association National Small Business Awards 2016 gathered yesterday at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin to showcase their businesses.
The event was open to the public and free to attend.
The Seven categories represented at the Showcase included: Outstanding Small Business (for up to five employees), sponsored by AIB; Manufacturing, sponsored by Energia; Food & Drink, sponsored by Bord Bia; Services, sponsored by Three; Innovator of the Year, sponsored by Enterprise Ireland; Small Business Exporter of the Year, sponsored by DHL Express and Sustainability, sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
Also in attendance were five new businesses (in operation for less than two years) that are showcased in the category of Emerging New Business, sponsored by IE Domain Registry.
The keynote speaker at the event was Rasmus Ankersen, best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker on performance development and trusted advisor to businesses and athletes around the world.
The Guest of Honour was Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton who commented, "Start-ups and SMEs are the backbone of the economy, employing hundreds of thousands of people and creating the majority of new jobs in Ireland.
"At the heart of our Action Plan for Jobs is supporting more small businesses to start-up, grow and create jobs, and in 2016 we will be implementing further measures on this front. I am delighted to be involved in this Small Firms Association event to celebrate the brilliant small businesses we have around the country."
SFA Chairman, AJ Noonan added, "The companies here today represent the very best in small business. They have proven to be resilient and forward thinking and I believe are an inspiration to us all."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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The median share price forecast of 31 analysts who raised price targets after Alphabet reported strong results on Monday was $924, suggesting that the company formerly known as Google could be valued at $628 billion in the next 12 months.
Apple, tracked by 49 analysts, would be valued at $748.5 billion, at the current median price target of $135.
A look at the most bullish price targets on the companies' shares shows that Alphabet is expected to be valued at $734 billion in the next 12 months, while Apple could hit $1.10 trillion - making it the first publicly listed company ever to be worth more than $1 trillion.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, an Apple investor, said in May that the iPhone maker was "dramatically undervalued" and should trade at $240 per share. At that price, the company would be valued at about $1.30 trillion.
Alphabet easily beat Wall Street's forecasts, helped by strong mobile advertising sales.
Alphabet's shares rose as much as 4.4 percent to $804.50 on Tuesday, valuing the company at $546.50 billion, making it the world's most valuable company - for now.
Apple shares fell 1.2 percent to $95.28, giving the company a market capitalization of $528 billion.
Alphabet, which rejigged its operating structure last year to separate its core Google business from its so-called "moonshots" also broke out results for these operations for the first time on Monday.
Sustaining the lead could be tough, though.
The two tech giants have long wrestled for the top spot, as the likes of IBM have declined.
Once allies, they fell out after Google launched its own Android mobile operating system in 2008.
Alphabet's stock has surged 43 percent in the past year.
Apple, on the other hand, has struggled due to softening demand for its signature iPhone, especially in China, and the apparent lack of another blockbuster product in its pipeline.
Apple's shares fell last week after the company reported disappointing results and have yet to recover.
Still Apple - whose stock has fallen about 18 percent in the past year - has an upcoming catalyst in the form of the iPhone 7 launch in September. That could spur sudden growth.
Alphabet is expected to gain more gradually from growth in mobile search and monetization of YouTube.
Apple shares trade at 10.59 times forward 12-month earnings versus Alphabet's 22.47, among the most expensive in the tech sector.
"We think the current re-rating in GOOGL shares is two-thirds of the way complete and is likely to grind to $1000+," Deutsche Bank analyst Ross Sandler wrote in a client note.
Sandler, the most bullish analyst on Alphabet, raised his price target on the stock to $1,080 from $900 on Tuesday.
Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White is the most bullish on Apple stock, with a target of $200. (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
French Finance Minister Michel Sapin on Tuesday ruled out striking a deal with Google over back taxes as the British government recently did with the U.S. internet giant.
"French tax authorities do not negotiate the amount of taxes owed, there is a discussion underway about which rules apply, that's perfectly legitimate," Sapin told journalists on the sidelines of a finance sector conference.
Sapin told the conference that the sums at stake in France were "far greater" than those in Britain, where Google reached a 130 million pound settlement for the period since 2005. (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
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LOGAN A 21-year-old Logan man accused of forcible sodomy has waived his right to a preliminary hearing and is expected to accept a plea deal, pleading guilty to a reduced charge.
Dakota Q. Knight appeared in 1st District Court Monday afternoon. His defense attorney told the court, they intended to waive the scheduled hearing. The waiver is conditional on the pending plea agreement that would reduce his charge to a second-degree felony of forcible sexual abuse.
The alleged assault was committed in October 2014. The defendant and victim were reportedly acquaintances at the time.
During Mondays hearing, state attorney Barbara Lachmar said prosecutors are awaiting the alleged victims approval on the suggested plea agreement. If the victim rejects the reduced charge, another preliminary hearing would be scheduled.
Knight was ordered to appear again in court February 29 when a judge will take his plea of guilty or not guilty.
will@cvradio.com
Shane Ogden, principal of Logan High School since 2012, announced his resignation on Monday. The resignation will take effect June 30. Ogden was awarded Administrator of the Year for the Logan School District as recently as 2014.
According to Logan City School District Superintendent Frank Schofield, Ogden wanted to pursue other interests that allowed him to spend more time with his family.
As he and I have visited, he has a young family and being a principal of a high school can make that challenging, Schofield says.
Schofield praised the energy and effort Ogden has dedicated to Logan High during his nearly four years at the position. As Logan High School undergoes a significant remodel and expansion, Ogden has been heavily involved in the design process and managing students and teachers during construction.
His involvement in the design process was critical, Schofield continues. The remodel has allowed us to address our community needs for decades to come. We look at the variety of opportunities after high school and the programs, and design that Principal Ogden helped us with, play a huge role to facilitate that.
Besides his involvement in the redesign of the school, Ogden was heavily involved in the One-to-One Initiative which launched this fall, giving each student a laptop computer.
Something that big, making sure every student gets a laptop, is going surprisingly well, Schofield continues. We are seeing kids taking a more active role in learning. Principal Ogden changed a paradigm with learning with these kids.
Ogden graduated from Utah State University in 1998 and moved into school administration in 2006, working in administrative capacities in Burley, Idaho and Rawlins, Wyoming before coming to Logan.
Ogden also received praise from Logan City School Board President Ann Geary.
Shane Ogden is a good man. He has taken on some tough issues at Logan High School, such as instituting an intervention hour to help struggling students and reducing student tardiness, Geary stated in a press release. He has been instrumental in creating the Logan High School of the future. That future builds on the excellence of the past and includes the implementation of laptop computers for each student and a high tech new building. He has admirably dealt with the challenges of educating a large student body during construction; ensuring that student safety is always at the forefront. I wish Shane and his family the very best!
The Logan City School District will immediately begin a search for Ogdens replacement. It is anticipated that the new principal will be named by the end of March.
We really appreciate the service of Principal Ogden and his family to Logan High, Schofield says. Well find someone who has a passion to keep Logan moving forward.
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Catalonia: Independence will not be a unilateral decision
Published on February 2, 2016
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The new Catalan government is already working on developing foundations for a future Catalan Republic, continuing the process initiated by its predecessor. However, both the national government and the opposition refuse to support this process.
Upon taking office, the new President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont stated that his government had no intention of unilaterally declaring independence.
During an interview with the Catalan public television channel, Puigdemont clearly said that the elections on the 27th of September indicated a need to set a course for establishing the foundations needed to guarantee the stable independence of Catalonia under its new Constitution: "If we do this right, the referendum for the Catalan Republic Constitution will give the opportunity to those who voted 'No', to now vote 'Yes'."
They have an 18-month period in which to complete the independence process. The deadline, established by former president Artur Mas during his election campaign, is now being put into perspective by his successor: "The deadline cannot act as a restraint. If we can accomplish our goals in this time, that's great, but if we need to extend it, that won't be a problem either."
Easy does it. That's the way the heir to Artur Mas wants to deal with things, and he has done so in a less belligerent manner than his predecessor. The goal of his presidency is "to do the right thing", to "provide every possible guarantee" and to keep an open communication with the central government through dialogue, a government that so far has stood resolutely against the independent process, discounting it as illegal.
The new Catalan government was put together more than three months after the elections of September 27th. President Puigdemont was invested on the last day possible under the law. A few hours later would have been enough to force Catalonia to return to the ballot box and elect a new government.
On the day of Puigdemont's investiture, he affirmed that Catalonia lies "between post-autonomy and independence". He understands that his team has the strength and legitimacy to commence the rupture, but also questions if, given the current parliament, he has enough strength to proclaim independence.
It seems the answer remains: "Not yet!" As he said in his interview with TV3: "We won't make a unilateral declaration of independence. It is not within our prerogative to do so."
A Foreign Affairs advisor for Catalonia
It's been a long time since Catalonia last demanded adherence to the Spanish Constitution from those it invested into public office. The independence issue is no exception, though it is likely to have much larger repercussions than usual, as not only the Catalan opposition but also the Central Government consider the process illegal and unconstitutional.
This omission is already being investigated by the State Attorney's Office, as there were absolutely no references to the constitution or to the Head of State in the proposals.
Similarly, there is not mention of either in the investiture of new councilmen. During the ceremony, President of Parliament and former political activist for the right to independence, Carme Forcadell, asks councilmen: "Do you promise to abide faithfully and according to the law, to the obligations you take on as councilmen, in honour of Catalonia and the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia?"
After answering, "I promise to do so," Puigdemont's advisors immediately began working on preparing Catalan institutions for independence.
The government of Catalonia is now clearly independent, integrating members of those parties who came together to run for election under the pro-independence coalition, Junts Pel Si. The party has made numerous transfers of personnel between its ministries, and has also created a new department within the Catalan government: Foreign Affairs.
Raul Romeva head of the lists for Junts Pel Si who has also been a member of the European Parliament for the Catalonia Greens (Iniciativa Catalunya Verds) for the past ten years will now work to avoid confrontation with the Government in Madrid, as well as any future Spanish government.
Up until now, these responsibilities were in the hands of a general secretary. This promotion comes as no surprise, since it reflects the Generalitat's intention to promote their separation from Spain on an international level.
After being sworn in, Romeva explained that Catalonia is "a society with much to offer to the rest of the world. As such, it's important not only to show what we can offer, but to gain affinities. We can be a great asset for both the European and international spheres." From now on, Romeva will act as the newly created Minister of Foreign Affairs, looking for international partners that support the independence project. So far, this attempt has proved fruitless.
In 2015, several Catalan diplomats visited countries such as the USA, Belgium, Sweden, Uruguay and Paraguay several of which have been slandered by resident Spanish diplomats. The Generalitat of Catalonia has established offices in (among others): New York, London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin. The most recent additions are in Rome and Vienna, created during Artur Mas' mandate. Catalonia also has a major network of regional overseas offices, mostly addressing language, culture and touristic matters.
Engaging in such overseas promotion forms part of new government guidelines. Since establishing a Constitution they have worked non-stop towards achieving the goal of independence. Attaining such a goal depends mostly on the new presidency and its main institutions.
It's worth noting that pro-independence parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Democracia i Llibertat (DiL, Artur Mas' former Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya) also carry important weight in ongoing negotiations to form a Spanish Parliament, each with 8 and 9 representatives respectively.
Today, Spain is undergoing effervescent political changes and the Independence issue, rather than being cast aside from state matters, is considered a key debate when it comes to the future of the country.
Story by Carolina Salvador Quiles
Translated from Declaracion unilateral no. Independencia si.
Coming into my last semester, I was beyond excited to finally live with my four best friends. I think to myself now, with little left of my ...
COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Eighth grader Marvin Brooks competes in a homeroom tug of war competition at Bishop Garriga Middle Schools Western Day-themed pep rally for National Catholic Schools Week on Monday.
SHARE COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Bishop Garriga Middle school students bow their heads in prayer during the schools Western Day-themed pep rally for National Catholic Schools Week on Monday. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Students compete in a homeroom tug of war competition at Bishop Garriga Middle Schools Western Day-themed pep rally for National Catholic Schools Week on Monday. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES St. Pius X Catholic School cheerleaders take part in a parade around the school celebrating National Catholic Schools Week on Monday. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Students cheer during a homeroom tug of war competition at Bishop Garriga Middle Schools Western Day-themed pep rally for National Catholic Schools Week on Monday.
By Courtney Sacco
Diocese of Corpus Christi schools celebrated National Catholic Schools Week on Monday with parades, pep rallies and other special events.
St. Pius X Catholic School held a neighborhood parade. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and port police marched alongside students as a Corpus Christi fire engine led the parade around the school.
Bishop Garriga Middle School hosted a Western Day-themed pep rally that afternoon. Students dressed in flannel competed in a tug of war competition.
National Catholic Schools Week, which runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States.
Twitter: @Caller_Courtney
Here's why the Nueces County judge race is one to watch
Here's everything you need to know about Nueces County's top race, including the candidates and their top campaign funders.
Hannah Overton
SHARE Andrew Burd
By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times
A "Dr. Phil" show episode featuring Hannah Overton whose 2007 capital murder conviction captured national attention will air at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Overton and her husband, Larry, went on the show to talk about the prison ministry she started last year after her conviction was overturned and the charge was dismissed.
The mother of five started a Bible study shortly after she arrived at a Gatesville prison to serve a life sentence. Members of her church, Calvary Chapel of the Coastlands, sent Bible studies and Christmas cards to other prisoners while proclaiming her innocence.
A jury convicted Overton of capital murder in the death of Andrew Burd, a 4-year-old boy she and her husband were in the process of adopting. Prosecutors and police argued that Overton force fed Andrew a mixture of spicy seasoning and water. The jury found her guilty because she delayed seeking medical care for the boy.
Defense lawyers sought to prove his death was accidental, caused by a rare medical condition that caused him to have high levels of sodium.
A promotional ad for the episode shows host Phil McGraw asking Overton questions about the boy's treatment, including where he slept and whether she was abusive.
After seven years in prison, the state's highest criminal court overturned her conviction in 2014 citing ineffective assistance of trial counsel and sent her case back to Nueces County for another trial. Last year, District Attorney Mark Skurka dropped the case against her.
Last year Overton started the nonprofit, Syndeo Ministries.
Syndeo is a Greek word meaning "bound." The ministry's mission comes from Hebrews 13:3 "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."
"That scripture was written to all believers. It wasn't just written to people that were actually bound with them, but in my case I was and I will never forget," Overton told the Caller-Times.
Last month, the Overtons were on a Chicago television station talking about the ministry.
Twitter: @CallerKMT
If you watch
What: Hannah Overton on the "Dr. Phil" show
When: 4 p.m. Tuesday
Where: CBS Ch. 10 KZTV
COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Defendant Travis Magill on the first day of arguments doing his trial Tuesday.
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By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times
A Nueces County jury rejected the theory that a man was defending himself when he shot two Corpus Christi police officers.
Travis Magill, 24, was convicted Tuesday of all four of the charges against him: two counts of attempted capital murder, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance methamphetamine.
During the weeklong trial, defense attorney Mark Stolley tried to convince a jury Magill reacted out of fear when he shot Officer Amador Gonzalez and fled in Officer Michael Scott Goodman's Tahoe on March 20, 2014. Both officers and Magill were struck by bullets in the shootout. Magill was caught after he crashed the Tahoe into a utility pole at the intersection of Everhart Road and Congressional Drive.
Stolley also argued Gonzalez not Magill shot Goodman.
Jurors deliberated about two hours. Attorneys started testimony in the sentencing phase and will continue Wednesday in 347th District Judge Missy Medary's court.
Police have said they were responding to residents' calls of a suspicious man in the neighborhood and attempted burglaries. Goodman stopped Magill because he matched suspect descriptions.
District Attorney Mark Skurka defended Gonzalez and argued Magill shot because he was in violation of several conditions of his probation, including possessing drugs and weapons.
"He knew his goose is cooked and there's only one way out," Skurka said to jurors before they started deliberating.
Magill previously rejected a plea deal for 50 years.
He can be given up to a life term in prison on the attempted capital murder charges and up to 2 years in a state jail for the other charges. At the minimum, Magill could be given probation.
He has seven previous misdemeanor charges, including having drugs and prohibited weapons. Since being in jail, he was charged with having a deadly weapon in a penal facility after officers discovered a blade that he whittled in his cell.
Twitter: @CallerKMT
Liberal Politics from the Heart of Bluegrass Country
SHARE COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Edward Elizondo who is charged with murder in the shooting death of Robert Lee Garcia sits in court Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.
By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times
Testimony will begin Tuesday in the trial for the first of four men charged with murder in a shooting behind Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial.
Lawyers selected a jury Monday for the trial of Edward Elizondo, 20, in 105th District Judge Jack Pulcher's court.
Elizondo is accused of fatally shooting 29-year-old Robert Lee Garcia on Aug. 9, 2014. Garcia was found dead under an outdoor stairwell in the 2200 block of Ruth Street. Police said Garcia had multiple shots to his upper body.
Elizondo is also charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and Corpus Christi police have him documented as a gang member.
Elizondo faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. He previously rejected a 20-year plea deal.
Gilbert Perez Jr., 21, Jessie Salazar, 20, and Albert Suarez Jr., 20, were also arrested on suspicion of murder and are expected to face trial after Elizondo. According to an arrest affidavit, Perez said he waited in the car as the three men confronted Garcia. One of the men took a gun from under the front passenger seat when Garcia pulled out a knife, according to an arrest affidavit.
Elizondo, the last to be arrested that month, was found by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in a San Antonio trailer park.
Twitter: @CallerKMT
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Imagine that your employer informs you that a 25 percent tax will be withheld from your paycheck, with that money going to help achieve world peace. While the sacrifice will be difficult, the cause is just and something you support, so you agree. You find out later, however, that yours is the only company that has taken this action. As a result, you are now at a significant competitive disadvantage among your neighbors, and sadly, there has been no progress toward world peace. You now realize that world peace isn't something you can achieve through unilateral action.
That is exactly what this country is doing in addressing climate change. Despite what the administration and others continue to say, the science of climate change is anything but settled. But even if you accept, without questioning, the arguments put forth by climate alarmists, the plans to address climate change supported by the Obama administration will have no measurable effect a fact the administration does not deny because it is in their own documentation supporting the EPA's Clean Power Plan.
It may feel good to believe you are doing something to address the issue of climate change. But the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan will drive up electricity costs by double-digit percentages, cost thousands of jobs, devastate local economies based on traditional fuels, and reduce property tax revenues essential for the operation of local governments and school districts.
Here's the problem:
The Clean Power Plan, according to the models supported by the EPA, will affect less than 0.18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the rise in the sea level by 0.016 of an inch and reduce global average temperatures by less than 0.02 of a degree C. Essentially the administration is demanding that every citizen and business absorb significant costs to accomplish what will be so small it cannot be measured.
We truthfully don't know whether all nations acting together can have a measurable impact on the climate. What we do know is that if programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are to be imposed, every nation must be part of the effort. Under the Paris Accord, designed to address climate change, China will continue to increase carbon emissions until 2030, and only then will consider a reduction. Without China and India and the other emerging nations willing to fully participate, the only result of this plan will be self-inflicted wounds on the U.S. economy. Americans will face lost jobs, lost income and huge utility bills, with minimal impact on the actual issue. That seems like a high price to pay.
The only real answer to reduced emissions is reduced power consumption. There are many ways that electricity use can be reduced through voluntary, free market means. Texas has been a leader in those efforts, but we need to continue their development. We also must continue to invest in fundamental research to find new ways to generate large amounts of power cleanly. Solar power and wind power have their place, but will only become relevant on a large scale when, and if, we can come up with new battery or other storage technology. We must advance our development of improved nuclear power technology. The development and deployment of standardized nuclear power plant design in Europe is a model that should be expanded to the U.S. not abandoned because of unreasonable fears that force us to consider only less cost-effective energy solutions.
This is one of those issues where there is not an immediate quick fix. We are going to have to be patient and let science and technology work at a careful and reasonable pace to find the best energy solutions instead of crippling our economy and becoming less competitive with the rest of the world.
Based in Singapore, Walsh will be responsible for driving and ensuring excellence in client service and product delivery for all clients.
Sean OBrien, CEO of Carat Asia Pacific, said Walsh has demonstrated an exceptional level of commercial acumen and management skills.
Under his leadership, he helped multiple clients achieve their digital ambition and built a strong digital community within the business, which reinforced the agencys digital credentials, O'Brien added. I look forward to another brilliant chapter of growth with Kevin as part of our leadership team here in Asia Pacific.
Walshs new role will see him working closely with OBrien in achieving business objectives. OBrien will continue in his role as CEO to steer growth and development of the agency and its people in Asia Pacific with support from Walsh.
Walsh was most recently chief digital officer at Carat Asia Pacific, where he spearheaded integrated and innovative digital solutions that helped clients achieve their business objectives.
Speaking to Campaign Asia-Pacific, Walsh said his focus will be on rolling out specific strategies to reinforce three key pillars: organic growth within existing clients, new business and staff development and training.
Asked about obstacles to overcome to achieve ambitions, he noted that the agency has great clients and great talent.
Were simply looking to evolve how we engage one with the other, something that makes complete sense as the way our industry continues to adjust, he added.
Walsh said that he has always been a great believer in big ideas, rooted in consumer insights that are well executed.
But if theres one thing Ive learnt is that you need fantastic client relationships to make this happen, he added. Its these relationships that create an environment for great work to flourish.
Walsh boasts 20 years of experience in media, of which 15 were focused on digital. Prior to Carat, he held various senior leadership roles including executive media director at NetX in Australia, managing director at [email protected] in both Sydney and Melbourne and managing director at iProspect Australia and subsequently, Asia Pacific.
He has worked on brands such as Visa International, MasterCard, Warner Bros, LOreal, P&G, IBM, Subaru, Nissan and Frieslandcampina.
The potent drug Fentanyl is widely used in medicine as a painkiller, and in anesthesia for major surgery. The intensely concentrated opiate is also a recreational street drug, with a growing number of addicted userssome of whom consume it together with chemically related opiates such as heroin.
Fusion profiles George Marquardt, an eccentric gadgeteer in Wichita, KS who became a career clandestine chemist. How important was he? When the feds finally nabbed Marquardt, the country's first "Fentanyl epidemic" dried right up.
Snip from the Fusion interview:
Fentanyl is so deadly that it's nearly impossible to cut or create safely in a clandestine setting. But someone was doing just that: It appeared to investigators that an enterprising individual had cracked the prescription's recipe in an illegal lab and was now selling his secret to drug dealers and other "cooks." They were right. Their man was a onetime science-fair champion and self-taught chemist in Wichita, Kansas, named George Marquardt. In an exclusive interview with Fusion, Marquardt now 69 and an ex-convict, barred by a court from touching laboratory equipment discussed his skills and his trade. "I am not a pharmacist," he said. "I am not an M.D. I'm a fellow that will manufacture a chemical compound if you have a sufficiently large quantity of money."
Marquardt explains to Fusion how wound up producing illegal drugs in the first place: he worked with a pal to produce heroin "using basic lab equipment and old chemistry manuals, some printed in German."
"I was perhaps about 14 or 15 years old at the time," he said. "This is not, you know, as remarkable as you might think," he added. "If you look through these old laboratory manuals, this is just chemistry. Put one step ahead of the next. You work up your products. And I became skillful at feeding one reaction into the other."
The Walter White of Wichita [Fusion]
| BY Ricki Green |
In September 2015, Welbourn OBrien (WO) won a competitive pitch to handle the national launch of the new range of premium classic mixers and heritage brand Bickford and Sons a sub-brand of the iconic South Australian brand Bickfords famous for its lime-juice cordial.
Leveraging the authenticity and tradition of the South Australian company which began as an apothecary and progressed to production of aerated beverages in 1874, the quirky campaign celebrates its rich history in making quality beverages. With a modern interpretation of the charm and sophisticated wit of the Victorian-era, the creative campaign complemented the stunning packaging created by the Bickfords design team and included animated web films, press, outdoor, point of sale, digital and social executions, sure to resonate with both retail consumer and trade audiences.
Says Beverley Reeves, brand manager, Bickfords Australia: Welbourn OBrien demonstrated a passion for the project from the outset, investing time and effort to understand the whimsical elements of the design and unique brand story to balance contemporary style with the business heritage. The commitment that they have shown to making our new range a success has provided an effective brand platform and strong awareness campaign for the launch.
Says Troy OBrien, WO: At a time when the desire for healthier, premium and traditional brands with local heritage is growing, consumers are sure to be taken by the tradition, craft and authenticity of the Bickford and Sons brand story. We believe everything has aligned to enable the brand to capture a strong share of the fast growing adult flavor segment within the carbonates market.
Says Josh Welbourn, WO: The team was honored to have the opportunity to show the agencies wares on a national stage for a truly iconic South Australian brand like Bickfords.
| BY Ricki Green |
Kiwis on board are the latest voice in the local refugee campaign calling for the government to at least double its refugee quota. The campaign has been created by filmmakers Arani Cuthbert and Felicity Morgan-Rhind (Exit).
The #kiwisonboard campaign officially launched on Saturday the 23rd, with a concert in Aucklands Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter. The concert is to show support for the recent arrival of Syrian refugees, raise money for the New Zealand Red Cross, and send a clear message to the government: New Zealand can, and should, do much more. At the very least double our current quota, which has not changed in nearly 30 years.
Kiwis On Board was the result of a trip to the Greek Island of Kos, by filmmakers Cuthbert and Morgan-Rhind (Exit). Shocked by the desperation of refugees fleeing conflict and arriving on the island, they returned home determined to do something. A few weeks later, over dinner with kiwi journalist Kim Vinnell who herself had just returned from conflict zone reporting, the three hatched a plan. They would create videos showing the positive impact refugees have had on New Zealand for decades, in a bid to engage kiwis in the conflicts happening right now. From there the fund-raising concert idea was born, and thousands of ordinary kiwis have come on board.
Says Morgan-Rhind: Our aim is to raise awareness. Raise the refugee quota. And ultimately raise New Zealands profile as a country, which really cares.
Says Cuthbert: These are desperate times. We believe most New Zealanders support us taking in more refugees, its time our government listened and responded with alternative entry options and funding to support refugee re-settlement, which afterall is an investment in the future of our country most refugees contribute far more than they take and make NZ a richer place to live.
Human Rights Commissioner Susan Devoy hosted a nationwide refugee alliance meeting on the 21st January, where the consensus from attending refugee agencies was that NZ must urgently double its quota. This call is being endorsed by all the main church organisations, New Zealand Red Cross, Amnesty International and Save Our Children. The meeting was convened by Tracey Barnett, a journalist well versed in the issue, and an active refugee advocate.
The concert was hosted by Oscar Kightley with performances by Neil Finn, The Topp Twins, the Jubilation choir, Hopetoun Brown, Thomas Oliver and others.
Full details can be found at www.kiwisonboard.co.nz.
| BY Ricki Green |
Aussie Farmers Direct (AFD), a decade-long, national trailblazer in home delivery of fresh food has unveiled a fresh new look to better reflect its standing in the competitive online grocery market via Melbourne agency R-Co and Akkomplice.
AFD has been delivering fresh food from the farm-gate straight to the front door to over 100,000 Australians for the past ten years. It recently won the inaugural Canstar Blue award for Most Satisfied Customers Online Groceries Fresh Food.
CEO Keith Louie said AFDs brand equity and commitment to quality produce and customer service remained as strong as ever.
Says Louie: Aussie Farmers Direct provides a fresher, fairer, better alternative to supermarkets for people who care about where their food really comes from.
While our branding has been updated, our business philosophy and values remain unchanged. We have an overarching commitment to support Aussie farmers by stocking only locally grown produce, paying fair farm-gate prices, and offering a convenient and free doorstep delivery service.
As the big two supermarkets continue a relentless push to drive down prices and put Australian farmers under pressure, the need for Aussie Farmers Direct is greater than ever.
Our business and the online grocery market have evolved significantly over the past ten years and we thought the time was right to better reflect our positioning in the industry, he said.
Aussie Farmers Direct will be rolling out the new imagery and branding across all company assets in 2016 including a new website, logo, delivery boxes, merchandise and vans.
Louie said the rebranding of Aussie Farmers was anchored to its four pillars policy of: purpose, quality, convenience and value.
Says Louie: We are determined to drive a fair deal for Aussie farmers and shoppers and we are committed to helping secure a healthy, sustainable future for Australian farming. Our customers can be confident we offer great value for money, while ensuring a fair price to farmers and producers.
We source only genuinely great quality food from well run Australian producers. We constantly innovate our service to ensure we are the most flexible, intuitive and customer-focused online food retailer.
As protests continue over the death of Mario Woods, who was shot and killed by an SFPD cop in December, the Justice Department announces it will conduct a "comprehensive review" of the San Francisco Police Department.
A cellphone video of the police killing the 26-year-old black man was released online in December, and widely viewed. Protests in San Francisco followed, and have continued. On Saturday, hundreds marched in the SF streets, calling for San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr to be fired.
In another recent incident separate from the Mario Woods shooting death, a group of SFPD officers sent homophobic and racist text messages to one another.
From Reuters:
A group of anti-Choice extremists have come to Washington, DC to protest at the site of a future Planned Parenthood office, but because they are barred from the Planned Parenthood site, they've set up camp at a nearby charter school, with gory banners and scary chants, and they've devoted themselves to terrorizing the school's pre-K to fifth graders in a bid to get the school to join them in campaigning against Planned Parenthood.
It's a bizarre campaign, even for the anti-Choice religious right, but then, the out-of-towners camping out at the Two Rivers Charter School is a bizarre lot, including in their number Robert Weiler Jr, "an unrepentant domestic terrorist" who was sentenced to five years after being caught planning to shoot and bomb a Maryland abortion clinic police seized his pipe-bomb (his blog is called "Contraception is Murder").
The school has tried to minimize the impact of the protesters on their small children, allowing kids to enter the building through a side-entrance in an alleyway, and the extremists followed them there, shouting at them and shoving their photoshopped gore-signs in the faces of very small children. Some of the protesters have hired Liberty Counsel, the lawyers who represented Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, to argue for their legal right to attack the school as a proxy for the future Planned Parenthood building.
Weiler has stood outside Two Rivers to protest at least twice, school officials claim. Once he held a giant sign that read: "Two Rivers Hates Free Speech." Most of his co-defendants in the injunction have tried to distance themselves from Weiler, but a quick social media search shows that a few are at least Facebook friends and have had contact prior to the beginning of the Two Rivers protests. Currently only two of the protesters have lawyered up: Larry Cirignano and Ruby Nicdao. Cirignano is the Virginia state director of American Catholics for Religious Freedom and the holder of the "Not 4 Sale" sign at the school. He's being represented by Liberty Counsel. You may have heard of Liberty Counsel, as they also represent Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Liberty Counsel has stated that they believe there are no valid claims against their client, but are shocked that the school would "allow the horrors of the abortion practice" nearby.
Inside the Bizarre War Anti-Abortion Zealots Are Waging Against School Kids
[Matt Ramos/Broadly]
(via Skepchick)
"There are many advertisements of buyers offering high prices for fats. Reuters' Amsterdam correspondent states that the German minister of commerce has instructed local authorities throughout the country to prohibit the once popular slaughter feasts, at which farmers kill fatted swine."
For Email Newsletters you can trust
020216 Buka Chiefs want compensation stopped,
By Joe. Elijah
Chiefs from the 6 Districts of the Northern Region of Bougainville, are calling on their people to be considered in asking for compensation from companies bringing in Development in their areas.
The call comes from a news article put out by New Dawn FM last week, for the people and community of Hagogohe Constituency who have agreed in a sign agreement not to ask for any compensation from PNG Power and ABG when PNG Power erect power poles in their constituency.
The Chiefs say they fully support the idea by the ABG Member for Hagogohe, Hon Robert Hamal Sawa, for coming up with such an idea to bring tangible development in his constituency. They say if Hagogohe constituency can ask its people not to ask for any compensation of any kind, why other constituencies dont learn from this and do the same.
Last week pace two of the 12 kilometer rural electricity program which covers Pikete village assembly to Salasa village assembly was launched at Hagogohe, a jointly announcement by PNG Power Manager for Bougainville Mr. Cornelius Omi and Hagogohe Constituency ABG Member Hon Sawa, that no claims of any such would be entertained
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 []
020216 Climate Change and Development Authority Officials visit New Dawn FM Station
By Joe. Elijah
A high Powered delegation from the office of the Climate Change Development Authority in Port Moresby today paid a surprised visit to a Bougainville Local Radio Station New Dawn FM.
Both Officers from the Climate Change office in Port Moresby, Emma Jil and Iki Peter are in the Region to officially witness the launching and presentation of the Carterets Community project materials.
New Dawn FM Management invited the two officers to go on air live, and tell the people of Bougainville all about change Climate Change and its roles and objectives and what it can do for the people of Bougainville.
After the visit both officers were taken for a tour around the station to see what and how New Dawn FM can do in terms of assisting and disseminating of vital information in any natural disaster or other Climate Change situation that may occur in the future.
Ms Emma JIL thanked New Dawn FM on behalf of Climate Change, she said both officers were really impressed with what gear and man power available on the ground, they will now open discussions to try and help the people of Bougainville using what means and ways to disseminate information on the ground here in Bougainville.
Ends
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.
020216POLICE MINISTER WANTS THE ROADBLOCK REMOVED
By Aloysius Laukai
The ABG Minister for Police, Correctional Service and Justice, WILLIE MASIU is calling on the people of AITA to remove the road block in their village.
He told New Dawn FM this morning that he had spoken to the member for the area, THOMAS KERIRI to tell his people to remove the road block that they set up following the hit and run incident at their village yesterday.
He said that the matter was already with the Police they should not take the law into their own hands and harass the travelling public.
MR. MASIU said that he will be meeting with the people of AITA tomorrow to further discuss the problem.
According to reports gathered by New Dawn FM a youth was hit by a 3rd vehicle in a convoy of cars travelling to Buka yesterday.
The driver surrendered to Buka Police after the incident.
Ends
Applications are invited by Banaras Hindu University (BHU). BHU is looking out for various teaching and non-teaching posts. Details of the this recruitment is listed below.
Name of the post and Number of posts Vacant in BHU
Name of the Posts:
1. Assistant Registrar- 3 Posts
2. Medical officer (Anaesthesia)- 2 Posts
3. Medical officer (PSM)- 1 Post
4. Medical officer (Obst. & Gynea.)- 1 Post
5. Medical officer (MM)- 1 Post
6. Medical officer (Prasuti Tantra)- 1 Post
7. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Hindi, CHGS (K)- 1 Post
8. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Hindi, CHBS (K)- 1 Post
9. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Psychology CHBS (K)- 1 Post
10. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Geography, CHBS (K)- 1 Post
11. Pracharya (Principal) , Shri Ranveer Sanskrit Vidyalaya (K)- 1 Post
12. Staff Nurse , S.S. Hospital- 35 Posts
13. Radiological Safety Officer, Department of Radiotherapy & Radiation Medicine- 1 Post
14. Dy. Medical Superintendent (MM), Sir Sunderlal Hospital- 1 Post
15. Nursing Superintendent, Sir Sunderlal Hospital- 1 Post
16. Medical Officer, Sir Sunderlal Hospital- 1 Post
17. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Physics , Central Hindu Boys School (K)- 1 Post
18. Assistant Teacher (PRT), Central Hindu Girls School (K)- 4 Posts
19. Technical Assistant (Typography), Dept. of Applied Arts, Fac. of Visual Arts- 1 Post
20. Technical Assistant (MRI), SSH- 1 Post
21. Sterilization Assistant, SSH- 1 Post
22. Lift Operator, SSH- 1 Post
23. Stretcher Bearer, SSH- 1 Post
24. Principal- 2 Posts
25. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in English- 1 Post
26. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Mathematics- 1 Post
27. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Commerce/Accountancy (Reserved for OH)- 1 Post
28. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Sanskrit- 1 Post
29. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in English- 1 Post
30. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Mathematics- 1 Post
31. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Hindi- 1 Post
32. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Home Science- 1 Post
33. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in Hindi- 1 Post
34. Assistant Teacher (PGT) in yakaran/Sahitya- 1 Post
35. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Vyakaran- 1 Post
36. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Jyotish- 1 Post
37. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Sahitya- 1 Post
38. Assistant Teacher (TGT) in Veda- 1 Post
39. Jr. Assistant (Medical Record)- 1 Post
40. Ward Sahayak/ Sahayika- 22 Posts
41. Care Taker Grade - I- 1 Post
42. Care Taker Grade - I- 1 Post
43. Laboratory Attendant- 4 Posts
Who is Eligible for Teaching and Non-Teaching Jobs at BHU?
Educational Qualification: Candidates who interested to apply for the above job need to posses either graudation or post graduation degree also a diploma holder is applicable for these posts. But one needs to be sure that they have the qualification in the relevant field.
Selection Procedure: Candidates interested in the above job must be aware of the selection process of this organisation. Candidates will be asked to give written exam which will be followed by an interview. These two factors determines the selection of the candidate
How to Apply?
Candidates who are interested to apply for the above mentioned jobs must see that they are eligible for this job. Once they find themselves eligible they can apply for this job through post in a prescribed format. Do not forget to send the applications along with other necessary documents. This application should reach before the last submission date given below
Important Date:
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.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the intention of Chinas Dongfeng Motor to take a stake in PSA Peugeot-Citroen . Until that deal is official, the Asian carmaker has announced a new joint venture with Renault, Frances other major automaker.
Renault and Dongfeng Motor will invest 870 million ($1.2 billion) to build cars in a new plant in Wuhan, China . The facility will have an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles annually, with the potential for a double output in the near future. The first vehicles from their joint-venture will roll off the assembly line in 2016.
Located in the capital of the Hubei province, the plant will cover a total area of 95 hectares and will lead to the creation of 2,000 new direct jobs. Called Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC), the new 50/50 joint venture company has been granted final approval by the National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC) on December 2.
At first, the plant will manufacture crossover vehicles under the Renault brand, but plans also include a range of products under a local brand at a later stage. Renault has been present on the Chinese market with imported cars such as Koleos and Fluence. This year, Renault expects sales to exceed 30,000 in China, especially thanks to the success of Koleos. Renault is also developing its dealer network, which will grow from 92 outlets in 2013 to 120 by 2016.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
With 652,000 vehicles delivered, last year has been a very good one for Lexus.
The Japanese brand recorded a 12 percent increase in global sales compared to 2014, with Europe being its most improved market.
In total, it sold around 64,000 units in the Old Continent, a 20 per cent rise over 2014. Sales in Western Europe spiked by 31 per cent while China saw an increase of 14 per cent totaling approximately 88,650 cars.
North America remained the companys largest market where 368,000 vehicles found new homes, a 12 per cent improvement from 2014. Lexus is also enjoying increased demand for hybrid vehicles with approximately 23 per cent of its total sales (~149,000 vehicles) being hybrids.
Company execs credit the all-new RC and NX as well as the recent introductions of the improved ES, RX and LX models for the brands success.
Discussing the results, executive vice president at Lexus International Mark Templin said: 2015 was an amazing year for Lexus International. In addition to the new and redesigned models in our stable, we began rolling out our most advanced vehicle safety portfolio Lexus Safety System +, and began ES production in North America. Our entire vehicle line-up design has evolved to be more bold and emotional, and our brand initiatives are resonating as an extension of the Lexus ownership experience. We appreciate luxury consumers taking notice and honoring us with a fourth straight year of double digit percentage growth.
PHOTO GALLERY
The Japanese automaker will attend this years Geneva Motor Show with three different vehicles.
If you were expecting a true successor of the Lancer Evolution that will continue the legendary battle with Subarus WRX STI, then you will be disappointed, because Mitsubishis idea of the future doesnt seem to focus in this direction.
One of the models to be introduced at the Swiss event is the eX Concept, a compact SUV originally presented last year in Tokyo. The study, which previews the companys new design language, has an electric powertrain paired with AWD and promises a range of up to 248 miles (399km).
The other two vehicles, which will be unveiled on March 1 by Mitsubishi, are two all-new show cars, based on the new L200 and 2017 ASX. These blend traditional Mitsubishi Motors SUV credentials with striking designers outfit and carry bright orange accents, mid-grey livery and black alloy wheels.
Mitsubishi didnt provide other details on its two show cars yet, as it is keeping them a surprise for the Swiss show, but apparently this isnt the only ace up the manufacturers sleeve for 2016 because its SUV lineup will reportedly expand with the addition of a new model.
The vehicle, which is currently unnamed, was hinted by a Mitsubishi exec last November, who said that the gap between the Outlander Sport / ASX and Outlander needs to be filled. Rumor has it that the upcoming SUV will make it into production towards the end of this year, with design elements borrowed from the eX Concept.
PHOTO GALLERY
The VW Group is expanding its SUV lineup and after Skoda announced its VisionS Concept for Geneva, its Spanish cousin will attend the same event with a compact model.
Seats first ever SUV will be based on the Leon hatchback with Autocar Autoexpress now reporting that it will be called the Ateca instead of Aran, as previously thought. The name was apparently trademarked in November 2015, along with the Teqta, Conqera, Teroqa and Formentera.
Visually speaking, the vehicle will be similar to its hatchback brother and unlike the 20v20 design study, shown last year, which offered a second preview after the 2011 IBX Concept, it lost its sloped roofline and was adapted for production, as a leaked image revealed.
Similarities with the Leon should be found in the engine lineup too, which is expected to gain TSI and TDI petrol and diesel units and even a Cupra version. Powertrains will be connected to six-speed manual and DSG transmissions, which will send power to the front or all four wheels, depending on the model.
The Seat Ateca SUV will target the Nissan Qashqai, but a smaller model might be introduced as a Juke rival. Development will apparently continue with a larger seven-seat SUV.
PHOTO GALLERY
Lewis and Brown are two of the five props in the Wales squad for the upcoming Under-20 Six Nations, which gets underway on Friday evening.Wales finished fourth in last year's edition of the tournament and open up their 2016 campaign away to Ireland in Donnybrook.Newport Gwent Dragon Brown, 19, and 20-year-old Cardiff Blue Lewis could both feature in that game as they look to cement their burgeoning reputations.And while he believes the entirety of the Wales Under-20 pack will do some serious damage, Horsman is particularly effusive about his front-rowers."I think the most exciting part of it for me is the front row, particularly looking at the props," Horsman told the Principality WRU podcast."I can't remember coming across a group of five props as talented as they are and that doesn't include players we've left out of the squad."I think there is a great group of props there but the two names that really stand out are Dillon Lewis and Leon Brown."As an ex-tighthead myself, it's incredibly exciting to be working with them. You've also got [Kieron] Assiratti and then [Corey] Domachowski and Rhys [Fawcett] as looseheads but I'm particularly thinking about Brown and Dillon."Dillon is transitioning into the senior game and doing very well but I don't think I've ever come across two such potentially talented individuals."Sometimes we get a bit shy about saying 'look at these guys'. They've still got a lot to learn but I think potentially we're looking at two fantastic players there."
No, its not a Top Gear Special, but Porsches newest promo for the 718 Boxster.
The German brand may have been inspired by Jezzas Race against the Sun from a few years ago, when the former Top Gear presenter took on the rotation of the Earth in a Jaguar XJ, but who are we to judge, especially when the new four-cylinder turbo mill is put to the test.
Porsches new video opens up the world in unexpected, thrilling ways, as the automaker states, to prove that four cylinders can be enough for a modern couple to enjoy lifes simplest pleasures, even if these might be watching the sunset twice or more in the same day.
With 296hp and 380Nm of torque squeezed from a 2.0-liter unit, the base 718 Boxster needs 4.7 seconds to reach 100km/h (62mph), with the optional PDK and Sport Chrono Package. The 718 Boxster S has 345hp and 420Nm of torque from a larger 2.5-liter engine and drops the acceleration time to 4.2 seconds, again, equipped with the same kit.
Porsche unveiled the 718 Boxster last week and it will arrive in the United States, this June, priced from $56,000 in base form and from $68,400 in S guise.
VIDEOS
Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata has declined to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that hands out the Oscars.
An associate of Takahata said the reason for the 80-year-old Japanese animation legends refusal to join was being too busy at work, according to a translated news report from Anime News Network. Its an odd reason given that it takes very little effort to be an Academy member, especially since members dont even watch the films they vote on. (Last year, one Academy member publicly dismissed Takahatas Kaguya as a Chinese fuckin thing.)
In a year when the Academy is in full meltdown mode after an outcry over the organizations lack of diversity and representation, Takahatas rejection of the American film organization can be interpreted in other ways as well. After all, he was invited to join the Academy only last June, after being nominated for The Tale of Princess Kaguya, despite having enjoyed a 45-year career as one of Japans preeminent animation directors. This slight is similar to how the Academy has treated other non-white artists in the film industry, such as African-American actress Ruby Dee, who was not invited to join for the first 48 years of her illustrious acting career.
Photo: CTV
A flight from Vancouver to Hawaii aborted its takeoff, Monday, due to a blown tire.
The WestJet flight was bound for Maui.
First responders and cabin crew offloaded passengers on the runway, and they were taken back to the YVR terminal by bus.
No injuries were reported.
YVR's south runway was closed during the incident, while arrivals and departures were rerouted to the airport's north runway.
An airport spokesperson said no flights were delayed because of it.
Passengers on board the airliner were to depart for Hawaii on another aircraft this afternoon.
with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet
Coun. Rusty Ensign has been found to have been in conflict of interest over a West Kelowna development project.
City council made the determination during a special meeting, Monday.
Council voted unanimously to censure Ensign, then took the steps to impose two sanctions on the first-term councillor.
It was unanimously decided to ask Ensign to pay half the legal costs incurred by the city relating to the censure process and to ask for a formal, written apology.
Ensign voted in favour of all three motions.
While he is not required by law to abide by either request, Ensign said he would do both.
"Absolutely, I plan on doing them. As a first-time councillor, on one hand I should have known better. But it's a learning curve for me," Ensign said following the meeting.
"I made a mistake, I admitted it, and I'll be happy to write the letter and want to make it right by paying half the legal bills."
The legal bills amounted to a little more than $2,400 by the middle of January. Those costs do not include the cost of flying the lawyer up from Vancouver or his hourly rate, for Monday's meeting.
The issue came to light late last year when the city received an action plan from the developer of West Bay. The plan, which was submitted after council gave third reading of OCP and rezoning bylaws, indicated Ensign's company had been hired to provide demolition services for the project.
It turned out, the assertion was incorrect. However, it was determined Ensign had contacted the owner of the property a week later inquiring about the bidding process and asking his company be considered.
"I'm not disputing the fact I was in a conflict of interest," said Ensign, who apologized to council for putting it in this situation.
"Once there was an ongoing conflict, I declared a conflict and removed myself from the discussions. I never did breach conflict of interest rules. If you do that, then you can be disqualified from office."
Ensign said he never broke the law. He said at no time did he vote on the project after making contact with the developer.
During the hearing process, Ensign provided emails and documentation showing a time line that contradicted what the city presented in its report. He took issue with portions of the city report, calling it less than impartial.
One item that he asked to be removed was the line: "However, it was also noted, per the attached letter as Schedule 3 that Coun. Ensign did discuss the contract with the current owner but still decided to participate in the discussion related to the OCP and zoning bylaws."
He vehemently denied the allegation.
"This concludes I was in a conflict. This is a public document ... I don't think it was neutral," said Ensign.
"It's almost like the judge saying you're guilty before the hearing, and I needed to stand up for myself."
There is no time frame for Ensign to make good with the requests made of him.
From the findings of their survey Angus Reid put all Canadians into four categories, based on their satisfaction with life The Golden Oldies, the Lonely Hearts, the Harried with Kids, and the Unhappy.
Most Canadians that responded, 63 per cent, said theyre pretty happy with how things are in their lives these days.
While an even larger majority said they were satisfied with a variety of aspects of the lives, from their relationships with their families (83 per cent) to their health (71 per cent).
As their name implies, the Golden Oldies are the oldest segment, and also the happiest.
People in this group tend to be satisfied with everything and not particularly worried about the future, states Angus Ried.
The Lonely Hearts also contain a large proportion of older respondents, especially in comparison to segments other than the Golden Oldies. But while this group shares the Golden Oldies satisfaction with money and a lack of stress. The Lonely Hearts are less satisfied with their relationships, and especially their love lives.
By contrast, the Harried with Kids are a considerably younger group. Theyre satisfied with their love lives and their relationships, but theyre dissatisfied with their stress levels and their financial situations.
For all their differences, however, these three groups are generally happy with life.
The same could not be said of the Unhappy, a majority of whom are dissatisfied with every measure of life satisfaction canvassed in this survey.
This group has almost exactly the same age makeup as the Harried with Kids, but tends to have lower income and lower rates of employment and home-ownership, each of which could contribute to the groups pervasive feeling that its not too happy with life, says Angus Reid.
Regardless a solid majority of Canadians responded that theyre pretty happy, four-in-five (80 per cent) say theyre either very or somewhat satisfied with their overall quality of life.
On this question, the Unhappy were again the outliers. While the other three segments see enough positives in their lives to say theyre satisfied overall, the Unhappy are almost as overwhelmingly dissatisfied (57 per cent somewhat; 23 per cent very):
A related question asked respondents whether they agree or disagree with the statement My life so far has turned out better than I expected.
On this question, there is more variation among the segments, with the Golden Oldies decidedly in agreement (82 per cent agree) and the Unhappy their mirror opposite (82 per cent disagree).
Despite the general satisfaction with life, all groups had concerns about their finances, and specifically their ability to have enough money to make it through retirement.
You can read the full study here.
Photo: YouTube
It's universally accepted that parents want to die before their children, but outliving Cecilia Laurent has proven difficult.
Laurent is believed to have turned 120 on Sunday and is possibly the world's oldest person.
Her 28-year-old great-grandson, Ronald Chery, says only three of Laurent's 12 children are still alive, with the eldest in her 80s.
But that doesn't make Laurent too sad, he said.
"She says to keep faith in God," Chery explained. "And don't ask too many questions."
Guinness World Records, however, is quite curious about Laurent, who moved to Quebec from Haiti in 2010 after the country's earthquake.
She lives in Montreal-area Laval with her family, including Chery, who said he couldn't help but contact Guinness and send the London-based organization copies of Laurent's passport and birth documentation.
He said Guinness employees are currently on a fact-finding mission in the Caribbean nation to confirm the date of her birth, which her family swears is Jan. 31, 1896.
If authenticated, Laurent will be named the oldest person alive, he said.
She is also receiving plenty of attention from other sources.
"Not everyone lives until 120 and on top of that she is Haitian," said Kurdy Lareche, Haiti's Montreal-based consul general who helped throw her a birthday party at the consulate.
Many members of Montreal's Haitian community showed up, as well as representatives from the city and the police department.
"She is well-known in the community," Lareche said. "Everyone loves her and wants to get to know her. She still has a vivid memory and for us she is quite the character."
When Haiti's foreign minister recently visited Quebec, a trip to see Laurent was a must, Lareche said.
Chery said his phone rings regularly from people across the country who want to speak to her and "find out the secret" to longevity.
He said Laurent's answer is God, adding she prays for several hours consecutively, every Friday.
"When you obey the word of God and you respect everyone, he will guide you and will give you more life," Chery said Laurent regularly tells him. "She knows if it's the will of God you will pass away tomorrow morning."
Additionally, Chery says "all-natural" food and cartoons have also helped his great-granny stay healthy.
"She loves eating but all-natural food, no chemicals for her at all," he said.
The family also keeps Laurent away from the daily news as well as movies so they don't upset her, he said, adding "we prefer to let her watch cartoons."
Laurent also gets regular visits from people in the community, Chery said.
When kids come over the first thing she asks them is if they have finished their homework, he said.
"She says: 'I appreciate you coming to see me, but have you finished your work?'"
Photo: Contributed - BC Government - Flickr
Premier Christy Clark says her primary focus in an upcoming trip to Ottawa will be to bolster British Columbia's position as the top-ranking provincial economy in the country.
Clark is slated to meet with federal government officials this week to discuss support for various B.C. industries and how the new Liberal government can strengthen her province's economic performance.
She describes B.C.'s economy as a bright spot that is growing at nearly double the rate of the rest of the country.
A statement from the Ministry of Natural Gas Development says the province is expected to lead the country in economic growth this year and next.
Clark predicts B.C. will soon begin making the largest per-capita contribution to Canada of any province.
Industries she expects to bring up during this week's sessions include the province's thriving technology economy, the fast-growing garment sector as well as the topic of liquefied natural gas.
Clark has long touted B.C.'s potential as a global LNG powerhouse.
Her government continues to push forward with controversial plans for a multibillion-dollar natural-gas export terminal on the province's north coast.
"My job is to go to Ottawa and make sure that they do everything they can to continue to support what we're doing creating jobs in B.C., so that we can continue to make our contribution to Canada," she says.
"We're happy to do it, but we need the federal government's help to get there."
Clark says she isn't concerned about pending changes to the federal government's environmental approval process for oil and gas projects derailing Pacific NorthWest's proposed LNG export terminal off Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, B.C.
"(The timeline) is really the most important part," she says, adding that she isn't concerned about the outcome of the review process.
"I would only have been concerned if I thought it was going to extend the timeline. They've said that it's not and I'm happy about that."
B.C.'s Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman is also in Ottawa this week.
He said earlier that he is unfazed about the possible implications of new federal regulations on Pacific NorthWest's $36-billion LNG initiative, which is backed by Malaysia's state-owned energy giant Petronas.
Coleman said he expected the Canadian Environment Assessment Agency to release its draft report within weeks on whether to grant conditional approval to the project and a decision from the federal cabinet by late March on final approval.
Coleman is scheduled to meet with his federal counterpart, Jim Carr, as well as federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna.
A statement from the Natural Gas Development Ministry says the trip will take place from Wednesday to Friday. Besides provincial politicians and government officials, the delegation will include more than 80 representatives from some of B.C.'s priority sectors, including forestry, tourism, construction, technology, apparel and film.
The agenda will include a B.C. Jobs Roundtable and discussions around investment in jobs training for the LNG sector. B.C. has earmarked $3 billion over the next 10 years to develop the skills needed to capitalize on LNG-related jobs, says the statement.
The ministry estimates industry has invested $20 billion in LNG development to date, and that B.C. stands to benefit from 100,000 jobs if five export facilities are built in the province.
B.C. Environment Minister Mary Polak is also in Ottawa meeting with federal politicians this week.
Photo: Twitter
A young woman was pinned under a truck in an Abbotsford collision, Monday.
The pickup had been involved in a hit and run just minutes before the 19-year-old pedestrian was struck.
The woman was hit on Cardinal Avenue about 4:30 p.m.
She suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a Vancouver-area hospital.
Shortly before the incident, Abbotsford police say the same truck hit another vehicle on Automall Drive and sped away from the area. There were no injuries in the first collision.
The pickup driver stayed at the scene of the second crash, in which the truck went up on the sidewalk and into the front yard of a home.
Witnesses to either collision are asked to call police at 604-859-5225.
with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Contributed - Insurance Bureau of Canada
Perceived public apathy towards the threat of a major earthquake off Canada's west coast hasn't stopped governments across southwestern British Columbia from quietly earmarking millions of dollars for seismic upgrades and construction in anticipation of the "Big One."
Much of the work is being done incrementally retrofits dovetailing with routine maintenance, schools being renovated one by one and new construction projects being subject to updated quake-resistant requirements.
Engineer and seismic specialist John Sherstobitoff praised the province on its disaster preparedness, saying the government has learned from the responses of other jurisdictions to earthquakes.
"We're doing pretty well," said Sherstobitoff, who works for global engineering firm Ausenco. "We're doing reasonably well for a province that hasn't had a major, damaging earthquake in this generation."
Scientists have determined the likelihood of another serious quake happening in the next 50 years is one in 10.
Pressure between the two undersea plates of the Cascadia subduction zone, located off Vancouver Island, has been building since the slabs last slipped in a major way in 1700. The ensuing megathrust quake decimated the Pacific Northwest coastline and sent a four-storey tsunami on a nine-hour journey across the ocean before it plowed into Japan.
The occurrence of such a calamitous event nowadays has the potential to destroy not only human life but also the province's pocket book, says the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
It released a report in 2013 that estimated the economic impact of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hitting B.C. would be a staggering $75 billion.
In the meantime, governments continue to prepare.
The City of Vancouver replaces about 0.5 per cent or six kilometres of its water mains a year, switching out brittle cast-iron material with a more resilient ductile iron.
Vancouver is also in the process of assessing its 560 municipal buildings for seismic upgrades. It has whittled down the list to 56 and a city spokesman said the final cut is expected sometime next year.
Portions of city hall are undergoing earthquake upgrades.
Across B.C., $2.2 billion in provincial funding has been spent or committed to upgrade or replace 214 of the 342 schools deemed at risk in an earthquake.
Across the Burrard Inlet from Vancouver, a 2015 study focusing on North Vancouver estimated that about 3.6 per cent or 840 of the district's 23,700 buildings would be severely damaged or destroyed in the event of a 7.3-magnitude quake in the Georgia Strait.
The cumulative economic loss from building damage and service disruption was estimated at just under $3 billion.
Metro Vancouver has seismically upgraded its water reservoirs and is looking at a program to bring its sewage system up to date.
A spokeswoman from Victoria said the city has managed to protect the historic portion of city hall and its next priority is the fire department headquarters.
Beyond seismic upgrades, some experts argue the province needs to go further with its mitigation efforts.
Ocean Networks Canada spokesman Teron Moore said British Columbia is missing the same kind of offshore early-warning system already in place in Japan and along sections of the U.S. coastline.
Moore attributed the absence of an early-warning system in B.C. to public apathy.
"We tend to put our heads in the sand a little bit," he said about British Columbians, whereas places like Japan with more frequent and severe seismic activity tend to be better prepared.
So far, B.C. has about 100 land and undersea earthquake sensors, a far cry from Japan's approximately 1,000 detection instruments.
Japan's technology is also integrated directly into its infrastructure, said Moore, so when an earthquake is detected not only are emergency personnel notified but trains automatically slow down, gas valves shut off and elevator doors open, for example.
Moore said improving Canada's capacity to detect quakes earlier will require more funding and better collaboration between the various organizations that operate sensors along the coast, such as Natural Resources Canada, the University of British Columbia and the provincial Transport Ministry.
An effective early-warning system could buy valuable seconds or even minutes to prepare before disaster struck, he added.
"Earthquake early warning isn't the solve-all solution for preparedness in British Columbia," Moore added. "It doesn't stop the shaking from happening. There still will be damage. (But) it does help."
Photo: The Canadian Press
The federal revenue agency says it doesn't know what sort of taxpayer information a rogue employee improperly shared with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service because CSIS has wiped the files from its database.
The Canada Revenue Agency told The Canadian Press that the employee who handed over the sensitive data doing so even though CSIS lacked a judicial warrant is no longer with the department.
The agency refused to disclose whether the person was fired or left voluntarily, citing privacy reasons.
And it is not clear if the taxpayers whose information was compromised were ever notified of the improper sharing.
The Security Intelligence Review Committee, the watchdog that keeps an eye on CSIS, revealed last week in its annual report that the spy and revenue agencies repeatedly breached the rules.
Questions were first raised by the Federal Court, prompting CSIS to ask the review committee to look into the matter.
After concerns emerged, there were assurances the sensitive revenue agency information had been purged from a CSIS database when, in fact, it was still there, the review committee's report says.
CSIS spokeswoman Tahera Mufti says the information is now "deleted from CSIS databases."
"It should be noted that none of the information received from the CRA was shared beyond CSIS," she added.
As a result, revenue agency spokesman Philippe Brideau said, it is unclear what was passed to the spy agency in the first place. "The CRA is unable to determine the details of the information that was shared with CSIS as it was removed permanently and in its entirety from CSIS systems."
Brideau suggested the deletion also made it impossible to notify taxpayers.
Mufti declined to say whether CSIS had done so. She also would not reveal what sort of information the spy service got from the revenue agency.
The review committee report said CSIS management issued a "stern reminder" to employees of the need for a warrant to collect taxpayer data, but the committee concluded that may not be sufficient.
Mufti said while she could not confirm or deny any "internal disciplinary measures that might have been taken," CSIS maintains "robust policies and procedures, clearly defining our roles and responsibilities."
"We continue to actively educate and train our staff on the latest updates on our policies."
The federal privacy commissioner is looking into the improper sharing.
"What we can tell you at this time is that we were aware of this issue and we have been examining it," said spokeswoman Valerie Lawton, who was not in a position to provide more details.
Photo: Thinkstock.com
A woman was stabbed in a violent sex assault in Surrey, early Tuesday.
Police were called about 2 a.m. after residents of the 13200 block of 105th Avenue reported hearing a woman screaming.
The investigation indicates a woman met an unknown male and together they walked into a secluded walkway, said RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann. The suspect then allegedly sexually assaulted the victim and stabbed her before fleeing the scene.
A nearby Good Samaritan drove her to the hospital, where she is recovering from serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect is described as a black male with a slight build, about five feet 10 inches tall and approximately 30 years old. He is said to speak with a slight accent and was wearing black pants and a black hoodie.
We do not believe there is a risk to the general public, said Schumann. However, we are warning vulnerable and at-risk women to be mindful of their personal safety.
The Surrey RCMP's Special Victims Unit is spearheading the investigation and is calling for public assistance in identifying the suspect.
Anyone with information is asked to call 604-599-0502 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
Cemengal announces start up of Zambian grinding installation
02 February 2016
Cemengal has completed the installation of a Plug&Grind unit in Zambia for LafargeHolcim. The inauguration ceremony was undertaken in the presence of Ministry of Labor, accompanied by the managers of LafargeHolcim Zambia and other managers from the group in surrounding countries.
The plant will produce Supaset which will be exported to the DR of Congo and other neighbouring countries, Lafarge Zambia CEO, Emmanuel Rigaux, told the Lusaka Times. The grinding facility will produce 100,000tpa, bringing total capacity of the Ndola cement works to 500,000tpa, the report added.
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China: Huaxin issues profit warning
02 February 2016
Huaxin Cement, LafargeHolcims subsidiary in China, has warned that it expects 2015 net profit to fall 90-95 per cent YoY due to weak domestic demand, intense competition and a sharp fall in cement prices.
JP Morgans China cement research team estimates that cement prices in Huaxins key markets declined by five per cent QoQ in 1Q16 to-date to CNY254/t.
The research house also notes that LafargeHolcim aims to restructure its China operations by integrating the management teams of Huaxin and LSOC, by selective right-sizing of Lafarge Shui On Cement's (LSOC) footprint, and improving operational performance. Huaxin recently appointed 10 VPs to the its management team with many from LafargeHolcim. Last September, Huaxin signed an operating service agreement with subsidiaries of LSOC. Under the agreement, Huaxin will provide operational, technical, treasury and other services with LSOC being charged a service fee to Huaxin.
While the profit warning and weak start to 2016 should see earnings downgrades continue, JP Morgan says it expects Huaxin Cement to "respond positively to government supply reform policies, accelerating industry consolidation, along with [LafargeHolcim] initiatives."
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Kenya: Bamburi railway supply boost
02 February 2016
Bamburi Cement says it has earned KES1bn (US$9.8m) from supply of cement to the standard gauge railway (SGR) contractor, China Road and Bridges Corp (CRBC) according to a report by the Business Daily (Kenya).
The cement maker is among local firms contracted by a Chinese contractor to supply materials for the KES327bn project.
Bamburi said in an interview that it has supplied 300,000t of cement to the rail project since September 2014, earning it over KES1bn.
The SGR contract has increased our production by 10 per cent to more than 2Mta, said the companys commercial director, Geoffrey Ndugwa.
Other local suppliers of cement to the CRBC include the East African Portland Cement, ARM Cement and Savannah Cement.
The project is intended to connect the port city of Mombasa with a high-speed railway line to Nairobi, running onwards to Kampala, Uganda, with spurs to Burundi and Juba, South Sudan.
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Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development announced Tennessee employers will benefit from paying less in unemployment insurance premiums in 2016.
The states Taxable Wage Base decreased from $9,000 to $8,000 on Jan. 1. The Taxable Wage Base is the annual amount of wages paid to an employee that is subject to state unemployment tax. This means employers will only have to pay taxes on the first $8,000 of an employees wages, instead of $9,000.
This is a step forward for both the economy and employers in the state of Tennessee, said Linda Davis, Unemployment Insurance administrator. We have rebuilt the trust fund to a healthy level, allowing the Taxable Wage Base to decrease for employers.
During the economic recession, Tennessees Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund became insolvent due to increased unemployment claims. In an effort to ensure adequate funding to pay unemployment benefits to employees who lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, legislation was passed which increased Tennessees Taxable Wage Base from $7,000 to $9,000. The legislation also included provisions to reduce the Taxable Wage Base when the Trust Fund was restored to an adequate funding level.
On Dec. 31, 2015 the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund balance was over $900 million, which triggered the lowering of the Taxable Wage Base to $8,000.00. The Taxable Wage Base applies to employers who pay quarterly state unemployment insurance premiums.
Also, as of Jan. 1, employers with 10 or more employees are required to file online. Employers with 10-99 employees who do not wish to file online must provide justification in the form of a notarized statement submitted each year, along with the first quarter report.
For over three decades, Chevron chose profit over people in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The cold and calculated decision to save $3 per barrel and yet poison entire communities is compounded daily as Chevron continues its PR campaign to suppress the truth and barrage the media with lies about its actions and responsibility. This blog is part of an ever-growing campaign to counter Chevron's misinformation tactics and speak frankly about their attempts to hide their role in the world's worst oil-related disaster.
So how's it going? Not so great. Though there are a few, scattered hints of easing credit requirements, the numbers aren't impressive. Take credit scores. If the lid on the box had opened even a crack, you'd expect to see the change reflected in the average credit scores on closed mortgages extended to home purchasers. Yet according to the latest data compiled by Ellie Mae, a technology company that examines a massive sample of mortgage transactions every month, there's been little change in the average FICO credit scores of buyers getting funded. Lenders may say they're willing to approve loans to applicants with lower than average scores, but they're not necessarily following through and doing it.
Driven by the burgeoning craft distilling industry and a strong interest from bartenders, American brandy is enjoying a comeback, from West Coast makers like Copper & Kings (which offers a sample pack of two brandies, along with its absinthe, and Osocalis) to Midwest distilleries, such as Rhine Hall. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
In the late 19th and earlier part of the 20th century, American brandy was a booming industry. The period of Prohibition and its subsequent repeal would be its Achilles heel, however, as it got lost to the popularity of cheaper to produce whiskey and vodka and French brandies like cognacs. Mention brandy to the average drinker today, and you might get a confused stare or elicit a vision of aristocrats retiring to a drawing room with a snifter and a cigar.
"We are a nation that drinks brandy; we just don't talk about it," says Joe Heron, founder of Copper & Kings American Brandy in Louisville, Ky.
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But all that may be changing as the growth of craft distilling inspires new interest in America's reportedly first distilled spirit and it finds its way back into cocktail culture.
There are now 940 craft distilleries in the country, 170 of which are producing brandy, according to the American Distilling Institute.
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"Part of why we are seeing this renaissance revolves around early craft West Coast distillers like Germain-Robin, Clear Creek and Osocalis, who started distilling small batch brandy in the 80s," say Heron. The revival of classic cocktails and help from creative bartenders moving to craft spirits have also contributed to the boost.
At its core, brandy is any spirit distilled from a fruit. Most brandy from different regions worldwide is made with grapes, but in the U.S. regional fruits like the rich apple orchards from the Northeast, the peach farms in the South and the grapes in the West have been the historical foundations. Unlike its French cousins, American brandy has fewer rules, allowing more flexibility in its creation, and only has to be aged for two years. Heron notes that some American distillers stick to more classic European techniques while others leave room for interpretation.
Copper & Kings, for instance, ages its brandy in Kentucky bourbon barrels while in Chicago, Koval Distillery and Rhine Hall Distillery are reviving traditional fruit-based brandies and adding new twists like sunchoke, mango and cherry brandy.
For the brandy novice looking to dive into American versions, drink writer and consultant Camper English suggests starting with fruit brandies. If you like darker spirits, try an aged brandy versus a lighter one, such as pear, which is typically unaged. He also suggests substituting an American brandy as the base of cognac or whiskey cocktails.
Ted Huber, president and master distiller of Starlight Distillery in Borden, Ind., suggests using younger brandies and fruit brandies for cocktails and sangria and says traditional brandy drinkers usually prefer apple brandies. When purchasing, look for smaller, regional distilleries, recommends Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager at Clyde Common in Portland, Ore. He says these producers have more control over their product and know where they are getting their fruit.
While American brandy may never become the new whiskey, its revival offers consumers something new to explore while showcasing the country's regional agricultural diversity and foundation in craft distilling.
I, for one, am glad my moniker is getting some new love in the category.
Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >
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Copper & Kings American Brandy, $40
Starlight Distillery Private Reserve Brandy, $59.99
Germain-Robin Select Barrel XO, $65 - $120
Rhine Hall Apple Brandy, $50
Koval Pear Brandy, $33
Brandy Gonsoulin is a freelance writer.
Reporting from Des Moines Hillary Clinton clung to the narrowest of leads as Iowa counted the returns from Monday's precinct caucuses, seeking to hold off a strong challenge from Sen. Bernie Sanders with the support of older Democrats, self-described moderates and those who put a priority on a nominee with the experience to be president.
The razor-close vote count reflected an intense struggle that had tightened dramatically in recent weeks. But while Clinton's lead was tiny and a clear disappointment for her campaign it was nonetheless critical. With Sanders leading in polls in New Hampshire, whose Feb. 9 primary is the next nominating contest, a clear defeat for Clinton here would have resuscitated all the doubts that Democrats have had about her ability to inspire and motivate the party's voters.
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Now, though Sanders clearly has sufficient money and ardent backing of his liberal supporters to challenge Clinton for months, the pressure will shift to him. Iowa, like New Hampshire, has a Democratic electorate made for a campaign like his heavy with the liberal, white voters who have formed the core of his support. After next week, few states will be as congenial to him.
Speaking to supporters at a rally here as the final votes trickled in, Clinton declared she was "breathing a sigh of relief" and called for unity among Democrats. "We have to be united when it is all said and done against a Republican vision and candidates who drive us apart and divide us," she said as she ticked off a litany of Democratic goals, including combating climate change and a drive to "finish the job of universal healthcare coverage for every man, woman and child."
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Sanders, speaking just after Clinton, said that when he began his campaign, he had no organization, no money and was "taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America." Now, he said, "while the results are still unknown, it looks like we are in a virtual tie." Iowa, he said, had sent a "profound message" of change.
As the official results rolled in Monday night, a poll of voters entering the evening's caucuses provided a picture of what went into their decision-making. Clinton had a huge margin among those Democrats about 3 in 10 who said their biggest concern about a nominee was having the right experience. By contrast, Sanders led strongly among those whose top priority was a president who "cares about people like me" or was "honest and trustworthy," according to the entrance poll.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who received less than 1% of the state's Democratic delegates, announced he was suspending his campaign.
Among the group of polled voters who said experience was the top priority, Clinton won by roughly 10 to 1, according to the entrance poll, which was conducted for a consortium of television networks and the Associated Press. She also won heavily among a smaller group who said its top priority was to pick the nominee who could win the general election in November.
Sanders, by contrast, led by more than 2 to 1 among the roughly one-quarter of Democrats who said they were most concerned about having a nominee who cares about people like them. He had an even larger edge among another quarter of Democrats who said their top priority was a nominee who was "honest and trustworthy."
That combination of Sanders' perceived empathy and doubts about Clinton's character were enough to erode the front-runner's initial lead here despite her significant advantages. Up through nearly the end of 2015, Clinton appeared the prohibitive favorite here. Campaign aides spoke often of their determination to learn from her stinging defeat in 2008, in which she came in third in Iowa after appearing to many voters to have taken the state for granted.
This time, Clinton's aides said, they would spare no effort to guarantee that every potential Clinton voter was identified, repeatedly contacted and delivered to the polls. The campaign has had paid staff in the state since April and by early summer boasted of having nearly 50 paid organizers here. Ultimately, they built volunteer field organizations in every one of Iowa's 1,681 precincts, with volunteers knocking on nearly a quarter of a million doors over the last four days, according to the campaign's data.
Since declaring her candidacy last spring, Clinton has held 106 events in the state, during 50 days of visits, according to a count by the Des Moines Register.
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If voters "were willing to sit down and talk with us, we talked," Kane Miller, the campaign's organizing director in the Des Moines area, said in an interview earlier in the campaign.
"There's no shortcuts in the Iowa caucus," Miller added. "You can't just come in late and throw a lot of hot sauce and hope it works."
But by January, even that massive effort appeared in danger of falling short.
Clinton's brand of pragmatic liberalism, backed by decades of experience, has won widespread admiration from Democrats she retains a highly favorable image within the party's ranks both nationally and in Iowa, polls show. But she has failed to ignite the sort of passionate excitement that Sanders has generated, particularly among younger voters.
Sanders' emphasis on income inequality has particularly thrilled liberals. In the entrance poll, the Vermont senator led by about 2 to 1 among those caucus voters who said that was the most important issue to them.
Sanders led heavily among voters who identified themselves as "very liberal," among those younger than 45 and those who, like him, identified themselves as independents, the entrance poll found.
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By contrast, Clinton was winning among self-identified Democrats, as well as voters who identified themselves as "somewhat liberal" or "moderate" and those 45 and older, the entrance poll found. She also won among those who said their top concern was healthcare or the economy.
Another issue area, foreign policy, has been a strength for Clinton, the former secretary of State. For a brief moment late in 2015, after the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino focused voters' attention on foreign affairs, her experience in that realm seemed to give her an unbeatable advantage over the Vermont senator.
But in the new year, Democratic voters quickly refocused on domestic policy, and last month, a flurry of polls showed Sanders rapidly closing the gap and perhaps overtaking her here, as he widened his lead in New Hampshire, which will hold its first-in-the-nation primary next week.
Those polls significantly upped the stakes for both campaigns and dredged up bitter memories of 2008 for many in Clinton's circle.
Back when Sanders' insurgency seemed a quixotic run destined to end early, even a narrow Iowa loss to the front-runner might have been counted as a huge moral victory.
But as Sanders' campaign attracted growing amounts of money and intense devotion from the party's liberal stalwarts, moral victories began to appear less satisfying. Sanders aides began to chart paths that could actually lead to the nomination; most began with a victory in Iowa.
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As his campaign treasury swelled with millions of small donations, the political independent and democratic socialist from Vermont poured resources into the state.
He surpassed Clinton's time in Iowa, spending parts of 60 days and holding 155 events, including huge rallies that drew thousands of fans, many of them young. Sanders has slightly outspent Clinton on television advertising nationwide to date, although in Iowa, Clinton spent $9 million to Sanders' $7.4 million, as of the most recent figures compiled late last week by NBC News and the ad-tracking firm SMG Delta.
With talk of victory rising, the senator repeatedly tried to tamp down expectations in recent days, telling audiences that he could win, but only if Iowa Democrats turned out to vote in unusually large numbers.
"If we have a large voter turnout, if thousands of people many of whom have given up on the political process, many young people who have never participated in the political process if they come out, we're going to win," he said in a Monday morning interview on the "Today" show.
But regardless of either side's spin, winning Iowa was critical to Sanders. While his base of support has been liberal, white Democrats, Clinton holds commanding leads nationwide among nonwhite voters and self-described moderate and conservative Democrats. Iowa is a state that is 93% white and, despite its somewhat conservative image, has a Democratic electorate that leans heavily to the left.
Indeed, a survey in early January by Ann Selzer, the state's preeminent pollster, found that 43% of the state's likely Democratic caucus goers described themselves as "socialist."
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Only New Hampshire and Sanders' own Vermont have higher proportions of white liberals among their Democratic primary voters.
Late Monday night, Sanders' campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, predicted the senator would "get a tremendous bounce out of Iowa."
"We're going to go to New Hampshire, where the senator is very, very popular, and then from there we're going to go to Nevada and South Carolina," he said. "An early success gives your candidate and your campaign credibility to future voters."
But Sanders still faces the same hurdle he did before Iowa, persuading minority voters, who make up a large chunk of the Democratic vote nationwide, to back him over Clinton. A clear victory here might have advanced that cause; whether a near tie will do so will be a key question in the days and weeks ahead.
Times staff writers Kate Linthicum in Des Moines and Evan Halper in Washington contributed to this report.
For more, go to www.latimes.com/politics
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ALSO:
Full Iowa caucus results
This millennial illustrates why Iowa is a swing state
Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucuses and why they matter
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Reporting from Clive, Iowa Texas Sen. Ted Cruz parlayed his socially conservative stance and fervent anti-Washington message into a slim victory Monday night in Iowa's Republican caucuses, dealing a setback to billionaire Donald Trump in the first meaningful test of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Marco Rubio finished just behind Trump, a strong showing that could offer a big boost heading into next week's New Hampshire primary and stamp the senator from Florida the front-runner among Republicans seeking an alternative to the more ideological Cruz and incendiary Trump.
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The rest of the crowded Republican field finished far behind.
One immediate casualty was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the winner of the 2008 Iowa caucuses, who announced he was suspending his campaign Monday even before the final votes were tabulated.
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A jubilant Cruz, who has basked in the contempt of his congressional peers Democratic and Republican alike assailed the "Washington establishment" and said his win was a victory "for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation."
"Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and 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 force where all sovereignty resides in our nation, by we the people," said Cruz, who was joined at the Iowa State Fairgrounds by his wife, Heidi, and Iowa's firebrand GOP Rep. Steve King.
Moments earlier, a subdued Trump insisted he was pleased with his finish, even though his usual abundance of superlatives sounded flat in brief remarks to his supporters outside Des Moines.
"I absolutely love the people of Iowa," said Trump, flanked by his downcast wife, Melania, and adult children. "On June 16, when we started this journey, there were 17 candidates. I was told by everybody, 'Do not go to Iowa you could never finish in the top 10.'
"We finished second, and I want to tell you something I'm just honored. Really honored."
By contrast, Florida's Rubio who more than anyone defied expectations Monday night delivered an exultant address to supporters in Des Moines.
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"So this is the moment they said would never happen," Rubio said as his wife and young children looked on. "For months they told us because we offered too much optimism in a time of anger we had no chance.
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"But," he went on, "tonight here in Iowa the people of this great state sent a very clear message after seven years of Barack Obama we are not waiting any longer to take out country back."
A big turnout was supposed to benefit Trump, whose boisterous rallies drew many campaign newcomers, but that was just one prediction of many that have proved wrong in a contest that has already defied many of the usual political norms.
Iowa Republicans have a middling record of picking their party's nominees. Only twice since 1980, when the caucuses gained import within the GOP, have voters here picked a candidate who went on to represent the party in the fall.
(Kyle Kim)
Still, the sprawling field of Republican candidates spent hundreds of days and tens of millions of dollars lavishing attention on the state and its expectant voters.
In the end, though, as most others fell away, the Iowa campaign became a fight between two political upstarts, Cruz and Trump, neither of whom were widely considered serious contenders last year when they launched their presidential bids.
Trump had talked about seeking the White House several times before, but never followed through. His disapproval rating among Republican voters was extraordinarily high and his verbal strafing of opponents, women and minorities as well as refusal to campaign in the intimate style to which Iowans have grown accustomed all seemed to weigh against his efforts.
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But for many, his trampling of social and political niceties was not seen as reckless but rather as a sign of his independence and strength. Republican voters came around to Trump, making him the leader in both national and Iowa polls.
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Cruz, a freshman senator, put off many fellow Republicans in Washington with his political crusades including a government shutdown over funding of Obamacare and refusal to collaborate. He was not even the sole Texan running on the GOP side.
But he outlasted his state's former governor, Rick Perry, who quit the race in September, and others vying for the support of the GOP's sizable conservative Christian wing, including Scott Walker, Wisconsin's governor and a leader in early Iowa polls. Walker also quit in September.
As rivals fell away, Cruz emerged as the favorite of evangelicals with uncompromisingly conservative positions on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. When Trump gained traction pushing a hard-line anti-immigration message, Cruz matched his tough talk.
He also campaigned here in the time-tested Iowa way, by visiting all 99 counties he hit the final one Monday and carefully building an organization on the ground designed to maximize turnout and ensure his supporters caucused on Monday night.
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The inevitable collision between Cruz and Trump, who had previously been nothing but complimentary of one another, came early last month when Trump began raising the issue of Cruz's Canadian birthplace. Most legal experts seconded Cruz's statements that his birth to an American citizen his mother is a native of Delaware automatically made him eligible for the presidency.
But some voters began echoing Trump's concerns, especially after two other Republicans running, Rick Santorum and Huckabee, took up the attack. Cruz, after first brushing off the issue, responded by assailing Trump's "New York values" and pointed out his previously more liberal stands on issues like abortion and healthcare.
Trump may have also hurt himself by skipping the final debate in Iowa last Thursday night. In interviews across the state, many Republicans took offense and said they regarded the decision as a snub of the voters making up their minds.
The sniping between Trump and Cruz afforded Rubio an opportunity to capitalize on in Iowa after largely skirting the state. He spent the final days of January on an extensive tour, and he clearly benefited. Entrance-poll interviews with voters arriving at their caucus sites showed many of Rubio's supporters made up their minds near the end of the campaign.
Others in the field made passing feints at competing in Iowa or, in the case of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush who campaigned hard and had the support of a free-spending political action committee simply failed to connect.
For most finishing at the bottom, Iowa spells the effective end of their campaigns, though they may not quit right away. For others including Bush and Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio, who expect to face a friendlier, less conservative electorate in New Hampshire the Feb. 9 primary will be the test that determines whether they stay in the race.
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mark.barabak@latimes.com
Times staff writers Michael Finnegan in Cedar Rapids, Seema Mehta in Des Moines and Kurtis Lee in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
For more, go to www.latimes.com/politics
ALSO:
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This millennial illustrates why Iowa is a swing state
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Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucuses and why they matter
From west to east, Iowa voters have starkly different realities and fears
As reported Monday, the Centers for Disease Control released an updated immunization schedule to protect adolescents against the human papillomavirus using the 9vHPV vaccine, an updated version that protects against 80 percent of the cervical, vulvar and anal cancers caused by HPV, which is usually contracted through sexual contact. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommend all boys and girls receive the vaccine by age 11 or 12, and that children who may have been exposed to sexual abuse receive the vaccine by age 9.
"Hillary Clinton is disqualified from being the president of the United States, because she stored classified and sensitive information on her email server, because she thinks she's above the law," Rubio said. "And Hillary Clinton cannot be commander-in-chief, because anyone who lies to the families of people who have lost their lives in the service of this country can never be commander-in-chief of the United States."
Two people were killed and four others were wounded in shootings in Chicago on Monday.
Paul C. Sappington, 31, was shot to death as he opened the front door of a home in the 9000 block of South May Street in the Brainerd neighborhood on the South Side around 10:15 a.m., police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two men knocked on the door and at least one of them fired shots when he opened it, police said. Sappington was the second person shot Monday, the first day of February.
The day's first homicide occurred at 12:30 a.m. when a 42-year-old man was shot in the chest in the 500 block of South Cicero Avenue. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and pronounced dead.
Witnesses said the shooting happened in a building on the east side of the street, two stories tall with trash-filled vacant lots on either side.
Four other people were shot Monday.
At 8:50 p.m., two 45-year-old men were shot in the first block of South Mason Avenue in the Austin neighborhood, police said.
One of the men was shot several times and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, and the other man was shot in the left thigh and and taken to West Suburban Hospital, where his condition had stabilized.
The men were in a pickup truck when someone came up to them and began firing into the truck, police said.
Earlier, a 24-year-old man walked into Loretto Hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg after someone shot him in the 4800 block of West Adams Street in the Austin neighborhood around 11:35 a.m., police said.
Another man, 19, was shot in the leg in the 7800 block of South Jeffery Boulevard in the South Shore neighborhood about 11 a.m., according to police. He walked into Jackson Park Hospital seeking treatment for his wound.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez is running well ahead of her two primary challengers, a new Tribune poll finds. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
Despite widespread dissatisfaction over her job performance and handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez still holds an edge against her two Democratic challengers, a new Chicago Tribune poll shows.
Still, the survey found a sizable number of undecided voters ahead of the March 15 primary election, and much of the electorate unfamiliar with challengers Kim Foxx and Donna More. That leaves the rivals room to grow support as they try to keep the McDonald case at the forefront of their campaigns against Alvarez, who's seeking a third term.
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Alvarez, known by nearly all voters, had 34 percent support, while Foxx had 27 percent and More had 12 percent, the poll showed. An additional 26 percent said they backed another candidate or were undecided.
The poll of 968 registered Cook County Democratic voters was conducted by Research America Inc. using live landline and cellphone interviews from Jan. 20-28. It has an error margin of 3.2 percentage points.
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In office since late 2008, Alvarez has been in the spotlight for months over her handling of the McDonald case.
White Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke shot the African-American teen 16 times in October 2014. Alvarez did not file murder charges until 400 days later in late November, hours before a court-ordered release of police dashboard camera footage of the shooting.
The video showed Van Dyke shot McDonald as the 17-year-old walked away down the middle of a stretch of Pulaski Road on the Southwest Side. The footage was sharply at odds with written police reports of the incident that said McDonald lunged at officers with a knife.
Alvarez defended what critics contended was a lengthy delay in charging Van Dyke, saying the standards for prosecuting a police officer under rules allowing the use of deadly force were far more complicated than dealing with an ordinary citizen involved in a shooting.
Moreover, she has said her office had been working with the U.S. attorney's office, which was conducting its own investigation into the case, with plans for both state and federal prosecutors to jointly issue their findings. Alvarez said she decided to go ahead and file charges herself and make the announcement earlier than planned out of concern for "public safety" ahead of the video's release.
Critics called on Alvarez to resign, but in December she said "there's no way that I would ever even consider resigning," casting critics as politicians with ties to her opponents.
The poll found a large percentage of voters don't accept Alvarez's explanation for her handling of the McDonald case. More than 7 in 10 Democratic voters said they were not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with it. That included 85 percent of black voters, 67 percent of Hispanic voters and 64 percent of white voters.
Of those not accepting Alvarez's explanation, half said they were "not at all satisfied," including 72 percent of black voters, 49 percent of Hispanic voters and 35 percent of white voters.
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Only 24 percent of voters said they were at least somewhat satisfied with how she had handled the case, including 32 percent of white voters, 26 percent of Hispanic voters and 10 percent of African-American voters.
The challengers in the contest are trying to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Alvarez over the case.
Foxx, a former prosecutor and chief of staff to County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, launched a radio ad featuring news reports about the McDonald shooting as an announcer says Foxx is the only candidate who can "fix" a broken system. Preckwinkle has worked hard to promote Foxx, including helping her win slating by the county Democratic organization after it initially had declined to endorse in the contest last summer.
More, a former county and federal prosecutor and Illinois Gaming Board attorney now in private practice, is running cable TV ads. One spot features a newspaper headline about the McDonald case that refers to "justice delayed" as an announcer says Alvarez "must go."
Overall, half of voters in the poll disapproved of Alvarez's job performance, while 30 percent approved and 20 percent had no opinion. White voters were split on the question, while 68 percent of black voters disapproved as did 47 percent of Hispanic voters. The error margin for racial and ethnic subgroups is 5.7 percentage points.
Despite the low job approval rating, Alvarez held a 7-percentage-point lead largely due to white and Hispanic voters. Alvarez got 44 percent support among whites and 39 percent among Hispanics, but just 16 percent among African Americans.
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Foxx, meanwhile, was backed by 40 percent of black voters, a quarter of white voters and 18 percent of Hispanic voters. More was backed by 18 percent of Hispanic voters, 14 percent of black voters and 8 percent of white voters.
The race remains very fluid 26 percent of the overall vote remains undecided, including 30 percent of black voters, and 24 percent each among white and Hispanic voters.
Still, Foxx and More have their work cut out for them in the six weeks until election day. More than 4 in 10 voters said they had never heard of Foxx, including more than a third of African-American voters, a key constituency for her campaign. Among the 57 percent who had heard of Foxx, few had an impression of her 37 percent had no opinion, with 16 percent favorable and 4 percent unfavorable.
Half of the voters surveyed had never heard of More. Of the half who had heard of her, 41 percent didn't know enough about her to say whether they had a favorable or unfavorable impression.
The poll found 42 percent of voters had an unfavorable impression of Alvarez, while 26 percent viewed her favorably and 27 percent had no opinion.
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Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.
Topspin
It's Tuesday, Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, or, as we say in Illinois, just another day without a state budget as Republicans and Democrats each wonder who is going to face the shadow of voter discontent this election year.
Already, Democratic Senate President John Cullerton says he'll wait to send Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner legislation to free up scholarship money for low-income students. Cullerton says he hopes the Republican chief executive will back off his threat to veto the bill.
Cullerton said he'll give Rauner two weeks to "ponder," after Democrats in the House and Senate quickly passed a measure last week that would provide $721 million for community colleges and the scholarships, which are commonly referred to as MAP grants.
"I would urge the governor to rethink his position, reconsider his priorities and not act rashly but rather in the best interests of these students, their futures and the future of Illinois," Cullerton said in a statement.
Rauner's office has said the state does not have enough money in its account to cover the added spending. Instead, Rauner favors an alternative measure that would provide $1.6 billion for higher education, but it also would give the governor broad control to cut spending and shift around dollars as he sees fit.
Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said: "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."
Technically the Senate has 30 days to send the bill to Rauner's desk, but Cullerton said it'll arrive Feb. 16 one day before Rauner is scheduled to deliver his second budget address.
The state has been operating without a full budget since July 1. Colleges and universities have not received any operating dollars during that time, with Chicago State officials warning the school could run out of money for payroll next month. (Monique Garcia)
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What's on tap
*Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public events.
*Gov. Rauner is in Springfield to announce a proposal to change how the state buys goods and services, something he talked about in his State of the State speech.
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What we're writing
*Emanuel approval rating hits record low.
*CTU says no to Emanuel's first contract offer.
*Dold up in IL-10 fundraising.
*Redflex legal woes in Australia.
What we're reading
*Dozens dead in Boko Haram raid in Nigeria.
*Mmm ... donuts.
*'90s Chicago rockers to play Civic Opera House.
From the notebook
*More money headed Dunkin's way: Democratic state Rep. Ken Dunkin, facing a union-backed primary challenge over recent votes siding with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, is getting a half-million dollar campaign infusion from a political action committee aligned with the governor.
The Illinois Opportunity Project said it was making the $500,000 donation to the Chicago Democrat. The group's leadership includes failed 2010 Republican governor candidate and radio talk-show host Dan Proft.
The group said it was making the donation to help Dunkin "against the onslaught" he is facing from Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and union allies.
Dunkin recently visited the Statehouse press room where he criticized Madigan over the Springfield impasse and brought as props a sleeping bag, a backpack, a bottled water and soap and vowed to stay as long was needed to move forward.
Dunkin is facing a primary challenge from Juliana Stratton, who has been endorsed by several unions.
A Proft political action committee, Liberty Principles, recently received more than $1.8 million from the Turnaround Illinois PAC, a fundraising committee that Rauner helped found.
Dunkin also is getting help from the Illinois Growth and Opportunity PAC, or IllinoisGO, which is aimed at helping Democrats who share many items on Rauner's union-weakening agenda. (Rick Pearson)
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*Illinois is a red (ink) state: Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger is planning a news conference at the Thompson Center in Chicago to update the cost of the state's lack of a budget, including the backlog of bills and a projection on spending.
Munger's website has been updating backlog estimates, which lately have been hovering at about $7 billion. (Rick Pearson)
*Another social service group in trouble? Family Home Services, a home-care agency that assists hundreds of seniors, plans on cutting agency workers' pay by half as early as Friday because of the ongoing Springfield stalemate, the Service Employees International Union says.
The union says the action would affect 200 home care workers who now earn $10 to $11 an hour. Union officials are joining with some Democratic lawmakers for a Chicago news conference to highlight the continued effects of the impasse. (Kim Geiger)
*Anti-discrimination ordinance update: The City Council Human Relations Committee, chaired by Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st, is scheduled today to consider some additions to the city's anti-discrimination ordinance proposed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
The mayor wants to add credit and criminal history to the list of attributes that bosses could not consider when making hiring or other employment decisions.
Emanuel's proposal also would broaden one other category. Now, discrimination based on military discharge status is banned. He wants it to say military status instead, which would apply to current military status and discharge status.
That list is already fairly extensive. It includes race, color, sex, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status parental status and source of income.
If someone believes their employer discriminates against them based on any of those characteristics, they can take a complaint to the city's Human Relations Commission, which has the authority to issue fines.
The committee also will consider Emanuel's appointment of Julio Rodriguez and the reappointment of four current members to that commission. (Hal Dardick)
Follow the money
*Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash
Beyond Chicago
*Presidential race, Republican side: Cruz bests Trump in Iowa as Rubio beams over bronze.
*Presidential race, Democratic side: Clinton, Sanders in Iowa nailbiter.
*Zika virus is now global emergency.
In this file photo dated Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, cabins are set up inside Hanger 4 of the former airport Tempelhof to be used as a temporary emergency shelter for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Berlin, Germany. (Markus Schreiber / AP)
BERLIN Germany is mulling taking away benefits from asylum-seekers if they refuse to try to learn the language and integrate; Denmark has just approved a measure to let police seize valuables from migrants to help cover their housing and food costs; and an Austrian province this week is expected to more than halve payments to many refugees.
As Europe struggles to cope with the influx of more than 1 million migrants in 2015 alone, countries are increasingly coming up with new procedures to cope with them sometimes even at the risk of clashing with national constitutions and international agreements.
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Germany's high court in 2012 ruled that the benefits the country paid to asylum-seekers were far too low, and violated the constitutionally guaranteed "fundamental right to a minimum existence." That forced the government to start calculating payments along the same lines as those to Germans receiving social assistance.
It's the comparison with what Germans receive that Labor Minister Andrea Nahles pointed to on Monday as she explained her plan to cut benefits for migrants who don't want to integrate into German society.
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Just as long-term unemployed are obligated to take jobs if they're offered, asylum-seekers should be expected to take German language and integration classes, and also start working when they're able, Nahles said, while also stressing immigrants wouldn't be asked to give up their religion, views or traditions.
"Whoever needs help will get it," she said. "But you can't get support for nothing."
She now plans to propose a change to Germany's asylum law to allow the changes she wants, but whether that will be enough remains to be seen.
Germany is party to international agreements that compel nations, among other things, to provide refugees with an adequate standard of living, said Verena Haan, an Amnesty International economy and human rights expert in Germany. And according to national law, the high court has ruled "migration criteria" cannot play a role in assessing social benefits, she said.
"How much a person needs in order to live, your actual necessities, have nothing to do with whether you're 'willing to integrate,'" Haan said. "Therefore considering coupling benefits to behavior rather than to needs is problematic."
The plans for benefit curbs come amid a steady souring of the mood and tone in Europe toward the ongoing influx of migrants. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday of refugees: "We expect that, when there is peace in Syria again and IS has been beaten in Iraq, you go back home with the knowledge you gained here."
Merkel stressed last fall that there is no limit to the number of people who can be granted asylum, but she faces increasing pressure to curb the number of newcomers.
Another idea being floated at top levels in Germany is to force newcomers to live in a particular place, in order to spread out the burden evenly among communities. Opponents maintain that would violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of movement.
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Germany took in the largest number of migrants in 2015 with nearly 1.1 million newcomers, but it is not the only country scrambling to deal with them.
Denmark last week passed a measure to let police seize valuables worth more than $1,500 from asylum-seekers to help cover their housing and food costs while their cases are being processed. That brought regulations in line with welfare rules for Danes, who must sell assets worth more than 10,000 kroner ($1,500) before they can receive social benefits.
Denmark received about 20,000 asylum-seekers last year, one of the highest rates per capita in the EU. It already tightened its immigration laws last year, reducing benefits for asylum-seekers, shortening temporary residence permits and stepping up efforts to deport those whose applications are rejected.
Some German states also take assets from refugees, also in line with laws regulating Germans receiving social assistance, and Switzerland requires asylum-seekers to hand over cash of more than 1,000 francs ($996) for similar reasons.
On Thursday, the provincial parliament of Upper Austria is scheduled to vote on a measure that would reduce living payments to those granted asylum after November last year to 440 euros instead of the current 914 euros. The proposed cut, which is expected to be adopted, would also be effective for those whose request for asylum is denied but who are tolerated in Austria because their homeland is deemed unsafe.
In addition, those whose asylum request was granted after November will enjoy this status only for three years, after which they would be up for review of whether their homeland is safe enough for return and other factors, including integration.
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Austria took in some 90,000 migrants overall in 2015.
In the Netherlands, the government is working on a plan to scrap a rule that gives migrants who have been granted refugee status preferential treatment in waiting lists for subsidized housing. Opponents of migration in the Netherlands often complain that refugees are able to effectively jump queues for a new home while Dutch citizens sometimes have to wait years for a house or apartment.
Changes haven't entirely been focused on refugees, with countries also seeking new regulations for other migrants.
Part of Merkel's plan to deal with the influx, for example, is to accelerate sending home those people from the Balkans and other countries that are considered safe even though they may provide poor economic opportunities.
In September, the European Court of Justice ruled that European Union migrants can be denied unemployment benefits even after six months' residence in an EU country, upholding Germany's decision to cut off social assistance from a Bosnian-born Swedish mother of three.
The ruling was widely seen as a vindication of British Prime Minister David Cameron's push to persuade fellow EU members to let his government ban European migrants from claiming some state benefits and access to social housing until they have been resident for four years.
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While Britain has only agreed to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees from the current flood, its Conservative government has been aggressively pushing for measures to limit welfare handed out also to EU migrants arriving in the U.K. Officials say that hundreds of thousands of migrants from poorer European countries who have flocked to Britain are straining schools and public services.
As countries, worried about a timely European solution to the refugee emergency, resort to national measures, it's even raised questions about the future of Europe's passport-free travel area known as Schengen one of the jewels of the EU crown.
"We have no more than two months to get things under control," European Council President Donald Tusk warned EU lawmakers last month.
Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea Weeks after its fourth nuclear test, North Korea announced plans Tuesday to launch an Earth observation satellite on a rocket later this month, in what critics see as a covert test of banned technology for a ballistic missile that could strike the U.S. mainland.
An official at the London-based International Maritime Organization said North Korea declared that the launch would be conducted between Feb. 8 and 25, between 7 a.m. and noon Pyongyang time. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she hadn't been authorized to speak publicly yet.
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U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said North Korea also informed the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Telecommunication Union of the planned satellite launch.
"Right now, we're carefully monitoring developments and are in close touch with the interested parties and the international organizations," Haq said at U.N. headquarters in New York.
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The declaration, which is meant to warn civilians, shipping and aircraft in the area about the rocket and falling debris, follows North Korea's claim last month to have tested a hydrogen bomb, the country's fourth nuclear test. It will be seen as a snub by North Korea of its only major ally, China, whose representative for Korean affairs landed in Pyongyang for talks on Tuesday.
The International Telecommunication Union said North Korea also informed its Geneva office of its intention to launch a Kwangmyongsong (Bright Star) -type Earth observation satellite with a four-year operational life. But the ITU's U.N. representative, Gary Fowlie, said not enough technical information had been supplied to register the planned launch in its Master International Frequency Register.
In Washington, Daniel Russel, the top diplomat for East Asia, said the U.S. was closely tracking reports of the North's planned launch. He said a launch that uses ballistic missile technology would be another violation of a U.N. ban and strengthens the argument for the international community to impose "real consequences" on North Korea for destabilizing behavior. He called for the imposition of tough additional sanctions.
Russel said a launch "would be an unmistakable slap in face to those who argue that you just need to show patience and dialogue with the North Koreans but not sanctions," in an apparent reference to China.
A South Korean official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules, said Seoul was also informed of the plans, and estimated that the first stage of the rocket would fall off the west coast of South Korea, more debris would land near the South's Jeju Island, and the second stage would land off the Philippines' east coast.
North Korea's last long-range rocket launch, in December 2012, was seen as having successfully put the country's first satellite into orbit after a string of failures. The North also told international agencies before that launch of its plans. Each new rocket launch improves North Korea's missile technology, which is crucial for its goal of developing a nuclear-armed missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.
North Korea, an autocracy run by the same family since 1948, is estimated to have a handful of crude nuclear devices and an impressive array of short- and medium-range missiles, but it closely guards details about its nuclear and missile programs. This means there is considerable debate by outsiders about whether it can produce nuclear bombs small enough to place on a missile, or missiles that can reliably deliver their bombs to faraway targets.
North Korea has spent decades trying to develop operational nuclear weapons. It calls its rocket launches satellite missions, but the U.N., the United States, South Korea and others say they are meant to test ballistic missile technology. The U.N. Security Council prohibits North Korea from nuclear and ballistic missile activity.
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The North's Jan. 6 nuclear test has led to another push in the U.N. to tighten sanctions, something that followed North Korea's 2012 rocket launch and its 2013 third nuclear test. The North followed that test with an escalating campaign of bombast that included threats to fire nuclear missiles at the United States and South Korea.
North Korea has said that plutonium and highly enriched uranium facilities at its main Nyongbyon nuclear complex are in operation and that its scientists have improved "the levels of nuclear weapons with various missions in quality and quantity."
But just what is happening at Nyongbyon is unclear. North Korea booted out international inspectors in 2009, and independent assessments by outside experts since then have been spotty.
Associated Press
In this image from video taken by ITV Tanzania on Saturday Jan. 30, 2016, shows Jumanne Maghembe, Tanzania's Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources, and officials walking towards helicopter wreckage at the site where a British pilot was killed after his helicopter was fired on by elephant poachers in the Maswa Wildlife Reserve, near Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. (AP)
Helicopter pilot Roger Gower swooped low to get close to the fresh elephant carcass, which lay in the thick bush of Tanzania's Maswa Game Reserve.
The people who had killed the huge animal were nowhere to be seen, according to National Geographic. But its fine ivory tusks were still intact, so the poachers had to be around somewhere.
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Gower and his safari guide scanned the area, the "thwack, thwack" of the helicopter's rotor loud in their ears. Then they saw it: a pile of ivory perched atop a small hill.
The poachers knew they'd been spotted. They emerged from their hiding place in the bush and fired on the helicopter with an AK-47, Tanzanian member of parliament Lazaro Nyalandu said on Twitter. At least one bullet cut through the floor of the helicopter, hitting Gower's leg and shoulder and then piercing the roof, a colleague told National Geographic. Though Gower was able to land the craft, he succumbed to his injuries before help could arrive. The veteran British pilot died Friday at age 37; his co-pilot survived with injuries.
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"This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzania's wildlife," the Texas-based Friedkin Conservation Fund, which runs some anti-poaching operations in the country, said on its website.
On Monday, Tanzania arrested three suspects in Gower's killing, according to the BBC. Pascal Shelutete, a spokesperson for Tanzania's parks, said that authorities found three elephant carcasses in the area.
"Whoever shot the chopper down was on a serious illegal hunting spree," he said, and were probably "heavily armed with sophisticated military weaponry."
This is the case across Tanzania and much of Africa, where illegal hunters are armed to the teeth and anti-poaching efforts can be as deadly as all-out war.
It's difficult to know how many people have been killed in the bloody battle over Africa's wildlife, but the human toll is high. The Thin Green Line, which helps train park rangers and anti-poaching personnel, estimates that 1,000 rangers have been killed in the line of duty in the past 10 years, three quarters of them by commercial poachers and armed militia groups.
There's also the psychological toll of the constant combat. Rangers who continually find themselves dealing with the carcasses of dead animals, or in life-or-death confrontations with armed poachers, suffer the same scars as soldiers at war.
"This is a guerrilla warfare situation being fought by men and women trained to protect animals and not trained to kill," Rethea Fincham, a clinical psychologist who treats rangers at Kruger National Park in South Africa, told National Geographic in 2014. South African National Parks (SANParks) requires that rangers see a psychologist after any direct engagement with a poacher.
Johan Jooste, special projects commander with SANParks, described the effect simply:
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"It's a relentless onslaught," he said.
The fight over illegal hunting is just as dangerous to the desperate people on the other side of it. Elephant poaching is high risk but high pay-off, and increasingly controlled by organized crime networks that supply poachers with military style weapons. The actual dirty work is done by mostly poor, mostly desperate foot soldiers who have few other opportunities to make as much money as the ivory dealers are offering. In exchange, the crime syndicates get ivory that fuels a global black market worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
"This is a huge amount of money," conservation biologist George Wittemyer told The Washington Post in 2014. "A big male elephant can have 40 kilos [about 90 pounds] per tusk. You're talking about big time dollars. Even in the U.S., we'd have issues with [poaching], and these elephants are in poor areas. So there's a lot of pressure."
"It's poverty," agreed Arnie Ngoveni, who lives near Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, in an interview with Al Jazeera last year. "Mostly young men go because they need money, and they go there to risk their lives. I don't like poaching because sometimes the men die, and it's not good for the families."
Ngoveni's grandson was killed while hunting in the park illegally last year. He left behind two wives and nine children.
A song written by a local DJ - banned on Mozambique state radio but popular in clubs - addresses local park rangers, according to Al Jazeera: "What is wrong with you?" the lyrics go. ". . . Our children are dying. You are killing our people."
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Caught in the middle, of course, are the elephants themselves. A June 2015 census found that Tanzania's elephant population has fallen 60 percent since 2009, according to Quartz. In Mozambique, the elephant population dropped by roughly half.
The Environmental Investigation Agency, a conservation watchdog group, published a report in 2014 arguing that corruption, official collusion with illegal ivory dealers, the proliferation of weapons and a lack of enforcement were dooming efforts to protect Tanzania's elephants.
"There are really good people on the ground sweating blood to try and stop this, good people with real soul and concern about what's happening to their resources," EIA Executive Director Mary Rice told National Geographic. "But they're being undermined by a system that repeatedly fails them."
The country has seen something of a turnaround in the past year and a half: In December 2014, Tanzania arrested a Kenyan businessman said to be the "most wanted ivory smuggler" in the country. It made several more high-profile arrests in 2015.
Wayne Lotter, a director with the nonprofit PAMS Foundation that supports anti-poaching efforts in Tanzania, told National Geographic that poachers are under increased pressure now.
"We're at a point where there are more rangers out on the front lines, and that increases the risk of something like this happening," he said of the fatal shooting last Friday.
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Gower had been working on anti-poaching efforts for about a year when he was shot down. Born and raised in the U.K., he'd worked as an accountant until 2009, when his sense of adventure pushed him to get his helicopter pilot's license.
That brought him to Tanzania, where he was hired by a luxury safari company to escort wealthy clients and celebrities around the country's safari circuit. He did that for five years before joining the Friedkin Conservation Fund, where he helped carry out anti-poaching patrols and flew Friedkin staff between various camps on the Maswa Reserve, Pratik Patel, a director at the Friedkin, told National Geographic.
"He was totally passionate about working to make a difference in conservation and helping with this huge global fight [against poaching]," Patel said.
The Washington Post
BLACKSBURG, Va. A 13-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom was stabbed to death by a Virginia Tech student, and another freshman already charged with hiding the body was more deeply involved, authorities said Tuesday. A neighbor said the seventh-grader told friends she would sneak out to meet her "boyfriend" David, an 18-year-old she met online through the Kik messaging app.
Nicole Madison Lovell was killed Wednesday, the same day she vanished, by David Eisenhauer, a freshman at Virginia Tech now jailed on charges of kidnapping and murder, Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt said Tuesday.
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The prosecutor also announced that Eisenhauer's classmate, Natalie Keepers, will face a more serious charge of being an accessory "before the fact" to first-degree murder, in addition to helping to dispose of the body. The new charge could mean a life sentence if convicted.
Eisenhauer said "I believe the truth will set me free" after he was arrested on Saturday, a police document says.
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Nicole's mother discovered her missing last Wednesday morning, setting off an intense hunt for the girl, who suffered from bullying at school and online over her weight and a tracheotomy scar, and needed daily medication after surviving a liver transplant, lymphoma and a drug-resistant bacterial infection as a 5-year-old.
Police quickly zeroed in on Eisenhauer, and then found Nicole's body on Saturday, hidden off a North Carolina road, two hours south of campus.
Stacy Snider, a neighbor whose 8-year-old twins played with Nicole, told The Associated Press that before she vanished, Nicole showed her girls Eisenhauer's picture along with a thread of texts they had shared and said she would be sneaking out to meet him.
"She was talking about this boyfriend she had that was 18 and went to college, and his name was David. And showed some text messages off of a Kik and pictures. And that's what the girls told the police officers when they asked."
Snider said she learned all this from her girls only after Nicole vanished. "I would have told her mother. But we didn't know nothing about it until she came up missing, unfortunately," she said.
Nichole Madison Lovell, 13, was last seen on January 27, 2016. Blacksburg police arrested Virginia Tech student David Eisenhauer, 18, the morning of Jan. 30, 2016, before investigators found the body on a road near the North Carolina border, police said. Eisenhauer, from Columbia, was a top cross country runner at Wilde Lake High School. (Facebook / Blacksburg Police Department)
Her fate devastated her mother, Tammy Weeks, who also spoke at Tuesday's news conference, describing the health problems her daughter battled and the joys in her short life.
"Her favorite color was blue. Nicole was a very lovable person. Nicole touched many people throughout her short life," Weeks read from a statement before her sobs became uncontrollable and she was ushered away.
Blacksburg police said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared Wednesday, but provided no more details.
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"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.
Kik Interactive, based in Ontario, Canada, was "active in helping the FBI carry out their investigation," spokesman Rod McLeod said.
Also, at Kik's request, Apple stopped advertising Kik Messenger as appropriate for kids 9 and older on its iTunes store on Monday. "Yes, we did recently ask Apple to change our rating to 12+. This more closely matches the age (13) in our TOS (terms of service)," McLeod told the AP.
Kik, along with Instagram and Snapchat, are particularly popular with younger teens, and it's impossible to keep underage users from signing up. Even kids whose parents closely monitor their activity on sites such as Facebook often use smartphones with other social media where predators lurk, said Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBI in Richmond.
Two Virginia Tech engineering students have been arrested in connection with the death of a 13-year-old girl. David Eisenhauer is charged with first-degree murder. Natalie Keepers faces charges including improper disposal of a body. Feb. 1, 2016. (AP) (Associated Press)
"Kids are crafty," Lee said. "They will have one account parents have access to, and half a dozen they shield from their parents' view."
David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, agreed that parental oversight is a good thing, but cautioned against placing too much blame on technology.
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"Although there has been an increase in crimes that have some social media-related nexus to them, the overall level of crime victimization including sexual assaults and kidnapping and even peer bullying has declined," Finkelhor said. "So it's a complicated picture."
Teens who are vulnerable online would be vulnerable in other situations as well, Finkelhor added, especially those who are "socially isolated or dealing with some emotional problem, not well supervised, suffering rejection by families or peers. They are looking for support, someone who can give them affirmation."
Associated Press
Strong showings in the Iowa caucuses by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio sent them roaring into next week's Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire with a head of steam at the expense of a deflated Donald Trump.
On the Democratic side, the virtual tie between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders puts intense pressure on Clinton to rebound in New Hampshire and foreshadows a protracted struggle in a race she expected to dominate.
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New Hampshire is renowned for its independence and contrarian voting habits and anything can happen there. Trump and Sanders enjoy big polling leads that they now need to turn into New Hampshire victories. That will be a test of whether Sanders can retain the enthusiasm of his youthful supporters, and whether Trump fans still consider him a winner after losing the first contest of the 2016 campaign.
Rubio didn't win Iowa but he was a big a winner there. His third-place finish was closer than polls predicted and he almost caught Trump. His challenge now is to persuade mainstream Republican voters to coalesce behind his candidacy to foil the self-styled outsiders Cruz and Trump. To do that he'll need a strong showing in New Hampshire against Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie three other mainstream Republicans who are competing vigorously in the Granite State.
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New Hampshire comebacks are not unusual. Clinton staged one after Barack Obama beat her in Iowa eight years ago. Ronald Reagan in 1980 and George H.W. Bush in 1988 scored critical New Hampshire wins after losing Iowa.
Of course Clinton's New Hampshire victory in 2008 wasn't enough to propel her to victory over Obama for the nomination. This time she's counting on strong organizations and well-financed campaigns in later contests to overcome the unexpected early success of Sanders, a senator from Vermont.
New Hampshire's outcome is hard to predict because about 40 percent of its voters are independents who are allowed to decide on primary day whether to vote in either party's contest. A candidate who scores big with these voters can spring a surprise. And surprise has already been the story of this campaign, in which little has played out as expected.
On the Republican side there are several huge question marks, in addition to the overriding one of Trump's durability:
- Can Rubio, the Florida senator, get a bounce from his strong Iowa finish and thereby crowd out the other mainstream contenders? He will be the focus of a lot of fire from rivals over the next few days to prevent this. If he places first or second in New Hampshire he would become a top contender for the nomination.
- Can Kasich, Bush or Christie do well next Tuesday? Each faces virtual elimination otherwise. And each probably has to finish ahead of the other two and Rubio for a plausible pathway to the nomination.
- Can Cruz ride his Iowa victory to a respectable showing in New Hampshire, a state he'd been inclined to ignore but now intends to contest? He'd planned to focus instead on South Carolina, where the third G.O.P. contest takes place on Feb. 20 and where conservative voters are more of a force. His campaign manager has predicted that the Texan will prevail there, though polls show Trump ahead. Another factor may be whether Ben Carson, the retired pediatric neurosurgeon who finished a distant fourth in Iowa, stays in the race; he and Cruz compete for evangelical Christian voters.
New Hampshire is likely to winnow out at least three or four candidates. Iowa effectively took out half a dozen, including Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, winners of the last two Republican caucuses there.
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Albert Hunt is a Bloomberg columnist.
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.
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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.
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There are people out there who listen to sad, lonely girls, tell them they are beautiful and smart. They were right there in Nicole's bedroom.
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 wasn't private. On Facebook, Instagram, Kik, in chats and groups, she wasn't 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.
A Virginia Tech engineering student has been charged with her abduction and killing. We still don't know what evidence led police to 18-year-old David Eisenhauer, a track star from Columbia, Maryland, 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 Nicole's body. She's an engineering student from Laurel, Maryland, who once interned at NASA.
Police told Nicole's mom, Tammy Weeks, that they think the sweet-faced girl met Eisenhauer online.
The details of that are still unclear, but here's 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.
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The app grants users anonymity, it allows searches by age and lets users send photos that aren't stored on phones.
It's popular with tweens and teens and predators.
"Unfortunately, we see it every day," said Lt. James Bacon, head of the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department's 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 hasn't been the only one using this app to hunt victims.
"Kik became the latest thing," Bacon said. "It's 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, law enforcement officials have had a tough time getting the company to cooperate on cases, Bacon said.
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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.
Know your kids' digital lives. Prowl their email, their laptops and their phones.
Teens have been outmaneuvering their mothers and fathers for decades. Back in my day, we told our parents that we were spending the night at Melanie's 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 Melanie's mom.
This world? The predators aren't just hiding behind the Galaga machine at the arcade. They're in our kids' pockets, in their backpacks, in their bedrooms.
It's not OK to play the Luddite. Bumbling dad with the remote control only the kids can figure out needs to die along with dad jeans.
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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? He's 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 daughter's 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 kid's 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.
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Not long ago, I was going through the search history on my 11-year-old son's 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 that's 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.
Washington Post
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Petula Dvorak is a Washington Post columnist.
If you're the parent of a Chicago public school student, you probably felt the earth shake a little Monday afternoon when the Chicago Teachers Union announced it had rejected a contract proposal that CTU leaders only last week had deemed a "serious offer."
Was it a good deal? A bad deal? Who could tell? As CTU leaders deliberated over the terms, Chicago Public Schools officials didn't tell the citizens of Chicago anything about what commitments were being made in their name and at their expense. Chicagoans knew only the bits and pieces that were gleaned by reporters.
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Only after the CTU leaders rejected the deal did CPS let the public know that it included a property tax increase and a crushing blow to parents who hoped to enroll their children in charter schools.
About that effort to choke charter school expansion:
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Chicago opened its first charter school in 1997. Nearly two decades later, Chicago has some 130 charter schools with 61,000 students. The growth has been explosive because so many parents want charter schools for their children.
So what is CPS ready to do in this contract? Promise that Chicago will have no more than 130 schools. No more. And CPS is ready to lobby in Springfield to straitjacket the Illinois Charter Commission, which serves as a de facto court of appeals for proposed charter schools that are rejected by local districts.
But even that wasn't enough for the teachers union, which complained in a news release Monday that the offer on charters had "no guarantees."
Why in the world is CPS bargaining away the right to increase the number of charter schools? More than 400 charter schools opened nationwide in this school year, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Nearly 3 million students attend charter schools, a sixfold increase in enrollment in just the past 15 years.
Last year, Chicago's Noble Network of Charter Schools here won the 2015 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools a $250,000 award that recognizes the best charter school network in the country.
This is a growing movement to meet the great and explosive demand from parents and students for innovation, for choices in education yet Chicago Public Schools officials are ready to bargain away that opportunity. That is unconscionable.
So, what happens now at CPS? Negotiations continue and the clock starts ticking on a teachers strike, which could come in late May if CPS still has the cash to be operating then. CPS officials have warned for weeks that if a contract wasn't reached by Feb. 1, the district would have to issue teacher layoff notices. The CPS statement released late Monday after the CTU rejected the deal made no mention of layoffs, though.
The failure to reach a contract won't create confidence in Springfield. CPS has been poking, prodding, begging lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner to come up with $480 million to close its budget gap.
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The failure to reach a contract won't inspire confidence in potential lenders either. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was in New York on Monday, trying to persuade investors to subscribe to an $875 million CPS bond deal that stalled last week. We imagine he, too, felt the earth shake a little when the CTU leaders rejected the contract terms without even putting it to a vote of the union members.
So negotiations go on. But there has to be a reset.
CPS leaders, you have to trust parents, students and taxpayers with the particulars of the next proposed agreement. Did you read the Tribune poll released Monday? Just 18 percent of Chicagoans say Mayor Rahm Emanuel runs a transparent administration. Fully 70 percent say the mayor is not transparent. And 59 percent say he is not honest and trustworthy.
And you're cooking up a there-it-is-there-it-isn't deal without telling Chicagoans anything about it? You're only affirming the cynicism of all those Chicagoans.
And remember, there are those 61,000 Chicago students in charter schools, with thousands more waiting to enroll.
Why in the world are you going to tell the last child in to lock the door behind her?
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Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a caucus night rally on Feb. 1, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. Cruz sealed a victory in the Republican Iowa caucuses. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
DUBUQUE, Iowa In the gymnasium of Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School, an overflow crowd of Republican caucus voters listened as representatives of each GOP candidate gave a final sales pitch.
When a Donald Trump supporter stood to rally for her candidate, the crowd went about as nuts as Iowa caucus-goers allow themselves to go. The whoops and hollers that followed the words "make America great again" showed an enthusiasm unmatched.
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The woman assured everyone that Trump is good and pure: "He didn't take no money from no one."
Whoo-hoo!
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I felt guilty for wishing this, but I wanted Trump to lose the Iowa caucus in part because I wanted that woman and the various whoopers and hollerers with the dopey, stiff-brimmed "Make America Great Again" hats to NOT win. They were cheering for an attitude, for loud, mean-spirited words backed with no substance.
Apparently my wishes are very powerful in Iowa. Trump lost. The guy who always wins that's literally all he does, folks, he just wins all the time lost.
Of course, Ted Cruz won, which probably means I should've expanded my wish a bit and knocked out another unpleasant ideologue, but hey, we do what we can.
The truth is, someone who's loud and a little angry was bound to win over the GOP voters in Iowa. I could feel the frustration as people filed into the middle school by the hundreds, swiftly filling up an 800-seat auditorium and then half a gym.
People were muttering about the country's debt, about Obamacare, about what a mess we're in.
Chris Manning, a 55-year-old Coast Guard veteran who stood next to me in the gym, had never seen so many people at a caucus.
What do you think is driving them to come out?
"I hope what's driving it is people listening to people like me who haven't been shutting up about the numbers and the facts, about what we're dealing with," Manning said. "The deficit alone. It's unreal."
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He listened as the candidate representatives gave their speeches, most of which were strings of conservative catchphrases stitched into sentences: secure our borders, consistently conservative, Christian values, path to righteousness.
Manning listened politely, chuckling here and there at the hyperbole. He's a smart, well-informed guy and has clearly had it with politicians in general.
"What's frustrating is a lot of people don't want to be a Democrat or a Republican," he said. "But you don't have any choice."
Caleb and Kara Porter brought their 1-year-old daughter, Claira, to the caucus, feeling strongly and I'd say accurately that this is an election of great consequence.
Like many around him, Caleb Porter, a design engineer, talked about frustration with establishment politicians. He said he doesn't like all the "bashing around" that's been happening in the campaign, but he clearly wasn't going to side with any of the more mainstream candidates.
His choice was Cruz.
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"I like his values," Porter said. "I like how he stands against the establishment."
If frustration and negativity were running high in the GOP caucus, a Democratic site two miles east was decidedly more upbeat. (Darn stereotypical Democrats, being all happy and whatnot.)
While Hillary Clinton had a bit more support than Bernie Sanders, the voting was close. Dave Baker, who headed up the caucus, said the mood was never contentious.
"It was very positive," he said. "People were concerned with good jobs, treating people with respect no matter who they love or what color skin they might have."
That would've made folks over at the GOP caucus roll their eyes so hard the entire middle school would've flipped over.
But that's where we're at, I suppose. Two miles apart, and two very different perceptions of America.
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Manning, the Porter family and voters across the state raced home from the Monday night caucuses ahead of an approaching winter storm.
Leave it to Iowa to give us a perfect allegory for the politics to come.
rhuppke@tribpub.com
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to address his supporters after finishing second in the Iowa Caucus, in West Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 1, 2016. (Jim Watson, AFP/Getty Images)
Ever since Donald Trump entered the Republican presidential race I have been waiting to see him lose. I wanted to see how he would handle it. Humility, after all, is not an emotion with which the Donald appears to be intimately familiar.
Remember when his rival Ben Carson, the retired brain surgeon, was running neck and neck with him in polls back in November, occasionally beating him? "How stupid are the people of Iowa?" Trump raged about Carson in a Fort Dodge, Iowa, rant. "How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?"
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What, I wondered, would be his reaction if the people of Iowa decide with their votes that they are not going to believe his crap either? Would he stand in stunned disbelief? Would he stagger off the stage babbling nonsense? Would he howl in protest about how he was robbed, perhaps by illegal immigrants?
We found out Monday night after he decisively lost Iowa's Republican caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and finished only a whisper ahead of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Trump tried something that was different, even for him. Call it "humility lite."
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"I absolutely love the people of Iowa," he said, beaming his wall-to-wall grin like a beacon in the night. "Unbelievable."
And he repeated himself in his usual fashion ("I love you people," he said. "I love you people,") as if he were talking to third-graders or perhaps trying to woo the crowd through mass hypnosis and repeated himself again.
"I'm honored," he said. "I'm really honored."
He congratulated the winner Cruz, thanked Mike Huckabee for dropping out and failed to mention Marco Rubio, who finished third in a fashion that overperformed his polling as much as the Donald underperformed. "We will go on to get the Republican nomination, and we will go on to beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw out there."
But Trump left quickly. What more was there for him to say? His spell was broken. All of his talk about what a winner he was in a world full of "loo-zahs" and how he was going to make all of us winners, too, had fallen to dust.
When he's elected, he used to say, "There will be so much winning !"
Ah, not this time, loo-zah.
Suddenly the man behind the curtain was exposed as a mere mortal, a carnival hustler and flimflam man who came to town to pitch his magical elixir and motivate the rubes to feel good about themselves in a wicked world full of things that make conservatives worry about their children's futures like illegal immigrants, overseas trade, political correctness and, lest we forget, Rosie O'Donnell.
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Thanks for a great fantasy, the Donald, but votes are for real.
The man who never admits to making a mistake apparently grossly underestimated the importance of building a strong on-the-ground grass-roots campaign in every single county, if you want to win Iowa. That was how Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in 2008, and it's why Cruz worked tirelessly on his own ground game.
Trump, a virtual master of all media, apparently thought his formidable celebrity and overflow rally crowds were enough. It wasn't. Watch for more Trump volunteers to knock on doors and ring doorbells in New Hampshire.
And which candidate was the first to claim victory in front of the television cameras? Significantly it was neither Cruz nor Trump. It was Rubio. He finished third, but you would not have guessed from the celebration that he and his family brought onstage while music played and the crowd cheered.
I was reminded of how Bill Clinton is remembered for winning the 1992 New Hampshire primary, even though he actually came in second. He did such a grand job of declaring himself "The Comeback Kid" that he set a new standard for making a loss look like a win.
In similar fashion, Rubio looked like a winner and had earned it. As Bret Baier noted on Fox News, Iowa's vote was the first poll to show Rubio with more than 20 percent support. Rubio finished Iowa like a rocket in full liftoff. Cruz finished in orbit. Trump fizzled on the launch pad.
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Clarence Page, a member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at chicagotribune.com/pagespage.
cpage@tribpub.com
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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.
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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."
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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.
If they were at their homes in China instead of in their homes in Naperville, Tina Cui and Kexin Chao would be in the middle of celebrating Chinese New Year. Unlike New Year's Eve in the United States, Chinese New Year is a two-week celebration where many people travel home to be with family. Aurora resident Kathy Moreno is also familiar with the Chinese New Year since she and her husband lived in China for four years and in Thailand for 4-and-a-half years. Their children attended school there and the family grew to admire the many customs including Chinese New Year.
When Moreno moved back to the United States to settle in a home in Aurora, she joined Naperville Newcomers and Neighbors Club. At one of the organization's many gatherings, she met Cui and Chao. The three became fast friends as they shared stories of China. They decided it would be fun to share the many traditions connected with Chinese New Year with others and planned a Know and Tell, one of the many NNNC activities where members share knowledge or expertise on a topic.
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In trying to describe Chinese New Year, the three women say the event is similar to American Thanksgiving where families try to be together and share a traditional meal. But the celebration has many other facets. Families put up spring couplets which are good luck wishes written on red paper with black ink. They also post the Chinese symbol for luck upside down on the front door so that good luck will come pouring into the house.
A big family meal is held on New Year's Eve. "Most people have fish at the dinner," begins Moreno. "And when I say fish, I mean the whole fish. On my first day in China, I went to the grocery store and saw live fish jumping from one barrel to another barrel."
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"We steam the fish and serve it with the head, the eyeballs, every thing," says Cui. "Sometimes we fry it a little after steaming. When we finish the fish, we use the bones to make soup. It symbolizes the wholeness and completeness of things."
Another popular part of New Year's meals are dumplings. "Dumplings are an important part of the meal if you are in Northern china," explains Cui. "We have them steamed, fried or boiled. The dough is similar to pasta dough and the filling can vary. Traditional filling is pork and sauerkraut but you can add leek, egg, pork, dried shrimp. We had fish dumplings because we lived near the ocean."
Dumplings can be purchased but Chao likes to make her own from wrapper to filling. "I make the wrappers because the ones you buy are uniform thickness. I like the outside edges to be thinner and the middle to be thicker. I can do that when I roll them myself," she explains. Families eat dumplings at different times. "We ate dumplings in the middle of the night after the fireworks. One dumpling had a coin in it and it was good luck to get that dumpling," says Chao.
Instead of dumplings, people in southern China traditionally serve tang yuan which are glutinous rice balls that can be filled with chopped peanuts or black sesame paste. They are boiled in a sweet syrup or savory sauce and served. "There was also napa cabbage during the meal," notes Chao. "The Chinese character for napa means fortune so it was part of the meal."
"On New Year's Day, we put on new clothes and visit elderly relatives and our teachers," says Cui. "There is much respect for the elderly and for teachers. We go and show our respect and then the elderly relatives give us red envelopes with money," says Cui. The oldest and married members of the family give new bank notes in red envelopes to the younger and unmarried members of the family.
Color is very important during Chinese New Year's celebrations. "Red is good because it symbolizes happiness and good luck," says Cui. "White symbolizes death so it is not worn for New Year."
This year, Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 8. Moreno shares a recipe for dumplings for anyone who wants to join in the tradition of welcoming a year with hopes of good fortune. Chao shares a recipe for Nian Goa, a sweet glutinous steamed rice cake that is thought to bring improvement to the new year. The special ingredients can be found in the Asian section of grocery stores.
Judy Buchenot is a freelance writer.
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Dumplings
12 to 16 ounce package round dumpling or gyoza wrappers
small head napa cabbage
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 pound ground pork
1 egg
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2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or salt and pepper to taste)
water for boiling or olive oil for frying
Red or black rice vinegar
Thaw wrappers if frozen. Finely dice cabbage and mushrooms.
In a large bowl, combine ground pork, cabbage, mushrooms, egg, sesame oil and soy sauce (or salt and pepper). Mix well. Place one wrapper in the palm of your hand. Place on tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Do not place too much filling or wrappers will pop open during cooking. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water. Fold wrapper in half and squeeze the edges together firmly while crimping the edges to form pleats.
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Dumplings can be placed in freezer bags and frozen at this point for later use. When ready to serve, dumpling can be boiled or fried. To boil, fill a large pot half full with water. Add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon oil. Bring to a boil and then place dumplings in a single layer in the pot. Allow water to come to a boil and then add one cup cold water. Bring to a boil again and add one more cup cold water. Bring to a boil again. Dumplings should be cooked and floating on top. Remove dumplings and drain. Serve with red or black rice vinegar or soy sauce.
To fry dumplings, pour a thin layer of olive oil in a frying pan and heat. Brown dumplings in the oil for 2 minutes being sure to flip them so they do not stick to the pan. When dumplings are beginning to brown, add 6 tablespoons water and cover pan with a lid. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until dumplings are cooked through. Remove lid from pan and continue to cook until all the water is evaporated, flipping dumplings to keep them from sticking. Serve with red or black rice vinegar or soy sauce.
Nian Gao (New Year's Cake)
2 cups water
11/4 cup sugar (can use white or brown sugar or a mix)
11/2 pounds glutinous rice flour
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9 ounces sweetened red bean paste
2 cups cooked Chinese red beans
optional
2 eggs
Tina's Culinary Cue
To create a non-stick surface in a seasoned, iron wok, heat the wok and run fresh cut slices of ginger around the surface.
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Additional soy sauce
oil for frying
Mix together sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Place rice flour in a mixing bowl and pour hot sugar and water mixture over it. Mix well. Add red bean paste and red beans and mix well. Grease an 8" round pan and spread mixture into the pan. Steam for one hour over hot water in a bamboo steamer. Cool.
If desired, cake can be fried for extra flavor. Beat two eggs. Cut cake into 2" squares. Dip into eggs. Heat a thin layer of oil in a pan. Fry cake squares until lightly browned.
The two Republican candidates who want to become the next Kendall County coroner touted their qualifications at a recent public forum in Oswego.
Carl Gutierrez of Oswego and Jacquie Purcell of Yorkville - vying for voter approval in the March 15 GOP primary - already have experience in the office.
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Gutierrez, a retired lieutenant with the Illinois State Police, has been a deputy coroner for the office since 2012. Purcell, administrative deputy coroner for Kendall County, has been with the department since 2003, previously holding similar positions in Kane and LaSalle counties.
Candidates for countywide, state and federal offices recently addressed voters at an Oswego Chamber of Commerce Candidates Meet and Greet held at Village Hall.
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Kendall County Coroner Ken Toftoy has decided not to seek re-election to the post he has held since 1992.
Gutierrez said in his final years with the state police he was a statewide supervising special agent to an FBI joint terrorism task force. He served 13 years in the Illinois Army National Guard, ending his military career with honors with the rank of first lieutenant.
Gutierrez said the coroner's office does a good job but if elected he would establish a Kendall County Coroner Emergency Response Team.
"If there were ever an incident in the county involving mass casualties the area's first responders would need our help," he said.
Gutierrez said he would donate a portion of his coroner's salary to establish a scholarship program for students interested in pursuing careers in forensic law, public safety, medical fields and criminal science investigation.
He said he also would refuse to accept the taxpayer funded pension and health care offered with the post.
"I do not believe in double-dipping. I do believe in giving back," he said.
Purcell said in her 12 years in the Kendall County Coroner's office, her work has covered a range of duties from managing the everyday office demands to performing death investigations.
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"I was on-call 270 days last year. There is not a single aspect of this job that I have not done," Purcell said.
Purcell said she is certified in forensic death investigations and medicolegal death investigations through the Illinois Coroner's and Medical Examiner's Association and received master's 16 Level Death Investigation Certification through the St. Louis University School of Medicine Division of Forensic Sciences.
"I have more than 25 certifications in advanced death investigations," she said. "I have personally managed thousands of deaths. I am the only nationally board certified death investigator in all of Kendall County."
Purcell said she would develop an organ and tissue donation program and a summer internship program for college students if she is elected.
No one filed to run in the Democratic primary for Kendall County coroner.
Linda Girardi is a freelance writer for The Beacon-News
A Geneva woman was charged with first-degree murder after she allegedly poisoned her husband with a fatal dose of a prescription sedative, prosecutors said. Feb. 2, 2016. (CBS Chicago) (CBS Chicago)
A Geneva woman killed her husband by giving him a smoothie spiked with a fatal dose of a prescription sedative and then attempted to take her own life, Kane County prosecutors allege.
Julia L. Gutierrez, 53, of the first block of Crissey Avenue, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her husband, Eduardo Gutierrez, 53, prosecutors said. She appeared Tuesday in bond court, but the full hearing was moved to Wednesday morning, authorities said.
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Prosecutors from the Kane County state's attorney's office on Tuesday filed a motion seeking to have Julia Gutierrez held without bail. In the motion, prosecutors say the defendant poses a threat to her safety and the safety of others.
It is alleged that sometime between Jan. 26 and Thursday, Julia Gutierrez mixed the sedative temazepam into a smoothie and gave it to her husband. He then drank it and died as a result, authorities said.
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According to the motion, "The defendant then at some time and in some manner administered herself a high dose of the same narcotic in an effort to kill herself."
Police responded to their residence Thursday night after receiving a call for a well-being check. They found the dead man. According to the motion, police found Julia Gutierrez in a "tranquilized" state. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and is now incarcerated and on suicide watch in the Kane County Jail, authorities said.
According to the WebMD website, temazepam is normally prescribed to treat short-term cases of insomnia.
Geneva police Cmdr. Julie Nash declined to discuss a potential motive, and there was no information about a motive in the prosecutors' motion.
Nash said records indicate that police had been to the residence only once before, in 2002 for a service call.
"It's not a residence we've been to on multiple occasions," she said.
Kristy Poteete-Kriegermeier, Geneva School District 304 communications coordinator, said Gutierrez was employed as a bus driver in the district from 1992 to 2004. She said administrators and employees working in the transportation division during that period are no longer with the district.
"Our employees would not have known her, so we cannot comment on her work ethic or personality," she said Tuesday.
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The district's human resources department has her termination date still on file in its old record system.
"Our employment records have changed, so we only have her last date of service," and not the reason for leaving, she said.
One Crissey Avenue resident, who asked not to be identified, said he did not really know the couple, other than to exchange a neighborly hello and wave at them when he saw them outside.
"They were nice people," the neighbor said.
He said the charges are shocking.
"I am very surprised," he said. "They were friendly people and nice to talk to or chat with them. It appeared they were hardworking people. I am really surprised by this charge."
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Geneva was also in the spotlight last year, when Kane County Judge James Hallock ordered Shadwick King, of Geneva, to serve 30 years in prison for the 2014 murder of his wife. That was the first murder in Geneva since 1975.
A jury last March convicted King of killing his wife, Kathleen, in July 2014 after learning she was in a relationship with a younger man. Kathleen King's body was found on railroad tracks not far from the couple's Geneva home. Prosecutors said King strangled his wife and then left her body on the tracks.
As for the recent murder charge in Geneva, the neighbor of the Gutierrez family said, "it's only odd from the perspective of one being charged with the murder of their spouse. Geneva isn't any different than any other place in the country."
Clifford Ward and Linda Girardi are freelance reporters for Tribune Newspapers.
Three men who were allegedly caught with more than a ton of pot saw the charges against them dropped after a Cook County judge ruled that police did not have enough probable cause to search their truck.
Prosecutors dropped charges of possession of cannabis with intent to deliver against the men two from Chicago and one from South Bend who were arrested in August after authorities said 2,300 pounds of marijuana worth about $6 million was seized from a truck the men were loading at a Des Plaines-area warehouse.
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The move to halt the case came Thursday after Judge Bridget Hughes had earlier quashed the men's arrests, ruling that police violated search and seizure standards.
Officers from the Illinois State Police narcotics unit had been watching the men before conducting a search without a warrant and, defense attorneys argued, without having seen or detected any contraband.
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"The police didn't have a warrant or a definable reason to stop them," said Ralph Meczyk, a defense attorney in the case. "The officers had a hunch and they said it was a consensual search, but the judge didn't believe them."
In court, Meczyk argued that the officers' reports of the arrest were inconsistent and changed during testimony in pretrial hearings.
Prosecutors said the officers acted on an anonymous tip and were justified in making the arrests. But Hughes sided with the defense, saying the officers did not have a reasonable cause to detain or search the men at the warehouse.
The men Fabian Ochoa, 38, of the 5600 block of south Kolmar Avenue in Chicago; Jose Miguel Espinoza, 24, of the 8500 block of south Houston Avenue in Chicago; and Rafael Martinez, 38, of the 500 block of south Kaley Street in South Bend were out of jail on bond when the charges were dropped. Before they were freed, that had to prove the funds they posted for bail $35,000 cash each were not proceeds from illegal drug transactions, Meczyk said. All three were gainfully employed, and one cashed in a 401(k) account to post bail, he said.
The state does not intend to pursue the case further, said Steve Campbell, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office.
The marijuana will be destroyed by incineration after a court order is issued, said Master Sgt. Matt Boerwinkle, a spokesman for Illinois State Police. .
George Houde is a freelance reporter.
Higher Ed officials want Rauner to sign college grant measure
Higher education officials in the Southland aren't holding out hope that Gov. Bruce Rauner will sign a measure restoring low-income educational grants and money for community college as the schools continue to operate without state money.
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The Republican governor said even before the SB 2043 passed the Illinois House last week that he would veto it. Critics of the measure say the $721 million appropriation doesn't come with a funding source.
The bill, backed by Democrats, restores $397 million in grants for the Monetary Award Program and more than $324 million to community colleges. It would act as a stop-gap for some of the funds that dried up as Illinois continues without a current fiscal budget.
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On Monday, Senate President John Cullerton said he is waiting to send the bill to the governor's desk to provide Rauner a "cooling-off period" and is urging Rauner to rethink his position.
Meanwhile, Chicago State University on Chicago's South Side has become the face of struggling institutions of higher learning in Illinois after disclosing that it would not be able to pay its employees after March if funding wasn't restored. Spokesman Tom Wogan said he is hopeful that Springfield will eventually make the money flow again.
"My biggest fear is ... how much damage will be done by then," Wogan said.
Despite the funding cutoff, Chicago State floated millions of dollars in MAP grants to helplow-income students. .
Senate and House Democrats from the Southland have called on Rauner to approve the legislation. Sen. Napoleon Harris, D-Harvey, said the state has forced "students and universities to wait for this aid for far too long."
One Republican critic of the bill, State Rep. Margo McDermed, wrote in a letter to the editor that Illinois students and higher education is "suffering potentially permanent damage."
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
"I wholeheartedly believe that we need to fund our higher education institutions and make sure every young Illinoisan can afford to get the education they deserve," the Republican from Mokena writes. "I do not believe that this bill is the way to go about it."
As the impasse continues in Springfield, community colleges hope to see lawmakers and the governor come together on funding for higher education.
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Lloyd Betourney, a spokesman for South Suburban College in South Holland, said Rauner last year was citing the state's community college system as part of the "world-class education" he wants for Illinois.
"The college hopes and certainly urges the governor to remember that and sign this legislation."
Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills is "treading water" but isn't in any imminent threat of shutting its doors, said college spokesman Mark Horstmeyer. The measure would have restored funding based on the needs of the colleges, using last year's budget to determine each school's share. Moraine Valley students were eligible to receive $2.4 million dollars in MAP grants.
"We appreciate what the legislature is trying to do for our students, as well as the college. We hope the governor may change his mind," Horstmeyer said.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Mike Clark, owner of Ed & Joe's Pizza, seen here in his Tinley Park restaurant on June 3, 2011, has been cited by the village for not disclosing his business in his annual ethics code statement. (Joseph P. Meier / Chicago Tribune)
An influential Tinley Park commissioner who made thousands of dollars selling pizza to the village violated Tinley Park's ethics code by not formally disclosing his business to the village, an independent investigation concluded.
For years, Michael Clark's restaurant Ed & Joe's regularly catered food for the village's monthly MainStreet Commission meetings, which Clark chaired. The MainStreet Commission was the only village commission that regularly catered its meals. Village officials said it was the only commission that met at dinnertime.
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Clark came under scrutiny in 2014 when local attorney Steve Eberhardt filed an ethics complaint with the village stating Clark and other commissioners didn't disclose their ownership of businesses doing work for the village. Tinley Park hired former Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine to investigate that complaint.
In his report, Devine concluded that commissioners were confused about disclosure obligations but they weren't hiding their business with the village. However, he also concluded that it was "troubling" that Clark never asked officials about "the propriety" of his restaurant "being paid money for meals provided to the commission he was chairing."
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Eberhardt filed a new complaint in November stating Clark still hadn't disclosed his ownership of Ed & Joe's on his annual village ethics statement. This time, the village hired Chicago attorney Stephen Viz, who concluded in a Jan. 27 report that Clark should have disclosed his ownership of the business.
In an interview, Mayor Dave Seaman said Clark thought he didn't have to disclose his ownership because the village was no longer buying pizza for his commission's meetings. Clark did not return messages seeking comment.
"Mike should have been more cautious about that and it's a shame that he wasn't," Seaman said. "It's a shame, quite frankly, that the village hasn't had an oversight mechanism to at least review those (disclosure forms)."
Most people who think of disclosure think of contracts, and not cases where a village employee might go into a restaurant and order a pizza, Seaman said. But Clark should have "erred on overly cautious not underly cautious," he said.
Tinley Park officials had spent about $119,000 on food from Ed & Joe's from 1989 to fall 2014. The village did not immediately release records showing whether Tinley Park has spent more there in the time since.
Clark's relationship with the village represented a broader "culture problem" in Tinley Park, experts said at the time. In the past two years, the Tribune and the Daily Southtown reported extensively on politically connected figures in Tinley Park who received business from village hall.
The former Economic and Commercial Commission chairman, who was former Mayor Ed Zabrocki's campaign manager in 2013, runs a printing company that received $1 million in no-bid orders from Tinley Park from 2004 to 2014.
During that same time frame, Tinley Park paid more than 100 other vendors combined less than $700,000 for printing, records showed.
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In 2011, Tinley Park handed out a garbage contract worth an estimated $24 million to a politically connected firm without seeking bids, even though officials knew that the town's residents paid more for garbage collection than those in neighboring communities. That company, Tinley Park Disposal, was founded by a village commissioner.
A flower shop owned by the family of the mayor's secretary did $176,000 worth of business with the village over the years, about eight times more than its nearest competitor, records showed.
And in Ed & Joe's case, records showed Tinley Park spent significantly less money at other local pizza shops. The pizzeria that had earned the most from the village, after Ed & Joe's, was Aurelio's Pizza, which had received about $40,000 in business during the same time period.
In each case, village officials said political connections had nothing to do with the amount of business given to vendors. Zabrocki declined to comment for this story.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
Clark was born and raised in Tinley Park and bought Ed & Joe's from his father in 1978. He is known as "The Pizza King," according to the restaurant's website.
This week, Seaman said he hopes the village will reform its ethics code to make it clearer and easier to understand a point echoed by Viz, the independent attorney, who said the ethics code is "unwieldy, difficult to follow and unduly complicated."
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Viz recommended that an ordinance violation be filed against Clark in Cook County court, as required by Tinley Park's ethics code, but said the parties should "conclude the court action expeditiously with an agreement on a minimal fine" for Clark.
Eberhardt, the attorney who filed the complaint, said he was pleased with the ruling.
"The ordinance is clear," Eberhardt said. "If you do business with the village, you have to make a disclosure."
gpratt@tribpub.com
Twitter @royalpratt
Downers Grove resident Mike MacDonald has published his first book, My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagolands Startling Natural Wonders. (Courtesy of David Jagodzinski)
Scattered throughout the concrete jungle of the Chicago region are numerous wilderness sites, including prairies, wetlands, woodlands and even a natural canyon.
Many people who live and work near these special natural areas, however, don't even know these places are there.
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Downers Grove resident Mike MacDonald, 55, hopes to inspire people to visit local forest preserves after recently publishing his book, "My Journey into the Wilds of Chicago: A Celebration of Chicagoland's Startling Natural Wonders."
His book includes over 200 local natural habitat and wildlife photographs along with text and poems that often correlate to the images. MacDonald will also speak about the area's natural wonders at a book-signing event at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at Frugal Muse Books in Darien. It is his first book, said MacDonald, who lives with his wife, Cordula, and teaches photography and sells prints.
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"The Chicago region is not just a huge urban area," MacDonald said. "There are a lot of natural beautiful places here that people can explore. I hope my book will encourage them to do that."
He said there are over 350 square miles of nature preserves within an hour's drive of downtown Chicago.
MacDonald also believes the Chicago region's natural areas rival some of the most beautiful places in the western part of the country.
"People like to go out west because there are mountains and big rocks and things," he said. "Chicago is pretty much flat, that is true, but we have a lot of plant biodiversity here. The prairie, in the summer, can have different flowers blooming in it every day."
One of MacDonald's favorite plants is the purple spiderwort flower, which blooms for only a few hours before melting into a gem of jelly. The photograph in the book shows one of his fingers turning purple from touching the jelly-like substance.
He also enjoys observing a seed from the porcupine grass that spins as it drills itself into the soil. Some prairie plants also have unappealing smells, emitting odors similar to skunk and even vomit, he said. And who needs Arizona when Chicago has its own cactus, the eastern prickly pear, which at times displays a beautiful yellow flower at the top of the plant, he said.
MacDonald also included a photograph of Cook County's only canyon, Sagawau Canyon near Lemont, which has fern-lined walls and a swift curving stream. MacDonald wrote in the book that visitor center staff nicknamed it "The Grand Canyon of Cook County."
Television producer and journalist Bill Kurtis and naturalist Stephen Packard wrote separate foreword sections in the book.
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"The prairie has long been disregarded and misunderstood," Kurtis wrote. "Yet, like wildfires that blaze across the grassland and bring it new life, a new understanding of the prairie is smoldering: we're beginning to wake up to its value and its beauty."
Packard said that Mike's book is an artist's attempt to make an emotional connection with readers. "As you turn the pages, I hope you will be inspired to step into the wilds and begin an optimistic, life-changing journey of your own," Packard wrote. "Falling in love with woods and prairie has changed lives for the better."
Paul Garrison, owner of Frugal Muse Books, is confident that people will enjoy the talk and book- signing event.
"He (MacDonald) is very passionate about the book," Garrison said. "It has been a labor of love for him."
Those interested in attending the presentation and book signing at Frugal Muse Books, 7511 Lemont Road, No. 146, are encouraged to RSVP at 630-427-1140. The store will be selling the book at a discounted rate of $60[cq]. The book can also be purchased for $75 by visiting MacDonald's website at chicagonature.com.
Joseph Ruzich is a freelance reporter.
Glencoe officials say that nearly two years after the village plan commission started gathering information and listening to testimony on how to invigorate the village's downtown, some specific ideas may soon be available for public consumption.
At their Jan. 27 meeting, plan commissioners looked at maps of the existing areas and talked about ideas for enhancements on the public property within Glencoe's central business district.
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It was the latest step for the commission, which has been looking at updating the chapter of the village's master plan that pertains to downtown. The discussions come against the backdrop of the scheduled opening later this month of the new 36,000-square-foot Writers Theatre, which is expected to draw additional residents and visitors to the downtown area.
The theater also was discussed, as Glencoe Village Planner Lee Brown mentioned a need for greater pedestrian access between the new building at 325 Tudor Court and the rest of the downtown. The main connection now is a small walkway owned by a bank on Park Avenue.
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But the conversation also centered on other areas including Wyman Green, the patch of infrequently use land between the Village Hall and the public Library. There was a call for some enhancement that area.
"Just having blank space, we can do better," Commissioner Gary Ruben said.
Fellow Commissioner Harriet Resnick talked about having some type of gathering space in Wyman Green, where she suggested people could eat lunch under appropriate weather conditions.
"It is such a great open space that has so much potential," Resnick said.
Another area of concern was the lack of direction into downtown or markers that inform a driver that downtown Glencoe is close by.
"You don't feel you are anywhere near downtown the instant you go east of Green Bay Road," Commission Chairwoman Caren Thomas said.
Brown added to that point by specifically mentioning the lack of welcoming at the Hazel Avenue underpass.
"I get depressed every time I take a left turn into Temple Court at that entry," Brown said.
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That led to a collective call for better signage and direction into the central business district, starting at Kalk Park and at the nearby Metra tracks, which are just east of Green Bay Road.
"I want to announce the village before I get to the downtown," Brown said.
Ruben went further, saying signage could also be placed at the intersection of Park Avenue and Sheridan Road. Resnick made the case that such signage could be placed on the Green Bay Trail, which is east of the downtown, and is heavily used by pedestrians and bicycle riders.
"If you are on the trail, you do not know there is this great town over here," she said.
But Brown expressed some reluctance about making the trail appear to be part of the central business district.
"We are leery of creating a bigger area on the map to make the community think we are trying to make the downtown bigger," he said.
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Once people arrive in downtown Glencoe, commissioners said they believe there are some amenities that can be done to make the visit more pleasing. Ideas were tossed around including free wi-fi, special lighting and a sharper information board outside of the library.
Thomas said staff members will gather all the information that has been collected not only at the January session, but from all the testimony and that has been presented to the plan commission for nearly two years. She said she hopes an initial draft with suggestions will be ready in time for the scheduled Feb. 24 meeting.
Thomas said that once commissioners settle on a concept, it will be shown to the public in open forums to generate additional feedback and then formally presented to the village board of trustees.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A McHenry County man was charged with drug-induced homicide Monday after a Mundelein resident was found dead from an apparent overdose, police said.
Relatives found 27-year-old Jason Erickson unresponsive in the bedroom of his Mundelein home at about 11:35 p.m. Dec. 26, according to a statement from Mundelein police.
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Officers gave Erickson one dose of Naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of opioids. Paramedics then took him to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he later died, police said. Autopsy results are pending.
According to police, investigators identified 28-year-old Joseph W. Crisara III, of the 300 block of Tulip Circle in Island Lake, as a suspect connected to the death.
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Island Lake police described Crisara as a "known drug dealer" who was recently released from prison for a 2014 conviction on a manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance charge, according to Mundelein police.
Investigators examined Erickson's cellphone and found information connecting him and Crisara, Mundelein police said.
Crisara was arrested Monday during the execution of a search warrant at his home, police said. He was later charged with drug-induced homicide.
"While we are committed to helping those that struggle with addiction receive the treatment that they need, we are equally committed to aggressively prosecuting those that choose to take advantage of people by selling poison in our communities," Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said in a statement.
In bond court Tuesday afternoon, Crisara was ordered held on $200,000 bail. His next court date was scheduled for Feb. 11.
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Safer with concealed carry
I see the activists are playing the ignorant card against concealed carry people by trying to get stores to put up anti-gun signs at the front doors of businesses because they espouse "safe shopping." I would guess they never learned much about firearms. I've taken Utah's four-hour concealed carry license course and the 16-hour course for Illinois. This course is the longest, and most thorough course in the nation. We went through many hours of legalities on when to use deadly force, and the ramifications of doing so without cause. Too bad the activists know nothing about the fact we were instructed by professionals, and taught proper control, and aim by police shooting instructors. There is a big difference between us and the law breakers who gleefully break those laws. I feel much safer with those who have taken the course than anyone else. Ignorance makes more stupid laws. Harsh actions, and strict enforcement of our laws, not a slap on the wrist is needed, not probation for firearm offenses.
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Overnight ticketing
I thought Zion had a policy regarding cars being parked on the streets overnight. The police need to start ticketing these cars near 19th Street and Elizabeth Avenue.
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Campaign season
In response to the front page article, "We've found homeless all over the county." Sounds like the Democrats are looking for votes for the upcoming election.
Help yourself
Regarding the article on the opinion page, "Illinois slowly unravels safety net." I have no problem helping my fellow man if my fellow man is going to help himself. They need to get out into the real world to see all the people who have been scamming the system. These people can still go out and help themselves but they won't. I know generations of people who have been on the government's dime and the majority of their lives they are sitting on the couch.
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Need new leader
Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan has been in office for decades. The crisis that we find ourselves in this state is our own fault by allowing a man to hold this office for this amount of time.
Drive safely
It is simply amazing how many drivers are unaware of the conditions of the road or the rules of the road. Do they not understand that when it is a gray, overcast, rainy, foggy day, such as Sunday, they should put their headlights on. They may be able to see the oncoming cars, because the oncoming cars have their headlights on, but do they not realize that their vehicle can be difficult to see because they do not have their headlights on. It is the law that when it is raining and necessary to use windshield wipers you must put your headlights on. Common sense should also be applied when it is overcast, gray and dark, that headlights should be turned on. Wake up people!
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Editor's note
Talk of the County is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, please tell us. Call us at 312-222-4554 or email talkofthecounty@tribpub.com. For a continuously updating blog of Talk of the County comments, visit newssunonline.com/talk.
Captain Jerry Kluchka, right, with his sons Lieutenant Tim Kluchka, center, and Engineer Matt Kluchka at the Lake Bluff Fire Department. (Michael Schmidt / Pioneer Press)
Years ago, it was common for Jerry Kluchka to sit down for dinner with his wife and three sons only to have his pager from the Lake Bluff Fire Department ring, after which he would have to stand up and leave for firefighting duties.
"Now we have a family dinner and the pagers go off and the whole family goes," said Kluchka, of Lake Bluff. "All the boys are doing it."
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The "boys" are Kluchka's three sons: Russell Kluchka, a firefighter in Highwood; Tim Kluchka, a firefighter/paramedic in North Chicago, and most recently, Matt Kluchka, who was sworn in as a firefighter/paramedic in Lake Forest on Jan. 19.
Like their dad, the three sons got their respective starts in firefighting at the Lake Bluff Fire Department, where they continue to volunteer as their full-time jobs permit. Take Tim Kluchka, who as a kid hung out at the fire station on Tuesdays, when training took place.
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"The guys would play horseshoes," said Tim Kluchka, 30. "I was the gopher guy. I would run in and bring out pops, ice for the cooler. I started washing trucks. As I became older I understood more about those things. I'd fill air packs, roll hose."
By age 16, Tim Kluchka said he knew he wanted to be a firefighter. At 18, he became a probationary firefighter in Lake Bluff and six months later, got his badge. In 2011, he became a lieutenant.
"Once you get into it, you can't get out," Tim Kluchka said. "It gets into your blood and it's fun to do."
Matt Kluchka, 25, said he also was inspired by his father to become a firefighter.
"My dad being an EMT, if there was an ambulance call when he was in the truck, I'd sit in the truck while he was doing the call," Matt Kluchka said. "I'd be able to go up there and watch him train at the station."
Matt Kluchka said he took part in a cadet firefighting program his senior year of high school and, while in college, attended a fire academy class and underwent paramedic training.
"I couldn't imagine doing a 9-to-5 job in an office," Matt Kluchka said. "Not knowing what you are going to do that day is something I like."
While Jerry Kluchka, now 60 years old and a captain, obviously has clocked more time as a firefighter than any of his sons he was honored Dec. 14 by the Lake Bluff village board for 30 years of volunteering he also got a later start. He said he was 30 years old before he earned his badge.
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Jerry Kluchka said that while working as a car mechanic, he learned of an opening for new firefighters at the Waukegan Fire Department. He heard from a fellow mechanic that they were testing for new firefighters and he decided to take the exam.
About the same time, he said, he started working at a local construction company. A month into that job, the Waukegan Fire Department called to offer him a job.
"I had just started a new job, so I turned it down, which was probably a mistake, as I could have been retired with a pension by now," Jerry Kluchka said. "On the other hand, I probably wouldn't have met my wife."
At the company, Jerry Kluchka ended up marring the boss' daughter and eventually helped run the business. He and his wife, Rebecca, purchased two buildings on Route 41 and opened Hot Shot Ice Arena. The construction company closed during the recession but the ice arena continues.
At times, the Kluchkas said, more than one member of the family will arrive at the same emergency call.
Jerry Kluchka said about five years ago, when a girl the family knew had gotten burned, Jerry, Tim and Russell Kluchka all showed up.
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"Even my wife went to the call, because she knew who it was," Jerry Kluchka said. "The girl wouldn't let go of my son, Tim, because she knew him. The mom was the same way. She gravitated toward my other son and cried on his shoulder. My wife ended up staying at the house and babysitting the boys while we went to the hospital. You do the call, you know the people, you help with the family."
Even the more routine calls might lead to multiple Kluchka men arriving.
"The other day we had a call," Tim Kluchka said. "It worked out, my dad and I got there fairly quick. Matt and Russell came out. We went out with a whole engine company of Kluchkas."
Tim and Matt Kluchka both live in Lake Bluff. Russell Kluchka did not return calls seeking comment, but the other Kluchka firefighters said they vary in firefighting style from their dad, the man who inspired them to take up their profession.
"The three of us (sons), we are a little more on the aggressive side," Tim Kluchka said.
His brother agreed.
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"We're a bit more ready to go," Matt Kluchka said. "He's like, let's just take an extra second and make sure everything we're going to do is the right thing to do."
Meanwhile, Jerry Kluchka's role as a volunteer firefighter is changing.
"He still goes on ambulance calls, but he is transitioning more to a command role," Matt Kluchka. "He is outside calling the shots. ... He is also running the family business so he has less time for calls."
Jerry Kluchka may be adapting his strategy but he says it will be some time before he relinquishes the work entirely.
"I'll stick around as long as I can help," he said.
mlawton@pioneerlocal.com
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Indian Prairie School District 204 students check the latest results of the Iowa caucus late Monday night from a hotel in Coralville, Iowa, a community next to Iowa City where they observed a Democratic Party caucus. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)
Students from Indian Prairie District 204 witnessed Monday how one person can be the difference between Hillary Clinton earning a delegate to the county convention and 97 of her presidential campaign supporters walking away from an Iowa City caucus empty handed.
In a Democratic field that came down to the wire Tuesday, the trip to watch the Iowa caucus process in an Iowa City precinct gave high school seniors and teachers from Neuqua Valley in Naperville and Metea Valley and Waubonsie Valley in Aurora front row seats to a different way of selecting a president.
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Trip organizer Chris Wolak, a social studies teacher at Waubonsie Valley, was thrilled his students were glued to the television in a common room at their hotel late Monday night after a more than three-hour bus ride, several hours of campaigning, and sitting through a nearly three-hour long caucus.
"Our mission as teachers in the district is to get students to find an interest in government and get active in the process. These kids will be following the campaign to New Hampshire, South Carolina and beyond," he said.
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After an afternoon of working on the presidential campaigns of former Secretary of State Clinton Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, both Democrats, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, the group of more than 50 Naperville- and Aurora-area residents observed Precinct 20's Democratic caucus at the Iowa City Public Library, located just blocks from the University of Iowa campus.
Most of the 646 voters were college students, not much older than the students who were there to view the proceedings.
What struck Anne Botos, a Naperville student who attends Neuqua Valley, was how expressive Iowans are in their support. "It was surprising to see the passion they have for their candidates," she said. "People here are really proud of the (caucus) process."
Turnout was far heavier than expected and caught Johnson County Democratic Party organizers off guard because they were anticipating no more than 400 people, the capacity of the room. The library's main meeting room was a mosh pit of about 500 people mostly standing shoulder to shoulder as another 150 waited in the library's lobby for a chance to vote.
After the caucus was over, students described the scene that night as "chaotic" and "inefficient.
Metea Valley student Nipun Dubey, of Naperville, said organizers appeared unprepared.
"The nature of the caucus is so haphazard," said Dubey, who just became a U.S. citizen in the fall and plans to vote in the March primary.
He plans take what he learned in Iowa and translate that into an active role in an upcoming campaign in Illinois.
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"It's been an awesome experience to see the presidential election process firsthand and be a part of it," said Dubey, who spent the day making cold calls for Sanders.
In Iowa, Republican and Democratic caucuses work differently.
The Republican Party conducts a straw poll by secret ballot, and the caucus then elects delegates and alternates to the county convention. The process is much different for the other party.
In most Democratic caucuses, candidate supporters gather in separate spots in a room where an initial caucus vote is tallied. A presidential preference group is deemed viable to elect a county delegate as long as the group has at least 15 percent of the precinct's total number of caucus attendees.
District 204 students watched organizers at the library precinct try to figure out the best way to count people who couldn't fit all in one room. They went with a plan to spill supporters of Clinton and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, as well as undecided voters into the hallway, while more than 500 Sanders supporters filled the main room.
With seven delegate seats up for grabs in the precinct, the initial tally gave Sanders all seven spots, with Clinton and O'Malley failing to make the 15 percent cut. As per Democratic caucus rules, participants then are allowed to regroup if their candidate has too few supporters or if they decide to support another candidate.
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Both Sanders and Clinton supporters tried to sway undecided and O'Malley voters to their sides.
After several counts and recounts, the Clinton camp managed to finally hit the magic 98 mark and earn one a delegate to the county convention. Sanders ended with six delegates.
With the race coming down to the wire, that one delegate made a difference in the Clinton win, Wolak said.
According to the final results announced by the Iowa Democratic Party, Clinton was awarded 700.59 state delegate equivalents, the terminology used in Iowa to represent candidates' share of the total caucus vote. Sanders was awarded 696.82 delegates, and former Gov. Martin O'Malley received 7.61 delegates. Iowa Democrats historically do not release raw vote counts from each of the state's 1,681 caucus precincts.
Clinton's victory also means she will collect 23 of Iowa's U.S. convention delegates and Sanders will win 21. It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.
The process of counting people without the use of a ballot left Metea Valley student Jeffrey Willhauck, of Aurora, a bit dumbfounded.
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"I was surprised to see they didn't have a formal counting system," said Willhauck, who worked on the Paul campaign during the day. "I don't think the caucus system should go away. I just think there is a better way to organize it."
Fellow Metea student Shehla Chowdhury, of Naperville, was amazed how easy it would be to cheat.
"They put so much trust in the system. There is a lot of opportunity for fraud," she said. "It made me thankful for our primary system in Illinois."
Chowdhury, who spent the day campaigning for Sanders, said the reason young people connect with 74-year-old candidate is because they see him less as a politician. "Personally, I think he's what people need right now," she said.
With much of the work already done over the weekend, many of the students spent the dreary, foggy afternoon making phone calls and walking door-to-door reminding people their caucus site was different from their last polling place.
Waubonsie Valley senior Pal Shah was among the students working on the Sanders campaign. The Democrat appeals to him because many of his platforms.
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"He has actual ideas modeled after what has been successful in Scandinavia," said Shah, of Naperville.
Serena Upadhyay, also a student at Waubonsie Valley in Aurora, doesn't see Sanders as the oldest candidate. "He speaks to our generation," the Naperville teen said. "He's not that much older than Hillary (Clinton) or (Donald) Trump."
Metea's McKenna Yorke, of Naperville, said she doesn't like any one candidate, but chose to help the Sanders campaign. "He's the one I hate the least; I disagree with his extreme views," she said.
She ran into several Iowans who were tired of the constant barrage of people coming to their doors.
"Someone posted a sign saying, 'Yes I'm caucusing tonight. No, I don't need any more information. Please leve me alone,'" Yorke said.
Tribune wire services contributed to this report.
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subaker@tribpub.com
Twitter @SBakerSun1
A new Fresh Market store is to open this summer in the former Dominick's location on North Aurora Road in Naperville. (handout / Naperville Development Partnership)
The long-vacant Dominick's grocery store on North Aurora Road is to reopen as a Fresh Market this summer, city officials said.
The new store will anchor the Riverbook Shopping Center, filling a space that's been unoccupied since December 2013, when Dominick's went out of business.
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Ray Kinney, chairman of the Naperville Development Partnership, said the development is "great news for Naperville."
"There seems to be a different kind of store these days (other) than the large Dominick's we had before, and we're happy to have the opportunity to fill these spaces," Kinney said. "The store at the Riverbrook area is an anchor tenant and people are excited to have a grocery store coming in there."
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The Fresh Market describes itself online as a "European-style" grocery store that's more like an "open-air market with old-world charm, stocked with fresh meats, seafood, fruits, and vegetables." Based in North Carolina, the chain currently has 184 stores, nine of which are in Illinois. The closest to Naperville is in Glen Ellyn.
Albertsons/Jewel-Osco snapped up the leases of several shuttered Dominick's stores in several Chicago-area communities, including three in Naperville. In addition to the North Aurora Road store, it has also freed the lease at 1300 S. Naper Blvd. so a Mariano's Fresh Market can open there this summer.
Kinney's group and several city officials, including Mayor Steve Chirico and city manager Doug Krieger, met with Jewel-Osco representatives last year in the hope of getting the two remaining properties the other is at 3116 S. Illinois 59 rented to others.
"Jewel came back to us and said they'd 'take the brick off,' but we were skeptical," Chirico said. "We talked about Albertsons backing off and being open to competitors. We were asking that they not rent these properties at a premium, but we weren't expecting them to lowball the rent and subsidize their competitors either."
The Albertsons/Jewel-Osco group has met with other communities with vacant Dominick's stores because of the lease lock, the mayor said. More than 20 communities have been affected, including Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Carol Stream, Niles, Woodstock, Fox Lake and Geneva.
Naperville is the only community he is aware of that has seen a breakthrough, Krieger said.
"Obviously one of the things we have to work on here in the city is to fill the empty, vacant spaces, and from a government standpoint, we try to do everything we can to eliminate the hurdles," he said. "But when a third party puts up the hurdles, we prefer they not be there. Jewel-Osco has been an important part of this community, but empty spaces aren't good for anybody."
Krieger said he believes studies of "the market demographics and geography" convinced Albertsons not to develop more Jewel-Osco stores, which might siphon off business from their existing stores.
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"I can't speak for Jewel-Osco, but perhaps they stepped back and felt they'd be gaining more by renting the stores than they'd be losing to the competition," he said. "We were the first to meet with them months ago, and we have a tremendous diverse economy here. Stores need to have a vibrant demographic group."
Jewel-Osco spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco declined to discuss the Naperville store, but said they are looking at their options in regard to the stores they've leased.
"As Jewel-Osco has mentioned during our meetings with a number of cities, we continue to market the spaces and remain hopeful that we can find a solution soon," Trucco said in an emailed response.
David Sharos is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.
The Northbrook School District 28 School Board narrowly decided last week to keep Veteran's Day as a holiday this fall, though administrators had wanted to make it a regular school day to ease calendar issues.
The district made the decision in a 4-3 vote after three members of Northbrook's American Legion Post spoke in protest at the Jan. 26 school board meeting. Legion member John Goldcamp said he was concerned that the practice of letting kids attend school on Veterans Day, in general, put the country "on a slippery slope" toward not recognizing veterans at all.
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District administrators had originally wanted both Veterans Day and Columbus Day to become regular attendance days.
They said doing so would lessen interference with year-end family vacation plans and improve readiness for summer school and Northbrook Park District summer programs. They said school should be held on Columbus Day because students would be off for Yom Kippur two days later, making learning difficult in a week with two interruptions.
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The board, however, decided to hold classes on Columbus Day.
On Jan. 28, Northbrook/Glenview District 30 made the opposite decision: classes will be held on Veterans Day , but not Columbus Day. No audience members spoke at that meeting.
Area grammar schools run in lockstep with the Northfield Township District 225 High Schools on most attendance issues to avoid difficulties for parents with multiple children. A few decisions for particular holidays are often left to the "feeder districts," which vary in their observances of the two holidays.
In 2016, the high schools will have Veterans Day off but not Columbus Day, as will Glenview/Northbrook District 31will .
Northbrook District 27 had both days off this year, and will again next year.
By state law, schools are required to teach about such "missed holidays" if they hold classes on those days. District 28 does that even if school is not in session on the day before or after the holiday. District 28 School Board member Lou Gross, who voted last week to have attendance on Veterans Day, said inviting veterans to talk in school would be more instructional for students than the village's usual sparsely-attended Veterans Day event in the closed Northbrook Junior High School.
In District 30, Asst. Supt. Mellissa Hirsch said, a poll of teachers found that most of their children had Veterans Day on and Columbus Day off, and replicating that would make it easier for them to find child care.
ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com
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Twitter: @IrvLeavitt
Six people were arrested outside a Gary bar early Sunday after shouting taunts and threats to Gary police who urged them to leave the area, court records state.
Michaun Mack, 23, of Chicago, was arrested on multiple misdemeanors outside the Buzz Box at 18th Avenue and Massachusetts Street, court records show, after standing in the street challenging police, shouting, "I got freedom of speech," and cursing at officers. She posted bail but did not appear in court Monday. She told police she would not appear in court for her case, saying, "You'll have to come look for me," court records state.
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As police began to handcuff her, four other people who had gone to their cars returned and also cursed and yelled, telling officers, "You ain't Chicago police, you can't do (expletive) to us. We're from Chicago," records state. They were also arrested.
A fifth person, Darius Buchanan, 35, of Gary's Glen Park section, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting law enforcement, possession of marijuana and intimidation. The arrest report states Buchanan said, "I'll kill the police," and "I'll shoot the police," then struggled with officers who tried to handcuff him. Buchanan who pleaded not guilty to all charges Monday. Gary City Court referee Itsia Rivera set bail at $300 cash and scheduled his trial for May 9.
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Two others who had not bailed out of jail after their arrest also appeared in court Monday.
Danielle Fleming, 26, of Gary, and Devonte Patrick, 21, also of Gary, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct. Rivera set their trial dates for May 2 and bail at $300 cash. Patrick also was being held on a warrant for failing to appear in Gary City court on a charge filed last year for allegedly resisting law enforcement.
Michael Norman, 25, of Chicago, and Willie Edmond, 28, of Sauk Village, Ill., posted bail on similar charges, court records show.
A Gary man was stabbed to death Sunday night and a second man freed himself from the trunk of his own car after being critically wounded, both on the western edge of Gary, police said Monday.
Fernando Verduczo, 26, was discovered in the back seat of a 2009 gray Acura that was parked outside his home in the 200 block of Hobart Street in the city's Brunswick neighborhood about 9:25 p.m., Gary police spokeswoman Lt. Dawn Westerfield said. He was pronounced dead at the scene about 11 p.m. Sunday, a news release from the Lake County coroner states. The Acura did not belong to Verduczo, police said.
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Investigators told the Post-Tribune the two incidents appear to be related because both men suffered similar stab wounds and were discovered within an hour of each other. Officially, however, Lake County police spokesman Mark Back said in a news release Monday afternoon that, "Any connection between the two cases has yet to be determined."
The surviving victim, who is 26 years old and lives in Bridgeview, Ill., told police he had driven two friends to collect a debt. But he said he is unfamiliar with Northwest Indiana and did not know where he was when they arrived and he was handcuffed, stabbed and forced into the trunk of his white 2000 Acura, Back said.
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Gary Detectives Sgt. Gregory Wolf and Alexander Jones went to Oak Lawn, Ill., Monday afternoon to interview the Illinois man who was flown to Advocate Christ Medical Center from Gary Sunday night. He told police he jumped out of the trunk when the car stopped.
Police declined to comment on the status of others who occupied either car, saying the case is under investigation.
Motorists at Chicago and Cline avenues about 9 p.m. reported seeing a man waving down passing cars. Lake County and Gary police found him with stab wounds to his face and throat about 9 p.m., police said.
Anyone with information can call the Lake County-Gary homicide task force at 219-755-3855 or the Gary police Violent Crimes Unit at 219-881-1210.
This year's "Coming Together" production in Skokie and Niles Township kicks off with a vibrant and colorful celebration of the Latino and Hispanic cultures. Jan. 31, 2016. (Mike Isaacs / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)
In a single afternoon, the opening of Coming Together in Skokie and Niles Township delivered, more or less, a taste of the 50-plus events that soon will celebrate the Latino and Hispanic cultures over the next few months.
For Sunday's kick-off celebration at Niles West High School, "more" seemed to win out over "less" when it came to pageantry and color.
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Organizers served up the tastes, the art, the poetry, the music and dance, the wardrobes even some pointed expression about the timely topic of immigration reform before sending Viva! Coming Together out of the gate.
"This is that time of year when we set aside a couple months to study and learn about each other, spotlighting one of our communities," said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen. "This year, it's our Latino and Hispanic friends and neighbors."
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Seven years ago, five women leaders in the village conceived of Coming Together during a series of lunches, recalled Susan Van Dusen, one of the program founders. Always centered on a series of carefully selected books, the months-long program was aimed at providing a deeper look at the area's diversity one culture at a time.
Susan Van Dusen said the program was meant "to help change our lives, to introduce us to our neighbors. Through literature," she said in both English and Spanish, "we read, we learn, we understand."
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 14 Coming Together in Skokie and Niles Township opened Sunday with a grand celebration of the Hispanic and Latino cultures. Included were music and dance by AfriCaribe as well as performances by students of Niles West and Niles North High Schools. (Mike Isaacs / Pioneer Press)
Susan Van Dusen wasn't the only speaker who delivered words in both English and Spanish Sunday. So, too, did U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9) who said Skokie and Niles Township have always been warm and welcoming to immigrants.
"These communities are often the first or second home in the United States in America for refugees, immigrants from across the globe from every continent," she said. "The 9th Congressional District is among the most diverse in the nation."
According to Schakowsky, 26 percent of her district's residents are foreign-born and 35 percent speak a language other than English at home.
These immigrants, she said, "want nothing more than to work hard, raise families and live a free and decent life in this country."
Emceed by Lourdes Duarte of WGN TV News, the Coming Together kick-off played to some 500 people and nearly another 100 who participated on and behind stage, according to Niles Township High School District 219.
Unlike some of the other Coming Together cultures featured in the past, the 2016 edition isn't relegated to one country or even one part of the world. For example, participants Sunday performed music and dances with origins ranging from Mexico to Puerto Rico. Duarte is from Cuba. Sculptures by Mexican-born artist Alfonso "Piloto" Nieves Ruiz were showcased in the Niles West lobby.
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Equally eclectic was a diversity of homemade food served before the school auditorium doors opened.
"By getting to know the rich culture, history, tradition, music, food about all of our neighbors, we grow in understanding and knowledge and, hopefully, in tolerance," George Van Dusen said.
Music and dance were performed by AfriCaribe, but also by Niles West's Orchesis Club and Niles North's Latino Club. Niles West students read excerpts from this year's selected books including "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henriquez and "Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant" by Jose Angel N.
Ivan Silverberg's 17-minute Coming Together video showcased the program and gave area residents of Latino and Hispanic backgrounds a voice.
"You are my other me," begins a poem, "In Lak'ech," read by Niles West teacher Joaquin Stephenson and one of his students. "If I do harm to you, I do harm to myself. If I love and respect you, I love and respect myself."
According to Susan Van Dusen, nearly 10 percent of people who live in Skokie and Niles Township are of Hispanic and Latino descent.
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Their cultures now join the cultures of India, the Philippines, Assyria, Greece, and Korea as part of the Coming Together club. Last year, the program varied in form a bit by showcasing, not a culture but the subject of race.
Sunday's opening ceremonies ended with representatives of all of these countries, dressed in colorful native garb, holding hands on stage and becoming one.
"In Niles Township we come from many different countries," Susan Van Dusen said. "But we are one township. We are one people who live together in peace and harmony. We want you to know especially this year Latinos and Hispanics, that you are welcome here."
misaacs@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @SKReview_Mike
Wilmette officials say a new study of the CTA Purple Line's Linden Station, its underused parking lots, and the surrounding Linden Square neighborhood could give the village and developers an idea of what could someday be built in the tiny east Wilmette business district, now home to a number of empty storefronts.
In the future, Linden Square, already a popular residential neighborhood of single and multi-family homes, could add condominiums, townhouses, or mixed-use projects that appeal to younger families and commuters on at least one of the station's empty parking lots, village and business officials said at a Jan. 29 presentation at Wilmette Village Hall.
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The presentation was part of a semester-long review of development possibilities for the CTA's property and the larger Linden Square district by a small group of graduate students with the University of Illinois at Chicago's Urban Transportation Center. The students toured the area, which has been the focus of two previous studies and longstanding hopes for greater development.
"Businesses who came in 10 years ago or so expected that there would be more foot traffic. That didn't materialize," Wilmette-Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie Yusim said at the presentation.
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"I think (the study) is a tremendous opportunity," she said. "If there is development where you could have young professionals renting in the area, it would change the characteristics of who's taking the train and who would like to. It's a very cool thing."
The UIC's Transit Oriented Development Studio program has received stipends of $25,000 from both the CTA and the Regional Transportation Authority to complete its review, which will examine the Linden CTA L station parking lots and surrounding neighborhood from business, zoning and community response angles, program visiting director Jim Keene said.
Challenges for drawing businesses to the area include low foot and vehicular traffic around the neighborhood, which keeps retail away despite a high level of residential disposable income; shopping patterns that have swapped online ordering for neighborhood shopping; and the process of winning over the public to any neighborhood changes, former Wilmette community development director Laurie Marston said.
Development consultant Francis DeCoste, chief operating officer of Boston-based TR Advisors LLC, told students not to let such obstacles dissuade them from looking for development opportunities.
"Agents of change, that's what developers are, so don't be afraid of the fight," he said.
Keene said the team is expected to finish its study within the next semester and the CTA hopes to have a first look at it in May.
"This puts students in a hands-on, in-the-field, real world application of what they learn in graduate school, with a living, breathing, organic neighborhood that's impacted by their recommendations," he said. "They find that very exciting. So is the opportunity for them to make an impact."
Keene said four of the 10 participating students will focus on Wilmette, while the rest will focus on the other station in the study - the CTA's Green Line station at 63rd Street and Ashland Avenue. At both locations, program goals are the same, he said: helping the CTA get a handle on the value of under-used parking lots, and how best to turn them into development that makes each neighborhood more vibrant.
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Stina Fish, CTA business development manager, said the CTA's support for the UIC program studies stems in part from its knowledge of the value of Authority-owned property.
"I think people think we have vast swathes of unused property, and that's not the case," she said. "So looking at ways we can make the best use of that property is important."
Last year was the first time the studio program completed a CTA station development study for the Authority, looking at the neighborhood surrounding the CTA Wilson station neighborhood along the Red line, Fish and Keene said.
Village President Bob Bielinski said Wilmette would be open to the graduate students' ideas and recommendations, but told students they should understand that Wilmette residents are "very interested and actively engaged" and want a say in what happens there, so student recommendations may not become reality.
"It's not a proposal or a village-initiated process," he said.
This is not the first study to look at the Linden Square neighborhood.
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In 2004, Wilmette and the Wilmette-Kenilworth Chamber of Commerce contracted for a $93,000 study by Evanston-based Valerie Kretchmer and Associates. The study led Wilmette to make some development-friendly zoning changes, according to Wilmette's community development director John Adler. The CTA also did a 2008 study of its properties, including the Linden property.
"I think any time you have fresh eyes looking at an area which is important to the village, which obviously the Linden Square area is, we're happy to see what they come up with," Adler said of the latest study.
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Despite all the doom-and-gloom stories from "bears" in the Chinese market, a tour around Beijing's CBD, with the China World Trade Center at its heart, presents a very different perspective.
From the number of Starbucks stores to office rentals, a set of little-known "indexes" point to foreign business confidence in China's economy.
While China may have taken a few numerical steps backward recently, overcapacity is slashed and outdated practices are laid to rest in preparation for some giant strides forward.
Starbucks 'Index'
Walking into any Starbucks in Beijing, people will hardly be overwhelmed by signs of economic slowdown. The queues are long and the seats are all occupied: those middle class customers don't bat an eye at paying 30-yuan (about 4.6 U.S. dollars) for a simple coffee latte.
China's enthusiasm for consumption, like Starbucks' appetite for expansion, knows little bounds.
Since its first store opened doors in China in 1999, Starbucks has expanded to more than 1,900 shops in 99 cities, making China the chain's biggest market outside the United States.
When Starbucks actually closed that first store -- coincidentally in CBD -- in 2013, and another (also in CBD) in 2015, rumors abounded that high rents had done for the company, fueling the naysayers eternally bearish view of China's economic prospects.
"These were not shut-downs, but relocations," said Zheng Tie, assistant director of the China World Mall, a shopping center close to where the stores once stood.
The first shop was far too small. Back in 1999, Starbucks had no idea that the market in China would be so huge, Zheng told Xinhua. The store was relocated to bigger premises in a new commercial center nearby, and business was even better.
The store that closed last year is moving to a new location along the street, where new products and services will be tried out, Zheng said.
By 2019, the company expects to have 3,400 stores in China, which means a new Starbucks springing up every day.
"We are very bullish on the Chinese market and will continue to develop our businesses here as we did in past years," Hao Yan, communications manager with Starbucks Beijing, told Xinhua.
Office rentals 'index'
It's not just about waking up and smelling the coffee, another "index" to look into is the trend in office rental, which, to some extent, could be seen as a yardstick of China's economy.
The monthly rent in the China World Trade Center fell sharply to 200 yuan per square meter during the financial crisis in 2009, but bounced back to 400 yuan in the following year, according to CBRE, a real estate service firm that releases quarterly reports on office rental.
While the health of a country's real estate industry is closely correlated with the economic cycle, the rent of office space is also a highly cyclical economic barometer.
Since 2010, office rents have risen steadily across China. Net "absorption," a measure of how fast available supply is sold, increased in 2015 by 70 percent in first-tier cities -- Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen -- CBRE said.
The rising rental index was in part driven by foreign firms' continuing to invest in China, analysts said. Energy giant Shell, for example, just took up residence in a Beijing skyscraper.
Li Lusha, spokesperson for Shell China, said that new office will bring together employees from separate locations.
"As our business in China expands, our current office space can no longer accommodate our increasing number of employees," Li said.
CEO confidence 'index'
Starbucks and Shell are definitely not alone in betting on China.
For another "index," global CEOs don't think the Chinese economy is as bad as some prophets of doom would have some believe.
"The real economy in China is a lot better than people are talking about right now," Joe Kaeser, CEO of German industrial giant Siemens AG, told media in a recent interview, while pointing to "some weakness in terms of real estate and the finance sector."
Siemens had recovered "a lot" of market share in China thanks to new business opportunities in fields such as energy management, he said. "So we are actually pretty happy with what we are seeing in China relative to what their structural challenges are," Kaeser said.
In an annual global CEO survey published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in January, over a third of global CEOs still consider China the most important place for overall growth prospects in the next 12 months.
In a separate survey by PwC, 93 percent of CEOs said that they are confident that their China revenues will increase in the next three to five years.
China's economic scale will double to 20 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030, making the country the biggest economy in the world, PwC estimated.
"That means China still has 10 trillion dollars of economic scale that requires different types of companies to create," said Wu Weijun, a partner of PwC in Beijing, "If any multinational doesn't include China into its development plan, that's not a multinational at all."
Macao's gross gambling revenues in January dropped 21.4 percent on yearly basis to 18.67 billion patacas (about 2.33 billion U.S. dollars), according to figures released by Macao Gaming Inspection & Coordination Bureau on Monday.
Gaming industry of Macao kept its downturn trend from the start of 2016, marking the 20th consecutive monthly decline, but the results turned better form the previous month, data from the industry regulator showed.
As the pillar industry of Macao, the gambling business collected 230.84 billion patacas (about 28.93 billion U.S. dollars) from casinos last year, down by 34.3 percent, with the economy of the region shrinking 24.2 percent year-on-year in the first three quarter of 2015, official data indicated.
Despite the tumble, "Macao is still in very good shape. Macao's gaming operators are still earning reasonable profits," Aaron Fischer, an analyst with Asia's leading brokerage and investment group CLSA told reporter.
But the first half of 2016 will still be "quite difficult," he said, predicating the gaming revenues to fall around 20 percent, adding that "it will improve somewhat and in the second half of the year we expect positive growth."
The People's Bank of China (PBOC), China's central bank, is scrutinizing the feasibility of issuing digital currency across the country, Guangming Daily recently reported.
The PBOC's research team is deliberating the application of digital currency in multiple conditions in the country.
According to the central bank, the adoption of digital currency can reduce the costs of paper notes, in view of their issuance and circulation, increase the transparency of transactions in a bid to combat money laundering and tax evasion, and intensify the control of the central bank over the currency's supply and circulation.
"The considerable online business models spawned from the dominance of the Internet have brought great changes to transactions and reshaped these currencies' outlook," said Zeng Gang, director of the Research Office of Banks of the Institute of Finance and Banking, China's Academy of Social Sciences.
"It is an inevitable move for the PBOC to deepen the research of digital currencies so as to regulate the market and tighten the control over the general landscape of those currency," Zeng continued.
Without legal support, the present digital currency, which is privately funded, is prohibited from circulating as real currencies in the market, said Guo Tianyong, a professor at the Chinese Bank Research Center of the Central University of Finance and Economics.
Unlike the thousands of online currencies, such as Bitcoin, which have been involved in online transactions, digital currency issued by China's central bank reflects the real value of the RMB.
The issuance of digital currency may facilitate the RMB to reach the international community with higher credibility thanks to interconnected accounting records, said Huang Zhen, a professor at the Law School of the Central University of Finance and Economics.
According to the PBOC, their digital currency will completely connect with other payment means with low costs and wide coverage.
An east China court on Monday announced that it had quashed the conviction of a man who was sentenced to death 21 years ago.
Chen Man, who is now 53, was released Monday from Meilan Prison in south China's Haikou City after the Zhejiang Higher People's Court overturned his conviction.
Chen was arrested at the end of 1992 on charges of arson and murder. He was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by Haikou Intermediate People's Court in November 1994.
However, the local procuratorate deemed the sentence "too light" and urged a higher court to adjust it to death and execute Chen, according to Zhejiang court. The procuratorate's request was rejected by Hainan Higher People's Court in 1999, beginning a 16-year appeal ordeal for Chen and his family.
"His role in the murder is not clear and the original judgement lacks evidence, therefore, the guilty verdict cannot be confirmed," Zhejiang court said in its statement.
The court said Chen had the right to apply for state compensation.
The deputy head of Hainan higher court apologized to Chen after the announcement, Yi Yanyou, Chen's attorney, was quoted as saying by news website thepaper.cn.
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.
Liu Bo attends a session of the political advisory body in Shenzhen. [Photo/China Daily]
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."
Xiao Jihong, head administrator at Shenzhen Luohu Foreign Languages Junior School, said that allowing young people to take part in the "two sessions" was encouraging.
"It is a good opportunity for students to get to know more about society and to broaden their horizons," Xiao said. "It is also beneficial for cultivating their social responsibilities."
But he also said that junior high school students may be too young to develop mature thoughts on social issues.
Shenzhen is not the only Chinese city to invite young people to take part in political meetings.
In Zhuhai, another coastal city in Guangdong, 15 young people attended this year's local "two sessions" meetings and offered their advice and suggestions.
One representative proposed that a fund be set up at universities to help people with economic problems.
Australia's carbon emissions are unlikely to peak until after 2030 despite a commitment to cut its 2005 greenhouse gas level by up to 28 percent over the next 15 years, according to a study out on Monday.
An independent probe into government emissions data by carbon consultancy firm RepuTex has found that Australia's greenhouse emissions growth rate could become one of the worst in the developed world by 2020 if it continues on current trends.
The latest federal government data on emissions indicated an increase of 1.3 percent in greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during 2014-15, largely due to the production and refining of brown coal after the nation's controversial carbon tax was repealed in 2013.
RepuTex also found that Australia's emissions were on track for a further 6 percent increase up to 2020.
Despite the data released by RepuTex, the company's executive director Hugh Grossman said the government would maintain a facade of action due to the fact it will meet its 2020 emissions goal by relying on "carry over" carbon credits it received for meeting an earlier target under the Kyoto Protocol.
He said Australia bucked the trend of relinquishing the carry over credits in pursuit of new carbon emission goals decided on at the Paris climate conference. Five countries - including Germany, Britain and Denmark -announced they would cancel their credits rather than use them to meet future targets.
"Meeting Australia's abatement task is largely just a victory in accounting terms," Grossman said.
"We have met our target, but we used a credit to get there, so it's not a sign of any progress to reduce emissions."
Despite the report, a spokesperson for federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt slammed the data, bringing into doubt the legitimacy of RepuTex's claims. The spokesperson said RepuTex has previously been wrong about Australia's projected emissions numbers.
The Environment Department added that the 2014-15 figure was the second lowest in the past 15 years, even lower when worked out per capita - incorporating Australia's population growth - it was the lowest in some time.
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Myanmar agricultural authorities has warned of possible drought caused by EI Nino in northern Mandalay, a major agricultural base, in March and April, an official report said Tuesday.
The possible drought could impact crops, said the report issued by the region's supervisory committee for efficient water use in agriculture.
Following the release of the drought warning, all departments concerned are taking necessary measures for EI Nino, the report said.
Mandalay region is set to use 40,500 hectares of farmland for summer cultivation this year, the report added.
Meanwhile, a Myanmar top weather expert has also warned against high temperature and ultra-violet (UV) index in some regions of the country as hot summer approaches.
Temperature in parts of Myanmar last year soared to above 38 degrees Celsius, and some regions also registered a high UV index of above 11.
Summer in Myanmar lasts from March to May.
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Israel restricted the entrance to the West Bank city of Ramallah following attacks by Palestinians from the area, the Israeli army said on Monday.
Roads surrounding the city were blocked, non-residents were barred from entering the city, and residents were not allowed to leave it, except for those carrying work permits and humanitarian cases, as well as Palestinian officials.
A military spokesperson told Xinhua that the siege on the city, implemented for the first time since the start of the current wave of violence four and a half months ago, was triggered by a Sunday shooting attack, in which three were injured near the city, at a nearby checkpoint.
The Sunday shooting, which injured three Israeli soldiers, one of them seriously, was perpetrated by Amjad Awad Abu Omar, a 34-year-old police officer in the Palestinian Authority. He wrote prior to the attack that he cannot see a way to live under Israel's occupation.
Another military official was quoted by the Ha'aretz daily as saying there are alerts of other planned attacks, which also prompted the siege.
The latest attack in a string of lone-wolf attacks occurred on Monday, when Israeli soldiers were allegedly approached by a knife wielding Palestinian in the northern West Bank. The soldiers shot and killed him, while no Israelis were injured.
The gunman was identified by Palestinian sources as Hassan Abed Altif, a 19-year-old resident of Jamal, a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank.
Twenty five Israelis and one U.S. citizen were killed in the past four months. At least 160 Palestinian were killed by Israeli fire during this period, most of whom gunned down after allegedly carrying out attacks against Israelis.
Israel accused the Palestinian Authority of incitement to violence responsible for the wave of attacks, whereas the Palestinians say the attacks come amid 49 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip territories, where they wish to establish a state.
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Russian Defense Ministry on Monday refuted Turkey's allegations claiming Russian aircraft had violated Turkish airspace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual press conference in Moscow on December 17, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]
"The hysteria of the Turkish party was not just an unsubstantiated propaganda but also had distinct signs of a planned provocation," the ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in an online statement.
No actual data were provided by the Turkish side to prove the allegation, the Russian spokesman insisted.
Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Russian ambassador to Turkey late Friday and protested against the violation of Turkey's airspace by a Russian SU-34.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned Russia of "consequences" if it continues to violate Turkish airspace, while expressing his hope to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin over the issue.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday confirmed Putin was informed of Erdogan's proposal, but didn't reveal how the Russian leader reacted to the proposal.
Russian Defense Ministry urged Turkey to provide factual evidence concerning Russian aircraft's violation of Turkish airspace.
"Ankara presented no evidence about region, altitude, heading and speed of the aircraft," said Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Konashenkov. "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."
According to the spokesman, the Russian aircraft currently carries out airstrike missions under cover of Russian and Syrian fighters, as well as modern air defense complexes including S-400 missile defense system.
Meanwhile, the Russian ministry presented videos allegedly showing strikes from Turkish border posts against populated areas in Syria.
According to Konashenkov, the footage, given by Syrian General Staff, proved the deployment of large-caliber, self-propelled artillery at a Turkish border post.
Syria's moderate opposition also gave the Russian side video showing Ankara targeted Syrian territory, including settlements near the border.
"This is undeniable proof that the Turkish armed forces carry out shelling against Syrian border settlements from large-caliber artillery systems," Konashenkov said.
Russian mission in Syria carried out 468 sorties and destroyed 1,354 terrorist targets last week, according to him.
Over 200 metric tons of humanitarian aid provisions and medication were delivered by Russian air forces in January to the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor besieged by the Daesh terrorist group, also known as Islamic State, Konashenkov added.
Russia started airstrike mission in Syria since last September at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with Russian aircraft deployed at Syria's Hmeimim airbase.
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French President Francois Hollande on Monday ordered the continuation of airstrikes aimed at neutralizing the Islamic State (IS, Daesh) in Syria and Iraq, his presidential office, the Elysee, said on Monday.
During a restricted meeting of the Defense Council convened to discuss France's external operations, Hollande took stock of France's fight against IS in Syria and Iraq.
According to a press release released by the office, Hollande said it was imperative to stop the attacks on the Syrian people and to engage a political transition in Syria, "which is the only solution to establish sustainable peace in the country and to eradicate the terrorist threat of IS."
France was the first European country to join U.S.-led air strikes against IS in Iraq. Since the Paris attacks carried out by IS in November last year, France has intensified its airstrikes against IS both in Iraq and Syria with its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle participating.
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The death toll from Monday's suicide bombing against a police station has risen to 20 with 29 others injured, an official said.
"With deepest regret, we lost 20 of our countrymen in a suicide attack today, these attacks won't deter our determination to fight terrorists," Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said on his twitter account.
However, he did not provide details.
Further details about the incident are still forthcoming amid the absence of official statement. Unofficial sources said nine of the killed were civilian visitors and applicants.
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the incident.
The attack occurred at around midday after a suicide bomber detonated his explosive jacket among a crowd waiting for access to a building belonging to civil order police, a branch of Afghan National Police (ANP) in west of Kabul.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident.
The Taliban has intensified attacks across the country since the start of this year, which coincides with the potential resumption of government-Taliban peace talks and the third round of four-nation meeting of Afghanistan, China, the United States and Pakistan on the Afghan peace process to be held in Islamabad on Feb. 6.
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The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Turkish army artillery targeted a town in the countryside of Syria's coastal province of Latakia on Monday, wounding many people, according to state news agency SANA.
The Turkish shelling targeted the Ataira Mountain in northern countryside of Latakia, where Syrian army backed by Russian air force is making strides against Turkey-backed militant groups, mainly the Turkmen rebels.
The ministry statement said the shelling was a "flagrant violation" to the international law, urging the Turkish government to bring such actions to a halt.
The statement said the Syrian government reserves the right to respond to such a violation by any means possible, urging the international community to practice pressure on Turkey to deter such acts.
The Syrian military forces have been making notable changes in the battles map in Latakia, stripping the Turkey-backed militants of key areas near Turkey.
The ministry's statement stopped short of giving further details about the exact targets of the Turkish shelling.
Syrian military sources told Xinhua that the Syrian forces backed by Russia are working to close the borders with Turkey to deter the flow of foreign jihadists into Syria.
Turkey has for long been a staunch critic of President Bashar al-Assad rule and a main backer of the insurgency seeking to topple him.
The long-running conflict in Syria has killed over 250,000 people and displaced half of the country's 23 million population.
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A total of 849 Iraqis were killed and 1,450 others wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in January across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement on Monday.
An Iraqi pro-government sniper takes aim during clashes with Islamic State (IS) group fighters, on the eastern outskirts of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province on January 31, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
The statement said that a total of 490 civilians and 359 security members were killed, while 1,157 other civilians, including 47 civilian policemen, and 293 security members, were wounded.
The UNAMI excluded the casualties in Anbar province where fierce clashes are underway between the Iraqi forces and the Islamic State (IS) militant group which has seized most of the province.
"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 of 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.
"The suffering of the Iraqi people must end," the statement said, quoting UN envoy for Iraq and UNAMI chief Jan Kubis as saying.
"Kubis deplored the continuing high casualty toll, particularly a sharp increase in the number of injuries among civilians in January as compared to the previous month," the statement said.
A month ago, UNAMI put the toll of casualties in December at 508 people killed and 867 others injured in terrorist attacks and violence across the country, bringing the total number of civilians killed during the 12 months of 2015 to 7,515, and 13,855 others injured in the armed conflict in Iraq.
Iraq is currently witnessing a wave of violence since the IS terrorist group took control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014.
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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.
French President Francois Hollande (C) welcomes his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro (L) at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Feb. 1, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
The two-day visit reflects Cuba's "friendship and high esteem," the French president's office said in a press release.
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 are 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 U.S. dollars of Cuba's 11.9-billion-U.S.-dollar 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 U.S. dollar) 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 United States 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 neighboring 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.
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Brazil is leading the war in Latin America against the fast-spreading Zika virus, as the region is racing to contain the mosquito-borne disease.
In late January, the virus, which can lead to birth defects and paralysis, was found linked to a sudden surge in Brazil in cases of microcephaly, or infants born with abnormally small heads.
Health employees take part in a spraying day against the Aedes Aegypty mosquito, borne of the Zika virus, in El Valle in Caracas, capital of Venezuela, Jan 28, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
CLEAN-UP EFFORTS UNDERWAY
With more than 4,000 reported cases of microcephaly, Brazil has launched a military campaign to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits viruses including Zika, dengue and dengue-like chikungunya.
Military organizations and civil servants around the country have been recruited to help destroy the mosquito's breeding grounds.
Local media said Brazil's Ministry of Defense has spurred "all 1,200 military organizations across the country into action," while "the federal government has mobilized civil servants" to prevent the Zika virus from spreading.
The "clean-up" efforts focus on government buildings and state-run companies as well as hospitals that form parts of the Unified Health System (SUS), Brazilian news agency EBC said.
The campaign will target hospitals on Wednesday, according to the EBC, followed by "a national mobilization" on Feb. 13 that will see "nearly 220,000 members of the army, navy, and air force ... go door-to-door to inspect Brazilian residences."
"We want to encourage society to help in this cause," the agency cited Health Minister Marcelo Castro as saying.
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff convened with ministers Friday to coordinate actions to combat the mosquito, and spoke with "state governors about the national mobilization against Aedes aegypti" via video conference.
"We'll have to make a mobilization effort that is three times larger than we did with dengue," Rousseff said. "Zika is not a flu."
Despite Brazil's economic woes, Rousseff pledged the government will spend what it takes on the clean-ups as it "has to do with the country's public health."
"There will be no belt-tightening, nor limits," she said. "We will employ all our resources."
EXPLOSIVE SPREAD
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan has called for an emergency meeting on Zika to be held Monday in Geneva to decide whether the "outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern."
Zika, originating from Africa, is believed to have entered Latin America via Brazil, which reported its first case of the disease in May 2015.
"It is now spreading explosively," Chan said Thursday.
In neighboring Colombia, health authorities on Sunday said the number of people infected by Zika has exceeded 20,000, including 2,116 pregnant women.
The situation has made Colombia, which was among the first countries in the region to recommend women delay pregnancy until the epidemic subsides, the second most affected country, only behind Brazil.
So far, cases of infection have been reported in 23 Latin American countries, where the virus is also associated with a spike in Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition where the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes leading to paralysis.
The WHO predicted that by 2017, as many as 4 million people in the Americas could be infected by the virus.
But Canada is expected to be spared due to its low temperatures, according to the WHO.
So is Chile. The South American country is protected by the Atacama Desert, one of the world's driest places, the Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean, the WHO said.
On Friday, Rousseff spoke with U.S. President Barack Obama over the phone. Obama expressed concern over the spread of the virus.
"President Dilma and President Obama agreed on the creation of a high-level group between Brazil and the United States, to develop a partnership for the production of vaccines" to combat Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, Rousseff's office said.
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Two residents of the Greek island of Lesvos, and Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon, have been nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, the president of Greece's Academy of Athens, Thanassis Valtinos, announced on Monday.
A group of Syrian and Afghan refugees arrive at the Greek island of Lesvos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey, Nov. 4, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]
Emilia Kamvysi, 85, a pensioner, Stratis Valiamos, a 40-year old fisherman, and Sarandon were chosen to represent the Greek islanders and foreign volunteers who are offering a helping hand to the thousands of refugees landing on Greek shores in recent months, Valtinos explained at a press briefing in Athens.
The deadline for the nominations expired Sunday midnight.
The Academy of Athens, the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, and the Greek Universities Rector's Synod sent the nomination letter to the Nobel Prize Committee.
An online petition was launched in November on Avaaz, an online campaigning platform, calling the Nobel Prize Committee to award the 2016 prize to the residents of Lesvos and other Aegean Sea islands, as well as the volunteers from across the world who have been helping the refugees.
Until Monday, it had been signed by more than 600,000 people.
"We request that the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded to the people of Lesvos and the volunteers in the islands of the Aegean Sea who embraced the refugees and sent a message of humanity and solidarity that moved the entire planet," read the petition.
"The nominees represent the locals and foreign volunteers who stand by the side of the displaced promoting the values of peace, freedom and solidarity," said Valtinos.
Kamvysi, along with her two friends, Eystratia Mayrapidou, 89, and Maritsa Mayrapidou, 85, became famous last fall from a photograph depicting them as they were taking care of an infant refugee by the seaside.
Grandma Emilia, as everybody addresses her now, is a descendant of Greek refugees who fled Turkey in the early 20th century due to war. She lives in the small village of Skala Sykamnias on Lesvos island. Every day over the past year, she heads to the beach with her friends to offer help to the refugees coming from Turkey on old boats.
Valiamos avoids photographers and interviews. With other local fishermen he has saved thousands of people in recent months, risking his life in several instances.
Meanwhile, Sarandon was chosen to represent famous artists who have visited Lesvos lately to raise awareness about the refugees' plight and Greek people's compassion amidst difficult times for the country.
The residents of the Aegean Sea islands, like Lesvos, Chios, Kos, Samos and Rhodes, several of them in dire financial straits due to the six-year Greek debt crisis, have provided support to the refugees in many ways.
In particular, Lesvos, an island with 86,000 people, has received about half of the more than 800,000 refugees and migrants who reached Greece via Turkey during 2015, on their way to more prosperous European countries.
In the event the Nobel Prize is awarded to the Greek islanders and foreign activists, the funds will be distributed to local hospitals, while the medal will be on display at the Acropolis Museum, Professor Christodoulos Giallouridis, chairman of the Hellenic Foundation of Culture, and a refugee himself, told the press.
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As a recently reported Russian violation of Turkish airspace on Syrian border renewed tension between Ankara and Moscow ahead of peace talks on Syria in Geneva, Turkish analysts disagree whether it was intentional or accidental.
This file photo taken on September 26, 2015 shows a Turkish flag flying on a ferry as Russian warship the BSF Saratov 150 sails through the Bosphorus off Istanbul en route to the eastern Mediterranean sea. [Photo/Xinhua]
According to a Turkish foreign policy analyst, the Russian move was aimed to bolster Moscow's position ahead of United Nations-mediated Syrian peace talks this week.
"Russia signals to Turkey that it holds more sway on the fate of Syria than others by buzzing Turkish airspace with a combat tactical aircraft despite prior warning by Ankara," Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, professor of international relations at Gazi University, told Xinhua.
"This message was also communicated to NATO military alliance by extension because Turkey is a NATO member and its airspace is considered to be NATO space," he added.
Ankara said the alledged airspace violation occurred on Friday when a Russian SU-34 jet briefly made incursion into Turkish airpace, prompting condemnation by Turkey, the U.S. and NATO.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov rejected the Turkish allegation as "pure propaganda."
In Riyadh, visiting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the violation was recorded by multiple monitoring stations including of Turkey and NATO.
According to Davutoglu, intensified Russian air bombing campaign in Syria is aimed to hold sway on talks on Syria as well as to weaken moderate opposition forces against Syrian government troops.
On Nov. 24, 2015, Turkey shot down a Russian jet on Syrian border that Ankara, saying it had violated its airspace. The move prompted Russia to adopt a series of diplomatic, economic and military measures against Turkey.
Uluc Ozulker, a former Turkish ambassador to the European Union, said he believed Friday's Russian incursion is more likely an unintentional act than a deliberate one.
"I do not see a possibility that Russia might have considered to create a new escalation with Turkey despite all developments," he said.
He added there is no benefit in trading harsh words that will re-ignite the crisis between Turkey and Russia.
However, Turkey's ruling elite see it differently.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Moscow that there would be "consequences" if its jets continue to violate Turkish airspace.
"If Russia continues the violations of Turkey's sovereign rights, it will be forced to endure the consequences," he said.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party spokesman Omer Celik described the alleged Russian violation of Turkish airspace as a "harassment" that threatens diplomacy and peace.
Turkey and Russia remain at odds over Syria policy.
Turkey supports rebels that fight for toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's administration, while Russia sides with Damascus by providing diplomatic and military support for Assad.
Moscow carried out air force deployment to Syria to hammer down opposition forces as well as Islamic State (IS) militants.
Ankara accuses Russia of attacking moderate factions instead of IS, saying that a humanitarian crisis erupted following the Russian bombing.
Over the weekend, more than 1,600 Turkmens living in Syria reportedly fled to Turkey following Russian airstrikes on the border.
Turkey's main opposition party Republican Peoples' Party deputy Chairman Ozturk Yilmaz blamed the government for damaging ties with Russia that Turkey has built for the last 15 years because it has mismanaged the crisis with Moscow after downing the Russian jet in November.
He said the government also failed to insure the inclusion of Syrian Turkmens in Geneva talks.
Flash
The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned the triple bombing attack near a shrine in Damascus that killed dozens a day earlier.
At least 76 people were killed in the bombings, which rocked the sprawling Shiite district of Sayyidah Zaynab in the Syrian capital and also left more than 100 injured. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility.
In a statement, the members of the UN Security Council conveyed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the people of Syria.
Expressing grave concern over IS elements, the council condemned "the negative impact of their presence, violent extremist ideology and actions on the stability of Syria, neighboring countries and the region" as well as the "devastating humanitarian impact on the civilian populations."
Moreover, the 15-member body reiterated that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
It underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, stressing that those responsible for these terrorist attacks should be held accountable.
As the attack coincided with the start of the Syrian peace talks in Geneva, the council expressed their full support for the efforts of Staffan de Mistura, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy to Syria, and called upon the parties to engage constructively in the talks.
Also on Monday, Ban condemned the attack and urged progress in the ongoing peace talks.
The UN-brokered Syrian peace talks began Friday in Geneva. Led by the UN special envoy, the talks are expected to last six months, with an aim to end Syria's five-year war.
On Monday, following his first formal meeting in Geneva with Syria's main opposition umbrella group, the UN envoy announced the "official" start of the intra-Syrian talks.
Flash
The delayed intra-Syrian talks to end five years of bloody warfare officially started in Geneva Monday with two hours of talks between the United Nations mediator and the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
"As far as we are concerned, their arrival at the Palais des Nations and initiating the discussions with us is the official beginning of the Geneva talks," said UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who already met the HNC yesterday, but at their hotel, not at the UN's Geneva headquarters.
Mr. de Mistura, who is mediating the indirect talks between Government and opposition factions in close proximity diplomacy, which will see him shuttling between the parties in different rooms, will meet Government representative tomorrow morning and plans a second meeting with the HNC in the afternoon to go more deeply into the issues raised today.
These concern the opposition's desire to see, for the talks' duration, a reduction in violence, release of detainees and lifting the sieges that have driven several towns to the brink of starvation, with dozens reported dead.
"Of course we do respect very much and we heard very clearly their very clear position," Mr. de Mistura told a news briefing. "We feel they have a very strong point because this is the voice of the Syrian people asking for that. When I meet Syrian people they tell me, please don't just have a conference, have something also that we can see and touch while you are meeting in Geneva," he said.
He noted that in Vienna, where 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 laid the groundwork for the Geneva talks, there was a message that "in parallel there should be a serious discussion about a ceasefire."
Mr. de Mistura has made clear that he is under no illusions about the difficulties in ending a war that has killed over 250,000 people, sent over 4 million fleeing the country, displaced 6.5 million internally, and put 13.5 million people inside the country in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
"There will be a lot of posturing, we know that, a lot of walk-outs and walk-ins because a bomb has fallen or because someone has done an attack, and you will see that happening," he said last week.
Asked today what his immediate short-term objectives are, he replied: "The first immediate objective is to make sure that the talks continue and that everyone is on board. It's crucial that no one should be feeling excluded and that everyone should be concretely, constructively but also effectively be part of it."
In reply to another question, he said he has not yet received a list of detainees which he has asked for and wants "because I think that a list of the names, particularly of women and children detained, should be the first among the signals that in fact there is something different happening."
Flash
Yemen's government forces pushed their way into the mountains northeast the rebel-held capital on Tuesday, recapturing major military posts that overlooking roads to Sanaa, tribal sources said.
"The government forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi backed by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes took control of Fardhat Nihm military camp early Tuesday morning, which is the largest military post overlooking the main road to Sanaa, as well as other three mountains surrounding the area after four-day fighting against Houthi fighters," one tribal source said.
Dozens from both warring sides were killed as the heavy battles and airstrikes forced residents to flee their homes and seek shelters in remote villages, the source added.
The sites locate in Nihm district, about 50 km northeast of the capital Sanaa.
The impoverished Arab country was plunged into violence in September 2014 when the Shiite Houthi group invaded the country's capital Sanaa, driving President Hadi into exile.
The conflict soon turned into an all-out civil war between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels backed by troops loyal to former President Saleh, triggering foreign military intervention by Saudi-led coalition warplanes to restore the internationally recognized government of Hadi.
More than 6,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians.
Hadi and his government have recently returned to the southern port city of Aden under protection of the Saudi-led coalition forces which have retook the city along with three other southern provinces from Houthi fighters in July last year.
Ground fighting is still continuing on a daily basis in other provinces of Taiz, Marib, al-Jawf and the Yemeni-Saudi shared borders in the Yemeni northwest province of Hajja.
The warring forces have failed to reach a political solution or agree to resume talks after their latest UN-sponsored negotiations in Switzerland in December.
The deadlock came after former pro-rebel president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, said he would not negotiate with Hadi's government, vowing to "continue fighting to expel the coalition forces out of the Yemeni territories."
Flash
Members of House of Representatives at the Australian parliament are expected to be able to bring their babies to the chamber as the government introduced a move to change the house's rule.
Under the current rules, babies are listed as visitors, who are not allowed on the floor of the chamber.
The new move will exempt babies from being considered visitors.
Christopher Pyne, leader of the House of Representatives, who has introduced the change, said this is the right move forward in bringing the federal parliament up to speed with modern workplaces and making the house of representatives the most family friendly chamber of Parliament in Australia.
"As the leader of the House of Representatives, I want to see as many women entering parliament as possible and for them to not be deterred by any antiquated rules or practices that currently govern how our parliament operates," Pyne said.
"There is absolutely no reason that rules should remain in place which make life in politics and the parliament more difficult for women."
Flash
The Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will deliver the verdict in the case of former Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo on March 21 in open session, the Court announced Tuesday.
Bemba, ex-president and commander-in-chief of the Mouvement de Liberation du Congo (MLC), "is allegedly criminally responsible, as a military commander, for two counts of crimes against humanity (murder and rape) and three counts of war crimes (murder, rape and pillaging) allegedly committed in the context of the situation in Central African Republic in 2002-2003," said the ICC.
Bemba denies the charges that he was responsible for the killings and mass rapes of civilians in the Central African Republic when his rebel forces intervened in the country in support of then President Ange Felix Patasse, who was also accused of war crimes and was toppled in a 2003 coup. Patasse died of illness in Cameroon in 2011.
Bemba was defeated in the Democratic Republic of Congo's 2006 presidential election and had since become a prominent opposition figure in the country before being forced into exile. He was arrested near Brussels on May 24, 2008 on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the ICC. He is the first person arrested under an ICC investigation in the Central African Republic.
The trial in the Bemba case started on Nov. 22, 2010 and the submission of evidence in the case was closed on April 7, 2014. The Trial Chamber is composed of Judges Sylvia Steiner from Brazil, Joyce Aluoch from Kenya and Kuniko Ozaki from Japan.
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Flash
A group of six people suspected of trying to reach Syria to join Islamist fighters have been arrested in Rhone department, central eastern France, local media reported Tuesday.
French anti-terrorism unit arrested earlier Tuesday morning five men and a woman before their departure to Syria for jihad, Paris prosecutor office told France TV info.
They were placed into custody, it added.
Some of them had sought to obtain arms to attack swingers' clubs, according to the office.
Searches are underway in different places in France's central eastern region, according to the report.
Official data showed that more than 1,300 French nationals and residents either joined the Syrian civil war or planned to travel to the conflict-torn country.
Zhejiang officials demolish a church
cross, which Gu Yuese opposed.
(Photo: China Aid)
China Aid
By Rachel Ritchie
(Hangzhou, ZhejiangJan. 28, 2016) Ten days after officials in Chinas coastal Zhejiang province released a notice detailing the forced removal of a pastor from his position at Chinas largest government-sanctioned church, the pastor was taken into custody today and placed under residential surveillance in a designated location. Additionally, family members believe that the pastors wife, whom they have been unable to contact, was also taken into police custody.
China Aid reported that Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese of Hangzhous Chongyi Church, a Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) Church, was forcibly removed from his position leading the church according to a Jan. 18 document released by the local TSPM and China Christian Council (CCC) because of his public opposition to the hundreds of forced cross demolitions throughout Zhejiang since early 2014.
China Aid learned of Gus arrest after his family members and staff at Chongyi Church were unable to contact him yesterday. Today, they received an official notice, stating that Gu was placed under residential surveillance in a designated location, a situation commonly known by experts as a black jail. A formal arrest notice is expected to follow.
Family members also told China Aid that they believe Gus wife, Zhou Lianmei, was detained after the couples home was searched by the Hangzhou Public Security Bureau.
Gu currently serves as a member of the standing committee of the nations CCC and is the current chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial CCC. He has served as the senior pastor of Chongyi Church for more than a decade.
His arrest marks a major escalation in the crackdown against those who oppose the forced demolition of crosses, China Aid Founder and President Bob Fu said. He will be the highest-ranking national church leader arrested since the Cultural Revolution.
China Aid will continue to update the story of Gus situation as more information becomes available.
Additionally, China Aid learned that six church crosses were forcibly demolished within the past week.
China Aid exposes religious freedom abuses, such as those experienced by Gu Yuese and Zhou Lianmei, in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China.
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org
China Aid
Updated 1:37 p.m. CDT on Feb. 5, 2016
(Hangzhou, ZhejiangFeb. 1, 2016) Authorities in Chinas coastal Zhejiang province charged the chairman of the provincial China Christian Council (CCC) with embezzlement and re-assigned all of the ministerial leadership under him to different churches following his dismissal from his position of senior pastor Chinas largest government-approved church, China Aid learned on Saturday.
Authorities charged Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese, who was the senior pastor of Chongyi Church, with embezzling 10 million Yuan (U.S. $1.6 million) in funds. Church members reported that his arrest was unexpected, and a coalition of 1,342 church leaders in Hong Kong signed a petition for his release.
On Thursday, China Aid learned that police took Gu into their custody and placed him under residential surveillance in a designated location, commonly known as a black jail. Authorities also detained Gus wife, Pastor Zhou Lianmei, for a day and warned her not to leave the country.
Gu was removed from his position on Jan. 18 after speaking out against the cross demolition campaign sweeping across Zhejiang. In a notice addressed to municipal churches, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the CCC announced that Zhang Zhongcheng, current vice-president and temporary secretary general of the TSPM, would replace him.
Shortly after this notice was issued, Gu and Zhou released a message to their church congregation indicating their intent to continue serving at Chongyi Church in a different capacity. With the overturn in church leadership, however, authorities ordered all of the ministerial staff, including Zhou, to relocate to different churches.
A provincial level CCC chairman was so simplistically removed by force from his position of senior pastor, said Dr. Chen Yilu, the president of Chinas largest seminary, Nanjing Union Theological Seminary. What kind of church system does our Chinese church have? Does the Chinese church really have self, and what is the destiny of the [TSPM and CCC]? [Editors note: Self refers to the three characteristics of TSPM churches: self-governance, self-support and self-propagation.]
A translation of the petition from Hong Kong church leaders can be read in full below.
China Aid exposes religious freedom abuses, such as those experienced by Gu Yuese, the members of Chongyi Church, in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China.
A statement of concern from Hong Kong Christians about the events concerning Pastor Gu Yuese with joint signatures
(People in Hong Kong and around the world are welcome to sign)
We are a group of Christians from Hong Kong who are concerned about the development of the Chinese church, and we are deeply shocked by the news that the chairman of Zhejiang provinces China Christian Council, Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese, has been dismissed as the senior pastor of Hangzhous Chongyi Church and investigated on suspicion of embezzling funds. We would like to make the following statement to express concern and worry about the incident:
We believe that this is not an isolated incident but rather is closely related to the rigorous, forced cross demolition movement in Zhejiang province, [which has been happening] since 2014. As a senior pastor and president of the provincial China Christian Council, which was founded on maintaining the dignity of the faith and the churchs basic rights, Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese used different means to report the serious damage of the state-church relationship caused by cross demolitions to the authorities. This is entirely proper conduct of a church leader, [since it] aims to resolve conflicts, ease hostility and restore healthy church-state relations. Now, he has been unreasonably treated for expressing different views regarding the cross demolitions. We are deeply disturbed and angry.
Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China: (Article 272). We call on the authorities to dispel the misgivings of the public and Christians early on and push for fair judicial proceedings in order to protect Pastor Gu and his lawyers fundamental rights, thereby clarifying everything concerning [the governments] conduct and responsibility. As far as we know, after [Chongyi Church] issued an open letter opposing cross demolitions on July 10, 2015, the authorities immediately took a comprehensive review of Chongyi Churchs [financial] accounts. This makes it difficult to extricate them from the criminal charge of framing someone and suppressing dissidents [by] accusing them of crimes. We are strongly dissatisfied with the authorities, since they attempted to cover up the real problem by framing [Gu Yuese] with an economic crime, thereby diverting attention and avoiding the discussion of all kinds of misconduct and illegal behavior [carried out by] public authorities during the cross demolitions. Public authorities never face their illegal conduct of demolishing crosses; rather, in return, law enforcement fights against church personnel who object to the cross demolitions. This unjust law enforcement should be faced and highlighted. According to news from the [Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council (CCC)] in Hangzhou and the Zhejiang Provincial TSPM and CCC, the authorities put Pastor Gu under criminal investigation on suspicion of embezzling funds, as stipulated by the Any employee of a company, enterprise or any other unit who, taking advantage of his position, misappropriates the funds of his own unit for personal use or for loaning them to another person [shall be charged with embezzlement] (Article 272). We call on the authorities to dispel the misgivings of the public and Christians early on and push for fair judicial proceedings in order to protect Pastor Gu and his lawyers fundamental rights, thereby clarifying everything concerning [the governments] conduct and responsibility. As far as we know, after [Chongyi Church] issued an open letter opposing cross demolitions on July 10, 2015, the authorities immediately took a comprehensive review of Chongyi Churchs [financial] accounts. This makes it difficult to extricate them from the criminal charge of framing someone and suppressing dissidents [by] accusing them of crimes. We are strongly dissatisfied with the authorities, since they attempted to cover up the real problem by framing [Gu Yuese] with an economic crime, thereby diverting attention and avoiding the discussion of all kinds of misconduct and illegal behavior [carried out by] public authorities during the cross demolitions. Public authorities never face their illegal conduct of demolishing crosses; rather, in return, law enforcement fights against church personnel who object to the cross demolitions. This unjust law enforcement should be faced and highlighted.
We reiterate that the cross demolition movement, which came to Zhejiang province in 2014, has already seriously hurt the relationship between religious people and the government. The unreasonable regulations authorities issued for crosses, which are religious symbols, violate the freedom of religious expression. At the same time, dismantling the cross in the name of [it being an] illegal structure not only damaged the central governments commitment to rule of law but also seriously affected the image of a country established in religious freedom. It is a severe violation of [a religious groups] non-governmental features and autonomy for the religious groups in the province to have to declare their support of the demolitions, and [it] is contrary to the policy of well-managed churches, [which has been in place] since the implementation of reform and opening. We urge authorities to mind the countrys overall interests, cherish the hard-won situation of religious harmony and avoid the politicized thinking of replacing unity with conflict. This will bring terribly negative consequences to church-state relations and Chinas international image.
We call on people in Hong Kong and around the world who are concerned about the churches in China to sign [this document] together and, in various ways, express their care and concern regarding Gus incident to the Chinese authorities, urging them to properly solve the problem.
In this difficult time, let us offer our prayers with one heart and one mind. May the Lord hold Pastor Gu Joseph Yuese and his wife and hold and strengthen the churches in Hangzhou, Zhejiang and China.
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org
A file illustration picture shows the logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone next to the picture of an official German taxi sign in Frankfurt, September 15, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]
Ride-hailing company Uber China and e-commerce giant Alibaba's financial arm Ant Financial Service Group jointly announced cooperation regarding online payment on Monday, allowing Chinese mainland Uber users to use the car-hailing services overseas and pay in renminbi.
Starting from Monday, the overseas payment function of Alibaba's payment tool Alipay was activated within Uber. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be the first places to roll out such services before Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 8 this year.
The connection among the three places, and the large number of mainland visitors coming every year for business or sightseeing purposes are the major reasons prompting the two companies' latest decision.
According to official statistics provided by the China National Tourism Administration, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan were the top 10 most popular tourist destinations among mainland tourists in 2015.
Eric Alexander, Uber's Asia head, said that the cooperation with Alipay on a global scale was aimed at enhancing mainland users' payment experiences when they travel overseas.
So far, more than 5,000 stores in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are now connected to Alipay. An additional 50,000 stores in Asia, Europe and Australia accept Alipay payment.
Peng Yijie, president of Ant Financial's international business, said that Alipay has been providing transportation reservation services in some parts of the world. But the cooperation with Uber will win it increased recognition among a larger group of consumers.
Alipay was connected to Uber as early as 2014. But before Monday's cooperation, Chinese mainland users have to link their Uber account to renminbi-US dollar dual-currency credit cards and pay only in US dollars.
Financial services provider CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said that 125 million mainland tourists traveled overseas in 2015. The number is expected to grow fast to reach 200 million by 2020.
Chen Jie, a procurement manager at a Shanghai-based multinational manufacturing company, traveled to the United States in January. Before her trip, she had to link her Uber account to a credit card so that she could use the service while in the US.
"Honestly it is not too much trouble to key in some information before the trip. But for consumers, it is always the easier, the better," she said.
China Tower to raise funds from stock market to diversify
China Tower Corp, a joint venture created to handle the tower assets of the country's top three telecom carriers, is planning to go public in 2017 as part of broader efforts to diversify.
The news came shortly after China Tower announced on Friday it had completed an injection of 203.5 billion yuan ($30.8 billion) worth of telecommunications tower assets from shareholders China Mobile Communications Corp, China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd and China Telecommunications Corp.
A spokesman for the infrastructure company said it was "scrambling to complete all preparatory works this year, so that it can be listed in 2017", but declined to disclose more details such as where that listing might be, or its value.
China Mobile and its two smaller rivals established China Tower in 2014 by pooling their assets to reduce duplicate construction and expenditure, as the country rolls out faster networks.
China Tower said earlier this month it has saved the three carriers 50 billion yuan last year by completing 485,000 telecom tower projects, about 265,000 units less than what is needed if these companies build towers on their own.
Xiang Ligang, founder of the telecom industry website cctime.com, said the listing plan comes as China Tower is preparing for a possible branch into business beyond the telecom sector.
"Though the big three telecom operators have transferred lots of assets to China Tower, most are in the form of fixed assets like infrastructure equipments. The company is short of cash," Xiang said.
"It wants to raise money from the stock market to boost its cash flow and expand business into areas such as building electric charging stations for the possible electric car boom in China."
Fu Liang, an industry expert, said China Tower holds substantial appeal for investors.
"Given its important role in the country's telecom industry, the State-owned company will have stable revenues and profits and is unlikely to go bankrupt, which will lure in a lot of investors," Fu said.
The big three telecom carriers own 94 percent of China Tower (China Mobile 38 percent, China Unicom 28.1 percent, China Telecom 27.9 percent), with China Reform Holdings Corp, a government-backed investment firm, holding the remaining 6 percent, which it bought in October.
"The three carriers' stakes will be further diluted with the entry of new investors," Fu said.
A third of China's 173 listed State-owned enterprises are expecting to have made a loss last year, with coal, iron and steel companies the hardest hit.
Fifty-eight of the companieswhich are all directly controlled by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commissionare predicting slipping into the red in their earnings pre-announcements for 2015.
The three worst affected are Wuhan Iron and Steel Co Ltd, Maanshan Iron and Steel Co Ltd, and Angang Steel Co Ltd, with projected losses of 6.8 billion yuan ($1.03 billion), 4.8 billion yuan and 4.37 billion yuan, respectively.
Wuhan Iron and Steel cited sluggish downstream demand in the steel industry and sustained low prices. It also said a weakened yuan had resulted in significant foreign exchange losses.
Shanghai Baogang Group Co, often called Baosteel, is estimating a 83.4 percent crash in 2015 profits to 961 million yuan, blaming a decrease in steel prices far exceeding the prices of iron ore.
Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC has downgraded Baosteel's rating from A- to BBB+, meaning the company's capacity to meet its financial commitments is likely to be weakened by the adverse economic conditions.
The China Iron and Steel Association has predicted its member enterprises have forecast combined losses of 64.5 billion yuan in 2015, compared with profits of 22.6 billion yuan the previous year.
In the coal sector, 10 listed companies to have posted earnings pre-announcements put their losses at between 13.6 billion yuan and 15.1 billion yuan, citing decreasing coal prices and sluggish demand.
China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd, however, considered the largest coal miner, expected a 6.1 billion yuan net profit, but only because of its business unrelated to coal, sources close to the company told China Business News.
They said much of its profit was generated by power generation, one of the firm's previous target investment areas.
Some of the country's SOEs, however, had a strong 2015.
Datang International Power Generation Co Ltd estimated its net profit will grow by 50 to 60 percent from 1.8 billion yuan in 2014 to between 2.7 and 2.9 billion yuan.
When asked to comment on reports that he was dying in poverty in 1897, Mark Twain replied in a letter that ended: "The report of my death was an exaggeration." The same may be said about today's Chinese economy, which, while slowing, is definitely alive and kicking.
During the half century that I've been studying modern China and its economy, perceptions of that economy in the rest of the world have been reversed, and then reversed again.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Chinese economy was ignored as irrelevant because it was small and closed. China's GDP was far less than that of a small country such as Belgium. And trade accounted for only a few percentage points of that GDP. When I tried to sell myself to companies on the basis of China's enormous economic potential, I was treated (to put it politely) with extreme skepticism.
Fast forward to the 2000s and China, now one of the most open economies in the world, had long been "flavor of the month" with foreign investors and was said to be about to become the world's largest economy. The world had previously been accustomed to saying that when the United States sneezed, the rest of the world would catch cold. It was now saying that Chinese super-growth of 10 percent a year would pull the world out of recession.
But when China's GDP recently slowed to "only" 7 percent a year, which statement became a negative one: when China sneezes, the rest of the world catches cold.
For the policymakers and central bankers in China, this must look rather strange. One minute, they could well say, you are complaining bitterly that China's rapid economic expansion is driving up the prices of energy and raw materials, not to mention real estate prices in London and New York, the next minute you are blaming us for your failure to recover from a recession that we had absolutely nothing to do with.
Though I am not famous for agreeing with everything the Chinese government does, I have a lot of sympathy for this latter viewpoint.
Yes, the fall in the Shanghai Composite Index and in the yuan exchange rate has contributed to the developing bear market in Western countries, though there are plenty of other factors. Yes, economies that are dependent on exporting oil and industrial raw materials to China are suffering from slacker demand expansion there.
But no, China is not responsible for the complete bloody mess that includes the Euro zone debt crisis, the short-sighted failure of countries such as Russia to diversify out of oil and gas, the complete exhaustion of recession remedies (primarily "quantitative easing") in the United States and Britain, the failure of other "BRICS" or "Emerging Market" countries (Brazil and South Africa come to mind) to achieve sustainable development, and many other problems that cannot be put right by actions of the Chinese authorities.
While China's economy remains far from perfect, it is still doing much better than in earlier periods of its post-1949 development, and far better than most other economies around the globe.
The current slowdown in China's economic growth is partly explained by what I called in my last article "a much overdue and entirely necessary long-term structural adjustment that inevitably shifts growth to a lower plane, almost certainly well below the current 6.9 percent per annum GDP expansion".
No economist I know ever expected China's economy to grow by 10 percent per annum for so many years. Japan had grown that fast some decades earlier, but then subsided into a miserable quarter century of stagnation that its government is still struggling to escape. The NIEs (Newly Emerging Economies) of East Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan also slowed after rapid growth spurts which lifted their populations from third-world to first-world average living standards.
Did China's economy really grow that fast? A statistical system that was designed for reporting to a central economic planner in the 1950s has found it difficult to capture the reality of such a vast economy. The official statistics probably tended to overstate growth during the occasional downturns (such as in the early and late 1990s) but understated growth during most of the three decades of economic reform when the economy was growing above trend. What economists term "anecdotal evidence" (i.e. what you can see with your own eyes, like new cars replacing old bicycles) strongly suggests that people in China have prospered greatly and rapidly.
The problem China now faces is that of the so-called "middle-income trap" faced by neighbors such as Malaysia, which, after successfully lifting themselves out of poverty, have failed to climb to the next stage of development, which would bring them level with the world's richest economies.
And China simultaneously faces the challenge of bringing its poorer inland areas up to the level of the developed coastal provinces. This challenge, though, is also an opportunity: levelling up the hinterland, along with continuing urbanization, can help maintain high national GDP growth rates for many years to come.
The great West Indian economist, Sir William Arthur Lewis, explained more than half a century ago how poor countries could develop with "unlimited supplies of labor", i.e. by transferring surplus labor from agriculture to urban industry. This theory applied particularly well to China after the return to family farming post-1978, when agriculture resumed its traditional efficiency. Hundreds of millions of people still classified as "peasants", but whose labor was not needed on the farm, migrated to the coast and became a massive workforce, powering the "world's factory" and building gigantic cityscapes.
As a result, China changed overnight from the world's most closed economy to one that has a higher percentage of trade in its GDP than most OECD Member countries. Huge trade surpluses resulted in a build-up of foreign-exchange reserves which peaked at USD3.8 trillion early last year. While that meant China could pay for many months (3 months is the usual benchmark) without having to export anything, it also meant that much national wealth was tied up in investment with a low return (mostly US treasury bonds).
It's US election season again (when isn't it?), so it must be time to beat up China on everything to do with economic and trade matters.
Now I would be the first to agree that the Beijing government has made a couple of mistakes recently, and I'll come back to these in a moment together with my suggestions on how to fix them. But some of the claims being made especially by Republican presidential candidates during their debates are simply so far away from the truth that they must be corrected.
For example more than one candidate has stated as fact that China has kept its currency artificially low so as to gain an advantage in international trade. Front runner Donald Trump has even pledged to impose tariffs on Chinese products to "level the playing field", notwithstanding that this would be contrary to all the rules of the World Trade Organisation. It is correct that the renminbi has slipped by about 6 percent against the US dollar in the past few months, but that follows a rise of more than 20 percent in recent years so the net position is still a gain of around 15 percent. In fact a true reading of the position is that the renminbi has been pulled up by the strong dollar and most economists would say it is probably now over-valued compared with most other currencies.
Some observers have blamed China's reduced purchases of commodities for the fall in world prices, most spectacularly that of oil from well in excess of $100 per barrel to around $30. Yet our imports last year were equivalent to 6.7 million barrels per day a record high. The real reason for the sharp decline in price is the substantial increases in supply. OPEC has continued to pump oil from the ground to try to force high cost producers like the American shale companies out of business. This policy has begun to work, but the newly improved relations with Iran promise to bring fresh supplies to world markets to take their place. As China rebalances the economy to put more emphasis on the service sector, and less on domestic infrastructure spending, it inevitably needs less steel (and hence iron ore) and concrete than previously. However as the Belt and Road initiative starts to take off, some of the slack will no doubt be taken up by projects in countries along the routes.
Some have talked up the prospects of India taking over from China as an engine of global economic growth. Nobody wishes India ill, and it would be good for everyone if the country's economy could enter an era of prolonged substantial growth such as China has enjoyed over the past 35 years. Yet the figures are not encouraging, at least in the short term. In 2014, the last year for which the International Monetary Fund has figures for all major economies, the USA was the world's largest with GDP of just over US$17 trillion. China was second with just over $10 trillion, ahead of Japan stagnating on $4.6 trillion. India? Well down the list at number nine with GDP of $2 trillion. In other words, even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is able to galvanize the Indian economy to achieve growth close to 10 percent - and most observers believe this target is unlikely to be reached - the result will be an increase in global economic growth equivalent to $200 billion. That is equivalent to Chinese growth of just 2 percent, whereas even the doomsayers are talking of 5 percent against the target of 6.5 percent. The truth is the upper end of US growth forecasts (2 percent) would produce less of a lift to the world economy than 5 percent growth for China.
The world's first large-scale fair to specialize in the service sector will be held from May 28 to June 1 in the Chinese capital.
The fourth China (Beijing) International Fair for Trade in Services will be hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and the Beijing municipal government and will have exhibitions in the sciences, technology, healthcare and other fields. There will be 50,000 square meters of exhibition space devoted to the fair at the National Convention Center.
There will also be more than 10 forums and conferences and more than 100 trade activities. About 25,000 representatives from more than 1,000 companies and agencies have been invited.
In May, the central government approved of Beijing piloting reform to develop the nation's service industry and open the industry to international cooperation. The service sector contributes more than 80 percent to Beijing's local economy and the economic scale of Beijing's service industry tops all inland cities in China.
The city government plans to make the fair an international platform for the trade in services.
The World Trade Organization and the event's organizing committee will jointly hold a global summit on services on May 28, inviting government officials, executives from international organizations and enterprises, and experts to discuss development trends in the international service trade.
The Beijing government will also publish a series of new policies and development plans for the trade in services at the fair.
Companies from all over China are welcome to the fair, said its organizer. The fair is expected to become a pathway for potential foreign partners to reach the Chinese market.
Cheng Hong, vice-mayor of Beijing and deputy director of the event's organizing committee, said at a promotional activity with foreign embassies and foreign chambers of commerce in China that the nation's service industry and service trade have increasingly become new driving forces of economic growth and a new foundation for international cooperation.
"The fair will show the potential of the Chinese market," Cheng said. "China will also convey its confidence in the development and internationalization of its service industry through the fair's platform."
The fair was established in 2012. More than 6,100 companies and nearly 400,000 business people from 154 countries and regions have taken part in the previous three fairs, yielding more than $220 billion in intentional trade volume.
The WTO, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the three main international organizations in service trade, are permanent supporters of the fair.
The 13th China-ASEAN Expo, to be held in Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, in September will further develop regional economic dialogue and trade, according to the event's organizers.
This year's event, under the theme of "Jointly Building the 21st Maritime Silk Road: Matching, Dialogue and Mutual Benefits", marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the formal establishment of the ASEAN Community and the start of operations for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
Leaders from China and ASEAN countries said they will make more concerted efforts to share common understanding, intensify dialogue and develop the free trade area.
The Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, the venue for the annual CAEXPO, will be expanded, with the total exhibition area reaching 100,000 square meters upon completion of the center's renovations.
Last year, CAEXPO added a number of events for trade professionals and themed shows for ASEAN member countries, such as cultural, agricultural, tourism, Thailand-focused and Indonesia-centered shows.
These activities provided a platform for exchanges between enterprises across different industries in China and in ASEAN member countries.
Leaders hope this year's platform of themed events expands the expo's global influence, said the secretariat.
Since 2014, the CAEXPO has selected a country from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to promote cooperation with economies outside China and ASEAN.
RCEP is a free trade agreement to establish a unified market of 16 countries through the reduction of tariffs and nontariff barriers. It was initiated by the ASEAN countries and has invited the participation of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.
MOSCOW - Chinese-Russian trade cooperation has great prospects despite contracted volume in 2015, said Zhang Di, economic and commercial minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Moscow.
Trade volume decreased by 27.8 percent in 2015 year on year, according to China's General Administration of Customs. Zhang called it a temporary phenomenon, and by no means indicates that bilateral economic and trade cooperation had "sunk."
He also noted that trade between China and Russia should be assessed comprehensively, not simply by a change in volume. Looking at the types of imports, one finds that the commodities China has imported from Russia, primarily oil and minerals, have not decreased much.
China imported 40 billion tons of oil from Russia in 2015, Zhang said, maintaining 2014 levels, but falling oil prices cut the value of the sales. The volume of imports of ore and other raw materials were also basically flat.
The minister counselor hailed the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries in 2015, calling it one of the most notable areas of the bilateral relationship.
China is Russia's largest trading partner with its share of Russia's overall trade having increased to 12 percent in 2015 from 11.3 percent in 2014.
"Thanks to efforts on both sides, a number of aspects in the bilateral relationship will continue to grow," Zhang said.
He added that the deterioration of Russia's economic situation has affected bilateral trade amid anti-Russian Western sanctions and Moscow's retaliatory restrictions.
With the price of oil down and slower global growth, Russia's ruble has depreciated by 72.2 percent against the US dollar from March 2014 to December 2015.
Zhang also refuted allegations that it was the slowdown of the Chinese economy that somehow caused difficulties in the Russian economy.
Russia had multiple internal economic problems that needed to be addressed, so did China, Zhang said, adding that he was convinced problems would be solved as both governments were taking active measures.
Commenting on the previously-announced target of achieving a bilateral trade volume of $200 billion in 2020, Zhang said both sides are working toward that goal despite the current challenges.
The process could also be accelerated by changes in international affairs as well as internal and external conditions affecting both countries, Zhang said.
JINAN - A new board of directors has taken control of the Shandong Shanshui Cement Group Co, Ltd headquarters in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, following a prolonged power struggle, sources told Xinhua.
The boardroom battle began in December when Shandong Shansui's parent company and main operating entity, Hong Kong-listed China Shanshui Cement Group Limited, sacked former chairman Zhang Bin and several others associated with him to install a new board of directors.
Zhang and others sacked from China Shanshui's board were also members on the board of Shandong Shanshui, one of the largest cement producers in the country.
In a disclosure to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Dec 3, 2015, the newly appointed board of China Shanshui tried to appoint new directors and change the articles of association for the Shandong Shansui board.
But Shandong Shanshui, then still led by Zhang and the original board members, said the Dec 3 decision was ineffective because the Rules for the Implementation of the Law on Foreign-Capital Enterprises require such changes be approved by the government, which had not been the case for China Shanshui's decision.
The new board then accused the old board of retaining corporate seals that are required to acquire such an approval. Seals or chops are commonly required for verification in China's legal documents.
More than 1,000 employees from Shandong Shanshui gathered peacefully at the headquarters last Tuesday asking the old board to cede control of the seals and the headquarters.
On Saturday, the old board of directors capitulated and ceded control, according to a statement filed to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday.
"With the assistance of the local Jinan police, the company smoothly took over the headquarters and an additional 3 factories of Shandong Shanshui on January 30, 2016," the statement said.
Prolonged boardroom battle
Shandong Shanshui was state-owned before reorganizing into a public company listed in Hong Kong. After its initial listing, the board was led by chairman Zhang Caikui, who later transferred the chairmanship to his son Zhang Bin.
The two, along with several other members loyal to them, led the cement company until Tianrui Group, another cement producer based in Henan Province and also listed in Hong Kong, bought stakes in China Shanshui and became the single largest shareholder in 2015.
Online shoppers in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, may be surprised to see who retail giant Suning has hired to help out with deliveries. Photo taken on Jan 30, 2015. [Photo/CFP]
As hundreds of millions of Chinese are busy traveling for family reunion, e-commerce giant Suning has hired expats to address courier shortage on the traditional holiday.
For online shoppers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing, it may come as a surprise to open the door and find a foreign face standing outside with deliveries in his hands.
Hiring part-time expat couriers could not only open a window for them to see what Chinese New Year is like, but also allow Chinese employees to take time off and spend the holiday around their family, the company's spokesperson told Jinling Evening News.
In 2015, to which we bid farewell not long ago, cloud computing enjoyed extremely high popularity in the IT world; particularly in China it was gradually moving into the fast lane. Nevertheless, unlike online industries and startup enterprises, traditional industries still hold cautious attitudes toward cloud computing.
These traditional government / corporate users have high requirements for IT construction, but they themselves have no large-scale technology capabilities like those of internet enterprises. Therefore, they urgently need cloud service providers who possess in-depth industry understanding and can supply premium services to help them smoothly transition from traditional IT to cloud computing.
This situation brings service providers, including SST, opportunities to assist in that transition. As China's first Sino-foreign operator focused on added value telecom, SST serves multi-national and fortune 500 corporations with applause from both government and corporate users for its world-class telecom systems and consulting-style service ability.
With the arrival of the cloud computing age, SST has actively sought to be of service in the transformation of traditional industries towards resources such as cloud computing. Over several years it has grown from a value-added telecom operator to an integrated ICT service provider. While continuing to offer customers superior WAN services, it undertook the mission of assisting users in traditional industries to migrate towards cloud application.
The passage below provides an example of SST's successful assistance in IT transitioning in a traditional industry; in this case a cloud application for an international school.
"Active consulting" + "One-stop service" = Smooth Cloud Application
The international school, with the steady growth of its domestic business, faced increasing difficulties in coping with the IT and network usage needs of its faculty and students.
Firstly, the original IT infrastructure deployed traditional collective systems. There was a dire inadequacy in surveillance and emergency handling. In particular, the data center architecture had poor stability and disaster recovery capacity. With no remote backup mechanism, there was the likelihood of severe damage in the event of any trouble. Meanwhile, backup was also conventional; the recovery time of the system was up to 8 hours, which greatly affected the running of school operations. Furthermore, as its infrastructure was deployed overseas, the access speed was easily affected by the quality of a dedicated line, and there was a lack of relevant technological support in China.
After learning of the initial needs, SST held many rounds of meticulous communication with the school. Through active IT consulting services, it helped the client refine its needs from system structure to service procedure step by step. Finally, it created a custom-made overall solution for migrating towards a domestic hybrid cloud.
This client adopted a private cloud in combination with an SST Data Center as the main station, using an SST public cloud platform as the backup service. SST provided 24/7 infrastructure surveillance; once any trouble occurred, the backup system promptly worked to restore online service. The SLA standard of the backup system restoration improved from the previous 10 hours to 1 hour.
With traditional IT deployment methods, the server and network have different service providers, necessitating communication and coordination by their respective users. By implementing a cloud application, SST provided users with one-stop service as the only interface. The user may now focus only on teaching activities without having to worry about tedious IT details; they are better able to direct their efforts toward business matters and school management.
Editor's note: There has been a sharp rise in stories in Western media in recent months that paint a dire picture of Chinese economy. But do their claims stand up? To find out whether the future is as bleak as is painted by some in the West, we invited four experts to share their views on economic challenges and opportunities.
Here is their take.
The current slowdown in China's economic growth is partly explained by what I called in my last article "a much overdue and entirely necessary long-term structural adjustment that inevitably shifts growth to a lower plane, almost certainly well below the current 6.9 percent per annum GDP expansion".
No economist I know ever expected China's economy to grow by 10 percent per annum for so many years. Japan had grown that fast some decades earlier, but then subsided into a miserable quarter century of stagnation that its government is still struggling to escape. The NIEs (Newly Emerging Economies) of East Asia: Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan also slowed after rapid growth spurts which lifted their populations from third-world to first-world average living standards.
Read more about "China's economy: the inevitable adjustment"
There is a quote from the great philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein which gives some insight into the strangely shocked response by many outside to the Chinese government's announcement that GDP growth in 2016 will be around 6.8 percent. "I went into the room expecting to be surprised," he said, "and wasn't which surprised me."
The surprising thing now is not that Chinese growth is slowing down, but that there are so many who are surprised by this. Chinese leaders, and economists, have been saying for years that Chinese high levels of GDP were unsustainable. In the 2000s, the then Premier Wen Jiabao stated that producing double digit levels of growth could not go on forever. In many ways it is a miracle China has managed it as long as it has. Since 2012, this message has increased. The current Premier Li Keqiang spoke of 'fast, sustainable growth' when he came into office, and a figure of around 7 percent fits that bill. Alongside this there has been frequent talk of a new normal and a different growth model lower in raw yield, but higher in quality.
Read more about "Chinese economy is on track for developed status"
It's US election season again (when isn't it?), so it must be time to beat up China on everything to do with economic and trade matters.
Now I would be the first to agree that the Beijing government has made a couple of mistakes recently, and I'll come back to these in a moment together with my suggestions on how to fix them. But some of the claims being made especially by Republican presidential candidates during their debates are simply so far away from the truth that they must be corrected.
For example more than one candidate has stated as fact that China has kept its currency artificially low so as to gain an advantage in international trade. Front runner Donald Trump has even pledged to impose tariffs on Chinese products to "level the playing field", notwithstanding that this would be contrary to all the rules of the World Trade Organisation. It is correct that the renminbi has slipped by about 6 percent against the US dollar in the past few months, but that follows a rise of more than 20 percent in recent years so the net position is still a gain of around 15 percent. In fact a true reading of the position is that the renminbi has been pulled up by the strong dollar and most economists would say it is probably now over-valued compared with most other currencies.
Read more about "Not China-bashing again!"
When asked to comment on reports that he was dying in poverty in 1897, Mark Twain replied in a letter that ended: "The report of my death was an exaggeration." The same may be said about today's Chinese economy, which, while slowing, is definitely alive and kicking.
During the half century that I've been studying modern China and its economy, perceptions of that economy in the rest of the world have been reversed, and then reversed again.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Chinese economy was ignored as irrelevant because it was small and closed. China's GDP was far less than that of a small country such as Belgium. And trade accounted for only a few percentage points of that GDP. When I tried to sell myself to companies on the basis of China's enormous economic potential, I was treated (to put it politely) with extreme skepticism.
Read more about "Don't blame the Chinese economy"
URUMQI - Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in northwest China has made 770 billion yuan ($116.8 billion) from foreign trade from 2011 to 2015, up 41.5 percent over the previous five years.
According to Urumqi Customs Office, the region's trade growth had slowed during the past five years.
Foreign trade volume for the region totaled $19.7 billion in 2015, down 28.9 percent year on year. Exports shrank by 25.4 percent to settle at $17.5 billion, while imports plunged by 48.2 percent to $2.2 billion.
Customs data showed a decline of more than 40 percent in trade with Kazakhstan in 2015, but growth of 180 percent with the United States last year. Electromechanical products, textiles and shoes accounted for the majority of export while the region also imported large quantities of electromechanical and agricultural products as well as paper pulp.
Customs statistician Chen Guoliang was upbeat about the outlook for Xinjiang's exports thanks to supportive policies from the central and regional governments.
Down payments for first-time buyers cut for the second time in five months
A sales woman introduces an overseas property program to visitors at a spring real estate exhibition held in Beijing, April 17, 2015. [Photo/IC]
In a bid to revive China's urban housing market, the central bank lowered the minimum down payment for first-time homebuyers on Tuesday for the second time in less than five months.
The People's Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission announced that the down payments for first-time homebuyers would be reduced from 25 percent to 20 percent. Economists described the move as "pointing to the healthy growth of the market".
Unsold homes in China rose by 11.2 percent last year to a total of 452 million square meters, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
In October, China lowered first-time homebuyers' minimum down payment requirement from 30 percent at which it had stood since 2010 to 25 percent to curb a rapid rise in urban housing prices.
Zhao Xijun, deputy dean of the School of Finance at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said Tuesday's down payment adjustment would help China to reduce the inventory of unsold housing at a time of general economic slowdown and lackluster business.
In tandem with the rate reduction for first-time buyers, down payments required for second homes will fall from 40 percent to 30 percent, a joint statement by the central bank and the CBRC said.
However, the revised percentages do not apply in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, where heavy restrictions against speculative home purchases remain in place.
Industry specialists said the lower down payments would benefit the housing market in small towns near large cities.
Five domestic airlines agreed on Monday to tackle air rage by blacklisting passengers who misbehave.
Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Spring Airlines will keep records of those who behave badly.
Such behavior will include attacks on check-in counters, forcibly occupying airplanes and fighting on board, according to a joint announcement by the carriers.
Passenger records will be shared throughout the country's civil aviation and tourism industries. Those who are blacklisted will face penalties such as being denied special seats, ticket discounts, or even service.
However, Li Xiaojin, head of Civil Aviation University of China's Air Transport Economy Institute, said, "Airlines do not have the right to limit passengers' travel rights."
Although air passenger blacklists have been adopted overseas, there is no legal provision for them in China, Li said, adding that this may lead to disputes.
Gao Nan, a 33-year old woman living in Beijing, said, "I totally understand the airlines' decision and, as a passenger, I don't want to be affected by air rage."
But Gao said the provisions for the blacklist should be decided by a third party rather than just the airlines.
It is the first time that a blacklist has covered most of the domestic civil aviation industry.
Two heavyweight auto executives have joined a little-known Chinese company aiming to produce electric cars, a harbinger of more integration between the IT and traditional auto industries.
Harmony Futeng Internet and Intelligent Electric Vehicle Co announced on Friday that Carsten Breitfeld will take the role of chief executive officer and Daniel Kirchert become chief operating officer of its "Internet Smart Electric Car" enterprise.
Breitfeld, former vice-president of BMW Group, head of BMW's i8 program, is a worldwide leading expert in the research and development field for electric cars. He spent 20 years working for the German premium brand.
Kirchert is famous in China's premium car segment. Before joining Harmony Futeng, the fluent Mandarin speaker was the head of Infiniti's China operations and president of Dongfeng Infiniti, the joint venture between Infiniti and Dongfeng Auto.
"It was a tough decision but a simple reason: I want to have an opportunity to start a company, and I think that has a lot to do with my personality," Kirchert said.
Harmony Futeng is an innovative investment platform co-founded by China Harmony New Energy Auto Holdings, Hon Hai Precision Industry and Tencent Holdings.
The Internet Smart Electric Car is the platform's core strategic program and an independent enterprise, Harmony Futeng said in a statement.
It aims to develop next-generation individual mobility solutions, creating a premium brand with Chinese roots and a global reach that will offer customers a smart, pleasant and eco-friendly driving experience, the statement said.
Tencent, China's leading integrated Internet service provider that owns the most patents in the country's Internet industry, will provide the Internet platform and other innovative solutions needed for the program.
Marco Hecker, Deloitte's China Auto Consulting Practice managing partner, said he sees opportunities in smart mobility for Chinese Internet giants such as Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, saying "they have the ability to integrate the strength in China's automotive and Internet industries, and no big automotive company has smart mobility solutions."
Cao Junbo, chief analyst at IResearch Consulting Group, said in the near future vehicles with intelligent driving systems could be as commonplace as smartphones.
"But the technology is still in its early stages," Cao told China Daily in an earlier interview.
IResearch analyst Zhou Xin said more venture capital and private equity firms would be attracted to projects that bring together automakers and high-tech companies.
Letv plans to unveil its first electric car at the Beijing auto show in April and is working to provide Aston Martin with infotainment systems.
Alibaba also announced a partnership with SAIC in early 2015 and Baidu and BMW tested their first autonomous driving system in December.
Gaby-Luise Wuest, head of Dongfeng Infiniti Motor Co.
Gaby-Luise Wuest is preparing to brush up her Chinese language skills after she was appointed head of Dongfeng Infiniti Motor Co on a chilly afternoon last week in Beijing.
Wuest said she can understand some spoken words but does not speak the language. Before her appointment, she served as Infiniti's chief operations officer in Hong Kong and before that worked for BMW's joint venture on the mainland.
Rather than starting out with the Chinese words nihao and xiexie, meaning "hello" and "thank you", some industry insiders joked she had better start with the phrase gan ai, which literally means "dare to love", and is the catchphrase and subsequent campaign her Mandarin-speaking predecessor Daniel Kirchert initiated in January 2014 to promote Infiniti in the local market.
It was announced on Friday that Kirchert will remain in China as the chief operations officer for a newly formed electric carmaker under the umbrella of Harmony Futeng.
The gan ai campaign Kirchert created and nurtured has worked well so far, turning the once obscure brand into the fastestgrowing marque in China's premium car segment for two consecutive years.
In 2015, Infiniti sold 40,188 cars on the Chinese mainland, a 33.8 percent surge year-on-year and six times the overall growth rate of the premium car segment in China.
Infiniti's president Roland Krueger credited that performance, at least partly, to the strategy, and plans to incorporate it into the brand's global positioning. He said the slogan, especially the "dare to" aspect, is true to the image of the brand worldwide.
Despite Kirchert's resignation, Krueger said Infiniti's roadmap would not change in China, its most important market worldwide.
In addition to the gan ai strategy, other elements of the roadmap include a sound partnership with Dongfeng, a portfolio of appropriate localized models and good relations with its dealers.
Krueger told China Daily, "We have set out a very clear direction for Infiniti in China, and this strategy will be continued at the same pace, with the same backup and support from global Infiniti."
He stressed that "dealerships are an integral part of our business", saying they are "what is important for our continued success". On the evening of her first day on the job, Wuest made a point of meeting key dealers in Beijing.
A pedestrian walks past a construction site of Foxconn Headquaters building in Shanghai, China, Feb 6, 2015. [Photo/IC]
Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou is confident his company will win in its bid to take control of Sharp Corp, the embattled maker of Aquos flat-screen televisions, he said on Sunday.
Sharp will make a decision next week on the offer, Gou said at a year-end event for his company in Taipei after he met with Sharp management at their headquarters in Osaka on Saturday. The Foxconn chairman had planned to make a bid of about 660 billion yen ($5.4 billion) for Sharp, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke before the meeting took place.
Gou's offer is designed to beat out an alternative deal with Innovation Network Corp of Japan, the Japanese government-backed fund, and would include about 390 billion yen to buy new shares for a controlling stake, said the person, who could not be identified because the information is not public.
About 225 billion yen will be used to buy preferred stock in Sharp, primarily from the company's two major banks, and another 45 billion yen will be used to buy land from the company.
"I'm very confident, if the government says they won't touch it," Gou said.
He said reports that INCJ is a government entity, and that Foxconn is competing with the government, are incorrect.
Though Foxconn is offering more money, Sharp is leaning toward a deal with INCJ, which would keep its technology within Japan and allow it to cooperate more closely with domestic companies, people familiar with the matter have said.
"Our terms and conditions are much much better than competitors," Gou said.
Technology companies have synergies and should cooperate and develop together, he said. "We don't want to destroy this company, we want to keep it."
INCJ may invest about 300 billion yen in Sharp, people familiar with the matter have said. Under INCJ's offer, the banks would hand over the preferred shares for free, Nikkei reported, without citing anyone.
Under the deal, INCJ would lead a push to restructure Sharp's solar business, streamlining production facilities and integrating the unit with Solar Frontier K, Nikkei reported.
Solar Frontier is a wholly owned unit of Showa Shell Sekiyu KK.
Gou said at the event in Taipei on Sunday that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co's profit growth last year met his 10 percent target even as sales failed to reach their goal.
Profit margins expanded because of automation, he said. Hon Hai, the Taipei-listed flagship of the Foxconn group, makes iPhones, iPads and MacBooks for Apple Inc.
Office of E Rent Treasure in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is locked in December. LONG WEI/CHINA DAILY
Beijing police have busted a major fraud ring accused of using E Rent Treasure, an online financial platform, to illegally collect up to 50 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) in funds, harming 900,000 investors across 31 provinces and regions, according to the Beijing Public Security Bureau.
Ding Ning, former chairman of Yucheng International Group, the owner of E Rent Treasure, has been arrested by a Beijing prosecuting department on suspicion of fund-raising fraud, illegally acquiring funds and possessing firearms.
Twenty other senior managers in the company have also been arrested by national prosecuting departments on suspicion of illegally acquiring funds from investors.
In February 2014, Yucheng International Group purchased a Beijing network and technology company. In July, Yucheng changed the company's name to E Rent Treasure, operating it as an online financial company.
Fake information
Yucheng was registered abroad and consisted of eight business operation centers across the country, including in Beijing, Shanghai and Anhui province, that allegedly used fake information and fabricated financing and leasing projects, according to the Beijing Public Security Bureau.
The group allegedly lured members of the public to invest money, promising returns of 9 percent to 14 percent, the bureau said.
Between July 2014 and December last year, Yucheng illegally acquired as much as 50 billion yuan from 900,000 victims, according to Beijing police.
"We are working closely with the China Banking Regulatory Commission and the People's Bank of China to speed up the collection of evidence, confiscating and identifying the illegal assets. We will try our best to recover lost funds for the victims," said a senior police officer from the Beijing Public Security Bureau who declined to reveal his name.
He said investors can report information on the Ministry of Public Security's website.
Inconsistent use of punctuation mark makes shopping online, especially via cellphones, difficult
Inconsistencies in the way a punctuation mark is used in official documents is increasingly hampering the efforts of some members of China's ethnic groups as they struggle to engage with e-commerce and mobile banking systems.
The problem stems from a form of punctuation known as the middle dot, which is used to separate the Mandarin surnames and given names of the Uygur, Kazak and Tibetan peoples, among others.
However, bank tellers and other officials will regularly use different forms of punctuation in place of the dotor sometimes, omit it altogetherleaving consumers such as Murat Mamut, a Uygur, facing great difficulty when trying to shop online.
"I feel as if I have wasted half of my life dealing with this dot," said the 29-year-old.
"Everything is fine if you're opening a bank account for the first time, but you will have difficulties later with interbank transfers, paying for a mortgage, or accessing online payment platform Alipay."
When working in Shanghai four years ago, Murat said he had to spend a whole month trying to standardize the dots used on his bank cards. "I went to all the big banks, but they just didn't understand what I was talking about," he said.
The middle dot problem has only really become an issue in the wake of China's e-commerce boom, said Xu Taizhi, head of the population management detachment of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's public security bureau.
"Many e-commerce developers know little about ethnic names and the format of the dot used in ID card registration," he said.
"Some platforms don't even include the dot in their input system, which has created problems for users who need to verify their ID when trying to use online services."
Some websites and smartphone apps have even limited the number of characters a customer is allowed to enter in the name field on forms, which causes problems for people from certain ethnic groups whose names can be up to 16 characters long, according to Xu.
He said that he hoped the State Ethnic Affairs Commission would standardize the input format of the middle dot across ID cards, e-commerce, mobile banking systems and other platforms to solve the problem for good.
Banks in Xinjiang are already familiar with ethnic names and all Bank of China branches nationwide adopted a standardized format for the middle dot in 2011, said Palidan Turson, deputy director of the business department at Bank of China's Xinjiang branch.
"The problems often occur when customers try to use the services on their smartphones," she said, adding that the input system on a phone was often different from that on a computer and may not include the right dot.
Palidan said that last year the Xinjiang branch had filed a suggestion with Bank of China's headquarters to update their mobile banking system so that it would better accommodate the needs of ethnic users.
Mutalip Mametmin, 38, said that this insignificant-looking dot affects almost all of the millions of Uygurs in China, who represent a "bigger population than that of some countries".
It has been suggested that the dot should be replaced with a space, or removed altogethera policy that has already been adopted by many Chinese airlines and is favored by Krygyz student Ayqurek.
"The surname and given name can be written in a way that even computer illiterate or less-educated people would be able to understand," he said.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
I never have much confidence in the marketing people who tout their extraordinary ability to turn some ordinary guys or events into - well - widespread media coverage. What fascinates me about those pieces of breaking news that were not really newsworthy yet caught public imagination is the unexpectedness of it all.
Take two recent examples. On Jan 17, a group of young people took to Beijing's subway and, at the designated time, whipped out their books. Reading in subway trains is nothing new. What made them unique were the paper books they held in their hands, not the mobile gadgets that are ubiquitous nowadays. So their performance art piece, orchestrated online but never rehearsed, hit a point that resonated with the media people, who arguably have more nostalgia for the dead-tree form of books that is fast receding into memory.
On top of that, there was the whiff of danger of an unregistered but obviously organized event.
The second story involved an amateur choir in Shanghai. It had been singing the standards since its founding in 2010. Everything went as anticipated until the end of last year, when Jin Chengzhi, the master of the choir, hit upon a ludicrous idea and composed a piece titled Where did you leave the key, Zhang Shichao?
Zhang, his roommate and classmate from the conservatory years, had gone on a date with a college girl in another part of Shanghai, forgetting to leave their shared key.
The mock frustration and anger would better fit an online ditty, but with eight parts of trained voices the comedic effect came into sharp relief. Chorus singing has always been associated with the grand and the sublime, not the mundane complaints of a misplaced key.
Anyway, nobody could have predicted it would be the first breakout song of the year, even though it is not quite hummable. Millions of dollars are spent on making pop songs into hits each year, but other than talent there is the wildcard of luck. Very often the surprise comes from the unconventionality of your approach. Had the subway youngsters stuck to e-books or the choir selected The Yellow River Cantata, they would never have attracted public notice.
That brings us to my stroke of luck 15 years ago. I never planned to be a film critic. I was writing on a wide range of subjects, including business and high tech, which were closer to my area of expertise. Because I wrote film reviews in the style of US mainstream publications, which were unfamiliar to most Chinese back then, I stood out instantly. Some scholars lambasted me for not following the norm, which highlighted my difference. If I had hired a marketing team to promote me, I would have doubled my effort and achieved half the result.
The national environmental authority found severely excessive pollution emissions during inspections of 648 companies in 59 cities in December, and it promised tougher punishment this year under a newly enacted air pollution control law.
In December's monthly inspections targeting companies that discharge air pollutants, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and its inspection teams found that excessive emissions were a big problem in the 59 cities that were inspected, said Zou Shoumin, head of the ministry's Environmental Inspection Bureau, on Monday.
Among the 648 inspected companies, the ministry found 31 polluters that directly discharged pollutants into the air or did not use required facilities to reduce pollution.
The December inspections covered many provinces in northeastern, northern, central and southern regions, including Shanxi, Sichuan, Guangdong and Shaanxi provinces.
Some companies failed to obey requirements. For example, a thermal power plant in Zhongshan, Guangdong, continued to pollute, despite being ordered 11 times since June 29 by the city's environmental bureau to stop polluting.
'Tough punishment'
Five of the companies that were found to be polluting provided heating services to the cities of Xianyang, Shaanxi province, and Changchun, Jilin province.
"All the polluters have received tough punishment," said Zou.
For example, the environmental watchdog of Anshan, Liaoning province, exposed an iron mine company in the city with excessive emissions and fined it on a daily basis, totaling 4.82 million yuan ($733,000).
Imposing daily fines for companies that persist in polluting is one of the powerful tools provided by the Law on Environmental Protection.
Between January and November, the total amount of daily fines levied against 611 polluting companies reached 485 million yuan, Zou said.
The ministry and local bureaus inspected 1.58 million companies, exposing 51,000 polluting companies in the first 11 months of last year.
Meanwhile, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution took effect on Jan 1.
"We will highlight the responsibilities of local governments in protecting air quality during the law's implementation," said Wang Jian, deputy head of the ministry's Pollution Control Bureau. "The punishment of polluters will also get tougher."
The newly implemented law will facilitate air pollution control, along with the law revised last year and a national campaign against air pollution, increasing the cost to companies with excessive emissions if they worsen air quality, Wang said.
China has finalized a plan setting tough fuel standards for large ships in an effort to slash marine emissions, the Ministry of Transport said on Monday.
When fully implemented, the coordinated effort will reduce oxysulfide emissions from ships by 65 percent and particulate emissions by 30 percent by 2020, compared with current emissions, Li Qingping, a senior official at the ministry's Maritime Safety Administration, told a news conference in Beijing.
Three emission control zones have been established in China's Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas and the Bohai Sea area, and the plan will first be implemented in these zones. Eleven ports in the zones, including Shanghai's and Tianjin's ports, have become core ports under stricter monitoring.
From April 1, ships must use fuel with sulphur content of lower than or equal to 0.5 percent during their berth in core ports in the Yangtze River delta control zone, said Li, adding that from Jan 1 next year, ships in all core ports must follow the same standard.
Beginning on Jan 1, 2018, the rule will expand to all ports in the three control zones. Starting on Jan 1, 2019, all ships will have to follow the rule once they enter control zones.
Stricter rules
Around Dec 31, 2019, China will introduce stricter rules on marine emissions, including reducing the standard of sulphur content to 0.1 percent and expanding the control zone, Li said.
He said ships with foreign flags also will have to follow the rule, adding that the ministry is working on an English-language document on the policy.
"There are enormous health and environmental consequences that come from marine emissions, affecting both port cities and inland areas. The regulation will lead to significant air quality improvements throughout the country," said Li.
According to the ministry's data, marine emissions account for 8 to 10 percent of Shanghai's PM2.5, which is airborne particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate the lungs and harm health.
According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, marine oxysulfide emissions in 2013 accounted for 8.4 percent of total oxysulfide emissions, and oxynitride emissions accounted for 11.3 percent of the total. Marine pollution has the largest impact on port cities, but it also affects cities along rivers.
According to the Ministry of Transport's data from 2013, China has more than 170,000 transport ships, with net deadweight of 240 million metric tons.
Husi Food Co's Shanghai and Hebei branches, which were found to have supplied products with substandard meat to fast food chains, were fined 1.2 million yuan ($182,000) each by a Shanghai court on Monday.
The two branches, which were accused by Shanghai Jiading District People's Court of producing and selling counterfeit products, were former suppliers to restaurants and fast food chains across the country, including McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks. Husi was a subsidiary of US-based global food processor OSI Group.
The court also said that Yang Liqun, general manager of the deep processing division of OSI Group and an Australian citizen, was sentenced to three years in prison, fined 100,000 yuan and ordered to be deported.
Nine other people, including He Yezheng, operations director of the division that Yang worked for, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 19 months to 32 months and fined between 30,000 and 80,000 yuan.
The incident came to light in July 2014 after a local news program, following a reporter's two-month undercover investigation, revealed that the Shanghai branch of Husi provided products tainted with reprocessed and expired meat to clients. Shanghai's food quality watchdog investigated the factory and immediately found problems.
Based on investigations, the court found that from March 2013 to July 2014, the two Husi branches had products returned and orders terminated by the Shanghai branch of Yum Brands, the owner of Pizza Hut and KFC restaurant chains, because the products failed to meet requirements.
However, in a bid to diminish economic losses, several managers, including Yang and He, decided to order the staff to repackage the products or use them as raw materials for several batches of new products. This resulted in the substandard food products flowing into the market.
For example, the court found that in June 2014, the staff, instructed by Yang and He and organized by other people who were subsequently punished, reprocessed a batch of frozen steaks that were already past their expiration date. The staff then marked a new production date on the packages, along with a guarantee period of 365 days, and sold them to clients.
Hainan province, with its warm climate, tropical forests and natural beauty, aims to remake itself as a global tourism destination by the end of the decade.
This goal will be achieved by expanding duty-free shopping zones, improving international transport links and introducing more activities catering for tourists, Governor Liu Cigui said as he delivered a government work report in the capital Haikou.
According to a draft of Hainan's 13th Five-Year-Plan (2016-20), more than 80 million tourists - including 1.2 million from overseas - are expected to visit the island in 2020, with total tourism revenue set to surpass 100 billion yuan ($15.2 billion) by then.
The goal of making Hainan an "international tourism island" was set in 2010. However, the province has experienced three years of consecutive declines in visitor numbers since a peak of 33.2 million in 2012.
A lack of international direct flights and limitations on visa-free policies were two of the reasons given for these declines by Sun Ying, director-general with Hainan Provincial Tourism Development Commission.
"Only three countries have direct flights to Hainan. There will be two more added this year, but this is far from enough," she said. "We also offer a visa-free policy to tourists from 26 countries, but this policy is only for group travelers."
Despite facing fierce competition from neighboring tourist destinations in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, Sun remains upbeat about the future.
"Hainan is as good as, or even better than, surrounding islands when it comes to its scenery and ecosystem," she said, adding that all it was lacking was "the level of service, internationalized environment and standardized tourism products".
Liu Xiaoli in Haikou contributed to this story.
Five new police units will be formed in Southwest China's Yunnan province to combat fraudsters, con artists and other criminals targeting tourists.
The teams will be tasked with providing security cover in cities and towns such as Dali, Kunming and Lijiang, as well as receiving complaints from the public about fraud, unlicensed guides and ticket scalpers.
It is hoped the move will bring some order to the province's often chaotic tourism market and follows the release of a three-minute video that was widely circulated on social media, showing a tour guide in Xishuangbanna venting her frustrations about the lack of spending in scenic spots.
The unnamed woman branded nearby tourists "miserly" and said they should be "ashamed" for not spending more money, before threatening to prevent their departure if they told anyone about her behavior.
Wen Shuqiong, deputy director of the Yunnan Tourism Development and Reform Commission, said Yunnan had introduced a number of measures "to protect tourists' rights in the past year, such as limiting shopping time to under 90 minutes per day".
In fact, forced shopping was one of the reasons why China's first tourist police unit was established in Sanya, Hainan - another city plagued by rude tour guides and overpriced food.
So far, tourist police in Sanya have investigated 81 public security cases, detained 86 people and detected 1 criminal case.
"Tourist police have the right to enforce the law. The process of dealing with tourists' complaints has been streamlined and those who want to make illegal profits by setting traps for unsuspecting tourists have been effectively frightened off," said Yue Jin, vice-mayor of Sanya.
Li Jinzao, director of the China National Tourism Administration, said it was important to protect the rights of tourists and ensure they do not fall victim to criminals.
"Many places in China have invested huge amounts of money into marketing and advertising to attract tourists," he said. "This is important, but a scandal could ruin all the good effort that has been put in, especially if the local tourism market is not orderly."
Providing a better environment for tourists requires the local government to adjust its way of managing the sector, Li said.
"We used to focus on scenic spots. However, tourists do not stay in one spot forever. In order to regulate the tourism market, the local government needs to to get out of this 'scenic spot' way of thinking and regulate the whole city's public order."
Maritime militia in Sansha, Hainan province, demonstrate their training in July. [Guo Cheng / Xinhua]
As the People's Liberation Army upgrades its navy, commissioning dozens of new ships under a watchful global eye, a less noticed force, China's maritime militia, is also improving its operational capability.
Despite a history that can be traced back to as early as the 1970s, China's maritime militia remains weaker compared with the land militia due to a lack of government funding and volunteers.
However, the situation has changed as a result of the country's efforts to strengthen its maritime capabilities and safeguard its interests at sea.
According to the PLA Beihai City Military Command in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the proportion of maritime militia in the city increased tenfold over the past two years, from less than 2 percent at the end of 2013 to more than 20 percent last year.
That enabled the city's maritime militia to play a bigger role in drills organized by the PLA Navy - in 2013 it participated in only one such exercise, while it took part in four naval drills in 2014 and seven drills last year.
Most of the maritime militia is made up of local fishermen.
Senior Colonel Xu Qingduan, commander of the PLA Beihai City Military Command, said the city's maritime militia has been required to take part in more air and naval exercises since 2014 while the land militia's role has shrunk.
This fact pushed the command to negotiate with city government departments on the expansion of maritime militia, he said, adding that the government and the military decided to give more favorable policies and financial support to the civilian sea force.
A number of Navy veterans and experienced sailors have been recruited in Beihai's maritime militia and 10 specialized teams have been established for transport, reconnaissance, obstacle clearance, medical service and equipment repair.
The maritime militia recently worked with Navy warships in a joint operation drill and successfully fulfilled their designated tasks, according to Xu's command.
Beihai is not alone in improving its irregular maritime force.
Hainan's Sansha, China's youngest city that administers vast island groups and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea, is enhancing its maritime militia's training and giving more duties to the force.
Local fishermen have assisted more than 250 law enforcement operations at sea over the past three years.
Jiangmen in Guangdong province is also organizing realistic sea operation exercises for local militiamen to strengthen their combat capability.
Statistics released by China's fishery authorities showed the nation had nearly 21 million fishermen in 2013, the most in the world.
According to the latest information published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2012, China had nearly 439,000 motorized fishing vessels that could operate at sea.
Premier Li Keqiang gave instructions to a national conference on Feb 1 to commend 981 representatives of rural migrant workers and 100 institutions for their outstanding work in helping the community.
Describing rural migrant workers as an important force for Chinas modernization, Premier Li said the government will advance new urbanization centered on the people during the period of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).
China will also improve its residence permit system to help turn rural migrant workers into new industrial workers equipped with skills and new citizens that enjoy equal rights, he said.
In addition, he urged governments at all levels to expand employment for rural migrant workers, helping them integrate into the cities.
Researchers dressed like pandas carry out a physical checkup of a cub at China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, on Jan 27. [Photo/CFP]
Three female panda cubs born last year will be trained for reintroduction into the wild by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province.
The cubs will be placed first with their mothers in a semi-wild area covering 2,400 square meters at a height of 1,820 meters above sea level. Then they will be placed in a larger area covering 40,000 sq m at 2,000 to 2,100 meters above sea level.
Their mothers will be fully responsible for the cubs-a break from the usual practice of keepers caring for cubs and feeding them milk.
The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday dismissed reports that the International Civil Aviation Organization had changed its aeronautical charts covering parts of the South China Sea, and asked countries not to politicize the charts.
"As we know, the relevant reports are not true," the ministry's spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing.
The Vietnamese foreign ministry last month submitted an application to the ICAO, asking the body under the United Nations to change its aeronautical charts covering parts of the South China Sea where China and Vietnam have territorial disputes.
Vietnamese media reported in late January that the ICAO had made the changes according to Vietnam's demands and sent a confirmation letter to Vietnam's civil aviation authorities.
"I would like to note that the aim of drawing an aeronautical chart is to provide convenient and effective air control and navigation service, so as to protect security and order in international civil aviation," Lu said.
"Hopefully, relevant sides will not politicize it."
URUMQI -- Authorities in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have commuted 11 offenders who were convicted of jeopardizing national security.
Seven of the severe offenders were commuted from life to jail terms ranging from 19.5 years to 20 years, according to a decision from the regional Higher People's Court announced at a meeting at Xinjiang's First Prison Monday.
Among these were principal criminals who instigated secessionist activities or participated in violent terrorist attacks in Xinjiang. "They jeopardized China's national security, disrupted social stability and caused heavy losses of lives and property," said Mutalifu Wubli, president of Xinjiang's Higher People's Court.
The other four prisoners had their jail terms shortened by six months from the initial 8, 13 and 15 years, according to the court's decision.
One of the convicts, Memet Tohti Memet Rozi, had close contact with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and the Taliban terrorist groups. Court investigations found he set up terrorist training bases in Afghanistan, where native citizens of Xinjiang were trained to become terrorists.
"I could not hold back my tears when I learned of the commution," said Memet Tohti Memet Rozi. "I had difficulty falling asleep for several nights."
He said he had woken up to his past ignorance and was determined to mend his ways. "I'm now split with all separatists and terrorists and will strive to become a law abiding citizen."
Yushanjiang Jelili, who joined the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and the East Turkestan Liberation Organization, apologized for his crimes, which he said "brought unmendable damages" to his country, his hometown and his family.
Premier Li Keqiang chats with a group of ethnic Hui people on Tuesday at the Najiahu Mosque in Yongning county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Pang Xinglei / Xinhua
A mosque in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region welcomed a special visitor on Tuesday when Premier Li Keqiang stepped into the main hall and chatted with a group of Muslims.
The premier visited the Najiahu Mosque in Yongning county on the second day of his trip to Ningxia ahead of Spring Festival.
Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the mosque is one of the most historic in Ningxia.
It embraces a history of 492 years and has been refurbished many times, the most recent being in 2014, when it was enlarged. It is maintained by 4,500 Muslims in Yongning county.
Removing his shoes, Li stepped into the main hall and sat down with the Muslims to talk with them and learn about their lives and ideas.
He said he was delighted to visit the mosque and see that it had been refurbished well.
"There is a famous saying in Chinese that a harmonious family brings the prosperity of everything," the premier said as he began talking with the ethnic Hui people at the mosque.
"I am very delighted to see that the lives of local people in Ningxia have improved a lot."
Yang Faming, vice-president of the regional Islam Association, sat beside Li during the discussion.
A health worker fumigates a house as residents wait outside during a campaign against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases in Carabayllo district on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]
China is taking steps to avert a potential outbreak of the Zika virus after the World Health Organization declared the mosquito-borne virus an international public health emergency.
The virus has been linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, but no travel or trade restrictions have been imposed so far.
A news release from the WHO China on Tuesday evening described the virus as "an extraordinary event" that looks set to constitute a public health risk to other countries through the international spread of disease.
This will potentially require a coordinated international response, the statement added.
Lu Hongzhou, head of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, said the existence in South China of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which harbors and spreads the Zika virus to humans through bites, and close exchanges of trade and people with South America put China at risk from imported outbreaks of the virus.
"The health authorities are drafting clinical guidelines for Zika detection and treatment," he said.
The WHO China office said the risk of Zika transmission is low during the winter in China, as the climatic conditions are not suitable for the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
But inspection and quarantine, trade, and travel agencies are on high alert.
Xinjiang high court changes 7 life sentences to fixed terms for repentant terrorists, separatists
A court in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region recently reduced the sentences of 11 people, including the former heads of a terrorist cell and a separatist group, who were imprisoned for endangering national security.
The terms were reduced because the convicts demonstrated repentance and regret, the regional politics and law committee said on Tuesday.
Xinjiang People's High Court in the regional capital of Urumqi reduced the sentences of seven people from life in prison to fixed terms.
The seven include Memettohut Memetroz, 42, who received terrorist training in Afghanistan and later founded the East Turkestan Islamic Party with the former head of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which is listed by the United Nations as a terrorist group. He set up training camps in Afghanistan and trained Xinjiang people to carry out violent attacks.
Yushanjon Jilili and Memetjon Abudulkadeer also had their life sentences reduced. Yushanjon, who joined the East Turkestan Islamic Movement abroad and later become a key member, used his identity as an imam to carry out separatist and terrorist activities. Memetjon, who has a doctoral degree, used his profession as a university teacher to recruit members for separatist groups, the court ruled.
Four others had their sentences reduced by six months, including one who was subsequently released from prison.
Memettohut said that when he began to serve his sentence in February 2005, he was still quite troubled and confused because he was under the influence of religious extremism. Since the prison regularly invites religious leaders to give lectures about the real Islam, he gradually came to understand that what he had done, such as plotting several terrorist attacks in China and abroad, was unforgivable under Islam.
He now realizes the huge damage he caused to people and the country, he said while giving a speech to other inmates in the prison on Monday. He will never forget the day his sentence was reduced, he added.
Yushanjon, 48, said it was like waking up from a nightmare when he realized what real Islam is and what religious extremism had done to him. He said he deeply regretted ruining many young people's lives by passing on terrorist and extremist thoughts to them, he said.
Xinjiang has gained great experience in transforming those imprisoned for crimes of endangering national security into responsible citizens, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of Xinjiang, said on Monday.
Zhang Chunxian, top leader of Xinjiang, said the door of hope will always be open if those who commit crimes that endanger national security make efforts to turn their lives around.
Premier Li Keqiang, center, visits an exhibition center on "Smart Ningxia" initiative on Feb 2, 2016. [Photo/English.gov.cn]
Premier Li Keqiang extended his Spring Festival greetings to people of Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Feb 2 while visiting an exhibition center on "Smart Ningxia" initiative.
Premier Li wished happiness and health to people of Ningxia on behalf of the State Council.
Aided by the cloud platform of "Smart Ningxia", local people received the Premier's message from more than 10 screens displayed at train stations and citizen service centers, as well as from Weibo and WeChat terminals.
The center has conducted data studies in eight fields such as government affairs and social insurance, and aided the government in policy-making.
Premier Li checked the data on poverty-alleviation and salary payment of rural migrant workers before Spring Festival.
Giving his approval, he urged the government to adopt the "Internet Plus" to make its services smarter.
Local young entrepreneur Wang Lei had the fortune to meet Premier Li again on Feb 2 at the exhibition center.
In 2012, Premier Li visited Wang's family on an inspection visit and encouraged Wang, who had been laid off since college graduation, to start his own business.
Now, Wang has founded his own company amid the national wave of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Premier Li also received an orange monkey model and Spring Festival greetings from a "makers" team who have been researching and developing 3D printing.
On hearing that a senior-year college student is leading the team, Premier Li praised their entrepreneurial ideas and practice while calling on them to prioritize studies at the same time.
"Only if you build a solid academic foundation, can you expand more space for entrepreneurship in the future," the Premier said.
Premier Li Keqiang visits a market at Yongning county of Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Feb 2, 2016. [Photo/English.gov.cn]
Premier Li Keqiang visited a market at Yongning county of Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Feb 2. With the Spring Festival approaching, all kinds of commodities and couplets are jostling for space on the stalls. After learning in details about the business, the Premier stressed that the market should not only secure enough material supply, but also provide intellectual products to the people.
In a grocery store, Premier Li talked with the owners and listened to their suggestions. He confirmed that further measures will be taken to promote the development of the real economy, and he extended good wishes to the store.
Premier Li also visited the city hall in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Feb 2. A new administrative bureau is in charge of examining and approving items of 69 departments. The Premier applauded local authority for effectively delegating power to lower level and improving service for the people.
Prem ier Li Keqiang inspects the Kocel Machinery Co Ltd in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Feb 2, 2016.[Photo/English.gov.cn]
Premier Li Keqiang inspected the Kocel Machinery Co Ltd in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Feb 2.
The company, founded in 1966, used to be a Stateowned enterprise foundry. However, after reorganization, it has now made a revolutionary breakthrough in 3D-printing.
Premier Li called the transformation turning a clunky woman into a fair lady, adding that it represents the integration of Made in China 2025 and the Internet, and will lead the transformation of growth engines.
Fifteen years ago, a group of treasure hunters uncovered 24 spiralling, solid gold bracelets from the remains of Sarmizegetusa Regia, a site in Romania's central mountainous area that was the capital of Dacia, a once mighty kingdom until it was destroyed by the Romans in about AD 106.
The bracelets were traded in Europe and the United States via an international criminal network. It took Romanian authorities almost a decade to find and bring home 11 of the looted items, with the help of museums.
The returned heirlooms of Dacian culture are now with Romanian museums, and one of them has just arrived at the National Museum of China, for public viewing.
Exhibits from Treasures of Romania include a figurine, "the thinker", unearthed from a Neolithic grave in 1956. Photos Provided to China Daily
Fifteen years ago, a group of treasure hunters uncovered 24 spiralling, solid gold bracelets from the remains of Sarmizegetusa Regia, a site in Romania's central mountainous area that was the capital of Dacia, a once mighty kingdom until it was destroyed by the Romans in about AD 106.
The bracelets were traded in Europe and the United States via an international criminal network. It took Romanian authorities almost a decade to find and bring home 11 of the looted items, with the help of museums.
The returned heirlooms of Dacian culture are now with Romanian museums, and one of them has just arrived at the National Museum of China, for public viewing.
The dazzling armband, which dates back to 200-50 BC, weighs about 1.2 kilograms. Its two ends are elaborately crafted in the shape of a snake's body and head. It was recovered from the United States in 2007.
The armband is a key highlight of the Treasures of Romania, the ongoing Beijing exhibition that celebrates the richness and diversity of Romania's cultural heritage.
Some 445 pottery items, gold and silver ware and textiles which are on show are testimony to a civilization where East and West met, developing from the prehistoric times to the late 18th century.
The exhibits come from 31 museums and galleries, and many of them are Romania's national treasures.
Poster of Port of Call. [Photo/Mtime]
Nominees for the 35th annual Hong Kong Film Awards were announced on Monday, with the movie Port of Call becoming the biggest potential winner.
With nominations for up to 13 titles, Port of Call is a 2015 Hong Kong crime thriller film written, edited and directed by Philip Yung.
Based on a real murder case, the movie tells a story of a dismemberment in Hong Kong in 2008.
Chinese actress Chun Xia, who has just won the Best Actress for Port of Call at the Hong Kong Film Critics Association Awards, will battle Best Actress out with Tang Wei of A Tale of Three Cities, Yeung Chin-Wah of Little Big Master, Sylvia Chang of Office and Karena Lam of The French Kiss.
The Best Actor battle is the most heated, with Andy Lau of Lost and Love, Aaron Kwok of Port of Call, Jacky Cheung of The French Kiss, Nick Cheung of Keeper of Darkness and Tony Leung Ka Fai of The Taking of Tiger Mountain fighting for the title.
This year's Hong Kong Film Awards will kick off on April 3.
Founded in 1982, the Hong Kong Film Awards have since been among the most prestigious movie awards in the region.
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Pianist Seong-jin Cho. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Seong-jin Cho, winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, has joined Deutsche Grammophon's roster of artists.
The 21-year-old pianist's signing was announced in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, on the eve of the Chopin Competition Prize-Winners' Gala Concert at the Seoul Arts Center.
"It is a genuine honor for me to record for this great label, the champion of the highest values in classical music," says Cho, who will give two concerts with his fellow competition laureates.
Cho is set to record Chopin's Piano Concerto No 1 in partnership with the Staatskapelle Dresden and his fellow countryman Myung-Whun Chung in Dresden in April. He will travel to Berlin later this year to survey the composer's Ballades, works that pose a considerable technical and artistic challenge for a performer.
"We are delighted to add such a remarkable young pianist and already highly accomplished musician to the yellow label," said Clemens Trautmann about his first signing since becoming president of Deutsche Grammophon last December. "The pianist is clearly one of the most supremely gifted artists of his generation. Whoever followed the Chopin Competition or heard him perform a recital, is aware of his creative and playful, yet serious and deeply knowledgeable approach to the centerpieces of the piano repertoire."
Cho grabbed first prize at the prestigious Warsaw competition last October with an exquisite interpretation of the Piano Concerto No 1, described as "unequivocally brilliant" by the Telegraph (London). Deutsche Grammophon launched its new strategic partnership with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute with a rush-released recording of live highlights drawn from Cho's competition performances.
Born in Seoul and playing piano since the age of 6, Cho became the youngest-ever winner of Japan's Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in November 2009; he received third prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in July 2011. Cho was awarded the Chopin Competition's coveted Gold Medal following three weeks of competition in October 2015.
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Forest by Ni Youyu. Photos provided to China Daily
Swiss collector Uli Sigg will hold his largest display of contemporary Chinese art in Bern, Deng Zhangyu reports.
With the world's largest known collection of contemporary Chinese art in his possession, Swiss collector Uli Sigg is ready to hold his second comprehensive show since 2005, offering Western audiences an insight into China's art scene over the last decade. Sigg has collected more than 2,200 pieces of Chinese art.
The new show, Chinese Whispers, will be held from Feb 19 to June 19 at the Museum of Fine Arts Bern, the oldest art museum in Switzerland, and the Paul Klee art center, also in Bern. It will display 150 works of 71 Chinese contemporary artists from Sigg's collection. Sixty percent of this art was bequeathed four years ago to M+ Museum, an art museum that will open in Hong Kong in 2019.
Although Sigg has held several shows in the West on contemporary Chinese art, with particular focus on topics like shanshui (landscape ink painting), calligraphy, Cantonese artists and the artists of Shanghai, the new show in Bern is expected to be the largest ever display of his art holdings to date.
Mahjong, his first overview show in Bern in 2005, was so successful that the Museum of Fine Arts Bern, where it was held, said an exhibition of contemporary art with such an audience hadn't been witnessed there earlier, according to Sigg. That show was a first-time offering of Chinese contemporary art from a collector's view to an audience that wasn't familiar with it.
"Ten years later, they want to do another show to see what has changed in my collection. They're curious about the contemporary art scene in China after 2005," says Sigg, 69.
Lawmakers in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will begin to draft a regulation against religious extremism this year, the top regional legislator said on Wednesday.
It will be China's first legislation targeting religious extremism, which has led to a number of terrorist attacks in the country in recent years.
"Drafting local regulations on anti-terrorism and eliminating religious extremism are the main focus of this year's legislative work, which will provide solid legal support for Xinjiang to combat terrorism and religious extremism," said Nayim Yassen, director of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Regional People's Congress. Nayim made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual session of the local people's congress in Urumqi, the regional capital.
Local lawmakers will also start to draft the practices for implementing the counter terrorism law in Xinjiang this year. They had already begun to draft local anti-terrorism legislation before the National People's Congress passed China's first counter terrorism law in December.
On Monday, Xinjiang announced that it will continue to intensify its strike-hard campaign against terrorism this year. Regional Party chief Zhang Chunxian said all anti-terrorism activities will be carried out in accordance with the law.
Nayim said Xinjiang lawmakers began to research the drafting of a regulation against religious extremism last year and have made "significant progress".
The spread of religious extremism is believed to have led to an increasing number of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and other parts of China in recent years. Last year, the regional legislature approved Urumqi legislators' decision to ban without delay full-face coverings in public. The legislators said such clothing is associated with religious extremism.
Xinjiang lawmakers also passed a regulation last year on improving ethnic unity. From Jan 1, behavior that damages ethnic unity will be punished in accordance with the regulation.
On Friday, President Xi Jinping attended a meeting to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year with people from non-communist parties. At the meeting, he pointed out that China should stick to the principle of correctly handling the relationship between unity and multiplicity, which focuses on forming the greatest common denominator and the largest concentric circles.
When it comes to drawing the biggest concentric circles, Xi pointed out that the country should use the democratic form and institutional channel of party negotiations to reach consensus through negotiation.
Consensus is the precondition for actions and the basis of unity. Without consensus it will be impossible to achieve the biggest concentric circle and thus difficult to realize the Chinese Dream.
He said efforts should be made to reach a consensus on taking the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving the Chinese Dream and serving the strategic deployment of the "Four Comprehensives".
All parties should participate in discussions on State affairs and administration, and help non-communist talents form think tanks to provide suggestions for social construction and development.
Wang Shi, Chairman of China, speaks at the first UK-China Business Leaders Summit in London, June 2, 2014. [Photo/IC]
Wang Shi, board chairman of Vanke Co Ltd, China's leading residential developer, said on Saturday that he does not welcome private enterprises being the largest shareholders of his company. Beijing News deems Wang's remarks prejudicial and calls for institutional support for private companies to fairly compete in the market.
It is foreseeable that Wang's controversial comment about private companies will give rise to heated discussion and speculation, especially when his company is in a bitter confrontation with Baoneng Group, a private insurance and property conglomerate which became its largest shareholder, replacing the State-owned China Resource Group.
Like Vanke, some leading private enterprises founded in Shenzhen, a front-runner in the country's reform and opening-up, have more or less benefited from their semi-State-owned status without losing their private nature.
Their closeness to State-owned counterparts has granted them easier access to certain resources, which, to some extent, may explain Wang's concerns about losing State-owned endorsement in the real estate market after Baoneng's "aggressive takeover".
But the truth is, Vanke's path to success is not a panacea for all private players, many of which, including the Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies and Tencent Holdings, have managed to grow robustly thanks to their own strengths. Their leading position in the domestic and overseas markets has inspired a number of wannabes that are innovating the traditional business models.
Besides, the ongoing multi-ownership reform among China's State-owned enterprises is, in essence, about encouraging them to adopt a modern, market-oriented management system. Therefore, it is inappropriate to hold a grudge against private companies or dismiss their contributions to the country's growth.
Of course, Wang's obsession with the support of State-owned enterprises also highlights the fact that many private companies are not competing on a level playing field, especially when it comes to the acquisition of certain resources. To better protect true private enterprises from being discriminated against requires the introduction of fairer and more transparent market rules.
Workers manufacture garment that will be exported to the European Union in Huaibei city, Anhui province, Dec 8, 2015. [Photo/IC]
At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, George Soros, the billionaire investor, said that China is headed for a hard landing. A broader view of China's overall economy is needed, says People's Daily:
Data shows that China's contribution to global economic growth remains above 25 percent, even though it has entered a new normal of slower but more sustainable growth. It is also optimizing its economic structure, in which the service sector accounts for 50.5 percent, 10 percentage points higher than the industrial sector.
It is safe, therefore, to conclude that China's economy is on the right track. Just as Jim O'Neill, a former chief economist at Goldman Sachs, said, China's economic growth should be viewed in a broader perspective.
This is a view shared by Stephen Roach, former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, who said of a hard landing: "nothing could be further from the truth".
And many more globally renowned experts, such as Sam Walsh from Australia-based Rio Tinto Group, are optimistic about China's economy in the future, pointing to the ongoing urbanization process.
Structural adjustment is inevitable for many economies. Many of them are rather ambitious in making reform plans and inefficient in implementing them. China has done much better because it has accomplished great progress in its structural adjustment while maintaining a relatively high growth rate.
Even though many are pessimistic about it, China is prospering with enhanced welfare, a better economic structure and stable growth.
The global economy is in the process of change and the only way to solve the accumulated problems is reforms and adjustments. Many scholars say it is wrong to underestimate China's ability and determination to profoundly change its economic structure. And they have ample reasons for saying so, as China is bringing the world so many opportunities. No reason to underestimate China just because its growth rate is slower.
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]
We have mixed feelings about the acquittal of Chen Man, who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in 1994 on the charge of arson and murder.
We feel both happy and sorry for him, as he could have been released 23 years ago had the police in Haikou, South China's Hainan province, followed the right legal procedure, as there was no sound evidence to incriminate him.
He could also have been acquitted in 1994 had Haikou Intermediate People's Court done a good job of examining the evidence provided by prosecutors.
Compared with Hugjiltu, a Mongolian youth, who was executed for rape and murder in Inner Mongolia autonomous region in 1996, but found innocent 20 years later, Chen was lucky, as the local intermediate court sentenced him to death with a reprieve of two years and ignored the calls by the local procuratorate for him to be executed.
He was even more fortunate that the Supreme People's Court ordered a retrial of his case by Zhejiang High People's Court, which organized a collegiate bench that did a good job collecting evidence to support his alibi. Except for his own confessions which he said were extorted through torture, the bench found there was no sound evidence to support the charge against him.
All 27 judicial workers, including police officers, prosecutors and judges, involved in the case of Hugjiltu have been given disciplinary punishments. So possibly will those involved in this case.
The overturning of both wrong verdicts, along with other similar ones, has shown the will of the top judicial authorities to readdress any injustice that has occurred. Yet the failure to follow the principle of assumption of innocence and punishment of crimes according to the law also highlights the fact that arduous efforts are needed to improve the judicial system.
What is behind the fact that it has taken more than 20 years for a wrongly convicted person to have his injustice rectified? Clearly there is still a long way to go for Chinese judicial workers to develop the awareness that it is not a shame or stain on their records but the right thing for them to do to rectify any mistakes they may have made.
Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al Jaafari attends the opening of the Syrian peace talks at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 29, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
With representatives of Syrian government and the opposition beginning talks on a ceasefire and peace-building process for the war-torn country in Geneva on Friday, the global leaders of more than 70 countries are scheduled to gather in London on Thursday to galvanize international resources and deliver assistance to the millions of people in Syria and neighboring regions desperately in need of help.
In Syria, where one family in two is homeless and three million children have no access to education due to the nearly five-year war, the two developments are encouraging signs, especially if the highly-anticipated peace talks can produce any result.
In reality, the consequences of the war that resulted from the "Arab Spring" protests in late 2010, which toppled governments in West Asia and North Africa, are still unfolding, spreading across its borders and affecting many countries.
Syrian refugees are braving the hazardous journey and flooding into Turkey, Greece and Italy, other European countries are sharing the burden of accepting the influx of migrants. Last year alone, Germany received one million.
But over the weekend, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, due to domestic political pressure, announced that once peace is restored in Syria, the refugees must return home, which is really "mission impossible."
European leaders are considering stopping the Schengen visa program and closing borders, which would certainly have a negative impact on the European Union economy.
The complexity of the migrant issue has consumed European leaders' time, energy and resources and thus its economic development and diplomacy have suffered as a result.
However, restoring peace in Syria will not be an easy process.
From the very beginning, some Western countries have been determined to get rid of the Bashar al-Assad leadership. Some countries are still sticking to this goal despite an estimated 250,000 people being killed in the war over past five years.
These foreign forces will inevitably influence the peace talks if such a goal is not abandoned. If so, progress in the talks, if any, is likely to be slow and bumpy. If this is the case, Syrians will continue to suffer and European countries will continuously bear the brunt of the flow of refugees.
This is a vicious cycle. If the cycle continues, no matter how much resources are mobilized on Thursday, they will be meaningless.
Now, as the two parties of Syria are engaging in talks, there is the initial momentum to secure peace. All the parties should insert their positive energy, instead of tearing the process apart.
In this regard, Beijing has set an example. Before the Geneva talks, China had already invited Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem and Syrian National Coalition President Khaled Khoja, the leader of the Syrian National Coalition, a key opposition group in Syria, to Beijing and they committed to beginning talks without any preconditions.
Beijing has stated clearly that the dialogue process should be free of foreign influence, though it should be put under the brokerage of the United Nations. And the peace-building process and Syria's leadership should be decided by Syrians. Beijing will continuously seek to find amicable settlements, instead of helping one side fighting against the other. Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to attend London conference on Thursday and China's stance will be emphasized again.
Now, it is high time for the international community to abide by these principles, eliminate any influence which could escalate the war in Syria, and let the Syrian people decide their own future.
The author is deputy editor of China Daily European Edition. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY
China's dual burden of malnutrition, which encompasses under nutrition and over nutrition (overweight and obesity), places immense stress on its public health systems and endangers the development of the population. China has made impressive progress in reducing its population of undernourished people by half, but 158 million people in China remain undernourished. After the United States, China has the highest number of obese people in the world. According to a 2014 global study published by medical journal The Lancet, more than 28 percent of men and 27 percent of women over age 20 in the country are overweight or obese.
Many low-income communities continue to suffer the devastating impacts of nutrient deficiencies which lead to high infant mortality, stunting, delayed development and impaired cognition. Concurrently, rising urbanization and income in developing cities have caused an increased consumption of processed foods and "fast food", accompanied by a higher predisposition to lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.
Wider reverberating effects may be felt by national and provincial economies in terms of lost productivity, higher business costs, and ultimately, a hit on economic momentum. Regional figures show the economic burden of malnutrition to be substantial an 11 percent loss of gross national product across Asia between 2000 and 2009, due to under nutrition alone.
Nutrition practitioners at a nutritional finance workshop by the Milken Institute in 2015 acknowledged that the enormity of the challenge requires scaling up existing nutrition interventions. Governments, NGOs, philanthropic organizations, and private companies have invested in nutrition-specific interventions such as promotion of breastfeeding, improved sanitation, access to healthy foods, and public health campaigns to promote healthier lifestyles.
Given the acute funding gap and limited funding sources, we are examining ways to engage new forms of capital that could diversify the pool of investors.
A volume guarantee ensures purchase of nutrition products at a predetermined quantity and price to encourage investment in production. Profit margins are generally low, and diminish further when selling to low-income communities. The guarantee, usually from a donor, helps local producers manage business risks and generate more attractive profits. This could appeal to investors and provide growth capital to reach more markets. The challenge lies in accurately mapping market demand and identifying suitable interventions and marketplaces that will benefit from this type of funding incentive. Social impact bonds tend to be less popular in Asia as these new instruments are perceived to be extremely risky. The model is dependent on data that articulates a link between an intervention and its cost-savings to a government or donor. Unfortunately, insufficient data exists to prove a direct causal relationship to justify the structure of a social impact bond. A reduction in stunting rates may be a result of several interventions such as improved nutrition, education and sanitation. This model may be useful where intervention has direct measurable impact, such as school feeding programs or shorter hospital stays due to improved nutrition.
Impact investment or small and medium enterprises funds are seeded by institutional investors, development finance institutions, and banks to provide growth capital for companies with both a financial and social mission. A nutrition-focused investment fund could help to catalyze investment into nutrition projects that run for a minimum of five years or longer, and generate below or near market returns for investors. Currently, SME funds have yet to be effectively targeted towards nutrition partly due to the lack of investable companies. To create a more robust pipeline, an incubator or acceleration program could be created to provide technical assistance to entrepreneurs and companies working in nutrition.
Increasing the momentum to address malnutrition will largely depend on the availability of additional funding. As philanthropic activity grows in China and other parts of Asia, foundations and philanthropists could provide a much needed boost. A concerted effort to demonstrate the inter-linkages of nutrition with child and maternal health, education, food security, and gender, will also achieve greater alignment with investors, donor agencies and governments.
Belinda Chng is associate director of Innovative Finance and Program Development at the Milken Institute Asia Center and Caitlin MacLean is director of Innovative Finance at the Milken Institute.
Air pollution is big news in China - and an opportunity for companies big and small that can help monitor the problem.
Microsoft Corp and IBM Corp already have come up with pollution-forecasting technologies at their research labs in China.
Now a San Francisco-based startup will look to establish itself in China with its portable "Atmotube" device.
The Atmotube, a portable air-pollution detector. Provided to China Daily The wearable titanium metal tube, which weighs 1.4 ounces, contains sensors that check the air for dangerous gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Among the pollutants that the Atmotube detects are carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, acetone, propane, toluene, methlylene chloride and xylene.
Carbon monoxide and VOCs have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, liver and brain damage, and cancer.
A user synchs the Atmotube via Bluetooth to his or her smartphone for a current reading on the air they are breathing, indoors or out. An LED light on the front of the device measures air quality: red=severely polluted; orange=very polluted; yellow=polluted; green= moderate; blue=good. The app also gives a numerical reading of air quality from 0-100, with 100 the best.
Vera Kozyr, a computer science graduate of St. Petersburg State Technical University in Russia, is the co-founder and CEO of notanotherone.com, an "Internet of Things" company that works on R&D, design and software with mobile carriers and tech startups. The Atmotube is the first proprietary product for the firm, co-founded by Igor Mikhnenko, who is the device's chief designer.
Let Kozyr describe how the Atmotube works: "It utilizes micro-hotplate technology, which provides a unique silicon platform for our metal oxide gas sensor and enables sensor miniaturization, significantly lower power consumption and fast heating times."
The company has raised $172,000 for Atmotube so far through indiegogo.com, a crowdfunding website. The device will generally retail for $89.90.
China, because of its air-pollution challenges, is one of Atmotube's target markets. In fact, it will even be assembled there - at a plant in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
"We certainly plan to promote our device in countries with air pollution problems; China, India, Mexico are the first in our list," Kozyr wrote in an e-mail from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she and her team were attending CES 2016.
"We plan to make a Chinese version of our website in April and start the online sales," she said. "We do realize it's difficult to get to the China market without proper connections, so we hope to make a deal with local distributors during the CES or later on in January-February 2016.
"We travel to China a lot because of our work, and it is actually one of the reasons why we started this project," she said. "We always knew the air there was not great, but we never knew exactly how harmful it was, in which areas it was bad and when, whether it was a time to put on a mask or stay in our hotel instead of going to a factory.
"So a real-time air pollution monitor seemed like a perfect thing to have," she said. "And we don't even have any lung diseases; for people who have asthma or allergies, it gets even more critical to monitor the air they breathe."
Meanwhile, China has stepped up efforts recently against air pollution.
Beijing reached its annual target for reducing hazardous pollutants in 2015 and is drafting a long-term plan to improve air quality to clean by around 2030, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said.
In 2015, the capital had 186 days with air quality that exceeded the national safety standard, 14 days more than in 2014, said the bureau's annual report on air pollution control.
"PM2.5 (particulate matter) pollution is still the prominent problem in Beijing and requires strengthened efforts," said Fang Li, the bureau's deputy director.
Coal burning and motor-vehicle exhaust emissions were major factors in the recent smog, the report said.
A State-level supervision team went to Hebei province on Monday for a monthlong
inspection of the province's environmental protection efforts, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Hebei, just south of Beijing, has serious air pollution problems. Seven of 11 cities in the province - Baoding, Xingtai, Tangshan, Hengshui, Handan, Shijiazhuang and Langfang - have ranked among the top 10 most-polluted cities in China in recent years.
"Blue sky and sunshine are now the most luxurious things for us," said Zhang Ning, a teacher in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital.
The government of neighboring Shandong province is doubling rewards and fines for cities' air readings. It will pay cities that cut air pollution 400,000 yuan ($64,500) for each microgram of pollutant reduced per cubic meter, under a regulation that took effect on Jan 1.
Fines for those whose air quality deteriorates will be doubled, said Xue Mei, an official at the Shandong Bureau of Environmental Protection.
Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com
One of the two American scientists receiving the prestigious International Science and Technology Cooperation Award - China's highest honor in science for foreigners - in Beijing last week says it caught him completely off guard.
Peter Stang, distinguished professor of chemistry and former dean of science at the University of Utah, told Xinhua he was "very surprised and greatly honored" to receive the award. "I did not at all expect this very special recognition," he said.
Stang's collaborations with Chinese chemists originated from a visit to the Institute of Chemistry the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing in 2004 , where he discovered that they "had expertise that we did not have but would be very interesting to apply in our research," he recalled.
The compounds he works with are called self-assembled large complex molecules.
"They are interesting in themselves and the way they form," Sang explained, but their potential is what makes them special. "They have applications as sensors, for example, we have used them to detect explosives like TNT. They have anti-cancer activity, although in a very preliminary stage," in mice, so far.
They also have been used in optoelectronics as materials for oleds, solid-state devices that produce light when electricity is applied.
Since 2004, Stang's involvement with Chinese colleagues has evolved into collaborations that take him to China two-to-three times a year. "And it has elaborated into collaborations with other institutions and universities," he told China Daily. He has visiting faculty appointments at a dozen Chinese universities and institutions.
"I don't speak Chinese; I should learn," he said. "Science is international and the language of science is English, so they know English very well."
Stang described last week's awards ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
"I shook hands with the president, which was very exciting, because I have also had the opportunity to shake hands with President Obama in 2011 when I got the US National Medal of Science - roughly the equivalent of this award. So I've now had the opportunity to shake hands with the leaders of the two most important countries in the world," he said. "Not bad."
Stang, an organic chemist, has been at the University of Utah since 1969. He did his undergraduate work at DePaul University in Chicago, got his PhD at UC Berkeley and did post-doctorate work at Princeton. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was born in Germany in 1941 and left "at a very, very early age."
Noting that he likes Chinese culture, Chinese history, Chinese people and Chinese food, Stang said, "I have many excellent visiting scholars and postdoctoral fellows from China. In fact, my current research group of 10 people has seven researchers from China."
He called China's investment in science and technology a "wise" decision because it's very important for the future.
"I hope China will continue to strongly support science and technology," Stang said. "Future economic wellbeing and the health and wealth of people all over the world depend on new discoveries and developments in science and technology."
A total of seven foreign scientists received an International Cooperation Award in Science and Technology at this year's ceremony.
Besides Stang and the other American honored - Walter Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health - the five other recipients were Jan-Christer Janson from Sweden, Kazuki Okimura from Japan, Evgeny Velikhov from Russia, Carlo Rubbia from Italy and Joannes E. Frencken from the Netherlands.
Since 1995, China has given the award to 101 foreign scientists and two international organizations.
Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com.
Bruce Lee died in 1973, but the image of the superbly conditioned martial artist unleashing lightning-fast kicks and backfists to whiplike sound effects is etched in martial arts lore.
Now, a movie financed by China's Kylin Films is in production (scheduled for release later this year) that recreates a legendary battle that the San Francisco-born jeet kune do master had in Oakland, California, in December 1964.
Birth of the Dragon tells the story of Lee's showdown with Shaolin kung fu master Wong (Sifu) Jack Man. Both men were in their 20s at the time.
Statue of Bruce Lee on the Avenue of the Stars in Hong Kong. Wikimedia Commons
Wong, a Hong Kong native, is still living in the Bay Area, having retired in 2005 after 45 years as a martial arts instructor.
"We're thrilled to be telling one of the great untold stories in martial arts history, especially at this unique moment when China and Western audiences are opening up to each other as never before," producer Michael London told Variety. "To work with a Chinese film company like Kylin on a story that has so much significance in China has been a wonderful collaboration, and, we hope, the first of many."
Hong Kong-born Philip Ng will portray Lee. Yu Xia from Qingdao will play Wong, and Billy Magnussen will portray martial arts student Steve McKee. Director George Nolfi will work off a script by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele, who also have writing credits on Ali and Nixon.
Groundswell Productions in Los Angeles is the producer, led by London and Janice Williams, along with Wilkinson, Rivele and Kylin's James H. Pang. London is known for producing Sideways, starring Paul Giamatti, which won a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture of 2005.
The film recreates the fight between Lee and Wong from McKee's vantage point. After the fight, Lee supposedly reinvented his approach to kung fu.
Published accounts of the fight say that Lee thrashed Wong in short order. But Wong's version was that it went more than 20 minutes, and that Lee did not fight fair.
According to Lee's wife, Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce Lee's teaching of Chinese martial arts to Caucasians made him unpopular with Chinese martial artists in the Bay Area.
Wong refuted the notion that Lee was fighting for the right to teach Caucasians, because not all of Wong's students were Chinese.
Other observers said it was because Lee was rankling San Francisco's Chinese martial arts community with his attitude.
Wong said he requested a public fight with Lee after Lee had brazenly issued an open challenge at a Chinatown theater in which he claimed he would defeat any martial artist in San Francisco.
Wong said that it was after a mutual acquaintance delivered a note from Lee inviting him to fight that he showed up at Lee's school to challenge him.
Persons known to have witnessed the match included Cadwell, James Lee (an associate of Bruce Lee) and William Chen, a teacher of tai chi chuan.
According to Linda Lee, the fight lasted three minutes, with her husband scoring an emphatic victory.
In an interview with Black Belt magazine, Bruce Lee discussed a fight at that time but didn't specifically mention Wong.
"I'd gotten into a fight in San Francisco with a Kung-Fu cat, and after a brief encounter, the son of a bitch started to run. I chased him and, like a fool, kept punching him behind his head and back. Soon my fists began to swell from hitting his hard head. Right then I realized Wing Chun was not too practical and began to alter my way of fighting."
A July 1980 account in Official Karate magazine had Wong striking a conciliatory tone, with complaints about Lee's approach.
Wong said the fight began with him bowing and offering his hand to Lee, who pretended to extend a friendly hand only to suddenly thrust a spear-fingers strike at Wong's eyes.
"That opening move," said Wong, "set the tone for Lee's fight."
Wong told the magazine that there were straight punches and repeated kicks at his groin, but mostly there were the fingertips to his eyes and throat. Wong said he also refrained from using his own devastating kicks that were prevalent in the Northern Shaolin style.
Wong disputed Lee's version of the fight in an account in Chinese Pacific Weekly in San Francisco. He invited Lee to a rematch if Lee had found his retelling unacceptable. Lee never responded publicly to the article, Wong said.
Regardless of the film's veracity, it should attract martial arts devotees.
Kylin CEO Pang Hong said in December that the film would have a budget of $33 million.
"Chinese films recently reached 15 percent of the global market share," he said. "We can't only entertain ourselves in China. We have to go out. Not only do we want RMB, we want dollars and euros."
Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com
US Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal in Vienna on Jan 16. KEVIN LAMARQUE / REUTERS
A lot happened over the weekend regarding Iran.
On Jan 16, the US and European nations lifted the economic sanctions imposed on Irans nuclear program in return for Teherans compliance with the nuclear deal it inked six months ago with the so-called P5+1, namely the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.
At the same time, in an issue not directly related, Iran released five US prisoners while the US dropped its cases against seven Iranians, six of whom are dual Iran-US citizens, charged or imprisoned for violating nuclear sanctions. The US also dropped its pursuit against 14 Iranians outside the US.
This is a good day, because, once again, were seeing whats possible with strong American diplomacy, US President Barack Obama said on Sunday.
He also admitted a prolonged misstep in US foreign policy by saying that for decades, our differences with Iran meant that our governments almost never spoke to each other. Ultimately, that did not advance Americas interests.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi applauded what is known as Implementation Day of the Iranian nuclear deal as worth celebrating for the Iranian people and having a demonstrative effect while the international nuclear non-proliferation regime is facing a test, Wang told Xinhua News Agency in a written interview on Sunday. Wang called the Implementation Day a solid step on the way to the final political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.
According to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached last July, all of the nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed if the country is proved to have abided by the deal over the next 10 years step by step.
Wang said that in the coming years, all sides should continue to fulfill their commitment based on the principles of equality, fairness and balance, according to the Xinhua report.
While all the P5+1 nations and Iran should take credit for the progress, Obama is also right for the steps taken by his administration, despite vehement criticism on the issue from most Republican presidential candidates in their debate in South Carolina on Jan 14.
Blaming the Iranians for detaining the American sailors for straying accidentally into Iranian waters, the Republicans seem to forget that the most often-seen notice in the US, probably on their own properties, is that trespassers will be prosecuted.
Obama, however, did not talk on Sunday about the prospects of restoring diplomatic relations between the US and Iran, after they were severed in 1980 following the hostage crisis in Teheran. It was a mistake similar to the one that Obama finally corrected last year by restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba after a half century.
Obama did not say whether the US will also reach out to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea despite its recent nuclear test that was clearly a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolution.
In his mostly celebratory statement, Obama said that the US is imposing sanctions on Irans recent ballistic missile test.
There is no doubt that the US believes economic sanctions, which are often imposed by big and strong nations to smaller and weaker nations, are silver bullets despite historical evidence proving that most economic sanctions have been ineffective.
On the contrary, economic sanctions imposed on poor and smaller nations often resulted in a punishment and suffering not for the leaders of the target country, but their people, including women and children. These sanctions are often inhumane and could be a crime as is the all-round one imposed on Cuba.
China has long been promoting a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and played an important role in the JCPOA agreement.
The US has been deeply engaged in the Middle East for decades in pursuing its geopolitical goals, topping regimes and arming rebels, but such a policy has failed miserably as proved by the low standing of the US in the region, according to this years Pew Center survey.
Chinas approach has been quite different. On Jan 13, China issued its first Arab policy paper, focusing on win-win cooperation with the region rather than interfering in its domestic affairs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a five-day visit from Jan 19-23 to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran.
For ordinary Chinese, people in that region have long been our friends, and actually they kind of feel the same as I dined in an Egyptian restaurant in New York City a few years ago. The Egyptian manager invited me onstage to join the belly dancer, saying Chinese are our brothers.
Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
Two movies making quite a stir - Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Wolf Totem - have surprisingly much in common. Aside from being hits that are beautiful to look at and take viewers to strange undiscovered places, the two tales also intersect in the world of the most powerful kind of myth.
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was the world's great scholar of mythology and his writings inspired George Lucas's rendering of Luke Skywalker's adventures in the original Star Wars movies.
Campbell basically collected all of the world's myths from the beginnings of recorded history and every culture and found the common plots and storylines that they all shared. And the similarities, he argued in his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), were more than random coincidence.
Campbell was building on the previous work of two great thinkers - German anthropologist Adolphe Bastian, who suggested that myths from different cultures seemed to be made of the same "elementary ideas", and Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who called those building blocks "archetypes" and believed they were hard-wired into every human being's subconscious, which is why everyone enjoys a good story.
Campbell called it the "mythic imagination" that all human beings share. And part of the "monomyth" cycle that every hero of a story goes through means going into regions that they know nothing about (which, of course, is a metaphor for the undiscovered inner self), passing the test (slaying the dragon) and coming out alive and better equipped to help society.
For scavenger Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (and for Luke in the original) that unknown world begins with the cantina scene and leads into the world of The Force (which, with a great little ironic twist, Rey thought was a myth to begin with).
For the two young zhiqing from Beijing in Wolf Totem it is the wild, remote grasslands of Mongolia, and from there into the interlocking, interdependent and delicately balanced world of herdsman, sheep, gazelle and wolf.
Both heroes go through Campbell's three-part cycle of Departure (in Wolf Totem, the sea of thousands of identical busses thinning out as they spread out across the countryside, dwindling eventually to just one, is wonderfully done), Initiation to do battle with the bad guys (Chen Zhen getting surrounded by wolves is truly hair-raising) and Return, to heal society.
The bogies are always scary, the things that hide under beds and in closets. As Campbell put it: "All the ogres and secret helpers of our nursery are there, all the magic of childhood..." There the hero gives battle to "the nursery demons of his local culture" and "brings back from his adventure the means for the regeneration of the society as a whole."
Way back in 1977, after the success of the first Star Wars, George Lucas told a reporter that he had studied anthropology and mythology of dozens of different cultures. "It seemed to me that there was no longer a lot of mythology in our society, the kind of stories we tell ourselves and our children, which is the way our heritage is passed down," he said. "Westerns used to provide that, but there weren't any Westerns anymore." Outer space suited Lucas' imagination; wolf-inhabited Mogolia suited a Beijing student during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).
The payoffs of the two sagas, of course, differ. In any Star Wars movie, Jedi knights and the Force usually win out over The Dark Side. With Wolf Totem, which is based on the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by Lu Jiamin, the hero survives his "initiation" and after two years returns to life in the crowded city, but the world he got to know is coming apart.
Both of these great tales further prove the old saying that the ocean of stories bathes all shores and is fed by all rivers.
Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com.
Although the slowdown in China's economy apparently has reached across the Pacific to San Francisco's residential real estate market, the city's astronomical housing prices also play a major role.
"We've seen a sharp drop over the last three years in search activity on Trulia, about 50 percent" by Chinese buyers, Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist for the San Francisco-based real estate search engine, told China Daily.
"San Francisco's more pronounced than the drop we've seen on the national level," he said. "Nationally, it's down about 30 percent."
Chinese buyers make up between 6 and 10 percent of homebuyers in San Francisco, according to Trulia.
A median single-family house price in the San Francisco-San Mateo region, home to Silicon Valley tech titans and venture capitalists, is $1.1 million.
"There aren't as many bargains, discounted homes as we've seen in 2012, 2013" in San Francisco, McLaughlin said. "Deals are fewer and far between."
Part of it can just be that Chinese buyers see the San Francisco market as frothy, because as McLaughlin noted, the drop-off started three years ago, before China's stock market selloff and currency depreciation.
"In the California market, particularly the San Francisco area, the price run-up has been so extraordinary. It's not only the foreign buyers hesitating, but domestic buyers (too)," Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), told China Daily.
"Larger numbers of people are thinking whether the prices make sense," he said. "They're (Chinese buyers) looking at all the West Coast cities, and the Bay Area has become the most expensive."
Still, the economy of China looms large.
China recorded its slowest yearly GDP growth in more than 20 years - 6.9 percent - as it transitions from a manufacturing-based economy to one that is more consumer- and service-oriented.
China's major mainland stock exchanges, the Shanghai and Shenzhen, are down 23 and 26 percent, respectively, just in January.
Yun said an anecdotal NAR survey of Realtors around the country presented a mixed view on interest from Chinese buyers.
"Some were indicating that a purchase that was lined up, some people pulled out because they didn't have the finances," Yun said. But "some Realtors have indicated that they are actually getting increased inquiries about being here in the US".
McLaughlin also sees a dichotomy.
"Because the Chinese economy and stock market have fallen, that has taken some confidence from Chinese investors (but) they may be looking for safer assets, and US real estate tends to be viewed, at least historically, as a safe investment, and we may see Chinese interest actually increase," he said.
Also muddling the picture is that "some Chinese buyers of US real estate use intermediaries in the US so the transaction comes up as a US buyer," McLaughlin said.
Although many observers see a disconnect between China's stock market and "real" economy in terms of the impact a market selloff has on its overall economy (unlike in the US), the more affluent Chinese investors who buy property abroad do tend to also invest in stocks.
"People who are buying in the US have to be in the upper tier of wealth to even consider buying here or even in Canada," Yun said.
"In 2014, sales transactions to buyers outside of the US dropped 10 percent, possibly due to the strengthening of the US dollar in relation to international currencies and weakening foreign economies," Yun wrote in a June 2015 NAR report. "However, the amount of money spent has increased; this means international purchasers in the US have become an upscale group of buyers, spending more money on fewer homes."
International buyers tend to purchase more expensive properties, with the average purchase price just below $500,000, compared with the overall average US price of $255,600. Chinese buyers typically buy the most expensive properties, at an average cost of $831,800.
Chinese buyers prefer the West Coast, with its plentiful education, business and trade opportunities, while Canadians looking for winter getaways gravitate toward the Southwest and Florida.
In 2014, for the first time, buyers from China exceeded all other countries in housing units purchased and in dollar volume, buying $28.6 billion worth of properties.
"My expectation is that China will continue to hold the lead (in the next survey)," Yun said. "Even though there is some devaluation in the yuan, it's much less devaluation compared to the Canadian dollar or other foreign currencies."
Yun mentioned Tampa, Florida, as an emerging market for Chinese buyers.
Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com
Concepcion Picciotto, the woman who protested against nuclear weapons in a camp across the street from the White House since 1981, died on Jan 25 in the N Street Village, a homeless shelter for women.
The New York Times described the 80-year-old woman as President Barack Obamas closest neighbor. The two shared the same cause against nuclear proliferation. Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize largely for his call for a nuclear-free world.
So far, Obama has not commented on Picciottos passing. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Jan 27 that he didnt know if Obama was aware of her death. Earnest praised Picciotto for her commitment to peace.
While the camp has been a constant presence across from the White House on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, there has been no report that any US president had ever spoken to Picciotto, who started her vigil in Ronald Reagans first year as president.
The reason could have been Picciottos opposition to Israels policies toward Palestine. Such a protest was politically risky for most US politicians in a nation where Israel is regarded as a close ally.
Picciotto was a familiar figure to Chinese who saw her over the decades. Videos on YouTube show Chinese tourists making donations to her cause and praising her as an exemplar of American democracy.
No one knows if Obama will acknowledge the non-proliferation cause that he and Picciotto advocated when world leaders gather at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington at the end of March.
Obamas progress in building a nuclear-free world has been disappointing compared with the high expectations people had when he took office in 2009.
Indeed, Obama should take some credit for concluding a nuclear deal with Iran, achieved in conjunction with other world powers including China, but he has not made any progress on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
It came as a surprise to many Chinese that right after the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan 6, US Secretary of State John Kerry quickly shifted the blame to China, saying Chinas approach had not worked and we cannot continue business as usual.
Kerry pressured China to take stronger actions during his trip to Beijing last week, reportedly including cutting oil supply to North Korea, something Chinai immediately rejected.
China condemned North Koreas nuclear test in the strongest terms, but many Chinese see the US as hardly doing anything conducive to resolving the issue.
The US has not addressed DPRKs security concerns, such as the US habitual pursuit of regime change, should it abandon its nuclear program.
The US and its NATO allies toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, only years after his country gave up its nuclear ambitions. That has not sent the right message to DPRKs leaders.
The US has offered no good alternative this time, except calling for stronger sanctions. On Jan 27, Mark Toner, the deputy State Department spokesman, described sanctions as some of the most effective and potent tools.
But if sanctions were a silver bullet, the DPRK would not have conducted its fourth nuclear test, because it already is the most sanctioned nation on the planet. Over the decades, plenty of studies have proved that most sanctions have not worked.
A year ago, Obama admitted the comprehensive US blockade on Cuba that had been in place for half a century had been a failure.
Just as the huge suffering the US embargo inflicted on 11 million Cubans, sanctions targeting the lifelines of the DPRK will hurt 25 million people in the already poor nation, causing a possible humanitarian disaster that could destabilize the region.
The US has long believed that sanctions can bring a nation to its knees, but what has happened in the case of both Cuba and DPRK show the opposite is often true. Obama should be praised for improving ties with Cuba and Iran in the past year.
However, the US has so far refused to hold bilateral talks with the DPRK, a country with which it has no diplomatic relations. The US has been unwilling to resume Six-Party Talks without conditions attached, and its frequent military drills on the Korean Peninsula are hardly helpful to the situation.
As Obama calls for a nuclear-free world, the US itself plans to spend more than $1 trillion over the next 30 years to significantly upgrade its nuclear weapons capabilities.
It is not certain if Obama will be able to truly draw any inspiration in his last year in office from his formerly closest neighbor.
Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
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.
He added Nigeria is a major destination of China's investment in Africa and uses China's favorable loan in a large scale.
On her part, Adeosun praised China for its longstanding support for Nigeria's economic and social development, especially in infrastructure construction, and wished to draw on China's experience.
The minister added that the Nigerian side wishes to further enhance cooperation in investment and financing with China to facilitate the implementation of existing and planning projects, and bring concrete benefits to peoples of the two countries.
In the same vein, Amaechi thanked China for its support to Nigeria's economic development and improvement of people's livelihood.
He said China and Nigeria enjoy great advantages of economic complementary and potential for cooperation, noting that fruitful results have been yielded in the areas like infrastructure and investment.
Akin Fijabi, a public analyst, in an interview with Xinhua expressed optimism that the cooperation between both countries would continue to be on a win-win basis.
He appealed to the Nigeria government to create enabling environment to make cooperation between the two countries continue to thrive.
The two particular terms "economic espionage" and "trade secrets" have become disquieting and even worrisome among Asian Americans.
As the world's two largest economies keep expanding exchanges and cooperation in a wide spectrum of fields including science, innovation and technology we are noticing that the number of Asian Americans or Chinese nationals suspected or being accused of economic espionage is also on the rise.
As I try to understand the complexities of the US legal environment and the geo-political background of national interest and security, I simply cannot accept the federal government's inclination to view certain citizens as more suspicious than others, simply because of their race, origin or skin color, with seemingly no other solid evidence.
Consider the ordeal of 60-year-old scientist Sherry Chen, a naturalized US citizen originally from Beijing.
At a series of activities held last week in Silicon Valley to support Chen and similar victims of racial profiling, Chen told the community that finally "she was not feeling alone anymore."
The former civil service employee of the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, was arrested on Oct 20, 2014, and accused of being a spy for the Chinese government.
The government alleged Chen used a stolen password to get access to information about the nation's dams and passed it to a high-ranking Chinese official in Beijing.
In March 2014, just a week before she was scheduled to go on trial, prosecutors dropped all charges against Chen without explanation, saying only that they were "exercising our prosecutorial discretion."
Chen has continued to suffer from a tarnished reputation, loss of her job and financial difficulties ever since.
On Thursday in Palo Alto, the Committee of 100, in collaboration with APAPA (Asian Pacific-Islander American Public Affairs Association), hosted a seminar entitled Trade Secrets and Economic Espionage: Legal Risks in Advancing Technology between the US and China to explore issues particularly relevant to Chinese-American and Asian federal employees, government contractors and professionals in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), as this specific ethnic group has increasingly become the focus of criminal investigations and prosecutions involving national security, intellectual property theft and corporate espionage in the United States.
On Saturday, a legal defense fund-raiser was held in Chen's name in Santa Clara and drew about 250 attendees.
Chen is no stranger to Silicon Valley. Ten years ago she went to Intel to receive on-the-job training. This time around, she made her case to unite the community, to awaken Asian Americans to fight against injustice and prejudice and educate professionals in the high-tech arena on self-advocacy and protection.
"I knew I did not commit any crime and had done nothing wrong," said an emotional Chen at the gathering. "For over 20 years, I've been working so hard and have given my best to the American people and this country."
She admitted that she has become stronger and more resilient. "This year is different than last year. I have received so much support from people all over the country after my case was made known," she said.
The unswerving support of, among others, Congressional members such as Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Mike Honda, and opinion leaders from the Asian Pacific American Caucus, APAPA and Committee of 100, has had an influence on the outcome of Chen's case.
Last month, 20 renowned scientists including Nobel laureates Peter Agre, David Baltimore and Paul Berg published a petition on the website change.org asking the US Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation into the cases of Chinese-American scientists Sherry Chen, Xiaoxing Xi, and other similar cases to determine whether race, ethnicity or national origin played an illegal role.
Even though the group supports the government's efforts to investigate and prosecute those who steal government and corporate secrets, the scientists said they were still "appalled" by the apparent singling out of Chinese Americans.
According to the petition, those cases were "without adequate investigations by federal law enforcement and prosecutors on the basis of ethnicity in violation of their equal protection rights."
Xiaoxing Xi, chairman of the physics department at Temple University, was dragged from his home on May 22, 2015, with guns pointed at his wife and children. He was later released, after charges of selling sensitive US defense technology to the Chinese government were dropped.
Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.
French President Francois Hollande (L) welcomes his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Feb 1, 2016. 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. [Photo/Xinhua]
PARIS - 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.
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 are 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 United States 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 neighboring 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.
US food purveyor OSI has called "unjust" a Chinese court's fines against it and prison sentences for 10 of its employees over allegations of giving expired meat products to US-based fast-food restaurants in China.
The Shanghai Jiading Peoples Court on Monday fined two domestic subsidiaries of Aurora, Illinois-based OSI Group LLC up to 2.4 million yuan ($365,000) and ordered the prison sentences.
The court also said that a general manager at OSI China, Yang Liqun, would be sentenced to three years in prison. Nine other people receive sentences between 19 and 32 months and also have to pay fines, the court said, adding that the punishments were softer due to cooperation from the defendants.
OSI said in a statement e-mailed to China Daily on Monday that it plans to appeal the decision, saying it was the target of a smear campaign.
"The verdict is inconsistent with the facts and evidence that were presented in the court proceedings," to company said. "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."
OSI also said it plans to take legal action against Dragon TV, the state-run television station that aired a July 2014 report initiating the investigation. The company said in its statement that Dragon TV "made false and incomplete accusations that ignored facts and Chinese law".
The court 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.
In July 2014, McDonald's and Yum Brands Inc (parent company for KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell), cut ties with Shanghai Husi Food Co Ltd, a unit of OSI, over the sale of expired meat to some of their restaurants in China.
A number of other companies soon followed suit, and six of OSI China's employees were arrested.
OSI's troubles began when local media had documented employers at Shanghai Husi - which provides food to McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks - forging production dates and using expired meat.
The company then ceased operations at the Shanghai plant to work with authorities on an investigation into the food quality. It changed the structure and management of the China division, incorporating the branch into the US rather than it operating as a separate entity.
jackfreifelder@chinadailyusa.com
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.
A screen capture of Yin's post on Weibo announcing his candidacy for Washington's lieutenant governor.
Phillip Yin, a Bellevue, Washington, resident and Yakima native, is running for lieutenant governor as a Republican.
"I love Washington state," he told China Daily. "I know we can make Washington the most family-friendly, job-creating and innovative state in the country."
Yin previously worked for Bloomberg Television and CNBC Asia as a business/political anchor. His journalism credentials also include stints with CCTV America, hosting his own show and covering the 2012 presidential election.
As an investor, he was a portfolio manager and strategist for Switzerland-based Unifund, and launched a portfolio management business for Charles Schwab in Hong Kong.
Yin was also an adviser to the law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd during an investigation into the failure of Lehman Brothers that led to the recovery of $1.8 billion for some 40,000 investors.
He has an undergraduate business degree from the University of Washington and an international MBA from Georgetown.
"My international journalism and business background is a perfect background for this job," Yin said. "This job is going to evoke a lot of discussion and going to promote a lot of businesses to the state."
Yin's parents are first-generation immigrants from Shanghai. He said he is proud of the Chinese culture and the the fact he understands both the US and China cultures is a plus for the lieutenant governor post, as he wants to promote the state to the world - including China.
With Yin's announcement, the field for lieutenant governor now numbers six, including state senators Cyrus Habib and Karen Fraser and Rep Jim Moeller, all Democrats.
University Place Mayor Pro Tem Javier Figueroa and Eyes on Washington AM radio host Marty McClendon, both Republicans, also are running.
lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com
CANBERRA -- A number of schools in the Australian capital city of Canberra have been forced to evacuate after receiving a bomb threat call earlier Tuesday, the Australian Captial Territory (ACT) police said on its Twitter account.
As a precaution, the schools were evacuated before midday Tuesday, the second day after the new school year started this week.
"Police are investigating the veracity of threats received by a number of ACT schools today. The schools are being evacuated as a precaution," the ACT police.
Lanyon High School, Forest Primary and Kingsford Smith School in Holt were first reported to have been temporarily evacuated. Two more schools, Richardson Primary School and Miles Franklin Primary School, were then added to the list of forced evacuation.
In the following hour or so, the schools have been cleared and students returned to school to resume their classes.
Meanwhile, at least three schools in Queensland were similarly evacuated on Tuesday following similar bomb threats.
On Monday, nine schools in New South Wales (NSW) state were in lockdown as precautionary police operations took place following an anonymous bomb threat.
Last Friday, several schools in NSW and Victoria received similar bomb threats which had been confirmed to be a hoax.
Victoria Police put out a statement Friday night saying "Victoria Police can confirm it is treating the threatening phone calls received by a number of Victorian schools today as a hoax."
"We are satisfied that there are no imminent threats to schools and that the threats are not terrorism related."
Police across the country have reiterated that making threatening phone calls is a serious criminal offense and the incidents will be fully investigated.
US Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz kisses his wife Heidi Cruz after winning at his Iowa caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa, February 1, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
DES MOINES, Iowa - Republican Senator Ted Cruz beat billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa on Monday while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders remained deadlocked in the first presidential nominating contests of the 2016 White House race.
Cruz, a conservative lawmaker from Texas, won with 28 percent of the vote compared to 24 percent for businessman Trump in the Republican contest. Marco Rubio, a US senator from Florida, came in third with 23 percent, easily making him the leader among establishment Republican candidates.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, and Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist US senator from Vermont, both came in at roughly 50 percent with 95 percent of the state's precincts reporting results. Sanders declared the results a tie.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who had trouble gaining any traction in the Democratic race, suspended his campaign. He took third place with less than one percent.
Cruz's win and Rubio's strong showing could dent the momentum for Trump, whose candidacy has alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies such as his calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.
"Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech that lasted more than 30 minutes. Buoyed by evangelical voters, Cruz thanked God. He said the results showed that the nominee would not be chosen by the media, the Washington establishment or lobbyists.
Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election.
"I'm just honored, I'm really honored," Trump told supporters. He said he looked forward to the next contest next week in New Hampshire, where polls show him ahead.
Clinton, 68, said she was breathing a "big sigh of relief" after the results. She lost to then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008. The former first lady congratulated Sanders and did not declare victory in her remarks.
"It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas," she said.
Sanders, 74, said he and Clinton were in a "virtual tie" and said he was overwhelmed.
"Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America," he said.
DUBAI -- Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) said Tuesday it has formed a strategic partnerships with UnionPay International and online travel platform Tuniu in Shanghai.
CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commercial Marketing, Issam Kazim signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UnionPay Chief Brand Officer, Dong Li, agreeing collaborative marketing initiatives, Dubai Tourism said in an e-mailed statement.
The deal will extend Dubai's offering to millions of potential travellers in China, it added.
Kazim also met with Yu Dunde, CEO of Tuniu, one of China's biggest online leisure travel service platforms, at another MoU signing ceremony to create a strategic relationship that will further facilitate Chinese visitation to Dubai.
Commenting on the agreements with UnionPay and Tuniu, Issam Kazim said ''We strive to continue our work with strategic partners such as UnionPay and Tuniu to promote the full spectrum of Dubai's tourism offering to a diverse range of Chinese tourists.''
With 450,000 Chinese tourists visiting Dubai in 2015, inbound traffic from China dominated the uptake from this region, topping the leader board of year-on-year growth trends with a 29 percent increase, said Dubai Tourism last Wednesday.
Dubai attracted over 14.2 million tourists in 2015, a sharp 7.5-percent increase over 2014.
The collaboration between UnionPay and Dubai Tourism will enhance the service quality for UnionPay cardholders visiting Dubai.
Beginning on 1 February 2016 and continuing through the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival period until the end of the month, UnionPay card holders will be able to enjoy a 10-25 percent discount across 120 shopping centres, attractions, hotels and restaurants in Dubai.
Tuniu seeks to offer all customers a set of competitive products, ranging from luxurious 'seven-star' hotel experiences at the iconic seven-star-hotel Burj Al Arab to more economical packages at affordable prices.
''Through our global connectivity as an airline hub and with 12 gateways between China and Dubai, we are well primed to be a compelling preferred destination and transit stopover for Chinese,'' said Kazim.
BEIJING -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has notified the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of its plans to launch a satellite later this month, media reports said Tuesday.
The DPRK notified the London-based UN agency that it will launch an Earth observation satellite between Feb.8 and Feb. 25, according to a Yonhap report.
The DPRK also notified the the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union (ITU) of its plan, according to Japan's Kyodo News.
The DPRK side has not yet confirmed these reports.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong Un (C) guides the multiple-rocket launching drill of women's sub-units under KPA Unit 851, in this undated file photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) April 24, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]
WASHINGTON -- The White House on Tuesday condemned the new satellite launch plan of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), urging a swift response of the international community to what it called "another irresponsible provocation."
"I feel confident in telling you that the international community would regard a step like that by the North Koreans(DPRK) as just another irresponsible provocation and a clear violation of their international obligations," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a daily news briefing.
The DPRK has informed three United Nations entities of its intentions to launch an earth-observation satellite between Feb. 8 to 25, a U.N. spokesman said Tuesday.
But the DPRK side has not yet confirmed the plan.
Earnest said the United States has worked closely with China, South Korea, Russia and Japan to convey to Pyongyang the need to "end their provocative actions."
Also on Tuesday, the US State Department urged the international community and the UN to respond quickly and impose new sanctions against Pyongyang.
"The UN Security Council has a role to play by holding it (the DPRK) accountable by imposing a tough, comprehensive and credible package of new sanctions and by ensuring vigorous enforcement of the resolutions already adopted," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on a daily news briefing.
"This latest announcement further underscores for the international community to send the North Koreans(DPRK) the swift firm message that their disregard for the UN Security Council obligations will not be tolerated," Kirby said.
The Obama administration has been mulling additional sanctions against the DPRK in response to its recent nuclear test.
The DPRK said it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb last month. However, this was met with scepticism by US and South Korean officials and nuclear experts.
(Photo : Reuters/US Navy) US Navy sailors participate in a medical training exercise on the deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Lassen, which patrolled waters off the China's man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago last October. Beijing has accused the United States of seeking maritime hegemony in the South China Sea through its freedom of navigation operations.
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Beijing has accused the United States of seeking maritime hegemony in the South China Sea following a naval patrol that challenged China's territorial assertions over a group of islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
Claiming the US navy's operations in the South China Sea are in violation of international law, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Monday that patrols in the area pose a threat to regional peace and stability.
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"It is, in essence, a pursuit of maritime hegemony by the US under the cloak of freedom of navigation, which has been met with firm opposition from members of the international community, developing countries in particular," said Lu. "It is highly dangerous and irresponsible for the US to do so."
Military Muscles
Lu made the statement after the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur entered waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Saturday. The Pentagon has said the operation was intended to demonstrate Washington's defiance of overlapping territorial claims on the area.
China is asserting sovereignty over an estimated 80 percent of the South China Sea. Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines have rival claims.
The Obama administration has in the past weeks warned Beijing that it would challenge China's claim that much of the South China Sea falls within its territorial borders.
"The flexing of military muscles and the creating of tension by the US under the pretext of the freedom of navigation is the biggest cause of militarization of the South China Sea," Lu said. "We advise the US to stop as soon as possible the action that brings good to none."
China has been rapidly dredging sand onto reefs in the contested waters for the past year, creating seven new islets in the region. Other claimants have built facilities of their own.
Runways and Docks
Environmental experts have protested against the scale and rapidity of construction activities in the territory. In December, the BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes narrated how he swam under water at the Spratly or Nansha Islands to discover that the sea floor was covered with vast tracts of shattered coral.
On Thursday, the commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris, told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that China's island-building campaign has reclaimed more than 3,000 acres of land from the disputed waters in the past 18 months alone.
In comparison, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have reclaimed a total 215 acres of land from the South China Sea over the past 40 years, Harris said.
While Beijing has consistently claimed that it does not seek to militarize the area, Washington and other claimants have taken particular exception to China's enlargement of atolls and reefs into larger islands outfitted with military-size runways and facilities to park fighter jets and berth naval ships.
"If they [China] are to build all of their reef projects, they will control all of the South China Sea militarily with the exception of the US," Harris warned, adding that the US Navy will be conducting more freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in the months ahead.
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TagsChina-US relations, Freedom of Navigation, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
(Photo : Getty Images/Koichi Kamoshida) Two Japanese F-15 aircraft fly in formation over the East China Sea. The Japanese government is creating a new fighter air wing to strengthen Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).
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The Japanese government announced on Sunday the formation of a new fighter air wing to strengthen Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) amid increasing tensions with China over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
The country's Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Kenji Wakamiya made the announcement during a ceremony at the Naha Airbase on Okinawa Island, from where Japan's new ninth Air Wing will operate.
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The Naha Airbase is on the southern tip of the Nansei island chain, around 420 kilometers east of the disputed Senkaku island group, which China also claims.
"This is a very frontline of national defense," Wakamiya said in a speech.
Shift South
Tensions have been rising steadily in the East China Sea in recent years, with Japanese and Chinese fighter aircraft frequently coming into contact over the contested islands.
Tempers nearly reached a boiling point in September 2012 when the Japanese -- who have been the island's administrators since 1895 -- purchased three islands from a private owner in an effort to bring the islands more closely under their control.
China has since stepped up its claims over the area, and has on several occasions sent armed vessels and fighter aircraft into what Japan sees as its territory and airspace. The UK Telegraph reports that the Chinese incursions are intended to test Japan's response.
The Japanese defense ministry claims to have scrambled fighters from its Naha Airbase some 441 times last year, mostly to ward off Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft. Japan has subsequently doubled the number of its combat aircraft at the Naha Airbase, increasing the size of the 9th Air Wing to some 40 Japanese F-15 jet fighters.
Experts say the creation of the new air wing forms part of a fundamental shift south for Japan's air defense posture, a move that Tokyo wants to bolster with new combat aircraft.
"Shifting ASDF assets to the southwest is a good thing, not least it potentially takes some of the pressure off ASDF aircraft that are so busy responding to Chinese incursions that they have reduced training time along with the sheer wear and tear that comes of constantly responding to PRC aircraft," Grant Newsham, a senior research fellow at the Japan Forum of Strategic Studies, told Defense News.
Mitsubishi X2
The Japanese defense ministry plans to purchase 42 F-35 stealth fighters this year even as it has hinted at the possibility of replacing at least some of its aging F-15s with a permutation of Japan's newly-unveiled stealth fighter, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) X2.
Japanese officials have been tight-lipped about the features of the X2 which -- according to some reports -- is specifically intended as a design progenitor to the F-3, the fighter Japan will roll out to counter the new generation of Chinese combat aircraft.
Citing expert analysts, however, the Wall Street Journal suggests that rather than building a new plane, Japan may choose to join the US or other allies in developing a sixth generation fighter through international partnership.
"In order to participate in a project as an equal partner, Japan has to offer knowledge, experience or technologies worthy of an equal partner," aerospace analyst Yoshitomo Aoki told the Journal.
Aerospace experts present during the X2's unveiling at the MHI factory in Toyoyama, central Japan, last week say the plane is small -- about 46-feet long with a 29-foot wingspan. The twin engine design, which uses two Ishikawa Heavy Industries low-bypass turbofan engines, is said to be capable of delivering a total 10 tons of thrust.
The X2 is reportedly equipped with state-of-the-art Self Repairing Flight Control Capability (SRFCC) technology, which allows the aircraft to automatically detect damage in its flight control surfaces. The system then calibrates the remaining control surfaces to retain controlled flight.
Japan is said to have spent some $340 million to develop the X2, which is scheduled to take to the air for the first time later this month.
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TagsChina-Japan Dispute, Diaoyu Islands (Senakaku Islands), East China Sea dispute
(Photo : Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) South Korean protesters burn placards of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during a anti-North Korea rally on January 7, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea. Beijing and the US special nuclear representatives held talks in Beijing last week on the fate of North Korea following its fourth nuclear test on January 6.
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Following up on the recent talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese leaders over pressing issues such as North Korea's fourth nuclear test, the top US and Chinese nuclear representatives held talks in Beijing last week, according to China's Foreign Ministry.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang declined to reveal the details of the meetings except to say that the nuclear envoys have agreed to map out follow-up measures on North Korea, which Kerry had discussed with Chinese leaders during his recent visit to Beijing.
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Lu said Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea policy and his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, held talks in Beijing as Washington continues to pressure Beijing into supporting tougher sanctions on the belligerent North following its fourth nuclear test.
Close communications
"Since North Korea's latest nuclear test, the Chinese side has been in close communications with all relevant parties," Lu reportedly told reporters during a regular press briefing.
The spokesman said the talks were held on Thursday during the two-day visit of Kim to Beijing. Kim and Wu reportedly discussed follow-up matters after Kerry met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week Wednesday.
Although Kerry and Wang both agreed on the need to pass a new UN resolution condemning North Korea, Wang refused to impose tougher sanctions as a punishment against Pyongyang, reiterating China's stance that the new resolution should not 'provoke' the DPRK.
Korean Peninsula
Beijing, North Korea's closest ally and largest economic trade partner, has repeatedly declared that it has been exerting efforts to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons through talks and dialogues
Calls from the international community for Beijing to punish North Korea has been received in a lukewarm manner.
Analysts say China can not afford to punish North Korea because a collapse of the North Korean regime could threaten China's own security interests.
The US and South Korea have been pressuring China, North Korea's number one supplier of food and oil, to back tougher sanctions against DPRK but such calls have fallen on deaf ears.
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TagsChina and US nuclear envoys, North Korea, Korean peninsula, Chinese Foreign Ministry, US Secretary of State John Kerry
(Photo : Getty Image) China is ready to welcome over 137 million overseas tourists expected to visit the country this year, a 6.5 percent increase from last year.
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China is expecting more than 137 million tourists to visit the country this year, a 2.5 percent increase from last year. Following the drop of overseas tourists since 2011, this year will mark the second year of growth for inflowing tourism.
Furthermore, the influx of foreign tourists is predicted to generate revenue at $121 billion, a 6.5 percent increase. The is according to the development goal of 2016 set by the National Tourism Administration during its annual conference on January 29.
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Even China Tourism Academy verified the trend and is forecasting that over 138 million foreign tourists will pay a visit to China.
The deputy head of the administration Li Shihong claims that among the cities that will play significant roles in captivating tourists are second- and third-tier cities including small towns like Zhejiang province's Wuzhen, Hunan province's Yueyang and Jiangsu province's Tongli.
According to Li, these cities and towns carry China's unique and symbolic culture, splendid tourists' spots, and preserve the nation's legacy and history in their day to day lives compared with that of high-end cities. "All those are attractive factors to frequent visitors in China," he said. Furthermore, the installment of high-speed railway network that makes small towns more accessible plays a great timing for attracting more inbound foreign tourists.
This plan is in line with China's commitment to expand the tourism industry. National Tourism Administration head Li Jinzao earlier revealed that investment will increase to 20 percent from 2015 to 1.2 trillion yuan ($180 billion). He further predicts that local Chinese tourists will make more than 4 billion domestic trips this year, while both inbound and outbound tourists at 260 million in total.
Most of China's visitors come from nearby nations, including Japan and South Korea, and developed countries such as the USA and Russia. A rise in the number of Indian and Vietnamese tourists has also been noted.
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Tagschina, tourism, foreign tourist, China National Tourism Administration
(Photo : Photo by China Photos/Getty Images) Monks recite sutras at the Xiami Monastery on August 29, 2006 in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. A Chinese court has sentenced two men to death for killing a British monk and two others reportedly over an altercation about money.
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A Chinese court has meted out the death penalty to two men convicted of murdering a British monk who co-founded Scotland's Kagyu Samye Ling monastery.
China's state media said Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche was found lifeless with multiple stab wounds at his home in the city of Chengdu in 2013.
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A city court meted out the death penalty to the convicted men identified as Tudeng Gusang and Tsering Banjue for the 'brutal' killing of Akong Rinpoche and two other men.
An accomplice, a British monk, was sentenced to three years in jail, the China News Service reported on Sunday.
Verdict
Reports said Gusang, who worked for several years at the Scottish monastery, and Banjue repeatedly stabbed Akong Rinpoche, his nephew, and his driver to death over an altercation about money.
The verdict, which was posted on the court's website, said the murders were 'brutal' and that the convicts will be treated severely 'in accordance with the law.'
Death penalty opposition
In a statement, the British Embassy said it was aware about the result of the trial and has relayed its opposition to the death penalty to Beijing.
"The British government maintains its long-standing opposition to the death penalty, and has formally communicated this to the Chinese government," the statement said.
Human rights groups have protested the decision of the court saying China's executions have surpassed the total number of death penalties meted out by courts worldwide.
Despite the accusation, the rights groups admitted that executions in China have declined significantly over the span of a decade.
British citizenship
Akong Rinpoche acquired his British citizenship after fleeing Tibet in 1959 and co-founded Europe's first Tibetan monastery in 1967.
He had the title of Rinpoche, an honorific name given to the most respected teachers in Tibetan Buddhism.
Akong maintained a relationship with the Chinese government and was able to travel back and forth to the Tibetan regions from his monastery in Scotland.
The monastery has become a pilgrimage site for artists and musicians as well as senior Tibetan monks including the Dalai Lama.
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TagsBuddhism, Akong Rinpoche, British Embassy, death penalty, Chinese court
(Photo : Getty Images) An innocent man in China has been released after being jailed for 23 years for a crime that he did not commit.
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An innocent man who was put behind bars 23 years ago finally walked free on Monday after a court invalidated his murder and arson conviction because of insufficient evidence. He was released from a prison in Hainan province.
Chen Man, from Sichuan Province, was jailed in 1992 for allegedly burning down a house in which a man died. He received a 2-year suspended death sentence in 1994. However, following a number of appeals, the court found that there is not enough evidence to maintain the verdict thus ordering his release, according to China Daily.
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Chen was happy with the latest ruling and was thrilled to come home to his parents, who are already in the 80s, in time of the Spring Festival. On the other hand, his lawyer Wang Wanqiong also expressed excitement over Chen's release, claiming that this marks a progress of China's rule of law.
"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 stated.
Meanwhile, Hainan High People's Court officials bowed and apologized to Chen on Monday, adding that Chen could apply for a State compensation.
Last Monday, in the Inner Mongolia region, 27 officials including judges, prosecutors and police officers were penalized after wrongfully executing a teenager - who was 18 years old at the time - for allegedly raping and murdering a woman in a textile store's comfort room.
Former deputy head of the local security bureau Feng Zhiming, who was in charge of Hugjiltu's case, has been placed under investigation for job-related crimes. While the other 26 officials will reportedly receive administrative punishment such as record of demerit and admonitions.
Beijing Normal University legal researcher Yuan Ningning said that revealing those who commit mistakes in the case carries "symbolic meanings". He further suggested that new policies should be implemented regarding court procedures and verdicts.
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Tagschina, china justice system, Chen Man, Sichuan Province, innocent man, case dismissal
(Photo : Getty Images) Chinese scientists have discovered a way of filtering the harmful chemicals in water discharged from potato processing plants and use it as irrigation water instead.
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From water waste discharge to fertilizers -- Chinese scientists have discovered a new way to make use of the water waste discharge from potato processing plants, solving the growing pollution problem in the country.
Potatoe is a basic food in China. However, the protein-rich water discharge from starch processors has been pointed as a cause of river and lake pollution.
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According to Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics researcher Liu Gang, up to now, there is no existing solution to this dilemma. And unfortunately, it has already driven officials to shut down more than 10,000 small plants, affecting the livelihood of both the potato market and farmers.
Liu and his team have created a technology that could divide the chemical oxygen demand of the drainage from potato processing factories by filtering protein, starch and fiber. The processed water, on the other hand, need not to be disposed as the increased nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents, which are essential nutrients for tubers' growth, make it a suitable irrigation water.
Four years of testing reveals that the processed water is not harmful to crops, and currently, there are already three starch companies using the purifying technology.
Potatoes are a perfect crop for China's parched west and northwest fields. With nearly 6 million hectares, China is known as the world's largest potato producer. The Ministry of Agriculture plans to expand the field to 10 million hectares to increase potatoes' production by up to 50 million tonnes in 2020.
Meanwhile, several Chinese companies have created products more known to Chinese as staple foods including potato starch-made noodles and buns.
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Tagspotato, potato market, china, Pollution, starch, Fertilizers
(Photo : Himalayan Explorer/Wikimedia/CC) State of Kogi in Nigeria.
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.
press@cdaily.co.kr
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#NigerianPastors
COMMENTARY: Zika virus spread by Christianity, 'experts' say 02 February, 2016 by Dr. Gregory Tomlin , |
NEW YORK (Christian Examiner) Raw Story, an anti-Christian, anti-conservative, and anti-Republican online magazine has identified the culprit behind the spread of the Zika virus.
Just don't rush out to kill those mosquitos scientists have blamed for decades. The real enemy, according to Raw Story, is the faithful. And the story isn't satire.
According to the report, the virus which the media claims is responsible for microcephaly in newborns is spreading because Christians have made it near impossible for the poor in predominantly Catholic countries in Latin America to have access to contraceptives and abortion. If the governments of the Third World simply remove restrictions on abortion and hand out condoms (or perhaps rid themselves of Christians?) the spread of the virus will grind to a halt.
Isn't it Christians who are normally accused of rejecting science and history?
The Nobel laureate scientists at Raw Story cite as one source in the article World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, who said last week the virus was "spreading explosively" in North and South America. Brazil, she said, has nearly 4,000 cases of the disease, but neither she nor the CDC has ever claimed it was the result of any Christian doctrine.
In case you're wondering, those 4,000 represent 0.0002 percent of Brazil's 200.4 million people.
Zika originated ... well, who knows how long ago? It was first "isolated" as a distinct virus in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947 when scientists went to the heart of the jungle to research other mosquito-borne viruses.
Yellow Fever, Dengue and Chikungunya likely also originated in similar locations deep in the sparsely-inhabited, hot, wet and dirty jungle of Africa the world's petri dish.
Yellow Fever was brought to the Americas with the slave trade beginning in the 1500s. Dengue Fever was likely spread through similar means, in slaves brought to the West Indies. In fact, some have speculated that the word Dengue itself comes from a Swahili phrase "ka-dinga pepo" or "cramp-like seizure caused by an evil spirit." It spread to merchants, who then carried the disease to Southeast Asia.
They were bitten by mosquitos and voila. That's French for "see there."
It stands to reason that Zika also came to the Americas as a hitch hiker aboard slaves snatched up and sold to the highest bidder. It was able to survive because the tropical climates in South America were virtually the same as the location in which it originated.
As old as the virus probably is, Zika received its official classification in 1952. An interesting thing happened in the following year in India. About 15 percent of the people tested for the antibodies of the virus already had them. Zika was already alive and well in that culture a predominantly Hindu culture.
A year later, the first "diagnosed case" of the virus popped up in Nigeria where Muslims were and are the majority. It has also been found in Thailand a predominantly Buddhist culture and other parts of Southeast Asia. All were stops along Muslim and European trading routes.
So it wasn't Christianity that caused the spread of the Zika virus long ago. It isn't now. The culprit was then and is now international commerce and the movement of peoples infected from one location to another where people were not infected. This is the most basic premise of Virology 101.
With the flood of illegal immigrants from South and Central America into Mexico and the United States, there is no reason to point the finger at the Catholic Church or Christian morality. Why not point the finger at the root causes of microcephaly in infants? The Mayo Clinic lists those as malnutrition, drug use, and exposure to other common diseases (German measles, rubella and varicella), along with chromosomal abnormalities and other rare diseases.
All of this leads me to believe Raw Story isn't really interested in the truth and accurate reporting. The progressive site is interested in scoring points against Christians and driving them to the margins of the culture. This a well-worn path blaming a religion you dislike for a disease that isn't easily explained or controlled.
That's why Hitler devoted 14-pages of Mein Kampf to his discussion of Syphilis, a disease which he said had aided in Germany's collapse after World War I. In the book that laid out the future dictator's blueprint for Germany's expansion and the Holocaust, he wrote that the task of combating syphilis a disease resulting from the "Jewification of our spiritual life and mammonization of our mating instinct" should "have been made the task of the entire German nation."
Syphilis, Hitler believed, would go away when the Jews and Judaism went away.
So, congratulations, Raw Story on a splendid piece of Hitleresque propaganda, straight from the playbook of one of the world's most notorious mass murderers.
Dr. Gregory Tomlin covers the intersection of politics, culture and religion for Christian Examiner. He is also Assistant Professor of Church History and a faculty instructional mentor for Liberty University Divinity School. Tomlin earned his Ph.D. at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and also studied at Baylor University and Boston University's summer Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs. He wrote his dissertation on Southern Baptists and their influence on military-foreign policy in Vietnam from 1965-1973.
EXCLUSIVE: Pastor calls proposed Jacksonville HRO an SPO 'Special Privilege Ordinance' Editorial Staff | 01 February, 2016 by Joni B. Hannigan
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Christian Examiner) Jacksonville does not need a human rights ordinance protecting gays and lesbians according to its mayor and the pastor of one of the largest churches in town.
Mayor Lenny Curry and Mac Brunson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, have said the only large city in the nation that has not enacted specific protections for gay, lesbian and transgendered people has no need of such a law.
Advocates of legislation for years have pressured the City Council to expand its Human Rights Ordinance by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The New York Times reports more than 200 cities and 17 states have ordinances barring discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
The northern Florida city with a Southern flair and deeply imbedded traditionalism has withstood several attempts to pass such an ordinance, the most recent in the summer of 2012.
Mayor Lenny Curry said in a Jan. 29 letter to City of Jacksonville employees that he remains committed to "honor and respect every individuals life, liberty, and opportunity to pursue happiness."
After three community meetings, however, and numerous meet-ups with various civic, faith, and community leaders in various venues Curry said he doubted legislation would be "prudent," but that he will continue to keep an eye on violent crime and "crippling pension debt."
The newest action comes on the heels of a move by voters in Houston to overwhelmingly repeal by 61-30 percent a Human Rights Ordinance, referred to as a "bathroom bill," that would have allowed men to use women's public accommodations.
PASTOR WEIGHS IN
Brunson, who has encouraged church members to be informed, told Christian Examiner in an exclusive interview, "the HRO is totally and completely unnecessary."
The pastor said despite a campaign apparently designed to promote the idea that those in the LGBT community are being discriminated against, no one has produced any.
"It is simply a way for those in that community to have a rallying point and a cause," Brunson said.
The charges of discrimination, he said, are meant to "incite" the LGBT community to action.
Nonetheless, Brunson said there are those in Jacksonville who act in ways that are not reflective of the community at large.
"I realize that there are individuals here or there who are unchristian and unkind to them because of their lifestyle choice," Brunson said, but denied it is a situation which requires more specific action.
"There are enough civil laws on the books to take care of any and every legitimate issue," Brunson said.
Calling the Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) a "Special Privilege Ordinance (SPO)," Brunson said it opens the door for individuals to want to obtain "special privileges" a number of "fill in the blank" situations.
Brunson said he believes everyone should have the freedom to exercise their beliefs just like when Baptist Hospital and other companies enacted LGBT policies.
"Now, however, the CEO of Baptist who enjoyed that freedom wants to determine that everyone else in the city of Jacksonville must enact the same policy," Brunson said.
If an HRO passes in Jacksonville, Brunson said he fears the demands will become burdensome.
"The dangers here are innumerable and will be staggering for the rest of the city, and make no mistake the counsel members pushing this are laying the ground work for never ending lawsuits and additional legislation," Brunson said.
Further, Brunson said, legislation in the form of an HRO wouldn't be enough to erase the real issue.
"An HRO would never solve the perceived persecution and the sense of rejection those in the LGBT community struggle with," Brunson said. "The fact is, their struggle is not with those who live a different lifestyle, their struggle is within themselves."
The next Jacksonville City Council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 9.
Lead advocate for gay rights reverses position in cake baking case 02 February, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |
BELFAST (Christian Examiner) A gay rights activist at the center of a fight against a family of Christian bakers in Northern Ireland that refused to bake a gay-themed cake has publicly reversed his position now that the family has been found guilty of discrimination.
Same-sex marriage remains illegal in Northern Ireland, but the country's discrimination laws still left Ashers Baking Company in a lurch when it declined to bake the cake for gay rights activist Gareth Lee nearly two years ago, the BBC reported.
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.
Lee ordered a Sesame Street themed cake, which the baker originally agreed to bake. However, Ashers later called Lee and told him the Christian company would not place a pro-gay message on the cake.
Lee then sued the baker, telling the court he was made to feel inferior by Ashers Baking Company, Breitbart reported. The judge in the case found the bakers guilty of violating the nation's anti-discrimination laws, in spite of the fact that Ashers' General Manager Daniel McArthur said the bakery only objected to the placing the message on the cake not to baking the cake itself.
"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," McArthur told Breitbart. "We've always been happy to serve any customers that come into our shops."
Supporting Lee in his fight against what he deemed bigotry and homophobia was Peter Tatchell, an Australian-born gay rights advocate who has spent a significant amount of time campaigning for LGBT rights in Great Britain and the United Kingdom.
Now, as the decision in the Ashers case goes to appeal, Tatchell writes that the circumstances have forced him to reevaluate his position. In a commentary in The Guardian, Tatchell claims he now believes he was wrong.
"I profoundly disagree with Ashers' opposition to same-sex love and marriage, and support protests against them. They claim to be Christians, yet Jesus never once condemned homosexuality, and discrimination is not a Christian value. Ashers' religious justifications are, to my mind, theologically unsound. Nevertheless, on reflection the court was wrong to penalize Ashers and I was wrong to endorse its decision," Tatchell wrote.
That Jesus said nothing of God's created order in marriage is a common, but erroneous argument made by the homosexual lobby. It is rejected by most biblical scholars, but the claim is often used to undercut public opinion.
In this case, Tatchell initially said the lawsuit against Ashers was "well-intended" because it sought to challenge religiously-based homophobia. "But," he wrote, "it was a step too far."
"It pains me to say this, as a long-time supporter of the struggle for LGBT equality in Northern Ireland, where same-sex marriage and gay blood donors remain banned. The equality laws are intended to protect people against discrimination. A business providing a public service has a legal duty to do so without discrimination based on race, gender, faith and sexuality," Tatchell wrote.
"However, the court erred by ruling that Lee was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation and political opinions."
After recognizing that Ashers had, in fact, offered to bake the cake and only objected to the "Support Gay Marriage" message Lee wanted on it, Tatchell said the decision set a dangerous and "worrying precedent."
"Northern Ireland's 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," Tatchell wrote.
Tatchell claimed that should a Christian baker be forced to support the ideology of same-sex marriage with his labor, a Muslim could easily be compelled to publish a cartoon of Muhammad an act which resulted in a terror attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris in January 2015. He also suggested that a Jewish publication might be forced to publish the work of a Holocaust denier, and another might be forced to place anti-immigrant messages on a cake for Neo-Nazis.
Ironically, he also asked if a gay baker would be forced to accept an order on cake with anti-gay slurs.
"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," Tatchell wrote.
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Image: Wikimedia
Chongyi Church
Until last month, Gu Yuese was the senior pastor at Chinas largest government-approved Protestant church. In addition to his responsibilities at the Communist nations first megachurchthe 10,000-member Chongyi ChurchGu also held a leadership role in Chinas state-approved denomination, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM).
But Gus most visible move occurred in 2014 when he publicly opposed a government-sponsored cross-demolition project, which has removed thousands of crosses in an area of Zhejiang province known as Chinas Jerusalem. Chongyi Church is in Zhejiangs capital city, Hangzhou.
In January, the TSPM and China Christian Council forcibly removed Gu from Chongyi Church, saying the change was necessary to move one step closer towards the proper self-construction and management of church locations ... and sort out the interpersonal relationship between the province and the two municipal [Christian] organizations.
Ten days later, Gu was taken into custody and sent to a black jail, a detention facility which falls outside of the countrys established penal system, China Aid reported. The following day, the Chinese government confirmed that Gu was currently undergoing a criminal investigation.
This is really quite an escalation, China Aid president Bob Fu told the Christian Science Monitor (CSM). It sends a signal to silence any potential future dissenting voices from within the church. It tells everyone to shut up.
Gus wife, Zhou Lian Mei, has also been taken police custody, family members told China Aid.
Following Gus dismissal, the couple asked their former congregation to pray for them, hinting ...
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.
Brain-deforming Zika virus poses bigger threat than Ebola, experts warn, noting that victims don't show symptoms
The world is not getting any closer to stopping the spread of the brain-deforming Zika virus, which has already infected thousands of babies and pregnant women around the world, mostly in South America and specifically in Brazil.
Senior medical experts warned over the weekend that the ghastly virus carried by mosquitoes could pose a bigger threat to the world compared to the Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people in African nations.
Jeremy Farrar, head of Wellcome, explained that the Zika virus is more difficult to contain because infected persons do not exhibit any immediate symptoms.
"In many ways the Zika outbreak is worse than the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15. Most virus carriers are symptomless," Farrar told The Mirror.
The medical expert added that the Zika virus targets more vulnerable groups: expectant moms and children in their wombs.
"It is a silent infection in a group of highly vulnerable individuals pregnant women that is associated with a horrible outcome for their babies," he added.
True enough, Colombia's national health institute reported last Saturday that 2,100 pregnant women have already been infected by the Zika virus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also warned Americans of possible outbreaks of the Zika virus.
"We will see mini-outbreaks like in Florida and in Texas that can be well controlled with mosquito vector control," Fauci told CBS News.
He also said the Zika virus outbreak is already a pandemic.
"You have multiple countries in South America and in the Caribbean, so by anybody's definition that would be considered a pandemic," Fauci said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier projected that the Zika virus could infect 4 million people by the end of the year, since it is already "spreading explosively" at present.
The Zika virus is transmitted through the Aegis aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue and yellow fevers.
A report from The Mirror said genetically modified mosquitoes could be blamed for the spread of the Zika virus.
Head of Syrian Catholic Church slams Italy for covering nude statues during Iranian president's museum visit
The head of the Syrian Catholic Church has expressed concern over the decision of Italian authorities to cover nude statues during the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, saying Western culture should have been respected.
"This is our culture. If you [Rouhani] don't want to see it, close your eyes!" Patriarch Youssef III Younan told a media conference in Rome on Thursday, according to the Washington Post.
The patriarch's statement added to the overwhelming reactions and memes from critics mocking Italy's decision to cover up nude statues at Rome's Capitoline Museum with big white boxes and large panels when the Iranian president visited the facility last week.
The decision was condemned by critics as "incomprehensible," "ridiculous," and "submission" to principles that are against Western culture.
Younan spoke about the persecution experienced by Iraq and Syria's Christians, saying the Catholic majority in Italy should have taken a stronger stance during Rouhani's visit.
"This gives a lot of pain to us Christians who have remained, seeing our brothers, who are ready to forget everything for reasons of humanitarian interests, or opportunism,'' he said, noting that many Christians have been targeted by Salafist militant groups in recent years.
The patriarch also talked about the havoc and instability in the region triggered by the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, blaming the U.S. action for much of his constituency's present suffering. Iraqi Christian priests have made similar claims.
"Western media speak about the 'monstrosities' of Assad, saying he's killed 100,000 Syrians," Younan said. "But they don't speak about the 1 million people who died in Iraq as a result of the allied military intervention in 2003. It's all been forgotten."
Speaking on Jan. 27 in Rome, Rouhani said Tehran had not contacted Italian officials to ask for the statues to be covered up. "This issue is something journalists and the press like to discuss,'' he said.
Some Iranians, meanwhile, have likened Italy's decision to cover up nude statues to Iran's state censorship, including tough Internet censorship that targets tens of thousands of websites.
"Smart filtering of statues during #Rouhani's trip to #Italy," reads the tweet that includes a photo of the nude statues covered in the page that Iranians see when they try to access banned websites, according to news reports.
Kansas post office removes 'God Bless America' banner from building, angering residents
A post office in Pittsburg, Kansas removed last Wednesday a "God Bless America" banner hanging from its building after an atheist group filed a complaint that it violated the Establishment Clause, angering residents and sparking the distribution of similar banners in the community.
The removal was prompted by the action taken by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which has been filing complaints in the U.S. using the First Amendment. The group earlier failed to convince Missouri sheriffs to remove "In God We Trust" bumper stickers from their patrol cars and also failed to convince the court to remove the "In God We Trust" message from U.S. currency.
U.S. Post Office spokeswoman Twana Barber said the banner was removed because it violated postal regulations.
"Postal policy prohibits the placement of notices or displays on postal property, unless they are official government notices or announcements, or are approved postal signage, promotional materials or communications," she said in a statement, according to The Joplin Globe.
The vinyl banner was paid for by postal workers after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S.
"After the Sept. 11 attacks, a group of employees came to me and said, 'Let's do something'," said Ed Hinde, who was the postmaster from 1987 to 2003. "The employees paid for half of it, and I paid for half of it."
Madeline Ziegler of FFRF said, "We're very pleased that the post office took the right steps to separate church and state and abide by the post office regulations."
"It's a shame that 23,000 people can control the desires of millions of other Americans," said Martin Dickson, Pittsburg resident. "I recognise the separation and the reason for it. But I also realise that we need God's blessing more now than ever."
The banner removal has prompted residents to display banners and signs all over their town.
Dickson, who owns the Jayhawk Signs & Graphics, said they decided to cut prices of "God Bless America" signs and banners after the removal of the post office banner.
"We're not doing it for the business. We're doing this to promote America," said Dickinson, who also works as a priest at All Saints Anglican in Chicopee.
Leading New Wine and CofE pastor resigns from all posts
A leading evangelical pastor has stepped down from all church leadership roles after a meeting with the Bishop of Gloucester Rachel Treweek.
Rev Mark Bailey was the national leader of New Wine, a thriving, charismatic evangelical network of churches with a dynamic and lively minstry around the country. He was also Team Rector of the hugely successful evangelical church, Trinity Cheltenham.
The announcement by the trustees of New Wine that they had accepted his resignation, made with "the greatest sadness and regret", stunned the close-knit evangelical community in the UK and some prominent members of New Wine and the Church of England sought prayers for Bailey on social media networks such as Facebook.
The details of the case are not being disclosed but he is now subject to proceedings under the Clergy Discipline Measure. Neither the police nor any other statutory agencies are involved.
His decision to step down from his leadership roles follows his meeting with Bishop Treweek, a meeting that he requested.
The New Wine trustees said: "Please pray for Mark and Karen, their family and friends and for everyone at Trinity, Cheltenham as they cope with the shock and pain of this. The Trustees recognise and share the deep distress that this news will cause. They are profoundly conscious of their need for God's guidance and wisdom in the weeks ahead and encourage all friends of New Wine to pray for them, for New Wine itself and for all those personally involved."
In the meantime, John Coles has been appointed interim chair of trustees and discussions began yesterday about the best way forward for New Wine.
The trustees continued: "At a time like this the Trustees recognise our common brokenness. Their prayer is that the wonders of God's grace will be the more powerfully shown."
Bailey has been removed from the New Wine website's details of the leadership team and has also suspended himself from Twitter.
I'm taking a break from Twitter as I step down from leading Trinity & New Wine. It's time to put on my own oxygen mask now #pleasepray mark bailey (@markbailey_) January 31, 2016
Bailey has been pastor at the church in Cheltenham for more than 20 years and involved in ministry for more than 27 years. He was previously a university chaplain and before that served his curacy. He has also worked in the secular world, in finance.
A Christian for more than 30 years, he grew up in a Christian home and his father was a minister. "Everything about church life drove me away from church. I gave myself to the God of my life which was rugby," he said in a New Wine video on leadership. He was seriously injured, and while confined to bed, began reading Scripture. "I came across this character called Jesus who basically bore no resemblance to anything I'd come across in church before. I realised that he loved me and I was in love with him."
He was prayed for, was healed and that changed his life. "Basically I've wanted to give back to the one who's given me everything ever since then." Soon after he and his wife Karen were married, he got involved in church leadership at St Aldates Oxford, working with the theologican and Rector, Rev Michael Green.
He was appointed as the National Director for New Wine in October 2013.
Love Auto-Repair: How one church's mechanical ministry is bringing good news to its community
"Joyful tears are a pretty common thing around here," Craid Agapie told News Sentinel. Those aren't the words you'd expect to hear from a mechanic in his garage.
Craig Agapie is the manager of Love Auto Repair, a Christian garage seeking to be good news to downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, by providing affordable car-repairs and apprenticeships for young people in the foster-system.
"We exist for three reasons: to humbly serve the poor who can't afford car repair anywhere reputable; to save fellow Christians money on a necessity so they can choose where to reinvest their savings into the kingdom and coming online this year is our main mission: to train automotive-minded foster kids who are ageing out of the system into the next generation of technicians," Agapie said.
"We strive for excellence in all we do, but cars rust away... people are eternal. Our ministry is about much more than fixing cars."
The auto-repair shop is a ministry of Love Church, a local church in Fort Wayne, in response to the most urgent needs of people with low-incomes. It has now become a sustainable business, "financially helping Love Church continue its mission of inner city, holistic life ministry."
Agapie has previously worked as a pilot, and used to fix friends' cars on the side in his own garage.
"My flying job was fun but not eternally meaningful," he said. He had been expecting to be laid off "because the company was rapidly shrinking." Instead of finding another job in aviation, he heard God say: "Stay in Fort Wayne; don't pursue a flying job elsewhere."
A few months later Agapie lost his job. Although "no one knew I was laid off on Tuesday... Love Church called on Wednesday" asking if he could run Love Auto Repair.
"Had the days been reversed, I probably would have said no why leave a 'glorious', much better-paying job with benefits for a start-up non-profit auto ministry with no equipment, no supplies and a four-year history of being propped up by the church?
"[It] didn't sound wise in our eyes, but God brought me through my life up to that point, building the skill and character needed to make it a blessing to both me and the community," he said.
Mark Driscoll announces launch of new church in Phoenix
Mark Driscoll is to open a new church in Arizona following his well-documented resignation from Mars Hill in October 2014.
In an email to supporters, Mark and his wife Grace have announced the launch of The Trinity Church in Phoenix, Arizona, named after Grace's home church in Seattle.
In a similar leadership structure to Driscoll's former church, four male pastors are listed as providing "wise counsel". They include Larry Osborne, a former member of the board of advisers at Mars Hill, as well as Randal Taylor, Jimmy Evans and Robert Morris. Taylor, Evans and Morris also sit on the church's legal governing board, or board of directors.
The church's website contains an extensive list of other high-powered church leaders praying for Driscoll's new venture.
Although conservative theologian Wayne Gruden was initially listed on the prayer team, his name has since been removed without explanation.
Josh McDowell, author and evangelical apologist, is on the list alongside Perry Noble, senior pastor at New Spring Church in South Carolina, and Trevor Barton, lead pastor at The Creek Churck, Kentucky.
Andy Girton and Brandon Anderson, two former staff members at Mars Hill, are listed as associate pastors.
Although Driscoll's biography on the new site admits the family have had "the most challenging year of their lives" there is no explicit mention of Driscoll's former church, Mars Hill in Seattle. The church disbanded following Driscoll's resignation as accusations of bullying, plagiarism, emotional abuse and manipulation mounted against him.
"He took over a year off from local pastoral ministry to learn, repent, grow, heal, and meet with many people involved," The Trinity Church's website states.
"During this time, Pastor Mark and Grace walked with professional and pastoral counsel who have all agreed that they and their children are ready to return to local church ministry with a new season and a new church in the new city of Phoenix."
"It's the elephant in the room," said Warren Throckmorton, a psychology professor at Pennsylvania's Grove City College and blogger who has documented Driscoll's saga at Patheos.
Nevetheless Throckmorton admits Driscoll has managed to assemble "a pretty high powered group" behind the launch of Trinity.
Brian Jacobs, a former deacon at Mars Hill, said he found it surprising so many people would publicly declare their support, despite Grudem's disappearence from the list.
The meeting point for Trinity is unknown and the church's official address is a P.O. box in Pheonix.
Sunday trading back on the cards despite strong opposition
Plans to liberalise Sunday trading laws are back on the cards although the government is yet to publish the results of a public consultation.
The measures will be slipped in as part of the Enterprise Bill announced today by business secretary Sajid Javid. This is the second time the government has suggested extending Sunday trading after it was dropped in November following stiff opposition from MPs of all parties.
Under current legislation, large shops are only allowed to open for six hours on a Sunday. However George Osborne unveiled plans in his Budget to allow local councils to decide the Sunday trading laws for themselves. This would give councils the power to change the regulations to permit large shops to open all day on Sunday.
However the proposals were dropped last year following strong opposition from the Church of England and Christian lobby groups. Up to 20 Tories, led by Christian MP David Burrowes, announced they would rebel if there was a vote which, plus opposition from Labour and SNP MPs, would have meant an embarrassing defeat for the government with its slender majority.
Now the proposals have returned with the department for business insisting "devolving Sunday trading powers to local authorities in England and Wales could benefit British businesses."
"These new powers are about giving local areas the choice to extend Sunday trading hours to meet the needs of their local businesses and communities," Javid said today. "It is local people who will make the decision."
However shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said the attempt to bring the measure through at such a late stage in the Enterprise Bill was a "gross abuse of power".
In an attempt to allay concerns raised about shop workers welfare, the business department announced they would have a new right to opt-out of working additional hours. Furthermore "workers will now be able to give just one month's notice to large shops that they no longer want to work Sundays, down from the previous three months", a statement read.
However Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Alan Smith, said in a statement sent to Christian Today the changes would still "have a negative effect on community and family life" and would not bring "any tangible economic benefit".
"We know that over half of shop workers in large stores already feel pressure to work on Sundays, and an increase in opening hours will only lead to more people being pressured into spending Sunday apart from their children and families," he said.
"This can only be damaging to community and family life and erode opportunities for shared time and activity, which is central to human flourishing and the common good."
The Keep Sunday Special campaign also voiced their opposition to the changes, suggesting the effect of devolving Sunday trading regulations would force alll councils to liberalise the laws.
If one local authority removed Sunday trading rules, others would be likely to follow #EnterpriseBill pic.twitter.com/O9iC08kubM Keep Sunday Special (@KSundayS) February 2, 2016
Nola Leach, CEO of Christian policy charity CARE who have campaigned against the changes said the government was "putting economic gain over family stability".
"These proposals fail the Prime Minister's family test because they will clearly have a negative impact on family life, reducing time off in common and requiring longer hours for many retail workers," she said.
Leach also questioned why the results of a public consultation on Sunday trading had not been published.
However Christian Today understands the 20 MPs who voiced concerns when the proposals were first aired are still opposed to any extension of Sunday trading. If they maintain their opposition it is unlikely the measures will pass.
Ted Cruz calls Iowa win a victory for 'conservative grass roots'; Hillary Clinton wins by closest margin
Relishing his victory in the first Republican nominating contest of the U.S. presidential election, Senator Ted Cruz called his defeat of Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses a tribute to "conservative grass roots."
Cruz also said the result from Monday's contest was a rebuke to what he called President Barack Obama's liberal agenda and a win for "Judeo-Christian values."
"This is the power of the conservative grass roots," the senator from Texas told CNN on Tuesday.
"One of the greatest lies that gets told on the airwaves over and over again is that this country has somehow embraced Barack Obama's big government. That's not true. This is a center-right country. This is a country built on Judeo-Christian values," he said.
Cruz won the Republican Iowa caucuses with 28 percent of the vote compared with 24 percent for businessman Trump, whose aggressive and unorthodox campaign has been marked by controversies ranging from his calls to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States to his pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Marco Rubio, 44, a U.S. senator from Florida, came in third with 23 percent, making a stronger-than-expected finish and establishing himself as the mainstream Republican alternative to the two front-running rivals in the race to represent the party at the Nov.8 presidential election.
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won by a razor-thin margin against U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history.
Clinton, 68, prevailed by only four delegates, according to party figures, Sanders, 74, a self-described democratic socialist who has strongly attacked Clinton's campaign from the left, declared the result a virtual tie after he had trailed the former first lady in opinion polls for months.
"I think the significance is for folks who did not think Bernie Sanders could win, that we could compete against Hillary Clinton, I hope that thought is now gone," Sanders told CNN.
Iowa has held the first nominating contest in the country since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning candidates as they head into months of state-by-state battles.
EVANGELICAL SUPPORT
Cruz, 45, was buoyed by evangelical support.
His strong get-out-the-vote effort helped counter the enthusiasm from large crowds that have shown up for Trump's rallies. The real estate magnate skipped the last Republican debate before the caucus because of a dispute with host Fox News.
An uncharacteristically humbled Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination. Opinion polls show Trump leading nationally and in New Hampshire, which holds the next nominating contest next week.
"I'm just honored," Trump said.
Republican establishment candidates more traditional than Rubio did not fare well in Iowa. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush took 2.8 percent, Ohio Governor John Kasich took 1.9 percent, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took 1.8 percent.
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, fueling the campaigns of Trump, Sanders and Cruz.
Two White House hopefuls, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who had trouble gaining any traction in the Democratic race, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, suspended their campaigns after doing badly in Iowa.
Rip it, burn it, tear it, cut it the art of destruction
The horrifying legacy of the Holocaust, the Atom Bomb and the Cold War produced a generation of European and Japanese artists who, in the 1950s, developed a radical new approach to painting. Roberto Marrone explains
There can be no poetry after Auschwitz, the philosopher and composer Theodor Adorno had famously warned, and yet throughout Europe and Japan in the 1950s especially in those areas most devastated by war, it seems disparate groups of artists developed an entirely new approach to painting rooted in the idea of destruction as a creative process.
Almost simultaneously and often ignorant of one another and their work, theirs was an attempt to break wholly with the ideological traditions of the past and, through a variety of destructive processes, create something honest, positive and true: to build a new art that, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, would serve as a kind of alchemical act of transformative redemption, regeneration and healing.
Ranging from the elemental material and spatial practices of artists like Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) in Italy or Antoni Tapies and Manolo Millares in Spain, to the urban poetics of the French Nouveau Realists or the performative paintings of the Gutai group in Japan, these artists were all making work that in one way or another was distinguished by its violent assault on the traditional, two-dimensional plane of the canvas ripping, burning, tearing, cutting, puncturing, disrupting and even destroying it, and all the formalist ideas it entailed.
Lucio Fontana (1899-1968), Concetto spaziale, 1964-1965. Ink on paper. 19.3/4 x 23.1/2in. (50.2 x 59.8cm.) Estimate: 35,000-50,000. This work is offered in the Post-war and Contemporary Art Day Auction on 12 February at Christies London
I make a hole in the canvas in order to leave behind the old pictorial formulae, Lucio Fontana said, and I escape, symbolically, but also materially, from the prison of the flat surface. Fontanas destructive puncturing of the canvas was ultimately, therefore, an act of liberation.
Shozo Shimamoto (1928-2013), Palazzo Ducale 18, 2008. Enamel and broken glass on canvas. 62.3/8 x 72.1/4in. (158.5 x 183.3cm.) Estimate: 50,000-70,000. This work is offered in the Post-war and Contemporary Art Day Auction on 12 February at Christies London
Like the gesture of Fontanas spatialist assaults on the canvas, the destructive approach of the Gutai group in Japan was also largely performative. There, in the 1950s, artists like Saburo Murakami were kicking and punching their way through the back of a canvas to create poignant and temporary works that showed their wounds.
Shozo Shimamoto (1928-2013), too, was literally bombarding the surfaces of his works with such a violent array of pigment and glass that they visually recalled the firestorms that had devastated Japanese cities during the war.
Kazuo Shiraga (1924-2008), Hatsu, 2007. Watercolour, gouache, ink and oil on paper. 42.3/4 x 30.1/8in. (108.5 x 76.5cm.) Estimate: 20,000-25,000. This work is offered in the Post-war and Contemporary Art Day Auction on 12 February at Christies London
In contrast, Kazuo Shiraga (1924-2008) who set up his own group Zero-kai (Zero society) and wanted to make an absolute, clean break with all the traditions of the past, set about literally turning the practice of painting on its head by painting pictures using his feet.
In contrast to the implicit violence of the Gutai painters, Antoni Tapies adopted a profoundly more traditional, Eastern, meditative approach to the creation of his work. Like the Gutai artists, however, Tapies unique approach to painting and the often wall-like appearance of many of his pictures had been borne out of the trauma of the Spanish Civil War that he had experienced directly as a child.
The image-plastered walls of Paris and Rome in the early 1950s served as the ground zero for artists who anticipated Pop Art
At this time, Tapies own house in Barcelona, along with his grandfathers bookstore, had been destroyed by bombing while the scratched, scarred, pitted and graffitied walls of the besieged city all around him graphically articulated what he later described as the dramatic sufferings of adults and all the cruel fantasies of those of my own age, who seemed abandoned to their own impulses in the midst of so many catastrophes.
It was the image-plastered walls of Paris and Rome in the early 1950s that served as the ground zero from which the affichists and Nouveau Realistes made their decollage pictures works that anticipated Pop Art.
Mimmo Rotella (1918-2006), Sirena, 1960. Decollage on canvas. 28 x 16in. (72 x 43cm.) Estimate: 12,000-18,000. This work is offered in the Post-war and Contemporary Art Day Auction on 12 February at Christies London
Created by mounting heavily encrusted layers of street posters on canvas and tearing strips off these to reveal an abstract pattern of multiple-layered imagery coming through from beneath, artists like Mimmo Rotella (1918-2006) and Jacques Villegle transformed the decay and detritus of the urban landscape into affecting portraits of the multiplicity and transience of the mass-media age.
Meanwhile, for fellow Nouveau Realiste Yves Klein (1928-1962), all material, whatever its nature, was mere ephemera. For this self-professed champion of the void and immateriality, his fire paintings were, he said, the ashes of his art, serving largely as signposts on the path he advocated from the world of matter to a spiritual and physical transcendence. Klein used fire as a purifying element a destructive but also purging force that not only destroyed the picture plane but also created it anew.
Yves Klein (1928-1962), LEau et le Feu (F 122), 1961. Charred cardboard on board. 16 x 8in. (41 x 21.8cm) Estimate: 200,00-300,000. This work is offered in the Post-war and Contemporary Art Day Auction on 12 February at Christies London
The artist had seen the sinister fire-burned shadows of human beings created by the atomic blast in Hiroshima during his 15-month stay in Japan between 1952 and 1953. In fire paintings such as LEau et le Feu (F122), these tragic forms of human disintegration find a positive echo whereby the shadowy embers of Kleins fire not only burn into and disrupt the flat plane of the picture but, in so doing, transform it into a hopeful image of living, immaterial spirit invigorating the material world.
Main image at top: Lucio Fontana creating Buchi, 1964. Photo Ugo Mulas Ugo Mulas Heirs. All rights reserved. Lucio Fontana/SIAE/DACS, London 2016
One of the most important private sales in history
How Christies helped to secure two record-breaking masterpieces by Rembrandt van Rijn for the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum
Facilitated through Christies Private Sales channel, the first ever joint acquisition of two exceptional Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) masterpieces by the French and Dutch states was concluded on 1 February, with the portraits being bought for 160 million 80 million each, and thus becoming the most expensive Old Master paintings in history.
The portraits of Maerten Soolmans and his wife Oopjen Coppit were executed in 1634, a year after the couples wedding. It was announced by the two countries that the pair will be always shown together, alternately at the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum, but will be owned separately due to French acquisition laws.
Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Maerten Soolmans, 1634. Overall canvas size: 209.5 x 135.5 cm. Sight size: 207.5 x 132 cm. Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Oopjen Coppit, 1634. Overall canvas size: 210 x 134.5 cm. Sight size: 207.5 x 132 cm.
They are due to be exhibited publicly for the first time in 60 years at the Louvre in Paris in a few weeks time. The joint acquisition of the portraits by the two nations for allocation to the museums, in a deal negotiated by Christies, is the first of its kind.
The portraits entered the prestigious Rothschild collection in 1878 and were last exhibited publicly in 1956, in the Netherlands. As a result, they are the least known masterpieces in Rembrandts oeuvre.
These two great Rembrandt van Rijn portraits will now take their place among the greatest works of art, in the heart of Europe, to be appreciated for many generations to come
To have played our part in this historic sale of these magnificent masterpieces from such a prestigious private collection is a fitting start to this 250th anniversary year for Christies, said Patricia Barbizet, the companys Chief Executive Officer.
It is a testament to the vision shown by the French Republic, the Louvre, the State of the Netherlands and the Rijksmuseum that these two great Rembrandt van Rijn portraits will now take their place among the greatest works of art in the heart of Europe, to be appreciated for many generations to come.
In 1634, the year Rembrandt completed the portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit, he was, at the age of only 28, the most fashionable portrait painter in Amsterdam. In the first decades of the 17th century, Holland, the small Republic which was born out of the secession from its Spanish Catholic rulers, experienced a period of unparalleled prosperity, becoming one of the main economic centres of the Western world.
In a climate of religious tolerance and intellectual freedom, art, literature and science flourished. Emerging from this transformation, a new class of wealthy and affluent citizenry was eager to have its likeness adorned with the trappings of success recorded in paint for posterity.
Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Maerten Soolmans (detail), 1634. Overall canvas size: 209.5 x 135.5 cm. Sight size: 207.5 x 132 cm.
Born to a well-to-do Calvinist family who had fled from Antwerp to Amsterdam during the wars of religion, Maerten Soolmans (1613-1641) became acquainted with Rembrandt during his stay in Leiden from 1628 to 1633. Furthermore, the names of Soolmans and Rembrandt appear on a document, dated 24 March 1631, found in the archive of a Leiden-based solicitor, Caerl Outerman, who himself was the proud owner of a painting by Rembrandt.
Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669), Portrait of Oopjen Coppit (detail), 1634. Overall canvas size: 210 x 134.5 cm. Sight size: 207.5 x 132 cm.
Maerten Soolmans married Oopjen Coppit (1611-1689) in 1633. Two years his elder, she was the orphan daughter of an old and respected Amsterdam family whose circle also included patrons of the young Rembrandt. It proved a glittering match for Soolmans, since his wife not only brought him the prestige of her ancestry, but also a colossal dowry of 35,000 guilders. This fortune easily provided the newlyweds with the necessary funds to pay for this grand commission, estimated to have cost 500 guilders for each canvas, a substantial sum at the time.
The couple had their first child in 1633, and marked this happy event with a further purchase from Rembrandt, this time an image of domestic felicity, The Holy Family, dating from 1634. Today, the painting is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Rembrandts portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit are among the grandest he ever painted lasting tributes to the status of his sitters and the importance of their patronage to the young artist.
The previous record price for an Old Master painting was set at auction in 2002 when The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens was bought for 49.5 million.
Find out more about Christies Private Sales
February 2, 1996: On this day, Houston record producer Huey Meaux, a man who well known for launching Houston's Crazy Cajun Records, Sugar Hill Recording Studios, and a Pasadena club for kids called Teentown, was sued by a 25-year-old woman named Shannon McDowell Brasher. She accused Meaux of abusing her sexually from the ages of 9 to 16 when she and her mother lived with Meaux.
She claimed Meaux used illegal drugs to get her to submit to his "sexual assaults, exploitation and other perverted and unnatural sex acts." And, as if that wasn't despicable enough, he also encouraged others to assault her while he photographed and videotaped the acts.
Sadly, by the time Brasher's story came to light, it came as no surprise to anyone. Two days earlier, Houston Police raided Meaux's offices at the Sugar Hill Recording Studio and seized cocaine and some 2,000 child pornography photos and videotapes. After reviewing the evidence, Police confirmed that Meaux used drugs to lure numerous children into the 'playroom' at the back of his leased Sugar Hill Recording Studio offices at 5626 Brock. He had sexual encounters with children as young as 8.
Related gallery: Infamous crimes in the Houston area
Meax was arrested, went free on $130,000 bond, but was ordered to remain in Harris County and wear an electronic monitor. However, four days after Brasher's lawsuit, Meaux fled Houston and became a fugitive. A month later, on March 5, Meaux was found and arrested at a hotel in Juarez, Mexico. He was turned over to FBI agents in El Paso and later brought back to Houston.
The disgraced child molester pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child, a drug possession charge, a child pornography charge, and another for jumping bail. He was only sentenced to 15 years in prison, which is appalling to me, and even worse, he only served 11 years, as he was released in 2007. He died on April 23, 2011, at the age of 82.
By the way, and you won't believe this, but In 2010, he actually formed a new label in Albuquerque, New Mexico called Freedom Express Records. If you happen to own the album he released on that label, just remember to recycle!
What story would you like to hear told on This Forgotten Day in Houston? Tweet me, Michael Callahan, @MCallahanTV using #ForgottenDayHOU.
The Original Ninfa's on Navigation soon will begin serving a limited menu of classic original dishes while it is renovating its kitchen. That project could last three weeks during which the restaurant's outdoor patio will be converted to a temporary tented kitchen.
Legacy Restaurants, which has owned and operated the Original Ninfa's since 2006, decided to create a party atmosphere during the kitchen's much-needed renovation project. So it decided to go back to 1973 when Mama Ninfa first opened her restaurant, highlighting a limited selection of dishes that made her famous. During the kitchen renovation the only dishes offered will be Chile con Queso, Ninfa's Salad, Original Tacos (beef fajita, chicken, pork, grilled shrimp, grilled redfish, or grilled octopus), quesadillas, fajita burger, and breakfast tacos (during weekend brunch).
Dallas County Health and Human Services has confirmed a case of Zika infection through sexual transmission, the first confirmed case of locally acquired Zika in the current outbreak.
According to public health officials, the patient was infected after having sexual contact with an ill person who returned from a country where Zika is circulating.
A Louisiana man is battling for his life in the hospital after he was shot Monday night during an argument with another man at a motel along U.S. 290 in northwest Houston.
The shooting happened about 10 p.m. at Crestwood Suites at 12925 Northwest Freeway near Pinemont, said Mark Coleman, a homicide investigator with the Houston Police Department.
Coleman said a man and woman, both from Louisiana, had been staying at the motel for a few days when another man arrived, apparently looking for the woman. The two men, both in their late twenties to early thirties, got into an argument. During the confrontation, the man who was staying at the motel with the woman pulled out a gun and shot the newly arrived man. The woman, in her mid to late twenties, was not hurt.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was rushed to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center. Details of his injuries were not released but police said he was in critical condition.
When police arrived, officers detained the suspect. Investigators are questioning him. Officers found a gun and a knife at the scene.
Coleman said investigators are uncertain about the relationship between the woman and the men. However, he added, the shooting appears to be a domestic dispute. The victim, he said, apparently knew the woman was at the motel with the other man.
Police are investigating the case. So far no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.
A man was shot in the back early Tuesday morning during an argument with his roommates at an apartment complex in southeast Houston.
The shooting happened about 3:30 a.m. at 8600 Broadway near Rockhill Street, said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department.
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Investigators are at the scene after two people were reportedly found dead Tuesday at a home in northwest Harris County.
The discovery was made about 11:40 a.m. in the 10220 block of Crooks Way Court near Churchill Way Drive, after a relative requested a welfare check on the home's residents, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Dear Abby:
I recently decided that I wanted to help an infertile couple conceive by becoming an egg donor. I'm well-educated and have a job I love. I understand the commitment both timewise and emotionally. I am now part of a registry, and I could be selected for a donation at any time.
Like other young women, I am dating. However, I am conflicted about whether to tell my dates about my involvement with egg donation and if so, how. I understand that this is extremely personal, but at the same time I could have genetic offspring out there. Can you advise?
Helping Out in Baton Rouge
Dear Helping Out:
I do not think it would be appropriate to share this information with any man you are seeing casually. However, if a relationship becomes serious, you should discuss it. A way to start the conversation would be to say, "It's said that the most meaningful gift a person can give is a gift of self. Well, I have taken it literally."
Dear Abby:
My 22-year-old daughter is back living at home. She has been bringing her boyfriends home and having sex in her room. I have a real problem with it. There are younger children living here. My husband is not aware of what goes on behind her closed doors at night. How should I handle this?
Still Under My Roof
Dear Still:
If you prefer not to involve your husband in this, have a private chat with your daughter and tell her you are not comfortable. Tell her that if she wants to have sex, she should do it elsewhere, not under your roof with younger children nearby. Because it's your home, your rules should apply.
Dear Abby:
My girlfriend of two years was offered the opportunity to travel to Nepal for a month-long stay. Leading up to the trip, I tried not to be jealous, but I did say childish things like, "You're leaving me for a mountain?" However, before she left, I told her I knew it was a great opportunity and that she should enjoy herself.
She emailed me a couple of nights ago about how she and two of her male guides went to a bar where she got drunk. They plan on going again.
I can't help but worry that she may be taken advantage of. I didn't mention my concerns and even encouraged her to go and have fun. But am I wrong to feel worried?
Left at Home in Florida
Dear Left at Home:
You're not wrong to feel worried. Does your girlfriend drink at home? If so, how does it affect her? At high altitudes the effects of alcohol can be magnified.
You should have warned her to be careful because what she did was risky.
Retired airline pilot Bob Miller had always wanted to build things to help people, but it wasn't until he was well into retirement that he finally followed his dream.
Four years ago, the lifelong member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod joined the church's Laborers for Christ, a group of volunteers from across the country who assist with building and renovation projects.
Laborers for Christ has brought him to the Cypress area to work on a different project that allows him to help others and share his faith.
Miller, 69, is leading a crew of eight volunteers to work on 16 group homes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Cypress, Spring and Tomball as part of a three-year initiative to renovate more than 170 group homes and facilities across the country that are run by Bethesda Lutheran Communities.
The volunteers started work on the first two homes, located in Cypress, in early January and expect to wrap up work on all the homes by the end of March. The work involves painting, plumbing, roof repairs and general maintenance, generating substantial savings for Bethesda.
Miller, who traveled with his wife from Granbury and lives out of his recreational vehicle in Tomball, said the work is interesting and deeply satisfying. A keen carpenter, he enjoys working with his hands, finds the community of his fellow laborers uplifting and is gratified to help out.
Miller and fellow volunteers receive a minimal sum for living expenses.
"What we are trying to do is cut costs so (Bethesda) can use the money for other things," Miller said.
His previous work with the Laborers group included constructing three churches and an activity center.
Bethesda staff and residents of one of the Cypress homes at 18211 KZ Road, where maintenance work is under way, were happy to have the help.
"We're able to save money on maintenance of our facilities, and they are doing good quality work," said Tamico Melvin, regional director for Bethesda's southern region. "They are very efficient."
Melvin, who oversees day-to-day operations of the homes, which typically house up to six, said that while all Bethesda's facilities are generally in good order, the maintenance work brings them to a higher-quality standard.
In addition, Melvin said the partnership between Laborers for Christ and Bethesda presents an opportunity for residents and the volunteers to commune and build relationships. Each home will host a thank-you dinner for Miller and his crew when work is completed.
By partnering with the Laborers group, Bethesda communities, which provides services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to support them in living as independently as possible, is expected to reap savings of around $1.5 million for work on 172 properties in 14 states, according to Melvin.
And people like Miller and his fellow laborers have the satisfaction of using their talents to help their fellow man and evangelize.
"Laborers and Bethesda are two iconic Lutheran service organizations - it is a perfect fit for us to work together and share Christ's love," said Max Biesenthal, Lutheran Church Extension Fund's senior vice president of ministry support.
For more information about Laborers for Christ, visit lcef.org/facilities_planning/
For information about Bethesda, visit bethesdalutherancommunities.org/.
Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle
Fort Bend County commissioners on Tuesday approved agreements that will allow jail inmates to continue to have access to adult education and chaplain services.
Basic education services are to be provided for inmates by Wharton County Junior College, pending the receipt of grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education. The county will not bear any of the cost.
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Some Katy groups want residents to know that you don't have to go to Houston to find a museum district or cutting-edge art exhibits.
A number of Katy-themed museums beckon, and the groups that operate them seek to reach beyond their facilities with outreach programs into the community.
The city of Katy has its own museum district, featuring a facilities highlighting contemporary art, military veterans and Katy history.
The Katy Heritage Society has done its part to preserve local history, managing both the Katy Heritage Park Historical Homes, 5990 George Bush Drive, and the Katy Heritage Society Railroad Museum, 5615 First St., housed inside the historic Missouri-Kansas-Texas Depot.
More Information Want to go? Katy Veterans Memorial Museum: 6202 George Bush Drive, 281-391-8387 Katy Contemporary Art Museum: 805 Ave. B, 832-857-1340, www.katycam.com Katy Heritage Museum: 6002 George Bush Drive, 281-574-8618, cityofkaty.com/visit-us/museums. Katy Heritage Park Historical Homes: 5990 George Bush Drive, 281-391-2550, www.katyheritagesociety.com Katy Heritage Society Railroad Museum: 5615 First St., 281-391-2550, www.katyheritagesociety.com See More Collapse
The two-year-old Katy Contemporary Art Museum, 805 Ave. B, remains open after a scare last year in which the organization thought it might have to move from its facility after the owner put out a for-sale sign.
Director and curator Ana Villaronga-Roman is negotiating a two-year lease that would be binding to any new owner and is exploring ideas for the nonprofit group eventually building its own facility.
Run by volunteers, the museum stages exhibitions and workshops and presents contemporary paintings, photography and sculpture.
The museum was established in 2013 by Villaronga-Roman, who started her career as a gallery director and art consultant before moving to Katy, where she became president of the Katy Area Artists in 2011. She continued to work in galleries and also wrote about art and design.
She remains a principal at Tradarte, a company that selects and purchases fine art for residential and commercial spaces.
Four years ago, Villaronga-Roman started the Katy Culture and Arts Alliance.
The museum building originally housed the Ray Woods Lumber and Supply Co. in 1953.
"I saw the potential in this historic building with lots of fantastic, natural light," Villaronga-Roman said. "I thought, 'This needs to be an art museum.' Finding that building lit a lightbulb in my head."
She believed that having a physical location for the arts would be a boon for Katy.
"If we had an arts museum, we would have a permanent home for the arts in the community," she said. "It would be a magnet for the historic district as well."
The museum has hosted a number of exhibits focused mainly on local and regional contemporary artists.
The facility also hosts several events and workshops throughout the year.
Villaronga-Roman said one of her goals is to educate the public about contemporary art.
"The majority of people in our area think of contemporary art as abstract, and that's just not so," she said.
The museum also has a gift shop featuring made-in-Katy items.
"It's fantastic how many artists have come out of the woodwork," she said. "No one knew they were making art out here, because they didn't have a place to show it. They feel like they belong now."
Villaronga-Roman urges residents to become members of the museum and spread the word.
"Tell your family, friends and neighbors," she said. "It all helps tremendously. The hardest battle we have is that a large percent of the population still doesn't know we exist."
Admission costs $2. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Agricultural heritage
The city maintains the Katy Heritage Museum, 6002 George Bush Drive, offering guests a glimpse of old photographs and antiques. The museum started as the pet project of former City Administrator Johnny Nelson, who is curator of the collection.
A number of years ago, Nelson heard that a local rice farmer Charles Cardiff was putting his restored equipment up for sale on Ebay.
"I decided that we didn't need to do that and that we needed to keep that equipment here in Katy," he said. "I took it to City Council and asked for funding, and they gave it to me."
The museum opened in 2002, featuring displays detailing Katy's agricultural and pioneering history.
"We opened and we had to enlarge our space immediately, only after a few months," Nelson said. "People kept donating items to us."
The space has grown to 9,600 square feet and is open from noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Schools and groups are invited to make arrangements for special tours. Admission is free.
"There's a lot of Katy's history in this museum, and people really enjoy it," Nelson said. "Everyone who's visited thinks it's worth seeing."
The museum can be reached at 281-574-8618 or cityofkaty.com/visit-us/museums.
Veterans visit schools
Also in the city is the Katy Veterans Memorial Museum, 6202 George Bush Drive, which seeks to educate about contributions of local members of the Armed Forces in the nation's conflicts.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day and admission is free. A local veteran is usually on duty to guide guests through the museum or describe the experience of being enlisted.
"We cover all American conflicts - from the (American Revolution) to the present," assistant director Betty Edmundson said.
The museum, which is part of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 9182, opened in 1996 and was dedicated by former president George Bush. The museum started with a collection of artifacts gathered by members of the organization.
"It started with donations from the VFW," Edmundson said. "It has just exploded since then. We've gotten artifacts from all over the country.
"People are finding some of the best artifacts you could imagine at garage sales and country knick-knack stores," she said.
The collection was first housed in one room and expanded to the space next door in 2010. The finished facility is divided into three sections - the Hall of Freedom, the Walk of Heroes and the Hall of Fame. One of the displays is the three different Medals of Honor.
Edmundson said the museum is involved in a number of educational outreach programs.
"We work with any school district that would like to have us help them out," she said. "We go out to the schools, and they come out to us. We do whatever we can for the students. It's very important to have something like this, and it's our obligation to our community and the children to educate them about the sacrifices made by our men and women."
She added that students learn most with hands-on experiences.
"They can come in and put their hands on these artifacts," she said. "They can talk to veterans about their experiences in these conflicts. It makes a bigger impression on the kids."
The museum opens for group tours, and extra effort is made to accommodate visitors.
"We do not charge any entry fees because a price cannot be put on history," Edmunson said.
As the widow of a veteran, Edmundson finds the museums' mission especially important.
"This is my way of honoring all the men and women who have fought for our country," she said.
The museum has become a gathering place for veterans.
"The veterans feel comfortable coming here, bringing their families and their friends," Edmundson said. "It helps them open up about some of their experiences."
Guests may watch a collection of films made about individual veterans in the area and read a collection of history books in the museum library.
The museum accepts donations for upkeep and maintenance and welcomes contribution of items to the collection.
For more information, call 281-391-8387.
A vanishing heritage
The Katy Heritage Society was established as a nonprofit in 1979 with a mission to protect local history.
The organization owns the historic structures at Katy Heritage Park and operates the Katy Heritage Society Railroad Museum housed in the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Depot.
Katy Heritage Park is free and open to the public the first weekend of every month from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The groups also hosts free community concerts from its bandstand and conducts tours for students.
While the buildings are located in a city park, the nonprofit is charged with the maintenance and operation of all the facilities. Society treasurer Carol Adams sees preserving history at the local level to be of utmost importance.
"We have to remember that our local communities, familiar buildings and the land itself are limited and exhaustible resources, and we're losing them," she said.
Adams believes that as Katy continues to change and grow, this duty has only increased.
"In the past, older generations passed on stories and traditions to the younger ones," she said. "As more of the younger generations are leaving and so many new people are coming to the Katy area, today we have people who are less engaged with their own community."
The society started as a group of residents who banded together to successfully preserve the depot after it was slated for demolition in 1978.
A few years later, some land and the Wright home on East Avenue were donated to the organization, which paved the road for the acquisition of other historic Katy buildings.
The Featherston house was donated by a church and a former post office also was moved to the property. All the buildings underwent major restoration and in 1991 opened to the public on special occasions. The Wright House was donated to the society that year and now houses local history collections and hosts changing gallery exhibits.
"By the late 1990s the core group of citizens remained devoted to preserving Katy history, but the buildings had fallen into disrepair and the future of the Katy Heritage Society was uncertain," Adams said. "Finding ways to fund the maintenance of the buildings was a challenge and membership waned."
In 1999, the organization regrouped with new leadership, and in 2002, Adams and then-mayor Doyle Callendar created a public-private partnership that would allow moving the society's buildings to city property on George Bush Drive to create Katy Heritage Park.
One year later, the buildings were moved to their new location. The city installed landscaping and built a park, which reopened in 2005.
Since then, St. Paul's Episcopal Church donated the old Humble gas plant mess-hall to the society and Tradition Bank donated a bandstand.
The society is working on obtaining a Local Historic Landmark ordinance, which would allow owners of the city's older homes to get variances to building codes.
"A Local Historic Landmark ordinance would make using our historic buildings for a business or residence much more affordable and they could be updated without destroying the original integrity of the building," Adams said.
The society is run by volunteers, and additional help is needed to guide visitors on free tours the first weekend of each month.
"What we truly need right now is volunteers," she said. "We need docents to work a few hours each month so we can keep our homes open for public tours."
Theater fans have the choice of four musicals to see Feb. 4-6 at Katy high schools.
The shows are "Chicago" at Mayde Creek High School, "Honk!" at Cinco Ranch High, "Into the Woods" at Tompkins High and "Oklahoma!" at Taylor High.
In addition to evening performances for the shows, "Chicago" has a 2 p.m. matinee on Feb. 6, and "Oklahoma!" can be seen at 2 p.m. Feb. 7.
Attending a performance of "Into the Woods" at Tompkins will be judges from the Tommy Tune Awards, a Theatre Under the Stars program that honors excellence in Houston-area high school musicals.
More Information 'Honk' What: "Honk! A Musical version of 'The Ugly Duckling'" Where: Cinco Ranch High School, 23440 Cinco Ranch Blvd., Katy When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4-6 Tickets: $8-$10 Information: 281-237-5290, www.crtcbooster.com 'Chicago' What: "Chicago" Where: Mayde Creek High School, 19202 Groschke Road, Houston When: 7 p.m. Feb. 4-6, 2 p.m. Feb. 6 Tickets: $5-$14 Information: 281-237-3803, www.mchstheatre.org 'Into the Woods' What: "Into the Woods" Where: Tompkins High School, 4400 Falcon Landing, Katy When: 7 p.m. Feb. 4-6 Tickets: $12-$15 Information: 281-234-1000, www.tompkinstheatre.com 'Oklahoma!' What: "Oklahoma!" Where: James E. Taylor High School, 20700 Kingsland Blvd., Katy When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4-6, 2 p.m. Feb. 7 Tickets: $10-$15 Information: 281-237-3653, www.taylorplaymakers.com See More Collapse
"Into the Woods" will be evaluated in 14 categories, from acting and design to choreography and set construction, director Maggie Rodriguez said.
"Our students are making 70 percent if not more of the costumes; so we will be eligible for best costume, too," said Rodriguez, a theater teacher at Tompkins.
Some schools rent costumes and aren't eligible for that award.
In addition to creating the forest that the show's fairytale characters enter, students designed and built sets for the interior residences of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and others, Rodriguez said.
"We are making it the biggest spectacle we possibly can," she said.
The show's technical director is another Tompkins theater teacher, Tal Gribbins.
The Tommy Tune competition involves the first 45 schools that submit applications in reply to an email on a specified date each year.
"We are advised of the time and date the email will come," explained Rodriguez. "This year, it was on an in-service day. I had to make sure I was at my computer at 9 a.m. when the email came. I completed the application and hit 'Send' at 9:04."
The yearlong judging culminates in a Tony Awards-style ceremony to be held April 19 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston.
The theme of "Into the Woods" is "be careful what you wish for," but its dark second act, when the consequences of the characters' wishes come back to haunt them, doesn't bother the students, said their teacher.
"They are so used to the show, after seeing the movie, that they are not really reacting to people getting killed and smashed by the giant," she said.
A kinder, gentler musical is "Honk!" which Kathy Gallas-Beyer directed at Cinco Ranch. Dorothy Wilson is the musical director, Cliff Pope the technical director and Megan Crowe the orchestra director of the musical version of "The Ugly Duckling."
"Oklahoma!" was the first collaboration of the legendary musical theater team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.
Set in the Oklahoma territory before it became a state, it features the romance of cowboy Curly and winsome farm girl Laurey, in the production at Taylor High.
The fine arts department at Mayde Creek continues its 10th anniversary season, which is themed "A Season of Dreams and Schemes," with "Chicago," which is loosely based on murder, greed and corruption that occurred amid razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s in the Windy City.
The show features freshman Mariana Velandia, junior Bianca Gonzalez and senior Emmanuel Timmons.
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With an elbow resting on the bar surface, Jimmy Aranda scans the decor: tall white vats, a rustic wine cellar and a legion of moving boxes full of reds, rose and fruit wines.
He has built it all from scratch, but now he's ready for a new beginning.
Aranda taught himself how to make wine as a way to spend more time with his family. Giving up his corporate career to go out on a limb with no prior experience, he opened Dionisio Winery at 2110 Jefferson St. in downtown Houston in 2011.
Now Aranda, 38, is moving the business to 2635 Miller Ranch Road in Pearland, where it will be the city's first winery when it opens this month.
More Information Want to go? What: Dionisio Winery Where: 2635 Miller Ranch Road #103. Pearland, TX 77584 Details:http://www.dionisiowinery.com/, 713-906-2499, www.facebook.com/DionsioWinery, DionisioWinery@gmail.com See More Collapse
"I said Pearland needs something different; we've got enough (food) chains," Aranda said, recalling a conversation with the Pearland Convention & Visitor's Bureau. "Residents want to see something for the adults."
A Galena Park native who now lives in Pearland, Aranda often references his youth when describing how he conducts business.
"You dress the way you want to be treated," said Aranda, who was dressed in a beige, three-piece suit. He was echoing a phrase his mother emphasized throughout his childhood.
His mother, a school bus driver, would go off route just to drop him off at school. She eventually withdrew him and his sister, Karen, from high school to be homeschooled in an effort to keep them away from gangs.
Aranda received his GED from San Jacinto College. He'd worked long hours and rose to become a manager at AT&T, but decided to give it up after 13 years because he felt he worked too much to see his kids. He regrets missing his only son's first footsteps.
He chose to make wine because his wife, Clarice, a speech pathologist at the University of Texas, loved it; although he said he'd never had much of a taste for it.
He also lacked the experience or connections in a competitive industry to be taken seriously by banks or potential investors. Five years later, relentless networking and plenty of trial and error has positioned Aranda to where he says he's pressed to keep up with demand for his award-winning wine.
The Dionisio label - named after his grandfather - offers cabernet sauvignon, pomegranate zinfandel, black cherry pinot noir, green apple riesling, peach chardonnay and merlot among others. Bottles go for $30 to $150 each.
"It feels good to go from 800 to 3,000 square feet," Aranda said with a chuckle.
"Right now the production side of the new space is done. We'll stain the floor and then (start) to move the tanks, too."
In the new winery, the tasting room and the wine production space will each fit up to 150 guests. There'll be a VIP room that holds up to 10 people for private parties and corporate meetings, and the site has more than 3 acres of outdoor area to host events like weddings.
Aranda anticipates the last phase of work to be complete in the next week or so.
On Feb. 13, he has a soft opening planned, with a grand opening scheduled for Feb. 27.
Aranda mentioned Bakfish, a brewery which recently moved to Pearland's east side, as an example of how the city is changing.
City Councilman Derrick Reed said the winery will add a unique attraction to Pearland.
"There are wine bars but no winery, unless you go a ways outside of the city," Reed said. "The goal is to bring more people to the city to visit and maybe bring their business here, too."
Carol Artz-Bucek, the president and CEO of the Pearland Chamber of Commerce, said she's excited about the winery because she expects it to bring tourism to the city and more choices to its residents.
"It's something fun," she said.
Dionisio Winery grossed between $360,000 and $380,000 last year. Moving forward, Aranda said he wants "to get into as many retail chains as possible," adding that he plans to contract a distribution company before year's end.
He has plans to expand his five-person staff during the summer and he's also in talks with Dawson High School for a partnership with its culinary class.
His wine is available for purchase from the winery or online. It's also available in H-E-B and in wine bars and tasting rooms as far away as Texarkana.
He said the move will not affect the annual Pearland Wine & Food Festival, which he created in 2011 as a means to introduce his wines to the community and to provide a sampling of other Texas wines.
He's describes the new beginning as a gamble but said he's optimistic.
"I want to be in position so that my family is taken care of," he said.
"All I've done is hustle to get to this point; so all I can do is pay it forward."
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Special needs students throughout the Tomball Independent School District took part in the second annual Special Rodeo last week.
An estimated 150 students formed a swarm of yellow T-shirts as they poured into the Tomball ISD show barn on Friday morning for the second day of Tomball ISD's 40th Annual FFA Project Show to take part in the Special Rodeo, which was part of the three-day event.
The students were greeted with cheers by student volunteers and parent volunteers, who gathered to watch the stick horse races inside the arena.
Alyssa Thompson, 17, and a senior at Tomball High School, was one of those cheering them on.
"It just fills my heart to see their smiles," she said. "They are just so excited to be here."
Lori Waldrop, program specialist with Tomball ISD, said the program was launched in 2015 because Tomball FFA students wanted to do something that would ensure the annual Project Show was more inclusive to all students.
"The (agriculture) department came to us and said that this had been done in other school districts," she said. "One of our ag teachers came to us from Katy ISD and had seen this implemented there, and decided we needed this here in Tomball. We've gotten a lot of support from our general education students, who really enjoy spending time with students in the special education program."
Although the program was started at the administrative level, it's the students who volunteer for the event that make the program a success, Waldrop said.
"We on the administrative side just have to make sure all the logistics are paved out," she said. "But it's the students who have jumped on board with planning; they are the ones who have help set this up, they are the ones who run the stations we have, and they are the ones who really lead all of that."
Chris Spinks, whose son is a member of the FFA at Tomball High School, has a passion for working with special needs students that started when he was in high school.
When Tomball ISD started the Special Rodeo last year, Spinks said he jumped at the opportunity to help out.
"I love it. This is just a fun time for me," he said. "I like to see all these kids happy. This is just something for me that I like to do."
Four-year-old Leann Mundkowsky, a pre-kindergarten student in the Decker Prairie Elementary, stared through the fence inside the petting zoo at the small black and white goat cradled in the arms of a Tomball High School student.
"This is unbelievable," she exclaimed.
A few minutes, later Leann was guided into the petting zoo area with her mother, Kayla Mundkowsky, and handed the tiny goat by Spinks.
"I love this," Kayla Mundkowsky said. "I think this is so awesome. I think Tomball FFA has such a big heart."
The Special Rodeo consisted of four stations that included the stick horse racing in one corner of the arena; a petting zoo consisting of baby pigs, baby goats and full grown goats and a donkey; a calf roping event that allowed special needs students to cast a lasso at a plastic model calf; a Nerf bow archery set up that allowed the students to shoot a foam-tipped bow at a target; and wildlife displays from the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Freshman Logan Grimm, 15, was one of several Tomball High School FFA students who helped out at the Special Rodeo.
Stationed at the calf roping event, Grimm said the kids who managed to rope the calf wanted to pull the calf down and tie the legs, like many had probably seen many professional cowboys perform.
"That is their favorite thing to do," Grimm said.
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As a busy elementary-school teacher, Marie Kellogg says she had little time outside the classroom to focus on her health and wellness.
Eager to lose weight, she turned to the Montgomery County United Way's workplace wellness program. Kellogg lost 32 pounds over about nine months while experiencing drops in 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. "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's 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, general health education and health screenings.
More Information For information about the Montgomery County United Way's wellness programs, visit: www.mcuw.org/healthandwellness See More Collapse
Lost up to 56 pounds
"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.
To increase health responsibility and education in Montgomery County, the nonprofit also offers a "Healthy Me!" program for K-5 grade schools, and sponsors community events such as bike rodeos and 5K runs.
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 0.2 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, and three additional sites have been added: Splendora Junior High, Reeves Elementary in Conroe and the city of Conroe.
Company partnership
"We greatly appreciate our partnership with the United Way and the contributions their Healthy Living Alliance makes to employee wellness," said Don Stockton, superintendent of the Conroe Independent School District, in a written statement. "Personal health is so much more than an individual issue; it impacts the greater community. We can achieve so much more together when we're healthy."
There's also a waiting list for businesses wishing to take part in the program, which is tailored to small- and medium-sized companies that don't 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 onsite to these companies and organizations to provide a full workplace wellness program that (those employees would) be able to get if they worked for a large corporation," said Candice Rouquette, director of the Healthy Living Alliance.
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A pilot project to extract submerged cars from Houston's bayous has yielded 12 vehicles in its first six days.
The effort to test what it will take to pull cars from the water, preserve them for police processing and contain environmental impacts resulting from removal made its first catch on Jan. 27 when a gunk-covered 1987 Buick reported stolen in 1998 emerged from the bayou.
The effort, which includes weekends, began in a stretch of waterway between Old Spanish Trail and South Wayside Drive. The Buick and an orange-colored Hyundai Excel from the mid-1980s were recovered the first day.
A gold-colored pickup truck, a gray minivan and a difficult-to-identify car were pulled up last Thursday. Friday turned up a heavy vehicle with a missing roof, possibly an SUV, plus another find also without a clear description.
Crews brought up a red GMC TrailBlazer and a late 1990s black Pontiac Grand Am on Saturday. Sunday's catch was an early 1990s Ford Ranger pickup.
The most recent pair, on Monday, were fished out after the salvage operation moved upstream of the Lidstone Street bridge over Brays Bayou. Both were from the 1990s: a white Chrysler LeBaron and a maroon Chevrolet pickup.
Recovered vehicles are towed to the Houston Police Department's impound lot. Most are believed to be stolen cars that were dumped, according to Sgt. Tracy Hicks with HPD's auto theft division.
Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller first brought the existence of dozens of underwater vehicles in the bayous to the public's attention in 2014 during a presentation to Houston City Council. He told officials the nonprofit search and rescue group discovered 127 in late 2011 while looking for 82-year-old Lillian High, whose remains were found three months later inside her car in an artificial pond. HPD officials at the time said they were aware of the vast majority of those submerged vehicles.
"Operation Submerge" is powered by $49,500 from Harris County Precinct 2 and the city. The Harris County Flood Control District, the project administrator, oversees a salvage company handling underwater recovery and a towing firm operating the crane that lifts the vehicles to the bayou banks then delivers them to HPD.
The extraction work is expected to continue for another week or until "the available funding for the pilot project runs out," flood control district spokeswoman Karen Hastings said in an email on Tuesday.
Anyone seeking information on the recovered cars should contact HPD at 713-308-3280.
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the resignation of Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland, effective at the end of the month.
McClelland said he turned 61 on Monday and that it was "not an emotional or rash decision" to retire.
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If all goes to plan, one day Corpus Christi will be the home of the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere.
Yes, the south Texas city that gave the world Eva Longoria, Selena, and Whataburger might have another tourist attraction on its hands.
The Corpus Christi Cross Project has been working for three years to make the cross a reality. On Sunday afternoon the project broke ground on a site off Interstate 37 in Northwest Corpus Christi, on the Abundant Life Fellowship campus.
Various Corpus dignitaries were at the groundbreaking ceremony. A message from Governor Greg Abbott in support of the cross was read by Representative Todd Hunter.
Eventually there will be a 210 feet tall (about 19 stories) cross on that plot of land for all to see. It will be visible to planes flying into Corpus Christi International Airport and be able to seen five miles away by land and double that by air.
According to Pastor Rick Milby of Abundant Life Fellowship the idea for Corpus' cross came to him after seeing the sizable cross near Houston's own Sagemont Church near I-45 and the south side of the Beltway.
That cross, erected in Feb. 2009, is 170 feet tall.
Soon after seeing that cross in June 2013 and entering into talks with Sagemont Church, Pastor Milby began work on his own cross. The project is being bankrolled by supporters who would like to contribute funds to make it a reality. Those who donate large sums will have their contributions noted on pave stones at the foot of the cross.
Milby has said the price tag for the cross should be $1 million, of which over $142,000 has already been collected.
In the beginning the cross was only to be 150 feet tall but as the plans evolved it rocketed to 210 feet. The cross will be made of steel plating and reinforced by a concrete and steel base which goes down 48 feet below grade. Hurricane force winds shouldn't be an issue, it seems.
"The cross is so massive and so tall it will have a two foot deflection at the top, it will actually sway in the wind two feet back and forth," Milby told Corpus outlet KRIS-TV.
Texas has a love affair with giant crosses it appears. There are others in Groom and Ballinger, 190 feet and 100 feet respectively.
In Downtown Houston there is a large, building size white illuminated cross on the side of the St Joseph Professional Building that can be seen by travelers going south on I-45.
For now a small wooden cross, just a few feet tall, stands where the Corpus Christi Cross will eventually tower over I-37.
It wont be the tallest cross in the world, though, as that cross is located in Madrid, Spain and is 495 feet tall.
Launched in 2004 as an art project, PostSecret has led hundreds of thousands of people to share their deepest secrets with the world anonymously on postcards.
Frank Warren of Germantown, Md., started the project by distributing 3,000 blank postcards with some brief instructions, including these: "Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything -- as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before."
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In a video released by Open Carry Texas last week, a man who was openly carrying a handgun at a Walmart in Devine, Texas, is asked by a store employee to present his handgun license and the man caught it all on his camera phone.
The man who is at the center of the video, Aaron Darby, and a Walmart employee argue for a few minutes in the clip. He refuses to show the employee his handgun license.
Darby says Walmart also called Devine police to the scene. He says that he went to the store's customer service desk after the events in the video and was soon met by two Devine officers who asked to see his handgun license.
"I complied and explained to them that there was no probable cause of any crime being committed and that, by law, I was not required to do so."
He says he apologized to them for the time they wasted in responding to the call.
"They agreed, reviewed my (license to carry) and said I was good to go back to shopping," Darby says.
Darby says the incident occurred on Jan. 20. He says he's filed a complaint with Walmart's global ethics department and has spoken with local management.
He added that he's patronized that store while open-carrying every day since the incident with no problems.
Earlier this year, when open carry became the law of the land in Texas, Walmart corporate enacted this practice. Managers on duty are now tasked with confirming that open carriers have proper licensing in addition to everything else in their job descriptions.
Brian Nick, the senior director of national media relations for Walmart, says this practice is currently in place in Walmart stores across Texas that sell alcohol (in Texas case, that means beer and wine).
We will continue to allow customers to carry firearms on Walmart property as long as they follow local, state and federal firearm laws, Nick says.
In line with Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission requirements, our stores that sell alcoholic beverages will not allow customers to carry non-licensed handguns or long-arms into our facilities.
In other words, its OK to bring in a handgun to Walmart if one is properly licensed because the stores alcohol sales are 50% or less of the total gross receipts.
In addition, Nick says Walmart also films every firearm sale at its locations and a member of management escorts gun-buying customers out of the store after each sale. This is a common practice already at leading sporting-goods outlets like Academy.
In Texas, police cannot stop and demand that you show them an ID based solely on you open-carrying. They can request you do so though, but they cannot demand it without probable cause.
As Fortune reported earlier this year, Arkansas-based Walmart phased out the sale of AR-15s and similar weapons in summer 2015, citing low demand from customers.
Ted Cruz's Iowa victory Monday night was hardly a shocker. Polls had named him a clear front-runner for weeks ahead of the nation's first primary caucuses, and even put him atop the pack for more than a week in mid-January.
Nevertheless, most major media pitched his win as an upset over rival Donald Trump, who he beat by four points in the final tally.
That continues a long trend of doubting the Cruz campaign, which dates back to last spring when most prominent voices scoffed at the Texas senator's fresh presidential bid.
Now, many commentators are jumping in to say that an Iowa victory doesn't guarantee the GOP nomination. The Hawkeye State, with its strong base of evangelical Christians, is about as friendly as any state could be toward Cruz, who makes his faith a mainstay of his campaign.
Similar evangelical candidates like Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012 won Iowa and went on to a poor primary performance overall. That could plausibly happen to Cruz.
But there's little reason to doubt that his streak of defying low expectations will end here. The Iowa victory, however inconsequential pundits may call it, came for Cruz after months being called a long-shot candidate.
If he had lost Iowa, he'd be largely out of the picture. But on Tuesday he halted the momentum of Trump, his greatest competition for the GOP nomination, taking the billionaire mogul off his high horse of an assumed winning streak. The two will likely remain neck-and-neck until the last days of this primary season.
Iowa also laid the groundwork for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to emerge as a top contender. The GOP "establishment" has been searching for a candidate to support besides Cruz or Trump, but has held off official endorsements until one of the moderate candidates proved favorable above the rest.
Rubio finished third on Tuesday with 23 percent of votes, a wide lead over fourth place Ben Carson (not a moderate), who clocked 9 percent.
That could make Rubio the candidate of choice for the Republican Party, long eager to throw its heavy weight behind someone who could displace the anti-establishment front runners.
Nearly a month after the European media was scolded for failing to adequately cover sexual assaults allegedly committed by male refugees at a New Years Eve celebration in Cologne, Germany, the event is being seen by some as a turning point in how the press covers migration.
Local police, concerned about stoking anti-migrant sentiment, initially denied that the New Years Eve attacks in Cologne had occurred. A January 1 police statement noted a crowd control incident provoked by fireworks, but said it had been handled well and order restored. But on January 5, after the Cologne daily Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger broke the sexual assault story, city officials admitted the police had understated the incident, which allegedly included groping, violent robberies targeting women, and at least one rape. Colognes police chief was placed on leave in January.
The German press has spent the past month facing down rumors that it, too, soft pedaled the attacks. A look back at the coverage, however, shows that the local and international press actually reported the story as quickly as it could be verified.
But how fairly the Cologne attacks were, and continue to be, covered is a different question. Journalists were criticized for downplaying the migrants role in the attacks, but the press are still struggling with how much to reveal about the suspects, given rising anti-migrant sentiment in Germany. Theres a debate going on over whether to name the nationality of someone accused of a crime, says Sarah Brasack, deputy city editor of Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger, which hasnt arrived at a consistent policy yet. I wouldnt say that now were always going to name the nationalities. We dont if it is someone who is German. But theres a lively debate about it now.
The concern is over creating guilt by association in Germany, where nativist political groups have been accused of spreading rumors of false sexual assault claims blamed on migrant men. Protests by German nativist organization Pegida following the Cologne events included signs denouncing rapefugees. Hostility toward North Africans in Germany has been covered internationally.
Brasack says her paper learned of the attacks shortly after they occurred via social media. A reporter monitoring Facebook and Twitter overnight found a few women debating what had gone on in a plaza next to Colognes central train station, where people had gathered to celebrate the holiday, Brasack says. Within a day, she had already talked to some victims. The following day, the papers police reporter got a tip from a source, who confirmed that the police were investigating sexual assaults alleged to have been perpetrated by migrant men from the Middle East and South Asia, despite official denials.
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National and international press were slower on the uptake, but it was New Years Day, and both the Cologne police communications office and most media outlets in Germany were operating on skeleton crews. The police denialsin reality, it appears that police were already working the case within hoursnevertheless made the story difficult to confirm for media not already in Cologne.
Despite the stonewalling by police, the story spread widely enough following the holiday weekend to become international news within days. Global coverage closely followed angry protests that soon erupted in Cologne, decrying the slow police response to the local womens allegations.
Crimes, particularly sexual crimes, can implicate all refugees, Brasack says, which is obviously bullshit, you cannot draw such a connection. The problem for Brasack and other German journalists is that people accused of crimes are routinely named in the paper in other contexts, so not naming refugees in an attempt to protect them from politically motivated smearing would be a notable departure. Its both a debate about migration and also a debate about reporting crime, Brasack says. It has changed how we speak about migration.
The Cologne story isnt the only one of its kind right now in Europe. Shortly after the German story broke, police in Sweden admitted they had not shared information on at least 100 coordinated sexual assaults allegedly committed by groups of young recently-arrived Afghan refugees at a Stockholm music festival. Police had thrown 200 teenage boys and young men out of the show, but made no arrests. Another group of sexual assault cases involving asylum seekers in Sweden occurred over New Years weekend in the city of Malmo. None of the Swedish incidents was made public by police or local media until early January, a delay of weeks and in many cases months. It appears some local media outlets were aware of the incidents, but failed to investigate.
The alleged hushup was driven both by uncertainty over how to report its ethnic dimension and a lack of basic facts on the ground, says James Savage, managing editor of The Local, a Stockholm-based chain of news websites in nine European countries. The Local publishes in English, and its coverage of the incidents has been cited widely in international coverage.
Because police were fearful of inflaming anti-Muslim bigotry, they made no arrests in the Stockholm incidents, Savage says, leaving reporters no paper trail, no suspects to report on, and no names of victims. They [police] didnt go out with the information, or in the case of Stockholm, [when] they were asked a direct question, they didnt confirm, says Savage, who oversees all The Locals sites, including its Swedish edition. With no alleged victims coming forward and nothing official to go on, Swedish media saw the storys trail go cold. Eventually, they gave up.
Unlike in Germany, Savages reporters at TheLocal.se found no digital trail from the incidents, he saysno photos, videos, Facebook posts, or tweets from witnessesdespite their having occurred amid large gatherings in public places. A Swedish police source told reporters that officers had not made arrests or taken victims names during the Malmo attacks because they didnt want to help the Swedish Democrats, a right-wing political party with a strong anti-immigrant platform, Savage says.
Media in general, and perhaps European media in particular, are very particular about identifying peoples ethnicity, says Savage. No one wants to be the first one to say ethnicity is a factor. You do risk looking like you are sort of pushing a far right agenda.
Response to the incidents elsewhere in Europe has been less restrained. Writing in The Daily Beast, columnist Maajid Nawaz, a London author who spent time in Egypts prison system for previous involvement with extremist groups, likened the Cologne incidents to sexual assaults in Cairos Tahrir Square during the 2011 Arab Spring protests. Recent mass migration patterns across Europe have meant that misogyny has finally come head to head with anti-racism, multiculturalism is facing off against feminism, and progressive values are wrestling with cultural tolerance, he wrote.
After a months reporting, the details of the actual crimes in Germany and Sweden remain murky, with media in both countries keen to prove they can report the stories while balancing private and public safety. Were not in the business of keeping information, were in the business of imparting information, says Savage. What were saying is, be factual. Dont imply that ethnicity is a factor unless you have very good evidence, and dont go beyond what the facts let you say.
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About 600,000 so-called smart meters installed in homes and businesses by Central Maine Power pose no credible threat to health and safety, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court concluded that smart meter critics wanted an impractically high standard for safety and that the Maine Public Utilities Commission properly concluded that the publics health is not at risk from the smart meters in use across the state.
The approach of smart meter foes would require an impractically high threshold for ensuring safety, and as a result would render nearly all utilities unsafe, Justice Andrew Mead wrote.
CMP spokeswoman Gail Rice said the utility is gratified by the finding that the smart meters are safe, but consumers will still have the option to opt out for a fee.
From the programs beginning in 2010, we were very confident that the meters and related devices posed no credible threat to health and safety, she said.
Ed Friedman, a smart meter opponent who challenged regulators, said the court ignored independent testimony from international experts. The court has miserably failed the people of Maine, instead relying on CMP supplied evidence, he said.
Smart meters transmit information to CMPs headquarters in Augusta using wireless technology similar to cellphones that emit radiofrequency radiation.
CMP contends smart meters hold the potential to help customers cut energy use while allowing the utility to quickly pinpoint problems during power outages. They also eliminate the need for meter readers, but CMP said the program resulted in no layoffs.
Critics contend smart meters cause symptoms including headache, fatigue, ringing in the ears and sleep loss among those with sensitivities to its signals.
The opponents said the PUC hadnt done enough to show smart meters were safe. They said commissions determination wasnt supported by enough scientific evidence and noted that two commissioners gave differing rationales for their decision.
But the states highest court said the commissions decision was based on a wealth of evidence including more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific studies.
This was the second time smart meter opponents had gone to the state Supreme Court. The court previously ruled in 2012 that regulators failed to adequately address safety concerns.
The PUC went back to the drawing board and came to the same conclusion after a two-year process, noting that its decision is based on the current state of science.
CMP contends that 99 percent of the smart meters currently installed send out a signal for 9 seconds or less each day, so any risk is minimal. Other devices that emit radiofrequency radiation include wireless routers, cordless phones and baby monitors.
As of years end, about 7,500 CMP customers were opting out of the smart meter program, which requires a one-time fee of either $20 or $40 and monthly fees of $12 or $10.50, depending on the type of replacement meter thats installed, Rice said.
(Associated Press writer Patrick Whittle contributed to this story.)
Farmers rumbling down the road in feed trucks are a common sight in Nebraska, but they may be breaking the law.
Tractors, fertilizer spreaders and other heavy farm implements fall into a legal gray area on the states roads, creating confusion among farmers and ranchers, and forcing some to pay thousands of dollars in fines.
At issue are the states weight and load restrictions, designed to keep heavy vehicles from causing damage to roads and bridges. Two of Nebraskas leading farm groups say the rules havent kept pace with farming equipment and trucks that have grown larger and heavier over time.
Nebraska lawmakers will wade into the debate, as Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion has introduced a bill that would exempt several types of farm equipment from the weight and load restrictions.
Farm equipment would remain banned on Interstate 80, and Smith said hes preparing an amendment that would keep weight and load restrictions in place for bridges. The Legislatures Transportation and Telecommunications Committee will consider the measure during a hearing today.
We want to ease the restrictions a little on farmers, but also protect the well-being of our roads, said Smith, the committees chairman. This seeks to clarify what is lawful, what is proper.
The bill could face resistance from Nebraskas county governments, which blame the heavy machines for damaging their roads. The wear tends to be worse around feedlots because trucks hauling manure generally weigh more than other farm trucks, said Larry Dix, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials.
Dix said his group has received reports from county highway officials about farm equipment tearing up the roads and forcing them to make costly repairs.
A spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Roads said staffers who were reviewing the bill were unavailable Friday. In a fiscal note estimating the bills impact on the state, the department said allowing the heavier vehicles would increase the wear and tear on roads, highways, bridges and culverts.
Cattle owners say the bill would allow them to operate modern farm machinery on roads near their property and clarify which equipment they can legally use. The legislation would exempt implements such as tractors, fertilizer spreaders, chemical application vehicles and mixer-feeder trucks from the weight and load restrictions.
Ranchers in Dawson County have gotten slapped with fines as high as $2,800 for driving heavy farm equipment on gravel roads, said John Schroeder, a feedlot owner near Cozad.
In many cases, however, the fines were reduced or dismissed because the law doesnt clearly identify which farm equipment is subject to weight restrictions.
Schroeder said he and other residents have a strong interest in maintaining the roads near their land, but they also need them to do their jobs.
The farmers and ranchers out here, were the ones who use the roads every single day, he said. Today and the next day and the day after that, were going to be using them. Our children and families are going to be using them.
Joel Weber has faced several fines for driving feed truck to his two feedlots in southeast Nebraska, each one roughly a mile from his home near Dorchester. The only connection between the properties is the state highway.
The fourth-generation farmer said he tried to comply with the law by adding axles to some of his vehicles, which helped distribute the weight. But even now, he said the states requirements remain unclear.
My job is to run a feed yard, not interpret the law, Weber said. I want to be within the legal limits, and thats what were trying to do. But when laws are left open for interpretation, its hard to know whether youre doing the right thing.
Two leading agricultural groups in Nebraska began to lobby for the changes after their members throughout the state complained that they were getting ticketed. A single citation can cost several thousand dollars.
The Nebraska Cattlemen Association tried to tell its members how to comply with the law but discovered that the state didnt clearly define which farm and ranching equipment was exempt from its weight restrictions, said Laura Field, a lobbyist for group.
Nebraskas bill is modeled after a 2014 Kansas law that exempted certain pieces of farm equipment from that states highway weight and load restrictions. Iowa and Wisconsin have adopted similar laws.
This is high on our priority list, Field said. We really feel like this bill is something that will make a difference.
Farmers try to minimize the time spent driving their equipment on roads, but often they have no choice because they own multiple parcels in different locations, said Lavon Heidemann, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation.
Heidemann said his group views roads as crucial to the farm economy and has fought to preserve them. Last year, the Farm Bureau endorsed a 6-cent-per-gallon fuel tax increase to help pay for road and bridge maintenance.
But the current weight restrictions fail to account for changes in modern agriculture, he said. Some of the newest implements are so heavy that they violate the rules even when theyre empty.
Heidemann said the bill would legalize what many farmers are doing anyway.
Producers just want to get from one field to another, Heidemann said. We dont want (the rules) to become a hindrance. The majority of farmers dont know that theyre violating the law.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
When Robert Kleven switched on the news for his drive to work two weeks ago, he had no idea he was about to sink a high-profile lawsuit against General Motors Co. and embarrass one of the best-known plaintiffs lawyers in the U.S.
The news anchor described a long-awaited trial starting in federal court in Manhattan that day, the first over a deadly defect in millions of GM ignition switches. The plaintiff was a 49-year-old postman named Robert Scheuer. Kleven, a real estate agent in Tulsa, Oklahoma, knew that name. Two years earlier, he said in an interview, Scheuer had pulled a fast one on him.
Scheuer had altered a government check stub to make it look like he had hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank, Kleven said. On the strength of that stub, Kleven had let Scheuer and his wife, Lisa, move in to a new house in suburban Tulsa before they had paid for it. He had to evict them and their two daughters, he said, when he learned that Robert Scheuer had added a 441 to the $430.72 stub to turn it into a deposit of $441,430.72.
So Kleven called GM.
I didnt want them getting away with another scam, the 43-year-old agent with Concept Builders Inc. said.
The couple went on to testify under oath that injuries Robert sustained in a May 2014 wreck in their Saturn Ion had led to the eviction from their dream house. GM accused them of perjury. The Scheuers dropped their lawsuit less than halfway through the trial, without getting a penny from GM.
Perry Mason Moment
It was a lucky break for the automaker, which has already spent more than $2 billion to resolve investigations and a securities lawsuit over the flawed ignition switches, as well as death and injury claims.
It was a stunning blow to plaintiffs attorney Robert Hilliard, who has signed settlements with GM in more than 1,300 ignition switch cases and is one of three lead lawyers appointed to manage the hundreds of cases that remain. On Monday, Lance Cooper, a rival lawyer with clients in the mass litigation now under way, asked U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman to remove the three as lead attorneys; the three called the request unfounded. On Wednesday, Cooper asked Furman to take back his approval of a fund for Hilliards settlements.
And it was a far cry from Hilliards plan to make the Scheuers the public face of GMs victims by portraying them as a hardworking Oklahoma family brought down by corporate greed. GM had known about its defective ignition switches, which could suddenly cut off the engine, disabling power steering and brakes and preventing air bags from deploying.
Instead, Robert and Lisa Scheuer have hired criminal defense attorneys, respectively Priya Chaudhry and Charles Clayman. The lawyers declined to comment on the allegations against their clients.
Dramatic revelations are unusual in U.S. litigation these days, when reams of evidence and testimony are reviewed before the trial begins, making Klevens appearance on the scene a rare Perry Mason moment, said Leonard Niehoff, a law professor at the University of Michigan.
The typical television scenario where a witness comes out of nowhere in a trial doesnt actually happen much, because the parties have so many opportunities to find out the facts before it starts, Niehoff said. Its a remarkable development.
Bellwether Cases
Hilliard said he was blindsided by the check stub.
There were no red flags, he said. He had sent a team to Oklahoma for three days to conduct interviews with the Scheuers. We interviewed all his doctors. I stayed with him for a day. GM itself would never have learned about the stub, Hilliard said, but for one ped-off Realtor.
One thing that ped-off Realtor doesnt understand about the Scheuers: I dont know how they were ever chosen for that case, Kleven said.
The Scheuer case was one of six bellwether ignition-switch trials scheduled for Manhattan federal court this year to help plaintiffs and GM test strategies and calibrate settlements. The bungled lawsuit was actually chosen by the plaintiffs as the first of the bellwethers. Hilliard maintains that Robert Scheuers accident bore every hallmark of a textbook bellwether.
Then there was that dream house. The Scheuers had offered a variety of reasons why the eviction was GMs fault that memory loss from the crash had caused Robert to misplace a check for the down payment, that his injuries had prevented him from working overtime so he could afford the house.
Confronting Scheuer on the witness stand with Klevens evidence for the first time, Mike Brock, a lawyer for GM, repeatedly asked him why he had lost the house if he had more than $441,000 in his bank account to cover its purchase. Scheuer, just two days into the trial, repeatedly said he couldnt remember the details because of his pain medication.
At one point Brock asked whether Scheuer had put the public at risk by driving around Tulsa on drugs that apparently left him with no memory of a three-month time period.
I cant I dont know, Scheuer said. I didnt hit anybody.
Your Guy Lied
The house was just part of the color of the story, said Hilliard, 57, never intended as an important part of the case. He said he was baffled when GMs lawyers, cross-examining Lisa Scheuer, asked her in detail about emails between her and Kleven. That exchange took place after the real estate agent had called GM but before Hilliard knew about it. I didnt understand where they were going with it, he said.
It wasnt until Jan. 17, five days after the trial opened, he said, that GM contacted him to say, We think your guy lied about the house.
In a moment of black humor after learning that the Scheuers had hired separate criminal defense attorneys, Judge Furman wondered aloud whether Lisa Scheuer, if forced to take the stand again, might throw her husband under the proverbial bus, or GM car.
$441,430.72
GM initially met Klevens call with reservations, since many people offer information in highly publicized cases that doesnt pan out, spokesman James Cain said. But the claims were intriguing enough for the companys trial lawyers in New York to send a forensic technology investigator and two lawyers to Tulsa to verify them, searching the text messages and emails even as the trial continued. The real estate agents story dovetailed with suspicions GM had had about Scheuer all along, including his foggy recollection of the dream house debacle, Cain said.
Things that we didnt understand became crystal clear the longer we talked to Mr. Kleven, and we became more confident in his story, since he had page after page of evidence. It was amazing, Cain said. Your goal is always to make sure the truth comes out, and we were confident.
Kleven described to GMs lawyers how he began to lose patience with the Scheuers and their $441,430.72 check stub, from Roberts federal government retirement plan, when the cash failed to materialize. Scheuer continued to say the check had been deposited, while offering various excuses for delays in accessing the funds, according to Kleven.
Finally, Kleven arranged to meet Scheuer at his bank to find out just where the money was. He sat next to Scheuer in a meeting in one of the bankers offices, he told GM.
We sat in the two chairs in front of his desk, and [the banker] said there has never been a deposit by you of this amount at this bank, or any location, Kleven recalled. That was the end.
Hilliard Loyalists
Hilliard still has plenty of fans. Among them is Lakisha Ward-Green, a client who settled with GM after alleging that a defective ignition switch had caused an accident that killed her passenger, a 16-year-old friend she was driving home from school. GMs massive vehicle recalls came too late to keep Ward- Green from serving a three-month jail sentence over the death. Hilliard helped her get the conviction erased last year.
He had a very good and strong argument and defended me 110 percent, said Ward-Green, who added that she has moved on with her life. He helped a lot of people, not just me.
Kleven, who sold the home briefly occupied by the Scheuers, also said he has moved on but cant understand how Robert and Lisa Scheuer thought they could live in a house without paying for it. The stub could only have delayed the inevitable.
I still cant wrap my head around what they were doing, Kleven said. He probably thought hed get the money from GM.
Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
New York Philharmonic Continues 'Contact' Series with Esa-Pekka Salonen at National Sawdust
Symphony conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen arrive at the premiere of Dreamworks Pictures' 'The Soloist' held at the Paramount Studios Theater on April 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The next installation of Contact, a series produced by and featuring musicians from the New York Philharmonic, hits Brooklyn's National Sawdust tonight at 7:30 p.m. Having run through January, the reiteration for Feb. 1's engagement will include Esa-Pekka Salonen's own Floof, plus music by Salonen's mentors Donatoni and Castiglioni as well as Lutoslawski.
National Sawdust is Brooklyn's new, multi-purpose event space that has provided a stage for many classical, neo-Classical and avant-garde acts. Last year, Classicalite attended the heralded vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth's concert at the venue, which perhaps has some of the best acoustics in New York among small venues.
However, the program for tonight's performance is slightly more varied. Salonen's Floof (Songs from Homeostatic Homer) requires a bit more instrumentation than a vocal group would have. Written for coloratura soprano and at least six players, the work derives from Stanislaw Lem's humorous short stories The Cyberiad.
The piece was written with former Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindbergh.
Speaking on behalf of his new composition, Salonen said:
"The Homeostatic Homer is learning to be a poet; onomatopoeia becomes poetry. At the same time, the musical language evolves from primitive gestures towards more complex expression. The ultimate product of the electro-troubadour, a love poem within the realm of tensor algebra, is set to a dodecaphonic rap music."
Also a part of the evening is Lutoslawski's String Quartet, Donatoni's Hot written for solo sopranino/tenor sax and a sex-member ensemble as well as Castiglioni's Dulce refrigerum, a collection of six songs for piano.
Joshua Gersen joins the group as conductor with Esa-Pekka Salonen the host and curator of the evening.
Also to premiere this week is the New York Philharmonic's stunning interpretation of Mozart and Pines of Rome with the renowned pianist Yuja Wang as the soloist of the evening.
The Wang, Mozart and 'Pines of Rome' gala begins Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Unforunately, tickets for the NY Phil's Contact! series for tonight are sold out. Your appearnace, then, may be ready next for Wednesday's engagement. For now, though, here is Esa-Pekka Salonen performing Beethoven with a different Philharmonic from across the pond below.
2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TagsNational Sawdust, New York Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Floof
Dance Moms Maddie Ziegler Official Instagram Gets Hacked After JoJo Harasser Sentencing
Maddie Ziegler has become a bonafide success. The 13-year old dance prodigy got her big start on Lifetime's hit reality show Dance Moms, which is rumored to be leaving after the conclusion of Season 6. However, it was Maddies music video trilogy with recording artist Sia that skyrocketed her to mega fame. But stardom does come with its down side. Maddie Zieglers official Instagram was recently hacked. This is just a walk in the park compared to what stars can face from the ghastly and uncharitable amongst us. One of Maddies Dance Moms co-stars, JoJo Siwa, was criminally harassed by a crazed man, Phoenix Sundown, who sent her severl pornographic packages. Luckily Sundown was arrested this past September. While in jail and awaiting trial he claimed to be able to talk to JoJo, Maddie and other members of the Dance Moms cast in code via the internet. Sundown was recently sentenced to 3-years in prison.
Phoenix Sundown was arrested late last year for sending explicit packages to JoJo Siwa and he has now been found guilty. Phoenix was also charged with cruelty to animals for posting a video of himself harming a mouse.
Phoenix was sentenced to 3-years in prison, after which he will be released and put on the sex offenders list. At the risk of editorializing, just how Sundown was sentenced to only 3-years behind bars in beyond all comprehension.
2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TagsDance Moms, Maddie Ziegler, Official, Instagram, Hacked, JoJo Swia, Harasser, Sentencing
Neil Patrick Harris: Help Ali Forney Center Buy Atalh Hate Church for Homeless LGBT Youth
As parents we are not required to provide our children with the coolest toys or the latest fashion. We dont have to give in to their every whim or overlook it when they misbehave. There is, however, one thing that any good parent should do. That is love. Love your children unconditionally. No matter who they are or what they do. Especially when the only thing they did wrong was be themselves. The LGBT community has come a long way in the past few years, but the fight is not over. Too many teens are disowned from their parents after they come out. The Ali Forney Center, a group who aid and shelter homeless LGBT youth, is now seeking to buy the Atalh Worldwide Church in Harlem. The church was headed by James Manning and has hosted some very hateful and distasteful statements on their sign, demonizing the LGBT community. Acclaimed Broadway/TV/Film (and webisode) actor Neil Patrick Harris is one of many people who are calling on others to donate to the AFC to help them buy the church.
AFC Founder and Executive Producer Carl Siciliano underlines the reasons for wanting to buy the church on the organization's website:
"The biggest reason our youths are driven from their homes is because of homophobic and transphobic religious beliefs of their parents. Because of this, it has been horrifying for us to have our youths exposed to Manning's messages inciting hatred and violence against our community. It has meant the world to us that so many Harlem residents have stood up to support our young people, and are now urging us to provide urgently needed care at the site of so much hatred. If we are able to obtain the space it would truly be a triumph of love over hatred."
I am ecstatic to imagine a future where our Harlem corner will be a home of compassion, not hatred. We have a homeless problem in New York City. The de Blasio administration is working hard to remedy this, but LGBT young people are especially vulnerable with the shelter system. They need protection.
Love Not Hate coordinator Stacy Parker Le Melle also spoke up and the what the AFC does and how buying the church would be poetic justice:
The Ali Forney Center is a beacon, but they need more space for transitional housing and job training. I can't imagine a better use for that property. Who needs more luxury condos? We need to care for the most vulnerable in our midst. When the ATLAH story broke on Thursday, immediately I heard from neighbors: wouldn't it be amazing if an LGBT group could acquire the property? What if it were the Ali Forney Center? We all knew that this would be poetic justice. We need to care for those kicked out of homes, often on religious-based grounds. We need to care for those most vulnerable to ATLAH's hate speech.
Editorializing from here on out. As a parent myself, there isnt anything I wouldnt do for my daughter. No matter what. There is no bullet I wouldnt take. No poison I wouldnt drink. No limb I wouldnt lose. No beat of my heart that I wouldnt stop to make sure my daughter had the best life possible. As I look at my toddler I can not fathom how anyone could ever raise a child only to throw them out of their lives when they reveal who they are. No matter what you personally believe or who your child grows up to be, they need us to love them.
As a father I find parents turning their backs on their kids appalling. No parent is perfect, and I deeply hope that some of these parents will reach into their hearts and accept their children for who they are. Until that day I thank God for places like the Ali Forney Center, who provide a safe and welcoming home to the disenfranchised LGBT youth. As a Christian I find Atlahs messages of hate to be some of the most disgusting and disturbing things I have ever read. These messages do not represent the God that I believe in and I cant think of any better use of this church than to provide sanctuary for these kids.
For more information about the AFC and or how to donate to the fund click the link here.
2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TagsNeil Patrick Harris, Help, Ali Forney Center, Buy, Atalh Hate Church, for Homeless, LGBT, Youth, Atalh Church Signs
Iowa Caucus Results Provide Hope for Sane Americans Everywhere - Trump, Clinton Falter
The highly anticipated Iowa Caucus has come and pass finally, and -- thankfully -- good news has come of it. Not only did Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton falter despite dominating the media coverage for much of these campaigns, but hope was provided in even more ways for sane Americans everywhere.
Republican Final Numbers:
- Ted Cruz 27.6%
- Donald Trump 24.3%
- Marco Rubio 23.1%
- Ben Carson 9.3%
- Rand Paul 4.5%
- Jeb Bush 2.8%
- Carly Fiorina 1.9%
- John Kasich 1.9%
Originally, we were led to believe that the Republican nominee was a two-horse race, but would you look at that? Just look at it!
Sorry, YouTube reference.
But seriously, look at how close Marco Rubio was in the polls. Truly, that is a good sign -- as the top two are nut jobs, one being a right-wing extremist and the other a racist, sexist, fourth-grade-level-speaking, fascist. Rubio at least has some common sense in his plans and ideologies, and also seems to care about people. If he really jumps on the opportunity, he could use this to springboard past Trump and then people will really begin to think about him.
Another positive sign is just to look at the total percentage between Cruz and Trump: 51.9 percent. Barely half of the Republicans voted for either of them. What this tells me is that there are a lot more reasonable conservatives out there than the media would have us believe, and they don't all love the idea of a Cruz or Trump nomination.
Faith in humanity is slowly being restore.
Democratic Final Numbers:
- Hillary Clinton 49.9%
- Bernie Sanders 49.6%
- Martin O'Malley 0.6% (pulled out of race)
Truly, things are really looking up.
It wasn't too long ago where Sanders was projected to get under five percent of the vote whereas Clinton would get well over half and close to three-quarters of it -- maybe 6-8 months ago or so?
Even as recent as October, Sanders was expected to be down by over 10 percent.
Instead, it was the closest caucus of all time, and many, many voters turned out. Sanders nearly pulled off the upset, but won anyway because now everyone has to take his campaign seriously -- including the media that barely covered him until the past few weeks or so.
Unbelievably, there was controversy here -- well, maybe that's not so crazy. But six -- yes, six -- entire precincts had too close of a call to have a winner based on the votes. Thus, a coin was tossed -- yes, a freaking quarter was tossed to decide a presidential precinct winner.
Six coin flips, six wins for Clinton. Mathematically speaking, that has a 1.6 percent chance of happening that way.
Hmm, I wonder what's going on there...
If those votes that were too close to call were considered just that and it was a draw, Sanders would've actually won the majority of delegates. That's how impressive Sanders' campaign has become, and if he wins New Hampshire (as he's projected too), then this race could go either way with all of the momentum on Bernie Sanders' side.
All in all, the Iowa Caucus showed the American people still care about values and other people. It was an inspiration to see that Trump, Cruz and Clinton are all losing steam, especially considering how the mainstream media covered and portrayed them. Now, people like Rubio and Sanders have a true leg to stand upon, and perhaps our great country won't fall into the hands of someone who doesn't deserve it, and is only out for themselves.
2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TagsIowa Caucus, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton
AKRON, Ohio -- If Akron were to stop collecting taxes and fees, it would run out of money in seven days.
That unusually low cash reserve, equal to about 2 percent of the city's total budget, is one of several reasons Mayor Dan Horrigan's Blue Ribbon Task Force recommended finding ways to raise more money, either by increasing taxes or selling some of the city's property.
The task force, made up of local politicians and business leaders, gave its report Monday. The group admired the city for weathering a series of devastating economic storms including the near total loss of the city's primary manufacturing industry, a real estate crisis and the great recession. But with an estimated $1.2 billion in debt looming overhead, Akron is in a tight financial situation.
Here is a quick look at Akron's spending, by the numbers. Read the full, 58 page report below or click here.
$297,000 -- Annual cost of operating the Akron-Fulton international airport, which in turn collects about $219,000 in rent, fuel sales and other revenue. The task force recommended spinning the airport out into a non-profit corporation, providing an influx of cash in the meantime.
1.4 percent -- Even though Summit County is home to 4.7 percent of the state's population, it contributes 1.4 percent of Ohio's jobs, the report said. The county contributes less than half-a-percent of the state's total capital expenditures (including investments in roads and infrastructure).
$1.4 million -- Spent on economic development programs, out of a total budget of $2.2 million, "Without clear accountability for performance of outside providers."
20.6 percent -- Percentage of Akron residents who hold a bachelor's degree. For comparison, 44 percent of Pittsburgh residents age 25 and older have bachelor's degrees. Only Rockford, Illinois, had a lower college attainment level among comparable cities, the report said.
8 percent -- The percentage of student performance indicators met by Akron Public Schools students in the state's latest report card. (That would be an F.)
12 hours -- The length of time before Akron runs out of water if Akron's water plant were to shut down, with no backups connected to surrounding water systems. This was a major concern the task force identified in the city's public service department.
$10 million -- Annual state cuts under Gov. John Kasich, lost through a combination of local government fund cuts and estate tax cuts.
600 -- The number of workers who left the city's public service department between 2008 and 2009.
$615,000 -- Tax collections increased by $615,000 between 2010 and 2014 (from just $95,237 total in 2010) during an enforcement and collections effort by the city's law department.
$1.4 billion -- Projected cost to fix the city's sewer system. About $750 million has already been committed.
AKRON, Ohio -- Terrance Rogers took his preschool-aged son to buy shoes at Chapel Hill Mall. Deandre Baskerville went to the mall to pay his cellphone bill.
The two men who had what police described as a longstanding feud bumped into one other outside the Foot Locker.
They argued. They went to the parking lot and Baskerville stabbed Rogers in the throat. The 35 year old died, and Baskerville, whose aggravated murder trial started Monday, says he acted in self defense.
"Deandre Baskerville was justified in the actions he had to take that night," defense attorney Erik Jones said during his opening statements.
The prosecutors and defense attorneys said they agree on 90 percent of the facts that will be presented in the trial before Summit County Common Pleas Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands.
Rogers, his fiancee, his young son and daughter all went to the mall to buy a rare brand of Nike Air Jordan shoes. Baskerville spotted Rogers outside Foot Locker. The two shook hands and had a cordial conversation.
The conversation became heated and the two men continued to argue after they went out into the parking lot. Two teenagers followed them because they thought they were going to see a fight. Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Brian LoPrinzi said the teens heard Rogers say: "I don't need your money. I've got my own money."
Baskerville stabbed Rogers in the throat after the statement. His knife severed Rogers jugular and trachea. Rogers walked back into the mall and collapsed near the Finish Line shoe store.
He was taken to Akron General Medical Center, where he died.
Baskerville drove away in his red SUV. He left the SUV at his father's house, LoPrinzi said. Baskerville's father reported to Akron police that he had the vehicle after news outlets reported that it was the subject of a police investigation.
Baskerville was arrested Sept. 23 by the U.S. Marshals at a bus stop in West Virginia.
"He had no right to take Mr. Rogers' life that day," LoPrinzi told the jury. "He had other options."
Jones said during his opening statement that both Rogers and Baskerville lived "the street life" and Baskerville fled out of self-preservation, not to elude law enforcement.
He said Rogers might have had a knife on him and that he had been drinking when he argued with Baskerville. Jones also said it was Rogers who escalated the conversation and moved the argument to the parking lot.
If Baskerville's attorneys plan to present the jury with a self-defense case, they must put on a defense that might include Baskerville taking the witness stand. He rejected an offer to plead guilty to murder in the case, which carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison with parole eligibility after 15 years.
"When you hear all the evidence, you will find that his actions were justified, that he is not guilty and that the state failed to meet their burden of proof," Jones said.
Akron police 3
Akron police are searching for a man who shot and robbed a pizza delivery man.
(File photo)
AKRON, Ohio -- A 59-year-old Papa John's pizza deliveryman was shot late Monday delivering pizza to a home in East Akron.
The shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. after the man drove to the 700 block of Crane Walk to deliver a pizza.
The Barberton man was robbed at gunpoint and shot twice in the back with a handgun, according to a police report. The gunman stole an unknown amount of money and ran away.
The deliveryman was taken to Akron City Hospital with serious injuries. Akron police said he is expected to recover.
Officers found three bullet casings in the area. Akron police are still investigating the circumstances of the robbery.
No arrests have been made in the case.
develop1.JPG
This drawing by Horton Harper Architects shows the development Andrew Brickman has proposed (on right, area surrounded by green) that would include 13 single family attached homes. At the bottom of the drawing is Richmond Road. To the lower left is Cranberry Court's two buildings.
(Jeff Piorkowski/Special to cleveland.com)
BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- A townhouse development that has been in the works the past three years once again appeared on Beachwood City Council's agenda Monday night, but again, there was no movement towards making it a reality.
Developer Andrew Brickman continues to seek a development agreement with the city so that he can move forward with plans to build attached single family homes next to Cranberry Court, located off Richmond Road at Maidstone Court. Those living in the six attached homes at neighboring Cranberry Court are not pleased with Brickman's plans and will not enter into a separate agreement with him.
Some council members want to see an agreement completed between Brickman and the Cranberry residents to make sure residents can sound off on the project before giving approval to Brickman's latest plans.
"I don't want us to be used as a tool to enhance their negotiating position with the residents of Cranberry," Councilman Brian Linnick said of his stance on the issue.
Councilman James Pasch felt similarly, so the matter will be further discussed at council's next meeting Feb. 16. Pasch said that by that time, he hopes the two sides will have come to an agreement so that he can vote in favor of Brickman's latest plans.
The lack of movement had Brickman frustrated after the meeting. "I have interested buyers right now," he said.
The saga over the site goes back several years. Cranberry Court was first planned, by another developer, as a 12-unit development in 2004. When the recession hit in 2006-07, construction work stopped with just six attached homes (in two buildings) being built.
Brickman then took over the land where the homes had not been built, bought the adjoining property just north, and in 2013 began planning an initial 32-unit development. The city determined 32 units was too dense and turned down the plan. Council also rejected a 20-home plan in April, 2015.
The 13-unit plan did receive council's approval in June, 2015, but not that of those living in Cranberry Court.
Cranberry Court Homeowners Association President Bill Wexler attended Monday's council meeting.
"Originally, there were supposed to be 12 units built," he said, "but because there are just six of us living there, our shared fees have all gone up," Wexler said. "We would just be happy if (Brickman) would build the other six houses that were supposed to be built."
Wexler said there are also issues to be worked out over shared underground utilities, a need for more parking, $8,000 in concrete improvements for which the residents paid, and too many curb cuts.
Brickman's latest plan calls for two drives into his 13-unit development off Richmond Road.
An existing road, an entrance and exit into Cranberry Court, is 40 feet from where one of the proposed two curb cuts would be located.
"It's already difficult for me to get out of the driveway during rush hour," Wexler said of the added drives.
Brickman's 13-unit proposal calls for construction of two buildings, containing six attached homes, on property that the prior developer had designated as the site of the remaining six Cranberry Court dwellings.
The property Brickman later acquired would be home to two buildings that would include seven residences.
"We can't lose another building season," said Brickman's lawyer, Sheldon Berns. Berns said the development business has its ups and downs and that Brickman needs to start building before another possible economic downturn hits.
Sheldon Berns said that after seven months of trying to reach an agreement he was not optimistic a deal could be reached, but said he would continue his efforts to try and do so.
Berns is the father of Councilman Justin Berns. Jordan Berns, the councilman's brother, is also representing Brickmnan and builders Abode Beachwood EcoHomes. Justin Berns recused himself from future voting on the matter.
"I'm ready to start building now," Brickman said after the meeting.
"I'd like to see this project move along as fast as it can," said Mayor Merle Gorden.
Brickman is seeking to have the 1.78 acres rezoned for apartment use, a necessary step, City Planner George Smerigan said, if Brickman is to meet setback requirements for the development he's planned.
Council considered Monday a development agreement that would allow the rezoning. That agreement, Smerigan said, would require Brickman, or any one who might buy the property, to build just 13 single-family, two story units -- or, exactly what Brickman is now proposing.
At council's next meeting, Council President Martin Horwitz said, both Brickman's representatives and those from Cranberry Court will have an equal opportunity to address council members.
Berea High School.png
Berea-Midpark High School, built nearly a century ago, may need to be rebuilt due to existing maintenance issues.
(John Deike/special to cleveland.com)
BEREA, Ohio -- Sure, the Berea City Schools look just fine on the outside, but wide-scale renovations and new construction are likely needed to keep the district's aging infrastructure in proper working order.
Over the past several months, school leaders and board members conducted an in-depth review and found that school rooftops, windows, doors and a web of decades-old utility systems require updating, according to Berea City Schools Superintendent Michael Sheppard.
Additionally, the study found that Berea-Midpark High School - constructed in 1928 - may need to be completely rebuilt given its present maintenance issues, said Cristina Carosielli, the district's director of marketing and community relations.
"To complete this work district-wide, it would be a significant cost," said Sheppard, hinting at the possibility that a bond issue may need to go on an upcoming ballot to absorb the construction expenditures.
However, before any serious talk of a tax increase gets underway, school officials have planned three community forums that will unveil the district's infrastructure findings and its recommendations on how to fix the most pressing facilities issues.
The forums will be held on February 17, February 25 and March 2 at Berea High School, Ford Intermediate School and Middleburg Heights Junior High School, respectively.
Additional forum details will go out in a district newsletter this week, said Carosielli.
When the community meetings conclude next month, Sheppard will confer with school board members on how to proceed.
A decision on whether to put a tax increase on the ballot will likely be announced this spring, he said.
To review details of the district's building history, click here.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - One day Timothy Beidleman was at the top of his game working as a military aviation electronics technician with hopes of becoming a Navy Seal. At 28 he was working in security with other branches of the military and he felt invincible.
He was an expert marksman, and a martial artist, with plans to become an officer. He had even started working on his third academic degree. Then his body betrayed him.
"One day, I was doing 250 push-ups, and the next day I could only do eight. I started getting tested by different doctors and my doctor refused to sign my re-enlistment paperwork because they couldn't determine what the infection was for a couple of months," said Beidleman, 36. "My foot doctor actually ordered the right test."
Beidleman learned he had Lyme disease, a bacterial illness that is spread by bacteria in tick insect bites. What initially mimics flu-like symptoms eventually wreaks havoc on the nervous system, including uncontrolled spasms and body movements.
He got so sick, that he was out of work for nearly two years - and he lost everything, including his home.
"There were some days I couldn't walk. My legs would just give out and I'd go to the emergency room. I thought I was dying," said Beidleman, who grew up in Lorain.
Today, Beidleman is the CEO of MaxMae Enterprises, a commercial real estate development company he started nearly three years ago. These days his small startup is working on a Cleveland lakefront hotel project with large developers and investors. Prior to that, he was a consultant in systems integration, working to combine technical products in the satellite industry. It's the second time he ended up becoming a consultant, because no one would hire him.
Three years ago, he took out loans to buy a 100,000 square-foot office building in Lorain with plans to put in a satellite communications center (a teleport). He planned to lease space to businesses and broadcasters for enhanced Internet and broadcasting purposes. That didn't work. Instead, his plans were blocked due to government regulations.
"It was a huge setback. I was crushed. I lost about $250,000, and each year the building sat vacant I was losing money. I couldn't afford to occupy it myself, so I went looking for tenants," he said.
That's when things started looking up. The more he talked to potential tenants about changing his property to fit their needs, the more they wanted to talk to him about uses for other properties. That was the beginning of his real estate development career.
"They liked the plans I had for my property and I turned into a glorified consultant. It enabled me to discuss with different municipalities uses for their land, and ways to add value and create jobs. Then I was able to bring in other investment and development partners," he said.
"I don't really think about the future too much. I focus on each day and put together a strategy. If it works...it works. If not, I try something different."
Q. What's one habit that you have that's been working for years?
I have to think about things ahead of time. I don't do anything in the moment. I'm a planner.
Q. How do your previous experiences help with your new role?
My previous experience in the United States Navy has taught me how to lead during stressful situations. It has also taught me how to finesse in a highly political arena. Our military is very political in the Washington, D.C., arena. I was previously stationed at Andrews AFB where I was an electronic countermeasures technician. The performance of my duties when stationed with 89th Security Forces of the Air Force required me to interact with the Marine Corps, NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service), and Navy personnel on security details and plans.
Q. What's the biggest challenge you've faced in your career?
Getting infected with Lyme Disease July 14, 2008 was my biggest challenge. I'll never forget that day as long as I live. I was 28, working in the Navy as an electronic counter measures technician at Andrews Air Force Base. I was happy, working for base security and I was training because I wanted to join the Navy Seals. Then suddenly my health declined.
Q: How do you relax?
I relax by going to the gym to run, swim, and lift weights. Listening to music calms my intensity, and I like to study all things. I also like holding my 2-year-old daughter. Her smile and antics give me peace.
Q. What's the best advice you ever received?
(It) came from Mr. Jimmy Haslam III, the owner of the Browns and CEO of Pilot Travel Centers. I met him at an event for the Greater Cleveland YMCA and I asked him for some advice. He said, "Don't ever be satisfied with where you are at." He said that's something his grandfather and father lived by, and that's how he operates. He said, I'd recommend you do the same for your small business."
Q. What are the top 3 apps you use the most?
The apps I use the most are Duolingo, a popular language learning platform. I use it everyday. I'm addicted to learning new languages. I speak Spanish and French comfortably. I can speak a little bit of Russian and Arabic and I do understand some Italian.
I also like Facebook, and the YouVersion Bible app.
Q. Can you offer one piece of advice for someone looking to reinvent?
The best advice I can offer is to learn all that you can about many things, and stay focused on the dreams you originally set for yourself. Study the book "Who Moved My Cheese" to try to understand how to redirect your focus and joy.
Check out other Reinvention stories.
Similar to The Plain Dealer's former column called "My Biggest Mistake...and How I fixed it," I'm now sharing what drives a person or company to make a drastic change that led to success. I feature career-changers - from millennials to people closer to retiring - and companies, from start-ups to major corporations. The focus: people who have drastically switched careers in the past five years, and businesses that have found new ways to survive and thrive in a changing and ever-evolving marketplace.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Four years after it debuted on the drawing board, a high-profile University Circle project has a new layout, a new name, an expanded team of developers and - if all goes well - a groundbreaking date in the spring.
Bid arrivederci to Intesa, a heady vision of offices, apartments and parking on 2.2 acres where Cleveland's University Circle and Little Italy neighborhoods meet.
Say hello, instead, to Centric, a seven-story building with more apartments, less parking and a bit of shared office space and retail on the ground floor. On Friday, the Cleveland City Planning Commission will review updated designs for the project, slated for a parking lot north of Mayfield Road at Circle Drive.
"It's hatched. We feel like it's ready to go," said Steve Rubin, a member of the refashioned development joint venture.
"I just want to be clear," he added. "There's still stuff to do. ... But if we want to get in the ground in the spring, we have to multitask and work on all fronts."
Rubin is part of Midwest Development Partners, which took a stake in the Intesa project last year. The original team - Peter Rubin of the Coral Co. and construction executive Tony Panzica - is still involved. But they're working with Steve Rubin and his business partners, Zac Ponsky and Elie Weiss.
"We always planned to go out for an equity fund-raise for this thing," said Panzica, president and chief executive officer of Panzica Construction Co. "In lieu of an equity fund-raise, we just decided to go out and bring in co-partners."
The developers won't discuss the terms of their joint venture, which will allow them to build on land leased from University Circle, Inc., a neighborhood nonprofit group. But the marriage is designed to put momentum behind a much-vaunted project that has experienced fits and starts.
With 270 apartments, Centric is a larger residential investment than Intesa, which comprised just shy of 200 units at last count.
In other ways, though, Centric is smaller.
Plans for Intesa called for anywhere from 400 to 700 parking spaces, while the Centric garage will hold 360. And Intesa started out as a potential location for high-tech, glitzy offices and, in its last iteration, still promised as much as 150,000 square feet of offices in a second stage of construction.
A 2015 rendering shows the Intesa proposal, which then involved apartments and a large parking garage in its first phase with an office tower to follow.
Centric will be built all at once, with no phasing. Any offices, envisioned as co-working-style spaces with desks for rent, will be part of a street-level commercial strip totaling roughly 28,000 square feet.
"It's an evolution of the original idea," Chris Ronayne, president of University Circle, Inc., said of the new design. "It's not an abandonment of the original idea."
After striking out with a series of office tenants, the property owner and developers decided to move on. Ronayne said he doesn't regret the quest to land a large tenant in University Circle, where nonprofit institutions and their spinoffs dominate the landscape and there's not much of a traditional office market.
But on Mayfield Road, at least, the timing wasn't right.
"Companies and even the institutions gravitate to new product, its efficiency and the amenities that come with new space," said Rico Pietro, part of a team from the Cushman & Wakefield/Cresco Real Estate brokerage that was pitching tenants on Intesa until late last year. "I truly believe that if you build it on spec [without a committed tenant], the market will absorb the space."
Speculative construction comes with risks, lending challenges and other financial hurdles, especially in a city where it's still tough to charge high enough rents to justify new construction. Sticking to apartments - a hot product in University Circle and across the country - was a simpler solution to making something happen soon on the Mayfield Road site.
The original Intesa proposal, unveiled in 2012, involved a heavy emphasis on high-tech offices, along with apartments and hundreds of garage parking spaces. Four years later, the vision has changed significantly, though many of the components are the same.
At Centric, half of the apartments will be one-bedroom units, with the remainder split between studios and two-bedrooms. The team jettisoned Peter Rubin's former plans for micro-apartments - tiny units that developers are pursuing in higher-priced cities - and townhouse-style rentals with rooftop views.
"We felt that there was sufficient demand for us to appeal to really one market segment," Steve Rubin said. "That market segment was the upperclassmen, graduate students, faculty members and young professionals. That doesn't mean that we're focused on just them. It's just that ... we spent some time looking at the market and the things that are going on all around University Circle, and we decided that it was a better strategy to be more directed rather than try to be a lot of different things to different people."
Developers Mitchell Schneider and Sam Petros are planning luxury units at a high-rise apartment building called One University Circle, on the former site of the Children's Museum of Cleveland. Other projects, including the Innova apartments in Hough north of the Cleveland Clinic, have tipped University Circle past its recent goal of building or renovating more 1,000 places to live in the broader district.
At Stokes Boulevard and Chester Avenue, on the northwestern edge of University Circle, Midwest Development Partners hopes to build hundreds more apartments as part of a 5-plus-acre project called University Circle City Center. That multi-building endeavor, likely to happen after Centric, will start with construction of a new Martin Luther King, Jr. branch for the Cleveland Public Library on Euclid Avenue.
"There's more than enough capacity to handle both projects," Steve Rubin said, pointing out that construction at University Circle City Center might be a year away.
Apartments at Centric could open in mid-2017.
In some ways, delays have helped - and honed - the project.
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority opened a new Rapid transit train station on Mayfield Road, right next to the development site, last year. The Cleveland Institute of Art finished its campus-unification project to the north. And CSX Corp. is working to clean up a dark and forbidding railroad bridge that runs along the eastern edge of the site, where Mayfield slopes up into Little Italy.
But some sources of money for Centric, which requires substantial infrastructure work, have dried up. Others must be revisited. The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, for example, approved a $60 million bond-financing deal for Intesa in March. The bonds were never issued. The port authority's board could consider a new version of the proposal within the next few months.
"We remain supportive of it," Brent Leslie, the port's chief financial officer, said of the project, "but it will sort of be a fresh start as it relates to our involvement on the financing."
An affiliate of the Related Cos. of New York, founded by real estate investor and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, still will play the role of senior lender by purchasing bonds. But the company's investment will be tied to the apartments, not the full project. A separate bond-financing deal is possible for the parking garage.
"They have stuck by the project as it has been reconfigured over the course of the last nine to 12 months, and they've continued to love the site," said Dan Geuther of RiverCore Capital, a Cleveland mortgage-banking firm working with Related on the transaction. "They love the deal."
Steve Rubin wouldn't discuss details of the financing, beyond acknowledging that the developers hope for $6 million worth of help for public infrastructure including sidewalks, utilities, a central courtyard and pedestrian path and, perhaps, the garage. The total cost of the project could be $65 million to $70 million, he said.
"There's no question that this site has taken its time to take shape," Ronayne said of the project, earmarked years ago as a priority by University Circle, Inc. "We've seen that in other urban developments. They've either been scuttled or, in some cases, they've been completely reshaped. It's frankly not too common that in the city of Cleveland a development proposal comes out as exactly once proposed."
Medical Mutual Strongsville.jpg
Medical Mutual of Ohio plans to leave this Strongsville office building, at 17800 Royalton Road, by Aug. 1 in favor of a smaller leased space on West Sprague Road. The insurer, based in downtown Cleveland, is evaluating its future office needs as lease expirations approach in 2020.
(LoopNet)
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- Medical Mutual of Ohio plans to move its Strongsville facility into a different building later this year. But the insurer and nearly 400 employees are staying put in southwest Cuyahoga County - for now.
The Cleveland-based company announced Tuesday that it will leave its current space, at 17800 Royalton Road, for new digs less than five miles away at West Sprague Road and Mohawk Drive before August.
"We're extremely pleased that we can remain in Strongsville," Rick Chiricosta, Medical Mutual's chairman, president and chief executive officer said in an emailed statement. "The city has been a great partner to us and our employees."
The new lease carries a four-year term, putting its expiration date close to the end of Medical Mutual's headquarters lease in downtown Cleveland. That's no coincidence, as the state's oldest health insurer is evaluating its future office-space needs.
Medical Mutual employs close to 2,400 people, with roughly 1,700 of them in the Cleveland area. The company has maintained its headquarters at the Rose Building on East Ninth Street for almost 70 years and has a Beachwood data center and a Copley facility, in addition to the Strongsville office.
The Plain Dealer reported last month that Medical Mutual's downtown landlord recently defaulted on his mortgage and has been unable to refinance or repay the debt, in part due to uncertainty surrounding his sole tenant's plans. The insurer's downtown lease runs until late 2020.
"We are going to be in a very unique position, one of the few times in the company's history, where all of these facilities' leases will be up," Jared Chaney, Medical Mutual's chief communications officer, said Tuesday. "And we have the opportunity to think about what will be the very best thing for the future."
The options run the gamut, he said, from staying put to consolidating facilities and from renting or buying existing real estate to building something new.
Medical Mutual has occupied its current space in Strongsville for more than six years. The insurer combined its West Side offices into the Royalton Road facility through a sublease deal with Ceres Group, Inc., an insurance company that emptied out the building after merging with a Cincinnati-based competitor in 2006.
The Ceres lease - and the sublease with Medical Mutual, in turn - is set to expire in July, according to loan-servicing records compiled by Trepp, a company that keeps an eye on bonds tied to bundles of commercial mortgages.
Trepp records don't indicate that the property owner, a shared-ownership group, is in default. But the loan is scheduled to mature - come due - in mid-February. And the outlook doesn't seem good, with the property's only tenant preparing to leave.
Online real estate listings show the owners are attempting to sell the property, at an asking price of $18 million. The broker on the listing didn't return a phone call.
Chaney said Medical Mutual actually had to move, though he didn't know why the landlord wanted to empty out the space. "We were not able to renegotiate that lease at that building on Royalton Road," he said. "We feel we were really fortunate to find a building that could meet our needs."
Medical Mutual said it expects to start moving workers out in June. Their new home will be an 89,000-square-foot, two-story building at 15885 W. Sprague Road. That property was one of the Strongsville facilities emptied out by PPG Industries after the Pittsburgh-based company bought the U.S. house-paint division of AkzoNobel in 2012 and consolidated operations in Pennsylvania.
Strongsville officials didn't respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Annette Mecklenburg was sworn in Monday (Feb. 1) as the city's new police chief, the first woman named to the post and the second currently serving in Cuyahoga County.
"Chief Mecklenburg knows Cleveland Heights well, and not just as a resident -- she has served in every area of the city," noted City Manager Tanisha Briley.
A member of the force since 1990, she succeeds Jeffrey Robertson, who swore her in and officially retired as of midnight after serving five years at the top.
"I feel so much pride and honor," Mecklenburg said. "I thank the city manager, mayor and council for the confidence they've expressed in me. And I will not let you down."
She also thanked Robertson for his tutelage, as well as former Chief Martin Lentz for hiring her after an interview that she initially felt did not go well.
"Obviously, I was a nervous wreck, looking for my first job in law enforcement out of college (Bowling Green)," Mecklenburg recalled. "I had wanted to get into police work my entire life -- there was nothing else I ever wanted to do."
She went on to earn a law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law in 2001, and was promoted to the rank of captain last year.
Now there are actually three Cleveland Heights cops in the Mecklenburg household: the new chief, her husband Jeff, and sidekick Argos, one of the department's K-9 officers.
At center from left, Karen and Deputy Chief Brad Sudyk, Chief Jeffrey Robertson and wife Abby are honored with retirement plaques by Cleveland Heights City Council on Feb. 1.
Briley took a moment to thank Robertson, saying that "his contributions to the department have been transformative."
Mecklenburg agreed, citing such initiatives by Roberston as the "Meet Your Police" program and instituting a bike unit.
"He's made great strides in putting the police department closer to the community and I plan to carry on that tradition.
"Communication is the key in building and maintaining strong relationships," Mecklenburg said. "I thank you all, and I'm ready to get started."
Prior to the ceremony, Robertson and his deputy chief, Brad Sudyk, received honorary plaques from City Council for their service.
Mayor Cheryl Stephens also commended their wives, Abby Robertson and Karen Sudyk, for helping them to exemplify the motto "To Protect and To Serve" over the years.
Sudyk joined the force in 1982, a year after Robertson came on board.
"That's who I started out with and that's who I'm ending up with," Sudyk said after the ceremony.
Many officers, including the department's Honor Guard, attended the swearing-in ceremony, then lined up outside to see Robertson and Sudyk off with handshakes and a final salute.
Retiring Police Chief Jeffrey Robertson thanks the Cleveland Heights Police Honor Guard for the sendoff outside City Hall on Feb. 1.
Robertson also conducted the ceremonial pinning of the chief's badge with Mecklenburg, then turned over another badge that Lentz entrusted him with when he took over as chief in 2010.
Afterwards, Robertson was wearing the lieutenant's badge that belonged to his father, John, when he served in Lyndhurst for 27 years.
"He's not around anymore, but I thought I would put it on and wear it tonight in his memory," Robertson said, noting that his grandfather served as a police officer in East Cleveland for 34 years, joining the force in 1924.
During her swearing-in ceremony, Mecklenburg was flanked by her husband, her father, Andy Kromer Jr., and her mother, Karen, who held the Bible.
Kromer, a businessman in Strongsville, said he was at first surprised when his daughter made it known that she wanted to become a police officer.
"It shocked us, but when she puts her mind to something, she achieves it," Kromer said. "She was very self-motivated from an early age."
Mecklenburg is the city's seventh police chief. The only other woman currently serving in that post in Cuyahoga County is Sheila Mason in Woodmere, according to the county Police Chiefs Association.
matthew barge
Matthew Barge, right, of the nonprofit Police Assessment Resource Center, submitted a first-year plan for the city of Cleveland to adhere to under a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department.
(Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The monitor tracking the city of Cleveland's progress under a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department laid out an ambitious plan for 2016, one that requires the city to implement major changes and conduct training.
The first-year plan was filed in federal court late Monday by monitor Matthew Barge. The document outlines dozens of minor and major deadlines that the city, the monitor and other groups must meet to implement a settlement designed to transform the way the city polices its residents.
Barge said at a hearing Thursday that the plan is "aggressive" but achievable. He said the work with the city thus far has been more planning-oriented, but residents should see substantial change in the coming months.
A judge is expected to sign off on the plan in the coming days.
(You can read the plan here or at the bottom of this post.)
In a motion filed along with the plan, Barge pointed out a few specific and notable deadlines and goals the city must meet this year. They include:
* The city police must have a new use-of-force policy in place -- with all officers trained -- by Dec. 31.
* The police, along with the newly-formed Mental Health Advisory Committee, will develop new policies and training for officers responding to calls about mental health and behavioral crises.
* The Community Police Commission must make assessments of the city's bias-free policing policy, and make recommendations for changes. The police department must then develop a bias-free policing policy and training protocol.
* The police must have a new mission statement by June 10.
* The city must develop a new recruiting policy by June.
* The city and monitoring team must finish an equipment and resource study by June to determine what equipment officers need.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The chief defense counsel for the U.S. Marine Corps has been chosen to be the new head of the federal public defender's office for the Northern District of Ohio.
Col. Stephen C. Newman was appointed for a four-year term to head the office, which provides attorneys to criminal defendants who cannot afford one.
The judges of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati selected him from other attorneys who applied from both inside and outside of the office.
Newman, 51, will replace Dennis Terez, who has headed the federal public defender's office since 2007. Terez will step down as head of the office in April.
"It takes two parties to get the truth," Newman said. "Without a strong and vigorous defense, our system completely collapses. It's something that I love to do."
Newman will be paid $158,700, the same amount as the U.S. attorney. Newman said he does not yet have a firm start date, but he hopes to be sworn in by mid-May.
Newman has been in the Marines for nearly 25 years. He has been chief defense counsel for the Marines since 2014. His office provides representation to Marines charged with committing criminal military infractions.
An Indiana native, Newman went to law school at Capital University in Columbus and graduated in 1991. He said he is excited to move to Cleveland because his wife has family in northern Ohio.
The federal defender's office is based in Cleveland and has offices in Akron, Youngstown and Toledo.
Save Lakewood Hospital
Save Lakewood Hospital members rally in front of City Hall to demand a vote on whether to close the hospital.
(Bruce Geiselman, cleveland.com)
LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Members of Save Lakewood Hospital rallied outside City Hall Monday prior to a City Council meeting, calling on the city to act quickly to put an issue on the March ballot that would reverse a December 2015 decision to close the hospital.
"We are trying to make sure council expeditiously moves the petitions we gave them forward," spokesman Charles Milsaps said.
More than two dozen people carrying signs marched in front of City Hall.
Save Lakewood Hospital, a citizens group calling for a halt to city plans to close the city-owned but Cleveland Clinic-run hospital, hopes the measure appears on the March ballot. However, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and city officials have said getting it on the ballot would be challenging.
Save Lakewood Hospital presented petitions Jan. 21 to the city calling for City Council to either reverse it's decision closing the hospital or put the issue up for a public vote. The petitions were submitted past the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections normal Dec. 16 deadline for cities to submit ballot issues, but within a time frame allowed under the Lakewood City Charter. City and elections officials said the city charter is out of step with the county's deadlines and should be changed. But in the meantime, elections officials said they would try to put the issue on the ballot, if possible, but time quickly is running out.
Overseas and military ballots already have been printed and mailed and regular absentee ballots are expected to be printed by Feb. 9.
"Potentially, it can," Board of Elections Director Pat McDonald said when asked if the issue still could make the March ballot. "In a practical sense, it will be very difficult and challenging for us. We are talking with our attorneys."
Elections officials Monday were verifying whether there were enough valid signatures on the petitions, and they hoped to have the task completed by mid-week. Once that happens, City Council would discuss whether to repeal the measure to close the hospital or send it to the voters.
McDonald said unless council acts by Friday, "it would be virtually impossible to execute this for the March election."
Kevin Young, another Save Lakewood Hospital spokesman, said a different elections official told him Tuesday would be the latest date to get the measure on the ballot.
Regular absentee voting and early voting at the Board of Elections begins Feb. 17.
City Council does not have any additional regular meetings scheduled this week or next, and it is under no obligation to call a special meeting to discuss the ballot issue. Council President Sam O'Leary said he wasn't certain council could decide the issue in only one meeting. He and Law Director Kevin Butler said council has an obligation to review the ordinance before voting.
"It's certainly my view that as a practical matter, it couldn't be the March election," O'Leary said. "But we can't get ahead of ourselves."
O'Leary said he was waiting to see how long it takes elections officials to certify the signatures.
"I don't know we would be able to rush our deliberations about what is fundamentally a very important question for our community," O'Leary said.
If the signatures are not verified in time or if council fails to act in time, the hospital issue likely would appear on the November ballot. If the city holds a special election prior to November, the cost likely would range between $100,000 and $150,000, Butler said.
"It's certainly true voters in Lakewood have a right to have their say, and they absolutely will," O'Leary said. "What we're trying to wrestle with is a question of when."
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County's much ballyhooed legal effort to recover millions of taxpayer dollars lost in its purchase of the Ameritrust complex has been tossed out of court by a visiting judge who ruled its claims were filed too long after the corruption crisis surfaced.
Visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove ruled that the case's May 2014 filing date exceeded the statute of limitations.
That timeline was triggered by a July 29, 2008, Plain Dealer article about FBI agents swarming across Cuyahoga County, hauling away boxes from businesses, offices and the homes of County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and Auditor Frank Russo. Included was a subpoena for Dimora's records on the 2005 Ameritrust deal.
What did the judge say?
"The County waited an unreasonable period of time after the discovery of the public corruption associated with the 'Ameritrust project' to bring this Complaint, without excuse," Cosgrove's ruling said.
Her ruling also said that wording in a contract between the county and one of the defendants it sued barred the county's claims to recover the $18 million taxpayers lost on the deal.
In a statement released Tuesday, Cuyahoga County Law Director Robert Triozzi said the county is examining the ruling for issues it can raise on appeal. It has until Feb. 25 to file an appeal with the 8th District Court of Appeals.
What's the background?
Cuyahoga County commissioners in 2005 spent $22 million to buy the Ameritrust complex, at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue, with aims to relocate the county's administrative headquarters there. Just two years later, commissioners scrapped the plan for a headquarters, saying that the floor space was too small for suitable offices, but not before spending an additional $10 million plus to rid the complex of asbestos.
Former County Executive Ed FitzGerald decided to file the lawsuit after making a $27 million deal to sell the mothballed complex to the Geis Cos. in 2012. The county now leases its offices from Geis, which has turned the old tower into the The 9 luxury hotel and apartments and the rotunda into a bustling Heinen's grocery store.
See news coverage below.
What's in the lawsuit?
The lawsuit claimed that bribes and corruption tainted the county decision to select the Ameritrust complex and sought unspecified civil damages from companies involved in the deal.
The defendants it targeted included Vince Russo - the son of former County Auditor Frank Russo who served 18 months for bribery involving Maple Heights school - and a company controlled by businessman Vincent Carbone, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to a bribery scheme involving a Lorain County commissioner in 1999.
Others named in the lawsuit were not charged with crimes, such as the former Staubach Co, which recommended the Ameritrust site; Jones Lang LaSalle, which bought out Staubach; developer Harvey Oppmann and Anatomy Nightclub, on West 9th Street.
The county paid Staubach $3 million in consulting fees, an amount county officials said was suspiciously high.
Attorney Anthony O. Calabrese III, who negotiated the county's contract with Staubach, pleaded guilty to bribing former county employee J. Kevin Kelley in 2005 in exchange for inside information on the Ameritrust deal
Sebring-blood-screenings.jpg
Officials from the Mahoning County District Board of Health conducted blood screenings Monday in Sebring and one individual tested for elevated lead levels.
(Courtesy of WFMJ-TV Youngstown)
WARREN, Ohio - Warren city leaders will address issues surrounding the quality of the city's water supply.
A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon after two homes on Perkinswood Boulevard tested for high amounts of lead in the water last summer, but the entire city was not notified, WKBN-TV in Youngstown reported. One of those homes had a reading of 64 parts per billion, which is about three times higher than the levels in Sebring last month, which prompted a health alert to be issued and schools to be closed.
The lead contamination was discovered during a routine water system test. Warren's overall water test met federal standards, and just two out of 30 homes had high readings, WKBN reported.
Meanwhile in Sebring, 32 people took part in blood screenings Monday by the Mahoning County District Board of Health and one individual tested positive for elevated lead levels, WFMJ-TV in Youngstown reported. Officials still cannot draw a link from positive screenings to elevated lead levels in the water in a home because other factors may be involved.
"In 90 percent of kids that have an elevated blood level it's usually coming from the paint that's coming from an older home," Tracy Styka, a health educator with the Mahoning County health board, told WFMJ.
Here are other top stories today from Youngstown and eastern Ohio:
* State and federal agencies searched two locations in Niles today, including the home of former Niles Mayor Ralph Infante. (WKBN-TV Youngstown)(WFMJ-TV Youngstown)
* One man is behind bars after allegedly using a fake bomb threat to rob a Campbell bank, putting a Bible in a bag instead of a bomb. (WFMJ-TV Youngstown)(WKBN-TV Youngstown)
* The Perry County Sheriff's Office said residents who were evacuated after a gas leak in Crooksville Monday are being allowed to go home. (WCMH-TV Columbus)(WSYX-TV Columbus)
* A Mexican man, living in Nebraska and working in the pipeline industry, entered two guilty pleas today in Belmont County, in connection with a drunk driving car crash that happened in September. (WTRF-TV Steubenville)
* Five people were arrested after agents from the Ohio Organized Crimes Investigations Commission and the Washington Morgan Noble Major Crimes Task Force conducted a drug search in Beverly in Washington County. (WTAP-TV Marietta)
APL horses
Cleveland Animal Protective League investigators seized these two horses -- Sassy, left, and Helena -- from stables at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds during an animal-cruelty investigation into a horse owner.
(Cleveland APL)
BEREA, Ohio - Berea city officials, the Cleveland Animal Protective League and the Cuyahoga County fair board are investigating allegations of horse abuse in rented barns on the fairgrounds.
The APL seized two severely underweight horses in January from a barn there, and the fair board -- officially named the Cuyahoga County Agricultural Society -- last week evicted Double D Stables, which oversaw the horses.
On Monday horse owners attended a City Council meeting to list more instances of neglect, starvation and beatings in the barns, which are leased to barn managers, who rent stalls to individual owners.
It's "a very muddy system right now. It is all different people, owners and leases," APL President and CEO Sharon Harvey said in an interview Tuesday. "My hope is the county is going to take a serious look at this and the fair board and determine what needs to be done to make it a little easier and make sure the animals are OK while protecting people's rights."
The allegations have raised questions about management and inspections at the barns.
Who owns the barns?
Cuyahoga County owns the fairgrounds on Eastland Road, but the fair board oversees the property and the buildings.
For more than 30 years the society's board has leased five barns, including one divided in half, to barn managers, who in turn lease stalls to horse owners.
What abuse has been alleged?
The APL initially responded to a report that a horse had starved in the barn overseen by Double D.
Several northeast Ohio residents who own horses spoke to Berea council, describing cruelty dating to 2011.
Allegations included:
Horses being dragged, and beaten with shovels and wooden boards
Neglect and starvation
Prolonged isolation in dark stalls
Horses being left to stand and sleep in two to three feet of manure
Illegal on-site slaughter of animals.
Have there been prior problems with Double D Stables?
Janet Kihm told Berea council about the death of her horse in 2011 at the Double D barn at the fairgrounds.
She boarded six horses at the barn, beginning in 2010, said Kihm, of North Royalton. She visited daily and provided several contact numbers to the barn manager.
One day when she went to see Chickasaw, the manager told her the horse was acting colicky.
"They told me they walked him for some time and he was feeling better," she said. "I took one look. He was not fine."
The horse died two days later.
She was contacted later by Berea's animal control officer, who had received a cell phone video of Chickasaw being tied to a back of a truck and beaten the day he was ill.
The barn manager was charged with animal cruelty but pleaded no contest and was found guilty of disorderly conduct in Berea Municipal Court.
Kihm said bedding was not provided for her horses, nor was a dumpster for manure.
She did not contact the fair board about her concerns.
"As boarders were were told to go through the barn manager," she said.
Who investigates abuse?
Berea's animal control officer is responsible for responding to complaints at the fairgrounds.
But since the city cannot house horses, it defers to the APL, said Berea law director Barbara Jones.
Harvey said Tuesday said if someone does not give permission to enter to investigate an allegation, the organization must have probable cause to get a search warrant. She said she is glad residents are speaking out.
"People have constitutional rights and you cannot just barge in and look because somebody says they think something is going on," she said.
What is the fair board's obligation?
Fair board President Timothy Fowler said what occurred in the stable violated the board's mission to properly care for animals. That led to evicting Double D.
Fowler said the fair board can inspect the stables, but has to give the tenant notice because of renters' rights.
"If we were to witness anything improper for animal care that wasn't related to the building we would report that to the local authorities," he said in an interview.
"Everybody has rights in this situation," he said.
What do other fair boards do?
The Lake County Fair Board has a barn manager who oversees the four rental barns and the stalls rented to horse owners, said secretary-treasure Michell Byram.
There have been no problems with horses, she said.
The barns are regularly inspected and while tenants may be notified, managers can enter without notice.
What is the city's obligation?
"We are actually at this point trying to sort it out," Jones said Tuesday.
Jones said she will set up a meeting next week with residents who spoke out at get more information.
Jones said a police sergeant and the city's animal control officer went to the fairgrounds early Tuesday morning and did not find any evidence of violations.
Jones said she planned to talk to the fair board and APL about oversight.
"Once we figure out what exactly is happening, if the APL is dealing with the entire situation we will defer to them," she said. "It is simply because they have a little more teeth and the ability to care for horses."
Ohio Officer Shot
Knox County prosecutor Chip McConville announces on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, a 10-count indictment against Herschel Ray Jones III, the suspect in the Jan. 17 slaying of a Danville policeman who was shot in the head, in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
(Kantele Franko, Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The man accused of killing a police officer last month could receive the death penalty if convicted.
Herschel Ray "Chopper" Jones III faces the death penalty after a 10-count indictment was returned Monday by a Knox County Grand Jury in connection with the Jan. 17 murder of Danville police officer Thomas Cottrell, WSYX-TV in Columbus reported. Jones is being held in Morrow County Jail.
"When a law enforcement officer is shot in the line of duty, that is one crime that rises to the top for seeking the death penalty," Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville told WSYX.
Cottrell was a recently-hired auxiliary officer in Danville, about 50 miles northeast of Columbus, who mainly worked on the weekends, the Associated Press reported. His full-time job was a mixer driver for a concrete company in nearby Mount Vernon. He had three daughters and was engaged to a school nurse.
The Associated Press reported Jones has a lengthy criminal history and in one case tried to claim he was legally insane, according to court records. Knox County court records showed Jones had multiple convictions for breaking and entering, burglary, receiving stolen property and carrying a concealed weapon dating back to 2001.
Here are other top stories from the Columbus area today:
* Police officers helped save a family from a burning home in west Columbus early this morning. (WCMH-TV Columbus)(WSYX-TV Columbus)
* Speaking from her Vermont home, Joel Wright's mother Teresa Poquette says her son - facing felony charges of adopting children to rape and molest - was set up. "He didn't do it. He's innocent. I still do not believe it's true," she said. (WBNS-TV Columbus)
* Guests of a north side Columbus motel are demanding their money back after they were forced out Monday without warning as police cited the manager of Extend-A-Suites for operating a motel in the city without a new city permit. (WSYX-TV Columbus)
* A Pickerington man was arrested by the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office after he stabbed and assaulted a co-worker last week. (WBNS-TV Columbus)
* Hundreds of students turned out at Mirror Lake on The Ohio State University campus Monday night to honor Afroduck, an iconic duck on the campus that died last week. (WSYX-TV Columbus)
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Two men were found shot to death Monday night inside this car in the Dayton suburb of Trotwood.
(Courtesy of WHIO-TV Dayton)
DAYTON, Ohio - Police in a Dayton suburb are investigating a double homicide that may have been the result of a shootout.
Trotwood Police are investigating a double shooting that occurred just after 9:45 p.m. Monday in the 4300 block of Curundu Avenue, WDTN-TV in Dayton reported.
Trotwood Police Capt. John Porter said a woman noticed a suspicious vehicle in her driveway, and reported two people inside. When police arrived, they discovered both of the people inside the vehicle were dead.
Porter said the two men were aged in their "early to mid-twenties." He said police found shell casings and bullets inside and outside the bullet-riddled car, WRGT-TV in Dayton reported.
Porter said there were multiple reports of shots fired calls coming in at around the time of the shooting; however, when police responded to the area, they were unable to find anything.
"We don't believe that this is a random type of event though," Porter told WRGT.
Here are other top stories today from across the Dayton area:
* Two children were taken to the hospital for treatment of possible smoke inhalation from a kitchen fire in a Harrison Township apartment today. (WHIO-TV Dayton)(WDTN-TV Dayton)
* The Ohio State Highway Patrol posted on its Facebook page today about a traffic stop on Interstate 75 in Shelby County Jan. 26 that led to the discovery of 1,181 Oxycodone pills in the trunk. (WDTN-TV Dayton)(WHIO-TV Dayton)
* Miami County Chief Deputy Dave Duchak said today 21-year-old Taylor Dickey's car was traveling 101 mph and accelerating when it hit a school bus Jan. 28 in Union Township, according to the onboard computer in the car. Dickey died in the crash. (WHIO-TV Dayton)
* A Dayton mother is refusing to send her son to school after she claims the district lost him. (WDTN-TV Dayton)
* Police are searching for a suspect they say smashed into a CVS store in Dayton early Monday morning. (WRGT-TV Dayton)
* Wright State University student Emily Bingham will be on tonight's showing of the Jeopardy College Tournament of Champions. (WDTN-TV Dayton)
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Cincinnati police respond to the first of two shootings within a couple of hours in the same Mt. Airy neighborhood. In this incident, a 17-year-old boy was shot, but is expected to survive his injuries.
(Courtesy of WLWT-TV Cincinnati)
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Two shootings occurred within two hours Monday in the same Cincinnati neighborhood.
The two shootings took place just a block away from each other in the Mount Airy neighborhood on the city's northwest side, though it is not known if the shootings are related, WKRC-TV in Cincinnati reported.
According to Cincinnati police, a 17-year-old boy was shot in the 2600 block of Hillvista Lane around 5:30 p.m. Authorities said he is expected to survive his injuries.
Three people were seen leaving the scene in a gray or silver Chevy Malibu with a sunroof, police told WLWT-TV in Cincinnati.
A second shooting was reported just after 7 p.m. in the 2500 block of North Bend Road. Officials said a 23-year-old man was shot in the back in a drive-by shooting. He is also expected to survive, police told WLWT.
Police don't have much to go on other than a black Toyota may have been involved, WKRC reported.
Here are other top stories from the Cincinnati area today:
* Police in West Chester in Butler County said they are searching for a man in his 20s who stole three guns from Cabela's in December - one on each of three consecutive days. (WXIX-TV Cincinnati)(WKRC-TV Cincinnati)
* A powerful storm system bringing blizzard conditions to the Great Plains will bring storms to the Tri-State today. (WLWT-TV Cincinnati)(WCPO-TV Cincinnati)
* One of two women rescued from a burning home in Cincinnati's Corryville neighborhood last May has passed away. (WLWT-TV Cincinnati)
* Rebekah Kinner, the Butler County woman charged in connection with her 2-year-old daughter Kinsley's death, has given birth to a baby boy. (WCPO-TV Cincinnati)
* A 56-year-old man is accused of groping two female patients inside their room at Cincinnati's Good Samaritan Hospital. (WXIX-TV Cincinnati)
* A veterinarian had to put a horse down after a car struck it late Monday afternoon in Indian Hill in Hamilton County. (WLWT-TV Cincinnati)
* Cincinnati police went above and beyond the call of duty when they found a 3-year-old boy wandering the street early today. (WXIX-TV Cincinnati)
* Several recent teen suicides prompted a Cincinnati-area group to put together a suicide prevention forum. (WKRC-TV Cincinnati)
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Kent State University, after almost a year of work, has unveiled its new brand.
(Karen Farkas, cleveland.com)
KENT, Ohio -- Kent State University unveiled its new brand, "Undeniably Kent State," Monday in a video and celebration with food, giveaways and a bonfire.
"Here our people welcome you with open arms but push you out with an open mind," says the narrator of a two-minute video. "Because open minds lead to broken boundaries. And when everyone around you is pushing you forward, nothing can stand in your way."
University President Beverly Warren led the festivities, which were viewed at Kent's regional campuses, the regional academic center in Twinsburg and the College of Podiatric Medicine .
Efforts to develop the new brand and new site, undeniable.kent.edu, began in March 2015 when the university discarded the "Excellence in Action" tagline.
The school awarded a $101,750 six-month contract to 160over90, a Philadelphia-based branding and creative services agency to conduct an "environment assessment." Then Kent signed a $2.3 million three-year contract in September to hone Kent State's image and draw national and international attention.
Warren, who became president in July 2014, has promoted a "One University" vision to include all campuses and programs.
It evolved into #undeniablyKSU and students had been encouraged to attend Monday's launch "to see why our future is so bright."
Guatemala Zika Virus
A Health Ministry brigade arrives to the Bethania neighborhood to fumigate for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Guatemala City, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is vector for the spread of the Zika virus which has suspected links to birth defects in newborn children. There is no treatment or vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus, which is in the same family of viruses as dengue.
(Moises Castillo, Associated Press)
Today's top stories:
The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the United States was reported in Texas today by local health officials, who said it was contracted through sexual contact and not the bite of a mosquito. (Reuters)
North Korea said today it planned to launch a satellite-carrying rocket as early as next week, a move that also could showcase potential advances in military-use technology less than a month after an apparent nuclear test. (Washington Post)
The presidential candidates turned their focus to New Hampshire today, with Republicans and Democrats alike looking to spin the results of Monday night's Iowa caucuses in their favor and take aim at newly-positioned rivals a week before a primary election that could reorder the campaign again. (Time)
National news:
Comedian Bill Cosby today sought to derail Pennsylvania prosecutors' effort to make him stand trial on sexual assault charges. (Reuters)
Ammon Bundy, the rancher who led an armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, abruptly reversed course today and withdrew a request to be released from custody as he awaits trial on a felony conspiracy charge, court papers showed. (CNN News)
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus explained what persuaded him to allow men and women to continue training separately at Marine boot camp a month after he ordered Corps leaders to develop a plan to make its entry-level training coed. (Marine Corps Times)
The handlers of Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, said the furry rodent failed to see his shadow at dawn today, meaning he "predicted" an early spring. (Associated Press)
The Florida Supreme Court today halted the execution of a South Florida man hours after listening to his attorney argue everyone on Florida's death row should be spared because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. (Orlando Sentinel)
A preliminary investigation has concluded a 13-year-old Blacksburg, Va. girl was stabbed to death and she likely died Jan. 27, the day she went missing from her home, a prosecutor said at a news conference today. (Washington Post)
California's snowpack is 114 percent of average for this time of year, the best haul since February 2011 and a sign California may be crawling out of its four-year drought. (San Francisco Chronicle)
International news:
U.S. airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan killed 29 ISIS fighters and struck the terrorist group's FM radio station, signaling American forces' continued military action in the war-torn nation. (CNN News)
Advances in the campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq are forcing the extremists to abandon territory there, generating concerns they are carving out a new stronghold in oil-rich Libya, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said today. (Washington Post)
A pivotal "in or out" referendum on Britain's future in the European Union moved one step closer today as British and European leaders presented new draft proposals aimed at keeping the 28-nation EU intact. (Associated Press)
Spain's king today tapped Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez to try to form a government following an inconclusive December election in which the country's conservative Popular Party came in first but failed to drum up enough support for a coalition or a minority government. (Associated Press)
Monday, nearly 100,000 people were stranded at a railway station in Guangzhou as icy weather conditions delayed several trains, stalling travelers who'd hoped to get home before the Chinese New Year festivities kick off. (Huffington Post)
A passenger plane has made an emergency landing in Somalia's capital with a gaping hole in its fuselage. (BBC News)
Cramer finally saw some light at the end of the tunnel on Wednesday last week, when for the first time in ages, it became clear that the stock market and oil futures were trying to decouple.
Many investors believe that since the oil industry has become a lot larger than it used to be, the weak demand for oil could be a sign that the U.S. is headed into a recession. However, Cramer does not agree. He believes the price of oil is all about a supply glut and very little to do with demand.
"That is lunacy, as I've said repeatedly, because the vast, vast majority of companies in the S&P actually benefit from cheaper crude," the " Mad Money " host said.
Lately, it seemed to Jim Cramer that the crazy linkage between oil and stocks would last forever. Whenever oil would go up, the market would rally; whenever oil went down, stocks were crushed.
That is why Cramer spoke with Carley Garner, a technician, commodities expert, co-founder of DeCarley Trading and a colleague of Cramer's at RealMoney.com to get a sense of when the linkage between oil and stocks will finally snap.
Garner first pointed out that historically there does tend to be a moderate correlation between the market and oil futures. But in the past 30 days, the two have moved in the same direction roughly 95 percent of the time.
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Typically, the correlation coefficient between oil futures and the is around 30 percent. Given the hopeful signs seen last week that oil and stocks are capable of trading in different directions, Garner believes that crude and the S&P will continue to decouple.
Once that occurs, Garner thinks the market could potentially see a bottom in both oil and stocks, as traders become more comfortable that the two are able to separate.
Garner thinks that it will take more time for the oil market to sort itself out, and she believes that the floor of $26 for crude will hold. However, she added that the $26 lows are likely to be tested, and that means the S&P 500 could trade lower in lockstep.
While Garner did not try to predict the level where oil will bottom, she does say that prices this low are simply unsustainable in the long run.
As for the S&P 500, she thinks it has become emotional and recommended to prepare for one more dip before things calm down again. Based on the monthly chart of the S&P 500, Garner said that a pullback to the low 1,800s could happen, but won't rule out a temporary plunge to 1,720. Ultimately, she predicts that the market will go lower first before it can begin to go higher again.
It is still too early to call a bottom in oil or stocks, but Garner says the charts suggest that oil futures and the S&P 500 might finally be ready to divorce from one another.
"That on its own would be a major positive, exactly as we saw in today's session," Cramer said.
Hong Kong has retained its title as the world's freest economy for the 22nd year in a row, according to the latest Index of Economic Freedom, even as rising political strife and civil discontent grip the financial hub.
The indexpublished annually by the Wall Street Journal and think tank the Heritage Foundationjudges economic freedom on four key pillars: rule of law, limited government, regulatory efficiency and open markets.
People in economically free societies earn incomes that more than twice the average levels in all other countries and they live longer too, according to the report released on Tuesday.
"Hong Kong is free because it has a better right to higher wages, longer lives, a better environmentall of that comes with economic freedoms," Ed Feulner, the think tank's founder, told CNBC, noting the city's transformation from a manufacturing-driven economy to one that's now 97 percent service-oriented.
Some of the 'freest' countries on the index were Asian Pacific (APAC) economies: Singapore came in second, with New Zealand at third and with Australia fifth. In fourth place, Switzerland was the sole non-APAC economy in the top five.
Much of the attention was on Trump, whose campaign rhetoric has focused on his ability to win everything from business deals to the latest polls so a loss in Iowa may blemish that image. In fact, Trump had led most recent statewide polls, and he even opted to skip the most recent debate . And he had spent weeks hammering Cruz with criticisms while campaigning in Iowa.
"Based on the report from the Iowa Democratic Party Chair, we have marked Hillary Clinton as the apparent winner. The party described the race as a 'historically close caucus,'" NBC News said.
In a night of surprises, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz rode a wave of strong evangelical support to a victory over national front-runner Donald Trump in the GOP's Iowa caucuses, according to NBC News. On the other side of the race, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton appeared to have won the Iowa caucus after her rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , dubbed it "a virtual tie."
Recalling the doubts that "everybody" expressed about his chances in Iowa when he announced his candidacy, Trump said Monday night he was "honored" to come in second place, and he congratulated Cruz. Still, the businessman noted his first-place standing in New Hampshire polls for next Tuesday's primary, looking ahead to the next major test for his campaign.
Trump tweet.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio delivered a triumphant address for his third-place finish, saying he will become the Republican nominee.
For his part, Cruz struck a populist tone in his victory speech.
"Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and 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," Cruz declared.
Early entrance poll data had indicated a lead for former Secretary of State Clinton, according to NBC News. In that race, NBC News was allocating 30 of 52 delegates to Clinton, and 21 to Sanders as of 9:42 a.m. ET.
Clinton's campaign indicated to NBC News that it would be declaring victory in the state race, and the former first lady said she was "breathing a big sigh of relief" in her Monday night speech. In that address, Clinton characterized herself as a "progressive who gets things done for people," and as someone who stands in a "long line of American reformers who make up our minds that the status quo is not good enough."
The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, released a statement calling the Democratic Iowa caucus an "unmitigated disaster for Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party," as the night's results were still too close to call between Sanders and her.
Sanders said just before midnight ET that the race appeared to be in a "virtual tie."
"When I think about what happened tonight, I think the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment and by the way to the media establishment," he said. "And that is that given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics."
Meanwhile, NBC News reported that former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley would suspend his campaign Monday night. And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tweeted just before 10:30 p.m. ET that he had officially suspended his run for the GOP nomination.
Reports surfaced Monday evening that some precincts received many more caucus-goers than expected, with one county GOP leader telling NBC News that "we are busting at the seams." Entrance poll results from NBC News showed that 43 percent of Republican respondents said Monday's was their first caucus. For the Democrats, 59 percent said they were first-timers.
"It's not every day that the Golden Anniversary of the Big Game is played in the Golden State, so we felt it was only appropriate to celebrate with a limited-edition Golden Garlic Knots Pizza," said Jared Drinkwater, Pizza Hut's vice president of marketing, in a statement.
The golden pizza is a special version of the recently debuted Stuffed Garlic Knots Pizza covered in $100 of edible 24-karat gold. The Yum Brands subsidiary sells the standard version of the new pizza for $12.99 before tax.
Pizza Hut is celebrating the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary by giving away pizzas covered in real gold.
Customers can win one of the 50 limited edition pizzas by either ordering a regular Stuffed Garlic Knots Pizza or emailing the PR team between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., ET, on Feb. 7. Winners will also receive a $100 Pizza Hut Gold Card bringing the potential return on investment to $212.99.
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Pizza Hut has also drafted Golden Tate of the Detroit Lions as an honorary team member for this campaign. The promotion is limited to Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and West Virginia.
Read MoreCould your Super Bowl party kill you?
This is the latest promotional gimmick from the fast-food chain, which has been drumming up buzz around its experimental boxes. Last year Pizza Hut broke its own sales record on Super Bowl Sunday after redesigning its website and app and revamping its menu to include trendier ingredients like sriracha and Peruvian cherry peppers.
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Signage for 1Malaysia Development Bhd. (1MDB) is displayed at the site of the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) project in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Goh Seng Chong | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Malaysia's leaders are battling the most severe international pressure yet over alleged large-scale corruption after Switzerland torpedoed efforts to contain the growing scandal around the 1MDB investment fund. Kuala Lumpur's attempts to play down an affair that has rocked the country and embroiled Najib Razak, the prime minister, have been derailed by a Swiss criminal investigation that said on Friday it found "serious indications" that about $4bn was misappropriated. Switzerland's unusually aggressive intervention reflects international concern that the Malaysian authorities may have been trying to bury the story. Earlier in the week Mohamed Apandi Ali, Malaysia's attorney-general, cleared Mr Najib of any wrongdoing over payments of $680m into his bank account. Critics alleged the transfers were linked to 1MDB, which the fund and the prime minister deny.
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John Pang, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the Swiss statement undermined Mr Apandi's claim that the funds paid into Mr Najib's account were a donation from the Saudi royal family. "This makes it very difficult for the attorney-general to simply close off the investigation," Mr Pang said. "It makes the attorney-general's statement difficult to credit." After the Swiss move, Mr Apandi said his office intended to "take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with our Swiss counterparts", adding that investigations into 1MDB were continuing. He described the now-closed investigation into the donations to Mr Najib which the country's anti-corruption commission is seeking to reopen as "entirely separate". Mr Najib has consistently denied claims of misappropriation of more than $1bn at 1MDB, a debt-laden state investment fund set up at his behest and whose advisory board he chairs. 1MDB has also been dismissive of critics who have alleged criminal wrongdoing, branding allegations against it "spurious". But Swiss authorities said a criminal investigation had "revealed serious indications that funds have been misappropriated from Malaysian state companies", adding that the $4bn at stake had been intended for economic and social development projects.
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MANCHESTER, N.H. Voters bring clarity to the fog of campaigns, and Iowans made one thing clear: We'll stay in the fog for quite a while. Iowa Republicans handed victory to Ted Cruz, humbled Donald Trump and threw a strong lifeline to Marco Rubio. But they hardly settled the Republican race, which here in New Hampshire now provides an opportunity for John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie to step up.
Iowa Democrats gave the narrowest of victories to Hillary Clinton, still a strong favorite to win her party's nomination. But the robust showing by her "democratic socialist" challenger Bernie Sanders will only invigorate his supporters here, where he begins the weeklong sprint to primary day with a solid lead.
That means both parties face the prospect of extended slugfests before they can unite their ranks and prepare for a general election that analysts on both sides expect to be close.
Heidi Cruz adjusts the collar of her husband Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) shirt as he takes the stage during a campaign town hall meeting at the Crossing Life Church February 2, 2016 in Windham, New Hampshire. Getty Images
Among mainstream Republicans there was palpable relief that Rubio, long considered their most appealing general election candidate, surged to a strong third-place showing not far behind Trump or Cruz. For different reasons, Republicans fear getting thumped in a contest against Clinton with either man leading the ticket.
Yet neither Rubio nor his "establishment" allies can feel sanguine about the path forward. Trump, the leader in New Hampshire and most everywhere else, showed unexpected grace in defeat; if some analysts overestimated his strength before Iowa's caucuses, they may be overestimating the likelihood of his collapse now that the self-proclaimed "winner" has lost.
At the same time, there's no reason to think Cruz will gradually fade into oblivion the way underfunded Iowa winners Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum did in 2008 and 2012, respectively. Cruz has $18 million in the bank, nearly double Rubio's treasury, and his hard-right ideological profile well matches the Southern states where the post-New Hampshire primary trail leads.
Finally, Rubio faces a passel of mainstream rivals here on terrain better suited than Iowa for them to compete. Ohio Gov. Kasich has moved into second place in some New Hampshire polls, ahead of Rubio. Former Florida Gov. Bush and New Jersey Gov. Christie are bunched relatively closely together with them as well.
Any of them who manages to finish ahead of Rubio in New Hampshire will have a solid argument rebutting party insiders and donors pressing slower drivers in the "establishment" lane to pull over and exit. The more fragmented the race remains, the longer it will last.
The same is true of the Democratic race, even as the exit of former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has left Clinton and Sanders to battle it out one-on-one. The reason Clinton remains likely to prevail is the reassurance her record and policy agenda provide for constituencies that count: Democratic elected officials, donors and minority voters with whom she shares a long history. Few of them want to take the risk of nominating an elderly, less-familiar, less-tested candidate calling for "a political revolution."
China's state-owned ChemChina is nearing a deal to buy Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta for around 43 billion Swiss francs ($42.2 billion), two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The deal, for roughly 470 Swiss francs per share, would be the biggest cross-border deal involving a Chinese buyer and mark an acceleration of a shakeup in the global agrichemicals industry. Negotiations are in final stages but nothing has been signed, the two sources said. It will likely be announced on Wednesday, when Syngenta is scheduled to release 2015 results, the people said. One source said minor adjustments to the price were still being discussed. Syngenta shares closed 3.7 percent higher at 392.30 francs in European trade on Tuesday. ChemChina's offer would be at a premium of about 24 percent to Syngenta's Monday close of 378.40 francs. Syngenta will not have to pay a considerable breakup fee if the buyout fails, the two sources said. While this potentially leaves the door open for peers including U.S. seed company Monsanto or BASF to top ChemChina's offer, the people said that Syngenta was not actively soliciting counter bids.
Ren Jianxin Eric Piermont | AFP | Getty Images
Syngenta last year spurned takeover approaches from Monsanto, arguing it can create value on its own. Last month, Monsanto's CEO said attempts to re-engage Syngenta about a potential takeover had been difficult but that he believed there was still "a significant opportunity" for integration between the companies. Syngenta declined to comment. ChemChina was not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours. Bloomberg had reported earlier on Tuesday that the deal worth 43.7 billion Swiss francs was near. Any deal would likely be reviewed by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which probes transactions with potential national security implications, but two CFIUS experts said they doubted that the inter-agency group would stop it. "It looks like they (Syngenta) have a lot of U.S. operations but it doesn't look like they are sensitive," said one CFIUS expert, adding that he would be "very surprised" if the company failed to register the merger with the agency. It is rare for CFIUS to stop a deal, although it did block Philips' sale of high-end lights to China's GO Scale Capital just last month.
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America's voters have typically done better. Each time we have experienced lengthy stretches of lackluster, divisive leadership, we have found an inspiring, unifying leader to turn things around. Twenty-four years of mostly ineffectual leadership slid inexorably into the Civil War; Abraham Lincoln gave birth to a new America.
Thirty years of weak leadership following his death led to a deep, long recession and the birth of Jim Crow; Teddy Roosevelt ignited the American century.
Another quarter-century of uninspired leaders imploded into the Great Depression; FDR ascended to the almost messianic pantheon of Washington and Lincoln.
Most recently, the disappointments and disillusionments of the Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter presidencies and the long frigid pall of the Cold War gave way for Ronald Reagan to awaken a new morning in America.
Each of these leaders rose above their times in a uniquely American way to inspire and uplift sizable majorities of their countrymen. Our ability to produce such leaders precisely when the nation most needed them has long been one of the finest expressions of American exceptionalism and a testament, for the majority of Americans open to such signs, of God's blessing.
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has launched pilot "easyFoodstore" in North West London, where Londoners can buy a whole range of groceries including coffee, tomato soup, spaghetti hoops, cakes and pizza for the whole of February, for just 25p. Fresh meats and fruit have yet to be included.
The founder of European low-cost airline EasyJet , has expanded his horizons to open a discount food store, where U.K. customers can now buy everyday food products for a maximum of 25 pence (36 cents).
News surrounding Haji-Ioannou's efforts to provide an affordable food service has dated back to 2013, when he said he believed there was a "gap in the food retail market a niche below some of the current budget operators such as Aldi and Lidl."
Back in 2013, Haji-Ioannou said he was hoping to be able to offer affordable food, with basic "no-brand-name" packaging at "bargain prices."
While details of pricing following February have yet to be revealed in full, the easyFoodstore slogan "No expensive brands. Just food honestly priced" highlights the company's overall brand: to provide affordable products to the public.
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"This is another way the easy brand can serve the less well-off," said EasyJet's founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in a statement.
The billionaire founder launched EasyJet back in 1995, and has since grown the easyGroup brand into several sectors including transport, accommodation and more recently food, including brand "EasyPizza."
Closely followed market watcher Dennis Gartman says billionaire Boone Pickens' prediction that the bottom is in for oil is off base.
"It's a supply circumstance. You can see it in the term structure of the futures market on Friday, when you had a strong rally, the back months led the way up," Gartman told CNBC's "Fast Money" traders on Monday. "That's not how bull markets function, that's how bear markets function, and I think Mr. Pickens, a hero of mine, is wrong."
Pickens, who built Mesa Petroleum into a powerhouse and founded BP Capital Management, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday that oil would be trading at $52 by year's end.
"Once you hit bottom which I think was $26.15 on WTI, you're going to double within 12 months by historical information," Pickens said. "So here you are at $30 and I think you'll be at $52 by the end of the year."
Read More Pickens: Oil already bottomedhere's what's next
On Tuesday, West Texas Intermediate crude fell to around $30 a barrel. Oil is now down nearly 20 percent this year.
European airline easyJet unveiled its plans for a zero emissions hydrogen fuel system on Tuesday, which it says could save about 50,000 tons of fuel per year.
The concept is based around the idea of stowing a hydrogen fuel cell in the hold of the aircraft.
The zero emissions system would capture energy when the aircraft brakes during landing, and would then charge lightweight batteries while the aircraft is on the ground.
The aircraft could then use this clean energy while taxiing, negating the need to use its conventional jet engines. The only waste product would be water, which could in turn be used in the aircraft's water system.
The idea is in part inspired by research being done by students at Cranfield University.
"The hybrid plane concept we are announcing today is both a vision of the future and a challenge to our partners and suppliers to continue to push the boundaries towards reducing our carbon emissions," Ian Davies, head of engineering at easyJet, said in a release.
Since the fall of controversial Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, a civil war has raged in the the country. Now there are widespread fears that the power vacuum in Libya could allow the so-called Islamic State to gain control, spreading the Islamist militant group's presence westwards from Syria and the Middle East. The international community is worried about the rise of IS in Libya and on Tuesday, officials from 23 nations met in Rome to discuss the fight against IS (or ISIL as it is also known) and the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The meeting of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, which was also attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, was expected to focus on the group's growing presence in Libya and how to prevent it seizing more parts of the country.
Flames rise from a storage tank filled with crude oil at an oil facility in northern Libya's Ras Lanouf region after it was set ablaze following fresh attacks launched by Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to seize key port terminals, on January 21, 2016. STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
In a press statement after the meeting, Kerry said the coalition was seeing "renewed activity" in Libya and hinted at military aid for the Libyan authorities who are in the process of forming a government of national unity.
"And as everybody here knows, that country (Libya) has resources. The last thing in the world you want is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars of oil revenue. So it means we need to push full speed ahead with training security personnel and we need to ensure that there is a decisive military edge not just to clear territory but to create a safe environment for a government to begin to stand up and operate," he said.
Worrying developments
Since the start of 2016, IS fighters in Libya have tried to expand their territory beyond the coastal city of Sirte and earlier this month they attempted to seize two of Libya's most important oil terminals while conducting attacks on others. Riccardo Fabiani, senior analyst of Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group who specializes in the Middle East and North Africa, told CNBC that recent developments in Libya were worrying.
"The Islamic State is reported to have expanded its presence in Libya over the past weeks, thanks to an influx of people coming from neighboring countries as well as Syria/Iraq. This is worrying, because they are now estimated to have around 3,000 men, which is a relatively significant force in Libya's currently fragmented military landscape," he told CNBC on Tuesday.
There are concerns now that Libya could be the next frontier for IS with deep divisions on political, tribal and ideological lines in the country allowing the Jihadist group to take advantage of various regional weaknesses.
Libya's civil war is now entering its fifth year but it has been overshadowed in recent years by more urgent fears over the civil wars in Syria and Iraq, where IS already controls swathes of territory.
Asked what damage IS could inflict in Libya if it was able to expand, Fabiani was unequivocal: "(We could see) terrorist attacks against Libya's main institutions and cities, damages and destruction of the existing oil infrastructure and, potentially, a considerable threat to southern Europe if they were able to stabilize their control of central Libya," he said. While rival groups in Libya attempt to form a fragile government, there are concerns that the country's authorities are ill-equipped to deal with the IS threat. Eurasia Group's Fabiani believed that the authorities could do with more international support.
"More needs to be done there is no official coordination between anti-IS militias in Libya and the political class is still absorbed by the formation of the new national unity government, as they consider IS a minor threat that they can exploit to score political points with the international community rather than a real risk for themselves. Only lately a sense of urgency has become apparent among Libyans, but there is still a lot to do to prepare an effective military response to IS in Libya," he warned.
How the mighty have fallen
Faced with a growing trend of heroin and prescription opioid abuse that is now killing more than 28,000 Americans annually, the Obama administration said Tuesday it will seek $1.1 billion in new budget funding over the next two years to fight the epidemic. That new money would augment the more than $400 million in money already budgeted for this year to battle opioid abuse, which itself was $100 million higher than what was spent in the prior year, federal officials said.
President Barack Obama answers questions from members of the audience during a community forum at the East End Family Resource Center in Charleston, W.Va., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Obama is in Charleston to lead a community discussion on prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic. Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP
"This president has made clear that addressing this opioid epidemic is a priority for him, and this budget reflects this," said Michael Botticelli, the director of National Drug Control Policy under President Barack Obama. Botticelli said that the additional funding request "underscores the urgency of additional action that we need to take." Botticelli also cited the fact that "we have a tremendous amount of bi-partisan support around this opioid epidemic" as he expressed optimism that the Republican-controlled Congress would approve boosted funding for that fight. Drug overdoses now kill more people each year than motor vehicle crashes, the White House noted. And new data reveal that the drugs known as opioids, which include prescription pain-killers and heroin, were involved in 28,648 fatalities in 2014.
In announcing the new funding request, the White House noted that "prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse have taken a heartbreaking toll on too many Americans and their families while straining resources of law enforcement and treatment programs."
Most of the proposed new funding, $920 million, would be earmarked for cooperative agreements the federal government has with individual states to "expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders," the White House said in a statement.
The amount of money states would receive would depend "on the severity of the epidemic" and the strength of a state's strategy to respond to the funding. "States can use these funds to expand treatment capacity and make services more affordable," the White House said.
Our hope is to get the funding and get this moving as quickly as possible to the states. Sylvia Burwell Health and Human Services Secretary
In the Netherlands, police are teaming up with raptor training company Guard From Above to deploy eagles to take out dangerous drones from the sky. A video released by the Netherlands' national police force shows an eagle swooping on top of a drone and grabbing it with its claws to tackle it to the ground. "For years, the government has been looking for ways to counter the undesirable use of drones. Sometimes a low-tech solution for a high-tech problem is more obvious than it seems. This is the case with our specially trained birds of prey," Guard From Above founder and chief executive Sjoerd Hoogendoorn, said in a press release.
As drones become cheaper and more readily available, their use - authorized or otherwise -- is set to rise. But while some hobbyists might be using the devices to make films, other people have more nefarious ideas. Last year, two men pleaded guilty to smuggling heroin by drone across the U.S.-Mexico border. And another case was recorded where police intercepted a drone carrying drugs, tobacco and porn into a state prison in Maryland, U.S. in August. And in January, a person accidentally crashed a drone onto the lawns of the White House. Law enforcement have been testing ways to stop dangerous drones from using "signal jammers" to just shooting the flying machines down. But birds of prey could potentially be safer.
The Bitcoin Group, based in Melbourne, Australia, announced on Tuesday that it had raised 5,927,168.40 Australian dollars in a bookbuild for its listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).
The world's first fundraising for an initial public offering ( IPO ) of a company that "mines" bitcoins has raised 5.9 million Australian dollars ($4.2 million) far off its target of 20 million Australian dollars.
Although the amount raised was less than a third of the target, Bitcoin Group CEO Sam Lee said it was a "solid result."
"It is sufficient for the company to execute its current strategy of expanding our footprint through acquiring new mining equipment," he told CNBC on Tuesday.
Read More Bitcoin: CNBC Explains
Bitcoin is a digital currency that allows users to exchange online credits for goods and services. Because there is no central bank, bitcoins are "released" online through a process known as mining. The process is carried out by a decentralized network of computers, which compete with one another to match transactions with the amount of the currency in circulation. Whichever computer gets the calculations correct, can then claim the transaction fees on the newly released bitcoins.
Bitcoin Group is yet to quote on the ASX, although this was scheduled to take place on Tuesday. It is expected to trade under the ticker BCG.
Shares were priced at 0.20 Australian dollars, with minimum subscription of 2,000 Australian dollars and no maximum subscription.
Read MoreIPO: CNBC Explains
Bitcoin Group was incorporated in September 2014 and it's the first time the management has led a publicly-listed entity. Lee's background is in financial services and digital media.
There are a number of concerns surrounding bitcoin: It is renowned for its volatility and has been heavily criticized for facilitating illegal activity, given that it can be used anonymously. There is also high competition in the industry and uncertainty regarding the regulatory and legal treatment of the currency. The Australian Taxation Office's stance is that bitcoin is an asset for capital gains tax purposes.
"As an investor I would think twice before investing in a bitcoin mining company," Nicholas Debock, a venture capitalist at Balderton Capital in London, told CNBC on Tuesday.
"Overall, in the bitcoin space, we saw a lot of venture capitalists investing in bitcoin in the last three years, but we don't yet see money coming out," he later added.
Read MoreHow to mine bitcoins on your own: CNBC Explains
Bitcoin Group produces around 1.2 percent of the global bitcoin mining output across six mining sites in China and Iceland. The vast majority of its operations are conducted in China, which like the Nordic countries, has a cheap electricity supply. However, this lack of diversification could leave it vulnerable to regulatory changes in the country's stance on bitcoin.
If the company had raised the hoped-for 20 million Australian dollars, it planned to use 18 million Australian dollars to invest in mining equipment and facilities, with 2 million Australian dollars for general corporate purposes, including listing costs.
"There are still a lot of people that believe in bitcoin in the long-term, either as an asset or just the technology But that's definitely a long-term play," Debock told CNBC.
Matthew Clinch contributed to this story.
Phones made by Xiaomi China's biggest smartphone maker were briefly on sale in the U.S. this week, but with a couple of big catches.
Carrier U.S. Mobile which uses T-Mobile 's network imported a number of Xiaomi handsets but they sold out in a flash.
According to PCMag which first reported the news, the phones on sale included the Xiaomi Redmi 2 for $119, the Xiaomi Mi 3 for $135, and the Xiaomi Mi 4 for $219. A phone by another Chinese manufacturer called the Meizu Note 2 was also on sale for $149. The key thing to note is that these products are not officially being sold by Xiaomi; they have just been imported.
Customers buying these phones will also have to deal with two major issues. Firstly, the phones will not be able to connect to 4G mobile internet because the phones were designed for China where the standards for 4G are different. Secondly, the software and apps that are pre-loaded onto the phone in China one big reason for Xiaomi's appeal and success will not work in the U.S.
CNBC has reached out to US mobile for an official comment around further availability of the Xiaomi devices. A customer care assistant said that new stock will be "available soon".
Going to college is something most parents want for their children to gain the education they need to make it in the world. But that's not the only way. In part because of the overwhelming amounts of student debt associated with attaining a four-year degree, more millennials are considering alternatives, like vocational school, where graduates of some programs can earn a median of $70,000 in their first year on the job. Such technical or trade schools teach skills specific to jobs like mechanic, electrician, pharmacy technician or dental hygienist.
"Vocational schools can be a really great career path particularly if you want to be in the 'STEM' discipline," said Lauren Griffin, senior vice president of Adecco Staffing in a January interview. STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. But whether you are just graduating high school or looking for a new career, there are pros and cons to attending a vocational school. Here are some to consider before signing up for classes: PROS: Length of Schooling: For starters, getting certified from trade schools takes significantly less time. "Typically, it takes two years," said Griffin, and that means "you enter the workforce sooner and therefore start earning income sooner." For instance, programs for pharmacy technicians usually include at least 600 hours of instruction over a 15-week period. Cosmetology school typically takes five to six months and a certified automotive mechanic takes eight months to just under two years. Hands on: Everyone learns a different way, but some people are more visual learners. In that case, a vocational school might be a great option. At the New York Automotive & Diesel Institute, an automotive mechanic trade school in Queens, students have classroom sessions but the majority of the instruction takes place in workshops, which helps for a smooth transition to being on the job. Price of education: The eight-month program there costs about $16,000, whereas the average cost of tuition and fees at four-year public schools for the 2015-2016 school year was $9,410 a year, according to theCollege Board. That makes a difference when it comes to loans, too. Think "$30,000 on average with college loans, versus the average trade loan of $10,000," Griffin said.
Image Source | Getty Images
Pay: For some certifications, the return on investment is well worth it. The median first-year earnings of graduates of certain certificate programs, including several in health care, were more than $70,000, according to CollegeMeasures.org. And plumbers, for example, earn $50,660 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics not bad for a two-year plumbing certification program that costs about $17,000 at a trade school like HoHoKus School of Trade & Technical Sciences in Paterson, New Jersey. CONS: Stigma: The automotive and diesel institute's executive director, Patrick Hart, said the stigma of a trade school could hold graduates back in the workforce. "The biggest con is the prestige level of a trade degree as compared to a four-year degree," he told CNBC in January.
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. Nearly nine in 10 (89 percent) surveyed voters in New York state say corruption in state government is a serious problem, including 53 percent who call it very serious.
At the same time, 65 percent of the states voters support gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Thats according to a new poll of New York state registered voters that the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI) released Monday.
Besides the finding on state-government corruption, the survey also found two-thirds of respondents believe corruption is a serious problem among legislators from their area.
Six in 10 say its time to make the job of state legislator full time and ban outside income, while 55 percent do not want state legislators to get a raise from their current base salary of $79,500, even if outside income is banned.
The survey found that 84 percent of New Yorkers support an effort to strip pension payments from state legislators convicted of crimes related to their public service, regardless of when that official was first elected.
Respondents confidence in state government in Albany hovers at historic low levels, Steven Greenberg, Siena College pollster, said in the Siena release.
Nearly nine in 10 voters say corruption is a serious problem in Albany, with more than half saying its very serious. Nearly two-thirds think corruption among state legislators from their area is a serious problem. The New York Senate and the Assembly are each viewed favorably by fewer than 40 percent of voters, said Greenberg.
Approval of Cuomos proposal to boost the states minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2019 broke down as follows: 80 percent of Democrats support it, 62 percent of independents and others approve, while just 36 percent of Republicans support the move.
The minimum wage increase is strongly supported downstate and by a much closer 52-46 percent margin among upstate voters, said Greenberg.
The survey also found that 80 percent of New York state voters support enacting paid family leave for New Yorkers through an employee-funded program that provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected paid leave to bond with a new child or care for a sick relative.
Researchers conducted the Siena College poll Jan. 24 through Jan. 28 by telephone calls conducted in English to 805 New York registered voters.
It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points including the design effects resulting from weighting.
SRI statistically adjusted data by age, party, region and gender to ensure representativeness, according to its news release.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Images courtesy of the Official Journal of the European Union.
Slovakia plans to release a circulating commemorative 2 coin celebrating the nations first turn in the Presidency of the Council of the European Union later in 2016.
Slovakia has announced plans to commemorate the first Slovak presidency of the Council of the European Union with a circulating commemorative 2 coin.
Each EU national government takes a turn serving in the presidency of the Council of the EU, in a rotating manner, for six months. The presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, the upper house of the EU legislature.
This year will mark the first time that Slovakia has shared that role, taking the lead beginning July 1 and continuing through Dec. 31, 2016.
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In total, 1 million coins celebrating the event are due for release sometime in March.
The obverse of the coin is dominated by the coat of arms of the Slovak Republic at its center against a background of dynamic lines representing the position and importance of the Slovak Republic during its presidency of the Council of the European Union.
To the right of the coat of arms of the Slovak Republic is the year 2016. Around the edge of the inner circle is an inscription translating to Slovak Presidency of the EU Council, separated by graphical symbols.
The Mint mark of the Kremnica Mint, composed of the letters MK between two dies, and the stylized initials of the designer of the national side, Vladimir Pavlica, VP, appear in the lower part of the composition.
The reverse carries the common European map design.
The 12 stars of the European Union flag appear on both sides of the ringed-bimetallic 2 coin.
The 2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.
Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually with designs of their choosing, though few nations issue the maximum number of designs.
Joint euro programs like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of flag of the European Union do not count toward this limit.
Her health was at risk. But in Missouri, doctors could do nothing.
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SHARE American Residential Services has announced purchases of air conditioning and heating businesses serving markets in Florida, Las Vegas and California.
By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal
Memphis-based American Residential Services has announced purchases of air conditioning and heating businesses serving markets in Florida, Las Vegas and California.
The acquisitions are Aspen Air Heating and Air Conditioning, Boca Raton and Palm Beach areas; Greenstar Home Services, Orange, California and Las Vegas; and Atlas Trillo, San Francisco Bay area.
The new companies become part of ARS's network of 65 company-owned, locally managed service providers covering 22 states.
We are excited to kick off the new year by adding these stellar businesses to our national network,' Don Karnes, chief executive officer of ARS, said in a news release. "Aspen Air allows us to enter the attractive Palm Beach area, Greenstar will allow us to serve even more customers in markets we are already in, and Atlas Trillo will widen our service portfolio in the Bay Area. The decision to acquire these businesses coincides well with our strategic vision for nationwide growth.
As she was growing up, Marti Tippens Murphy heard many stories about her great-great-great-Aunt Adelicia, once the richest woman in the South.
She didn't hear any stories about Betsy, "a house slave given to Adelicia by her father" in 1839, according to research by Dr. Erica Hayden.
Murphy heard how Adelicia, at age 29, inherited from her first husband $1 million in property, including tens of thousands of acres in three states.
She didn't hear about Betsy's six children, all inventoried as property in a prenuptial contract with Adelicia's second husband, Joseph Acklen.
Murphy heard about Adelicia's Belmont mansion and estate just outside Nashville, her nearby plantation, and her five Louisiana plantations.
She didn't hear about any of Adelicia's 700 slaves until after she became an adult and started working for Facing History and Ourselves, an education nonprofit that develops curriculum and other teaching materials on racism, prejudice and anti-Semitism.
"My grandparents were always very proud of this heritage and the class status it conferred," said Murphy, who grew up in Memphis and now is executive director of Facing History's Memphis office.
"They wanted to pass that along to me, telling me we were from a 'good family.' How could our family be so silent for so long about where that status and wealth came from, and all of these people who were a part of that?"
How? Pride. Prejudice. Guilt. Shame. Denial. Ignorance. All play a part in how history is misremembered, misinterpreted and mythologized.
The Lost Cause, the War of Northern Aggression, the Noble South, the Righteous North those and other Reconstruction era myths gave rise to white supremacy, racial segregation and other nefarious efforts to reverse history.
It's why we have countless Civil War monuments and memorials and none dedicated to Reconstruction, or what historian Eric Foner called "America's unfinished revolution."
It's why markers commemorate the 1862 and 1864 Battles of Memphis, but not the historically more significant 1866 Memphis Massacre.
"It's not just Memphis. America has never commemorated a Reconstruction event," said Timothy Good, a St. Louis-based superintendent for the National Park Service.
Good was in town last week to correct that historical oversight. He met with local professors, historians and others who are planning a series of events to commemorate May's 150th anniversary of the Memphis Massacre.
The events begin Wednesday with a lecture and memorial service at LeMoyne-Owen College for Lincoln Chapel, LeMoyne's predecessor and one of 12 schools for freedmen that were burned during the massacre.
During three days of rioting, white police officers, elected officials and others killed 46 black people, injured dozens of others, and destroyed 91 properties.
Despite a congressional investigation, no one was arrested or indicted. The riots and resulting outcry galvanized advocates of the 14th and 15th Amendments and other elements of Radical reconstruction.
The massacre, "having helped usher in the extraordinary experiment of Radical reconstruction, helped obliterate it and pave the way for its successor, the New South era of black disenfranchisement and Jim Crow segregation," historian Stephen V. Ash wrote in "A Massacre in Memphis."
Good is working with local organizers to place a Memphis Massacre historical marker near the corner of B.B. King and G.E. Patterson, where the riots began on May 1, 1866.
"The National Park Service has no site dedicated to Reconstruction," Good said. "This would be the first."
Good says the park service also plans to produce a commemorative booklet chronicling the project, which will include exhibits, lectures (by Ash and others) and community forums.
Local organizers hope the project will launch a broader community discussion about reconstruction and its legacies.
"We've been fighting the same battles over and over again for generations," said Dr. Beverly Bond, who led last week's meeting with fellow University of Memphis professor, Dr. Susan O'Donovan. "It's time to tell the whole story so we can stop battling and start healing."
That's what Murphy hopes to do with Facing History's new teaching materials on reconstruction.
Last year, one of Murphy's relatives gave her a copy of "Religion and Slavery," a booklet written in 1911 by James McNeilly, a Confederate chaplain and Presbyterian minister.
McNeilly tries to explain that the evils of slavery were "misrepresentations and misunderstandings" told by people with prejudice against Southerners.
Murphy cringed when she read the handwritten inscription: "To Corinne Lawrence: A tried and true friend of many years and a devoted lover of the Old South which I have tried to vindicate."
Corinne was Murphy's great-great-great-grandmother and Adelicia's sister.
Murphy often asks herself, "What do I do with this past?" She knows the answer.
"While I am not responsible for what my ancestors did in the past, I am responsible to help the next generation uncover the truth about this history."
We all are.
Memphis Massacre Project A series of events will be held now through May to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Memphis Massacre, which galvanized national support for Radical Reconstruction. Sponsors and venues will include the UofM, LeMoyne-Owen College, Rhodes College, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Memphis NAACP, and Orange Mound Community Center. Feb. 3: Lecture by Dr. Bobby Lovett on Hallowed Grounds of African American Education, followed by memorial service for Lincoln Chapel. 11 a.m. Metropolitan Baptist Church, 767 Walker. Contact femi_ajanaku@loc.edu. Feb. 16: Lecture by Dr. Andre Johnson on Black Lives Matter: 1866 and 2016. 1 p.m. UofM University Center, Shelby Room. Contact 901-678-2054. Feb. 19: Discussion led by Dr. Susan ODonovan about Memphis Massacre and Reconstruction. 12:45 p.m. U of Ms Mitchell Hall, Room 200. Pizza luncheon. Feb. 22: Discussion led by Dr. Beverly Bond and Dr. Susan ODonovan on the novel Freeman. 12:15-1:15 p.m. UofM Ned McWherter Library Room 225. Ongoing exhibit: Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories Memphis in the 1860s, UofM Ned McWherter Library. For a complete listing of events and other information, visit memphis.edu/memphis-massacre
SHARE Quintin Robinson
By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal
Quintin Robinson, the city's former Human Resources director, has launched a new health care consulting firm called Innovative Global Solutions, and said he will pursue business with local governments, including his former employer.
Robinson, who retired in December, said his Memphis-based company's focus will be on helping private, public and nonprofit clients address rising health care costs. His first client is 2nd.MD, a Houston-based health care technology company.
He said he plans to submit a "benefits enhancement" proposal to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland soon.
During his tenure, Robinson oversaw an overhaul of the city's health care system including employee and retiree benefit cuts that brought protestors to the doors of City Hall.
Robinson's resume includes stops at Walmart, where he was an HR executive, and The Commercial Appeal, where he was HR manager.
January 30, 2014 - Fourth year dental student Mary Austin Smith, left, learns a few new dance moves from a group of middle schoolers Thursday morning while she tries to cheer up kids in the waiting room in her guise as "Mary the Molar" Some 200 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders from the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences recieved free dental work - including cleanings, sealent, and fillings - at UTHSC's dental school as part of National Give Kids a Smile Day.
By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal
NASHVILLE Gov. Bill Haslam's fiscal year 2017 budget proposal unveiled Monday night includes $39 million for a new College of Dentistry building at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and to renovate existing dentistry school facilities.
The substantial increase in education funding the governor proposed will send new money to Shelby County Schools and the suburban school districts including money for the state's share of teacher pay raises but precise numbers won't be determined until after the funding is routed through the state's school funding formula.
Shelby County Schools board member Chris Caldwell, who chairs the board's finance committee, called the funding increase "a step in the right direction," adding that he would reserve celebration until the legislature passes the budget.
"I just think any time there's an increase in education (funding) it's a win for our community and the students and all the public school students across the state," Caldwell said.
But with SCS facing a $72 million budget gap this year, Caldwell said the increase in funding may not be enough.
The school board has a lawsuit pending against the state alleging the district is underfunded by roughly $100 million a year.
In addition to the operating increases for K-12 public schools and higher education, the governor also asked legislators to spend money from a record $746 million surplus on new construction and maintenance projects statewide, including college campuses. UTHSC, the University of Memphis and Southwest Tennessee Community College will receive shares of a $45 million increase for major maintenance projects in the Tennessee Board of Regents system and $29 million in the UT system.
They include $8 million in security upgrades at UTHSC, $5.35 million in building repairs at the U of M and $2.2 million in roof replacements and mechanical system upgrades at Southwest. Tennessee College of Applied Technology Memphis is down for $230,000 worth of door and hardware replacement.
The budget proposal also includes the National Civil Rights Museum's annual maintenance grant of $300,000.
The proposal presented Monday night does not include state financial aid for projects around St. Jude Children's Research Hospital sought by the Greater Memphis Chamber as one of its top governmental priorities. St. Jude is launching a six-year, $1.2 billion construction program and hospital officials have said the area around the Memphis landmark needs improvements to boost safety and employee recruitment.
But administration officials said the governor is still reviewing local requests for state aid from across the state and some may be included in an amendment before the budget is adopted in late April.
Other West Tennessee projects proposed for funding in the budget include:
Electrical and sanitary systems upgrades at the John S. Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County, $4.3 million.
West Tennessee State Prison air conditioning equipment replacements, Lauderdale County, $3 million.
Chickasaw State Park sewage treatment system upgrades, Henderson County, $2.2 million.
Tennessee National Guard Ripley Readiness Center energy and roof upgrades, Lauderdale County, $880,000.
Tennessee College of Applied Technology Covington, moisture remediation, $720,000.
Staff reporter Jennifer Pignolet contributed to this story.
Gov. Bill Haslam (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)
By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal
NASHVILLE Gov. Bill Haslam sent lawmakers a $34.8 billion state budget proposal Monday night that he said "invests" heavily in education, social services for the state's "most vulnerable" residents, and state and university buildings and maintenance.
It increases state spending on K-12 public education operations by $248 million, higher education by $83 million, TennCare by $175 million and on state employees salaries and benefits by $125 million.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR MEMPHIS AND WEST TENNESSEE?
The budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 also contains the governor's recommendations on how to spend a record surplus estimated at $746 million, built up last year and in the ongoing current fiscal year. Those recommendations include $184 million for new construction at the state's public colleges and universities, $75 million in improvements to existing campus buildings, $130 million to the transportation fund and $107 million in new construction and maintenance of other state buildings and parks.
The budget is up $833.6 million from the projected total of the current year's budget, which ends June 30. It calls for no general tax increase. The increased spending results from unusually higher revenue generated by existing sales and business taxes, and from surpluses from fiscal years 2015 and 2016.
The governor presented the budget plan in his televised "State of the State" address to the General Assembly. Lawmakers will now spend the next 2 months reviewing the budget in detail before approving it with some tweaks in late April.
"The reality is that the state of our state is one of unique opportunity, an opportunity that must not go to waste," Haslam said. "This opportunity is a result of a strengthening economy combined with the hard work and discipline of our departments and the conservative fiscal strategy employed by the General Assembly, our constitutional officers and this administration."
The $130 million for the roads and highways is half of the $260 million taken from the transportation fund more than a decade ago during a revenue shortfall. That's one-time "nonrecurring" money that the governor hopes will lay the groundwork for a fuel tax increase next year, Tennessee's first since 1989.
Haslam also proposes a $100 million deposit from the surplus into the state's "Rainy Day Fund," which is held in reserve to help balance the budget when revenue is down. That would push the fund balance to $668 million at the close of fiscal year 2017 its second highest balance on record. The reserve fund held $750 million in 2008, at the start of the recession, but it dropped to $284 million by 2011 after three consecutive budget years in which officials had to use some of it to balance budgets ravaged by declining state revenues. It has gradually increased every year since.
"This is our opportunity. Let's bear down on what we can do together, keeping Tennessee a state with a strong financial condition, helping Tennessee to be the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs, and making certain that all Tennesseans regardless of their circumstances have an opportunity for a high-quality education," he said.
The increased spending for K-12 schools includes $105 million more for teacher salary increases plus $45 million for the state's share of the costs of providing teachers with a 12th month of health insurance. Education officials said there is no way to say how much of a percentage increase teachers will actually receive because the new money flows to Tennessee's school districts, where individual school boards will decide how to allocate it.
The $105 million is a 5.6 percent increase in the salary portion of the state's public education funding formula called the BEP, or Basic Education Program. And the BEP gets divided among school districts based on their local tax bases and ability to generate local school funding.
Until last year, the state only paid for a share of 10 months of local educators' health insurance, leaving school boards to fully fund the remaining two months as well as the local share of the other 10 months. Haslam last year added state funding for the 11th month and is now proposing to add the final month.
In addition to those salary and benefit improvements for educators, the budget also contains another $40 million in enhanced state funding through the BEP for more special education teachers and teachers of English as a second language and for instructional technology improvements, $9 million for a new reading initiative, $6.5 million for the new student testing system, $3 million for professional development for English and math teachers and $1 million for staff to assess student readiness.
"What's important in all of this is that we're not investing in the same old public education system in Tennessee," Haslam said. "We've raised our standards. We've linked teacher evaluations to student performance, and we've expanded education options for children. We're showing historic progress, and we can't back up."
The $83 million recurring increase proposed for higher education is the largest single increase in years, and includes $67 million routed through the higher education funding formula for program enhancements, and the state's share of college and university salary and benefit increases. It also includes $13.2 million more for need-based student scholarships, which the administration said will help an additional 7,000 students with tuition assistance but that's less than half the $28 million in additional student aid sought by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The Tennessee Board of Regents and the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees will decide later how much of an impact the state funding increases will have on student tuition and fees, but it is expected to hold those increases to less than 3 percent.
The Commercial Appeal files Treadwell High Schools team won for the second straight week on Quiz em on the Air on Feb. 3, 1951. Members of the team, holding their nameplates, are (from left) Joe Spann, 1139 Gordon; Mary Anne Sellers, 3580 Galloway; Billy Caldbeck, 3125 Pacific and Tommy Graham, 3576 Autumn.
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Feb. 2
25 years ago: 1991
Sidney Shlenker continues to pursue financing to complete the Great American Pyramid, but has told local officials they should be prepared if he fails. And in the last few days Memphis and Shelby County government officials have begun discussing contingency plans for an early summer opening of the arena only, despite Shlenker's difficulty. He has been trying for six months to obtain as much as $55 million to build concessions and then special attractions, including a Hard Rock Cafe, music museum and Egyptian museum.
50 years ago: 1966
The City Commission asked Mayor William B. Ingram yesterday to investigate the possibility of the Shelby County government building libraries in Memphis if the city provides the land. Commissioner Pete Sisson referred to Shelby County Court plans to build libraries in Millington, Germantown, Bartlett and Arlington. The projects, expected to total nearly $900,000, are planned on the basis of the incorporated towns providing sites, he said.
75 years ago: 1941
Cumberland Presbyterian Churches of Memphis today will observe the 131st anniversary of the founding of their denomination. The Rev. Milton E. Wright will be the speaker at Second Church, the Rev. T.H. Sanders at Fifth Church and the Rev. Clyde Emerson Hurley at Central Church.
100 years ago: 1916
Mrs. Charles N. Burch was honored yesterday with a box party at the Orpheum, where seven vaudeville acts are the attraction, by Mrs. R.L. Coffin. After the show the guests were entertained with an "at tea" at The Little Green Shop where the artistic furnishings made a quaint setting for the affair.
125 years ago: 1891
The last novelty in dancing dresses is a huge puff of muslin on a sleeveless bodice. This has lately assumed such exaggerated dimensions that they make the girl wearing them look like a bird ruffling its feathers. The effect in delicate material, however, is pretty and becoming, setting off the youthful face as it does like snowy wings.
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By Clay Bailey of The Commercial Appeal
I usually don't put a lot of stock in the growing lists from Internet sites ranking everything from best striping of a 4-lane north-south highway in a city with CITY in its name (Oklahoma City, Dodge City, Fist City) to the worst tattoo parlor on the South Seas ("Hey, that's not how you spell NAVY. And why are you using a Sharpie?"). The lists seem opportunistic promotions for the site where people click to see if something to which they are associated is ranked.
That said, you can add credibility as a shortcoming to one list. The details are later in the column, but let's just say someone moved greyhound racing into Collierville, according to the Internet.
Which, of course, makes it fact.
In addition to the questionable list, we will look at Germantown's decision to scrap plans for a controversial road change, along with a couple of Bartlett items, including an economic boost. Finally, two suburbs are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year.
OLD GERMANTOWN
CHANGE OF DIRECTION: Germantowns announcement it was abandoning plans to shift Germantown Road and West Street on the northern edge of the Old Germantown section came as a bit of a surprise.
To some, the realignment seemed destined for reality -- remaining on the suburbs road plans for years, surviving time and an economic downturn that stymied implementation. But changes to the area re-directed ideas. Add the hue and cry from the public during public meetings late last year, and it was clear the project was unpopular.
That doesnt always mean government leaders listen.
This time they did.
And that pleased a lot of folks, including many who rarely say much about such things. Alderman Forrest Owens said acquaintances who never uttered a word to him about the project expressed relief when the city announced its decision. Alderwoman Mary Anne Gibson acknowledged the review was an agonizing process because most people thought it was a done deal, and it wasnt.
Owens liked the idea of a pedestrian, walkable aspect to West Street, while diverting pass through traffic to Germantown Road sweeping east to west before heading south towards Winchester. Once other parts of the West Street concept failed to materialize, however, he realized the proposal was more transportation-oriented.
At that point, in the minds of some, the idea was losing momentum.
To the citys credit, they scrapped the realignment before a carload of funds were spent and they couldnt turn around upon deciding they were going the wrong way.
I feel good about the way this worked out, Gibson said.
A SIDELIGHT: One of the highlights of reporter Jane Roberts coverage of the Germantown Road realignment was the quote from Alex Jekels when he learned the city wasnt pursuing the project. Jekels is owner of the North Street Shopping Center destined for demolition in the realignment.
Holy catfish! Jekels blurted when told the city changed its mind.
Let that be a lesson, kids -- you want your quote in the newspaper? React with something like Holy catfish. Reporters cant write fast enough to make sure they get that reaction verbatim.
And some editor (in this case, me) will try to make sure the reaction is near the top of the story.
Next thing you know, it is part of a front page headline. Then quoted in an editorial.
AROUND THE SUBURBS
SMART? MAYBE NOT SO SMART: A website called zippia.com ranked the Top 10 smartest cities in Tennessee and the suburbs in Shelby County did quite well.
Germantown holds the top spot; Arlington and Lakeland were ranked Nos. 3 and 4, which makes sense being next door to each other and all. Bartlett was sixth and Collierville ninth. Even a couple of neighbors in adjacent counties were noted -- Oakland in Fayette County was No. 5; Atoka in Tipton ranked seventh. Just ahead of Collierville.
The site said it relied on data from the American Community Survey in the U.S. Census, using calculations regarding adults with high school diplomas and those who dropped out. "We then crunched the numbers and were left with this set of the brightest cities in the Volunteer State, zippia.com said.
Now, before everyone in Collierville gets riled up about that No. 9 ranking, theres something you should know -- each city is represented by some landmark. A Germantown water tower. The intersection of U.S. 64 and Canada Road for Lakeland. Churches are shown for Arlington and Oakland.
And the iconic image for Collierville?
Town Square?
Nope.
Town Hall or the railroad depot?
Nope.
How about the FedEx World Technology Center?
Sorry. Wrong again.
The picture to represent Collierville?
Southland Gaming and Racing in West Memphis.
Yep, the greyhound track thats not even in Tennessee. Heck, zippia even used it as the main picture for the story.
Which kind of raises a question about the smarts of zippia-dites who assembled the list.
Im not sure if the ninth place finish is based on Collierville figures or West Memphis.
But at least Collierville made the Top 10.
Millington was listed at No. 16.
This just in: zippia.com finally figured out Southland Gaming and Racing is not in Collierville and changed out the picture on its site representing the town to the old McGinnis Service Station. The change was made about 12:30 p.m.
IF YOU HAVENT READ IT
BARTLETT: The suburb got an economic boost late last week when Olympus announced plans to build a service and distribution center in the suburb. As business reporter Kevin McKenzie outlined, the expansion will mean about a $12 million investment and 280 jobs in order for the Tokyo-based company to deliver medical equipment quickly around the country.
FORMERLY OF BARTLETT: Some details emerged Monday about the May 12 Amtrak train crash that killed eight and injured about 200 in the Philly. The engineer -- Brandon Bostian (above) -- grew up in Bartlett and is remembered by a number of people in the suburb. Back in May, several acquaintances recalled his love of trains even at a younger age.
SHORT TRIPS
BARTLETT EXIT: Bartlett is celebrating its Secquiten...
Sesquenteni...
Saxquissentia...
Secquintessential
Its 150th anniversary this year. You can do the math based on the city seal above. The suburb will announce plans for the celebratory events as they unfold through 2016.
Which is sure to mean I have to learn to spell Sesquicentennial.
GERMANTOWN EXIT
Germantown will celebrate its 175th anniversary this year.
There is some indication the term for that is Dodransbicentennial.
But there is some debate over whether such a word even exists.
Still, it seems there should be some term for the halfway point between Sesquicentennial and Bicentennial
FINAL WORD: This is beyond the normal Outside the Loop territory, but if you missed Sundays story by DeSoto reporter Ron Maxey on the Jessica Chambers case in Courtland, Mississippi, take the time and read it.
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While Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich has yet to have her day in court, it is never a good thing when the county's top prosecutor is facing disciplinary charges filed by the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee stemming from her conduct during a trial.
The action against Weirich and Assistant District Attorney Stephen P. Jones grew out of the 2009 murder trial of Noura Jackson, who was convicted of killing her mother. The board charged that Weirich improperly commented on Jackson's right to remain silent and that Jones failed to provide a piece of evidence to the defense about an important witness.
In a statement emailed from her spokesman last week, Weirich said the "trial judge and the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that my statement was not reversible error, while the state Supreme Court ruled the opposite way. A difference of judicial opinions is not uncommon with legal issues."
But that explanation may be too simple given that Weirich's comment and the prosecution's failure to disclose a piece of evidence to the defense led the Supreme Court to vacate Jackson's conviction and order a new trial. In May, Jackson agreed to an Alford plea without admitting guilt, to voluntary manslaughter. Her sentence end date is now Dec. 15.
The state Supreme Court will have final say on whether Weirich and Jones should be publicly censured. Still, having the Board of Professional Responsibility file charges is not an action that should be minimized.
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"Holy catfish" certainly seems like an appropriate response to Germantown city officials dropping plans to realign Germantown Road.
The exclamation came from Alex Jekels when he was told of the decision. He owns North Street Shopping Center, a 40-year-old strip center destined for demolition in the realignment. "Very simply, they got smart. It would be disastrous to the community."
While we understand that the realignment was being considered to deal with traffic issues for the prosperous suburb, we have to agree with Jekels and other critics of the plan that the realignment would have harmed one of the areas that, well, makes Germantown, Germantown.
The city's leaders deserve credit for listening to citizens instead of putting their foot down and saying this is the way it is going to be.
The controversial project would have realigned Germantown Road and West Street, crisscrossing the roads north of the Norfolk-Southern railway. Citizens turned out in droves to protest, citing construction delays and changes in Old Germantown that they said would destroy its quaint, community quality.
The city will return the $2.4 million for the next phase of the work to the Metropolitan Planning Organization. City Administrator Patrick Lawton told the mayor and aldermen during a retreat last week that he thinks Germantown would not be able to apply for the money for four or five years.
The realignment received approval for state and federal funding, based on its importance on the state docket of road projects. The project price tag was $5.1 million, including $2.4 million to buy out two landowners on North Street through eminent domain proceedings.
Good governance involves making the right, but tough, decisions for citizens, even when those decisions are unpopular. Good leadership also entails a willingness to listen to citizens, especially when town leaders profess they welcome citizen involvement.
Fortunately for Germantown residents throughout the years, their elected leaders have shown a willingness to listen.
University of Memphis
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Bryce W. Ashby and Michael J. LaRosa
The Tennessee General Assembly has a unique opportunity to pass "tuition equality" in the current legislative session.
Tuition equality would let immigrants who arrived to the U.S. as children without documentation, but have earned deferred action immigration status (or DACA), pay "in-state" tuition rates at state-supported institutions of higher education.
Tennessee would join 25 other states that have passed similar legislation. A tuition equality bill would generate a cornucopia of economic, social and political benefits to our state.
Economically, tuition equality makes sense. The state invests hundreds of thousands of dollars educating children who live in our cities and towns, and then for some kids with irregular immigrant status we create an economic barrier that inhibits the pursuit of postsecondary education.
These young people have grown up in our communities. They are talented and determined to attend college, and our current policies offer obstacles when we should provide incentives. For example, at the University of Memphis, the cost difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition is $11,000 per year.
We need more kids to attend college in Tennessee. Recent statistics put Tennessee near the bottom (with only eight states below us) in terms of percentage of people between 18-24 years old who attend college. Tennessee should aspire to climb to the top of this list, not languish at the low end. Passage of tuition equality would shift that equation.
Tennessee needs to create strong incentives to keep young, educated people here. In 2014, according to Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, about 18,000 jobs went unfilled due to lack of trained workers. Helping young people attend college through a tuition equality bill that represents no new costs to taxpayers, but helps build the infrastructure of the state, makes sense practically, and economically.
Obviously, supporting young people through higher education contributes to public security and safety. Public investment in education has residual effects that might not be apparent immediately, but eventually increased tax revenues help our cities and towns as more people earn higher salaries, buy properties and contribute to making Tennessee a better, more attractive place to live.
Socially, tuition equality falls in line with current demographic trends. Hispanics who live in our state and nation view education as the central policy and social issue. Hispanic students are the largest minority group on U.S. campuses, but they lag behind other groups in terms of attaining a four-year college degree.
Yet, over the past 20 years, the rate of Hispanic enrollment in college nationwide has risen by 201 percent. Tennessee has the opportunity to support this trend by offering young people Hispanic and non-Hispanic who hope to contribute to our society through education and hard work, a fair, manageable tuition rate to continue their studies and socio-economic development.
Politically, tuition equality makes sense. By 2050, Hispanics will make up about one-third of all U.S. residents. Political candidates who demonize our Hispanic brothers and sisters do so at great risk.
Twenty years ago, Pete Wilson, the once powerful, influential governor of California, thought he could gain politically by supporting mean-spirited (and unconstitutional) policies designed to hurt Hispanics. He's now a mere footnote in U.S. political history.
There are about 11 million people living here without proper documentation; only an act of Congress can mitigate this strange social stalemate. We can neither deport our way out of nor wall ourselves off from this reality.
In Tennessee, we have an exciting opportunity to pass tuition equality. Helping young people to study and attain a college degree makes sense economically, socially and politically.
Bryce W. Ashby is a lawyer in Memphis. Michael J. LaRosa teaches history at Rhodes College.
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By Josh Rogin
The whole world is struggling to decipher the worldview and guiding principles Donald Trump would apply as president. It may not be a prominent feature of his campaign, but his advisers say he does have a doctrine that informs his positions on foreign policy and national security.
Some leading foreign policy pundits are convinced Trump shoots from the hip on foreign policy, making up glib answers to serious questions like how to defeat the Islamic State or deal with an aggressive Vladimir Putin. Top Republican national security officials who advise other candidates routinely tell reporters they have not heard from the Trump campaign, which leads them to believe he has not sought any expert input before his provocative statements, like lashing out against China or Saudi Arabia.
Trump's advisers say they're happy to be perplexing. The Washington foreign policy establishment has no idea what to make of Trump's string of declarations, such as his promises to "take" the Islamic State's oil, force Mexico to pay for a wall on the southern U.S. border, or bar all Muslims from coming to the U.S.
"This whole notion that he is devoid of advisers is wrong. We have a lot of smart guys around us and a lot of smart people helping us," Sam Clovis, Trump's chief policy adviser, told me in an interview. "There's a lot more to this than what our opponents and the pundits think. We play them like a five-string banjo because at the end of the day, they are going to look stupid. We don't mind doing that."
Clovis, a retired Air Force colonel and former Iowa Senate candidate, leads a policy team of two that works with campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to connect Trump to experts and former officials constantly, he said.
Following a couple of incidents in which Trump identified his foreign policy consultant only then to have that person deny it the campaign is mum on names. But other experts have regular interactions with Trump, including former Defense Intelligence Agency head Gen. Michael Flynn. Flynn, who has also met with other Republican presidential candidates, told me that Trump was a "superb listener" who asked "exceptional questions" and was interested in detail on a wide range of world issues.
"This guy is really switched on and has a strong understanding of what's going on in the world," said Flynn. "I walked away with a much stronger impression of him than I had previously."
Sources close to the campaign told me Trump has also spoken with controversial historian Daniel Pipes and Israel's current envoy to the UN Danny Danon, among others.
Sources close to the campaign tell me that Trump's foreign policy proclamations are not ad hoc; in fact most are planned months in advance. For example, on Dec. 7 when Trump announced his idea to ban Muslims, it appeared to be a response to the terror attack in San Bernardino only days earlier. Sources close to the campaign say it had planned to announce the policy well before that attack happened.
Clovis said there was a huge amount of preparation that preceded Trump's call for a pause in Muslim immigration.
"Do you think for a minute we would send the leading presidential candidate out, if we did not have the law, the history, and the Constitution on our side? Think it through," he said. "We know exactly what we want to do and when."
Trump's advisers also claim that Trump's wide-ranging foreign policy proposals, which include renegotiating the U.S.- Japan alliance treaty and outsourcing the Syria problem to the Russians, all fit into an easily understandable set of three "organizing principles" that form Trump's governing doctrine on foreign policy.
"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 can't do the other two," said Clovis. "If that's not a Trump doctrine, I don't know what is."
The practical application of that doctrine plays out in several ways. Trump's narrow definition of "national interest" does not include things like democracy promotion, humanitarian intervention, the responsibility to protect people from atrocities or the advocacy of human rights abroad. Trump believes that economic engagement will lead to political opening in the long run. He doesn't think the U.S. government should spend blood or treasure on trying to change other countries' systems.
"This is a long game; it's not a short game," Clovis said. He faulted neoconservatives who " think you can go out there and in three weeks after Iraq collapses you can create a constitutional democracy over there."
The Trump campaign thinks of this approach as pragmatic and realistic. Like classical realists, Trump wants to deal with states and governments, not non-state actors or international organizations. That, according to his advisers, is why he sometimes seems to praise strongmen who lead their states as executives with absolute power. Trump sees Putin and other dictators as businessmen doing what any CEO would do, fighting for their organization.
"Mr. Trump looks at them and he says, 'OK, I know exactly what kind of man you are and I know when I sit down at the table with you I can get your measure,'" said Clovis. "That's really the calculus that's in place."
Clovis said the problem in the Republican national security establishment is that the experts see everything in "micro- tactical" terms and want to solve problems immediately rather than taking a longer historical view. He said Trump's narrower vision of America's national interest is designed for the everyman.
"People get it," Clovis said. "And you know what? He's absolutely right."
Sam Nunberg, who advised Trump on foreign policy early in the campaign before having a falling out with Lewandowski, told me that Trump's foreign policy was "Reagan-esque realpolitik," a stance designed to be able to make policies based on circumstances without being burdened by ideology.
"Reagan would go after [Libyan leader Moammar] Gadhafi, but he would do business with Saddam," he said. "It's a case-by-case basis of what's in American interests."
Trump's foreign policy doctrine may be undecipherable from his public statements, and once articulated by his advisers it may be somewhat unsatisfying to experts. But it does exist. And it shows that as president, he would alter America's global role in major way.
Josh Rogin is a Bloomberg View columnist.
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)
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The European Commission has outlined the areas in which it wants further concessions from the U.S. before a new Safe Harbor agreement on trans-Atlantic data transfers can be reached.
"We are close, but an additional effort is needed," European Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova said Monday evening. There is still a need for binding commitments from the U.S. government, with additional safeguards on access to Europeans' data by U.S. public authorities and independent oversight in the area of national security, she said.
The original Safe Harbor agreement, under which businesses transferred the personal information of European Union citizens to the U.S. for storage and processing, was invalidated by the Court of Justice of the EU last year.
The agreement was important because the EU's 20-year-old Data Protection Directive forbids the export of citizens' personal information unless it benefits from the same privacy protections abroad as at home. U.S. law alone doesn't meet that requirement, but if companies also complied with the rules of the Safe Harbor framework, then the protection provided was adequate, the Commission decided in July 2000.
Last October, the court ruled that the framework was inadequate, calling into question the legality of many companies' data processing operations.
European data protection authorities gave the Commission and U.S. officials three months to come up with a new agreement before they started auditing companies' compliance with alternative mechanisms for authorizing data transfers, and that time is fast running out.
The new framework has to fully respect the requirements of the court ruling so that any new adequacy decision can withstand legal challenge, Jourova told the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
That gives the Commission little scope to make concessions of its own: The Court of Justice has set out the conditions on which U.S. data-processing companies can seek business from their European counterparts, leaving the Commission and the U.S. government to agree on how U.S. law can meet those conditions.
"It is not an easy task to build a strong bridge between two legal systems which have some major differences," Jourova said.
The original Safe Harbor deal sought to patch those differences with a voluntary agreement binding only on the companies that signed up to it, a failing pointed out by the court. The Commission's new approach is to seek fundamental changes in U.S. law or assurances that are binding on U.S. authorities, too.
The court's ruling also threw into question the alternative mechanisms that some companies have chosen to ensure they comply with European law. The changes the Commission is seeking now should help to protect data transferred under those mechanisms, too.
Jourova highlighted four areas where there were still obstacles to an agreement.
First, there is a need for further safeguards against access to Europeans' personal data by U.S. public authorities.
"The U.S. framework has evolved since the Snowden revelations," she said. The insights former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's leaks provided into the agency's operations triggered the court case that ended the Safe Harbor agreement.
There have already been important reforms that introduced stronger oversight and more transparency, she said, but the Commission is still waiting for written assurances that there will be no indiscriminate mass surveillance and that U.S. authorities' access to Europeans' personal data will be limited to what is necessary and proportionate. These assurances will be reviewed.
Second, she said, there must be independent oversight of government access to data, and the possibility for individual redress, even in cases involving American intelligence services. The U.S. Senate has not yet voted on the Judicial Redress Act, which goes some way towards this, although the House of Representatives has already approved the bill.
While the Judicial Redress Act provides that EU citizens will have the same right to redress as U.S. citizens through the courts, Jourova hinted that this may not be sufficient. In the case of complaints about the intelligence services, "This could be done by an ombudsperson with a real capacity to act, which would give a response to individual complaints," she said, according to a transcript of her speech.
In the third area, settling complaints about privacy violations by companies, a number of mechanisms have already been agreed. First, a company can try to resolve the problem itself. If that doesn't work, there is an alternative dispute resolution service. Finally, the U.S. Department of Commerce or the U.S. Federal Trade Commission could take it up. European data protection authorities will be able to channel complaints to those agencies.
These mechanisms might still leave some complaints unresolved. That's a problem, because the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights says citizens have the right to a legal remedy, Jourova said.
"Therefore, we are working on a 'last resort' mechanism to ensure that all complaints are resolved through a binding and enforceable decision."
The fourth stumbling block is the need for commitments from the U.S. that are formal and binding, Jourova said. Since this is not a treaty but simply an exchange of letters, "We need signatures at the highest political level and publication of the commitments in the Federal Register," she said.
Work on those four points continued, with intensive discussions through the weekend, she said. "Negotiations are still ongoing, including at the political level."
Jourova planned to speak with U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker later Monday and will discuss progress with her fellow European Commissioners on Tuesday afternoon.
Europe's data protection authorities are holding their own meeting on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they will publish their evaluation of the effect of recent changes in U.S. law on the alternatives mechanisms for trans-Atlantic data transfer.
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.
Stephen Mold is the Conservative candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner election in Northamptonshire and a councillor in South Northamptonshire. He has previously served as the Regional Chairman for the East Midlands Conservatives.
I am delighted to be selected as the Conservative candidate for PCC in Northamptonshire. As a father of three and a local businessman, the success of our police force matters deeply to me. I want to build a safer community for all and my ambition is to make Northamptonshire police a world-class service, something everybody can be proud of.
In the short time since I have been selected I have been out meeting local people, community groups, and victim support groups across Northamptonshire. It is important to me to be standing side by side with the people that I wish to represent. There are some serious challenges facing our police force and I want to put us in the best possible position to face these challenges head on.
Our ultimate goal must be to create and maintain a Police Service that is both respected by the public that it serves, but also one capable of staying ahead of the criminals as they innovate.
I am committed to protecting frontline police officers and my aim over the longer term is to increase them.
I believe we have a committed and dedicated police force in Northamptonshire, I want to see them trusted and supported, we need a return to common sense policing where we trust front line police officers instincts and judgement.
I want to see them equipped with the latest technology to make them even more effective and we need to reduce the bureaucratic burden and get them catching criminals.
My policing priorities will include a zero tolerance approach to domestic violence. I will be working with local support groups and victim charities to give those who are living with domestic violence hope. I want to work with outside partners to develop an app so that people can contact the police in even the most dire of situations.
In Northamptonshire we have a serious issues of alcohol abuse and alcohol fuelled anti-social behaviour. I will work with landlords, bar owners and Councils to combat this issue. We will not be afraid to withdraw licenses from some of our repeat offending establishments. This is a problem facing us all and we can only tackle it if we work together.
In the UK last year, over half of all crimes committed against a person were committed online. I want to equip our police to be able to better deal with internet related crime. I believe that working with partners such as our banks, we can develop a method of cracking down on this criminal activity and protect children and adults alike.
As a seasoned campaigner, having been a parliamentary candidate in a close fought election in 2010, I value and enjoy listening and discussing with local people and businesses the issues which concern us all. I will be out there on the doorstep meeting residents and community groups throughout the campaign and if elected I will continue to engage and listen to your concerns and feedback.
Below is the full transcript of the speech delivered by the Prime Minister at Siemens in Chippenham today.
It is great to be with Siemens, a business that believes so much in Britain and has invested so much in Britain and we want you to go on doing that.
And as you say, today, I want to talk to you about this vital issue of Britain and Europe because we have had some difficult years in our economy in the years gone past, it hasnt been easy, but we have been working to a plan, to get Britain to keep moving forward.
We have got our economy growing, we have got the deficit coming down, we have got 2.3 million more people in work than when I became your Prime Minister, but it is a tough, difficult and dangerous world out there, and that is why it is so important we get this argument about Britain and Europe right and I am determined that we do.
And as we do, I am very clear about the aim I have got in all this. My aim is for a country that is more prosperous, that is more secure, that gives people the chance to live that secure and decent and good life. That is what it is all about and my aim is to give Britain the chance to be in a reformed European Union.
That is the aim.
Why?
Well, because Britain is a trading nation. We have got this market of 500 million people in Europe, the single market, a quarter of the worlds economy, and Britain has always needed those markets to be open and to play a part in those markets.
So, if we can secure that future and deal with the problems we have had with Europe, that I think would be the best of both worlds. But we have had real problems, with the European Union and our membership of the European Union and so I think the right thing is to deal with those problems and give people the choice about whether to stay in a reformed European Union or leave and as Jurgen said, go it alone.
That is the choice. But we have got to deal with the problems, deal with the issues.
Now, what do you think?
What do we think are the real problems we have got with Europe?
Well, I would say there are four, four that stand out the most clearly.
The first is a question of sovereignty.
Britain is a strong, proud and independent country with a great history, with strong institutions, and people believe I believe profoundly in our country and its institutions and its independence.
So, for us Europe should always be about cooperation for prosperity and cooperation to make sure we are sure.
Cooperation to make sure we can have a growing economy in the jobs and the prosperity that we want.
It should never be about losing ourselves in some kind of European super-state.
That might be for others but that is not for us.
And I think that has not been clear enough up until now, that is problem number one.
Problem number two is we are a country, as I have said, that lives on its trade, its enterprise, its business, its industry, and so it is absolutely essential that Europe is open for business and as we work in Europe we are not adding bureaucracy and problems and lack of competitiveness to our businesses, we are talking them away and making sure that our businesses can succeed the world over.
And lets be frank, up until now yes, Europe has had some success economically, but there has been too much bureaucracy, too much regulation and too many rules.
So, that is problem number two we have to deal with problem number three is that I think it is right for Britain to keep the pound as our currency, not just now, but frankly forever.
The fifth largest economy in the world, and thats what we are, should have our currency, to have our own flexibility to set our own economic policy.
Now one of the biggest things to change in Europe in the last 30 years, has been the arrival of the euro.
What we need to know in Britain is not just that we can keep our currency and we can keep it forever, but we can keep our currency while being in a European Union that will be fair to that currency.
I think, that there has been a danger in recent years that this has looked a bit too much like a euro only club.
And so we need to fix that problem, not just keep our currency, but make sure we are treated fairly inside the European Union. Thats problem Number Three.
Problem Number Four is something that I think we all feel quite strongly about, which is that in recent years the pressures of migration from overseas and movement of workers from inside the European Union has put a lot of pressure on our public services, on schools, and on hospitals and on communities and look we are country that is in favour of people that come here who work hard, who make a contribution.
Britain has succeeded through immigration not in spite of immigration and we do believe, I think, in the free movement within the European Union, that the British people get the chance to go to work and study and sometimes even retire in other European countries and we want those things but the pressure has been too great and we want that pressure to be dealt with.
So thats what I would say, the four things that need to be sorted out in Europe.
We want to have a Europe where we are not subsumed into a super-state but that we can be proud and independent, we want a Europe that is competitive, we want a Europe that respects our currency and treats us fairly.
Now I am sure that other people have other things that they would like to sort out, and maybe we can have a seminar on that in a minute, but I think that those four things go to the heart of what we need to fix.
So that is why I said, let us have a renegotiation, if I am elected, as I said before the election we will start a renegotiation in Europe to reset these rules and get reform in Europe and then we will hold a referendum and give the British people a real choice if you want to stay in this reformed organization or would you want to go.
And when I said lets have a referendum I know there was a lot of scepticism, people sort of said well these things are always promised, but politicians never actually deliver them.
Well, we have.
We have legislated for a referendum, its the law of the land. It has to happen by the end of 2017 and my view, if we can get the deal we need, it should happen a good deal earlier.
People also said, youll never actually get a renegotiation, these other countries, they wont really sit down and negotiate with you about these changes you want to make.
Well, that is exactly what has happened. We have had a series of discussions and negotiations and today the European Council has issued a whole set of documents about the things that should change in Europe, and pressing these British issues that we put on the table.
Now of course, some people said to me, dont start a renegotiation being reasonable and being diplomatic, just kick over the table, storm out of the room and wait until they call you back in.
Well, I didnt take that. I took the view that Britain, as the second biggest contributor to the European Union, a major player in the European Union, we should go about this in a proper, planned, measureable, measured and sensible way and that is what I have done these last seven months, going to the individual European countries, meeting with the Prime Ministers , meeting with the Presidents explaining the issues that Britain has, putting them on the table and saying we want to, with your consent, your agreement and consensus, we want to fix these issues.
And I think that has been the right way to do it. So how have we got on?
Today this document is coming out, it has come out now and you can get it online, you can see how we got on.
So lets go through those four problems that I identified.
Problem number one, Britain being a proud, independent country and not wanting to be in a super-state.
Well for the first time ever, we have got now a specific carve out that says, while the other European countries might want to have an ever-closer union, that is not the path we are pursuing.
We are carved out of ever-closer union in terms of the future. It even says very clearly we do not have to aim for the same destination.
We are there for trade, we are there for cooperation, we are there to work together on the things that can make us more secure, we are there to work on things when there are problems like crime, or environment like pollution that crosses borders.
We are not part of an ever-closer union.
And we didnt just get that we got something else.
I said I wanted the national parliaments, our Parliament to be able to work with other national parliaments, to block measures they didnt like.
And if Brussels comes up with some crazy scheme, we can get hold of other parliaments and work together with ours and put a red light up and it doesnt go any further.
People told me I would not get that, and it is there in black and white in the document. I also said we wanted something else.
For years Brussels has talked about this idea that the power should be flowing from Brussels back to the member states, rather than the other way around.
They have a fancy word for it, its called subsidiarity, nobody knows what it means and I promise not to use it again but it is a very simple idea, Europe should look at what its powers are and if it is not using them is should give them back to nation states, that again is in the document.
That is going to happen and there is going to be an annual discussion about powers that they are not using that should come back to Britain.
So, that is the first issue, the sovereignty issue we were fussed about. I think pretty good measures in this document.
Now let me be clear.
This is not finished yet, we have still got to negotiate and we still have to fill in all the details and have everyone else agree but I think that those proposals in that first area are pretty strong.
The second area, making sure Europe is competitive, making sure we are helping our businesses not holding them back.
How have we done there?
Well I said what I wanted was for Europe to hardwire into its DNA, into its very make-up, the idea of being more competitive, to sign trade deals with the fastest growing countries in the world, not being a Fortress Europe but getting out there and helping business. How have we done on that one?
Well there is a separate declaration about competitiveness with all the ideas that Britain has been pushing contained within it.
Saying, we have got to complete these single markets in Europe, these digital services, in services like legal services and others, in energy, that is all there and there is something else as well, which is for the first time we are going to have targets to cut, not to decrease but to cut Brussels bureaucracy, in the key areas and they will be returned to year after year, after year.
So, I think in terms of making Europe more competitive, that second key demand we had in Britain, we have made good progress.
The third area, this issue of the euro and Britain wanting to keep the Pound.
Let me be absolutely clear, we want the euro to succeed.
The eurozone countries are our biggest market, we want them to sort out economic problems, we want their economies to grow, we want to be able to trade and sell to them at the same time as keeping our own currency.
Now the issue here is just making sure that there is fairness, making sure that Europe recognises that you can have more than one currency in the European Union and for the first time in these documents that is properly recognised.
But more important than that there is a set of principles, that the European Union will have to stick to, and its says that when it comes to having another currency, like the Pound Sterling, theres no discrimination, no disadvantage, no chance of us being asked to pay for eurozone projects, and if people think if this is somehow a fiction I have conjured up, last summer the Eurozone countries got together and tries to use British money, to help bail out Greece.
Now, we managed to stop it through some very hard diplomacy.
But if this document is being published today becomes the law of the European Union that can never happen again, so these principles, no discrimination no disadvantage, no costs for non-euro countries to pay towards the euro are very important and added to that there is a mechanism, so if we are not happy with what is happening we can pull a brake, the issues get discussed properly, and Britains concerns as a country outside the Eurozone will be properly taken on board.
So that is the third vital area where we need change.
What about the fourth one? This issue of migration and the pressure that has been put on Britains public services, health, education, housing.
I think a real concern, it was at the election.
You felt it on every doorstep, on every street.
People want us to fix this issue.
They dont want no immigration, they want balanced immigration, and thats what I want.
Now of course, we have to take more action from outside the European Union, and we will, but inside the European Union, we do need to take action.
Now what I said we needed to do, was to address the fact that our welfare system is something of a draw for people coming to work in the United Kingdom.
That up to now we have given instant access to our in-work welfare system, to people that want to come here and work and make a contribution.
So what have we got in this document?
What we have got is basically something I asked for which is that people shouldnt be able to come here and get instant access to our in work welfare system.
We should end something for nothing.
What is proposed is an emergency brake, that means we dont have to pay full rates of welfare for four years in the United Kingdom.
Now I was told that I would never get a four-year proposal, and yet that is what is in the document.
That we dont have to pay welfare in full for four years.
And that the European Commission has said that as far as they are concerned, Britain qualifies for this emergency brake, right now.
So, I think that is a very big change, something we were told we would not be able to achieve, it wasnt possible but there It is in the document and that is not the only thing.
I also said, I dont think its right if people come and work here, but they leave their families at home that we should pay British rates of child benefits, to their families that might be staying in a much lower cost country.
And so in this document is the proposal that if someone comes from another country in Europe, that they get the child benefit paid at the local rate, not at our very generous British rate.
Now in the election, what I said was that I think there are four things in this welfare area that needed to be sorted out.
Very simple, very straightforward and I think everyone will understand.
I said firstly, if you come to Britain looking for work, you dont get paid unemployment benefit.
You come because you are going to get a job.
If you havent got a job after six months you have to return to the country you came from.
If you come and you work, you get the child benefit but paid at local rates and fourth you dont get instant access to our welfare system, it takes four years before you do.
Now, if you look at those four things; the first we have already done, you dont get that unemployment benefit instantly; the second, if you dont have a job after six months you have to go home.
The third, yes there will be child benefit but only at your local rate, now at pour national rate and fourth there is a four-year waiting period before you get full in-work British benefits, so I think that is a very strong and powerful package.
Now as I said none of this is agreed yet, none of the detail is fixed and there is more work to be done.
This European Council doesnt meet and discuss and debate all this for a couple of weeks but I think we have secured some very important changes, which go directly to the issues we raised as a member of the European Union.
One last thing on this immigration and welfare basket as I have called it and that is for too long we have allowed sham marriages to take place, we have allowed people who come to our country that turn out to be criminals to stay in our country.
We have allowed people to get married or use the system to get around our immigration controls and in this document is a very clear set of measures to put a stop to all of those processes.
So I think if you take those four areas: is Britain a proud, independent country not part of super-state?
Yes.
Are we going to be in a more competitive Europe that helps us create jobs?
Yes.
Are we dealing with this potential unfairness between Eurozone countries and non-eurozone countries?
Yes.
And are we taking the pressure off our immigration system through these welfare changes?
Yes, I think we are.
As I said, this is not a done deal and there is more work to be done over these next couple of weeks but I think strong, determined and patient negotiation has achieved a good outcome for Britain and sometimes people say to me, if you werent in the European Union would you opt to join the European Union?
And I today that I can give a very clear answer.
If I can get these terms for British membership, I sure would opt-in to be a member of the European Union because these are good terms and they are different to what other countries have.
A couple of last things from me before we have any questions.
First thing and this is something our host said today. As we get into this referendum campaign, and I hope which will start soon.
You will never hear me argue that Britain could not survive outside the European Union, of course we could, we are the fifth largest country in the world, in terms of our economy.
We have got networks all over the world, we have great business, universities, of course we could succeed. The question is not whether we could succeed it is how we could best succeed, how will we maximise our prosperity, our jobs. How will we maximise the investment into our country.
That is the question we have to address.
The second and final thing from me. I am not going to argue, even after these change, as important as they are, that somehow the European Union is a perfect and unblemished organisation.
That is not the case.
There is still the need for reform.
There is still the need for Britain to be driving that reform.
There will still be many imperfections and many frustrations that we will have with this organisation.
But I think that if we can secure what is in this document, finish off the details and improve it still further that we will be able to show that on balance, Britain is better off, more secure, more prosperous better chance of success for all our famil8ies and all our people inside this reformed European Union.
Here is why.
I think Britain will be better able to argue that Britain will have the best of both worlds.
Because of course, after this agreement, after these changes, Britain will be a full member of the single market, better able to argue for all the things we need for our businesses to succeed.
Britain will still be a full member of the European Council sat around the table making sure we take the tough action against Iran in order to stop them getting a nuclear weapon, or against Putin to make sure they dont try and redraw the boundaries through force.
We will still be a full member of the things that matter to us, but we will never be in the single currency, that is not for us.
We will never be in the Schengen no borders agreement that is not for us.
We are going to keep our borders. We are never going to sign up to things like a European Army.
We are never going to sign up to an ever-closer union, we are going to make sure we maintain our independence as a country and I think we will be able to argue the best of both worlds.
So we have only got now potentially a few months before we hold this referendum, if we get this agreement.
If it goes through and we name the date for the referendum.
And I think this best of both worlds, out of the single currency, out of the Schengen borders agreement, out of the ever-closer union but in the things that work for Britain, that give us jobs, that give us security, that give us the ability to make sure we have stronger and safer world, I think that is something worth fighting for, and I am delighted to come here today to tell you about that and to answer your questions, thank you.
Close
The Zika virus that has been spreading throughout the Americas could travel to Asia and Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said shortly after the United Nations health agency declared the infection an international public health emergency.
"We've now set up a global response unit which brings together all people across WHO, in headquarters, in the regions, to deal with a formal response using all the lessons we've learned from the Ebola crisis," said Anthony Costello, WHO director for maternal, child and adolescent health, reported by Reuters. "The reason it's a global concern is that we are worried that this could also spread back to other areas of the world where the population may not be immune."
The WHO said that health officials throughout the world should be aware of the virus since the mosquito that carries it also lives "through Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly South Asia."
The Zika virus, which is transmitted via the Aedes aegypti mosquito, has been linked to a birth defect called microcephaly. In Brazil where the virus has been very common, there have been more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, which occurs when a baby is born with a smaller than normal head.
In order to understand the risks involved, especially for pregnant women and women looking to get pregnant, researchers are trying to understand how an infection, which is typically very mild, can cause the defect. Research teams are also in the process of developing a vaccine.
"We believe the association is guilty until proven innocent," Costello added.
In the meantime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued travel guidelines to more than 20 countries and territories. Officials in some Central and South American countries have advised women to delay pregnancy plans for the time being.
UNICEF has also asked for $9 million to fund its programs in the Americas. These programs aim to prevent the spread of the virus and protect families and babies through education.
See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Close
Rumors that Apple could provide dual-camera shooter in its next phone offering surfaced yet again on Tuesday with new reports claiming that Taiwanese manufacturers sent some samples to the phone maker.
Mac Rumors reported that Largan Technology, which is a major supplier of Apple's smartphone cameras, sent the samples. These reports, put out by Taiwanese media with mixed reputation for accuracy, come on heels of predictions of a reputed analyst. KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo had predicted that Apple would release two versions of 5.5-inch iPhone 7 devices, with one of the devices carrying a dual-camera rear lens.
iPhone 7 rumors began circulating within months of iPhone 6S release in September last year.
Adding to the basket of rumors is a patent that describes hover-touch technology. According to The Times of India, the patent describes the use of photodiodes and proximity sensors to detect hover gestures. This feature, if implemented in the iPhone 7, would be an improvement over 3D Touch debuted with the iPhone 6S.
iPhones may however not break new ground with hover-touch. Samsung S4 had featured Air View which can detect gestures made in air to perform pre-defined functions.
Some of the other rumors doing the rounds about the iPhone 7 include removal of 3.5 mm headphone jack, thinner body and longer battery. A 4-inch phone is also rumored for release.
See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Womens Reservation : The Road And The Blocks
By Sanjeev Chandan
02 February, 2016
Countercurrents.org
Indian women have been more fortunate than their foreign counterparts in at least one respect. They got the right to vote and to contest elections along with the men immediately after Independence. In fact, they got limited franchise, on a par with men, in 1935 itself. And unlike in other countries, they did not have to wage a long struggle to secure this right. In contrast, it was after a prolonged and bitter battle which began in 1792 with Mary Wollstonecraft raising the demand for the first time and ended in the 20th century that the women in the West could secure the right to vote. And in many countries, they are still deprived of it. But it was not as if Indian women were offered franchise on a platter. In 1917, when the British secretary for India, E.S. Montagu came visiting in the run-up to the promulgation of a new Act to govern India, on 1 December, a delegation of five women met him in Madras demanding voting rights for women. Although the Montagu-Chelmsford reform proposals sought widening of franchise, there was nothing about women in them. In 1918, the Congress and the Muslim League also supported the demand for voting rights for women. In 1918, when the Government of India Act was tabled, Annie Besant, Sarojini Naidu and Hirabai argued in favour of granting political rights to women. However, it was left to the elected governments to take a decision on this issue. Travancore and Madras were the first and the second provinces respectively to grant limited franchise to women only to the educated in 1920 and 1921. Other provinces followed suit. In 1931-32, the Lord Lothian committee proposed two conditions for granting franchise to women, both of which were patently discriminatory. These were: one, that they should be able to read and write in any one language and two, that they must have a living spouse. Thus widows and the women, who, for some reason, had chosen to remain unmarried, were kept out of the pale of the right to vote.
Bumpy road to representation
But getting the right to vote was not the be-all and end-all of the womens struggle. The second stage was political representation. From nominating them as candidates to getting them elected, the disinterest of patriarchal society and the powers that be in anything that gives women representation in the power structure is palpable. That is why, since Independence, the representation of women in the Lok Sabha has grown at an excruciatingly slow pace. Thus, women formed only 4.5 per cent of the First Lok Sabha constituted in 1952, which rose to 12.15 per cent in 2014 decidedly not something to write home about.
However, in the meantime, owing to a variety of factors, there has been a huge increase in the presence of women in the public sphere. Hence, a proposal to use legislation to ensure that at least a third of the members of the Lok Sabha are women was mooted. The talk of Womens Reservation Bill conjures up the image of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and CPMs Brinda Karat, hand in hand, waving happily. Now Sushma Swarajs party is in power. Many sessions of the present Lok Sabha have come and gone but the Womens Reservation Bill has not wriggled into the governments list of priorities. The ruling BJP had voiced its commitment to getting the Bill passed, both in its election manifesto and after forming government; Sushma Swaraj had claimed that the Bill was a priority for the government. But all that seems to have been forgotten. It is heartening that the 16th Lok Sabha has witnessed a rise howsoever modest in the representation of women, which has grown to 12.15 per cent from 10.86 per cent in the 15th Lok Sabha. And for the first time, six women are holding key portfolios in the government. Then, why is it that, in the two years of this government, no one has cared to dust the Bill? This, when the government enjoys a majority in the Lok Sabha and the opposition parties have already pledged their support to the Bill. Is Mulayam Singh Yadav or Lalu Prasad Yadav coming in the way? Unlikely. After Mamata Banerjees party, it was Mulayam Singh Yadavs Samajwadi Party that fielded the highest percentage of women candidates in the Lok Sabha election. In absolute terms, the Aam Aadmi Party, by nominat- ing 39 women as its candidates, left both the major parties behind. In contrast, the ruling BJP fielded only 20 women candidates. These figures are testimony to the commitment of the male-dominated BJP to womens reservation. The CPM, while analyzing its poor electoral performance, listed fielding less number of women candidates as one of the reasons. In this respect, it admitted that bourgeois parties fared far better.
Tale of procrastination
In 1993, after the passage of the 73rd Constitution Amendment Bill granting 33 per cent reservation to women in local bodies, almost all the major parties promised 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and state legislatures in their manifestoes for the 1996 General Election. The Womens Reservation Bill was tabled for the first time on 4 September 1996 by the then United Front government (led by prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda). It was referred to the joint parliamentary committee headed by Geeta Mukherjee, which presented its report on 9 December 1996. However, given the political instability at the time, the Bill could not be presented again in the 11th Lok Sabha. It was tabled for the second time by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in the 12th Lok Sabha. The BJP government moved the Bill four times but every time a discussion on it was deferred following mayhem in the House and every time it was solemnly announced that the Bill would be tabled once a consensus was reached. The Congress-led UPA government also displayed its commitment to womens reservation by tabling the Bill twice in Parliament. In March 2010, the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to the Bill but it could not be tabled in the 15th Lok Sabha in the four years before its dissolution.
Reservation within reservation
Despite consenting in principle to the measure, men dominating the political parties are not ready to yield their place to women. There could be no other reason for this Bill to have been pending for the past 20 years in search of that elusive consensus. While parties like the CPM find bourgeois parties better than itself in this respect, the BJP has ensured 33 per cent representation for women in its organizational structure. The blame for not allowing this Bill to be passed is being laid at the door of the identity-based political parties and leaders. It cannot be denied that whenever the Bill was presented in either house of Parliament, the identity-based parties and their leaders have taken varying stands. Notwithstanding Sharad Yadavs malechauvinistic comment about bob-cut women, it needs to be examined whether the opposition of these leaders to the Womens Reservation Bill in its present form because it does not provide for due representation of women of backward classes betrays their antiwomen mindset. These parties and their leaders have been demanding reservation within reservation for socio-culturally backward women. On 12 December 2015, at a round table on women's reservations organized by National Federation of Indian Women and Streekaal in New Delhi, Dalit feminist thinker and convener of Rashtriya Dalit Andolan Rajni Tilak and others said that, "Our delegation had met Lalu Prasad and other leaders seeking a provision for reservations for backward women in the Women's Reservation Bill. And that is how, the voice of these leaders is the voice of Dalitbahujan women. They claimed that the Bahujan leaders' demand for quota within quota was only an extension of the demand made by Dalit bahujan women.
Different formulae
Over the last 20 years, a wide range of formulae vis-a-vis womens reservation has emerged. One formula is that it should be made mandatory for the political parties to have 33 per cent women in its list of candidates. This formula, though, comes with a loophole, allowing male-dominated parties to deliberately field women from impossible to- win constituencies. Others want reservation for women in the organizational structure of political parties, which can be done by amending the constitutions of the respective parties. The BJP has taken an initiative in this regard. But the efficacy of this measure will largely depend on the goodwill of the parties, which are dominated by men. Interestingly, the talk of womens reservation is limited to the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies. No initiative is being taken for securing reservation for women in the Rajya Sabha and the state legislative councils, which play an important role in the passage of bills. Medha Nandivadekar had suggested a formula to ensure adequate presence of women in the upper houses. Every state biennially elects one third of the total strength of its Rajya Sabha contingent and since this number is more than three in case of big states, one seat can be reserved for women in every round of the biennial elections. In states where this number is less than three, one seat each can be reserved for women in the first two elections and all seats can be unreserved in the third one. The same formula can be adopted in elections to legislative councils, and parliamentary and legislative committees.
Impact of reservations
A question that is often asked is how reservations will benefit the women. To begin with, higher representation in itself is a major benefit. When 33 per cent reservation for women was introduced in village panchayats for the first time, 43 per cent women got elected. The fact is that men have always been suspicious of the ability and competence of women. But whenever women have got an opportunity (never due to the generosity of men but as a result of their struggle or due to the weaknesses of the patriarchal society), they have proved themselves. In 2005, Bihar society was not ready for the 50 per cent reservation for women introduced for the first time in local bodies. As a result, male relatives of the elected women representatives started ruling by proxy. Words like mukhiyapati came to be coined and vulgar songs about women mukhiyas were in vogue. As a freelance journalist in Bihar, I came across dozens of such mukhiyapatis. But the situation started changing soon. Following Bihar, 50 per cent reservation for women was introduced in Maharashtra. On the basis of my personal experience and feedback received from these states, I can say that after the initial hesitation, the elected women representatives have started freeing themselves from the stranglehold of their male patrons. A research study based on survey of three dozen panchayats in a district of Maharashtra found that the women residents of villages with a woman sarpanch (mukhiya) were more politically aware than the women of other villages. Bihar was one state that had dug in its heels in the face of one state after another granting voting rights to women in the 1920s. It was only in 1929, after most of the states had granted franchise to women, that the Bihar legislature fell in line and passed a bill allowing women to vote. Today, Bihar has taken the lead in empowerment of women. In 2005, it became the first state in the country to grant 50 per cent reservations to women in local bodies. Until recently, 35-50 per cent jobs in education, health and police departments in the state were reserved for women. Now, the Bihar Cabinet has approved 35 per cent reservation for women in all jobs.
The bottlenecks
The ball is now squarely in the BJPs court. No longer can the ruling party make the excuse that the Mulayam Singhs and Lalu Yadavs will block the passage of the Womens Reservation Bill. Their presence in the Lok Sabha is negligible. A related question is whether Mulayam Singh is using the reservation within reservation demand only as a ruse for postponing the enactment. Even after taking into account the antiwomen statements and actions of Mulayam Singh and his party, I see no reason to believe this. It is true that in India today nominations for elections are decided keeping community and caste equations in mind. Parties try to pick candidates from among the castes that have a sizeable presence in the constituency concerned. This trend has ensured that despite there being no reservations for them in national and state elections, OBC candidates are being returned to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas in large numbers. This was not so until, say, 20 years ago. But the relevant question is: which section of society fears reservations within reservation and what is the harm in making such a provision? While unequivocally condemning the use of phrases like parkati (wings-clipped) and balkati (bob-cut), we cannot ignore the fact that the Savarna domination of feminist movements is as much responsible as male domination for this state of affairs. It is also ironical that women leaders who are at the forefront of demanding representation for women fall silent on the issue of caste representation. On the other hand, the flag-bearers of caste representation are not comfortable with the idea of womens representation. The fact is that all such measures are aimed at ensuring representation to the sections that are languishing socio-culturally. When the recommendations of B.P. Mandal were implemented, the Savarna girl students of Delhi Universitys elite Gargi College took to the streets to oppose the decision. They carried placards that said Dont snatch the jobs of our husbands. These placards were not only anti-reservation but also anti-women. The students, perhaps, could not comprehend the inter-relationship of gender discrimination and caste discrimination. Incidentally, according to a study, when, in students union elections that immediately followed this agitation girl students were discriminated against, it was their Dalit college-mates and not Savarnas who joined forces with them. It is also ironical that womens organizations have neither respect nor a feeling of gratitude towards Mahatma Phule, Shahuji Maharaj, Periyar and Ambedkar the biggest theoreticians of reservation and representation. They all had taken unprecedented initiatives for the rights of women. Dr Ambedkar had resigned from independent Indias first Council of Ministers on the issue of opposition to the Hindu Code Bill. If the women leaders and agitators have not succeeded in getting womens reservation implemented even after struggling for 20 long years, it may be because of their ambivalence on commitment to the basic principle of equality in a democratic set-up. These ifs and buts provide the proponents of male domination an escape route. That is why representation for women does not figure in the bills tabled in the Rajya Sabha and that is why the maledominated establishment keeps putting off its enactment by demonizing the supporters of reservation within reservation.
Sanjeev Chandan, editor of leading feminist magazine Streekaal, is known for his feminist-Ambedkarite writings. He has been writing on current affairs for BBC and several Hindi newspapers and magazines. His collection of stories 546veen Seat ke Stri and poetry collection Stree Drishti are under publication
Is Being Gay A Crime In India?
By Shubhda Chaudhary
02 February, 2016
Countercurrents.org
Yes, it is.
According to the Supreme Court in 2012, there are 2.5 million gay people recorded in India. But there are a higher percentage of people who have concealed their sexuality in order to avoid discrimination. In September 2006, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, acclaimed writer Vikram Seth and other prominent Indians publicly demanded the repeal of section 377 of the IPC.
Article 377 makes homosexual sex punishable by law and carries a life sentence. The law which criminalises homosexual behaviour was drafted by Lord Macaulay in 1860 and states that whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment. Furthermore, the law is at odds with various articles in Indias constitution which supposedly guarantee the right to life and personal liberty, equality, and which prohibit discrimination. Following the decision, both Uganda and Nigeria signed into law harsh anti-gay legislation and campaigners believe the move was influenced by the decision of the Indian court.
It certainly deals a body blow to the very idea of individual choice. It re-criminalizes homosexuality, which carries a maximum jail sentence of life, and gives the police one more excuse to harass, extort and jail law-abiding people whose only crime is that they do not conform to the traditional view of sexuality. Much of the urban emphasis is now towards everyday practicalities: Being able to open a joint bank account, get insurance, acquire a home loan, sign as next of kin in a medical emergency, pay rent without a landlord threatening to throw them out. Inheritance is a very contentious issue.
Though, the Indian Supreme Court has deemed homosexuality a crime. But in a revolutionary ruling, the same justices extended legal rights and equality to transgender people. Not only that, they abolished the binary gender system, creating a protected third gender that covers not only transgender people, but also intersex (who have both male and female anatomy) and eunuchs (who have neither male nor female anatomy), often collectively called hijra. The change allows them to identify their gender as hijra on all government documents, including passports. Governments in Nepal, Bangladesh, and even Pakistan have recognized a third gender category, as well.
India has not been a universal beacon for minority-group freedoms. The infamous Supreme Court decision to effectively re-criminalize homosexuality created a human rights conundrum: Transgendered people cannot be fully protected if their gender identity becomes illegal when expressed in a sexual context. In other words, a transgender woman engaged in heterosexual relations with a man may be breaking the law under Indias ban on homosexual acts, if she is anatomically male.
The issue of being a gay comes to light further in the context of the upcoming film Aligarh based on the real life of Dr. Siras and his mysterious death.
AMU professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras was fired from his job because of his sexual orientation. Siras had mentioned that the institutionalized homophobia was directed towards him to overshadow allegations of nepotism and financial irregularities against the vice-chancellor.
Siras was born and brought up in Nagpur. He had done his post-graduation in humanities from Hislop College before completing his PhD on eminent Marathi author Gajanan Tryambak Madkholkar's writings. His thesis was on 20 political novels of Madkholkar, perhaps only one from the university to have done his doctorate in this subject, considered difficult by many. The gay professor was considered a genius and a good critic of Marathi. His biggest achievement was stated to be creating interest in Marathi at AMU, where a majority of students were Muslims and from Hindi/Urdu background. A poet himself, Siras got the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad award for his 2002 collection of poems -- Paya Khalchi Hirawal (Grass under my feet).
In 2010, the body of 62-year-old Siras, a reader in Modern Indian Languages, was found on the bed in his private apartment outside the university. Outraged academics, supporters, gays and concerned citizens started an online signature campaign demanding justice in the death of Dr Siras. Till now, the reason behind his death, which was initially deemed as suicide, has not been cleared, which is a major blow to our justice system and institutional homophobia which is manufactured in the campuses.
In order to fully protect transgender groups, nations must both overcome binary gender constraints and de-couple gender identity with sexual orientation. Society must imagine a plurality of genders and sexualities all with equal protections under the law. With this mindset, a new fundamental right emerges: the freedom to determine ones own identity as inherently pluralistic. Indians accept the presence of the transgender community, but they are still kept away because of the homosexuality connotation that transgenders carry with them.
This indeed is a regressive step and it silences the aspirations of millions of Indians who are living dual lives, are not out of the closet and fear abandonment by their families or are forced into marriages. It is a failure to accept the freedom of choice and identity of every human, because eventually, the state needs to realize that being gay is as normal as being a trans-gender. There is nothing abnormal about it. And in the end, who gets to decide, what is natural, anyway?
Shubhda Chaudhary is a PhD scholar in International Relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University. She specialises in West Asian politics and works with think-tanks in Abu Dhabi and South Africa. Email id: shubhda.chaudhary@gmail.com
Writers Gather In In Dandi In Gujarat To Oppose Communalism
By Vidyadhar Date
02 February, 2016.
Countercurrents.org
It was a highly inspiring gathering on January 30 at Dandi, the site of Mahatma Gandhis famous salt satyagraha of 1930.. Hundreds of writers, artistes and activists from different parts of the country travelled at their own expense to support Gandhian values and oppose communal forces.
It was a unique experience to be on the site of the satyagraha on a day when the Mahatma was assassinated by communal elements. Such coming together out of a a sense of belonging, togetherness for the cause of secularism and human values is particularly important because on this day elsewhere some elements were seeking to build a statue to Nathuram Godse, Gandhijis killer, and hail him as a hero.
Writers coming together, travelling at their own expense, can also be a fine trendsetter and check the role of big money so obvious at corporate- sponsored literary festivals and conferences. Corporate sponsorship certainly limits free expression. At the recent Jaipur literary festival it was good that a whole session was devoted to the theme of freedom of expression but it has come under criticism for failing to condemn the judicial trial to which prominent writer Arundhati Roy was being subjected to at that very time.
A lot has changed since Gandhijis historic salt satyagraha. The salt pans are no longer there and the 240 km route from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad can no longer be traced as numerous constructions have come up along the way over the years. But the spirit very much lives on and one could sense the feeling of camaraderie and a sense of commitment among the delegates who came on their own.
But the state BJP led administration was far from helpful. It forced the organizers to postpone the march to the satyagraha site from early morning to mid-day. But this only strengthened the participants resolve. Communal forces were strongly criticized by various speakers. The participants also paid rich tributes to Rohit Vemula, the dalit scholar, who committed suicide recently because of caste discrimination. It also happened to be the birthday of Rohit Vemula.
The Dandi march was the culmination of a movement that is building up over the killing of rationalists and writers Narendra Dabholkar in Pune, Govind Pansare in Kolhapur and M.M. Kalburgi in Dharwad in the last two years. Writers travelled at their own expense and held solidarity meetings in Pune, Kolhapur and Dharwad. The credit for the movement goes largely to Dr Ganesh Devy, a scholar who is working hard to save regional languages, promote a dialogue between writes of these languages and preserve several languages facing extinction. Local activists in Dandi and neighbouring Navsari contributed enthusiastically to the Dandi conference.
The speakers at the inaugural session included Hamid, son of Dr Dabholkar, Megha, daughter-in-law of Govind Pansare, and Vijay, son of M.M. Kalburgi. Rajmohan Gandhi, writer and grandson of the Mahatma, said Gandhiji was very timid in his younger days. How could this once timid man make India so fearless in the fight against the British ? He said that if one loves others, shares their sorrows, one easily becomes fearless.
Rakesh Shukla, leader of the recent agitation of the students of the Film institute in Pune, said it was ironic that the Hindutva forces, who were looked down upon by the Indian people in the 1940s, had grown to come to seize power. These forces had attracted scientists but not great writers or social scientists.
Mr Chaman Lal, a left-wing scholar, said he totally disagreed with some ideas of Mahatma Gandhi but no one worked with such extraordinary effort to work for peace and understanding. Anand Patwardhan traced the history of communal elements since the time of their links with the fascists in Europe in the thirties. Atul Pethe, theatre director and actor, demonstrated peoples unease with communal forces through his acting skills.
But the most striking participant was a 17-year-old girl Ria Vithasha or Muddu Tirthalli, Kannada writer, who returned her Kannada state Akademi awrd. Her parents in the audience were introduced to the participants to show appreciation for bringing up such a spirited daughter. Participants from Dharwad in Karnataka spoke Hindi with absolute charm in their vowelled accents which showed that language can be no barrier in communication when one is inspired and committed . And the meeting was part of the project of Sarva Bhasha Samvad, a dialogue between writers of different languages.Neela, a forceful speaker from Dharwad, recalled the tradition of communal harmony and dissent in Karnataka. Basavanna challenged the Vedas centuries ago and during Muharram a number of Hindu women used to spiritedly join in singing songs with Muslim women.
Salil Tripathi, London-based writer and a prominent member of PEN international organization working for freedom of expression, joined in supporting the Dandi movement. Hemant Gokhale, a former Supreme court judge, always an unobtrusive, low-profile, presence at similar gatherings, was there to show his solidarity. Among other participants were Martin Mcwan, Ghulam Mohammad Shaikh, Gujarati writers, and Ghanashyam Shah, a prominent scholar and researcher.
(Mr Vidyadhar Date is a senior journalist).
Seeing Flight As A Non-Violent Option: One Way To Change The Discourse
About The Worlds 60 Million Refugees
By Erica Chenoweth & Hakim Young
02 January, 2016
Countercurrents.org
In Brussels, more than 1,200 people protest against Europes unwillingness to do more about the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean, April 23rd, 2015. By Amnesty International.
Today, one in every 122 humans living on the planet is a refugee, an internally displaced person, or an asylum-seeker. In 2014, conflict and persecution forced a staggering 42,500 persons per day to leave their homes and seek protection elsewhere, resulting in 59.5 million total refugees worldwide. According to the UN refugee agencys 2014 Global Trends report (tellingly entitled World at War), developing countries hosted 86% of these refugees. Developed countries, such as the U.S. and those in Europe, host only 14% of the worlds total share of refugees.
Yet public sentiment in the West has been tough on refugees lately. Resurgent populist and nationalist leaders routinely play to public anxieties about refugees as lazy opportunists, burdens, criminals, or terrorists in response to todays refugee crisis. Mainstream parties arent immune to this rhetoric either, with politicians of all stripes calling for increased border controls, detention centers, and the temporary suspension of visa and asylum applications.
Importantly, none of these panicky characterizations of refugees is born out by systematic evidence.
Are Refugees Economic Opportunists?
The most reliable empirical studies of refugee movements suggest that the primary cause of flight is violencenot economic opportunity. Mainly, refugees are fleeing war in hopes of landing in a less violent situation. In conflicts where the government actively targets civilians in the context of genocide or politicide, most people choose to leave the country rather than seek out safe havens internally. Surveys bear out this reality in todays crisis. In Syria, one of the worlds major producers of refugees in the last five years, survey results suggest that most civilians are fleeing because the country has simply become too dangerous or that government forces took over their towns, placing most of the blame on the horrific politicidal violence of Assads regime. (Only 13% say they fled because rebels took over their towns, suggesting that ISISs violence is not nearly as much a source of flight as some have suggested).
And refugees rarely choose their destinations based on economic opportunity; instead, 90% of refugees go to a country with a contiguous border (thus explaining the concentration of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq). Those that do not stay in a neighboring country tend to flee to countries where they have existing social ties. Given that they are typically fleeing for their lives, the data suggest that most refugees think about economic opportunity as an afterthought rather than as a motivation for flight. That said, when they arrive at their destinations, refugees tend to be exceedingly industrious, with cross-national studies suggesting that they are rarely burdensome for national economies.
In todays crisis, Many of the people arriving by sea in southern Europe, particularly in Greece, come from countries affected by violence and conflict, such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan; they are in need of international protection and they are often physically exhausted and psychologically traumatized, states World at War.
Whos Afraid of the Big Bad Refugee?
In terms of security threats, refugees are far less likely to commit crimes than natural-born citizens. In fact, writing in the Wall Street Journal, Jason Riley evaluates data on the link between immigration and crime in the United States and calls the correlation a myth. Even in Germany, which has absorbed the highest number of refugees since 2011, crime rates by refugees have not increased. Violent attacks on refugees, on the other hand, have doubled. This suggests that refugees do not post a problem for security; instead, they require protection against violent threats themselves. Moreover, refugees (or those who claim to be refugees) are highly unlikely to plan terror attacks. And given that at least 51% of current refugees are children, like Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian refugee who famously drowned in the Mediterranean sea last summer, it is probably premature to preordain them as fanatics, troublemakers, or social rejects.
Moreover, refugee-vetting processes are exceedingly stringent in many countrieswith the U.S. having among the most stringent refugee policies in the worldthereby precluding many of the adverse outcomes feared by critics of status quo refugee policies. Although such processes do not guarantee that all potential threats are excluded, they mitigate the risk considerably, as demonstrated by the paucity of violent crimes and terror attacks committed by refugees in the past thirty years.
A Broken System or A Broken Narrative?
Speaking about the current refugee crisis in Europe, Jan Egeland, the former UN Humanitarian Envoy who now heads the Norwegian Refugee Council, said, The system is totally brokenWe cannot continue this way. But the system probably wont mend as long as broken narratives dominate the discourse. What if we introduced a fresh discourse, which dispels the myths about refugees and equips the public to contest existing discourse with a more compassionate narrative about the way one becomes a refugee in the first place?
Consider the choice to flee instead of stay and fight or stay and die. Many of the 59.5 million refugees left in the crossfires between states and other armed actorssuch as the Syrian governments politicide and violence among a wide variety of rebel groups operating within Syria; Syria, Russia, Iraq, Iran, and NATOs war against ISIS; Afghanistan and Pakistans wars against the Taliban; the on-going U.S. campaign against Al Qaeda; Turkeys wars against Kurdish militias; and a multitude of other violent contexts around the world.
Given the choice between staying and fighting, staying and dying, or fleeing and surviving, todays refugees fledmeaning that, by definition, they actively and purposefully chose a non-violent option in the context of mass violence raging all around them.
In other words, todays global landscape of 59.5 million refugees is mainly a collection of people who have chosen the only available non-violent pathway out of their conflict environments. In many respects, todays 60 million refugees have said no to violence, no to victimization, and no to helplessness at the same time. The decision to flee to strange and (often hostile) foreign lands as a refugee is not a light one. It involves taking significant risks, including the risk of death. For example, the UNHCR estimated that 3,735 refugees were dead or missing at sea while seeking refuge in Europe in 2015. Contrary to contemporary discourse, being a refugee ought to be synonymous with non-violence, courage, and agency.
Of course, an individuals non-violent choice at one time does not necessarily predetermine that individuals non-violent choice at a later juncture. And like many large mass assemblages, it is inevitable that a handful of people will cynically exploit the global movement of refugees to pursue their own criminal, political, social, or ideological aims on the fringeseither by concealing themselves in the masses to cross borders to commit violent acts abroad, by taking advantage of the political polarization of migration politics to promote their own agendas, or by extorting these people for their own criminal purposes. Among any population this size, there will be criminal activity here and there, refugee or not.
But in todays crisis, it will be essential for people of good faith everywhere to resist the urge to ascribe nefarious motivations to the millions of people seeking haven in their countries, because of the violent or criminal actions of a few. The latter group does not represent the general statistics on refugees identified above, nor do they negate the fact that refugees are generally people who, in the context of truly dislocating violence, made a life-altering, non-violent choice to act for themselves in a way that cast them and their families into uncertain futures. Once they arrive, on average the threat of violence against the refugee is much greater than the threat of violence by the refugee. Shunning them, detaining them as if they were criminals, or deporting them to war-torn environments sends a message that non-violent choices are punishedand that submitting to victimization or turning to violence are the only choices left. This is a situation that calls for policies that embody compassion, respect, protection, and welcomenot fear, dehumanization, exclusion, or revulsion.
Seeing flight as a non-violent option will better equip the informed public to contest exclusionary rhetoric and policies, elevate a new discourse that empowers more moderate politicians, and widen the range of policy options available to respond to the current crisis.
Hakim Young (Dr. Teck Young, Wee) is a medical doctor from Singapore who has done humanitarian and social enterprise work in Afghanistan for the past 10 years, including being a mentor to the Afghan Peace Volunteers, an inter-ethnic group of young Afghans dedicated to building non-violent alternatives to war.
Originally published by politicalviolenceataglance ( Political Violence@a Glance) on January 26, 2016
Politics On The Plate: Mob Wives, Seeds And Salt
By Colin Todhunter
02 February, 2016
Countercurrents.org
How can we broaden our movement to appeal to and involve the majority of people out there who do not seem to be aware, do not seem to care or are just too apathetic?
This has long been an issue for many a campaign group or activist.
There are many groups who have been offering a credible analysis of how the world functions. But many of these groups use certain language and theoretical constructs whereby they end up preaching to the converted and make little headway in galvanising mass protest, action or resistance to capitalism, especially among more affluent or politically unaware sections of the population.
Take Syria, for instance. What is happening on the ground there is too abstract for many, too far away or seemingly too unconnected from their everyday lives to have much meaning (except when the issue of immigration rears its head, whose solution, according to the mainstream media, politicians and pundits, does not involve bombing Syria less but more). Similarly, Ukraine or Afghanistan is also often regarded as being too removed and any talk about empire or imperialism does not strike much of a chord with many people, who after a long day do not have the time, energy or inclination to sit down and do research into the machinations of empire, read Brookings Institute reports on how to deal with Iran or gem up on the Project for a New American Century.
The problem revolves around how to raise informed awareness (not spoon-fed mainstream media narratives) of these and other issues and how to make the public connect world events with their everyday lives.
Gandhi knew how to connect everyday concerns with wider issues. In 1930, he led a salt march to the coast of Gujarat to symbolically collect salt on the shore. His message of resistance against the British Empire revolved around a simple everyday foodstuff. His focus on salt was questioned by sections of the press and prominent figures on his side (even the British werent much concerned about a march about salt), who felt that protest against British rule in India should for instance focus more directly on the heady issues of rights and democracy.
However, Gandhi knew that by concentrating on an item of daily use among ordinary Indians, such a campaign could resonate more with all classes of citizens than an abstract demand for greater political rights. Even though salt was freely available to those living on the coast (by evaporation of sea water), Indians were forced to purchase it from the colonial government. The tax on salt represented 8.2 percent of the British Raj tax revenue. The issue of salt encapsulated the essence of colonial oppression at the time.
Explaining his choice, Gandhi said that next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life. The prominent Congress statesman and future Governor-General of India, C. Rajagopalachari, understood what Gandhi was trying to achieve. He said:
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 Indias struggle for independence.
Today, we find the issue of food in general playing a similar role in peoples 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 Gandhis 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 Dandi, 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."
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 destruction of indigenous agriculture across the world and corrupt trade deals like TTIP.
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 Gandhis time, it is again food that is playing a central role in raising awareness and provoking resistance.
Colin Todhunter is an independent writer
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By Staff Report
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday announced the indictment of a former Evansville resident on charges that he stole more than $800,000 from a Southern Illinois-based oil company.
Kent Cutchin, 60, faces one count of making forged securities and four counts of money laundering.
Cutchin was the office manager for R Energy in Carmi. The company performs oil and gas field services in several states. Cutchin was responsible for "paying bills, maintaining office payroll, ordering supplies and purchasing inventory," according to federal prosecutors.
Between December 2011 and February 2015, Cutchin allegedly forged the signature of R Energy's company president on more than 500 checks, reportedly writing the checks to himself and purchasing items for his personal use rather than buying items for the business.
The indictment alleges he used the funds to make improvements on his home in Evansville as well as to purchase an all-terrain utility vehicle.
In total, the amount of theft is allegedly $837,251.
Cutchin was formerly the head of the Metropolitan Evansville Transit System from May 2002 until February 2008, according to city personnel records.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
Cutchin could face as much as 10 years imprisonment on each count if convicted.
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By Mark Wilson of the Courier and Press
The judge presiding over a Warrick County murder case on Tuesday told attorneys he previously represented the accused in an unrelated case.
Mathew McCallister, 33, faces a possible life without parole sentence if convicted in the February 2014 slaying of Joseph Nelson, of Martinsville, Indiana.
Warrick County Superior Court 1 Judge Zach Winsett inherited the case in September after being appointed to replace retiring Judge Keith Meier.
In a notation on McCallister's court docket Tuesday, Winsett told attorneys he represented McCallister in a 2009 misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended license and other traffic infractions.
Winsett made note that he was unaware of any reason why he should be disqualified from the case. However, he gave attorneys on both sides 30 days to file any written objections.
"I have no intention of filing an objection," said Warrick County Prosecutor Mike Perry. "The trial is April 4 and we are preceding as if that is the case."
Defense attorney Steven Bohleber could not be reached for comment.
McCallister was arrested and charged with murder, as were Shawn Grigsby, Jade Stigall and David Lackey Jr.
Nelson's body was found Feb. 17, 2014, at Alcoa Warrick Operations. Investigators believe Stigall, McCallister, Grigsby and Lackey met Nelson at a hotel in Evansville and then drove to a location near a railroad track in Northern Warrick County. There, according to probable cause affidavits, Nelson was made to kneel with his hands behind his back and was shot in the back of the head. Alcoa workers found his body later that morning in coal unloaded from a railcar.
McCallister is the only remaining defendant whose case is unresolved.
Grigsby, of Evansville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in July 2014.
Lackey, of Boonville, received a four-year sentence in June 2015 after pleading guilty to assisting a criminal. The prosecution dismissed his other charges. However, with credit for jail time and state-mandated sentence reductions, he only has about nine months left to serve. He will be allowed to serve it on home detention with electronic monitoring.
Stigall received a similar plea deal and sentence in May 2015. Stigall and Lackey, who were engaged at the time of arrest, married while in jail.
A fifth defendant, Kelli Wyrick of Indianapolis, was sentenced to four years after pleading guilty to assisting a criminal, as well as to three drug-related charges. However, she was never charged with murder or conspiracy in the case.
David Diamond
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By Len Wells of the Courier and Press
A worker with the Wayne County Humane Society has been arrested on a charge of animal cruelty.
Surveillance video at the Fairfield, Illinois, animal shelter showed David I. Diamond, 32, of Fairfield, abusing a dog, according to police.
Assistant Fairfield Police Chief Silas Eckelberry said officers were called to the shelter Monday morning after officials reviewed video allegedly showing Diamond throwing a dog about 15 feet out the back door of the shelter and later choking the animal.
Humane Society officials fired Diamond and told police they wanted to press charges. Diamond was subsequently taken to the Wayne County jail, where he was booked on charges of animal cruelty and disorderly conduct.
Police said the dog was not seriously injured and remains at the shelter.
A teacher's manual for the test sits on a computer table where students take the ISTEP test at Emmons Elementary School in Mishawaka, Ind. Wednesday May 1, 2013. Issues with the computer based testing program have caused some problems with the ISTEP test. The Indiana Department of Education said in a statement that administration of the ISTEP+ exams' online portion resumed Wednesday morning, but that schools are being asked to decrease their daily test load to 50 percent of normal levels until further notice. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)
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By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press
After inclement winter weather caused many Indiana school districts to reschedule, more than once, the 2016 ISTEP readiness test, most local districts were able to participate by Friday.
Just four weeks shy of students taking the 2016 assessment through new contractor Pearson Education, some school officials across the state reported issues including frozen computer screens, error messages and the test not loading properly during a test run of the online ISTEP.
Similar glitches occurred under previous vendor CTB/McGraw Hill.
Pearson spokesman Scott Overland says the practice test is designed to stress the system so problems can be corrected. Pearson is under a two-year, $33 million contract to administer ISTEP.
The time frame for students to take the first portion of ISTEP is Feb. 29 through March 11. For most schools, the test is taken online. However, schools can request a paper-pencil version.
The second part of ISTEP can be taken April 18 through May 6.
Kate Minihan, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. assistant superintendent for strategy and accountability, said the Indiana Department of Education scheduled a statewide readiness test Jan. 20, but with so many local districts out of school on a snow day, the EVSC and others weren't able to participate until Jan. 29.
Minihan said Pearson updated its server after the Jan. 20 test because many schools couldn't get logged on.
"I wouldn't say it was great," she said. "But it wasn't terrible."
A subcontractor with Pearson was in Evansville on Friday, Minihan said, and visited schools with her. She said problems weren't widespread, but there were at least a couple kids in each classroom that had issues.
"When you think about that, that's still a lot of kids," she said.
Warrick County School Corp. Superintendent Brad Schneider said once officials realized students didn't initially have the correct information to access the test, no major problems occurred.
"It's the first time I can recall during a stress test that things went that well," Schneider said. "So maybe that's a good sign for optimism."
For Metropolitan School District of Mount Vernon students, things "overall went very well," Superintendent Tom Kopatich said. Kopatich reported 98 percent of computers worked properly.
"We had a couple of machine loading issues," he said. "And errors in saving results, but that has been worked out."
On Jan. 21, Metropolitan School District of North Posey County Assistant Superintendent Angela Wannemuehler said the district's local infrastructure test "went well" after officials became more familiar with the new system. Students on desktop computers didn't experience any issues.
However, Wannemuehler said about 20 percent of laptop computers experienced some form of disruption.
"The most worrisome part is the tools have changed for the technology-enhanced questions," she said. "Which means we'll have to retrain the children. But the system itself, of course from our point of view locally, can handle it."
Another concern, Minihan said, is the Pearson system has "highly sensitive" security. When a student gets kicked out, a building-level official must authorize a student to allow them to log back on, creating another level of local effort, she said.
"Pearson hasn't trained the corporation test coordinators on their system yet," Minihan said. "So we can't train our schools on the system yet. ... We don't even know the ins and outs of the system yet, and we start testing in a few weeks."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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By Zach Osowski
INDIANAPOLIS Civil rights for Indiana's LGBT citizens will not be extended this year after Senate Bill 344 died in the Senate Republican Caucus.
Apologizing to the LGBT community, Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, said he would not call his bill after realizing there was no support for it among Senate Republicans.
"No matter what I do, no matter what I propose, I can't move these walls," Holdman said. "No one is willing to move."
There were 27 amendments filed on SB 344, from Republicans and Democrats. Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said there was no support for the bill in caucus and members did not want to wade through all the amendments for an ultimate no vote. Without any amendments, it is unlikely the bill would have received support from Senate Democrats.
The ultimate sticking point was the transgender issue. Long said the "T" was a stumbling point for Republicans, and gender identity was ultimately not included in SB 344. Democrats voted against the bill in committee because it excluded transgender Hoosiers, but were willing to make concessions. Senate Minority Leader Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, filed amendments to simply include transgender protections for housing and employment.
"We were told under no circumstances will transgender go into the bill," Lanane said. "We were willing to compromise."
The death of the bill in caucus came after Long said last week that the bill would get a hearing regardless of the feeling amongst caucus members.
"I wanted to have a discussion on the floor of the Senate but I respect my caucus' wishes," Long said. "In the end, a very high percentage said 'Let's not go through this if, in the end, the bill won't move."'
Long said he thinks Indiana will eventually have LGBT rights, and said he would like to have the conversation again next year. He said the legislature needs to do something before the court system makes a ruling.
"I hope that it is this body that decides this (issue) and not the courts," Long said. "That's the wrong place for this to be decided."
SB 344 represented the last chance to get something passed regarding civil rights for the LGBT community in 2016. Senate Bill 100, also authored by Holdman, was killed in committee and the Senate Democrats' plan did not get a hearing.
Holdman said he was disappointed the bill didn't get a hearing on the Senate floor.
"I'm very sorry we couldn't get this done," Holdman said. "This was just one of those things where we just couldn't get there."
Holdman Long and Lanane said afterwards this issue won't go away.
"I think there are some people who think if we just don't act on this long enough, this issue will somehow disappear," Lanane said. "The people of Indiana want to move forward; we need to move forward."
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Susan H. Harrison
New Harmony, Indiana
I have no problem reading opinions which differ from mine. However, when a news outlet makes the decision to purposely try to deceive their readers by promoting a single person's opinion as factual this rises to a whole different level of corruption.
For the Courier & Press, a news outlet which claims to serve the whole community, to print a satirical article under the guise of fact, to be used as a weapon of character assassination against an honorable man of strong person faith, is beyond comprehension. Through this behavior it becomes more obvious than ever that the editorial staff of the Courier & Press do not consider integrity or honestly as part of their job description.
Print radical leftist opinions as much as you want but place them in an area of the paper where opinions belong. Not in a section to masquerade as fact when the sole purpose is only to degrade another human being while promoting the radical leftist agenda.
Editor's note: The satirical column in question, written by Jon Webb, was clearly branded as a column both in print and online.
Commvault has hired former EMC executive Mark Velthuis as its new vice president of indirect business.
Velthuis will take on the responsibilities of former channel sales manager Ashley Diffey, who left Commvault after two years to join F5 Networks.
In his new role, Velthuis will be responsible for Commvaults partner ecosystem, which includes resellers, managed service providers and vendor alliances.
Prior to joining Commvault, Velthuis was the senior director of strategic alliances for EMC in Singapore for nearly two years. He was also managing director of legal outsourcing startup Axiom.
This is a very intriguing space to be in, with data growing so exponentially, Velthuis told CRN. My first point of call to improve the way we do business with partners and go deeper into those relationships. Commvault spent years building a wide partner base and now its time to double down.
Commvaults director of alliances APAC, John Beaumont, left the data management vendor in December. He is yet to announce his next role.
The US vendor is distributed locally via Avnet, Distribution Central, ACA Pacific and Nexgen. Its vendor alliance partners include Nutanix, Microsoft and Huawei.
Enterprise virtualised data centre and cloud disaster recovery software developer Zerto this week hired a former Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NetApp product manager to lead the company's product road map going forward.
Boston-based Zerto's hiring of Rob Strechay as the company's new vice president of product management follows on the heels of the company's unveiling of a new US$50 million round of funding aimed at supporting continued product development.
Zerto sells business continuity and disaster recovery software for virtual and cloud environments, and its flagship Zerto Virtual Replication product competes with VMware's Site Recovery Manager and others.
With its latest software update in May, Zerto added support for replicating and migrating data between VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisors, and from private clouds to public clouds such as Amazon Web Services. The update also lets Zerto partners deliver their own disaster recovery services.
Gil Levonai, chief marketing officer at Zerto, told CRN USA that the new US$50 million E-round of funding brings total funding in the company to US$110 million. It may be the last round for Zerto.
"From a growth perspective, we may have grown to where we can do an IPO," Levonai said. "But whether we do an IPO depends on the market. It's no secret we're looking at an IPO. But there's no hurry. Our CFO will tell us when we're ready."
The new funding will help Zerto continue developing its products, including significantly beefing up its engineering team, he said. The company also plans to expand its sales and marketing teams into new markets and geographies.
Zerto to date has not done any acquisition, Levonai said. "We'll consider it if something comes up," he said. "But nothing so far. It has to make sense from our perspective."
Zerto sells exclusively through indirect channels, including via software resellers and systems integrators as well as cloud services providers, he said.
This article originally appeared at crn.com
ASX-listed hosting and cloud provider Bulletproof has acquired Amazon Web Services partner Cloud House for up to NZ$4.2 million (approximately $3.8 million).
Cloud House is a New Zealand company with offices in Wellington and Auckland. It provides consulting, billing and managed services for enterprise customers migrating to AWS public cloud.
Bulletproof will pay NZ$1 million upfront with the possibility of earning up to NZ$4.2 million based on performance. The deal is expected to bring in approximately NZ$3.5 million in annualised revenue for Bulletproof.
Bulletproof chief executive Anthony Woodward told CRN the dozen staff will all be brought across, with Cloud House co-founders Scott Judson and Jordan Greig heading up the New Zealand operations.
We have been working with the outstanding team at Cloud House on a number of partnered opportunities for some time and we have always been impressed with the innovative customer-focused capabilities of the Cloud House team, said Woodward.
With great cultural alignment between the organisations already demonstrated, we believe the Cloud House team will feel at home within the wider Bulletproof Group and were excited to welcome them aboard.
The addition of Cloud House's staff also gives Bulletproof a physical presence in New Zealand as well as an expanded customer base.
We had customers in New Zealand already, but some of them needed that consulting piece, said Woodward.
We went through a number of partners and we saw that Cloud House was well regarded by AWS and had some good innovations. Were now in a position to take this partnership with its managed services capabilities into the New Zealand market.
The New Zealand public cloud market is untapped but the demand curve is lively around the enterprise customer base but we needed a partner to work with.
The latest acquisition is the third cloud provider and second AWS partner Bulletproof has bought in the past two years. In September, Bulletproof acquired Infoplex, the private cloud arm of data centre provider Nextgen Group, for $3.5 million. In December 2014, the company acquired Sydney AWS partner Pantha Corp for $3.9 million, which added a professional services arm to previously managed services-dominant Bulletproof.
A man who was arrested for confiscating his daughters iPhone has been found not guilty at a US court.
Ronald Jackson, from north Texas, confiscated his then 12-year-old daughters iPhone 4S during a 2013 access visit, upon discovering inappropriate text messages about his new partner, The Washington Post reported.
I was being a parent. You know, a child does something wrong, you teach them whats right, Jackson told television station CBS DFW. You tell them what they did wrong and you give them a punishment to show that they shouldnt be doing that.
The girls mother Michelle Steppe initially sent Jackson a letter of demand to retrieve the phone. A two-year police and legal pursuit then followed, culminating in Jacksons arrest in April last year.
Steppes fiance is a police officer, although a local police spokesperson denied that this was a factor in the case.
"We do not like these kinds of instances to go into the criminal justice system," the spokesperson told local television station WFAA. "We prefer to keep it out and the phone be returned and let the parents, the two adults, let them work it out among themselves."
Last week Dallas County Criminal Court Judge Lisa Green instructed the jury to find Jackson not guilty, citing insufficient evidence.
"I stand behind him taking the phone for punishment; I don't stand behind him not returning the phone to me when the visit was over," Steppe told The Washington Post.
"Parents have the right to discipline their kids. I've taken away phone privileges... It had to do with giving back property that did not belong to him."
Steppe said that the relationship between Jackson and their daughter has been irreparably damaged, with the now 15-year-old demanding he relinquish parental rights so that Steppe's partner could formally adopt her. That case is still pending.
Jackson still has the iPhone, according to WFAA.
Sydney-based Invigor has sold off its services business to Asmex Digital for up to $500,000.
Invigor acquired the services customer base as part of a 40 percent acquisition of Global Group Australia in 2012. Two years later, Invigor acquired the remaining Global Group business, bringing the investment up to $4.5 million.
An Invigor spokesperson said the fundamental part of the Global Group acquisition was in buying the intellectual property to form its Insights Retail, Visitor and Shopping Ninja data analytics platforms.
Chief executive Gary Cohen said the services arm had become non-core to the business, and that Invigor would now focus on its two analytics platforms.
The sale of the services business will free up significant resources within Invigor and enable us to focus fully on our key Insights Retail and Visitor products, said Cohen.
The customers who will receive services from Asmex Digital will benefit from a better strategic fit with Asmex Digitals areas of focus for the services being transferred.
Asmex Digital is a Sydney-based services company providing ecommerce solutions to small and medium businesses. The company is led by executive director Olivier Adolphe, a former executive of eBay, PayPal and the ASX.
We look forward to continue leading as Australias best SMB technology provider, said Adolphe.
Im happy that more clients can continue to grow their business with Asmexs specialised services. This transaction gives us the ability to work alongside one of Australias leading groups in big data solutions allowing further synergies in the future.
Invigor has undergone a number of transformative efforts in recent years. In 2013, Invigor's former trading company Hyro suffered a $15.9 million loss as a result of a failed acquisition by US-based KIT Digital.
Hyro was subsequently rebuilt as Invigor, thanks to investment from brothers Greg and Gary Cohen and their firm Marcel Equity.
The company shifted its focus from technology investment to big data, business intelligence and consulting after acquiring Global Group, and later acquired mobile analytics company Amethon for $1.8 million in 2014.
Clarification: the story has been updated to reflect that the customer base was a small part of Invigor's acquisition of Global Group.
Cloud News
CRN Exclusive: Oracle 'Flips The Switch' On New Channel Program For Cloud Resellers
Joseph Tsidulko
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Oracle launched a major revamp of its channel program Monday, adding four designations to better recognize, enable and reward partners selling its cloud services.
The software giant from Redwood Shores, Calif., will provide progressively greater benefits as partners advance through the tiers by ramping up their credentials, investments and customer success stories involving cloud products, Oracle representatives told CRN.
Shawn Price, Oracle's senior vice president of cloud, described the technological shift that motivated the project to restructure Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) as "the largest transformation in Oracle's history, if not all of computing."
[Related: Oracle Is Planning To Get Partners To Cloud 'Nirvana']
In reworking its channel, Oracle expects to leverage a massive partner base that's already largely trained and certified in delivering at least some cloud services, Price told CRN. The new four-tier structure will help partners hone unique skill sets and access go-to-market and demand generation resources.
"It's just putting more horsepower behind to pivot to cloud," Price said. "There's a prebuilt ecosystem that we're flipping a switch on."
Oracle teased the coming OPN changes at its OpenWorld conference in October, but didn't divulge any information, not even in broad strokes, back then about how the new tiers -- Cloud Standard, Cloud Select, Cloud Premier and Cloud Elite -- would look.
The first tier, Cloud Standard, was designed to help partners already working with Oracle's cloud begin differentiating themselves in the market, Price told CRN.
A typical Cloud Standard partner has developed skills and expertise around some Oracle cloud services and focuses on a specialized solution involving a key product.
Oracle will help those partners broaden their cloud expertise and leverage opportunities to grow their practices, he said.
Partners in the Cloud Select tier have started developing that broader expertise. They typically have teams dedicated to their Oracle practices and have helped customers deploy Oracle solutions, Price said.
Oracle wants to help Cloud Select partners go to market more effectively by providing assistance in areas like sales, enablement, support, development and marketing.
To advance to the Cloud Premier tier, a partner must have transformed its business to focus specifically on driving Oracle Cloud solutions, and must be able to point to successful and repeatable customer use cases. They're typically global partners with regional investments, and work closely with Oracle to align strategies.
Those partners will receive from Oracle enablement, go-to-market and engagement resources within the regions where they operate, Price said.
The highest tier, Cloud Elite, encompasses "highly skilled and committed" implementation and resell partners who have made sweeping investments in multiple Oracle Cloud products, Price said.
Oracle will reward those top-tier partners by prioritizing them with customers, and working closely with them on joint engagements.
Partners qualify for the designations by earning specializations evaluated on several metrics, including how many applications they sell from the Oracle marketplace, how many customers they've successfully taken live, and customer feedback.
The four tiers add to an on-ramp level Oracle introduced a few months ago called Cloud Registered.
Oracle formed a number of internal working groups, advised by 20 global partners, to give form to its new channel structure, Price said.
The program now presents an "enormous opportunity for us to attract new cloud-centric partners," Price said, many of whom will likely be born-in-the-cloud providers.
Oracle will encourage them to focus on the SMB market, which the company believes presents a tremendous growth opportunity for its cloud products, he said.
Security News
FireEye Acquires Security Orchestration Company Invotas
Sarah Kuranda
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Just a few weeks after its last big buy, FireEye is at it again, saying Monday that it has acquired security orchestration and automation company Invotas.
The deal was announced at the company's Momentum 2016 sales kickoff event in Las Vegas this week, though terms of the deal, which has already closed, were not disclosed.
Invotas, based in Alexandria, Va., offers a solution for an organization to orchestrate and automate threat intelligence findings across an environment. The technology will be tucked into FireEye's existing platform, allowing the security vendor to build a single-pane-of-glass management console from which partners and customers can orchestrate and automate threat intelligence and incident response, as well as integrate with third-party vendors.
[Related: FireEye Acquires Threat-Intelligence Analyst iSight]
The acquisition comes on the heels of Milpitas, Calif.-based FireEyes acquisition of threat intelligence company iSight Partners in January.
As FireEye continues to expand its platform-based approach, CEO Dave DeWalt said in a keynote address at the event that a single-pane-of-glass management solution was the missing piece in the companys portfolio. He said Invotas will provide a new view of the FireEye platform.
That type of single-pane-of-glass solution, which would allow a technician to check one screen for intelligence and analytics from multiple devices is a big win for partners, said Nick Giampietro, sales director at Babylon, N.Y.-based G-Net Solutions.
"That's been the holy grail for years," Giampietro said.
In an interview with CRN at the event, DeWalt said that the acquisitions of Invotas and iSight show a strategic push by FireEye to have more of an "open connector model." He said the purchase of Invotas, in particular, will allow for more integration with other vendors and technologies. For partners, that push is a win, he said, as it allows them to customize integrated multivendor offerings for their customers under the Invotas console.
Customers with solutions from multiple vendors want to be able to roll up that data into a single pane of glass in order to make sense of it, instead of taking a "stovepipe" approach, Allen Lerner, federal account manager at Hanover, Md.-based ClearShark, said. As a partner, Lerner said that type of management solution creates a powerful story to tell to customers.
"It's unbelievable," Lerner said. "That's the most powerful thing coming out of this event. I'm very excited to learn more about it."
Storage News
Barracuda Closes Copy.com, CudaDrive Services, May Be Looking To Sell Itself
Joseph F. Kovar
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Storage and security vendor Barracuda Networks on Monday said it is shutting down two of its cloud-based data protection and file sync and share services.
They are Copy.com, a consumer-focused service, and CudaDrive, a business-focused service.
The company may also be in the process of looking to become acquired, according to a Bloomberg report.
[Related: Barracuda Networks To Acquire Intronis, Build Out Wider Storage, Security MSP Business]
The moves come after the company reported Jan. 7 that third fiscal quarter 2016 revenue rose 14 percent year over year, to $80.1 million, while its losses on a GAAP basis hit $1.6 million, or 3 cents per share, down from a loss of $36,000 the year before.
Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, reported Monday that Campbell, Calif.-based Barracuda Networks has asked Morgan Stanley to seek potential buyers and gauge interest in the company.
Barracuda, whose share price hit a 52-week high June 19 of $42.74, has seen its shares lose about 35 percent of their value since it reported its third quarter results, falling from $16.43 on Jan. 7 to under $11 in the weeks since. On Monday, Barracuda shares spiked 11 percent, to $11.75, after the news of a possible sale of the company.
The news that Barracuda is shuttering its Copy.com and its CudaDrive services May 1 was revealed on those two offerings' websites. Both sites referred visitors to a Monday blog post by Rod Mathews, vice president and general manager for Barracuda's storage business.
Mathews, in his blog post, did not elaborate on why the decision was made to discontinue its Copy.com and CudaDrive services. "We are constantly evaluating our product portfolio in the context of our overall strategic goals. With that in mind, we have begun a process to focus our resources on our most strategic initiatives and to drive more innovation and faster growth within those products," he wrote.
When contacted for more information, a Barracuda spokesperson replied by email that the only details being released for now on the Copy.com and CudaDrive closures was in the Mathews blog.
Regarding the possible sale of the entire company, the Barracuda spokesperson wrote that company policy is to not comment on "any speculation rumors."
The news of the closures and the possible sale of Barracuda should not have a major impact on Barracuda's business for now, said Alain Bezahler, president of BCPi, a Sharon, Mass.-based solution provider and Barracuda channel partner.
"Our Barracuda business is good, and it's growing," Bezahler told CRN. "Barracuda's still a relatively young company. It's growing, and coming up with new channel programs."
Even so, Bezahler said, he could understand why Barracuda might consider selling itself.
"Barracuda is a company with many different product families which address many different areas of business," he said. "The company may not have anticipated how quickly people have adopted several cloud technologies. Many customers get some of the same features of Barracuda within Office 365 and Gmail, such as archiving. Those solutions are not as good as Barracuda's but they are free."
Carnival Corporation has announced that Carnival Corporation and Carnival Investments Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, intend to sell existing Carnival plc ordinary shares that they hold in the UK market.
The ordinary shares will be sold from time to time in the UK in "at the market" transactions at times when the Carnival Corporation common stock is trading at a discount to Carnival plc shares. Carnival Corporation & plc intends to use the net proceeds of the Carnival plc Share Sales to repurchase Carnival Corporation common stock on at least an equivalent basis in the U.S. market ("Stock Swap Repurchase"), and to use the remaining net proceeds, if any, for general corporate purposes. Carnival Corporation & plc only intends to trade where it will derive an economic benefit from the Carnival plc Share Sales and Carnival Corporation Stock Swap Repurchase program.
Depending upon market conditions, Carnival Corporation and Carnival Investments Limited over time will sell up to 26,900,000 ordinary shares of Carnival plc in this program. Under the terms of the articles of association of Carnival plc the ordinary shares sold by Carnival Corporation and Carnival Investments Limited will, once held outside of the Carnival Corporation group, become re-enfranchised for voting purposes.
Carnival plc has filed a registration statement on Form S-3ASR (including a prospectus) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in relation to the Share Sales program, for U.S. regulatory purposes.
The Solomon Islands will welcome eight separate cruise visits in 2016 - a 100 percent increase on its 2015 cruise business.
Vessels visiting Honiara and cruising within the 992-island archipelago this year include Princess' Sea Princess and Dawn Princess, Noble Caledonias Caledonia Sky, Silverseas Cruises Silver Discoverer, P&Os Pacific Eden and Seabourn Cruise Lines Seabourn Odyssey.
Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) CEO, Josefa Jo Tuamoto attributed the increase to the efforts the national tourist office has to gone along with government and local private sector support to turn what he described as a huge potential into an actual reality.
Tuamoto also pointed towards a recent visit to Sydney by outgoing Ministry of Culture & Tourism permanent secretary, John Wasi and representatives from the Department of Tourism, the SIVB and the Solomon Islands Port Authority which he said had played a major role in the outcome.
Tourism is fast emerging as a major driver for the countrys GDP, the government had embarked on a very vigorous process to seize on the opportunity tourism presents and we see cruise as offering huge potential, Tuamoto said. We were determined to turn this potential into a hard reality and that is exactly what we are seeing in 2016.
Last week, I attended the Cybertech 2016 conference in Tel Aviv along with a delegation of other U.S.-based bloggers and journalists, courtesy of the AmericaIsrael Friendship League and the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The conference is a showcase for about 100 established Israeli information security related firms, in addition to an equal number of startups. Now in its third year, the organizers wrote that there were nearly 11,000 people in attendance; albeit it didnt seem that there were that many people there.
[ See part 2 from Cybertech: CyberTech The Golden Globes of information security ]
The majority of the attendees and firms represented were Israeli based, but there was a strong international attendance also. Marina Kaljurand, the Estonian Minister for Foreign Affairs gave one of the keynotes, and there was also a large delegation from Japan, with JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) having a large booth on the expo floor.
Attesting to the importance of information security, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave one of the keynotes. To my knowledge, this is the first time a current head of state has given a keynote at an information security conference.
In his keynote, Netanyahu emphasized the need to establish international standards that will increase cybersecurity effectiveness. He noted that theres a critical need for like-minded governments to have serious discussions about cooperation in the broader international realm. He felt that once that is done, it will then be easier for countries to establish international standards that will increase cybersecurity.
CyberTech is similar to other large information security conferences; one significant difference is that those behind the booths are generally much more technical. I spoke to numerous engineers at many vendor booths who were able to give highly technical overviews of their products and the information security challenges they were attempting to mitigate.
Wikipedia
All of the presentations were in English, and nearly everyone in the vendor booths spoke English. The Israelis have taken a huge, and I mean massive, liking to the word cyber. Not only is it in the conference name, but every Israeli speaker used it in their presentations. Israelis seem to use it as a term for anything computer/network/information/data security related.
Ron Moritz is a founding partner of TrueBit CyberPartners and attended CyberTech. He noted that if you look at the CyberTech conference and Israels other major cyber security event, Tel Aviv Universitys CyberWeek as benchmarks, what is notable is the diversity of attendees. Both events draw individuals, companies and government officials from a very diverse group of countries. Although less notable this year, military men and women in dress uniform from across the globe were seen at past CyberTech conferences. Information security in Israel is truly representative of Israels historic role as a geographic trade cross-roads.
Moritz also observed that not only are investment dollars that fuel the industry growth flowing in freely from a variety of nations but Israeli cyber security companies are able to sell solutions into many more countries than traditional western information security firms. This puts Israel at the economic epicenter of information security and has allowed the country to emerge as a serious and credible leader in the information security space.
Marty Leidner, who is the chief information security officer at The Rockefeller University in New York City, notes that he thought CyberTech was an excellent top tier conference. He said that it was not so much any one individual company or presenter that impressed him, but rather the overall impressive lineup of multiple distinguished speakers from all over the world. This wide spectrum of information security personalities ranged from his fellow CISOs, to white hat hackers.
While at the conference, Leidner saw someone demonstrate how it was possible to compromise a fully patched Android phone in under 30 seconds. This demonstration reminded him to never lend your phone to someone you dont trust; even for one call!
Chenxi Wang wrote a superb blog piece on why firms should showcase technology simply by celebrating the ideas and ingenuity that went into the creation of their products and solutions and not fill their conference booths with eye-candy. Wang would be pleased that there was not a single booth babe at the conference.
With a much more technical focus, the booths were not only absent of booth babes but also of marketing teams aggressively attempting to scan your badge for t-shirt or squeeze ball giveaways. CyberTech is a venue for getting business done, not a place for free beer or vendor parties. It is also a dry-run for tweaking presentations ahead of the biggest cyber security show, the RSA Security Conference.
Up next
My next piece will be about some of the more interesting firms I met with at the conference.
I will follow up with a final piece about how Israel has become one of the worlds most important incubators for information security software and hardware solutions.
The majority of cyber attackers are motivated by money, but make less than $15,000 per successful attack, according to a survey of hackers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany released yesterday by the Ponemon Institute.
The hackers, who were promised anonymity, netted, on average, less than $29,000 a year.
"In the more established countries, that is not a lot of money," said Scott Simkin, senior threat intelligence manager at Palo Alto Networks, which sponsored the study. "They're making a quarter of what a cybersecurity professional makes."
Hollywood may be promising them big payouts, he added, but the easy bucks just aren't there.
The average attacker conducts eight attacks per year, only 42 of which are successful. In addition, only 59 percent of the successful attacks result in any financial payout.
Attackers also spend an average of 70 hours per attack going up against "typical" IT security infrastructure, 147 hours battling "excellent" IT security infrastructure and give up completely after 209 hours.
Survey respondents also said that the time and resources it takes to conduct such an attack have decreased over time, and that automated tools make it easier for them to conduct successful attacks.
The majority of attackers have increased their use of hacker tools by 18 percent, and 64 percent say that the tools are "highly effective."
On average, attackers spend $1,367 a year on these tools.
Other reasons that the time spent to plan and execute an attack have decreased include the increased number of known exploits and vulnerabilities, cited by 67 percent of respondents, and, for 52 percent, improved skills as a hacker.
If you can delay them by two days, you can deter 60 percent of attacks.
Scott Simkin, senior threat intelligence manager at Palo Alto Networks
Improved collaboration within the hacking community was only cited by 22 percent, and improved intelligence about targeted organizations was cited by 20 percent.
Of most interest to the defenders, the hackers prefer easy targets to harder ones, and will call off an attack if it is taking too long to get through.
According to the survey, 13 percent quit after a delay of five hours. A delay of 10 hours causes 24 percent to quit, a delay of 20 hours causes 36 to quit, and a majority of 60 percent will give up if an attack takes 40 additional hours.
"If you can delay them by two days, you can deter 60 percent of attacks," Simkin said. "Make it harder, make it take more time, and make it cost more money."
In general, when choosing targets, hackers will go after the least-defended companies first.
According to the survey, 72 percent said they won't waste time on an attack that doesn't hold the promise of quick and high-value information, and 69 percent will quit if they see that the target has a strong defense.
A report written by Norse Corp in 2015, circulated privately among the company's government contacts, has reopened the debate about threat intelligence and the vendors that promote it.
Designated as TLP:Green - meaning it can be shared within a community or sector, but not via public channels - the January 27, 2015 memo from Norse Corp was a sort of preview to the April 2015 report on Iran that was released with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).
However, when you compare the two reports, there are glaring problems with the data presented.
Sales Intelligence
The memo was shared with officials in the military and the intelligence community. Those who were briefed on it were skeptical, mostly because it wasn't a complete report and the data itself was a muddled jumble of claims with no supporting evidence.
Salted Hash was given this memo last February, but at the time it didn't stand out as anything special.
Anyone who glanced at the memo would rightfully call it a sales and marketing tool, because it doesn't look anything like a report that would be used to brief the intelligence community or government officials. Moreover, the Norse Corp contact listed towards the end; the company's VP of Sales at the time, Phil Fuster.
Right from the start, the memo promoted what would later be known as the Norse / AEI report, "detailing more than 500,000 attacks on Industrial Control Systems (ICS) over the last 24 months."
However, the memo stopped short of offering any proof supporting such claims. The memo then stated that Iran has "targeted Industrial Control Systems in the United States forty-seven times during 2014."
The attack claims and attribution in the memo were supported by IP addresses alone. In fact, the memo stated that Norse Corp identified 35,432 IP addresses in Iran that were conducting attacks.
Yet, as made clear by the wording of the memo and the data presented, what is being listed as an attack is actually a scan. In addition, when a sensor reported scanning against larger sets of port ranges, which happened to include a control system port, the memo called it a sophisticated tactic and counted it as an attack against a control system.
Not actionable
At this point, nothing in the January 27 memo could be considered actionable intelligence.
First, the only evidence used to support the claim that Iran is attacking anything is a large block of IP addresses. Second, port scans are not attacks. If that were the case, then anyone who has ever used masscan could be considered a nation-state threat actor or an APT.
The memo also singled out mass website defacements by a group in Iran, speculating that the group was government sponsored, and the defacements themselves were training assignments.
And yet, aside from helping boost the image of a spooky and dangerous Iran, the memo didn't connect the alleged ICS attacks to the defacements at all.
A larger report
As mentioned, the memo was a preview to a larger report issued several months later by Norse Corp and the American Enterprise Institute: "The growing cyberthreat from Iran: The initial report of Project Pistachio Harvest."
The unsettling aspect to this report is how it came to be.
While Norse Corp has a large volume of data available to it, the company would sometimes start an intelligence report with foregone conclusions, and then search the sensor logs for evidence to support them.
Those familiar with the drafting of the Norse Corp/AEI report have told Salted Hash, this intentional confirmation bias is what led to its creation.
When you consider the January 27 memo and the Norse Corp/AEI report together, it still can't be classified as actionable intelligence.
The report said scans from Iranian IP addresses were sophisticated attacks, despite the fact that scanning an IP address can't be classed as an attack. At best such actions could be considered reconnaissance.
No matter how it's presented, the definition of attack used by Norse Corp still doesn't add up, because no control systems were ever attacked, Norse Corp sensors were simply scanned.
On page 39 of the Norse Corp/AEI report, the following observation was noted:
"In the course of several hundred thousand attacks, after all, ports used by SCADA systems were hit fewer than 70 times, suggesting that they are not normal elements of a scan."
Outliers are not proof of an attack. But once more, the report is still talking about scanning.
In addition, the report refers to 2,400 scans against port 5900 (VNC). In a stretched definition of the word attack, Norse Corp counts these VNC scans as ICS attacks, because such systems have been discovered on remote connections before.
Threat intelligence is supposed to help an organization identify threats and determine what, if any, action needs to be taken. But when data is shaped to fit a foregone conclusion, or data is presented in a way that doesn't actually identify a threat, then the intelligence value of it is useless.
And yet, data like this helped Norse Corp land a $1.9 million dollar contract with the Department of Energy.
Unfortunately, information in this report doesn't help grid operators. It doesn't address threats that are most likely to affect them. All this report does is talk about scans. With that said, it isn't as if grid operators are having a hard time understanding threats.
The issue is getting real-time security visibility with context, explained ICS security expert Chris Sistrunk.
"There's two issues at play, normal IT systems (which usually have visibility) and SCADA systems, where there is no visibility at all. The Ukrainian power attacks are a prime example and use case of why visibility and context is so important."
A threat intelligence vendor needs actual incidents and intrusions, scans don't even tell some of the story, they just let you know someone is walking into the library.
In an FAQ published after the Norse Corp/AEI report was released, AEI actually came out and said there were no attacks:
"Nowhere do we claim that our data show that Iran has attacked industrial control systems or hacked into the network of Telvent, one of the more important providers of such systems. Rather, a Norse sensor emulating such a system received 62 attempts to interact with that system in one burst from an IP address that was not scanning any other ports on the sensor. For reasons we explain in the report at length, we regard such interactions as indications of malign intent."
And yet, that's exactly what the January 27 memo claimed. It clearly said that Iran was attacking control systems.
Afterthought:
An interesting and related observation, made by experts who were consulted about the technical details in this story, is that Norse Corp sensors can be easily identified.
Most of the data that Norse Corp uses to define, or attribute an attack comes from their sensors and those sensors are not even close to an actual control system. As the AEI statement says, they're emulators with open ports, which would be considered a low-interaction honeypot.
More importantly, one wouldn't actually see an attack against a low-interaction honeypot, because they'd only be able to see scanning and high-level interaction type of data.
Point in case: A threat intelligence vendor mistook a researcher's scans from Chattanooga, TN for an actual nation-state attack.
Do you find the public discussions about attribution after a breach useful or a needless distraction?
I know Ive been on both sides of the issue. Sometimes the value of a concept -- in this case, attribution -- is lost in the debate. Then I met Levi Gundert (LinkedIn, Twitter), VP of Information Security Strategy, from Recorded Future.
Levis career as an information security professional includes unique operational and leadership experience in government (U.S. Secret Service), threat intelligence providers (Team Cymru and Recorded Future), and multi-vertical Fortune 500 enterprises (IBM, Cisco Systems, Union Bank, and Fidelity Investments).
Our discussion revealed when and how attribution matters. It starts by getting the definition right.
You pointed out that the definition of attribution matters. What does a security leader need to consider when it comes to attribution?
Levi Gundert, VP of Information Security Strategy, Recorded Future
The definition is critical. Attribution is often mis-understood to mean the identification of an individual or group with associated real name, address, and other personally identifiable information. In contrast, within a business context, attribution is obtaining general intelligence to address the who and why of nefarious activity.
As a former federal agent, I needed specific and detailed attribution of malicious online activity to establish probable cause and drive a subsequent indictment. Similarly, part of the intelligence communitys mandate is to understand online adversarial activity and the specific people instigating it. A businesss goals are quite different one of the primary objectives is to minimize operational risk.
Businesses that are committed to reducing operational risk need to understand the value of general attribution. Simply, motivation informs methodology. If the business doesnt understand the actor(s) behind an attack or unauthorized event, then they are at risk of a stunted remediation effort that may lead to continued resource drain.
Consider a large financial services company that recently became the victim of a website compromise and defacement claimed by a previously unknown threat group. To deliver an incident report full of technical indicators and a dearth of information about the attack group is irresponsible, because the groups motivation and history may lead to additional attack methodologies and victims that are essential to addressing future threats from the same group.
Expand on motivation informs methodology. How does this help a security leader?
General attribution informs senior business leaders critical decisions, especially during an incident. Beyond crisis moments, security leaders need to effectively communicate general attribution information to help executives and the board meet the daily challenges of information security program resource allocation.
Effort and resources spent attempting to identify specific attacker names and corresponding details is ill-advised because it doesnt add any value to security control strategy. Rather, understanding a threat actors basic history and motivations leads to methodology pattern identification that helps narrow potential techniques likely to be used against the business in the future. General attribution becomes valuable business insight through security policy and controls.
Additionally, general attribution provides opportunities for operational security practitioners to learn and institute new plays to improve future malicious activity detection efficacy.
Lastly, general attribution is the glue in a serious incident narrative. A security leader needs to distill events into a story for the executives and the board, and a briefing devoid of general attribution leaves everyone asking why?. Simply answering that question with hard data is the quickest way to instill confidence in the remediation effort and long term plan to address program shortcomings. Briefing the Board of Directors on an incident without general attribution and motive is going to cause unnecessary FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt).
How important is context?
Its essential. Weve been discussing the value of attribution during and after an attack, but its also a critical proactive exercise to understand adversaries before they impact the business. This is one facet of threat intelligence, which is the act of formulating an analysis based on the identification, collection, and enrichment of relevant information.
Large streams of threat information (indicators of compromise) with little relevance to a business are marginally useful when automated at the operational level. Mature threat-centric security teams are working to identify threat actor(s) and their associated behaviors (TTPs tactics, techniques, and procedures) in a tangible and measurable way (such as the number of reports influencing a business decision). The resulting intelligence helps decision makers understand macro and micro threat activity based on strategic asset exposure (employees, vendors, applications, infrastructure, etc.), industry peer exposure, and/or all enterprise exposure.
Lets talk about officers and directors. Does the board care about attribution? Should they? And what does that mean for security leaders?
Ive personally witnessed a board that is very engaged and thoughtful when the agenda turns to information security. Boards are quickly increasing their security IQs, and they are asking the right questions. Gone are the days of INFOSECs strict cost center perception. Today the board is asking Are we spending enough? Do we have the correct resources? Do we have the right people?. Even if strong INFOSEC isnt quite regarded as a competitive advantage and industry differentiator, its less expensive than sustaining a targeted attack, primarily because so many resources are diverted away from achieving the companys goals, and in some industries, customer confidence is the most valuable currency.
The board does care about attribution. They want the full story which includes who and why. Lacking attribution leaves stakeholders with doubts. Everyone wants to be able to discuss a difficult subject intelligently, and general attribution allows the officers and directors to articulate the situation clearly. Preparing for a board meeting with only the what, when, and how is a mistake.
The board may also want to involve law enforcement in specific situations. I know from experience that typical policies and procedures resist law enforcement involvement, and there are often good business reasons for doing so, but when necessary, documenting and summarizing general attribution is a worthwhile endeavor to assist law enforcement. Certainly they want all available evidence preserved and unadulterated during and following an attack, but they also need as much proactive assistance as possible to achieve specific attribution.
What does a security leader need to do to get this? What can someone do today to start building the capability -- and boost the value of their leadership?
Obviously the first step is defining the goals and objectives for attribution along with repeatable metrics. A basic priority could be generally locating the top ten threat actors or groups that are likely to target the company along with their history and TTPs. This is a lengthy and resource-intensive exercise if performed properly. Again, the goal is understanding methodology and behaviors, not physical name and address. An adversary ranking exercise will help identify threat information source gaps and the INFOSEC team can develop a powerful proprietary capability for attribution reporting deliverables.
Its the TTP identifications that help peer teams within information security. This type of proactive identification compliments a risk/audit framework approach because threat actors and their temporal behaviors accelerate the learning cycle. Instead of waiting for the next version of ISO 27001 or NIST Cyber Security Framework (CSF) to be released, companies can still map their progress to the framework while also making incremental improvements, especially in the prevention and detection framework phases, based on near real-time attacker attribution.
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DANBURY The founders of a local toy company were among 10 businesses nationally invited this week to attend a gathering of entrepreneurs in Washington, D.C.
Luke and James Barber, the founders of locally based Lukes Toy Factory, were selected to participate in the Small Business Development Centers annual congressional showcase held at the U.S. Capitol on Monday. The company was formed by the father and son team after a successful Kickstarter campaign two years ago that raised $15,000. Today, the company has its toys in more than 170 stores throughout the United States.
Its amazing that we were invited to come here and we are really honored by it, said James Barber. Theyve been really impressed with the success weve achieved so far. At this point were not overwhelmed, but we are selling everything we can build.
Barber said he was surprised to see one of the companys red firetrucks sitting on the shelf of U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Estys office when he visited with her this week.
More Business Father, son create environmentally safe toys
It was really nice to see, Barber said. Shes been really supportive of our efforts.
When Esty toured the factory last year, she said the Barbers are meeting the needs of American families while supporting American manufacturing.
As a mother of three, I wanted to make sure that the toys I bought were safe, and I wanted to buy toys made in America, she said. With recent high-profile recalls of unsafe toys, parents are looking for locally made, safe toys. Luke's Toy Factory is meeting that need.
Barber and his son have been producing toy trucks made from a composite recycled material that uses plastic and sawdust. The toys have interchangeable parts that children can take apart and put back together. The Barbers started the company with the goal of returning toy manufacturing to the United States.
When I was going through my sons old toys, I noticed that most of them were made in China, Barber said. I knew that we could do better than that.
Nelson Merchan, a local adviser with the Connecticut Small Business Development Center, said its exciting to have a Danbury business owner represent the state at the Washington, D.C., event.
They have a very unique offering that is environmentally friendly and made in the United States, he said.
Besides getting a chance to network with federal lawmakers this week, the entrepreneurs are also looking forward to attending the upcoming annual Toy Fair in New York City this month where many retailers start their planning and purchasing for the next holiday season.
We werent ready for the fair last year, but if you want to be considered for the holiday season, its where you have to be, he said. Our goal at this point is to really focus on the smaller-end retailer. We are also looking into the possibility of exporting our products outside of the United States into Germany and Canada.
With more than 13,000 buyers from throughout the United States attending the Toy Fair, Barber said he hopes to make some deals.
Were looking forward to a very exciting year, Barber said.
dperrefort@newstimes.com
Throughout February, Uber is working with a local nonprofit to provide rides on weekend nights and prevent drunken driving. The service that lets people catch a ride via smartphone will provide car trips paid for by Waynes Walk, a Stratford-based organization.
The program started last weekend and will run through February, and cover trips within Stratford on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Matt Powers, Ubers general manager in Connecticut, said the program could grow. The first month is a pilot program, and the idea is to look at extending it much further, maybe looking at other towns and other times, he said.
Waynes Walk is using a $12,500 donation from radio producer Paul Pabst to fund the program. Dana Pabst, Pauls wife, described as a frequent Uber user, reached out to the company, which led to the Waynes Walk partnership.
Without disclosing numbers, Powers said the first weekend was very successful. It went exactly as we expected.
He said Stratford is not among the busiest communities for Uber in the region, but that business picks up around rush hour and on weekends.
Its a really great combination of the public and private sectors, which is our goal, Power said. For us, when you can get a ride by tapping a button, theres no reason anyone should be driving while intoxicated.
Rides can be procured by using the Uber smartphone app and selecting the Waynes Walk option.
Waynes Walk is named after Stratford resident Wayne Nicholas Lecardo, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2007. We are hopeful that this new partnership with Uber to implement the first-of-its-kind Safe Rides program in Connecticut will prove to make our roads and our communities safer, said Darin Bershefsky, president of Waynes Walk, in a statement. If the program keeps one impaired driver off of our roads, then it will prove to be a success.
Local officials said the partnership would be fruitful.
Were excited to partner with Waynes Walk and Uber in an effort to keep residents safe and help save lives, Mayor John A. Harkins said in a statement. As a longtime supporter of Waynes Walk, I know the positive change that collaborative efforts such as this can bring about in a community.
Uber has been criticized by taxi companies for performing the same function without abiding by the laws taxis face. The Connecticut General Assembly is expected to again discuss increased regulations for the company in the coming legislative session.
Last year, the state House passed a bill setting standards for Uber, but it stalled in the Senate.
hbailey@ctpost.com; 203-330-6233; @hughsbailey
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BRIDGEPORT It was like the game show Lets Make a Deal without the costumes.
The City Council on Monday night blessed settlements to shutter the maligned coal-fired power plant, to resolve a dispute over back taxes with a politically connected developer, and to end the council presidents controversial day job in the citys labor relations office.
Each agreement has had its critics. And each was sold as a far better alternative to whatever lurked behind the curtain.
each deal was lumped into a consent calendar meaning they were all passed with one vote, with no discussion.
Council President Thomas McCarthy had to abstain and Councilwoman Michelle Lyons cast the lone no vote.
Asked afterward which issue she had a problem with, Lyons said all, but declined to elaborate.
A sizable crowd of protestors, some Bridgeport residents, some from out of town, urged the council to reject the agreement replacing the South End coal plant with a gas-fired facility, shutting the coal operation down completely by July, 2021.
In exchange, the city commits to supporting the company when PSEG competes in an auction this winter to add a gas plant to the regions electric grid, and to do so afterward, when the company seeks building approvals.
Now we got something
Several audience members argued that natural gas is no better than coal. Others raised the of spectre of gas explosions or a widespread leak similar to the one that has currently forced people from their homes in California.
If that happens in Bridgeport, to where would Bridgeport evacuate? said Beth Lazar, a city resident.
One woman released a banner suspended by about three dozen, red and black, helium-filled balloons. The message, equating natural gas to environmental racism, hovered against the ceiling in the back of the council chambers all night.
But Councilman Jack Banta, who represents the South End, said if there is no agreement with PSEG, the city would have no leverage, and the coal plant could continue chugging along in the face of protests to shutter it.
PSEG does not have to do this, Banta said. At the start, we had nothing. Now weve got something.
The Rev. Carl McCluster, of Shiloh Baptist Church, a neighbor of the plant, noted that the agreement was a product of a years worth of work by a committee appointed by then-Mayor Bill Finch.
Finch lost Septembers Democratic primary to ex-mayor Joe Ganim.
Two administrations that have publicly and vehemently disagreed on everything under the sun have agreed on this McCluster told the council.
Paul Rosengren, a PSEG spokesperson present Monday, insisted the company has a tremendous safety record.
PSEGs lobbyist, Jay Levin, a former state representative and Democratic mover and shaker, was also on hand, along with building trades leaders who expect the gas plant to create construction jobs.
Fair and reasonable
Also on the councils consent calendar was a proposal to settle a fight in bankruptcy court with developer and prominent Democrat Sal DiNardo. In exchange for stopping efforts to collect DiNardos back-tax debt of around $10 million on the Remington Arms factory site on Barnum Avenue, the city will take 11 of the 16 acres for redevelopment.
Again, the deal struck in mid-November and needing the councils sign-off was portrayed as the best option under the circumstances.
We could keep fighting in court for years or come to an agreement which allows us to take ownership of the land, said David Kooris, who Finch hired and who Ganim has kept on as economic development chief.
Remington is located near where the city plans to build a second train station in an effort to revive the East Side neighborhood. Kooris said the property would be cleaned and studied to determine what could be built there, including, possibly, housing and retail.
The settlement with DiNardo was discussed behind closed doors with city and private attorneys. So was the third deal, giving McCarthy around $35,000 and 18 months of health benefits to leave his six-figure job as Bridgeports deputy director of labor relations.
The vote brought a quiet conclusion to a controversy that has dogged McCarthy. While municipal employees can legally serve on the council and have for years they have been accused of having conflicts of interest.
Ganim pledged on the campaign trail to try to end the practice. But there were questions about whether he could fire McCarthy without facing a lawsuit, and whether he would want to, given that the two men have to govern together?
So a severance package was negotiated. While some have questioned whether McCarthy is receiving special treatment, he is giving up post-retirement health benefits that he would be due if he retired in a few years.
I think its a fair deal that removes the possibility that we could be in court for a long period of time, McCarthy said in an interview. Resolving our issue is a good thing for the city.
Ganim echoed those sentiments, calling the arrangement fair and reasonable."
BRIDGEPORT Bill Finch has a new job downtown just a few blocks from the Government Center where he ran the city for eight years.
Finch is putting his passion for conservation and green industry to work with prominent architectural firm Antinozzi Associates, based in the Bijou Theater the company restored on Fairfield Avenue.
Our intention is to have a subsidiary that were going to call sustainable strategies, said company President Paul Antinozzi.
Antinozzi said Finch was hired in January he left office Nov. 30 and a formal announcement is planned.
Finch could not be reached for comment, but Antinozzi emphasized: Bill has told me directly hes completely done with politics.
Finch is also a former councilman and state legislator.
It is no secret that as mayor Finch was most in his element when discussing the environment and conservation, perhaps to his detriment.
Despite Bridgeports progress in those areas, not enough voters believed the city was on the right track under Finch, particularly in the areas of taxes and crime. The incumbent lost Septembers Democratic primary to former mayor Joe Ganim, who handily won Novembers general election.
Antinozzi supported Finch. And when the defeated Finch endorsed University of Bridgeport Vice President Mary-Jane Fosters petition candidacy against Ganim, Antinozzi hosted a fundraiser for her.
People are going to read into it and say, Paul and he were close (and) Pauls taking care of him, Antinozzi said. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Antinozzi said he saw an opportunity for his firm to tap the communications skills Finch honed as mayor and the contacts he made as the administration transformed Bridgeport from a burnt-out manufacturing town into a leader in the green economy.
My goal was not to just give Bill a job, Antinozzi said. My goal was to improve the prospects of Antinozzi Associates as it relates to the sustainable design industry.
Finch earned a base salary of $132,500 as Bridgeports mayor. Antinozzi declined to say what Finch will earn with him.
Antinozzi said essentially Finch will be taking the success he had with the citys BGreen 2020 plan and helping apply it to other communities. Unveiled in 2010 during Finchs first term, BGreen was aimed at reducing waste and blight, shrinking Bridgeports carbon footprint and putting Connecticuts largest municipality on the path to becoming the greenest city in the nation.
BGreen initiatives ranged from basic tree planting -- to the ambitious allowing United Illuminating to install 9,000 solar panels atop the closed landfill.
Its new territory for us, too, Antinozzi said of Finch. Were used to hiring technical and design people who do architecture. Bill isnt one of those (but) his passions really parallel many of the interests we have.
The Bridgeport Regional Business Council was also a key supporter of BGreen 2020. BRBC head Paul Timpanelli was happy for Finch.
Its perfect for him, Timpanelli said. I hope hell succeed with it.
Without citing any specifics, Antinozzi acknowledged the negative publicity Finch has received since departing City Hall. From refusing to meet with the mayor-elect; to giving the police chief a new five year contract over Ganims wishes; to leaving his successor the $720 tab for a Nov. 30 farewell office luncheon, Finchs exit has not been portrayed as a graceful one.
The ex-mayor and his close advisers have also been criticized for receiving two years of retroactive raises on their way out the door. The raises, under city statute, were tied to a new contract for the supervisors union.
The City Council had tabled that pact ahead of the November election, not realizing that it could be automatically implemented under state law unless they voted it down. Finch, according to the Ganim administration, received a $17,079 payout, plus received $13,295 for unused vacation time.
I dont know it really incumbers the larger goals (of hiring Finch), Antinozzi said. I knew that it might create some friction for us locally as it relates to the political world. But Im hoping people understand Bills got a lot of talent, he was mayor for eight years and a lot of good things happened.
Antinozzi also emphasized he expects good things to happen with Ganim back in City Hall.
The firm has benefited from some lucrative city contracts, including the new Harding High School.
Id like to say we fully support the new administration, Antinozzi said.
Recently, former President Bill Clinton came to Bridgeport to host a fundraiser for Hillary Clintons presidential run.
Held in a mansion owned by a tech mogul, the event cost $2,700 a person. This type of fundraiser is hardly unusual in our political system. Far from it. Nearly every presidential candidate will rely heavily on the backing of mega-rich donors and Super PACs.
And while it isnt unusual, it is particularly illustrative of how much influence big money has gained in our elections. But one candidate is challenging all that: Bernie Sanders.
Fundraisers like the one held here last week are increasingly common because our elections have become outrageously expensive. In the last presidential race, each candidate spent around $1 billion between the campaign, national party, and outside groups and Super PACs. So it is no wonder that candidates turn to the richest among us and ask them to pitch in thousands of dollars.
After all, its easier to ask one CEO or hedge fund manager for $1,000 than it is to ask 100 people for $10. But heres the problem: when you talk only to the ultra-rich, you shut everyone else out of the political process. And we know that when you talk only to those at the very top of our economic system, you tend to take their concerns more seriously.
This trend is particularly troubling in Bridgeport, which has the largest gap between rich and poor in the country. The average income of the poorest 20 percent of the population in the Bridgeport metropolitan area is just $15,800 while the average income of the richest five is a whopping $782,000. The poorest 20 percent earns just 2.3 percent of income generated in the area, while the richest five percent takes in nearly 59 percent of the income. That level of income inequality is comparable to places like Bangkok, Thailand.
But while super-rich Clinton supporters were gathering for an expensive fundraiser, Bernie Sanders supporters from across the economic spectrum gathered to talk about how we could address this very problem.
Sanders is one of the few candidates who is not relying on super PACs, unlimited corporate and special interest donations, and the support of the richest one percent. Instead, hes raising small-dollar donations from people like you and me. So far, about three-quarters of donations to the Sanders campaign have been under $200, with an average donation of $20. That means that lots of people, not just those with millions of dollars, have a voice and a stake in Bernie Sanders campaign. In contrast, more than 80 percent of donations to Hillary Clintons campaign were over $200.
Bernie Sanders is proving there is another way to run a campaign, one that doesnt exclude the vast majority of people. And hes pushing for reforms so that we arent permanently pushed out of political campaigns.
As president, Bernie Sanders would focus on curbing the corrupting influence of big money in our politics, and restoring our democracy to the people. He has pledged to fight for a publicly financed, transparent system of campaign financing.
He will work to pass a constitutional amendment that makes it clear that Congress and states can regulate money in elections. He will mandate that any election spending must be publically disclosed. And Sanders will fight to eliminate Super PACs and outside spending abuses.
When the handful of people who control most of the wealth in our country are also allowed to control our elections and political process, it creates an exceptionally unfair system.
It shuts out of our democracy anyone who does not have millions of dollars. That isnt how our country should be run. We are supposed to be a government of the people, for the people, by the people. Not a government of the rich, for the rich, by the rich. And this election cycle, Bernie Sanders is the only candidate fighting back against the detrimental influence of big money on our politics.
Sauda Baraka is a member of the Bridgeport Board of Education and one of nine elected officials from around the state who joined the Working Families Party in endorsing Bernie Sanders.
HARTFORD Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman are planning another series of road shows to discuss a wide variety of the states issues with residents.
Focusing on the budget this year, as Malloy did during 2011, the duo will take retail politics to the local level for face-to-face, town-hall style meetings.
Engaging the public and discussing the issues directly is important. Well be talking a lot about the future, and how state government can adapt to changing times, Malloy said in a Tuesday statement. We all have the same goal - lets help Connecticut achieve economic success, lets ensure that residents receive the critical services they need, and lets do what we can to make our communities stronger. We plan on having a robust conversation about how we can make decisions that will best improve Connecticut.
Malloy is also planning phone-in forums as radio call-in programs to interact with the public. He has held several series of hearings during his first six years in office, including budget-related events in 2011 and education discussions in 2012.
Everyone has a voice in shaping our future, said Wyman. While the Governor and I enjoy visiting communities throughout the state, these town hall meetings give us a chance to delve deeper into complex issues, answer questions from residents, and offer a direct connection to state programs and services. Its an opportunity for us to spend time in a city or town and hear concerns, and for citizens to help inform the policy-making that happens in Hartford. Its one of the great benefits of democracy that we can talk directly to government leaders - I urge everyone to participate.
No definite dates or locations were announced, but Malloy said details will be unveiled as events are scheduled. The hearings are expected to he held during the legislative session, which starts Wednesday and ends in early May.
kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT
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Record ridership on Metro-North Railroads New Haven Line was cause for celebration Tuesday.
What was already the busiest commuter rail line in the nation has only gotten busier, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said, as he announced that in 2015 there were 40.3 million passenger trips on the line a 2 percent increase over the 2014s 39.6 million trips.
This is a demonstration that, if were going to grow, we must continue to invest, Malloy said. Our future hinges on it.
Malloy and James Redecker, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, held a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Union Station in New Haven to trumpet the increase in passengers, and particularly weekday commuters.
The data released Tuesday show that commuter ridership on the New Haven Line was up 1 percent in 2015 compared with 2014, while non-commuting, discretionary ridership was up 2.9 percent.
Its interesting to note the increases in non-commuting passenger trips, because it proves that the New Haven Line is not just for people going to and from work, Redeker said.
More Information By the numbers 40.3MPassenger trips in 2015, a record for Metro-North's New Haven Line and the most volume of any commuter rail line in America 39.6M Passenger trips in 2014 on the New Haven Line, which stretches from New Haven to Grand Central Terminal 3.6% Growth in passenger trips in 2015 between Stamford and Grand Central Terminal 1.3% Growth in passenger trips in 2015 between Stamford and New Haven See More Collapse
Choosing the train
Riders arriving at and departing from the Fairfield Metro station Tuesday said rider fluctuations were hard to notice, but they preferred taking the train over driving.
I've only been doing it since about Oct. 7, and its just absolutely amazing, because some people are on there every day and you get to know whats going on in their world, said Frances Belviso, who recently took a new job in Fairfield and commutes from New Haven. Its great for the carbon footprint, the cost, plus traveling from New Haven, it would take forever to drive.
Belviso said ridership seemed to mostly remain constant, aside from a few more empty seats during the holidays. But, she said, I noticed a lot more new faces and people Ive been talking with lately.
Ester Flores, a nurse who lives in Fairfield, takes Metro-North every morning to Harlem, where she said the train lets her off two blocks from where she works. She said she had heard of recent train collisions and malfunctions on Metro-North, but was not worried, since she gets on an early train 5:32 every morning.
Ive never had that kind of problem, she said. Those problems happen after that, during more crowded commuting hours.
At the Danbury train station, Natsha Strempski-Sandoval said she has been commuting to that city about once a week from her home in Fairfield for the past seven months, and has noticed an uptick in riders.
At night and on the weekends, its next to never finding a seat, she said.
Strempski-Sandoval thought there were a number of reasons causing more people to ride the rails, including that its just cheaper to train it.
The state DOT owns the tracks Metro-North uses in Connecticut and has made a number of investments in recent years, most notably putting into service 405 new M8 rail cars.
The so-called inner portion of the New Haven Line between Stamford and Grand Central Terminal had ridership growth of 3.6 percent last year. The outer portion between Stamford and New Haven was up 1.3 percent.
The Danbury and Waterbury branches also had significant ridership growth of 9.4 percent and 2.9 percent respectively. The New Canaan Branch had a decline of 1.7 percent in total ridership in 2015.
An hour to yourself
The jump in ridership is easy to understand when you consider the alternatives for getting to work, said Sam Drozdov, of Scarsdale, N.Y.
Drozdov and his brother developed an app called Passenger, which provides Metro-North schedules, service advisories and delays in real time. The app, available for both Apple and Android devices, was released in August.
We love the train; commuting is a great thing when you basically have an hour to yourself, Drozdov said. I can read a book a week by taking the train.
Ridership is up, too, because there are many alternatives now to owning a car, Drozdov said. Theres Uber and other ride services, and a lot of ways to get where youre going without driving.
Smoother, safer and more reliable service may also be driving the increase in Metro-North customers.
The railroad has replaced nearly 100,000 ties, laid 16.5 miles of continuous welded rails, rebuilt 88 switches and made other systemwide improvements, according to a progress report on the Metro-North website. The Federal Railroad Administration is lending Metro-North $967 million for its infrastructure upgrades, and Connecticut has allocated $115 million for its share.
Margaret Lombard, who recently moved to Boulder, Colo., after living in Sacramento, Calif., bought her first-ever ride on Metro-North on Tuesday.
Lombard said trains on the East Coast have a leg up on those in her her home state.
I think its much more efficient here, she said. Ive ridden Amtrak in California, theres a number of trains, but you know, you always end up having to get on a bus to your final destination.
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STAMFORD The night after being arrested for not reporting that she snapped a telephone pole in half with her new limited edition Land Rover, former super model Stephanie Seymour made a brief appearance at the Stamford courthouse where she was arraigned on a drunk driving charge from the same night.
Seymour, 47, of Greenwich applied to participate in a court diversionary program called the Alcohol Education Program during her appearance before Judge Auden Grogins.
Ms. Seymour had a career in fashion, but in this instance she is just like 3,500 other motorists in Connecticut who have made a similar error, her attorney, Philip Russell, said after the hearing. She is not looking for any special treatment or preferential treatment of any kind.
The judge asked Seymour a few questions and ended the hearing by scheduling her to return to court on April 4. Russell said he wanted the extra time to make sure all her paperwork was properly filled out before her return. Seymour has not yet been arraigned on the evading responsibility charge
Seymour, wearing a conservative black skirt and black jacket with heels, told Grogins that she would attend alcohol education classes and counseling in order to complete the program.
Russell said Seymour, a mother of four, wants to put the charges behind her and he is confident she will not offend in this way again.
Hopefully this will be the most uneventful DWI charge that this court has ever handled, he said.
Russell said his client was embarrassed after being arrested and is taking the charges to heart and taking them seriously.
Anyone facing this charge has to look at their personal habits and I think that is exactly what these habits are, they are personal and not something which bears public scrutiny, he said.
On January 15, a trooper was called to the Exit 5 exit ramp at 9:30 p.m. for an accident where a 2015 black Land Rover backed into a white Mercedes Benz, leaving both vehicles with minor damage.
But after getting to the accident scene, the trooper noticed the front of Seymours SUV had, "extensive front right crush damage" probably caused by running into a tree or telephone pole the report said.
Yet when he asked Seymour how the damage occurred she said she had "no idea," or where she was coming from, the trooper's report said. Seymour refused all the troopers sobriety tests and based on his investigation she was charged with driving under the influence and unsafe backing.
About an hour later, Greenwich police were called to Standish Road at Crown Lane where a telephone pole on the south side of the street had been snapped off three feet above the ground.
Around the pole were numerous pieces of the vehicle that rammed into it and several pieces had the brand name Land Rover molded into them.
The parts, the report said, "matched up perfectly to the remaining of parts of the vehicle," Seymours Greenwich police arrest affidavit said. Seymour lives only a mile from the scene of the broken pole.
Seymour was released on both charges after posting $500 court appearance bonds in both matters.
WASHINGTON Connecticut is one of 15 states targeted in a White House plan to tackle heroin use and drug trafficking.
The plan, announced Monday, will emphasize treatment over punishment for addicts and will pair a public health official with a law enforcement specialist in each of the 15 states, Michael Botticelli, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy said.
The program will provide $2.5 million in funding for programs in five High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, on the East Coast that face a severe heroin threat, Botticelli said. The areas include New England, New York/New Jersey, Washington/Baltimore, Philadelphia/Camden and Appalachia.
The new Heroin Response Strategy demonstrates a strong commitment to address the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic as both a public health and a public safety issue, Botticelli said. This administration will continue to expand community-based efforts to prevent drug use.
With heroin overdoses increasingly common in suburban communities from Greenwich to New Milford, the federal effort could be a much-needed lifeline for Connecticut. The number of annual heroin-related deaths in the state almost doubled from 174 in 2012 to 325 last year, according to state records.
National statistics are equally alarming. Annual heroin-related deaths across the U.S. nearly tripled between 2002 and 2013, the National Vital Statistics System reports.
The public health/law enforcement teams will work to collect overdose data, trace the origins of heroin and expand access to naloxone, the anti-overdose drug also known by its brand name as Narcan.
The White House initiative echoes a string of recent efforts in Connecticut to curb heroin use through prevention instead of prosecution.
For too long, we built modern jails instead of modern schools, and we invested in permanent punishment instead of smartly investing in permanent reformation, said Devon Puglia, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. We as a state are making strides in working to curb opioid addiction, and were focused on providing help to those who need it.
After the CDC declared heroin use a public health crisis in the U.S., Malloy in July signed a bill that allows pharmacists to prescribe naloxone more widely. In 2014, the states Good Samaritan law was expanded to protect those who administer the drug in an emergency.
Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have been pushing since 2014 for federal action to address the threat of heroin in Connecticut. Last week, Blumenthal spearheaded a roundtable discussion in Torrington on the problem.
The plan is part of $13.4 million total White House funding for prevention programs covering 48 states across the country, as well as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.
tatiana.cirisano@chron.com; @tatianacirisano
STORY LINK British Pound Sterling (GBP) Forecast Improves on Draft EU Deal Proposal
Pound Sterling Recovers from Intraday Lows on EU Deal Draft
UK Vote to Remain in EU Now More Likely
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The Pound Sterling (currency : GBP) has bounced off the intraday lows which it reached during early trading following the publication of a draft version of the deal which the European Council is offering the United Kingdom ahead of its EU in / out referendum.The Pound was loitering in the low 1.3100s against the euro (currency : EUR) at the time that the proposal was published by European Council President Donald Tusk, but the UK unit improved to trade up to as high as 1.3247 following the release.The upside move for Sterling came in spite of the publication of data which revealed that the overall level of joblessness in the euroland had dropped to its lowest level since the Autumn of 2011 in December, with unemployment falling to 2.73 million.Investors reacted positively to Tusks proposals, suggesting that they believe that a remain vote in the upcoming EU in / out referendum is now more likely than was previously the case. Tusk set out four main areas where there is room for compromise from the EU, addressing one specific sticking point in particular, that of the UKs ongoing commitment to paying in-work benefits to migrants from other EU nation states. Tusk noted that,The social security systems of the Member States, which Union law coordinates but does not harmonise, are diversely structured and this may lead members of the workforce to be attracted to certain territories without this being a natural consequence of a well-functioning market. It is legitimate to take this situation into account and to provide, both at Union and at national level, and without creating unjustified direct or indirect discrimination, for measures avoiding or limiting flows of workers of such a scale that they have negative effects both for the Member States of origin and for the Member States of destination.The suggestion that the EU will give David Camerons Conservative government sufficient leeway on these controversial payments has convinced many analysts that the UK populace will vote to remain in the EU in the referendum which many believe may now come as soon as 23rd June. The deal will be discussed at the next EU summit, scheduled for the 18th - 19th of February. The near-term forecast for the Pound has therefore improved.
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'Joe Biden can have them': Mastriano vows to bus migrants to Delaware
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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
So the renegotiation deal is almost done and its full steam ahead for a June referendum.
As the Mail predicted, a rabbit has been pulled from the hat and Downing Street is hailing a glorious and hard-won victory achieved only after tense and difficult crisis talks.
The Prime Minister has been vindicated, the spin doctors say. Doubtless hell start aggressively selling the deal as a reason for Britain to remain in a reformed EU.
The full details of what is on offer are expected to be disclosed later today. But, for now, lets examine the rabbit.
Negotiations: David Cameron speaks with European Council President Donald Tusk at Downing Street
In future, national parliaments will be able to use a red card to block EU laws. In theory this would give some semblance of national sovereignty.
To exercise this veto however, Britain would need the support of no fewer than 14 of the other 27 member states a formidable task. And with 19 countries locked into the eurozone, we could be routinely out-manoeuvred.
Furthermore, it applies only to new laws, so any proposals to roll back the already overmighty powers of Brussels are completely off the table.
Is this really a breakthrough which instils confidence that Britains interests can be protected in a new-look Europe? Or is it just a cynical charade designed to accelerate progress towards the early referendum Mr Cameron so wants.
Meanwhile, as the politicians posture, on the EUs southern borders the real threat to European stability grows more menacing by the day.
New figures show that in January alone, 58,547 migrants crossed from Turkey into Greece. Thats nearly 2,000 a day and, if replicated in the coming months, will amount to more than 700,000 by the end of 2016 to add to the 900,000 who arrived by that route alone last year.
Crisis: Meanwhile, as the politicians posture, on the EUs southern borders the real threat to European stability grows more menacing by the day. Pictured, migrants walk through the Greek port of Piraeus on Monday
Germany, Sweden, and Denmark have seen violent demonstrations and across the continent there has been a surge in support for far-Right parties. Unless this tide of humanity can be controlled, the very existence of the EU is under threat.
The only solution is to limit free movement and give individual nations back some control over their borders.
So it is a damning indictment of the much-vaunted renegotiation, that these crucial matters werent even discussed.
In as little as five months, voters will be asked to take perhaps the most important political decision of their lives one which will shape Britains destiny for a generation or more. And before they do, they deserve the fullest possible debate.
With the new deal about to be laid on the table, this must mean an immediate end to the gag on Eurosceptic cabinet ministers, who have been either bullied or bribed by Mr Cameron into silence. They must be allowed to put the case for a British exit.
As the Mail said in this column on Saturday, it would be a crime against democracy if open debate on this historic vote were sacrificed to the ambition and vanity of careerist politicians.
Putting patients last
Junior doctors announced yesterday that they were going ahead with a second national strike bringing more misery and suffering to thousands of sick people - because there was no alternative.
Really? What about going to work as normal and sorting out their differences by negotiation rather than militancy?
By rejecting Health Secretary Jeremy Hunts improved pay rates for anti-social hours (plus 11 per cent pay rise and a shorter working week) they have shown that for all their pious words about saving the NHS from destruction, this dispute is about two things visceral political opposition to the Governments health reforms and hard cash.
A woman has revealed what pushed her to quit her six-figure job at a $750 billion company to teach yoga and pursue her dream of being a writer.
At 31 years old, Sara DiVello, from Boston, was the head of pubic relations at a lucrative financial services firm. However, it was her high-stress job that required her to work long hours and travel constantly that led her to abandon the career she had spent her life working towards.
'For nearly 10 years, I slogged through brain-numbing, red-tape-filled, dismal days in an industry devoted to nothing more than the altar of making money,' the now-38-year-old wrote in an essay for Cosmopolitan.com. 'Because of this, I ended up leaving my financially lucrative, comfortable career because I felt like my soul was being eroded.'
New life: Sara DiVello, who can be seen in a modified lotus pose in the Financial District of Boston, quit her high-paying job at a $750 billion company to teach yoga
Never looking back: Sara, who worked as the head of PR at a financial services firm, said she turned to yoga to help relieve herself of the stress brought on by her job
Sara explained that she had grown up 'poor' and living in 'hand-me-down', so when she became the first one in her family to go to college, she majored in print communications to increase the likelihood of her finding a job instead of her dream of studying English.
'I didn't have the luxury of book-writing dreams. I had student-loan reality,' she noted.
However, the high-profile job that Sara had though she wanted left her exhausted and took her away from her family, friends, and fiance, who also frequently traveled.
The couple were away so often that they left their suitcases by the door in their apartment, so they wouldn't have to keep taking them out of storage.
Catch-22: Sara said working in public relations felt like her 'soul was being eroded', but she stuck with her career for years because she grew up poor and worried about money
Conflicted: Sara said she believed in her heart that yoga was her calling, but her mind told her that she couldn't abandon her high-profile career for a job that doesn't even require the college degree she worked so hard for
Sara said it was the stress of her job that made her turn to yoga for 'solace'. After work she would head to yoga class and abandon thoughts of her high-octane career to instead focus on her breath and unwinding.
The former businesswoman admitted that a voice in her head told her that yoga was her calling, but she ignored it because she believed having a career was enough.
However, Sara's boss was abusive, insulting and undermined her, keeping her out of important meetings. But she still felt she couldn't leave; she hoped for a year-end bonus and also didn't want a prospective employer to think she was unreliable for quitting so soon.
'They're afraid you're going to do it to them and they won't hire you,' she told the Associated Press. 'I kept thinking, "I can solve this. I can make it work."'
Enough is enough: Sara hit her breaking point after her boss announced without warning that she was taking over a major initiative that she had been leading for months, prompting her to give her notice
Friendly gathering: Sara is pictured with meditation guru Gabby Bernstein (center) and another friend in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 2014
Life-changing decisions: Sara went on to teach yoga and publish her memoir Where in the OM Am I? in 2013. Sara is pictured hold her book (right)
At her lowest point, Sara explained her essay that she woke up in the middle of night during a branding summit in Colorado and had no idea where she was 'literally or figuratively'. In that moment, she recalled how she wanted to be back at home with her fiance, but they were both away on business.
She admitted that they hadn't spoken in days, and despite her reassuring herself that they were a 'power couple', she felt like they were hardly even together.
Sara continued to practice yoga and eventually enrolled in a yoga teacher-training program. However, she refused to let herself pursue a career in yoga, which doesn't require the college degree she worked so hard for.
However, things changed for Sara after she hit her breaking point at work. When her new, less-experienced boss announced without warning that she was taking over a major initiative that Sara had been leading for months, she gave her notice.
Through the looking glass: Sara said she had every intention to return to her career in public relations after taking the summer off, however, she eventually realized that wasn't what she wanted
Celebration: Sara (back left) can be see striking a yoga pose with yoga maven and championship ballroom dancer, Tao Porchon Lync (center), on her 96th birthday in 2014
Sara said she had ever intention of returning to her career in public relations, and after she quit her job she though she would just take off the summer to teach yoga and regroup. She and her fiance were married at this point, and he readily supported her idea.
Although she was fearful about not taking in any money, she looked for yoga teaching opportunities. Sara recalled bringing 12 pages of notes to teach her first class, and despite her nerves, she felt like it was the first time she was being her 'authentic' self.
When summer passed, Sara still wasn't ready to go back to her career in PR. Instead, she continued teaching yoga and in 2013 she published her memoir Where in the OM Am I?, which chronicles her transition from a corporate businesswoman to a yoga instructor.
Heidi Klum reveals her enviable figure as she strips off to showcase her latest underwear range.
The 42-year-old model stars in the 'traffic-stopping' campaign for her Intimates collection.
It sees Emmy-winning TV host Heidi the bra and knickers range which comes in multiple colours in a campaign shot by British portrait and fashion photographer Rankin.
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Heidi Klum has today launched her latest collection for her lingerie line Intimates
The collection, which will be advertised on billboards throughout the UK, encompasses the partnership between Heidi and Bendon, a world leader in intimate apparel and features frilly separates as well as comfy cover ups.
Aside from providing an eyeful on British billboards, the model has been teasing up a storm with her collection in Australia.
Heidi has been busy promoting Heidi Klum Intimates and HK Man in Sydney.
In addition to her underwear range, the mother-of-four revealed she would be expanding her line to include swimwear.
The collection is set to role out in the Southern Hemisphere in July and in the Northern Hemisphere in October.
To accompany the line the 42-year-old model has posed in her racy new line
Heidi has been photographed by British fashion photographer Rankin in what is being dubbed the 'traffic stopping' campaign
Heidis new Intimates campaign will cover billboards across a number of key London locations with the biggest at Liverpool Street Station
Aside from providing an eyeful on British billboards the model has been teasing up a storm with her collection in Australia
The range will be in collaboration with New Zealand-based label Bendon, who also produces swimwear for luxury brands such as Stella McCartney.
With eight years under her belt as a Victoria's Secret Angel, before launching her own eponymous lingerie label two years ago, Heidi knows what she is talking about when it comes to upping the sex factor.
'My favourite is the red Corps Perdu set,' the model revealed at a breakfast to promote the new Heidi Klum Intimates collection at David Jones department store in Sydney.
Heidi told The Daily Mail Australia she was veering away from the eye-popping push-up style brands liker her former employer Victoria's Secret are known for.
'In 2016 I think the more natural shape is more in fashion, than having the boobs so hoisted [up]. I think we are seeing more of a natural shape now.'
In celebration of the launch, House of Fraser, Oxford Circus - London will be housing a Heidi Klum Intimates pop up shop featuring an exclusive colourway of the popular ASTRID lingerie set form Tuesday 2nd February
The collection encompasses the partnership between Heidi and Bendon, a world leader in intimate apparel and features frilly separates as well as comfy cover ups
In recent weeks the model has spent time in Australia promoting her latest line
Two friends who were born as girls in Jamaica but have lived as men since moving to the UK have revealed how difficult it was to return to their birthplace and tell their families they are transgender.
Steffan Zachiyah and Romario Wanliss, who live in Birmingham, never felt comfortable growing up as female and both started making the transition to be male in adulthood.
Steffan, 25, explains in a BBC Newsbeat documentary: 'I have never felt female but I used to play the part.'
Steffan, left, and Romario were both born as girls in Jamaica but now live as men in Birmingham. Both made the transition after they moved to the UK
The friends decided to go back to Jamaica together to support one another as they told their relatives who they really are after years of keeping their gender transition a secret
He added in an interview with FEMAIL: 'I first knew from around ten but I didn't know what it was that I was feeling, all I know is that I decided to explore my sexuality before realising that it wasn't my sexuality that was the issue, it was my assigned gender.
'At age 19 I decided to broaden my horizons and research more around transgender after meeting an old friend who was transitioning.
'From there I knew I was Trans but I wasn't confident enough to admit it to anyone around me because I feared being judged.'
The admin worker has been living as a man since he moved to the UK six years ago and decided to medically transition in 2014. He has started hormone treatment and is on a waiting list for surgery.
However, he had not yet told all his family back in Jamaica about his transition as he feared how they would react.
On previous visits to his home country he had made an effort to look more feminine but this year he decided it was time to tell the truth.
Steffan tells his older brother Gilla, right, he is not his sister Stephanie anymore. On previous visits to his home country he had made an effort to look more feminine but this year he decided it was time to tell the truth
Romario was terrified how his father, pictured right with his step mother, would react as they had always experienced a difficult relationship in the past. However his father cried and said he still loved him
BBC cameras followed him as he told his family: 'It's not Stephanie anymore, it's Steffan.'
While revealing such news to loved ones is a big deal for anyone, Steffan said for him it was heightened by homophobia and transphobia in Jamaica.
A 2014 poll by a Jamaican newspaper found 72 per cent of the population do not support giving transgender people equal rights.
Jamaica has also been called the most homophobic country in the world because of the high level of violent crime directed at LGBT people.
Sexual activity between men is illegal and punishable with up to ten years imprisonment, however sexual acts between women are legal.
The United Nations has criticised the country's government for not protecting transgender people under law and many are the victims of violent abuse.
Steffan said: 'Being of a Jamaican background it is usually seen as an "embarrassment" to go against the norm.
'My parents were very traditionalised and this made it even more difficult to even explain what transgender is never mind telling them I was thinking about transitioning.'
Romario said it took a lot of courage to tell his family as he feared violence and rejection. The United Nations has criticised Jamaica's government for not protecting transgender people under law and many are the victims of violent abuse
Steffan's Jamaican mother, who lives with him in Birmingham, has accepted his transition but didn't support his decision to return to Jamaica as a male.
'Her main concern is my safety. She is Jamaican and knows what the possibilities are, she said "they don't care, they will kill you",' he said.
Despite his fear for rejection and his mother's warning, Steffan went ahead and told his relatives who he really is after flying back to Kingston.
He told FEMAIL: 'Most of my family members had different reactions - some were shocked, others had an idea already. But two of my sisters and nieces seem to be very supportive of me now and I'm happy about that.'
The documentary films Steffan breaking the news to his older brother, Gilla, who was surprised but told his sibling: 'You have to live your life as yourself, nobody can really stop that, that's your life, that's how it goes.'
Steffan said of telling his relatives: 'Most of my family members had different reactions - some were shocked, others had an idea already'
Still struggling to call his brother by his new pronoun, he explained to the camera: 'She is still family.
'People out here look on things differently. They look on it as weird. She was a girl and now she looks more like man, they will think that makes her different.
'You have men who are what we call gay, and people don't like it out here. And you have people called lesbians, they more go for that than they would a gay man.'
Like Steffan, Romario had also plucked up the courage to tell his family that he was making a transition to be male.
The pair became friends at college six years ago and decided to travel back to Jamaica together to give one another moral support.
Romario, who is in his twenties, had already spoken to his mother about it and said she is 'extremely supportive of me now' but had 'mixed emotions at first'.
He travelled back to Kingston to break the news to his sister who he hadn't seen for years.
'Hopefully when she sees me she won't run away,' he said as she hasn't seen him as a man before.
She admitted she still loved him as a sibling but 'didn't believe transitioning is right'.
She said: 'I don't believe in it but I accept it as you are my family. I don't believe in transgender, not that it exists but believing it is right because the Bible says it is wrong.'
The pair said they are glad they can now be themselves after telling their families the truth. They hope that by sharing their journey with the BBC, they can raise awareness of transgender issues
Romario then went back to Montego Bay to meet his father with whom he has always had a turbulent relationship and said it would be particularly hard to bare his soul to him.
He said: 'One of my main concerns about meeting my Pops is that he will get a bit violent because that is the man I know. I am concerned if he will even meet up or not.'
Romario's father did meet him along with his step mother and he burst into tears when his child explained he was now living as a man - but shocked his son by telling him it didn't mean he loved him any less.
He believed many of their past problems were down to Romario's conflict over who he really was and his inability as a parent to understand it.
But he told him: 'You are still my child and I love you no matter what. Deep down I always wanted my first child to be a son but I didn't expect to get it.
'I have never been disgusted by you, I am too open-minded for that, it is probably a gift of nature and I have discovered there are many people like you, back then I blamed myself.'
Romario found the trip back to his birth country emotional and wants more rights for trans people in Jamaica
He added: 'I accept it, I have no choice, you have to do what you can to make your life worth living.'
While both Romario and Steffan found their visit back to Jamaica emotional and found not all their relatives were completely understanding, they have no regrets about revealing all.
Romario said: 'The more transparency you can have with family the better, you maybe the example someone else in the family needs who may be going through something similar.'
Steffan added that he has felt 'free' since telling his family who he really is.
He added: 'The advice I would give to people struggling with their identities is - no one knows yourself better than you therefore no one can dictate the way you "should" live your life. Be brave and stand in your own truth.
Steffan said anyone struggling with their identity like he was should be brave and 'stand in your own truth'. He said: 'Don't be a part of that cycle, put your happiness first!'
'If you fear coming out to your families remember this - most people live their lives regretting things they didn't get to do and therefore drown in their own misery of unhappiness.
'Don't be a part of that cycle, put your happiness first!'
The friends hope that by sharing their journey with the BBC, they can raise awareness of transgender issues.
In particular, they hope their home country will soon take steps to protect the rights of gay and transgender people and make their lives safer.
Fourteen-year-old Stephanie Kurlow had been dancing since she was a toddler, but stopped when her family converted to Islam in 2010.
The Sydney schoolgirl thought that she would never be able to dance professionally after becoming a Muslim, because no company would want a ballerina who wore a hijab.
Stephanie, who lives with her Australian father, Russian mother and two brothers in Campsie, in Sydney's south-west, struggled to find a school where she could both dance and practice her religion. She had all but given up on her goal to dance as a career.
Reach for the stars: Stephanie Kurlow hopes to become the first professional Muslim ballerina
But in the end, her dreams won out after being inspired by women of colour who were succeeding in their fields all over the world, like Noor Tagouri, the first American news anchor to wear a hijab, or Michaela De Prince and Misty Copeland, the first African-American ballerinas.
Now Stephanie has started a fundraising campaign on LaunchGood so she can train full time at a professional ballet school.
She wants to raise money to prove that your religion doesn't have to be a barrier to being involved in performing arts.
'In this day and age there is a lack of facilitation for youth who are disengaged or of a different religion or race.
On pointe: Stephanie is hoping to raise $10,000 so she can train professional for a year
Sky is the limit: Stephanie hopes to one day open a performing arts school for people of diverse backgrounds
'I plan on bringing the world together by becoming the very first Muslim Ballerina so that I can inspire so many other people to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams,' she wrote on her fundraising page.
'I want to encourage everyone to join together no matter what faith, race or colour. To bring harmony and a world of acceptance for future generations. YOU can help me achieve this dream.'
Stephanie hopes to raise $10,000 initially to pay for a year's tuition to a top ballet school where she can train the 30-45 hours a week needed to become a professional dancer.
In the future, she wants to open up a performing arts school that caters to young people of all different races and cultures.
Determined: Despite some people not believing in her, Stephanie won't let anything get in the way of her dreams
'This means everything to me': Stephanie has been dancing since she was two years old
'I will provide for our future generations a chance to express and heal themselves and others through the magnificent art of performing and creativity,' Stephanie said. The young girl wants to have programs that cater for people of specific religions, as well as support groups for youth from disconnected communities.
She believes that performing arts can be a way to bring people together,and is determined to make her dream come true, despite some people saying she can't make it.
'I've gotten those looks or those little whispers from people saying that I can't do it, and there are some parts of the ballet world that only see me for the clothes I wear, or the beliefs I have,' Stephanie told the Sydney Morning Herald.
'But this means everything to me. I think I can bring people together through dance and inspire some young people from different races that might be a bit disengaged,' she said.
The sisters plan to start a doll club for children at their home
The dolls cost $160 on average, plus the cost of accessories and clothes
When Veronika and Sofia Heszterenyiova packed for their recent holiday in Hawaii they made sure to bring extra clothes.
The Sydney sisters had a selection of dolls from their 64-strong collection in amongst their luggage, and spent days by the beach changing their outfits for photo shoots in tropical locations.
Veronika, 22, and Sofia, 18, collect 18-inch American Girl dolls and told Daily Mail Australia they take their dolls to the cinema, on holiday and have even taken them up in a hot air balloon.
Doll enthusiasts: Sisters Veronika, 22, and Sofia, 18, collect American Girl dolls and currently have 64 of them
Travel companions: They took some of their collection on a holiday to Hawaii where they took photos of the dolls on the beach
Along for the ride: The dolls are 18-inches high and the sisters take them to the cinema, on holiday and even in a hot air balloon
'You're never too old for dolls,' Veronika said.
'When we went to Hawaii we took some dolls with us and were taking pictures on the beach.
'Some people walking by us were taking pictures of us taking pictures of the dolls, it's really fun.'
'You're never too old for dolls': They started their collection in 2013 when they were 15 and 19 years old
Growing collection: They initially bought just one doll each but returned to the store daily while in New York to look at the clothes and accessories
From the US to Australia: Once they travelled back to Australia they continued to expand their American Girl doll collection by buying items online
The sisters first started their collection in 2013 after they travelled to Los Angeles on holiday.
There they discovered American Girl dolls and the accompanying accessories and 'fell in love with everything'.
They bought one each and planned to stop there, but when they travelled to New York they started to visit the store daily to buy more clothes and accessories.
When they flew back to Australia they went online and ordered more dolls, and their collection of two began to grow.
Fan following: Veronika said American Girl dolls are extremely popular and lots of adults collected them
Collector's item: As well as the standard dolls, America Girl release a limited edition doll each year
Expensive hobby: Dolls on average cost $AU160, plus the cost of clothes and accessories
'There's a lot of adults that collect them, and older teenagers, there are probably more adults than children,' Veronika said.
'The dolls are quite expensive and very good quality.'
American Girl release a limited edition doll each year - 2016's doll is the adventurous Lea Clark - that the sisters collect in addition to the regular dolls.
Because they only started their collection three years ago they had to find limited edition dolls on the secondary market which were more expensive.
On average each doll costs AUD160.
Fun and games: The America Girl store features a cafe where doll owners can go and sit with their dolls
Horsing around: The brand releases new outfits and accessories according to the season
'You want more and more': The dolls have different hair, skin and eye colour
Their collection has grown to include 64 dolls, each with different skin, hair and eye colour.
'When you go to the shop they have a hairdresser for the dolls, a doll hospital and a cafe where you can go and they have a special chair for your doll so you can eat with them,' Veronika said.
'At Christmas there's Christmas dresses, for Easter there's Easter dresses, there's always something and you want more and more and can't stop.'
Splurge: American Girl clothes can cost up to $35 or between $50 and $60 for an occasion outfit
Veronika and Sofia run their own Facebook page, Instagram and YouTube channel dedicated to their collection.
There they post photos of the dolls and their accessories.
Standard outfits can cost up to $35, and special occasion outfits between $50 and $60.
Last year they bought a bakery for the dolls that cost $500.
The girls' mother is also a fan and collects and makes realistic looking baby dolls.
Extravagant lifestyle: The sisters bought a bakery for their dolls that cost them $500 on eBay
Coming together: Veronika and Sofia plan to start a club for children who are fans of the dolls
Sofia is just about to start university where she will complete a Bachelor of Arts majoring in dance and performance, the same degree Veronika has just completed.
The sisters hope to start their own Aussie American Girl Doll Club where other enthusiasts can come together, play with their dolls, whether they be American Girl, Our Generation or Journey Girl dolls, and swap doll clothes.
The club is aimed at children who are invited to the sisters' house to play games, watch movies, do their doll's hair, jump on the trampoline and sing karaoke.
One likes to push the boundaries when it comes to style, while the other claims shes not very fashionable and prefers to simply look well groomed and ironed.
But the Prime Ministers powerhouse wife, Lucy Turnbull, and Chloe, wife of the federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, have come to many peoples attention recently for their contrasting approaches to fashion... especially after Mrs Shorten was photographed looking supremely chic in an off-the-shoulder top earlier this week.
So how do the glamorous first ladies compare? What are their similarities and differences? And who wins the sartorial battle? FEMAIL sizes up their wardrobes.
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Glamorous girl: Chloe Shorten was photographed this week looking glamorous in white and pink
Sartorial showdown: This sparked a debate about whose style is better - hers or first lady Lucy Turnbull's
SARTORIAL APPROACH
When it comes to approach, the two women couldnt possibly be more different.
While Turnbull steers clear of corporate attire, favouring the limelight via bold, clashing prints, statement neck pieces and retro-style glasses, the more traditional Shorten is camera-shy and conservative when it comes to her clothes.
As someone whose style has on occasion been compared to the former first lady, Margie Abbott (perhaps no more obviously than when both wore similar black, one-shouldered gowns to the Midwinter Ball last year), Shorten is more likely to opt for block colour instead of print and classic items rather than playful outfits.
Classic chic: Chloe Shorten typically favours clean lines, classic outfits and conservative cuts of clothing
Playful prints: Lucy Turnbull, however, is all about having fun with fashion via prints and statement necklaces
I do not think Im very fashionable, she said to the Herald Sun last year.
I just want to be presentable I suppose.
'I did grow up playing in my mothers cupboard.
Not very stylish: Chloe Shorten herself has said she doesn't think she is very fashionable
Self-confessed clothes horse: Whereas Lucy Turnbull is famous for loving fashion
STYLE BACKGROUND
Ah, her mothers cupboard. For Shorten, the comparisons with her fashion-forward mother will always follow.
As the daughter of the outgoing Governor General, Dame Quentin Bryce, Shortens wardrobe is extremely different to her mothers rainbow bright, striking outfits she has even gone as far as to say in the past that unlike her mum, she is not a fashion lover.
Like Shorten, Lucy Turnbull comes from a similarly high-powered political background. However, unlike Shorten, Lucy herself is the Turnbull fashion figurehead.
My wife is one of those people who lights up every room she enters, Mr Turnbull said of his wife in 2014, when he gave an interview to the Australian Women's Weekly.
Sartorial heritage: Chloe has a fashionable lineage - her Governor General mother is known for her style
High-powered family: Lucy comes from a similarly high-powered family
He has also said in the past that Lucy would never see herself as an appendage and that her style reflects her wish to be seen as much more than the woman behind the man.
DESIGNER CHOICES
Both women keep schtum on the designers they favour, but when Chloe Shorten sported a bold powder-blue column gown by a little-known designer shed found in Melbourne it wasnt long before the designer was identified as Leiela by Lucy Laurita.
Turnbull, meanwhile, is notoriously silent on the designers she turns to when in need of a killer outfit, but she did appear in a lavish Vogue Australia shoot, in which she modelled clothes true to her signature style - patterned full skirts and blouses.
Keeping schtum: Both women keep notoriously quiet on which fashion designers they favour
Vogue shoot: In the past, Lucy has done a photo shoot in the magazine, Australian Vogue
FASHION BATTLE
While fans of both women on social media are adulatory about both womens fashion nous, it goes without saying that both of these women are much more than mere clothes horses.
As for who has the better wardrobe? Well thats possibly going to depend on whether you favour traditional colours and clean lines or zany patterns and playful prints.
When news broke this week that surfing legend, Mick Fanning, and his model cum entrepreneur wife, Karissa Fanning had split, her bridal website, The Lane, didnt skip a beat.
Its social media accounts continued to post, the blog operated on schedule and if it was almost as if nothing had happened.
Such is the professionalism of Karissa Fanning, the career woman who shunned the surfer spotlight her husband Mick so effortlessly occupied; the successful businesswoman who grew a start-up bridal directory to some 176,000 followers on Instagram.
But what is her company? And how did it get so successful? FEMAIL investigates the rise and rise of The Lane.
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Model turned businesswoman: Karissa Fanning may be in the headlines this week thanks to her split from surfer Mick, but the 31-year-old is no WAG
Entrepreneur: Karissa is the brains behind online bridal directory The Lane
Total success:The Lane website now attracts more than 120,000 unique visitors a month
Beautiful imagery: Stuffed full of beautiful imagery, the website features real weddings and stunning editorials
Founded in 2010 by a 25-year-old Karissa Fanning (who was at the time a model and two years into her marriage with famous Australian sportsman Mick Fanning), The Lane was established as a high-gloss bridal directory, stuffed full of useful articles, gorgeous imagery and a slick editorial space dedicated to everything nuptial.
Inspired by Karissas own wedding to Mick in 2008, Karissa founded the company with the aim of providing something bespoke, and while the concept was niche, it did not take long for the business to grow, as it tapped into a burgeoning Australian, American and UK market for personally tailored bridal information and help with weddings.
The website now attracts more than 120,000 unique visitors a month, while it occupies a breezy and glamorous position from its beachside headquarters on Queenslands Gold Coast.
Glimpses: The Lane's Instagram account occasionally shows Karissa at work behind the scenes
Chic CEO: While Karissa doesn't love the spotlight, she has attended many glossy functions with her ex, Mick
The company is still headed up by the CEO and founder Karissa Fanning, the chic soon-to-be-ex-wife of Mick Fanning; a woman with great personal style and exquisite interiors taste.
Having been featured in the Sunday Style magazine in 2014, as well as the glossy quarterly print publication, Collective, Karissa is no stranger to the media, but she also knows how to get the notoriously tricky fashion industry to work with her.
Karissa first collaborated with the illustrious title, Vogue Australia, to celebrate the first anniversary of her company in 2011 with a sponsored giveaway, and she regularly appears at functions like the GQ Awards with her former husband.
Full concentration: However, she couldn't always go on tour as had to concentrate on growing the business
While Mick was constantly travelling and on the surf circuit during their marriage, Karissa was unlike most WAGs insofar as she wasnt always on the tour with him.
Instead, the brunette worked tirelessly at promoting her business both in Australia and overseas, saying in 2014 that lots of the wives and girlfriends go on tour that 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.
Splitting time: The brunette CEO split most of 2015 between Queensland's Gold Coast and Brooklyn, New York
Splitting her time between Brooklyn, New York and the Gold Coast, Karissa proved that in order to succeed at business, you have to put business first.
Not that that was too hard. While some might think that splitting your business between two continents sounds impossible, Karissa pulled it off with ease, modelling her airy office space in Queensland on a dilapidated New York-style loft with an ethereal feel (Collective, Issue 26).
New York is, in any case, a city that is obviously extremely close to the CEOs heart seeing as she spent the majority of last year renting an apartment and working in Brooklyn.
Celebrity shoots: The Lane has worked on some high-profile celebrity shoots in the past, including with Bambi Northwood-Blyth
Hiding her heartache: And while Karissa will undoubtedly be in pain right now, The Lane will continue to thrive
While Karissa predominantly stays away from the media preferring to let her sumptuous blog to do the talking she is also more than happy to work with people who do like to seek out the limelight.
She has looked after a number of celebrity editorial wedding-inspired shoots through The Lane, including a beautiful shoot with TV presenter Megan Gale and Home and Away star Pia Miller, as well as a sun-drenched editorial offering with model, Bambi Northwood-Blyth.
A mother-of-two who battled aggressive bowel cancer has started a fashion blog offering style tips for those living with a colostomy bag.
Suzanne Dore, 42, of Rayne, Essex, discovered that dressing in the wrong type of clothes led to unfortunate mishaps, including a leaking bag - so she launched blog Gladrags And Bags in December to share her style tips with others suffering from the same condition.
After five years with a colostomy bag, Suzanne says she has finally found ways to match her love of fashion while staying comfortable - and shares her thoughts and styles online.
Suzanne Dore started her own fashion blog offering tips to those who wear colostomy bags after she struggled to match her love of fashion with comfortable clothing
She says: 'Wearing tight clothing can often cause the bag to leak, as it disrupts the flow into the bag, which is extremely embarrassing as it stinks.
'But I refuse to allow myself to be restricted to wearing baggy clothes simply because I have to wear a colostomy bag.
'I've discovered that leather-look leggings and maternity leggings are great because they have a lot of give so they don't push down on my stomach.'
Some of Suzanne's handy fashion advice includes cutting a hole into tights to fit neatly around the bag and slipping into a petticoat under tight tops to smooth the edges of the bag.
Suzanne has been wearing a bag for five years after she battled an aggressive form of bowel cancer
Suzanne found that certain types of clothing could make her bag leak and leave her in embarrassing situations
After sharing her tips on Facebook Suzanne's friends encouraged her to start up her own blog
She says: 'Dresses with a side twist draw the eye away from the stomach.
'Patterned clothing is great for concealing the bag too and wearing leggings, because they have a lot of stretch.'
Suzanne first shared her tips over social media and from there she was encouraged to spread the word to other colostomy bag wearers.
She continued: 'After sharing my fashion finds on Facebook, my friends urged me to start a blog to share my new-found wisdom with others who may also wear a colostomy bag.
'I don't claim to be the next Gok Wan but I just hope my advice can help some people.'
In March 2010, Suzanne (pictured here with son Ben, left, husband Chris, and son Sam, right) was diagnosed with grade 3 bowel cancer a day after her son Sam, finished radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma
When she first had her colostomy bag fitted Suzanne worried that she would never be loved again but she says that her husband has been incredibly supportive
Suzanne and Chris renewed their vows in 2011 which she has recently blogged about
In March 2010, Suzanne, a full-time housewife, was diagnosed with grade 3 bowel cancer a day after her son Sam, now 19, finished radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a rare head and neck cancer.
She says: 'My world was crushed. Sam had just battled to defeat his cancer then we were delivered a second blow.
'I especially didn't want to upset Sam who had just received the amazing news that his radiotherapy was working in treating the cancer. It just seemed unreal.
'For years, I had been plagued with stomach problems, stomach pains, diarrhoea and constipation. But doctors put it down to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so I just ensured I was always near a toilet in case an attack hit me.
'Instead I had a tumour the size of a kiwi and was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.'
For six weeks Suzanne underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Colchester Hospital before enduring a six-hour operation to remove the tumour.
Six months after her operation Suzanne went on holiday to Cuba where she wore a bikini (pictured) and says she felt 'so confident'
Suzanne, who is mum to Sam, 19, and Ben, 17, says: 'The chemo destroyed my ovaries and womb so doctors had to remove them as well.
'But there was no excess bowel to put it back together so I woke up with a permanent colostomy bag.
'At first, I was horrified at the thought of having a bag and believed that I would never be loved again.'
But, despite her fears, husband of 20 years Chris, 45, stuck by her side and the pair even renewed their vows in 2011.
Suzanne says: 'Chris reassured me, telling me he would love me no matter what. He's been my rock.
'Six months after my operation, we went on a family holiday to Cuba where I braved a 10-hour flight.
'I wore a bikini and I felt so confident.'
Luckily, Suzanne has never received any negativity regarding her colostomy bag.
She says: 'Sometimes people give me a passing glance when I wear a bikini but I keep a smile on my face.
One would think that the best advertisement for a celebrity beauty product would be the stars' own perfect skin - but Gwyneth Paltrow isn't exactly taking the best care of her complexion.
While talking up her beauty line for Juice Beauty the 43-year-old admitted that she doesn't use the brand's SPF - or any SPF for that matter - as much as she should.
'I still tan without sunscreen, which is really, totally f***ed up,' she says with a laugh in a new Glamour video.
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No sunscreen? No problem! Gwyneth Paltrow admitted in a new interview that she doesn't always use SPF when she tans
Whoops! The 43-year-old actress added that she knew how 'f***ed up' it is that she likes to go out in the sun without slathering on protection, but she still laughed when talking about it
Getting some vitamin D: On her website, she preaches the importance of sunscreen and has promoted many brands in the past - even if she doesn't seem to use them religiously
The Los Angeles native ensure she has plenty of time to tan all year round, both while at home in California - and during her regular beach vacations.
In the past year, she has enjoyed trips to the Almalfi Coast of Italy and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - twice - where she laid out on beach chairs and soaked up the sun. She also lives a stone's throw from Mailbu, where she heads to the beach with her kids.
But despite regularly talking up the importance of organic sunscreen on her website, Goop, Gwyneth doesn't always practice what she preaches.
Gwyneth has featured several posts on her lifestyle website about the importance of sunscreen, and even sells several SPF options in the site's e-commerce store - all of which she describes as being 'clean' and free from the toxic ingredients found in many over-the-counter products.
Lucky lady: Gwyneth (pictured with daughter Apple) said she has always been told she has good skin, even though she doesn't protect it from the sun as well as she should
Natural woman: However, Gwyneth makes sure to only plug organic sunscreen, and thinks the chemicals in non-organic varieties are dangerous
Taking care? Though Gwyneth, who is pictured last month in Austria, admitted she tans without sunscreen, she didn't indicate whether she uses SPF on her face year-round, as dermatologists recommend
'Were all pretty well-versed on the virtues of staving off sunburns during long beach days,' one post points out. 'But we didnt always realize that sunscreens can harbor toxic ingredients.'
But it doesn't seem like Gwyneth has taken that advice particularly seriously.
It could be that the star has gotten a bit cocky about her good genes, following a lifetime of compliments.
'Ive always been told I have good skin,' she said in an interview with Stylist, but added that she does, in fact, take very good care of it, exfoliating, getting peels, and moisturizing regularly.
She also uses plenty of pricey products and services, including Restrsea's $175 Restoring Night Cream, weekly $465 apple stem cell facials from Sonya Dakar, and twice-yearly laser treatments that set her back $26,000.
Mama's girl: Gwyneth also revealed during her interview that she named her beauty products from her new Juice Beauty range after her 'posse', including her Blythe Danner (left) and friend Reese Witherspoon (right)
Blondes have more fun with Gwyneth: She also lists the exclusively blonde ladies from the rest of her 'California posse', including Cameron Diaz (left) and Kate Hudson (right)
All the dirty details: She talked about her beauty habits, her make-up line for Juice Beauty, and her relationship with ex-husband Chris Martin
Luckily, her own make-up line for Juice Beauty isn't quite as expensive as the items she's favored over the years - but, according to Gwyneth, that makes them no less luxurious.
'I really was looking for an organic, very luxe, very high-performing skincare regimen and I couldn't find one, so I made one,' she said. 'This is effective, luxurious, and completely organic. You could eat it.'
'With the skin care line, I'm a little bit nuts. There's no point in making something unless it's better than anything you've ever found. So I gave everyone [at Juice] a run for their money,' she went on.
She also explained how she paid tribute to some of the most important women in her life with the brand, naming shades of her $24 Phyto-Pigments Liquid Lip glosses after friends and family.
All organic: 'I really was looking for an organic, very luxe, very high-performing skincare regimen and I couldn't find one, so I made one,' Gwyneth said of her Juice Beauty range
Major movie star: She appears on the cover of the March issue of Glamour magazine
'The line is made in California, so I was thinking of my California posse: Cameron, Blythe, Apple, Drew, Reese, Kate, Chelsea,' she told Glamour, referencing her friends Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, and Chelsea Handler, as well as her mom Blythe Danner and daughter Apple, whom she also lists by their first names.
added that her relationships with those women are what she's become most proud of in her life.
'If you were to ask me what my biggest success is, it's that I've been able to maintain and nourish my relationships,' she said. 'As you get older, you choose friends based on not only what feels resonant and warm but if they're bringing something to your life.
'My women friends are incredibly intelligent. There's no posturing, no competition. Especially in Los Angeles, I see pockets of friends who are very competitive, and I think, What is the point? I would rather be alone in bed with a book than have a girlfriend who is like that.'
The procedure retrieved semen from the seminal
Sgt Thai Lee was serving as an Army medic in Afghanistan in 2014 when the unthinkable happened.
After breakfast at his base, he heard explosions and ran to the scene of the attack.
But soon, he felt an excruciating heat between his legs, collapsed and passed out.
After he regained consciousness, he had a friend hovering over him.
Army Sgt Thai Lee (left) was wounded while serving as a medic in Afghanistan, with injuries that left him otherwise unable to conceive with his wife (right). However, a new procedure helped them start a family
With pain emanating from his groin and stomach, he asked his friend how his boys were doing.
His friend responded by telling him that he would not be able to have kids.
It was three days later at Walter Reed National Military Center in Maryland that Sgt Lee learned just what had happened, according to NBC News.
He had a stroke and neck wound that partially paralyzed the left side of his body, and he was hit in the stomach and lost part of his intestines.
Furthermore, Sgt Lees penis had been severely cut with one testicle blown off and the other crushed.
Sgt Lee, of Grimes, Iowa, had been hoping to start a family with his wife after he completed his duty.
BREAKTHROUGH TECHNIQUE THAT SAVES FERTILITY FOR WOUNDED VETS Doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center utilize a breakthrough technique called SVSA Seminal Vesicle Sperm Aspiration to help wounded soldiers conceive children naturally. Lower body battlefield injuries have been increasing and the resulting damage and timing of medical care can limit options for men who want to have a child. But through SVSA, doctors are able to retrieve viable sperm for freezing and storage. The sperm is located in the seminal vesicle, which is a gland near the bladder where sperm is stored. The procedure can recover three cycles worth of sperm. American Society for Reproductive medicine president Dr Rebecca Z Soko said: 'SVSA is a reasonable option to retrieve sperm in wounded warriors or in trauma patients with pelvic or perineal injuries. 'Tragically, an increasing number of our wounded service members have experienced these types of trauma. 'It is encouraging to know this sperm retrieval process is being offered to this patient population and holds promise for them.' Source: American Society for Reproductive Medicine Advertisement
The procedure involves recovering sperm from the seminal vesicle, which is an area behind the bladder where sperm is stored before ejaculation. The sperm is then frozen and stored until a woman is ready to undergo IVF to try to become pregnant
Together, the couple had dreams of settling down and becoming parents.
But now, it seemed like that dream was dashed.
However, Walter Reed urologist Col Robert Dean informed Sgt Lee of a development in fertility medicine that could help him father a child.
The new procedure entailed recovering sperm remaining in the seminal vesicle which are glands found behind the bladder.
Sperm is stored in the seminal vesicle before ejaculation.
With this procedure, doctors could freeze the existing sperm and thaw it when the Sgt Lee and his wife wanted to get pregnant.
Sgt Lee agreed to the procedure, and using an ultrasound, Col Dean inserted a long thin needle through the rectal wall and into Sgt Lees seminal vesicle.
He suctioned out between 40,000 to 6.4 million sperm, which is sufficient for numerous IVF cycles.
Only six patients have undergone the procedure since it became available in 2012.
According to NBC, the procedure is showing promise for men who have no other options to father biological children particularly those in the military.
The Department of Defense Trauma Registry showed that more than 1,200 US military members in Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered between 2003 and 2014.
The procedure offers hope to men who otherwise would not be able to have a child biologically - especially those in the army. The couple is now expecting their first child in April
Many of those injuries are the result of improvised explosive devices encountered during foot patrol.
Col Dean told NBC: Those blasts go up and injure more of the pelvis and case more limb loss and penile and groin injuries.
Sometimes, men would come back with no testicles.
That means theyll never have another chance to make sperm again.
Sgt Lee, now 29, and his wife of eight years began IVF nearly a year ago and she became pregnant on the second try.
She is now due in April.
He told NBC: I cant wait to be a dad.
Anthony Sykes wasnt overly concerned when he first noticed a slight swelling on the right side of his neck.
There was no pain or discomfort, his general health was excellent for a man in his mid-50s and he was relaxed and refreshed after a family holiday in the U.S. But, as a precaution, Anthony decided to visit his doctor.
My GP took one look and said it was some kind of viral infection that was affecting the lymph nodes in the neck and would probably go away of its own accord, recalls Anthony, now 65, a retired banker.
Lymph nodes are tiny, bean-shaped glands dotted throughout the body; they are part of the lymph system, which transports fluids, nutrients and waste material to and from the tissues into the bloodstream.
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Rising rates: Experts worry the rise in tonsil cancer may be a result of the drop in childhood tonsillectomies
If there is an infection, the lymph nodes trap bacteria and viruses until infection-fighting white blood cells arrive to destroy the bugs before they get into the bloodstream, and these collect in the glands. The lymph nodes become swollen in the process and this is what your doctor is feeling for when he checks under your neck.
The thought had occurred to me that it might be something more sinister like a tumour, but when my doctor said it was nothing to worry about, that put my mind at rest, says Anthony, who lives in Chelsea, West London, with his wife Nancy, 66, and their children Catherine, 28, and Christopher, 25.
However, the grape-sized swelling, just to the right of his Adams apple, did not subside, and after three weeks Nancy insisted Anthony seek expert advice at the nearby private Lister Hospital.
After examining Anthony, the consultant said the swelling was almost certainly due to a tumour on his right tonsil.
He was referred to the Royal Marsden Hospital for a biopsy. This confirmed that Anthony had a squamous cell carcinoma, a malignant growth which can affect the cells in the soft tissue that lines the mouth, throat and tonsils. I was really shocked, says Anthony. I thought that was the beginning of the end of my life.
I started to talk to Nancy and the children about getting my will in order in case the worst happened.
After surgery to remove his cancerous right tonsil and a small patch of surrounding tissue to make sure no cancer cells were left, Anthony underwent a month of daily radiotherapy sessions and two bouts of chemotherapy, and was given the all-clear.
Annual check-ups followed and after five years without the tumour returning, he was declared cured.
Warning sign? Last year a study found that between 1991 and 2011 there was a 300 per cent rise in hospital admissions for acute tonsillitis and throat infections
Doctors stressed that his cancer was a random event, not something linked to lifestyle.
Mouth cancer of all types is most commonly linked to lifestyle factors such as smoking and heavy drinking and, more recently, the human papillomavirus (HPV), the same organism that causes cervical cancer in women (the virus can also be passed on via oral sex).
These factors have led to a rise in oral cancers, but the rise in tonsil cancer may have another cause the drop in childhood surgery to remove the tonsils.
The tonsils are made of lymphoid tissue, which makes proteins to fight infections. Fortunately, other tissues around the body also make these proteins, so having the tonsils out does not detrimentally affect general health.
There are two main reasons for removing them. The first is recurrent tonsillitis, where the tonsils become inflamed due to an infection; if this causes a child to need lots of time off school or multiple courses of antibiotics, they may be offered the surgery.
The other reason is if the tonsils are so big (naturally or as a result of infection) that they are obstructing breathing at night.
Removal involves a tonsillectomy, where the fibrous white capsule containing the tonsil is cut away from the muscle bed at the back of the throat using forceps.
Back in the Fifties, almost 250,000 tonsillectomies a year were done on the NHS. Today the figure is nearer 40,000.
This is largely because in recent years tonsillectomies have been classed as procedures of limited clinical effectiveness under NHS commissioning rules. This means many NHS managers refuse to fund the surgery because recurrent tonsillitis is viewed as a relatively minor condition that can be treated with painkillers and antibiotics if it becomes very severe.
As a result, clinical commissioning groups the bodies that pay for NHS treatments have been funding fewer of them. But now there is evidence that these cuts in surgery may be linked to a surge in UK tonsil cancer cases, which have doubled to more than 1,000 a year since the late Nineties.
A major new study suggests tonsillectomy can slash the risk of a cancer in the tonsil area later in life by up to 85 per cent the risk is not reduced by 100 per cent because rogue cancer cells can still settle in the soft tissue where the tonsils sat.
Scientists from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the U.S. studied medical records of nearly four million people, looking at how many had their tonsils out early in life and how many later developed cancers of the tonsils or throat.
The results showed that people who had tonsillectomies were significantly less likely to suffer malignant tumours in the tonsil area when they got older.
Science survey: Researchers have found that people who had tonsillectomies were significantly less likely to suffer malignant throat tumours as they aged
But its not just cancer that appears to be on the increase as a result of fewer tonsil removals.
Last year, a study by Aintree Hospital, Liverpool, found that between 1991 and 2011, when tonsillectomy rates in the UK dropped by 44 per cent, there was a 300 per cent rise in hospital admissions for acute tonsillitis.
The number of cases where patients needed emergency treatment for potentially life-threatening tonsil abscesses that needed to be drained, treated with powerful antibiotics or even surgically removed leapt by 30 per cent.
The researchers described the increase in the number of abscesses as most alarming.
Over the past decade, commissioning bodies have been restricting access to this type of surgery to save money, although they will never say that on the record, says Tony Narula, a surgeon and president of ENT UK, a body representing ear, nose and throat specialists.
Yet we are seeing more and more adults admitted to hospital with severe tonsillitis and abscesses in the throat and neck. The cost of treating them is huge, so there are no savings to be made by reducing tonsil removals.
But do the new studies on tonsil cancer suggest more tonsillectomies should be performed?
Professor Hisham Mehanna, an expert in head and neck surgery at the University of Birmingham, said specialists in ENT had speculated about a possible link between tonsil removal and reduced cancer risk but until now it was not proven.
But he added: This does not mean we are going to do thousands more tonsillectomies to prevent cancer. We would have to do an awful lot of operations to have a positive effect on quite a small number of people.
Let's hear it for the boys: Young men are still denied immunisation for the cancer-causing HPV virus
But if there was a test to show someone has persistent infection with HPV, then it is something doctors might consider as a preventive measure.
ROUGHLY half of us will contract HPV at some point in our lives, though in most cases it causes no symptoms or complications.
But if preventive surgery on a massive scale is not really an option for halting the rise in oral cancers, what is?
The most effective measure the Government could take, says Tony Narula, is to routinely vaccinate boys against HPV as well as girls, to halt the spread of the cancer-causing virus. Immunising hundreds of thousands of boys each year might only save one life from cancer but imagine if that one person was your own son.
The charity HPV Action plans to lobby at the House of Commons to drum up support for an extension of the vaccine programme.
After his close shave with tonsil cancer in 2005, Anthony now campaigns for greater awareness of the signs and symptoms with the Oracle Cancer Trust.
If a GP spots a lump in the neck area, they should refer the patient immediately, he warns. It never even crossed my mind that I could get cancer in my tonsils.
An incurable virus that shrinks babies brains sounds like the stuff of nightmares.
And there is no denying the headlines about the zika virus have made alarming reading over the past week, with one expert from the World Health Organisation (WHO) describing its spread as explosive yesterday the organisation declared the virus a global health emergency.
Zika, which was identified in Africa in the Forties, was first reported in Brazil just eight months ago, but it has already now spread to 23 other countries in the region, including Mexico and Barbados, with predictions that the numbers affected could rise to four million by the end of the year.
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At risk? The Zika virus, which which shrinks babies' heads, was first reported in Brazil just eight months ago
Meanwhile, 31 Americans, four Canadians and three Britons have tested positive for zika all were infected while travelling.
However, a study published in The Lancet suggests around a third of the 9.9 million foreign tourists who visited risk areas in Brazil in a year, returned to Europe.
Here we look at why Zika has suddenly become a major health concern and what you need to know to protect yourself.
WHY IS THE ZIKA VIRUS SUCH A WORRY?
The Zika virus is transmitted through infected blood carried from person to person by the bite of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which originated in Africa, but is now found in tropical and subtropical regions.
The greatest concern is that Zika may be linked to babies being born with microcephaly unusually small heads and brain damage although the link has not been proven beyond doubt.
It is likely that the highest risk is in the first trimester, although there is some evidence the birth defect can occur later on in the pregnancy, too.
The rate of children being born with microcephaly in Brazil has gone up 20-fold since the first case of the infection was reported, with 4,000 cases since last October.
Worry: Spread by mosquitos, the virus has since spread to 23 other countries, including Mexico and Barbados
Studies are ongoing to prove the link once and for all but it does look very likely that Zika is to blame, says James Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. One theory is that the virus has undergone a subtle mutation which means that it damages babies by crossing the placenta, when it didnt before.
However, Professor John Oxford, a virologist at Queen Mary, University of London, believes this is unlikely.
Other viruses in this family of viruses known as flaviviruses (which include dengue and tick-borne encephalitis) have not mutated in the past 50 years, so it seems unlikely that Zika would change suddenly.
Some experts believe the link between Zika and microcephaly was always there, but was missed simply because it was affecting populations that had poor healthcare reporting, or higher levels of background birth deformities.
The sheer numbers of people involved in this latest outbreak is what has made it really obvious, says Professor Whitworth.
WHATS THE RISK IF IM NOT PREGNANT?
While pregnant women are the main focus of concern, people who catch the virus may also be at risk of a rare nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, that can cause temporary paralysis and, in rare cases, death. A health minister in Colombia has said theres been a substantial increase in the number of people reported with Guillain-Barre in the past week, from the usual 15 to hundreds.
COULD THERE BE A UK OUTBREAK?
There is no risk of Zika becoming a public health emergency here, insists Professor Whitworth.
The major way of transmission is through the bite of a type of mosquito which thrives in warm tropical zones.
Professor Oxford adds: In the past, it tended to appear on the plains of Africa. Now that it has spread to Brazil, it has exploited densely populated urban areas where many people collect rain water to drink and store it near mosquitoes.
First detected 40 years ago, predictions now suggest 4 million people could be affected by the end of 2016
This makes it easy for the mosquitos, which bite any time during the day, to breed right next to people and pass infected blood quickly from person to person.
It is possible that mosquitoes could travel to the UK on board container ships, and there has been a claim that they have been found on the Kent coast, but experts insist that they would not live long in our climate.
More than 30 species of mosquitoes do breed in the UK, including Anopheles plumbeus which can carry malaria but not Zika virus.
CAN I GET IT FROM A VISITOR TO BRAZIL?
Even people whove caught Zika in South America and returned to the UK would not be able to easily pass it on it is very unlikely that the virus can be passed on by normal contact between people, says Professor Oxford.
Its not catching unless you share blood, or needles.
There are concerns the virus could be passed on from infected men to women during intercourse, and couples should delay trying for a baby for a month if a man has returned from a country affected by Zika virus. But Public Health England advises: Sexual transmission of Zika virus has been recorded in a limited number of cases, and the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be very low.
However, if a female is already pregnant, condom use is advised for 28 days after a man has returned from a Zika transmission area as long as he has no symptoms.
The guidance changes if a man returns with obvious symptoms including a fever and rash, and men are advised to use condoms for six months following recovery.
HOW WOULD I KNOW IF I HAD ZIKA?
Many people up to 80 per cent who are infected have no symptoms at all, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, so they may never even know they have contracted the infection.
When someone does have symptoms, these appear a few days after theyve been bitten by an infected mosquito and are usually mild a fever and a rash which soon goes away. Some people also suffer from muscle and joint pain, or get conjunctivitis. The symptoms usually clear in two to seven days. There is no specific treatment for Zika, but people who have the tell-tale symptoms should drink fluids to prevent dehydration and take paracetamol, says NHS Choices.
When someone does have symptoms, these appear a few days after theyve been bitten by an infected mosquito and are usually mild a fever and a rash which soon goes away
CAN I BE GIVEN A VACCINE?
There is no vaccine or medication to prevent infection, although there have been reports that a vaccine could be available next year.
Efforts to make one have just begun, and creating and testing a vaccine normally takes years. However, GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it is fast-tracking studies to see if it can use existing vaccine technology to work on a Zika vaccine.
Canadian scientist Gary Kobinger, who worked on the Ebola vaccine and is part of a consortium working on a Zika vaccine, has revealed that the first stage of human testing could start in early August meaning it could be ready by autumn.
SHOULD I AVOID SOUTH AMERICA?
Its not just the parents of gap-year students who might be worried about the news, as hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to congregate in Rio for the summer Olympics. Based on available evidence, the WHO has not issued any travel or trade restrictions relating to the Zika virus.
Dr Ben Neuman, a virologist at the University of Reading, says he would go to the Olympics himself, pointing out that there would be fewer mosquitoes in the summer which is the dry season and symptoms for everyone except pregnant women tend to be mild.
Protection: There is no vaccine or medication to prevent infection, although there have been reports that a vaccine could be available next year
CANT I JUST USE REPELLENT?
Insect repellent can help keep mosquitoes at bay, but not all products are effective and many need to be reapplied regularly.
A 2002 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Deet-based repellents provided the best and longest-lasting protection against mosquitoes, while some botanical-based bug sprays lasted less than 20 minutes.
Mosquito repellent containing Deet is effective, but it can cause skin redness and irritation, says Professor Oxford.
The Brazilian government is set to deploy 220,000 soldiers to try to eradicate the mosquitoes before the Olympics.
But wiping them out could prove almost impossible. Spraying with insecticide could work around the Olympic stadium, but its not going to have much effect if you try to spray the entire Amazon Basin, says Professor Whitworth.
WHAT IF I AM PREGNANT?
Pregnant women have been advised not to travel to any of the 23 infected countries, and many airlines are offering pregnant women the chance to change flights that have been booked to affected areas. Professor Oxford strongly advises pregnant women not to go to the Olympics.
Dont take the risk. You can wear as much mosquito repellent as you like, but it still takes only one bite to get infected.
We dont know how many pregnant women who get this virus go on to have babies with birth defects, but it could be very high.
Professor Whitworth agrees that pregnant women should think twice about going to anywhere in central or South America until the virus is under control.
There are probably more old wives tales and zany folklore remedies for hiccups than for any other common ailment.
The most popular trick to get rid of them is to hold your breath until they stop, but some people say the cure is a glass of cold water, a spoonful of sugar or a pull on the tongue.
Others swear by a dollop of peanut butter or a mouthful of dill seeds.
Hiccups are extraordinary things. They are common among babies in the womb their spasms can be seen clearly on scans, and felt by the expectant mother and most of us continue to hiccup occasionally throughout our lives.
Yet scientists cant explain what purpose they serve, nor confirm which cures actually work.
There are probably more old wives tales and zany folklore remedies for hiccups than for any other common ailment. One supposed remedy is to give your ear lobes a squeeze
Although most bouts of hiccups last only minutes, they can last far longer.
Lisa Graves, a 27-year-old beautician from Lincoln, has been hiccuping non-stop for eight years. Often she hiccups once an hour, but she can also do 100 hiccups a day.
Hiccups occur when the diaphragm the muscle that lies between the stomach and the lungs contracts, leading to a sharp intake of breath which is suddenly stopped by our vocal cords clamping shut.
Dr Anton Emmanuel, of the British Society of Gastroenterology, explains: Hiccups are caused by irritation of the diaphragm. That can be prompted by something in the chest or stomach, or indirectly triggered by ones nerves.
Food and drink, especially rich, fatty food, curries, fizzy drinks and alcohol, are among the common irritants that send the diaphragm into spasm.
A sudden change in room temperature, downing a cold drink after hot food, and smoking can also trigger a bout. Some people tend to hiccup when stressed or overexcited.
In extreme cases, episodes can carry on for days, usually because of an underlying condition such as acid reflux, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease or stroke.
Unborn babies hiccup in the womb two months after conception. One theory is that this prepares the babys muscles for breathing, another that it prevents amniotic fluid getting into the lungs.
The most popular trick to get rid of them is to hold your breath until they stop, but some people say the cure is a glass of cold water, a spoonful of sugar or a pull on the tongue
A more outlandish theory is that hiccups are an evolutionary throwback to when our primeval ancestors lived in water. Tadpoles still hiccup to breathe, and its possible that our early fish-like ancestors did something similar.
More likely, however, is that hiccups are a harmless product of animal evolution stemming from irritated diaphragms.
Some remedies seek to relax the diaphragm, others to distract the brain or overwhelm the nerves responsible for hiccuping.
But, say Dr Emmanuel: The effect of the hiccup is so large, all these things will probably make little difference. Hiccups usually stop anyway.
Here are some of the folk remedies you can try, though...
Pull hard on your tongue
This stimulates the vagus nerve, so named because it wanders like a vagabond through the body, taking signals from the brain to the stomach. Among other things, it tells the stomach when to empty itself.
Stimulating the nerve encourages your body to digest food more quickly, easing pressure on the stomach and diaphragm and so taking away the cause of hiccups.
Drink a glass of cold water
The best-known cure. Some people claim you should pinch your nostrils shut while drinking, others that you should bend over and drink from the opposite side of the glass.
Its partly a distraction, says Dr Emmanuel. In theory, cold water also makes the stomach contract a bit, which could push out the excess air, but the effect will be small.
The best-known cure. Some people claim you should pinch your nostrils shut while drinking, others that you should bend over and drink from the opposite side of the glass
Ice bags against your throat
By the time youve found enough frozen peas or ice cubes, your hiccups will probably have gone. Another cure that supposedly works on the vagus nerve.
Hold your breath
One of the oldest known cures, it even appears in Platos Symposium, a 4th-century BC philosophical text.
Holding in a breath forces the diaphragm to flatten and lengthen, says Dr Emmanuel. Stretching the diaphragm can help it to relax and stop going into spasm.
Some people swear by taking either three or five deep breaths, others by taking five or six seconds to exhale.
Get someone to shock you
Popping a balloon or shouting Boo! in someones ear often does the trick in cartoons but rarely in real life. The cure is supposed to force the brain into a startle reflex an adrenaline-pumping response that, in theory, overrides the hiccups reflex. But theres little evidence that it works.
give your ear lobes a squeeze
It sounds unlikely but this might actually work, according to Dr Emmanuel.
The vagus nerve is connected to your ear lobes. If you rub the lobes you can stimulate the nerve and relieve pressure on the diaphragm.
If theres one thing I try, its this, says Dr Emmanuel.
Breathe into a paper bag
Blowing in and out of a paper bag ten times or so raises the carbon dioxide level in the blood. This supposedly calms the nerves and helps the diaphragm relax.
Put honey under your tongue
The theory is that the sudden rush of sweetness stimulates the vagus nerve and tricks your brain into emptying your stomach, taking pressure off the diaphragm.
Chew a wedge of lemon
American bar staff recommend chewing on a piece of lemon soaked in Angostura bitters to beat alcohol-induced hiccups, though no one is sure how or if it really works. Perhaps the bitterness stimulates the vagus nerve or the lining of the gullet, relaxing the diaphragm. Some claim sucking on a lemon or drinking vinegar works just as well.
One suggested remedy for hiccups is the idea of putting honey underneath your tongue
Swallow some Tabasco source
Although spicy food is a major cause of hiccups for some, hot sauces are hailed as a cure by others.
That burning sensation in your throat and mouth? Its supposed to distract your brain from hiccuping.
Pull your knees up to your chest
Sit down, pull your knees up and lean forward to compress your chest. That puts pressure on the diaphragm and may help break the cycle of muscle contractions.
Put your fingers in your mouth
Carefully press down on the base of your tongue with your finger until you gag slightly. This may work by causing the phrenic nerves, which link to the diaphragm, to end the hiccup spasms.
A spoonful of peanut butter
Eating the butter and prising it from your teeth and tongue interrupts your swallowing and breathing patterns, and distracts the brain from hiccuping. Apparently.
Munch on dill
Deaths relating to alcohol abuse vary wildly across the UK, new figures have revealed.
Women living in the North East are more than twice as likely to die from alcohol-related causes than those living in London, data released today shows.
The total number of drink-related deaths in the UK has nearly doubled in 20 years with 8,697 recorded in 2014.
Men accounted for the majority of deaths with the highest rates among 55 to 64-year-olds.
Deaths from heart disease and strokes were the most common where alcohol was reported as a contributory factor.
And liver cancer had the highest proportion of deaths where alcohol was listed as the likely cause.
However, there were stark variations in the number of fatalities in both men and women, depending where they lived, the Office for National Statistics found.
The maps reveal the number of alcohol-related deaths by region for women in England. The North East had the highest proportion of deaths at 15.1 of the population, compared to London with the lowest at 6.8
More men than women die of alcohol-related causes with those in the North West having the highest rates at 25.5 while the East of England had 13.3
The North East region recorded the highest number of alcohol-related deaths in women in England with 15.1 per 100,000 of the population.
London had the fewest for females with 6.8, while those living in the east of the country had some of the lowest figures at 7.3.
However, men living in the North West were the most likely of all in the country to have a drink-related death at 25.5 - while at 13.3, those living in the East of England were least likely.
Alarmingly, Yorkshire has seen the rate of alcohol-related death for both sexes more than double in the last two decades, when the records began.
Across the UK, Scotland had the highest number of deaths for both sexes - although it has also seen the biggest decrease in numbers.
This was followed by Northern Ireland, Wales and then England.
Charities said the latest figures demonstrated the rise of the so-called middle-aged drinkers.
Tom Smith, director of campaigns at charity Alcohol Concern, said: 'These latest figures show that alcohol-related deaths are back on the rise and have almost doubled in the last 20 years.
Charities said the rise in alcohol-related deaths was 'no surprise' but more needed to be done to look at what affects drinking behaviour in people
'The figures also highlight the dangers of middle-aged drinking, with the highest number of alcohol-related deaths among 55 to 64-year-olds.
'We continue to face extremely high levels of health harms caused by alcohol, and it continues to be the leading risk factor for deaths among men and women aged between 15 and 49 years in the UK.
'Unless we start taking this seriously and acknowledge the health risks that too much alcohol can cause the situation will only get worse.'
Amanda McLean, Director of World Cancer Research Fund UK, described the figures as 'worrying' as increased alcohol consumption has been linked with many cancers.
'There is strong evidence that alcohol increases the risk of five different cancers including bowel, breast and liver,' she said.
'About 24,000 cancer cases could be avoided every year in the UK if everyone stopped drinking alcohol.
The good news is that there are steps that people of all ages can take to reduce alcohol-related harm Dr John Larsen, Drinkaware
'We recommend that, when it comes to cancer prevention, people avoid alcohol as much as possible as any amount increases the risk of cancer. If they are going to drink then they should limit alcoholic drinks to one a day.'
Dr John Larsen, director of evidence and impact for alcohol education charity Drinkaware, said it was concerning to see that the rate of alcohol-related deaths is higher than 20 years ago.
He said it was also worrying to see the continuing trend of alcohol-related deaths disproportionately affecting men and those living in the north of England and Scotland, adding it was probably down to a combination of factors.
Those in the north of England and Scotland were most likely to have consumed more than twice the recommended amount on a single day in Great Britain, previous research found.
'Alcohol-related deaths are highest among 55-64 year-olds. This is likely to be the result of cumulative damage - for example to the liver - built up over many years of drinking.
'But the good news is that there are steps that people of all ages can take to reduce alcohol-related harm.
'To avoid developing long term alcohol-related health problems, evidence suggests that even small reductions can make a big difference to your health. For example having several drink-free days each week is a good way to cut down the amount you are drinking.'
Professor Kevin Fenton - director of health and well-being at Public Health England, said: 'With over 10 million people in England drinking too much, it is no surprise that deaths from alcohol, which disproportionately affect men, continue to be far higher than 10 years ago.
'Alcohol harms individuals, families and communities and it's crucial that, alongside effective local interventions and treatment for those that need it, we look more widely at what affects drinking behaviour in this country, such as marketing and pricing.'
Delhi is facing the threat of a major fire tragedy, which as well as threatening lives would cause a subsequent rise in pollution.
The risks of a major blaze were highlighted by the Deonar fire in Mumbai, which enveloped the city in thick smoke last week.
The presence of three landfill sites in Delhi - Bhalswa (in the northwest), Okhla (southeast) and Ghazipur (east) is primarily responsible for the danger.
The landfill sites catch fire during summer - and often rag pickers set them ablaze.
The three landfills in Delhi occupy a total of 150 acres and are a fire hazard, say experts
Experts said that as the Okhla and Ghazipur garbage dumps are located in the middle of the city, they could be potential threats.
They said all these sites are saturated and produce gases like methane from the decomposition of waste.
Together, the three sites occupy close to 150 acres of land twice the size of the Vatican City. They receive about 9,000 metric tonnes of garbage a day and stand at close to 25 metres each about the height of a 10-storey building.
All of them reached their retirement age around 2006 and should have been capped and reclaimed. However, thanks to the lack of land, Delhis municipal corporations continue to use them.
The landfills leach toxic juices into the ground and are perennially ablaze.
There are small fires burning on the hill top always. Its because filth is rotting inside in layers. During summers, when the temperature is especially high, methane gas is generated. When it comes in contact with air, fire erupts, explained Shashi Bhushan Pandit, who works with rag pickers at these sites.
Syed Akbar Ali, 70, living in the vicinity of the Ghazipur landfill, said: At night, flames can easily be seen erupting from these landfill sites.
Dangerous for scavengers and workers: At night, flames can be seen erupting from these landfill sites
This is dangerous for local boys - even kids and teenagers - who venture onto the trash mountain to scavenge for re-usable stuff.
They often end up scalding themselves and even falling from the heights, he admits, adding that asthma is rampant - but its a part of the job.
The three MCDs (municipal corporations) have also been hunting for new landfills.
In a legal suit dated May 18, 2000 - Almitra Patel v/s Union of India - the Supreme Court had asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to provide landfill sites to MCDs within four weeks.
The east, north and south corporations had together demanded 1,500 acres of land. Since 2015, they have received a meager 23 acres in Dwarka, Rohini, Tikri Kalan, East Vinod Nagar and Shastri Park.
A counsel in the case told Mail Today in a sarcastic vein: The DDA in court says it has no land for landfills. But it brings out housing schemes, annually, without a hitch. DDA must decide if housing is more important or providing residents a decent environment.
Green experts, however, advocate a different policy direction.
Ravi Agarwal, Director, NGO Toxics Link, said: Landfill must be absolutely the last option. Ideally, waste should be segregated at the source with appropriate processing at the nearest facility. In cities with population over 20 million, land obviously comes at a premium and landfills only vitiate the water and air.
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has thrown the ball into the Centres court to preserve the coalition, but the BJP is in no mood to buckle under any pressure.
We are not in the government to support the agenda of PDP. We want development of the state and agenda for development and peace has been already been drafted. We dont want any shift from that, said a senior BJP leader in Delhi.
A section of the Central leadership is not happy with the recent developments in which Mehbooba Mufti has demanded certain assurances from the BJP.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti along with other senior party leaders at a meeting
The agenda was formed when the government was formed last year and the state government was already working on this. Fresh demands look like a part of pressure tactics by the PDP, said a party leader.
On Tuesday, after meeting Governor NN Vohra in Jammu, Mehbooba Mufti sought Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) from the Centre, as spelled out in the Agenda of Alliance, as a step towards the formation of a coalition government.
She said she wanted announcements on the CBMs from the Centre and not from the BJP, saying that the issue is not between the PDP and the BJP.
If you want state government then you have to announce some measures as assurances wont do, Mehbooba said talking to reporters in Jammu after meeting the Governor.
Mehbooba Mufti has demanded certain assurances from the BJP - to the irritation of central leaders
The governor had summoned the PDP president and the BJP state president Sat Sharma for deliberations over the government formation. They met Governor separately. Both the parties have asked for more time for government formation.
According to BJP leaders they have asked for ten days.
The BJP senior leader Normal Singh, after meeting the Governor, said they conveyed that they would adhere to the Agenda of Alliance. He said the BJP was for the alliance with the PDP.
Singh said the alliance was for six years and the party wants the alliance to continue. However, Mehbooba said she was not her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who ran the coalition with his vision.
Mehbooba said she had neither his experience nor his vision. She said in the absence of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed there was a need to create an environment for the new government in the state.
She reiterated that the issue was not about the PDP and the BJP.
It is about the confidence building measures to create an atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir which could fill the void created by Mufti Sahabs death, she said.
She said if the PDP has previously accused the BJP that instead of partnering with and implementing Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds vision of bringing peace, stability and prosperity to Jammu and Kashmir, certain quarters, both within J&K and in New Delhi, had overtly and covertly triggered frequent controversies over avoidable contentious issues resulting in wastage of the State Governments energies in firefighting and propitiation.
This was alluding to litigations instituted by BJPs affiliates in different courts on Article 370, Article 35 (A) and beef ban.
President Pranab Mukherjee called terrorism the single gravest threat that humanity is facing
President Pranab Mukherjee was in Jaipur on Tuesday, where he inaugurated the Counter-Terrorism Conference 2016.
He said that terrorism is undoubtedly the single gravest threat that humanity is facing.
Terrorism is a global threat which poses an unprecedented challenge to all nations. No cause can justify terrorist acts, he added.
Among the others present were Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Suresh Prabhu.
Nepal army chief to be honoured
The relationship between New Delhi and Kathmandu might be going through a rough patch but the two nations have preserved the military tradition of according honorary ranks to the army chiefs of the respective countries.
Nepalese army chief general Rajendra Chettri, who is in New Delhi, will be conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by president Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday.
General Chettri had assumed office last year. His visit will be followed that of Nepalese prime minister KP Oli.
Rajnath seeks help from clerics
Rajnath Singh met Muslim clerics seeking their help to check the growing efforts of terror groups like ISIS to poison Indian minds.
While he was assured of all cooperation, the delegation reminded him of the persecution of Muslim youth in the name of terrorism.
Home Minister, NSA Ajit Doval and senior officials apprised the Muslim leaders about the terrorist groups efforts to attract Indians to its fold.
BJP's Ashoka Road office gets facelift
The BJP has embarked on a major modernisation of its national party office at 11 Ashoka Road. The highlight remained the new canteen which has been an instant hit.
The canteen has also started serving revamped menu to the delight of visitors. For a couple of months the canteen had been working out of a makeshift tent.
The party office will receive another addition, a new reception and waiting area in the coming week, said BJP general secretary Arun Singh.
Nadda holds meet on H1N1 in Jaipur
Rajit was a double dose for Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday. Amidst the emergency of Zika Virus in India, he was equally concerned about Swine Flu.
He issued the guidelines for Zika Virus and also discussed swine flu with officials.
Held a meeting with Rajasthan health minister Rajendra Rathore & senior officials of state health dept at Jaipur.
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Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community broke into celebration, kissing and hugging each other outside courtroom no. 1 of the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
They had reason to cheer, as the Chief Justice TS Thakur-led bench agreed to their plea to re-examine its 2013 verdict which criminalised homosexual acts, and made them punishable by up to ten years in jail.
But Hindu, Christian and Muslim organisations are already in a mood to spoil their party, vowing to oppose any move to legalise homosexual acts.
They are unanimous that Indian society disapproved of homosexuality, no religion can approve it, and the Delhi High Courts 2009 decision de-criminalising homosexual acts was based on international trend and western influence.
They argue that there is a vast cultural difference between India and other societies of the world.
Homosexuality is an abomination as per the Bible. The act of sodomy, as per the Christian philosophy, faith, belief and sentiments of Christian religion as a whole is a most contemptuous sinful act, said Manoj V George, lawyer for Apostolic Churches Alliance, who earlier submitted before the court that the curative petition (the last legal recourse) filed by Naz Foundation Trust and several NGOs representing the LGBT community will be challenged.
George informed the court that even the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will be opposing it.
Supporters celebrate as the apex court agrees to hear the plea on Section 377 which makes gay sex a criminal offence
This was confirmed by AIMPLB member Sayyed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, who told Mail Today: We will oppose the curative petition also. Homosexuality is against all religious faiths. Not just of Muslims. If it is legalised, it will create problems in society.
Joining issue, International Secretary General of VHP Champat Rai said the practice (homosexual acts) was influenced by western culture and it is against Indian culture. Those who are influenced by the West are discussing this. Let them be..But Bharat will not accept this as it is a country with a glorious past and a thousand-year-old tradition.
The VHP says it is a serious question of culture and social morality, and the court should not interpret the Constitution in a manner that thrusts foreign culture on India.
LARGER BENCH
Referring the curative plea to a larger five-judge constitution bench, CJI Thakur said: We would have a fresh look into the issue. Several constitutional dimensions of importance were ingrained in the challenge against Section 377 that criminalised homosexuality.
At the outset, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, arguing for decriminalising section 377 of IPC, submitted that major constitutional issues are involved in the matter.
Sibal said the issue concerned the most private and the most precious part of life, that is the right to sexuality, which has been held as unconstitutional.
Any provision that penalises an adult persons' expression of consensual sexuality in private domain is significantly unconstitutional, he said.
The Delhi High Court had, on July 3, 2009, legalised homosexual acts between consenting adults by overturning the 149-year-old law finding it unconstitutional and a hurdle in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
It had said: As it stands, the section denies a gay person a right to full personhood
The HC had said section 377 will henceforth apply only to non-consensual, penile, non-vaginal sex, and sexual acts by adults with minors. But a SC bench overturned the HC verdict in December 2013 saying the Delhi High court order decriminalising homosexuality is legally unsustainable and only Parliament is empowered to change a law.
LGBT and human rights activists sharply criticised the judgment, saying it would turn the clock back by centuries.
The judgment was being viewed in India and globally as a retrograde step. The bench, which ruled that making or changing a law was the sole prerogative of Parliament, questioned why the government had not acted even 13 years after a law commission report sought deletion of the section, for which there were repeated demands.
The court said this proved the Centre wanted the section to remain in the statute. The SC said that even the HC judgment said it will be valid only till Parliament amended the law in tune with the recommendations of the Law Commission in its 172nd report and removes the confusion.
The SC had repeatedly asked the Centres lawyers why Parliament had not settled the issue and left it to the court.
Probably there is no sufficient debate in society for the legislature to take up this matter. A section of society does not want this matter discussed at all. They [gays] are parading on streets. A vast section of society are against such exhibition. There has to be a larger debate. The momentum had not reached for Parliament to discuss the issue, the then Attorney General GE Vahanvati had told the SC.
Moment of joy for LGBT backers
By Astha Saxena in New Delhi
LGBT supporters rejoice after the Supreme Court hearing
Various activists and lawyers fighting for the rights of homosexuals in India cheered as the Supreme Court on Tuesday reopened the door to legalising same-sex relations, accepting a review of a 2013 ruling that declared them illegal and referring the matter to a five-judge panel.
A group of petitioners, comprising 13 scientists, said in their petition that homosexuals had no choice in their attraction to people of the same sex and criminalisation of LGBT people adversely affected their mental health.
Senior lawyer Anand Grover told Mail Today: The one good news is that the apex court has decided to hear the important questions. Rest, we cannot say anything till the final judgment is out.
Lawyer and gay rights activist Bharat Bhushan, one of the organisers of the gay pride parade in Delhi, told Mail Today: Theres still a ray of hope as a larger bench will hear the case. We are hoping that the court takes the right decision.
The judge, who did not set a date for the first hearing of the review, said the final decision could take months, Bhushan said.
Reacting to the development, Bollywood actress Nandita Das, said: It is an archaic law which was introduced by the British government. They have removed this law from their judiciary and we are still hanging to it. I really hope that this law will go and people will be allowed to love.
Hansal Mehta: I am a criminal
By Mail Today Bureau
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta is openly opposing Article 377
The war against Article 377 has found an open advocate in filmmaker Hansal Mehta, whose new film Aligarh narrates the real-life story of a gay professor.
Mehta has reacted strongly against the criminalisation of homosexuality saying that if the act is a crime, he is a criminal because he has participated in oral sex.
Today, right now, Section 377 is not just about homosexuality or about consenting adults having sex. It is for most of the adults. Even I am a criminal in the eyes of the law because anybody who has had oral sex is a criminal. Majority of India is a criminal because of 377, a leading English daily quoted Mehta as saying.
The filmmakers declaration comes even as the Supreme Court has set up a special bench to review criminalisation of the Article, in the wake of a curative petition submitted by Naz Foundation, an NGO that fights for gay rights.
Since Article 377 criminalises homosexual sex, Mehta reasoned that he is a criminal if the law remains.
Mehta won a National Award as Best Director for his film Shahid, which told the story of slain human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi.
Finding the right tenant can save landlords a great deal of time and money.
The ideal tenant is one that pays the rent each month, keeps the property in good condition and sticks around for a long period of time, helping to reduce any void periods.
There is no winning formula to ensure you always find the best person for your buy-to-let, but our five tips should help ensure you get off to the best start.
How to find the right tenant? Do your homework and find out as much as possible before they move in
1. Be thorough with your background checks
You are likely to have a lot of dealings with your tenants so it is important to know who you are renting to.
Dont be afraid to sound intrusive. You need to confirm a tenants ability to pay the rent so you should ask to see at least the past three months of bank statements and find out about the job they do and whether they work full- or part-time.
This will give you an idea of their income and expenditure and whether they can afford to rent from you.
Your best way of assessing this information is with a tenant check and by obtaining references from previous landlords.
Credit reference agencies provide tenant checking services that will show how good someone is at paying their bills on time.
You should also ask for and check references from a previous landlord and a tenants employer. If you are dealing with a first-time renter then ask to speak to family, friends, or someone of independent standing, such as a former teacher or lecturer, to get a character reference.
A lot of the hassle and awkward questions can be avoided by using an agency. In return for a fee, a lettings agent can do credit and background checks and may have a catalogue of ready-and-waiting tenants.
However, you will pay to use a letting agent and a full tenant finding and management contract is likely to eat 10 per cent or more of your monthly rent. They may charge you extra for tenant checks, or some may include it in the overall fee.
Find a tenant and manage the property yourself and you can simply pay a one-off fee for the tenant check.
A middle ground is a tenant find-only service, which could include referencing checks.
Protect yourself and your property: make sure the contract is signed by both you and your tenant
2. Pay attention to the written contract
Finding a tenant and managing your buy-to-let can generate a lot of paperwork.
You need to make sure you have a properly drawn up and legally-binding assured shorthold tenancy agreement. This is not a legal requirement but it protects you and your tenants if anything goes wrong. You and the tenant should both sign the document.
3. Get the security deposit right
A tenant will usually pay a deposit of six weeks rent upfront when moving into a property in London, or a months rent elsewhere in the UK.
Paying the deposit punctually is one of the first indicators you have as to whether your tenant is going to be good at paying the rent on time.
Dont hand over the keys until you have received a deposit from your tenants and the moneys safely landed in your bank account.
Remember, landlords legally need to register a deposit with a protection scheme. This keeps it safe for the end of the tenancy and helps settle any disputes over repairs for damage to the property or its contents.
Always double check ID to b eon the safe side
And dont forget to get a proper inventory drawn up, which should include a full list of fixtures, fittings, furniture and any other items in the property. It should also make note of any existing issues such as damage or wear and tear. Both you and the tenant should sign the document to confirm the condition of the property at the start of the tenancy. Its also possible to get an independent third party to draw up an inventory for you so both you and your tenant can have extra peace of mind.
4. Always check ID
You need to be sure your tenants are who they say they are. This will become more important from February when new rules are introduced in England putting responsibility on landlords to ensure their tenants have a right to rent.
This means all tenants must have a right to remain in the UK. This means you should ask for, and take copies of, passports and any immigration documents.
Failure to check on a tenants immigration status could land you with a fine if they turn out not to have a legal right to reside in the UK. And it is also the landlords responsibility to report a tenant who doesnt have a right to stay in the country to the Home Office.
5. Trust your gut
Managing a buy-to-let can be a full-time job so you need to be sure you can work with a potential tenant.
You need to meet a potential tenant to get an idea of their character and personality.
Do they seem organised? Will they complain about the smallest issue?
Just because someone has a regular income and a good job that doesnt necessarily mean they will be the best tenant. Even the best paid tenant could still trash your property or annoy the neighbours.
I'm thinking of buying a holiday home for my family to enjoy. I haven't quite decided which of our three favourite destinations to go for yet - the south of France, Menorca or Florida.
But wherever I end up buying, I'm nervous about getting ripped off when sending money abroad.
My experience of foreign currency so far has been limited to buying euros and dollars at my local Post Office or M&S and paying for some purchases abroad on my credit card.
Obviously, much bigger sums are about to come into play so please can you advise me of my best options to make sure I get a good deal.
Wish you were here? A villa in the south of France may sound idyllic but get money transfer wrong and your dream could turn into a nightmare
Laura Whitcombe, of This is Money, replies: Buying a property abroad - whether in Europe or the US - can be a complicated process.
There are all manner of costs involved. And you should consider them carefully before deciding on a property and which country to buy one in.
There are three main types of cost to consider.
The first is simple enough - the cost to purchase the property (the sale price).
The next is the additional costs that will often be part of the purchase but which are easily overlooked, such as lawyers (typically a notary in France or Spain), airfare and accommodation costs to visit the property and any other professional services fees. These can include things like property inspections, taxes, tax advice and obtaining tax ID numbers.
Each European country has different associated costs, as do each state in the US.
The third type are the (sometimes hidden) ongoing costs of owning and maintaining an overseas property. These include local taxes, a potential overseas mortgage, monthly condominium or service charges (for upkeep of shared areas and services), property maintenance or renovation and utility bills.
Once you've got an idea of all the costs involved of buying your property, and the frequency with which you will have to pay them, that's when it's time to turn your attention to the type of money transfer service you need.
And the process can easily end up a lot more expensive than it needs to be if you don't know how the foreign exchange business works.
How to transfer money
There are several options when it comes to transferring money abroad, which requires the purchase of foreign currency. `
If you need to send 300,000 to your solicitor to buy a home in, say, France, you have to buy euros with sterling and have it transferred to the recipient in France.
The cost for the service will consist of the exchange rate, any margin added by who you're buying from in the form of an exchange rate spread, and any transaction fees they choose to levy.
These components vary wildly and it's tricky for consumers to work out where they'll get the best deal. Until fairly recently, individuals, and indeed businesses, have largely been reliant on their banks and may only have been able to compare quotes from a few other banks at a time.
Over the past few years, the market has become more competitive and specialist forex brokers have started popping up and vying for consumers' attention. They make their money by taking a cut of the exchange rate but it's typically much lower than the banks cream off.
There's also a thriving community of online transfer services that charge a small commission rather than taking a margin and they say they are able to offer low prices because they generally have fewer overheads to pay for than the big banks and some of the more established brokers.
Whichever option you go for, check that the companies whose services you are considering are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
And bear in mind that at present, only banks are part of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which protects your money if an institution goes bust.
However, reputable specialist brokers and online transfer companies will keep client money separate from company money so should they go bust you will be higher up the list of creditors when it comes to recouping cash.
Daniel Webber, chief executive of This is Money's money transfer comparison site FXcompared, says there are three key areas you can save money on when transferring money internationally:
1. The initial purchase
2. The ongoing running costs of the property
3. Selling the property.
'Most people will just use their bank to transfer their money both for the initial purchase and the ongoing costs but you can save a lot of money by using a specialist provider,' says Webber.
Sites like his can help you find the best deal and choose from leading money transfer providers who specialise in areas such as overseas property, for example Currencies Direct, UKForex or World First.
The sunshine state: Florida is a hotspot for Brits buying property abroad but make sure you keep track of your dollars and your pounds to avoid turning your sunshine getaway into a wash-out
He gives the following example of how much you could save using a specialist provider versus the average UK bank, based on FXcompared's International Money Transfer Index data (dated mid January 2016).
'If you purchase a house that costs the equivalent of 250,000 in euros, youd save on average around 2,500 and in some cases over 6,000. That pays for a lot of furniture and flights,' he says.
'As to your ongoing needs, for every monthly transfer of 1,000, you could typically save around 40 to 60.
'Over a year thats 500 to 730, which pays for a lot of meals out, bottles of wine or several flights.'
As currency rates change all the time, you can also seek the help of a specialist provider to help plan for your purchase as well as any ongoing currency needs. This may include setting up a regular transfer plan too (to service an overseas mortgage, for example).
To see how much impact the exchange rate can have on a purchase, Webber offers the following examples:
'A purchase of a $400,000 home in Florida could have cost you as much 275,000 (on 12 April 2015) but as little as 255,000 (19 June 2015) depending on when you chose to make your transfer - that's a difference of 20,000.
'For France and Spain, a purchase of a 400,000 home in the South of France or the Costa del Sol could have cost you as much as 315,000 (on 7 January 2015) but as little as 280,000 (on 18 July 2015) depending on the exchange rate at the time - a 35,000 difference.'
He adds: 'While it is impossible to know what the future exchange rate will be, you can plan ahead if you know you are thinking of buying a property.'
Compare the cost of sending money abroad
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.
In demand: Dame Carolyn McCall pulled out of the recruitment process to become the new boss at M&S
One of Britains leading female chief executives has revealed how she snubbed the chance to become the boss of Marks & Spencer.
EasyJet chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall claimed she was approached about taking up the top job at the nations biggest clothing retailer.
McCall, 54, is one of the leading figures in British business and has transformed the fortunes of the budget airline since being appointed chief executive five years ago.
Due to the rapid growth of the firms shares, up 53p yesterday to 1601p, McCalls pay and benefits were revised last year, taking her total pay and perks to more than 15million for two years work.
She received 9.2million for 2013 and 6.2million for 2014 including nearly 12million in share awards.
It was long rumoured that McCall had been approached for the top job at M&S following the announcement that Marc Bolland was to step down in April.
In an interview with the Mail yesterday, she confirmed she had been in talks with the retailer.
She said: If you are approached about something you may have a conversation. I said no at whichever point I did because I value what Ive got.
But she added cryptically: You dont know what happened, no one will ever know. I am totally committed to EasyJet.
Sainsbury's has made a new 1.3billion bid to gain control of Home Retail Group, after having its initial 1billion bid rejected by the Argos-owner's shareholders.
If the deal goes ahead, around 200 Argos stores on Britain's high streets could close, and Argos outlets would be incorporated into existing Sainsbury's stores.
Sainsbury's said it wants to create a 'food and non-food retailer of choice', with the retailer hoping that the draw of Argos with its 'click and collect' service will bring in more grocery shoppers to its supermarkets.
Shopping around: Schroders is thought to have urged Sainsburys to offer 165p a share for Argos
Last year, Sainsbury's trialed a number of Argos counters in some of its supermarkets across the UK.
Sainsbury's said it also wants to bolster its financial services operations and offer a 'wider range of customer-centric services', including credit cards, loans and insurance.
Mark Coupe, chief executive of Sainsbury's, said: 'Our customers want us to offer more choice and for that choice to be faster than ever, driven by the rise of mobile phone and digital technology. It will enhance both businesses in the way customers respond.'
The supermarket giant said its proposed cash-and-shares deal - valuing Home Retail Group at 161.3p per share - would create the UK's largest non-food store worth 6billion. Sainsbury's hopes to rival John Lewis and Amazon in terms of online options and non-food product sales.
As part of the cash and shares deal, Home Retail Group shareholders will own about 12 per cent of the combined group, if it gets the go-ahead.
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.
Incorporation: Sainsbury's said it wants to create a 'food and non-food retailer of choice'. In other words, while popping to Sainsbury's to get your groceries, you could order a bookshelf from an Argos outlet
Vision: Sainsbury's plans to capitalise on the operations of Home Retail Group
Around 40 per cent of Argoss leases expire by 2020, which would also enable Sainsburys to shut around 200 Argos shops and incorporate them within its stores, providing a one-stop shop for customers.
Home Retail Groups sale of DIY chain Homebase in January was said to pave the way for Sainsburys to purchase the retailer, given it had little interest in entering the hardware sector.
The supermarket giant is battling to keep up and cope with the twin threats posed by online shopping and discounters like Aldi and Lidl.
Steve Clayton, Head of Equities Research, Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'Sainsburys is perhaps hoping there is some strength in numbers with what is a bold play for Home Retail Group. It is looking to buy a struggling business when the supermarket itself is fighting strong headwinds.
Rivals: Sainsbury's is battling to keep up and cope with the twin threats posed by online shopping and discounters like Aldi and Lidl
'The deal does give Sainsburys greater non-food distribution and the supermarket aims to save costs by moving Argos outlets into concessions within Sainsburys stores, but the takeover will be a considerable strain on management time when they already have quite a lot on their plate.'
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.'
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 investment bank, 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 which would have valued Home Retail at about 1billion that the supermarket giant was hoping to agree for the Argos-owner.
The two retailers were locked in talks at the weekend ahead of todays 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.
This morning, shares in Sainsbury's are up 1.31 per cent or 3.20p to 247.80p. Home Retail Shares are down 0.33 per cent or 0.50p to 152.40p.
Ocado has posted its second successive annual profit after the online grocer grew its regular customer base to over half a million people.
The upmarket delivery firm recorded pre-tax profits up 65 per cent to 11.9million, while customer numbers hit 509,000. Ocado did not make a profit until 2014, following 14 years of investing in its technology and fulfilment centres.
It also processed more than 195,000 orders a week, up from 167,000 the year before, but the average basket size slipped 2.1 per cent to 109.95.
However, investors were once again left disappointed by the firm's failure to sign a deal with an international partner and grow the business overseas.
Riper for takeover: Retail experts at investment bank Goldman Sachs have rated Ocado as a number one target for a takeover
Tim Steiner, chief executive, remained optimistic: 'Our ability to package our unique proprietary technology, including our equipment solution, for retail partners outside the UK through our Ocado Smart Platform is proving to be of great interest to a significant number of retailers. We expect to sign multiple deals in multiple territories in the medium term.'
Shares in Ocado jumped 16 per cent in mid-January after rumours of a tie-up between it and the US giant Amazon.
So far nothing has come of the rumours, although Amazon has ramped up its UK grocery operations since the New Year, adding thousands of extra goods to its UK-focused Amazon Pantry service.
All smiles: Chief executive Tim Steiner has seen Ocado post its second successive profit but he has still failed to sign a deal to expand the business overseas
Amazon also unveiled plans last month to create 2,500 jobs in the UK, bringing its total number of employees to over 14,500 by 2016 and its investment since 2010 to more than $6.6billion (4.6billion).
Experts at investment bank Goldman Sachs rate Ocado as the number one target for a takeover, stating that its recent technology changes have made it well placed to become part of another retailer.
Retail analysts see securing international deals in North America and Western Europe as the key driver of Ocado's stock market valuation and the company had promised to have already signed one by now.
John Ibbotson, at Retail Vision, said: 'In many ways Ocado's technology is its greatest asset, but despite the company reportedly courting international suitors like Carrefour and Safeway, it has still been unable to sell its systems overseas.
'Rumours of Amazon buying Ocado for its fresh distribution network remain just that.
'While it is just about holding its own against the Big Four supermakets' online operations, Ocado's leaders need to decide what it is - a grocer or a technology firm.'
The retailer said: 'Despite not signing a first deal in 2015, discussions with multiple potential international partners continue and our confidence in signing a deal remains high.'
Ocado was founded by three former Goldman Sachs bankers - Jason Gissing, Jonathan Faiman and current chief executive Tim Steiner - in 2000 at the peak of the dotcom boom. Steiner is the only one still at the business.
Top job: Anne Richards has been appointed as the 4.6million-a-year boss of M&G
A former nuclear physicist has been entrusted to run almost 250billion of savings and investments, becoming one of the most powerful women in the City.
Anne Richards has been appointed as the 4.6million-a-year boss of M&G, the investment arm of insurance giant Prudential.
She will replace Mike McLintock, who has taken early retirement at 54 after running M&G for almost two decades.
M&G which looks after has 247billion of funds under management and 1,900 staff has poached Richards from its troubled rival Aberdeen Asset Management.
Richardss appointment, which will take effect later this year, makes the 51-year-old mother-of-two arguably the most influential women in the UKs giant fund management industry.
She began her career in Geneva as one of the youngest ever research assistants at Cern, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.
There, in a tunnel 300 feet under the border between Switzerland and France, the ambitious 22-year-old electronics and engineering graduate worked on the Large Electron-Positron Collider, the predecessor of the Large Hadron Collider.
Deciding particle physics was not for her she took a business degree in France and fell into fund management, eventually becoming chief investment officer of Aberdeen Asset Management in 2003 via stints at JP Morgan, Mercury Asset Management and Edinburgh Fund Managers.
Her defection caps a miserable spell for the emerging markets specialist which has haemorrhaged money as the slowdown in China has spooked investors.
Richards was an important figure at Aberdeen as it was buoyed by fast-growing emerging markets.
But nervous savers withdrew 34billion from Aberdeens funds in the year to the end of September, and another 9.4billion in the final three months of last year.
Furious investors protested at the lavish bonuses paid to executives, with 34 per cent rejecting its remuneration report at the annual general meeting last week.
Aberdeen, which is trying to slash 50million from its budget, said there would not be a direct replacement for Richards who was paid 1.9million last year. Instead her responsibilities will be shared by senior staff, including Hugh Young, who heads up the firms equities, fixed income and property businesses.
Aberdeens founder Martin Gilbert said: While we are sorry to lose Anne we are delighted that one of our colleagues should have been appointed to such an important role in the industry.
Her appointment received the thumbs up from Mark Dampier, head of research at pensions and investments giant Hargreaves Lansdown.
He said: This seems like a cracking appointment for M&G and will be a big loss for Aberdeen. She is an investment person. McLintock was not, although he has done a good job. Richards also joins at a testing time for M&G, which suffered from 11billion of outflows in the year to the end of November.
M&G has developed a reputation for lavishing its executives and fund managers with huge pay packages.
It paid 17.5million to fund manager Richard Woolnough last year despite generating disappointing returns for his investors. McLintock received a 5.6million package.
Richards will also benefit from this largesse. She will receive a basic salary of 400,000 but will be able to earn up to six times this amount or 2.4million as an annual bonus if she hits performance targets. There is also a long term shares award of up to 1.8million on offer.
This adds up to a maximum package of 4.6million, plus other perks such as pensions and insurance which were not disclosed yesterday.
Despite her considerable wealth, Richards appears to have relatively modest tastes. She drives a Kia Picanto hatchback, and likes to tend to her vegetable allotment in her spare time.
Over 95,000 Royal Mint coins are going on 'trial' in London today to ensure they are the correct weight, size and quality - and to make sure the public aren't being short-changed by scrimping or short-cuts.
In a 750-year old process known as the 'Trial of the Pyx', thousands of Royal Mint coins produced over the past year will be srcutinised, with the process presided over by the Queen's Remembrancer and an independent 'jury.'
The trial is then 'adjourned' until May, allowing the coins to be tested by Goldsmith's Assay Laboratory and the National Measurement and Regulation Office.
Trial: The Trial of the Pyx event held at Goldsmith's Hall in London today
The trial is then reconvened and the jury is asked for its verdict. Marginal deviations have been recorded in previous trials, but a total failure would be unprecedented.
Accompanied by the full pomp and circumstance of a process dating back to 1282, the Trial of the Pyx is taking place today at the Goldsmith's Hall in London.
The Queen is represented by the current Remembrancer, Barbara Fontaine, adorned in a long wig and tricorne hat. Dating back to the twelfth century, the Queen's Remembrancer is Britain's oldest judicial post.
Duties: Queen's Remembrancer Barbara Fontaine
An independent jury of City of London Liverymen from Goldsmiths' Company also attends the trial. Typically, the jury consists of leaders in the financial world and at least six assayers from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
At the trial, jury members are presented with Pyx boxes, named after the Roman word for chest. A random selection of coins are then picked and weighed in wooden bowls, before being taken for for further laboratory testing until May.
In arguably more stringent times, the penalty for coins failing the test was incarceration. The master of the Mint - a role now held by Chancellor George Osborne today - went to prison for six weeks in 1318 after sub-standard test results.
Even the great and the good have not been immune from the jury's scrutiny. Sir Isaac Newton, former Master of the Royal Mint, once flew into a rage when his integrity was questioned over incompatibility between the coins presented for trial in comparison to the benchmark Pyx Plates.
Trial: Accompanied by the full pomp and circumstance of a process dating back to 1282, the Trial of the Pyx is taking place today at the Goldsmith's Hall in London (pictured)
Checks: An independent jury of City of London Liverymen from Goldsmiths' Company attended today's trial
Among the thousands of coins being tested is the 2015 one kilo coin of the Queen to celebrate her role as Britain's longest reigning monarch. When it was available, the gold coin was being sold for 42,500 on Royal Mint's website.
Other coins facing trial by jury include five coins each depicting portraits of the Queen over her reign.
In terms of why the trial is deemed important, a spokeswoman from the Royal Mint told This is Money: 'Today with the growing use of automated vending machines and increasing counterfeit activity, the accuracy and integrity of the United Kingdom coinage is as important to the public today as it was when the Trial of the Pyx was first held nearly 800 years ago.
'Whilst modern methods such as XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) are often used in assaying, it is still only the old methods such as cupellation (the fire-assaying of gold) and titration (the chemical analysis of silver), that have been in use for centuries, that are accurate enough in the assaying of metals and therefore remain credible and reliable enough for testing the coins of the realm for accuracy.'
Stringent tests: In arguably more stringent times, the penalty for coins failing the test was incarceration
Last month, This is Money told the experience of a reader who tried and failed to cash in over 29,000 worth of Royal Mint coins at a bank.
Despite promoting the coins on its website as legal tender, the Royal Mint staged a crackdown and told banks not to accept them - and the legal definition of the phrase means they do not have to.
In a letter obtained by This is Money from the Royal Mint to a number of banks, Royal Mint said: 'The coins are issued for commemorative purposes only and are not intended to be used as cash.'
Rigourous: Even the great and the good have not been immune from the jury's scrutiny. Sir Isaac Newton, one of the world's greatest scientific thinkers, was at loggerheads with the jury during his time as master of the Mint when the integrity of his coin samples were questioned
Staff with nine months or more service to get pay rise of 'up to 3.1%'
Tesco has confirmed it is cutting pay for certain staff working Sundays, bank holidays, late nights and overtime but claimed today that most staff will enjoy pay rises of up to 3.1 per cent.
As part of a two-year deal on pay, staff affected by the reductions in pay for working anti-social hours will get a one-off lump sum 'transition payment' worth 18 months of the difference in pay.
The supermarket giant also announced a pay rise of up to 3.1 per cent for all 'established' colleagues across its UK stores from July.
Pay deal: Tesco has confirmed it is cutting pay for certain staff working Sundays, nights and bank holidays by 25 per cent to time-and-a-half instead of double time
A spokesman for Tesco told This is Money the pay rise of up to 3.1 per cent and an hourly wage of at least 7.62 an hour will go to staff who have been with the retailer for nine months or more.
Around ninety per cent of Tesco's staff affected by the plans will get the full 3.1 per cent rise, with the rest getting 'something very close to that', the spokesman said.
Staff who have been with the supermarket for less than nine months and currently earning 7.02 an hour will see their pay rise to the imminent National Living Wage of 7.20 an hour next month. In July, this hourly rate will rise to 7.24 an hour, Tesco said.
According to Tesco, a 'small minority' of its long-serving staff currently receive double time for working nights, Sundays and bank holidays. The 'vast majority', it says, already only receive time-and-a-half for working these hours.
Today's announcement means that loyal, long-standing staff working anti-social hours and accustomed to getting double pay for doing so will see their pay cut by 25 per cent to time-and-a-half.
Among the staff who currently work Sundays, nights and bank holidays, around 15 per cent will see their 'premium payments' cut from July, the supermarket's spokesman said. Tesco would not give an exact number of those set to suffer from the reductions.
Britain's biggest supermarket told This is Money that the changes represented a 'significant investment', meaning its overall wage bill will go up rather than down.
Pay rise: A spokesman for Tesco told This is Money the pay rise of up to 3.1 per cent and an hourly wage of at least 7.62 an hour will go to staff who have been with the retailer for nine months or more
The two-year pay deal was drawn up after the supermarket 'worked with' the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.
Matt Davies, Tesco UK and ROI CEO said: 'Weve spent a lot of time working with Usdaw and colleague representatives to understand whats important to colleagues.
'Together, weve agreed one of the highest pay and benefits packages in retail for store colleagues, and introduced a simpler and fairer pay structure, including one approach to premium payments.
'As well as an increase in pay which puts our hourly rate well above the Governments National Living Wage, we remain absolutely committed to rewarding our colleagues with a pay and benefits package they really value, including a pension, colleague discount and 5% turnaround bonus.'
In charge: Tesco's chief executive Dave Lewis
On Sunday, This is Money revealed Tesco's proposed overtime pay cuts. According to an anonymous whistleblower, the pay deal was agreed behind closed doors with the Usdaw union.
On an online forum, 'Very Little Helps', one user said: 'Loyalty and commitment means nothing to Tesco any more, we are all just a number sold down the river.'
Tesco has suffered a turbulent few years as it battles to cling on to its majority share of the grocer market.
Last week, Groceries Code Adjudicator Christine Tacon concluded that Tesco 'seriously' breached an industry code by delaying payments to suppliers.
'Extensive evidence' revealed Tesco 'intentionally delayed' payments to suppliers in order to make its own financial position look better than it was, Ms Tacon said.
On Friday, Tesco announced it is reducing opening hours at some of its 24-hour stores as not enough shoppers are coming through the doors at night.
Seventy-six out of the 400 stores currently open around the clock would be affected by the change: they will now close at midnight and reopen again at 6am.
As one of the busiest and most popular chefs in France, Mohammed Safi is convinced he can be the next culinary sensation in Britain.
The 37-year-old runs the Afghan Restaurant in the Calais Jungle the vast camp in northern France where thousands of UK-bound refugees have set up temporary homes.
On any day, he can serve up to 500 people quickly and efficiently, producing meals that are described by most of his diners as outstanding - and they pay whatever they can afford.
Culinary sensation: Mohammed Safi, from Kunduz, in Afghanistan, dreams of setting up a restaurant in Birmingham and bringing his wife and six children over from their war-torn hometown
Entrepreneur: The restaurant owner and his friend Sulta Stankal (pictured), 36, manage to serve up to 500 people a day at their makeshift diner in the Jungle migrant camp in Calais
Yes, I do get compliments, and that shows I know what I am doing, said Mohammed, who comes from Kunduz, the city in northern Afghanistan.
It was attacked by the Taliban last year, and continues to be the scene of regular battles, meaning nobody is safe.
I have a wife and six children there, but we have no future in Afghanistan, said Mohammed, whose dream is to open a second restaurant in Birmingham.
To be honest, the one here in Calais is very temporary, he said. I spend the morning and much of the afternoon cooking and serving, but devote my evenings to getting to Britain.
All I want is a stable future, and once I achieve asylum in Britain, then getting my family into Britain will be the priority.
Then we can concentrate on opening the best Afghan restaurant in Britain. It will be a dream come true.
Dream: The pair earn hundreds of euros a day with their meals, although diners are left to decide for themselves how much they can afford to pay to eat there
Make-shift: The kitchen were Mohammed and Sulta make all their meals, which are popular with both Afghan migrants and others from all different nationalities
Mohammed arrived in Calais last year with his friend, Sulti Stankal, 36. This was a time when the Jungle was expanding every day, and permanent wooden structures were going up.
We took over one and set up the restaurant, said Mohammed. We buy food from local wholesalers, and some deliver to the camp itself.
All I want is a stable future, and once I achieve asylum in Britain, then getting my family into Britain will be the priority. Mohammed Safi
Our specialities are chicken and lamb dishes, but we also do plenty of traditional vegetarian meals. There is space for people to sit down and enjoy their food with friends, while others take away.
Cost is up to the diners. People give us what they can afford we can make a few hundred euros a day, but sometimes it is a lot less. Our priority is to keep as many people as possible happy and well fed.
The wholesalers charge Mohammed very little for his custom, and it is believed although Mohammed wouldnt confirm that Halal butchers run by local Muslims give away their ageing stock for free.
Although the entrepreneurs can make several hundred euros a day, on a bad day they can earn as little as five euros.
A speciality of the house is Kabuli Palaw, the Afghan dish made up of rice mixed with carrots, raisins and lamb.
Its very popular indeed, and not just among Afghans, said Mohammed. People from lots of other nationalities come here, and they often choose it.
Favourite: Mohammed's speciality is a Kabuli Palaw, an Afghan dish made up of rice mixed with carrots, raisins and lamb
Business: There are around 10 eating establishments set up by migrants in the camp, which range from a kebab stand to other more formal restaurants
Making money: Any profits which men like Mohammed earn with their restaurants are put towards their and their families journeys to Britain
Mohammed said he was threatened by the Taliban back in Afghanistan, and endured a long journey to France, much of it overland.
It was a long, hard trip, but this is the final stage, he said. Im confident it wont be long before Im over in England and ready to start a new life.
The Afghan is one of around 10 restaurants in the Jungle, which range from a kebab stall to more formal establishments.
Any profits which men like Mohammed make are put towards paying for their stay in France, and their eventual journeys to Britain.
The Jungle migrant camp in Calais is believed to be home to some 6,000 asylum-seekers, who have arrived after fleeing war-torn countries including Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea.
Brother and sister dream of a cure, but doctors insist there is no treatment
A brother and sister in India suffer from a rare condition that leaves them looking many years older - just like Brad Pitts Benjamin Button film.
Keshav Kumar, 18 months, and his sister Anjali Kumari, seven, have wrinkled skin, suffer pain in their joints and swollen faces.
The siblings are teased for their looks and are often stared at on the streets. They dream of looking like other children their own age - but doctors say their condition has no cure.
Little Anjali told MailOnline how she gets called names at school.
She said: I know Im different from others my age. I have a different kind of face, a different body, different everything.
'I have a swollen face while the rest of the world looks normal. People always stare at me and pass bad comments.
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Wrinkled: Anjali Kumari (left), seven, and her 18-month-old brother Keshav Kumar (right), from Ranchi, in Jharkhand, eastern India, suffer from a rare skin condition that leaves them looking like pensioners
'The children in school call me names like daadi Amma (grandmother), budhiya (old lady), bandariya (monkey), or hanuman (a Hindu monkey lord) and it annoys me. I want to be treated like a normal kid and I want to be accepted for who I am.
I really wish I could look as pretty as my sister. My parents hope that I will be okay one day but it makes me feel sad that my family suffer and feel embarrassed because of me. My only wish is for a cure. I want to live a long pain free life.
The siblings suffer from a rare form of Progeria as well as a disease called Cutis Laxa, which doctors in India say is incurable.
The siblings live with their father, Shatrughan Rajak, 40, mother Rinki Devi, 35, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and their older sister daughter Shilpi, 11, who do not have the disease.
Father Shatrughan, a laundry man earning 4,500 Rupees a month (45), said: We dream there is a cure for my children.
Teased: The siblings' parents are desperate for a cure, to put an end to their children's painful joints, swollen faces and sagging skin
'Old': Their parents Shatrughan Rajak, 40 and wife Rinki Devi, 35, described how the children are teased by people in the community, which they said was 'heartbreaking'
Desperate: Tiny Keshav Kumar, just 18 months old, grabs a handful of the sagging skin on his stomach in his little fist. But both their parents and their older sister Shilpi are completely normal
Unusual: Doctors believe the two children suffer from a rare genetic disease which makes them appear as though they have aged prematurely
Benjamin Button: Their condition is similar to the story of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where Brad Pitt's character is born as an old man and ages in reverse, growing younger throughout the film
Film: The children look much older than they really are due to their rare condition, which resembles the plot of the film starring Brad Pitt
'People in our community call them old and its heartbreaking. Weve tried to get help from our local doctors but they have told us our only hope is from overseas.
After Rinki gave birth to her first daughter Shilpi, they were quick to build their family, but when Anjali, their second, was just six months old she was rushed to hospital with pneumonia.
After she recovered from, the moisture in her body just seemed to dry up and her skin loosened, added Shatrughan.
PROGERIA - THE SKIN CONDITION THAT CAUSES CHILDREN TO AGE SO QUICKLY THEY RARELY LIVE BEYOND 13 Progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), is a rare genetic condition that causes a childs body to age faster than it should. Most children with the condition which affects just one in every 4million births worldwide dont live past the age of 13. It is caused by a single mistake in a particular gene, which causes it to make abnormal protein. When cells use this protein, called progerin, they break down more easily. Progerin builds up in many cells of children with progeria, thereby causing them to age more quickly. Although most children with the condition appear healthy when they are born, they start to show signs of the disease during their first year. Initial symptoms include a bigger head, large eyes, a small lower jaw, a thin nose with a beaked tip, ears that stick out, visible veins, slow and abnormal tooth growth and hair loss. Advertisement
We took her back to our doctor at a government hospital but they said theres no cure for her and her life was in the lords hand.
They added they will let me know if theres a cure but I never heard from them again. Ever since shes aged very quickly.
But five years later Shatrughan and Rinki decided to have another child, a boy Keshav was born, and in time they noticed he too suffered the same condition as his sister.
We havent taken Keshav to any doctor because we know he has the same as his sister, Shatrughan said.
Were a poor family and doctor visits are expensive. They couldnt do anything for Anjali so we knew they couldnt do anything for Keshav either.
Their sister Shilpi, 11, is very protective of her siblings - and said: I hate it when people tease them.
'I get very upset but theres nothing I can say, what do I say back to these cruel kids? I will be here for them forever but I just wish them the best education so that they are never dependent on anyone for anything as they grow up. I will teach them to be strong.
Anjali already experiences ailments usually suffered by pensioners. Her joints hurt, she has breathing issues, her skin is sagging and her eye sight is poor. And due to her low immunity she picks up illnesses quickly.
The children's condition is similar to the story of Hollywood film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in which Brad Pitt's character is born as an old man and ages in reverse, growing younger during the film.
While Anjali goes to school and is very aware of her unusual condition, Keshav is too young to notice.
Mother Rinki, 35, said: I massage Anjalis legs all the time, shes always in pain. It breaks my heart to see my kids this way. Anjali keeps asking when will she be like her sister. Shes very much aware and is affected by her appearance.
Vulnerable: Along with wrinkled skin, the illness brings with it other symptoms of old age - such as joint pain, breathing difficulties, poor eyesight and low immunity. Pictured, Anjali with her mother Rinki
Family: The children's parents Shatrughan Rajak, 40 and wife Rinki Devi, 35, are very protective of their small children, as is their older sister Shilpi, 11. The family is desperate to find a cure for the two siblings
Shatrughan spends over 500 Rupees (5) a month on homeopathic treatment for Anjali and Keshav but it doesnt seem to be having much affect.
I can just about afford homeopathic medicines which I hope eases their ailments but I just cant afford allopathic medicines, he added.
I just hope someone can give us some answers. I am helpless. I feel very sad that I do not know what to do to help my children. I see them ageing faster than me and there is nothing I can do about it. It breaks my heart. I am praying for a miracle.
Dr Kailash Prasad, a child specialist at a government hospital in Ranchi examined the siblings and said: This looks like a genetic disease and most likely to be Progeria.
'The other possibility is Cutis Laxa. The complications in the two are more or less the same. It is an extremely rare disorder.
Upset: Little Anjali, who dreams of being an engineer, said she only wants to be treated like a normal child. She said children in school call her names like 'Grandma', 'Monkey' and 'Old Lady'
Afflicted: While Anjali goes to school and is very aware of her unusual condition, Keshav is too young to notice
Siblings: Anjali Kumari, 7, poses for a picture with her sister Shilpi Kumari, 11, at their home in Ranchi, India
Complications: Doctors believe that the children suffer from a rare disorder called Progeria, which is extremely unusual and also untreatable
Theyre stable as of now but theyre very prone to issues due to their low immunity. The old age symptoms have already started and the risk of heart attack, chest infections, arthritis and so on is growing in them which usually comes in old age for a normal person.
Professor Ted Brown, Geneticist Director at NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, in New York, is an expert in developmental disabilities and often assists the Progeria Research Foundation.
File photo of Bruce Kelley Jr., 37, who was shot and killed by police after killing a police dog in a brawl in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania
Police in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania shot and killed a man Sunday after he fatally stabbed a police dog, officials said.
Bruce Kelley Jr., 37, was killed after Port Authority police officers approached Kelley and his father drinking beer out of open containers on Wood Street near the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway in Wilkinsburg outside of Pittsburgh, police told Daily Mail Online.
Kelley Jr. and his father Bruce Kelley Sr., 60, who were both said to be homeless, began fighting with the officers after being asked for identification, police said.
The younger Kelley walked away from police, and then rushed a male officer, according to the Associated Press.
The officer tried to subdue Kelley Jr. using pepper spray, but backed off after he realized the man was armed with a 14-inch folding knife, police said.
After a female officer tried to grab Kelley Jr., his father allegedly struck her across the face. According to a complaint seen by the Associated Press, the elder Kelley knocked loose the officer's radio and name tag.
The complaint said Kelley Sr. was charged with possession of brass knuckles, but it was unclear if he used them in the fight with the officer.
Aren, a 5-year-old police dog, was stabbed to death on Sunday while on duty in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania
Police then tried to bring Kelley Jr. under control by using a Taser, but failed because the man was wearing several layers of clothing.
A third officer arrived at the scene and deployed his K-9 partner, a 5-year-old German shepherd named Aren.
The police dog was fatally stabbed in the head by Kelley Jr. who was then shot multiple times, police said.
A spokesperson for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office told Daily Mail Online Kelley Jr. died from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper chest.
Kelley Sr. was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and other charges, police said.
The Port Authority police dog was not wearing a protective vest although they are available at the department, a spokesperson said.
'Aren was not wearing a vest at the time of this incident. However, a vest would not have helped as he suffered a fatal head wound,' Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph told Daily Mail Online.
A memorial service for Aren was tentatively scheduled for Thursday morning at the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on Pittsburgh's North Shore.
Aren was a German shepherd that had been serving with the Port Authority police department in Allegheny County for four years
Bruce Kelley Sr., 60, was arrested after he fought with police in a brawl that ended with the death of his son and a police dog
A US army general said indiscriminate bombing campaigns against ISIS would be both illegal and against American values Monday, tacitly rebuking comments made by Republican presidential contenders Donald Trump and Ted Cruz during their campaigns for the GOP nomination.
'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 via video.
'Indiscriminate bombing where we don't care if we are killing innocents or combatants is just inconsistent with our values,' MacFarland said.
Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland speaks via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq as Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook listens during a media briefing Monday
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.
During a rally in Iowa in November, Trump said he would 'bomb the s*** out of' ISIS if he were elected president.
'I'd blow up every single inch. There would be nothing left,' Trump said.
At another Iowa event the following month, Cruz said he would 'carpet bomb' the jihadist group 'into oblivion' if elected.
'I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out,' Cruz continued.
Donald Trump, left, and Ted Cruz, right, have both called for indiscriminate bombing against ISIS
The US claims only 21 civilians have been killed by airstrikes in 18 months, but critics say the civilian death count is in the hundreds
The general compared this kind of tactic to the aerial campaign waged by Russia in Syria's north.
'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.
Critics say the civilian death count could be much higher than what the US administration claims.
For example, the British-based monitoring group AirWars estimates at least 880 civilians have been killed by coalition airstrikes.
MacFarland claimed the anti-ISIS 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.
'That's their estimate and we are looking at that,' he said, though he noted he was looking at a range of 'accelerants' to increase the speed of the fight.
Among the options currently being considered are the deployment of additional Western trainers to help ready Iraqi security forces for what will likely be a complex, difficult battle.
Four former Blackwater security guards who were found guilty in a deadly Baghdad shooting have appealed their convictions on Monday.
The men argued that a key witness against them had changed his testimony after the trial and that prosecutors lacked jurisdiction to even bring the case.
The appeals, long expected, represent the latest legal volley in a criminal case that's spanned years in Washington's federal court and that concluded with guilty verdicts following a monthslong trial in 2014.
Four former Blackwater security guards have all appealed their convictions for their roles in the shooting that left 14 Iraqis dead, from left, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nicholas Slatten and Paul Slough
Nicholas Slatten, 32, who is serving a life sentence on a charge of first-degree murder, filed a separate brief saying the prosecution against him was 'vindictive' and that the jury didn't have sufficient evidence for a murder conviction.
Three other former guards, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Herd, were found guilty of manslaughter and firearms charges carrying mandatory 30-year sentences.
Slatten's appeal raises multiple legal arguments, including that the jury didn't have enough evidence to find him guilty of murder.
The case arose from the Nisour shooting in 2007 that that prosecutors say left 14 civilians dead at the crowded traffic circle in downtown Baghdad.
Slatten received a life sentence for his role in the deadly shooting while the others received 30 years
The shooting strained international relations and drew scrutiny to the role of American contractors in war-torn Iraq.
Amid an international outcry the FBI launched a criminal probe into what soon become known as 'Baghdad's Bloody Sunday'.
Slatten was accused of firing the first shots and convicted of first-degree murder.
The two sides presented the jury with radically different accounts of the events: Prosecutors described the killings as a one-sided ambush of unarmed civilians, while defense lawyers said the guards opened fire only after a white Kia sedan seen as a potential car bomb threat began moving quickly toward their convoy.
Central to the appeal is a witness who defense lawyers say changed his account of what happened in a way that undermines the government's narrative.
The witness, an Iraqi traffic officer, testified that the killings were unprovoked and that the driver of the Kia was killed by the first shots that were fired.
But just before the sentencing hearing last April, the same witness submitted a statement saying that the driver of the Kia was alive when the shooting started.
The judge refused to grant the men a new trial, but the defense team said the new account dismantled the prosecution's theory.
'This evidence eviscerated the government's case and would have led to acquittals,' defense lawyers wrote. 'The district court abused its discretion by denying a new trial.'
Prosecutors will have a chance to respond to the filings before a federal appeals court hears arguments. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office declined to comment Monday.
Slatten (standing left) with his team during his first tour in Iraq in 2003. He qualified as a sniper and and rose to the rank of sergeant by the time he left after his second tour of duty
Defense lawyers also challenged the federal law under which the case was brought the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act saying it was meant to hold Defense Department contractors accountable for crimes committed overseas.
The Blackwater guards were in Iraq as State Department contractors and were responsible for providing security to State Department personnel.
At the time of the shooting, defense lawyers say, the guards were attempting to find a secure route back for a U.S. diplomat.
Slatten (standing, third from left) with other members of the 82nd Airborne. Slatten has always maintained that he didn't fire at the Kia and that another guard was responsible
'They were acting under Embassy, not military, supervision, and were not participating in any military operation or supporting any Defense Department mission,' the lawyers wrote.
The controversial security firm was hired by the State Department to protect American diplomats amid the spiraling insurgency.
Slatten and his colleagues have always insisted they were acting in self-defense when the bloodshed erupted in Baghdad's Nisour Square.
He insisted he didn't fire at the Kia and that another guard was responsible for the bullets that killed its driver and passenger.
The guards were first indicted in 2008, but a judge later threw out the case. The Justice Department then secured a fresh indictment in 2013.
However Peach said same-sex marriage is more ethical than one between two college sophomores
The Emerson College students have since admitted it was a joke
Two students who got engaged at a Ted Cruz rally have admitted the romantic moment was actually a protest at the Republican presidential hopeful's stance on gay marriage.
The Texas senator, who won the Iowa caucuses with all most 27 percent of the GOP vote, was walking among a crowd on Sunday when Arden Jurskis got down on one knee and popped the question to Kenzy Peach.
She said yes, prompting the candidate to hug the pair and raise his hands up to the sky in mid-clap, but the Emerson College Sophomores have said it was 'spur of the moment' and a 'demonstration of values and activism'.
Cruz believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. Jurskis, who was wearing a 'Ted Cruz For President' T-shirt when he 'proposed' is a man. Peach is a woman.
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'The dupe of a lifetime': Kenzy Peach (with the red hair) has admitted her 'engagement' to Emerson College classmate Arden Jurskis at a Ted Cruz rally on Sunday was actually a protest against his stance on gay marriage. She posted this picture of the moment on Facebook after the event
The Texas senator, who won the Iowa caucuses with all most 27 percent of the GOP vote, was walking among a crowd on Sunday when Jurskis got down on one knee and popped the question to Peach. He then embraced the pair and congratulated them
But Peach told the Boston Globe same-sex marriage is more ethical than the marriage of two college sophomores.
While waiting in line for a picture with Cruz, Peach suddenly thought to herself: 'I know what we have to do.'
She pulled Jurskis aside, and told him to propose when Cruz got close.
Jurskis said he asked the candidate for help, and they created a moment that quickly went viral.
'He gave us the biggest hug I think I have ever received in my entire life,' said Jurskis.
A video of them celebrating was then posted on Twitter by NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard.
The picture was covered in various news outlets, but Peach revealed the true motivation behind the 'proposal' when she posted a picture on Facebook alongside the message: 'The dupe of a lifetime.'
The pair have both admitted they feel bad for Cruz after the trick and said they would rather he win than Donald Trump, who had to accept second place on Monday night.
Jurskis told The Globe: 'Im OK with Cruz being the Republican guy, after meeting and seeing the rest of the candidates.'
The students are on a school trip at the caucuses and have been up close and personal with many of the candidates.
Jurskis has posted a number of selfies with many Republican candidates, including Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush on his Facebook.
On Monday night he was at Democratic candidate Bernie Sander's event, where supporters watched the race against Hillary Clinton go down to the wire.
Cruz believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. But Peach, pictured with GOP candidate Rick Santorum (center) and Jurskis (left), insists same-sex marriage is more ethical than wedlock between two college sophomores
Jurskis has posted a number of selfies with many Republican candidates, Jeb Bush on his Facebook. With this picture he uploaded the message 'BFFs'
Officials have not even called the race between the pair in what has been deemed the closest caucus in history.
Alongside a selfie with Sanders, Jurskis wrote: 'I shook this man's hand and I want him to be president more than anything else in the entire world.'
In one snap with Carly Fiorina, he wrote alongside the image: 'Look guys! I met Satan!'
Peach, who is studying political communication, says her dream is to be a writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert while Jurskis would like to be Colbert himself.
Cruz celebrated his Iowa win with a passionate embrace with wife Heidi on Monday night as a dejected Trump clan headed on to New Hampshire,
Polls favorite Trump finished the Iowa caucuses in second place on Monday night, losing the first presidential contest of the year to the Texas Senator, who ended up with 28 percent of the Republican votes to the New York billionaire's 24 percent. Marco Rubio finished in third with better-than-expected 23 percent of the votes.
Following his victory in Iowa, Cruz took aim at the media and the establishment for not predicting his win.
On Monday night he was at Democratic candidate Bernie Sander's event, where supporters watched the race against Hillary Clinton go down to the wire
Jurskis also got Donald Trump, who he referred to as 'Donnie' to sign his hat because, 'I told him I would caucus for him and get all my friends to caucus for him'
Peach, who is studying political communication, says her dream is to be a writer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
'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.
An emotional Cruz, who was joined on stage at the Elwell Center in Iowa State Fair, by his wife, parents, and young daughters quoted the scripture and acknowledged the role of the religious right in propelling him to victory.
'To God be the glory. God bless the great state of Iowa,' he said. 'Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for the greatest conservatives across Iowa. Tonight the state of Iowa has spoken.'
In what appeared to be a sideswipe at Trump, he added: 'Iowa has sent a note that the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media. He will not be chosen by the Washington establishment [or] by the lobbyistsbut will be chosen by the most incredible powerful force, where all sovereignty resides in this nation by we the people.'
The US Justice Department is launching an investigation into the San Francisco police's use of excessive force after a 26-year-old black man was shot dead in December.
Hundreds of protestors marched through the city on Saturday to demand the resignation of its police chief Greg Suhr after a video of Mario Woods' death went viral.
While the announcement did not specifically refer to Woods' case, similar probes were launched in Baltimore, Ferguson and Chicago following fatal incidents involving African Americans.
Police were out in numbers on Saturday, when hundreds turned out to a protest in San Francisco after a 26-year-old black man Mario Woods was killed in a hail of police bullets in December.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch (left) said the Justice Department would review the San Francisco police's policies, training practices and accountability systems. The police department previously defended the conduct of its officers, saying Woods (pictured right) was suspected in an earlier stabbing, armed with a knife and refusing to drop his weapon.
Video footage revealed Mario Woods as he was reportedly hit 20 times by the five cops, who claim he refused commands to drop an 8-inch knife he was carrying
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement: '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'.
Carried out by the Justice Department's community policing division, the independent inquiry aims to ensure 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.
It read: 'In regards to the Mario Woods case, there are three ongoing active investigations. The officers involved in the case are on paid administrative duties.'
The police department previously defended the conduct of its officers, saying Woodswas suspected in an earlier stabbing, armed with a knife and refusing to drop his weapon.
It said they fired their guns after failing to disarm him using non-lethal force.
Police in cities across the United States have been criticized for using excessive force while an ongoing national debate around allegations of racial bias has erupted following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, occured in Ferguson, Missouri.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee asking Lynch to open the review in the interest of transparency
Last week, Ferguson reached a deal with the Justice Department to reform its police force and court system.
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 whose spine was snapped while he was transported in the back of a police van.
In Chicago, an investigation into city police tactics was opened two months ago following the death of black teenager Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times as he was walking away from officers.
In many cases, video footage, often taken by dash cams or bystanders, have triggered probes.
The city of Cleveland, Ohio, pledged to overhaul its police force and aspire to 'bias-free' law enforcement last year, after a Justice Department investigation found that its police had engaged in a pattern of 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 toy gun on 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.
'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.
British forces may be prevented from detaining prisoners of war for more than a few days in case it breaches their human rights, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.
Troops could face a 'lethal Catch 22' in which they can neither hold enemy fighters or hand them over to authorities in case they are tortured, judges were told.
Instead, commanders would be forced to set militants free to potentially 'kill and maim' UK troops. The comments came at the start of a landmark legal case in which a convicted senior Taliban chief captured by British soldiers is suing the Ministry of Defence.
British forces may be prevented from detaining prisoners of war for more than a few days in case it breaches their human rights, the Supreme Court heard yesterday
Serdar Mohammed who was helping make roadside bombs to be used against UK troops maintains his human rights were breached because he was detained longer than 96 hours.
If he wins the case, hundreds of other insurgents held by British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than four days could all win substantial payouts.
Mohammed's case, taken on by controversial law firm Leigh Day, is the first to challenge the legal basis for UK detention and could have a major impact on every future war Britain fights in.
Ministry of Defence lawyer James Eadie QC said: 'It is a lethal Catch 22. If you cannot detain and you cannot transfer what are you going to do? The only alternative is to release. If you can't detain and can't transfer then you might not be able to capture in the first place.'
He added that a last resort would be 'derogation' from the European Convention on Human Rights when it comes to soldiers on the battlefield. British troops risked their lives in a fierce gun battle in Afghanistan in April 2010 to capture Mohammed alive.
The enemy combatant, who had traces of chemicals linked to bomb-making on his body, was treated as a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention. Under these rules, captives can be detained as long as it is justified as an 'imperative' for security.
But his lawyers argue that the European Convention on Human Rights, of which Britain is a signatory, should take precedence. Under Article 5, the right to liberty. detainees should not be held for longer than 96 hours.
Troops could face a 'lethal Catch 22' in which they can neither hold enemy fighters or hand them over to authorities in case they are tortured, judges were told
Taliban chief Serdar Mohammed's case, taken on by controversial law firm Leigh Day, is the first to challenge the legal basis for UK detention and could have a major impact on every future war Britain fights in
The Supreme Court heard that Mohammed was not transferred to the Afghan authorities until 106 days after his capture, when British personnel felt he would be treated fairly and put on trial.
He was later prosecuted in the Afghan courts and sentenced to 16 years in prison, which was reduced in an appeal to ten years.
For unknown reasons, he is now walking free after being reunited with his family in his home in the Kajaki district of Helmand.
Judges yesterday heard lawyers argue that he should not have been transferred to Afghan authorities because that would have been a breach of Article 3 of the Convention, which refers to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.
To comply, British soldiers would have been forced to release him even though he was deemed a high security threat.
Mr Eadie said: 'What are we meant to do with him after 96 hours? He was just as much a Taliban commander in the 97th hour as he was in the 96th hour.'
Detaining people was a 'lesser alternative to using lethal force against them', the court heard. There was also a 'humanitarian' reason for detaining Mohammed to prevent him being mistreated by local forces in detention camps.
As well as European law, Nato guidelines also say that suspects should only be detained for a maximum of 96 hours although the Government says there were many 'exceptional' circumstances. Defence Minister Penny Mordaunt earlier described the case as 'ludicrous'.
It is being held alongside the case of an Iraqi named Al Waheed, who was detained for six weeks in 2007. Mr Eadie said there was a 'similar dilemma' in Iraq.
The Mail has revealed how lawyers are pursuing thousands of claims against the MoD from both Iraq and Afghanistan, including criminal allegations of murder and civil claims to win compensation.
The crime-fighting gang hope to maintain a visible presence on the subways and Central Park after rise in crime
Seven people have been injured in knife-related attacks on stations or carriages just within the past month
Terrifying spree of slashing attacks on the subway has inspired the red-beret wearing vigilantes to resume patrols
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An infamous New York crime-fighting gang are back on patrol on the city's subways for the first time in more than 20 years after a series of attacks on passengers.
The Guardian Angels gained fame in the 1980s as they fought against rampant crime that was synonymous with New York City right up until the mid-nineties.
Now a terrifying spree of recent slashing attacks on the subways has prompted the red-beret wearing gang to resume their patrols as they fear the city is slipping back into its dark days of crime.
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Infamous New York crime-fighting gang The Guardian Angels - led by Curtis Sliwa (center) are back on patrol on the city's subways for the first time in more than 20 years after a series of attacks on passengers.
The Angels' return to Central Park follows an increase in subway slashings which has culminated in as many as seven attacks int he last month. Above, a Guardian Angel rides a subway car covered in graffiti in the 1980s
The subway was one of the most common spots to see Guardian Angels members in the 1980s. Above, the vigilantes chat on a carriage
'Riders are coming up and asking us: 'Please, you've got to come back in force,' Curtis Sliwa, who founded the group in 1979, told The New York Post. 'I think it's become obvious that the police need help, the MTA needs help. They can't handle it.'
Teams of 12 volunteers will now take morning or afternoon shifts to maintain a 24 hour presence on the carriages.
The Guardian Angels stopped patrolling the subways and Central Park in the 1990s after a increase in policing around the time Mayor Rudy Giuliani took office although they continued in parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx.
But the last year has seen a rise in violent crime across New York which has culminated in seven slashing attacks on the subway in the last month.
The Guardian Angels, an anti-crime vigilante group that came to prominence during the 1980s in New York, has returned to the subway. Above, the group founder Curtis Sliwa (center) lectures recruits
Last year has seen a rise in violent crime across New York, culminating in seven slashing attacks on the subway, which has inspired the gang to resume patrols
Members of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer community service organization, continued some patrols in parts of Queens (pictured in 2005) the Bronx and Brooklyn
Two men were attacked in Manhattan on Sunday in the latest attack; Colwin McGregor, 31, was taken to hospital after he was slashed in the face at around 3 a.m at West 110th Street and Lenox Avenue by another man following a dispute with a woman on the platform.
Then at 9pm the same day, a man's hand was sliced during a mugging on the C train as it pulled up at the 155th Street and St. Nichols Avenue station when he refused to hand over his wallet and cellphone, sources said. The victim was treated for minor wounds at New York-Presbyterian Hospital whilke his attacker fled.
Last Monday, a 71-year-old woman was slashed by a man on a train pulling into Manhattan's Broadway-Lafayette station. And the next day, a 29-year-old woman was cut on her hand when she bumped into a man who attacked her with a machete on a train in Brooklyn after they argued, police said.
Suspects have been arrested in both cases.
Knife attacks on the streets have also increased in recent months. Earlier in the month, a man was left partially paralyzed in the face when a stranger attacked him on an East Village street; a suspect was arrested.
Also in January, police caught up with a man they say slashed a woman in the face while she was walking to work in the Chelsea neighborhood. And another woman was robbed and slashed by three men at a Brooklyn subway station.
Authorities are looking for connections or possible copycats among the series of slashings that started in October with the apparently random attack on a guest in a Chelsea hotel. Police also reported four slashings in December, one in the subway and the rest on streets.
The civilian group worked to stop crimes during the high-crime hay day of New York in the late 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. Above, a Guardian Angel watches a passing subway car
The Guardian Angels began in 1979 and quickly expanded to other cities, welcomed by some people as a tough-minded neighborhood watch - but derided by others as loose-cannon, publicity-seeking vigilantes
Following a decline in stature due to Sliwa admitting to staging some early crime incidents, the group turned to other areas such as online safety education. Above, a patrol of Guardian Angels in 1980
The vigilante gang, who are instantly recognizable by their red berets, t-shirts and jackets, declined in stature after Sliwa admitted in 1992 that much of the group's early were fake crimes designed to generate publicity
The Guardian Angels (pictured circa 1980 in New York City) stopped patrolling the subways and Central Park in the 1990s after a increase in policing around the time Mayor Rudy Giuliani took office although they continued in parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx
The Guardian Angels declined in stature after Sliwa admitted in 1992 that much of the group's early were fake crimes designed to generate publicity, according to the New York Times.
Last fall Sliwa announced the vigilante gang, who are instantly recognizable by their red berets and jackets, would return to Central Park because of increased crime in the Park and a general rise in certain crimes such as a two per cent increase shootings this year.
The founder, who is also a talk radio host, portioned part of the blame on Mayor Bill de Blasio for being 'oblivious' to crime.
De Blasio says that the NYPD is still the best qualified force to take care of security in Central Park, which he calls 'absolutely safe'.
Though the urban oasis is still much safer than it once was, it saw 22 robberies as of August this year compared to 11 during the same period in 2014.
Grand larceny was also up 14 per cent from 29 to 34 this year, according to CBS New York. Shootings in the city at large have increased nine per cent in 2015, though serious crime as a whole has fallen five per cent.
Despite the recent increase, crime is still lower than two years ago. Overall crime since 1994 is down 80 per cent, including robberies and rapes.
'We realize things are much better than they were' Sliwa recently said. 'We want it to stay that way.'
He told The Daily Beast that his group's return to Central Park was more complicated than a general crime rise.
Sliwa said that the Rambles, a heavily forested area in the middle of the park, had also recently seen 'gay bashings'.
The area was a common place for gay men to meet up in the 1970s before society began embracing homosexuality.
Veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell yesterday came out in support of a Christian bakery company which refused to sell a cake with a gay rights slogan
Veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell yesterday came out in support of a Christian bakery company which refused to sell a cake with a gay rights slogan.
He said he had changed his mind about Ashers Bakery in Belfast, who were found to have broken anti-discrimination laws when they declined an order for a cake with the slogan support gay marriage.
The change of heart from one of the longest standing and most widely respected among gay campaigners came in advance of an appeal in the case which begins tomorrow.
The McArthur family who run the bakery are challenging the finding that they broke Northern Irelands anti-discrimination rules when they refused to sell the cake to activist Gareth Lee.
Mr Tatchell said: Much as I wish to defend the gay community, I also want to defend freedom of conscience, expression and religion.
As a result of the court ruling against the bakery, far right agitators could force Muslim printers to publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, or Jewish printers to reproduce Holocaust denial material, he added.
Will gay bakers have to accept orders for cakes with homophobic slurs? Mr Tatchell asked.
In the incident in question, Mr Lee ordered a 36.50 cake carrying the slogan, a picture of Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie, and the logo of the Queerspace pressure group.
District Judge Isobel Brownlie declared in May last year that the company had breached political and sexual orientation discrimination laws when it said it would not take the order.
The company was also told to pay 500 in compensation to Mr Lee. Northern Irelands fair commerce laws apply only in the province, but its sexual orientation regulations are similar to those that operate across the rest of Britain.
Mr Tatchell said in an article in the Guardian that he had initially supported Mr Lees claim and had appauded Judge Brownlies verdict.
But he added: I have changed my mind.
Refusing to facilitate a message in support of same-sex marriage is not sexuality discrimination. It is discrimination against an idea, not against a person.
The McArthur family who run the bakerywere found to have broken Northern Irelands anti-discrimination rules when they refused to sell the cake to activist Gareth Lee (pictured), who took them to court
The law against political discrimination was meant to protect people with differing political views, not to force others to further political views to which they conscientiously object.
The judges decision set a worrying precedent, Mr Tatchell said. It meant anyone selling a service had to promote any lawful message.
Mr Lee ordered a 36.50 cake carrying the slogan, a picture of Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie, and the logo of the Queerspace pressure group
This begs the question: Should a Muslim printer be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed or a Jewish one the words of a Holocaust denier? Will gay bakers have to accept orders for cakes with homophobic slurs?
If the current Ashers verdict stands it could, for example, encourage far right extremists to demand that bakeries and other service providers facilitate the promotion of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim opinions. It would leave businesses unable to refuse to decorate cakes, print posters and emblazon mugs with bigoted messages.
Mr Tatchell said: It is an infringement of freedom to require private businesses to aid the promotion of ideas to which they conscientiously object. Discrimination against people should be unlawful but not discrimination against ideas and opinions.
The intervention opens a major rift among equality campaigners. The Northern Ireland Equality Commission financed the case against Ashers, and the verdict against the company was hailed by local gay organisations.
However Mr Tatchell, 64, who first sprang to fame when as a left-wing Labour candidate he lost the partys once safe Bermondsey seat in 1983, has refused to follow poltical tramlines in recent years. He attracted support from across the spectrum after 1999 when he began a vigorous campaign against Zimbabwe ruler Robert Mugabe, championing all Zimbabweans rather than just the countrys gay population.
A North Carolina teen accused of planning a terrorist attack in support of ISIS has also been charged with killing his neighbor.
Justin Nojan Sullivan, 19, of Morganton, North Carolina, took a rifle from his father's gun cabinet and used it to kill his 74-year-old neighbor, prosecutors said.
The teenager, who is currently in federal custody awaiting trial, was arrested over the summer and accused of planning terrorist killings in the US.
Sullivan is facing seven charges related to terrorism, including attempting to provide material support to ISIS, several firearm charges and trying to hire someone to kill his parents, a federal indictment unsealed today showed.
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Justin Nojan Sullivan, 19 (left) is accused of murdering his 74-year-old neighbor John Bailey Clark (right) who was found dead and buried in his yard in December 2014
A grand jury indicted Sullivan on a murder charge today. An attorney for Sullivan declined to comment.
John Bailey Clark, Sullivan's neighbor, was found dead and buried in his yard in December 2014, the News Herald reported at the time.
Sullivan killed him with his father's rifle, which he later hid in a crawl space under his house, prosecutors said.
The FBI later found the rifle in the crawl space along with a black ski mask and a lock pick kit.
The teenager was arrested six months after Clark's death, in June 2015, for planning to kill 1,000 Americans in support of ISIS.
Sullivan's father first contacted federal authorities to tell them his son was destroying religious items in their home.
'I don't know if it is ISIS or what, but he is destroying Buddhas and figurines and stuff,' Sullivan's father, a former Marine, said according to the criminal complaint filed at the time. 'I mean, we are scared to leave the house.'
In the background of the call, his son was heard asking: 'Why are you trying to say I am a terrorist?'
Sullivan was arrested in June last year for plotting to kill up to 1,000 Americans in support of ISIS. He told an undercover FBI agents about his plans and tried to recruit the agent to assist in the attacks
In the months leading up to his arrest, Sullivan watched violent ISIS attacks such as beheadings on the Internet, today's indictment said.
When an undercover FBI employee made contact with Sullivan in early June 2015, the teen told him via email that he was a a Muslim convert, according to court documents.
'I liked IS from the beginning then I started thinking about death and stuff so I became Muslim,' he said, according to the complaint.
The teen also offered to pay the agent to kill his parents after they questioned him
Two days later, he said he wanted to kill 500 people but the next day said he wanted to kill 1,000 by using biological weapons, a gas bomb and bullets coated with cyanide.
'Even if we get someone in the arm they'll still die because of the poison,' he allegedly said. 'It's vengeance.'
Sullivan tried to recruit the undercover FBI employee to assist in the attacks and told him via social media that it was better to remain in the US to support ISIS, prosecutors said.
'Our attacks needs to be as big as possible,' he allegedly said. 'We can do minor assassinations before the big attack for training.'
He asked the agent to obtain weapons and said he was planning to buy a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle at an upcoming gun show in Hickory, North Carolina.
Sullivan then attempted to purchase hollow point ammunition to be used with the weapons he intended to purchase.
The teen had researched how to make silencers on the Internet and asked the FBI agent to build functional silencers that they could use to carry out the planned attacks, the indictment said.
He told the UCE he planned to carry out his attack in June at a concert, bar or club. He believed they could kill up to 1,000 people with the assault rifle and the silencer.
The silencer, which was built according to Sullivan's instructions, was delivered to him at home, where his mother opened the package.
Sullivan took the silencer from his mother and hid it in a crawl space under his house. When his parents questioned him about the silencer, Sullivan offered to pay the FBI agent to kill them.
He was arrested shortly after at his parents' home.
Trial is set for February 22 before US District Judge Martin Reidinger of the Western District of North Carolina.
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Ryan Bhogal's parents rushed him to a GP surgery 12 times and into hospital a further six times over concerns regarding his health, an inquest heard
A toddler died after doctors missed 35 opportunities to save his life despite 'red flag' signs of leukaemia.
Ryan Bhogal's parents rushed him to a GP surgery 12 times and into hospital a further six times over concerns regarding his health, an inquest heard.
The 20-month-old child had bleeding gums, bruising, a rash on his body, a lump on his head and he kept falling over.
But in the 10 months that he was taken to see medics by his parents Kulvinder and Jaspal Bhogal, blood tests were never carried out and doctors failed to realise that the little boy was suffering from leukaemia.
It was only two days before his death on September 11 last year that the deadly cancer was detected at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.
A coroner has now pledged to write to the GP surgery where Ryan, from Wolverhampton, was cared for in the run up to his death and has demanded for improvements to be made.
It came after GP Indira Wariyar, who saw Ryan four times at Raynor Road Medical Centre, in Wolverhampton, admitted there were 'missed opportunities' to help the toddler.
She said there had been a lack of medical continuity with Ryan's care admitting that had seen a number of doctors.
It also emerged that the cancer may have been detected earlier if blood tests had been taken when Ryan visited New Cross last August.
Fighting back tears as he described the last time he saw his son, Mr Bhogal, 42, said: 'Seeing him lying there attached to a machine was heartbreaking. I walked away from the ward with tears in my eyes. He was my world.'
Birmingham Children's Hospital consultant paediatric haematologist Dr Prashant Hiwarkar told the inquest at Smethwick Council House that, if leukaemia had been diagnosed early, a child's chance of survival would have been 40 to 60 per cent.
Dr Hirwarker told the court: 'If Ryan's gums were bleeding on August 9 and still red and bleeding on August 18 this would be a red flag for me.
After the inquest Ryan's aunt, Gurpal Bhogal, said the toddler had been 'failed' by the health service
A coroner has now pledged to write to the GP surgery where Ryan, from Wolverhampton, was cared for in the run up to his death and has demanded for improvements to be made
'I would have asked for a blood test. I believe you would have seen signs of an abnormal blood count in August.'
During the inquest Black Country coroner Zafar Siddique, said he was concerned about New Cross Hospital's lack of access to Ryan's GP records.
Giving a verdict of death by natural causes, Mr Siddique told the court: 'I will write to the GP practice to discuss the care of Ryan and, in particular, to continuity as he was seen by a number of different doctors.
'I will also write to New Cross Hospital. I have concerns about lack of access to GP medical records for patients which was certainly so in Ryan's case.
'I want improvements to be made.'
During the inquest Black Country coroner Zafar Siddique, said he was concerned about New Cross Hospital's lack of access to Ryan's GP records
After the inquest Ryan's aunt, Gurpal Bhogal, said the toddler had been 'failed' by the health service.
In a statement, she said: 'Raynor Road Medical Centre and New Cross Hospital failed Ryan time and time again.
'There was also a failure in that medical records at New Cross Hospital were not available.
'A simple blood test should have been carried out and there were many missed opportunities to do this.
'But this was never done. Lessons have to be learnt from this. However, we would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Birmingham Children's Hospital for the care Ryan received during his two days there.'
Britain is on course for a quick-fire June referendum after David Cameron and Brussels stitched together a deal designed to keep us inside the EU.
As a draft agreement is unveiled today, the Prime Minister will claim he has made great progress in securing ambitious changes to the terms of the UKs membership.
He will trumpet a red card system that would let Westminster block unnecessary or unwanted EU legislation, provided it can find at least 14 allies in Europe.
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Britain is on course for a quick-fire June referendum after David Cameron and Brussels stitched together a deal designed to keep us inside the EU
But Mr Camerons critics will argue that despite racking up thousands of air miles travelling to European capitals he has failed to deal with the most important issue of all securing control of Britains borders.
Crucially, the principle of freedom of movement remains untouched. Yet the PM had made limiting immigration a key issue when announcing his plans for a referendum in 2013.
European Council president Donald Tusk will officially publish a letter outlining the basis of the UKs deal in Brussels at noon today, including an emergency brake on the payment of benefits to EU workers.
The renegotiation, which follows eight months of what Eurosceptics have described as phoney rows, will be put to the vote at an EU summit in Brussels on February 18 or 19.
If passed, Number 10 will then be in the clear to hold a referendum in late June. Mr Cameron will spend the next few weeks aggressively promoting the deal, while insisting there are still hurdles to overcome at the summit. Last night, it was claimed Number 10 officials were already trying to persuade the bosses of leading FTSE companies to sign a letter backing the deal.
In the meantime, Cabinet ministers who want Britain to leave the EU will remain gagged fuelling fears of a stitch-up.
European Council president Donald Tusk (left) will officially publish a letter outlining the basis of the UKs deal in Brussels at noon today, including an emergency brake on the payment of benefits to EU workers
Downing Street officials trumpeted a deal under which MPs in Westminster will be able to join forces with parliamentarians in other EU countries to block EU legislation that does not serve our interests.
The red card system will be presented as a rabbit pulled from the hat during Mr Camerons months of talks. It secures a Tory election manifesto commitment.
The draft proposal says that if 55 per cent of national parliaments club together, they can block or amend proposed legislation.
But critics said Britain would require the support of 14 other states and could routinely be outmanoeuvred by the 19-country eurozone. Existing EU laws would not be affected.
A Number 10 source said: As the Prime Minister has said, it is national parliaments which are, and will remain, the true source of real democratic legitimacy and accountability in the EU and this breakthrough will ensure that national parliaments voices are heard loud and clear in Brussels.
Following intense discussions on the draft text throughout Monday in Brussels, further progress has been made and the president of the European Council has now confirmed that he will circulate the draft negotiating text to all member states today.
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, said: What the Government is asking for from the EU is trivial these proposals will not take back control from the EU
A period of intense negotiation will then begin with all the other member states, with the aim of securing their support for all the ambitious proposals, including this one on red cards.
But Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, said: What the Government is asking for from the EU is trivial these proposals will not take back control from the EU. These gimmicks have been ignored by the EU before and will be ignored again as they will not be in the EU treaty.
The Government is asking us to trust the promises of the EU Commission and EU judges rather than taking back control.
On Sunday night, Mr Tusk declared that there was no deal after leaving talks at Downing Street.
The Government is asking us to trust the promises of the EU Commission and EU judges rather than taking back control Source at Number 10
But last night he said good progress had since been made and he would be publishing a new settlement on the UKs EU membership later today. Mr Tusk and Number 10 both insisted that outstanding issues remained, including plans for a so-called emergency brake on migrant benefits.
Earlier, the UK claimed progress had been made but said there was more work to do as officials held a crucial day of talks with EU counterparts about the UKs membership.
Eurosceptics dismissed the talks as a charade and claimed the idea that there were major differences between the two sides was a nonsense. Number 10 has pencilled in June 23 for an historic contest that will shape Britains destiny for decades. Eurosceptics said the negotiations had ignored one of the great issues of our time the migration crisis raging across the continent.
Mr Cameron will today highlight the emergency brake allowing the Government to stop paying benefits to EU workers for the first four years they are in the UK.
Officials also say they have secured a crackdown on sham marriages featuring EU nationals. But on free movement of workers there is no change.
A man gave the family who thought he was dead the shock of their lives when he unexpectedly called them for the first time in 30 years two weeks ago.
Francis Edward Strange, 56, had not spoken to his family since he lived in Sydney in 1990 until he recently called his New Zealand-based mother Liz Simpson, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Mr Strange has been jailed after being accused of stealing gold from a Kenyan mine.
Facing a possible seven-year prison sentence if found guilty, he called his mother to talk about his case and his prison stay where a convicted murderer had twice tried to rip his throat out and hit him on the head with a kitchen pot.
Francis Edward Strange, 56, (pictured) contacted his family in New Zealand for the first time in decades after being arrested and accused of stealing equipment worth $579,000 from a Kenyan mine
Ms Simpson said: 'We'd all assumed he was dead.'
His brother Gerard said: 'We hadn't heard from Francis for nearly 30 years. To get this out of the blue, we thought it was a scam.'
But after the caller answered several questions and provided some specific details, Gerard was soon convinced that it was indeed his brother who was reaching out to him after several decades.
Mr Strange revealed that he had been kept in a rundown and overcrowded prison near the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for six months after he was arrested in early 2015 for allegedly stealing $579,000 worth of equipment and gold from a mining company.
He said that two attempts had been made on his life while he was kept in the jail and unable to pay his $15,000 bail.
After a five-month-long appeal battle, Mr Strange's bond was eventually reduced to $1,500 and he was released from jail on condition he surrender his passport and stay in Nairobi.
Mr Strange moved to Australia in 1981 and then to Tokyo in 1992, where he taught at an English language school, before heading to Kenya in 2014 to help build a mining city.
In February 2015, a year after he landed in Kenya, Mr Strange and his Australian business associate Stephen Samuel Paino were arrested for the alleged mining equipment theft.
While he was in prison in Kenya, Mr Strange was almost killed twice - a man tried to rip his throat out and later the same man hit him on the head with a kitchen pot
'Kenyan police and the justice system are manipulated by people with money and influence and they don't necessarily pursue justice,' he told the Star.
'The prison experience has made me cautious,' Mr Strange says, 'but I haven't lost faith that justice will be done.'
Mr Strange said he will stay in Kenya and continue with his mining plans if he wins his case and extract minerals like manganese and iron ore.
Principal Scott Masini (pictured) of Bruce Vento Elementary School has banned 'dominant holidays'
A St. Paul, Minnesota elementary school has scrapped celebrations of Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in order to honor the diversity of its student population.
Principal Scott Masini of Bruce Vento Elementary School wrote in a letter to parents: 'My personal feeling is we need to find a way to honor and engage in holidays that are inclusive of our student population.'
He acknowledged that banning the 'dominant holidays' would be an unpopular move.
However, the decision is in line with school board policies made in 2008 to discourage festivities outside federal holidays such as Washington's Birthday or Veteran's Day, which are acknowledged by law.
Masini, who has served as the principal since 2013, was concerned that the celebrations may be 'encroaching on the educational opportunities of others and threatening the culture of tolerance and respect for all'.
The school's website shows the student population is roughly 63 percent Asian American, 24 percent African American, 10 percent Hispanic American and 4 percent Caucasian American.
The Star Tribune reported the school letter was shared on the invite-only Facebook page, Supporting St Paul Students and Teachers.
Parents left comments calling the move 'totally ridiculous' and 'very sad', while others supported the 'sensitive' decision.
The principal's holiday ban is just the latest in a changing tide in schools across the nation.
Many schools in New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania have already prohibited Halloween, while others are in favor of generic seasonal celebrations like the fall harvest.
Some school districs have also eliminated student birthday parties to minimize class comparisons that might put disadvantaged students in the spotlight for not being able to provide treats.
The Saint Paul School District is one of the most diverse in Minnesota, with 100 languages and dialects spoken among 37,000 students.
BBC bosses were accused yesterday of doing a deal that ensured former creative director Alan Yentob escaped an investigation into his role in the Kids Company fiasco
The BBC Trust faced calls to reopen its inquiry into Mr Yentob, who was exposed for intervening in the corporation's coverage of the failing charity of which he was chairman.
Bosses dropped the investigation in December, when Mr Yentob quit his 183,000-a-year post, saying it was not 'proportionate [or] cost effective' to continue it even though he still draws a six-figure salary as editor of BBC1's Imagine arts programme.
Questions: Former BBC creative director Alan Yentob with Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh
Yesterday Labour MP Paul Flynn accused the BBC Trust of doing a deal to give Mr Yentob 'absolution' instead of investigating him properly.
Mr Flynn is a member of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee that has criticised the BBC in its report into Kids Company's collapse last August.
MPs attacked BBC bosses for allowing Mr Yentob to meddle in the corporation's coverage.
Mr Flynn said: 'Yentob has gained absolution by his resignation by doing a deal. He hasn't gone. [His ongoing links to the BBC] need to be properly assessed.'
He said that Mr Yentob had been an 'unreliable witness'.
Labour MP Paul Flynn, right, accused the BBC Trust of doing a deal to give Alan Yentob, left, 'absolution' instead of investigating him properly
Tory MP Bill Cash said a full inquiry was 'essential'. Andrew Bridgen, another Tory, said: 'A full investigation of Alan Yentob's actions while BBC creative director would expose the endemic failings of the BBC management system, and the wholesale abuse of licence fee payers' cash.'
The BBC Trust strongly denied striking a bargain to drop its investigation. Mr Yentob, 68, could not be reached yesterday.
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.'
Democrat Martin O'Malley declared he was dropping out; Mike Huckabee also announced he is ending his campaign
Senator Sanders held a pre-dawn rally from the back of a pickup truck in Bow, New Hampshire, telling supporters his campaign 'astounded the world'
Clinton beat Sanders in at least six precincts after winning a coin toss, when the vote ended in a dead heat
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Iowa's Democratic faithful will have to wait until today to find out officially who won their presidential caucuses, as state party officials botched the event.
Poor staffing led to questions at caucus sites scattered all over the state, leaving liberals with egg on their faces and casting a cloud over the results although Hillary Clinton has already claimed victory.
Clinton also beat Sanders in at least six precincts after winning a coin toss, when the vote ended in a dead heat.
The Iowa Democratic Party said this morning that Clinton is ahead of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders by four state delegate equivalents with one precinct outstanding - but stopped short of officially declaring winner.
'The results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history,' party chair Andy McGuire said in a statement.
On the Republican side, Texas Senator Ted Cruz defeated frontrunner Donald Trump by capturing 28 per cent of the votes to the New York billionaire's 24 per cent. Marco Rubio finished in third with better-than-expected 23 per cent.
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I've won: Hillary Clinton claimed victory in a speech which came despite the Democratic vote heading for a tie as she spoke
'Thank you': Hillary took a victory lap - but in reality it was a dead heat and Bernie Sanders minutes later refused to hand her what she wanted
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received a hug from former President Bill Clinton alongside their daughter Chelsea during a caucus night rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa
The Iowa Democratic Party will have to recreate the vote totals at the mismanaged locations by conferring with the Clinton and Sanders campaigns
At an early-morning rally in Bow, New Hampshire, where Sanders arrived from Iowa before dawn, the senator told his supporters that his campaign 'astounded the world' and is going to 'astound the world again' during the state's primary next week. Polls show Sanders leads Clinton by 20 points in New Hampshire.
Sanders was greeted in Bow by a large crowd of people carrying campaign signs and chanting Feel the Bern, who stood outside in the cold for about two hours awaiting his arrival. Speaking from the back of a white pickup truck alongside his family, the Democratic candidate joked, 'something is wrong with you guys!'
Clinton's campaign claimed victory with official final results still outstanding in the extremely close presidential nominations contest.
'Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa Caucus. After thorough reporting - and analysis - of results, there is no uncertainty and Secretary Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates,' Hillary for America's Iowa State Director Matt Paul said in a statement.
'Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Senator Sanders can overcome Secretary Clinton's advantage.'
The Iowa Democratic Party, however, declined to rule in the race, placing Clinton slightly ahead of Sanders but saying there were still outstanding results in one precinct.
Party chair Andy McGuire said Clinton has been awarded 699.57 state delegate equivalents and that Sanders had been awarded 695.49.
But "we still have outstanding results in one precinct (Des Moines-42), which is worth 2.28 state delegate equivalents. We will report that final precinct when we have confirmed those results with the chair," he added.
"The results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history," McGuire said.
The Iowa Democratic Party had to recreate the vote totals at the mismanaged locations by conferring with the Clinton and Sanders campaigns.
Energized: Senator Sanders addressed a large crowd of supporters in Bow, New Hampshire, from the back of a pickup truck early Tuesday, telling them his campaign 'astounded the world'
Sanders, accompanied by his wife, Jane, joked there was 'something wrong' with the people who turned out for the pre-dawn rally and waited for him in the cold for two hours
The senator was greeted by a large crowd of supporters carrying campaign signs and chanting 'Fell the Bern'
Not conceding: Bernie Sanders said it was 'a virtual tie' and refused to back down - leaving no clear victor for the Democrats
Onward: Bernie Sanders saluted the cloud after a speech which pointedly did not say he had been defeated - but that he had half the votes
Feeling the Bern: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders watched the caucus returns in his hotel room
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders stands on stage with his wife during his Caucus night event at the at the Holiday Inn
Every campaign typically has a designated observer at each caucus site to be sure each vote is credited to the right candidate, and then a Democratic official certifies the final count and sends it to the state party headquarters this year, via a special Microsoft mobile app.
But it appears that when it was time in nine precincts to communicate the results, no one from the party was there to relay them.
The Sanders campaign told reporters late Monday night at the Des Moines International Airport, where a charter flight to New Hampshire was preparing to leave Iowa, that the party had dropped the ball in nine precincts.
But by then results were reported from 1,672 of the 1,681 caucus precincts, meaning that the problem exists in the other nine.
The episode is reminiscent of the Republicans' 2012 caucus woes, when votes for eight precincts were lost on election night and never located. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum won that contest by 34 votes after three weeks of recounting, topping the eventual Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
For days and days, the GOP was the butt of jokes as it counted and recounted votes from the town of Clinton, Iowa.
But this time around it's the Democrats dealing with pandemonium, and another Clinton could wind up on the losing end.
Instead of keeping her powder dry, Hillary claimed victory hours before the depth of the party's problems became apparent, and said she was 'breathing a big sigh of relief.'
'To the families and friends of this state, I am deeply grateful,' she said, while her edge over Sanders dwindled.
'As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief thank you, Iowa! - I want you to know I will keep doing, my entire life, I will keep standing up for you. I will keep fighting for you.'
But Sanders stuck around in Des Moines as the gap between him and Hillary narrowed.
'Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America,' he told supporters around 11:00pm, after Clinton had spoken.
Waiting game: Supporters wait for results during Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders' caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa.
Confusion: Poor staffing led to questions at caucus sites scattered all over the state, leaving liberals with egg on their faces and casting a cloud over the results although Hillary Clinton has already claimed victory
No result: Iowa's Democratic faithful will have to wait until today to find out who won their presidential caucuses, as state party officials botched the event and can't determine who won in nine of the 1,681 voting precincts.
High demand: Supporters line up outside a Democrat Party caucus held at Maple Grove Elementary in West Des Moines, Iowa
'Tonight, while the results are still not known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie,' he claimed, thanking Iowa Democrats for giving him half of the state's delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August.
The Republican Party gleefully poked fun at the photo finish.
'Tonight was nothing short of an unmitigated disaster for Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party,' Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said.
'The Democrat establishment wanted a coronation for Clinton but is now facing the very real prospect that a self-proclaimed socialist could be their partys nominee.'
'With damaging new developments breaking in her email scandal and an all-but-certain loss next week in New Hampshire,' he added, 'the Clinton campaign drastically under-performed when they desperately needed to over deliver.'
The Democratic Party, meanwhile, spun the result as a sign of strength.
'Tonight was a huge success for Democrats, who gathered with their neighbors all across Iowa for a competitive race defined by voters enthusiasm and energy to send a strong message: we must keep America moving forward,' said Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.'
Republicans had their own turmoil Monday night as Donald Trump proved he's not invincible.
The billionaire finished the Republican caucuses in second place, losing the first GOP presidential contest of the year to Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Big win: Ted Cruz greets his supporters in Iowa on Monday night shortly after being declared the victor in the Iowa caucuses
Kiss for the victor: Heidi Cruz congratulates her husband on stage at the end of his lengthy victory speech, which quoted the Psalms
Family fair: Donald Trump conceded surrounded by his family including his daughter Ivanka and wife Melania
Admission: Trump said he did not feel bad about losing to Ted Cruz 'I want to tell you something: I'm just honored. I'm really honored.'
Kiss victory goodbye: Trump blows a kiss to the audience as he concedes defeat to Ted Cruz, watched by his wife Melania and sons Eric (left) and Donald Jnr (right) and Donald Jnr's wife Vanessa Haydon
IOWA REPUBLICAN RESULTS Ted Cruz 27.65% Donald Trump 24.31% Marco Rubio 23.09% Ben Carson 9.31% Rand Paul 4.54% Jeb Bush 2.80% Carly Fiorina 1.86% John Kasich 1.86% Mike Huckabee 1.79% Chris Christie 1.75% Rick Santorum 0.95% Advertisement
Cruz never trailed as the night wore on, ending with about 27.6 per cent of the Republican votes. Trump took 24.3 per cent.
More surprising was the strength of Florida Senator Marco Rubio's third-place finish. He took 23.1 per cent and threatened to bump Trump down another notch as the night wore on.
Trump led in each of the last 10 Iowa GOP polls, but Cruz claimed victory in the only survey that counted.
As CNN's Wolf Blitzer called the race for Cruz, cheers went up at the senator's victory party. Boos rang out at Trump's.
'Iowa has sent notice,' Cruz said in an eight-minute victory speech, 'that the Republican nominee and the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media.'
That was a jab at Trump, who has dominated the airwaves since launching his campaign last June.
Cruz, exulting in his support from fellow evangelical Christians, yelled 'To God be the glory!' as he took the stage. He went on to quote scripture and reference Ronald Reagan - and call his victory a triumph for the grassroots.
His victory, on a night of record caucus turnout, gave him the largest raw number of votes more than 51,000 ever cast for a GOP Iowa caucus contender.
Celebrations: Marco Rubio celebrated on stage with his wife and children
Topple: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump lost to Ted Cruz in the Iowa polls. He was joined by his wife Melania Trump awaiting the Iowa caucuses to begin at St Francis of Assisi church in West Des Moines
Marco Rubio, who outperformed his polling average by 6 percentage points, told his supporters in a lengthy speech that he planned to win the primaries
The Republican result defied conventional wisdom as much as Trump had done throughout the early election season.
Pundits had predicted that a large turnout would buoy Trump on the strength of first-time caucus-goers - but they were wrong.
Turnout set new records more than 170,000 GOP voters participated it was Cruz who benefited.
An emotional Ted Cruz quoted psalms and scriptures as flanked by his wife and parents Senator Cruz took to the stage Elwell Center in Des Moines with the words: To God be the glory.
'Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for the greatest conservatives across Iowa. Tonight the state of Iowa has spoken. Ted Cruz in his victory speech
To rapturous applause, whoops and hollers from the 500 or so faithful who had waited patiently for the senators arrival he declared: 'Tonight is a victory for the grass roots.
'Tonight is a victory for the greatest conservatives across Iowa. Tonight the state of Iowa has spoken.'
In what appeared to be a sideswipe at Trump, he added: 'Iowa has sent a note that the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media. He will not be chosen by the Washington establishment [or] by the lobbyistsbut will be chosen by the most incredible powerful force, where all sovereignty resides in this nation by we the people.'
Quoting from Psalm 30, to knowing comments and applause from the assembled faithful he noted: Weeping may tarry for the night but joy cometh with the morning.
Shouts of Amen! and Alleluia! could be heard as he stated: 'Tonight Iowa has proved to the world that morning is coming.' It was also a nod to Ronald Reagan's slogan 'It's morning in America'. Cruz had previously spoken of getting 'the Reagan coalition' back together.
Iowa loves you Ted! shouted a member of the crowd. And I love Iowa came the senators response.
As Commander in Chief, Cruz vowed that he would fulfill the most solemn obligation of the President; to keep this nation safe.
And he was not, he said, afraid of naming the greatest threat to its safety - radical Islamic terrorists, the crowd chimed in as he spoke.
Cruz spared little time for his Democratic opponent unclear as it was quite who that opponent might be, he said he wanted to take on Clinton.
He added: I cannot wait to stand on the debate stand with Hillary Clinton.
Massive turnout: Iowans gathered to caucus at the Iowa State Historical Society in Des Moines on Monday night. Officials say turnout was record breaking
Long wait: Trump and his wife attended a caucus as the early results showed the tycoon was in a closely fought fight with Ted Cruz
IOWA CAUCUS SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS TED CRUZ '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.' Ted Cruz (pictured) told supporters: 'Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa' DONALD TRUMP '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 '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 '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.' Hillary Clinton, standing with her husband, former president Bill Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, said: 'So I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief: Thank you, Iowa' BERNIE SANDERS '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
Rubio, who outperformed his polling average by 6 percentage points, told his supporters in a lengthy speech that he planned to win the primaries.
'This is the moment they said would never happen,' he said. 'For months they told us we had no chance. They told me we had no chance because my hair wasnt gray enough and my boots were too high.'
'They told me I needed to wait my turn, that I needed to wait in line,' he continued. 'This is your turn!' a supporter shouted.
'Tonight, here in Iowa, the people sent us a very clear message,' Rubio said. 'After seven years of Barack Obama, we are not waiting any longer to take our country back.'
Trump's speech was far shorter and uncharacteristically less ostentatious.
'I was told by everybody: Do not go to Iowa. You could never finish in the top ten,' he claimed. 'We finished second, and I want to tell you something. I'm honored. I'm just honored.'
'We're 28 points ahead in New Hampshire,' he said, looking ahead to the next primary state.
'We will go on to get the Republican nomination,' he claimed, and beat 'Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell else they throw up there.'
'I love the people of Iowa,' he said. ''I think I might come here and buy a farm.'
Out: Martin O'Malley appeared at a caucus event at Drake University on Monday night, but ended his presidential campaign hours later
Voting: The historic celebration of democracy sees thousands gather to personally place their votes and debate the issues
Selfie: A young fan poses with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for a selfie as he sits with wife Melania at a church where voters caucused Monday night
Iowa's quadrennial caucuses are essentially neighborhood meetings, where citizens stand up and speak in favor of their preferred presidential candidates and votes are taken to determine whose messages have prevailed.
Interest was so intense nationwide that the website the Iowa Republican Party used to collect and report vote totals crashed an hour after the caucuses started - leaving the GOP far behind the Democrats in getting the numbers released to the public and the media.
Microsoft, which ran the vote-reporting system through mobile apps, told DailyMail.com in a statement from a spokesperson that 'the mobile apps for both parties have been working without issue.'
'National interest in the Iowa Caucuses has overwhelmed the Democratic and Republican Party Iowa Caucus websites, and were working to resolve' it.
At Olin Hall, Drake University, hundreds of young voters jostled into lines that overflowed from precinct's allotted caucus rooms.
Those still to register were guided to desks where registration papers were scattered like confetti the system strained under the demand of students and millennials keen to make their mark and cast their vote.
Drake University played host to four Republican precincts and one Democratic.
The caucusers started arriving soon after six a gentle trickle of early arrivers that belied the deluge of voters to follow.
By ten to seven the stairs down to Room 101, the room allotted for the Democratic precinct, were at a standstill as would-be voters registering at the desk at the bottom caused a logjam of frustrated enthusiasm.
Making a point: Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks at his caucus night rally
Celebrity: Trump was an instant camera-magnet at Saint Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines as he prepared to address caucus-goers
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses his supporters after finishing second in the Iowa Caucus, in West Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa has decidedly mixed results in picking 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.
In the Des Moines suburb of Clive, Rubio addressed a packed fieldhouse where a few thousand Iowans gathered in a joint caucus that combined two precincts.
After leading the Pledge of Allegiance and introducing his family, Rubio warned that America 'will not remain the greatest nation in the history of all mankind if the next four years are anything like the last seven.'
'Today we are on the verge of being the first generation of Americans who leave their children worse-off,' he claimed, saying the nation would tumble deeper into disrepair 'if, God forbid, a socialist like Bernie Sanders, or someone who believes she is above the law, like Hillary Clinton, is elected President the United States.'
Dr. Ben Carson also spoke on his own behalf at the caucus location where Rubio led off the evening.
He said people had asked him if all the scrutiny that comes with being a presidential candidate was 'worth it.'
'The answer is no,' he joked, as laughs rang out.
'Not if you're doing it for yourself. But the answer is yes if you're doing it for others.'
Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley attends a small gathering of supporters where he announced the suspension of his presidential campaign
Climbing the ladder: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (left) and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (right) were in a middle-tier of Republicans who desperately wanted to finish in the top three or four places on Monday, but only Rubio made it
Devoted: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio and his family pray during opening of a caucus site
Dr. Ben Carson (pictured) spoke on his own behalf at the caucus location where Rubio led off the evening. He said people had asked him if all the scrutiny that comes with being a presidential candidate was 'worth it'
'I was thinking about retiring ... It was really going to be great,' Carson said.
'But then along came the "Run, Ben, Run" people and the draft movement. And I had hundreds of thousands of petitions, and I thought maybe it would go away if I ignored it. But it didn't.'
Carson said he was pegging his candidacy to the notion that 'the government was never supposed to be in every aspect of our lives. Look at what that costs us.'
'We Americans must be proud of who we are. We cannot give away our values and principles for the sake of political correctness.'
With Bush in New Hampshire, his campaign provided a surrogate to speak, former Ambassador Mary Kramer.
And, like he has for most of this campaign cycle, Bush was again upstaged by Trump.
During Bushs turn The Donald showed up to represent himself and created a clatter at the back of the caucus hall as Kramer droned on.
Once onstage, Trump stuck to his stump speech.
'That's really been my theme, from day one, Make America Great Again,' the billionaire reiterated, as his wife Melania, dressed in all red, stood to his left offstage.
'No, I'm not nervous,' she told Dailymail.com. 'It's an amazing turnout,' she gushed.
Former US President Bill Clinton leaves the auditorium after his wife US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke to supporters during the Democratic Caucuses night campaign rally at Olmsted Center, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa
Star power: Former President Bill Clinton greeted his wife Hillary's supporters at a campaign office in Ankeny, Iowa on Monday before caucusing got underway
Looking ahead: Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich won't win many converts in conservative Iowa but hopes to place in the top three next week in the New Hampshire primary election
Her husband hit on the debt, trade with China and the wretched Iran deal, receiving a few grimaces from those in the crowd who were clearly caucusing for other candidates.
'We're going to repeal, and absolutely repeal and replace Obamacare,' Trump said.
'We're going to build a wall,' he said. 'We are going to build a wall. And people are going to come into our country, but they are going to come into our country legally,' he continued.
'It's been an amazing journey, it started on June 16 and I will tell you that we are going to start winning again,' Trump added. 'We are going to win with everything.'
We're going to repeal, and absolutely repeal and replace Obamacare
Trump then thanked the giant crowd. 'You're amazing people, it's an incredible process.'
And as Trump and his entourage swept out of the caucus site, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the winner of the 2012 caucuses, walked in.
Santorum, sporting his trademark sweater vest, veered around Trump and his flurry of security guards and reporters, purposely avoiding a run-in.
'I will tell you, my wife just called me, she spoke after Donald Trump at her caucus and she said she was so intimidated "I just got up and said I'm a home-schooling mom with seven children,"' Santorum said to laughs.
'So it was a little tough for her, but she did a good job,' Santorum added. 'And I'm very proud of her.'
Santorum tried reminding the crowd why they liked him so much four years before he didn't have money, he wasn't who the media paid attention to and, referring to this year's race noted that he wasn't engaged in the 'food fight that's going on,' alluding to Trump.
'You did the right thing four years ago,' Santorum said.
'Do what you did last time,' he implored. 'Give me a shot.'
Republicans John Kasich, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush were all spending Monday night in New Hampshire not only to get a jump on the weather but also on their competitors in a state with voters who are expected to be friendlier to more traditional GOP candidates.
None of them polled more than 3 per cent on Monday night.
Cruz modeled his campaign after past Iowa winners, visiting all of the state's 99 counties - known as the full Grassley after Senator Chuck Grassley, and courting influential evangelical and conservative leaders. The state was seemingly tailor-made for his brand of uncompromising conservatism.
Meanwhile Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland suspended his White House bid after receiving no support in Iowa.
Sources close to the campaign said after caucus results came in that the Democratic candidate would pull out of the race.
in vitamin, which is good for bones and teeth
Scientists have developed a sunscreen that allows the body to produce vitamin D while still blocking harmful rays.
The bodys main source of vitamin D is produced when our skin reacts with sunlight.
But skin cancer fears have seen worried parents applying increasing amounts of sunscreen leading to an estimated 40 per cent of children and 60 per cent of adults becoming deficient in the sunshine vitamin, which helps keep bones and teeth healthy.
A typical sun lotion with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 reduces the skins capacity to produce vitamin D by almost 98 per cent. But the Solar D lotion, developed by an Australian company, allows the body to produce up to 50 per cent more vitamin D than a sunscreen with the same SPF.
A typical sun lotion with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 reduces the skins capacity to produce vitamin D by almost 98 per cent. But the Solar D lotion, developed by an Australian company, allows the body to produce up to 50 per cent more vitamin D than a sunscreen with the same SPF
Dr Michael Holick, of Boston University School of Medicine, told the journal PLOS ONE: Solar D was designed ... with differing filter compositions to maximise pre-vitamin D3 production while maintaining its sun protection.
The body's main source of vitamin D is from the skin reacting to sunlight but small amounts can also be found in foods, such as oily fish such as salmon and sardines, cod liver oil, eggs, meat and milk.
An unintended consequence of being safe in the sun was an estimated two fifths of children and three fifths of adults were deficient in the vitamin which keeps bones and teeth healthy.
Dr Holick added: 'During sun exposure the skin produces of vitamin D3 whhich is metabolised in the liver and kidney to 1,25(OH)2D3 or it can undergo a variety of metabolic steps in the skin producing several novel secosteroids that exert antiproliferative, pro-differentiation and anti-inflammatory effects on cultured skin cells
'Sun exposure is the major source of vitamin D for most children and adults worldwide.
An unintended consequence of being safe in the sun is 40-60 per cent of people now have a vitamin D deficiency
'It is also recognised that vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is a major health problem that afflicts approximately 40 per cent and 60 per cent of children and adults respectively.
'A major cause for this is the recommendation that no child or adult should ever be exposed to one direct ray of sunlight because of concern for increased risk for skin cancer.
'To avoid direct sun exposure widespread sunscreen use is implemented. However was not fully appreciated was that sunscreens are designed to efficiently absorbed radiation in the UVB range; an SPF of 30 absorbs 97.5 per cent.
'The unintended consequence is that this radiation is also responsible for the cutaneous production of vitamin D.
'There are several chemical compounds that are typically used in a sunscreen that efficiently absorbed varying wavelengths of UVB radiation.
'This manuscript describes a calculation method for optimising a sunscreen for producing previtamin D3 and at the same time protecting against erythema.
'Solar D was designed with compounds with differing filter compositions to maximise previtamin D3 production while maintaining its sun protection for reducing erythema.
'When this sunscreen, that is rated as an SPF 15, was compared to a popular commercial sunscreen with the same SPF of 15, we observed in vitro a significant enhancement of as much as 50 per cent in the production of previtamin D3 occurred with the solar D sunscreen compared to the popular commercial one.
'Based on our previous observations the in vitro results can be directly translated to what would be expected when the sunscreens are used on human skin.
'Therefore we have proof of principal that a sunscreen can be produced for optimising previtamin D3 production while retaining its sun protection factor for reducing erythema.'
Groundhog Day: Labour MPs moaning about the Bedroom Tax and welfare cuts. We had almost exactly the same last Thursday.
Every few moments brought forth allegations of Dickensian anguish on the streets of 21st century Britain.
Welfare Questions should be renamed Misery Hour. Each time Jim Cunningham (Lab, Coventry S) spoke, his voice a lean streak of calamity, a tricorn-hatted public crier might as well have hollered bring out your dead!
Sir Mark Lyall Grant, National Security Advisor, pictured, is as seamless as Lurpak, writes Quentin Letts
Until the Opposition reconciles its desire for more welfare spending with its declared objective of reducing the national deficit, we will leave them stewing in their fantasies and move to more rarefied matters: the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy. Trumpets! Atten-shun!
This committee of peers and MPs is still in its infancy. Yesterday it quizzed the newish National Security Adviser, former ambassador Sir Mark Lyall Grant (Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge), seamless as Lurpak.
The only surprise was that he did not come in one of those little porcelain pots in which they serve butter in four-star hotels, complete with a doily hat.
A century ago did Britain have a national security adviser? No. Ha, you ejaculate, no wonder we lost the Empire.
The post has existed longer in America and they do have a modern empire, patrolled not by gunboats but by rapacious corporations.
But in Whitehall there has been a national security adviser only since 2010.
David Cameron, never slow to spot a chance to create patronage, saw that if he created a national security adviser, that, in turn, would necessitate a parliamentary committee and he saw that parliamentarians would love to sit on it.
Anything with National Security in its name tingles with importance. The committees members are appointed, not elected.
There are 22 of them and most turned up for yesterdays session. Competition for airtime was tight. How crowded the top of our Establishment has become.
You need sharp elbows to be a grandee these days.
Sir Mark sat at the witness table not quite alone. Beside him crouched a chap called Conrad Bailey, so brainy that his head was shaped like one of those domed containers under which they hide the roast lamb at Simpsons-in-the-Strand.
Mr Bailey has the title director of strategic defence and security review (SDSR) and defence, Cabinet Office. He looked terrified.
Neither he nor Sir Mark was terribly good at saying the letter R. Nor were several committee members.
With strategy and security under discussion, the whole thing was soon in danger of resembling an extract from The Life of Brian.
The committee was chaired by Dame Margaret Beckett, so shrewd an old bird that she nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership, never expecting him to win. Doh!
Around the table also sat titans of the modern era such as, er, Lord (Archie) Hamilton, whose Tory heyday coincided roughly with that of the Mini Metro, and Crossbencher Lord Levene, a sometime arms-procurement supremo.
Dame Margaret Beckett nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership, but didn't expect him to win, says Quentin Letts
Unless I am doing him a grave disservice, he kept nodding off yesterday. We all know the feeling of a Monday afternoon, Peter.
Lord West (Lab) was outraged that a report from the national security adviser had not noted that Britain was an island. Shush, Westy. Walls have ears.
Sir Gerald Howarth (Con, Aldershot) was worried about the South China Sea and was assured by Sir Mark that it was on his radar.
Keith Vaz (Lab, Leicester E) disclosed that in his days as a Foreign Office minister he was indebted to Sir Mark for telling him the difference between Bulgaria and Romania.
Lady Falkner, so posh she could only have been a Lib Dem, talked and talked. I quite forget what she said.
It was a surprise to see Iain Wright (Lab, Hartlepool), Stephen Twigg (Lab, Liverpool W Derby) and Bob Neill (Con, Bromley & Chislehurst).
A man in Tampa, Florida, was taken into custody on Monday, after federal agents raided his home and found eight pipe-bombs and other bomb-making materials inside.
Michael Ramos, 24, was turned in by his friend and former boss Kenneth Ray O'Neill, who discovered the bombs in a box in Ramos' bedroom last month.
O'Neill had employed Ramos at the company he founded, Patriot Armor, which manufactures body armor for law enforcement and firefighting agencies. A search of Ramos' Facebook profile shows he subscribed to anti-government beliefs and often posed in pictures with guns.
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Don't tread on me: Michael Ramos, 24, was arrested at his home in Tampa, Florida on Monday after federal agents discovered his large stash of weapons
Explosives: In this photo released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, agents test materials after Ramos was taken into custody on Monday
Residence: Ramos had been renting the residence in Tampa for about five months before his arrest on Monday
After discovering Ramos' pipe-bomb stash on January 16, O'Neill told authorities that he asked him about the devices and Ramos admitted to making them himself with ingredients he bought online using his girlfriend's credit card.
According to the affidavit, Ramos said 'if s*** hits the fan, you never know if you might need it'.
Concerned about the pipe bombs, O'Neill says he went back to Ramos' residence the next day with his brother Ryan, a former Marine.
The brothers confronted Ramos about the bombs and told him to get ride of them.
Ramos reportedly reacted negatively to this confrontation, telling them 'something like "so you're going to put me in jail?"'
Armed: According to his Facebook, Ramos subscribes to anti-government beliefs and poses often for pictures with his guns
Snitched: Federal agents were tipped off to Ramos' (pictured) stash by his former employer Kenneth Ray O'Neill, who founded a company called Patriot Armor which supplies body armor to law enforcement and firefighting agencies
In case of emergency: Ramos reportedly told O'Neill that the cache was for 'if s*** hits the fan, you never know if you might need it'.
Because Ramos was angry and standing near an AK-47 rifle, the brothers decided to de-escalate the situation by saying everything was OK.
The brothers also intended to fire Ramos from his position as president of the company but decided not to bring up his employment at the last minute.
While they promised not to alert authorities, the brothers did indeed turn Ramos in to the police shortly after.
In the course of the police investigation, they had O'Neill call Ramos on the phone to speak about the pipe bombs.
During the conversation Ramos agreed to get rid of the bombs but said he was afraid and didn't know how to dispose of the 'boom booms'.
On Monday, search warrants were executed for Ramos' home and federal agents found not only the pipe bombs but an AK-47, a .45 caliber pistol, smoke grenades, tear gas and large amounts of ammunition.
Charges: According to the affidavit, federal agents are recommending Ramos (pictured left and right) face charges related to the illegal transfer of a firearm and making a firearm. It's unclear if he has been formally arraigned yet
In an interview with police, Ramos claimed that the large cache of weapons and bombs was just for personal safety purposes and he never intended to hurt anyone.
Following his arrest on Monday, Ramos' girlfriend was seen arriving at the home to pack up her possessions but did not issue a comment to reporters on the scene.
Ramos' landlord did speak to journalists though, expressing her shock to Fox 13 News.
'My reaction is very shocked, honestly. That guy is a very nice guy,' Ramos' landlord Marisa said, adding that he started renting the home about five months ago.
According to the affidavit, federal agents are recommending Ramos face charges related to the illegal transfer of a firearm and making a firearm. It's unclear if he has been formally arraigned yet.
Ramos has a criminal history including charges for domestic violence, battery and cocaine possession.
His former boss O'Neill also has a criminal history, including a prior felony conviction for transfer of destructive devices (pipe bombs) in 2002. But law enforcement say that he completed his sentence and that he did not receive funds or special consideration for turning Ramos in.
They are the brave World War I soldiers who fought on the battlefields of Gallipoli.
A new book detailing some of the unforgettable and courageous stories of exceptional Australian servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country has hit the shelves.
Among the inspiring, thrilling, humbling and deeply moving stories of the 628 men who were awarded the Victoria Cross during the Great War were those of 64 Australians.
The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious military honour an Australian can receive.
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The Dardanelles campaign was conceived as an alternative to the stalemate that had set in on the Western Front. It became synonymous with deadlock and heavy losses. Churchill, one of the chief proponents of the campaign, resigned when the decision to withdraw was taken
The book tells the stories of Australians who came from different places and backgrounds but were bound together through war, with Lance Corporal Albert Jacka being Australias first VC recipient for his bravery in the trenches of Gallipoli.
Facing an onslaught by Turkish troops attempting to breach the ANZAC's forward stronghold Courtney's Post three weeks after the landing on the peninsula, Jacka became isolated in a firing trench.
In an act of incredible bravery, he called for the remaining men in the trench to create a diversion while he made his way around the trench network to attack Turkish invaders from the rear.
Jacka shot five enemy soldiers and bayoneted two. The remaining Turkish soldiers fled, clearing the trench of the enemy assault.
Australians on the beach at Gallipoli surrounded by supplies. One May 24, 1915, a brief truce was declared to allow both sides to retrieve and bury their dead
A battery at the entrance to the waterway on the Gallipoli Peninsula
Each of the stories of the VC WWI medal recipients are detailed and illustrated in the publication, which captures a momentous period in world history.
QBD The Bookshop director Steve Robinson, said the book was being released to pay homage to the heroes of World War One, including Australia's Victoria Cross recipients.
Victoria Cross Heroes of World War One, 628 Extraordinary Stories of Valour is available exclusively for $39.99 from QBD stores or online
'The book provides exceptional insight into war and the men whose deeds elevate them to hero status,' Mr Robinson said.
'This book is a deeply moving and illuminating account of the war, bolstered by more than 1,500 rare and unseen photographs and illustrations from the archives of Associated Newspapers.
'As we mark the centenary of the landing at Gallipoli, QBD The Bookshop is proud to release this quality book that captures heroic acts throughout World War One including battles at the landing, Lone Pine, Hill 60 and Courtney's Post.'
The book sets out the stories behind the incredible acts of wartime bravery along with photos, maps, news clippings and illustrations that have been sourced from the archives of Associated Newspapers.
It also details the heroics of those 64 Australians who fought in battles throughout World War One including Australia's nine Victoria Cross recipients who fought in the conflict at Gallipoli.
The book, published by Atlantic Publishing and released in Australia by QBD The Bookshop, is a rare and poignant record of the feats and lives of extraordinary men.
Victoria Cross Heroes of World War One, 628 Extraordinary Stories of Valour is available exclusively for $39.99 from QBD stores or online.
Lord Kitchener visits the troops. Although still a very popular public figure, a combination of the Shell Crisis, when there was a shortage of artillery shells on the front line, and his decision to support Churchill over the planned Dardanelles Campaign seriously undermined his position in the Cabinet
Allied troops in the ravines in Gallipoli. The blistering heat and poor sanitation led to a huge popular of flies. This, combined with the number of rapidly decomposing unburied bodies, led to an outbreak of dysentry in the trenches, which further debilitated the exhausted soldiers
Leonard Maurice Keysor was known for his heroic effort that saw him catch grenades mid-air and throwing them back at the enemy
Leonard Maurice Keysor
November 3, 1885 - October 12, 1951
1st battalion Australian Imperial Force
Gallipoli, Turkey, August 7, 1915
Leonard Maurice Keysor received a Victoria Cross for his heroic effort that saw him catch Turkish grenades mid-air and throw them back at the enemy during World War I.
The brave soldier became the master bomb thrower as he risked his life to protect his comrades from the trenches of Lone Pine in Anzac Cove on the shores of Turkey.
Keysor suffered several wounds but he continued on throwing grenades for 48 hours until he was relieved.
Keysor signed up just before the start of the war in 1914 as a pilot but instead was sent to the battlefields of Gallipoli.
After battling in Gallipoli, Keysor went on to serve in France, where he was twice promoted, and twice wounded in 1918.
He was born in London and moved to Sydney after living in Canada for 10 years. Keysor passed away in London at the age of 65.
Frederick Harold Tubb
Frederick Harold Tubb was awarded the country's highest military honour for his brave actions as a lieutenant during World War I in Gallipoli
November 28, 1881 - September 20, 1917
7th battalion Australian Imperial Force
Gallipoli, Turkey, August 9, 1915
Frederick Harold Tubb was awarded the country's highest military honour for his courageous actions as a lieutenant during World War I in Gallipoli.
In the early morning of August 9, 1915, the enemy launched a massive attack as it blew up a sandbag barricade. However, Tubb led his men back, repulsed the Turkey army and rebuilt the barricade.
And despite having injuries to his head and arm, the lieutenant fought through and maintained his position under heavy bombardment.
After the attack, Tubb was evacuated to Britain to recover and was awarded the Victoria Cross.
He was born in Victoria and left school to work on the family farm. He signed up to serve with the Victorian Mounted Rifles and was enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1914.
He was promoted to lieutenant in February 1915, reached Gallipoli in July and was gazetted captain on August 8.
In 1917, he rejoined his battalion in France and continued to show his brave actions against the Menin Road attack in Belgium. But Tubb died after suffering serious wounds from shellfire at the Third Battle of Ypres.
William John Symons received a Victoria Cross for his heroic efforts after he forced the enemy to discontinue their attacks during the World War I
William John Symons
July 10, 1889 - June 24, 1948
7th battalion Australian Imperial Force
Gallipoli, Turkey, August 8-9, 1915
William John Symons received a Victoria Cross for his heroic efforts after he forced the enemy to discontinue their attacks during the World War I.
He was a commercial traveller before he joined the Australian imperial force at the outbreak of war. He was promoted to lieutenant on July 2.
In the early hours of August 9, Symons was ordered to take over the trench, knowing he would be lucky to survive as the Turks made a series of attacks.
With the trench under fire, he constructed a timber barricade, only to have it set on fire.
However, he extinguished the flames and eventually forced the Turks to discontinue their attacks.
He returned to Australia in 1916, then joined the 37th Battalion as a company commander.
He was severely gassed during the battle of Messines in June 1917, but he went on to fight on the Somme in 1918.
After the war, he moved to Britain with his wife and died in London in 1948.
Alexander Stewart Burton was awarded the Victoria Cross for one particular action during the fighting at Lone Pine during World War I in Gallipoli
Alexander Stewart Burton
January 20, 1893 - August 9, 1915
7th battalion Australian Imperial Force
Gallipoli, Turkey, August 9, 1915
Alexander Stewart Burton was working as an ironmonger when war was declared. He joined the Australian Imperial Force and was posted to the 7th Battalion.
Suffering from a severe throat infection, he watched the bloody battle unfold from the deck of a hospital ship.
On August 9, 1915 at Lone Pine, the Turks launched a strong counter-attack after capturing a trench held by Burton, Lieutenant Frederick Tubb and Corporal William Dunston.
The enemy had blown up the sandbag barricade but the three men fought back and rebuilt it.
When the barricade was blown up twice more, Burton and Dunston, together with a wounded Tubb, held their ground despite being under heavy fire.
Burton was killed by a shellfire while he was building up the barricade.
All three of the Australian soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross for one particular action during the fighting at Lone Pine despite his was the only posthumous award.
John Patrick Hamilton was working as a butcher when he enlisted in the Australia Imperial Force
John Patrick Hamilton
William Dunstan was employed as drapery store clerk when war was declared
January 24, 1896 - February 27, 1961
3rd battalion Australian imperial force
Gallipoli, Turkey, August 9, 1915
John Patrick Hamilton was working as a butcher when he enlisted in the Australia Imperial Force in September 1914.
He was posted to the 3rd Battalion and after training in Egypt, Hamilton took part in the landings at Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915.
On August 9 during the battle of Lone Pine, the Turks were attacking with intense rifle and machine-gun fire.
Hamilton was ordered out of the trenches onto the barricade to make a counter-attack.
Hamilton was protected only by a few sandbags when he lay in the open as he directed those in the trenches where to throw their bombs, while keeping up constant sniper fire.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his coolness and daring actions. Hamilton later served in France and he was eventually commissioned as a second lieutenant.
He served in the army at the Second World War, attaining the rank of caption.
He died in Sydney in February 1961.
William Dunstan
March 8, 1895 - March 3, 1957
7th battalion Australian imperial force
Gallipoli, Turkey, August 9, 1915
William Dunstan was employed as drapery store clerk when war was declared. In June 1915, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and sailed for Egypt a fortnight later, joining the 7th Battalion as a reinforcement. He was mentioned in despatches before his Victoria Cross actions.
On August 9 at Lone Pine, Corporal Dunstan, Lieutenant Federick Tubb and Corporal Alexander Burton were the only men left in a newly captured enemy trenched after all the other men were killed or maimed by Turkish bombs.
When a large explosion blew down the sandbag barricade, Dunstan and Burton began to rebuild it while Tubb kept the enemy at bay. Before the work was complete a bomb burst between the men, killing Burton and temporarily blinding Dunstan.
Dunstan was invalided back to Australia where he was discharged from the army in February 1916. He promptly rejoined the Citizens Forces, serving in various ranks until he retired as a lieutenant in 1928.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross for being a very reserved man by the Governor-General, however, Dunstan found it was a great ordeal. Dunstan's strength of character led him to a highly successful civilian career, particularly in the newspaper industry, and he was greatly respected in business, judicial and parliamentary circles.
Dunstan died suddenly of a heart attack in 1957.
Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell was a Western Australian farmer when he joined the 10th Light Horse when the war was declared
Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell
August 26, 1884 - November 19, 1933
10th light horse regiment Australian imperial force
Gallipoli, Turkey, August 29-30, 1915
Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell was a Western Australian farmer when he joined the 10th Light Horse when the war was declared.
In August 1915, he arrived on Gallipoli in time to take part in the disastrous attack in Turkish forces at the Nek.
Second Lieutenant Throssell and his men became involved in a fierce bomb attack, which continued throughout the night.
He was wounded twice but even with his face covered in blood, he refused to seek medical help as he continued to shout encouragement to his men.
Throssell was awarded the VC for inspiring his men with his actions through a barrage of bomb, rifle and machine gun fire at Hill 60.
After the war, he married novelist Katharine Susannah Pritchard. The last decade of his life was a bitter struggle because he never fully recovered from his severe wounds he endured during the war.
There was a financial strain on the family after his wife gave birth to their son. At one point, Throssell even tried to pawn his Cross for ten shillings.
On November 19, 1933, Throssell took his own life.
Hugo Vivian Hope Throssell recovering from his wounds in a hospital in London
Jewish ex-servicemen's rally in 1932: Leonard Keysor VC and Jack White VC lay a wreath at the Cenotaph
Leonard Keysor married Gladys Benjamin on July 8, 1920 at the Hill Street Synagogue in London
Albert Jacka VC (left) meets Private O'Meara VC, who is another Australian to win the coveted distinction in 1916. Jacka had just been awarded the Military Cross for valiantly attacking a vastly superior German force, sustaining serious wounds in the process
The human rights of buy-to-let landlords will be breached by a tax hike, Cherie Blair has argued in a legal challenge to the Government
The human rights of buy-to-let landlords will be breached by a tax hike, Cherie Blair has argued in a legal challenge to the Government.
The wife of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair is representing a group of several hundred investors who are lobbying against a tax increase announced by Chancellor George Osborne in July.
The change, part of the Finance Act 2015, means landlords will not be able to offset mortgage interest costs from their rental income before calculating how much tax they are liable to pay.
It will kick in by April 2017 and be fully phased in by 2021, by which time it is predicted to have brought in around 1billion for the Treasury.
Mr Osborne said the changes would create a level playing field for homebuyers trying to compete in the property market against landlords.
But campaigners claimed it discriminated against individual and small-scale landlords, such as older people investing in property to fund their retirement, and could leave them having to pay taxes even if they make no profits.
They said the move penalises the poorest landlords who rely on mortgages, while wealthy investors able to buy outright in cash would pay no additional tax.
Landlords Steve Bolton and Chris Cooper are seeking a judicial review on behalf of 737 supporters, including private landlords and letting agents.
Mrs Blairs firm Omnia Strategy LLP took on the case after the pair raised more than 50,000 to fund legal costs through crowd funding where members of the public donate to a cause.
In a letter to HMRC, Omnia lawyers led by Mrs Blair QC and human rights lawyer Adam Smith-Anthony claimed the move treated buy-to-let investors differently from other business owners, including large corporate landlords, who are allowed to offset costs against tax.
Omnia said this breached the European Convention on Human Rights, adding that allowing corporate and overseas landlords to continue unaffected would distort competition and that the move should not have been permitted without approval by the European Commission.
The measure would also push some landlords into the higher rate tax bracket despite receiving the same amount of income, it added.
George Osborne (pictured announced the change as part of the Finance Act 2015, and it means landlords will not be able to offset mortgage interest costs from their rental income before calculating how much tax they are liable to pay
Mrs Blair owns a portfolio of investment properties, some jointly with her son Euan, in London, Bristol and the North West.
A win in the case would be hugely embarrassing for the Chancellor and the Government is expected to fight any challenge. Omnia said the case had a reasonable chance of success.
Steve Bolton, founder of the Platinum Property Partners group of 250 landlords who own more than 700 properties, said: This tax grab is unfair, undemocratic and underhanded, and we believe it is unlawful on a number of points.
The change discriminates against the typically smaller landlord who may incur effective tax rates of over 100 per cent while making an economic loss, and gives an unfair commercial advantage to many other categories of landlord unaffected by the change.
We are therefore delighted that our legal challenge has progressed to the next stage and look forward to receiving the Governments response.
37-year-old Steven Lawrence Wright, awaiting trial for a gang-related murder was mistakenly released
An inmate awaiting trial for a gang-related murder has been mistakenly released - and detectives only realized their blunder more than 32 hours later.
Steven Lawrence Wright, 37, has been behind bars since April 2011 following his arrest for the gang-related murder of a 47-year-old man in Pasadena, Los Angeles.
But he was mistakenly set free at 12.55pm local time on Saturday and detectives only 'became aware of the release' at 9.30pm on Sunday.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said it had started working with Pasadena Police and set up a task force dedicated to tracking the fugitive down.
The department will also conduct a review to prevent future accidental inmate releases.
Wright was arrested by Pasadena Police Department on April 7, 2011. He was in custody pending trial for a gang-related murder that occurred in Pasadena on January 19, 2011.
At the time police said he belonged to the street gang, Altadena Block Crips.
Keith Swensson, a spokesman for LASD, said: 'He should be assumed to be armed and dangerous because he is a known gang member.'
He told NBC Southern California the suspect was released because of a 'clerical error' in which 'our employees missed the additional information provided by the court on a separate page.'
He said staff believed they were releasing Wright after he served a five-day contempt-of-court stay, but failed to spot the murder charge.
A statement from the department said: 'The Sheriff's Department takes this matter very seriously and is fully engaged with returning inmate Wright to custody, aggressively pursuing a number of leads as to his whereabouts.'
Wright was arrested by Pasadena Police Department on April 7, 2011. He was in custody pending trial for a gang-related murder that occurred in Pasadena on January 19, 2011 - but he is now on the run
In addition, as is the case with all 'erroneous releases,' the sheriff's department said it would conduct a critical-incident review 'to make necessary improvements to the system.'
Wright's mistaken release comes less than 24 hours after the last two of the three escapees were returned to their Orange County jail cells in southern California.
Jonathan Tieu and Hossein Nayeri were captured at a Whole Foods on Saturday after Bac Duong handed himself in the day before.
This brought an end to a week-long manhunt that spanned the entire state.
Gossip-loving priests and nuns have been urged by the Pope not to spread tales about one another as he told them to fight the temptation and 'bite your tongue' in an improvised speech.
Addressing members of the clergy marking the end of the Year of Consecrated Life, the pontiff told them not to 'drop a gossip bomb' and warned those breaking their vow of obedience to fall into line.
It came just 24 hours after it emerged Pope Francis is to appear in a feature film.
Don't spread tales: Pope Francis has told gossip-loving priests and nuns to 'bite your tongue' in a speech in Vatican City (pictured). He addressed members of the clergy marking the end of the Year of Consecrated Life
In what will be a cinematic first, the leader of the Catholic Church is set to grace the big screen after asking filmmakers to make a movie for children that communicates the message of Jesus.
But a Vatican spokesman downplayed suggestions the pontiff would be debuting his acting skills, saying: 'The Pope is not an actor.'
Instead it is thought he will appear in an epilogue 'telling children how and where to find Jesus.'
Meanwhile, in his speech to members of the clergy in Vatican City on Monday, Pope Francis said: 'If you get an urge to say something against a brother or a sister, to drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue! Hard!'
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.
Stern: The Pope told them not to 'drop a gossip bomb' and warned those breaking their vow of obedience to fall into line. It came just 24 hours after it emerged Pope Francis is to appear in a feature film
Movie debut: In what will be a cinematic first, the leader of the Catholic Church is set to grace the big screen after asking filmmakers to make a movie for children that communicates the message of Jesus
'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.
But a Vatican spokesman downplayed suggestions the pontiff would be debuting his acting skills, saying he 'is not an actor.' Instead it is thought he will appear in an epilogue 'telling children how and where to find Jesus'
Meanwhile, in his speech to members of the clergy in Vatican City on Monday (pictured), Pope Francis said: 'If you get an urge to say something against a brother or a sister, to drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue! Hard!'
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.
The Pope's film, Beyond the Sun, is described as a 'family adventure story where children from different cultures emulate the apostles while searching for Jesus in the world around them.'
It is in development by Rome-based distribution and production company AMBI and filming is due to start later this year.
The mosquito capable of carrying the head-shrinking Zika virus - previously only found in northern parts of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory - has been detected at Sydney International Airport.
The Aedus Aegypti mosquito was previously thought to only be present in tropical areas in northern Australia, but routine surveillance of the airport terminal uncovered the mosquito in New South Wales.
The Federal Department of Agriculture has since stepped up spraying procedures on international plane arrivals.
Queensland authorities now fear that Zika could enter northern Australia via Papua New Guinea.
Aedus Aegypti carries and spreads viruses like Zika, which is causing the current outbreak of brain-affected babies in Brazil, as well as dengue fever, yellow fever and an arthritis-like virus called Chikungunya.
Brazil has reported nearly 4000 suspected cases of microcephaly, in which infants are born with smaller-than-usual brains.
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Routine surveillance of Sydney International Airport (pictured) uncovered the Aedus Aegypti mosquito, which carries the head-shrinking Zika virus, prompting an increase in cabin spraying for flight arrivals to Australia
The virus-bearing Aedus Aegypti mosquito (pictured) has been found at Sydney International Airport, sparking a step-up of insect spraying by the Department of Agriculture on flights arriving from South-east Asian ports
After finding the mosquitoes at Sydney International airport (above) the Department of Agriculture will intensify 'insecticide fogging' inside the cabins on arrival of all flights landing from South-East Asia
The Zika virus, detected on two Australian passengers from Haiti, can cause microcephaly, which means a smaller head or brain, as in three-month-old Brazilian baby Alice Vitoria Gomes Bezerra, pictured with her mother Nadja last month
After finding the mosquitoes at Sydney International, the Department of Agriculture will increase spraying inside the cabins on arrival of all flights landing from South-East Asian ports.
New South Wales Health has also reported two confirmed cases of Zika virus infection, both acquired in Haiti. These are the first cases reported in Australia for 2016.
The Department of Agriculture said it was imposing 'additional on arrival treatments for aircraft arriving from South East Asian ports at Sydney Airport'.
'Australian legislation requires the treatment with insecticides of all international aircraft arriving in Australia,' the department said in a statement of Tuesday.
'Following recent detection of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes at Sydney International Airport, additional response protocols were initiated jointly by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and the Department of Health NSW to prevent this species from establishing.'
The extra protocols included 'insecticide fogging at the detection site and surrounding environment, residual surface treatments and ongoing enhanced surveillance including the deployment of additional mosquito vector monitoring traps'.
'These measures are undertaken to prevent these mosquitoes establishing breeding populations in Australia thereby preventing the potential for the local spread of these diseases,' the department said.
Australian authorities are stepping up insect spraying in the cabins of passenger jets arriving back in Australia while in South America preventative fumigation like this operation at a cemetery in Peru is on the increase
The Zika virus which caused microcephaly in Brazilian baby David Henrique Ferreira (pictured) has been detected in about ten people a year returning to Australia from trips overseas to Asia or the Pacific
'The mosquitoes have only been found within the confines of the international airport terminal and have not been detected beyond this site.'
Queensland health was already monitoring in the Torres Strait to ensure any cases were detected early and didn't enter the state 'through its porous northern borders with Papua New Guinea'.
The state's health minister Cameron Dick urged Far North Queenslanders to take preventative action, including destroying mosquito breeding sites.
Sydney University medical virologist Dr Grant Hill-Cawthorne told Daily Mail Australia that the Aedus Aegypti mosquito which spread the Zika virus had been detected as far south as Brisbane, which was 'borderline' territory for the insect.
'It lives in tropical areas,' he said. 'Sydney's winter is far too cold for it to survive. But the mosquito has adapted to living in urban areas and breeding in potholes or buckets.'
Dr Hill-Cawthorne said the mosquito did not spread the Zika virus or other diseases by 'acting like a syringe'.
'What they do is bite an infected person and for five days the virus circulates, travelling down into the gut and back into the system.'
Sydney virologist Dr Grant Hill-Cawthorne said the mosquitoes spread the virus by biting an infected person with the disease circulating in the insect's gut before it then bit another person
Surveillance for mosquitoes occurs at all international airports around Australia, but the discovery of virus carrying insects at Sydney International (above) means extra spraying of passenger cabins on arrival
The mosquito then bit another person, sometimes, but not always passing on the virus. People arriving in Australia who felt unwell and then were tested for the Zika, dengue fever or other viruses would then have health authorities ensure insect praying was carried on around their home, so that they would not be bitten by a mosquito here.
This was only relevant for people returning home to Queensland where the Aedus Aegytpi mosquito lived, particularly in and around Townsville and Cairns
Dr Hill-Cawthorne said a number of people last year detected suffering from Zika virus and living in South Australia had returned from holidays in Bali.
'Since 2012 there have been about ten cases a year in Australia of people with Zika virus, brought back from the Pacific Islands, or Bali or French Polynesia,' he said.
Public health experts, including indigenous health and forensic services officers will attend a round table discussion on the virus in Queensland this week.
The NSW Department of Health said the risk to the public of a transmitted virus from the mosquitoes was 'extremely low'.
'No exotic viruses, including Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya and Zika virus have been found in mosquitos in New South Wales, and there is no evidence the mosquito has been present anywhere other than within one specific section of the international airport that is not accessible to travellers,' the department said in a statement.
'NSW Health is working closely with the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as well as Sydney Airport Corporation Limited to eradicate any potential remaining Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes or larvae.
He tweeted that Chachoua treated him in the U.S. where he's not licensed
Charlie Sheen has hit out at his controversial doctor who claimed he'd cured the troubled actor of HIV with arthritic goat's milk and told him to go off his meds.
The Anger Management star tweeted that 'Dr Sam' aka Dr. Samir Chachoua, had been treating him for the virus illegally for two months in the U.S. - where he is not licensed to practice medicine.
Sheen's tweet follows worrying news that his HIV numbers are 'up' after being encouraged to stop taking his antiviral drugs.
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Charlie Sheen's (right) has hit out at his doctor, Dr. Samir Chachoua (left) saying his treatment was 'illegal'
The actor, who revealed he was diagnosed with the virus four years ago, was said to have been responding well to the drugs but had gone off his meds after he sought alternative treatment from Chachoua two months ago.
The doctor, who famously injected himself with Sheen's HIV positive blood, claims his 'cure' based on the milk of arthritic goats, had made the virus 'undetectable' in the Hollywood star, Gawker revealed.
During an interview on Real Time with Bill Maher he said that Sheen was 'the first adult in history to go HIV negative' thanks to his treatment and even claimed he had 'cured countries' of HIV and Aids.
But the 50-year-old Golden Globe winner refuted the extraordinary claims, writing on Twitter: 'Dr Sam I was with u in Mexico for 1 day. It's illegal for u to practice in U.S.A. where u treated me for 2 months.'
The actor had also revealed in an appearance on the Dr. Oz Show last month that his HIV numbers were going up for the first time after taking the doctor's 'cure.'
'I'm amazed that I'm actually alive': Charlie Sheen admitted the troubling news that his HIV numbers are 'up' on Tuesday's episode of The Dr. Oz Show after following Chachoua's 'cure'
Chachoua went onto announce he had eradicated HIV and another virus called chikungunya in Comoros, an island nation off the eastern coast of Africa, in 2006
'I had been non-detectable, non-detectable and checking the blood every week and then found out the numbers are back up,' the Anger Management star told the 55-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Oz.
'I'm amazed that I'm actually alive'.
Chachoua had told Maher that arthritic goats milk could cure the disease as CAEV virus present in the milk 'destroys HIV and protects people who drink it for life.'
He went onto announce he had eradicated HIV and another virus called chikungunya in Comoros, an island nation off the eastern coast of Africa, in 2006.
The doctor did not go into any detail to how his supposed treatment would 'destroy HIV', neither did he offer any scientific studies backing up his wild claims during his appearance.
Chachoua also discussed the moment he had injected himself with Sheen's blood, saying he had been 'that confident' of his cure.
He told the host that when Sheen was on 'the incredibly powerful medical cocktails, he still showed virus.'
Sheen stopped taking the drugs to try a treatment in Mexico with Dr Sam Chachoua, pictured above, who is not licensed in the United States
'As soon as he started my treatment he became undetectable,' he claimed.
The bizarre and false claims were followed by a pre-recorded clip of Sheen complaining to the doctor about some of the side effects of his antiretroviral therapy including migraines and 'poo poo pants.'
'It's a horrible way to live, all these side effects disappeared the minute he started my therapy and the minute he started my therapy, his liver went to normal levels,' claimed Chachoua.
'Even the charts they held up on our show, all the great tests they showed, they were during my treatment, not theirs.'
Sheen has previously admitted he is risking his life with the untested treatment.
Charlie - born Carlos Estevez - said in a pre-recorded segment on the Dr Oz show: 'I've been off my meds about a week now. I feel great. Am I risking my life? So what? I was born dead. That part of it doesn't phase me at all.'
'I didn't see it as Russian roulette. I didn't see it as a complete dismissal of the conventional course we've been on. I'm not recommending that anyone - I'm presenting myself as a type of guinea pig.'
The sheer numbers were overwhelming. Those registered to vote jostled into lines that overflowed from precinct's allotted caucus rooms.
Those still to register were guided to desks where registration papers were scattered like confetti the system strained under the demand of students and millennials keen to make their mark and cast their vote.
This was the scene at Olin Hall, Drake University, which played host to four Republican precincts and one Democratic.
The caucusers started arriving soon after six a gentle trickle of early arrivers that belied the deluge of voters to follow.
By ten to seven the stairs down to Room 101, the room allotted for the Democratic precinct, were at a standstill as would-be voters registering at the desk at the bottom caused a logjam of frustrated enthusiasm.
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Join the line for democracy: The massive crows trying to get in to the Olin Hall at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, reflected record turnout across the state
Packed in: Caucus organizers had to deal with an overwhelming turnout
Ready for Hillary: Lauren Oreto, 19, Emily Hutchinson, 19 and Zoe Glenn were all proudly supporting the Democratic frontrunner
First time: Alex Freeman, a psychology and biology major from northern Minnesota, said: 'I've been watching the debates and I'm definitely more involved in the issues but I'm still undecided.'
Ready for Marco: Ryan Kurt has been advocating for Rubio and said: 'I'm speaking on Senator Rubio's behalf tonight. I've been interested in Rubio's campaign since he started.'
Upstairs voters sat patiently in the classroom set aside for Republican precinct 38 looking for all the world like assiduous students waiting for class to begin. They fiddled with their iPhones as they counted down the minutes for voting to begin.
For business major Kylie Busick, 18, it was her first caucus and a process in which she has been heavily involved changing stream half way through.
She explained: 'I actually did a lot of door knocking for Carly Fiorina at the beginning but I'm here for Ben Carson.
'I saw him speak and his son came here and I had a chance to have a good conversation with him and that personal touch really made the difference.
'Drake has really pushed the political agenda,' she said.
'We're the capital school where most politicians have visited. Drake's hosted a lot of rallies on the caucus and they've made it really easy for us to take part. You'd almost feel guilty not showing up.
'I've seen Ben Carson and Jeb Bush. We tried to get into Trump on Thursday but they sold 3000 tickets and only 700 got in it was so oversold.'
Under pressure: Caucus evening at Drake University brought lines waiting to register for the first chance to decide the White House race
Not united: Kylie Busick, 18 and Anthony Defino, 18. Busick was planning to vote for Ben Carson - despite having canvassed for Carly Fiorina - but Defino was voting for Rubio
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
Sitting by her side Anthony Defino, 18, a vocal performance major, said that this was actually his third caucus but only the first he's been able to vote in.
He's casting his vote for Marco Rubio. He said: 'I think a lot of the reason why we have so many young voters is because we have an opportunity to vote on what the party platform will be.
'It's empowering. We have an opportunity to influence what the party stands for, we have the opportunity to change the party that our parents and grandparents started.'
Out in the hallway precinct officials struggled to corral would-be voters into the right lines according to who was and who wasn't registered.
Like students waiting for mid-term results the would-be caucusers strained to see over their peers' shoulders, anxious to be part of the process, keen to simply get on and vote.
Twenty-year-old Ryan Kurt from Independence, Iowa surveyed the scene, Marco Rubio banners in hand. 'I have about a dozen of these,' he smiled. 'I'm Senator Rubio's representative for precinct 45.'
How did he secure this role? 'They just called me up and offered it to me and I said yes.
'I'm speaking on Senator Rubio's behalf tonight. I love public speaking and I've been interested in Rubio's campaign since he started but didn't really get actively involved until last week.'
Speaking of his chosen candidates chances he said: 'I'm very optimistic. I think he's the most electable. He was third after Trump and Cruz earlier but he has the most optimistic outlook.'
Alex Freeman, 21, a psychology and biology major from northern Minnesota was taking part in her first caucus and still undecided after registering. She said: 'I'm just trying to get more involved because the issues are applying to me more now.
'I've been watching the debates and I'm definitely more involved in the issues but I'm still undecided. I'm going to just go with my gut but I'm leaning towards Marco Rubio right now.'
Last push: Distant third Martin O'Malley made his final pitch to voters at the university - although he stands little chance of overturning the huge distance between him and the leading two Democrats, Clinton and Sanders
Friends Emily Hutchinson, 19, a psychology and pre-med student, Lauren Oreto, 19, studying accounting and management and Zoe Glenn, 18 who studies actuarial science were all determined Hillary supporters.
'We're here for Hillary,' Emily said, with no waver of doubt in her choice for her first taste of voting.
And while Republican caucusers cast their votes quietly, down in room 101 the rowdy business of the Democratic process was given a kick-start by an impromptu address from Martin O'Malley that raised rapturous cheers from his supporters.
Signs indicated where in the room supporters for Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley should stand as the purpose of the event was to get the most caucusers for any one candidate with a minimum requirement of 15 % of the room standing for any one candidate.
Any less than that and those standing in the smallest group have to rearrange and blend into one of the bigger contingents.
Inside every row in the auditorium and every patch of floor space was taken.
'At the moment I'm in a car with a date driving me home in his BMW - he's dropping me at my mum's house.'
This is a day in the life of Maya, 18, who is a Sugar Baby - which means she is given money, gifts and taken to expensive dinners in exchange for spending time with older men.
'If I run out of phone credit I just jump online like 'woe is me' and like 100 guys offer to pay for it,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
Maya (pictured) is a Sugar Baby - men pay her to go on dates, accompany them on lavish holidays and just 'hang out'
Maya first started as a Sugar Baby a few months ago, but already has a whole host of expensive dinners, interstate trips and rides in fancy cars under her belt
Maya first started as a Sugar Baby a few months ago, but already has a whole host of expensive dinners, interstate trips and rides in fancy cars under her belt.
Men on Seeking Arrangement can contact Maya, fly her to them, or travel to her hometown and take her out for a meal or activity.
'I went to this restaurant the other day and I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, it was called a 'mushroom party', I didn't even know what it was.
'It was like a whole plate of every kind of mushroom and I ate the whole thing and then went home'. she said.
A dinner will earn her upwards of $300 on top of whatever the meal costs, while on Tuesday a man flew to Hobart just to spend a few hours at the beach with her.
'I'm just sitting here with two $100 notes I didn't have this morning,' Maya revealed.
'I never get drunk with them, I never do drugs with them, I'm always stone cold sober.'
Men on Seeking Arrangement can contact Maya, fly her to them, or travel to her hometown and take her out for a meal or activity
'I went to this restaurant the other day and I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, it was called a 'mushroom party', I didn't even know what it was'
She said the Sugar Daddies are often well-presented, and always cashed up
Maya heard about the website when a friend saw it on Oprah, and joked that she should do it. At first she didn't take him seriously, but after some coaxing signed up one night
Maya heard about the website when a friend saw it on Oprah, and joked that she should do it. At first she didn't take him seriously, but after some coaxing signed up one night.
She said the Sugar Daddies are often well-presented, and always cashed up.
'Usually they're nice, very sharply dressed, if they pick me up it's a BMW or some other fancy car,' May said.
'Some of them are married but usually it's a no strings attached kind of thing .'
However it's not always a positive experience, and more often than not the men are after something more than just dinner.
'There was this really sketchy guy who was going to fly me to Melbourne on the proviso that I was going to sleep him.
However it's not always a positive experience, and more often than not the men are after something more than just dinner
'There was this really sketchy guy who was going to fly me to Melbourne on the proviso that I was going to sleep him,' she said
Maya is hoping to move to Melbourne and has 'a few' job interviews lined up in the Victorian capital in coming months, but for now is enjoying her carefree lifestyle
'I don't do the sexual stuff', Maya said.
'If I was sleeping in the men I'd be rolling in it, I'd have a Rolls Royce and an apartment in Potts Point in Sydney and a really cute dog.
'I do get tempted when I'm really broke,' she admitted.
NUMBER OF NEW SIGN-UPS AT UNIVERSITIES ACROSS AUSTRALIA University of Sydney - 90 University of Newcastle - 85 Queensland University of Technology - 81 University of Queensland - 75 University of New South Wales - 75 University of Wollongong - 63 Deakin University - 60 Victoria University - 55 Macquarie University - 53 La Trobe University - 45 University of Melbourne - 37 Monash University - 35 University of Adelaide - 32 Australian Catholic University - 24 Advertisement
Maya's mother, a former Madame who worked in Sydney during the 1980s said she found the industry 'very nice' to work in, but she never slept with anyone for money either.
'I had the nicest girls working for me but they were greedy, they did it for the money,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
Maya is hoping to move to Melbourne and has 'a few' job interviews lined up in the Victorian capital in coming months, but for now is enjoying her carefree lifestyle.
'The only downfall is the judgement that I get from my friends is hardcore,' she said.
'But I'm happy and that's all that matters, and I'm rich and I'm laughing all the way the bank.'
There are currently 82,670 student Sugar Babies in Australia and the average monthly allowance for each student is $3000.
Sydney University had the highest number of new sign-ups for the start of 2016 with 300 students registered on the Seeking Arrangement website.
'Australia is placing the burden of student debt on the country. Rather than repaying the favor, graduates are escaping to other countries,' says Brandon Wade, Founder and CEO of SeekingArrangement.com.
Violent threats have been made against schools for a third straight day, with lockdowns put in place in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.
Police in NSW are now investigating whether the hoax threats were made by Islamic State terrorists based in Syria, The Australian reports.
The terrorist group based in Syria has been responsible for previous hoax threats elsewhere in the world.
Police operations were underway again on Tuesday after as least 11 threatening phone calls were received.
Bomb threats have been made against schools for the third straight day, with lockdowns put in place across New South Wales, Queensland (pictured) and the ACT
Schools in Sydney, the Hunter Valley and Illawarra were tageted in NSW, while Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Townsville were subjected to the threats in Queensland.
Three additional schools in Canberra were evacuated shortly before noon, according to the Canberra Times.
The newspaper reported the schools in Canberra impacted were: Lanyon High School, Forest Primary and Kingsford Smith School.
In Queensland, the schools evacuated were: Surfers Paradise State School, Caningeraba State School, Oxenford State School, Bounty Boulevard State School, Gap Senior High School, Buddina State School, Townsville Senior High School and MacGregor SHS, according to the Courier Mail.
It is believed about 20 schools in Victoria received calls, however Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said it is not being regarded as a terrorist event.
Nine schools went into lockdown and hundreds of students were forced out as a result of the threats that were suspected to be linked to ISIS, according to The Australian.
A number of police cars were seen outside Glenmore State High in Rockhampton, Queensland, after it was put into lockdown
Police were still searching Townsville State High School when parents began arriving to check on their children
Queensland's Education Department released this statement about the threats on Tuesday afternoon
NSW Police said the lockdowns were the result of the latest round of hoax calls.
'There is no evidence these are anything other than hoaxes designed to cause unnecessary disruption and inconvenience,' at statement read.
Victoria Police said it was aware 'a number of schools' were impacted received threatening phone calls.
'The schools have enacted their emergency management plans as a precaution,' a statement read.
'It appears to be a series of hoax calls similar to last weeks incidents, designed to cause disruption and attract media attention.
'We are aware that schools in a number of other states have also received similar phone calls today.'
It comes after 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.
Hundreds of students were seen outside Sydney Girls High School after an evacuation on Monday
A police van is seen outside Sydney Girls High School during an operation on Monday afternoon
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.
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.
huge painting of Jesus looks down over the master bed
Ceilings are supported by gilded beams and a
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The outside of this suburban Oregon home looks ordinary, but the inside is a marvelous display of gold, dark wood, and hand-made ornaments.
The owner of the house, Almine Barton, bought it in 1979 and made extensive changes to the interior.
'It was an ordinary suburban house,' Barton told Yahoo Real Estate.
'The owner built it with just basic materials in a very, very sturdy way. But when I went in and saw the small little space, it just didn't feel right to me.'
Among Barton's additions to the three-bedroom, three-bathroom Newport, Oregon house are dining-room curtains worth $14,000, Renaissance furniture imported from Europe, and hand-made rugs.
A lot of the stuff inside the home is very old. A trunk in a guest room dates from before 1066, Barton claims.
'It's like living inside a Rembrandt painting,' Barton said.
Barton, whose website declares her to be a 'seer' and an 'illuminated master' of sacred teachings, claims the title of Right and Honorable Dowager Countess of Shannon.
She is currently selling the house for an asking price of $399,000, according to Realtor.com.
The ordinary exterior of this Newport, Oregon home hides over-the-top decorations on the inside
A lot of the interior furniture and decorations were imported from Europe, Barton said
The living room ceiling is supported by gilded beams and the windows are refurbished from old English churces
Over the master bed hangs a large painting of Jesus Christ which Barton had hand-painted and mounted to the ceiling
The curtains in this dining room cost $14,000, Barton claims
The trunk at the foot of this guest bed was made before 1066, according to Barton
The hinges on this three-inch-thick door are purely decorative, Barton said
These windows were made in 1752 and originally belonged to Lancaster Cathedral in England
Paintings and golden medallions adorn this bathroom ceiling
He has been chased out of town by an angry mob, had drinks thrown in his face and politicians vow to have him barred from their country over his stance on legalising rape.
But before self-proclaimed 'pick up artist' Daryush Valizadeh incited 'hatred and misogyny' on a global scale, he was just a microbiologist with a blog.
The 36-year-old, from Maryland, USA, recently made his way into the limelight by organising 165 'tribal meetings' for his small number of followers across 45 countries - including Australia.
Valizadeh, known as Roosh V, has threatened to infiltrate Australia's boarders for the local tribe meeting - stating that our 'gay authorities' would be unable to stop him.
This sparked significant backlash from members of the community who believe his teachings encourage rape, abuse and violence against women.
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Before self-proclaimed 'pick up artist' Daryush Valizadeh incited 'hatred and misogyny' on a global scale, he was just a microbiologist with a blog
Valizadeh, known as Roosh V, has threatened to infiltrate Australia's boarders for the local tribe meeting - stating that our 'gay authorities' would be unable to stop him
While the unwanted and 'arrogant' traveller appears cocky now, he was initially too afraid to put his own name to his ramblings on 'neomasculinity'.
During his former life as a microbiologist, he created an anonymous blog called DC Bachelor where he would discuss various ways he would attempt to 'seduce' women.
After living in 'constant paranoia that my employer would bust me for the macho content', the industrial microbiologist decided that he was no longer fearful of retribution and changed the name of his blog to his moniker, Roosh V.
Now he is more than comfortable publishing the fact that: 'My default opinion of any girl I meet is worthless dirty wh**e until proven otherwise.'
Interestingly, sleeping with him certainly doesn't prove otherwise, with the controversial speaker claiming that he feels no closer to a partner after 'pumping her'.
'Most of the time I respect her less because my opinion of her as a worthless dirty sl*t who probably likes being choked was proven correct.'
On his website Return of the Kings, which has over 12,500 likes on Facebook, Valizadeh says the gatherings are for 'male bonding'
Valizadeh, whose parents immigrated to America from Armenia and Iran, said that in 2007 he felt he had established a considerable following and decided to pen his first book, called 'Bang'
Valizadeh, whose parents immigrated to America from Armenia and Iran, said that in 2007 he felt he had established a considerable following and decided to pen his first book, which is called 'Bang'.
Inside the book, the former microbiologist describes the 'ruthlessly optimized process' that 'enabled me to put my penis inside' various women.
The self-proclaimed nomad grew tired with 'American culture and women' and ultimately moved abroad where he spent several years researching a slew of other titles that include Bang Colombia, Bang Iceland, Don't Bang Denmark, Bang Poland and Bang Lithuania.
He now claims to spend most of his time in Ukraine, Poland and Washington DC.
The 36-year-old has 15 self-published books, many of which have been widely condemned as 'rape guides' by media, residents and politicians who live in the countries he is writing about.
Inside these guides to becoming a modern day Lothario he tells men that the more worthless they consider a woman, the higher chance you will be able to convince her to sleep with you.
'The fantasy you should have to get your ideal girl should be choking and butt-f***ing her, not having a romantic walk with her on a beautiful beach underneath a full moon,' he wrote.
'The fantasy you should have to get your ideal girl should be choking and butt-f***ing her,' he said
He tried to create an appearance of wealth and class, despite his disgusting stance on rape
He claims anger is an aphrodisiac for women and proudly proclaims that his verbal abuse leaves 'almost every girl I date in a heap of tears'.
'I blow my top and lose my cool at the smallest slight, calling them out without hesitation and making them cry with no remorse,' he wrote.
Valizadeh regularly attacks women on his Twitter account and also runs a Youtube channel that has 19,000 subscribers.
The men's rights activist regularly updates his followers on issues such as 'should a man push for sex on the first date', 'having sex with girls you don't like', and the 'truth behind rape culture hysteria'
These are some of his less offensive rants.
The Southern Poverty Law Centre identified him as 'hateful and misogynistic' in March of 2012, discussing his writings in a report on Hate and Extremism.
But the criticism did not discourage him and soon, in October 2012, Valizadeh decided to expand his online presence by creating the website 'Return of Kings'.
The site publishes articles written by Valizadeh and a 'small but vocal' collection of men who hope to bring an end to America's 'politically-correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men'.
Daryush Valizadeh (pictured), who believes 'rape should be legalised on private property' has organised for his Australian supporters to meet in six locations
The website publishes a string of 'neomasculine' articles that claims women should not work, women should have their behaviour and decisions 'controlled by men' and has even encouraged males to record consensual sex with a hidden camera to ensure they are not 'falsely accused of rape
The website publishes a string of 'neomasculine' articles that claims women should not work, women should have their behaviour and decisions 'controlled by men' and has even encouraged males to record consensual sex with a hidden camera to ensure they are not 'falsely accused of rape'.
Other articles claim that one in four women are 'certifiably mentally ill' and should not be unable to live autonomously in today's society.
His sexist values have seeped into the vast majority of the content, which sometimes focuses on the 'shortfalls' multiculturalism or homosexuality as opposed to how women's 'impulsive and illogical behaviour' mean they should submit to men.
His 'neomasculine' values have seeped into the vast majority of the content, which sometimes focuses on the 'shortfalls' multiculturalism or homosexuality
Although it mostly focuses on how how women's 'impulsive and illogical behaviour' mean they should submit to men
As he finds aesthetics so important, he often criticises people's appearance instead of engaging with them on an intellectual level
Articles on his website declare that a woman who gains weight means she has no worth
He and his followers claim to believe that a woman's value 'significantly depends on her fertility and beauty', while a man's centres on his 'resources, intellect, and character'.
In 2015 Valizadeh wrote one of his more offensive and reviled articles - 'How to Stop Rape' - where he claims that the American government should legalise rape on private property.
He said this will force women to take more responsibility for their own safety and put the onus on them to protect their body like they would a 'purse or smartphone'.
'If rape becomes legal, a girl will not enter an impaired state of mind where she can't resist being dragged off to a bedroom with a man who she is unsure ofshe'll scream, yell, or kick at his attempt while bystanders are still around,' Valizadeh said.
'If rape becomes legal, she will never be unchaperoned with a man she doesn't want to sleep with.'
'If rape becomes legal, she will never be unchaperoned with a man she doesn't want to sleep with'
He was again labelled a misogynist but that did not stop him planning a tour to Canada where he would be paid to speak to his followers in Montreal and Toronto.
Locals immediately started a Change.org petition to have him banned from entering the country as they believed his teachings violated local hate speech laws and encouraged rape.
Members of government condemned his comments but were unable to block his entry to the country.
Despite the petition attracting more than 42,500 signatures he made is way to Montreal in August 2015.
He and his 34 supporters were met with a mob of angry protesters in Monteral who threw beer in his face and chased him into a building as his followers scurried away.
This prompted a reaction from Toronto Mayor John Tory who said that his hate speech had 'no place in our city' and should not be given a platform, local media outlets reported.
Other councillors asked local venues not to allow the controversial anti-feminist to enter their premises so he would have no where to gather his followers and spruik his backward views.
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)
City Councillor Norm Kelly said Valizadeh's 'take' on life is worthless garbage masquerading as provocative insight'.
The government was not able to block Valizadeh from travelling Toronto which prompted him to post a video to his Youtube account claiming a victory for men everywhere who were being kept down by the 'social justice feminist class'.
'I hope that you see how now that courage is contagious. You see how one man and his rag tag group of men today can stand up to the entire establishment who is trying to stop them,' he said.
Fearful he would be swamped by angry protesters again, the 'anti-feminist' hired extra security for his appearance in Toronto, which according to the Huffington Post, only had around 50 attendees.
In September, a petition was launched to have Valizadeh's self-published 'pro-rape' books removed from the online retail giant Amazon.
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'
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 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.
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.
The self-styled pick up artist is now facing backlash in Australia over proposed 'tribal meetings', where his followers can meet in a bid to connect with 'like-minded men'.
The self-styled pick up artist is now facing backlash in Australia over proposed 'tribal meetings', where his followers can meet in a bid to connect with 'like-minded men'
His Sydney supporters will meet at Coogee Pavilion, Hyde Park and Brighton Le Sands, while his Melbourne following will meet in Federation Square
Meeting spots have been organised in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and published on his website 'Return of Kings' (pictured)
Valizadeh believes shrouding the meetings in secrecy will ensure his followers will be safe
While 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.'
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 at Coogee Pavilion, Hyde Park and Brighton Le Sands, while his Melbourne following will meet in Federation Square.
It was initially believed Valizadeh would not attend the Australian meeting or address his local followers
But on Monday he tweeted: 'I just booked a flight to Australia I'll stay awhile see some sights'
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'
Valizadeh has made several jokes on Twitter about infiltrating the Australian boarder by boat, stating that our 'gay authorities' will be unable to stop him
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.
A petition - similar to the one in Canada - was launched soon after he started tweeting about a possible appearance in Australia, which demanded the police and government work together to stop him from gaining a visa.
'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 petition read.
While more than 55,000 people have signed the online petition, Valizadeh has made several jokes on Twitter about infiltrating the Australian boarder by boat, stating that our 'gay authorities' will be unable to stop him.
A petition - similar to the one in Canada - was launched soon after he started tweeting about a possible appearance in Australia
A spokesperson for Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton told Daily Mail Australia that Valizadeh has not applied for a visa but warns his hateful rhetoric has not been lost on the Department
Valizadeh has made several jokes on Twitter about infiltrating the Australian boarder by boat, stating that our 'gay authorities' will be unable to stop him
He has revelled in the media attention, telling female journalists that he would give them an interview if they performed fellatio on him.
A spokesperson for Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton told Daily Mail Australia that Valizadeh has not applied for a visa but warns his hateful rhetoric has not been lost on the Department.
'People who advocate violence against women are not welcome in Australia,' the spokesperson said.
Turnbull later appeared in an Archibald Prize painting in 2007
Miller was thought to have destroyed the painting and all
of the then-merchant banker in the Archibald Prize
These are the unflattering sketches that then-merchant banker Malcolm Turnbull reportedly said made him look like a 'big, fat, greedy c***.'
According to The Art Magazine, Turnbull complained about the paintings to renowned art critic Ray Hughes at a function in 1994.
'That artist of yours is no good; he's made me look like a big, fat, greedy c***', Turnbull reportedly told Hughes at the time.
'He is a realist painter, you know', Hughes responded.
Malcolm Turnbull is said to have criticized this portrait of himself from 1994 apparently saying the artist made him look like a 'big, fat, greedy c***'
Australian artist Lewis Miller was commissioned to sketch then-merchant banker Turnbull (pictured) and his wife Lucy at their Hunter Valley residence in 1992
But when Turnbull saw the artwork - which Miller was hoping would win an Archibald Prize - he told renowned art critic Ray Hughes he found the portrait particularly unflattering
The artist behind the drawings, Lewis Miller, was commissioned to paint portraits of the pair at their home in the Hunter Valley, just north of Sydney.
Some two years later he set about completing the sketches to create a portrait he hoped would win him an Archibald Prize.
However, on hearing of the criticism he was so upset that he took to the portrait with a knife and tore it apart.
'I do remember just getting rid of the picture and moving on ... I probably had a bit of a bad taste in my mouth about the whole thing,' Miller told Daily Mail Australia.
'I wasn't that shocked but it's such a long time ago it's hard to remember.'
Miller said it had been a huge 'learning experience' for him, and reflected that he probably should have consulted Turnbull before starting the portrait.
'You really do go in with the permission of the sitter anyway, which I didn't have,' he said.
'I'm pretty thick-skinned now and you do get a thick skin (as an artist).'
The Prime Minister's office declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Lewis Miller, pictured here with his painting of Ronald Dale Barassi in 2000, was so upset he destroyed the painting of Turnbull and any photographs of it
A portrait of Lucy Turnbull drinking a glass of wine in her home in Scone, Hunter Valley, dated 1992
The revelations about the paintings come after Ray Hughes' son announced he would be contesting the PM's seat at the next federal election for the Australian Labor Party.
Miller said this situation may have reignited interest in the artwork - two decades after the situation first unfolded.
He said that he did not believe the current prime minister possessed any of the qualities the anecdote portrayed him as having.
Despite destroying the 1994 painting, Miller later won an Archibald Prize in 1998 for his portrait of Allan Mitelman.
In 2000 he took out the Sporting Portrait Prize for 'Portrait of Ronald Dale Barassi', and he was also a finalist in the 2011 Archibalds for his painting 'Small self portrait'.
Turnbull featured in Vivian Falk's 2007 Archibald Prize portrait, 'A moment with Malcolm'.
Turnbull later featured in Vivian Falk's 2007 Archibald Prize portrait, 'A moment with Malcolm'
The Space Launch System will be capable of sending humans to Mars
It can carry more than 52,500 lbs and fly from 290 to 564 mph
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Nasa workers handled a special delivery as the massive Super Guppy aircraft opened to reveal the smaller - but equally precious - Orion capsule.
The Super Guppy, which landed on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, enables Nasa to fly spacecraft components around the world.
This time, the jumbo plane, with a 156 feet wingspan, was carrying the Orion space crew module, destined to fly at the top of the Space Launch System (SLS).
By the time it is completed in 2018, the SLS will be the biggest and most powerful rocket in the world and will be capable of sending humans to Mars.
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The Supper Guppy landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday. It delivered the pressure vessel, or underlying structure, of the Orion space crew module
The Orion capsule (pictured) will fly on top of the Space Launch System (SLS). By the time it is completed in 2018, the SLS will be the largest, most powerful rocket in the world and will be capable of sending humans to Mars
Nasa plans to send astronauts on a first crewed flight aboard Orion in 2021. Then, the space crew module will be used for other missions in the 2020s.
Ultimately, Nasa hopes that a journey to Mars will be within reach in the 2030s.
The Super Guppy's cargo compartment is 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long. It can carry more than 26 tons.
The aircraft's hinged nose can open at an angle larger than 200 degrees, allowing workers to load and unload large pieces of equipment from its front.
Monday's delivery brought Orion's underlying structure, also known as the pressure vessel, to the Kennedy Space Center.
The pressure vessel was first assembled in Nasa's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. It took about four months for technicians to build it from seven large aluminum pieces.
The Super Guppy (pictured), which delivered Orion's pressure vessel, enables Nasa to fly spacecraft components around the world. Its cargo compartment is 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long, and can carry more than 26 tons
The aircraft has a hinged nose that can open at an angle larger than 200 degrees, allowing workers to load and unload large pieces of equipment from its front
Orion (pictured inside the Super Guppy) is set to go on an uncrewed test flight beyond the moon in 2018. The capsule will travel for about three weeks, taking off from the Kennedy Space Center and touching down off the San Diego coast in the Pacific Ocean
The structure will fly on top of the SLS for a first uncrewed test flight in 2018. The flight, dubbed Exploration Mission-1, is meant to enable Nasa to test the spacecraft's ability to accomplish future missions into deep space.
It will be a three-week journey beyond the moon.
SLS and Orion will take off from Nasa's Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Orion will leave Earth's orbit and travel in the direction of the moon for several days.
The capsule will then orbit around the moon for about six days before traveling back to Earth. It will return to the atmosphere at 25,000 mph, reaching temperatures as high as 5,000 degrees Farenheit.
Nasa expects Orion to touch down off the San Diego coast in the Pacific Ocean.
Killed: Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, co-founder of Scotland's Kagyu Samye Ling monastery near Langholm, in Dumfries and Galloway, was found dead with multiple stab wounds in Chengdu in 2013
China has sentenced two men to death for murdering a British monk who founded Europe's first Tibetan monastery, state media have said.
Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, co-founder of Scotland's Kagyu Samye Ling monastery near Langholm, in Dumfries and Galloway, was found dead with multiple stab wounds at his home in the south-western city of Chengdu in 2013.
A court there has now sentenced two men, named as Tudeng Gusang and Tsering Banjue, to death for the murders of Akong Rinpoche and two other men, while an accomplice was sentenced to three years in jail, the state-run China News Service reported late on Sunday.
It cited authorities as saying that Gusang, who had worked at the Scottish monastery, and Banjue had stabbed Akong Rinpoche, his nephew and a driver to death in a dispute over a 2.7million yuan (286,000) 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'.
The British embassy in Beijing said it was aware of the outcome of the trial, adding: 'The British government maintains its longstanding opposition to the death penalty, and has formally communicated this to the Chinese government.'
Akong Rinpoche - who was addressed as such because of his respected status in the Tibetan Buddhist community - was born in Tibet, but fled to India in 1959 following revolution.
Although he was part of a group of 300 to leave for India, only 13 are said to have made it.
He came to Oxford in 1963 to learn English, working as an orderly in a hospital to support himself, before eventually founded the Scottish monastery - the first of its kind in the West.
Around 60 monks and lay people still live at the monastery today.
Akong Rinpoche, who was 73 when he died, co-founded the Samye Ling monastery in Scotland in the 1960s.
The Scottish institution was a pilgrimage site for artists and musicians including Leonard Cohen as well as senior Tibetan monks including the Dalai Lama.
China has sentenced two men to death for murdering the British monk, who founded Europe's first Tibetan monastery. Pictured is Scotland's Kagyu Samye Ling monastery near Langholm, in Dumfries and Galloway
Despite fleeing China, Akong Rinpoche had maintained a relationship with authorities in Beijing, regularly returning to Tibetan regions.
It was on his annual trip to inspect the health, educational and cultural projects in Tibet supported by the Rokpa charity that he founded that the abbot was killed.
Part of the trip involving arranging their funding, meaning he would have had access to considerable sums of money.
Many Tibetans say that China represses their religious freedom and culture. Beijing says it has brought massive investment to the relatively undeveloped region.
Hillary Clinton was not just battling Bernie Sanders in Iowa on Monday, but also a new and unlikely opponent - Sticker Kid.
Peter Clinkscales, a student at Drake University, is still undecided as to who he will vote for in the upcoming election, but seeing that Clinton was going to appear at his college on Monday decided to stop by and spend her entire speech making exaggerated facial movement while covered in stickers.
In the end, his antics managed to draw attention away from Clinton as she delivered her 'victory' speech because the young man could be seen right over her shoulder the entire time.
He also did a little bit of dancing at the end of Clinton's remarks.
Hillary Clinton was upstaged by a college student during her 'victory' speech in Iowa on Monday night
Peter Clinkscales, a student at Drake University, danced and made animated faces while covered in campaign stickers
He quickly earned the nickname 'Sticker Kid'
In an interview with Mashable after Clinton;'s speech, Clinkscales said; 'I saw that a presidential candidate was going to be at my university so I decided I should go see that presidential candidate at my university.'
He then added he and a friend originally had another plan for the evening, explaining; 'We thought it would be a great idea if we brought two saxophones here to the rally for Hillary Clinton so he could play one and he could play one.'
When they learned those instruments would not be allowed inside the rally however, they went with stickers, animated expressions and dancing - which managed to do the trick.
Clinkscales later wrote on Twitter; 'Lol I trended on Twitter #bucketlist #stickerboy #stickerkid'
'I saw that a presidential candidate was going to be at my university so I decided I should go see that presidential candidate at my university,' he said of attending the rally
Clinton was having a difficult night all around on Monday despite declaring herself victorious in Iowa in a race that is still too close to call.
'As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief - thank you, Iowa!' Clinton said at the beginning of her remarks Monday night.
'I want you to know I will keep doing my entire life, I will keep standing up for you I will keep fighting for you.'
Sanders on the other hand called the results a 'virtual tie' in his speech on Monday evening.
He told his supporters; 'I want to be clear with you about what this really means. Tonights result is a victory for our political revolution. We have proved that when people come together, anything is possible.'
Sanders then said that if his campaign wins in New Hampshire - as is expected by many poundits at this point - 'well have all the momentum.'
Drugs officers have compared Marquardt to a more impressive version of fictional meth maker Walter White from Breaking Bad
Manufacture was an extremely dangerous process while he was also at risk of being killed by drug kin pins or arrest by the D.E.A.
High school dropout Marquardt taught himself chemistry from old textbooks and began making heroin aged just 15
The drug - which is 100 times stronger than morphine- was linked with the deaths of up to 300 people before his arrest
George Marquardt was sentenced to 25 years in jail for flooding the East Coast with killer drug fentanyl in the 1990s
Meet the real life Walter White: the self-taught genius chemist responsible for flooding East Coast with a drug linked to hundreds of deaths.
George Marquardt was just 15 years old when he began making heroin in his parents' basement, Fusion reports.
By the nineties, and without ever having gone to college or formally studied chemistry, he had become the first person in America to have illegally produced fentanyl - a drug a hundred times more potent than morphine and fifty times stronger than heroin - at his own lab.
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Meet George Marquardt: the self-taught genius chemist responsible for flooding East Coast with a drug linked to hundreds of deaths
Incredibly complex and dangerous to manufacture, the Drug Enforcement Agency began looking for a skilled chemist in a high-tech lab.
No-one suspected overall-wearing, high school dropout Marquardt who had taught himself the basics of chemistry from old text books - many of which were in German - who was working out of a small town in Kansas.
But by the early nineties, the death toll from fentanyl was soaring with reports of hundreds dead within one year across the East Coast.
Often users didn't even had the chance to pull the needle from their arm before they fatally overdosed.
By the time of Marquardt's arrest in 1993, his product was being linked with at least 126 deaths, although it is believed his fentanyl was responsible for considerably more.
At the time of his trial, he was branded a 'serial killer' in the press.
Marquardt even listed his profession as 'drug manufacturer' during the trial. When the judge asked him what kind, he replied 'clandestine,' Newsweek reported at the time.
But even some in the D.E.A. had a grudging respect for the skilled drugs maker who worked in his tiny lab with lethal, unstable chemicals and lived to tell the tale.
One retired agent, John Madinger, compared Maquardt to a more impressive version of Breaking Bad's Walter White.
On the show, White (played by Bryan Cranston) a struggling chemistry teacher, sets out on a life of crime after discovering he was suffering from lung cancer.
One retired agent, John Madinger, compared Maquardt to a more impressive version of Breaking Bad's Walter White (pictured)
Walter White (Bryan Cranston) uses his skills to produce crystal meth with partner Jesse (Aaron Paul) which he then sells on in the hope of being able to provide a nest egg for his family before he dies
He uses his skills to produce crystal meth which he then sells on in the hope of being able to provide a nest egg for his family before he dies.
'Above [Walter White] you've got Marquardt, who can manufacture the precursors and analyze them with a machine that he built himself, and installed in his laboratory,' he told Fusion. 'Nobody's ever done that before in the United States or since. He's the only one.'
Manufacture was incredibly dangerous.
Not only did Marquardt risk death from a chemical reaction, he was also at risk from the drug lords who could kill to silence their suppliers or cut off a competitor.
But the 69-year-old believed that - unlike so many other meth makers or cannabis growers - his rare skills meant he was worth more alive than dead.
There was also of course the risk of getting caught and to keep one step ahead of law enforcement, Marquardt said he would try to make each batch unique to make it appear as though there was more than one lab.
After serving 22 years of his 25 years in an Oregon jail, Marquardt, now 69, has his freedom again, although he's banned from touching lab equipment.
The supply of fentanyl swiftly dried up after his incarceration.
But decades after the 'genius' chemist's pioneering techniques, the drug is once again becoming a problem on the streets as legitimate drug makers have begun expanding the use of fentanyl for pain relief in more products.
Deadly: Fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, and is being blamed for the rash of recent deaths
It is variously labelled as 'bud ice,' 'income tax' and 'theraflu,' authorities say.
The recent explosion in the drug's use led the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to issue a nationwide alert about the dangers of fentanyl.
Figures from the National Institute of Drug Abuse revealed that hundreds of people have overdosed on fentanyl across the nation since 2013, often after using heroin laced with the stronger substance.
A quarter of fatal overdoses in Maryland now involve the drug - up from just 4 percent in 2013.
While Marquardt is linked to many of the fatal overdoses in the 1990s, he insists that drug users were attracted to the danger.
'The dope users know that to use these things are extremely high risk,' he told Fusion. 'It makes it attractive to them, in fact. They court these risks.
'Everybody basically knows we're on the same page in that regard. So I don't feel like I'm supplying a product to an innocent or naive population. I attach no blame to them.
'We're both criminals.'
Marquardt is a bundle of contradictions. As a teen he won the 1964 Kansas State Science Fair award the same day he was expelled from high school.
FENTANYL: 100 TIMES STRONGER THAN MORPHINE AND 40 TIMES STRONGER THAN HEROIN Fentanyl, also known as fentanil, is a very potent, narcotic pain medication with a rapid onset and short duration of action. First synthesized in Belgium in the 1950s, it was brought into medical use within ten years and is typically used for cancer patients with chronic pain. The drug is around 100 times more potent than morphine, with 100 micrograms of fentanyl approximately equivalent to 10 mg of morphine and 75 mg of pethidine. The odorless, clear liquid, which can also come in a white crystalline powered, is typically prescribed in patches. When taken illegally it is often taken intravenously, smoked or snorted. According to the Food and Drugs Administration, for patients who are not opioid-tolerant, the amount of fentanyl in one fentanyl patch of the lowest strength is large enough to cause dangerous side effects such as severe trouble breathing, very slow or shallow breathing or even death. Historically, it has been used to treat breakthrough pain and is commonly used in pre-procedures as a pain reliever as well as an anesthetic in combination with a benzodiazepine. The painkiller patch is prescribed for patients who are in severe, chronic pain and have already developed a resistance to narcotic drugs. Cancer patients are sometimes prescribed the painkiller patch because of the extreme pain often associated with the disease. Certain brands of the drug including Duragesic by PriCara among others have been recalled in the past because a defect in the patches could result in even accustomed patient overdosing and dying. Advertisement
He was described by friends at the time as someone likely to either go onto win the Nobel Peace Prize - or end up in jail.
The drug maker's eventual path to jail began after 911 crews responded to an emergency call in August of 1992 after reports a man had collapsed in Wichita.
When they arrived they found Joseph Martier unconscious from an overdose inside a storage building at an isolated industrial park outside town.
Experts discovered that the drug he had overdosed yet recovered from was fentanyl.
And the building where he collapsed was Marquardt's lab - the only illegal fentanyl lab the D.E.A. had ever busted.
Marquardt, then 47, was arrested alongside Phillip 'Sam' Houston, an eccentric oil geologist.
Officers then discovered Marquardt's 1978 conviction for cooking meth which he pleaded guilty to.
But as soon as he was released, he was back on the streets creating an even stronger drug.
This time around, he says he has no plans to go back to producing but says he doesn't see the D.E.A. winning the war on drugs any time soon.
Latest New Hampshire poll: Clinton on 30 points, Sanders, who is senator for neighboring Vermont on 63 - a formidable lead for the socialist
Both hit New Hampshire today but Hillary is managing expectations - and took Bill back on the trial as well
She has 701 Iowa 'state delegate equivalents' to Sanders' 697 - but the actual popular vote has not been revealed
Hillary Clinton defiantly claimed victory in Iowa on Tuesdy as she headed to New Hampshire to campaign in the next primary where she trails Bernie Sanders by a significant margin.
She went on stage at a high school in Nashua to stump for votes and said: 'I can tell you, I've won and I've lost there and it's a lot better to win,' The New York Times reported.
Clinton was applauded as she delivered a stump speech but her explicit decision to take a victory lap comes despite Bernie Sanders' campaign offering no concession of defeat.
She has 701 'state delegate equivalents' to Sanders' 697. The number is the official calculation of how the vote on Monday night will translate at the Iowa state convention, which will send 56 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July - of whom 48 are to reflect the state's popular will.
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On the trail: After claiming victory hours before it was declared - and without Bernie Sanders conceding - Hillary Clinton headed with husband Bill to New Hampshire to hit the stump there
THE DAY AFTER: Hillary Clinton stumped in Nashua, New Hampshire on Tuesday, a day after winning a razor-thin victory over Bernie Sanders in Iowa's precinct caucuses
Tapping into youthful enthusiasm and the party's Clinton-fatigue, Sanders was able to hinder the former secretary of state's coast to the nomination.
In New Hampshire today both were back on the campaign trail.
But it was clear the results were too close for comfort for the Clinton campaign and the former first lady began tamping down expectations for her performance in the next contest.
Clinton told CNN she was 'aiming' for a win there then said, 'I know that they tend to favor their neighbors. That's the pattern, the history of the primary. And Senator Sanders is a neighbor.'
New Hampshire presents a formidable challenge for Clinton, who now faces an electorate that has been receptive to Sander's anti-establishment, anti-Wall Street message - and have put Sanders far ahead in the polls.
The latest, from University of Massachuetts / 7NEWS suggests Sanders is in 63 per cent to Clinton's 30 - a formidable position to be in.
Clinton on Tuesday urged voters to get practical and ask themselves "does this just sound good on paper or does this get done? And who is mostly likely going to be able to deliver?"
IOWA: THE OFFICIAL RESULTS Hillary Clinton: 700.59 state delegate equivalents Bernie Sanders: 696.82 Martin O'Malley: 7.61 Uncommitted voters: 0.46 * O'Malley has dropped out so his delegates are free to switch sides Advertisement
Sanders said Tuesday he considered the results a 'giant step' toward proving his long-term viability.
'We're in this for the long haul,' he told reporters abroad his flight to New Hampshire early Tuesday.
But the chaotic result of the Monday's stormy Democratic caucus contest threatened to rewrite political history books in the Hawkeye State - and beyond.
Clinton desperately needed a win in advance of the primary election in New Hampshire where she trails Sanders, the senator for neighboring Vermont, by a whopping 31 points in the latest poll meaning that she had declared victory in Iowa hours before the Iowa Democratic Party did.
Sanders campaign told the Washington Post the true result may 'never be known'.
His campaign manager Jeff Weaver told the newspaper: 'As an empirical matter, were not likely to ever know what the actual result was.'
Sanders called it a toss-up and asked the state party to release the raw popular vote totals.
That's unheard of in Iowa, as Democratic caucuses only determine something called 'statewide delegate equivalents' according to a complicated formula.
Three more steps down the line county, district and statewide conventions will result in 56 delegates being sent to the Democratic National Convention, slated for August in Philadelphia.
By that point, it's possible Bernie could claim half of those slots or more.
At the highest party level the Democratic National Committee, stacked with women who favor Clinton, declared her the winner early on.
The Iowa Democratic Party followed suit hours later following a reboot of counting in a handful of precincts where they had failed to post a staffer to collect the totals.
PACKED HOUSE: Clinton, a former secretary of state, had the crowd's rapt attention on Tuesday
Also on the trail: Bernie Sanders was back in New England as he addressed a rally in Keene, NH, with wife Jane at his side - as his campaign team dug in on Iowa, refusing to concede and demanding full voting data be released
When the dust ultimately settles on the process, however, the arcane system of statewide Democratic rules could ultimately wipe out Clinton's advantage as the results percolate through the different levels of bureaucracy within the party.
Monday night's contest actually decided only how many delegates to county-level Democratic conventions each campaign would be allowed to pick.
Those people will meet on March 12 to appoint delegates to conventions at the 'district' level. On April 30 the districts will choose delegates to the state convention marking the first time any delegates will have to 'pledge' to back either Bernie or Hillary.
A June 18 statewide Democratic convention will follow, where delegates to the August Democratic National Convention will be chosen and charged with their responsibilities to select a specific presidential candidate.
Because of the way the county and state parties evolved independent of each other, the total number of statewide delegates each system appoints is different.
So when the caucus-night results are tabulated, the county delegate totals are filtered through a mathematical formula that adjusts the numbers and reports them as 'state delegate equivalents.'
That's the number that media outlets use in order to project who has won.
SO WHICH DEMOCRAT REALLY WON IN IOWA? What were Iowa Democrats voting for yesterday at their caucuses? In simple terms they were choosing their Democratic candidate for the White House. But in reality the caucus is the first stage of four rounds of voting by Iowa Democrats. The result declared by the Iowa Democratic Party that gave Hillary a 'victory' is far from the final word. When Democrats went to the caucuses on Monday, they were choosing delegates to attend party conventions in their counties mostly either Clinton backers or Sanders supporters. At the county conventions, a smaller set of delegates will be chosen for district-level conventions. Those people will meet months later to pick delegates for the state convention. That's the event that will finally decide how most of the 56 delegates Iowa sends to the Democratic National Convention will vote, either for Clinton or Sanders. Clinton already has a handful of 'superdelegates' mostly party bosses and elected officials pledged to back her. But Hillary Clinton won by a 701-697 margin. What does that actually mean? The numbers released by the Democrats in Iowa are 'state delegate equivalents.' They use a mathematical extrapolation based on how Iowans in each precinct voted in the last two national elections. The state party's computer system converts each precinct's votes into what the support should translate into in the final state-level convention this summer. Normally this would be straightforward since winning candidates in the past have had clear margins of victory and the conventions are seen as rubber-stamps that validate the initial caucuses. But on Monday the margins were wafer thin. People at the county, district and statewide conventions will have to decide how to allocate support which is split almost precisely 50-50, making the computer's formula largely irrelevant in the end. What actually happened at the caucuses? Each precinct voted for a set number of delegates based on their population from just one in the smallest areas to up to 26 in the largest to go to the next stage of voting, which are the county conventions. Those county delegates, who have still to be publicly named, are supposed to reflect the popular view of the precinct. In a one-delegate precinct, if a majority of the caucus voted for Hillary Clinton, the delegate will support Hillary when the county convention convenes. Larger precincts split their delegates along voting lines, with leftover delegates going to whomever has more votes. So if there are 10 delegates to award, and Hillary beat Bernie by a 60-40 margin, six would be given to Clinton and four to Sanders. If the result were 65-35 in favor of Clinton, she would claim the seventh delegate. In reality, the votes were split nearly 50-50 in many areas, leading to crucial extra delegates being awarded on the basis of tiny majorities. Some precincts with odd numbers of delegates to award tied exactly, leading to a rule-book decision to flip a coin. What we do not know yet is how the total numbers of county delegates line up. Improbably, Martin OMalley also claimed a handful of delegates who will be free-agents at their county conventions. Why are 'county delegates' important? County delegates will go to conventions on March 12, where they will decide on district delegates who themselves go to an April 30 convention to choose a smaller slate of state delegates. The state delegates then meet on June 18 to choose 48 of the 56 delegates who will got the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and represent Iowa Democrats' popular will as best they can. The number released by the Iowa Democratic Party on Monday night counts 'state delegate equivalents,' but thats a computer-generated estimate that might not materialize since the county delegates do not have to vote exactly as their precincts did: Just like at the precinct caucuses, they can be persuaded by other delegates to change camps before a final tally is made and delegates are actually allocated to Clinton or Sanders. That means that every delegate in theory could decide to vote for Clinton or equally for Sanders. Crucially, the county delegates could alter the outcome of the popular vote. And the same process happens again at the district and then the state conventions. That means it is practically impossible to know whether Clinton or Sanders will have a majority of the 48 delegates who are up for grabs. Clinton, though, already controls the eight superdelegates. Q Why hasnt this happened before? Iowas Democratic caucuses have never seen such a small margin of victory in past years. The delegates have a duty to follow the popular will. But where that's hard to discern in a virtual dead heat it is up to them to work out what happens next and whom to support. While many are highly unlikely to switch sides, some could jump ship and change the outcome. Q What do the candidates say? Hillary Clinton has declared victory already, and the state and national parties support her. Bernie Sanders is keeping his powder dry but wants the 'raw' voting numbers released. That would show what the popular vote in each precinct was, which would clearly have a psychological impact on how each delegate behaves when they are lobbied at the conventions. If Sanders somehow were shown to have won the popular vote if Hillary won the 'state delegate equivalent' count as a result of several rounding errors he would claim the moral high ground and expect to be given a majority of the state's delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Both camps will urge their supporters to lobby county delegates as soon as their identities are known in the hope of securing their votes. Q Will this affect the race for the White House all that much? It is too early to say but probably not. The winning Democratic candidate has to win a total of 2,382 delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in August in order to win. Delegates are split into two categories 4,051 state delegates and another 713 'superdelegates' including party bosses and elected officials at nearly every level of government. State delegates from Iowa usually follow the simple popular will but the superdelegates can do as they please. Hillary Clinton has reportedly locked up the support of all eight in Iowa. That said, if other states primary contests are closely fought squeakers, every delegate will count for both candidates, and every possible Democratic vote will be fought for with a new level of intensity. Advertisement
ENTHUSIASM: Hillary fans from a teachers union waved signs in New Hampshire to support her
Monday night's precinct caucuses included an uncommon feature that allowed Hillary or Bernie supporters to lobby their neighbors for a half-hour in the hope that they would switch sides, either on merit or purely out of peer pressure.
A similar process plays out at the county and district conventions meaning that delegates who are initially 'bound' to support one candidate could be swayed to sign a piece of paper and change their minds.
The entire series of events has the effect of condensing the collective will of 171,000 Democratic caucus-goers into the choice of 56 Democratic National Convention delegates meaning that the end result might be different from what voters chose because of a compounded series of rounding-ups in Hillary's favor.
That's why Sanders is asking the state party to release the raw totals, something it wouldn't ordinarily do.
Before Monday night's caucuses began, precinct chairmen knew how many county-level delegates their locations would be allowed to appoint, based on how many Democrats there voted in the last two national elections.
The rules don't allow for ties, though. And caucus-goers in six precincts split their support 50-50 between Clinton and Sanders.
TAILS I WIN! A caucus official announces she will toss a coin to decide who gets the final delegate in a deadlocked Iowa precinct in Davenport
HISTORIC: Some caucuses have old rules demanding a coin toss. Pictured, Clinton supporters cheer after winning in precinct 13 in Davenport, Iowa
In those cases, Democrats flip a coin. Clinton prevailed in all six tosses Monday night, winning a handful of county-level delegates spread out over the state a development that won't likely change the ultimate outcome.
Univision reporter Fernando Peinado, who was present at the precinct 70 caucus in Des Moines, tweeted a picture of what he said was a guide for Democratic precinct chairs showing rule 28, which contains the stipulation about tossing a coin to break ties.
'In a case where two or more preference groups are tied for the loss of a delegate, a coin shall be tossed to determine who loses the delegate,' the document read.
The night seemed to belong to Hillary, who suggested that she had won the caucuses hours before the state party called the race
The former first lady took the stage at her victory party at Drake University in Des Moines and said, 'As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief - thank you, Iowa!'
'I want you to know I will keep doing my entire life, I will keep standing up for you I will keep fighting for you.'
Clinton was leading Sanders by less than one per cent when she gave the rousing speech just before 10:30 p.m.
Sanders claimed it was a 'virtual tie' a half-hour later and called it a 'victory' for his inimitable political revolution in an email to supporters.
'It is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics,' he told his supporters, gathered at a Holiday Inn near the Des Moines airport.
With a snowstorm on the way, the Democratic candidates were on a tight schedule to get out of Iowa and avoid losing a crucial day on the campaign trail.
Clinton and Sanders were set to take overnight charters to New Hampshire to get a jump on their campaigning there. Granite State voters will be next to participate in the presidential nomination process.
Clinton gave a shortened version of her stump speech and said, 'I am a progressive who gets things done for people.'
'We have to be united when it is all said and done against a Republican vision and candidates who would drive us apart and divide us. That's not who we are, my friends.'
She said she was 'deeply grateful' for the supporters, one of whom yelled at her, 'We love you Hillary!
'Well, I love all of you,' she replied.
The national front-runner in the race acknowledged that the race was far from over and said, 'It is rare that we have the opportunity that we do now to have a real contest of ideas, to really think hard abut what the Democratic Party stands for and what we want he future of our county to look like.'
At his own rally Sanders said that 'while the results are still not known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie.'
'And while the results are still not complete it looks like we'll have about half of the Iowa delegates. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Secretary Clinton.'
While the results are still not known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie. And while the results are still not complete it looks like we'll have about half of the Iowa delegates. Bernie Sanders refuses to back down
The democratic socialist and independent politician recalled his unanticipated rise in the polls to become a formidable force in the 2016 race.
'We had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America,' he said of Clinton and her network.
Clinton and her husband have spent more than four decades in politics, first in Arkansas, then in the White House during Bill's two-term presidency.
At the end of his presidency she ran for and won a seat in the U.S. senate representing New York.
She ran for president in 2008 but was unable to overcome an underdog challenge from Barack Obama who surged after he beat her in an Iowa upset and she failed to secure the Democratic nomination.
Flash forward to 2016, and she's living the same nightmare as Sanders came from behind to statistically tie her on caucus night.
'Given the enormous crisis facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics,' he said Monday night.
And afterward he sent an email to supporters that said, 'Tonight we accomplished what the corporate media and political establishment once believed was impossible: after trailing Hillary Clinton in Iowa throughout this entire campaign, it looks as if we will leave the state with roughly the same number of delegates.'
'I want to be clear with you about what this really means. Tonights result is a victory for our political revolution. We have proved that when people come together, anything is possible.'
Sanders said that if his campaign wins in New Hampshire, 'well have all the momentum.'
'Victory is within our reach. But winning will require the active participation of millions of Americans in every community across the country nothing less than a political revolution.'
Preempting him again, Clinton told her backers, she was 'grateful' for their hard work.
'You never lost faith. Anytime we got knocked down, you got right back up,' she said. 'None of this would have been possible without you.'
Clinton congratulated her opponents 'for a hard-fought race' sand said she's looking forward to Thursday's debate in New Hampshire, hosted by MSNBC, a late addition to the schedule that came at the request of Clinton's opponents.
Martin O'Malley, the third wheel in the Democratic race and the contender demanding additional talk time, bowed out after a devastating finish in the caucuses that would have put his campaign on life support.
Rather than artificially inflate his campaign, he suspended it when the results began to come in.
He has planned a 'tribal meeting' for his followers in four Australian cities
A controversial 'pick up artist' who said 'rape should be legalised on private property' has asked his followers to use code words to identify other men's rights activists attending his 'tribal meetings'.
Daryush Valizadeh, known as Roosh V, thinks himself a champion of 'neomasculinity' and has planned an international 'tribal meeting' for his followers to 'create new friendships and strong bonds' with those who share his 'very unique set of beliefs'.
After inciting an angry mob of protesters in Canada who threw beer and screamed abuse at the 36-year-old American when he came to speak to his 'fans', Valizadeh appears to have taken extra precautions for his next world-wide event - which is being held at locations around Australia on Saturday.
'To identify another man at the meeting point who you suspect is also there for the meet up ask him if he knows where the pet shop is,' he said in a video advertising the meeting.
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Daryush Valizadeh, known as Roosh V, has asked his followers to use code words to identify other men's rights activists attending his 'tribal meetings'
'The correct answer if you are asked this is yes its right here. Any other answer means the man is not a part of the meet up,' he added.
Valizadeh has stipulated that women, homosexual men and transgender individuals will not be permitted to attend the rendezvous, which will be relocated from the public meeting place to a private bar by 8.20.
If an attractive woman shows up, he suggests members to 'get her number and then tell her to buzz off'.
On the other hand, if you find yourself alone asking random men in the park where the pet shop is and no one seems to know, Valizadeh said this simply indicates your city is 'not yet ready' for his meetings.
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)
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)
His Sydney supporters will meet at Coogee Beach, Hyde Park and Brighton Le Sands, while his Melbourne following will meet in Federation Square
The 36-year-old has 15 self-published books, many of which have been widely condemned as 'rape guides' by media, residents and politicians who live in the countries he is writing about.
Inside these guides to becoming a modern day Lothario he tells men that the more worthless they consider a woman, the higher chance you will be able to convince her to sleep with you.
'The fantasy you should have to get your ideal girl should be choking and butt-f***ing her, not having a romantic walk with her on a beautiful beach underneath a full moon,' he wrote.
He has also recounted instances where others have claimed his actions constitute rape.
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.'
But Valizadeh is adamant his meetings are not to spruik pro-rape rhetoric, or to encourage others to follow his teachings which state: 'My default opinion of any girl I meet is worthless dirty wh**e until proven otherwise.'
The 36-year-old has 15 self-published books including Bang, Bang Iceland and Don't Bang Denmark
Many of his self published e-books have been widely condemned as 'rape guides' by media, residents and politicians who live in the countries he is writing about
Valizadeh is adamant his meetings are not to spruik pro-rape rhetoric, or to encourage others to follow his teachings
'If economic collapse, internal decline and mass migration accelerate, negatively affecting member quality of life the tribal meeting will serve as more than a social happy hour,' he said.
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.'
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.'
A petition - similar to an approach taken in Canada to have him barred from the country - was launched soon after he started tweeting about a possible appearance in Australia, which demanded the police and government work together to stop him from gaining a visa.
A petition - similar to an approach taken in Canada to have him barred from the country - was launched soon after he started tweeting about a possible appearance in Australia
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'
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'
'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 petition read.
While more than 55,000 people have signed the online petition, Valizadeh has made several jokes on Twitter about infiltrating the Australian boarder by boat, stating that our 'gay authorities' will be unable to stop him.
'I have the funds to get in by boat through one of multiple weak points. Money is no barrier to the operation.'
'I will sneak in to your country, hold my meetings, laugh, and then slip out. Your gay authorities won't stop me.'
'I don't need to apply for a visa if I'm coming in by boat. The border is like Swiss cheese.'
Valizadeh has made several jokes on Twitter about infiltrating the Australian boarder by boat
He has ridiculed Australian authorities who twitter users said would bar him from getting a visa
He is of the opinion that he will not need a visa as he can infiltrate Australia's 'Swiss cheese' boarders
He has revelled in the media attention, telling female journalists that he would give them an interview if they performed fellatio on him.
He later added that he does not 'respect the work of female journalists' and said refuses to participate in an interview with a woman.
A spokesperson for Minister for Immigration Peter Dutton told Daily Mail Australia that Valizadeh has not applied for a visa but warns his hateful rhetoric has not been lost on the Department.
'People who advocate violence against women are not welcome in Australia,' the spokesperson said.
'In the past people advocating violence against women have had their visa refused or cancelled.'
Meeting spots have been organised in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and while the locations for the initial gathering were 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.
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
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.
It is believed the groups will be no bigger then seven men.
Valizadeh regularly attacks women on his Twitter account and also runs a Youtube channel that has 19,000 subscribers.
The men's rights activist regularly updates his followers on issues such as 'should a man push for sex on the first date', 'having sex with girls you don't like', and the 'truth behind rape culture hysteria'
He is also behind the men's rights website 'Return of Kings', which publishes articles written by Valizadeh and a 'small but vocal' collection of men who hope to bring an end to America's 'politically-correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men'.
The website publishes a string of 'neomasculine' articles that claims women should not work, women should have their behaviour and decisions 'controlled by men' and has even encouraged males to record consensual sex with a hidden camera to ensure they are not 'falsely accused of rape'.
On his website Return of the Kings, which has over 12,500 likes on Facebook, Valizadeh says the gatherings are for 'male bonding'
The website publishes articles that claims women should not work, women should have their behaviour and decisions 'controlled by men' and has even encouraged males to record consensual sex with a hidden camera to ensure they are not 'falsely accused of rape'
Other articles claim that one in four women are 'certifiably mentally ill' and should not be unable to live autonomously in today's society.
His sexist values have seeped into the vast majority of the content, which sometimes focuses on the 'shortfalls' multiculturalism or homosexuality as opposed to how women's 'impulsive and illogical behaviour' mean they should submit to men.
He and his followers claim to believe that a woman's value 'significantly depends on her fertility and beauty', while a man's centres on his 'resources, intellect, and character'.
In 2015 Valizadeh wrote one of his more offensive and reviled articles - 'How to Stop Rape' - where he claims that the American government should legalise rape on private property.
He said this will force women to take more responsibility for their own safety and put the onus on them to protect their body like they would a 'purse or smartphone'.
'If rape becomes legal, a girl will not enter an impaired state of mind where she can't resist being dragged off to a bedroom with a man who she is unsure ofshe'll scream, yell, or kick at his attempt while bystanders are still around,' Valizadeh said.
'If rape becomes legal, she will never be unchaperoned with a man she doesn't want to sleep with.'
In September, a petition was launched to have Valizadeh's self-published 'pro-rape' books removed from the online retail giant Amazon.
Valizadeh regularly attacks women on his Twitter account
A single mother has had her faith in humanity restored after a generous fast food worker paid for her family's meal when she was down and out.
Danica Rodwell was in the drive-through of McDonald's in Chinderah - half an hour's drive from Queensland's Gold Coast - when she realised she had come up short for her order.
Totally drained from weeks travelling up and down the coast in a fruitless search for accommodation after her landlord cut the lease on her, the mother-of-two was close to breaking point.
But a schoolboy worker, who wished to remain anonymous, came to her rescue and happily shouted the meal for her two young sons, insisting she order some food as well.
A schoolboy worker at McDonald's in Chinderah - south of the Gold Coast - shouted a mother's family meal after she came up short in the drive-through
Danica Rodwell shared the heartwarming interaction on Facebook - praising the boy for his generosity
Ms Rodwell shared the heartwarming interaction on Facebook, which soon gained traction with hundreds of shares and countless comments, all praising the mystery man.
'I am broke, exhausted, stressed beyond words and trying to scramble together a few dollars for my boys dinner on the long drive home I've realised at the checkout I don't have enough,' she wrote.
'This beautiful young man instead of asking me to move out of the drive through as I was blocking others he paid for the lot plus got a meal for me ... I'm now sitting here in tears in the carpark.'
'He wouldn't give me his name because he just wanted to make me smile not to get recognition... But allowed me to get this photo... Pay it forward I will... What a gorgeous young man!'
According to Tweed Daily News, it didn't take long for the boy's identity to become known.
Her Facebook post racked up hundreds of comments and shares, soon drawing the attention of local newspapers which led to the discovery of the boy's hidden identity
Liam Hourihan, 16 and from nearby Kingscliff High School, was unearthed as the humble man who came to her rescue.
His aunty Louise Togo was proud to speak to the publication on behalf of the young man, who was still keen to remain as out of the spotlight as possible.
'He just wants to say thank you. He is very shy and humbled by it all,' Ms Togo said.
'He honestly just wanted to make the lady smile because she looked really sad and broken, and give her some kai (Maori for food).
'It's how our family is. We share and care for each other and we always come together for kai.'
Mr Hourihan's school were also happy to boast of their star student's generosity, sharing Ms Rodwell's post on their official Facebook page with the caption: 'Kingy kids are the best!'
While Ms Rodwell is still unsure where she will enrol her children for school this year, and is yet to find a house to move in to when her current accommodation runs out at the end of February, one small act of kindness has changed her outlook on humanity.
'He has restored my faith that there are good people left.'
A fire that ravaged a home in San Leandro, California on Saturday was blamed by fire officials hoverboard, in the most recent of a spate of blazes connected to the popular toy.
Firefighters arrived at the two-story house on the 800 block of Glen Drive at 3pm Saturday and within 10 minutes were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the upper floor.
After the blaze was put out, fire officials found that it had originated near an outlet where the toy was charging.
This picture posted to Twitter by the Alameda County fire department shows the so-called hoverboard blamed for Saturday's fire
Firefighters on the roof of a two-story house that was ravaged by a fire officials say may have been caused by a charging toy
Residents told fire officials the toy had been charging since the following evening, according to a report by the Alameda County fire department.
The so-called hoverboard, which was one of last year's most popular Christmas presents, is actually a two-wheeled, battery-powered scooter.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on January 20 it has opened an investigation into the safety of the toys, linking them to at least 40 fires in 19 states.
Amazon is now offering refunds to anyone who bought hoverboards on its website.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating more than three dozen instances of hoverboards smoking or bursting into flames.
The e-retail giant has agreed to provide full refunds on all hoverboards purchased through its online store at any of the company's sites including the U.S. and in Britain.
HOW TO SPOT A SAFE HOVERBOARD Consumers are advised to check the packaging has a manufacturer's name and contact details In the past few months, hoverboard companies have come under fire for issuing products that can suddenly explode. Many of these occurrences were found to be a result of counterfeit devices. One consumer found instructions that include: 'Get off the bus, get off before you stop intelligent drifting scooter balance state, one foot down, the other one foot in the left drifting scooter again.' KCC Trading Standards Operations Manager James Whiddett said: 'The first thing consumers should do is check the packaging. 'They won't have manufacturer details on them. 'Plugs won't go into your socket properly and without a fuse, they're very dangerous. 'The product itself should have a CE mark on it and the ones we have found have nothing on them at all. 'These things have batteries in them that can overheat and catch fire and we've seen that happen in the county already. Remember the golden rule, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.' The instructions should contain all the information you need to use the product safely and the manufacturers name and address should be included so you can contact them if anything goes wrong. Check for spelling mistakes on the box; this is a giveaway for counterfeits. They also often copy safety marks, so take a close look to be sure they are genuine. Advertisement
Amazon stopped selling many models in December but despite this latest decision, The Everything Store is still selling hoverboards on its site including a model from Swagway, which is listed as one of the 13 companies whose products are being investigated by the CPSC.
Amazon's refund offer is the latest in a series of hiccups for hoverboards, which have been banned by all three major U.S. airlines, along with smaller airlines.
'Poorly labeled, powerful lithium-ion batteries powering hoverboards are the issue,' Delta Airlines said in a statement at the time.
'Delta reviewed hoverboard product specifications and found that manufacturers do not consistently provide detail about the size or power of their lithium-ion batteries.'
Colleges have also banned them and the U.S. Postal Service will only agree to transport the devices by ground. A leading manufacturer, Swagway, has been hit with a class-action lawsuit.
While the exact cause of the fires has not been established, it appears the fault lies with the lithium-ion batteries mounted inside.
Millions of devices, from laptops to phones and e-cigarettes, are fitted with the batteries which are preferred to older nickel-cadmium units because they are more powerful, last longer, and do not develop a 'memory' if not fully charged each time.
While the batteries are perfectly safe if undamaged and wired properly, there is concern that some hoverboards are being manufactured incorrectly, leaving them at risk.
Good quality devices have special circuits that prevent the batteries from overheating or being overcharged, dramatically reducing the chance of catastrophic failure.
However, poorly manufactured, non-branded units, often from China, usually do not have these additional safety systems.
Some hoverboards contain lithium-ion batteries that top 160 watt hours, exceeding regulatory limits. Its possible, therefore, that the devices could short-circuit, overheat and spontaneously combust.
The CPSC said it was looking into at least forty blazes involving the smart boards, thought to be caused by lithium-ion batteries and the hoverboards' electronic wiring.
Over the last couple of months, countless videos have been produced and posted to YouTube of the products bursting into flames for no apparent reason.
In the very worst cases, entire homes have been burned down and users have received burn injuries.
Experts are also urging users to wear safety gear, as some falls can be serious.
CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye said that the boards also sent a serious falling risk.
'The current designs of these products might not take fully into consideration the different weights of different users, potentially leading to the units speeding up or lurching in a manner that a user would not have reason to anticipate,' he said.
The CPSC welcomed Amazon's decision to offer refunds, and has called on other retailers and manufacturers to do the same.
See more news from Germany at www.dailymail.co.uk/germany
A refugee father has been arrested for attempted murder in Germany after allegedly throwing his three children from a window at their emergency accommodation centre.
Police received an emergency call in Lohmar in the west of Germany on Monday from a man who said he saw the children falling one by one from the first-floor window of the asylum seekers centre.
When medics reached the scene they found two of the children with serious injuries and they were both helicoptered to a nearby hospital.
A third child, aged one, was returned to his mother after treatment for light injuries after being kept overnight in hospital for observation.
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A refugee father has been arrested for attempted murder in Germany after allegedly throwing his three children from a window at their accommodation centre (picture shows a different migrant centre in Germany)
The severely injured a five-year-old boy and his sister, seven, suffered severe head and internal trauma.
The father, a Syrian aged 35, was arrested at the scene.
A special police squad has been formed to probe the incident one of a rising number of violent crimes among refugee families,
'The man offered no resistance during his arrest,' said Police spokesman Stefan Birk.
The accommodation centre was declared a crime scene and cordoned off and the 30 people living in the house a former Chinese restaurant moved elsewhere.
The Syrian family lived in a large apartment on the first floor along with other asylum seekers.
Several families shared the bathroom a kitchen.
Aid workers have complained in recent weeks that a lack of space and privacy in the centres across Germany sparked violent confrontations and even abuse of children and women.
Police received an emergency call in Lohmar in the west of Germany from a man who said he saw the children falling one by one from the first-floor window of the asylum seekers centre
Cologne is promising a zero tolerance response for anyone who committing offences when the carnival season kicks off there at the weekend after the excesses of New Year's Eve in the city, when women were subjected to mass sexual assaults and robbery from hundreds of immigrant men
Following on from the excesses of New Year's Eve in Cologne, when women were subjected to mass sexual assaults and robbery from hundreds of immigrant men, the city is promising zero tolerance for anyone who commits such offences again when the carnival season kicks off there at the weekend.
'Everyone should be able to celebrate carnival in Cologne without danger,' mayor Henriette Reker said.
'Cologne is taking action to prevent a repeat of New Year's Eve.
'The global public will be watching very closely to see how Cologne manages this challenge.'
But both she and new police chief Jurgen Mathies said there was no such thing as 100 percent security
Iowa surge nearly left The Donald in third place
The Trump campaign will now also be looking to Marco Rubio whose
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Ted Cruz celebrated his Iowa win with a passionate embrace with wife Heidi on Monday night as a dejected Trump clan headed on to New Hampshire,
Polls favorite Trump finished the Iowa caucuses in second place on Monday night, losing the first presidential contest of the year to the Texas Senator, who ended up with 28 per cent of the Republican votes to the New York billionaire's 24 per cent. Marco Rubio finished in third with better-than-expected 23 per cent of the votes.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie sanders were neck-and-neck, with the former secretary of state leading the 74-year-old senator from Vermont by 5 votes.
Following his victory in Iowa, Ted Cruz took aim at the media and the establishment for not predicting his win.
'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.
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Sealed with a kiss: Heidi Cruz congratulates her husband on stage at the end of his lengthy victory speech, which quoted the Psalms
Second best: Donald Trump addresses his supporters after finishing second behind Ted Cruz in the Iowa Caucus, in West Des Moines, Iowa, February 1
Biggest fans: Cruz's wife and young daughter joined him on stage for his spirited thank you speech
Big win: Ted Cruz greets his supporters in Iowa on Monday night shortly after being declared the victor in the Iowa caucuses
Faith: Ted Cruz spoke about family and faith when he thanked Iowa supporters for his caucus win
An emotional Cruz, who was joined on stage at the Elwell Center in Iowa State Fair, by his wife, parents, and young daughters quoted the scripture and acknowledged the role of the religious right in propelling him to victory.
'To God be the glory. God bless the great state of Iowa,' he said. 'Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for the greatest conservatives across Iowa. Tonight the state of Iowa has spoken.'
In what appeared to be a sideswipe at Trump, he added: 'Iowa has sent a note that the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media. He will not be chosen by the Washington establishment [or] by the lobbyistsbut will be chosen by the most incredible powerful force, where all sovereignty resides in this nation by we the people.'
Quoting from Psalm 30, to knowing comments and applause from the assembled faithful he noted: 'Weeping may tarry for the night but joy cometh with the morning.'
Victory: Ted Cruz celebrated with supporters after his surprise win. He praised his grassroots campaigners
Donald killer: Cruz finished the night with 5,000 more votes in Iowa than Trump, capitalizing on a strong get-out-the-vote ground game
Support: Ted Cruz's mother Eleanor and his father Rafael, left, were both on stage to celebrate with his wife Heidi, right
Shouts of 'Amen!' and 'Alleluia!' could be heard as he stated - in a nod to Ronald Reagan's slogan 'It's morning in America': 'Tonight Iowa has proved to the world that morning is coming.'
As Commander in Chief, Cruz vowed that he would fulfill the most solemn obligation of the President; to keep this nation safe.
And he was not, he said, afraid of naming the greatest threat to its safety - radical Islamic terrorists, the crowd chimed in as he spoke.
Cruz spared little time for his Democratic opponent unclear as it was quite who that opponent might be, he said he wanted to take on Clinton.
He added: I cannot wait to stand on the debate stand with Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, an understated Trump refused to be drawn in further fighting talk with his rivals.
The billionaire bowed out with a short, humble speech thanking the people of Iowa.
'On June 16th, when we started this journey, there were 17 candidates. I was told by everybody, "Do not go to Iowa, you could never finish even in the top 10".'
A young boy high-fives Trump as his wife Melania watches as the candidate waits at the Seven Flags Event Center in Clive, Iowa
His pride and joy: Trump and wife Melania (right) watch as his daughter Ivanka speaks at a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Smooch: Trump kisses daughter Ivanaka as he speaks at a campaign rally on caucus day in Waterloo, Iowa
Final steps: Donald Trump arrives to address his supporters after finishing second in the Iowa Caucus in West Des Moines, Iowa
Family affair: Donald Trump conceded surrounded by his family including his daughter Ivanka and wife Melania
Kiss victory goodbye: Trump blows a kiss to the audience as he concedes defeat to Ted Cruz, watched by his wife Melania and sons Eric (left) and Donald Jr (right) and Donald Jr's wife Vanessa Haydon
Second: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks as his wife Melania watches at a caucus night rally after Cruz was announced the winner
Trounced: Trump led in each of the last 10 Iowa GOP polls, but Cruz claimed victory in the only survey that counted
Humble: Donald Trump delivered a short and simple speech congratulating the 'incredible candidates' and his pride in coming second
Exit stage left: Donald Trump's campaign in Iowa is over and he came in second but tomorrow he - and the other surviving candidates hit New Hampshire. He hinted at Mike Huckabee endorsing him this week
It's over: Workers remove Donald Trump's podium after his concession speech at the Sheraton in West Des Moines
And I said, "But I have friends in Iowa, I know a lot of people in Iowa. I think they'll really like me. Let's give it a shot."
'They said "Don't do it." I said "I have to do it".'
'And we finished second, and I want to tell you something: I'm just honored. I'm really honored.'
'I want to congratulate Ted,' he said, referring to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who won the caucuses with 6,000 more votes than Trump collected.
'And I want to congratulate all of the incredible candidates.'
Trump led in each of the last 10 Iowa GOP polls, but Cruz claimed victory in the only survey that counted.
His victory, on a night of record caucus turnout, gave him the largest raw number of votes more than 51,000 ever cast for a GOP Iowa caucus contender.
Surprising was the strength of Florida Senator Marco Rubio's third-place finish. He took 23 per cent and threatened to bump Trump down another notch as the night wore on.
'So this is the moment they said would never happen,' an elated Rubio said as he took to the stage with his wife and four children.
'For months they told us we had no chance. They told me I had no chance because my hair wasnt grey enough and my boots were too high. They didnt hear in Iowa, the people of this state sent a message: We are not waiting any longer to take our country back. This is not a time for waiting, everything that makes this country great hangs in the balance.'
Elated: Senator Marco Rubio was delighted with his third place result - almost toppling The Donald from second and securing his position among the leaders of the Republican pack
DEVOTIONAL: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio and his family pray during opening of a caucus site
THIRD: Marco Rubio (above with a supporter) and his family were in Clive, Iowa speaking to a massive caucus meeting and awaiting the statewide results
VICTORY: Ted Cruz supporter Josh Kent celebrated at the Texas senator's victory party after he was declared the winner of the Iowa caucuses on Monday night
Meanwhile Iowa Democratic Party said this morning that Clinton is ahead of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders by four state delegate equivalents with one precinct outstanding - but stopped short of officially declaring winner.
'The results tonight are the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history,' party chair Andy McGuire said in a statement.
Clinton's campaign claimed victory with official final results still outstanding in the extremely close presidential nominations contest.
'Hillary Clinton has won the Iowa Caucus. After thorough reporting - and analysis - of results, there is no uncertainty and Secretary Clinton has clearly won the most national and state delegates,' Hillary for America's Iowa State Director Matt Paul said in a statement.
'Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Senator Sanders can overcome Secretary Clinton's advantage.'
But Sanders, who was expected to jet off to New Hampshire where he leads Clinton by a wide margin stuck around in Des Moines as the gap between him and Hillary narrowed.
'Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America,' he told supporters around 11:00 p.m., after Clinton had spoken.
'Tonight, while the results are still not known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie,' he claimed, thanking Iowa Democrats for giving him half of the state's delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August.
Relieved: Hillary made a bold move and declared herself the victor of Monday's vote despite the official result being too close to call
Supporters: Hillary was joined on stage by Bill and Chelsea. She was confident she would be declared the victor of the Democrat battle despite claims the vote was too close to call
Virtual tie: Bernie Sanders said it was 'a virtual tie' and refused to back down - leaving no clear victor for the Democrats
The Republican Party gleefully poked fun at the photo finish.
'Tonight was nothing short of an unmitigated disaster for Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party,' Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said.
'The Democrat establishment wanted a coronation for Clinton but is now facing the very real prospect that a self-proclaimed socialist could be their partys nominee.'
'With damaging new developments breaking in her email scandal and an all-but-certain loss next week in New Hampshire,' he added, 'the Clinton campaign drastically under-performed when they desperately needed to over deliver.'
IOWA REPUBLICAN RESULTS Ted Cruz 27.65% Donald Trump 24.31% Marco Rubio 23.09% Ben Carson 9.31% Rand Paul 4.54% Jeb Bush 2.80% Carly Fiorina 1.86% John Kasich 1.86% Mike Huckabee 1.79% Chris Christie 1.75% Rick Santorum 0.95% Advertisement
The Democratic Party, meanwhile, spun the result as a sign of strength.
'Tonight was a huge success for Democrats, who gathered with their neighbors all across Iowa for a competitive race defined by voters enthusiasm and energy to send a strong message: we must keep America moving forward,' said Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.'
The Republican result defied conventional wisdom as much as Trump had done throughout the early election season.
Pundits had predicted that a large turnout would buoy Trump on the strength of first-time caucus-goers - but they were wrong.
Turnout set new records more than 170,000 GOP voters participated it was Cruz who benefited.
Iowa's quadrennial caucuses are essentially neighborhood meetings, where citizens stand up and speak in favor of their preferred presidential candidates and votes are taken to determine whose messages have prevailed.
Interest was so intense nationwide that the website the Iowa Republican Party used to collect and report vote totals crashed an hour after the caucuses started - leaving the GOP far behind the Democrats in getting the numbers released to the public and the media.
Microsoft, which ran the vote-reporting system through mobile apps, told DailyMail.com in a statement from a spokesperson that 'the mobile apps for both parties have been working without issue.'
'National interest in the Iowa Caucuses has overwhelmed the Democratic and Republican Party Iowa Caucus websites, and were working to resolve' it.
Historic: Microsoft ran the vote-reporting system through mobile apps to add some more technology to the traditional system
Record-breaking: The Iowa caucus turnout set new records with more than 170,000 GOP voters participating
Massive turnout: Iowans gathered to caucus at the Iowa State Historical Society in Des Moines on Monday night. Officials say turnout was record breaking
Democracy in action: A supporter of Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio cheered when his hero addressed caucus-goers
Historic vote: The unusual voting procedure in the Iowa caucus sees people gather in person to make their selections and debate the issues
Hands up: Voters are pictured at the Democratic caucus at the Iowa State Historical Society. The party failed to declare a definite winner between Bernie and Hillary
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
As Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kauffman said of Monday's crowds: 'This sounds like a record-breaking night.'
Iowans first started focusing on the November 2016 general election more than a year ago when a 'Freedom Summit' convened here. Since then, 17 Republicans and five Democrats declared their intentions to seek the nation's highest office. More than a half-dozen overall have dropped out already.
Iowa has decidedly mixed results in picking 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.
Republicans John Kasich, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush were all spending Monday night in New Hampshire not only to get a jump on the weather but also on their competitors in a state with voters who are expected to be friendlier to more traditional GOP candidates.
None of them polled more than 3 per cent on Monday night.
Cruz modeled his campaign after past Iowa winners, visiting all of the state's 99 counties - known as the full Grassley after Senator Chuck Grassley, and courting influential evangelical and conservative leaders. The state was seemingly tailor-made for his brand of uncompromising conservatism.
Meanwhile Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland suspended his White House bid after receiving no support in Iowa.
Sources close to the campaign said after caucus results came in that the Democratic candidate would pull out of the race.
Republican contender Mike Huckabee also suspended his campaign this evening after he underperformed in his party's contest.
Smiles for second place: Donald Trump posed for a selfie with a young fan before the result was announced in Iowa
Two Sydney locals have been diagnosed with the Zika virus after returning from travels in the Caribbean following a global outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus.
The virus was detected in the two people on Friday, NSW Health confirmed in a statement released on Tuesday, after the pair returned home from Haiti.
It is very unlikely that Zika virus will establish local transmission in NSW as the mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) that spread the infection are not established here although they are found in some parts of north Queensland, the NSW Health statement said.
However, it has been reported that mosquitos capable of carrying the virus have been detected at Sydney International Airport.
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Two Sydney locals have been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne Zika virus after travelling to the Caribbean
The Federal Department of Agriculture has since stepped up spraying procedures on international plane arrivals.
It is recommended that pregnant women or those who could become pregnant avoid travel in affected areas.
There is no vaccine against the mosquito-borne virus.
Queensland's Health Minister Cameron Dick says monitoring is under way in the remote northern region to ensure it is detected early, should it arrive.
'We'll monitor closely through the Torres Strait. We already do that with a number of infectious diseases,' he told reporters in Gladstone on Monday.
Alice Bezerra, who has microcephaly, is held by her mother Nadja Cristina Gomes Bezerra in Recife, Brazil. It's understood the Zika virus can lead to microcephaly in infants
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
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
'That would possibly be one path of entry into Queensland.'
Mr Dick has sought a briefing from the state's chief health officer.
'My advice is that it's not a significant risk to Queensland at this time,' he said.
'But we're going to continue to monitor that.'
Mr Dick indicated he may raise the need for a co-ordinated, federal response depending on what the briefing said.
He said the virus was carried by mosquitoes that were present in tropical and sub-tropical environments and that meant Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia could wind up being pathways for the disease.
A 27-year-old Australian man is believed to have contracted Zika in Bali last year after he was bitten by a monkey.
He was diagnosed at the Royal Darwin Hospital in the Northern Territory after he presented with fever and a rash, according to a report from May 2015.
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 neighborhood on January 29
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
His illness came seven days after he was bitten by a monkey at Bali's Ubud Monkey Forest, although the 27-year-old was also bitten by mosquitoes during his trip.
In 2014, four cases of Zika virus infection were diagnosed in NSW in people who had recently travelled from Cook Islands.
In 2015, there was one additional case diagnosed in NSW in a returned traveller from Solomon Islands.
Another Australian woman is believed to have contracted the Zika virus in Jakarta, according to a 2013 report.
The 52-year-old woman was diagnosed with Dengue fever after returning to Australia and is understood to have been the first case of the Zika virus infection reported in a 'returned traveller' in Australia.
Zika virus has been linked to severe birth defects and is spreading quickly through the Americas, and many southeast Asian nations are braced for outbreaks.
An Australian became ill with Zika virus seven days after he was bitten by a monkey at a Bali Monkey Forest
The 27-year-old man was diagnosed with acute Zika virus at the Royal Darwin Hospital in Australia's North Territory after he presented with fever and a rash after his Bali holiday, according to the report from May 2015
'Transmission of Zika virus by monkey bite or other (non-mosquito) routes, and attribution of illness to dengue or other infections, may be more frequent than the absence of prior reports suggests,' says the report, published in the Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health in May 2015.
The World Health Organization is preparing to hold a meeting to decide whether the Zika virus outbreak should be considered a global emergency.
It's understood the misdiagnosis of cases of Zika virus occurred as the symptoms are similar to those suffered with conditions such as dengue fever.
The UN health agency warned last week that the mosquito-borne disease was 'spreading explosively' in the Americas, with the region expected to see up to four million cases this year.
Now there are fears 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, a devastating condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain, 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.
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.
North Korea has resorted to bombarding the South with used toilet paper, tissues and cigarette butts as their propaganda war hits a dirty new low.
Helium balloons loaded with anti-South leaflets are now being mixed with human waste and sent over the border.
Each one is fitted with a timer and a small explosive charge which pops the balloons over enemy territory.
But dozens have not exploded and instead landed in fields, sparking fears they contained biological and chemical weapons.
Gutter tactics: North Korean defectors release helium balloons carrying leaflets during an anti-North Korea rally. Pyongyang has released similar balloons across the border to the South containing used toilet paper, tissues and cigarette butts as the propaganda war escalates over its nuclear test last month
One military official told The JoongAng Daily: 'When we opened up a bundle that had dropped on the ground, we found plastic bags filled with leaflets and mixed with trash.
A police officer said: 'In some of the bundles, there were cigarette butts, tissues and daily waste'.
He added that it also contained used toilet paper.
Some leaflets have also attacked South Korean president Park Geun-hye, calling her 'political filth'.
Pyongyang has scattered more than one million propaganda messages in an escalating propaganda battle triggered by the North's latest nuclear test last month.
The leaflets, floated across the border by helium balloons, are an apparent response to South Korea's decision to blast a mix of K-pop and propaganda messages into North Korea using giant banks of speakers on the heavily militarised border.
Helium balloons (like the ones above) are loaded with anti-South leaflets and mixed with human waste. Each one is fitted with a timer and a small explosive charge which pops the balloons over enemy territory
North Korea has retaliated with its own loudspeaker broadcasts along with the leaflets attacking South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
The tit-for-tat exchanges are the result of the North's fourth nuclear test carried out to near universal condemnation on January 6.
The defence ministry said the North's leaflets were being air-dropped on a near daily basis and estimated the number that had been scattered at close to one million.
Most have been recovered near the border in Gyeonggi province, though some have made it as far as Seoul.
A ministry official said the North was using helium balloons with timers that cause them to explode and scatter the leaflet packages.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches a rocket firing drill by anti-aircraft units of the Korean People's Army in November. The tit-for-tat exchanges are the result of the North's fourth nuclear test carried out to near universal condemnation on January 6
It can be a blunt propaganda tool. Last month, an unopened package of nearly 10,000 leaflets slammed into a car, imploding the roof.
Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the Seoul-based University for North Korean Studies, said the leafleting was largely a reactive gesture.
'They couldn't just sit idle while South Korea launches a psychological warfare front,' Yang said.
As well as the loudspeakers, Seoul is considering installing giant electronic signboards on the border to display messages and videos.
South Korea halted official leaflet drops following an inter-Korean agreement reached in 2004.
Keepers was initially charged with accessory after the fact and
Detectives investigating the death of school girl Nicole Lovell believe her murder may have been planned over a three-week period.
Court documents accuse Natalie Keepers of being involved in the crime between January 4 and January 27.
The 13-year-old went missing on January 27 and police she was stabbed and died the same day.
Officers have stressed that their probe is still in early stages.
First they charged Virginia Tech track team member David Eisenhauer with felony counts of first-degree murder and abduction.
Today charges against his fellow Virginia Tech student, who lived in college accommodation near her alleged accomplice had charges against her upgraded.
Keepers Is now charged with accessory before the fact to first-degree murder.
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Tammy Weeks, mother of murdered Virginia teen Nicole Lovell, broke down in tears during a Tuesday afternoon press conference
Weeks spoke about her daughter's liver transplant before becoming so emotional she had to leave the podium
She also talked about her daughter's affinity for pandas, and clutched a stuffed panda while she spoke
A source at the Montgomery County District Jail confirmed Keepers was accused of being an accessory to the murder and helping in the organization.
She was originally charged with one felony count of improper disposal of a dead body and one misdemeanor count of accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. The new charges carry a penalty of 20 years to life in prison and an arrest warrant issued in her name was the first conformation that police believe the murder was pre planned last month over a three week period.
Nicole disappeared after pushing a dresser against her bedroom door and climbing out a window in her Blacksburg home.
Her body was found late Saturday afternoon in Surry County, North Carolina.
Detectives are looking at the victim's internet usage and have stated she was known to Eisenhauer before the day of her death.
They are checking how the victim came to be with Eisenhauer and have yet to reveal a motive.
They say preliminary inquiries reveal she was stabbed and this led to her death, but full autopsy reports are still awaited.
Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt said Tuesday during a news conference that the investigation shows that 13-year-old Nicole died on Wednesday, January 27. the same day she disappeared from her home.
Two Virginia Tech students have been charged in her death: David Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers. The prosecutor says one of them, Keepers, will have her charge changed from accessory after the fact to accessory before the fact.
The prosecutor did not explain why the change was being made or give a motive for the slaying. She did not take questions.
Before the prosecutor spoke, Nicole's mother Tammy Weeks talked about her daughter, saying she had survived various health ailments during her young life.
'After the transplant [Nicole's had a liver transplant]s he was able to come home at the age of 1. Coley tried to live a normal life up until age 4 when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma,' added Weeks.
'At this point we almost lost her for the second time. She fought once again, but after that it wasn't enough. Coley developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, ARDS. With the ARTDS she slipped into a coma for six months in which time she developed MRSA,' a staph infection, she added.
''We were advised at that time she only had a 1% chance of survival. Coley once again beat the odds though. After eight months in the hospital she was released and she started to thrive.'
Police believe Nicole Lovell (pictured) was stabbed to death the day she disappeared from home, reportedly to meet an 18-year-old man she met online
She says her daughter had a passion for pandas, music and dreamed of being on the television show 'American Idol.'
'Nicole was a very lovable person. Nicole touched many people throughout her short life,' said Weeks before stopping and whispering 'I can't do that part,' and running out of the room convulsed with tears.
She became choked up and had to step away from the podium before she could finish reading a statement. Her pastor Josh Blankenship was left to read the last few words.
Blankenship picked up her prepared screed and read the last few words. 'Our hearts still ache in sadness and secret tears still flow. What it means to lose you, no-one will ever know,' before following Weeks out and hugging her.
Nicole is believed to have been killed on January 27, after barricading the door to her bedroom and escaping through the window to meet up with 18-year-old Virginia Tech engineering student David Eisenhauer.
Virginia Tech student David Eisenhauer (left), 18, has been charged with the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell. Fellow student Natalie Keepers (right), 19, allegedly helped dispose of the body
Weeks was supported during the press conference by a youth minister, in white. He finished reading her prepared words when she became too emotional to speak
Eisenhauer stands charged with first-degree murder in Nicole's death, and told cops according to his arrest warrant that 'I believe the truth will set me free'.
That's his most lengthy statement yet, appearing in a police document resulting from his arrest on Saturday.
That same day, the body of Nicole was found hidden off a North Carolina road, two hours south of campus.
The truth of what happened to Nicole has been closely guarded by investigators. When, where and why she died remain a mystery to the public.
Only hours after Eisenhauer's arrest, another promising engineering major at Virginia Tech also was behind bars. Natalie Keepers is accused of helping to dispose of the girl's body 'on or about January 27,' the same day Nicole disappeared.
Nicole bore emotional and physical wounds as a young teen, suffering from bullying at school and online over her weight and a tracheotomy scar, her mother said. She needed daily medication after a liver transplant, and also survived lymphoma and a drug-resistant bacterial infection.
Weeks shared two photos of her daughter: one at about 10, sticking out her tongue and wearing a shirt with an actor from the 'Twilight' movies; the other in a Mountain Dew hat and Dr. Pepper shirt last summer.
'She loved Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper,' Weeks said sadly.
Eisenhauer, 18, is charged with kidnapping and murdering Nicole; Keepers, 19, was initially charged with improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. On Tuesday, those crimes were upgraded to accessory before the fact, a charge that carries a 20 years to life in prison sentence.
On Sunday, troopers searched a duck pond in Blacksburg as part of the investigation into Nicole's death
Nicole's body was found the day before. It's unclear what they were looking for in the pond on Sunday
Both college students said little at court appearances Monday, and their lawyers have declined to comment.
Blacksburg police said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared Wednesday.
'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.
Stacey Snider, who lives close to Nicole said Jaydon, one of her 8-year-old twin daughters, had given police a lead that had led to Eisenhauer.
The girls had been playing with Nicole when she showed them a text she had received through the instant messaging service Kik, Snider told the New York Times.
'She said that he was 18, but I didnt think it was real,' Jaydon told the Times. 'I was like, "You shouldnt do that."'
Nicole reportedly talked to the Snider twins about sneaking out of the house to meet Eisenhauer, something Mrs Snider says she didn't know about until after the disappearance.
'She was talking about this boyfriend she had that was 18 and went to college, and his name was David. And showed some text messages off of a Kik and pictures. And that's what the girls told the police officers when they asked,' Mrs Snider said.
'I would have told her mother. But we didn't know nothing about it until she came up missing, unfortunately,' Mrs Snider added.
Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt said Tuesday that she would not be releasing anymore facts about the case in press conferences
WHAT IS KIK MESSENGER? POLICE BELIEVE LOVELL MAY HAVE MET SUSPECTED MURDERER ON ANONYMOUS APP Kik is a smartphone messenger app that allows users anonymity Authorities believe Nicole Lovell may have met David Eisenhauer, 18, on smartphone messenger app Kik. The app, which was founded in 2009 by a group of University of Waterloo students, grants its users anonymity as unlike others, it doesn't require a working phone number - just a unique username. This, according to the app's website, is so 'users are always in complete control of who they talk to on Kik.' However, the apps anonymity makes it a minefield when it comes to solving crimes, such as child exploitation, bomb threats and terrorism. It allows users to search for others by age and send photographs that are not stored on phones making it popular with pedophiles and predators and the bane of law enforcement. Ted Livingston, the start-ups founder and chief executive, has said the service, which has 240million users, reaches roughly 40 per cent of Americans aged 13 to 25. The free app uses native advertising - including video advertisements - to earn revenue. To target its primarily young audience, it also offers advertisers the chance to reach consumers using branded GIFs. However, in a guide for law enforcement, Kik says names, emails and ages do not allow the company to find user accounts - the exact username is required. They will, however, preserve data for a period of 90 days, pending receipt of a valid order from law enforcement. Advertisement
On campus, state police divers continued to search a pond, and wouldn't say what they hoped to find.
The arrests of the two ambitious and focused students shocked people who knew them in Maryland, where they attended nearby high schools. 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 at Hammond High School.
'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.
Eisenhauer lived in Ambler Johnston Hall, the same co-ed residence hall where the first two people were killed in the 2007 campus massacre that left 32 dead.
'From what we've heard, he really stayed in his room a lot,' said Abbey Workmeister, another freshman who lives in the same dormitory.
Logan Fry, a sophomore who lives on the same floor and also ran track in high school, said Nicole's death and the arrest of her dorm neighbor was frightening.
'Like, it definitely could have been me,' she said.
Gina Lollobrigida accuses her former toy boy boyfriend Javier Rigau y Rafols (pictured together in 2006) of tricking her into marriage and using an imposter as her stand-in at the ceremony
Italian screen siren Gina Lollobrigida has denied ever having sex with her Spanish 'toy boy' boyfriend, who she says tricked her into marrying him to claim her 35million fortune.
Javier Rigau y Rafols, who is more than three decades younger than the 88-year-old former actress, has been charged with fraud and forgery and went on trial this week in Rome.
The charges stem from a bizarre fake marriage case, in which Lollobrigida claims the 54-year-old conned her into signing documents that wed the pair.
Miss Lollobrigida met the Spanish businessman at a party in Monte Carlo in 2004. They planned to wed in 2006 - however, she changed her mind before the ceremony took place.
She claims they split up in 2007 but she only found out in 2013 of their apparent marriage - which he carried out using another woman as Lollobrigida's stand-in in 2010.
Speaking in court for the first time, Lollobrigida denied ever having sex with Rafols, Nick Squires reported in The Daily Telegraph.
She said: 'Even when we went travelling we slept in separate rooms and we never had intimate relations.
'I never once went to his house in Barcelona. He came here [to Rome] a few times to have dinner.'
Rafols denies the charges and her accusations, saying she consented to the marriage but it was kept secret to avoid publicity.
The screen siren, who starred in Fifties films including Trapeze, Woman of Rome and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, now splits her time between a villa in Monte Carlo, a mansion in Rome and another property in Sicily.
Among the other movies she is known for are Beat the Devil, Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell and Fearless Little Soldier - with her most recent appearance in XXL with Gerard Depardieu in 1997.
In 2014 Miss Lollobrigida won a bitter legal tussle over her property empire with her only child Andrea Milko Skofic, who claimed she had fallen under the sway of young admirers.
He had wanted to wrest control of the star's estate but applying for it to be managed by a court-appointed administrator.
He told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero: My mother needs an administrator - I fear she may no longer be capable of handling her affairs by herself.
The lifestyle of his mother recently seen in the company of a 'very young manager,' had given Mr Skofic reason for concern, the newspaper reported.
However, a judge in Rome rejected the request, ruling that the octogenarian diva was perfectly capable of managing her own finances.
Actress Gina Lollobrigida arrives at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square in this 1955 photograph
The screen siren (pictured left and right in the 50s) starred in popular films including Trapeze, Woman of Rome and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
According to a statement put out by the Hollywood star's agent, Paola Comin, the judge's ruling 'found that Ms Lollobrigida had no need of an administrator as she is, from a mental point of view, autonomous, coherent and lucid, in the light of an excellent interview with her.
'The prosecutor was of the same opinion that there was no substance to any supposition to the contrary.'
She added: 'Gina Lollobrigida is left with the profound bitterness of a mother having to face and fight this deeply sad occurrence.'
'She always had faith in the understanding and reasoning of the judges and today that faith has been rewarded.'
Her lawyers, Fabrizio Siggia e Massimo Bersani, said they were satisfied and had maintained from the beginning 'the absence of any element that justified any such request'.
The case has additionally damaged the image of Ms Lollobrigida because of the pre-emptive media coverage, they said.
French actress Beatrice Dalle has revealed she once cut the ear off a dead man's body and ate it while high on psychedelic drugs.
The Betty Blue actress said the incident took place while she was working in a morgue in the years before her big break in the 1986 cult film.
Speaking on French TV, Ms Dalle laughed as she explained how she and her colleagues had gotten hungry on shift, because they had taken acid, and 'made a meal'.
Trippin: Beatrice Dalle, 51, revealed she had taken acid while working in a morgue and 'made a meal' out of the body parts of one of the bodies
The 51-year-old shared her acid trip adventure while on a French TV-show called Divan, where interviewees are posed on a therapist's couch, speaking about her time working in the morgue.
'One time we made ourselves a meal, we wanted to eat because we had taken acid,' she said according to The Local.fr
'We tasted it, it was an ear. Oh la la, it's no big deal,' she shrugged in front of a shocked host.
'In any case the guy didn't complain, he didn't even know that I ate his ears,' she said before laughing.
Femme fatale: Ms Dalle also admitted to stealing body parts from the morgue to sell it to medical students
Fame: The 51-year-old is most famous for her role in 1986 cult classic Betty Blue
Dalle also admitted that she stole body parts from the morgue to sell it to medical students, defending her actions by saying that 'they [the deceased] never complained'.
Beatrice Dalle is most famous for her role as Betty Blue in the steamy French 80s classic with the same name.
The French actress is no stranger to controversy, and has convictions for assault, shoplifting and Class A possession in the 90s.
In 1991, she was caught stuffing jewellery in her boots in a shop in Paris and in 1998 she was fined for assaulting a traffic warden.
David Cameron will now embark on a two week charm offensive to bring round his EU allies to finalise his deal before he takes it to the country to win over the voters.
The Prime Minister was today met with claims he had watered down his demands so much he was 'polishing poo' and was offering nothing more than a 'con' to the British public.
But to even secure this draft deal he will have to get back on the road until the crunch EU summit on February 18 - starting with visits to Poland and Denmark on Friday.
If he can seal his deal in just over two weeks, the PM will have just months to convince voters he really has achieved the 'best of both worlds' for Britain's relationship with the EU at a referendum in June.
And in a potentially huge coup for Mr Cameron's campaign, Home Secretary Theresa May tonight said the PM had the 'basis for a deal' - her biggest hint yet she will back the campaign for in.
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David Cameron, pictured today promoting his deal in a speech in Chippenham, unveiled his proposals for Britain but faced an immediate backlash from senior Tories
Mr Cameron's hopes of winning the backing of his 27 fellow EU leaders were boosted after it emerged that Angela Merkel's allies welcomed the draft deal, while the opposition he had faced from eastern European states to his plans to restrict migrants' access to benefits showed signs of ceding.
THE RESPONSE FROM EUROPE Germany: Although the German government refused to comment on the draft deal, Angela Merkel's allies welcomed it. Senior German MEP Manfred Weber, a close ally to the German Chancellor, said: 'We now have weeks and months, even years, of discussions between London and Brussels behind us. David Cameron has fought strongly for the interests of Great Britain and we can now enter the final phase.' Czech Republic: Tomas Prouza, the Czech secretary of state for Europe,told the Telegraph: 'The solution is reasonable, and it's a response to the problem of the overheating British social system.' Poland: The country's Europe minister, Konrad Szymansk, was less welcoming: 'The UK's first three demands are acceptable,' he told Politico. 'The fourth one is the problem. 'We can't accept discrimination but then how does Cameron offer something for people who are against migration?' France: Its foreign ministry expressed concerns that proposals to protect Britain from the eurozone would give it a 'veto'. Said it would examine the details 'with interest'. Officials from a host of other countries, including the previously critical Hungary and Slovakia embassies, remained silent on the draft deal. Advertisement
Mr Cameron today said he could 'hand on heart' tell voters he had met his promises in his renegotiation.
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.'
Mr Cameron came under fire today after the detail of the draft deal revealed EU migrants will continue to be allowed to send child benefit home - but only at the same rate of the equivalent benefit in their own country.
And in-work benefits will now be tapered over the first four years - meaning Mr Cameron faced immediate claims this was a 'watered down' version of his manifesto pledge to ban benefits outright for four years.
Mr Cameron faced a swift backlash as he published his deal with the EU, which includes restrictions on benefits and new 'red card' powers for national parliaments.
Boris Johnson raised severe doubts about the red card system - which will require Britain to ally with 14 other nations to stop EU laws - insisting it was 'not going to be enough' and warning there was 'much more to be done'.
Ukip leader Mr Farage dismissed the deal as a 'complete con' while eurosceptic Tories said the offer was 'trivial'.
But at a speech in Chippenham, Mr Cameron said: 'I think this best of both worlds - out of the single currency, out of the no borders agreement, out of ever closer union but in the things that work for Britain, that give us jobs, that give us security.
'CHILD BENEFIT DEAL WILL CREATE HAVOC' WARN DWP SOURCES David Cameron's EU reforms could create havoc for Britain's welfare system, officials admitted today. Changes set to be agreed in Brussels will lead to Iain Duncan Smith's, right, department paying 28 different rates of child benefit. EU workers will also get varying amounts of tax credits according to how long they have been in the country. A British government source said last night: 'If I was a Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) computer buff looking at this text I'd think, 'bloody hell, how on earth are we going to do that?' The reforms will create a further bureaucratic nightmare for DWP officials who are already facing problems as they attempt to roll-out the much-delayed Universal Credit, which will bring together six working age benefits into a single monthly payment. Child benefit will be given at various rates as Mr Cameron failed to deliver his election pledge for a complete block on payments to EU migrant workers whose offspring live in other countries. Instead, they will receive lower amounts that will be tiered according to the the cost of living in the country where the child is living. Advertisement
'That is something worth fighting for.'
Asked if he would recommend Britain join the EU on the terms now on offer, Mr Cameron insisted he 'sure would'.
Mr Cameron said the draft deal would mean EU migrants would no longer get 'something for nothing' and would reduce the financial pull to Britain.
The draft deal published today remains subject to negotiation and will not be signed off until at least the February EU summit in just over two weeks - but if a deal is struck there Britain will have its referendum in June.
As the draft proposals were published today it emerged:
Mr Cameron had wanted an outright ban on new migrants getting handouts but was resisted. Instead, an 'emergency brake' will mean in work benefits will be tapered the longer people work in Britain and child benefit claims will be pegged to the rate migrants would get at home.
Mr Cameron sought an end to the principle of 'ever closer union' within Europe in a bid to address fears about Britain's sovereignty and that of the House of Commons. This is set to be delivered via a 'red card' system for national parliaments working together.
The Prime Minister also assurances on the single market to ensure the EU is as competitive as possible. The new document proposes measures to improve EU competitiveness.
The PM sought recognition some countries, including Britain, will never join the euro and the creation of safeguards for this countries to ensure they are not pulled deeper into the EU. Mr Tusk's draft proposals say EU law will recognise multiple currencies for the first time.
Mr Cameron first set out his plans for the renegotiation three years ago in a speech at Bloomberg, vowing to deliver a substantial change.
Unveiling the proposals on his four negotiating goals today, Mr Cameron said: 'This document delivers that substantial change.'
Ukip leader Nigel Farage, right in the European Parliament today, said it was 'ludicrous' to suggest Mr Cameron had secured a victory while London mayor Boris Johnson, left at City Hall today, expressed doubts about the 'red card' system set to be unveiled
He added: 'On so many things I was told these things would be impossible. I said I wanted a red card system for national parliaments to stop legislation people said you won't get that, it's there in the document.
'People said we wouldn't get the idea of people having to wait four years before getting in-work benefits in Britain it's there in the document.
Mr Cameron's draft deal emerged in a complex series of documents published today at the European Commission in Brussels
'People said you'll never really manage to sort of get Britain out of the concept of ever-closer union. Again, it's pretty clearly set out in the document.
'So real progress, more work to be done, more detail to be nailed down, but we said we needed to deliver in four key areas; this document shows real progress on that front.'
But in the House of Commons, where Jeremy Corbyn called an urgent question on the deal, it was claimed by Tory eurosceptics Mr Cameron had been left 'polishing poo'.
Asked about the red card plan London Mayor Mr Johnson today told LBC radio: 'I will look at it. We will have to see how it is explained to us, I haven't yet got a firm view on it. I have doubts.'
Mr Johnson also raised questions about a proposed 'emergency brake' on welfare payments to migrants.
'I think what would be better would be if we had a brake of our own that we were willing to use, and that we were more willing to say 'Look, Britain is an independent sovereign country and we don't agree with this particular bit of legislation or regulation and we want to stop it'.
'That's what we should be able to do,' he said.
Mr Johnson said Mr Cameron had 'done a very good job of renegotiating at huge speed a very difficult package of measures'.
'Everybody would want to see more progress and let's see where we get,' he added. 'So far he has been doing a very very good job of getting people to see things his way.
'I think there is much, much more, however, that needs to be done.'
Ukip Nigel Farage declared the 'red card' system was a complete con.
He said: 'Idea we are being sold that a joint 'red card' is some sort of victory is frankly ludicrous. Complete con!'
He added: 'Today's draft deal hardly worth the wait, pathetic.'
Mr Cameron today hailed 'real progress' on Britain's relationship with the EU and insisted he had delivered the promised 'substantial change' for Britain
European Council president Donald Tusk, who drew up the draft deal after detailed talks, today said 'to be or not to be together that is the question' as he published the deal
Steve Baker, chairman of an influential backbench group of Tories, declared: 'The whole thing is a nonsense.'
He added later: 'There's going to be nothing in it that withstands serious scrutiny.'
Questioning Europe Minster David Lidington in the Commons on the deal, Mr Baker said Mr Cameron's 'pint-sized package' of EU reforms for Britain has left the Europe Minister 'polishing poo'.
Mr Baker insisted the draft deal revealed to MPs 'smells funny' while his party colleague Sir Bill Cash doubted the claim it represents a 'fundamental change' for the UK's relationship with the EU.
Sir Bill added: 'How can you justify this pint-sized package as a fundamental change in the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union with real democracy for this Parliament, which represents the voters to which you yourself have just referred?'
Former defence secretary Liam Fox blasted: 'The very limited set of demands from our Government have been watered down by the EU in every area.
'The British people want to take back control and end the supremacy of EU law over our economy, our borders and our Parliament.
In the House of Commons, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn demanded to know why Mr Cameron had not outlined his deal to MPs first
'None of these changes even come close to the fundamental changes promised to the public. We are being asked to risk staying in the EU based on the back of empty promises from the EU that are not even backed up in Treaty. The only safe option is to Vote Leave.'
Brexit campaign group Leave.EU branded the proposals a 'fudge and a farce'.
TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'The Prime Minister is still missing the point. Tinkering with benefits for poorly-paid migrant workers won't address the real challenge of ensuring that everyone who works gets a fair day's pay.
'It's understandable for people to worry about the impact of migration on their communities. But instead of blaming migrant workers the Prime Minister should deal with the root problems, like bad bosses who use migrants to undercut other workers.
'And corporations who don't pay their fair share in tax to fund our public services should be dealt with too.'
The deal was warmly endorsed by the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign - and blasted the 'idiotic hypocrisy' of leave campaigners.
Tory Sir Nicholas Soames said: 'In the past, Leave campaigners have called for wide-ranging reforms to Britain's place in Europe.
'Yet today they have lambasted the reforms put forward by Donald Tusk before the negotiation is even complete.
'This is idiotic hypocrisy. These reform proposals are the very areas for change that Leave campaigners have long called for.
'They have rejected a deal before it has even been secured.
'Today it's clear that there is a deep hypocrisy at the heart of the Leave campaigners' criticisms: they are the only people who have given up on reform and want to walk away from Europe come what may.'
In a move likely to prove crucial to critics of the deal the principle of freedom of movement remains untouched.
The Ukip leader greeted the deal with a claim the 'red card' was a 'complete con' and the idea it was a victory as 'frankly ludicrous'
Mr Farage accused the Prime Minister of 'fiddling at the edges' rather than delivering the substantial change he had promised
The PM had made limiting immigration a key issue when announcing his plans for a referendum in 2013 in a speech at Bloomberg.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was a Commons urgent question on the deal and protested Mr Cameron's absence.
Mr Corbyn said: 'He (Mr Cameron) is trumpeting the sovereignty of national parliaments as part of the renegotiations but doesn't seem to respect the sovereignty of this Parliament by coming here today to make the statement he should have done.
'Also, it appears that journalists were given a very heavy briefing and copies of this document earlier this morning if not yesterday, no member of this House received it before them, they are given the briefing.
'Once again no process of coming to Parliament, every process about engagement with the media rather than this House.
'This whole process conducted by the Prime Minister is not about engaging with Parliament, is not about engaging with the necessary questioning by MPs, it is about managing the problems within the Conservative Party about this.'
Publishing the draft, Mr Tusk said: 'To be, or not to be together, that is the question... My proposal for a new settlement for #UKinEU.'
Mr Cameron, seen at the rear entrance to Downing Street today, has insisted there remains a lot of hard work to be done before the EU summit later this month where he hopes to conclude today's deal
He added the package was 'a good basis for a compromise', adding that 'there are still challenging negotiations ahead. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed'.
The Prime Minister will travel to Poland and Denmark on Friday to continue talks on finalising the deal.
Poland appeared to maintain its hostility to plans to restrict migrants' access to in-work benefits, with the country's Europe minister, Konrad Szymansk, warning that proposals for an emergency brake remained problematic.
'The UK's first three demands are acceptable,' he told Politico.
'The fourth one is the problem. We can't accept discrimination but then how does Cameron offer something for people who are against migration?'
But Tomas Prouza, the Czech state secretary for EU affairs, said the creation of a safeguard mechanism to respond to an influx of workers from other EU member states is an acceptable solution in a draft deal with Britain.
Few other signals emerged from eastern Europe today in response to deal, fuelling speculation the proposals could quickly run into fresh opposition.
The Hungary and Slovakian embassies - previously critical towards Mr Cameron's migrant demands, refused to comment on the draft deal.
However, although the German government refused to comment on the draft deal, Ms Merkel's allies welcomed the plans.
Senior German MEP Manfred Weber, a close ally to the German Chancellor, said: 'We now have weeks and months, even years, of discussions between London and Brussels behind us. David Cameron has fought strongly for the interests of Great Britain and we can now enter the final phase.'
THE DEAL IS DONE! BUT WHAT HAS THE PRIME MINISTER ACHIEVED IN HIS MONTHS OF TRAVEL AND TALKS? WHAT DID THE PM ASK FOR? 1. Benefits Mr Cameron told Mr Tusk: 'We have proposed that people coming to Britain from the EU must live here and contribute for four years before they qualify for in-work benefits or social housing. And that we should end the practice of sending child benefit overseas.' 2. Sovereignty 'While the European Parliament plays an important role, I want to enhance the role of national parliaments, by proposing a new arrangement where groups of national parliaments, acting together, can stop unwanted legislative proposals. The precise threshold of national parliaments required will be a matter for the negotiation.' 3. Competitiveness 'The United Kingdom believes we should bring together all the different proposals, promises and agreements on the Single Market, on trade, and on cutting regulation into a clear long-term commitment to boost the competitiveness and productivity of the European Union and to drive growth and jobs for all.' 4. The euro 'Britain is not seeking a new opt-out for the UK in this area - we have the opt-out from the single currency we need. Nor are we looking for a veto over what is done in the Eurozone. What we seek are legally binding principles that safeguard the operation of the Union for all 28 Member States - and a safeguard mechanism to ensure these principles are respected and enforced.' AND WHAT ARE BRUSSELS GIVING HIM? 1. Benefits The EU has offered Mr Cameron the power to taper new EU migrants onto in work benefits over a four year period. Sending child benefit abroad will not be banned but migrants will not receive more than they would from equivalent benefits at home. 2. Sovereignty Mr Cameron has secured a 'red card' system whereby a group of 15 parliaments can come together to protest a new EU law. In response there would be a comprehensive discussion of the issue. Boris Johnson has warned this does not go far enough and said Britain should have its own power to kick out new EU laws that it does not like. 3. Competitiveness The new draft clauses contain new commitments on improving the competitiveness of the single market. The drafts commit to ensuring the European Commission will be 'closely monitoring' progress but there is little in the way of firm detail - something critics are likely to seize upon. 4. The euro For the first time, EU law will recognise there is more than one currency within the European Union. In addition, there is a specific exclusion for countries outside the eurozone protecting them from having to take part in any future bailouts. Under the plan the euro area will 'respect the competences, rights and obligations' of those outside the single currency area. EU Council President Donald Tusk outlined the draft of what had been agreed in a letter, with the key conclusions to each of Mr Cameron's requests pictured above, to all 28 EU heads of government today Advertisement
Tory MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed), a member of Conservatives For Britain, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'It's all really rather trivial, as far as I'm concerned. I was hoping to see something much more confident and focused on what Britain needs.'
Mrs Trevelyan said the red card system would mean '16 countries have got to gang together against whatever the new idea is in order for it to be stopped'.
'We are not seeing anything that allows us to take control of our country so I think I will be ending up voting to leave,' she added.
In a key gain for Home Secretary Theresa May - tipped as the most senior Cabinet minister still weighing up whether to campaign for Brexit - the document makes clear that EU states are entitled to refuse access 'on preventative grounds' to individuals likely to threaten national security, even if the threat is not imminent.
It also includes provisions for member states to tackle the use of fraud or sham marriages to gain the right to enter and remain.
But her declaration for Out would be a huge boost to the array of Leave campaigns which have struggled to establish themselves amid infighting.
Chief executive Matthew Elliott said: 'What the Government is asking for from the EU is trivial - these proposals will not take back control from the EU. These gimmicks have been ignored by the EU before and will be ignored again as they will not be in the EU treaty.
'The Government are asking us to trust the promises of the EU Commission and EU judges rather than taking back control.
'If the public want Parliament to have the power to block damaging EU laws then the only safe option is to Vote Leave.'
The red card system will be presented as a rabbit pulled from the hat during Mr Cameron's months of talks. It secures a Tory election manifesto commitment.
The draft proposal says that if 55 per cent of national parliaments club together, they can block or amend proposed legislation.
But critics said Britain would require the support of 14 other states and could routinely be outmanoeuvred by the 19-country eurozone. Existing EU laws would not be affected.
A Number 10 source said: 'As the Prime Minister has said, it is national parliaments which are, and will remain, the true source of real democratic legitimacy and accountability in the EU and this breakthrough will ensure that national parliaments' voices are heard loud and clear in Brussels.
'Following intense discussions on the draft text throughout Monday in Brussels, further progress has been made and the president of the European Council has now confirmed that he will circulate the draft negotiating text to all member states today.
Russian warplanes in Syria are targeting civilian oil refineries and trucks while deliberately ignoring ISIS facilities to allow the extremist group to continue its oil trade with the Assad regime, local activists claim.
Citizen journalists from the Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently group claimed Russia's airstrikes are aimed at destroying local oil facilities which are mostly owned by the local population 'and have no direct links with ISIS'.
Oil trucks that move between the ISIS-held cities of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa, owned by civilians, are also targeted by Russian jets.
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Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently group claimed Russia's airstrikes are aimed at destroying local oil facilities which are mostly owned by civilians. Pictured: Russia releases footage that shows fighter jets targeting oil trucks and a refinery
Oil trucks that move between the ISIS-held cities of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa, owned by civilians, are also targeted by Russian jets, according to the Raqqa activists
A body of Syrian is seen as civil defense members and Syrians try to rescue people who were buried in collapsed buildings after Russian air crafts hit residential area at Anadan district of Aleppo
Civil defense team members try to rescue the Syrians who were buried under the wreckage after Russian airstrikes
'It seems like the Russian are trying so hard to convince the world that they are aiming at destroying all kinds of sources of ISIS through these raids that are targeting the limited and primitive oil circulation which [is] owned by the civilians, and that affects only the civilians,' the group said in a statement.
'However, the Russians know best about the economical and oil close relations between the regime and ISIS.'
Since the start of its Syrian campaign, Russia has repeatedly claimed it was targeting ISIS-held oil trucks and refineries in bid to cut off the terrorist group's largest source of income.
In November, Moscow announced that its air force had destroyed around 500 fuel trucks in a few days as they transport oil from Syria to refineries in Iraq.
Reports said Daesh was still making more than 320million a year from oil, despite the US-led bombing campaign which was meant to break up the insurgency.
Figures from oil workers in Syria and Iraq along with Western intelligence estimates suggest up to 40,000 barrels are being produced every day in ISIS-held territory.
The US and France have been firm backers of Syria's moderate opposition, while Russia remains staunch ally of Assad.
Claims that Russia's president Vladimir Putin is trying to bolster Bashar al-Assad by bombing civilians and opponents of Daesh in Syria were echoed by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
During a visit at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, Hammond scolded Putin for his attempts to undermine international efforts to end the Syrian civil war.
When Russia started to bomb Syria in September, Putin helped shift the war in Assad's favour after major setbacks earlier in 2015 brought rebel groups near the coastal heartland of his Shiite Alawite sect
'It's a source of constant grief to me that everything we are doing is being undermined by the Russians,' Mr Hammond told Reuters.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (C) said 'It's a source of constant grief to me that everything we are doing is being undermined by the Russians'
Hammond claimed Russia's president Vladimir Putin is trying to bolster Bashar al-Assad by bombing civilians and opponents of Daesh in Syria
Hammond spoke during a visit at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan
Russia said in November that it hit more than 200 targets in Syria in 127 sorties
On Monday, Russia's Defence Ministry said warplanes had conducted 468 sorties in Syria in the past week and destroyed more than 1,300 'terrorist' targets
'The Russians say let's talk, and then they talk and they talk and they talk. The problem with the Russians is while they are talking they are bombing, and they are supporting Assad.'
On Monday, Russia's Defence Ministry said warplanes had conducted 468 sorties in Syria in the past week and destroyed more than 1,300 'terrorist' targets, Russian news agencies reported.
Moscow said it has delivered more than 200 tonnes of aid to the besieged Syrian town of Deir Ezzor in January.
But rebels and activists like Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently say the Russian air strikes are causing hundreds of civilian casualties.
'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,' said Mr Hammond.
'The Russians say they want to destroy Daesh but they are not bombing Daesh: they are bombing the moderate opposition,' added Mr Hammond.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale pledges a 1p income tax hike, putting pressure on Finance Secretary John Swinney to follow suit in the budget
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale will today pledge to raise income tax by 1p in Scotland if it wins the Holyrood elections in May.
The tax hike, which Labour says would raise nearly 500million , would be spent on education and other local services targeted for cuts by the SNP government and would fund a 100 annual repayment for workers earning less than 20,000 a year.
But the policy, which has already been proposed by the Scottish Liberal Democrats, was dismissed as 'half-baked' by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
And with polls showing the SNP ahead of Labour with almost double the support, Ms Dugdale's tax hike is unlikely to trouble Scottish taxpayers.
Ms Dugdale's 1p tax hike would increase the basic rate of income tax in Scotland to 11p, meaning workers would start to pay 11 per cent on every pound they earn above their personal allowance of 11,000.
But the rise will be offset for all those earning less than 20,000 with a 100-a-year rebate - costing 50million - meaning the hike would hit middle class professions such as teachers and doctors the hardest.
Ms Dugdale, who will make the policy announcement in Edinburgh today, is hoping to pressurise Finance Secretary John Swinney to follow suit and reverse planned cuts to local education services when he delivers Scotland's budget later this month - the last before May's elections.
Both Labour and the Lib Dems in Scotland are challenging the SNP to use the new tax powers being devolved to the Scottish Parliament to raise more funds.
Nicola Sturgeon responded immediately to news of Dugdale's tax hike plans, dismissing her promise of a 100-a-year fund for the lowest paid as a 'half baked "rebate"'
The 1p income tax rise has already been proposed by the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, pictured far right alongside Kezia Dugdale. Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, pictured far left, could become the new leader of the opposition in Scotland, according to recent polls
Dugdale, pictured with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, needs a major shift in the polls if she has any hope of denting the SNP's lead in Scotland
But with the SNP widely expected to romp to another majority win and improve on the staggering 2011 result which paved the way for the 2014 independence referendum, no new policy announcements are likely to force the party to change tack.
It was claimed yesterday that Labour could even fall behind the Tories into an unprecedented third place in Scotland.
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.
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
Ms Dugdale will say: 'The cuts the SNP have decided to inflict will be felt in every community in Scotland.
'The hundreds of millions of pounds taken from local services are cuts to things that we all rely on.
'But the worst thing about the SNP's choice is that they will make cuts to education.
'These cuts will disadvantage children, hold back business and harm our economy.
'Labour cannot support an SNP budget which asks our children and young people to bear the brunt of the cuts.
Polling trends since last year, pictured, show how the Tories have closed the gap on Labour in the race for second place - but both remain far behind the SNP
'Given the choice between using our powers or making cuts to our children's future, we choose to use our powers.
KEZIA DUGDALE ON THE SNP'S BUDGET CUTS Dugdale wants the Scottish government to take advantage of new devolved tax powers 'It will cost countless jobs, it will impact on vulnerable people, and perhaps most seriously in all of this there are substantial cuts to education within that. 'What I am saying is that faced with the choice between using the powers that we have in the Scottish Parliament to chart a different course from Tory austerity or to accept that the price of that austerity must be paid by the next generation, I choose to use the powers and protect the next generation from those Tory and SNP cuts and choose instead to invest in the future, to invest in education and take a break from Tory austerity.' The most positive thing we can do, the best thing we can do, is to invest in our people - the best natural resource that we now have. 'At a time when we need to do that the SNP in Scotland are stripping hundreds of millions of pounds worth of money out of the education system. 'That's eating into Scotland's future and I would chart a different course.' Advertisement
'We will tear up this SNP budget that simply manages Tory cuts and instead use the power we have to set the Scottish rate of income tax one pence higher than the rate set by George Osborne.
'This will provide an extra half a billion pounds a year to invest in the future.'
Labour said that under the commitment, which extends across the next parliament, more than one in four workers (810,000) would not lose a single penny while around one in five (490,000) would pay less.
A person on a salary of around 30,000 a year would pay less than 4 a week extra while someone on the same 144,687 wage as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would pay an extra 28 a week.
The party said the 'progressive' nature of the policy was backed up by experts including the Scottish Parliament Information Centre and David Eiser of Stirling University.
Additional powers due to come to Scotland as a result of the post-referendum Scotland Bill will allow for variations of both the rates and bands of income tax.
Scottish Labour has said it will not raise the threshold for the upper rate of income tax and bring back the 50p top rate of tax when these powers come into force in 2017.
Mr Swinney has said he will set out the Scottish Government's longer-term intentions on income tax before the end of March.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: 'I'm pleased that the consensus is growing that action is required for our public services.
'The question is - will the SNP continue to talk left, and walk right? This week's budget is the time for them to show once and for all whether they are progressive or conservative.'
Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: 'We believe the rate of income tax should not be higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK. Ideally, when it's affordable, it should be lower.
'It's clear other parties in Scotland want to punish hard-working people rather than ease the burden of tax on them.'
A Scottish Government source said: 'Around 2.2 million basic rate taxpayers across Scotland - including almost half a million pensioners - would be hit by Labour's tax grab.
'Around 40% of the adult Scottish population don't earn enough to pay any income tax, and the lowest paid would actually lose out, because anyone earning less than 11,000 - mostly women in part-time work - can still pay National Insurance but would not benefit from the proposed 100 rebate.
'In addition, these proposals would create an unfair distortion in the system as someone earning just under 11,000 wouldn't get the 100 hand-out while someone earning 11,000 would.
'Labour's plans for administering the 100 rebate appear to be uncosted but would clearly run into the tens of millions of pounds.
The Project host Waleed Aly's impassioned call to all Australians to avoid controversial 'pick up artist' Daryush Valizadeh - the man who believes 'rape should be legalised on private property' - has been shared across social media.
Aly urged viewers to ignore Valizadeh's ploy to get maximum media exposure after he organised an Australian 'meet up' and said women, homosexual men and transgender men were not invited.
According to Valizadeh website's 'About' page: 'A woman's value significantly depends on her fertility and beauty. A man's value significantly depends on his resources, intellect, and character.'
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Channel Ten's Project host Aly begged viewers to hijack everything Valizadeh stood for and didn't shy away from labeling him a sexist pig
Aly urged viewers to ignore Valizadeh's ploy to get maximum media exposure after he organised an Australian 'meet up' and said women, homosexual men and transgender men were not invited.
Channel Ten's Project host Aly begged viewers to hijack everything Valizadeh stood for and didn't shy away from labeling him every name under the sun.
'This guy here, Voosh, is sexist, provocative, homophobic, elitist, smug and offensive.'
Aly also called him a 'vile, obnoxious and judgmental pig', before analysing the pick up artist's 'intelligent and manipulative' formula to get maximum media exposure.
'Step one: He says some things of varying levels of offensiveness, he might oddly obsess about woman's footwear.
'Step two: He takes to his blog to advocate making rape legal.
'It's that sort of revolting provocative statement that captures our attention, and once he has that attention he announces he will visit that country for a meet-up with like minded man beasts.
Aly (left) called Valizadeh (right) a 'vile, obnoxious and judgmental pig', before analysing the pick the pick up artist's 'intelligent and manipulative' formula he uses to gain maximum media exposoure
'Step four: Having manufactured this outrage, Roosh uses the spotlight to sell books and his next speaking engagement,' said Aly.
The Project host then challenged viewers to 'click on something else'.
'I challenge you to join me to hijack his campaign, I challenge you to click something else, click on your social media and share a link to Lou's place.'
Lou's Place is the only daytime refuge for women in Sydney and provides crisis intervention, case management, referrals and legal advice.
However, Twitter users quickly began talking about Aly's impassioned speech and Valizadeh.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Daryush 'Roosh' Valizadeh has no visa to visit Australia and hasn't applied for one.
'People who advocate violence against women aren't welcome in Australia,' a spokesperson for the minister said in a statement. 'In the past people advocating violence against women have had their visa refused or cancelled.'
'The minister has asked the department to continue to monitor this case.'
Philip Hammond has warned less than half of the migrants entering Europe are fleeing the brutal war in Syria.
More than a million people are expected to try and get into Europe this year but speaking on a visit to refugee camps in Jordan the Foreign Secretary said many were economic migrants who should be sent home.
Mr Hammond insisted the link between getting into Europe on a boat and winning the right to stay had to be broken.
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Philip Hammond visited Jordan yesterday, pictured with police officers training at the Al Zaatari refugee camp, to see the work being done with British support
Refugees at the massive camp looked on as the British Foreign Secretary toured the area, which is in the city of Mafraq near the border with Syria
He said many people were joining up with the massive refugee flows travelling to Europe - many walking through the frozen Balkans or trying to make the dangerous voyage from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos.
Breaking the link between getting to Europe and winning the right to stay has driven British policy of refusing to resettle migrants and refugees from other European countries to Britain.
Instead, the UK is taking in people identified as the most vulnerable by the UN from refugee camps around Syria.
Speaking in Jordan, where he visited the Al Zaatari refugee camp yesterday, Mr Hammond said: 'The influx from the region has opened up a flood which includes many people coming from other parts of the world, often via this region but not originating from Syria, not being originally displaced by this conflict.'
He continued: 'There are people from across a wide range of countries.
'And as our Prime Minister has said often, we need to break the link between getting in a boat and being able to stay permanently in Europe.
'The properly ordered way of doing things is they should be returned to their country of origin.
'There is a recognition across the European Union of this, that one of things the European Union is not doing effectively is returning asylum, non-legitimate refugees promptly to their countries of origin.
'Getting this right is the key to solving this crisis.'
Mr Hammond also called for other countries to give more aid to help the refugees, as the UK has done.
The UK is hosting a donor conference for Syria in London on Thursday.
The Foreign Secretary continued: 'We have got a great opportunity on Thursday for the European Union to show that it is up for meeting this challenge, that it accepts its humanitarian responsibility but also that it can recognise self-interest.
Mr Hammond held a press conference with his Jordanian counter part on the visit and he warned many of the migrants arriving in Britain are not Syrian
Thousands of people continue to arrive in Europe every day including this group, pictured, who arrived at a refugee transit centre near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce today
'Because if the migration crisis in Europe is going to be solved or at least reduced, it starts with providing proper facilities in camps like this.'
More than 120 leading economists yesterday 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.
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.
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.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is digging in over the junior doctors strike and is ready to impose the contract in the summer, according to reports
Another 4,000 operations and 17,500 appointments are expected to be cancelled in hospitals across England next week as junior doctors go on strike for a second time, the Department of Health has said.
The British Medical Association (BMA) announced yesterday that up to 40,000 junior doctors will take part in a new 24-walkout starting on February 10 after talks with the Government over a new contract 'foundered'.
But the Department of Health said Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, could decide to impose the new contract later this month if junior doctors refused to show flexibility over new rules on unsociable hours.
'We're working towards an August 2016 deadline to implement the contract and we'll need to make a decision by mid-February,' a Department of Health spokesman told the MailOnline.
The latest talks broke down over the Government's plans to reduce the hours classified as unsociable, which are paid at a higher rate and has led to the BMA claiming the new contract will mean a pay cut for Britain's 40,000 junior doctors.
But the Government says it has been 'very flexible' on this issue by offering to climb down from their original plans for unsociable hours to start at 7pm on Saturdays and 10pm on weekdays.
The Department of Health says it is now offering to move to 5pm on Saturdays and 9pm but expressed anger at the BMA for refusing to show the same kind of flexibility.
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The Health Secretary could decide to impose the new contract on junior doctors this month, the DoH has said
'We've already offered flexibility compared to our original plan and we're incredibly disappointed that the BMA has yet even to talk about this issue,' a DoH spokesman said.
The department says the level of disruption to the NHS across England is expected to be similar to last month's strike.
The Government will be told by NHS England later this week exactly how many operations and appointments will be cancelled when junior doctors start their second 24-hour walkout at 8am on Wednesday 10 February.
Meanwhile, a source close to the negotiations told the Guardian that Mr Hunt is planning to 'exhaust' junior doctors by refusing to agree to any more concessions.
Following yesterday's further breakdown in talks, held by conciliation service Acas, the source told the newspaper: 'Jeremy Hunt's strategy now is to exhaust the junior doctors, hope that more of them turn up for work during next week's strike and hope that the industrial action fizzles out and then impose the contract in August.'
The Government's chief negotiator Sir David Dalton outlined the remaining issues in dispute in a letter, pictured, to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt
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 doctors union insisted the talks had broken down following the Government's 'continued refusal to put reason before politics in agreeing a fair solution for an already overstretched junior doctor workforce'.
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.
THE DEAL THEY TURNED DOWN: WHAT JUNIOR DOCTORS REJECTED Junior doctors launched their first strike action on January 12 and had suspended the campaign of industrial action to engage in further talks 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
BMA junior doctors committee chair Johann Malawana said yesterday: '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.'
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 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).
HOW HAVE WE GOT HERE? THE ISSUES BEHIND THE FIRST JUNIOR DOCTORS STRIKE IN 40 YEARS The Government Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants to change the junior doctor contract because he said it is important to create a 'seven day NHS'. Mr Hunt, pictured left, has argued the contract needs to change to ensure there is the same level of cover provided at the weekend as weekdays. He has pointed to mortality data indicating more people die if they are admitted to hospital at the weekend. The Government said no salaries will be reduced under the terms of the deal and insisted any doctor working a legal number of hours every week would have the same money as on the current deal. Ministers said this would work by increasing basic pay but cutting the number of shifts available at a 'premium' rate. When the strike was confirmed, Mr Hunt wrote to BMA chair Mark Porter to express his disappointment. He said: 'I was very disappointed to hear of the decision by the BMA to initiate strike action. 'In particular, it is extraordinary that you have done so without fully considering the revised offer that my negotiators presented to you this morning which you refused to talk about during negotiations today. 'I believe we made good progress in the negotiations and given the many areas of common ground it cannot be appropriate to put patient safety at risk with a series of potentially damaging strikes without seeing these negotiations through in full.' The doctors Junior doctors have said they are going on strike because after years of negotiations, they have not received assurances over patient safety or their own working hours. In a pamphlet produced for the public, the BMA, under chairman Mark Porter, right, said doctors were protesting Government proposals to remove rules limiting how many hours they can work each week. They said this would lead to the imposition of a contract that was bad for patients and bad for doctors. Doctors have said they want assurances the hours they will work are safe and properly paid. The BMA said it has proposed a 'safe, fair and cost-neutral pay structure' which it feels meets the Government's 'financial requirements'. While they are happy to work overnight and at weekends, the doctors have also sought an acknowledgement of their right to a family life. In its formal position statement when it announced today's strike, the BMA said there were 'serious and worrying omissions' relating to patient safety. And it 'fundamentally rejected' the idea Saturday should be treated as a normal working day under the new contract. The BMA said: 'In the context of the Government's desire to move to services across seven days, without committing to the necessary increase in resources, junior doctors are willing to work with Government to deliver this policy but only in a sustainable way that does not make a career in medical practice in the UK less attractive.' Advertisement
'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.
'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 spokesman 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.'
This is the moment a mysterious UFO is spotted 'hovering' in the skies above Greater Manchester.
Video footage shows what appears to be a black object in the air with dark grey trails streaming out behind it above Ashton-under-Lyne.
As the recording plays through, the UFO continues to fly through the air, but doesn't appear to move in any direction.
Aliens? This is the moment a mysterious UFO is spotted 'hovering' . Video footage shows what appears to be a black object in the air with dark grey trails streaming behind it above Ashton-under-Lyne
Sophie Birch says she and her partner were so shocked by what they saw while driving in Ashton-under-Lyne, they had to pull the car over.
Sophie, a 23-year-old PA from Ashton, said: 'We were driving along and suddenly we spotted it. We just couldn't believe it - at first I thought it was a plane or something but it just wasn't moving, it was hovering.
My boyfriend was driving and he slammed on his brakes, then we pulled over so we could both see it better.'
On the video the couple have a conversation trying to work out what it is they are seeing, but Sophie says it remains unexplained.
She said: 'It was so unusual, we kept watching it for quite a while and there's no simple explanation as to what it is, I think it could be aliens - my sister said it was.
Shock: Sophie, a 23-year-old PA from Ashton, said: 'We were driving along and suddenly we spotted it. We just couldn't believe it - at first I thought it was a plane or something but it just wasn't moving, it was hovering
'You can see on the video it's like a black ship, with something coming out of the back.
'At one point we saw a flock of birds flying suddenly away from it like they were scared.'
The first well-known UFO sighting occurred in 1947, when businessman Kenneth Arnold claimed to see a group of nine high-speed objects near Mount Rainier in Washington while flying his small plane.
Arnold estimated the speed of the crescent-shaped objects as several thousand miles per hour and said they moved 'like saucers skipping on water.'
This is how the term flying saucer was coined as, in the newspaper report that followed, it was mistakenly stated that the objects were saucer-shaped.
A British man whose body was recovered from in a canal in Amsterdam a week after he vanished died from 'an act of violence'.
Richard Cole, 30, from Dursley in Gloucestershire, had been travelling from Copenhagen in Denmark to Assen in Nolland via the Dutch capital city.
He went missing after going to bars in the Thorbeckeplein area of Amsterdam at about 2am UK time on January 25 and his body was found on February 1.
Speaking to reporters near Mr Cole's family home, his employers Lyn and Nick Bowkett said they were devastated to hear his life was taken by 'an act of violence'.
The couple's daughter Alex Bowkett said they had heard the news from Mr Cole's family, but had no further information.
Tragedy: Richard Cole, 30, from Dursley in Gloucestershire, has been found drowned in an Amsterdam canal a week after he disappeared
Hunt: Mr Cole, described as an experienced traveller, was transiting from Copenhagen in Denmark to Assen via the Dutch city but disappeared after night out
The popular 30 year-old was an expert valuer in Oriental and Asian art for Stroud Auction Rooms near his family's home outside Dursley.
Lyn and Nick Bowkett, who run the business, said: 'We are all in shock - completely unable to believe that we won't ever see Rich again.
'We have all spent the past week trying to think positively. But to hear that his life has been taken by an act of violence is just devastating.
'We have no words to say exactly how we feel. Our thoughts are with his family.'
Mr Cole's family, along with police in the Netherlands and Gloucestershire, had appealed for any information to help trace him.
His brother Lee Thornhill went to Amsterdam to visit bars and distribute flyers as part of the search.
Dutch police said officers discovered a man's body, now found to be that of Mr Cole, in the Herengracht canal on February 1.
'His family has been informed,' the police said.
'It is still unclear how he ended up in the water.'
The Foreign Office said they could not comment on the circumstances surrounding the death.
The Dutch police also said the case is still under investigation and was unclear how Richard died.
A spokesman said: The death is unconfirmed. We are still investigating what happened to him, how he got into the water. We will investigate all possibilities.
Police said they are investigating the death of the man and the circumstances of how he came to be in the water.
They added that a tracking dog became 'restless' on the canal and a search of the water took place on the evening of February 1. Divers later located Mr Cole's body.
Paying tribute to Mr Cole, Lyn and Nick said: 'When he came to work for us as a freelance valuer in early 2011 he was nothing like most people's idea of an auctioneer - only 25 with long hair and a beard, but we were amazed by his exceptional knowledge of Asian Art.
'He quickly went from strength to strength, becoming a confident, popular member of the team.
'He was never just a colleague, his easy-going, generous nature meant that he was soon a valued friend to us all.
'Although Richard was often off travelling during the past 18 months or so, when he stepped back through the door, it was if he had never been away.
'Everyone was always so pleased to see him and hear his news and he enjoyed being back in the saleroom.
'Rich was probably the kindest and most generous person I had ever met. He would have done anything for any of the team here or for his friends outside the auction.'
Evidence: Richard had been to some of the bars in the area before he spoke to his girlfriend, Alicia Marie, on the phone but had not been heard from since
Appeal: Richard Cole's last known location was the Thorbeckeplein area of Amsterdam at about 2am UK time on January 25
Gloucestershire Police previously described Mr Cole as 'an experienced traveller'.
His mother, Debbie Thornhill, set up a Facebook page called Help us find Richard Cole.
She previously wrote on the page: 'Richard is a very special person not only to his family but to all his friends.
'Life would just not be the same without him.'
A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said: 'We have been informed by Richard Cole's family and Dutch police that Richard's body has been recovered from a canal in Amsterdam.
'The Dutch police will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Richard's death and detectives from Gloucestershire will be liaising with them in order to provide information to the coroner's office.
'Richard has been formally identified by his brother Lee and the family are now asking that the media respect their privacy at this difficult time.
The haunting images show some of the forgotten and abandoned sites that surround the natural
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Millions of tourists flock to Niagara Falls each year to soak up the breathtaking views across one of the world's most famous waterfall.
But a new eerie set of pictures show some of the forgotten and abandoned sites that surround the beauty spot on the America side of the border.
Pictured are abandoned factories and hospitals - as well as the interiors of the once-thriving Hotel Niagara, where Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe once filmed for the movie 'Niagara'.
The abandoned Mount St Mary's nursing home in Niagara Falls, New York, where many buildings have been left forgotten after the city went into decline
The metal frame of a hospital bed lies abandoned in an empty building surrounded by flood water and debris in Niagara Falls
A hospital room has been left to ruin inside an abandoned building that surrounds the beauty spot on the America side of the border
A dentist chair and tools remain in one of the dark rooms at an abandoned hospital in Niagara Falls after the city went into decline
The series of images were taken by photographer and urban explorer Johnny Joo, 25, who wanted to document the decline of the city of Niagara Falls, New York.
Mr Joo, from Ohio, said: 'Sadly, this once wonderful piece of America's great collection of family friendly tourism has turned away from happier days, while much falls into a state of disrepair, becoming further and further forgotten beneath crumbling rooftops, flooded hallways and the passing of time.'
Some of the most haunting pictures show abandoned rooms littered with rusted remains of bed frames and old equipment and covered in inches of water in most areas.
Many floors are frozen as icicles hang from the ceilings and bed railings.
Mr Joo added: 'Most of Niagara on the US side now sits a dreary mess, while preservation societies push for revitalization of specific buildings with little to no positive reaction from the city.
The eerie pictures were taken by photographer Johnny Joo, who spent three days exploring forgotten buildings around Niagara Falls
The walls of an abandoned hallway begin to crumble as snow lies on the ground inside the building in Niagara, which has been left to ruin
A table remains in the middle of a room surrounded by a set of chairs despite the rest of the building lying empty
The Canadian side of the world's most famous waterfalls continue to attract millions of visitors every year, but the American city that bears the same name has a declining population
'A collection of structures all sit gathering dust as people continue to pass by paying little mind to what has been left behind.
'Though these images show the abandoned and forgotten, the US side of the falls is still a very beautiful place, with much to see and a peaceful, calming atmosphere to it.
'Some also argue that it is the best view of the falls.'
The Canadian side of the world's most famous waterfall continues to attract millions of visitors every year, but the American city that bears the same name has a problem.
A 2000 census put the population at 55,510 but only a decade later the number of residents had fallen to only 50,193.
The floor of abandoned office space in Niagara is covered in debris and flood water which has frozen over due to the plummeting temperatures
The staircase in this abandoned building is one of the few things remaining in tact. Mr Joo wanted to show the eerie nature of the city next to the beauty spot
Some of the most haunting pictures show abandoned rooms littered with rusted remains of bed frames and old equipment and covered in inches of water in most areas
The most recent census was taken in 2013, where the population had fallen even further to 49,468.
However, things could soon change at the Falls after the New York State Parks Department released a proposal to 'turn off' the American and Bridal Falls - two of the three waterfalls that make up the spectacular natural feature.
The plan calls for water to be temporarily diverted towards the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the border, while work is being done to replace the bridges and construct new piers.
The view of Niagara Falls, New York from across the waterfall. In the most recent census taken in 2013, the population of the city had fallen even further to 49,468
In contrast the Canadian side of Niagara Falls has continued to thrive bringing in millions of tourists each year to visit the waterfall
Her defacto partner, Gavin Debeyer was charged with her murder
The mother-of-five's body was discovered after midday on Monday
A 50-year-old man has been charged with the stabbing-death of his defacto partner and mother of his five children.
The lifeless body of Sharon Michelutti, 48, was found in the bedroom of her Riverwood home in Sydneys south-west on Monday just after midday, Sydney Morning Herald reported.
After her son made the discovery, Gavin Debeyer was arrested and charged over Ms Micheluttis death, distressing another son so much he had to be restrained and treated by ambulance.
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Sharon Michelutti, 48, was found dead with stab wounds in the bedroom of her Riverwood, south-west Sydney home on Monday
Her 50-year-old defacto partner Gavin Debeyer was charged with her murder. Police (pictured) remain on the scene at the Kentucky Road property
One of their five children was wrestled to the ground by police when the adult son tried to get under police tape and demanded to see his mother at the Kentucky Road home on Tuesday.
My dad killed her, didnt he? he called out, before he was restrained and taken away in an ambulance, Ten News reported.
When another of the sons made the discovery on Monday, he ran screaming down the street, a neighbour told Sydney Morning Herald.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Debeyer had reported to local police that Ms Michelutti made a suicide attempt, according to Sydney Morning Herald.
Mr Debeyer had a long history of violence, according to neighbours. He was charged with her murder when the grisly discovery was made
He appeared at Burwood Local Court dressed in a white forensic suit with the hood covering his face
Its believed she was murdered Monday morning
He was charged with her murder when the grisly discovery was made.
The pair had been dating since she was just 14-years-old.
Her body was found after midday on Monday, and its believed her murder occurred between 9.45am and 12.04pm, court documents alleged according to Daily Telegraph.
One of the defacto couples sons wrote to Facebook on Monday to express his grief, writing it was one of the toughest days off [sic] my life.
Neighbour Markita Galea, said the couple fought a lot, at least weekly.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said she heard them fighting at the home twice last week.
He appeared at Burwood Local Court dressed in a white forensic suit with the hood covering his face, Daily Telegraph reported.
He made no application for bail, and a legal aid lawyer request he be listed as a self-harm risk.
Mr Debeyer is next due to appear in court on March 30.
Ms Michelutti (pictured) was the mother of Mr Debeyer's five children. The defacto couple had reportedly been dating since she was 14
One of their five children was wrestled to the ground by police when the adult son tried to get under police tape and demanded to see his mother at the Kentucky Road home on Tuesday
An Irish woman and a Scottish man have died after their yacht was smashed against rocks while the pair sailed with a friend along the coast of South Africa.
The trio, named as Scotsman George Mills and PJ and Rachel Daly, from Ireland, were heading from Langebaan to Cape Town when the accident occurred in heavy fog.
Mr Mills, 69, and Ms Daly, 49, both both died in the accident, while 66-year-old PJ - suffering from a bloody gash to his head - managed to swim ashore and sound the alarm.
The remains of the 47ft-long boat, named Tara, are seen being smashed against rocks on the coast of South Africa
Scotsman George Mills, 69, and Irish woman Rachel Daly, 49, both died in the sailing accident
Rescuers pulled the bodies of the two victims from the water after a third passenger swam to shore and sounded the alarm
Rescuers pulled the bodies of his friends from the water yesterday after finding the 47ft boat, named Tara, smashed to pieces on rocks at the shoreline.
Police dive teams and rescue crews arrived at the scene about 4.30am local time.
It is understood the trio were friends and were all living on the Western Cape.
It is not known what caused the yacht to run aground and it could not be confirmed if it had capsized before doing so.
Photographer Henk Kruger said: 'The boat is completely wrecked and lots of flotsam has washed ashore in amongst the rocks,' IOL.co.za reported.
'A portion of the stern is still visible on top of the rocks, probably about one eighth of the boat, and the waves are still breaking against it.'
Speaking yesterday, South Africas National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman Craig Lambinon confirmed that there had been three people on board the vessel that was travelling to Cape Town.
Mr Lambinon said: Rescuers found the vessel broken up among the rocks in the shore line. A survivor, a 66-year-old Irishman, got to shore and raised the alarm. He was unhurt.
'The bodies of a 61-year-old Scotsman and a 49-year-old Irish woman were recovered.
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the Mail last night that they were providing consular assistance to the womans family.
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It is an enormous 2,850-acre site, 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, that was once a top-secret NASA lab.
Santa Susana Field Laboratory now stands unused and frozen in time, slowly rusting and decaying in the elements.
Despite being abandoned for the best part of a decade, the colossal structure still towers over the skyline.
The enormous station, which still has 24-hour surveillance and security, was opened on a craggy plateau in easternmost Ventura County in 1948.
In 1959, it was home to America's first and worst nuclear disaster.
The colossal structure was once home to leading-edge nuclear, solar and sodium technology development, and rocket engine testing
The 2,850-acre facility in Ventura County, which is now owned by Boeing Co. and NASA, has been abandoned since 2006
The metal structures within the site are slowly rusting - in 1959, it was home to the first and worst nuclear disaster in America's history
A reactor had experienced a power surge overnight and spewed radioactive gases into the atmosphere.
To prevent a potentially devastating explosion, workers were ordered to open the exhaust stacks and release massive amounts of radiation into the sky.
As they worked frantically to try and repair the damaged reactor, they realized their efforts were only generating more radioactive gas.
So for weeks, often in the dark of night, they were instructed to open the large door in the reactor building and let out the radiation into the air.
Six weeks after the meltdown, the Atomic Energy Commission issued a press release saying there had been a minor 'fuel element failure' at Area Four's largest reactor in July.
But they said there had been 'no release of radioactive materials' to the environment.
Scott Haefner, who took the pictures, said: 'I find the structures extremely photogenic, especially the juxtaposition of the gargantuan, unfamiliar looking man-made structures nestled among the beautiful, rocky landscape and rolling hills'
It was also the site of more than 30,000 rocket engine tests, before that ended in 2006 - since then the site has stood empty
Half a century after the nuclear accident in 1959, clean-up operations and chemical decontamination remain incomplete
Energy research experiments, including nuclear, solar and sodium technology development, and rocket engine testing occurred at the site
In July 1959, the site suffered a partial nuclear meltdown that has been named 'the worst in U.S. history', releasing an undisclosed amount of radioactivity
It was not until 1979 details of the incident were disclosed, when a group of UCLA students discovered documents and photographs that referred to a problem at the site involving a 'melted blob.'
Ever since, residents have worried about downstream health risks associated with soil contaminated by years of rocket and nuclear testing.
Despite that, scientists at the site conducted nuclear research for the government until 1988.
It was also the site of more than 30,000 rocket engine tests, before that ended in 2006.
Since then, the station has stood empty, its metal structure slowly rusting as it lies abandoned.
Mr Haefner said: 'I think people are probably struck by the beauty of these hulking beasts and the opposition of these "ugly", decaying man-made structures to the beauty of the surrounding natural landscape'
Scientists at the site, originally operated by North American Rockwell, conducted nuclear research for more than four decades
It was also the site of more than 30,000 rocket engine tests, the explosions serving as a Cold War-era hallmark for nearby residents
Scott Haefner, 41, from San Francisco, hiked miles up and over a rocky terrain mountain to avoid the security at the site and take pictures.
He said: 'While it's fun sneaking around and accessing off-limits places, I also think it's important to document historic structures like these before they're gone.
'The rocket engine test that supported the space program and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile ICBM programs took place here.
'In addition, the site was used for testing and developing nuclear reactors, including the first reactor launched into outer space by the US.
'It wasn't until the 2000s that concerned citizens began demanding health studies and started pressuring the US government to begin modern clean-up efforts.
'The reactor and support systems were removed in 1981 and that building was torn down in 1999. So I hopefully I wasn't exposed to any radiation.
'My main goal is to create artistic shots that resonate with people.
'Some of the stands are hundreds of feet tall, a maze of steel platforms, catwalks, ladders, and support structures.
Sir Lenny Henry joked about setting Charlotte Rampling's home on fire after the Broadchurch actress said the Oscars diversity row was 'racist' against white people.
The 57-year-old comedian made the remarks as he hosted Sunday's BBC Audio Drama Awards.
He said: 'Ive bought a house next to Charlotte Rampling. We get on like a house on fire. Her house is going to be...'
Sir Lenny Henry joked about setting Charlotte Rampling's home on fire after the Broadchurch actress said the Oscars diversity row was 'racist' against white people
The outburst came after Miss Rampling, who is up for the Best Actress award, she did not understand the anger surrounding the ceremony and that nominations should be based on the performance.
Responding to stars who have threatened to boycott the awards next month, she told a radio station: One can never really know but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list.
Hitting back at her comments Sir Lenny said: 'How do you know things are funny? Normally I get it on a note written by Charlotte Rampling attached to a brick.'
Miss Ramplings remarks followed a week of debate about nominations for the Academy Awards, after it was revealed that no black actors were shortlisted for the second year running.
There have been calls for a boycott against the ceremony, with Jada Pinkett Smith (right) wife of Hollywood actor Will Smith writing on Facebook that: We must stand in our power
There have been calls for a boycott, with Jada Pinkett Smith wife of Hollywood actor Will Smith writing on Facebook that: We must stand in our power.
Begging for acknowledgement or even asking [to be nominated] diminishes dignity. It diminishes power and we are a dignified people.
Others have demanded that the Academy bring in quotas however this was met with criticism from Miss Rampling.
Speaking to French radio station Europe 1, the British star said: Why classify people? We live in countries where everyone is more or less accepted.
'There are always issues like he is less good looking or he is too black.
There is always someone who says you are too.... So are we going to say that we will categorise all that to make lots of minorities everywhere?
She said that she did not think racism played into the nomination process and that the lack of black stars up for awards could be because they have not earned them.
Fellow acting veteran Sir Michael Caine also weighed into the debate. He told the Today programme: You cant vote for an actor because hes black and you cant just say Im going to vote for him, hes not very good, but hes black, Ill vote for him.
An Italian actor was taken to hospital in a coma after an audience member realised that he was being strangled during an on-stage lynching scene gone wrong.
Raphael Schumacher, 27, was appearing in Mirages, an experimental theatre production staged in Pisa when the incident occurred.
Police are investigating the incident and sealed off the Teatro Lux, while officers interviewed cast, crew members and the family of the actor.
Raphael Schumacher, 27, was appearing in Mirages, an experimental theatre production staged in Pisa when the incident occurred
Schumacher's ill-fated act took place in the courtyard of the theatre, where a rope had been suspended from a fig tree
Reports indicate that a box on which Schumacher was supposed to stand while he wore the noose was moved. He was also supposed to wear a body harness.
'The noose should have been fake and a harness should have caught him if he fell,' said the actor. 'I cannot explain how an incident like this happened.'
Mirages is a six-scene immersive performance staged in different parts of the theatre, with the audience walking betwen them.
Schumacher's ill-fated act took place in the courtyard of the theatre, where a rope had been suspended from a fig tree.
He was wearing a mask for the scene, which was performed successfully earlier in the same evening, but a recent medical graduate saw him trembling and realised something was wrong.
'We are shocked,' Gabriele De Luca, the art director at the theatre, said. 'No one, not even us, understands how this happened and it will be up to the police to shed light on it.'
However, De Luca told Italian newspaper Il Giorno that Schumacher changed the script at the last minute, opting for the noose instead of gunshots.
'The original monologue included a fake gunshot but he eventually decided for the hanging - without telling us,' he said.
The actor's mother, from Como, northern Italy, rejected the theory, reportedly explored by police, that he may have tried to commit suicide.
She said: 'My son recently lost his father and had ended a relationship but had found his serenity again.
Church of England primary school headteacher Christina Wilkinson (pictured) has been ridiculed online after claiming evolution is only a theory and there is 'more evidence' the Bible is true
A Church of England primary school headteacher has been ridiculed after claiming evolution is only a theory and there is 'more evidence' the Bible is true.
Christina Wilkinson, 43, from St Andrew's Church of England School in Oswaldwistle, Lancashire, posted a message on Twitter saying Darwin's theory was 'not a fact'. She then said: 'There's more evidence that the Bible is true.'
But the teacher was quickly attacked as being 'stupid and ignorant', with some people even calling for her to quit her job.
One Twitter user suggested her views meant she should be a vicar while another said the comments were tantamount to 'child abuse.'
The local education councillor also weighed into the debate, saying schools should not be promoting religious texts as being 'more factually accurate than hundreds of years of scientific study.'
In statement, Mrs Wilkinson, whose Twitter account has since been removed, insisted her pupils are taught about evolution.
'I'd like to make it clear that we teach the full national curriculum in school and that our pupils receive a fully rounded education,' she said.
'The comment in question was made using my personal twitter account and represents my own views.'
The furore began when London headteacher Tom Sherrington, a trustee of the National Baccalaureate Trust posted a tweet about evolution.
Using the handle @headguruteacher, he wrote: 'For me, it is critical that teachers do not water down the science to accommodate religious perspectives if that means sacrificing the acceptance of evidence.
'This applies to science and RE teachers. New Earth creationism and more subtle variants of Intelligent Design are a denial of science and I think all teachers need to be conscious of that.'
But Mrs Wilkinson replied saying: 'Evolution is not a fact. That's why it's called a theory! There's more evidence that the Bible is true.'
Almost immediately after posting the comment, she was mercilessly mocked. James Taylor wrote: 'If this is what @WilkinsonHead thinks, she should resign as a headteacher, leave education & join the clergy.'
Stephen Knight added: 'What chance do children have when a head teacher can say something like this?'
And Christopher Anton tweeted: 'Please can OFSTED come & inspect this school's science now. Headmaster hasn't a clue about scientific process.'
The 43-year-old posted a message on Twitter (above) saying Darwin's theory was 'not a fact'. She then said: 'There's more evidence that the Bible is true'
But the teacher was quickly attacked on Twitter as being 'stupid and ignorant', with some people even calling for her to quit her job
Another user Liv Boeree said: 'This is horrifying. I'm still holding out hope her response is some kind of performance art. Pls pls pls tell me this lady doesn't work in education. Please.'
Zaffod Beeblebrox wrote: 'Please go learn what the term theory means in scientific terms before embarrassing yourself further.'
And Mike Martin said: 'i suppose one could say Tina Wilkinson has made a gaffe of biblical proportions.'
Mr Sherrington also tweeted in response: 'Sigh. I sincerely hope your students aren't told that. Take them to a natural history museum.'
Councillor Ken Moss, Hyndburn Council's cabinet member for education, said: 'I don't think we should be promoting any religious text as more scientifically accurate than hundreds of years of detailed study.
'In the 21st century, I would prefer that children are allowed to make up their own minds as to which presents more compelling evidence.'
The 43-year-old is the head of St Andrew's Church of England School in Oswaldwistle, Lancashire (pictured)
He added: 'There is plenty of room for religious teaching but I do not think that should be above science fact. The role of a school and a headteacher is to inform the pupils of the facts and not to just promote religious texts.'
Hyndburn Labour MP Graham Jones said: 'It's a Church of England school and it will, of course, teach the bible. But it should also teach the children about other religions and beliefs.
'The national curriculum requires more broad-based perception of evolution and a balance of opinions has to be struck so pupils can make up their own minds.'
A spokesman for Blackburn Diocesan Board of Education said: 'As a diocese we state all schools should teach the full national curriculum which includes 'adaptation of plants and animals and that adaption may lead to evolution'.'
Last week, Sir Michael Wilshaw said it had never been more important for Christians to stand up for their faith.
The Ofsted head said society is becoming increasingly 'secular and materialistic', with 'seemingly ever greater intolerance of other people's beliefs'.
See more news on the Zika Virus at www.dailymail.co.uk/zikavirus
It affected 70% of population, yet appears to have
Scientists are scrambling to understand the very basics of the Zika virus in the hope of treating and ultimately preventing the mosquito-borne disease that is rampaging across the world.
There is no vaccine against Zika, which top U.S. health authorities described as a 'brand new' virus that has expanded swiftly in recent years and been linked to brain damage in babies.
As the World Health Organisation warns of an international emergency, questions are being asked whether the virus has changed due to environmental factors or genetic differences in world populations, resulting in infections and abnormalities increasing.
In their bid to unravel the puzzle, experts have centred their investigations on two tiny island chains in the Pacific to establish why in some areas infected women have had healthy children, but in others they have delivered babies with abnormalities.
On the island of Yap, in the western Pacific, the virus suddenly erupted nine years ago, affecting more than 70 per cent of the 11,000 population. Yet it appears to have resulted in no birth defects.
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Locals on the island of Yap, in the western Pacific, where it is believed the current Zika virus outbreak may have originated in 2007. Scientists are scrambling to understand the very basics of the disease in the hope of treating and ultimately preventing the mosquito-borne illness that is rampaging across the world
Experts are trying to understand why on the island of Yap, infected women have had healthy children, but when it spread to French Polynesia (above), women delivered babies with abnormalities
But when the virus spread further across the Pacific to French Polynesia, the result was dramatic.
Some 28,000 people, 11 per cent of the population, had to receive medical care and 17 women gave birth to children with skull and brain abnormalities, although the mothers themselves had shown no signs of being infected.
Why were women who were infected on Yap able to become mothers of healthy children, while mothers 5,000 miles away in the Tahitian islands and eight years later who were not infected delivered children with abnormalities of the head?
'We are re-examining all our data we are trying to figure things out,' Dr James Edilyong, chief of staff of the Department of Health in the Federated States of Micronesia, where Yap is located, told MailOnline today.
'When we had the outbreak in 2007, we didn't have any knowledge of mosquitoes carrying the virus because those were early days. It seemed to have come and gone.'
Zika was first identified in 1947, causing its first human case in 1952 in Uganda.
However, most cases were mild, resulting in rash, fever, and red eyes in a small fraction of cases.
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
Zika was first identified in monkeys in Zika forest, Uganda, (above) in 1947, with its first human case in 1952
The details of its discovery, written up in a 1952 paper by Britain's Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, described the 'forested area called Zika', where scientists were researching yellow fever among small rhesus macaque monkeys.
'This area of forest consists of a narrow, dense belt of high but broken canopy growth with clumps of large trees,' the 1952 paper read.
'It lies along the edge of a long arm of Lake Victoria from which it is separated by a papyrus swamp.'
Top UVRI scientist Julius Lutwama, 56, described how caged monkeys had been placed at different heights, with a 36 metre (120 foot) steel tower allowing researchers to carry out studies in the canopy of the thick trees.
'Blood samples would be taken from these monkeys to try to diagnose yellow fever, but actually that is how this disease was found,' he said.
The virus later spread across the Indian Ocean to Asia, where a handful of infections were reported in Cambodia, Burma and Indonesia then flared up on the isolated Yap in 2007.
Despite the lack of evidence to show there had been any birth defects that could be linked to the Zika virus, Yap appears to be the springboard for the infection moving on to the east.
It went to French Polynesia and then relentlessly on towards South America where there have been surging birth defects.
A health care employee looks through a microscope at a blood test blood sample likely infected with the Zika virus in a health centre in Caracas, Venezuela. Scientists are desperately trying to understand the basics of the virus in the hope to stopping its spread around the world
Gabrielly Santana da Paz feeds her child who suffers from microcephaly while waiting for an examination at the Oswaldo Cruz Hospital, in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Brazil, on Monday. Brazil insists there is no chance the Olympics in Rio will be cancelled because of the Zika virus which causing brain damage in babies
Germana Soares holds her two-month-old son Guilherme Soares Amorim, who was born with microcephaly, near at her house in Ipojuca, Brazil. Pregnant women have been warned not to travel to the Olympic Games because of the risk the Zika virus poses to their unborn babies
In Tahiti, in French Polynesia, a health official told MailOnline that abnormalities found in babies in the islands might have occurred because women were bitten by the virus-carrying mosquito in the first six months of their pregnancy.
How then, was the disease carried onwards from Tahiti to South America, given that no mosquito would be able to fly that far and live that long?
Because genetic analysis of Zika has revealed that the virus strain in Brazil the worst affected South American country is similar to that in the Pacific region, it has been suggested that the virus could have been introduced to Rio in mid-2014 when an international canoe competition hosted competitors from a number of Pacific islands and they were unwitting carriers.
There were other plausible reasons why the virus reached South America most likely being carried by unsuspecting airline passengers flying over a period of several months perhaps from Tahiti to Rio where they were bitten by a mosquito, resulting in the disease spreading to others.
With a life span of up to three weeks, it would be impossible for a single mosquito to have been carried on a ship from French Polynesia, although a cluster of them would allow for breeding.
A health worker fumigates a cemetery on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the Zika virus
A man fumigates a classroom in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, one of the 23 countries that have reported cases of the virus
However, a human host is the most likely reason for the virus reaching other parts of the world.
In June 2007, a female medical volunteer who was on Yap during the Zika outbreak, was found to have the onset of symptoms following her return to the US, the New England Journal of Medicine reported.
It added that she had most likely been infected on the island and was carrying the virus on her arrival back in America.
Researchers are also aware of two cases in the past several years which suggest the virus could be spread through sexual contact one case in which Zika was detected in a man's semen after it disappeared from his bloodstream, and another in which a man infected in Senegal may have infected his wife back in Colorado.
However, Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, added that 'the science is very clear to date: that Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito.'
From that rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947 the virus, whatever its means of 'transportation', has moved in a generally easterly direction, emerging in countries that enjoy tropical climates.
Its first reported emergence beyond Africa was in the early 1980s when just seven people were treated for the Zika virus in Indonesia, after which tests found that 13 per cent of a number of volunteers on the island of Lombok adjacent to Bali carried Zika anti-bodies which made them resistant to the disease.
There have been no recent reports whether the disease is still prevalent in Yap or in French Polynesia and medical authorities say they are not aware of any children being born in recent times with microcephaly, causing deformed heads.
However, says Dr Edilyong in Yap, it is an investigation that medical authorities are working on.
'At least we now know the problems the mosquito is presenting. We are remaining vigilant,' he says.
The death of a six-month-old boy was caused by the improper use of a Bumbo baby seat, an inquest has heard.
The boy was placed in the seat under a running shower by his Perth mother who left him alone for a few minutes in January 2013.
She would normally have accompanied him, but felt unwell and exhausted after trying to settle the restless child during hot summer nights, the Western Australian Coroner's Court has heard.
The improper use of a Bumbo baby seat (pictured) led to the 2013 death of a six-month-old boy in Perth. The seat was not fitted with a harness
The six-month-old boy died three days after he was taken to Joondalup Health Campus (pictured) in northern Perth, when his mother found him unconscious in the shower
In the mother's absence, the six-month-old fell out of the seat, which had moved to a position that blocked the drain.
The cubicle filled with water and she returned to find her baby son not breathing.
She performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took him to Joondalup Health Campus in northern Perth, ABC reported.
He died three days later in hospital, with a forensic pathologist later concluding the boy had died from bronchopneumonia and hypoxic brain injury after nearly drowning.
The West Australian Coroner's Court heard on Tuesday that the voluntary worldwide recall of four million of the foam seats was announced in August 2012, and a free restraint belt was offered via Bumbo South Africa's website, where new safety guidance was available.
The court heard the six-month-old's seat had no restraints or harness fitted (similar pictured left). A free restraint belt (similar pictured right) was offer through Bumbo South Africa's website in August 2012
The court heard the six-month-old's seat had no restraints or harness fitted, while a warning sign on the rear instructed parents to never use the Bumbo on a raised surface, or as a car seat or a bath seat.
Counsel assisting the coroner Lyle Housiaux estimated that of about 950 new and used seats recently listed for sale in Australia on an online trading website, roughly half did not include the retrofit safety harness.
Daily Mail Australia also conducted a quick search of second-hand retailer Gumtree, and found countless Bumbo baby seats listed for sale without a safety harness.
'Kidsafe WA advises that all children should be closely supervised, within arm's length, when in any water including when using bathrooms,' Mr Housiaux said.
'They report that it only takes a few seconds in 5cm of water for a child to drown.'
WA Police forensic officer Michael Jeffrey Lamb said a test of the 20cm-high shower recess showed it filled to overflowing within about seven minutes.
Investigating officer Sarah Long told the court the tragic accident would not have happened if product use recommendations had been followed.
George Osborne is under pressure to recoup some of the 1.7billion Facebook has set aside to settle tax battles with national governments after it emerged the tech giant is not planning to use any of its liability fund to resolve its dispute with the UK taxpayer.
The firm is currently fighting an audit from HMRC into its tax affairs in the UK between 2010 and 2014 after it paid just 4,327 in corporation tax in the last financial year, despite revenues in Britain of more than 700million.
It can challenge HMRC's audit despite more than 800,000 British taxpayers unable to negotiate with HMRC over the 100 fixed-penalty notices it has issued following Sunday's self-assessment deadline.
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George Osborne, pictured left, has been told by John McDonnell, right, not to let another global corporation off the hook following his 'sweetheart' deal with Google last week
Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook paid just 4,327 in corporation tax in 2014 and is challenging HMRC's tax audit
It emerged over the weekend that Facebook paid just 86million to all tax authorities outside the United States in 2014, despite declaring profits of more than 2.4billion - which suggests the firm paid a tax rate of just 4 per cent.
But its latest accounts filed to the US Treasury reveals it is reserving a $2.46billion (1.7billion) fund for 'uncertain tax positions' - relating to tax investigations in a range of countries, including the US and Ireland, but not the UK, according to The Times.
The liability fund is more than double the 800million it set aside last year.
Thousands of ordinary British taxpayers, who do not have the luxury of setting aside millions of pounds to settle tax disputes, will start receiving fixed-penalty notices in the coming weeks.
The fees are expected to raise up to 90million for HMRC this year.
The penalties are issued to taxpayers who missed the deadline for submitting their self-assessment on January 31 and apply even if no tax is due.
Facebook reportedly reduced its tax bills by paying staff with shares and moving revenues via the Cayman Islands
If they are unpaid after three months, the penalty increase by 10 for every day they remain unpaid, up to a maximum of 900.
John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, warned Mr Osborne not to allow another global corporation off the hook following his 'sweetheart deal' with Google last week.
'It would be very worrying if yet another multinational technology company got an easy ride from the British taxman,' he told The Times.
'Now we know that Facebook has set aside this money George Osborne must make sure Britain gets its fair share.'
A Facebook spokesman said: 'We are always in discussions with tax authorities in the countries in which we operate and this is a normal part of doing business for all large companies.'
OTHER GIANTS IN THE DOCK: MAJOR FIRMS AND CORPORATION TAX Google toppled its rival Apple to become the world's biggest company on Monday February 1 Google: The internet giant, which overtook Apple as the biggest company in the world on Monday, agreed a bill of 130 million for the period of 2005 to 2014 - but it includes no fines or penalties. George Osborne was heavily criticised last week for describing the deal as a 'major success'. Apple: The US-based technology firm behind the iPad and the iPhone made 34billion in profit during the year to September 2014. Experts estimate that the UK accounted for 1.9billion of that profit, but the firm only paid 11.8million in British corporation tax. Amazon: The online shopping giant took 5.3billion in sales from British shoppers in 2014 but paid just 11.9million in tax after announcing profits of 34.4million. Starbucks: The coffee chain paid just 8.6million of tax over 14 years between 1998 and 2012 when sales totalled 3billion. But latest company filings show it paid 8.1million in corporation tax for last year on profits of 34.2million. Advertisement
Mr Osborne is under renewed pressure over his 'sweetheart deal' with Google last week after the internet giant became the world's biggest company yesterday.
Its parent company Alphabet overtook Apple after declaring a 5 per cent rise in profits to Wall Street on Monday, boosting its market value to $568billion, eclipsing Apple's $535billion value.
The Chancellor was heavily criticised after declaring an agreement struck by HMRC for Google to pay an extra 130 million in taxes for the past decade was a 'major success' - despite the firm's sales in Britain amounting to around 3 billion.
Criticism of the Government increased over the weekend when it emerged that Britain had lobbied EU officials to remove Bermuda from an official 'blacklist' set to be hit by sanctions as punishment for allowing tax avoidance.
Google's presence in Bermuda is limited to one post box numbered 666, detailed above. It has no staff nor an office in the British Overseas Territory
The British Overseas Territory has a 0 per cent corporation tax rate and Google has no office nor staff on the island, with its presence said to amount to little more than a plain PO Box - numbered 666.
But on Sunday Google denied it had agreed a 'sweetheart deal' with HMRC and claimed it paid 20 per cent corporation tax like every other business in the UK.
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.
Mr Barron told the BBC Andrew Marr programme: '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.
France's anti-terror police have arrested six people who allegedly planned to attack sex clubs and leave for Syria.
The group of five men and a woman, who had already bought bus tickets to join ISIS in Syria via Bulgaria and Turkey, were arrested outside the French city of Lyon.
At least two of them were planning to obtain weapons to attack French nightspots and then leave Syria-bound after 8 February, according to French security forces.
French authorities said the suspects were known for 'active proselytism, their allegiance to Daesh, or their calls for Jihad'
The suspects had converted to Islam and were in the radar of French intelligence for extremist views.
French authorities said the suspects were known for 'active proselytism, their allegiance to Daesh, or their calls for Jihad'.
European extremists with the Islamic State group returned to France to carry out the Nov. 13 attacks that left 130 dead in Paris, most at a rock show and bars and restaurants.
Sandra Cook, 54, was a finalist for Brevard County school of the year - she was found dead in a suspected murder-suicide on Monday
A high school teacher and her estranged husband have been found dead in a suspected murder-suicide.
The bodies of Sandra Cook, 54, a finalist for Brevard County 2016 teacher of the year, and her estranged husband, Ricky, 60, were found in her Melbourne home, in Florida, by her sister.
Police stopped short of calling the deaths a murder-suicide, but are not searching for anyone else at this stage.
Mrs Cook was a mathematics teacher at Rockledge High School since 2013 and was one of six shortlisted for the prestigious teacher of the year award.
After she failed to show up for work on Monday, her sister went round to her house to check up on her.
After the horrific discovery just before 11am, she called 911 and screamed into phone: 'This is not happening. She's dead...my sister is dead...I feel sick.'
She also revealed a gun was found near Mr Cook's body.
Ann Quesada, Cook's other sister, told Florida Today: 'My sister called me and told me that she didn't show up for work. When I heardwhen she started screaming over the phone, I immediately knew what happened.'
She added: 'She loved helping kidsshe was wonderful. She did a lot of thingsI'm just shocked.'
Mrs Cook, recently separated from her husband, family members said.
Court records show she petitioned for a divorce in early January and had a lawyer.
There were no restraining orders or injunctions filed with the court, officials reported.
Principal Tony Hines wrote this tribute to Mrs Cook on the school's Facebook page after learning of her death
There were no reports of shots fired or other noise complaints and it was not immediately known how long the bodies were in the home before they were found.
Sergeant Trevor Shaffer, spokesman for the Melbourne Police Department, told Florida Today: 'We're not going to assume anything just yet. They know each other and we aren't looking for anyone else.'
Paying tribute to their colleague, Rockledge High Principal Tony Hines wrote on the school's Facebook page: 'The District Crisis Response Team consisting of trained counselors and psychologists, along with our school guidance counselors, will be available to assist our school tomorrow and provide support for students and staff.
'Please allow your child to talk about this sad passing. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Ms. Cook's family during this time of grief.'
He added: 'She was one of the finest people to have walked the halls of our school and she will be truly missed.'
School superintendent Desmond Blackburn said: 'Our hearts are truly saddened by the news of the tragic loss of one Brevard Public School's best and brightest.
Classes are so popular, extra sessions are being scheduled
Problem is often that people don't know 'how to avoid becoming a victim'
Study your surroundings. Find exits. Identify makeshift weapons. Americans are gleaning those tips and others as they take classes on how to react to and survive a shooting.
Such training is already common at schools, colleges and businesses, but sessions for the general public are the next step in confronting fears of mass violence that have been around for years and, for many, came to a head after the 1999 Columbine High School shootings.
Police have offered the 'awareness training' in Livonia, Michigan, and Douglasville, Georgia, while more than 600 people have attended classes taught by the Potter County Sheriff's Office in Amarillo, Texas, which begun about three years ago.
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Classes in how to survive a shooting are now available to the general public. While training is already common in schools, colleges and businesses, sessions for the general public are the next step in confronting 'mass fear'. Pictured: Westerville police chief Joe Morbitzer welcomes community members to a first-ever class about reacting to and surviving an active shooter
There has been a rise in popularity for the classes following the San Bernardino massacre on December 3 of last year, that left 14 dead. Pictured are the remains of an SUV involved in the attack
Public demand increased dramatically after the mass shooting in December that killed 14 in San Bernardino, California, said Lt. Scott Giles, a class instructor in Amarillo.
'This is really just something that was born out of necessity,' Giles said. 'Active shooter events just continue to happen.'
Potter County is one of several sheriff's departments that provide training based on the CRASE curriculum: Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events.
CRASE teaches an approach dubbed ADD: 'Avoid' the situation by getting out, 'Deny' by barricading inside a room, and as a last resort, 'Defend' by fighting back.
A class offered by Westerville, a Columbus suburb, filled up so quickly that a second had to be scheduled for later this month.
Fear of mass violence has been widespread across America since the 1999 Columbine High School shootings (pictured)
The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events teach an approach dubbed ADD: 'Avoid' the situation by getting out, 'Deny' by barricading inside a room, and as a last resort, 'Defend' by fighting back. Pictured: Police officers enter Norris Hall one day after the mass shooting killed 33 students and teachers on Virginia Tech's campus in 2007
The city of about 38,000, with a per capita income well above the rest of Ohio, regularly tops lists of the country's best suburbs.
'We just feel the world has changed. There's evil out there,' said retiree Tom Madine, 67, who attended the first Westerville class last month with his wife, Sue Madine, along with dozens of others.
People today understand that such threats are real and could happen in their own communities, said Police Chief Joe Morbitzer. Officers teach a 'Run, Hide, Fight' curriculum similar to ADD.
'Part of the issue is that people don't know how to avoid becoming victims,' Morbitzer said. 'In today's society that's bad, that you've got to practice victim avoidance, but you have to.'
At the January 28 Westerville class, officers Dan Pignatelli and John Jeffries emphasized 'situational awareness.'
When a civilian, let alone a trained officer, opens up firing in an active shooter situation, there is a good chance that civilian may be mistaken for the shooter,' said Philip Schaenman (left). And Lt. Scott Giles, a class instructor in Amarillom (right) said: 'This is really just something that was born out of necessity'
They mixed practical tips - for instance, the best exit in an emergency is not always the way you came in, and if you're hiding, always turn the lights off - with case studies from the 1999 Columbine shooting, the 2007 Virginia Tech killings and others.
As a last resort, a weapon could be as near as the closest chair, pair of scissors or blunt object, they said.
Despite what's going on, you really have to have the mindset of: I will survive this and I will do anything I can to survive this Denise Bunsey, who attended a class
'You've got to have a game plan,' Jeffries, a 31-year police veteran, told the audience.
His comment was part of a bigger point both instructors drove home throughout the two-hour class: that people must overcome inaction when something bad happens.
Instructors in Ohio and elsewhere don't take a position on whether people legally allowed to carry a gun should intervene to stop an attacker.
But they worry about what happens once police arrive.
'When a civilian, let alone a trained officer, opens up firing in an active shooter situation, there is a good chance that civilian may be mistaken for the shooter,' said Philip Schaenman, a security expert who has studied some of the country's worst shootings, including Virginia Tech.
Denise Bunsey attended the January class in Westerville with her parents.
Afterward, the 36-year-old guidance counselor said the most important lesson was that people have options even in worst-case scenarios.
'Despite what's going on, you really have to have the mindset of, 'I will survive this and I will do anything I can to survive this,"'' Bunsey said. 'I never thought about it in that way.'
Tin City is steeped in history having been created by and for shipwrecked sailors and returned soldiers
Nestled between dunes and surrounded by sand, the town is made up of 11 ramshackle sheds built 100 years ago
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Not many people know about the hidden town accessible only by 4WD from an endless stretch of beach and nestled between towering sand dunes.
Steeped in history, Tin City is a time capsule of another era when lost travellers and destitute returned soldiers desperate for a home made their way to the remote piece of land just off a long sandy beach.
Despite being off the grid and feeling totally isolated, the town still has residents who are proud to live in one of Australias most unique communities.
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All Tin City shacks look different and each has its own personality, reflecting their history and the tastes of their owners.
One of the shacks in Tin City. The shacks emerged in the 19th century to shelter shipwrecked crews. Since then, the settlement has expanded.
The settlement began with two tin huts built in the late 1800s which served as shelter and contained provisions for shipwrecked sailors. Around 98 shipwrecks took place along the coast between Newcastle and Nelson Bay.
The settlement started expanding in the depression when homeless people built corrugated iron and wood huts for shelter. More shacks sprung up after World War Two when returned servicemen were looking for low-cost housing.
All shacks look different and each of them has a bit of their own personality, reflecting their history and the methods and preferences of their owners over the years in Tin City - including the use of a large replica shark (above)
Today, this strange town sits in the middle of a National Park, or Worimi Aboriginal Conservation land just north of Newcastle
Inside resident Willy's home in Tin City. Willy bought his shack about 25 years ago for 5000 dollars. Photographer Laurens Corjin said: 'These days its worth about 100 times that amount due to the curiosity factor. He said he declined lots of offers for selling it so far'
A number of films have been made at the incredible location, including the first Mad Max film. The purpose-built pub, created for the film, is thought to be still standing.
The huts have been modernised thanks to wind generators, solar panels and pumps which are able to extract water from beneath the sand to provide the residents with cool, clean water. Some homes even have hot showers and television sets.
A resident of Tin City smiles, explaining how happy he is living in the bizarre, deserted pop up town in the middle of the beach
Today, this strange town sits in the middle of a National Park, or Worimi Aboriginal Conservation land. This means that no new shacks can be built, and no changes or modifications can be made to the existing shacks.
The residents must battle sand erosion and a constant build-up of shifting sand which often leaves their homes half-buried.
A shed attached to a residents shack Tin City where residents use solar panels and wind generators to modernise their homes
A resident's ramshackle shack in Tin City Tin City which offers absolute beachfront living - but also an excess of sand
No new shacks can be built and no changes or modifcations can be made to existing shacks as they sit on Aboriginal Conservation Land
One resident who wished only to be known as his first name, Willy, bought his shack about 25 years ago for 5000 dollars.
Photographer Laurens Corjin said: 'These days its worth about 100 times that amount due to the curiosity factor. He said he declined lots of offers for selling it so far'
There are no roads leading into the makeshift township meaning access is only possible by walking or using 4WDs on the beach
Tin City is understood to be at threat from sand erosion and the shacks are often half buried in the deep sand thanks to a gust of wind
A 1980s Toyota Landcruiser being worked on in one of the shacks in Tin City by a resident
The huts have been modernised thanks to wind generators, solar panels and pumps which can extract water from beneath the sand
The Depression saw a boom of the tin huts, as did the end of WWII some 20 years later when returned servicemen built the low-cost housing after returning from war
A number of films have been made at the incredible location, including Mad Max. Tin City's purpose built pub is allegedly still standing
Photographer Laurens Corlin says: 'The long history and the ramshackle construction methods give it all a very special feel. It feels like you're walking among a movie set or in a videogame environment.'
Two tin huts are said to have been first built in the late 1800s to stock provisions for shipwrecked sailors, as around 98 shipwrecks took place nearby during the period between nearby towns Newcastle and Nelson Bay on the NSW mid north coast
Robert G. Shelton, 67, who was been charged with involuntary manslaughter after his wife Debra Mae died when medical staff discovered live maggots in an abscess on her abdomen
A husband has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after his wife was found to have live maggots living in a large abscess on her stomach.
Robert G. Shelton, 67. from Carleton, Michigan took his wife Debra Mae, who weighed 550 pounds and suffered from heath conditions to the emergency room at the ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital in June last year.
The 61-year-old woman had fallen unconscious and he brought her to the hospital to receive medical attention.
According to police after she was taken to the hospital, doctors discovered she was covered in urine and feces, had extremely damaged skin and that there were live maggots living in a 'very large abcess' on her abdomen.
She was admitted to the hospital but died eight days later due to a severe infections and complications from diabetes.
Hospital staff described her condition as the 'worst case medical neglect they had ever seen'.
According to the Detroit Free Press, her death was ruled as being caused by 'gross neglect' by her carer and husband .
And after months of investigation Shelton was charged by police with involuntary manslaughter after being arrested at a friends home in the Carleton Mobile Home Park.
He is currently in jail, where he will remain until his next court date on February 16.
First Lieutenant Tony Cuevas told the Free Press: 'This is a very unusual case. It's a very sad case. It shows you do have a duty to provide basic care to your loved ones.
It is understood that Shelton and his wife had been married for 36 years and had two grown-up sons, who they rarely saw.
Mrs Shelton, who weighed 550 pounds and had other health conditions, was rushed to ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital, pictured, after falling unconscious
And a friend who knew Shelton said he became overwhelmed when by trying to care for his sick wife.
Dan Garcia told the Monroe News: 'That man had zero criminal intent to hurt that lady.
'He did all he could. This man was overwhelmed. He was out of his mind.
'He begged and he begged and he begged. He called for help. Im so upset.'
The son of the West Australian police commissioner has been jailed for more than three years for repeatedly bashing and threatening to kill his former partner in front of their five-year-old son.
Russell Joseph O'Callaghan, 34, had consumed a 'staggering' amount of drugs when he attacked the 29-year-old woman in her home in August 2014 while visiting her in the hopes of reconciling.
The WA District Court heard on Tuesday that the pair argued about drug-related text messages O'Callaghan was sending before he assaulted her during an ordeal that lasted about two days.
Russell Joseph O'Callaghan, 34, had consumed a 'staggering' amount of drugs when he attacked the 29-year-old woman in her home in August 2014 while visiting her in the hopes of reconciling (stock image from 2011)
The prolonged attack included putting the woman in a headlock, strangling her, pulling her hair, sitting on her and holding scissors against her throat.
'I'm going to slit your f***ing throat, bitch,' he told her.
'I'm going to kill you. This is the end of your life.
'If I can't be with you then I'm just going to kill you.'
The woman suffered injuries including scratches and bruises all over her body.
Defence counsel Sandra De Maio submitted that her client's behaviour was fuelled by his 'staggering' drug consumption, which included methylamphetamine, heroin, ecstasy and cannabis.
O'Callaghan told police it was the most drugs he had ever used.
His father commissioner O'Callaghan (pictured in June 2015) did not attend court, but provided a reference for his son
Ms De Maio said he was genuinely remorseful, was committed to addressing his drug addiction and had the support of his father, WA police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan.
Commissioner O'Callaghan did not attend court, but provided a reference for his son.
Judge Linda Petrusa said O'Callaghan had 'terrorised' the woman.
'She was entitled to feel safe in her own home and in your presence.'
The judge said domestic violence was difficult to detect and hard to prosecute.
'This offending was serious, it occurred in a domestic setting, it was perpetrated against a vulnerable victim, it was persistent and occurred over a protracted period.'
Judge Petrusa also warned O'Callaghan he was at risk of reoffending if he did not address his drug addiction.
O'Callaghan was sentenced to three years and two months in prison, and will be eligible for parole after serving 19 months behind bars.
With time already served, he could be free after about five months.
O'Callaghan was previously jailed over his involvement in a clandestine drug laboratory that exploded.
'This offending was serious, it occurred in a domestic setting, it was perpetrated against a vulnerable victim, it was persistent and occurred over a protracted period,' Judge Petrusa said of O'Callaghan's crimes (stock image)
Donald Trump spent today doling out blame on Twitter for his Iowa loss and making fun of winner Ted Cruz.
'Anybody who watched all of Ted Cruz's far too long, rambling, overly flamboyant speech last nite would say that was his Howard Dean moment!' Trump tweeted mocking the Texas senator's 32-minute address, comparing it to the shriek the Democratic candidate bellowed out in 2004, which punctuated the end of his campaign.
Cruz also pointed fingers at voters and the media, chiding the latter for not considering his second place finish behind Cruz a big win.
'I don't believe I have been given any credit by the voters for self-funding my campaign, the only one. I will keep doing, but not worth it!' Trump tweeted.
'The media has not covered my long-shot great finish in Iowa fairly. Brought in record voters and got second highest vote total in history!' Trump also wrote.
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Donald Trump was forced to congratulate Sen. Ted Cruz, who he's called 'nasty,' among other things in recent days, as the Texas senator bested him by 6,000 votes in last night's Iowa caucuses
Donald Trump spent his day tweeting jabs at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who beat the billionaire in Iowa last night, along with the media, a familiar punching back, and even voters
Donald Trump pointed fingers at voters, who didn't appreciate that he was self-funding his campaign, as well as the media, for not considering his second place finish a victory
He's back! Donald Trump got back on Twitter this morning to thank the voters of Iowa for having a great experience in the Hawkeye state
The usually Twitter-happy Donald Trump kept quiet for 15-plus hours in the aftermath of the Iowa caucuses, where he was bested by Cruz.
He finally popped back online this morning to thank voters and spin his defeat.
'My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place,' Trump tweeted. 'Nice.'
'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,' Trump continued. 'Great honor.'
Trump is looking forward to New Hampshire, a state where his polling edge is in double digits, where he'll campaign tonight in Milford in a bid to bury his Iowa defeat.
'I will be talking about my wonderful experience in Iowa and the simultaneous unfair treatment by the media-later in New Hampshire. Big crowd,' he also tweeted.
Cruz, who was polling below Trump in the days leading up to the caucuses, had a decisive victory in the Hawkeye state.
He received 27.65 percent of the vote, compared to Trump's 24.31 percent. Rubio, in third place, received 23.1 percent.
Cruz bested Trump by more than 6,000 votes.
Sen. Ted Cruz walked out of Iowa a winner last night, besting longtime Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. 'This is a center-right country,' Cruz said this morning, suggesting he had broader appeal than Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, who won the Iowa caucuses in recent years
Cruz will get eight delegates, while Trump and Rubio will each get seven.
During the evening, Trump stopped by several caucus sites.
In Clive, a suburb of Des Moines, Trump's entourage came in and interrupted a speech being given by a Jeb Bush surrogate.
Trump has mocked Bush for months for being 'low energy.' The former Florida governor didn't even stick around in the Hawkeye state last night, instead moving on to New Hampshire where he might have better luck.
Bush still did better than the other governors running, receiving 2.8 percent of the vote, which translates into one delegate.
He came in sixth place, with Sen. Rand Paul coming in fifth and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson coming in fourth.
At the caucus stops, Trump stuck to his stump speech.
'That's really been my theme, from day one, Make America Great Again,' the billionaire reiterated, as his wife Melania, dressed in all red, stood to his left offstage.
'No, I'm not nervous,' she told Dailymail.com. 'It's an amazing turnout,' she gushed.
Her husband hit on the debt, trade with China and the wretched Iran deal, receiving a few grimaces from those in the crowd who were clearly caucusing for other candidates.
Marco Rubio hit Ted Cruz this morning suggesting that the Texas senator's positions are very 'calculated' and said it was disingenuous to label other Republicans 'RINOs' and 'sell-outs'
'We're going to repeal, and absolutely repeal and replace Obamacare,' Trump said.
'We're going to build a wall,' he said. 'We are going to build a wall. And people are going to come into our country, but they are going to come into our country legally,' he continued.
'It's been an amazing journey, it started on June 16 and I will tell you that we are going to start winning again,' Trump added. 'We are going to win with everything.'
Trump then thanked the giant crowd.
'You're amazing people, it's an incredible process.'
When it was time to concede to Ted Cruz, Trump immediately reminded the audience that he was never expected to do well in the state.
'On June 16th, when we started this journey, there were 17 candidates. I was told by everybody, "Do not go to Iowa, you could never finish even in the top 10,"' Trump said.
'And I said, "But I have friends in Iowa, I know a lot of people in Iowa. I think they'll really like me. Let's give it a shot."
'They said "Don't do it." I said "I have to do it".'
'And we finished second, and I want to tell you something: I'm just honored. I'm really honored.'
'I want to congratulate Ted,' he said, name-dropping Cruz. 'And I want to congratulate all of the incredible candidates.'
Trump boasted about his time in Iowa, even suggesting he might buy a farm.
Across town, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Cruz was taking a bow.
'To God be the glory. God bless the great state of Iowa,' he said. 'Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for the greatest conservatives across Iowa. Tonight the state of Iowa has spoken.'
Seemingly hitting Trump and all of his haters in Washington, Cruz proclaimed: 'Iowa has sent a note that the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media. He will not be chosen by the Washington establishment [or] by the lobbyistsbut will be chosen by the most incredible powerful force, where all sovereignty resides in this nation by we the people.'
In downtown Des Moines, Rubio was also throwing a party.
'So this is the moment they said would never happen,' Rubio said, standing beside his wife and four children.
'For months they told us we had no chance. They told me I had no chance because my hair wasnt grey enough and my boots were too high. They didnt hear in Iowa, the people of this state sent a message: We are not waiting any longer to take our country back. This is not a time for waiting, everything that makes this country great hangs in the balance.'
By sunrise in New Hampshire, Marco Rubio, who came in spitting distance of an even bigger Trump upset, was already up and working the room in New Hampshire, where voters will go to the polls one week from today.
'He earned this victory, but we feel so good about the growth we've had,' Rubio said of Cruz on Good Morning America.
With the Republican side of the race looking like a three-person affair, Rubio then pivoted to attack Cruz, suggesting that the more voters know about him, the more numbers would move in Rubio's favor.
'Ted's whole campaign is built on this notion that he's the only one who's a pure conservative and everyone else is a RINO or a sell-out,' Rubio told host Robin Roberts. 'It's just not accurate, his record is one of calculation.'
Rubio said that Cruz had talked up positions on immigration and ISIS that are counter to maneuvers he has made in the U.S. Senate.
'So it's just on issue after issue,' Rubio said.
The third place Iowa finisher also turned a dig that Cruz has said about Trump, into an attack on Cruz, portraying him as a hypocrite.
'He's criticized New York values, but has raised millions of dollars from New York City,' Rubio said.
'These are the sorts of things that voters are going to start learning about and as they do I think a lot of these numbers are going to continue to change,' Rubio said.
Besides his stronger-than-expected Iowa performance, Rubio got another boost Tuesday morning in the form of an endorsement by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott who said his senate colleague was the 'one shot' the GOP had to win the White House in November.
'I am putting my confidence and my trust in Marco Rubio, because I believe that he takes us to that better future,' Scott said in a a statement. 'Marco Rubio understands that here in America, it's not about where you start, it's about where you are going.'
With South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham already backing Gov. Jeb Bush, the Scott endorsement could give an establishment boost to Rubio in the Palmetto State, where voters head to the polls later this month, before Super Tuesday.
Cruz was feeling good about his victory this morning and suggested that he could go further than the two conservative Republicans who won the Iowa caucuses before him.
Those wins went to Rick Santorum in 2012 and Mike Huckabee in 2008, who beat establishment candidates Mitt Romney and John McCain respectively, but then saw their campaigns peter out after those more mainstream politicians claimed victory in New Hampshire.
Huckabee, who tried again for the White House this year, pulled out of the race last night.
On CNN this morning, Cruz touted the financial strength of his campaign and suggested that he has broader appeal than his right-wing predecessors.
'I believe we have the national campaign and infrastructure to capitalize,' Cruz said. 'This is a center-right country. This is a country built on Judeo-Christian values.'
Former supermodel Stephanie Seymour has signed up to her second alcohol rehab program to avoid being fined or jailed for drunk driving.
The 47-year-old, whose career soared in the 90s, smiled at photographers at she strode up to Connecticut's Stamford Superior Court on Tuesday morning wearing a fitted black dress and demure heels - as well as some glamorous cat-eye shades and gold-studded leather gloves.
She was charged with DUI on January 15 in Greenwich, Connecticut, after her Range Rover allegedly rolled backwards down a hill into a white Mercedes. Police responding to the scene said she smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, and took seven tries to find her ID in her bag.
Hours before arrived to court on Tuesday, Seymour was charged in connection with another incident that night.
After weeks of investigation, police have concluded Seymour was the culprit who knocked over a utility pole. The pole was damaged and surrounded by pieces of a black Range Rover.
On top of the DUI charge, Seymour now also faces charges for evading responsibility and failure to drive in a proper lane. She was not arraigned for this charge on Tuesday.
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Stephanie Seymour holds up her hand in court as the judge outlines the DUI charge against her on Tuesday
She seemed delighted as she walked outside having signed up for a second rehab stint to avoid a fine
The stunning mother of four wore her minimal gold jewelry and a conservative black outfit for the day
Having entered court with sunglasses on, looking more serious, Seymour left shades-free, with a smile
Peter Brant, 69, Seymour's husband was seen leaving court on Tuesday as well, but separately. In 2010 divorce proceedings, which the couple later dropped, Brant pointed to an alcohol problem and mentioned Seymour's stint in rehab
Speaking outside court, her lawyer Phillip Russell told the Connecticut Post Seymour was 'embarrassed'.
He added: 'Ms. Seymour had a career in fashion, but in this instance she is just like 3,500 other motorists in Connecticut who have made a similar error.
'She is not looking for any special treatment or preferential treatment of any kind.
'Hopefully this will be the most uneventful DWI charge that this court has ever handled.
'Anyone facing this charge has to look at their personal habits and I think that is exactly what these habits are, they are personal and not something which bears public scrutiny.'
At the time of her arrest, police noted there was damage to Seymour's car but found no reason for the dents. An hour after she was taken into custody, patrol officers found a utility pole knocked over nearby but the culprit had not reported it.
Finally, after three weeks of investigation, police have concluded the debris at the scene is from a black Range Rover akin to Seymour's, and the damage was consistent with the damage to Seymour's car - which should have been driving on the other side of the street.
Stephanie Seymour arrives at Stamford Superior Court in Connecticut on Tuesday to face DUI charges
The 90s supermodel wore a fitted black dress, a cape-like black coat, elegant heels and studded leather gloves
She kept her black Hermes back turned towards her while she took the oath
Seymour, sporting an elegant updo and gold earrings, waited until she was indoors to pull off her tinted glasses
She seemed jovial as she strode up to the courthouse in a glamorous pair of sunglasses
Just hours before Seymour, 47, got to court she was charged with fleeing the scene of another crash the same night, in which she allegedly crashing into and knocked over a utility pole on the wrong side of the street
She was charged with DUI after an officer reported that she smelled of alcohol, had blood shot eyes and was unsteady on her feet.
According to her arrest warrant, the nineties pinup who is married to 68-year-old businessman Peter Brant refused to take a field sobriety test.
According to the state trooper's report, he was sent to the scene after reports of a two-car crash.
Seymour was reportedly stopped at a stop sign on an off ramp for Interstate 95, when she suddenly put her Range Rover into reverse and backed into a white Mercedes.
There were no reports of injuries in the accident.
When the state trooper got to the scene, he said he approached Seymour and 'detected [a] strong odor of an alcoholic beverage omitting from her mouth as she tried to answer my questions'.
He also said her eyes were blood shot and she was unsteady on her feet.
Seymour kept her sunglasses on as she went through the metal detector after emptying her purse, which otherwise never left her hands
Former supermodel Stephanie Seymour, 47, is seen above after her arrest on January 15 for drunk driving
'After six or seven requests for her license, registration and insurance, she finally was able to fumble through her purse, as she handed over a Connecticut driver's license, along with a credit card.
'After needing some assistance exiting her vehicle, I attempted to have Seymour perform various Field Sobriety Tests, but she refused all tests,' the trooper wrote.
The trooper says he then arrested Seymour and she was taken to jail for booking.
She was later released on a $500 bond and is due back in court for a hearing on February 2.
This is not the former Victoria's Secret model's first run in with trouble.
In 2000 the beauty went to rehab at Silver Hill Hospital, a luxury recovery center.
In early 2010 Seymour was accused by her husband Brant of abusing drugs and alcohol during their divorce proceedings. Both had to undergo drug testing.
Seymour filed for divorce in March 2009 after 15 years of marriage, but by September 2010 they had called off their divorce. It is not known if they are still together.
Seymour was one of the biggest models of the 90s, working with Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. Pictured: In a 1997 Victoria Secret runway show (left) and with her husband Peter Brant and their son Harry (right). Peter accused her of abusing drugs and alcohol during their divorce, which was later called off
The brunette beauty has four children: Peter Brant, Jr., Harry Brant, Dylan Thomas Andrews (with ex-husband Tommy Andrews, who she was wed to from 1989 until 1990), and Lilly Margaret Brant.
Son Peter Jr has also had some issues with the law. In October 2014 he was ticketed for being in possession of marijuana, according to RadarOnline.
In the early 90s, Seymour had a rocky relationship with Axl Rose of Guns N Roses.
She was one of the biggest models of the nineties, often working with Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.
The San Diego, California, native managed to model for both Sports Illustrated and Vogue, and was often on the biggest runways for Chanel and Versace.
Hundreds of southeastern Mississippi citizens received jury summons that incorrectly instructed them to call a sex hotline.
Multiple news outlets report that at least 350 jury summons with the incorrect phone number were sent out in Jackson County to potential jurors.
Circuit clerk Randy Carney says people started calling the circuit clerk's office on Monday morning to report the problem.
Apology: Multiple news outlets report that at least 350 jury summons with the incorrect phone number were sent out in Jackson County to potential jurors. Pictured here is a letter of apology with the correct number
Others stopped by in person to address the issue.
Carney says he doesn't know what caused the mix-up. He has drafted an apology letter that will go out those who received the erroneous summons.
'Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused,' says the letter.
Carney added that he'll personally review summons before they're mailed out from now on.
Carney said he didn't call the hotline but that it gave callers the option of hitting one or two to specify they were a man or woman.
'Hopefully,' Carney said, 'no one did that', he told the Sacramento Bee.
Carney told the Sacramento Bee that he doesnt know if his office will be liable for costs associated with any potential jurors charged for using the sex hotline.
'I dont know what this office will be responsible for if they chose that number,' he said.
A Michigan man and his four-year-old son have died after falling through ice into a lake while out on a fishing trip with friends, police say.
David Michael Lyons, 30, and his son Jackson were about 10 feet from the shore when they broke through the ice of Alderman Lake, about 40 miles northwest of Detroit, on Monday.
Authorities say the two were underwater about 15 minutes before they were pulled out by dive teams.
The two, who family said were 'inseparable', were rushed to hospital, but both died a few hours apart, local network WXYZ reported.
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Tragic: David Michael Lyons, 30, and his four-year-old son Jackson died on Monday after falling in Lake Alderman, 40 miles northwest of Detroit, in Michigan
'Please, please, please presume ice is unsafe': Officials said ice fishing has been even more dangerous this year due to the mild winter weather. Seen here is where Lyons and his son fell through
Rescue: Authorities say the two were underwater about 15 minutes before they were pulled out by dive teams
Assistant fire chief with Highland Township, Richard, told the Detroit Free Press that the father and son were wearing snowmobile suits, which become heavier in water.
Neither one was wearing a life jacket.
The water they fell into was between eight and 12 feet deep.
'Such a tragedy,' the sheriff's department said in a statement.
'Please, please, please presume ice is unsafe. Our weather has been such that predictable hard frozen ice is not present.'
'We lost a young father and a four year old who went through the ice today and even with our dive team in the water relatively quickly they could not be saved.'
'They liked to do things together': Family describe the pair as 'inseparable' following their tragic deaths
A 911 call was made from Lake Adelman about 10.30 a.m. Monday and deputies were at the scene six minutes later, officials said. Sadly Mr Lyons and his son Jackson (pictured) died
Scene: Rescuers, including divers, pulled the two out in 15 minutes. But the two had been submerged in 8-12 feet of frigid water
A man who identified himself as the grandfather of David Michael Lyons told The Detroit News that the father and son were inseparable.
'They liked to do things together,' the man said.
'Ice fishing, riding four wheelers. Anything together.'
The man said he believes his grandson fell through the ice and that his son went in to save the boy.
David Michael Lyons, 30, of Highland Township, and his four-year-old son, Jackson Lyons, died on Monday
Officials told the newspaper that Lyons and his son were spotted on the lake just after 10.30am.
Two fishermen saw the two fall through the ice said they did not resurface.
Temperatures in metro Detroit on Monday reached into the mid-40s.
Coroner says Thomas' death was accidental and absolves parents of blame
their son but he died three days later
Both his parents tried to
A 15-month-old boy choked to death on a blackberry while out fruit picking with his father who then battled in vain to save him, an inquest heard today.
Toddler Thomas Ford stopped breathing on a path in Stalham near Norwich in Norfolk on a morning walk with father Robert, older sister Oliver, five, and their two dogs.
Mr Ford told an inquest into his son's death how Thomas was in a rucksack on his back and handed him two berries from a bush but he began to choke on September 27 last year.
Tragedy: 15-month-old Thomas Ford choked to death on a blackberry while out picking fruit with his father and older sister last September
Efforts: Thomas' father Robert and mother Serena both tried to resuscitate their son but he died later because of severe brain injuries caused by the choking
Thomas' terrified father tried to help his son using the Heimlich manoeuvre while five-year-old Olivia called her mother Serena, a trained nurse, who arrived on her bike five minutes later.
Mrs Ford, 31, then began trying desperately to resuscitate her lifeless son but a mix-up with a friend who also came to help meant an ambulance and paramedics did not arrive for 30 minutes.
Thomas was flown by air ambulance to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and later transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge where he died.
Mr Ford said in a statement: 'I patted his back and tried the Heimlich manoeuvre, hoping to dislodge what was in his throat and causing him to choke.
'I look back and wonder if I could have done this harder. I put him on my arm and I noticed some bits coming out of his mouth.'
Mr Ford recalled how he lay his son on the ground and saw that he had gone blue and tried to start resuscitating him, but 'nothing happened'.
Mr Ford said his son had been suffering from a heavy cold and runny nose for several days before he choked.
He added: 'I hope nothing like this happens to anyone else. Thomas was a mischievous little boy who loved to get dirty and loved to follow his sister around.
'I loved him very much and could talk for ever about him. I miss my little man'.
Mrs Ford said in a statement that she had stayed at home with their other daughter Emily while her husband and Olivia went out for a walk.
She said: 'I don't remember the bike ride. The next thing I was kneeling next to Thomas.
'Thomas was not breathing and I started mouth-to-mouth, but his chest was not inflating. His eyes were fixed and dilated. I knew this meant he was dead.
'I carried on with mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions for what seemed like three hours.'
Much loved: Thomas' father said he hoped what happened to his son will be a warning to others about the dangers of choking
The inquest in Norwich heard how paramedics and doctors found Thomas had a 'faint pulse' as they continued to treat him.
THOMAS' PARENTS HAVE USED TRAGEDY TO WARN OTHERS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF CHOKING Thomas' parents have spoken to warn other parents about the dangers of babies and children choking on food. At least four other young children have died after choking on grapes alone in the last ten years in the UK. Two-year-old Jacob Jenkins of Hartlepool died last September after choking on a grape at a Pizza Hut restaurant. Jasmine Lapsley, six, of Liverpool died on a family holiday in north Wales in August 2014 while Dylan Dosanjh, four, died at school in Coventry in 2011. Kevin da Silva Policarpo was aged just 17 months when he choked and died after being given a grape at a Tesco store in west London in 2005. Advertisement
Mrs Ford and her husband were taken to hospital in Norwich by a police car at 11.15am and then went with the son to Addenbrooke's Hospital. But doctors told them that night that Thomas 'would not make it', she said.
Mrs Ford said her son continued to be treated in intensive care, but by September 30 it was clear that 'he was not going to recover and had huge brain damage'.
Paying tribute to her son, she said: 'He was fun and mischievous. We called him DJ Thomas because he loved music and he loved it loud.'
Dr Ricardo Branco of Addenbrooke's Hospital said Thomas had failed to respond to treatment.
He said a decision was then made to withdraw his assisted breathing in view of his 'catastrophic brain damage'.
Deputy Norfolk coroner David Osborne recorded a conclusion of accidental death and said that the death of Thomas had been caused by brain damage and choking.
He also cleared Mr and Mrs Ford of blame for the 'sad and tragic' death of their son.
Todd Christie, 51, governor's younger brother, supports the project, which puts him at odds with his homeowners'
Chris Christie's brother has found himself caught in a tug-of-war between his neighbors and the New Jersey governor over a stretch of beach.
The Republican presidential candidate's state environmental protection department is moving to seize the strip of shoreline located behind a summer home in Point Pleasant owned by his younger sibling.
Todd Christie, 51, says he's fine with the project, which is being done to clear the way for protective sand dunes along the state's entire 127-mile coastline even though it puts him at odds with other residents of Point Pleasant Beach, most of whom want to fight the land seizure.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's environmental protection department wants to seize a strip of beach behind his brother Todd's house in Point Pleasant Beach (pictured) as part of a protective dune system
United front: Todd Christie, 51, pictured him kissing his big brother last year, says he's fine with the dune project, even though it puts him at odds with his neighbors
Since shortly after Superstorm Sandy devastated the coast in October 2012 including destroying some homes on Todd Christie's street Gov Christie has been pushing to build dunes along the state's entire coast.
But he has gotten unexpectedly strong pushback from oceanfront homeowners in several spots, who took the state to court over the beach.
The outspoken governor has publicly lambasted holdouts, repeatedly calling them 'selfish,' and accused them of putting entire communities at risk to preserve their oceanfront views.
He has encouraged shore residents to knock on doors in Point Pleasant Beach and neighboring Bay Head and demand to know why the holdouts have refused to sign easements allowing the work on the protective dunes to proceed.
Todd Christie, who owns this beach house pictured above, said he has repeatedly voted in favor of the state dunes project
Most of the people in Christie's homeowners' association, which owns the beach, have refused to sign an easement allowing the state to seize the land
In a statement to The Associated Press issued through the governor's office, Todd Christie said he has repeatedly voted in favor of the state project and against the majority of those in his homeowners' association, which owns the beach and has thus far refused to sign an easement.
'I believe 100 per cent that the protective dunes should be built, and any person or entity including my homeowners' association causing delay is putting our community at risk,' he said. 'If this was an individual decision and not one of the association, I would have signed an easement years ago.
'That is why each and every time the matter has come up for a vote before the association membership, I have voted for the dunes and against the push to further litigate and delay this matter.'
Todd Christie is a member of the governor's New Jersey Finance Leadership Team and a staunch supporter of his brother's presidential bid.
He has worked on every single one of his brother's campaigns since high school and has also donated millions of dollars to members of the Republican party in New Jersey over the past 15 years.
Not mincing words: The outspoken Republican presidential hopeful, pictured during a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Tuesday, has called those who oppose the land seizure as 'selfish'
According to a 2010 profile in the New York Times, the younger Christie resigned from his trading firm, Spear, Leeds & Kellogg in 2003, after Securities and Exchange Commission launched an investigation into allegations that the company defrauded their customers out of millions of dollars.
The firm, which was sold to Goldman Sachs for $6billion in 2000, eventually settled the case by repaying more than $16million without admitting or denying wrongdoing.
Christie has maintained that his departure from the firm was unrelated for the SEC probe.
Todd Christie used $60million that he earned from the firm's sale to become a major player in New Jersey's political scene.
Last year, the 51-year-old married father-of-five made national headlines when it emerged that he had an account on the cheating website Ashley Madison, in which he appealed for 'someone to bring some more spice into my life'.
In a lawsuit filed in December, the state Department of Environmental Protection seeks to seize a portion of the land under the concept of eminent domain. That entitles governments to seize privately owned land for a public purpose after paying compensation for it.
The DEP has offered the homeowners' association $1,000 for a portion of the beach. Todd Christie bought his full house and lot for $1.9million, and it is assessed at nearly $3.6million.
Scandal: Last year, Todd Christie, who is married and has five children (pictured left and right with his wife), made headlines when it emerged that he had an account on the cheating website Ashley Madison
Todd Christie is seen on the doorstep to his home in New Jersey last September amidst allegations of having an affair through the dating website Ashley Madison
The case is just one of scores being fought over in court as New Jersey tries to clear the way for the dune project, and homeowners resist.
The homeowners object to government taking private property. They worry about who will be required or allowed to maintain the beaches once dunes are built on them, and still others fear the eventual construction of boardwalks, public restrooms and even Ferris wheels near their homes.
Chris Christie last month called that 'a ridiculous idea, put forward by some selfish folks and their selfish lawyers who are just looking to make money off this.'
Others are upset about losing prized oceanfront views. In a Long Beach Island case in 2013, the state Supreme Court ruled that judges must take into account the storm-protection benefits that dunes add to an oceanfront property, not just the decreased value from lost views. The couple at the heart of that case eventually accepted a $1 settlement after initially being awarded $375,000.
The deadly 9/11 terror attacks were devised by former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after he was inspired by a pilot who crashed a plane into the ocean in 1999, it has emerged.
When bin Laden heard the murder-suicide on EgyptAir Flight 990 had killed 217 people, including 100 Americans, the terrorist strongman said: 'Why didn't he crash into a building?'
The idea was formed in its entirety when bin Laden later met with the attack's principal architect, who had been independently considering hijacking U.S. planes.
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The September 11 attacks (pictured) in 2001 were devised by former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people
Bin Laden (left) was inspired to fly planes into buildings after hearing the story of Gameel Al-Batouti (right), an Egyptian pilot who, in an apparent act of revenge towards his employers, flew a plane into the Atlantic Ocean
Two years later, his suicide attackers carried out the single deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil by flying two American airliners into the World Trade Centre.
Two more planes were hijacked, one of which struck the Pentagon, while the other crashed into a field after passengers overcame the terrorists. In total, almost 3,000 people were killed.
Prior to the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden had changed the group's strategy to target the U.S. instead of countries and governments in the Arab world it deemed American 'collaborators'.
According to al-Qaeda's weekly magazine al-Masrah, bin Laden was struck with a bolt of inspiration when he heard the story of Gameel Al-Batouti, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Al-Batouti is believed to be the pilot responsible for the death of all 217 people aboard the EgyptAir flight that had departed Los Angeles for Cairo.
The experienced pilot, 59, overrode the flight's autopilot and sent it nosediving into the Atlantic Ocean on October 31, 1999.
While terrorism was considered as a possible motive, investigators found he had been facing disciplinary issues at work and was about to be banned from flying transatlantic routes.
Flight recorders recovered after the crash revealed he had asked to relieve the pilot from the controls after takeoff before manipulating the plane's flight settings.
And during the nosedive, recorders captured him repeatedly stating: 'Tawkalt ala Allah', which translates to 'I rely on God'.
An Egyptian investigation directly contradicted the U.S. probe's claims, stating Al-Batouti was devoutly religious and would never have committed suicide.
Many, however, suspected this stance was politically motivated and Egyptian investigators were simply following orders from their superiors.
Red Cross volunteers stand near to engine wreckage from EgyptAir Flight 990 recovered from the sea
Some 217 people were killed in the murder-suicide on October 31, 1999. At least 100 of these were American, prompting Osama bin Laden to ask: 'Why didn't he fly it into a building?'
Police tape cordons off pieces of wreckage that were hauled from the Atlantic Ocean following the incident
Rescue boats search from wreckage of the plane off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts
While bin Laden has always been credited with the style of attack seen on 9/11, the incident appears to have been formed when he met with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Mohammed was later named by the massive 9/11 Commission Report as the attack's 'principal architect' and is currently imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.
Captured in Pakistan in 2003, he was extradited to the United States and imprisoned at the Cuban facility, where he was subjected to the CIA's controversial waterboard interrogation methods.
But as early as 1994, he had travelled to the Philippines to plot to destroy commercial airliners flying to and from the U.S.
In what is known as the failed Operation Bojinka, his plot to plant bombs on airliners was uncovered by authorities and he fled back to the Middle East.
It was in 1996 that he is believed to have met with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and the two formulated a plan that would eventually become 9/11.
But, according to the latest claims, this is likely to have involved detonating bombs on flights, rather than using suicidal hijackers to crash them into buildings, until the EgyptAir Flight 990 incident three years later.
Claims: Dr Alexander Munro gave a dementia patient strong sleeping tablets to distribute to her neighbours, a tribunal has head
A GP gave a dementia patient powerful sleeping pills and told them to post them through her neighbours' doors after she hallucinated loud music in her block of flats, a tribunal has heard.
Alexander Munro prescribed the 84-year-old woman 28 Zopiclone tablets because she told him she was having trouble sleeping due to the constant noise.
He advised the pensioner to hand them out to neighbours along with a note which he wrote addressed to 'the occupants'.
However, it later emerged that the music and singing heard by the old woman, known as Patient A, was only in her head because she was suffering from dementia.
A tribunal hearing in Manchester was told today that Dr Munro's behaviour was 'woefully inadequate' and 'bizarre' because he failed to diagnose his patient's mental illness and hearing loss.
His behaviour came to light when the woman's neighbours visited his surgery in Hounslow, West London to complain that he had distributed the pills to them.
One couple living near the patient had a young children who could have died from organ failure if he had swallowed the Zopiclone.
The note Dr Munro, 67, supplied with the pills read: 'I gather you sometimes suffer restlessness at night and the resulting music is leading to discomfort for neighbours.
'You might find these tablets useful. If so, please send this letter to your own doctor and he can provide some more for you.'
A subsequent investigation revealed the elderly patient he had been treating wore a hearing aid, struggled to hear normal conversation and had been accused of harassing her neighbours.
She was suffering from vascular dementia and the loud music and singing she had been hearing was part of an 'auditory hallucination', the tribunal heard.
The woman had been referred to Dr Munro due to concerns over her mental health after firefighters had been called to her flat when she left a pan to overflow. Neighbours had complained she was banging at their doors in the early hours.
Anger: The neighbours turned up at Dr Munro's surgery in Hounslow, pictured, to complain
At a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing, Dr Munro, a GP with more than 40 years' experience, admitted a string of misconduct allegations due to his failure to diagnose Patient A's mental health problems.
He also admitted prescribing the sleeping tablets to neighbours he had never met, with no knowledge of any medication they were taking at the time.
After a social worker referred Patient A to the doctor because of her persistent complaints about noise, Dr Munro, who is originally from Edinburgh, said she should 'wear ear plugs'.
Counsel for the GMC, Christopher Hamlet, told the tribunal: 'She was complaining of singing she was hearing from next door and music being played loud at night. That was in spite of problems with her hearing.'
Several weeks after she was first referred, Dr Munro agreed to hold a consultation with Patient A.
Mr Hamlet said: 'From the records of the consultation, the GMC could invite you to conclude it was woefully inadequate. There is no mention of the relevant background of potential mental health concerns that had been raised.
'There is no reference to incidents of confusion. It resulted in the production of a script for Zopiclone in effect for the neighbours, rather than Patient A.
Danger: The doctor handed out a prescription for the strong sleeping pill Zopiclone (file photo)
'These are for insomniacs, and it was accompanied by an instruction or invitation to Patient A to post these tablets though the doors of neighbours in their letter box, with a note from Dr Munro inviting them to take this medication.
'The neighbours were not known to Dr Munro at all, they were not his patients or even registered with the practice and he had no knowledge whatsoever of their health condition, medicine they were taking or the history they had at all.'
When the neighbours challenged him about encouraging Patient A to give them medication, he replied: 'Unorthodox, but I am sure it will not harm you.'
He added that patients often share medication with family and friends and suggested he would turn a 'blind eye' if Patient A shared her drugs.
After he was referred to NHS England and later to the General Medical Council, Dr Munro admitted he had been 'naughty' and said the incident had caused 'far more hassle than it was worth'.
He insisted that Patient A had behaved normally and was pleasant to talk to despite having minor memory loss.
But Dr Anthony Feltbower, an expert instructed to comment on Dr Munro's behaviour, said: 'It wouldn't kill somebody but could make them very confused and lose balance. To a young child it could potentially be fatal.
'To suggest that the neighbours should be taking sleeping tablets really is a bit bizarre.'
Dr Munro admits failing to carry out adequate examinations on Patient A looking for signs of mental illness and admits prescribing the medication.
He denies failing to consider possible signs of dementia, considering her hearing impairment and considering she might be experiencing auditory hallucinations.
Britain's top doctor today urged people to consider the risk of getting cancer every time they have a drink.
Dame Sally Davies appeared in front of MPs to defend her strict new booze guidelines, insisting it was her duty as chief medical officer to inform the public about the latest science on drinking alcohol.
But at the Commons committee hearing she sensationally claimed: 'I would like people to take their choice knowing the issues and do as I do when I reach for my glass of wine and think - do I want the glass of wine or do I want to raise my risk of breast cancer?
'I take a decision each time I have a glass.'
Dame Sally Davies, pictured at the committee today, told MPs today she weighs the risk of every glass of wine
Dame Sally Davies came under fire after announcing the revised guidelines which came after a full review of the science on the impact of alcohol.
The official government advice on alcohol now says there is no safe level of drinking.
Official guidance says men and women now have the same recommended amount - no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.
Top academics at the Royal Statistical Society criticised the advice insisting it was not true that all alcohol was dangerous - highlighting a 'protective effect' from small amounts.
In her evidence, Dame Sally continued: 'What they looked at was this protective effect, which is called the J shaped curve.
'They looked at that out of context with other issues and from the picture they concluded one unit a day, half a standard glass of wine, the estimated a very small overall benefit and a larger overall benefit for women.
'I don't know many men that drink half a glass of wine every day and what we did in discussion with the guideline group was look not only at those curves but we looked at short term harms.'
She added: 'We have to balance what we've been discussing... half a glass of wine a day with the short term effects and the long term effects.
'Between all of us we came to the conclusion that for women drinking up to five units in a week aged over 55 there is some cardio protective effect.
'By the time they drink over five units and get to 14 units, the recommended upper level, they have lost that cardio protective effect.'
Announcing the new guidelines last month, Dame Sally said the reason behind the revised guidelines was that science had progressed and the advice needed updating.
She said it was the first comprehensive review of the science in 20 years and had taken the UK ahead of Europe.
'What that brings is added knowledge, the knowledge of the immediate harms and particularly the long term harms of cancer and how that impacts on our health,' she said.
'Working with experts we have now worked up and are issuing guidelines for low risk drinking which are 14 units in a week spread over three to four days.'
She said people needed to take into account the clear link between alcohol and cancer.
The new guidelines suggest people drink no more than 14 units of alcohol each week. This amounts to just seven pints of beer or less than five glasses
The existing guidelines were tweaked in 1995 to add maximum daily limits of two to three units for women, and three to four for men.
But since then, evidence has emerged linking even small amounts of alcohol to seven different cancers.
They include breast cancer, with research finding that one glass of wine a day can raise a woman's risk by 13 per cent.
Other cancers connected to alcohol consumption include bowel, liver, oesophagus, larynx, upper throat and mouth.
Research also shows that drinking small amounts, regularly, for ten or 20 years raises the risk of liver disease, heart attacks and strokes.
Dame Sally was asked to review the drinking guidelines by the Government in 2012 over concerns they were too lenient and unsafe.
She convened a group of experts including Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a liver specialist and former president of the Royal College of Physicians, and the Chief Medical Officers of Scotland and Wales.
They have spent the last three years examining 28 pieces of evidence looking at alcohol harm and the public's behaviour.
Dame Sally said: 'Drinking any level of alcohol regularly carries a health risk for anyone, but if men and women limit their intake to no more than 14 units a week it keeps the risk of illness like cancer and liver disease low.'
However, some experts were quick to criticise the new guidelines.
Sir David Spiegelhalter, professor of the public understanding of risk at the University of Cambridge, said: 'These guidelines define 'low-risk' drinking as giving you less than a 1 per cent chance of dying from an alcohol-related condition.
'So should we feel ok about risks of this level?
'An hour of TV watching a day, or a bacon sandwich a couple of times a week, is more dangerous to your long-term health.
'In contrast, an average driver faces much less than this lifetime risk from a car accident. It all seems to come down to what pleasure you get from moderate drinking.'
A seventh grade girl was killed on Monday morning in Long Island while running across the road to get to school with her twin sister.
Gabrielle Johnson, 12, was struck by a car about 7.30am on Monday while running across the road to Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School in Elmont.
Police say the teen was trying to cross the busy street with her sister, Courtney Johnson, and another girl, but did not use a crosswalk.
'We're devastated, we're extremely devastated,' Paula Johnson, the girl's older sister, told NBC 4 New York.
Killed: Gabrielle Johnson, 12, was struck by a car about 7.30am on Monday while running across the road to Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School in Long Island
Scene: The girl was hit on Elmont Road as she tried to make it across. The driver is not facing charges
'We're extremely devastated': Sister Paula Johnson gave an emotional TV interview after her sibling's death
The family member continued: 'We lost our little brother in 2002 from a drunk driver, and now Gabby's gone.'
Police say the 38-year-old driver of the car that hit the girl stayed at the scene and cooperated with authorities.
He had a green light at the time of the incident and is not expected to face any charges.
The speed limit along Elmont Road is 30mph.
'There is no criminality involved,' Nassau police Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun told Newsday.
Gabrielle Johnson, 12, was struck by a car about 7.30am on Monday while running across the road to Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School in Long Island
The girl's aunt, Christine Rose, told the newspaper: 'Gabrielle was just a star.'
'She wanted to do everything. She swam. She played the flute. She ran track. She wanted to play volleyball. She wanted to do everything. She was an amazing kid.'
'She was taken too soon. I can't comprehend it. I cannot comprehend it. No words, no words to describe what's happening right now in this family.'
Philip Toussaint, 30, who lives nearby, said he will never forgot the awful sound.
'It sounded even more brutal than a car hitting another car,' Toussaint said.
'It was just so loud, and then I looked up and I actually saw the girl's body flying in the air.'
A dog tag lost by an American soldier who fought in the Second World War has been reunited with his family more than 70 years later.
The long-forgotten metal ID tag was discovered by funfair owner George Scarrott, hidden in a bag full of buttons and badges at the fair's depot.
It bore the name 'Jack O'Leary', along with his service number and mother's name and address in Los Angeles.
The items were left by World War Two soldiers in the old Mascot Cinema, now K & EJ Crump butchers, which was leased by George's great-grandfather, also called George, from 1934 to 1949.
Ben and George Scarrott with the dog tag belonging to Jack O'Leary they discovered at their funfair's depot
Funfair owner George Scarrott finally tracked down Jack's daughters Sharon Zanin and Christine Wendland
Jack was posted to Wiltshire before taking part in the Allied invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day
Mr Scarrott, who is the fourth generation to run Scarrott's Fun Fairs in Royal Wootton Bassett, in Wiltshire, was determined to find who the dog tag belonged to and launched a Facebook appeal.
He was joined in his quest by amateur historian, Lisa Dodds, one of the soldier's daughters on an adoption website.
Jack's daughters, Christine Wendland and Sharon Zanin, were later adopted and did not realize each other existed until they met six years ago.
Mr Scarrott, 29, told the Western Daily Press: 'I love my history and thought it would be a lovely gesture to return the tag to the soldier's family.
'They [Jack's daughters] are over the moon about the dog tag and they can't believe it. They have very little information on their father.'
He added: 'It is an honour to be able to return something to the family that will be cherished and belonged to a father they never knew. I never expected in a million years for it to happen and I would be able to reunite it.'
Jack was posted to Wiltshire before taking part in the Allied invasion of Normandy - D-Day - in 1944.
He survived the war and died in 1981. He is buried in a military veterans' cemetery in California.
Jack's daughter Christine said: 'I am still in amazement as to how all this came about after 70 years. Now my sister and I will have a lasting memoir of our father.'
The dog tag was discovered in a bag full of buttons and badges at the fair's depot in Royal Wootton Bassett
George Scarrott (right), who is the fourth generation to run Scarrott's Fun Fairs in Royal Wootton Bassett, never dreamed he would find Jack's family or be posting the war tag 5,000 miles to them in California
A FUNFAIR owner has reunited a Second World War veteran's family with the dog tag he left in a cinema 70 years ago, thanks to an online appeal.
George Scarrott, who is the fourth generation to run Scarrott's Fun Fairs in Royal Wootton Bassett, never dreamed he would find the family of Jack O'Leary or be posting the war tag 5,000 miles to them in California.
The 29-year-old discovered the tag hidden in a bag full of buttons and badges at the fair's depot in Old Court, Royal Wootton Bassett.
The items were left by Second World War soldiers in the former Mascot Cinema, now K & EJ Crump butchers, which was leased by George's great grandfather George in the High Street from 1934 to 1949.
A dog tag lost by an American GI in a British cinema before he went off to D-Day more than 70 years ago has been reunited with his family.
It bore the name Jack O'Leary, his service number and mother's name and address in Los Angeles.
George, of Royal Wootton Bassett, Wilts., knew it was originally found in a former local cinema - now a butchers - which his great-grandfather ran in the war.
An 'armed and dangerous' couple on the run after a brazen crime spree in Alabama are now also wanted for robbery and abduction in Georgia.
Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper, both 31, from Joplin, Missouri, are responsible for two kidnappings, a home invasion and an attempted robbery that took place on Sunday, police said.
Now, authorities in Georgia say the couple drove off in a stolen car after an armed robbery and kidnapping at a gas station in Perry on Monday night.
Blake Fitzgerald (left) and Brittany Harper (right), who are being hunted for a brazen crime spree in Alabama are now also wanted in connection with a robbery and abduction in Georgia
Fitzgerald and Harper were last seen traveling south on Interstate 75 in a stolen silver Ford Edge (pictured)
Police say the armed pair robbed the Murphy Express on Sam Nunn Boulevard at around 11.04pm on Monday night and abducted the female clerk.
Fitzgerald and Harper were last seen traveling south on Interstate 75 in a stolen silver Ford Edge, police said.
According to AL.com, the clerk was released unharmed about 15 miles away.
On Sunday, just before 8am, Fitzgerald allegedly entered a home in the 2400 block of Monte Vista Drive in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, through the garage door.
He told the residents, who were having breakfast before heading to church, that he needed help with his car.
The couple are being hunted for a crime spree in Alabama on Sunday, but authorities say they struck a gas station in Georgia on Monday
Police say the armed couple robbed the Murphy Express on Sam Nunn Boulevard on Monday night and abducted the female clerk
According to police, the 31-year-old 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 into the car at gunpoint, where they were joined by Harper.
The pair 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 kidnapping is linked to a similar incident that took place in Tuscaloosa an hour earlier.
At around 7am on 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, taking the man with them.
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
FOURTH TARGET: Georgia police say the pair robbed the Murphy Express gas station (pictured) on Sam Nunn Boulevard at around 11.04pm on Monday night and abducted the female clerk
The owner of the motel, Rikesh Patel, told WBRC that his employee, Kyle, was shoved into the backseat of his own vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, and hidden beneath a blanket.
The suspects 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.
However, he reportedly left empty-handed after the woman, identified as Zora Harris, threw away her car keys and began screaming for help.
Fitzgerald and Harper then moved on to Vestavia Hills, where they dropped off the motel worker before allegedly abducting the woman from her home on Monte Vista Drive just 15 minutes later.
The motel manager's blue Jetta was later found abandoned in Vestavia Hills, according to the 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
Fitzgerald's lengthy criminal record includes more than 100 charges dating back to 2003, including rape
Fitzgerald and Harper appear to be in a relationship, according to pictures on his Facebook page. The 31-year-old man also appears to have a young daughter
Based on photographs posted on the Harper's Facebook page, she and Fitzgerald appear to be in a relationship. He also appears to have a young daughter.
According to ABC3340, Fitzgerald's vast criminal record includes more than 100 charges dating back to 2003, including assault, rape and burglary.
He was arrested in Missouri for robbing a 63-year-old woman at knife-point in 2013, Al.com reported, and was on probation stemming from a 2015 case in which he assaulted a man at a nightclub.
Anyone who spots the pair or the silver Ford Edge - with tags 2720AG7- is urged not to approach them, but immediately call police.
Airbnb has come under fire for listing dozens of properties in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are generally viewed as illegal by the international community.
The Palestinian Authority has said that such listings are misleading as they fail to mention the property is on occupied land claimed by the Palestinians.
Offering holiday rental properties in Jewish homes in the occupied West Bank 'helps perpetuate Israel's settlement enterprise', according to the Palestinians.
Moshe Gordon sits outside his guest house advertised on Airbnb international home-sharing site in Nofei Prat settlement at the West Bank
The Palestinian Authority has said that such listings are misleading as they fail to mention the property is on occupied land claimed by the Palestinians
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat warned that Airbnb was 'effectively promoting the illegal Israeli colonisation of occupied land'
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat has sent a letter to Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky in San Francisco last week demanding the company cease working with settlers.
In it, Erekat warned that Airbnb was 'effectively promoting the illegal Israeli colonisation of occupied land'.
'Any international company like Airbnb that profits from the occupation and from our blood must be held accountable and brought to justice,' said Husam Zomlot, a Palestinian ambassador at-large and former adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Airbnb's criticism puts the global accommodation bookings website in the crosshairs of the increasingly-aggressive global boycott movement - the so-called BDS - which claims responsibility for pressuring some large companies to stop or alter operations in Israel or the West Bank.
Among the West Bank properties listed on Airbnb is a guest house advertised by Moshe Gordon in Nofei Prat settlement. The property lures visitors with a stunning vista of desert landscape and boasting of proximity to both Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. The 'cozy fully furnished' apartment also features cable TV, Internet and hiking trails.
In an email response to AP, Airbnb said it 'follows laws and regulations on where we can do business'.
The company's platform uses Google Maps to automatically suggests an address for hosts but they can manually change it as the responsibility for the accuracy of listings ultimately lies with them.
On Google Maps, Jewish settlements and Palestinian cities are not listed with an affiliated country. Critics also argue that very few foreign visitors realise the meaning of the Green Line, which marks the pre-1967 borders and the land the Palestinians want for a future state.
A spokeswoman for the Binyamin Regional Council, which represents the municipal body for 42 Jewish settlements in the West Bank north of Jerusalem, told the Washington Post that those outposts, which are considered illegal under international law, had 500,000 tourists last year .
Miri Maoz-Ovadia said that 80 percent of those tourists were Israelis, the rest were international visitors - many of them religious pilgrims. There are about 400,000 Jewish settlers today in the West Bank and more than 200 Israeli bed-and-breakfast operations registered in what Israel calls 'Judea and Samaria.'
European cities in countries hardest hit by the migrant crisis say the arrival of foreigners has had a negative impact on their communities, according to a new survey.
A wide-ranging study by the European Commission in 83 cities analysed people's quality of life by asking them to rate factors from education, housing, happiness and the impact of migration.
When asked whether foreigners have been well integrated, less than half of respondents agreed in 33 cities around 40 per cent of the places surveyed.
The highest levels of discontent were found in Athens (76%), Greater Athens (75%), Malmo (65%), Roma (64%) and Istanbul (64%).
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Migrants walk near Ayvacik, Turkey, before travelling to Greek island of Lesbos as they make their way into Europe. European cities in countries hardest hit by the migrant crisis say the arrival of foreigners has had a negative impact on their communities, according to a new survey
When asked if the presence of foreigners was positive, Istanbul came lowest with 55% of respondents disagreeing. All six cities in Italy, one of the hardest hit by the migrant crisis, came fell in the lowest ranking
Since the last survey in 2012, opinion dropped significantly in Turkey's Istanbul (down 28% to 33%) and Ankara (down 16% to 46%), one of the countries experiencing a huge influx of migrants fleeing conflict in the Middle East.
In Sofia in Bulgaria, which has also received thousands of refugees, this view has fallen 18% to 31 per cent.
This negative view was also reflected in Italy, which like Greece has taken in huge numbers of asylum seekers from across the Mediterranean.
When asked if the presence of foreigners was positive, all six Italian cities were among the lowest ranking.
On this question, people have also become significantly more negative in Istanbul (down 25% to 43%) Ankara (down 20% to 45%) and Sofia (down 17% to 57%) over the last four years.
When asked if foreigners have been well integrated, less than half of respondents agreed in 33 cities around 40 per cent of the places surveyed with Athens, Istanbul, Rome and Berlin falling in the lowest ranking
When asked if they were satisfied with their city, Istanbul also came out lowest with just 65 per cent agreeing, followed by Palermo (67%), Athens (67%), Greater Athens (71%), Napoli (75%) and Miskolc (79%).
By contrast, satisfaction is highest Oslo and Zurich (both 99%), Aalborg, Vilnius and Belfast (all 98%).
The study did however find that the presence of foreigners was generally viewed as positive across Europe.
In all but five of the cities surveyed, a majority of respondents agree that it was good for their city.
In Germany, which has taken in more than one million migrants in the last year, opinion has increased in Berlin, up 10% to 40 per cent.
The study, titled Quality Of Life In European Cities, surveyed 500 people in each city between May and June last year.
Since the last survey in 2012, opinion dropped significantly about whether foreigners were well integrated in Turkey's Istanbul (down 28% to 33%) and Ankara (down 16% to 46%), one of the countries experiencing a huge influx of migrants fleeing conflict in the Middle East. Rome and Sofia also came in the bottom four
It comes as it emerged Europe's cross-border train services could be scrapped if the Schengen system collapses in the face of the migrant crisis, the head of Germany's national railway has claimed.
Hungary's foreign minister also warned that terror threats will increase and public safety will deteriorate unless the European Union builds a 'strong southern defence line' to stop the influx.
The borderless travel zone has come under increasing strain in recent months, with several countries imposing at least partial border checks in the wake of the migrant influx, as they are allowed to do temporarily.
It comes after EU leaders announced teams of border guards to be deployed in order to stop migrants leaving Greece for the rest of the EU, effectively cutting the country off from the rest of the continent.
We all know you can take a horse to water but it would seem to these two hapless animals took it a step too far and ended up in the deep end.
The horses had to be rescued from a canal and swimming pool today in two separate incidents.
One distressed animal was pulled from four feet of water when it got into difficulty in the Trent and Mersey Canal, near Betchton Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, at around 8am.
A distressed horse was found in a family's outdoor swimming pool in Hertford, Hertfordshire, today at around 8am
At the same time, firefighters had to pull another horse from four feet of water when it got into difficulty in the Trent and Mersey Canal, near Betchton Road, Sandbach, in Cheshire
Firefighters lifted the horse from the freezing water before it was safely put back on land.
In another incident, a horse was spotted taking a dip in a family's swimming pool.
The puzzled animal was stuck in the outdoor pool and fire crews had to drain some of the water to free it today shortly after 8am.
Fire crews had to create a temporary set of steps, which allowed the horse to walk out of the pool.
A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue said 'all was well' after the crew attended the property in Hertford, Hertfordshire.
A spokesman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue said: 'Firefighters were called to rescue a horse from a canal in Sandbach. The horse was standing in the water close to the edge of the canal bank on the arrival of the crew who used straps and a mechanical lifting machine to get the horse onto dry land.'
Firefighters lifted the horse using a harness from the freezing water before it was safely put back on land
Fire crews had to drain the water from the outdoor swimming pool in Hertford today when the horse was discovered around 8am today
Also had an anti-drink-driving campaign in 2005 with Cedric the Entertainer
It's rare to receive a telling-off from a leading Hollywood lady, but if you're considering drink-driving after the Superbowl this weekend, you have been warned.
Grand Dame Helen Mirren has lent her acerbic tongue to a Budweiser commercial set to air on Sunday, denouncing drink-drivers as 'pillocks' - British slang for a stupid person.
But Mirren doesn't stop there, perched in a saloon booth behind a plate of burger and fries and - of course - a Budweiser beer, her tirade continues: 'If you drive drunk, you, simply put, are a short-sighted, utterly useless, oxygen wasting, human form of pollution, a Darwin-award deserving, selfish coward.
The 60-second advert will air in this Sunday's Superbowl. CBS is charging, on average, a record-breaking $5million for 30-second spots during Super Bowl 50, according to Fox News
'If your brain was donated to science, science would return it. So stop it.'
The minute-long ad ends in a more upbeat tone: 'You're friends and family thank you and your future self thanks you. This is supposed to be fun!'
Mirren, who describes herself in the ad as a 'notoriously frank and uncensored British lady' is well-versed in commanding an audience.
She has played the Queen of England twice - both in film and on stage - and her assertive character is clearly what Budweiser believed was needed to shake America into shape.
Mirren has played the Queen of England twice - both in film (left) and on stage - and her assertive character is clearly what Budweiser believed was needed to shake America into shape
Back in 2005, they put the spotlight on drink-driving again, with the now classic commercial starring Cedric the Entertainer (pictured)
The hashtag of #Giveadamn accompanies the Anheuser-Busch campaign, which is called 'Simply Put.'
Budweiser has also been airing a commercial this year featuring comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen as they suit up for the upcoming election.
Last year's Superbowl offering from Budweiser set a rather different tone and featured a lost dog who has to fight the elements to return to its owner.
But back in 2005, they put the spotlight on drink-driving again, with the now classic commercial starring Cedric the Entertainer.
In the advert, he attempts to explain with sign language that he is the designated driver but unintentionally inspires the entire nightclub to emulate his moves.
CBS is charging, on average, a record-breaking $5million for 30-second spots during Super Bowl 50, according to Fox News.
A dog who was missing for three days has been rescued after he was found buried alive in a five-foot sinkhole.
Lisa Valkenburgh from Platte County, Missouri, had let her dog Maverick out on Thursday evening to relieve himself when he wandered off.
Valkenburgh and her family searched for the 12-year-old German Shepherd and eventually found him lethargic and dehydrated on Saturday afternoon, buried inside the sinkhole, Fox4KC reported.
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Maverick, a German Shepherd, who was missing for three days was rescued after he was found buried alive in a five-foot sinkhole in Platte, County Missouri. Above firefighters are shown as they dig the dog out
Valkenburgh and her family searched for the 12-year-old dog (pictured following the rescue) and eventually found him lethargic and dehydrated on Saturday afternoon, buried alive inside the sinkhole
'He was very lifeless by the time we got him to the vet,' Valkenburgh said after finding Maverick.
Prior to finding him, she had walked down a road where the sinkhole was located and heard a moan-like bark, discovering Maverick underground inside the hole.
It took three firefighters from the Southern Platte Fire Protection District an hour and a half to dig Maverick out.
'Took shovels and they were actually able to get three firefighters to come from different angles and to shovel it out and keep the mud from compacting and compressing on him, to keep him from actually suffocating,' Valkenburgh's son Roman Alexander told Fox4kc.
The dog was taken to the vet who said he is expected to make a full recovery.
Maverick pictured above as he is cared for at the veterinarian. It took three firefighters from the Southern Platte Fire Protection District an hour and a half to dig Maverick out
The dog was taken to the vet who said he is expected to make a full recovery
Greg Sager, Platte County director of public works, told Fox4kc that the sinkhole was created after water caused the pipe to rust and the soil was washed away.
He added that a new pipe had been ordered on Monday and that it will be replaced in the next couple of weeks.
The county has also put up caution cones to keep people from walking or driving over the area, according to Fox4kc.
Following the rescue, Valkenburgh is thankful that Maverick is safe but said she is concerned about what could have happened if a child have fallen inside.
Following the rescue, owner LIsa Valkenburgh (pictured) is thankful that Maverick is safe and back with the family
On Facebook, she posted of the 'miracle' rescue and thanked the Platte county sheriff and Fire Department for their help
'That [the sinkhole] would swallow a child,' she told Fox4kc. 'That is a dangerous situation.'
On Facebook she wrote of the miracle rescue and thanked the sheriff and fire department for their help.
'By some miracle my sweet boy has been found 72 hours later I didn't give up had to go look one more time heard a faint howl 5ft down and under ground there was my little old man,' she wrote.
'Huge thanks to Platte county sheriff and fire department they went over and beyond pulled him out.'
The fire department also wrote on Facebook that they were happy they got to assist in bring the family back together: 'So glad that Southern Platte Fire was able to assist and help this family get back together!'
See all the latest on the migrant crisis at www.dailymail.co.uk/migrantcrisis
Hungary says Europe is 'defenceless' because of uncontrolled flow of migrants
Europe's cross-border train services could be scrapped if the Schengen system collapses in the face of the migrant crisis, the head of Germany's national railway has claimed.
It comes as Hungary's foreign minister warned that terror threats will increase and public safety will deteriorate unless the European Union builds a 'strong southern defence line' to stop the flow of migrants.
The borderless travel zone has come under increasing strain in recent months, with several countries imposing at least partial border checks in the wake of the migrant influx, as they are allowed to do temporarily.
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The head of Germany's national railway is warning that cross-border train services could be scrapped if Europe's open-borders system collapses
The chief executive of German railway operator Deutsche Bahn, Ruediger Grube, was quoted Tuesday as telling the Bild daily: 'The freedom of movement of the Schengen agreement is the basis of our international train service.'
The borderless travel zone has come under increasing strain in recent months, with several countries imposing at least partial border checks in the wake of the migrant influx
EU leaders announced teams of border guards to be deployed in order to stop migrants leaving Greece for the rest of the EU
He added that 'if borders are closed, the railway will have to discontinue connections to foreign countries. The checks and delays that would then be incurred would not be sustainable.'
It comes after EU leaders announced teams of border guards to be deployed in order to stop migrants leaving Greece for the rest of the EU, effectively cutting the country off from the rest of the continent.
The scheme which effectively suspends Greece's membership of the Schengen zone was designed during an emergency meeting to finally halt the free flow of migrants arriving by boat into mainland Europe.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker backed a proposal to strengthen security on the Greek/Macedonian border to create a 'second line of defence' against migration.
More than 50 guards from other European countries have already been sent to Macedonia, which is not a member of the EU, to strengthen its border with Greece.
More than 50 guards from other European countries have already been sent to Macedonia, which is not a member of the EU, to strengthen its border with Greece
Hungary warned that terror threats will increase and public safety will deteriorate unless the European Union builds a 'strong southern defense line' to stop the flow of migrants
Hungary last year built fences on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia, preventing migrants or refugees from entering the country
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that 368 people died trying to cross the Mediterranean last month
Hungary's foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said Tuesday after a meeting with Croatian counterpart Miro Kovac that if the line of defence cannot be created at Greece's southern border, then it must come about at Greece's northern borders with Macedonia and Bulgaria.
Szijjarto said Europe is 'currently defenceless' because of the uncontrolled flow of migrants and that 'we agree with all those who say the external borders must be fortified.'
Hungary last year built fences on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia, preventing migrants or refugees from entering the country from the Balkans after construction was completed by mid-October.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday that 368 people died trying to cross the Mediterranean last month, nearly one in six of them children.
A group of migrants who were refused to enter into Serbia, stand at the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce
IOM spokesman Joel Millman said 60 children younger than 18 were among those who died, bringing the total to 330 children who have died on the Mediterranean in the last five months
Refugees walk through the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce
Migrants in Calais break into and climb in the back of lorries as they wait to board the ferry to the UK
More than 62,000 people crossed the Aegean in January - over 90 percent of them from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq
More than 62,000 people crossed the Aegean in January - over 90 percent of them from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq - and 272 died on that route. Another 5,000 people crossed the central Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.
IOM spokesman Joel Millman said 60 children younger than 18 were among those who died, bringing the total to 330 children who have died on the Mediterranean in the last five months.
A terminally ill boy from Antelope Valley, California, is living the soldier's life he'd always dreamed of after the military, the police and fire departments, and two charities joined forces to make his wish come true last week.
Nine-year-old George Rios Ruiz had always wanted to become a K-9 dog handler in the US military, but his hopes of joining up seemed to be at an end when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
But children's cancer charity Junior Foundation was on hand to help out, as were the US armed forces, who made George an honorary soldier in the US army in early December.
Dream: George Rios Ruiz's dream of becoming an army dog handler seemed to be over when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but with help he was sworn in as an honorary soldier in December
In Junior Foundation's video of the ceremony, George is seen being sworn in by a military recruiter in front of the American flag.George, who is wearing a child-size army uniform, complete with cap and gloves, then shakes his recruiter's hand, and is given a special Certificate of Enlistment.
It reads: 'The people of the United States are are deeply grateful to you for your personal commitment to national defense.'
Photos in the video show George alongside other members of the US military, in full uniform.
But George's service to his country didn't end there.
Ceremony: George was sworn in by US Army recruiters from Lancaster, California, and given a certificate to commend his commitment to his country
The young hero was made an honorary dog handler, so the For Veterans Sake Foundation, a charity that provides trained dogs to US military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, stepped in to give him his first mission.
Last week, members of the US marines and air force, as well as representatives of the LA County fire and sheriff's departments, took George to conduct a training exercise at PetSmart, a local pet store.
George, who also got to ride in one of the four fire engines that accompanied him to the store, was joined by his canine partner, Katie.
Partners: George was also taught to handle Katie, a dog trained by For Veterans Sake Foundation to help military veterans with PTSD. Last week, he and Katie went on a special training mission
After George was given his official dog-handling certification, the daring duo were told to investigate something 'suspicious' on the grounds.
A press release by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said: 'George and his dog Katie did just that; they both did an incredible job sniffing out the package and ultimately saved the day!'
'It was a great way to make a little boy smile and to see how our amazing community pulls together when someone needs our help.'
Signed up: George might be too young serve in the US Army, but that didn't stop military recruiters from helping him to achieve his dream of enlisting
And while George was surrounded by his own idols, for some he was the true hero.
Monty Hudson of For Veterans Sake told local news channel KTLA 5: 'George passed his certification this morning. He went through the obstacle course with Katie, he passed with flying colors and hes now a part of for veterans sake foundation a dog handler, and an army dog handler at that!
He added: 'Hes fighting his own battle, so what hes doing, hes giving us hope and a lot of the veterans that we work with, when they see a little man like this, that only wants to be a veteran himself, its gonna give em a light, and something for them to strive for.'
Hard at work: George and Katie investigate suspicious goings on at PetSmart Lancaster as part of their training mission. George was highly commended by Monty Hudson of For Veterans Sake
Hudson wasn't the only one impressed by George. Steve Knight, US representative for California's 25th congressional district, also commended the young man.
On a January 27 post on his official Facebook page, he said, 'This morning I had the honor of presenting an American flag and certificate of recognition to George Rios Ruiz, who just had his first assignment as a U S Army K-9 Handler. Thank you to For Veterans Sake Foundation and PetSmart in Lancaster for arranging the ceremony, to PetSmart in Lancaster for hosting it, and to everyone else else who helped make this happen.
'Congratulations George, and thank you for your service!'
The German government is negotiating a deal with a hotel chain to house refugees in the capital Berlin, set to cost the state 455million.
The Berlin Senate is reportedly looking to home 10,000 refugees and migrants in hotel rooms across the city, including at Holiday Inns, local media reports.
The scheme would cost the government 50 euros (38) per person and night - or 13,647 a year, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports.
The Berlin Senate is looking to home 10,000 refugees and migrants in 22 hotels, including Grand City Hotel Berlin East (pictured), which would cost the government 38 per person and night - or 13,647 a year
The Berlin Senate has been negotiating with the Grand City Hotels group which manages 22 hotels in the capital, including a number of Holiday Inns and Wyndham group hotels.
According to the paper, Berlin authorities are looking at a contract spanning over several years, set to cost at least 600 million euros (455million).
Last year, the German capital saw some 80,000 people seek asylum in the city, with the numbers expected to hit a similar high for 2016.
Critics have pointed out that Berlin's homeless population is roughly 10,000 and that taxpayers' money is being used to house non-German citizens.
Further north, Sweden faces similar challenges, with local authorities turning to private contractors to find spaces for newcomers.
The Scandinavian nation, which has a population of some 9.8million, welcomed 163,000 people in 2015, including over 35,000 unaccompanied minors.
With some 80,000 people seeking asylum in Berlin last year, the local government is looking at a multi-year contract with the hotel group, set to cost at least 455million, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Housing asylum seekers, in particularly unaccompanied minors, have become a lucrative business in countries which have accepted large number of refugees and migrants.
One example is the Gothenburg suburb of Molndal, where a social worker was murdered at a home for child refugees last Monday, where greedy landlords in the town are hiking their rents by up to 1,450 per cent.
MailOnline found a number of studio flats on the rental market in Molndal priced from 335-570 per month, however, the council is renting studio flats from private companies for 3,000-4,500 per month - up to 680 per cent more.
One such company rents a 215sq feet studio flat for 245 a month, then charges the council 3,818: a 1,450 per cent increase, an investigation by Expressen found.
Refugees wait in front of the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LaGeSo) in Berlin, Germany, last week where they can register or receive support services
Another studio flat highlighted in the investigation was being rented out to Molndal City Council for5,640 per month, but the owner of the flat said he only charges 737 per month a profit of 4,903 a month, or 665 per cent.
These studio flats are 'transition housing', given to former unaccompanied minors once they are over 18 and have been granted asylum in Sweden.
'We are feeding big private companies, we have no other alternatives,' Birgitta Korpe, Molndal City Council's head care for unaccompanied migrant children, told Expressen.
'They can make extreme profits,' she added.
StegetVidare defended its 1,450 per cent profit by saying it provides more than basic accommodation for young new arrivals, adding that the charges also cover care and maintenance.
A New York real estate developer accused of drunkenly crashing his Porsche in the Hamptons and leaving his friend to die could have his assets seized, it has emerged.
Sean Ludwick, 43, was arrested in January on suspicion of trying to evade prosecution on charges of vehicular homicide and drunken driving stemming from a fatal crash in Southampton, New York last August.
He is awaiting trial after being indicted in the death of Paul Hansen, 53. If convicted, he faces up to 32 years in prison.
Now it has emerged that Hansens widow, Catherine, has filed a wrongful death claim seeking up to $10 million from the executive.
According to Page Six, lawyers for the Hansen family will urge a judge to prevent the millionaire from moving any of his assets offshore or putting them in someone elses name.
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Busted: New York real estate executive Sean Ludwick, center, is pictured in court. The suspect in a deadly crash was ordered held without bail, having been deemed a serious flight risk
Ludwick, 43, was arrested in January on suspicion of trying to evade prosecution on charges of vehicular homicide and drunken driving
Ludwick was apprehended by federal authorities in Puerto Rico, where he was trying to buy a boat large enough to take him to South America, Robert Clifford, a spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney, said.
After his capture on the Caribbean island, he was brought back to Long Island and ordered to be held without bail.
I don't think any amount of bail would assure his return to court, state Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho said last month. He's remanded.
Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said besides trying to buy a $400,000, 50-foot sailboat capable of helping him flee, Ludwick performed hundreds of Internet searches on topics like finding countries that don't have extradition treaties with the US, among them Venezuela, as well as information on the percentage of bail jumpers who are actually caught, trials in absentia, and how to be an effective liar.
This man was absolutely going to flee, Spota said after the hearing. The searches clearly show that he wanted to know what country or countries were free of extradition to the United States. He was focusing clearly on Venezuela.
Spota said Ludwck began plotting his exit strategy after the January 4 arraignment, where he learned he could face up to 32 years in prison if convicted of the charges against him.
Ludwick is awaiting trial after being indicted in the death of Paul Hansen (pictured). If convicted, he faces up to 32 years in prison
Sean Ludwick is pictured arriving at Southampton Town Justice Court in Hampton Bays on September 4, 2015
Ludwick allegedly crashed his Porsche into a utility pole as he drove Hansen home to Sag Harbor, New York, in the early hours of August 30.
But instead of calling for help, he is accused of dumping the real estate brokers body in the street leaving the father to die feet from his own home, according to prosecutors.
At a hearing at Suffolk County Court in Janaury, prosecutor John Scott Prudenti told Judge Fernando Camacho that Ludwick had also thrown Hansens personal belongings into the woods before fleeing although he didnt get too far.
There were some personal effects from the victim, Mr Hansen, that he threw out into the woods, Prudenti said.
The defendant in the most cold-hearted fashion removed the rest of Mr Hansens body from the car, laid him in the street and fled as far as that car would take him, he added, according to 27East.
Prudenti also revealed that the crash had damaged the 2013 Porsche, which he drove off in despite the fact it was missing its front wheels. Ludwicks blood alcohol level was reportedly double the legal limit to drive four hours after the crash.
Ludwick (pictured) was caught trying to flee the county using a $400,000 sailboat while out on $1million bail
Last week defense attorney Benjamin Brafman denied Ludwick was plotting to flee, saying he has two young children he would have to leave behind.
'It was never his intent to leave the United States,' Brafman said, suggesting the Google searches were nothing more than a fantasy.
Following his arraignment, Ludwick allegedly looked up online 'why do fugitives get caught' and 'how do fugitives escape.' He also searched '5 countries with no extradition' and 'seeking citizenship in Venezuela,' reported 27East.
Brafman said, 'of all the sailing instructors in the world,' Ludwick encountered an FBI agent in Puerto Rico who had given his client sailing tips.
Prosecutors said Ludwick had discussed purchasing a sailboat with the help of the sailing instructor/FBI agent, whom they declined to identify. They said the real estate executive, with a purported wealth in the hundreds of millions, had gone so far as to wire $385,000 to Puerto Rico to complete the sale.
According to court documents, the sailing instructor became suspicious of questions Ludwick asked him concerning the ability of the vessel to make it to South America, and other inquiries about his knowledge of extradition laws.
At the same time, a concierge at the hotel where Ludwick stayed also became suspicious, Spota said.
Separately, the concierge and the sailing instructor each contacted authorities in New York about their suspicions. They apparently found from Internet searches of Ludwick that he had pending criminal charges against him, prosecutors said.
Authorities on Long Island and the US Marshals Service then tracked Ludwick's movements off his cellphone. He traveled from Puerto Rico to Miami to Connecticut and eventually to his home in Sag Harbor, New York, where he was arrested.
Ludwick allegedly crashed his Porsche into a utility pole as he drove Hansen (pictured) home to Sag Harbor, New York, in the early hours of August 30 last year
The victim's widow Catherine Hansen stands over his casket outside St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church in Sag Harbor on September 3, 2015, following his funeral
Shortly after the fatal car crash in August, Daily Mail Online revealed Ludwick had drunk tequila after tequila at a club in Long Island called 230 Down before driving off with Hansen.
According to a police report, he had strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath, his speech was slurred and slow, his eyes were bloodshot, glassy and hooded or partially closed.
It added: During the interview and investigation, he stood with a wide stance and continuously swayed from front to back and he stumbled when he tried to walk.
He initially refused to allow a test to examine his blood alcohol level at the scene and had demanded an attorney before eventually giving blood four hours later.
Authorities seized CCTV footage from the club and interviewed other revelers to establish the extent of Ludwicks drinking on the night in question.
Hansen had declined joining his friends earlier that evening and dined with his family and put his children to bed before joining Ludwick at the club.
Ludwicks 11-year-old son was having a sleepover at Hansens home that night.
While Ludwick downed tequilas, his friend drank significantly less and sometimes replaced alcohol with glasses of water.
The pair later left together in order for Ludwick to drop Hansen off at home and pick up his son as well.
Residents of a small German town have reacted with fury at their mayor's response to a resident's concerns migrants have been sexually harassing his granddaughter.
About 100 people from Bad Schlema, in eastern Germany, were gathered at a town hall when the mayor told them to tell their children not to 'provoke' the asylum seekers, it was reported.
This prompted outrage among those in attendance as they claimed they should be allowed to walk wherever they liked.
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According to footage from the meeting, the elderly man raised concerns about his granddaughter being sexually harassed
The mayor's response - that the schoolgirls do not 'provoke' the migrants - caused outrage
It comes just weeks after a spate of sex attacks across German cities saw hundreds of women report to police they had been sexually assaulted by 'Arab or North African men'.
The video shows an elderly man raising concerns about his granddaughter with mayor Jens Muller, from Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party, Breitbart reported.
According to the translation, he states: 'I have a question regarding the school - about physical education in the school gym.
'She's under 10 and it also happened in a nearby town. The girls have been harassed by the refugee children... The asylum seekers, and they get harassed from the windows [of the shelter] and things like that.
'How will this be in the summer when the school girls wear less clothing?'
Attempting to bat away the question quickly and easily, the major responded: 'That's easy, just don't provoke them and don't walk in these areas.'
But his response caused outrage among the audience, with many jeering and lambasting him for the dismissive response.
Members of the audience could be heard crying out: 'You cant even walk in your own city anymore!' and 'go home, boy, who the hell elected you?'
Others were heard shouting: 'They [the migrants] come here and we're not allowed to walk here anymore!' and 'boy oh boy, you've got some nerve. What kind of mayor is this? He should step down!'
Despite the poor reception his comments received, Mr Muller continued enraging the audience.
'Well, it's not technically necessary for the girls to walk there. There are alternative routes for going to school.'
An audience member responded: 'It doesn't f****** matter if there are other routes!'
Many audience members jeered and lambasted the mayor for his dismissive response to their concerns
Another could be heard crying out 'oh boy', in the exchange which was captured on camera
The mayor then quipped: 'Do you think this doesn't exist among Germans?', only to be told: 'That has nothing to do with this! Germans go to prison for this,' by a resident.
In recent weeks German authorities have attempted to mitigate the fears caused by the waves of sex attacks at New Year that were blamed on migrants.
Social workers in Cologne have been giving migrants special training to prepare them for the city's traditional, and boisterous, Carnival celebrations.
The effort comes in the wake of a string of robberies and sexual assaults on New Year's Eve in the city that police say were committed largely by foreigners.
German authorities are keen to avoid a repeat of those events during the five-day street party starting Thursday.
Caritas, a Catholic welfare association, hosted a lecture Tuesday for 150 migrants who got a crash course from teachers dressed in costumes and with performances by local musicians.
Hundreds of thousands of revelers are expected to party on the streets and in the city's pubs and bars until Ash Wednesday.
Hundreds of women filed police reports claiming they were sexually assaulted in Cologne during the city's chaotic New Year's Eve celebrations (pictured)
A 19-year-old student was shocked to discover her mother had secretly rented out her bedroom on Airbnb while she was at university.
Hannah Speed, a first year politics student, said her mother, Pat, 56, had listed the double bedroom at the family home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, just five days after she left to start at Durham University.
The room, which is on offer for 39-a-night, was even booked out over part of the Christmas holiday, which left Hannah sleeping in the spare room for her last few nights at home.
Secret: First year politics student Hannah Speed, pictured in her room at Durham University, only discovered her mother had listed her bedroom on Airbnb after she left home. It is now rented for 39-a-night
Online favourite: Mother Pat has received five-star reviews for the listing, pictured in a grab from Airbnb
But the teenager said she has now worked out a deal with her mother, who gives her daughter 10 per cent of the profits.
Hannah, who is also a keen debater, said she was made to clean up her bedroom and box up her things before she left home, but that she didn't realise what her mother had planned.
'She took the photos for the ad the day I left for university,' Hannah said.
'I was pretty angry. Having strangers in your room is quite weird but we've managed to work it out and she now keeps me in the loop about who's staying and what they get up to.
'It was during Fresher's week and we were in the last five minutes of our conversation when she just mentioned it casually and then hung up on me.
'I had been suspicious when she made me tidy my room so thoroughly. She was obviously trying to hide it from me.'
Disappointed: Hannah, pictured, was forced to move to the spare room over the Christmas holidays after her own bedroom was booked out by an Italian couple. As part of their deal, she receives 10 per cent of the profits
Miss Speed said her room has had a 'huge upgrade' since she left, with a beloved Sri Lankan mask wall-hanging replaced with a generic picture of Salisbury Cathedral.
'The decor of my room has changed to accommodate strangers,' she said. 'Someone left a review saying how much they love the Nordic style.
'Once a drawing used to hang right outside my bedroom, but it's now been replaced with a painting of Stonehenge, because apparently that's of more interest to people.
'What's frustrating is that my mum has bought lots of really nice new bedding for the new guests which I never had when I was staying there.'
Hannah said her mother had promised that the room would be left empty over the holidays.
I had to move into the spare room for the final four days of my holiday at home, which wasn't very festive. I guess the room is just sitting empty, but I was really annoyed that I had to move out over Christmas Hannah Speed
But the student was forced to move into the spare room for the last part of the Christmas break because her mother had rented the room to an Italian couple.
'I had to move into the spare room for the final four days of my holiday at home, which wasn't very festive,' she said.
'I guess the room is just sitting empty, but I was really annoyed that I had to move out over Christmas.'
However her mother did pay her a 'bonus' for the inconvenience and Hannah told student newspaper The Tab that the money from the holiday let business pays for a 'few nights out'.
She said: 'I just cling to the financial incentive and try not think too much about the people who are in my bed, or what they might be doing.
'The worst part is that I've got an en-suite and the thought of strangers using that makes me feel a little bit sick.'
As Donald Trump was forced to accept second place in the Iowa caucuses, he joined the likes of Mitt Romney and Ronald Reagan who have lost the GOP contest in the past.
But the real estate tycoon also became part of a not-so esteemed group that includes Kanye West, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Reddit and Wikileaks.
He has become the latest figure to be dubbed a loser by the owners of the domain Loser.com.
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If internet users type in Loser.com, they will be redirected to Donald Trump's Wikipedia page. He is being trolled by the owners of the domain following his defeat in the Iowa caucuses
They have trolled the GOP hopeful, who lost to Ted Cruz on Monday, by redirecting their own page to his Wikipedia profile.
The billionaire is the latest target of the pranksters who have been doing the same thing for 15 years.
In 2000, for instance, they redirected their page to Al Gore's after he lost the election to George W. Bush.
In 2008, they attacked Barack Obamas presidential campaign. In 2010, they dubbed Wikileaks 'losers'.
The domain name is said to be worth close to $7,000.
Trump finished the Iowa caucuses in second place on Monday night, losing the first presidential contest of the year to the Texas Senator, who ended up with 28 per cent of the Republican votes to the New York billionaire's 24 per cent.
Marco Rubio finished in third with better-than-expected 23 per cent of the votes.
Trump led in each of the last 10 Iowa GOP polls, but Cruz claimed victory in the only survey that counted.
His victory, on a night of record caucus turnout, gave him the largest raw number of votes more than 51,000 ever cast for a GOP Iowa caucus contender.
The billionaire is the latest target of the pranksters who have been doing the same thing for 15 years. He is pictured at a caucus rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday
In 2008, the owners of the domain, which is said to be worth $7,000, attacked Barack Obamas first presidential campaign
In 2000, they redirected their page to Al Gore's after he lost the election to George W. Bush
Twitter users also made sure one of The Donald's tweets from 2014 surfaced that had particular significance because of Monday night's result
This morning, Trump spent his time on Twitter slamming the voters for his loss.
'I don't believe I have been given any credit by the voters for self-funding my campaign, the only one. I will keep doing, but not worth it!' Trump tweeted.
He also pointed fingers at the media for now crowning his second place finish behind Ted Cruz a win.
'The media has not covered my long-shot great finish in Iowa fairly. Brought in record voters and got second highest vote total in history!' Trump wrote.
The usually Twitter-happy Donald Trump kept quiet for 15-plus hours in the aftermath of the Iowa caucuses, where he was bested Cruz, but finally popped back online this morning to thank voters and spin his defeat.
'My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place,' Trump tweeted. 'Nice.'
'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,' Trump continued. 'Great honor.'
Trump is looking forward to New Hampshire, a state where his polling edge is in double digits, where he'll campaign tonight in Milford in a bid to bury his Iowa defeat.
'I will be talking about my wonderful experience in Iowa and the simultaneous unfair treatment by the media-later in New Hampshire. Big crowd,' he also tweeted.
French high schools are allowing students to smoke on school grounds so that they don't become targets for extremists when they gather for cigarette breaks on the street outside.
A leading union of school administrators first made the request five days after the November 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead and 350 wounded.
Following a refusal by the health ministry, the SNPDEN union last week renewed its call for a loosening of the school smoking ban as long as France remains under a state of emergency.
And some schools have already gone ahead anyway, according to media reports.
French high schools believe that by allowing students to smoke on school grounds they prevent them becoming targets for extremists when they gather for cigarette breaks on the street outside (file picture)
Around one third of French teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 smoke, according to government statistics.
In its letter dated November 18, the SNPDEN union said: 'During each recess, in more than 2,000 schools in France, dozens of youth or even hundreds at the largest establishments form static and compact groups in a predictable way for 15 to 20 minutes.'
The health ministry's rejection letter late last year included a reminder that France is currently trying to cut the number of smokers by 10 percent by 2019, and said that 'the state of emergency changes nothing' regarding anti-smoking laws.
A 13-year-old girl who was found dead may have met the Virginia Tech student charged with her murder on anonymous messaging app Kik.
David Eisenhauer, 18, is charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of seventh-grader Nicole Madison Lovell.
Another student, Natalie Keepers, 19, is charged with improper disposal of a body and accessory before the fact in the commission of a felony.
Today, investigators revealed Lovell was stabbed after she climbed out of her bedroom window in Blacksburg, Virginia, last Tuesday. Her body was found after a four-day search just over the state line in North Carolina.
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Police believe Nicole Lovell may have met the Virginia Tech student charged with her murder on anonymous messaging app Kik
But they still havent clarified exactly how Lovell and Eisenhauers lives intersected but have confirmed that the pair knew each other.
Blacksburg police said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer, of Columbia, Maryland, knew the girl before she disappeared but did not elaborate how.
Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage to abduct the 13-year-old and then kill her, a police statement said. Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicoles body.
But the Washington Post reports that police told the childs mother Tammy Weeks that she met him online possibly on Kik, a messaging app that grants anonymity to its users.
It was some off-the-wall site I never heard off, Weeks said.
The app allows users to only be identified by their usernames. However, third party websites allow users to search for others by age and gender making the app particularly attractive to pedophiles and predators and the bane of law enforcement.
Nicole Lovell, 13, disappeared from her home last Tuesday and her body was found four days later
Virginia Tech student David Eisenhauer (left), 18, has been charged with the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell. Fellow student Natalie Keepers (right), 19, allegedly helped dispose of the body
In February last year, one convicted sex offender spoke about the app to WTNH, and said it is getting dangerous.
The first thing I thought was Wow! I can be whoever I want to be. I can get anybody I want. I can achieve my sexual glorification through this app, he told the station.
He explained that predators could simply download the Kik messenger app for a mobile phone, make up a fake username, and through Kik, download another app called Hit Me Up.
'With the combination of both of those apps, you go on and say I like little boys between this age and this age, and people would start sending you pictures,' he added.
The app is also popular with social media savvy teenagers, including Lovell.
WHAT IS KIK MESSENGER? Kik is a smartphone messenger app that allows users anonymity Kik was founded in 2009 by a group University of Waterloo students who decided to build a company that would shift the center of computing from the PC to the smartphone. Unlike other messenger apps that require a working phone number, like Whatsapp, Kik uses usernames as the basis for accounts. This, according to the app's website, is so 'users are always in complete control of who they talk to on Kik.' This grants Kik users - more than 240million - anonymity. It allows to users to search for people by username and exchange pictures and videos. Ted Livingston, the start-ups founder and chief executive, has said the service, reaches roughly 40 per cent of Americans aged 13 to 25. The free app uses native advertising - including video advertisements - to earn revenue. To target its primarily young audience, it also offers advertisers the chance to reach consumers using branded GIFs. The app's guidelines says users must enter their birthdate and be 13 years of age or older in order to register a Kik account. However, in a guide for law enforcement, Kik says names, emails and ages do not allow the company to find user accounts - the exact username is required. They will, however, preserve data for a period of 90 days, pending receipt of a valid order from law enforcement. Data that may be available include basic subscriber information, such and names and email addresses, link to a current profile picture, device related information, birthdate and user location information, such as the most recently used IP address. However, the company does not have access to content or 'historical user data' - such as conversations and photographs. 'Photographs and videos are not accessible to our Law Enforcement Operations team, and are automatically deleted within a short period after they are sent,' the guidelines say. 'We dont have access to the text of Kik conversations. For some versions of Kik, conversations are ONLY stored on the phones of the Kik users involved in the conversation. 'For other versions of Kik (which allows users to access their message history after logging out and then back in to their Kik account), the text of recent conversations is temporarily stored by us in a format that we cant read.' Advertisement
According to the Post, she led an active, imaginary life online a world away from her reality.
The youngster bore emotional and physical wounds, suffering from bullying over the scars from the liver transplant she had at five.
Weeks said her daughter didn't like going to school because girls called her fat and talked about the scars from her transplant.
But on Kik as well as other social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, she found the self-confidence boost she desired, reportedly flirting with strangers and sharing flirty pictures.
She was also a member of several 'teen dating' Facebook groups.
However, the apps anonymity makes it a minefield when it comes to solving crimes, such as child exploitation, bomb threats and terrorism.
In 2014, a former teacher, Gregory Bogomol was sentenced to 60 years in prison for preying on children via social media sites, including Kik.
The Fairfax County Police Departments child exploitation unit caught Daniel Rosen, a State Department counter-terrorism official, attempting to arrange a meeting with a child.
He admitted to stalking and voyeurism and was sentenced to 32 months in prison.
On Sunday, troopers searched a duck pond in Blacksburg as part of the investigation into Lovell's death
Lovell's body was found the day before. It's unclear what they were looking for in the pond on Sunday
The units chief, Lt. James Bacon, told the Post: Unfortunately, we see it every day. You can make a Kik account and you can make yourself out to be anyone you want to be.
He added that because the app is based in Ontario, Canada, police have a difficult time getting the company to co-operate on cases.
The company denied this, adding it has been active in helping authorities in this case.
It said: 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.
Last year, the company announced plans to use Microsofts PhotoDNA software to premoderate any images users share inside the service and block attempts to share child pornography
Nicole disappeared from her home in the Lantern Ridge area of Blacksburg, Virginia, on Tuesday night, vanishing without her liver medication and with just a blanket and a bottle of water.
Her body was found near Route 89 just over the North Carolina border, about 60 miles from where she was last seen.
The arrests of Eisenhauer and Keepers, two ambitious students, shocked people who knew them in Maryland, where they attended nearby high schools. Neither had prior criminal records, police said.
Both made their initial court appearances on Monday but said little. Their lawyers have declined to comment.
A model has dropped her lawsuit accusing Bill Cosby of drugging and sexually abusing her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008, but now the disgraced comedian has been ordered to give a second deposition in another case.
Federal court records show Chloe Goins dismissed her civil complaint against the 78-year-old actor on Tuesday without explanation.
Her filing in Los Angeles was done in a way that would allow it to be refiled at a later date.
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Surprise twist: Model Chloe Goins on Tuesday abruptly dismissed her civil complaint against Bill Cosby after accusing the comic of sexually abusing her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008
Back in court: Cosby, center, appeared in court in Pennsylvania Tuesday asking a judge to dismiss felony sex abuse charges in a 2004 case
In this courtroom sketch, as attorney Brian McMonagle, right, speaks, fellow attorney Monique Pressley, left, and their client Bill Cosby, listens
Prosecutors in Los Angeles decided last month not to file criminal charges against Cosby over Goins' accusations, noting that some details could not be corroborated.
Goins sued Cosby in October, claiming that in 2008, when she was 18 years old, she met Cosby at the Playboy Mansion, he gave her a drink and that she awoke to find him biting her toes with his pants around his ankles.
The District Attorney has pointed out a number of problems with this claim, starting with the fact that Goins was not certain of the night the assault had happened at the Play Mansion.
The night she had originally claimed, investigators were able to determine that Cosby had been across the country in New York.
Furthermore, there was no footage of either Goins or Cosby outside the party from video studied by the investigators in the case.
A search of the guest lists from other parties that year at the Mansion also showed that Cosby had only been there on one occasion, in February.
Tuesday was marked by a flurry of legal activity in the various civil and criminal cases concerning Mr Cosby.
The same day Goins (left) dropped her lawsuit, a judge ordered Cosby to give a second deposition in the case of Judy Huth (right), who has accused Cosby of attacking her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15
Attorney Gloria Allred speaks during press conference for the Judy Huth vs. Bill Cosby civil lawsuit hearing at the LA County Superior Court on February 2
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan ordered the embattled entertainer to give a second half-day deposition in the case of a woman accusing him of sexually assaulting her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15 years old.
'I want to order Mr. Cosby to sit for another deposition at his cost,' Karlan said at a hearing in Santa Monica.
In October, Cosby gave a deposition in the case, but plaintiff Judy Huth's attorney Gloria Allred contended that he failed to answer certain questions.
While lawsuits were being dropped and depositions ordered in California, across the country in Pennsylvania Bill Cosby arrived in court for a pre-trial hearing to have criminal charges dismissed against him in the case of Andrea Constand.
Constand, a former Temple University employee who currently lives in Toronto, accused Cosby of drugging and violating her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004.
The married comedian, who has been accused by more than 50 women of sexual misconduct, was charged in December with felony sexual assault in connection to the Constand case.
Chancellor George Osborne, pictured in Downing Street, today warned against scrapping corporation tax and replacing it with a levy on turnover
George Osborne was today challenged by a small businessman to create a 'level playing field' and not favour giants such as Google.
Mr Osborne has been heavily criticised since he praised a deal struck by HMRC for Google to pay just 130million in extra corporation tax for the past decade despite vast global profits.
The intervention came as Mr Osborne addressed the Federation of Small Businesses and warned against rushing to reform corporation tax - a solution to the Google row suggested by Lord Lawson.
The Chancellor was told by sales consultant Antonio Falco there was nothing wrong with tough business competition if everyone played by the same rules.
Mr Falco, regional chairman of the FSB in Surrey and West Sussex, said: 'I don't mind being in a tough game, all I want is the same rules.'
But Mr Osborne told the FSB: 'There is a challenge, which is the tax laws used to tax multinational corporations were devised in the 1920s and they didn't keep pace with not just the growth of the global economy and all the trade that has happened since then, but also the growth of the internet.
'We have been trying to get international agreement to change those laws and that international agreement is coming.
'Only last week we got 30 other countries, the rich countries of the world, to sign up to an agreement to exchange information on the tax affairs of companies, so we know what each other are up to as tax authorities.
'We are seeking to get a change so that they also publish that information so there is transparency.'
Critics of the Google deal have claimed that the amount the firm has agreed to pay 3 per cent tax on its profits from UK sales, but the corporation tax system is based on profits from 'economic activity' rather than sales.
Mr Osborne said: 'I have heard lots of proposals about getting rid of corporation tax altogether and raising a turnover tax.
'I would just enter this note of caution: that means a business that has made no money in a particular year, it maybe in a recession or a company that has lost a big order - they would be being hit with a tax bill.
'So I think before we rush to some other solution I would try and make corporation tax work, which is a tax on profits.
'And in particular - and this is where all the anger has come - make sure we are taxing the genuine economic activity that happens in this country.
'That's always a challenge, because if you make a car in Britain and sell it in another country, how much of the profit is because it was well sold in the sale room and how much of the profit is because it was built in Britain, the designers were in Britain and so on.
'This is not an easy issue to deal with but clearly the internet has made it much more challenging.'
Mr Osborne said his 'diverted profits tax' was designed to address the issues posed by multinational firms.
'This new rule means that if we can show real economic activity happening in this country it should be taxed in this country, rather than passed off to some other country in the world.
'In the end, for me, the real solution to the problem is this: many of the companies you are talking about and have been in the press are American companies.
Mr Osborne has been under pressure over corporation tax ever since he praised an HMRC settlement with Google over taxes for the past decade
'We need more of these British companies, we need British companies growing and succeeding on the internet.'
Following the speech, Mr Falco told the International Business Times: 'It's very difficult what he's trying to do, he's trying to keep everyone happy. He has to keep the corporates happy,' the FSB man said.
'However, what has to happen is there has to be a bit more even handiness. It's getting to the point where people are sick of the excuses, sick of no solutions and who knows what's going to happen.
Former Tory Chancellor Lord Lawson, pictured, has called for corporation tax reform
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: 'When Google is seeing its UK revenue rise to 1.3bn in one quarter alone, to then pay a potential single digit tax rate just seems like a slap in the face to taxpayers, and it only seems like a lack of ambition from a Chancellor when he describes it as major victory'.
'It's time that George Osborne got a grip of this situation as it's becoming a daily occurrence that we read yet another multinational are not paying their fair share in tax meaning other taxpayers have to shoulder the burden.
'George Osborne should use the EU negotiations not to cut the pay of people on low incomes but to get a deal at EU level on tax so that we are getting the tax status of these big multinationals under control.'
Last week Lord Lawson, who was chancellor in Margaret Thatcher's governments between 1983 and 1989, told the Telegraph: 'It is profoundly unsatisfactory that corporation tax has to be collected from large multinational corporations by a series of ad hoc compromise deals, as we have once again seen with the Google affair.
'It is also grossly unfair on smaller businesses, who are unable to shift profits between tax jurisdictions and have to pay the full amount due under UK law.
'I have long argued that in the modern world corporation tax has had its day as a major source of tax revenue. It needs to be a much lesser tax, bolstered by a tax on corporate sales.
'While multinationals can artificially shift profits to whatever tax jurisdictions they choose, sales are where they are, and can't be shifted.
A gang of burglars who preyed on scores of pensioners were trapped by the sat nav systems they had used to find victims' homes.
The criminals have been jailed for a total of 21 years after they raided 39 different houses stealing around 100,000 worth of jewellery.
But they were finally trapped and brought to justice after police discovered a TomTom satnav they had used to plan their operations to Devon and Sussex.
Tomas Paulavicius, 36 and Dainius Gastilavicius, 39, were jailed for eight and seven years respectively
The stored searches also enabled detectives to link their movements to all the burglaries.
The Lithuanian gang had moved to East London to work in the building trade but turned to crime and burgled a total of 23 homes in Devon and 16 in Sussex.
Jailing them at Exeter Crown Court, a judge read several victim impact statements.
Most were elderly and lost jewellery which had been handed down through their families for generations and which they planned to pass on to their grandchildren.
One home owner rushed back from holiday because her mother had died only to find her home had been burgled.
The youngest member of the gang, Arturas Malysovas, 21, pictured, received a six-year jail term
Another victim lost a gold watch which he had given to his wife as a wedding present while another pensioner had money she had set aside to go on holiday taken.
Two homeowners also said they were so upset they planned to move.
Dainius Gastilavicius, 39, Arturas Malysovas, 21, and Tomas Paulavicius, 36, all from London, all denied conspiracy to burgle.
But the jury heard the gang operated around Britain for eight months until their arrest in March 2015.
The trio chose not to give evidence and they were found guilty in less than hour by a jury who had spent a week listening to detailed forensic evidence.
The court heard that the Satnav, DNA, phone and number plate recognition evidence was used to build up an exact picture of their movements.
Gastilavicius was jailed for seven years, Malysovas for six years, and Paulavicius for eight years by Recorder Mr James Waddington.
He told them: 'Your crimes were professionally planned and carried out and involved to travelling to various areas by car and targeting homes you believed to be unoccupied.
'I have heard 22 victim impact statements which refer to items of jewellery of great sentimental value. Their loss has caused anxiety and feelings that the losers no longer feel safe in their own homes.
'They all feel violated. You have been brought to justice by a thoroughly professional and painstaking police operation by the police in Devon and Somerset and Sussex.
'The full facts make it clear these offences are much more serious than each burglary considered individually.'
Police discovered evidence linking the three men to the burglaries on a Sat Nav device, file photograph
During the trial he jury heard how the men were initially identified by DNA left on windows during raids in Tiverton and Paignton in Devon.
This led police to uncover their satnav exposed the full scale of their offending.
Prosecuting, Bathsheba Cassel, said: 'This was a highly professional and well organised conspiracy which caused loss and distress to a large number of victims.
'The jewellery stolen was often of extremely high sentimental value. The value of the jewellery stolen in Devon alone is calculated at 90,000 to 100,000.
'More than half the victims were elderly and retired people, a number of whom were very infirm or vulnerable.'
Shocking photographs have emerged of the squalid conditions endured by two teenage girls after they were trafficked and held captive by three Romanian migrants as part of a sex slave racket.
The trio brought two teenage girls to Britain on the pretext of them working as hotel chambermaids - only to force them into a prostitution.
They were arrested after police raided their home in Preston, Lancashire and rescued the two women, both aged 18, who were found living in appallingly basic conditions.
Inquiries revealed the girls had only been in the UK for around two weeks and were forced to perform sexual acts on clients who had answered adverts on a sex website.
Shocking photographs have emerged of the squalid conditions endured by two teenage girls after they were trafficked and held captive by three Romanian migrants as part of a sex slave racket
Piles of rugs and laundry lie scattered on the bare mattress where the girls were forced to work as prostitutes
The rooms where the teenage girls worked as prostitutes consisted of little more than a single unmade double bed. No pictures or fittings hung on the empty walls of the squalid rooms.
The victims were threatened with violence and told their families would be harmed back home if they refused to comply or tried to run away.
They were also repeatedly raped by their gangmasters. One told officers: 'I cut myself thinking that it's better to take my own life before he takes mine.' Pictures of the property showed the state of the bedrooms at the time of the rescue.
Marius Petre, 26 and Adrian Matei, 34, were both found guilty at Preston Crown Court of facilitating entry to the UK of a person with a view to their sexual exploitation inciting prostitution for financial gain and two counts of rape.
Construction worker Ionut Ion, 35, was found guilty of running a brothel and two counts of rape.
Police said the men were arrested at an address on Longworth Street in Preston in July 2015 as part of a joint operation between Lancashire Constabulary, the National Crime Agency (NCA) and immigration officers.
At Preston Crown Court, Marius Petre, (left) 26, and Adrian Matei, (centre) 34, were both found guilty of trafficking and two counts of rape. Construction worker Ionut Ion, (right) 35, was found guilty of running a brothel and two counts of rape
The room appears to have no pictures or fittings except a unmade bed. The two teenage girls were rescued after police received intelligence from a Twitter user
Intelligence originating from a tweet on the Preston Police Twitter page led officers to the address which was suspected to be a brothel and concerns were raised about young women at the property.
One the girls told the court how she and other victim met Petre and Matei in a Romanian disco and they agreed to go to the UK to work as a maid to give her sick mother support and they were brought to Britain on a cross channel ferry.
Speaking through an interpreter she said: 'I went out with them a few times just for a cup of coffee or a soda and they were telling us to come with them in UK to work in hotels as maids.
'After we arrived he took us aside and he told us that what we were expecting to work is not real, basically we'll work as prostitutes and have clients.
'At first I refused and said I don't want to do that but then because I was quite afraid for him not to beat me up I said OK.'
She said he had been violent, adding: 'I got so upset, I was so upset because of my mum because she's not well. I didn't know how to act, what can I do to be OK? He told me there's no point to leave because he'll find me anyway.'
One of the girls told the court how she and other victim met Petre and Matei in a Romanian disco and they agreed to go to the UK to work as a maid to give her sick mother support and they were brought to Britain on a cross-channel ferry
Police said both girls are being supported with a view to returning to Romania or staying in the UK with immigration status assistance
The woman said she was forced to send text messages to potential clients offering her services and had to be 'extra nice' so they would pay her. One punter, who did not expect sex said he would give her money to send back to her sick mother in Romania.
During the trial one of the women was accused by a defence lawyer of being 'enthusiastic about the idea of getting money through prostitution.' The three men denied all the charges but were convicted after a trial and will be sentenced on 15 March 2016.
Police said both girls are being supported with a view to returning to Romania or staying in the UK with immigration status assistance.
'These convictions are the culmination of a long and intricate inquiry by Preston CID in a complex area of policing in which identifying human trafficking or modern slavery can be very difficult,' DI Jane Webb of Preston Police said.
'The girls were forced into sexual exploitation and like so many victims of modern day slavery; they were controlled and trapped by the traffickers who brought them to Preston, and were fearful of repercussions on their families and themselves if they tried to seek help.
'We know that people are being taken advantage of and find themselves in this position every day in Lancashire and across the country.
'We have dedicated officers working hard to remove this threat from our communities and I hope that this case will make people think twice before they take advantage of vulnerable people.
'The girls have been incredibly brave throughout this whole process and are now being supported to build better lives here in the UK.
'They are thankful for being rescued from the evil men that subjected them to such abhorrent crimes and they would urge others out there who may be trapped and are being exploited, to come forward knowing help is available.
A TV weatherman in south-central Idaho has been charged with felony rape after a woman claims he placed his hand on her throat during a violent sex attack in his home.
Prosecutors say that KMVT-TV's John William Holland, 23, used 'force or violence' to restrain a woman during the attack on Friday night.
The woman told officers with the Twin Falls Police Department she met Holland for a date on Friday at a local restaurant where they had drinks, Times-News reported. She agreed to go back to his apartment for dinner, where he allegedly poured her a heavy alcoholic drink.
According to Times-News, the woman told police that she laid on the couch because she didn't feel well, and that he removed her underwear from under her dress.
KMVT-TV weatherman, John William Holland (above), has been charged with felony rape in Twin Falls, Idaho. Police say that he met a woman on Friday at a local restaurant before they went back to his home
She told police with the Twin Falls Police Department that Holland (above) initiated sex, but that she declined three times and he refused to stop
Authorities obtained a search warrant and recovered physical evidence from his home after she contacted police about the incident
The alleged victim claims that she told him to stop, but he started to grab under her dress before he led her 'to his bedroom while she was stumbling', according to court documents.
Holland allegedly removed her dress and pushed her onto the bed, before throwing a wrapped condom on her chest.
'It was from this point on that she knew Holland was going to rape her,' court documents said.
The woman told police that she threw the condom back at him and told him that 'she did not want to do this', to which he responded that he was 'pro-condom'.
Court documents said that Holland placed one hand on her throat while attacking her as she asked again for him to stop.
The woman said it ended when he got up and said he was 'sorry to disappoint' and told her that he was done, Times-News reported.
When she told him she needed to leave, the woman said he had a concerned look on his face and that he put her underwear back in her purse saying 'not to forget them'.
The station's general manager said in a statement: 'We are reviewing the information provided to us by the court about Mr Holland's arrest and charge'
The statement continued: 'We take the allegations seriously, and we will follow this situation and report on it as we would any similar case'
Authorities obtained a search warrant and recovered physical evidence from his home after she contacted police about the incident when he left.
Chuck Peterson, Holland's attorney, said during Monday's arraignment that his client 'adamantly denies the charge'.
'I think this is an incredibly thin case, and we're going to defend it,' Peterson told the Times-News after the arraignment. 'I don't think he's guilty of anything.'
Holland, who goes by the name Jack on-air, is currently on leave from the CBS affiliate.
'We are reviewing the information provided to us by the court about Mr Holland's arrest and charge,' the station's general manager said in a statement.
'We take the allegations seriously, and we will follow this situation and report on it as we would any similar case.'
Holland appeared in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on Monday where he entered a not guilty plea.
His bond was requested to be $50,000, but the judge reduced the amount to $10,000.
Holland's preliminary hearing has been scheduled for February 12, and a no-contact order has been issued for the alleged victim.
If he is found guilty, he could face one year to life in prison and also could pay up to $50,000 in fines.
Holland (left) appeared in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on Monday where he entered a not guilty plea. His bond was requested to be $50,000, but the judge reduced the amount to $10,000
According to his LinkedIn page, Holland graduated from Florida State University with a Meteorology degree in May 2014.
Shortly after graduation, he was hired by KMVT-TV to be its morning meteorologist.
On his biography section on LinkedIn, Holland, who is originally from Ohio, wrote: 'Broadcast meteorology to me is an important responsibility.
American RnB star Jason Derulo startled fans when he walked on stage at a Worcester nightclub and announced: 'Hello Wolverhampton'.
Bungling Derulo, famous for hits Watcha Say and Ridin' Solo, had already left over 1,300 revellers waiting for 20 minutes when he finally arrived at Tramps nightclub just before 3am.
Disappointed clubbers complained that the singer who arrived late, danced on the balcony for just 15 minutes and greeted Wolverhampton - a city 40 miles away.
Jason Derulo, pictured with his crew, hosted an afterparty at Tramps nightclub in Worcester when he accidentally greeted his fans by saying: 'Hello Wolverhampton!'
Club manager Dean Hill said Derulo 'was on stage a lot longer than ten to 15 minutes' and that he and his entourage were at the club until 4.10am.
The event at the club on Saturday wasn't a Derulo gig but an afterparty he had agreed to host, after a gig he had played earlier that night in Birmingham.
Laura Clifton from Malvern, Worcsester, said: 'We thought it would be a good way to finish the night after we went to his concert in Birmingham.
'It was a really great concert - it was just a pity Worcester was an absolute let down and ruined the night.
Derulo had already left over 1,300 revellers waiting for 20 minutes when he finally arrived at the club just before 3am
Disappointed clubbers complained that the singer danced on the balcony for just 15 minutes and greeted Wolverhampton - a city 40 miles away
'The DJ shouted 'Jason Derulo's in the house', but we were like 'well, where is he?'
'When he did finally he said 'Hello Wolverhampton' and we were shouting 'Worcester!'
'He didn't even know where he was.
'Maybe he should have gone to Wolverhampton instead.
But club manager Dean Hill said Derulo 'was on stage a lot longer than ten to 15 minutes' and that he and his entourage were at the club until 4.10am
'He danced behind his DJ Jae Murphy for most of it and just looked like he felt uncomfortable.
'There was quite a few people complaining, especially on Tramps' Facebook page.
'We wouldn't have been so bothered if he had actually hosted it and came in and said hello to everyone and told us he was going to handover to his DJ and would be back down later.
'He didn't even say goodbye.
'He's a massive star in America, massive over here but everyone was just disappointed.
One fan complained that Derulo ''danced behind his DJ Jae Murphy for most of [the night] and just looked like he felt uncomfortable'
'When Tramps had the X Factor rejects it was really well organised and they would have paid a lot of money to have him appear for him to be visible for only half an hour.
'It wasn't worth it.'
The four women asked for their money back on the night and have since made a complaint to the club online.
On the nightclub's Facebook page, Kate Mcginley wrote: 'What a waste of time. 2 hrs late for a start paid the extra for vip, that was pointless.
'Very disappointed to pay 20 to watch him dance to a Justin Bieber song with his mates for 5 mins.
'Wasted everyone's time, never seen a place clear so quickly with disappointment!'
Derulo is famous for hits such as Watcha Say and Ridin' Solo
Mr Hill added: 'People have complained he didn't perform but we said from the start he wouldn't be, it was an afterparty.
'We spend a lot of money bringing new things to Worcester like Snoop Dogg and Jason to raise the profile of Worcester.
'Unfortunately, you are probably going to have a few people who are not satisfied.
'We had 1,300 people in and have had positive feedback so it is only a few people complaining.
'Jason and his entourage were here until 4.10am, he'I think it was fantastic for the city and attracts more people to come to Worcester - I only see it as a positive.
Diyaa Lababidi - who has no UK driving licence - wrote of a 100,000 supercar 'less than a minute' after he got behind the wheel to pose for pictures
A club promoter with no UK driving licence wrote off a 130,000 supercar less than a minute after he got behind the wheel to pose for pictures, a court heard.
Diyaa Lababidi, 32, had a stupid boyish desire to drive the hired Lamborghini Gallardo VRM in an attempt to promote Drunch restaurant on Woodstock Street, off Oxford Street, central London.
But the Lebanese national underestimated the power of the accelerator and careered into steel bollards outside Bond House - just opposite Lababidi's 'boutique eatery'.
The impact of the crash sent the bollards flying through the windows and left a scene of mangled steel and shattered glass, Westminster Magistrates Court was told.
Police revealed the total damage was in excess of 100,000 - and the car was written off.
CCTV cameras from a neighbouring building filmed the crash at 12.15am on July 27, and the incident was reported to the police by a cleaner in Bond House.
Lababidi allegedly panicked and fled the scene with 38-year-old passenger Talal Alkassab, who is said to have hired the supercar from JM Investment Trading Ltd.
Malachy Pakenham, prosecuting, said the CCTV footage showed the Lamborghini driving towards Oxford Street before going out of shot.
It then accelerates into view at an angle and collides with the building at speed,' Mr Packenham told the court.
The driver appears to have no control of the vehicle and wasnt able to do anything about the speed.
Two persons were seen to get out of the vehicle, but it was not possible to identify them from the camera footage.
Mr Pakenham continued: Bollards had been launched into the basement window of the property as a result of the crash.
There was mangled steel and shattered glass at the scene.
Lababidi allegedly panicked and fledafter hitting bollards with such force they flew through a window
The Lamborghini was recovered three hours after the crash by a truck from C&S Motor Group and police were able to link the vehicle to Alkassab.
Alkassab allegedly failed to identify Lababidi as the driver when police requested information about the crash last August 10.
He denied failing to provide information relating to the identification of a driver at Westminster magistrates court.
Alkassab claims he provided all the information he could to the police and was ordered to stand trial on 1 April.
Lababidi admitted failing to report an accident, driving without a licence, driving without insurance and driving without due care and attention.
Stephanie Wookey, defending, said: The unfortunate reality of this situation is that he was driving the vehicle for less than a minute.
He had a stupid boyish desire to drive a fancy car and have a picture in it to promote his club.
It wasnt the case that he was speeding, he just underestimated the power of the accelerator of this car.
He just lost control of this car which he cant really drive.
Lababidi, 32, of Paddington, admitted failing to report an accident, driving without a licence, driving without insurance and driving without due care and attention. Pictured: Lamborghini Gallardo
Ms Wookey said Lababidi couldnt appreciate his responsibility to report the incident at the time because he was in a state of shock.
She said: He was urged by others to leave the scene because of the state he was in and effectively he was assured that it would be dealt with.
Magistrates were told Lababidis savings have been wiped out after he paid 7,500 towards the damage to the car.
He is said to have made full and frank admissions during his police interview.
The Lebanese national has been in the UK for 10 years and has an outstanding application to stay in the country with the Home Office.
Lababidi, of Paddington, awaits sentencing.
A transgender cab driver has claimed that benefit scrounger Stephen Beer wanted to sleep with her, leading the 25-stone slob and his wife to go on the Jeremy Kyle show and take a lie detector test.
Melissa Ede, a transgender activist from Hull, told MailOnline that Mr Beer allegedly first contacted her via Facebook and seemed friendly at first.
However before long, the 25-stone father of six, allegedly began 'dropping hints' that he wanted to bed Miss Ede. Matters came to a head when Mr Beer's wife Michelle intervened and exchanged angry messages with her husband's love interest.
During the Jeremy Kyle episode, which will be aired in three months time, the Beers both failed lie detector tests when asked if they had been unfaithful.
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Melissa Ede, a transgender activist from Hull, told MailOnline that Mr Beer first contacted her via Facebook and seemed friendly at first. She once applied to the Mars One mission and even got the logo tattooed on her
Plymouth couple Stephen and Michelle Beer, who used their benefits money to pay for their 3,000 wedding, are now battling to save their marriage following a lie detector test on the Jeremy Kyle show which said they were both unfaithful
Melissa, who once applied for a one way ticket to Mars, also claimed that morbidly obese Stephen allegedly continued to message her over social media after the show before he blocked her last night.
'After the show he continued to message me,' Melissa said before urging Stephen to 'move on with his life.'
'If I wanted to I could have had Steve at the drop of a hat. Steve never stood a chance with me. He was ringing me up and suggesting he took my transgender virginity,' Melissa told The Sun.
Melissa, 53, used to work as a welder, and has been single for 10 years. Born Leslie, she claimed that she also received abusive messages from Michelle, who called her 'a tranny with hairy legs.'
Melissa conceded that she had 'also been bitchy' but said she 'wouldnt touch Stephen with a barge pole.' 'Steve and Michelle have been cheating on each other. They are both cheats,' she said.
Plymouth couple Stephen and Michelle Beer hit the headlines following their appearance on the Channel 5 show 'Too Fat to Work' last year, causing national outrage after admitting their 3,000 wedding was funded by benefits.
The pair, famously dubbed Britain's fattest benefit scroungers, have denied any infidelity but Mr Beer, 45, said he was 'very jealous' while his 43-year-old wife has reportedly moved out of their home in Plymouth, Devon.
Mr Beer told Boudicca Fox Leonard of The Sunday People: 'I admit I am very jealous. But when you've got Jeremy Kyle saying the lie detector test is 99 per cent right, what do you do?'
At his heaviest, 5ft 5in Mr Beer, who has five failed marriages (to Eileen, Alison, Margaret, Fiona and Lynn) and is father to six children, weighed 32 stone.
Meanwhile, his 4ft 11in wife weighed 23 stone and has seven children from a previous relationship.
This will be the third appaearance on the Jeremy Kyle for Mr Beer, who has been on the show twice previously the first time sat between fifth wife Lynn and mistress Michelle.
The Beer's appearing on ITV's This Morning. Mr Beer - who has five failed marriages - said his wife thinks he had an affair with a woman he met through a television show
He said he was 'gutted' when Jeremy Kyle read out the results of the polygraph test. The pair appeared on the show ten days ago, which is yet to air on television.
Meanwhile, Mrs Beer failed three lie detector tests.
Mr Beer added: 'She failed on all three whether she had kissed anyone passionately other than me, if she'd had sexual contact with anyone else and if she had had sexual intercourse since the last lie detector text.'
He said he didn't know whether to believe his wife or the test: 'You've got to believe your wife, which makes me wonder was it a stitch up? I know Jeremy doesn't like me. He said that clearly.
'If the lie detector is wrong, then the show has a lot to answer for.'
Mrs Beer told The Sunday People: 'I've been left wondering if I'm in love with him. He's been really horrible.
'I couldn't take it anymore. It's been so difficult. He's so jealous, he doesn't believe me. I've told him it's all rubbish. I haven't cheated.'
The couple faced a backlash after admitting on television that they spent their benefits money on fast food, and their wedding. They later embarked on a weight-loss mission - but were spotted enjoying a KFC on their wedding anniversary
On the show Too Fat To Work, the Beer's revealed they received around 2,000 a month from the state - a combination of Disability Living Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance and other entitlements - and said they spent much of it on fry-ups, fish suppers and kebab dinners.
Following national public backlash, the pair, who weighed 55st between them, decided to embark on a weight-loss programme and Mr Beer vowed to return to work after discovering his wife had fallen pregnant.
However, after losing 13 stone between through an intensive weight-loss boot camp, they were spotted celebrating their anniversary on December 1, 2015, enjoying a slap-up KFC.
Triple killer: Colin McDonald, 42, who is due to be sentenced after being found guilty of manslaughter
The brother of an accountant who drowned after he was pushed into a canal has said it was 'disgraceful' that the attacker was released from prison to kill again.
Jonathan Tripp died aged 27 after career criminal Colin McDonald shoved him into the Rochdale Canal, in Manchester, during an attempted robbery in 1997.
McDonald was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for six years. Then in 2010, while on bail for a separate stabbing offence, McDonald killed 38-year-old Wayne Leary in a hit-and-run.
McDonald, 42, who was driving without insurance or a licence, was handed an 18-month sentence for causing death by careless driving.
He was back on the street five years later after serving half of his 10-year prison sentence for the brutal 2010 stabbing.
McDonald now faces jail again after being found guilty last week of manslaughter in the death of 21-year-old Dominic Doyle, who was stabbed at a pub in Denton, Greater Manchester in June last year.
Mr Tripp's brother, Simon, has called for the 'maximum sentence' to be imposed on McDonald, saying 'it should never be allowed to happen again'.
'It was a shock, to put it mildly, to see that he was up again for it,' he said. 'It is disgraceful. It is a joke. How is he able to walk the streets again?
'It seems that living on the outside does not suit him. He would be better off behind bars, he would be less of a menace to society.'
Jonathan, who studied at Manchester Metropolitan University, had just landed a job with a top Manchester law firm when he was killed.
Last picture: Jonathan Tripp, pictured with his niece and goddaughter Rachael just a week before his death. He drowned after McDonald pushed him into Rochdale Canal, Manchester, during an attempted robbery in 1997
The week before his death he had returned home to Dun Laoghaire in Ireland for Easter. It was while he was there that the last photo of him was taken.
The photo shows him proudly hugging his niece and goddaughter Rachael, Simon's eldest child.
'He couldn't have been prouder,' Simon said. 'Together the two of them lit up. We have been robbed of that, and I have been robbed of a brother, for no reason.'
He added: 'He was great fun. He was very sociable. Everyone that came into contact with him loved him. He didn't have a bad bone in his body. He never did a wrong thing in his life.'
Simon said the family were not capable of making a victim impact statement at the time of McDonald's trial 19 years ago and that they were 'devastated' with the sentence.
Victims: McDonald killed Wayne Leary, right with daughter Aimee, in a hit-and-run in 2010, while he was on bail for a separate offence. Last week McDonald was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Dominic Doyle, left
He called for McDonald to now be given the maximum sentence with 'no chance of early release' after being let off 'lightly' after his brother's death.
He said: 'He was released early from his sentence for killing Jonathan for good behaviour. I am hoping that public opinion might help the job to impose the sentence he deserves.
'Our lives were tuned upside down and it took me years to come to terms with it.'
MCDONALD'S HISTORY OF VIOLENCE 1997: McDonald jailed for manslaughter after following a stranger and pushing him into the canal in Manchester city centre. 2001: Released shortly after serving less than half of his 10-year sentence, he is convicted of GBH after breaking a man's jaw with a brick outside a pub. 2005: In the dock again for a fight outside a pub. 2010: He stabs a man 11 times in a brutal attack and is released on bail. He was later given 10 years for the offence. April 2010: Weeks after the stabbing he knocked down and killed Wayne Leary in Oldham Road, Failsworth. He fled the scene and handed himself in 36 hours later. He had no insurance and no licence and pleaded guilty to death by careless driving. He was jailed for 18 months. 2015: McDonald is back on the streets early in the year after serving half his sentence June 2015: McDonald encourages teenage boy to attack Dominic Doyle. January 2016: McDonald is convicted after a trial of manslaughter of Dominic Doyle. Advertisement
It comes after the mother of Mr Leary, who was killed as he crossed the road to meet his daughter, said it was 'appalling' that McDonald had been able to continue his life of crime.
Retired pub landlady Mrs Leary, 62, said: 'People say a leopard never changes its spots and that is exactly the case with Colin McDonald.
'He should never have been let out of jail in the first place after the first killing, let alone after he left my son to die like he did. I just feel sorry for the family of his latest victim.
'I am a religious person and I do believe in giving people another chance but I will never forgive that man and I will never forget what he did.
'I just hope the judge locks him away for good this time. I am sick of soft justice in this country letting people out just to commit similar crimes over and over again.'
She added: 'I don't think that the public is protected enough from people like McDonald. McDonald is a career criminal, a violent criminal. He is 42. It's not as if he is a young kid.'
McDonald faces life in prison after his most recent conviction for his involvement in the bar brawl which led to the death of Mr Doyle, an innocent bystander.
Mr Doyle, who had been on the books of Manchester United as a young boy, was killed at random after one of his friends had a minor bust up with a 15-year old boy in a pub toilet in Denton.
The 15-year old and another teenager, 18, admitted murder.
McDonald, who was accused of encouraging the boy to attack others, was charged with murder but was found guilty of manslaughter at Manchester Crown Court.
Madoff is 'treated with respect' in prison, according to former fellow inmate
Several people have dubbed Madoff a 'sociopath', including a former FBI criminal profiler and actor Richard Dreyfus
Infamous fraudster Bernard Madoff is reportedly 'doing as well as can be expected', despite an issue with his heart.
The 77-year-old is serving an 150 year sentence at a federal prison in North Carolina for a series of fraud and money laundering charges after pleading guilty to the largest financial crime in American history.
Speaking to ABC News, his lawyer at the time, Ira Sorkin, said that while he had a 'little bit of a heart problem' he is doing fine.
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Infamous fraudster Bernard Madoff (above) is reportedly 'doing as well as can be expected', despite an issue with his heart, says his former lawyer Ira Sorkin
But what troubles him most is that his family still don't visit him, having stopped years ago. Both of his sons are dead but he has three grandchildren. Pictured is his wife Ruth
But, Sorkin reveals, what troubles him most is the fact that his wife and grandchildren still don't visit him, having stopped several years ago.
Madoff apparently 'regrets' what he put his family through.
Despite these comments, it seems that Madoff has not been very forthcoming with expressing his remorse and only made a brief reference to the estimated 20,000 investors, many of whom lost their life savings, says ABC.
He has also tried to shift the blame, telling New York magazine that he was not a 'horrible person' but simply 'allowed himself to be talked into something'.
The 77-year-old is serving an 150 year sentence at North Carolina's medium-security Butner correctional institution (above) for a series of fraud and money laundering charges
Madoff is treated with great respect by other inmates, says former fellow inmate John Mancini. Fellow inmates included New York mafia boss Carmine Persico (left) and the Israeli spy Jonathon Pollard (right)
This lack of admission has led some to dub him a 'sociopath'.
Former FBI criminal profiler Brad Garrett has called him a 'poster child' of an anti-social personality who 'clearly functions without a conscience'.
While Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, who plays Madoff in the up-coming ABC series documenting his fall from grace, said he was 'amoral.
Speaking to the New York Daily News he said: 'He was not only amoral, he was a sociopath, which means that ultimately, if you scratch the surface, he didn't give a hoot in hell about anybody including his family.
'Nothing. Nothing penetrated him. And I think when his sons died, he went, 'Oh, well.''
Award-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss (left) who plays Madoff in the up-coming ABC series documenting his fall from grace, said he was 'amoral'. While former FBI criminal profiler Brad Garrett has called him a 'poster child' of an anti-social personality who 'clearly functions without a conscience'
Madoff's son Mark committed suicide in 2010 while his brother Andrew died of cancer in 2014.
It also seems he is having an easy ride in prison and is treated with great respect by other inmates, former fellow inmate John Mancini told ABC News.
Mancini, who was convicted for the illegal sales of pain medication in 2006 said many came to him for financial advice and that he was given a 'plum job' in the prison commissary, selling snacks to other inmates.
Fellow inmates included New York mafia boss Carmine Persico, and the Israeli spy Jonathon Pollard, with whom he attended Jewish services.
Both have since been released.
A small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off a Florida beach on Tuesday morning with the two passengers on board swimming to safety before it disappeared under water.
Authorities said the single-engine propeller plane went down at 11.47am off Haulover Beach Inlet in Miami Dade County and that the two men inside survived with minor injuries.
The two passengers inside the plane, owned by a Fort Lauderdale flight school, told rescue crews that they experienced 'some trouble and had to put the plane down,' the SunSentinel reported.
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A small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Haulover Beach Inlet in Miami Dade County, Florida, on Tuesday morning. The men inside the plane survived with minor injuries
A witness at the scene told the station that the two men were able to swim to safety in the shallow ocean water, about 15 to 20 feet deep, before the plane sank in less than two minutes
The aircraft could be seen floating at the surface of the water at the scene of the crash site, which was about 40 feet from the shore
However, it is not exactly clear what caused the plane to go down just north of the jetty at Halouver Beach Inlet.
A witness at the scene told the station that the two men were able to swim to safety in the shallow ocean water, about 15 to 20 feet deep, before the plane sank in less than two minutes.
The men were rescued by two lifeguards who took a backboard out to them, according to the SunSentinel.
The United States Coast Guard also sent a pontoon boat to the scene and police marine patrols from three different agencies were seen circling around the crash site.
It is not exactly clear what caused the plane to go down just north of the jetty at Halouver Beach Inlet. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it is investigating the incident and that the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause
The men inside the plane were rescued by two lifeguards who took a backboard out to them, according to the SunSentinel. The United States Coast Guard also sent a pontoon boat to the scene and police marine patrols from three different agencies were seen circling around the crash site
In footage from the scene of the incident, which was about 40 feet from shore, a wing of the aircraft could be seen floating at the surface of the water, while the two men were shown as they were examined by paramedics.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it is investigating the incident and that the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause.
The plane, a Piper Cherokee PA-28 that can carry up to four passengers, operates out of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, according to CBS Miami.
A spokesman for the air field, Chaz Adams, told the SunSentinel that the plane is owned by Airborne Systems which is based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport but also has a location at Merritt Island Airport.
According to the company's website, it said it is one of the largest independent flight trainers in the United States for pilots of private and commercial aircraft.
The two men on board the plane, owned by a Fort Lauderdale flight school, told rescue crews that they experienced 'some trouble and had to put the plane down'. They are shown above as they are examined by paramedics
The plane, a Piper Cherokee PA-28 that can carry up to four passengers, operates out of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, according to CBS Miami. It sank in less than two minutes after it crashed
A mother and her three children have been left homeless after housing authorities ruled they could not stay with the children's grandparents because their apartment was 'for elderly only.'
Shabniz Raheeman, from Perth, and her children have spent the past two weeks sleeping in her car because of the ruling, 9News reported.
Ms Raheeman claims she was renting a home until late last year when she could no longer afford it because her former partner stopped paying child support and owed her about $11,000.
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Shabniz Raheeman, from Perth, and her children have spent the past two weeks sleeping inside their Holden Captiva SUV (above)
Ms Raheeman was renting a home to live in with her daughters but could no longer afford it as she claimed she was owed about $11,000 in child support
The young family spent Christmas living in their grandparents' spare room but were told by Western Australia's Housing Authority they had to move out because the apartment was for the elderly only.
'We've contacted so many different places The Smith Family, Crisis Care, Entrypoint, Anglicare, Centacare, you name it,' Ms Raheeman told 9News.
'There's no houses, no refuge because it's full. There's so many people going through this.
'It's my children that I look at. I just think that it's not fair.'
The mother and children fold down the back seats of the car and sleep together in the back
The children take off their shoes and put them into a compartment at the back of the car
The young family spent Christmas with their grandparents' spare room but were told by Western Australia's Housing Authority they could live there because the apartment was for the elderly only
She demonstrated how she and the children lived in the SUV, folding down the seats and unfolding sheets and blankets to make a bed in the back.
Compartments inside the car are used to store shoes and clothes.
Ms Raheeman said public housing officials had told her she does not qualify for 'priority accommodation' and declared she was 'finally at the end of my strength'.
Even the intervention of Federal MP Luke Simpkins could not sway the housing department who told him: '[The] client [Ms Raheeman] has other housing options besides public housing.'
A Housing Authority spokesman told Daily Mail Australia Ms Raheeman and her children staying at her mother's two-bedroom unit would be a safety risk because of overcrowding.
'The complex is also designated as seniors accommodation and it would not be fair to disrupt the lives of the other elderly tenants,' the spokesman said.
'Furthermore, Ms Raheeman has advised [the authority] that her mother was not coping well with them residing at her tenancy.'
The spokesman said the authority had knocked back Ms Raheeman's application to go on the priority list for public housing as she had other options.
Ms Raheeman does not qualify for 'priority accommodation' and she wanted to tell her story because she was 'finally at the end of my strength'
Even the intervention of Federal MP Luke Simpkins could not sway the housing department who told him: '[the] client has other housing options besides public housing.'
Here one of Ms Raheeman's daughters takes up her doll and prepares to go bed
She tucks her doll into the back of their car with the rest of the family
'[In her application, she] advised that renting privately was too expensive,' the spokesman said.
'In a letter to the Housing Authority dated 30 December 2015, she stated that she was currently paying $560 per week in rent.'
The spokesman said there were properties in Perth that were more than half that price.
He added the authority was a 'longer term housing provider' but Ms Raheeman was seeking a short-term solution.
The authority encouraged the mother to take up offers of accommodation from the community 'if they were suitable'.
Since she has run into trouble, Ms Raheeman has been flooded with messages of support.
She explained she wanted to speak out about the issue because she wanted to raise awareness.
'I wanted to share my story because I was finally at the end of my strength and wanted to share mine and my childrens [sic] story,' Ms Raheeman wrote on Facebook.
'I never wanted money (but I am grateful, please know that) but rather ur [sic] prayers and awareness.
'Its [sic] brought tears and smiles to our faces. Something that has been hard (smile) to do for some time.'
train cars but that Brathwaite sought out the victim then cut his chin
Police say that the men got on
A 37-year-old man allegedly slashed someone on a New York train this week, making it the tenth knifing attack in the subway this year.
Police say that Stephen Brathwaite used a folding knife on a 30-year-old man's face after the men both boarded the train at the Junius st. stop in East New York.
The victim, Steve Jean Baptiste, told police that he and a friend were waiting for the No. 3 train when they noticed Brathwaite staring at them as he paced back and forth, according to the New York Daily News.
Train stop: Police say that Stephen Brathwaite used a folding knife on a 30-year-old man's face after the men both boarded the train at the Junius st. stop in East New York.
'Wanna fight?' Brathwaite reportedly asked before pouring coffee on Baptiste's back.
Baptiste boarded a separate car than Brathwaite, who police say suffers from schizophrenia.
Cops say Brathwaite sought out his victim after they both got onto the train. He then allegedly lunged at Baptiste and slashed the right side of his chin, according to the New York Post.
Brathwaite was later arrested at Utica Ave and charged with assault, menacing in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment.
His knife was recovered on the train at the Nevins St. station, cops said, and Baptiste's injuries are non-life threatening.
There were seven slashings and three stabbings in the subway system as of Monday night, police sources said reports the NYDN.
NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said that while there was a 12.9 per cent increase in knifings this year when compared to 2015, there is nothing to worry about.
On the rise: Damon Knowles (pictured) is accused of wielding the knife that left grandmother-of-nine Carmen Rivera needing 30 stitches in her face after an attack on the 6 train at 7.15am on January 26. It is one of many attacks that allegedly occurred in the last few months
'This is New York and occasionally the media and police get focused on a series of incidents, and thats what happened here,' Bratton said during an interview on the John Gambling radio program, 'The Answer' on Monday.
'In the subway system, the issue of concern that we have, that is the most constant concern, the more significant concern in terms of actual numbers ... is pickpocketing and theft of electronic equipment,' he added.
Bratton called the slashing an 'aberration.'
Slashings have gotten attention in recent weeks after a number of people were randomly knifed on a train or in the street.
Another slashing: Ras Alula Nagarit is pictured at his recent arraignment in a Brooklyn, NY court. He allegedly slashed a woman at the Atlantic-Ave-Barclays Center 3 train platform last month
Those injured include a 71-year-old grandma who was attacked on the D train on January 26.
Damon Knowles is accused of wielding the knife that left grandmother-of-nine Carmen Rivera needing 30 stitches in her face after an attack on the 6 train at 7.15am on January 26.
Also this year, a 29-year-old woman was supposedly cut by Ras Alula Nagarit, who was wielding a cloth-covered machete, police said. She was reportedly slashed on the Atlantic-Ave-Barclays Center 3 train platform where the attacker allegedly yelled, 'Ill chop you up right on this f train!
In early January Amanda Morris, 24, was slashed by a stranger in Chelsea and Anthony Christopher Smith, 30, was cut in in the East Village just a little more than a week later.
Grandma: Carmen Rivera returns home to the Bronx. Ms Rivera was the victim of a slashing on the subway that left a deep cut on her face
'Google tax': Putin's internet advisor German Klimenko wants to tax foreign IT companies
Silicon Valley internet giants Google, Apple and Facebook may be hit by a significant Russian tax bill as the country moves to enable 'more equal working conditions' to level the playing field for domestic IT companies.
German Klimenko told Russian radio that foreign internet companies need to be equal 'before the law' and pay VAT, which amounts to 18 per cent.
'There should no doubt be equality of Russian and foreign companies before the law,' Klimenko told Russian News Service radio.
'I'd like to know how much Google earns on the territory of Russia and to add 18 percent to it,' he said.
'I'm really interested in the figure. When we learn it, then we'll make conclusions.'
Global video streaming websites like Netflix have the upperhand on their Russian rivals as they have access to more content, as well as the tax-break.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order to toughen up the rules for foreign internet companies last week.
And his advisor Klimenko has warned that social media websites would be blocked 'sooner or later' if they did not comply with legislation passed in August requiring companies storing Russian data to keep it on Russian soil.
The suggestion of a 'value-added tax' has previously been floated by lawmakers who have also suggested a 'sales tax' for goods bought online from foreign companies.
Klimenko, an internet innovator in his own right, was appointed as the Kremlin's advisor in December, and seemed unconcerned if the US industry leaders withdrew or were banned from Russia.
He claims that the Russian search engine, and version of Google named 'Yandex', would take over and benefit from more profits.
'Currently, both Google and Facebook do not cooperate with our law-enforcement agencies,' Klimenko told the news site Gazeta.ru.
Klimenko has also accused Google and Facebook of not cooperating with law-enforcement agencies
Russian equivalent: Search engine Yandex is Russia's answer to Google and is set to profit if the company is banned from operating in Russia
'Needless to say, sooner or later the issue will come up and sooner or later they will have to comply with our laws or leave the territory of the Russian Federation.
'Yandex and the rest will begin to work more, once they receive a bigger slice of the pie,' he said, referring to the Russian-based search engine that competes against Google.
'From a purely financial point of view, if Google stops functioning in Russia, Yandex will start earning more,' he said.
A district judge in Pennsylvania is having a hard time getting people to adhere to his court's code of conduct.
Magisterial District Judge Craig Long from Columbia County is so fed up seeing pajamas in his court room he has had to erect a sign outside asking people to dress more appropriately.
The sign reads: 'Pajamas are not appropriate attire for district court.'
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'Just like if you're going to church, you should dress appropriately': Magisterial District Judge Craig Long is fed up seeing pajamas in his court room and has erected a sign out front
Code of conduct: Judge Long acknowledges the fact he cannot force anyone to dress appropriately
'We have a growing problem of people not dressing appropriately for court,' Long told WNEP.
'I just put it out there as a reminder of the code of conduct that should be followed when appearing in court.
'Just like if you're going to church, you should dress appropriately.
'We think that if you're going to court, you should dress the same way.'
However, while Judge Long says he hopes attendees take the sign seriously, he knows he can only take the matter so far, CW39 TV reported.
'It's not a law,' Long said.
'It's not a rule or something we can enforce. It's just there as a reminder.'
Appropriate?: While it has become somewhat commonplace to see people outside the house in their pajamas, court is not the place to wear them, according to one Pennsylvania judge
Judge Long says he has received mostly positive feedback from people in the district.
One woman, Denise Opie-Ervin, wrote online: 'It's a shame you have to post a sign to tell people what to not to wear and when.'
Another, Carla Hays, wrote: 'Suit and tie and a nice dress, no pajama pants. I'm sorry, no pajama pants. I agree with the judge.'
However not everyone was in agreement.
'I don't think it should matter,' Michael Phillips of Catawissa Township told WNEP.
'If you want to wear pajama pants, wear pajama pants. It's the person's discretion as far as I'm concerned.'
A jury in Texas reached a guilty verdict in the case of a man who was charged with stabbing a medical student on a jog on New Year's Eve in 2013.
Christian Bautista, 31, is awaiting sentencing after a jury reached a guilty verdict Tuesday in the stabbing murder of 24-year-old Lauren Bump.
The Harding University medical student was found in a pool of blood after being stabbed to death in the O.P. Schnabel Park in San Antonio, according to authorities.
The medical examiner said that Bump had 27 deep stab wounds or cuts to her body, mySanAntonio.com reported.
Guilty: Christian Bautista, 31, is awaiting sentencing after a jury reached a guilty verdict Tuesday in the stabbing murder of a medical student on a job on New Year's Eve in 2013
Tragic: Lauren Bump, 24, was stabbed to death by Bautista while she was on a jog in the O.P. Schnabel Park in San Antonio
Park-goers found the Harding University medical student's body in a pool of blood. The medical examiner said that Bump had 27 deep stab wounds or cuts to her body
Bump, who was a physician's assistant graduate student, had gone out to the park for a jog the day of her murder.
At the time of her death, she was living in Fayetteville to conduct clinical work, while her parents lived in San Antonio.
Her obituary says that she was a 'loving daughter, sister and friend.'
'She was active in Missionary work in Guatemala, various charities and volunteer work,' Bump's obituary reads.
'She loved the outdoors, her friends, family and above all God.
'Lauren touched many lives during her short time with us and her Christian example will never be forgotten.'
During the trial for her murder, Bautista's lawyers did not call a single witness during the trial to testify on his behalf, KABB reported.
Bump, who was a physician's assistant graduate student, had gone out to the park for a jog the day of her murder
However, the prosecution called several witnesses who testified to spotting the blonde in the park. They also said that Bautista was terrorizing park-goers and exhibiting odd behavior
However, the prosecution called several witnesses who testified to spotting the blonde in the park and that Bautista was terrorizing park-goers and exhibiting odd behavior.
His former roommate, Ryan O'Shea, said during the trial that he gave him an eight-inch combat knife, KABB reported.
O'Shea said that he asked Bautista about the knife and he told him he 'stuck some (expletive) and had to get rid of it,' KABB reported.
The ex-roommate did not originally tell police about Bautista's alleged confession, but decided to come forward.
'I wasn't going to say something unless I had to,' O'Shea said while testifying in court.
'And once I found out it was an innocent young woman... I didn't want that to happen.'
Her obituary reads: 'She loved the outdoors, her friends, family and above all God. Lauren touched many lives during her short time with us and her Christian example will never be forgotten'
A man accused of raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter allegedly left handwritten notes in her bedroom demanding she perform sexual acts on him.
The disturbing notes allegedly included threats from the Queensland man, who cannot be named under the state's law, to rape her if she refused to follow through, Yahoo! 7 News reported.
The explicit notes were seized when police raided the young girl's family home on the outskirts of Brisbane on January 21 after her mother raised the alarm with authorities.
A man allegedly left his stepdaughter, 11, handwritten notes demanding she perform sexual acts on him
The notes were seized when police raided the girl's family home on the outskirts of Brisbane on January 21
The allegations came to light after the girl's mother allegedly found the notes and recognised the handwritten exchange between her daughter and her 29-year-old defacto partner.
Police alleged the girl - who was sexually abused when her mother was not at home - was forced to respond to the notes by writing a confirmation on whether she agreed to perform the requested acts.
It's alleged the girl was just seven-years-old when her stepfather started molesting her - and the sexual abuse continued over four years, during which he told her the acts were part of 'role playing'.
Police alleged the girl (stock image) was sexually abused by her stepfather when her mother was not at home
The man fronted the Richlands Magistrates Court last month charged with multiple sexual offences.
He was charged with 10 counts of indecent dealing with a child under 12, six counts of rape, one charge of grooming a child and two counts of involving a child in making child exploitation material.
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More than 100,000 travellers were left stranded outside a train station in China last night as trains were delayed due to heavy snow.
Passengers who were preparing to make their way home for the upcoming New Year celebrations were left queuing outside Guangzhou Railway Station in freezing conditions, reports the Peoples Daily Online.
Throughout the day huge queues developed outside the station, and some passengers waited up to ten hours before they could catch their train home. At least 32 trains were delayed in Guangzhou last night alone.
Crushed: As they headed home for Chinese New Year, over 100,000 people were left stranded outside the Guangzhou Station last night
Stranded: Passengers wait to enter the railway station after trains were delayed due to bad weather in southern China in Guangzhou
Mass migration: As well as Guangzhou Station packed out, this station in east china's Hangzhou was also full with thousands of people
Pictures of the mad rush and busy queues have been circulating on Chinese media, showing a sea of people waiting outside patiently to get into the station and onto a train.
Though some looked calm, most of the passengers looked stressed out and tired after waiting for such a long time, frustrated that their trains were delayed.
As thousands of people waited outside in freezing temperatures yesterday, some fortunate passengers managed to travel. A total of 174,000 passengers were successfully transported at Guangzhou Railway Station, and 146,000 passengers at the Guangzhou East Railway Station.
Chinese New Year - also referred to as the annual Spring Festival - falls on February 8, and holiday celebrations can last a full month.
A whopping 2.91 billion journeys are expected to occur over the festival period this year from January 24 until March 3 as millions of migrant workers head home to their families then return to cities to work.
According to the report, the railway department has warned passengers not to arrive at the train stations too early during the Spring Festival travel period, as it only creates a crush and can cause delays.
Patience: Some people waited outside in the cold in huge ques for up to ten hours before they could board their train home for New Year
Crowd control: Local police drafted in 1,300 extra security, and appealed to the passengers not to spend long hours outside the station
Manic: Trains were delayed at Guangzhou Station due to heavy snow in central and eastern China, leaving thousands left queuing outside
Tolerance: About 100,000 travellers were forced to wait outside the station ahead of Spring Festival, the most important holiday of the year
China News Service reported that local police were forced to draft in 1,300 extra security personnel when they realised the initial 2,600 officers were not enough to handle the massive crowds.
As well as the crush at Guangzhou Station, incredible images from Hangzhou East Railway Station in Zhejiang province have also been captured. Hundreds of thousands of people were pictured yesterday at the station in east China waiting to head back home for the Spring Festival.
The travel rush, also known as chun yun in Chinese, is often referred to as the worlds largest mass migration.
For many migrant workers in Chinese cities, this is the only opportunity they will get to go home to their villages to see their family all year.
Chaos: Passengers at the waiting hall inside a railway station in Hangzhou during the travel rush ahead of the upcoming Spring Festival
A one-year-old girl in east China narrowly missed life-threatening injuries after a battery exploded in her mouth.
On January 30, Xuan Xuan was playing at her home in Xinyang city, Henan Province, when she chewed on the dangerous object which suddenly burst, reports the People's Daily Online.
Xuan Xuan had a gaping hole in her mouth and doctors were worried that the acid from the battery had gone down her throat, burning her insides.
Horrifying: Doctors operated for two hours on a one-year-old girl in China after a battery burst in her mouth
When her grandparents found her with the acid burning her throat, Xuan Xuan was immediately rushed to a local hospital by her parents.
According to the report, Xuan Xuan was found by her grandparents at the time of the accident.
It is believed she was mimicking them eating a watermelon and chewing on the pips. But instead of pips Xuan Xuan used a battery.
The AA battery exploded, with the acid burning a large bloody hole inside her mouth.
Speaking to reporters, her grandparents said they recalled putting the batteries down in a place they didn't think Xuan Xuan could reach.
As they were eating the melon, Xuan Xuan found the battery and bit it with her tiny teeth.
Dangerous: Xuan Xuan chewed on a battery at home in China on Saturday, creating a huge hole in her throat
Doctors at their local hospital were unsure if the battery acid had travelled to her stomach burning her digestive tract, so they recommended she went to another hospital for treatment.
She was then taken to the Wuhan Children's hospital in the neighbouring Hubei Province.
By the time the family got there it was 2.44am the next morning, it had been nine hours since the accident occurred.
Fortunately, after a two hour operation, no traces of the battery were found in Xuan Xuan's stomach.
Zhou Qixing, chief physician of Wuhan Children's Hospital, said it's not common to see injuries caused by the explosion of battery on children, but parents should be extra cautious while looking after toddlers because young children like to imitate the behaviour of adults.
Pictures of several Chinese tourists bathing a child in a public bathroom in Taiwan have gone viral and angered the online community.
Many people online have expressed outrage at the images which show a young boy standing on a sink with his family helping him to wash his entire body, reports the People's Daily Online.
The pictures were reportedly taken recently at the Kenting Nawan beach, a popular tourist destination south of Taiwan, and the tourists in question are said to be from mainland China.
Outrage: Pictures of a boy washing over a public toilet in Taiwan with his family have angered many people
According to the report, these tourists at the beach ignored the sign post next to the sink that clearly reads: 'Do not put your leg on the surface, it may crack.'
They are in the men's bathroom and it's believed that the father bathing his son in the sink, along with other relatives helping to hold him up.
The young boy is in his underwear as he washes over the sink.
Since the pictures were posted online, many people have expressed their opinions of the tourist's behaviour on social media.
On China's Twitter-like Weibo site, one user named 'LadyQQ' wrote: '[You should] be grateful they didnt urinate and defecate on the street.'
'Nv shen de zhuan shu xiao niu feng' said: 'The tourists should not take the full blame. The fact that they were washing here means the attraction does not have necessary facilities.'
'Pei Cai Pan' wrote on Facebook: 'Name, shame and ban. Keep these people where they belong. They are embarrassing us everywhere.'
No respect: The tourists ignored the sign post next to the sink that reads: 'Do not put your leg on the surface, it may crack'
'James Z. Chiang' said: 'I won't take personal offense to this. Anywhere in the world, no matter how much money they have, still no class.'
Some web users were more forgiving towards the family.
One user named 'Wu Hong Ding,' blamed the beach's services: 'Why is the Taiwan beach so inconvenient to the tourists, without any shower facilities.'
'Yut Claire' agreed and wrote: 'That probably shows they don't have a bathing facility along the beach. But what do you do if you have sand on your legs and there is no place to wash it off?'
Chinese tourists are becoming renowned for their behavior whilst travelling or on holiday.
It has become such a concern that last year the Chinese government implemented a rule that blacklists tourists for their unruly behaviour while travelling.
A terrifying video has emerged from China of the moment a driver went on a wild hit-and-run rampage, seriously injuring three people.
Police have now arrested 30-year-old Xu, who was allegedly drunk at the time of the accident on January 30 in the city of Shanghai, east China, reported Huanqiu.com, an affiliation of the People's Daily Online.
The incident was captured on traffic camera's at 8.20am. Xu got behind the wheel of his white Toyota and drove at speed into two scooters, sending one couple flying into the air.
Shocking: Two people on a motorbike in Shanghai had no chance when Xu smashed into them on January 30
Terrifying: They were knocked straight off the bike and flipped into the air before crashing to the ground
The 30-second video begins with two people on a motorbike, both not wearing helmets.
As they turn the corner from the right hand side of the camera, they are hit by the speeding white car driven by Xu.
In a split-second they are both knocked off the bike, and flip into the air before crashing to the ground.
Their tiny bike was smashed into pieces and forced metres up the road ahead of them.
The impact of the crash sent the white vehicle veering off to the left towards oncoming traffic.
As the car eventually stops, crashing into a parked vehicle on the side of the road, the two people who were hit can be seen slowly moving, they were quickly taken to hospital and luckily survived.
Moments before, another person also driving a motorbike, was reportedly hit by Xu and seriously injured.
Serious: The force of impact sent the white Toyota veering off to the left, the two victims were severely hurt
Lucky escape: As cars continued on the road in Shanghai two motorists can be seen lying on the ground
Drunk: It's been reported that 30-year-old Xu was drunk when he hit the innocent people on the road
Awful: The victims suffered serious injuries when Xu went on a wild hit-and-run rampage in the city of Shanghai
Cameras show Xu fleeing the scene soon after he crashed into another vehicle and was unable to drive off.
According to the report, Xu handed himself into the police 12 hours later, he was then detained.
Police said Xu was driving a vehicle with an expired licence plate and suspected he had been drinking.
Traffic policeman Yan Jiankun said: 'When we arrived at the scene, the perpetrator had fled. One victim told us he was hit by a young man who was likely drunk as he could smell alcohol from his mouth.'
A victim surnamed Yu said: '[I] just saw a white car. It sped towards me like a bullet. I hit the ground immediately. My husband flew a few metres. I didn't see the driver.'
Police are now investigating the case further to see where he acquired the car and what led to the shocking incident.
Unusual 'cauliflower' formations on Mars have provided scientists with the latest clues to ancient life on the red planet.
The strange patterns were spotted by the Spirit rover in 2008 while it was studying a mineral called opaline silica inside Mars's Gusev crater.
Scientists aren't sure what created the shapes, but a pair of researchers have recently claimed clues to their formation could be found on Earth.
Steven Ruff and Jack Farmer of Arizona State University believe the silica might have been shaped by microbes.
Unusual 'cauliflower' formations on Mars have provided scientists with the latest clues to ancient alien life on the red planet. The strange patterns were spotted by the Spirit rover in a mineral called opaline silica found inside Mars's Gusev crater
The Smithsonian reported on their results, which were announced at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in December.
The pair suggest the 'cauliflowers' may have been created by past life on the red planet in a similar way to how ancient microbes have shaped Earth's landscape.
They point to formations in El Tatio, a region in Chile's Atacama desert that has more than 80 geysers.
Like Mars, Chile's Atacama Desert is so dry because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and by coastal mountains.
This image, taken by a Mars orbiter, shows layers of rock in a large canyon called Valles Marineris. The area includes outcrops of opaline silica in which the 'cauliflower' formations have been seen
El Tatio's name comes from the Quechua word for oven. It is a geyser field located within the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,320 meters above sea level
HOPES OF FINDING MARTIAN MICROBES TAKE A BLOW The chances of finding life on the red planet got smaller last month. Researchers have been drilling in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica in search of microbes, as this is the only place on Earth that resembles the permafrost on Mars. But after years of work and no signs of life, they believe this is the same outcome other researchers will face when analyzing the northern polar area region of Mars at the Phoenix landing site. 'Some of the coldest and driest permafrost soils on earth are located in the high-elevation McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, but little is known about the permafrost microbial communities other than that microorganisms are present in these valleys,' reads the study published by McGill University in ISME Journal. 'Our results contrast with reports from the lower-elevation Dry Valleys and Arctic permafrost soils where active microbial populations are found, suggesting that the combination of severe cold, aridity, oligotrophy of University Valley permafrost soils severely limit microbial activity and survival.' Advertisement
At 3,000 feet, the Atacama is 15 million years old and 50 times more arid than California's Death Valley
Scientists use this region as an analog to the Gusev crater, where scientists think geysers once rose from the red planet's surface.
Here, similar cauliflower formations - also known as 'micro-digitate silica protrusions' - have been been spotted.
Other areas with similar cauliflower patterns can be found in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand.
'I don't think there is any way around using modern Earth analogs to test where Martian microbes may be found,' Kurt Konhauser of the University of Alberta told the Smithsonian.
But the researchers may not have a clear answer anytime soon.
Scientists can't be sure whether microbes sculpted the 'cauliflowers' in Chile, and so proving that they did so on Mars could be even harder.
Ancient records tell us that the intrepid Viking seafarers who discovered Iceland, Greenland and eventually North America navigated using landmarks, birds and whales, and little else.
There's little doubt that Viking sailors would also have used the positions of stars at night and the sun during the daytime, and archaeologists have discovered what appears to be a kind of Viking navigational sundial.
But without magnetic compasses, like all ancient sailors they would have struggled to find their way once the clouds came over.
Ancient records tell us that the intrepid Viking seafarers who discovered Iceland, Greenland and eventually North America navigated using landmarks, birds and whales, and little else. But without magnetic compasses, like all ancient sailors they would have struggled to find their way once the clouds came over
However, there are also several reports in Nordic sagas and other sources of a solarsteinn 'sunstone'.
The literature doesn't say what this was used for but it has sparked decades of research examining if this might be a reference to a more intriguing form of navigational tool.
HOW DO SUNSTONES WORK? Sunstones detect the 'polarisation' of sunlight - the way rays of light are scattered in different planes when they reach the atmosphere. The stones act as a filter, similar to the filters used in polarised sunglasses. Light can only shine through the crystal if it is polarised in a particular direction. All other types of light are blocked. The amount of polarised light in any particular direction depends on the position of the sun in the sky at the time. Experienced navigators would quickly be able to work out the location of the sun by turning the stone around. Advertisement
The idea is that the Vikings may have used the interaction of sunlight with particular types of crystal to create a navigational aid that may even have worked in overcast conditions.
This would mean the Vikings had discovered the basic principles of measuring polarised light centuries before they were explained scientifically and which are today used to identify and measure different chemicals.
Scientists are now getting closer to establishing if this form of navigation would have been possible, or if it is just a fanciful theory.
To understand how this might have worked, we need to understand some things about the way light, and particularly sunlight, can be affected.
Light coming from the sun is scattered and polarised by the atmosphere.
This occurs when light is absorbed and re-emitted with the same energy by air molecules and by different amounts depending on the light's wavelength.
Scientists are now getting closer to establishing if this form of navigation would have been possible, or if it is just a fanciful theory. To understand how this might have worked, we need to understand some things about the way light, and particularly sunlight, can be affected
The blue end of the light spectrum is scattered more than the red, as explained in theory developed by the British physicist Lord Rayleigh in the 19th century.
Scattering by particles in the atmosphere explains why the sky appears blue.
CHARACTERISTICS OF POLARIZED LIGHT Polarization is a phenomenon peculiar to transverse waves that vibrate in a direction perpendicular to their direction of propagation. Light is a transverse electromagnetic wave. Thus a light wave traveling forward can vibrate up and down (in the vertical plane), from side to side (in the horizontal plane), or in an intermediate direction. Ordinarily a ray of light consists of a mixture of waves vibrating in all the directions perpendicular to its line of propagation. If for some reason the vibration remains constant in direction, the light is said to be polarized. Light can also be polarized by double refraction. Any transparent substance has the property of refracting or bending a ray of light that enters it from outside. Advertisement
More importantly, scattered light waves are also polarised to a certain extent.
That means they vibrate in one plane rather than in all directions at once.
The amount of polarisation a beam of sunlight undergoes depends on its angle to the viewer and whether the light has been further scattered by cloud and other particles that cause depolarisation.
Around the coastline of Norway and Iceland are found crystalline chunks of calcium carbonate known as calcite or Iceland spar.
When polarised sunlight enters a calcite crystal, something very interesting happens.
Calcite is strongly birefringent, meaning that it splits light passing through it into two separate waves that are bent or refracted in different directions and with different intensities, although the total intensity will be constant.
This means that objects viewed through a calcite crystal appear in double.
More importantly for our purposes, the different intensities of the two light waves depends on how the original light is polarised and the position and orientation of the crystal compared to the light source.
Tourmaline and cordierite are crystals with similar properties, except instead of splitting light like calcite they are strongly dichroic.
This means they absorb one component of polarisation more strongly than the other. Again, the dichroic properties depend on how the original light is polarised and the position and orientation of the crystal compared to the light source.
The amount of polarisation a beam of sunlight undergoes depends on its angle to the viewer and whether the light has been further scattered by cloud and other particles that cause depolarisation. Around the coastline of Norway and Iceland are found crystalline chunks of calcium carbonate known as calcite or Iceland spar
So, in theory at least, examining how sunlight passes through one of these crystals and appropriately calibrated could be used as a guide for sailors to estimate the position of the sun. This could then allow them to determine the direction of geographic north even without understanding the scientific principles behind these phenomena.
FINDING EVIDENCE OF SUNSTONES UNDER THE SEA In 2002, a dive to the wreck revealed, among many artefacts, the mysterious lump of crystal that is now the focus of international scrutiny. As nobody knew quite what it was, it was put in a safe place and little notice was taken of it until Professor Albert Le Floch, head of the research team, spotted a reference to it on the website run by volunteers of the Alderney Maritime Trust. He was further intrigued to discover that, in 2006, a set of brass dividers used for map-reading were also found in the wreck, just 3ft from where the crystal had been found. This encouraged the idea that it had been part of the navigational equipment. Following a visit by Professor Le Floch to the island last year, a small specimen was taken from the rock. And, as the research paper is about to reveal, it has been confirmed as Icelandic spar which, although common around Alderney, has never been found in blocks like this one, about the size and shape of a cigarette packet. This implies it was indeed with the stricken ship when it went down. Advertisement
If we make the huge assumption that the Vikings had these sunstone crystals on board their ships and, more importantly, knew what they were doing with them, the question this is whether the difference in the light would be detectable to their eyes?
And would it be detectable with enough accuracy (after errors because of imperfections in the crystals and depolarisation), to be used as a navigation aid even in overcast conditions.
The latest in an impressive roster of publications on the subject recently appeared in Royal Society Open Science, seeking to address this precise question.
Gabor Horvath and his colleagues looked at whether the optical signals from these three types of crystal would be strong enough to be detected and with enough accuracy to predict the position of the sun under a cloudy sky
Gabor Horvath and his colleagues looked at whether the optical signals from these three types of crystal would be strong enough to be detected and with enough accuracy to predict the position of the sun under a cloudy sky.
To do this, they simulated the conditions, including the position of the sun, of a Viking voyage between Norway, southern Greenland and Newfoundland.
They found that in clear skies, where the degree of polarisation was high, all three crystals did show sufficient signal and good accuracy.
EVIDENCE OF SUNSTONES IN ANCIENT ICELANDIC LEGENDS An Icelandic legend about the travels of the Norwegian king Olaf in the 11th century refers to sunstones. One winter's day, Olaf met a farmer's son named Sigurour, who boasted that he could sense the position of the sun even in a snowy sky. The story describes how the assembled company looked out of the window but 'could nowhere see a clear sky'. After asking Sigurour to tell him where the sun was, the king ordered his minions to fetch 'the solar stone' to test the young man's claims. 'He held it up and saw where light radiated from the stone and thus directly verified Sigurour's prediction.' Advertisement
In light cloudy conditions where the degree of polarisation was somewhat reduced but still relatively high, cordierite and tourmaline functioned better than calcite.
Only very pure calcite (with optical impurities removed) performed to a similar level as the other two crystals. If sunlight polarisation was very low, calcite appeared to give the best results in predicting the sun's position through clouds.
And in thicker cloudy conditions or fog, the errors of measurement became too high for all three crystals.
Horvath's team are now looking at the further errors involved in predicting the position of geographical north using this information.
If the method does not work under cloudy conditions when using the kind of imperfect crystals the Vikings would likely have possessed, the whole theory is probably wrong. And on clear days it would have been easier just to use calibrated sundials.
But if the researchers establish that sunstones could have accurately been used to determine the direction of geographic north, then the idea looks feasible.
A Twitter user has uncovered a trick to turn some Facebook or Instagram photos into nostalgic works of text-art.
Mathias Bynens, a web standards fanatic according to his profile, recently revealed that changing the URL of public photos shared to these platforms will generate the ASCII version, a retro-looking image made up of text.
The photos can be rendered to text in black and white or colour.
In the Twitter post, Mathias Bynens explains how to create ASCII art, using any Facebook/Instagram photo URL. To create a colour version, Bynens writes that you should add .html. after the .jpg extension
HOW TO MAKE IT WORK In order for this trick to work, the URL must end in '.jpg'. The photos must be public. To create a simplified, black and white text version of the image, add '.txt' onto the end. For a colour version, add '.html'. If this does not work, which for many users, it doesn't, right-click the image, and open the 'Inspect' tool in the browser. Search through the code to find the specific URL, which will look like this: https://scontent-ams3-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/11906246_1700002456899911_1391970345_n.jpg If the code appears with minor alterations, plug in the correct characters to fix it, mirroring Bynen's example. Advertisement
In the Twitter post, Belgium-based Bynens explains how to create ASCII art, using any Facebook/Instagram photo URL.
The process wont work for just any photo, however, and the Twitter user writes in a later tweet that the photos must be public.
To view the ASCII photos, youll need the specific URL for the Facebook or Instagram image, according to Gizmodo.
At the end of the URL, after the .jpg extension, adding .txt will pull up the black and white, simplified code version of the image.
To create a colour version, Bynens writes that you should add .html. after the .jpg extension.
While the post initially says it will work for any photo, other Twitter users have commented that they have not been able to reveal the ASCII photos using the trick, even when using public photos.
In order for the trick to work, the URL must end in .jpg.
Some people have pointed out that accessing the specific URL can be difficult for various photos, and even public photos have been found to end in a long string of numbers, and not the proper extension.
Finding the right URL for a public photo can be done by right-clicking the photo, and selecting the Inspect option in the browser.
A Twitter user has uncovered a trick to turn some Facebook or Instagram photos into nostalgic works of text-art. Mathias Bynens , a web standards fanatic, according to his profile, recently revealed that changing the URL of public photos shared to these platforms will generate the ASCII version, an image made up of text
The photos can be rendered to text in black and white or colour. At the end of the URL, after the .jpg extension, adding .txt will pull up the black and white, simplified code version of the image
Commenters have pointed out that accessing the specific URL can be difficult for some photos, and even public photos have been found to end in a long string of numbers, and not the proper extension
Then, by sorting through the code, you can locate the image URL, which, for Instagram, will begin with https://scontent-.
The full code should read like Bynens example: https://scontent-ams3-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/11906246_1700002456899911_1391970345_n.jpg
But, it isnt always that simple.
When sorting through the code in the Inspection tool, certain elements of the URL may appear with an equal sign and a number in lieu of a period, which can be fixed with some minor fiddling.
This may occur at the beginning of the URL as https=2// which must be changed to http://.
It also appears in the middle, at the Instagram domain: =1cdninstagram=1com must be changed to 1.cdninstagram.com.
Finally, be sure to change it at the end as well, where n=1jpg.2 for example, should be changed to n.jpg.
Copy and paste the final code to make sure it pulls up the photo, and then add the .txt to the end for the simplified text-image, or .html for the colour.
Its unclear exactly why Facebook and Instagram do this with their photos, but if youre lucky enough for it to work without too much effort, it makes for a neat, simple trick.
Finding the right URL for a public photo can be done by right-clicking the photo, and selecting the Inspect option in the browser. Then, by sorting through the code, you can locate the image URL, which, for Instagram, will begin with https://scontent-
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The Japanese weather satellite, Himawari-8, sits 22,000 miles (35,400km) above Earth.
It orbits our planet at the same speed that Earth is spinning, allowing it capturing a single day, from sunrise to sunset.
Now, one scientist has used 24 hours' worth of images from the satellite to create a looping 12-second film called Glittering Blue.
Zoom in below to explore the looping video of Earth in more detail
The footage shows the Earth on August 5, 2015 and was created by Charlie Loyd, an Oakland-based satellite-imagery analyst for Mapbox.
Focused on Japan as its center, Himawari-8 captures images of the western Pacific, Australia, and parts of Asia, Antarctica, and Alaska.
Five times in just one minute, the sun rises on the western horizon, moves across the tropics and sets in the east.
'I've tried to make the colours in the video look like Earth would look if you were an astronaut next to Himawari-8 after your eyes adjusted,' Lloyd wrote on his website.
'I work in satellite imagery, and I'm sensitive to people feeling that they're seeing something 'doctored', but the adjustment is what ordinary cameras do automatically.'
The footage shows the Earth on August 5, 2015 and was created by Charlie Loyd , an Oakland-based satellite-imagery analyst for Mapbox. Focused on Japan as its center, Himawari-8 captures images of the western Pacific, Australia, and parts of Asia, Antarctica, and Alaska
Five times in just one minute, the sun rises on the western horizon, moves across the tropics and sets in the east. 'I've tried to make the colours in the video look like Earth would look if you were an astronaut next to Himawari-8 after your eyes adjusted,' Charlie Lloyd wrote
The turquoise in the tropics - especially along southern New Guinea and northern Australia - shows shallow water where bright sand can be seen under a relatively thin layer of ocean.
'Around China, it's air pollution from coal power, plus the naturally muddy water of big rivers,' said Lloyd.
'Around Japan there are some minor plankton blooms as well.'
The storm in the image is Typhoon Soudelor, shown near its peak intensity when winds were blowing at 180mph (285kph).
It was unusual for its strength and had just caused severe damage in the Marianas.
WHY CAN'T YOU SEE CITY LIGHTS IN THE VIDEO? On his website, Charlie Loyd explains that the satellite's camera is designed for daylight. Direct sun is about 10,000 times brighter than a city street at night. Our eyes adjust, but Himawari-8's sensor doesn't. 'If you've done manual photography, think of it like this: the camera is hardwired at the equivalent of 1/500 second at f/8 and ISO 100,' said Lloyd. 'Daylight is perfectly exposed, but night cityscapes just won't show up.' You may be able to make out city lights with the naked eye from Himawari-8's orbit if the sun in't in view at all. But this only happens during the eclipses around midnight near the equinoxes. 'Otherwise it would be like trying to see dim orange specks on a black paper while holding it up next to the sun,' said Lloyd. Advertisement
The turquoise in the tropics - especially along southern New Guinea and northern Australia - shows shallow water where bright sand can be seen under a relatively thin layer of ocean
The storm in the image is Typhoon Soudelor, shown near its peak intensity when winds were blowing at 180mph (285kph). It was unusual for its strength and had just caused severe damage in the Marianas
Television footage from the storm showed trees uprooted and power poles toppled over, a moped being swept into the air by wind and shipping containers piled on top of each other at a port.
Typhoons are common in August in the South China Sea and Pacific, picking up strength from warm waters before losing strength over land.
Lloyd says that there is no other satellite that is able to show as much detail of Earth as Himawari-8.
The satellite focuses on the equator, near Jayapura. 'This perspective is like being swung around by a dancer: we always see their face, but we see the light moving over it,' said Lloyd.
'Himawari-8 is much further than the orbits of the International Space Station and high-resolution imaging satellites, which are just outside the atmosphere.
'If the video is about 30 cm (1ft) wide, then if Earth were that size, Himawari-8 would be 85 cm (2 9) away so the way it looks on your screen is roughly to scale from Himawari-8's point of view.
Noise from ships interfere with the ability of endangered killer whales to 'talk' to each other and hunt, suggests a new study.
Researchers found underwater sound pollution along the coast of the Pacific disrupts how orca's communication with each other, and interferes with their ability to track and hunt salmon.
They said the 'unprecedented study of ship noise' will help biologist understand the potential effects it has on marine life, and help discover ways to reducing the interference.
Scroll down for audio of a ship
Researchers have found underwater sound pollution along the coast of the Pacific disrupts how orca's communication with each other, and interferes with their ability to track and hunt salmon. This noise pollution is caused by ships and boats travelling through the region (stock image)
Scientists set out to discover if noise from a nearby shipping lane interferes with the orca's ability to send out clicks and listen for their echoes in the ocean off Seattle while hunting salmon.
The researchers measured underwater noise as ships passed their study site 3,000 times.
They said the 'unprecedented characterisation of ship noise' will aid in the understanding of the potential effects on marine life, and help with ways of reducing the interference.
Research has shown that the growth in commercial shipping has raised the intensity of low-frequency noise in the ocean almost 10-fold since the 1960s.
Because the noise occurs at similar low frequencies used by baleen whales there is growing evidence it may impact their ability to communicate, and therefore their survival.
To analyse the nature of ship noise, particularly in coastal areas close to ports, scientists measured around 1,600 unique ships as they travelled through Haro Strait, in Washington State (highlighted). This is a critical habitat for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales
Orcas, like other toothed whales, (stock image) use mid- and high-frequencies to communicate and find their prey so the study measured a wide range of frequencies from 10 Hz to 40,000 Hz. The results found ships are responsible for elevated levels at these frequencies - including at 20,000 Hz where killer whales hear best
HOW NOISE IMPACTS WHALES Research has shown commercial shipping has raised the intensity of low-frequency noise in the ocean 10-fold since the 1960s. As the noise occurs at similar low frequencies used by baleen whales there is evidence it impacts their ability to communicate. To analyse ship noise, scientists measured around 1,600 unique ships in Washington. Because the orcas, like other toothed whales, use mid- and high-frequencies to communicate and find their prey, the study measured a wide range of frequencies (10 Hz to 40,000 Hz). The results showed ships are responsible for elevated background noise levels not only at low frequencies as expected, but also at medium and higher frequencies - including at 20,000 Hz where killer whales hear best. Advertisement
But the team behind the new research wanted to know if ship noise could extend to the higher frequencies used by toothed whales and therefore pose similar threats to them.
To analyse the nature of ship noise, particularly in coastal areas close to ports, scientists measured around 1,600 unique ships as they travelled through Haro Strait, in Washington State.
This is a critical habitat for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
The orcas are iconic in the Pacific Northwest and support a multi-million dollar ecotourism industry in the United States and Canada.
Because the orcas, like other toothed whales, use mid- and high-frequencies to communicate and find their prey, the study measured a wide range of frequencies (10 Hz to 40,000 Hz).
Study author Doctor Scott Veirs, of Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School, said: 'The results show that ships are responsible for elevated background noise levels not only at low frequencies as expected, but also at medium and higher frequencies - including at 20,000 Hz where killer whales hear best.
'Overall, container ships exhibited the highest median source levels at all frequencies below 20,000 Hz. Whales travel in pods and use a range of noises to 'talk' to each other and send messages around the group. These include clicks, whistles, and calls (stock image)
HOW WHALES 'TALK' TO OTHERS Whales travel in pods and use a range of noises to 'talk' to each other and send messages around the group. These include clicks, whistles, and calls. Clicks are thought to be used for navigation, similar to how bats use sonar, and when sound waves hit objects, the whales can identify them. Meanwhile, whistles and calls are for socialising. These calls and whistles are made at different frequencies, but are typically in the range of 20,000 Hz for killer whales. Marine biologists have also noticed that the sounds made by different pods have different 'accents', this is likely to help whales identify whales within its own pod. Advertisement
'This means that in coastal environments where marine mammals live within a few kilometres of shipping lanes, ship noise has the potential to interfere with both communication and echo-location.'
He added: 'The study is unique because it estimates the source levels of larger populations and more classes of ships than in previous studies.
'Overall, container ships exhibited the highest median source levels at all frequencies below 20,000 Hz.
'Military vessels had some of the lowest levels, suggesting that transfer of quieting technology to the commercial sector could be a successful noise mitigation strategy.
'The study shows that another potential way to reduce noise pollution is to simply slow down.
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They may look like an Impressionist masterpiece, but these rare nacreous clouds have been spotted 'painting' skies above the UK in a rainbow of colours.
Photographers across the north of England and Scotland have captured the stunning 'mother of pearl' formations which sit in the lower stratosphere.
Officially known as polar stratospheric clouds, they are typically seen over Norway and other polar regions when the sun is just below the horizon.
But while they appear beautiful, they are also destructive.
They may look like an Impressionist masterpiece, but these rare nacreous clouds have been spotted 'painting' skies above the UK (Teesdale pictured) in a rainbow of colours. Photographers across the north of England and Scotland have captured the stunning 'mother of pearl' formations which sit in the lower stratosphere
It is thought that recent storms may have increased the chances of the clouds forming over the UK, by driving moisture up into the stratosphere - twice as high as a jet liner flies.
This is where the clouds form, at around 70,000ft (21,336 metres) and in cold air at around -78C (-108F). It's also where the ozone layer resides.
The unusual and beautiful sight has also been mistaken by some as aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights.
Their colour comes from ice crystals refracting the sun's rays to give the rainbow effect.
Nacreous clouds have been particularly vivid in Scotland and Northern England before dawn in the past few days.
The clouds are usually seen over Norway and other polar regions, when the sun is just below the horizon. Here, birds fly near Whitley Bay in Northumberland, below the nacreous clouds on the coastline. It is thought that recent storms may have increased the chances of the clouds forming over the UK, by driving moisture up into the stratosphere
The unusual and beautiful sight has been mistaken by some as aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights. Here, a man stands on top of a hill as ice particle iridescence is seen in high-level nacreous clouds in Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Professional photographer Alec Jones took some shots of the clouds over Souter Lighthouse near South Shields.
He said: 'These clouds are very rare over England and I've never seen anything like them before. I got up at 5am to wait for the sun to come up so I could get some good photos.'
However, as well as being beautiful, the clouds are destructive and are a large contributing factor in the formation of ozone holes in the polar regions.
While it's usually too dry for ice crystals to develop in the stratosphere, so that few clouds develop, nacreous clouds are different because they are a mixture of cooled water, ice crystals and nitric acid.
Their colour comes from ice crystals refracting the sun's rays to give the rainbow effect. Nacreous clouds have been particularly vivid in Scotland and Northern England before dawn in the past few days. This image was taken in Copt Hill Barrow, Houghton le Spring
However, while the clouds appear beautiful, they are destructive. It's usually too dry for ice crystals to develop in the stratosphere nacreous clouds (pictured in County Durham) are different because they are a mixture of cooled water, ice crystals and nitric acid
Nacreous clouds provide an ideal surface for chemical reactions involving CFC-derived compounds, created by humans that have ended up in the stratosphere.
As the CFC compounds react with the clouds when they are bathed in sunlight, chlorine gas is released, which damages naturally occurring ozone in the atmosphere.
A single chlorine atom is capable of destroying thousands of ozone molecules, meaning chlorine is able to decimate parts of the ozone layer.
Sam Cornwell, a photographic artist based in Hawick on the Scottish Borders, also got some amazing pictures.
The astrophotography teacher at Kielder Observatory, said: 'The clouds were better than any auroras I have ever seen. They were beautiful mother of pearl colours and you could see them with the naked eye.
Nacreous clouds provide an ideal surface for chemical reactions involving CFC-derived compounds, created by humans that have ended up in the stratosphere. As the CFC compounds react with the clouds when they are bathed in sunlight, chlorine gas is released, which damages naturally occurring ozone in the atmosphere
A single chlorine atom is capable of destroying thousands of ozone molecules, meaning chlorine is able to decimate parts of the ozone layer. Lancaster University's Aurorawatch UK said it had received reports of the aurora borealis. But conditions have not been right for the aurora, leading experts to believe people have been mistaking the Northern Lights for nacreous clouds (shown)
Alistair Lockett from County Durham, said he was amazed by the colour and shapes of the clouds. This photo was taken in Saltburn-by-Sea
'I've seen the Northern lights many times, but they were nothing compared to these stunning nacreous clouds.'
Lancaster University's Aurorawatch UK told the BBC it had received reports of the aurora borealis.
But conditions have not been right for the aurora, leading experts to believe people have been mistaking the Northern Lights for nacreous clouds.
Alistair Lockett, from County Durham, said he was amazed by the colour and shapes of the clouds.
He said: 'I've never seen anything like these clouds before, it was incredible. As soon as I saw them I headed to the highest point to get my pictures. It was very windy but absolutely worth it.'
PRETTY DESTRUCTIVE: HOW NACREOUS CLOUDS DAMAGE THE OZONE LAYER Nacreous clouds form in the stratosphere at around 70,000ft (21,336 metres) - which is also the location of the ozone layer. As well as being beautiful, the clouds are destructive and are a large contributing factor in the formation of ozone holes in the polar regions. While it's usually too dry for ice crystals to develop in the stratosphere, so that few clouds develop, nacreous clouds are different because they are a mixture of cooled water, ice crystals and nitric acid. Nacreous clouds provide an ideal surface for chemical reactions involving CFC-derived compounds, created by humans that have ended up in the stratosphere. As the CFC compounds react with the clouds when they are bathed in sunlight, chlorine gas is released, which damages naturally occurring ozone in the atmosphere. A single chlorine atom is capable of destroying thousands of ozone molecules, meaning chlorine is able to decimate parts of the ozone layer. Advertisement
Storm Henry has been credited in playing a role in creating the beautiful clouds, pictured above Whitley Bay in Northumberland
Storm Henry's 90mph winds caused trees to be blown over and lorries to be overturned. Around 2,000 homes in the north of Scotland remain without power and some bridge and road closures are still in place after Britain's eighth named storm brought carnage to the north of the UK. But it has also staggeringly beautiful skies (shown above over Edinburgh)
The ability to understand that others have beliefs or intentions that differ from our own was thought to be a trait unique to humans.
But new research suggests that ravens are also able to think abstractly about other minds and adapt their behaviour as a result.
By studying the behaviour of ravens hiding food, experts found the birds were able to understand that they could be watched, even without seeing another bird, and behaved sneakily as a result.
By studying the behaviour of ravens hiding food (stock image), experts found the birds were able to understand that they could be watched, even without seeing another bird, and behaved sneakily as a result. This suggests that ravens are also able to think abstractly about other minds, a traditionally human trait
Known as theory of mind (ToM), the ability allows us to understand things from someone else's perspective.
To determine if the corvids were able to do this, researchers from the University of Houston in Texas placed a raven in a room which was joined by both a window and a peep hole to an adjacent room.
A researcher in the next room pretended to make food while the raven watched.
When the window was closed but the peep hole left open, the birds exhibited 'sneaky' behaviour - hiding their food more quickly and not returning to a previous stash as if they were being watched.
WHY WERE RAVENS STUDIED? Ravens were chosen for this study because despite their social lives go through several distinct phases, similar to people. 'There are not many species demonstrate as much social flexibility,' said Professor Buckner. 'Ravens cooperate well. They can compete well. They maintain long-term, monogamous relationships. 'This all makes them a good place to look for social cognition, because similar social pressures might have driven the evolution of similarly advanced cognitive capacities in very different species.' Advertisement
The ability to cache food is important to the birds and previous research had shown ravens behave differently when they perceive a competitor watching.
They hide food more quickly and are less likely to return to a previously made cache, in case it might reveal the location of a stash to a possible pilferer.
Crucially, the ravens did not show the same concern when the peephole was closed, even when raven noises were played through a hidden speaker.
The researchers believe the birds' behaviour demonstrates that ravens, which are regarded as among the most intelligent of birds, are able to work out what others might be thinking.
Until now, most research into the theory of mind involved animals more closely related to humans, such as chimpanzees.
Studied suggest the animals can understand what others see, but that they rely on so-called gaze cues meaning chimps have to be able to see the other creature's eyes or head to display theory of mind.
This sketch describes the experimental setup showing ravens a) in the observed condition, with the window open and the subject caching food in the visual presence of another raven and b) with the cover of the window closed, and the subject caching food out of the line of sight
In this diagram, the window cover is closed but a peephole is left open, as the subject caches food in the absence of behavioural cues but with audio playback of raven sounds. Crucially, the ravens did not show the same concern when the peephole was closed, even when noises were played through a hidden speaker
Cameron Buckner, assistant professor of philosophy at the university, said his team avoided that concern in this experiment by using only open peepholes and sounds to indicate the presence of a possible competitor, with the ravens never physically able to see another raven while it was running.
Ravens are a good subject for study, he said, because despite their obvious evolutionary divergence from humans, their social lives go through several distinct phases, similar to people.
In particular, they often defend territories in stable breeding pairs as adults, but live in more fluid situations as adolescents.
Professor Buckner said the study sheds new light on our understanding of the ability to understand the way others think
The observation gives important clues to the ability of animals to engage in abstract thought, and radically changes the position of humans as the only creatures able to understand that others also have a conscious mind, he added.
It's often said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
But there's fresh hope for old hounds, as an experiment has shown canines' powers of logic get stronger with age - even if older dogs do take longer to learn new skills.
During tests involving a specially designed canine touchscreen, the older dogs were able to more accurately find the odd-one-out from line-up.
And the researchers said this may be because mature dogs have less flexible minds than puppies.
There's fresh hope for old hounds, as an experiment has shown canines' powers of logic get stronger with age, even if they do take longer to learn new skills. Dogs of varying ages were trained to touch images on a screen with their noses (pictured above) - some with positive and others with negative connotations
In the study, researchers at Messerli Research Institute at Vetmeduni Vienna tested the cognitive abilities of 95 border collies or sheepdogs, ranging in age from five months to 13 years.
'Border collies have a reputation for being fast learners. They were bred over generations for characteristics that are important in shepherding,' said study director Friederike Range.
'In recent years they have become a popular breed of pet dog, probably because they are so easy to train. This is why we had access to enough test animals from this breed.'
The dogs regularly visited the 'Clever Dog Lab' accompanied by their owners, where they completed tests on a touch-sensitive screen.
The graphic above shows examples of abstract pictures presented to the dogs with positive and negative associations. The dogs were given an exclusion test, where one of the images was new and the others were familiar with negative connotations. Older collies showed better logic skills to pick out the novel picture
THE EXPERIMENTAL DOG TESTS Border collies were trained to pick out 'positive images' associated with a treat on a touchscreen, by pressing them with their nose. In the first test, the dogs had to pick out four positive images, presented in different pair combinations. Older dogs took longer to master this trick than younger ones. A second test was designed where a 'novel' new image previously unseen by the dogs was introduced to the known negative images. Older dogs were far better at choosing the one new positive image - picking it out by process of elimination. The third test was conducted six months later. Researchers repeated the touchscreen trials using the same eight abstract pictures as before, in order to test the dog's long-term memory skills. The test revealed no significant age differences and nearly all dogs remembered the correct pictures as positive. Advertisement
The dogs were divided into five age groups and tested in four tasks, which were were designed to test three cognitive abilities: learning, logical reasoning and memory.
The tests revealed differences in cognitive ability depending on the age of the dogs.
The first part required the animals to learn to correctly select four 'positive' abstract pictures from a total of eight on a touchscreen.
The dogs were shown two pictures on the screen at a time.
One picture had a positive association - the dogs were rewarded with a food treat for touching this picture - while the second picture had a negative association - touching this picture resulted in time-out and no treat.
The four positive pictures were presented in different combinations with the negative pictures.
Study author Lisa Wallis explained: 'Older dogs required more trials than younger ones before they were able to solve the task correctly.
'The test also showed that older dogs are less flexible in their way of thinking than younger ones.
'As in people, older dogs find it more difficult to change old habits or what they have learned.'
However, older dogs excelled in another test, showing that with patience, they can learn new tricks.
After reaching a certain level of proficiency on the first test, they were shown two pictures on the touchscreen.
Six months after the first learning tests, the researchers repeated the touchscreen trials using the same eight abstract pictures as before, in order to test the dog's long-term memory skills. The test revealed no significant age differences and nearly all dogs remembered the correct pictures as positive
This time, one of the pictures was completely new for the animals, while the second one was familiar from the previous test where it had a negative association.
The experts hoped the dogs would pick out the novel image, demonstrating the logical ability to choose by ruling out certain options.
Dr Range said: 'The older the dog, the better it performed, while younger dogs were unable to master this task.
'This is probably due to the fact that older dogs more stubbornly insist on what they have learned before and are less flexible than younger animals.'
Six months after the first learning tests, the researchers repeated the touchscreen trials using the same eight abstract pictures as before, in order to test the dog's long-term memory skills.
The test revealed no significant age differences and nearly all dogs remembered the correct pictures as positive.
The results of the study reinforce others about normal cognitive aging in border collies and could one day be used to detect and recognise cognitive defects in the breed.
The specimen is first of its kind, allowing for more precise identification
during sexual encounter, but no female was found
For one well-endowed harvestman, death could not have come at a more inconvenient time.
The ancient arachnid entombed in amber has a massive erection that has persisted for 99 million years, after dying in the throes of arousal.
Based on the uniquely structured penis, which grew to be nearly half the length of the male's body when fully erect, researchers suggest the fossil represents a new, extinct family of harvestmen.
For one well-endowed harvestman, death could not have come at a more inconvenient time. The ancient arachnid entombed in amber has a massive erection that has persisted for 99 million years, after dying in the throes of arousal
THE HARVESTMAN'S PENIS Harvestmen are in some ways quite different than other arachnids. While spiders and scorpions use modified legs to deliver sperm to females, NatGeo writes, most harvestmen have penises. H. grimaldii and other kinds of harvestmen insert this appendage into genital openings near the females mouth. Differentiating between the types of harvestmen can be difficult, as many evolved to look the same, but the well-preserved penis specimen offers a more precise method if identification. For H. grimaldii, a unique penis meant a 'slender,' flattened shape with a twisted tip. Advertisement
The study was published in The Science of Nature last Thursday, according to National Geographic, and researchers are saying this bizarre find is the first of its kind.
'This is the first record of a male copulatory organ of this nature preserved in amber and is of special importance due to the age of the deposit,' the authors write in the abstract.
The erect specimen, a relative of daddy long legs known as Halitherses grimaldii, is encased in Burmese amber of Myanmar, which trapped the living creature in oozing tree resin before solidifying to preserve him in eternal arousal.
'It must have been in an amorous state to have it out like this,' Ron Clouse of the American Museum of Natural History, who wasn't involved with the study, told National Geographic.
'This poor animal.'
Harvestmen have lived on earth for more than 400 million years, and researchers look to them to understand the spread of early life across the shifting landmasses,
Differentiating between the types can be difficult, as many evolved to look the same, but this well-preserved penis offers a more precise method if identification.
'Different families, and even species, [of harvestmen] can have a characteristic penis shape,' study leader Jason Dunlop, of the Berlin Museum for Natural History, told National Geographic.
'In fact, [penises] are often even more important than the shape of the body and legs.'
For H. grimaldii, a unique penis meant a 'slender,' flattened shape with a twisted tip.
Researchers determined this through 3-D scans and photographs, which also revealed that the harvestman had large eyes and a rare lack of diaphanous teeth.
The erect specimen, a relative of daddy long legs (pictured above) known as Halitherses grimaldii, is encased in Burmese amber of Myanmar, which trapped the living creature in oozing tree resin before solidifying to preserve him in eternal arousal
This suggests the specimen is of a new, extinct family of harvestmen.
While it may be that the arachnid was in the midst of a sexual encounter at unfortunate time of death, the truth could be much less romantic, as researchers point out there's no female trapped alongside him.
Nasa says it expects to find alien microbes in 10 to 20 years
This describes how there are so many planets and yet no aliens
He came up with the theory to help explain the 'Fermi Paradox'
If advanced alien life exists in our universe, it's likely to be at the 'very young' stage.
This is according to Harvard astronomer, Dimitar Sasselov, who came up with the theory to explain something known as the 'Fermi Paradox'.
The paradox refers to the fact that there are billions of galaxies in the observable universe, each with up to a trillion stars, and perhaps trillions of habitable planets.
Scroll down for video
If advanced alien life exists in our universe, it's likely to be at the 'very young' stage. This is according to Harvard astronomer, Dimitar Sasselov, who came up with the theory to explain the 'Fermi Paradox'. Pictured is an artist's impression of an exoplanet where life might exist
WHAT IS THE FERMI PARADOX? The Fermi Paradox questions why have we not found aliens, despite the existence of hundreds of billions of exosolar systems in our galactic neighborhood in which life might evolve. Italian physicist Enrico Fermi devised it in 1950. He believed it was too extraordinary that not a single extraterrestrial signal or engineering project has yet been detected. He claimed there must be some kind of barrier that prevents the rise of intelligent, self-aware, technologically advanced, space-colonising civilisations. This barrier is sometimes referred to as a 'Great Filter'. The absence could be caused because either intelligent life is extremely rare or intelligent life has a tendency to go extinct. Advertisement
But, despite such worlds being so abundant, and life on Earth has been able to thrive, we've still been unable to find aliens.
Sasselov, however, says that doesn't mean they don't exist they just haven't evolved yet.
The 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe show potential to continue on as we see them today for hundreds of billions of years, he says, according to the Daily Galaxy.
And because planets and life are young in our universe, Sasselov suggests 'the human species are not late comers to the party. We may be among the early ones.'
In his book, 'The Life of Super-Earths', the Harvard professor claims galaxies only had environments stable enough to have planets nine billion years ago.
He calculates that rocky Earth-like planets and larger super-Earths only began forming 7 to 8 billion years ago.
Heavy elements were available for the complex chemistry needed for life to emerge between 7 and 9 billion years ago, he adds.
As a result life had to wait until that time if not later to begin its emergence throughout the universe.
He concludes the Fermi's Paradox 'holds true only if the timescale for the emergence of life is much shorter than the age of the universe, but not so if the two are comparable.'
Nasa seems to agree with Sasselov, and claims we will find alien life in 10 to 20 years - albeit in microbe form.
During a talk in Washington last year, the space agency announced that humanity is likely to encounter extra-terrestrials within a decade.
'I believe we are going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth in the next decade and definitive evidence in the next 10 to 20 years,' Ellen Stofan, chief scientist for Nasa, said.
In his book, 'The Life of Super-Earths', Harvard University's Dimitar Sasselov claims galaxies only had environments stable enough to have planets nine billion years ago
'We know where to look, we know how to look, and in most cases we have the technology.'
Jeffery Newmark, interim director of heliophysics at the agency, added: 'It's definitely not an if, it's a when.'
'We are not talking about little green men,' Stofan said. 'We are talking about little microbes.'
The announcement was prompted by the recent discovery of water by Nasa in surprising places.
Jim Green, director of planetary science at Nasa, noted that a recent study of the Martian atmosphere found 50 per cent of the planet's northern hemisphere once had oceans a mile deep.
And in September, the possibility of finding life on Mars came step closer after Nasa announced a 'major scientific discovery' of flowing water on the red planet.
The agency confirmed that 'dark fingers' spotted in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) images are likely made by liquid moving across, or beneath, the planet's surface.
Scientists using the Hubble recently provided powerful evidence that Jupiter's moon Ganymede (pictured) has a saltwater, sub-surface ocean, likely sandwiched between two layers of ice
Nasa associate administrator John Grunsfeld said he is excited about seeing what form life beyond Earth may take.
BILLIONS OF EXOPLANETS ARE MORE EARTH-LIKE THAN THOUGHT In their hunt for alien life, astronomers have so far focused on looking for Earth-like planets around smaller, cooler suns. But these exoplanets - despite having a chance of holding water - are believed to be locked in a rotation around their sun which causes only one side of their surface face the star. Now astronomers claim that such exoplanets actually rotate around their stars, and spin at such a speed that they exhibit a day-night cycle similar to Earth increasing the chance of finding alien life. Planets with potential oceans could have a climate that is much more similar to Earth's than previously expected,' said Jeremy Leconte, a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) at the University of Toronto. 'If we are correct, there is no permanent, cold night side on exoplanets causing water to remain trapped in a gigantic ice sheet,' he said. 'Whether this new understanding of exoplanets' climate increases the ability of these planets to develop life remains an open question.' Advertisement
'Once we get beyond Mars, which formed from the same stuff as Earth, the likelihood that life is similar to what we find on this planet is very low,' he said.
'I think we're one generation away in our solar system, whether it's on an icy moon or on Mars, and one generation [away] on a planet around a nearby star.
Scientists using the Hubble recently provided powerful evidence that Jupiter's moon Ganymede has a saltwater, sub-surface ocean, likely sandwiched between two layers of ice.
Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's satellite Enceladus are also thought to have an ocean of liquid water beneath their surface in contact with mineral-rich rock.
This, according to Nasa, means they may have the three ingredients needed for life as we know it.
'The science community is making enormous progress,' said Green.
'And I've told my team I'm planning to be the director of planetary science when we discover life in the solar system.
At the same conference last year, Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden made a more conservative estimate.
He claimed that we will find life within the next 20 years - with a high chance it will be outside our solar system.
Nasa next Mars rover, scheduled to launch in 2020, will search for signs of past life and bring samples for a possible return to Earth for analysis.
ncestors selected certain seeds to grow at later dates and crossbred
The fruit and veg that graces our plates today would have been unrecognisable to our ancestors, researchers have revealed.
A new series of pictures shows what everything from the watermelon to the banana originally looked like.
Farmers have been developing new ways to improve their crops since the birth of agriculture some 12,000 years ago, and technologies from selective breeding to genetically modifying plants has been used.
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Modern techniques genetically modifying crops involved transferring DNA, but our ancestors began altering their food through crossbredding or planting seeds at different times of the year. New research shows photographs of what some popular fruits and vegetables looked like before humans grew them for food
According to Bruce Chasey, executive associate director of the Biotechnology Center at the University of Illinois, we altered these plants so much that they developed into crops that would never survive in the wild without human care.
During the 1980s genetic manipulation of foods started to take off when researchers discovered it was possible to transfer specific pieces of DNA from one organism to another.
But it wasn't until 1994 were these modified foods available to consumers.
Calgene, a biotech research firm in California, unveiled the first genetically engineered crop to the market that year, the Flavr Savr tomato, reported The New York Times.
WILD WATERMELOM VS. MODERN WATERMELON Wild watermelon (pictured).The painting which was created between 1645 and 1672, shows swirly shapes in the center that is marked off in six separate sections. Humans have designed watermelons to have the red, fleshy center Modern watermelon (pictured). Researchers double the number of chromosomes in traditional melons by adding the chemical colchicine A painting from the 17th-century artist, Giovanni Stanchi, displays a watermelon that no living person has ever seen. The painting which was created between 1645 and 1672, shows swirly shapes in the center that is marked off in six separate sections, reported Vox Humans have designed watermelons to have the red, fleshy center, as seen in the photograph. And if you have ever had a seedless watermelon, you can be sure it was genetically modified. Researchers double the number of chromosomes in traditional melons by adding the chemical colchicine. Advertisement
FEARS ABOUT GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS One reason the public worries about genetically modified foods is that it can trigger an allergy in humans. Some of the genes used during the process may have been taken from other foods that people are allergic to and they have no way of knowing about it. Another issues is other organisms in the ecosystem could be harmed, which could be followed by a lower level of biodiversity. Some genetically modified foods use bacteria and virus, so there is a fear a new disease will emerge. Advertisement
Our ancient ancestors 'built' crops into what they wanted bigger, tastier and juicer, reported Medical Daily.
'While GMOs may involve splicing genes from other organisms (such as bacteria) to give plants desired traits like resistance to pest, selective breeding is a slower process whereby farmers select and grow crops,' said Tanya Lewisin Business Insider.
Researchers were able to contain the gene that produces a protein that makes tomatoes squishy.
This tomato caused an enormous media stir. 'The tomato stays riper, longer than the nonengineered variety, and they say it's tastier,' Tom Brokaw told his nightly news viewers.
Company officials said every tomato they could get to market was sold.
WILD BANANA VS. MODERN BANANA Wild banana (pictured).The first bananas may have been cultivated some 7,000 years ago and as early as 10,000 in what is now Papua New Guinea and they have been found to grow in Asia. The ancient ancestor of the modern bananas is the Musa acuminate, a plant that had small okra looking pods Modern banana (pictured). The ones we buy at the grocery story, may be full blown hybrids but are much tastier and have more nutrients than those our ancestors snacked on The first bananas may have been cultivated some 7,000 years ago and as early as 10,000 in what is now Papua New Guinea and they have been found to grow in Asia, reported Smithsonian.com The ancient ancestor of the modern bananas is the Musa acuminate, a plant that had small okra looking pods. This was eventually crossed with Musa balbisiana, which created plantains that eventually produced the bright yellow fruits we have today. The modern day banana has a long history of modification. The ones we buy at the grocery story, may be full blown hybrids but are much tastier and have more nutrients than those our ancestors snacked on. Advertisement
But sales declined a few years later, when the firm was bought out by Monsanto, who eighty-sixed the Flavr Savr tomato.
In the Unites States 93 percent of soybeans and 88 percent of corn is genetically modified and most of it ends up in unlabeled processed food.
Certain foods, such as squash and papaya, have been altered to resist diseases.
WILD EGGPLANT VS. MODERN EGGPLANT Wild Eggplant (pictured).In the past, these vegetables were be found in all different shapes and sizes such as white, azure, purple and yellow. And some of the earliest ones had spines in the area where they stem connects to the flower Modern eggplant (pictured). Through crossbreading, the spikes are no long a part of the egg plant and it isnt the orange like shape it once was If you stumble upon the early ancestor of an eggplant, you probably wont know what it is. In the past, these vegetables were be found in all different shapes and sizes such as white, azure, purple and yellow. And some of the earliest ones had spines in the area where they stem connects to the flower. Through crossbreading, the spikes are no long a part of the egg plant and it isnt the orange like shape it once was. Today it is the oblong purple vegetable you find in most grocery stores. Advertisement
There hasn't been enough research to confirm the risks of GMOs, even though the FDA has labeled them as 'safe'.
Robert Goldberg, a plant molecular biologist at the University of California, told Scientific American, 'Frankenstein monsters, things crawling out of the lab.'
WILD CARROT VS. MODERN CARROT Wild carrot (pictured).Found in Persia and Asia Minor around the 10th century, they were purple or white root-like structures. Its seeds made their way as far as Europe about 5,000 years ago and it is still found today in temperate regions Modern carrot (pictured).The modern carrot has also become an annual winter crop, compared to its ancestors that thrived in warmer climates Wild carrots are unrecognizable today. Found in Persia and Asia Minor around the 10th century, they were purple or white root-like structures. Its seeds made their way as far as Europe about 5,000 years ago and it is still found today in temperate regions. The orange-ish vegetable we know today was domesticate in the 1900s, which started as a golden ball and transformed into the long orange carrot today. The modern carrot has also become an annual winter crop, compared to its ancestors that thrived in warmer climates. Advertisement
'This the most depressing thing I've ever dealt with.'
But David Zilberman, a U.C. Berkeley agricultural and environmental economist, believes the use of GM crops 'has lowered the price of food.'
'It has increased farmer safety by allowing them to use less pesticide,' Zilberman said.
WILD CORN VS. MODERN CORN Wild corn (pictured).Wild maize, or corn, has been a staple for human agriculture and has been altered since the beginning of its time. The domesticati on of corn began with ancient farmers in Mexico, who pinked kernels to plant and noticed not all the plants were the same Modern corn (pictured).Modification has changed the types and amounts of starch it produces, where it can be grown and the length, size and shape of the entire vegetable Wild maize, or corn, has been a staple for human agriculture and has been altered since the beginning of its time. The domestication of corn began with ancient farmers in Mexico, who pinked kernels to plant and noticed not all the plants were the same. For western civilization, the story of corn began in 1492 when Columbus's men discovered this new grain in Cuba. An American native, it was exported to Europe rather than being imported, as were other major grains. Like most early history, there is some uncertainty as to when corn first went to Europe. Some say it went back with Columbus to Spain, while others report that it was not returned to Spain until the second visit of Columbus. Modification has changed the types and amounts of starch it produces, where it can be grown and the length, size and shape of the entire vegetable. Advertisement
'It has raised the output of corn, cotton and soy by 20 to 30 percent, allowing some people to survive who would not have without it.'
He also believes if this technique was more accepted in the world, the price of food would be lower and people wouldn't die from starvation.
WILD PEACH VS. MODERN PEACH Wild peach (pictured). Peaches were first domesticated around 4,000 BC by ancient Chinese, who reported they tasted very earthy and salty. The fruits were only 25 mm in size and had little flesh to chomp on -- just about 64 percent of the peach was edible Peaches were first domesticated around 4,000 BC by ancient Chinese, who reported they tasted very earthy and salty. The fruits were only 25 mm in size and had little flesh to chomp on -- just about 64 percent of the peach was edible. Modern peach (pictured). Farmers are now selectively breeding them, which has produced the same fruit but 64 times bigger, 27 percent juicier and 4 percent sweeter. The largest peach to be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records was 2.5 inches to 3 inches in diameter Farmers are now selectively breeding peaches, which has produced the same fruit but 64 times bigger, 27 percent juicier and 4 percent sweeter. The largest peach to be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records was 2.5 inches to 3 inches in diameter. Advertisement
Google says it will deliver special ads to jihadi sympathisers in an attempt to combat terrorism.
As part of a pilot scheme, the search engine will show anti-radicalisation links when would-be jihadists type in words related to extremism.
The announcement was made by Dr Anthony House, a senior Google executive, while giving evidence to MPs in the UK parliament.
Google says it will deliver the special ads to jihadi sympathisers in an attempt to combat terrorism. As part of a pilot scheme, the search engine will show anti-radicalisation links when would-be jihadists type in words related to extremism
'We are working on counter-narratives around the world. This year one of the things we're looking at is we are running two pilot programmes,' said Dr House.
'One is to make sure these types of views are more discoverable.
'The other is to make sure when people put potentially damaging search terms into our search engine they also find these counter narratives.'
Dr House says the counter-narrative messages will appear in the sponsored links which are returned at the top of a Google search, rather than in the search results.
'We offer Google AdWords Grants to NGOs so that meaningful counter-speech ads can be surfaced in response to search queries like 'join Isis', he said.
Dr Anthony House says the counter-narrative messages will appear in the sponsored links which are returned at the top of a Google search, rather than in the search results. 'We offer Google AdWords Grants to NGOs so that meaningful counter-speech ads can be surfaced in response to search queries like 'join Isis', he said
These campaigns work like any other search ads campaign - the advertiser choose the search terms they would like their ads to run against
'This is simply a pilot program and is not up and running in most markets yet,' a Google spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
TECH FIRMS DEFEND ENCRYPTION FOLLOWING TERROR ATTACKS Encryption is a double-edged sword. It can be a terrorist's tool, but it can also be a key for those hunting attackers. The attacks in Paris spurred calls for better ways for investigators to track criminals who rely on encrypted communications. Now technology industry groups are pushing back, arguing that any access to encrypted data will impact on privacy and civil liberties. officials say technology companies need to help governments bypass the data scrambling that shields everyday commerce and daily digital life. In November, the Software Alliance (BSA) defended encryption technology, saying it is a vital tool for online privacy, rather than something to be feared. Several other technology industry groups have backed up the BSA, saying encryption helps protect everything from online banking to transportation security systems. Advertisement
According to a report in the Telegraph, Google has received about 100,000 'flags' from members of the public about content they consider inappropriate.
As a result, the company took down around 14 million videos from its YouTube site in 2014, some of which including material related to terrorism.
During the committee meeting, both Google and Facebook, declined to comment on details of how many people they employed to take down terrorist and extremist content
But last year, Google admitted that its YouTube site was so inundated that staff couldn't filter all terror related content.
Google Public Policy Manager Verity Harding said that about 300 hours of video material is being uploaded to YouTube every minute, making it virtually impossible for the company to filter all images.
She said that 'to pre-screen those videos before they are uploaded would be like screening a phone call before it's made.'
The European Union's counter-terror chief believes it's time to help companies to contain the security risk by having experts from member states flagging terror-related content.
And the US is also urging technology companies to work with the government to combat terror threats.
The Obama administration last month sought to enlist Silicon Valley's help in stopping terrorist groups from recruiting and mobilising followers online.
The US government also announced initiatives against violent extremism, including an overhaul of its efforts to counter extremist messages around the globe.
In Silicon Valley, top administration officials held a closed-door meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and senior executives from Google, Facebook, Yahoo and other tech firms.
While the session was described by tech company representatives as cordial, no specific agreement or other outcome was announced.
'This meeting confirmed that we are united in our goal to keep terrorists and terror-promoting material off the Internet,' Facebook said a statement.
Spokesmen for several other companies declined comment on the meeting.
A White House spokesman, meanwhile, took pains to describe tech leaders as patriotic Americans who have no interest in seeing 'their tools and their technology being used to aid and abet terrorists.'
Leading Internet companies say they remove content that violates their policies by promoting terrorism or threatening violence, but they are reluctant to infringe on free speech.
They also don't want to be viewed around the world as agents of the government.
A Somali computer programmer has told how a suspected bomb blast tore open the side of a plane and sucked out an elderly passenger to his death at 14,000 feet.
Survivor Hassan Mohamed Nur said the blast shook Daallo Airlines Flight D3159 five minutes after take off from Mogadishu, Somalia, and tore a hole in the jet's fuselage.
Describing the horror, he said the cabin went black and filled with thick smoke as passengers screamed in the confusion - as investigators in the U.S say a bomb 'probably' caused the explosion.
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Horror at 14,000 feet: A explosion ripped a hole in the side of the Airbus A321 just five minutes after it took off from the Somali capital Mogadishu
Blast: A hole measuring six feet by three feet tore through the Airbus A321 fuselage and an elderly passenger in his 60s was sucked out of the cabin
Mr Nur said the passenger, an elderly man, caught fire before he was sucked from his seat and out of the Airbus A321.
I saw the passenger, a man in his early 60s, get sucked out of the plane,' he told MailOnline. 'There was a huge bang. A big hole appeared in the side of the jet and the man disappeared through it.
One minute he was sat in his seat, the next it he was gone. Hed been sucked out of the plane.
People were screaming. We all thought we were going to die.
Survivor: Hassan Mohamed Nur described the terror on board Daallo Airlines Flight D3159
The charred body of a man, who may have fallen from the plane, was found in Balad, 18 miles from Mogadishu.
Airline officials say two passengers were hurt in the blast, shortly after take off on Tuesday.
One of those injured was an elderly man from Finland, who is in a stable condition in hospital in Mogadishu.
The Somali government says an investigation has begun.
The plane has been moved from the runway to a private hangar for inspection by forensic experts to inspect, Mr Mohamoud added.
He said that foreign technical experts were involved in the inquiry.
The Daallo Airlines flight bound for Djibouti in the Horn of Africa was able to fly back to Mogadishu and land safely and 74 passengers on board were evacuated.
The pilot Vlatko Vodopivec, 64, from Serbia said: 'When we heard a loud bang, the co-pilot went back to the cabin to inspect the damage and I took over the commands as the procedure demands.
'Smoke came into the cockpit, but it was mostly concentrated in the back of the aircraft.'
He added: 'I think it was a bomb. Luckily, the flight controls were not damaged so I could return and land at the airport.
'Something like this has never happened in my flight career. We lost pressure in the cabin. Thank god it ended well.
'It was my first bomb; I hope it will be the last. It would have been much worse if we were higher.'
Two unnamed U.S. government sources said they believe a bomb caused the blast explosion - although Somali civil aviation authority officials say they had found no evidence that a criminal act had caused the explosion.
Mr Nur added he does not believe the blast was caused by a bomb.
I blame the cause the bad weather. Imagine if the cause was a bomb, could the plane make a safe landing within 15 minutes after take off? he added.
Awale Kullane, Somalia's alternate U.N ambassador, who was on board the flight, said he 'heard a loud noise and couldn't see anything but smoke for a few seconds'.
Carnage: In the blast, which ripped open the side of the cabin, one passenger told MailOnline how thick smoke filled the plane and passengers screamed in the chaos
Blast: The full force of the blast can be seen from the outside of the Airbus A321 Daallo Airlines flight D3159 after it was safely landed at Mogadishu
Damage: A blast blew a huge hole in the side of the plane just five minutes after it took off from Mogadishu
Mr Kullane said he realised 'quite a chunk' of the plane was missing when visibility returned.
Pictures of the aftermath were posted on social media showing frightened passengers putting on oxygen masks.
Another survivor Mohamed Ali said he heard a bang before flames opened a gaping hole in the plane's side.
'I don't know if it was a bomb or an electric shock, but we heard a bang inside the plane,' he said, adding he could not confirm reports that passengers had fallen from the plane.
One of the people on board the flight filmed the aftermath of the explosion where the remaining passengers at calmly until the aircraft returned to the airport.
In a statement Daallo Airlines said the airbus was operated by Hermes Airlines and said the plane 'experienced an incident shortly after take-off'.
'The Aircraft landed safely and all of our passengers were evacuated safely. A thorough investigation is being conducted by Somalia Civil Aviation Authority,' the Daallo statement said.
Athens-based Hermes Airlines provides planes on a 'wet lease' basis, meaning it leases insured planes staffed and serviced by its crew to other carriers.
Somalia faces terror threats from ISIS-linked al-Shabaab, which is responsible for a number of atrocities in the country.
Aviation sources have suggested the aircraft was delayed leaving Mogadishu meaning the suspected bomb, if it was on a timer, went off at a lower altitude, giving the passengers on board a greater chance of survival.
John Goglia, former member of the US National Transportation Safety Board, said only a bomb or a pressurisation blow out caused by fatigue could cause such a hole in the side of the aircraft.
Cabin crew moved the remaining passengers to the front and rear of the aircraft to keep it balanced for landing
Two people are reported to have been injured after the fire broke out on the Daallo Airlines plane
Djibouti-bound Daallo Airlines flight D3159 pictured after a blast blew a hole in the side of the cabin on Tuesday
However, the black soot around the hole would indicate a bomb.
He said the incident happened before the aircraft hit its cruising altitude which would reduce the possibility of a pressurisation event.
Business class is usually reserved for well-to-do executives or film stars, but a blogger has revealed how the average traveller can score a seat in the lap of luxury.
Brian Kelly, 32, recently flew non-stop from New York to Accra, Ghana, in Delta Air Lines Delta One cabin and all it cost was a $5.60 (3.90) TSA/government fee.
The one-way ticket normally sells for $5,000 (3,475), but Kelly paid just a fraction of the mile-high fare after racking up tens of thousands of frequent flyer miles.
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Brian Kelly, 32, from New York has made a career out of aggressively collecting frequent flyer miles
Kelly relaxes in his seat in Delta Air Lines' business class before his flight from New York to Accra, Ghana
The full-time blogger used 90,000 air miles and paid just $5.60 for a business class seat on a recent flight
Kelly, founder of the website The Points Guy, has made a habit out of exposing ways frequent and irregular travellers can get the most out of their airline or credit card rewards points.
He flew to Ghana last September to work for the PeaceJam Foundation, a charity that uses Nobel Laureate teachers to educate youth, and shared video of the flight this week.
Kelly, from New York, redeemed 90,000 SkyMiles and paid less than $6 on fees to reserve a seat on the Boeing 767-300.
During the 10-hour transatlantic flight he relaxed in an aeroplane cabin that features 180-degree flat-bed seats, finer meals paired with wines selected by a sommelier, TUMI amenity kits and Starbucks coffee.
Kelly flew approximately 5,000 miles on board a Boeing 767-300 at just a fraction of the normal cost
In a video posted online, a flight attendant places a cloth over Kelly's tray table ahead of meal service
At dinner, Kelly was served an appetizer with prawns after being offered unlimited glasses of Champagne
After noshing on cedar plank salmon, Kelly finished off his meal with a hot fudge sundae
Kelly curls up in his 180-degree lie-flat seat during the 10-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean
Kelly was treated to Champagne and for dinner he had prawns, cedar plank salmon and a hot fudge sundae.
He said: 'The cedar plank salmon was delicious and the made-to-order ice cream sundae is even more heavenly.'
Other perks included priority check-in and boarding, and access to Delta's lounge at JFK Airport.
The flight was the latest perk enjoyed by the blogger, who aggressively collects frequent flyer miles through credit card sign-up bonuses and purchases.
One card offered a bonus of 50,000 miles when he signed up. It came with a $95 (66) annual fee which was waived for the first year.
Kelly said the feat is something even the average traveller can accomplish.
He said: 'Make sure you pay off your bills in full every month because the interest rates on balances will negate the value of miles and points you earn.
'Also, don't be afraid of cards with annual fees. Sometimes the most lucrative cards have annual fees that are waived the first year and you can have them waive it or give you a bonus when it comes time to pay the annual fee. They don't want to lose you as customer, it never hurts to ask.'
He suggests credit cards that have lucrative returns. One of his cards gives him three points for every dollar he spends and he can transfer the points to a number of airlines.
The blogger flew to Ghana to work for the PeaceJam Foundation, a charity that educated African youth
Last year, Kelly flew in Etihad Airways award-winning The Residence, a private suite that has a double bed, living room, private shower and butler service.
He also flew in Cathay Pacifics first class cabin from Ho Chi Minh City to New York for $62 (43) and 67,500 air miles saving $9,000 (6,200) in airfare.
Flying around the world on air miles has been a fascination for Kelly since he was a child.
At the age of 12, he figured out how to maximise his dads frequent flyer miles and book a family holiday in the Caribbean.
A rocket made from fizzy drinks bottles came dangerously close to colliding with a plane carrying 200 passengers.
The incident happened back in August 2015, but the worrying details have only just emerged after an investigation by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB).
Although the flying object did not hit the Airbus A321, the report states that the pilot estimated that the object was '100ft vertically and 200m horizontally from his aircraft.'
The report detailing the incident that happened last August says the object was the size of two, two litre fizzy drink bottles. Pictured stock image.
The pilot estimated that the object was '100ft vertically and 200m horizontally from his aircraft'
The plane was travelling 1,500ft in the air at the time and had just taken off from Birmingham Airport.
'The first officer noticed an unidentified object, described as rocket shaped and the size of two, two litre fizzy drink bottles,' the report continues.
'It passed very close to the starboard side of the aircraft, although didnt actually hit it.'
The incident was recorded as category B on the danger scale, that safety is 'not assured: aircraft proximity in which the safety of the aircraft may have been compromised.'
Although there is a Midland Rocketry club, they have confirmed that they only operate on specific open days (normally weekends) with the correct notification; this was not one of their open days.
The worrying incident happened shortly after the Airbus A321 had taken off from Birmingham Airport
AIRPROX COLLISION RISK RATINGS A - Risk of Collision: aircraft proximity in which serious risk of collision has existed. B - Safety not assured: aircraft proximity in which the safety of the aircraft may have been compromised. C - No risk of collision: aircraft proximity in which no risk of collision has existed. D - Risk not determined: aircraft proximity in which insufficient information was available to determine the risk involved, or inconclusive or conflicting evidence precluded such determination. E - Met the criteria for reporting but, by analysis, it was determined that normal procedures, safety standards and parameters pertained. Source: UK Airprox Board Advertisement
The incident did not show on the NATS radar, so the exact separation could not be ascertained.
Yesterday, MailOnline reported on how a drone came within 50 feet of a passenger plane near Manchester Airport.
An aviation watchdog said it was one of three 'near-misses' in Manchester last year. The drone was reported to be hovering at 2,800 ft to 2,400ft above the legal height limit. Experts have warned that it could have been 'catastrophic' if the drone had gone into an engine, as it could have exploded.
The plane was starting a descent into Manchester when the pilot spotted the bright blue drone in front of the cockpit.
Another incident in the report described how a drone came within 66 feet of hitting a passenger jet above the Houses of Parliament.
The pilots of the Embraer 170, which was at 2,000ft at the time and carrying up to 76 passengers, had no time to take action as the unmanned craft flew down the side of the short-haul airliner.
It was travelling at around 184mph when crew spotted the drone ahead of them while looking out for a helicopter in the area, according to Jeremy Armstrong at the Daily Mirror.
The incident was recorded as a Category A - in which serious risk of collision has existed.
The drone's operator was never traced, said the report from UK Airprox Board, which monitors incidents in UK airspace.
Timing is everything - and when it comes to holidays getting it right could save you thousands of pounds.
TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals has revealed the most affordable times of year to stay in some of the world's most expensive destinations. And it turns out that shifting when you go abroad could save you up to 4,000, or 86 per cent of the total cost.
Boasting more than 740,000 properties worldwide, the booking website has looked at the average weekly rate of a two-bedroom property and uncovered the best months to save on trips to top destinations like Dubai and Miami.
TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals has revealed the most affordable times of year to stay in some of the world's most expensive destinations, such as Hawaii (pictured)
The most affordable times to travel to the worlds top 10 most expensive destinations (based on median rates for a week-long stay in a two bedroom property in that destination throughout the whole year 2016 & average savings)
For example, holidaymakers can visit the sun-kissed shores of Kapolei in Hawaii and save over 1,410 simply by travelling in November. Likewise, stylish city breaks in London see average savings of 27 per cent in early July, the perfect time to see the city in the sunshine.
And going to Cannes in late March instead of early March could save you 3,970.
Saskia Welman of TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals said that knowing the right time to visit particular destinations is key to saving on your holidays in 2016.
She said: 'Holidaymakers keen to explore the world's most amazing hotspots, but without the hefty price tag, should try to be flexible on their dates. Travelling even just a week or two earlier or later than planned can make a massive difference to the cost.
The most affordable time to travel to Cannes - a beautiful spot on the French Riviera
Stylish city breaks in London see average savings of 27 per cent in early July
'For example, the paradise beaches of Barbados can be experienced for almost 40 per cent less by visiting in early December.
'The world's most stunning locations are accessible on all budgets if you strategically plan to travel at the cheapest times of the year you'll be amazed at what you can afford.'
The President of the United States ended the Drake vs Kendrick Lamar battle earlier this month.
But Drake isn't going down without a fight - as he bit back in rap to Barack Obama's choice on Saturday.
The Canadian hip hop star, 29, released his first single off Views From The 6, which referenced the President's decision.
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Bites back: Drake isn't going down without a fight - as he responded in rap to Obama's choice on Saturday
'Tell Obama that my verses are just like the whips that he in, they bulletproof,' he defiantly raps on Summer Sixteen.
Obama was asked on January 15, during a You Tube Q&A: 'If Drake and Kendrick Lamar got in a rap battle, who do you think would win?'
'Gotta go with Kendrick,' the President answered, 'Im just saying. I think Drake is an outstanding entertainer, but Kendrick, his lyrics his last album was outstanding. Best album, I think, last year.'
See Drake news as he responds to Obama choosing Kendrick Lamar as rap battle winner
Picked Kendrick: The President of the United States ended the Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rap battle earlier this month
Two weeks ago Kendrick paid a visit to the White House and shared an image alongside the President.
He captioned the black and white picture: 'hood politics', to describe their meeting to discuss how to improve inner-city communities.
Obama also previously nailed his colours to Kendrick's mast in the feud between the two rap stars when he named Kendricks To Pimp A Butterfly track How Much a Dollar Cost as his favourite of 2015.
Friends in high places: Kendrick is the President's favourite rapper
Straight Outta Compton: Two weeks ago Kendrick paid a visit to the White House and shared an image alongside the President
Drake's first three studio albums all reached number one in the U.S. Billboard album chart.
The Canadian is set to release fourth album Views From The 6 in April this year, and is the youngest on the list of the top twenty richest rappers in the world.
Drake is worth $100 million according to The Richest, dwarfing Kendrick's $20 million fortune.
Last laugh? Drake is worth $100 million according to The Richest , dwarfing Kendrick's $20 million fortune
She's used to lighting up the screen in a plethora of period dramas, and now Keira Knightley could be fastening her corset once more after being tipped for a role in new biopic Colette.
The British beauty, 30, is poised to be stepping back in time with her next role, to star in Colette, a biopic about the French novelist who wrote Gigi and Cheri.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star is said to be in talks for a role in the film that will begin shooting in Budapest in May, according to Deadline.
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Movie beauty: Keira, whose latest role was starring in Broadway production Therese Raquin at Studio 54, is a favourite to star in Colette
No stranger in starring in costume dramas, two time Oscar nominee Keira has previously gained critical acclaim for roles in Pride And Prejudice and Pirates Of The Caribbean alongside Hollywood heavyweights Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.
Keira, whose latest role was starring in Broadway production Therese Raquin at Studio 54, is a favourite to star as the famous novelist who was nominated for a Nobel Prize for literature in 1948.
Still Alices Wash Westmore will direct the film, with a script co-written by the late Richard Glatzer.
The film, which reunites the production team behind Carol, tells the story of one of Frances most prominent female writers, who gained fame when it was revealed she had been writing her novels under the name of her first husband, 'Willy' Gauthier-Villers.
Screen icon: Two time Oscar nominee Keira has previously gained critical acclaim for her part in Pride and Prejudice
Green goddess: Keira, in her earthy period costume, has also starred in Pride and Prejudice
Swashbuckling: The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 30, is no stranger to getting dressed up in period costume after working alongside Hollywood heavyweights Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom for the blockbuster
Colette also wrote the novel Cheri, which was adapted by Stephen Frears in 2009 into a film that starred Michelle Pfeiffer.
Keira recently made her Broadway debut in Helene Edmundsons Therse Raquin, and starred in The Imitation Game alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.
She was a hit with the audience after receiving a warm reception on the opening night last October, although the production as a whole has split the opinion of the critics.
Keira, was joined by her musician hubby James Righton and their baby daughter Edie in New York, during her run in the French play, an exciting and tragic tale of forbidden love and lust set on Paris' River Seine.
Favourite: Keira, whose latest role was starring in Broadway production Therese Raquin at Studio 54, is a favourite to star in Colette
Heidi Klum, 42, posted a photo on Sunday where she was kissing boyfriend Vito Schnabel, 29. 'I love you,' the German star wrote in the caption of the close-up black-and-white photo.
This comes just weeks after he was accused by Star magazine of getting close to Dakota Johnson.
Also on Sunday the Project Runway vet was seen arriving back to Los Angeles following a promotional tour in Australia.
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Reunited: Heidi Klum, 42, posted an intimate photo with boyfriend Vito Schnabel, 29, on Sunday after arriving back in Los Angeles
Star had claimed that the art dealer and the Fifty Shades Of Grey actress had seemed intimate at a NYC bar.
On December 9, they were spotted 'knocking back cocktails and packing on PDA at Manhattan's White Horse Tavern.'
The publication also ran photos of the two side by side.
Back home! The supermodel landed at LAX on Sunday after jetting in from the East Coast where she had been since Thursday
Meanwhile, Klum has been working steadily. She had been in Sydney and Melbourne promoting Heidi Klum Intimates and HK Man.
Instead of flying directly home to LA, she headed to LaGuardia Airport in Newark on Thursday to spend some time on the East Coast.
The Vogue favorite looked radiant as she landed in Los Angeles, bundled up with a very large grey scarf wrapped around her neck and hid behind a pair of dark glasses.
The Project Runway host was at her casual cool best as she wore her bright blonde hair down atop a black leather jacket and faded jeans.
In a hurry: The star looked radiant bundled up with a very large grey scarf wrapped around her neck and hid behind a pair of dark glasses
Klum topped off the look with a pair of glossy and cool black trainers.
The America's Got Talent judge appeared to be in good spirits despite the long flights, smiling at times as her photo was taken.
The star expressed gratitude last week after she had boarded her flight in Australia to head home.
Good to be back! The Project Runway host had been in Australia promoting Heidi Klum Intimates and HK Man
'Thank you Australia for your warm welcome! Had the best time...until next time,' the image was captioned.
In addition to her underwear range, the mother-of-four revealed she would be expanding her line to include swimwear.
The collection - consisting of cover ups and swimwear - is set to role out in the Southern Hemisphere in July and in the Northern Hemisphere in October.
Fashion expansion! The mother-of-four revealed she would be expanding her line to include swimwear
Save the date: Klum's new line is set to role out in the Southern Hemisphere in July and in the Northern Hemisphere in October
The range will be in collaboration with New Zealand-based label Bendon, who also produce swimwear for luxury brands such as Stella McCartney.
Heidi and Vito have been together since 2014.
Before Vito, the Project Runway host was married to singer Seal, with whom she had three children. Her first child was with businessman Flavio Briatore.
He's not been shy to show his true colours on screen over the past two years.
And indeed laid-back farmer Lachlan McAleer showed the ladies what he's got when he cocked his leg on a bale of hay and grabbed his crotch on Tuesday Today show.
The 37-year-old beef and hay farmer, who is starring on Farmer Wants a Wife, showed his true mettle when he posed, ruffle haired, with unsuspecting Lisa Wilkinson, Karl Stefanovic and country singer Sam McClymont.
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Showing the ladies what he's got: Lachlan McAleer posed, ruffle haired, with Today show hosts (from L-R) Lisa Wilkinson, Karl Stefanovic and country singer Sam McClymont on Tuesday
The unshaven countryman from Sydneys south-west donned a checkered shirt and jeans for his appearance on the Channel Nine breakfast programme.
With his sleeves rolled up to his biceps, he strikes a broad grin for the camera, hand firmly ensconced in his groin area.
Fans of the cheeky farmer took to Instagram to comment on the snap her proudly uploaded to his page, with one writing: 'What's going on with your hand between your legs?'
Looking for love: Lachlan has told Daily Mail Australia that he would give up everything he had to find love and have a family and a wife
Another challenges him declaring: 'Your stance raises so many questions/memes/eyebrows... that's gold! Lol.'
And a third writes: 'He looks like he is milking a male cow.'
A defensively Lachlan, known as Lachie, replies that the pose is misleading, telling his 7,663 followers: 'Haha, was just resting my arm cause I had my leg up on the hay bale... I promise!!!.'
The strapping farmer has told Daily Mail Australia of his decision to appear on the dating show despite failing to find love on Married At First Sight last year.
Looking for love: The 36-year-old is one of six farmers on the new series of Farmer Wants a Wife. He revealed he's looking for someone who is loving caring and loyal
He said the most important thing to him was finding love and starting a family and 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 said.
The rugged farmer, one of six on the show, is preparing to open up his heart to eight women who will ultimately vie for his affection on the show which debuted on Monday.
Hoping: He was seen meeting potential love matches on Farmer Wants A Wife, which premiered on Monday night
The farmer said he was searching for someone who was loving, caring and loyal with 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,' he said.
'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.
Compatible lifestyles: The NSW farmer has said that it's important that a potential partner
Sometimes when you are bailing hay you might not get in until 2am-3am and then youve got to be up two or three hours later to go again.
You need to have someone that understands the sometimes hectic lifestyle of a farmer.
Lachlan first appeared on Married at First Sight in 2014 when love started to blossom between the him and his TV wife Clare Tamas.
It didnt last, however, and Clare gave a scathing account of the pairs relationship in an interview with New Idea, but said she wished his ex nothing but the best.
Burned: The farmer is no stranger to reality TV. Pictured with his 'wife' Clare Tamas from Married at First Sight
Clare is a good person with a big heart, he said.
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.
It was in November that Australian actress Rebel Wilson launched her own capsule collection for the plus-size label Torrid.
And as she departed Los Angles on Monday, the 35-year-old actress continued to be the brand's advertisement.
Dressed almost head-to-toe in leather from the collection, the bubbly star of How To Be Single beamed as she walked through the terminal.
Her own best advertisement! Rebel Wilson went head-to-toe in faux leather from her capsule collection for label Torrid as she departed Los Angeles on Monday
Rebel styled her look with a pair of faux leather pants and a black T-shirt, over which she wore a Torrid drape-front faux leather jacket lined by faux suede.
While leather would normally be considered an uncomfortable option for travel, the website assures customers that the 'pants have us thinking way differently'.
Adding a touch of glam to her otherwise casual urban look, she teamed her look with a pair of gold Nicholas Kirkwood loafers with a pointed toe.
Owning it: She styled her look with a pair of faux leather pants by Torrid and a black T-shirt
Draped: She also wore a Torrid drape-front faux leather jacket which is lined by faux suede
She competed her ensemble with a camouflage trucker cap and her favourite red weekender bag.
Rebel has been an ambassador for affordable clothing in recent times, launching her range for the plus-size label last year.
Noticing a gap in the market for curvy women, she told Yahoo at the time: 'It was always a mission to find cool stuff. So I think with this collection, weve got a number of different pieces.'
All that glitters: Adding a touch of glam to her otherwise casual urban look, she teamed her look with a pair of gold Nicholas Kirkwood loafers
Urban: She competed her ensemble with a camouflage trucker cap and her favourite red weekender bag
Embracing her shape wholeheartedly, she added: 'I like the plus size thing, or being called a curvy girl...I play a character called "Fat Amy" [in Pitch Perfect] and Ive become quite famous for it. So obviously, Im not precious about adjectives.'
The Pitch Perfect star is currently touring the US to promote her latest comedy, How To Be Single, in which she stars alongside 50 Shades of Grey's Dakota Johnson.
The film, which is based on the novel by Liz Tuccillo of the same name, follows a group of New Yorkers and their navigation around dating in the city that never sleeps.
It is set for release in Australian cinemas on February 18.
As a director, Bonnie Lythgoe had hoped the cast of her Aladdin pantomime would all get along well.
However, the now I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! contestant reveals she wasn't expecting two of her lead stars to get along quite so well.
Married father-of-one Beau Ryan and former children's entertainer, Lauren Brant, were understood to have had an affair mid production leaving Bonnie 'shocked' and 'upset' when she found out.
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'I had no idea': I'm A Celebrity contestant Bonnie Lythgoe told The Kyle & Jackie O Show she was 'shocked' to hear about an alleged affair between Beau Ryan and Lauren Brant on her Aladdin production
'I felt so sorry for his wife and child, I really did,' the reality TV star told The Kyle & Jackie O Show.
Speaking to Peter Deppeler, better known as Intern Pete, before going into the South African jungle, the 65-year-old added: 'I had no idea, I was so shocked.
'And, really, I was upset because I love my company and I love them to gel together and I don't want scandal,' continued.
'I know everybody else wants scandal, but I really didn't, I wanted it to just be a fabulous time,' she said.
See I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Australia updates on Bonnie Lythgoe
'I felt so sorry for his wife and child': The former So You Think You Can Dance Australia judge expressed her compassion for Beau's three-year-old daughter Remi (centre) and wife of three years, Kara Orrell (right)
'I love them to gel [but] I don't want a scandal': The reality TV star shared her disappointment with the scenario between the castmates
The former judge on So You Think You Can Dance Australia produced and directed the family-friendly show Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp last year.
It's been alleged that during the rehearsal stages of the production, the former Hi-5 star and retired NRL player embarkee on an affair, which led to the end of Lauren's engagement to fiance, personal trainer Warren Riley.
The rumoured affair was first made public by Warren in an explosive tell-all interview with Woman's Day magazine in September.
Little fan: It was revealed that young Remi was a big Hi-5 fan and Lauren dressed her in clothes from her Loliboli collection while working with Beau on Aladdin
Tell-all: Lauren's jilted fiance, who is understood to have ended their engagement after finding out about the affair, revealed all in a tell-all interview with Woman's Day last September
Warren claimed the Hi-5 star, who had dressed young fan Remi on a number of occasions in outfits from her own Loliboli collection, had confessed to him about the cheating.
'She owned up to everything. She said she'd slept with him [Ryan] on two occasions in her hotel after rehearsals,' he told the magazine.
Lauren and Warren dated for two years before getting engaged in March this year but the pair called off their engagement in light of the reported affair.
However, Beau and wife Kara Orrell, who married in October 2012, have worked through the scandal after fleeing to the US for a family break.
'I apologise to all the people who have been hurt': Beau appeared to apologise for the alleged scandal when he appeared on The NRL Footy Show finale
While neither party has publicly confirmed the allegations, Beau appeared on the NRL Footy Show in October, issuing a heartfelt apology for the hurt he has caused.
'I want to apologise to all the people who have been hurt recently,' he said during the Grand Final episode
'It's been really, really hard for myself and my family and everyone involved,' he added.
Beau also thanked everyone for their 'support' and 'respect' of his privacy, but chose to keep things short, finishing with: 'I'm not here to talk about my private life, I'm here to talk about a grand final.'
She jetted over to Bali over the weekend for a last minute getaway.
And on Monday Zilda Williams looked very much in holiday mode as she strolled the streets of the destination, clutching onto a bottle of Bintang beer.
The 32-year-old put her DD chest on display, dressing in a tight black T-shirt that featured a low-cut round collar.
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Time to relax: Zilda Williams looked in holiday mode on Monday as she strolled the streets of Bali while clutching onto a bottle of Bintang beer
She covered up her skimpy bikini top with the garment, which she also teamed with high-waisted denim mini shorts.
The former Bachelor contestant tied a grey cardigan tightly around her waist while finishing off her look with a pair of black thongs.
She parted her blonde locks down the middle and tied them back into a low bun, allowing a portion of her fringe to fall beside her face.
Covering her blue eyes with a pair of sunglasses, the reality star opted for very minimal makeup in the heat.
Flashing some flesh: The 32-year-old put her DD chest on display, dressing in a tight black T-shirt which featured a low-cut round collar
Happy times: The former Bachelor contestant kept her look simple and parted her blonde locks down the middle while tying them back into a low bun
Time to replenish: Following her stroll along the busy streets she was pictured dining alone while digging into some traditional Indonesian dishes
Following her stroll along the busy streets she was pictured dining alone while digging into some traditional Indonesian dishes.
The beauty flashed a large smile as mingled with locals who were selling items off the street.
Zilda announced she had jetted over to Bali on her Instagram page on Monday, claiming her trip was a 'last minute' girls holiday with her close pal and DJ Sarah Robertson.
She posted a picture of herself posing with a grand chariot statue on the island, along with the caption: 'Guess where I am? Very last min trip with my girl @djsarahr. Bring on tanning, swimming and Bintang'.
Kicking back: Zilda has been looking forward to her holiday and is finally finding time to relax
Cooling off: In between bites of her meal, she kept refreshed with the popular Indonesian brand beer
Friendly: The beauty mingled with locals who were selling items off the street
Last year the blonde bombshell opened up to the Daily Mail Australia about her busty FF chest before undergoing a procedure to reduce their size.
Zilda explained that going from a FF to a DD was the best decision she has so far made, claiming men now look at her and not her breasts.
'I no longer get stared at and men are seeing me for who I really am,' she proudly stated.
Before the procedure she told Daily Mail Australia: 'I want to attract the right men... And be able to wear more fashionable clothes and be able to work out more.'
She was recently named the face of Topshop's spring line, marking her second campaign for the fashion company.
But on Monday night model Karlie Kloss traded high street for high glam as she attended the Spanish premiere of Zoolander No. 2 at the Capitol Theatre in Madrid.
The 23-year-old beauty turned heads in a figure-hugging, sleeveless gown with deep thigh-split.
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High-glam: On Monday night model Karlie Kloss traded high street for high glam as she attended the premiere of Zoolander 2 at the Capitol Theatre in Madrid
Leggy lady: The 23-year-old model turned heads in a figure-hugging, sleeveless gown with deep thigh-split from Carolina Herrera
The back of the Carolina Herrera dress was largely open, except for two shiny, crisscrossed straps.
The sky is the limit for this 6ft 1in glamazon as she added a few more inches with a pair of towering, strappy heels.
The former Victoria's Secret Angel opted for an all-black ensemble, but she added a spot of colour with burgundy toenail polish.
Luminous: Karlie played a subtle make-up game, wearing a light pink lip, eyeliner and a bit of blush, which gave her rosy cheeks and helped define her already enviable cheekbones
And reverse: The back of her elegant dress featured two shiny, crisscrossed straps
Playful: Karlie appeared to have mastered the fish gape, parting her lips to add a sultry flare to her poses
Karlie, L'Oreal Paris's latest spokesmodel, played a subtle make-up game, wearing a light pink lip, eyeliner and a touch of blush that gave her rosy cheeks and helped define her already enviable cheekbones.
She happily posed with photographer Mario Testino, who previously photographed her alongside Eddie Redmayne for a spread in Vogue magazine called 'Temptation Island'.
Currently an undergraduate at New York University, she leaned on Mario repeatedly and at times flung back her hair, all the while showing off her gorgeous, floor-sweeping gown.
She was full of smiles, but also worked a fish gape - subtly opening her mouth to add a sultry, but not overly sexualised, flare to her poses.
Fashion elite: Karlie happily posed with photographer Mario Testino
Together again: Mario once snapped Karlie alongside actor Eddie Redmayne for a Vogue photo spread entitled 'Temptation Island'
Flare for hair: Karlie repeatedly played with her gorgeous locks, at times bending back to let it flow
Zoolander 2, the sequel to the wildly popular 2001 comedy, sees Ben Stiller reprise his role as top male supermodel Derek Zoolander, with Owen Wilson portraying his best friend and fellow model Hansel McDonald.
Penelope Cruz takes on Valentina Valencia, an Interpol special agent with a penchant for riding motorcyles.
At the premiere the 41-year-old actress looked radiant in a white and gold gown with trail, playfully working her way past photographers.
She and Ben, who also directed the film, worked the famous 'blue steel' pout, which he popularised in the first Zoolander.
Dark and desirable: Mario opted for a black suit with a dark blue button-up shirt
Lean on me: Mario has photographed Karlie on a number of occasions
The gang's all here: Penelope and Ben are joined by Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell and Justin Theroux
A family affair: Ben's wife Christine Taylor is back as journalist Matilda Jeffries
Looking good: The Oscar-winning actress looked thrilled to be debuting her new film in her hometown of Madrid
Blac Chyna is trying to alter her future.
The 27-year-old model appeared to show how serious she is about her new boyfriend Rob Kardashian on Monday by having her tattoo of the last one removed.
Her dermatologist appointment was the first order of business after her 28-year-old beau made a 2,800 round trip to collect her from jail.
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Blac to the Future: Blac Chyna appeared to laser her supposed ex-boyfriend Future's name from her hand in a Snapchat video on Monday
The mother-of-one posted a Snapchat video which appeared to show her getting laser treatment on the side her hand, where she infamously had the word 'Future' inked last year just weeks after she started dating the rapper.
The choice of words turned ironic very quickly when Future publicly denied he was even dating Chyna.
In the video - which appears to have been flipped, as the unfortunate art is on her right hand - Chyna also treated followers to the sight of her having similar treatment under her arm for hair removal.
First thing's first: Her dermatologist appointment was the first order of business after her 28-year-old beau Rob Kardashian made a 2,800 round trip to collect her from jail
For your eyes only: In the video Chyna also treated followers to the sight of her having similar treatment under her arm for hair removal.
To her credit, the Lashed salon owner looked as fresh as a daisy despite her busy weekend of flying to Texas, being arrested for public intoxication and drug possession and then driving the 1,400 or so miles all the way back to LA.
According to the legal documents obtained by DailyMail.com, police found two white and gold ecstasy pills inside a sunglasses case in Chyna's purse.
British Airlines refused to let the tattooed model continue on the London leg of her flight due to her intoxication and verbal aggression.
Awkward: The choice of words turned ironic very quickly when Future publicly denied he was even dating Chyna
Tyred: Rob looked knackered after making the drive all the way from LA to Texas and back
the Lashed salon owner meanwhile looked as fresh as a daisy despite her busy weekend of flying to Texas, being arrested and then driving the 1,400 or so miles all the way back to LA
Blac admitted to a Saxon Pub bartender that she had taken Xanax, and she became 'verbally aggressive' when he refused to serve her more alcohol.
The curvaceous former exotic dancer - born Angela White - has found herself thrust into the limelight last week with the emergence of her relationship with the only male Kardashian, mainly due to the fact his little half sister Kylie is dating Chyna's baby daddy Tyga.
The newly-diagnosed diabetic has already moved into Chyna's Tarzana home, and out of his sister Khloe's $7.2M, six-bedroom Calabasas mansion.
Also on Monday the star announced she was hosting the New Kingz Management birthday celebration in Philadelphia on February 6.
MDMA drama: The model was arrested on Friday at Austin Airport for public intoxication and drug possession
She claimed she 'didn't know' [what the pills were]: According to the legal documents obtained by DailyMail.com, cops found two white and gold ecstasy pills inside a sunglasses case in Chyna's purse
A superstar DJ, the French President and the Cuban President aren't your usual dinner guests.
So it was quite a surprise to see French DJ David Guetta as one of the big names on the coveted guestlist for a state dinner at the Elysee Palace on Monday night.
As one of the biggest DJs and French celebrities in the world, David was among those to be invited to attend a dinner hosted by the French premier Francois Hollande for Cuban President Raul Castro's state visit to Paris.
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Honoured: French DJ David Guetta and his model girlfriend Jessica Ledon arrive at the Elysee Palace in Paris for a state dinner
Very smart: The superstar DJ was no doubt honoured to be invited to such a prestigious event with the two presidents
Of course, it probably helped that David happens to be dating one of Castro's fellow countrypeople, Cuban model Jessica Ledon.
The When Love Takes Over hitmaker, 48, looked dapper in black suit as he arrived at the Elysee Palace with his stunning girlfriend.
Cuban model Jessica, 23, showed off her fabulous legs in a lace dress, which she teamed with a black coat.
On the red carpet: David and Jessica pose for photographers as they prepare to enter the 18th century palace
Lead the way: The father-of-two, 47, kept a tight grip of Jessica's hand as they walked up the red carpet
David and Jessica started dating about a year ago following his divorce from wife Cathy in 2014 after 22 years of marriage and two children together.
Cuban President Raul is currently on a two-day historic state visit to Paris to improve relations between Cuba and France.
Raul, 84, is on his first official European trip since taking over presidency of the Communist nation from his brother Fidel, 89, in 2006.
Stunning: Jessica showed off her model figure in a fitted black and nude lace dress and black blazer
New romance: David and Jessica are thought to have started dating about a year ago following his divorce from ex-wife Cathy
French President Hollande, 61, had earlier greeted Raul at the Elysee by saving 'Vive Cuba' - 'Long live Cuba' in French.
The two presidents went on to give speeches during the meal, attended by diplomats and other dignitaries.
Raul's visit to France in a bid to improve business and tourism links with Cuba comes eight months after Hollande became the first French leader to visit the Caribbean island in 50 years.
Cuba has seen a huge boost to their tourism since last year after renewing relations with their former foe, the United States.
Historic: French President Francois Hollande (left) and Cuban President Raul Castro (right) arriving for the state dinner on Monday evening
Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce kept her pins under wraps as she hobbled near her London home on crutches having apparently broken her foot
She wowed viewers when she swapped her demure suit for a pair of black fishnet stockings during a charity performance of Chicago in 2007.
But yesterday Antiques Roadshow presenter Fiona Bruce kept her pins under wraps as she hobbled near her London home on crutches, having apparently broken her foot.
The 51-year-old was sporting a cast on her right foot and a Nike trainer on the other, although she still managed to look elegant in a chic white coat and smart black trousers.
Her chivalrous co-host on Fake or Fortune?, art dealer Philip Mould, with whom she has a fizzing on-screen chemistry, denies that he bears any responsibility for the damage. It was a trampoline, he assures me.
The injury will no doubt be a blow to keen dancer Bruce, who once admitted that she had turned down Strictly Come Dancing, not because Im snotty about it but that structured formal dancing is so not me. I just want to get down on the dance floor.
Labour MP Jess Phillips was grumbling on Question Time last week about a recent train journey from London to Birmingham.
It cost me 168 and I didnt get a seat, she said.
Cue outrage on social media from fellow travellers who complained she could have got a cheaper ticket.
U didnt pay 168 to travel from London to Birmingham, says one. Taxpayer did.
According to the latest data, Phillips successfully claimed 168 on three occasions for the same journey to her constituency over a four-month period last year.
A single off-peak London to Birmingham fare can be booked minutes in advance for just 25.
Fiona Brucewith her chivalrous co-host on Fake or Fortune?, art dealer Philip Mould
Sir John Hurt took a swipe at actors whose mumbling has marred a number of recent television dramas. Accepting the Outstanding Contribution honour at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for his roles in Radio 4s War And Peace and Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell, among others, Sir John said: I like working in radio drama because one is using what is fast becoming the actors forgotten weapon the voice.
Lady Kitty shows off the old man
Since I disclosed last June that Lady Kitty Spencer had found love with grey-bearded property tycoon Niccolo Barattieri di San Pietro, they have rarely been pictured together.
But this weekend Earl Spencers 25-year-old daughter posed with Niccolo at a 1960s party in South Kensington. Swinging Sixties Baby, Kitty captioned the snap.
Aged 45, Niccolo, who has three children with his ex-wife Sofia, doesnt quite remember the Sixties, but he made an effort to blend in with a hippy-style peace symbol round his neck.
Lady Kitty Spencer posed with property tycoon Niccolo Barattieri di San Pietro at a 1960s party in South Kensington
If my male readers ever have the pleasure of meeting Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark, make sure you go easy with the Old Spice.
Imagine you are on an early flight from Glasgow to London and you are beside this guy and he is wearing overpowering aftershave, the Scotswoman says on BBC1s Room 101.
And, what is more, the reason he is wearing [it] is that he hasnt bothered to shower. This isnt a good look.
She adds: Men put on stuff advertised by David Beckham, Brad Pitt and David Gandy. How possible is it that they could be like them just because they wear their aftershave? Its so horrible.
Teresa Giudice chronicled her final night of freedom with her young daughters in her upcoming prison memoir.
The 43-year-old reality star relayed in her new book Turning The Tables: From Housewife To Inmate And Back Again that all four of her daughters collapsed in tears while she prepared to go to prison.
Teresa wrote that her family celebrated her eldest child Gia's birthday on January 4, 2015, even though her 14th birthday fell on January 8, according to an article on Monday by the New York Daily News.
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Prison memoir: Teresa Giudice, shown earlier this month in New Jersey, has a new book coming out chronicling her time in prison
The teenager's birthday party was moved up since Teresa was scheduled to begin serving her federal prison sentence on January 5 in Danbury, Connecticut.
Teresa, husband Joe, Gia and her three younger daughters - Gabriella, Milania and Audriana - lay together on their large bed after the birthday party at their home in Montville, New Jersey.
The Real Housewives Of New Jersey star wrote in the book that she told the girls: 'Mommy has to leave'.
New book: Turning The Tables: From Housewife To Inmate And Back Again will be released on February 9
Gabriella, who was age 10 at the time, got hysterical and couldn't breathe and soon everyone started crying.
Milania who was aged eight at the time was told that Teresa was leaving for work reasons, but as Teresa put her to bed, Milania cried out: 'I hate that this is happening to you.'
Joe, Teresa and Gia later silently held each other and cried in the girl's bedroom.
Eldest daughter: Teresa is shown with daughter Gia and husband Joe in December 2014 in New Jersey
Teresa wrote that Joe gave her a rosary and medals of Saint Christopher and Saint Teresa.
Turning The Tables will be released on February 9 and is co-authored by People magazine writer K.C. Baker.
Joe is scheduled to begin serving his own 41-month sentence in March.
Teresa and Joe pleaded guilty in March 2014 to conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges.
She was released on December 23 and will wear a monitoring anklet until her original prison release date of February 5.
It's usually Sofia Vergara stealing the limelight.
But on Monday she was lending her support to her new husband at the screening of his new movie Tumbledown in Santa Monica California.
The newly-weds only had eyes for each other as they arrived at the Aero Theatre for the romantic comedy, in which Joe Manganiello stars.
Newly-weds: Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello attend the special screening of Tumbledown in Santa Monica, California on Monday
Sofia, 43, showed off her hourglass figure and toned shoulders in a strapless black corseted cocktail dress.
She added piece black heels and accessoried with a matching clutch bag as she kept the colour scheme simple.
The beauty emphasised her perfect smile with scarlet lipstick, and natural make-up.
Stunner: The beauty emphasised her perfect smile with scarlet lipstick
She added a peachy cheek and mascara but let her radiance shine through.
Her tousled honey locks were centrally parted and loose in waves around her face.
Joe couldn't keep his hands to himself as he wrapped a protective arm around the Modern Family star.
Loved-up: The newly-weds only had eyes for each other as they arrived at the Aero Theatre for the romantic comedy, in which Joe Manganiello stars
Happy: Joe couldn't keep his hands to himself as he wrapped a protective arm around the Modern Family star
The bearded Magic Mike XXL actor sported facial hair - which matched his co-star Jason Sudekis - as they upped their hipster styling for the event.
Joe - who married Sofia in Palm Beach, Florida, in November - showed his 6ft 5in frame to full effect in a slim fitted three piece dark blue suit.
Sudekis was without fiancee Olivia Wilde as he flew solo for the screening - in which he plays a writer based in New York, alongside Rebecca Hall and Manganiello.
He kept it casual in a hooded top and sneakers on the red carpet.
The film is scheduled to be released on February 12.
Razor-free zone: The bearded Magic Mike XXL actor sported facial hair - which matched his co-star Jason Sudekis - as they upped their hipster styling for the event
They've been rumoured to be dating for a couple of months and Monday evening was no different for Brooklyn Beckham and Sonia Ben Ammar.
The close pals were pictured heading into a car following a pleasant evening out, with a chaperone in the driving seat.
Brooklyn, 16, kept a low profile for the night out at swanky celebrity restaurant, Sexy Fish in London's Mayfair, sitting next to his date, wearing casual sports clothing and a baseball cap.
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Date night: Brooklyn Beckham and his rumoured girlfriend Sonia Ben Ammar enjoyed an evening out on Monday night - with a chaperoned car to make sure they got home safely
Getting along well: Pretty French actress Sonia had her phone in hand as she sat in a floral skirt and shearling jacket.
While pretty French actress Sonia was a little preoccupied with her phone as she sat in a floral skirt and shearling jacket.
According to US Weekly, the pair met when they were holidaying with their respective families in the Maldives at the start of last year - and they have been spotted together several times since.
No doubt the pair had a lot to catch up on as Brooklyn has been busy showing off his new photography skills.
Too cool: Brooklyn, 16, kept a low profile for the night out as he sat next to his date, wearing casual sports clothing and a baseball cap
The teenager has been busy helping to shoot the new Burberry social media campaign, as he has an internship there.
He tweeted about his excitement on Friday, when he wrote: 'Excited to photograph the @Burberry campaign tomorrow. Watch it live on their Instagram & Snapchat #THISISBRIT.'
However, fashion fans and professional photographers alike took to Twitter to express their unhappiness, claiming 'nepotism' was at play.
Jak BetLoos posted on Twitter, saying: 'It's not what you know, but who you know and it's totally unacceptable.'
Jacqui was of the same mind and commented: 'Yep, I guess names really do sell. Sheer nepotism.'
Dani V agreed saying: 'I love the Beckhams but 16-year-old Brooklyn being the photographer for a major Burberry campaign is peak nepotism.'
Harry Harris commented sarcastically, 'Blimey, life's hard being well-connected.'
The Beckhams have long enjoyed a connection with Burberry with Brooklyn's younger brother Romeo starring in their 2015 festive ad campaign.
And aspiring model Brooklyn, the oldest of David and Victoria's four children, shot Burberry's latest This Is Brit fragrance campaign in London on Saturday.
She's had the tattoo of her ex-boyfriend Future's name lasered off her hand.
And Blac Chyna was supported by her new man Rob Kardashian as she stepped out in Beverly Hills on Monday, stopping off at the tattoo removal clinic alongside the reclusive reality star.
The 27-year-old model was rocking a casual outfit for her day out, covering up in a black hoodie and skinny jeans.
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Low-key look: Blac Chyna covered up in a black hoodie as she stepped out in Beverly Hills on Monday
Chauffeur: Rob Kardashian was keeping a low profile as he waited for his 27-year-old girlfriend in the car
She added a pop of colour to her outfit with a bright red patent handbag and hid her make-up free face behind a large pair of oversized sunhlasses.
Blac Chyna styled her ash blonde locks in a loose side braid, adding to the laid-back feel of her outfit.
The star was driven by her new love interest Rob, who kept a low profile by staying in the car.
Accessorising in style: She added a pop of colour to her outfit with a bright red patent handbag
Make-up free: Blac Chyna hid her make-up free face behind a pair of funky, oversized sunglasses
Sports casual: The model opted for an all-black look, comprising a hoodie, jeans and lace-up trainers
Inseparable: The pair have been together non-stop since confirming their romance
That's commitment! Rob recently made a 2,800 round trip to collect her from jail
He was sporting a black top and a cap, displaying a full bushy beard as he waited behind the wheel of his vehicle.
Her dermatologist appointment was the first order of business after her 28-year-old beau made a 2,800 round trip to collect her from jail.
The mother-of-one posted a Snapchat video which appeared to show her getting laser treatment on the side her hand, where she infamously had the word 'Future' inked last year just weeks after she started dating the rapper.
Blac to the Future: Blac Chyna appeared to laser her supposed ex-boyfriend Future's name from her hand in a Snapchat video on Monday
The choice of words turned ironic very quickly when Future publicly denied he was even dating Chyna.
In the video - which appears to have been flipped, as the unfortunate art is on her right hand - Chyna also treated followers to the sight of her having similar treatment under her arm for hair removal.
To her credit, the Lashed salon owner looked as fresh as a daisy despite her busy weekend of flying to Texas, being arrested for public intoxication and drug possession and then driving the 1,400 or so miles all the way back to LA.
First thing's first: Her dermatologist appointment was the first order of business after her 28-year-old beau Rob Kardashian made a 2,800 round trip to collect her from jail
For your eyes only: In the video Chyna also treated followers to the sight of her having similar treatment under her arm for hair removal.
According to the legal documents obtained by DailyMail.com, police found two white and gold ecstasy pills inside a sunglasses case in Chyna's purse.
British Airlines refused to let the tattooed model continue on the London leg of her flight due to her intoxication and verbal aggression.
Blac admitted to a Saxon Pub bartender that she had taken Xanax, and she became 'verbally aggressive' when he refused to serve her more alcohol.
Awkward: The choice of words turned ironic very quickly when Future publicly denied he was even dating Chyna
Tired: Rob looked knackered after making the drive all the way from LA to Texas and back
Coy smile: The Lashed salon owner meanwhile looked as fresh as a daisy despite her busy weekend of flying to Texas, being arrested and then driving the 1,400 or so miles all the way back to LA
The curvaceous former exotic dancer - born Angela White - has found herself thrust into the limelight last week with the emergence of her relationship with the only male Kardashian, mainly due to the fact his little half sister Kylie is dating Chyna's baby daddy Tyga.
The newly-diagnosed diabetic has already moved into Chyna's Tarzana home, and out of his sister Khloe's $7.2M, six-bedroom Calabasas mansion.
Also on Monday the star announced she was hosting the New Kingz Management birthday celebration in Philadelphia on February 6.
MDMA drama: The model was arrested on Friday at Austin Airport for public intoxication and drug possession
She claimed she 'didn't know' [what the pills were]: According to the legal documents obtained by DailyMail.com, cops found two white and gold ecstasy pills inside a sunglasses case in Chyna's purse
She announced last year that she'll fulfil her childhood ambition to fly around the world in 2016.
And Carol Vorderman is one step closer to her epic solo flight, as she proudly announced she'd passed her latest flying exam on Monday.
The 55-year-old TV star showed off her certificate for her multi engine flying exam on her Twitter page, declaring she was a 'happy bird.'
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Passed with flying colours! Carol Vorderman proudly announced she'd aced her latest flying exam on Monday
Carol looked ecstatic as she posted a number of photos following her exam at Naples airport in Florida.
The former Countdown star was dressed down for her day in the skies, wearing a black t-shirt and shades, while her platinum blonde locks were left loose.
A close up shot of the TV presenter grinning from ear to ear was captioned: 'Happy bird......multi engine flying exam passed...woohoo x,' while she added another from outside the flight school, as she held her certificate in the air.
Congrats! The 55-year-old TV star showed off her certificate for her multi engine flying exam on her Twitter page, declaring she was a 'happy bird'
Taking to the skies: Carol looked ecstatic as she posted a number of photos following her exam at Naples airport in Florida
'Yep...I'm still singing... Free to fly my Mildred x,' Carol captioned the photo, referring to her state-of-the-art twin-engined propeller aircraft which she named after her heroine Mildred Bruce.
In an interview with Event magazine in November, Carol revealed that she is planning to follow in aviation pioneer Mildred's footsteps by following her route around the world this year.
Carol, who gained her solo flying licence two years ago, admitted: It is scary but I will be ready. Its going to be a great adventure.
Top gun: Carol told her fans she was 'free to fly my Mildred'- her state-of-the-art twin-engined propeller aircraft which she named after her heroine Mildred Bruce
Perfect pupil: Carol posed with her instructor Paul at Naples airport in Florida
My first flight in my own aircraft was beyond a dream. I flew to Cambridge to see my daughter Katie who was reading physics and chemistry there and was a member of the same University Air Squadron that turned me down because I was a girl.
'I really closed a big circle there, you know?
The star explained that she is scaling back her TV work, 'semi-retiring' in order to focus on the adventure and devote more time to her family.
I have been doing this for 30 years, she says. It no longer holds the same thrill. I am at an age where I want to do other things.
Carol has been planning her solo flight with the held of her partner Graham Duff, who had flown fighter jets over Iraq with the RAF as well as being in the Red Arrows. They split up after two years but have got back together again in recent months.
He's dropped his One Direction management team ahead of the band's hiatus.
And Harry Styles has now signed with CAA management's Jeffrey Azoff, fuelling speculation he is trying to launch a solo career in the US.
Modest Management, who guided the 1D boys throughout their career, confirmed the news the 21-year-old heartthrob was now being represented by the top Hollywood agency in a statement.
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Going his separate ways: Harry Styles has signed with CAA management after splitting from One Direction's representatives, Modest
'We wish Harry the very best. It has been a real pleasure working with himHarry is a total gentleman, and we know our good friend Jeffrey Azoff will look after him.
'We look forward to sharing some great wine with them next time we are in L.A,' Modest executives said in a statement to Billboard.
MailOnline has contacted CAA for comment.
It was reported earlier this month by The Sun that Harry had dropped his management to move on with a top U.S. agent as The X Factor-founded crooners go their separate way for a lengthy break.
See Harry Styles updates as he signs with top American agency CAA management
'Harry is a total gentleman': The 21-year-old singer's former management team had nothing but praise for the star as he went his separate ways from bandmates Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson (L-R)
Splitsville: Harry has distanced himself from Modest Management, the company which helped him achieve superstardom alongside his band mates
Long haired Lothario Harry could leave fans devastated if rumours he is attempting to distance himself from his bandmates Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne are to be believed.
A music industry insider told the publication: 'Harry is done with One Direction. He wants to completely disassociate with the band and that includes any professional connection.
'His new team will be about launching him as a solo superstar by around this time next year so the work is starting now.'
A spokesperson for Harry declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
More on Harry Styles 'dropping One Direction management in favour of American agent'
On his own? As The X Factor-founded crooners go their separate way for a lengthy hiatus, Harry is said to want to carve out a solo career in both singing and acting
Farewell! The group have offered fans one last chance to see them in action - including departed band member Zayn Malik - following the release of their final music video for their goodbye track History
Reports suggest Harry is even contemplating moving away from Simon Cowell and his management firm SyCo - a shock move given One Direction's discovery on The X Factor in 2010.
Despite the news of Harry's big move, insiders insist the rest of the One Direction boys are staying loyal to their roots.
The source continued: 'The message from Harry to the other boys is pretty clear that he doesnt see 1D together for a long time if at all. Harry had a great time working with Modest and Syco... But the feeling is that he probably wants a completely fresh start and that could include his record company as well.'
News of Harry's departure comes after the boys offered fans one last chance to see them in action - including departed band member Zayn Malik - following the release of their final music video for their goodbye track History.
The nostalgic video is packed with footage of the band throughout the years, be it the most iconic scenes from their much-loved music videos or the boys fooling around behind-the-scenes of their world tours.
Documenting their incredible journey, the music video depicts the group standing in front of a brick wall as they take it in turns to step out and perform their verses for the camera, while the rest of the group playfully throw some shapes behind.
See One Direction updates as they unveil emotional final music video for History
Reminiscent: Fittingly, the video reverted back to the history of the world famous boy band, beginning with their journey on The X Factor in 2010, which instantly rocketed them to fame
Emotional: The nostalgic video is packed with footage of the band throughout the years, be it the most iconic scenes from their much-loved music videos or the boys fooling around behind-the-scenes
Things then take a somewhat bittersweet turn as the video swaps for the colourful present day for old footage of the band in black and white.
Fans will be pleased to see that many of the flashbacks feature a shirtless Harry as he messes around with his band mates backstage or in hotel lobbies.
There is also plenty of footage of former member Zayn Malik, one of which sees him huddle up together in the back of a car giggling, while another shows him Niall and the newly solo star flaunting their bromance as they share a hug in the back of another vehicle.
The good old days! There is also plenty of footage of former member Zayn Malik, one of which shows Niall and the newly solo star flaunting their bromance as they share a hug in the back of a car
Always a heartthrob: Fans will be pleased to see that many of the flashbacks feature a shirtless Harry as he messes around with his band mates backstage or in hotel lobbies
The emotional footage may tug on the heartstrings of many as the 23-year-old recently told The Sunday Times that he is 'not fussed' about staying friends with them even though there's 'no beef'.
When asked if he was in touch with the boys, he said: I got an email [from one of his bandmates]. I don't even wanna say names. [sic]
This revelation comes after Liam was quizzed about the possibility of Zayn returning to the chart-topping pop group.
How times have changed! The emotional footage may tug on the heartstrings of many as Zayn recently told The Sunday Times that he is 'not fussed' about staying friends with the group
Throwing some shapes: The boys show off their quirky dance moves as they sing their infectious track
He recently explained: 'Who knows? He's just doing his thing, he's fine.'
He added that he would welcome him back with open arms, saying: 'Of course, I love Zayn he's great.'
The video then emotionally wraps up with a clip of the boys' final performance on The X Factor last year before returning to the present day where they wave one another off and go their separate ways.
Nostalgic: The video wraps up with footage from one of the boys' final performances as a five-piece
Memories: Famed for their countless world tours, there is plenty of footage of some of the breathtaking sights the band have seen
She spent last week soaking up the sun, sea and sand in Dubai.
But it was back to business as usual for Alessandra Ambrosio on Monday, as she resumed her mummy duties by taking adorable son Noah out for lunch in California.
No doubt feeling the cold after her brief trip to the Middle East, the 34-year-old catwalk queen made sure she layered up, donning a chic leather jacket that hugged her slim frame.
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Supermum! It was back to business for Alessandra Ambrosio on Monday, as she resumed her mummy duties by taking son Noah for lunch in California after returning from a recent trip to Dubai
Slipping her enviably long legs in a pair of super skinny jeans, the Victoria's Secret model cut a relaxed figure in a grey striped polo neck and black ankle boots.
With her chestnut coloured tresses slicked into a high ponytail, the brunette beauty appeared to go make-up free on the outing, covering her eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses.
Clutching a shopping bag in one hand and holding on to Noah with the other, Alessandra seemed happy and content on the journey.
Hell for leather! No doubt feeling the cold after her brief trip to the Middle East, the 34-year-old catwalk queen made sure she layered up, donning a chic leather jacket that hugged her tiny frame
Leggy lady! Slipping her enviably long legs in a pair of super skinny jeans, the Victoria's Secret model cut a relaxed figure in a grey striped polo neck and black ankle boots with her chestnut tresses in a ponytail
Whilst he may have been in the presence of his supermodel mother, Noah had all the attention on him as he pulled a series of hilarious facial expressions.
Determined to walk instead of being held by his mum, the adorable three-year-old stuck his tongue out in concentration as he toddled alongside her.
Donning a navy reindeer printed jumper and jogging bottoms, he seemed to be amused by his surroundings, soaking in all the sights.
Eyes front! Donning a navy reindeer printed jumper and jogging bottoms, three-year-old Noah seemed to be amused by his surroundings, soaking in all the sights on their walk to the car
Meanwhile, Brazilian-born Alessandra was sporting a slight tan following her trip to Dubai.
The star - who also has a seven-year-old daughter Anja with businessman boyfriend Jamie Mazur - was in the sunny climes for Dubai Shopping Festival, but spent her free time exploring the country's desert.
Indulging in a traditional camel ride and posing on the sand dunes, the star seemed to be enjoying the chance to relax following her trip to Paris for Fashion Week where she walked for Balmain.
She split from her husband of 11 years, Len Wiseman, in November.
And Kate Beckinsale was spotted treating herself to some new lingerie as she browsed the goods on offer at Hearts Only boutique in Santa Monica, California on Monday.
The 42-year-old beauty looked incredible in her flattering off-duty outfit as she inspected a pair of seriously skimpy underwear.
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Looking good: Kate Beckinsale showed off her slender frame in a pair of skinny jeans and a plunging vest top as she enjoyed some retail therapy at Hearts Only boutique in Santa Monica, California on Monday
Kate highlighted her amazing figure in a low-cut black vest top teamed with figure-hugging skinny jeans.
The star added an edge to her simple look thanks to a black belt, towering ankle boots and a rip on the left knee.
She wore her long and luscious brunette locks pulled back in a high ponytail and completed her ensemble with a pair of tinted Aviator shades.
Seriously skimpy: Kate was spotted inspecting a tiny white thong as she browsed the goods in the shop
Kate looked pleased with what she'd seen since she was spotted carrying a carrier bag over one arm as she emerged from the shop.
The star recently split from her filmmaker husband Len, who TMZ reported has been seen out with 24-year-old model CJ Franco.
The two were spotted partying together back in November as Kate was filming Underworld 5 in Prague.
That could potentially be awkward for the star, as her now-ex co-penned the action film.
However even if the rumors prove to be true, Kate will have her mind occupied with the latest project, which is set to follow in the vein of previous films with plenty of action and stunts.
Kate joins Theo James, Laura Pulver, and Charles Dance in the Anna Foerster film, which is due out in October 2016.
Their wardrobes are stuffed with designer buys and glam party looks.
But even Chelsea girls need an off day, and MIC stars Nicola Hughes and Jessica Woodley definitely chose comfort over style as they headed to their local Waitrose on Tuesday.
The two blondes matched in comfy pyjama bottoms as they stepped out in Fulham to stock up on some essentials.
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Rolling out of bed: MIC stars Nicola Hughes and Jessica Woodley chose comfort over style as they headed to their local Waitrose on Tuesday
Jess, 20, clashed her animal print pj trousers with a striped t-shirt for the outing, adding a cropped hoodie to keep warm.
A pair of sporty socks and trainers added to the very low-key vibe, while the pretty blonde hid behind some retro shades and piled her locks up into an effortless top knot.
Nicola, 25, looked in better spirits than her subdued pal, flashing a big smile during the walk to the shops.
Very low key: The two blondes matched in comfy pyjama bottoms as they stepped out in Fulham to stock up on some essentials
Keeping cosy: Jess, 20, clashed her animal print pj trousers with a striped t-shirt for the outing, adding a cropped hoodie to keep warm
The Irish beauty showed off her tanned and toned figure in a red cropped top and low-slung pink sweat pants.
White trainers, shades and a blue furry collared coat completed the look, as the reality star and model carried nothing but her phone on the supermarket run.
The girls emerged from the shop with a paper and some milk before heading home.
Cute: Nicola showed off her tanned and toned figure in a red cropped top and low-slung pink sweat pants.
Matching: The two blondes didn't seem to care about their less than glam looks as they headed out
All the essentials: The girls emerged from their local Waitrose with a paper and some milk
Both girls are back in London after celebrating the festive season with exotic breaks. While Jess sunned herself in Barbados with her friends and family, Nicola recently returned from Morocco with on/off boyfriend Alex Mytton.
The cute duo rang in the New Year abroad, soaking up the opportunity of some sunshine before getting back to London-based filming responsibilities.
Nicola and Alex, who have been dating since last July, are thought to have briefly split on screen before taking their romantic break together.
Made In Chelsea fans saw the couple argue constantly during the latest series of the E4 show, with Alex's friendship with his former flame Jess one of the major sticking points.
Back to reality: Both girls are back in London after celebrating the festive season with exotic breaks
He memorably told his in-house girlfriend he'd book them a romantic trip away once the show was over.
But since being evicted last Friday, Jeremy McConnell has stressed the need for him and Stephanie Davis to spend some time apart.
However, she has other plans as she is convinced the Irish model will whisk her away as soon as the Celebrity Big Brother final is over on Friday, amid talk he's delayed flying home to his native Dublin to attend the eviction on Tuesday evening.
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'Hell have a holiday waiting for me': Stephanie Davis is convinced Jeremy McConnell will whisk her away after the Celebrity Big Brother final on Friday
In scenes which will air during Tuesday night's highlights show, Stephanie, 22, told Gemma Collins of her immediate post-CBB plans, revealing Dublin is the first place she'll visit, even ahead of her own hometown.
Opening up to the 35-year-old, the former Hollyoaks actress said: 'First place Im going to go is Dublin. I think Jez will wait for me to come out.
'From what he was saying is that hell have a holiday waiting straight for us after the final.'
See more of the latest CBB updates as Stephanie reveals plans for a holiday with Jeremy
Living up to his promise: Jeremy, 25, told the 22-year-old he'd book them a romantic trip away before he was evicted on Friday
How things change: The Irish model and the former Hollyoaks actress were inseparable during their time in the house but he has since admitted they need some time apart to decide what they want
Gal pals: Stephanie opened up to former enemy Gemma Collins, telling her she fully expects Jeremy to be waiting for her when she leaves the house
However, voice of reason Scotty T advised her to prioritise her career, especially considering the fact she hit headlines for the wrong reasons when her contract with the Channel 4 soap came to an abrupt end in July.
She's been trying to repair her reputation ever since and has admitted, time and time again during her time on the show, that she agreed to take part in the hope she could 'turn things around'.
Meanwhile, it's thought Jeremy, 25, has delayed flying back to Ireland so he can greet her from the house if she is evicted on Tuesday.
MailOnline has contacted Jeremy's management for clarification.
'Doing my head in': Scotty T is growing sick and tired of listening to the besotted star bang on about evicted Jeremy
Back in the house, Scott, 27, is growing increasingly tired of Stephanie constantly banging on about Jeremy.
Talking to John Partridge and Danniella Westbrook on Monday, he said: 'It's doing my head in.'
However, seeing as there's only four days until the final, Danniella, 42, advised him to keep quiet to avoid causing unnecessary tension.
Either Danniella, Gemma or Stephanie will leave the CBB house on Tuesday evening. The show airs at 9pm on Channel 5.
Caitlyn Jenner shared a new secret on Tuesday.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians vet revealed in an interview that was shared with the Today show that she had grown breasts through hormone treatment around 1990. But her size 36B chest didn't last.
'I actually had my boobs removed. I never told anyone that,' said the former Olympian, 66, during the pre-taped interview aired during the 2016 MAKERS Conference.
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New intel: Caitlyn Jenner shared a long secret on Tuesday at the 2016 MAKERS Conference at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians vet said during a pre-taped interview that she had grown breasts around 1990 going up to a 36B. But they didn't last
Spilling: She added: 'The rules with Kris and I were, "Don't dress up, certainly around the house. If you really need to do that, when you're on the road, take stuff and do that"'
And the reality star also went into what her agreement was with wife Kris, something she had touched on during her Vanity Fair article last year.
'The rules with Kris and I were, "Don't dress up, certainly around the house. If you really need to do that, when you're on the road, take stuff and do that,"' she said.
The E! star also talked about what her game plan was when she was approaching mid life.
He hid them: Bruce Jenner covered up in a tux jacket as he attended the Pioneer Awards with Kris in December 1990, a year before they wed
Another camouflage effort: The athlete used oversized blazers to hide his chest; here he is seen in November 1990
'I started on hormones. I was a good 36B. I loved them. I thought this was fabulous. My mission at that point was to transition before I was 40. Got to 39 ... I just couldn't go any further,' she explained.
That is when she met Kris.
'We hit it off from day one,' Jenner recalled. 'I was very honest with her. I had to be, I was a 36B. Everything's really heading in the right direction, and I made this decision to move on with my life, Kris and I together with this family.'
After: The star post surgery in 1993; here he is seen with Kris in Mission Viejo, California
Top off: Jenner revealed his bare chest when paddle boarding in Greece in 2013; the star appears to not have any scars from breast reduction surgery
Caitlyn's full video was revealed at the MAKERS Conference where she joined other leading ladies in the industry, including: Halle Berry, Sheryl Sandberg and America Ferrera.
On Monday the star made an appearance at the conference, which was held at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California.
The 66-year-old reality star was exquisitely dressed in a slouchy taupe sweater worn over a low-cut black outfit, with her gold Caitlyn name necklace glamming up the look.
Caitlyn was just one of several leading ladies to attend the conference, which featured discussions on gender equality solutions.
See Caitlyn Jenner updates as she attends conference exploring gender equality solutions
Making her presence known: The 66-year-old star showed up at the event on Monday all dressed up
'We can no longer just talk about the issues facing women today, we need to act,' said MAKERS founder Dyllan McGee, according to the conference's website.
Adding: 'Over 36 hours, we will profile a diverse group of women who are doing just that from setting records on the playing fields to coding solutions to changing society, the time is now.'
Preened to perfection: The reality star had her hair worn down in loose ringlets
The star also donned a swipe of light shimmering grey eyeshadow and a dose of mascara to polish off her eye makeup.
Salmon pink blush and a slick of lip glossy finished off the glam cosmetics look.
Caitlyn, who announced her transition from male to female in April 2015 in a tell-all interview with Diane Sawyer, also had a chic black leather purse on hand, which was accessrosied with a fluffy black keychain that was nearly identical to the ones her daughters Kendall and Kylie carried.
On the stage: Caitlyn took the stage at The MAKERS Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California
Her story: CAA Chief Innovation Officer Michelle Kydd Lee shared the stage with Caitlyn
Pentagon chief to unveil mini-drones, anti-IS funds: officials
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will on Tuesday preview the Pentagon's plans for its 2017 budget, including extra cash to fight the Islamic State group, previously secret mini-drones and a beefed-up US presence in Europe's east.
The base budget for fiscal year 2017 is expected to be $524 billion, augmented by $59 billion for an "overseas contingency fund" to pay for ongoing military actions in Afghanistan and against IS, defense officials told AFP on Monday.
America's gargantuan military budget far surpasses that of any other country, and exceeds the combined defense spending of the next eight biggest militaries in the world.
US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, pictured on January 28, 2016, plans to unveil some newly declassified technologies, including a small drone that is capable of flying alongside other units in a sort of swarm Chip Somodevilla (Getty/AFP/File)
In a speech in Washington, Carter will highlight the world's changing "threat environment," one official said, including new risks presented by Russia since its 2014 annexation of Crimea and its subsequent support of pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The official said Carter would announce big increases to the so-called European Reassurance Initiative aimed at countering a Russian threat, and the extra money will be used to pay for significant US troop and equipment increases in countries such as Estonia and Romania.
Carter also plans to unveil some newly declassified technologies, including a small drone that is capable of flying alongside other units in a sort of swarm, another defense official said.
The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Carter's speech ahead of time.
A third official said the budget includes $7 billion to fight Islamic State jihadists, an increase of about 35 percent over last year.
The burgeoning anti-IS budget reflects an expected expansion in the fight against the jihadist group, including in areas beyond Iraq and Syria, like Libya.
The budget is also likely to detail Pentagon plans for the A-10 ground attack plane. The aircraft, developed in the 1970s, had been slated for retirement but has become invaluable in the US-led effort against IS jihadists.
A delay in its retirement could have knock-on effects for other cash-thirsty projects, including the costly F-35 fighter.
Argentina starts talks with hedge fund holdouts
Argentina's new government began negotiations with hedge fund creditors Monday, amid reports it wants them to write off up to a quarter of their bonds to settle a long-running dispute.
Finance Secretary Luis Caputo arrived Monday morning at the New York offices of the US court-appointed mediator Daniel Pollack in a fresh effort to end a debt battle rooted in the country's $100 billion default in 2001.
Major Argentine newspaper Clarin said the government, which took office in December, planned to propose a 15 percent cut in the debt. Business newspaper El Cronista meanwhile reported that the reduction sought would be about 25 percent.
Argentina's new conservative president, Mauricio Macri, has rolled back various protectionist policies of his predecessors, lifting currency and export controls and eliminating electricity subsidies Eitan Abramovich (AFP/File)
"We don't expect any news today," said Caputo as he arrived for the talks.
Daniel Pollack, who is presiding over settlement discussions, said that four hours of talks had not yet borne fruit.
"Ideas were discussed, informally, for the resolution of the claims, which now total approximately $9 billion," he said.
"No agreement has been reached as yet. No specific date or time has been set for resumption of negotiations but it is possible that they will continue this week."
Argentina's access to global financial markets has been tightly restricted for years due to the dispute with the hedge funds demanding to be paid the full value of the bonds they hold, even though some 93 percent of the country's creditors accepted hefty write-downs of their bonds in debt restructurings years ago.
In 2012, a New York court backed the claim for 100 percent payouts sought by the hedge funds, NML Capital and Aurelius Capital Management.
But Argentina's former leftist president Cristina Kirchner refused to negotiate, branding them "vultures."
Buenos Aires said the funds bought up Argentine debt cheaply around the time of the default and then refused to take part in the restructuring.
Kirchner though was replaced in December by a new conservative president, Mauricio Macri, who is seeking warmer foreign relations and has vowed to strike an agreement.
Even so, a deal would challenge the country's finances. The hedge funds together with other so-called holdouts are claiming about $10 billion in total, which the court ruled had to be paid before Buenos Aires repays any other creditors.
On Friday, a group of New York banks agreed to lend the country $5 billion to strengthen its foreign currency reserves, hit in part by the Macri government's move in December to devalue the currency.
That would increase the reserves to around $30 billion, still relatively small for the size of the Argentine economy.
Macri has rolled back various protectionist policies of his predecessors, lifting currency and export controls and eliminating electricity subsidies.
He said such measures are necessary to make the economy competitive. His critics warn they will hurt poorer Argentines.
Argentina's Finance Secretary Luis Caputo, pictured on January 13, 2016, began negotiations with hedge fund creditors Kena Betancur (AFP/File)
US raps China on Hong Kong booksellers
Washington called on Beijing Monday to explain the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers, with a State Department spokesman saying the incidents "raise serious questions about China's commitment to Hong Kong's autonomy".
The five, all affiliated with Hong Kong's Mighty Current publishing house which is known for salacious titles critical of Beijing leaders, disappeared in recent months and are feared to have been detained in mainland China.
"We urge China to clarify the current status of all five individuals and the circumstances surrounding their disappearances and to allow them to return to their homes," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.
Members of the Civic party voice their concern about missing booksellers outside the China liaison office in Hong Kong on January 19, 2016 Philippe Lopez (AFP)
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry Lu Kang said Tuesday it was "not proper" for the US to comment on China's domestic affairs.
"Hong Kong residents have been fully entitled to freedoms and rights in accordance with law" since the territorys return to China, he told a regular briefing.
Three of the five went missing in southern China. Another disappeared in Thailand and a fifth in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, raising fears Chinese authorities are extending their reach internationally.
Mainland law enforcers have no authority to operate in Hong Kong, where Lee Bo vanished on December 30.
Lee, who has a British passport, and Swede Gui Minhai, who vanished in Thailand, were both born in China and were rumoured to be preparing a tell-all book about the love life of President Xi Jinping.
Activists, local media and various politicians in Hong Kong have expressed concern that Lee may have been abducted from the city.
This would be a serious breach of the "One country, two systems" agreement under which Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 while retaining its own government and freedoms not available on the mainland.
Some of the former British colony's pro-democracy lawmakers, activists and residents believe mainland authorities are kidnapping critics to try to silence dissent.
Lawmakers from Britain and the European Union have also spoken out on the disappearances, with Sweden's foreign minister saying the treatment of its citizens was "completely unacceptable".
Five Tanzanians arrested after British pilot killed: president
Tanzanian president John Magufuli has condemned the killing of a British conservationist after his helicopter was shot down while he chased suspected poachers, saying five people have been arrested.
Briton Roger Gower, 37, was killed when his helicopter was gunned down by suspected poachers during a patrol of the Maswa Game Reserve in northern Tanzania, close to the world famous Serengeti National Park, on January 29.
Gower, who worked for the Friedkin Conservation Fund, had been tracking poachers after spotting the carcasses of recently killing elephants.
A British conservationist was killed after his helicopter was shot down while he chased suspected elephant poachers Daniel Hayduk (AFP/File)
"This is a sad incident that must be strongly condemned," Magufuli said in a statement, ordering all those involved to be "aggressively pursued and brought to justice."
The statement said five suspects have been arrested and were being questioned by police.
Magufuli vowed to boost efforts to protect wildlife.
"I personally support the fight against poaching in our game reserves and national parks... let us join hands against the poachers," added Magufuli.
Photographs of the crashed helicopter show twisted metal, as well as apparent bullet holes in the fuselage, and smears of blood on the pilot's seat.
Gower's South African colleague, safari guide Nicky Bester, survived the helicopter crash.
Tanzania's National Parks spokesman, Pascal Shelutete, said that poachers can be "heavily armed with sophisticated military weaponry."
Ivory is sought out for jewellery and decorative objects and much of it is smuggled to China, where many increasingly wealthy shoppers are buying ivory trinkets as a sign of financial success.
It is estimated that more than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year across Africa.
'Democracy in action': A peek at Iowa's quirky caucuses
Ben Swartz wasn't going to let his marriage get in the way of his politics.
"It's a house divided!" quipped the 84-year-old Swartz as he split with his wife, a supporter of Hillary Clinton, to go huddle with the few backers of low-polling Democrat Martin O'Malley.
Clinton supporters formed the lion's share of attendees at Monday's caucus in Indian Hills Junior High School in Clive, a suburb of Iowa's state capital Des Moines.
Staff and volunteers of the Hillary Clinton Burlington, Iowa campaign field office cheer as she speaks on the television at the Boogaloo Cafe on February 1, 2016 in Burlington, Iowa Michael B. Thomas (AFP)
As Swartz shuffled toward the back of the hall, a woman handed him a Clinton sticker and patted his arm.
"Put this in your pocket," she smiled. "If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you."
Welcome to the very intimate, very local Iowa caucuses, where friends, neighbors and -- in some cases -- politically divided couples gather for one of the cherished traditions of American political life.
A few voters even brought cookies to share.
Iowa has kicked off the US presidential race every cycle since the 1970s, but it is far from the straightforward process that most states employ.
It began with supporters ticking off numbers: "197." "198." "199," went the counting for Clinton supporters.
Then, a conversation ensues with supporters publicly aligning with their candidates.
That's when things get interesting.
If a hopeful fails to pass a certain threshold -- in most cases 15 percent -- supporters are invited to join other groups.
When O'Malleyites fell short, one of them pleaded: "Can we make our pitch?"
They could, and a young man hopped onto a table and called on voters to reconsider. A Sanders backer did the same.
Caucus-goers listened. They clapped. They shook their heads or nodded.
Ultimately, most people stood their ground, and when the counting was done, Clinton earned 200 votes in Clive precinct 3, while her chief rival, Bernie Sanders, earned 112. O'Malley lagged at 18.
- Republican nailbiter -
Republicans gathered down the hall in an auditorium, where Susan Murphy was taping Donald Trump posters to a piano.
Republicans conduct their caucus by secret ballot, writing the name of their candidate on slips of paper, which are collected and counted by precinct captains and aides.
It was a nailbiter, with billionaire Trump earning 65 votes, Marco Rubio earning 62, and Ted Cruz -- the night's overall projected winner -- at 59. The rest in the deep field were far back.
There was no real Republican arm-twisting. "They have already selected their candidate," Murphy said.
- 'Very chaotic' -
For Democrats, it's an altogether more complicated process.
"Yes, the procedures are messy," acknowledged Aaron Menick, 21, at another crowded caucus, where a whopping 485 people packed into a too-small room in Drake University in nearby Des Moines.
Organizers expected 100 voters.
"This is very chaotic but I'm happy that so many people showed up," he said.
The debate was robust, as young students, many participating in the process for the first time, openly voiced their support or concern about candidates.
"Clinton has had every job in the federal government except president," said Brandi Dye, 19. "I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing?"
But for her, Sanders is all "rainbows and butterflies."
Back in Clive, some 337 Democrats packed the school for the process led by caucus chief George Appleby.
"Democracy in action" is what he called it, highlighting "Iowans' important role in the election process."
And Ben Swartz, the O'Malley supporter who parted ways with his Clinton-backing wife?
"I shifted over to Bernie Sanders, but not very many of my compatriots did," he said by telephone after he arrived back home.
"And my wife is still with me."
Alan Nelson, a chairperson for the Bernie Sanders campaign counts attendees at a Democratic Party Caucus at Jackson Township Fire Station on February 1, 2016 in Keokuk, Iowa Michael B. Thomas (AFP)
Caucus attendees await results as votes are tallied for their precinct at a Republican Party caucus at Keokuk High School on February 1, 2016 in Keokuk, Iowa Michael B. Thomas (AFP)
How likely is international military intervention in Libya?
After Iraq and Syria, will international military intervention against the Islamic State group now take place in conflict-ridden Libya as well?
Western powers including the United States, Britain and France are openly considering such a move, but appear reluctant to act without a government of national unity in place.
Such a government would bring together rival factions competing for power for more than a year and a half -- the Islamist-backed General National Congress in Tripoli and the internationally recognised government in the far east.
Troops loyal to Khalifa Haftar, a retired general and former chief of staff for Moamer Kadhafi, pose for picture as they fight alongside the Libyan army in clashes with Islamist gunmen in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on December 16, 2014 Abdullah Doma (AFP/File)
Foreign ministers from the coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, meet in Rome on Tuesday to discuss their efforts, with a possible expansion into Libya likely to be on the table.
Why would it happen?
"The failure of the political process and the simultaneous escalation of IS activities in Libya made all of this much more likely" in recent weeks, said Mattia Toaldo of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The Islamic State group has become the greatest jihadist threat to the region since seizing Sirte, hometown of deposed dictator Moamer Kadhafi, in June 2015. The city is just 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli.
The jihadist group is estimated to have some 5,000 fighters in Libya, and is trying to attract hundreds more.
"Action in Libya is needed before Libya becomes a sanctuary for ISIL, before they become extremely hard to dislodge," a US defence official said last month, using one of several names for IS.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned on Sunday that with the onset of better weather, IS fighters hiding among refugees travelling from Libya to Italy pose a "major risk" to Europe.
Le Drian said IS is now just 350 kilometres (220 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa, arrival point for thousands of migrants and refugees leaving Libya for the European Union.
Martin Kobler, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), has said African countries such as Niger and Chad are also concerned about IS spreading south through the vast desert.
"Libya's neighbours in Africa and Europe are not likely to simply allow the threat from the Islamic State to grow unchecked," said Issandr El Amrani of the International Crisis Group.
"But the nature of that military action is far from certain."
How would it happen?
Foreign countries say there will be no intervention without a political agreement in Libya, and a national unity government requesting help.
In the meantime, options are being considered, ranging from an air campaign in support of Libyan forces as in Iraq, to the deployment of ground troops.
"But the latter seems unlikely," according to El Amrani.
For Toaldo, intervention will be along the lines of in Syria: "air strikes, some drones, some special operation troops on the ground".
The United States has sent in experts to make contact with local forces to ensure the support of the many militias controlling territory.
The recognised government based in Al-Bayda, in addition to air strikes, wants the speedy lifting of the arms embargo imposed by the UN in 2011.
Forces loyal to the government, calling themselves the Libyan National Army, say they can supply intelligence on IS positions, a determining factor in avoiding civilian casualties.
The support of the Tripoli administration backed by the Fajr Libya coalition of Islamist militants is less certain, especially if the UN-brokered political process fails.
Where would it take place?
Experts say foreign strikes would first concentrate on Sirte and its environs, the main area under IS control. Derna 1,100 kilometres (680 miles) east of Tripoli would also be a target, with IS fighters now on its outskirts after being expelled from the city in July by local forces.
Military intervention "will focus on ISIS rather than on Libya as a whole," said Toaldo.
"This makes it easier for European prime ministers who will be able in some cases to avoid parliamentary votes on this."
Who would take part?
The United States would appear determined to participate, but not necessarily to lead such an operation as it currently does in Iraq and Syria.
US officials believe Italy, the former colonial power in Libya, could lead an international operation.
France and Britain, who like the US joined the NATO intervention against Kadhafi in 2011, also plan to take part.
Would it succeed?
The debate has already begun.
"We do not believe at this time in a military solution to the Libyan crisis -- that would further complicate the situation," African Union Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui said on Sunday, insisting on the need for a political solution.
"I don't think such an intervention, without solid partners on the ground, could make a difference," Toaldo said.
El Amrani said: "It could have a positive impact in at least limiting the growth of IS in Libya, depleting its resources and making it more difficult to continue its current attempts to seize and/or destroy oil facilities east of Sirte.
"A larger scale intervention, however, could also have more uncertain consequences" politically, he said.
"This is why it would be important to garner support from Libyans on both sides of the mainstream divide."
Members of the Libyan army stand on a tank as heavy black smoke rises from the city's port in 2014 Abdullah Doma (AFP/File)
Members of a brigade headed by field commander Salah Bogheib and loyal to Khalifa Haftar -- a retired general and former chief of staff for Moamer Kadhafi -- hold up their guns as they fight alongside Libyan army troops against Islamist gunmen Abdullah Doma (AFP/File)
Thailand confirms first domestic case of Zika virus
A man has contracted the Zika virus in Thailand, officials said Tuesday, as a global alert intensifies over the mosquito-borne infection blamed for a surge in serious birth defects in South America.
Authorities said the 22-year-old Thai man is likely to have caught the same strain of the virus that has caused panic in countries such as Brazil and Colombia.
The virus "was confirmed by blood tests", Air Vice Marshall Santi Srisermpoke, director of Bangkok's Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, told reporters.
The Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito and cannot spread between humans Luis Robayo (AFP)
"His symptoms were a fever, a rash and redness of the eyes," he said, adding he had not travelled abroad.
The man has recovered and been discharged from hospital, he added, without giving further details of how long he was in hospital, or where he contracted the sickness.
Amnuay Gajeena, director-general of the Disease Control Department of the Public Health Ministry, said it was "likely to be the same strain as the one found in South America".
"It's not a new disease in Thailand... we had the first confirmed case in 2012. Since then we have an average of not more than five cases yearly," he said.
"There is no need to panic... we have never had an epidemic of the Zika virus in Thailand all of the cases were one-offs."
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever, carries the sickness.
It breeds in tropical areas, including Thailand, which has seen a surge in cases of dengue in recent months.
The World Health Organization linked a spike in birth defects in South America to the virus.
The UN health body said that a rise in cases of microcephaly -- in which babies are born with an abnormally small head -- was likely caused by the mosquito-borne virus, and declared the situation a "public health emergency of international concern".
First detected in Africa in 1947, Zika was considered a relatively mild disease until the current outbreak was declared in Latin America last year.
Brazil was the first country to sound the alarm on the apparent link with birth defects.
It has since become the worst affected country, with some 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, of which 270 have been confirmed.
Syria regime advances on besieged Aleppo villages
Syrian regime forces edged closer to breaking a long-running rebel siege on two government-held Shiite villages in Aleppo province on Tuesday, backed by heavy Russian air strikes.
A Syrian colonel on the ground said government forces were "three kilometres (1.9 miles) from Nubol and Zahraa."
He said they planned to "break the siege on them and cut the only remaining rebel supply route between Aleppo city and the north of the province."
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)
Earlier, Syrian state news agency SANA said government troops backed by pro-regime militants had "restored security and stability to the village of Hardatneen," about six kilometres from Nubol and Zahraa.
The capture was also reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, which said government forces had also seized part of the nearby village of Ratyan.
The advances came as Russian planes carried out heavy air strikes throughout the area north of Aleppo city, with the Observatory reporting some 320 raids since Monday morning in the region.
The group said at least 18 civilians had been killed in the raids on Tuesday, including five women, three children and two emergency workers.
At least 26 members of regime forces and 60 rebels also have been killed since the fighting began on Monday, when government forces seized two other villages in the area.
Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said the capture of Ratyan and one smaller village could allow regime forces to effectively break the siege on Nubol and Zahraa, a longstanding government goal.
The government advance comes almost exactly a year after a similar regime offensive aimed at reaching Nubol and Zahraa and severing rebel supply lines into Aleppo city.
The city was divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east after fighting there began in mid-2012.
The situation is largely reversed in the surrounding countryside, with rebels controlling much of the area west of the city, and the regime present to the east.
Last year's government offensive saw troops capture several villages in the area, but it stalled after a rebel counterattack and stormy weather.
The current offensive is one of several the government has launched since Russian strikes began on September 30.
Israel demolishes EU-funded Palestinian buildings
Israeli forces demolished 24 Palestinian buildings in a disputed military zone in the West Bank Tuesday, including 10 funded by the European Union, leaving families homeless, authorities and residents said.
Soldiers destroyed the structures in and around the village of Khirbet Jenbah south of Hebron, the Association of Civil Rights in Israel said. Israeli officials said the buildings were illegal.
An EU spokesman denounced the demolitions and said that 10 of the buildings had been constructed with funds from ECHO, the European Commission's humanitarian arm.
A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of a farm that was demolished after Israeli authorities said it was built without a permit on January 18, 2016 in the West Bank village of al-Fundoq, east of the village of Qalqiliya Jaafar Ashtiyeh (AFP/File)
The soldiers arrived at around 7:00 am (0500 GMT) and carried out the demolitions, leaving 12 families temporarily homeless, said Nidal Younes, head of the local council of a neighbouring village.
"In total it is around 80 people," he told AFP.
Israel has carried out a long campaign to relocate the residents of the area, which was declared a military zone by the Israeli government in the 1970s.
Human rights groups have repeatedly challenged Israel's claim to the land, arguing it is illegal to establish a military zone in occupied territory, Sarit Michaeli from the B'Tselem NGO told AFP.
The families argue that their ancestors, who were cave dwellers, have lived on the land since long before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.
A statement from COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit that administers civilian affairs in the West Bank, confirmed "enforcement measures were taken against illegal structures and solar panels built within a military zone."
The EU called on Israel to change its policies in the occupied West Bank.
"The EU expects its investments in support of the Palestinian people to be protected from damage and destruction," said a spokesman, who condemned the demolitions.
A High Court injunction later in the day ordered a halt to all demolitions until at least February 9.
The residents of the region had been undergoing a process of arbitration with Israeli authorities after a High Court ruling, Michaeli said.
However talks broke down in recent days.
"This basically means we are back to square one. The government wants to remove them. The residents object," Michaeli said.
COGAT said the negotiations failed as "the building owners showed no willingness to get the situation in order and illegal construction did not stop."
As such, "measures were taken in accordance with the law," it said.
In total, more than 1,000 people could be affected, Michaeli explained, as there are around 10 other villages that could face similar action.
The villages are represented by a number of different legal teams, so Tuesday's demolitions concerned only one of the claims.
Palestinian Bedouins play around the remains of makeshift homes that were demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank city of al-Azariya, on January 21, 2016 Ahmad Gharabli (AFP/File)
Two more sentenced to death for Bangladesh war crimes
A Bangladeshi tribunal sentenced two former pro-Pakistan militia fighters to death Tuesday for war crimes during the country's 1971 independence conflict.
Lawyers for 66-year-old Obaidul Haque and Ataur Rahman, 62, immediately announced that they would seek to overturn the ruling by the International Crimes Tribunal.
It has so far convicted two dozen people of atrocities in the brutal conflict, in which what was then East Pakistan broke away from the rest of the country to become Bangladesh.
Bangladesh's war crimes tribunal has so far convicted two dozen people of atrocities in the brutal conflict, in which what was then East Pakistan broke away from the rest of the country to become Bangladesh in 1971 Munir Uz Zaman (AFP/File)
Both men were convicted of killing seven people and raping a woman in the northern district of Netrokona and of torturing six others to death after abducting them.
A total of 23 prosecution witnesses had testified against the pair since charges were laid against them last year.
Prosecutors had told the tribunal that Haque was not only one of the leaders of a pro-Pakistani political party in 1971 but also a head of a militia group behind a series of brutal attacks on civilians.
Rahman was accused by witnesses of being a member of the same militia.
"We will challenge the verdict with the Supreme Court and hope our clients will be proved not guilty and be acquitted," defence lawyer Gazi Tamim told reporters after the sentence was handed down.
Twenty-four people have so far been convicted of war crimes by the tribunal, a domestic court which lacks international oversight.
Most of them were senior figures in Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party. Three of the Jamaat leaders have so far been executed, along with a senior leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Previous convictions and sentences from the tribunal have triggered deadly violence, with some 500 people killed, mainly in clashes between opposition activists and police over the last three years.
Iraq awards Italy's Trevi contract to fix imperilled dam
Iraq said Tuesday that Italian firm Trevi will repair and maintain the country's largest dam, which is in danger of a catastrophic collapse that would devastate areas to the south.
The Mosul Dam was built on an unstable foundation that continuously erodes, and a lapse in maintenance after the Islamic State jihadist group seized it in 2014 weakened the already flawed structure.
The dam has long been in danger of collapse, an event US officials have warned could send a huge wave crashing into IS-held Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away.
An employee works at strengthening the Mosul Dam on the Tigris River, on February 1, 2016 Safin Hamed (AFP/File)
The Iraqi cabinet awarded Trevi the contract "to carry out the project of rehabilitating and maintaining the Mosul Dam," a government statement said.
The deal has yet to be signed, according to the statement, which did not specify how much Trevi would be paid for the work.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni confirmed that the contract was awarded to Trevi.
"I think the contract will be signed in the next few days," he said in Rome.
Gentiloni said contributions by the United States and other anti-IS coalition members, along with the rules governing the deployment of Italian troops to protect the work site, "will have to be determined together with the coalition and the Baghdad government."
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said in December his country would send 450 troops to defend the dam, a decision linked to Trevi's interest in the project.
Italian forces are already in Iraq training police as part of international efforts to counter IS.
Italy also deployed forces to Iraq in 2003, and a bombing south of Baghdad killed 19 Italians in November of that year, the worst single attack on the country's forces since World War II.
- World's most dangerous dam -
Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland, the commander of the military operation against IS, said last week that the US had put measuring devices on the dam to monitor how much it is "moving or deteriorating over time".
If it does collapse, "it's gonna go fast," MacFarland said, adding that: "If this dam was in the United States... we would have taken that dam out of commission."
The dam stretches for more than three kilometres (two miles), holding back a huge winding reservoir fed by the Tigris River.
Since the dam's completion in 1984, the Iraqi government has sought to shore up the foundation by injecting mortar-like grout into the subsoil and cavities and controlling seepage, but this stopped in 2014 when IS briefly seized the structure.
Now, grouting work has resumed in the long, damp tunnel that stretches under the dam.
"Maintenance work is going on 24 hours" per day, with workers operating in three shifts, Riyadh Ezzedine al-Nuaimi, the dam's manager, told AFP.
Hussein Hamad Ahmed, an engineer at the dam, said workers drill down from the tunnel to a specific point, after which grout is pumped in to fill gaps that develop under the structure.
In 2007, the US ambassador to Iraq and the top American military commander in the country wrote a letter warning that the dam could fail with devastating results.
"A catastrophic failure of the Mosul Dam would result in flooding along the Tigris River all the way to Baghdad," the letter said.
"Assuming a worst case scenario, an instantaneous failure of Mosul Dam filled to its maximum operating level could result in a flood wave 20 metres (66 feet) deep at the city of Mosul," it said.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has said that "in terms of internal erosion potential of the foundation, Mosul dam is the most dangerous dam in the world."
ICC to unveil verdict against DRCongo's Bemba on March 21
The International Criminal Court said Tuesday it will deliver its verdict next month in the long-running trial of former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba accused of militia war crimes in the Central African Republic over 14 years ago.
It will only be the fourth verdict -- and the first against a former vice president -- to be handed down by the court, set up in 2002 in The Hague to try the world's worst crimes.
Bemba is charged with three war crimes counts and two of crimes against humanity committed by some 1,500 members of his private army in the neighbouring Central African Republic between October 2002 and March 2003.
Former DR Congo vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba is charged with three war crimes counts and two of crimes against humanity committed by some 1,500 members of his private army in the Central African Republic between October 2002 and March 2003 Peter Dejong (POOL/AFP/File)
His troops allegedly murdered, raped and pillaged after Bemba sent them into the country in late 2002 to help put down a coup against then-CAR president Ange-Felix Patasse.
His trial wrapped up in mid-November 2014, and the court Tuesday issued "an order scheduling the hearing to deliver the verdict in the case ... on Monday, March 21."
"The verdict will be read out in public and will either acquit or convict the accused. The accused before the ICC is presumed innocent," the court said in a statement.
- 'No command over troops' -
ICC prosecutors have alleged that Bemba had authority and control over his troops when they committed atrocities and that he could have stopped or sanctioned them.
But that has been vehemently denied by his defence team which said he had no "direct operational line of command" with his troops who were "resubordinated to the hierarchy of the Central African Republic forces."
Bemba, 53, who unsuccessfully challenged current DR Congo President Joseph Kabila in polls in 2006, went into exile after government forces routed his private militia in 2007. He was arrested in Brussels in 2008 and handed over to the ICC.
His trial before three judges was opened on November 22, 2010 and ended in late 2014. He was since been waiting for a verdict.
If found guilty, Bemba will be sentenced at a later date.
"While the prosecution must prove the guilt of the accused, the trial chamber will convict the accused only if it is satisfied that the charges have been proven beyond reasonable doubt," the ICC said in a statement.
The verdict comes at a busy start to 2016 for the ICC, which was created under the Rome Statue in 2002 and began working in 2003.
Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and his co-accused Charles Ble Goude went on trial in the ICC's new permanent premises on Thursday in a process also set to last three to four years.
Yemeni strikes kill, wound 375 in Saudi border zone: coalition
Yemeni rebels and their allies have killed or wounded 375 civilians in Saudi border regions since a Saudi-led military operation began against the rebels last March, the coalition said Wednesday.
Its spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told AFP that "375 (civilians) were killed and injured," including 63 children, adding that a detailed breakdown will be issued soon.
Assiri said that more than 40,000 mortar bombs, Katyusha rockets and other projectiles have been fired into the kingdom from Yemen since the Arab coalition began its campaign to push the rebels from seized territory in the neighbouring country.
A Saudi border guard looks through binoculars at a post on the Saudi-Yemeni border, in southwestern Saudi Arabia on April 6, 2015 Mansour Hadi (AFP/File)
That is an average of more than 129 projectiles per day.
They were fired by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies, elite troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Assiri said.
"Twelve Scud missiles were intercepted," he added.
Citing Civil Defence and security sources, the SPA state news agency has reported around 90 civilians and soldiers killed so far in shelling and skirmishes.
Assiri said the coalition figure "is the total of what the Civil Defence reported", and it has the victims' names.
But he said he had no figure for the number of soldiers and border guards killed.
It is difficult to stop the rebels who "fire and escape" from mountains, valleys and other hideouts in the rugged region, Assiri said.
Thousands of civilians have been relocated from the border since a previous conflict with the Huthis in 2009-2010.
With its air strikes and ground troops, the coalition is backing the Yemeni government and local anti-rebel forces in a bid to push out the Huthis who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
In Yemen, more than 5,800 people have been killed since last March, about half of them civilians, according to the United Nations.
There has been widespread international concern about the high number of civilian casualties in Yemen.
On Sunday, the coalition announced that "an independent team of experts" would examine incidents allegedly involving civilians.
Syria opposition cancels Tuesday meeting with UN envoy
Syria's main opposition group said Tuesday that it will not attend a planned afternoon meeting with the UN special envoy, adding further doubts about the prospects for peace talks in Switzerland.
"There is no meeting with (Staffan) de Mistura," said Farah Atassi, member of the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
"We presented the demands that we wanted to demand. At this moment, there is no reason to repeat ourselves with de Mistura," she told reporters outside of the UN headquarters in Geneva.
A rebel fighter looks up from his hiding spot in Arbeen, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, on January 29, 2016 Amer Almohibany (AFP)
United Nations spokeswoman Khawla Mattar also confirmed that there would be "no other meetings today" with de Mistura, who met with the Syrian government delegation Tuesday morning.
The afternoon gathering was to be the opposition delegation's second meeting with the Swedish-Italian diplomat at the UN headquarters.
The announcement followed comments from the government's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari that formal indirect peace talks had not yet begun.
Hamas calls for Palestinian elections 10 years on
Islamist movement Hamas on Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of the legislative election it won in 2006 with a call for new parliamentary and presidential polls in the Palestinian territories.
At a news conference, senior Hamas figures in Gaza called for "the announcement of a precise date for presidential and legislative elections."
First deputy speaker of parliament Ahmed Bahar said Hamas and rival Palestinian factions should work to achieve reconciliation "and to close the gaps opened by years of political division."
Palestinian supporters of the Hamas movement rally on the eve of the student council elections at the Bir Zeit University, on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Ramallah on April 21, 2015 Abbas Momani (AFP/File)
Palestinian elections have not been held in a decade due to the bitter split between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank-based Fatah faction led by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Representatives from the rival factions are expected to meet, however, in the coming days in Doha in a fresh attempt to implement a 2014 reconciliation deal which provided for elections by the end of that year.
The elections never materialised, with the two sides blaming each other.
Bahar welcomed the talks due to take place in the Qatari capital.
The Palestinian parliament has not met since 2007, the year Hamas seized the Gaza Strip by force and drove out Fatah from the enclave buoyed by its 2006 election victory.
Hamas caused a shock by winning the majority of seats in the polls, which were seen by some as the most transparent to be held in the Palestinian territories.
But the international community refused to accept the results, demanding that Hamas renounces violence, recognises Israel and respects agreements signed between Palestinian and Israeli leaders.
Saudi court quashes death sentence for 'apostate' poet
A court in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday overturned a death sentence against a Palestinian poet convicted of apostasy, giving him eight years in prison instead, his lawyer said.
The court in the southwestern city of Abha "overturned the previous sentence to execute him for apostasy," the lawyer for Ashraf Fayad said in a statement he posted on Twitter.
The ruling follows widespread international criticism of the rising number of executions by the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom.
Members of Amnesty International protest against all executions on April 9, 2010 Yoshikazu Tsuno (AFP/File)
Fayad was also sentenced to 800 lashes, in sessions of 50 lashes, his lawyer Abdul Rahman al-Lahim said.
The poet must repent through an announcement in official media.
The defence objects to the new ruling and has asked for Fayad's release, Lahim added.
A lower court in November issued the rare death sentence for apostasy, apparently after an appeal.
That decision overturned another court ruling in 2014 sentencing Fayad to four years' prison and 800 lashes, Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch said at the time.
The complaint against Fayad stemmed from a cultural discussion group at a cafe in Abha.
"What Ashraf claims is that he had a falling out with other members of the group," said Coogle, a Middle East researcher for the New York-based HRW.
One man claimed he heard Fayad say things against God, while a religious scholar accused Fayad of blasphemy in a volume of poetry he had written a decade previously, Coogle said.
At the first trial, witnesses for Fayad testified that the man who complained was probably "out to get him".
Under Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic legal code, murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.
In 2015 the kingdom executed 153 people, mostly for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP tally.
Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia last year was the highest for two decades.
Miami gearing up for ferries to Cuba: report
The port of Miami is gearing up to offer daily ferries to Cuba but the service could take a while to get underway because Cuba has yet to grant permits, a newspaper said Tuesday.
The port in this city that is home to half of the two million strong Cuban diaspora in the United States began preparations shortly after the United States and Cuba announced in December 2014 they would restore diplomatic ties after a half century of enmity dating back to the Cold War, the Miami Herald reported.
Those ties were formally re-established in July.
Buildings are seen near the ocean in Miami, Florida on March 14, 2012 Joe Raedle (Getty/AFP)
Industry leaders think the ferry service would be popular among Cuban-Americans visiting their homeland or taking goods to relatives still living there, the paper said.
In November, port officials held a meeting with US Customs and Border Protection to discuss what that federal agency would require for processing cargo and passengers on ferries headed to Cuba, the Herald reported.
The agenda of that meeting mentioned March of this year as a possible time to launch the ferry service, it added.
In May, the United States issued permits for a half dozen companies to run ferries to Cuba, and two months later did so for cruise ships.
But Cuba has yet to issue its corresponding permits, port and ferry industry officials told the Herald.
"No company has yet been given permission to travel to Cuba by the Cuban authorities, though several are selling tickets as if they are traveling to Cuba," said PortMiami's deputy director, Kevin Lynskey
"They told us they want to wait," Bruce Nierenberg, president of United Caribbean, one of the companies that wants to offer ferry service, said of the Cuban authorities.
The company now aims to start running ferries late this year or in early 2017.
Besides Cuban-Americans, US citizens carrying out certain kinds of visits -- to see relatives or do academic research, for instance -- will be able to use the ferry service.
Pope reaches out to China with New Year praise
Pope Francis hailed China's "great history of wisdom" on Tuesday, holding out the prospect of reconciliation with Beijing sought by some Chinese Catholics but feared by many others.
In an interview to mark the upcoming Chinese New Year, he said China "has always been for me a reference point of greatness. A great country. But more than a country, a great culture, with an inexhaustible wisdom."
"I believe that the great richness of China today lies in looking to the future from a present that is sustained by the memory of its cultural past," Pope Francis said in an interview with the Asia Times published by the Vatican press service.
Pope Francis (L) leads a mass in St Peter's Basilica on February 2, 2016 Tiziana Fabi (AFP)
The pontiff did not directly address the status of the Church in China -- a government-appointed Chinese Catholic association nominates its own bishops -- but recalled early efforts of 16th Century Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci to evangelise the Chinese while respecting their culture.
Unconfirmed reports from the Vatican have suggested an accord was in reach between the Holy See and Beijing on the pontiff being able to nominate Catholic bishops in China.
Both sides are in regular if discreet contact though some Chinese Catholics -- who number an estimated 12 million -- have accused the Vatican of being prepared to sacrifice their interests on the altar of reconciliation.
Publication of the pope's interview came after a discreet visit by a Chinese delegation to the Vatican in January.
According to informed sources, Francis could very soon designate several bishops in China, with the agreement of Beijing. This would be the first such nominations since the breakdown in diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China in 1951.
The two countries have not had diplomatic relations for more than six decades, with Beijing making a renewal dependent on the Vatican cutting ties with Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
Within the Vatican two camps have for years vied for dominance. One led by Secretary of State Pietro Parolin believes the Holy See should show flexibility towards China which might then grant more freedoms to Chinese Catholics. The other fiercely criticises this approach, claiming that the Chinese regime has not changed at all.
"Riccis experience teaches us that it is necessary to enter into dialogue with China, because it is an accumulation of wisdom and history. It is a land blessed with many things," said Francis.
No arrests made after Denver brawl between biker clubs
DENVER (AP) A heated argument among as many as 30 members of two biker clubs preceded a weekend brawl at a Denver motorcycle show that left one dead and seven others injured, an attorney who witnessed the commotion said Monday.
Wade Eldridge said he walked past the crowd, preferring not to get involved, when he heard at least one gunshot and saw a man pointing a handgun while bystanders yelled for him to put the weapon down.
Eldridge, an attorney for the Council of Clubs, recognized the gunman's patch identifying him as a member of the Iron Order Motorcycle Club, a biker group made up largely of law enforcement and military.
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
The Saturday clash at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo also involved members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, and both groups blame each other for inciting the violence. Three others were also shot, a fourth was stabbed and three more suffered injuries from a fistfight, police said.
"There's way too much testosterone involved," Eldridge told The Associated Press. He did not know why the man opened fire or what caused the initial argument.
"All I saw was the pointing," he said. "I did not see anyone close to him to present a threat."
More than one person, including a Colorado Department of Corrections officer, fired weapons during the melee, but police officials said Monday they still don't know who fired the fatal shot.
Eldridge said there were thousands of people at the event, where motorcycle groups from around the country had gathered.
Police were still interviewing witnesses and examining several guns and other evidence that will help them decide whether to make any arrests, Denver police Major Crimes Cmdr. Ron Saunier said. No one was in custody as of Monday night.
The Department of Corrections identified the officer involved as 33-year-old Derrick Duran, who 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.
Victor Mendoza, 46, was shot and killed, the medical examiner's office said.
Detectives have interviewed several members of Iron Order, but the other group, which Saunier called an "outlaw gang," has been less cooperative, he said. The commander urged witnesses and those with video footage to come forward.
Prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges.
Mendoza was a member of the Mongols, said Stephen Stubbs, an attorney for the group. He said Iron Order members started the brawl by taunting the Mongols into an argument that led to the deadly shooting.
But John C. Whitfield, who represents Iron Order, said Mongols jumped its members, instigating the fight. The corrections officer fired in self-defense, he said.
Saunier would not say whether it was a self-defense case but said the corrections officer was not acting in his official capacity.
"It sounds like it was a territorial type of verbal altercation," rather than a longstanding feud, he said. Clubs had established "territory" inside the National Western Stock Show complex where the expo was held, Saunier said.
The violence put new focus on the motorcycle groups. The Mongols are recognized by law enforcement as a highly organized criminal gang with a reputation for violence.
Sexual assault trial of former Canadian radio host begins
TORONTO (AP) The first witness at the sexual assault trial of a former Canadian Broadcast Corp. radio host testified Monday that he was charming before he suddenly went into a rage, pulling her hair and punching her, 13 years ago.
Jian 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.
Police launched an investigation in 2014 after nine women contacted various media sources to report incidents of assault and sexual assault involving Ghomeshi. The allegations rocked Canada's vaunted public broadcaster
In this image made from video, Jian Ghomeshi arrives at a courthouse in Toronto on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Ghomeshi, the former host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular culture radio show "Q," 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. (Shetu Modi/The Canadian Press via AP)
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 while she was a server at a CBC party and then went to a taping of his then-television show "Play." After going for a drink she said he took her to his yellow Volkswagen Beetle 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. She said after kissing him he pulled her hair again, yanked her to her knees and punched her on the side of the head. She said her ears were ringing and she was terrified.
"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 she went to the police more than a decade later, after police encouraged women to come forward.
In her cross examination, Marie Henein, Ghomeshi's lawyer, questioned why she didn't go police right away and went over media interviews, police interviews and testimony and raised inconsistent details. Henein said Ghomeshi didn't own a VW Beetle at the time.
"What I saw was what I saw," the woman responded. "It looked like that to me."
The woman, then a 41-year-old mother who worked part time jobs as a server and makeup artist, said she never saw Ghomeshi again after the second incident.
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. The CBC fired him.
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. DeCoutere said she went on a date with him and alleges that when they returned to his home, he pressed her up against a wall, choked her and slapped her across the face several times.
4 ex-Blackwater contractors appeal convictions in shootings
WASHINGTON (AP) Four former Blackwater security contractors found guilty in a deadly Baghdad shooting appealed their convictions on Monday, saying a key witness against them had changed his testimony after the trial and that prosecutors lacked jurisdiction to even bring the case.
The appeals, long expected, represent the latest legal volley in a criminal case that's spanned years in Washington's federal court and that concluded with guilty verdicts following a monthslong trial in 2014.
Nicholas Slatten is serving a life sentence on a charge of first-degree murder. Three other former guards Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were found guilty of manslaughter and firearms charges carrying mandatory minimum 30-year sentences.
FILE - In this June 11, 2014 file photo, former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten leaves federal court in Washington. Slatten, found guilty for his role in a deadly Baghdad shooting has appealed his murder conviction. Slatten argued in an appeal filed Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, that the Justice Departments prosecution of him was vindictive and that prosecutors were determined to win at all costs. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
The case arose from a September 2007 shooting in Nisoor Square, with prosecutors accusing the guards in the deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians. The mass killings at the crowded traffic circle in downtown Baghdad strained international relations and drew immediate public scrutiny to the role of American contractors in war-torn Iraq.
At trial, the two sides presented the jury with radically different accounts of what happened: Prosecutors described the killings as a one-sided ambush of unarmed civilians, while defense lawyers said the guards opened fire only after a white Kia sedan seen as a potential car bomb threat began moving quickly toward their convoy.
Central to the appeal is a witness who defense lawyers say changed his account of what happened in a way that undermines the government's narrative.
The witness, an Iraqi traffic officer, told jurors that the driver of the Kia was killed by the first shots that were fired in an unprovoked burst of violence that set off the rest of the rampage. He testified that after seeing the mortally wounded driver, he ran in front of the convoy with his hands up and told the guards to stop shooting.
But right before the sentencing hearing last April, the same witness submitted a victim impact statement saying that the driver was still alive when the shooting started and that, instead of standing before the convoy as he had earlier maintained, he actually remained in his traffic kiosk out of fear.
Though U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth refused to grant the men a new trial, the defense team said Monday the new account dismantled the prosecution's case and called into question the entire chain of events presented to the jury.
"This evidence eviscerated the government's case and would have led to acquittals," defense lawyers wrote. "The district court abused its discretion by denying a new trial."
Prosecutors will have a chance to respond to the filings before a federal appeals court hears arguments. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, Bill Miller, declined to comment Monday.
Defense lawyers also challenged the federal law under which the case was brought the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act saying it was meant to hold Defense Department contractors accountable for crimes committed overseas. But the Blackwater guards were in Iraq as State Department contractors and were responsible for providing security to State Department and diplomatic personnel.
At the time of the shooting, defense lawyers say, the guards were attempting to find a secure route back for a U.S. diplomat following a car bomb explosion.
"They were acting under Embassy, not military, supervision, and were not participating in any military operation or supporting any Defense Department mission," the defense lawyers wrote.
Slatten, 32, filed a separate brief, saying the prosecution against him was "vindictive" and that the jury didn't have sufficient evidence for a murder conviction.
The guards were first indicted in 2008, but a judge later threw out the case. The Justice Department then secured a fresh indictment in 2013.
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Khawaja misses out on Australia lineup for 1st NZ ODI
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) Batsman Usman Khawaja has been omitted from Australia's lineup for the first of three one-day games against New Zealand at Eden Park on Wednesday.
Khawaja, who has been in outstanding form in Australia's domestic competition, was called into the touring squad as a replacement for opening batsman Aaron Finch who injured a hamstring during the recent Twenty20 series against India.
Captain Steve Smith announced on Tuesday that Shaun Marsh had been picked to open the batting with David Warner in the opening match of the Chappell-Hadlee series despite Khawaja scoring two centuries during Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash League.
"He's unlucky to miss out but Shaun's going to get the first opportunity," Smith said. "No doubt he'd be frustrated.
"He's hitting the ball extremely well. But the one-day side is a tough side to break into. We're the current world champions. We've been playing some very good one-day cricket and the batters have been scoring lots of runs. We scored 300 on every occasion in the recent one-day series (against India) at home."
Josh Hazlewood will lead the Australia pace bowling attack with Kane Richardson, John Hastings and James Faulkner. Legspinner Adam Zampa and fast bowler Scott Boland were the other members of the Australia squad to miss selection in Wednesday's match XI.
"We've got quite an inexperienced bowling attack," Smith said. "We've got quite a few guys that are out but the guys are learning quite quickly.
"We've traditionally done quite well using (Glenn) Maxwell as our spinner ... we suspect it will swing around a little bit and we're going to make use of that," he said.
New Zealand and Australia last met in a one-day international in the World Cup final in Melbourne in March. They also played at Eden Park in the pool stages of the World Cup when New Zealand won a thrilling match by one wicket.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum scored a 24-ball half century in that match and Australia have marked him again as a danger man, though his most-recent innings ended in a first-ball duck against Pakistan at Eden Park on Sunday.
McCullum, who is battling a back injury, will retire from test cricket at the end of the test series against Australia.
"Brendon has been a terrific player and leader for a long time," Smith said. "No doubt they'll want to send him off in the best way possible. It's up to us to make that not happen."
New Zealand has yet to announce its match lineup but has called legspinner Ish Sodhi into its squad for Wednesday's match.
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Australia: Shaun Marsh, David Warner, Steve Smith (capt), George
Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh, Matthew Wade, James Faulkner,
John Hastings, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood.
Australian official says PM is considering an early election
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australia's prime minister told government colleagues Tuesday that an early general election within weeks was "a live option," an official said.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull alone decides the timing of the next election. He has maintained that he plans for his government to run a full three-year term which would make the election due around September.
But he told his colleagues at their first meeting at Parliament House for the year that the election could be called much sooner, a government minister said.
FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2015 file photo, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is welcomed by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe before their meeting at the state guest house in Tokyo. Turnbull told government colleagues Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016 that an early general election within weeks was "a live option," an official said. (Franck Robichon/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Turnbull said he could call a double dissolution election, so-called because both the House of Representatives and the Senate are dissolved.
Turnbull told his colleagues "we can reasonably expect an election to be at the normal time, in the August-to-October period, but that is not set in stone," the minister told reporters on condition of anonymity because he was speaking as a spokesman for the meeting rather than as himself.
"He said a double dissolution was a live option, which would have to be weighed up," the minister said.
An ordinary election in which the entire House of Representatives and half the Senate go to the polls can be held any time from Aug. 6 until Jan. 14 next year.
A double dissolution election can be called earlier to break a legislative dead lock after the Senate has twice rejected a bill passed by the House of Representatives. After the early election, the rejected bill goes to a vote in a joint sitting of both chambers.
The Senate has already twice rejected a minor bill on improving governance of organizations, meaning Turnbull could call an election as early as March 12.
He can also use the threat of an early election to pressure a hostile Senate into passing legislation, for example, a bill to create a new construction industry watchdog that the Senate has already rejected once. A second rejection would give Turnbull the option of fighting an early election on the need to stamp out what a government commission says is trade union corruption in the construction industry.
Early elections are rare in federal politics and unpopular with voters. The last double dissolution election was in 1987.
Americans are packing classes in how to survive a shooting
WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) Study your surroundings. Find exits. Identify makeshift weapons. Americans are gleaning those tips and others as they pack classes on how to react to and survive a shooting.
Such training is already common at schools, colleges and businesses, but sessions for the general public are the next step in confronting fears of mass violence that have been around for years and, for many, came to a head after the 1999 Columbine High School shootings.
Police have offered the "awareness training" in Livonia, Michigan, and Douglasville, Georgia, while more than 600 people have attended classes taught by the Potter County Sheriff's Office in Amarillo, Texas, beginning about three years ago.
In this Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 photo, Westerville police chief Joe Morbitzer welcomes community members to a first-ever class about reacting to and surviving an active shooter, while speaking in Westerville, Ohio. Morbitzer says people today understand threats are real and could happen where they live. (AP Photo/Andrew Welsh-Huggins)
Public demand increased dramatically after the shooting in December that killed 14 in San Bernardino, California, said Lt. Scott Giles, a class instructor in Amarillo.
"This is really just something that was born out of necessity," Giles said. "Active shooter events just continue to happen."
Potter County is one of several sheriff's departments that provide training based on the CRASE curriculum: Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events. CRASE teaches an approach dubbed ADD: "Avoid" the situation by getting out, "Deny" by barricading inside a room, and as a last resort, "Defend" by fighting back.
A class offered by Westerville, a Columbus suburb, filled up so quickly that a second had to be scheduled for later this month. The city of about 38,000, with a per capita income well above the rest of Ohio, regularly tops lists of the country's best suburbs.
"We just feel the world has changed. There's evil out there," said retiree Tom Madine, 67, who attended the first Westerville class last month with his wife, Sue Madine, along with dozens of others.
People today understand that such threats are real and could happen in their own communities, said Police Chief Joe Morbitzer. Officers teach a "Run, Hide, Fight" curriculum similar to ADD.
"Part of the issue is that people don't know how to avoid becoming victims," Morbitzer said. "In today's society that's bad, that you've got to practice victim avoidance, but you have to."
At the Jan. 28 Westerville class, officers Dan Pignatelli and John Jeffries emphasized "situational awareness."
They mixed practical tips for instance, the best exit in an emergency is not always the way you came in, and if you're hiding, always turn the lights off with case studies from the 1999 Columbine shooting, the 2007 Virginia Tech killings and others.
As a last resort, a weapon could be as near as the closest chair, pair of scissors or blunt object, they said.
"You've got to have a game plan," Jeffries, a 31-year police veteran, told the audience. His comment was part of a bigger point both instructors drove home throughout the two-hour class: that people must overcome inaction when something bad happens.
Instructors in Ohio and elsewhere don't take a position on whether people legally allowed to carry a gun should intervene to stop an attacker. But they worry about what happens once police arrive.
"When a civilian, let alone a trained officer, opens up firing in an active shooter situation, there is a good chance that civilian may be mistaken for the shooter," said Philip Schaenman, a security expert who has studied some of the country's worst shootings, including Virginia Tech.
Denise Bunsey attended the January class in Westerville with her parents. Afterward, the 36-year-old guidance counselor said the most important lesson was that people have options even in worst-case scenarios.
"Despite what's going on, you really have to have the mindset of, 'I will survive this and I will do anything I can to survive this,'" Bunsey said. "I never thought about it in that way."
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Afghan Taliban open new front in war with attacks on media
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) The Taliban suicide bombing against a bus carrying employees of Afghanistan's biggest media company last month has shocked local journalists, who fear they are now in the cross hairs of an increasingly lethal insurgency.
Journalism has always been a dangerous line of work in Afghanistan, and reporters have long had to contend with threats and occasional attacks by various armed groups. But after Tolo TV, the most popular Afghan broadcaster, falsely accused the Taliban of mass rape in a report carried late last year, the insurgents declared war.
"We saw in late 2015 a statement from the very highest levels of the Taliban staking out a very clear position that they are going to be deliberately targeting as 'military objectives' two of Afghanistan's largest TV networks," said Ahmad Shuja, a researcher with the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
In this Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 photo, a relative places a photo of victim Zainab Mirzaee in front of her sister Golsum, 27, as her father looks on, during an interview with the Associated Press at their house in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban suicide bombing against a bus carrying employees of Afghanistans biggest media company on Jan. 20 has shocked local journalists, who fear they are now in the cross hairs of an increasingly lethal insurgency. (AP Photos/Massoud Hossaini)
Calling it "a watershed moment," he said the Taliban now equate attacks on media with "any other military operations they've done and taken credit for and the implications are chilling."
In the Jan. 20 attack, a suicide bomber struck a bus belonging to the Moby Group, Tolo's owner, killing seven people and wounding at least 25. The Taliban claimed responsibility, calling Tolo a tool of decadent Western influence and warning that other media outlets could be next.
The Taliban were angered by a Tolo report last year alleging that the insurgents had raped female university students during their brief occupation of the northern city of Kunduz. The station has acknowledged the allegations were false and said it clarified the report, but the Taliban have shown no sign of backing down.
"The Taliban came to the conclusion that media have become an obstacle against their war strategies, and they would have (attacked) it anyway," said Najib Sharifi, director of the Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee. "But the incident in the Kunduz report gave the Taliban an excuse on which to build and further to justify their attacks."
Afghanistan's intelligence service said it has arrested eight people in connection with the Tolo attack, all associated with the Haqqani network, a close Taliban ally based in neighboring Pakistan.
But many journalists have yet to return to work, fearing further attacks. An executive at 1TV, the other major media outlet that was threatened, said the intelligence service told him to move to a new home and buy a weapon. He also said a car bomb was recently defused outside the station's gate. The executive spoke on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns.
The escalation in violence has cast a pall over the surprisingly vibrant media landscape that emerged after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.
Afghanistan has 75 television networks, 175 radio stations and hundreds of newspapers, magazines and websites employing thousands of journalists, mainly young people who came of age after the brutal rule of the Taliban, who banned television. Afghan journalists are often alone in reporting from the front lines of the conflict, and have defied intimidation to challenge claims by the government, local warlords and the insurgents.
Reporters Without Borders ranked Afghanistan 122nd out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index last year, up from the previous year but well below 2004, when Afghanistan was 97th. The low ranking reflects the dangers faced by local journalists, who work in conflict zones and face threats from all sides.
"Not all of us are everyday heroes," Shuja said. "There's only a certain amount of risk that all of us can take in the face of a diabolical enemy such as the Taliban."
Relatives of those killed and wounded in the bus attack have complained about the security measures taken by Moby.
"What really kills me is that Tolo knew about the threats, even on that day, and didn't insist on sending them in smaller cars, rather than in one bus and then they were all attacked," said Zahara Mirzaee, whose 25-year-old daughter Zainab, a boom operator, was killed.
The Afghanistan Journalists' Federation has called on media owners to provide protection and compensation for their employees in accordance with existing laws. President Ashraf Ghani has promised to support and monitor media safety through a ministerial commission.
The Mirzaee family meanwhile fears for another daughter, Golsum, 27, who works at 1TV dubbing Turkish soap operas into Farsi. She hasn't returned to work since the attack, despite the fact that she and her late sister were supporting the family.
"I'm afraid, but I just don't know what to do," she said. "If I don't go back to work, then there will be no money coming in... I was going to go back yesterday, but I heard that the security service defused a car bomb at the gate. The risk is now very high."
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 file photo, the brother of a victim from the Jan. 20 suicide attack near the Russian Embassy cries during his burial ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban suicide bombing against a bus carrying employees of Afghanistans biggest media company last month has shocked local journalists, who fear they are now in the cross hairs of an increasingly lethal insurgency. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini, File)
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 file photo, Zahara Mirzaee, 55, mother of victim Zainab Mirzaee, cries during the funeral ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban suicide bombing against a bus carrying employees of Afghanistans biggest media company on Jan. 20 has shocked local journalists, who fear they are now in the cross hairs of an increasingly lethal insurgency. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini, File)
In this Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 photo, the brother of victim Mehri sits on the ground, looking on, during an interview with the Associated Press at their house in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban suicide bombing against a bus carrying employees of Afghanistans biggest media company on Jan. 20 has shocked local journalists, who fear they are now in the cross hairs of an increasingly lethal insurgency. (AP Photos/Massoud Hossaini)
In this Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 photo, brothers of the victim Mehri sit on the ground as the older brother holds a photo of his sister, during an interview with the Associated Press at their house in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban suicide bombing against a bus carrying employees of Afghanistans biggest media company on Jan. 20 has shocked local journalists, who fear they are now in the cross hairs of an increasingly lethal insurgency. (AP Photos/Massoud Hossaini)
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Najib Sharifi, director of the Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee, talks during an interview with the Associated Press at his office in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban suicide bombing against a bus carrying employees of Afghanistans biggest media company on Jan. 20 has shocked local journalists, who fear they are now in the cross hairs of an increasingly lethal insurgency. (AP Photos/Massoud Hossaini)
Airstrikes destroy IS radio station in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) U.S. airstrikes have destroyed an Islamic State-operated radio station in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.
"Voice of the Caliphate" radio was destroyed by two U.S. airstrikes, according to a U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media on the subject.
Army Col. Mike Lawhorn, spokesman for the U.S.-NATO mission in Afghanistan, said U.S. forces conducted two "counter-terrorism airstrikes" late Monday in Achin district, in the eastern Nangarhar province, without elaborating.
An IS affiliate has emerged in Afghanistan over the past year, with a military presence in districts near the border with Pakistan. The radio station was broadcasting illegally across Nangarhar, calling on fighters to join the group and threatening journalists in the provincial capital, Jalalabad.
Afghan officials had said they believed the broadcasts were coming from mobile facilities that could be moved easily back and forth across the mountainous border.
The spokesman for the Nangarhar governor, Attaullah Khogyani, said the strikes had also killed 21 IS supporters, including five who were working for the radio station.
The station was set up in late 2015, following months of fierce fighting between IS group militants and the Taliban, who also maintain a significant presence in the region. Although IS and the Taliban both want to impose a harsh version of Islamic rule, they are bitterly divided over leadership and strategy, with the Taliban narrowly focused on Afghanistan and IS bent on establishing a worldwide caliphate.
Radio is a powerful medium in Afghanistan, where most people do not have televisions and only 10 percent of the population has access to the Internet. Nearly everyone has access to radio, with around 175 stations operating across the country.
The U.S. State Department recently added the IS Afghan affiliate to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Elsewhere in the country, three Afghan army officers died when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb late Monday in the Gereshk district of southern Helmand province, according to the district's administration chief, Mohammad Sharif. He said the dead included Gen. Atta Mir, a brigade commander in Gereshk.
In the northern city of Kunduz, a secretary for the provincial governor's office was shot dead near his home on Monday evening, the governor's spokesman, Abdul Wasi Basel, said.
He said that no one had claimed responsibility for the killing of Mohammad Zarif.
The Taliban seized Kunduz for three days last year, and only fully withdrew after a two-week counteroffensive that devastated much of the city.
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He then gave a thumbs up as he drove off after a district attorney admitted he had agreed to never prosecute the actor in his 2005 sex assault case
Bill Cosby was smiling and waved to the crowd after he emerged from court in
Bill Cosby emerged from a Pennsylvania courthouse smiling and waving on Tuesday afternoon after a judge heard testimony that could result in his sex assault case being dismissed.
The actor then gave a thumbs up as he drove off, shortly after a former district attorney testified that he agreed to never prosecute the comedian after he gave a deposition in the civil suit filed by his alleged victim in the 2005 case for which he has now been charged.
Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor said on the stand Tuesday that his unwillingness to prosecute Cosby was rooted in the fact that former Temple University employee Andrea Constand waited a year to file her criminal complaint and had hired a lawyer to explore a civil lawsuit.
The former DA also said he believed his decision to give Cosby immunity in 2005 would free him up to testify in Constand's civil suit without fear of repercussions, and that despite his own wishes his actions are binding on his successors and forever closes the door on prosecuting the comedian.
The current district attorney has said there is no record of any such agreement.
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Bill Cosby was smiling and waved to the crowd after he emerged from court in Pennsylvania on Tuesday
This cheerful behavior came shortly after a former district attorney testified that he agreed to never prosecute the comedian after he gave a deposition in the civil suit filed by his alleged victim in the 2005 case for which he has now been charged
He then gave a thumbs up as he drove off after a district attorney admitted he had agreed to never prosecute the actor in his 2005 sex assault case
Cosby departs in his vehicle after a preliminary hearing on sexual assault charges at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristow
Cosby, 78, was arrested and charged in December with drugging and violating Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Castor said Tuesday that he found serious flaws in the case and declined to bring charges. He said that he made the decision as a representative of the state as the sovereign, as he put it, over and over and that it would last in perpetuity.
For all time, yes, Castor said when pressed on the point.
And he suggested that Cosby and his lawyer at the time had the same understanding, because Cosby later agreed to testify without invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a civil lawsuit brought against him by Constand.
Cosby would've had to have been nuts to say those things if there was any chance he could've been prosecuted, Castor said.
Castor said he hoped, correctly, at the time that the decision would free the comedian to testify in the suit and help Constand win damages. She eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.
I did not believe it was just to go forward with the criminal prosecution, but I wanted there to be some measure of justice for Costand, Castor said.
He added: I was hopeful that I had made Ms. Constand a millionaire.
He said he relayed word to Cosby's then-attorney, Walter Phillips, that Cosby would not be charged. However, Castor said the two lawyers did not have an agreement that Cosby would testify.
Mr. Phillips never agreed to do anything in exchange for Mr. Cosby not being prosecuted, Castor said. I thought making Mr. Cosby pay money was the best I was going to be able to set the stage for.
Phillips has since passed away.
Kevin Steele, the newly elected DA who is pursuing the criminal case, has said Cosby would need an immunity agreement in writing to get the case thrown out. He has said he has no evidence one exists.
Cosby was met by police officers when his black SUV pulled up outside the courthouse Tuesday morning
Chaperones: The embattled elderly comic was accompanied by two men who held his arms for support
One of Cosby's chaperons, left, carried Cosby's wooden cane as they walked to the courthouse
Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor (left) testified Tuesday that he believes his decision not to bring charges agianst Cosby forever bars his successors, including current DA Kevin Steele (right) from prosecuting the comedian
Damaging testimony from Constand's lawsuit, which was released only last year, prompted the successors of Bruce Castor to reopen the case and ultimately charge the 78-year-old Cosby with felony sexual assault. Cosby has not yet entered a plea.
Cosby admitted in the deposition that he had a series of affairs with young models and actresses, obtained quaaludes to give women before sex and gave Constand, a former Temple University athletics employee, three pills before a January 2004 encounter at his home. He called it consensual, but she said she was drugged and violated.
Castor defended his decision not to bring charges, testifying that he saw Constand's year-long delay in reporting the allegations, inconsistencies in her statements and her contact with a lawyer before going to police as red flags.
Castor said Constand's delay in going to authorities was of 'enormous significance' in his consideration of the case. He said it thwarted his ability to test her hair or fingernails for evidence she was drugged.
'I decided that because of defects in the case, the case could not be won and that I was going to make a decision that we would not prosecute Mr. Cosby,' Castor said during today's hearing.
Still, Castor said, he investigated the case thoroughly because he wanted to show authorities in Constand's native Canada that celebrities don't get preferential treatment in America.
Legal gambit: Members of Bill Cosby's law team, from left, Monique Pressley, Christopher Tayback and Brian McMonagle, contend that the comic had a deal with a prosecutor in 2005 that he wouldn't be prosecuted and should testify freely in accuser Andrea Constand's lawsuit
Accuser: Andrea Constand, pictured in December walking her dogs in Toronto, Canada, accused Cosby of drugging and assaulting her in 2004
Meanwhile in California: Model Chloe Goins (left) on Tuesday abruptly dropped her lawsuit against Cosby. Also today, a judge ordered the comic to be deposed for a second time in the case of Judy Huth (right)
Kevin Steele, the new county district attorney, believes Cosby needed an immunity agreement in writing to avoid prosecution. He has said he has no evidence that one exists.
The lawyer who served as Castor's top assistant in 2005 could also be called to testify.
Risa Vetri Ferman, now a county judge, worked on the Constand case before succeeding Castor as district attorney in 2008. She reopened the complaint last fall, asking Castor to submit any documentation of the supposed deal.
Castor pointed to a 2005 press release about his decision not to prosecute Cosby.
Steele defeated Castor in the November election to succeed Ferman. He believes that Cosby needs a written immunity deal to get the case thrown out.
Going solo: Cosby's wife, Camille, did not accompany her beleaguered husband to court on Tuesday
Dressed in a dark brown suit, walking with a cane and flanked by attorneys and what appeared to be a security guard, Cosby sat stonily during Tuesday's proceeding and did not speak.
Cosby's lawyers have asked Common Pleas Court Judge Steven O'Neill to dismiss the case, citing the supposed agreement reached in 2005 with Castor.
Prosecutors in Los Angeles County early this month decided not to charge Cosby over two alleged cases of sexual assault dating to 1965 and 2008.
New democratic era dawning in Myanmar
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) Led by a triumphant Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar is preparing to take a historic leap into uncharted territory, having only known democracy for 14 of its 1,000 years of recorded history. Suu Kyi, who scored a stunning victory in last year's elections, follows a procession of absolute monarchs, British colonial rulers and home-bred generals who are still standing tall in the wings.
The new era dawns April 1, when Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continent's rising star.
What happens next is being touted as "a political and economic renaissance" or, as one local editorial predicted, "Myanmar's best year yet." But others fear the victors, having spent much of their lives as opposition activists and prisoners rather than in government, may, as the Burmese proverb goes, simply be "overwhelmed by 16,000 problems."
In this Jan. 4, 2016 photo, leader of the National League for Democracy party (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi, center seated, surrounded by NLD lawmakers, attends a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 68th anniversary of Independence in Yangon, Myanmar. Led by a triumphant Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar is preparing to take a historic leap into uncharted territory, having only known democracy for 14 of its 1,000 years of recorded history. Suu Kyi, who scored a stunning victory in last years elections, follows a procession of absolute monarchs, British colonial rulers and home-bred generals who are still standing tall in the wings. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Among them, the NLD faces the world's longest running insurgency by Myanmar's ethnic minorities with tens of thousands still under arms and deeply distrustful of the central government and a military that will continue to control the country's civil administration, three key ministries, 25 percent of the seats in Parliament and economic holdings amassed during its half-century in power.
"The NLD victory is just one step in Myanmar's democratic process, not a major turning point," said Yan Myo Thein, a veteran analyst and former political prisoner.
Adding to its woes, Myanmar falls among the world's poorest countries with abysmal education and health systems and is burdened with pervasive corruption. It ranks 147 among 168 countries on Transparency International's latest global corruption index.
The new government will also have to re-order its relationship with China, formerly a staunch supporter of the generals, deciding how far it can risk alienating its powerful neighbor by veering toward the United States and Europe and curbing ravages Chinese companies are inflicting on Myanmar's environment.
The team to tackle such a spectrum of problems is currently being shaped under tight wraps in this surreal, military-built capital hacked out of the jungle. Suu Kyi recently announced that only she among her party members could speak to the press, but not before her spokesman Nyan Win said the team-building was proving difficult.
"It's going to be tough for anybody to run that place. The expectations are likely to be too great for her to succeed in the way people want," says David Steinberg, an American scholar who has tracked Myanmar since the 1950s.
The 70-year-old Suu Kyi is barred from leading the country, although the Nobel Prize laureate has made it clear that she will be "above the president," calling the shots. By the constitution the president, to be selected this month, cannot like Suu Kyi have been married to a foreigner or have children of foreign citizenship.
Some of her behavior has raised questions about Suu Kyi's leadership, with some NLD members calling her a "democratic dictator" who has surrounded herself with a generally sycophantic inner circle. In the 28 years since the party was founded, only one other figure of national stature has emerged: Tin Oo, a former armed forces commander turned democracy champion. But he is now 88.
"The NLD is not a democratic party. It's her view on what is going to prevail that's important," says Steinberg. "There is nobody of stature within the NLD who has the experience to run things. She has kept down a generation of leadership within the party."
Still, after decades of military rule, the political transition seems to be going relatively well, said Richard Horsey, an adviser to the think tank International Crisis Group, noting in particular Suu Kyi's crucial meetings with armed forces chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and former junta leader Than Shwe, who is widely believed to still advise the military on critical decisions.
The meetings appeared to be efforts to formulate a future working relationship with the military that will require of Suu Kyi an ingenious tightrope act: forging ahead with her democratization agenda while not overly infringing on the military's power and pride lest this ignites a backlash and plunge the country into its militaristic past.
The most optimistic scenario, Horsey says, would have the military "rehabilitate itself into a standard, modern army, and to be seen as protecting the realm rather than a source of domestic oppression. They will need the NLD for that."
Another possibility sees parallel government and economic structures emerging, with the military ignoring the government when it so chooses.
"You must remember that the military is autonomous. They will not take orders from the president, only from their commander-in-chief," says Bertil Lintner, author of several books on Myanmar including a biography of Suu Kyi.
The Home Ministry, headed by a military-appointed minister, will retain its power over civil administration down to the village level as well as the police and domestic espionage. From its business conglomerates, the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings and Myanmar Economic Corporation, it will be able to draw funds well beyond those it is allocated under government budgets.
Given that the technocratic elite is mostly comprised of retired or serving military officers, Suu Kyi will have little choice but retain many. But Yan Myo Thein and others say Suu Kyi may go too far, including more than the mandated number of military in her Cabinet as well as at least one member of the military-backed party she trounced in the elections.
"I worry that she may rely too much on the military. She is always trying to compromise with them, and they hold the upper hand," said Yan Myo Thein, who has close contacts with NLD members. "I am not certain whether the cooperation between the NLD and the military will be beneficial for our country."
This would certainly alienate the many with deep-seated hatred of the military, especially the ethnic minorities who have suffered brutal army campaigns against them and are hoping the new government will move toward a federal system allowing more autonomy and end warfare that has plagued the country since independence from Britain in 1948.
Hopeful too are Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, where hundreds have been killed and 140,000 driven from their homes in communal violence.
Talk to ordinary citizens, and many will describe Suu Kyi in almost saintly terms although others say they voted not so much for her but rather to get rid of the detested military.
"I used to like her a lot but she is now behaving very differently from the past. I don't know what to expect from her. She used to be humbler. She behaves more like a hierarchical figure now," said Maung Maung a 46-year-old security guard. "We will wait and see how she will lead the country."
In this Nov. 1, 2015 photo, supporters of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, far end on the stage, wave flags of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party during a campaign rally, Yangon, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016 when Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Nov. 1, 2015 photo, Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech as party patron Tin Oo, left, watches during a campaign rally of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party in Yangon, Myanmar. Led by a triumphant Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar is preparing to take a historic leap into uncharted territory, having only known democracy for 14 of its 1,000 years of recorded history. Suu Kyi, who scored a stunning victory in last years elections, follows a procession of absolute monarchs, British colonial rulers and home-bred generals who are still standing tall in the wings. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Sept. 11, 2015, supporters of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, background in a poster await to welcome Suu Kyi ahead of a campaign rally of her National League for Democracy party in Hpasawng, Eastern Kayah State. Led by a triumphant Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar is preparing to take a historic leap into uncharted territory, having only known democracy for 14 of its 1,000 years of recorded history. Suu Kyi, who scored a stunning victory in last years elections, follows a procession of absolute monarchs, British colonial rulers and home-bred generals who are still standing tall in the wings. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Dec.13, 2015 photo, leader of National League for Democracy party (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi, right in white top, points at garbage during a cleanup drive initiate by Suu Kyi in Kawhmu, south of Yangon. Led by a triumphant Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar is preparing to take a historic leap into uncharted territory, having only known democracy for 14 of its 1,000 years of recorded history. Suu Kyi, who scored a stunning victory in last years elections, follows a procession of absolute monarchs, British colonial rulers and home-bred generals who are still standing tall in the wings. (AP Photo/ Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Nov. 9, 2015 photo, Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, right, delivers a speech as party patron Tin Oo waves in Yangon, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016 when Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star.(AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Nov. 5, 2015 photo, supporters of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi decorate a back of a truck in Yangon, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016 when Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Monday, Nov. 9, 2015 photo, supporters of Myanmar's National League for Democracy party celebrate as election results are posted outside the NLD headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Led by a triumphant Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar is preparing to take a historic leap into uncharted territory, having only known democracy for 14 of its 1,000 years of recorded history. Suu Kyi, who scored a stunning victory in last years elections, follows a procession of absolute monarchs, British colonial rulers and home-bred generals who are still standing tall in the wings. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015 photo, Myanmar President Thein Sein travels in an open vehicle inspecting officers and military hard-wear during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 67th anniversary of Independence in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016, when Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015 photo, Myanmar people dressed in different ethnic attire march in the foreground of military-tanks during a ceremony to mark Myanmar's 67th anniversary of Independence in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016, when democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015 photo, Myanmar army officers march during a parade to mark Myanmar's 67th anniversary of Independence in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016, when Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
In this Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015, photo, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, left Commander in Chief of Myanmar Defense Services reaches to shake hands with pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi during their meeting in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016, when Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
In this Jan. 12, 2015, photo, Taang National Liberation army officers dance during a function to mark 52nd Ta'ang revolution day in Mar-Wong, Taang self-governing area, northern Shan state, Myanmar. The new era dawns April 1, 2016, when Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which captured nearly 80 percent of the contested parliamentary seats, takes over power from a military-dominated regime and attempts to shed decades of political oppression, civil war and economic ruin in this resource-blessed Southeast Asian nation once hailed as the continents rising star. (AP Photo/ Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Scholarships, tutoring to save 'lost generation' of Syrians
ZARQA, Jordan (AP) Until recently, Syrian refugee Eyad Zoulghena only had bad options.
The 22-year-old, forced to quit law school when he fled his homeland in 2012, could choose to keep working in a supermarket in Jordan to feed his parents and four siblings, effectively putting his future on hold. He could risk a dangerous sea journey to seek his luck in Europe. Or he could return to war-ravaged Syria.
Now a first opportunity has opened up for Zoulghena European Union-funded college scholarships for displaced Syrians in Jordan. The pilot program includes 270 such grants now, with a promise of hundreds more in the coming months.
In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 photo, a Syrian refugee boy holds up a placard in Arabic, during class at a remedial education center run by Relief International in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, near Mafraq, Jordan. UNICEF, the U.N. agency for children, estimates that more than half the refugee children in the region, or more than 700,000, are not in school. Some drop out to work and help struggling families, or because they missed too much school and can't catch up. Others are told there's no room in crowded local schools. Writing on sign in Arabic reads: Giraffe. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
Zoulghena has applied, along with more than 5,000 other Syrians desperate to resume higher education they could otherwise not afford.
If he doesn't get a scholarship, "you'll see me next summer in Germany," said Zoulghena, speaking recently at Jordan's Zarqa University where Syrians crammed lecture halls to hear more about the EU grants.
As the Syria conflict drags on, such scholarship programs signal an attempt by international donors to shift from mostly emergency humanitarian aid to long-term programs, including education and job creation in Middle Eastern host countries.
Coming up with ways to get hundreds of thousands of uprooted young Syrians back into schools and colleges, and to find employment for their parents will be central issues at Thursday's annual Syria aid conference, to be held in London.
"The scale of the crisis for children is growing all the time, which is why there are now such fears that Syria is losing a whole generation of its youth", Peter Salama, the regional director of UNICEF, said in a statement Tuesday.
The bulk of Syrian refugees, close to 4.6 million, still live close to home, mainly in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.
However, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have headed for Europe over the past year, some driven by increasingly tough conditions in regional host countries. Many say concern for their children's future is pushing them to make the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean.
The often chaotic influx has helped shift European thinking about aid in recent months; Germany's Economic Cooperation Minister, Gerd Mueller, said during a Jordan visit last week that it's "20 times more effective" to improve refugee lives in the region than it is to help them once they get to Europe.
"We want to encourage young people to make a choice here for their future," said Job Arts, the EU's head of education programs in Jordan. "The whole risk of getting lost at sea and in Europe itself, this is a very difficult situation."
In addition to college scholarships the EU also supports, in cooperation with the British Council, three-month language courses for 2,800 students, said Arts. Other offers include several hundred grants for vocational training and distance learning.
Still, the situation is bleak.
UNICEF, the U.N. agency for children, estimates that close to 3 million Syrian children are not in school, including 2.1 million inside Syria and more than 700,000 refugee children.
In host countries, some refugee children drop out to work and help struggling families, or because they missed too much school and can't catch up. Others are told there's no room in crowded local schools.
One of the stated goals at the London conference is to get all Syrian refugee children back to school by the end of the 2016/17 school year.
In Jordan, more than half of about 630,000 Syrian refugees are younger than 18, including 228,000 of school age, according to UNICEF.
Of those, some 82,000 or more than one-third are not in school, the agency said. Trying to fill the gap, UNICEF runs dozens of centers across Jordan, where out-of-school children get some schooling, including the basics in English, math and Arabic.
Even for refugees who are enrolled in school, the way forward getting into college is filled with obstacles. Most can't afford to pay Jordanian tuition costs.
In Jordan's U.N.-run Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, set up in 2012, school initially wasn't a priority for new arrivals. Many thought they would just be staying for a few months or were too traumatized to focus on studies.
This led to low achievement. In 2013, only four out of several dozen high school seniors passed college matriculation exams, or "tawjihi," camp officials said.
Trying to help, UNICEF partnered with the aid group Relief International to run remedial classes for students of all ages in Zaatari and the smaller Azraq camp.
On a recent morning, more than a dozen Zaatari fifth graders attended remedial math class. Boys stepped up to the blackboard, where a teacher guided them through adding and subtracting five-digit figures.
Alaa al-Qaisi, a Relief International field coordinator, said he has seen gradual improvements.
Participation in remedial classes for high school seniors rose from 60 students in 2014 to 150 in 2015, meaning half the 12th graders are now enrolled, said al-Qaisi.
Students are more motivated because the reality of a long exile has sunk in, which means they "start looking for a future, for a good education," he said.
The first success stories have also helped.
Eight students who passed the college matriculation exams in the previous round all participants in the remedial program received college scholarships, now widely seen as the best way out of a dead-end existence in the camp.
Qassem Hariri, 18, one of the eight, studies Arabic at Yarmouk University on a U.N. scholarship.
Hariri and some of his former school mates said they prefer to stay in Jordan, where they know the language and the culture. Some said they would have left for Europe had it not been for the scholarships.
Amin Nasser, 19, who took the tawjihi exam recently and hopes to study IT, said there is no way he will stay in Zaatari.
"If I don't get a scholarship and I can't go to Europe, I will go back to Syria," he said.
In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee children attend class at a remedial education center run by Relief International in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, near Mafraq, Jordan. UNICEF has partnered with the aid group to run classes for students of all ages at the camp. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 photo, Rama al-Hamad, speaks to the Associated Press at a remedial education center run by Relief International in the Zaatari Refugee Camp, near Mafraq, Jordan. As a high school senior, al-Hamad participated in remedial classes run by Relief International, in partnership with UNICEF, and now studies English translation in college, after receiving a scholarship. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
FBI creates Facebook page in Farsi for case of missing agent
WASHINGTON (AP) The FBI has launched a Facebook page in Farsi to solicit tips on the whereabouts of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who went missing in Iran nine years ago.
The new site, which went live in the last few weeks, is part of a broader effort to appeal directly to the Iranian public for information about Levinson's disappearance and comes as the FBI continues its yearslong search for him. Farsi is the predominant language of Iran.
Levinson, now 67, disappeared from Iran's Kish Island in March 2007. A 2013 Associated Press investigation revealed that he was working for the CIA on an unauthorized intelligence-gathering mission.
FILE - In this March 6, 2012, file photo, an FBI poster showing a composite image of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, right, of how he would look like after then-five years in captivity, and an image, left, taken from the video, released by his kidnappers in Washington during a news conference. The FBI has launched a Facebook page in Farsi to solicit tips on the whereabouts of Levinson who went missing in Iran nine years ago. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
The case drew renewed attention last month when Levinson was not part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iranian governments that set free four other Americans who had been held in Iran's custody, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.
The FBI says it continues to investigate every lead and remains committed to finding Levinson and bringing him home. A $5 million reward for information leading to his whereabouts remains in effect.
The FBI has long had an English-language social media campaign aimed at encouraging tips and leads. The new Facebook page, as well as a missing-person poster and press release in Farsi that were already in circulation, represent the most concerted effort so far to reach Iranians in their native language.
The page went live in the two weeks since the prisoner swap was announced, but it had been in the works before then, FBI officials said. Additional pages are planned in the Arabic and Urdu languages.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said last month that Levinson may no longer be in Iran, but no evidence has surfaced publicly to support that idea. Though Levinson was last seen on Iran's Kish Island, the Iranian government has never acknowledged arresting him and has said it doesn't know where he is.
In late 2010, Levinson's family received a video that offered proof that he was still alive. In the video, Levinson, who had lost considerable weight, pleaded for help to return home. In April 2011, the family received photos showing Levinson, with unkempt hair, dressed in an orange jumpsuit. His relatives have said that he suffers from diabetes, gout and hypertension.
But Secretary of State John Kerry said after the prisoner deal last month that U.S. officials did not know whether Levinson remained alive.
One of Levinson's children, Daniel Levinson, said in an interview with the AP last week that the family was "devastated" that Levinson was not part of the prisoner swap and was upset that it had no advance notice that the exchange would take place.
He said it should be "unacceptable not just to us but to the American people to leave someone behind like that," noting that his father had missed joyful family events like weddings and births of grandchildren.
"We're not going to go away. We're not going to give up," Levinson said. "We're going to continue pressing."
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Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.
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Online:
Facebook link for Levinson search: https://www.facebook.com/seekingrobertlevinson
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Follow Eric Tucker at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
Lawmakers to press commander on troop levels for Afghan war
WASHINGTON (AP) The top American commander in Afghanistan faces skeptical lawmakers amid concerns that worsening security conditions demand a greater number of U.S. forces to ensure the gains made in the war-torn country since 2001 aren't lost.
Army Gen. John F. Campbell is slated to testify on Tuesday before the House Armed Services Committee, where members are expected to press him on President Barack Obama's plan to cut American troop levels from 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office next January. Obama had backtracked from his initial plan to reduce the U.S. force to 1,000 by the end of 2016.
Republicans have long assailed Obama's exit strategy, arguing that conditions on the ground in Afghanistan, not a calendar, should determine the pace of the withdrawal. With the Taliban staging new offensives and the Islamic State extremist group seeking a presence in Afghanistan, congressional Democrats also are raising the prospect of an extended stay.
FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Resolute Support Mission Commander Gen. John Campbell listens as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Campbell, the top American commander in Afghanistan is scheduled to testify on Feb. 2, 2016, amid concerns worsening security conditions demand a greater number of U.S. forces. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
"I've always believed that putting a time limit on it is a mistake," Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry, the committee chairman, said Monday. "To say this is going to take five years, 10 years or 50 years, nobody can say that."
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton warned against a repeat of Iraq. American forces were withdrawn too rapidly and without a long-term political strategy to ensure the progress they made would hold, he said. U.S. troops had to return to Iraq after the resulting instability allowed IS to grow.
"I've never been an advocate for withdrawing troops on a timetable," said Moulton, a former Marine Corps officer who served four tours in Iraq. "If security is worsening with the number of troops we have there now, then we shouldn't cut them below the current level."
Campbell is expected to retire soon and Obama has nominated Army Lt. Gen. John W. "Mick" Nicholson, Jr., to replace him.
Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly said last week that Congress "desperately" needs an unvarnished assessment of troop requirements even if the recommended number contradicts what Obama has proposed.
"If it's 10,000 that's needed to be effective, then tell us it's 10. If it's (5,000), tell us it's 5," Donnelly said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing held to consider Nicholson's nomination. "If we don't have enough there, it's just going to make it worse, and worse and worse."
While campaigning for his second term, Obama promised the war in Afghanistan would end on his watch. At the end of 2014, the White House declared an end to combat operations there. Yet American forces and money remain committed as Afghan troops and police slowly take over the fighting.
The mission of the U.S. troops in Afghanistan is to conduct counterterrorism operations and to train and assist the Afghan security forces. Nicholson assured the Senate Armed Services Committee that if confirmed, he will do a thorough review to make sure there are enough American forces to accomplish both assignments.
Nicholson acknowledged, however, that security conditions are worsening in Afghanistan. The Afghans held their own in 2015 during combat against the insurgency, he said, but are still not self-sustaining. The U.S. continues to provide the bulk of the money to train and equip the Afghan military and police more than $4.1 billion was allotted in fiscal year 2015 alone to the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, according to the Defense Department.
"The Taliban came at the (Afghan forces) more intensely than perhaps we anticipated," Nicholson said. "Because of that, we did not make the advances we projected we thought we would make."
Syrian refugee teachers help fill the education gap
QAB ELIAS, Lebanon (AP) In the refugee camp in eastern Lebanon where Fatima Khaled lives with her two daughters, only three children found a spot in the local school.
So when parents found out that Khaled was an educator, they begged her to teach their children. An unemployed teacher who fled Damascus three years ago, Khaled could not find work in Lebanon. "I came here and tried to find a job, but no one would hire me," she said. "Parents here suggested the idea. They told me I could teach and help the children."
Khaled, 30, has been teaching literacy and basic arithmetic for over a year, first out of her living room, and now out of a shed built by her husband.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee children respond to their teacher inside a tent that has been turned into a makeshift school, at a Syrian refugee camp in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
While humanitarian actors meet in London on Thursday to fund the education of Syrian refugees, Khaled's is one of a multitude of anonymous shoestring initiatives filling the gap on the ground. With local schools overwhelmed and aid money so far falling short, only 59 percent of Lebanon's 338,000 school-age Syrian refugees receive an education, according to the UNHCR. Some 238 public schools offer a second shift to accommodate more refugees, yet the United Nations estimates that twice as many second shifts are needed to accommodate them all.
Such teaching initiatives help fill more than an educational void for refugees.
Ahmed Shareef's teaching career nearly came to an end when a Tunisian fighter from the Islamic State group summoned him, in his village of West Atchan outside the Syrian city of Aleppo. As principal of the local school, Shareef had ordered a teenage student to trim his beard and the militant wanted to know why.
"I didn't ask him to shave it, just trim it," Shareef told him. The fighter told him to scrap philosophy and history from the curriculum because those courses were "blasphemy" and demanded that girls leave school after the 6th grade. When Shareef asked why, he says the man replied: "When you grow a beard I will tell you why."
Not long afterward, 38-year-old Shareef packed his bags and fled to Lebanon with his wife and children.
Two years later, Shareef teaches Syrian children how to read and write out of a plywood and tarp-covered tent in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa valley of Lebanon where most of his fellow villagers had resettled to flee the fighting.
Since none of the camp's approximately 100 children found a spot at the local school and Shareef couldn't find a teaching job, he gives free lessons to children aged 5 to 12 who have had their education disrupted by the conflict. On a normal day, over 30 rowdy students sit on the floor. The class schedule is determined by the weather; when rain floods the tent, class is dismissed.
Like Khaled, Shareef does not earn a salary. He lives on the $100 a month the UNHCR allocates his family.
But Khaled admits that money is hardly a motivation for her. The work, even if unpaid, is as much a lifeline for herself as it is for her students.
"I cannot not teach," she says smiling. "I've been teaching since I was 18 and when I arrived here I couldn't stand doing nothing."
CORRECTS FROM KHALED TO MOHAMMED- In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, Syrian refugee teacher Fatima Mohammed, second right, points to a white board while a student reads inside a tent that has been turned into a makeshift school, at a Syrian refugee camp in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, Syrian refugee Eman al-Aqraa, 8, right, and her sister Fatima, 4, listen to their teacher inside a tent that has been turned into a makeshift school, at a Syrian refugee camp in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, Syrian refugee teacher Ahmed Shareef, 38, center background, listens to his students inside a tent that has been turned into a makeshift school, at a Syrian refugee camp in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee teacher Ahmed Shareef, 38, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press inside a makeshift school in a tent, at a Syrian refugee camp in the village of Qab Elias, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, shoes of Syrian refugee children lay on the ground at the entrance to a makeshift school in a tent, at a Syrian refugee camp in the village of Qab Elias, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, Syrian refugee teacher Ahmed Shareef, 38, right, listens to his students inside a tent that has been turned into a makeshift school, at a Syrian refugee camp in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
CORRECTS FROM KHALED TO MOHAMMED- In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, Syrian refugee teacher Fatima Mohammed speaks during an interview with The Associated Press inside a tent that has been turned into a makeshift school, at a Syrian refugee camp in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Syrian refugee children sit on the ground as they listen to their teacher inside a tent that has been turned into a makeshift school, at a Syrian refugee camp in Qab Elias, a village in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. With Lebanese schools forced to turn down Syrian children for lack of space, some refugees have resorted to a bootstrap solution: Syrian teachers who are refugees themselves, volunteer their time to educate the next generation out of tents. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Wide gulf as Obama, Republicans look for common ground
WASHINGTON (AP) There were scant signs of consensus Tuesday as President Barack Obama met at the White House with opposition Republican leaders of the House and Senate, hoping to find common ground on trade, drug abuse and criminal justice reform in his final year in office. While both sides professed a general interest in working together, the deep ideological gulf between them seemed wider than ever.
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared content to simply wait this president out, hoping a Republican successor will give the party the full power it needs to press its priorities unimpeded. "The days of Barack Obama's presidency are numbered," Ryan said before the meeting.
Ryan and Obama also had a private lunch, their first since the congressman became speaker in October with a mandate to unite an unruly cast of House Republicans whose prime point of agreement is that Obama's agenda must be stopped. Obama and McConnell have ridden this merry-go-round before, striking big deals occasionally, but more often not.
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. takes questions from reporters at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., have been invited to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House today to try to hash out an agenda for the president's final year, even as his top legislative priorities appear to be losing steam. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Illustrating how hard Republicans were still fighting Obama's agenda seven years in, the House planned its umpteenth vote Tuesday evening to repeal Obama's health care law.
Still, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama was pleased to host the leaders, calling it a sign that despite heated partisanship in an election year, Democrats and Republicans can have a good-faith conversation about the country's priorities.
"It's not treasonous to do that," Earnest said. "In fact, it's part of the responsibility that goes along with leadership."
Ryan, speaking after the weekly meeting of Republican lawmaker, said he hoped he and Obama could "put those disagreements in check and see where the common ground is."
Obama has scaled back his legislative ambitions from the sweeping proposals he pushed earlier in his term. But he still needs Congress to help finish what he's started in certain areas trade being chief among them.
Prospects for approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the lynchpin of Obama's trade agenda, appeared even farther off as McConnell and Ryan emerged from the meeting. Although Republicans and business groups generally support the free-trade deal, McConnell hasn't yet backed it, and has suggested Congress shouldn't vote to ratify it until after the November elections.
But the Kentucky Republican seemed even more definitive Tuesday that he won't support a vote at all this year.
"The Speaker is a free trader. I'm a free trader and obviously the president is as well," McConnell said. "There are a number of flaws here. We're going to keep on talking about it and seeing if there's a way forward."
Another Obama priority, a new war powers resolution, didn't even come up, McConnell said. Though Republicans are demanding Obama intensify the fight against the Islamic State group, they're opposed to the limited, no-ground-troops resolution Obama has proposed. The White House argues Republicans have failed to offer any viable alternative to Obama's IS strategy.
Where Obama and the Republicans did seem to find fertile ground was on a set of lower-tier issues with less of a partisan tilt. Ryan's office and the White House said the leaders had conferred about Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis, the alarming heroin epidemic, Vice President Joe Biden's cancer initiative and a criminal justice overhaul. All are issues both parties have said they want to address.
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Associated Press writer Donna Cassata contributed to this report.
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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/josh-lederman
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif. walks to a meeting with the House GOP leadership, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., are scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House this morning. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
N. Korea, planning rocket launch, getting better at stealth
TOKYO (AP) Less than a month after its purported H-bomb test, North Korea announced Tuesday it is planning a rocket launch as soon as next week. Though speculation of a launch had been growing for about a week, experts say that with underground railways, giant tarps and a movable launch pad structure in place the North is getting a lot better at hiding its preparations.
North Korea's announcement it is preparing a rocket, which it made by informing international organizations of a Feb. 8-25 launch window, comes after what it claimed was its first H-bomb test on Jan. 6 and statements by American and Japanese officials that they were seeing heightened activity at its main rocket facility. The news also came just hours after China's point man on Korean issues arrived in Pyongyang for talks, presumably about the nuclear test, which Beijing has denounced.
North Korea typically informs groups such as the International Maritime Organization of a pending launch so that cautions can be issued for shipping in the area. The IMO's press office in London confirmed it had been informed of the plan on Tuesday.
In this July 26, 2013, photo, North Korean soldiers are silhouetted against model versions of the Unha 3 space launch vehicle which successfully delivered North Koreas first satellite into Earth orbit, and the Unha 9, right, which would carry a lunar orbiter, on display at an annual flower show held in honor of national founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Less than a month after its purported H-bomb test, the exact nature of which still has foreign analysts guessing, attention is now focused on whether North Korea is readying a rocket launch. There are indications including the construction of a new and taller gantry, visible in commercial satellite imagery that it could be a bigger and better version of the Unha 3 space launch vehicle that lifted off from the Sohae facility in 2012, on the west coast of North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
The announcement ends speculation over whether North Korea was actually preparing a rocket. Though it says the rocket will carry a Kwangmyongsong or Bright Star Earth observation satellite, the type of rocket that will be used is not yet clear.
There are indications including the construction of a new and taller gantry, visible in commercial satellite imagery that it could be a bigger and better version of the Unha 3 space launch vehicle that lifted off from the Sohae facility in 2012, on the west coast of North Korea.
That would be in line with North Korea's own previous announcements.
The Unha 3 successfully delivered North Korea's first satellite into Earth orbit. A January 2013 report by Rodong Sinmun, the ruling party newspaper, which has since been deleted from its online edition, quoted a scientist as saying there would be a series of launches of observation and communication satellites culminating with Unha 9, which would carry a lunar orbiter. A North Korean space agency official told an AP television crew last year that more satellite launches are planned in the years ahead, but didn't elaborate.
Models of the larger and much more formidable-looking Unha 9 rocket have since been displayed at various events in North Korea, including annual flower shows held in honor of national founder Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il. Unha means galaxy.
Although there are important differences, the United States and others have strongly criticized such rocket launches because similar technologies can be used in the development of ICBMs, which North Korea is banned from doing under U.N. restrictions. North Korea says that it has the right to maintain a peaceful space program.
Tightening its punitive squeeze on North Korea, the U.S. Treasury on Jan. 17 announced sanctions on 11 individuals and entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, including Iranian officials it said had direct links to North Korea and work being done by the North on "an 80-ton rocket booster."
It said two of the sanctioned Iranians "have been critical to the development of the 80-ton rocket booster, and both traveled to Pyongyang during contract negotiations." Iran has, coincidentally, suggested it might also conduct a rocket launch this month.
Whether the booster would be a new first stage for the Unha rockets or something different is not known.
Making firm predictions has become more difficult because of the increasingly sophisticated concealing measures North Korea has been developing over the past several years.
Though the kind of intelligence available to agencies in the U.S. and its allies is presumably far better than what they are willing to let on publicly, it is clear from unclassified commercial satellite monitoring that a lot has been going on at North Korea's main launching facility since the 2012 Unha 3 launch.
Concealment upgrades include the construction of an underground railway right up to the launch pad that allows rocket stages to be transported stealthily to the site, possibly from Pyongyang. Upon arrival, the stages could be lifted directly from the train by elevator into a structure above for assembly and then moved in another newly built mobile structure by rail to the gantry, which recently has been covered by a huge tarp.
"In effect, you're not going to see any of that happening, whereas before they would be moving stuff around on trucks that you might be able to spot. So that really makes things much more difficult," said Joel Wit, a former State Department official and editor of the respected 38 North website, which focuses on North Korea issues.
Wit said some activity still cannot be concealed, but with the upgrades "it becomes more like reading tea leaves."
North Korea's efforts at concealment appear to be paying off on the nuclear front as well.
The paucity of detailed intelligence due to a deeper blast at the end of a longer tunnel, better sealing of tunnels and vents and improved camouflage at its nuclear site has muddied analysts' ability to assess North Korea's claim that the latest test was the successful detonation of its first hydrogen bomb which if true would mark a significant advance in the North's nuclear technology.
In the case of rocket preparations, North Korea knows when commercial satellites are over its area because most are synchronized with the sun and pass over the same point of the Earth at about the same time. For North Korea, that's between 10 a.m. and 1 or 2 p.m. so they tend to stop activity during that window, or move trucks under cover or keep activity in buildings to prevent detection.
Such moves would not be as effective against the best government-operated spy satellites, which can provide almost constant surveillance of high-interest sites and can also see through clouds and the cover of darkness.
But Joe Bermudez, an expert on North Korea's military and the chief analytics officer of AllSource Analysis Inc., said the country's effort to improve its "camouflage, concealment and deception" has been quite elaborate.
"The North Koreans are not stupid people," said Bermudez, who has been studying North Korean defense and intelligence affairs for 35 years, and since the 1990s has been using satellite imagery analysis. "Particularly those in the intelligence community and those involved in the programs to produce WMD watch and read the foreign press. As we use commercial satellite imagery to identify activities in North Korea, they are watching and looking at what we are seeing and they are making adjustments."
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Oregon standoff leader strikes defiant tone from behind bars
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The jailed leader of an armed group that took over an Oregon wildlife preserve struck a defiant tone Tuesday while again urging four holdouts to leave, saying local residents should control the federally owned property and U.S. officials do not belong there.
Ammon Bundy said the FBI and Oregon State Police surrounding Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are leading an "armed occupation," words typically reserved for the ranchers and others that launched the standoff on Jan. 2. He said the refuge "belongs to the people," according to a statement read by his attorney.
"I am requesting that the remaining protesters go home now so their lives are not taken," Bundy's statement said.
A sign is displayed with the picture of LaVoy Finicum as part of the demonstrations outside the Harney County Courthouse in Burns, Ore., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Hundreds gathered to protest and support the armed occupation of a national wildlife preserve. (Molly Young/The Oregonian via AP) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; NO LOCAL INTERNET; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
He is among 11 people arrested in connection with the standoff, whose adherents have called federal land restrictions burdensome and demanded the government turn over public lands to local control. Many were taken into custody during a traffic stop last week that left one occupier dead.
All face a felony conspiracy charge of using intimidation to prevent federal employees from their work. Bundy will stay behind bars while his attorneys build their case that the standoff was intended as a "peaceful protest and civil disobedience." A federal judge has allowed a couple of others to go free pending trial.
Meanwhile, the handful of remaining occupiers offered no signs they are ready to leave. They gave an interview Monday on an online talk show on a YouTube channel called Revolution Radio.
"We're still here," said David Fry, adding that the four hope sympathizers will come out to back them up. "We need the American people to get the courage to stand up."
Bundy pleaded for them to go home and aligned with his father, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, on demanding federal and state authorities clear out of the area.
The elder Bundy, who was involved in a high-profile 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights, sent a certified letter to the local sheriff Monday, saying the refuge should be placed under local control.
Unlike his son, Cliven Bundy has not called for the last occupiers to leave.
The Oregonian reported ( http://bit.ly/1PTCRw2 ) the Rev. Franklin Graham had spoken with the remaining occupiers.
Graham spokesman Todd Shearer told the newspaper that the religious leader had communicated by phone with the four occupiers and federal officials, but Graham had no comment beyond that statement.
The last four occupiers had asked Graham to help them negotiate their departure. They have said they want assurances they won't be arrested.
Group leader Ammon Bundy and others remain behind bars following arrests. The standoff began Jan. 2 as a protest over federal land use policy.
Federal prosecutors are building a case against Ammon Bundy and his followers to show that the occupation was a threat to residents and federal employees. Prosecutors say the group, once numbering a couple dozen, was ready to use violence to hold on to the refuge.
The standoff also has created divisions among residents that will take time to heal. Many locals want the occupation to end and are eager to get on with their lives. But others sympathize with Bundy's complaints, which are part of a long-running dispute over federal management of public lands in the West.
Some have rallied in support and opposition to the standoff, the latter often citing the death of an Arizona rancher by police. Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was killed Jan. 26 during a confrontation with FBI agents and Oregon State Police on a remote road.
Federal authorities have released aerial video and said Finicum was going for a gun in his jacket pocket. Bundy's relatives say the shooting was not justified.
Jennifer Williams, who owns a small ranch outside of Burns, Ore., said she arrived at the demonstrations to send a message that the standoff supporters dont represent the voice of the community outside the Harney County Courthouse in Burns, Ore., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Hundreds gathered to protest and support the armed occupation of a national wildlife preserve. (Molly Young/The Oregonian via AP) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; NO LOCAL INTERNET; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
A sign is displayed with the picture of LaVoy Finicum as part of the demonstrations outside the Harney County Courthouse in Burns, Ore., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Hundreds gathered to protest and support the armed occupation of a national wildlife preserve. (Molly Young/The Oregonian via AP) MAGS OUT; TV OUT; NO LOCAL INTERNET; THE MERCURY OUT; WILLAMETTE WEEK OUT; PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Iowa Takeaways: Trump can't meet hype, Clinton underwhelms
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Donald Trump failed to live up to his own hype and finished second to Ted Cruz, but it was a late surge from Marco Rubio that may wind up the as the biggest surprise of the Iowa caucuses.
Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders finished in what the Vermont senator termed a "virtual tie," an outcome that may further embolden her critics even as her team claimed victory.
The 2016 presidential contest moves on to New Hampshire, where the nation's first primary is now just seven days away. To get you started, here are some takeaways from Iowa's leadoff caucuses:
Workers takes the podium down after Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump spoke at his caucus night rally, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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A HUGE TURNOUT, BUT NOT HUGE ENOUGH FOR TRUMP
Before Monday's contest, the major question about Trump was whether his legion of fans would ultimately become an army of voters.
Plenty did, as turnout in the Republican caucuses was up by nearly 60,000 people compared to 2012. The problem for the billionaire businessman was that he still didn't have enough backers to push past the first-term Texas senator.
Trump, a New Yorker through and through, was never well-positioned to win over rural Iowa's evangelical voters. More than 4 in 10 Republicans arriving at caucus sites said the candidate quality that mattered most in their vote was that the candidate shares their values. Among those who said so, Cruz won the support of nearly 4 in 10, compared to less than 1 in 10 for Trump.
Trump will be quick to point out that Iowa backed two deeply flawed GOP candidates in 2008 and 2012, neither of whom went on to win the party's nomination. Yet he missed an opportunity to deal Cruz a blow that would have made his path to the nomination far easier.
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A CLOSE DEMOCRATIC RACE
Hillary Clinton's campaign team declared victory in the early morning hours as they headed to New Hampshire, pointing to her capture of at least 22 delegates to the party's national convention to Sanders' 21 with one left to be decided.
But the Iowa results appeared likely to benefit Sanders' campaign far more than her own.
"We came in and we took on the entire political establishment and we fought them to a draw," said Sanders adviser Tad Devine. "It's a huge step forward for us. We're very, very pleased with what happened."
Even before the caucuses, Sanders said he was prepared to compete deep into the spring and fight until the summer convention. He raised $20 million in January and will be well-positioned to build a campaign organization in the lengthy list of states holding contests in March.
Still, Iowa has a largely white, liberal Democratic electorate, which will make it difficult for Sanders to argue that he's a stronger candidate than Clinton to face off against the GOP in the general election.
To do so, he'll need to win over the minority voters who play a major role in upcoming states on the primary calendar, including Nevada, South Carolina and several Southern states that hold contests in March.
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IOWA TRUSTED CRUZ
By claiming victory in Iowa, Cruz ensures that he'll be a force in the Republican primary contest for weeks to come if not longer.
He moves on to New Hampshire as the favorite of his party's most conservative voters. Expect him to pick up support from likeminded candidates who underwhelmed on Monday, among them former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who dropped out of the race.
Cruz won with an impressive ground game and beat back brutal attacks from Trump and others about his trustworthiness, the cornerstone of his campaign and his "TRUSTED" slogan.
And he's got built-in advantages that will help him sustain his momentum as the race moves into the spring. Cruz began the year with more money than most of his competitors combined, and after New Hampshire, he'll be able to spend it in more friendly territory as the GOP race moves into the South.
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RUBIO RISING
He didn't win the most votes, but Marco Rubio had a very good night in Iowa.
The first-term Florida senator claimed third place, finishing just behind Trump. More importantly, he absolutely dominated his competitors in the mainstream wing of the party, earning more votes than former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich combined.
Rubio's team also proved to be masters of the expectations game. By casting Trump and Cruz as the overwhelming front-runners in recent weeks, Rubio's strong third place finish exceeded expectations and recent polls alike which made it feel like a victory of sorts.
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Recaptured jail fugitive's torture trial delayed
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) An inmate who led authorities on an eight-day manhunt after escaping from an Orange County jail got his trial on kidnapping and torture charges delayed Tuesday as his lawyer raised concerns about his ability to find an unbiased jury to hear the case.
Hossein Nayeri, 37, appeared inside a caged area of a Santa Ana courtroom reserved for jailed defendants. His chains clanked as he walked, and the courtroom was packed with media trying to get footage of the bearded former Marine who was on the run for more than a week after pulling off the brazen escape Jan. 22 with two fellow inmates.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert R. Fitzgerald granted a request by Nayeri's lawyer to delay his trial on charges of kidnapping and torturing a marijuana dispensary owner by burning him with a blow torch and cutting off his penis. Nayeri is due back in court March 21.
Hossein Nayeri appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Bac Duong, Nayeri, and Jonathan Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Outside the courtroom, defense lawyer Salvatore P. Ciulla said he needed more time to address issues in the case and to find a jury following widespread publicity of the jailbreak and his client's recapture in San Francisco on Saturday after an alert citizen spotted the fugitives' stolen van.
"We've got to find a jury now as best as we can that's unbiased," Ciulla told reporters. "We're certainly not going to rush into trial on the heels of this."
Nayeri, 20-year-old murder suspect Jonathan Tieu and 43-year-old attempted murder suspect Bac Duong escaped from Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana by sawing through a metal grate, climbing inside jail walls to reach the roof and rappelling down four stories using a rope made of sheets.
They eluded authorities until their alliance unraveled after a dispute about whether to kill a cab driver they had taken hostage.
Duong returned to Southern California and surrendered on Friday. Nayeri and Tieu were caught in San Francisco the next day.
Authorities previously said a woman who taught English classes at the jail helped Nayeri plot the escape, but prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to charge her with a crime. The district attorney's office did, however, charge a man with aiding in the jailbreak by smuggling tools inside the jail.
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has said Nayeri was likely the mastermind of the escape.
Nayeri joined the Marines in 1998 out of high school, but he was court martialed in May 1999 after deserting the Marine Corps for a few months. He spent 47 days in the brig and later received a bad-conduct discharge, Marine Corps spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock said.
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This story corrects that Nayeri was court martialed for desertion in 1999 and clarifies that he was later given a bad-conduct discharge.
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Associated Press Writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Gillian Flaccus in Tustin, California, contributed to this report.
Bac Duong appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Duong, Hossein Nayeri, and Jonathan Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Jonathan Tieu appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri, and Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, left, leaves the Central Men's Jail in Orange County, Calif., with attorney Rodger Carey on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. 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. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Three inmates captured are seen on a video monitor at Orange County Sheriff's news conference in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The inmates from left, Bac Duong, 43, Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20, who escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Orange County Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Hallock, right at podium, speaks about the arrest of three escaped inmates at a news conference in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The three inmates, Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County planned their escape from a California jail for at least six months then abducted a taxi driver and drove to northern California, where two of the fugitives argued about killing him, authorities said Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas speaks on the arrest of three escaped inmates at a news conference in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates, Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County planned their escape from a California jail for at least six months then abducted a taxi driver and drove to northern California, where two of the fugitives argued about killing him, authorities said Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, left, leaves the Central Men's Jail in Orange County, Calif., with attorney Rodger Carey on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. 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. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, left, leaves the Central Men's Jail in Orange County, Calif., with attorney Rodger Carey on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. 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. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Hossein Nayeri appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Bac Duong, Nayeri, and Jonathan Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Arrests in France thwart attack on nightspots, official says
PARIS (AP) A French police official says five people were arrested outside the city of Lyon with plans to stage attacks on nightspots and leave for Syria.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said four men and a woman were arrested early Tuesday. He said the group had already bought bus tickets to join Muslim extremists in Syria via Bulgaria and Turkey, and was also trying to obtain weapons to attack French nightspots.
At least some of the five were already on the radar of French intelligence for extremist views, he said.
Italian pilot convicted in Albania for drug trafficking
TIRANA, Albania (AP) An Albanian court has sentenced an Italian pilot to 15 years in prison after convicting him of trying to pick up nearly half a ton of locally grown cannabis from traffickers at a beach rendezvous where he crash-landed.
Giorgio Riformato was arrested in May 2014, after his small plane crash-landed on the popular Divjaka beach, 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of the capital, Tirana.
Police who responded found an Albanian man trying to drive away a car full of cannabis which they said Riformato had been due to pick up.
Riformato denies the charges, saying he landed due to engine problems. He is expected to appeal Monday's verdict.
Tornadoes in the South; snow in Plains and Upper Midwest
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) Tornadoes touched down in Mississippi and Alabama as thunderstorms swept through the area Tuesday, while a powerful snowstorm buried parts of Colorado and Nebraska in more than a foot of snow before crawling into the Upper Midwest.
Greg Flynn, spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said a confirmed tornado was reported just before 3:30 p.m. in eastern Newton and Lauderdale counties, largely rural areas in the eastern part of the state. Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie said the storm damaged homes, toppled trees and knocked out power.
In Alabama, the National Weather Service in Birmingham reported a "confirmed large and destructive tornado" on the ground near the city of Aliceville, about 45 miles west of Tuscaloosa. Minor injuries were reported.
Todd Thompson delivers mail in the snow Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Waterloo, Iowa. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until early Wednesday for a stretch of Iowa starting in the southwest corner, through central Iowa and into much of the northeast region of the state. (Matthew Putney/The Courier via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Later, in west Tennessee, high winds damaged several homes and school buildings in Crockett County. Public schools there were to be closed Wednesday as officials surveyed the damage. Law enforcement officials believed a tornado had passed through, but Weather Service meteorologists in Memphis said late Wednesday they couldn't confirm a touchdown, The Jackson Sun reported.
The combination of snow in one part of the country and severe thunderstorms in another isn't unusual when a powerful system moves across the country, said Greg Carbin with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
"February can feature some exciting dynamics in the atmosphere," Carbin said. "This system we've had our eye on since it was in the Pacific."
The weather system that blew in from California steadily dumped snow on the Denver area Monday and continued overnight. Heavy snowfall and powerful winds on Tuesday knocked out power, prompt schools and businesses to close, and triggered flight cancellations across a swath of states from Colorado to northern Michigan.
Parts of major interstates were closed in eastern Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado and Kansas throughout the day.
"No one is really on the road," said Dean Habhab, who manages a truck stop in Iowa, where Democrats and Republicans gathered for caucuses Monday night. Habhab said he couldn't see more than a half-mile outside his Sioux City location.
After some early cancellations at Des Moines International Airport, flights were running as scheduled by late Tuesday morning, airport officials said. All the candidates made it out, beginning the weeklong trek to the New Hampshire primary.
Delivering the mail in such bad weather stinks, said letter carrier Mark Rettele from his post office in Ralston, Nebraska, which he reached after a perilous 30-minute drive from his home seven miles away.
"There are parts of my route I won't be able to get to until tomorrow or possibly the day after," Rettele said.
In Nebraska, the brunt of the storm dropped more than a foot of snow on areas to the north and west of Omaha. The wind created drifts several feet deep, and thunderclaps could be heard amid the snowfall.
Greg Dial with the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said warm air from the Gulf of Mexico kept the snow at bay farther south and was bringing unusually high winter temperatures to many states. The temperature in Evansville, Indiana, for example, was forecast to peak at 69 degrees on Tuesday.
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Josh Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press reporters also contributing to this report were Colleen Slevin in Denver; Dirk Lammers in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; and Nelson Lampe and Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska.
A snowplow clears snow off of Interstate 80 near Earlham, Iowa, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. A winter storm that dumped heavy snow on Denver and much of Colorado has moved east into Nebraska and Iowa. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Zack Hanner, an employee of Holland's Lawn Care in Sioux City, Iowa, brushes snow off of a snowblower Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, while clearing snow at the library parking lot in downtown Sioux City, Iowa. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until early Wednesday for a stretch of Iowa starting in the southwest corner, through central Iowa and into much of the northeast region of the state. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Egyptian actress Yousra aims to raise Mideast AIDS awareness
CAIRO (AP) Egyptian film star Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing rapidly.
In an interview Monday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, where she was named a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador for the cause, she said that stigmas and taboos associated with the virus must be combated and societies taught to be more sympathetic to those infected.
"For us to defeat it we have to admit it exists," she told the Associated Press. "Because people have a right to medication so they can live with dignity, and so pregnant woman can prevent passing it on to their children. We have to break the silence and overcome the fear."
In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS Jan Beagle, left, appointments Egyptian film star Yousra as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador in Middle East and North Africa during a ceremony in Cairo. Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing at a rapid pace. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Some 240,000 people live with HIV in the Middle East and North Africa region, which is facing a worsening refugee crisis, rising inequality, humanitarian emergencies and discriminatory laws.
New cases of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, rose by 26 percent in the region between 2000 and 2014, the United Nations says, making the Middle East and North Africa one of the areas where it's growing the fastest. Europe and the United States have also seen recent setbacks in fighting new infections.
Policy in the Middle East, however, greatly contributes to the stigmatization of those infected, with many countries imposing harsh rules surrounding activities that can lead to the virus's transmission. Consensual same-sex sexual conduct, for example, is punishable by death in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, and parts of Somalia, and criminalized in most of the other states in the region. Drug use is also punishable by death in several countries.
HIV epidemics are concentrated among high-risk groups people who inject drugs, migrants, sex workers and men who have sex with men.
Yousra, whose career spans four decades and who has worked with celebrated filmmaker Yousef Chahine and actor Adel Emam, says she took up the cause after meeting people who had been abandoned by their families after being infected by the virus.
"I felt that society and human beings were crueler than even the virus itself," she said, adding that she has known people suffering from HIV and AIDS since the epidemic emerged in the 1980s. "The virus can be handled but the people affected cannot handle the harmful regard of society against them, society ejecting them."
Globally, around 36 million people are living with HIV, with some 2 million newly infected in 2014. The virus is steadily being beaten back, in part due to increasing access to antiretroviral therapy, leaving new infections nearly 40 percent lower than they were in 2001. AIDS-related deaths which stood at 1.5 million in 2013 have fallen 35 percent since peaking in 2005.
U.N. efforts to fight HIV aim to reduce the number of new infections to 500,000 by 2020 and 200,000 in 2030.
With several countries in the region lacking lessons on sexual and reproductive health in their school systems, Yousra said that this education should be bolstered in school curriculums and at home.
"All state institutions and civil society have to have the awareness to speak about the issue."
In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Egyptian film star Yousra speaks after being appointed as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador in Middle East and North Africa during a ceremony in Cairo. Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing at a rapid pace. Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS Jan Beagle stands at left. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Egyptian film star Yousra smiles at photographers after being appointed as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador in Middle East and North Africa during a ceremony in Cairo. Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing at a rapid pace. Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS Jan Beagle stands at left. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Egyptian film star Yousra speaks after being appointed as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador in Middle East and North Africa during a ceremony in Cairo. Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing at a rapid pace. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Egyptian film star Yousra smiles after being appointed as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador in Middle East and North Africa during a ceremony in Cairo. Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing at a rapid pace. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Egyptian film star Yousra speaks after being appointed as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador in Middle East and North Africa during a ceremony in Cairo. Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing at a rapid pace. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
In this Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS Jan Beagle, left, appointments Egyptian film star Yousra as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador in Middle East and North Africa during a ceremony in Cairo. Yousra has taken up a role with the United Nations to help combat HIV and AIDS in the Middle East, where prevalence is low but growing at a rapid pace. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The Latest: Trump bemoans his Iowa ground game
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) The latest on developments in the Iowa caucuses and the follow-up New Hampshire primary (all times local):
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11:20 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with members of the media during a news conference Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Milford, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Donald Trump says he didn't have much of a ground game in Iowa after months of his campaign touting its operation in the state.
Trump tells Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity that his campaign "didn't have much of a ground game because I didn't think I was going to be winning."
He says that, "in retrospect, we could have done much better with the ground game."
The comments are an apparent slight to Trump's Iowa state director Chuck Laudner.
Laudner had said in January he felt "fantastic about the ground game."
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10:10 p.m.
Donald Trump says his decision to skip the last GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses may have contributed to his second-place finish.
But the billionaire businessman says he'd do it the same if he had to do it again.
Trump finished second to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Monday evening's contest after placing first in multiple polls.
He skipped the debate because of a spat with Fox News and instead held a fundraiser for veterans that raised $6 million.
Trump says he "would never, ever give that up to go between first and second in Iowa."
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10:05 p.m.
Jeb Bush's presidential campaign is unveiling a new two-minute television ad directed at billionaire businessman Donald Trump.
The campaign says the "Turn Off Trump" ad first appeared Tuesday on Manchester, New Hampshire station WMUR-TV.
The Bush campaign says the ad draws a contrast between Trump's "liberal positions and his divisive and disparaging comments about women, war heroes, minorities and the disabled, and Jeb's proven leadership skills."
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9:40 p.m.
Republican Donald Trump is predicting he'll win over voters from Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Trump says Sanders supporters are "very much into the trade world and I'm the best on trade."
He says Sanders "mentions" the issue, "but I don't think he's going to be capable of doing anything about it."
Trump sounded as confident as ever addressing reporters in New Hampshire ahead of a Tuesday evening rally in Milford, New Hampshire.
He says he expects to do better than his second-place finish in Iowa.
He says New Hampshire "fits me better, it probably suits me better."
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8:50 p.m.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised about $3 million in the past 24 hours since his narrow loss to Hillary Clinton in Monday's leadoff Iowa caucuses.
Sanders' campaign says the total is the most money it has raised in a single day during the senator's presidential campaign.
Sanders raised $20 million in January, with most of it coming online.
He holds a solid lead against Clinton in next week's New Hampshire primary.
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8:45 p.m.
Donald Trump is blaming the press for framing his second-place finish in Iowa on Monday evening as a loss.
Trump is telling a crowd of thousands in Milford, New Hampshire, Tuesday evening that he's not disappointed he placed behind rival Ted Cruz in a state where few thought he'd do well.
He says, "I come in second, I'm not humiliated."
Trump had systematically raised expectations ahead of Monday evening's caucuses, telling audiences he expected a win.
But now he says, "The press didn't treat me right."
He says the media refuses to say he did an "unbelievable job," instead reporting: "Well, yeah, he did all right. A little disappointed. You know, third place was fantastic."
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8:10 p.m.
The Jeb Bush campaign says former first lady Barbara Bush is joining her son on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.
The campaign says Barbara Bush will be with Jeb Bush at his scheduled town hall Thursday night at a middle school in Derry.
She will also be with him Friday, according to the campaign. Jeb Bush is betting big on a win in New Hampshire following a poor showing in the Iowa caucus.
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6:45 p.m.
Donald Trump is rallying volunteers at his New Hampshire campaign headquarters in Manchester.
Trump says he's confident he'll win the next round of voting, on Feb. 9. He says "something special's happening" in New Hampshire, where he leads substantially in polls.
But there was a reminder of his loss Monday to Ted Cruz in Iowa when one volunteer called out, "We're going to fix Iowa's mistake."
Trump says he performed much better than pundits expected when he first entered the race.
He responded: "I think now we're going to go first, you're right. It's going to be great."
He was joined at the stop by former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.
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5:44 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump couldn't deliver enough evangelical votes to nip Ted Cruz in the Iowa presidential caucuses.
That's according to polls of Iowans interviewed for the Associated Press and other media as they entered caucus sites Monday.
The billionaire businessman also trailed among voters who made their choice late, and among those who said they want a candidate who shares their values.
The results suggest Trump needs to improve his turnout operation and his ability to persuade undecided voters as the GOP nominating contest moves forward into New Hampshire.
Trump did defeat Cruz by more than a 2-to-1 margin among voters who want an outsider. But Cruz and fellow senator Marco Rubio crushed Trump among voters who want someone with political experience.
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5:05 p.m.
Jeb Bush is going after the top three finishers in Monday night's Iowa caucuses in New Hampshire.
He says Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are "untested" and do not have the experience to handle the Oval Office job.
He was especially critical of Trump, saying the billionaire businessman "disparages" and "insults" people during the campaign because he's "a man with deep insecurities."
Bush made his comments at New England College in Henniker, N.H., one of four events in the state that holds the nation's first primary Feb. 9.
He was especially critical of Trump, saying the billionaire businessman is "a man with deep insecurities."
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4:40 p.m.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott says he's endorsing Marco Rubio for president because he believes the Florida senator is best positioned to handle the nation's economy and military.
Scott, told reporters in Washington Tuesday that he likes Rubio's priorities: "He's a better father and a better husband than he is a politician."
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4:21 p.m.
Chris Christie said he might have a job if his campaign for president doesn't work out.
He described for an audience at Saint Anselm College sending a recent text to rocker Jon Bon Jovi complaining about the cold weather in Iowa. Christie says the singer responded by telling him to come home to New Jersey.
Christie says Bon Jovi advised him: "The job playing tambourine in the band is still open."
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4:01 p.m.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is hailing his razor-thin finish in Iowa against Hillary Clinton, telling supporters in New Hampshire that his campaign "took on the most powerful political organization in this country."
Sanders is telling more than 1,100 supporters in Keene, New Hampshire, that his campaign came back from a 50 percent point deficit in the polls and "began the political revolution not just in Iowa, not just in New Hampshire but all over this country."
Sanders says his campaign is "not about spin, it's not about 30 second ads. It's about the American people."
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3:55 p.m.
Republican Marco Rubio says rival Chris Christie's dismissal of him as unprepared to lead the nation is a sign that the Florida senator is a threat to the New Jersey governor in the GOP nomination fight.
During an interview with CNN, Rubio says "When people attack you, usually they don't attack someone who isn't doing well."
Rubio nearly beat billionaire Donald Trump for second place in the Iowa caucuses Monday night. Christie finished near the bottom of the crowded GOP field, but has focused his campaign on a strong finish in New Hampshire.
Both landed in New Hampshire with brutal media schedules, determined to spend the week before the Feb. 9 primary wooing voters.
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3:40 p.m.
South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn says the Congressional Black Caucus political action committee will endorse a candidate in the presidential race after the New Hampshire primary Feb. 9.
Clyburn is not saying whether the caucus PAC will opt for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders in the Democratic contest, but he noted that some CBC members have campaigned on Clinton's behalf.
Clyburn says, "I don't think they are wasting their time." He's predicting that the endorsement will have an effect on the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination heading into South Carolina's Feb. 27 primary. Other contests follow in Southern states where African-Americans make up considerable portions of Democratic primary electorates.
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3:30 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says rival Ted Cruz's Iowa victory speech is like Howard Dean's infamous 2004 scream.
Trump is tweeting, "Anybody who watched all of Ted Cruz's far too long, rambling, overly flamboyant speech last night would say that was his Howard Dean moment!"
Dean finished in third place in the 2004 caucuses and delivered a shouting speech that included an awkward yelp.
The moment was played again and again on the news and late-night television.
Trump has been lashing out on Twitter over how the race is being portrayed. And he's blaming voters for not giving him enough credit for self-funding his campaign.
Trump has received millions of dollars in contributions. His latest campaign finance filing shows he is now spending more of his own money than donors'.
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2:31 p.m.
South Carolina congressman Jeff Duncan says he's endorsing Sen. Ted Cruz for president because the Texas senator has "a history of following through" on his word.
A tea party favorite like Cruz, Duncan is scheduled to appear alongside the Texas senator at a Tuesday evening rally in the state.
Duncan represents one of the most conservative districts in South Carolina. His fellow South Carolina congressman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, has lined up with Marco Rubio, who also added South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott earlier Tuesday.
Rubio, Cruz and Donald Trump are expected to continue their three-way tussle in South Carolina. Trump's most high-profile backer among South Carolina politicians is the lieutenant governor, Henry McMaster.
Gov. Nikki Haley has yet to endorse a candidate in the race.
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2:25 p.m.
Donald Trump's campaign spokeswoman confirms that former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown will endorse the billionaire developer at rally in New Hampshire Tuesday night.
Brown's backing marks Trump's first endorsements by a current or former senator and provides additional evidence that some in the Republican establishment are beginning to warm to a potential candidacy.
Trump is returning to New Hampshire Tuesday after coming in second to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Monday night's Iowa caucuses.
The news was first reported by The Washington Post.
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2:15 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is lashing out at Marco Rubio and Donald Trump on immigration while facing New Hampshire voters for the first time since his Iowa caucus victory.
Cruz charged that Rubio led the fight for "amnesty" for immigrants in the country illegally. He also said Trump didn't do anything to fight immigration reform as the debate raged on Capitol Hill in 2013.
The first-term Texas senator made the comments during a campaign appearance in Windham, N.H., hours after he scored a victory in Iowa's leadoff caucuses. Trump finished second and Rubio third.
Cruz's team aggressively attacked Rubio in television ads across Iowa in recent days as "the Republican Obama."
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1:45 p.m.
Hillary Clinton says she has "some work to do" to attract young and first-time voters to her campaign for president.
She says in an interview on CNN's "Situation Room" that she's pleased that so many young people are participating this year in the Democratic nominating contest and recognizes that rival Bernie Sanders did well among that group in Monday's razor-thin Iowa caucuses.
Clinton says that in next-up New Hampshire and beyond, she'll be emphasizing her plans to help young people start their lives, including a proposal to make college more affordable.
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1:41 p.m.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest is congratulating Hillary Clinton on her win in Iowa and predicting more tough competition in the contests ahead.
Ernest got word of Clinton's victory in the close Iowa caucuses during his daily briefing.
He noted a "spirited and close race" between President Barack Obama's former secretary of state and rival Bernie Sanders and added, "I suspect it's not the last state where we'll hear that."
He said Clinton, who lost the nomination race to Obama in 2008, knows better than anybody that the "the path to the Democratic nomination is a long one."
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1:30 p.m.
There is still one Republican delegate left to be awarded in Iowa, but it won't determine the winner. It might even go to a candidate who suspended his campaign Monday night.
Ted Cruz's victory means he'll collect eight delegates to the Republican National Convention.
Donald Trump and Marco Rubio each get seven.
Coming next is Ben Carson with three, followed by Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina and John Kasich, who won one each.
Delegates are awarded in proportion to the statewide vote.
Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie are in a tight race for the last delegate, which should be awarded when the Iowa GOP verifies the results later this week.
Huckabee suspended his campaign but he would keep his delegate under Iowa GOP rules.
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1:25 p.m.
Former President Bill Clinton says he's satisfied with his wife's narrow victory in Iowa, casting the state as difficult political terrain.
"It's hard there," he said, in an interview after an event in Nashua. "It was a jump ball and I'm glad it came down on our side of the coin."
Iowa and New Hampshire, he says, are "two of the most challenging places" for Clinton's presidential campaign. Though she won New Hampshire eight years ago, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has long represented the bordering state of Vermont, making him a familiar figure to voters.
Clinton is kicking off her final week of campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
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1:15 p.m.
Hillary Clinton's victory in the Iowa Democratic caucuses means she will collect 23 delegates and Sen. Bernie Sanders will win 21.
With her advantage in superdelegates the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice Clinton now has a total of 385 delegates. Sanders has 29.
It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.
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1:04 p.m.
Hillary Clinton has narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president.
The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday that it would not do any recount of the close results, and a spokesman for the Sanders campaign said it does not intend to challenge the results of the caucuses.
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12:36 p.m.
Hillary Clinton is declaring victory in Iowa, even though rival Democrat Bernie Sanders has not yet conceded the race.
She says she is "so proud I am coming to New Hampshire after winning Iowa" and adds, "I've won and I've lost there and it's a lot better to win."
Clinton arrived in New Hampshire early Tuesday.
Her campaign is trying to spin a neck-and-neck race into a win, hoping to gain momentum heading into the first primary contest.
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12:30 p.m.
Bernie Sanders has picked up support of a veteran black lawmaker in South Carolina as he tries to close the gap on Hillary Clinton ahead of the Feb. 27 Democratic primary.
State Rep. Joseph Neal says he "thinks a lot" of Hillary Clinton. But he says that Sanders' proposals to narrow income inequality and overhaul the criminal justice system are "head and shoulders" above Clinton's.
Clinton will counter Sanders' recent endorsement push with her own heavy hitter: Former President Bill Clinton will campaign in Columbia on Wednesday.
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12:20 p.m.
Hillary Clinton's top ranking supporter on Capitol Hill says the differences between supporters of the former secretary of state and rival Bernie Sanders can be more easily healed than those fracturing the Republican field.
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer told reporters Tuesday that, "Our party is much more united on the issues than their party."
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12:15 p.m.
Former President Bill Clinton says his wife, Hillary Clinton, is the "best change maker I have ever met."
Clinton introduced his wife in New Hampshire, the first primary state, hours after a close finish in the leadoff Iowa caucuses.
The former president said one example is his wife call during a recent debate for more resources for the region near the Flint, Michigan, water crisis.
He says, "Her opponent said what the governor did was terrible and he should resign. Her instinct was, 'What can I do right now, to make it better?'"
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11:33 a.m.
Donald Trump says he's not getting enough credit for his 2nd place win in Iowa Monday.
He tweets: "The media has not covered my long-shot great finish in Iowa fairly. Brought in record voters and got second highest vote total in history!"
It was the third tweet from Trump since an overnight silence from the usually prodigious user of Twitter in the wee hours.
A few minutes earlier, Trump tweeted: "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."
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11:16 a.m.
Ted Cruz's team is already beginning to make a play for Ben Carson's supporters.
Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler asked, "Where is Ben Carson?" as various campaigns filed into a Manchester airport shortly after 5 a.m.
Carson was among the only major candidates who isn't campaigning in one of the early voting states on Tuesday.
The Cruz campaign sees Carson's evangelical-leaning supporters as a natural fit for Cruz's camp if or when Carson leaves the race.
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11:15 a.m.
Ben Carson is taking a break from the campaign trail after his fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.
Spokesman Larry Ross says the retired neurosurgeon is at home Tuesday in Florida before heading to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. He'll stay there through the National Prayer Breakfast scheduled for Thursday, then head to New Hampshire.
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11:05 a.m.
House Speaker Paul Ryan says congressional Republicans need to channel the anger of voters into constructive action.
The Wisconsin Republican spoke to reporters the morning after the Iowa caucuses. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and billionaire Donald Trump took the first two spots. Both contenders have emphasized fury at Washington.
Ryan says all Republicans are angry over the slow-growing economy, insufficient action by the Obama administration against the Islamic State extremist group and porous U.S. borders.
Ryan says Republicans need to "harness it into action" and also deliver a positive message to voters that things can change. He says it's time for conservatives and Republicans to unify and "then go out and win an election."
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11:04 p.m.
Donald Trump is ending his Twitter silence with a tweet saying that second place is not, as he has said previously, "terrible."
He says: "My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place. Nice."
Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucuses Monday. Marco Rubio came in a close third to Trump's second-place finish.
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10:59 a.m.
Hello, South Carolina.
Even as the candidates storming through New Hampshire ahead of the Feb. 9 primary, several campaigns are juggling their priorities to include next-up South Carolina.
Republicans vote Feb. 20 in South Carolina; Democrats follow Feb. 27.
Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton on wife Hillary's behalf are scheduled to appear will appear Wednesday.
For the GOP, South Carolina is the first opportunity to compete in a large electorate that reflects the wider Republican spectrum of bubusiness-minded conservatives, tea partiers, national security hawks and retirees from across the northeast and midwest.
The Democratic vote, meanwhile, allows African-Americans their first strong say in the presidential nomination, since Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white.
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10:43 a.m.
A spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says the campaign is "still assessing" whether to ask Iowa's Democratic Party for a recount.
With just one precinct outstanding in Monday's caucuses, Clinton led Sanders by less than three-tenths of 1 percent. The Iowa Democratic Party declared the contest "the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history." Landing in the early-morning dark in New Hampshire, Sanders did not concede the race to Clinton.
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10:40 a.m.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he's "ready to roll" to a strong finish in the New Hampshire primary.
He's pitching himself Tuesday as a candidate who can deliver on his promises of bringing conservative reforms to Washington because he's done it before.
Speaking in Newbury, New Hampshire Kasich is sticking to his message of bringing fiscal discipline to Washington instead of focusing on the results of Monday's Iowa caucuses.
Kasich is betting his White House hopes on New Hampshire, insisting that running a positive campaign will vault him to the top of the pack. Polls show he's in the running for second place behind Donald Trump alongside candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, who both performed well in Iowa.
Kasich says, "I trust the people of New Hampshire to make a good decision."
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10:20 a.m.
A prominent South Carolina superdelegate says he's might look outside the Democratic party now that his candidate, Martin O'Malley, has dropped out of the presidential race.
Boyd Brown told The Associated Press Tuesday that he can't back Bernie Sanders because of his socialist-leaning views. And he says he can't support Hillary Clinton due to her lack of "core values."
He says he'll "be happy to listen to see if" former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg runs as an independent and will be interested in "who the Republican Party goes with."
Democratic superdelegates can support the candidate of their choice at the party's summer national convention, regardless of whom voters choose in the primaries and caucuses.
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10:00 a.m.
All Trump does is win, win, win? Not after the Iowa caucuses, Chris Christie is telling his New Hampshire supporters.
The New Jersey governor says at his campaign headquarters in Bedford, New Hampshire that, "we can stop with the Donald Trump inevitability, because the guy who does nothing but win lost last night."
Trump took second place in Monday's Iowa caucuses to rival Ted Cruz.
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9:02 a.m.
Chris Christie says New Hampshire voters are not going to be able to get rid of him through the next-up primary Feb. 9.
He's telling them Tuesday morning, "I'll be like gum on the bottom of your shoe."
Christie is hanging his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination on a strong showing in the Granite State. He finished toward the back of the GOP pack Monday night in the leadoff Iowa caucuses.
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8:42 a.m.
Chris Christie says he's happy he met his admittedly low-expectations in Iowa, which he declared is now in his "rear-view mirror."
The New Jersey governor is speaking at a fundraising breakfast for the Salvation Army in Nashua. The first question he got from the audience was about Monday night's caucuses in Iowa, in which GOP rivals Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio took the top prizes.
Christie declared that he's "pleased" to announce he "performed exactly as I expected in Iowa."
Christie said his 2 percent finish was pretty good considering that some of his rivals including Jeb Bush spent millions and didn't end up much better.
He says, "We spent $500,000 to get 2 percent, so who do you want managing your money?"
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8:19 a.m.
Marco Rubio's campaign says the race for the GOP nomination is a three-man contest.
The Florida senator's spokesman Alex Conant, says on Fox News Channel Tuesday that the Iowa vote shifted the contest from crowded to a fight between the candidates who placed first, second and third: Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Rubio.
Asked about other Republican rivals, including John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, Conant said none have a pathway forward to the nomination without winning the next primary in New Hampshire.
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7:59 a.m.
Ben Carson's longtime adviser Armstrong Williams says the retired neurosurgeon and political newcomer has no intention of abandoning his presidential bid after finishing fourth in Monday's Iowa caucuses.
Williams says the race is a "long haul."
He adds that dropping out of the race "is not anywhere on (Carson's) radar screen."
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7:56 a.m.
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio says Sen. Tim Scott's endorsement is going to echo through the race for the Republican nomination.
The Florida senator says in a live interview early Tuesday in New Hampshire that Scott's "impact is not just going to be in South Carolina but around the country."
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7:24 a.m.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott says Marco Rubio is the "one shot" Republicans have to win the presidency in November.
The senator says in a statement Tuesday morning that he's joining Rep. Trey Gowdy in endorsing Rubio, who finished third in the leadoff Iowa caucuses. Sen. Lindsey Graham has endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
New Hampshire votes next, followed by South Carolina.
The outstanding endorsement prize is Gov. Nikki Haley, who delivered the GOP's national response to President Barack Obama's state of the union address last month. Haley has not indicated when she might publicly take sides.
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7:23 a.m.
Sen. Ted Cruz says he won't be another victim of the Iowa conservative's curse.
Unlike past conservatives who've won Iowa contest and then fizzled, Cruz says he has the financial strength, broad appeal and grassroots support to keep up the momentum.
Cruz tells CNN: "I believe we have the national campaign and infrastructure to capitalize" on his win.
Cruz's unexpected victory is drawing comparisons to past Iowa winners former Sen. Rick Santorum and former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Both failed to secure the nomination.
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7:20 a.m.
GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio is pivoting from his strong finish in Iowa to taking aim at front runner Ted Cruz.
The Florida senator says on ABC's "Good Morning America that Cruz's career is "one of calculation."
For example, Rubio says "criticizes New York values but has raised millions of dollars from New York City."
Expect to hear more of that argument from Rubio, who came in a narrow third place to Cruz and billionaire Donald Trump in Tuesday's leadoff caucuses.
Cruz has been willing to take a bundle of money from New Yorkers. His donors include Wall Street hedge fund mogul Robert Mercer, who contributed $11 million in April to a Cruz-aligned super PAC, according to federal filings.
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6:00 a.m.
Habitual overnight tweeter Donald Trump says...nothing on Twitter as of 6 a.m. EST.
The total Twitter silence from the prolific billionaire real estate magnate comes after Trump lost the Iowa caucuses Tuesday to Sen. Ted Cruz. He also came close to losing second place to Sen. Marco Rubio.
The final tweet before Trump went uncharacteristically silent came about 11 hours earlier and says: "Time to get out & caucus!"
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5:50 a.m.
A large crowd of supporters greeted Bernie Sanders in Bow, New Hampshire, at 5 a.m. after the Democratic presidential candidate arrived from Iowa.
Sanders and Hillary Clinton are in a virtual tie in the Iowa caucuses. He tells the crowd in New Hampshire that his campaign "astounded the world" and is going to "astound the world again" in New Hampshire. The state's primary is next week.
Sanders says he can't believe that people stood outside in the cold for about two hours waiting for him to arrive. He jokes, "Something is wrong with you guys!"
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4:30 a.m.
Bernie Sanders says his razor-thin contest against Hillary Clinton in Iowa is giving his campaign a "kick-start."
The Democratic presidential candidate says it shows the American people that "this is a campaign that can win."
Sanders tells reporters traveling aboard his flight to New Hampshire early Tuesday that his message of addressing wealth inequality resonated with voters in Iowa. He predicts it will resonate in the early voting states of New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign stop at the Claremont Opera House, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Claremont, N.H. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during a campaign stop at New England College, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Henniker,NH (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a town hall campaign stop at the American Legion, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Epping, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Attendees stand in line ahead of a Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas campaign stop, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Windham, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton smiles as she arrives at a campaign event, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., poses for photos during a caucus night rally on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie meets with attendees during a campaign stop Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Hopkinton, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. Chris Christie shakes hands during a campaign stop, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Epping, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Heidi Cruz, wife of Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas adjust his shirt during a campaign stop, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Windham, N.H. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
US proposes more Pentagon funding for Europe aid, equipment
WASHINGTON (AP) The Obama administration said Tuesday it will propose quadrupling what it spends on its troops and training in Europe, as part of the U.S. military's accelerating effort to deter Russia.
President Barack Obama, in his final budget request to Congress, will ask for $3.4 billion up from $789 million for the current budget year for what the Pentagon calls its European Reassurance Initiative, which was announced in 2014 in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea and incursion into eastern Ukraine. The president was also calling for a 50 percent increase in spending on the war against the Islamic State group, to $7.5 billion.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter, giving an overview of the administration's proposed 2017 defense budget of $582.7 billion, described Russia as a growing challenge for the United States. He said the U.S. was taking a "strong and balanced approach" to deterring its former Cold War foe.
"We haven't had to worry about this for 25 years, and while I wish it were otherwise, now we do," Carter said in a speech to the Economic Club of Washington.
Obama, warning that Russia had taken an "aggressive posture" near NATO countries, called it a "challenging and important time" for the alliance, whose members in Europe are increasingly concerned about Russia's intentions after its incursions in Ukraine. He said the U.S. had taken decisive steps to bolster NATO since the start of Russia's actions in Ukraine, but that it hadn't been enough.
"It is clear that the United States and our allies must do more to advance our common defense in support of a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace," Obama said.
NATO's top civilian official, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, issued a statement applauding Carter's proposed increase in spending in Europe.
"This is a clear sign of the enduring commitment by the United States to European security," he said. "It will be a timely and significant contribution to NATO's deterrence, and collective defense."
Michal Baranowski, head of the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a think tank, said the increased spending was a positive development and would be a "key ingredient" for success at a NATO summit to be attended by allied heads of government in July in the Polish capital.
"I think it's great news for Poland, the region and NATO as a whole the extra investment will make NATO's flank safer by more effectively deterring Russia. It's also an important sign of U.S. leadership that is badly needed at NATO," Baranowski said in an interview.
Addressing the beefed-up request for funding to fight IS, Carter said U.S. warplanes have been striking the extremist group in Iraq and Syria with so many precision-guided bombs and rockets that "we're starting to run low" on some types. "So we're investing $1.8 billion in 2017 to buy over 45,000 more of them," he said.
Carter also discussed proposals to boost spending on cutting-edge technologies and efforts to modernize the force to deal with longer-term threats.
The Pentagon's proposed 2017 spending plan will be unveiled next week as part of the federal budget proposal. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
Over the past six months, during trips to Eastern Europe and in NATO meetings, Carter has pledged additional military support for the region.
The 2016 budget for military activities to reassurance allies covered the costs of sending hundreds of U.S. troops in and out of Europe for short deployments, military exercises and other training missions. Carter's proposal to quadruple that amount would allow the U.S. to send more troops to Europe for short-term deployments and also provide additional equipment and improve facilities so that more forces could be accommodated.
In Tallinn, Estonia, last June, Carter stood with defense chiefs from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and announced that the U.S. would spread 250 tanks, armored vehicles and other military equipment across six of the former Soviet bloc nations.
And he promised NATO that the U.S. would contribute weapons, aircraft and forces, including commandos, for the alliance's new rapid reaction force.
The Pentagon has already increased the pace of troop rotations in and out of Europe, providing training and other advice and assistance to the region. The increased U.S. military activity is seen as an effort to deter Russia from taking any further aggressive action against any other nations there.
Russia's aggressive military intervention in Ukraine has worried Eastern European nations, who fear they may be next. But for much of southern Europe, the bigger concern is the growing threat from the Islamic State group.
The proposed spending spike comes a year after the Defense Department unveiled sweeping plans to consolidate its forces in Europe, taking thousands of U.S. military and civilian personnel out of bases mostly in the United Kingdom and Portugal, in an effort that was expected to save about $500 million each year.
The changes involved mainly Army and Air Force personnel and facilities, and would cut the number of U.S. defense workers in the United Kingdom by about 2,000.
The cutbacks in Europe are being driven largely by overall reductions in the size of the Army and Marine Corps, as well as the Pentagon's much-discussed new emphasis on Asia.
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The Latest: Opposition has 'no optimism' for peace talks
GENEVA (AP) The latest on U.N hosted peace negotiations in Geneva aimed at ending Syria's devastating five-year conflict (all times local):
12.30pm
The chief negotiator of the High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition bloc, says he is not optimistic about the talks, because the situation has not changed on the ground.
Army of Islam official Mohammed Alloush, gets in to a car heading to a meeting with the opposition's High Negotiations Committee, in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. 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 Alloush as its chief negotiator. (AP Photo/Bassem Mroue)
Mohamed Alloush, of the Army of Islam militant group, which is part of the HNC, told reporters at a Geneva hotel Tuesday that "the situation in the ground has not changed and as long as the situation stays like that there is no optimism from our side and no good intention to reach a solution by the regime."
He told reporters that the opposition group was still discussing whether to meet with U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura in the coming days. He did not elaborate, and left reporters for a meeting with the opposition group.
Both sides of the Geneva talks have accused each other of bad faith. The opposition has said government airstrikes and sieges of rebel-held areas must stop ahead of talks.
12.15 pm
Russia's Foreign Minister says Moscow supports having all parties to Syria's conflict represented at negotiations in Geneva, even if that includes individuals from hard-line Sunni armed groups.
Sergey Lavrov says the inclusion of individuals from Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham, whose founders are linked to al-Qaida, is "realistic" given the situation on the ground in Syria, but added that their participation at the peace talks does not mean "recognition of them as legitimate partners" for peace.
Russia is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad and began an air campaign in Syria four months ago backing his troops. Moscow and Washington are also lead members of the International Syrian Support Group, which helped pave the way for the Geneva talks.
Lavrov spoke during a visit to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
11.00 am
Syria's official news agency SANA says forces loyal to the government have retaken a village north of Aleppo, opening the way to further advances around Syria's largest city.
The capture of Hardatneen early Tuesday came a day after U.N.-led Syria peace talks got off to a wobbly start in Geneva.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition group that monitors the conflict, says pro-government troops have captured three villages near Aleppo since Monday, opening access to an important supply route to the city.
The Observatory says heavy aerial bombardment, presumed to be from the Russian Air Force, supported the ground troops.
In Geneva, both sides have accused each other of bad faith. The opposition has said government airstrikes and sieges of rebel-held areas must stop ahead of talks.
On to New Hampshire after Cruz beats Trump, Democrats tight
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (AP) Republicans and Democrats scrambling for their party's 2016 nomination for president descended on the tiny New England state of New Hampshire on Tuesday, leaving behind the Iowa caucuses where Ted Cruz, a fiery, conservative Texas senator loathed by his own party's leaders, swept to victory over billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Among Democrats, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders rode a wave of voter enthusiasm to a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton, long considered her party's front-runner.
With all precincts reporting, Clinton led Sanders by less than three-tenths of 1 percent. The Iowa Democratic Party declared the contest "the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history." Sanders did not concede the race to Clinton, and his spokesman Michael Briggs said they were "still assessing" whether to ask for a recount.
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)
The outcome in the country's first nominating contest drew a line under voter dissatisfaction, especially among Republicans, with the way government in Washington operates, with anger over growing income inequality and fears of global turmoil and terrorism.
Cruz's victory in Monday's caucuses, which drew a record turnout, was a blow to Trump, the real estate mogul who has roiled the Republican field for months with controversial statements about women and minorities.
Cruz now heads to next Tuesday's first-in-the nation primary vote in New Hampshire as an undisputed favorite of the furthest right voters, including evangelical voters and others who prioritize an abrupt break with President Barack Obama's policies.
But Trump still holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire and national polls.
New Hampshire has historically favored more moderate candidates than Iowa, and more than 40 percent of the state's electorate are not registered in any political party, giving them the power to choose which parties' primary to vote in on Feb. 9.
Cruz on Tuesday suggested he was focused on New Hampshire but also on South Carolina, which votes 11 days later.
Trump came in second slightly ahead of Rubio, whose stronger-than-expected finish could help cement his status as the favorite of mainstream Republican voters who worry that Cruz and Trump are too caustic to win the November general election.
Trump sounded humble in defeat, saying he was "honored" by the support of Iowans. And he vowed to keep up his fight, telling cheering supporters that "we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up."
In the Democratic race, Iowa caucus-goers were choosing between Clinton's pledge to use her wealth of experience in government to bring about steady progress on party ideals and Sanders' call for radical change in a system rigged against ordinary Americans. Young voters overwhelmingly backed Sanders.
Clinton, the former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, was hoping to banish the possibility of dual losses in Iowa and in New Hampshire, where she trails Sanders, who is from neighboring Vermont. Two straight defeats could throw into question her ability to defeat the Republican nominee.
Clinton appeared before supporters to declare she was "breathing a big sigh of relief." She stopped short of claiming victory.
Sanders had hoped to replicate Obama's pathway to the presidency by using a victory in Iowa to catapult his passion and ideals of "democratic socialism" deep into the primaries.
Sanders still faces an uphill battle against Clinton, who has deep ties throughout the party's establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that plays a larger role in primary contests in February and March.
Iowa has long led off the state-by-state contests to choose delegates for the parties' national conventions. Historically, a victory has hardly assured the nomination, but a win or an unexpectedly strong showing can give a candidate momentum, while a poor showing can end a candidacy.
Some of the establishment Republican candidates have been focusing more on New Hampshire than Iowa, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
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, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee dropped out of the Republican race.
The state's 30 Republican delegates to the national convention are awarded proportionally based on the vote, with at least eight delegates going to Cruz, seven to Trump and six to Rubio. Even without a declared winner, The Associated Press awarded all but one of the 44 Democratic convention delegates. Clinton led Sanders 22 to 21, with the remaining delegate to be awarded to the statewide winner.
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Associated Press writers Steven R. Hurst and Julie Pace in Washington and Ken Thomas, Catherine Lucey, Lisa Lerer, Scott McFetridge and Scott Bauer in Iowa contributed to this report.
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)
Former President Bill Clinton, left, and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton acknowledge supporters during a caucus night rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump visits a caucus site, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by his wife Melania Trump as speaks during a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
French schools cite extremism as reason to lift smoking ban
PARIS (AP) French high schools say students should be allowed to smoke on school grounds so that they don't become targets for extremists when they gather for cigarette breaks on the street outside.
A leading union of school administrators first made the request five days after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead and 350 wounded. Following a refusal by the Health Ministry, the SNPDEN union last week renewed its call for a loosening of the school smoking ban as long as France remains under a state of emergency.
Around one-third of French teens between the ages of 15 and 19 smoke, according to government statistics.
In its letter dated Nov. 18, the SNPDEN union said "During each recess, in more than 2,000 schools in France, dozens of youth or even hundreds at the largest establishments form static and compact groups in a predictable way for 15 to 20 minutes."
The health ministry's rejection letter late last year included a reminder that France is currently trying to cut the number of smokers by 10 percent by 2019, and said "The state of emergency changes nothing" regarding anti-smoking laws.
Iraq awards contract for repairing major dam
BAGHDAD (AP) Iraq on Tuesday awarded an Italian company a contract to overhaul and maintain the Mosul dam in the country's north, days after a U.S. general warned of its possible collapse.
Government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told The Associated Press the Cabinet awarded the contract to Italy's Trevi group Tuesday. He had no precise figure for the contract's value. However, a Cabinet official told AP it was worth $230 million and that work on the dam would begin later this month.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
News of the contract came just days after Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the top U.S. general in Iraq, warned of dam's potential collapse, which could cause mass flooding. Built in the early 1980s, the dam is made largely of earth and situated on soft mineral foundations, which are easily dissolved by water.
A report in 2006 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers called it "the most dangerous dam in the world" because of its propensity to erode.
Since the extremist Islamic State group blitzed across much of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014, Iraqi maintenance teams have at times struggled to gain access to the dam, which is north of Mosul. IS seized the dam in July of that year, but Iraqi forces and Kurdish fighters, with coalition air support, took it back within weeks.
The Cabinet official said the Italian company has given Iraq the choice of accepting a military protection force of 450 soldiers to protect the dam while work is underway or spending $20 million for a private security team. Iraq, he said, prefers the deployment of the Italian troops, on condition they operate under Iraqi government guidelines. He did not elaborate.
He said U.S. engineers will be in charge of inspecting the work of the Italian company.
Separately, Iraqi police and hospital officials said three blasts in different parts of Baghdad killed seven people and wounded 23 on Tuesday.
They said a roadside bomb ripped through a commercial street in western Baghdad, killing four and wounding eight. In eastern Baghdad, another roadside bomb killed two people and wounded nine, and a "sticky" bomb killed one and wounded six.
Baghdad has been gripped by violence for more than a decade. Most of the violence is blamed on Sunni militants opposed to the Shiite-led government and the domination of the Shiite majority.
Dow Chemical's 4Q profit surges on sales gain, lower costs
NEW YORK (AP) Dow Chemical on Tuesday reported a surge in its fourth-quarter profit on gains from the sale of its chlorine operations and lower costs from sinking oil prices. Its shares rose more than 5 percent in afternoon trading.
The profit boost comes as the Midland, Michigan-based company moves toward closing a merger with DuPont Co. in the second half of the year that would create a giant chemical company. Both companies are working to trim down some operations as the deal faces a significant review from regulators. The combined company, DowDuPont, will eventually be separated into three independent, publicly traded companies through tax-free spin-offs.
Fourth-quarter profit for the specialty chemicals maker rose more than four-fold to $3.61 billion, or $2.94 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 93 cents per share.
The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 70 cents per share.
Revenue fell 20 percent to $11.46 billion in the period, but the results also topped Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $11.24 billion.
The revenue decline was offset by a 24 percent drop in sales costs and a 4 percent boost in volume. Meanwhile, the company recognized a gain of just over $2.23 billion from the sale of its chlorine unit to Olin Corp.
For the full year, profit more than doubled to $7.69 billion, or $6.15 per share. Revenue fell 16 percent to $48.78 billion.
Meanwhile, Dow named James R. Fitterling president and chief operating officer from his prior position of vice chairman and chief operating officer. The company said he will play a central role in helping drive the completion of the proposed DowDuPont merger.
Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris said during a conference call with analysts he will resign no later than the end of the second quarter of 2017, after helping with the closing of the merger and spinoff. Liveris has spent four decades at Dow Chemical.
Shares of Dow Chemical Co. rose $2.44, or 5.7 percent, to $45.02 in afternoon trading. Its shares are little changed from a year ago.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on DOW at http://www.zacks.com/ap/DOW
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Russia open to meeting with major oil-producing countries
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Russia says it is open to a meeting with fellow major oil-producing nations to discuss production levels amid a plunge in global oil prices.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday that Moscow is "open for other forms of cooperation, if there is general interest in holding a meeting between OPEC members and producer countries."
Russia is not a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks during a press conference with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Last month, the price of oil fell below $30 a barrel, causing the ruble to plunge to record lows.
As Europe grapples with migrant influx, benefits limited
BERLIN (AP) Germany is mulling taking away benefits from asylum-seekers if they refuse to try to learn the language and integrate; Denmark has just approved a measure to let police seize valuables from migrants to help cover their housing and food costs; and an Austrian province this week is expected to more than halve payments to many refugees.
As Europe struggles to cope with the influx of more than 1 million migrants in 2015 alone, countries are increasingly coming up with new procedures to cope with them sometimes even at the risk of clashing with national constitutions and international agreements.
Germany's high court in 2012 ruled that the benefits the country paid to asylum-seekers were far too low, and violated the constitutionally guaranteed "fundamental right to a minimum existence." That forced the government to start calculating payments along the same lines as those to Germans receiving social assistance.
Crisis: Cabins are set up inside the former airport Tempelhof to be used as a temporary emergency shelter for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Berlin, Germany
It's the comparison with what Germans receive that Labor Minister Andrea Nahles pointed to on Monday as she explained her plan to cut benefits for migrants who don't want to integrate into German society.
Just as long-term unemployed are obligated to take jobs if they're offered, asylum-seekers should be expected to take German language and integration classes, and also start working when they're able, Nahles said, while also stressing immigrants wouldn't be asked to give up their religion, views or traditions.
"Whoever needs help will get it," she said. "But you can't get support for nothing."
She now plans to propose a change to Germany's asylum law to allow the changes she wants, but whether that will be enough remains to be seen.
Germany is party to international agreements that compel nations, among other things, to provide refugees with an adequate standard of living, said Verena Haan, an Amnesty International economy and human rights expert in Germany. And according to national law, the high court has ruled "migration criteria" cannot play a role in assessing social benefits, she said.
"How much a person needs in order to live, your actual necessities, have nothing to do with whether you're 'willing to integrate,'" Haan said. "Therefore considering coupling benefits to behavior rather than to needs is problematic."
The plans for benefit curbs come amid a steady souring of the mood and tone in Europe toward the ongoing influx of migrants. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday of refugees: "We expect that, when there is peace in Syria again and IS has been beaten in Iraq, you go back home with the knowledge you gained here."
Merkel stressed last fall that there is no limit to the number of people who can be granted asylum, but she faces increasing pressure to curb the number of newcomers.
Another idea being floated at top levels in Germany is to force newcomers to live in a particular place, in order to spread out the burden evenly among communities. Opponents maintain that would violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of movement.
Germany took in the largest number of migrants in 2015 with nearly 1.1 million newcomers, but it is not the only country scrambling to deal with them.
Denmark last week passed a measure to let police seize valuables worth more than $1,500 from asylum-seekers to help cover their housing and food costs while their cases are being processed. That brought regulations in line with welfare rules for Danes, who must sell assets worth more than 10,000 kroner ($1,500) before they can receive social benefits.
Denmark received about 20,000 asylum-seekers last year, one of the highest rates per capita in the EU. It already tightened its immigration laws last year, reducing benefits for asylum-seekers, shortening temporary residence permits and stepping up efforts to deport those whose applications are rejected.
Some German states also take assets from refugees, also in line with laws regulating Germans receiving social assistance, and Switzerland requires asylum-seekers to hand over cash of more than 1,000 francs ($996) for similar reasons.
On Thursday, the provincial parliament of Upper Austria is scheduled to vote on a measure that would reduce living payments to those granted asylum after November last year to 440 euros instead of the current 914 euros. The proposed cut, which is expected to be adopted, would also be effective for those whose request for asylum is denied but who are tolerated in Austria because their homeland is deemed unsafe.
In addition, those whose asylum request was granted after November will enjoy this status only for three years, after which they would be up for review of whether their homeland is safe enough for return and other factors, including integration.
Austria took in some 90,000 migrants overall in 2015.
In the Netherlands, the government is working on a plan to scrap a rule that gives migrants who have been granted refugee status preferential treatment in waiting lists for subsidized housing. Opponents of migration in the Netherlands often complain that refugees are able to effectively jump queues for a new home while Dutch citizens sometimes have to wait years for a house or apartment.
Changes haven't entirely been focused on refugees, with countries also seeking new regulations for other migrants.
Part of Merkel's plan to deal with the influx, for example, is to accelerate sending home those people from the Balkans and other countries that are considered safe even though they may provide poor economic opportunities.
In September, the European Court of Justice ruled that European Union migrants can be denied unemployment benefits even after six months' residence in an EU country, upholding Germany's decision to cut off social assistance from a Bosnian-born Swedish mother of three.
The ruling was widely seen as a vindication of British Prime Minister David Cameron's push to persuade fellow EU members to let his government ban European migrants from claiming some state benefits and access to social housing until they have been resident for four years.
While Britain has only agreed to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees from the current flood, its Conservative government has been aggressively pushing for measures to limit welfare handed out also to EU migrants arriving in the U.K. Officials say that hundreds of thousands of migrants from poorer European countries who have flocked to Britain are straining schools and public services.
As countries, worried about a timely European solution to the refugee emergency, resort to national measures, it's even raised questions about the future of Europe's passport-free travel area known as Schengen one of the jewels of the EU crown.
"We have no more than two months to get things under control," European Council President Donald Tusk warned EU lawmakers last month.
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George Jahn in Vienna, Sylvia Hui in London, Mike Corder in Amsterdam and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this story.
Germany: Migrants get Carnival lessons ahead of party season
COLOGNE, Germany (AP) Social workers in Cologne organized special training for migrants Tuesday to prepare them for the city's traditional, and boisterous, Carnival celebrations.
The effort comes in the wake of a string of robberies and sexual assaults on New Year's Eve in the city that police say were committed largely by foreigners. German authorities are keen to avoid a repeat of those events during the five-day street party starting Thursday.
Some 150 migrants, many of them wearing costumes, took the crash course organized by Caritas, a welfare association. It included performances by a local samba band and tips on how to behave during what's known as the "fifth season," when millions across the western Rhineland region take to the streets and pubs for five days of partying.
Migrants celebrate during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Peter Schmitz, a Caritas employee who helped organize the lecture, stressed that the idea for it came before the attacks in Cologne and wasn't aimed just at refugees.
"We already held this on Nov. 11, so it actually has nothing to do with what has happened on New Year's Eve," he said. "There are also migrants who've been here for a longer time and nobody ever explained Carnival to them."
Schmitz said he hoped the events of New Year's Eve were "a unique criminal event" that wouldn't happen again. About 1,000 women have filed criminal complaints over what happened in Cologne, more than half alleging sexual assaults including three rapes.
Sharon Mbabazi, a 24-year-old originally from Uganda, said she was concerned about what had occurred in the city, but said she believes police are doing their job.
"I am not really worried," she said.
Cologne's police chief Juergen Matheis, brought in after his predecessor was sacked following criticism over the New Year's attacks, said Monday more than 2,000 officers will be on hand, twice the number last year.
The Carnival training included advice on how to enjoy Cologne hospitality without overstepping the mark.
"Especially gentlemen, if you do it right and if you do it good, charming, nice and not pushing, you might have success with women," explained one slide. "This is no guarantee. No enforceable right and no promise for a marriage."
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Frank Jordans contributed to this story from Berlin.
A young migrant claps hands in front of a clown during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A migrant wears a self made Arabic carnival hat during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A migrant yawns in his self made Arabic reveler's dress during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Masru from Tajikistan looks around in a reveller's costume during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Sharon from Uganda checks her reveler's outfit during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Migrants take pictures with their cell phones during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Masru from Tajikistan discusses with friends during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Sharon from Uganda, center, sways to music during a carnival lecture for beginners, held by Caritas with the aim to bring Cologne lifestyle and carnival basics closer to refugees in Cologne, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Ex-NYC mayoral aide's son accused of stabbing teen to death
HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) The son of a former aide to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife knew the man he is charged with fatally stabbing, according to a prosecutor who told a judge Tuesday that both men were drug dealers.
Khari Noerdlinger, 19, of Edgewater, New Jersey, was arrested at his home Monday morning on aggravated manslaughter and other charges in the death of Savion Lewallen, of Spring Valley, New York. The stabbing occurred around the corner from Noerdlinger's house when a group of five men jumped him, prosecutors said.
Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Danielle Grootenboer said the victim worked for Noerdlinger as a dealer and thought he was owed money.
This photo of Khari Noerdlinger of Edgewater, N.J. was provided by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Authorities said Noerdlinger fatally stabbed an unidentified teenager who had attempted to rob him. He was arrested on aggravated manslaughter and other charges. He is the son of Rachel Noerdlinger, a former aide to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife, Chirlane McCray. (Bergen County Prosecutors Office via AP)
Noerdlinger is being held on $500,000 bail and attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said he expects him to be released Tuesday or Wednesday.
"He was jumped. He was attacked and probably saved his own life," Lichtman said.
Noerdlinger's mother, Rachel Noerdlinger, resigned in 2014 after a string of damaging disclosures about her personal life, including Khari's arrest on misdemeanor trespassing charges. Those charges were dismissed after he completed a day of community service.
Rachel Noerdlinger was the chief of staff for first lady Chirlane McCray and had served as a spokeswoman for the Rev. Al Sharpton.
After she left her $170,000-a-year job with the city in 2014, news reports divulged that Noerdlinger's boyfriend had pleaded guilty to manslaughter 21 years earlier and mocked police as "pigs" on Facebook. A Department of Investigation probe also found that she omitted key information on her background check.
Authorities said Monday that Lewallen went to Edgewater on Sunday with four New York accomplices to commit armed robbery.
Grootenboer said Tuesday that Lewallen and Noerdlinger spoke on the phone while he was heading to New Jersey. Noerdlinger plunged his knife seven inches into Lewallen and struck his femoral artery during a fight, and his death was ruled a homicide, prosecutors said.
Lewallen had recently been released from the Rockland County jail after he was sentenced to five years of probation for holding and assaulting a 15-year-old girl for 90 minutes in the woods near the Spring Valley high school she attended, Rockland County officials said.
The four other suspects were arrested on robbery charges and were jailed on $750,000 bail.
Grootenboer said that Noerdlinger returned home after the stabbing and told someone about the incident before changing his clothes and returning to the scene with that person to take items away. Lichtman said that person was not Rachel Noerdlinger or anyone related to him.
He is also charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and hindering apprehension.
First assistant public defender Jaclyn Medina represents, from left to right, Kevensky Lubin, Richard Jean-Pierre, Calim Gaspard, and Mirleny Tremols in green jump suit, as they make their first appearance in court on robbery charges, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Hackensack, N.J. Authorities said the defendants went to Edgewater, N.J., Sunday night, Jan. 31 with the intent to commit armed robbery. (Chris Pedota/The Record of Bergen County via AP, Pool)
Khari Noerdlinger, who is charged with aggravated manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of Savion Lewallen, makes his first appearance in court, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Hackensack, N.J. Noerdlinger, the son of a former aide to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's wife, knew the man he is charged with fatally stabbing, according to a prosecutor who told a judge Tuesday that both men were drug dealers. (Chris Pedota /The Record of Bergen County via AP, Pool)
EU unveils plan to curb funding to extremists
BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union unveiled new measures to curb the financing of extremist groups Tuesday amid calls for more action following last year's attacks in Paris.
The proposals aim to track extremists as they move money or assets and limit their ability to raise funds by targeting their sources of income.
"We want to improve the oversight of the many financial means used by terrorists, from cash and cultural artefacts to virtual currencies and anonymous pre-paid cards," said European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis.
French police officers patrol outside Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. A man who tried to bring two handguns into a hotel at Disneyland Paris was detained Thursday Jan. 28 along with his female partner, authorities said, amid lingering jitters around the French capital following attacks last year. No one was hurt in the incident, and the park Europe's most-visited tourist attraction remained open after the arrests. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
The plan would oblige EU financial institutions to carry out compulsory checks on money flows from countries with doubtful records on money-laundering and extremist financing.
It would boost intelligence-sharing among EU finance experts and give them more access to bank and payment data.
Virtual money like bitcoins would come under scrutiny when exchanged for real currencies, and limits would be imposed on anonymous transactions with pre-paid cash cards.
EU agencies will also give support to countries in the Middle East and North Africa so that they can better fight the trafficking of cultural goods and artefacts which could help fund extremists.
French Finance Minister Michel Sapin welcomed the proposals. He had urged for more rapid EU action two weeks ago, more than a year after the issues were first raised.
"What I want now is that they are rapidly put into effect," he said in a statement.
The EU's executive Commission would be able to take immediate action on some measures, while others would have to be endorsed by member states. The full plan could be in force by the end of 2017.
Moldovan mayor convinces teen atop billboard to come down
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) The mayor of the Moldovan capital has convinced a teenager who climbed atop a billboard to come down.
Emergency services spokeswoman Diana Turcanu says the 17-year-old boy climbed up on the billboard, 10 meters (yards) above a busy road, Tuesday morning for unknown reasons.
Chisinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca said he decided to try to help after reading about the situation online.
Firefighters at the scene helped Chirtoaca reach the railing where the youngster was sitting and images later showed the pair climbing down together.
Chirtoaca said the lad "wanted to work, to learn, and a roof over his head."
AP EXPLAINS: Can EU chief's offers keep UK in the union?
BRUSSELS (AP) Will the EU's offer be enough to keep Britain in the European Union? That remains to be seen. The proposals contain no changes to the EU's governing treaties, but Britain does win some concessions, notably a green light to limit benefits for migrants.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and the bloc's other leaders hope to seal agreement at a summit in Brussels starting on Feb. 18. Cameron then plans to put Britain's EU membership to a national referendum, possibly as soon as June.
In typical EU fashion, any agreement is certain to contain language that will allow all sides to claim victory.
FILE - In this June 25, 2015 file photo, British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, shakes hands with European Council President Donald Tusk during a meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016 unveiled proposals that he hopes will keep Britain in the 28-nation European Union. The draft deal was made public in a letter to EU leaders. It must be endorsed by Britain's EU partners and is set to be thrashed out at a summit in Brussels on Feb. 18. (Julien Warnand/Pool Photo via AP)
Here are the main points:
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LIMITING BENEFITS FOR EU MIGRANTS
Cameron has made limiting British welfare payments to workers from other EU countries a centerpiece of his clash with the EU. The plan provides for a special "emergency brake" that Britain could use exceptionally when too many workers are coming in and the EU's executive Commission says data show they already are. That's a virtual green light for Britain to limit benefits as soon as the deal is sealed.
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GETTING POWERS BACK FROM BRUSSELS
The EU's founding treaties refer to the goal of creating "an ever closer union." The plan underlines that this does not mean extending the powers of the EU or centralizing sovereignty in Brussels. The leaders would agree that countries can integrate at their own pace, and that Britain "is not committed to further political integration." Any draft legislation that might interfere with national sovereignty could be debated and possibly revised if 55 percent of the 28 national EU parliaments oppose it.
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SORTING OUT THE ECONOMY
Britain is not part of the 19-nation bloc using the euro single currency but it's a major European financial center. Cameron has sought to ensure that the eurogroup does not act to the detriment of those outside. The plan would outlaw any discrimination against those not in the eurozone and ensure that action taken by the 19 states respects the way the full European economy works. By the same token, non-euro countries would not be allowed to interfere in the group. Countries that aren't part of the euro won't need to pay for measures needed to protect the currency.
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MAKING THE EU MORE COMPETITIVE
The EU has been on a drive to cut red tape in recent years. This plan places added emphasis on the need for the EU to compete better in the world economy and create more growth and jobs. Leaders would commit to repeal unnecessary legislation and cut costs for small and medium-sized enterprises. They would promise to monitor progress and make changes to legislation if needed.
A photograph of the draft EU reform proposals from European Council President Donald Tusk and released in Brussels on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday unveiled proposals that he hopes will keep Britain in the 28-nation European Union. The draft deal was made public in a letter to EU leaders. It must be endorsed by Britain's EU partners and is set to be thrashed out at a summit in Brussels on Feb. 18. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Rookie docs can work longer flex hours safely, study finds
CHICAGO (AP) Surgery patients fared just as well when junior doctors worked longer than mandated hours in the first major rigorous test of regulations many physicians say hurt medical education.
Nationwide limits on work hours were established more than a decade ago because of concerns that sleep-deprived medical residents were a threat to themselves and their patients. To test that, researchers randomly assigned more than 4,000 surgery residents to regulation hours or a more flexible schedule that allowed them to continue with a case after their shifts ended. That sometimes meant working for more than 28 hours at a time.
The study looked at how many patients died or had serious complications in the month after surgery and found the same low rate about 9 percent in both groups. Residents' self-rated dissatisfaction with their education and with their well-being were similarly low 11 percent and roughly 13 percent respectively in each group.
It's a landmark study, testing "a hot button, controversial issue in health care," said lead author Dr. Karl Bilimoria, director of surgical outcomes and quality improvement at Northwestern University's Feinberg medical school. Without flexibility, rookie doctors often have to end their shifts in the middle of caring for patients, handing them off to another medical resident. That can happen at critical times, disrupting the doctor-patient relationship, Bilimoria said.
"Our hope would be that the evidence would be used ... to change policies fairly soon and allow flexibility back into surgical residency," he said.
Residents' work limits were first set in 2003 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and revised in 2011. The rules include 80-hour maximum work weeks.
The group said it will consider the results as part of an ongoing review of residents' work hour standards. The council, the American College of Surgeons and the American Board of Surgery paid for the study, which was published Tuesday by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study involved almost 139,000 patients treated at 151 hospitals nationwide.
A Mayo Clinic neurosurgery resident, Dr. Maya Babu, said the study results were not at all surprising. She's head of an American College of Surgeons' residents group.
Under the limits, Babu said she has sometimes had to clock out at inopportune times, even in the middle of brain tumor operations, missing important learning opportunities.
She said if allowed flexible hours, most residents would know when to speak up and say they're too tired to continue working.
The rules affect medical school graduates involved in residency training programs in hospitals. The rules include shift limits of 16 hours for junior residents and 28 hours for senior residents; 8 to 10 hours off between shifts, but 14 hours off after a 24-hour shift.
Half the residents worked under those limits in the study. The flex-hour group could work longer hours with less time off between shifts, but both groups worked under the 80-hour-per week limit, averaged over four weeks.
Dr. John Birkmeyer, a surgeon and health outcomes policy expert at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said in a journal editorial that the study "effectively debunks concerns that patients will suffer as a result of increased handoffs and breaks in the continuity of care." But Birkmeyer opposes easing work limits and advocates medical training that doesn't "depend on overworked resident physicians."
Many would love to hear "'we can take care of this case without you. Go home, see your family, and come in fresh tomorrow,'" Birkmeyer said.
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Online:
Journal: http://www.nejm.org
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Clinton takes Iowa, beating back Sanders' strong challenge
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Hillary Clinton narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president.
The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday that it would not do any recount of the close results. Sanders spokesman Ted Devine said his campaign does not have "any plan or intention" to challenge the results, citing Sanders comments from Monday that the race appears to have ended in "a virtual tie."
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, accompanied by former President Bill Clinton and their daughter Chelsea Clinton, arrives at her caucus night rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Even a narrow victory for Clinton over an avowed socialist could complicate her quest for the nomination. But Clinton has deep ties throughout the party's establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that will play a larger role in primary contests beyond New Hampshire, where Sanders is favored.
Clinton, who entered the race as the heavily favored front-runner, was hoping to banish the possibility of dual losses in Iowa and in New Hampshire. Two straight defeats could set off alarms within the party and throw into question her ability to defeat a Republican.
Sanders, for his part, was hoping to replicate President Barack Obama's pathway to the presidency by using a victory in Iowa to catapult his passion and ideals of "democratic socialism" deep into the primaries. He raised $20 million during January and hoped to turn an Iowa win into a fundraising bonanza.
Clinton, in New Hampshire Tuesday campaigning ahead of the state's Feb. 9 primary, said she was "so proud I am coming to New Hampshire after winning Iowa" adding, "I've won and I've lost there and it's a lot better to win."
Clinton's victory in Iowa means she will collect 23 delegates and Sen. Bernie Sanders will win 21. With her advantage in superdelegates the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice Clinton now has a total of 385 delegates. Sanders has 29.
It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.
Portia Boulger, a 63-year-old who traveled to Iowa from Chillicothe, Ohio to support Sanders, declared a razor-thin outcome as good as a victory for Sanders.
"The political revolution is here and it's started in Iowa," she declared. "Win, lose or draw we have won."
Caucus-goers were choosing between Clinton's pledge to use her wealth of experience in government to bring about steady progress on democratic ideals and Sanders' call for radical change in a system rigged against ordinary Americans.
"Hillary goes out and works with what we have to work with. She works across the aisle and gets things accomplished," said 54-year-old John Grause, a precinct captain for Clinton in Nevada, Iowa.
"It's going to be Bernie. Hillary is history. He hasn't been bought," countered 55-year-old Su Podraza-Nagle, 55, who was caucusing for Sanders in the same town.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, unable to turn it into a three-way race, ended his quest for the nomination.
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Catherine Lucey, Ken Thomas and Lisa Lerer contributed to this report
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, from left, former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea acknowledge supporters during a caucus night party at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., arrives for a caucus night rally on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
An attorney for the Mongols says the Iron Order are 'living out their Sons of Anarchy dream'
They also wear 'outlaw' gang outfits - prompting fierce confrontations with their rivals, including the Hells Angels
No one from there side has been arrested following the incident,
A motorcycle club that was involved in a deadly shootout at the weekend is composed largely of serving military, police officers and prison guards who are blurring the line between their professional roles and criminal activity.
The Iron Order club, that was part of a gun fight in Denver that left a member of a rival gang dead at the weekend, claims it is law-abiding.
But experts say they are getting tangled up in biker culture and committing acts of violence against their rivals.
Once they have picked fights with their biker opponents, they then allegedly use their friends in law enforcement to avoid prosecution.
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The Iron Order club claims it is law-abiding, but experts say they are getting tangled up in biker culture and committing acts of violence against their rivals. Then they allegedly use their links to law enforcement to avoid prosecution
The latest skirmish happened Saturday, when the Iron Order and the Mongols motorcycle club clashed in a brawl that left a Mongols member dead
The latest skirmish happened Saturday, when the Iron Order and the Mongols motorcycle club clashed in a brawl that left a Mongols member dead.
The two groups blame each other for inciting the violence at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo, a gathering of biker groups from across the country.
The group has been accused of adapting the regalia and traditions of outlaw gangs, preventing furious clashes with rivals (logo pictured)
Police are not sure what set off the fight, which left seven other people shot, stabbed or beaten. More than one person fired a weapon during the melee, including a Colorado Department of Corrections officer who wore patches that clearly identified him as a member of the Iron Order.
He has been identified as Derrick Duran.
No one has been arrested, adding to the frustration of other groups that complain Iron Order members pick fights, then use their law enforcement connections to avoid prosecution.
It also embraces the regalia and traditions of outlaw biker gangs a choice that has provoked deadly clashes with other groups.
The Iron Order club insists it is a law-abiding, charitable brotherhood of family men who just like to ride.
But experts say its members are increasingly becoming entangled in violence with other biker groups, blurring the line between professionals who are sworn to uphold the law and a biker culture with a long history of criminal activity.
'It's almost like they are playing dress-up on the weekend and acting out what their perception of an outlaw gang is,' said David Devereaux, a spokesman for the National Council of Clubs, which represents hundreds of motorcycle groups.
'They create aggressive situations with other motorcycle clubs in opposition to the culture.'
It's not uncommon to for law enforcement to join motorcycle clubs. Some groups exist exclusively for police, such as the Blue Knights, which has almost 20,000 members and performs community services year-round. A source of friction is that the Iron Order consists of both law enforcement and other professions, and it adopts emblems more common to well-established gangs, according to experts.
The Iron Order says its members have lawfully defended themselves during confrontations provoked by other groups that feel threatened by the club's rapid growth and its open disregard for time-honored rules of motorcycle culture.
An Iron Order recruit fatally shot a member of the Black Pistons motorcycle club during a June 2014 fight outside a bar in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The shooter said members of the other group attacked him and broke his nose. Three people were shot in a February 2015 gunbattle with bikers affiliated with the Bandidos gang. A fourth person was hit over the head with a baton.
A few years earlier, in 2011, an Iron Order member was stabbed by another gang member in South Carolina. And a 2014 melee at a Baltimore strip club involved Iron Order members who were attacked by riders from the Iron Horsemen group who wielded flashlights, hammers, bats and knives.
This photo provided by the Colorado Department of Corrections, shows corrections officer Derrick Duran, an alleged member of the Iron Order club whom the department identified as being involved with a fatal shooting between motorcycle club members at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colorado
He is seen being led into the back of a police van at the National Western Stock Show complex on Saturday
He is seen here at the expo center in Denver holding a gun. He has not been arrested as a result of the incident but the Department of Corrections has confirmed he was involved
One of the members shows of his tattooed fingers with the name of the gang and the location
Accounts of some of those episodes were contained in a 2014 report from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives describing the involvement of the military in motorcycle gangs. The report described Iron Order as one of the nation's fastest-growing clubs that continues to expand into territories normally controlled by well-established outlaw gangs despite the violence.
The ATF says the club 'infuriated' the most notorious motorcycle gangs, such as the Hells Angels and Pagans, by wearing a three-piece patch arrangement with a crescent-shaped bottom patch bearing the name of a state. The bottom 'rocker' historically belonged to outlaw gangs, called 'one-percenters.' But Iron Order never sought their permission to use it and took colors already claimed by other clubs, said John C. Whitfield, an Iron Order attorney and a member himself.
The Iron Order group formed in 2004, seeking the mystique of outlaw gangs without the crime, he said. The founders liked the motorcycle fellowship, which reminded them of the camaraderie of a military unit or a police department.
'We wanted to kind of change the dynamics of the motorcycle world,' Whitfield said. A lot of members like the three-piece patch for its 'cool factor,' he said. 'There's a little bit of danger that kicks in, and it kind of makes these weekend warriors feel like they are a little bit dangerous. But we're not.'
There has been 'a ton of pushback' from other groups as a result, Whitfield said.
Other police clubs also wear three-piece patches but have no trouble with other groups, said Stephen Stubbs, an attorney for the Mongols.
A man wearing an Iron Order jacket is taken away in handcuffs following the deadly shootout in Denver
More members of the gang follow each other onto the bus after the skirmish that left
'It's not about the patches. It's about Iron Order living out its 'Sons of Anarchy' fantasy, starting fights and causing trouble,' Stubbs said, referring to a cable television show about an outlaw motorcycle club.
The Iron Order group usually goes out of its way to avoid crime, even requiring its members to have concealed-carry weapons permits as a way to vet for convicted felons, said Steve Cook, executive director of the Midwest Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association, which offers training for police agencies.
Iron Order members typically cooperate with law enforcement, while their outlaw counterparts swear against doing so, he said. Yet their disparate membership, which includes people from all professions, seems to invite hostility.
The Latest: Judge delays trial of man who escaped from jail
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) The Latest on three inmates who were recaptured after escaping from a California jail (all times local):
11:35 a.m.
A judge has agreed to push back the trial date of one of three violent California inmates who escaped from jail and was on the run for eight days.
Hossein Nayeri appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Bac Duong, Nayeri, and Jonathan Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert R. Fitzgerald on Tuesday moved a pre-trial hearing for 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri to next month.
Nayeri had been scheduled to go to trial on charges of torture and kidnapping on Feb. 23 but Fitzgerald canceled that date.
No new trial date has been set.
Defense attorney Salvatore Ciulla sought the delay on the grounds that the publicity surrounding Nayeri's Jan. 22 jail escape would taint a jury.
10:45 a.m.
A Marine Corps spokeswoman says one of three inmates who escaped from a California jail had been court martialed for deserting the Marines in 1999.
Spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock said Tuesday that 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri spent 47 days in the brig and received a bad conduct discharge in 2001.
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has cited his military record while calling Nayeri the probable mastermind of the Jan. 22 escape.
Nayeri and 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu were captured Saturday in San Francisco after eight days on the run. The other inmate, 43-year-old Bac Duong, surrendered Friday in Santa Ana.
Nayeri also cited his military service to a judge when he was charged in a fatal drunken driving accident in 2005. He was sentenced to less than a year in jail and probation.
Bac Duong appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Duong, Hossein Nayeri, and Jonathan Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Jonathan Tieu appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri, and Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, left, leaves the Central Men's Jail in Orange County, Calif., with attorney Rodger Carey on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. 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. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Three inmates captured are seen on a video monitor at Orange County Sheriff's news conference in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The inmates from left, Bac Duong, 43, Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20, who escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Orange County Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Hallock, right at podium, speaks about the arrest of three escaped inmates at a news conference in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The three inmates, Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County planned their escape from a California jail for at least six months then abducted a taxi driver and drove to northern California, where two of the fugitives argued about killing him, authorities said Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas speaks on the arrest of three escaped inmates at a news conference in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates, Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County planned their escape from a California jail for at least six months then abducted a taxi driver and drove to northern California, where two of the fugitives argued about killing him, authorities said Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, left, leaves the Central Men's Jail in Orange County, Calif., with attorney Rodger Carey on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. 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. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, left, leaves the Central Men's Jail in Orange County, Calif., with attorney Rodger Carey on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Inmates Bac Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. 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. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Hossein Nayeri appears on a television monitor during his video rearraignment at the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, by way of a closed circuit television feed at the jail. The inmates Bac Duong, Nayeri, and Jonathan Tieu, escaped on Jan. 22 from Central Men's Jail in Orange County. Duong turned himself in Friday and the other two were arrested in San Francisco on Saturday. (Joshua Sudock/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Arizona man arrested in Nevada for allegedly killing eagles
RENO, Nev. (AP) A 30-year-old Arizona man has been arrested in Nevada on charges accusing him of killing two federally protected golden eagles and illegally possessing more than 120 individual eagle and hawk feathers that he reportedly told authorities he kept for religious ceremonies.
Dana McIvor faces six counts of unlawful possession of raptor and raptor parts, and one count of unlawful kill of an eagle, Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Joe Doucette said Tuesday.
McIvor is a Native American who is a member of the Ojibwe tribe in Canada and listed his address as the Navajo reservation in Red Mesa, Arizona, Doucette said. He could face additional federal charges on top of the seven current state misdemeanor counts, each of which is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
"The investigation is continuing. More than likely there will be federal charges or possibly other states filing charges," Doucette told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
McIvor was arrested in Elko, Nevada, on Sunday after local authorities searched his car following reports of a reckless driver on U.S. Interstate 80.
Police and sheriff's deputies seized a .17-caliber bolt-action rifle, spent cartridges, two dead eagles, a dead hawk, two complete wings from recently killed hawks, and 124 separate eagle and hawk feathers. They said the seized raptors and their parts could be worth as much as $10,000.
"McIvor admitted to keeping the raptor parts for religious celebrations," said Quinn Hesterlee, a game warden for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
Another person was with McIvor at the time of his arrest but has not been charged, Doucette said.
Elko County Undersheriff Clair Morris told the Elko Daily Free Press that McIvor allegedly admitted to killing at least one of the birds in Nevada. He was released from the Elko County Jail on Monday after posting $5,370 bail.
McIvor could not be reached immediately for comment. There's no record of him having hired an attorney, a jail spokesman said Tuesday. His arraignment on state charges is pending.
Nevada Department of Wildlife Game Warden Quinn Hesterlee said eagle feathers often are sold and traded illegally to be used in Native American celebrations, as well as sold for profit in international markets. Individuals must obtain a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to legally possess raptors or raptor parts, he said.
The federal agency provides such feathers to tribes legally through the National Eagle Repository. Nevada is among states that annually transfer killed and euthanized raptors to the repository, Hesterlee said.
Neighbor: Slain Virginia girl talked of online 'boyfriend'
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) A 13-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom was stabbed to death by a Virginia Tech student, and another freshman already charged with hiding the body was more deeply involved, authorities said Tuesday. A neighbor said the seventh-grader told friends she would sneak out to meet her "boyfriend" David, an 18-year-old she met online through the Kik messaging app.
Nicole Madison Lovell was killed Wednesday, the same day she vanished, by David Eisenhauer, a freshman at Virginia Tech now jailed on charges of kidnapping and murder, Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt said Tuesday.
The prosecutor also announced that Eisenhauer's classmate, Natalie Keepers, will face a more serious charge of being an accessory "before the fact" to first-degree murder, in addition to helping to dispose of the body. The new charge could mean a life sentence if convicted.
Tammy Weeks holds one of her slain daughter's stuffed pandas during a news conference in Blacksburg, Va., on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Weeks says her 13-year-old daughter, Nicole Lovell, fought health problems all her life and had dreams of singing on "American Idol." (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Eisenhauer said "I believe the truth will set me free" after he was arrested on Saturday, a police document says.
Nicole's mother discovered her missing last Wednesday morning, setting off an intense hunt for the girl, who suffered from bullying at school and online over her weight and a tracheotomy scar, and needed daily medication after surviving a liver transplant, lymphoma and a drug-resistant bacterial infection as a 5-year-old.
Police quickly zeroed in on Eisenhauer, and then found Nicole's body on Saturday, hidden off a North Carolina road, two hours south of campus.
Stacy Snider, a neighbor whose 8-year-old twins played with Nicole, told The Associated Press that before she vanished, Nicole showed her girls Eisenhauer's picture along with a thread of texts they had shared and said she would be sneaking out to meet him.
"She was talking about this boyfriend she had that was 18 and went to college, and his name was David. And showed some text messages off of a Kik and pictures. And that's what the girls told the police officers when they asked."
Snider said she learned all this from her girls only after Nicole vanished. "I would have told her mother. But we didn't know nothing about it until she came up missing, unfortunately," she said.
Her fate devastated her mother, Tammy Weeks, who also spoke at Tuesday's news conference, describing the health problems her daughter battled and the joys in her short life.
"Her favorite color was blue. Nicole was a very lovable person. Nicole touched many people throughout her short life," Weeks read from a statement before her sobs became uncontrollable and she was ushered away.
Blacksburg police said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared Wednesday, but provided no more details.
"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.
Kik Interactive, based in Ontario, Canada, was "active in helping the FBI carry out their investigation," spokesman Rod McLeod said.
Also, at Kik's request, Apple stopped advertising Kik Messenger as appropriate for kids 9 and older on its iTunes store on Monday. "Yes, we did recently ask Apple to change our rating to 12+. This more closely matches the age (13) in our TOS (terms of service)," McLeod told the AP.
Kik, along with Instagram and Snapchat, are particularly popular with younger teens, and it's impossible to keep underage users from signing up. Even kids whose parents closely monitor their activity on sites such as Facebook often use smartphones with other social media where predators lurk, said Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBI in Richmond.
"Kids are crafty," Lee said. "They will have one account parents have access to, and half a dozen they shield from their parents' view."
David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, agreed that parental oversight is a good thing, but cautioned against placing too much blame on technology.
"Although there has been an increase in crimes that have some social media-related nexus to them, the overall level of crime victimization including sexual assaults and kidnapping and even peer bullying has declined," Finkelhor said. "So it's a complicated picture."
Teens who are vulnerable online would be vulnerable in other situations as well, Finkelhor added, especially those who are "socially isolated or dealing with some emotional problem, not well supervised, suffering rejection by families or peers. They are looking for support, someone who can give them affirmation."
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Associated Press writers Juliet Linderman in Maryland, and Larry O'Dell and Alanna Durkin Richer in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to show the neighbor's name is spelled Stacy, not Stacey.
Tammy Weeks cries as she speaks to reporters in Blacksburg, Va., on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Weeks says her 13-year-old daughter, Nicole Lovell, fought health problems all her life and had dreams of singing on "American Idol." (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
In this 2015 photo provided by Tammy Weeks, her daughter, Nicole Lovell, flashes a peace sign in Blacksburg, Va. The 13-year-old girl was found dead just across the state line in Surry County, N.C., and two Virginia Tech students are charged in the case. (Tammy Weeks via AP)
This undated photo provided by Tammy Weeks shows her daughter, Nicole Lovell, posing when she was 10 in Blacksburg, Va. The 13-year-old girl was found dead just across the state line in Surry County, N.C., and two Virginia Tech students are charged in the case. (Tammy Weeks via AP)
In this Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Blacksburg Lieutenant Mike Albert announces that Virginia Tech student Natalie Keepers was arrested in connection to the death of Nicole Madison Lovell, in Blacksburg, Va. Keepers faces charges of improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. (Edmee Rodriguez/The Roanoke Times via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; SALEM TIMES REGISTER OUT; FINCASTLE HERALD OUT; CHRISTIANBURG NEWS MESSENGER OUT; RADFORD NEWS JOURNAL OUT; ROANOKE STAR SENTINEL OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
Stacy Snider talks to a reporter outside her home in Blacksburg, Va., Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Snider's twin daughters say slain teen Nicole Lovell, a former neighbor, showed them a photo of an 18-year-old man named David on her phone, called him her "boyfriend."(AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Mexico remittances nearly $24.8B in 2015, topping oil income
MEXICO CITY (AP) The central bank reported Tuesday that money sent home by Mexicans overseas hit nearly $24.8 billion last year, overtaking oil revenues for the first time as a source of foreign income.
Remittances were up 4.75 percent from 2014 when they totaled $23.6 billion, the Bank of Mexico said. They had never before surpassed petroleum since the Bank of Mexico began tracking them in 1995.
Analysts pointed to slumping global prices for oil, which earned Mexico $23.4 billion in 2015, and improved economic conditions in the United States, home to more than 11 million Mexicans and the source of nearly all Mexico's remittances.
"There is an advance in the recovery of the U.S. economy that has a very high correlation to jobs available for immigrants, and that has a very important impact on the amount of money they send to Mexico," said Alfredo Coutino, Latin America director for Moody's Analytics.
Alejandro Cervantes, an economist with Grupo Financiero Banorte, said remittances' rise over oil reflects an economy that has diversified since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994.
"Before NAFTA the flow of petroleum exports represented nearly 80 percent of the total dollar income for the Mexican economy," Cervantes said, noting that today it is less than 20 percent. "The lesson is that the Mexican economy, on the whole, is no longer so dependent on oil."
Cosby ordered to attend 2nd deposition in civil suit
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) A judge on Tuesday ordered Bill Cosby to attend a second deposition and respond to questions in a lawsuit filed in California by a woman accusing the comedian of sexually abusing in the 1970s when she was underage.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Craig D. Karlan ordered Cosby to attend the half-day deposition and pay the costs of conducting the second round of sworn testimony.
Cosby must provide a valid legal objection to any questions he refuses to answer, including invoking his constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination, Karlan said.
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby, center, arrives for a court appearance Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Norristown, Pa. Cosby was arrested and charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in January 2004. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, Pool)
The ruling came as Cosby fights bicoastal legal battles. He appeared Tuesday in a Pennsylvania courtroom where his lawyers sought a dismissal of criminal charges against him. In Santa Monica, California, his lawyers argued that he shouldn't have to sit for another deposition in the civil case.
Another legal case was dropped Tuesday when model Chloe Goins stopped her federal lawsuit accusing Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. No explanation for the dismissal was given and her attorney did not return an email message seeking comment.
The upcoming deposition involves a lawsuit by Riverside County resident Judy Huth, who claims the comedian forced her to perform a sex act on him at the Playboy Mansion in the early 1970s when she was 15.
The Associated Press does not usually name people who say they are victims of sex crimes but Huth has given permission through her attorney to be publicly identified.
Cosby's lawyers have denied her accusation and accused her former attorney of attempting to extort the comedian.
It is unclear what questions Cosby refused to answer when he was deposed in October. Karlan has sealed court filings describing the October deposition and conducted part of Tuesday's hearing in chambers.
Huth's current attorney, Gloria Allred, said after the ruling that she felt vindicated in seeking more sworn testimony from Cosby, but she would not elaborate on what answers she was seeking.
Huth was recently deposed in the case, and Cosby's lawyers say they will bring a similar motion to compel more answers from her.
Karlan ordered Cosby's second deposition to occur by the end of February. His attorney, Randa Osman, said it would be a hardship for the 78-year-old to travel to Los Angeles for the session. He was previously deposed in Boston.
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Man accused of killing 3 people, leaving 4 children unharmed
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) A man strangled a woman in a bathtub and then fatally shot two people at another home the next day but didn't harm any of several children, including one found in a closet and two of his own, prosecutors said.
Jeffrey Holland began his rampage on Friday at the Newark apartment of Tiniquah Rouse, whom he had previously dated, authorities said. The 21-year-old Rouse was found dead of suspected strangulation in her bathtub, and a 5-month-old boy was found safe in a closet, they said.
The boy in the closet was unrelated to Holland, Essex County prosecutor's office spokeswoman Katherine Carter said.
This undated photo provided by the Essex County Prosecutors Office, shows Jeffrey Holland, 27, of East Orange, N.J., who prosecutors say killed three people in two incidents last week in which he left four children unharmed. Holland has been charged with three counts of murder and four counts of child endangerment. (Essex County Prosecutors Office via AP)
On Saturday, Holland shot to death another woman he previously dated and with whom he had two children, 23-year-old Ashley Jones, prosecutors said. He also killed a man with whom Jones lived, 28-year-old Jarrell Marshall, police said.
Holland and Jones had restraining orders filed against each other, Carter said.
Three young children, including two fathered by Holland, were in Jones' Newark apartment at the time of the killings but were unharmed. Holland is the biological father of a 1-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy found in the home; a 3-year-old girl found there is the daughter of Marshall and another woman.
Holland, of East Orange, was arrested on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Holland faces charges including murder, endangering the welfare of children and contempt of a restraining order, the prosecutor's office said.
He was being held at a jail in Newark in lieu of $2.5 million bail. It was unknown if he had retained an attorney. A message left at a telephone number in his name was not immediately returned.
Essex County acting prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray lamented the killings.
World Health Organisation sounds alarm over Zika link to babies' brain condition
An association between the Zika virus and a congenital brain condition found in babies born to infected mothers 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.
WHO officials have predicted that as many as four million people could be infected with the virus this year.
Three-month-old Daniel, who was born in Brazil with microcephaly which is believed to be linked to the Zika virus (AP)
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.
Zika has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil.
Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis.
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 microcephaly - a condition where the child has an underdeveloped brain - constitutes an "extraordinary event".
She 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, 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.
"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 added: "As a precautionary measure, and because of the association, a co-ordinated international response is needed to improve surveillance, the detection of infection, congenital malformations, the detection of neurological complications, to intensify the control of mosquito populations and to expedite the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines to protect people at risk - especially during pregnancy.
"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."
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.
In the UK, the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) recommends that people who are pregnant or trying to becoming pregnant should reconsider travel to affected countries.
It has advised that any patients who suffer from a severe, chronic medical condition, or have medical conditions that weaken the immune system, should seek advice from health workers before travelling.
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.
Meanwhile Public Health England (PHE) has said men in the UK should wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the 23 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.
At present, there are no vaccines, specific treatments or rapid diagnostic tests for the virus.
The US has said it has two potential candidates for a vaccine for the Zika virus. While clinical trials may be able to begin before the end of this year, there will not be a widely available vaccine for several years.
Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said: "Whilst a direct link between Zika virus infection in pregnancy and babies born with microcephaly needs to be established, the severity of the disease and the strong association with recent and ongoing Zika outbreaks is clearly sufficient cause for concern to declare an international health emergency.
"This makes sense as it will help mobilise international effort and collaboration."
Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, added: "The WHO faced heavy criticism for waiting too long to declare the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency and they should be congratulated for being far more proactive this time. Today's declaration will give the WHO the authority and resources it needs to lead the international response to Zika."
Osborne issues warning as Google tax deal challenged
George Osborne has warned against demands to shake-up the way multinational firms are taxed following the row over the 130 million deal with Google.
The Chancellor insisted strengthening the existing corporation tax system based on profits was better than moving to a levy on turnover.
Mr Osborne has come under pressure following the internet giant's agreement with HM Revenue and Customs covering 10 years of back taxes.
George Osborne has warned against a rethink of tax rules following the Google deal
The Chancellor was challenged about the Google settlement while answering questions at a FSB conference in London, where he was told that corporate giants should be made to play by the "same rules" as smaller firms.
Mr Osborne said: "There is a challenge, which is the tax laws used to tax multinational corporations were devised in the 1920s and they didn't keep pace with not just the growth of the global economy and all the trade that has happened since then, but also the growth of the internet.
"We have been trying to get international agreement to change those laws and that international agreement is coming - only last week we got 30 other countries, the rich countries of the world, to sign up to an agreement to exchange information on the tax affairs of companies, so we know what each other are up to as tax authorities and we are seeking to get a change so that they also publish that information so there is transparency."
Critics of the Google deal have claimed that the amount the firm has agreed to pay 3% tax on its profits from UK sales, but the corporation tax system is based on profits from "economic activity" rather than sales.
Mr Osborne said: "I have heard lots of proposals about getting rid of corporation tax altogether and raising a turnover tax.
"I would just enter this note of caution: that means a business that has made no money in a particular year, it maybe in a recession or a company that has lost a big order - they would be being hit with a tax bill.
"So I think before we rush to some other solution I would try and make corporation tax work, which is a tax on profits.
"And in particular - and this is where all the anger has come - make sure we are taxing the genuine economic activity that happens in this country.
"That's always a challenge, because if you make a car in Britain and sell it in another country, how much of the profit is because it was well sold in the sale room and how much of the profit is because it was built in Britain, the designers were in Britain and so on.
"This is not an easy issue to deal with but clearly the internet has made it much more challenging."
Mr Osborne said his "diverted profits tax" was designed to address the issues posed by multinational firms.
"This new rule means that if we can show real economic activity happening in this country it should be taxed in this country, rather than passed off to some other country in the world.
"In the end, for me, the real solution to the problem is this: many of the companies you are talking about and have been in the press are American companies. We need more of these British companies, we need British companies growing and succeeding on the internet."
Mr Osborne's comments came as Google owner Alphabet knocked fellow US tech giant Apple off its top spot to become the world's most valuable public company.
Alphabet posted a fourth-quarter profit of 4.9 billion US dollars (3.4 billion) on Monday, up from 4.7 billion US dollars (3.3bn) a year ago.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: "When Google is seeing its UK revenue rise to 1.9bn US dollars (1.3bn) in one quarter alone, to then pay a potential single digit tax rate just seems like a slap in the face to taxpayers, and it only seems like a lack of ambition from a Chancellor when he describes it as major victory'.
"It's time that George Osborne got a grip of this situation as it's becoming a daily occurrence that we read yet another multinational are not paying their fair share in tax meaning other taxpayers have to shoulder the burden.
Racist axe murder victim Anthony Walker's mother 'betrayed' by sentence cut call
The mother of a teenager murdered in a racially motivated axe attack has said her family feel "deeply betrayed" by a High Court judge's recommendation that the sentence of one of his killers be reduced.
The judge recommended one year off Michael Barton's 18-year tariff after hearing of his transformation from "racist thug" to a "sensible realistic young man" who had raised money for charity.
The tariff is the minimum term before Barton can be considered for release from prison. He was found guilty in November 2005 of the murder of "blameless young black man" Anthony Walker, 18, who was found with an ice axe in his head after being ambushed by Barton, then 17, and co-defendant Paul Taylor.
Anthony Walker died after an attack by Paul Taylor and Michael Barton
Condemning the outcome, Mr Walker's mother, college lecturer Gee Walker, said her family felt "deeply betrayed," and "disappointed".
She said: "We put our trust in the judges, in the law, and then they go and do this. It's just wrong. I will have to live with it, but what about the people who have not got a faith like me? Where does it leave them?
"This sends completely the wrong message to criminals. It tells them that if they pretend to be good they will win.
"I don't believe what he has done in prison is anything more than pretence. I believe he is playing a game and he sees that he is winning by doing that.
"This decision to cut his minimum sentence does not make any sense and it dishonours Anthony's memory.
"They promised me and my family that Barton would serve a minimum of 18 years. It is not fair to make a promise like that and then come back and say they have changed their mind.
"A promise is meant to be a promise and judges should not break a solemn promise that was made to us. We have to live this ordeal for the rest of lives. It is utterly wrong."
Barton, now 27, from Huyton, Merseyside, was sentenced on December 1 2005 to detention for a minimum term of 18 years. The trial judge Mr Justice Leveson said he was satisfied the crime was racially motivated.
Barton denied the killing at the time, but has since accepted his role in the offence. Taylor, then 20, who struck the fatal blow at McGoldrick Park in Huyton on July 29 2005, admitted the crime.
The trial judge described the attack as "racist thuggery of a type that is poisonous to any civilised society".
On Tuesday, Mr Justice Mitting - sitting in London - recommended Justice Secretary Michael Gove to reduce Barton's tariff by one year to 17 years, less four months spent on remand.
The judge said the progress made by Barton, whose brother is former Manchester City star Joey Barton, had been exceptional.
A blunt summary of a post sentence evaluation was that Barton, was "a racist thug". Although he denied holding racist views, the authors of a youth offending service report were rightly convinced that he held them, said the judge.
He had also fed his appetite for cannabis and other drugs by robbery, burglary and drug dealing as part of a gang - "violence was routinely deployed by him and other gang members".
But there had been a remarkable transformation of his outlook and conduct when he entered the adult prison system, and his offender supervisor Julie Hill had said she would not hesitate to urge consideration of a tariff reduction.
The judge said Barton now understood "the devastating and irreplaceable loss which he has caused his victim's family". This demonstrated the many offender courses he had undertaken had worked.
The risk of him re-offending had been reduced from high to low and he had undertaken cookery, cleaning and business development courses. He planned to set up in business in the catering industry if, and when, released.
For many years he enjoyed enhanced status in the prison system and was a trusted mentor.
Ms Hill, who took over as his offender supervisor in May 2014, had stated "she would not hesitate" to urge a consideration of a reduction in his tariff.
The judge ruled: "His transformation from a racist thug into the sensible realistic young man described by Ms Hill satisfies the high threshold for a reduction in the minimum term imposed by a sentencing judge on a young offender."
Members of the Walker family, including Anthony's sister Donna, were in court to hear the decision and fear it could pave the way for Barton to make an application for early parole.
Playboy fraudster behind bars after 10 years on the run
A playboy fraudster who spent nearly 10 years on the run is back behind bars in the UK.
Raymond Nevitt, 52, flew back to the UK this afternnoon having been extradited from South Africa almost a decade after he first disappeared after being found guilty of a multi-million pound scam.
Nevitt, who rubbed shoulders with celebrities while defrauding firms of more than 3 million, will appear at Manchester Crown Court tomorrow morning.
Fraudster Raymond Nevitt is to appear at Manchester Crown Court
He will be represented by celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, known as "Mr Loophole."
Described by one police source as "a walking fraud machine", Nevitt was arrested by police in Cape Town in May last year where he had been hiding for five years, travelling on a passport in an assumed name, first to Spain, then Thailand.
On arrest police found 28 mobile phones and a large quantity of sim cards in his possession.
A spokesman for the Serious Fraud Office tonight confirmed Nevitt was back in the UK.
Slick, brash and forceful, he was featured on TV alongside Damon Hill and Vic Reeves, taking part in the Gumball Rally, an international road-race across Europe, patronised by the rich and famous.
Dripping in gold chains and medallions, Nevitt wrote-off his white Ferrari, registration number L1000NEY - after somersaulting through the air at 150mph and landing in a field in 2000 in Latvia.
He walked away unscathed, had the car brought back to UK and threw a champagne reception for his friends with the wreck parked outside the bar.
He also indulged his other passion for fast cars, buying company cars for himself including a Ferrari and three BMWs - one with the reg number M1NGE.
Nevitt, from a wealthy Jewish family of jewellers in Manchester, set up a firm called Ravelle in 1991, which sold second hand computer parts to the PC maintenance industry.
The firm was successful at first, but began to falter, in part because he began to spend more effort enjoying a lavish lifestyle, concentrating on "wining and dining".
Nevitt "had a problem understanding what was company money and what was his money," enjoying trips to Las Vegas, Monaco, Verbier and Singapore, on the company credit cards.
Police began investigating the "Ravelle Group" of companies, in 2001.
As his firms were going under they carried on trading - and Nevitt carried on his lavish lifestyle - despite knowingly having no prospect of being able to pay suppliers.
Nevitt forged paperwork so firms would lend him money on the strength of bogus orders - known as "Fresh Air'' invoicing.
He also used a complex web of company transactions between the firms to make creditors appear each firm was good for the money.
In fact they had no money to repay the loans or to pay suppliers.
Dozens of staff lost jobs and several smaller companies went under due to the frauds.
In the final analysis, IBM Global Financing lost 1,600,000 whilst Barclays Sales Finance lost 654,857. Other creditors lost approximately 1,000,000.
He was first convicted of conspiracy to defraud in October 2006 and as he had by then absconded was further convicted in his absence following an 11 week trial in March 2008 of five counts of fraudulent trading worth 3.25 million.
Jail terms of 18 months and 45 months were passed.
But after being found guilty at his first trial Judge Martin Steiger QC was persuaded by Nevitt's lawyers to bail him before he was due to be sentenced when he subsequently vanished.
A new global oil deal could draw lessons from 1998
By Dmitry Zhdannikov
LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - After a year of secret diplomacy and hushed-up private talks around the world, OPEC's mighty Saudi Arabia and rival Venezuela were persuaded to cut a deal by non-OPEC Mexico which overcame mutual acrimony and led to a much-needed rise in oil prices.
It was 1998, trust had long broken down within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and it took outside mediation as a last resort to stop the squabbling to clinch deals at secret meetings in Riyadh, Madrid and Miami.
Now, with oil prices touching their lowest level since 2003, OPEC officials and deal brokers are looking back nearly two decades and asking whether a behind-the-scenes deal to curb oil output between OPEC and non-OPEC Russia could be struck.
Some see OPEC rifts as insurmountable and Russia as a wild card that cannot be trusted, but others say economic necessity to boost oil revenue could overcome acrimony and distrust and lead to a global deal to cut supply and mop up the glut.
There are plenty of reasons, however, to dispel optimism.
Unlike in 1998, the challenge goes beyond rebuilding bridges between just two OPEC producers.
It pitches the interests of Saudi Arabia alongside fast-rising OPEC producers Iran and Iraq as well as non-OPEC Russia, the world's largest oil nation. All four are involved in conflict in the Middle East but also desperately need money to keep their oil-dependent economies afloat and meet social costs.
"The 1997/98 deal brokered between Saudi, Venezuela and Mexico took over a year to negotiate and it was touch and go as to whether it would get done or not," said veteran OPEC-watcher Yasser Elguindi of Medley Global Advisors.
But low prices are making producers desperate. Prices sank to below $30 per barrel this year from as high as $115 a barrel just 18 months ago due to one of the worst oil gluts in history.
PERFECT STORM
This perfect storm was due to a boom in the extraction of oil from shale rock in the United States and a decision by the Saudi ruling elite to ramp up crude supply to regain market share from higher-cost producers.
Saudi Arabia has pushed its output to record highs over the past year above 10 million barrels per day, almost equal to Russia. Iraq also raised production sharply above four million bpd over the past months as foreign investment in oil fields paid dividends. Iraq expects to raise output further in 2016.
Meanwhile, Iran says the removal of European sanctions in January should allow it to claw back oil production and a deal with OPEC is unacceptable until output reaches four million bpd.
"You cannot have a deal with non-OPEC, until you achieve a credible OPEC framework which at the moment is not possible because of Iraq and Iran. Until there can be some framework between Iran, Saudi and Iraq, all this non-OPEC talk is just noise," said Elguindi.
Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, who has been in office since 1995, has said the kingdom would join cuts if key OPEC and non-OPEC players cooperated.
But insiders say, Saudi Arabia and it Gulf allies Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are all deeply sceptical that a workable consensus can be reached. "Iran and Iraq remain the main challenges inside OPEC and Russia won't agree to a cut and is not to be trusted," a senior Gulf OPEC delegate told Reuters.
CHANGE IN DYNAMIC
In the past month, however, all parties involved have sent signals suggesting the world oil dynamic may be changing.
Iran's main oil export official, Mohsen Qamsari, said in January he did not want a price war and might increase shipments gradually to avoid hurting world prices.
And Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also said his country would support an extraordinary OPEC meeting if a joint cut with non-OPEC could be agreed beforehand.
"It is useless to go to a meeting without deciding up front. We said 'yes' if others are willing to go but we have to decide before. Otherwise this will backfire on us," he said.
The statements by Iran and Iraq coincided with a change of rhetoric from Russia where the head of its pipeline monopoly and close ally of President Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Tokarev, said joint action was possible to halt slumping prices.
For years, Russian officials said oil production cuts were technically difficult after an ill-fated deal with OPEC in 2001, when Moscow agreed to cooperate but raised exports instead. It was this that created the mistrust that exists today.
But back then Putin was only at the start of his first presidential term and had little control of the oil industry, split between various oligarchs following the chaotic privatisation after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Fast forward 15 years, and the oil industry is mostly owned by the Kremlin and Putin has almost absolute power.
"You have to take this seriously now. Key will be if Russia can deliver," said OPEC watcher and founder of U.S.-based Pira Group Gary Ross, who was involved in the 2001 Russia-OPEC talks.
Putin and his ally, head of Kremlin oil major Rosneft , Igor Sechin, have yet to speak about the recent talk of a joint move with OPEC.
But Sechin in the past said he would not support cooperation by Russia, where one popular conspiracy theory maintains that the low oil prices of the 1980s were orchestrated by Saudi Arabia and the United States to undermine the Soviet Union. Sechin has also said OPEC had "lost its teeth".
A year ago, Putin said it was possible that the current price crash was orchestrated in the same way as the crash of the 1980s, which effectively led to a collapse of the Soviet Union - a huge tragedy, according to Putin.
"There is a lot of talk today about why it is happening. Maybe it is a Saudi-U.S. plot to punish Iran, or put pressure on the Russian economy or Venezuela," Putin said back then.
But with the Russian rouble sinking to a record low and a parliamentary election this year and a presidential election in 2018, pressure is rising on the Kremlin to protect state revenues and limit public discontent.
"GRAND BARGAIN"
Russia's latest rhetoric has left OPEC watchers and Kremlinologists guessing if it is just a verbal intervention to lift oil prices or whether it is part of a real deal for Putin, which may also involve a compromise with Saudi Arabia over Syria or indeed any other "Grand Bargain".
Putin has dispatched heavyweight veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to the Middle East this week. Lavrov, who has almost never spoken about oil, will travel to Oman and the UAE to discuss the oil market.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino will visit Russia, Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia this week to drum up support for a joint cut in oil production.
And just like in 1998, behind-the-scene talks are gathering pace. When Putin met the Emir of Qatar last month in Moscow, oil was on the agenda, according to a senior source in the Gulf.
And just as in 1998 and 1999, when it took two years and many secret meetings in Miami, Madrid, the Hague, Amsterdam and Riyadh to clinch two decisive supply cuts, the process in 2016 could be equally painful.
The head of Kremlin-backed Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriyev, said a deal between Russia and OPEC was possible but at the right time, "maybe within a year", when the markets rebalance and it became easier to reach agreements.
Goldman Sachs, which is bearish on oil, said it believes cooperation between OPEC and Russia would be "highly unlikely" and also self-defeating as higher prices would bring shelved output, including in the United States, back onto the market.
Poland - Factors to Watch Feb 2
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Tuesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour):
DEBT AUCTION
Poland will announce details of the debt supply for the Thursday tender at about 1400 GMT.
RETAILER TAX
The finance ministry will prepare a new version of the retailer tax within the next week, following protests of some retailers, Rzeczpospolita daily said without naming its sources.
STATE TREASURY
Poland could propose sweeping changes in the ownership structure of state-owned companies in key industries such as energy and utilities within a month, Deputy Treasury Minister Marek Zagorski told Reuters.
COAL
The Polish government transferred 380 million zlotys ($95 million) to ailing coal mines by buying their coal stocks via the state commodity reserve agency Agencja Rezerw Materialowych, Rzeczpospolita reported without naming its sources.
ECONOMIC FREEDOM INDEX
Poland has advanced in Heritage Foundation's index of economic freedom and ranked 39. globally, the highest position in the ranking Poland ever held, Rzeczpospolita said.
DIVISIONS IN SOCIETY
Polish people are equally divided in assessing whether the European Commission was right to launch a procedure to check the observance of rule of law in Poland, a poll by Rzeczpospolita daily showed.
Forty seven percent of those asked said it was a good decision, while 47 percent said the decision was bad.
PGS SOFTWARE
IT firm PGS Software plans to debut on the main market of the Warsaw stock exchange in the middle of 2016, Parkiet daily reported.
****Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.****
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Feb 2
SOFIA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
-- Education Minister Todor Tanev submitted, as expected, his resignation following frustration over proposed controversial changes to history books, the government's press office said. Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva was proposed as Tanev's successor and her nomination will be tabled for voting in parliamnent on Wednesday (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart, Monitor, Sega, Duma)
-- Bulgaria will introduce new identity cards that will contain biometric data allowing passage through electronic gates at the EU airports, Deputy Interior Minister Krasimir Tsipov said (Trud, Standart, 24 Chasa, Monitor)
-- Bulgaria should make considerable efforts to implement the recommendations on transparency of party funding and further develop legislation to fight corruption among public officials, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of the Council of Europe said
PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - Feb 2
MOSCOW, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
VEDOMOSTI
www.vedomosti.ru
- The state is considering selling its minority stakes in Russia's strategic companies to Russian investors able to pay for them with their own maoney, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
- A Murmansk-based fish farm, Russky Losos, part of the Baltiisky Bereg fishing company, had to destroy all of its cage-bred salmon because of the outburst of an infection, the daily reports, adding that closure had caused damage worth 1.9 billion roubles ($24.31 million).
- Russia's top oil producer Transneft plans to conduct polygraph checks of its personnel, the daily reports referring to the company's purchase of two devices costing almost 800.000 roubles each.
- Russian opposition leaders will meet on Tuesday for consultations on joining their forces in a bid to win seats in the country's parliament during this year's election.
KOMMERSANT
www.kommersant.ru
- The conditions of state asset sell-offs in 2016 will best suit big investors who could hardly be interested in becoming co-investors with the state, the daily says.
- Rostourism expects the government to susidise air flights to Crimea, Sochi and Siberia's Altai region this year.
- Rusal board member Maxim Sokov has acquired a 0.0011 percent stake of Norilsk Nickel. The price of the stake was 14 million roubles on the Moscow Exchange on Monday, the daily writes.
RBC
www.rbc.ru
- The Finance Ministry refuses to support most of the anti-crisis measures worked out by the Economy Ministry. The rejected 37 points, out of a total of 86 proposed, could have saved up to 210.2 billion roubles, the daily writes.
- President Vladimir Putin has authorised the cabinet to work out measures to ensure equal conditions for activity of local and foreign IT companies in Russia.
IZVESTIA
www.izvestia.ru
- The Finance Ministry has rejected the Culture Ministry's proposals asling to raise its financing.
- The Agriculture Ministry has come out against the development of nickel production in Russia's black soil region of Voronezh which accounts for 3.5 percent of the country's agricultural production.
NESAVISIMAYA GAZETA
www.ng.ru
- About 900 volunteers have expressed willingness to sign contracts with Russia's air forces after a spectacular air show held in Volgograd on Jan. 30. The military did not deny the link between the show flights of Russia's fighters with Russia's participation in the conflict in Syria, the daily says.
Haiti PM to resign so consensus government can be formed -sources
By Joseph Guyler Delva
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Haiti's prime minister is expected to resign as part of an effort to form an interim government to take over from outgoing President Michel Martelly, two senior government sources said, after a botched election and violent street protests last month.
Martelly, who heads Haiti's government, is due to leave office on Sunday but has no elected successor after a Jan. 24 run-off was cancelled and people took to the streets to protest against what the opposition said was fraud in the first round.
The opposition does not want elections organised under Martelly, or Prime Minister Evans Paul, who is considered to be part of the president's administration.
Paul wrote his resignation letter on Monday, a senior source in his office told Reuters. A second government source said Martelly was expecting the letter but had not yet received it.
Under a proposal drawn up by Martelly and leaders of parliament, Paul's replacement would be chosen by consensus and approved by parliament and the president this week, lawmaker Gary Bodeau said.
The new prime minister would rule jointly with a council of ministers after Martelly leaves office on Feb. 7, Bodeau said.
Opposition candidate Jude Celestin had refused to take part in the January vote, which he called "a farce". The impoverished Caribbean nation has been trying since the 1980s to build a stable democracy in the wake of the decades-long rule of the Duvalier family.
The United States, which spent some $33 million on the election, fears an interim government might linger for years, leaving Haiti without a democratically elected president, a situation that the country has suffered in the past.
China's nuclear envoy in North Korea amid sanctions push - KCNA
By Jack Kim
SEOUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - China's envoy for the North Korean nuclear issue arrived in the capital, Pyongyang, on Tuesday, the North's KCNA news agency reported, amid a push by the United States and South Korea for tougher sanctions on the North after its fourth nuclear test.
China's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei was expected to hold discussions with the North Koreans on the nuclear issue after his arrival there, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported from the North Korean capital.
Neither Kyodo nor KCNA gave further details.
China's foreign ministry did not have immediate comment.
North Korea is believed to be making preparations for a test launch of a long-range rocket, U.S. officials have said, after activity at its test site was observed by satellite.
North Korea has said it has a sovereign right to pursue a space programme by launching rockets. But the United Nations see that activity as a missile programme in disguise.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday that Wu met his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, last week following U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Beijing. Wu met his South Korean counterpart last month.
Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last Wednesday agreed on the need for a significant new U.N. Security Council resolution against the North, but there were few signs of progress on agreeing on the details.
Wang rejected as "groundless speculation" remarks by U.S. officials that China, using its influence as the North's main economic benefactor and political backer, could do more to press North Korea and must end "business as usual".
China disapproves of the North's nuclear programme and says it is making great efforts to achieve denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.
Pressure grew on China after the North detonated a nuclear device on Jan. 6, calling it a successful hydrogen bomb test, although the claim was met with scepticism by U.S. and South Korean officials and nuclear experts, who said the blast was too small for it to have been a full-fledged hydrogen bomb.
Jordan needs international help over refugee crisis-King Abdullah
LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah says his country needs long-term aid from the international community to cope with a huge influx of Syrian refugees, warning that unless it received support the "dam is going to burst".
In an interview with the BBC aired on Tuesday, King Abdullah said the refugee crisis was overloading Jordan's social services and threatening regional stability. Jordan has already accepted more than 600,000 U.N.-registered Syrian refugees.
"Jordanians are suffering from trying to find jobs, the pressure on infrastructure and for the government, it has hurt us when it comes to the educational system, our healthcare. Sooner or later I think the dam is going to burst," he said.
Last Thursday, officials said the European Union would promise some 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) at an international donor conference to be held in London this week to aid Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said last month he would press the EU to relax export rules for Jordan, to help spur economic growth.
"This week is going to be very important for Jordanians to see is there going to be help not only for Syrian refugees but for their own future as well," King Abdullah told the BBC.
Part of the U.S.-led coalition that is bombing Syria, Jordan has long been praised for helping refugees and been a big beneficiary of foreign aid as a result.
However, it has drawn criticism from western allies and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees over the situation near its border with Syria, where thousands of refugees are being kept far from any aid.
The situation has deteriorated since Russia started air strikes last September to support President Bashar al-Assad.
King Abdullah said if Jordan was not helped, the refugee crisis would worsen.
U.S.-led coalition aims to recapture IS 'caliphate' in Iraq, Syria
By Samia Nakhoul
BAGHDAD, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State aims this year to recapture Iraq's second city Mosul, working with Iraqi government forces, and drive the jihadis out of Raqqa, their stronghold in northeast Syria, Arab and Western officials say.
If it succeeds, the coalition will have struck a crippling blow against Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
The strategy is to regain territory at the heart of IS's cross-border state, take both its "capitals", and destroy the confidence of its fighters that it can expand as a Sunni caliphate and magnet for jihadis, according to these Arab and Western officials, few of whom were willing to speak on the record on a matter of such strategic sensitivity.
"The plan is to hit them in Raqqa in Syria and in Iraq at Mosul, to crush their capitals," said an Iraqi official with knowledge of the strategy. "I think there is some speed and urgency by the coalition, by the U.S. administration and by us to end this year with the regaining of control over all territory."
"Iraqi officials say 2016 will witness the elimination of Daesh (IS) and the Americans have the same idea - get the job finished, then they can withdraw and (President Barack) Obama will have a legacy," said a diplomat in Baghdad, emphasising the Iraqi part of the operation. "The day Mosul is liberated, Daesh will be defeated."
The war against jihadi insurgents in this turbulent region has had its twists and turns but there is a palpable sense in Baghdad that the tide has turned against IS.
TWIN-PRONGED ANTI-IS STRATEGY
In the year after the jihadis' summer 2014 surge back into Iraq from the bases they managed to build amid the chaos of Syria's civil war, IS momentum as a rapid, flexible and brutal military force seemed unstoppable.
But in the past nine months IS has lost swathes of territory and strategic towns. In Iraq it was driven out of Tikrit and Sinjar in the north, the oil refinery town of Baiji in central Iraq, and Ramadi west of Baghdad in Anbar province, the heart of insurgency after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam.
In northern Syria, U.S.-allied Kurdish militia of the People's Protection Units (YPG) have taken vital territory and border crossings below the frontier with Turkey, after breaking a long IS siege at Kobani and later taking Tel Abyad, north of Raqqa and a key supply line for the jihadi capital.
"Daesh are losing their ability to hold onto territory in Iraq and to stage the kind of complex attacks that allow them to hold the towns they seized," said a U.S. official, adding that the recapture of Mosul would start in 2016.
Lieutenant-General Sean MacFarland, Baghdad-based head of the U.S.-led coalition, emphasised to a group of reporters last month the twin-pronged approach to operations against IS in Iraq, "in conjunction with something we might have going on over in Syria about the same time (and) see if we can put pressure on the enemy in two places at once and create a dilemma."
Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi expert on IS who advises the Iraqi government on the group, points out that as a result of last year's setbacks "out of seven strategic roads between Iraq and Syria they (IS) now have one; they cannot move with ease and Turkey has tightened the noose on them."
IS is under pressure across many other fronts apart from its ability to deploy. The collapse in oil prices has dented its revenue from oil smuggled, now through a less permeable Turkish border, from captured Syrian and Iraqi fields.
COVERT OPERATIONS
Coalition air strikes recently incinerated a stockpile of cash from looting and kidnapping, taxation and extortion, forcing IS to cut wages. It is losing top cadres. More than 100 mid-level to senior leaders have been killed since May, according to coalition spokesman Colonel Steve Warren, who says that "works out to an average of one every two days".
"The place where they were holding huge cash reserves was targeted and destroyed," the diplomat told Reuters.
"Daesh will be defeated in Iraq. It is not a question of if but when," added another senior Western diplomat in Iraq.
A top Iraqi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Mosul operation would require delicate collaboration between the U.S. air force, the Iraqi army, local Sunni tribal forces, and Peshmerga fighters from the self-governing Kurdistan Regional Government east of the city.
"Most likely, coalition special forces will be embedded with the Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga will close on Mosul from the north and east."
In Syria, he said, the likely combination would involve coalition air strikes with special forces and U.S.-led covert missions operating alongside mainly Kurdish fighters of the YPG and other Syrian rebels. "They have some special forces on the ground in Syria in Hasaka, on the outskirts of Raqqa with the rebels," the Iraqi official said.
An airstrip at Hasaka is being prepared by the United States for this purpose.
The official warned, however, of the need for coordination with Russia, which brought its air force to Syria last September to shore up the Iran-backed rule of President Bashar al-Assad, and is using an airstrip in Qamishli further north, but focusing most of its fire on mainstream and other Islamist rebels rather than IS.
This "competition between the two superpowers is really very, very dangerous", he said. "There must be coordination (around) the complex operations that will take place."
LIBYA, NEW IS DESTINATION
Yet even in the unlikely event that all these plans go like clockwork, that alone would not put an end to IS.
The group, IS experts say, has become expert at defensive warfare, and is spreading its tentacles from Europe to North Africa.
Inside the recaptured city of Ramadi the Iraqi army found a warren of underground tunnels the jihadi forces used for shelter, mobility and escape. Mosul, a far bigger city with one million people and a river on one side, is heavily defended and tunnelled, with berms, trenches and hidden bombs.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS "caliph" still based near Mosul, has already begun to anticipate tactical reverses.
Arab and Western security sources say he has recently sent several hundred of his top lieutenants to Libya, to consolidate the existing IS bridgehead there amid the chaos of a splintering country, and to offset diminishing revenue in Syria and Iraq by creaming off Libyan oil resources.
Coalition dependence on Kurdish forces in both northern Syria and Iraq, and the Iraqi army's reliance on Iran-backed Shi'ite militia up until the reconquest of Ramadi by regular forces, were and are being exploited by IS as a means to rally Sunni Arab grievances.
Battlefield success will count for little, officials and diplomats say, without political reconciliation and power-sharing to heal the wounds opened in the ethno-sectarian bloodletting that followed the overthrow of Saddam's minority Sunni Arab rule in 2003.
AFTER MOSUL?
Islamic State, whose forerunner first emerged as a Sunni reaction to the U.S. installation of Shi'ite majority rule in Iraq, twisted the sectarian knife in the country.
But after the fall of Mosul, then prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the Shi'ite Islamist Dawa party, who had alienated the Sunnis by tearing up a power-sharing pact with them and the Kurds, was pushed aside. He was replaced by a more conciliatory Dawa leader, Haider al-Abadi.
Most observers give Abadi credit for trying to be more inclusive by negotiating oil revenue sharing with the Kurdistan Regional Government, proposing a National Guard, under which the different sects and ethnic groups would police their areas, and setting out a vision of a decentralised, federal Iraq.
Yet distrust of the Dawa is now so engrained it extends to Abadi. "The problem among the Shi'ites, especially in Dawa, is that there is a deep anti-Sunni feeling," said one Iraqi leader.
But fear of a return to the Sunni domination of the Saddam era is widespread too, and fanned by IS.
"The National Guard law is rejected by the Shi'ites because the Sunnis will then have their own army and this will threaten the Shi'ite population even if they are dominant now," said the Baghdad-based diplomat. "The Shi'ites fear the return of Sunni power."
Yet Abadi has shown signs of independence, from his party and its Iranian patrons.
Baghdad is abuzz with the story of how the prime minister recently ejected Major General Qassem Soleimani from a national security council meeting. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander had until recently been photographed often on the frontlines in Iraq and Syria.
The critical question, however, is whether Abadi can build up the army and regular security forces enough to establish control over Shi'ite militias under the sway of Tehran, accused by Sunnis of human rights abuses when they spearheaded the attacks on Baiji, Tikrit and Diyala last year.
Search underway for Italian student missing in Cairo
By Lin Noueihed
CAIRO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Italy is working with the Egyptian government to find an Italian student from Britain's Cambridge University who went missing last week in Cairo, where he was carrying out doctoral research, an Italian diplomat and friends of the student said Tuesday.
Giulio Regeni, 28, disappeared on Jan. 25, the five-year anniversary of the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, his friends and the Italian foreign ministry says.
Tensions were high in Egypt in the run-up to the anniversary, with police detaining activists and warning against protests. No significant protests took place.
Amr Assad, a friend of Regeni, said he disappeared after leaving his home in an upper middle class area to meet a friend downtown.
"That particular day he wanted to visit for a friend's birthday. He sent me a text message about that. When I called him back his phone was off. The next day... I knew from another friend who was waiting for him in the street that he never arrived," he said. "His phone was off since..."
Assad, who was questioned by police trying to find out what had happened to the Italian, said authorities appeared not to know what had happened to him.
Security sources said they were searching for the Italian. There was no official comment from the Egyptian government.
The Italian embassy said it had been working closely with Egyptian authorities to locate Regeni. The Italian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday highlighting its concern.
A copy of Regeni's CV, provided by another friend, indicated he spoke four languages and had won several scholarships. His research focused on trade unions in Egypt after the uprising.
Activists have faced growing pressure since mid-2013, when the army overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood. A tough crackdown on dissent followed.
Human rights groups say Egyptians are often detained by police on little evidence and beaten or coerced, while scores have disappeared since 2013.
Egypt denies allegations of police brutality.
Malek Adly, a lawyer following Regeni's case, said it was unclear if there was a political motive for his disappearance.
"We have a precedent. There was a Croatian citizen who was kidnapped and slaughtered... We also have precedents where Egyptian security captures people and they disappear," he said.
IS pushed back in Iraq, Syria, but a threat in Libya -Kerry
By Arshad Mohammed and Crispian Balmer
ROME, Feb 2 (Reuters) - An international coalition is pushing back Islamic State militants in their Syrian and Iraqi strongholds, but the group is threatening Libya and could seize the nation's oil wealth, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday.
Officials from 23 countries met in Rome to review the fight against Islamic State militants, who have created a self-proclaimed Caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq, and are spreading into other countries, notably Libya.
While Western officials worry about the growing threat posed by Islamic State in the former Italian colony, there was no suggestion that foreign powers were preparing to launch a major military offensive against them there for now.
Islamic State forces have attacked Libya's oil infrastructure and established a foothold in the city of Sirte, exploiting a power vacuum in the North African country where two rival governments have been battling for supremacy.
"That country has resources. The last thing in the world you want is a false caliphate with access to billions of dollars of oil revenue," Kerry said.
Under a U.N.-backed plan for a political transition, Libya's two warring administrations are expected to form a unity government, but a month after the deal was agreed in Morocco, its implementation has been dogged by in-fighting.
Kerry said the two sides were "on the brink of getting a government of national unity". Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said once it was in place, many countries would be prepared to respond to any request for help with security.
However, Kerry said the United States was opposed to deploying any of its ground forces into Libya and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius dismissed media speculation that Paris was poised to intervene in the oil-rich country.
"That is totally inexact," he told reporters in Rome.
The United States is leading two different coalitions carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria that have targeted Islamic State, but the jihadist group has been left largely left untouched in Libya.
"We are still not at the victory that we want to achieve, and will achieve, in either Syria or Iraq and we have seen Daesh playing a game of metastasizing out to other countries, particularly Libya," Kerry said, using a pejorative Arabic term for Islamic State.
INTERRUPTING ISLAMIC STATE
Defence ministers from the anti-IS group are due to meet in Brussels next week to discuss further options, while Kerry said he expected further consultations with allies at a security conference in Munich, Germany later this month.
While the Islamic State remained undefeated, it had suffered many setbacks, Kerry said, losing 40 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and 20 percent of its lands in Iraq.
"Our advances .. are undeniable. We have launched nearly 10,000 air strikes, we have interrupted their finance mechanisms, they have had to cut the salaries of their fighters, we have interrupted their capacity to get revenues," Kerry said.
The one-day Rome meeting took place as talks have begun in Geneva to try to end the five-year-old Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in the United States and Russia on opposite sides.
While Washington has long said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead, it has made clear that its first priority is to try to rein in Islamic State group.
"If you want to beat Daesh quickly, then get a negotiated deal to end the Syria war," Kerry said.
Tuesday's meeting also covered stabilizing areas such as the Iraqi city of Tikrit, which has been wrested from the group, as well as broader efforts to undercut its finances, stem the flow of foreign fighters and counter its messaging, officials said.
Italy busts fake champagne makers with thousands of "Moet" bottles
ROME, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Police have seized hundreds of thousands of euros worth of fake champagne in a workshop near Padua, northern Italy, with counterfeiters looking to pass off sparkling wine as Moet & Chandon.
Eight people face charges but no one has been taken into custody, police said, after they found 9,200 bottles of prosecco and a machine used to make the metallic wrappers that cover the top of the bottles.
As well as the already-labelled bottles, which would have fetched about 350,000 euros ($380,000), police said in a statement they found a further 40,000 labels which, if used, could have taken the illicit earnings to more than 1.8 million.
"The system was very detailed and specialised," said Lieutenant Colonel Luca Lettere, noting that police were investigating whether the people involved had counterfeited other luxury goods.
In Cuba, racial inequality deepens with tourism boom
By Chris Arsenault
HAVANA, Feb 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As warming relations with the United States bring new money and tourists to Havana, some black Cubans like Miguel Campuzano Perez say racial inequalities are widening and they are being left out of a potential capitalist boom.
Cuba's economy grew by 4 percent in 2015 and more than 3.5 million tourists visited the island in the year Washington and Havana restored diplomatic ties, ending more than five decades of Cold War animosity.
New hotels and restaurants are opening around the capital famous for its colonial architecture and 1950s American cars, and Cubans with money to invest in businesses have seen living standards improve.
But with no access to capital, and no family living abroad to send back money, 54-year-old Perez said he and other black Cubans are being excluded from the benefits of economic liberalization.
"The black people don't have powerful families, and that continues generation to generation," Perez, a musician and former soldier, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"The people benefiting from remittances are white; the landlords are white."
As capitalism creeps into Cuba more than 60 years after a revolution that promised social equality, local residents and analysts are concerned about the gap between the haves and have nots and the ethnic undertones of growing inequality on the island.
'WHITE FLIGHT - TO MIAMI'
Just under 10 percent of Cubans identified themselves as black in the country's 2012 census. But statistics on Cuba's racial makeup are imprecise as more than a quarter of the population is a mix between various ethnic groups.
Following Cuba's 1959 revolution, the government of Fidel Castro, brother of current president Raul, introduced laws on racial inclusion, launched a literacy campaign, and universal public services in an attempt to tackle entrenched inequality.
African slaves, primarily from West Africa, were brought to Cuba by Spanish colonizers from the 1500s to work on the sugar plantations.
Slavery was formally abolished on the island in 1886 but blacks were still banned from some high-end establishments and excluded from well-paid, and most Afro-Cubans worked on plantations or as manual labourers.
Free education and healthcare programs from the communist government helped made it possible for previously disadvantaged groups to get jobs as teachers, doctors or government workers in the 1960s, residents said.
"Afro-Cubans have been the biggest reservoir of support for the revolution and are those most affected by worsening inequality," Paolo Spadoni, a political scientist at Augusta University in the United States told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Today, outright discrimination isn't the main cause of the growing wealth gap between blacks and whites, Havana residents said. Rather, migration networks, remittances and broader economic changes are the driving factors.
Much of the island's predominately white business elite left following the revolution with many settling in Miami, Florida, just 90 miles (150 km) from the Cuban coast.
"The vast majority who left to live abroad happened to be white Cubans," said Isaac Saney, a Canadian university professor who researchers ethnic issues in Cuba.
"They are sending remittances home and their relatives can invest in small businesses. This has led to an increase in racial inequality," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
TWO ECONOMIES
In 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's main trading partner, ravaged the island's economy, making life particularly difficult for residents who didn't have family members abroad.
The average salary for a government worker, about $25 per month, has lost three quarters of its purchasing power since 1989, Spadoni said. While poorly paid, many state workers continue to receive other perks like subsidized food, and accommodation.
Cuba has two currencies - the Cuban peso which is paid to state employees and is worth about $0.04 and the Convertible Peso, which is worth one US dollar.
In the pursuit of foreign currency, professors left university jobs to work as hotel waiters and doctors took to driving taxis.
Some black Cubans say they have trouble getting comparatively lucrative jobs in hotels, because of discrimination.
"You need to be white to get good work," said Daniel Alberto Suarez, 42, an informal tour-guide, while drinking rum with two female European clients.
"Hotel and bar owners are making good money, but for regular people life is hard. I have no family abroad to send me money."
A raft of economic reforms beginning in 2008 made it easier for Cubans to open private businesses, intensifying the importance of remittances as start-up capital.
Miguel Hernandez, who has light skin, manages a restaurant popular with foreigners in old Havana earning $100 per day, a large salary by local standards.
"There is a lot of inequality between my friends who work for the state, and me who works in tourism," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "People will study to be a doctor, hang the title on the wall, then go work in a restaurant."
'PRESERVING THE REVOLUTION'
While many young people, black and white, said they're positive about Cuba's new direction, some older Cubans are concerned about what they could lose and what it could mean for the island's society.
"We need keep the ideas of the revolution: free education, healthcare, taking care of the elderly and racial equality," Maria Luz Fernandez, 52, a primary school administrator, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Earning $40 per month, Fernandez, who is of mixed race ancestry, is well aware she earns less than young waiters from her neighbourhood who walk by the school wearing flashy cloths and knock-off designer watches.
Young people want big houses and cars, but "the revolution can't afford to provide that for everyone," she said, her long, gold fingernail extensions tapping the table.
With more foreign money coming into the economy, she hopes the benefits will trickle down, and teachers and other state employees will eventually see higher salaries.
"When the Americans come, (there will be less) equality," she said, as children wearing school uniforms and carrying pink Barbie backpacks wait for their parents.
Ferguson, Mo., to hear from public on proposed justice reforms
By Sue Britt
FERGUSON, Mo., Feb 2 (Reuters) - Residents of Ferguson, Missouri, which has a proposed agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to reform its police department after the 2014 shooting by a white officer of a black teenager, will voice their opinions on the deal at a meeting on Tuesday night.
The fatal shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, 18, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson exposed tension between the city government and the largely black community outside St. Louis that erupted into violent protests in 2014 after a grand jury chose not to indict the officer.
It was one of a series of highly publicized killings of black men, mostly by white police officers, that set off a nationwide debate about the use of police force, especially against minorities.
The Justice Department issued a sharply critical report last year that documented discriminatory actions by Ferguson police and the municipal court system, especially against blacks.
Under the terms of the proposed agreement, which were posted on the city's website, the Ferguson police department would be required to give its officers bias-awareness training, implement a strong accountability system and ensure that police stop, search and arrest practices do not discriminate on the basis of race or other protected characteristics.
The settlement also would require the city to change its municipal code, including sections that impose prison time for failure to pay certain fines and an ordinance used against individuals who do not comply with police orders.
Migrants set out on foot along Greek highway to Macedonia
By Fedja Grulovic
POLIKASTRO, Greece, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants set out on foot along a major north-south highway in Greece on Tuesday, heading north for Macedonia after being stranded for days by farmer and taxi driver protests on either side of the frontier.
At least 80 buses packed with migrants, many of them women and children fleeing the war in Syria, were backed up 10 km (6.2 miles) short of Greece's border with Macedonia, halted by police.
Taxi drivers on the Macedonian side have blocked the railway line between the two countries, protesting over the fact that police give priority first to trains and buses to take the migrants north to Serbia en route to western Europe.
On the Greek side, farmers intermittently blocked the border crossing with tractors, part of a protest over a planned pension reform by the Greek government to satisfy international creditors.
The border was effectively closed for migrants but regular car traffic had been flowing with minor disruption. Then, with patience running out, hundreds of migrants disembarked from their stationary buses and blocked the road, sitting on the tarmac and chanting "Macedonia, Macedonia!"
One group set out on foot, according to a Reuters cameraman at the scene.
Aid agencies and authorities had erected tents along the route to the border, but many male migrants slept outside on the ground, lighting camp fires against the winter morning chill.
MANY WOMEN AND CHILDREN
"It's not possible to get all these people into tents," said a refugee who gave his name as Sardar and said he was from Iraq. "There aren't enough facilities, so we spent the night on the ground."
More than 62,000 migrants, many of them refugees from the Syrian war, arrived in Greece last month by boat and dinghy from Turkey braving winter weather and rough seas, according to the the International Organisation for Migration.
"(It) is many, many times what we saw a year ago in the previous January," IOM spokesman Joel Millman said in Geneva.
He added that there were more than 360 deaths among migrants in the waters off Greece, Turkey and Italy during the month.
More than 360 migrants died in seas off Greece, Turkey and Italy during the month. In the latest fatal crossing, nine people, including two babies, were found drowned off the coast of western Turkey on Tuesday.
More than 1 million people fleeing poverty, war and repression in the Middle East, Asia and Africa reached Europe's shores last year, most heading for Germany.
Temperatures in the Balkans, having dropped below freezing in January, were back up into the teens this week, easing the journey for a growing proportion of women and children.
"From one in 10 who were children, now we are looking at a significant proportion of women and children, up to 60 percent," Sarah Crowe, a spokeswoman for the U.N. children's fund UNICEF, told a news briefing in Geneva.
Grenade attack kills one as Burundi violence continues
NAIROBI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - At least one person was killed in a grenade attack on a bar in Burundi on Monday night, witnesses said, in more violence since the African Union backed away from sending in peacekeepers without the government's consent.
The grenades went off in the Butere neighbourhood of the capital Bujumbura on Monday night.
"One (person) was killed instantly," said Jean de Dieu, who was near the scene of attack.
Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye confirmed two grenades were detonated and eight people were wounded.
Burundi sank into a crisis last year after President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term of office, which he secured in a disputed vote.
African leaders, who met in Addis Ababa at the weekend, agreed to send a team to try to persuade Nkurunziza to accept a 5,000-strong force after he rejected the plan and said any such force would be treated as an invasion.
The Butere neighbourhood was one of the flashpoints during the height of the violent protest against Nkurunziza's decision, along with the neighbouring Mutakura and Cibitoke areas.
When the peacekeeping plan was announced in December by the African Union's peace and security council, officials had said they could invoke an article of the AU's charter that allows it to act even without a government's agreement.
But African leaders showed wariness of such a move at the summit and instead decided to seek approval first.
Following a visit by the U.N. Security Council to Burundi late last month, Nkrunziza wrote to the 15-member body to say he took note of their concerns.
"We have decided - and issued instructions accordingly to the officials of the services concerned - to make ourselves available to the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General," Nkurunziza wrote in a Jan. 25 letter, made public on Tuesday.
Italy's Trevi to sign Mosul dam contract in coming days -minister
ROME, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Italy's Trevi Group has won a contract to carry out repairs on the Mosul hydro-electric dam in Iraq and is expected to sign a contract in coming days, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Tuesday.
"Trevi has won the bid" for the work on the dam, Gentiloni told reporters at a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome. "I believe the contract will be signed in coming days."
Egypt edges toward wheat supply crisis as traders boycott tender
By Maha El Dahan and Eric Knecht
ABU DHABI/CAIRO Feb 2 (Reuters) - Rattled by stringent new import rules, Egypt's wheat suppliers boycotted en masse a state tender on Tuesday, pushing the world's biggest purchaser of the commodity towards a crisis that could threaten its strategic grain reserves.
Wheat supplies, critical to a bread subsidy programme that feeds tens of millions, are a red line in Egypt, the most populous Arab country. When Egyptians rose up against autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011, a signature chant was "Bread, freedom and social justice".
Egypt's state grain buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), confirmed it received no offers in its tender, and said it was now looking for a direct contract for 3 million tonnes of wheat, something traders said was unrealistic.
"Negotiations are ongoing now for the import of 3 million tonnes outside of the tender process," Mamdouh Abdel Fattah, Vice Chairman of GASC, told Reuters, without elaborating.
The move by traders to shun Tuesday's tender was prompted by mounting concerns that their shipments would be rejected at the country's ports because of tough new import standards.
"I cannot remember a GASC tender ever being cancelled for lack of offers, certainly not in recent years," one Europe-based trader said.
The shelved tender comes after a 63,000 tonne wheat shipment was rejected by GASC this week for containing traces of ergot, a common grains fungus, despite it meeting the 0.05 percent threshold allowed by the authority's specifications.
Traders viewed the shipment, supplied by Bunge, as a crucial test for whether Egypt would stick to a stringent new zero-ergot standard they say makes doing business here prohibitively expensive.
"People had expected the Bunge ship to be accepted and there was great concern when it was rejected," the same European-based trader said.
Mixed signals among authorities have deepened concerns.
The supply ministry, which includes GASC, has baffled traders in recent weeks by assuring them their shipments would be permitted with ergot levels up to 0.05 percent -- a common international standard -- even as agricultural authorities have rejected all shipments above zero.
Traders say it is impossible to guarantee the complete absence of ergot.
"The risk of bidding in GASC tenders is now too high. It is not possible to guarantee zero ergot content from any origin and the likelihood that cargoes will be rejected is so high that it is not possible to add a risk premium," another trader said.
So far, Egypt has rejected three wheat import shipments due to the presence of ergot, a ministry of agriculture spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday.
Uncertainty over Egypt's reliability as a customer has hit markets at a time of global oversupply, helping push European wheat prices this week to new contract lows.
Suppliers -- many of whom have continued to supply Egypt despite payment delays caused by the country's ongoing foreign currency shortage -- decided on Tuesday that the added layer of risk brought about by the ergot saga was simply too much.
"Unless Egypt changes its rules it could face trouble importing," said the first European trader.
CRITICAL RESERVES
Egypt imports around 10 million tonnes of wheat each year, most of which goes to providing cheap, subsidised bread to feed its exploding population of 90 million.
Egypt has said it has enough strategic wheat supplies to last until May 11, but this number includes shipments that had not yet arrived, including the recently rejected 63,000 tonnes.
Much of the country's calculated reserves sit outside Egypt in shipments that still may be rejected, traders said, raising the possibility that reserves could hit critical levels sooner than anticipated.
"This shows how an argument between the two ministries is risking the supply of a strategic commodity like wheat," a Cairo-based trader said.
"They have to think of their reserves, if they are counting in the problematic shipments in them the figure is misleading," he added.
Another Cairo-based trader issued a more dire warning.
Turkish businesses see opportunity, and competition, as Iran opens up
By Can Sezer and Ceyda Caglayan
ISTANBUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The lifting of sanctions against Iran may be a mixed blessing for Turkey, opening up access to a fast-growing, lucrative market, but one that could someday rival Ankara as both an investment destination and exporter.
NATO-member Turkey remains the region's economic powerhouse, with output of nearly $800 billion in 2014, well above Iran's $425 billion, and an advanced manufacturing industry that exports televisions, cars and washing machines to Europe.
But Iran, with a similar-sized population, could close that gap, Turkish business leaders say, thanks to government incentives, a well educated workforce, and vast oil reserves that obviate the need for energy imports.
"It is an economy with great potential," said businessman Alper Kanca, whose company, Kanca Dovme Celik, produced engine parts for Iranian auto makers for 20 years prior to the sanctions.
"There is extraordinary support from the Iranian government to expand domestic industry."
After the lifting of international sanctions last month, Iran is now the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up more than two decades ago.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Tehran needs as much as $50 billion a year in foreign investment to meet an economic growth target of 8 percent. So far, deals worth at least $37 billion have been announced in industries ranging from construction to aviation and auto manufacturing.
In the short-term, Turkey's auto industry, which accounted for $22 billion in exports last year, could be a beneficiary, thanks to its advanced manufacturing techniques.
"After working closely with European producers for years, Turkish auto parts producers have an upper hand," said Mehmet Dudaroglu, the chairman of the Turkish auto parts manufacturing association (TAYSAD).
"However Tehran's potential incentives for the industry, as well as lower costs, could make Iran the new competition," he said.
NOT A RIVAL
The International Monetary Fund expects Iran's economy to expand 4.3 percent this year, with growth at or above 4 percent in the next two years. It also sees Iran's imports expanding 18 percent this year, 14 percent next year and 7 percent the year after.
"Turkey will be one of the countries that benefits the most" from the opening of Iran, Economy Minister Mustafa Elitas told Reuters in an interview in Chile on Monday, while on a visit to Latin America.
Turkey's trade with Iran reached $22 billion in 2012, he said, before dropping off sharply in subsequent years as tighter sanctions hit. Ankara aims to reach $30 billion in trade with Iran by 2023, he said.
Elitas said Iran won't be able to draw as much foreign investment as Turkey because it is less democratic.
"Turkey is the most democratic country in the region and foreign investments will go to democratic nations, to countries that can guarantee those investments," he said. "If Iran advances with its economy, then they could become a rival."
Turkey attracted more than $12 billion in foreign direct investment in 2014, while Iran garnered $2 billion.
Some Turkish steel producers take a less sanguine view of Iran, pointing to its immense oil reserves. Turkey is forced to import almost all of its energy needs.
"The steel industries of both countries are based on nearly the same product range. The Iranians have the potential to export some of what they produce and could compete with Turkish steel," said Namik Ekinci, the head of the Turkish Steel Exporters Association. Steel accounted for 7 percent of Turkey's total exports last year.
Cement producers are also wary.
Greek farmers threaten traffic chaos in pensions row
SOFIA/ATHENS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Farmers threatened traffic chaos across Greece on Tuesday as tractors blocked the country's borders and main motorways over plans to revamp the pension system, a key demand of lenders on the indebted country in return for aid.
From the borders of Macedonia where migrants crowded waiting for a chance to move further into northern Europe, to the borders with Bulgaria, hundreds of tractors blocked key transit points.
At the main border with Bulgaria, a queue of trucks waiting to cross into Greece was reported to be 14 kilometres long, with some drivers waiting about 28 hours.
"There are hundreds of trucks blocked on the Greek and the Bulgarian side, there might be thousands," a police official who declined to be named told Reuters.
"They (farmers) haven't let trucks pass since yesterday, they are only permitting private cars and buses."
Farmers have been sporadically blocking motorways across the country for about two weeks, incensed over terms of pension reform which will see them triple their social security contributions over the next four years.
The move is part of a wider overhaul to cut 1.8 billion euros off Greece's pension system this year, and a key element of an international bailout of up to 86 billion euros Athens signed up to last year.
Greek labour unions have called a national strike on Feb. 4.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov held a telephone call with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras and urged him to take steps and provide a corridor for transit passage of trucks that are blocked along the Greek-Bulgarian border, the Bulgarian government press office said in a statement on Tuesday.
"He underlined that internal problems should not become a reason to breach the right for free movement of people and goods and appealed to Prime Minister Tsipras to take measures, including securing a corridor for transit transport," the statement said.
Borisov told Tsipras over 1,800 trucks are blocked on the two sides at Bulgarian-Greek checkpoints, with transport companies are facing huge losses.
Bulgarian national radio said the truck queue on the main border crossing reached 14 km.
Italy indignant over 10-euro rent for publicly owned Rome housing
ROME, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Publicly owned houses in desirable locations near the Vatican and with views of the ancient forum in Rome have been let for as little as 10 euros ($10) a month, city hall said, prompting demands for more transparency and justice.
The latest scandal to hit the capital blew up after the commissioner brought in to run city hall as an emergency measure said late on Monday hundreds of properties were being let at rents "well below their minimum market prices".
City hall did not say who enjoyed these contracts, but many Italians quickly assumed the tenants were close to politicians.
"We hope these checks can be finished as quickly as possible, to put an end to out-of-this-world favouritism," said Lara Comi, from former premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, adding the houses should not go to "cliques".
Checks by city hall officials showed deals such as a home on ivy-draped Borgo Pio next to St. Peter's Square that cost 10.20 euros a month, and one on a street close to the Colosseum amphitheatre with a 25.64 euro monthly price tag.
On the normal rental market, 25 euros would pay for the monthly rent of just one square metre of a house or apartment near the Colosseum, according to website immobiliare.it.
The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), Italy's second-largest party, said the property should be used for social housing, and decisions about who has the right to favourable rental conditions should be made transparently.
City commissioner Francesco Paolo Tronca, who stepped in when former mayor Ignazio Marino resigned over an expenses scandal, said officials were now looking into whether any of the properties were occupied illegally.
Officials are also trying to identify the people responsible for the rental contracts and looking into possible ways to take back use of the property, Tronca said.
Scandal has loomed large over Rome since late 2014, when police arrested dozens of people over corrupt relationships between politicians and criminals which has led to modern Rome's biggest mafia trial.
M5S said the rents probe came "better late than never".
Left-wing lawmaker Roberto Giachetti, who plans to run for mayor of Rome in elections due in spring, told RAI state television the situation was "despicable".
Canada's Syrian refugee plan draws U.S. Senate panel scrutiny
By Mark Hosenball and David Ljunggren
WASHINGTON/OTTAWA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Canada is proceeding with plans to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees, but the country's background-vetting program is under scrutiny by a U.S. congressional panel, with a hearing set for Wednesday, amid lawmaker concerns about U.S. security.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee has questions about the Ottawa government's intake of refugees by the end of February and the possibility that violent militants could mix in and cross the long, largely porous U.S.-Canada border.
At the public hearing, senators will question U.S. and Canadian experts and a U.S. Border Patrol officer on Canada's "fast track" resettlement program. Canada's government turned down an invitation to send a spokesperson to the session.
"We have been in frequent touch with members of the U.S. administration who are satisfied with what we are doing ... if the U.S. Senate wants to engage in these activities, that is their right, of course," John McCallum, Canada's immigration minister, told reporters on Tuesday.
Initial inquiries show Canada's background checks on refugees are less rigorous than the 18- to 24-month vettings done by U.S. authorities before letting any Syrian refugee set foot on American soil, congressional aides said.
Canada's new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already delayed his government's program. It had targeted resettlement of the 25,000 by the end of 2015. Now the target is February.
Still, congressional aides said, U.S. officials remain wary of Canada's screening, noting it is nearly impossible for foreign governments to verify the backgrounds, and identities of refugees, given Syria's dysfunctional government.
One way Canada is trying to allay concerns about infiltration of the refugee flow by violent militants is by limiting refugees it admits to women, children and lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender individuals.
Canada can vet would-be refugees in U.S. and Canadian law enforcement and intelligence databases, but congressional aides said these databases may omit critical and derogatory information on would-be immigrants' previous lives in Syria.
With eyes on flight resumption, Egypt plans to buy Russian planes
By Lin Noueihed
CAIRO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - An Egyptian airline plans to buy up to 10 Russian-made jets in a deal with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft that could also see the creation of a tour agency to restore flights between the two countries that were suspended after a plane crash last year.
Privately owned Egyptian Leisure Airlines will purchase four SSJ-100 jets with an option for six more as part of a memorandum of understanding signed on Tuesday, Russian and Egyptian officials said.
An Egyptian source said the deal included the possibility of establishing a joint venture along with a third company that would see Egyptian Leisure acquire a total of 45 Sukhoi SSJ-100s over three years to transport Russian tourists to Egypt - restoring a vital source of revenue to the economy.
Evgeny Andrachnikov, senior vice president of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, told Reuters in Cairo that the he expected Egyptian Leisure to buy all 10 planes in a first phase but that talks over how future cooperation would work were still ongoing.
"What is being signed today is not a contract, it is a memorandum of understanding," he said, declining to put a value on what he described as a multi-million dollar deal.
Speaking after the signing, Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal said the first batch of jets would initially be used domestically before being used to transport Russian tourists.
"I expect the resumption of Russian flights in the first half of the year," he said.
Moscow stopped all civilian flights to Egypt, a popular destination for Russian tourists, after a Russian airplane crashed in Sinai on Oct. 31 killing all 224 people on board.
Russia says a bomb brought down the flight and Islamic State says it smuggled the explosive aboard concealed in a soft drink can. Sources familiar with the matter say an EgyptAir mechanic is suspected of planting the device.
But an Egyptian-led investigation committee has said it has yet to find evidence of foul play.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia would remove all restrictions on flights to Egypt once reliable anti-terrorist measures were implemented.
JOINT VENTURE
The source said the plan to establish an Egyptian-Russian joint venture would be a vehicle for resuming tourist links as it could provide the Russians with more control and reassurance than they could expect working through state-owned EgyptAir.
"The joint venture will restart the tourist business between Russia and Egypt, targeting 1.5 million visitors a year starting in May," the source said, adding that flights would be scheduled year-round to carry passengers from three Russian airports to Red Sea resorts such as Sharm al-Sheikh.
The first five planes could potentially be delivered as soon as April, the source said, adding that Sukhoi would operate a maintenance centre in Egypt and arrange training for 150 pilots in the first two years.
Sukhoi's Andrachnikov said he envisaged the 10 planes being delivered within two years, though details were still undecided.
"Four firm, six option, that is what we would like to start with," he said. "We are discussing different options in terms of our cooperation beyond that but I ... would like to concentrate on that deal first."
The deal would be financed through a lease purchase agreement with a Russian state-owned bank, the source said.
He said the list value for 45 planes would approach $2 billion, though such orders typically come with a discount.
Egypt has struggled to restore growth after the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, ushering in an era of political instability and scaring away tourists.
Mainland Chile confirms first 3 cases of Zika virus
By Anthony Esposito
SANTIAGO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Chile health authorities on Tuesday identified the first three cases of Zika virus on the mainland but said the people were infected while traveling abroad and did not present a risk to the general population.
A 28-year-old man was infected while traveling in Colombia, a 28-year-old man contracted the virus in Venezuela and a 35-year-old man got the virus in Brazil.
The health ministry said there is no danger of the virus spreading on mainland Chile. Zika is an infection linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil that is spreading through Latin America and the Caribbean by mosquitoes.
"Despite the confirmation of these cases, this is not a health risk for the population, since continental Chile does not have the mosquito that transmits the disease," acting Health Minister Gisela Alarcon told reporters on Tuesday.
Chile's Easter Island, some 3,700 km (2,300 miles) from the mainland, does have the mosquito that carries the disease and had 173 Zika cases in 2014. All the Zika cases on Easter Island were "mild" and no pregnant women presented any complications due to the infection, Chilean health authorities said.
The World Health Organization has said the virus, linked to severe birth defects in Brazil, has been spreading rapidly in the Americas and could infect 4 million people. It said it had launched a global response unit to fight the mosquito-borne virus, which is spreading rapidly in Latin America.
Africa and Asia are also seen as being vulnerable.
Brazil's Petrobras must face US group lawsuits over corruption -judge
By Jonathan Stempel and Nate Raymond
NEW YORK, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge ordered Petrobras , the state-run Brazilian oil company, to face class-action litigation by investors seeking to recoup billions of dollars in losses stemming from a bribery and political kickback scandal.
In a decision made public on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan certified two classes of plaintiffs, saying their claims are similar enough to be pursued as groups.
One class bought various Petrobras securities from January 2010 to July 2015 and will be led by Universities Superannuation Scheme of Liverpool, England. The other bought debt securities from offerings in 2013 and 2014, and will be led by North Carolina's treasurer and the Employees' Retirement System of Hawaii.
"Petrobras was a massive company with investors around the globe," Rakoff wrote in a 49-page decision. "Notwithstanding Petrobras's size and its numerous and far-flung investors, the interests of the class members are aligned and the same alleged misconduct underlies their claims."
Class certification can make it easier for investors to recoup larger sums than if they sued individually, though it does not guarantee they will be recover.
Petrobras, whose formal name is Petroleo Brasileiro SA, has been accused of inflating the value of more than $98 billion of its stock and bonds through years of corruption.
Its market value has plunged to below $20 billion from nearly $300 billion fewer than eight years ago, Reuters data show.
Rakoff appointed the law firm Pomerantz LLP to represent both investor classes. It would share in any recoveries.
Now that Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan of Dera Sachcha Sauda has thrown his cap into the instant noodle ring, the theory has been proved beyond a fork-bite of doubt.
Religion is the oldest and most profitable start-up in the world. Baba Ramdev, who strongly resembles his Patanjali noodles in the number of knots and tangles he can get himself in, while successfully frolicking on stage with Yogini Shilpa Shetty Kundra, would agree.
Please drop everything you're doing and watch Baba Ramdev doing aerobics with Shilpa Shetty https://t.co/pxR1jEx5nU pic.twitter.com/ZVnU2aLR7u Rega Jha (@RegaJha) January 20, 2016
Naturally, the highest yoga samadhi, kaivalya, is to sell noodles. https://t.co/AXXuUqNpuM February 2, 2016
Nestle india can easily counter baba gurmeet ram rahim's noodles by saying 'BC hmare to noodles me MSG tha, unke to MSG me hi noodles hai' Oh Teri! (@Oh_Terified) February 1, 2016
Ram Rahim launches noodle product.Brand name: MSG#ThugLife Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) February 1, 2016
Gurmeet Ram Rahim has named his noodle brand MSG. Whether he thinks his behen Union minister of food processing industries, Mrs Harsimrat Kaur, considers it cute, or treats it like an elaborate public relations exercise to promote MSG 3, 4 or 5 (the movies, obviously: Coldplay, pay attention to the colour schemes), is irrelevant.
The moot point is that the godmen take the axiom - "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" - too seriously. That the noodles resemble our small and large intestine than the gastric bag is of course a larger metaphorical point which yoga as political and alimentary theology can shed much light on.
Noodle wars are symbolic of the transcendental convolutions that the children of Manu and their illegitimate low-caste brethren have overcome to create the quintessential Hindu palate. So you have Ramdev's Patanjali (which is literally "an offering on a platter") doing some suitably heteronormative acrobatics on your plate and TV screens. But there comes the Dalit Sikh-origin noodle (applause, #ThugSwag), courtesy the motor-cycle-savvy Ram Rahim, and we have a democracy in awesome action right on your dining table.
And in case Kiku Sharda wants to play Ram Rahim again, he can simply dress up as an atta noodle, and wear a bandana that reads "Yippie: I'm MSG", preferably in children party font.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, therefore, is spoilt for choice. What better mascot for his Start-up India than the MSG-flaunting Gurmeet Ram Rahim? In fact, GRR is a one-size-fit-all icon for religion as politics, cultish swagger as pure economics, colour-splash as caste subversion, and dresscode as the unique desification of your oh-so-Western wardrobe.
How accurately is a mere movie expected to adhere to facts and history even if it claims to be set in a real, recent event recent is defined here as something that took place in our adult lifetime.
That question has arisen with the success of Airlift, young director Raja Menons new film, which tugged at our hearts on the eve of Republic Day with much patriotism and national spirit of unity in diversity. Surely, the return of more than 1.5 lakh Indian workers from Kuwait and Iraq was a remarkable Indian achievement and deserved a film. Some drama is also justified because of the sudden outbreak of that war and the crisis that hit mostly lower-middle class workers. But did it really have to be mythologised as much as it has been done in the film, particularly as it completely rewrites history with zero concern for facts?
With Saddam Hussein's soldiers in Baghdad. Bombed day and night, losing Kuwait yet smiling and flashing victory signs.
Next to the wreck of an Iraqi tank after the first, short and one-sided armour battle in Kuwait in January 1991.
The film shows that every government agency responded to the predicament of expatriate Indians with total callousness. These included the local embassies, where staff either ran away or (as in Baghdad) expressed helplessness. The external affairs minister too threw his hands up, saying his government was unstable, could fall any time and only the bureaucracy could do something to help as they were permanent. If India succeeded in bringing the stranded people back, it was because of the extraordinary initiative of some in fact just two-and-a-half individuals. Two being, of course the hero, Akshay Kumar or Ranjit Katyal and the other, Mr Kohli, joint secretary in the MEA whose office looks more modest than that of a clerkjoint secretary is actually a very high position, equal to a senior ambassador.
But never mind. Movies are not made about boring government systems and bureaucracies that work sometimes. They need crises, helplessness, drama and then characters, good or bad, who make the story. Bollywood is not the only one to exploit real events for fictional drama. Hollywood is often a bigger victim. Of the recent and celebrated releases, Argo and American Sniper are good examples. We have also seen some mythologies built successfully in the past around real events. The film Border, supposedly based on the 1971 battle of Longewala is another such example. The battle was indeed a remarkable chapter in the history of that war, but it was nothing like what was shown, at least not on land.
The small contingent of Indian troops at Longewala post, under Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, performed a heroic role by staying put, warning the headquarters of the Pakistani tank offensive and held it back, therefore, by making the attackers believe their strength was larger than in reality and also probably that the approaches to their position were heavily mined. This bought IAF time until first light to come in waves and destroy Pakistani armour. There was no fighting on the ground of any note and while Chandpuri richly deserved his Maha Vir Chakra, exploits of Sunny Deol, apparently playing him, would have only amused if not embarrassed him.
Now, we know no soldier fights in real life as Sunny Deol can in movies. But nor does anyone fight like Stallone or Schwarzenegger or Tom Cruise, so drama is fine. But the basic thread in Border was accurate and faithful to history. A tiny army unit with a big heart made the Pakistanis wait for the night and in the morning the IAF came and destroyed them, unopposed in the air. That is history, the rest was cinema.
Sadly, in trying to Sunny Deol-ise the Kuwait evacuation (sorry for using that metaphor, Akshay Kumar, but Deol is the original) Airlift has completely changed history. In the film, while the government washes its hands off and the minister says he is helpless, a local hero emerges, gets all Indians into camps, and then escorts them in a convoy 1,100km through the Iraqi and Jordanian desert, even thrashing an Iraqi army picket led by a Lieutenant Colonel, no less, on the way and leads fellow Indians triumphantly at the border checkpoint, not far from where Moses supposedly parted the seas and gave the call of Let my people go.
Here are the brief facts
Kuwait fell on August 3, 1990. Within less than a week, Inder Kumar Gujral, our external affairs minister, was in Baghdad, the first foreign leader to reach there. He was cursed globally for embracing Saddam Hussein for the cameras. But he said to us later he had to do it to protect his people whose safety and evacuation Iraq guaranteed. He came to Kuwait, spoke to stranded Indians, took a few back with him in his IAF Il-76 and then organised the biggest airlift in the history of mankind. Our embassy in Baghdad found a bus contractor to move our people to Amman and Jordan had never closed its borders with Iraq. The first airlift took place on August 13, on the tenth day after the invasion and continued for 59 days until the last Indian wanting to return was back. About 10,000 stayed on in Kuwait, feeling safe with the Iraqis who were friendly to India and never consciously hurt an Indian.
This film, therefore, has zero resemblance to reality except that it steals a real event to build a Sunny Deol-style hyper-patriotic yarn. These are days when vigilantism is popular. The state and the system can do nothing, so a super Indian has to rise and fill in, until, the tricolour is unfurled to notes of Vande Mataram and we all have tears in our eyes.
Just a footnote: I covered that Gulf War for India Today magazine from beginning until the end, first bombings in Baghdad, Scuds in Israel and finally the liberation of Kuwait. Amman was the base for all outward travel as you could drive to both Baghdad and Jerusalem. We never heard of a character like Katyal. Of course there was Sunny Mathew, popularly known as Toyota Sunny because he had flourishing agencies for the car company, and a cultured gentleman called Mr Vedi who helped the Indian community get its act together and keep the evacuation smooth. In fact, Mr Vedi was brave enough to stay put. My photographer colleague Prashant Panjiar and I were fortunate to find him as we reached Kuwait just after liberation, with debris scattered, skies blackened with oil well fires and hulls of destroyed Iraqi tanks lying all over. He looked after us, fed us, pointed us to an abandoned house we could just break into, like everybody elsefortunately it had a deep freezer filled with food which we gratefully ate from. He told us many stories of the crisis. He and Sunny had been brave, good, rich Indians, but sadly there was no story to even vaguely resemble what we are celebrating these days.
The Pakistani High Commission, however, is reported to have said that Anupam's visa is still under review.
Mumbai: Pakistani High Comission in New Delhi has denied visa to Indian actor Anupam Kher. The actor is scheduled to attend a session at the Karachi literary festival on February 5.
Anupam claimed that only he has been singled out of the 18 delegates who applied for the visa. He said, "I am very sad and disappointed that out of 18 participants, 17 were given visa and I was denied."
He further added, "We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places but there is no reciprocity," he said. As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, "I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India."
However, in an interesting turn of events, Pakistan HC said that they have received no visa application from Anupam Kher. Pakistan High Commission's head of media Manzoor Memon said, "Mr Anupum Kher has never submitted visa application to Pakistan High Commission. Please check out from him if he has any receipt."
Read: Anupam Kher calls Shashi Tharoor a 'Congi Chamcha'
The 60-year-old actor, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan recently, has been a vocal supporter of the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Recently, the actor was in news when he indulged in a war of words with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Twitter. The argument happened over the veteran actor's comment that he is scared to openly say he is a Hindu.
Anupam also sparked controversy at the Jaipur literary festival held last month. He sparred with Delhi minister Kapil Mishra over the limits imposed on freedom of speech and were joined in by a politically divided audience.
Bengaluru: A 21-year-old Tanzanian girl who is a second year BBA student of Acharya College had absolutely nothing to do with the car that ran over and killed a 35-year-old Hesaraghatta resident on Sunday night. Yet, while the local police stood by and watched, she was repeatedly beaten and then stripped of all her clothes and made to parade around naked.
Travelling in another car, a Wagon-R, along with four others, the young woman who arrived on the scene some 30 minutes later, was however still dragged out of the car after it was surrounded and stopped by the mob.
Read: Bengaluru Police files FIR in Tanzanian student assault case
When a concerned bystander tried to cover her with a T-shirt, he too was beaten. When she attempted to board a bus and escape, the passengers of the bus threw her back into the arms of the mob.
The four others she was travelling with were also assaulted after the mob that was angered after a car driven by a Sudanese youth ran over and killed a local resident, waylaid the second car, which the local African Association, said arrived on the scene a full 30 minutes later and was not even remotely connected to Sundays Hesaraghatta accident.
Shes Tanzanian, the man who caused the accident comes from Sudan, they didnt even know each other, said Bosco Kaweesi, Legal Adviser, All African Students Union in Bengaluru.
Read: Africa angry, demands justice after mob strips Tanzanian girl in Bengaluru
The scared students were forced out of the car and then the car was set ablaze. The driver of the second car identified as Micah S Pundugu was beaten up black and blue by the mob who then stripped the girl student. When someone from the crowd offered her a T-Shirt to save her modesty, that man too was beaten up by the mob. She later, with her torn clothes, tried to enter a BMTC bus that had slowed down nearby, but the passengers in the bus pushed her back down on to the road, Kaweesi told DC adding, Micah recounted that people were streaming out from buses, auto-rickshaws and charging towards them, punching and kicking them.
Africa angry: Demands justice
The Tanzanian girl went straight to the police station to register a complaint of assault but the unsympathetic cops refused to register the case, saying they would only take her complaint if she brought in the driver who ran over the 35 year old woman.
When the girl did not even know about the accident or the spot where it happened, how can she bring in the driver of the car, said Mr Bosco.
The car that was being driven by a Sudanese student that mowed down a woman in Hesaraghatta on Sunday night (Photo: DC)
African embassies are shocked at Sundays incident in Hesaraghatta, where a mob chased and thrashed a Sudanese student and beat up four more Tanzanians. The Tanzanian Embassy on Monday sought a detailed report on the incident from student leaders to pursue the issue diplomatically, Bosco Kaweesi, Legal Adviser, All African Students in Bengaluru told Deccan Chronicle.
Read: Road rage gets a foreign face
The second car that was not involved in the accident was set on fire by the mob. Five Tanzanian students, including two girls, from Acharya College were in the car. Everyone was attacked. The mob stood in front of the car, preventing it from moving forward. They were beaten up, their dresses were torn and they were humiliated by the unruly mob for no fault of theirs.
The mob then set the car ablaze with all the students losing their valuable documents, like passports, ATM cards and cash. Injured students were sent out of the hospital because they could not pay the bills as their ATM cards were burnt, and they had no cash on their hands. They also could not contact their parents as their phones were robbed, Mr Bosco said.
The local residents on Sunday night went hunting for houses where Africans stayed and harassed them. They stopped vehicles to check if there were any Africans inside. Our students heard that there were messages floating around that the locals were planning to attack Acharya College cottages and all the hostel accommodations in the area, which are full of Africans," he said.
It was instigated by the local politicians, like it was done in the Byrathi Cross incident. The lives of African students will remain in danger until there is a collective meeting for reconciliation with the local residents, the police and the African community, he said, adding that it worked well the last time in East Bengaluru.
The entire African student community is still scared and reluctant to come out. Such incidents will have repercussions in Africa and innocent Indians who are in those countries will also face trouble from native Africans, he warned.
The community alleged that the police were totally inept during the entire incident.
New Delhi: Bollywood actor and BJP sympathiser Anupam Kher on Tuesday said he had been denied a visa by Pakistan to attend the annual Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) beginning Friday, even as the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi refuted this, saying he had never applied for any visa.
But despite the Pakistani official version, there was apparently more than meets the eye.
Ameena Syed, the spokesperson for the KLF, told news agency PTI from Karachi that they had been advised by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to tell Kher not to submit a visa application as he would not be issued one, adding, That is all we have been told. They told us that the remaining 17 guests invited from India should be asked to submit applications as they would be issued visas, she said.
Sources in the Pakistan government were cited by news agency reports as saying in Karachi that since Kher is very much active and vocal in the social media on sensitive issues pertaining to religion and Indo-Pak relations, he was not asked to submit his application.
Kher meanwhile suggested in Mumbai that the Pakistani decision may have been influenced by his stand on the issue of Kashmiri Pandits and his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day prestigious event by the organisers but he said he is the only one who has been denied the visa.
The other 17 Indian participants who have been given the travel document included senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and actor Nandita Das, according to news agency reports from Karachi.
Rejecting the Pakistan High Commissions contention that he had not applied for a visa, Kher called it a laughable explanation.
He said organisers had completed the formalities for the visa. I do not know why they denied me the visa. Is it because of my patriotism, because I talk about my country? Is it because I do not go to that countryand criticise my country there? I do not speak the language of terrorists. There can be millions of reasons, an anguished Kher was quoted as saying.
I am very sad and disappointed that so many people were given visa but I was the only one who has been denied it. We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity, Mr Kher was quoted as telling news agency PTI.
On the Pakistan High Commissions claim that he had not applied for the visa, Kher said if it was true then how 17 others got the document and that why the organisers had put his name in their posters.
They are telling a lie. I do not have to do it. The organisers had done it, the actor said.
Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him. As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India or because of my pro-PM talk.
He also told reporters in Mumbai, I am not angry, I am hurt, upset and somewhere wanting to know the reason. Out of 18 why only I was singled out.
It could be either because ... Ive spoken about the issue of intolerance, taken a stand and have applauded my PM. Otherwise, there is no logical reason why the visa was denied to me. This has happened for the third time, Kher was quoted by news agencies as telling reporters in Mumbai.
Mr Kher, who has just been honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the government, on Tuesday said he was very sad and disappointed over the matter and wondered whether he was denied a visa for raising the issue of Kashmiri Pandits, supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and for being a patriot.
When contacted, the Pakistan High Commission spokesperson Manzoor Memon however said Kher had never submitted visa application to the Pakistan High Commission. So the question of issuing or denying him visa does not arise.
Meanwhile, actress Nandita Das reportedly said the visa issue has been dogged by claims and counter-claims. Taking a dig at those who talked about intolerance in India, Kher said those who had talked about intolerance in India should now come forward on this issue.
He added, I feel when there was an atmosphere of extending friendship from either sides, this is like a big speed breaker in a smooth operation which shouldnt have come. He further said, I do not understand how can I be a security threat. I am not an extremist.
But the organisers of the annual Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) said they are unaware of the reasons for rejection of visa to the actor. The KLF spokesperson said around 35 invitees from abroad are participating in the festival including from the US, Britain and Bangladesh besides India.
According to news agency reports, Kher was also denied a visa last year in May to visit Lahore on an invitation of a Pakistani NGO and security reasons were cited for the decision.
The actor said he would request the government to take up the issue with Pakistan, adding he had planned to speak about India, its tolerance among other issues.
KLFs Sayed felt the Bollywood stars presence would have given the Karachi audience a different perspective.
We had organised an exclusive session for him with Ashok Chopra with a very large audience. People would have asked him questions about his views. He would have had a chance to talk to them, to engage with them, to answer their questions and in the process some understanding would have developed. His coming here could have made such a difference. It might even have led to some change in his opinions or it might have changed or would have resulted in more understanding of his views, but it is only when you come face to face, she was quoted as saying.
Former South Korean sex slaves, who were forced to serve for the Japanese Army during World War II. (Photo: AP)
Tokyo: Japan says it has found no evidence its WWII government and military forcibly rounded up women to be sex slaves, Tokyo has told a UN committee, the latest pronouncement in a corrosive row over interpretations of history.
The confirmation Tuesday, ahead of a conference on women later this month, is likely to renew anger among the dwindling number of surviving former "comfort women", who say the country has never taken full responsibility for what it did in wartime.
It could also further complicate a troubled deal between Tokyo and Seoul sealed in late December -- one their top diplomats called "final and irreversible" -- but which has sparked anger among former South Korean comfort women and their supporters.
Up to 200,000 women, many of them South Koreans but also from China, the Philippines and what is now Indonesia, are estimated to have been forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Tokyo has offered repeated apologies over the issue, and says that while there was military involvement in the establishment of "comfort stations" there is no evidence its officials were involved in the abduction of women for the purpose.
It says private brokers were responsible in some cases, and in others, the women were common prostitutes.
In a report submitted to the committee in December and posted on its website, Japan said it carried out a "full-scale fact-finding study" by investigating documents and interviewing people including former military officials since the early 1990s.
"'Forceful taking away' of comfort women by the military and government authorities could not be confirmed in any of the documents that the GOJ (government of Japan) was able to identify," it said in a report dated December 8.
"The Japanese delegation will explain our position" on that and other women's issues at the Geneva conference that begins February 15, a foreign ministry official in charge of gender issues told AFP, declining to give her name.
The UN-sponsored conference is part of the ongoing Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The plight of the women is a hugely emotional issue that has for decades marred ties between Seoul and Tokyo, which ruled the Korean peninsula as a colony from 1910-1945.
Under the late December deal Japan offered an offered an apology and a one-billion yen ($8.5 million) payment to the surviving South Korean women.
But it immediately sparked an angry reaction from some of the women and South Korean activists, who take issue with Japan's refusal to accept formal legal responsibility.
They also have bitterly complained that neither Seoul nor Tokyo consulted the women about the agreement before concluding it.
While most mainstream Japanese accept national guilt over historic atrocities, a vocal right wing minority say the country has been unfairly maligned for behaviour they claim was common in conflict.
London: Eight schools across the UK on Tuesday 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 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.
Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram, who faced the ire of the Tamil Nadu government for taking up central assignment, was on Monday appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), breaking the glass ceiling to become the first woman to head a paramilitary force.
Ramasundaram (58), the Tamil Nadu cadre officer of 1980 batch, is currently Director, National Crime Records Bureau. She will hold the post upto the date of her superannuation in September 2017 or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.
The SSB guards the borders with Nepal and Bhutan. None of the five paramilitary forces the SSB, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force and the Indo Tibetan Border Police has ever had a woman chief.
Ramasundaram was in the midst of a controversy in 2014 during the UPA regime due to her appointment as Additional Director in the CBI with the Tamil Nadu government suspending her on charges of not taking its permission to move to the Centre. Later, her appointment was also challenged in the Supreme Court following which she was moved to the NCRB as its chief. 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).
Karnataka, which was earning good revenue hitherto through the sale of cheap liquor outside the State, has been hit badly over the last few months, ever since Andhra Pradesh made a foray into the market.
This reverse trend, coupled with the continued inflow of the low cost liquor from Goa, has dented the State Excise departments revenue mobilisation to quite an extent.
Over the years, the department had gained a monopoly over sales of liquor in the districts bordering Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Karnatakas sales boomed especially after Kerala started to implement prohibition of liquor sales in a phased manner.
However, not wanting to be left behind, Andhra Pradesh by introducing its new liquor policy, has heavily slashed taxes on Indian Made Liquor (IML) to boost its sales and revenue.
According to officials, it launched a cheap liquor brand 999 Powerstar Fine Whisky, which is priced between Rs 42 and Rs 45 per 180 ml bottle. This is considerably cheaper than the brands like Raja Whisky and Haywards, which are sold at Rs 50, by Karnataka. As a result, the sales, which had peaked over the last few years in the bordering districts of Raichur, Ballari, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur and Kolar, have come down drastically.
Excise Commissioner S R Umashankar said that the department is also watchful of the Andhra Pradesh brand making its way into Karnataka.
Until now, our liquor was the cheaper and we registered good sales in the bordering districts, which included consumers from the neighbouring State, as well. With the introduction of the 999 whisky brand, our revenue mobilisation has been dented marginally. Like the Goa and Maharashtra borders, which are porous, the same problem persists on the Andhra and Telangana borders, as well. In Dakshina Kannada we have increased vigilance to check the inflow of Goan liquor, and now we are doing the same on the Andhra-Karnataka border as well. Between April and December 2015 alone, the department has seized close to 7,500 litres of liquor entering into the State from Goa.
Illegal transportation
Goa border (Anmod and Majali) is our main problem. Owing to the low level of taxation, Goa liquor is available at much cheaper rates. Though we have set up two checkposts, liquor is illegally transported not only by boats and trains, but also through forests, the commissioner said.
Popular Goan brands
Some of the popular brands that are illegally transported into the State are Honey Guide Brandy - Rs 21.60 (180 ml); Honey Grade Brandy - Rs 18; Reals Whisky (750 ml) - Rs 86; Life House Premium Blended Malt Whisky (750 ml) - Rs 90; Light Horse Premium Blended Malt Whisky (750 ml) - Rs 79; Goa Palm Fenny (750 ml) - Rs 90; Goa 77 Deluxe Cashew Fenny (750 ml) - Rs 100.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday dismissed a petition by members of a Konkani organisation for recognition of five different scripts for Konkani writings for the Sahitya Akademi ( National Academy of Letters) award.
Eric Ozario and other petitioners wanted Konkani writings to be recognised in Kannada, Roman (English), Devanagari, Arabic and Malayalam scripts for the grant
of award.
They had written to the Sahitya Akademi in this regard. But the Akademi replied that it would consider only Devanagari script for grant of the award.
They then moved the High Court. Hearing the petition, a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath ruled it they would not be able to direct the Sahitya Akademi to including all the five scripts as it had already approved Devanagari script for Konkani writings.
The State government is learnt to have decided to recommend the name of Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister, D N Narasimha Raju, for the post of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
Narasimha Raju, who has been serving as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to chief minister Siddaramaiah since January 2014, is due to retire in April this year.
The file recommending the name of Raju to the post of CIC will soon be sent to Raj Bhavan for approval by Governor Vajubhai Vala, sources said.
In addition, the State government has recommended the names of four others for the post of information commissioners. They are: IAS officer M R Kamble, KAS officer Vijaykumar Torgal, retired KAS officer Chandregowda and media personality Suchetana Swaroop, sources said.
Delhi governments free medicine scheme opened to chaos on Monday with patients struggling to find medicines on the first day of its rollout.
At the Lok Nayak Hospital, nothing had changed for Anjum, who could not get a generic drug for sore throat.
She had inquired about the medicine some days before also and had come to the hospital again in the hope of finding it on Monday, after the governments announcement about increasing its stock.
I had come around 15 days before and it was not available. I thought it might be there from February 1. I cant afford it from outside, said a disappointed Anjum.
Saba Hashmi had been standing in the queue at the hospitals pharmacy since 9 am. At 3 pm she exited the queue, frustrated as she could only get two out of the five medicines prescribed by the doctor at the hospital for a thyroid problem.
The doctor said all these medicines will be available at the shop, but I got only two. The people at the counter did not say by when I can get these, she said, showing the crosses at the counter against the medicines not available at the pharmacy.
Similarly, Amandeep, who was in the queue for medicines for his father admitted in the hospital, said that since the morning he had seen several patients returning without getting their medicines.
The Aam Aadmi Party government had earlier announced that from February 1, there will be no shortage of medicines and consumables mentioned in the Essential Drugs List in government hospitals.
The hospital has placed an order of both drugs and consumables and will receive it soon. Some drugs still remain to be procured. The hospital administration has also instructed doctors to prescribe drugs and consumables currently available with the hospital, said Dr Y K Sarin, Medical Superintendent at Lok Nayak Hospital.
Red tape
While patients could not get the essential medicines, to add to their woes was the confusion that prevailed due to the scheme.
According to a new direction by the government, patients could get the medicines only after a stamp by the prescribing doctor.
Almost everyone Deccan Herald spoke to was not aware of this direction.
Fifty-seven year-old Sakina had been waiting since 12 pm and finally when her number came at 3 pm, she was in tears when asked to get her prescription stamped by the doctor and then come again
What am I supposed to do now? Will I have to stand in this queue again after the stamp, she says furiously.
A senior administrative official said this rule existed before but will be strictly implemented from now.
This is to maintain records of medicines prescribed from outside, he said.
A senior official of the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) said the government has called a meeting of doctors and medical superintendents this week to update the Essential Drug List. Around 150 more drugs will be added to the list.
Of the currently over 700 formulations of medicines, we will add another 150. Drugs which are rarely used will be done away with. The list will be such that doctors do not require to prescribe beyond this apart from emergency cases. The existing shortage of medicines will be sorted in another two weeks, said the official.
The governments three new warehouses will stock medicines for six months at least.
Hospitals have been asked to place advance orders to avoid shortage of medicines, said the official.
RSS men were also involved in the assault in which Delhi Police manhandled protesting students in front of the RSS headquarters on Saturday afternoon, alleged one of the protesters.
Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the JawaharLal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) claimed four or five RSS people who were standing in front of the gates of the building started shouting at the protesters the moment they saw them.
RSS office mein protest karne aaye ho, hum batate hai tumhe kaise protest hota hai,one of them said, threatening to teach them how to protest, according to the JNUSU president.
The protesters had gathered in front of the Ambedkar Bhawan at 2pm on Saturday.
As they were moving towards Keshav Kunj, the headquarters of RSS, a police barricade stopped them in their tracks.
After finding ourselves unable to move ahead, we decided to approach the destination from a different route. We must have been 200, easily outnumbered by the policemen, Kumar told Deccan Herald.
As the protesters reached the RSS headquarters, three or four men in plainclothes, who were making a video of the incident, started abusing the students, he said.
As we shouted slogans about the issue, these men started abusing us, asking how dared we reached at the place, and then started assaulting us. Following which, the policemen wielded batons on us and there was chaos all around, Kumar said.
He claimed that five students, including a woman, sustained injuries on their heads and shoulders and were taken to the nearby dispensaries for treatment.
He said police didnt even spare journalists and smashed their cameras on ground.
No plaint registered
According to Kumar, police didnt register a complaint when the protesters went to police station.
However, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central range) Parmaditya has justified the police action.
First, the protest was illegal as according to the Supreme Court guidelines, no protest can happen in Delhi outside Jantar Mantar. Second the protesters were very aggressive, as they had already broken a police barrier, Parmaditya said.
Refuting that any protester was injured, Parmaditya claimed that no lathi was used. He added that five police personnel, including a policewoman sustained injuries in the incident, justifying his claim that the protestors were very aggressive.
A 27-year-old property-dealer, with two criminal cases against him, was shot dead by an unidentified man in southwest Delhis Dwarka sector-7 on Monday afternoon.
Police suspect that the murder was a result of professional rivalry. Nikhil, a resident of Mahavir Enclave near Palam, was standing in front of Max Ford school around 1.30 pm and was seen having a long conversation with the alleged killer.
All of a sudden the accused pulled out a gun and shot Nikhil from point blank range, said police.
We have some definite clues about the murder on which we are working on, said RA Sanjeev, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West).
After the incident, panic gripped the area, with people suspecting it to be an attack on the school itself.
Nikhil was taken in a police control room van to the nearby Ayushman Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
The victim has two criminal cases, including one of murder, registered against him. According to police sources, apart from being a property-dealer, he was a known criminal of the area.
We are seeing the case from the angle of gang rivalry. Nikhils influence over the property market in the area of Dwarka and Palam had started to grow, which perhaps didnt go down well with the existing gang leaders of the area. This murder could have been a result of it. Apart from that, a personal rivalry or sudden provocation could also be a reason, said a police officer.
Police are confident of nabbing the murderer soon. A manhunt has been launched, and the help of eyewitnesses and CCTV cameras is being taken.
Police are also talking to the family members and friends of Nikhil to zero in on the killer.
The victims call details are also being analysed to find out the people who were last in touch with him.
Patients continued to suffer at municipal-run hospitals as doctors and nurses entered their third day of indefinite strike here on Monday.
The OPDs and routine admissions were paralysed on Monday as doctors attended to only critical patients at the emergencies.
Doctors at the North Delhi Municipal Corporations Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital, Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis, Kasturba Hospital, Girdhari Lal Maternity Hospital and Balak Ram Hospital and the East Delhi Municipal Corporations Swami Dayanand Hospital joined other municipal employees under the united front over pending salaries on Saturday.
Majority of patients admitted to wards were discharged as nurses, paramedics and doctors remained on strike.
Doctors have not received salaries of November, December and January. This is a recurring problem and we want the municipal corporations and the government to sort out the issue. A strike is at the inconvenience of the patients but we have no other options, said Dr R R Gautam, president, Municipal Corporation Doctors Association.
Stable patients were discharged from the hospital. Currently, critical patients are admitted at the hospital. Emergency services are being run, said Dr D K Seth, Director, Bara Hindu Rao Hospital.
Pregnant women at the Kasturba Hospital were turned away too. Routine deliveries also were halted.
Women who came to the emergency in labour pain were attended to, said Dr Maruti Sinha, secretary, MCDA.
Doctors expressed helplessness over halting medical services over pending salaries.
But the medical staff have been receiving staff erratically for the past many months now. The conditions under which the resident doctors are working are also unfavourable. We will not join work till the salaries are cleared, said Dr Aditya Gupta, president, Resident Doctors Association, Hindu Rao Hospital.
A senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation official said the salaries of the staff of the health department will be cleared within this week.
The pending salaries of November will be cleared by Tuesday and that of December within the next three days. The corporation has received some grants and the salaries will be updated. The administration will then open a dialogue with doctors and nurses over calling off the strike, said the official.
With the municipal employees strike entering the sixth day, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has appealed to its striking sanitation workers to resume work since they have been getting salaries on time.
Scores of safai karamcharis with the south civic agency have struck work showing solidarity with their brethren from North and East Corporations who have been on an indefinite strike starting Wednesday last.
The south civic agency has issued an advertisement on Monday exhorting its employess to carry out their duties.
The employees of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation are aware that timely salaries are being paid to them apart from various welfare measures being undertaken. Despite this, few SDMC safai karamcharis have stopped working without any valid reason, it said in the advertisement.
This unilateral action on their part is uncalled for, untenable and illegal. This is against the public interest at large and causing insanitary conditions and causing inconvenience to the public in certain pockets, it added.
These safai karamcharis are advised not to get influenced by anyone and should carry out duties in public interest.
Sanitation workers of the two zones under South Corporation have struck work showing solidarity to the thousands of safai karamcharis under the North and East Corporations who are on an indefinite strike from Wednesday last.
Sanitation employess of Central Zone and Najafgarh Zones have been striking work. They have been asked to resume work immediately, said a senior official with the South Corporation.
Sources in the corporation said the civic agency is mulling strict action against the protesting sanitation employees. The corporation will monitor the attendance record of these workers and the defaulters will be dealt with strict action, said the source.
Officials with the South Corporation agreed that the civic agency has not been able to pay pensions to the beneficiaries for the past many months.
Though the South Delhi Municipal Corporation is the only civic agency of the three which is not in the red, it is ot able to pay pensions to the beneficiaries, an official said.
Non-issuance of a visa by the Pakistani government has led to the cancellation of actor Anupam Kher's participation in the Karachi literary festival starting February 5.
Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day festival by the organisers but he is the only one whose visa has not been cleared. The other 17 Indian participants have been given visas.
Kher, who has just been honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Indian government, was to participate in at least two sessions and his name figured prominently in the festival schedule.
Confirming that he has not been issued a visa, Kher told PTI here today that he was very saddened by the development as he was looking forward to participate in the festival and use the platform to dispel misunderstandings in the minds of people there.
"We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity," he said.
As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, "I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India."
Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him.
Festival co-founder Ameena Saiyed said they were not given any reason behind the visa denial.
"He has not been issued a visa. Well, I haven't been given the reasons. My own thinking is, it's probably because of the statements he has been making in India for past couple of weeks," SaIyed said.
While accepting that literature and politics cannot be separated, SaIyed felt the Bollywood star's presence would have given the Karachi audience a different perspective.
"WE had organised an exclusive session of him with Ashok Chopra with a very large audience. People would have asked him questions about his views. He would have had a chance to talk to them, to engage with them, to answer their questions and in the process some understanding would have developed," she told a news channel.
Ahead of the meeting with the Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra to clear its stand on government formation, BJP's core group will hold an important meeting in Jammu winter capital city today.
BJP's three-member panel from its state's core group yesterday rushed to New Delhi and held consultations with central leadership before meeting the Governor to discuss government formation.
This is the second core group meeting in past 24 hours.
"At 4 PM, we will hold a meeting of core group to discuss the issue. The panel which had gone to New Delhi for meeting with central leadership will brief us", BJP's General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul told PTI.
He said that after the meeting, the BJP team will meet the Governor over the issue.
Replying to a question on uncertainty over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir, Koul said, "From our side there is positivity and we feel the same from other side. There is no uncertainty from BJP side".
He maintained that the party is sticking to the "agenda of alliance" but "adamancy is from PDP".
A three-member panel of former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, state BJP Chief Sat Sharma and Jammu MP Jugal Kishore had gone to New Delhi yesterday soon after core group meeting here and discussed the issue with central leadership last evening.
After tough talk by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, BJP yesterday made it clear that it will not come under any pressure over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir even as it is committed to the common minimum programme chalked out last year.
On the eve of meeting Governor N N Vohra to convey its stand, BJP put the onus of carrying forward the alliance on PDP, saying Mehbooba has to take a call on continuing the road-map laid by her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The political crisis in Jammu and Kashmir arose after Sayeed died on January 7.
Sayeed's daughter and PDP Chief Mehbooba said on Sunday that before taking a call on continuing the alliance, she wants to "reassess" whether the Narendra Modi government would take substantive steps within a 'set time-frame' to address the "core" political and economic issues of the state.
After Core group meeting yesterday in Jammu, State BJP chief Sat Sharma told reporters that there was "no concrete" demand or condition from PDP in writing.
The Governor has written to leaders of the two parties asking them to clarify their stand on government formation by today.
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 January 7.
Delving deep into the mind of a serial killer, writer and filmmaker Piyush Jha in his latest book has attempted to dispel the popular notion about serial killing prevalent in India.
His recently launched book titled, "Raakshas India's Number 1 Serial Killer," (Westland) is a thrilling narrative of a serial killer's life and the challenging investigation to nab him."
Jha who believes that serial killers exist beyond the pages of fiction says, "I wanted to bring out the fact that in India the idea of serial killers is not understood properly. Not among the police, not among the people.
"Just yesterday I overheard a conversation where a policeman was dismissive about the existence of serial killers in India and suggested that such killers existed only in the western countries. I try to dispel the myth that serial killing does not happen here. It happens in India too," he says.
Jha who is best known for his critically acclaimed film, "Sikander" also has a handful of crime thrillers like "Mumbaistan," "Compass Box Killer" and "Anti-Social Network" to his credit.
According to the writer, people's idea of a serial killer here stems from the American films and television shows that they are exposed to, resulting in the genesis of absurd beliefs like killing could be 'cool.'
"In India, when people talk about serial killers they would think of American concepts like the Dexter or Charles Manson or Zodiac. As if there would be a moon pattern according to which someone would kill people! Through films and characters like Dexter, serial killers have been made into cult figures, they have been made 'cool.'
"But it India, it is altogether a different ball game. Serial killers are killing for money also. They are caused by deep psychological problems but financial reasons also play a part here or may be for survival," he says.
The author in his book does not idolise the killer but tries to find out the reasons that might have fostered the criminal streak in him, through the investigation carried out by his protagonist- a woman IPS officer.
"It is about a man who out of certain circumstances goes out killing people and after a point of time aspires to become India's number one serial killer. It's about the hunt to capture that man. How the police and especially a woman cop lay a trap to capture him and all the events that take place in due course," he says.
"The book is also about the psychological process and mental-health. In India, we don't really take mental health as an issue. If it happens with anyone here then it is seen as a stigma or a taboo that need not be talked about openly.
Jha, who has been a student of psychology says, "We do not talk about a mentally ill person; they are hidden in some back rooms of our homes. We do not like to tell people of them wondering they may think of it as our shortcoming just because we have a mentally ill person in our house."
When asked about the target readership, he says, "Besides the people who like this crime-thriller genre I'm also looking to inform people who might not be reading crime fiction but might be informed about a phenomenon which exists in India. They will also be my readers. So it just broadens the base from crime-fiction lovers to people who want to be more informed about things that happen here."
The author-filmmaker says he has built upon reality. Although it's a fiction, but it is very close to reality, you can feel it happening because it is mired in reality.
Further, divulging about the book, Jha says "A young person has been affected in a particular way. He lives or pretends to live in a normal everyday world. But his mind is so deranged that he can pull that off. So my idea is to convey that it could be any normal guy like a delivery boy or anyone."
"It goes into the psyche. The story in itself gives you an idea that what could be done to prevent it. But it is not so explicit that I tell you that 'these are the solutions.' In the subtext you get the idea that why it happens," says Jha whose previous crime-fictions include "Mumbaistan," "Compass Box Killer" and "Anti-Social Network."
Regretting that most of the Indian writing in crime fiction is a rip-off of Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie, Jha also noted that the genre was misunderstood as only gang versus police fights.
"Crime fiction is being read more. But, what I see most of the writers do is ripping off say a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie or similar stuff. The true Indian crime writing, in the Indian setting, home-grown is less, but I hope it will grow," he says.
"The whole idea of crime in India is the gangster(s) versus police or inter-gang rivalries. We don't have an understanding that it is not really about that. That is just a kind of crime. Crime fiction is what happens to real, honest, normal people in their daily life...people die. Like for example, the story on the Aarushi (Talwar) murder case - that is a true crime story. If I do a story similar to that it will be a crime fictional story," he adds.
Jha's new book is out in stores now while he has already started work on his next crime-fiction.
To check growing attempts by ISIS to attract Indians, the government today reached out to prominent Muslim leaders seeking their help to counter designs of the dreaded group and also fight violence and cross-border terrorism.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry officials apprised the Muslim leaders about activities of the Middle-East terrorist group and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold.
The Home Minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who offered all help to the government in this regard, officials said. While the Muslim leaders offered all help to the government to counter terrorism, they raised the issue of alleged persecution of some Muslim youths in the name of terrorism.
The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to ISIS, the growth of ISIS influence in India's neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response.
Condemning all kinds of violence in the name of religion, the delegation explained that Islam stands for peace and well-being of all and no one should be misguided or have an understanding contrary to this fact.
The Muslim leaders said they were against any sort of terrorist or violent activities including cross-border terrorism. Underlining the fact that Muslims were safe and enjoyed freedom in India, they said this kind of freedom and security is not available to the community even in Muslim-majority countries.
The delegation emphasised that Indian Muslim youths have not fallen prey to any propaganda in the name of Islam and expressed satisfaction on steps taken by the NDA government for creating an atmosphere of peace and security in the mind of the minority community, a Home Ministry statement said.
Among those who attended the meeting were Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, a prominent Shia cleric, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti, chief of Dargah Ajmer Sharief, Niaz Faruqui, General Secretary, Jamait-Ul-Hind, Maulana Iqbal Ahmed Chisti, General Secretary, Maulana Wamiq Rafiq Warsi Sahab, Head, Dargah Dewa Sharief, Janab Mohibulla Nadvi, Chief Imam, Parliament Masjid, Maulana Mohammad Alim Nadvi, Haryana Imams Organisation, Yamuna Nagar, and M J Khan, National Convener, Muslim Economic Forum.
Chief Imam, All India Imam Organisation, Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi told reporters after the meeting that the government has asked them to address the issue and appeal to the youth through mosques to stay away from ISIS.
"This is part of a series of meetings to be held soon. We have raised various issues concerning Muslims, including radicalisation attempts by ISIS and persecution of Muslim youths by security agencies," he said.
Chairman of Confederation of Minorities Educational Institutions, Kamal Faruqui said the issue of youths getting attracted to ISIS was a serious concern. "Government has reached out to us and we appreciate it. We have also shared our concerns to the government," he said.
The need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed, especially in the area of information technology, was also discussed threadbare.
In his remarks, the Home Minister said India's traditions and family values will overcome such nefarious designs of terrorist groups and that while the traction that ISIS has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant in comparison to other countries, there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner.
This was for the first time that the Home Minister had a meeting with Muslim clerics on the issue of ISIS. Last fortnight, the Home Minister had a meeting with top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states and discussed steps to check the growing influence of ISIS among youngsters through social media and other sources. Singh had reviewed the situation arising out of some Indian youths getting attracted towards ISIS on several occasions in the past and how to deal with the challenge.
The Home Minister had also said a large number of people and most Muslim organisations in India had come out against both ISIS and other forms of terrorism.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of whom six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq-Syria.
Around 150 Indians are under surveillance for their alleged online links with ISIS. As many as 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East.
Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youths from Kalyan near Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian. Several Indians, who were trying to recruit youths into ISIS, were deported from friendly countries, including the UAE, recently.
A day after WHO declared emergency over the "explosive" spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the Centre today issued detailed guidelines for combating the disease, including a travel advisory that asks pregnant women to either defer or cancel their travel to the affected areas.
The health ministry said that all international airports and ports will display signage with information on the disease. Travellers will be asked to report to customs if they are returning from affected countries and suffering from febrile illness, it added.
Zika virus, which is carried by mosquito and suspected to cause serious birth defects, has affected countries in the Americas.
In its guidelines, the ministry said that while the disease has not been reported in India, the mosquito which transmits Zika virus, namely Aedes aegypti, also transmits dengue virus, which is widely prevalent in the country.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda said he has asked for steps to be taken to prevent entry and transmission in India of the virus.
The health ministry said the overall situation would be monitored by a 'joint monitoring group' under Director General of Health Services (DGHS) while the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) would identify the research priorities and take appropriate action.
Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) shall be activated at central and state surveillance units with each team comprising an epidemiologist or public health specialist, a microbiologist and a medical specialist, the ministry added.
The National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi would be the nodal agency for investigation of any outbreaks in India, it said.
"Non-essential travel to the affected countries to be deferred/cancelled. Pregnant women or women who are trying to become pregnant should defer/cancel their travel to the affected areas. All travellers to the affected countries/areas should strictly follow individual protective measures, especially during day time, to prevent mosquito bites.
"Persons with co-morbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc. should seek advice from the nearest health facility, prior to travel to an affected country. Travellers having febrile illness within two weeks of return from an affected country should report to the nearest health facility," the guidelines said.
"I have instructed all concerned to take steps for preventing entry and transmission of the virus in India. Sufficient diagnostic capacity and risk communication are also key elements of strategy on Zika virus.
"My ministry is fully geared to deal with Zika virus. No case reported in India. No need to panic," Nadda said in a series of tweets.
A majority of those infected with Zika virus disease either remain asymptomatic (up to 80 per cent) or show mild symptoms of fever, rash, conjunctivitis, body ache, joint pains, the ministry said.
Based on information on previous outbreaks, severe forms of the disease requiring hospitalisation is uncommon and fatalities are rare, it said, adding there is no vaccine or drug available at present to prevent or treat Zika virus disease.
Airports or ports would have quarantine or isolation facilities while Directorate General of Civil Aviation will be asked to instruct all international airlines to follow the recommended aircraft disinsection guidelines, the ministry said.
Spraying of insecticide on board aircraft is known as disinsection.
Health Ministry said that NCDC in Delhi and National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune would be the apex laboratories to support the outbreak investigation while 10 additional laboratories would be strengthened by ICMR to expand the scope of laboratory diagnosis.
The guidelines said that states in India like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where dengue transmission is prevalent aided by weather conditions, should ensure "extra vigil".
WHO has listed 22 countries and territories in Americas from where local transmission of Zika virus has been reported.
Health Ministry said that Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) through its community and hospital-based data gathering mechanism would track clustering of acute febrile illness and seek primary information from those who travelled to the affected areas.
"IDSP would also advise its state and district-level units to look for clustering of cases of microcephaly among newborns and reporting of Gullian Barre Syndrome.
"The states and UTs would create increased awareness... about Zika virus disease and its possible link with adverse pregnancy outcomes (foetal loss, microcephaly, etc.)," it said.
Noting that the public needs to be reassured that there is "no cause for undue concern", the ministry said the central and state governments will take the necessary steps to deal with the virus.
"There would be enhanced integrated vector management. The measures undertaken for control of dengue or dengue haemorrhagic fever will be further augmented," it said.
In the travel advisory, the ministry said travellers with febrile illness within two weeks of return from an affected country should report to the nearest health facility.
The guidelines said that the ministry and state health departments would work closely with NGOs and professional bodies to sensitise clinicians in the government as well as the private sector about the Zika virus disease.
US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter today announced a major boost in military spending to counter future threats and increase presence in eastern Europe and Asia Pacific to deter America's "most advanced competitors" Russia and China, while also stepping up the war against ISIS.
Preparing ground work for the proposed USD 582.7 billion defence budget for the year, which would be submitted to the US Congress by President Barack Obama a week from now, Carter said this budget takes a long term view.
"We have to, because even as we fight today's fights, we must also be prepared for the fights that might come, 10, 20 or 30 years down the road," he said in his address to the Economic Club of Washington.
In his speech, Carter identified, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and non-state actors represented by terrorist groups in particular the ISIS as five major threats to the US.
"Here, our approach is being able to deter our most advanced competitors. We must have and you seem to have the ability to impose unacceptable costs on an advanced aggressor that will either dissuade them from taking provocative action or make them deeply regret it if they do," he said.
"To be clear, the US military will fight very differently in coming years than we have in Iraq and Afghanistan or in the rest of the world's recent memory," he said, adding that the Pentagon will be prepared for a high-end enemy.
"That's what we call full spectrum. In our budget, our plans, our capabilities and our actions, we must demonstrate to potential foes, that if they start a war, we have the capability to win. Because the force that can deter conflict, must show that it can dominate a conflict," he said.
Describing Russia and China as America's "most stressing competitors", Carter said they have developed and are continuing to advance military system that seek to threaten US advantages in specific areas.
"And in some case, they are developing weapons and ways of wars that seek to achieve their objectives rapidly, before they hope, we can respond," he noted.
"Because of this and because of their actions to date, from Ukraine to the South China Sea, DoD (Department of Defence) has elevated their importance in our defence planning and budgeting. While we do not desire conflict of any kind with either of these nations - and let me be clear," he said.
The US military is working to defeat ISIS, he asserted. The US is reinforcing its posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia's aggression.
"In Pentagon parlance, this is called the European Reassurance Initiative and after requesting about USD 800 million for last year, this year we're more than quadrupling it for a total of USD 3.4 billion in 2017," he said.
When combined with US forces already in and assigned to Europe all of this together by the end of 2017 will let them rapidly form a highly capable combined arms ground force that can respond across that theater, if necessary, he said.
"We're also investing more in cyber, totaling nearly USD 7 billion in 2017. And almost USD 35 billion over the next five years," he said.
Government has no plans to determine and register foetuses and monitor delivery of those that are female, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi clarified on Tuesday.
Following strong opposition from womens rights organisation to the proposal, the WCDMinistry released a statement reiterating that Gandhi was merely putting across a suggestion for public debate and as alternative point of view.
In my personal view, the woman should be compulsorily told that whether it is a boy or girl child whom she is going to give birth. It should be registered to be able to check whether they have given the births or not," PTI quoted the minister as saying at All India Regional Editors Conference in Jaipur. We cannot keep catching people doing ultrasound, she said, adding arresting the offenders was not a permanent solution.
Womens rights organisations on Tuesday termed such a policy retrograde and in contravention of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994, where the disclosure of the sex of the foetus is itself the prime offence.
Civil society groups also express astonishment at such a proposal emerging from the Ministry which will severely curtail womens rights to bodily autonomy and ability to access essential maternal healthcare, such as safe and legal abortion services or post-abortion care, said All India Democratic Womens Association (AIDWA), National Alliance for Maternal Health and Human Rights and others in a joint statement.
The Minister must be aware that unsafe abortions significantly contribute to the very high maternal deaths in India, and such rules will contribute to further maternal deaths, the statement said.
Within days of a city court sentencing three men to death for the rape of a 21-year-old college student, her closest friend, Tumpa Koyal, is gearing up to join the fray in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Tumpa has found a comrade in Mausumi Koyal, another woman who led protests against the rape at North 24 Parganas Kamduni in 2013, with both likely to contest on a Left-supported ticket.
Tumpa and Mausumi, who led protests against police inaction and political sheltering of perpetrators, came to public notice when they confronted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who called them Maoist supporters when she went to visit the victims family. Despite being village women with hardly any education, they led demonstrations.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar came to the defence of senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbals nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday night in a money-laundering case.
I have seen other governments besides the Congress and the NCP. I have very closely observed the Shiv Sena-BJP government in 1995. But, in a democracy, I have not seen such a blatant misuse of power in the last 40 years, Pawar said while slamming the BJP-Shiv Sena government.
Pawar, a former Maharashtra chief minister besides holding Union ministries had handled portfolios like defence and agriculture, said: Like in the case of the Centre, the state also has a group of ministers who take decisions collectively. This is a case of collective decision It is unprecedented that three Central agencies investigate one allegation. It means that they want to continue to keep investigating till they get what they want. There is just one family that is being targeted here for political gains. The veteran politician also advised Bhujbal to cooperate with the investigation and come out clean.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has rolled out the first prototype of HTT-40 with the aircraft sporting all of its lights and powered on cockpit. T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL said that the HTT-40 prototype symbolises the renewed and revitalised proactive approach at HAL.
It is important that all of us work towards meeting deadlines by overcoming challenges to meet the expectations at various levels. The project has managed to steer through the initial headwinds and now is going full throttle. There are plans to weaponise and optimise HTT-40 aircraft, he added.
The roll out of the prototype took place recently at the equipping facility of the Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) hangar through a remotely operated minicar.
HAL Board members were present along with members from Flight Operations, IAF-IPMT(integrated project management team) headed by Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar, Regional Center for Military Airworthiness (RCMA) and Regional Director of Quality Assurance (RDQA). The team composition of HTT-40 is the youngest on any prototype programs in HAL.
The aircraft is ready for undertaking ground runs and taxi trials to be followed by its maiden flight. The ground runs will be conducted with the assistance from the engine OEM at ARDC itself.
In November 2015, the Indian Air Force had issued task directive for the Design and Development of HTT-40.
The ARDC also touts HTT-40 as the first ever prototype to be manufactured completely based on a digital mock-up and also by using laser tracked jigs and metal tooling at proto phase itself. Also, the Division has sought active participation of Aircraft Division, Bengaluru which has been identified as the production agency for HTT- 40. Out of the 90 LRUs on HTT-40, 70 systems are sourced from sister Divisions of HAL which include HAL Lucknow, HAL Hyderabad and HAL Korwa(U.P). The Aero Engine Research & Design Centre (AERDC), Engine Division and HAL Kanpur are participating on the engine integration aspects.
MTech students will soon get their revised post-graduate scholarship with the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry issuing a directive to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to immediately disburse funds.
However, crediting of arrears to students bank account may take more time as the HRD Ministry would require at least Rs 1100 crore fund for their immediate settlement.
The Ministry has taken up the matter with the Ministry of Finance and is hoping to get a positive response. If the arrears have to be settled today, the Ministry would require at least Rs 1100 crore fund, sources told Deccan Herald.
While the consultations with the Finance Ministry over payment of arrears is on, the AICTE has been asked to immediately start releasing the enhanced scholarship to students from the funds available with it, they added.
The ministry had notified the revised rates of the post-graduate scholarships (GATE/GPAT scholarship) for MTech students with effect from December 12, 2014, increasing the amount of monthly stipend from Rs 8000 to 12,400 per month.
However, the AICTE could not disburse it due to paucity of funds. About two months after notifying hike in the post-graduate scholarship, the HRD Ministry witnessed a steep cut in its allocations when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament.
As a result, those pursuing MTech in technical institutes operating under the jurisdiction of state governments remained the prime sufferers. Those who cleared their MTech last year are still waiting for their arrears.
Students of IITs and NITs remained unaffected as they have an entirely different system for these things. We have been relentlessly waiting for our enhanced scholarship for last 13 months. This month also, we got Rs 8000 as stipend. There are about 500 such students in my institute only, a student of the Delhi Technological University Ravi Ranjan (name changed) told Deccan Herald.
Students getting admissions to MTech programme on the basis of their score in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering become beneficiary of the scholarship. Those getting admission to MPharma programmes on the basis of their score in Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) are also eligible for the scheme.
Having proven his worth as a leader for the U Mumba side in the Pro Kabaddi League, Anup Kumar, has been designated with the task of spreaheading the Indian mens kabaddi team in the upcoming South Asian Games.
The star raider, who is in the city representing his PKL franchise, discussed a variety of topics ranging from his thoughts on the ongoing PKL campaign to his goals for the National squad. Excerpts.
You have had a mixed start to the PKL this season, with one win and a loss, and you are defending champions as well, are you feeling any pressure?
Not at all. There is absolutely no pressure. We started well against a good side and managed to win the match. The second match against Jaipur Pink Panthers was a tough one but one team has to win and one team has to lose. We made a couple of elementary errors and that cost us the match. But we are definitely playing with a free mind.
What are your thoughts on the U Mumba squad and the new additions that have been drafted in?
We havent really made any big changes. The squad is more or less the same from the previous edition with the major addition being Rakesh (Kumar). He is a very senior player and I can say that his technique is better than mine. He has the experience to know how to play in certain situations and that is something my side will look to utilise.
In your opinion, which teams are strong contenders in this edition of the PKL?
Every team is strong in their own way. But Jaipur (Pink Panthers) has a really good team and will definitely do well again. In addition to them, Puneri Paltan have brought in some strong players to bolster their squad. They will be in contention as well.
The South Asian Games are around the corner and you have been chosen to lead the side. Are you happy with the squad that has been picked considering a few seniors have been left out?
I have been playing for the country for a while now and it has always been an honour. This time around, I have been asked to lead the side so that gives me immense pleasure. I am very happy with the composition of the team. It is a very young and talented bunch that has been picked. Rahul (Chaudhari) and I are the only seniors in the team but we have competent players in each position. Deepak Niwas Hooda is a great addition to the squad and will play the role that Manjeet (Chillar) used to.
With the PKL happening just before the SAG, will there be a drop in the intesity of your game to avoid injuries?
We have to be careful because we will be representing the country. Any major injuries have to be avoided because that will end up being a set-back for the nation. But playing for U Mumba also is matter of pride so there needs to be a balance.
Which team will pose a serious threat in the SAG?
It has to be Pakistan. They have a strong team and will pose the biggest challenge.
Asserting that reservation to Dalits will not be scrapped, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday charged the Opposition parties for instigating them against the government.
They (opposition parties) are also spreading lies against the government that the reservation to Dalits will be stopped. Our government is committed to uplift the Dalits and therefore there is no question of removing the reservation, Modi said.
Addressing a public rally in the cotton city, Modi pointed out that it was the BJP government which had recognised Dr Ambedkar and celebrated his 125th birth anniversary in a big way.
Modis statement came in the wake of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhis criticism that the BJP and the RSS were crushing students especially those from the Dalit community. Accusing the Congress of ignoring the architect of Indian Constitution Dr Ambedkar, Modi said Maharashtra government has bought the house in London where he stayed as a student and made it a memorial. As long as Dr Ambedkars name is in the hearts of Indians nobody could do injustice to the Dalits in the country, he said, adding some people could not digest that a tea seller has become a Prime Minister.
Once again charging the Congress, Modi said all the good schemes and reforms of the government were obstructed by the Congress as the BJP-led NDA did not have there requisite numbers in the Rajya Sabha. It is (schemes and reforms) passed in Lok Sabha but not able to be moved in Rajya Sabha since Congress is opposing it, he added.
Listing out various welfare schemes during the present NDA regime, Modi said people were fed up with corruption and scandals during the previous Congress-led UPA regime.
Now they (people) have got the confidence under the one-and-a-half year rule of the NDA, Modi said and pointed out that the government has implemented schemes like Start Up India, Stand Up India and others.
In a first, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday held a meeting with prominent Muslim leaders seeking their cooperation in tackling the growth of Islamic State (IS).
At the meeting, also attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry officials, Singh reached out to the religious leaders, including prominent priests, to ensure that Muslim youths do not fall prey to terror propaganda in the name of Islam. With the group that Singh met being north India-centric, sources said there are plans for a similar meeting soon of clerics from south India as well while politicians like Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi may also be roped in.
At present, around 160 youths, mostly south Indians, are under surveillance of intelligence agencies for their suspicious online links with the IS.
During the hour-long meeting, Singh and officials apprised the clerics about activities of the IS and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold. Officials briefed them how the social media was misused and the growth of the ISs influence in Indias neighbourhood.
A member of the delegation told Deccan Herald that Muslim clerics would emphasise during Friday prayers about the dangers posed by IS and how it is against the tenets of Islam. No one should be misguided or carry an understanding contrary to the fact that Islam stands for peace, the delegation said.
A Home Ministry statement said the delegation highlighted that Muslims were safe and enjoyed freedom in India and that this kind of freedom and security is not available to Muslims even in Muslim-ruled countries. The delegation included prominent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, Ajmer Darga head Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti, Jamait-Ul-Hind General Secretary Niaz Faruqui, Muslim Economic Forum National Convenor Dr M J Khan, Confederation of Minorities Educational institutions Kamal Faruqui and International Islamic affairs Qamar Agha.
The Congress on Tuesday came out in support of the Supreme Court decision to re-examine its order declaring homosexuality illegal, while the Modi government adopted a cautious approach saying it was yet to take a final view.
Law shouldnt discriminate anyone on the basis of whom you love, Randeep Singh Surjewala, in-charge of the AICC Communication Department said in a statement here.
In Bengaluru, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the Modi government had not formulated any final view on the issue. It is a humane issue, we have to study various aspects and take a final view. The debate is on..., he said, replying to questions on the issue. Former finance minister P Chidambaram also came out in support of the apex court decision to refer the curative petition on Section 377 to a larger bench. I am happy that an error is being corrected. This is only the first step. I look forward to the day when the SC will uphold the judgment of the Delhi High Court, Chidambaram said.
Last year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had called for reconsideration of the 2013 Supreme Court ruling that held homosexuality, under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, illegal. The BJP has been coy on openly supporting the legalisation of gay sex as it believes such a position could affect its traditional support base.
On December 12, 2013, the Supreme Court had overturned a 2009 ruling by Delhi High Court legalising gay sex between consenting adults. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul had expressed disappointment with the apex court ruling then, saying they agreed more with the high court.
On the other hand, BJP leaders have different views on homosexuality with Rajnath Singh declaring in 2013 that the BJP would not support unnatural acts. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had even dubbed homosexuality a genetic disorder. Last year, Law Minister D Sadananda Gowda had vehemently rejected reports claiming that he had suggested scrapping Section 377.
However, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan had voiced support for protection of the rights of homosexuals; BJP leader Ram Madhav had said he would find it hard to consider it a crime.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Tuesday did not favour putting a cap on airfare, saying such an exercise will push prices higher. His remarks came at a time concerns are being raised in certain quarters that at times airlines are charging exorbitant prices for tickets.
Raju said competition has kept the prices down and one should not discourage that. In our analysis, if we take a year of ticketing, 1.7 per cent of the ticketing were priced high. So if you go into floors and caps, we will be pushing up the cost of tickets to about 98 per cent and bringing it down for the rest. I dont think that is how policy is formulated. We would like to keep prices down and things to be passed on to passengers, Raju said. With jet fuel prices going down owing to slump in oil prices, Raju said airlines should pass on the benefits of lower Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices to the flyers.
We have been requesting airlines to pass on the benefits of lower ATF prices. Airlines had a rough time until recently, so they have out done it. Their books are better and ATF has contributed to it. Price benefits need to be given to consumers, he said. Raju also said the ministry has sought service tax exemption as well as customs duty relaxation to boost Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) activities. At present, the MRO works are done abroad. The proposed Civil Aviation policy is likely to give an impetus to the sector by giving sops. Raju said most of the things in aviation sector are dependent on imports. Even for routing checks of aircraft, he said the planes are being taken to Singapore, Dubai and Sri Lanka.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has found one more reason to attack the Centre. While defending his decision to increase petrol allowance from 750 litres to 1,000 litres a month to ministers, he has criticised the Centre for not reducing petrol and diesel prices.
The State government issued a gazette notification on January 28, announcing the hike in allocation of fuel for ministers. As per the notification, the ministers will be permitted reimbursement of petrol allowance, based on fluctuation of the fuel prices.
Currently, petrol is priced Rs 63.38 per litres . If a minister goes for a reimbursement of the entire 1,000 litres this month, then he will be eligible for an amount of Rs 63,380. The amount to be reimbursed will however keep varying depending on the fluctuation in petrol prices - it might be lesser or more than Rs 63,380.
Defending the governments move to increase the petrol allowance of the ministers from 750 litres to 1,000 litres, Siddaramaiah while interacting with the media on Tuesday criticised the Centre for not reducing petrol and diesel prices even after prices of international crude oil crashed to $ 28 per barrel.
Siddaramaiah was reacting to the BJPs remarks, attacking the government for the 33 per cent hike in fuel allocation. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday, he said that when the UPA government was in power, crude oil prices were USD 120 per barrel, but after the NDA came to power, the prices fell to $ 28 per barrel.
Despite a slump in the crude oil prices, why the Centre has not reduced the prices of petrol and diesel? They have no moral authority to criticise us. Moreover, the Centre increased the Excise duty, despite the fall in crude oil prices through which it saved Rs 1.50 lakh crore, he added.
Home Minister G Parameshwara too said the hike had nothing to do with the privileges of the ministers.
He added that at times ministers themselves introduced austerity measures depending on the severity of the situation. He also said that the ministers need not use the entire quota of 1,000 litres, if they do not need so much fuel.
Former Delhi Police commissioner Y S Dadwal on Tuesday resigned as the Advisor to Arunachal Pradesh Governor citing personal reasons, on the seventh day of his assignment.
Former SSB Director General B D Sharma, who retired last week, replaces Dadwal. There was no official word on the resignation though sources said Dadwal was not keeping well due to a slip disc problem.
His condition aggravated and he wanted to return to Delhi. Sources said the governor had told him that he could work from Delhi but the officer felt that he needed complete rest and could not work. He then forwarded his resignation, which was accepted.
Dadwal could not be reached for comments. A text message sent to him remained unanswered. Dadwal and retired IAS officer G S Patnaik were appointed as advisors on January 26 soon after President Pranab Mukherjee declared Central rule in Arunachal.
Patnaik, a 1980-cadre officer who retired in 2013, had held several prominent posts in Delhi government while Dadwal, a 1974-batch officer, was the Delhi Police Commissioner for three years since 2007, the longest tenure so far. Dadwal retired as Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The Siddaramaiah government is set to organise its first global investors' meet Invest Karnataka - 2016 from Wednesday with the aim of attracting more than Rs 3 lakh crore worth investments to the State.
The City has decked up for the three-day event, which expects to host more than 100 industry czars, including Anil Ambani, Ratan Tata and Kumar Mangalam Birla, representatives of top multinational companies and a galaxy of political leaders.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is scheduled to inaugurate the event at the Bangalore Palace. This is the fourth edition of the meet.
The chief minister expressed confidence that the event will double the investments the State has received in the last three years. About Rs 1.50 lakh crore worth of investments have been received since 2013.
Manufacturing, aerospace, automobile and machine tools have been identified as the focus sectors. Seven partner countries France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Japan and Republic of Korea - are sending huge business delegations to the mega event.
The government hopes that the meet will help it to shed its anti-industry image. The State has lost out on many big-ticket investment proposals, including one by Hero Motocorp in Dharwad, in the last two and a half years, mainly on account of slackness in administration.
Besides, e-commerce companies have been grumbling about the taxation policy for quite some time, while several multinational companies like Bosch have been vocal about crumbling infrastructure.
As a result, flow of industrial investment had taken a severe beating. The government has of late taken a number of new initiatives in ensuring ease of doing business to give a boost to the industry sector.
Doing away with trade licence system and introduction of online system for according various clearances for setting up industries are a few among them.
States whose cities could not make it to Top 20 list in the Centres ambitious Smart City programme will be provided an opportunity to participate in a fast-track competition and resubmit their proposals within the next two months.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said April 15 had been fixed as the deadline for resubmitting the proposals.
As many as 23 states and Union territories were left out in the first phase of the Smart City mission. Madhya Pradesh with three cities in the top 20 topped the list. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have two each in the top 20. Karnatakas two cities are Davangere and Belagavi. The top 20 cities were not selected but competed against each other through a rigorous process to get into the list, Naidu pointed out.
Naidu, who presented a report card on the achievements of the NDA government during the last 20 months, said the Centre would strive to get the long-pending GST Bill passed in the budget session of Parliament which would begin after February 20.
Naidu, who also holds the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, said, We will make every effort to get it passed this time... No stone will be left unturned. The government is in regular touch with different parties.
Naidu said GST would revolutionise the taxation system and increase the revenue by 1.5 to two per cent.
He said a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had been called on February 4 to discuss about the budget session.
He said the Cabinet, in a bid push production of compost from municipal solid waste, had approved a proposal to provide subsidy to cities that take up the initiative. The fertiliser ministry will provide subsidy to the city administration for production and sale of compost.
Invest Ktaka good move, says Naidu
A day ahead of the Invest Karnataka - 2016, the Centre said it would render all possible help to ensure the summit is a success. Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said Invest Karnataka is a good move. The Centre will provide support. It is an indication that states want to move forward, he said.
The minister added that it was not possible to manage everything with local investments. We need global investments to cater to the needs of various sectors, he said.
Traffic was thrown out of gear in some locations in the city on Tuesday when municipal employees took out a begging bowl march, as garbage continued to pile up in many areas on the seventh day of their strike.
North and East Corporation employees, including sanitation workers, doctors, teachers, nurses, paramedical staff and engineers are on strike, protesting against delay in payment of their salaries.
Even South Delhi Municipal Corporation sanitation workers have struck work showing solidarity with their co-workers.
Patients are not being examined at municipal hospitals, and almost every school under the North and East Corporations have been shut due to the agitation.
After this katora march, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Sanitation Employees Unions have decided to stage a chakka jam, and block NH 24 on Wednesday.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has now claimed to have credited salaries to all its employees for November.
But the protesting associations said they would continue the strike unless the municipal corporation and the city government find a permanent solution to the impasse on funds for their salaries. We will give salaries to all the employees for December within a few days. Then we will meet these employees unions and urge them to end the strike, said a senior official with North Corporation.
Employees are all set to ratchet up the protests. It seems like nobody is bothered about us. This apathetic attitude of the AAP government and the municipal corporations is insulting to thousands of sanitation employees who work hard every day to keep the city clean. And they are not paid salaries, said Rajender Mewati, general secretary of United Front of MCD Employees. Tomorrow we are planning to disrupt traffic at NH 24. May be then we will be heard, he added.
The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday observed that there was no value for human life in India as hospitals were becoming very unsafe. Had it been the US or any other developed country, the building plan of the hospital would not have been sanctioned without proper fire safety measures.
Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri made these observations while hearing the petition filed by M/s Sushruta Medical Aid and Research Hospital (Bangalore Hospital) located on RV Road in Bengaluru The petitioner has approached the court seeking time to incorporate the fire safety measures after they received a notice from Bescom that they would disconnect the power supply for non-compliance of fire safety norms.
The Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services had conducted an inspection of the hospital building and found that the building has several flaws, no sprinklers and several other setbacks.
Following a report by the fire services, Bescom issued notice to the hospital in January . The bench directed the hospital to comply with the norms and submit a report in two months.
Bonus Act, 2015 stayed
The court granted a stay and restrained the Central government and the Ministry of Law and Justice from enforcing the Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015 for the accounting year 2015-2016.
While hearing the petition filed by Karnataka Employees Association, Justice AS Bopanna also ordered notice to Central government.
The petitioner has challenged the retrospective effect of enforcing the said Act on computing bonus in respect to scheduled employments, under the Minimum Wages Act, by virtue of insertion to the amended provision of the Payment of Bonus Act.
The Central government has issued directions that the benefits should accrue from April 01, 2014. The burden of the enhanced bonus payout for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 on the Central government is expected to be around Rs 6,115 crore, and in addition there is heavy financial burden on the State government and industrial establishments. Also the minimum wages payable to a permanent employee will work out lesser than a non-permanent employee and this is a serious anomaly, the petitioner contended. The petitioners have sought quashing of the insertion of words.
In a major eviction drive, the Bengaluru Urban district authorities on Tuesday reclaimed eight acres of government land at prime locations of Jaraganahalli near JP Nagar and Byrasandra near Jayanagar in Bengaluru South Taluk.
The value of the recovered property is said to be Rs 500 crore. A few real estate heavyweights were among the encroachers, who have built an apartment and a temple on the government land, said the district authorities.
A team of Revenue officials, led by Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner V Shankar, along with demolition squad and earthmovers swooped down to the aforementioned locations at 6 am.
At Byrasandra in Jayanagar, the authorities reclaimed five acres and 38 guntas of land, which has trees, a burial ground, a temple and a park. While the temple has been handed over to the Endowment department, rest of the land has been taken back by the district authorities.
V Sharada and Manjunath claimed that three acres and 13 guntas of land in survey numbers 90/1 and 90/2 of Byrasandra village was granted to them as 'Inam' land. Sharada further added that the property belonged to her husband Venkatesh who has Occupancy Certificate for the same in his name, obtained way back in 1979.
Another woman, Lakshmamma had claimed rights over five acres and 38 guntas of land in survey numbers 88, 89/5 and 89/6. The assistant commissioner had examined the claim. It found that way back in 1951, the City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) had acquired five acres and 38 guntas of land.
Hence, the claimant has no rights over the property, the court had decreed. Challenging the order, Lakshmamma had knocked on the doors of High Court, which had referred the matter back to the assistant commissioner to look into the case afresh.
In the order, dated Jan 21, 2016, Assistant Commissioner L C Nagaraj had noted that the land in question exists as a burial ground in the revenue records. Hence, the claim cannot be sustained.
The Revenue authorities took possession of two acres and 25 guntas of kharaab land in survey number 35 of Jaraganahalli. Many shanties had come up there. When the action began, the occupants of an apartment close to the land objected to it, saying that the property belonged to a developer and that he has all the documents of the land with him. They said that the land has been reserved for setting up of sewage treatment plant.
A 30-year-old man, who was on way to meet his fiancee to wish on her birthday, died after his motorcycle rear-ended a two-wheeler in Mallathahalli in western Bengaluru shortly after Monday midnight, the Kamakshipalya traffic police said.
Umesh, a resident of Vijayanagar, failed to notice a motorcycle slowing down ahead of a speed-breaker near the Mallathahalli bus stop around 12.30 am on Tuesday. He rear-ended the motorcycle, and was flung into the air. He crashed on the ground and suffered grievous injuries.
Gaurav and Vivek, the two men riding on the other motorcycle, suffered minor injuries. Nevertheless, they took Umesh to a hospital but he died on the way, police said. The deceased wasnt wearing helmet while riding and was talking over the phone, too. He had got engaged a few months ago and the wedding was scheduled for later this month.
Pillion rider dies
A 28-year-old man riding pillion on a motorcycle was killed after the two-wheeler rammed the median strip on the Outer Ring Road in eastern Bengaluru in the early hours of Tuesday.
Murugan, a construction worker from Kolar, was riding on a bike with his colleague Rama Reddy on their return from their hometown Kolar. On Tuesday around 2 am, Reddy failed to negotiate a turn on the Outer Ring Road and crashed the motorcycle into the median strip. The bike was dragged for about 50 metres. Murugan suffered head injuries while Reddy escaped with minor injuries. The deceased wasnt wearing helmet. Passersby rushed them to hospital but Murugan succumbed on the way, said the KR Puram traffic police.
Son killed, woman unhurt
A 23-year-old man died and his mother escaped with minor injuries after their bike hit the median strip near Singasandra in southern Bengaluru on Monday night.
Muzammil and his mother Parveen Taj, residents of Shikaripalya, were on way to attend a relatives wedding at Mangammanapalya when the incident occurred at around 7.30 pm. Muzammil was riding at high speed, and lost control over the vehicle which then hit a median.
Muzammil suffered head injuries while Taj had bruises. The public called the Electronics City traffic police who arrived at the spot and took them to hospital where Muzammil was declared brought dead and Taj was given first aid.
The State government might have set an ambitious target for itself to attract investments at the Invest Karnataka-2016, but statistics show that the flow of investment has nosedived between 2013 and 2015 ever since the Congress came to power.
The High Level Clearance Committee (HLCC) and the State Level Single Window Committee (SLSWC) had approved a total of 255 projects in the financial year 2013-14. Of these, only 24 projects were implemented. In 2014-15, the number of industry projects cleared came down to 108 and only seven of them were implemented. Interestingly, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is the chairman of HLCC, and he was holding the Industry and Commerce portfolio till August last year.
The flow of investments appears to be far better during the previous BJP governments despite the State witnessing a long spell of political instability. As many as 776 projects and 470 projects were cleared by HLCC and SLSWC in 2012-13 and 2011-12, respectively. The government is yet release the statistics for 2015-16. But there was not much difference between the two governments as far as implementation of these projects are concerned.
Though a huge amount of investments flowed in during the two editions of the global investors' meet organised in 2010 and 2012, only a few of them were implemented. Of the 578 memorandums of understandings (MoUs) worth Rs 11.98 lakh crore signed during these GIMs, only 122 projects were implemented. The iron and steel sector alone had attracted Rs 2.43 crores investments. Two big steel manufacturers, ArcelorMittal and Posco, had pledged to invest in Karnataka in 2010 GIM. But none of them was able to implement their projects due to turbulence in the mining and land acquisition problems.
Representatives of industry bodies, who did not want to be named, attributed the problem of shrinking investments and projects not being implemented to the slackness in administration and bureaucratic red tape. Besides, the government has not been able implement a number of infrastructure projects taken up under the public-private partnership basis. For instance, none of the five minor airport projects planned to be taken up in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Shivamogga, Hassan and Ballari long ago has been completed.
Industry bodies believe that nothing concrete has been done to address the problem of infrastructure inadequacy, especially in the State capital. Erratic power supply and non-availability of land have been the biggest concerns of investors planning to set up shops in the State. The power supply-demand gap has been widening by the day, forcing the government to buy power at a high cost.
Besides, the government recently trashed the land bank scheme introduced by the previous BJP government. The investors fear that the 2013 Land Acquisition Act the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 adopted by the government would delay implementation of infrastructure projects. The government is, nevertheless, showcasing 112 infrastructure projects to be taken up under public-private partnership, most of which are planned to upgrade infrastructure in Bengaluru, at the meet.
Govt hopeful
However, the government is hopeful that the recent initiatives taken by it for ensuring ease of doing business will boost the industry sector. It has set up a dedicated single-window agency for project approvals under the Karnataka Facilitation Act 2012 and an online project approval system has been introduced through an single-window portal (www.ebizkarnataka.gov.in).
Additional Chief Secretary to Commerce and Industry department K Ratna Prabha said the Invest Karnataka meet had received an overwhelming response from investors across the globe. As many as 3,700 delegates have registered to participate in the three-day event. The government has taken several measures to ensure industry-friendly climate in Karnataka and investors have been very positive in their response, she added.
A motorcycle club known for its inclusion of law enforcement officers had been involved in several high-profile fights with rivals across the country before Saturdays deadly brawl in Denver.
Experts and a lawyer for the Iron Order Motorcycle Club say culture clashes with outlaw groups also known as 1 percenters led to violence in recent years.
The confrontations even rose to the attention of federal agents, who in a 2014 report noted the clubs rapid expansion despite bloodshed.
Probably the best way to put it in a nutshell is to say the Iron Order has been having problems with everybody, said Steve Cook, executive director of the Midwest Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association.
Authorities on Monday identified the 46-year-old man killed in the Colorado Motorcycle Expo fight.
Several guns have been recovered, but no arrests have been made. Seven men were injured in the fight; three remain in critical condition.
Representatives from the Iron Order and Mongols Motorcycle Club blame each other for the clash.
Denver police Cmdr. Ron Saunier said the battle started as an argument at the bottom of a stairwell and quickly escalated. Investigators are still unsure what the fight was about.
During the expo, various motorcycle clubs had established territory within the National Western Complex, Saunier said. He didnt know if the territories were sanctioned or had been claimed once members showed up.
Four people were shot, including Victor Mendoza, who died of a single gunshot wound. An attorney for the Mongols said he was a member of the club.
The Mongols released a photograph they say was taken moments before the fatal shooting and showing an Iron Order member holding a handgun at the top of a stairwell. Mongols members, including Mendoza, are looking on as the armed man is led away.
Later, he was taken off in handcuffs by police but not arrested.
The Iron Order calls itself a law-abiding club, setting itself apart from others linked to criminal activity. That proclamation has been questioned.
Arthur Musselman, a teacher at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center who specializes in motorcycle gangs, said some Iron Order members have been implicated in crime. Still, they are not considered on the same playing field as outlaws.
They have not been classified in the same ranks as your traditional 1 percent motorcycle gangs, Musselman said.
John C. Whitfield, a lawyer for Iron Order, said the group is despised by counterparts. Their three-piece patch, their law enforcement membership and their club colors are points of contention.
When you start wearing patches like the three-piece patch, even if you wear a certain color, it can make some of these 1 percent clubs unhappy, Whitfield said. Because of that we are always getting poked and tweaked. It has led to some altercations.
Typically, new groups are expected to ask permission from outlaws before using certain insignias. Whitfield says the Iron Order has not followed that unwritten rule.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a 2014 report that the Iron Orders patch has infuriated members of several outlaw groups, including the Hells Angels, Iron Horsemen, Pagans and Bandidos. Back-and-forth beatings ensued.
In 2014, an Iron Order recruit shot and killed a member of the Black Piston Motorcycle Club in an altercation outside a Jacksonville Beach, Fla., restaurant.
Last year, the Iron Order was linked to a Mississippi shooting with bikers tied to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
The Iron Orders lawyer said those shootings were in self-defense and the Denver brawl was no different. Outlaw groups see it differently.
Donald Charles Davis, known as The Aging Rebel for his motorcycle club musings on his namesake blog, said the Iron Order very much are troublemakers.
Davis, who has been a member of several clubs, said the Iron Order has picked fights throughout the country. In a posting after the Denver shooting, he said the group is widely despised not only for its members aggressive rudeness but because it is widely considered to be a cop club.
Just about any 1 percenter club you can name has had violent confrontations with the Iron Order Motorcycle Club, Davis said. They just dont play by the rules.
Stephen Stubbs, an attorney for the Mongols Motorcycle Club, on Monday reiterated claims the Iron Order was responsible.
It was a fair fight until the Iron Order member pulled out a gun, Stubbs said. For them to come out and play the victim when they picked the fight is outrageous. They are a bunch of cops who say the rules of society dont apply to them.
The Iron Order says a Colorado Department of Corrections officer fired a shot during the expo brawl, and the DOC confirmed Monday evening that employee Derrick Duran was involved.
Authorities have not said whether the officers shot hit anyone.
Duran is on administrative leave with pay while the case is under investigation, according to the DOC statement. He has been with the department since May 2012.
Attempts to reach Duran were unsuccessful.
Police say they dont know of other law enforcement officers who were involved.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
Iron order
Founded in 2004 by a former federal agent, the Iron Order has been rapidly spreading across the nation. Its known for having a base of police and corrections officers as well as active-duty military and government contractors, but also claims members from all walks of life.
Mongols
The Mongols Motorcycle Club is an international group classified by the U.S. Department of Justice as a highly organized criminal enterprise.
The Colorado Department of Transportation on Monday closed several roads or warned of travel delays because of increased avalanche danger and dangerous winter weather conditions.
Access has been limited or delayed on the following roads:
An accident has blocked all lanes on C-470 south of Interstate 70 because of an accident.
U.S. Highway 50 Westbound has re-opened near Lamar at mile marker 405 after an accident. Lanes are still blocked, and crews are directing traffic. Delays are expected.
CDOT has completed avalanche mitigation work at Lizard Head Pass on Colorado 145.
Delays are expected at Colorado 17s Cumbres-La Manga passes, where CDOT has begun avalanche mitigation work.
Interstate 25 near Monument Hill re-opened after a jack-knifed semi-truck blocked traffic for a few hours.
I-70 is reopen from Georgetown to the Eisenhower Tunnel after an accident blocked traffic earlier Monday.
I-70 is experiencing 20-minute delays in both directions near the Eisenhower Tunnel.
Both northbound and southbound lanes of Colorado 65 have been closed.
U.S. 6 at Loveland Pass was closed Sunday night because of avalanche danger.
U.S. 40 at Berthoud Pass is experiencing 20-minute delays in both directions.
U.S. 550 over Red Mountain Pass was closed Monday morning.
CDOT announced that severe winter traveling conditions mean traction laws apply on many roads throughout Colorados high country.
During the storm, passenger cars must have snow tires, four-wheel drive or chains, including drivers headed eastbound on I-70 between Vail and Silverthorne.
An avalanche warning is in effect for the high country around Aspen, the Grand Mesa and all of the southwestern Colorado mountains until 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued a special avalanche advisory until noon. The alert includes the Front Range and popular backcountry terrain near Vail and in Summit County.
Avoid being on or below any avalanche terrain (Monday), the center said. That includes slopes accessed by leaving ski area boundaries, even if you can glide back in to the lifts. These slopes are backcountry slopes with very dangerous avalanche conditions. A slide doesnt have to be very wide to be deadly, particularly above terrain traps like gullies or thick trees.
The weekend snowfall prompted big crowds at Colorados ski areas on Sunday.
Many went to the mountains to enjoy the first big snow day in weeks.
The high number of visitors, combined with adverse weather and road conditions, led to hours-long delays on I-70 between Vail and Denver.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or denverpost.com/coldcases
Staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
By David Bowman
28 January 2016 (The Conversation) More than 72,000 hectares of western Tasmania have been burned by a cluster of bushfires, most of them ignited by a spectacular dry lightning storm that crossed the island on January 13. The geographic scale of the fires can be seen on the Tasmanian Fire Service website. These fires pose an enormous, ongoing challenge to the fire service, with little immediate prospect of a speedy resolution to this crisis given the absence of soaking rains in the foreseeable future. Thankfully there has been no loss of life and comparatively limited damage to property because most fires are in remote areas. But there is mounting concern about the environmental impacts of the fires to the Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness, especially fires in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park and Cradle Mountain-Lake Saint Clair National Park. Bushwalking tracks, such as the popular Overland Track, have been closed until at least next week. [] The fires are extremely destructive for two main reasons. First, the fires are threatening vegetation that is unique to Tasmania, including iconic alpine species such as the Pencil Pine and cushion plants, as well as temperate rainforests. Second, the fires are burning up large areas of organic soils upon which the unique Tasmanian vegetation depends. It is extremely unlikely burnt areas with the endemic alpine flora will ever fully recover given the slow growth of these species and the increased risk of subsequent fires given the change to more flammable vegetation and the slow accumulation of peat soils, which takes thousands of years. Past fires have resulted in a permanent switch from the unique Tasmanian alpine vegetation to more fire-tolerant vegetation. Destructive fires in the alpine zone are known to have occurred in western Tasmania in the past 10,000 years, yet these fires were extremely infrequent until European colonisation. Due to the reckless use of fire by prospectors, pastoralists, recreationalists and arsonists there has been a drastic contraction of much of Tasmanias unique vegetation. Since the declaration of the World Heritage Area, fire has been carefully regulated with a prohibition of campfires, which has sharply reduced the number of bushfires. Unfortunately, over the last decade there have been an increasing number of lightning storms that have ignited fires. For instance, in 2013 the Giblin River fire that burned more than 45,000 ha was set off by a lightning storm, one of the largest fires in Tasmania in living memory. The current fire season is shaping up to be truly extraordinary because of the sheer number of fires set by lightning, their duration, and erratic and destructive behaviour that has surprised many seasoned fire fighters. The root cause of the has been the record-breaking dry spring and the largely rain-free and consistently warm summer, which has left fuels and peat soils bone dry. [] More fundamentally, the loss of vegetation that takes thousands of years to recover from disturbance is a warning shot that climate change has the potential to result in bushfires that will impact food security, water quality and critical infrastructure. In other words, like the Pencil Pines, our ecological niche will be threatened. [more]
Fires in Tasmanias ancient forests are a warning for all of us
SYDNEY, 31 January 2016 (AFP-JIJI) World Heritage-listed forests whose origins predate the age of the dinosaurs are being destroyed by raging Australian bush fires, with conservationists increasingly fearful they could be lost forever. Firefighters in Tasmania an island state south of the mainland known for its cooler temperatures have been battling bush fires for 18 days, with 95,000 hectares (234,750 acres) of land burned so far, authorities said Friday. While no properties have been destroyed and no one hurt in the infernos which are so numerous that firefighters from across Australia and New Zealand have been flown in to help parts of western Tasmanias famed wilderness have been destroyed by the flames. The fires in western Tasmania are occurring in basically an ecosystem which is a remnant from the geological past, so they are of immense significance scientifically, said David Bowman, professor of environmental change biology at the University of Tasmania. These systems were once more widespread and indeed grew on Antarctica billions of years ago, so they are living fossils. They go back to well before the age of the dinosaurs; they are a tangible connection to Gondwana. Gondwana was a land mass that included present-day Africa, South America, and Australia and formed the southern part of an ancient supercontinent called Pangaea. One of the last expanses of temperate wilderness in the world, the Tasmanian Wilderness was entered into the World Heritage list for its significant natural and cultural values in 1982 and covers nearly 20 percent of the island, or 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres). It includes the Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair National Park and the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, home to popular bush-walking tracks. With the Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) battling more than 70 blazes and access to remote areas difficult, a spokesman said the agency was not able to gauge how much forest had been burned, although most of the fires are in the west and encompass vast swaths of protected land. Species under threat include the southern beech forests, also known as nothofagus, the pencil pine a distant relative of American redwoods and the king billy pine, Bowman said. Some species are only found in Tasmania, leading to concerns that if the ancient, slow-growing trees are obliterated by the blazes, they could take many years to regrow, if at all. Bowman warned that despite the firefighting efforts, only soaking rain could end the emergency as the soil of western Tasmania was drying and turning into so-called brown coals that burn tree roots. Light rain now falling on the island has failed to douse the flames, with lightning strikes sparking more blazes, the TFS told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Lightning strikes were insignificant sources of ignition just a few decades ago, Bowman said. But three years ago, a major bush fire that destroyed more than 100 homes was also in part sparked by lightning. Bowman said that from his assessment, the recent blazes in Tasmania, along with a trend of rising temperatures in Australia and across the world, reflected an increase in extreme fire situations that pointed to climate change. [more]
Tasmanian bush fires raze ancient World Heritage forests
Hobart, 2 February 2016 (AAP) Almost two per cent of Tasmanias World Heritage Wilderness Area has been destroyed by bushfire, authorities say. Crews are still playing catch-up to contain scores of blazes which were started more than a fortnight ago by dry lightning strikes, with Tasmania Fire Service deputy chief Jeremy Smith on Monday saying new outbreaks are still being found. But special attention is being given to the states protected areas as weather conditions ease. We have been able to map a number of these areas around the state and weve calculated at present its approximately 1.9 per cent of the world heritage area, Mr Smith said. Clearing cloud cover meant aircraft have been able to conduct flyovers to direct specialist ground crews to investigate hot spots. As we move through the fire ground were making sure that the fire hasnt got the opportunity to run, Mr Smith added. The heritage-listed area covers some 1.5 million hectares which equals about a fifth of the island state. It has been a shame that a number of areas within the state have been damaged by fire, however its only a small percentage in some of the pristine areas, Mr Smith said. Obviously we want to make sure that any further damage is limited and thats what were actively pursuing. [more]
Bushfires take toll on Tassie wilderness
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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)
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Church Militant, we need to band together to protect our religious liberties and win the culture war!
David Cameron has agreed on the proposed conditions for Britain to remain in the European Union, which will be negotiated by the bloc's leaders before a UK referendum later this year.
After details of a sovereignty 'red card' that will allow a group of national parliaments to club together to block EU laws, European Council president Donald Tusk on Tuesday confirmed in a letter to all 28 EU countries this and measures relating to the three other areas requested by the UK - economic governance, competitiveness and social benefits.
One key point for Cameron was securing the power to restrict in-work benefits for new migrant workers for up to four years, but rather than the outright ban he originally demanded the proposal is now for a measure that will be graduated to take account of the growing connection of the worker with the labour market of the host member state, leaving open the question when the restriction ends.
Other proposed immigration measures include allowing members states to take further action against tackle fraudulent immigration claims such as sham marriages or to act against citizens who represent a serious threat to security.
On economic governance, Tusk and Cameron agreed on a proposal that money from British taxpayers will never be used to support the eurozone.
To improve competitiveness, the proposal inlaces a long term commitment to "regularly assess progress in simplifying legislation and reducing burden on business so that red tape is cut".
Recent report have suggested Britain will go to the polls as soon as 23 June to vote in a referendum on continued EU membership.
On Monday, support for a British exit, or Brexit, from the EU was said to have risen to their highest ever level, according to a YouGov poll.
A total of 42% of people surveyed said they would vote for a British exit, or Brexit, in a referendum that could be held as soon as June, extending a four-point gap over the 38% who said they would vote to remain within the EU, Reuters reported.
Ocado has posted double-digit revenue growth for the year, despite challenging market conditions.
The FTSE 250 online grocery website posted its results for the 52 weeks to 29 November 2015on Tuesday.
It said revenue had jumped 16.7% from 948.9m to 1.108bn compared to 2014.
That was driven by a 12.4% jump in active customers from 453,000 to 509,000, and a 16.8% increase in order volumes with an average of over 195,000 orders per week.
However the company did note that the average basket value declined by 2.1% to 109.95 due to price deflation and an increased mix of standalone orders from its pet store Fetch and kitchen store Sizzle.
Statutory profit before tax rose over 65% to 11.9m for the full year.
Chief executive officer Tim Steiner said the results illustrate the progress Ocado has made through its clear focus on innovation and customer service.
The continued enhancement of Ocado's industry-leading technology and investment into our retail proposition over the course of the year has meant our customers now have greater choice, competitive prices and consistently high order accuracy and on-time delivery.
As a result, customer numbers grew, reflected in strong revenue growth in a very challenging market environment.
The company also said discussions with multiple potential international partners to adopt the Ocado Smart Platform solution continue.
Steiner said the company expects to sign multiple deals in the medium term.
Our ability to package our unique proprietary technology, including our equipment solution, for retail partners outside the UK through our Ocado Smart Platform is proving to be of great interest to a significant number of retailers.
However John Ibbotson, director the retail consultancy firm Retail Vision, said Ocado is fond of portraying itself as the grocery of the future but on this evidence theres a danger it always will be.
Its potential is still frustratingly unfulfilled," he said. "These results show solid revenue growth, but dont yet answer the fundamental question of what Ocado is for.
There is clearly a place in the market for Ocados high-end, online-only offering. Its hard-earned reputation for service is keeping customers loyal, but with the average order size falling and each delivery costing the company up to 20, it is working harder and paying more for every pound of revenue than its rivals.
He noted the results also havent done anything to address the companys 127m of net debt, which increased from 99.4m.
Circleville Pumpkin Show 2022: What you need to know if you plan to go
Vietnam has formally lifted a ban on import of Indian groundnut, thereby providing market access after nine months.
Accordingly Vietnam's Plant Protection Department of Vietnam (PPD) will issue import permits for groundnuts from 18 January 2016, the country's ministry of agriculture and rural development (MARD) communicated the decision to the Indian government.
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 the Directorate of plant Protection, quarantine and storage, Faridabad.
Vietnam had temporarily suspended import of groundnuts from India from 6 April 2015 due to incidence of quarantine pests, including Caryedon serratus and Trogodrma granarium, in consignments of groundnuts exported since January 2015.
In order to resolve this problem, the ministry of agriculture had since 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.
Dominion Resources to buy natural gas company Questar Corp for $4.4 bn
US power producer Dominion Resources Inc, yesterday struck a deal to acquire natural gas company Questar Corp in a $4.4-billion all-cash deal.
Dominion will also assume Questar' debt of about $1.6 billion.
The deal is the third recent merger of power producers with gas utilities after the US government enforced the use of the fuel in power generation.
In August 2015, Southern Co said that it would buy AGL Resources Inc for $8 billion and in October, Duke Energy Corp agreed to buy Piedmont Natural Gas Co for $4.9 billion.
Dominion has offered to pay $25-per-share, a premium of nearly 23 per cent to Questar's Friday close.
Salt Lake City-based Questar is a natural gas distribution, pipeline, storage and cost-of-service gas supply company serving nearly 1 million homes and businesses in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, with around 97 per cent of those customers in Utah.
The company employs about 1,700 people and has about $4.2 billion in assets, including approximately 27,500 miles of gas distribution pipeline, 3,400 miles of gas transmission pipeline and 56 billion cubic feet of working gas storage.
The acquisition would provide enhanced geographic diversity to Dominion's natural gas operations. Dominion's existing operations lie in the heart of the mid-Atlantic, whereas Questar's system is the "hub of the Rockies" and a principal source of gas supply to Western states.
Dominion expects the value of the Questar pipeline system to rise over time as Utah and other Western states seek to comply with the requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan and meet state-mandated renewable standards, with increasing reliance on low-carbon, gas-fired electric generation.
The combined company would serve about 2.5 million electric utility customers and 2.3 million gas utility customers in seven states. It also would operate more than 15,500 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipelines, one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems, and approximately 24,300 MW of generation.
Dominion is one of the largest producers and transporters of energy in the US, with a portfolio of approximately 24,300 megawatts of generation, 12,200 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,500 miles of electric transmission lines.
It also operates one of the largest natural gas storage systems in the US with 933 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves utility and retail energy customers in 14 states.
Commenting on the transaction, Thomas Farrell II, chairman, president and CEOof Dominion, said, "This addition is well-aligned with Dominion's existing strategic focus on core regulated energy infrastructure operations. These high-performing regulated assets will improve Dominion's balance between electric and gas operations and provide enhanced scale and diversification into Questar's regulatory jurisdictions.''
WHO declares global emergency as Zika virus spreads
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday declared an international emergency 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 decision was taken after an emergency meeting of of independent experts in Geneva to assess the severity of the health threat associated with the spread of Zika virus disease in Latin America and the Caribbean, considering the 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.
WHO experts who considered patterns of recent spread and the broad geographical distribution of mosquito species that can transmit the virus, estimate there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year.
The UN body, however, did not recommend any restriction on travel or trade.
Experts agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven. All agreed on the urgent need to coordinate international efforts to investigate and understand this relationship better.
''The lack of vaccines and rapid and reliable diagnostic tests, and the absence of population immunity in newly affected countries were cited as further causes for concern,'' it said.
''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 they can 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 use mosquito repellent.''
WHO called for coordinated international response to improve surveillance, the detection of infections, congenital malformations, and neurological complications, to intensify the control of mosquito populations, and to expedite the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines to protect people at risk, especially during pregnancy.
WHO had in 2014 declared such a public health emergency in the wake of the devastating Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. A similar declaration was made for polio the year before.
WHO, which was widely criticised for its slow response to the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa, has been eager to show its responsiveness this time. WHO didn't declare an emergency until August, when nearly 1,000 people had died of Ebola.
WHO officials say it could be six to nine months before science proves or disproves any connection between Zika and the spike in the number of babies born in Brazil with abnormally small heads.
WHO experts say up to 4 million cases of Zika could turn up in the Americas within the next year.
Zika was first identified in 1947 in a Ugandan forest but until last year, it wasn't believed to cause any serious effects; about 80 per cent of infected people never experience symptoms. The virus has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes muscle weakness and nerve problems.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier has credited authorities in Brazil for being ''extremely transparent'' since the Zika outbreak turned up there in May.
Brazilian officials shared lab samples with foreign experts and brought in scientists from abroad, he said.
''What we know so far is that the only microcephaly cases we see currently are from Brazil,'' Lindmeier said, noting that abnormally small heads in newborns can have many causes - such as the effects of herbicides, alcohol use, or drugs and toxins. ''This is exactly what is the concerning question: why do we see this in Brazil?''
(Also see: India to issue Zika guidelines by Thursday)
The decision to refuse an application to demolish a former cinema in Ballybofey is to be appealed.
Donegal County Council refused an application from the Butt Hall Committee last month to demolish the former Ritz cinema on Ballybofeys Main Street.
Built in 1946, it had been the home of the Balor Theatre for a period but has been vacant in recent years.
The Ritz cinema was designed by Belfast architect John McBride Neill, who is described by the Irish Architectural Archive as the leading cinema architect in Northern Ireland during his career.
The Ritz was his only commission in the Republic from the late 1920s to the 1950s.
No objections to the demolition plans were received although one submission was received late.
In a report, the councils conservation officer stated that the demolition of the building is not acceptable and should be refused.
Donegal County Council refused planning permission stating that the building is a rare example of its type and date in Donegal and is an integral and eye-catching element of the architectural heritage of Ballybofey.
Council planners ruled that the demolition of the building would contravene policies and objectives of the County Development Plan relating to the architectural heritage of the county.
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.
Over 200 business delegates attended a Cross Border Business Support Expo hosted by Newry and Dundalk Chambers of Commerce and supported by InterTradeIreland, Local Enterprise Office Louth on the 27th January in the Carrickdale Hotel.
Thomas McEvoy, representing the Local Enterprise Office Louth commented 'We are delighted to sponsor this important business event. It provides an opportunity for those interested in starting or developing their business to find out more about the help that's available - which is what the Local Enterprise Office is about. A range of supports are open to business, including business training for owners and managers. Details are available on our website at www.localenterprise.ie/Louth.
Michael Gaynor President of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce stated that this was the fifth Cross Border Expo to take place in recent years. The Business support platform format used for the Expo has been very successful one, he said, judging by the increase in exhibitors and delegates attending the event this year.
President Michael McKeown of Newry Chamber stated, as joint organisers of this annual event, Newry Chamber was delighted with its success in terms of networking opportunities created and the opening of communication channels between local businesses and Support Agencies.
There is a wide selection of business support programmes currently offered to small businesses; however, there is some confusion within the business community about where to look for support and exactly what businesses can avail of. In this evolving economic climate local businesses need to take advantage of all appropriate support opportunities open to them. This event provided a unique forum for business owners and managers to speak directly to all the local Business Support Providers on a one-to-one basis, on one day, under one roof.
Over 25 Business Support Agencies catering for the needs of businesses located within the Newry Dundalk region exhibited at this Expo; exhibitors included, InterTradeIreland, Local Enterprise Office Louth, Invest NI, Newry Mourne & Down District Council, Louth County Council, Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency, Southern Regional College, Department of Employment & Learning, Louth Regional Development Centre, Enterprise Ireland, Employability Louth, all of the main lending institutions.
Mr Paddy Savage, Operations Manager at InterTradeIreland said, we are delighted to support this important cross border business event again this year. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind local companies that we currently have a broad range of support packages for businesses interested in doing cross border business or looking for networking/ partnering opportunities across the island. Details are on our website intertradeireland.com
A replica of a burning GPO, complete with simulated flames and billowing smoke was the centrepiece of the 1916 memorabilia exhibition on display at Euro Antiques & Collectables, now open in Long Walk, Dundalk.
Officially opening the newly relocated antique shop, President of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce, Michael Gaynor said that proprietor Jimmy Cumiskey was one of the towns most enterprising businessmen. Jimmy is always promoting new concepts and ideas, and here he has added 1916 to the mix of old and new in his new premises.
In the main display window of Euro Antiques & Collectables is the massive facade of Dublins GPO as it looked back in Easter 1916. It was created by local artists and craftmaker, Jerome of Celtic Art, Castleblayney, who shows a range of his 1916 and patriotic products in the shop. The range includes busts and plaques of the 1916 leaders, James Connolly, Thomas Clarke, Padraig Pearse, Joseph Plunkett, Sean Mac Diarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, and Eamonn Ceannt, which received enormous praise at a recent RDS fair. All items are for sale in Euro Antiques & Collectables, Long Walk shopping centre, Dundalk.
Items relating to Irelands heroic past are also on display, including Free Derry gable end plaque, Ireland Unfree Shall Never Be At Peace plaques, wall hangings, wall plates, engraved sideboard display items, ornaments, busts, historic figures and posters. Many are designed and hand made in Ireland.
1916 marks the proclamation of our republic, and this collection of memorabilia, now for sale in our Long Walk premises, allows everybody to commemorate our history and proudly display items relating to the long fight for independence in their own homes or business premises, said proprietor, Jimmy Cumiskey.
Euro Antiques & Collectables is open in Long Walk Shopping Centre Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm.
A local man has made a plaque in honour of the crew and passengers aboard a plane which crashed on the Cooley Mountains in 1942.
Brendan Connolly from the Alphonsus Road made a statute to mark the spot of the crash of the RAF B-24 Liberator and the 15 people who died when it slammed into boggy ground on the side of Slievenaglogh Mountain, in the Rock Marshall Mountains near Jenkinstown during the Second World War.
Brendan also found pieces of what he believes to be parts of the crash, which he had blessed by a priest in StPatrick's Cathedral.
He made a concrete base using bottles of water that he took up the mountain to make the concrete plinth.
A top the plinth he made a concrete cast modelof the Liberator bomber.
Brendan was sponsored by the Greenore Railway Saloon, Quay Sports, Dundalk Plumbing Limited, The Windmall Bar and Lounge, Life Pharmacy, Staunton Office Supplies and Devenney's Print, Stationary and Art Supplies.
The RAF B-24 Liberator crashed into the mountain after getting lost in thick fog while making a trip from Egypt to RAFHurn in Dorset.
The flight crew were told before they reached the half way point in their journey to turn around due to extreme weather conditions.
However - nearing the point of no return - they decided instead to continue on their fateful journey.
Sadly it left its course and running low on fuel, the crew saw the lights of a city which they understood to be Dublin.
The crew decided to attempt a landing at Greencastle Airfield, County Down. However thick mist hampered visibility, resulting in the aircraft crashing into Slieve-na-Gloc and breaking apart on impact.
The alarm was raised by a local man by the name of McKevitt who heard a plane overheard before a loud crash.
After he witnessed the scene he got medical help, and miraculously there were five survivors.
Accounts vary, but ultimately 15 people died as a result of the crash.
Writing in 2006 in the Democrat, former editor and current columnist Peter Kavanagh wrote: In spite of this, it is my own memory of the times is that many people from Dundalk went out to the scene of the crash in the days and weeks that followed- hunting for souvenirs.
The wreckage of the plane was scattered over a wide area and I recall that at about that time we got a load of turf from the mountain delivered to our homein Dundalk.
Fuel was very scarce at the point in the war and we burned anything we could get to keep us warm in cold weather.
Later, when the bottom of the turf pile was reached, my brother found several aeroplane parts, including some heavy ammunition cases, buried in the mould.
David Tolson - a brother of the one of the airmen killed - visited the site with family in 2002.
Brendan statute is not the first memorial on the mountain of course.
Previously Noel Roddy erected a metal plaque near the site.
The plane was one of the three to crash during the war.
A British Hudson bomber crashed killing 3 in 1941 and a P-51 Mustang fighter of the US Army Air Forces crashed in September 1944 killing its pilot.
Check out East Niagara Post videos on YouTube, Vine and Periscope.
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Madison Seib, a student at Newfane Senior High School has been selected to represent the school as a National Youth Delegate to the 2016 Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University.Seib joins a select group of 250 students from across the country to participate in an intensive study week-long of leadership in environmental science and conservation. Seib was chosen based on academic accomplishments and a demonstrated interest and excellence in leadership in the sciences and conservation studies.George Mason University along with partners, National Geographic and the National Zoo are excited to welcome the nation's youth scholars to Washington, D.C. With distinguished faculty, guest speakers, and direct access to elite D.C. practitioners, the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment offers aspiring environmentalists and student leaders an unparalleled experience. The week-long program is held at George Mason University's state-of-the-art campus. The Summit will encourage and inspire young leaders who desire a unique experience focused on successful careers in this dynamic industry.The Washington Youth Summit on the Environment will be held June 26 to July 1. For more information, visit wyse.gmu.edu
Darnell Earley, the former Flint Emergency Manager and current Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager will resign on February 29th according to a statement released by Gov. Snyder this morning on the state website.
Earley, who has denied he was responsible for any of the problems in Flint or Detroit Schools, is quoted in the statement as basically saying, Mission Accomplished:
When I was appointed to this position, Gov. Snyder and I agreed that our goal was for me to be the last emergency manager appointed to DPS. I have completed the comprehensive restructuring, necessary to downsizing the central office, and the development of a network structure that empowers the educational leadership of our schools to direct more resources toward classroom instruction.
Although they may have planned for him to be the final Emergency Manager, the same release says that Governor Snyder will appoint a transition leader before the end of the month to set in place his plan to restructure DPS to address the districts academics and finances. This suggests another Emergency Manager since, according to Public Act 436 Michigans anti-democratic Emergency Manager Law the next step after an Emergency Manager is a receivership transition advisory board, not a transition leader.
The embattled Snyder-appointed overseer is also refusing to testify before a hearing into the Flint water crisis being held by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee tomorrow.
With the U.S. House Oversight Committee set to hold the first hearing into the Flint water crisis Wednesday, a congressional staff member told the Free Press late Monday that former Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley has declined to testify. The report that Earley would decline to testify came Monday night. On Tuesday morning, Gov. Rick Snyders office sent out a release saying Earley, who has been serving as emergency manager for the Detroit Public Schools, had notified the governor of his intent to leave the position effective Feb. 19 [sic], 2016. In the release, the governor did not mention Earleys decision not to testify, which came from a congressional staffer who spoke anonymously because the committee hasnt made Earleys decision public. Neither a committee spokesperson nor Earley, who the Free Press tried to contact through Detroit Public Schools, responded to calls to confirm the report.
The Michigan Democratic Party is calling on Gov. Snyder to compel Earley to testify, puzzling over what they call Gov. Snyders inexplicable praise for Earley in the resignation statement.
Detroit-area legislators Senators Morris W. Hood III, Vincent Gregory, Hoon-Yung Hopgood, Bert Johnson, David Knezek, and Coleman A. Young II echoed the MDPs position in a joint statement:
We welcome Earleys resignation, but it doesnt signal the end of investigations or accountability. He needs to answer for his role in the Flint water crisis and for failing to acknowledge the deplorable learning conditions in the Detroit Public School System. The state cannot allow Earley to use this resignation as an opportunity to escape responsibility. He still must be compelled to testify and to release the details of his severance package and contract.
Senate Democratic Leader Jim Ananich said its not enough that Earley resign. The public also has a right to know all the details about his severance package, contract terms and any nondisclosure agreement, Ananich said in a statement. Make no mistake, this announcement today was not motivated by what is best for the children it was about saving face for the politicians who are worried about what he might reveal under oath.
Those who have watched Earleys catastrophic career in Michigan as he made a critical decision that resulted in the poisoning of Flints drinking water and showed callous disregard about the deplorable conditions in many DPS schools have called for him to be removed from his position for months. While his departure will do little to solve DPSs problems, we can at least hope that the next person in that position isnt so cavalier about what students and teachers are living with every day and that he or she will be proactive in making things right.
One thing to note: If Gov. Snyder replaces Darnell Earley as the DPS Emergency Manager, the two year clock resets and the school system could be under the next overseer for at least two more years. Because thats how it works in Michigan: Emergency Managers may only stay in place for two years. However, a loophole allows them to be replaced shortly before their tenure expires which adds two more years to timeline.
Yesterday I posted an excerpt from and a link to the essay No Words in my #FlintWaterCrisis news round-up. The piece by Ann Arbor social worker Beverly Davidson, LMSW, was extremely well-received so I asked her for permission to repost it here at Eclectablog, which she gave me permission to do. Davidsons writing is clear and thoughtful and tells a side of the story thats not getting told. Visit her blog Voices from the Infant, Toddler and Family Field for more of her excellent work.
I usually end my introductions to guest posts with Enjoy. But theres nothing to enjoy here except, of course, Davidsons emotional writing. The story she tells is one of continuing failure on the part of our state government to address a crisis that it created. And, because of that, people are scared, people are suffering, and, worst of all, people are being hurt.
So, instead of saying Enjoy, Ill say Learn. And also, Share. Its important that this message gets wider attention.
No Words
By Beverly Davidson, LMSW, originally posted HERE
Yesterday two of my friends and I had the honor of volunteering in Flint, MI for a small NGO called Crossing Water. This is a volunteer organization started by some members of the National Association of Social Workers-MI chapter. The goal of this group is to create connections among community groups in Flint to help serve impoverished communities who are deeply affected by the current water crisis. What I saw was heart-breaking beyond words. And it was only one day there. I am trying to imagine living this way and I cant.
We came to a low-income housing complex run by the Flint Housing Commission. I saw a case of water on peoples doorsteps that had been delivered earlier in the day by volunteers. There was no governmental system in the complex to test water, distribute water, or provide lead-testing to the children. This is a complex managed essentially by HUD. Where are the government leaders?
We knocked on one door to deliver filters and water. A young man answered who was happy to see us. Do you have a filter? He does, but it did not fit, so we gave him another one which would work in his unit. I asked if he had had his water tested, and he was not sure. He showed me the testing bottle he had from his aunts house, which was on the floor of his car, but he could not find the paperwork to go with it (which is used for tracking and data analysis). I explained how he had to get his water tested, making sure he understood to use unfiltered water that had been in the tap for at least 6 hours. He had no idea he had to do this, as he had not heard that filtered water was not safe to drink either. Children under six live with him, and they cannot drink even the filtered water. He had no idea, no one told him, and he does not have access to the internet to get all of the updates online. My brilliant friend had the idea that instead of the Governor hiring PR firms to spin his reputation, perhaps he should hire PR firms to get a coordinated message out on safety and testing to ALL the people of Flint.
The next house four young children answered the door gleefully, as if they knew we were delivering water to them. The little girl joyfully showed us her newly painted nails as we talked to her young auntie who was caring for them while their mom was at work. We explained to the aunt about how to get her water tested, and she had no idea of the process. She at least had a filter and we made sure she knew the kids could only drink the bottled water. Then, the young boy strongly and sternly put out his arms for the case of water. I said, Its pretty heavy, kiddo, but he persisted with I can do it! I gave him the case and he proudly held it and brought it into the apartment. All I could think about was that this little boy should not have to be so strong and sturdy that his little arms have to carry a case of water for his family, he should be holding out his arms to catch a ball or grab a swing. But he was eager and ready for water. Water he should be getting out of his tap, not out of a bottle.
Knock. knock. A young mom answers her door and we ask if she needs water or a filter. She needed both, and I asked if there were any urgent medical issues. She said her baby had a bad skin rash after a bath the other day, but its ok, it went away today. NO, NO, NO, its not ok. In the state of Michigan in 2016, a mother should be able to joyfully give her baby a bath and trust that her baby will be safe from skin rashes. The saddest part is that this young mom just accepted this without much anger or question. She has learned to live in a world that has treated her less than for so long that she readily accepts that her home is giving her baby skin rashes.
A few doors down, a young man answers the door for his elderly male relative who is homebound. We give him some jugs of water and ask if they have a filter. yea, someone came by one day and gave us one. Did you know that you have to change your filter regularly, like every 2 months? He yells to his relative and asks about the filter. no, we didnt know that, ya got any? So we gave him a replacement cartridge. Did anyone tell you to test your water? Nah, how do you do that? We give him a test kit, the instructions, and realized that the water testing being done is abysmal.
A woman runs out to our car and asks if she can have some water because her daughter is pregnant. Her apartment is not on our targeted list but of course we will give her water. Do I need to sign something for the water? My friend reassures her No, no, you do not need to sign anything, we are not checking anything, we just want you to have water. She knows that her pregnant daughter cannot drink even filtered water, but she does not know how to get her unit tested. We give her a test kit. We need to get our blood tested, do you know where we can go? I look up test sites on my Iphone, give her some information and tell her to take care of herself and her daughter. She thanks us profusely, and we get in our car and scream. How can this be happening?
I ask another woman if anyone from the Housing Commission has been out here. Nah, but we got some water delivered once by a guy in a big Budget truck. Good God, this crisis has been going on for 2 years and no one from Housing & Urban Development (HUD) or the Housing Commission has been out here to educate its residents or test the water?
Later in the afternoon we go further into the East side of Flint. The dilapidated homes are surrounded by barren lots, old abandoned buildings, a trailer park with gutted trailers tagged with graffiti all next to a junk yard and old factory. One house we are trying to reach has a disabled adult who is homebound. His dog is outside and greets us, doing his duty and barking and protecting his home. We respect him, but then I see a person looking out the window. We hold up some water, but no one comes out. I wonder, would I come out and get water and a filter from a complete stranger? Would I want to show my vulnerability and inability to perhaps walk or move, and come face to face with a stranger who reminds me daily that I cannot drink water from my own home? No, I do not think I would. We understand this, we understand that this dog is not menacing, but protecting its owner, and we gently leave the cases of water and filter on the driveway. I hope they understand we do not judge, we do not want to cause shame. We just want them to be safe.
My friend knocks on the next door, and an elderly woman doesnt get up but lets her peek in. We are here with Crossing Water to deliver water to you. She does not want us to come in and really does not want us to ask any questions. We know she is homebound, is isolated, and has cancer from the canvassing done earlier, which is why we are there. We want to make sure she is medically ok, has a filter and understands the risks. My friend tells her we have 3 cases of water for her. I only want 2. No, really, we have three for you. I only want 2. Respectfully, we leave two cases for her. And I know my friend will never be able to get this womans face out of her mind. What will happen to her? 2 cases of water does not last long.
Across the street we go and knock, knock, knock. A young mother of four races out to greet us in her driveway. Oh, my god, Im so glad to see you guys, I just had a baby 3 weeks ago and Ive been drinking water from the tap my whole pregnancy. I dont have a car because someone stole the ignition out of it. I have some water for the formula but I have to wash his bottles with the tap water. We give her a filter, a test kit, and extra jugs, breaking the rules of how much water we can deliver to each house. My heart breaks. I work with infants, I know the effects of neurotoxins during pregnancy. This baby likely has had massive lead exposure that is yet to be discovered. This mom may have known the risks but HAD NO CHOICE but to use her only source of water for the last 9 months. Her older daughter is watching us from the window. She looks sad. But is she mirroring my face?
The city was eerily quiet, with a myriad of In and Out marts, gas stations, bars, vacant lots, run-down houses, and churches surrounding the East side. I wondered where all the water trucks were, where the National Guard were, where are all the governmental leaders? This city has its entire water distribution destroyed, and all we could see were private volunteers at churches and businesses handing out cases of bottled water to people through a make-shift assembly line. We can go to the Middle East, bomb and destroy entire cities, rebuild these cities, and we cant fix this? Where are the temporary water systems that our government could set up? Where are the military personnel and trucks who could deliver cases of water and filters to people who have no resources nor transportation? Folks are supposed to go to a local fire station, pick up a filter, a test kit, some water, and then return the test kit to the fire station for testing? Thats the plan? Seriously? In 2016, thats the plan?
I thought wed see a local Command Central in an abandoned building, a church, or a school where there was a base of operations for water testing, water distribution, and lead testing. I thought wed see National Guard going door-to-door collecting water samples from each home so that accurate testing and mapping of the city could be done in an organized and coordinated manner. I thought wed see Red Cross tents throughout the poorest parts of the city. What I did see were local groups and amazing volunteers of people from churches, social service groups, and unions meeting people in their homes so they could at least have bottled water and filters. What I did see was good people trying to help, perhaps restoring some kernels of hope for people who have been beaten down. More importantly, what I did see were poor people who, instead of being outraged at the indignity and destruction their government has created for them, have been so disenfranchised and are so impoverished that they have been conditioned to believe they are not worthy of even a basic human right such as clean water.
Not only does the infrastructure need to change, but so does an entire belief system on how we treat the poor.
In the words of Hubert Humphrey, The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick and the needy, and the handicapped.
In this city, in this state, our government has failed this test immeasurably.
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(Mark Blinch/Reuters)
Google has been secretly conducting a project in New Mexico that involves 5G Internet-compatible and solar-powered drones that may have the capability to transmit gigabits of data every second, which is 40 times faster than the world's current fastest wireless services, including LTE.
The project, codenamed "Skybender," aims to take advantage of the high frequency millimeter waves found on the atmosphere's electromagnetic spectrum. Theoretically, this specific region can transmit data faster and more efficiently than the frequencies handset devices and wireless Internet are using at present.
"The huge advantage of millimeter wave is access to new spectrum, because the existing cellphone spectrum is overcrowded. It's packed and there's nowhere else to go," electrical engineer Jacques Rudell from the University of Washington, who is not involved in the project, told The Guardian.
Millimeter waves pose a problem, though. In comparison to mobile phone signals, they have much shorter range. According to the report from The Guardian, the 28 GHz frequency that Google is testing at Spaceport America would fade in around a tenth the distance of a 4G phone signal.
While project "Skybender" is very much still under wraps, Rudell guessed that the team involved behind it would have to figure out how to use a drove of high-flying drones to focus 5G transmissions in a so-called phased array configuration. Rudell admitted, though, that this process is difficult, "very complex and burns a lot of power."
Google has obtained their permission to continue the test of their drones from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The permit allows the company to conduct their experiments in US airspace until July 2016.
Google is not the first to work on such an ambitious project. A program called Mobile Hotspots conducted by Darpa, the research arm of the US military, was aimed to use drones that could deliver one-gigabit-per-second communication "that is organic to tactical units."
(Charles Bombardier/imaginactive.org)The Antipode, a supersonic business aircraft concept by Canadian inventor Charles Bombardier.
In just 11 minutes, it is now possible to fly from London to New York via a supersonic business jet called the Antipode.
Travelling at a speed of Mach 24 or 24 times faster than the speed of sound, this new business aircraft design by Canadian inventor Charles Bombardier can transport passengers from London to New York in 11 minutes and New York to Sydney in 30 minutes, Telegraph UK reports.
According to CNN, the Antipode, which flies 12 times faster than the 2003 turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet, the Concorde, is capable of carrying not more than 10 passengers at 23,427 miles per hour.
The man behind this futuristic design is an industrial engineer and an entrepreneur of the Canadian multinational aerospace and transportation company, Bombardier Inc.
"I wanted to create an aircraft concept capable of reaching its antipodeor diametrical oppositeas fast possible," Bombardier told Forbes.
Apparently, the Antipode is not his first supersonic aircraft design. Last year, he also conceptualized another high-speed plane that could travel at Mach 10, which is dubbed as the Skreemr, according to a separate report from Telegraph UK. It can carry 75 passengers at 7,673 miles per hour.
The Antipode, like the Skreemr, would be equipped with a scramjet engine which virtually has no moving parts, unlike the common jet engines. It would propel to 40,000 feet through its rocket boosters wings that utilizes the oxygen from the atmosphere, eliminating the need to carry tanks of oxygen.
"The cost of producing the Antipode would be less than that of the Skreemr since it would be smaller and use existing technology," Bombardier told Forbes. "But it would still cost a lot more than any business jet on the market today."
Although it's a promising invention, the scramjet engine still has not been developed. In fact, CNN reports that NASA hasn't even built a stable scramjet yet. However, The Pentagon was able to launch a small, unmanned scramjet at a speed of Mach 5 last 2013.
(Photo: WCC)Orthodox Patriarchs who met in Chambesy, Geneva, Switzerland from Jan. 21 to 28, 2016 and convened a Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church to be held in the month of June, 2016 in Crete. In the center of the photograph with a short staff is the Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew and on his right is the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit.
The heads of most of the world's Orthodox churches have called a Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church to be held in the month of June in Crete that will be a first for the churhces.
They said in a statement released by the World Council of Churches Feb. 2 that a meeting chaired by the Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, set the date in Chambesy, Geneva, Switzerland.
The Council will be held at the Orthodox Academy of Crete from 16 to 27 June 2016.
"The items officially approved for referral to and adoption by the Holy and Great Council are: the mission of the Orthodox Church in the contemporary world, the Orthodox diaspora, autonomy and its manner of proclamation, the sacrament of marriage and its impediments, the significance of fasting and its application today, and relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of the Christian world," the patriarchs said in their statement..
FIRST MEETING OF 14 CHURCHES
John Chryssavgis, an archdeacon and theological advisor to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, wrote, "The council of 2016, which has been on the table for discussion and preparation since at least 1961 (although there were earlier proposals for such a council in the 1920s and 1930s), will for the first time ever gather representatives from all 14 independent Orthodox Churches.
"The very conception, let alone the convocation of such a great or general council, is entirely unprecedented.
"It will be attended by patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops from the fourteen autocephalous Orthodox Churches, including those from all of the ancient patriarchates, with the exception of Rome," he wrote on the website First Things.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew convened a Synaxis of Primates of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambesy, from Jan. 21 to 28.
Virtually all of the primates attended the synaxis in person with a few exceptions.
Patriarch John X of Antioch and Metropolitan Sawa of Poland were unable to attend due to health reasons, and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece was absent for personal reasons. All three were represented by officially authorized delegates.
The primates also determined the establishment of a Panorthodox Secretariat, the by-laws of the Council, the participation of non-Orthodox observers in the opening and closing sessions, and the Council's budgetary costs.
"Moreover, the Primates expressed their support for the persecuted Christians of the Middle East and their ongoing concern for the abduction of the two Metropolitans, Paul Yazigi of the Patriarchate of Antioch and Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Archdiocese."
Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), hosted a dinner with the Primates of the Orthodox churches at the Ecumenical Institute at the Chateau de Bossey.
They were reminded of the role the institute has played in the ecumenical theological education of church leaders since its creation in 1946.
Patriarch Bartolomew was a Bossey student 50 years ago, and Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church was a Bossey professor for many years, while Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and all Albania was president of the WCC from 2004-2013.
The following primates attended the January meeting in Switzerland:
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria
Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow
Patriarch Irinej of Serbia
Patriarch Daniel of Romania
Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria
Patriarch Ilia of Georgia
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus
Archbishop Anastasios of Albania
Archbishop Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia
On Monday, NSW experienced its second multi-school evacuation as a result of a bomb threat. Last week, NSW and Victorian schools were evacuated for the same reason.In the latest incident, nine schools were evacuated in total. However, a police spokeswoman said there was nothing to substantiate that there was anything serious at any of the schools involved.Even though all threats proved to be false alarms, the schools involved acted decisively by contacting police and evacuating students as a safety precaution and rightly so.While bomb threats made against schools are almost always hoaxes, no principal would be willing to bet 500 or so lives on that possibility each time by ignoring it.But what happens when this becomes a weekly or daily occurrence? The learning of an entire school is disrupted while students, staff and parents begin the anxious wait to see whether or not theyre safe.After receiving a bomb threat in December, New York kept its schools open , even while schools in Los Angeles were being evacuated due to the same threat.We do believe that this is in fact a hoax, and we will investigate it as such, but we cannot allow ourselves to raise levels of fear, said NYPD commissioner, Bill Bratton, calling the Los Angeles school evacuations a significant overreaction.Similarly, Texas schools stayed open despite receiving threats by email the following day.Obviously someone is trying to scare Dallas and thats not going to work, said Dallas Mayor, Mike Rawlings.Dr Clarke Jones, counter-terrorism expert from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, is no stranger to this issue.Jones told The Educator that while the threats might seem menacing, the perpetrators were likely to be kids playing on the current state of fear about terrorism.However, the public would never tolerate a school ignoring a threat if an actual attack were to be carried out so it is imperative that schools act on each and every threat, he said.If there was something of a more sinister note, I think there would be a much more serious test of responses. Given the nature of the ones were seeing now, it doesnt seem to be anything coordinated. While I cannot quantify it, I doubt that there would be any actual links to terrorism behind these threats.Jones said that due to the frequency of threats, the threshold for reacting to these sorts of events has lowered, meaning that schools are reacting more quickly and efficiently to threats than what they have in the past.This has particularly been the case over the last five years due to the deteriorating security situation around the world, he said.Schools have become well-rehearsed at making sure students and staff are safe without being too disruptive to the learning process.
While public school students participation in the Advanced Placement program has shot up over the past two decades, the academic caliber of the course-takers does not appear to have been watered down, according to new research from the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank in Washington.
If you look at the overall achievement of students over time, youd expect it to be falling, said Nat Malkus, a senior research fellow for the AEI who wrote the two recent reports on the subject. But during the years for which he could compare data, overall performance levels for students who took an AP class didnt show any reduction.
The findings counter an oft-cited criticism of the College Boards program: That it has expanded too quickly to maintain its reputation for being rigorous and college-level.
The studies also show that students of color are just as likely as white students to attend schools that offer AP. Malkus argues that means lack of access to AP isnt causing racial gaps in course-takinglack of academic preparation is.
But some equity advocates take exception to the idea that having an AP course in a school is the same as having access to it.
You have to dig a little more deeply, said Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Many schools have many rules about who gets into AP. ... The reality is a bunch of kids are not being advised to take it or are not allowed to take it.
AP in High Schools Despite continued growth in the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses, the percentage of public schools offering AP declined between 2008 and 2012, according to AEI researcher Nat Malkus. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey, 1999-2000, 2003-04, 2007-08, and 2011-12.
Much of the previous research on AP participation has relied on data from the College Board, the nonprofit that administers the program. That organization tracks AP exam-takers, and has shown that the numbers went from 330,000 students in 1990 to more than 2.2 million in 2013. But Malkus looked at data from outside sources on AP course-taking, including the National Assessment for Educational Progress High School Transcript Study and the Department of Educations office for civil rights, and limited his scope to public high school students.
Quality Control
To try to determine whether AP courses enrolled less-qualified students as they scaled up, Malkus linked 12th grade math scores on the NAEP test to high school graduates transcripts. (Math was used as a proxy for overall performance because correlations between achievement in math and in other subjects are high, the report states.)
He found that for the years 2000, 2005, and 2009, over a span in which Advanced Placement participation rose 35 percent, course-takers NAEP scores remained basically unchanged, and were well above the national average. This suggests that APs quality-control efforts appear to have maintained the programs integrity, writes Malkus.
Trevor Packer, the senior vice president for AP and instruction at the College Board, said in an emailed statement: These conclusions match our own finding that AP exam performance has remained very consistent during a time of significant growth in access to AP opportunities, indicating that AP classes typically remain challenging, college-level academic environments.
But educators and students whove had conflicting experiences may not be convinced by the data. In a 2012 Atlantic article, John Tierney, who taught an AP American Government and Politics course for a decade, wrote that when his school went to an open-admissions policy for most AP courses, the overall academic level of the students declined. I would say that two-thirds of the students taking my class each year did not belong there. And they dragged down the course for the students who did, he wrote.
Pope, who is also the co-founder of Challenge Success, a nonprofit focused on balancing students well-being and achievement, said the watering down problem is likely not going to show up in aggregate statistics like those Malkus analyzed. Instead, it seems to be more of an issue in subsets of underserved schools. Schools that have traditionally not had a lot of AP takers, all of the sudden they have an AP program and are trying to get kids in there, she said. They want more kids to be college-ready, but theyre not doing all of the things that go along with that.
Despite the rapid rise in overall AP participation, the AEI research also found that from 2008 to 2012, the percentage of public high schools offering AP courses declined from 79 percent to 74 percent. Thats in part because many small schools, with perhaps only a few hundred students, stopped offering AP during that time, said Malkus. The percentage of rural and high-poverty schools offering AP courses also showed some declines during the same period.
Rather than trying to sustain on-site AP programs, Malkus recommended in one of his reports that smaller schools move to online AP courses.
There are barriers to this approach, however. Online classes can provide valuable access for some students, but for others, the challenge of taking a college-level course isolated from peers and without an on-site teacher/mentor has proven daunting, such that the course-completion rate is very low, the College Boards Packer wrote in an email. Technology access can also be a problem for some students, he said.
Whats Causing Race Gaps?
Its been well-documented that black students are underrepresented in AP coursesand that the racial gaps have been persistent. Malkus confirms that since 1994, black students have had much lower AP participation rates than either white or Hispanic students. Hispanics were slightly less likely than whites to have an AP course credit. Asians have the highest rate of AP course-taking, with 7 in 10 graduating with an AP credit.
But Malkus also looks at the data in another way that appears to level out some of those racial gaps: In 2012, about 90 percent of all students attended a school that offered at least one AP courseand that rate was similar for black, Hispanic, and white students. (Asians were slightly more likely to attend a school with an AP course, at 95 percent.)
The race differences in AP access are much smaller than, and not clearly aligned with, the race differences in AP participation by graduates, the study says. The number of courses students had access to didnt differ much by race, either, Malkus found. On average, white, black, and Hispanic students all attended schools that offered about 12 AP subjects. These results make it clear that racial differences in AP course credit are not primarily driven by access at the school level, he writes.
However, to say that students have access to AP simply because its offered in their high school ignores the realities of how class placements happenand how explicit and implicit biases can play into such decisions.
A 2013 study from the Education Trust, a group that promotes academic equity, found that many low-income students and students of color who would have benefited from taking AP courses were not enrolled in them, despite being in schools that offered them. The experience of having potential and not being placed in the class is more common among students of color than it is among white students, said Marni Bromberg, a senior research associate at Ed Trust.
Schools may use teacher recommendations, course prerequisites, grades, and test scores for placement decisions.
Whether its explicit or tacit, [black and Hispanic students] are hearing the message from educators and peers that AP isnt for them, said Bromberg. Insufficient guidancefrom counselors, teachers, or parentscan steer students away from advanced courses as well, said Pope.
Even so, Malkus argues that the main driver behind the racial gap in AP course-taking is that more black students arent academically prepared to take the coursesa problem that he says starts early. It is fantasy to think that schools can fix participation gaps in AP while demonstrable achievement gaps persist in early grades, he writes.
But bias plays a role in younger students placements as well. A recent study in the American Educational Research Associations flagship journal found that high-achieving black students are less than half as likely as white, Hispanic, or Asian students to be referred for gifted elementary programs.
While theres certainly more that elementary and middle schools can do to prepare minority students for college-level courses, Bromberg said access to AP courses within individual high schools should really be the focus. An important point thats missing from the AEI report is there are a lot of students who are academically prepared for AP but arent taking AP, she said. If schools all closed their participation gaps, we could nearly get rid of national gaps.
News Details
India Video Surveillance market is expected to reach $952.94 million by 2016
Date: 02-02-16
PHD Chamber in association with Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY), Ministry of Communications and IT organized a Conference on Electronics in Security and IoT on 4th December 2015 at PHD House, New Delhi.
The main objective of the Conference was how small and medium enterprises can be encouraged to take up manufacturing of safety electronics as it would not only boost electronics manufacturing in India but also be a major source of employment in rural India. Also the Conference discussed how startups in India which are growing at a brisk rate can take the concept of Internet of Things (IoT) forward and include more applications.
The Conference was presided over by Mr. N K Mohapatra, CEO, Electronics Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI); Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo, National President, Indian Cellular Association (ICA); Mr. G B Singh, Group Editor, Security Today magazine and Mr. Avinash Sinha, Design Expert,Mecops India Private Limited.
Mr. R P Jhalani, Chairman, Committee on Electronics and Engineering Goods, PHD Chamber, while delivering the welcome address emphasized on Indias Electronics Industry. He said that the electronics industry today has become extremely vital and a key driver for Indias economic growth. He apprised the delegates of the current scenario of Indian Electronics Industry which stood at US$ 69.6 billion in the year 2012 which is 3.5% of the global electronics market. It is expected to reach US $400 Billion by year 2020.
Mr. R P Jhalani also said that the India Video Surveillance market is expected to reach $952.94 million by 2016, with a CAGR of 32.49 percent from 2011-2016. He mentioned that with the high-success rate of CCTV surveillance devices worldwide, security conscious organizations (both government and non-government) in India are implementing CCTV surveillance, reflecting an annual expected growth rate of more than 20 percent. He mentioned that Global IoT market is going to get bigger in the coming years and is likely to be touch $7-trillion mark globally by 2020, according to the International Data Corporation. Firms are resorting to mergers and acquisitions and coming up with new ideas for IoT.
Mr. N K Mohapatra, CEO, Electronics Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI) addressed the Conference. He emphasised on the importance of skilling the youth of India which are growing at a rapid rate. He said that productivity of the youth is a must to ensure quality manufacturing.
Mr. Mohapatra said that India must take cue from countries like Israel which were focussing on increasing the productivity of their manpower rather than just increasing the employment no.s.He further added that demand today is coming not in the existing job roles but in the newer job roles which includes safety and security electronics as well as Internet of Things (IoT).
He pointed out that the employee growth rate in the electronics sector during last 5 years has been healthy growing at 10 %.He further added that among the sub sectors of electronics, strategic electronics is growing at a maximum 22% and generating employment to more than 65000 people which is an encouraging sign for the industry in India.
Mr. Mohapatra said that the steps taken by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY) have been very encouraging and would help in achieving the net 0 imports target set by the Government. He also said that huge companies are shifting their base from China to India.
Mr. N K Mohapatra mentioned that Electronic Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI) aims to skill 2 million people on a cumulative basis.
Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo, National President, Indian Cellular Association (ICA) gave his address on importance of mobile with respect to Internet of Things (IoT). He said that mobile phone industry grew at 32% and crossed Rs 1 lakh crore and this figure would reach Rs 3 Lakh crore by 2019. In his address he mentioned that Internet of Things (IoT) is an extension of mobile phone design ecosystem. He said that mobile phones would be at the heart of IoT ecosystem as all devices would be connected through a smartphone.
Mr. Mohindroo said that India must focus on producing mobile hardware designers to boost electronics manufacturing. He said that India had made great strides in producing large no. of mobile software designers but an equal focus must be on producing quality mobile hardware designers.
Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo said that in order to boost the industry, safety and electronics equipment manufacturers must set up and invest in the Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) under the provisions and regulations set up by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY).He added that investment in EMC would lead to design innovation as well as boosting employment.
Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo said that with the humungous growth witnessed by India in the mobile phone industry, in the coming 2 years India would start exporting components like mobile chargers, battery banks to China which would a major accomplishment as China is a powerhouse in electronic component manufacturing.
Mr. G B Singh, Editor, Security Today Magazine talked about how small and medium enterprises can be encouraged to take up manufacturing of security electronics. He also gave an overview of the statistics and figures in the Electronics security market.
He said that in the global electronic security systems industry, CCTVs constitute 55% with a market size of $550 million. He also mentioned that there was a rising interest in India when it comes to CCTV manufacturing due to interest from private sector.
Mr. Singh expressed concern about the rising imports in the safety and security electronics from USA, UK, China, Israel, Germany and Singapore.
However he appreciated DEITYs initiative to include CCTVs and Surveillance Cameras in the list of products under the Preferential Market Access (PMA) as its 50% local manufactured clause would boost domestic manufacturing.
Mr. Avinash Sinha, Design Expert, Mecops India Private Limited emphasized on the design and architecture of Internet of Things (IoT). He said that the Internet of Things (IoT) architecture is very effective and convenient as it minimizes the physical interaction.Mr. Sinha said that IoT would help in better utilization of company resources in a more productive manner.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand should not worry about the Zika virus, its public health ministry said on Tuesday, just a day after the World Health Organization declared the virus an international emergency.
Thailand is the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia, with an average of five cases a year since 2012, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
Thailand has confirmed one case of the virus this year.
In addition, last month, Taiwan reported one case of Zika infection in a man from Thailand after he set off a temperature scanner at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus an international public health emergency due to its link to thousands of birth defects in Brazil.
"Thais should not worry. Thailand has no outbreak of this disease," the Ministry of Public Health said in a statement.
"We have asked everyone to monitor and prepare measures to look after this disease ... Thais should not panic. Mostly if patients get this disease they recover," the ministry said.
Neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore have said they are at high risk for the spread of Zika if the virus is imported.
The WHO said last month 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.
Thailand's public health ministry has said there was "no technical evidence" of in-built immunity to Zika in Thailand.
According to a June 2015 article in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene there have been "several cases reported in travellers returning from Thailand".
Seven cases of Zika infection were found between 2012 to 2014 in Thai residents, it said.
"These endemic cases, combined with previous reports in travellers, provide evidence that Zika is widespread throughout Thailand," the journal said.
Sill, the public health ministry said it was not overly concerned.
"I ask you to have confidence in Thailand's surveillance system," Amnuay Gajeena, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said in a statement.
The health ministry has asked members of the public to help eliminate mosquitos around their homes and in their communities and has advised those travelling back from Zika-affected areas to report any symptoms.
(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Robert Birsel)
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA (Reuters) - The Zika virus linked to a microcephaly outbreak in Latin America could spread to Africa and Asia, and the World Health Organization will set up monitoring sites in the poorest countries with the highest birth rates, it said on Tuesday.
The WHO on Monday declared an international public health emergency due to Zika's link to thousands of recent birth defects in Brazil.
It called for the urgent development of better diagnostic tests to detect the virus in pregnant women and newborn babies. Seen as a relatively rare condition, the virus may lead to babies being born with small heads and often experiencing neurological disorders and learning disabilities.
"Most important, we need to set up surveillance sites in low- and middle- income countries so that we can detect any change in the reporting patterns of microcephaly at an early stage," said Dr. Anthony Costello, WHO director for maternal, child and adolescent health.
A WHO global response unit "using all the lessons we've learned from the Ebola crisis" has been set up, he said. Some 20 to 30 'sentinel sites' for surveillance could be established worldwide, mainly in poor countries lacking robust health systems.
"Clearly we want to get as many centres as we can collecting the kind of data so that we can pick up any change in the pattern of microcephaly cases at an early stage," Costello told a news briefing.
"The most important thing from my perspective is to see if we can get Zika virus diagnostics improved."
But he added: "It may be too early to pick up associations in cases in other regions, because remember if you're affected early in pregnancy it may take several months before it emerges that there is a case of microcephaly."
The fear is that the disease could travel to other areas of the world where populations may not be immune, he said.
"And we know that the mosquitoes that carry Zika virus - if that association is confirmed - are present ... through Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly South Asia..."
The WHO office for Southeast Asia, in a statement, urged countries in the region to "strengthen surveillance and take preventive measures against the Zika virus disease which is strongly suspected to have a causal relation with clusters of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities".
Costello said the WHO was drafting guidelines for pregnant women worldwide and rallying experts to work on a definition of microcephaly including a standardised measurement of baby heads.
"At the moment we believe the association is guilty until proven innocent," he said, referring to the connection drawn in Brazil between the virus and babies with small heads.
"Mass community engagement" to rid areas of mosquitoes is needed, he said. "If we learned one thing from Ebola, mobilising communities is an absolute critical public health measure."
"So removing stagnant pools of water in urban areas, looking at upturned flower pots, at rubbish, at tyres, at all the kinds of things that you can do to get rid of breeding sites for the mosquitoes."
Rapid development of diagnostic tools are essential to curbing the virus, especially as a vaccine may be years away, said Costello, a paediatrician.
Sanofi has launched a project to develop a vaccine against Zika, the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine producer to fight the disease. {ID:nL8N15H101]
(Editing by Hugh Lawson)
By Jon Herskovitz
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the United States was reported in Texas on Tuesday by local health officials, who said it was contracted through sexual contact and not the bite of a mosquito, a day after the World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency.
Dallas County Health and Human Services said it received confirmation of the case in Dallas from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Dallas County health official said in a tweet that the case was transmitted through sexual contact with someone who had travelled to Venezuela. The person infected did not travel to the South American country, county health officials said.
County authorities said there were no reports of the virus being locally transmitted by mosquitoes in the Texas county.
A CDC spokesman confirmed the results of a test for Zika infection but said local officials investigated the mode of transmission.
Previously, international health officials had noted one case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission. But the Pan American Health Organization said more evidence was needed to confirm sexual contact as a means of Zika transmission.
The WHO has said the virus, linked to severe birth defects in Brazil, has been spreading rapidly in the Americas and could infect 4 million people. It said it had launched a global response unit to fight the mosquito-borne virus, which is spreading rapidly in Latin America. Africa and Asia are also seen as being vulnerable.
The virus has been linked to microcephaly, in which babies have abnormally small heads and improperly developed brains.
"Most important, we need to set up surveillance sites in low- and middle-income countries so that we can detect any change in the reporting patterns of microcephaly at an early stage," Dr. Anthony Costello said in Geneva. Costello is WHO's director for maternal, child and adolescent health.
Twenty to 30 sites could be established worldwide, mainly in poor countries without robust healthcare systems.
Brazil, the country hardest hit by Zika, has reported 3,700 suspected cases of microcephaly that may be linked to Zika.
In an address to a joint session of Brazil's Congress, President Dilma Rousseff said her government will spare no resources in mobilizing to combat the mosquito that transmits the virus. With no vaccine or treatment for Zika, efforts to curb its spread have focused on eradicating mosquito breeding sites.
"There will be no lack of funding," Rousseff said.
Brazil, which has 3,700 suspected cases of microcephaly that may be linked to Zika, is scheduled to host the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Rousseff also said Brazil and the United States will enter a partnership to develop a Zika vaccine as soon as possible to stem the spread of the virus.
The Pan American Health Organization said Zika was now spreading in 26 countries and territories in the Americas.
The virus was first identified in 1947 in rhesus monkeys in Uganda while scientists were studying yellow fever, according to the WHO. It was identified in humans in 1952. Zika is spread by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus.
Sanofi on Tuesday announced that it has launched a project to develop a vaccine against the virus, the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine maker. The company said its Sanofi Pasteur vaccines division would use its expertise in developing vaccines for similar viruses such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis and dengue.
The WHO called for urgent development of better tests to detect the virus in pregnant women and newborn babies.
"The reason it's a global concern," Costello said of Zika, "is that we are worried that this could also spread back to other areas of the world where the population may not be immune."
Costello said the Aedes mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus "are present ... through Africa, parts of southern Europe and many parts of Asia, particularly South Asia." Africa and Asia have the world's highest birth rates.
'GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT'
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said on Monday it was "strongly suspected but not yet scientifically proven" that Zika causes microcephaly.
"We believe the association is 'guilty until proven innocent,'" Costello said, referring to whether Zika causes microcephaly.
A new method to render male mosquitoes infertile by nuclear radiation could help reduce populations of the insect carrying the virus, the Vienna-based U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency U.N. atomic agency said.
Small biotech companies and academic institutions also have plans to develop a Zika vaccine, and GlaxoSmithKline PLC has said it is concluding feasibility studies to see if its vaccine technology was suitable. And on Tuesday other companies joined the effort.
The University of South Australia said it was working on a Zika vaccine with Australian biotech Sementis Ltd.
U.S. drug developer NewLink Genetics Corp said it has started a project to develop Zika treatment options.
Experts have said a Zika vaccine for widespread use is months if not years away.
A Zika case has been identified on mainland Chile for the first time in a man who had travelled to Colombia, where the virus is circulating, local media reported.
An Australian state health service said two Australians were diagnosed with the virus after returning from the Caribbean, confirming the first cases of the virus in the country this year.
(Additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Shadia Nasralla in Vienna, Ben Hirschler in London, Anthony Boadle in Brasilia, Jane Wardell in Sydney, Amy Sawitta Lefevre in Bangkok, Pedro Fonseca in Rio, Rosalba O'Brien in Santiago, Ankur Banerjee and Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Jonathan Oatis)
By Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is not among those accused of wrongdoing in an investigation by Switzerland's chief prosecutor into alleged corruption involving the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign fund, a Swiss official said on Tuesday.
The Swiss Attorney General's office said last Friday that it had identified four cases of alleged criminal misconduct in the suspected misappropriation of about $4 billion (2.77 billion) from Malaysian state companies.
Andre Marty, spokesman for the Office of Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber, said in an emailed response to a Reuters query on Tuesday, "In the ongoing criminal proceeding of the OAG (Office of Attorney General), Mr. Najib Razak is not one of the public officials under accusation."
Lauber's office announced last August that it had opened criminal proceedings related to 1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Najib.
Late last week, Lauber's office issued a statement in which it said it had formally asked the Attorney General of Malaysia for assistance in Switzerland's investigation.
It said the investigation related to possible bribery of foreign public officials, misconduct in public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement and that the criminal investigation involved two unnamed "former officials" of 1MDB and "persons unknown."
The statement came days after Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib of any criminal offences or corruption, declaring that $681 million (472 million) deposited into his personal bank account was a gift from Saudi Arabia's Royal Family.
Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing, and said the funds were a political donation and he did not take any money for personal gain.
The Malaysian Attorney General's office said on Saturday that it would take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with its Swiss counterpart, but said the investigations into donations made to Najib were entirely separate from those into 1MDB.
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball in Washington; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
By Syed Raza Hassan
KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistani SECURITY (SECURITY.C )(SECURITY.8 )personnel on Tuesday clashed with marchers protesting against government plans to privatise the ailing national airline, in a skirmish that a hospital official said killed at least two protesters and injured eight.
Protesters said paramilitary forces fired after a confrontation as security forces tried to block the strikers nearing the airport in the southern economic hub of Karachi.
But a spokesman for the paramilitary Rangers force and a senior police officer denied that any of their members had fired.
The violence came as hundreds of airline employees held the latest of a months-long series of protests against the plans to privatise Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Police used water cannons and teargas to keep the crowd from approaching the city's Jinnah International Airport before shots were fired.
"They didn't tell us they would be using force," Suhail Baluch, chairman of PIA's Joint Action Committee, a grouping of unions, said of the firings.
"Firing straight at unarmed people is unacceptable."
One man with a gunshot wound died during treatment while the body of another had been brought for autopsy, Kaleem Shaikh, an officer of the city's Jinnah Hospital, told Reuters, adding that the men were PIA employees at the protest.
Eight other injured protesters had also been admitted for treatment, he said.
Senior police officer Kamran Fazal told reporters at the scene that police did not open fire. Police had gathered bullet casings from the scene to determine the weapons used, he said.
Despite the strike in Karachi and at PIA offices across Pakistan, flights suffered no major disruption on Tuesday.
Once a source of pride for Pakistan, flights of the loss-making carrier are now frequently cancelled and many of its aircraft have been cannibalised to keep others flying.
The government has sought to allay fears the move could bring mass layoffs, but sporadic protests have continued.
"Saving PIA means saving the country," said Ali Hussain, one of the striking employees. "Tomorrow they will sell Pakistan."
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday enacted legislation that effectively restricts the airline's employees from striking for six months, the government said in a statement.
Those convicted of infringements face prison terms of up to a year, and an unspecified fine.
"Let me make clear that those who continue the strike will be treated as enemies of PIA and Pakistan and they will end up losing their jobs," the Daily Times newspaper quoted Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid as saying on Monday.
(Additional reporting by Asad Hashim and Krista Mahr in Islamabad; Writing by Krista Mahr; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Stephen Kalin
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of trapped Iraqi civilians are running out of food and medicine in the western city of Falluja, an Islamic State stronghold under siege by security forces, according to local officials and residents.
The Iraqi army, police and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias - backed by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition - late last year imposed a near total siege on Falluja, located 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad in the Euphrates river valley.
The city's population is suffering from a shortage of food, medicine and fuel, residents and officials told Reuters by phone, and media reports said several people had died due to starvation and poor medical care. Insecurity and poor communications inside the city make those reports difficult to verify.
Sohaib al-Rawi, the governor of Anbar province where Falluja is located, appealed to the coalition to air-drop humanitarian supplies to the trapped civilians. He said this was the only way to deliver aid after Islamic State mined the entrances to the city and stopped people leaving.
"No force can enter and secure (the delivery) ... There is no option but for airplanes to transport aid," he said in an interview with al-Hadath TV late on Monday, adding the situation was deteriorating by the day.
Falluja - a long-time bastion of Sunni Muslim jihadists - was the first Iraqi city to fall to Islamic State, in January 2014, six months before the group that emerged from al Qaeda swept through large parts of northern and western Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
Since recapturing the city of Ramadi - a further 50 km to the west - from Islamic State a month ago, Iraqi authorities have not made clear whether they will attempt to take Falluja next or leave it contained while the bulk of their forces head north towards Mosul, the largest city under the militants' control.
Falih al-Essawi, deputy chief of Anbar's provincial council, said Islamic State had turned Falluja into "a huge detention centre".
"Security forces managed to control almost all areas around Falluja. This victory has helped to reduce Daesh (Islamic State) attacks outside the city, but it cost too much because civilians now are paying the price," he said from Ramadi, warning of a potential humanitarian disaster.
A doctor at a hospital in Falluja said medicine and supplies were running low, especially for post-natal care.
"What is the sin of those born after living in their mothers' womb without nutrition or protection except from God?" she said.
Spokesmen for the Iraqi army, police and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias besieging Falluja were not immediately available to comment.
FREEZING WINTER
The U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State estimates there are around 400 fighters from the ultra-hardline Sunni militant group in Falluja, though some military analysts put the figure at closer to 1,000.
The coalition, which includes European and Arab powers, dropped food and water in 2014 to members of Iraq's minority Yazidi community trapped on Mount Sinjar by Islamic State - a humanitarian crisis that sparked the international air campaign.
A Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition did not rule out a similar operation in Falluja but said Islamic State's control of the city made it more challenging.
"The thing about an air-drop is it's very difficult to control who gets it," said U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren. "The conditions have to be such that the people who you want to receive the supplies are actually able to receive them and there's no evidence that that's the case in Falluja."
Rawi, the provincial governor, said Islamic State was using civilians as human shields in Falluja like it did in Ramadi - a tactic that slowed the advance of Iraqi forces.
He said media reports of up to 10 deaths due to starvation and insufficient medical care were accurate, but local officials could not provide details.
The price of food in Falluja's markets has rocketed and bakeries have begun rationing bread, residents told Reuters. They said fuel had become scarce during the cold winter months when temperatures drop close to freezing.
One man, who like the other residents declined to be named, said the last time Islamic State distributed basic food items a few weeks ago, much of it had already gone off.
Lise Grande, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, described conditions in Falluja as "terrible".
"We're incredibly worried about the unconfirmed reports of people dying because of lack of medicine and widespread hunger," she told Reuters.
The United Nations appealed on Sunday for $861 million to help Iraq meet a big funding gap in its 2016 emergency response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war against Islamic State which has left 10 million people in need of urgent aid.
(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Saif Hameed; Editing by Pravin Char)
Relacionados Iraqis running out of food and medicine in besieged Falluja
By Tom Perry, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and John Irish
BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - A Syrian military offensive threatened critical rebel supply lines into the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday and Damascus echoed its opponents in contradicting a U.N. envoy's assertion peace talks had begun.
U.N. envoy Staffan De Mistura announced the formal start on Monday of the first attempt in two years to negotiate an end to a war that has killed 250,000 people, caused a refugee crisis in the region and Europe and empowered Islamic State militants.
But both opposition and government representatives have since said the talks have not in fact begun and fighting on the ground raged on without constraint.
A rebel commander told Reuters he was deploying reinforcements including U.S.-made anti-tank missiles to the Aleppo frontline for what he described as a "decisive battle".
The main Syrian opposition council said after meeting De Mistura on Monday it had not and would not negotiate unless the government stopped bombarding civilian areas, lifted blockades and released detainees.
The head of the Syrian government delegation also denied talks had started after discussions with De Mistura on Tuesday.
Bashar al-Ja'afari said after two and a half hours of talks that the envoy had yet to provide an agenda or list of opposition participants. "The formalities are not yet ready," he told reporters at the United Nations office in Geneva.
He also said that if the opposition "really cared" about the lives of Syrians it should condemn the killing of more than 60 people on Sunday by Islamic State bombers in a neighbourhood that is home to the country's holiest Shi'ite shrine.
A U.N. source said de Mistura had promised to present an opposition delegation list by Wednesday. Its makeup is subject to fierce disagreements among the regional and global powers that have been drawn into the conflict.
The refugee crisis and spread of the jihadist Islamic State through large areas of Syria, and from there to Iraq, has injected a new urgency to resolve the five-year-old Syria war.
But the chances of success, always very slim, appear to be receding ever more as the government, supported by Russian air strikes, advances against rebels, some of them U.S.-backed, in several parts of western Syria where the country's main cities are located.
"DECISIVE BATTLE"
The attack north of Aleppo that began in recent days is the first major government offensive there since the start of Russian air strikes on Sept. 30.
The area is strategic to both sides. Its safeguards a rebel supply route from Turkey into opposition-held parts of the city and stands between government-held parts of western Aleppo and the Shi'ite villages of Nubul and al-Zahraa which are loyal to Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reports the war using a network of sources on the ground, said the army and allied fighters captured more areas to the northwest of Aleppo on Tuesday.
Advancing government forces seized the village of Hardatnin some 10 km (six miles) northwest of Aleppo, the Observatory said, building on gains the previous day. Syrian state media also reported the advance.
Aleppo, once Syria's biggest city and commercial centre, is divided between areas controlled separately by the government and opposition.
The rebel commander said the Russian air force was mounting heavy air strikes in the area.
"We sent new fighters this morning, we sent heavier equipment there. It seems it will be a decisive battle in the north God willing," said Ahmed al Seoud, head of a Free Syrian Army group known as Division 13. "We sent TOW missile platforms. We sent everything there," he told Reuters.
U.S.-made TOW missiles, or guided anti-tank missiles, are the most potent weapon in the rebel arsenal and have been supplied to vetted rebel groups as part of a programme of military support overseen by the Central Intelligence Agency.
A correspondent with the pro-government Al Mayadeen TV embedded with the army said there had been 150 air strikes in the last two days. A tank and armoured vehicle were shown driving through a road in a largely destroyed village.
The sound of jets and crackle of automatic gunfire could be heard during a broadcast by the pro-opposition Orient TV.
The Russian intervention has reversed the course of the war for Damascus, which suffered a series of major defeats to rebels in western Syria last year before Moscow deployed its air force as part of an alliance with Iran.
In an interview with Reuters, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Russian President Vladimir Putin was undermining international efforts to end the war by bombing opponents of Islamic State in an attempt to bolster Assad.
OPPOSITION WARY OF ENVOY
"The Russians say let's talk, and then they talk and they talk and they talk. The problem with the Russians is while they are talking they are bombing, and they are supporting Assad," Hammond said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Hammond was spreading "dangerous disinformation", while the Kremlin said his statements could not be taken seriously.
Western states opposed to Assad, including the United States and Britain, piled pressure on the opposition to attend the Geneva talks which have been beset by problems including a row over who should be invited to negotiate with Damascus.
In the latest downbeat opposition assessment, lead opposition negotiator Mohamad Alloush said he was not optimistic. "Nothing has changed in the situation on the ground so as long as the situation is like this we are not optimistic," he told reporters. "There are no good intentions from the regime's side to reach a solution."
He was speaking minutes before the government delegation arrived at U.N. headquarters in Geneva to meet De Mistura to discuss a proposal on humanitarian issues.
De Mistura said on Monday the responsibility of agreeing ceasefires across Syria lay with major powers and that his remit was only to hold talks on a U.N. resolution on elections, governance and a new constitution.
All previous diplomatic efforts have failed to stop the war.
Complicating the efforts, opposition mistrust of de Mistura is running deep: "The fact is the opposition have a lot of distrust in de Mistura. They have become extremely wary," a Western diplomat said.
(Additional reporting by Kinda Makieh in Geneva; writing by Tom Perry; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah fighters killed at least four members of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front in a rocket attack on their car in northeastern Lebanon on Tuesday, a security source said.
The incident took place in a restive area near the Syrian border, just outside the Lebanese town of Arsal, which Nusra Front and Islamic State fighters overran briefly in 2014 before withdrawing after clashes with the army.
Shi'ite Hezbollah has previously targeted Sunni Islamist fighters in the area who have staged regular incursions from Lebanon's war-torn neighbour.
Nusra Front and Islamic State - themselves enemies in Syria's conflict - have in the past week clashed in the outskirts of Arsal. Nusra Front initiated the fighting with its jihadist rival by trying to capture IS positions in the area, the source said.
IS counter attacked, pushing Nusra Front out of positions it controlled east of Arsal.
The clashes killed several fighters on each side, the source said.
Nusra Front freed 16 Lebanese soldiers and policemen in December in exchange for the release of jailed Islamists. It had captured the soldiers during the Arsal incursion in 2014. IS is believed to be still holding nine soldiers it captured.
The Arsal incursion and the continued presence of Nusra Front and Islamic State in the border area in northern Lebanon are an example of the spillover from the five-year-old Syrian conflict. The spillover has also included bombings, such as an IS-claimed suicide attack in November that killed more than 40 people in Beirut.
(Reporting by John Davison; editing by Ralph Boulton)
PARIS (Reuters) - Cuba sought to drum up foreign investment on Tuesday as ministers on a state visit to Paris promised French business leaders that the Communist-run country is open for business.
Cuba saw growth reach 4 percent last year as the centrally-planned economy gradually opens up and the country re-builds ties with the West.
In the latest example of that re-engagement, the ministers were accompanying Cuban President Raul Castro on the first state visit of a Cuban leader to France since the country's independence.
Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Cuba's vice president of the council of ministers, told a French-Cuban business forum that a December debt relief deal with Cuba's Paris Club leaders had lifted a major burden off the cash-starved country's back, clearing the way for further investment.
"The government can help put in place a favourable business climate and that is what we are doing," Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz said.
He added that there was also no taboo in doing business with U.S.-based companies, though the government did not want to become dependent on firms from its vastly bigger northern neighbour either.
"We won't keep out American business people, they are welcome, but we want to keep our relations diverse," the minister said, adding: "We don't want to be tributary to anyone."
Cuba is hoping to attract flows of foreign investment with a new port 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Havana that it is promoting as a potential regional trade and business hub, offering 10-year tax holidays to foreign businesses that set up there.
French construction group Bouygues is building infrastructure at the port while French shipping firm CMA-CGA [CMACG.UL] is setting up a logistics centre there.
(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Andrew Callus)
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh on Tuesday summoned Pakistan's high commissioner to lodge a protest after a Bangladeshi official in Islamabad was detained for four hours, two Dhaka officials said, amid a worsening diplomatic row between the two countries.
Weeks of rising tension in the relationship were sparked in late November by the executions in Bangladesh of two opposition leaders convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 war when Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan.
At the time, Pakistan's foreign ministry expressed "deep concern and anguish" at the executions, describing the trials of those involved in alleged atrocities during the 1971 war as "flawed".
The Pakistani high commissioner was summoned after the Bangladeshi official in Pakistan was detained for hours on Monday, hours after police in the Bangladeshi capital detained an official of the Pakistan High Commission, citing his "suspicious movement".
Both officials were released within a few hours.
"We have summoned the Pakistan high commissioner to lodge the protests on the missing incident," said a senior official at the foreign ministry in Dhaka, who asked not to be identified in the absence of authorisation to speak to the media.
Television channels broadcast images of the Pakistani diplomat leaving the foreign ministry.
Phone calls to the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka went unanswered and Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman could not be reached by phone .
Last month, a Bangladeshi diplomat in Pakistan was expelled in what Dhaka officials called "an act of retaliation" after a Pakistani diplomat in Dhaka was expelled after being accused of spying.
In late December, Pakistan withdrew Farina Arshad, a diplomat at its high commission in Dhaka, after Bangladeshi authorities accused her of spying and involvement in financing Islamist groups.
Bangladesh used to be part of Pakistan and was formerly known as East Pakistan, after the end of British colonial rule in 1947. But nationalists led a successful war of independence from what was then West Pakistan in 1971.
Bangladesh set up a tribunal in 2010 to prosecute people accused of crimes during the 1971 war. Most of those on trial had opposed the break with Pakistan.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Katharine Houreld)
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
News / Africa
by Staff reporter
Pretoria - A young Zimbabwean who killed a Moroccan diplomat after he woke up undressed in the man's Waterkloof flat, was jailed for 14 years by the High Court in Pretoria on Friday.Judge Mohamed Ismail sentenced Nigel Khahari, 21, for the October 2014 murder of Moroccan consular officer Fatmi Noureddine, for stealing from him, and for being an illegal immigrant.Noureddine was found dead in his bedroom. He had been stabbed 42 times and his throat had been slit.Khahari stole his victim's camera, almost R10 000 in cash, his cellphone, and a bag with passports. The camera contained a photo he had taken of his victim's buttocks after the murder.Noureddine befriended Khahari while the accused worked as a packer at a local shop, and invited him to his flat on several occasions.Khahari at first claimed Noureddine attacked him with a knife. He however later conceded that he killed him after they had drinks together and he woke up undressed in the man's bed the next morning.He became angry when he asked for the keys to the flat so he could leave. Noureddine refused and told him to calm down.Social worker Erna Pieterse testified that Khahari had grown up with a violent, alcoholic father and a mostly absent mother. He had learnt to suppress his emotions from a young age and to react to conflict with violence.She pointed out that Khahari came from a country where being homosexual was a crime. He had felt ashamed, angry, and disappointed in Noureddine. Khahari had thought he would help him get a better job.Ismail described the murder as brutal and said there was no evidence to bolster Khahari's subjective belief that he had been sexually violated.He plundered Noureddine's apartment after the murder and took a photo of his victim's lifeless body. He had ample time to reflect on his actions, but then stole his victim's belongings.Ismail said what counted in Khahari's favour was that he was still relatively young, a first offender, and had spent about a year in custody while awaiting trial.
News / Africa
by Staff Reporter
ROT reportedly erupted on one of the South Africa's courts.Daily Sun reported that there was outrage cry of a group of about 100 protestors gathered outside the court in Rouxville, Free State yesterday as two men accused of attacking a local doctor and his wife appeared.Netwerk24 reported that Benny Cilliers (61) and his wife Cecilia Cilliers (59) were viciously attacked on their farm on Thursday night. The doctor died of his injuries while Cecilia is still fighting for her life in the Bloemfontein Medi Clinic.Thabang French Jordan (30) and David Ngalekile Zamayo (42) are accused of the evil deed. They are facing charges of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and vehicle theft.The horrified protestors which included members of the ANC Youth League came to express their support for the Cilliers family and their horror at the cruel attack.Rouxville resident Lawrence Makhotsa told Netwerk24: "He looked after all his patients with love and care. We loved him. The community is very angry about what happened. We're here today to see what the suspects look like. "Michael Valashiya, president of the ANC Youth League in Rouxville, said: "We want the family to know that we're firmly behind them. Dr Cilliers and his wife were loving, friendly people. They did not deserve what happened to them."Resident Thandi Mokoena said: "He was a very good doctor. We're very sad about what happened."The couple's sons, Hans and Pieter, are struggling to cope with the nightmare. But at least there is some good news about their mum.Hans said: "The doctor said there's an 80% chance of meaningful recovery'. We're not exactly sure what that means, but we're very happy that it's good news."The two accused will appear in court again soon.
Healing a wound, some good advice
In December the GP doctor sent me to the Inselspital teaching hospital in Bern, where they have a special skin clinic. After a few weeks I had an obvious improvement, and now after 6 weeks it is almost healed up. The magic solution was to apply a PolyMem Non-Adhesive Pad every 3 days, covering the pad with some simple thin white sticky plaster, nothing extra. The pad is from Fort Worth Texas, and I can highly recommend it!
Web site http://www.polymem.com/ I have no idea where you can buy it in Switzerland.
Ferris Mfg. Corp 5133 Northeast Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76106, USA.
http://polymem.woundresources.com/
.
About last May I banged my leg against the coffee table and received a minor injury. I applied some simple anti septic cream and changed the dressing regularly, it didn't get better, it didn't get any worse. It remained about the size of a two francs coin, on the front of my shin. I went to my GP surgery in Bern and despite 3 doctors treating it, over 6 months it didn't get any better. At no point was it infected, always clean and moist.In December the GP doctor sent me to the Inselspital teaching hospital in Bern, where they have a special skin clinic. After a few weeks I had an obvious improvement, and now after 6 weeks it is almost healed up. The magic solution was to apply aevery 3 days, covering the pad with some simple thin white sticky plaster, nothing extra. The pad is from Fort Worth Texas, and I can highly recommend it!Web siteI have no idea where you can buy it in Switzerland.Ferris Mfg. Corp 5133 Northeast Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76106, USA. Last edited by Sbrinz; 02.02.2016 at 11:41 .
IVF with pregenetic testing, in Switzerland? Hello all,
Our doctors (both one here in Zurich and one in the US) have strongly recommended IVF with pre-genetic testing. Sadly, I have had three miscarriages, and I got pregnant naturally for each. Our doctor here told us that pre-genetic testing (PGT) is not yet legal in Switzerland and is referring us to a clinic in Spain (IVI Madrid). PGT is very common with IVF in the US and it was a surprise to learn it is not here. We would much rather stay closer to home in Switzerland than travel, to Spain or the US, for this.
I have not found a thread or particular comments pertaining specifically to pre-genetic testing with IVF.
Does anyone know about this? Is it true that it is not available in Switzerland? Or can anyone elaborate on what treatments they have had in Switzerland?
Many thanks for any insights.
News / Africa
by Staff Reporter
COMMUTERS and spaza owners in Soshanguve, Tshwane were caught in the middle of a protest yesterday morning.They were forced to join the residents of New Eersterus Extension squatter camp, who were protesting over lack of services in their area.Daily Sun reported that several buses were burnt while businesses were looted by the protesters. The residents even blockaded the Molefe Makinta highway, demanding water and electricity.Marry Selinda said she was sick and tired of residents who violate other people's rights."We all have rights. I have the right to go to work without fear. Now I am going to be late for work and I might be fired." I already have three written warnings for being late. We are not against them exercising their rights, but they should not stop us from going to work," said Marry.Spaza owner Mzamo Msimango said that he was shocked when the protesters looted his shop."They were very angry and threatened to throw me in the burning bus. I had to run for safety. I watched helplessly as they vandalised my shack and used the material to block the road. "This is my source of income. I support my family with this business. I do not owe the residents anything, but they chose to vandalise my business," he said.Warrant Officer Lolo Mangena said residents should stop committing criminal acts when protesting: "Those who do will be arrested and face the law."
After an unbearably early start to this election cycle (including 11 debates!) we've finally come to the 2016 Iowa Caucus, the first political showdown in the 2016 presidential election. Tonight, starting at 7 p.m. central, Iowa's Democrats and Republicans will be the first primary voters to give their say on who should be each party's nominee for president.
While all the major news networks feverously report the results throughout the night, here are some things to know:
It's Not Like Other Primary Elections
The Iowa Caucus has been the first stop in America's annual presidential primary journey for over 40 years and it's kind of weird. By definition, a caucus is a party meeting rather than just a voting situation. People will gather in Iowa's more than 1600 voting precincts, where local party leaders will give speeches and outline the party's agenda. After the speeches, party members will either vote for the candidates by a show of hands or secret ballet (how the Republicans do it) OR standing around in groups for designated spots for each candidate with members working to convince others to join or leave groups (how the Democrats do it). So tonight's voters have a greater likelihood of being swayed and may even change their minds from how they told pollsters they would vote.
Winning Doesn't Guarantee the Nomination
Winning in Iowa is big, but it's not THAT big a deal. Historically, Iowa Caucus winners have a 40% to 50% chance of nabbing the nominations (it varies by party). Name of those who DIDN'T win in Iowa, but ended up winning the party nomination and then the White House include Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
It's About The Lower Performing Candidates
There are so many Republicans currently in the race that the debates have actually been divided into JV (lower poll performers) and varsity (higher polling candidates) groups. The Iowa Caucus indicated which candidate, especially on a crowded field, is starting to gain ground and which aren't. A low performance in Iowa, on top of already low polling, can lead to evaporating donor money and/or the realization to call it quits. After Iowa, expect to see some candidates announce they're ending their campaigns. BUT candidates in the third or fourth slots showing momentum to take them all the way to the nomination. It's what happened with John McCain in 2008, Bill Clinton in 1992 and George H. W. Bush in 1988
There's Still 7 Months to Go Until the Conventions
The conventions, where the parties formally pick and announce their nominees aren't until July. Yeah, let that sink in for a bit.
The ladies of Bravos The Real Housewives of Atlanta and their husbands are still enjoying a Jamaican getaway in the next episode, but being on the the island doesn't mean they can escape the drama.
NeNe Leakes Comes For Cynthia Baileys Replacement Friend Kenya Moore
The shooting for Cynthia Baileys commercial looks like it went well and was actually pretty fun, despite the drama of who would run itKenya Moore or Kim Fields. Things almost got physical between the two ladies after Bailey revealed that Fields would be the head of the ad for Baileys eyewear line.
Moore refuses to be a part of the commercial at all since she isnt the leader.
NeNe Leakes Goes OFF About Kenya Moores Backstabber Comment See It Here
Ms. Moore is not a B character, she later told cameras.
NeNe Leakes, who just reunited with all of her co-stars for the first time this season (except Bailey, who she caught up with in a previous episode), thought Moore was shady for her decision.
Bailey breaks down and cries appears to cry about her friendship with Moore.
Its never gonna be what it is between me and NeNe.
And her husband Peter Thomas possibly agrees as he tells her, She s****ed on you today.
Moore also stirs up drama with Fields and her husband after Phaedra Parks points out, Hes a little sassy.
Moore said he even has a nickname that goes around along with rumors that he is attracted to men.
None other than Sheree Whitfield takes the comments back to Fields to let her know what was said about her family. Fields is clearly shocked.
Check it out.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8/7c on VH1.
News / International
by BBC
A UK judge has ordered immigration officials to release a Zimbabwean convicted criminal because the UK has "no prospect" of deporting him.Mr Justice Garnham, at the High Court in London, accepted that Andre Babbage was "likely" to abscond and offend.But he said Babbage's continued detention was unjustified, because the home secretary was not going to be able to send him back to Zimbabwe.Babbage has UK convictions for supplying cocaine, assault and robbery.The Zimbabwean national, who was born in 1986 and came to the UK with his mother in 2003, had been in immigration detention since October 2013.Lawyers for Home Secretary Theresa May argued that continued detention pending deportation was lawful.The judge said that Babbage had "no right to remain in the UK" and had "committed serious offences in this country".But he went on to say that Zimbabwe would only accept "returning nationals" if they had a passport or wished to return.'Serious criminal record'Babbage did not have a current Zimbabwean passport, and had repeatedly made it clear that he did not consent to being returned to Zimbabwe, Mr Justice Garnham said.Therefore there was "no prospect" of deportation to Zimbabwe and continued detention "could not be justified", he ruled."It is my judgement that [he] would be likely, if released, to abscond and to commit further offences," the ruling said."The question which arises here is whether the Home Secretary can justify [his] continued detention when he has made it clear that he will not return home."My answer to that question is 'no'."Babbage had been given leave to remain in Britain in 2007, the court heard.In a period of about two years he built up a "serious criminal record", committing offences including supplying cocaine, harassment, criminal damage and theft.In 2011, he was convicted of robbery, after a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court, and given a 30-month sentence.Home Office officials made a deportation order in 2013 and he had been placed in immigration detention pending deportation.
Results of first-ever national multicenter randomized trial of resident duty hour policies show flexible, less restrictive policies are safe for patients, reduce handoffs, and lead to greater resident satisfaction
JACKSONVILLE: Allowing surgeons in training, otherwise known as residents, the flexibility to work longer shifts than currently allowed in the U.S. and/or take less time off between shifts to provide continuity of patient care is not associated with a greater risk to patients of early serious postoperative complications or death according to study results involving 117 U.S. general surgery residency programs and 151 hospitals. This flexibility was also reported by residents to make it less likely they would need to leave during an operation or hand off an active patient care issue to another provider.
The landmark trial results, presented today before the Academic Surgical Congress, are concurrently published online in the New England Journal of Medicine in advance of print publication on February 25.
Compared with current resident duty hour requirements -- some of which have been in place for 12 years--implementation of less restrictive work hour policies also showed no significant difference in residents' self-reported satisfaction with their overall well-being and quality of their training. The study is called the Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) Trial.
"Making duty hour policies more flexible for surgeons-in-training appears to be safe for patients and acceptable to the trainees," said lead study investigator Karl Bilimoria, MD, MS, FACS, a Faculty Scholar at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and director of the Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Up until now, there has been little high-quality data to show the effect of increased work hour restrictions on surgical patient care. The FIRST Trial is the first-ever national randomized trial of resident duty hour policies, according to the investigators.
"This is the first time we have high-level national prospective evidence to inform resident duty hour policies," Dr. Bilimoria said.
Duty hour policies were revised nationally in 2003 and again in 2011 by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the accrediting and standards-setting body for about 9,500 U.S. medical residency programs, of which 252 are General Surgery programs (and with 117 of those surgery programs participating in the FIRST Trial.) Made to address concerns about patient safety and residents' well-being, the initial reform limited residents' work hours to 80 per week, capped overnight shift lengths, and mandated minimum time off between shifts.* The more recent changes further shortened the shift length for interns (first-year residents) and increased residents' time off work after a 24-hour shift.*
Although the ACGME reforms aimed to protect patients against trainees' fatigue-related errors, Dr. Bilimoria said the newest restrictions increased the frequency of transferring patients to other care providers -- a process called "handoffs."
"In surgery, this more frequent turnover may compromise continuity of patient care, potentially jeopardize patient safety, and decrease the quality of resident education by forcing residents to leave at critical times, such as in the middle of an operation or while stabilizing a critically ill patient," he said.
The FIRST Trial investigated whether surgical patients' complication rates in the first postoperative month would be affected by less restrictive duty hour policies. Complication rates were obtained from participating hospitals' data submitted to the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). The NSQIP database is the leading nationally validated, risk-adjusted, outcomes-based program to measure and improve the quality of surgical care in hospitals.
In addition, the new study measured residents' perceptions of and satisfaction with their overall well-being, quality of education, and patient care, using a survey administered by the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The ABS sets the standards for the board certification of surgeons upon completion of residency training.
The investigators randomly assigned eligible ACGME-accredited general surgery residency programs to use one of two types of duty hour policies during the academic year from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015. Both groups adhered to three main ACGME rules: The workweek was limited to 80 hours; one day off in seven was required; and residents could not take call more often than every third night.
A total of 117 programs at 151 hospitals completed the study. One group of 59 programs and their affiliated 71 hospitals participated in "Standard Policy," with all existing ACGME duty hour policies.
The other group, consisting of 58 programs and 80 affiliated hospitals, received permission from the ACGME to waive rules on maximum shift lengths and time off between shifts. In this flexible duty hour group ("Flexible Policy"), programs were given the flexibility to implement one or more of the following policy changes: Interns' work shifts ("duty hour periods") could extend beyond the current maximum of 16 hours; more senior residents' duty hour periods could exceed 24 hours; residents were not required to have at least eight hours off between shifts; and residents were not required to have at least 14 hours off after 24 hours of continuous duty.
"Our goal was to revise only the policies that would interfere with continuity of care or would result in increased handoffs, particularly at unsafe times," Dr. Bilimoria explained. "Residents in the flexible duty hour group did not work more hours; rather, they worked more effectively by rearranging their hours."
Using the ACS NSQIP database, the researchers evaluated a combined measure of patients' deaths and serious complications within 30 days of an operation. Among nearly 139,000 patients treated, the rate of this composite outcome was similar in both groups (9 percent), the investigators reported. They also found no group differences for the 10 other patient outcomes studied, including the need for an unplanned second operation.
Residents' satisfaction with the quality of their resident education and their overall well-being was measured by the ABS survey they took in January 2015. Among the 4,330 residents responding to the survey, those in the flexible duty hour group (2,220 respondents) were not more likely to report dissatisfaction with their educational program quality compared with the Standard Policy group (2,110) according to survey results. They also did not report significantly greater dissatisfaction with their overall well-being. Importantly, residents in Flexible Policy programs were no more likely than the Standard Policy group to report perceiving a negative effect of fatigue on personal or patient safety.
The Flexible Policy program residents were more likely than the Standard Policy group to report improved experiences on several measures, including continuity of patient care, acquiring of operative skills, and professionalism, Dr. Bilimoria reported.
Importantly, residents in the flexible duty hour group were far more likely to report being present for the entire duration of an operation and being able to care for their patients through an entire episode of illness, rather than handing off care to another provider, he said.
"Our study findings offer another opportunity to look at ACGME duty hour reform and move forward in improving patient safety and resident education," said ACS Executive Director and study coauthor David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS.
"The results of the FIRST Trial demonstrate that greater flexibility in surgical resident work hours can prevent disruptions in patient care and surgical education, without an adverse effect on patient outcomes," said ABS Executive Director and study coauthor Frank R. Lewis, MD, FACS.
###
In addition to Dr. Bilimoria, other study authors include Jeanette W. Chung, PhD; Allison R. Dahlke, MPH; Remi Love; Anthony D. Yang, MD, FACS; David M. Mahvi, MD, FACS; David D. Odell, MD, MMSc; and Jonah J. Stulberg, MD, PhD, MPH, all from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Larry V. Hedges, PhD, of Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; and Mark E. Cohen, PhD, and David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, from the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Chicago. Additional study authors are John L. Tarpley, MD, FACS, of Vanderbilt University, Nashville; John D. Mellinger, MD, FACS, of Southern Illinois University, Springfield, Ill.; Rachel R. Kelz, MD, MSCE, FACS, from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHS, FACS, from ACS NQIP, Chicago, and UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles; and Frank R. Lewis, MD, FACS, from the American Board of Surgery, Philadelphia.
"FACS" designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
This study received funding from the American Board of Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Citation: National Cluster-Randomized Trial of Duty Hour Flexibility in Surgical Training, New England Journal of Medicine.
* Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Resident duty hours in the learning and working environment: comparison of 2003 and 2011 standards. Available at: https://www.acgme.org/acgmeweb/Portals/0/PDFs/dh-ComparisonTable2003v2011.pdf. Accessed January 11, 2016.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Video featuring study authors' sound bites and broll scenes is available upon request from the Office of Public Information of the American College of Surgeons. Contact: pressinquiry@facs.org
About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit http://www.facs.org.
About the American Board of Surgery
The American Board of Surgery is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1937 for the purpose of certifying individuals who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge in the field of surgery. Surgeons certified by the ABS have completed at least five years of surgical training following medical school and successfully completed a written and oral examination process administered by the ABS. They must then maintain their board certification through ongoing learning and practice improvement activities. The ABS is one of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Not only is Greenland's melting ice sheet adding huge amounts of water to the oceans, it could also be unleashing 400,000 metric tons of phosphorus every year - as much as the mighty Mississippi River releases into the Gulf of Mexico, according to a new study. Phosphorus is a key nutrient that could, if it reaches the open ocean, enrich waters of the Arctic Ocean, potentially stimulating growth of the marine food chain, the study's authors said.
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that feeds plankton at the base of the ocean food web. Glacial meltwater has long been known to contain phosphorus, but now new research shows that as the Greenland ice sheet melts it could be releasing far more of the nutrient than previously thought, reports Jon Hawkings, a Cabot Institute researcher at the Bristol Glaciology Centre at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.
Hawkings and his collaborators spent three months in 2012 and 2013 gathering water samples and measuring the flow of water from the 600-square-kilometer (230-square-mile) Leverett Glacier and the smaller, 36-square-kilometer (14-square-mile) Kiattuut Sermiat Glacier in Greenland as part of a Natural Environment Research Council-funded project to understand how much phosphorus, in various forms, was escaping from the ice sheet over time and draining into the sea. They then used that data to extrapolate how much phosphorus was likely being released from the entire Greenland ice sheet.
They found greater amounts of phosphorus in the waters of the Leverett Glacier than had been detected at previous study sites, which have looked mostly at smaller glaciers. The large Leverett Glacier, however, is more representative of the glaciers that contribute the bulk of meltwater coming from the Greenland ice sheet, said Hawkings.
"We find annual phosphorus input (for all of Greenland's outlet glaciers) are at least equal to some of the world's largest rivers, such as the Mississippi and the Amazon," Hawkings and his colleagues report in a new study accepted for publication in Global Biogeochemical Cycles, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. That amount could increase as the climate warms and more ice melts, according to the study's authors.
It is not clear yet how much of the phosphorus being released from the ice sheet is reaching the open ocean, but if a large amount of phosphorus coming off the glacier makes it to the sea, the nutrient could rev up biological activity of Arctic waters, according to the study's authors. The nutrient could stimulate growth of plankton at the base of the ocean food web that could impact birds, fish and marine mammals higher up the food chain. The research also suggests ice sheet-derived phosphorus could eventually reach the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans, which are connected to the Arctic Ocean.
Unleashing nutrients
Oceanographers have historically thought of glaciers and ice sheets as frozen systems that don't add nutrients or water to the oceans, Hawkings explained. Research over the past couple of decades has shown there is flowing water at the base of glaciers. As climate change warms Greenland and more ice melts and makes its way into the sea, the ice sheet is potentially becoming a more important source of nutrients, he said.
Glacial meltwater gains phosphorus when it travels in moulins, or "pipes" through the ice - through the guts of the glacier and down to the where the ice meets the bedrock. Where the ice meets the bedrock at the very bottom of the glacier, the meltwater is exposed to phosphorus-rich rocks that are pulverized by the moving glacier.
"Glaciers are very, very good at crushing up rock," said Hawkings.
The concentrations of dissolved phosphate the researchers found in the Leverett Glacier meltwater - which is just one form of phosphorus found in the meltwater - were similar to concentrations found in Arctic rivers, and among the highest levels recorded in glacial meltwaters worldwide. The total phosphorus concentrations found in the meltwater of the Leverett Glacier - which includes phosphorus-rich particles - was 10 times greater than concentrations found in Arctic river waters.
If the majority of the phosphorus found in meltwater from all of Greenland's glaciers reaches the sea, it would be equal to about 400,000 metric tons (440,000 U.S. tons) per year of phosphorus, more than Arctic rivers are estimated to contribute to the Arctic Ocean, according to the new study. However, how much phosphorus makes it from the meltwater into the open oceans is not yet known. The largest portion of phosphorus, which is in the form of powdered rock minerals, could be settling out of the meltwater and end up buried in Greenland's fjords before it has time to dissolve, Hawkings said.
"This is an important finding because it highlights the role that the rapidly changing Greenland ice sheet plays in supplying nutrients to the Arctic Ocean," observed Eran Hood of the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, who studies the meltwater from coastal glaciers in Alaska, and was not involved in the new study.
"Now we need to understand how much of this phosphorus, especially in the particulate, ends up being utilized in high-latitude marine ecosystems form," said Hood. "I think that's an important open question."
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The following press release and accompanying images can be found at: http://news.agu.org/press-release/greenland-ice-sheet-releasing-mississippi-river-worth-of-phosphorus/
AGU contact:
Nanci Bompey
+1 (202) 777-7524
nbompey@agu.org
University of Bristol contact:
Simon Davies
+ 44 (0)117 928 8086
simon.l.davies@bristol.ac.uk
TORONTO, February 2, 2016 -- Demand for child and youth mental health care has been steadily rising throughout the health care system in Ontario, Canada, with the biggest growth being felt in emergency departments.
These are among the findings of a new study from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
"Overall, we found a one-third rise in ED visits over six years for children and youth presenting with mental health and addictions problems, with anxiety being the most common driver of need," says senior author Dr. Paul Kurdyak, who is Director of Health Systems Research at CAMH and lead of the Mental Health and Addictions Research Program at ICES.
"However, this growth was not limited to emergency care. We also saw a significant increase in hospitalizations and in office-based services, particularly by family doctors, for child and youth mental health."
The research, published today in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, is the first population-based study to measure trends in health service use for mental illness and addictions among Ontario children and youth.
The researchers looked at anonymized patient records for all Ontario children and youth aged 10 to 24 years from 2006 to 2011. They identified mental health and addiction-related outpatient visits, emergency department visits and hospitalizations, examining the results by physician specialty and diagnostic categories. While this step provided the numbers of visits, the rates relative to the population were then calculated using census estimates of the number of young people in Ontario from Statistics Canada.
Among the trends identified from 2006 to 2011:
- Mental health related ED visits rose from 14.6 to 19.3 per 1,000 people (from 36,229 to 49,294), an increase of 32.5 per cent.
- Hospitalizations increased by 53.7 per cent. However, the researchers note that child and youth mental health related hospitalizations remained rare, at 4.5 per 1,000 (11,459 psychiatric hospitalizations) people by 2011.
- Anxiety disorders, the most common reason for ED visits, rose by 2.2 per 1,000 people. They accounted for 47 per cent of the total increase in mental health-related ED visits.
- Office-based physician visits increased by 15.8 per cent. Family physicians accounted for the majority of these visits at 28.7 per 1,000 people (from 502,643 to 591,983 family physician visits).
The researchers say that further investigation should be undertaken to understand how a lack of access to outpatient care may be driving this growth in ED visits.
"If a family has trouble getting mental health or addictions care for their children in a community-based setting such as a family doctor's office or specialty clinic, they likely have no other option but to head to their local emergency department when they need care," says Dr. Kurdyak, who sees this need first-hand as an emergency department psychiatrist at CAMH. "Some of the ED visits we observed were likely unavoidable mental health emergencies, but the overall increase in ED visits likely reflects a problem with access to care in community settings."
He adds, "We hope that by quantifying this growth and looking for patterns, our research will provide health planners with the evidence they need to better coordinate child and youth mental health care across Ontario, so that kids can get the care they need when and where they need it."
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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit camh.ca or follow @CAMHResearch on Twitter.
The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) is an independent, non-profit organization that uses population-based health information to produce knowledge on a broad range of health care issues. Our unbiased evidence provides measures of health system performance, a clearer understanding of the shifting health care needs of Ontarians, and a stimulus for discussion of practical solutions to optimize scarce resources. ICES knowledge is highly regarded in Canada and abroad, and is widely used by government, hospitals, planners, and practitioners to make decisions about care delivery and to develop policy. For the latest ICES news, follow us on Twitter: @ICESOntario
Americans are 10 times more likely to die from firearms than citizens of other developed countries, according to new report published in The American Journal of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA, February 1, 2016 - Gun deaths are a serious public health issue in the United States and the scope of the problem is often difficult to illustrate. A new study published in The American Journal of Medicine lays out the risk in concrete terms. When compared to 22 other high-income nations, Americans are ten times more likely to be killed by a gun than their counterparts in the developed world. Specifically, gun homicide rates are 25 times higher in the U.S. and, while the overall suicide rate is on par with other high-income nations, the U.S. gun suicide rate is eight times higher.
In order to help put America's relationship with guns into perspective, researchers from the University of Nevada-Reno and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed mortality data gathered by the World Health Organization in 2010. Investigators found that despite having similar rates of nonlethal crimes as other high-income countries, the U.S. has much higher rates of lethal violence, mostly driven by extremely higher rates of gun-related homicides.
The study reveals some stark truths about living and dying in the United States. When compared to other high-income nations, as an American you are:
Seven times more likely to be violently killed
Twenty-five times more likely to be violently killed with a gun
Six times more likely to be accidentally killed with a gun
Eight times more likely to commit suicide using a gun
Ten times more likely to die from a firearm death overall
Homicide is the second leading cause of death for Americans 15 to 24 years of age, and the third leading cause of death among those 25 to 34 years of age. Investigators found that for these two groups, the risk relative to their counterparts in other developed nations is alarmingly elevated. Americans 15 to 24 years of age are 49 times more likely to die from firearm homicide compared to similarly aged young people in other high-income nations. For those aged 25 to 34, the risk is 32 times higher.
"More than two-thirds of the homicides in the U.S. are firearm homicides and studies have suggested that the nongun homicide rate in the U.S. may be high because the gun homicide rate is high," explained Erin Grinshteyn, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Nevada-Reno, School of Community Health Science. "For example, offenders take into account the threat posed by their adversaries. Individuals are more likely to have lethal intent if they anticipate that their adversaries will be armed."
Suicide is another source of gun deaths. While suicide rates for the U.S. are similar to those in other high-income countries, Americans are eight times as likely to take their own lives using a gun. Dozens of studies in the U.S. indicate that less access to guns would decrease both the U.S. gun suicide rate and our overall suicide rate.
"Differences in overall suicide rates across cities, states, and regions in the United States are best explained not by differences in mental health, suicide ideation, or even suicide attempts, but by availability of firearms," explained study co-author David Hemenway, PhD, Professor, Health Policy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center and the Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center. "Many suicides are impulsive, and the urge to die fades away. Firearms are a swift and lethal method of suicide with a high case-fatality rate."
America's love affair with firearms has dire consequences, especially when compared to outcomes in the rest of the developed world. Investigators found that despite having only half the population of the other 22 high-income nations combined, the U.S. accounted for 82% of all firearm deaths. In addition, the U.S. accounted for 90% of all women, 91% of children aged 0 to 14 years, and 92% of youth aged 15 to 24 years who were killed by firearms.
"Overall, our results show that the U.S., which has the most firearms per capita in the world, suffers disproportionately from firearms compared with other high-income countries," noted Dr. Grinshteyn. "These results are consistent with the hypothesis that our firearms are killing us rather than protecting us."
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Nearly 75 percent of all glyphosate sprayed on crops in the last 10 years
WASHINGTON Monsantos signature herbicide glyphosate, first marketed as Roundup, is now the most widely and heavily applied weed-killer in the history of chemical agriculture in both the U.S. and globally, according to a landmark report published today.
The paper, published Feb. 2, 2016 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Sciences Europe, reports that to date 18.9 billion pounds (8.6 billion kilograms) of glyphosate have been used globally. Glyphosate use has risen almost 15-fold since so-called Roundup Ready genetically engineered crops were introduced in 1996.
In 2014, enough glyphosate was sprayed to leave more than three-quarters of a pound of the active ingredient on every harvested acre of cropland in the U.S., and remarkably, almost a half pound per acre on all cropland worldwide (0.53 kilogram/hectare).
The paper by Charles Benbrook, Ph.D., titled Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and Globally, is available free online at Environmental Sciences Europe.
The dramatic and rapid growth in overall use of glyphosate will likely contribute to a host of adverse environmental and public health consequences, Dr. Benbrook wrote.
Last year, 17 of the worlds top cancer researchers voted unanimously to elevate glyphosates cancer profile on behalf of the World Health Organization. After the panel of experts reviewed all of the publicly available research, the WHOs International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified the weed-killer as probably carcinogenic to humans. Following WHOs action, the state of California is currently in the process of listing glyphosate as a known human carcinogen under its Proposition 65 law.
As Benbrooks paper notes, other recent studies have found connections between glyphosate exposure and a number of other serious health effects, including liver and kidney damage and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, among others.
Remarkably, 74 percent of all glyphosate sprayed on crops since the mid-1970s was applied in just the last 10 years, as cultivation of genetically engineered corn and soybean crops exploded on both U.S. and global croplands.
Glyphosate was first sold commercially in 1974, but its use by farmers was limited at first because the active ingredient killed both weeds and crops. The subsequent development and approval of genetically engineered (GE), herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops dramatically changed how farmers could apply it. Starting in 1996, Monsanto and other seed companies began marketing GE-HT versions of three major crops - cotton, corn, and soybeans making it possible for farmers to apply glyphosate for months after crops started growing.
The use and efficacy of HT technology, particularly in its first decade, led to its rapid and near-universal adoption in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and a half-dozen other countries. As a result, glyphosate use by U.S. farmers rose from 12.5 million pounds in 1995 to 250 million pounds in 2014, a 20-fold increase. Globally, total use rose from 112.6 million pounds in 1995 to 1.65 billion in 2014, a nearly 15-fold jump.
My hope is that this paper will stimulate more research on glyphosate use and human and environmental exposure patterns to increase the chance that scientists will quickly detect any problems that might be triggered, or made worse, by glyphosate exposure, Benbrook added.
This report makes it clear that the use of glyphosate, combined with the dominance of genetically engineered crops, has produced a looming public health threat both in the U.S. and around the world, said Mary Ellen Kustin, senior policy analyst at EWG. Farmers have sprayed billions of pounds of a chemical now considered a probable human carcinogen over the past decade. Growers spray glyphosate several times a year on the majority of U.S. cropland. The sheer volume of use of this toxic weed-killer is a clear indication that this chemical dependency is a case of farming gone wrong.
This is the second paper by Benbrook published in Environmental Sciences Europe. The first, Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the U.S. - the first sixteen years, was published in September 2012 and remains the most heavily accessed paper in the 25-year history of the journal, with more than 230,000 views.
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References: Benbrook, C. Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally. Environmental Sciences Europe (2016, 28:28) doi:10.1186/s12302-016-0070-0. Access full text at: http://www.enveurope.com/content/28/1/3
Benbrook, C. Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the U.S. - the first sixteen years. Environmental Sciences Europe (2012, Vol. 24:24. doi:10.1186/2190-4715-24-24. Access full text at: www.enveurope.com/content/24/1/24
Both reports are part of Springer's open access publishing portfolio, SpringerOpen, and is available free online.
PHOENIX -- Researchers from Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Banner Sun Health Research Institute have determined that testing a portion of a person's submandibular gland may be a way to diagnose early Parkinson's disease. The study was published this month in Movement Disorders, the official journal of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society.
Currently, there is no accurate diagnostic test for Parkinson's disease. The researchers believe that a procedure termed transcutaneous submandibular gland biopsy may provide the needed accuracy. The test involves inserting a needle into the submandibular gland under the jaw and withdrawing the needle to obtain the core of gland tissue within. The researchers looked for a protein in the cells from patients who have early Parkinson's disease and compared this to subjects without the disease.
"This is the first study demonstrating the value of testing a portion of the submandibular gland to diagnose a living person with early Parkinson's disease. Making a better diagnosis in living patients is a big step forward in our effort to understand and better treat patients," says study author Charles Adler, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist, professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
The study involved 25 patients with Parkinson's disease for less than five years and 10 control subjects without Parkinson's disease. Biopsies were taken from one submandibular gland which is a gland that makes saliva. The biopsies were done as an office procedure by Michael Hinni, M.D., and David Lott, M.D., at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. The biopsied tissues were tested for evidence of the abnormal Parkinson's protein by study co-author Thomas Beach, M.D., Ph.D., a neuropathologist with Banner Sun Health Research Institute.
"This procedure will provide a much more accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease than what is now available," Dr. Beach says. "One of the greatest potential impacts of this finding is on clinical trials, as at the present time some patients entered into Parkinson's clinical trials do not necessarily have Parkinson's disease and this is a big impediment to testing new therapies."
The abnormal Parkinson's protein was detected in 14 of the 19 patients who had enough tissue to study, providing positive results that need further studies. The research team previously had shown that the biopsy could detect the protein in 9 of 12 patients with advanced disease.
"This study provides the first direct evidence for the use of submandibular gland biopsies as a diagnostic test for living patients with early Parkinson's disease," says Dr. Adler. "This finding, in patients with early Parkinson's disease, may be of great use since accuracy of diagnosis in patients with early disease is not nearly as good as in those having the disease for more than 10 years."
Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement as well as sleep, walking, balance, blood pressure, and smell. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while tremor may be the best-known sign of Parkinson's, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement. Currently, the diagnosis is made based on medical history, a review of signs and symptoms, a neurological examination, and by ruling out other conditions. In a previous study, Drs. Adler and Beach found that up to 45 percent of patients may be misdiagnosed early in the disease. Although Parkinson's disease can't be cured, medications may markedly improve symptoms.
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This study was funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
About Banner Sun Health Research Institute
For more than 25 years, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, part of nonprofit Banner Health, has been a leader nationally and internationally in the effort to find answers to disorders of aging including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The Institute, together with its Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium and Arizona Parkinson's Disease Consortium partners, has been designated by the National Institutes of Health as one of just 29 Alzheimer's Disease Centers in the nation, and as the National Brain and Tissue Resource for Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders. Additionally, the Institute's Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research takes laboratory discoveries to clinical trials that foster hope for new treatments. Banner Health is Arizona's leading health care provider and second largest private employer. For more information, visit http://www.bannershri.org.
About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
As the world's largest funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $325 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world.
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. The Neurology Department at Mayo Clinic Arizona is one of the largest in the Southwest United States and specializes in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. There are multiple research studies ongoing for Parkinson's disease. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com or MayoClinic.org/news.
NASA's follow-on to the successful ICESat mission will employ a never-before-flown technique for determining the topography of ice sheets and the thickness of sea ice, but that won't be the only first for this mission.
Slated for launch in 2018, NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) also will carry a 3-D printed part made of polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), a material that has never been used in 3-D manufacturing, let alone flown in space.
"This is a first for this material," said Craig Auletti, lead production engineer on ICESat-2's only instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) now being built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The part is a bracket that supports the instrument's fiber-optic cables.
PEKK Offers Advantages
Instrument developers chose PEKK because it's strong, but perhaps more important, it's electrostatically dissipative -- that is, it reduces the build up of static electricity to protect electrostatically sensitive devices.
It also produces very little outgassing, a chemical process similar to what happens when plastics and other materials release gas, producing, for example, the "new car smell" in vehicles. In a vacuum or under heated conditions, these outgassed contaminants can condense on and harm optical devices and thermal radiators, significantly degrading instrument performance.
Although 3-D or additive manufacturing is used to create a variety of products, so far, it remains a rare occurrence in spaceflight applications. In fact, the PEKK bracket is believed to be only the second 3-D manufactured part to be flown in a spaceflight instrument, said Oren Sheinman, the ATLAS mechanical systems engineer NASA Goddard.
Three-dimensional parts printed of Ultem 9085 were produced and flown on the International Space Station by the NASA Ames Research Center's Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) program.
Additive or 3-D manufacturing is attractive because it offers a fast, low-cost alternative to traditional manufacturing. With additive manufacturing, a computer-operated device literally prints a solid object, layer by layer, using a high-power optic laser that melts and fuses powdered materials in precise locations using a 3-D CAD model. "Had we manufactured this part classically, it would have taken six to eight weeks. We got it in two days," Sheinman said, adding that costs to the project were up to four times less than with a traditionally machined part.
ATLAS: A Technical Marvel
The bracket, however is just one of the mission's firsts. ATLAS, itself, is a technical marvel, said ATLAS Instrument Scientist Tony Martino. It will be NASA's first space-borne, photon-counting laser altimeter and is expected to usher in a new, more precise method for measuring surface elevations.
As with its predecessor, ICESat-2 is designed to measure changes in ice-sheet elevations in Greenland and the Antarctic, sea-ice thicknesses, and global vegetation. However, it will execute its mission using a never-before-flown technique.
ICESat, which ended operations in 2009, employed a single laser, which made it more difficult to measure changes in the elevation of an ice sheet. With a single beam, researchers couldn't tell if the snowpack had melted or if the laser was slightly off and pointed down a hill. ICESat-2 overcomes those challenges by splitting the green-light laser into six beams, arranged in three pairs, firing continuously at a rapid 10,000 pulses per second toward Earth.
Unlike analog-laser altimetry, which uses analog detectors and digitizes the return signal, ICESat-2 will employ a technique called photon counting. Used in aircraft instruments, photon counting has not yet been used for altimetry in a spaceflight instrument. It more precisely records the time-of-flight of individual photons as they travel from the instrument, reflect off Earth's surface, and then are detected as they return to the instrument's detectors -- measurements that scientists use to calculate Earth's surface elevation.
Perhaps more important to scientists who want to know how the ice sheets change over time, the multiple beams will give scientists dense cross-track samples that will help them determine a surface's slope, while the high-pulse rate will allow ATLAS to take measurements every 2.3 feet along the satellite's ground path -- all at a higher resolution due to the photon counting.
"This is one of the new capabilities," Martino said. "We're getting cross track slope every time the satellite passes over." Furthermore, the satellite will pass over the same area every 90 days during ICESat-2's three-year mission, giving scientists a very detailed multi-year snapshot of how the ice is changing.
"It's almost completely built," Martino said, adding that the spacecraft will fly on the last Delta II launch vehicle. "All functional parts are there and our first comprehensive testing starts in February. We're on track."
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For more Goddard technology news, go to https://gsfctechnology.gsfc.nasa.gov/newsletter/Current.pdf
News / National
by Staff reporter
Liberation war hero Retired Brigadier-General Jimmy Mhandu, popularly known by his Chimurenga name, Patrick Nhamo, has been described as a humble and dedicated cadre who worked hard for the preservation of national sovereignty. Former Zimbabwe People's Republic Army (ZIPRA) cadre, Rtd Brig-Gen Mhandu died last Thursday following a long battle with hypertension.He will be buried this afternoon at Bindura Heroes' Acre.A church service will be held at Tendai Hall in Bindura at 10am. Addressing mourners at the funeral parade at One Commando Barracks in Harare yesterday, Commander of the Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga said Rtd Brig-Gen Mhandu played an important role in the liberation war and continued to serve the country after independence."The late Rtd Brig-Gen Mhandu was a gallant and illustrious son of the soil. His entire life was dedicated to the preservation of the national sovereignty of our motherland Zimbabwe."He left a rich history that formed a perpetual legacy to the present and future generations of this country. During the liberation struggle, he abandoned his job as a teacher to fight against the white regime. The zeal to see this country freed from colonial bondage forced him to cross the border to Botswana and later joined others in Zambia for initial military training," he said.General Chiwenga said Rtd Brig-Gen Mhandu went to the then Soviet Union for further training."He came back to Zimbabwe and was deployed to Salisbury now Harare where he played a pivotal role in identifying targets for sabotage, gathering information and recruitment of new cadres. He was nominated to attend a military intelligence course in the then German Democratic Republic in 1977. After the completion of the course, he was appointed the former ZIPRA high command and played an important role in the unification of military intelligence and national intelligence for ZIPRA to form the national security. He was appointed Deputy Chief National intelligence."He was attested in the Zimbabwe National Army in 1981 as a colonel. He was the first black director of military police and was posted to headquarters," he said. Meanwhile, Zanu-PF national chairman, Simon Khaya Moyo described the late Rtd Brig Gen Mhandu as a distinguished soldier and a man of courage."He was a distinguished soldier, a man of courage, a friend of many and he was the true son of the soil," he said. Khaya Moyo said he worked together with the late Rtd Brig Gen Mhandu in Zambia.Minister of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees, Christopher Mutsvangwa described Rtd Brig Gen as a fighter who anticipated the unification of the Zimbabwe National Army."The late Rtd Brig Gen Mhandu was a great fighter who anticipated for the unification, development and formation of the current Zimbabwe National Army. He had no political affiliation as proved when he united with the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) forces but he was trained by ZIPRA," said Mutsvangwa.Commander 5 Infantry Brigade Brig Gen Morgan Urayayi Munawa said the late Rtd Brig Gen Mhandu was an upright man with direction and was well-disciplined during his life.Rtd Brig Gen Mhandu was born on November 11 1947. He is survived by his wife, seven children and several grandchildren.
When an endangered orca is in hot pursuit of an endangered salmon, sending out clicks and listening for their echoes in the murky ocean near Seattle, does the noise from the nearby shipping lane interfere with them catching dinner? To find out scientists measured underwater noise as ships passed their study site 3,000 times. This unprecedented characterization of ship noise will aid in the understanding of the potential effects on marine life, and help with possible mitigation strategies.
One of the threats faced by today's oceans is underwater noise pollution from ships. Amazingly, the growth in commercial shipping has raised the intensity of low-frequency noise almost 10-fold since the 1960s. Because this noise occurs at the low frequencies used by baleen whales there is growing evidence it may impact their ability to communicate, and therefore their survival. But could ship noise extend to the higher frequencies used by toothed whales and therefore pose similar threats to them?
To answer this question and understand the nature of ship noise, particularly in coastal areas where ships access ports, scientists measured approximately 1,600 unique ships as they passed through Haro Strait, in Washington State. This area is the core critical habitat for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales -- salmon-eating orcas which are iconic in the Pacific Northwest and which support a multi-million dollar ecotourism industry in the U.S. and Canada.
Because these orcas, like other toothed whales, use mid-and high-frequencies to communicate and find their prey, the study measured a wide range of frequencies (10 Hz to 40,000 Hz). The results show that ships are responsible for elevated background noise levels not only at low frequencies as expected, but also at medium and higher frequencies (including at 20,000 Hz where killer whales hear best). This means that in coastal environments where marine mammals live within a few kilometers of shipping lanes, ship noise has the potential to interfere with both communication and echolocation.
The study is unique because it estimates the source levels of larger populations and more classes of ships than in previous studies. Overall, container ships exhibited the highest median source levels (at all frequencies below 20,000 Hz). Military vessels had some of the lowest levels, suggesting that transfer of quieting technology to the commercial sector could be a successful noise mitigation strategy.
The study shows that another potential way to reduce noise pollution is to simply slow down. The data suggest that, on average, each reduction in a ship's speed by 1 knot could reduce broadband noise levels by 1 dB.
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Researchers often analyse isolated biomolecules in test tubes, and it is doubtful if the results can be applied to densely-packed cells. A team from Bochum, Dortmund and Greifswald monitored the folding of an RNA structure in the living cell and compared the results with those of test tube analyses.
The team studied the behaviour of an RNA structure from the microorganism Salmonella in three different scenarios: in a living cell; in an aqueous solution without additives; and in an aqueous solution with various additives that were supposed to mimic the molecules in the cells.
Artificial additives affect RNA behaviour
The additives in the test tube affected the behaviour of the RNA molecules, based on the chemical composition of the additive, and on its concentration and size. Considering those results, the researchers expected the RNA molecule in the living cell - which is densely-packed with various molecules - to exhibit a different behaviour than the RNA molecule in the aqueous solution without any additives.
"To our surprise, we didn't find any differences, on average, between the living cell and the diluted aqueous solution," says Junior Professor Dr Simon Ebbinghaus from the Department of Physical Chemistry II at the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, who delineates the results in the journals "Angewandte Chemie" and "Angewandte Chemie International Edition", together with RUB colleagues at the Department of Biology, at the TU Dortmund and at the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald.
Cell and diluted aqueous solution not dissimilar
"Because it contains a large number of macromolecules, the cellular environment is highly concentrated and viscous, similar to the one we simulated using artificial additives," explains Ebbinghaus. "Unlike the artificial additives, however, the cellular environment appears to modify the RNA stability only marginally."
In the course of the study, the researchers analysed an RNA thermometer with a hairpin structure. At a higher temperature, the structure fuses, thus triggering a thermal shock response in microorganisms. The colour markings at the ends of the structure enabled the researchers to monitor if the hairpin unfolded under the different conditions or not.
Strong fluctuations in RNA stability in living cells
In the living cell, the stability of the RNA thermometer varied much more strongly than in the test tube. Dynamic changes in the cellular environment may affect the RNA folding continuously, the researchers suspect. The cellular environment might thus constitute a crucial factor for the regulation and modulation of various biological processes.
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Funding
The results have been gathered in the course of a collaborative project within the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV (Ruhr Explores Solvation, EXC 1069), funded by the German Research Foundation. The study was in addition supported by the Ruckkehrerprogramm of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the International Graduate School of Neuroscience at the Ruhr-Universitat.
References
M. Gao, D. Gnutt, A. Orban, B. Appel, F. Righetti, R. Winter, F. Narberhaus, S. Muller, S. Ebbinghaus (2016): RNA hairpin folding in the crowded cell, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201510847
M. Gao, D. Gnutt, A. Orban, B. Appel, F. Righetti, R. Winter, F. Narberhaus, S. Muller, S. Ebbinghaus (2016): Faltung einer RNA-Haarnadel in der dicht gedrangten Zelle, Angewandte Chemie, DOI: 10.1002/ange.201510847
Further information
Prof Dr Simon Ebbinghaus, Department of Physical Chemistry II, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Gerrmany, phone: +49/234/32-25533, email: Simon.Ebbinghaus@rub.de
A figure related to this press release can be downloaded from: http://aktuell.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/pm2016/pm00014.html.en
Scientists at the University of Birmingham are calling on drought researchers and managers around the world to consider both human activity and natural phenomena in their battle to preserve increasingly scarce global water supplies.
The experts say that severe droughts experienced recently in countries such as China, Brazil and the United States can no longer be seen as purely natural hazards. Changes to the way people use the water and the landscape contribute to extreme water shortages.
The University's Water Science Research Group is leading key researchers from 13 organisations in eight countries to redefine how the world should study and tackle drought. The researchers propose broadening the definition of drought to include water shortage caused and made worse -- or sometimes improved -- by human activity.
Drought research should no longer view water availability as a solely natural, climate-imposed phenomenon and water use as simply a socio-economic issue. It should, instead, more carefully consider the complex interactions between nature and society.
The current California drought has severely affected the state's environment and economy. Storing water in reservoirs and extracting groundwater increase evaporation and decrease groundwater levels, making the drought worse. It demonstrates how strongly water and society are intertwined during drought periods.
Europe suffered a severe drought last summer with high heat causing soils and plants to dry out helping to spread wildfires. Agricultural and hydropower production decreased, whilst rivers fell to record low levels and inland water transport shut down in some places. Water and drought policies vary across the EU and more work is needed to understand their influence on drought.
University of Birmingham Water Science Lecturer Dr Anne Van Loon said: "Society is not a passive victim of drought; it responds to water shortages and these responses again influence water levels in reservoirs, aquifers and rivers. Severe droughts in human-dominated environments, as experienced in recent years in China, Brazil and the USA, cannot be seen as purely natural hazards because human activities play a role.
"Managing drought effectively means we must acknowledge that human influence is as integral to drought as natural climate variability. This is why we're calling for research to explicitly consider the multidirectional relationship between natural drought processes and the role of people."
Recent research has focussed on natural areas, such as the effects of climate change on drought under natural conditions. However, the validity of these studies is questionable if our world is strongly altered and managed by people.
"The traditional approach to drought research -- focussing on natural phenomena -- leads to poor prediction and management of this complex interdisciplinary phenomenon. The complexity of the issue and lack of data and information make it hard, but that is no reason to pretend that the water system is completely natural and we can ignore water use by people in quantifying drought."
Dr Van Loon added that in California, one of the big questions is how much rain is needed to end the drought. It was particularly important to take into account human activity, such as groundwater abstraction and water transfers, when calculating how much rain is needed.
"We can see the water system as a bucket of water half-empty due to drought, which needs to be filled up to its original level," she said. "We can calculate how much rain is needed to fill up the bucket, but at the same time we are constantly taking water out of the bucket and putting water in."
The water science researchers say that defining the causes of drought is crucial in deciding whether management should focus on making changes to cope with climate-induced drought (adaptation) or tackling the actions that lead to human-induced drought (mitigation).
Innovative scientific methodology is needed to pull apart different causes of drought. Research should also analyse the impacts of drought on society, how society responds to water shortages and the effect of these responses on drought.
Direct effects of people on drought are water abstraction, reservoir building and water transfer. Indirect effects are changes to the land surface made by people that can affect the development of drought by altering hydrological processes. These can include evaporation from land to air (evapotranspiration) and the rate at which water penetrates the soil (infiltration), as well as surface runoff and storage of water.
These direct and indirect influences can be long-term (big engineering projects for reservoirs or gradual urbanisation) and short-term (more efficient irrigation methods, different crops). Short term adaptation to drought can decrease the severity of the next drought or even cause within drought changes influencing the drought end.
A better understanding of how public perception of drought and strategies to tackle climate-induced factors is also needed. Large drought impact databases currently being compiled for the US and Europe, together with improved data analysis methods should help in this area.
"Whilst human activity can contribute to worsening drought, society can also play its part in tackling water shortages. However, we can only begin to take positive global action against drought when evaluating the relationship between nature and people and its impact," said Dr Van Loon.
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Drive eight hours in any direction in Southern California and you'll get a lesson in geology by way of landscape. Desert erosion, glaciation, volcanism, prehistoric landslides and active earthquake faults abound along the region's highways and byways.
But you have to know what you're looking for. A new book by UC Santa Barbara geologist Arthur Sylvester and illustrator Elizabeth O'Black Gans, a UCSB alumna, aims to help.
The pair spent three years creating "Roadside Geology of Southern California," the latest in a series of highway guides from Mountain Press Publishing Co. The first, "Roadside Geology of Northern California," was published in 1972.
With 196 geo-referenced color photographs, 84 detailed maps and 31 explanatory diagrams, the 400 pages of "Roadside Geology of Southern California" combine the latest science with accessible stories about the rocks and landscapes visible from winding two-lane byways as well as from the region's vast network of highways.
"The hard part -- besides driving 13,000 miles -- was deciding what had to be omitted from our book," said Sylvester, a professor emeritus in UCSB's Department of Earth Science. "Southern California is chock full of geological treasures."
The text reviews the complex geology and geologic history of the region's notable features such as the San Andreas Fault, the Salton Sea, the boulder piles in Joshua Tree National Park, the brilliant white dunes of the Northern Channel Islands and the youthful volcanic cinder cones in the Mojave Desert. It also explains why the Transverse Ranges -- which include the Santa Ynez Mountains behind Santa Barbara and the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains that border the Los Angeles Basin -- trend east to west rather than northwest like the majority of mountains in California and North America.
"Our book details how these ranges rotated over time as part of the shearing movement between the North American and the Pacific plates," Sylvester explained. "The Transverse Ranges started out as coastline near San Diego and over millions of years spun clockwise almost like a log in an eddy."
Southern California also features almost every age of rock, from 2.5-billion-year-old metamorphic rocks to 3,000-year-old volcanic cinders. Sylvester also noted that the range of rock types is mind-boggling. The region includes high-grade metamorphic, plutonic and volcanic rocks, common sandstone and limestone, soupy sediments yet to harden into rock, precious gemstones and giant quarries of sand and gravel.
Sylvester has two favorite geologic roads: State Route 2 across the San Gabriel Mountains and State Route 33 over the Santa Ynez Mountains. "These are really interesting byways over the crests of two major mountain ranges," he said. "They offer a driving experience along curvy but well-maintained two-lane roads. You can see spectacular geology as well as a lot of scenery unlike the sound walls and monotonous landscaping along most Southern California freeways."
While Sylvester considers those state routes the most fun to drive, he says Highway 101 along the coast between Ventura and Santa Barbara is one of the most scenic drives in Southern California. "The book directs your attention from the sea and the Channel Islands to must-see geologic features in the cliffs that might not be apparent at 65 mph," he said.
Sylvester noted two places offering more leisurely drives near the Salton Sea that cover a lot of geologic features in one day. "I love the drive up Split Mountain Gorge, south of California 78 in the southwest corner of the Salton Trough," he said. "Its towering cliffs bear clear evidence of a huge landslide that crashed into soft sediments and folded them into fantastic contortions."
On the north edge of the Salton Sea, the Mecca Hills area has colorful sedimentary rocks folded and faulted within the San Andreas Fault zone. "In contrast to freeways, you can park anywhere along these winding roads to admire and study the geology," Sylvester said. "And in both places, the exposures are almost 100 percent, so the spectacular geology is easily seen."
Sylvester will sign copies of "Roadside Geology of Southern California" at Chaucer's Bookstore at 3321 State St. in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m.
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URBANA, Ill. - Conservation efforts are designed to restrict activities in protected areas, but the restrictions can have unintended consequences. A University of Illinois researcher examined the results of a multi-million dollar European Union aid project in West Africa and found that a country's national governance quality can affect the livelihoods of families who rely on resources from national parks and other protected areas.
U of I's Daniel Miller, who studies environmental politics and policy, was intrigued by a conservation intervention that took place from 2001 to 2008 in the W National Park region in Africa. The purpose of the project was to help reverse natural resource degradation and conserve biodiversity so as to benefit local people.
Miller conducted interviews from 2010 to 2011 with 300 households in villages adjacent to the W National Park in Benin and Niger. He used the original data from the interviews to explain how and why the same conservation project led to different outcomes in the two national political contexts.
"We have this rare situation where there is a transboundary aid project and two very different political systems," Miller says. "Benin and Niger differ in governance quality and the extent of decentralization reform. Niger has more instability, Benin being relatively more stable and better governed. This allowed us to compare the effects of a blanket conservation aid project."
Miller says that an aerial map of the area shows a stark divide showing the greener grass inside the park. "The soil is richer and there is more fauna," Miller says. "On the outskirts of the park, much of the land has been used for agriculture or grazing. So people sometimes sneak into the park to hunt, graze their animals, or even plant crops. They can get a large windfall, but the risks are high if they're caught: huge fines, prison, and sometimes worse."
In comparison to national parks in the United States or other high-income countries, these parks are difficult to access and very poorly staffed. The funding from the project was used to ramp up enforcement, build infrastructure like roads, park guard posts, and watering holes to attract animals--all efforts to help reinforce the area and delineate the perimeters more clearly.
"The park was like a supermarket for poor families," Miller says. "All of a sudden, with this international aid project the supermarket was closed. In Benin, where they had better governance and more local voice they could mitigate the effects of the 'supermarket' closing."
The results of the study showed that there were indeed negative consequences for people's livelihoods, but in Niger the impacts were much greater, particularly for the poorest people and those who saw the most severe reduction in their access to park resources.
"We believe it's because they didn't have a voice to resist or to shape what the enforcement would look like," Miller says. "Benin had hunting associations that become co-management entities with the park so the local people affected by the park and the project had at least some a voice to shape how the park was managed. Benin also had significant increases in mammal species abundance."
By contrast, Miller says, greater levels of enforcement in Niger's national park were associated with sharply decreasing income levels among park neighbors but did not have as statistically signi?cant effect on wildlife populations.
"Governance matters," Miller says. "In this case, Benin's better government and more decentralization led to better social and ecological outcomes. These results highlight the importance of national political context to the outcomes of aid-funded conservation efforts."
Miller describes the broader picture of the democratic decentralization processes unfolding across more than 60 countries in the developing world, since the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"Some have stalled out like Niger and others have continued," Miller said. "As a political scientist, I want to know how and why governance matters. The future will tell if these same affects are also at play in other national parks and with other aid projects."
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The research paper, "The importance of national political context to the impacts of international conservation aid: Evidence from the W National Parks of Benin and Niger," was written by Daniel Miller, Michael Minn, and Brice Sinsin. It is published in Environmental Research Letters.
A fellowship from the Social Science Research Council in New York provided funding for the research.
ANN ARBOR--Large national parks that are home to gorillas, chimpanzees and other great apes are focal points for much of the field research conducted in tropical Africa and Asia, resulting in crucial knowledge gaps and a biased view of broader conservation needs in those regions.
Those are key findings from a new study by University of Michigan anthropologist Andrew Marshall and several colleagues. They used Google Scholar to determine what effect the presence of great apes has on the amount and types of research done in protected areas in tropical Africa and Asia.
They found that 31 percent of the papers published about research in national parks and other protected areas focused on four groups of great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and bonobos. Seventy-one percent of the studies targeted mammals, a group that includes the great apes.
At the same time, a third of African protected areas have received no research attention whatsoever, Marshall said. The findings suggest that a disproportionate focus on the charismatic great apes and their home turf reduces attention to equally important--though less well known--animal and plant species.
"Our results highlight major gaps in the allocation of research effort," said Marshall, associate professor of anthropology, and natural resources and environment.
"Our current understanding of tropical protected areas is limited and heavily biased toward a handful of sites that are probably not representative of protected areas more generally. This preoccupation with great apes may distract from broader conservation needs in the region."
The team's findings are scheduled for online publication Feb. 2 in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Google Scholar is an online tool used to search for scholarly literature. Marshall and three colleagues used it to determine the number of published studies done in all 565 of the protected areas in the 23 African and Asian countries that contain gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans or bonobos.
They used the number of Google Scholar returned citations, which they call "hits," as a proxy for research effort in each protected area.
For a random sample of 20 percent of those protected areas, they also searched for keywords in study titles--including the words "primates," "mammals," "birds" and "plants," as well as the common or scientific name of any organism within those groups--to determine the "taxonomic focus" of each project.
They hypothesized that larger and older protected areas, as well as those officially designated as national parks, would be home to more research studies. The authors also suspected that the presence of great apes would increase research interest "because they are iconic and threatened, and because their distribution is relatively well known."
Overall, sites with great apes returned 3.1 times more hits than protected areas without them--and the presence of gorillas had the strongest effect. The presence of gorillas was associated with a 35.2-fold increase in the number of hits, followed by orangutans (3.85-fold increase), chimpanzees (2.34-fold increase) and bonobos (1.42-fold increase).
Great apes also scored highest in keyword searches for the names of various plants and animals, scoring an unexpectedly high 30.7 percent of all the taxon-related hits, according to the authors. About 71 percent of the hits were related to mammals, as compared with 5.9 percent for birds, 11.3 percent for plants, and 11.7 percent for other groups.
The researchers caution that the number of protected sites with gorillas (four) and bonobos (two) is small, so the observed effects of those groups should be interpreted with caution.
As expected, national parks showed consistently higher numbers of hits than did other types of protected areas. The size of the protected area was also positively correlated with the number of research studies, while the age of the park showed only a small positive effect.
The heavy emphasis on national parks with great apes leads to a skewed focus on areas that contain higher-quality habitats, that have experienced less degradation, and that are better funded and managed than other types of protected areas and unprotected areas, Marshall said.
"This leads to unrealistically optimistic assessments of the status of threatened taxa and results in crucial gaps in our knowledge of how these species function in nonprotected or suboptimal habitats," he said.
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Marshall's co-authors are Erik Meijaard of Borneo Futures in Indonesia; Eric Van Cleave of the University of California, Davis; and Douglas Sheil of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
University of Minnesota researchers have identified the mechanism of a potential HIV drug target, which could be a more cost-effective option than currently used HIV drugs.
The study expanded upon previous UMN research, which identified that the nucleoside 5-azacytidine (5-aza-C) blocked HIV's ability to spread. 5-aza-C triggers lethal mutagenesis, a process in which HIV mutations speed up to a point that the HIV essentially wears itself out.
A collaborative team of researchers at the University of Minnesota and Emory University found that 5-aza-C blocks HIV's ability to spread by first converting to a DNA form (5-aza-deoxyC). The DNA conversion allows 5-aza-C to infiltrate HIV when the virus turns RNA into DNA, and therefore stops the virus from replicating.
The majority of HIV medications currently on the market are DNA-based, but RNA-based drugs like 5-aza-C have a manufacturing advantage because they are more affordable to produce.
The study was posted online and will appear in print in the American Society for Microbiology's journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in April.
"We now understand the mechanism for how 5-aza-C blocks HIV's infectivity through hypermutation. This information may aid in developing cheaper HIV drugs," said lead-author Louis Mansky, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Molecular Virology and professor in the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. Mansky is also a Masonic Cancer Center member.
This also helps explain why 5-aza-C is able to block HIV infectivity, despite its RNA-origin. 5-aza-C acts similarly to its DNA-based counterpart 5-aza-deoxyC, but is not nearly as effective. However, it can be mass-produced more cheaply.
"More than half of the world's HIV population is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa where there is very limited access to HIV drugs and treatment. Our study could lead to developing more cost-effective medication, which in turn could lead to new and more economical treatments for poorer, developing countries," Mansky said.
5-aza-C has been approved by the FDA for clinical use in treating myelodysplastic syndrome, but it's only available as an IV-based medication. The study's findings encourage efforts to explore ways to produce 5-aza-C in capsule form.
"While it's not as effective as its DNA-based form, we can use what we know to try mimicking 5-aza-C to discover new compounds that could be more effective, while still being more affordable to produce," Mansky said.
It's another step towards ultimately finding a cure for HIV, Mansky says.
In addition to being more cost-effective HIV drugs, these RNA-based drugs could have potential use in the treatment of a wide variety of emerging viral infections, including Zika virus, Ebola virus, MERS virus and influenza virus.
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Mansky collaborated with Steven Patterson, Ph.D., in the University of Minnesota's Center for Drug Design and Baek Kim, Ph.D., R.Ph., at Emory University. Patterson is a Masonic Cancer Center member.
This research was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health [R01 GM105876, T32 AI83196, F31 DA035720].
The little penguin species (popularly known as little blue penguins) found in southern New Zealand is a surprisingly recent invader from Australia, according to a new study led by University of Otago researchers.
Following the recent discovery that little penguins in the southern province of Otago belong to an Australian species, a team of researchers from New Zealand and the United States set out to determine when the Aussies first arrived.
The Marsden and Allan Wilson Centre-funded study was carried out by Dr Stefanie Grosser as part of her PhD research, and led by Professor Jon Waters from Otago's Department of Zoology.
The researchers analysed ancient DNA from the remains of over one hundred little penguins: bones dating back to pre-human times, as well specimens from archaeological deposits and museums.
Dr Grosser says previous studies had concluded that the Australian species has been in New Zealand for hundreds of thousands of years. However, the new genetic study indicates that the Australian species arrived in New Zealand much more recently.
"Amazingly, all of the bones older than 400 years belong to the native New Zealand species," she says.
"Our results clearly show that the Australian penguin colonised Otago very recently, between 1500 and 1900 AD, apparently following the decline of the native New Zealand little penguin, which was hunted by early human settlers and introduced predators."
The researchers say that while the results are exciting, the finding of wildlife extinction and replacement in the aftermath of human arrival is not a completely isolated case.
"Many of New Zealand's animal species, birds in particular, have suffered at the hands of people. The really exciting thing about these findings is that they show how quickly nature can respond to human impacts," says Professor Waters.
The team's findings have been published today in the international biological research journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
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A new type of ultra-thin semiconductor laser under development at The University of Texas at Arlington can be integrated with mainstream electronics on the same silicon substrate with increased capacity and energy efficiency.
Weidong Zhou, an electrical engineering professor at UTA, will use a three-year, $600,000 grant from the U.S. Army Research Office to build upon advances made through previous grants he has received for printed photonic crystals and silicon "lab-on-a-chip" technology. Yuze "Alice" Sun, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at UTA, is co-principal investigator.
"Big companies like IBM and Intel are using this technology for high-performance computing centers," Zhou said. "The big push now is for the next big thing: smaller, faster, and less and less power consumption."
Zhou also has recently received a three-year, $935,000 grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to explore extreme energy efficiency lasers, in collaboration with Professors Shanhui Fan at Stanford and Xiuling Li at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The projects point to an increasingly important role The University of Texas at Arlington is playing in the world of lasers and how they work on semiconductors.
Zhou is a Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering. He holds three issued patents related to this technology and has more than 270 journal publications and conference presentations. He joined UTA in 2004 after a brief career in industry.
A paper, entitled, "Printed Large-Area Single-Mode Photonic Crystal Bandedge Surface-Emitting Lasers on Silicon," was published online last month in Nature's Scientific Reports. It outlined Zhou's findings from related research supported by the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Army Research Office.
His previous research led to innovations that removed roadblocks to putting optical technology on a silicon chip.
Specifically, Zhou developed a membrane laser less than one micron thick that is compatible with planar Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon platforms, which are the building blocks for all electronics and can be easily integrated with current platforms. The key innovation is the integration of certain compound semiconductor material with a silicon photonic crystal cavity, which allows a laser to be built directly on a silicon chip next to other electrical components. This leads to higher speed and higher efficiency.
The first application of Zhou's laser is in computers and data centers where higher bandwidth and transfer rates at lower energy outputs are prized. Zhou's group is actively pursuing various innovative membrane laser architectures for extreme energy efficient computing and communication systems. Zhou and collaborators will use his new grant to continue innovations in high-performance membrane lasers, including the one reported in Nature Photonics in 2012, entitled, "Transfer printing stacked nanomembrane lasers on silicon."
"We are looking for devices and components to be integrated on a chip," Zhou said. "As we address electrical injection, integration with other devices on the chip and increased power capabilities, we can begin to apply this technology to products in the medical field or in the consumer arena. These applications could include portable electronics, sensing and imaging equipment, bio applications and wearable electronics."
Zhou has been the primary investigator on research grants totaling nearly $6 million and has been involved with more than 30 projects totaling more than $18 million since 2004.
The Electrical Engineering Department is an integral component of UTA's College of Engineering, which recently became the third-largest in Texas with an enrollment of more than 7,000. Other department faculty members working in the field of photonics include National Academy of Inventors Charter Fellow Robert Magnusson and Michael Vasilyev, a Fellow of The Optical Society.
Khosrow Behbehani, dean of the College of Engineering, commended Zhou's innovations as a model of the University's work to advance Global Environmental Impact under the Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.
"As technology becomes pervasive in our everyday life from the cars we drive to our clothing, the ability to make smaller, more power-efficient components becomes more valuable," said Behbehani. "Dr. Zhou's research could be truly groundbreaking and lead to many future discoveries."
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About The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of more than 51,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked UTA as one of the 20 fastest-growing public research universities in the nation in 2014. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times' 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit http://www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at http://www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php.
Scientists at the Universities of York and Torino have used mathematics as a tool to provide precise details of the structure of protein nanoparticles, potentially making them more useful in vaccine design.
Working with a world-leading group at the University of Connecticut in the USA, who pioneered the development of self-assembling protein nanoparticles (SAPNs) for vaccine design, they have used advanced mathematical calculations to create a complete picture of the surface morphology of these particles. The research is published in the Biophysical Journal.
The nanoparticles self-assemble symmetrically using protein building blocks to create cage or shell-like architectures, which serve a range of functions such as storage, catalysis and structural scaffolding, or as enclosures for viral genomes. But electron microscopy and neutron scattering data has limited effectiveness for researchers attempting to classify the morphology of the nanoparticles.
Using mathematics to predict the geometries of nanoparticles can help scientists to select those whose structures are the most advantageous for the design of new vaccines. The constant need for vaccine development as new strains of disease evolve has generated a world market worth $56 billion a year.
The new study focused on a class of artificial SAPNs designed by Professor Peter Burkhard, a structural biophysicist at the University of Connecticut. When chemically attached to antigens from pathogens, nanoparticles can create simple, potent and cost-effective vaccines. Clinical tests on a malaria vaccine designed in this way are due to start soon.
Researchers at York and Torino, led by biophysicist Professor Reidun Twarock, of the University of York's York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis and the Departments of Mathematics and Biology, used a mathematical tool called tiling theory to predict the symmetric classification of different particle morphologies of SAPNs. They adapted the tiling approach Professor Twarock previously pioneered in the context of virology to model protein nanoparticles with a mixture of local five- and three-fold symmetry axes.
Professor Twarock said: "We have developed a mathematical approach that allows you to identify the surface structures of these nanoparticles that you cannot get from experimentation alone. Mathematics plays an important role here because it acts like a microscope and helps to give researchers insights they couldn't get experimentally."
Professor Burkhard added: "The protein nanoparticles show great promise as future vaccine carriers and our malaria vaccine will be tested in a clinical setting within the next year. Understanding the geometric principles of the self-assembly to nanoparticles is essential for the successful design and development as vaccines."
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News / National
by Lovemore Meya
A self-styled prophet at Kingdom Empowerment Church of Christ was yesterday fined $100 or spend 30 days in prison for stealing a laptop and cellphone worth $820 given to him by a congregant for safekeeping. Donald Garwe (23) of Unit G Extension, Chitungwiza, had prophesied that Martin Nduwiva (18) of Belvedere in Harare would lose the gadgets to thieves.However, the gadgets were later recovered. Appearing before Chitungwiza magistrate Ms Blessing Murwisi, Garwe denied theft of trust property charges. He was convicted after prosecutor Mr Edmond Ndambakuwa proved a strong case against him.Ms Murwisi ordered Garwe to pay a fine or spend 30 days in prison if he defaulted. In addition, Garwe was slapped with a wholly suspended two-month prison term for five years.The incident occurred in August last year when Garwe asked Nduwiva to join his church after telling him his date of birth. Garwe informed Nduwiva that he was now his "spiritual father".On December 1 last year, Garwe visited Nduwiva at his house where he prophesied that his HP laptop and a Huawei cellphone were going to be stolen. Garwe convinced Nduwiva to surrender the gadgets to him for safekeeping or risk losing them.Fearing that he would lose his prized possessions, Nduwiva complied. The court heard that Garwe guaranteed Nduwiva that he was going to pray for the gadgets, but later sold the laptop and returned the cellphone.Meanwhile, another prophet with the Johanne Masowe eChishanu apostolic sect was severely assaulted by his former wife at his shrine following a dispute, a Harare Civil Court has heard.Shadreck Runganga, who was seeking a protection order against his ex-wife, Beauty Magarachani, alleged that she assaulted him in front of the congregation. Runganga told magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa that Magarachani was chased away by her parents for infidelity and his hope of making her a better wife were in vain as she continued having extra-marital affairs resulting in their divorce.He said Magarachani also scolded him in public using obscene language and this was affecting him emotionally as a "man of God"."She is my ex-wife and she comes to my shrine where I am a prophet and assaults me in front of the congregants," Runganga said."She also destroys my things at the shrine and she dumped our one-year-old child there. She is always threatening me with unknown action and vows not to stop assaulting me until I reconcile with her."Whenever she sees me in public, she shouts at me using vulgar words, humiliating me. She was chased away by her parents for (sleeping around) and she has been arrested by police on several occasions for causing violence," he said.Magarachani denied the allegations. She told the court that Runganga was framing allegations against her."I have never attacked him as he has alleges," Magarachani said."I never dumped the child like he has said. He is the one who took the child after using his prophetic tricks and made the child sick," she said.Mrs Gofa ordered Magarachani to stop abusing Runganga in any way and to keep peace with him at all times.
Listeria bacterium found in food, which can infect people and cause temporary gastro-intestinal distress, is a serious health risk for pregnant women and for people with compromised immune systems. According to a dissertation from Umea University in Sweden, the bacterium, which sometimes causes the lethal illness listeriosis, reacts to light by activating defence mechanisms.
Listeria monocytogenes, named after the British surgeon Joseph Lister, is ubiquitous in nature but can sometimes spread to food, especially to unpasteurised dairy products and charcuterie. The Listeria bacterium can grow in food stored in the fridge, and if contaminated food is consumed without being properly heated, the bacterium can cause infection.
Researchers have now discovered a new property in Listeria; namely that the bacterium activates protective mechanisms when exposed to light. This discovery can, in future, be used by the food industry to prevent the spread of Listeria.
In the dissertation, doctoral student Christopher Andersson also describes the discovery of two new molecules that combat the pathogenicity of the Listeria bacterium. The researchers also studied how the molecules can be used to prevent the bacterium from causing disease.
For healthy individuals, the Listeria bacterium usually causes no extreme harm apart from a few days of stomach problems. For individuals with a compromised immune system or for pregnant women, however, the bacterium can be very dangerous. If a bacterial infection spreads to the brain it can progress to "listeriosis", which has a mortality rate of 20-30 percent. If a pregnant woman is infected, the bacteria can spread to the foetus and cause miscarriage.
"Hopefully, this new knowledge on how light and these small molecules affect the bacterium can, in future, be used to prevent the spread of Listeria and help treat listeriosis," says Christopher Andersson, doctoral student at the Department of Molecular Biology at Umea University and author of the dissertation.
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The incoming Swedish EU Presidency (July-December 2009) may still remain in favour of Turkey's controversial EU bid, despite June 2009 EU Elections' results, but it has "very strong demands on Turkey"'s obligation to respect EU Rules, said the Head of Swedish Foreign Ministry's Press Service, Cecilia Julin, to "EuroFora", reacting to critical Press reports.- "I know (that) the link is often made also to Sweden's position on Turkey"'s controversial EU bid. Indeed, "we (Swedish EU Presidency) are very much engaged in the future membership of Turkey, but not without fullfiling all the Criteria".- "It's very clear that we (Swedish EU Presidecny) have very Strong Demands on Turkey, in a sort of concept for Future membership of the Union, ...which will be a Long Process...", she stressed.This means, in particular, "the Copenhagen Criteria (on Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law), and also the adaptation to the Acquis of the European Union".- "If you listen to what Mr. Bildt (the Swedish Foreign Minister) says on Turkey at different occasions, it's very clear : We want Turkey to become part of the Union, in the Future. But we want it to fullfil all the Criteria : The Acquis of the European Union. That's very clear", she concluded.The Senior Official of the Swedish Foreign Ministry was reacting to critical Press Reports, from Brussels' Journalists invited by EU Commission's secretariat to Stockholm, who claimed that Bildt was abusing of a ..."Whip" (sic !) against Cyprus, by "threatening" the presence of UNO's Peace-keeping force at the "Green line" which separates the island's Government-controlled areas from the territories occupied by Ankara's army, if Nicosia didn't accept any political solution, regardless of Turkey's demands, before the end of 2009.Governing AKEL Party's new Secretary General, Andros Kyprianou, reacted by declaring that no-one can threat the People of Cyprus : -"We shall decide for our Future, and nobody else", he reportedly said, asking to "keep calm". "In order to find a Solution soon, certain basic Principles must be respected", he stressed, calling those who feel an urgency to use their influence on Turkey. Other Political Parties were more critical.This was a reference to recently reported statements by Turkish Minister Bagis, Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan and Turkey's National Security Council (a Military-Political body), accused to push towards a partitionist "2 States" solution, contrary to UNO SC Resolutions for Cyprus' reunification.December 2009 is a crucial moment for EU's appraisal of Turkey's controversial EU bid, because EU Council has decided to review then Ankara's compliance with the European position on the recognition of Cyprus' Government, which was clearly set out by an EU reply of 21 September 2005 to Turkish Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan's claims, refusing to recognize even the existence of EU Member Cyprus, in controversial statements he made to London (former EU chair) on July 29, 2005.EU Parliament's latest Resolution on Turkey, adopted on March 2009 in Strasbourg, warned Ankara that "the non-fulfillment of Turkey's commitments... by December 2009, may further seriously affect the process of Negotiations" with the EU.In practice, the issue boils down to Ankara's "embargo" against Ships and Airplanes using Cyprus' seaports or airports at the strategic EU island, which traditionaly hosts one of the World's biggest Shipping flags. EU has already "freezed" 6 relevant Chapters in EU - Turkey Negotiations since December 2006, after Ankara refused to fullfil a commitment it had undertaken when EU had decided to open controversial "accession" negotiations with Turkey, back on December 2005.- "As far as EU - Turkey relations are concerned, it's clear that Turkey needs to fullfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the additional Protocol (to "EC-Turkey Association Agreement"), This is an important issue....and should be addresseed as soon as possible as it clearly affects the pace of the accession negotiations.Issues covered by the Declaration of September 2005 will continue to be followed up, and progress is urgently awaited", warned earlier in Strasbourg the out-going Czech EU Presidency (former vice-Prime Minister Alexander Vodra).But the Head of the Swedish Foreign Ministry's Press Service, Cecilia Julin, dismissed "interpretations" by "some" that Foreign Minister Carl Bildt was reportedly "threatening" Cyprus with consequences on the UNFICYP, if it doesn't accept any solution until December 2009, while Turkey is reportedly delaying in an attempt to impose a partitionist "2 States" solution.On the contrary, Julin, stressed that "Sweden has strong demands on Turkey'"s respect of "Copenhagen Criteria and EU Acquis".Meanwhile, Sweden is "concerned" about the risk of "Stalemate" in Cyprus' Talks, but is well aware that "the main responsibilities lie with the two leaders and the UNO", Europe playing only a role of "facilitator".After carefully verifying, the Head of Swedish Foreign Ministry's Press Service, stressed to "EuroFora" that Bildt's reference to UNFICYP "was not linked to a Threat", and dismissed those who "interpreted" it so.On the contrary, the Swedish EU Presidency acknowledged the fact that Peace Talks are mainly for the UN and the leaders of the Cypriot communities, EU's role being limited into that of a "facilitator".As for Turkey's reported attempts to impose a "2 States' solution", the Head of the Swedish Foreign Ministry's Press Service sharply replied by stressing that Turkey must respect the "EU Acquis" rules.In particular :- "Basically he (Bildt) underlined that it's the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus and the UN that have the main responsibilities for solving the problem", started to say the Swedish Senior Official to "EuroFora", referring to the above-mentioned "briefing".- "But the EU had a role in sort of pointing out the benefits and facilitating a little bit the outcome for the settlement of the whole Cyprus' issue", she added.- "And he did state the Fact, that the rest of the World (i.e. USA, etc) will, of course, look at the differend issues which are at the table, and the future of the UN Peace keeping force is part of what is at the table", she admitted.- "I understand that some have interpreted that as a Threat, by the Swedish Minister" "But", in reality, "it's a statement of a Fact, that, when we'll look at the differend issues, one of the issues on which we shall have to take a stand on, is the future of the UN Peace keeping force in Cyprus".Indeed, one of the questions usually raised for a Solution of Cyprus' issue is what International and/or European or other Guarantees, by a Peace-keeping force, might be needed afterwards, eventually for a transitory period.Questioned anew by "EuroFora" whether (according to critical Press Reports) this could be taken as a veiled warning that, if Cyprus didn't accept any Turkish demand for any solution whatever, it might be left alone to face Ankara's Military Invasion/Occupation, she denied :- "He (Bildt) didn't say it in that way"... "It was not linked to a threat, or anything like that", the Head of the Swedish Foreign Ministry's Press Service stressed.On the contrary, "he (Bildt) underlined that the main responsibility lies with the parties concerned on the island". "The EU can try to facilitate and show the benefits of reaching a settlement. But also, when the EU and the rest of the World (i.e. USA) will have to look at it, they will look at all the Facts on the table, and the presence of the UN Peace-keeping force is one".And "he (Bildt) didn't speak about that at all", she replied to "EuroFora" question on Turkey's reported attemps to impose, in one way of another, a partitionist "2 States solution".Asked whether Bildt's aim was to incite both parties to move forward efficiently, she agreed :- In fact, "the EU is really very concerned with the Stalemate in the situation. Yes !", the Head of Sweden's Foreign Ministry's Press Service anounced. That's why Bildt "was hoping for the two parties (i.e. for Turkey's also) to engage and break, a little-bit, the present stalemate, come to a solution of the issue" of Cyprus.But, replying to a "EuroFora"s question on the risk, denounced by several politicians in case of strict Time Deadlines, for Turkey to provoke a stalemate and wait for the time to come to impose a partitionist "2 States' solution", she reacted by pointing at Turkey's obligation to respect "EU Acquis" :- "Turkey must fullfil the EU Acquis : That's clear !", the Swedish Senior Official stressed.More details are expected when Swedish Prime Minister Reinfeldt will debate his Programme with new MEPs at EU Parliament's plenary mid-July in Strasbourg, that he has visited already in 2008.Foreign Minister Carl Bildt became familiar with Strasbourg's CoE last year, when Sweden chaired the PanEuropean organization of Human Rights. As EU chairman-in-office, he will also chair the 27-member States strong EU Group inside the 47-member States strong CoE.Minister for EU affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom is well known at EU Parliament, where she has been an active MEP of the Liberal Group for many years, following also Press Freedom issues.Both have already made various statements at "EuroFora", on differend topical matters.
News / National
by Tendai Mugabe
Government has castigated the United States for meddling in Zimbabwe's internal affairs in a way that seeks to weaken the country's sovereign status and reverse its successful land reform programme.This was after the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chairman Mr Bob Corker wrote a letter to that country's secretary for Treasury Mr Jacob Lew on January 28, 2016 urging the US government to use its influence at the Bretton Woods institutions to block any new lending to Zimbabwe until the country met Washington's preferred conditions.The terms were listed as restoration of the rule of law, electoral reforms, the reversal of land reform and security sector reform. New lending to Zimbabwe by the global financial institutions is based on the country's international debt clearance strategy presented recently by Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa.Among other conditions, Mr Corker said any new lending to Zimbabwe should be preceded by what he called clear benchmarks for the restoration of the rule of law, credible process of accountability for missing revenue from diamonds and official acknowledgement of alleged past gross human rights abuses.Reacting to Mr Corker's letter yesterday, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe said the letter confirmed attempts by the US to meddle in Zimbabwe's internal affairs.Minister Mushohwe said by making such absurd proposals, the US also inadvertently admitted that its sanctions on Zimbabwe were real, contrary to the claim that they were targeted."The letter dated 28 January, 2016, by Bob Corker, chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, to the US Secretary of the Treasury, Jacob Lew, concerning Zimbabwe's efforts at clearing her arrears and securing new lines of credit from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the African Development Bank once again reveals and confirms US attempts at gross interference in the internal politics of our country, Zimbabwe, contrary to norms of international relations," he said."Much worse, it reveals US control of what are supposed to be international financial institutions, including seeking to turn regime change in independent-minded African countries like Zimbabwe."The statement leaves no one in doubt about the reality of country sanctions, contrary to claims that these are targeted, or that Zimbabwe is being denied lines of credit for failing to service its arrears."What lies at the heart of the US foreign policy towards Zimbabwe, is the vain hope for regime change through sanctions-aggravated social conditions, which the US hopes will benefit the opposition. "The ultimate objective is to reverse the land reform (programme) and to weaken Zimbabwe's status as a sovereign, independent African state."Minister Mushohwe said it was also clear that the claims of re-engagement by the US were mere rhetoric. Said Minister Mushohwe: "Much worse, it leaves Government with the impression that the impending visit by the US congressmen is a side drama bereft of any real serious constructive intentions."Zimbabweans are reminded once more to look in other directions for economic recovery and assistance, including intensifying the Look East Policy thrust as well as concentrating on internally generated recovery through Zim-Asset."In his letter, Mr Corker made it clear that he was not happy with the Government of Zimbabwe as led by President Mugabe. He claimed any new lending without "reforms" could alter political dynamics in Zimbabwe and help to entrench President Mugabe's rule."I write regarding reports that the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank may proceed with a process to allow for clearance of the Government of Zimbabwe's $1,9 billion in unpaid arrears to those institutions," said Mr Corker."While the willingness of a country to meet its debt obligations should normally be embraced, in this case, arrears clearance will allow for new lending to the Government of Zimbabwe. Without meaningful progress toward long-awaited reforms by the Mugabe regime, new lending could significantly alter internal political dynamics and help entrench the very same individuals responsible for the economic collapse and gross human rights violations."This is a moment when Zimbabwe's political future is highly uncertain but history has shown little prospect for genuine progress and great likelihood of further repression and mis-governance."The administration should use its voice and vote at these international financial institutions as well as its influence with creditors to ensure that any new lending to the Government of Zimbabwe, including lending intended to relieve existing barriers to lending, be preceded by meaningful progress toward clear benchmarks for the restoration of the rule of law in Zimbabwe, including respect for private property, free press, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, a credible process of accountability for missing revenue from diamonds and a monitored plan for capturing future revenues and official acknowledgement of past gross human rights abuses and a demonstration that the Government of Zimbabwe is prepared to make an earnest effort to remedy those abuses such as clear steps to hold accountable those responsible for the massacres of more than 20 000 people in Matabeleland in the 1980s and for the disappearance in March, 2015 of human rights activist Itai Dzamara."Mr Corker further said: "Current law requires the President to make a number of certifications including the restoration of the rule of law in Zimbabwe, satisfactory election conditions in that country, equitable, legal and transparent land reform and the subordination of the security force to civilian authority as the necessary conditions for a US vote in support of Zimbabwe's arrears clearance at an international financial institution. We urge the Treasury to act quickly to raise the lack of clear meaningful governance and economic reforms with the IMF, World Bank and the African Development Bank and to encourage creditors to require such reforms before supporting any new lending to the Government of Zimbabwe."Seasoned diplomat with respected acumen in international relations Chris Mutsvangwa took a swipe on the stance taken by the US. Said Mutsvangwa: "This is neo-imperial nostalgia by those who still wear the garb of a by-gone era when they craved the role of masters of the universe."The world has since moved with the economic dominance that was the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Group of Seven in inexorable retreat. In pleasing ascendancy is the G20 that embraces global second economy China, India and other emergent economic players."The current re-engagement in financial diplomacy with the IMF and other Bretton Woods institutions is only possible because gritty Zimbabwe and its plucky populace have defied odds to survive and dispense with the nemesis of regime change."We are not objects of the largesse of charity by tormentors turned benefactors. Lest those vindictive congressmen note, Zimbabwe is a bona fide member of the global financial community and is negotiating that which we are rightly entitled to."
The group has strengthened its Havas Village model across APAC and has consolidated marketing
As part of its strategy to adopt a Havas Village model, Havas group, has announced the promotion of Asiya Bakht to the groups Director of Marketing and Communications for Asia Pacific.
Havas Village is a client centric organisation that brings all disciplines and teams in the agency creative, media and digital - under one roof and is the foundation of groups collaborative culture. The Village mode aims to simplify the agencys offering for clients by aligning resources, production, analytics and insights across divisions thus driving greater efficiency and effectiveness.
The move follows the consolidation of marketing communications function in other key markets in Asia Pacific such as Australia, China, India and the Philippines.
In her newly defined role, Bakht will be responsible for driving marketing and communications for all creative, media and specialist brands of Havas Asia, which include the flagship brands Havas Worldwide and Havas Media.
As Director of Marketing and Communications for Havas Asia Pacific, Bakht will drive visibility and awareness of Havas in the region and report to Southeast Asia CEO Levent Guenes. She has served the network since 2010 and was, until recently, responsible for all marketing and communication duties at Havas Media APAC - the media arm of Havas.
Juan Rocamora, Chairman, Havas Creative Group Asia Pacific said, We are delighted to welcome Asiya. Her impressive performance at Havas Media and understanding of the groups culture played an important role in her selection as a communications lead. When we were looking for someone to lead marketing for Havas as a group we couldnt think of a better person than Asiya, adds Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Media Group Asia Pacific. She is not only committed to Havas vision of meaningful communications and collaboration, but also shares excellent relationships with stake holders within the group.
Levent Guenes, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Creative Group Southeast Asia, said, Asiyas promotion is a testament to our collaborative together culture, which allows us to leverage skills and talent available across the network. We are very excited to have her on board and looking forward to working with her to further raise Havas profile in the region.
Bakht has spent 12 years as a journalist starting her career as a broadcast journalist with ANI- Reuters India and working with trade publications including Television Asia and Campaign Asia.
Read more news about (marketing news, latest marketing news,internet marketing, marketing India, digital marketing India, media marketing India, advertising news)
News / National
by Staff reporter
The next Zanu-PF Politburo meeting - which may take place this week - is likely to discuss cases of party members who abuse social media to attack other members, party spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo has said.In an interview yesterday, Khaya Moyo said members should use party structures for communication. This comes in the wake of concerns by the party's affiliate organisations such as the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) that some party members were abusing social media.ZNLWVA contends that some party members were using social media to fan factionalism. The party's First Secretary, President Mugabe, is on record having warned party members to desist from abusing social media and leaking information to the private media to the detriment of the party.Said Khaya Moyo: "The President says we must avoid social media. We are a party with structures and where we have situations of transgressions they should be brought to the party through relevant structures."If somebody raises those issues (at the Politburo meeting), I think the party will come up with a position. I am not sure yet if there is a Politburo meeting this week, but it is possible that there can be one." At its next meeting, the Politburo is also likely to have a review of the party's National People's Conference held in Victoria Falls in December last year.Another issue likely to be on the agenda is the state of the economy and bonuses for civil servants.The party may also receive a report from the secretary for external affairs Simbarashe Mumbengegwi on the recent African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where President Mugabe handed over the continental body's chairmanship to Chadian President Deby Itno.Last week, Khaya Moyo told our sister paper The Sunday Mail that the Politburo would soon come up with, among other determinations, a position following reports of successionist politics in the party.This comes in the wake of incessant private media reports on issues of succession in Zanu-PF. The articles have largely pitted a group allegedly backing Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the Presidency and another one which claims to be rooting for First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe.Amai Mugabe has repeatedly dismissed such reports, pointing out that she harbours no presidential ambitions as her plate was full with her charity work and role as Zanu-PF Women's League Secretary.She has also spoken of her cordial relations with VP Mnangagwa. Authorities believe such false reports on succession are the handiwork of "successionists" who constantly work with the private media to further their agenda.
Basic level French won't be enough to survive. When I was in University, I worked in a call centre that would occasionally take French language calls and my French ability wasn't nearly strong enough to be able to cope - I could understand about half of what the caller was saying, but I wasn't always able to answer them coherently in French just off the top of my head, so I usually ended up having to pass the call onto someone who spoke better French than I do ... you should expect to have to be able to think in French and speak your thoughts in French without resorting to using English to survive in Quebec, and "basic" French won't be enough.
Also, Canada may be a bilingual country, but in Quebec, the rules are slightly different... a francophone in Quebec may be able to converse as effectively in English as they do in French (you may even hear them speaking English), but because there is no legal requirement for them to speak English to anyone if they don't want to, it's within their right to refuse to voluntarily speak English to you or anyone else simply because they aren't legally required to do so, so you'd better be able to converse somewhat fluently in French.
Are you serious about "I hope Quebec employer will also cooperate to not use too much slangs while talking / giving instruction to me"?
No employer is going to agree to that... would you make the same accommodations for me if I was still learning "basic level" Hindi and coming to work for you in India? I know some polite greetings and also some rude words in Punjabi but that's it as far as being able to speak an Indian language, so I'd need you to speak s-l-o-w-l-y and like I was a 6 year old... you and I both know that that's not practical in the real world.
News / National
by Mashudu Netsianda
THE Bulawayo High Court has referred a Kwekwe primary school teacher who is challenging her transfer to a rural school in the Midlands Province to the Labour Court.The ruling by Justice Nokuthula Moyo follows an urgent chamber application by Gamuchirai Chabata who is fighting her transfer back to Vulamatshena Primary School in Zhombe, barely a year after she left the same school.Justice Moyo said Chabata presented her case to the wrong platform and urged her to approach the Labour Court."This is purely a labour issue and the Labour Court has a statutory jurisdiction to deal with such matters. The Labour Court is clothed with capacity to handle urgent applications on labour matters and to stop any labour situations it would have found unjust," ruled the judge.In papers before the court, Chabata, who is the sole applicant cited the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Lazarus Dokora, and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as the respondents.Chabata said she received a letter from the Education Ministry on January 5 notifying her of the transfer with immediate effect.Chabata, through her lawyers, Mutatu and Partners, sought an order that permanently interdicted Dokora and the CSC from transferring her to Zhombe without her consent."The primary reason for my application is that I'm a married woman and my husband and family are resident in Kwekwe and therefore it's important for us to stay together. It's my belief that our custom and even the law supports and respect the union of a family," argued Chabata in her founding affidavit.She said last year in March, she successfully requested for a transfer from Zhombe to Kwekwe.Chabata said she was shocked when she received a letter on January 5 this year ordering her to return to Vulamatshena Primary School.She said the transfer was prejudicial and detrimental to her and her family and urged the court to reverse it.Chabata argued that in terms of transfer regulations, a transfer has to be planned to minimise discomfort on the part of the affected person or his or her family.The teacher's case comes at a time when the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) has also dragged the Education Ministry and the CSC to court for cancelling teachers' vacation leave.
I hate asking this question because I know the answer before I ask itMy husband is a private pilot. We have been traveling in Mexico on and off for several years. Just returned last week from staying with friends in Irapuato. We are returning in May to take a closer look at the San Miguel or Jalisco area. My hubby is a private pilot and he is wanting to bring a plane into Mexico or find a flying club with an Airpark.I just want to settle down and move to a place that has a warm climate and lots of friendly people who are enjoying a simple life. I know that there is a community of private pilots around the Baja.. I appreciate any info. I do not want to spend 6 months driving around Mexico looking for private airports. :confused2:lane:LG in Texas
Hong Kong is the most popular city in the world, followed by London, Singapore, Bangkok and Paris, according to new research using the most up to date figures available.The city had 27.7 million international visitors in 2014, up 8.2%, way ahead of second ranked London at 17.3 million foreign visitors, a rise of 3.6%, the Euromonitor study shows.Hong Kong has topped the rankings for six years in a row and London has now overtaken Singapore and Bangkok with 17 million and 16.2 million visitors from overseas respectively.While numbers visiting Singapore rose by 0.4%, numbers arriving in Bangkok fell by 7%. The data also shows Paris has 14.98 million overseas arrivals, a fall of 1.9%.One city that is becoming more popular is Istanbul in Turkey which recorded 11.8 million overseas arrivals, a rise of 13.2%. Shenzhen saw a rise of 8% to 13.1 million and Macau a rise of 7.4% to 14.96 million.London was the top destination in Europe and the only UK city in the top 100, but Euromonitor warned its growth is at risk of stalling. "London is one of the most iconic cities in the world. The resounding success of the London Olympics in 2012 has boosted visibility and popularity even further," said Wouter Geerts, travel analyst at Euromonitor."However, with London airports nearing capacity, the capital risks losing out to European rivals. To remain competitive in the international city destinations landscape, ensuring connectivity and innovation is key," he added.
News / National
by Staff reporter
THE government has assured troops that it is working tirelessly to improve their conditions of service, which have deteriorated over the years owing to poor economic conditions spawned by ruinous economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western powers.Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi said poor conditions of service for members of the ZDF compromised their dignity in the eyes of the public, hence the need to ensure that they are improved.He said this while addressing students of the Joint Command and Staff Course Number 29 on the country's Defence Policy at the Zimbabwe Staff College.Minister Sekeramayi said the Zimbabwe Defence Policy also focused on the enhancement of conditions of service through pursuit of a dynamic programme of action to provide decent accommodation, better salaries and transport facilities."I know that for now there are challenges. These facilities are not adequate but you can be sure that the government is doing everything in its power to make sure that we have decent accommodation because members of the ZDF are now family members, mothers and fathers. They've got children," he said."It's quite humiliating sometimes to find men and women in combat waiting for a lift, (or riding) at the back of a truck and so forth. It's an experience that is not good. It's an experience, which in fact reduces the stature of the uniformed forces in the eyes of the general public." He said soldiers have been seen pushing and shoving, together with civilians to board public transport."We're, therefore, working hard so that this temporary setback that we've gone through is overcome and it becomes a thing of the past. It becomes an unfortunate history in the development of the ZDF, but I want to assure you that we'll be doing as the government everything in our power to improve the conditions of service," he said.Sekeramayi paid tribute to Zimbabweans whom he said, unlike other countries, have resisted the machinations by the United States and the European Union to revolt against their government because of hardships spawned by illegal sanctions."It's common knowledge that a hungry man is an angry man and it goes without saying that in order for the country to be stable, there's need for a vibrant economy," said Minister Sekeramayi.He said the government was anxious to see the success of its economic blueprint, Zim-Asset, to achieve sustainable development and social equity through indigenisation, empowerment and employment creation propelled by judicious exploitation of the country's abundant human and natural resources.
AUSTIN The Texas ethics regulator has declined to give indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton the equivalent of legal cover to let out-of-state supporters pick up the tab for his criminal defense.
An advisory opinion allowing Paxton, or any employee in the attorney generals office, to accept gifts from donors with no ties to Texas or the state agency failed by one vote Monday at the Texas Ethics Commission.
Paxton, who was indicted last year on three felony counts of violating state securities laws, is barred from using campaign cash to pay for his criminal defense because the accusations do not stem from his officeholder duties. No taxpayer money is being used either.
State ethics regulators were asked by an anonymous employee from the attorney generals office to clarify the states gift-giving law for the agency, a question with political overtones, given Paxtons current situation.
The commission stopped short of passing an opinion in December that would have given Paxton the OK to take out-of-state gifts after concerns about potential misuse were raised.
A revised version with new safeguards to prevent money bundling from people in Texas, along with disclosure recommendations, was again met by skeptical regulators.
Commissioner Jim Clancy said he was concerned about unintended consequences.
I struggle with how to define someone who has no interaction with the Texas attorney generals office other than the gift, Clancy said. It begs the question, Why would someone make the gift if they have no connection?
Paxton, a Republican who was elected in 2014, could still seek out-of-state support for his criminal defense, but hed be doing so without the commissions formal stamp of approval. Advisory opinions from the commission are typically used as a defense to prosecution.
Paxtons criminal defense is expected to cost millions of dollars and stems from accusations of breaking state securities laws by encouraging investors to buy stock in a North Texas tech company without disclosing that he was being paid by it. Paxton is also accused of funneling clients to a friends investment firm without being properly registered as an investment adviser representative with the state.
His legal team sounded a confident tone Monday.
Houston lawyer Dan Cogdell, one of the high-profile attorneys on Paxtons defense roster, said he is confident of the attorney generals ability to pay.
We assumed responsibility in this case because we believe in his defense. This ruling doesnt change our commitment, Cogdell said in an email. None of us are going anywhere.
He added: I am confident that all members of the defense team feel similarly.
A divided ethics commission ended with a 4-3 vote. Five votes are needed to approve an advisory opinion. One commissioner, Tom Harrison, voted in favor of the proposal but called it the most difficult opinion he has ever seen.
Along with Clancy, commissioners Bob Long and Tom Ramsay opposed the measure.
Craig McDonald, director of the left-leaning watchdog group Texans for Public Justice, was the only person to testify at Mondays hearing. He called the commissions opinion an invitation for corruption.
Most Texans would interpret this opinion for what it is. A permission slip for Ken Paxton or any attorney general to solicit unlimited donations to pay for his criminal defense, he said.
The commission had appeared poised to give Paxton the green light to take out-of-state gifts.
State law bans gifts for the governor, lieutenant governor and legislators as well as members of their staffs but does not apply to the attorney generals office.
Chairman Paul Hobby said the agency did not have the power to prevent the attorney generals office from accepting gifts in every situation, so safeguards to prevent money bundling and disclosure requirements were included.
That, however, did little to ease some concerns.
The more examples we list of how to be safe to me gives someone more belts and suspenders and buttons that they are going to try to dress this thing up, Clancy said.
Houston Chronicle Reporter Lauren McGaughy contributed to this report.
News / National
by Stephen Jakes
A Harare MP for Zabnu PF Psychology Maziwisa has hailed President Robert Mugabe for delivering what he called a historic speech to the delegates during the Africa Union in Addis Ababa Ethiopia."Yesterday (Saturday) at the AU, President Robert Mugabe delivered what will go down as one of the greatest speeches in African history," Maziwisa said."By making a strong case that Africans should be treated as equals at the UN, he dealt effectively with the crude and insulting proposition that Africa is inferior to the western world."He said Mugabe did not mince his words."He made the simple, powerful and truthful point that at the UN only a handful of nations were allowed permanent seats in the Security Council- a state of affairs that he argued was undemocratic and needed to stop. President Mugabe spelt this out with so much logic, skill and passion that even critics conceded his speech was a masterclass," said Maziwisa.
Shropshire
A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b...
New report backs farmers' calls for better waste crime policies
Canadian wheat growers could be impacted
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Millions of kilograms of Turkish pasta being unloaded into Canada has pasta manufacturers in Canada concerned.
According to the Canadian Pasta Manufacturers Association, pasta is being dumped into Canada, described as manufacturers selling excess and government subsidized goods into a foreign market; sometimes at prices below market value.
Canada is becoming the North American dumping ground for cheap Turkish pasta, said Don Jarvis, Executive Director of the Canadian Pasta Manufacturers Association in a press release. We are extremely concerned about the impacts that subsidized and dumped pasta will have on local Canadian businesses.
Statistics Canada estimates that more than five million kilograms of uncooked pasta was imported from Turkey to Canada between January and November 2015, at prices 50 per cent less than Italian pasta and 40 per cent less than American pasta imports.
The importing of Turkish pasta to Canada could impact Canadian farmers who grow wheat for pasta.
In an open letter, CPMA is calling on other importers and marketers to halt the importation of subsidized and dumped pasta into Canada, or else a complaint with the Canadian Border Services Agency and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal will be filed.
It is our position that Canada cannot allow itself to be a dumping ground for these products, the letter states.
According to Industry Canada, the top five countries Canada imported pasta from were:
United States - $87,302,000 CDN worth Italy - $46,086,000 CDN worth China - $11,521,000 CDN worth Thailand - $10,952,000 CDN worth Bolivia - $1,935,000 CDN worth
Turkey ranks ninth on the list at $1,112,000 CDN worth.
Estimates compiled by the World Bank are that the agreement will increase Canadian GDP by only 1.2 per cent over 15 years.
The other benefit commonly touted with signings of bilateral trade agreements to which Canada has become accustomed (increased exports through lowering of tariffs and non-tariff barriers) needs an asterisk with the TPP. That is because the benefits Canada receives under this agreement are also granted to all 11 other parties.
Reductions on beef imports by Japan, for example, are shared with major beef exporters that are also part of the TPP -- the U.S., Australia, Mexico and New Zealand. The simultaneous appearance of competition with the new opportunities is going to be new for Canadian exporters and an important point to keep in mind.
So then, what is the big deal?
For Canada, the TPP is important as insurance against a potential, more radical, future opening of the U.S. market.
The U.S. is and will remain the largest and most important export market for Canada both in direct sales to the U.S. as well as moving goods through the U.S. to other markets. And even though Canada has diversified its trade toward other markets, the volume of growth of exports to the U.S. has still remained fairly consistent in the recent past.
But, in the near term, as growth in emerging markets and China moderates and Canada can no longer ride the commodity supercycle, the importance of the U.S. market, which is growing again, will increase for Canada.
And this is not a bad development.
Canadian exports to the U.S. have been relatively stable and have had a lower overall risk than those in other markets. The U.S. also remains the easiest country for Canadian companies to do business thanks to language, culture and geographic proximity.
All of this underlies the importance of protecting market share in the U.S. as a top Canadian trade priority. And this especially applies to thinking about the TPP.
Once the Americans joined the TPP negotiations, the agreement morphed from an attempt by New Zealand, Chile and Singapore to create an APEC free trade agreement into an attempt by the U.S. to update the NAFTA and expand it across the Pacific.
A potential expansion of the NAFTA to include nine new members and extend the provisions of the agreement and access to the U.S. market to these countries immediately makes defensive considerations an equal or greater priority than thinking about new market opportunities.
In the short term, the opening of the U.S. market under the TPP does not appear in sectors of importance to Canada and certainly not to Western Canada. On commodities, Canada's geographic advantage should mitigate any potential gains by competitors.
In services, an area of importance for Canada, the U.S. decision not to sign on chapter 12 of the agreement, Temporary Entry of Business Persons, should mitigate any increases in competition from the U.S. agreeing to chapter 10, Cross-Border Trade in Services.
Though the TPP has arguably not significantly opened the American market to new competition from other TPP countries, the agreement has made an eventual opening easier and more likely.
One of the innovations of TPP, a response to short comings in the NAFTA, has been to create a "living" trade agreement with specific text in the agreement to allow the addition of new members and to require periodic meetings to monitor and update the agreement.
Should the TPP be ratified and should the mood in Washington D.C. toward trade liberalization alter in the future, and should new competitors such as China and Korea join the trade bloc, then the market for over 70 per cent of Canada's exports could suddenly become more difficult, especially if Canada is not part of the agreement. This is a risk that the country simply cannot take.
Worse, should Canada not ratify the agreement now and decide to try and join later, it's doubtful that any of the probably hundreds of exemptions and carve-outs that it currently has would be offered again. In other words, if you don't like this version of the TPP you'll be less happy with what we would get later.
Though it will be a tough argument to sell to the general public and businesses who are looking for tangible immediate gains, the prevention of a hypothetical future threat, or basic insurance, is the reason to get behind the agreement.
Source: MeatBusiness
News / National
by Stephen Jakes
A political commentator Brian Tumbo has questioned if the rallies and meetings being conducted by various political parties in the country in preparation for the 29018 elections will help them get reed of the ruling Zanu PF which is known for being a chief rigger party.In his post Tumbo said documents reaching my desk say the peoples President, Dr Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is going to be very mobile for a couple of weeks to meet his loyalists.He will be greatly missed at Harvest House as he criss crosses the length and breadth of his kingdom."On the 10th of February he will hold a Rally at Mukore in Bikita,then on the 11th he will be at Bhasera in Gutu,Ngundu in Chivi will host him on the 12th,Muchakata in Masvingo will be packed on the 13th and a special Valentine's treat at Tshovani Stadium in Chiredzi on the Red Roses day," Tumbo said."Zimbabweans will be fed with awesome high sounding verbosity and the usual rhetoric.It is always vibrant at this rallies as people sing and chant slogans. And most of the time they sacrifice their time to catch a glimpse of their heroes,even on empty stomachs."He said what is the significance of these rallies?"A very common answer is that the president is meeting his people. It is a good thing to meet the people right? My question however is he has been meeting people for the past 16 years or so? Has it helped anyhow? I'm told the President is very popular because of these rallies...but will this popularity ever come handy anytime soon?" he said."The irony however is everyone is busy with these meet and greet jamborees.Some call it rallies,some call it team building,some call them strategic retreats."Tumbo said the fired Dr,Joice Mujuru is also gallivanting the nation BUILDING what she helped destroy,Morgan is also doing his own rounds,Mangoma the same,PDP likewise....but what use are all these rallies when the Chief riggers of our lifetime will swindle power by hook, crook or book.
News / National
by Stephen Jakes
The Zimbabwe Peace Project has reported that in Manicaland Province there were generalised political squabbles in Zanu-PF as political factions fought to outmaneuver each other in an effort to control the province as well as have a say in the succession battles.ZPP says this occur ed in December 2015 and on the other hand, there was generalised discrimination in food aid as the aid failed to get to the intended beneficiaries due to political interference."During the period under review, the province reported a number of violations. Dominating the violations were cases of land disputes, harassment, intimidation and discrimination over the distribution of agricultural inputs. Discrimination cases have gone up due to inadequate food supplies in the country and most of these processes are hijacked by Zanu-PF leadership. Cases of intra-party violence seem to have gone down as inter-party violations have gone up. Most of the reported were between Zanu-PF and MDC-T supporters or perceived MDC-T or People's First party supporters," said ZPP."On 2 December 2015, from about 9 am it is reported that Councillor Michelle Kasere who is also the chairperson for Zanu-PF in Ward 33 in Glendale and Shingi Nyengera the district secretary called for a meeting. The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss the issue of land allocation. It is said that they visited every land owner in the area and when they went to Thomas Nzanga and Steven Bundo (not their real names) they informed them that they were repossessing their land and reallocating it to Zanu-PF supporters. The victims were informed that the land belonged to Zanu-PF."ZPP said on 2 December 2015, Zanu-PF district chairperson for Mvurwi, Simbarashe Nyamayaro, is reported to have sent Tafadzwa Muzambi, a Zanu-PF youth, to go to Mvurwi bus terminus to record names and national identity numbers of all the touts." It is reported that Muzambi was to inform the touts that those not in the Zanu-PF structures were not going to work from the bus terminus," ZPP said. "On 7 December 2015, John Sozi (not real name) was intimidated by Samuel Kaseke Bonde, who is the vice chairperson of Gushungo Branch of the party at Garikai Shopping Centre in Bindura North. Sozi was accused of recruiting people for People First party. Bonde declared that people like Sozi must not benefit because he is a gamatox'(Gamatox'is a derogatory name given to those suspected of supporting the former Vice President Joice Mujuru.) He also added he must be evicted from the land he was already given. Although Sozi had not been evicted yet at the time of going to print, he is living in fear, scared that anything could happen to him."ZPP said on 14 December 2015, Sonny Mbudziya (not real name) of the MDC-T was at One One bar in Mt Darwin South when Simbarashe Bondo and other five Zanu-PF supporters arrived from Victoria Falls where they had gone to attend the Zanu-PF annual congress. Bondo is alleged to have started poking Mbudziya, accusing him of being a sell-out who must be dealt with."It is reported that Mbudziya managed to leave the bar when they were about to attack him. On the 21 of December 2015, Simbarashe Kadyamatevere, a Zanu-PF district party chairperson, addressed a meeting at Mafundirwa Village. He emphasised that all MDC members who were not attending Zanu-PF meetings should surrender their party belongings to the district party offices in Mt Darwin. He also advised those without national identity cards to submit their names to the party, so that the party would help them obtain the national identity cards," said ZPP. "On 31 December 2015 at 2300 hours, at Musarara Village in Chiweshe, Mwale Chakanetsa and Richard Chimombe of Zanu-PF allegedly harassed MDC-T supporter, Robert Zondo (not real name). Zondo was accused of singing songs that insulted Zanu-PF by claiming that the party had failed to rule the country. The two Zanu-PF youths reported the victim to Nomore Marange, district chairperson of Zanu-PF in Chiweshe, who threatened to evict Mark from the village."
The Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday that software maker SAP SE agreed to pay nearly $3.9 million to settle charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by paying bribes to win business in Panama.
SAPs faulty internal controls allowed a former vice president of global and strategic accounts, Vicente Garcia, to pay $145,000 in bribes to a senior Panama official and offer bribes to two others in exchange for sales contracts.
By excessively discounting the SAP software [up to 82 percent], Garcia created a slush fund that the partner used to pay the bribes and kickbacks, the SEC said.
In December last year, Garcia, 65, of Miami, was jailed 22 months when he appeared before federal judge Charles Breyer in Northern California.
He pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He could have been sentenced to five years.
In July 2015, Garcia settled an enforcement action with the SEC. He paid about $92,000 in disgorgement and prejudgment interest.
Garcia personally took over $85,000 in kickbacks for arranging the bribes. That amount was the basis for the disgorgement he paid to settle the SEC civil charges.
The SEC settled Mondays enforcement action against SAP with an internal administrative order and didnt go to court.
Waldorf, Germany-based SAP didnt admit or deny the SECs findings. It agreed to disgorge $3.7 million in profits plus prejudgment interest of $188,896.
The settlement reflects SAPs cooperation and remedial measures, the SEC said.
The deep discounts Garcia used to create the slush fund were falsely recorded as legitimate discounts on the books of SAPs Mexican subsidiary and were subsequently consolidated into SAPs financial statements.
The discounts should have triggered heightened anti-corruption scrutiny, the SEC said.
SAP failed to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that these improper payments to government officials did not occur, the SEC said.
SAP SE trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SAP. It sells software licenses and related services to 263,000 customers in 188 countries.
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The SECs Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Release No. 77005, Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Release No. 3736, and Administrative Proceeding File No. 3-17080 (all dated February 1, 2016) In the Matter of
SAP SE are here.
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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here.
The Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control added four Russians and a Ukrainian to its list of those sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act for alleged human rights abuses.
With the names added Monday, OFAC has now listed 39 people subject to travel bans and asset freezes under the Magnitsky Act. Most on the list were implicated in the jailing and death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
The U.S. adopted the Magnitsky Act in 2012. It imposes sanctions on those responsible for the 36-year-old lawyers detention, abuse, or death. It also reaches those who concealed his mistreatment, or were involved in or benefited from the criminal conspiracy he uncovered.
Magnitsky died in custody in 2009 after uncovering a $230 million tax fraud against the Russian treasury. His evidence implicated a number of government officials and mobsters. The Russian government has said Magnitsky died of natural causes while in jail.
OFAC published the initial Magnitsky sanction list in April 2013. It included 18 individuals. A second list of individuals banned from entering the United States was classified, the State Department said.
Mondays OFAC announcement named Aleksei Anichin, a deputy interior minister linked to Magnitskys death and the subsequent cover up. Then-President Dmitry Medvedev fired Anichin from his post.
Pavel Lapshov, the head of the Interior Ministrys investigative department, reportedly said Magnitskys employer, London-based Hermitage Capital Management, was behind the $230 million tax fraud Magnitsky uncovered.
Boris Kibis was an investigator for the Russian Interior Ministry. During 2011-2012, he was in charge of the posthumous criminal proceeding against Magnitsky. Kibis issued multiple summonses to Magnitskys mother and tried to remove her lawyer who challenged the legitimacy of the posthumous proceedings.
Oleg Urzhumtsev was also an investigator from the Russian Interior Ministry. He allegedly had coordinated travel with key suspects in the $230 million criminal conspiracy he was supposed to investigate, including a trip with two suspects to Ukraine and back to Russia during July 2008.
In September 2013, the DOJ filed a civil forfeiture action against the assets of nine companies that own real estate in Manhattan. The complaint named firms that allegedly laundered a portion of the $230 million stolen through the tax fraud that Magnitsky uncovered.
The targeted property included four luxury residential units and two high-end commercial spaces.
* * *
Here are the names OFAC added Monday to the Specially Designated Nationals List under the Magnitsky Act:
ANICHIN, Aleksey Vasilyevich (a.k.a. ANICHIN, Alexei Vasilievich); DOB 01 Dec 1949; POB Sevastopol, Ukraine (individual) [MAGNIT].
ANTONOV, Yevgeni Yuvenalievich; DOB 1955; nationality Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
KIBIS, Boris Borisovich; DOB 20 Nov 1977; nationality Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
LAPSHOV, Pavel Vladimirovich; DOB 07 Jul 1976; nationality Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
URZHUMTSEV, Oleg Vyacheslavovich; DOB 22 Oct 1968; citizen Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here.
The Singapore Commercial Affairs Department and the Monetary Authority of Singapore said Monday they have seized a large number of bank accounts linked to a money laundering investigation involving the Malaysia state investment fund 1MDB.
Their joint statement Monday said,
Singapore does not tolerate the use of its financial system as a refuge or conduit for illicit funds. 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 offenses carried out in Singapore.
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.
Singapore is also cooperating closely with relevant authorities, including those in Malaysia, Switzerland, and the United States. We have responded to all foreign requests for information and have requested for information from relevant counterparts to aid in our investigations.
As investigations are still ongoing, we are not able to provide more details at this stage.
1MDB short for 1Malaysia Development Berhad said Monday night it hasnt been contacted by any foreign legal authorities on any matters relating to the fund.
1MDBs advisory board is chaired by Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Swiss prosecutors said in a January 29 statement they are seeking legal assistance from Malaysia after a criminal investigation in Switzerland produced serious indications that about $4 billion may have been misappropriated from 1MBD.
The Swiss attorney generals office said Najib is not one of the public officials under accusation.
The AGs office said a small portion of the $4 billion was transferred to accounts held in Switzerland by various former Malaysian public officials and both former and current public officials from the United [Arab] Emirates.
The Swiss statement said,
So far four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 have 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.
To date, however, the Swiss statement said, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred.
Prime Minister Najib said last week a criminal investigation in Malaysia cleared him of wrongdoing for about $680 million in gifts he received from the Saudi royal family. He said he later returned about $620 million, without giving details.
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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here.
Lady Gaga David Bowie
Lady Gaga is to perform a tribute to the late David Bowie at this year's Grammy Awards, it's been revealed, with Nile Rodgers stepping up to direct the piece after recently working with Gaga on a cover of Chic's 'I Want Your Love'.
Grammy Awards executive producer Ken Ehrlich told JustJared: "We had already booked Lady Gaga on this year's show, but when David passed - almost in a single moment - we knew we had to change direction. We immediately spoke and agreed that she should be the one to honour David. She's perfect for it."
Gaga has often listed Bowie as one of her major influences, and said days after his passing to the Hollywood Reporter: "When I fell in love with David Bowie, when I was living on the Lower East Side, I always felt that his glamour was something he was using to express a message to people that was very healing for their souls.
"He is a true, true artist and I don't know if I ever went, 'Oh, I'm going to be that way like this', or if I arrived upon it slowly, realising it was my calling and that's what drew me to him."
The 58th annual Grammy Awards take place in Los Angeles on Monday, February 15.
by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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Prince William has been left "saddened" by the death of pilot Robert Gower.
Prince William
The helicopter pilot was shot down by elephant poachers in Tanzania in the Maswa Game Reserve, near Serengeti National Park and William - who is the royal patron of the wildlife conservation charity Tusk Trust - revealed his sadness at the death.
Although he did not know Mr Gower personally, a Kensington Palace spokesman said: "The Duke was saddened that yet another life had been lost due to poaching."
Last year William hit out against the "plunder and destruction" of African wildlife.
Attending the 25th anniversary of the Tusk Trust at Windsor Castle he said that wildlife hunting is "growing worse by the week".
The Duke of Cambridge said: "The plunder and destruction of Africa's natural endowment remains one of the greatest challenges facing the world - and it is growing worse by the week.
"Over the last 100 years, the abundance of the world's species has decreased by almost a third. But the picture in the last few years has seen a genuinely unprecedented rise in the numbers of animals being slaughtered for their body parts.
"With the illegal trade on the rise, our response to it must rapidly evolve. The time for words has long gone - we must see action."
Prince William went on to praise the Tusk Trust, led by CEO Charlie Mayhew, for raising $39million in 25 years for over 100 projects, protecting 36 different endangered species.
It's official: adulterers across the UK have voted for who they'd most like to have an affair with, and the women of Newcastle have come out on top. That's according to IllicitEncounters.com, the UK's leading dating website for married people, who surveyed over 1400 of their male members.
Sex on Female First
IllicitEncounters.com's spokesperson, Christian Grant, explains: "There's various key factors here, but none more so than the fact that women from Newcastle are generally seen as the prettiest that the UK has to offer. Cheryl is their main ambassador, but Holly Hagan and Vicky Pattison only serve to reinforce the idea that Newcastle has some of the most attractive women in the country."
Andrew, a 38-year-old business executive from London, added: "While women from Newcastle are known for their looks, there's also something to be said for the city itself - it's a great place to go and visit, and somewhere you'd look forward to meeting up with someone, although I'd probably have to pick up some of the local lingo first!"
"Where you're going can almost be as important as who you're meeting in an affair," explains Grant.
"Newcastle is an appealing city to visit, if nothing else, chockfull of things to do - it certainly makes choosing what to do on a first date a little bit easier."
However, while those in the North-East might greet this news with glee, it makes for slightly more grim reading if you're from the Midlands, with Birmingham and Coventry making up two of the bottom three places in IllicitEncounters.com's survey.
"Birmingham is hardly Manhattan." says Grant.
"There's nothing particularly exciting or enticing about the region, or indeed its women, and that's been clearly reflected in our results; there's just not a lot there to write home about."
The misery for those in the Midlands is compounded further, with one respondent adding: "there's nothing really sexy about the Midlands is there?"
Joining Birmingham and Coventry down the bottom is Liverpool, while London and Manchester round off the top 3.
White Moss, Wood Close is a charming cottage nestled high above Lake Grasmere on the banks of Rydal Fell.
White Moss, Wood Close
A mere 15 minute walk from the centre of Grasmere village, this cottage is ideally situated for visitors wanting easy access to Grasmere itself or a central location for walking or commuting to other parts of the Lake District.
We arrived late on Friday night- if you are able, I would suggest travelling to the cottage in the day time as the narrow driveway and roads leading to the cottage can be tricky to negotiate in the dark. If you have to travel here late- I would urge you to be careful on your approach.
It is very neutrally decorated in creamy hues with a few bursts of colour and filled with solid wood furniture encapsulating both the quintessential cottage and modern feel.
The cottage itself is in pristine condition and with its high ceilings and generous rooms you instantly notice how light and airy it is as you enter its welcoming atmosphere.
Its large rooms are ideal if you are coming with other people but still want space to yourself. You can sit outside, spend time in the living room or at the large dining table- there is plenty of room even at full capacity.
Although there were only two of us staying, there is space to sleep five. The cottage boasts a double, a twin and a single room. Ideal for parents with children or even a group of friends looking to sleep under one roof to cut down on costs. Or possibly two couples if one of them doesn't mind sleeping separately.
Sadly it rained the whole weekend so we were unable to enjoy the views from outside, however from the windows, the cottage has stunning views of Lake Grasmere. The benches outside are the perfect spot to enjoy a drink in the sunshine while taking in the beauty of your surroundings.
When it is raining, however this is the perfect spot to throw on the electric fire and snuggle up under some blankets and read or watch TV. We did just this- it was lovely to have some time away from our digital devices to talk or sit in silence and watch the fire.
Each room has a wall heater- all with an individual setting, so you can warm up the rooms you know you are going to spending the most time in and leave the others at a lesser temperature. We found this function really helpful to warm up our bedroom for when we returned after a meal out.
All non-perishables were available- all your cleaning equipment, toilet rolls and towels were provided however if you haven't booked anywhere to eat out- stock up on your essentials. If you are looking to splash out a little, you can always have breakfast, lunch or dinner down in the village.
Though this is one of nine properties in this location, the cottage was very quiet, so anyone looking to get away and enjoy some peace and quiet will have their wish fulfilled.
The property is not short of visiting wildlife either as we caught sight of a baby deer as it ambled through the woods on Saturday night. We also encountered a very laid back sheep who thought the ideal place to rest was on the side of the road. I would advise drivers to be careful when approaching the cottage, as there are many animals who share the grounds and their road sense is something to be desired!
Ambleside is a 10 minute drive down the road, so you are not short of shops or places to eat nearby if you have seen everything Grasmere has to offer. We drove to Kendal on Saturday which was only a 40 minute drive if you are looking to go further afield.
Come rain or shine the Lake District is still the best place to be in any weather condition. It is no secret that the Lakes has been affected by the flooding, however there is little sign of this other than a few remaining sand bags at shop fronts and signs that say 'we're still open for business'. The Lake District is back on its feet and it's more than ready to welcome visitors.
Yes it may be wet and cool at this time of year however if you pack a waterproof, a hat some gloves and your walking boots you will be well prepared. Despite the greying skies, it still manages to be the most beautiful place in Britain in my opinion.
White Moss is a modern cottage with everything you could need for a long or short stay. It provides a romantic getaway for couples to escape the hustle and bustle of the cities and towns from which they come and spend some quality time together.
One last thing- if you are coming this way- you can't leave without buying some gingerbread from the Gingerbread shop in Grasmere- it's obligatory!
White Moss
Grasmere
Ambleside
Cumbria
United Kingdom
My trip was arranged by Sykes Cottages- the finest handpicked cottage holidays- www.sykescottages.co.uk
by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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A group of 13 students and two faculty members from the Department of Fibre Science & Apparel Design (FSAD) in the College of Human Ecology at America's Cornell University, who travelled to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Tirupur recently, visiting fibre, apparel and textile mills, laundering facilities, design studios, textile research centres and a handloom park where traditional ikat fabrics are dyed and woven have gained vital insight into the textile industry.The two-week class trip from January 2 to January 16 to see textile and apparel production centres in India for a first-hand knowledge of how an apparel is made, the Cornell University said in an article on its website.
A group of 13 students and two faculty members from the Department of Fibre Science & Apparel Design (FSAD) in the College of Human Ecology at #
I never thought much about the international market and the people who are making our clothes, said Sloane Applebaum, a fashion design management major. Now I can't stop thinking about it. Every time I put on a shirt and look at the label, I think about those people and what are their conditions like.The winter break trip the fourth FSAD students have taken to India since 2011 is part of the course, Textiles and Apparel in Developing Nations, taught by FSAD assistant professor Denise Green '07, who led the tour with Juan Hinestroza, FSAD associate professor.While students learn about apparel production in many of their courses, Green said they rarely see the manufacturing process because there are relatively few textile and apparel facilities operating in the US.This trip allowed students to witness all aspects of the apparel supply chain. They saw the amount of human labour and material resources used in the design and manufacture of apparel, and observed how the industry impacted local economies, the environment and human health, Green said.Joanne Kim, a fashion design management major from Harrington Park, New Jersey, said she was most impressed by the many steps it takes to produce a piece of clothing.It takes so much more work to create one shirt and one pair of shorts, Kim said. A lot of consumers here in America have no idea what it takes to get to that final product and no knowledge of what stands behind that label.Hinestroza said the trip is a life-changing experience for the students.We expect the students who travelled with us to become leaders and future owners and managers of textile and fashion brands, and that they will see the business in a different way, he said. We hope this experience will help them be the change we want to have in the industry.The trip, offered jointly with the course, Agriculture in Developing Nations II, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, received financial support from Ajit Khaitani, whose daughter, Karishma Khaitani, studied fashion at Cornell. Khaitani, owner and CEO of United Dry Goods, which produces the popular Justice clothing brand, sponsored the students' in-country expenses during their visit. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
News / National
by Staff reporter
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange boss Alban Chirume's trial has been postponed by a Harare magistrate. The postponement was caused by a no-show by a Statement witness.Magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta postponed the case to February 15 for trial continuation.Chirume and Mutangadura, who is the chairperson of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe, have battled in court over a domestic dispute.Mutangadura has pressed charges against Chirume, claiming that he assaulted her at their Borrowdale home. Chirume has also laid counter charges of physical abuse against Mutangadura.
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has requested the government to allocate 300 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Punjab-based textile industry. A delegation of textile industry led by Tariq Saud, Chairman APTMA met Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and presented the textile industry's request to the government.In reply to the textile industry's request the Minister assured the industry that from first week of the March, the government will enhance LNG supply to the industry, APTMA said. At present textile units in Punjab are getting 60 mmcfd of LNG, which in March is likely to be enhanced to 120 mmcfd. Textile industry had served as a catalyst for the economic development of the country , contributing around 60 per cent to the total export earnings.
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has requested the government to allocate 300 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of Liquefied #
Currently, Punjab-based textile units are purchasing LNG from the supplier at $9 per MMBTU as per ECC decision. They now expect that the price will come down around $6-7 per MMBTU which is almost equivalent to the local gas prices.According to Ijaz Gohar, former president APTMA, the government at present was supplying four hours per day LNG to the industry at $9 per MMBTU and now the international commodity prices have significantly reduced and the industry is hopeful that the government will supply LNG to industry at around $6 per MMBTU. He said textile units in Punjab during past five years were facing worst energy crisis that had rendered around two million people jobless. He added that now when the government had started importing LNG, provision of the LNG to industry would help creating jobs and enhance exports of the sector. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
In his first radio address of 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized that khadi has the potential to generate employment in the country . He described khadi as Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and a a fabric that signifies India's culture.Khadi has the power to provide employment to crores of people. It has now become a symbol and a centre of interest of the nation's youth, Modi said in his first 'Mann Ki Baat' address in 2016.
In his first radio address of 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized that khadi has the potential to generate employment in the country. He#
Sardar Patel said India's independence is in khadi, India's civilisation represents khadi, farmers' welfare is in khadi, he added.Modi said that khadi was quickly gaining attention among the youth and was carving a niche for itself in the world of fashion.The PM said that the Railways Ministry, Police, Navy, Uttarakhand Postal Service and other government offices have taken up initiatives to promote Khadi.Modi's stress on khadi came even as the Government is in the process of creating a brand out of the fabric as part of its efforts to make it an international product.Khadi will be branded 'Harit Vastra' to pitch the fabric in the market as an organic, green fabric.Minister of State (MoS) for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Giriraj Singh has submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister for the government is to collaborate with private textile mills to produce and market 'Harit Vastra'. Independent studies have suggested that the market potential for khadi goods in India stands at a whopping Rs 40,000 crore.The MSME also has plans to revamp the 7,000-odd Khadi and Village Industries Commission stores spread across the country. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk India
A total of nine students are currently studying at the Acharya Institute of Graduate Studies. The situation is calm at their university and Fijian students are safe. The Head of the Acharya Institute of Graduate Studies has reassured all international students to focus on their studies and not to panic.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures all parents, families and friends of students in Bangalore, India that they are safe.This follows sporadic attacks on foreign students in and around Bangalore allegedly as the result of an accident involving an African student.The Fiji High Commission in New Delhi is liaising with the following Indian institutions to monitor the situation and update the mission accordingly:1. The Commissioner of Police, Bangalore City Police (BCP)2. DCP North BCP3. Soladevanahalli Police Station, BCP4. Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi5. Regional Office Bangalore Indian Council for Cultural Relations
Earlier, it was reported that Dasari Narayana Rao, being the President of Writers Association has announced non-cooperation for Chiranjeevi's 150th film, which is the remake of Tamil super hit film Kaththi. The film's story attracted a controversy as a young writer, Narasimha Rao claimed that the story was actually penned by him.
However, it was misinformed by some media that Dasari plotted a trouble for Chiranjeevi's comeback film and has taken a drastic move to stop the support of film unions for the movie. Apparently, the truth is in contrast to what is in circulation.
To clear the misunderstandings and the alleged spat between the long time associates Dasari and Chiranjeevi, the entire Writers Association called for a press meet yesterday and they had let out the dark secrets behind Kaththi story controversy.
According to the proofs produced by Narasimha, Tamil hero Vijay heard the script and had given a nod for the film, after which the project has even went till the music sittings with Thaman. But, after travelling along with the story for months and discussing it at various stages, the actor is said have called off the project as he felt Narsimha wouldn't be able to handle the star that he is.
Video Courtesy: IndustryHit
Perhaps, that's when A R Murugudoss came into the picture and developed the story, leaked by Vijay. So, the case is all around hero Vijay and not Chiranjeevi or someone else. In fact, the issue is nurturing between the Telugu Writers Association and the South India writers chamber from the past 15 months. Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan have also promised that they would only start the project after the aspirant gets his due.
The hurt writers condemned the acts of a few enthusiastic fans, who publicized Dasari's death and posted their condolences on social networking sites. They stressed that cyber crime department is on their job to find and put them behind the bars. Hope this clears any doubts about the relation between Chiranjeevi and Dasari. Truth prevails.
Hong Kong's securities regulator publicly censured Goldman Sachs on Tuesday for its conduct while advising local bank Wing Hang on its takeover by Singapores Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation.
Goldman Sachss investment banking team failed to inform compliance of the start of OCBC's takeover offer for Wing Hang on September 16, 2013. As a result, Goldman Sachs's trades and research during the takeover breached sections of Hong Kong's Code on Takeovers and Mergers.
Goldman Sachss conduct fell far short of the standards expected of a financial advisor, Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission said in a statement.
Goldman Sachs said in response to the rebuke: Upon becoming aware of the issue we immediately reported the matter to the SFC and undertook necessary remedial measures.
OCBCs acquisition of Wing Hang Bank for HK$38.7 billion, which it completed October 2014, marked the biggest acquisition of a Hong Kong-based bank since 2001 and was the largest cross-border Asia ex-Japan bank deal since the global financial crisis.
OCBC and its bankers also managed to see off activist hedge fund Elliot, which accumulated a 7.79% stake in Wing Hang and demanded a higher price from OCBC.
Immediately upon the verbal engagement of Goldman Sachs by Wing Hang Bank on November 8, 2013, Goldman Sachs was required under Rule 22 of the Takeovers Code to disclose its dealings in Wing Hang Bank securities during the offer period.
Between November 8, 2013 and January 6, 2014 Goldman Sachs executed 111 trades in the securities of Wing Hang Bank without making the requisite dealing disclosures. No prior consent was obtained as required for 26 of these trades.
Goldman Sachs also failed to comply with the restrictions on the issue and distribution of research reports in relation to what it published on Wing Hang Bank.
The SFC said that Goldman Sachs confirmed that no information was transmitted from the private side to the public side and that there was no personal account trading by Goldman Sachs staff in the securities of Wing Hang Bank.
The SFC said it took into account Goldman Sachss cooperation and self-reporting of the breaches.
SACRAMENTO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/01/16 -- First 5 California unveiled today the second phase of the Talk. Read. Sing. public service media campaign, produced by Fraser Communications, in which accomplished Californians celebrate the importance of their parents' and/or caregiver's efforts to talk, read, and sing to them at an early age. In a state-wide effort to educate and encourage parents and caregivers to interact with their children as early as possible, the first commercial in this phase features former NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez. Having grown up the child of migrant farmworkers in California, Hernandez attributes his accomplishments as a pilot, engineer, and astronaut to the efforts his parents made to interact with him beginning in infancy during everyday simple moments.
"The importance of recent brain science in child development cannot be overstated," said First 5 California Commission Chair George Halvorson. "The first three years of a child's life are referred to as the 'Golden Years' for brain development and strengthening. In fact, those first years are when billions of neurons connect inside the brain -- connections that last a lifetime and set us up for strong mental exercises, just like our muscles do for our bodies. Early brain stimulation is essential to healthy, strong minds and futures."
"I am truly honored to be able to share my story to hopefully inspire parents and caregivers of the youngest children in the great state of California," said former NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez. "I want to thank my parents, who nurtured my dreams early on and gave me the tools I needed to succeed."
"Talking, reading, and singing are easy and free," said First 5 California Executive Director Camille Maben. "First 5 California's new campaign is designed to empower parents to spend quality time with their children right from the start to help ensure they reach their fullest potential in life."
The First 5 California's fully integrated campaign includes television commercials, radio, social media ads, and digital ads. Produced by Fraser Communications, the campaign showcases stories of how daily interactions are critical to build children's brain capacity, prepare them for school, and for life. The first 30-second television commercial began airing on Monday, February 1. The First 5 California parent website is a vital resource for parents and caregivers and includes tips and activities on how to talk, read, and sing. The site also cites recent research on the science of early childhood brain development.
With the launch of the campaign, the Commission also reaffirmed a partnership with the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) to promote and amplify the Talk. Read. Sing. messaging through each agency's programs that serve children ages 0 to 5 and their families.
About First 5 California
First 5 California, also known as the California Children and Families Commission, was established after voters passed Proposition 10 in November 1998, which added a tax on tobacco products to fund education, health, child care, and other services for children ages 0 to 5 and their families. Its programs and resources are designed to educate teachers, parents, grandparents, and caregivers about the critical role they play during a child's first five years -- with the overarching goal of helping more California kids grow up healthy and ready to succeed in school and in life. For more information, please visit www.first5california.com.
About the California Department of Education
Under the guidance of State Superintendent Tom Torlakson, the California Department of Education creates strong, effective schools that provide a wholesome learning environment through incentives that cause a high standard of student accomplishment as measured by a valid, reliable accountability system. All California students of the 21st century will attain the highest level of academic knowledge, applied learning and performance skills to ensure fulfilling personal lives and careers and contribute to civic and economic progress in our diverse and changing democratic society.
For more information, please visit www.cde.ca.gov/
About the California Health and Human Services Agency
The California Health and Human Services Agency oversees departments, boards, and offices that provide a wide range of health care services, social services, mental health services, alcohol and drug treatment services, public health services, income assistance, and services to people with disabilities.
For more information, please visit www.chhs.ca.gov.
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Communications Office
Jamiann Collins-Lopez
(916) 263-1042
Email Contact
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The New York Attorney General office announced that Barclays Capital Inc. and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC will pay a combined $154.3 million to the State of New York and the SEC to settle investigations into false statements and omissions made in connection with the marketing of their respective dark pools and other high-speed electronic equities trading services. Dark pools are private exchanges for trading securities that are not viewable by the general public and are completed outside of public stock exchanges. Separately, The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed 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 Suisse's Light Pool. The Attorney General office said that Barclays (BARC.L, BCS) admitted to core facts set forth in the Attorney General's Complaint from June 2014 alleging misrepresentations about how it operated its dark pool, 'Barclays LX,' including that it misled investors and violated securities laws. Barclays will pay a penalty of $70 million, split equally between the State of New York and the SEC, and will install an independent monitor to ensure proper operation of its electronic trading division. Credit Suisse (CS) will pay a penalty of $60 million split equally between the State of New York and the SEC, and will pay a further $24.3 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest to the SEC relating to other violations. The Attorney General and the SEC have both censured Barclays and Credit Suisse for their misconduct. 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.
(2) Reflects the number of positions in issuers: (a) in which the Company has previously, publicly disclosed an investment, (b) in which the Company has invested more than 5.0% of its AUM (as defined below), or (c) in which the Company has invested more than 1.0% of its AUM and for which it has completed its accumulation strategy. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. Multiple financial instruments (for example, common stock and derivatives on common stock) associated with one (1) issuer will count as one (1) position. A position will be removed from the table only if: (a) the investment is less than 1.0% of the AUM of the Company, and (b) the Company has previously, publicly announced a disposition of the investment, or otherwise becomes 0.0% of the portfolio.
(3) Investments for purposes of valuation are valued as follows: (a) issuer equity or debt is valued at market value, (b) options referencing such issuer equity or debt are valued at market value, and (c) swaps or forwards referencing such issuer equity or debt are valued at the market value of the notional equity or debt underlying the swaps or forwards. Long position is determined by whether an investment has positive exposure to price increases; therefore, long puts count as short exposure.
(4) Includes all issuer equity and debt securities and derivatives related to issuer equity and debt securities and associated currency hedges. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. The market values of associated currency hedges are added to the associated investment. In the event that there is a change in market cap category with respect to any non-publicly disclosed position, this information is not updated until such position is publicly disclosed.
(5) Portfolio composition is reflective of the portfolio positions as of the date of this report, but is not necessarily indicative of the composition of the portfolio in the future which may be significantly different than that shown here. A position in an issuer investment is only assigned to a sector (including the "Undisclosed Position" sector) once it meets the criteria of Footnote 2.
(6) "Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. AUM" is the assets under management of Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Performance fee crystallized as of the end of the year will be reflected in the following period's AUM.
(7) "Total Strategy AUM" is the aggregate assets under management of Pershing Square, L.P., Pershing Square International, Ltd., Pershing Square II, L.P. and Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Redemptions effective as of the end of any period (including redemptions attributable to crystallized performance fee/allocation, if any) will be reflected in the following period's AUM.
(8) "Total Firm AUM" is the aggregate of the Total Strategy AUM and the assets under management of PS V, L.P., PS V International, Ltd. and affiliated entities (collectively, "PSV"), less amounts invested in PSV by the entities listed above (as applicable).
MELBOURNE (dpa-AFX) - BHP Billiton (BHP.AX, BLT.L, BBL, BHP) noted the announcement, 1 February 2016, by Standard & Poor's that it has lowered the credit ratings of BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc from A+ to A. The rating on BHP Billiton's senior secured notes has been lowered from A+ to A and subordinated notes from A- to BBB+. Standard & Poor's noted that it recently lowered its price assumptions for iron ore, oil, and copper, reflecting very challenging market conditions and increased demand uncertainty over the coming years. It now forecasts that global diversified miner BHP Billiton could see its ratio of funds from operations to debt fall to 30%-40% over 2016 and 2017, well below threshold for an 'A+' rating. Metal prices have come under pressure because of fears of lower demand from China, and excess supply remains an issue. BHP Billiton has also been placed on 'CreditWatch with negative implications' and Standard & Poor's has advised it aims to resolve the CreditWatch after the release of BHP Billiton's Results for the half year ended 31 December 2015. S&'s noted that The CreditWatch placement reflects the possibility that it might lower the ratings by a further one notch after the group's earnings release in late February, largely depending on the announced dividend policy and capital expenditure guidance. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Lytham Foods Ltd., located in Blackpool, United Kingdom, is recalling chicken tikka sandwiches, sold under the brand name 'Taylors of Lytham', due to possible contamination with the harmful Salmonella bacteria. The affected product has the 'Use by' dates up to and including February 18, 2016. The recall has been initiated after a routine testing detected a serious microbiological problem in the tikka powder ingredient used to manufacture the sandwiches. Catermix, the supplier of the tikka powder, has also manufactured the ingredient in unhygienic conditions and failed to comply with the food hygiene regulation, according to the UK's Food Standards Agency. Consumers who have bought the recalled product are requested not to eat it. It can be returned to stores for a full refund, says the company. 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.
News / National
by Staff reporter
Missing journalist-cum-human rights activist, Itai Dzamara and the Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s have returned to haunt President Robert Mugabe, as a United States Senator last week asked the country's government to block multilateral institutions from lending money to Zimbabwe until the Zanu-PF leader has acknowledged the atrocities, shown a willingness to reform and prosecuted the perpetrators.The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by Bob Corker, in a letter to Treasury secretary Jacob Lew on January 28, said President Barack Obama's administration must vote against any lending to Zimbabwe by international financial institutions until there is "tangible progress on reforms".Corker's letter comes in the wake of reports that Mugabe's government was "very close" to signing a deal that would see the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and African Development Bank allowing for clearance of Zimbabwe's $1,9 billion in arrears to those institutions.
LUXEMBOURG -- (Marketwired) -- 02/01/16 -- Tenaris S.A. (NYSE: TS) (BAE: TS) (BMV: TS) (MILAN: TEN) updates the market on recent developments concerning two previously reported proceedings: (i) the tax assessments against Tenaris's Italian subsidiary Dalmine relating to allegedly omitted withholding taxes, and (ii) the arbitration proceedings in connection with the expropriation by Venezuela of Materiales Siderurgicos S.A. (Matesi), a producer of hot briquetted iron.
On January 27, 2016, a first-instance tax court in Milan rejected the appeal filed by Dalmine against a tax assessment made by the Italian tax authorities in December 2013 related to allegedly omitted withholding taxes on dividend payments made in 2008 -- the last such distribution made by Dalmine. This first-instance ruling, which held that Dalmine is required to pay an amount of Euro 220 million (approximately US$240 million), including principal, interest and penalties, contradicts earlier first- and second-instance tax court rulings that had determined that dividend payments made in 2007 were exempt from withholding taxes and, consequently, reversed a prior tax assessment against Dalmine. (The second-instance tax ruling on the 2007 assessment is, however, still under appeal by the Italian tax authorities with the Supreme Court.) Tenaris continues to believe that it has correctly applied the relevant legal provisions; accordingly, Dalmine will appeal the January 2016 first-instance ruling against the second-instance tax court and will also request the suspension of its effects. Based, among other things, on the rulings on the 2007 assessment, Tenaris believes that it is not probable that the ultimate resolution of either tax assessment will result in a material obligation. For more information on the tax assessments relating to dividends paid in 2007 and 2008, see note 12 to Tenaris's financial statements for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2015.
On January 29, 2016, the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) released its award for the expropriation by Venezuela of Tenaris's and its wholly-owned subsidiary Talta's interests in Matesi. Tenaris and Talta had initiated the arbitration proceedings on August 24, 2011, pursuant to the bilateral investment treaties entered into by Venezuela with the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union and Portugal. The award upheld Tenaris's and Talta's claim that Venezuela had expropriated their investments in Matesi in violation of Venezuelan law as well as the bilateral investment treaties entered into by Venezuela with the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union and Portugal. The award granted compensation in the amount of US$87.3 million for the breaches and ordered Venezuela to pay an additional amount of US$85.5 million in pre-award interest, aggregating to a total award of US$172.8 million.
Some of the statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements.
Tenaris is a leading global supplier of steel tubes and related services for the world's energy industry and certain other industrial applications.
Giovanni Sardagna
Tenaris
1-888-300-5432
www.tenaris.com
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar retreated from recent highs against the other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The Australian dollar fell to 0.7083 against the U.S. dollar and 0.9912 against the Canadian dollar, from recent 4-day highs of 0.7129 and 0.9952, respectively. Against the yen and the euro, the aussie dropped to 85.43 and 1.5400 from recent highs of 86.15 and 1.5288, respectively. If the aussie extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 0.69 against the greenback, 0.98 against the loonie, 83.00 against the yen and 1.57 against the euro. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Deal will provide vision and strategy for award-winning German software company's existing and future clients
Yardi Systems announced today that it has acquired Mainz-based iMS Immobilien Management Systeme GmbH, a German developer of commercial property management software.
Yardi and iMS will continue to support iMS' clients from its Mainz office, which will become Yardi's new head office for Germany. "Partnering with the global market leader for real estate software creates a sustainable, long-term strategy for our clients and team," said Klaus Gruning, managing director of iMS. "Our customers will gain new options in cloud and mobile computing. In addition to our existing focus on commercial property management, we will be able to serve the residential, senior and student housing markets."
Gordon Morrell, executive vice president of Yardi, added, "We chose iMS based on its long-term success and satisfied clients in the real estate software market. We look forward to adding support for additional German market needs to our global platform, Yardi Voyager, and working with iMS to grow our market share in Germany."
About Yardi
Now in its fourth decade, Yardi is committed to real estate software development and support. Yardi Voyager is a complete investment and property management platform with the Yardi Residential Suite, Yardi Commercial Suite, Yardi Investment Suite and Yardi Orion Business Intelligence. It includes operations, accounting and services with portfolio-wide business intelligence and platform-wide mobility. Yardi's 4,800 employees serve 5,000 real estate clients worldwide from offices in Europe, Australia, Asia, the Middle East and North America. Please visit www.yardi.com/de for details.
About iMS Immobilien-Management-Systeme GmbH
iMS Immobilien-Management-Systeme GmbH of Mainz develops and supports software solutions for commercial property management. More than 60 major, international real estate companies use iMS software to manage shopping malls, offices, industrial parks and mixed-use residential/business properties. The core platform spans lease management, billing and recoveries; add-on modules support construction management and commercial real estate operations. The Bell Real Estate Software Report recognized iMS as the best software solution for commercial property management in 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012. For more information, please visit www.ims-mainz.de.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160201006444/en/
Contacts:
Yardi
Martin Gedny, Marketing Manager (Europe Middle East)
+44 (0) 1908 308400
Email: martin.gedny@yardi.com
or
Yardi Systems GmbH
Prinzenallee 7
Dusseldorf 40549
Deutschland
+49 (0) 211 523 91 466
Email: europe@yardi.com
ZURICH (dpa-AFX) - Swiss financial services giant UBS AG (UBS) reported Tuesday that its fourth-quarter net profit attributable to shareholders was 949 million Swiss francs or 0.25 franc per share, compared to last year's profit of 858 million francs or 0.23 franc per share.
UBS' total operating income increased to 6.775 billion francs from 6.746 billion francs a year ago.
UBS's Board of Directors intends to propose a total dividend of CHF 0.85 to shareholders at the AGM 2016. It consists of an ordinary dividend of CHF 0.60 per share, and a special dividend of CHF 0.25 per share. The total dividend will be paid out of capital contribution reserves and, subject to shareholder approval, will be payable on 17 May 2016 to shareholders of record on 13 May 2016.
The cost/income ratio was 95.7% compared with 88.7%. On an adjusted basis, the cost/income ratio was 88.2% compared with 85.8% and was above our short- to medium-term expectation of 65% to 75%.
Looking ahead, the company currently expects to record net foreign currency translation losses of around 250 million francs in the first half of 2016, although some of these losses could be recognized in a later period.
The company currently expect to recognize in the income statement gains of approximately 100 million francs, deferred in OCI, during the first half of 2016, as transactions involving certain equity investments classified as available-for-sale are closed
The company also expects to attribute net profit to non-controlling interests related to preferred notes issued by UBS AG of approximately 80 million francs in 2016, all in the second quarter, approximately 70 million francs in 2017 and less than 10 million francs per year from 2018.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Texas Senator Ted Cruz notched an upset win Monday in the Iowa Republican caucuses as the drive for the presidential nomination moved into the next phase.
According to all of the polls and projections heading into the vote, business mogul Donald Trump was expected to win going away - but he needed to cling to a razor-thin lead over Florida Senator Marco Rubio in a record GOP voter turnout.
Cruz was called the winner just before 10:30 p.m. ET with 28 percent of the vote, while Trump (24 percent) and Rubio (23 percent) were within 2,000 votes.
Dr. Ben Carson was fourth with 9 percent, while former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and businesswoman Carly Fiorina all polled in the low single digits.
When the results were posted, Huckabee - who won Iowa in 2008 - decided to suspend his campaign.
In the Democratic race, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the apparent winner in the Democratic Iowa caucuses, holding off upstart challenger Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders by less than 1 percent.
Clinton was viewed from the start as the likely successor to the mantle of leadership from President Barack Obama.
But Sanders has seen his campaign pick up steam in recent weeks, riding a wave of appeal especially among younger voters.
Even a second-place finish - a virtual tie, really - was a clear message that he could compete on the national stage.
The only other person in the race - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley - failed to land 1 percent of the vote, and afterwards announced that he was suspending his campaign.
New Hampshire, the first primary in the nation, is set for February 9 for both parties.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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TROY, MI--(Marketwired - May 11, 2016) -
First Quarter Highlights
Earnings from operations $14.7 million, up 22% year-over-year
Earnings per share of $0.29 versus $0.10, a 190% increase
Total Company revenue up 5% in constant currency
GP up 60 basis points to 17.3%
Kelly Services (NASDAQ: KELYA) (NASDAQ: KELYB), a global leader in providing workforce solutions, today announced results for the first quarter of 2016.
Carl T. Camden, President and Chief Executive Officer, announced revenue for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $1.3 billion, a 2.2% increase (a 4.6% increase on a constant currency basis) compared to the corresponding quarter of 2015.
Earnings from operations for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $14.7 million, compared to $12.1 million reported for the first quarter of 2015.
Diluted earnings per share in the first quarter of 2016 were $0.29 compared to $0.10 per share in the first quarter of 2015. Included in diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2016 is a $0.07 improvement related to reinstatement of the Work Opportunity Credit. Excluding this item, diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2016 were $0.22 per share.
Commenting on the first quarter, Camden stated, "We are pleased with Kelly's ability to deliver solid increases in revenue, GP, and earnings in the first quarter, as we operated with improved efficiency and a heightened focus on profitability. Our investments in PT and OCG continue to yield results as we expand Kelly's role as a trusted talent advisor to our clients worldwide."
Kelly also reported that on May 10, its board of directors declared a dividend of $0.075 per share. The dividend is payable June 7 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 23, and represents a 50% increase. "We are very pleased that our strong, sustained operating results in 2015 gave us the ability to deliver this increase and to enhance shareholder value," said Camden, "and with 2016 off to a solid start, we move forward with confidence."
In conjunction with its first quarter earnings release, Kelly Services has published a financial presentation on the Investor Relations page of our public website and will host a conference call at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on May 11 to review the results and answer questions. The call may be accessed in one of the following ways:
Via the Telephone:
U.S. 1 800 288-9626
International 1 651 291-5254
The pass code is Kelly Services
Via the Internet:
The call is also available via the internet through the Kelly Services website: www.kellyservices.com
This release contains statements that are forward looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and uncertainties. These factors include, but are not limited to, competitive market pressures including pricing and technology introductions, changing market and economic conditions, our ability to achieve our business strategy, the risk of damage to our brand, the risk our intellectual assets could be infringed upon or compromised, our ability to successfully develop new service offerings, our exposure to risks associated with services outside traditional staffing, including business process outsourcing, our increasing dependency on third parties for the execution of critical functions, the risks associated with past and future acquisitions, exposure to risks associated with investments in equity affiliates, material changes in demand from or loss of large corporate customers, risks associated with conducting business in foreign countries, including foreign currency fluctuations, availability of full-time employees to lead complex talent supply chain sales and operations, availability of temporary workers with appropriate skills required by customers, liabilities for employment-related claims and losses, including class action lawsuits and collective actions, the risk of cyber attacks or other breaches of network or information technology security as well as risks associated with compliance on data privacy, our ability to sustain critical business applications through our key data centers, our ability to effectively implement and manage our information technology programs, our ability to maintain adequate financial and management processes and controls, impairment charges triggered by adverse industry developments or operational circumstances, unexpected changes in claim trends on workers' compensation, disability and medical benefit plans, the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on our business, the impact of changes in laws and regulations (including federal, state and international tax laws ), the risk of additional tax or unclaimed property liabilities in excess of our estimates, our ability to maintain specified financial covenants in our bank facilities to continue to access credit markets, and other risks, uncertainties and factors discussed in this release and in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from any forward looking statements contained herein, and we have no intention to update these statements.
About Kelly Services
As a global leader in providing workforce solutions, Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) (NASDAQ: KELYB) and its subsidiaries, offer a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct-hire basis. In 2016, the Company is commemorating 70 years of industry leadership. Kelly has a role in managing employment opportunities for more than one million workers around the globe by employing 550,000 of these individuals directly with the remaining workers engaged through its talent supply chain network of supplier partners. Revenue in 2015 was $5.5 billion. Visit kellyservices.com and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, & Twitter.
KLYA-FIN
KELLY SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS FOR THE 13 WEEKS ENDED APRIL 3, 2016 AND MARCH 29, 2015 (UNAUDITED) (In millions of dollars except per share data) % CC % 2016 2015 Change Change Change --------- --------- ------ ------- ------- Revenue from services $1,349.1 $1,320.6 $ 28.5 2.2 4.6% Cost of services 1,116.4 1,100.3 16.1 1.5 --------- --------- ------ Gross profit 232.7 220.3 12.4 5.6 7.7 Selling, general and administrative expenses 218.0 208.2 9.8 4.7 6.7 --------- --------- ------ Earnings from operations 14.7 12.1 2.6 21.5 Other expense, net 0.8 2.5 (1.7) (69.4) --------- --------- ------ Earnings before taxes 13.9 9.6 4.3 45.3 Income tax expense 2.7 5.9 (3.2) (53.8) --------- --------- ------ Net earnings $ 11.2 $ 3.7 $ 7.5 200.9 ========= ========= ====== Basic earnings per share $ 0.29 $ 0.10 $ 0.19 190.0 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.29 $ 0.10 $ 0.19 190.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- STATISTICS: Gross profit rate 17.3% 16.7% 0.6 pts. Selling, general and administrative expenses: % of revenue 16.2 15.8 0.4 % of gross profit 93.7 94.5 (0.8) % Return: Earnings from operations 1.1 0.9 0.2 Earnings before taxes 1.0 0.7 0.3 Net earnings 0.8 0.3 0.5 Effective income tax rate 19.4% 61.1% (41.7) pts. Average number of shares outstanding (millions): Basic 38.0 37.7 Diluted 38.2 37.8 Shares adjusted for nonvested restricted awards (millions): Basic 38.9 38.8 Diluted 39.1 38.8
KELLY SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES RESULTS OF OPERATIONS BY SEGMENT (UNAUDITED) (In millions of dollars) First Quarter --------------------------------------- % CC % 2016 2015 Change Change -------- -------- ------ ------ AMERICAS Commercial Revenue from services $ 648.6 $ 641.4 1.1% 3.1% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 3.6 3.5 3.1 4.3 Gross profit 102.1 97.8 4.4 5.9 Gross profit rate 15.7% 15.3% 0.4 pts. PT Revenue from services $ 237.1 $ 232.8 1.8% 2.1% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 5.0 3.5 40.8 43.3 Gross profit 41.6 38.9 6.9 7.3 Gross profit rate 17.6% 16.7% 0.9 pts. Total Americas Revenue from services $ 885.7 $ 874.2 1.3% 2.9% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 8.6 7.0 22.1 23.9 Gross profit 143.7 136.7 5.1 6.3 Total SG&A expenses 116.6 113.5 2.7 3.9 Earnings from operations 27.1 23.2 16.8 Gross profit rate 16.2% 15.6% 0.6 pts. Expense rates: % of revenue 13.2 13.0 0.2 % of gross profit 81.2 83.0 (1.8) Return on sales 3.1 2.7 0.4 EMEA ----------------------------------- Commercial Revenue from services $ 175.5 $ 178.3 (1.6)% 2.9% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 3.4 3.5 (2.8) 2.4 Gross profit 23.6 24.6 (4.3) - Gross profit rate 13.4% 13.8% (0.4) pts. PT Revenue from services $ 41.6 $ 40.3 3.1% 7.3% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 2.6 2.6 3.4 9.5 Gross profit 8.7 8.7 0.8 5.4 Gross profit rate 21.0% 21.5% (0.5) pts. Total EMEA Revenue from services $ 217.1 $ 218.6 (0.7)% 3.7% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 6.0 6.1 (0.2) 5.4 Gross profit 32.3 33.3 (3.0) 1.4 Total SG&A expenses 30.3 33.5 (9.4) (5.4) Earnings from operations 2.0 (0.2) NM Gross profit rate 14.9% 15.2% (0.3) pts. Expense rates: % of revenue 14.0 15.3 (1.3) % of gross profit 93.8 100.5 (6.7) Return on sales 0.9 (0.1) 1.0
KELLY SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES RESULTS OF OPERATIONS BY SEGMENT (UNAUDITED) (In millions of dollars) First Quarter --------------------------------------- % CC % 2016 2015 Change Change -------- -------- ------ ------ APAC Commercial Revenue from services $ 82.8 $ 85.6 (3.3)% 4.8% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 1.2 1.5 (17.9) (11.4) Gross profit 13.0 13.0 0.5 6.3 Gross profit rate 15.8% 15.2% 0.6 pts. PT Revenue from services $ 9.1 $ 10.5 (12.9)% (6.1)% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 1.4 1.6 (13.1) (5.3) Gross profit 2.5 2.9 (13.4) (6.2) Gross profit rate 27.4% 27.5% (0.1) pts. Total APAC Revenue from services $ 91.9 $ 96.1 (4.4)% 3.6% Staffing fee-based income included in revenue from services 2.6 3.1 (15.4) (8.2) Gross profit 15.5 15.9 (2.0) 4.0 Total SG&A expenses 11.1 12.1 (8.6) (1.4) Earnings from operations 4.4 3.8 19.2 Gross profit rate 16.9% 16.5% 0.4 pts. Expense rates: % of revenue 12.1 12.6 (0.5) % of gross profit 71.3 76.4 (5.1) Return on sales 4.9 3.9 1.0 OCG ---------------------------------- Revenue from services $ 168.2 $ 149.5 12.5% 13.4% Gross profit 42.3 35.5 19.1 20.3 Total SG&A expenses 36.9 32.7 12.9 14.4 Earnings from operations 5.4 2.8 89.6 Gross profit rate 25.1% 23.8% 1.3 pts. Expense rates: % of revenue 21.9 21.9 - % of gross profit 87.2 92.0 (4.8) Return on sales 3.2 1.9 1.3
KELLY SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (In millions of dollars) April 3, 2016 Jan. 3, 2016 March 29, 2015 -------------- -------------- -------------- Current Assets Cash and equivalents $ 46.4 $ 42.2 $ 49.4 Trade accounts receivable, less allowances of $11.6, $10.5 and $11.5, respectively 1,168.8 1,139.1 1,099.3 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 53.0 45.8 52.0 Deferred taxes - - 32.4 -------------- -------------- -------------- Total current assets 1,268.2 1,227.1 1,233.1 Property and Equipment, Net 85.7 88.9 89.8 Noncurrent Deferred Taxes 193.6 189.3 147.9 Goodwill, Net 90.3 90.3 90.3 Other Assets 340.6 344.0 305.2 -------------- -------------- -------------- Total Assets $ 1,978.4 $ 1,939.6 $ 1,866.3 ============== ============== ============== Current Liabilities Short-term borrowings $ 39.3 $ 55.5 $ 80.6 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 437.4 405.5 344.4 Accrued payroll and related taxes 277.6 268.1 292.8 Accrued insurance 27.0 26.7 26.7 Income and other taxes 57.8 60.0 64.6 -------------- -------------- -------------- Total current liabilities 839.1 815.8 809.1 Noncurrent Liabilities Accrued insurance 40.5 40.0 43.5 Accrued retirement benefits 145.2 141.0 144.9 Other long-term liabilities 42.8 47.4 37.7 -------------- -------------- -------------- Total noncurrent liabilities 228.5 228.4 226.1 Stockholders' Equity Common stock 40.1 40.1 40.1 Treasury stock (43.7) (44.3) (49.7) Paid-in capital 27.4 25.4 25.9 Earnings invested in the business 822.8 813.5 769.2 Accumulated other comprehensive income 64.2 60.7 45.6 -------------- -------------- -------------- Total stockholders' equity 910.8 895.4 831.1 -------------- -------------- -------------- Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 1,978.4 $ 1,939.6 $ 1,866.3 ============== ============== ============== STATISTICS: Working Capital $ 429.1 $ 411.3 $ 424.0 Current Ratio 1.5 1.5 1.5 Debt-to-capital% 4.1% 5.8% 8.8% Global Days Sales Outstanding 55 54 57
KELLY SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE 13 WEEKS ENDED APRIL 3, 2016 AND MARCH 29, 2015 (UNAUDITED) (In millions of dollars) 2016 2015 ------- ------- Cash flows from operating activities: Net earnings $ 11.2 $ 3.7 Noncash adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 5.6 5.5 Provision for bad debts 1.7 1.2 Stock-based compensation 2.7 1.2 Other, net (0.1) (0.6) Changes in operating assets and liabilities (0.9) (27.4) ------- ------- Net cash from (used in) operating activities 20.2 (16.4) ------- ------- Cash flows from investing activities: Capital expenditures (1.5) (2.6) Other investing activities (0.3) (0.2) ------- ------- Net cash used in investing activities (1.8) (2.8) ------- ------- Cash flows from financing activities: Net change in short-term borrowings (16.4) (11.0) Dividend payments (1.9) (1.9) ------- ------- Net cash used in financing activities (18.3) (12.9) ------- ------- Effect of exchange rates on cash and equivalents 4.1 (1.6) ------- ------- Net change in cash and equivalents 4.2 (33.7) Cash and equivalents at beginning of period 42.2 83.1 ------- ------- Cash and equivalents at end of period $ 46.4 $ 49.4 ======= =======
KELLY SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES REVENUE FROM SERVICES (UNAUDITED) (In millions of dollars) First Quarter (Commercial, PT and OCG) -------------------------------- % CC % 2016 2015 Change Change -------- -------- ------ ------ Americas United States $ 934.7 $ 883.0 5.9% 5.9% Canada 34.5 42.7 (19.0) (10.6) Mexico 26.6 31.9 (16.8) 0.4 Puerto Rico 22.5 24.8 (9.5) (9.5) Brazil 10.0 13.9 (28.2) 5.4 -------- -------- Total Americas 1,028.3 996.3 3.2 4.6 EMEA France 56.5 56.4 0.2 2.6 Switzerland 46.6 48.1 (3.1) 0.9 Portugal 33.7 31.3 7.5 10.2 United Kingdom 23.6 23.6 (0.1) 6.0 Germany 15.4 13.4 15.1 18.0 Russia 14.0 18.2 (23.1) (9.1) Italy 13.4 12.5 7.1 9.1 Norway 7.6 9.4 (18.8) (9.2) Other 13.7 11.0 24.2 27.5 -------- -------- Total EMEA 224.5 223.9 0.3 4.7 APAC Singapore 31.8 31.3 1.5 4.7 Australia 28.5 30.4 (6.5) 2.0 Malaysia 13.2 15.5 (14.2) (1.1) New Zealand 9.7 10.5 (7.9) 4.5 Other 13.1 12.7 3.6 12.8 -------- -------- Total APAC 96.3 100.4 (4.1) 4.0 Total Kelly Services, Inc. $1,349.1 $1,320.6 2.2% 4.6% ======== ========
ANALYST CONTACT:
James Polehna
(248) 244-4586
james_polehna@kellyservices.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jane Stehney
(248) 244-5630
jane_stehney@kellyservices.com
ASKER, NORWAY (02 February 2016) - Following its update on 07 January 2016, TGS now confirms Q4 2015 net revenues of USD 132 million and full year 2015 net revenues of USD 612 million. The Board of Directors has resolved to pay a dividend of USD 0.15 per share in Q1 2016.
4th QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS
Consolidated net revenues were USD 132 million, compared to USD 298 million in Q4 2014.
Net late sales totaled USD 90 million, down 60% from USD 226 million in Q4 2014.
Net pre-funding revenues were USD 37 million, down 41% from Q4 2014, funding 42% of the Company's operational multi-client investments during Q4 (operational investments of USD 88 million, down 30% from Q4 2014).
Proprietary revenues were USD 5 million, compared to USD 9 million in Q4 2014.
Operating profit (EBIT) was USD -140 million (-106% of net revenues), compared to USD 47 million (16% of net revenues) in Q4 2014. Operating costs in Q4 2015 include: Impairments of USD 161 million of the multi-client library. Restructuring costs of USD 10 million. Provisions related to bad debt and other commercial activities of USD 8 million.
Cash flow from operations was USD 99 million, compared to USD 131 million in Q4 2014.
Earnings per share (fully diluted) were USD -1.19, down from USD 0.31 in Q4 2014.
FULL YEAR 2015 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Consolidated net revenues were USD 612 million, down from USD 915 million in 2014.
Net late sales from the multi-client library totaled USD 334 million, down 47% from USD 631 million in 2014.
Net pre-funding revenues were USD 257 million, up 4% from 2014, funding 51% of the Company's operational multi-client investments during 2015 (operational investments of USD 502 million, up 9% from 2014).
Operating profit (EBIT) was USD -21 million (-3% of net revenues), compared to USD 295 million (32% of net revenues) in 2014.
Cash flow from operations was USD 567 million compared to USD 605 million in 2014, a decrease of 6%.
Earnings per share (fully diluted) were USD -0.28, down from 2.09 in 2014.
DIVIDEND
From 2016, TGS will start paying quarterly dividends in accordance with the resolution made by the Annual General Meeting on 6 May 2015. The aim will be to keep a stable quarterly dividend in US dollars through the year, but the actual level paid will be subject to continuous evaluation of the underlying development of the company and the market.
The Board of Directors of TGS has resolved to pay a dividend of USD 0.15 per share in Q1 2016. The dividend will be paid in the form of NOK 1.30 per share on 23 February 2016. The share will trade ex-dividend on 9 February 2016.
"Oil companies are continuing to cut E&P spending. The market for seismic data is likely to remain weak in 2016. TGS has implemented a number of measures to handle the downturn. In November 2015, a major restructuring of the company was implemented and through 2015 the global workforce was reduced by approximately 28%. Compared to last year, the run rate for cash operating cost has been reduced by approximately USD 25 million per year. We are continuing to work hard on identifying interesting projects that can create long-term value for our shareholders and provide rapid growth when the market improves," says Robert Hobbs, CEO of TGS.
"The financial guidance released on 7 January 2016 remains unchanged. That is, we still anticipate multi-client investments of USD 220 million, of which 45-50% is expected to be prefunded by our clients."
To access TGS Q4 2015 results information click below:
Earnings Release (http://www.tgs.com/uploadedFiles/CorporateWebsite/Modules/Investor_Related/Earning_Releases/Q4_2014_Earnings_Release_Report.pdf)
Presentation Slides (http://www.tgs.com/uploadedFiles/CorporateWebsite/Modules/News/2016/Q4%202015%20Earnings%20Release%20Presentation.pdf)
Live Presentation (http://presenter.qbrick.com/?pguid=f8b8f88a-83e5-43ea-8658-63669346b525)
Investor Presentation and Webcast
Robert Hobbs (CEO) and Sven Boerre Larsen (CFO) will present the results at approximately 08:30 CET at the Hotel Continental, Stortingsgata 24/26 in Oslo, Norway. The presentation is open to the public. The presentation can be followed live on the internet at www.tgs.com (http://www.tgs.com).
The slides from the presentation will also be available in PDF format on the TGS website.
Q4 2015 Conference Call
CEO Robert Hobbs and CFO Sven Boerre Larsen will host a conference call on 2 February 2016 at 15:00 CET (9:00 AM New York time). Attendees may want to call 5-10 minutes before 15:00 CET (9:00 AM NY) to ensure registration and access.
Norwegian attendees are invited to call +800 56054 or +47 2316 2729
International attendees are invited to call 0800 279 4841 or +44 (0)20 3427 1900
US attendees are invited to call +1 877 280 2342
Participants will need to quote the following confirmation code when dialing into the conference: 5345619
A Q&A session will follow a short introduction, based upon the presentation issued in the morning. To pose a question, please press *1.
A replay of the conference call will be available shortly after. To access replay of the TGS conference call,
Dial +47 2100 0498 (Norway) or +44 (0)20 3427 0598 or +1 866 932 5017 (US)
Replay access code is 5345619 followed by the # (pound sign)
A replay of the conference call will also be available at www.tgs.com.
Company summary
TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) provides multi-client geoscience data to oil and gas Exploration and Production companies worldwide. In addition to extensive global geophysical and geological data libraries that include multi-client seismic data, magnetic and gravity data, digital well logs, production data and directional surveys, TGS also offers advanced processing and imaging services, interpretation products, and data integration solutions.
For more information visit TGS online at www.tgs.com (http://www.tgs.com).
Forward-looking statements and contact information
All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include TGS' reliance on a cyclical industry and principle customers, TGS' ability to continue to expand markets for licensing of data, and TGS' ability to acquire and process data products at costs commensurate with profitability. Actual results may differ materially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements. TGS undertakes no responsibility or obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements for any reason.
TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSLO:TGS).
TGS sponsored American Depositary Shares trade on the U.S. over-the-counter market under the symbol "TGSGY".
For additional information about this press release please contact:
Sven Boerre Larsen
Chief Financial Officer
Tel: +47 90 94 36 73
Email: sven.larsen@tgs.com (mailto:sven.larsen@tgs.com)
Will Ashby
Director Finance Western Hemisphere & Investor Relations
Tel: +1 713 860 2184
Email: will.ashby@tgs.com (mailto:will.ashby@tgs.com)
This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to 5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act)
2015 Q4 Presentation (http://hugin.info/86869/R/1982913/726615.pdf)
2015 Q4 Earnings Release (http://hugin.info/86869/R/1982913/726614.pdf)
This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: TGS via Globenewswire
HUG#1982913
Oslo 2 February 2016 - Targovax has submitted a study protocol to the regulatory authorities in Spain to assess its ONCOS-102 product in combination with chemotherapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare type of lung cancer associated with exposure to asbestos.
"This submission marks another important step for Targovax, delivering on our strategy to initiate trials to study the ONCOS-102 platform in multiple indications" says Gunnar Gardemyr, CEO of Targovax.
Spain is expected to become an important country in this study, therefore submission to the competent authorities in Spain is an important step in the clinical development plan.
"In this trial, we will study a patient group which is in great need of better therapies. It will also be the first time to assess ONCOS-102 in combination with chemotherapy. As a result, the study will give a better picture of the benefits of Targovax' immune therapy alongside existing standard of care" continues Gardemyr.
MPM is highly malignant with a 5-year survival of only 5 to 10%. Most patients are diagnosed too late for surgical intervention for whom standard of care chemotherapy will provide a median overall survival of approximately 1 year.
In a recently completed phase I study, ONCOS-102 was seen to induce TILs (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes) in 11/12 patients in a mixed population of solid tumors including MPM and detection of tumor specific T-cells in peripheral blood demonstrating systemic and profound immune activation at lesional level.
The study is a randomized phase II study with a phase Ib safety lead in cohort of 30 patients with first line MPM patients and second line patients who are eligible for treatment with pemetrexed and cisplatin, the standard of care chemotherapy in this indication. The study's main objectives are determination of safety, immune activation at lesional level and in peripheral blood, clinical response and the correlation between clinical outcome and the immunological activation. Several investigational sites in Europe will participate in this study, which is expected to start during the first half of 2016.
ONCOS-102 has orphan drug status in Europe and the USA in MPM.
About Targovax: "Arming patients' immune system to fight cancer"
Targovax is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing targeted immunotherapy treatments for cancer patients. Targovax has a broad and diversified immune therapy portfolio and aim to become a leader in its area. The company is currently developing two complementary and highly targeted approaches in immuno-oncology:
Oncos 102 is a virus-based immunotherapy platform based on engineered oncolytic viruses armed with potent immune-stimulating transgenes targeting solid tumors. This treatment may reinstate the immune system's capacity to recognize and attack cancer cells.
TG01 and TG02 are part of a peptide-based immunotherapy platform targeting the difficult to treat RAS mutations found in more than 85% of pancreatic cancers, 50% of colorectal cancer and 20-30% of all cancers. Targovax works towards demonstrating that TG vaccines will prolong time to cancer progression and increase survival.
The product candidates will be developed in combination with multiple treatments in several cancer indications, including checkpoint inhibitors. Targovax also has a number of other cancer immune therapy candidates in the early stage of development. For more information go to www.targovax.com (http://www.targovax.com).
For further information, please contact:
Gunnar Gardemyr
CEO
Phone: +41 798 340 585
Email: ggardemyr@targovax.com (mailto:ggardemyr@targovax.com)
ystein Soug
CFO
Phone: +47 906 56 525
Email: oystein.soug@targovax.com (mailto:oystein.soug@targovax.com)
This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Targovax ASA via Globenewswire
HUG#1982664
BUCHAREST (dpa-AFX) - Romania's producer prices continued to decline at the end of the year, though at a slower pace than in the previous month, figures from the National Institute of Statistics showed Tuesday. The producer price index fell 1.7 percent year-over-year in December, following a 2.6 percent stable rate of decrease in November. The measure has been falling since October 2014. Domestic market producer prices also slipped 1.7 percent annually in December and prices in the foreign market dropped by 1.9 percent. Among the main industrial groups, energy prices dipped the most by 5.4 percent, followed by capital goods industry with 3.1 fall. At the same time, prices in the consumable goods industry grew by 2.0 percent. On a monthly basis, producer prices slid 0.3 percent in December, after 0.1 percent slight drop in the preceding month. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - St. Modwen Properties PLC (SMP.L) reported a 91% increase in profit before all tax to 258.4 million pounds for the year ended 30th November 2015 from 135.4 million pounds, previous year. Profit to owners of the company was 216.4 million pounds compared to 118.6 million pounds, a year ago. Earnings per share was 90.4 pence compared to 49.9 pence. Revenue improved to 287.5 million pounds from 266.5 million pounds, previous year. For the year ended 30th November 2015, the Board of St. Modwen Properties recommended a 25% increase in the total dividend to 5.75 pence per share, giving a final dividend for the year of 3.85 pence per share. The final dividend will be paid on 1st April 2016 to shareholders on the register at 4th March 2016. St. Modwen Properties also announced that Bill Oliver has informed the Board of his intention to retire as Chief Executive. Bill will leave St. Modwen on 30th November 2016, at the end of the company's financial year. 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.
News / National
by Thobekile Zhou
Prosecutor General Johannes Tomana has arrived at Harare Magistrates Court, escorted by riot police officers.His charges are still unclear but it is believed to be in connection with the dropping of charges last week against two people accused of plotting to bomb a dairy owned by President Robert Mugabe.Government sources have told me that Mr Tomana is accused of withdrawing banditry and money laundering charges against two army officers.Tomana was on Monday picked up by police for questioning on allegations of obstruction of justice.MORE TO FOLLOW...
NOTICE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING IN PROFFICE AKTIEBOLAG (PUBL)
Regulatory News:
Shareholders in Proffice Aktiebolag (publ)(STO:PROEB), corporate identity no. 556089-6572 ("the Company"), are hereby invited to attend the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Wednesday, 24 February 2016 at 3 pm at Proffice's headquarters, Regeringsgatan 65 in Stockholm, Sweden.
Notice of intention to participate
Shareholders who wish to participate in the EGM must:
Be registered with Euroclear Sweden AB by Thursday,18 February 2016, and
Send notification to the Company to be received no later than Thursday, 18 February 2016, preferably before 4 pm, to one of the following: Proffice AB (publ), Shareholder Service, PO Box 70368, SE-107 24 Stockholm, Sweden, or by telephone: +46 8-787 17 00 or e-mail: ir@proffice.com.
When registering, shareholders must include their name, address, telephone number, civil identification or corporate identity number, the number of shares represented, and the names of any legal representatives. If participation is by proxy, the proxy form must be submitted prior to the EGM. Proxy forms in Swedish and English are available on the Company's website at; www.proffice.com.
Shareholders whose shares are registered under a nominee name must temporarily re-register them in their own names, in addition to registering their intention to participate in the EGM. For such registration to be completed by Thursday, 18 February 2016, shareholders should contact their banks or nominees well in advance.
Business and proposed agenda
pening of the EGM and election of chairman for the meeting. Preparing and approving voting list. Approving the agenda. Electing at least one person to verify the minutes. Determining whether the EGM has been duly convened. Determining the number of board members Determining board remuneration Electing the board Closing the meeting.
Resolution proposals
Randstad Nordic AB holds approximately 97 percent of the total number of outstanding shares in the Company and has communicated the below proposals regarding items 6-8:
Item 6
The board shall consist of four ordinary members and no alternate members
Item 7
The board members shall not be entitled to any remuneration
Item 8
The following persons are proposed as directors of the board:
Paul van de Kerkhof, 58 years old, Managing Director Nordics India at Randstad Holding
Robert Jan van de Kraats, 55 years old, CFO at Randstad Holding nv
Henrik Hojsgaard, 50 years old, CEO of Proffice
Jeroen Tiel, 47 years old, Managing Director Randstad Sweden and Denmark
Paul van de Kerkhof is proposed as Chairman of the board.
Number of shares and votes
At the day of this notice, the total number of shares in the company is 68,677,773, of which 2,000,000 are A-shares carrying 10 votes each, and 66,677,773 are B-shares carrying one vote each. The Company holds, as of the same date, 2,758,317 own B-shares.
Shareholders right to request information
Pursuant to Chapter 7 section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act, the board of directors and the managing director are under a duty to, if any shareholder so requests and the board of directors deems that it can be made without material damage to the Company, provide information regarding circumstances which may affect the assessment of a matter on the agenda. The duty to provide information also comprises the Company's relation to the other group companies, the consolidated accounts and such circumstances regarding subsidiaries which are set out in the foregoing paragraph.
Stockholm, February 2016
Proffice Aktiebolag (publ)
Board of Directors
This is a translation from Swedish. In the event of any discrepancies between the Swedish version and the translation, the former shall have precedence.
Proffice Aktiebolag (publ) discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the Securities Markets Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was released for publication on the 2nd of February 2016 at 8.00 am CET.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160201006527/en/
Contacts:
Proffice Aktiebolag
Henrik Hojsgaard
+46 (0) 8 787 17 00
henrik.hojsgaard@proffice.com
'Short-Term Gain, Long-Term Pain' Approach to Spectrum Pricing Needs to End
John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA commented on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) recommendations1 for spectrum pricing in the forthcoming auction of the 700MHz band:
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202005320/en/
GSMA Calls for Affordable Spectrum Pricing to Benefit Indian Consumers and Economy (Photo: Business Wire)
"The GSMA is very concerned by TRAI's recommendation to set a starting price of US$1.7 billion1 per MHz for pan-Indian 700MHz spectrum. India has one of the lowest Average Revenues Per User (ARPU) across the world (US$2.45 at the end of 2015). Combined with so far limited revenue contribution from data services, competitive pressure on operators' revenues and high capital expenditure2 to upgrade networks, this makes it more challenging for operators to recover from high spectrum prices. Spectrum's greatest value does not come from high sales prices, but rather from its use to expand social and economic opportunity for all India's citizens. In 2014 alone, the mobile industry contributed 6.1 per cent to India's GDP3
"The more mobile operators have to pay for a spectrum licence, the less capital is available to roll out new mobile networks. As the digital economy becomes increasingly important to India's future prosperity, we encourage greater focus on the long-term benefits of connecting more people in India to affordable mobile broadband, rather than on short-term financial gain.
"High reserve prices and an unrealistic predetermination of spectrum value could also reduce the willingness of potential bidders to buy the spectrum. For example, in Australia, an unrealistically high reserve price resulted in a valuable portion of the 700MHz spectrum left unsold and unused. Unused or under-utilised spectrum benefits neither the economy nor society.
"We respectfully ask the Indian Government and TRAI to keep in mind the objectives for releasing 700MHz spectrum one of the most promising bands to expand the reach of mobile broadband services into rural areas - in the lead-up to auctioning this critical spectrum resource. Setting reserve prices at reasonable levels will be key to achieving the Digital India objectives, allowing operators to focus their resources on building the necessary infrastructure to deliver high-quality mobile services for Indian citizens."
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
1 Link to TRAI recommendations: http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/WhatsNew/Documents/Recc_27_1_2016.pdf
2 Capex over the last four years totalled in excess of US$18 billion and is likely to increase as operators invest further in network coverage and increasingly in 4G network deployments. Source: Mobile Economy India 2015
3 Source: Mobile Economy India 2015
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202005320/en/
Contacts:
For the GSMA
Ayanica Sree (New Delhi)
+91 11 40501269
ASree@webershandwick.com
or
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com
IOVOX's powerful call tracking delivers big-business insight to Cobweb's small business customers
IOVOX, a global provider of cloud-based telephone analytics, today announced a channel partnership with Cobweb Solutions, one of Europe's leading cloud aggregators. Trusted by small businesses worldwide, IOVOX exists for the sole purpose of providing truthful, actionable information so business owners can stop running on habits and hunches and start managing with the facts.
"IOVOX offers clear marketing attribution and telephone performance data - one of the key insights for a business in interacting and transacting successfully with the market," said Ash Patel, Director of Transformation, Cobweb. "Our goal is to build enduring commercial relationships with an ecosystem of channel partners, and we do that by bringing them valuable services that they can offer customers at an affordable price, while being able to still add value to the offering. This partnership with IOVOX is consistent with our vision, and we're confident our business customers will quickly see the value of IOVOX analytics."
IOVOX's intelligent phone numbers deliver no-nonsense, real-time analytics on calls and text messages for hundreds of thousands of small businesses in 32 countries. Unique, local IOVOX phone numbers supply data to an easy-to-read dashboard that reveals which ads are working and which ones aren't; whether businesses are missing important phone calls; whether calls come from existing customers or new ones; which geographical area most calls come from and much more. Overall, IOVOX's intelligent phone numbers help small businesses increase calls, chart progress from new regions, and pinpoint their most effective advertising environments.
"Cobweb has a strong reputation in the market and is very selective about its product portfolio, so this partnership really underlines the benefits and quality of IOVOX's product," said Carl Di Cicco, Managing Director of IOVOX. "Cobweb already enables channel partners to build a sustainable cloud business model, while understanding their customers and general market needs. As businesses continue to rely heavily on telephone systems, IOVOX analytics was a natural addition to the portfolio."
About Cobweb
Cobweb Solutions is an innovative cloud aggregator helping channel partners build a sustainable business model while delivering integrated cloud based solutions. Cobweb has been a pioneer in providing Microsoft Exchange as a hosted service, becoming one of the biggest independent cloud communications provider in Europe. Cobweb is looking to extend its innovative approach to building a smart ecosystem of channel partners who can deliver more value to customers.
About IOVOX
IOVOX provides global cloud-based analytics that measure communications engagement for Enterprise and Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs). Trusted by hundreds of thousands of businesses around the globe, the IOVOX analytics platform has been adopted by clients in 32 countries and across a wide variety of vertical markets empowering marketers and operational managers with transformative business insight. IOVOX was founded in 2007 and is backed by Octopus Investments and SF Capital. For more information visit IOVOX. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202005336/en/
Contacts:
Finn Partners for IOVOX
Danni Rattanasamy
US: +1 415-326-7971
UK: +44 [0] 208 022 0182
IOVOX@finnpartners.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.
BUDAPEST, Hungary, BERLIN and WARSAW, Poland, February 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Latest development provides a breakthrough in the telecom sector and could change the telesales and debt collection market in the CEE region.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160129/327515LOGO )
Virtual Call Center, an innovative telecommunications company and a market leader in cloud-based contact center technology, announced today that it has received international certification for VCC Pay , its latest technology development based on customers' needs.
VCC Pay, the first of its kind in the CEE region, provides a long-awaited and revolutionary solution for companies working in the telesales and debt collection sectors, by offering a real time, customer-service assisted, telephone-based bank card payment service.
The push-button payment system allows the immediate payment of any purchase or service fee sold by a call centre agent during the same call while meeting the strictest data protection regulations. Customers receive live assistance from the operator throughout the purchase and payment procedure, being confident that bank card data is never revealed, transferred to or stored by the agents.
The cloud based service had to meet the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) that is required by the five biggest electronic card payment companies in the world (including Master Card, Visa and AMEX).
Szabolcs Toth, CEO of VCC said: "VCC Pay will assist companies where the time between an initial phone contact and any subsequent payment matters. Since VCC Pay makes it easy to respond to client requests and concerns in real time, the success rate of both sales and debt collection will increase significantly. After the first few days on the market, there is significantly increased interest among insurance companies, telecom service providers, home-shopping firms and airlines.
Dr. Sandor Erdei, Chairman of the Board of DBH Investment, a venture investor in Virtual Call Center added: "This certificate is a very important milestone that will allow VCC to provide a more comprehensive solution to its customers worldwide. This innovation can be the basis of international expansion and further shareholder's value creation."
About Virtual Call Center
Virtual Call Center is an innovative cloud based contact center technology company focusing on the global market. Its technology is utilized in 32 countries and customers can initiate calls into 92 countries worldwide.
Board of Directors: Szabolcs Toth, Tamas Jalsovszky, Sandor Erdei, Laszlo Urge
For further information:
Contact: Zsofia Mato, email: zsofia.mato@virtual-call-center.eu, +36-20-3399884.
RICHMOND, VA--(Marketwired - February 02, 2016) - The feel of crisp pages, the visual pop of bright illustrations, and the joy of winning money for higher education just for enjoying good books.
For Virginia elementary school librarians and students in kindergarten through third grade, reading is even more rewarding, thanks to Reading Makes Cent$.
The program, presented by Virginia529 College Savings Plan (Virginia529) and the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE), aims to teach financial education to students and set them on an early path to financial success.
Through Reading Makes Cent$, elementary school librarians across Virginia read story books provided by Virginia529 to their students. They teach accompanying lessons, developed by VCEE, on basic economic and financial concepts.
To reward participation in the program, each year 14 students who complete the reading challenge are randomly selected to win $529 Virginia529 inVEST savings accounts. Additionally, the elementary school library in each of seven districts wins books for their library valued at $500, each with a theme involving economics and finance.
Last year, 2,200 students and more than 180 elementary school libraries participated in the program.
Reading Makes Cent$ is in its second year and offers an expanded reading list, novel lesson plans, and a new selection of free books for participating schools.
"Virginia529 and VCEE hope more schools will find the program a valuable tool to encourage reading and to provide early lessons about financial empowerment for students," noted Virginia529 CEO Mary Morris.
Virginia elementary school librarians can find program information and read the official terms and conditions at readingmakescents.com. The deadline for librarians to sign up is February 12, 2016.
About Virginia529 College Savings Plan:
Virginia529 makes higher education more accessible and affordable for families and individuals. With $54 billion in assets under management and 2.4 million accounts as of December 31, 2015, Virginia529 is the largest 529 plan available. Four flexible, affordable, tax-advantaged programs -- Virginia529 prePAID SM (prePAID SM), Virginia529 inVEST SM (inVEST SM), CollegeAmerica and CollegeWealth -- and early commitment scholarship program SOAR Virginia assist students of any age in reaching their higher education goals. For more information on Virginia529's college savings options, visit Virginia529.com or call 1-888-567-0540 to obtain program materials. These include information on Virginia529 programs, investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other important information; read and consider them carefully before investing. All investments are subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Virginia529 encourages prospective participants to seek the advice of a professional concerning any financial, tax or legal implications related to opening an account. For residents of states other than Virginia: your state or the beneficiary's state of residence (if different) may sponsor a 529 plan that offers state income tax and other benefits not available to you through Virginia529 College Savings Plan. 2016 Virginia College Savings Plan. All Rights Reserved.
For more information, contact
Kelley Hope
Communications Manager
804-225-2452
Email contact
PUNE, India, February 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
ReportsnReports.com adds "Mumps Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2015" market research report that helps enhance decision making capabilities and in creating an effective counter strategy to gain competitive advantage.
This report provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Mumps. Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type. Report also provides prominent drugs for in-progress trials (based on number of ongoing trials). Clinical Trial Reports are generated using a proprietary database. Clinical trials are collated from 80+ different clinical trial registries, conferences, journals, news etc across the globe. Clinical trials database undergoes periodic update by dynamic process. Complete report on Mumps Clinical Trials spread across 76 pages, supported with 23 tables and 24 figures is now available athttp://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/465219-mumps-global-clinical-trials-review-h2-2015.html .
Companies discussed in this report are GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Merck & Co., Inc., Sanofi, Zydus Cadila Healthcare Limited, Sanofi Pasteur MSD SNC, Japan Vaccine Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and AstraZeneca Plc.
Note: Certain sections in the report may be removed or altered based on the availability and relevance of data for the indicated disease.
The report provides a snapshot of the global clinical trials landscape with top level data related to the clinical trials by Region, Country (G7 & E7), Trial Status, Trial Phase, Sponsor Type and End point status and reviews top companies involved and enlists all trials (Trial title, Phase, and Status) pertaining to the company. The report also provides all the unaccomplished trials (Terminated, Suspended and Withdrawn) with reason for unaccomplishment, enrollment trends for the past five years and latest news for the past three months.
Order a copy of Mumps Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2015 market research report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/Purchase.aspx?name=465219 .
Partial List of Tables provided in this report
Mumps Therapeutics, E7 Countries, Clinical Trials by Trial Status, 2015
Mumps Therapeutics, Global, Clinical Trials by Phase, 2015
Mumps Therapeutics, Global, Clinical Trials In Progress by Phase 2015
Mumps Therapeutics, Global, Clinical Trials by Trial Status, 2015
Mumps Therapeutics Clinical Trials, Global, by End Point Status, 2015
Mumps Therapeutics Clinical Trials, Global, Average Enrollment Target Trends, 2010-2014
Mumps Therapeutics Market, Global, Clinical Trials by Sponsor Type, 2015
Mumps Therapeutics Clinical Trials, Global, Key Sponsors, 2015
Mumps Therapeutics Clinical Trials, Global, Top Companies by Phase, 2015
Mumps Therapeutics Clinical Trials, Global, Ongoing Clinical Trials by Prominent Drugs, 2015
Another newly published market research report titled on Seasonal Influenza Global Clinical Trials Review, H2, 2015 provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Seasonal Influenza. Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type. Report also provides prominent drugs for in-progress trials (based on number of ongoing trials). GlobalData Clinical Trial Reports are generated using GlobalData's proprietary database - Pharma eTrack Clinical trials database. Clinical trials are collated from 80+ different clinical trial registries, conferences, journals, news etc across the globe. Clinical trials database undergoes periodic update by dynamic process. Seasonal Influenza market research report of 107 pages is available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/465226-seasonal-influenza-global-clinical-trials-review-h2-2015.html .
Explore more reports on Pharmaceuticals market at http://www.reportsnreports.com/market-research/pharmaceuticals/ .
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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Medical technology company Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BDX) continues to invest in higher-growth emerging markets. Emerging markets grew over 9% in 2015 and is expected to grow at about 10% in 2016, driven by a diversified base, with China growing in the low to mid-teens, continued strength in Latin America outside of Brazil, fewer headwinds in EMA and strength in India.
Through the acquisition of CareFusion, Becton, Dickinson significantly expanded its presence and is now the global leader in a $20 billion medication management industry. The company also entered into the high-growth area of genomics through the strategic acquisitions of Cellular Research and GenCell.
For fiscal year 2016, the company expects adjusted EPS of $8.73 - $8.80, currency-neutral. On a reported basis, adjusted EPS is expected to be in the range of $8.37 - $8.44, while overcoming significant FX headwinds. This reflects operational accretion from the CareFusion acquisition of about 22%, an increase from the previously stated deal accretion target of high teens. In addition, BD increased its cost synergy target from $250 million to $325 million - $350 million through 2018.
For the first quarter of fiscal 2016, the company expects the impact of unfavorable currency to be most acute, and projects EPS to range between $1.80 and $1.85, reflecting a currency headwind of about 1,500 basis points and a euro-to-dollar exchange rate of $1.13 versus $1.26 when compared with the prior-year period.
The company is scheduled to release its first-quarter results before the bell on Wednesday, February 3, with analysts polled by Thomson Reuters estimating earnings of $1.84 per share on revenue of $3.03 billion. Analysts' estimate typically exclude certain special items.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- When comparing the CPP to large public-sector pension plans in Ontario, bigger doesn't necessarily translate into lower investment and administrative costs, finds Philip Cross, former chief economic analyst for Statistics Canada, in a study published today by the Fraser Institute.
"Proponents of expanding the Canada Pension Plan and those in support of launching the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan often trumpet claims of economies of scale, implying the relative costs of these plans decline as they grow and accumulate more assets. Those claims are simply not true," Cross said.
The study, Comparing the Costs of the Canada Pension Plan with Public Pension Plans in Ontario, compares the total costs (investment and administrative) of five large public-sector pension plans in Ontario with the CPP (all headquartered in Toronto).
The analysis of these pension plans, ranging in asset values from $17 billion to $269 billion, finds that the plan with the highest asset value - the CPP - was the most costly (measured as a percentage of assets), on average, over the period 2009 to 2014.
Specifically, the CPP with $269 billion in assets had the highest average cost-to-asset ratio at 1.07 per cent during that time frame. The next largest plan covered in the study, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan with $154 billion in assets, was the fourth costliest with an average cost ratio of 0.63 per cent.
"The evidence shows larger public pension plans do not have a clear cost advantage over smaller ones. The CPP's reputation for low costs is coloured by incomplete comparisons that do not account for all related costs," Cross said.
The study also disentangles the two cost categories (investment and administrative) putting a microscope on the differences in investment costs across the various pension plans.
Again, there is no compelling evidence of any cost savings for larger public pension plans: OPTrust, the smallest fund in the study with $17 billion in assets, incurs the highest average investment costs (as a percentage of assets), followed by the CPP, the largest fund in the study. Meanwhile, the Ontario Pension Board, one of the smallest plans covered, has one of the lowest average investment costs.
"Costs for larger public pension plans may actually increase as the plan's assets grow due to the complexity of implementing investment strategies and the subsequent need to seek counsel from external experts. These more aggressive investment strategies raise costs," Cross said.
"The implications of this analysis are sobering for proponents of expanding the CPP or creating the new Ontario pension plan."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Costs (investment and administrative) as a percentage of assets, average from 2009 to 2014 arranged from smallest to largest plan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPTrust 1.02 per cent ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ontario Pension Board (OPB) 0.49 per cent ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) 0.34 per cent ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) 0.68 per cent ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) 0.63 per cent ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canada Pension Plan (CPP) 1.07 per cent ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter / Like us on Facebook
The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org
Contacts:
Media Contact:
For interviews with Philip Cross, please contact:
Aanand Radia
Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute
(416) 363-6575 ext. 238
aanand.radia@fraserinstitute.org
Online lending platform Spotcap raises EUR 31.5M in funding
Spotcap raises EUR 31.5 million in funding +++ Finstar Financial Group becomes new shareholder and strategic partner +++ Previous investor Holtzbrinck Ventures participates in financing round +++ Spotcap uses the funding to accelerate its global growth
Online lending platform Spotcap successfully closes its third financing round. The Berlin-based financial technology company raises EUR 31.5 million in new funding led by international private equity firm, Finstar Financial Group, with participation from previous investor Holtzbrinck Ventures. Spotcap intends to use the funds to expand its operations globally and to finance its online business lending activities in Spain, the Netherlands, and Australia.
The partnership between Finstar and Spotcap strengthens both parties' position in the global FinTech industry landscape and underlines the increasing importance of the alternative financing sector.
This is Spotcap's third successful round of financing in 18 months. The financial technology company previously raised EUR 13 million in funding from a group of investors, including Rocket Internet, Access Industries and Holtzbrinck Ventures as well as EUR 5 million in debt capital from Kreos Capital.
Nicholas Jordan, CEO of Finstar, commented: "Finstar is pleased to be working in partnership with multinational online MSME lender Spotcap. By acquiring a stake in Spotcap, we are strengthening our position in the digital financial services sector and increasing our reach to new territories. As its shareholder and major strategic partner, Finstar will intensify efforts to further develop Spotcap's innovative online lending platform and facilitate its global expansion into high-yielding markets."
Toby Triebel, CEO and Co-Founder of Spotcap, commented: "We are delighted with the endorsement and backing by Finstar. This long-term strategic partnership with a leading investor is a validation of Spotcap's solid business model and our goal to become a leading global provider of online business loans. Finstar's substantial expertise and valuable relationships in the FinTech industry will enable Spotcap to fast-track its growth."
Spotcap leverages cutting-edge technology to meet the needs of small businesses more efficiently than traditional lenders. The company uses an innovative credit scoring technology that directly evaluates real-life business data to provide fast and flexible financing.
About Finstar
Finstar Financial Group is an international private equity group. Founded in 1996, the Group has significant experience in launching start-up projects and in restructuring and expanding of companies in selected industries. Finstar operates in financial markets, the IT and telecoms field, perfumery-cosmetic retailing and also in commercial and trade real estate. The Group has under its management assets worth a total of more than $2 billion. Over the years Finstar has developed substantial operational experience which helps to implement a value-adding strategy, introducing high international standards of corporate governance, innovation, marketing and building competitive advantages, all of which are vital to create value in the long-term.
Read more about Finstar: www.finstar.com
About Spotcap
Spotcap enables small business owners to grow their business by providing fast and flexible financing. The financial technology company has developed a sophisticated and dynamic decision process, assessing the real-time performance of businesses to grant short-term credit lines and loans. CEO Toby Triebel and COO Dr. Jens Woloszczak lead the company. Spotcap was launched in September 2014 and is headquartered in Berlin, with local offices in Madrid, Amsterdam, and Sydney. The team currently consisting of 70 credit and online experts is expanding its operations geographically. Spotcap is backed by Rocket Internet the world's leading global internet platform outside of the US and China.
Read more about Spotcap: www.spotcap.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202005733/en/
Contacts:
Finstar Financial Group
Public relations
Larisa Shishkina
Marina Evseeva
Tel: +7 905 529 12 52
E-mail: Shishkina@finstar.ru
Marina.Evseeva@finstar.ru
or
Spotcap
Aline Vedder
Head of Communications
Tel:
+49 176 620 180 36
E-mail: Aline.vedder@spotcap.com
or
Instinctif Partners
David Simonson
Mark Walter
Tel: +44 20 7866 7887
E-mail: David.Simonson@instinctif.com
Mark.Walter@instinctif.com
News / National
by Staff reporter
Police in Zimbabwe have reportedly forced a white farmer, Phillip Rankin, from his property, in a move aimed at paving the way for a Zimbabwean born doctor living in Britain.Rankini had been on the farm for 30 years.The Telegraph reported that Rankin was first told to vacate the farm after a claim to the land was made by Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro, in September 2015.Nyatsuro, 45, who owns a slimming clinic in Nottingham, England, claimed to be in possession of a letter from government, allocating the land to him.Reports indicate that Nyatsuro and his wife, Veronica, have connections to President Robert Mugabe's wife, Grace.Rankin and his wife Anita said mounting legal bills were becoming too much and they had intended to leave the farm. However, they wanted to wait until they had harvested the 300 000 tobacco crop that they obtained a loan to plant.Land reformsHowever, on Friday, police entered the property and allegedly loaded the Rankins' furniture into trucks and drove away. The farmer was then arrested and taken to a police station, where he was later released, the report said.This comes as the Zimbabwean government announce in January that it would allow white commercial farmers to lease land in "strategic areas" in order to help improve and redevelop the nation's economy.According to Land and Rural Resettlement Minister Douglass Mambeshora, the duration of the leases given to the farmers would depend on the type of farming operations.Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party launched a set of land reforms in 2000, taking over white-owned farms to resettle landless blacks.At the time, Mugabe said the reforms were meant to correct colonial land ownership imbalances.At least 4 000 white commercial farmers were evicted from their farms.The land seizures were often violent, claiming the lives of several white farmers during clashes with veterans of Zimbabwe's 1970s liberation struggle.Critics of the reforms have blamed the programme for low production on the farms as the majority of the beneficiaries lacked the means and skills to work the land.
IRVINE, California and REHOVOT, Israel, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OticPharma, Ltd., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring and developing innovative therapies for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) disorders, today announced that Gregory J. Flesher, chief executive officer, will present an overview of the company at the upcoming 18th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference to be held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, NY.
Date: Monday, February 8, 2016
Time: 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Room: Park North , Waldorf Astoria Hotel
Investors or potential partners attending the conference who wish to meet with the company during the conference should contact the BIO Partnering team at biopartnering@bio.org .
About OticPharma
OticPharma is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focusing on the development of ear, nose, and throat (ENT) products that restore health and address unmet needs in children and adults. The company's proprietary foam technology (OP-01) is currently being developed for acute otitis externa ("swimmers ear") and is also being explored for nasal and sinus uses. The company's proprietary surfactant technology (OP-02) is currently being developed as a potential first-in-class, antibiotic-free treatment option for acute, recurrent, and chronic otitis media.
Investor and Media Contact
Gita Ogawa
The Trout Group
Gogawa@troutgroup.com
Tel: +1 (646) 378-2949
Company Contact
Gregory J. Flesher OticPharma,
Ltd. gflesher@oticpharma.com
Tel: +1 (949) 238-8090
RELATED LINKS
http://www.oticpharma.com
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150902/263275LOGO
BETHESDA (dpa-AFX) - The UK's Ministry of Defence or MOD announced award of a 1.1 billion pounds contract to deliver the fixed wing element of the UK Military Flying Training System or UKMFTS to Ascent Flight Training Ltd, a 50/50 joint venture between Babcock International Group plc (BAB.L) and Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT). Ascent is responsible for delivering the UK Military Flying Training System through to 2033, in partnership with the MOD. The aircrew training will take place at several military sites and comprises the delivery of three aircraft types, together with the provision of instruction, infrastructure and full life support through to 2033. 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.
LAGOS, Nigeria, February 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Taking center stage today, at Africa's leading Mobile Remittance Event, Mr. Sudhesh Giriyan, COO of Xpress Money discusses the dire need for an open remittance industry, globally. Xpress Money, one of the world's most dependable money transfer brands has been championing this cause for the last few years now.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151023/279887LOGO )
In 2015, approximately $601 billion[1] was transferred by expats to their families residing in their home countries, at an average transfer fee of 7.37% (Q4 2015)[2]. This transfer fee stands high against the '5O5' objective that was initiated in 2009 by the G8 countries, to reduce global remittance costs from 10 percent to 5 percent in 5 years. As of December 2015, over 6 years since the decision, the global average cost of sending remittances has reduced merely by over 2.5 percent.
One of the important reasons for this is 'exclusivity' - a hurdle that is rooted within the remittance industry itself. Typically, brands who enjoy the first mover advantage, get into exclusive agreements with an eventual service provider (such as banks, exchange houses, local money transfer companies, retail entities, etc.) restricting it from working with any other brand in the market.
Hindrances of exclusivity
Higher remittance costs
No scope for competition
Little or no choice to the customer
Rise of illegal channels of money transfer
"A healthy business environment is the need of the hour. One that nurtures competition and does not succumb to a monopolistic way of life," says Sudhesh Giriyan, COO Xpress Money.
Xpress Money has been contributing to this cause in different ways; the most noteworthy being its low remittance costs - 2% as compared to the industry standards of 7.37%. The brand is hopeful that the industry will come together to abolish exclusivity, not only for the industry's sake but the customers at large.
About Xpress Money
Xpress Money is a global money transfer brand with a thriving presence in more than 150 countries across all continents through 170,000 agent locations. Xpress Money has come to be known as the most dependable international money transfer brand and provides its customers a simple, fast & safe way to transfer money through innovative technology, superior customer service and its extensive worldwide network. For more information, follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/XpressMoney, Twitter: @Xpress_Money or visit http://www.xpressmoney.com
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1. Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 - Third Edition
2. https://remittanceprices.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/rpw_report_december_2015.pdf
Market leaders Orc Group and CameronTec Group unite and create Itiviti, a new force in trading software and services for the global capital markets.
The management of Itiviti AB today introduced a newly named company and brand, marking the completion of the previously announced unification of Orc Group, a global market leader in electronic trading technology for listed derivatives and CameronTec Group, the global standard in financial messaging infrastructure and connectivity. Itiviti holds market leading positions in several areas from the outset, and the combination significantly expands the customer proposition for banks, brokers and trading firms.
Itiviti will continue to build partnerships with its customers, using the natural fit between Orc and CameronTec to launch a new and even more powerful portfolio: fully modular, transparent and flexible solutions for end-to-end trading, routing, connectivity and risk.
Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Itiviti has truly global capabilities, with 400 staff located in 13 offices worldwide, covering all major financial centers. The company has a track record of delivering innovative, world class trading and financial infrastructure solutions to the capital markets across all geographies and regulatory landscapes.
"We are delighted to present our new company," says Torben Munch, CEO, Itiviti AB. "We are doing so with the confidence of two established, successful brands, Orc and CameronTec with solid track records in our industry. By combining our respective skill sets in technology, products and services we can deliver a broad, yet advanced, high-performance platform. We feel that Itiviti holds a new and unrivaled position in terms of ability to meet specific customer requirements, ease of integration, and adaptability to changes in market structure and regulation."
Joining CEO Torben Munch (formerly Orc Group CEO) on Itiviti's executive management team are Tony Falck, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Troels Philip Jensen, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Anders Henriksson, Executive Vice President, Head of Business Unit Global Services Chief Growth Officer, Jonas Hansbo, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and Klaus Andersen, Executive Vice President Global Engineering. Per E. Larsson will serve as Itiviti's Chairman of the Board. Larsson has been a member of the Boards of Orc Group and CameronTec Group since 2012 and served as Chairman on both Boards at the time of the combination.
Itiviti continues to develop, market, and support existing technology platforms, products and brands, including Orc Tbricks and Catalys. The combination also allows Itiviti to address a wider range of customer requirements for trading technology and infrastructure, with new products and services. Through state-of-the-art, integrated solutions built for the future, Itiviti will enable real cost savings for clients across all regions and markets.
All Itiviti solutions are backed by a highly skilled, global services organization. Through combining client and industry insight with technology expertise, Itiviti is uniquely positioned to provide effective support to its customers. Itiviti's team of experts are available for tasks such as daily technology support, system configuration and integration, and tailored trading solutions and strategies.
Itiviti's Managed Services offers a fully managed solution to replace in-house trading infrastructure, reducing cost of ownership and allowing customers to concentrate fully on core trading activities. The high-performance, low latency Itiviti ecosystem includes market connectivity, systems operations, monitoring, backup and failover procedures.
About Itiviti
Itiviti is a world-leading technology provider for the capital markets industry. Trading firms, banks, brokers and institutional clients rely on Itiviti technology, solutions and expertise for streamlining daily operations, while gaining sustainable competitive edge in global markets.
With 13 offices and serving more than 400 customers worldwide, Itiviti was formed by uniting Orc Group, a leader in trading and electronic execution, and CameronTec Group, the global standard in financial messaging infrastructure and connectivity. From its foundation in 2016, Itiviti has a staff of 400 and an estimated annual revenue of SEK 700 million.
Itiviti is committed to continuous innovation to deliver trading infrastructure built for today's dynamic markets, offering highly adaptable platforms and solutions, enabling clients to stay ahead of competitive and regulatory challenges.
Itiviti is owned by Nordic Capital Fund VII.
www.itiviti.com
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202005820/en/
Contacts:
Itiviti AB
Torben Munch, CEO
Tel. +45 2223 4789
or
Christine Blinke, CMO
Tel. +46 739 01 02 01
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Sphinx Resources Ltd. ("Sphinx" or the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: SFX) is pleased to announce the signing of a letter of agreement with SOQUEM INC. ("SOQUEM") to grant SOQUEM the option to acquire an undivided 50% interest in its Calumet Sud zinc project (the "Project"). Upon the exercise of the option, a joint venture would be created between Sphinx and SOQUEM. The project consists of 21 claims (12.1 km2) and is located in the Pontiac regional county municipality of southwestern Quebec and is currently owned by the Corporation as a result of an option granted to Sphinx by Gardin Inc. ("Gardin"). The Project is adjacent to the Corporation's owned 100% Green Palladium project.
SOQUEM can acquire a 50% interest in the Project under the following conditions:
-- Carry out exploration work totaling $450,000 over a the option period of four (4) years according to a determined annual schedule; -- Make a payment on or before August 31, 2016, in the amount of $50,000 to Gardin, the generator of the Project as a result of the option granted to Sphinx (see press releases of 25 June and August 6, 2015); and make a further payment by August 31, 2017 in the amount of $50,000, of which $43,000 is to be paid to Gardin and $7,000 is to be paid to Sphinx; -- SOQUEM will be the operator during the option period and at the time of the creation of the joint venture, if applicable.
The Calumet Sud Zinc Project
A soil geochemical survey conducted in 2014 revealed a strong 300-metre long lead and zinc anomaly. Channel samples taken in trenches returned anomalous values including 3% Zn over 10 m which included an interval of 6.9% Zn over 1 metre. The Project also includes the southwest portion of the Obwondiag layered igneous complex, named by Sphinx. It is in this layered igneous complex that Sphinx discovered a platinum group elements-bearing reef (see press release of 18 June 2015). SOQUEM in collaboration with Sphinx will soon begin preparing an exploration program to be conducted in 2016.
The letter of agreement is conditional on the signing of an option and joint venture agreement on or before March 31, 2016 that will contain usual clauses for this type of transaction, the amendment of certain terms of the agreement between Sphinx and Gardin with respect to the Project and the completion of due diligence by SOQUEM, to its satisfaction, of the Project and the Corporation.
Corporate Update
Following the purchase of common shares in the market at the end of 2015, the management, directors and advisory committee of Sphinx together hold 17% of the outstanding shares of the Corporation. The directors include Michel Gauthier, who was appointed at the last annual meeting of the Corporation.
During 2015, the Corporation significantly reduced its administration costs, including the compensation of the Corporation's officers. In addition, The Corporation's directors agreed to receive shares of the Corporation in lieu of a total amount of $16,000 (less withholding tax) due for their attendance fees from September to December 2015. This issue of 296,468 Sphinx shares will be at a price of $0.05 and will be subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange").
During 2015, the Corporation amended its by-laws to reflect the name change of the Corporation to Sphinx Resources Ltd. and made certain administrative changes to bring the by-laws up to current standards; changed the director nomination process and adopted an advanced notice by-law.
The Corporation also announces that it will issue an aggregate of 451,233 common shares in lieu of cash payment for the interest due of $22,562 for the period from July to December 2015 in accordance with the terms of the $375,000 of convertible debentures issued in December 2014. This issue of shares will be made at a price of $0.05 per Sphinx share and will be subject to the approval of the Exchange.
The technical information presented in this press release has been approved by Normand Champigny, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sphinx and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.
About SOQUEM INC. and Investissement Quebec
SOQUEM INC. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ressources Quebec, which is a subsidiary of Investissement Quebec. Investissement Quebec's mission is to promote growth and investment in Quebec, thereby contributing to economic development and job creation in all regions of the province. It offers businesses a full range of financial solutions, including loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments to provide support at every stage of their development. It also administers tax measures and oversees prospecting for foreign investment.
About Sphinx
Sphinx is an exploration company focused on the development of mineral exploration projects in Quebec, primarily through acquisitions.
For further information, please consult Sphinx's website.
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.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and activities to vary materially from targeted results and planning. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Sphinx's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Sphinx from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.
Contacts:
Normand Champigny
President and Chief Executive Officer
514.979.4746
info@sphinxresources.ca
www.sphinxresources.ca
SANYA, China, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Two winners of a 12-day deluxe vacation to Sanya awarded by Trips Sanya (ru.trips.sanyatour.com) bid a final farewell to the tropical island paradise after a truly memorable experience.
Situated by the South China Sea, Sanya is well noted for its year-round sunshine, fine beaches, local delicacies and unique Chinese culture, surprising the 2 lucky winners with oriental glamour and unparalleled tropical features.
During their 12-day stay in Sanya, the two winners, who were both from Russia, had a chance to attend the "International Martial Art Festival", learnt the traditional Chinese art from Calligraphy masters (Qiongya School), and better understood the fundamentals of TCM. The pair were more than delighted, saying; "The whole trip couldn't have been better. We have become addicted to traveling in Sanya".
Trips Sanya is an online tourism platform sponsored by Sanya Tourism Development Commission and tailor made by Beyond Summits Ltd, a cross-border marketing expert. The platform integrates a wide range of resources including air tickets, hotels and scenic spots in an effort to provide users with the latest authoritative information and high-value services.
Trips Sanya is also designed to award users amazing prizes -- even a trip to Sanya -- by engaging them in the interactive games. With a series of special promotions, including an annual prize total of over RMB 1,000,000, a trip to Sanya could be just a click away.
About Sanya Tourism Development Commission
Sanya Municipal Commission of Tourism Development is an important division of Hainan's Municipal Government. Its major responsibilities lie in planning and promoting the growth of the tourism industry in Sanya.
About Beyond Summits Ltd
Beyond Summits Ltd. is a leading all-media total solution provider focused on cross-border brand building & destination marketing covering global accounts including all small or medium-sized enterprises. It's Beyond Summits' MISSION to help clients marketing their products and services to the world, assist them in stepping into globalization more effectively, efficiently and professionally.
BRASILIA (dpa-AFX) - The Brazilian government has called on pregnant women not to travel to Brazil for the Rio De Janiro Olympics because of the risk posed by the Zika virus, suspected of causing fetal brain damage,
President Dilma Rousseff's chief of staff said that the risk is serious for pregnant women.
The unprecedented warning, issued just over six months from the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, came after the World Health Organization declared an emergency over the mosquito-borne virus, suspected of causing microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, in babies.
Cabinet chief Jaques Wagner said Rousseff viewed the WHO's move as positive because it alerts the whole world, including the scientific world, to the danger of the new virus. He sought to downplay fears for any travelers who are not expecting mothers. If you're an adult, a man or a woman who isn't pregnant, you develop antibodies in about five days and (the disease) passes, he said.
Some health officials have also blamed the Zika virus for causing Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, causing weakness and sometimes paralysis. Most patients recover, but the syndrome is sometimes deadly. Zika was considered a relatively mild disease until the current outbreak was declared in Latin America last year. Brazil was the first country to sound the alarm on the apparent link with birth defects after health authorities noticed a surge in babies born with microcephaly coinciding with the outbreak. It has since become the worst affected country, with some 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Brixton Metals Corporation (TSX VENTURE: BBB) (the "Company" or "Brixton") is pleased to announce the completion of the purchase and sale agreement with Canagco Mining Corp. ("Canagco") to acquire a 100% interest in the claims comprising the past-producing Langis silver mine (the "Property"). The project is located in the historic Cobalt silver mining camp of northeastern Ontario (the "Agreement"). Brixton issued 3,242,500 common shares of the Company (the "Brixton Shares") and made cash payments for a total $55,000 to acquire the Property. A Finder's Fee of $6,887 and 101,283 shares will be paid to Added Capital Inc., in connection with the transaction. The total number of Brixton shares issued and outstanding will be 14,834,658.
All of the Brixton Shares issued pursuant to the Agreement will be subject to a twelve month lock-up that expires on February 1, 2017 (including the statutorily required hold period).
Chairman and CEO of Brixton, Gary R. Thompson stated, "The Langis project represents a low cost opportunity with great discovery potential and a strong possibility to generate mineral resources based on past work and new exploration."
Langis Project Highlights
- Past production of 10.4M ounces of silver from 379,479 tonnes or 418,305 short tons, having a recovery grade of approximately 25 oz/t or 777.60 g/t silver. - Silver recovery estimates range from 88% to 98% based on historical records. - Excellent local infrastructure; year round road access, close proximity to power, railway, gas-pipeline, small scale mills, a refinery and assay lab. - The most important mineral is native silver followed by cobaltite, niccolite, ruby silver, argentite, bismuth and chalcopyrite. - Prior to the silver price collapse in 1990 drilling intersected: 2,115.04 g/t Ag over 9.4 metres and 1,262.80 g/t Ag over 3.9 metres. - Low annual holding costs and all in drilling costs of $120 - $130 per metre.
Mr. Sorin Posescu, P.Geo., VP Exploration, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 standards and has reviewed and approved this news release.
About Brixton Metals Corporation
Brixton is an exploration company focused on the advancement of its gold and silver projects toward feasibility.
The Langis project does not currently contain any mineral resources or mineral reserves.
The 100% owned Langis project and lands in the Cobalt Camp is 2,520 hectare in size. The project is located 500 km north of Toronto, Canada. The high-grade silver mineralization occurs as steeply-dipping veins within any of the three main rock types; Archean volcanics, Coleman Member sediments and Nipissing diabase. The Cobalt camp has historically produced over 420 million ounces of silver with some reported assays reaching 255,146 g/t Ag or 9,000 oz/t Ag over 0.36 metres. The unmined zone intersected by drilling: 2,115.04 g/t Ag over 9.4 metres and 1,262.80 g/t Ag over 3.9 metres. This area will be the focus for follow up exploration work. According to historical Langis reports, the zone was traced to over 1,000 metres along strike and a vertical extent of 260 metres with true thickness being unknown. http://brixtonmetals.com/langis-mine/
The 28,000 hectare, 100% owned Thorn Project is located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, approximately 105 km ENE from Juneau, AK. The Thorn project hosts a district scale Triassic to Cretaceous volcano-plutonic complex with many styles of mineralization related to porphyry and epithermal environments. Targets include sediment hosted Au-Ag, Ag-Au-Pb-Zn diatreme-breccia, Au-Ag-Cu veins; and volcanic hosted structurally controlled Au-Ag. Brixton has established a maiden inferred resource of 21.5Moz AgEq from 7.4 Mt at 89.75 g/t AgEq based on limited drilling. Further information regarding the Thorn Project, including resource estimates, can be found in the Company's technical report prepared by SRK Consulting dated December 12, 2014 and filed on SEDAR. Read more at http://brixtonmetals.com/thorn-technical-reports/
Brixton Metals Corporation shares trade on the TSX-V under the ticker symbol BBB. For more information about Brixton please visit our website at www.brixtonmetals.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Mr. Gary R. Thompson, Chairman and CEO
Information Sources: Cobalt Museum Thompson 2015; Technical Report on the Langis Project by Dale R. Alexander, P.Geo, May 17, 2013; Approved Filing Statement for Everfront Ventures Corp July 31, 2013; Annual Report, Agnico Eagle Mines 1987; Interim Report, Agnico Eagle Mines Q2-1986; Agnico Eagle Mines, Langis Mine-New Mine Site, Plan & Section 1987.
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.
Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, including statements that address potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential size and expansion of a mineralized zone, proposed timing of exploration and development plans, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the exploration potential of the Langis property based on historical information resources estimates on the Thorn Project are forward looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; and the additional risks identified in the annual information form of the Company or other reports and filings with the TSXV and applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.
Contacts:
Brixton Metals Corporation
Mr. Gary R. Thompson
Chairman and CEO
604-630-9707
info@brixtonmetals.com
www.brixtonmetals.com
News / National
by Staff Reporter
Prosecutor General Johannes Tomana, who was arrested yesterday, appeared before a Harare magistrate today facing charges of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.Magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe granted him a US$1000 bail.The state alleges that Tomana authorised the release of two accused persons; Solomon Makumbe and Silas Pfupa, who were facing charges of attempting to bomb Gushungo Dairy Farm belonging to the first family in Mazowe.The state further alleges that Tomana made a unilateral decision to release the two accused thereby abusing his office as a public officer or alternatively obstructing the course of justice.Tomana, who is represented by Advocate Thabani Mpofu applied for bail, arguing that he acted in his capacity as the Prosecutor General and his constitutional powers to turn the two accused into state witnesses.Advocate Mpofu also argued that the court must free Tomana on bail as he holds a high office and there are no chances of him skipping bail.The state earlier called the investigating officer, Assistant Commissioner Thulani Ncube, who indicated that Tomana must be remanded in custody as they have not completed investigations.He indicated that he has only interviewed Michael Mugabe and is yet to interview 5 other witnesses.However, the defence says there is no reasonable basis to deny him bail.
BOISE, IDAHO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- U.S. Geothermal Inc. (NYSE MKT: HTM) a leading renewable energy company, announced today that Jonathan Zurkoff, Executive Vice President Finance and Treasurer, will present at the Source Capital Group's 2016 Disruptive Growth & Healthcare Conference on February 10 and 11 in New York City. He will report on the company's operations and the improved outlook for geothermal in 2016, as well as participate on the Energy-Clean Tech panel.
"The increasing demand for renewable energy and newly passed legislation favoring base load power, will positively impact our business," says Jonathan Zurkoff, EVP Finance and Treasurer. "I look forward to reporting on our operations and strong development pipeline."
For more information on the conference or for investors to register, please go to www.SourceCapitalConference.com.
About U.S. Geothermal Inc.:
U.S. Geothermal Inc. is a leading and profitable renewable energy company focused on the development, production and sale of electricity from geothermal energy. The company is currently operating geothermal power projects Neal Hot Springs, Oregon, San Emidio, Nevada and Raft River, Idaho for a total power generation of approximately 45 MWs. The company is also developing projects at: the Geysers, California; a second phase project at San Emidio, Nevada; the El Ceibillo project located near Guatemala City, Guatemala; and at Crescent Valley, Nevada. U.S. Geothermal's growth strategy is to reach 200 MWs of generation by 2020 through a combination of internal development and strategic acquisitions.
About Source Capital Group:
Source Capital Group, Inc. was founded in 1992 on the belief that the best investment advice should be independent, unbiased and tailor-made for the individual client's needs. Source Capital began as a boutique investment banking firm specializing in small to medium sized transactions. We have grown to include businesses in general securities, emerging market securities, distressed and high yield debt securities, in addition to our investment banking activity. http://www.sourcegrp.com/
Please visit our Website at: http://www.usgeothermal.com
The information provided in this news release may contain forward-looking statements within the definition of the Safe Harbor provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned to review the risk factors identified by the company in its filings with US and Canadian securities agencies. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating to the future operating or financial performance of U.S. Geothermal, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding perceived merit of properties; interpretation of the results of well tests; project development; resource megawatt capacity; capital expenditures; timelines; strategic plans; or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from U.S. Geothermal's expectations include the uncertainties involving the availability of financing in the debt and capital markets; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of results of well tests; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the development and operation of properties; the need to obtain permits and governmental approvals; risks of construction; unexpected cost increases, which could include significant increases in estimated capital and operating costs; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in U.S. Geothermal's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory authorities and in other U.S. Geothermal reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. Forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations, beliefs and opinions on the date the statements are made. U.S. Geothermal Inc. assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if management's expectations, beliefs, or opinions, or other factors, should change.
The NYSE MKT does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of this release.
Contacts:
U.S. Geothermal Inc.
Saf Dhillon
Investor Relations
866-687-7059
208-424-1030 (FAX)
saf@usgeothermal.com
www.usgeothermal.com
CITEL Executive Secretariat, Colombian Minister of ITC, and President of SUTEL join an esteemed line up of speakers at the world's leading event focused on spectrum sharing technologies
The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance has announced its first confirmed speakers for its annual Global Summit, which will be held in Bogota, Colombia (April 26-28 2016). A recent report published by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), titled "Working Together to Connect the World by 2020" notes that only 3.2 billion people are online, while 4.2 billion remain offline. The report proposes an investment of $450 billion globally to connect the next 1.5 billion people and highlights how a country's regulatory environment impacts mobile and fixed broadband penetration. The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Global Summit will bring together regulators and key decision makers from across the world to discuss which spectrum policies will best improve the ubiquity and quality of broadband connectivity globally.
This year the annual Global Summit will feature unrivalled expertise on spectrum sharing policies. Recently confirmed speakers include Mr Mario Maniewicz, Deputy Director, Radiocommunications Bureau, ITU and Gilbert Camacho Mora, President of SUTEL, Costa Rica's telecoms regulator. Mr Camacho Mora has more than 27 years in the telecommunications industry, where he has worked in both the public and private sectors. Spectrum allocation and management is one of SUTEL's main objectives in 2016 and Mr Camacho Mora will share Costa Rica's experiences, its current IMT spectrum allocation and future developments as Costa Rica looks to become a connected society by 2025. Also joining the agenda will be Mr Oscar Leon, Executive Secretariat of CITEL, the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission and Mr David Luna, Minister of Information Technology and Communications, Colombia. High level representatives from the FCC, Ofcom and Industry Canada, and many other of the world's top regulators have also been invited to speak.
Speaking ahead of the Summit, Mr Leon commented: "Statistics show that in the Americas, high levels of poverty and inequality continue to delay social progress, education and many other aspects related to the development of the region. That is why private enterprises and public policy makers are aware of our responsibility to use ICT in the fight against poverty. Since ICT has become an essential part of long-term economic development for our countries, I consider it essential to implement next-generation wireless networks and the Internet of Things as vehicles to speed equitable access to ICT and broadband Internet in the Americas."
With the current state of broadband access and deployment of spectrum sharing access technologies still remaining poor in Latin America and many other parts of the world, the Global Summit will act as a catalyst to create future long term growth and to implement necessary spectrum policies to help provide Internet access to the four billion unconnected worldwide.
Martha Liliana Suarez Penaloza, Director General of Agencia Nacional del Espectro (ANE), Colombia, which is co-hosting the Summit alongside the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, commented on the agenda saying, "We are very excited and pleased with the high level of speakers and the focus of the agenda. Highlighting key areas such as the challenges for universal and affordable connectivity in Latin America and beyond will ensure that the Global Summit becomes the setting to discuss the main connectivity concerns of Latin American governments and the starting point to create long term positive impacts for the region."
The Global Summit will span three days, with the first day playing host to a workshop for regulators on spectrum sharing best practices. The second day of the Summit will kick-off the main conference, with a session on country viewpoints towards the analogue to digital television switch-over. Other discussions include new developments in spectrum sharing (i.e. unlicensed allocations, unlicensed managed access, and new Wi-Fi and LTE technologies and standards), and opportunities for dynamic spectrum access in the 2.3GHz, 3.5GHZ, 5GHz bands and above.
The final day of the Summit will see speakers discussing innovative use cases for dynamic spectrum access technologies such as in transportation, rural broadband, education, healthcare, disaster recovery and more. ITU's Mr Maniewiczwill then provide attendees with an update of ITU's views on spectrum sharing around the globe, ahead of ITU's Global Symposium for Regulators the following month.
"The Global Summit in Bogota, Colombia in April will be the most important occasion for joining international spectrum policy experts from across the world," said Professor H Nwana, Executive Director of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. "This summit is essential for igniting the necessary conversations about spectrum sharing in Latin America and bringing the required expertise from around the world to the region. We are delighted with the standard of speakers attending and look forward to confirming more high quality experts as speakers as the Global Summit gets closer."
To stay updated with the full Global Summit 2016 agenda as more speakers are announced, please visit http://www.dynamicspectrumalliance.org/global-summit/ or follow @dynamicspectrum and use the hashtag DSA16GS on Twitter.
-ENDS-
About the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance
The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance is a global organization advocating for laws and regulations that will lead to more efficient and effective spectrum utilization. The DSA's membership spans organizations from around the world, working to create innovative solutions that will increase the amount of available spectrum to the benefit of consumers and businesses alike. Visit http://www.dynamicspectrumalliance.org/.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202005153/en/
Contacts:
Proactive PR for Dynamic Spectrum Alliance
Sian Borrill
+44(0)1636 812152
sian.borrill@proactive-pr.com
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Mizuho Securities USA (MSUSA) (NYSE: MFG), the U.S. investment banking subsidiary of Mizuho Financial Group, has appointed Salim Syed as Managing Director and Head of Biotechnology Research. He joins the firm with more than twelve years on Wall Street and will report to Sheryl Skolnick, Ph.D., Managing Director and Head of Equity Research.
"We continue to build a premier U.S. equity research franchise that is a leader in actionable value-added investment idea generation and analysis," said John Koudounis, MSUSA President & CEO. "Salim comes to us with great depth of expertise in the biotech sector and will be a great addition to the firm."
Syed joins MSUSA from Evercore ISI, where he spent the previous six years as Director, Biotech/Pharma Equity Research. Prior to Evercore, he was an investment banker working on M & A and capital market transactions at Morgan Stanley, where he began his career. Syed earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the University of Michigan.
"The expansion of research coverage with such an experienced and highly-regarded analyst as Salim further demonstrates our commitment to providing clients with a seasoned team of professionals and a first-rate research product," said Matt DeSalvo, Executive Managing Director and Head of MSUSA's Equity Division.
About Mizuho Securities USA
Mizuho Securities USA Inc. is a U.S. registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City, with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hoboken (NJ), Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London (UK). MSUSA provides a wide range of fixed income and equity securities products and investment banking services to institutional clients. MSUSA is one of only 22 firms designated as a Primary Dealer in U.S. Government and Agency securities. MSUSA also is a U.S. registered futures commission merchant ("FCM") and a member of most international futures exchanges. MSUSA's parent company, Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., is a top-tier, full-service, Japanese securities firm and a core member of the Mizuho Financial Group. http://www.mizuhosecurities.com
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: MFG), based in Japan, is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, offering a broad range of financial services including banking, securities, trust and asset management, credit card, private banking services, and venture capital through its group companies. The group has approximately 55,000 staff working in more than 880 offices in over 39 countries and territories and total assets of over $1.6 trillion as of September 30, 2015. Its core global corporate banking entity, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., has offices throughout Japan, the U.S., the Americas, and the world, providing financial and strategic solutions to major corporations, financial institutions and public sector entities. For more information, please visit http://www.mizuho-fg.co.jp/english/
Contact:
Patrick Phalon
(212) 282-3867
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar extended its early decline against its most major rivals in European trading on Tuesday. The loonie slipped to a 4-day low of 1.5351 against the euro, reversing from a high of 1.5173 hit at 5:00 pm ET. The loonie weakened to 1.4052 against the greenback, off its early high of 1.3935. The loonie fell to 85.77 against the yen, its lowest since January 29, reversing from its previous high of 86.78. The loonie is likely to challenge support around 84.00 against the yen, 1.55 against the euro and 1.42 against the greenback. 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.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this Press Release.
Mark Lindsay joins Rideau Recognition Solutions as the company's Vice President of Sales. He will report directly to Peter W. Hart. With his vast North American sales experience across a diverse range of industries, Lindsay is a pivotal part of Rideau's domestic and international sales expansion strategy.
Lindsay previously enjoyed leadership positions with AGA Marvel, FedEx, Birks & Mayors Inc., MTS Allstream Inc. and Grand & Toy. Lindsay's commitment to achieving results coupled with his love of people has earned him a solid reputation for winning new business, improving business relations and partnerships, increasing brand awareness, and delivering profitable growth. He's overseen sales from coast-to-coast and delivered growth and success at almost every turn.
"Mark has an impeccable track record," said Peter Hart, Chief Executive Officer at Rideau. "He's a true People Artist who has effectively managed a wide array of executives and sales teams. The executive leadership team at Rideau and I believe he'll deliver to our expectations and will help us drive client partnerships and relationships for years to come."
"I'm thrilled to join the Rideau team as we work towards helping both employees and employers thrive and feel engaged in the workplace," said Lindsay. "I have learned that a positive work culture makes all the difference in both satisfaction and productivity. I could not be happier than to work in this space, and for Rideau."
In his new role, Lindsay will be responsible for helping and designing sales strategies, overseeing all aspects of sales activities and providing direction and guidance for all of Rideau's sales and marketing teams.
About Rideau Recognition Solutions
Rideau helps Global 2000 employers inspire greatness in their people through the power of recognition and rewards. Rideau's full suite of employee recognition and reward solutions are used to motivate and engage more than two million employees in more than 90 countries to adhere to their company's values, increase productivity, boost revenues, achieve reduced costs from lower absenteeism and turnover, and improve overall customer satisfaction. Find out more at www.rideau.com.
To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20160202-mlindsay.jpg
Contacts:
Mary Moniz
Torchia Communications
416-341-9929 ext. 221
mary@torchiacom.com
Marie-Emmanuelle Khoury
Torchia Communications
514-288-8290 ext. 214
mekhoury@torchiacom.com
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Liquids and bulk terminaling company Zenith Energy, Tuesday said it has signed an agreement to acquire BP plc's (BP.L, BP_UN.TO, BP) liquids storage terminal facility in Amsterdam. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Zenith will take ownership of the terminal on the North Sea Canal in the Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp region by the end of first quarter 2016. The terminal assets represents the largest concentration of refining capacity in Europe and one of the largest refined product trading hubs in the world, the company noted. BP will remain a significant customer of the terminal after transferring ownership to Zenith. Earlier in February 2015, Zenith has acquired Bantry Bay terminal in West Cork, Ireland from Phillips 66. 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.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- TerraBioGen Technologies Inc., a developer of proprietary high-value agriculturally bioactive products, announces the results of a recently completed study by the University of Guelph which demonstrated that TerraBioGen LCFX treatment provides statistically significant improvement in plant nutrient efficiency.
The study, conducted by Dr. Steven Rothstein's lab at the University of Guelph, consisted of corn plants grown hydroponically with either full nutrients (FN), low nutrients (LN) or low nutrients with LCFX treatment (LN+LCFX). The LCFX treated plants had a significant increase in shoot height and biomass, along with increased root diameter and surface area. LCFX treatment in LN plants had a significant increase in shoot nitrate levels compared to the LN plants suggesting increased nitrate uptake efficiency. In addition, the LCFX treated plants also contained significant increased concentrations of: chlorophyll (apical and basal leaf regions), plant starch, sucrose, and amino acids.
"We are impressed and pleased with the quality of the work conducted by Dr. Rothstein's lab in the completion of this study," said TerraBioGen's CEO, Blair Heffelfinger. "It suggests a strong link between improved nutrient efficiency and the yield improvements that we have seen in our field trials conducted with TerraBioGen LCFX."
About TerraBioGen
TerraBioGen Technologies Inc. is a developer of innovative, proprietary, high-value, environmentally sustainable bioproducts and biostimulants that improve crop health and yields, and increase abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in agricultural and horticultural crops. The Company is committed to research and development to continue to improve the effectiveness of its technologies, the quality of its products, and the creation of new product lines. Further, the Company is taking steps to secure intellectual property rights to these bioproducts and to formulate them in order to fully commercialize their potential.
This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although TerraBioGen believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of TerraBioGen's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, TerraBioGen undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
Contacts:
Blair Heffelfinger
President & CEO
TerraBioGen Technologies Inc.
(604) 444-1023 ext 316
(604) 444-1043 (FAX)
bheffelfinger@terrabiogen.com
Bob Nowell
CFO & Corporate Secretary
TerraBioGen Technologies Inc.
(604) 444-1023 ext 306
(604) 444-1043 (FAX)
bnowell@terrabiogen.com
LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Highland Copper Company Inc. (TSX VENTURE: HI) (the "Company") announces that the maturity date of the C$10 million loan made to the Company by Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd has been extended to February 29, 2016. Discussions are continuing with regards to the transfer to the Company of the environmental obligations associated with the historical White Pine mine site. See December 16, 2014 and January 6, 2016 news releases for additional information.
ABOUT HIGHLAND
Highland Copper Company Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploring and developing copper projects within the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. Additional information about Highland is available on the Company's website at www.highlandcopper.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT
Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward looking information under the provisions of Canadian securities laws. The information contained herein reflects Highland's views as of the date of this news release. Forward looking information is based on assumptions, and by its nature is subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future events to differ materially from those anticipated in it. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to Highland's ability to meet the final closing conditions of the acquisition of White Pine on terms acceptable to Highland and CRC including completing agreements with the MDEQ for the transfer of environmental obligations. The materialization of any of these risks may cause actual results to be materially different from those expected by the Company at this time. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking information, except as required by law. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
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.
Contacts:
David Fennell, Executive Chairman
+1.450.677.2455
info@highlandcopper.com
www.highlandcopper.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. (the "Company" or "Purepoint") (TSX VENTURE: PTU) today reported that it has expanded the mineralized area at the Spitfire Zone during the initial follow-up holes of this year's program with hole HK16-37 returning downhole probe results of 9.2% eU3O8 over 0.6 metres within 0.67% eU3O8 over 10.1 metres. Purepoint is the operator of the Hook Lake project on behalf of its Joint Venture partners Cameco Corp. and AREVA Resources Canada Inc.
"This continuation of high-grade mineralization represents a significant step out from last year's discovery," said Chris Frostad, Purepoint's CEO. "As we gain a more detailed appreciation of the structural setting at Spitfire, we are confident that this year's drill program will demonstrate further potential for significant deposits in the Patterson Lake District."
The recent HK16-37 high-grade uranium intercept is situated only 255 metres below surface and represents a 130 metre up-dip step-out from last year's significant uranium hit by drill hole HK15-27. Follow-up drilling is being aided by acoustic Televiewer data that is being used to visualize, orientate and measure true strike and dip of borehole structural features in situ. The Televiewer data is being collected and processed by DGI Geoscience of Toronto, Ontario. Purepoint gratefully acknowledges AREVA for providing structural interpretation and quality control of the Spitfire Televiewer data.
"The recent Spitfire drill hole results in combination with acoustic Televiewer interpretations has refined the orientation of the structures that host uranium mineralization," said Scott Frostad, V.P. Exploration at Purepoint. "It is now considered that the mineralization has a more vertical structural control, in a fashion similar to the Arrow and Triple R deposits adjacent to the south."
Highlights:
-- An initial hole of the 2016 drill season within the Spitfire Zone, HK16- 37, has returned downhole probe results of 9.2% eU3O8 over 0.6 metres within 0.67% eU3O8 over 10.1 metres; -- The HK16-37 high-grade intercept is located 130 metres up-dip from last year's high-grade uranium intercept by hole HK15-27 and is only 255 metres from surface; -- Acoustic Televiewer data is being collected for visualizing, orientating and measuring true strike and dip of borehole structural features in situ; -- The mineralized structure has yet to be tested where it meets the unconformity and may also be associated with unconformity-related uranium deposition; -- Commencing just two weeks ago, this winter's drill program will deliver a minimum of 6,000 metres of drilling across 14 holes; -- Drilling will continue to focus on high priority targets along the Patterson Lake Corridor, the same conductive trend that hosts Fission Uranium Corp's Triple R and NexGen's Arrow high grade deposits.
It is emphasized that the downhole calibrated gamma probe results (eU308) are preliminary and subject to confirmation by geochemical assay. Further downhole probe results and follow-up geochemical assays will be released as they become available.
Initial 2016 Spitfire Holes
Drill hole HK16-34 was collared 100 metres west of HK15-27 (2.23% U3O8 over 2.8 metres that included 12.90% U3O8 over 0.4 metres) with an azimuth of 307 degrees and a dip of -80 degrees. Overburden was cased to a depth of 99 metres, and then moderately bleached, locally desilicified and highly fractured Athabasca sandstone was drilled to the unconformity at 149 metres. Hematite, chlorite and lesser clay associated with paleo-weathering was encountered to a depth of 164 metres. Moderately to strongly chloritized quartz-rich metasediments are present until 183 metres where moderate to strong clay alteration of lithologically similar rocks appears. Moderate clay alteration persists until 450 metres where fresh granitic gneiss is encountered. Illite alteration overprinting earlier clay and chlorite occurs within and adjacent to complex fracture networks associated with minor fault zones from 194 to 203 metres, 224 to 227 metres, 422 to 423 metres. An intensely brick-red hematite altered zone with hairline fracturing and anomalous radioactivity returned an average of 951 counts per second (cps) over 7.3 metres between 262.3 to 269.6 metres from the downhole gamma probe. The targeted graphitic shear zone was encountered from 358 to 362 metres. The hole was completed within granitic gneiss at a depth of 483 metres.
Drill hole HK16-37 was collared 40 metres in front of HK16-34 with a similar azimuth of 307 degrees and a dip of -80 degrees. Overburden was cased to a depth of 99 metres and the unconformity was encountered at a depth of 166 metres. Strong clay alteration of metasedimentary rocks ranging from pelitic to quartzite, present locally as massive clay, occurs from 166 to 400 metres, after which the clay alteration progressively weakens until the end of hole. Strongly chloritzed mafic intrusions occuring from 211 to 213 metres and 239 to 249 metres, are locally overprinted by brick-red hematite alteration, and both the chlorite and hematite are overprinted by clay alteration. A brittle fault zone was encountered from 261 to 263 metres. Uranium mineralization was intersected within tectonized metasediments from 263.3 to 279.4 metres returning 0.65% eU3O8 over 10.1 metres and included an interval of semi-massive pitchblende from 269.6 to 270.2 metres returning 9.6% eU3O8 over 0.6 metres. Below the uranium mineralization, brittle-ductile sheared to pseudo-cataclastic metasediments with strong clay alteration occur from 279 to 295 metres followed by the targeted graphitic shear zone encountered from 295 to 304 metres. The hole was completed within moderately clay altered metasediments at a depth of 435 metres.
Gamma Logging and Geochemical Assaying
Gamma logging is a common method used to estimate uranium grade where the radiation contribution from thorium and potassium is small. Gamma logging does not account for energy derived from thorium and potassium. Reported uranium mineralization grades are annotated with a sub-prefix 'e' because they are uranium equivalent grades derived from downhole gamma ray logging results and should only be regarded as an approximation.
Three instruments are being utilized during the Hook Lake JV drill program to measure gamma radiation. An Exploranium GR-110G scintillometer is the handheld instrument used for defining core samples to be submitted for assay. Our Mount Sopris 2PGA-1000 downhole total gamma probe has provided consistent results for reporting low-grade mineralization as a %eU3O8 and a recently purchased Mount Sopris 2GHF-1000 downhole triple-gamma probe has been used for estimating the high-grade mineralization. The gamma probes were initially calibrated at the Grand Junction, Colorado test pits and are regularly recalibrated against a set of known standards in test pits located at the Saskatchewan Research Council's facilities in Saskatoon.
Reported equivalent uranium grades (%eU308) are downhole calibrated gamma probe results composited by length using a cut-off of 0.05% eU3O8 and maximum internal dilution of 2.0 metres. All drill intercepts are core width and true thickness is yet to be determined.
Core samples are submitted to the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) Geoanalytical Laboratories in Saskatoon. The SRC facility is ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (scope of accreditation #537). The samples are analyzed using partial and total digestion inductively coupled plasma methods, for boron by Na2O2 fusion, and for uranium by fluorimetry.
Hook Lake JV Project
The Hook Lake JV project is owned jointly by Cameco Corp. (39.5%), AREVA Resources Canada Inc. (39.5%) and Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. (21%) and consists of nine claims totaling 28,683 hectares situated in the southwestern Athabasca Basin. The Hook Lake JV is considered one of the highest quality uranium exploration projects in the Athabasca Basin due to its location along the prospective Patterson Lake trend and the relatively shallow depth to the unconformity.
Current exploration is targeting the Patterson Lake Corridor that hosts Fission's Triple R deposit (indicated mineral resource 79,610,000 lbs U3O8 at an average grade of 1.58% U3O8), NexGen Energy's Arrow Deposit where hole AR-15-62 returned 78.0 metres at 10.00% U3O8 (NexGen press release of January 13, 2016) and the Spitfire Discovery by the Hook Lake JV.
About Purepoint
Purepoint Uranium Group Inc. is focused on the precision exploration of its seven projects in the Canadian Athabasca Basin. Purepoint proudly maintains project ventures in the Basin with two of the largest uranium producers in the world, Cameco Corporation and AREVA Resources Canada Inc. Established in the Athabasca Basin well before the initial resurgence in uranium earlier last decade. Purepoint is actively advancing a large portfolio of multiple drill targets in the world's richest uranium region.
Scott Frostad BSc, MASc, PGeo, Purepoint's Vice President, Exploration, is the Qualified Person responsible for technical content of this release. Mr. Frostad has supervised the preparation of and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.
THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Contacts:
Purepoint Uranium Group Inc.
Chris Frostad
President and CEO
(416) 603-8368
www.purepoint.ca
AUSTIN, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 --Shelfbucks Inc., the leading in-store SmartDisplay and SmartShelf marketing platform for retail stores and brands, today announced it has finalized an agreement with TimBar Packaging & Display. TimBar will now incorporate the Shelfbucks platform into its customer point-of-purchase (POP) displays, enabling brands and retailers to actively measure, manage and improve the effectiveness of in-store promotional merchandising campaigns.
The agreement builds upon the expanding Shelfbucks in-store ecosystem, making SmartDisplays available to consumer brands that Hanover, Pa.-based TimBar serves in retail stores throughout the U.S.
The new TimBar SmartDisplays will incorporate the Shelfbucks platform into brand POP merchandising, providing consumer packaged goods companies and retail partners with real-time, measureable data on when and where displays are installed within retail stores. SmartDisplays also provide detailed data on performance against marketing goals, enabling brands to adjust their campaigns to maximize sales.
Shoppers browsing a product area may interact with TimBar SmartDisplays using their smartphones to immediately access product content, promotional offers, ratings and reviews and other relevant product information provided via the Shelfbucks SmartDisplay platform.
"TimBar's partnership with Shelfbucks delivers entirely new, high-value marketing insights for our customers," said Mike Heneghan, vice president of sales for TimBar Packaging & Display. "Our launch of SmartDisplays is another forward step in TimBar's commitment to helping our customers by delivering the most advanced solutions to their merchandising challenges. We are proud to be joining the Shelfbucks industry ecosystem to drive important digital capabilities for the industry."
Erik McMillan, CEO of Austin-based Shelfbucks, added: "Brands and retailers are realizing the importance of raising in-store marketing to a higher level through data-driven merchandising decisions and mobile media at the point of purchase. To achieve this, Shelfbucks is partnering with TimBar, one of the industry's leading POP display companies, to create a vast digital ecosystem that enables brands and retailers to measure campaign performance with incredible scale and accuracy, while directly engaging with customers for bigger basket sizes and greater product sales. Our Certified Partners like TimBar are making this a reality for their customers today, while helping our industry realize new growth opportunities for the long term," Mr. McMillan said.
TimBar and Shelfbucks will jointly roll out in-store SmartDisplays this year.
About TimBar Packaging & Display
TimBar Packaging & Display develops in-store merchandising solutions that promote consumer products and enable brands to reach more shoppers. Our retail packaging and customized displays strategically combine color, design and compelling messages to elevate and sell more products. TimBar Packaging & Display was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Additional information is available online at www.timbar.com.
About Shelfbucks
Shelfbucks is the leading in-store SmartShelf and SmartDisplay platform. Brands and retailers already execute brilliant in-store marketing; however, there is an opportunity to take it to the next level by leveraging digital capabilities to measure and improve success. Were programs executed? Can you identify successful programs and areas for improvement? Can mobile media at the point of purchase grow baskets and increase conversion? Shelfbucks enables retailers and brands to activate, engage and convert in-store shoppers by measuring real-time in-store shopper demand and delivering personalized special offers, coupons and expert content to shoppers' iPhone or Android smartphones. Shelfbucks helps retailers and brands build a loyal relationship with in-store shoppers, while increasing category sales, profit, and return visits. Additional information on Shelfbucks is available at www.shelfbucks.com. Watch industry leaders speak on digital coming to the in-store experience @ www.shelfbucks.com/faqs. SmartShelf and SmartDisplay are trademarks of Shelfbucks Inc.
Contact:
Scott Phillips
For Shelfbucks
sphillips@sphillips.com
312.943.9100 x28
News / Press Release
by Obert Gutu - MDC-T National Spokesperson
The MDC-T advocates for electoral reforms that will deepen and enhance Zimbabwe's democratic dispensation. In this respect, therefore, Section 12 of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2: 13) has to be amended. The holding of free and fair elections is a prerequisite for sustainable democratic and socio-economic development. The lack of political legitimacy has been haunting the Zanu PF regime ever since the holding of the July 31, 2013 harmonised elections that were seriously rigged. The people of Zimbabwe deserve to be governed by a government of their own choice; freely and fairly elected into power in an electoral contest that passes the test of legitimacy. Nothing short of this will be acceptable.Presently, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is funded through a vote included in the Ministry of Justice vote. The ideal situation is for ZEC to get government funds in a separate vote by Parliament. ZEC is facing serious financial and other related material resources constraints. According to the law, ZEC may also receive donations or grants from any local or foreign source if this funding has been approved by the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance. However, Section 235 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe emphasises that the independent commissions, including ZEC, are independent and are not subject to the direction or control of anyone. The legal provision that gives too much power to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance regarding the funding of ZEC undermines the independence of this constitutional commission. Surely, the Commissioners must be trusted to make proper decisions regarding acceptance of financial assistance from local and foreign sources to ensure that such funds will not compromise their independence. Both the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance are actually political actors as well as Ministers and it would be better to leave it to the Commission to make these decisions.Voter registration has to be conducted continuously. Thus, there is also need to amend Section 17A of the Electoral Act. ZEC must take active steps to ensure that all eligible voters are registered as voters by making voter registration processes freely available throughout the country. Section 155(2) of the Constitution obliges the State to ensure that all eligible citizens are registered as voters. ZEC should, therefore, mount voter education campaigns throughout the country to explain the requirements and procedures for registration as voters and why registration is necessary in order to vote. This public campaign must make use of all forms of the media including social media and SMS messages. It should be noted that although adult citizens are not obliged to vote in an election all eligible voters should nonetheless be registered as voters so that they have the opportunity to vote if they so wish. The MDC advocates that persons who reach the age of 18 should automatically be placed on the voters' roll, but voting will remain optional. Voter registration should also be done electronically to allow persons in the Diaspora to register without having to return to Zimbabwe.Section 23 of the Electoral Act also has to be amended. There must be a provision that members of the security services who are temporarily undergoing training at training barracks must be registered as voters in the places where they were born or where they ordinarily reside and not at the locations where they are undergoing training. Section 26A of the Electoral Act relating to the closure of the voters' rolls has to be amended as well. The voters' roll must close at least three (3) days before the nomination day and no person will then be able to vote unless he or she is on the voters' roll (no voting on the basis of registration slips).This will make it easier for ZEC to supply up-to-date printed voters' rolls to candidates and to polling stations for use on polling day.The current restrictions on voter education by organisations other than ZEC must be relaxed, in particular in respect of general civic education on electoral rights. Further, the requirement that foreign funding for voter education for civic society organisations must be channelled through ZEC should be removed since this may effectively prevent non-governmental organisations from receiving foreign funding as donor agencies may be reluctant to channel the donor funds through ZEC because there is no guarantee that ZEC will allow the funds to then be transmitted to the intended beneficiary. The provision provides no objective criteria upon the basis on which ZEC is to allow the onward transmission of the funds to the intended beneficiary.In terms of Section 239 (i) of the Constitution, ZEC is responsible for accrediting election observers. The accreditation committee must, therefore, consist of Commissioners. The non-commissioners should be there simply in an advisory capacity. Recent remarks by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the effect that the Zanu PF regime will determine who will be invited as an election observer should thus be roundly condemned.In the next press release, the MDC will continue to articulate its position relating to the nomination of candidates, assisted voting, postal voting etc. Zimbabwe cannot afford another disputed election in 2018.All patriotic Zimbabweans have grown weary of the prevailing political repression and socio-economic decay. It is incumbent upon us, as Zimbabweans, to chart a new democratic dispensation for our beloved motherland.
MONTREAL, CANADA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- (NYSE: CAE)(TSX: CAE) - CAE will release its fiscal year 2016 third quarter results on Wednesday February 10, 2016. A conference call will be held on the same day at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) to provide analysts and institutional investors with a review of CAE's performance and outlook.
Marc Parent, CAE's President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephane Lefebvre, CAE's Chief Financial Officer, and Andrew Arnovitz, CAE's Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations, will participate in this call intended for financial analysts, institutional investors and the media. Please note that the media will have the opportunity to ask questions immediately following the analysts' question period.
The meeting will be webcast live on CAE's site at www.cae.com. The webcast will be archived following the event.
Event: CAE's FY2016 Q3 financial results and conference call
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Phone numbers for conference call:
---------------------------------------- Country Phone number ---------------------------------------- North America 1-877-586-3392 ---------------------------------------- Canada +1-416-981-9024 ---------------------------------------- Australia 1800706721 ---------------------------------------- Belgium 080077657 ---------------------------------------- France 0800919393 ---------------------------------------- Germany 08001816101 ---------------------------------------- Netherlands 08000222280 ---------------------------------------- Singapore 8001012594 ---------------------------------------- United Kingdom 08004960381 ----------------------------------------
Instant replay (available three hours after the call ends for 48 hours): 1-800-558-5253 or +1-416-626-4100 - Access code: 21804884
About CAE
CAE is a global leader in the delivery of training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. We design and integrate the industry's most comprehensive training solutions, anchored by the knowledge and expertise of our 8,000 employees, our world-leading simulation technologies and a track record of service and technology innovation spanning seven decades. Our global presence is the broadest in the industry, with 160 sites and training locations in 35 countries, including our joint venture operations, and the world's largest installed base of flight simulators. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defence crewmembers, as well as thousands of healthcare professionals. www.cae.com
Follow us on Twitter @CAE_Inc
Contacts:
CAE contacts:
Helene V. Gagnon, Vice President,
Public Affairs and Global Communications
+1-514-340-5536
helene.v.gagnon@cae.com
Investor relations:
Andrew Arnovitz, Vice President,
Strategy and Investor Relations
+1-514-734-5760
andrew.arnovitz@cae.com
Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-6252-2175 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/ Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Computer Systems Laboratory E-mail: domain-specific-server@ml.labs.fujitsu.com
TOKYO, Feb 2, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced that it has developed technology that is installed on a server to specialize features with a specific functionality. In this way it is possible to search at high speed through an enormous archive to find even partial matches of a designated still image. It has confirmed that, compared to searches on general-purpose servers, the new approach resulted in an over fifty-fold improvement in processing time.Companies and other organizations routinely accumulate presentations and other materials. To thoroughly search through these materials, photos and illustrations to find a desired image, the problem has been that it requires time to search enormous volumes.Now, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed technology that dramatically improves server performance by configuring an accelerator that performs the necessary processing of image searches on an FPGA(1) and efficiently linking it with software running on the CPU, creating a high-speed image search function. Using a prototype server, Fujitsu Laboratories confirmed that it could search through a database of over 10,000 images and retrieve matches of any desired portion in about one second.With this technology, companies and other organizations will be able to search through the large volume of image data they have stored and instantaneously find and reuse target images, enabling on-site work to be carried out more efficiently.A server equipped with this technology will be exhibited at the Fujitsu North America Technology Forum 2016, which is scheduled to open on February 16 in Santa Clara, California. In addition, details of the technology will be announced at the IEEE Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision 2016, starting March 7 in Lake Placid, New York.Development BackgroundCompanies and other organizations produce and store numerous documents that include illustrations and photos for use in presentations and other materials as part of their everyday operations. If a target image could effectively be found out of the large volume of data stored, it could be expected to improve work efficiency, so image search technology that can quickly retrieve matching images is attracting attention.IssuesWhen a person searches for an image, it is often prompted by a vague recollection or an associated image. There is a technology for finding images based on matches with a part of the query image itself, called partial-image search. This can be used to find similar or related images, or with new hints to spark the user's memory through associations, to more intuitively search for the target image. But partial-image searching requires massive computing resources, as comparisons of partial images need to be made between all the images. On a general purpose server, finding a target image from among 10,000 images can take over one minute. Search speed can be improved by using multiple servers in parallel or with distributed processing, but there are drawbacks in the form of great costs for energy consumption and equipment.About the TechnologyFujitsu Laboratories has developed technology that dramatically accelerates search speeds by offloading the computing elements able to perform massive parallel processing as part of the processes that conventionally are done on a CPU to an FPGA, and furthermore, by optimizing the process scheduling, with a focus on data transfers, so that these processing units could be run in parallel at high utilization rates.This technology is based on the "domain-specific server" approach, which dramatically improves server performance using a hardware configuration optimized for this particular application domain along with software optimized for key functions.To achieve high performance using the FPGA, the keys are to densely pack processing units on the FPGA that efficiently executes complex processes, and to operate the processing units so that they are kept supplied with data and not left idle.Key features of the technology are as follows.1. Intensively conducting primary parts of the processing of the partial-image search algorithm on the FPGAFujitsu Laboratories analyzed the partial-image search algorithm in detail and shifted the feature extraction process and matching process from the overall search flow, and relocated these processes to the FPGA. Because the FPGA has a flexible design in which its processing units and parallelization can be organized to fit the process characteristics in a way that CPUs and GPUs cannot, compact and efficient processing units were designed for each of these two processes and incorporated at high density and with a high degree of parallelization into the FPGA (Figure 1*). Efficient coordination between the high-performance FPGA processing units and the software running on the CPU results in high-speed partial-image searches.2. Scheduling technology for process-sequence reordering to maintain high run ratesIn image processing, especially when it involves large volumes of image data, it takes time to read data from memory, where it is temporarily stored. So it is possible to shorten read latency by reading in advance the next required data currently being processed. But the next piece of data to work on may change depending on the results of the current process, negating the benefit of reading ahead. With a high degree of parallelization, and the simultaneous use of a large volume of data, the penalty for a wasted read-ahead is considerable. Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a scheduling technology in which, while read-aheads are being performed, the order of processing can be switched, depending on the circumstances, and thereby avoid wasting the read operation data. This resulted in good processing performance (Figure 2*).ResultsA prototype server using this newly developed technology was demonstrated to be able to search a database of over 10,000 images and finish retrieving matches of any desired portion of an image in roughly one second, performing partial-image searches over 50 times faster than on general-purpose servers (Figure 3a*). Compared to general-purpose servers with comparable performance, the prototype required less than 1/30th the electrical power and less than 1/50th the cubic volume of space as multiple general-purpose servers.It is anticipated that by using this technology, a company or other organization could, for example, instantaneously discover target images from a large set of documents including the images it has, and then use those results to refine the search accordingly. This would allow it to efficiently reuse the enormous volume of images it has accumulated to date, and enable quick searches from target documents and more efficient production work (Figure 3b*).Future PlansFujitsu Laboratories plans to move ahead with development of a system using this high-speed image-search technology, with the goal of a practical implementation during fiscal 2016. In addition, outside of just image processing, it also plans to move forward with R&D on domain-specific servers for other application domains where there is a desire for improvements in server processing performance.[1] FPGA: Field-Programmable Gate Array. A general-purpose device whose circuit structure can be programmed after it is produced.* Read this press release with accompanying figures at www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2016/0202-02.html.About Fujitsu LaboratoriesFounded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://jp.fujitsu.com/labs/en.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 159,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.8 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Deveron Resources Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: DVR) ("Deveron" or the "Company"), is pleased to report that Norm Lamothe of 2487473 Ontario Inc. will be presenting and exhibiting at the 3rd annual Farms.com Precision Agriculture Conference and Ag Tech Showcase on February 2 and 3, 2016 in London, Ontario. Joining Mr. Lamothe is Deveron's VP Corporate Development, David MacMillan, who will also be contributing in a panel discussion.
The conference's theme this year is "Turning Precision Agriculture's Potential into Profit," and Mr. Lamothe will be speaking about applications of UAV technology in precision farming. Other speakers include representatives from leading precision agriculture focused companies, like FarmersEdge and 360 Yield Center, along with some of Ontario's leading agricultural cooperatives.
Deveron is building a Canadian based full service UAV imagery provider, helping farmers improve yields and reduce costs by replacing traditional agricultural practices with state of the art imagery and analytics.
Further to the Company's press release dated November 13, 2015, Deveron is in the final stages of acquiring all of the issued and outstanding shares of 2487473 Ontario Inc. The Company plans to issue a corporate update relating to this transaction in the near future.
For more information and to join our community, please visit www.deveronuas.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 release. The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this release.
Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including Exchange acceptance and disinterested Shareholder approval. The transaction cannot close until the required Shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the Filing Statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Change of Business may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.
This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes in the world wide price of commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in exploration, risks associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties we face are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis of our financial results and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements we file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward looking statements.
Contacts:
Deveron Resources Ltd.
David MacMillan
VP Corporate Development
416-367-4571 ext. 226
dmacmillan@deveronresources.com
www.deveronuas.com
AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - February 02, 2016) - Bridgepoint Consulting, a leading Texas-based finance, IT and management consulting firm, has named Margie Reinhart as Director, specializing in financial fraud and forensic investigations in the firm's Business Turnaround & Restructuring practice area. As a CPA, CFF and CFE, Reinhart has amassed significant expertise in forensic analysis, litigation consulting, risk management, SOX, and internal audit. Prior to joining Bridgepoint, Margie worked with international accounting and consulting firms while working on a variety of forensic engagements.
"Margie brings a tremendous level of specialized expertise to the Bridgepoint team," said Bill Patterson, Principal at Bridgepoint Consulting. "Her strong track record advising Fortune 500 organizations on embezzlement, misappropriation and financial reporting investigations, adds critical value to our clients."
Reinhart has devoted her career to helping government agencies, law firms and corporations address complex matters involving fraud, waste, abuse and compliance. She is highly skilled in the multi-facets of damages analysis, expert services, forensic data analytics, forensic accounting, fraud consulting and white collar investigations. Reinhart specializes in using qualitative and data analysis to test controls and identify areas of risk, and has provided expert and fact witness testimony. Prior to Bridgepoint, Reinhart has served as President of Reinhart Forensic Consulting, Director at Grant Thornton LLP and had an eleven year tenure at Deloitte. During her time with the big four accounting firm, Reinhart served on a national "think tank" team leading the path to appropriate implementation of COSO, SOX and enterprise risk management.
Reinhart earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Management-Accounting and Finance from Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, Canada. As a market leader, she regularly serves on nationally broadcasted panel discussions with other recognized leaders in the white collar industry. Reinhart also served as Director of the Dallas Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Bridgepoint Consulting has offices in Dallas, Houston and Austin and supports a broad range of clients, including financial institutions, government organizations, law firms, family offices and corporations. Additional information about Bridgepoint services can be found here: http://www.bridgepointconsulting.com/overview-of-services/.
About Bridgepoint Consulting
Bridgepoint Consulting is a leading Texas-based professional services firm that provides strategic services and highly qualified professionals to solve complex financial, management and technology challenges. Since 1999, we've been helping executives and management teams reduce their business and operational risks, bridge resource gaps and improve overall performance. Whether an organization needs interim expertise to improve infrastructure and processes, or strategic management of a major transition or transaction, Bridgepoint's team of 140+ qualified professionals can help. The firm has offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston. For more information on Bridgepoint Consulting, please visit our website at www.BridgepointConsulting.com.
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Contact:
Gina Budd
Bridgepoint Consulting
Ph. 512-422-6571
gbudd@bridgepointconsulting.com
CINCINNATI, OH -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Datalliance today announced immediate availability of the latest release of the cloud-based Datalliance VMI platform with a number of important new capabilities focused on adding more flexibility and increased ease-of-use in several important areas. Enhancements were driven by feedback from the global user community combined with Datalliance's vision for the continued evolution of the VMI process. New capabilities are available for immediate use by Datalliance customers and their trading partners at no cost, and with no need to install or upgrade software. Datalliance delivers enhancement releases three times per year, with nearly 50 releases having been delivered to date.
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.
BPM Leader sees customer success growing with increasing numbers of active applications for critical processes
Bonitasoft, the fastest-growing provider of business process management (BPM) solutions, confirmed in 2015 that core-business, customer-centric BPM-based applications are scalable to accommodate millions of users.
A major telecom operator in Europe was experiencing blockages due to ineffective manual monitoring of its customers' interactions. To provide customer satisfaction from order to activation, they have implemented 20 BPM-based applications to service nearly one million users more than 100 per day.
"In 2015 we saw more of our customers with large-scale BPM applications in production than ever before. Re-tooling the Bonita BPM engine has proved to be key to scalability. Some of our customers are running millions of cases on their applications," said Miguel Valdes Faura, CEO and co-founder of Bonitasoft. "This validates what we have said all along, that automating critical processes with BPM applications is both efficient and effective."
"What makes a process "core" varies greatly a small drone company in Mexico is using Bonita BPM to manage its remote photography request-and-approval process. "BPM is everywhere, and we're seeing BPM applications in more and more places," said Valdes Faura."
Bonitasoft strategy and the value brought by the new version of the product is being validated by the industry. The company was recognized this year by Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) and BPM.com as a finalist in the WfMC Awards for Excellence in BPM for its case study on the automation of energy management by EnerNOC. Faced with limitations of human speed and error, EnerNOC automated its processes with BPM, resulting in faster, more accurate response during peak demand.
This selection is the 4th award bestowed on Bonitasoft in 2015. It recently earned the prestigious Gold status in the Golden Bridge Awards for excellence in Application Development; was a bronze winner for the Most Innovative Product of the Year in Best in Biz Awards; and earned an InfoWorld Bossie for best open source application for the fourth consecutive year.
Bonitasoft's Bonita BPM 7 application development platform was released in 2015 with a new architecture that enables parallel development for the web-based front end and Java-based back end of an application, and also makes it possible to "live update" applications. With it, organizations can build highly engaging, personalized business applications that adapt to business in real time.
About Bonitasoft
Bonitasoft builds a BPM-based application platform so it's easier to create business applications without the cost and rigidity of long, unpredictable custom development cycles. With Bonita BPM 7, developers can build "living" business applications that adapt in real time to changes. As the world's fastest-growing BPM provider, Bonitasoft has thousands of customers and a community of more than 120,000 members.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202005907/en/
Contacts:
Bonitasoft
Press
Carole Winqwist, 06 23 46 52 05
carole.winqwist@bonitasoft.com
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/04/16 -- Quorum Information Technologies Inc. (TSX VENTURE: QIS) (Quorum) announced today that its first Ford franchised dealer in Canada is officially live on its flagship dealership and customer management system, XSELLERATOR. The dealership had previously agreed to pilot the newly developed Ford integration. XSELLERATOR is now available to all Ford and Lincoln dealerships in Canada.
"As the first Ford dealer to use Quorum's XSELLERATOR DMS, we are truly impressed," remarked Ken Wickstrom, Sunset Country Ford's Controller. "Their thorough training, implementation process and team of professionals has made our transition to a new dealership management system far easier than expected. Quorum has built integration to Ford in ways that enhance and simplify our business processes as compared to our previous system. The bottom line is that XSELLERATOR is an easy choice for any dealer who wants to bring the advances of modern technology to their dealership.," Wickstrom added.
Mark Allen, Quorum's Vice President - Sales, Marketing and Services commented, "First, and most importantly, we would like to thank and applaud the team at Sunset Country Ford. Their diligence and assistance with helping make XSELLERATOR a solid DMS for Ford dealers was pivotal to the success we both enjoyed with this implementation. We are very excited about the opportunities that entering the Ford market will afford us. It has been a long time since a new Canadian DMS has been introduced to these dealerships, and we look forward to talking to those that are interested in our modern, innovative DMS."
About Quorum
Quorum is a North American company focused on developing, marketing, implementing and supporting its XSELLERATOR product for GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Subaru, NAPA and Bumper to Bumper franchised dealership customers as well as other franchised, independent and some non-automotive dealerships. XSELLERATOR is a dealership and customer management software product that automates, integrates and streamlines every process across departments in a dealership. One of the select North American suppliers under General Motors' DTAP program, Quorum is also one of largest DMS providers for GM's Canadian dealerships with 25% of the market. Quorum is a Microsoft Partner in both Canada and the United States. Quorum Information Technologies Inc. is traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol QIS. For additional information please go to www.QuorumDMS.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Quorum Information Technologies Inc.
Mark Allen
403-777-0036
AllenM@QuorumDMS.com
ABI Research Anticipates 802.11ac Wi-Fi Shipments to Gain Momentum with Wave 2 and Tri-Band Products
SINGAPORE, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Wi-Fi access points based on 802.11ac steadily gained momentum over the past year, rising to represent 39% of total Wi-Fi access points shipped in 2015. According to ABI Research, the leader in transformative technology innovation market intelligence, adoption will continue to accelerate in 2016 as more 802.11ac Wave 2 products enter the market, along with the introduction of tri-band access points.
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"Wave 2 access points are based on a richer set of technologies in the 802.11ac specification," says Sam Rosen, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. "This includes MU-MIMO, which supports better efficiency for high density wireless environments. We forecast Wave 2 access points to spearhead 802.11ac shipments, with those shipments representing nearly 65% of total Wi-Fi access points in 2016."
In addition to the emergence of Wave 2 product this year, tri-band access points are likely to hit the market in the first half of 2016. Tri-band Wi-Fi products use 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ad in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 60 GHz bands, respectively, and are backward compatible to the older protocols within each band.
"If all goes according to plan, TP-Link's Talon AD product line will kick-start the market for tri-band access points with WiGig (802.11 ad)," concludes Rosen. "The access points, however, are likely to take an additional one to two years' time before they gain significant market share in the overall Wi-Fi CPE market."
Moving beyond the scope of this year's market data to take a look at the overall market, ABI Research predicts Wi-Fi access point shipments to surpass 204 million units in consumer applications and 19.3 million units in enterprise in 2020, with the majority of those shipments supporting 802.11ac.
These findings are part of ABI Research's Set-Top Box and Home Gateway (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/set-top-box/) and Wi-Fi (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/wi-fi/) Services, which include research reports, market data, insights and competitive assessments.
About ABI Research
For more than 25 years, ABI Research has stood at the forefront of technology market intelligence, partnering with innovative business leaders to implement informed, transformative technology decisions. The company employs a global team of senior analysts to provide comprehensive research and consulting services through deep quantitative forecasts, qualitative analyses and teardown services. An industry pioneer, ABI Research is proactive in its approach, frequently uncovering ground-breaking business cycles ahead of the curve and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. In all, the company covers more than 60 services, spanning 11 technology sectors. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com.
Contact Info: Christine Gallen
Tel: +44.203.326.0142
pr@abiresearch.com
NASHVILLE, TN -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Risk Strategies Company, a privately held, rapidly growing national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, today announced the expansion of its nationwide Private Risk Management (PRM) practice with the hiring of Carol Wiek as vice president, private client. A highly experienced PRM practitioner, Wiek is based out of the Nashville office of Crow Friedman Group, which Risk Strategies acquired in 2014.
A Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Certified Insurance Services Representative (CISR), Wiek brings more than 30 years of experience specializing in the risk protection needs of high-net-worth and affluent clients. Before joining Risk Strategies, she was personal lines manager and agency operations liaison with Brown & Brown of Tennessee, Inc., an insurance intermediary based in Nashville.
"Tennessee is a dynamic market with a clear and growing need for risk management and insurance placement services for high-net-worth individuals," said Bob Courtemanche, senior managing director, private client practice leader for Risk Strategies. "Carol's history of private client risk specialization, as well as her deep understanding of the Nashville market, makes her a perfect fit to build out the practice in this geography."
Nationally, Risk Strategies has one of the industry's leading private client practices, with offices in key geographies including Boston, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others.
"Risk Strategies has a deep and specialized knowledge in providing coverage plans that enhance security and protect wealth," said Wiek. "I'm excited to help them bring those unique capabilities to a market like Tennessee where the need is present and growing."
Acquiring Crow Friedman Group provided Risk Strategies with a window into the vibrant greater-Nashville market and the opportunity to provide private client risk management that melds a local, highly personal touch with the resources and access of a nationally ranked specialty brokerage.
"We're thrilled to have Carol join the Tennessee operations," said John Crow, CEO and co-founder of Crow Friedman Group, a Risk Strategies Company. "We see a great opportunity for our existing client base to benefit from her expertise in private risk management, as well as to grow the overall Risk Strategies business in this specialty," he added.
Though based out of the Nashville office, Wiek will be working across the Memphis, Atlanta and Birmingham offices of Crow Friedman Group, which are also now part of Risk Strategies Company, to uncover new growth opportunities both in and beyond their existing commercial client base.
About Risk Strategies Company Risk Strategies Company is a privately held, national firm with offices across the country. As a leading U.S. insurance broker, the company offers sophisticated risk management advice and insurance placement for property & casualty, healthcare and employee benefits risks. Risk Strategies serves commercial companies, non-profits, public entities and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets. Ranked in the top 25 brokers in the country, the company has offices in more than 20 locations including Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New York City; San Francisco; Atlanta, GA; Portsmouth, N.H.; Providence, R.I.; Long Island, N.Y.; Teaneck, N.J.; Irvine, Calif.; and Sacramento, CA.
News / Regional
by Leonard Ncube
GOKWE-Nembudziya MP, Justice Mayor Wadyajena, is a wanted man after a Victoria Falls magistrate yesterday issued a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court.Wadyajena who was last month cleared of an alleged charge of denigrating the First Lady, Grace Mugabe, was supposed to stand trial for disorderly conduct but did not show up at the Victoria Falls magistrates' courts.This prompted Victoria Falls resident magistrate, Lindiwe Maphosa, to issue a warrant of arrest after the State, led by Takundwa Ndovorwi applied for his arrest.The MP's lawyer Givemore Muvhiringi said he had indicated to the state that Wadyajena was not feeling well and was in Harare.It could not be established what the Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator was suffering from, but it is understood that his doctor advised him against travelling long distances until he recovers.Muvhiringi told The Chronicle that the defence team will ensure that the legislator travels to Victoria Falls before he is arrested."Everything is dependent on his condition but as soon as he is able to travel from Harare he will come for a default inquiry. We will try to make sure he travels to Victoria Falls before police pick him up," said Muvhiringi.Wadyajena was arrested in December soon after the 15th Zanu-PF Annual National People's Conference for insulting Jimayi Muduvuri, a Zanu-PF member based in Kadoma and the insults also alledgedly denigrated the First Lady, the State alleged.He was initially charged with criminal insult or alternatively disorderly conduct.The criminal insult charges were dropped following an application by his lawyers for refusal of further remand.The application was granted on the grounds that the criminal insult charge was unconstitutional after being declared so by the Constitutional Court.Wadyajena, 35, of Borrowdale Brooke in Harare who is also the chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment has not been asked to plead and is out on $800 bail.He reports once a week at Borrowdale Police Station.According to prosecutors, at about 9:45PM on December 11, Muduvuri was travelling to Elephant Hills Hotel along Park Way in his Mercedes Benz ML320 which had pictures of the First Lady Grace Mugabe all over the body with words "Munhu wese kuna Amai" (Everyone should rally behind the First Lady)' inscribed below the pictures.Wadyajena who was standing beside his car was alleged to have shouted: "Iwe Jimayi urimbokoUnongoti munhu wese kunaAmai sei. Get away." Loosely translated, "Jimayi you are an idiot,Why do you say everyone should rally behind the First Lady? Get away.")
LAKE SUCCESS, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share. The dividend is payable on April 1, 2016, to stockholders of record at the close of business on March 14, 2016.
About Broadridge
Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) is the leading provider of investor communications and technology-driven solutions for broker-dealers, banks, mutual funds and corporate issuers globally. Broadridge's investor communications, securities processing and managed services solutions help clients reduce their capital investments in operations infrastructure, allowing them to increase their focus on core business activities. With over 50 years of experience, Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 90% of public companies and mutual funds in North America, and processes on average $5 trillion in equity and fixed income trades per day. Broadridge employs approximately 7,400 full-time associates in 14 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com.
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/whc3df/poland_tyre) has announced the addition of the "Poland Tyre Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020" report to their offering.
Passenger cars market is the most dominating segment in the Poland automobile market and accounts for the maximum share in the total automobile fleet of the country.
As a result, the Poland tyre industry is dominated by the passenger car segment in terms of volume sales. Goodyear, Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Pirelli, etc. are few of the prominent brands that are operating in Poland tyre market. Bridgestone operates two tyre manufacturing plants in the country, and Goodyear and Michelin operate one tyre plant each in Poland.
Poland is the third-largest passenger cars manufacturer in Central and Eastern Europe, after the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Due to Poland's geographical location, it serves as a transit hub between Western and Eastern Europe. Over the last few years, Poland has been witnessing volatile economic scenario, which has strongly impacted the country's automobile tyre industry.
Due to this, demand for passenger cars, medium heavy commercial vehicles and light commercial vehicles in the country declined during 2010 2013, which significantly affected the demand for tyres in the country over the last five years. However, the country's automotive industry is witnessing a growth revival, with demand for vehicles as well as tyres expected to grow through 2020.
Poland Tyre Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020 report elaborates following aspects of tyre market in Poland:
Retreading used tyres in Poland
Rising demand of Hybrid, Electrical and alternate fuel based cars
Increasing Demand for LCV M&HCV Tyres
Increasing Online Sales
Increasing Imports of Used Cars
Key Topics Covered:
1. Research Methodology
2. Analyst View
3. Product Overview
4. Poland Tyre Production Overview
5. Poland Tyre Market Outlook
6. Poland Passenger Car (PC) Tyre Market Outlook
7. Poland Light Commercial (LCV) Vehicle Tyre Market Outlook
8. Poland Medium Heavy Commercial Vehicle (M&HCV) Tyre Market Outlook
9. Poland Off-The-Road (OTR) Vehicle Tyre Market Outlook
10. Poland Two-Wheeler (2W) Tyre Market Outlook
11. Import-Export Analysis
12. Market Dynamics
13. Market Trends Developments
14. Policy Regulatory Landscape
15. Poland Economic Profile
16. Competitive Landscape
Companies Mentioned
Apollo Vredestein Opony Polska Sp. z o.o.
Bridgestone Poznan Sp. Z o.o.
Continental Opony Polska Sp. z o.o.
Falken Tyre Europe GmbH
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Polska Sp. z o.o
Hankooktire Polska Sp. z o.o
Kumho Tire Co. Inc.
Michelin Polska S.A.
Nokian Tyres plc
Pirelli Polska Sp. Z o.o
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/whc3df/poland_tyre
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202006312/en/
Contacts:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
Sector: Tyres
AGOURA HILLS, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- On summary judgment, Judge Dean D. Pregerson, U.S. District Court judge for the Central District of California, has ruled that Blueprint RF's Dominion gateways infringe Nomadix's U.S. Patent No. 8,156,246. This Nomadix patent protects key technology for redirecting user computers to captive portal pages. In the same ruling, Judge Pregerson upheld the validity of Nomadix's patents -- rejecting all of the arguments that Blueprint RF crafted to challenge validity.
In a bid to escape a finding of infringement, Blueprint RF filed three summary judgment motions challenging patent validity. The court denied all three motions. The court's ruling is consistent with decisions in other court cases and in U.S. Patent Office proceedings upholding the validity of Nomadix's patents.
Nomadix has successfully protected its innovations by developing an expansive patent portfolio that includes over 140 issued and pending patents in over 20 countries. "We are pleased with the court's ruling," explains Fred Reeder, chief commercial and operating officer of Nomadix. "This ruling vindicates our belief that our patents are valid. From the beginning, Nomadix has developed technologies that enable mobile computing and today, our technology is ubiquitous."
Nomadix was founded in the late 1990s by Dr. Leonard Kleinrock and Dr. Joel Short. Dr. Kleinrock, UCLA professor emeritus, 2007 National Medal of Science recipient, is a key innovator in the critical areas of queueing theory and packet switching -- basic technologies behind the Internet. Nomadix, headquartered and based in Agoura Hills, California, supplies the hardware and software technologies that visitor-based networks, such as those found in hotels, use to provide a world-class Internet experience for their customers. Technology giants including HP, AT&T, Aruba Networks, and others have licensed Nomadix patents for usage in their product portfolio.
About Nomadix
Nomadix offers gateways for seamless wired and wireless connectivity solutions across public access networks and enterprises. Nomadix gateways have earned a global reputation for unparalleled reliability and ease of management. As one customer put it, "They just work." Powered by patented technology, Nomadix throughput enhancement technologies make available bandwidth stretch further, slowing the pace of investment in bandwidth upgrades and enabling revenue generation and customization in a number of business models. With Nomadix, public access network providers are able to deploy cost-effective, secure and easy-to-use network services. For more information, visit www.nomadix.com, call +1.818.597.1500, follow on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+, like on Facebook and view the video library on YouTube.
Media Contact:
Kelly Hughes
Phone: +1-818-597-1500
Email: Email Contact
AMRITSAR, INDIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- During her first mission to India, the Premier of Ontario, Canada, Kathleen Wynne, visited DataWind Innovations' manufacturing facility in Amritsar. Also attending was Mr. Bakshi Ram Arora, Mayor of Amritsar.
During the visit DataWind Inc. (TSX: DW) launched two new DroidSurfer 10-inch and 7-inch Netbooks, both of which come bundled with one year of free Internet access. The Netbooks feature DataWind's patented, cloud-based technology, which reduces bandwidth consumption by factors of over 10 to 30 times, resulting in an affordable, broadband-like Internet experience on any data network -- even on 2G networks that remain prevalent in developing countries.
Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario and traded as a publicly listed company on the Toronto Stock Exchange, DataWind is focused on bridging the digital divide through its breakthrough patented technologies, developed in Canada.
Following the product launch, Ms. Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, Canada said: "My mission to India is an ideal opportunity for us to share knowledge and expertise in key areas, including technology and education. The recent launch by Ontario-based DataWind is an example of the success an Ontario company can have when they go global. DataWind's new initiative will provide affordable Internet and tablets to rural areas and will have a positive impact on education in India."
Mr. Suneet Singh Tuli, President & CEO of DataWind Inc. while thanking the Premier of Ontario said: "I and the entire team of DataWind are humbled by the presence of Honourable Premier of Ontario Ms. Wynne, who has taken her time out to visit our Amritsar facility and witness the launch of the two new DroidSurfer 10-inch and 7-inch Netbooks."
The DroidSurfer 10-inch and 7-inch Netbooks are tablets, having front facing camera, with Android 4.4.2 operating system and tactile responsive keyboards. The DroidSurfer 10-inch and 7-inch Netbooks have 8GB, 4GB internal space respectively with features like Wifi Hotspot, Wifi Direct and Support for external devices (KBD/mouse/Mem key).
As a leader in low-cost Internet connectivity, Datawind's mission is to provide Internet access, which has the ability to create tremendous social and economic benefits, to billions of unconnected people. Mr. Tuli continued: "We at DataWind want to cater to the forgotten billion. Once you get past the upper and middle classes, you've got a billion people who are not part of the media, they're not part of the political class, and are literally out of the system."
DataWind has taken a major step in the direction of realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Make in India." The company has rolled out half a million Internet-enabled tablets and smartphones from its production facility that was opened in July 2015 in Amritsar. "We expect to continue expanding our dominant position in the tablet market by increasing the range of products manufactured at the Amritsar facility. We not only wish to supply made in India products but also generate highly skilled employment locally," added Mr Tuli.
To meet the educational challenges in India, DataWind is constantly working towards addressing the key demands of a large population, whose poor communities often face disproportionally high illiteracy rates. The company is focused on expanding the roll-out of its tablets for the students, which are designed to be affordable, deliver high quality educational content and free apps, and also to provide Internet access at the lowest cost or for free, where possible.
"As one of the world's fastest growing economies, India is facing many challenges including lack of educational infrastructure, teaching materials and trained teachers. By providing free tablets to students of AkaalPurkh Ki Fauj (APKF) public school and Fateh Academy, we are doing our bit in bridging the gap," said Mr. Tuli.
About DataWind
DataWind is a leader in providing affordable mobile Internet connectivity in emerging markets. The company's patented, cloud-based technology reduces up to 97% the amount of data needed for web browsing, providing a broadband experience on any network - even on legacy 2G networks that are still prevalent in developing countries. DataWind also provides economical smartphones and tablets that come bundled with one year of unlimited Internet access, making it the largest tablet provider in India only behind Samsung. DataWind's unique solution offers broad social and economic benefits for the billions of people around the world for whom an Internet connection was previously out of reach. DataWind is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (DW.TO). For more information visit www.datawind.com and ir.datawind.com.
Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information includes information with respect to our goals, beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking information is identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "may," "would," "should," "could," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan," "foresee," "believe," and "continue," or the negative of these terms and similar terminology, including references to assumptions. Please note, however, that not all forward-looking information contains these terms and phrases. Forward-looking information is based upon a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors identified in the Company's prospectus dated June 27, 2014, which is available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Consequently, all of the forward-looking information contained herein is qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements, and there can be no guarantee that the results or developments that we anticipate will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or effects on our business, financial condition or results of operation. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake to update or amend such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.
No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved the contents of this press release/media advisory.
Company Contact:
Dan Hilton
Chief Financial Officer
DataWind Inc.
+1(613) 277-3266
Email Contact
Jaspreet Kaur
Deputy Manager-Media and PR
DataWind Inc.
9711303297
Email Contact
Investor Relations:
Michael Koehler
Liolios Group, Inc.
+1(949) 574-3860
Email Contact
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Augusta Industries Inc. (the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE: AAO) is pleased to announce that it wholly owned subsidiary, Marcon International Inc. ("Marcon"), has entered into various agreements with various departments of the United States government for the supply of instrumentation and equipment. The aggregate value of the agreements is $202,156.
"The Corporation is pleased with the entering of these new agreements," stated Allen Lone, President of the Corporation. "These agreements are evidence of the continuing confidence that the various entities of the United States government have in Marcon. The Corporation and Marcon have worked and continue to work in building an ongoing successful relationship with these clients."
About the Corporation:
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Marcon and Fox-Tek Canada Inc. ("Fox-Tek"), the Corporation provides a variety of services and products to a number of clients.
Marcon is an industrial supply contractor servicing the energy sector and a number of US Government entities. Marcon's principal business is the sale and distribution of industrial parts and equipment (Electrical, mechanical and Instrumentation.) In addition to departments and agencies of the U.S. Government, Marcon's major clients include Saudi Arabia-Sabic Services (Refining and Petrochemical), Bahrain National Gas Co, Bahrain Petroleum, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Gas, Qatar Petrochemical, Gulf of Suez Petroleum, Agiba Petroleum and Burullus Gas Co.
Fox Tek develops non-intrusive asset health monitoring sensor systems for the oil and gas market to help operators track the thinning of pipelines and refinery vessels due to corrosion/erosion, strain due to bending/buckling and process pressure and temperature. The Corporation's FT fiber optic sensor and corrosion monitoring systems allow cost-effective, 24/7 remote monitoring capabilities to improve scheduled maintenance operations, avoid unnecessary shutdowns, and prevent accidents and leaks.
The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimates of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are detailed from time to time in the Corporation's periodic reports filed with the Ontario Securities Commission and other regulatory authorities. The Corporation has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
Augusta Industries Inc.
Allen Lone
President, CEO
905.275.7570
atlone@fox-tek.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market ended Tuesday's session with a significant decrease, after a broad based sell-off. The market got off to a weak start due to the poor performance of most of the Asian markets. The weak start on Wall Street triggered further losses in the afternoon. Crude oil prices dropped further Tuesday, stoking concerns about the health of the global economy. Disappointing financial results from UBS also contributed to the negative mood among investors. Meanwhile, shares of Syngenta jumped on renewed takeover speculation. The Swiss Market Index decreased 1.37 percent Tuesday and finished at 8,196.99. The Swiss Leader Index dropped 1.71 percent and the Swiss Performance Index lost 1.25 percent. Shares of UBS tumbled 6.8 percent. The bank's profit for the full year 2015 topped expectations, but it provided a warning about the challenging environment ahead. Credit Suisse declined 3.7 percent and Julius Baer weakened by 3.2 percent. Cyclical stocks were also under pressure Tuesday. LafargeHolcim decreased 4.2 percent and Adecco lost 3.6 percent. Transocean sank 7.3 percent due to the continued fall in crude oil prices. Luxury goods manufacturers Richemont and Swatch both declined by 2.7 percent. Syngenta jumped 3.7 percent. The agrochemical company surged on media reports suggested that a takeover by ChemChina is approaching. A deal could reportedly be reached as soon as Wednesday. Givaudan ended the session unchanged. The Flavours and Fragrances Group reported full year results that surpassed consensus expectations. The company also announced a dividend increase of 8 percent. Kuoni surged 17.4 percent, after it agreed to be acquired by EQT Partners. AMS advanced 2.9 percent, following its better than expected earnings report. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay and Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland announced today that the Government of Canada has secured export market access for live breeding cattle and live breeding swine to the country of Georgia. Canadian cattle and swine breeders can immediately begin exporting to this market. Georgian breeders also benefit by gaining access to Canada's world-class animal genetics. Canadian industry estimates that the total gains from access to this new market could be worth up to $2.5 million annually.
Quick Facts
-- In 2014, two-way trade between Canada and Georgia was $90.3 million, with Canadian exports to Georgia totaling $14.2 million and imports from Georgia totaling $76.1 million. -- The value of Canadian agri-food and seafood exports to Georgia reached $7.4 million in 2014. Agri-food and seafood exports to Georgia include frozen pork, frozen Pacific salmon, lentils, frozen chicken cuts, and trees, shrubs and bushes. -- Total Canadian global exports of animal genetics reached $166.3 million in 2014, representing an important export commodity for Canadian producers, while Georgia imported a total of $US 1.7 million in animal genetics.
Quotes
"This access creates an opportunity for Canadian exporters of high-quality Canadian purebred cattle and swine to sell to the Georgian market. Our government continues to push for access to more markets around the world in order to ensure Canadian producers and agri-businesses are thriving, prosperous and successful for the long-term."
- Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, P.C., M.P., Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
"Our government is pleased that the Georgian market has opened to Canadian cattle and swine breeders. Georgia is a promising market for our exporters, and this improved market access demonstrates our ongoing support for Canadian industry. I look forward to building on this success and our trade relations with Georgia."
- Hon. Chrystia Freeland, P.C., M.P., Minister of International Trade
"The Canadian Livestock Genetics Association (CLGA) welcomes this announcement which provides live cattle exporters with an excellent market for Canadian breeding cattle. CLGA appreciates the coordinated efforts of the Government of Canada and the exporting industry to open new markets around the world."
- Michael Hall, Executive Director of the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association
"A live breeding swine certificate activated for Georgia is good news for the Canadian swine industry as our exporters will now have market access to supply Georgia with our high-health, top quality swine genetics. Georgia is a new market for Canadian swine genetics and our solid reputation will allow us to further develop the swine industry globally."
- Nancy Weicker, Executive Director of the Canadian Swine Exporters Association
Additional links
Canada-Georgia Relations
Georgia - Fact sheet
Contacts:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Follow us on Twitter: @AAFC_Canada
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @CanadaTrade
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, issued the following statement:
We welcome the Auditor General's reports. These reports highlight key areas for improvement, a number of which we had identified and are already being addressed.
In particular, the Government is
-- expanding and strengthening the use of gender-based analysis in decision making; -- improving the delivery of cost-effective military housing programs across Canada; -- improving the timeliness and access to services for people with disabilities; and -- updating Shared Services Canada's IT Transformation Plan.
We are also committed to a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples built on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.
The Government is committed to evidence-based decision making to ensure good value for taxpayers' money, and to instilling a strengthened culture of measurement, evaluation, and innovation in program and policy design and delivery.
The Auditor General's recommendations in the audits completed by Fall 2015 will help guide the Government in addressing these priority areas.
Related Links
Report 1 - Status of Women
Report 4 - Information Technology Shared Services
Report 6 - Canada Pension Plan Disability Program
Follow us on Twitter: @TBS_Canada.
Contacts:
Jean-Luc Ferland
Press Secretary
Office of the President of the Treasury Board
613-369-3163
Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
613-369-9400
media@tbs-sct.gc.ca
TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired)
613-369-9371
MIDWAY CITY, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- American Family Housing (AFH), a nonprofit organization that provides housing and related services to low income and/or homeless families and adults, is thrilled to announce four new additions to its prestigious Board of Directors. AFH welcomes the following community leaders and thanks them for their commitment to our neighbors in need:
Michael Aimola. Aimola is principal at MSA Property Consulting Group in Irvine. Before joining MSA, Aimola was principal and executive vice president at J & M Realty Company where he worked for more than 20 years. Aimola has a bachelor's degree in public administration from California State University in Sacramento. He is a Certified Property Manager and holds a California real estate license.
Craig A. Barbarosh. Barbarosh is a partner in the law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, where he manages his national practice from the firm's Irvine, California and New York offices. Barbarosh also serves on the board of directors of Quality Systems, Inc., Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. and BioPharmx, Inc. Barbarosh earned his juris doctorate from the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law where he graduated with honors and a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Tom Burnham. Burnham is chief human resources officer at Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County. Prior to joining the Diocese, Burnham was partner of The Thomas Burnham Company, a human capital advisory firm and served as vice president of human resources at Allergan for 17 years. Burnham attended Western State University College of Law and earned his bachelor's in economics from California State University Fresno.
Lauren Ellermeyer. Ellermeyer is president and co-founder of Beyond Fifteen Communications Inc., a full-service public relations and social media agency located in Newport Beach. Prior to Beyond Fifteen, Ellermeyer owned and operated BCN Events and also served as an account manager at an Orange County-based media relations agency. Ellermeyer earned a bachelor's degree in public relations and communications from the European University.
"I am very excited to welcome these distinguished professionals to our Board," says AFH's President and CEO, Donna Gallup. "I know they will uphold our organization's values and use their unique expertise to guide our efforts throughout a successful year ahead of providing housing and support those vulnerable in our community."
For more information, visit www.afhusa.org. With media inquiries, please call Leslie Licano at 949-733-8679 ext. 101 or email leslie@beyondfifteen.com.
ABOUT AMERICAN FAMILY HOUSING: American Family Housing (AFH) is a nonprofit organization that provides a continuum of housing and a broad spectrum of related services to vulnerable populations facing barriers to achieving housing stability, including war veterans and adults with disabilities and mental illness. Operating 63 housing sites, with 283 units that serve more than 1,300 unduplicated adults and children each year in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, AFH is committed to permanently ending the cycle of homelessness -- helping low-income families and adults achieve a self-sustaining way of life and become engaged and contributing members of their communities. Continuously expanding over three decades, AFH provides the following programs and services -- based on individual requirements -- in order to address and resolve obstacles preventing at-risk adults and families from securing their basic human needs, which above all include a place to call home.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Leslie Licano
Beyond Fifteen Communications, Inc.
949.733.8679
leslie@beyondfifteen.com
News / Religion
by Staff Reporter
A Harare prophet - Tafazdwa Muchemwa ordered his congregants to eat three leaves following his interpretation of the great commission message.Muchemwa said his Testimony Church of ALL Nations confirmed the incident."It is true that I shared the word about the promises of God since the devil has attacked and got away with people's wealth."It is written that the devil came to steal, kill and destroy, but Christ came to give life in abundance so I shared on John 10:10 and about the tree of life in the book of Genesis."I shared with the congregants urging them to feed from the tree of life demostrat6ing with tree leaves and as we speak I am receiving testimonies that stolen goods were recovered and non-working television sets, stoves and radios started to work after leaves were placed on them" he said.He added that more miracles are in store.The prophet once caused a stir when he stepped on the stomach of members including women during a service.
LA PRAIRIE, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- The management of Vanstar Mining Resources Inc. (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: VSR) announces the filing with the TSX Venture of a shares for debt settlement proposal from which an outstanding debt of $ 36,592.00 would be settled by issuing a total of 665,309 common shares of the Company at a price of 0.055 $ per share.
These shares would be issued to one arm's length individual and would be subject to a 4 month minimum hold period. This settlement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Source: Guy Morissette
819-763-5096
gmvanstar@gmail.com
ZUG, Switzerland and STOCKHOLM, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The tenth annual BIO-Europe Spring springtime international life science partnering conference will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, April 4-6, 2016. Organized by EBD Group, the event is co-hosted by Stockholm Business Region and Stockholm Science City Foundation.
The Stockholm-Uppsala region, defined as the three counties of Uppsala, Stockholm and Sormland, is one of the largest life science clusters in Europe, and Scandinavia's leading life science cluster. It is also one of the world's most productive with an astounding 15-20 new life science companies formed on average in the region each year over the last decade.
"The Stockholm-Uppsala region offers life science companies access to cutting-edge research, unique competence and an infrastructure that brings innovations to patients," said Ylva Williams, CEO of Stockholm Science City Foundation."Our strength is in collaboration, where the industry have access to healthcare and patients through test beds. Sweden is an excellent choice for production of biologics, pilots within healthcare as well as for clinical trials. "
"Stockholm is an active life science cluster with over 600 companies based in the region, including industry leaders such as AstraZeneca and GE Healthcare," said Anna Chrisman, Group Managing Director, EBD Group. "As an innovation center for stem cell therapies, digital health and drug development R&D, it is the perfect place to hold BIO-Europe Spring."
BIO-Europe Spring is premier springtime partnering conference serving the global biotechnology industry and is facilitated by EBD Group's partneringONE, the gold standard one-to-one networking solution for the life sciences.
One-to-one partnering meetings are a key business strategy that has transformed the drug development industry in bringing together innovators and visionaries with seasoned experts from every corner of the globe. Company presentations by early stage projects, innovative startups, established biotechs and midsize pharma companies are also a focus of the event and enable innovators to present directly to potential investors, pharma and development partners.
International large and midsize pharma companies already confirmed to attend include AbbVie, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Almirall, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer HealthCare, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly & Company, Fine Foods & Pharmaceuticals, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, LES LABORATOIRES SERVIER, Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, MSD, Novartis Pharma, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre Medicament, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, and Upsher Smith.
The 2015 edition featured 12,439 one-to-one partnering meetings. Over 2,300 delegates from 1,367 companies representing 53 countries attended. There were 129 company presentations with 2,672 licensing opportunities on offer, and 68 exhibitors at the event.
Registration information for BIO-Europe Spring is available online.
Additional links and information:
Follow BIO-Europe Spring 2016 on Twitter: @EBDGroup (hashtag: BES16).
Online Press Kit service for BIO-Europe Spring 2016 is available from Virtual Press Office/PR Newswire to enhance your public relations efforts.
About EBD Group
EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry. Since 1993, biotech, pharma and medical device companies have leveraged EBD Group's partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships essential to their success.
EBD Group's conferences are run with the support of leading corporations and international trade associations and include:
BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring, Europe's largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) BioPharm America', the fastest growing partnering event in North America
Biotech Showcase', a unique forum in San Francisco for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors
for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors BioEquity Europe, the investor conference co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO
ChinaBio Partnering Forum, the first dedicated biotech/pharma partnering conference in China , co-produced with ChinaBio Group
, co-produced with ChinaBio Group Biolatam, facilitating partnering among global life sciences executives in Latin America's vibrant life science hubs
EBD Group's sophisticated web-based partnering service, partneringONE , is used as the partnering engine at numerous third-party events around the world, and partnering360 is the open online community of life science dealmakers that enhances partnering experiences throughout the year.
EBD Group has offices in the USA and Europe.
For more information please visit www.ebdgroup.com.
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures tumbled below $30 a barrel Tuesday amid renewed speculation that global oil inventories will continue to mount. Analysts say the recent talk of OPEC cutting supplies was premature. With many oil producers running out of cash, some may continue selling oil at a cheap price in order to preserve market share. March WTI oil was down $1.74, or 5.5%, to settle at $29.88/bbl, moving back near 12-year lows from a few weeks back. There are few positive catalysts on the horizon for oil prices, given OPEC's reluctance to curb supplies and Iranian oil coming back to market after years of sanctions. U.S. and Canadian companies have already signaled they will cut back, leaving OPEC and Russia to determine whether prices will rise. 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.
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Gibson Energy Inc. ("Gibsons" or the "Company") (TSX: GEI) announced today that Sean Brown will be appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective March 2, 2016. Sean comes to Gibsons from BMO Capital Markets where he most recently held the title of Managing Director. Prior to his role at BMO Sean worked in the energy group of J. P. Morgan Securities in New York. Sean has deep expertise in the midstream energy infrastructure sector and has been building his knowledge of Gibsons since his involvement in the 2011 IPO process. Sean holds a Business Degree from Acadia University, an MBA from the Ivey School of Business and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
As CFO, Sean will oversee the financial management of the company, investor relations, treasury, human resources, legal, corporate planning and development, and capital market financings.
"We are very pleased to have Sean join the Gibsons' team," said Stewart Hanlon, Gibsons' President and Chief Executive Officer. "Sean's strong financial and business acumen will help Gibsons build on the Company's solid financial position, support our focus on capital discipline and assist with strategy execution."
"I would like to thank Donald Fowlis, who will retire from the CFO role after twenty-three years of service to the company, for his many valuable contributions and for agreeing to stay on at Gibsons through an appropriate transition period," continued Hanlon.
About Gibsons
Gibsons is a large independent midstream energy company with operations across major producing regions throughout North America. Gibsons is engaged in the movement, storage, blending, processing, marketing and distribution of crude oil, condensate, natural gas liquids, water, oilfield waste, and refined products. The Company transports energy products by utilizing its integrated network of terminals, pipelines, storage tanks, and trucks located throughout western Canada and through its significant truck transportation and injection station network in the United States. Gibsons also provides emulsion treating, water disposal and oilfield waste management services in Canada and the United States and is the second largest industrial propane distribution company in Canada. The Company's integrated operations allow it to participate across the full midstream energy value chain, from the hydrocarbon producing regions in Canada and the United States, through the Company's strategically located terminals in Hardisty and Edmonton, Alberta, and injection stations and small terminals in the United States, to the end user or refineries of North America.
Contacts:
Gibson Energy Inc.
Tammi Price
Vice President Investor Relations & Corporate Development
(403) 206-4212
tprice@gibsons.com
Gibson Energy Inc.
Cam Deller
Manager, Investor Relations
(403) 776-3041
cam.deller@gibsons.com
IRVING, TEXAS -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- On February 2, 2016, Wingren B.V. ("NGP"), c/o Prins Bernhardplein, 200, 1097 JB Amsterdam, The Netherlands, acquired ownership of 12,040,340 common shares ("New Petrus Shares") of Petrus Resources Ltd. (formerly known as Petrus Acquisition Corp.) ("New Petrus") pursuant to: (i) a plan of arrangement under section 193 of the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) (the "Arrangement") in accordance with the provisions of an arrangement agreement dated as of November 29, 2015, among Petrus Resources Corp. (formerly known as Petrus Resources Ltd.) ("Old Petrus"), PhosCan Chemical Corp. ("PhosCan"), New Petrus and Fox River Resources Corp.; and (ii) the completion of a private placement of subscription receipts to acquire New Petrus Shares ("New Petrus Subscription Receipts") upon completion of the Arrangement (the "Private Placement"). NGP is owned, controlled or managed, directly or indirectly, by NGP Energy Capital Management.
Pursuant to the Private Placement, NGP paid an aggregate amount of Cdn.$15,000,725, or Cdn.$1.85 per New Petrus Subscription Receipt, to acquire 8,108,500 New Petrus Subscription Receipts, each of which was, pursuant to the Arrangement, converted into 0.25 of a New Petrus Share. The conversion of NGP's New Petrus Subscription Receipts into New Petrus Shares pursuant to the terms of the Private Placement and the Arrangement, and the conversion into New Petrus Shares of NGP's common shares in Old Petrus (each convertible into 0.25 of a New Petrus Share) pursuant to the terms of the Arrangement, resulted in NGP owning and controlling 12,040,340 New Petrus Shares or approximately 26.6% of the issued and outstanding New Petrus Shares. In addition, NGP held 225,000 options to purchase common shares of Old Petrus at an exercise price of Cdn.$1.75 (the "Old Petrus Options") that expire on June 29, 2017 which, following the completion of the Arrangement, may be exercised to purchase 0.25 of a New Petrus Share for each Old Petrus Option held. Further details regarding the Private Placement and the Arrangement can be found in the information circular of PhosCan filed on SEDAR on December 17, 2015.
NGP's acquisition of New Petrus Subscription Receipts pursuant to the Private Placement was completed in order to support the completion of the Arrangement. The New Petrus Shares are being held for investment purposes. NGP may from time to time dispose of, or acquire, additional securities of New Petrus, depending on market conditions and other factors.
The exchange of Old Petrus Shares for New Petrus Shares pursuant to the Arrangement, the purchase of New Petrus Subscription Receipts pursuant to the Private Placement and the conversion of the New Petrus Subscription Receipts into New Petrus Shares were completed in reliance on the applicable exemptions in National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions.
NGP will file an early warning report with the applicable securities regulatory authorities in respect of the above transactions which will be available at www.sedar.com under New Petrus' SEDAR profile.
About NGP Energy Capital Management
Founded in 1988, NGP Energy Capital Management is a premier investment franchise in the natural resources industry, with approximately $19.5 billion in cumulative equity commitments, organized to make investments in the natural resources sector. NGP's investment platform includes Natural Gas Partners, NGP Global Agribusiness Partners, and NGP Energy Technology Partners, L.P.
Contacts:
NGP Energy Capital Management LLC
Craig Glick
Managing Director and General Counsel
972-432-1440
972-432-1441 (FAX)
inquiries@ngptrs.com
www.ngpenergycapital.com
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/02/16 -- Lara Exploration Ltd., ("Lara" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: LRA) announced on November 9, 2015 an initial resource estimate for its Maravaia Copper Gold Deposit, located within its Curionopolis exploration license in northern Brazil. Following a review by the British Columbia Securities Commission, Lara was advised that the technical report filed on November 9, 2015 in support of the Maravaia resource estimate did not fully comply with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Lara has worked with the report author to revise the report and believes it now complies with NI 43-101. Despite such revision, there are no material differences in the resource estimate for the Osmar Target, which is the principal component of the Maravaia Deposit. The report no longer estimates a resource for the Galpao Target and Lara's previous disclosure of a resource for the Galpao Target should not be relied upon until the estimate is verified and supported by a NI 43-101 compliant technical report. The revised report has been filed on SEDAR.
About Lara
Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and then exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio prospects and deposits in Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA".
Neither the 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.
Contacts:
Lara Exploration Ltd.
Chris MacIntyre
VP Corporate Development
+1 416 703 0010
www.laraexploration.com
Impact Makers, a Richmond, Virginia-based business and technology-consulting firm, raised over $1.5m in equity investment.
Nationally, investors included Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerrys ice cream co-founder, Mike Hannigan, co-founder and president of Give Something Back, a California-based office supply company that donates profits.
Local investors included Richmonds James E. Ukrop and Robert Mooney of New Richmond Ventures; Bobby Thalhimer with The Monument Group; Richard Hood, owner of Ellwood Thompsons Local Market, John Whitlock, founder and chairman of technology firm The Whitlock Group, and Mrs. Patricia Pusey.
The company will use the funds to expand its service offerings, intellectual property and geographic coverage.
Founded in 2006 by Michael Pirron, CEO, Impact Makers is a is a for profit benefit corporation (B Corp) that provides services in Management and IT Consulting, Program and Project Management, Digital Services, Governance, Risk and Compliance, and Healthcare Solutions.
It has contributed about $1.2m in donations and pro bono work to the community since its inception. The company currently provides financial support and pro bono services to nonprofits including Rx Partnership, Family Lifeline, Peter Paul Development Center and Future Leaders in Project Management.
FinSMEs
02/02/2016
OutSystems, an Atlanta, GA-based Rapid Application Development and Delivery (RAD) platform for the enterprise, completed a $55m funding round.
North Bridge Growth Equity, a growth equity firm that invests in high-growth technology companies, made the investment. In conjunction with the deal, North Bridge partners Mike Pehl and Jim Moran are joining the Board of Directors of OutSystems.
The company intends to use the funds to scale operations to support its growth.
Founded in 2001 and led by Paulo Rosado, CEO, OutSystems provides a Rapid Application Delivery (RAD) platform for the enterprise to create, deploy, change, and manage custom mobile and web applications delivered across all devices. Available as a cloud or on-premises solution with integration to all existing systems and an open architecture, OutSystems manages the complete application lifecycle of large portfolios at over 600 enterprise organizations in 33 countries across 22 industries.
North Bridge Growth Equity joined ES Ventures and Portugal Ventures as investors in OutSystems.
FinSMEs
02/02/2016
Smappee, a Kortrijk, Belgium-based provider of energy monitoring solutions, raised $2.7m in Series A funding.
The (internal) round was led by CEO Stefan Grosjean and COO Hans Delabie.
The company, which has raised $5.4m to date, will use the funds to develop and launch new products during 2016.
Founded in late 2012, Smappee provides an energy monitor that measures the exact use of all important appliances and provides real-time data. A mobile app for smart phone or tablet allows the user to monitor his energy consumption in real-time and analyze it. Additionally, the system measures the production of solar panels, while the Comfort Plugs allow users to switch appliances on and off remotely.
Smappee currently sells its products in over 60 countries.
FinSMEs
02/02/2016
Tapad, a New York-based marketing technology company, has been acquired by Telenor Group.
Telenor, a major mobile operator present in the Nordics, CEE & Asia, will buy approximately 95% of Tapad for USD $360m, on a debt and cash-free 100% basis. The main sellers are founder and CEO Are Traasdahl and his investment company Spring Capital (in total 46.5%), FirstMark Capital, Firsthand Technology, Avalon Ventures, WPP and Metamorphic Ventures. Traasdahl and co-founder and CTO Dag Liodden have together retained a 5% stake in the company.
The acquisition, whose closing is subject to regulatory approvals and expected to take place in the first quarter of 2016, will allow Telenor to enter the advertising technology market and gain skills within digital marketing and analytics. Following the close, Tapad will be operated as a stand-alone company. Traasdahl and Liodden will maintain their positions ad CEO and CTO, respectively.
Established in 2010, Tapad delivers unified cross-device marketing technology solutions that give publishers, marketers and technology providers a holistic view of consumers across devices and screens, including smartphones, tablets, home computers and smart TVs.
Within its media business, Tapad currently has more than 160 of the top U.S. brands among its customers and benefits from over 50 data technology licensing partnerships.
FinSMEs
01/02/2016
Opinion / Columnist
"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 (ZPP).What goes round comes round; Mai Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, Jabulani Sibanda and the other People First Movement bigwigs are used to hearing or even directing the violence with them holding the thick end of the whip. Now they and their supporters are on the business end of the whip and they do not like it one bit. One does not need to ask Mai Mujuru whether she likes, of course she hates it!They never raised a finger to stop the violence when they were in positions of power and authori-ty to make a difference now all they can do is curse quietly. What goes round comes round.The ZPP report showed that whilst the greatest number of perpetrates are Zanu PF operative on opposition members; there are nonetheless some Zanu PF to Zanu PF, opposition on opposition and the odd opposition on Zanu PF.The Police have continued to turn a blind eye to Zanu PF politically motivated violence and each time they are involved they have descended on the opposition like a tonne of bricks from a great height whilst Zanu PF operative get a single finger slap on the wrist, at worst.As the nation goes into election mode the political violence will swing into overdrive; in 2008 mil-lions of people were harassed, beaten and /or raped. Over 500 were murdered in three months of the presidential run-off. The next elections have all the hallmarks that a fiercely fought contest given the ever worsening economic meltdown so Zanu PF popularity will once again be rock bot-tom and so the party will be forced to resort to its most tried, tested and never-failed method of securing victory brutal violence.It is clear that Zimbabwe's culture of politically motivate violence is now deeply ingrain in our na-tional ethos and anyone who thinks it will go away, without the nation doing something to end it, is naive. To end the scourge of political violence we need to implement the raft of democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 GPA which include reform of the Police and Judiciary to free these institutions from the clutches of Zanu PF to carry out their public duties without fear or favour.ZPP and all the other civic organizations are doing a great job monitoring politically motivated violence but they must take a more proactive role and demand the implementation of the 2008 GPA democratic reforms designed end this perverse culture. The reforms must be implemented before the next elections; any elections held before the reforms will be marred by fear and vio-lence and therefore can never be a true reflection of the free democratic will of the people.
Last night my dear friend, and one of my favourite actors, Rishi Kapoor sent me three stills of a 90-plus old man.
I confess I was puzzled. Was the actor sending the wrong pictures in a sozzled state? Turns out, that was Rishi Kapoor playing a 90-year old patriarch in the Karan Johar production Kapoor & Sons.
You could have knocked me down with a feather. Rishi Kapoor, really?
This was not the first time I wondered if Rishi Kapoor is the most versatile star-actor that India has produced. And the most shortchanged. Ive watched this actor with growing delight of ever-renewed discovery, from the time he stole the show from under Simi Garewal and Manoj Kumars nose in Raj Kapoors Mera Naam Joker.
Rishi has never ceased to be a natural scene-stealer. During the 1980s when all the other leading men of Bollywood were swept away in the Bachchan wave, Rishi held his own. In heroine-oriented films such as Damini, Chandni and Prem Rog, Rishi drew out delicately nuanced portrayals that stood their ground.
Today, 47 years after his debut as a child actor, Rishi continues to stun and regale us as an actor. Rishi has constantly reinvented himself. Back in the day, there were jokes doing the rounds that all he did in the 1970s was sing to R D Burman songs to Neetu Singh in fancy sweaters. I dare any other actor of his generation to whip up his versatile enthusiasm.
Its a pity that the government , in all its wisdom, has never thought of honouring him.
I remember some years ago when a young actor got a thoroughly-undeserved National award for mediocre film, he rang up in the night and ranted about the actors mom lobbying for the award. Ten minutes after the call Rishis lovely wife and definitely the force behind the tempestuous actors longevity Neetu Singh Kapoor rang me up to gently request not to write any of what he has said.
But what you said that night, Sir and I insist on calling you Sir, no matter how much you protest is true. They give National awards and Padmas to the absurdest of candidates. Are they blind not to see what we all can? That you are one of the finest , most versatile vibrant and engaging actors this country has ever produced?
To every role you play, you bring a depth, dynamism and resonance way beyond the script. You have the rare ability to make the mundane look exciting on screen. Your son Ranbir is a chip off the old block. But he can never be you.
There can never be another Rishi Kapoor.
Coimbatore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that government is engaged in carrying out labour reforms through consensus and dialogue with stakeholders including workers without compromising on their genuine protections and rights.
Modi's assurance to the working class comes against the backdrop of the campaign by central trade unions against
labour reforms and their plans to hold a day-long all-India strike on 10 March against the "anti-worker" polices of the Central and state governments.
"We are progressing on the reform path by building consensus on these reforms through extensive stakeholder consultations with employers, workers representatives, and state governments," he said addressing after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Coimbatore.
Modi further said, "Keeping in mind our commitment to 'minimum government, maximum governance', the ministry is simplifying Central labour laws by consolidating the existing 44 laws into four labour codes. Namely, on wages, industrial relations, safety and security, and health."
The Prime Minister expressed hope that this (reforms) would considerably increase the ease of doing business and
facilitate job creation, without compromising on the genuine protections and rights available for workers.
Modi was of the view that industrial peace and harmony can be achieved only when the goals of employment and
employability are in tune with the goals of industrial development and growth.
"It is our shared vision to have an environment which is conducive for inclusive growth and development of the country. I assure the state government all the cooperation from the Central government in all its efforts in this direction," the prime minister said.
Talking about the ESIC's medical college in Coimbatore, he said the project worth Rs 580 crore will be a boon to ESIC beneficiaries and their family members in and around Coimbatore.
"Of the 100 MBBS seats proposed here, 20 seats will be reserved for the children of persons insured under the ESI
scheme. We should strive to make this medical college and hospital a model for high quality medical education and
treatment to workers of the State," he said.
Elaborating about the government's plans for upgradation of existing state and central medical colleges to increase
MBBS seats he said, "Through this, we hope to increase 10,000 MBBS seats and support the colleges with funds for equipment and infrastructure."
"So far 23 medical colleges have been approved to increase over 1,700 MBBS seats. I am happy to inform that
four state government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu at Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Madurai have been
approved for upgradation by adding 345 more MBBS seats," Modi said.
PTI
MUMBAI Birla Corporation Ltd (BRLC.NS), whose business interest include jute and cement, plans to take legal action against the Indian unit of LafargeHolcim LHN.VX after a pact to buy some of the assets of the Swiss-French cement giant fell through.
In April, LafargeHolcim agreed to divest two of its Indian plants to win approval from the local anti-trust regulator to merge Indian assets of France's Lafarge and Switzerland's Holcim.
Birla Corp said in August it had entered into an agreement with Lafarge India Private Ltd to buy the two cement businesses in eastern India for an enterprise value (equity plus debt) of 50 billion rupees ($735 million).
On Tuesday, Birla Corp said in a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange that it had now been informed about Lafarge India unit's "inability to proceed" with the transaction. The Indian company did not elaborate.
"The company has since discussed the matter with its legal advisors and has decided not to accept their contention and is in the process of taking appropriate legal measures in consultation with lawyers," it said.
The deal to acquire the two plants would have taken Birla Corp's cement production capacity to over 15 million tonnes per annum, with a strong presence in the eastern part of India, up from about 10 million tonnes now.
LafargeHolcim confirmed in a statement it was no longer in talks with Birla Corp for the divestment of the Jojobera and Sonadih cement plants in eastern India. It said it would inform the local anti-trust regulator about the divestment process.
($1 = 67.9982 rupees)
(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Mark Potter)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi:The government will infuse about Rs30,000 crore in cash-strapped Air India over the next nineyears as part of a turnaround plan for the state-run airline,Parliament was informed today.
To a question on whether the government has decided toinfuse Rs 30,000 crore into Air India till 2020, CivilAviation Minister Ajit Singh in a written reply to the RajyaSabha said: "Yes, Sir."
He said that in order to improve its operating andfinancial performance, Air India has already taken varioussteps. These include rationalisation and elimination ofcertain routes, phasing out old fleet, freezing of employment
in non-operational areas and dismantling of the Frankfurt hub.
Singh added that the Turn Around Plan (TAP) approved bythe Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in itsmeeting held on 12 April envisaged a business model that included independent ground handling and MRO (Maintenance,repair and operations) from the main airline business.
Responding to another query in the upper house, Singhsaid under the financial package, Air India would get anupfront equity infusion of Rs 6,750 crore, equity for cashdeficit support of Rs 4,552 crore, and equity for already
guaranteed aircraft loan of Rs 18,929 crore till financialyear 2021.
Besides, the airline has been allowed to issue government-guaranteed non-convertible debentures (NCDs) worth Rs 7,400crore to its lenders, like financial institutions, banks, LICand EPFO.
The government also gave its nod to the induction of 27Boeing 787 Dreamliners and three Boeing 777-300s on sale andleaseback basis, he said.
Responding to another query, Singh said the outstandingsalary for March 2012 is Rs 123.54 crore.The debt-ridden carrier has outstanding loans and duesworth Rs 67,520 crore, of which Rs 21,200 crore is workingcapital loan, Rs 22,000 crore long-term loan on fleetacquisition, Rs 4,600 crore vendor dues besides an accumulatedloss of Rs 20,320 crore.
PTI
KABUL 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)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: A delegation comprising three mayors of civic corporations and Delhi BJP leaders on Tuesday called on Lt Governor Najeeb Jung for his intervention in the ongoing tussle between the Delhi government and striking civic employees.
"The delegation urged the Lt Governor to order Delhi government for release of pending municipal funds in order to end the prevailing logjam," Delhi state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Satish Upadhyay, who led the delegation, told reporters after the meeting.
The BJP is the ruling party at all the three municipal corporations of East Delhi, North Delhi and South Delhi.
Upadhyay also lamented that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was resorting to cheap gimmicks for political gains.
"Delhi government led by Aam Aadmi Party is free to victimise the civic bodies' leaders but it should release the funds for employees who have not been able to pay the school fees of their wards and buy medicine for the ill," said Upadhyay.
He blamed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for pushing the national capital towards a state of emergency as the government is becoming a party to law and order problems engulfing the city.
"We can fight it out in elections next year, but CM saheb please be humanitarian. Don't drive Delhi towards an emergency. Please release funds," he said.
The BJP also condemned city's Health Minister Satyendar Jain for using abusive language against the civic bodies' engineering staff, who on Tuesday marched from the City Centre to Rajghat, holding bowls to beg for release of their salaries.
Upadhyay said the minister should not stoop so low when dealing with the state employees.
IANS
Trust this man to be back in the news. After being snubbed by the court for his non-maintainable and useless petition seeking action against Lord Rama for exiling his wife Sita to a forest, he has decided to take the case to the next level.
All I wanted from the court was justice for Goddess Sita who spent 14 years with Lord Rama in the forest during the period of vanvas. It was Rama who was asked to go on vanvas by his father Dashratha yet Sita agreed to join him. Still Ram treated her so shabbily, and this hurts me a lot. Sita hailed from Mithila and I, too, am from Mithila. It is natural that I have a soft corner for her, lawyer Thakur Chandan Kumar Singh told Firstpost.
The 31-year-old lawyer practises at Sitamarhi district court. Siatamarhi, a north Bihar district bordering Nepal, is named after Sita since it is considered her birth place.
According to him, the exiling of Sita is a perfect case of domestic violence and this indeed deserves legal attention. Had Sita been delivered justice, the cases of domestic violence would have drastically come down in the country as nobody would have dared to maltreat his wife, said the lawyer, adding, Justice to Sita would have meant justice to the entire women class, and not only this particular epic character.
He is unhappy at the court for not accepting the case for hearing. I had gone there for justice but was driven away. Kam se kam accept to karte, he said, adding the issue merited a national debate since it concerned the rights of a woman. He denied it had anything to do with hurting sentiments of a particular community.
Asked how did he expect the court to deliver justice since the case is very, very old and also there is no witness to testify, he said, The court could have done a favour by christening a particular place in Ayodhya as Mithila Nagari as a token of justice to Sita.
He denied that his motive was to gain cheap media publicity. I respect the courts decision to reject my petition but the issue deserves a full-throated national debate.
He, however, said that he had not lost the fight. I will think about the next course of action after having a look at the rejection order, he declared, ignoring frequent threats coming from Hindu organsisations and his fellow lawyers as well. At least three separate cases have been filed against the lawyer for tarnishing the image of Lord Rama and hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus. The angry lawyers have also demanded cancellation of his licence and lodging of a contempt case against him for filing a baseless case and spoiling precious time of the court when millions of cases demand attention.
However, this is not the lone case the man has brought to the notice of the court during his some 16-month-long tenure as a practising lawyer in Sitamarhi district court. Prior to this, he had filed cases against National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, former RJD minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Patidar leader Hardik Patel and Radhe Maa, the self-styled God-woman.
The former J&K chief minister earned his ire for his alleged statement that the entire force of India cant tackle terrorists while the RJD leader angered him for his remark that sages used to eat beef.
Opinion / Columnist
A hypocrite, according to the dictionary I have, is " 1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. 2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements."Professor Jonathan Moyo is a hypocrite per excellence; he fits the two definitions to the t!"The Statement declares support for scurrilous and unprecedented political attacks on Cabinet Ministers, including myself, who are also Politburo members by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Media, Information and Broadcasting Services, George Charamba," complained Professor Moyo in his own press statement rebuttal, with the feigned sanctimonious piety of plaster saint.When it comes to using the public media to attach other people the Professor is the worst offender. The nation only knows too well of how he has his two stints as Minister of Information to brainwash the nation as he turned the country Public print and electronic media into a well-oiled Zanu PF propaganda machine. He also used the public media to de-campaign and destroy his perceive political rivalries within the party.It was Professor Moyo who masterminded the scandalous corruption stories by Premier Medical Aid Society (PMAS) CEO, Cuthbert Dube and other Board Members including George Charamba. The former was being paid $500 000 a month in salary and allowances whilst the latter was get as much as $100 000 per year in fees.Whilst other political parties are built on ideology and sound achievements, Zanu PF is built on corruption and tyrannical oppression. Naturally the party has vehemently denied that there was corruption in the country much less in public office and involving party officials.President Mugabe, himself the leading exponent of those denying that there was no corruption and it was the one destroying the economy. Instead he led the charge in heaping all the blame for the country's economic woes on the "illegal sanctions imposed by the evil British imperialists and the Western allies". The expose of rampant corruption in PMAS and other public institutions and parastatals was putting to the sword the lie that there was no corruption. President Mugabe had no choice but to step in and stop the exposes; he knew who was behind the leaks and did not mince his words. He publicly denounced Professor Moyo calling him "the devil incarnate and the weevil destroying Zanu PF from within"!"It is extraordinary and indeed scary that the Dzivarasekwa Presidential Guard Barracks was used as a venue for a meeting whose purpose was to plot and threaten physical harm against a Cabinet Minister and Politburo member appointed to both offices by His Excellency, the President. This was a gross and unacceptable abuse of a State facility," continued the sanctimonious saint Jonathan Moyo.Professor, what were you and a few other doing in Tsholotsho in 2004 if not plotting a coup against the same president whose appointed ministers and politburo members you now consider "untouchable".Professor Moyo was one of the ministers who attending Grace Mugabe's "baby dumping" rallies to ouster Joice Mujuru in 2014. Joice Mujuru was then accused of plotting to assassinate President Mugabe a charge that has never been proven or had anyone arrested over to this day. It was none other than Professor Moyo who had the last word on this; he still maintained the matter was still under police investigation and those responsible will be charged.When is come to plotting destroy others, succession and coups and factional wars Professor Moyo is the granddad political intrigue and all manner cloak and dagger devilish activities but being the granddad of hypocrites he is quick in reaching for the Bible especially when he is the target of an attack!
Chandigarh: A man from Jammu and Kashmir was arrested by Punjab Police on Tuesday for allegedly spying for Pakistan in Pathankot, by clicking photographs of sensitive defence establishments, police said.
Irshad Ahmed, who belongs to Surankote area of Jammu and Kashmir, was working as a labourer with a contractor in Punjab.
Police recovered photographs of Mamun Cantonment, the largest cantonment of the Indian Army, and other defence installations in the area, from the spy's possession, an officer said.
"He was supplying photographs to his ISI handlers in Pakistan," the officer said.
Sources said that based on interrogation of the arrested spy, his brother was also arrested from Jammu region on Tuesday.
Pakistani terrorists had attacked the sensitive Pathankot Air Force Station on 2 January, leaving seven security personnel dead. All six terrorists were killed by security forces.
On 27 July, 2015, three terrorists from Pakistan had attacked Dinanagar town, leaving seven people, including four security personnel, dead.
IANS
Jaipur: Union minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday suggested said that sex determination test should be made compulsory to track women pregnant with a girl child as a measure to check female foeticide.
"In my personal view, the woman should be compulsorily told that whether it is a boy or girl child whom she is going to give birth. It should be registered to be able to check whether they have given the births or not," the minister for Women and Child Development said.
"I am just putting out this idea. It is being discussed though there is no conclusion yet," she said at the All India Regional Editors Conference here.
It is a different way to look at this problem (female foeticide), which could be solved with this idea, she said.
"We cannot keep catching people doing (illegal) ultrasound," she said, adding that arrest of such people was not a permanent solution.
PTI
By Sonal Matharu
Civil society groups working on the issue of female foeticide in India woke up to a rude shock this morning.
Women and child development minster Maneka Gandhi said in Jaipur on Monday that the results of child sex determination test during pregnancy should be made known to the parents and if the child is a female, the delivery should be tracked and recorded. Through this, it can be ensured that the foetus is not aborted.
By Tuesday afternoon, the ministry was quick to term this as a point of view which has often been brought up by stakeholders before the [WCD] ministry which the minister reiterated at the conference and asked for media persons suggestions on the same.
Her statement, however, has caused a stir in the circles of those social activists and doctors who have been trying to save the unborn girl children in the country. Their experience tells them that whatever efforts have been put into this issue so far will be reversed if the ban on sex determination of the foetus is lifted.
Their first concern is how the pregnancies will be monitored and tracked. The union government currently tracks pregnancies through its army of Accredited Social Health Workers (ASHAs) and anganwadi workers. Under the National Health Mission, Union Health Ministrys flagship programme for maternal and child health, the pregnant women have to register at the nearest anganwadi centres and with the ASHAs who can then ensure that they are immunised and taken for delivery to a hospital.
But there is still a fraction of women who do not approach hospitals either for per- or post-delivery care or for deliveries. Home deliveries are very much a reality in all states in India and these may not be registered or monitored by the ASHAs. Besides, the flourishing private health sector, which falls under the purview of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 that checks sex selective abortions but do not have to report every delivery or abortion to the government,may provide a safe haven for sex selective foeticide.
The latest National Family Health Survey 4 (2015-16) data that has released provisional figures for 13 states and union territories show that in Haryana almost six percent of total deliveries are conducted at home by skilled health attendants. There is no data on the home deliveries conducted without any birth attendant present.
Also, only 52 percent institutional deliveries (out of 80.4 percent) are conducted in public facilities in the state and mere 19.5 percent women complete the ante-natal care required, indicating that women may not be constantly connected to the health system between their pregnancies and deliveries. The data is no different in other states.
But why pregnancies should be tracked at all, asked Ranjana Kumari from Centre for Social Research. She contended that tracking womens pregnancies goes against their reproductive rights. A Delhi-based social activist who has worked on the issues across many states felt that tracking pregnancies will have a negative impact on a womans legal right to a safe abortion.
The PCPNDT Act makes disclosing the sex of the foetus punishable. It often clashes with the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 that gives women right to safely, medically abort the foetus.
Another issue which may be completely overlooked if the sex determination is allowed is the mushrooming of the ultrasound centres. You will give a free hand to people for the work that they are doing discreetly till now, said the Delhi-based activist.
The sex of the foetus can be known in 12 weeks, during which time many families do not even disclose the pregnancy. The technology develops very fast in this field and now with new scanners, one can know the sex of the child in six to eight weeks. By legalising sex determination, we are only encouraging newer, faster technology without any monitoring mechanisms in place, the activist added, stressing that the move will not address the issue of female foeticide at all.
Gandhis statement also completely overlooks the discrimination women face in households and how little control they have over their reproductive rights. Kumari felt that the situation for women will become worse when the family will find out that she is carrying a female foetus. The kind of pressure she will have from the husband and the in-laws will be immense. And it will not come as a surprise, given the patriarchal society we live in, if the women carrying female foetuses are fed less in homes.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that the government is considering this move of making sex determination mandatory, the civil society members say, but it is the first time a Union minister has put this idea in the public domain. They are surprised that Gandhi made a statement public when the PCPNDT Act is not even a mandate of her ministry. The Act falls under the purview of the Health Ministry.
Dr Jignesh G Thakker, who is a member of Indian Radiology and Imaging Association (IRIA), said that the association had suggested the same to the Union Health Ministry five to six years back. But alongside, he wants the private health sector regulated where one can be sure that ultrasounds are conducted by qualified radiologists. The radiologists can then keep the government informed who can track the required pregnancies and prevent female foeticide. This way the issue of unreported pregnancies can also be checked. The PCPNDT Act will have to be scrapped, said Thakker.
The civil society is demanding a social impact study to show what kind of impact this move will have.In our society, girls are not respected either inside the house or outside. The impact of the move should first be studied for at least five years before making such a statement, said Dr Tajinder Pal Singh, a radiologist from Punjab.
The ministers statement comes at a time when the NFHS 4 data shows some of the states with past history of poor child sex ratio with better numbers in the latest data. For instance, in 2005-06, Haryana with sex ratio at birth at 762 is at 836 in 2015-16. However, there are states like Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim and Karnataka that have seen a drop in the sex ratio in the latest data.
There are also unexplainable trends in the latest survey that question how foolproof the system of tracking pregnancies is. Take, for example Sikkim, which has 94.7 percent of all deliveries in health care institutions (institutional delivery in public facility: 82.7 percent). However, mothers who received full ante-natal care during pregnancy is a mere 39 percent. The case of Sikkim is peculiar because it has seen a drastic fall in child sex ration from 984 in 2005-06 to 809 in 2015-16.
Gandhi, in the past, has made similar suggestions questioning the channel being followed in providing food to the anganwadi centres across the country. She had suggested that the food should be produced at a centralised kitchen, despite a 2004 Supreme Court order that says that children should be fed hot cooked meals prepared at decentralized kitchens prepared by local womens self-help groups and mahila mandals.
Instead of giving it to anganwadis to make food, mothers to make food, villagers to make food, why dont we have it made at a central place by a company - whether government or not - and put into measured cups of whatever we intend to feed them [children] at whatever stage? And in them come the micronutrients iron, folic acid into millets, noodles made of millets and ragi. We change this everyday so that we get clean, machine made, proper, basic food. I am sure we can make the food good, Gandhi had said at the launch of India Health Report by International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI) and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) in December.
By Shubhda Chaudhary
On 18 December, Rohith Vemula had written a letter, by hand, to the vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad, stating, Please serve 10 mg of sodium azide to all Dalit students at the time of admission. With direction to use when they feel like reading Ambedkar and Supply a nice rope to the rooms of all Dalit students.
Soon after he committed suicide, depression theorists have been egregiously citing his case as one of clinical depression, trying to reduce his death to mere rhetoric rather than a fallout of the institutional anti-Dalit politics practiced by the University of Hyderabad. Many stated that an inordinate amount of importance is being given to the suicide note. However, the question which arises is this- if it were not for the suicide note, how would we have known about the malpractices being carried out with respect to Dalit students in the university? How would we have come to know of the prejudices and the influence of extraneous forces, apart from the utter ineptitude of the administration?
Rohith along with four other comrades were expelled from the struggle, were surviving in a makeshift tent in the campus, because of an alleged assault on one Nandanam Susheel Kumar, the president of the HCU unit of the ABVP. All the official inquiries, the doctors testimony and the witnesses confirmed that it did not take place. So, was Rohith treated in a just manner? It was indeed a tragedy.
Political journalists like Manu Joseph have drawn a parallel between Rohiths suicide and farmers suicides in India. Claiming that depression or alcoholism is behind their agony, the government has anyway been trying to render farmers invisible. No one talks about land grabbing, corruption in allocation of government funds, the politics behind the very nomenclature of who can be a legitimate farmer or why farmers are unable to repay their loans. No one talks about the thousands of widows who are left behind, who do not get any government support after her husbands suicide on the grounds that the deceased was suffering from depression. There are millions of stories like these, which are never uttered, because its easier to leave them aside. Quite erroneously, Manu Joseph states that In a country where most people can be termed farmers, it is not anomalous that most people who kill themselves would be farmers. Perhaps Joseph does not know that in cases of farmers suicide, the family needs to fill up a 40-page questionnaire that question his identity and even if, on one single point, there is an anomaly, the government denies money to the family. Does Joseph understand the tribulation and agony that a family needs to undergo in order to establish that the deceased was a farmer?
Is it right to compare Rohiths case with that of Deepika Padukone who recently openly accepted that she was suffering from depression? Comparisons like these are laughable. On one hand, you have a celebrity, who is in the limelight, who has control over her life and her decisions, who above all is not a victim. On the other hand, you have Rohith, who was a Dalit activist, who in his entire life had suffered the burden of his identity, who did not have control over how his identity is perceived, who was an outcast. How can a comparison like this even have an iota of intellectual thought?
Manu Joseph comes from a state (Kerala) that has the highest suicide rate in India. Also, he should not reduce the issue of depression and suicides to only Dalits. The notion itself tries to manufacture consent on the idea that suicides take place within Dalits, as if the upper castes do not commit suicide.
It appears that depression theorists are using the term clinical depression as an analytical category and not as a clinical condition. Officially, does the state even reveal data on the deaths of Dalits or farmers? It is a misfortune of todays era, especially in the Indian context, that for a protest or an agitation to be taken seriously, someone needs to die. Death, here rewards, only posthumously.
Scholars like P Sainath, Meena Kandaswamy, Subhash Gatade and Ravichandran Bathran have voiced their support, lamenting the death of a bright student intellectual who loved science and stars, idolized Carl Sagan and thought minutely about his own existence. It reveals how deep-rooted casteism is indoctrinated within our mental faculties that the idea of the other can lead a section of society to create its own fabricated depression story.
In the ongoing rhetoric, clinical depression is being analysed as if its just another disease, reducing the deep-rooted scars and pain that it causes to a human soul. Theorists who make such claims certainly do not understand what clinical depression is, a fact that is quite evident from a superficial reading of the phenomenon. Research worldwide, including in India, suggests that at least one in five women and one in 10 men suffers from major depressive disorder at some time in their lifetime, states Dr Shamsah Sonawalla, consultant psychiatrist. There are thousands of Indian citizens, in fact 1 in 10 Indians, who navigate through jagged decades of health and work, tormented by troubled moods and disturbed brains, causing heartbreak to their loved ones and challenges to their doctors. Does the nation care? Perhaps not!
P.Sainath has rightly said, French writer Victor Hugo wrote that there is nothing on earth that can stand in the way of an idea that has come. In India in 2016, I think that time has come. And the idea, is justice: social, economic, cultural, gender, and for Rohith and a billion other Rohiths.
My argument is, instead of trying to fit the episode in a fabricated depression theory, intellectuals must come up with a solution. Nothing else really matters because India will soon forget Rohith, as it did the woman who was gangraped in Delhi in December 2012. If we need to more forward and make a concrete change, we dont need recycled ideas, but a solution.
Pune: The body of a student, who drowned along with 13 of his colleagues out on a picnic, was on Tuesday recovered from the Arabian Sea off Murud beach in Raigad district even as initial information suggested that the tragedy struck when 10 students formed a human chain to save four drowning campus mates and ended up meeting a watery grave.
A defence spokesperson said the body was recovered on Tuesday morning. The bodies of 13 students were recovered on Monday itself in searches conducted by the Navy and the Coast Guard.
"We have received information that the body of Madaki Saif Ahmed has been recovered. His parents had rushed to the spot and after the post mortem, the body will be brought back to Pune," said PA Inamdar, president of Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, which runs the Abeda Inamdar Senior College in Pune where the students were studying.
Hundreds of relatives and friends of the deceased, meanwhile, gathered at various burial grounds and crematoriums in Pune for their last rites.
Fourteen students, including 10 girls, aged between 18 and 20, had drowned in the sea at Murud on Monday afternoon.
"As per the primary information received from the spot, some three to four students, who went ahead inside the water, started drowning. As other students saw them, some ten students, formed a human chain and they too ventured into the sea and drowned along with their campus mates," Inamdar said.
He said the college would initiate an inquiry to find out if there was any negligence on the part of the faculty members who accompanied the students on the picnic.
The picnickers were accompanied by around ten staff members, including teachers, college authorities said.
"We have sent our trustees and teachers to meet the families who lost their children in the tragic incident. We are ensuring them complete support in this situation," Inamdar said.
Meanwhile, the college declared a holiday today to pay homage to the deceased students.
Maharashtra has announced Rs two lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.
Meanwhile, terming the incident as the biggest 'human loss' for the institute, Head of Computer Science department, Shakila Banu Mulla, said despite issuing necessary instructions to students before they ventured into the beach, they lost them and it is an "unrecoverable" loss for both the institute and parents.
"It was a horrific scene as in few moments, the picnic turned into a tragedy and all happened in front of our eyes," Mulla, who had accompanied the students on the picnic, said.
Mulla, who was seemingly in a shock, reached Pune this morning from Murud and said this is not the first time they took students on educational excursions to a beach site.
"Every time we go for such trips, we issue instructions to our students and always keep an eye on their movements. Yesterday also, instructions were issued to them," said Mulla.
"Suddenly a high tide came and some students got swept away and those who ventured inside the water to save them, started drowning too," she said.
She said on the very moment when faculty members came to know about drowning, they raised an alarm by shouting for help and local people rushed to rescue.
"A small boat was pressed into action by locals, who managed to rescue some students," she recalled.
"We are yet to believe that such a tragedy has taken place in reality. This human loss is really unrecoverable for the institute as well as for parents," she said.
PTI
The body of a student missing in Monday's drowning tragedy at a beach in Murud was fished out of the waters on Tuesday, an official said.
The Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard personnel had resumed their air and sea search for the missing student, Saif Madki, and after over three hours, located his body floating in the waters at Murud beach.
An Indian Navy Chetak helicopter and an interceptor speedboat had resumed search for Madki at daybreak, 15 hours after a massive tragedy struck, killing 13 other students, including 10 girls, of Pune's MCES Abeda Inamdar College.
Maharashtra Governor CV Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief and deep shock over the tragedy and the state government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2,00,000 to the families of each victim.
The Maharashtra government has good reason to be concerned about the deaths. Recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau states that Maharashtra has the highest number of deaths due to drowning in India, with as many as 4,822 fatalities in the year 2014. Further, according to data from the World Health Organization, Mumbai saw the second highest number of such deaths among major cities in India after Chennai. If the number of deaths from neighbouring Vasai-Virar is added to those from Mumbai, the number goes up to 263, the highest in the country.
What is also worrying is the age profile of those affected by such accidents. More than half of the people (50.6 percent) who died due to drowning in India are under 30 years of age. This percentage is even higher than that for traffic accidents (42.8 percent), which are known to be the cause of the deaths of young people.
Aged between 19 and 23 years, the victims who died in Murud were mostly students of BSc (Computer Science) of a minority-run institution in the Azam Campus of Pune's Camp area.
The people who died were: Rafiya Ansari and her sister Shafiya Ansari, Sumaiya Ansari, Sheefa Kazi, Supriya Pan, Sana Shaikh, Swapnali Salgar, Sajeed Choudhary, Iftekar Shaikh, Samreen Shaikh, Mohammed Ansari, Farin Sayyed and Rajlaxmi Pandugayala.
Although the exact cause of the mass-drowning which took place on Monday is unclear, local fisherfolk and villagers claimed that they had warned the students against venturing too far out in the sea waters. Their warning went unheeded.
However, in many of the deaths due to drowning, the people of fishing communities are naturally at risk. The WHO points that individuals engaged in fishing and children living near open water sources are particularly at risk in low-income countries, as reported by The International Business Times.
The issue is particularly important as drowning is the second biggest (9.4 percent) single cause of accidental deaths due to unnatural causes after traffic accidents (53.4percent), according to the NCRB data. However, such deaths appear to evoke much less public concern as compared to traffic accidents. One wonders whether the beach tragedy in Murud will change things, particularly in the state which is seen to be most affected by the problem.
With inputs from IANS
By Suman Naishadham
Heavy hopes rest on the curative petition that will be brought before the Supreme Court today as the final appeal available against the December 2013 judgment that preserved the validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The ruling, which repealed the landmark 2009 Delhi High Courts decriminalisation of gay sex, has since worn the patience of Indias LGBTQI community and compromised its safety as well as its access to healthcare. Todays juncture breathes hope into the communitys tortuous 15-year battle for justice but it is important to temper this hope expressed through candlelit vigils in cities across the country with an understanding of the legal background on which the petition hinges.
Here are four reasons why:
1. The precedential value of review petitions
Todays curative petition follows the January 2014 Supreme Court order that summarily rejected eight review petitions filed by the Centre government, Delhi-based NGO Naz Foundation, LGBTQI activists and others against the 2013 ruling. Justice HL Dattu and Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya comprised the two-man bench that dismissed the petitions as lacking merit, seeing no reason to interfere with the order in a disappointing decision that led Naz Foundation to file the last-recourse curative petition.
Todays hearing will unusually be conducted in an open-court setting (as opposed to closed-chamber), but keeping expectations slim is wise given the overlap in judges who oversee reviews and curative petitions. Even with the expanded five-judge bench headed by Justice TS Thakur, a decision to abolish the Court's 2013 ruling seems unlikely given its previous unwillingness to consider any of the petitioners pleas and the generally low rate of success of curative petitions. The fact that Naz Foundations curative petition will be heard, generating attention across the country and world about Indias LGBQTI communitys long struggle, may remain the highlight of days events.
2. The restrictive parameters of curative petitions
The Supreme Court has allowed just two curative petitions to date. A relatively new judicial process, it was introduced in 2002 (Rupa Ashok Hurra versus Ashok Hurra), to enable the Court to reconsider a previous judgment in the exercise of its inherent powers. However, the grounds on which the Court entertains curative petitions are restricted to where it finds a gross miscarriage of justice, a violation of natural justice, or a suspected bias by a presiding judge.
Since the Koushal judgment resulted from a facial, or non-specific, challenge to Section 377s constitutionality, an overhaul or reading-down of the provision based on Naz Foundations body of evidence of LGBTQI abuse is doubtful given the Courts past reasoning that the community comprised a minuscule fraction of the population, and therefore, did not amount to the necessary aberration of justice. Additionally, even if todays petition does lead to a reading-down of Section 377, the provision will remain in the statute books and could very well be abused by the police to harass minorities, writes Akila RS, visiting faculty at National Law University in Delhi.
3. The courts textual take on Section 377
The 2013 Suresh Kumar Koushal judgment is perhaps most noteworthy for the courts textual interpretation of Section 377, whereby it maintains that the provision only criminalises acts of carnal intercourse against the order of nature but does not target identities, orientations or genders. Such a reading of the law effectively places the regular police abuse, extortion, and harassment of the LGBTI community, all of which Naz Foundation and other gay-rights activists have cited as effects of upholding Section 377, outside the ambit of the Court's order.
It eliminates a nexus between the 2013 re-criminalisation of gay sex and the gross miscarriage of justice necessary to allow a curative petition. Ironically, the Courts dedication to a textual analysis in light of the remarkable April 2014 National Legal Services Authority versus Union of India judgment, which recognised transgender people as a third-gender, could result in its continued denial that Section 377 targets LGBTQIs and lead to a defense of the law in order to prosecute child sex-abuse and other non-consensual, non-procreative sexual acts.
4. The Grim Option of Legal Reform
If todays curative petition proves unsuccessful, the path forward would be to push, once more, for the abolition or amendment of Section 377 in Parliament. This option understandably warrants pessimism given the speed with which Parliament dismissed Shashi Tharoors proposed amendment to the bill in the Lok Sabha, 71-24, in late 2015. The justification cited by opponents varies from opaque, historically baseless Indian culture reasons, a dedication to the Indian Penal Code, to perhaps most disheartening, a commitment to majority-only issues.
Still, in the Supreme Courts willingness to hear todays petition, after a wait of almost two years, there is some reason to hope that it will reconsider Section 377s influence in the anti-majoritarian struggle that is securing LGBTQI rights. If overturning Koushal fails, it will be imperative that activists utilise resources available to the LGBTQI community, such as state legislatures and those politicians willing to continue pushing for reform.
The author is a political science graduate from New York University and is a Hyderabad-based freelance writer. She tweets @SumanNaishadham
Hyderabad: Two top Congress leaders party were injured in an attack by MIM workers in the old city in Hyderabad during elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Tuesday.
Congress' Telangana unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir sustained minor injuries in the attack in front of Mirchowk police station.
MIM workers attacked Uttam Kumar Reddy's car, damaged its window panes and manhandled the Shabbir, who is leader of opposition in Telangana legislative council.
Shabbir sustained injuries including one near his eye. The attack took place in the presence of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who had reached the police station to protest presence of the Congress leaders.
The incident led to tension in the area. Congress leaders led by Uttam Kumar Reddy later marched to the office of director general of police and staged a sit-in, demanding Owaisi's arrest.
The Congress leader demanded repolling in all divisions in the old city. He alleged that MIM in collusion with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) rigged the elections.
Uttam Reddy also claimed MIM workers also attacked a reporter of Urdu daily Siasat when he raised an objection to rigging.
Trouble began after the Congress leaders came to the Mirchowk police station to demand release of party leader Mohammed Ghouse, who was earlier arrested in Khilwat area.
Owaisi with his party workers also reached the police station raising slogans against the Congress leaders. The MP wanted to know from police why the Congress leaders were allowed.
Ghouse, who recently resigned from the MIM to join the Congress, and MIM leader and Charminar legislator Ahmed Pasha Khadri were arrested in Khilwat when they clashed near a polling station after accusing each other of influencing voters.
IANS
Opinion / Columnist
Human rights are best described by many scholars as those rights which are natural to the human being. The idea of human rights acknowledges that every single human being is entitled to enjoy his or her individual rights without distinction as to race, sex, language, religion, political, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.The Human Rights Watch (HRW), is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) which is on record for criticizing the operations of the Zimbabwean Government unjustifiably. In previous years, HRW attacked the Government on the Land reform programme. According to that NGO, land reform programme was inhuman and violation of human rights. Where were such organizations when the same land was taken inhumanly from the majority blacks and given to a few whites during colonial times? If taking back one possession is a crime then HRW and its handlers can sing to the heavens and Zimbabwe will never back down.Recently, HRW has been in the media imprudently accusing President Mugabe and the ruling Government of failing to suggest any meaningful human rights reforms.Reading through the article in a local daily press, one will not be surprised with the false accusations coming from such a private American NGO which is openly fighting for a hidden agenda. It is known that most NGOs operating in the country are clandestinely spearheading regime change in Zimbabwe.It is well understood that former Vice President Joice Mujuru, was dismissed from the ruling party ZANU-PF, against charges of corrupt activities, engaging in criminal abuse of office, undermining the party and President as well as fanning factionalism.The true reason for Mujuru's expulsion now differ significantly with what the HRW is now proffering. That embattled NGO is blaming the President for expulsion of Mujuru from the revolutionary party alleging that it was done to consolidate his grip of power'. HRW must be shameful of such irrational statements which tarnishes the image and reputation of the President. ZANU-PF has its rules and procedures which guides its operations. If anyone breaches these it is the prerogative of the party to either discipline or dismiss anyone caught on the wrong side of the law. HRW should not hide behind monitoring of human rights in the country, when in actual fact it's a political activist group working in cahoots with opposition parties like MDC-T and its various formations.HRW also has been claiming that the arrest of vendors who were failing to comply with the municipal councils order to relocate to designated areas was abuse of human rights. Truth be told, anyone found against the law must be arrested despite of his or her background. Failing to arrest such notorious vendors will certainly create an impression that there is no rule of law in Zimbabwe. Subsequently, the Americans will be attacking Zimbabwe asserting that there is no rule of law. No-one is above the law. Certainly, there is neither harassment nor human right abuse in relocating vendors. Laws of the country must be obey, lest we be accused of being a banana republic.Furthermore, cases of violence among opposition political party members have been reported across the nation. The law should be applied to all those found guilty. HRW should stop misleading people that the Zimbabwean government is abusing human rights.Human rights do exist in the country. For instance, there is freedom of speech and press. Local journalists have the opportunity to write articles freely provided the information is true and accuracy. Zimbabwe also enjoys the freedom of religion. No-one has been persecuted for belonging to any religious organization like in other countries. Democracy strives in Zimbabwe, there are a number of political parties in the country and people belong to political parties they prefer.In that vein, there are human are rights in Zimbabwe.
Lahore: Pakistani author Intizar Hussain, widely recognised as one of the greatest Urdu writers in history, died on Tuesday aged 92 in the eastern city of Lahore, according to his doctor, following a period of illness.
The prolific author was known for his novels, short stories, columns and poetry and belatedly saw worldwide recognition when he was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize in 2013 and was awarded France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres a year later.
Born on 7 December, 1923 in Dibai, India, he migrated to the newly formed Pakistan in 1947 an experience he wrote about 50 years later in The First Morning.
The short story captured the horror and optimism that accompanied the Partition of India where an estimated 14 million people were displaced, the largest mass migration in human history.
The history of Pakistan and the subcontinent was also the setting for his acclaimed novel Basti, published in 1979 and later translated into English.
He was also a regular literary columnist for Pakistan's leading English-language daily Dawn, and in later years became known as a voice of moderation and advocate of what he saw as the subcontinent's ancient traditions of pluralism and tolerance.
Fellow Urdu writer Munnu Bhai told AFP: "Intizar Hussain was a man of letters. His death has left a huge gap in the literary circle of the subcontinent that would be felt of the centuries to come."
Hussain's wife, Aliya Begum, died in 2004 and the couple had no children.
AFP
Even as Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi called for making sex-determination tests compulsory to battle India's problem of female foeticide, the Congress has said that it could be counter-productive and lead to further problems.
Congress leader PC Chacko told ANI, "In this country today, women are unsafe, girl child is unsafe and if by sex-determination, the information is registered whether the female foeticide can be stopped, this is her idea or imagination. Whether it will be counter-productive, whether it will have (a) positive effect is something to be seen."
Chacko also wondered if it was a well thought-out plan.
Maneka had on Monday suggested said that sex determination test should be made compulsory to track women pregnant with a girl child as a measure to check female foeticide.
"In my personal view, the woman should be compulsorily told that whether it is a boy or girl child whom she is going to give birth. It should be registered to be able to check whether they have given the births or not," the minister said.
"I am just putting out this idea. It is being discussed though there is no conclusion yet," she said at the All India Regional Editors Conference here.
It is a different way to look at this problem (female foeticide), which could be solved with this idea, she said.
"We cannot keep catching people doing (illegal) ultrasound," she said, adding that arrest of such people was not a permanent solution.
With inputs from PTI
Hyderabad: An estimated 45 percent polling was reported in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election on Tuesday, which passed off peacefully barring minor clashes in the old city area.
Citing preliminary information, GHMC Commissioner and election officer B Janardhan Reddy told reporters that about 45 percent turnout of voters was reported till 6.30 pm.
The final figures may vary after compilation of the data.
Around 43 percent polling was reported in the last GHMC elections in 2009.
Mild tension prevailed at Mirchowk in the old city when activists of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Congress clashed towards the fag end of the polling process.
According to Srinivas Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mirchowk), police had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse the warring groups when both sides gathered at Mirchowk police station.
Trouble started when Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress leader in the Legislative Council Shabbir Ali reached Mirchowk Police station to get released their party candidate Mohammad Gouse, who was taken into custody.
MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also reached there at the same time and tension mounted. MIM MLA Pasha Quadri was also taken into custody when he and Gouse confronted each other.
A vehicle belonging Reddy was damaged by miscreants.
"This is a conspiracy by both TRS and MIM. Somehow they want to win the elections. They have arrested our contesting candidate. After lot of pressure, the police released him," Reddy told reporters.
"We were attacked by Asaduddin Owaisi and his supporters. They broke my car. They manhandled the Leader of Opposition (Shabbir Ali)," Reddy claimed.
He further said he has filed a police case on this issue.
Later in the evening, Congress party held a dharna in front of Telangana Director General Police's office demanding punishment for those responsible for attack on its leaders.
Meanwhile, police said they dispersed MIM party workers who allegedly tried to attack Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali's son Azam Ali.
Police took MIM MLA Ahmed Balala into custody in connection with the incident.
Popular Telugu actors Nagarjuna, Ramcharan, Allu Arjun, junior NTR and Balakrishna, who is a TDP MLA in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, were among the celebrities who exercised their franchise in the polls.
TDP President and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's wife N Bhuvaneswari, Naidu's son Lokesh, who is TDP General Secretary, also voted in the GHMC elections.
About 72 lakh voters were eligible to cast their vote in the GHMC area which covers about 24 assembly segments in Telangana.
The counting of votes would be taken up on 5 February.
PTI
Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P. Rajkhowa has terminated the services of Advocate General Ranji Thomas and Additional Advocate General R.H. Nabam, Raj Bhavan said on Tuesday.
"In exercising of power conferred to him under Article 165(3) of the Constitution of India, the governor withdrew his pleasure with respect to appointment of Thomas as advocate general and Habam as additional advocate general of the State," Raj Bhavan spokesperson Atum Potom said in a statement.
On Monday, Rajkhowa had said he was "nobody's agent" and that Raj Bhavan was not the headquarters of the BJP or the RSS.
Within a few hours of Rajkhowa letting go two top law officers, The Indian Express reports that a top retired IPS officer - Y S Dadwal, who joined last week has resigned because of "personal reasons". Y S Dadwal, a 1974-batch IPS officer, has earlier served as Delhi Police Commissioner.
Rajkhowa had sent out a message this week saying people could refer complaints to the governors secretariat and the two advisors between whom various departments have been clearly distributed -- retired IAS officer GS Patnaik and retired IPS officer YS Dadwal, who joined as advisors barely a week ago.
SC recalls notice to Arunachal Governor
The Arunachal Pradesh political crisis took a dramatic turn 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.
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 IANS inputs
By KA Antony
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala is jittery as the Bharatiya Janata Party is bent on ordering a re-investigation into the top-level political conspiracy that led to the murder of CPI-M rebel and Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader TP Chandrasekharan of Onchiyam in 2012. In connection with the probe, the BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan has offered all help possible to RMP leaders, including KK Rema, Chandrasekharan's widow. After a meeting with Rema and other RMP leaders, Rajasekharan made it clear that he would send a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to consider the RMP plea for a CBI probe.
Talking to Firstpost, Rema said she hoped things would finally turn in her favour.
We have been demanding a CBI inquiry into the murder as only such a probe would bring out the conspiracy angle. Everybody in Kerala knows that comrade Chandrasekharan was murdered with knowledge about certain top-level leaders of the CPI-M. The state government did nothing to dig into the conspiracy angle. In fact, the government derailed the inquiry, she said.
Rema said she has already sent a petition to Modi requesting a CBI probe. We had also sought an appointment with the prime minister, who is coming to Kozhikode on Tuesday. But we were told that meeting here may not be possible due to his tight schedule, she added.
The CPI-M saw red in the BJP's move to support the RMP as its Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan has already been arraigned by the CBI for the murder of Kadirur Manoj, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary, who was hacked to death on 1 September, 2014. However, CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balkrishnan said his party was not afraid of a CBI probe as none of its leaders had any role in killing Chandrasekharan in May 2012.
The BJP is trying to win the support of the RMP ahead of the upcoming Assembly election. Some of the RMP workers have already joined the BJP. As for Rema and the RMP, they have already become anti-Marxist. So there will be no surprise if they join hands with the BJP-RSS, he said adding that the CPI-M would fight the Chandrasekharan murder case legally and politically.
A former Democratic Youth Front of India (DYFI) leader, Chandrasekaran was hacked to death on 4 May, 2012.
After parting ways with the CPI-M in 2009 over certain local issues in the party, he had floated the RMP, which became a formidable force in the Vadakara Taluk in Kozhikode district of Kerala. The CPI-M suffered setbacks in the panchayat and Lok Sabha elections soon after. As Chandrasekharan was killed after the unexpected defeat of CPI-M sitting MP, P Sathidevi from the Vadakara constituency believed to be a formidable fortress for the party, Rema and her friends had raised suspicions about the role of Sathidevis brother P Jayarajan and then party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in planning the murder.
What if someone tells you that he was busy surfing Jaal Sthal then got on to Bhramandhwani, all the while keeping a close eye on Anu Dak? And then he had to rush for a Kaushalya and for Madhyan Gyan Bhoj?
Youll either immediately take him to a shrink or wonder if your friend is referring to an outer space edition of Google Maps that may have slipped your notice.
Welcome to Bharatiya Sikshan Mandal (BSM), an RSS affiliate which has coined these weird-sounding words.
To its members and followers, Jaal Sthal is the name for world wide web (www), Anu Dak is email, mobile phone is Bhramandhwani, Madhyan Gyan Bhoj is lunch during a business meeting. The list is endless.
BSM claims these terms are taken from Sanskrit.
The organisation believes that the kind of research currently under way in hundreds of educational institutions, universities and other foundations is adding to the volume but socially irrelevant.
It is, therefore, organising a three-day Research for Resurgence International Convention from 11-13 February in Nagpur, hometown of the ideological fountainhead of Sangh Parivar. There will be extensive brainstorming for 12 hours a day, starting from 8 am in the morning.
BSM may not be an easily recognizable name but such is its clout that that three senior Union ministers Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar and Nitin Gadkari will fly in for the convention.
The HRD minister will make the inaugural address on the opening day. Environment and Forest Minister Javadekar will deliver the keynote address the next day and on the third and concluding day, Highway and Shipping Minister Gadkari will be there for the valedictory address.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, will attend the event.
Sitting in the audience and making their presentations in due course will be 55 vice-chancellors of various Indian universities.
BSMs all India organising secretary Mukul Kanitkar said so far 55 VCs have confirmed their participation.
Several other educationists from within the country and abroad will also be present. How the ministers and VCs shape the government policy on research based on the deliberations of the meet will be a matter of great interest.
When chaos reaches its ultimate pinnacle an urge to go back to basics is what comes as an obvious step. Eternal Bharatiya darshan has the potential to imbibe a rethinking of the basics. This is where the resurgence is aimed at. Going back to basics It will make the research socially relevant, eco-friendly as well as technically and economically sustainable, reads the stated objective.
According to Kanitkar, ministers and some other participants have been asked to elaborate on their policies to promote research that are socially relevant and productive.
The BSM website or their Jaal Sthal created for the purpose, says: Real education should be based on first-hand knowledge gained out of the most primary source experience.
No amount of theorizing, rationalizing and memorizing can substitute the experiential realization of reality. Hence research needs to be promoted at an early stage in the process of education.
All the genuine intellectuals of the world are alarmed at the situation and there is an underlying concern for a sustainable and holistic resolution of conflict in all the avenues of human activity viz economics, technology, science, religion, international relations etc., it says.
New Delhi: Amidst increasing attempts by Islamic State to lure Indians into its fold, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday held a meeting with top Muslim clerics and sought their cooperation to check the growing tentacles of the dreaded group among Muslim youth.
The hour-long meeting, also attended by NSA Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry officials, apprised the Muslim clerics about activities of the Middle-East terrorist group and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold.
The Home Minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who offered all help to the government in this regard, official sources said.
The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to IS, the growth of IS influence in India's neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response.
Those who attended the meeting include Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti of Ajmer Sharif, Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi of Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Tauqeer Raza Khan, Rafiq Warshiq, Shia leader Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Qalbe Jawaid, Kamal Farooqi, Mushafa Faruqi besides others.
The need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed, especially in the area of information technology were also discussed threadbare.
In his remarks, the Home Minister said India's traditions and family values will overcome such nefarious designs of terrorist groups and that while the traction that IS has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant in comparison to other countries, there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner.
This was for the first time that the Home Minister had a meeting with Muslim clerics on the issue of IS.
Last fortnight, the Home Minister had a meeting with top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states and discussed steps to check the growing influence of IS among youngsters through social media and other sources.
PTI
Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohras invitation to the state party chiefs of PDP and BJP has raised a piquant question over constitutional processes for forming a coalition government. He would have been well advised to invite the legislative party leader of at least the BJP and perhaps the deputy leader of the PDP in the assembly.
Of course, calling on party presidents to tell the head of state how MLAs (or MPs) will vote candidly acknowledges the realities of how power is exercised in our democracy; almost every party is a dictatorial fief. On the other hand, formally turning to party presidents reinforces these skewed systems. India does not have a list system of elections. The constitution conceives of each assembly and Parliament member as representing the people of a constituency rather than a party.
That is in fact the only sensible way to practice democracy in such an extraordinarily diverse country. Not only are there thousands of linguistic, caste and other sorts of ethnic groups across India, many of these are concentrated in particular pockets, making representation of each constituencys ethnic particularities very important.
This diversity is greater in Jammu and Kashmir than almost anywhere else in the world. The problems, aspirations and frustrations that the MLA for Kargil represents are a world apart from those which Kathuas MLA represents. In fact, Kargils needs are different to those of nearby Leh, or even of adjacent Zanskar. Gurez, Karnah, Uri, Mendhar, Kishtwar and Bhaderwah are examples of relatively isolated places with distinct ethnic, geographical and economic features.
A party tends to reflect the political priorities of its central authorities. The wing of the party in the legislature must consider different priorities, even if only to be able to enforce its writ on members when they are called on to vote according to the partys instructions in the house.
A governor must take into account the fact that, to begin with, the constitution does not acknowledge political parties. The Election Commission does, and gives candidates of a party a common election symbol. The Commission also accounts for electoral expenses incurred by a party while limiting a candidates expenses.
The power of the political party was slipped into the Constitution through the Tenth Schedule, which allowed a party to unseat an MP who defied the party line during a vote unless at least a third of the legislature party voted in concert to split the legislature party. It was one of the anti-democratic steps Rajiv Gandhis advisers such as P Chidambaram pushed when their government was insecure in the late 1980s.
Bad precedent
It was President KR Narayanan who first gave party bosses outside the house formal power in government formation. Before he accepted Atal Behari Vajpayees claim to be prime minister in 1998, he asked the heads of political parties for letters vouchsafing that their MPs would back the National Democratic Alliance coalition for the full term of the house.
He thus empowered persons like J Jayalalithaa, who had never been MPs, and Bal Thackeray, who had never been elected to any house, to formally decide how MPs representing various constituencies would vote. The political and constitutional frailty of that bureaucratic demand for letters from party bosses was demonstrated a year later, when Jayalalithaa had tea with Sonia Gandhi. That paved the way for the fall of the Vajpayee government and fresh general elections in 1999.
President R Venkataraman had adopted a far more statesman-like approach in 1991. When PV Narasimha Rao, the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party, went to meet him, the President greeted him warmly and handed him a letter appointing him as the prime minister.
For the next year-and-a-half, Raos government continued with the open support of only 226 members in a house of 544 (well short of a majority on paper). But President Venkataraman had correctly assessed the chemistry across the political spectrum that gave Rao the constitutionally required `support of the house.
Whenever a budgetary vote came up, over which the government could fall, the Left members walked out to protest something in the bill. The BJP walked out before each vote on a motion of thanks to the President another bill over which the government could fall. It was only after the destruction of the Babri mosque that the Congress was forced to buy the support of some MPs in 1993.
Governor Vohra chose not to follow Venkataramans precedent last year. He could have appointed Mufti Sayeed, leaving it to the latter to choose between the publicly declared support of the National Conference or reach an agreement with the BJP.
His invitation to the state party chiefs today is less objectionable than President Narayanans decision in 1988. The BJP state president is a member of the assembly, and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti is an MP. Plus, a meeting of the party legislators on Monday authorized her to speak for them. A broad spectrum of partys leaders had already authorised her on Sunday to take decisions.
That she was authorised by party MLAs is an encouraging sign. For, decisions regarding the house must be taken by those directly elected by members of the house. No doubt she has learnt the concepts behind the design of the constitution well. Her late father, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, had deeply imbibed the basic concepts of democracy.
BARCELONA, SpainDimoco representatives will attend the Mobile World Congress 2016 event in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 22-25, to present carrier billing and mobile messaging trends.
Dimoco will showcase new developments of the No. 1 digital payment method in reach, as well as of the A2P (application-to-person) SMS area at a 126m booth.
Also this year we have been working together with worldwide leading market research companies like Juniper Research, said Gerald Tauchner, Dimoco president and CEO. Digital content with a value of 14 billion EUR will be billed via carrier billing in Europe in 2020. This means an increase of 40 percent in comparison to 2015.
The 2016 publication of the white paper The Future of Carrier Billing in Europe will first be released at the Mobile World Congress. MWC visitors will have the chance to pick up a copy of one of their favorite issues directly at the Dimoco exhibition booth 8.1A67.
In addition to the digital content market with its areas of games, music, video, ePublishing, adult content, and dating services, the development of carrier billing in Europe in particular has been scrutinized; and chances and possibilities for content and operating system providers and network operators are also presented within the white paper.
According to Portio Research, an enormous growth in the mobile messaging area is also to be expected: From 1.625 billion A2P SMS in 2015 to 1.762 billion A2P SMS in 2018. Focusing on white routing and its direct connections to network operators, Dimoco Messaging has positioned itself as a global, independent, telecom carrier-grade A2P messaging provider with an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) licensesupporting companies to send A2P SMS worldwide.
For more information, visit Dimoco.eu.
Mumbai: Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday alleged that he was being targeted by the BJP government as he belonged to a backward community and because some people were trying to settle scores with him.
Bhujbal's nephew Samir was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case in Mumbai on Monday after the agency conducted multiple searches in connection with its probe against the Bhujbals and others.
In a video released from the US, Bhujbal alleged that he is being targeted by the BJP government, because he is a leader of the OBCs.
"Some people are trying to settle scores with me for the fight that I have put up for the cause," the former Maharashtra deputy chief minister said.
Samir's arrest was preceded by multiple searches in Mumbai conducted by the ED in connection with its money laundering probe against Chhagan Bhujbal and others.
The Union Government, in the winter session of Parliament in December, had said that Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigations against Chhagan 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 18 December, 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 M/s KS Chamankar Enterprises and others.
"I am in the US to attend a conference by the US Congress. I came to know my nephew is arrested, and that they are behind my son Pankaj as well. Also once I reach Mumbai they will be targeting me as well. What are the reasons?" Bhujbal said.
The former deputy chief minister said that the Maharashtra Sadan that came up in Mumbai was build on a B-O-T basis under the chairmanship of an Infrastructure committee headed by the chief minister.
"The decision was taken after a lot of discussion. There is no irregularity and even officials from the present government have seconded that. But still BJP MP Kirit Somiya is making allegations that there is a scam," he said.
He alleged that his children were running legitimate businesses, but some people were working in a direction to destroy the Bhujbal family.
"This is because I am a fighter and on the other hand, through my organisation Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad I have been working for the backward classes all over the country. And hence, some are keen to settle scores with me. And that's why I am being sacrificed. But, I am sure that I will get justice," Bhujbal said.
PTI
NEW YORK Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, locked in a tight race in Iowa with front-runner Hillary Clinton, won big on Facebook (FB.O) in the day leading up to the state's pivotal presidential caucuses.
Sanders amassed the largest number of new Facebook followers of any candidate in the race, the social network said on Monday, topping Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump by 15,695 to 10,704. Clinton had the third most new followers, with 6,210 liking her page in the past day.
Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, also dominated the conversation surrounding the caucus on Facebook through Monday morning.
From midnight to noon CST (0600-1800 GMT), 42.2 percent of conversations about the caucuses were about Sanders, compared with 21.7 percent for Trump and 13.1 percent for Clinton, according to Facebook.
While social media buzz does not necessarily translate into votes, it is a good indication of the interest level surrounding a candidate.
Iowans began choosing candidates at 7 p.m. CST (0100 GMT on Tuesday), with results expected within a few hours. The contest is the first of the state-by-state battles to pick nominees for the Nov. 8 election to succeed President Barack Obama.
Google trends data also showed strong interest in Sanders.
In Iowa, Sanders was the top-searched-for Democratic candidate on the search engine, with 52 percent of queries relating to the Democratic candidates. Clinton commanded 42 percent of queries. Even so, Trump was the top most-searched for presidential candidate overall, according to the most recent Google search data available.
LAST-MINUTE CAMPAIGNING
The hashtag #IowaTODAY was the top trending U.S. topic on Twitter on Monday night. As the clock ticked down to the start of the caucuses, candidates made last-minute appeals on social media.
Only a few hours left before the Caucus! Can I count on 40 more people to donate from Twitter before it starts? tweeted Paul (@RandPaul) on Monday evening.
We can and we will get back to the founding principles that made America great, Cruz (@tedcruz) tweeted on Monday, with the hashtag #CaucusForCruz.
Clintons Twitter account (@HillaryClinton) tweeted a code where cellphone users could enroll in text message alerts from her campaign.
Some candidates were already looking ahead to New Hampshire, which holds its presidential primary on Feb. 9.
Join us tonight in Manchester for the first of our New Hampshire swing, Republican Jeb Bush (@JebBush) tweeted, with a link to claim tickets to a town hall event scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST on Monday.
(Reporting by Anjali Athavaley; Additional reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Peter Cooney)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Two employees of Pakistan International Airlines were killed after a standoff with police on Tuesday, which led the national flag carrier to wind down its operations across the country.
As news of the deaths spread on Tuesday evening, the flight operations began shutting down in solidarity with the protesters, officials said.
The operations were suspended around 4 pm at Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta airports, officials confirmed.
PIA Lahore spokesman Athar Awan said flight operations were halted after two PIA employees were killed in clashes with police and Pakistan Rangers.
A Civil Aviation Authority official in Quetta, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that flights to and from Quetta were delayed indefinitely following the protest outside Karachi airport.
Two protesters died after they sustained bullet injuries and five others were injured, but Rangers and police denied "handling protestors violently" and opening fire on them at the site of the clash, Dawn reported.
The incident came a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enforced the Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1952, for six months in an effort to block the impending strike of the airline staff.
The employees of Pakistan International Airlines are opposing the airlines' privatisation and are determined to disrupt flight operations from Tuesday despite the government's threat to terminate their services for work stoppage.
A large contingent of Rangers and police personnel was stationed outside the major airports to control the protestors and avoid any violence.
Police and paramilitary rangers deployed tear gas and water cannon against the protesters from Pakistan International Airlines after they blocked the main entrance to Karachi's Jinnah International Airport around midday.
Gunfire later erupted, although the source of the shots was unclear. Both law enforcement agencies denied they had shot at protesters.
Dr Seemi Jamali, a spokeswoman for the government-run Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, told AFP the hospital had received a total of 10 wounded, one of whom later died.
"Four people with gunshot wounds were brought to the hospital, one succumbed to his injuries while the other three are in stable condition," she said. Six others, among them journalists who had been covering the protest, were treated for other injuries.
Another employee, who had also been shot, was taken to the private Aga Khan University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
"The PIA employee was brought dead to our emergency department and our team attempted to revive him for 20 minutes," a spokesman of the hospital told AFP, identifying the deceased as Inayat Raza.
Nadeem Jaffer, a colleague and friend of Raza, confirmed his death at the hospital.
Kamran Fazal, the police chief of the city's eastern district said: "The situation escalated when a couple of gunshots were fired. My officers told me that they might be fired from the crowd.
"We are searching for the empty shells and only then can we establish who opened fire."
The PIA employees' union had announced a day earlier its plans to shut down the airline's flights after weeks of token strikes against government proposals to complete the partial sale of the carrier by July.
The move follows years of crushing losses and mismanagement that have battered the airline's reputation.
PIA suffers from frequent cancellations and delays and has been involved in numerous controversies over the years, including the jailing of a drunk pilot in Britain in 2013.
The airline has also traditionally handed out tens of thousands of free tickets each year, contributing to its losses.
With agency inputs
Islamabad: A parliamentary panel in Pakistan has asked the government to avoid "encouraging" support to militant groups in Kashmir and take action against outfits involved in attacks in the region to dispel international concerns.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday issued a four-page policy paper linked to Kashmir, the Express Tribune reported.
"Pakistan should not encourage calls for active support to armed, banned, militant groups in Kashmir," the paper, that has a series of policy recommendations on Indo-Pak ties, said.
India has been demanding that Pakistan act against militant groups operating from its soil.
The committee, headed by ruling Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Awais Ahmad Leghari, proposed that the government should take action against "violent armed outfits" to dispel international concerns that Pakistan was not doing enough against groups involved in attacks in Kashmir.
The panel suggested that Pakistan's policy towards India should be based on four key principles -- reciprocity, reduction, resumption and result.
"Pakistan should continue seeking comprehensive engagement with India on all outstanding issues," it said.
In the absence of this scenario, however, the committee recommended that the government engage with India on four key issues -- Kashmir, water, trade, and culture and communication.
On Kashmir, the panel recommended that Pakistan continue calling for resolution of the dispute as the core issue between the two countries.
"A key component of Pakistan's proactive involvement on the Kashmir issue should be lending solid diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiris," it said.
On the water issue, the panel said the issues should be discussed holistically rather than focusing on particular projects. It called for highlighting issues related to the Indus Water Treaty in international forums.
On trade, the committee said Pakistan should focus more on reducing and controlling informal trade with India.
"This can be done through enhancing the capacity of the customs department and the border forces. Furthermore, by relaxing the process to acquire visa, informal trade can be controlled," it said.
PTI
The Pope is all set to become a movie star.
That's right. Pope Francis will become the first Pope in the world to appear in a feature film. And he will play himself.
According to a report in Variety, the film Beyond the Sun is a religious movie and family adventure based on the Gospels which will see the Pope playing himself.
The report also said that Pope Francis had told the filmmakers to make a movie which tells children about the message of Jesus Christ. Moreover, all profits from the movie will be donated to Argentinean charities El Alemendro and Los Hogares de Cristo.
However, another report in The Guardian said that information on the site of AMBI Pictures (which will fund and distribute the film) mentioned that Pope Francis might just appear in an epilogue of the movie in which he tells children "how and where to find Jesus".
"The Pope is not an actor," the report quoted a Vatican spokesperson as saying.
However, irrespective of the importance of the Pope's role in the movie, it will be interesting to see Pope Francis be a part of a feature film.
After all, if Sachin Tendulkar can decide to play himself in a movie, so can the Pope.
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar Hundreds of lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy were sworn into Myanmar's parliament on Monday, with enough seats to choose the country's first democratically elected government since the military took power in 1962.
The NLD won some 80 percent of elected seats in November's historic vote, catapulting it to power as Myanmar's ruling party after decades of struggle that saw many of its members imprisoned.
But the junta-drafted constitution means the party will have to share power with the army that for years suppressed, often brutally, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and her allies.
The first sitting of the NLD-dominated parliament is another step in Myanmar's drawn-out transition, which started with the election and will go on until the NLD government officially begins its term in April after parliament has picked a president.
"This is Myanmar's first parliament in years that was chosen by the people," said Pyon Cho, who is now a lawmaker and spent 20 years in jail as a member of the anti-junta group the 88 Generation Students.
"We have the majority. We have the duty to fulfill our manifesto and change the lives of the people in this country."
Some new members looked disoriented as they wandered through the enormous parliament building in the purpose-built capital, raised by the junta in secret from the region's rice paddies.
The presidential nomination process is likely to take place later in the month, NLD members said.
Under the 2008 constitution, Suu Kyi is barred from taking the post because her children are not Myanmar citizens. She has given no indication as to who will take over from outgoing President Thein Sein and the NLD has no clear No. 2.
IN CONTROL
Suu Kyi has said she will be "above the president," and in complete control of the government, but the NLD has not explained how she will do this.
Each of the parliament's two chambers will choose a presidential candidate and the military officials who hold a quarter of seats will also put forward their own nominee.
A combined session of the chambers will then vote on the three candidates. The winner will become president, with the other two serving as vice presidents.
This week, the NLD will focus on appointing parliamentary speakers, who were announced last week. It will also prepare for the start of state and regional assemblies on Feb. 8, some in places dominated by large ethnic minorities such as Shan state in the east or Rakhine in the west.
Expectations are towering for Suu Kyi, who is regarded with an almost religious zeal in the Southeast Asian country. Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest after the NLD won an election in 1990. The junta never recognised the result of that vote.
In Washington, the State Department called the seating of parliament a very important step forward in Myanmar's transition, although it said more steps were needed toward becoming a fully-fledged democracy.
"We are encouraged by the commitment of Burma's political leaders to work together in the spirit of national unity and reform and are hopeful that this will continue throughout the transition period and beyond," spokesman John Kirby said.
Myanmar's 51.5 million people expect the NLD to fix everything, from completing the transformation of an economy stunted by decades of isolation to bringing peace to states riven by ethnic conflict.
The people "hope that every problem will be solved automatically after the NLD becomes the government, FDI (foreign direct investment) will come in," said Shwe Mann, the outgoing speaker of parliament, who is close to Suu Kyi despite being a former leader of the junta-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party.
"To accomplish the challenges, they need to choose the right people and put them in right positions," said Shwe Mann. "This is also my main concern, because it will decide the performance of her government."
(Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington; editing by Simon Webb, G Crosse and Alex Richardson)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
WASHINGTON The top U.S. Marine Corps and Army generals said on Tuesday that women should be required to register for the military draft, along with men, as the armed forces move toward integrating them fully into combat positions.
"I think that all eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft," General Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on women in combat.
General Mark Milley, the chief of staff of the Army, also backed registration for women, although two other witnesses, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy, said only that there should be a discussion of legislation requiring women to register for the Selective Service.
The U.S. military is currently an all-volunteer force, but young men are required to register in case the draft is reactivated.
The military leaders said it would take years for women to be fully integrated into combat units, although they generally voiced strong support for the plan to skeptical committee members.
Milley estimated full integration would take "no less than one to three years of deliberate effort."
President Barack Obama's defense secretary, Ash Carter, announced in December that the military would let women serve in all combat roles. The historic announcement was greeted with intense skepticism by many Republican members of Congress, as well as expectations it would require women to register for the draft.
Republican Senator John McCain, the committee's chairman, said at the time it would have "a consequential impact" on U.S. forces and their war-fighting capabilities.
On Tuesday, McCain said he worried there had not been enough planning. "I am concerned that the department has gone about things backwards," he said.
Many Republicans said they fear the imposition of quotas mandating a specific number of women in some units, such as Marines in positions that might require hand-to-hand combat.
The military leaders repeatedly rejected that suggestion. "It would endanger not only the safety of Marines, but also the safety of our nation," Mabus said.
Obama's fellow Democrats expressed strong support.
Senator Jack Reed, the top committee Democrat, said physical abilities alone do not determine whether a military unit is effective.
"Fighting and winning wars, as Im sure our panelists know well, involves much more than that," Reed said.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New Delhi: Tata Motors said Tuesday it would rename its new Zica hatchback as global alarm grows over an outbreak of the identical-sounding Zika virus.
Tata Motors has in recent weeks been heavily promoting the small Zica -- whose name stands for "zippy car" -- with a marketing campaign starring Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi.
But its launch comes at an unfortunate time, with the mosquito-borne Zika virus spreading rapidly through Latin America, where it has been blamed for a surge in brain-damaged babies.
"Empathising with the hardships being caused by the recent 'Zika' virus outbreak across many countries, Tata Motors, as a socially responsible company, has decided to rebrand the car," the company said in a statement.
The car, aimed at young people, is due to go on public show at India's Auto Expo 2016 which opens in New Delhi this week.
"While it carries the 'Zica' label for the duration of the event, the new name will be announced after a few weeks, ensuring all necessary consumer/branding and regulatory aspects are addressed, and the launch will take place thereafter," the statement said.
The World Health Organization on Monday declared an international health emergency over the Zika virus, which has spread to more than 20 countries and territories.
It said the disease was "strongly suspected" to be linked to a large number of babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads.
Brazil has warned pregnant women to stay away from the Olympics, which open in August in Rio de Janeiro.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries Zika and the dengue and chikungunya viruses, is also widely prevalent in India.
AFP
By Ashok K Singh
One mans terrorist versus another mans freedom fighter. Moderate, secular groups pitted against Islamists. Does it ring a familiar bell?
India has battled the diabolical perception war over 'your terrorists versus my freedom fighters', 'secular versus Islamists' for decades in the Kashmir valley scarred by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. In another corner of the world, the debate over who are terrorists and who are moderates, who are secular and who are Islamists has bedeviled the road to Syria peace talks in Geneva. Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia and Turkey sparred for months debating the inclusion or exclusion of armed groups fighting in Syria from talks.
The reason: The frontline armed groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad are considered freedom fighters by Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners are viewed as terrorists by the Russians and Iranians. The pro-Assad forces are dubbed terrorists by the Saudis and partners.
In the run-up to the selection of groups, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was insisting on the two largest and militarily most powerful groups, Jaish Al-Islam and Ahrar Al-Islam, being kept out of the talks describing them as terrorist organisations. Russia had blamed Jaish for the attack on the Russian Embassy in Damascus some months ago. Later, the Jaish Al-Islam leader Zahran Alloush the most notable rebel leader was killed in a Russian air strike. Alloush had raised a powerful army of 20,000 and was camping on the outskirts of Damascus to seize the Syrian capital once Assad fell.
After protracted negotiations, Jaish Al-Islam and Ahrar Al-Islam joined the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) a body of 40 groups which was formed at a meeting in Riyadh, to represent the main Syrian opposition at the talks. But the Russians continued to oppose their inclusion. The HNC has entered into negotiations with UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura in Geneva.
The Russian foreign minister had also insisted on inclusion of what he called 'secular' opposition groups and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). The Kurds have been in forefront of the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. What Lavrov had meant was that the Assad regime, though dictatorial, represents an inclusive Syrian population, while the pro-Saudi groups fighting Assad, are pushing to impose their sectarian agenda on Syria.
Turkey has threatened to withdraw support to the talks if the PYD was included.
Turkey links PYD to the PKK, the Kurdish militant rebels based in Turkey and Iraq, who have been fighting for self-determination for the Kurds, and dubs the PKK a terrorist organisation. So much so that when IS attacked the Kurdish town of Kobane on the Syria-Turkey border, Turkey refused to let the Peshmergah, the Kurdish forces of Iraq, enter through its border to fight the IS. After much international outcry and persuasion, Turkey allowed a limited number of Peshmergah to enter Kobane that led to the key border town being protected and saved the Kurdish population from being massacred by the IS. Turkey had its way in keeping out the PYD from Geneva talks.
Even after the Syria government and opposition groups have reached Geneva, the proximity talks (the groups will sit in different rooms while de Mistura will shuttle between them during the talks) are proving to be a non-starter. The HNC is insisting on the Assad government to lift the siege on towns and provide humanitarian access to the area under oppositions control as a pre-condition for talks to start.
In the Syrian war, there are well over 100 major heavily armed groups. Some groups, such as Jaish Al-Islam and Ahrar Al-Islam, are proclaimed Islamists who want to push their sectarian, political and religious agenda in post-Assad Syria. Some armed militia have no such sectarian biases while some major armed outfits such as the Shiite Hezbollah are fighting on the side of Assad. The Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front (Al-Qaeda-affiliated) are the extremists among the extremists.
Who is fighting who on the ground is a quagmire.
Some fronts are fighting together to fight Assad; some are fighting against each other to fight Assad and some are claiming to fight the Islamic State. Or lets put it this way: The Islamic State is fighting them. The battleground is deadly, chaotic and messy. The Geneva peace talks are set to be as messy, chaotic and uncertain as the battleground in Syria.
Whether opposition or pro-regime, the forces gathered in Syria for talks have one thing in common. They have their strings being pulled by major powers from outside Syria. Regional powers Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran have their proxies on the ground doing their bidding in hope to secure a more favourable result and to have a finger in every pie in the post-Assad Syria. Syria doesnt have much oil and gas. But a victory in Syria will determine a crucial battle in the war over West Asia between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The proximity talks are all about proxy talks.
As the UN envoy and mediator has gathered the warring sides in Geneva, the battles on the ground have intensified. The Syrian army assisted by Iran and Russia has notched several crucial victories in the last week capturing strategic towns in setback for the rebels. The see-saw battle between the Russian and Saudi-US-Turkey proxies will continue as talks progress or falter as no side is yet in a position to give knockout punch.
The proximity talks are set to last six months if they start. On the ground, the proxies and their masters are working overtime to get as much battle mileage as they can as a bargaining chip for the talks as well its outcome.
The writer is a journalist and commentator
New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday urged southeast Asian countries to strengthen surveillance and preventive measures against Zika virus, already reported in 22 countries and territories in central and south America.
"There is a need for the South-East Asian countries to increase surveillance and take preventive measures against Zika virus which is strongly suspected to have a causal relation with clusters of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO South-East Asia regional director.
The WHO has declared the recent clusters of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in the Americas as a public health emergency of international concern.
Khetrapal said the countries should build capacities of their laboratories to detect the virus and strengthen surveillance for cases of fever and rashes, neurological syndromes and birth defects.
The Zika virus, first discovered in Uganda in 1947, is spread through bites of Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector for dengue. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rashes, joints pain and conjunctivitis.
The illness is usually mild with the symptoms lasting a week. There is no vaccine for Zika virus disease at present.
Meanwhile, the union health ministry on Tuesday released a list of guideline to prevent the spread of Zika virus in India.
"All sectors that can assist should be engaged, and the public told about the risks and preventive measures against Zika virus disease. People can protect themselves against mosquito bites by using insect repellents, wearing clothes that cover as much of the body as possible," an official statement said.
IANS
Are you among the 400,000 freshmen in California or 2.9 million nationwide who have just started college, or are about to? As you b...
Google is planning to tighten its grip around the Nexus line of smartphones and tablets. The company is apparently looking forward to take Apple-like approach and control the design and build of the Nexus phones, according to a latest report from The Information.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has signaled to colleagues and outsiders that the company is planning on taking more control over the Nexus line, from hardware to software. Currently, Google controls only the software part of the Nexus devices, however, with this possible new approach, the company could eliminate OEM partners and make the hardware as well. Until now, the company has teamed up with Android manufacturers such as LG, Samsung, Huawei, and Motorola for its Nexus devices. The report says that once Google takes over the Nexus program it will control the hardware and design of the devices without taking any inputs from OEMs. It looks like Google wants to go with the same approach it used for its Pixel C Android tablet. The move to control both the hardware and software is supposedly being put in place in order to make the Nexus line more like the iPhone.
Finally, the report suggests that once Google take control, the Nexus line will end up having only Googles branding. The company is looking forward to take the charge of the Nexus line as it wants to compete with high-end Apple iPhones that are currently at the helm of the smartphone ecosystem.
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One reason that Bank of America's (BAC -0.49%) profitability lags its two principal peers is because it has to hold more capital relative to its assets than JPMorgan Chase (JPM -0.21%) and Wells Fargo (WFC 0.37%). But there's more to it than just the quantity of capital, because the quality of capital matters as well.
Bank of America's problem is that it has too much goodwill on its balance sheet, which came from its long history of overpaying for acquisitions. Let's say, for example, that Bank XYZ has a book value of $100 million, but is bought by Bank ABC for two times its book value, or $200 million. To account for the $100 million premium, Bank ABC must record it as goodwill on its balance sheet.
Goodwill is an intangible asset. It just sits on a bank's balance sheet taking up space. It's like the ghost of Christmas past that forever haunts firms that overpay for acquisitions. And no bank had been guiltier of this than Bank of America. Its two biggest acquisitions serve as cases in point. It purchased FleetBoston Financial in 2003 for 2.8 times book value. And it paid 1.4 times book to buy Merrill Lynch at the absolute trough of the financial crisis.
Meanwhile, one week after Bank of America paid a 40% premium to book value for Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase picked up Washington Mutual for a 73% discount to book. Fast-forward another week and Wells Fargo paid 70% less than book value for Wachovia, which more than doubled Wells Fargo's size.
You can see the impact of these deals on the percentage of common equity that's accounted for by goodwill. The figure at Wells Fargo is 14.9%. It's 21.4% at JPMorgan Chase. And at Bank of America, it's 29.8%.
This may not have been as big of an issue before the crisis, but regulations passed in its wake make this additional goodwill incredibly significant. One of the things that lawmakers and regulators have done is to reduce the total amount of leverage that banks can use. This hits the nation's biggest banks the hardest, because they have to hold more capital relative to their assets than their smaller counterparts do. Right now, for instance, JPMorgan Chase must reserve 3.5% more of its equity as a buffer against future losses. Bank of America and Wells Fargo have to hold 3% and 2% more, respectively.
But even more significant for present purposes, regulators have constrained the type of equity that can be leveraged in the first place -- and goodwill doesn't qualify. As a result, even though it's counted against a bank when calculating return on equity, it can't be used to produce profits. This acts as a double whammy against Bank of America and helps explain why it generated a 6.2% return on equity last year compared to 10.5% and 12.8% at JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, respectively.
There's little that Bank of America can do to overcome this other than to figure out some way to squeeze more profits out of its operations -- something that's virtually impossible to do given the commoditized nature of banking products. This doesn't mean that Bank of America's stock isn't a buy right now. But it does mean, at least in my opinion, that it's a shorter-term value play rather than a long-term bet on outperformance.
Monsanto (NYSE:MON), a global provider of agricultural products for farmers, says they support efforts to label genetically modified organisms despite reports that say the chemical company is trying to block legislation.
We arent. Theres a lot of confusion around labeling and I think it surprises a lot of people, Dr. Robert Fraley, Chief Technology Officer at Monsanto tells FOXBusiness.com. If were going to label foods it should be done on the national level, not done city by city or state by state.
In 2014, Vermont became the first state to require mandatory GMO labeling, which is set be implemented in July. Connecticut and Maine have also passed similar laws that will go into effect once neighboring states are on board. Additionally, over 30 states have introduced bills to label foods.
But according to the campaign, Just Label It, federal legislation blocking GMO labeling developed by food companies and dubbed the Dark Act (Denying Americans the Right-to-Know) has already passed the House of Representatives and will be introduced in the Senate soon.
Last August, FOXBusiness.com reported that $51.6 million was already been spent by various food corporations, trade groups, and biotechnology companies including Monsanto to block state laws prohibiting natural claims on GMO foods, which will make it virtually impossible for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create a mandatory nationwide labeling system.
The biotech industry along with the big food industry have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to block mandatory GMO labeling. So, it is disingenuous for anyone from Monsanto to claim they support labeling, says Tara Cook-Littman, Co-founder of Citizens for GMO labeling. We are still shopping blind.
According to a poll by The Melman Group in December, 89% of American voters say consumers have the right to know if their food is genetically modified and they support mandatory GMO labeling.
And, the demand for Non-GMO products is growing rapidly too. According to the non-profit, The Non-GMO Project, over 34,000 products have their certified Butterfly label.
There was no way for a shopper here in the U.S. to find whether or not a product had GMOs. So we created the Non-GMO Project to offer a consistent third party-verification program and a label that people can easily look for when theyre shopping, says Megan Westgate, Director of the Non-GMO Project.
Westgate also says that shes seeing a shift from some of the biggest food companies in America as well.
They are now coming to us to ask to get there products Non-GMO Project verified, she adds.
Earlier this month, Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE:CPB) announced it will label all of its U.S. products that have ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms, making them the first major food company to respond to growing calls for more transparency.
PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), who according the Environmental Working Group, was the third largest spender (behind Monsanto), dispensing $8.8 million to overturn state labelling initiatives last year, has also requested that their Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice get a Non-GMO Project label.
This commitment helps us shed light on the amount of genetically engineered ingredients commonly found in other juice drinks, and decreases the demand for the GMO oranges that are in currently in field trials, says Westgate.
Fraley, who was one of the leading scientists behind the creation of GMOs, says he thinks voluntary labeling make a lot of sense.
We support these kind of choices, says Fraley. My absolute favorite idea on labelling is the Smart Label, which the food industry is working on today. It uses a Quick Response Code so you can use your smart phone to find out every single thing you ever wanted to know about where that food came from.
Monsanto, which is the worlds largest seed company, accounting for almost one-quarter of the global proprietary GMO seed market, announced earlier this month that they will eliminate another 1,000 jobs over the next two years to deal with falling sales of biotech seeds.
Fraley adds that he doesnt see the increasing Non-GMO push as a threat either.
In fact, I think its a real strength of the U.S. agriculture system and our food system, that we have these choices.
Americans have now been consuming genetically modified organisms or GMOs for 20 years. The genetically altered seeds were first introduced to the market in 1996 and account for 80% of processed foods today.
Dr. Robert Fraley, Monsantos (NYSE:MON) Chief Technology Officer developed the seeds for the chemical company, which is the worlds leading supplier of GMO seeds, and also sells Roundup, its best-selling weed killer for crops.
The thing that Im most proud of is being one of the inventors of the GMO technology, he tells FOXBusiness.com. There has not been a single, not one single issue associated with the safety of these products.
However, many anti-GMO activists disagree, citing a recent study that linked Glyphosate, an chemical compound found in Roundup, as a carcinogen.
Just this year, the World Health Organization classified Glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. So most GMO foods that you eat have been sprayed by a chemical that is likely to cause cancer, says Megan Westgate, Director of the Non-GMO Project, a non-profit group aimed at getting GMOs labelled.
Its absolutely untrue, says Fraley. Roundup is absolutely safe. Its not a carcinogen. And the regulatory agencies that have the responsibility for regulating it like the EPA and the Canadian regulatory authorities in Europe have all studied Glyphosate extensively and concluded that its not.
Fraley says the thing most people dont understand is that weve been producing GMOs all along.
I would say that everything we eat has been genetically modified. If you go back to the early settlers, all the crops we grow in the U.S. from corn, soy beans, tomatoes, lettuce, have all come from someone else, he says.
Fraley says he learned about GMOs while studying at the University of California, San Francisco in the 1970s.
Thats where the first GMO experiments were done. And when I was there, they had already cloned the first GMO product ever developed which was human insulin.
Fraley says people dont realize it but GMOs are everywhere. They are used to produce half of the drugs that we take and are used to produce the enzymes in your detergent.
The reason we can wash our clothes in cold water is because there is now a specific enzyme that takes out the stains, he adds.
Westgate says there is confusion surrounding GMOs, which is encouraged by big biotechnology companies.
They tell people that genetic engineering is an extension of conventional breeding and its no different. The reality is that genetic engineering specifically involves re-arranging DNA in ways that dont happen in conventional breeding and that cant happen in nature, she says.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 57% of adults in the U.S. think genetically modified foods are unsafe and believe scientists lack a clear understanding of the potential impact on ones health.
Fraley says one of his biggest regrets was that he didnt educate consumers sooner about GMOs.
We (Monsanto) didnt put the kind of effort that we needed to as a company in communicating to the consumer. I think that we felt like we had done the science, and that was it, and it was someone elses responsibility in the food chain to have the dialogue with consumers.
Monsanto, which recently announced layoffs due to falling sales of GMO seeds, says they are now opening up their communication with consumers.
I think that we can provide a lot of the answers to the questions that people have and thats the kind of dialogue that we need to have.
The idea of the nation's power grids becoming the next battleground for cyber warriors could make hacking into consumers credit card accounts and personal information seem like childs play.
While U.S. power companies are likely targeted by foreign governments and others in increasingly sophisticated breaches, actually shutting off the lights and causing chaos is far more complicated than many pundits make it seem.
Dan Scali, senior manager of industrial control systems at Mandiant, a cybersecurity consulting arm of FireEye (NASDAQ:FEYE), explained that while cyber criminals may gain access to power and utility data systems, it doesnt necessarily mean the result will be a power outage and a total takedown of power grid control systems.
In other words, the power grid is controlled by more than just a panel of digital buttons.
Losing the control system is bad from the perspective that it takes you out of your normal mode of operations of being able to control everything from one command center, but it doesnt mean youve lost control or all the lights go out [in the city], Scali explained.
While many of the systems have been modernized to include digitized control panels, if a hacker were to infiltrate the system, a utility worker could still have the ability to manually control the machines by flipping a switch, pushing a button, or tripping a breaker.
As the world saw with the recent attack in Ukraine, which caused a blackout for 80,000 customers of the nations western utility, the biggest problem may be ensuring the power grids control systems are not vulnerable to cyber break ins. The January attack in Ukraine was likely caused by a corrupted Microsoft Word attachment that allowed remote control over the computer, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Scali said there was no evidence from the incident in Ukraine that the hackers malware was able to physically shut down the power.
"Attackers might be in position but waiting for the right time to strike. - Dan Scali, Mandiant
It wiped out machines, deleted all the files. Kill disk malware made it impossible to remotely control things. It caused chaos on the business network, and the area where control system operations sat. But the attacker, we believe, would have had to actually used the control system to cause load shedding, which caused the power to go out, or trip breakers to cause the actual problem. Malware itself didnt turn the power out, Scali said.
He said what most likely happened in that incident was the hacker stole user credentials and logged into the system remotely.
The bottom line: Yes, a similar event could happen in the U.S. And corporate America is concerned. A recent survey released in January on the state of information security, conducted by consulting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers, showed cybersecurity as one of the biggest concerns among the top brass at U.S. power and utilities firms.
Part of the problem, Brad Bauch, security and cyber sector leader at PwC said, is the interconnectedness of the industrys tools.
Utilities want to be able to get information out of [their] systems to more efficiently operate them, and also share that information with customers so they have more real-time information into their usage, he explained.
While allowing access to their own consumption data allows the companies to give their customers more of what they want, it also opens up a host of access points for hackers, making the systems more vulnerable than they otherwise would be.
But to say that the power grid is susceptible to cyber hackers is a bit of an oversimplification.
Nation State Motivation
Perhaps the most interesting part of the story is not the power grids potential for cyber-attacks, but that hackers could already be inside the system, just waiting for the right moment to strike, according to Scali.
The most likely source of attacks on U.S. power and utilities companies would come from other nation-state actors. Scali said the sticking point is theyre likely not looking to cause a physical disruption because they realize it could result in retaliation.
If you look at the situation in Ukraine, most of the attribution thats going on is a linkage to the fact its likely the attackers are from a Russian nexus from Ukraine. Obviously, its in Russias interest to flex muscles and turn the lights out in Ukraine as part of operations and campaigns in the conflict over the territory there, he said.
But when you turn the focus to potential attacks on the U.S., the question becomes: Who would want to turn out the power here?
Scali has seen vulnerabilities in corporate networks, computers and machines with malware, or devices communicating with China. He said while there may be pieces of the system that have been infected, it doesnt necessarily mean theyve been compromised.
When we go in we see exposures and that industry systems are vulnerable, but no impact of attacks, he said. "How do you reconcile that? First, nation states are waiting for the right time. You wouldnt do it unless it fits into strategy or create problems in the midst of overall conflict...attackers might be in position but waiting for the right time to strike."
The Solution
When it comes to locking down power and utilities systems, attempting to safeguard against potential outside threats, Rodney Joffe, cybersecurity expert and Neustar fellow, said its a challenge that everyone fails.
Unless power is off and machines are shut down, its vulnerable, he said. The secret, he said, is recognizing early on that a system is corrupted.
Joffe explained that often the motive for a nation state to attempt to hack another company is to steal proprietary information. In some cases, hackers could spend months and millions of dollars building systems based on stolen designs. However, what those cyber thieves dont know is that those plans are actually fake versions of legitimate documents the company has put in place to look like real design plans or industrial processes. The hackers dont know theyve been had until theyve invested time and money only to find they dont work.
Its recognizing where you can be compromised, and what you can do about it, he said.
Further, theres also a need to not just identify that an attack has happened, but to understand why and by whom. He reiterated that just stopping an attack doesnt always mean a company is safe. Its imperative to know who it was and what they left behind.
Scali added that another difficulty for the industry is a longstanding mindset that has been: If its working, dont touch it. That makes it easier for potential attackers to learn the systems and figure out the best way to break in.
Another prong to the muli-faceted solution is better prevention.
You can install all the best practice security in the world, but if the attacker steals the username and password of a legitimate user and they login remotely using that, its game over, Scali said.
Just like average computer users of Googles (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Gmail have become accustomed to the use of two-step authentication, power and utilities companies should do the same. The prevention measure requires a user to enter a unique, one-time code sent to a second device like a cell phone or token, to access control panels and data systems.
That second factor frustrates an attacker because they know they have to have your mobile phone or token or know that extra code in addition to the username and password. We see a lot of attacks that take advantage of credential theft, and for those, the key to prevention is two-factor authentication, Scali said.
A prominent Seattle cancer advocate and fundraiser has been accused of lying about her breast cancer diagnoses while she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, KOMO News reported.
Tracy Dart, who has raised more than $400,000 over the past decade for the Komen Foundation, is under fire for reportedly lying about her three cancer spells.
A Washington state car dealer who helped Dart raise thousands to fight the disease said a member of Dart's "Team Tracy" contacted him to reveal that Dart had never been ill.
She doesnt have cancershe never had cancer, the representative said, according to Auburn Volkswagen owner Matthew Welch.
Welch said he wasnt angry about the representative's accusation, telling KOMO, I would say [Dart] needs help and I hope she gets it.
Darts family recently contacted the Komen Foundation with similar concerns, KOMO reported. The foundation confirmed to KING-5 News that Dart fundraised for them, but added that Dart herself never received money in return.
We are sad for Tracy and her family and hope that she, and they, will find healing in the days ahead, Christi Ball Loso, a Komens spokeswoman, said in an email to the New York Daily News. The Team Tracy community has been a steadfast supporter of our mission to end breast cancer since 2006. This money has been used as intended for Komens research and community health programs.
"Team Tracy" has since been disbanded and several of its social media pages have been removed. Darts personal Twitter page remained active and her bio describes her as a 3x breast cancer survivor. A link to the Team Tracy blog has been blocked to outside users.
According to the Daily News, a 2010 profile in the West Seattle Herald reported she had been battling cancer for two years.
Ive tried so hard to find a good reason why I had to go through this, why this has happened to me, and why I am not having to go through this a second time, Dart said in the profile. All I can think of is that I am meant to get out and spread the word that breast cancer doesnt just affect older women.
A Seattle Police Department representative told the Daily News that police are aware of the allegations, but could not confirm if an investigation had been opened.
The real victim is the real [cancer] survivors out there who are really going through the treatment, Welch told KING-5.
Most people get a massage for physical or mental rehabilitation, or simply to treat themselves, but one British woman said she saw an extraordinary benefit after seeing her massage therapist.
Jan Secker, of Guisborough, Yorkshire, told The Daily Mirror that her reflexology massage therapist detected her cervical cancer by feeling a popping and crystal sensation in Seckers body.
Secker, then 39, said she had been too busy to get a pap smear despite having a family history of cancer. But after two sessions with her therapist, Joanne Byers, in 2009, she decided to go in for a checkup.
I had no idea anything was wrong, Secker told Mirror.co.uk. I was really busy at work and just didnt have time to look after myself.
Byers, who runs the business Hands on Healing and works at Beauty Retreat, in Guisborough, said the pressure thats applied to the foot during a reflexology massage has a direct connection with other parts of the body.
You can pick up if there are changes or problems in other parts of the body, Byers said. "I could feel something wasnt right in that area, and I said you must go for your check."
Today, five years after she received a positive cervical cancer diagnosis then underwent radiotherapy and a radical hysterectomy, Secker is cancer free.
"I had always thought that because of my family history of cancer I may be at risk but it was a big shock at that age, Secker told the news website. "If I hadnt gone then it may have been too late for me.
A person in Texas has become infected with the Zika virus through sex, the first case of the illness being transmitted inside the United States, health officials confirmed Tuesday.
Dallas County health officials said the unidentified patient had sexual contact with an infected individual who had returned from Venezuela and fallen ill with Zika. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement saying lab tests confirmed the non-traveling patient was infected with the virus.
Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others, Zachary Thomson, director of DCHHS, said in a statement. Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually transmitted infections.
The virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, is primarily spread through mosquito bites, but investigators had been exploring the possibility it could be sexually transmitted. There was a report of a Colorado researcher who picked up the virus in Africa and apparently spread it to his wife back home in 2008, and it was found in one man's semen in Tahiti.
There are no reports of the virus being locally transmitted by mosquitoes in Dallas County, Fox 4 reported. However, health officials said it could happen eventually.
The CDC says it will issue guidance in the coming days on prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus, focusing on the male sexual partners of women who are or may be pregnant. The CDC has already recommended pregnant women postpone trips to more than two dozen countries with Zika outbreaks, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Venezuela. It also said other visitors should use insect repellent and take other precautions to prevent mosquito bites.
In the epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, the main villain identified so far is called Aedes aegypti a species of mosquito that spreads other tropical diseases, including chikungunya and dengue fever. It is found in the southern United States, though no mosquito-borne transmission has been reported in the continental United States to date. There have been about 30 cases in the U.S. in the last year, all travelers who brought it into the country.
The World Health Organization on Monday declared a global emergency over the rapidly spreading Zika virus, saying it is an "extraordinary event" that poses a threat to the rest of the world. The declaration was made after an emergency meeting of independent experts called in response to a spike in babies born with brain defects and abnormally small heads in Brazil since the virus was first found there last year.
WHO officials say it could be six to nine months before science proves or disproves any connection between the virus and babies born with abnormally small heads.
The CDC said that in the recent Texas case, there's no risk to a developing fetus.
Zika was first identified in 1947 in Uganda. It wasn't believed to cause any serious effects until last year; about 80 percent of infected people never experience symptoms.
The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week. Symptoms usually start two days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gabe Adams, 17, was born without arms and legs, but hes not letting his lack of limbs stop him from showing off on the dance floor.
The Kaysville, Utah teen first performed in seventh grade, doing a contemporary hip hop dance in a talent show.
"I got into dancing because I wanted to prove to myself and other people around me that there was more to me than the kid that was in the wheelchair or the kid who didn't have an extra activity to do and stuff like that," Adams told KSL.com.
The teen suffers from hanhart syndrome, according to Fox13, and spent most of his life in a wheelchair. Hanhart syndrome is a rare condition that primarily affects the craniofacial region and the limbs, according to the National Institutes of Health. The cause is not fully understood.
Most of Adams dance training has been either self-taught or with the Davis High School dance team. While hes no longer a student there, he plans to attend dance class at his new high school, Dixie High School in St. George, Utah and aims to join a competitive team outside of school.
Adams mother said shed always encouraged the teen to live his life without limits.
Hes done way more even than we thought he could do so its pretty awesome, Janelle Adams told KSL.
Understanding The Difference Between Love And Attachment
Are You In Love With Her... Or Just Overly Attached?
Love is a beautiful, complicated thing. True love with another should empower you in new ways as you reach deep levels of connection, understanding, and empathy with another person. But, as we all know, its not that easy.
Particularly after a breakup, its easy to be confused. Odds are things didnt end with you being madly engaged and in love with your former significant other. Your mind is spinning, trying to figure out what the next phase of your relationship life will bring and its easy to look for love in the wrong places.
I feel its important to differentiate and define love and attachment as you go down this path. They can be really tricky to distinguish, particularly when your head isnt completely right.
True love starts with yourself. Now that may sound ego-centric and selfish, but I assure you its not. In order to build a loving relationship with another human, you must first love yourself completely.
Independence and autonomy are crucial. You should have your own purpose and passion regardless of who you are with. If you seek love to fill a void in your life thats been carved out by insecurity, pain, fear, or loneliness. If you are coming from a place of neediness and dependence, your relationship will turn into one based on attachment.
When youre attached to somebody, its almost like a drug. Youre dependent on them to fulfill your happiness. When theyre gone, youre not content. If they leave you, you have withdrawal.
Its not only unhealthy for you, its not great for the significant other as youll start to manipulate them in order to get your fix. If the relationship is based on a craving(emotional or physical), it will without a doubt, end in suffering.
True love with another begins with a solid foundation of self-love and independence. Once that is achieved, two complete people can create an amazing relationship that amplifies and empowers each others lives in unparalleled ways.
It creates a connection based on selflessness, empathy, understanding, and compassion. When its love, its all about the other person. Youre putting their needs before you as opposed to attachment which is more self centered.
To zoom out even further its interesting to keep in mind how Buddhists view love. As opposed to love between two people, Buddhism calls for love for everything and everyone around you. An ongoing sense of gratitude for the earth and the beings that inhabit it.
Everyone and everything deserves love. Go through your day acknowledging that. The mailman, the woman checking out your groceries, your boss, the old man sitting on the porch. Each and every one of us deserves love.
So, thats what its all about. Jerry Maguires famous quote, you complete me is total BS. First you have to fulfill and complete yourself, truly loving everything about your life. This should come from a place of gratitude and an appreciation and love for the world around you.
RELATED READING: How To Rewire Your Brain For Positivity After A Breakup
Once you have reached that state, youre ready for significant other to amplify your life in amazing ways. Seek love, not attachment, and be aware of the differences as you navigate single life.
The 2016 primary season began Monday night in Iowa
And the results were not what was expected. At least on the Republican side.
In the final Des Moines Register poll, released over the weekend, Trump was up five points over Ted Cruz 28-23. And in the Real Clear Politics average, he also held a five-point lead.
But the outcome Monday night didnt look anything like what was predicted.
The race was called for Cruz with 28 percent of the vote to 24 percent for Trump and 23 percent for Rubio.
Cruzs ground game is due most of the credit. For months, Cruz has had the most elaborate organization in the state where he spent majority of his time campaigning specifically with the Evangelical community. The son of a pastor, Cruz always connected well with this all important group in Iowa and wound up with 62 percent support. And though Jerry Falwell, Jr. endorsed Donald Trump, the final days of the campaign showed quite clearly that Cruz was hugely popular with this community.
Indeed, the Cruz camp over-performed the polls, turned out people in the suburbs and used big data to their advantage by targeting those who would be open to Cruz even if he wasnt their first choice. And it paid off.
Donald Trump officials are already saying that he never expected to win Iowa. We all know that it didnt sound like that since he took the lead there and it especially didnt sound like that when he declined to attend the Fox News debate last week. Its doubtful that he would have sat out the debate if he had thought a first place finish was in jeopardy, but well never really know what was going on in Trumps head.
It doesnt matter much now.
Its actually more important to take note of how well Marco Rubio did on Monday evening.
He came into the Iowa caucus with 16 percent of the vote and he managed to pull in a remarkable 23 percent -- just one point shy of Trump. He did this while being the subject of relentless attack ads by Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz supported Super PACs, the most scarring or meant to be the most scarring of which painted him as the Republican Barack Obama.
Nevertheless, Rubio obviously won voters over with his argument that hes electable. This is something Ive been arguing for years.
Rubio has a compelling vision for the future of this nation. He is strong on national security and the most adept speaker.
Hes a fierce debater and has been the most pointed in his criticisms of Hillary Clinton.
It obviously paid off.
As Rubio said Monday night in his speech after the results came in, people told him he had to wait his turn, but his turn is now. And with movement in New Hampshire in his favor, we could very well be starting to see the ascension of the GOP nominee.
That isnt to say that this is decided. Trump will not go away and Cruz will gain steam after his big win tonight. But the demographics in New Hampshire are very different and Cruz certainly doesnt have the same kind of chance as he did in Iowa to pull off an upset.
But watch Marco Rubio. Youll be glad you did.
It is always interesting to watch democracy in action and Iowa is ground zero.
Many political pundits and media analysts complain about the attention Iowa receives from candidates and the media because it goes first. But it also is a state filled with people who are willing to pay attention, to go to small events and forums (more than 1,500 have been held) and to show up at a caucus on a cold, often snowy night to participate in a ritual few states duplicate.
Millions of dollars are spent on TV commercials (over 60,000) and organization that Monday night produced a record turnout.
Iowa doesn't always produce the eventual winners but it does eliminate the losers. With 17 Republican candidates starting this process, there are really only three or four real candidates now with voter support and sufficient monies to go on to the remaining contests.
With a record voter turnout in Iowa, the winner, Ted Cruz goes on with his extraordinary organization and conservative supporters with a big upset.
Marco Rubio, the best debater, came on strong and gained real momentum. He came very close to coming in second. Certainly he has to be viewed as a very serious candidate and the best bet to become the establishment candidate.
Trump is Trump and his special appeal to new voters and the angry anti-Washington element will go on, too, but with unpredictable results. He also paid a price for missing the last debate and fighting Fox News.
Ben Carson held his 10 percent base, but his candidacy is short lived and beyond Iowa has minimal support.
The biggest losers are Bush, Christie and Huckabee. Bush spent the most money and dropped like a rock.
Christie's bluster, unlike Trumps, didn't sell. He has no money and no future in this race.
And Huckabee, who won this race eight years, and thought he could be a serious challenger against Romney in 2012, was a bottom dweller getting less than 2 percent of the vote. He raised no money and has no appeal and barely has enough money left to buy a bus ticket back to Arkansas. He quickly waved the flag of surrender and wisely quit the race.
One more may make the cut after Iowa, but this is the field now and it will be fascinating to watch.
Monday nights win is a giant victory for Cruz and his team. He won in spite of a greater turnout than in years past and benefited from the dramatic increase in new voters. And now on to New Hampshire!
In the end, Iowa was a must-win state for Ted Cruz, and he pulled it out despite weeks of withering attacks from Donald Trump.
For Cruz, projecting the winner by Fox News and other networks, capturing the caucuses here is a bigger victory than just beating Trump by a few thousand votes. The press and the Republican power brokers originally viewed him as a middle-tier guy, a bomb-thrower in Washington, and not a charming personality to boot.
He stuck to his strategy of hard-line conservatism, courting evangelicals, bashing the mediaand parrying Trumps assaults better than any other Republican candidate.
Cruz appeared to be slipping in recent weeks as Trump questioned his Canadian birth and called him a nasty guy, and he had his worst debate in last weeks Fox faceoff in Iowa. But he had a resilient base of support in this state.
For Trump, the loss clearly dents his shield of invulnerability. But a billionaire mocked by much of the establishment showed he could mount a competitive race, he's far stronger in New Hampshire and South Carolina, and he has all the money he needs. Perhaps a dose of humility will be good for him.
Its hard to know whether Trump skipping the Fox debate was a factor among late deciders, or his big-rallies-over-county-fairs approach. We do know that Cruz had a much stronger ground game, and with Iowas complicated caucuses, that still matters.
Rubios surprisingly strong third-place finish, which put him close to Trump, vindicates his strategy of trying to emerge as the establishment alternative. The Florida senator got traction at just the right time, brilliantly managed the expectations game, and comes out of Iowa (where he didn't play that hard) firmly in the top tier with Trump and Cruz, heading into better states for him.
But before we get completely swept away by the media hype, Iowa, with its strong evangelical vote, is a unique battleground. Four of the last GOP winners in Iowa have failed to win the nomination. In just eight days, Trump could be buoyed by a huge victory in New Hampshire. The Iowa afterglow is intense, but short-lived.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton was leading Bernie Sanders by an extraordinarily thin margin, possibly avoiding the possibility of an 0-for-2 start in the state that crushed her hopes against Barack Obama. But lets be honest: The race shouldnt even be close. A former first lady, a former secretary of State, a Clinton, should clobber a 74-year-old socialist who hadnt even been a member of the Democratic Party. But she is an establishment candidate in an anti-establishment year. Whatever the final numbers, this is a moral victory for Sanders and certification of his grass-roots appeal.
Whats striking among Republicans is how the last two Iowa winners, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, finished below 2 percent, along with once-hot contender Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie, who is betting his campaign on New Hampshire.
The early signs were good for Trump, as one wave of Fox entrance polls showed Trump barely trailing Cruz among evangelical Christians, Iowas key voting bloc, 26 to 24 percentwith Rubio at 21 percent. Those voters are Cruzs key constituency, and perhaps he lost some crucial supporters to Ben Carson, who hung in at about 10 percent.
The entrance polls showed Trump dominating among voters whose most important quality was a candidate who tells it like it is. Cruz did best among voters seeking a candidate who shares my values. Rubio was strongest as the candidate who can win in November.
Demographically, Trump did best among voters with a high school education or less, while Rubio edged Cruz among college graduates and those who did postgraduate study. Cruz, not surprisingly, did best among very conservative voters, Trump scored highest with moderate voters, and Trump and Rubio were essentially tied among somewhat conservative voters.
On the Democratic side, according to those entrance polls, Hillary Clinton dominated among voters over 65, while Bernie Sanders clobbered her in the 17-to-29 age group.
Sanders decimated the former first lady among those most interested in an honest and trustworthy candidate and one who cares about people like me. Clinton creamed him for having the right experience and as someone who can win in November.
Iowa's Democratic Party said early Tuesday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had gained an insurmountable lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the state's caucuses, but stopped short of officially declaring her the winner while Texas Sen. Ted Cruz scored a decisive win over Donald Trump in the Republican caucuses, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio a close third.
Early Tuesday, the Iowa Democratic Party said Clinton had been awarded 699.57 state delegate equivalents while Sanders had received 695.49 state delegate equivalents with one precinct outstanding. That precinct was worth 2.28 state delegate equivalents not enough for Sanders to make up the deficit.
The Clinton campaign quickly issued a statement declaring victory, saying, "Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Senator Sanders can overcome Secretary Clinton's advantage." However, a number of news outlets, including Fox News, did not immediately call the contest for the former secretary of state.
In at least three precincts, the Democratic outcome was so close that party officials ordered a coin toss to determine which candidate should receive an extra county convention delegate, a longstanding tiebreaking method. The Des Moines Register reported that Clinton won all three coin flips at precincts in Des Moines, Davenport, and Ames.
Despite his apparent defeat, the result reflected a strong showing for Sanders, who had trailed Clinton by nearly 30 points over the summer. Sanders said the results sent a profound message to the media and political establishment.
Cruz, too, cast his victory as a message to the Republican establishment.
Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation, Cruz told cheering supporters.
Speaking to supporters at Drake University, Clinton said she was "breathing a big sigh of relief" about the outcome.
"Thank you Iowa. I want you to know that Ill keep standing up for you, keep fighting for you. Join me. Lets go win that nomination, she said.
Sanders noted that Iowa's 44 Democratic national convention delegates would be distributed almost evenly between the two candidates. The Associated Press reported that Clinton had captured at least 22 delegates to Sanders' 21, with the remaining one going to the statewide winner.
Sanders touched on familiar themes during his speech, saying his campaign was about the people and not billionaires buying elections.
En route to New Hampshire, where he holds a substantial lead in the polls ahead of the Feb. 9 primary, Sanders vowed, "We're in this to the convention, and I think this [result] shows the American people we're a campaign that can win."
In the Republican campaign, Cruz fought hard in recent weeks to make up lost ground in the polls and was helped in part by a sophisticated ground operation. He also hammered Trump for his decision to skip last week's Republican debate.
Meanwhile, Rubio's stronger-than-expected third place finish was helped in large part by late deciders. Entrance polling conducted by Fox News found that 35 percent of GOP caucus-goers made their choice within the last few days of the race. Of those, 30 percent broke for Rubio.
Rubio's campaign also suggested Trumps debate boycott helped change the dynamic in the race.
With all but one precinct reporting, Cruz had 28 percent, Trump had 24 percent and Rubio had 23 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson placed a distant fourth in the race with 9 percent, while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul placed fifth with 5 percent.
An energized Rubio touted the results at a post-caucus rally.
For months they told us we had no chance. They told me I needed to wait my turn, Rubio said. But tonight here in Iowa, the people in this great state sent a very clear message. After seven years of Barack Obama, we are not waiting any longer to take our country back.
Trump, for his part, argued he beat initial expectations by placing second and predicted he'd still win in New Hampshire next week.
We will go on to get the Republican nomination, and we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up there, he said. He closed his speech by saying: "I think I might come here and buy a farm, I love it.
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.
Two candidates dropped their presidential bids after poor showings. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was pulling in about 1 percent support, suspended his campaign for the Democratic nomination Monday night. And on the GOP side, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also suspended his campaign.
Interest and turnout were high on both sides. Republican officials said there were more than 180,000 people at Monday's GOP caucuses, up from the previous high of about 121,000 in 2012. The Iowa Democratic Party said their caucuses drew 171,109 supporters, well short of the record 240,000 caucus-goers in 2008.
Several caucus sites remained open longer to accommodate long lines; some even ran out of registration forms or ballots.
Cruz rose from the middle of the Republican pack last year to overtake Trump on Monday. His victory disrupts Trump's front-runner narrative and could jolt the GOP race, where candidates have struggled for months to arrest Trumps rise.
According to entrance polling of Republican caucus-goers conducted by Fox News, Cruz won by garnering the support of evangelical Christians and those who wanted a candidate who shares their values. Evangelical Christians made up 62 percent of Republican caucus-goers up from 56 percent in 2012 and of those, 33 percent backed the Texas senator.
On the Democratic side, Sanders overwhelmed Clinton among caucus-goers under 30, a group that he won 84 percent to 14 percent. However, that constituency only made up 18 percent of all Democratic caucus-goers.
On the other hand, 55 percent of all Democratic caucus-goers said they wanted the next president to continue President Obama's policies. Clinton won the support of 68 percent of that constituency.
The Iowa caucuses have had a mixed record in recent cycles, particularly on the Republican side, in picking the eventual nominees.
The GOP caucus winners in 2008 and 2012 were Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, respectively, neither of whom won the nomination.
Eight years ago, though, Obamas Iowa win helped set him on the trajectory to claim first the Democratic nomination, then the presidency.
Fox News Ed Henry and Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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.
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."
Early Fox News entrance polls for the Iowa caucuses Monday night indicate a stronger-than-expected showing from evangelical voters in the first test of the 2016 campaign cycle -- and their support in the GOP race is split almost evenly among the top three candidates.
Early figures from the Republican contest show evangelicals or those who identify as born-again Christians accounted for 62 percent a number much higher than expected.
Early data for the evangelical vote had the Republican contest in a tight three-way race among Texas Sen. Cruz, Donald Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Cruz picked up 26 percent of the vote, Trump 24 percent and Rubio 21 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson pulled in 12 percent of the evangelical vote in those polls.
Evangelicals have historically made up a large voting bloc in Iowa. In 2012, conservative Christians made up 57 percent of all Republican caucus attendees. Four years earlier in 2008, 60 percent of Republican caucus-goers in Iowa were evangelicals.
Early entrance data shows Trump also dominating when it comes to first-time attendees. He was leading the GOP field with 33 percent, followed by Rubio at 21 percent, Cruz at 18 percent and Carson at 10 percent.
Rubio also swayed late deciders with 28 percent of the vote, followed by Cruz at 20 percent and Trump at 14 percent.
On the Democratic side, candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were also locked in a tight battle.
The Iowa entrance poll collects all the same data as exit polls voter demographics and which candidate they support but unlike the exit polls, the entrance polls ask who voters intend to support, not who they supported. Its a key difference and one that can change.
Democrats, for example, can be persuaded to join another candidates group if their candidate does not meet 15 percent.
Early-arriving voters at Republican caucuses also indicated they were deeply unhappy with the way the federal government is working. Four in 10 told The Associated Press said they were angry and half said they were dissatisfied.
Six in 10 Democratic caucus-goers wanted a candidate who would continue Obama's policies, according to the preliminary entrance polling.
Iowa has decidedly mixed results in picking 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 Democratic nomination, easing the anxieties of those who worried the young black senator would struggle to win white voters
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Democratic presidential long-shot Martin OMalley both called it quits Monday night after poor showings in the Iowa caucuses.
The candidates' campaigns both confirmed they would suspend their 2016 White House runs.
I am officially suspending my campaign, Huckabee tweeted. Thank you for all your loyal support.
Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, failed this time around to strike a chord with evangelical voters in the Hawkeye state.
The former Arkansas Baptist Convention president had struggled for months to compete with higher-polling and more headline-grabbing Republicans like Iowa caucus winner Sen. Ted Cruz and runner-up Donald Trump.
Playing up his cultural conservatism, Huckabee strongly opposed abortion rights and same-sex marriage, declaring that the Supreme Court is not the supreme being, and they cannot overturn the laws of nature or of natures God.
His campaign took a hit in December after Alice Stewart, Huckabee's senior communications director, left. Stewarts departure came a week after Huckabees friend Bob Vander Plaats, head of the influential Iowa conservative group The Family Leader, endorsed Cruz instead of Huckabee.
On the Democratic side, OMalley announced he, too, would be suspending his presidential campaign.
The decision comes as he pulled about 1 percent support in the Iowa caucuses.
The former Maryland governor, who made an official announcement Monday night, also had a rough time gaining traction in a race where Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders got most of the media attention.
OMalley campaigned as a can-do chief executive who championed gun control, same-sex marriage and an increase in the minimum wage in Maryland.
On Monday, The Washington Post reported OMalleys staff had been working without pay and secured a half-million-dollar loan in December to remain solvent.
Republican voter turnout at the Iowa caucuses broke records Monday night, with the close race among Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and eventual winner Ted Cruz sparking intense interest across the state.
Roughly 182,000 Republican caucus-goers turned out, with nearly all precincts reporting, breaking the record of 122,000 in 2012.
About four in 10 Iowans said they were caucusing for the first time.
Signs that the 2016 turnout would break records began to emerge even before the balloting sites in Iowas 99 counties opened.
Lines formed outside the doors, then reports began trickling in about some Republican sites running out of registration forms and ballots and plans to extend hours to accommodate the crowds.
Democratic turnout was not available late Monday night. The partys record is 240,000 in 2008.
However, the Democratic turnout at one site in Des Moines -- Iowas most populated city -- was three times larger than projected, with lines wrapping around the block.
Party officials predicted a crowd of 160. But 469 people arrived, compared to 402 in 2008. The officials had to switch to a larger venue and add an overflow room.
Young voters overwhelmingly backed Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to entrance polls.
More than 8 in 10 caucus-goers under 30 backed the Vermont independent, while Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton won the majority of voters over 45.
The Sanders-Clinton race was still too close to call late Monday night, too.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
2016 Iowa Caucus Results
Trending News: Here's How The Notable Candidates Fared At The Iowa Caucus (It Was A Nail-Biter)
Why Is This Important?
Because "O-M-G, as they say."
Long Story Short
Iowa selected Ted Cruz as its Republican nominee and Hillary Clinton barely edged Bernie Sanders for the Democrats.
Long Story
Finally, a little walk to match the talk, and talk, and talk of the presidential nomination race.
A record-setting turnout had the eyes of the nation transfixed on the state of Iowa (pretty much the only time eyes are ever transfixed on Iowa) and the results certainly made for some good TV.
On the Republican side, polls didn't translate into a win for Donald Trump. Rather, Iowans voted for Tea Party candidate Ted Cruz. The ex-Canadian won with over 27% of the vote, and the most ever for a Republican candidate with more than 46 thousand ballots.
.@BretBaier: @tedcruz with the most votes of any candidate ever in the #IowaCaucus, with more than 46,000 votes." pic.twitter.com/aPou3ew3D6 Fox News (@FoxNews) February 2, 2016
Trump wasn't far behind, though, with a respectable 24% of the vote. Not far after The Donald was Marco Rubio, whose strong showing of nearly 23% will definitely boost his brand going forward. Although, he may have been a little too stoked for coming in third.
Is anyone gonna tell @marcorubio that he came 3rd or are we just gonna let him enjoy this one? #IowaCaucus pic.twitter.com/rlRLaDIXgL Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) February 2, 2016
As for the Democrats, barely a percentage point separated two of the candidates, and we're not talking about Martin O'Malley who dropped out after getting less than 1%. Better late then never for those Google searches right Marty?
Realtime: Search interest in @MartinOMalley spikes as he announces suspending his presidential campaign. pic.twitter.com/aPVOeOa5jh GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) February 2, 2016
It was Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders who went neck and neck for the Democrats in the Iowa primary at nearly 50% each, raising a lot of questions about both candidates. Is Clinton more susceptible than we think? Is Bernie 'Feel the Bern' Sanders actually legit? Etc.
In the end, it was Clinton who squeaked out a victory by a hair.
While Iowa is simply the first primary and is clearly overhyped, the buzz is not completely without cause. Iowa historically is a good gauge for the country's next leader only one presidential candidate since 1980 has gone on to win without taking the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, or both. That president was Bill Clinton, who ran in a year where Iowa caucuses didnt really count, because the states senator, Tom Harkin, was running, according to Vox.
But while the results were certainly thrilling, the best moment of the Iowa caucus came courtesy of long-time CNN breaking news anchor, Wolf Blitzer.
Own The Conversation
Ask The Big Question: Does not winning outright really hurt the Clinton campaign?
Disrupt Your Feed: Tonight's biggest winner has got to be Marco Rubio who has come out of nowhere since December.
Drop This Fact: The Iowa Republican caucus set a new record with a turnout of 180 thousand. That's 60 thousand more than the previous record set in 2012.
Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson on Tuesday pointedly accused Ted Cruzs campaign of spreading false rumors during the Iowa caucuses claiming the retired neurosurgeon was suspending his bid, in a coordinated effort to seal Cruzs victory Monday night.
The stunning charge came as a Carson spokesman declared, There has never been a more tainted victory in the Iowa caucuses.
Early reports that Carson who was directly competing with Cruz for social conservative and evangelical supporters was leaving the campaign trail started to surface as caucusing began Monday evening.
Upon hearing reports that their candidate was leaving the trail to return to his home in Florida, Team Carson responded swiftly, saying the retired neurosurgeon was only going home for clean clothes but was then headed to New Hampshire for the Feb. 9 primary.
But Carson told Fox News Tuesday morning that Cruz supporters and representatives took that narrative a step further, and began telling caucus-goers at many precincts that he was dropping out.
Speaking on Fox News Hannity, Cruz apologized on Tuesday. He said their political team had forwarded an initial news report that said Carson was taking a break from the campaign trail, but did not forward an update to that same story.
Unfortunately, they did not then forward the subsequent story, that was Bens campaign clarifying that he was continuing the campaign and was not canceling the campaign, Cruz said. And so I apologize to Ben for that. They should have forwarded that subsequent story. That was a mistake on our part.
Carson's campaign issued a statement Tuesday evening saying he "accepted" Cruz's apology.
On Tuesday morning, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler also told MSNBC that the campaign simply repeated what Carson had said: that after Iowa, he was returning to Florida for a couple of days, then going to Washington for the National Prayer Breakfast.
That told us he was not going to New Hampshire, Tyler said. That was not a dirty trick.
Carson, interviewed earlier on Fox & Friends, said that his supporters were told Monday that voting for me was wasting their vote, and that they should reconsider.
Carson ended up finishing a distant fourth in Iowa, with 9 percent, while Cruz claimed a big victory over Donald Trump. Cruz, a Texas senator, had 28 percent, and Trump had 24 percent. How much the drop-out rumors may have affected that count is unclear. But the interactive caucus process does offer an opportunity for supporters of one candidate to be persuaded to change sides before casting their ballot.
The usually mild-mannered Carson accused the other side of using the process to execute dirty tricks.
Its the exact thing the American people are tired of, he said. Why would we want to continue with this kind of shenanigans?
He said his suspicions were also confirmed by tweets, other correspondence, and a first-hand experience by his wife at a precinct.
Carson said his wife Candy arrived at the precinct to learn that a Cruz supporter was disseminating the misinformation and was asked to set straight the record.
She did, and we won that precinct, he said.
Carson looks like he is out. Iowans need to know before they vote. Most will go to Cruz, I hope. https://t.co/lW5Js50EMA Steve King (@SteveKingIA) February 2, 2016
One of the tweets, Carson noted, came from Rep. Steve King, a Cruz supporter and an influential Iowa Republican.
King later tweeted that he respects Carson and regrets any "miscommunications."
Carson said if Cruz was unaware of the tactics, then he should find out who was involved and fire them. And if Cruz knew about the effort, he should admit his involvement and offer a solution, Carson said.
The Cruz campaign is also taking heat for a mailer it sent out to potential voters before caucus night that seemingly accused them of voting violations.
Tyler earlier told MSNBC that Iowans are used to getting similar ones and that the campaign modeled ours after them.
The future of the 2016 presidential race aint what it used to be.
Emerging from Monday night's Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton -- the respective Republican and Democratic polling front-runners -- now appear locked in a dog fight heading into the New Hampshire primary.
Clinton's apparent razor-thin win in a photo-finish with Bernie Sanders does little to blunt the Vermont senator's momentum heading into the Granite State, where he enjoys a comfortable polling lead. The Associated Press and state Democratic Party called the Iowa race for Clinton on Tuesday.
On the Republican side in Iowa, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz beat billionaire businessman Trump -- but it's Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's closing surge to nearly overtake Trump that overnight changes the dynamic of the GOP battle.
Its a three-person race now, Rubio spokesman Alex Conant told Fox News.
The New Hampshire primary next Tuesday, where no fewer than five candidates are battling for the No. 2 spot in the polls under Trump, could make the GOP leaderboard even more crowded.
On the Democratic side, Clinton was declared the winner of Mondays Iowa contest, but only by a fraction of a percentage point.
Sanders, en route to New Hampshire overnight, suggested the results prove decisively hes no longer a fringe candidate, as some had described him.
Were in this to the convention, Sanders vowed.
To be sure, the 2016 outcome on the Democratic side had echoes of 2008, albeit with a better outcome for Clinton. In 2008, Clinton placed third while underdog Barack Obama won, using that momentum to eventually secure the nomination.
In this case, Clinton scored what appeared to be a narrow win but in a contest where she used to be the overwhelming front-runner, at one point leading Sanders by roughly 30 points in the polls.
She now heads to New Hampshire where Sanders holds a wide lead in the polls. Like in 2008, she could very well go 1-1 with her closest rival in the first two contests.
Further, the race essentially begins at a near-draw in the delegate count. Sanders noted that Iowa's 44 Democratic national convention delegates would be distributed almost evenly between the two candidates. The Associated Press reported that Clinton had captured at least 22 delegates to Sanders' 21, with the remaining one going to the statewide winner.
Republicans gleefully described the returns as a problem for Clinton.
Its a total disaster for Hillary Clinton, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told Fox News, predicting the Democrats could be even more unclear in April than we are in their nominating contests.
Nevertheless, the Clinton campaign touted their narrow delegate lead early Tuesday as a victory, plain and simple though it appeared some precincts had stray delegates decided by coin toss.
"Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Senator Sanders can overcome Secretary Clinton's advantage, the campaign said.
A number of news outlets, including Fox News, have not yet formally called the contest for the former secretary of state.
Sanders said the results sent a profound message to the media and political establishment.
Anti-establishment overtones also were apparent on the Republican side, where Cruz claimed a more resounding victory in the state.
Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation, Cruz told cheering supporters.
In the Republican campaign, Cruz fought hard in recent weeks to make up lost ground in the polls and was helped in part by a sophisticated ground operation. He also hammered Trump for his decision to skip last week's Republican debate.
Meanwhile, Rubio's stronger-than-expected third place finish was helped in large part by late deciders. An energized Rubio touted the results at a post-caucus rally.
For months they told us we had no chance. They told me I needed to wait my turn, Rubio said. But tonight here in Iowa, the people in this great state sent a very clear message. After seven years of Barack Obama, we are not waiting any longer to take our country back.
With almost all precincts reporting, Cruz had 28 percent, Trump had 24 percent and Rubio had 23 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson placed a distant fourth in the race with 9 percent, while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul placed fifth with 5 percent.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the one-time front-runner on the Republican side, placed a disappointing sixth.
Still, Bush said Tuesday hes looking to recover in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire has a tendency to reset the race, Bush told Fox News.
A big question heading into next week will be whether Trumps second-place showing in Iowa affects his sizeable lead in the Granite State.
Trump, for his part, argued he beat initial expectations by placing second and predicted he'd still win in New Hampshire.
We will go on to get the Republican nomination, and we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up there, he said. He closed his speech by saying: "I think I might come here and buy a farm, I love it.
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Buzz Cut:
Iowa sorts out muddled GOP race
How long will the Berning sensation last?
Look ahead at New Hampshire
Whopper of a prank
IOWA SORTS OUT MUDDLED GOP RACE
DES MOINES, IOWA -- Donald Trumps bid for a leveraged buyout of the Republican Party took a serious blow in Iowa as the other shareholders started to get organized.
Trump has lots to be unhappy about in Iowa, no doubt. He frittered away an early commanding lead here by both failing to get serious about courting voters soon enough, capping it off by snubbing Iowas only Republican presidential debate.
He underperformed the average of pre-election polls by more than 5 points, losing despite having led in the final 13 polls.
But despite some of Trumps past rhetoric about losing losers and the losses they lose, a second-place finish in a state hardly suited to a Northeastern social moderate isnt a disaster. And in his concession speech, he struck an unexpectedly gracious note about the Iowans who spurned him.
Despite underperforming, Trump showed that his left-right coalition of voters is real and will turn out, even for a caucus. If he is willing to learn his lessons, Trump could be a formidable contender for the nomination. Those lessons include the need to start advertising and organizing (i.e. spending money) sooner and facing down challenges like debates rather than trying to avoid them.
How he responds to this adversity will tell us a great deal. He holds an astonishing 21-point lead in the Real Clear Politics average of New Hampshire polls and can fairly well bank on a win there on Feb. 9. Thats the kind of comeback he needs.It certainly worked for Mitt Romney.
But the real problem for Trump in Iowa was not that he underperformed hardly surprising given his status as a celebrity candidate with limited organization but how the rest of his party behaved.
First, what promises to be a sustained anti-Trump effort made its debut in Iowa and obviously did some damage. The Our Principles PAC and other pro-GOP groups will keep the heat on Trump as the race rolls on. It was overdue move for a party on the brink of a crackup.
But that takes nothing away from the victory of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who out worked, out spent and out hustled Trump. And in so doing, Cruz mopped up the rest of the right-wing vote. Ben Carson, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has already bowed out, wont make it out of Iowa.
With none of them even close, Cruz can keep his focus on Trump. Even with an acceptance speech that seemed like it would go on until the polls opened in Dixville Notch, N.H., Cruz now has the momentum, money and organization to go the distance.
And the same is true for Sen. Marco Rubio, who was the surprise story of Iowa. His rivals, particularly former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may claim a sixth-place finish after his organization dumped more cash in the state than any other candidate, isnt relevant to the next round of contests, but you can stick a fork in him.
The same goes for Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., whose 10th place showing will dry up support in upcoming states quicker than a roll of Bounty. You dont have to win Iowa, but you darned well better be on the first page of the results.
What makes Rubios third-place finish, just shy of Trumps second spot, even more significant is that late-breaking voters surged to him. Every poll suggested that a turnout surge like the one we saw would mean a massive Trump win, but Rubio was the real beneficiary.
If the traditional GOP is consolidating around Rubio this soon, that means Trump will find himself unable to continue to make his case to the Washington establishment that he is a better bad choice than Cruz. Rather than forming his unlikely alliance between pitchfork populism and K Street dealmakers, Trump will have to fight a two-front war.
In Rubio, Republicans are finding a candidate they can live with who also stacks up best against Hillary Clinton. And Iowa just made him a very dangerous man for both Trump and Cruz.
WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE
While many were either preparing, or hearing endlessly about the massive snowstorm that hit the East Coast a few weeks ago one agency hunkered down. The Atlantic dives deep into the story of how NASA kept watch in the midst of a blizzard: On Friday, January 22, as the first snowflakes of a historic blizzard began piling atop Americas east coast, a team of more than twenty engineers and scientists hauled food, clothes, cots, and mattresses into a building at NASAs Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The team would remain at the facility until well after the snow let up Sunday morning, keeping watch over a giant, humming Space Environment Simulator. The simulator is a cylindrical chamber and, as you might expect from its name, it simulates the conditions of outer spaceSitting inside the Space Environment Simulator are the guts of the most far-seeing camera ever built by humans. This camera will soon be launched into deep space, to image the first stars to flare into being after the Big Bang, and maybe, if we are very lucky, the exhaled gases of life forms that live in the atmospheres of distant planets.
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DELEGATE COUNTS
GOP: Cruz 8; Trump 7; Rubio 7; Carson 3; Paul 1; Bush 1 (1,237 needed to win)
DEMS: Clinton 22; Sanders 21 (2,382 needed to win)
HOW LONG WILL THE BERNING SENSATION LAST?
Whatever else Hillary Clinton wants to call it, she did no better than tie Vermont socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders in Iowa. And now she has an outright defeat in New Hampshire to look forward to. Not a cheery way to start her second presidential run.
That is not to say that she is not still the inevitable Democratic nominee, just that she continues to be a disappointment as a candidate.
Clinton can count on black and Hispanic voters in the South and West to arrest Sanders forward momentum, but it shouldnt be this hard.
It isnt clear how much of her problem in Iowa related to the ongoing, disturbing developments around her secret email server, or how much was Sanders crackle with young voters and ultra-liberal Democrats who make up a big part of the Iowa Democratic electorate.
But as she has discovered before, weakness can be contagious. Sanders poses nothing like the kind of threat Barack Obama did in 2008, but he has certainly shown some of her deficiencies with the Democratic Party.
LOOK AHEAD AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
Looking ahead to New Hampshire, a state with 23 delegates up for grabs, Trump is favored again, but this time he might actually be able to pull it out.
The Granite State is most secular of the early contests, and voters mostly shy from social issues. New Hampshire is also the only early voting state in the Northeast, which is clear Trump territory.
Disaffected Democratic voters facing increasing unemployment, and drug addiction, combined with his supporter stronghold, makes this state a must win for Trump.
It looks like he can pull it off. Trump leads the state by a 21-point margin, according to RCP, followed closely by Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Rubio surprised voters here in Iowa with a strong ground game and turnout among last minute caucus goers, and he could have a chance to sway voters in New Hampshire with his image as the new establishment candidate.
On the Democratic side, the state seems to be Bernie Sanders to lose. Although Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire in 2008, Sanders is from neighboring Vermont and took the lead early. Voters in New Hampshire have long known Sanders and know where he comes from on issues. Young voters, who have migrated to the state for college or more affordable living than neighboring Massachusetts, will come out in droves for him once again.
WHOPPER OF A PRANK
KSBY: A Morro Bay Burger King is expected to reopen Tuesday morning at 6:30 after police say a prank call about a fake gas leak apparently prompted employees to smash all the windows. On Monday, workers were repairing the estimated $35,000 worth of damages. The fast food chain on Quintana Road has been closed since Sunday. According to police, employees received a call Saturday night from someone pretending to be from the fire department, telling them to ventilate the business. That prompted employees to smash the windows. The manager on duty even used a car to ram into the building. The owner of the fast food restaurant says that person has since been suspended.
Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.
After tens of millions of dollars poured into the feverish Iowa campaign, it came down to roughly a half-dozen coin tosses: And Hillary Clinton had luck on her side.
The former secretary of state declared victory overnight in the contest against Bernie Sanders, and the party without officially declaring her the winner -- showed Clinton had an insurmountable lead over the Vermont senator.
But several reports emerged that in the closest precincts, stray local delegates were decided in a simple coin toss. According to the Des Moines Register, local reports showed unassigned delegates were decided with a coin toss in as many as six precincts and Clinton won every time. Subsequent reports indicated Sanders won at least one or two separate coin tosses, interrupting Clinton's winning streak.
The Register described one incident in Ames, where dozens of caucus participants reportedly disappeared in the count this left one of the delegates unassigned, and party officials recommended the dispute be settled with the flip of a coin. According to the Des Moines Register, a Clinton backer called heads and won, giving her campaign the extra delegate.
As of early Tuesday, Clinton had been awarded 699 state delegate equivalents, while Sanders had been awarded 695 state delegate equivalents. It does not appear Sanders can make up the difference.
The Clinton campaign issued a statement early Tuesday declaring victory, saying, "Statistically, there is no outstanding information that could change the results and no way that Senator Sanders can overcome Secretary Clinton's advantage."
A number of news outlets, including Fox News, have not yet formally called the contest for the former secretary of state.
But the razor-thin outcome, decided in part by coin tosses, could still put Clinton in a precarious position heading into New Hampshire, where Sanders holds a substantial lead. In Iowa, Sanders also closed what was once a roughly 30-point gap to bring the race to a near draw.
Sanders said the results send a profound message to the media and political establishment.
Anti-establishment overtones also were apparent on the Republican side, where Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claimed a more resounding victory in the state, over Donald Trump.
Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation, Cruz told cheering supporters.
On the Democratic side, Sanders noted that Iowa's 44 Democratic national convention delegates would be distributed almost evenly between the two candidates. The Associated Press reported that Clinton had captured at least 22 delegates to Sanders' 21, with the remaining one going to the statewide winner.
En route to New Hampshire, where he holds a substantial lead in the polls ahead of the Feb. 9 primary, Sanders vowed, "We're in this to the convention, and I think this [result] shows the American people we're a campaign that can win."
In the Republican campaign, Cruz fought hard in recent weeks to make up lost ground in the polls and was helped in part by a sophisticated ground operation. He also hammered Trump for his decision to skip last week's Republican debate.
Meanwhile, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's stronger-than-expected third place finish was helped in large part by late deciders. Entrance polling conducted by Fox News found that 35 percent of GOP caucus-goers made their choice within the last few days of the race. Of those, 30 percent broke for Rubio.
Rubio's campaign also suggested Trumps debate boycott helped change the dynamic in the race.
With all but one precinct reporting, Cruz had 28 percent, Trump had 24 percent and Rubio had 23 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson placed a distant fourth in the race with 9 percent, while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul placed fifth with 5 percent.
An energized Rubio touted the results at a post-caucus rally.
For months they told us we had no chance. They told me I needed to wait my turn, Rubio said. But tonight here in Iowa, the people in this great state sent a very clear message. After seven years of Barack Obama, we are not waiting any longer to take our country back.
Trump, for his part, argued he beat initial expectations by placing second and predicted he'd still win in New Hampshire next week.
We will go on to get the Republican nomination, and we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up there, he said. He closed his speech by saying: "I think I might come here and buy a farm, I love it.
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.
Two candidates dropped their presidential bids after poor showings. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who was pulling in about 1 percent support, suspended his campaign for the Democratic nomination Monday night. And on the GOP side, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee also suspended his campaign.
Fox News Ed Henry and Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The White House will reportedly look to increase funding for the fight against Islamic State in an effort to ramp up the fighting against the terror group in the Middle East.
The Pentagon budget for the 2017 fiscal year is expected to call for more than $7 billion for the war against ISIS, unnamed U.S. officials told Reuters Monday. The budget will increase the spending by a dramatic 35 percent compared to last years request.
Meanwhile, Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, in a conference call from Iraq, told reporters Monday that there is a good potential that more U.S. and coalition forces will be needed to fight ISIS. MacFarland said hes working on ways to increase pressure on ISIS militants, and some may require more troops on the ground to assist local Iraqi and Syrian forces.
"I'd like the enemy to find out about it for the first time when the area around them is going up in smoke," said MacFarland, adding that he is reviewing what the right mix of new forces and capabilities should be and is in discussions with coalition partners and the government of Iraq.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter is expected to announce what he wants in the next defense budget on Tuesday. President Barack Obama will release the full budget request on Feb. 9.
Carters announcement is not only expected to include defense measures for the fight against Islamic State, but to include reassurance for European allies who feel threatened over Russias intervention against Ukraine and address the need for the U.S. to pose a military edge over Russia and China, according to Reuters.
The proposed budget is also going to request spending on key fronts, including cybersecurity, defense measures against cyberattacks and additional security for U.S. satellites, the source told Reuters.
MacFarland also responded to a statement made from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who said at the latest Fox News/Google Republican Presidential Debate that U.S. should use carpet bomb airstrikes against Islmaic State militants.
He dismissed Cruzs comments, saying that notion is inconsistent with our values as a nation. The U.S., MacFarland continues, has a guiding set of principles that govern how American forces conduct themselves on the battle field.
"Right now we have the moral high ground and that's where we're going to stay," he added, noting reports that Russia has conducted carpet bombing in Syria.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click for more from Reuters.
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).
"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.
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.
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Archaeologists from the Charles University in Prague have unearthed a 4,500-year-old 59-foot boat at a site in Egypt.
While working at the site of the Abusir necropolis near Cairo the archaeologists discovered 4,500-year-old wooden planks that formed part of the boat. The boats size, alongside additional clues such as a bowl bearing the name of king Huni of the Third Dynasty, indicate the owners close ties with the pharaoh of that time, according to the team.
Related: Teen illegally climbs Egypt's Great Pyramid
Charles University wrote on its website that the ritual of burying boats beside chambers traces its roots back to the Early Dynastic Period.
Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty told Ahram Online that the boat is the first of its kind to be found in that location and that it points to the elite status of the tombs owner.
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, he said.
Related: Archaeologists uncover 'Buddha post hole' in Nepal
Charles University wrote that some of the ropes that bound the boat together are still in their original position, with all their details intact, a unique discovery in ancient Egyptian boats.
This year, the university will study boat building techniques as part of an initiative with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) at Texas A&M University.
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."
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.'"
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Hacking group AnonSec says that it has accessed a trove of NASA data and hacked one of the space agencys drones, prompting an investigation by NASA, which has questioned the validity of the claims.
AnonSec dubbed the alleged hack OpNasaDrones and claims to have accessed a slew of drone flight logs as well as email addresses and phone numbers of NASA employees, according to documents posted online Sunday. The hackers say they even attempted to crash a NASA Global Hawk drone.
NASA, however, told FoxNews.com that it has no evidence to indicate the alleged hacked data are anything other than already publicly available data. NASA strives to make our scientific data publicly available, including large data sets, which seems to be how the information in question was retrieved, explained a NASA spokesman, in a statement emailed to FoxNews.com.
Related: Why the OPM hack is an ongoing cyber headache
Control of our global hawk aircraft was not compromised, he added. NASA takes cybersecurity very seriously and will continue to fully investigate all of these allegations.
AnonSec says that it targeted NASA as a result of the space agencys climate engineering and geoengineering work. Specifically, the hackers cite the example of cloud seeding, a form of weather modification whereby chemicals such as silver iodide are used to change the amount of precipitation produced by clouds.
The hacking groups claims come at a time when government data security is under close scrutiny. Last year shadowy hackers that stole more than 21 million Social Security numbers in a huge breach of federal personnel files at the Office of Personnel Management. The attack came hot on the heels of a major IRS security breach that compromised tax information from more than 100,000 U.S. households.
Centcom hack: Military tightens password security
The organization overseeing the safety of U.S. nuclear reactors has also fallen victim to hackers. Citing an internal investigation, the Nextgov website reported in 2014 that computers at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission were successfully hacked on three occasions. Two of the attacks were conducted by foreigners and a third came from an unidentifiable individual, according to Nextgov.
Nile Nickel, CEO of data analytics specialist Balance Engines, told FoxNews.com that AnonSec has found holes in other organizations cyber defenses. They have been around for some time they typically identify security vulnerabilities and say hey folks, theres a serious security vulnerability here, so fix it, he said. They have hacked into all sorts of sites everything from private organizations, to banks and government organizations.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Several homes were temporarily evacuated Monday night after a fire broke out following a train derailment in northeastern Ohio, Fox 8 reported.
The Beach City Fire Department told the news station that local residents were evacuated from the area after a fire erupted.
Firefighters in Brewster were battling the blaze that followed the derailment of the train at the Wheeling & Lake Erie rail yard.
Hazardous materials crews were dispatched and the American Red Cross told Fox 8 representatives were headed to the scene in case their assistance was needed.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes shortly after 9 p.m. local time.
There was no immediate word on the number of injuries, or whether the train that derailed was in freight or passenger service.
Brewster is located 60 miles south of Cleveland.
Click for more from Fox8.com.
The Latest on shooting and stabbing incident that left one dead and seven others injured at a motorcycle expo (all times local):
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.
Stubbs says Iron Order members started it.
Attorneys for a condemned Florida inmate asked the state's highest court on Tuesday to delay his execution while the justices determine how to properly apply a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found Florida's death penalty system unconstitutional.
Martin McClain, an attorney for inmate Michael Lambrix, told Florida's Supreme Court that last month's ruling should apply to Lambrix's and all 390 already-decided death penalty cases.
"To execute people in Florida on the basis of a statute that has been declared unconstitutional is just wrong," McClain said.
Lambrix is scheduled to be executed Feb. 11. He was sentenced to death for the 1983 slayings of Clarence Moore and Aleisha Bryant. Prosecutors said Lambrix beat Moore with a tire iron and strangled Bryant after meeting the two at a bar and inviting them back to his trailer for dinner. The jury's death recommendation was not unanimous for either murder.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state's sentencing procedure is flawed because it allows judges to reach a different decision than juries. Juries play only an advisory role in recommending death in Florida.
Judges have recommended death against the jury's recommendation in the cases of three of Florida's current death row inmates, state officials said. The last time that happened was 1999. Lambrix's juries recommended death by an 8-4 vote for Moore's murder, and 10-2 in Bryant's.
Scott Browne of the Florida Attorney General's office said the Hurst ruling should not apply to already-decided cases, and wants the state to execute Lambrix as scheduled. He warned the court that allowing the Hurst ruling to apply to old cases would create chaos and suffering for victims' families in the state with the second-most death row inmates in the nation.
"That would be a catastrophic (decision), we have nearly 400 inmate sentenced to death. It would be an immense burden on judicial resources," Browne told the court. "These are tragic cases. To unsettle the expectations of victims' family members without any compelling provision is unwarranted."
Browne said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision should be treated the same as a related case out of Arizona. In that case, the court ruled not to apply it retroactively.
Some justices appeared conflicted about how to apply the Hurst ruling in Florida. The court did not issue a ruling Tuesday.
"There has to be something to the law that is beyond technicalities. One person is executed today, but the one that comes up tomorrow is not, and there really is no difference in their cases," said Justice R. Fred Lewis. "I'm struggling with the word games."
University of Florida Levin College of Law professor Teresa Reid, a death penalty expert, said some of the justice's questions indicated they are extremely interested about whether and how Hurst should be applied to already-decided cases.
"I think the court understands that our sentencing scheme is different from (Arizona's), and therefore it's not a slam dunk that the same analysis would apply in Florida," Reid said.
Meanwhile, Florida's Legislature has started to address how to fix the death penalty statute. The Senate held a committee workshop last week while the House's Criminal Justice Subcommittee will meet on Tuesday.
There is growing support for a bill sponsored by Sen. Thad Altman that would require a unanimous verdict in order for there to be a death sentence.
The Bonnie and Clyde-like Missouri couple wanted in a string of robberies and kidnappings in Alabama was last seen in central Georgia, where police on Tuesday accused them in yet another crime.
Police in Perry say Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Nicole Harper were involved in an armed robbery and kidnapping about 11 p.m. Monday at a gas station but give no further details. Perry is about 30 miles south of Macon.
Investigators say the couple abducted a hotel clerk, tried to rob a McDonalds manager and briefly kidnapped a woman outside Birmingham before stealing her SUV on Sunday. Those crimes happened within a two-hour span across a 60-mile distance, according to authorities. No one was injured.
Fitzgerald and Harper are both from Joplin, Mo. and are described as being in their 30s. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Task Force was asked to assist the manhunt and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to their arrest and conviction.
"They're considered armed and dangerous," Tuscaloosa police Lt. Kip Hart said. "We have no idea why they're running or where they're running from or running to."
A Tuscaloosa hotel clerk alerted authorities early Sunday after arriving to work to find the overnight clerk gone, the safe open and money missing. Security footage at the Microtel Inn showed the clerk being robbed about 6 a.m., Hart said. The couple forced him to leave with them.
Fitzgerald and Harper were charged with kidnapping, theft and robbery in connection to the Tuscaloosa case, Hart said. The Jefferson County District Attorneys Office issued arrest warrants for the couple on charges of kidnapping and theft in the connection to the womans abduction in the town of Vestavia Hills.
In Hoover, about 55 miles northeast of Tuscaloosa, the couple tried to rob a McDonald's manager, said Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector. A gunman approached the manager and demanded money and her car keys, Rector said. The manager began screaming, threw her keys on the ground and ran into the store as the couple fled, he said. Rector said interviews with the manager and other witnesses led police to believe the same Missouri couple was responsible. They have not been charged yet in that case, however.
Zora Harris, the restaurant manager, told AL.com the suspect opened his jacket and said, Im fixing to rob you.
He said, Give me the (expletive) car and thats when he pulled the gun and said Im not (expletive) playing with you, Harris told the paper.
About 15 minutes after the McDonald's robbery attempt, the woman in Vestavia Hills found a man entering her home through an open garage, saying he was having car trouble.
Vestavia Hills police Lt. Kevin York said the man pulled a gun, demanded her SUV and forced her to get inside. The woman was later released unharmed about 10 miles down the road and waved down a passerby to get help, York said. Police are searching for the stolen SUV described as 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 in Alabama heading east on U.S. 280 toward the Georgia line, but York said "they could be headed anywhere."
Missouri public records show Fitzgerald is no stranger to legal troubles. In 2013, he and an accomplice were charged with burglarizing a Joplin woman at knifepoint in her home and making off with her purse, jewelry, electronics and a car.
Fitzgerald entered an Alford plea not admitting guilt but acknowledging the prosecutors had sufficient evidence for a conviction and was sentenced in 2014 to a suspended seven-year prison term.
Fitzgerald also was sentenced in southwestern Missouri's Jasper County to a simultaneous 120-day term in a drunken-driving case. Last July, Fitzgerald pleaded guilty in a Missouri assault case and was sentenced to a suspended five-year prison term.
According to AL.com, Vestavia Hills police said the Ford Edge has an Alabama license plate, and its number is 2720AG7.
Click for more from Fox 6.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Authorities in Boston are investigating a crash Monday morning that seriously injured two pedestrians, including one woman who was dragged three miles and left in critical condition.
MyFoxBoston.com reported that the crash occurred in the citys Chinatown section at around 2:15 a.m. Police identified the victims as a 56-year-old-man and a 28-year-old woman. The man was found in Chinatown in serious condition and the woman was found miles away in Dorchester. State police categorized her injuries as "most likely fatal.
A witness heard what he believed to be a car alarm, Kristina Kerwin, an assistant district attorney told The Boston Herald. That turned out to be the victim screaming. Multiple witnesses did see the victims legs hanging from the car during the defendants path of flight.
The driver, 44-year-old Xiao Ying Zhou of Sandwich, pleaded not guilty in Boston Municipal Court to two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, The Herald reported.
Zhou told the court she had no idea a crash occurred, but police said a witness told them she got out of the car and looked after the crash the drove away from the scene.
"She wasn't aware of an accident that occurred. She drove. She stopped her car. She got out of the car and saw this person and went down to assist them, a defense attorney for Zhou said.
Zhou was ordered to be held on $5,000 bail.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Theologian John Piper explained how the church in America is living with "cultural indifference or derision or exclusion or hostility," and why this is not strange but normal, and how Christians are called to respond to it according to the Bible.
Speaking at the Bethlehem 2016 Conference for Pastors and Church Leaders in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Piper quoted Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, as saying that Christianity in America is becoming "less nominal, more defined, and more outside of the mainstream of American culture."
"More outside of the mainstream of American culture" is not the same as saying true Christianity is declining in numbers or faithfulness, clarified Piper, founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary.
The theme of the three-day conference, which concluded Wednesday, was: "Think It Not Strange: Fiery Trials and the Testimony of Christ."
The forces that are making it desirable for nominal Christians to become non-Christians are the same forces that are making our culture increasingly inhospitable to true Christianity, Piper explained, referring to the rise of the "nones."
"The worldview and the moral convictions of mainstream American culture are increasingly at odds with the worldview and the moral convictions taught in the Bible," he said, adding, "The condition of unbelieving culture is not the report card of the church."
Piper said the aim of the conference is "to strengthen your settled and peaceful conviction that living with cultural indifference or derision or exclusion or hostility is not strange but normal, that God calls in those many sorrows to live a life of overflowing and Christ-exalting joy and love."
He quoted 1 Peter 4:1219, which he said, tells us what is coming upon the Christians in this life and how they should respond.
The sufferings of Christ stand before the believers as a summary of what they can expect, he said. "When these kinds of things happen to you as Christians, they are not strange. This is normal."
"In God's wisdom, He has planned that the sufferings of Christ save us from the sufferings of punishment, not the sufferings of purification. They save us from the fires of hell, not from the fires of refining," Piper explained.
Read the Original Story from ChristianPost.com
The long arm of the law in Texas is getting a controversial boost from a tech company's license plate-tracking database, in what one critic called a "huge invasion of privacy."
Vigilant Solutions, which operates license plate readers around the state, has given at least two Lone Star law-enforcement agencies access to its massive automated database. Information culled from plate readers in police cars and affixed to traffic signals, as well as software programs that analyze it, is used to help cops track down deadbeats and scofflaws. And Vigilant, which in one case even collects the debt on behalf of the public agency, get a 25-percent cut.
Its a huge invasion of privacy, Dave Maass, an investigative researcher with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told FoxNews.com. They are taking advantage of a public safety rule that came years before anything like this was a possibility.
Vigilant has offered an array of automated license plate reader (ALPR) tech to agencies in Guadalupe County and the city of Kyle for access to all data on drivers with outstanding court fees.
Its a huge invasion of privacy.They are taking advantage of a public safety rule that came years before anything like this was a possibility. Dave Maass, Electronic Frontier Foundation
The ALPR system uses networks of high-speed cameras that capture images of plates and convert them into machine-readable text which is geotagged and time stamped before being placed into a database. Analytical software can then be used to track and even predict an individual's movements.
Vigilant is figuring the data and tech will save police a lot of shoe leather when it comes to finding people who owe fines and fees.
We actually thought we were doing a good thing by giving defendants an option, Todd Hodnett, Director of Governmental Relations for Vigilant Systems tells FoxNews.com.
It makes more sense, he added referring to how the database is used in conjunction with credit card readers installed in police patrol vehicles after a law was passed in Texas last year. Rather than having their cars impounded ir going to jail, defendants can pay fines on the spot through the system.
Groups like the EFF find this troubling; due to the fact that it could be used to infringe upon what they say is a drivers right to privacy. LEARN-NVLS, the ALPR data system from Vigilant contains nearly 3 billion plate scans and pulls in more than 70 million more each month.
Vigilant likes to say that drivers dont have a right to privacy because of license plates but thats baloney, Maass said. They are taking advantage of a public safety rule that came years before anyone thought that data collection like this would be possible.
Hodnett refutes Maass claims, saying that various Supreme Court decisions support the fact that there is no right to privacy when it comes to plates and that their database dies not retain any information on drivers. Only the license plate with the date, time, and a geotag from when an image was taken is stored.
There is no personal information collected, he tells FoxNews.com. You dont even know who the individual is.
In a press release from December, the company boasted that its systems were used by law enforcement in Guadalupe County to collect on more than 4,500 warrants since April of that year. Just last month, the city of Kyle signed a similar deal with Vigilant, while Guadalupe County upgraded its contract to allow Vigilant the authority to dispatch contractors to collect on outstanding warrants.
Hodnett and Vigilant confirmed that the info collected is kept permanently on the database, but that there are strict safeguards in place to ensure that the data is not misused or viewed by unauthorized individuals.
As a company, weve mirrored the same controls as accessing motor vehicle profile, he said. Every query is tracked to a specific user who must have a permissible purpose.
Hodnett says that some of the safeguards used are usernames, passwords, government-issued email addresses and a valid Originating Agency Identification, or ORI number, which is issued to every law-enforcement agency in the country by the FBI.
Maass and the EFF maintain that this could prove problematic for law-enforcement and are making legislative efforts that calls for transparency and limits on data collected.
Vigilant is co-opting policing, he said. They have even found a way to impose quotas with a vague metric where they can turn around and take back the equipment if they arent getting enough from law-enforcement agencies.
If they want to keep these toys, they have to work in the interests of Vigilant or other companies," Maass said. "It makes policing about doing the work for the equipment rather than the other way around, getting the equipment and doing the job.
A Massachusetts college student is facing disciplinary action after allegedly violating the schools residential policies when he listed his dorm room on Airbnb in January.
Jack Worth, a 19-year-old sophomore studying visual and media at Emerson College, told Boston.com he listed his dorm room for two weeks and when the school ordered him to remove the listing he was fined $150 by Airbnb. He said he hosted three guests during those two weeks.
Emerson is a fantastic location, Worth told Boston.com. Theres a high level of interest of travel in this neighborhood because its so centrally located. I saw this as a way to make some money, but also help some people out.
According to the colleges website, yearly tuition alone at Emerson for students entering in fall 2015 or later is $40,320 while living in at least a quad with three other roommates costs $14,700 for the school year. Worth hoped to offset some of the expenses he had accrued at the school.
He didnt mention how much he was renting his dorm room for.
Emerson noted in a statement to Boston.com that an attempt to sublet or rent out a dorm room is a strict violation of school policy.
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, the statement said.
Worth contends he didnt read anything explicitly stating that his attempt to rent his room out was against school policy.
Emerson is reportedly going forward with disciplinary measures against him, which one student said could result in a heavy penalty. A petition on Change.org said charges are going to be brought up against Worth and that by signing the petition you are supporting Jack and his honest entrepreneurial endeavor.
"There is nothing criminal with providing cheap housing to travelers. 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, a statement from Emerson student Ari Howrth, said on the petition page.
If the Emerson community is as inclusive as it claims to be, it should act it."
As of early Tuesday, the Free Jack Worth petition has garnered over 250 signatures.
Click for more from Boston.com.
A Michigan father and his 4-year-old son died Monday morning after falling through thin ice while fishing on a lake, and a witness reportedly says the dad tried and failed to save his son.
Authorities are investigating exactly how they fell, but believe that at some point the boy got cold and the two started to make their way off Alderman Lake in Highland, Mich.
"The traverse out was fine, fishing was fine, but the ice has pockets and flows, thats that we think happened," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told Fox2Detroit.com.
Two other fishermen were nearby and said they watched the two fall in. One of the witnesses believes the father went in after his son, DetroitNews.com reported.
The two were identified as David Lyons, 30, and his son Jackson. They were in the water for less than 10 minutes. They were pronounced dead after being rushed to nearby Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital.
Friends and family were in disbelief and remembered David for his generosity. He worked at a barbershop and would often go to people's homes, giving free haircuts if they couldn't afford them.
Authorities reiterated the risks of fishing on a frozen lake when temperatures are in the 40s.
Click for more from Fox 2.
Lead-tainted water remains extremely high in some areas of Flint, Mich., which is battling to decrease the amount of toxins in its drinking water, according to a state environment agency Monday.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced the results of a recent water test nearly one month after the city added a chemical to its drinking water to quell the lead contamination.
Its decreasing very slowly, said Susan Masten, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Michigan State University. I dont think were out of the woods.
DEQ Interim Director Keith Creagh told the Detroit Free Press he hopes to be able to say something about the general health of the system come mid-April.
Creagh said in a release that he met Monday with an official from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and that staff from both agencies discussed how to work together to make the best use of data being collected.
The two sides also discussed the DEQ's five-part strategy, Creagh said. The agencies have met regularly since early January.
"These conversations with the EPA are a critical part of our shared response to the emergency in Flint," Creagh said. "We know that moving forward will require all levels of government along with partners in the business and nonprofit communities and the community of Flint to work together with the sense of urgency this crisis demands."
Masten estimates if the lead contamination declines at the current rate, it could take 15 months for drinking water samples in Flint to fall below 15 parts per billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. Her estimates are based off the 4,350 tests that were made available over the weekend that date back to September. Lead levels have already decreased from 7.2 percent in November to 5.9 percent in January, but Masten said the levels may not decrease at a quick enough pace.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is urging Flint residents to get their water tested in hopes the home tests will provide a clearer picture on which parts of the city are facing increased issues of lead-tainted water.
Snyder has accepted the responsibility for the emergency while also taking to task state and federal environment regulators. Some have resigned, including the DEQs former top official, or have been suspended.
In a letter to more than 46,000 state employees Friday, Snyder said "what happened in Flint can never be allowed to happen again anywhere in our state." He said he wants a culture where workers' "input is valued." He also thanked workers for volunteering in Flint in recent weeks.
Federal officials also said Friday that pregnant mothers and children under six should avoid drinking water that hasnt been tested because filters might not provide the needed protection at locations testing above 150 parts per billion, according to the Journal. The level is the maximum that filters have been approved for and is 10 times the 15 parts per billion action level for lead in drinking water set by the EPA.
Flint residents dealing with lead contamination will be cleared to drink unfiltered water again only when outside experts determine it is safe. Those who are evaluating the water and will help verify its quality include Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech researcher who helped expose the lead problem and is providing independent guidance to the city and state.
Meanwhile, music mogul Russell Simmons has joined many well-known entrepreneurs, artists and actors who have visited the city or pledged their support. He went door-to-door Monday delivering cases of water to residents.
The water comes from AQUAhydrate, a bottled water brand partly owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs and Mark Wahlberg that pledged to donate 1 million bottles to the city. The RushCard prepaid debit card system, of which Simmons is a founder, was part of the relief effort.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
A woman and her 2-year-old daughter were shot and killed in a parking lot outside their Maryland home, according to police who found their bodies on Tuesday.
"This is a profoundly sad day and my prayers go out to the family of the victims of this crime that frankly shocks the conscious," Prince Georges County Interim Police Chief Hank Stawinski responded. Officers are calling it a double homicide.
"This is absolutely unacceptable, in any civilized community, that a child should be killed in this way," State's Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks added.
The victims were identified as Neshante Davis and her daughter Chloe, Fox 5 reports. Police said they found the woman with an apparent gunshot wound at the parking lot in a residential neighborhood in Fort Washington. She was pronounced dead.
The toddler was found in a car seat, taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there, according to investigators.
Click for more from Fox 5.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh. blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work as well as a big vote to follow our good friend Kay Wilson on Twitter.
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..Pundicity/ JNS ..01 February '16.."When in Rome, do as the Iranians do."That was the core message emerging from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Europe this week, in a bid to boost trade relations now that the sanctions related to Tehran's nuclear program have been lifted. Arriving at Rome's venerable Capitoline Museum for a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Mateo Renzi, Rouhani was swiftly escorted past the museum's priceless collection of Roman statues, including many nudes that had been covered upyes, reallyto avoid offending the sensibilities of a man frequently and falsely described as a "moderate."It has, finally, come to this. Western leadersboth in Europe and Americadon't even blink when it comes to agreeing to the most outrageous demands of Iran's ruling theocracy. When our female politicians visit Iran, they are compelled to wrap their heads with the hijab. But when Iranian politicians visit our countries, we bow and scrape and now hide those aspects of our Western culture that we should be unapologetically proud about.Those of us who haven't been blinded by the endless reassurances that Iran is now a responsible international citizen will regard this scandal as confirmation that the Tehran regime is as fanatical as ever. And in kowtowing to an Islamist philistine like Rouhani, our leaders are doing a marvelous job of proving to the Iranians that when they say, "Jump," we ask meekly, "How High?"What is true in the case of art and culture is also true in politics. The "normalization" with a thoroughly abnormal Iran heralded by last summer's nuclear deal continues apace. Anyone who questions the wisdom of this strategy will be labeled a "warmonger," or worse, a supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.You see, whenever the Iranians demonstrate to us that they view our democracy and our way of life with contempt, there will be a chorus of Western politicians and commentators who try to change the subject, typically by talking about the malicious designs of Israel's elected leader. President Barack Obama has set the standard on this one for the last eight years, and his media echo chamber dutifully follows. Hell, they'll even make stuff up if that's what's needed.Take columnist J.J. Goldberg of thenewspaper. Ever since the nuclear deal was announced, Goldberg has been trying to persuade his readers that the Israeli security establishment thinks it's actually a great idea, only Netanyahu won't permit them to say so openly. So he hunts around looking for anythingan isolated quote, a bodily gesture, a suggestive pausethat might count as evidence that his beloved Obama is right about Iran.Goldberg is now claiming that Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, the chief of staff of the IDF, told a conference hosted by Israel's Institute for National Security Studies that the nuclear deal "has actually removed the most serious danger to Israel's existence for the foreseeable future, and greatly reduced the threat over the longer term." Note well: That phrasing belongs to Goldberg, not Eizenkot, because Eizenkot didn't say anything of the sort.Indeed, reading Goldberg's piece, I was struck by the absence of key quotes from Eizenkot's speechan astounding omission given his assertion that the very same speech amounts to a "point-by-point refutation of Bibi-ism." For example, Eizenkot expressly said, "Their vision of obtaining a nuclear weapon will continue insofar as Iran views itself as a regional power," which most observers would regard as an indictment of the deal, rather than an endorsement. In similar vein, when Goldberg discussed Eizenkot's views on the threats posed by terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic State, he neglected to quote the IDF's chief of staff's statement that Iran "manages a war against Israel by means of proxies such as Hezbollah, which today represents the most serious threat to Israel."In other words, Eizenkot considers Iran to be the primary source of the threats Israel facesone that, crucially, hasn't given up on its ambition of weaponizing its nuclear program. Yes, Eizenkot also said that the deal brought "opportunities," but probably not of the sort Goldberg had in mind. Those opportunities for Israel lie not in diplomatic outreach to the Iranian regime, but in forging alliances with its Sunni neighbors, whose fear of Iranian power is even greater than Israel's.The question remains as to why someone would make such extravagant claims when they are easily refuted by checking the record. I can only speculateand unlike Goldberg, I don't dress up speculation as factbut it seems to me that there is a whiff of desperation in all of this. If you believe against all the available evidence that the Iran deal has made us safer, then you'll be worried that it won't survive the Obama presidency.Ergo, who could possibly be more credible in making the case to retain it than a serving Israeli general (and never mind that he didn't say what you said he said...)?Be warned, then, to expect more of this sort of thing in the coming months. And be prepared for some even more bizarre spectacleslike J Street, the anti-Israel group that markets itself as "pro-Israel" to win over Jewish liberals, campaigning to rid Congress of some of Israel's closest and most reliable friends, like Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), on the grounds that they oppose the surrender to Iran that Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated in Vienna.The key point to remember is that nothing has substantively changed. Iran remains a brutal theocracy, unashamed of imposing its primitive values on democratic nations, as Rouhani's visit to Rome testifies. Iran's leaders are personally responsible for some of the most vile atrocities of the Syrian civil war, through their backing of Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship. Iran wants to destroy Israel and turn the Islamic world into a web of deadly sectarian violence.In other words, Iran's rulers are the enemy, as they have been since the 1979 revolution, and as they will be for as long as the Islamic Republic remains in place.
To find happiness, Christians must stop worrying about inconsequential things and find relaxation in the grace of God, Pastor Rick Warren shared in a recent devotional.
Warren, who heads Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, writes in his "Daily Devotional" that Christians need to stop worrying about God's approval, and rather relax knowing that God loves all of his children unconditionally.
"You can't earn God's approval. You can't earn his love. You can't earn his recognition. God is love, and he loves you unconditionally. If you want to be a happy person, you need to relax in God's grace every day," Warren writes.
Warren goes on to suggest that a dangerous way to lose happiness is by constantly trying to prove that you are worthy of God's love. Such an attitude can result in judgment and feelings of guilt, subsequently removing the happiness from the special relationship a Christian shares with God.
"When you finally realize there's nothing you can do to make God love you more, it is one of the most liberating feelings in the world. And, it is a key to happiness. Every day, remind yourself of the grace of God, and relax in it," Warren writes.
Read the Original Story from ChristianPost.com
Texas is pressing the Department of Homeland Security to provide a reason why the agency is going to reduce aerial surveillance on the Texas-Mexico border, a letter revealed Monday.
Gov. Greg Abbot and Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar wrote in a joint letter to DHS chief Jeh Johnson that the projected cut to 3,850 hours of surveillance along the border in 2016 is going to amount to 50 percent less coverage than in previous years, according to the Texas Tribune.
The letter also reminded Johnson that Abbot had requested more resources for border agents but was ignored.
Given the recent surge of migrants from Central American and Cuba along the southern border, we believe DHS should request more surveillance and security resources not fewer, the pair wrote in the letter.
A spokesman for Homeland Security told the Texas Tribune the agency will respond directly to both Abbot and Cuellar.
The recent immigration surge has increased concerns along with border. U.S. Border Patrol agents reported from October to December of last year, 10,560 unaccompanied minors entered the state illegally through the Rio Grande Valley an 115 percent increase over the same time in 2014, according to the paper.
The El Paso region also saw 1,030 unaccompanied minors cross over an increase of about 300 percent.
For the first time, Abbots letter mentioned the increase into Cuban immigrants that have crossed into the U.S. illegally. The Texas Tribune reported that over the 2015 fiscal year, nearly 30,000 Cubans entered Texas through Border Patrols Laredo Field Office.
The recent warming of ties between the White House and Cuba has left Cubans fearing they will lose a special title that allows them to apply for a green card in the U.S. after living in the country for a year.
Cuellar and Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn want to repeal that designation.
Click for more from The Texas Tribune.
Three teenage boys were arrested Monday in connection with a shooting at a notorious Seattle homeless encampment that killed two people and wounded three others last week.
Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole said the suspects aged 13, 16 and 17 and of Samoan descent were arrested under an Interstate 90 off-ramp. She added that police were not aware of any outstanding suspects.
The shooting erupted on the evening of Jan. 26 at a homeless encampment in the city known as 'The Jungle.' Police have said they believe the shooting stemmed from a low-level drug-dealing dispute and that the suspects and victims either knew each other or knew of each other.
The two people killed at the encampment have been identified as 45-year-old Jeannine L. Zapata and 33-year-old James Q. Tran. Both died of gunshot wounds.
The three people wounded, ranging in age from 25 to 45, remained at the hospital Monday with a man and woman in satisfactory condition, according to Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg.
She said the other woman wants to keep her condition private. Her condition last week was listed as satisfactory.
O'Toole said Monday night at a news conference that detectives worked around the clock to identify the suspects and that numerous scenes were searched as well as a vehicle. She said police still believe at least two of the suspects fired weapons that night.
KCPQ reported that police have also recovered a gun that matches the caliber of one of the weapons fired that night.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray had high praise for law enforcement after the arrests.
"This violent crime shocked Seattle," he said in a statement. "Thank you to the team at the Seattle Police Department for your professionalism in pursuit of this investigation, resulting in these three arrests. Our homicide investigators worked tirelessly to pursue leads and track down these suspects. We are also grateful for the efforts of our partners from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies."
O'Toole said the city is continuing its assessment of the encampment, which is not authorized by the city, to determine what should be done at the site. Murray said last week that particular encampment "has been unmanageable and out of control for almost two decades."
In November, Murray and King County Executive Director Dow Constantine declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness, pledging more than $7 million to address the crisis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click for more from Q13Fox.com.
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.
A powerful explosion rocked a school building in the Swedish town of Karlstad Tuesday and could be heard throughout the city, emergency officials said.
We are on site now and are trying to ascertain what has exploded, Ola Akesson of Karlstads emergency services told the Expressen newspaper.
There have been no reports of casualties or injuries.
Akesson said the blast at the Tingvallagymnasiet school was a powerful explosion that could be heard in other parts of the city. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the site of the blast.
There was a very loud bang. We thought it was a bomb, a teacher at the school told the NWT newspaper.
Akesson told the TT news agency that authorities have searched through the building but have not found what caused the explosion."
The Tingvallagymnasiet school is the oldest in Karlstad, dating back to the 1800s, and is attended by students that are aged 15 to 19, The Local reports.
The building where the explosion occurred and all nearby buildings are believed to have been evacuated.
A tank Hamas proudly rolled out at a funeral last week may be more parade float than war machine, and a photo of the contraption prompted Twitter trolls to turn their guns on the terrorist group.
The olive behemoth appeared at a memorial service for seven Hamas members killed when an illegal tunnel they were digging in Gaza collapsed. But in between the mysteriously immobile half-tracks, sharp-eyed social media mavens noticed what looks like a set of telltale tires.
Hamas paraded yesterday a "captured, rebuilt Israeli tank". FYI, tanks aren't made of wood and don't run on wheels. pic.twitter.com/cP1e8KFjAJ Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) February 1, 2016
Hamas paraded yesterday a 'captured, rebuilt Israeli tank,' tweeted Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. FYI, tanks aren't made of wood and don't run on wheels.
Few took seriously Hamas claim the tank was captured from Israeli forces, and reconstructed in Gaza. But some apparently did:
The Israeli military reopened the main Palestinian city in the West Bank late Monday after imposing a rare, day-long partial closure of surrounding roads following a Palestinian shooting attack on Israeli soldiers the day before.
Citing a "situation assessment," the military said crossings to and from Ramallah have returned to normal.
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. Early on Monday, the military blocked access to Ramallah to all but city residents, and only residents of other towns and humanitarian cases were allowed to leave.
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.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Nablus on Monday to pay respects to Amjad Sukkari. The 34-year-old policeman shot at Israeli troops at a West Bank checkpoint before he was fatally shot by troops Sunday, according to the military.
Among the mourners was Nablus governor Akram Rajoub.
"It doesn't mean I agree with what he has done," Rajoub said. "I'm against policemen carrying out attacks, but we are people who respect their martyrs and dead."
The latest on U.N hosted peace negotiations in Geneva aimed at ending Syria's devastating five-year conflict (all times local):
12.15 pm
Russia's Foreign Minister says Moscow supports having all parties to Syria's conflict represented at negotiations in Geneva, even if that includes individuals from hard-line Sunni armed groups.
Sergey Lavrov says the inclusion of individuals from Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham, whose founders are linked to al-Qaida, is "realistic" given the situation on the ground in Syria, but added that their participation at the peace talks does not mean "recognition of them as legitimate partners" for peace.
Russia is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad and began an air campaign in Syria four months ago backing his troops. Moscow and Washington are also lead members of the International Syrian Support Group, which helped pave the way for the Geneva talks.
Lavrov spoke during a visit to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
11.00 am
Syria's official news agency SANA says forces loyal to the government have retaken a village north of Aleppo, opening the way to further advances around Syria's largest city.
The capture of Hardatneen early Tuesday came a day after U.N.-led Syria peace talks got off to a wobbly start in Geneva.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition group that monitors the conflict, says pro-government troops have captured three villages near Aleppo since Monday, opening access to an important supply route to the city.
The Observatory says heavy aerial bombardment, presumed to be from the Russian Air Force, supported the ground troops.
In Geneva, both sides have accused each other of bad faith. The opposition has said government airstrikes and sieges of rebel-held areas must stop ahead of talks.
Nigerian separatists have hijacked a merchant ship and threatened to blow it up with its foreign crew if authorities do not release a detained leader agitating for a breakaway state of Biafra, military officers said Tuesday.
Maj. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, the Defense Ministry spokesman, confirmed the hijacking occurred on Friday and called it "an act of sabotage." He did not tell reporters the name of the ship.
Abubakar spoke on Monday. Other officers on Tuesday told The Associated Press that the navy is in pursuit of the captured vessel. The officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is sensitive, said the hijackers have given the government 31 days to free Kanu or say they will blow up the ship along with its crew.
The ultimatum was given at the weekend by a militant identified by the nom de guerre of General Ben. Ben is not a separatist but "some Niger Delta militants have shown interest in working with us," said Uchena Madu, a leader of the Movement for the Actualization of a Sovereign State of Biafra.
The hijacking indicates the separatists could be working with some Niger Delta oil militants blamed for recent bombings of oil pipelines in the oil-rich south, escalating conflict in a country already burdened by Boko Haram's deadly Islamic uprising in the northeast and violent ethno-religious confrontations between farmers and herders in central Nigeria. Africa's biggest economy and oil producer also is battered by slashed petroleum prices.
Secret police on Oct. 17 detained Nnamdi Kanu, director of banned Radio Biafra, and since have accused him of terrorism, sparking protests in which police are accused of killing several demonstrators.
Nigeria's Igbo people prosecuted a civil war to create a separate state of Biafra in the southeast that killed a million people in the 1960s. Many Igbos charge they still suffer discrimination.
North Korea is days away from launching a ballistic missile similar to the long-range rocket they launched in 2012, a U.S. official told Fox News on Tuesday.
The official said North Korea has a pattern of announcing its launches in advance and that they normally say they are space launches, but the components are the same for a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile.
This kind of rocket launch would cause international outrage because such tests are seen by the United Nations and other critics as covers for banned long-range missile tests meant to further North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
An official at the London-based International Maritime Organization told The Associated Press that North Korea declared that an Earth observation satellite launch would be conducted between Feb. 8 and 25.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she hadn't been authorized to speak publicly yet.
Japan's Kyodo News agency reported that North Korea also notified the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union "via diplomatic channels" that it will launch a satellite later this month.
Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man's body turned up miles away from an airport in Somalia's capital city, and police say he may have fallen from a passenger jet that had caught fire Tuesday.
Somalia: Photos of the damage to Daallo airlines taken after the emergency landing, Two passengers were injured pic.twitter.com/aj1jlvSKtu Said Muse Dahir (@SaidMose) February 2, 2016
People on the aircraft reported hearing a loud bang. "I don't know if it was a bomb or an electric shock," passenger Mohamed Ali said.
Photos taken after the landing showed a gaping hole above the jet's wing.
The aircraft made an emergency landing at Mogadishu's international airport minutes after it took off. The plane, operated by Daallo Airlines, was headed to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, according to Somali aviation official Ali Mohamoud.
He said two passengers were slightly injured and 74 passengers and crew of the plane were evacuated after the plane made a safe landing. He gave no more details, and couldn't confirm reports that an explosion may have triggered the fire.
Residents in Balad, an agricultural town roughly 18 miles north of Mogadishu, spotted the body, police officer Mohamed Hassan reported.
Somalia faces an insurgency perpetrated by the Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which is responsible for many deadly attacks across the nation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
U.S. airstrikes have destroyed an Islamic State-operated radio station in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.
"Voice of the Caliphate" radio was destroyed by two U.S. airstrikes, according to a U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media on the subject.
Army Col. Mike Lawhorn, spokesman for the U.S.-NATO mission in Afghanistan, said U.S. forces conducted two "counter-terrorism airstrikes" late Monday in Achin district, in the eastern Nangarhar province, without elaborating.
An ISIS affiliate has emerged in Afghanistan over the past year, with a military presence in districts near the border with Pakistan. The radio station was broadcasting illegally across Nangarhar, calling on fighters to join the group and threatening journalists in the provincial capital, Jalalabad.
Afghan officials had said they believed the broadcasts were coming from mobile facilities that could be moved easily back and forth across the mountainous border.
The spokesman for the Nangarhar governor, Attaullah Khogyani, said the strikes had also killed 21 ISIS supporters, including five who were working for the radio station.
The station was set up in late 2015, following months of fierce fighting between ISIS group militants and the Taliban, who also maintain a significant presence in the region. Although ISIS and the Taliban both want to impose a harsh version of Islamic rule, they are bitterly divided over leadership and strategy, with the Taliban narrowly focused on Afghanistan and ISIS bent on establishing a worldwide caliphate.
Radio is a powerful medium in Afghanistan, where most people do not have televisions and only 10 percent of the population has access to the Internet. Nearly everyone has access to radio, with around 175 stations operating across the country.
The U.S. State Department recently added the ISIS Afghan affiliate to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Elsewhere in the country, three Afghan army officers died when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb late Monday in the Gereshk district of southern Helmand province, according to the district's administration chief, Mohammad Sharif. He said the dead included Gen. Atta Mir, a brigade commander in Gereshk.
In the northern city of Kunduz, a secretary for the provincial governor's office was shot dead near his home on Monday evening, the governor's spokesman, Abdul Wasi Basel, said.
He said that no one had claimed responsibility for the killing of Mohammad Zarif.
The Taliban seized Kunduz for three days last year, and only fully withdrew after a two-week counteroffensive that devastated much of the city.
The International Franchise Association is appealing Seattle's minimum wage law all the way to the Supreme Court. Last week, the organization filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, asking the United States Supreme Court to review the decision of the Ninth Circuit in the Seattle Case.
The association says the law's discriminatory provisions harm franchisees.
IFA and five Seattle franchisees sued the City of Seattle in June 2014, seeking to block portions of the city's law to increase the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour. The plaintiffs asked the court to enjoin the city from treating franchisees as large, national companies rather than the small, locally-owned businesses that they are.
"The controlling Supreme Court precedent and the conflict among the decisions of the federal circuit courts have proven that a Supreme Court review of the Ninth Circuit's decision is the appropriate next step," said IFA President & CEO Robert Cresanti. "Our appeal has never sought to prevent the City of Seattle's wage law from going into effect. Our appeal to the Supreme Court will be focused solely on the discriminatory treatment of franchisees under Seattle's wage law and the motivation to discriminate against interstate commerce."
The Employment Policies Institute issued a report two weeks ago showing that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will hurt franchise businesses disproportionately compared to non-franchise businesses. The survey found that 64 percent of franchise businesses would likely reduce hours compared to 46 percent of non-franchise businesses. The EPI survey concluded that there is no rationale behind treating franchise businesses differently than other small businesses. More than half of those surveyed, 65 percent of franchise businesses, said would likely need to reduce staff in response to a $15 minimum wage.
A response is due from the City of Seattle within 30 days and the Supreme Court is expected to announce in the Spring whether it will agree to hear the case.
The Pie Hole Is Expanding To The Valley
January 21, 2016 // Franchising.com // Los Angeles, CA - The Pie Hole, the Los Angeles, California-based modern American pie and organic coffee concept, has closed another three unit franchise deal for Los Angeles County, California. Named to CondeNast Travelers Best Pies in America list, The Pie Hole features sweet and savory, made-from-scratch pies and an exclusive line of The Pie Hole organic coffees in a fast casual, local gathering space format.
The Pie Hole has two corporately owned locations in Los Angeles and Pasadena, and another LA location to open in Hollywood early 2016. The Pie Hole has partnered with Fransmart, the development company responsible for the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys and The Halal Guys, to expand through a franchise program.
The new franchisees, Raj Singh and Aaron Johnson, who worked with Fransmarts Vice President of Sales, Al Rowe, and Director of Development, Cam Le, has signed up to open three locations in The Valley. Raj and Aaron have been best friends since childhood and grew up next door to each other. They have always wanted to go into business together and chose to invest in The Pie Hole because they love the product, as well as the uniqueness of the brand.
We love the Pie Hole because we can see the positive impact that the brand has on its customers. When you think of The Pie Hole, you envision something specific and there is nothing else like it in the market. says Aaron. Both Raj and Aaron come from finance/investment banking backgrounds but grew up with entrepreneurial families. Theyve chosen to develop in the Valley because of the dense population and diverse demographics mix.
Weve continued to find amazing partnerships in our quest to sell Happiness One Slice At A Time. We are thrilled to partner with Raj and Aaron in order to bring the love of pie and coffee to the San Fernando Valley. Sean Brennan & Matty Heffner- The Pie Hole Founders.
The brands DNA and philosophy perfectly aligns with our vision. We are excited to become part of the Pie Hole family, says Raj.
About The Pie Hole
The Pie Hole was founded in 2011 by partners Sean Brennan, Matthew & Lindsay Heffner and Rebecca Grasley, the matriarch of The Pie Hole. Featuring 5th generation family pie recipes, and an exclusive line of The Pie Hole organic coffees, we are dedicated to delicious, distinctive flavors and premium ingredients. We make made-from-scratch pies of both the sweet and savory varieties, and custom roast our Fair Trade Organic coffees to demanding specifications. The Pie Hole serves multiple dayparts including breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night, along with the ability to accommodate large orders, corporate parties and weddings. BuzzFeed ranks The Pie Hole on their list of 24 Of The Most Delicious Pies In America, along with Refinery 29 The 22 best desserts in all of LA and on Spoon Universitys 50 Things You Need To Eat In LA Before You Die. The Pie Hole has been featured on The Cooking Channel show Unique Eats and Conde Naste Traveler named the Maple Custard Pie to their Top 12 Best Pies in America.
Learn more about The Pie Hole franchising opportunities: http://www.thepieholefranchise.com/.
SOURCE The Pie Hole
Contact:
Casey Thorp
E: casey@fransmart.com
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Anago Cleaning Systems Ranked #1 Janitorial Franchise By Franchise Rankings
Industry-Leading Commercial Cleaning Company Named No. 4 Top Overall Franchise
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Anago Cleaning Systems (Anago), a leading commercial cleaning franchise with more than 2,400 locations throughout the U.S. and internationally, has proven its successful track record once again by being recognized as one of Franchise Rankings Top Overall Franchises. The Fort Lauderdale-based company was awarded the #1 ranking in the janitorial franchises category, in addition to being named the #4 overall franchise among the top 100 franchises. The Franchise Rankings list aims to identify those franchises which lead their industry in terms of overall brand quality and profitability.
Were excited to be ranked amongst some of the largest and oldest franchise companies, Adam Povlitz, President of Anago said. These rankings speak volumes to the recession-resistant nature of our business model, our unrivaled support provided to our Franchisees, and impeccable service to our clients. Were looking forward to continued success throughout 2016.
This further distinguishes Anago as one of the best franchises for new entrepreneurs and proves that it is a lasting player in the commercial cleaning industry. Today, the company has grown to 37 Master Franchise locations, with over 2,400 Unit Franchisees nationwide. As further verification of its success over the past year, Anago was ranked 39th on Entrepreneur Magazines 2016 Franchise 500 list, up over 40 spots from their previous ranking.
Its great to see the commercial cleaning industry continuing to show signs of strength and growth, said Judy Walker, Vice President of Marketing for Anago. We look forward to building on our recent success by adding 7 Master Franchise Territories throughout 2016, including Manitoba, Canada.
As the brand continues to grow and expand across the U.S., Anago is seeking Master Franchise Owners with sales and marketing experience to join its recession-resistant concept. Master Franchise Owners have the potential to create many small businesses within their community through the Unit Franchise concept. The Unit focuses their business on cleaning office buildings, manufacturing facilities, and just about any other commercial property. The Master Franchisees handle the administrative tasks, including everything from finding clients and coordinating cleaning contracts to billing and collections.
To learn more about Master franchise opportunities with Anago Cleaning Systems, contact Judy Walker, Vice President of Marketing for Anago, at 800-213-5857 or judy@anagocleaning.com or visit www.AnagoMasters.com.
About Anago Cleaning Systems
Anago Cleaning Systems is a commercial cleaning franchise system supporting over 35 Master Franchises and 2,400 Unit Franchisees in the U.S. and internationally. After years of refining procedures and creating duplicable systems created in his large commercial cleaning service, David Povlitz founded Anago in 1989 to help other entrepreneurs open their cleaning businesses. Today, its program sets the standard worldwide in commercial cleaning. Anago was ranked the 10th fastest-growing franchise in 2013 and #39 on the Franchise 500 by Entrepreneur magazine in 2016 and 2013, and ranked by Franchise Business Review as one of the best franchises in franchisee satisfaction. Inc. Magazine has also listed Anago as one of the top privately-held companies in the U.S. For further information, visit its website or www.AnagoMasters.com.
SOURCE Anago Cleaning Systems
Media Contact:
Erin Baker
Director of Public Relations
Nymbus Public Relations
(954) 732-6053
erin@nymbuspr.com
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Arbys Leads QSR Industry with 8.1% U.S. System Sales Growth in 2015
Brand opened 60 new U.S. restaurants, most since 2008
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA - Arbys achieved industry-leading system U.S. Same-Store Sales (SSS) growth of 8.1% in 2015 more than three times the growth rate of a sample of the larger Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chains*.
In 2015, Arbys produced record system-wide sales of more than $3.5 billion, and posted the highest 1-year (8.1%), 2-year (13.8%), and 3-year (16.6%) SSS comps for the Arby's system in more than 20 years. Arbys has achieved 21 consecutive quarters of SSS growth.
2015 was a record-setting year for Arbys, said Paul Brown, CEO of Arbys Restaurant Group, Inc. We are particularly pleased with our significant increase in guest traffic throughout the year. Our industry outperformance in 2015 puts us in a strong position to achieve our 2018 goal of $4 billion in system-wide total sales.
During 2015, Arbys opened 69 new restaurants system-wide including 60 new restaurants in the U.S. the highest number since 2008. This growth was fueled by Arbys Menu of Venues approach to restaurant design, which offers a vibrant array of architectural options to fit into several types of trade areas and retail spaces. The flexible building options include traditional stand-alone restaurants, inline and end-cap with drive-thru formats for suburban shopping centers and even smaller footprint designs for urban city centers, as featured in Arbys new Manhattan restaurant, which opened in December of 2015.
Other business highlights from the year include:
Restaurant Revitalization: Arbys remodeled 179 restaurants system-wide.
Arbys remodeled 179 restaurants system-wide. Inspiring Culture and Service: Arbys continued its focus on guest service culture through its Brand Champ program, reaching nearly 70,000 employees from company-owned and franchised restaurants. Arby's Brand Champ training is designed to educate, build trust and empower restaurant teams and has been instrumental in efforts to instill a We Make It Right service culture. The learning journey begins with an off-site three-hour training experience for all restaurant teams conducted without closing restaurants or inconveniencing guests.
Arbys continued its focus on guest service culture through its Brand Champ program, reaching nearly 70,000 employees from company-owned and franchised restaurants. Arby's Brand Champ training is designed to educate, build trust and empower restaurant teams and has been instrumental in efforts to instill a We Make It Right service culture. The learning journey begins with an off-site three-hour training experience for all restaurant teams conducted without closing restaurants or inconveniencing guests. Corporate Social Responsibility: The Arby's Foundations National Restaurant Fundraiser raised more than $3.7 million to help eliminate childhood hunger in America, bringing the companys total contribution to $76 million for youth-related causes since 1986. Also, Arbys became one of the first food service members of the Department of Energys Better Building Challenge (other members include Facebook, GE, Starbucks and Walmart). The company has committed to reduce energy consumption by 20% by the year 2020.
Arbys has tapped into something special -- the right combination of great food, excellent service, and breakthrough marketing -- backed by a talented and motivated team and franchise community, Brown added. We have unlocked a powerful recipe for success which is resonating with our guests, and our strategy will continue unchanged in 2016 as we continue to look for opportunities to outpace our competition.
*Source: The NPD Group/SalesTrack Weekly reports same store sales collected weekly from 45 of the larger QSR chains during Q4 2015 ending December 27, 2015.
About Arbys
Arbys, founded in 1964, is the first nationally franchised sandwich restaurant brand, with more than 3,300 restaurants worldwide. The Arbys brand purpose is Inspiring Smiles Through Delicious Experiences. Arbys restaurants feature Fast Crafted service, a unique blend of quick-serve speed and value combined with the quality and made-for-you care of fast casual. Arbys Restaurant Group, Inc. is the parent company of the franchisor of the Arbys brand and is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. Visit Arbys.com for more information.
With the current growth and momentum of the Brand, Arbys is actively seeking new franchisees. To learn more about available markets and requirements, visit DiscoverArbys.com.
SOURCE Arbys
Contact:
Christopher Fuller
Arbys
678-514-4211
cfuller@arbys.com
Matt Baker
Edelman
Senior Account Executive, Corporate
O: 404-832-6787
matt.baker@edelman.com
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Firehouse Subs Lights The Candles In Celebration Of Its New And Improved Birthday Program
Week-Long Window To Redeem Free Medium Sub
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Firehouse Subs, the fast casual chain known for hearty, oversized portions and steaming hot subs, is firing up guests with an enhanced birthday program as part of its new loyalty and customer engagement app, Firehouse Rewards. The birthday program from Firehouse Subs gifts enrolled U.S. guests a free medium sub redeemed on their actual birthday or within the next six days. By expanding the redemption window, Firehouse Subs is turning birthdays into a weeklong celebration and invites everyone to celebrate their birthday with the brand.
The birthday program was launched more than a decade ago as a way to thank our loyal guests for their patronage, said Doug Reifschneider, vice president of marketing for Firehouse Subs. As one of the few restaurants to give away a full priced menu item, we listened to customer feedback and made a few improvements, like expanding the redemption window and no longer requiring diners to show a form of identification.
To become a member of Firehouse Subs birthday program, guests age 13 and older must download the free Firehouse Rewards app on a mobile phone and register to join. Parents with children under age 13 can enroll on behalf of the child by visiting FirehouseSubs.com/Birthday where they will receive an email on the childs birthday with a Kids Birthday Offer: a choice between a free kids combo with purchase of a sub, chips and drink; or a free medium sub, with purchase of a sub, chips and drink. For more information, visit FirehouseSubs.com/Birthday.
About Firehouse Subs
Firehouse Subs is a fast casual restaurant chain with a passion for Hearty and Flavorful Food, Heartfelt Service and Public Safety. Founded by brothers and former firefighters Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, Firehouse Subs is a brand built on decades of fire and police service, steaming hot subs piled higher with the highest quality meats and cheeses and its commitment to saving lives through the creation of Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. The founders are the real deal, the food is their creation and the company is built upon a family of franchise operators who share their same passion for serving others. In 2015, Firehouse Subs made its international debut in Canada, with plans to open more than 90 locations in the Ontario market and future plans for further Canada expansion. Firehouse Subs is consistently recognized as a leader in the fast casual segment. For the last three years, Firehouse Subs was ranked No. 1 by Technomics Chain Restaurant Consumers Choice Awards among fast casual brands in the categories of food quality (2016), service (2015) and atmosphere (2014). Forbes recognized Firehouse Subs in 2015 as a Best Franchise to Buy.
Quick Facts:
43 states, Puerto Rico and Canada
950+ restaurants
$17+ million donated to public safety organizations
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.
Connect:
@firehousesubs (Twitter/Instagram)
@savinglives
#Herofuel
#FirehouseSubs
www.firehousesubs.com
www.facebook.com/firehousesubs
www.youtube.com/firehousesubs
www.herofuel.co
SOURCE Firehouse Subs
Media Contact:
Katherine Cucuz
The Zimmerman Agency
850.668.2222
Kcucuz@zimmerman.com
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Newks Eatery Coming To Eldridge Parkway With Fourth Houston Area Restaurant
First 50 Guests to Receive a Years Supply of Newks Meals at Mondays Grand Opening
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // JACKSON, Miss. - On Monday, February 8, fast-casual restaurant chain Newks Eatery is bringing its signature brand of fresh, flavorful dining to Eldridge Parkway with the opening of its fourth Houston area restaurant. Following the debut of a Newks Eatery in Bunker Hill Village this past December, the new Eldridge restaurant will be serving up Newks fresh, handcrafted salads, artisan pizzas, hot-toasted sandwiches and scratch-made soups and desserts seven days a week, alongside existing locations in Katy and Cypress.
At Mondays grand opening, the first 50 guests to walk through Newks doors will receive a years supply of exceptional flavors from Newks. Each guest will be given a gift package stocked with 52 VIP cards - each card valid for one free entree valued up to $10 for each week of the year. Only one set of Newks meal cards will be awarded per family. Beginning as early as 7 a.m., guests can start lining up to secure their spot among the first 50 before the restaurants doors officially open at 10:30 a.m.
Located at 2712 Eldridge Parkway, Newks latest Houston area restaurant will offer indoor dining for 150 guests and patio dining for 35 more in its 4,750 square-foot space. The restaurant is bringing approximately 70 new jobs to the area.
Since the opening of our first Newks Eatery in the Houston area back in 2007, its been our mission to satisfy the foodie inside each guest with food that ranges from wholesome to indulgent, Deep Southern to Mediterranean, Cajun to coastal, said Colby Kaminer, one of the Newks franchisees behind the four Houston area restaurants. Were all about bold, flavorful, fresh eating, and were excited to bring that to the Eldridge Parkway area.
Beyond Houston, the Newks franchise team headed up by seasoned restaurateurs Colby Kaminer and Todd Jackson has their sights set on Austin with plans to open five additional locations in the Austin area by 2019, including the launch of a Newks restaurant in San Marcos in March 2016. This will grow the fast-casual brands East Texas footprint to a total of 10 eateries.
Sourcing the finest, freshest ingredients available - including imported cheeses and prime meats, sushi-grade fish, hand-chopped seasonal vegetables, house-roasted garlic, homemade dressings and house-infused olive oils - Newks guarantees every meal is served fresh and served fast. The restaurants culinary-driven menu boasts a wide range of imaginative entrees and re-invented old favorites, including time-tested family recipes from Newks founding family, the Newcombs.
For more information about Newks or to view Newks menu, visit Newks.com or find Newks at Eldridge Parkway on Facebook.
About Newks Eatery
Based in Jackson, Miss., Newks Eatery is leading the next generation of fast-casual with its culinary-driven menu prepared in Newks open-view kitchens, featuring made-from-scratch soups, fresh tossed salads, artisan pizzas, hot toasted sandwiches and desserts. Founded in 2004, Newks currently operates and franchises nearly 100 units in 13 states and is gaining national attention for its accelerated growth and commitment to community. FastCasual.com has named Newks one of its top 20 Movers and Shakers, while Franchise Times magazine ranked Newks among its top Fast and Serious franchise brands and Technomic listed Newks among its top 50 U.S. fast-casual chains. The brand was also recently named among The Next 20 by Nations Restaurant News and one of QSR magazines Best Franchise Deals. For more information, visit Newks.com, join the Roundtable Club or follow Newks on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE Newks Eatery
Contact:
Callie Smith
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Pinots Palette to Open First Location in Minnesota
Grand Opening celebration on Feb. 27
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // St. Louis Park, MN When Mila Krol took her mother to a painting event for her 60th birthday celebration, she walked away with the biggest gift of all: The desire to open a Pinots Palette location of her own.
This month, that dream is coming true, as Mila Krol brings fun and creativity to St. Louis Park, MN. The first ever Pinots Palette paint-and-sip studio will open at 4712 Excelsior Blvd on February 27. Members of the media are invited to attend a special sneak preview on February 19 at 6:30 PM.
Mila Krol was employed as an IT Program Manager at a local retail giant, when that one special night with her mother changed her entire life.
I watched my timid and unsure mother go through a transformation and turn into a confident and proud woman, Mila Krol said. "I knew Pinots Palette could be an incredible destination in my own hometown to fill a void for adults looking to have fun and express their creativity. I looked around the room and everyone was smiling and having fun. Thats when it crystallized - I want to own a place like this.
St. Louis Park holds a special place in Mila Krols heart, as this is where she and her family began their life as new American citizens when they immigrated here from the former Soviet Union in 1990. This is life coming full circle for me," Mila Krol said.
Part of the proceeds from the grand opening will go to The Childrens Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. Mila Krols nephew Zander, who had complications at birth, was just released to go home after 2 weeks in the NICU.
The staff was extremely supportive and knowledgeable, Mila Krol said. They took excellent care of my nephew and made a constant effort to put the rest of the family at ease. Now I can thank them by using my own business for this fundraiser.
Pinots Palette St. Louis Park provides all art supplies needed for each painting class. Guests can register online now to attend two-hour classes ($38/painter) or three-hour ($48/painter) classes. A featured painting, guided by a local artist, is recreated step-by-step. No art experience required.
Pinots Palette St. Louis Park offers a unique paint-and-sip experience by adding focus on food to the painting experience. Locally made cured meats and cheeses from Red Table and Lone Grazer Creamery, artisan crepes, extensive wine list and locally made beer can be expected by guests. Other fun surprises await.
Participants must be 21 or older to drink.
Private parties, kids parties, fundraisers and company team-building events are also offered in a roomy main studio that can seat up to 55 guests or a cozier private room that can seat up to 20. Pinots Palette St. Louis Park is a great venue for bachelorette parties, girls night out, birthdays, church groups, and so much more. Guests can even request one-of-a-kind artwork for the evening.
More information is available at http://www.pinotspalette.com/stlouispark.
About Pinots Palette
Pinot's Palette is a pioneer of the paint-and-sip experience a revolutionary way to enjoy art and wine, meet new people and bond with friends. With 157 locations across 34 states and Canada, and new locations popping up monthly, Pinots Palette is the worlds fastest-growing paint-and-sip franchise. Guests enjoy a no-experience-required art class all supplies included directed by trained, local artists, who guide guests step-by-step through a featured painting. By bringing fun, modern and creative ideas to their events, Pinots Palette curates a unique, rewarding experience while providing a worthwhile contribution to the community. For more information, visit www.PinotsPalette.com.
SOURCE Pinots Palette
Media Contact:
Sara Zangani
BizCom Associates
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sara@bizcompr.com
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Smokes Poutinerie Offers Post-Holiday Season Recovery with Hangover Poutine
Iconic Canadian Brand Provides this Winters Hottest Hangover Cure
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // AJAX, Ontario Smokes Poutinerie, the Worlds Largest and Original Poutinerie, is offering recovering holiday revelers a way to enjoy poutine and all-day breakfast in one delicious package.
Smoke, the gastronomical genius and creator of Smokes Poutinerie, woke up New Years Day to the worst headache ever. Unfazed and determined, he rolled out of bed and made himself a Traditional Poutine, complete with fresh hand-cut fries, cheese curd and his signature piping hot gravy. But the merriment-induced pounding in Smokes head told him something was missing, so he added scrambled eggs, double-smoked bacon, 100 percent pure Canadian maple syrup and a healthy dose of TABASCO Sauce. In this moment, the Hangover Poutine was born.
Smoke immediately faxed the companys innovative CEO and founder Ryan Smolkin to share his newest creation. Smolkin brought the culinary masterpiece to his friends at TABASCO Food Service Canada, and the two companies joined forces to share this delectable, gravy-covered hangover cure with the masses.
Smokes Poutinerie is offering the Hangover Poutine from Jan. 25 through March 13, helping America recover from the merrymaking of the holidays and tackle the New Year. The Hangover Poutine includes a mini bottle of TABASCO Sauce with Smokes face on the label while supplies last, so fans know Smoke supports their recovery.
To ensure fans have remedies to fight any hangover, Smokes Poutinerie is accepting hangover cures submitted via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Smoke himself will select the best cure of the week every Monday while the Hangover Poutine is offered. Each winner will receive a $50 Smokes Poutinerie gift card.
Breakfast is becoming the most popular meal for any time of the day, so Smoke wants to make sure fans can get their breakfast fix whenever the need strikes said Ryan Smolkin, founder and CEO of Smokes Poutinerie. On top of that, Smoke is a true humanitarian. He saw the need for an all-day hangover cure and delivered a most elegant solution with the Hangover Poutine.
Smokes Poutinerie sources top-of-the-line ingredients, including potatoes that are hand-selected from farms in Idaho and cheese curds from producers in Wisconsin. The brands traditional menu includes 30 varieties of poutine, from Chili Cheesesteak Poutine with flat iron steak, homemade chili and cheese sauce, to the Double Pork Poutine with chipotle pulled pork and double-smoked bacon, as well as multiple vegetarian options.
To learn more about Smokes Poutinerie, visit www.smokespoutinerie.com.
About Smokes Poutinerie
Founded in 2009 by creative genius Ryan Smolkin, Smokes Poutinerie is the Worlds Largest and Original Poutinerie. Representing 1980s Canadiana culture known for the signature red & black plaid and glam rock music, Smokes Poutinerie serves 30 varieties of its famous loaded fries (poutine). With 100 locations in Canada, the brand is expanding throughout the United States where it plans to open 800 locations by 2020.
For more information about available franchise opportunities, contact Mark Cunningham, Global Chief Business Development Officer, at mark@smokespoutinerie.com, call (905) 427-4444, ext. 217 or visit www.smokespoutinerie.com/Franchises.aspx.
SOURCE Smokes Poutinerie
Contact:
Jackson Lewis
All Points Public Relations
(847) 897-7497
jlewis@allpointspr.com
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Supercuts Ranked #1 Haircare Franchise and Third Best Franchise Overall In Entrepreneur Magazine's 37th Annual
MINNEAPOLIS - Feb. 2, 2016 // PRNewswire // - For the eighth year in a row, Supercuts, one of the largest and most iconic hair salon brands in the United States, has been ranked the number one haircare franchise in the country in Entrepreneur magazine's 2016 Franchise 500 and the third best franchise opportunity overall, up two spots from the brand's 2015 overall ranking.
Gary Grace, chairman of the Supercuts Franchise Council and a successful multi-unit franchisee, says Supercuts' business model appeals to franchisees because of the vast network of support and the opportunity for growth. "Supercuts franchisees share best practices with each other, and as part of Regis Corporation, the industry leader, franchisees have direct access to support and resources ranging from real estate and finance to marketing and ongoing stylist training programs."
Supercuts has more than 2,500 neighborhood salons in the United States, Canadaand Puerto Rico. The company added 139 franchisees and opened 199 franchised locations in fiscal 2015.
"Supercuts' growth and ongoing success is due to several factors, including overall name recognition, a robust franchisee network and a strong business model, predicated on listening to our guests and delivering an exceptional experience," saidEric Bakken, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Regis Corporation, Supercuts' parent company.
It was a busy and celebratory 2015 for the number one haircare franchise. More than one million Supercuts guests used the brand's mobile app and website to check in online. The brand launched a national television campaign that demonstrated Supercuts' elevated guest experience. And the Hot Towel Refresher service, offered as a complimentary treatment after every Supercut, kept guests feeling clean, sharp and ready to go.
Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 issue is published every January and is considered the world's most thorough and comprehensive franchise ranking. Rankings are determined by objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise's operations and include factors such as financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system, years in business and startup costs.
About Supercuts
Supercuts salons are owned and franchised by Regis Corporation (NYSE: RGS), a leader in beauty salons and cosmetology education. Supercuts is the salon industry leader in haircare services, with over 33 million guest visits per year for haircutting, hair color services and more. Supercuts primarily targets male guests who want a current look at an affordable price. Their proven technique, highly trained stylists and lines of nationally recognized brands of haircare products offer an exceptional guest experience. For additional information about Supercuts, visit Supercuts.com,Facebook.com/Supercuts and Twitter.com/Supercuts. For more information about Regis Corporation, please visit RegisCorp.com.
SOURCE Supercuts
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The Pie Hole Coming Soon To Orange County
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // Los Angeles, CA - The Pie Hole, the Los Angeles based American pie and coffee shop, will bring its classic made- from -scratch sweet and savory pies to Old Towne Orange by April. The Pie Hole has been featured on The Cooking Channel show Unique Eats and Conde Naste Traveler named the Maple Custard Pie to their Top 12 Best Pies in America. Other sweet favorites will be available such as Mexican Chocolate and Earl Grey Tea, along with savory offerings like Chicken and Cornbread Pot Pie and Mac n Cheese Hand Pie. The Pie Hole offers a signature line of organic coffee, and hand pulled espresso, in a fast casual, local gathering space format.
The Pie Hole established itself as a Los Angeles classic immediately after opening in 2011, with 5th generation spanning family pie recipes and the motto of Happiness One Slice at a Time.
Rick and Madeleine Anaya are among the first Southern California franchisees. They own the rights to open three locations in Orange County. We selected Orange as our first location because we found this community to be attractive and the people to be warm and friendly. We love the people, the antique stores, the eateries, and the events, that are all a part of Orange. We feel The Pie Hole OTO can do a good job serving the community of Orange because The Pie Hole espouses community, friendship, and happiness. I remember talking with Sean Brennan, one of the owners, and he told us, The Pie Hole promotes friendship and happiness one slice at a time.
I come from Switzerland and when Rick and I first got married, 30 years ago, one of the things I missed was the coffee. So, Rick and I bought a Jura coffee machine in Switzerland and carried it back with us to our home in Rancho Cucamonga shortly after our wedding. After we hooked it up to a transformer that must have weighed 5 pounds, we had the best coffee in Southern California and we dreamed of opening a coffee shop with pastries. We are now realizing a dream 30 years in the making and it is exciting. We feel truly blessed to be a part of a great team at The Pie Hole and in a beautiful community, says Madeleine Anaya.
The Pie Hole has two current locations: one in the trendy Downtown Arts District and another on Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena. In April, another location will also open by historic Hollywood and Vine.
About The Pie Hole
The Pie Hole was founded in 2011 by partners Sean Brennan, Matthew & Lindsay Heffner and Rebecca Grasley, the matriarch of The Pie Hole. Featuring 5th generation family pie recipes, and an exclusive line of The Pie Hole organic coffees, we are dedicated to delicious, distinctive flavors and premium ingredients. We make made-from-scratch pies of both the sweet and savory varieties, and custom roast our Fair Trade Organic coffees to demanding specifications. The Pie Hole serves multiple dayparts including breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night, along with the ability to accommodate large orders, corporate parties and weddings. BuzzFeed ranks The Pie Hole on their list of 24 Of The Most Delicious Pies In America, along with Refinery 29 The 22 best desserts in all of LA and on Spoon Universitys 50 Things You Need To Eat In LA Before You Die. The Pie Hole has been featured on The Cooking Channel show Unique Eats and Conde Naste Traveler named the Maple Custard Pie to their Top 12 Best Pies in America.
Learn more about The Pie Hole franchising opportunities [http://www.thepieholefranchise.com/].
For additional information please contact co-founder Lindsay Heffner: Lindsay@thepieholela.com or visit www.thepieholela.com.
SOURCE The Pie Hole
Contact:
Casey Thorp
casey@fransmart.com
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Valpak Seeks Entrepreneurs To Grow Brand Presence In Austin, Texas
February 02, 2016 // Franchising.com // ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Valpak a leader in local print and digital coupons, announced today it is looking to further grow the brand in Austin,Texas. This announcement comes on the heels of a new report from the International Franchise Association showing that the franchise industry is continuing strong growth, with the total number of U.S. franchise businesses expected to be close to 800,000 by the end of the year. Coupled with Austin's designation in Forbes as the No. 1 best city for future job growth, Valpak knows this is the right time to seek entrepreneurs to invest in new franchise territories in the market.
"As a young, digitally focused market, Austin holds a lot of appeal for Valpak and our suite of digital products," said Greg Courchane, Valpak's director of franchise sales. "We help businesses and consumers connect in innovative ways, and Austin's healthy business climate and continued job growth in the professional and business services areas creates a healthy demand for our community-focused marketing.
We look forward to bringing new franchisees on board to bring businesses and residents great ways to save through Valpak."
A leader in cooperative direct mail, Valpak mails coupons to nearly 39 million demographically targeted households per month in 45 states and four Canadian provinces. Today, in addition to its flagship Blue Envelope, Valpak offers its business customers an impressive portfolio of digital advertising products including Smartphone apps, Google partnerships, website development, mobile web optimization, and reputation management. In the past year, print offerings have also expanded with on-pack advertising and circulars.
With more than 25 million Americans using couponing apps each month, digital coupon use is on the rise and ample gains are projected in 2016. With this growing dependency on technology, Valpak's digital offerings have been a big draw for new franchisees.
Ideal candidates for Valpak franchise ownership should possess a desire to join a trusted, industry-leading brand, work within a proven franchise system, develop relationships with local businesses and have a comfort level with selling new, digital technologies. Franchisees should also possess a minimum liquidity of $75,000, and a minimum net worth of $150,000.
For more information on Valpak franchise opportunities, please contact Greg Courchane at greg_courchane@valpak.com or 727-399-3091 or visit www.valpakfranchising.com.
Discover more about Valpak
Valpak is at the heart of communities across North America, helping people save, businesses grow and neighborhoods thrive through a network of local franchises in the U.S. and Canada. Valpak marketing consultants live and work in your neighborhood. We know what your customers want (we are them!) and can help you take the guesswork out of advertising with real-world marketing solutions that drive measurable results. From the mailbox to online to mobile devices, Valpak continues to find innovative ways to connect businesses with consumers. Monthly, close to 39 million homes receive our Blue Envelope of savings and traffic onvalpak.com and our syndication partner sites exceeds 110 million. Backed by the muscle of Cox Target Media, your local Valpak office has the means and know-how to custom build a marketing campaign that meets your needs and budget. Let us introduce you to the neighborhood. Call Valpak at 1-800-676-6878.
SOURCE Valpak
Contact:
Nicole Hunnicutt
Fish Consulting
404-558-4108
nhunnicutt@fish-consulting.com
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RICHMONDThe governors schedule doesnt leave much room for watching television, but Terry McAuliffe makes time for AMCs Revolutionary War series TURN: Washingtons Spies. While it piques the governors interest because of his interest in the time period, he has doggedly followed and promoted the series because its filmed in Richmond.
Nearing the end of filming for the third season, McAuliffe put his public speaking skills to the test in a brief cameo as Gen. Robert Lawson for the show. Dressed in period costume, he only delivered one line and a dark look at Benedict Arnold, but his appearance underscored his support for both the show and the filmmaking industry in Virginia.
To make Virginia a destination for shooting movies and television shows (and to enjoy the tourism buzz they generate), the state government provides grants for productions that film in the state. State Del. Terry Kilgore, RGate City, is a longtime supporter of the tax credit program. He said it is an important way to grow the states economy.
We need to start looking at film like any other manufacturing industry that were trying to attract to Virginia, Kilgore said.
While Steven Spielbergs Lincoln created the most buzz with the use of the Virginia State Capitol as a set for Civil War-era Washington, other productions have brought the magic of the movies to Virginia.
Over the course of two seasons of TURN, the show has received $13 million in grants and tax rebates from Virginia. According to a study by Mangum Economics, TURN generates $8 for the Virginia economy for every dollar spent on rebates for filming. Andy Edmunds, director of the Virginia Film Office, says film production benefits all aspects of the local economynot just the movie industry.
When a movie company comes to town, they touch all parts of the economy, said Edmunds. Its not just the jobs of the people who work on the film, but what they buy while they are there.
Starting with Louisiana in 1992, 39 states now have film tax credit programs. Louisiana has offered unlimited funds for productions, with a 35 percent reimbursement rate (the highest in the country).
While some states are pressing for more funding, others have elected to cut back. Due to steep declines in oil and gas revenue, Alaska chose to discontinue its program. Massachusetts also has debated whether to cut its incentives.
Virginias program is growing, but it is still modest compared with other states. Virginia reimburses productions 1520 percent of their costs. In return, the state requires production companies to create promotional materials for the state. Virginia budgets $2.4 million a year for its programbut that would rise to $3 million annually under the new budget proposed by McAuliffe and being considered by the General Assembly.
In a political climate where the two parties often disagree, the issue of subsidizing the film industry in Virginia has bipartisan support.
Virginia is getting the most bang for its buck out of this policy, Kilgore said. For every dollar we spend, we get so much more back because these companies are marketing Virginia.
In addition to all of the materials purchased and people hired during the shoot, the tourism impact cannot be ignored. In exchange for the grant money, Virginia requires the company that receives the money to produce Virginia tourism commercials featuring the show or film shot here.
Before and after each episode of TURN, a Virginia tourism commercial airs urging viewers to visit our state, Edmunds explained. The amount of money in the grant is much less than the price of a commercial production, without the added benefit of the shoot, making it pay for itself.
Besides TURN and Lincoln, the new PBS-produced Civil War drama Mercy Street was filmed in Richmond and Petersburg.
In a recent op-ed in The Washington Post, columnist Eugene Robinson argued that it is no longer possible to think of the Republican Party as a coherent political force. Robinson further argued the current Republican Party was factionalized and out of control. Unfortunately, Robinson was correct in his assessment of todays Republican Party, and that should worry us all.
Let me begin by making an admissionI am a Republican and have been since I worked on my first political campaign at the age of 15. My formal study of political science in college affirmed my belief in the core principles of the Republican Party, and for 22 years I had the privilege of representing the people of Virginia in state and local governmentall as a Republican.
If Republicans nominate a candidate who has the ability to unite our nation and offer a positive vision that charts the course for a new American century, it could be victorious and on the road to recovery.
Not very long ago, I was regarded as one of the leading conservative voices in the Republican Party in Virginia. I have not changed, but the definition of what it takes to be a conservative Republican has so changed that many now regard me as an establishment Republican, in the popular vernacular. I prefer to think of myself as a mainstream Republican, or a more traditional Republican.
In recent years, the leadershipand a large portion of the grassroots of the Republican Partyhas become dominated by people who rose out of the Tea Party movement. The challenge that these new voices have created for the Republican Party is two-fold.
First, they are not so much conservative as they are anti-government, and there is world of difference between those two things.
I am a conservative. I believe in a conservative approach to governing, but I am not anti-government. I understand that there is an appropriate role for government to play in our society, and that the absence of effective government could quickly result in chaos.
Second, they offer no positive vision for the future of our country or our state. They are defined by what they are opposed to, not what they are for.
To be an effective political force, and an effective governing force, a political party must offer a positive agenda that attracts support and gives people hope for the future. A party that offers an agenda of gloom and doom and communicates its principles through anger and division will quickly become unsuccessful and ineffective.
This is, unfortunately, the condition in which we find the modern Republican Party. The question is, can the Republican Party survive if it continues moving in this direction?
To answer this question, it could be instructive to look back to 1854, when the modern Republican Party was formed by Northern anti-slavery activists and modernizers. Prior to that time, most of these early Republicans had been part of the Whig Party.
In its day, the Whig Party was considered to be the nations conservative party, advocating the rule of law, written and unchanging constitutions and protections for minority interests against majority tyranny. But by 1854 the Whig Party had effectively ceased to exist, doomed by two factors:
1) the failure to offer a cohesive agenda for the future of the nation; and
2) internal tension and division over the expansion of slavery to the territories.
When the Whig Party collapsed, most of its effective leaders quit politics or changed parties, including one of our nations greatest future leadersAbraham Lincoln, who quit politics for a while following the collapse of the Whigs.
Does this sound familiar? Does it sound similar to the challenges being faced by todays Republican Party? I sure think it does, and this history should be instructive to modern Republicans.
The major complaint against todays Republican Party is the inability to offer a positive agenda for the future of our country. The party has seemingly become a party that emphasizes negativity, as opposed to a positive vision. And as previously noted, it is most frequently defined by what it is opposed to, as opposed to what it stands for.
In addition, no one can deny that todays Republican Party is terribly factionalized: Traditional Republicans, Tea Party Republicans and Libertarian Republicans. Fiscal conservatives, social conservatives and national security conservativesall trying to pull the GOP in different directions.
While diversity can be a strength, it can also be a disaster if it cannot be consolidated and mobilized into an effective fighting force; and right now, the Republican Party is anything but an effective fighting force.
The lesson of the Whigs should be instructive to modern Republican leaders. If the Republican Party cannot resolve its differences and promote unity, and if it cannot find a way to offer a positive agenda for the future of our country, it may cease to existjust like the Whigs ceased to exist in 1854.
The presidential election of 2016 will be a critical test case for Republicans. The partys future may be determined by the type of candidate it nominates for president. If Republicans nominate a candidate who has the ability to unite our nation and offer a positive vision that charts the course for a new American century, the party could be victorious and on the road to recovery.
However, if the party nominates a candidate who is viewed as being too extreme, divisive and out of touch with the American people, it will inevitably lose the election and drive another nail into what may quickly become the Republican Partys coffin.
Bill Bolling is a Republican from Hanover County and the former lieutenant governor of Virginia. He chairs the Virginia Mainstream Project, dedicated to restoring a more responsible approach to politics and policy in the commonwealth. This op-ed was first published in the Richmond TimesDispatch.
For the study, the researchers relied on a mouse model of breast cancer that spontaneously migrated to the lungs. Using a multicolor lineage tracing assay, they found that cancer cells not only travel together from the beginning to the end of their journey throughout the body, but they need to stick together to survive.
Its a team game the whole way through, Cheung said. This gang of thugs breaks off at the primary site, gets into the bloodstream and then sets up shop in distant organs. Cheung and colleagues also found that by breaking up the gangs into individual cells, they died. Gangs have a much better ability to metastasize than single cells, he said.
Through RNA sequencing to understand which genes were expressed in these cells, the researchers also found that the gangs had changes in the expression of genes encoding for three different protein complexes:
Higher expression of desmosome genes, which could allow the cells to easily stick to each other. Think of it as a molecular rivet, Cheung said.
Higher expression of hemi-desmosome genes, which could make gangs adept at grabbing on to their surrounding microenvironment, such as latching on to a vein near the liver.
Lower expression of genes involved in antigen presentation, which could allow the thugs to evade the bodys immune system specifically, T cells.
Further work is needed to directly test the consequences of these genetic changes, Cheung said. We need to do more studies to test these hypotheses and, ultimately, push these findings forward to develop new therapies for metastatic breast cancer.
Of all stages of breast cancer, metastasis remains the hardest to treat, he continued. If you think of this study as a roadmap, then the work in my laboratory is now directed at creating the battle plan to combat this challenge.
According to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, the number of people living with metastatic breast cancer in the U.S. is estimated to be more than 155,000. About 6 to 10 percent of new breast cancer cases are initially diagnosed at Stage 4, and an estimated 20 to 30 percent of all breast cancer cases will become metastatic. About 40,000 people die of metastatic breast cancer each year in the U.S., and late-stage breast cancer receives less than 5 percent of research funding compared to all cancers combined.
This research was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the American Cancer Society, the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute, the Mary Kay Ash Foundation, the Cindy Rosencrans Fund for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Research, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, the Pink Agenda and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Note for media only: To arrange an interview with Cheung, please contact Kristen Woodward in Fred Hutch media relations, 206.667.5095 or kwoodwar@fredhutch.org.
Rachel Stoltzfus Offers Updated Release of Amish Bestseller, Test of Faith.
Amish author, Rachel Stoltzfus offers an updated release of Test of Faith, the second book in her bestselling Winter of Faith series. Readers will enjoy this exciting addition to the Winter of Faith series.
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Amish book readers looking for an engrossing Amish book can purchase Test of Faith by Rachel Stoltzfus for $2.99 on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Page Foundry and 24Symbols. This is Book 2 of the bestselling Winter of Faith series.
Test of Faith is an updated release of the previously titled Amish book, Seasons of Love. It includes revisions and new content. This book was originally exclusive to Kindle, but is now offered on all of the above platforms in addition to having a paperback edition priced at $7.99.
In Test of Faith, Amish woman, Miriam Beiler is being courted by John Fisher, and she's moving towards being baptized into the Amish community, but a chance meeting with an Englischer leads to deep trouble when Lance Newman begins stalking her. What happens next will forever change this peaceful Amish community and test the faith of all involved.
Readers can learn more about this Amish book here: http://familychristianbookstore.net/index.php/2016...
Amish author, Rachel Stoltzfus strives in her fiction to present a fair and honest representation of a love that is both romantic and sweet. Christian readers will find this book both wholesome, encouraging, and ultimately engrossing.
Readers have raved about Rachel Stoltzfus's Winter of Faith series.
About the first book of the series, Winter Storms, Amazon reader, Deborah Spencer, says: "I LOVED this book! Though there were central characters (and a love story), the book focuses more on the community and how it comes together to deal with the difficulties of a truly horrible winter. One of the most compelling parts of the book was when Adam, one of the boys in the community with asthma, is snowed in with others in the community after a Church gathering with limited supplies and influenza running rampant. Couldn't stop reading!"
In reference to the first edition of Test of Faith, originally titled Seasons of Love, Amazon.com reader, Peggy Lacy, exclaims, "What a great read!!!!! It's a story I will read over and over again! I already told friends and family they can borrow it and should read it."
Also about the first edition of Test of Faith, Amazon.com reader, Jane Jones, raves, "The story shows the strong Amish faith and how they are sometimes in danger from outsiders when they do not respect their right to freedom of religion. Good story showing the strength of the Amish faith and how the community sticks together in times of danger."
Readers can learn more about Test of Faith here: http://familychristianbookstore.net/index.php/2016...
Test of Faith is being offered $2.99 on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Page Foundry and 24Symbols. It is also available in paperback for $7.99. If the paperback is purchased through Amazon.com, readers can then download the Kindle eBook edition for free.
About Global Grafx Press:
Global Grafx Press was founded in 1997. This Christian book distributor is known for publishing great Western romance novels and Amish authors as well as Western Historical fiction. They are committed to helping Christian readers find the best, clean Christian books online and hope that their readers enjoy browsing their Christian Bookstore. Those interested in learning more about Global Grafx Press can do so at http://familychristianbookstore.net.
For more information about us, please visit http://familychristianbookstore.net
Contact Info:
Name: Book Maven
Organization: Global Grafx Press
Address: 823 Old Westtown Road, Suite B1
Phone: 267-530-1611
Release ID: 102632
For more information visit r
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Copper Joint Announces Special New Discount for Email List Subscribers
New offer entitles subscribers to 15% discount on company's unique, patented, copper-enhanced compression sleeves, Copper Joint reports
Elkhart, Indiana -- February 2, 2016 (FPRC) -- Copper Joint, the maker of a unique line of copper-infused nylon compression sleeves, announced a special new offer. Starting now and for a limited time, those who sign up for the Copper Joint mailing list at the company's website www.copperjoint.com will receive a coupon good for a discount of 15% off the next order. With a patented, exclusive technology that bonds copper ions to nylon at the molecular level, Copper Joint produces a range of compression sleeves that promote recovery from injury and aim at easing joint pain, stiffness, and discomfort.
"We're happy to announce the availability of a special new offer," Copper Joint co-founder Jon Deal said, "With so many people becoming interested in the antimicrobial and healing powers of copper, our compression sleeves are a great option for everyone from the most active of athletes to those suffering from arthritis. Thanks to our new special offer, our unique, patented products are now available at a significant discount, making them as affordable as they are effective."
With its distinctive reddish appearance, the metal copper is probably best known for its uses in wiring and other electrical applications where its conductivity is prized. Copper is actually one of the most essential of all metals for life of every kind, though, with organisms from humans on down to single-celled creatures relying on it in their enzymes, pigments, and other crucial biological components.
When found in sufficiently high concentrations, copper is also one of the most powerful of natural antimicrobial agents, killing often-unwanted cultures of bacteria and preventing them from taking root. Copper has also long been thought by many to provide relief from the symptoms of joint problems like arthritis, whether through its purported ability to stimulate circulation and oxygen delivery or other proposed mechanisms entirely.
Even while copper would therefore seem to have a lot to offer, taking advantage of its various strengths has not always been easy. Copper Joint was founded to provide practical, effective ways for athletes and others to leverage the power of copper, as with the company's popular line of copper-impregnated compression sleeves.
A patented process exclusive to Copper Joint is used to bind individual, organic copper ions to nylon, weaving the metal into the fabric at a deep, integral level. The compression sleeves produced from this material exhibit powerful antimicrobial properties, staying clear of unpleasant odors and potentially harmful accumulations of bacteria even when worn by the most active of users.
Wearers of Copper Joint compression sleeves thereby also gain access to the many other potential benefits of the metal, from improved circulation and joint condition to faster recovery from skin illnesses. Copper Joint 4-way compression sleeves are engineered to provide uncompromising, itch- and latex-free performance, along with UPF 50+ sun protection, making them versatile and perfect for a wide range of users. For a limited time, visitors to the Copper Joint website can secure their own 15% off coupons simply by signing up for the company's low-volume email list.
About Copper Joint:
With a unique, patented process that bonds copper ions to nylon at the molecular level, Copper Joint produces a line of high-performance compression sleeves that are perfect for everyone from competitive athletes to those suffering from arthritis and other joint problems.
Send an email to Jon Deal of r
888-320-0039
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The Unique Group Introduces Two New Types of Heat Transfers
The Unique Group, a company offering one-stop brand packaging solutions, announces two new heat-transfer products.
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The Unique Group (www.TheUniqueGroup.com), a company offering one-stop brand packaging solutions, is introducing two new types of heat transfers. Representatives are excited to announce that the two new heat transfers to be incorporated into The Unique Group's labelling process are the Halo-Free heat transfer and the Durable Heat Transfer (DHT). Both of these products are available immediately.
"Our success hasn't stopped us from pushing ourselves to become better," says Asher Lichtman, vice president of sales and marketing at The Unique Group. "In fact, our success with large brands has motivated us to search for and develop even better ways to help our clients. That's why this announcement is so exciting."
Halo-Free heat transfers are soft, natural looking, and come without any of the glue shadows which are typical of other heat transfer labels. They also possess quick dwell times and are able to manage font sizes as small .23mm.
"It's perfect for any cotton blend or polyester fabrics," Lichtman continues. "And it works on both light and dark cotton."
Durable Heat Transfers are unique in that they are an ink-only product and can safely bond to cotton or poly blends without any issue. DHT removes any concern of wear or scratching because they literally become a part of the fabric.
"What's also interesting about DHT is that it takes on the characteristics of the material it's bonded to. So, as clothing becomes softer after each wash, so does the DHT labelling," Lichtman explains. "Yet, there is no distortion of the actual design--it stays in tact. Its reel-to-format makes it great for larger orders."
The Unique Group creates custom labels and branded packaging supplies for many international clients. More information about their products, including Halo-Free heat transfers and DHT are available at www.TheUniqueGroup.com. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
For more information about us, please visit http://www.theuniquegroup.com/
Contact Info:
Name: Asher Lichtman
Organization: The Unique Group
Address: 525 Denison Street, Unit 3A Markham, Ontario, L3R 1B8
Phone: 905-479-4801
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/the-unique-group-introduces-two-new-types-of-heat-transfers/102674
Release ID: 102674
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Blue Star Multimedia Announces They Have Been Honored with Six MarCom Awards
These awards are highly coveted, with approximately 6,000 entries being submitted, and the company won awards in both web design and video production, reports BlueStarMultimedia.com
Manalapan, NJ -- February 2, 2016 (FPRC) -- Blue Star Multimedia, a company long known for their exceptional services, proudly announces they have been honored with six MarCom Awards in 2015. The competition recognizes individuals and businesses for their creativity in the areas of conception, design and writing with regards to various marketing materials and programs. Entries come from a variety of sources, including design shops and PR firms.
"Competition for these awards remains stiff, and we are proud to say we were recognized six times in the past year. Blue Star Multimedia won the platinum award for a marketing, PR and advertising agency website and a platinum award for the single spot Cafe Spezia AMC commercial. Gold awards were given for our Skyn Lash Academy marketing video, our Accutronic Security Systems website, our Relentless Fitness marketing video and our Pantano Nursery & Landscape Supply website," Thomas Ranieri, spokesperson for the award winning creative agency in New Jersey, announces.
The MarCom statuette may be found in top business and communication firms in the world, as previous recipients are proud to show their awards to all. The competition is now the biggest of its kind globally, from all appearances, and it is estimated around 6,000 entries are submitted annually. When looking at the winners, individuals will see everyone from the small business owner who is the only employee in his or her company to Fortune 500 recipients. Competition remains tough when an individual or company is vying for one of these awards.
"Industry insiders think very highly of the MarCom Awards, as seen by the diversity of the entrants and winners. Blue Star Multimedia is proud to join in the competition and it thrilled that the judges felt our work was excellent and recognized our company in this manner, both for our web design and our video production," Ranieri continues.
Businesses need to appear on the first page of Google, preferably in one or more of the top three spots, as the majority of consumers rarely look past these rankings to obtain the information they desire. Furthermore, YouTube now ranks as the second most popular search engine in the world and the third most visited website worldwide. Having a website is no longer enough. Companies need to have a presence across the web for outstanding results.
"Companies in need of assistance should contact our award winning video production and award winning web design teams today. The same is true for companies in need of assistance with branding, as a stunning logo helps to present a company in its best light. We also assist with search engine optimization, animation, print services and more. Whatever you need, we'll work with you to ensure you have the tools to move your business forward," Ranieri declares.
About Blue Star Multimedia:
A full service creative agency and marketing firm, Blue Star Multimedia specializes in website design, search engine optimization, video production and branding solutions. The company works to ensure the vision of the project matches the reality of the potential customer's brand experience.
Send an email to Thomas Ranieri of r
848-207-3333 ext. 1
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Roland Dickey, Jr. Congratulates This Months Brand Champions Marc Cohen
Texas barbecue chain Dickeys Barbecue has a new brand champion thanks to CEO Roland Dickey, Jr., who has announced Jamie Bynum as the latest franchisee to earn the title.
Dallas, TX -- February 2, 2016 (FPRC) -- Roland Dickey, Jr. says that together with the fundamental menu of his successful Texas barbecue brand Dickeys Barbecue Franchise, two secrets have allowed him to build the brand from twenty to over 500 inside ten years: details, and people. The details that make his stores a success are shared with his franchisees. The franchisees are carefully selected for their personal attributes so they are not only successful but also add to the brand family at Dickeys. Roland Dickey, Jr. is currently celebrating the efforts of franchisees, Marc Cohen, of San Antonio, TX.
Marc Cohen started his career as a chef in restaurants, hotels and even catering for NASCAR races. He worked in high-end venues in Las Vegas and fed people on racetracks all over the country. His first taste of barbecue came from third party vendors on the track, and he was hooked. He loved all the different flavor combinations available to make a truly special and unique barbecue, while staying authentic.
He first learned of Dickeys through his cousin, now business partner. Having lived in the San Antonio area for 40 years, he knew all about great Texas-style barbecue. The two went into business together and spent time researching different concepts. We chose Dickeys because it was well situated for growth, and we saw that there was a clear strategy in place, Marc says.
Now, as an Owner/Operator, Marc attributes his success to the community marketing tools that Dickeys offers all its franchisees. His favorite community marketing activity is dropping off family packs at local businesses. I will spend the cost of one family pack to get two new customers every time, he says. It shows we are going the extra mile. He knows that the business doesnt survive without loyal customers, so he focuses on consistency and quality of all his products. Thats what makes Marc this weeks Brand Champion!
A spokesperson for Roland Dickey, Jr. explained, Roland is thrilled to introduce his brand to new territories and has every confidence in Marc for leading this expansion to new audiences. Rolands vision has always been to make Dickeys barbecue the first truly national Barbecue restaurant, and these franchisees are directly responsible for helping make that dream a reality, earning them nothing but gratitude and support from the CEO, who has led the field in franchisee support.
About Roland Dickey, Jr.: As CEO of Dickeys Barbecue, Roland Dickey, Jr. has enthusiastically led his familys company to new heights, overseeing its evolution from local barbecue joint to the fast-casual chain named one of the fastest growing in America. Utilising explosive growth in franchising, Dickey Jr. has helmed the third generation family business to a national audience, while still retaining the brand values of authentic, down-home food, served with a signature brand of southern hospitality.
For more information about us, please visit http://www.rolanddickeyjr.com/
Send an email to Mark Valentino of r
972.248.9899
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NCE in Rancho Cordova Now Offers Ultrasound Tech Program
National Career Education (NCE) in Rancho Cordova, California just launched its brand new Ultrasound Technician / Diagnostic Medical Sonographer program.
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National Career Education (NCE) in Rancho Cordova, California just launched its brand new Ultrasound Technician / Diagnostic Medical Sonographer program.
For years NCE has been offering outstanding accredited programs to people in the Sacramento area who are interested in obtaining the training they need to qualify for entry-level positions in their field of study. The latest addition to their list of programs offered is their Ultrasound Technician / Diagnostic Medical Sonographer program.
Diagnostic medical sonographers are commonly referred to as ultrasound technicians. These skilled practitioners utilize a specialized device called a sonography machine in order to produce images of what is going on inside of a patient's body. A small probe known as a transducer and a special type of gel are used to get the images. The gel is placed on the skin and the transducer transmits high frequency waves through the gel and into the body. When the sounds bounce back, the transducer collects them and sends them to a computer which in turn produces the image. This image is then studied by a physician in order to determine what is going on inside the body.
Most people are familiar with ultrasounds because of the role they play in monitoring the growth of a fetus, but these devices and the specialists who use them perform more tasks than prenatal checkups. Sonograms are used to investigate all kinds of internal organs including but not limited to the liver, the gallbladder, the kidneys and the heart. Sonograms help make diagnoses and treat all kinds of medical conditions.
Demand for ultrasound technicians is expected to significantly increase in coming years. According the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the profession should experience 24 percent growth between 2014 and 2024. This is much faster than the average growth for all other professions.
People interested in working in the medical field but who do not have the time or money to attend a traditional four-year college and then medical school should seriously consider enrolling in the new Ultrasound Technician / Diagnostic Medical Sonographer program at NCE. Call NCE today or go online to learn more about program start dates and enrollment procedures.
Contact Info:
Name: Peter Mikhail
Email: peterlovemikhail@gmail.com
Phone: (800) 915-3593
Organization: National Career Education (NCE)
Source: http://www.prreach.com/pr/22340
Release ID: 102693
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Global Orphan Drugs Market Report: 2016 Edition Now Available at MarketReportsOnline.com
The Global Orphan Drugs Market Report: 2016 Edition research of 56 pages with 44 Charts and 7 Tables to the pharmaceuticals industry segment of its online data and intelligence library. Orphan drugs are medicinal products intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of rare diseases.
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A rare disease is the one that occurs uncommonly or rarely in the general population. However, there exists no clear definition for categorizing "rare diseases" and is usually defined on the basis of the prevalence, and some other factors including the severity of disease and availability of treatment options. Rare diseases are often serious, chronic and progressive. Orphan drugs are medicinal products intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of rare diseases. These drugs are referred to be "orphan" as under normal conditions because these drugs are not cost effective to be developed by the pharmaceuticals industry, intended for a small number of patients suffering from rare conditions.
Complete report available at http://www.marketreportsonline.com/444811.html.
Increasing sales of prescription drugs, substantial benefits for new entrants in rare disease drug market, increased spending on medicines, rising healthcare expenditure and improving economic conditions of nations are some of the significant factors driving growth of the Orphan drugs market. However, the growth of the market is hindered by certain challenges including tougher regulatory approvals, limitation on charging higher prices and no approved drugs for several rare diseases including Polychethemia Vera (PV).
The global orphan drugs market is expected to see numerous developments including approval of several Ultra-Rare drugs, increasing scope of Gene therapy, development of drugs for rare blood disease, higher success prospects for Hematology compared to Solid Tumors, attractive pricing option for orphan drug competitors and striking opportunities in developing orphan drugs.
Order a copy of this orphan drugs market research report at USD 1200 (Single User License) http://www.marketreportsonline.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=444811.
The report, "Global Orphan Drugs Market" analyzes the current prevailing condition of the market along with its future scope of development. The global market along with specific market of the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan, is being discussed in the report. The major trends, growth drivers as well as issues being faced by the industry are being presented in this report. The major players in the industry are being profiled, along with their key financials and strategies for growth.
Company coverage of Orphan Drugs Market: Roche Holdings, Novartis, Celgene Corporation, Novo Nordisk & Eli Lilly and Company
Few Points From List of Tables and Charts Provided in Orphan Drugs Market:
List of Tables
Orphan Drugs as Proportion of New Molecular Entities Approved in the U.S. (2010-2014)
Orphan Drugs Approved in Japan (2014)
Prices and Prevalence of Orphan Drugs in the U.S
Current Ongoing Trials for Rare Blood Diseases
Recently Approved Ultra-Orphan Drugs
Globally Operating Top Orphan Drugs Competitor's Overview
The U.S. Orphan Drugs Competitor's Overview (2014)
Inquire for a discount on Orphan Drugs Market research report at http://www.marketreportsonline.com/contacts/discount.php?name=444811.
List of Charts
Global Orphan Drugs Market (2010-2015E)
Orphan Drugs as Percent of Prescription Drugs (2010-2015E)
Global Orphan Drugs Market by Type (2014)
Average Cost per Patient for Orphan & Non-orphan Drugs (2010-2014)
Median Cost per Patient for Orphan & Non-orphan Drugs (2010-2014)
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Stage at Diagnosis (2014)
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) by Sub-Types (2014)
Incidence of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Major Countries (2010-2014)
Orphan Drug (OD) Applications & Designations per Year (2009-2014)
The U.S. Orphan Drugs Spending (2009-2014E)
The U.S. Orphan Drugs Spending Forecast (2015-2018)
Prevalence of LEMS in the U.S. (2015-2020E)
Other Related Reports on Pharmaceuticals Market at http://www.marketreportsonline.com/cat/pharmaceuticals-market-research.html.
For more information about us, please visit http://www.marketreportsonline.com/444811.html
Contact Info:
Name: Ritesh Tiwari
Organization: Market Reports Online
Phone: + 1 888 391 5441
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/global-orphan-drugs-market-report-2016-edition-now-available-at-marketreportsonline-com/102691
Release ID: 102691
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Best Masticating Juicer Extractor Health Benefits Product Site Launched
A dedicated website resource for the powerful, masticating Omega Juicer has been launched by TheOmegaJuicer, detailing product features and benefits, and recipe tips for some of the most health beneficial, home-made juices. It also serves as an online product and spare parts store.
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TheOmegaJuicer has launched a new, dedicated website resource for one of the most powerful, masticating juicers available for creating healthy juices, the Omega branded juicer. The new site covers detailed product features, benefits and recipe suggestions as well as an online product and parts store, available at: http://theomegajuicer.com.
Recent well-being trends are seeing many people turn to juicing for the perceived, varied health benefits of drinking good quality, freshly extracted, antioxidant-rich juice from fruit and vegetables. As a result, people are investing in home juicers for long term benefits, both from a health perspective and also economically.
Masticating juicers such as the Omega Juicer 8006, or those that extract the juices very slowly, also referred to by some as cold pressing, are seen as the healthiest form of juice extraction as they produce a higher juice yield, extract more nutrients and the wholesome enzymes, vitamins and minerals are preserved because they're not subjected to heating. This style of juicer is proving to be very popular amongst parents, nutritionists, raw food followers, fitness devotees and people that are fighting off serious health issues.
Popular juice combinations for beginners include fruits such strawberries, grapes, apples, grapefruits, peaches, mangoes oranges and lemons and the more common vegetable additives include carrots, spinach, celery, tomatoes and cucumbers. It is recommended to minimise the use of sweeter fruits, or to mix them with suitable vegetables to reduce the intake of sugars for the best health benefits. After experimenting with these, other vegetables can be added such as endives, onions, cabbage, mustard and collard greens, and other more bitter types of vegetables to further improve health benefits.
Aside from juice extraction, additional performance features of the Omega Juicer 8006 that many other juicers don't offer, are: pasta extrusion for making home-made pasta, wheatgrass extraction, mincing vegetables such as onions, garlic and others for cooking, extraction of juice from wheatgrass and grinding coffee and peanuts. It can also be used to make home-made peanut butter.
The Omega 8006 juicer features a 2 HP motor and 80 RPM processing rate, is made from quality materials built to last including the plastic components, which are durable to a minimum of eight years. Replacement parts for wear and tear are available for the Omega 8006 and any other Omega juicer model still currently selling, from such as: augers, drums, hoppers, catch containers, funnels and variant juicing screens. Individual parts are priced from $5 to not more than $80.
For more information about us, please visit http://theomegajuicer.com
Contact Info:
Name: John Brahim
Organization: Mb2power
Address: rue Leon Trepanier, Montreal, Qc.
Phone: 438 453 9876
Release ID: 102735
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Old Mutual Wealth has signed an agreement to acquire Singapore-based expatriate adviser business AAM Advisory.
According to a statement, the deal shows Old Mutual Wealth continuing its distribution strategy of developing a multi-channel advice business.
AAM Advisory is the largest expatriate advisory firm in Singapore with more than 30 advisers.
It will continue to operate separately from Old Mutual Wealths existing businesses in the region.
Old Mutual International and Old Mutual Global Investors will continue to distribute products and solutions via AAM Advisory, but will remain focused on the wider financial advice market in the region.
The acquisition is expected to complete within the next couple of months.
Old Mutual Wealth chief executive Paul Feeney explained they have been working with AAM Advisory for a number of years now and feel they have a strong consumer fit.
Matthew Dabbs, chief executive of AAM Advisory, said the firm was looking for a partner to help with growth.
He said: Together we will continue to build a strong advisory business focused on providing positive solutions for our clients. Together we will continue to build a strong advisory business focused on providing positive solutions for our clients.
Steve Hickman, head of region and chief executive in Singapore and South East Asia for Old Mutual International, said that the deal should create stronger ties in the market.
The business is experienced in managing multi-channel advice without conflict. Old Mutual International will remain focused on the wider financial adviser market in the region and will continue to offer the best levels of support to all advisers.
Todays purchase comes after yesterday (1 February) Old Mutual Wealth-backed network Intrinsic completed the acquisition of Sesames Financial Adviser School.
Intrinsic reached a provisional agreement late last year to acquire the school, founded by Sesame Bankhall Group in 2011.
peter.walker@ft.com
New chief executive of Sanlam UK plans to turn the company into a significant player in Britains financial services industry - and is willing to close offices to do so.
Jonathan Polin, who took on the role at the beginning of this month and has a reputation for restructuring companies, has admitted there will be change at Sanlam, but said he is still finalising these plans.
Globally Sanlam is a huge business, but in the UK it is not that big. Let us be honest, it is not a well known brand.
There is no point in Sanlam playing around in the UK, because the profits we would derive from it wouldnt even touch the sides.
It has to aim to be a significant player in the UK. You dont do that overnight and that has got to be built, but Sanlam are believers in the long game.
Mr Polin stepped down as chief executive and left Ashcourt Rowan last year as part of the Towry deal.
He spent nearly four years at the firm, transforming it from a loss-making entity with a market cap of 22m to a business worth 129m.
He had previously been sales and marketing director at Ignis, involved in the companys transformation from Britannic, including the creation of its boutiques.
One of his first changes since arriving at Sanlam has been to bring the companys UK businesses under the management remit of a single corporate entity, forming Sanlam UK, a group with combined assets under management and influence of nearly 9bn.
Mr Polin said: It has been a very difficult business to understand and it took me a long time to understand what on earth was here. By bringing everything into one company we will give a clearer focus.
It would be wrong for me to play out where I think the strategy for the business is going after less than a month, he continued, adding that the reality is there will be change, because there always is when a new chief executive arrives.
The company will seek to grow by acquisition, but only where it was correct and sensible, with no imminent plans to do so, said Mr Polin, who pointed out that acquisitions are by their very nature opportunistic.
Mr Polin also addressed the issue of Sanlams review of its offices in Rhyl and Worcester. As part of the acquisition of Buckles a number of years ago their back office processes were centred around Rhyl, he explained.
There is also a big operational base with a life company in Bristol and there was no economic justification for having both. We are in the process of completing that migration at the moment and should be finished in the next couple of months.
Meanwhile, Sanlam is set to re-launch its regional office in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, initially delivering financial planning and wealth management services to existing private clients in the region.
Clydesdale Bank has delayed the initial trading of its shares on the London Stock Exchange by 24 hours.
The initial public offering was planned for today (2 February), but according to a statement the UK bank said it was delaying the finalisation of the share trading until tomorrow (3 February).
Parent company National Australia Bank said it will offload its UK subsidiaries on 8 February as it looks to focus on its Australian and New Zealand operations.
The delay to share trading follows a request to the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group (CYBG) from one of the rating agencies for certain financial information relating to its assessment of the banks deposit rating.
The outcome of this assessment could be a near term downgrade of the short and/or long-term deposit rating or the placing of such rating on credit watch with negative implications.
Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group is expected to have a senior standalone investment grade credit rating.
The bank said it does not anticipate any such downgrade to have any material impact on the financial outlook for Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banking Group.
A downgrade of the deposit rating would require Clydesdale Bank to take mitigating actions in relation to its existing secured funding programmes.
The Supreme Court of Victoria approved the demerger yesterday.
NAB expects to announce the final pricing for the IPO on 3 February 2016.
katherine.denham@ft.com
You can learn more about Cavendish Vermont history by going to our website or contacting us at margocaulfield@icloud.com , PO Box 472, Cavendish VT 05142 or calling 802-226-7807
The Cavendish Historical Society Blog is a great way to learn more about what the Society is doing, has recently learned and what we are planning to do. Please join in discussions about some of our findings.
Morrisons has said it will not be asking suppliers to absorb the cost of its latest price cuts, which will cover more than 1,000 fresh products.
The supermarket, which is the fourth biggest in the UK, has launched a Price Crunch campaign, which will knock an average of 19% off the price of the first 1,072 items.
These include own-brand items Savers Caged Eggs, white mild cheddar, medium whole chickens, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables such as kale, broccoli, onions and potatoes.
See also: Morrisons slammed over misleading Milk for Farmers
A spokesperson at Morrisons said the retailer would absorb the cost and use our manufacturing capabilities to keep prices down.
Phil Bicknell, head of food and farming at the NFU, said there were concerns when any supermarket made price cuts, but the important question was whether farmers were getting a fair and sustainable price.
Morrisons is the UKs second largest fresh food manufacturer and makes more than half of the fresh food it sells.
The supermarket said it was not releasing details at this stage of other products that would be reduced, and would not say whether these would include red meat and pork.
Price Crunch offers will typically last a minimum of three months.
Livestock farmers have been warned to check the integrity of their grain silos following two collapsing in the Netherlands, causing the death of a feed delivery driver.
Last year, a feed bin on a farm near Boxtel, in the southern Netherlands collapsed, killing a delivery driver who was not identified because of the countrys privacy laws. A second, separate, incident was described as a near miss.
See also: How to avoid accidents on poultry farms
The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), a trade association, said it wanted to remind UK farmers that feed bins may be a forgotten danger on farms.
Check your feed bins are sound Look for corrosion, loose metalwork or cracks in welds
Carry out a more thorough investigation following any collision
Keep up regular inspections and promptly tend to any damage
George Perrott, feed sector head at the AIC, added: Feed bins are familiar objects on livestock farms but can be holding tonnes of feed up in the air. Over time, these static pieces of equipment are just taken for granted. Corrosion or accidental damage can make them unsafe.
It is good practice to routinely inspect feed bins, looking at signs of corrosion in metalwork, loose metalwork or cracks in welds. Also, should there be an accidental collision with a farm vehicle or delivery truck always carry out a visual inspection for any damage that could weaken the supports.
The tragic and catastrophic incidents in the Netherlands are a timely reminder of how important it is to pay attention to regular inspection of equipment.
Proportionately, farming remains the most dangerous occupation in the UK, with 9.12 deaths / 1,000 workers, according to the Health and Safety Executives latest figures.
MPs have launched an inquiry into the best way to prevent future floods in England including the potential role played by farmers.
The inquiry by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee gives farmers the opportunity to have their say on how flood risk should be managed.
See also: Defra to enlist farmers to combat floods
It follows severe flooding this winter, which left farms across northern England submerged and cost communities more than 5bn.
Committee chairman Neil Parish said: Flood damage of the sort suffered by communities across the UK this winter is becoming all-too-frequent an occurrence.
I know from personal experience how flooding can damage not only buildings, land and infrastructure, but how it can also devastate lives.
Mr Parish said questions needed to be answered about whether adequate measures were in place to plan for frequent, extreme flood events.
We want to see how effectively the Environment Agency predicts and prepares for floods in a changing climate, he said.
We will also be asking how far Defra policies protect communities in high-risk areas from future devastation.
Opinion differs on the best way to tackle floods whether by dredging rivers to speed the flow of water, or by slowing down water higher up in catchments before it reaches lower levels.
The inquiry will look at how adequately defences protect communities and agricultural land from floods and whether current funding arrangements target spending in the right way.
There have already been suggestions that farmers could be paid to undertake flood mitigation measures including by allowing their land to store water to save towns and villages.
But Colin Rayner, whose Berkshire farm was flooded in spring 2014, said: Paying farmers is another stupid idea by people who dont understand the countryside.
We are the only country in the world that believes dredging doesnt work and that maintaining watercourses destroys the environment.
We have suffered some of the worst flooding in the UK over the past three years, yet you dont see the same thing happening in places like Holland.
The difference is that Holland maintains its flood defences and its watercourses properly and we dont.
James Winslade, whose Somerset farm was flooded during the winter of 2013-14, said his land was too far down the catchment to store water effectively.
What we need are more flood schemes higher up the catchment that can cope with water and use us as a last resort, he said.
If we can slow the water down higher up, it could alleviate flooding further downstream. We cant cope and the rivers cant cope either.
Rivers in Somerset coped better with more water once they were dredged but a lot more dredging was needed, said Mr Winslade.
Farmers can make written submissions via the inquiry website. Submissions should arrive by noon on Tuesday, 15 March 2016.
Defra secretary Liz Truss has given farmers a glimpse into the future about how she intends to shape future policy at Defra.
In a speech delivered to the Institute for Government in London on Monday (1 February), Ms Truss outlined her vision for reforming the department.
The minister covered a range of topics, including red tape, farm inspections, Defras open data plan, its 25-year environment plan, technology integration and the economy.
See also: Truss on BPS, a possible EU exit and the badger cull
Ms Truss spoke of how she wanted to put nature at the heart of farming, improve productivity while minimising the burdens of regulation.
Here are some of the main soundbites of her speech.
Truss on the internet
The arrival of the internet did not just mean automating what we already did. It meant companies making huge efficiency savings and the whole culture of organisations changing. Layers of management were stripped out and we had to be more nimble and responsive.
Truss on governance
If we want Britain to lead the world, our governance needs to lead the world too. It needs to enable talent and enterprise, to do less and where it acts to be more productive and more open to ideas.
Truss on global changes
We face ever-fiercer global competition and shifting patterns of climate, trade and economic power. To meet these challenges, our productivity must match and exceed the level of the best-performing nations.
Truss on the future of Defra
In the case of Defra, we have seen the number of organisations reduced from more than 90 in 2010 to todays 34. I want Defra to be leading the way in the next phase of change and I believe the four key principles are about government being more integrated, open, modern and local.
Truss on technology integration
The technology revolution means people today expect responsiveness and seamlessness they want services shaped around their needs, not around organisational convenience.
Truss on Defras 25-year environment plan
When community groups, NGOs, farmers and businesses talk to us, they wont be passed from pillar to post. Natural England and the Environment Agency will be maintained while more flexible operations will mean the same spending delivering results several times over. We will share the same IT, HR and communications, releasing resources for the front line.
Truss on British nature and landscapes
There are too many people in our country who are not aware of these natural wonders or how food is produced. They are not benefiting from the experience of climbing Catbells in the Lake District or visiting the National Arboretum in Gloucestershire.
Truss on Defras open data plan
Defra is at the forefront of the open data revolution. By June, we will be on target to release 8,000 datasets as I promised last summer.
Truss on farm inspections
Our Single Farm Inspection Taskforce, which we promised in our manifesto, will cut tens of thousands of official visits without sacrificing standards. This all reduces the time and money people will have to spend dealing with us so that by 2020 we will have swept away 470m worth of unnecessary costs for businesses.
Truss on the economy
Just as our economy was turned around in the 1980s, in this turnaround decade we are creating a state that is more responsive to people and place and the realities of a more integrated and open world.
Tell us your views on Liz Trusss plans. Contact the newsdesk on 020 8652 4905, email: philip.case@rbi.co.uk or send a tweet to: @farmersweekly
Large numbers of Welsh farmers are being penalised for overdeclaring land in their BPS claims.
Wooded areas included in claims seem to be causing many of the problems, say land agents.
Under the new rules in Wales, land with tree densities of more than 100 trees/ha is ineligible for BPS applications.
See also: Farmers warned to take care over CAP claims in Wales
EU BPS guidance also states that areas with clusters of three or more trees creating a canopy of more than 100sq m are ineligible for claims.
Agents acting on behalf of farmers say imagery of groups of trees and structures are creating shadows, which are causing confusion when government staff use aerial photographs on computer maps to verify claims.
This has resulted in large deductions being made to the eligible areas farmers have submitted on their Single Application Forms (SAFs). In some cases, this has triggered penalties.
John Crimes, of Cymru Agricultural and Rural Advice (CARA Wales), said the majority of claims he submitted have subsequently had land deducted.
He explained: The Welsh government has reduced the area we have declared on virtually every claim that has been paid so far. We have been very careful to measure and take out trees and other features, but it has been a waste of time.
However, Mr Crimes said government staff had been unwilling to explain why areas had been deducted.
He added: They will only tell us where the areas are we really are in the dark. In most cases, it seems to be shadows from trees and structures. We have had one case of a 3.5ha clean field being deducted.
When farmers receive the paperwork it gives a list of the fields where land has been removed, but not an explanation. We re-examine the maps and it is quite obviously clean land. The only way we can counter this is to lodge an appeal, which wastes time and is costly.
We have to find the payment statement, identify the fields that have been deducted, remeasure them and lodge an appeal.
Rory Francis, a spokesman for Coed Cadw (the Woodland Trust), said: This is an overliteral interpretation of the EU rules which penalise farmers under BPS for having clusters of trees on their land.
Trees can play a valuable role in sheltering livestock from the summer heat, yet the Welsh governments interpretation of EU rules penalises farmers for having tree clusters on their land.
Mr Francis said the Woodland Trust would be seeking to find out if there had been an increase in tree felling licences among Welsh farmers and landowners since the new BPS rules were announced.
But he warned farmers against cutting down trees or pruning tree canopies to try to circumvent the rules.
Its our understanding that the Welsh government will look at an aerial photograph and say: It was an area more than 100sq m last year. We can see you have cut trees down. Did you have permission to do so?
The Welsh government said its new streamlined appeals process had been introduced to allow farm businesses to easily appeal decisions they believe to be inaccurate.
Farmers can contact Rural Payments Wales with their customer reference number, trading title and field references so officials can carry out a reassessment, said a spokesman.
Case study: Thomas family, Plynlimon
The future of a Welsh hill farm is in doubt after the Welsh government deducted 49ha from its BPS claim.
The Thomas family, who produce sheep on one of Wales highest farms, submitted a claim for 443ha. It was alleged that they had over-claimed by just over 24ha and under the Welsh governments penalty system, this was doubled to 49ha.
Sarah Thomas, who farms with her husband and two sons, insisted that the disputed area is clean land.
It doesnt make any sense, we are entitled to claim on that land and because of that we are going to fight it, said Mrs Thomas, who farms Eisteddfa Gurig at Plynlimon, near Aberystwyth.
We understood that farmers were losing a little bit here and there but nothing as great as this.
An appeal has been lodged but Mrs Thomas said the situation had caused great worry for her family.
They run a flock of 900 ewes and have extended their overdraft to pay for feed because they have yet to receive the first 80% of their BPS.
We have been assured that this will be paid in the next day or so but things are getting desperate, said Mrs Thomas.
If we lose our appeal we will seriously have to consider the future of the flock, the figures just wont add up.
We live, simultaneously, in two different worlds. Ultimately, we live in the World of Nature, a world that we did not create and the world upon which all life depends. Most immediately, we inhabit a "human world" that we create ourselves. Because our human world is the result of our own choices and actions, we can say, quite properly, that we live, most immediately, in a political world. In this blog, I hope to explore the interaction of these two worlds that we call home.
About 40 people rallied and marched at Oregon State University Monday afternoon to demand that the schools fundraising arm unload its investments in fossil fuels.
The protest, organized by OSU Divest and a variety of environmental and social justice groups, mixed street theater with chants and speeches demanding that the OSU Foundation cut its ties to oil, gas and coal companies to help protect the world from climate change.
Black plastic sheeting was used to create a mock oil spill on the Memorial Union Quad, which several demonstrators dressed in hazmat suits pretended to contain. Two more demonstrators, one sporting a hardhat and the other holding a cardboard cutout of OSU President Ed Rays head in front of his face, pretended to cut a shady deal to bring more oil money to the university.
Maybe people want to step back from the smell of money, the man impersonating Ray said to the man in the hardhat, but I want you to know that the partnership between OSU and ExxonMobil is A-OK.
Ken Winograd, an associate professor of education and a spokesman for OSU Divest, chastised the foundation for holding onto its fossil fuel stocks.
The foundation has failed to step up to the existential threat of climate change, he said in a short speech, and its investment policies are inconsistent with the mission of our university.
From there, the group began a march around the campus, including a stop in front of the administration building. Some carried signs or banners with slogans such as Climate Action Now, Keep the Oil in the Soil and Dont Be a Fossil Fool. A demonstrator with a bullhorn led the group in chants such as When our planet is under attack, what do we do? We must fight back.
OSU Divest, the local branch of a national campaign launched by the anti-carbon activist group 350.org, has been pushing for divestment for about three years now. Its efforts have been endorsed by the Faculty Senate and the upper chamber of OSUs student government, but the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees has rejected the idea, citing its fiduciary duty to maximize investment returns and maintain a balanced portfolio. The foundation is an independent nonprofit that solicits donations to support Oregon State University.
Currently, fossil fuel investments represent about 5.6 percent of the OSU Foundations $667.4 million in assets, according to spokeswoman Jill Cassidy. While the foundation has not changed its stance on divestment, Cassidy said the organizations Advisory Committee for Public Input on Investments plans to meet with OSU Divest representatives to discuss the matter.
The CorvallisBenton County Public Library will host a talk on the future of racial diversity in Oregon by Willamette University professor Emily Drew this coming Sunday.
The event, scheduled for 2 to 3:30 p.m., is free and open to the public and will be held at the librarys downtown location at 645 N.W. Monroe Ave.
The event is hosted by the Corvallis chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice and sponsored by Oregon Humanities.
For more information about Corvallis SURJ or this free community discussion, please contact Faith Reidenbach at 541-609-8420 or CorvallisSURJ@aol.com.
Dorothy Ellenor Weihe
Dec. 16, 1919 Jan. 30, 2016
Dorothy Weihe was born Dec. 16, 1919, in Valentine, Nebraska, to John and Ellenor (Boyd) Brinda. She grew up on her parents ranch in Todd County, South Dakota, and attended high school in Valentine. Her early life was spent doing what she loved most: working on a ranch, riding horses and working with cattle.
She taught school from 1940 to 1942 in rural Nebraska. She married Leo H. Weihe on April 5, 1942. They worked together on ranches for several years before moving to Valentine. Dorothy worked as a bookkeeper and she and Leo raised their daughter, Kaye. Cancer took Leo in February 1979.
Dorothy moved to Corvallis in 1986 to help Kaye and husband Dale care for her grandson, Eric. While in Oregon, she was very active in her church, wrote her life story, traveled around Oregon and enjoyed taking many pictures of her travels and her family. She passed away on Jan. 30 at the age of 96.
She was a strong, active and caring person who always was willing to lend a helping hand and who loved her family and friends.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Kaye and Dale Berggren; grandson Eric; and many nieces and nephews in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa and Oregon.
Her family wishes to extend many thanks to friends who came to visit her and to the caring staff at Timberhill Place Assisted Living and Benton Hospice Service.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Corvallis.
Please send your thoughts and memories to www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.
John Alfred Joiner
Sept. 11, 1915 Jan. 27, 2016
John Alfred Joiner was born in a log cabin in La Center, Ballard County, Kentucky. He attended a one-room grade school and graduated from Heath High School in Heath, Kentucky, in 1932. He graduated from Paducah Junior College in 1934, attended Bryant and Stratton Business College, Louisville, Kentucky, and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1941. He was admitted to the Kentucky state bar in the same year.
He was drafted into the United States Army in 1941, graduated from the infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia, as a 2nd Lieutenant. He served in Oregon, Kansas and Oklahoma, Regimental Adjutant 361st Infantry, 91st Division, and he served as assistant GI XVI Corps, Fort Riley, Kansas. He made the initial landing on Leyte Philippine Island with the 24th Infantry Division. He was discharged as a major in 1952.
His parents were William E. Joiner and Myrtle B Joiner and he had one sister, Grace Milner, of Knoxville, Tennessee. He married BettySue McCready on March 14, 1944. She died June 30, 1965.
He is survived by two children, Marian G Hayes of Seattle, Washington, and William Alfred Joiner of Skagway, Alaska; two grandchildren, Tanya Hayes and Matthew Hayes; and three great-grandchildren.
In 1967 he married Marjorie Elaine Oberson. She died April 28, 2009. He has one stepdaughter, Tami Markham, and two step-grandsons, Jeff Markham and Luke Markham.
He was vice chancellor of the Oregon Diocese for many years. As vice chancellor and as the Bishop Appointee, he served on the board of directors of the Good Samaritan Hospital for 35 years, the last five years as vice chairman of the board. While on the board, the decision was made to locate the hospital to its present site. He was on the vestry of the Church of the Good Samaritan when the decision was made to purchase the property where the church and Samaritan Village are now located.
He served as District Attorney for Benton County for four years. He was also Municipal Judge for the City of Corvallis for several years.
He was active in Kiwanis for over 40 years, serving a term as president. He was a member of the Corvallis Country Club for close to 40 years and served as secretary for four years.
Als family invites you to join us in remembering Als life at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, at the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, 333 N.W. 35th St., Corvallis.
There will be a reception following the memorial in the church.
In lieu of flowers, you may donate in Als name to The Good Samaritan Church Foundation, 333 N.W. 35th, Corvallis, OR 97330; The Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation, 3600 N.W. Samaritan Drive, Corvallis, OR 97330; or you are welcome to make a donation to a charity of your choice in Als name.
Please send your thoughts and memories to www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.
A couple of notable political events took place on Monday: First, of course, Iowa voters participated in their states first-in-the-nation political caucus, and in doing so, kicked the presidential race into high gear.
Closer to home, in Salem, legislators from across Oregon gathered to kick off the Legislatures short session, scheduled for a five-week run.
Oh, we can already hear state legislators complaining about being painted with that political brush. Legislators like to insist that they often set aside political differences when they gather in the Capitol to tackle the states issues. And theres a measure of truth to that: Although party differences often dominate the headlines, it is remarkable how many measures draw support from both sides of the aisle.
But when Oregon voters approved annual sessions a few years back, we did so with the understanding that sessions held in election years would come with a side effect: They would be colored by politics.
In fact, how could it be otherwise? By the time elections roll around, voters memories of the session held just a few months before still will be fresh, so legislators tend to be particularly wary about casting votes that could become ammunition for opponents.
That was part of the reason why the short sessions were pitched to voters as essentially caretaking affairs that would be primarily focused on fixing budgetary issues and tying up loose ends from the previous session. By keeping the focus relatively tight during the election-year sessions, theres a chance of minimizing the role that politics will play during those five weeks.
That was the theory, at least. But with big policy issues increasingly creeping into the five-week session, it was inevitable that politics would rear its head and, certainly, the opening statements from Democrats and Republicans that we heard on Monday in Salem had the sound of parties trying to set the stage for their election campaigns. And with bruising partisan battles expected this session on proposals to raise the minimum wage in Oregon, not to mention a pair of contentious environmental issues, it likely was naive to assume that legislators could gather in Salem for a few weeks, tie up some loose ends and sing Kumbaya.
We still support the idea of annual sessions; in our view, Oregon state government has become too complex to govern with every-other-year sessions. And we liked the compromise that created the shorter sessions and set aside a longer stretch of time for legislators in the odd-numbered years. We understood the risk that a political shadow would fall across the short sessions. But, with that said, legislators still need to remember that we expect the session to produce much more than just talking points for use during the 2016 elections.
Michael Huntingtons "As I See It" article in the Jan. 29 Gazette-Times was a warning to all of us to pay attention to trade agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The overreach of power by international corporations under NAFTA will be greatly exacerbated if the Trans Pacific Partnership is passed. Supranational institutions may appear to be simply about free trade," but they are far more than that and endanger democracy around the world. Under the TPP and NAFTA, corporations can sue entire countries or lesser jurisdictions if the corporations feel that governmental regulations threaten their current or future corporate profits. CEOs may indeed feel they have a fiduciary responsibility under these circumstances to sue governments on behalf of their stockholders.
Last November the president and Congress pushed through legislation under "fast track," directing Congress to respond to the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement within 90 days. As early as mid-February, Congress may vote on the TPP, yes or no, and without the option to amend.
Those of us who are concerned should contact Sen. Wyden and Reps. Schrader, Blumenauer, Bonamici and Walden to urge them to not only end their support of the TPP but to actively oppose it.
Please thank Sen. Merkley and Rep. DeFazio for their steadfast opposition to TPP. This is a matter of self-governance and self-preservation.
Cheryl Stevenson
Corvallis (Jan. 31)
Should I use Doctors and Drugs to Heal Me or Spiritual Methods?
"Dear Kryon, I have heard that you should stay natural and not use the science on the planet for healing. It does not honor God to go to a doctor. After all, don't you say that we can heal with our minds? So why should we ever go to a doctor if we can do it ourselves? Not only that, my doctor isn't enlightened, so he has no idea about my innate or my spiritual body needs. What should I do?"
First, Human Being, why do you wish to put so many things in boxes? You continue to want a yes and no answer for complex situations due to your 3D, linear outlook on almost everything. Learn to think out of the 3D box! Look at the heading of this section [above]. It asks which one should you do. It already assumes you can't do both because they seem dichotomous.
Let's use some spiritual logic: Here is a hypothetical answer, "Don't go to a doctor, for you can heal everything with your mind." So now I will ask: How many of you can do that in this room right now? How many readers can do that with efficiency right now? All of you are old souls, but are you really ready to do that? Do you know how? Do you have really good results with it? Can you rid disease and chemical imbalance with your mind right now?
I'm going to give you a truth, whether you choose to see it or not. You're not ready for that! You are not yet prepared to take on the task of full healing using your spiritual tools. Lemurians could do that, because Pleiadians taught them how! It's one of the promises of God, that there'll come a day when your DNA works that efficiently and you will be able to walk away from drug chemistry and the medical industry forever, for you'll have the creator's energy working at 100 percent, something you saw within the great masters who walked the earth.
This will be possible within the ascended earth that you are looking forward to, dear one. Have you seen the news lately? Look out the window. Is that where you are now? We are telling you that the energy is going in that direction, but you are not there yet.
Let those who feel that they can heal themselves begin the process of learning how. Many will be appreciative of the fact that you have some of the gifts for this now. Let the process begin, but don't think for a moment that you have arrived at a place where every health issue can be healed with your own power. You are students of a grand process that eventually will be yours if you wish to begin the quantum process of talking to your cells. Some will be good at this, and some will just be planting the seeds of it.
Now, I would like to tell you how Spirit works and the potentials of what's going to happen in the next few years. We're going to give the doctors of the planet new inventions and new science. These will be major discoveries about the Human body and of the quantum attributes therein.
Look at what has already happened, for some of this science has already been given to you and you are actually using it. Imagine a science that would allow the heart to be transplanted because the one you have is failing. Of course! It's an operation done many times a month on this planet. That information came from the creator, did you realize that? It didn't drop off the shelf of some dark energy library to be used in evil ways.
So, if you need a new heart, Lightworker, should you go to the doctor or create one with your mind? Until you feel comfortable that you can replace your heart with a new one by yourself, then you might consider using the God-given information that is in the hands of the surgeon. For it will save your life, and create a situation where you stay and continue to send your light to the earth! Do you see what we're saying?
You can also alter that which is medicine [drugs] and begin a process that is spectacular in its design, but not very 3D. I challenge you to begin to use what I would call the homeopathic principle with major drugs. If some of you are taking major drugs in order to alter your chemistry so that you can live better and longer, you might feel you have no choice. "Well, this is keeping me alive," you might say. "I don't yet have the ability to do this with my consciousness, so I take the drugs."
In this new energy, there is something else that you can try if you are in this category. Do the following with safety, intelligence, common sense and logic. Here is the challenge: The principle of homeopathy is that an almost invisible tincture of a substance is ingested and is seen by your innate. Innate "sees" what you are trying to do and then adjusts the body's chemistry in response. Therefore, you might say that you are sending the body a "signal for balance." The actual tincture is not large enough to affect anything chemically - yet it works!
The body [innate] sees what you're trying to do and then cooperates. In a sense, you might say the body is healing itself because you were able to give it instructions through the homeopathic substance of what to do. So, why not do it with a major drug? Start reducing the dosage and start talking to your cells, and see what happens. If you're not successful, then stop the reduction. However, to your own amazement, you may often be successful over time.
You might be able to take the dosage that you're used to and cut it to at least a quarter of what it was. It is the homeopathy principle and it allows you to keep the purpose of the drug, but reduce it to a fraction of a common 3D dosage. You're still taking it internally, but now it's also signaling in addition to working chemically. The signal is sent, the body cooperates, and you reduce the chance of side effects.
Drug family : Drug band sells 190 kilos of marijuana
Bonn/Alfter A family in Alfter and a man in Cologne have been charged with major drug dealing. They are thought to have sold 190 kilos of marijuana in Cologne/Bonn.
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A family in Alfter is accused of being involved in the international drug scene. Bonn Prosecutor Robin Fabender said family members facing a hearing in District Court include a 67-year-old, his 40-year-old son and two granddaughters ages 20 and 16.
The two men are accused of having collaborated with a 38-year-old man from Cologne, who was the head of the drug band. The three men are charged with 22 counts of drug trafficking. Because a loaded revolver was also found, dealing in weapons will also be charged carrying a minimum sentence of five years.
Due to the age of the daughters, the trial will take place in a juvenile court. Both girls will be charged with aiding and abetting drug dealing. According to prosecutors, the dealers bought high quality weed from the Netherlands. It was then stored in a small apartment in Bornheim, which had been rented by the 20-year-old daughter.
Between October, 2014 and June 2015, the dealers are alleged to have sold 190 kilos of marijuana in the Cologne/Bonn area for about 1.14 million Euro. While the 38-year-old man in Cologne apparently made the drug deals, the 67-year-old man was said to be responsible for receiving and hiding the drugs in the Bunker the Bornheim apartment.
A police raid found 22 kilos of marijuana, and 215,000.00 Euro. All family members from Alfter who were involved have admitted to some wrongdoing. The 38-year-old from Cologne has remained silent about the charges.
Auslanderamt : Police called again to Foreigners Registration Office
Bonn Tensions are escalating at the Foreigner Registration Office. Asylum seekers are waiting for welfare checks but not enough staff are there to help.
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You may be familiar with the Auslanderamt, since this is the bureau where international residents must go to register. These days, the refugee crisis is visible there as high numbers of asylum seekers make their way to the bureau on Oxfordstrae. Workers there have their hands full and asylum seekers are frustrated by waiting hours on end.
Last Thursday, a group of 30 persons refused to leave the building when they still had not been processed by the end of the day. Police were called in to deescalate the situation. On Friday, police were called again to defuse another situation.
Christoph Busch, who represents city workers, reported tumultuous scenes in the building, which also houses the offices for social and welfare benefits for asylum seekers. Office hours there had already been reduced due to a shortage of staff. Refugees who do not have bank accounts must come here to collect their welfare checks. Apparently, workers were not able to get all the people their welfare checks by the end of the day and tensions escalated.
An oversight committee of the city administration had turned down the request for 58 additional workers to deal with the refugee influx. Five of those jobs would have been in the social and welfare benefits department. Busch criticized this decision. The topic will be brought up again today in a sub-committee.
Beware of thieves : Warning to people of Bonn: pickpockets hard at work
Bonn Pickpockets were very busy over the weekend in Bonn. Police tell people to be extra cautious in the Karneval crowds.
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Pickpockets were very active this past weekend in Bonn. They struck in trams, stores, restaurants and pedestrian zones. They stole wallets and cell phones. Police are warning people, especially during the Karneval celebrations with masses of people out and about, to be very careful and alert so they dont become victims.
On Friday at around 1:30 p.m., a 33-year-old man had his cell phone stolen from his jacket pocket. He was on Bruhler Strae and had just climbed in the tram. He only noticed it was missing when he left the tram. 50 minutes later, an 86-year-old woman was jostled around by unknown persons on the Marktplatz. She soon noticed that her wallet was missing from her purse.
On Saturday, an 80-year-old woman was pickpocketed in a Bad Godesberg shopping center. She got in an elevator around 12 noon with three women. One of the women was carrying a large box so they all stood close together. When the senior citizen left the elevator, she noticed her wallet was missing. At around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, a 43-year-old was the victim of a pickpocket. She was at a boutique on Sternstrae and went to get her wallet to pay when she realized her backpack had been opened and her wallet was missing.
In her statement, the 43-year-old woman mentioned two suspicious women who were in the shop at the time of the theft. One was heavy set, with black hair and pushing a red childrens stroller. Police say these are all typical cases of pickpocketing and that people need to be extra vigilant during Karneval.
In another incident on Saturday, a man grabbed the purse of a 74-year-old woman from her shoulder. She was walking around 5:45 p.m. along An der Evangelischen Kirche on the steps when someone came from behind. She tried to hold on to the purse but he got it and ran the direction of Hans-Iwand Strae. He was wearing dark clothing.
If anyone has information about any of the thefts, they are encouraged to call police at 0228-150.
Chattanooga Public Library Executive Director, Corinne Hill, along with Hamilton County Department of Education Director of Literacy, Becky Coleman, joined more than 90 officials from 45 communities across the country in Washington D.C. on Jan. 19 to explore strategies for creating strong partnerships to ensure that all school children have easy access to the learning resources at their public library. The one-day meeting was part of President Obamas ConnectED Library Challenge, an initiative to get a library card in the hand of every school age child.
The national convening, called the ConnectED Library Challenge: Answering the Call, was a celebration held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for the communities that accepted President Obamas challenge last spring. The meeting provided a platform for those involved in the initiative to collaborate and share ideas of successful approaches as well as foster local partnerships for future success. A national report summarizing lessons learned among the participating communities and strategies for continuing the work will be prepared and widely distributed.
The Chattanooga Public Library and HCDE started their partnership in 2014 making library card applications a standard procedure during annual fall enrollment, regardless if a students home address is outside the Chattanooga city limits. In the first year (2014-2015) 23,795 public school students students received free library cards. This year, (2015-2016) 25,494 new cards were issued to public school students which represents approximately 11% of the librarys total circulation.
Our goal was simply to make sure every public school student had a library card and could access all of our amazing resources. We created a system-wide turn-key process in the schools that is already in its second year and expanding. That is one successful outcome. The real success is seeing how many kids are using their public library again, said CPL executive director, Corinne Hill.
Strong partnerships among local government, schools and libraries within our communities will improve educational outcomes for all children, said Susan Benton, president and CEO of Urban Libraries Council. The forming of these partnerships is a significant first step in bridging the divide of technology and educational resources in communities across the United States.
The ConnectED Library Challenge recognizes the critical role that libraries play in providing students with the technology and resources they need to be successful learners. It also recognizes the critical role that libraries play as trusted community anchors that support learning and connectivity at all times.
Succeeding in todays society requires a higher order of problem-solving, critical thinking skills and continuous learning throughout life, said Benton. A vital, and sometimes overlooked, resource is the public library, which is well-positioned to facilitate collaboration, build partnerships, address gaps and support a lifetime of improved education outcomes.
President Obama launched the White House ConnectED Library Challenge in April 2015, calling on city government, school leaders and library directors to work together to foster partnerships that ensure that every child enrolled in school can receive a library card. There are currently 60 communities participating in the Challenge. The programs national partners include the Urban Libraries Council, Institute of Museum and Library Services and American Library Association.
In an instance of a bank robbery, a bank teller was trained to obey the robbers orders.
A teller followed this rule on Jan. 31, 2014 as a masked man held her at gunpoint at First Volunteer Bank in Hixson.
During todays trial before Federal Court Judge Curtis Collier, the teller testified in the case of 58-year-old Dearl Dean Lawton the man charged as the robber who put a gun to her head.
Agents arrested Lawton in May 2015 after matching his DNA to a hooded sweatshirt they found in a nearby dumpster after the holdup. According to Matt Hennessey, an officer on the FBI Task Force, other articles of clothing that were ditched in the dumpster further revealed Lawton as the suspect.
With a jury as her audience, the teller told in detail about the day of the robbery.
It was around 5:05 p.m. on a Friday, she said, when a man walked in the front door wearing a dark hoodie, gloves, sunglasses, and a mask that covered most of his face.
She said the man was a little over six feet tall and muscular. She saw he held a gun and a khaki-colored bag with a zipper. A few seconds after he walked in, she realized he planned to rob the bank.
The robber demanded every employee to line up behind the teller line behind the bank teller. Give me the money, he reportedly said, handing her his bag.
In this situation, the teller had been trained to do as the robber said, unless he ordered her to leave the building with him.
She said she calmly placed the money from her drawer into the bag. She said the robber told her to hurry. She obeyed. She said she went to touch the dye pack a stack of fake bills that explode with dye when they travel a certain distance from the bank when the man said, Dont give me the dye pack. I know what it looks like.
The teller testified to prosecutor Michael Porter that the defendant stood within arms length of her. She said the little bit of skin his mask did not cover was white. She said she is familiar with guns and believed the revolver he pointed in her face to be real.
The prosecutor played the surveillance video from the robbery during the teller's testimony. The video captured the man with his bag in one hand and gun in the other.
She said once she filled the bag with money she handed it back to the defendant. Before he left he ordered another man in the bank to give him his deposit bag, which reportedly had nothing in it.
An agent at the trial opened an evidence bag and pulled out a dark sweatshirt. The teller looked at it for several seconds then identified it as the same hoodie the robber wore.
On cross-examination, Lawtons attorney Mitch Carter noted the teller hesitated when she identified the hoodie. He then confirmed the teller never handled the gun the robber pointed at her, and that the gun never fired, meaning she only speculated the gun was real.
He said the people in the bank during the holdup should have the best knowledge of what the robber looked like. Because the man wore a mask, the teller said she could not see any facial features. But she was sure he was around 61 because of the height marker at the entrance of the bank. And she noted this in the suspect description sheet she filled within minutes after the robber left.
On the sheet it says, If youre unsure of an answer, dont guess. Leave it blank.
Mr. Carter pointed out that on this sheet the teller described the defendant as 30 to 35 years old. The attorney brought this up because Lawton is in his late 50s.
He didnt walk in a manner that made him appear to be very old, she said.
At the same time, because sunglasses shaded his eyes, she said she could not tell if he had
laughing lines. He could be younger or older.
The trial is set to continue Tuesday.
Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Russian air space violation
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
Press Release (2016) 012
Issued on 30 Jan. 2016
A Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish airspace yesterday, despite repeated warnings by the Turkish authorities. Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is.
I call on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace. Russia must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again.
I welcome the direct contacts between Ankara and Moscow, and I call for calm and de-escalation.
NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey and supports the territorial integrity of our Ally, Turkey.
Allies agreed in December to increase the presence of AWACS early warning aircraft over Turkey, as we continue to augment Turkey's air defences. This decision precedes yesterday's incident.
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Coalition Continues Anti-ISIL Strikes in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 1, 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 and fighter aircraft conducted five strikes in Syria:
-- Near Hawl, a strike destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL tunnel systems.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed three ISIL front-end loaders.
-- Near Manbij, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system, two ISIL fighting positions, and two ISIL buildings.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 13 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:
-- Near Kirkuk, a strike destroyed an ISIL bunker.
-- Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL excavator.
-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Ramadi, six strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL staging areas, two ISIL rocket rails, two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL vehicle bomb, and an ISIL vehicle bomb-making facility.
-- Near Sinjar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and two ISIL fighting positions.
Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.
Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
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Commissioners Discuss Report on Recommendations for Army's Future
By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, February 1, 2016 Three members of a commission on the Army's future shared their findings with defense reporters here last week.
Retired Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, the commission's co-chairman, was joined Jan. 29 by Robert F. Hale and Kathleen H. Hicks at a Defense Writers' Group breakfast to discuss the report they submitted to Congress earlier in the week. Hale is a former Defense Department comptroller, and Hicks formerly served as the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.
The commission recommended a total Army of 980,000 soldiers, with 450,000 in the active Army, 335,000 in the National Guard and 195,000 in the Army Reserve. Ham called this number the "absolute minimum" needed to defend the United States, its allies and its interests.
The number is controversial, because the service is on a glideslope to go below it. Ham said the commissioners deliberated long and hard on the right number and component breakdown for the force. "So in regard to the 980,000 force broken into the components, the phrase 'minimally sufficient' was carefully thought through," he said, "meaning if you go below that, you start to increase risk pretty rapidly."
Part of the Joint Force
The commission never lost sight of the fact that the Army is always part of the joint force, Ham said, noting that the services are now intertwined. "That is a strength," he added, increasing reliance of each service on the others in terms of the capabilities they bring to the battlefield.
The Army is the executive agent for a number of different capabilities in the Defense Department, ranging from delivering mail to chemical demilitarization, Ham noted, as well as providing significant baseline forces for theater structure.
"Those are the less sexy parts of the Army, but they are nonetheless essential for joint operations anywhere in the world," he said. "There is a tendency to focus on the brigade combat teams, aviation brigades kind of the pointy end of the spear [but] the sustaining parts, the generating force, are equally important to the Army, and we tried to make that point throughout the report."
The commission made 63 specific recommendations, but these are not pie-in-the-sky options, Ham said. "If it was unconstrained," he added, "we would obviously have many more recommendations about size and capability, but we felt that it was responsible to stay within reasonable bounds of what we anticipated the level of resourcing might be."
The commissioners decided that the level of funding in the president's budget for fiscal 2016 "is the minimum level of funding necessary to sustain the Army at levels of readiness and modernization to meet the nation's security objectives," Ham said.
'Hard Choices Are Necessary'
The commission recommended keeping some AH-64 Apache helicopters in the National Guard, and offered a specific offset to pay for that, Hale said, stressing that "hard choices are necessary." Aviators need more flying hours, he said, and the Army should station an armored brigade combat team in Europe. Air defense and missile defense capabilities all need to be built up, Hale added. The service should even look to disestablishing two infantry brigade combat teams to pay for these and other recommendations, he said.
"It's always hard to get people to talk about offsets," Hale said. "But we need to raise that issue, unless the budget is going to go up significantly."
The bottom line, Hicks told the reporters, is that there are too many missions for the available force.
"We felt it was our responsibility to point out this mismatch," she said. "We have set forth a set of missions and conditions for the Army participate in through the joint force, and the way we have it set up including through modernization and structure probably is not sustainable in the long term."
The reduction of two infantry brigade combat teams highlights "the very hard choices the nation is going to have to make," Ham said. The threats are out there, and in some cases, they are here, he said. What is new, Ham said, is the breadth of threats facing the United States, its allies and its interests.
"What I heard from the combatant commanders is they are concerned about the complexity, the diversity and the ever-evolving nature of the threats we have to face and the time we have to face them," Ham said. "Think back to the campaigns the U.S. military has engaged in. In most cases, there has been time to prepare and respond to a threat.
"One of the concerns we heard was in this emerging security environment that we anticipate for the future, that time may not be there," Ham said.
Hicks said commanders are concerned about the diffusion of technology and the effect that is having in thinking through how a land force can engage in the world.
"Many [commanders] are concerned that the United States cannot count on a modernization edge in many types of conflicts," she said. "You have to make sure you have the leadership training and agility to adapt quickly."
Army Statement
Brig. Gen. Malcolm Frost, the Army's chief of public affairs, issued a statement on the commission's report shortly after it was released Jan. 28.
"The Army appreciates the independent insights and recommendations provided by the National Commission on the Future of the Army," he said. "We are currently assessing the report and expect its recommendations to provide opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness of our force."
The secretary of the Army and the Army chief of staff are leading that effort, which will include the coordinated efforts of the Army National Guard director and the chief of the Army Reserve, Frost said.
"The Army's evaluation of the costs, benefits and risks outlined is just now beginning," he said. "We thank the commission for their insights and hard work."
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U.S. Department of Defense
Press Operations
News Transcript
Presenter: Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland, commander, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve; Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook February 01, 2016
Department of Defense Press Briefing by Gen. MacFarland via Teleconference in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room
PETER COOK: Morning. Hope everyone's doing well. Happy Monday.
Before we get to General MacFarland, who I know is the star of the hour here, some housekeeping. We're going on the secretary's schedule.
The secretary will deliver a major speech tomorrow on the budget, in front of the Economic Club of Washington. That's going to happen at 8:30 tomorrow morning, at the Ritz-Carlton downtown. That is going to be followed by a moderated discussion on stage with David Rubenstein, the club's president.
Then the secretary will travel to California and Nevada for stops that will further highlight his budget priorities.
Now, with regard to today's topic -- over the past month, Secretary Carter has spoken several times about the coalition military campaign plan we're following to accelerate the defeat of ISIL. At Fort Campbell -- (inaudible) -- to discuss the campaign with the 101st Airborne, he will soon deploy to assume the training and assistance mission being carried out right now by the 82nd Airborne.
In Paris, he met with coalition partners and discussed steps to accelerate the campaign for ISIL's lasting defeat. And in about two weeks' time, he will meet in Brussels with about 26 member nations of the military coalition, as well as representatives from Iraq to discuss the capabilities needed for this fight, going forward.
The campaign has three objectives: one, to destroy the ISIL parent tumor in Iraq and Syria by collapsing its power centers in Mosul and Raqqa; two, to combat the emerging metastasis of the ISIL tumor worldwide, and three, to protect our nations from attack.
This morning, to try and give you a better sense of the situation on the ground and where the campaign is headed from here, we are joined by Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland. He's the commanding general of combined joint task force, Operation Inherent Resolve.
This is the first in what we hope will be a series of updates from top commanders involved with the counter-ISIL campaign. And I want to express my thanks to General MacFarland for joining us today.
He's going to have an opening statement, then we'll open it up for Q&A. For his benefit, if you could -- because he cannot see everything happening back here in the briefing room -- you could say your name and your media outlet when you're asking a question. We would appreciate it.
And with that, general, thanks again for joining us. And the stage is yours.
LIEUTENANT GENERAL SEAN MACFARLAND: Thanks. Thanks, Peter. As Peter said, my name is Sean MacFarland, and I'm the commander here of my joint task force, Operation Inherent Resolve.
And it's good to see some familiar faces in the audience today. I saw you as you were gathering. And to the rest of you, welcome. Nice to meet you.
I have a little statement, and then I'll open it up for questions.
So, the mission of the combined joint task force is to defeat the Islamic State, or Daesh, as it's also known in our area of operation, which includes both Iraq and Syria.
The 3rd U.S. Corps assumed responsibilities from the 3rd U.S. Army on 19, September last year, as the nucleus of this combined joint task force. And we've been fighting the enemy every day since then.
The CGTF serves as the operational-level headquarters charged with synchronizing combat operations with supporting efforts.
The way in which we will defeat Daesh militarily is straightforward and not a huge military secret.
We'll attack the enemy with airstrikes across the breadth and the depth of their so-called caliphate to weaken them from within, and we'll enhance the lethality of our partner forces on the ground in both countries through training, equipping, advising and assisting as they attack the enemy's perimeter and shrink it.
And as we do this, we'll work to get the maximum possible effect on this out of our coalition partners' contributions to the fight. Easy to say, tougher to do, but we're making progress.
Allow me to provide a little context on how far the operation has come in 18 months. The coalition conducting its first air strike in Iraq in August of 2014 and its first strike in Syria a month later. Since then, we've conducted over 10,000 strikes: about two-thirds of them in Iraq and about one-third in Syria.
Coalition air strikes initially blunted Daesh's advances and prevented a battle in Baghdad and along with it, the very survival of Iraq. Now, coalition strikes not only target the enemy on the front lines, they are increasingly hitting Daesh across Iraq and Syria and its ability to fund and control terror operations.
The cumulative impact of our air strikes have ground the enemy down. When applied in support of our partners, we've forced the enemy to give up terrain. In May of last year, the enemy was able to seize Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria.
Since then, Daesh has not only not gained any area in Iraq. It's actually lost a great deal. In fact, the enemy now controls about 40 percent less territory than it did at its zenith. With the support of coalition air power, the Peshmerga were able to push the enemy out of Kurdish areas in Northern Iraq and have recaptured the important town of Sinjar, home to the persecuted Yazidi minority, an important position along one of the main lines of communication, connecting Mosul and Raqqa, the enemy's two most important cities.
Iraqi Security Forces, followed and supported by volunteer forces known as the popular mobilization forces, or PMF, were able to eject the enemy from the important city of Baiji along with the oil refinery nearby, which is north of Baghdad and in the Tigris River Valley. More recently and most importantly, the Iraqi Security Forces, with the support of Sunni tribal forces working alongside them, recaptured the symbolically and operationally important city of Ramadi in the Euphrates River Valley west of Baghdad.
Make no mistake, the recapture of Ramadi was a turning point in this campaign. The enemy suffered devastating losses and the Iraqi Security Forces have proven themselves capable of defeating Daesh, even when the enemy has all the advantages of prepared defense in an urban area. But we aren't resting on our laurels. We understand that we are closer to the end of the beginning of this campaign, than we are to the beginning of the end, as Winston Churchill put it.
Just over a year ago, the coalition established several sites to build partner capacity, and begin training the first Iraqi army battalions. Since then, a rapid and effective train and equip program has helped rebuild significant portions of the Iraqi Security Forces into a force capable of defeating the type of enemy we are now facing.
We've trained more than 17,500 Iraqi soldiers and about 2,000 police now. And there are more than 3,000 soldiers and police in our training sites as we speak. We've been flexible enough to modify the type of training and equipping along the way that we're delivering to ensure that we are providing the right skill and gear the Iraqis need.
In particular, we have shifted from a pure counterinsurgency focus and are now preparing the ISF to conduct, what we refer to, as combined arms operations. The ability to integrate infantry, armor, artillery, air power, engineers and other assets on the battlefield, provides the Iraqis with a decisive advantage over a static enemy dug in behind complex obstacle belts. It also allows them to defeat enemy attacks with far fewer friendly casualties.
The ISF has already proven the value of this modified training and equipping program during their liberation of Ramadi and we've learned some important lessons from that battle and are already adjusting our approach as a result.
We've also seen progress in Syria, where we have partnered with multiple groups willing to fight Daesh. The Syrian democratic forces have made dramatic gains against the enemy in northern and eastern Syria, while the vetted Syrian opposition and other groups are holding the enemy back along what we call the Mara line in northwest Syria.
With our help, the SDF has fought back from its embattled enclave in Kobani, and now, it controls key terrains such as the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River and are not very far from the enemy capital of Raqqah.
There have been some setbacks along the way and you can expect that there will probably be some more, because after all, this is a war. Daesh can still launch local counter attacks in Anbar, and as the ISF methodically clears Ramadi and the rest of the Euphrates River Valley in Iraq, they'll find that the enemy is resilient and dug in.
The enemy is still strong in Syria, where we have no partnered opposition forces and the situation along the Mara line remains fluid. We will continue to have good days and bad days for a while longer in that area. But overall, the trend, I believe, is going in the right direction.
I'll be happy to answer any of your questions about current operations within reason. As the operational commander, though, I don't want to answer any questions about strategy, especially about future operations for obvious security reasons. I believe surprise is really an underappreciated principle of war.
But with those caveats in mind, I'd now like to open it up to your questions.
MR. COOK: Great. We'll begin back here. Phil Stewart of Reuters.
Q: Thank you for doing this briefing, general. Could -- just to start off very quickly with Iraq, do you have a sense from the Iraqi government -- we -- we've been told you had conversations with them about what kind of support they will need and they will accept in the run-up to Mosul. Could you give me a sense -- they didn't accept close air support and some of the kind of support that Secretary Carter publicly offered (inaudible) of Ramadi -- during Ramadi.
Do you have a sense that they will accept greater U.S. support for Mosul? And then I had a question on Syria.
GEN. MACFARLAND: Yeah. Well, let me just clarify a little bit on the air weapons teams or the apaches and their support. The prime minister didn't actually turn it down flat. What he said was, you know, around Ramadi, things seem to be going in a pretty good direction. I'm not sure I need it right here, right now. But he didn't say no. He said, you know, maybe a little bit down the road we'll need it for other places in -- in Iraq.
So it's not turned off, we're not rebuffed or anything like that. But we are in a constant dialogue with the Iraqis about what kind of support they require and what kind we can provide. But as I said with -- in regard to the apaches, you know, hey look, you know, we can't inflict help on somebody, you know? They have to ask for it, they have to want it and -- and we're here to provide it as required.
Q: And then on Syria, if you could help us understand a bit. You talked about how the situation along the Mara line is fluid and we know that General Dunford has -- is reviewing a request from Turkey to help them train hundreds of -- of forces they think can help clear that pocket. Could you give us a sense of where that stands and what kind of support your coalition has in that -- in that pocket right there?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Thanks. Yeah.
We are working with a number of groups where we do provide them with some supplies. We are recalibrating the approach that we're using and how we're supporting forces in that area to make sure that it's the right kind of support. And what we find is that where -- the types of units are that we are working with, we tend to see more success along the line than in areas where we haven't worked with them. So, it's very complex, very complicated up there along that area.
You know, we call the area between the Mara Line and the Euphrates River, the (inaudible), and a lot of people would like to lay claim to that area and we're trying to come up with the right approach to block the enemies' access to that important corridor.
MR. COOK: Jim?
Q: General, Jim Miklaszewski with NBC News.
At the recent World Economic Summit in Davos, Secretary Carter said that the U.S. will be providing more boots on the ground in his words, in Iraq, as the U.S. prepares to assist the Iraqis in terms of taking Mosul and suggested that the Americans would be taking a more proactive, if not aggressive posture, in what they're doing there in Iraq.
Can you flesh that out a little bit? How many more American troops do you think are needed? Just what would they be doing, and do you foresee U.S. forces involved in ground combat operations, directly involved. And not just the occasional raid, but an actual ground combat operations there in Iraq?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, I've been directed to come up with a series of proposals. Some would call them accelerants to the campaign that would allow us to increase the pressure on the enemy. Now, that doesn't necessarily equate to boots on the ground. It doesn't necessarily equate to American boots on the ground. It could be coalition boots on the ground. It could be a capability that doesn't require any significant number of troops on the ground.
So, I prefer to think about capabilities. And as we look at the geography of the campaign as we extend operations across Iraq and into Syria, yes, there is a good potential that we will need additional capabilities, additional forces to provide those capabilities. And we're looking at the right mix and we see in consultation with the government of Iraq and our other partners.
So, I don't want to get too much into what those precise capabilities would be because, you know, I'd like the enemy to find out about it for the first time when, you know, the area around them is, you know, area around them is going up in smoke.
MR. COOK: Tom?
Q: Hey Joe, it's Tom Bowman with NPR. I was in Baghdad back in December. Sat in on a meeting with Iraqi -- senior Iraqi generals. And you were in that meeting as well. In the generals, the Iraqi general said they expected to retake Mosul by the end of 2016 or early 2017. Do you agree with that timeline? Do you think they can do it?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, I think, you know, there are probably a number of estimates out there, that -- some faster, some slower. My job is to get them there as quickly as we possibly can.
So, that is their estimate, and we're looking at that. And part of the thing that I was just -- you know, the list of enablers or accelerants that I was just talking about is looking at ways that we can get, you know, the rest of Iraq, not just Mosul back under control of the government of Iraq as quickly as we possibly can.
So, I don't want to put a date out there, because I'm 90 percent sure that whatever date I tell you would be wrong. So, let me just say, I would like to get this wrapped up as fast as I possibly can. I would like to go home and see my granddaughters.
Q: You're looking for maximum possible effectiveness of local ground forces. And you said, 'It's easy to say, tougher to do.' What did you mean by that?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, this is a really complex fight. You know, there's a dynamic here that really, we didn't have during Operation Iraqi Freedom, which is everything that we do is by, with and through a partner force on the ground.
Some of them are government forces in Iraq and Syria. They're all different kinds of groups, right? So, you know, everything that we do here is really a matter of influence. I can't direct any force on the ground other than my own, and my forces are only here to support those indigenous forces.
So, you know, it's a -- it's really a matter of influence and providing the capabilities, the enablers that they require to fill in their gaps to help them move forward.
So, you know, I often use the analogy -- or the metaphor of Judo. You know, I try to take where one group wants to go, and direct it into a slightly different direction, or do it at a time that might be synergistic with something else that's going on, and maybe in a different country, but supports the overall campaign against the enemy.
So, yeah, that's why I say it's easy to say, hard to do.
MR. COOK: Dave.
Q: General, you used the -- oh, I'm sorry. Dave Martin, with CBS.
You used the line, 'closer to the end of the beginning,' than the 'beginning of the end.' So, how do we know when you have got to the end of the beginning?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, I think we're at the end of the beginning. 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 that really, the defeat of the enemy in Iraq is a matter of time.
All we have to do is keep supporting the Iraqi Security Forces in helping them bring the fight to the enemy, and we will push the enemy out of this country that I'm standing in right now.
Now, Syria is a more complex problem set. And you know, when I would say we would be at the beginning of the end is when we get Raqqa back. I mean, that would be a really strong signal that the enemy is in its final death throes.
MR. COOK: Barbara.
Q: Barbara Starr, from CNN.
General MacFarland, can we go back on a couple of points you were making about your options and measures that you're going to suggest for accelerating the campaign.
You didn't actually rule out -- when you spoke of enablers and other troops, you did not rule out the possibility of U.S. forces on the ground in a combat role. So I am curious, have you yet been told that that is off the table, you may not consider it? Or is that actually on the list of things you're considering? Just to clarify, because you didn't rule it out.
And the other question I had -- you just spoke about, you know, success, I think, pushing ISIS out of Iraq. Do you believe you can, with the E.U. and the Iraqis, can completely eradicate ISIS out of Iraqi? You can -- you can absolutely get it out of that country?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Okay. So two different questions there. In terms of what the different accelerants are going to be, I really don't want to get into specifics. And the decision as to whether or not, you know, something is on or off the table is -- is not my decision. That's really, at the end of the day, that's my commander-in-chief's decision. So, you know, all of us in -- in uniform are, you know, preparing various options and -- and the president will decide. And so I'm -- I'm just going to leave it right there.
You know, certainly our -- well, I'll just caveat that. Certainly, our -- we'll -- we'll do everything we can to continue this campaign by, with and through the indigenous forces that are on the ground. That's really the best way to defeat the enemy. We -- you know, we believe. So with -- with that, you know, your -- remind me what your other question was because it was completely unrelated. I'm sorry.
Q: You suggested that you -- the -- you could, if the campaign continues successfully, you could eradicate ISIS from Iraq. I was curious if, as you look ahead, do you believe that ISIS could be fully put out of Iraq, eradicated from Iraq? And when you talk about Mosul and Raqqah, getting those two back out of ISIS hands, is that -- how much of that is actually the definition of success right now?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, I think that we can defeat the enemy -- as he's -- currently configured, which is really more of a conventional force than anything else in Iraq. Now, will the enemy revert to some sort of insurgency? A low-grade insurgency or back to a terrorist organization and be able to do spectacular attacks or (inaudible) operations in Iraq? That's a possibility and we will ensure that the holding force that is in Iraq is sufficient to the -- to -- to deter or defeat those types of attacks or respond to them, should they occur.
So you know, that's what I mean by pushing the enemy out. I believe that yes, they will -- the Iraqi security forces in partnership with the -- the peshmerga with air support as well will get Mosul back and, you know, we have to get Raqqah out of the hands of ISIL. I mean, you just can't leave it there, so we're going to figure out how to do that.
MR. COOK: Nancy?
Q: General, this is Nancy Youssef with the Daily Beast. I had two questions.
One of the things we've seen particularly in Syria is that the U.S.-led strikes have benefited al-Nusra Front, and so I'm curious if you could give us your assessment of al-Qaida's current standing, particularly in Syria.
And then secondly on civilian casualties. With the strike a couple of weeks ago on the banks, for lack of a better term in Mosul. We heard about how there was a greater allowance for civilian casualties than in past attacks. Can you help us understand what the current rules of engagement are on civilian casualties? Has there been some leniency put into place in light of the fact that you have a coalition that is going more aggressively after the Islamic State? Thank you.
GEN. MACFARLAND: You're welcome. Yeah, I don't believe that any of the strikes that we're doing are benefiting al-Nusra Front. I mean, that's the last thing that we want to do.
Now, al-Nusra Front and ISIL/Daesh don't get along, so I guess you could say to the extent that we're weakening Daesh maybe it benefits al-Nusra Front. You know, if Daesh and al-Nusra Front want to fight each other, I wish them both success, but, you know, we're here to defeat Daesh, and that's what we're going after every day.
In terms of civilian casualties, we are still bound to the same laws of armed conflict we've always been bound by, and we do everything we possibly can to minimize the potential loss of innocent life with every single strike that we do. And that hasn't changed.
Q: In the case of those banks in Mosul, there is an allowance for civilian casualties we hear somewhere on the order of 50. How is that determination made, and what are some of the factors that you consider in those kinds of cases?
GEN. MACFARLAND: You know, I think that, at most, we might have -- there might have been three people killed in those bank strikes, and pretty sure that those guys were Daesh. So, you know, is a -- is an enemy banker a combatant or not, you know, just because he doesn't have an AK leaning up against his, you know, teller window, I mean, he's still a bad guy, right?
So -- you know, but we struck them at times a day when we were quite sure that we would minimize the loss of life, and so we're going after things like the enemy's money supply because that money directly goes towards the terrorist activities that we see that they're trying to conduct.
So we have these very sophisticated programs, computer programs, to look at density of urban terrain and we and look at the weaponeering of our -- of our aircraft and the bombs that they drop to be as precise as we possibly can. And when we hit these targets, I mean. we'll drop multiple bombs through the same hole and completely contain the destructive effects within the confines of that building.
That's the kind of precision that we bring to a fight, and we use that every single day, our airmen do, with their incredible skill and courage to protect the lives of innocent civilians even while we are degrading the finances of these terrible, terrible people known as ISIL.
Q: Hi, general. It's Kristina Wong from the Hill.
You mentioned the Iraqi government did not turn down the U.S. offer of apaches and advisers, and said, perhaps later. So, does that mean the offer still stands, and does that extend to Mosul?
GEN. MACFARLAND: It's -- it's an option, sure. You know, and like I said, everything that the secretary said is really still on the table.
Q: (inaudible), how much territory has ISIS lost in Syria? There's widely varying figures.
And with Russians airstrikes shoring up the Assad regime, how is the trend for the Syrian opposition positive?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Okay. Square kilometers -- I'll get that. You know, I don't want to throw a number out there, and me give you the wrong one.
You know, -- so, but what's the -- what are the -- it's a lot, though. What are the Russians' contribution to this? Well, the Russians are more focused on propping up the Assad regime than fighting Daesh. So, their strikes so far have had relatively minimal effect in defeating the enemy that we're fighting.
I think that answers your question.
Q: Thanks.
MR. COOK: (inaudible). You're good? You got a question?
Q: Yeah, I guess I'll throw another.
Hi, general. Thomas Gibbons-Neff from the Washington Post.
We've kind of been talking about the conventional side of the lead-up to Mosul. And you know, kind of want to talk about what we're doing with special operations forces, how you see U.S. SOF, maybe combined U.S.-Kurdish SOF contributing to that fight?
GEN. MACFARLAND: I'm not a special forces guy, so I don't like to talk about it very much. They're -- let me just say that, you know, our special operators are doing a fantastic job every single day.
But we really want to draw the curtain on what they're doing, because you know, they can't really be very effective if we reveal too much of it. so, I would rather not touch on that too much.
MR. COOK: Other questions? You have a question?
Q: Hey, general. Bill Hennigan -- (inaudible), Los Angeles Times.
There has been a lot of talk about the possible expansion of the fight against ISIS to Libya. I was wondering how involved you are in the planning of that? Or does that fall under AFRICOM?
And how important is it to root them from their strongholds in Libya?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, we have to follow the enemy where he goes, you know, and destroy him, root and branch.
So -- but fortunately, that is one problem that I am not responsible for in Libya. I have more than enough to keep me busy all day long in Iraq and Syria. So, I -- my brothers-in-arms in other headquarters have got the Libya problem set.
MR. COOK: Lucas?
Q: General, are you seeing an increase -- oh, excuse me. Lucas Tomlinson with Fox News.
Are you seeing an increased ties between Russia and the Syrian Kurds?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, I -- you know, I can't talk to that. But what I can talk to is our ties with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which do include the Syrian Kurds, but also Syrian Arabs. And they have been an incredibly effective force in northern Syria and we have to get to the number of square kilometers they've taken back.
But it's in, you know, the many thousands. And have really put the enemy on its back foot.
And so, they would not have been able to do any of that without coalition air support. And they know that. They know that -- they owe their existence really, to the support that we are providing them, and have provided them. I mean, if it wasn't for us, they would still have their backs up against the wall in Kobani, you know, if they were standing at all.
So, they know that and that's why they continue to work with us. And so far as I can tell, they have not turned away from us, toward the Russians.
Q: The Russians are conducing air strikes, as you said, against the moderate opposition. Some of those opposition forces in Syria are backed by the U.S. government. My question, sir: Is Russia and the United States fighting a proxy war?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, let me just say this. Russia and the United States are fighting very different wars than Syria. We're fighting in Syria to defeat Daesh. They're fighting in Syria, allegedly to fight Daesh, but in practice, they're supporting the Syrian regime against all comers. And some of those folks are also the guys who are fighting Daesh.
And that's where we kind of get into these intersecting, overlapping fights and you know, I wouldn't characterize it as a proxy war. I would say that we are pursuing different goals in that country.
MR. COOK: Time for about three more questions. General, we'll go to the back and then move back here for round two for two people.
Q: General hi, this is (inaudible) with Anadolu News Agency, the Turkish News Agency. Presidential envoy, Ambassador McGurk was in Kobani as we saw in social media, his pictures were there. How as her protected over there? Who was protecting him over there? Did you guys have special forces or any other forces?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, let me just tell you he was protected and leave it at that. Don't want to get into that too much.
Q: General MacFarland, Barbara Starr again.
I wanted to come back on something I'm sure you're aware of. People begin to ask the question, so why isn't the U.S. military just engaging in so-called carpet bombing in Iraq, in Syria. If you would just -- the theory goes, if you would just do something like that, this would go much quicker.
As a military commander, can you explain why the targets that you face and the mission you have may not lend itself to the concept known as carpet bombing.
GEN. MACFARLAND: Yes. Thanks, Barbara.
You know, as I mentioned earlier, we are bound by the laws of armed conflict. And, you know, at the end of the day, it doesn't only matter whether or not you win, it matters how you win. And we're the Untied States of America and we have a set of guiding principles and those effect the way we as professional soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines, conduct ourselves on the battlefield.
So indiscriminate bombing, where we don't care if we're killing innocents or combatants, is just inconsistent with our values. And it's what the Russians have been accused of doing in parts of northwest Syria. Right now we have the moral high ground, and I think that's where we need to stay.
MR. COOK: Question -- (inaudible) -- Tom Bowman of NPR.
Q: General, Tom with NPR again.
There were reports that the Russians have been landing in a Syrian airfield in northeast Syria. A couple of planes have landed, apparently and there's some Russian troops up here doing measurements or something. Do you have any sense what they're doing? And if they were to use that airfield, what impact would that have?
GEN. MACFARLAND: First of all, you know, the -- the Russians and I don't talk about very much, you know, other than how to kind of stay out of each other's way for the most part. And -- so what they're up to in that area is -- is -- is a good question and I would encourage you to ask them and see what they tell you. I'd love to hear what they have to say about it.
Q: What would that mean for the operation were the Russians to start operating out of that airfield?
GEN. MACFARLAND: Well, you know, I'll just say this. It -- it wouldn't make things any simpler for us.
MR. COOK: General, I want to sincerely thank you for joining us today. We look forward to future visits here in the Pentagon Briefing Room. Appreciate it very much.
GEN. MACFARLAND: Okay. Thanks, Peter.
Thanks, everybody. Have a great rest of your day. Bye.
http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/647924/
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US, Japan Complete GUAMEX 2016
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160201-04
Release Date: 2/1/2016 9:41:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christian Senyk and Ensign Michael Madrid, Commander Task Force 70 Public Affairs
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.
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Five Turkish soldiers killed in PKK attacks in southeast
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 6:35PM
At least five members of the Turkish army forces have been killed in two separate attacks carried out by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in the country's volatile southeast.
According to a statement released on the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) website, three members of the security forces were killed and two others were seriously wounded on Monday in an armed attack by PKK militants in the Sur district of Diyarbakir, situated 676 kilometers (420 miles) east of Ankara.
The two injured soldiers are still receiving treatment, reports said.
The statement also added that two other Turkish soldiers lost their lives in a separate attack in Sur on the same day.
This as three Turkish security officers, including a soldier and two police officers, were killed on January 31 in clashes with the PKK in the violence-hit Cizre district of the southeastern province of Sirnak.
Since late July 2015, Turkey's southeastern regions have witnessed a spike in violence amid heavy confrontations between army forces and the PKK, an outlawed group that have been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region inside Turkey since 1980s.
On July 20 last yerar, a bomb attack in the southern Kurdish-majority town of Suruc claimed more than 30 lives. The Turkish government blamed it on the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group. After the bombing, the PKK, accusing the government of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of supposed reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, in turn prompting the Turkish military operations.
Ankara's military has also been involved in an offensive against positions of the Kurdish group in neighboring Iraq.
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Saudi Arabia pounds major airport in western Yemen
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 5:42PM
Saudi Arabia has carried out several rounds of airstrikes on a civilian airport west of Yemen as it seeks to cut off the impoverished nation from the outside world.
Yemeni's al-Masirah TV said on Monday that Saudi warplanes pounded the port city of al-Hudaydah's international airport, inflicting huge losses on the facility.
The attack is the latest in a series of operations by Riyadh to destroy Yemen's civilian infrastructure including the channels it can use for receiving humanitarian aid it badly needs.
Yemen has been under a deadly siege over the past 10 months as Saudis continue to attack areas across the country in a bid to undermine the ruling Ansarullah movement and allied military units. The air campaign, which has killed more than 8,300 people since it was unleashed late March last year, is meant to restore power to fugitive firmer president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Saudi warplanes on Monday targeted residential areas in northern provinces of Sa'ada, Hajjah and Ma'rib, with no immediate information available on the casualties. The harshest attacks have been reported in a market in Sa'ada where three days of incessant airstrikes have inflicted huge damage on civilian properties while a major health facility has also been destroyed in the area.
A woman and her little girl were also killed Monday when Saudis bombarded the district of Mara'an in Sa'ada.
In response to the Saudi airstrikes, Ansarullah and allies launched attacks on pro-Saudi militants operating inside Yemen with reports suggesting that a number of the mercenaries were killed after the allied forces pushed them back from two key neighborhoods of the southern city of Ta'izz. A similar operation was launched in the northern Jawf Province.
Attacks were also launched on military positions south of Saudi Arabia, with military officials saying several Saudi soldiers were killed in a rocket attack on their position in the province of Jizan. Yemenis also destroyed one tank, two armored vehicles and seven military vehicles in attacks on Jizan and neighboring Asir regions.
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US expands war on Daesh beyond Iraq, Syria: NYT
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 3:37PM
The United States has carried out airstrikes against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in Afghanistan, expanding Washington's military campaign against the militants beyond Iraq and Syria.
The US military has conducted at least a dozen operations in the past three weeks against militants aligned with Daesh in Afghanistan, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
The operations followed a decision by the administration of President Barack Obama last month to broaden the authority of American commanders to attack Daesh's new branch in Afghanistan, the newspaper said.
The Obama administration is revamping plans for how it fights the terrorist organization in regions where it has developed affiliates. The administration has been accused by Republicans in Congress of not having a strategy to defeat the group.
Many of these recent raids and strikes in Afghanistan have been in the Tora Bora region in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
US commanders in Afghanistan said they believed that about 100 Daesh terrorists had been killed in the recent operations. American intelligence officials estimate that there are approximately 1,000 Daesh militants in Nangarhar, and possibly several thousand more elsewhere in the country.
But even the US generals leading the military operations acknowledge that the terrorist network can recruit new militants to replace those killed in US attacks.
"The new authority gives us the ability to take the gloves off to hold them in check, and we have been targeting them heavily and it has had quite an effect," said Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, the US military's deputy chief of staff for operations in Afghanistan.
"But just because you take a bunch of guys off the battlefield doesn't mean you will stop this organization," Buchanan told the Times.
While Obama has declared an end to combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the supposed campaign against ISIL is part of an ongoing and potentially expanding American military presence in the Middle East, south-central Asia and Africa.
The United States has 9,800 troops in Afghanistan and about 3,700 in Iraq, including commandos, "trainers" and "advisers." There are also several dozen US Special Operations forces deployed in Syria.
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Al-Qaeda terrorists overrun town in Yemen
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 11:19AM
Members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group have reportedly wrested control of a town in Yemen's southern province of Shabwah as Saudi Arabia presses ahead with its atrocious military aggression against the crisis-hit country.
Al-Qaeda militants seized control of the town of Azan, located 550 kilometers (341 miles) southeast of the capital, Sana'a, on Monday without much resistance from the militiamen loyal to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi there, Arabic-language Yemen Press news website reported.
The report added that al-Qaeda extremists have set up a number of checkpoints across the town, and overrun several government buildings.
The development came on the same day that Saudi military aircraft carried out an aerial strike against a school in the Mustaba district of the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah. There were no immediate reports of casualties and the extent of damage inflicted.
Saudi warplanes also struck al-Mafraq district of Yemen's northern province of al-Jawf, but there were no reports of casualties.
Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March last year. The Saudi military strikes were launched to supposedly undermine the Ansarullah movement and bring Hadi back to power.
Over 8,270 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed and 16,015 others injured since March 2015. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.
The Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has exploited the volatile conditions and the breakdown of security in Yemen since the beginning of the Saudi war to tighten its grip on parts of southeast Yemen.
The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, too, has gained ground in and around the main southern city of Aden.
Ansarullah fighters, along with allied army units, are fighting the Takfiri militants and countering the Saudi aggression against war-torn Yemen.
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US seeking maritime hegemony in South China Sea: Beijing
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 11:17AM
China says the United States is seeking to establish a maritime hegemony under the pretext of "freedom of navigation" in South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said during a daily news briefing on Monday that Washington is playing the freedom of navigation card and 'creating tensions' in the China Sea.
On Friday, US missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, which is part of the Paracel Islands in South China Sea.
The move, which the US described as a challenge to attempts by China, Taiwan and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights and freedoms, prompted Beijing's condemnation.
"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,' Lu said.
He said the United States has long been practicing this so-called freedom of navigation plans and acts which "in reality do not accord with generally recognized international law.'
In another move, the US sent its Navy destroyer USS Lassen to patrol within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese island in October.
The US accuses Beijing of using territorial claims to gradually assert control in the South China Sea.
Beijing, however, rejects the allegations and accuses Washington of meddling in the regional issues and deliberately stirring up tensions in the South China Sea.
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The Tennessee Legislature has recently amended the State Insurance Laws to allow police to tow vehicles of uninsured drivers. There is the provision in the law that the officer's agency must first establish a procedure for allowing this.
The Tennessee Statute (T.C.A. 55-12-139) does not give any instructions as to what is to be done with the towed vehicle or how it is to be released. I believe the Legislature's purpose in this law is to require more Tennessee drivers to obtain liability insurance and also to prevent injured motorist from being left without any financial resource for the injuries and damages.
The problem is the Tennessee laws are far too complicated as our Tennessee Legislature seems to avoid the real solutions to this problem.
I personally think that a solution is simple. To begin with, our state needs to require drivers to show proof of insurance before they obtain their driver's license or license tag. This is done in many states effectively.
Presently the Tennessee drivers have to be stopped for a traffic violation or have an accident before the insurance is checked.
Also our state needs to require that all drivers mandatorily carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage. This coverage gives the insured protection if they are struck by an uninsured driver. Their own insurance covers the loss and proceeds to attempt to collect from the uninsured.
Presently Tennessee has the confusing law that Tennessee insureds have to be offered the option of the Uninsured Coverage by their insurance provider but they can sign a wavier waving the Uninsured Motorist Coverage.
The problem here is that many insurance agents don't like Uninsured Coverage because the premiums are low. There are reports that many agents just get the insured to sign the waivers without explaining the potential dangers. Many tell the insured that they need to go ahead and sign the waiver as they already have full coverage. This is only partially true. It's full coverage as required by the state law but it does not fully protect the insured.
Also the insurance company lobbyist lobby the Legislature so as not to require mandatory Uninsured Motorist Coverage. This is because the risks are high with a lot of illegal drivers driving without insurance. Because of that issue it would probably be OK for the state law to be that if a person is not a citizen and has no insurance, that the car can be towed.
So the solution should be, number one, require insurance before a person obtains a driver's license or tag. Number two, require Uninsured Motorist Coverage.
Russell Bean
* * *
Judge Bean thank you for your comments on insurance and uninsured drivers. I was hit last year by an uninsured motorist who was cited for driving too fast for conditions as well. We had just had our new car for six months.
If I had not had uninsured motorist insurance, my repairs would have cost me nearly $20,000 by the time I rented a car and paid the repair shop. Plus we had medical costs that were caused by the contracting seat belt that were covered by our uninsured motorist policy.
Without proof of insurance, no one should be given tags or a driver's license. And the penalty for driving without a license should be a lot steeper than a fine.
Why should responsible people continue having to pay for insurance because lawless and indifferent people don't pay their part?
Ralph Miller
FARC rebels to enter Colombia's politics once peace deal is signed
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 2:59AM
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) says it will enter politics and build up alliances with other parties after agreeing on a peace deal with the government in Bogota to end the decades-long conflict in the South American country.
"We will be in politics without arms. 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," said head of the leftist guerrilla group Rodrigo Londono, known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, in a Sunday interview with Colombian local magazine Semana.
He added that the group would put aside arms once an accord is signed and take up the "political struggle," adding that the FARC's political party could participate in Colombia's 2018 legislative and presidential elections.
The two sides have been holding peace talks in the Cuban capital Havana. The negotiations have made several key advances in recent months, and the two sides have set a deadline of March 23 to sign a final accord for a ceasefire.
Several main areas of disagreement have been discussed in the talks, namely transitional justice, land reform, political participation for former rebels, putting an end to drug trafficking, removing the land mines, efforts to find missing persons, disarmament, and the mechanism by which the final accord will be ratified. Deals have been reached on the first six issues. The latter two, however, are yet under discussion.
A United Nations mission will monitor the group's disarmament once a peace deal is inked.
Bogota and FARC have been at war since the guerrilla movement rose to prominence in 1964. So far, more than 200,000 people have been killed in clashes between the two sides and millions of others have been displaced.
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China Once Again Calls on US to Cease Maneuvers in S China Sea
Sputnik News
13:31 01.02.2016(updated 15:42 01.02.2016)
China has accused America of violating Chinese territorial waters 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.
"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," wrote China Daily.
Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said that the situation was stabilizing before the latest outspoken remarks and intrusion by Washington. One of the US' goals is to bring back tension in the region.
"In the long run, Washington still defines the South China Sea issue as a tool to contain China," Zhang added.
According to Hua Chunying, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Chinese side took appropriate action against the American ships in accordance with the law, taking it under surveillance and alerting the crew.
"According to the relevant provision of Law of the People's Republic of China, any foreign warships entering the territorial waters of China must obtain permission from the Chinese Government," the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported Hua Chunying as saying.
On Wednesday, the head of the Pacific Command US Navy Admiral Garry Harris said that the US insisted on the need to respect international rules of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
China and some countries in the region 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 consciously have used US support to escalate tensions in the region.
Sputnik
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Don't just seek to resolve war once it erupts, prevent it in the first place, says UN chief
1 February 2016 Speaking in a region that is witnessing widespread turmoil from Syria to Yemen United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Oman's National Defence College today that preventing conflicts rather than resolving them once they have erupted is the surest path to stability.
"We draw on many tools to help societies navigate differences and achieve peace," he said. "But we must do better. We know it is far better to prevent a fire than to fight a fire after it has started yet prevention still does not receive the political attention, commitment and resources that it deserves," he said.
"Conflict prevention and mediation for peaceful political solutions must move up the agenda. With record-shattering humanitarian needs across the world including the largest refugee crisis in decades we need to think differently," he added, laying out a five-step programme within in the context of reducing the chances of another Syria, another Yemen.
First, to protect the space for prevention and mediation efforts, UN representatives need to be able to talk to a wide range of actors, including those that some Governments will not engage.
Second, The UN needs to be close to the ground to build trust and confidence and expand its network of regional centres of preventive diplomacy, which at present exist only in parts of Africa and in Central Asia.
"I hope to replicate this model elsewhere," Mr. Ban stressed. "This also helps us form tighter partnerships with the regional organizations that have a frontline role in addressing the tensions and conflicts in their neighbourhood," he explained.
Third, it is necessary to invest in the UN's instruments for prevention, peace-making and peacebuilding by providing proper resourcing and support for the Political Affairs department, which is currently stretched thin.
Fourth, a system-wide approach to prevention is crucial, using all available tools development, human rights and political to address the root causes of conflict.
Experience has shown that short-sighted policies, heavy-handed approaches, a single-minded focus only on security measures and an utter disregard for human rights have often made things worse," Mr. Ban said. "Preventing violent extremism means avoiding policies that turn people against each other, alienate already marginalized groups, and play into the hands of the enemy, he said."
Finally, more must be done to involve women and young people, and ensure the inclusion of traditionally marginalized groups. "Societies that are inclusive tend to navigate social differences peacefully," he declared. "Societies that empower women, practice tolerance and embrace diversity will promote stability and cohesion," noted the Secretary-General.
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Netanyahu Warns Hamas on Use of Tunnels to Attack Israel
by VOA News January 31, 2016
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.
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Dozens Killed in Suspected Boko Haram Attack in Northeast Nigeria
by Chris Stein February 01, 2016
Suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked a village in Nigeria's 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.
Nigeria's 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.
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Amnesty Condemns Reinstatement of Nigerian General Accused of War Crimes
by Henry Ridgwell February 01, 2016
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 country's 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 Amnesty's claims remain allegations unless they are proven beyond any reasonable doubt. Amnesty's 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 Nigeria's northeast. At least 65 people died when militants attacked civilians and set fire to houses in Maiduguri.
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AU Summit Decision on Burundi Peacekeepers Pleases Govt, not Opposition
by Frederic Nkundikije February 01, 2016
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 AU's 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 "AU's 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.
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African Union: No Peacekeepers to Burundi
by Jill Craig February 01, 2016
At the African Union's 26th Summit in Addis Ababa over the weekend, Burundi was a primary focus of the group's agenda. During his opening remarks, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged action.
"In Burundi, I welcome your proposal to deploy human rights observers and to establish a protection and prevention mission," said the secretary-general. "This crisis requires the most serious and urgent commitment from all of us," Ban said.
But the African Union's commissioner for peace and security, Smail Chergui, announced Sunday the bloc would not deploy a proposed 5,000 peacekeeping troops to Burundi.
Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, who did not attend the summit, and his government have warned deploying the troops would be viewed as an invasion of the country's territory.
Instead, the African Union will send a high-level delegation to Bujumbura to discuss the possible deployment of peacekeepers. The mission's mandate would include the protection of civilians, disarmament of militia, seizure of illegal arms and protection of borders.
Political undertones seen
Kenya School of Law director PLO Lumumba voiced displeasure over the action, saying the African Union backtracked on a decision purely for political reasons.
"Because it is in many ways a statement to the rulers of Burundi that you can do what you want, and we will look the other way," Lumumba said. "It is a sad thing that has happened in Addis Ababa," Lumumba said.
The exiled leader of the Opposition Front for Democracy in Burundi, Jean Minani, agrees with Lumumba. He said Africa and the international community are turning their backs on Burundi's people.
Minani said he believes other African leaders, some of whom he calls dictators, worry a peacekeeping force in Burundi may pave the way for similar forces coming into their own countries.
Lumumba agrees with that sentiment.
"Because there is a sense that they are protecting their own skin and they do not care about the people of Africa at all," Lumumba said.
The African Union also presented its new chairperson, Chadian President Idriss Deby, who takes over from outgoing chair, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
The new chairman urged dialogue throughout the continent.
"In the cases of Burundi and South Sudan, the African Union must pursue its efforts so that we can find a way to peace very quietly and this depends immediately on (ending) violence," said Deby. "We cannot allow thousands to die due to violence."
Additionally, the African Union expressed its appreciation for those it called the "African heroes against Ebola" and officially closed its mission to West Africa, where it had sent 855 health workers to help fight the Ebola outbreak.
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Uganda Explains Arrest of Former Intelligence Chief
by James Butty February 01, 2016
The government of Uganda says the country's 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.
Sejusa's attorney, Ladislaus Rwakafuzi, told VOA General Sejusa's 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 Sejusa's 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.
"That's 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 don't think the president is fearful that he is going to lose this election," Opondo added.
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Zimbabweans Dismiss Mugabe's Call for Africa to Quit UN
by Sebastian Mhofu February 01, 2016
Zimbabwe's main opposition and some citizens Monday condemned President Robert Mugabe's call for Africa to quit the United Nations. During the weekend the 91-year-old said if the continent was not given at least one spot as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council, AU members would pull out of the world body.
While handing over the rotating AU chairmanship, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said Africa would withdraw from the United Nations"one of these days" if there were no reforms of the U. N. Security Council, which has no permanent members from Africa.
He directed his statement Saturday to U. N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who was attending the African Union summit in Ethiopia,
"We will fight for our own identity, for our own integrity and personality as Africans,' said Mugabe. 'Others are real members of it. We are artificial members of it. We can not continue to be artificial members of it. How can only a handful of people [control the U.N. Security Council]? In fact, there is only America and the Europeans. If the United Nations is to survive we must be equal members of it.'
Mugabe neglected to mention China's permanent membership on the council. The others are Russia, the United States, Britain and France.
The secretary general of Zimbabwe's main opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change, Douglas Mwonzora, said the country had more pressing issues the 91-year-old Mugabe should focus on.
"It is an act of fooling bravery. However, it is basically a diversion. The eyes of the world are going to be on Zimbabwe as it prepares for 2018 elections. We have the crucial issue of electoral reforms that must be embarked on in Zimbabwe. Mugabe and his party are marred in the succession conundrum and they [need] to find a solution to that. So his calls are merely a diversion. People should not take him seriously,' said Mwonzora.
Before the African Summit held in Ethiopia, Mugabe and his Equatorial Guinea counterpart, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, said there is need for reform of the U. N. Security Council, which should have at least two permanent seats reserved for Africa.
Pulling out of the U.N. would mean Zimbabwe, whose social sectors such as health and education heavily relies on the world body's agencies such a WFP, Unicef, WHO and UNFPA, would lose a lot. That might apply to other countries with fragile economies.
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US General: End of IS 'Matter of Time' and More Help
by Jeff Seldin February 01, 2016
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 region's local forces as long as possible.
"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," 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 we'll do everything we can to continue this campaign by, with and through the indigenous forces that are on the ground," MacFarland said. "That's 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 we're taking, it's 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 can't direct any force on the ground other than my own," MacFarland said. "It's 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 group's self declared caliphate.
"That would be a really strong signal that the enemy is in its final death throes," said MacFarland.
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US Commander Rejects Carpet Bombing in IS Fight
by Jeff Seldin February 01, 2016
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.
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UN Rights Chief Alarmed by Deepening Crisis in Burundi
by Lisa Schlein February 01, 2016
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 country's descent toward a possible bloodbath.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad 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 Rwanda's 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.
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Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 2, 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 six strikes in Syria:
-- Near Raqqah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL excavators.
-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes struck two ISIL gas and oil separation plant well heads.
-- Near Manbij, two strikes struck an ISIL training facility and destroyed three ISIL buildings.
Strikes in Iraq
Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 20 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:
-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL staging area.
-- Near Habbaniyah, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, three ISIL front end loaders, and an ISIL bomb-making cache.
-- Near Kisik, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL fighting position, and an ISIL mortar system.
-- Near Mosul, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL checkpoint and destroyed an ISIL bomb-making cache.
-- Near Qayyarah, six strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL mortar system, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL bunker, and an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, destroying four ISIL staging areas, an ISIL vehicle, four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL weapons cache, and denying ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Sinjar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
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.
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7th ESB Marines test improved ribbon bridge
US Marine Corps News
By Laurie Pearson | February 2, 2016
Marines with 7th Engineer Support Battalion from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, test Improved Ribbon Bridge components with representatives from Marine Corps Systems Command, and Marine Corps Engineer School, at Production Plant Barstow's test pond aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow's Yermo Annex, California, Jan. 25, 2016
Function checks are performed on the IRB before it is sent to the operating forces to ensure that they receive properly working equipment, said Gunnery Sgt. Quinton Shearer, Bridging Project Officer with MARCORSYSCOM, Maine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
"We can build rafts or continuous span bridges to cross rivers or lakes," said Shearer. "They support up to an M1 Abrams tank with 100 foot spacing under normal conditions."
If used as a raft, for instance if the distance to span is too great for the components on hand, or environmental conditions deem necessary, then MK III Bridge Erection Boats are used to propel the raft in the water, explained Joshua Junge, training instructor at the Marine Corps Engineer School located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
One of the other benefits of engaging in hands-on testing of equipment is that it gives Marines with 7th ESB an opportunity to practice their skills. It also allows them to meet the individuals who help take care of the war fighters.
"It's a good opportunity for us to get to know Systems Command and develop more personal relationships with the individuals who help support the operating forces" said 1st Lt. Thomas Benge, officer-in-charge with 7th ESB.
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Several mercenaries of Riyadh killed in Yemen's Ta'izz
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 5:53PM
Several pro-Saudi militants loyal to Yemen's fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi were killed Tuesday in two separate attacks carried out by Yemeni forces in the country's southwestern province of Ta'izz.
The mercenaries were killed in an operation conducted by the Yemeni forces backed by fighters from Popular Committees in the al-Shaqab district of the province, Arabic-language al-Masirah satellite television network reported.
Several other militants were killed in the al-Misrakh district of the same province, when the explosion of a land mine struck them.
Earlier in the day, Saudi military aircraft pounded Nihm district of the capital, Sana'a, leaving a child dead and several others injured.
Saudi warplanes also bombarded the house of Sheikh Hamad Abdulrahim Karami, a senior member the General People's Congress political party, in the Naqil al-Ebel district of Ta'izz.
Additionally, Saudi warplanes struck the Kahlan military base in the northwestern Yemeni city of Sa'ada, though no reports of casualties were available.
Yemen has been under airstrikes by Saudi Arabia since March 26 last year. The Saudi strikes have been meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and bring Hadi back to power.
Nearly 8,280 people, among them 2,236 children, have reportedly been killed and over 16,000 others injured, since March. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.
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Nine killed in fresh Saudi airstrikes across Yemen
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 10:21AM
At least nine people have lost their lives as Saudi fighter jets continue airstrikes on several areas across neighboring Yemen.
On Tuesday, Riyadh's warplanes bombed the al-Sha'ab area in Harad district of Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah, killing eight people and injuring 11 others.
According to Yemen's al-Masirah television network, a child was also killed and several other people were injured in another air raid on Nihm district of the capital, Sana'a.
Additionally, the Saudi jets pounded the Yemeni provinces of Sa'ada, Dhamar and Ma'rib.
Another Yemeni was killed and seven others injured in the aerial assaults on the Jabal al-Sharq district of Dhamar Province.
Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March last year. The Saudi military strikes were launched to supposedly undermine the Ansarullah movement and bring fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power.
Over 8,270 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed and 16,015 others injured since March 2015. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.
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Pentagon Seeking $3.4 Billion To Counter 'Russian Aggression'
February 02, 2016
by RFE/RL
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon will request $3.4 billion next year to counter 'Russia's aggression,' a fourfold increase from the current fiscal year that reflects administration and allied worries about Moscow's intentions in Europe.
The figure announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on February 2 is part of a $582.7 billion defense-budget proposal that Carter said is aimed at five major challenges faced by the U.S. military: Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and the extremist Islamic State group.
It would come under a program the White House is calling the European Reassurance Initiative. Carter said the program would bolster the U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe, including more U.S. units rotating into Europe, more training and exercises, more military equipment positioned in allied states, and more infrastructure improvements.
'We're reinforcing our posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia's aggression,' Carter said during a speech to the Economic Club of Washington, a private research organization
'We're taking a strong and balanced approach to deter Russian aggression,' he said. 'We haven't had to worry about this for 25 years, and while I wish it were otherwise, now we do.'
Washington and its NATO allies have targeted Russia with several rounds of sanctions following Moscow's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and its backing of separatists fighting Kyiv's forces in eastern Ukraine.
Some NATO allies, particularly the Baltic states and countries such as Poland, have demanded a stronger response from Washington and the alliance, calling for stationing heavy weaponry and tanks and the more frequent presence of allied military units.
The Pentagon has already increased the pace of troop rotations in and out of Europe, providing training and other advice and assistance to the region.
he Defense Department is also expected to request $59 billion in 'contingency funds' to pay for military actions in Afghanistan, and more than $7 billion for fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria -- a 35 percent increase on 2016.
U.S. jets and allied partners have been hitting Islamic State targets for more than a year now, and Carter said so many precision-guided bombs and missiles have been used that supplies were starting to run low.
'So we're investing $1.8 billion in 2017 to buy over 45,000 more of them,' he said.
Washington has deployed special forces units to Syria and Iraq, and Carter said there were 3,700 U.S. military personnel -- which he described as 'boots on the ground' -- currently in Iraq.
'We're looking for opportunities to do more.We're not looking to substitute for local forces. We're looking to enable local forces. Why is that?' he said.
'It's because we not only have to beat [Islamic State], we have to keep them beaten. That is, there has to be somebody who sustains the defeat afterwards. We know what it's like when you don't have that force to sustain the defeat,' he said.
After seizing vast territory in Syria and Iraq following its 2014 call for the creation of a global caliphate, the Islamic State group has suffered some setbacks in recent months as a result of airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition, Russian air attacks, and ground offensives by Kurdish militias, Syrian-Arab forces, and others.
With reporting from AP, Reuters
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/pentagon-bidget- increase-russian-aggression/27528038.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.
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Afghanistan Joins US-Led International Coalition Against Daesh - Kerry
Sputnik News
16:36 02.02.2016(updated 16:50 02.02.2016)
John Kerry said that Afghanistan has officially joined the international coalition against the Daesh extremist group.
ROME (Sputnik) Afghanistan has officially joined the international coalition against the Daesh extremist group, bringing the total number of participant-countries to 66, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.
'Yesterday, Afghanistan, which we all know has its own challenges in which we are, most of us, involved in helping, has also decided to join the coalition, recognizing that it too faces challenges and wants to make its contributions to this effort,' Kerry said at the Ministerial Meeting of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh in Rome.
According to the secretary of state, Daesh has lost 40 percent of the territories it occupied in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria since the last meeting of the Small Group in June 2015.
Kerry claimed that the international coalition led by the United States has conducted almost 10,000 airstrikes and killed more than 90 mid- or high-level Daesh leaders since May 2015.
The US secretary of state said that Washington would continue to increase its participation in the military operations against Daesh.
The meeting within the framework of the so-called Small Group, comprising 23 countries and the European Union, is taking place at the Italian Foreign Ministry. It is being chaired by Kerry and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni.
Previous meetings of the Small Group were held in January and in June of 2015 in London and Paris, respectively.
Sputnik
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China Slams US Navy Warships in South China Sea as 'Paper Tigers'
Sputnik News
14:16 02.02.2016
China has condemned the US Navy's second incursion into its territorial waters in the South China Sea; this time the culprit was the USS Curtis Wilbur, which sailed close to the Paracel Islands on January 30.
China has slammed the second US Navy foray in the South China Sea in recent months, as well as US media coverage over the issue, in an op-ed published in China People's Daily on Monday.
On January 30 the USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) of Triton Island, one of the Paracel Islands; China (which calls them the Xisha Islands), Taiwan and Vietnam (Hoang Sa Islands) each claim the contested archipelago as their territory.
The US Navy carried out a similar naval maneuver on October 27, when the destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of China's artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, which China claims is located completely within its economic exclusion zone. Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam also lay claim to some or all of the islands in the archipelago.
On Monday Su Xiaohui of the China Institute of International Studies condemned what the US calls 'Freedom of Navigation' operations in the region. The US asserts that it has the right of navigation and flight there.
Xiaohui listed a string of grievances, beginning with the 'widespread propaganda,' which 'paved the way for the incursion.'
'For months, the US media have been hyping up the South China Sea issue. During his recent visit to Asia, the US Secretary of State instigated ASEAN countries to unite against China on the issue.'
Xiaohui called the maneuver a 'provocation' that was 'deliberately timed.' She sought to contrast the 'aggressive manner of the US' with the restrained reaction of Chinese troops and navy vessels stationed on the islands, who responded with a vocal warning to the US Navy's presence.
'China had its reasons for adopting a low-profile reaction, because China is perfectly clear that Uncle Sam's most recent military action is most likely a bluff. The US military only stated that the vessel 'entered' relevant waters without providing further details, leaving room for the audience to imagine the 'magnificence' of the US military, which in fact was a hasty passing through.'
'The US should bear in mind that China has never been afraid of 'paper tigers.' Courtesy calls for reciprocity. The US should be a friend, not a rival of China.'
Sputnik
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I. Call to Order Mayor John Roberts
II. Roll Call City Manager
___ Mayor Roberts, ___ Vice-Mayor Pierce, ___ Commissioner Causer,
___ Commissioner LeCompte, ___ Commissioner Pope
III. Invocation
IV. Pledge of Allegiance
V. Consideration of the Minutes for approval or correction:
A. January 19, 2016 Agenda Work Session
B. January 19, 2016 Commission Meeting
VI. Communication from the Mayor
VII. Commissioners Report
A. Vice Mayor Eddie Pierce
B. Commissioner Rick Causer
C. Commissioner Ed LeCompte
D. Commissioner Terry Pope
VIII. City Manager Report
IX. Police Department Ceremony
Public Hearing
The purpose of the public hearing is to consider citizen input in regard to the proposed
closing of the railroad crossing on Kildare Street.
X. Unfinished Business - None
XI. New Business
A. RESOLUTION NO. 16-1087 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO
APPLY FOR A 2016 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FOR SEWER
SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
B. RESOLUTION NO. 16-1088 A RESOLUTION CLOSING KILDARE STREETS
RAILROAD GRADE CROSSING
C. RESOLUTION NO. 16-1089 A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF
EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT TO BE INSTALLED ON TWO UTILITY VEHICLES FOR
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
D. RESOLUTION NO. 16-1090 A RESOLUTION TO AMEND RESOLUTION NO.
15-1079, AND TO AUTHORIZE AN ADDITIONAL $6,000.00 FOR TOTAL
RESOURCE, INC. FOR TEMPORARY LABORER I SERVICES DURING LEAF
PICK-UP SEASON
E. RESOLUTION NO. 16-1091 A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING A DONATION OF
LAND FROM TENNESSEE RIVER GORGE
F. RESOLUTION NO. 16-1092 A RESOLUTION ADOPTING BANK FORM
RESOLUTIONS
G. ORDINANCE NO. 16-1047 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF RED BANK,
TENNESSEE, TO AMEND THE FISCAL YEAR 2016 OPERATING BUDGET
TO APPROPRIATED FUNDING FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
(FIRST READING)
H. AGENDA ITEMS #16-817 APPOINTMENT OF MIKE CONGDON TO THE BOARD
OF ZONING APPEALS BY VICE MAYOR EDDIE PIERCE
XII. Citizen Comments From Red Bank Citizens about Red Bank Business Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker
XIII. Adjournment
Update: air strikes against Daesh
2 February 2016
British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
Latest update
Royal Air Force aircraft have inflicted further losses on Daesh terrorists operating in Syria and Iraq.
On Friday 29 January, Tornado GR4 and Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Akrotiri, supported by a Voyager tanker, flew armed reconnaissance missions over north-east Syria and northern Iraq. Near Mosul, the Typhoons conducted two attacks with Paveway IV precision guided bombs, striking a group of terrorists and a weapons store. Across the border in Syria, two pairs of Tornados worked in close cooperation with an RAF Reaper to target a group of Daesh defensive positions and a large tunnel complex with several entrances. The Tornados dropped eight Paveways on the defensive positions and two tunnel entrances, while the Reaper conducted an attack on a third tunnel with its own GBU-12 guided bomb.
RAF Reapers were in action again on Saturday 30 January. In the area of Ramadi, they conducted two successful attacks with Hellfire missiles against an armoured truck and a mechanical excavator, while a patrol along the border with Syria destroyed another engineering vehicle, used to build defences and attempt repairs to damage from coalition air strikes, near Al Qaim.
On Sunday, a Tornado GR4 flight provided support to the Iraqi army in and around Ramadi: our aircraft used a Brimstone missile to destroy a large truck-bomb, and three Paveways to destroy terrorist positions, including a heavy machine-gun team which had been previously attacking the Iraqi army. In northern Iraq, Typhoons conducted two Paveway attacks on a group of terrorists caught in the open near Mosul, and, slightly further south, a Daesh-held building. A pair of Typhoons also patrolled over eastern Syria, where they employed Paveways to destroy two large clusters of defensive positions.
On Monday 1 February, two Tornados flew reconnaissance and close air support for the Kurdish peshmerga in northern Iraq. Near Kisik Junction, they used a Brimstone missile and three Paveways to attack three rocket launchers and a Daesh vehicle, then over Qayyarah, a further Brimstone and Paveway destroyed an ammunition truck and a mortar position. Typhoons operated in the area of Ramadi, where they conducted successful attacks on three terrorist strongpoints.
Previous air strikes
1 January: An RAF Reaper supported coalition air strikes in Ramadi, and on 2 January, another Reaper used a Hellfire missile to destroy a mortar position near Fallujah.
3 January: A busy day for RAF aircraft: Typhoons delivered four successful attacks in Ramadi against terrorist positions, including a mortar team. A second Typhoon mission over Ramadi conducted no less than six attacks, accounting for five machine-guns and a sniper position. Near Haditha, Tornados destroyed a truck-bomb, while a Reaper used Hellfires against two armed pick-up trucks and a group of terrorist fighters. Over northern Iraq, two more flights of Tornado GR4s successfully attacked a total of two mortar and four machine-gun positions.
Daesh terrorists have suffered further losses following intensive Royal Air Force strikes as part of the coalition's air campaign over Iraq and Syria.
4 January: A pair of RAF Typhoon FGR4s operated over northern Iraq and used Paveway IV precision guided bombs to attack eight terrorist mortar and rocket positions. Meanwhile, Tornado GR4s provided close air support to the Iraqi army as they continue their operations to eliminate the remaining terrorist fighters in and around Ramadi. When an Iraqi unit came under rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire from several Daesh-held buildings, the GR4s conducted a very accurate attack on all four buildings using Paveway IVs. The Tornados were tasked to deal with a group of terrorists who were preparing for a counter-attack. Despite this being a difficult target for most weapons, the GR4s were able to score a direct hit with a Brimstone missile.
An RAF Reaper was also patrolling over Ramadi it provided surveillance support for three air strikes by coalition fast jets, and also conducted two attacks using its own weapons, employing a GBU-12 laser guided bomb against a Daesh machine-gun team, and destroyed two terrorist trucks with a single Hellfire missile. On Monday evening, a Tornado patrol, supported as ever by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, used a Paveway IV to strike a Daesh-held building near Mosul.
5 January: RAF Typhoon patrols over Ramadi continued, they used Paveways to destroy two terrorist machine-gun positions, as well as an anti-aircraft gun that had opened fire on an Iraqi Air Force helicopter. Near Haditha, Reapers provided close air support to Iraqi security forces as Daesh attempted to mount an attack on them Hellfire missiles and a GBU-12 were used against two armed pick-up trucks, two machine-gun teams and groups of terrorist fighters. In the area around Mosul, Tornado GR4s hit two Daesh rocket teams.
6 January: Following their loss of control of key areas in Ramadi, Daesh extremists attempted to mount attacks against Iraqi ground forces near Haditha. Coalition aircraft provided extensive close air support to Iraqi troops, and a pair of RAF Tornado GR4s used two Paveway IV bombs in attacks on with an Iraqi terrorists who were engaged in close combat unit. The Typhoons then flew south to Ramadi, where operations continued as the Iraqis sought to eliminate those Daesh positions that remain in the city. Working closely with other coalition aircraft, the Typhoons conducted four Paveway attacks, destroying two machine-gun positions and two armoured personnel carriers.
In northern Iraq, Tornado GR4s supported Kurdish forces; south of Sinjar, a Paveway IV destroyed a terrorist team manning rocket launchers, while near Mosul, three fighting positions and three accommodation blocks used by Daesh were destroyed by six Paveways. Later in the day, Typhoons were once again over Ramadi, where they struck two terrorist positions, including a heavy machine-gun team that was firing on Iraqi troops.
7 January: Operations over Ramadi continued with Typhoons delivering six successful Paveway IV attacks on Daesh positions, including two more machine-gun teams. In the north, the Tornados were likewise again patrolling over Mosul and Kisik, and these missions used Paveways against a group of extremists and a rocket position.
8 January: Tornado GR4s conducted two more Paveway attacks near Mosul, striking rocket and machine-gun teams.
10 January: The focus turned to a series of targets inside Syria. Near Raqqa, a pair of Tornados bombed a pair of Daesh-held buildings, one of which was a confirmed command and control centre, and used a Brimstone missile to destroy a supply truck. A second pair of GR4s dropped four Paveway IVs on a tunnel complex, again near Raqqa, whilst a Reaper engaged a terrorist position with a Hellfire missile. During the evening, a further Tornado flight and a Reaper used a combination of Brimstone and Hellfire missiles to attack a number of mobile cranes brought in by Daesh to attempt to repair the severe damage inflicted by previous RAF and coalition air strikes on the Omar oil field.
11 January: A milestone was passed on Monday morning when an RAF Reaper flew the 1,000th sortie by the type since they were committed to operations against Daesh in October 2014.
Iraqi ground forces have made repeated successful advances against the Daesh terrorist network, with recent major successes at Sinjar and Ramadi. Mosul remains the largest Iraqi town held by the terrorists, and they have concentrated much of their command and control functions within the city. Patient intelligence assessment allowed a walled compound in the northern part of Mosul to be identified as a major headquarters of the Daesh security organisation, which is responsible for terrorising the civilian population and indeed demoralised elements of their own membership into compliance, and is thus associated with many of the terrorists' worst atrocities inside Syria and Iraq. Very careful planning allowed three key targets within the compound to be identified, and an attack carefully planned to minimise any risks to civilians in Mosul.
11 January: RAF aircraft have also continued very active air operations against Daesh targets inside Syria. A Reaper identified a terrorist check point one of the methods used by Daesh to attempt to impose their will on the civilian population and successfully attacked it using a Hellfire missile.
12 January: Reapers maintained surveillance over the oilfields in eastern Syria which have been targeted by coalition air strikes, including by the RAF, to deny Daesh the ability to use the oil to finance their operations. The Reapers identified a mechanical excavator which was being used to attempt repairs, and an oil pump which had evidently been brought back on line, and destroyed both with Hellfire missiles. In north-eastern Syria, Tornado GR4s meanwhile patrolled in the area of Al Hasakah, where they used Paveway IVs to strike two Daesh-held strongpoints. While other coalition aircraft conducted a series of strikes on a range of other key Daesh targets within Mosul, Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Akrotiri, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, used Paveway IV guided bombs to attack the security headquarters compound, and initial analysis indicates that the attack was a success.
13 January: Typhoon FRG4s provided Iraqi ground forces with close air support as they continue to eliminate terrorist positions in and around Ramadi and conducted two successful attacks with Paveway IV guided bombs on Daesh machine-gun teams. Further north, south-west of Sinjar, Tornado GR4s supported operations by the Kurdish peshmerga and used a Paveway to destroy a machine-gun position which had opened fire on the troops.
14 January: Typhoons were again in action over Ramadi, where they delivered three Paveway IV attacks on a group of Daesh fighters preparing for an assault, a firing position and a mortar team. Tornados patrolled east of Mosul, where they used a pair of Paveways to attack a mortar position and an armed pick-up truck. Typhoons operated in the same area that night, and successfully bombed three buildings in a terrorist-held compound.
15 January: Tornado GR4s struck a Daesh barracks near Raqqa, with two Paveway IVs, also destroying one of their vehicles parked close by.
17 January: GR4s conducted two successful attacks with Brimstone missiles, destroying a vehicle near Tabbaqah, west of Raqqa, in Syria and a terrorist supply truck south of Sinjar in Iraq.
18 January: Typhoons operated over northern Iraq, working in close cooperation with Kurdish forces. North-west of Mosul, our aircraft identified two groups of armed terrorists and struck both with Paveway IV guided bombs. The Typhoons then flew west to the area south of Sinjar, the scene of a significant Kurdish victory in November, where they employed a third Paveway to destroy a concealed Daesh vehicle.
19 January: Typhoons and a Reaper patrolling over Ramadi to assist the Iraqi ground forces as they continue to clear the city of Daesh positions. The Typhoons conducted successful Paveway attacks on a terrorist mortar team and a group of Daesh armed with rocket-propelled grenades. The Reaper used its Hellfire missiles to destroy a group of terrorist vehicles, including a fuel tanker, a supply truck and a mechanical excavator used for constructing defensive positions. Meanwhile, a second Reaper was operating near Haditha, where it attacked a large truck-bomb, terrorist fighters and a supporting vehicle with three Hellfires.
20 January: Typhoon FGR4s and Tornado GR4s provided close air support to Iraqi ground forces in and near Ramadi. Four successful attacks were conducted using Paveway IV guided bombs, striking two Daesh-held buildings, a group of extremists, and an armoured personnel carrier which was being converted into a large truck-bomb. The latter attack also detonated the stockpile of explosives close by. A Typhoon mission also provided support to Iraqi troops near Fallujah, hitting a terrorist mortar position with a Paveway IV.
21 January: A pair of Typhoons patrolling Ramadi and Haditha, delivered four Paveway attacks on three Daesh strongpoints and a further explosives stockpile. Further north, a Tornado flight used a pair of Paveway IVs to destroy a terrorist fighting position and a mortar team near Qayyarah.
22 January: Typhoons worked closely with another coalition aircraft to target a group of terrorists concealed beneath trees, scoring a direct hit with a Paveway.
24 January: A Typhoon mission operating near Ramadi, identified an anti-aircraft gun and ammunition store and attacked with two Paveways which destroyed both targets. The Typhoons then switched their focus to a network of Daesh trenches located near Habbaniyah, where they were joined by a pair of Tornados. The two RAF aircraft conducted six attacks with Paveways on the trench positions and a bunker. Tornado GR4s also patrolled south-east of Mosul, where they struck three terrorist-held buildings. A further Typhoon mission dropped six Paveways on a terrorist command compound north-west of Ramadi. Meanwhile in Syria, Tornados used Brimstone missiles to successfully attack three mobile cranes, being used by Daesh to repair damage from coalition air strikes.
25 January: A further two cranes destroyed by Brimstones, south-west of Raqqa, whilst a Reaper remotely piloted aircraft hit a Daesh position with a Hellfire missile, just on the Syrian side of the border. In northern Iraq, Tornado GR4s bombed a mortar position and a sniper team which had opened fire on Kurdish forces advancing south of Sinjar.
26 January: In the west of Iraq, a pair of GR4s conducted three attacks with Paveway IV guided bombs against a weapons stockpile, a terrorist fighting position, and a truck armed with an anti-aircraft gun. Further north, GR4s provided close air support to Kurdish troops near Kirkuk; a Paveway was used to strike a Daesh-held building. The GR4s then attacked a group of terrorists hidden inside a pair of caves overlooking the Little Zab River. The Tornados launched a pair of Brimstone missiles, which scored direct hits on both of the cave entrances. Meanwhile in Syria, Tornados used six Brimstones to attack mobile cranes south-west of Raqqa, highly valued by Daesh when attempting to repair damage inflicted by air strikes.
27 January: Typhoon FGR4s patrolled east of Ramadi and used a Paveway to destroy a terrorist armoured personnel carrier, then, north of Habbaniyah, worked with another coalition aircraft to deliver a successful Paveway attack against a group of terrorists engaged in combat with Iraqi troops. In northern Iraq, between Qayyarah and Mosul, a Tornado mission destroyed a Daesh vehicle with a Paveway IV.
28 January: Typhoons in action north of Habbaniyah conducted four successful attacks on Daesh positions, including a heavy machine-gun team. In north-western Iraq, Tornados bombed both a mortar and a heavy machine-gun position, while other Tornados and a Reaper operated east of Ramadi; the GR4s destroyed an armed vehicle, parked under cover, with a Brimstone, and the Reaper used a Hellfire missile to destroy an armoured truck extensive secondary explosions suggest that it had been converted into a large truck bomb.
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Kerry: US Allies Will Destroy Islamic State
by Luis Ramirez February 02, 2016
The United States and its allies Tuesday said they will "accelerate and intensify" their campaign against the Islamic State militant group.
"The world expects security from us and we'll destroy ISIS," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at a meeting in Rome Tuesday of foreign ministers from 23 of the nations joining in the fight against Islamic State jihadists.
"We will keep the pressure on, squeezing Daesh from every single angle, strangling its attempts to establish networks elsewhere, cutting their finances, exposing their lies," Kerry said at a news conference after the meeting.
The coalition noted the strides it has made against Islamic State militants, saying the group has lost 40 percent of the territory it had gained in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria.
"We are committed to using every resource at our disposal in order to remain on the offensive on every front," Kerry said.
There was, however, no commitment to order air strikes or other military action against Islamic State in Libya, where it has been expanding considerably.
"We follow with concern the growing influence of ISIL/Da'esh in Libya, will continue to monitor closely developments there, and stand ready to support the Government of National Accord in its efforts to establish peace and security for the Libyan people," the coalition said in a final statement.
Ahead of the meeting there had been pressure, especially in France, for expanding the military strikes to Syria. At Tuesday's gathering in Rome, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, acknowledged the calls but said Paris was not proposing military action. "There is pressure, but that is not the position of the government," Fabius told reporters.
The host of Tuesday's meeting, Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni suggested there was no need for "hasty military intervention."
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Saudi to give millions of dollars to citizens who foil terror attacks
Iran Press TV
Sun Jan 31, 2016 11:36PM
Saudi Arabia says it intends to give anyone assisting the government in foiling terrorist attacks seven million riyals ($1.86 million) as a reward.
The Saudi interior ministry also announced on Sunday that those who provide the government with the information on whereabouts of a terrorist would receive one million riyals ($266,000), Saudi-owned Al Arabiya reported.
The announcement was made as the ministry revealed the identities of those involved in the terrorist bombing of a mosque frequented by Saudi special forces in Asir's provincial capital city of Abha on August 6, 2015. That attack claimed the lives of 11 forces and four workers.
The ministry added that a member of special forces, Salah al-Shehrani, helped the bomber, named Yousef Suleiman Abdullah al-Suleiman.
Two other accomplices were arrested but nine other members of the terrorist cell remained at large.
The ministry is offering five million riyals ($1.33 million) to those who can help with the whereabouts of the nine terrorists.
In the latest attack in the kingdom, which targeted the Imam Reza Mosque in the town of Mahasen in al-Ahsa, at least four people were killed and 18 others wounded after a bomb explosion 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 Saudi Arabia has sparked anger among the population, who accuse Saudi security forces of negligence in fulfilling their responsibilities to provide security for people against attacks by terrorists.
Saudi Arabia has time and again been accused of aiding, abetting and arming militant groups operating across Iraq, Syria.
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US Seeking Details from Saudi Arabia on Reports of American Detainees
by Lou Lorscheider February 01, 2016
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.
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Russia Opposes Deployment of US THAAD Defense System in South Korea
Sputnik News
16:05 02.02.2016
Russia believes that the deployment of THAAD in South Korea will not be helpful to peace and security in Northeast Asia nor to the resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, according to Russian Ambassador to Seoul Alexander Timonin.
TOKYO (Sputnik) Russia is against the deployment of the US THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, Russian Ambassador to Seoul Alexander Timonin said Tuesday.
Last Friday, a spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry welcomed the deployment of THAAD as a way to 'help our national security and defense.'
'Russia believes that the deployment of THAAD in South Korea will not be helpful to peace and security in Northeast Asia nor to the resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula,' the Yonhap news service quoted Timonin as saying in a meeting with reporters.
Moscow urges all relevant nations to refrain from military actions that could aggravate the situation, the Russian envoy added.
The United States has raised the possibility of a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) battery deployment in East Asia in the past, a decision the Pentagon says will be made through the trilateral Japan-South Korea-US security alliance.
China has opposed the THAAD deployment, arguing it could upset the regional balance and be used against Chinese interests.
Sputnik
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Japan Deploys Patriot Missiles at 3 Bases to Counter N Korean Threat
Sputnik News
11:50 02.02.2016(updated 11:53 02.02.2016)
Japan has deployed Patriot surface-to-air missile systems at three of its military bases to counter a perceived threat from North Korea, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Tuesday.
TOKYO (Sputnik) On Thursday, Japanese media, citing government officials reported that Pyongyang was preparing for missile launch.
'We have deployed PAC-3 at the Ichigaya area of Tokyo as well as at the [military] Asaka and Narashino bases,' Nakatani told reporters.
He added that despite the fact that Pyongyang had not made known its missile launch plans, such actions from North Korean could not be ruled out.
Tensions around North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated on January 6, when Pyongyang announced that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test, which triggered a wave of condemnation from the international community.
Sputnik
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China's new 5 military regions officially established
Central News Agency
2016/02/01 22:14:40
Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) China on Monday officially established five military regions to replace the seven military regions that existed previously at a ceremony in Beijing, according to Chinese media reports.
The five new military regions are: Eastern, Western, Southern , Northern and Central Military Regions.
Xi Jinping (, in his capacity as Chinese president, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Committee, presented military flags to each region during the ceremony.
He also issued his first instruction to them: to do their best to win all possible wars in the future.
He said the military regions are organized to cope with potential threats, to maintain peace, to prevent and even win all wars and safeguard national security.
Xi asked the military to absolutely obey the leadership of the CPC, the Central Military Committee and Xi himself.
The establishment of the five military regions is aimed at the realization of the 'China dream' and dream of having a strong armed forces, according to the reports.
The changes in the China's military region system have been widely viewed as a crucial step for Xi in his bid to gain firmer control of the military.
(By Bear Lee)
enditem/ls
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Institute Reports Sizable Drop in N. Korea-China Trade
by Kim Hwan Yong February 01, 2016
Bilateral trade between North Korea and China fell nearly 15 percent last year in what appeared to be a reflection of a troubled relationship between the two countries, South Korea's state-run policy research institute said Sunday.
Trade between the two countries from January to November 2015 was worth $4.9 billion, down from $5.76 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to a report by the Korea Development Institute (KDI). The 14.8 percent drop marked the first time the bilateral trade suffered a double-digit decline since 2000.
Lee Jong-kyu, a research fellow at KDI who authored the report, blamed chilling ties between Pyongyang and Beijing for the decline in imports. He reported the main reason for the decline in exports was the sluggish shipments of natural resources.
Analysts say North Korea's political relations with its longtime ally have been strained by Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons and its associated tests despite Beijing's objections.
Lee added that North Korean internal policy might have also contributed to the decrease in imports. Recently, Kim Jong Un has criticized a North Korean penchant for foreign goods, advocating the use of domestic goods.
Lee said Pyongyang's nuclear test last month was likely to hurt bilateral trade between the two sides in 2016. In the past, China took action against North Korea in response to Pyongyang's nuclear tests, according to Lee.
"Beijing might beef up inspections through its maritime customs, which will affect bilateral trade between the two sides for about several months," said Lee.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested China could limit trade with North Korea as a potential action against Pyongyang over the latest nuclear test.
Jee Abbey Lee contributed to this report.
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French President Orders to Continue Anti-Daesh Airstrikes in Syria, Iraq
Sputnik News
17:38 01.02.2016(updated 17:57 01.02.2016)
Francois Hollande ordered the French Armed Forces to continue anti-Daesh operations in Syria and Iraq.
PARIS (Sputnik) French President Francois Hollande ordered to continue airstrikes against the Daesh jihadists during a Monday Security and Defense Council meeting, the Elysee Palace announced.
'The Council discussed French military operations against Daesh in Syria and Iraq. The president of the republic ordered to continue the airstrikes aimed at neutralizing the Daesh terrorist organization's critical capabilities,' the president's office said in a statement.
The council's members also talked over the ways to support 'moderate Syrian opposition' ahead of the Geneva peace talks.
'The president of the republic once again reminded of the need to prevent attacks against the Syrian population and to contribute to the achievement of a political transition of power the only solution that can bring lasting peace in the country and eliminate the terrorist threat posed by Daesh,' the statement highlighted.
Paris has been bombing Daesh positions as part of US-led coalition of some 60 nations in both Syria and Iraq.
On January 21, Hollande pledged to increase the intensity of the anti-Daesh airstrikes in Syria and Iraq in 2016.
The European country stepped up its counterterrorism campaign following a series of terrorist attacks in Paris that claimed 130 lives on November 13, 2015.
Sputnik
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India Could Order Additional 48 Russian Helicopters in Near Future
Sputnik News
15:00 02.02.2016
Indian Air Force is planning to order an additional 48 Mi-17V-5 helicopters for flights in different conditions, according to the Russian state technology company Rostec.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) India could order 48 Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters in the near future, in addition to the the recently fulfilled contract for the same choppers, the Russian state technology company Rostec said in a statement Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Rostec's subsidiary Russian Helicopters delivered the final batch of 151 Mi-17V-5 helicopters to India under previously concluded contracts.
'In the near future, the Indian Air Force is planning to order an additional 48 Mi-17V-5 helicopters for flights in different conditions, either in deserts or in the mountains,' the statement reads.
Russia and India have enjoyed mutually beneficial strategic relations, especially in the field of defense and military cooperation, since the 1960s. Russia is among India's foremost weapons suppliers. Moscow and New Delhi have a number of joint products, including in the sphere of helicopter production.
Sputnik
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Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Monday night delivered his 2016 State of the State and Budget Address before a joint session of the 109th General Assembly, unveiling a balanced $34.8 billion proposal that he said makes the largest investment in K-12 education without a tax increase in Tennessees history.
The governors Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget proposes 261 million in new dollars for Tennessee public education, including $104.6 million for teacher salaries.
In his speech Haslam "highlighted the collaborative effort across state government to grow Tennessees economy, reduce ongoing costs, provide high quality service to taxpayers and maintain fiscal discipline that has positioned Tennessee to invest in its priorities."
The reality is that the state of our state is one of unique opportunity, an opportunity that must not go to waste, Gpvernor Haslam said. This opportunity is a result of a strengthening economy combined with the hard work and discipline of our departments and the conservative fiscal strategy employed by the General Assembly, our constitutional officers and this administration.
By managing wisely and investing strategically, were making tax dollars work harder for Tennesseans. This is what we do.
Governor Haslams budget proposal "builds up state reserves, puts Tennessee on the path to catch up on long-deferred maintenance of buildings, reinvests in the state workforce and focuses one-time dollars on reducing the states ongoing costs."
This is our opportunity. Lets bear down on what we can do together, keeping Tennessee a state with a strong financial condition, helping Tennessee to be the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs, and making certain that all Tennesseans regardless of their circumstances have an opportunity for a high quality education, Governor Haslam said.
Including the current fiscal years appropriation, state government will invest more than 414 million in new dollars in Tennessee schools, more than $200 million of that toward increases to teacher salaries. Additionally, Governor Haslam proposed funding the 12th month of health insurance for teachers and doubling the states recurring contribution for technology needs at schools.
Whats important in all of this is that were not investing in the same old public education system in Tennessee. Weve raised our standards. Weve linked teacher evaluations to student performance, and weve expanded education options for children. Were showing historic progress, and we cant back up, Governor Haslam said.
The governors proposal puts $100 million into the states Rainy Day Fund, bringing it to an estimated $668 million on June 30, 2017; $60 million for salary increases for state employees; and another $36 million for market rate adjustments for state employees making less than $50,000 annually.
Governor Haslam proposed significant investments in higher education and the Drive to 55 initiative, the states effort to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential to 55 percent by 2025, including: $50 million for the Complete College funding formula for higher education; $20 million for the Drive to 55 Capacity Fund to help community and technical colleges meet the growing demand for degrees and certificates; and $10 million for the Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP) helping communities align degree and course offerings with the needs of the local workforce.
The proposal invests $581.6 million in state and other funds to build new buildings and fix existing higher education and general state government facilities. This includes the top recommended capital projects for both the University of Tennessee (UT) system and the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR): $85.5 million for a new Tennessee Tech University laboratory science building; $39 million for a new dentistry building at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis; $38.8 million for Tennessee State Universitys new health science building; and $36 million for renovations to UT-Chattanooga academic buildings.
Other notable budget investments are: $130 million from the General Fund to repay the Highway Fund; $24 million in state funds for the Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES program to allow the state to serve more people currently on the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities waiting list and others eligible for services; $12.8 million for facilities and homeland security upgrades for the Military Department; $10 million for the Department of Economic and Community Developments Rural Development Initiative; and $1.27 million to increase the number of drug recovery courts from 41 to 50 and for two additional veterans courts.
Senator Speaker Pro Tempore Bo Watson (R-Hixson), who is 1st Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee, said, The state of the State of Tennessee is tremendous. We still have challenges ahead. Like many middle class families across the state, we must prioritize our resources.
The governors proposal invests heavily in education which is certainly a top priority. Two of the many examples include funding the 12th month of teacher health insurance, which will help local governments, as well as much-needed renovations at UTC.
We have been very prudent with Tennessees finances. We have the lowest state debt in the nation and nothing in this budget will create new debt. Rather, this budget increases the states savings account which declined greatly during the recession years to ensure we have the financial safety net we need in the event of a downturn in the economy. I look forward to working with the administration as this budget moves forward.
The complete text of the governors speech, an archived video and budget documents will be available at http://tn.gov/governor/topic/state-of-the-state. - See more at: http://www.tn.gov/news/23847#sthash.U4i5lWdv.dpuf
JCPOA springboard for Iran progress: Salehi
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 11:33AM
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has hailed the implementation of the historic nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries as a "springboard" for the further development of the Islamic Republic.
Ali-Akbar Salehi said on Monday that Iran has entered a new phase in the international arena after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
"I envisage a promising future for the [Iranian] nation after [the implementation of] the JCPOA. The nation is standing on a springboard," Salehi said.
Salehi made the remarks at a ceremony marking the 37th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution that put an end to the monarchy of the US-backed Pahlavi regime in the country.
On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany started to implement JCPOA they had concluded in July 2015.
After JCPOA went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the UN Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran, in return, has put some limitations on its nuclear activities.
The Iranian official said that Iran has managed to make significant progress in the international arena following the conclusion of the nuclear agreement, adding that the Iranian nation's right to peaceful nuclear technology has been restored through the JCPOA.
Iran marks Islamic Revolution anniversary
On Monday, millions of Iranians across the country began celebrations marking the 37th anniversary of the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution
Also known as the Ten-Days Dawn, the ceremonies mark the return from exile of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini, and commemorate a chain of events that culminated in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Currently, a special ceremony is underway at Imam Khomeini's mausoleum in Tehran, with thousands of people in attendance.
Simultaneously, special ceremonies are being held in more than 80 Iranian cultural centers in 60 countries to mark the first day of the Ten-Day Dawn period.
Imam Khomeini spent more than 14 years in exile, mostly in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf. He also spent some time in Turkey and France, before his return to Iran.
On Saturday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei visited the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini to pay tribute to the architect of the Islamic Republic.
President Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet ministers also paid tribute to Imam Khomeini at his mausoleum on Sunday. They were accompanied by the Imam's grandson, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini.
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JCPOA aimed at lifting enemy-imposed 'siege' on Iran: Rouhani
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 1:28PM
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the main objective that Tehran was pursuing in signing the nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries was to lift "the siege" that 'ill-wishers' had imposed on the Islamic Republic.
'The ill-wishers of this nation had managed to lay a siege around us and the objective [of the nuclear agreement] was to destroy this 'notorious wall',' Rouhani said in a live televised interview on Tuesday.
He was referring to Iran-P5+1 nuclear agreement dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Rouhani said the JCPOA implementation was the removal of 'unjust' sanctions in order to provide 'better livelihood' to Iranians.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany started to implement the 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.
Rouhani said before the agreement entered into force, even 'friends and neighbors' of Iran refused to buy an extra barrel of oil or do business with Tehran.
'The JCPOA has created new conditions for us which we have to take advantage of,' he added.
As a result of the implementation of the agreement, the Iranian president embarked on a four-day tour of Europe on January 25 and visited Italy, the Vatican and France.
The visits to the European capitals have been touted as a major move by Iran to revive its past business ties with European countries. During Rouhani's stay in Italy, the two countries signed major contracts worth up to 17 billion euros (USD 18.4 billion). Similar contracts were also signed between Tehran and Paris.
Oil dependence, 'dangerous addiction'
Rouhani said the country must take measures to wean the economy off petrodollars.
"Even if oil prices increase [in the future] we should not move towards dependence on oil revenues for running the country," he said.
Oil prices have fallen to below $30, experiencing a 70% slump since mid-2015.
"We have to take steps towards giving up the dangerous addiction of the economy's full dependence on oil," said Rouhani.
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U.S. Judge Challenges Move To Drop Charges In Prisoner Deal With Iran
February 02, 2016
by RFE/RL
A U.S. judge is challenging the government's move to drop charges against an Iranian man accused of sanctions violations as part of a U.S. prisoner swap agreement with Iran last month.
U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel threatened in a court order last week to deny the government's dismissal of charges against Alireza Moazami Goudarzi unless prosecutors could justify the 'significant foreign policy interests' they cited as a reason to drop the case.
Castel is the only judge known to have questioned the terms of the prisoner-swap deal negotiated secretly by top diplomats in Tehran and Washington. He said the court should not approve the dismissal request for Gourdazi if it was prompted by 'considerations clearly contrary to the public interest.'
The challenge by the New York-based federal judge follows complaints by Gourdazi's co-defendant that he was sentenced to nine years in jail for the same crimes Gourdazi allegedly committed -- seeking to buy prohibited military aircraft parts for Iran.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cronan on February 1 said the dismissal of charges against Gourdazi and 13 other Iranians was necessary to obtain the release of five American prisoners held in Iran. He sought to assure the judge that the prisoner swap was a 'one-time, unique agreement based on extraordinary circumstances.'
'The United States government has made clear to the government of Iran that the United States does not expect to repeat these actions,' Cronan told the court.
He added that U.S. authorities had been unable to locate Goudarzi since he was detained briefly and released by Malaysia in 2012, so there is no 'realistic prospect' of securing his arrest and extradition to face the charges anytime soon.
It is rare for judges to challenge dismissals by prosecutors, which are usually granted without much further inquiry,
The January 16 dismissal request for Gourdazi was part of a wider swap deal with Tehran, with U.S. officials moving to drop international arrest orders and charges against 14 Iranians outside U.S. borders. The administration also offered clemency deals to seven Iranians in the United States, most of them imprisoned for, or charged with, sanctions violations.
In return, Iran released five Americans it had been holding, including Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post's Iranian-American Tehran bureau chief.
The release of the Americans coincided with the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran, which followed verification of Tehran's compliance with negotiated curbs on its nuclear activities.
The prisoner swap was criticized by Republicans for offering too much to Iran in return for the release of the Americans.
To comply with the prisoner-swap deal, the U.S. government has filed motions to dismiss charges against other prisoners in jurisdictions including Arizona, Washington, D.C., and California, Reuters reported.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us-judge-challenges-move- drop-charges-in-prisoner-swap-deal-with-iran/27526790.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.
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Daesh terrorists suffer losses across Iraq
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 9:9AM
Iraqi army troops, backed by volunteer fighters and receiving air cover, have successfully carried out a number of operations against Takfiri Daesh terrorists across the country, dealing major blows to them.
On Sunday, units of Iraqi soldiers mounted several offensives in al-Sejariyah area, situated east of Anbar's provincial capital city of Ramadi, killing 30 Daesh extremists, Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network reported.
Four pickup trucks that had heavy machine guns mounted on them, together with ten militant hideouts were also destroyed and seven improvised explosive devices defused.
Iraqi fighter jets also conducted eight aerial attacks in the same area, killing 14 Daesh Takfiris. Three terrorist hideouts were also leveled to the ground and two booby-trapped excavators destroyed.
Additionally, at least 15 members of Daesh were killed when Iraqi soldiers, backed by warplanes and allied pro-government forces, launched a counter-terrorism operation in Albu Shajal region, which lies east of Ramadi. A car rigged with explosives was also destroyed and 41 bombs disarmed.
Elsewhere in the Naeemiyah district of Anbar Province, Iraqi soldiers killed five Daesh terrorists and destroyed a sizeable amount of munitions.
Iraqi troopers, supported by fighter jets, also killed 15 Daesh Takfiris and destroyed a tanker during an operation in the al-Ayyouj district of the northern province of Salahuddin.
Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since ISIL Takfiris launched an offensive in the country in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.
The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.
Units of army soldiers joined by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.
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Iraq awards contract to Italy's Trevi to repair Mosul dam
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 2:34PM
The government of Iraq has announced that it has awarded a contract to Italian firm, Trevi, to repair and maintain the Mosul dam, which is the country's largest dam.
According to the announcement on Tuesday, the dam is currently in danger of catastrophic collapse berceuse it has been built on an unstable foundation of soils that erode when exposed to water. Since 2014, when the city of Mosul fell into the hands of Daesh Takfiri terrorists, a lapse in maintenance of the structure has weakened its already flawed structure, AFP reported.
Experts have noted that the dam has been in danger of collapse for a long time, warning that if the huge structure broke down, it could send a huge wave crashing into the city of Mosul, which is Iraq's second largest city, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the dam.
The Iraqi government released a statement on Tuesday saying that with the agreement of the Ministry of Water Resources, the contract has been awarded to Italy's Trevi 'to carry out the project of rehabilitating and maintaining the Mosul Dam.'
According to the statement, the deal has not been signed yet.
The Iraqi government's statement, however, did not specify how much Trevi would be paid for the work.
Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced last December that his country would deploy 450 troops to defend the dam, a decision which has been linked to Trevi's interest in the project.
Italian forces have been already deployed to Iraq and are currently training the Iraqi police as part of international efforts to counter Daesh.
A US military commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland, said last week that the measuring devices have been put on the dam to monitor how much it is 'moving or deteriorating over time.'
Construction of the dam was completed in 1984 and since that time, the Iraqi government has made efforts to shore up the foundation by injecting mortar-like grout into the subsoil and cavities in order to control seepage.
The maintenance work, however, came to a halt in 2014 when Daesh terrorist group briefly seized the dam.
In 2007, Washington's ambassador to Iraq and the United States' top military commander in the Arab country wrote a letter warning that the dam could fail with devastating results.
'A catastrophic failure of the Mosul dam would result in flooding along the Tigris River all the way to Baghdad,' they said in the letter, adding, 'Assuming a worst case scenario, an instantaneous failure of Mosul dam filled to its maximum operating level could result in a flood wave 20 meters (66 feet) deep at the city of Mosul.'
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Turkey Not Part of US-Led Coalition in Iraq - Coalition Spokesman
Sputnik News
14:56 02.02.2016(updated 16:46 02.02.2016)
Coalition spokesman Steven Warren said that Turkish military forces in Iraq are not a part of the US-led coalition.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkish military forces in Iraq are not a part of the US-led coalition and the United States has not given Ankara the green light to fight against terrorism in the country, coalition spokesman Steven Warren said in an interview on Iraq's Alsumaria television Tuesday.
Warren said that Turkish forces are in Iraq on their "own mission."
Tensions in Iraq's relations with Turkey escalated in December, when Turkish troops arrived at the Bashik camp in the northern Iraq province of Nineveh.
Baghdad and other nations have called on Ankara to withdraw its troops and respect Iraq's territorial sovereignty. On January 25, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated the claim that the Turkish troops' objective was to support Iraq in the campaign against the Daesh jihadist group.
Warren reaffirmed the United States' respect for Iraq's sovereignty.
Despite the general's claims, a joint statement issued by partners of the anti-Daesh coalition in mid-2014 lists the Republic of Turkey alongside 59 other countries. Last fall, Turkey agreed host US combat aircraft at the Incirlik Air Base in the anti-Daesh campaign.
Sputnik
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Myanmar Parliament Sworn In; Next President Unknown
by Steve Herman February 01, 2016
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.
Khin Soe Win provided additional reporting from Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
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U.S. Senator Predicts Revelations Of Putin's Wealth Will Destabilize His Rule
February 01, 2016
by RFE/RL
A senior U.S. lawmaker says revelations about Russian President Vladimir Putin's 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 is "going to create some additional instability in Russia."
Corker said he understands 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.'
Corker's 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 is "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 Earnest's 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."
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 Putin's 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
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/putin-russia- wealth-corker-destabilize-rule/27526323.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.
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U.S. Sanctions Five More On 'Magnitsky List' Of Alleged Rights Abusers
February 01, 2016
by Mike Eckel and Carl Schreck
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 Magnitsky's 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 Ministry's investigative department who asserted publicly that Magnitsky's 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 Russia's 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 Russia's 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.
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/magnitsky- list-expands-five-added/27526266.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.
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Russia's Cutting-Edge S-500 Missile System to Begin Tests This Year
Sputnik News
18:23 01.02.2016(updated 21:53 01.02.2016)
The first prototypes of the next-generation S-500 air defense system will reach completion and begin its pre-tests in 2016.
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.
The long-range system is said to have a range of 600 kilometers (more than 370 miles). The system could simultaneously intercept up to ten ballistic missiles traveling at a speed of 5 kilometers per second.
The technical aim consists of creating self-intercept medium-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles with the possibility of changing trajectory midflight.
The new complex also aims at destroying hypersonic cruise missiles and other aerial targets at speeds of higher than Mach 5 and as well as spacecraft.
The Deputy Commander of the Russian Air Defense Lieutenant-General Sergei Razygraev said earlier that the S-500 can shoot down missiles in near space thus it will become an element of strategic missile defense.
In June 2014 a long-range anti-missile for the new complex was tested successfully.
Sputnik
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The ONE Campaign on Tuesday congratulated Senator Bob Corker and celebrated the House of Representatives passage of the bipartisan Electrify Africa Act on Monday evening. The bill will help sub-Saharan African countries modernize their power infrastructure and increase their access to electricity saving lives, strengthening education, alleviating extreme poverty, and accelerating growth and development. The legislation passed the Senate in November and heads now to the White House for President Obamas signature.
Senator Corker introduced the bill with Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) in August.
Elaine Van Cleave of Nashville, a member of The ONE Campaign, said, This bipartisan bill is a great example of how we can be smarter about how we invest our foreign assistance dollars. The lack of electricity in so much of sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most dangerous and persistent enemies in the fight against extreme poverty. Senator Corker is a great leader on these issues and deserves our congratulations for passing this legislation.
Laney Carter of Chattanooga, a member of The ONE Campaign, said, We take for granted that our homes, our schools, and our hospitals here in Tennessee have access to the electricity they need to operate, but energy poverty is a destructive force on the African continent. By helping Africans build and expand their electricity infrastructure, the United States can make huge strides in the fight against extreme poverty. Im proud that Senator Corker has taken a leadership role on this issue, and congratulate him on passing this bill."
Tom Hart, ONEs U.S. executive director, said, This is a powerful moment in the fight against extreme poverty.
This bipartisan bill will leverage partnerships with the private sector to bring first-time electricity access to 50 million people, powering schools, hospitals, factories, farms, and businesses in underserved parts of Africa. The Electrify Africa Act will bring us one significant step closer in our fight to end extreme poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, seven in 10 people do not have access to electricity, forcing many women to give birth in under-equipped hospitals, and putting childhood vaccines that require refrigeration at risk. The lack of electricity also forces families to cook meals over open flames, and students to study beside kerosene lamps, filling their homes with toxic fumes.
Over the past few months, hundreds of ONE members in Tennessee and around the country have delivered a combined 360,000 signed petitions to their leaders in Congress urging them to support this legislation. We have fought tirelessly for this bill over the last two years, and are ecstatic about its passage today.
ONE congratulates Senator Corker for getting the Electrify Africa Act through Congress, and we look forward to seeing President Obama sign it into law.
The Electrify Africa Act will prioritize and coordinate U.S. government resources, requiring the Administration to develop a comprehensive, multi-year strategy to increase accessibility, and efficacy of electricity in underserved areas in Africa by 2020.
ONE is a policy and advocacy organization of more than seven million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, ONE raises public awareness and presses political leaders to combat AIDS and other preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs.
Supermaneuverable Su-35S Fighters Start Combat Missions in Syria
Sputnik News
15:30 01.02.2016(updated 16:58 01.02.2016)
The advanced supermaneuverable Su-35S multirole fighters began combat missions in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said Monday.
'Supermaneuverable Su-35S fighters started to carry out military tasks last week', Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told journalists.
He noted that all Russian warplanes have recently been conducting operations with an obligatory cover provided by Russian and Syrian fighter jets as wells as modern air defense systems including the S-400 Triumf.
Citing a military source, Russian Kommersant daily reported Monday that Russia was preparing to test the next-generation Su-35S fighters in Syria for the first time.
Russia commenced a military operation against terrorists in Syria at the request of President Bashar Assad on September 30.
The 4++ generation Su-35 is characterized by supermaneuverability and has features of a 5 generation aircraft.
The fighter has new avionics, a modern radar and advanced engines. It can accomplish incredible tricks without deceleration and can fly at a speed of 2400 kmph, outpacing all rivals in its class. The warplane is armed with 30mm guns, a huge number of missiles and rockets.
All these features make the Su-35S a top plane which can provide air superiority and support the Syrian Army as it continues to liberate the country and retake the territory.
Sputnik
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Russia Shrugs Off Allegations Against Putin
by Daniel Schearf February 01, 2016
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 administration's 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 Putin's 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 Putin's alleged hidden wealth, $40 billion a claim he repeated in the BBC program 'Panorama' that broadcast Treasury official Szubin's 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 Putin's inner circle. Though ignored by state media, they're gaining more attention than in the past. And numerous media reports claim there is a blurred line between Putin's 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 Russia's economy does not start growing again. The country's 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 Putin's public approval rating remains at more than 80 percent, buoyed by Russia's March 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and support for pro-Russia rebels in east Ukraine.
Putin's 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, Levada's 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 Center's Grazhdankin says. 'I can't say how probable the first or the second scenario is. At least the latter one is very improbable.'
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Battle Royal: The Prospects of a Palace Coup in Saudi Arabia
Sputnik News
14:36 02.02.2016(updated 14:55 02.02.2016)
With rumors circulating in Riyadh over whether 80-year-old Saudi King Salman is planning to abdicate in favor of his son, which would effectively constitute a palace coup, Middle East expert Alexander Orlov provides his own take on the impact such a move would have on the Saudi dynasty, the region and the world.
Last month, reports emerged suggesting that Saudi Arabia's King Salman may be planning to abdicate the throne in favor of his 30-year-old son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Salman, 30, currently serves as the country's defense minister, and is considered to be responsible for some of the Kingdom's most brazen behavior, including the ill-fated military operation in Yemen and the execution of Saudi Shia cleric and rights activist Nimr al-Nimr.
Analyzing the possibility of a power struggle brewing in the secretive kingdom in a recent article for the foreign policy journal New Eastern Outlook, Orlov, a political scientist specializing in the Middle East, explained that for starters, any overt attempt by Salman to position his son to succeed him would violate the country's succession laws, and hence effectively amount to a palace coup.
Abdication in favor of Prince Salman, Orlov writes, would 'bypass Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the country's internal affairs minister, and thus violate all [the Kingdom's] traditions of succession. After all, King Salman's son is the deputy crown prince, and his turn for the leadership should hypothetically come after Crown Prince Nayef becomes king, at which point he, Salman, will become crown prince.'
For his part, the political scientist notes, King Salman's maneuver may come down to the fact that after Nayef becomes king, the title of deputy crown prince may be abolished altogether, and Prince Salman may not get his chance to rule. After all, the title of 'deputy crown prince' 'had never been part of Saudi Arabia's monarchical power structure, and was only established by the last king, the elderly Abdullah, who died a few months later, in January 2015.'
Meanwhile, the country's powerful Succession Council is rumored to be split, with 'its members, the elderly princes and the King's closest relatives, too conservative in their views to agree on a new system of succession to the throne, although some of them did agree with the idea 'for the good of the cause'.'
'But here what is needed is unanimity, or at least an absolute majority, and not a fifty-fifty split. In these circumstances, rumors have begun to spread in Riyadh among the upper echelons of power on the possibility of a coup d'etat by means of the monarch's abdication and self-appointment to the position of the 'Father of the King', followed by the appointment of his son, Prince Mohammed Salman, to the throne, without the Succession Council's approval. What's more, this change of power is meant to occur before the end of February.'
'Of course,' the political scientist notes, 'the costs of such an option are clear and undesirable for the Saudi dynasty, but the alternative could be the beginning of the disintegration of the Kingdom, which is again facing unrest from the Shiite minority, and no money is to be found in the treasury due to a long run of low oil prices.'
Things are bad, Orlov notes, 'and have reached the point where preparations are being made to remove oil minister Ali al-Naimi, who is being prepared for the role of a 'scapegoat'.'
Nevertheless, the analyst suggests, with the Saudis and their US allies looking to see oil prices go down and stay down, in the interests of containing its strategic enemies Russia and Iran, the current rulers in Riyadh do not seem likely to back down on the policy of flooding the world with cheap oil.
With an economically weakened Russia advantageous to Washington, 'it is advantageous to the Kingdom, and the other monarchies of the Persian Gulf as well. This is especially true of Qatar, which is angry at Moscow for supporting Bashar Assad in Syria, Russia's interest in preventing the disintegration of Iraq, and its position on other issues in the Arab world, as well as its cooperation with Iran.'
'Almost daily, Washington exhorts Riyadh to continue to keep the price of oil down. The Kingdom realizes that by doing this, they are striking a blow to themselves, and not just against Russia and Iran, but for now, US influence is simply too strong to be opposed.'
And now, with the country on the verge of a palace coup, 'it is no accident,' Orlov suggests, 'that Crown Prince Nayef interrupted this visit abroad and quickly returned to Riyadh. It speaks of one thing: that he is ready to fight for the throne.'
In a battle between Deputy Crown Prince Salman and Crown Prince Nayef, things would look good for the young prince, the analyst notes. 'Standing behind him are the armed forces and the National Guard, while Crown Prince Nayef has only the ministry of internal affairs and the police at his disposal.'
As for the government, the analyst suggests that 'among the country's ministers, the majority are also on Salman's side. It was not for nothing that King Salman carried out a cabinet reshuffle in April-May 2015, dismissing Prince al-Faisal, who had headed the country's foreign ministry since 1975. He was replaced by Adel al-Jubeir, who had previously served as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States. Meanwhile, Adel Fakeih, [a figure] close to the clan of the reigning monarch, was appointed to the post of economy minister, with Hamad al-Sweillam appointed the head of the royal court.'
'All of these personnel decisions by the new king displeased some powerful clans in the country, including the influential al-Tuwaijri family. The family's spokesman, Khaled al-Tuwaijri, who had previously served in the post of secretary of the Allegiance Council and the head of the Royal Chancery and Guard, was dismissed from all his posts and fled the country.'
With most of the cards looking to be in the hands of King Salman and his son, the young prince, one fact which shouldn't be discounted, according to Orlov, is the position of the leaders of the country's tribal groups and clans, 'on which the situation 'on the ground' [ultimately] depends.' These groups, he recalls, 'are lying low in anticipation of what happens in Riyadh. But one thing is clear: the policy of reducing oil prices has hit them where it hurts their pockets, since they too have their quota on the proceeds of oil exports, and they are extremely dissatisfied with Salman and his family.'
In the final analysis, Orlov notes, 'we will not have to wait long for the endgame.' The main goal for Saudi authorities, he explains, 'will be to prevent the disintegration of the Kingdom following the change of power,' since this would 'immediately affect the situation in the entire region, where Iraq is already literally falling apart, while Bahrein is on the verge of Shia revolution.'
'And all this occurs against the backdrop of the war in Syria, Yemen and the growing conflict between Riyadh and Tehran, which is gaining momentum, and is fully capable of creating a Shiite crescent the nightmare of Saudi rulers, as well as the monarchs of Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.'
Sputnik
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UN changes Syria siege list, adds Madaya and Yarmouk
By Annie Slemrod
JERUSALEM, 1 February 2016 (IRIN) - The UN has quietly added four areas to its increasingly controversial list of areas under siege in Syria, including Yarmouk and Madaya, the town that brought the issue of blockades into the limelight.
In a newly released map, OCHA Syria marked Madaya, Bqine, Yarmouk, and Madamiyet ElShams (also known as Moadamiyeh) as besieged, bringing the total number to 19. Neither OCHA's previous map nor the most recent UN secretary-general's report on the humanitarian situation in Syria classified these areas as under siege.
A representative for OCHA Syria confirmed that the four areas had been added to the UN's besieged list, but did not respond to IRIN's request for further details.
In a statement last week to the UN Security Council, UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien also described Madaya as "besieged," and said 486,700 Syrians were living under siege. This number is also reflected on OCHA's new map, an increase from the previous count of 393,700.
The UN has come under fire for allowing the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to water down its description of the situation in Syria, where, depending on who you ask, between 486,700 and two million Syrians are living under various degrees of siege.
According to Foreign Policy, which received an early draft of the UN's Humanitarian Response Plan, 10 references to "sieged" or "besieged areas" were removed by the time it was published in late December.
An OCHA spokeswoman told the magazine that it was standard practice to allow governments to consult on such plans.
And in July 2015, the UN quietly removed the Yarmouk Palestinian camp from its besieged list, although at the time it had not been able to deliver relief in four months. It has now been added once again, but no explanation has been given.
In early January, aid convoys were allowed inside Madaya where residents were desperate, starving, and eating leaves -- as well as the northern towns of Fua and Kefraya. The access was part of a deal between warring factions, as the same militant group inside Madaya surrounds Fua and Kefraya.
But there was no agreement on sustained humanitarian passage, and the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said Friday that 16 people had died inside Madaya since the delivery.
"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," Brice de le Vingne, MSF's director of operations, said in a statement.
Outrage is growing over the siege warfare tactics that have become commonplace in Syria, and Marianne Gasser, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross' delegation Syria, wrote candidly for the BBC about her frustration with the difficulties in negotiating aid access.
The relief operation for Madaya took "months to negotiate", Gasser writes, describing how the politics of war meant that aid trucks to Madaya were not allowed to continue on their journey until a truck carrying supplies to other besieged towns could be unstuck from the mud.
"No food could be delivered to one town until it was shown - via photos on WhatsApp - that the same food was being delivered to the other side," she writes. "Aid by synchronisation. This is not the way to run relief operations."
Aid organisations operating inside Syria need permission from the Syrian government to move, and the UN says that only 10 percent of its requests for inter-agency convoys in 2015 resulted in actual delivery. O'Brien has called the Syrian government's approval rate 'pitiful'.
These restrictions have led to calls for airdrops into Syria, although governments and some experts argue it isn't feasible.
Peace talks about the Syria war, which has seen nearly 300,000 people killed, have been dogged by delays and threats of boycott. The main Syrian opposition group has arrived in Geneva, but they have made the lifting of blockades a major part of their platform and willingness to negotiate.
'We only came to Geneva after written commitments on the fact that there would be serious progress on the humanitarian issues,' Basma Kodmani, spokeswoman for the opposition High Negotiations Committee, told reporters Sunday.
'We are here for political negotiations but we cannot start those until we have those gestures," she said.
as/ag
Theme (s): Conflict,
Copyright IRIN 2016
This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States.
IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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Iranian official cautions UN over terrorists' presence in Syria talks
ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency
Mon 1 Feb 2016 - 08:05
TEHRAN (ISNA)- An Iranian official has cautioned the UN over terrorists trying to take advantage of Syria peace talks underway in Switzerland.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone conversation with UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Sunday.
"Precautions must be taken so that the terrorists do not enter the talks and take advantage of them under a new guise," he said.
"At the end of the day, it's the people of Syria who will decide about their country's future," he noted.
Earlier, de Mistura met with delegates from the main Syrian opposition coalition, the so-called High Negotiations Committee. But the talks were disrupted when Daesh Takfiri terrorists attacked an area near the holy shrine of Hazrat Zeinab, the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), killing at least 60 people and injuring 100 others.
Delegates from the Syrian government and its divided opposition groups have gathered in Geneva for the UN-brokered negotiations to end the country's conflict.
The talks are to be held in an 18-month timetable under a resolution unanimously approved by the UN Security Council.
Adopted on December 18, 2015, the resolution calls for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and formation of a "credible, inclusive and non-sectarian" government within six months as well as UN-supervised "free and fair elections" within 18 months.
End Item
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Syrian soldier killed in Turkey shelling on Latakia: Media
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 2:58PM
A Syrian soldier has been killed and five more have been wounded as Turkish forces purportedly shelled military positions in Syria's northern territories.
Syrian media said Monday that Turkish shelling a day earlier had targeted a gathering of Syrian forces in Jabal Atirah region in the northern countryside of Latakia Province, in northwestern Syria.
The reports said a Syrian soldier was killed in the attack, an incident which some believe shows Turkey's desperate attempt to halt the advances of the Syrian forces against militants loyal to Ankara in Latakia.
There was no official comment from Damascus or from the Turkish side on the suspected attack. However, Russia, which is at odds with Turkey over the conflict in Syria, claimed that it has intelligence proving that the attack happened in Latakia.
Russian Defense Ministry said Turkey carried out an assault on the Syrian territory with rounds of artillery fire, adding it has videos which could confirm the attack was launched from the Turkish side.
Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, said the Russians had obtained a video from the Syrian army showing that Turkish forces had targeted areas in Latakia with artillery. He added that another video proved the particular attack on Sunday which killed the Syrian soldier.
Turkey on Saturday claimed that Russian fighter jets, which have been backing Syria's military operations against militants since late September, had once again violated its territory, warning that the move could have repercussions similar to what happened in November when Ankara shot down a Russian Sukho jet near the Syrian border. That sparked an unprecedented row between Moscow and Ankara, leading to an array of sanctions imposed by Russia on trade and military cooperation with Turkey.
Konashenkov denied Turkey's airspace violation claims, calling the allegations "unfounded propaganda."
Backed by Russia's air cover, Syrian forces and allied fighters have managed to recapture major areas in Latakia, including key heights along the Turkish border.
Moscow has backed claims by Damascus that Turkey is overtly providing support to the militants from Syria's ethnic Turkmens in Latakia who are fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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Army troops capture village in northern Syria
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 11:27AM
Syrian army forces have managed to establish full control over a town in the strategic northern province of Aleppo following fierce clashes with foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants.
On Monday, Syrian soldiers together with fighters from pro-government popular defense groups liberated the village of Duwayr al-Zaytoun, situated more than some 355 kilometers (220 miles) north of the capital, Damascus, after heavy skirmishes, Syria's official SANA news agency reported.
Syrian government forces also pounded the positions of al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front terrorist and members of Daesh Takfiri militant group on the outskirts of the provincial capital city of Aleppo, though no reports of casualties on the side of the extremists were immediately available.
The development came only a day after Syrian army units restored security to Tal Maksour village in the northeastern part of Aleppo Province.
A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Syrian forces later combed through the area, and dismantled a number of improvised explosive devices and landmines, which terrorists had earlier planted to slow down army advances.
Elsewhere in the western coastal province of Latakia, Syrian soldiers, backed by popular defense groups, established control over Taomeh village after striking a number of terrorist hideouts.
Scores of militants were killed in the process, and the rest fled to a nearby district.
The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and left over one million injured.
The UN says 12.2 million people, including more than 5.6 million children, remain in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria. The violence has also displaced 7.6 million people.
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Oxfam Report Slams Russia, Other Countries For Lack Of Aid To Syria
February 01, 2016
by RFE/RL
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
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/oxfam-syria-russia/27522830.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.
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Saudi-Backed Syrian Opposition Considers Jaish Al-Islam 'Moderate Rebels'
Sputnik News
21:39 01.02.2016(updated 22:10 01.02.2016)
The delegation of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) representing the Riyadh-backed Syrian opposition at Geneva talks does not view Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham as extremist groups, HNC spokesman told Sputnik on Monday.
GENEVA (Sputnik) Moscow continues to oppose the participation of Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham groups, which are considered terrorist organizations by Russia, in the Geneva talks.
'These people are first and foremost Syrians, not foreigners. They are not extremists. If they were extremists, they would have never agreed to participate with political process. That is important,' Makhous Monzer said.
Earlier, the Saudi-backed alliance of Syrian opposition groups named Mohammed Alloush, a member of the Jaish al-Islam group, which gained notoriety for repeatedly shelling Damascus and its suburbs with mortar rounds and rockets, as its chief negotiator at the talks.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the country's government fighting a number of opposition factions and radical Islamist groups, including Daesh and al-Nusra Front.
The delegation of the High Negotiations Committee is ready to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov if they receive such a proposal, a NHC spokesman told Sputnik on Monday.
'We are ready to meet with him if he suggests us, but so far Moscow was unwilling to talk to us,' Makhous Monzer said.
He stressed that the HNC was always open for dialogue with all the parties.
Sputnik
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Russian Warplanes Destroy Over 1,300 Terrorist Targets in Syria in One Week
Sputnik News
15:00 01.02.2016(updated 17:08 01.02.2016)
Russian warplanes have carried out 468 sorties, destroying over 1,300 terrorist targets in eight Syrian provinces in one week, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday.
'Over the past week, Russian warplanes carried out 468 sorties in the Syrian Arab Republic, including 24 combat missions conducted by long-range Tu-22M3 bombers,' Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, 1,354 terrorist targets have been destroyed in Syria's provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Raqqa, Daraa and Deir ez-Zor.
Russian long-range aviation thwarted a terrorist offensive in Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, Konashenkov said.
'Long-range bomber aircraft units supported the Syrian government troops defending the city Deir ez-Zor. Twenty three major terrorist targets were destroyed in the region as a result of airstrikes conducted by Tu-22M3 bombers flying in from Russia and task air force from the Hmeymim airbase. An attempt of a terrorist offensive in the Deir ez-Zor has been thwarted.'
Moreover, Russian aviation foiled a terrorists' attempt to carry out a counter attack against Syrian government troops in the Daraa province. 'As a result, 17 off-road vehicles with heavy weapons were destroyed, as well as over 50 terrorists'
Russian aviation destroyed a Jaysh al-Islam militant-controlled fuel depot in the Damascus province, as well as a Daesh-controlled fuel depot in the province of Aleppo, and a terrorist oil refinery in the Daesh's stronghold of Raqqa.
'In the region of Jubb Ghabsha in the province of Aleppo, a Su-24M bomber destroyed Daesh terrorist depots with armament and fuel.'
Daesh has cut militants' salaries by a third due to declining income from illegal oil sales to Turkey, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday.
'Due to a significant decrease in revenues from illegal oil sales to Turkey, Daesh leadership cut militants' payments by a third last week, which has already led to significant problems in recruiting and forming new militant groups,' ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
Russian jets destroyed a terrorist training camp with fighters from CIS countries who had arrived in Syria via the Turkish territory, he said.
According to Konashenkov, 'a field terrorist camp with fighters arriving via Turkey from CIS countries was set up, according to information received from members of Syrian opposition.'
'As a result of a Su-24 airstrike, a field camp, as well as over 20 militants were destroyed,' ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
He added that the Syrian army continues to advance in montainous Latakia with the support of Russian Su-24M bombers.
Peaceful life return to the city of Salma in the Latakia province after it had been liberated by Syrian government forces, he said.
Russia delivered more than 200 tons of provisions and medication in January to the Syrian city of Deir az-Zor besieged by Daesh terrorists, Igor Konashenkov said, adding that the aid had been airdropped by Syrian aircraft.
As many as 400,000 Syrian civilians have been trapped in the besieged cities of Deir az-Zor, Madaya, Foah and Kafraya for months, suffering from severe malnutrition, according to the United Nations data.
Russia has been intensifying all means of reconnaissance in the Middle East to defeat terrorists, Konashenkov added.
'In order to increase the speed of revealing terrorist facilities and their exact definition and coordinates, we have increased all types of reconnaissance in the Middle East. This will allow to uncover new militant targets and help in their destruction practically in real time.'
Sputnik
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Syrian Army Seizes Gateway to Major Terrorist Stronghold in Latakia
Sputnik News
09:48 01.02.2016(updated 12:43 01.02.2016)
The Syrian Army and popular forces seized back a strategic mountain and a gateway to a major terrorist stronghold in the north of coastal Latakia province.
On Saturday, following a series of fierce battles, the Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces continued their advance on the jihadist militants in the northern mountains of Latakia province, capturing Mount Al-Rous, near the border with Turkey, Fars news agency wrote.
Full control over Mount Al-Rous will help the Syrian armed forces to capture the strategic town of Kansba, which is the most important base of the Jeish al-Fatah terrorist group in the province.
Earlier, government troops, backed by Air Force and artillery units, pushed back the militant groups from the strategic town of Ta'ouma, paving the way for the ground forces to infiltrate the enemy's defense lines.
Meanwhile, government forces maintained their offensive against the militant groups in various parts of the town inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.
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.
Sputnik
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Syria: Ban condemns bombings in Damascus; urges progress at UN-mediated talks in Geneva
1 February 2016 In the wake of a "heinous" terrorist bombing outside Damascus yesterday, which reportedly killed more than 60 people, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Syrian Government and opposition negotiators at UN-mediated talks in Geneva to "agree on immediate improvements to Syria's dire humanitarian situation."
"Yesterday's gruesome attacks coincided with the start of the Geneva talks. The Secretary-General underlines that the Syrian people expect to see credible negotiations in Geneva. They deserve more than the false choice between extremism and repression," said a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.
The bombings, claimed by Da'esh [also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL], carried out near the Sayidda Zeinab shrine in southern Damascus reportedly left some 60 people dead and may wounded more than100 wounded others.
Condemning the "heinous" bombing, the Secretary-General in his statement extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured and stressed that those responsible for such attacks on civilians must be held accountable.
Noting that the attacks occurred as the UN-facilitated intra-Syrian talks got under way in Geneva, Mr. Ban said in the statement that it is essential that that the representatives of the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition agree on immediate improvements to Syria's dire humanitarian situation, a political transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people, and a parallel ceasefire.
"These talks must produce an outcome that allows ordinary Syrians to decide on their future," said the UN chief urging all parties to seize the rare diplomatic opportunity provided by the talks.
"It is also incumbent upon the members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to follow through on their commitment to push for safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Syria, in particular to besieged areas; the release of arbitrarily detained persons; and the immediate cessation of any indiscriminate use of weapons, including through shelling and aerial bombardment," the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, the UN human rights chief today stressed that no amnesty should be considered for those suspected of having committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in conflict-torn Syria.
"In the case of Syria, [the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights] is there to remind everyone that where allegations reach the threshold of war crimes against humanity, amnesties are not permissible," said UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, briefing journalists in Geneva.
"Clearly when looking most recently at the forced starvation of people in Madaya and there are 15 other besieged towns and cities this is not just a war crime but a crime against humanity if proven in court, and these are very serious issues," he added.
Noting that the world's attention is focused on the peace talks, Mr. Zeid said he hopes they will end five years of horrific human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. "OHCHR is fully supportive of these talks of course, and 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, war crimes, and the like."
The High Commissioner further insisted that in the course of the negotiations, he hopes mediators will know that no amnesty should be considered, and will press this point upon the parties to the conflict.
On Friday, UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks began Geneva, led by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, in an effort to end Syria's five-year war with an agreement on new governance, a new constitution and new elections. The talks stem from an agreement reached in Vienna in November by the ISSG, comprising the Arab League, the European Union, the United Nations, and 17 countries.
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 envoy has thus far held "preliminary discussions" with the Syrian Government delegation and a "short informal meeting" with the delegation of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
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US Envoy Meets with Syrian Kurds to Step Up Fight Against IS
by Sirwan Kajjo February 01, 2016
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.
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Syria opposition calls off meeting with UN envoy
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 4:47PM
The main Syria opposition coalition, the so-called High Negotiations Committee (HNC), says it will not attend a planned meeting with the United Nations special envoy for Syria.
'There is no meeting with (Staffan) de Mistura,' planned for Tuesday afternoon, HNC member Farah Atassi told reporters outside of the UN headquarters in the Swiss city of Geneva, where the Syria peace talks are going on.
'We presented the demands that we wanted to demand. At this moment, there is no reason to repeat ourselves with de Mistura,' she added.
The gathering was to be the opposition delegation's second meeting with the Swedish-Italian diplomat as part of the UN-brokered peace Geneva negotiations aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria.
United Nations spokeswoman Khawla Mattar also confirmed that there would be 'no other meetings today' in Geneva with de Mistura.
Earlier in the day, the UN envoy held talks with the Damascus government delegation. The meeting came one day after de Mistura announced the beginning of peace talks proper in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Following the event, however, Syria's ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, who has represented the Syrian government in the peace talks, said the negotiations are still in a preliminary phase and called the opposition 'not serious'.
The ongoing Syria talks are to be held in an 18-month timetable under a resolution unanimously approved by the UN Security Council.
Adopted on December 18, 2015, the resolution calls for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and the formation of a "credible, inclusive and non-sectarian" government within six months as well as UN-supervised "free and fair elections" within 18 months.
Some 17 nations - including the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran - held several rounds of talks last year in the broadest international push to end the crisis in Syria.
The foreign-sponsored Syrian conflict, which began in March 2011, has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people, and displaced almost eight million others.
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Iran denies sending Afghan fighters to Syria
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 3:7PM
Iran has dismissed 'fabricated' reports about recruiting Afghan refugees to fight in Syria, saying such claims are propagandistic.
There is evidence that the Afghan nationals are fighting both for and against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, ISNA quoted an informed source at Iran's Foreign Ministry as saying on Tuesday.
"However, no one can speak with certainty about the circumstances of their [Afghans] presence on both sides of the Syrian front because the Daesh terrorist group and other terrorist groups have recruited forces from different countries including Afghanistan in support of their allies in Syria and Iraq," the source added.
According to concrete evidence, some Afghans have been living in Syria and some others have departed for Syria from Afghanistan through Iran, it said.
On January 19, Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has recruited thousands of undocumented Afghans living there to fight in Syria since at least November 2013.
Iran has sent military advisers to Syria to contribute to the Arab country's fight against terrorists wreaking havoc in the conflict-stricken country.
The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has thus far claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and left over one million injured, according to the United Nations.
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Syria condemns Turkey over report on Latakia shelling
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 1:25PM
Damascus Tuesday slammed the government in Ankara over Turkey's artillery fire on areas in Syria's Latakia Province.
A source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry told the official news agency SANA that the artillery fire was "a blatant breach of international law."
The source said Damascus "reserves the right to respond to this heinous crime with all available means," which it said was "a crime against Syrian civilians."
Reports early Monday said the Turkish military had fired rounds of artillery into areas in Jabal Atirah region, killing one Syrian soldier and injuring five other servicemen.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is affiliated to the so-called Syria opposition, confirmed the death of a pro-government soldier in the attack.
Turkish officials have yet to comment on the incident.
Russia, meanwhile, strongly criticized the shelling, saying Ankara, as a member of NATO, should swiftly provide clarification on the issue.
Russia's Defense Ministry Spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said Moscow had obtained videos proving that Turkish forces routinely target areas in Latakia with artillery.
He said Russia was seeking a "speedy response and explanation" from NATO and Washington on Turkish actions.
Russia is at odds with Turkey over the conflict in Syria and has backed claims by Damascus that Turkey is overtly providing support to the militants from Syria's ethnic Turkmens in Latakia who are fighting against the government of President Assad.
Turkey on January 30 claimed that Russian fighter jets had once again violated its territory, warning that the move could have repercussions similar to what happened in November 2015, when Ankara shot down a Russian Sukhoi jet near the Syrian border. That sparked an unprecedented row between Moscow and Ankara, leading to an array of sanctions imposed by Russia on trade and military cooperation with Turkey.
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Army troops capture strategic village north of Aleppo
Iran Press TV
Tue Feb 2, 2016 9:25AM
The Syrian army has gained control of a strategic village near the Turkish border in Aleppo amid a successful offensive against foreign-backed Takfiri militants in the northwestern province.
Government troops and allied forces seized back Hardatnin village located north of Aleppo city on Tuesday, the Arabic-language al-Ahed news website reported.
The report added that many militants were killed and injured in the army operation. However, there were no immediate reports on the exact number of casualties.
With the new gains, Syrian forces are primed to break through the territory held by militants and march on the strategic villages of Nubul and al-Zahraa northwest of Aleppo.
The two villages are located on a highway that runs to the Syrian-Turkish border. More advances in the area could cut militant supply routes from Turkey to Aleppo.
The development comes a day after the Syrian army and popular forces recaptured the village of Tal al-Jabin, just north of Duwayr al-Zaytoun, another recently-liberated village in the same province.
This is the first major military operation north of Aleppo since the Russian air force began providing air cover to the armed forces operating on the ground last September.
The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 260,000 people and left over one million injured.
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Russia Hammered For Waging War During Syrian Peace Talks
February 02, 2016
by RFE/RL
Russia was roundly criticized by Western diplomats and the Syrian opposition for waging lethal air strikes and backing the Syrian regime's on-the-ground advances, even during peace talks.
On the day the talks opened in Geneva on February 1, opposition delegates accused Russia and the Syrian regime of being as brutal as Nazi Germany in an escalating offensive and said they would not join the negotiations in earnest until that stops.
'The regime is the one killing the Syrian people,' said Salem al-Mislet, spokesman for the largest opposition coalition, the High Negotiations Committee, when asked by a Russia reporter about the militant Army of Islam group that is in the opposition's delegation. 'The regime in Russia will produce a new Hitler, and we are suffering from another Hitler in Syria.'
The opposition coalition had delayed the start of the negotiations with a boycott aimed at forcing the Syrian regime to allow humanitarian aid to reach rebel-held cities under siege by the government.
The Syrian government on February 1 approved a United Nations request for new aid deliveries to three besieged towns where hundreds of civilians are facing starvation: Madaya, which is held by rebels, and Foua and Kfarya, which are held by the government.
The three villages are among 15 besieged communities across Syria, where the UN estimates more than 400,000 people are suffering.
While the government appeared to respond in part to demands that it ease the way for humanitarian aid, Syrian troops on the ground continued to advance closer to cutting off vital rebel supply lines to the northern city of Aleppo by capturing the hill town of Tel Jebeen.
The regime's undeterred offensive, backed by massive Russia air support, prompted British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to charge that Russian President Vladimir Putin is undermining the peace talks.
'It's a source of constant grief to me that everything we are doing is being undermined by the Russians,' Hammond told Reuters in an interview. 'The problem with the Russians is while they are talking they are bombing, and they are supporting [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad].'
Russia claims that its bombers are targeting 'terrorist' groups like the Islamic State, which are not involved in the peace talks, but rebels and observers say they are killing hundreds of civilians in indiscriminate bombing.
'The Russians say they want to destroy Daesh, but they are not bombing Daesh. They are bombing the moderate opposition,' Hammond said, using another term for Islamic State.
'Less than 30 per cent of Russian strikes are against Daesh targets,' he said. 'Their intervention is strengthening Daesh on the ground -- doing the very opposite of what they claim to be wanting to achieve.'
With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-hammered-waging- war-during-syrian-peace-talks/27526968.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.
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Turkey Still Opposes Participation of Syrian Kurds in Geneva Talks
Sputnik News
21:34 02.02.2016(updated 21:47 02.02.2016)
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and the Russian side hope that Syrian Kurds could join next stage of Intra-Syrian talks.
GENEVA (Sputnik) The participation of the Kurds in Geneva talks is crucial for the Syrian conflict settlement, however, Ankara is still opposing their joining the negotiations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Tuesday.
'The Kurdish participation is recognized by Mr. [UN Envoy for Syria Staffan] de Mistura, US partners have the same understanding to a certain extent, but, unfortunately, this issue encounters a tough position of Turkey, which objects the Kurdish participation in the negotiation process,' Gatilov told reporters.
Both de Mistura and the Russian side hope that Syrian Kurds could join next stage of Intra-Syrian talks, he stressed.
'The Kurdish aspect was prevalent in the course of our contacts, as the Kurds indeed represent a major part of the opposition, they control more than 15 percent of the Syrian territory, they are a significant political force, and without their participation it is difficult to expect any progress in resolving issues on the Syrian crisis settlement,' Gatilov outlined.
Gatilov also noted that there is no progress in compiling a list of terrorist organizations in Syria at the ongoing intra-Syrian talks in Geneva.
'I can't say there has been any significant progress on this issue,' Gatilov told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva.
'I have to admit that we have some disagreements with other members of the International Syria Support Group in terms of which organizations should be considered terrorist,' Gatilov said adding that their nature must be determined by their actions on the Syrian soil rather than on political statements.
The Russian diplomat insisted that Moscow views Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham as terrorist organizations that should not be part of Syria reconciliation talks.
Sputnik
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Combatants Cut Off: Syrian Army Destroys Daesh Lifelines in Aleppo Province
Sputnik News
08:47 02.02.2016(updated 11:28 02.02.2016)
Two key supply lines of the terrorist group Daesh have reportedly been cut by the Syrian Army in the northern area of Aleppo Province.
The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have managed to cut two main supply lines of Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) militants in northern Aleppo Province, a region which borders Turkey, media reports said.
'The Masqan-Aleppo and Haras-Al-Bab roads used by the ISIL terrorists as two main supplying routes were cut in the attacks of the Syrian fighter jets and the army's artillery units,' the Iranian news agency FARS quoted army sources as saying.
The developments came after the Syrian troops and the NDF reportedly won back another strategic village in Aleppo Province's northern area, killing scores of militants.
Many more terrorists were wounded after the Syrian forces seized back the village of Tal Jabin located about three kilometers from the town of Bashkoy in Aleppo Province.
In a separate development late last week, the Syrian Army continued its offensive against Daesh terrorists in the eastern parts of Aleppo, seizing full control over another strategic height after heavy fighting with the militants.
Also, the army managed to gain control over a spate of Daesh checkpoints based near Aleppo's thermal power plant.
Earlier, the Syrian forces clashed with militant groups in three neighborhoods of the city of Aleppo, in fighting that left dozens of militants killed and wounded.
The sources said that the army attacked 'the militant groups' strongholds in the neighborhoods of al-Sheikh Saeed, al-Salihin and Bani Zeid.'
Adding to the Syrian Army's anti-terror effort is Russia's ongoing air campaign, which was launched on September 30, when more than fifty Russian warplanes, including Su-24M, Su-25 and Su-34 jets, commenced precision airstrikes on Daesh and Al-Nusra Front targets in Syria at the behest of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Sputnik
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Later this month the North Shore village of Glencoe will celebrate the opening of the new Writers Theatre penned by Chicago architectural rockstar Jeanne Gang. When completed, the facility will include two new performance spaces in the form of a 250-seat mainstage and a smaller "black box" venue that can be configured to accommodate between 50 and 99 patrons. There's nothing black box about the Studio Gang-designed exterior which is anything but dark and enclosed. An airy and transparent multi-purpose lobby space welcomes guests to the theatre. Above, a raised loggia enclosed by a wooden latticework and supported by a Vierendeel-style truss system provides the new Writers with its most striking visual design element. Continuing the theme of bright, inviting spaces, much of the lobby and rehearsal areas will open up to the neighboring parkland during warm weather. Gang is collaborating with a team from Auerbach Pollock Friedlander who are consulting on stage design, lighting, acoustics, and other theater-specific aspects of the project.
Writers Theatre formerly occupied the Woman's Library Club of Glencoe building since 2003 and has been using a temporary Glencoe location at nearby Books on Vernon ever since construction began in October of 2014. The Woman's Library Club of Glencoe donated their decaying 1938 building to Writers who ultimately razed the structure to make way for the new building. Striving for LEED gold certification, the theatre managed to recycle much of the demolished building into the new design, and the club will have continued access to the new space free of charge. Financed entirely through private contributions, a funding campaign raised a total of $34 million for the project since 2013. Though construction faced a setback in April of 2015 when an on-site fire led to one employee being treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation, progress has remained on track. Nationally respected among regional theatres, Writers hopes the new 36,000-square-foot building will broaden the institution's exposure and attract new patrons beyond those already familiar with the theatre's sterling reputation. Located just 500 feet from Glencoe's Metra stop, future productions will also target downtown patrons in addition to the theatre's traditionally suburban base of subscribers.
Writer's Theatre [website]
New Studio Gang Designed Writers Theater Breaks Ground [Curbed Chicago]
Previous Writers Theatre coverage [Curbed Chicago]
Previous Studio Gang coverage [Curbed Chicago]
Syria Talks Plunge Into Disarray on 2nd Day
by Luis Ramirez February 02, 2016
Fragile indirect negotiations to end Syria's nearly five-year-old conflict slipped into disarray again on their second day Tuesday, with neither side holding formal sessions with the U.N. envoy in Geneva.
The government delegation said it had not opened formal negotiations as scheduled Tuesday with U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, saying the basic framework or agenda of the talks had yet to be established and the process had not yet moved beyond the preparatory phase.
"We are waiting to find out the procedural issues, who will negotiate. Until now nothing is clear: one or two or three or four delegations? There is no clear answers," Bashar Jaafari, the chief Syrian government representative told reporters in Geneva.
At the same time, the main opposition group cancelled a meeting that it had scheduled with de Mistura on Tuesday.
De Mistura declared the talks officially under way late Monday, after convincing the opposition to join the talks. "As far as we are concerned, their arrival to the Palais des Nations and initiating the discussion with us is the official beginning of the Geneva talks," the UN envoy said.
The formal start came exactly one week after they were originally scheduled to begin.
Talks were delayed by discussions of who should represent the opposition, then by an opposition boycott and the opposition's demands for an end to air strikes and a lifting of blockades on rebel-held areas.
De Mistura offered those assurances. On Monday, he said discussions to pause the assault are part of a framework that was decided during multinational discussions held in Vienna last year that paved the way for the talks. "There was a message in the Vienna meetings that when the Geneva talks will actually start, in parallel there should be a beginning of a serious discussion about ceasefire," de Mistura said.
'Good faith' urged
The head of the Syrian government delegation this week called on the opposition to "show good faith and devote to serious discussions." '
But both sides accused each other of lacking good will.
Prospects for a ceasefire seemed especially uncertain Tuesday after the Syrian government, with Russia's assistance, launched a massive offensive against rebel forces this week.
Syrian state media say government forces on Tuesday took the village of Hardatneen, north of Aleppo, Syria's second largest city.
Observers say forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have recaptured several other villages near Aleppo over the last day.
The opposition is threatening to walk out of the Geneva talks if the air strikes do not stop and the government does not lift the siege they say is preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in rebel-held areas.
Skepticism
Mohamed Alloush, an opposition negotiator, on Tuesday accused the government of acting in bad faith. "Nothing has changed in the situation on the ground so as long as the situation is like this we are not optimistic," he said to reporters.
The regime's and Russia's actions gravely threaten the political process at this early stage," another opposition member, Farah Atassi, said.
Washington has called for all sides to approach negotiations with no preconditions.
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Taiwan's Opposition Parliament Expected to Review Dialogue with China
by Ralph Jennings February 01, 2016
Taiwan's 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 legislature's 113 seats last month, its first such victory. Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen also won Taiwan's 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 administration's 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 party's 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 island's 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 wasn't 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 Party's 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 Taiwan's use of nuclear energy in the current legislative session. Taiwan operates three nuclear plants, which supply 16 percent of the island's 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.
Taiwan's 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 party's legislators will push their agenda with little space for compromise.
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Russia military censures Turkey over 'premeditated provocation'
Iran Press TV
Mon Feb 1, 2016 2:53PM
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman says the recent claim by Turkey that a Russian warplane had violated the NATO member state's airspace lacks any factual basis, describing the allegation as a 'premeditated provocation.'
'The hysteria launched by the Turkish side, that we define as unsubstantiated propaganda, looks pretty much like a premeditated provocation,' Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Monday.
In the statement Konashenkov said Russia's military, instead, had in possession a video which showed 'a Turkish artillery battery shelling a Syrian frontier village'.
The statement added Russia's Defense Ministry is waiting for a prompt explanation from NATO, the Pentagon, and the Turkish armed forces, on the shelling incident.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had claimed on Saturday that an Su-34 Russian jet had violated Turkish airspace a day earlier and summoned the country's ambassador to "strongly protest and condemn" the alleged incident.
Moscow and Ankara have been at loggerheads over developments in Syria since a foreign-backed militancy erupted in the Arab country nearly five years ago.
Turkey seeks the overthrow of the Syrian government while Russia has been supporting Damascus in the fight against terrorism.
Tensions between the two sharply escalated on November 24, 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 fighter jet over Syria, claiming that it had entered Turkish airspace, an accusation strongly rejected by Moscow.
Of the two pilots aboard the warplane, one was rescued with the help of the Syrian army, but the other was killed by militants.
Following the incident, Russia suspended all military deals with Turkey and imposed a list of economic sanctions on the country.
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Russians Want Proof From Turkey Of Airspace Violation
February 01, 2016
by RFE/RL
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
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/turkey-russia-syria/27522706.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.
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No Proof of Russian Warplane Violating Turkish Airspace - Russian MoD
Sputnik News
16:22 01.02.2016(updated 16:24 01.02.2016)
Turkey has not provided Moscow with any evidence supporting Ankara's claim of an alleged Turkish airspace violation by a Russian warplane, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) 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.
'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,' ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters.
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.'
'Moreover, despite numerous claims by Turkish officials, no factual data has been handed over through diplomatic or any other channels to anybody,' Konashenkov stressed.
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
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Turkey: UN rights chief concerned by actions of security forces and clampdown on media
1 February 2016 The United Nations human rights chief today called on 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 after "shocking" video footage of the event.
"The footage apparently shot by Refik Tekin in Cizre some ten days ago is extremely shocking," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said, voicing concern that the cameraman, who was himself wounded in the south-eastern town, is facing arrest once he leaves hospital.
"It shows what appears to be an unarmed group of civilians, led by a man and a woman holding white flags. They push a handcart, reportedly carrying dead bodies, across a street, watched at a distance by an armoured military vehicle. As they reach the other side, they are apparently cut down in a hail of gunfire, and Tekin keeps filming as blood flows past his lens," he explained.
Mr. Zeid also expressed concern at the "extraordinarily harsh" life prison terms sought by prosecutors in the trials of two other well-known Turkish journalists, the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, Can Dundar, and its Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gul.
He said the "alarming number" of journalists and other media operatives already convicted, or awaiting trial raises questions about Turkey's compliance with the right to freedom of expression, stressing that anti-terrorism legislation should not be used as a means to curtail freedom of opinion or expression.
"No one should be facing life sentences, as in the cases of Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, because of articles they wrote," he said. "Journalists and other media workers should not be arrested, detained or prosecuted for the legitimate and peaceful exercise of their profession. It is the role of the media to stimulate critical debate on matters of public interest."
A quick way for the Government to show that it does respect these rights would be to free all those, whether journalists, academics or human rights defenders, who have been detained or prosecuted simply for recording or criticizing the actions of the State," he added. "In addition it is important to review, and if necessary amend, all laws which have enabled such draconian actions by the authorities against critics armed only with words and cameras," stressed Mr. Zeid.
Mr. Tekin is reported to be in Mardin State Hospital with a police officer waiting outside his room. A variety of reports suggest custody orders, signed by the Governor and a prosecutor, have been issued accusing him of being a member of a "separatist terrorist organization."
"Filming an atrocity is not a crime, but shooting unarmed civilians most certainly is," Mr. Zeid stressed. "It is essential there is a thorough, independent, impartial investigation into this and any other events that have led to the wounding or killing of civilians," he said.
"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 added.
He recognized the Government's duty to protect the population from violence, and that it is facing major difficulties in the south-east, noting he had been informed by the Government that 205 members of the Turkish police, gendarmerie and military had been killed between 20 July and 28 December 2015.
"Nevertheless, the authorities must take great care to protect human rights when conducting military or security operations. If State operatives commit human rights violations, they must be prosecuted," he said.
Mr. Zeid cited numerous reports of the deteriorating human rights situation facing ordinary people, including children, in south-eastern Turkey, especially in Cizre, Silopi, Sur and the city of Diyarbakir, where the imposition of numerous 'temporary security zones' and curfews are impacting heavily on people's economic and social rights, including access to basic services such as medical care, water, food, and electricity.
Non-State actors opposing Government forces have reportedly also taken actions, including the digging of trenches, which have impeded access to medical care as well as other emergency services. There are also reports of them recruiting minors.
Mr. Zeid urged the Government "to ensure that all actions taken in the name of countering terrorism comply fully with its obligations under international law to protect and respect human rights, particularly the rights to life, freedom from torture and ill-treatment, freedom of expression and liberty and security of the person."
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Alderman Will Burns has announced he will be leaving Chicago's City Council next month and joining short-term home rental giant Airbnb as senior advisor and director of Midwest policy. Burns has represented the 4th Ward since 2011, a constituency that includes portions of the South Loop, Bronzeville, Kenwood, and Hyde Park. A staunch supporter of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Burns did not make the motivation behind his departure entirely clear. While the tumultuous months since April's mayoral runoff elections must have been challenging for any pro-Emanuel black alderman representing a predominantly African-American ward, Burns' announced defection to the private sector may also signal Airbnb flexing its muscles and sending a message to City Hall.
While the San Francisco-based home-sharing service has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past year, Airbnb has also seen its operation increasingly at odds with Chicago lawmakers. In October, several alderman reached out to the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection warning of a growing discrepancy between the large and rapidly increasing number of Airbnb listings compared to the relatively small number of short-term rental licenses issued by the city. Not only has the City of Chicago taken steps to crackdown on hosts that have failed to obtain the proper $500 two-year license to rent their properties, the administration also seeks to treat each vacation rental purchase as a revenue opportunity. At last month's meeting of the Chicago City Council, Mayor Emanuel proposed a two percent service charge on all Airbnb transactions to be levied on top of the city's existing 4.5 percent Hotel Accommodations Tax, a one percent Cook County tax, and at least 11.7 percent state tax, according to the Chicago Tribune. With Will Burns soon to be serving in a top advisory role, it will be interesting to see how Airbnb counters the city's proposed regulations and fees.
From a community development standpoint it remains to be seen what if any effect Burns' replacement may have on current and future projects. The 4th Ward includes several active high-profile proposals such as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the Essex Inn residential tower, Helmut Jahn's 1000 S. Michigan, and potentially the Barack Obama Presidential Center should the Washington Park location win out over the competing Jackson Park site. In a February 1st farewell statement to constituents, Alderman Burns celebrated the work he did with the community to add hundreds of units of new housing and new retail to the city's South Side. Considering Alderman Burns was key backer of the mayor, it's likely whoever is chosen to replace him in the 4th Ward will continue to see eye-to-eye with Emanuel on most issues. Will Burns is expected to start his new position at the beginning of March. The mayor has 60 days from Burns' departure to appoint a successor.
Chicago seeks to add Airbnb Fee, track units [Tribune]
Alderman Looking to Regulate Airbnb Hosts [Curbed Chicago]
Previous Airbnb coverage [Curbed Chicago]
Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday that Monroe Bay Vineyard will expand its farm winery in Westmoreland County.
The company will invest more than $385,000 to build a tasting room and production facility for its wine and hard cider operations near Colonial Beach, creating seven new jobs in the region.
It also will purchase more than $1.4 million in Virginia-grown grapes, apples and other fruit, or 84 percent of its total agriculture needs, over the next five years.
McAuliffe has approved a $30,000 Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development facility grant for the project, the first during his administration for Westmoreland. The county is matching it with local grant funds.
The governor noted during the announcement, which was made at Hope & Glory Inn in Irvington, that Virginias wine and cider industries are two of the faster growing sectors in the states agricultural economy. Virginia wine sales are up by more 25 percent since 2010, and sales of Virginia cider increased more than 200 percent from 2014 to 2015.
This investment bolsters Virginias reputation as a top wine destination on the East Coast and highlights the importance of the growing link between agriculture and tourism on the Northern Neck, McAuliffe said in a news release. This project, with its capital investment, new jobs and strong commitment to sourcing locally, represents another economic win for the region.
Established in 2013, Monroe Bay Vineyard produces wine and hard cider next to James Monroes birthplace near Colonial Beach.
We are honored to have the funding to bring our dream of a tasting room ... to reality, said Kiki Apple, owner of Monroe Bay Vineyard. Being located on the land of James Monroe Birth place Farm, our goal is to restore it back to a working orchard, and we have already planted Virginia Hughes Crab apples in the orchardthe same variety James Monroe grew and loved.
According to a 2012 economic impact study, the Virginia wine industry employs more than 4,700 people and contributes almost $750 million to the Virginia economy on an annual basis.
In 2015, Virginia wine sales reached an all-time high of more than 524,000 cases, or nearly 6.3 million bottles. More than 1.6 million tourists visited Virginia wineries in 2015.
Presidential Candidates Make A Last Campaign Push Ahead Of Iowa Caucus
By aaroncynic in News on Feb 1, 2016 8:22PM
Bernie Sanders supporters at a campaign event on January 30th, 2016. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty.
Campaign volunteers and candidates have been crisscrossing the state pushing for last minute votes. In Waterloo, Iowa, potential Republican frontrunner and carnival barker Donald Trump, who lead the pack of candidates with 28 percent in the last Des Moines Register poll, took shots at his closest rival, Ted Cruz. He will destroy your ethanol business 100 percent, Trump said, according to the Washington Post. One hundred percent. Hes financed by oil people and the oil people dont want ethanol, its very simple. Your ethanol business, if Ted Cruz gets in, will be wiped out within six months to a year.
Though Cruz only trails Trump by 5 percent of the overall vote, which becomes much closer as demographics are drilled down, the Texas wenator hasnt had the easiest time at speaking events in the last couple days. A heckler at a Des Moines event on Sunday was escorted out after shouting that Cruz looks so weird, and his 7-year old daughter rebuffed a kiss from her dad in a very awkward moment caught on video. Monday, one man rowed his way through a speech Cruz gave at a community center in Jefferson.
Rowing dude don't care about the Iowa caucuses pic.twitter.com/dlCLalpTcr Jon Ward (@jonward11) February 1, 2016
Meanwhile, the race for a clear Democratic frontrunner couldnt be tighter. The Des Moines Iowa Register poll over the weekend put Clinton ahead of the Vermont Senator, but only slightly, with 45 percent saying theyd back Clinton and 42 saying theyd back Sanders. Former Maryland Governor only polls at three percent, but that three percent could make a huge difference. Democrats use a viability threshold, meaning that if OMalley doesnt make the threshold, his supporters can re-caucus on behalf of either Sanders or Clinton.
I'm a little bit scarred up, but I'm still standing and I think that kind of experience will really do me well in this campaign, Clinton told CBS.
Sanders said that even if he gets edged out by Clinton Monday night in Iowa, the Iowa caucus is just one small part in a very long campaign for a candidate to take the White House. "If she ends up with two delegates more there are many, many hundreds of delegates you tell me why that is the end of the world?" Sanders, who said he has spoken to 70,000 people at more than 100 town hall meetings in Iowa, told the New York Times. "I think she would say exactly the same thing."
Vancouver (FSCwire) - Alta Vista Ventures Ltd. (Alta Vista or the Company) (AVV-CSE, YRLLF-OTC) announces that it has granted 850,000 stock options to a director and consultant of the Company at a value of $0.18 that will expire on February 1, 2019.The purchase of Redecan Pharm is a critical step in Alta Vistas goal of becoming a significant player in Canadas medical marijuana marketplace. Under the terms of the LOI, subject to satisfactory due diligence and the signing of a definitive agreement, Alta Vista Ventures can purchase a 90% interest in RedeCan Pharm by paying $8,000,000 in cash and issuing a total of 9,000,000 shares over a one year term.In addition to the right to purchase RedeCan, Alta Vista has the right to purchase Thor Pharma, an early stage MMPR applicant that could add up to 75,000 square feet of growing space. Alta Vista cannot guarantee nor estimate the timing for the issuance of an MMPR license to Thor Pharma.As part of its ongoing efforts to expand in the sector Alta Vista continues to evaluate additional opportunities.On behalf of the Board,Ian ForemanIan Foreman, PresidentFor information on Thor Pharma and RedeCan please contact Mr. Don Shaxon at 289-697-8625.Neither Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Companys future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in such statements. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
VANCOUVER, Feb. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - NexGen Energy Ltd. ("NexGen" or the "Company") (TSXV:NXE, OTCQX:NXGEF) is pleased to announce the first results from our highly anticipated 30,000 m winter 2016 drilling program on our 100% owned Rook I Property, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan.
All four angled holes reported in this news release have intersected significant amounts of visible uranium mineralization and off-scale radioactivity highlighted by hole AR-16-64c2 which intersected broad intervals of very dense massive pitchblende mineralization in the higher grade A2 sub-zone (the "Sub-Zone"). Near continuous off-scale radioactivity was measured over a 27.2 m section and also featured 5.5 m measuring a minimum of greater than 61,000 cps in hole -64c2. This represents the most radioactivity with a minimum reading of greater than 61,000 cps ever drilled in any hole at Arrow and further validates the Company's thesis that the Sub-Zone is comprised of continuous accumulations of massive to semi-massive pitchblende mineralization across the currently defined 203 m strike length. The Sub-Zone remains open in all directions.
Furthermore, in the A3 shear, hole AR-16-59c5 which was drilled 46 m down-dip and southwest from hole AR-15-61c2 (8.52% U 3 O 8 over 10.5 m and 6.30% U 3 O 8 over 37.0 m in the A3 shear) intersected 41.5 m of total composite mineralization including 2.95 m of total composite off-scale radioactivity (>10,000 to 40,000 cps) within a 119.5 m section (723.5 to 843.0 m) further expanding the mineralized footprint in this shear which remains open in all directions.
Highlights:
A2 Shear:
AR-16-64c2 (30 m up-dip and northeast from AR-15-44b) intersected 76.0 m of total composite mineralization including 26.15 m of total composite off-scale radioactivity (10,000 - >61,000 cps) within a 165.5 m section (414.0 to 579.5 m) including 5.5 m of composite radioactivity measuring a minimum of >61,000 cps in the Sub-Zone.
AR-16-64c1 (21 m up-dip and southwest from AR-15-49c2) intersected 74.0 m of total composite mineralization including 14.0 m of total composite off-scale radioactivity (10,000 - >61,000 cps) within a 100.0 m section (433.5 to 533.5 m) in the Sub-Zone.
Table 1: Higher Grade A2 Sub-Zone Drill Hole Comparisons
AR-15-
59c22 AR-15-
54c12 AR-15-
58c12 AR-16-
63c1 AR-15-
621 AR-15-
44b2 AR-16-
64c2 AR-16-
64c1 AR-15-
49c22 AR-15-
57c32 Total composite mineralization = 75.50 m 42.00 m 86.00 m 55.50 m 143.00 m 135.60 m 76.00 m 74.0 m 73.50 m 62.50 m Total Off-scale (>10,000 to 29,999 cps)3 = 11.40 m 5.90 m 14.30 m 6.85 m 17.75 m 30.25 m 15.95 m 10.30 m 15.70 m 4.40 m Total Off-scale (>30,000 to 60,999 cps)3 = 4.50 m 3.00 m 3.85 m 0.50 m 10.60 m 7.75 m 4.70 m 3.70 m 5.20 m 2.50 m Total Off-scale (>61,000 cps)3 = 1.00 m 0.50 m 2.00 m 0.00 m 2.00 m 1.50 m 5.50 m 0.00 m 2.15 m 1.80 m Continuous GT (Grade x Thickness) = 371 277 200 and
345 Assays
Pending 787 655 Assays
Pending Assays
Pending 605 319
1 radioactivity results previously released
2 radioactivity and assays results previously released
3 minimum radioactivity using RS-120 gamma spectrometer
A3 Shear
AR-16-59c5 (46 m down-dip and southwest of AR-15-61c2) intersected 41.5 m of total composite mineralization including 2.95 m of total composite off-scale radioactivity (>10,000 to 40,000 cps) within a 119.5 m section (723.5 to 843.0 m) in the A3 shear.
AR-16-64c1 (24 m down-dip and northeast of AR-15-48c1) intersected 49.5 m of total composite mineralization including 4.3 m of total composite off-scale radioactivity (>10,000 to 52,000 cps) within a 113.0 m section (582.0 to 695.0 m) in the A3 shear.
Arrow, Activities & Financial
The land-based and basement hosted Arrow zone currently covers an area of 645 m by 235 m with a vertical extent of mineralization commencing from 100 m to 920 m, and remains open in all directions and at depth.
The winter 2016 program comprising 30,000 m of drilling is now fully operational with six drill rigs active.
The release of a maiden NI 43-101 resource estimate on the Arrow zone is scheduled for the first half of 2016.
The Company has cash on hand of $33M.
Drill hole locations and the Sub-zone long section are shown in Figures 1 and 2. Table 2 has a summary of the mineralized intervals.
Garrett Ainsworth, Vice-President, Exploration and Development, commented, "These first radioactivity results of the winter program are simply exceptional. They highlight the continuity of the higher grade A2 sub-zone, established by substantial massive to semi-massive pitchblende, and consistent true width. Hole AR-16-64c2 has a similar radioactivity profile to AR-15-49c2 (returned continuous GT of 605), except it has more than double the minimum >61,000 cps of 5.5m. Further, the results in the A3 are very exciting with respect to defining the higher grade zones within this shear."
Leigh Curyer, Chief Executive Officer commented, "A terrific start to the 2016, 30,000m six rig winter program. The rapid development of the Arrow zone and exploration of the Rook I property is in top gear and we look forward to delivering the ongoing drill results on the A2 sub-zone, the four shears and more broadly, along strike from Arrow."
Table 2: Arrow Zone Drill Hole Data
Drill Hole Athabasca
Group -
Basement
Unconformity
Depth (m) Handheld Scintillometer Results (RS-120) Hole ID Azimuth Dip Total
Depth
(m) From (m) To (m) Width (m) CPS Range AR-16-59c5 153 -76 915.00 102.20 543.50 546.00 2.50 <500 - 850 550.00 566.50 16.50 <500 - 12000 602.00 604.50 2.50 <500 - 1500 608.00 610.50 2.50 <500 - 1300 631.00 632.00 1.00 <500 - 9700 723.50 724.00 0.50 <500 - 1200 780.00 780.50 0.50 <500 - 3700 787.50 792.00 4.50 <500 - 5800 798.50 815.50 17.00 <500 - 23000 821.50 839.00 17.50 <500 - 40000 842.50 843.00 0.50 <500 - 550 866.00 867.00 1.00 <500 - 1600 899.50 900.00 0.50 <500 - 650 AR-16-63c1 156 -74.2 592.00 109.10 433.00 474.00 41.00 <500 - >61000 497.50 499.00 1.50 <500 - 680 510.00 510.50 0.50 <500 - 630 513.00 515.50 2.50 <500 - 1100 523.50 527.00 3.50 <500 - 880 535.50 538.00 2.50 <500 - 840 541.50 545.50 4.00 <500 - 880 AR-16-64c1 154 -73 729.00 108.00 433.50 482.00 48.50 <500 - >61000 485.00 489.00 4.00 <500 - 7000 492.00 492.50 0.50 <500 - 530 495.50 501.00 5.50 <500 - 800 504.00 514.50 10.50 <500 - 900 528.50 533.50 5.00 <500 - 1800 582.00 585.50 3.50 <500 - 8900 588.00 590.50 2.50 <500 - 5600 595.50 602.50 7.00 <500 - 9200 610.50 616.50 6.00 <500 - 3960 622.50 630.50 8.00 <500 - 22000 633.00 653.00 20.00 <500 - 52000 666.50 669.00 2.50 <500 - 28000 688.00 688.50 0.50 2000 - 15000 691.50 695.00 3.50 <500 - 46000 AR-16-64c2 154 -73 591.00 108.00 414.00 414.50 0.50 <500 - 520 445.50 446.00 0.50 <500 - 750 453.00 456.00 3.00 <500 - 5500 461.00 484.50 23.50 <500 - >61000 491.00 537.50 46.50 <500 - >61000 557.50 558.00 0.50 <500 - 750 572.00 572.50 0.50 <500 - 530 578.50 579.50 1.00 <500 - 1300 AR-16-65 0 -90 102.8 150 No Anomalous Radioactivity AR-16-66 0 -90 95 183 155.00 155.50 0.50 <500-680 AR-16-67 0 -90 90.95 150 No Anomalous Radioactivity AR-16-68 0 -90 87 92.1 No Anomalous Radioactivity AR-16-69 0 -90 88.1 150 No Anomalous Radioactivity AR-16-70 0 -90 92.9 150 No Anomalous Radioactivity
Parameters:
Maximum internal dilution 2.00 m downhole
All depths and intervals are meters downhole
"Anomalous" means >500 cps (counts per second) total count gamma readings by gamma scintillometer type RS-120
"Off-scale" means >10,000 cps (counts per second) total count gamma readings by gamma scintillometer type RS-120
Where "Min cps" is <500 cps, this refers to local low radiometric zones within the overall radioactive interval
Natural gamma radiation in drill core reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a Radiation Solutions Inc. RS-120 gamma-ray scintillometer. The reader is cautioned that total count gamma readings may not be directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured; they should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive minerals. All intersections are downhole. True thicknesses are yet to be determined.
Split core samples will be taken systematically, and intervals will be submitted to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) of Saskatoon for analysis. All samples sent to SRC will be analyzed using ICP-MS for trace elements on partial and total digestions, ICP-OES for major and minor elements on a total digestion, and fusion solution of boron by ICP-OES. Mineralized samples are analyzed for U 3 O 8 by ICP-OES and select samples for gold by fire assay. Assay results will be released when received and after stringent internal QA/QC protocols are passed.
The technical information in this news release has been approved by Garrett Ainsworth, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration & Development, a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43- 101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Ainsworth reviewed the data disclosed in this news release, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information contained in this news release. Mr. Ainsworth has verified that the results are accurate by reviewing the official assay certificates provided to the Company.
ARROW ZONE DRILLING
AR-16-59c5
Hole AR-16-59c5 was a directional hole that was wedged from AR-15-59c4 at a depth of 192 m. It tested the A2 shear 54 m down-dip of AR-15-61c1 and the A3 shear 46 m down-dip and southwest of AR-15-61c2 (8.52% U 3 O 8 over 10.5 m and 6.30% U 3 O 8 over 37.0 m in the A3 shear). Directional drilling was initiated at 213 m. The A2 and A3 shears were intersected at inclinations of -73 and -70, respectively.
Since the hole departed the pilot hole below the unconformity, no Athabasca Group sandstones were intersected. Basement lithologies consisted largely of semipelitic gneiss to granofel, and relatively narrow intervals of pelitic gneiss and mylonite (the A2 and A3 shears). The hole successfully intersected weakly to strongly anomalous radioactivity in the A2 and A3 shears that was associated with stringers, worm-rock style, chemical solution fronts, blebs and flecks of pitchblende. A total composite mineralization of 67.0 m including 3.05 m of off-scale radioactivity (>10,000 - 40,000 cps) was intersected within a 356.5 m section (543.5 to 900.0 m). In the A2 shear, 25.0 m of composite mineralization including 0.1 m of off-scale radioactivity was intersected. In the A3 shear 41.5 m of composite mineralization including 2.95 m of off-scale radioactivity was intersected. The hole was terminated following the A3 shear at 915 m. It represents successful step-outs on both the A2 and A3 shears.
AR-16-63c1
Hole AR-16-63c1 was a directional hole collared from surface at an angled orientation (-74) to the southeast (156 azimuth). It tested the A2 shear 7 m up-dip and northeast of AR-15-58c1 (2.48% U 3 O 8 over 80.5 m and 9.72% U 3 O 8 over 35.5 m in the A2 shear). Directional drilling was initiated at 288 m. However due to poor ground conditions, an optimal hole orientation could not be achieved and the planned A2 pierce point was missed by 7 m. The A2 shear was intersected at an inclination of -71.
The hole intersected bleached Athabasca Group sandstones between 96.0 m and the unconformity at 109.1 m. Basement lithologies consisted largely of semipelitic gneiss to granofel, and relatively narrow intervals of pelitic gneiss and mylonite (the A2 shear). The hole successfully intersected weakly to strongly anomalous radioactivity within the higher grade sub-zone of the A2 shear that was associated with semi-massive to massive veins, stringers, worm-rock style, chemical solution fronts, blebs and flecks of pitchblende. The most intense mineralization was characterized by the presence of dense accumulations of massive pitchblende. A total composite mineralization of 55.5 m including 7.35 m of off-scale radioactivity (>10,000 - >61,000 cps) was intersected within a 112.5 m section (433.0 to 545.5 m), all within the A2 shear. The hole was terminated immediately following the A2 shear at 592 m.
AR-16-64c1
Hole AR-16-64c1 was a directional hole collared from surface at an angled orientation (-73) to the southeast (154 azimuth). It tested the A2 shear 21 m up-dip and to the southwest of AR-15-49c2 (8.77% U 3 O 8 over 69.0 m in the A2 shear) and the A3 shear 24 m down-dip and northeast of AR-15-48c1 (5.43% U 3 O 8 over 24.0 m). The A2 and A3 shears were both intersected at an inclination of -63.
The hole intersected intensely desilicified and bleached Athabasca Group sandstones between 85.0 m and the unconformity at 108.0 m. Basement lithologies consisted largely of semipelitic gneiss to granofel, and relatively narrow intervals of pelitic gneiss and mylonite (the A2 and A3 shears). The hole successfully intersected weakly to strongly anomalous radioactivity within the higher grade sub-zone of the A2 shear and A3 shear that was associated with semi-massive to massive veins, stringers, worm-rock style, chemical solution fronts, blebs and flecks of pitchblende. Of particular note, dense accumulations of massive pitchblende were intersected within three discrete veins in the A2 shear. A total composite mineralization of 127.5 m including 19.0 m of off-scale radioactivity (>10,000 - >61,000 cps) was intersected within a 261.5 m section (433.5 to 695.0 m). In the A2 shear, 74.0 m of composite mineralization including 14.0 m of off-scale radioactivity was intersected. In the A3 shear, 49.5 m of composite mineralization including 4.3 m of off-scale radioactivity was intersected. The hole was terminated immediately following the A3 shear at 729 m. It confirms the continuity of strong to intense uranium mineralization between previously drilled holes in both the A2 and A3 shears.
AR-16-64c2
Hole AR-16-64c2 was a directional hole that departed pilot hole AR-16-64c1 at a depth of 213 m. It tested the A2 shear 29 m up-dip and northeast of AR-15-44b (11.55% U 3 O 8 over 56.5 m in the A2 shear). Directional drilling was initiated at 312 m and the A2 shear was intersected at an inclination of -66.
Since the hole departed the pilot hole below the unconformity, no Athabasca Group sandstones were intersected. Basement lithologies consisted largely of semipelitic gneiss to granofel, and relatively narrow intervals of pelitic gneiss and mylonite (the A2 shear). Extensive visible uranium mineralization was intersected in the higher grade sub-zone of A2 shear that featured dense accumulations of massive pitchblende. A total composite mineralization of 76.0 m including 26.15 m of off-scale radioactivity (>10,000 - >61,000 cps) was intersected within a 165.5 m section (414.0 to 579.5 m), all within the A2 shear. Of important note, a 27.2 m section of drill core (496.8 to 524.0 m) consisted of nearly continuous off-scale radioactivity. The hole was terminated following the A2 shear at 591 m. It represents another world-class intersection in the higher grade sub-zone of the A2 shear.
AR-16-65
Hole AR-16-65 was a vertical hole designed to test the unconformity for flat lying uranium mineralization. The hole intersected intensely desilicified Athabasca Group sandstones between 87.0 m and the unconformity at 102.8 m. The basement consisted entirely of hematite and clay altered semipelitic gneiss. Although heavily altered sandstone was observed no anomalous radioactivity was intersected and the hole was terminated at 150.0 m.
AR-16-66
Hole AR-16-66 was a vertical hole designed to test the unconformity for flat lying uranium mineralization. The hole intersected moderately desilicified and bleached Athabasca Group sandstones between 90.0 m and the unconformity at 95.0 m. The basement consisted entirely of locally intensely clay altered semipelitic gneiss. Anomalous radioactivity of up to 680 cps (RS-125 scintillometer) was intersected between 155.0 and 155.5 m. The hole was terminated at 183.0 m.
AR-16-67
Hole AR-16-67 was a vertical hole designed to test the unconformity for flat lying uranium mineralization. The hole intersected moderately to strongly bleached and hematite altered Athabasca Group sandstones between 78.6 m and the unconformity at 90.95 m. The basement consisted entirely of hematite and clay altered semipelitic gneiss. Although no anomalous radioactivity was observed in the recovered core, down hole gamma probe results (2PGA-1000 gamma probe) showed anomalous radioactivity between 79.56 m and 80.26 m at or very near the Devonian-Athabasca unconformity where a peak of up 566 cps was measured. This interval was not recovered during drilling, which suggests heavy alteration. The hole was terminated at 150.0 m.
AR-16-68
Hole AR-16-68 was a vertical hole designed to test the unconformity for flat lying uranium mineralization. The hole intersected strongly to intensely bleached and desilicified Athabasca Group sandstones between 77.05 m and the unconformity at 87.0 m. The basement consisted of strongly hematite and clay altered semipelitic gneiss. The hole was abandoned due to poor ground conditions at 92.1 m. No anomalous radioactivity was intersected.
AR-16-69
Hole AR-16-69 was a re-collar of AR-16-68. The hole intersected bleached Athabasca Group sandstones between 77.05 m and the unconformity at 88.1 m. The basement consisted of moderately to strongly hematite and clay altered semipelitic gneiss. No anomalous radioactivity was intersected and the hole was terminated at 150.0 m.
AR-16-70
Hole AR-16-70 was a vertical hole designed to test the unconformity for flat lying uranium mineralization. The hole intersected moderately bleached and intensely desilicified Athabasca Group sandstones between 76.9 m and the unconformity at 92.9 m. The basement consisted of moderately to strongly hematite and clay altered semipelitic gneiss. No anomalous radioactivity was intersected and the hole was terminated at 150.0 m.
About NexGen
NexGen is a British Columbia corporation with a focus on the acquisition, exploration and development of Canadian uranium projects. NexGen has a highly experienced team of uranium industry professionals with a successful track record in the discovery of uranium deposits and in developing projects through discovery to production.
NexGen owns a portfolio of highly prospective uranium exploration assets in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada, including a 100% interest in Rook I, location of the Arrow Discovery in February 2014 and Bow Discovery in March 2015.
The TSXV has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, the proposed use of proceeds and planned exploration activities. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connation thereof.
Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the price of uranium, the anticipated cost of planned exploration activities, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, and that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct the Company's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate.
Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, no known mineral reserves or resources, pending assay results may not be consistent with preliminary results, discretion in the use of proceeds, alternative sources of energy, aboriginal title and consultation issues, reliance on key management and other personnel, potential downturns in economic conditions, actual results of exploration activities being different than anticipated, changes in exploration programs based upon results, availability of third party contractors, availability of equipment and supplies, failure of equipment to operate as anticipated; accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry, environmental risks, changes in laws and regulations, community relations and delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by 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 forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws.
SOURCE NexGen Energy Ltd.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb 2, 2016) - Newmarket Gold ("Newmarket" or the "Company")(TSX:NMI)(OTCQX:NMKTF) is pleased to announce that the Company's flagship Fosterville Gold Mine, the largest producing gold mine in Victoria, Australia, poured its one millionth ounce of gold on January 7, 2016. This important milestone represents over 11 years of continuous operations since mining commenced in 2004 and gold first poured in April of 2005.
Mr. Douglas Forster, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newmarket Gold commented: "Fosterville's one millionth ounce of safe and sustainable production represents an important milestone for the mine and its entire team of dedicated employees. In its first one million ounces of production, Fosterville has logged more than 8 million man hours, processed 8.4 million tonnes of ore and accomplished world class recovery using a BIOX treatment system, all while maintaining an excellent safety record. With the commitment from all its employees, Fosterville will continue to deliver remarkable performance as it works towards producing its next million ounces. "
The millionth ounce is a significant achievement for Fosterville, surpassing the reserve estimated in the initial feasibility study, which included deepening three existing pits into the sulphide ore zone and the development of the underground mine currently in operation. A significant resource base, ongoing drilling success and a recent new high-grade visible gold discovery, all bode well for the future of ongoing strong gold production at Fosterville.
Mr. Ian Holland, General Manager, Fosterville Gold Mine, commented: "The key to Fosterville's success has been our strong culture focused on best-in-class safety practices, sustainable environmental solutions and significant investment in our local community. I'd like to thank and acknowledge the outstanding contribution from current and previous employees and stakeholders. Fosterville remains Victoria's largest and foremost gold producer with fantastic upside potential from our recent geological discoveries within the Lower Phoenix area, including the exciting Eagle Fault."
About Fosterville Gold Mine
The current mining and treatment operations are the latest phase in an already historic mining region. Previous mining eras include the late 1890's, when 47,000 ounces were produced and 1991 to 2001 where open cut mining and heap leaching produced 240,000 ounces.
The reserve estimated in the 2003 initial feasibility study included deepening three existing pits into the sulphide ore zone and commencement of the present day underground mine. Commissioning of a modern gold processing plant which included bacterial oxidation ("BIOX") was undertaken in 2005. In 2009, to further boost recoveries, a unique heated leach plant was built.
Today, Fosterville continues to produce extremely high-grade gold results, often containing visible gold, both in drill core and underground mine faces. Currently, the Lower Phoenix system is one area that is a major source of ore at Fosterville.
During 2015, underground drilling programs, using four underground diamond drills, focused on the definition and exploration of multiple near mine underground gold targets including the Phoenix, Lower Phoenix, Lower Phoenix Footwall (LPFW), East Dipping, Kestrel and Eagle Faults. The high-grade, visible gold Eagle Fault zone was discovered in early 2015. The Eagle zone currently contributes to Fosterville's production profile and continues to be explored, as Eagle remains open at depth.
Fosterville's modern sulphide treatment plant is one of the world's leading BIOX systems and has achieved record recoveries. Fosterville recorded an all-time high recovery level of 89.7% at the end of the third quarter of 2015. To further improve recoveries, Fosterville has installed a new gravity circuit which is expected to become operational during Q2 2016.
By the end of 2015, Fosterville set new annual records across its operations including record gold production of 123,095 ounces, record grade of 6.11 g/t and record recovery of 88.5%.
Looking ahead to 2016, Fosterville is expected to produce between 110,000 - 120,000 ounces of gold with operating cash costs per ounce sold between US$500 - $575.
Qualified Person
Mark Edwards, MAusIMM (CP), MAIG, General Manager, Exploration, Newmarket Gold, is a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information and data included in this news release.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Douglas Forster, M.Sc., P.Geo., President & Chief Executive Officer
About Newmarket Gold Inc.
Newmarket Gold is a Canadian-listed gold mining and exploration company with three 100% owned operating mines across Australia. The Company is focused on creating substantial shareholder value by maintaining a strong foundation of quality gold production, over 200,000 ounces annually, generating free cash flow and maintaining a large resource base as it executes a clearly defined gold asset consolidation strategy. The Company is focused on sustainable operating performance, a disciplined approach to growth, and building gold reserves and resources while maintaining the high standards that the Newmarket Gold core values represent.
Non-IFRS Disclosure
The Company believes that investors use certain non-IFRS measures as indicators to assess gold mining companies, specifically Operating Cash Costs per Ounce and All-In Sustaining Cash Costs per Ounce. In the gold mining industry, these are common performance measures but do not have any standardized meaning. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.
Operating Cash Costs per Ounce of Gold are calculated by deducting silver sales revenue as a by-product from operating expenses per the consolidated statement of operations, then dividing by the gold ounces sold during the applicable period. Operating expenses include mine site operating costs such as mining, processing and administration as well as royalties, however excludes depletion and depreciation, share-based payments and rehabilitation costs.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information
Certain information set forth in this news release contains "forward-looking statements", and "forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. Except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements, which include the Company's expectations about its business and operations, and are based on the Company's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs, which may prove to be incorrect. Some of the forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "projects", "plans", and similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or outcomes and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or 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 statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are included in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - Stans Energy Corp. (TSX-V: HRE, OTCQX: HREEF), (Stans or the Company), reports that as on January 29, 2016, the Company filed a statement of claim (the Statement of Claim) in PCA Case No.2015-32 (the UNCITRAL Arbitration) against the Kyrgyz Republic (the Republic) for damages arising from the Republics wrongful conduct toward the Companys investments in Kyrgyzstan that culminated in the termination of the mining licenses for Kutessay II and Kalesay.
Acting on behalf of Stans, attorneys at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP, submitted the Claim along with witness statements from CEO Rodney Irwin, COO Boris Aryev and a new valuation report prepared by independent experts at Compass Lexecon. This valuation report assesses the value of Stans investments in Kutessay II and Kalesay at US$128,300,000. Stans also claims interest that, to date, amounts to US$91,030,000.
The Tribunal has yet to establish a full procedural calendar for the UNCITRAL Arbitration. The Republic is required to make a procedural submission on 16 February 2016. Stans is required to respond by 28 February 2016. After that, the Tribunal will endeavour to issue a decision on procedural next steps by 14 March 2016.
Enforcement and Recognition Proceedings before the Ontario Court of Justice
Notwithstanding recent and past developments within the Russian Federation, Stans lawyers, Torys LLP, are expected to have a hearing in Q1 or Q2 of 2016 to seek recognition and enforcement of the existing US$118,000,000 award of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry (the MCCI). Timing for the hearing will depend on Ontario Court of Justice availability and other factors.
The existing MCCI award does not include any allowances for accrued interest. Any accrued interest will be determined by the Ontario Court if the recognition and enforcement proceedings prove successful for the Company.
Kutessay II Tender
At the end of January 2016, the State Agency on Geology and Mineral Resources of the Kyrgyz Republic announced a tender for the right for subsoil usage and exploitation of the Kutessay II rare earth deposit and the Kalesay beryllium deposit.
The tender commission has established the cost of payment for the right to use in the amount of no less than US$10,000,000. In addition to this, Article IV(12) of the conditions for the tender requires the successful bidder to:
reimburse (a) all sums adjudged against the Kyrgyz Republic by effective court judgments or arbitration awards in relation to a previous deposit licensees and/or its founders, and/or other beneficiarys, and/or other interested persons requirements (hereinafter referred to as the Rightholder) resulting from or concerning the withdrawal of any rights associated with the deposits of the Rightholders, including but not limited to the awards within the limits of the international arbitration proceedings conducted in accordance with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules with regard to the case Stans Energy Corp. and Kutesay Mining LLC in Kyrgyz Republic (hereinafter referred to as the Proceedings with the Previous Rightholders) and (b) expenses of the Kyrgyz Republic in connection with the Proceedings with the Previous Rightholders;
Based on the existing tender regulations, Stans expects tender results to be announced at the end of March 2016.
About Stans Energy
Stans Energy Corp. is a resource development company focused on advancing rare earth and specialty metals properties focusing on areas of Central Asia and Russia. Stans acquired, among other things, the right to mine the past producing rare earth mine, Kutessay II, in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2009 and the right to mine Beryllium at Kalesay. Steps subsequently taken by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic wrongfully to deprive the Company of those mining rights have required Stans to take the actions described above to protect the Companys rights and recover damages caused by the Republics wrongful actions.
Contact Details
Rodney Irwin David Vinokurov
Stans Energy Corp. Stan Energy Corp
President & CEO VP Corporate Development
rodney@stansenergy.com david@stansenergy.com
647-426-1865 647-426-1865
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This document includes forward-looking statements as well as historical information. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, use of proceeds from the Offering, the completion of the Offering, the continued advancement of the company's general business development, research development and the company's development of mineral exploration projects. When used in this press release, the words will, shall, "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intent", "may", "project", "plan", "should" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Although Stans believes that its expectations reflected in these forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements include the potential that fluctuations in the marketplace for the sale of minerals, the inability to implement corporate strategies, the ability to obtain financing and other risks disclosed in our filings made with Canadian Securities Regulators.
To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/StansEnergy02022016.pdfSource: Stans Energy Corp. (TSX Venture:HRE, OTCQX:HREEF) www.stansenergy.com
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The fog is lifting: Increasingly, producers in the Rioja region are lifting standards. Photo: Supplied
Driving in to Rioja from France, I encountered thick fog. With the encroaching darkness of evening, the fog made driving hazardous and finding a destination chancy. The locals all said, "It's been like this for 10 days. It's normal. It's because of the river."
The River Ebro runs through the region, dividing the northern Basque section, Rioja Alavesa, from Rioja Alta. The fog stayed for another day-and-a-half, then lifted, revealing stunning views of mountains, vineyards and hilltop villages. It was as though someone switched a light on. If Rioja Alavesa is this beautiful in winter when all is browns and greys, imagine what it's like when the vines are in leaf. You need to go back in spring.
Spain is the world's biggest wine-producing country and Rioja is its second-largest wine region. With all those vines, it's no surprise it makes some of the best-value wine in the world.
Vines country: Rioja Alavesa in winter is a region of greys and browns. Photo: Huon Hooke
Many of the winemakers are worried that changes by regulators will encourage more low-grade wine, which could damage Rioja's image, an image that already eroded by Rioja Reserva selling in supermarkets for as little as 3.65 ($5.60).
Just a few years ago, a nationwide ban on irrigation was lifted. As of January 1 this year, restrictions on new vine plantings have been eased to allow farmers with land to plant new vineyards. Until now, they could plant new vines only if they pulled out old ones. There's a limit, though: just 1 per cent increase per year of each European nation's vineyard is allowed. "The signs are that there will be a big increase in quantity and it will be at the lower quality end," Ana Rodriguez, of Artadi winery, says.
Even in Australia, we can buy a very decent bottle of Rioja red for very little in places such as Aldi supermarkets. Generally, Crianza sells for less than $20 and Reserva for less than $30 from some of the biggest wineries in Spain, such as Marques de Riscal, Marques de Murrieta, Marques de Caceres, La Rioja Alta, Bodegas Muga and Lopez de Heredia.
Marques del Puerto Rioja Crianza.
Rioja's labelling laws provide for levels of quality that correspond to the length of time the wine is aged before release. They are, from youngest to oldest, Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva.
There is plenty of expensive Rioja, too. Increasingly, smaller and newer producers are bottling limited quantities of wine from some of their best vines as single-village or even individual-vineyard wines. Simultaneously, there is a move to challenge the status quo, so that quality-minded winemakers can raise standards. The laws that govern Rioja prohibit wineries putting place names on their labels. They're not permitted to use the quality designations Reserva, Gran Reserva and so on if they do. The wine can only be labelled Rioja.
Some wineries, including Artadi, have rejected the rules and announced they're dropping "Rioja" from their labels. Others are keeping Rioja, but eschewing Crianza and Reserva in favour of local place names.
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Telmo Rodriguez produces Rioja wines at his family's Remelluri winery with district names San Vicente and Labastida. Artadi is labelling four single-vineyard wines: the super-expensive and highly collectable El Pison, and its siblings Valdegines, La Poza de Ballesteros and El Carretil. All come from a single village, Laguardia.
Artadi announced recently that it would in future not label any of its wines Rioja. This is a protest against the regulatory authority's failure to keep up with the times. Artadi reasons that the rest of the world is today seeking terroir and regionality in fine wine, but Rioja is unable to because of the legislation.
None of this prevents a winery producing a single-vineyard wine without declaring it as such. Marques de Murrieta, for example, is the oldest and one of the biggest wineries in Rioja, and all of its wines come from its own estate just outside Logrono. They are single-vineyard wines, although their labels don't make that claim, and conform to the Reserve and Gran Reserva labelling laws. The same goes for Lopez de Heredia's celebrated Vina Tondonia, also a single-vineyard wine.
Another top producer, Remelluri, has reverted to being an estate-grown wine, starting with its coming release of 2009 Reserva. Winemaker Telmo Rodriguez is among the new wave of younger vignerons wanting to change, improve and make wines of terroir. His own wines under the Compania de Vinos de Telmo Rodriguez label espouse regional naming: his Lanzaga wines are all from the village of Lanciego, and this is declared on the labels.
It's the start of a brave new era for Rioja. There are signs the fog is lifting.
Brooklyn Boy Bagels will still be available at farmers' markets and retail stockists. Photo: James Alcock
Matraville's hip-hopping Brooklyn Boy Bagels bakery-cafe is closing its doors. With a portrait of Biggie Smalls, a 1940s cash register and bumping bagels, it waved the food flag for the low-key suburb. "Our last service is Sunday, February 7, the day before the Super Bowl; very un-American of me," says BBB's US-born owner, Michael Shafran. Brooklyn Boy will swap Matraville for Marrickville, where Shafran has nabbed a factory space.
The long-term plan is to open to the public there on weekends, but for now Sydneysiders will have to source the bagels from farmers' markets and retail stockists. "Our current bakery is being demolished to make way for a mixed-use development," Shafran says.
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By Staff Report
The West Texas Tattoo Convention will return for its third year Feb. 24-26 at the McNease Convention Center, 500 Rio Concho Drive.
Booths will offer tattoo-related items and contests, and attendees will be able to make appointments for tattoos from hosts Alex and Aubrey Trufant and other invited artists. Artists charge $100 to $150 per hour.
Advance tickets are $16.50 for a daily pass and $31.50 for a weekend pass. Tickets at the door will be $18.50 and $35.
Tickets are available at sanangelotexas.us/civicevents; the convention center; Trufant Brothers Tattoo, 1719 Caddo St.; Blair's Western Wear, 4230 Sherwood Way; Elite Physique, 3109 Knickerbocker Road; Goodfellow Air Force Base's ITT office; or by calling 325-658-6464.For more information, visit facebook.com/pages/West-Texas-Tattoo-Convention.
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By Staff Report
Two more suspects have been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery at a local convenience store.
A 16-year-old male and Magdaleno Suniga Jr, 23, was arrested Friday in connection to a robbery at the Stripes on 1821 N. Bryant Blvd, according to a news release from the San Angelo Police Department.
A juvenile pick-up order was issued for the teen and an arrest warrant for Suniga, both on charges of aggravated robbery, according to the release.
SAPD arrested the teen at 11:37 a.m. Friday during a traffic stop at Cottonwood Street and Shiloh Street, according to the release. The teen was taken to the juvenile detention center, the release stated.
Police also arrested Suniga Friday at 4:15 p.m. in his residence on East Avenue J, according to the release. Suniga was booked into the Tom Green County Jail, and bond is set at $75,000 as of Monday.
A third suspect was also arrested in connection to the armed robbery on the same day of the incident, according an officer complaint report
A 17-year-old male and another male allegedly threatened a clerk with a handgun and demanded money from the register in the Stripes at 4:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to the report.
The clerk complied and one of the suspects took money while the other one continued to point the gun at the woman, the complaint stated. The two males then fled with the money, according to the complaint.
Police found the 17-year-old during a traffic stop at West Avenue D and South Abe Street at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from the San Angelo Police Department. He had been observed as a passenger in the vehicle prior to the stop, the release stated.
He was charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was being held in lieu of $175,000 bail Monday. The investigation is ongoing.
The Standard-Times does not identify suspects who are minors.
Teachers Union Rejects City's Contract Offer, Paving The Way For A Strike
By Mae Rice in News on Feb 1, 2016 10:00PM
CTU And Allies Rally In The Loop Over Contract Concerns In June, 2012. By Aaron Cynic/Chicagoist
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) turned down a four-year contract offer from the city of Chicago, even though they initially called the deal a serious offer."
A 40-member bargaining team for the union voted not to send the deal up the union ladder for further approval, according to the Tribune.
Under the rejected deal, CPS would have phased out its contributions to Chicago teachers pensions, and new hires would have had to cover all their own pension contributions effective immediately.
Currently, CPS covers 7 percent of the 9 percent teachers are required to pay into their pensions.
The deal had a bright side for teachers, though: It would have capped the number of charter schools in Chicago, too, at the existing 130. The district would have only been able to open a new charter school if another charter school closed.
This was thought of as a lure to the CTU, which has a long-standing opposition to charter schools.
By rejecting the offer, the CTU has paved the way for a teacher strike. However, before a strike can legally occur, negotiations must go through a fact-finding phase that lasts at least 120 days.
That would take until the end of May, but wouldnt carry the school district through the full school year, which ends June 21.
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When the tank crew under my command ran into trouble on the battlefield, I never doubted the ultimate success of the mission because the Marines I served with were among the finest people I knew.
But if we want to keep it that way, the Pentagon must stop mismanaging its talent and fix its personnel policies.
The problem is, far too many officers have become captives of the acquisition process. Instead of independently assessing weapons systems and other items on offer from the private sector, they get caught up in satisfying Pentagon contractors who peddle expensive new wares.
Consider the case of Air Force Capt. Joshua Wilson. When he discovered problems with the F-22's oxygen system, he shared his concerns with his superiors, Congress, and eventually "60 Minutes." For his troubles, the Air Force held up his promotion even though he'd received highly positive evaluations throughout his career.
That's a major disincentive for any career-minded officer.
The current system mandates that officers either continue to get promoted or leave the service. The military calls this "up or out." And if an officer is forced out before he qualifies for retirement benefits, he loses everything members count on in their golden years including a monthly pension, medical care and commissary privileges.
Such a system creates fewer people like Wilson at a time when we need more of them.
The root of the problem is the revolving door between the Pentagon and private military contractors.
Remember the big white blimp that broke free from its mooring in Maryland last year and floated across rural Pennsylvania? That's a good example of an underperforming and expensive military program the government should have canceled years ago.
In fact, the Army did try to cut the program, officially called JLENS, in 2010 only to have then-Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. James Cartwright, rescue it. Shortly after his retirement from the Marine Corps in 2011, Cartwright joined the board of directors of Raytheon, the prime contractor for you guessed it the JLENS.
With billions of dollars at stake, who's going to speak out against ineffective and wasteful Pentagon spending? Cuts to programs such as the F-22 and JLENS not only threaten the boss's next promotion, but also his or her ability to land a high-paying, lucrative job with a big military contractor after retirement from government service.
Meanwhile, it's the taxpayers who get stuck paying for overpriced, underperforming weapons systems such as the deeply troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive and unnecessary weapons program ever.
These policies undermine the military competence of the Pentagon's own officer corps. They're creating a system that self-selects a large cadre of mediocre conformists.
There have been piecemeal attempts at personnel reform in the past, but none have solved this problem. Replacing the "up or out" system was among the changes a committee led by Undersecretary of Defense Brad Carson proposed last year. But so far, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has remained silent on this issue.
Genuine reform wouldn't just close the revolving door it also would cultivate officers who aren't tempted by it. They'd be more independent-minded and more attuned to its deleterious effects on combat effectiveness. Such officers wouldn't only grasp, say, just how useless the F-35 would be in combat because of its numerous and well-documented shortcomings. They'd also have the confidence to say so publicly.
The Pentagon chief and Congress need to act now to change this "up or out" system before we end up saddled with even more expensive and ineffective weapons systems and there's nobody left with the moral courage to call them out on it.
Nail-Biter Leaves Clinton, Sanders Virtually Tied For Iowa Caucus; Cruz Beats Trump
By aaroncynic in News on Feb 2, 2016 5:07AM
Ted Cruz beat Donald Trump in an upset during Monday night's Iowa Caucus, while Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton remained virtually at a tie well into the night.
Despite the threat of a large snowstorm looming over the state, large numbers of Iowans turned out for the presidential caucuses, the first of elections which will eventually decide who takes the nomination for both Republicans and Democrats. Record numbers filled high school gyms, churches, and even some more interesting locations like a gun store and grain elevator to show their support for whichever candidate best represents their interests in the race for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations.
The turnout for the caucus was unusually high, according to various reports, with many locations filled to capacity and some vote counts beginning slightly late due to an overflow of voters. Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann told ABC News he expected a record turnout for Republicans, while the Washington Post reports about 40 percent of Democratic Iowa caucus voters were first time turn outs. At stake in tonights Iowa caucus were 44 delegates for the Democrats and 30 for the Republicans. While thats only a small amount of the respective 2,382 and 1,237 delegates the Democrats and Republicans will need to grab the nomination from their parties, Iowa is the first real litmus test for viable party candidates.
The race for the Democrats can only be described as a nail-biter, with Hillary Clinton having an early lead of a few percentage points over Bernie Sanders. That lead dwindled to a razor thin margin at 48.9 percentjust a .2 percentage point lead over Sanders - with 93 percent of precincts reporting in at 10:40 p.m. Central Time.
Clinton spoke to her supporters as the numbers were still being counted, focusing more on the unity of the Democratic party than an outright win over Sanders:
"I'm excited about really getting into the debate with Senator Sanders about the best way forward. I know we may have differences of opinion of how to best achieve our goals, but I believe we have a very clear idea that the democratic party and this campaign stands for whats best in America and we have to be united.
Though incredibly close, the Iowa caucus was still a huge win for the Sanders campaign. Pundits and critics often attempted to label Sanders as not a viable candidate, and his insurgent campaign has certainly shaken the Democratic establishment that assumed Clinton would be a shoe-in.
"Nine months ago we came to this beautiful state. We had no political organization, no money, no name recognition and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States," Sanders told supporters in a speech. He then moved to his familiar populist tone of taking on the Democratic establishment:
"As I think about what happened tonight, the people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political, economic and media establishments. That is given the enormous crises facing our country, it is too late for establishment politics and establishment economics.
In an upset for some, Ted Cruz managed to take the Iowa caucus over Donald Trump, winning 28 percent of the vote to Trump's 24. Calling his win a "victory for the grassroots" in an attempt to appear more populist, Cruz told his supporters:
"Iowa has sent notice that the next Republican nominee will not be chosen by the media, the Washington establishment, the lobbyists, but by the most incredible powerful force where all sovereignty resides in our nation - we the people."
Cruz managed to hold his own solidly over Donald Trump most of the evening, but Marco Rubio was a close third, finishing in at 23 percent, just one point behind Trump. Whether or not this means the bottom tier candidates like Christie and Kaisich will continue their campaigns despite their dismal numbers has yet to be revealed, but Mike Huckabee said he would be suspending his campaign. This could be the end for not only them, but also Jeb Bush and Ben Carson. Though Carson said he was not planning on suspending his campaign, the Maryland neurosurgeon left Iowa to go home and get a fresh set of clothes, according to a statement from his campaign. Bush left Iowa to campaign in New Hampshire, but the former Florida governor didnt even crack the top five, finishing nearly 2 percentage points behind Rand Paul.
Though Cruz took home the victory, the night was also a win for Rubio, who despite trailing in the polls, managed to come close to knocking Trump down to third place. Speaking to supporters in Iowa, Rubio said:
"This is the moment they said would never happen. For months they told us we had no chance. They told me we had no chance because my hair wasnt grey enough and my boots were to high. They told me I needed to wait my turn. Tonight, here in Iowa, the people have sent a clear message - after 7 years of Barack Obama we are not waiting any longer to take our country back.
Trump gave a surprisingly muted and short speech to his supporters, and focused on the coming primary in New Hampshire and his ability to beat either Democratic opponent. Flanked onstage by his family, Trump said:
"I think were going to be proclaiming victory, I hope. I dont know whats going to happen between Bernie and Hillary, but weve had so many different indications we beat her and we beat her easily. We will go on to get the nomination and easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever they throw up there."
Beyond Ben Carson's wardrobe malfunction, the evening's weirder moments included this viral video of a random coin toss used by one Des Moines, Iowa precinct to determine whether the precinct would send a delegate to vote for Sanders or Clinton. Clinton won.
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)
Martin O'Malley, the former Maryland governor who had always acknowledged his campaign for president would be a long shot, ended the effort late Monday night after a disappointing finish in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.Eight months after he stood in Federal Hill Park to launch a campaign he said would deliver a message of "new leadership" in the race for the Democratic nomination, O'Malley told supporters in Iowa that he had "fought very hard ... to give people a choice" but that the time had come to suspend that effort."This cause continues, this fight continues," said O'Malley, joined on stage by his family. "I am suspending this presidential bid, but I am not ending this fight."The announcement came after O'Malley barely registered in Iowa against his better-known rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, failing to meet already low expectations set by polling in the weeks before the caucuses. O'Malley did not receive the 15 percent threshold of caucus goers needed to be considered viable in most of the state's precincts.Clinton wished O'Malley well in an address late Monday, calling him "a great public servant who has served Maryland and our country."The former Baltimore mayor, who had been rumored to be considering a presidential run for years, oversaw an issues-based campaign that was heavy on retail politics in Iowa and New Hampshire; he spent more time in Iowa last year than either Clinton or Sanders. Even his some of his critics have given him credit for the disciplined campaign.But political analysts say O'Malley's effort was severely hampered by timing, including the decision by Sanders to enter the race early. The Vermont senator managed to coalesce the same anti-Clinton voters that O'Malley had hoped to court. The governor also struggled to capture attention in a media landscape dominated by Republican Donald Trump."From the moment Gov. O'Malley entered this race, he campaigned with heart and with a singular focus on building a better future for American families," Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. "Gov. O'Malley knows that progress is not inevitable _ progress is a choice, and he has the record to show it."O'Malley and Wasserman Schultz had exchanged terse words throughout much of the campaign after O'Malley repeatedly harped on party leaders for sanctioning only six debates before Iowa and New Hampshire. The Democratic candidates _ now, minus O'Malley _ will hold a seventh debate on Thursday.The former Maryland governor influenced the race in other ways, as well. He was the first candidate to call on the U.S. to accept more refugees from Syria, for instance _ an idea that was later adopted by Clinton. And his campaign released detailed policy memos on immigration, Wall Street reform and gun control before any of the other candidates.O'Malley always knew he would be in for a serious challenge running against Clinton, a one-time ally with strong support in the party. The governor tried to sell voters on a more liberal approach, one based on his final years in Annapolis and accomplishments that included a same-sex marriage law and a higher minimum wage.But while O'Malley's campaign was technically smooth, outside forces repeatedly delivered setbacks. The rioting that took place in Baltimore in April came at a time when O'Malley was trying to pitch himself as a technocrat who had turned the city around. Earlier, his lieutenant governor, Anthony Brown, lost to Republican Larry Hogan in last year's gubernatorial election.By last fall O'Malley was struggling to change the narrative that the contest for the Democratic nomination increasingly appeared to be a two-person race. And by early December, in an indication of his inability to capture support, O'Malley was forced to take out a $500,000 loan just to keep his campaign afloat.On Monday night, sounding a recently developed campaign theme, O'Malley urged his supporters to "hold strong" to the issues they had been pushing for months."In conclusion, there is no conclusion," O'Malley said. "Thank you for allowing me to make this offering out of love."
When engaging a person with an edged weapon, officers should sometimes pull back to keep a safe distance. (Instead, many academies teach cadets to hold their ground and open fire out of self-defense.)
Departments should prohibit the use of deadly force when police encounter someone who shows signs of being suicidal rather than homicidal.
When considering the use of a firearm, police should first weigh the severity of the response (firing a gun) against the severity of the threat posed by the person.
Lawful but awful. Thats how Chuck Wexler described the kinds of fatal shootings by officers that police want to avoid in the future. Last Friday, the group Wexler oversees, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), convened more than 200 leaders from some of the largest police departments in the country to discuss ways cops can avoid confrontations that lead to civilian deaths."We think this is the issue of the decade for American police departments," said Wexler in an interview withon Monday.No national group can mandate policy changes for the roughly 18,000 police departments around the country, but the PERF report outlines 30 guiding principles on use of force that departments can voluntarily adopt. The recommendations come from two years of interviews and field research with police chiefs. The common theme throughout was that departments could minimize lawful but awful shootings where police have a solid legal defense for firing a weapon, but might have avoided the killing and the public outrage that usually follows. For example:The meeting is the latest attempt by law enforcement to respond to criticism following the well-publicized deaths of several young, unarmed black men in a police altercation. Charles Ramsey, the recently retired commissioner of Philadelphias police department and a member of Obama's task force on 21st century policing, said law enforcement faced a defining moment in their use of force and how it affects the public trust. Killings in Ferguson, Mo.; Baltimore; Cleveland and New York City have inspired the Black Lives Matter movement and public frustration over fatal shootings by police. Critics question whether police are too quick to resort to firing a weapon. documented 987 fatal shootings by on-duty officers last year. Wexler said changes in policy, equipment and training could affect instances where the person killed wasn't armed with a gun -- roughly a third of those shootings.Even though the recommendations came from interviews with police chiefs, some of them still faced resistance by the law enforcement leaders in the room.For example, the report calls for officers to consider whether the general public would view their use of force as proportional to the threat posed. Thats too subjective, said William OToole, who runs the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy. He said it would be difficult to train officers to anticipate what the general public would think was too much force in a given situation.PERF also recommends that departments hold themselves to a higher standard than the legal requirements set forth in a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court case, Graham v. Connor. Under that ruling, officers use of force is legal if their perception of danger can be deemed as objectively reasonable -- even if their perception of danger turns out later on to be wrong. While that ruling has resulted in prosecutors and grand juries often finding that a fatal shooting by an officer was not a crime, PERF now argues that officers should be trained to pursue other tactics whenever possible.Cathy Lanier, the police chief in Washington, D.C., laid out the problem theyre trying to correct: What theyre allowed to do turns into a justification for shooting. Theyre shooting because they could -- not because they had to.The Graham v. Connor legal standard still stands as a bare minimum, but Wexler told the audience that departments should hold officers accountable for deviating from best practices that could have avoided fatal shootings.Edward Flynn, the Milwaukee police chief, provided an example: One of his officers shot a mentally ill man who was beating the officer with a night stick. Earlier in the encounter, the officer correctly identified the man as mentally ill but then broke from his training by making the man stand up and undergo a pat search. While the department determined that the officer was justified in firing a weapon to protect himself, Flynn fired the officer because his actions violated department policy and put him in the dangerous situation that resulted in a civilian death.Ed Davis, a former police commissioner in Boston, said he feared the PERF recommendations would be misinterpreted by cops and courts. Cops might view the more stringent requirements as chiefs deserting their officers, and Supreme Court justices might see the change as evidence that Graham v. Connor gave officers too much legal cover when a fatal shooting occurs.Wexler disagreed. The legal standard for when a cop can fire in self-defense doesn't take into account proportionality or public trust. "The threshold," he said, "is very low."
'Collaborative reform'
'A civil rights issue'
Video raises outrage
Police chief under fire
The U.S. Justice Department promised an "exhaustive and transparent" review Monday of the San Francisco Police Department in the wake of the Mario Woods killing, focusing on possible use-of-force issues and racial disparities in how officers treat suspects.Critics of the Police Department welcomed the review, even as some said it fell short of the civil rights investigation they called for after five officers shot Woods to death Dec. 2.The Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will work with police and city officials to look into the department, in particular focusing "on Police Department operational policies, training, practices, accountability practices pertaining to stops and searches, and use of force," said Brian Stretch, the acting U.S. attorney in San Francisco.The review will also look at whether police treat suspects and community members differently depending on their race or ethnicity, Stretch said."Both the mayor and the chief have requested an exhaustive and transparent review of the San Francisco Police Department by the Department of Justice," Stretch said at a news conference, "and that is what they're going to get."The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, known by the acronym COPS, is headed by former East Palo Alto Police Chief Ronald Davis. It works with police departments to achieve "collaborative reform," as opposed to the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which enforces federal antidiscrimination laws and has the power to order changes in a law enforcement agency.Several members of the Board of Supervisors, as well as Woods' family and the American Civil Liberties Union, had asked for the Civil Rights Division to intervene in San Francisco after police shot the 26-year-old in the Bayview. They pointed out that the Police Department will be free to ignore any recommendations that the COPS review produces."The Civil Rights Division really should be taking charge here," said Supervisor John Avalos. "This is a civil rights issue. Are we seeing a pattern in the San Francisco Police Department of quickly justifying officer-involved shootings as within policy? Do we see that people of color get disproportionate treatment with the use of force compared to others? Those are things I think are worth investigating."Standing alongside Police Chief Greg Suhr and Mayor Ed Lee at the news conference, Stretch said the Civil Rights Division could still get involved if civil rights issues come up during either the district attorney's homicide investigation in the Woods case or the COPS review.Davis said that although police departments do not have to follow COPS recommendations, the agencies his office has worked with usually understand that they need to improve community relations."Our process is voluntary," Davis said. "It is not enforced in a court of law, but it is absolutely enforced in a court of public opinion, which can be just as powerful as a court of law."John Burris, an attorney for Woods' family, said that although he had hoped for a deeper "pattern and practice" investigation by the Civil Rights Division, the COPS review will "cover a wide area, all the areas that would undoubtedly get covered in a pattern-and-practice approach.""It was not exactly what we asked for," Burris said, "but it's a great opportunity, so it seems to me, for the mayor and the police chief to take a deep, introspective look into the department."This will not be Burris' first interaction with the community-policing office. After he called on the Civil Rights Division to investigate the Salinas Police Department following a series of officer-involved shootings and beatings of Latino men, federal officials turned to the COPS office instead.The agency has been working on that review for 18 months and is expected to issue a report soon, Burris said.Davis estimated that the assessment of San Francisco police would take eight to 10 months, and that the office would stay involved afterward to ensure the department works to improve. He said the process could take up to two years.The probe was sparked by the killing of Woods, which drew widespread outrage after video footage of his death emerged.Suhr has said Woods was still armed with a knife he had used in an earlier stabbing, and that the five officers who fired on him had no choice 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.Lee, who had asked for the Justice Department to get involved, said the goal was to ensure that "our Police Commission, our Office of Citizen Complaints, our stakeholders in our community and our Board of Supervisors are all working together to make sure we do everything we can do rebuild trust between our Police Department and the communities they serve."The shooting prompted calls for reform, with the city's Police Commission setting a Wednesday deadline for officials to produce an update on a draft proposal for a new use-of-force policy. That policy may include giving officers stun guns.Among those calling for stun guns is Suhr, whom protesters want fired for the Woods shooting. Last week, District Attorney George Gascon accused Suhr of engaging in "a dizzying array of stonewalllng tactics" to frustrate a police reform task force. Police representatives insisted the department was working with Gascon's task force.Suhr said Monday that his officers would cooperate with the Justice Department review and other efforts to improve use-of-force policies."We have to find a way to deal with folks with edged weapons and other weapons, especially folks who are in crisis, with something other than a firearm," Suhr said. "In all of our policies, we will speak to proportionality, we will speak to de-escalation, and we will constantly remind officers of the value of the sanctity of life -- of everybody's life, not just the officers."
Page Content
The island had for a long time remained unknown and uninhabited. It was probably visited by Arab sailors during the Middle Ages, and on maps of about 1500, it is shown by an Arabic name `Dina Arobi'. The Portuguese sailor Domingo Fernandez Pereira was probably the first European to land on the island at around 1511. The island appears with a Portuguese name `Cirne' on early Portuguese maps, probably because of the presence of the Dodo, a flightless bird which was found in great numbers at that time.
It was another Portuguese sailor, Don Pedro Mascarenhas, who gave the name Mascarenes to the group of islands now known as Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion. The Portuguese did not stay long as they were not interested in these islands.
In 1598, a Dutch squadron, under the orders of Admiral Wybrand Van Warwyck, landed at Grand Port and named the island "Mauritius", in honour of Prince Maurice Van Nassau, "Stathouder" of Holland.
However, it was not until 1638 that there was a first attempt of Dutch settlement. It was from here that the famous Dutch navigator Tasman set out to discover the western part of Australia. The first Dutch settlement lasted only twenty years. Several attempts were subsequently made, but the settlements never developed enough to produce dividends and the Dutch finally left Mauritius in 1710. They are remembered for the introduction of sugar-cane, domestic animals and deer.
Abandoned by the Dutch, the island became a French colony when, in September 1715, Guillaume Dufresne D'Arsel landed and took possession of this precious port of call on the route to India. He named the island "Isle de France", but it was only in 1721 that the French started their occupation. However, it was only as from 1735, with the arrival of the most illustrious of French governor, Mahe de La Bourdonnais, that the "Isle de France" started developing effectively.
Mahe de La Bourdonnais established Port Louis as a naval base and a ship-building centre. Under his governorship, numerous buildings were built, a number of which are still standing today - part of Government House, the Chateau de Mon Plaisir at Pamplemousses, the Line Barracks. The island was under the administration of the French East India Company which maintained its presence until 1767.
From that year until 1810, the island was in charge of officials appointed by the French Government, except for a brief period during the French Revolution, when the inhabitants set up a government virtually independent of France.
During the Napoleonic wars, the "Isle de France" had become a base from which French corsairs organised successful raids on British commercial ships. The raids continued until 1810 when a strong British expedition was sent to capture the island. A preliminary attack was foiled at Grand Port in August 1810, but the main attack launched in December of the same year from Rodrigues, which had been captured a year earlier, was successful. The British landed in large numbers in the north of the island and rapidly overpowered the French, who capitulated. By the Treaty of Paris in 1814, the "Isle de France" which regained its former name `Mauritius' was ceded definitely to Great Britain, together with its dependencies which included Rodrigues and the Seychelles. In the act of capitulation, the British guaranteed that they would respect the language, the customs, the laws and the traditions of the inhabitants.
The British administration, which began with Robert Farquhar as governor, was followed by rapid social and economic changes. One of the most important events was the abolition of slavery in 1835. The planters received a compensation of two million pounds sterling for the loss of their slaves which had been imported from Africa and Madagascar during the French occupation.
The abolition of slavery had important repercussions on the socio-economic and demographic fields. The planters turned to India, from where they brought a large number of indentured labourers to work in the sugar cane fields.
The Indian immigrants, who were of both Hindu and Muslim faith, were to change rapidly the fabric of the society. They were later joined by a small number of Chinese traders.
Cultivation of sugar cane was given a boost and the island flourished, especially with the export of sugar to England. Economic progress necessitated the extension and improvement of means of communication and gradually an adequate infrastructure was created.
Constitutional development
On the constitutional plane, the Council of Government which was first established in 1825, was enlarged in 1886 to make room for elected representatives. The new council included 10 members elected on a restricted franchise. It was not until 1933 that the Constitution was again amended in a significant respect. The proportion of nominated members of the Council not holding public office was raised to two-thirds. However, franchise was still restricted to persons within a certain income bracket and to proprietors. A major breakthrough occurred in 1948, when after years of protracted negotiations for a more liberal constitution, franchise was extended to all adults who could pass a simple literacy test.
The Council of Government was replaced by a Legislative Council composed of 19 elected members, 12 members nominated by the Governor and three ex-officio members. General elections were held in August 1948 and the first Legislative Council met on 1st September 1948.
Following constitutional conferences held in London in1955 and 1957, the ministerial system was introduced and general elections were held on 9th March 1959. Voting took place for the first time on the basis of universal adult suffrage and the number of electors rose to 208,684. In 1961, a Constitutional Review Conference was held in London and a programme of further constitutional advance was established. It was followed in 1965 by the last constitutional conference which -paved the way for Mauritius to achieve independence. After general elections in 1967, Mauritius adopted a new constitution and independence was proclaimed on 12 March 1968. Mauritius achieved the status of Republic 24 years later on 12 March 1992.
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Anonymous Takes to YouTube
The hacktivist group known as Anonymous has launched a campaign called OpFlint, which promises online attacks directed toward Michigan Gov. Rick Snyders administration in response to the Flint water emergency.The situation in Flint, Mich., has dominated national headlines recently. In addition to CNN's coverage and Bloomberg.com are posting stories on daily developments, and ABC News offers this timeline of water crisis events On the morning of Jan. 20, Anonymous posted this YouTube video:Website Vocativ.com broke the story that evening, noting that Anonymous Intelligence Group, an account associated with Anonymous, "released a statement on Wednesday morning entitled, "'Anonymous Activates #OpFlint And Yes Its About Time!'"Though Vocativ.com says the video doesnt explain any specifics of Anonymous attack plan, it does assure to those affected by the water crisis that, "We will amplify your voice where the mainstream media will surely fail you, as it has in the past. We will also join you in calling bullshit on any spin that the corporate media is prepared to put on this."To determine if Michigan was experiencing any attacks following these threats,Web Editor Jessica Mulholland reached out to the Michigan Department of Technology Management & Budget (DTMB).We are constantly monitoring online conversations with our partners at the Michigan State Police and the FBI that involve threats against State of Michigan networks to stay prepared for any possible coordinated attempts to disrupt our services," said DTMB Public Information Office Caleb Buhs. "This past weekend, on Saturday, Jan. 16, we experienced a DDOS attack on our website, Michigan.gov. The attempt caused slower performance and a brief time where the site was offline. Working with our private partners we were able to mitigate the problem in a short amount of time and have not incurred any further attacks since this past weekends events.Though it's not clear at this time whether this attack came from Anonymous, the timing is certainly suspicious at minimum.Many leaders nationwide have called for the release of more details regarding the decisions made and internal communications over the past several years regarding the Flint water situation. In that vein, Snyders office released emails related to missteps during the water emergency, a summary of which is available at the Detroit News . The Detroit Free Press noted that these emails show that the state tried to defer blame for the situation, while CNN calls out that the release of these emails does little to ease pressure on the governor. This situation, however, is evolving rapidly.It is not clear what the hacktivist group intends to prove (or gain) by attacking state government networks at this point beyond the publicity. The types of cyberattacks and overall approach that will be (or already has been) used by Anonymous is not certain.What is clear, however, is that some group conducted a coordinate DDOS last weekend against Michigan state government networks that brought down the Michigan.gov website.The importance of this hacktivist threat goes beyond this specific situation in Michigan related to water crisis in Flint. Governments need to be prepared to face more than just criticism in the form of public speeches, online criticisms or group protests.Online cyberattacks, in the form of DDOS attacks, appear to part of 21st century new paradigm moving forward.So far, Michigans government technology team and their private-sector partners have done a good job of being ready for online attacks. As for what comes next, only time will tell.
Cost of membership
We believe in IP
7,500 cases in 2015
Seeking broad reform
(TNS) -- Patents exist to protect innovation. But in recent years, hundreds of patents have been turned into weapons wielded by so-called patent trolls entities that buy patents as ammunition for infringement lawsuits. Such lawsuits drain billions of dollars a year from the economy.Now a whos who of technology, automobile and other companies has banded together in a novel approach seeking to thwart patent trolls. LOT Network counts Google, Canon, Dropbox, Ford Motor Co., GitHub, JP Morgan Chase, Pandora, Pure Storage Red Hat, Solar City, Uber and Wikimedia Foundation as members. On Monday, it will announce that Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. have joined the nonprofit.These companies may share very little from a technology or market standpoint, said Ken Seddon, LOT executive director. But one thing they have in common: They suffered from patent troll problems.LOT, which stands for License of Transfer, works by disarming litigious trolls. LOTs 53 members control about 360,000 patents. If any falls into the hands of a troll defined as an entity that derives more than half its revenue from patent lawsuits it is automatically cross-licensed to all members so they cannot be sued over it.Its similar to the herd immunity conferred by vaccines. The more people who have the flu shot, the greater the likelihood of stamping out the flu, Seddon said.Members pay based on their revenue with rates ranging from $1,500 a year to $20,000 a year roughly the cost of a single patent application.This solves a very real problem at a low cost, said Ramsey Homsany, general counsel of Dropbox, one of LOTs founding companies. It doesnt matter how big or small your company is, at some point you will be sued by a patent troll. It will be expensive and, worse, cause a lot of interruption to the people at your company who are actually building something.As the group grows, Seddon hopes for a snowball effect bringing in new members. He aims to see LOT add 50 companies and expand its portfolio to a million patents by year end or about 40 percent of the 2.5 million active U.S. patents.The approach leverages a network effect: The more companies that join, the more attractive it is to join, said Eric Schulman, Ubers senior director of intellectual property. He originated LOT in summer 2014 during his previous job as Google legal director as a way to address the problem at scale.This is a big-tent kind of program, he said. It should appeal to all kinds of companies; its pretty much a no-brainer to join to provide peace of mind.Still, companies may have concerns that they risk losing control of their patents. In fact, the member companies can still defend their patents, even suing one another.We are all companies that have a healthy respect for intellectual property, said Joe FitzGerald, vice president and general counsel of Pure Storage. Were all innovative companies; we believe in IP.Daniel Nazer, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation who holds the delightfully titled Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents, had cautious praise for LOT.Its a targeted program thats good for limiting the supply of patents to the very worst actors who use litigation to shake down people for settlements, he said. But it doesnt stop problems with patent quality and with operating companies attacking each other.Still, he said, Its growing, and its good to see that its gone outside traditional technology companies with car companies getting involved. The Electronic Frontier Foundation just released its annual Hacking the patent system report , which discusses a variety of ways to defend patents from trolls. LOT is among several defensive patent networks and pledges. Theres even patent troll insurance, because standard liability policies dont cover such lawsuits.It seems counterintuitive that successful companies would ever sell their patents to a troll, more formally known as patent-assertion entities, patent holding companies or nonpracticing entities. But the trolls acquire more than 80 percent of their patents from regular companies. It might be that a company culled little-used patents that were expensive to maintain. It might have been duped into believing the buyer was a legitimate operating company. It might have sold patents to a company that then resold them to a troll.Some might even engage in privateering when a company deliberately sells patents to a troll in hopes that the troll will sue its competitors. And with the rapid pace of change, todays successful companies could end up with their assets on the auction block tomorrow. Patents are good for 20 years, so trolls may acquire older patents and use them against new technology even if the connection is tenuous.Patent disputes hit an all-time high of about 7,500 cases in 2015, largely fueled by trolls who filed two-thirds of the lawsuits, according to a report from Unified Patents . Targeted companies often agree to pay a licensing fee to avoid the cost of litigation essentially submitting to a shakedown.Trolls can range from single-person fly-by-night operators to major enterprises that portray themselves as fostering innovation, including some publicly traded companies. Some even sport impressive pedigrees: Nathan Myhrvold, former chief technology officer of Microsoft, co-founded Intellectual Ventures, a private company that has acquired more than 40,000 patents and houses them at hundreds of shell companies, according to IP Checkups Ultimately, the Electronic Frontier Foundation would like to see comprehensive patent reform, Nazer said. Many of LOTs members agree the system is broken, and said theyd love Congress to fix it but got tired of waiting for it.I cant tell you how many times Ive traveled to Washington, D.C., to try to work on patent reform legislation, FitzGerald said. What you find is that at the eleventh hour your efforts get watered down by special-interest groups and you dont make any progress.
For most people, knowing how the 911 system works isnt important; it just has to work when they need it. But as our landline phones gave way to cellphones and cellphones evolved into smartphones, 911 centers have had to adapt to the changing environment to provide consistent, dependable service.And in the foothills of Northern California, a cluster of municipalities is looking toward a networked 911 system that will eventually allow them to accept streaming video, text messages and, of course, the voice call.Through an intergovernmental agency agreement (IAA) the cities of Auburn, Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville will be linked with Placer County in a next-generation 911 system.Sandra Bumpus, division commander for the Support Services Division of the Rocklin Police Department, said the joint city networking project will ultimately be a vast step toward modernizing a largely unchanged emergency system. While she said the project will bring much needed changes to the legacy systems sprinkled throughout the region, she noted that the upgrade is more akin to bringing the system in line with modern needs than it is making it cutting edge.The current 911 system was rolled out in 1968, and other than enhancing the system to begin to receive whats called enhanced 911 ... this system has not been upgraded since that time, she said. It really doesnt have the capability to receive digital communications; its an analog system.Under the IAA, two host sites will be stationed in the city of Roseville and in the Placer County Sheriffs Office. Satellite sites will be stationed in Auburn, Lincoln and Rocklin.Bumpus, who has been assigned to the project since it began in 2012 and served as project manager since 2014, jokingly referred to the upgrade as the lead balloon project. Not only was approval from California Office of Emergency Services required, but she said each of the stakeholders also had to identify system requirements and wait for their funding cycles to line up before moving forward.Once we all got on the same funding cycle and identified what we needed, what we were looking forand how we were going to make it happen, we created whats called an intergovernmental agency agreement that speaks specifically not only to the phone system, but in the future any technology that could possibly benefit public safety in the region and could be shared, she said.The municipalities and county created a 911 committee to begin looking ahead at the cooperative effort and future needs.There was a lot of moving parts just to get five agencies to identify the same principles and concepts that they wanted to abide by, Bumpus said. So were moving forward; we anticipate the host sites to be installed sometime in the spring and the entire system to be completely functional, Im hoping, by July 2016.The new system will be capable of expanding to the technological needs of constituents, Bumpus said, and should operators be unable to answer a call within a certain time threshold, the system will automatically transfer callers to more available, nearby centers.All of law enforcement, especially in California, is moving to a next-generation 911 system that is capable of receiving streaming video and OnStar, digital communications and texts to 911, things like that that our community requires," she added. "Today we dont really communicate by phone, we communicate by text 99 percent of the time.Unlike some states on the East Coast, Bumpus said the size of California makes coordinating 911 systems like this one difficult.California, being one of the largest states in the union, has not been able to go there," she said. "However, were on the verge of the state being able to push through some of these next-generation features."Though the modernization effort will mean considerable upfront costs associated with equipment implementation and potential infrastructure build-out, Bumpus said the new system could lead to cost savings in the long run. The state, she added, has awarded $1.76 million for the project."If the infrastructure doesn't currently exist, then we'll have to plot T1 lines and whatever form of transmission that we need to get all of the agencies networked," she said. "Over time, it will be a money savings for the state of California as they begin the next cycle."Because funding for the 911 system is distributed on five-year cycles, Bumpus said the state could theoretically begin to look at funding in totality as a result of the more virtualized network.Across the country in Charleston County, S.C., officials moved toward a completely consolidated system, merging the countys 11 communication and 911 centers into one building.Jim Lake, director of the Charleston Consolidated 911 Center, said the shift away from individual agency centers to a unified model took a substantial consolidated effort on the part of police, fire and emergency medical services officials, but ultimately boosted efficiencies and cooperation. The consolidation effort began in 2009 and was completed in 2013.Between those 11 different centers, they were all processing pieces of a call. For example, if you lived in one area, you would dial 911 and it would go to the sheriffs office 911 center; they would then say, This is an EMS call,' and would transfer it to EMS, [which] would process the call, dispatch the ambulance, notify Fire and then Fire would go, he said. By the time the caller had called in to the time Fire got dispatched was seven to eight minutes.Since the consolidation, the call center has seen substantial improvements in call handling times, according to documents provided by Lake. Emergency calls answered during the busiest hour within 10 seconds went from a low of 67 percent in 2011 to a 94 percent in 2013.According to the same document, the percentage of abandonned calls went from a high of 16 percent in 2009 and 2011 to a low of 6 percent in 2014.Though Charleston's consolidated system is a step beyond what is planned for the cluster of California cities, Bumpus said the IAA committee will continue to review all of the options and needs moving forward.
(TNS) -- Alabama voters can now register to vote online.Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill announced the change at a press conference Monday morning.Voters can submit their registration form online at www.alabamavotes.gov , but the registration will require a valid Alabama drivers license or state-issued photo ID. Photo ID isnt required to register in person or when mailing in a paper registration form, but is required when voting at the polls.Upon entering office, I looked for ways to make it easier for our citizens to register to vote, Merrill said. Based on that, I instructed our Information Technology and Elections staff to provide Alabamians an enhanced access to voter registration services at the least cost to the state while also ensuring that the integrity standards we have are continued and strengthened.The change in registration access comes three months after the U.S. Department of Justice revealed it had threatened to sue the state for failing to adhere with a 22-year-old federal law requiring states to make drivers license applications double as voter registration.In mid-November, Alabama and the DOJ entered into an agreement that outlined a number of steps the state would take to come into compliance with the law. Online registration, which Merrill said was already being implemented at the time of the DOJs threat, was one of those steps.The DOJ folks were, quite frankly, surprised by how far along in the process we were, Merrill said. This will be a huge step forward for us and make it easier for a number of people to vote.
Men's Rights Activists Will Meet Furtively In Rogers Park This Weekend
By Mae Rice in News on Feb 2, 2016 4:18PM
Photo of the tunnel by the Morse Red Line stop (via rwchicago on Flickr)
The website Return of Kings, a cyber-homebase for Mens Rights Activists (MRAs) and pick-up artists (PUAs), is hosting an International Meetup Day for troubled straight men everywhere this Saturday.
Overall, the site promises a total of 165 meetups in 43 countries, including two Illinois meetupsone in Rogers Park and one in Homewood.
Return of Kings is run by Roosh V, a guy who thinks rape should be legal on private property and handles interview requests from women like this (it's mildly NSFW).
It is not journalistic to say this, but just for clarity: He is bad.
The meetups will be bad, too. You can tell because one of the National Meetup Day FAQs is Is this a white nationalist meetup? even though the answer to that is no.
The intention behind the meetups, according to the International Meetup Day announcement, is to make a worldwide network of MRA tribes, each run like an independent fiefdom, for lack of a better word, but all loosely affiliated with Roosh V. Currently, there are three existing tribes, one of which is in Chicago. This is perhaps our citys most dubious honor.
Though intended to help MRAs, PUAs, and other unfortunate men come out of the shadows and not have to hide behind a computer screen for fear of retaliation, the meetups will be run very furtively. Men will meet at designated spots between 8 and 8:20 p.m.; then they will move to an undisclosed second location.
Participants will identify each other through coded questions. (If a guy asks a fellow guy, Do you know where I can find a pet shop?, and he replies, Yes, its right here, then they know theyre both there for the meetup.) Doxxing, or having ones identity exposed and affiliated with the Return of Kings philosophy, is a consuming fear, as evidenced by the FAQs. Clearly, there is some shame at play here.
And honestly, taken all together, the meetup FAQs read like performance art about male insecurity. Heres a sampling of questions:
* Have the hosts been vetted? What if they are a secret feminist agent?
* What should we do if a pretty girl shows up and begs to be a fly on the wall?
* What if crazy feminists show up?
* What if Im the only one who shows up?
Sounds like it's going to be a really chill, fun meetup that's not filled with anxiety or misplaced hatred. Cool.
Update, 11 a.m.: Chicago's FURIE (Feminist Uprising to Resist Inequality and Exploitation) will be hosting a protest on the site of the Rogers Park meetup.
According to their Facebook event, "[W]e're gonna fuck with them. We too will converge at the flagpole! We too will mutter secret codes! BECAUSE WE'RE WITCHES AND THEY'RE GONNA GET HEXED AS SHIT."
They're encouraging "very secret clandestine costumes," such as trenchcoats and fake mustaches. They're also encouraging "vanilla cis dudes" to help out by leading meetup participants to actual pet shops.
The protest description isn't all fun and games, though. It also includes a warning: "[C]areful cause... they might later try to kill us because embarrassment is murder-level upsetting when your masculinity is egg-shell thin."
[H/t The Frisky]
Delaware is redoubling its open data efforts, Gov. Jack Markell announced Jan. 27. Through the signing of Executive Order 57, the governor mandated the creation of a Data Governance Council that will help executive branch agencies publish their data on the states open data portal.In todays technology-driven world, we can do more to improve transparency by sharing non-identifiable public data in a format that is user friendly for members of the public seeking information, Markell said in a press release . The Delaware Open Data Portal offers this access in a central location and will facilitate better data sharing and collaboration across public agencies, nonprofits and the private sector to spur innovation and develop applications that can benefit our communities.The council is required to issue a public report within six months on its progress and a final plan for statewide open data integration by Sept. 30.The council will be assembled by the Delaware Government Information Center and the state Department of Information Technology, which is led by CIO James Collins, who said the technology department is excited to have this critical executive backing on open data.I think one of the biggest challenges is helping people understand why this is important, Collins explained. and we think the executive order takes us a long way down that road.The initial sales pitch to agencies will be to explain how publishing open data can reduce the need to respond to common Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and facilitate data sharing between agencies that can lead to increased efficiency and efficacy, Collins said.The state also wants to create a tool that will allow people to analyze data, and plot data over maps and charts, he said.Our approach is going to be to start with some of the low-hanging fruit, Collins said. Theres all types of state data dispersed throughout hundreds of websites throughout the state. As a starting point, we just want to try to pull all that information together into a single portal and publish that in dynamic formats.Today, Delawares open data portal is a Web page with a series of links to different data resources spread across departments and agencies, with no cohesive effort or organization. The new data portal the state intends to create will replace their existing portal, Collins said.We will start with things people are already familiar with and build on that, he added. In the next six months or so, we want to get a strong foundation in place by really modernizing and consolidating whats already out there, so that I think is a good starting point for the conversation, when you start talking about what is the business value, what is the service value here?Delawares announcement is good news for open data in general and good news for the states chances of meeting its goal, said Stephen Larrick, open data project lead for the Sunlight Foundation.Were happy to see a policy coming from the governors office that is going to be proactive on the release of public information, Larrick said. This is, at a macro level, definitely in line with what the Sunlight Foundation advocates for in terms of transparency and accountability. We see open data policy as the next iteration of freedom of information, so were happy to see another state thinking along those same lines.That the executive order establishes a council responsible for forming an open data plan bodes well for the states effort, he said, adding that it ensures accountability and structure thats been absent in similar announcements elsewhere.The public is an important part of the open data movement, and Larrick said he hopes the council accounts for that during the next six months.The point of open data is decentralizing information holdings in a way that is empowering to the public, and we would hope and advocate for opportunities for public involvement in any sort of open data initiative that this executive order helps to create, he said. We hope theres a chance for public input and public feedback channels such as FOIA requests or a public inventory process can be a part of the initiative itself.
Open records
Open meetings
Live-streaming of committee hearings
(TNS) -- Kansas was rated as one of the least transparent states in the nation last year by a national study, but lawmakers of both parties are looking to change that.Several bills being considered in Topeka this session seek to make Kansas government more open and accountable to Kansans. Lawmakers of both parties are pledging to support these efforts.This past week, Rep. John Rubin, R-Shawnee, and Rep. John Wilson, D-Lawrence, became the first two lawmakers to sign a pledge to support efforts to increase Kansas government accountability. The pledge, drafted by new nonprofit Open Kansas, asks lawmakers to support legislation that will increase the publics access to information.Open Kansas noted that Kansas was one of 11 states to receive an F when the Center for Public Integrity rated states on transparency last year.One reason the center gave Kansas such a low grade is a loophole in the states open records law that allows state officials to conduct public business on private e-mail.SB 361, which will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, would close that loophole.The issue surfaced a year ago when The Eagle reported that Gov. Sam Brownbacks budget director had used a private e-mail account and personal computer to send two lobbyists a draft of the governors proposed budget several weeks before it was unveiled to lawmakers. Under current law, this communication fell outside the bounds of the Kansas Open Records Act.The bill, which is recommended by the Kansas Judicial Council, says any record made by an officer or employee of a public agency made in connection with the transaction of public or official business would be considered a public record regardless of form, characteristics or location.That change would close the private e-mail loophole.Also on Tuesday, the Judiciary Committee will also weigh SB 360, a bill that would change the Open Meetings Act so that public bodies have to disclose more information when they go into closed sessions.Its not enough to say personnel mattersyou would have to say something like unauthorized use of a credit card, said Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence, the bills sponsor. What we really want is for the public to know some idea of whats being discussed.When Rubin signed the Open Kansas pledge, he touted his support for live-streaming committee hearings, noting that much of the Legislatures important business takes place in committee rooms rather than on the House and Senate floor.Two Wichita-area members introduced legislation Thursday that would enable Kansans to listen to legislative committee hearings on their computers.HB 2573, introduced by Rep. Blake Carpenter, R-Derby, and Rep. John Whitmer, R-Wichita, would enable live audio streaming of committee hearings. That would be paid for through Information Network of Kansas, a state board that writes grants to support greater citizen access to state and local government information through technology. The bill is similar to other transparency legislation, which has repeatedly passed the Senate but failed to advance in the House in recent years.This goes beyond tweeting or making a pledge to be open, Carpenter said in a news release. This bill represents creative problem-solving to find a new and workable solution that will get the job done and bring committee hearings to anyone who wants to listen in.
A meeting last Friday broke with formula one no closer to determining the shape of its future.
At London's Heathrow airport, the teams, FOM and the FIA got together to discuss the rules for 2017, amid widespread disagreement about how to proceed.
It was billed as the penultimate meeting before a March 1 deadline, coming shortly after Pirelli and Mercedes reportedly pushed to dilute radical plans for cars up to 5 or 6 seconds per lap quicker.
"There is now quite a lot of pressure to come to the right approach over two meetings of six hours," Force India's Andy Green told Auto Motor und Sport before the London meeting.
It now emerges that Friday's meeting broke without resolving the disagreements between the teams, including the proposal to protect the cockpits of the cars.
Italy's Autosprint reports that the next scheduled meeting, during the week of the first official group test in Barcelona late this month, would be F1's last chance for consensus before the March 1 rules deadline.
But Omnicorse, another specialist Italian outlet, says the discussions will in fact resume as soon as this week, as Pirelli hosts a meeting in Milan about the future of the tyre specifications for 2017.
Touted to be there are Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt as well as representatives among the race drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa, following a formal invitation by Pirelli.
(GMM)
Rauner Says The State Is Preparing A Chicago Public Schools Takeover
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Feb 2, 2016 9:10PM
As budget problems continue to bear down on Chicago Public Schools, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Tuesday that the state is preparing to take over the city's beleaguered school district.
The announcement comes a day after Chicago Teachers Union leaders unanimously rejected CPS's union contract proposal.
Rauner told reporters in Springfield that he has already told the state Board of Education to search for a new CPS superintendent, according to the Sun-Times.
The states going to be ready to step in and take action, Rauner said. I asked our administration. I believe its coming. I believe a state takeover is appropriate.
Rauner said the union's rejection of the school district's contract should be a "wake up call" for both Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago's taxpayers. He also called CPS's contract "unaffordable." But that doesn't mean Rauner is on the union's side. Rather, Rauner says the union is partially responsible for the school district's budget woes, and that the contract rejection shows lawmakers that a state takeover is needed.
To Rauner, the state somehow has a better chance of striking a deal with the union than the city at this point:
We can get a deal done. We are going to get a deal done with AFSCME thats good for taxpayers and fair. We would get a deal done with the teachers union.
Trevor Noah Is Coming To The Chicago Theatre For One Night Only
By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 2, 2016 8:19PM
www.facebook.com/OfficialTrevorNoah
As is usually the case when big name comedy stars breeze through town, Chicagoans will have to get their clicking fingers ready: Trevor Noah is coming to the Chicago Theatre for one night only this spring, and tickets go on sale Friday.
Noah, the celebrated comedian and South African native who took over the helm at the Daily Show last year, recently premiered an hour-long special on Comedy Central. He'll be in town March 26. Tickets go on sale Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. at thechicagotheatre.com and 800-745-3000.
If you aren't a Daily Show fan, you may remember Noah from the time he told Spike Lee that he didn't want to visit Chicago because he doesn't "want to die." In light of Chicago's recent struggles with violence and police brutality, we might be ready to forgive the comment.
A southern Chinese court upheld the life sentence of a man who was convicted of organizing an illegal cult, rape, fraud, and production and sale of harmful food on Tuesday.
Wu Zeheng, founder of "Huazang Zongmen," was sentenced to life in October by Zhuhai City Intermediate People's Court in the southern province of Guangdong. He was fined 7.15 million yuan (1.09 million U.S. dollars).
Three of his followers were also given sentences of up to four years in prison on conviction of fraud and perverting the course of justice.
Wu and one of his followers, Meng Yue, appealed against the court's ruling. Meng was sentenced to four years in prison.
The provincial Higher People's Court rejected their appeals Tuesday, saying the sentences were meted out fairly and based on sufficient evidence.
Wu, born in 1967 in Guangdong, has been propagating the pseudo-religion Huazang Zongmen as a lofty sect of Buddhism and claimed to be the successor of several eminent monks.
In the name of charity and life science and through his inflammatory preaching, Wu drew a large number of followers who were interested in Buddhism, suffering diseases or simply believed that associations with the cult would ward off ill fortune.
Wu seduced many women saying he could give them "supernatural power." He was also found to have amassed more than 6.7 million yuan in ill-gotten gains, according to the court.
IT Staffing & Services Owners meet in NJ - TODAY
USA, February 02nd 2016: ITServe Alliance invites all the IT Staffing & Services owners to its Northeast Chapter Kickoff on Feb 2nd 2016 at ROYAL ALBERTS PALACE HOTEL at 6 PM.
This is an opportunity to meet over 300 CEOs, RSVP is mandatory.
ITServe Alliance is a largest association of IT Services organizations. The alliance is the voice of all prestigious IT companies functioning with similar interests across United States.
Through the years ITServe has evolved as a resourceful and respected platform to collaborate (STARTUPS / PROJECTS / JOB BOARD / HOTLIST) and initiate measures in the direction of protecting common interests and ensuring collective success.
Inviting the prospective members and company owners Shashi Devireddy, President of ITServe Alliance said, This will be a landmark event and will host key industry leaders. This will not only facilitate current company owners but also startups to network with thought leaders. I welcome one and all.
Speaking on the occasion Venkat Gottipati said We are expanding in all the key territories and North East chapter is very strategic location for us. We are expecting over 300+ CEOs for this event.
Jai Talluri Leader of North East chapter said Our core team and national team have put lot of efforts in planning this event, I am confident attendees will benefit to a great extent from this event. We are looking forward for a great kickoff.
Event details:
RSVP Link: http://itserve.org/meetid?id=7XFXS7G639
Date: Feb 2nd, 2016
Time: 6:00 - 10:00 PM (Cocktail & Banquet Included)
Venue: ROYAL ALBERTS PALACE HOTEL
1050 King Georges Post Road, Fords, NJ 08863
Attire: Business Suit
Speakers:
Upendra Chivukula - Commissioner New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Cecil Nazareth CPA
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS / MAIN FOCUS:
Networking & Knowledge Sharing
Immigration issues
Marketing & Networking Seminar
Updates from experts on policy changes
Continuous education in areas of interest to members
Identification of emerging trends and possible investment opportunities.
RSVP Link: http://itserve.org/meetid?id=7XFXS7G639
It is our goal to provide a common platform where business practices can be safeguarded and strengthened by the wealth of shared knowledge among various IT software development and consulting companies.
We want to guarantee the highest return on your investment and maximize the advantages provided by our organization with a positive attitude and holistic methodology.
We look forward to meet all the business owners.
Our core team from Northeast Jay Talluri / Narasimha Telukunta / Amar Varada have been working hard to make all the arrangements for this event to accommodate 300+ business owners.
About ITServe Alliance (www.ITServe.org): ITServe Alliance is an association of IT Services organizations. The alliance is dedicated to providing its member organizations with a platform to collaborate and initiate measures that would contribute to protecting their interests and ensuring collective success.
Press note released by: IndianClicks, LLC
Rohith and other Dalits: Carl Sagan to sewage cleaning
Rohith Vemula, a PhD student, focused on the interstellar spaces and Carl Sagan. In a different location, a sewage cleaner looks for live cockroaches in the sewer, which ironically give him a sense of security: he can now clean the sewer without fearing death from foul gases. One day he miscalculated. He died. One is a real life character, the other from a masterpiece film, Court. But they are two sides of the same reality.
Rohith had a life of the mind, and he wrote sensitive prose, reminding us of the reflective student in our university days, exactly the one we chose to share our secrets with.
At this point, the Dalit in him becomes irrelevant. He could well have been one of us. That is why his suicide touches us more than the self immolation of a teen aged girl in Telangana: her parents did not have the money to build a toilet. She was ashamed.
Reams and reams have been written on Rohiths predicament and there is yet no end to the things in the heart. One reason for the endless outpouring maybe our incapacity to access an educated, 28-year old Dalits mind. We are groping.
Sisyphus, the giant, has been asked to push a boulder up the mountain. From the peak, the boulder comes rolling down and Sisyphus has to resume his labour - push the boulder up again.
In the 60s, every University coffee house existentialist contemplated Sisyphus, as the ultimate metaphor for lifes futility. It was a fad. But for a Dalit tailors son, lifes meaninglessness must seem very real because now an educated mind has been placed on his shoulders. This, as the establishments walls grow higher each day even as universities churn out more and more Dalits, some quite as exceptional as Rohith. The Rohiths of this world have no network, no ties of school or blood to enable them to clamber onto a higher rung. The sewage cleaner has no aim other than a mechanical desire to keep sewers clean. Rohith has been cursed with aspiration. They represent two tragedies.
Visit a five star hotel and statuesque men and women, impeccably clad, populate the main lobbies, arrival desks, restaurants. In sharp contrast are the keepers of the toilets: these are smaller men and women of weaker bone structure, more frugally dressed. These are Dalits, (I believe Valmikis are preferred) hired on contract from private agencies. The picture is similar in shopping malls, hospitals, airports, restaurants.
Placing Dalits on the rolls of these establishments would be risky: men and women employed to clean toilets and keep the establishments tidy would begin to look for upward mobility outside areas of sanitation. This would upset the unstated caste balance in the job market.
Caste hierarchies are thus regularized in collusion with the state. How would the state expect hundreds of thousands of Rohiths to cope with this confusing reality.
Some years ago, there was a minor agitation in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences against three upper caste candidates (two Brahmins) who inveigled themselves into the sanitation department. Marxist leaders intervened to call off the agitation. They thought the trend should be encouraged. Brahmins joining as sanitation labour was a revolutionary social advance.
The reality was different. The upper caste men never touched the broom or actually worked as sanitation labour. Soon enough, they were promoted as supervisors and accommodated in departments far removed from sanitation. Entry as sanitation labour was a ruse.
The prime ministers Swachh Bharat Abhiyan may be trapped in a paradox. Dalits cant be made supervisory officers; officers will not pick up the broom.
A look at some of New Delhis garbage dumps revealed a startling new reality. The new safai mazdoors at these dumps are not the traditional sanitary workers; many of them are Muslims. Sachar Committee report on the socio economic condition of Indian Muslims may be in urgent need of revision. All of this is not unrelated to the condition of a sensitive Dalit like Rohith.
Nothing in recent years has encapsulated the Dalit predicament better than "Court", the film I mentioned at the outset.
Narayan Kamble, a folk poet extremely popular among Dalits, is arrested on a ridiculous charge - that his poetry may have been responsible for the suicide of a sewage cleaner, who died by drowning in the sewage.
The police has been used by the system to silence a poet whose hold on the Dalits may be exploited by the political opposition. The voluntary act of suicide denies the sewage cleaner any sympathy for dying in his line of duty. His death is a political act.
The prosecution lawyer argues against the poet being given bail. The Sessions Judge obliges. There is absolutely no connect between those administering justice and those in need of it. In the latter category is Rohith too.
(A senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com. The views expressed are personal.)
Trisha's Unsatisfying Explanation About Rana
Rana Daggubati and Trisha Krishnan are more than just friends and everyone knows this fact. They were in deep love couple of years ago.
There were also rumors that they would get married but they broke up and she went to get engaged to Varun Manian, which damaged their relation all the more.
On the other hand, recently Trisha came out something that surprised many. The actress said that Rana was just a male friend and nothing more than that.
Trisha often responds to Rana on Twitter, but ask her about it and she questions back saying what is so unusual about that.
She says that she responds to most of her male co-stars on Twitter.
When Trisha broke of her engagement with Varun Manian it was in Ranas arms that she found solace in.
The duo were very much a couple before this engagement, they broke off and drifted away. When Trisha and Varun parted ways, Rana stepped in and gave company to his lady love.
Its hard to believe that Rana is just a friend and everything stops at that. If so why did Trisha unfriend Rana on the social networking site. Just friends seldom do that
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The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center (NMEFC) of China issued a yellow alert for sea ice on Monday, the first this winter.
Acreage of sea ice in Liaodong Bay in northeast China's Bohai Sea has risen to 79 sea miles, 70 percent of the Liaodong Bay area.
According to the center, the declining water temperature in northern sea areas caused by the cold wave in late January has contributed to the expansion of the ice, while the direction of the cold front led to more drifting ice.
The NMEFC forecast that the ice will remain stable for the next three days and called for more icebreaking in Liaodong Bay.
In addition, the center urged local administrative bodies to ensure the supply of necessities and emergency aid to island residents affected by the ice.
China has a four-tier warning system for sea ice, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Forces Rush To Tuni, Police Probe Kapus Protesters
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.
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.
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.
Pawan Didn't Vote In GHMC Elections
Jana Sena President Pawan Kalyan who talks about national integrity and social responsibility has failed in basic citizen's responsibility.
Powerstar as he is known popularly has left for Kerala to join the shoot of "Sardar Gabbar Singh" and didn't vote in GHMC elections.
Earlier there were reports that his party would contest the polls in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. But he opted out from contesting citing lack of cadre strength at this moment.
Later Telugu Desam and Bharatiya Janata parties have tried hard to rope in him as star campaigner but he didn't oblige their request.
While his brother Chiranjeevi and other stars who have votes in Hyderabad had used their voting facility, Pawan Kalyan being a leader of a political party prefered shooting over the elections.
'The Rahul Gandhi' Of AP
Hyderabad: What was the reason for Pawan Kalyan to cancel his film's shoot and rush to Hyderabad when he was not willing to take a stance on the Kapu issue?
Blaming neither his community, nor the TDP nor anybody, what does he hope to achieve through this please-all strategy?
A leader who can usher in change is a person who has the guts to take a stance on contentious issues. It might put him in a difficult position but that is what separates him from the bunch if he believes the decision is in the right interests of the people.
Politicians are concerned about themselves whereas leaders are concerned about society.
Pawan Kalyan clearly is in awe of the TDP and probably cannot muster the strength to take them on.
He spoke out in support of the farmers of the new capital region and did nothing to protect their lands. It was the same with the bauxite mining issue as well.
For being at his diplomatic best, he need not have rushed to Hyderabad from Kerala. He could have simply issued a press statement from there.
One thing is clear though! Pawan Kalyan in AP is as competent as Rahul Gandhi is at the national level. They are just not cut out for it.
Where Is Your Intelligence, Mr Naidu?
The violent incidents like burning of train at Tuni during the Kapu garjana rally the other day glaringly exposed the failure of the intelligence department of the Andhra Pradesh government.
In fact, the blame should go to intelligence chief A B Venkateshwar Rao, who was cherry-picked by none other than Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
When the cash-for-vote scandal broke out in Hyderabad exposing the involvement of Telangana TDP leader A Revanth Reddy, Naidu expressed anger at then intelligence chief Anuradha for failing to keep a tab on telephone tapping done by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government.
Naidu sacked her and shifted her to another post. He then replaced her with Venkateshwara Rao, who was then Vijaywada police commissioner.
However, there were several incidents that brought disgrace to the Naidu government after Venkateshwar Rao took charge.
Apparently, the new intelligence boss failed to prevent the killing of Chittoor Mayor Anuradha and her husband, despite having written complaints from the couple about the threat to their lives. He also failed to judge the unrest among farmers in the Amaravati capital area.
Now, during the ongoing Kapu agitation, there were enough intelligence inputs on the intensity of the agitation. Yet, Rao did not alert the government about the possibility of violence and assess why the agitators had chosen Tuni for their meeting and their plans to block the trains and highways.
Had the intelligence given enough indications, the present violence would not have taken place, say experts.
Ratnachal Express Set On Fire By Kapu Agitators At Tuni
Visakhapatnam: 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.
Starting this week, Californians who choose to drive for a Transportation Network Company (TNC) have a new option for insurance. Allstate now offers optional coverage for the time drivers are logged into a TNC app but have not yet accepted a TNC assignment. Allstates Ride for Hire product also provides for potentially lower coverage deductibles in the event a qualifying drivers vehicle is damaged in an accident when they are driving a TNC passenger. Allstate plans to bring the optional coverage to a number of states in 2016.
The Allstate Ride for Hire endorsement supports customers who use their personal vehicles to drive for qualifying TNCs. Allstate expects that, on average, a customer will pay roughly $15-$20 each year to add this optional coverage.
The new Allstate Ride for Hire endorsement helps fill some of the gaps in coverage that can arise between Allstates personal auto policy and the TNCs commercial coverage.
Some TNCs may provide their drivers liability coverage when they are logged into the app but have not accepted an assignment from the TNC. Allstates endorsement can help fill the gap that arises when a customers personal auto policy liability coverage limits are greater than whats provided by the TNC. During this period, the endorsement can also help fill gaps that might arise under certain other coverages, such as collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured motorist.
The deductible associated with collision/comprehensive coverages provided by the TNC when drivers have accepted an assignment or have a TNC passenger in the car may be higher than what some customers carry on their personal auto policy. Allstates Ride for Hire endorsement can help protect customers against these higher deductible costs when the TNC coverage deductible is higher than the drivers personal auto policy deductible.
Allstate agency owners and representatives will be available to help customers understand coverage and identify potential solutions for their unique needs.
The Royal Jordanian Armed Forces Band performs during the Second China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest Chinas Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on September 10, 2015 (XINHUA)
On January 13, China published its first Arab policy paper, reaffirming the strategic significance that it attaches to the region. The release of this important document and the recent state visits of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran coincided with the 60th anniversary of Sino-Arab diplomatic relations and present the role that China seeks to play in the Middle East.
As mentioned in China's Arab Policy Paper, Xi had already pointed out areas and trends of priority for cooperation for the relevant parties in his speech opening the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing in June 2014. Now the agenda for dialogue with Arab and Iranian leaders includes economic cooperation, anti-terrorism, the Syrian crisis, and the acceleration of free trade agreement negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Mediation: a role for China?
China has long remained distant from Middle East conflicts, trying to maintain a neutral stance. Meanwhile, the United States is unlikely to have a big chance of success in mediating a political settlement of the current diplomatic tussle between Iran and Saudi Arabia, due to their deep distrust of America's interests in the region. Nor has the United States succeeded in its over half a century of mediation efforts between Arabs and Israelis. The series of imbroglios into which the United States has been drawn demonstrate that playing referee in the Middle East while trying to protect American interests is no easy task.
In Syria, Washington's role is perceived negatively by all parties. In Yemen, the U.S. Government first supported the GCC initiative that brought to power the government of Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and opposed the coup attempt of the Houthi (supported by Iran), before turning to criticize Saudi Arabia's endless war in that country. In Iraq, the Americans have also lost their bets, being criticized by all those involved. Actually, the problem is not that the Americans have been passive, but have been over-actively involved militarily in those conflicts, either by arming, pushing or fighting.
Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
Flash
A retired KLM flight was refitted into a hotel (File photo)
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 U.S.-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.
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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
The nations Commander in Chief doesnt send letters to just anybody.
Last week, Leah Common and Cameron Driscoll each received a Presidents Volunteer Service Award along with a letter from President Barack Obama for completing 250 hours of community service at the Bruce Museums Seaside Center in 2015.
Its such a huge honor because when I was completing work at the Seaside Center, it didnt really feel like work. It was something that was enjoyable and rewarding to me and hopefully to others as well, Common said.
Hearing the 250-plus hours was a shock to me because time flies so fast when youre doing something you love, said Common.
A junior at Greenwich High School, this was her second summer volunteering for the Seaside Center.
I wasnt expecting it to be from the White House, that was crazy. I thought it was something from the Bruce Museum when I heard of it. And then I opened it up and it was a signed letter from Obama I was very, very, very pleasantly surprised, said Driscoll, a Trinity College junior and Greenwich native.
The students were presented with the awards, letters addressed to them by President Obama, at a lunch with other volunteers, staffers and the Bruce Museum executive director Peter Sutton
In the past six years, 23 volunteers at the museum have received a gold award two of them received the award twice. The museum became a certified organization with the presidential service awards eight years ago.
Theyre both knowledgeable and eager to learn. There was never a time where they just hung around too much. After they were done with the job they would always come over and say Is there anything else you want us to do? said Steven Fong.
Fong, now a Brucemobile instructor at the museum, was a naturalist at the Seaside Center and in charge of the volunteers and interns in 2015.
But it wasnt just the work ethic, it was also the personality, said Fong. They werent shy to approach different people and make people feel comfortable coming into the center.
Both volunteers developed programs for Seaside Center visitors as passionate supporters of environmental education.
I really care deeply about our environment and I think its important for my generation and future generations the kids that visit us to be educated about the environment, especially the environment in their very own town, said Common.
Common said the result of teaching is a domino effect, that once you education one person, that person can educate others. I think thats whats so valuable about volunteering.
Its also really important to get kids excited about biology, especially young girls, said Driscoll. And making them think maybe they could go in that direction. Then you have a whole generation who could be wardens for our environment.
Driscoll is set to graduate with an English degree. He said he wants to become a lawyer in the environmental or biotech world.
Common, still in high school, doesnt know what she wants to do when she graduates, but she said protecting nature will most likely, inevitably, be involved.
Its amazing, said Common. Im definitely very proud in a sense, but also very humbled that I was able to earn something off strictly loving it. I hope everybody in their life is able to earn and be rewarded by doing something they love. I think thats important in life: to do what you love, find your passion, but also help other people through your passions.
SFoster-Frau@scni.com; @SilviaElenaFF
Whether its your first day as an entrepreneur, or youre a creaky veteran of business, you know that finding, recruiting and keeping the right talent is essential to business survival and success. Its somewhat surprising then that so many companies separate their public relations and marketing efforts from their talent recruitment and retention ones. Its almost as if entrepreneurs and other business leaders believe that customers, investors and team members are different kinds of people.
True, they may be looking for different things in what your company says or does -- a quality product as opposed to great benefits, for example. But the line of thinking that segregates business messaging between employee targets and others, can and should end.
Related: 5 Inexpensive Ways to Do PR for Your Company
Thats because customers and team talent alike are viewing companies holistically, thinking about how they engage with their communities, interact with political and social issues and treat their employees. So, bragging that your company has cutting edge leave or health-care policies or pay generously wont just attract better quality employees -- it will lure customers and clients too. At the same time, being outspoken about your companys social causes or charity work, as examples, can not only bolster your public image overall but help your company get and keep the best employees.
Here are three things businesses can do to build a better image and boost team member quality and enthusiasm.
1. Publicize charity, community and employee engagement.
Many times, corporate community-relations offices are shy about publicizing their charity and community support or employee volunteering -- they are afraid it can seem icky. But it doesnt have to be. If your company is already doing community giving or has a policy that encourages and rewards employee volunteerism, share it proudly.
Mazda is a great example. They recently put considerable ad resources behind their Drive for Good campaign which links their charity giving to employee engagement and customer activity. For every test drive, the company supports their employees giving an hour of time to charity. The result has been a trifecta for Mazda -- increased employee satisfaction, customer outreach and a polished corporate image.
2. Boost pay, and brag about it.
Everyone accepts that pay and benefits for employees in highly-skilled and competitive jobs can be lofty. But there can also be outstanding benefits in publicity -- as well as for employees -- in raising wages and or benefits across the board. Generally, customers like supporting companies that treat their employees well, and whatever stigma there used to be about sharing these stories is gone.
Ice Cream giant Ben and Jerrys had been living on the public relations of setting their wage ratio for the highest-paid employee to the lowest to 5:1 -- which they did until 1990. Not only did it benefit employees, it changed the way customers thought of the brand. Southwest Airlines has not been shy at all about announcing that their employees come first, customers second. And even notoriously cost-conscious WalMart has been rolling in great publicity by announcing regional pay raises.
Related: 4 Things Leaders Aren't Doing But Should to Increase Employee Satisfaction
3. Have fun -- use your employee networks.
Your employees and team members have lives outside the office. And you may be surprised to find that several of them are active, even quite active, on social media. So ask around and find out who your selfie office rock stars are. Unless you work at Google or CNN or something, its not uncommon for a few employees to have larger online audiences than the company.
Once you have a sense of who posts to Instagram or is a power influencer on Twitter, ask them if theyd be willing to share information about where they work and what they do. But dont push or expect it -- some employees are rightly guarded about segregating their work lives and personal ones. At the same time, you wont get unless you ask, and a fun photo of the office lawn bowling tourney from one of your employee rock stars can do amazing things to help your workplace brand.
But making this idea work requires your team to do fun things that are worth sharing. Have those fun lawn bowling tournaments. Dont ask your team member to post your annual reports to their Facebook pages. That really doesnt help anyone.
Boston startup Jebbit, for example, hosts regular Tuesday dinners with prominent local business leaders, founders and investors and is seeing the results on their employees social-media communities. "We understand that many of our employees have entrepreneurial dreams of their own, and we want to help foster their enthusiasm," CEO Tom Coburn said. The dinners, Coburn says, give our team access to people they otherwise wouldn't be able to talk to -- and they often share the insights they've learned on Twitter."
Those are just three ways to connect the public dots between what your company is doing for employees and building better brands and more loyal customers. As a business leader, you probably shouldnt treat your employees better or give more to your community just for the publicity value. At the same time, though, as you do those things, theres every reason to tell people about it and make it a core part of your public-relations and marketing strategies.
Related: How to Make Company Announcements in Buzzworthy Ways
Related:
Bragging About Treating Your Team Well Is Always Good PR
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5 Things Not to Do When Pitching Journalists
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Mike Zacchea has another commendation to add to his Purple Heart and two Bronze stars an invitation to the State of the Union.
The retired Marine lieutenant colonel from Brookfield will be the guest of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, Tuesday, when President Barack Obama addresses Congress.
Zacchea, 47, was wounded at the second battle of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004. Since his medical retirement from the military, he estimated he has volunteered 15,000 hours to try to find business opportunities for fellow veterans. Those efforts drew the notice of Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, who called Zacchea last week to invite him to Washington, D.C., for the presidential address.
I had chills, Zacchea said. I think the point of inviting me to this is were just at the start of this demand for veteran-owned business opportunities.
A third generation Marine, Zacchea is a member of an advisory committee on Veterans Business Affairs for the Small Business Administration. He is also program manager for the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities at the University of Connecticut School of Business.
His is a model for public servicean heroic soldier and job creator who helps veterans start, strengthen and expand businesses that have provided countless jobs and opportunities for other veterans across Connecticut, Blumenthal said.
More Information Other invitees Mark Barden - invited by Sen. Chris Murphy; lost his son, Daniel, at Sandy Hook Elementary School; co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise, a grassroots gun control group. James Wardwell - invited by Rep. Elizabeth Esty; New Britain police chief; singled-out for his work on preventing gun violence and opioid addiction. Don Carlson - invited by Rep. Jim Himes; attorney from Greenwich; head of Himes' transition team when he was elected to Congress in 2008; a longtime friend who attended Harvard University with Himes and worked at Goldman Sachs with him. Marcia LaFemina - invited by Rep. Rosa DeLauro; president and chief executive officer of Penn Globe, a North Branford manufacturer of LED lighting and fixtures; highlighted as woman small business owner who provides paid sick leave and health care to her employees. See More Collapse
Last December, Zacchea testified before the Veterans Affairs Committee about helping armed service members transition back into civilian life. Between now and 2021, more than 1 million combat veterans will be leaving active service, according to Zacchea, who said that there are 2.5 million small businesses owned by veterans nationally. They account for $1.7 trillion or 10 percent of the nations gross domestic product.
They want help, Zacchea said.
Zacchea is also active in Democratic politics in Brookfield, running unsuccessfully for school board last fall.
neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
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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.
HARTFORD - Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday released the second of two $30 million installments of Town Aid Road funding for cities and towns across Connecticut.
The funding continues an increased amount for municipal purposes, which prior to the Malloy administration had received lower amounts ranging from $12.5 million to $30 million.
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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.
Flash
The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to convene an Emergency Committee Monday to address the spread of the mysterious virus causing the Zika disease, as health experts warned that an outbreak is ballooning at an "extremely alarming" rate.
A doctor holds container of the Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae, the carrier of Zika virus, in a laboratory of the Ministry of Health, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Jan. 29, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
The Zika disease has been linked with a birth defect known as microcephaly, which sees children born with abnormally small brains, as well as a neurological syndrome that can cause paralysis.
Margaret Chan, the director-general of the WHO, said board members would meet on Monday to establish if the Zika virus should be declared an international emergency.
And an official at the WHO office for the Americas, where the disease has spread to 23 countries in a matter of months, said we can "expect three to four million cases."
Here are 10 facts one may need to know about the Zika virus.
1. What is Zika virus?
The Zika disease is caused by a virus transmitted by aedes egyptus, the mosquito that carries the virus which could be found in Southern Europe, Africa and the southern United States. There is additional concern that aedes albopictus, the highly aggressive tiger mosquito, could become a vector for the Zika virus.
2. What are the common symptoms?
The Zika virus could cause a mild illness. Common symptoms of infection with the virus include mild headaches, maculopapular rash, fever, malaise, conjunctivitis, and joint pains, which normally last two to seven days.
3. What has Zika to do with microcephaly?
A group of Brazilian doctors found a link between Zika and the rising number of babies born with microcephaly in the country.
Microcephaly refers to abnormally smaller head for new born babies. It may lead to developmental delays and often comes with other health conditions, like sight and heart congenital diseases.
Health authorities found out that many Brazilian women who had babies with microcephaly had been infected with the Zika virus in the early months of their pregnancies. This caused an uproar among the country's female population and prompted some women to postpone their plans to get pregnant in the near future.
4. How to treat the Zika disease?
Usually, the Zika virus disease is relatively mild and requires no specific treatment. People affected with the Zika virus should get plenty of rest, drink enough fluids, and treat pain and fever with common medicines. If symptoms worsen, medical care and advice should be sought immediately.
5. Is there a vaccine or cure?
As of 2016, no vaccine, preventative drug or specific treatment is available. But work is underway towards developing a vaccine for the Zika virus. However, scientists say it may take several years before the vaccine could be rolled out. The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites.
6. How widespread is the outbreak of the Zika virus in the Americas?
The WHO 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. Over 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly have been identified in Brazil. So far, 270 of the cases have been officially confirmed to have links to the Zika virus, and further testing is underway.
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.
7. Where did the Zika virus originate?
Outbreaks of the Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and Western Pacific. According to WHO statistics, the virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania.
Recent outbreaks of the Zika virus were first reported from the Pacific in 2007 and 2013 (Yap and French Polynesia respectively), and from the Americas (Brazil and Colombia) and Africa (Cape Verde) in 2015.
8. What measures has the international community taken to prevent the spread of the Zika disease?
In January 2016, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level 2 travel alert for people traveling to regions and certain countries where the Zika virus transmission is ongoing. The CDC also suggested that women thinking about becoming pregnant should consult with their physicians before traveling.
Governments or health agencies of the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the EU soon issued similar travel warnings.
In Colombia, Minister of Health and Social Protection Alejandro Gaviria Uribe proposed a prevention of pregnancy for eight months, while Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica have made similar proposals.
Brazil also announced plans to prevent the spread of the Zika virus during the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
9. What's the difference between Zika and Ebola?
Unlike Ebola, Zika does not spread from person to person, has a low mortality, and does not kill healthcare workers. Therefore, it warrants a different response, according to a commentary published Friday by a British think tank Chatham House.
Although some lessons from the Ebola outbreak can be applied, the recent spread of the Zika virus presents a different challenge and needs a different response, said the authors of the commentary.
10. Should we panic?
WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward warned that though the Zika virus is currently circulating at a very high intensity in the Americas, gaps remain regarding the situation on the ground.
"With respect to China and Asia, at this moment we don't have any official notification of the Zika virus in that area," he said, adding he did not know what would be the required timeframe, or indeed the feasibility, of developing a vaccine.
The last day for the original location is February 7. Photo: Patrick Siggins
Bark Hot Dogs has been a popular and generally busy fixture in Park Slope for the last seven years, drawing crowds and families for its butter-basted franks and well-received, generally chef-y approach to fast food. In a lot of ways, it predated these glorified fast-casual times in which we now live.
New York named the shop home to the citys best hot dogs in 2010, and chef-owner Joshua Sharkey opened up a second location in Greenwich Village last year before abruptly closing after just six months, which he blamed on the neighborhoods extremely high rents. At the time, he said he wouldnt rule out a return to Manhattan, but that now seems unlikely, as Sharkey will close the original Brooklyn restaurant, with the final day of service slated for February 7. If you want a kraut dog, nows the time to go.
[Zagat]
Apple retained its position as the world's No.1 tablet vendor for the last quarter, although year-on-year sales saw a 24.8% decline, according to latest data from market research firm IDC. The Cupertino-based company shipped a total of 16.1 million tablets in Q4 2015, down from 21.4 million units shipped in the same quarter of 2014.
Samsung came in second with 9 million units shipped, down from 11 million units the company shipped in Q4 2014, which is an 18.1% decline. The South Korean company's market share stood at 13.7%, compared to 24.5% share of the market Apple claimed.
Amazon, Lenovo, and Huawei rounded up the top five with 7.9%, 4.8%, and 3.4% market shares, respectively. What's worth noticing here is the Amazon's annual growth of 175.7%, something the report attributed to the company's latest Kindle iteration, which it said was a runaway hit this holiday season.
Talking about 2015 as a whole, while Apple and Samsung retained the top two spots with 24% and 16.2% market share, respectively, Lenovo climbed to the third spot with 5.4% share. Asus and Huawei rounded up the top five 3.4% and 3.1% of the market, respectively.
Overall, the worldwide tablet market - which includes slate tablets as well as detachable tablets - continued to decline, with a negative year-on-year growth of 13.7%. However, separately, the market for detachable tablets was up, with shipments reaching an all-time high of 8.1 million devices.
"This quarter was unique as we had new detachables in the market from all three of the major platform players," said IDC's Senior Research Analyst Jitesh Ubrani. "Despite lukewarm reviews, the iPad Pro was the clear winner this season as it was the top selling detachable, surpassing notable entries from Microsoft and other PC vendors." "It's also important to note that the transition towards detachable tablets has presented positive opportunities for both Apple and Microsoft. However, Google's recent foray into this space has been rather lackluster as the Android platform will require a lot more refinement to achieve any measurable success." "One of the biggest reasons why detachables are growing so fast is because end users are seeing those devices as PC replacements," said Jean Philippe Bouchard, Research Director, Tablets at IDC. "We believe Apple sold just over two million iPad Pros while Microsoft sold around 1.6 million Surface devices, a majority of which were Surface Pro and not the more affordable Surface 3. With these results, it's clear that price is not the most important feature considered when acquiring a detachable performance is."
Source
Remember the Snapdragon 810? If you do, chances are that you associate it with the infamous overheating issues. That reputation has plagued the chip almost constantly throughout its lifecycle and it was the major reason behind Samsung's decision to skip using the SoC on its Galaxy S6 line. Now, in an unfortunate twist of faith, industry sources have begun accusing the upcoming MediaTek Helio X20 of the same kind of thermomanagement issues.
Naturally this is yet to be confirmed by any official source, so don't take this too seriously. That being said, the report claims that the issues with the Helio X20 is present and was enough to deter Xiaomi, HTC and Lenovo and make them cancel their Helio X20 smartphones.
If you don't remember the Helio X20 and what is so special about it, it is officially the first 10-core mobile SoC. It uses an innovative tri-cluster design, which is a first in the smartphone realm as well.
For MediaTek's sake, we sincerely hope the rumors get debunked and soon, before we have a repeat of the unfortunate Snapdragon 810.
Source (In Chinese) | Via
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Haiti - FLASH : Job Offer to the Canadian Embassy in Haiti
The Human Resources Section of the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince informed that a process is now underway for staffing an indeterminate position of "Archives clerk", within the Immigration Section.
Requirements :
Languages: Knowledge of French and Creole, spoken and written ;
Diploma or Certificate in Administration, secretarial sciences or the equivalent ;
Experience : Two years experience as an administrative clerk; experience in client service, office management, correspondence and filing ;
Very good knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel ;
Qualities : aptitude in team working, punctuality, flexibility, discretion, integrity, reliability
Asset : knowledge of the English language
Level : 4-1
Conditions :
Work hours : 37 h 50 per week, from Monday to Friday (working overtime can be requested).
Basic annual salary : 653,199 HTG
Bonus : 13th month paid in December
Fringe benefit : 23,660 HTG per year.
Deadline to submit applications : Thursday February 11, 2016, before noon.
Candidates who are interested must send their CV and a motivation letter clearly explaining how they meet all the position requirements. Motivation letters that do not show this prerequisite will be discarded.
Please send your letter and CV to one of the following addresses :
prnce-humanresources@international.gc.ca
prnce-ressourceshumaines@international.gc.ca
Please note that applications personally hand carried to our office will not be accepted.
N.B. Only preselected candidates will receive notification of receipt.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/article-16473-haiti-avis-offre-d-emploi-a-l-ambassade-de-france.html (in french)
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Politic : The National Education Pact, forwarded to Parliament
Friday, the documents of the National Pact for the Quality of Education have been transmitted to the Haitian Parliament by the Ministry of Education by mail addressed to Jocelerme Privert, President of the Senate and Cholzer Chancy, President of the Chamber of Deputies.
The Ministry recalls that the Pact initiated with the various components of the educational community (teachers, school principals, unions, socio-professional associations etc...) launched in October 2015 as already collected over 25,000 signatures and adhesion of different key players in national life.
The Pact contains 7 major commitments https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15429-haiti-education-towards-a-national-pact-for-quality-education.html whose second states "The signatories ensure that during the period 2016-2020, the Haitian government will dedicate to the public funding of education, the higher of these two amounts: either 35% of the national budget, or 8% of its GDP . This is the minimum amount to spend on public funding for Haitian education" which requires doubling the funding of the education sector, in the medium term, of about 12.5 billion gourdes.
The Ministry points out that the current challenges faced by the education sector must interpellate all stakeholders to find ways and means to address the urgent issues include those that: salary arrears, application of salary scale for educational staff, rehabilitation of a thousand public schools operating in an unacceptable condition and the regularization of the Universal Schooling Program Free and Compulsory (PSUGO).
7 main commitments of the National Pact for the Quality of Education : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15429-haiti-education-towards-a-national-pact-for-quality-education.html
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-15590-haiti-politic-national-pact-for-quality-education-adhere-to-it-online.html
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - News : Electoral Zapping...
FLASH: Avalanche of demonstrations
The democratic opposition table of the G8 intends to continue, from Thursday 4 to Sunday, February 7, 2016, their series of demonstrations in the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince against the Head of State;
Fanmi Lavalas call for a mobilization on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February, in case the President Michel Martelly refuses to leave power;
The National Movement of the Popular Opposition (MONOP), close to Jude Celestin, announces 3 demonstration days, this Tuesday 2, Friday 5 and Sunday 7 against the powers in place ;
Of organizations and platforms, close to the Tet Kale team, including "Repon Peyizan" and "Viktwa", announces 5 days of demonstration 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 February in several parts of the country, to continue to require in particular the continuation of the electoral process.
Rumor of resignation of the Prime Minister
According to a rumor circulating in the corridor of the National Palace, as part of an agreement between the two House and the Head of State, Prime Minister Evans Paul could resign in the coming hours. The resignation would be to allow the appointment of a new Prime Minister of consensus and facilitate the departure of Michel Martelly on 7 February. True or false ? To be continued...
The G8, refuses to meet with the OAS
Monday, Samuel Madistin, G8 spokesman said the mission of the Organization of American States "is not welcome here." Confirming that the G8 including Jude Celestin, had refused to meet with the OAS Mission stating that OAS is "unable to play a mediating role" in the Haitian crisis.
Minustah not involved in any negotiation
"It is urgent for the Haitian actors find a consensual outcome [to the political crisis]," said Sandra Honore, considering that the proposals to end the crisis made by the various actors demonstrate a "great interest of the society o a solution to this impasse. "Noting that the Minustah is not attending the various negotiations.
The MOPOD against a transition with a PM
On Monday, at a press conference, Serge Jean Louis, Representative of MOPOD within the G8 said it was "no question that any Prime Minister assumes the after Martelly" wishing that the President of the Court of Cassation take control of the country after February 7.
OPL wants a provisional President and PM
According Sauveur Pierre Etienne, presidential candidate of OPL and member of the G8, it is important that after February 7, the country is led by two heads: a prime minister and interim president.
HL/ HaitiLibre
Published on 2016/02/02 | Source
'Answer Me 1988' star Park Bo-gum has returned to Korea through the Incheon International Airport in the afternoon on February 2nd after he finished filming for tvN's travel show, 'Youth over Flowers Africa'.
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Ryu Jun-yeol, Ahn Jae-hong, and Go Kyung-pyo were enjoying their reward vacation sponsored by 'Answer Me 1988' production team. During the vacation, they were talked by PD Na Yeong-seok into going on a trip to Namibia to film tvN's travel show, 'Youth over Flowers Africa'.
Park Bo-gum, who was back to Korea from the reward trip at the time to shoot a music program, also flew to Africa to join the three actors.
insurance broker who was fired for criticising his boss in an email sent to a prospective employer from his work account has lost his claim for unfair dismissal.The Fair Work Commission upheld Moran Insurance Brokers dismissal of Melbourne-based insurance broker Norman Burd for serious misconduct, after it was heard he told a competitor that his boss was having an affair and had lost a major client.Fair Work Commissioner Julius Roe said Burds comment about the company losing a major client could potentially damage the company and the accusation his boss was having an affair was "derogatory", AFR reported.Commissioner Roe said Burd should not have shared information about the financial state of his employer and its clients to the prospective employer, who was also a competitor."Whether the information was true or false, the employer had reasonable grounds for concluding that it was serious misconduct to provide this damaging information to another employer in the industry," he told AFR.Burd told the prospective employer in his email that he needed a good working environment and said his boss was having an affair with the firms general manager."Daniel, left his wife and 4 kids and is having an affair with the office manager who calls herself general manager ie another Ann who's leading him by the nose, Moran's has lost one there biggest accounts plus other business, to put it simply he is struggling and has created a difficult atmosphere for me I'm not into office politics, which I can't put up with anymore, Moran wrote from his work email account.Commissioner Roe said Moran Insurances decision to fire Burd on the spot was justified as the derogatory comment was sent from his work email to a competitor."This is not a case where passing comments of a critical nature are made about an employer to friends or family in private at a party or on private email or on a private Facebook page," Commissioner Roe told AFR. "This is a case where work email is used to communicate with another employer in the same industry."
Dr. Spiceland to Tell Secrets of Tweetsie at Library Feb. 11
High Country Writers welcomes Dr. David Spiceland as guest speaker on Thursday, Feb 11 at the Watauga Public Library at 10 am. The program is free and open to the public. Dr. Spiceland has been researching ETWNC, Tweetsie, which was a part of Boone history for 20 years. He has uncovered rare artifacts and details that have been right in front of our eyes, says Spiceland. I love history, and I love railroads. I hope I can answer questions about the railroad and find others who agree that this is a story worth telling.
Since coming to Boone and Appalachian State 24 years ago, Dr. Spiceland had many interests including the FCCs Fairness Doctrine (his dissertation topic) and the railroad that came to Boone and left too soon after a major hurricane barreled through North Carolina. Surprisingly there are railroad stories connected with the Tweetsie that can still be discovered.
David Spiceland is an Associate Professor at ASU in the Department of Communication in Electronic Media and Broadcasting. His future plans include a video detailing the abandonment of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad (Tweetsie) and a book on the John Wayne Western, Red River.
High Country Writers is an organization which fosters the growth and creativity of writers of all genres offering its members support, constructive criticism and professional development. The meetings are held at 10 am at the Watauga County Library on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. Guests are welcome. Meetings are canceled when the Watauga County Public Library is closed for inclement weather. For more information about the organization, membership, and calendar of events, please visit the HCW website at http//:highcountrywriters.tripod.com
Appalachian Symphony to Perform Feb. 14
Songs of love provide the foundation for the Appalachian Symphony Orchestras Feb. 14 concert. With the theme Lamour toujours or love always, the performance includes works by Edward Elgar, Astor Piazolla, Jules Massenet and solos performed by winners of the Hayes School of Musics 2015-16 Orchestra Concerto/Aria competition.
The free performance begins at 2 p.m. in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is free.
The orchestra is led by guest conductor Cornelia Laemmli Orth, assisted by Will Selle.
Opening the concert is Edward Elgars Salut DAmor, Op. 12. Written in 1888, the well-known composition was presented as part of Elgars marriage proposal to his future wife.
Andres Orench will join the orchestra for a performance of two movements from Warren Bensons Concertino for Alto Saxophone. Selle will conduct the orchestra.
Pianist Hunter Cox will perform the third movement of Tchaikovskys Concerto in B-flat Major Op. 23.
The orchestra will also perform the overture to Mozarts opera, Cosi fan tutte.
Tenor Remy Martin will perform Pourquoi me reveiller from Jules Massenets opera Werther, La donna e mobile from Verdis opera, Rigoletto and Amor ti vieta from Umberto Giordanos opera Fedora.
The concert will conclude with the overture to Pyotr Illych Tchaikovskys Romeo and Juliet. The piece will be introduced by Professor Derek Gagnier from the Department of Theatre and Dance who will recite a monologue from the conclusion of Shakespeares play Romeo and Juliet.
About the Concerto/Aria award winners
Andres Orench
Orench is a senior music education major from Alexander. He has played saxophone in various school music ensembles including the Appalachian Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble I, Saxophone Choir and the Saxophone Quartet. His studies have included a tour of Italy with Jazz Ensemble I. He has also performed with the Hickory Jazz Orchestra and the Asheville Jazz Orchestra. Orench is a White Wind Scholar, and is a member of the National Association for Music Educators. He is pursuing a bachelors degree in music education, complemented by a Certificate of Recognition in Music Performance and a Certificate of Jazz Studies. Orench plans to teach middle and high school band when he graduates. He is a student of Scott Kallestad.
Hunter Cox
Cox, who has been playing piano since age 12, is a student of Dr. Rodney Reynerson. A junior music education major from Sanford, Cox is a member of The Honors College. He is a member and the treasurer of the Appalachians chapter of the National Association for Music Education. He studies saxophone with Scott Kallestad and plays violin as well. Cox also is a piano instructor with the Hayes School of Musics Community Music School. A recipient of an AppalPIE Scholarship and the Will Hester Memorial Scholarship, Cox is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and music education.
Remy Martin
Martin, a senior vocal performance major from Medford Lakes, New Jersey, is a student of Joe Amaya. Along with performing across Europe with a national choir, Martin has performed as the lead in several opera and musical theatre productions. He has been singing classically for five years and said the opportunities he has had to perform have helped maximize his musicianship.
Valentines Bookmaking at BRAHM Set for Feb. 13
Join us for two and a half hours of fun and creative fellowship while creating a heart-shaped accordion book. Well start by folding and cutting the heart-shaped text block and add a heart-shaped cover. When the basic book is complete, well collage its pages with decorative papers, which will become a colorful background for handwritten thoughts or poetry. Well use a variety of decorated papers, including some Asian papers, which are included in the workshop fee. You may bring poetry and photographs to add to your book pages.
Sigrid Hice is a book artist and writer who grew up in West Germany and has lived in Hickory, NC, for 40 years. She has taught numerous artist book workshops to people of all ages. As a teaching artist, she visits schools in North and South Carolina throughout the school year and integrates bookmaking and creative writing. Sigrid is a roster member of the Mountain Arts Program, the South Carolina Arts Commissions Art in Education program, and the Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Preregistration is required. Please phone 828.295.9099 to register. Last day to register is February 10. $30 for Nonmembers, $25 Members. All materials provided.
Free iLasik Seminar at Graystone Eye Feb. 9
Graystone Eye and Refractive Surgeon, R.E. Trey Oursler, will host a free seminar on Tuesday, February 9th at 6 pm on the lower level of their Hickory office. Graystone Eye is located in the McDonald Crossing business park near the intersection of McDonald Parkway and Tate Boulevard.
Participants will learn about vision correction procedures including iLASIK, advanced technology lens replacement options, and KAMRA, a new option that reduces dependence on reading glasses.
All participants over the age of 18 will receive a certificate valued at $500 toward either procedure, and be eligible to win a $1000 discount certificate to be given away at the end of the presentation.
For further information or to register for this event, call 828-304-6611, or go online at www.graystonelasik.com.
February Programs at Elk Knob State Park
Winter Edibles
Come learn about some of the edible plants you can find in the mountains in winter. Meet on Saturday, February 6th, 2:00 pm at the park office.
The Science of Snow
For humans, snow can be pretty, fun, annoying, dangerous and many other things. What does it mean for the natural world? How does it form such intricate shapes? Cut out a scientifically correct flake and learn how to preserve real ones. Come find more about this magnificent crystalline wonder. Meet Saturday, February 27th, 2:00 pm at the park office.
Free FAFSA Help Across NC on Feb. 20
College financial aid officers and specialists will be available throughout North Carolina on Saturday, February 20th to help high school seniors, their families, and college students complete and submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form online. These free FAFSA Day programs will be available at host sites open from 9:00 a.m. until noon.
Completion of the FAFSA is required to be considered for any federal and most state financial aid for college, including scholarships and grants. FAFSA Day and other related events are sponsored by the collaboration of College Foundation of North Carolina, the North Carolina Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and State Employees Credit Union.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Go to CFNC.org/FAFSAday or call 866-866-CFNC toll-free for a list of event sites and register for the one nearest you. More than 65 sites will be available the morning of Saturday, February 20.
During the week following FAFSA Day (February 22-26), State Employee Credit Union branches will be ready by appointment to help students and families with FAFSAcompletion. Families also can get help with the FAFSA the evening of Tuesday, February 23 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Greensboro.
A February FAFSA Phone-In. also sponsored by CFNC, is another option for students and parents who have only a few questions on completing the FAFSA. Every Tuesday night in February between 5 p.m. 8 p.m., financial aid specialists will be available to help at the toll-free number, 866-866-CFNC (2362).
To be fully prepared to complete the FAFSA at one of these February FAFSA events, participants should either file their 2015 federal taxes in advance or bring the following: (1) both the students and parents federal 1040 tax forms for 2015 (or W-2 forms and other income and asset documents if completed tax forms are not available); (2) the students and one parents FSA ID obtained in advance from the U.S. Department of Education website, fsaid.ed.gov; and (3) a FAFSA on the Web Worksheet with as much information entered as possible. The online Worksheet is available at www.fafsa.gov.
Early completion of the FAFSA helps students take advantage of all of the financial aid opportunities available for North Carolinians, said Marcia Weston, of the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority and CFNC coordinator of the FAFSA Day program. Students and parents dont need to worry if they arent sure how to answer all of the questions on the form. Thats why we have arranged to have experienced college aid professionals and financial specialists to help at each site.
Weston also stated, Filing 2015 federal taxes early makes FAFSA completion easier. Most of those who file well in advance of FAFSA Day can then take advantage of the automatic transfer option to enter their tax information directly onto their FAFSA.
She continued, If a student or parent hasnt yet filed taxes, they can enter estimated income information on the FAFSA, and updated tax information can be transferred to the FAFSA at a later date.
More information is available on college and career planning on the College Foundation of North Carolina website, CFNC.org. Families will find college cost estimators, lists of scholarship, grant and loan opportunities, information about North Carolinas 529 college savings plan, career descriptions and requirements, virtual tours of more than 100 of the states college campuses and online college admission and financial aid applications.
About CFNC
College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) is a free service of the State of North Carolina that helps students plan, apply, and pay for college. CFNC is a joint effort of Pathways, the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority, and College Foundation, Inc.
Pathways , created by the N.C. General Assembly in 1999, is a state-wide initiative to increase the college-going rate of North Carolinians by providing: comprehensive college and career planning resources; electronic applications and transcripts accepted by all 110 North Carolina colleges and universities; and, information on student financial aid and college affordability. Pathways is administered by The University of North Carolina General Administration in collaboration with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the N.C. Community College System, and the N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities.
The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA ), established in 1965, is the State agency that promotes access to higher education by administering financial aid and savings programs, informing students and families about paying for college, teaching educators about financial aid administration, and advocating for resources to support students.
College Foundation, Inc. (CFI) , a nonprofit corporation serving North Carolina students and families since 1955, administers a large portfolio of education loans, several major grant and scholarship programs for students attending N.C. colleges and universities, and the tax-advantaged 529 college savings program on behalf of the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority. CFI also delivers information to North Carolina students and families about paying for college, assists colleges and universities with financial aid services, and provides technology support for CFNC.org.
State Employees Credit Union (SECU) is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members. SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for 77 years. With more than 1.9 million members, SECU provides services through more than 250 branch offices, 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Contact Centers and a website, www.ncsecu.org .
CFNC offers resources toll-free at 1-866-866-CFNC and at CFNC.org.
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Only a few of us residing in Finland have heard of Zanjan, a city of nearly 400 000 inhabitants in the northwest of Iran. The image we attach to it has little to do with reality -a rich heritage of astonishing handcrafts and an incredibly tasty cuisine. Too often the scandal-oriented media shapes our worlds and defines peoples destinies. Vahid Mortezaei, a Zanjan-origin food designer residing in Helsinki, knows that it takes colossal amounts of courage and determination to break these stereotypes.
When I came to live to Finland five years ago, I preferred to not to mention my nationality, tells Vahid Mortezaei, a 36-year old food designer. I remember several conversations which ended immediately once I reveled that I am from Iran. The images people relate to our country are terrorism and nuclear weapons. And nobody wants to order catering from a terrorist, he summarizes.
When the former U.S. President George W. Bush used the term "axis of evil" in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002, he put a label on the forehead of nearly 80 million people. The Iranophobia that echoed in the global media, constructed a discursive link between Iran, terrorism and nuclear weapons that still lives today.
Judging Iran through the terrorist lens leaves most things unseen. Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations. Iranian literature is one of the world's oldest literature and Iran is the birthplace of many musical instruments. Iranian art has one of the richest art heritages in world history. Persian carpets can be found from households around the globe.
The recent nuclear agreement and the consequent lifting of the sanctions that have colored the lives of millions of Iranians through decades bring relief to the daily lives of Iranians in Iran, but millions of Iranians still live abroad. Many of them try to escape the negative image related to their national identity by introducing themselves as Persians -a term reflecting the greatness of the Persian empire.
According to the estimates, about 4-5 million Iranians live outside of their own country. The Statistics Finlands report shows that in 2014 there were close to 7000 Iranians residing in Finland.
For Vahid Finland is the land of opportunities.
I have done many things. In Iran, I worked as a mining engineer only to realize that it was not the way I wanted to spend my life. I decided to study graphic design, which took me first to Turkey and then brought me to Helsinki, Aalto University. In Finland I realized that as a visual communication designer I can change the image many people have of Iran.
In Iran we have a very rich cuisine, which is full of potential. I decided to combine my knowledge on design and my passion for food and turn this into a business. This is how Vahid Mortezaei Studio ky was born, tells Vahid.
Vahid Mortezaei Studio ky is a food design company that brings traditional Persian tastes in contemporary forms to the Finnish market. The company provides catering services, facilitates culinary workshops, provides food design consultancies and produces delicacies. Sustainability and environmental consciousness are the core values of the company.
I believe in the power of food as a tool for change. It can be used to promote environmental consciousness as well as social well-being and tolerance in the increasingly multicultural Finnish society, explains Vahid.
The services provided by Vahid Mortezaei Studio ky are unique in the Finnish market. The combination of traditional elements from the Iranian cuisine with a modern design has not been seen anywhere before. Developing the business needs creativity and good contacts. If there were more resources, we could carry out research on the customers' behavior in relation to the products. This could provide a platform for more product development and an opportunity for the business to grow more competitive in the market. If we had a professionally equipped kitchen, we would not have to say no to any of our catering clients. We recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for making this possible. The campaign carries the name of a traditional Iranian delicacy, ranginak.
The arctic circle has provided an opportunity to create a more positive image of Iran.
Three years ago when I baked ranginak for the first time for my Finnish colleagues, I could not imagine that it would become a turning point in my life. It has been by far the most popular product of our company and we have sold thousands of ranginaks in different occasions in Finland. Ranginak has shown that building cultural bridges through food design is possible.
I have a dream. I want to make Iranian cuisine globally well-known, Vahid states. Nearly 4000 kilometers away from Zanjan he is already on his way.
Milla Makinen
Images: Alexander Popkov, Vahid Mortezaei
http://www.vahidmortezaei.com/
She also estimates that the immigration policy followed by the European Union has failed because it encourages people to risk their lives to seek entry to the continent by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
Finland has received too many people in too short a time, writes Anneli Jaatteenmaki (Centre), a Member of the European Parliament.
The European Union should according to her instead provide financial support to the refugee camps established around conflict areas and allow people to seek asylum directly from the camps.
That would not only save the lives of refugees but also save us money and trouble. We would be able to keep the stream of migrants to Europe under control, and have more time and resources to welcome the arrivals, writes Jaatteenmaki.
A similar proposal has been on the agenda of the so-called coalition of the willing an alliance of eight EU member states, including Finland, forged by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to seek a solution to the migrant crisis.
The idea of allowing displaced people to apply for asylum directly from refugee camps was also suggested by another Finnish MEP, Jussi Halla-aho (PS), in an interview with Uusi Suomi last November. Halla-aho estimated that the idea warrants some consideration not least because it would establish a clear procedure for dealing with people who seek to enter Europe without the requisite documents.
The idea has stirred up public attention also in Sweden after it was floated by Joakim Ruist, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg, in a column in Dagens Industri.
Jaatteenmaki also considers it likely that the flow of asylum seekers to Europe will not abate until peace has been declared in the conflict areas. The EU's inability has created a situation with no winners. The only ones who benefit are criminals, those who take advantage of the needs of others, human traffickers.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Petteri Paalasmaa Uusi Suomi
Source: Uusi Suomi
We've met with some and received proposals from some. We're currently evaluating [the options] and considering what would be best for Finland, she said.
Roughly a dozen companies have announced their interest in competing with VR on the railways of Finland, Anne Berner (Centre), the Minister of Transport and Communications, revealed in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday.
Berner reminded that the national rail network is unlikely to have room for more than a couple of competitors in the first stage of de-regulation. The Government, she added, is intent on de-regulating rail transport in a gradual and rational manner.
The Government is expected to finalise its proposal on the matter by March, according to Berner.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications will also have to re-negotiate its contract with VR that grants the state-owned railway company a monopoly in long-distance passenger services until the end of 2024. The contract negotiations are being conducted in good spirits, Berner said to Helsingin Sanomat.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Petteri Paalasmaa Uusi Suomi
Source: Uusi Suomi
Teija Tiilikainen, the director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, has estimated in an interview with MTV that the flow of migrants across the eastern border of Finland may be a way for Russia to express its disapproval with the economic sanctions levelled against it.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of Russia, dismissed on Friday claims that Russia has orchestrated the movement of asylum seekers to Finland due to political motives, according to STT.
Rebellion star Charlie Murphy couldnt stop the series from sliding in the ratings
The future of RTE's Rebellion is now in serious doubt following a dismal end to the Easter Rising drama.
The five-part programme - a multi-million-euro production by the State broadcaster to commemorate the 1916 Rising - came to a close on Sunday night with a further drop in viewers.
Its finale, which featured the execution of rebel leader James Connolly while he was strapped to a chair, took in an average of 463,300 viewers and a 33pc audience share.
This was the series' lowest viewership, down considerably on its first episode, which saw an average of 619,000 viewers tune in.
Kiss
Those who did tune in were left less than impressed with the ending, which included a bizarre kiss between the characters played by Sarah Greene and Ruth Bradley.
Show writer Colin Teevan previously said that he had started to write scripts for a second series, with the first series set to be broadcast in America close to Easter.
However, Teevan said that the series would not go any further if the first one "tanked" and sources said it was "unlikely" that a further series would be commissioned.
A meeting is due to be held in relation to the show, but morale is now low regarding a further series.
RTE confirmed that a second series had yet to be given the go-ahead, but said the show's future was not just based on the viewing figures.
"A second series hasn't been green-lit yet and any decision about a second series will be based on a variety of factors," a spokesman told the Herald.
Rebellion - which starred Love/Hate actress Charlie Murphy and Brendan Gleeson's son Brian - started off strongly, with an average viewership of 619,000 for the first episode in the series.
However, viewing figures have slumped in recent weeks. The fourth episode pulled in 487,000 viewers - down 159,800 from the second episode, which reached the highest viewership of 646,800.
Some viewers also took to Twitter to express their annoyance at a promotional ad for RTE's coverage of the upcoming Six Nations rugby that appeared on screen for some of Sunday night's episode, including the execution of rebel leader Connolly.
An RTE spokesperson told the Herald that the on-air graphic was planned but, as a result of a technical fault, the ad "featured more prominently on-screen than planned".
The broadcaster removed the ad before the end of the episode.
Fictional
Rebellion depicted the events of Easter 1916 as seen through the eyes of a group of friends - all fictional.
Murphy played the role of rich doctor-in-training Elizabeth Butler, who ditched her fiance to fight in the rebellion alongside Gleeson's character, Jimmy Mahon.
RTE managing director Glen Killane last week said that he was "unconcerned" by Rebellion's drop in ratings.
"It was an attempt by RTE to get back into that space of period drama which we haven't done since Strumpet City, so it was a big step for us.
"Is it going to please everyone? No, of course not but it's achieved what we wanted."
A woman accused of stealing more than 6,000 in social welfare is facing trial on the charges.
Iwona Gajewska (30) allegedly used a forged stamp to get the social welfare, which was lodged into a bank account in Poland. In total, Ms Gajewska is charged with stealing 6,185 over a seven-month period last year.
Judge David McHugh adjourned the matter to March for the service of the book of evidence.
The accused - with an address at Willans Avenue in Ongar - appeared before Blanchardstown District Court charged with more than 20 counts of theft of 188. The offences allegedly took place at AIB, Westend Retail Park in Blanchardstown on dates between January and July 2015.
Ms Gajewska is also charged with using a stamp, which she knew to be a false document, on dates between January 5 and July 21, 2015.
Stamps
In relation to the charges, Garda Ofelia Hough claimed that false stamps were used to obtain social welfare.
Gda Hough said sMs Gajewska was identified as a suspect from AIB CCTV. Gda Hough alleged the accused stole a total of 6,185, which was lodged into an account in Poland.
Judge McHugh refused jurisdiction to deal with the matter at District Court level and adjourned the case for the book of evidence.
Wreckage of the yacht which ran aground on rocks off the coast of South Africa claiming the life of a 49-year-old Irish woman. Photo: National Sea Rescue Institute
Wreckage of the yacht which ran aground on rocks off the coast of South Africa claiming the life of a 49-year-old Irish woman. Photo: National Sea Rescue Institute
An Irishwoman is one of two people who died after a boat capsized off the western coast of South Africa.
The 49-year-old woman was travelling in the yacht along the Western Cape of the country when the boat got into difficulty, and ended up wrecked on the shoreline.
A 66-year-old Irishman was lucky to escape the wreckage unharmed and alerted authorities, while a 61-year-old Scottish national was also fatally injured in the incident.
Emergency crews responded to reports of a yacht capsized between Bokpunt and Gansekraal on the Western Cape at approximately 4.30am local time yesterday.
Rocks
Rescue workers described finding the yacht, named 'Tara' broken up in amongst rocks on the shoreline.
The 66-year-old Irishman was the only person to survive the incident, and managed to swim ashore and raise the alarm.
The bodies of the 61-year-old Scottish man and a 49-year-old Irishwoman were located and recovered from the scene.
Their bodies have been taken into the care of the local Western Cape Forensic Pathology Services.
All three had been residing in the locality for some time.
South African authorities are not releasing the names of the deceased and the sole survivor until their next of kin and family members had been informed.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed they are aware of "the death of an Irish citizen in the Western Cape and consular assistance is being provided".
Craig Lambinon, a spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) which oversaw the rescue and recovery operation, told the Herald that the circumstances surrounding the crash were still unclear, adding that "an inquest docket has been opened by police".
Rescue
"An NSRI Melkbosstrand sea rescue craft was launched and NSRI rescue vehicles, from Yzerfontein and Melkbosstrand, the SA Police Services, WC Government Health EMS and an EMS rescue squad and a Police Dive Unit responded," Mr Lambinon said.
"NSRI Table Bay's deep sea rescue craft was placed on alert. We are not releasing the names of those involved at this time until their families have been notified, and the incident is now a matter for the Western Cape Police Department."
The fatal incident is also under investigation by the South African Maritime Safety Authority.
The parents of missing Deirdre Jacob are not convinced that rapist Larry Murphy is the only suspect in her disappearance but have revealed the nature of the link between the criminal and their family.
Michael and Bernadette Jacob are painfully aware of presumptions and theories as to why their eldest daughter has been missing for more than 17 years.
But they want to limit speculation about the notorious rapist in a hope that it might bring about fresh clues.
The couple have spoken to the Herald to make public information that they believe will help clarify how Murphy was linked to her disappearance.
Murphy was caught strangling a woman in a forest after abducting and raping her. He was convicted in 2001 and served 10 years in jail for abduction, rape and attempted murder.
"We need people to refocus, without the shadow of Larry Murphy," said Deirdre's father, Michael.
Deirdre was just 18 when she disappeared on July 28, 1998.
She was last seen at the gates to her family bungalow on a country road at Roseberry, outside Newbridge, Co Kildare.
Deirdre was a frequent visitor to the shop owned by her grandmother Bridget O'Grady in Newbridge and had visited her on the day she disappeared.
In a strange turn of events, when Mrs O'Grady passed away it was reported that Larry Murphy's name was found on a cheque-book stub among her possessions.
It was also reported that Murphy may have done some carpentry work for Mrs O'Grady.
But Deirdre's parents have done their own investigation into the case.
"His name was not found on a chequebook stub," said Michael Jacob.
Murphy's name and telephone number were found written down on paper among Bernadette's mother's possessions.
The couple said they believed Deirdre's grandmother wrote down Murphy's name and number after he visited her shop and other retail outlets in the region when he was trying to sell hand-crafted children's toys he had made himself.
"Murphy was an expert carpenter and was making these toys, which he was hoping to sell to shops," Bernadette told the Herald.
"My mother would have taken down his name and number at that time, which was several years before Deirdre disappeared.
"He never did any carpentry for my mother," she added.
Connection
Michael said that he has asked around the village of Newbridge, looked for people who may have spoken to Murphy. He concluded that claims that Murphy was doing carpentry work in a Newbridge pub on the day Deirdre disappeared were mistaken.
Murphy did not begin carpentry work in the pub until sometime after she disappeared, he said.
The couple hope their decision to reveal the nature of Murphy's connection with Deirdre's grandmother will allow people to think again about other possibilities and bring forward information.
"We are none the wiser today about what happened to Deirdre than on the day she disappeared, but we hope to know someday. That is why we are now renewing our appeal," said Michael.
Murphy has remained a suspect in Deirdre's disappearance - and a fellow prisoner claimed Murphy admitted to him he had killed her.
Gardai even questioned Murphy in prison about the disappearance, but no charges were brought.
However, Deirdre's heartbroken parents said they refuse to just believe that she is dead.
"There's a 50/50 chance she's alive. All we know is that Deirdre is still missing. That's the one fact we know," said Michael.
Bernadette couldn't hold back the tears when she spoke about her daughter's plans to become a primary school teacher.
On July 28, 1998, the last day she was seen alive, Deirdre spent the day preparing to return to her teaching course at Strawberry Hill in Twickenham in England.
It was a beautiful summer's day and she was in good spirits, making contact with her fellow students, discussing plans to rent a house together for their second year in college.
Deirdre obtained a bank draft for the rental deposit and she posted it.
She then visited her grandmother in her shop that day and walked back home.
Deirdre was last seen outside her family home in Newbridge that day, but it is believed she never entered the house.
Later, two women working in a delicatessen near Tara Street Dart Station in Dublin told gardai they were sure that a young woman who entered their shop on two occasions in the days after this was Deirdre.
Deirdre's parents have spoken with these women, but do not know what to think.
But despite the "cold case" nature of the investigation, fresh clues regularly emerge.
Comfort
In the past year alone, three items of information were received by gardai which are being investigated, the Jacobs have said.
Family liaison officer Sergeant Seamus Rothwell had been "a great help since day one", they said.
Both take comfort in the fact that there are often cases of IRA victims' remains being unearthed decades later.
"A lot of those missing persons were solved by people of a subversive nature coming forward with information," Bernadette said.
"If people like that will come forward, then there's hope someone will come forward with information about Deirdre."
For now, all they can do is treasure memories - Deirdre's letters and photographs.
They, along with their daughter Ciara, still hope there will be a breakthrough in the mystery of what happened their beloved Deirdre.
This weekend might be the last warm one we have in awhile
A 0.3% whisker-thin victory is certainly preferable to a third position finish, but yet again the Iowa Democratic caucus has handed party frontrunner Hillary Clinton the message it delivered in 2008 the grassroots isnt in her yard.
In 2008, Iowa was expected to be her first stop on a sweep towards clinching the nomination as the partys presidential candidate. Instead, she was left shell-shocked, bested not only by eventual nominee (and President) Barack Obama but even by John Edwards.
Eight years later, shes escaped a similar mishap in an election cycle thats even more favourable to her. Her principal competition comes from a senator who was formally an independent in the Senate, not a Democrat.
Thats Bernie Sanders, the Brooklyn-born Vermont socialist of Jewish origin, who only became a Democrat less than 12 months earlier as he entered the presidential race. Beyond him, nothing.
The caucus is a uniquely American electoral phenomenon thats a feature of the primary cycle in the presidential race. Unlike regular elections, where voters queue to cast their ballots, during a caucus, voters actually congregate at a precinct, the equivalent of a polling booth, and express their support for a particular candidate.
The Democratic process does away with the secret ballot, as voters collect together according to their support for a candidate. On the Republican side, votes ultimately remain secret.
Unlike the 2008 field that also featured present vice-president Joe Biden and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Clinton may have heaved a big sigh of relief after the result became apparent, but this was a field she ought to have blown away.
What Iowa evidences is that a truly viable candidate like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, if she had opted to run, would have easily done an Obama on Clinton in 2016.
Sanders claimed a tie as he spoke on Tuesday night. In effect, it was exactly that, with Clinton gaining just a couple of delegates more than him. Sanders is heavily favoured to win the next primary, in New Hampshire.
But beyond that, Clinton should rule, with primaries in Nevada and South Carolina, with their large Hispanic and African-American voting blocs, propelling her on.
But her 2008 problem persists, as the Sanders scare makes evident young progressives arent in her corner. In fact, as her speech was being televised in a room in Des Moines full of Sanders rally-goers, chants of Shes a liar rang out. As Politico reported: The room turned ice cold when Hillary Clintons speech took over the televisions here.
Its still winter and a snowstorm is headed towards Iowa, but Clinton and her campaign will certainly hope the thaw between her and progressives in her party sets in early.
(The views expressed by the author are personal)
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It is common wisdom that when a regime of privilege gets established, maintaining it becomes the sole concern of its beneficiaries. The case of Delhis Sanskriti School is a sad example of this. It is hard to believe that a hundred years after a major modern thinker of education demonstrated the crucial role that diversity of social backgrounds in the classroom plays in achieving excellence, a keenly self-conscious school like Sanskriti doesnt get it. I am referring to John Dewey, whose 1916 classic, Democracy and Education, changed the very idea of a good school. It argues that greater social efficiency and higher academic standards are achieved when children from different home backgrounds sit and learn together in a school. The Sanskriti School wants to deliver a high standard of education by maintaining a 60% quota for Group A officers of the central government.
The idea of mixing children from divergent backgrounds faced resistance of different kinds in several countries, but eventually has proved its worth. For one thing, it resonated the vision of participatory democracy, so it received political approval in societies where cultural and class barriers were fought by democratic means. It nurtured the kind of social bonding that modern nationhood demands. Many Western nations achieved greater inner cohesion because common schooling softened the boundaries between classes and cultural groups. But the real worth of inclusive schooling lay in its pedagogic potential.
As a philosopher who also taught children, Dewey knew from experience that the presence of children from divergent home backgrounds forces the teacher to be more imaginative. Childrens talk and responses bring into the classroom a richer cultural resource that is not available in an exclusive school. The teacher has to perform a more active role in a socially inclusive classroom, drawing from children their varied experiences and viewpoints, thereby creating a collective mind with higher analytical insights and social awareness. The benefits are not merely social or moral; they extend to cognitive grasp in all areas of knowledge.
A vast amount of psychological and pedagogic research carried out in different countries has proved the correctness of Deweys vision. Its political worth has also been demonstrated by the fact that societies with common school systems have shown greater inner strength while facing the challenges of modernity than others where exclusiveness persisted.
In India, the Constitution favoured equality and inclusiveness, but the social order resisted the idea of a common school system. After a prolonged waiting period, the idea received a modest boost when the Right to Education (RTE) Act received Parliaments approval five years ago. Apart from declaring elementary education a fundamental right of all children, the RTE enforced a modicum of social engineering by requiring private schools to reserve one-fourth of their seats for children from the economically weaker sections (EWS). The RTE guidelines prohibited private schools from creating a separate section for these children. The temptation to do so still persists and many private schools are reluctant to allow their classrooms to acquire a mixed social character that RTE envisages.
Now comes the amazing case of the Sanskriti School. It wants to maintain a 60% quota for the children of Group A officers. Although registered as a private school, Sanskriti has received State patronage of a kind that no other private school can dream of. Sanskriti has accepted the EWS quota. In its plea in the current case, it is arguing that its status as a private school gives it the freedom to reserve 60% of its seats for Group A officers. The amicus curie appointed by the apex court has rightly observed that there is no existing statute to justify this kind of quota.
Sanskriti seems to believe that its aim to achieve excellence in education can be fulfilled by ensuring that the majority of children in every class come from similar homes (i.e. of members of the higher bureaucracy). Such a belief belongs to the pre-modern educational theory. It also challenges established legal and political wisdom. In its verdict in the RTE case, the Supreme Court had warmly supported the concept that a socially inclusive ethos is the best resource for learning to live in a democratic society. The Delhi High Court reminded Sanskriti that the Kendriya Vidyalayas were already serving the needs of central government employees. On several other occasions too, the judiciary has attempted to tell Indias educated elite that inclusion is a sound principle for a nation like ours. This is also the essence of modern pedagogic theory.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Sanskriti School when I was asked to join a committee to choose a new principal. I was a bit shocked to notice how posh its infrastructure and facilities were. Many well-meaning institutions have now forgotten that children feel happier in simpler surroundings. The selection of a new principal gave me the hope that Sanskriti will move towards a modernist, inclusive vision. A former education secretary known for his progressive ideas had shared with me his unease over the establishment of Sanskriti. He thought Sanskriti should join the Kendriya Vidyalaya system. This is what the Delhi High Court also suggested in its recent verdict, rejecting Sanskritis reservation policy for the highly privileged. By opting to challenge that verdict, Sanskriti has demonstrated its myopic vision.
Krishna Kumar is professor of education at Delhi University and former director NCERT
The views expressed are personal
Today will be a historic day in history of LGBT rights in India.
At a rare open court event today, the Supreme Court will hear a curative petition challenging an earlier apex court verdict that criminalised homosexuality in India.
A curative petition filed, in this case, by gay activists and NGO Naz Foundation is the last judicial resort for those seeking redressal of grievances. This has come about due to a December 2013 apex court verdict that upheld the validity of Section 377 (unnatural sexual offences) of the Indian Penal Code, followed by a January 2014 order dismissing petitions seeking a review.
Read: Will be tragic if law disregards LGBT rights: Shyam Benegal
Now, when we speak of violence and discrimination against members of the LGBT community, we refer to certain serious human rights violations not some frivolous distraction. Homophobic attitudes fuel discrimination in various spheres of life, including workplaces, schools, clinics and hospitals.
In recent orders on two separate matrimonial discord cases involving a gay person and a lesbian, justice N Kirubakaran of the Madras high court said that lack of statutory protection for LGBT people has started affecting the very institution of marriage. He brilliantly said: Can LGBT (people) be considered offenders merely for having exhibited their natural sexual orientation, and committed sexual acts that are different?
Watch | LGBT to drive taxis in Mumbai, sign of social acceptance
Now, when we speak of violence and discrimination against members of the LGBT community, we refer to certain serious human rights violations not some frivolous distraction. Homophobic attitudes fuel discrimination in various spheres of life, including workplaces, schools, clinics and hospitals.
In recent orders on two separate matrimonial discord cases involving a gay person and a lesbian, justice N Kirubakaran of the Madras high court said that lack of statutory protection for LGBT people has started affecting the very institution of marriage. He brilliantly said: Can LGBT (people) be considered offenders merely for having exhibited their natural sexual orientation, and committed sexual acts that are different?
Another thing that people dont realise is that many LGBT people are being attacked in the streets kidnapped, tortured, raped and even murdered. I have personally witnessed a few of these cases, and some involved people I know. Both the victims and their families are afraid to seek help from the authorities because the law wouldnt favour them. In certain cases, so-called upholders of the law were themselves responsible for carrying out brutal rapes.
Read: Censor is behaving like a homophobic society: Hansal Mehta on Aligarh
An archaic relic of a law called Section 377 has put the entire Indian LGBT community directly in the line of fire. This law can be and, in some cases, is being used to blackmail, violate and abuse members of the LGBT community on a daily basis at workplaces as well as other spheres of everyday life. It also hinders the work of health workers in the field of HIV/Aids.
Laws are meant to protect us not act as a platform for fanatics to blackmail, abuse, traumatise, violate and humiliate citizens who fall in a minority group. Sadly, thats exactly what Section 377 does in India. When these same abuses are perpetrated against members of any other group of people, the authorities rightly push for a more vigorous response. So, why shouldnt their resolve be the same when it concerns the LGBT community?
Whats more, failure to interpret laws that criminalise private and consensual same-sex sexual conduct consistently with international human rights law amounts to being a violation of the countrys international human rights treaty obligations.
Legal systems need to be upgraded with developing mindsets and global cultural expansions, not head back into the Victorian era. India, as the worlds largest democracy, needs to uphold its promise to the bonafide citizens of its country.
Change will not be possible unless there is change from within. India is going through the catharsis of that change, albeit slowly, but we need to encourage it with advocacy and nurture a spirit of open dialogue. After all, until each and every Indian is not accorded the basic right to lead a life of dignity, India cannot claim to be truly free.
Celina Jaitly
UN Free & Equal Campaign
Three people on Monday moved the 5,500 pound Cray-2 supercomputer that is part of the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology collection so it can be part of a display this spring and summer at the Spurlock Museum in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
The move is being given technical support from Cray Inc., in Chippewa Falls. It is the first time the Cray 2, the worlds fastest supercomputer when it was introduced in 1985 and stayed that way until 1990, has left the Chippewa Falls museum since joining its collection..
The Cray 2 will be stored at another site in Chippewa Falls until Tuesday, Feb. 16, when it will be shipped to the Illinois museum. The display is part of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications exhibit.
The Spurlock Museums exhibit celebrates 30 years of providing American researchers academic supercomputing access. For that, the museum needed a Cray-2.
They couldnt find one anywhere in the country that was available. So they approached us and we said sure, said Jim Mandelert, secretary of the board of the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology, 21 E. Grand Ave.
The Cray 2 was smaller and faster than the Cray 1, said Mandelert, who worked on the supercomputer while working at Cray Research.
The Cray 2 will return home for permanent display at the CFMIT in August. Were looking forward to getting it back, Mandelert said.
The strangest event that occurred in Iowa on Tuesday, as caucus-goers delivered their primary verdict, was that Donald Trump became gracious in defeat. A day earlier, no one would have expected these words from Trump: We finished secondIm just honoured.
Iowa didnt give an endorsement to Brand Trump, but theres a even graver warning in its results the evangelicals, critical for any Republican candidate to capture the White House, havent yet bought his Christian credentials.
And just as Mitt Romney discovered in 2012, without that Bible-thumping ballast, campaigns can sink in November.
As he has done on virtually every issue, Trump pandered aggressively to that segment, but it had slender impact as his 4% loss to Ted Cruz signifies.
That Texas Senator, meanwhile, may have reasserted his prominence with that crowd, a return to his roots as a Tea Party standard-bearer, despite all the noise over his Cuban-Canadian background. What Trumps extreme utterances have done is to project Cruz as a relative moderate in comparison.
The bigger winner may actually be Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Flagging by over double digits to the poll leaders on Monday, attracting nearly a quarter of the caucus votes is his return to relevance.
A caucus is a uniquely American electoral phenomenon thats a feature of the primary cycle in the presidential race. Unlike regular elections, where voters queue to cast their ballots, during a caucus, voters actually congregate at a precinct, the equivalent of a polling booth, and express their support for a particular candidate.
The Democratic process does away with the secret ballot, as voters collect together according to their support for a candidate and even attempt to convert supporters of other candidates to their cause. On the Republican side, supporters make a pitch for their candidate at the precinct, but votes ultimately remain secret.
In real numbers, the Republican caucus has given eight, seven and six delegates to the top three, negligible when it comes to the eventual nomination process at the Republican National Convention this summer in Cleveland.
The biggest loser, obviously is Jeb Bush (or Jeb! as his campaign has framed him). Once a weighty contender, his slim chances may have vanished in Iowa. Whittling of the field will lead to greater clarity to where primary voters will coalesce.
Trump may still have the upper hand in the states that follow, like New Hampshire and South Carolina. But his problems are multiplying.
If Teflon Don has managed to overcome the ruckus over his rhetoric, his historic dislikability ratings, the lack of support from the Republicans fundamentalist base may just shake his campaigns foundations.
And unlike say last week, the pair of Cuban-origin candidates, Cruz and Rubio, could be getting close enough for Trumps discomfort.
The views expressed by the author are personal.
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Advocating equal rights for all, Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon on Monday said lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgenders (LGBTs) were prevalent in ancient India and added that she there is no need for a debate on criminalising or decriminalising the community.
If you go through the Indian history, LGBTs have always been prevalent. So where has it come from that they have to be criminalised or decriminalised. I dont know where that started in the first place, said Raveena at the launch of the Health magazine cover featuring her.
Read: Indias struggle with Sec 377 explained
For me they are human beings. Its their freedom of choice, what they want to do and where they want to be, she added.
Read: LGBT community pins hope on SC hearing Section 377 plea
The Supreme Court is set to announce its verdict on Tuesday regarding the controversial section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises consensual sexual acts of the LGBTs.
The Delhi high court had offered hope for the community by decriminalising the section 377 in 2009 -- a verdict which was discarded by the Supreme Court in 2013.
I have a different take on it. I have lots of friends who are gay and are happily gay, proudly gay and not hiding it. I dont know how it has gone into this zone (legal aspects) at all because ultimately everyones a human being, she said.
Read: Section 377 traumatises and abuses LGBTs in India, says Celina Jaitly
Watch | LGBT to drive taxis in Mumbai, sign of social acceptance
The LGBT community has been battling since the 2013 Supreme Court verdict to get it reversed with numerous activists, NGOs and individuals working for it. A batch of eight curative petitions filed by individuals and organisations are set to be heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Read | Censor is behaving like a homophobic society: Hansal Mehta on Aligarh
Follow @htshowbiz for more.
Indian stars are ruling the international scene: Even as Deepika Padukone prepares for her role opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Priyanka Chopra, who has been in news for her American sitcom Quantico, is all set to present an award at the 88th Oscars.
The actor recently presented an award at the 2016 SAG awards and also bagged top honours the Peoples Choice Awards.
Priyanka will be Indias sole representative at this years Oscar ceremony. The countrys official entry in the best foreign film category for the Oscars 2016, Court could not make it to the final five.
The 33-year-old actor, who is currently working on the second part of Quantico, will present an award at the 2016 Oscars along with international stars like Quincy Jones, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, JK Simmons and Jared Leto. Comedian-actor Chris Rock will host the Oscar ceremony this year.
Priyanka Chopra poses with her award for favourite actress in a new TV series at the People's Choice Awards on in Los Angeles January 6. (AP)
Read | Oscars nominations 2016: Is this finally Leonardo DiCaprios year?
An update on the official Academy Awards website said, Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today the second slate of presenters for the 88th Oscars telecast. The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air live Oscar Sunday, February 28, on ABC. Later, a picture including Priyankas name along with other presenters was posted on Academys Twitter handle.
Expressing her excitement, the Bajirao Mastani star took to her Twitter handle and wrote, Looking forward @TheAcademy !! This will be an insaaaane night! after which she was flooded with good luck tweets.
Looking forward @TheAcademy !! This will be an insaaaane night! https://t.co/zaHmPsK6HC PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) February 1, 2016
The 88th Oscars will be held on February 28, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.
(With PTI inputs)
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Ask any filmmaker, and most will say hes the biggest villain in their life these days. After a barrage of stinging criticism against the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani, it is now director Hansal Mehta who has a bone to pick against the board: The trailer of his film, Aligarh a film on a gay professor was awarded an A certificate on Sunday, unleashing a string of reactions on the social media.
Mehta called the rating unjustified and downright stupid, with Nihalani hitting back saying the filmmakers public displeasure was publicity stunt for the movie. This is what Pahlaj Nihalani said to PTI: The certification we have given to the trailer is according to the content. If the makers feel it is not justified then let them take a public opinion on this... Tell me, is the subject of homosexuality for kids? For teenagers? We have already cleared the film and now they are creating a controversy. This is a cheap publicity stunt by him (Mehta).
The fight continues.
Manoj Bajpayee is playing a gay professor in Aligarh. (YouTube)
The core of the argument is this: Should a movie dealing with homosexuality be deemed appropriate for an audience that includes teenagers and youngsters. Actor Rajkummar Rao, who plays a pivotal role in the film, counters Nihalanis objection saying children these days are introduced to the concepts of rape and murder at a very young age.
Common understanding and the parameters used by the CBFC to judge a film, Rao says, is the root of the problem. He (Pahlaj Nihalani) says its unconstitutional, but what about the kind of films kids in our country get to see? We dont have any problem showing drunkards, murderers, rapists, stalkers all sorts of wrong-doers in our films, but we have a problem showing a story that is already in the public domain. Do other films not affect the kids? Also, were not showcasing any sex in the film. There is nothing wrong with Aligarh, period.
Rajkummar Rao plays a journalist in the film. (YouTube)
I dont understand why sexuality is such a taboo in our society? Theres nothing to be ashamed about. Who are we to question anybodys personal choices? These things are there in our system since forever. Shouldnt the kids know about the LGBT community and their issues? says Rao.
Even health experts HT spoke to agree, saying that the concept of homosexuality can be introduced to children when they are given a sex education.
The ideal age for kids to see such a film is same as the time they are given sex education. Ideally, it should be when they are 11-12 years. Its absolutely perfect to give teenagers an overall idea of homosexuality because if they learn about it at a later stage, theyll grow up thinking it is abnormal, says Delhi-based clinical psychologist Dr Pulkit Sharma. It would be a great disservice to the LGBT community, he adds.
Pahlaj Nihalani became the CBFC Chief in January, 2015. (PTI)
They might be less in number, but their problems need to be heard. In medical terms, no diagnostic model treats homosexuality as anything wrong or a disease. It was dropped from the index in the 1960s as a disease, more than 55 years ago. So, whosoever is against a well-meaning, aesthetically-crafted film is biased, says Sharma.
Voices within the industry too are growing louder at the harshness of the rating, saying the kind of content currently available for young movie goers, the rating is unjustified.
National Award-winning filmmaker Onir adds an interesting perspective to the whole debate. Ten years ago, my first film My Brother Nikhil was given the U certificate. I was surprised when Aligarh got the A certificate. I wasnt even a known filmmaker back then. See, homosexuality depends on the context. Any kind of relationships can be shown to kids. Its all about how you treat it. Children should know their choices and should also respect others. To put it in general terms, its all about perceiving the different ones.
Hansal Mehta started his career with TV show Khaana Khazaana in 1993. (HT)
Many years later, Onirs I Am received U/A with the same theme. He adds, The Censor Board shouldnt behave like a moral board. In fact, we should have more dialogue and conversation. If this subject is so bad, then why did they give the National Award to my film I Am (2010)? Is the current board questioning the National Award?
We live in a country where Section 377 gives the administration enough powers to curb the basic human rights of the LGBT community. Slowly and steadily, even the judiciary is realizing the need to modify the Draconian law, and here were discussing the unseen impacts of an aesthetically edited trailer.
Read: Section 377 traumatises and abuses LGBTs in India, says Celina Jaitly
Read: Censor is behaving like a homophobic society: Hansal Mehta on Aligarh
Bengaluru-based Andrologist Dr Sudhakar Krishnamurti probes into the root of the matter: Sex education starts at different age in different families. They set different parameters for the initiation. We need to get rid of the usual sex education where we feature ridiculous images of genitals in our textbooks. Dont highlight the botched up version of sex. It has a meaning in human life, it promotes co-existence. Surprisingly in our society, sex is bad and homosexuality is very bad. I wish we had learnt something from other civilisations.
He adds, Homosexuality is just another version of sex. The moment we stop our 3 to 6 moth toddlers from touching their genitals after a mosquito bite, we are headed for a blocked mindset. Sex education should start as early as possible.
Read: My self-esteem was really low before Shahid, says Hansal Mehta
Read: Pahlaj Nihalani on Aligarh: Is homosexuality a subject for kids, teens?
A look at the haunting trailer of Aligarh will transport you to the lonely surroundings of Professor Siras and how he was victimised. Shouldnt that story reach the people beyond the A certificate wall? Is that possible with our current mindset?
We, as a film loving community, have a very strange relationship with homosexuality-based films. Most of the times, we are made to watch mockery-laden ventures such as Girlfriend, Dostana and Dunno Y Naa Jaane Kyun where its really difficult to empathise with the characters. Even films such as Kal Ho Naa Ho presents such a serious topic in a lighter vain.
Watch: Haunting trailer of Aligarh
In a world where directors like Gus Van Sant and Larry Clark are taking a raw, unflinching look at teen sexuality through films such as Elephant (2003) and Kids (1995), were stuck with a mindset which has a reflection in that stereotypical teen character who prefers suicide than coming out in several films. Maybe unknowingly, but dont you think Mr Nihalani that your statement pushed those adolescents an inch more towards the brink in the name of societal norms? Its not a matter of how we do it anymore, but our explanation of why we do it.
(Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha)
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Boeings investment in India will go beyond money. The US aircraft manufacturer is also looking to invest in capabilities, infrastructure, and partnerships to enable aerospace to be an economic growth engine, Dennis A Muilenburg, president and CEO, Boeing, tells HT in an interview. Edited excerpts.
On the Make in India initiative
Boeing is engaged in a long-term commitment to build aerospace capacity here in India. The Make in India strategy is important to us and it is something that we have internalised. We are building capabilities of supply chain depth here for the long run. Our intent is to invest in a way that builds talent base, supply chain and capability, which will enable aerospace to be an economic growth engine here.
Are you looking at developing the fifth generation F-series aircraft in India?
Subject to all government-to-government agreements, that is an area of future investment we are interested in. On the specific question of Super Hornet as a potential Make in India example, with the context of our ability to invest in the Super Hornet here and build and industrial capability, we see it as a catalyst to the bigger strategy. We have offered ideas in this area. Conversations are ongoing. We think there is a great opportunity for us to bring Super Hornet to India that will fulfill an operational need, but even more importantly think about it as a capability investment and architect it as a broad industrial investment, build up a supply chain that has industrial capability, not only to design but also to manufacture for the full lifecycle of the products. We see Super Hornet as an opportunity to do that to tie directly with the Make in India strategy.
Has there been an official offer on developing Super Hornet in India?
I would not say there is an official offer. This is a conversation we are having with interested parties right now.
How rapidly can we expect the Super Hornet manufacturing project to take off?
It could happen quite rapidly. It requires government-to-government agreement. It requires a customer here who makes a decision on projects it wants to pursue. In terms of our ability to execute the project, ramp up supply chain and skills base, that is something we can move up on fairly quickly.
What is the kind of investment that Boeing is looking at in India?
Ultimately it will be measured in billions of dollars. But it is more than money. It is investment in skills. It is investment in capabilities, infrastructure, and partnerships. When I think about Boeing investment in the future, when we look around the globe, when we look at GDP growth, we look at supply chain development, growth of the middle class... All the ingredients are present here in India. So this is one of our targeted investment areas for the long run. That is the kind of perspective that we want to bring here. The work that Prime Minister Modi is doing in the area of ease of doing business is an enabler for that. Things like Make in India, start-ups in India, skills are big proponents of all of those initiatives and as enablers for long-term investment.
What are the key hurdles you foresee?
The key here is making this big step from a buyer of technology to (developing) indigenous manufacturing capability. That is why projects like Super Hornet have the mass and critical size that can accomplish that kind of objective. This requires big investment in skills and technology. Not many countries in the world have that capability to make that big step from supply chain capability to indigenous design and manufacturing capability. We think India has that capability and thats why we want to invest here.
What are your views on the governments moves to make doing business easier in India?
We are very encouraged by the progress on that front. We know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a focus area to be able to attract investment and make India a great place to do business. Things like modifications to offset policies, business ownership policies, things that allow us to invest and innovate, we are seeing a lot of progress there.
An explosion of copycat generics of the blockbuster cancer drug Gleevec is likely to result the Swiss pharma giant, Novartis, taking an impact of as much as $2.5 billion on its annual sales, the company is learnt to have said.
The generic version of Gleevec was launched in the US recently by Sun Pharmaceuticals.
For Gleevec, we assumed February entry of the first generic. We believe it will be exclusive for the first six months, and our working assumption is there will be multiple entrants after those six months, Harry Kirsch, chief financial officer at Novartis told analysts in the companys earnings call last week, according to some analysts who participated in the call.
Sun PharmaPharmas generic has got 180 days of marketing exclusivity from the US Food and Drug Administration as it was the first to file on the generic. After that, there will be an explosion of copycat Gleevec generics, the company feels.
Natco and Teva pharma have already prepared with their generic Gleevec variants.
The patent expiry of Gleevec, which has been Novartis mainstay product since 2001, has put around $2.5 billion of annual sales at risk. In the US, Gleevec had the largest market share (12.5%) among cancer drugs and posted $4.7 billion in global revenue in 2015.
Novartis expects an impact on sales to the tune of $1 billion due to the genericisation of Gleevec. In 2016, the company expects genericisation of Gleevec to start in February in the US and December in Europe, contributing to the overall expected generic impact of $3.2 billion (against $2.2 billion in 2015) on sales, Kirch told analysts.
In fact, the company feels the Gleevec episode could cause its revenue and profit for 2016 to stagnate at the previous years $49.4 billion level.
Asked about the analysts call, Novartis confirmed the information, but denied commenting on its plans to take on competition due to generic launches.
Gleevec, tagged as a wonder drug for cancer patients, costs about $90,000 annually in the US. The generic launched by Sun Pharma would bring the price down to roughly $60,000 for a years course. Proliferation of competition is likely to further reduce the prices.
Gleevec is used to treat adult and paediatric patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia and other blood diseases.
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Maruti Suzuki is more Japanese than Indian, even though its largest market by volumes continues to be India, where it is head and shoulders above the competition in terms of marketshare.
So when Toshihiro Suzuki, president and COO of Suzuki Motor Company (SMC) says that SMC feels threatened about Daihatsu Motors potential entry into India, one should take that seriously.
Daihatsu will be a threat to SMC not only in India, in other markets as well, Suzuki said. It is not only the Toyota-Daihatsu alliance, but the entry of other international brands in the market that is bringing in tough competition. Generating profits in India has become relatively tougher.
Daihatsu is a Japanese small carmaker in which Toyota Motors, the countrys largest carmaker, had acquired a controlling 51% stake in 1988. Toyota raised its stake to 100% on Sunday in a bid to augment its presence in the small car market. Toyota which already has a small-car in India may now bring even more vehicles to India, which might pose a threat to Marutis gigantic presence in the segment.
The threat emanates from Japan as Daihatsu does not sell any products in India right now. But in Japan it is the fifth largest carmaker by sales, which are not far behind Suzuki, which is the third largest automaker there.
Toyota hired Varun Yadav as manager of Daihatsu in India in June 2014. According to Yadavs Linkedin profile, one of his five roles at Toyota is, Market survey of A-segment vehicles in India, Sales trend, government regulations and competition strategies. A-segment is the European classification for small cars.
Suzuki seems to be aware of Daihatsus plans. Although we have not decided any counter measures, but the critical thing is to manufacture the right products as per customer needs. We will also have to give sales and services superior to what the customer expects, Suzuki said.
Maybe, that is why Suzuki wants to focus on compact cars, and says that it will be working to bring down cost of BS-VI variant vehicles. So, does that mean that most of new launches will be in the compact car space?
Suzuki will not disclose that. To stay relevant in the market, SMC will also change plans as per the requirement of the market, said Manju Gupta, an interpreter at Maruti Suzuki India.
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A video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair outside RSS headquarters during a protest over dalit student Rohith Vemulas suicide on Monday triggered widespread outrage with Congress and AAP 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 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 RSS office in Jhandewalan in Central Delhi. The students who staged the protest and AAP alleged that the men were RSS workers.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged 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. 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 (DSW) 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, said Samudra Sanghka, a final year MA student at DSW.
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.
Reacting to the allegations, in-charge of RSS media unit of Delhi Rajiv Tuli said, 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.
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 BJP and 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 RML Hospital and is on painkillers since then.
Pratim Ghosal, an M Phil student at JNU, 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 DSF activist. said.
Prashant Mukherjee, another final year student at DSW and an 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.
Kejriwal, who is undergoing naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru, condemned the polices 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.
Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday sought an explanation from Delhi Police over the alleged brutalities on student protesters outside the RSS headquarters in Jhandelwalan on Saturday.
A mobile phone video of police personnel and several others in plain clothes roughing up students protesting against the alleged suicide of Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula went viral on social media, triggering protests.
Joint commissioner (central range) SK Gautam met the L-G along with other senior officers on Tuesday. Police sources said the four policemen caught on tape manhandling the students were likely to be transferred till inquiry is completed.
On Tuesday afternoon, around hundred students protested in front of the police headquarters accusing the police of using force on Saturday because they were protesting against the RSS. The students later met Gautam, demanding action against police personnel caught on tape. The protest led to a massive traffic jam on Vikas Marg, which was cleared only after students met the senior police officer.
The JNU students union vice-president, Shehla Rashid Shora, who went to meet Joint CP Gautam with other student leaders said, The officer told us that he is investigating the case. He has asked us to submit photo and video evidence. He asked if we could identify those men in plain clothes who thrashed the students.
Citing examples of the recent protests against the UGC and the Union HRD ministry, students said they were increasingly facing police crackdown. We tried to go and meet the HRD minister but we were not even allowed to submit memorandums, Kumar claimed.
Police commissioner BS Bassi, however, said one should not look only at the minute-long footage being played on social media. The officers are conducting an inquiry. I do not want to go into merits of the case but let me say that the whole incident on Saturday lasted for around three to four hours. The protesters abused the police personnel and also broke barricades. This is also on tape. Our officers are conducting the inquiry and justice will be done, the police chief said.
Bassi said that his force worked within the laws and peacefully handled 11,156 protest demonstrations last year.
The DCW has already sent a notice to the police seeking an explanation about the incident and why there were no male police officers to deal with women protesters.
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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, Michigan.
At least 176,000 so-called 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.
Lead 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 can keep lead out of water
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. That's 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, public on its own
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.
The National Green Tribunal has asked the central and Delhi governments to initiate programmes for electricity and CNG to replace wood as fuel in funeral fires, a plan aimed at clearing the Capitals toxic air.
A tribunal bench headed by justice UD Salvi said there was a need to adopt environment-friendly methods, adding that religious leaders should take the lead in changing conventions.
Delhi has dozens of traditional cremation grounds where Hindus cremate bodies by burning massive piles of firewood in the open, billowing out clouds of black smoke into the sky and generating large quantities of ash thats thrown into rivers.
The issue involves question of faith and circumstances in which the people live ... It is, therefore, the responsibility of the men who lead, particularly religious leaders, to steer the faith in a direction so as to change the mindset of people practicing their faith and make them adopt the practices which are environment-friendly, the bench said, directing authorities, including the civic bodies of the city, to educate people.
Air pollution levels in the Capital reached alarming levels this winter and the Delhi high court last year said the city had turned into a gas chamber.
According to UN data, nearly 400-500 kg of wood is required to cremate a body with fifty million trees consumed by funeral pyres across the country every year. These produce 500,000 tonnes of ash and eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Delhi has 56 conventional cremation facilities. In comparison, there are merely four electricity-operated crematoriums and just one CNG-operated facility.
The green court was hearing a plea by advocate DM Bhalla who said cremation by conventional means added to air pollution and so alternative modes need to be used.
Sudha Bharadwaj, a priest at south Delhis Kalkaji Mandir, however, said looking for alternatives to traditional cremation is not an option. She said the last rites of a Hindu are not complete if the body is not burnt on a wooden pyre.
Our body consists of five elements and these need to go back to their original form after death, Bharadwaj said. We cant let go of our rituals, beliefs, sanskars. These are values passed on to us over generations.
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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notices to city government, Delhi Police, South DMC and Ryan International School on a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the death of a six-year-old Class I student in the premises of the school on January 30.
A division bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also sought response from Delhi Disaster Management and an MCD school in Kapashera area of South Delhi where a five-year-old boy died after falling into an open septic tank on January 27.
Its very very unfortunate. Its a matter which needs consideration. File status report on the action taken by all the concerned authorities and also the proposed action plan to ensure no such incidents happen again, said the be posting the matter for February 9.
The HC order came on AAP legislator Col. Devinder Sehrawat (retd.) seeking a judicial inquiry into the death of both the kids.
Sehrawat also sought similar inquiry into the death of the kid after falling into an open septic tank in an MCD school in Kapashera area on January 27.
The PIL has sought direction for payment of Rs 50 lakh each as compensation to the families of the deceased kids.
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.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has recommended to the Centre that it should not renew 260 undergraduate medical seats, of which 160 seats are in four government medical colleges, in Bihar.
If the Centre accepts MCIs recommendations, Bihar will lose 160 out of the 950 available undergraduate (MBBS) seats in its nine government-run medical institutions. The reduction, if it actually happens, will be effective from the ensuing 2016-17 academic session.
The MCI has recommended the Centre that it should not renew its permission for admission of the fourth batch of MBBS students against the increased intake from 50 to 100 at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College Hospital (ANMMCH), Gaya, Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (JLNMCH), Bhagalpur.
In the case of Darbhanga Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Darbhanga, the MCI recommended that the permission for intake from 90 to 100 should not be renewed.
The MCI, however, gave its consent to the private-run Katihar Medical College in Katihar to admit its fifth batch of MBBS students against increased intake from 60 to 100 for the 2016-17 academic session.
It has also decided not to renew the permission for admission of students to 100 MBBS seats of the fifth batch of the private Lord Buddha Koshi Medical College Hospital in Saharsa.
The decision of not recommending admission on increased seats at these medical institutes was taken at the MCI executive committee meeting held in New Delhi recently following extensive inspections of these institutions last year.
In case of Gayas ANMMCH, the MCI has said that there is a faculty deficiency of 36.73% against its maximum condonable limit of 10%. It also pointed to 88.13% shortage of residents and said that they did not stay on the hospital campus.
The MCI also pointed to deficiency in teaching beds, inadequate staff for registration counters, inadequate waiting area, unavailability of ECG room, minor operation theatre and common dressing room and injection room for male and female patients. It had listed out a total of 34 objections, some of which were advisories.
In case of the SKMCH, there was a deficiency of 22.5% in faculty and 32.2% shortage of residents. It also said that essential equipment like CT scan were out of order and examination-cum-treatment room, lecture theatre, audiometry and speech therapy, central research laboratory and the nurses hostel were not available.
The MCI said that in DMCH there was a deficiency of 21.83% in its faculty. It also objected to medical superintendent Dr SK Misra who has administrative experience of only five-and-a-half years against a requirement of 10 years.
The inspectors report also mentioned that the DMCH building had developed multiple cracks and was unsafe. It also objected to common registration counters for out-door (OPD) and in-patients (IPD) departments and saw a deficiency in teaching beds and common rooms for male and female patients for dressing and plaster.
The MCI found that there was a faculty deficiency of 27% in case of the JLNMCH and a 35% shortage of residents. The report also mentioned that examination rooms, as required, were not available in the OPD.
It also said that there was a shortage of lecture theatres there are only two instead of three - and absence of separate examination hall, besides inadequate facilities in students and residents hostels and inadequate specimens in the pathology department.
Read more: MCI scraps 32% of MBBS seats to safeguard quality
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Madhya Pradeshs professional examination board (MPPEB), mired in a multi-layered test-rigging scam, has sparked a fresh row after results of a forest guard entrance exam declared on its website erroneously picked hundreds of applicants as successful.
While more than 550,000 candidates took the test for over 2,100 posts, only 5,005 contenders should have qualified for the second round. Dozens of celebrating applicants were stunned when their names vanished from the shortlist after the MPPEB, widely known by its Hindi acronym, Vyapam, rectified its mistake.
Earlier, MPPEB used to play with peoples careers. Now, they have started playing with emotions, said Sanjay Thakur, one of the candidates. After seeing my result, I had distributed sweets to my friends and relatives, but on Monday I came to know that I was not selected.
The incident comes on the heels of the Vyapam examination scam being probed by the CBI after more than 40 accused, beneficiaries, whistle-blowers and witnesses died mysteriously, with many accusing there was a systematic attempt to scuttle the inquiry that has singed top bureaucrats and politicians.
At least 2,800 people have been arrested and hundreds are wanted in the scandal with multiple rackets helping candidates manoeuvre the examinations for money, including employing imposters to write test papers, manipulating seating arrangements as well as supplying forged answer sheets.
The Opposition has used the issue to target the BJP, which is in power at the Centre as well as the state, demanding the resignation of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The forest guard test was held on August 16, 2015 and results were announced on Sunday.
I am really upset. This is a crime, said another candidate, Manoj Patel. MPPEB fooled us. When the government cant handle the online format, it shouldnt shift to it.
Many of the applicants lodged complaints on a helpline launched by the chief minister.
The controller had sent the correct result but the programmer uploaded it incorrectly, said Aruna Sharma, additional chief secretary and in-charge of MPPEB. He has been suspended with immediate effect.
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has been ranked 14th globally, followed by Savitribai Phule Pune University in 18th place. Small universities are defined by having fewer than 5,000 students and teach and research across more than four disciplines from arts/humanities, medicine/clinical, engineering/technology, physical sciences, life sciences and social sciences. Only 20 small universities in the world are world-class (included in the Top 800 World University Rankings), according to the ranking.
California Institute of Technology, US, has been ranked number one on the list followed by two French institutions Ecole Normale Superieure and Ecole Polytechnique in the second and third place, respectively.
Phil Baty, Times Higher Education rankings editor, says: When it comes to universities, size matters. For some students big is best, but for others, a small university is the right option. Small universities can potentially offer students a more intimate environment, with more support and attention from lecturers, and lets be honest more of a chance for students to spend time with the star professors who in bigger universities may simply be too busy. The smaller university can also offer a greater sense of collegiality and community, where students are less likely to get lost in the crowd.
Commenting on Indian institutions, Baty says, Indias institutions are well represented in the Worlds Best Small Universities Ranking 2016. Alongside Caltech, they demonstrate the world-class offering available at smaller institutions, no matter their location.
Read more | Big challenge for small-town IIMs, IITs: Retaining faculty, connectivity
Having burnt its fingers in the University of Hyderabad protests, the human resource development ministry is scrambling to pre-empt the next big students unrest by clearing 85,000 scholars fellowship dues that have swollen to Rs 1,100 crore amid a severe budget squeeze.
A fellowship raise announced in December 2014 has still not materialised, prompting the affected students to complain at various fora -- the most recently on HRD minister Smriti Iranis Twitter handle. Alerted by the tweets, Irani held at least two meetings on the issue in the past two days and took it up with the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and the finance ministry, sources said. The HRD ministry did not respond to requests for a comment.
In December 2014, the fellowship amount was raised from R8,000 to R12,400 each for MTech students and from Rs 12,500 to Rs 25,000 each for PhD scholars. These fellowships are given to help scholars take care of their expenses, including those on accommodation, books and research requirements. The revised fellowship amount has not been disbursed to students due to a resource crunch.
Officials said the ministrys budget was slashed in 2015, affecting funding of universities, autonomous institutions and fellowships, too. The University Grants Commission had increased the fellowship amount to encourage scholars to undertake research. The PG scholarship for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)-qualified students was raised from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,400 per month.
Although students had been sending their grievances to the HRD ministry for quite some time, a few tweets sent to Iranis handle in the aftermath of the political controversy over Dalit scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide appeared to have done the trick, sources said.
The AICTE had announced a revised scholarship from R8,000 to R12,400 in the year 2014 we are getting only Rs 8,000. This is really unfair to us. There are many of us who need scholarship for research purposes and also for paying fees, a student tweeted to Irani. The minister, through a tweet, assured the student that the UGC and the AICTE have been asked to release the amount.
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If Hollywood actor Will Smiths son Jaden going to prom wearing a dress had you wide-eyed, youd be surprised that our very own Ranveer Singh has sported a nose ring on the cover of a magazine.
Jaden has also been appointed as the face of a luxury labels womenswear line and recently posed for a magazine cover flaunting a skirt with a flower perched behind his ear. The question is, are we finally moving towards blurring gender-boundaries in fashion?
Read: A brand new Katrina Kaif post her break up with Ranbir Kapoor
We are conservative when it comes to men experimenting in fashion. By taking the risk of sporting something like a nose ring and being comfortable and confident about it, actor Ranveer Singh is laying the grounds for a new kind of masculinity. By doing this, he is expanding the boundaries of what is typically considered manly. Its also about judging a little less, says designer Nachiket Barve.
Jaden Smith poses for a Louis Vuitton campaign
Designer Anand Bhushan is happy with the change and is optimistic. I like how a mainstream superstar has finally made a move in this direction, I hope gender lines are blurred soon, he says. For designer duo Hemant-Nandita, Indian fashion is on the gender-bender path already: We see gender fluidity seep into shoots as we get more experimental with fashion for both men and women. We are moving towards blurring these lines between conventionally feminine and masculine clothes.
However, for designer Anupama Dayal, the move is not too viable for Indian runways. Gender-stereotyping in terms of fashion is tougher to break out of. Id love to see designers do such experiments on the ramp as well, but many will re-think it because it might not have a big commercial audience, she says.
Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
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A Delhi court on Tuesday told a senior CBI officer to be present before it on February 22 and explain why the investigative agency had failed to file its status report on further probe in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.
Expressing his displeasure at the agencys failure to follow his directions, additional chief metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) SPS Laler directed the CBIs superintendent of police to appear before him on February 22.
The court had on December 4, 2015, directed the CBI to probe a 1984-anti Sikh riots case against Tytler, saying the statement of arms dealer Abhishek Verma disclosed an active role played by the Congress leader in extending helping hand to a witness against him.
It had said that as the CBI had filed closure reports in the case several times, it would now monitor the probe every two months so that no aspects of the matter was left uninvestigated.
During the hearing, the court asked the CBI prosecutor about the status report to which he said the investigative officer was not present.
Senior advocate H S Phoolka, representing the riot victims, urged the court to take a stern view to the non-compliance of its order.
The case related to riots at Gurudwara Pulbangash in north Delhi where three people were killed on November 1, 1984, a day after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
The courts order had come on a protest petition filed by complainant Lakhvinder Kaur, whose husband Badal Singh was killed in the violence, challenging the CBIs closure report exonerating Tytler.
The court had noted that Vermas statement to CBI claiming that Tytler had sent the son of Surinder Singh Granthi, a key witness against him, to Canada cannot be a sheer coincidence and the agency should probe if the facts.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is reconsidering validity of the charges slapped under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, a Mumbai court was told on Tuesday.
Special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal told the court that law officers supervising the case have questioned the applicability of charges under MCOCA in the case.
Last year, the high-profile case took a new turn after former special public prosecutor of NIA Rohini Salian alleged that an officer of the agency had asked her to go soft after the NDA government came to power in 2014, which the opposition said was an attempt to dilute the cases against the 11 accused including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and then serving Army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
Six persons were killed and more than 100 injured when a bomb mounted on a motorcycle went off on September 29, 2008, in Malegaon. The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad had later arrested 11 persons for their alleged roles in the blasts.
In January 2009, the ATS filed charge sheet against all the accused under MCOCA. However, in 2011, all the terror cases where right-wing groups were allegedly involved were transferred to the NIA.
On Tuesday, the prosecution moved an application for adjournment at the special court which was to frame charges in the case.
In the application, the prosecuting agency said that investigating officers and law officers working have raised objections to the validity of the application of MCOCA to the entire case.
It was stated that officers of the NIA have placed the issue before the Attorney General for an opinion on the issue.
The special public prosecutor contended that as the charges are under consideration, it would be proper to adjourn the case till decision is taken on the issue.
The case was posted for next hearing on February 15.
A 70-year-old man died when he fell from the terrace of his house at Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad while fending off an attack by a dozen monkeys on Monday, the latest incident of man-animal conflict in the area.
The problem has been going on for many years in Sector 9, where the family lives. Mahipal Singh, son of the victim, Jahariya Singh, had survived a similar attack last year.
My father fell from the second floor of the house to the roof of our neighbours house. He suffered internal injuries. We rushed him to a private hospital where he was given pain killers, said the Mahipal Singh.
Singh said the medicines gave some relief to his father and they took him to a family doctor. As the doctor was away, they decided to wait during which time Jahariyas condition deteriorated.
When the doctor came, he asked us to rush my father to a hospital. We took him to a hospital where he died, he said.
Meanwhile, officials of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation and the forest department assigned responsibility over the incident to one other.
Since monkeys come under the wildlife category, the forest department should catch them. We have facilities only for catching stray cattle, said Dr RK Yadav, city health officer from the municipal corporation.
The forest department said it required funds to catch the animals and rehabilitate them elsewhere.
The monkeys are in the city areas and the corporation should make arrangements to catch them, like in other cities. Otherwise, our department should be provided with funds for such arrangements, said Joga Singh, Ghaziabad divisional forest officer.
Mudragada Padmanabham was branded everything from being a maverick to a turncoat but never a mass leader. Until last Sunday, that is.
In a career spanning four decades, the politician from Andhra Pradesh has switched loyalties several times from the Janata Party, to Telugu Desam (TDP) and the Congress.
Mudragada, however, never gave up one issue which would one day propel him to the national centre stage the demand for reservation for his community of Kapus which constitute over a quarter of the states population but backward in terms of education and jobs.
Though one of the dominant caste groups exerting electoral influence in the state, the Kapus have always played second fiddle to the Kammas and Reddys who have allegedly wielded political power all the time.
The time of the Kapus, Mudragada feels, has come.
A high school dropout, Mudragada has now invigorated the agitation for education and employment opportunities through inclusion of the Kapus an agrarian community -- in the backward class category.
The massive turnout of people on Sunday for the Kapu-garjana (Roar of the Kapus) might be surprising as Mudragada, a senior journalist says, was never considered a mass leader.
Unlike Ramadoss or Vaiko in Tamil Nadu who mobilised the masses on caste and linguistic lines, Mudragada could not emerge as a sole representative of the community, says Jinka Nagaraju, a senior journalist.
He suffered political insecurity as he knows he is not a mass leader. That is why he took to political adventurism, confronting those in power with threats of fast-unto-death etc. But for the last 10 years, Mudragada was largely silent, the political analyst says.
That is until his speech sparked unprecedented violence in Tuni in East Godavari district his home district - where an express train, two police stations and several vehicles were set afire by the Kapu agitators.
The Kapu community would never exceed the line Ive drawn, Mudragada reportedly claimed.
Between 1988 and 2005, Mudragada is said to have sat on fast on half-a-dozen occasions to press with his demand of reservation. One such fast in 1994 forced the Congress government then to issue the Government Order 30 (facilitating Kapu reservations).
The Kapu leader accuses the TDP -- regarded as a party of the Kammas with whom Kapus share a rivalry -- which came to power later in 1994 of dishonouring the GO.
Mudragada was once a minister in the TDP government under NT Rama Rao in the 1980s and was also the party Lok Sabha MP from Kakinada when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister.
Now, Mudragada has set a deadline for Naidu to reissue the government order for inclusion of Kapus in the BC list.
I am committed to obtain reservation for our community and I do not mind giving up my life for the cause, Mudragada says.
And yet another indefinite fast, the leader says he is prepared to sit on at his house in Kirlampudi from February 5 if his demand is not met by the government.
The Supreme Courts decision to begin re-examining its verdict criminalising homosexual acts was widely welcomed by activists on Tuesday as hope of upholding the democracy in the country.
Initially apprehensive that the petition would be dismissed outright, LGBT community members said it was a step forward that the SC referred a curative petition challenging Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to a five-judge constitution bench for hearing.
Read: Supreme Court refers gay sex ban to constitution bench, activists cheer
I am happy... Now, the court is going to look at the constitutional arguments to decriminalise homosexuality, hopes have been raised that if the petition has been accepted that means they see some merit in it. Lets hope this is the last leg of the fight, said LBGT activist and Naz Foundation director Anjali Gopalan.
The apprehension was it would be dismissed outright. Now we are waiting for the date of the hearing, sexual rights activist Pawan Dhall told IANS. Transgender activist Ranjita Sinha welcomed the fact that the apex court decision reopened the debate.
Read: All you need to know about Section 377
Another transgender rights activist, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, said: Actually, the court could have struck it down and asked the government to react on it to assert that democracy prevails in the country and the right of expression, right to life and dignity is still there. But it is interesting how the matter has been referred to a five-judge bench.
A curative petition is the last judicial resort available for redressal of grievances in court which is normally decided by judges in-chamber. In rare cases, such petitions are given an open court hearing.
A bench of three seniormost judges -- Chief Justice TS Thakur, justice AR Dave and justice Jagdish Singh Khehar -- referred the curative petition to the larger bench as counsel Kapil Sibal said the issue involved constitutional questions of far-reaching importance and must be heard by a five-judge bench.
Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has reportedly denied a visa to actor Anupam Kher to attend Karachi Literature Festival, which is to be held on February 5.
Kher claimed that he has been singled out of the 18 delegates who applied for the visa. I am very sad and disappointed that out of 18 participants, 17 were given visa and I was denied, Kher told ANI. He later tweeted asking if his visa was cancelled because he has spoken about the tolerance debate in India or because hes a Kashmiri Pandit.
Has my visa been denied because I speak about India's rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) February 2, 2016
Didn't Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs red flag my name to Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi? Why hide facts deliberately? Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) February 2, 2016
Pak High Commission shud know their own rules. #KarachiLitFest had given my name to authorities 1 month back & have my name in every poster. Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) February 2, 2016
However Pakistan High Commission has said Kher had not even applied for a visa.
Anupam Kher has never submitted a visa application, Pakistan high commission spokesperson Manzoor Ali Memon told Hindustan Times.
Pakistan HC says "they have received no Visa application from Anupam Kher" ANI (@ANI_news) February 2, 2016
He added: It may be clarified that the Pakistan high commission never received Mr Khers visa application. So the question of issuing or denying him visa does not arise.
According to reports, Pakistani officials rejected the visa citing security reasons.
Watch | Anupam Kher says Pak High Commission lying about visa denial
Kher, who has just been honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Indian government, was to participate in at least two sessions and his name figured prominently in the festival schedule.
Confirming that he has not been issued a visa, Kher said that he was very saddened by the development as he was looking forward to participate in the festival and use the platform to dispel misunderstandings in the minds of people there.
We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity, he said.
Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him.
Earlier this week Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Anupam Kher were also seen sparring Twitter over the veteran actors comment that he is scared to openly say he is a Hindu.
Read more: Pity we have become a nation of criticisers, not doers: Anupam Kher
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to pay a brief visit to the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.
The prime minister will be in Kozhikode in Kerala for less than two hours to address the Third Global Ayurveda Festival, before travelling to Coimbatore in neighbouring Tamil Nadu for inaugurating the building of the ESIC Medical College and Hospital and formally handing it over to the state government.
In Coimbatore, will inaugurate building of ESIC Medical College & Hospital & hand it over to TN Govt. After that will join a public meeting. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 2, 2016
Will visit Kerala & Tamil Nadu today. Shall begin the tour by joining the Third Global Ayurveda Festival in Kozhikode. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 2, 2016
Security has been tightened and traffic restrictions imposed in both cities ahead of the prime ministers visit.
Modis visit has assumed significance since both Kerala and Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a few months time. The prime minister is expected to meet state BJP leaders at the Kozhikode airport and discuss electoral strategy.
Modi will spend no more than a few hours in Coimbatore too. Yet, his visit to the textile city is being keenly watched since the prime minister is scheduled to address a political rally, virtually launching the BJPs campaign for general elections to the state assembly.
The BJP is hoping to put up a mega show at Coimbatore. Party officials say some five lakh people will attend Modis rally.
Though a marginal player in Tamil Nadu politics, the BJP-led NDA is hoping to make significant inroads in the state in the upcoming polls. Sources say the party has been in talks with film star-turned-politician Vijayakanth to bolster its alliance.
The suspected Islamic State operative arrested on Monday has been sent to a two-day transit remand of the National Investigation Agency(NIA) by a Bhopal court on Tuesday.
The alleged IS operative, Azhar Iqbal, 24, was arrested by NIA on Monday with the help of city crime branch officials from Teela Jamalpura area.
The suspect booked under section 18, 18(a), 38, 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and section 125 of Indian Penal Code, was presented in the court on Tuesday morning, which has sent him in transit remand under NIA till February 4.
The 3-membered NIA team will take the suspect to Delhi on Tuesday evening, where they will present him before Patiala House court. He was absconding in a case registered against him and 14 other IS suspects in Delhi for indulging in anti-national activities.
According to sources, the IS suspect is alleged to have links with IS regional wing, Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind (Army of Caliph of India) and was planning to carry out attacks across India. On Monday he was nabbed from his uncles house in a joint operation by NIA and city crime branch officials.
Originally a resident of Barkheda village, Obedullahganj, Raisen, Azhar was pursuing Islamic studies from Darul Uloom Deoband, Saharanpur. After knowing that a case has been registered against him and 14 other IS suspects in Delhi, he fled from there and came to his uncles place to hide from NIA. He was allegedly in constant touch with IS members in Syria through social networking platforms and chatting applications. The NIA had already nabbed the other 14 IS suspects and Azhar was the last one to be nabbed in the case registered, added the source.
The NIA will take the suspect to Delhi in the evening, where they will interrogate him to know about his plans and other acquaintances. City crime branch officials is also assisting the NIA in the investigation, said assistant superintendent of police, crime, Shailendra Chauhan.
The Union home ministry has not received any new proposal for a phased removal of the controversial Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act (Afspa) from Jammu and Kashmir, sources said.
The Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party had sounded out to the Bharatiya Janata Party that it wants the Centre to agree to lift the controversial Afspa from at least two districts of the state and deliver its commitment to vacate buildings occupied by security forces before she takes oath as the chief minister.
The state was placed under governors rule earlier this month after the PDP put off Mehboobas swearing-in after her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds death to nudge its alliance partner to give her party a better deal.
Read more: BJP cold to PDP feelers on Afspa
The Afspa was enacted in disturbed areas of the state with effect from July 1990 and granted special powers to the armed forces to arrest, conduct searches and seizures. The act also provides immunity from prosecution to members of the armed forces.
The act is operational in the districts of Anantnag, Baramulla, Badgam, Kupwara, Pulwama and Srinagar since July 1990 and in of Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts from August 2001.
As of now no proposal is pending with the home ministry on a total or partial removal of Afspa from Jammu and Kashmir. If the state government sends any proposal in this regard, it will be examined, a home ministry official requesting anonymity said.
Read more: J-K governor prods BJP and PDP on government formation
The central government told Lok Sabha last year that it had received a representation from the J-K government for a phased withdrawal of the Afspa from the state. The representation was received when Omar Abdullah was chief minister of the state. After that no new proposal came to the centre, the official said.
Sources said that the Indian Army was not in favour of even a partial withdrawal of Afspa from the state. Therefore, the no decision was taken in this regard.
Security officials, however, say a partial or phased withdrawal of Afspa is implementable at least in certain urban pockets where the situation has improved on the ground.
It is not something we cannot live without, a senior security official, who did not wish to be named, said.
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As news of the government appointing Archana Ramasundaram as the next Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) director-general came on Monday evening, the 58-year-old Indian Police Service (IPS) officer decided to keep her fingers crossed.
She didnt want anything going wrong this time, close friends said.
The appointments committee of the cabinet appointed Ramasundaram the next SSB chief, a decision that would make the 1980-batch officer the first woman to head any border guarding force, or for that matter, any central police force.
Mondays announcement was the best news that the affable Ramasundaram had heard in a while.
She had celebrated too early in 2014 when the Centre had appointed her as the additional director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). First, the Tamil Nadu government refused to relieve her and when she acted on orders to join from Delhi, the J Jayalalithaa government suspended her. The suspension was revoked by the Centre last year, holding that the state had no business to suspend an officer on central deputation.
Ramasundaram had been caught in the cross-fire between the AIADMK and the Congress-led UPA at the Centre.
Her husband, an IAS officer of the 1979 batch, S Ramasundaram who was perceived to be close to the DMK regime had already taken voluntary retirement when the AIADMK came to power in 2011.
The appointment to the CBI was her second stint in the agency. In the first that lasted from 1999 to 2006, she is most widely credited for the probe against Abdul Karim Telgi, son of a Class IV railway employee who made counterfeiting stamp-papers a multi-crore enterprise across several states. Telgi was eventually convicted in 2006.
But Ramasundarams appointment as CBI additional director was challenged in the Supreme Court on grounds that the CVC had recommended someone else. The court told the premier investigating agency not to give her any work till it decides the case.
Ramasundaram remained without work for more than a year before she was moved out of the agency in June last year. She was posted to the National Crime Records Bureau, the home ministrys arm that is better known for publishing crime statistics and, lately, for implementing a project to link all police stations.
There have been woman chiefs of state police forces but never at the Centre.
Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS officer, came close many years ago but she didnt have the trust of the government to hold this charge. Bedi quit the service as the Bureau of Police Research & Development chief when she missed the bus to become the Delhi Police commissioner, too.
Aruna M Bahuguna, an IPS officer a year senior to Ramasundaram, also had the seniority but was sent to lead the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy at Hyderabad that grooms officers for the job.
The SSB is one of four border guarding forces and is deployed along the 2,450-km boundary with Nepal and Bhutan. These are two borders that require tact rather than force to secure, a task that often proves tricky.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police is deployed at the Indo-China border. The Border Security Force mans the high-profile Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders. The Assam Rifles, the counter-insurgency force for the Northeast, protects the border with Myanmar.
The SSB was the first force to open its doors to women in 2008 after it figured gangs were using women as carriers to smuggle goods across the Indo-Nepal border as they were not frisked by security personnel. Initially, women were only tasked to perform frisking and search duties. Soon enough they were deployed to independently manage border outposts and patrol duties. By 2009, the BSF joined the league.
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Homosexuality is a humane issue and the government has not taken a final view on legalising it, said Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday.
It is a humane issue, we have to study various aspects and take a final view. The debate is on, he told reporters in Bangalore after the Supreme Court set up a five-judge panel to re-examine a British-era law that criminalises homosexual acts.
The government has, to my knowledge, not formulated any final view, but it is now before the court, let us await what is going to happen, said Naidu, who is in charge of the parliamentary affairs and urban development ministries.
I have no personal view, because as a minister people should not talk about personal view, he said when he was asked if his view was personal.
Read | All you need to know about Section 377
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice TS Thakur said it would be appropriate to refer Section 377 to a five-judge panel because it involved issues concerning the countrys constitution. No date has been set for the hearing by the five-member constitution bench.
In 2009, a Delhi High Court declared unconstitutional Section 377, which calls gay sex against the order of nature and makes it punishable by up to a decade in prison. But the verdict was overturned four years later by the Supreme Court, saying that only Parliament can change the 1861 law.
In Delhi, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala welcomed the Supreme Courts decision. We have always been told whom you want to love is a matter of choice and that personal choice must be respected by the society at large. Sec 377 as far as LGBT community isconcerned needs to be decriminalised. Delhi High Court judgement was a welcome step in this direction that was reversed, he said.
Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel was on Tuesday granted bail by a court in Surat in connection with a case of blocking a national high that passes through the city. However, the 22-year-old, who is facing seven more cases including two of sedition, will remain in judicial custody at Surats Rajpore Central Jail.
Hardik and many other members of his outfit Patidar Anamat Anadolan Samiti (PAAS) were arrested on October 18 after they tried to block a national highway near Kamrej during a protest. Later, the firebrand leader was also booked for sedition.
This is the first case in which Hardik has been granted bail. This has come at a time when the state government is likely to withdraw 41 FIRs filed against agitating Patidars. The cases pertain to damaging public property, attacking police stations and BJP offices in North Gujarat.
The Gujarat government has already withdrawn 74 cases. Total 454 cases were filed in connection with rioting reported from across the state following the PAASs Ahmedabad rally on August 25.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hardik hit out at his former lawyer BM Mangukiya, who is also president of Congress Legal Cell. Mangukiya had represented Hardik in all the cases against him since October. In December, Hardik asked him not to appear for him in any of the cases.
Mangukiya dragged me into false cases, Hardik told reporters before hearing of his bail plea.
Hardik was apparently referring to the habeas corpus filed by Mangukiya in September 2015. Taking the matter on priority basis, the court had held the first hearing at 2.30am. Hardik, who resurfaced some 12 hours after the hearing, had later failed to prove that he was, as alleged by him in the complaint, kidnapped by Gujarat Police from a public meeting in Tenpur.
Gay activist Manvendra Singh Gohil, 51, is the first member of a royal family to come out of the closet. He is the crown prince of erstwhile princely state Rajpipla in Gujarat. He runs an NGO, The Lakshya Trust, which works with the LGBT community. Here he talks about Section 377, the law which criminalises homosexuality and which the Supreme Court has agreed to re-examine.
First of all, I would like to say that I have always maintained that a case of Section 377 being heard in the court was a dispute of hypocrisy versus humanity.
Today, the Supreme Court has shown that even though hypocrisy exists in Indian society, there are people in our country who think on humanitarian grounds. That is why it is very historic.
In last 68 years of Independent India, this is the fourth curative petition which has been reopened by the Supreme Court. This is a very positive stand even though the court has referred the matter to a larger five-judge bench.
This is a fight for human rights.
Read | All you need to know about Section 377
One must understand that Section 377 does not just target the homosexual population but also the heterosexual population. The Indian society is not aware of this.
It is a colonial law enacted in the British rule during the reign of Queen Victoria. It talks about penetration in a sexual act which doesnt result in procreation. That way, under Section 377, oral or anal sex between legally wedded husband and wife in India can be termed illegal.
Therefore, this is not just about the rights of the LGBT community, but about every Indian citizen who has been granted right to privacy under the Indian Constitution.
(As told to Hiral Dave. The views expressed are personal.)
Actor Anupam Kher said on Tuesday Pakistani authorities denied him a visa to attend a literature festival, a decision that he suggested may have been prompted by his stand on the issue of Kashmiri Pandits and his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi said it didnt get any application from the Bollywood artist and so the question of either granting or denying him a visa didnt arise. Its officials added later in the evening that if Kher were to apply for a visa on Wednesday he would get the travel document within hours.
Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA (foreign ministry) has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa on second time in a year, the actor said in a series of tweets. Has my visa been denied because I speak about Indias rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian Govt welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan Govt. bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue?
His comments sparked a storm on social media which recently became a battlefield for another controversy involving the actor after he told a senior journalist during an interview that he was scared to say he is a Hindu.
Has my visa been denied because I speak about India's rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) February 2, 2016
The other 17 Indian participants to the event in Karachi who have been given the travel document include senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and actor Nandita Das.
Responding to the incident, union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said Pakistan has a right to grant or refuse visa to an individual.
This is a sovereign decision by Pakistan and I cannot comment on it. But we are in favour of a smooth and transparent visa regime, he said in Jaipur.
In May last year, Kher was denied a visa to Pakistan, reportedly on security grounds, when he was due to visit Lahore for an event organised by an NGO.
Angry over the Pakistani high commissions statement that he didnt apply for the travel document, Kher, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan last week, tweeted, Didnt Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs red flag my name to Pakistan
High Commission in New Delhi? Why hide facts deliberately? Pak High Commission shud know their own rules. #KarachiLitFest had given my name to authorities 1 month back & have my name in every poster.
India said on Tuesday it is readying travel guidelines for pregnant women passengers coming from and going to the Zika affected countries as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international emergency over the mosquito-borne virus.
We were waiting for the WHO meet on Zika virus to take place and based on the outcome, we will be issuing detailed guidelines in next 48 hours, Union health minister JP Nadda said.
We have discussed the guidelines in detail, he added.
On Friday, India had constituted a technical committee to formulate travel guidelines and a joint monitoring committee to review the global situation on the spread of the virus.
Read more: Zika virus: US adds four more countries to travel alert list
The WHO declared an international emergency on Monday over the explosive spread of the Zika virus saying it is an extraordinary event.
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.
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 didnt you take action?
Read more: Zika virus: Joy of pregnancy gives way to fear in Brazil
WHO estimates there could be up to four 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 also advised pregnant women to postpone visits to Brazil and other countries in the region with Zika outbreaks.
The last time the WHO declared a public health emergency was for the Ebola outbreak in Africa that killed more than 11,000 people.
Though Zika virus was discovered in 1947 in Africa and was even isolated and documented in India in 1952-53, it wasnt believed to cause any serious health conditions. However, recently it has been suspected to be causing birth defects in babies that has led the world to devise measures to control its spread.
The disease has no cure or vaccine.
(With agnecy inputs)
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India on Tuesday urged its citizens to avoid or defer travelling to countries affected by Zika, a mosquito-borne virus suspected of causing microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, in babies.
A government advisory particularly urged pregnant women to defer/ cancel their travel to the affected areas. The government said it is preparing against the virus by implementing a range of measures at hospitals, maternity centres, international airports and ports.
New Delhis National Centre for Disease Control and Pune-based National Institute of Virology will be main labs for screening of suspected samples. Apart from these two, 10 additional laboratories would be strengthened by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to expand the scope of laboratory diagnosis.
The governments focus will be on checking mosquito-breeding as Zika, like dengue and chikungunya, spreads through the bite of Aedes Agypti mosquito.
The World Health Organization on Monday declared an international health emergency over the Zika virus, which has spread to more than 20 countries and territories. It said the disease was strongly suspected to be linked to a large number of babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads.
Zika was first detected in a Ugandan forest of the same name in 1947, but it was considered a relatively mild disease until the current outbreak was declared in Latin America last year.
Travel Advisory
*Non-essential travel to the affected countries to be deferred/ cancelled
*Pregnant women or women who are trying to become pregnant should defer/ cancel their travel to the affected areas
*All travelers to the affected countries/ areas should strictly follow individual protective measures, especially during day time, to prevent mosquito bites (use of mosquito repellant cream, electronic mosquito repellants, use of bed nets, and dress that appropriately covers most of the body parts)
*Persons with co-morbid conditions (diabetes, hypertension, chronic respiratory illness, Immune disorders etc) should seek advice from the nearest health facility, prior to travel to an affected country
*Travellers having febrile illness within two weeks of return from an affected country should report to the nearest health facility
*Pregnant women who have travelled to areas with Zika virus transmission should mention about their travel during ante-natal visits in order to be assessed and monitored appropriately.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Parents of a Class 2 student in south Kashmir are scared about the safety of their son after the police visited their home looking for the boy and continuously called the boys father to the police station.
The relatives of the boy alleged that the police have been visiting their home in Malangnag-Sherbagh area of Anantnag district since January 27, time and again, looking for the eight-year-old school student.
The police told the family that there was an instance of stone pelting on January 26 in Anantnag and the boy was also seen roaming around during the incident, a relative of the boys parents said.
Death of a local militant in an encounter with security forces in the district on January 26 had triggered clashes between the youth and police. A shutdown was observed on January 27.
The relative, not wishing to be identified, said the boy was not at home at the time when police came and they asked his father, who is a clothes merchant, to come to the police station.
Since then the boys father has been continuously asked to visit the police station. They allow him to return home in the evening only to be recalled in the morning, he said.
The relative said despite assurances by the family, neighbours and the senior citizens of the area, the police are not ready to leave the boy of the issue.
We told them that he is a small kid. He does not know right and wrong. They are not ready to listen. They are saying that we want to counsel him, the relative said.
He said due to the police harassment the family has gone into depression. The family is petrified. They are concerned about the well being of their son. The father of the boy is so traumatised that he is not talking to anyone now, the concerned relative said.
Senior superintendent of police, Anantnag, Abdul Jabbar refused to comment. He said, I dont want to talk about the issue.
Despite repeated attempts, Kashmir inspector general of police, Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gilani, did not receive calls from Hindustan Times.
The Jharkhand government on Tuesday removed the superintendent of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College (MGM) Hospital in Jamshedpur, where a security guard allegedly raped a minor rape victim undergoing treatment there, top officials said.
A two-member fact-finding team sent by the state health department comprising Dr Jaya Prasad, nodal officer for rape crisis, and Dr Manju Kumari, director, health services also visited MGM Hospital and Tata Main Hospital (TMH), where the victim was later moved.
Weve removed MGM Hospital superintendent Dr RY Choudhary from the post with immediate effect and the temporary charge has been given to the MGM College principal Dr AN Mishra, K Vidyasagar, Jharkhand health secretary, told HT.
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.
The health secretary further said that they would decide the next course of action after getting the report from the fact-finding team on the lapses on the part of the hospital authorities. Criminal law will take its own course but we also want to assess the medical condition in hospitals for taking care of such rape victims, he said.
The fact-finding team spoke with the 13-year-old girl and her mother at TMH and also questioned the outgoing superintendent and other hospital staff at MGM Hospital.
The girl narrated her ordeal and still stuck to her charge of being raped. So did her mother. But facts could be conclusively assessed only after the medical test reports of the victim come. Our main objective was to assess the physical and mental status of the victim, Dr Jaya Prasad told HT.
Dr Manju Kumari said they checked all the papers related to the victims admission and treatment at MGM Hospital and questioned the superintendent about the facilitys ability to handle such delicate and sensitive cases. Weve also recorded the statements of patients in the ward and submitted our report to the department, added Dr Kumari.
The girl had identified the arrested guard of G-Alert security agency, Shambhu Mahato, 56, as the perpetrator of the crime after the city police showed her his photo on Monday evening. Mahato was arrested on Monday from Humepipe area of Bhuiyandih locality, 130 km from state capital Ranchi.
She has identified the accused and were awaiting the victims medical reports to act further. We want concrete evidence so that the prosecution case in court is strong, said Chandan Jha, city superintendent of police.
The rape incident took place at around 7 pm on Sunday, a day after chief minister Raghubar Das had asked hospital authorities to improve conditions at the health facility.
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Kashmir cannot be separated from India despite efforts by its neighbouring country to try and force such a separation, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has said.
Abdullah, who was speaking at a programme at Abu Road in Sirohi on Monday evening, said efforts to raise new problems were being made by terror outfits but that the problem of terrorism would soon be eradicated from the world.
Abdullah also advocated for empowerment of women and said politicians should sincerely work towards women rights.
Equal rights activists are pinning their hopes on Tuesdays open court hearing by the Supreme Court of a petition seeking reconsideration of its 2013 verdict criminalising gay sex, considered against the order of nature by the IPC Section 377 dating back to 1860.
Activists have campaigned for Section 377 to be repealed on grounds that it violates the human rights of LGBTs.
A three-bench bench headed by chief justice TS Thakur will hear the curative petition, which is the last judicial resort to redress grievances. Open court hearings such as this are rare.
The very fact that the Supreme Court is willing to hear a new petition in open is a good thing and we are hopeful. If the apex court upholds the law, Parliament will be our last recourse, said a petitioner who did not want to be named.
Equal rights activists in India have been fighting a long legal battle asking for Section 377 to be repealed on grounds that it violates human rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs).
They argue that section 377 violates articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantee equality, freedom of expression and personal liberty to all citizens.
The section denies basic human rights to sexual minorities, who can be arrested and imprisoned for life for their sexual orientation.
In a celebrated judgment in July 2009, the Delhi highcourt decriminalised consensual homosexual sex between adults but the apex court overturned the judgment in 2013 on grounds that amending or repealing Section 377 should be left to Parliament, not the judiciary.
The curative petition challenges the SC verdict upholding the validity of section 377 and its January 2014 order that dismissed a bunch of review petitions.
Though Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoors private members bill proposing to replace Section 377 was defeated out right in Parliament in December last year, activists have support from some senior leaders in the government, including finance minister ArunJaitley, who has spoken publicly in favour of decriminalising gay sex.
Cultural and religious beliefs are the biggest hurdle to gay rights. In 1992, the World Health Organisation (WHO) removed homosexuality from the category of mental illness, but many governments and religious groups do not accept homosexuality as normal.
Some religious leaders, such as yoga guru Ramdev, are convinced that homosexuality is a perversion, a disease that can be cured.
Experts, however, say homosexuality is a sexual orientation one is born with and not a behavioural choice. It is not a choice you make willing ly, why would anyone choose an orientation that is not accepted by society and puts them at the threat of discriminated against and being imprisoned, said Dr Chinkholal Thangsing, president, Touch of Hope Foundation, which works for equal rights.
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The Delhi government on Tuesday urged the Centre not to give clearance to cultivation of genetically modified mustard as allowing the agriculture technique for growing a food crop could pose threat to environment, soil, farmers and consumers health.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia demanded the Centre to reject the application, pending with the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, seeking approval on GM mustard.
While Sisodia said it was the duty of the Delhi government to protect the rights of its citizens to cultivate crops of their choice, the communication also holds political relevance as the issue of genetically modified crops is a burning issue in neighbouring Punjab.
Devastation of Bt cotton crop in Punjab due to a whitefly epidemic last year witnessed widespread protests by farmers.
The ineffectiveness of genetically modified (GM) cotton in light of epidemic raised concern among agricultural experts and farmers over the growing dependency on Bt cotton and their effectiveness. Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Punjab early next year and the Aam Aadmi Party is eying the north Indian state as the next destination for political expansion.
In his letter, the AAP leader also claimed that scientists are conducting tests of GM crops in Delhi University labs without possessing a no-objection certificate from the Delhi government, which makes such tests illegal.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture had raised concerns about such crops in 2012. The report of Technical Expert Committee, constituted by the Supreme Court, also raises concerns over it.We demand that government must make all reports and data related to GM crops in its possession public so that scientists, state governments, farmers and consumers could debate it, Sisodia said in his letter.
In a bid to counter the oppositions pro-rich charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address farmers across four states this month to popularize his governments initiatives for the distressed sector.
Modi will address gatherings in Madhya Pradesh on February 18, Odisha on February 21, Karnataka on February 27 and Uttar Pradesh on February 28.
The outreach rallies comes close on the heels of reports of suicide by farmers and fears that the crisis of the farm sector may further deepen in the next fiscal on account of several reasons including the falling global commodity prices. The opposition has attacked the NDA blaming it for the 160-odd suicides that had taken place during the last Kharif season. In Odisha alone, over 100 farmers committed suicide in the last year, though the Naveen Patnaik government said the reasons behind these numbers varied from case to case.
The Modi-led government has also been targeted for being pro-rich, a tag that the Prime Minister has been trying to shed at many platforms.
At an event in Delhi last week, the Prime Minister batted for targeted subsidies and reforms that transform the lives of the poor.
This sentiment is likely to be reflected in the budget that his government will present this month, despite pressure from different quarters to cut spending to contain the fiscal deficit.
Re-iterating the governments stance, a BJP functionary said the government also did not get credit for several path breaking initiatives launched in recent months including the new irrigation scheme and the soil health card that will be distributed to about 5 crore farmers by the end of March.
Above all, the government recently approved a new crop insurance scheme that will provide for compensation in case of crop loss on account of natural calamities. This scheme envisages relief to farmer at a nominal premium. We need to promote all such efforts of the Modi government, the party functionary said.
In a meeting on Monday, Modi also requested office bearers of different Morchas of the BJP to popularize the pro-poor initiatives of the government. Discussed governments development agenda and how we are ensuring that the fruits of progress reach the poor across India, the Prime Minister tweeted after the meeting Sunday evening.
Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti chose a dinner hosted for mediapersons some months ago to reveal for the first time her disapproval of the partys alliance with the BJP, saying the coalition government had nothing to show.
A helpless Mehbooba was speaking off the record, though.
Tipped to be the next chief minister after the death of her father on January 7, she had then hoped that Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds gamble to stitch an alliance with the ideologically-opposite BJP would work.
Her fathers government was cash-starved and faced unrest as victims of the devastating floods in 2014 were getting frustrated and angry over relief that was down to a trickle. This was costing the party where it mattered most its core vote-base in the Valley.
Her party felt the Centres flood rehabilitation package was too little, too late.
Read | Mehbooba keeps up suspense over J-K govt formation, BJP wants time
Formed in February 2015 after a fractured poll verdict and two months of hard-nosed deliberations, faultlines within the alliance showed up early. The first instance was the release of hardline separatist Masarat Alam, which the PDP said was not done at its behest.
The government appeared to be governing two states a Jammu that voted the Narendra Modi-led BJP to power and a Kashmir which voted to keep him out. Instead of governance, the two parties were forced to firefight one niggling issue after another, such as a high court-imposed beef ban, hoisting of the state flag and Article 370.
Besides the beef ban, BJP members went to court against the state flag. Next could have been Article 370. The partners were never on the same page on anything, a senior PDP leader said.
The state could not meet demands of even ad hoc or temporary employees. Civic elections never found a mention. The two assembly sessions witnessed almost negligible work, marred by protests and walkouts. In a first, a sitting legislator was punched by MLAs of the ruling coalition inside the assembly.
No new projects were announced while the old ones suffered because of acute funds crunch.
Disillusionment was rife and, for the first time, local militants outnumbered jihadis from abroad. PDP stronghold South Kashmir soon turned into a hotbed of militancy.
The PDP, which witnessed a golden era during Muftis 2002 stint at the helm, lost face both on the development count as well as politically. Ironically, Sayeed and Modi had come together in 2015 to give good governance to the troubled state.
Read
PDP chief Mehboobas tough stand could further distance her from BJP
Centre has no new proposal for Afspas removal from J-K: Sources
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World Council Meeting of Worldwide Marriage Encounter Held in Singapore Contact: Dick & Diane Baumbach, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, 321-544-3440, dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net
SINGAPORE, Feb. 2, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- The World Council of Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) held its annual meeting in Singapore late last month. Attending the meeting were six WWME ecclesial teams from six continents North America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Pan Africa and Pacific.
Each ecclesial team is made up of a couple and priest who work together to lead the movement on their continents. Chairing the meeting was the International Ecclesial Team, Daniel & Shelley Ee (from Singapore) and Rev. Fr. Nathaniel Gomez (from the Philippines). The meeting was held in the Marriage Encounter House at which various couple retreats, including Marriage Encounter, Engaged Encounter, Retrouvaille and Retorno, are conducted.
The meeting theme "Go Be Missionaries of Joy and Mercy" challenged the delegates to build flourishing communities of couples and priests who could reach out to more married couples, priests and religious in the world. A formation session at the beginning focused on improving leadership skills that would be cascaded down to leadership teams at different levels of the movement. A second formation at the end was on building flourishing communities in the respective continents. The meeting reviewed the progress and challenges of WWME in the continents and discussed strategies to take the movement forward. Delegates agreed to enhance the use of social media to reach out to a wider audience and maintain WWME's relevance in a fast changing world. The meeting also re-affirmed the importance of WWME communities to be close to and serving the parishes and dioceses wherever they are.
The delegates were invited to be guest presenters at a one-day "World Forum on Marriage" organized by WWME Singapore. Couples and priests from the Archdiocesan Commission for the Family, WWME and other family related movements attended it. They included WWME leadership and community teams from Malaysia, Philippines and Japan. Keynote speaker, Vicar General Msgr Ambrose Vaz, said that against a bleak backdrop of marriage being under siege worldwide, couples were being called even more to live out their sacramental vows and serve as beacons of hope. He said, "Remember, you make a difference. We are proclaiming, through our marriages and families, the unity and love, the joy and mercy of God." Delegates gave a wide ranging account of the state of marriage and family life worldwide and presented interesting real life stories of efforts made to help couples build strong, lasting marriages and life-giving families.
WWME Singapore couples provided all the logistical needs of the meeting including catering, secretariat support, airport transfers and hosting the delegates in their homes before and after the meeting. It was the church in action, with people serving other people out of love in an extraordinary way.
The meeting drew spiritual strength form the daily Eucharistic Celebrations, evening prayers and the focus on Scripture teachings during the formations. The week-long council meeting ended with a resounding commitment to build strong flourishing communities that was best exemplified with the "battle cry" to reach out to one more couple, one more family, one more parish, one more diocese, one more nation, all the nations!
"This meeting has been a truly enriching and fulfilling experience for the World Council. Delegates discussed and worked on substantive ways to take the Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) movement forward in helping to build strong, life-giving marriages. The Council was touched, impressed and inspired by the WWME Singapore community for their creativity and attention to detail in hosting the entire meeting as well as the World Forum on Marriage. We thank the Holy Spirit for guiding us in the Council," said Rev. Fr. Nathaniel Gomez and Daniel & Shelley Ee, the International Ecclesial Team.
Bishop William Skylstad, Bishop Emeritus of Spokane, Washington, and ecclesial priest of the leadership team with Gene & Maggie Tokraks for North America, had this to say, "The dedication of couples and priests from all over the world and the support of the local WWME community could not have been more generous or capable. This archdiocese is blessed with some very fine servants who are very committed to strengthen and support married life and priesthood. I leave Singapore deeply inspired and grateful for these past few days."
The World Council meetings are rotated among the continents. The next meeting will be held in Quito, Ecuador.
About Worldwide Marriage Encounter (wwme.org)
Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) promotes open, honest, tender and trusting relationships between the husband and wife, between priests and religious and their communities, and the relationship of everybody with God.
WWME is run entirely by missionaries: couples and priests who respond to the call, offering freely their service. Through living the concepts of the foundational weekend experience, their sacraments come alive. Couples are empowered to become evangelizers by witnessing to God's love. Priests and religious are called into greater communion with their people; they see they are not alone in carrying out the mission of the Church. The community that emerges is the real experience of Church.
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National Investigation Agency on Monday arrested a 24-year-old ISIS suspect from Bhopal as part of the agencys 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.
Resuming his public interaction programme, Janata Ke Darbar Mein Mukhya Mantri, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday met over 1,000 complainants during a nine-hour session.
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 ministers Office said.
Kumar looked into the complaints regarding police, land reforms, general administration, and registration department and directed the state police chief PK Thakur and other senior police officials to help the complainants.
Sunday saw the first Janata Ke Darbar Mein programme of chief minister Kumar after formation of the Mahagathbandhan government in the state.
Security holding a woman who broke into tears during Kumars Janta Ke Darbar program in Patna on Monday. (PTI Photo)
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.
Incidents of attacks by AIMIM activists on rival partymen including two senior Congress leaders marked the end of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal polls on Tuesday.
Tension prevailed in the old city area of Hyderabad on Tuesday evening following a clash between the AIMIM cadres, led by the party chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and the Congress men at the Mir Chowk police station.
Telangana Congress chief Uttamkumar Reddy and senior leader Shabbir Ali received bruises while Reddys car was damaged in the incident. The Congress cadres later sat in protest at the DGP office demanding Owaisis immediate arrest.
We were attacked by Owaisi and his men, the car wind shield and glasses were damaged. I received injuries. These elections are a farce. The CM could just write the names of the corporators on a paper instead of allowing such an election, Reddy told reporters. Shabbir Ali accused the Police as becoming powerless before the hooliganism of AIMIM. Even the Police could not assure protection to us and hurried us to move away from the place. The AIMIM is turning the old city into a goonda-raj, Ali said.
Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma said complaints were received on the incident which is being investigated. At this point I can only state that we would proceed legally and action would be taken against whoever is found as involved in the attack.
The incident took place when the two Congress leaders were leaving the police station after securing the release of candidate Mohammed Ghouse who was earlier arrested. The Congress leaders said that Owaisi reached the venue and started abusing them. How dare you enter my territory, he asked us, Shabbir Ali said.
In another incident, AIMIM cadres gathered at the house of TRS leader and deputy CM Mahmood Ali at Azampura manhandling Alis son Azam Ali. The police reportedly arrested AIMIM MLA from Malakpet Ahmed Balala in the episode.
Pakistan should not encourage any calls for backing outlawed armed militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir, a key parliamentary panel has recommended to the government.
The standing committee on foreign affairs of the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, further recommended that the government should take action against violent armed groups to allay international concerns about Pakistan not doing enough to tackle such elements.
The recommendations of the committee, made public on Monday, are significant as the Pakistani security establishment has for long been accused of backing militant groups in Kashmir.
The committee suggested a series of measures for India-Pakistan relations, which were hit by the January 2 terror attack on Pathankot airbase that was blamed on the Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Pakistan should not encourage calls for active support of armed, banned, militant groups in Kashmir, the committee headed by PML-N lawmaker Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said in its recommendations.
The government should allay international concerns of not doing enough to tackle Alpha Elements working for the Kashmiri cause by monitoring and taking action against violent armed groups, it said.
The panel said Pakistan should continue to work for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute as the core issue between the two countries. The government should pursue proactive diplomacy on Kashmir at all international forums and lend solid moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris.
At the same time, Islamabad should work to institutionalise the 2003 ceasefire along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir and support a tri-lateral peace process involving Kashmiri leaders, Pakistan and India.
The committee said Pakistan should reduce the trust deficit between the two sides and seek comprehensive engagement with India on all outstanding issues. However, the panel said that if a comprehensive engagement is not possible, Pakistan should selectively engage with India in four key areas Kashmir, water, trade and culture and communication.
Selective engagement will not only help resolve issues that are critical to Pakistans long term sustainability as a nation but will do so by appealing to the needs of both countries and on a relatively equal footing, the panel said.
(With inputs from agencies)
PDP chief Mehbooba Muftis decision to put off her oath-taking ceremony and the threat to go it alone in Jammu and Kashmir may have strengthened her position within the party, but it runs the risk of further deepening the divide between her and Delhi.
Leaders of both the Peoples Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party will meet Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra in Jammu on Tuesday to discuss the issue of government formation.
Vohra had on Monday prodded the PDP as well as alliance partner BJP to clarify their stands on ending the uncertainty.
The state has been under governors rule since the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7 and Mehbooba on Sunday sought definite assurances on tricky issues from the BJP as well as the Centre. Speculation swirled that the 10-month-old alliance could collapse after the PDP hardened its stand.
The BJP brass has been careful not to make any statement suggesting any strain in ties, but Mehboobas comments that she had to lie to her ailing father about the relief package being provided to the state and that he had made an unpopular decision by aligning with the BJP have particularly peeved the cadre.
On Monday, BJP state leaders, who rushed to Delhi to meet the party president Amit Shah and general secretary Ram Madhav, were emphatic they will continue with the agenda of alliance, but indicated that the current stalemate has cast a shadow on the tie-up.
Read: Why it will be tough for PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to snap ties with BJP
The BJP has promised to keep its end of the bargain, there are many issues that are governed by the agenda of alliance and the party has assured the PDP that it will fulfil those. But the recent statements (made against the BJP) have upset party workers, as we remain committed to delivering on the promises made at the time of aligning with the late Mufti Sayeed, a BJP functionary told Hindustan Times.
He said the BJP wants the current crisis to blow over, but cautioned, there are many issues in the CMP that could be derailed if the BJP also decides to dig its heels in.
On whether Mehboobas comments have further distanced her from the BJP, the functionary was quick to add, disagreements are a part of the democratic setup.
At the time of Mehboobs elevation as Muftis successor, many within the PDP were sceptical of her ability to forge ties with the Centre, given her strained relations with the BJP. Several of her party colleagues had underlined that unlike her father, who had friends across the political spectrum and an independent equation with Delhi, she was yet to warm up to the idea of collaborating with the ideologically-opposed BJP.
While the BJP brass was quick to welcome her redesignation as party supremo, the reaction from the cadres was rather lukewarm, mainly on account of the sympathy she had shown to separatists in the past. Her involvement in securing the release of separatist leaders from house arrest in August last year had caused a hiccup in the early days of the alliance.
Read: All eyes on Mehbooba ahead of first formal PDP meet after Muftis death
To run the administration efficiently, she will need Delhis support. She needs the Centres assistance to rehabilitate those affected by the floods, she needs jobs for the unemployed, there is infrastructure development that will need heavy funding, said a political analyst in Jammu.
This apart, the state needs the Centre to work on outstanding issues like withdrawal of AFSPA, which the PDP has promised and peace at the borders; so the leadership will do well to build a relationship of trust with the BJP, the analyst added.
Madhu Kishwar, academician and a long-time friend of Mehbooba, said that the PDP leader is needlessly creating a stalemate on the specious ground that alliance with the BJP is not popular in Kashmir.
In any case, the electoral verdict gives the PDP no other choice because Jammu region has given clean sweep to the BJP. By raking up the issue again and again, the PDP is strengthening its own enemies who want this government to collapse, she said.
Kishwar also made a reference to the time when the PDP pulled out from the alliance with the Congress.
This is reminiscent of the time when the PDP brought down Ghulam Nabi Azad government over Amarnath row which it raked up on the basis of distorted facts. That led to permanent estrangement with Hindu majority Jammu region, Kishwar pointed out.
Read: PDP hardens stand: Mehbooba wants assurances from BJP for govt formation
Political watchers cautioned that the BJP too could take a hard line, leading to the undoing of the alliance.
Even though the National Conference leadership has denied reaching out to the BJP for a possible alliance, political circles in the state are abuzz that new alliances could be on the horizon if the PDP-BJP combine fails to bury their hatchet.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tried to placate Dalits by promising to continue with the governments reservation policy as long as India remembered BR Ambedkar and accused political opponents of pitting the community against the BJP through propaganda.
His conciliatory remarks came at a rally in this Tamil Nadu industrial hub where he blew the BJPs poll bugle for this years assembly elections. It was his first public meeting since assuming power at the Centre.
This government has taken many steps to honour the memory of Ambedkar, which has made many parties nervous, Modi said. Since they (opposition parties) felt their property (Dalit vote bank) was being appropriated by the BJP, they began spreading falsehoods that the Modi government was against Dalits and the downtrodden.
Read | BJP banks on PM Modis rally in Coimbatore
The remarks also came in the backdrop of a raging debate over Dalit marginalisation after the suicide of Rohith Vemula, a student-activist at the University of Hyderabad. There has been a buzz too that the Modi government wanted to end reservation of Dalits in jobs and education.
Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who is accused of pushing Vemula to suicide, was on the dais along with colleagues Prakash Javdekar and Pon Radhakrishnan.
He underscored the countrys position as the fastest-growing large economy in the world to an audience comprising mostly factory workers from one of Indias rapidly-expanding manufacturing centre.
We want to create entrepreneurs who will generate jobs and not be job hunters, he said.
Modi said his government has done good deeds day after day since coming to power in 2014. If I start telling you all this, I will have to stay in Tamil Nadu for months together.
But the Opposition was not allowing Parliament to run and was trying to block governments efforts to improve the fate of the common man, he alleged. This will not succeed, he said during his 40-minute speech, translated into Tamil by senior state BJP leader H Raja.
Contrary to expectation, the Prime Minister did not touch upon state politics or Dravidian parties, unlike during a 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign rally at the same venue.
The country is on the right track, he said, reminding people of the sense of despair that ruled the country two years ago. Now for the past one-and-a-half years, there is renewed hope among the people.
Read | Modi to reach out to farmers as he fights pro-rich tag for NDA
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The Union women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday issued a clarification on her comments on making sex determination tests compulsory to check rising cases of female foeticide saying it was only point of view and there is no formal proposal being considered by the ministry.
On Monday, Gandhi had said that revealing a childs gender during routine sonography or ultra-sound examination could end the problem of female foeticide which remains a common practice in large parts of India, where a preference for sons runs deep.
Gandhi had said that the would-be mother and her unborn child must be registered, monitored and tracked till the baby is born, saying that the proposal has been sent to the government too.
Read: Manekas Gandhis idea: Tell woman gender of foetus, then track child
Some of the newspapers have reported that the minister referred to a Cabinet proposal about tracking female foeticide and registering the sex of the foetus. This is factually incorrect. What was discussed by the honble minister was that effective implementation of the PCPNDT Act is one of the ways to check falling child sex ratio, a statement issued by the ministry said.
The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act bans medics from revealing the sex of a foetus.
She said that an alternative point of view is that each pregnancy should be registered and the sex of the fetus, wherever requested for, could be made known to the parents and if the same happens to be a female, the delivery should be tracked and recorded. Such a system would help in ensuring that a fetus is not aborted only because it is a female, it added.
It is clarified that honble minister referred to this as a point of view which has often been brought up by stakeholders before the ministry. She had specifically stated that this needs further debate and had asked the media persons to give their suggestions. It is further clarified that there is no formal proposal being considered by the ministry on this issue at this stage.
Read: Should ban on sex-determination tests be lifted?
The ministers proposal drew flak from activists and the Congress party, 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 favour 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.
In this country today, women are unsafe, girl child is unsafe and if by sex determination the information is registered whether the female foeticide can be stopped, this is her idea or imagination. Whether it will be counter-productive, whether it will have a positive effect is something to be seen, Congress leader PC Chacko had told ANI.
In an apparent reference to Pakistan, President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday stressed on the need to proscribe nations that support and fund terrorism.
Speaking at the Counter Terrorism Conference 2016 in Jaipur, Mukherjee said, Terrorism is the biggest threat that humanity is facing today, whether in Paris or Pathankot.
He said under present circumstances, the predominant focus has to be on the political management of terrorism, including addressing issues of ideology and dealing with countries that sponsor or support terrorism.
It is imperative that the world in one voice rejects all manifestations of terrorism without distinction and proscribe states that support or sponsor terrorism as an instrument of state policy, he said.
In an indirect reference to Islamic State, Mukherjee said the global terror group could not find traction in India due to the countrys plurality and multi-ethnicity.
Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje said the law enforcement agencies need to work with civil society and Rajasthan government was working on it.
Referring to recent crackdown on IS sympathisers in India, Raje said recent arrest of home grown extremists who have been radicalised in home ground posed a challenge and threat.
An RSS-linked weekly has sought to justify the tradition of banning women from entering the inner sanctum of the Shani Shingnapur temple, but favoured a resolution of the dispute through respectful dialogue.
An editorial in the Organiser cited reforms initiated during pre-independence days and invoked figures like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who felt that reformation had to come from within through a dialogue process, a thought reiterated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in his last Vijayadashami speech.
The rationalists have to explain whether they want to forcefully worship the God they do not believe in or to respect the sentiments of people who believe in it. People who do not have the courage to question the heinous practices in organised religion should do away with this age-old practice of making the Hindu way of life a convenient target, it said.
The editorial added, In case of Shani Shingnapur in Maharashtra, there is a 400-year-old tradition of banning women from entering its sanctum sanctorum. Women activists from the Bhumata Brigade, led by Trupti Desai, tried to forcefully enter the temple to break this tradition.
The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to re-examine a colonial-era law that criminalises homosexual acts and referred the matter to a five-judge bench, a move cheered by the gay community even as many activists cautioned they were a long way from living openly.
A three-judge bench led by chief justice TS Thakur said it would be appropriate to refer the issue to a five-judge bench because it involved issues concerning the countrys Constitution.
In 2009, the Delhi high court declared unconstitutional section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which calls gay sex against the order of nature and makes it punishable by up to a decade in prison. But the verdict was overturned four years later by the Supreme Court, saying only Parliament could change the 1861 law. The Supreme Court had refused to review its order in 2014.
Activists then sought reconsideration of the judgment through eight curative petitions the last legal recourse available to litigants filed by noted film-maker Shyam Benegal, the Naz Foundation and others.
Read: All you need to know about Section 377
Tuesdays move by the Supreme Court is significant because it agreed to hear curative petitions in an open court, a departure from the practice of not hearing oral submissions on such pleas. The move is also being seen as judicial acknowledgement of the changing social realities in a country that still remains widely conservative.
Gay activists cheered the court decision and said they were hopeful the verdict would ultimately go in their favour and they would have the chance to live openly.
WATCH: LGBT community celebrates in Chennai, after SC agrees to hear the matter and refers it to 5 judge bench.https://t.co/66wbIZSQHp ANI (@ANI_news) February 2, 2016
It is definitely a step forward, lawyer Anand Grover said as activists, many of them in colourful clothes and masks, broke into spontaneous singing and dancing outside the court premises.
While the Congress, the CPM and some smaller parties have openly supported decriminalising gay sex, the NDA government is still undecided. Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley had in his personal capacity supported the Delhi high court verdict decriminalising homosexuality.
Read | Why cant homosexuality be a ground for divorce, suggests Madras HC
Shortly after the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in Bengaluru that gay rights was a humane issue and the government had still not formulated a view on the matter. We have to study various aspects and take a final view. The debate is on, he said.
The government has, to my knowledge, not formulated any final view, but it is now before the court, let us await what is going to happen, he said, adding, I have no personal view, because as a minister people should not talk about personal view.
But some cautioned that the fight for gay rights in India was far from over, saying the success rate of curative petitions in the country was less than 1%.
It is not the final victory, we still have a long way to go, gay rights leader Ashok Row Kavi told HT.
Christianity Today Awarded Grant to Build an Audience for Science and Faith Contact: Cory Whitehead, Christianity Today, 630-260-6200 ext 4220
CAROL STREAM, Ill., Feb. 2, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christianity Today has received a $269,000 grant to build an audience for science and faith, primarily through the nonprofit ministry's The Behemoth digital magazine. The grant from the John Templeton Foundation is a two-year project beginning in January 2016.
Launched in late 2014, The Behemoth publishes a variety of subject matter to inspire awe and wonder of God, and this grant will further sharpen its editorial focus to make the relation of science and faith stronger.
This grant is multifaceted and includes the hiring of a part-time science editor position to bring a new level of science expertise to the staff. More science-related articles will be released in The Behemoth and across other ministry publications, including Christianity Today and Books & Culture, throughout the next two years.
There will also be a strong emphasis on discovering and nurturing a new, specific crop of writers, scientists who can write journalistically and journalists who have a background and passion in science and Christianity. This will be accomplished through writing workshops, an essay contest, and other mentoring-type relationships with Christianity Today.
The Behemoth Editor Ted Olsen states, "We believe that, in today's world, it is essential for Christians to understand how both the natural and social sciences can shape and deepen the living out of our faith. This generous grant from the Templeton Foundation will allow Christianity Today to lead in creating thoughtful, balanced content to help Christians see how science continues to align withand not detract fromour faith."
The aim of this grant is that through Christianity Today's reach, hundreds of thousands of Christians' imaginations will be expanded and their faith strengthened by what we know and can learn from the sciences.
Christianity Today is a nonprofit, global media ministry centered on Beautiful Orthodoxystrengthening the church by richly communicating the breadth of the true, good, and beautiful gospel. Reaching over four million people monthly with various digital and print resources, the ministry equips Christians to renew their minds, serve the church, and create culture to the glory of God.
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The Supreme court on Tuesday appointed a committee headed by of former chief justice of India RM Lodha to oversee the refund of Rs 49,000 crores to about 5.5 crores investors in the Pearl Group scam within six months.
A bench comprising Justice Anil R Dave and Justice AK Goel said the committee will supervise the sale of assets of Pearls Agrotech Corporation Limited (PACL) by Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
It further directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to handover seized land records of the company to Sebi.
Over 10,000 properties of PACL Ltd spread across states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi are likely to be sold, besides liquidation of their various cash deposits, for paying back the investors.
The CBI had in February 2014 registered a first information report (FIR) against the two firms and eight of their top officials, including Bhangoo, on charges related to criminal conspiracy and cheating. The probe revealed that the firms were allegedly running collective investment (ponzi) schemes under the garb of sale and development of agricultural land in an unauthorised manner.
Earlier this month, the agency had arrested four of their top officials, including chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) Nirmal Singh Bhangoo.
The money was collected by th company in a ponzi schemes under the garb of sale and development of agricultural land. The amount involved is twice that collected by the Sahara group under the OFCD scheme which is reported to have collected about Rs 24,000 crore.
The Supreme Courts decision to hear in open court curative petitions the last legal recourse available to litigants on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is an opportunity for it to rectify the mistake of re-criminalising homosexuality in the country.
Typically, judges decide a curative petition after discussing it among themselves through a procedure called hearing by circulation. The fact that the top court has departed from established practice of not hearing oral submissions on curative petitions is perhaps a judicial acknowledgement of changing social realities on the contentious issue.
The law
Section 377 of IPC -- which came into force in 1862 -- defines unnatural offences. It says, Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Delhi HC legalises homosexuality
The Delhi High Court had in July 2009 de-criminalised consensual homosexual acts in private by declaring as unconstitutional a part of Section 377 of IPC that criminalises unnatural sex, saying the section denies a gay person a right to full personhood
Read more: LGBT community pins hope on SC hearing Section 377 plea
SC re-criminalises homosexuality
The Supreme Court chose to reverse the verdict in December 2013. Upholding the constitutional validity of Section 377 IPC, an SC bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi (since retired), put the ball in the Parliaments court, saying it was for the legislature to take a call on the desirability of the controversial provision.
Homosexuality a taboo
Homosexuality is considered a taboo in a largely conservative Indian society which appears to be divided on the controversial issue. Freedom loving people (not necessarily belonging to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender or LGBT community) want homosexuality de-criminalised but many still consider it a deviant behaviour and not merely a question of ones sexual orientation or preference.
Implications for heterosexuals
The case has implications for heterosexuals also, as consensual sexual acts of adults such as oral and anal sex in private are currently treated as unnatural and punishable under Section 377 IPC.
Emerging political consensus
Successive governments have defended the archaic Section 377 IPC which is based on 19th century Victorian morality. But the intense debate in the society and the media appears to have forced the political class to change its stance.
After eluding it for years, political consensus is building on the issue. The BJP which had supported the Supreme Courts verdict upholding Section 377 IPC now appears to support the Delhi High Court de-criminalising consensual homosexual acts in private.
When millions of people world over are having alternative sexual preferences, it is too late in the day to propound a view that they should be jailed. The Delhi high courts view appears more acceptable, senior BJP leader and finance minister Arun Jaitley had said in November last year, expressing his personal opinion.
Jaitleys view was supported by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram. Even otherwise, Congress has openly supported legalising homosexuality. Aam Admi Party and Communist Party of India-Marxist are also said to be in support of declaring Section 377 unconstitutional.
SC verdict on transgenders
In its landmark April 2014, verdict hailed by gender rights activists, the top court directed the government to declare transgenders a third gender and include them in the OBC quota. Underlining the need to bring them into the mainstream, it said they should have all rights under law, including marriage, adoption, divorce, succession and inheritance.
PM Narendra Modi on transgenders
In November 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had regretted the deplorable condition of transgenders in Indian society and said governments needed to change their outlook.? We need to amend and make new laws for transgenders, he had said at the foundation day celebration of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). The NDA government has prepared a draft law recognising the rights of transgenders with a view to ensure they are not discriminated against. All these developments allude to the change in the mindset of the top court and the government.
International developments
There have been many positive developments in favour of LGBT community on the international front. In May 2015, Ireland legalised same-sex marriage. The country which had decriminalized homosexuality in 1993 became the first country to allow same sex marriage a national level by popular vote.
In June 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriages were legal. Near home, Nepal legalized homosexuality in 2007 and the new Constitution of the country too gives many rights to the LGBT community.
France, UK, Canada, United States, Australia and Brazil have de-criminalised homosexuality. Other countries like Belgium, Brazil, Canada,France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal,South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay allow either same sex marriage or a civil union.
India currently stands with a host of countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Mauritania, Qatar and Pakistan which criminalizes homosexuality.
Child abuse and Section 377
Many child rights activists had criticised the Delhi HC verdict de-criminalising homosexuality on the ground that Section 377 was needed to be on the statute book to tackle cases of child abuse. But after the enactment of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, there is need to use Section 377 in child sexual abuse cases. POCSO is more child-friendly and much more stringent.
Law and morality
Those against legalising homosexuality argue that it is against the moral values of the society. What is forbidden in religion need not be prohibited in law. Morality cannot be a ground to restrict the fundamental rights of citizens. A legal wrong is necessarily a moral wrong but vice versa is not correct. A moral wrong becomes a legal wrong only when its consequences are for society and not just the person/s committing it.
Real questions
But the real question relates to the constitutional rights of LGBT community. The 2013 SC verdict criminalising homosexual acts goes against established constitutional principles of personal liberty, equality before law and non-discrimination on the basis of sex or sexual preferences.
Presuming that homosexuality is against the prevailing social morality, a perceived larger interest of the society be given precedence over individual liberty and right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution? Can the State or society regulate the sexual preference and behaviour of consenting adults in private?
SC must draw Lakshman Rekha for State
The Supreme Court will have to find the right answers to these questions.
The role of the State and society is to provide congenial atmosphere to individuals to make them realise their potential so as to give their best to the society. Obstructing individual freedom and criminalising their intimate moments cannot help to achieve this objective.
The SC must draw a Lakshman Rekha for the State, which cannot be allowed to peep into the bedroom of consenting adults on the ground of their preference for unnatural sex.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reopened the debate on decriminalising homosexuality and the online community, at least a majority of users, breathed a collective sigh of relief. While there is strong opposition to the motion that section 377 must be scrapped, public opinion on Twitter leaned largely towards the view that the medieval law must be done away with.
Celebrities took to the social networking site to express cautious optimism with the Supreme Courts decision to refer the curative petition to a five-judge panel.
Yes there is hope...and I hope the hope is validated with the just and correct verdict....#Article377 ...... Karan Johar (@karanjohar) February 2, 2016
as Indians we r known for our tolerance and love for all I hope this will continue to stand true as every1 had the right to be. #Section377 Sonam Kapoor (@sonamakapoor) February 2, 2016
Hope was the common factor in posts that welcomed the courts decision on Tuesday.
Group hug time. harish iyer (@hiyer) February 2, 2016
Only 3-4 curatives have been admitted by SC till date. So not dismissing this curative is a nothing short of a miracle! S (@vakeel_saheba) February 2, 2016
Others pointed out how ludicrous it was to consider the LGBT community as a negligible minority while others evaluated how progressive the Supreme Court is based on recently passed verdicts.
A society that criminalizes consensual sexual choices of free adults is just an uncivilized, medieval society #Section377 The Bad Doctor (@DOCTORATLARGE) February 2, 2016
If the congress had been as opposed to #377 in power as it appears to be in opposition, that law would have been long consigned to dustbin. Rohit Pradhan (@Retributions) February 2, 2016
Supreme Court has been on overdrive on 'progressive' issues such as banning jallikattu, temple entry, et al. Let's see what they do on 377. Rahul Roushan (@rahulroushan) February 2, 2016
Subramanian Swamy was at the helm of voices against the need to scrap section 377. Many were of the opinion that there were far more pressing issues plaguing the nation as they deemed the petition to decriminalise homosexuality as just a waste of time.
How stupid! Pro- homosexual media persons are claiming victory because SC has referred Section 377 IPC to a Constitutional Bench! Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) February 2, 2016
#Section377 Another step against humanity and law of nature,,,will definitely lead to another epidemic like AIDS SAHIL MANGLA (@itsmangla) February 2, 2016
@itsmangla #Section377 will only force more and more children into depression back into the closets for the fear of being persecuted! 4/4 KarthickN (@8nk) February 2, 2016
I really wonder why leaving aside many crore pending cases, our courts only pick sensational cases. Y'day Lord Ram, today #Section377 #LGBT ThunderBird! (@varshasinghs) February 2, 2016
#Section377 This issue is not of National importance ! anupam (@chavinanupam) February 2, 2016
With such pressing issues,demanding our immediate attention,can we realy afford wasting tym deciding matters of personal choice #Section377 Stutee Sharma (@SharmaStutee) February 2, 2016
There was also the mandatory attempt at witticism.
While Make In India has got a thumbs up , the question of whom to Make out with In India has left the country divided #Section377 Anoop Chathoth (@anoopc) February 2, 2016
More than two years after delivering its judgment, the Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear a batch of petitions seeking a revision to the 2013 verdict that criminalized homosexuality in India and sparked numerous gay pride parades in protest in the country.
A five-judge bench will begin hearing in open a curative petition against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalises homosexual acts for being against the order of nature. If the bench agrees that the case merits re-appreciation of the facts of the case, the bench will issue notice to Suresh Koushal on whose pleading the SC revived the section.
Equal rights activists in India have been fighting a long legal battle asking for Section 377 to be repealed on grounds that it violates human rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs). A number of protest rallies were also taken out through the country over the years with many, including celebrities, coming out in favour of the section being struck down.
A curative petition is the final appeal available against an original verdict. An open hearing in this case would be a departure as under the SC rules as such a petition is usually decided by circulating it among the judges in chambers.
The judges who deliver the judgement have to be included in the curative bench along with the three senior most judges.
However, in this case, both the judges who reviewed and dismissed a petition filed against their December 2013 verdict have retired. Justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukopadhyaya had reinstated the countrys colonial-era sodomy law, which remained suspended for four years following a 2009 Delhi high court ruling.
On April 23, 2014, a four-judge bench comprising then chief justice P Sathasivam and justices RM Lodha, HL Dattu and SJ Mukopadhyaya all currently retired said it would hear the curative petitions filed by the Naz Foundation Trust, filmmaker Shyam Benegal, parents of LGBT persons, academicians, mental healthcare professionals and Voices Against 377, an umbrella of NGOs.
With the controversy over Dalit student Rohith Vemulas suicide refusing to die down, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said it fears the issue will further gain political heat and may lead to washout of the Budget session of Parliament.
The Budget session (of Parliament) is merely 15 days away and it seems that the whole session will be wiped out over Rohith Vemulas death. There will soon be Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and thus the suicide matter will be heated up for political gains, said an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed grief over Rohiths death and had remarked that We have lost a son of the soil, it noted.
Criticising a senior BJP leader for his reported comments against Vemula, the ruling ally said the party high command should now clarify if the student was a son of the soil or a supporter of terrorists.
While expelling Vemula after a Union ministers intervention may be termed as a disciplinary act, why was he not allowed to put forth his views, the Sena sought to know.
In our country, talks are carried out with Assams ULFA and agreements are made with Nagalands terrorist outfits. Naxalites and Maoists are also spoken to and in the Kashmir Valley, terror elements get an invite to hold talks. Not only this, dialogue with Pakistan is also on and Supreme Court works at night to deliberate if (1993 Mumbai serials blasts convict) Yakub Memon should be hanged, it said.
Inspite of all this, why was Rohith Vemula not given a chance to put forth his views despite his numerous pleadings, the Sena asked.
Following inputs from Intelligence Bureau, Special Operation Group (SOG) and police in a joint operation arrested three post office employees for spying for Pakistan on Monday.
They were arrested from Pokhran post office in Jaisalmer, and from Balotra PO in Barmer. A women employee was also detained from Balotra.
According to official sources, the arrested accused were identified as Narendra Sharma from Pokhran and Islamuddin and CR Dahiya from Balotra.
Sources said those arrested and accused were spying for Pakistan since past few months. They claimed that both were sharing information through email.
Sources claimed during preliminary interrogation it was revealed that recently both Narendra Sharma and Islamuddin received money from Pakistan in their banks.
According to the sources the security agencies were keeping surveillance on the accused and intercepted their mail and calls which they made to Pakistan. An intelligence officer from Pakistan have talked to the accused while claiming him as Major.
In a different incident, four people were arrested by Barmer police on Monday from near the Uttarlai air force area. Police said that they were arrested when they were roaming near the Uttarlai air force area in Barmer in suspicious circumstances.
Anger and anxiety rocked the Abeda Inamdar college campus. Tense and panicky parents rushed to the college immediately after the news spread. Tempers ran high when family members did not get information from the college authorities even five hours after the incident. Heavy police security, including rapid action force, was deployed inside and outside the campus in view of the tension. All roads to the college were blocked by the police.
Read more: 13 students on picnic drown off Murud beach, rescue ops on
College authorities sealed all entrances to the campus to keep out the mob. Several parents were seen sitting outside the office of Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society. Relatives were seen making distress calls to get information. Vidya Chavan, whose son was a member of picnic group, expressed anger saying, the college was not providing any information to us.
Meanwhile, with every minute, the crowd was swelling. Restless relatives were seen as the college authorities were unable to give any information even as bodies were officially being identified and legal procedure was completed to handover the bodies. Groups of youths were also seen shouting slogans against MCES president P A Inamdar and college principal Dr Batliwala. It is the responsibility of the college to ensure safety of our boys and girls, said Rashid Attar, who was anxiously waiting for a phone call from his son.
To make matters worse, Murud Zanjira area has no cell connectivity. We cannot talk to our children, said Akit Shaikh, another parent. Additional police force was deployed in and around the campus as a precautionary measure.
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Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday expelled party leader Bhupinder Singh Bittu from the primary membership of the party for six years for defying the partys decision to boycott the Khadoor Sahib assembly bypolls.
Bittu had defied the partys boycott decision and is contesting the bypoll as an independent candidate. The elections to Khadoor Sahib assembly are scheduled to be held on February 13.
The seat had fallen vacant after Congress Ramanjit Singh Sikki, sitting member of legislative assembly (MLA), had resigned over the incidents of sacrilege of holy book Guru Granth Sahib in his constituency last year.
The Congress party had last week announced that it would boycott the Khadoor Sahib bypolls, with Amarinder Singh maintaining since the basic issue of the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, for which Sikki resigned, still remains unresolved, the Congress party has decided there is no point in contesting the election.
Actor Anupam Kher, who was recently picked for the Padma Bhushan, Indias third highest civilian honour, came under sharp attack from Punjabi writer Gurbachan Singh Bhullar. The first Punjabi author to return his Sahitya Akademi award to protest the assassination of Kannada scholar MM Kalburgi and other such events, flayed Kher as a darbari artist in an interview to HT on Monday.
When we returned awards against the murders of writers, they called us Congresss darbari poets and writers... But Anupam Kher protested against us and said there was no intolerance in the country; the protest placards said Dhongi sahityakaron ko jute maaro (Beat up the fake litterateurs) and the protesters also misbehaved with a television journalist. That was intolerance in itself, Bhullar said.
Everyone knows why Kher is being awarded the Padma Bhushan; Anupam Kher is the first darbari artist, he added.
He clarified that the writers who returned awards or supported what came to be known as the #awardwapsi movement, never said India is intolerant; we criticised the ruling party over its intolerant attitude. He added, Those people who differed from the government were called anti-national. People were being slaughtered in their houses... this is intolerance and goes against national integration.
Meanwhile Kher, whose wife Kirron Kher is a BJP MP from Chandigarh, claimed he had been denied a visa by Pakistan where he was to go and attend the Karachi literature festival.
The special investigation team (SIT) entrusted to probe the high-profile kidney racket said on Tuesday that three more doctors associated with National Kidney Hospital were accused in the case and their roles were also under the SITs scanner. The racket was unearthed by police on July 30 last year.
The doctors include Dr Suman Mittal, who is co-partner in ownership of the hospital, her husband nephrologist Dr Sanjay Mittal and Dr Puneet Grover.
The revelations came after nearly three-hour questioning of Dr Suman Mittal and Dr Sanjay Mittal by SIT on Tuesday from 2pm to 5pm. Dr Rajesh Aggarwal, who is the husband of another co-owner Deepa Aggarwal, was also quizzed by SIT for an hour at the police lines.
Read also: Jalandhar kidney racket: SIT denies pressure, rules out clean chit
SIT, headed by deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sandeep Kumar Sharma and comprising ADCP (headquarters) Alka Meena, ADCP-1 J Elanchezhian, ADCP-2 Amrik Singh Powar and station house officer (SHO) Navdeep Singh grilled the doctors.
After the questioning ended around 5.30pm, DCP Sharma did not provide any concrete information regarding the developments in the case but said SIT would summon the doctors again, whose involvement was suspected in the case.
He said SIT would also summon the third doctor, Puneet Grover, to record his statement in the case.
Dr Rajesh Aggarwal has not submitted all the documents sought by SIT and he has asked for two more days for submission, said DCP Sharma, adding that Dr Aggarwal was questioned regarding the Lucknow kidney scam as well.
Notably, DCP Sharma evaded any clear reply when asked if doctor couple, Suman Mittal and Sanjay Mittal, were booked by police in the case.
We cannot say they have been booked in this case. Their involvement is suspected, so they are accused in the case, said DCP Sharma.
Speaking with mediapersons, Dr Rajesh said he had handed over the documents demanded by SIT.
A local court had granted interim bail to Dr Sanjay Mittal and Dr Suman Mittal on January 30. The doctor couple of Sat Kartar Nagar locality had filed the bail application in the court on January 19 and the first hearing was held on January 28.
Dr Rajesh Aggarwal and his wife Dr Deepa Aggarwal have also been granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Sources said after the appointment of inspector general of police (IGP intelligence) Varinder Kumar as supervisory officer to oversee the probe into the case, SIT had speeded up the investigation.
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Is Obama the Antichrist? Better Look at this... Contact: Steve Magill, 724-564-9013
Steve Magill, author of the book "Revelation and the Age of Antichrist" made this observation concerning the qualifications of the Antichrist: "The abundance of speculation about whether a specific person could even be considered must also fall in line with qualifications outlined in Daniel 11."
This chapter is clear that the king of the North and the king of the South are in continual conflict with each other. Commentators have no problem agreeing with the historical interpretation of these two kings as the kings of Syria and Egypt in versus 5-27; and when we get to versus 28-45 there also is agreement that the Antichrist is referred to... now here's the problem. For some reason many commentators interpret these versus as a future Antichrist who comes out of Europe or some other place, completely ignoring the context of the chapter.
If the kings referred to are Syria and Egypt in versus 5-27, then these kings also will reference Syria and Egypt in versus 28-45. When we follow Daniel 11's chronology of events, it is without question that the Antichrist is the final king of the North, arising out of Syria.
Now concerning Obama, where is he from? It is clear his heritage is from the Southern kingdom and has no link to the Northern kingdom. When we reference the clear teaching of Scripture, then we must conclude that Obama is far from being a candidate for the position of the Antichrist. Obama is an antichrist, but not the Antichrist.
What is Obama's role in prophetic history? Magill's book, "Revelation and the Age of Antichrist," is clear that Obama's role is to lead America, as one of the Antichrist's voices, to eventually assimilate into the Antichrist's kingdom referred to in Scripture as the ten toes, ten horns, and in today's lingo, referred to as the New World Order, which is the realignment of all nations into ten political/economic regions.
Free for the download at
Purchase "Revelation and the Age of Antichrist" from the following:
www.Amazon.com
www.Redemption-Press.com PITTSBURGH, Feb. 2, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- The possibilities have circulated concerning Obama since the day he stepped into office. For many, Obama's qualifications are without question, even more so after the recent news that he is seeking the head position at the United Nations after he leaves office.Steve Magill, author of the book "Revelation and the Age of Antichrist" made this observation concerning the qualifications of the Antichrist: "The abundance of speculation about whether a specific person could even be considered must also fall in line with qualifications outlined in Daniel 11."This chapter is clear that the king of the North and the king of the South are in continual conflict with each other. Commentators have no problem agreeing with the historical interpretation of these two kings as the kings of Syria and Egypt in versus 5-27; and when we get to versus 28-45 there also is agreement that the Antichrist is referred to... now here's the problem. For some reason many commentators interpret these versus as a future Antichrist who comes out of Europe or some other place, completely ignoring the context of the chapter.If the kings referred to are Syria and Egypt in versus 5-27, then these kings also will reference Syria and Egypt in versus 28-45. When we follow Daniel 11's chronology of events, it is without question that the Antichrist is the final king of the North, arising out of Syria.Now concerning Obama, where is he from? It is clear his heritage is from the Southern kingdom and has no link to the Northern kingdom. When we reference the clear teaching of Scripture, then we must conclude that Obama is far from being a candidate for the position of the Antichrist. Obama is an antichrist, but not the Antichrist.What is Obama's role in prophetic history? Magill's book, "Revelation and the Age of Antichrist," is clear that Obama's role is to lead America, as one of the Antichrist's voices, to eventually assimilate into the Antichrist's kingdom referred to in Scripture as the ten toes, ten horns, and in today's lingo, referred to as the New World Order, which is the realignment of all nations into ten political/economic regions.Free for the download at www.AgeofAntichrist.com : "Chart of the Book of Revelation," "The Prophetic Timeline," and "Counting Down."Purchase "Revelation and the Age of Antichrist" from the following:
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In a significant decision, the Supreme Court on Tuesday referred the plea against section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to a five-judge constitutional bench. Various members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community from the region have hailed this development as a positive step towards a more constructive discussion around LGBT rights.
I am happy about the SC development; the mindset of society needs to change as well. The Constitution alone cannot do it. I am overwhelmed by the kind of support we have got from some student unions, said Dhananjay Chauhan, LGBT pride committee convener for NGO Saksham Trust, and also a leader of the South Asia Human Rights Association (SAHARA).
Read also: First-ever lesbian and gay film festival organised at PU
Another LGBT supporter and a transgender, Kajal Mangal Mukhi, 45, hopes this step will ensure a quality life for them. She said, Its a fight for ones self-respect.
It is not only the community that is in the mood to celebrate but locals too are excited about the reconsideration of the 2013 judgement that criminalises sexual activity between two consenting adults of the same gender.
Mastan Singh, 27, a masters student at Panjab University, said, Those from the LGBT community need equal respect and love. You cant take away basic rights on the basis of someones sexuality. I see a positive change.
An expert on section 377, Delhi-based lawyer and activist Aditya Bandyopadhyay is hopeful but wants the law to take its own course. He says, Of course its a positive thing; but lets see how things unfold.
Preetika Sharma, a Mohali resident and LGBT rights supporter, feels this will leave a positive impact on society. When such things happen they bring a change in society. It will bring acceptance..
The law
Section 377 of the IPC - which dates back to 1860 - defines unnatural offences. It says, Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
International developments
There have been many positive developments in favour of the LGBT community on the international front. In May 2015, Ireland legalised same-sex marriage. The country which had decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 became the first country to allow same-sex marriage by popular vote.
In June 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages were legal. Near home, Nepal legalised homosexuality in 2007 and the new Constitution of the country too gives many rights to the LGBT community.
France, UK, Canada, United States, Australia and Brazil have decriminalised homosexuality. Other countries like Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal,South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay allow either same-sex marriage or a civil union.
India currently stands with a host of countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Mauritania, Qatar and Pakistan which criminalises homosexuality.
Its a win-win for consumers as the tricity milk market is set to witness the clash of the titans.
As Amul the brand that spurred the White Revolution in the country is trying to make inroads into the market here, Punjabs Verka, till-now-undisputed indigenous brand of milk and milk products, has decided to take the giant head on.
Amul has started supplying about 25,000 litres milk per day in the tricity which is considered a strong market for Punjab State Co-operative Milk Producers Federation Limited (Milkfed) that owns brand Verka.
Feeling the heat, Verka has rolled out an aggressive marketing strategy. As a result, the billboard war is on between the two giants in SAS Nagar with Verka promising purity, while Amul offering the Taste of India at competitive rates.
Amul is primarily tapping into the unorganised milk sector which as per an estimate is about 15-20 lakh litres per day. The organised sector --- about 5 lakhs litres a day --- is dominated by Verka.
The Punjab brand has now decided to improve procurement, offer better rates to dairy farmers and consolidate its dealer network.
Verka claims its milk is being procured from local dairy farmers, whereas other players in the market (read Amul) are procuring it from contractors.
The billboard war is on between the two giants in SAS Nagar with Verka promising purity, while Amul offering the Taste of India at competitive rates. (Gurminder Singh /HT)
Verka officials also plan to increase the number of its retailers (about 3,000 so far). As of now, we are just strengthening our retailer network. We would be adding about 40 more Verka booths by next month, taking the total number of such booths to 180, said JK Gupta, general manager, Verka milk plant, SAS Nagar.
For Amul, the tricity is a lucrative market. Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar are very promising market for us. We aim to capture 25% of the market. We have started selling milk through 1,200 retailers in the tricity. The number will go up gradually, said JS Punjrath, who heads Amuls operations in Punjab. Punjrath is a former managing director of Milkfed.
Amul made its first plant functional in Batala in Gurdaspur district in November 2014. Most of its procurement is being done from Batala from where the milk is sent for packaging to a plant in Khamano in Fatehgarh Sahib district.
Our daily procurement is 1.15 lakh litre which we expect to increase to more than 3 lakh litres by April, added Punjrath, who claimed that they are not in competition with anyone but their presence would definitely improve functioning of Verka.
Consumer is the king
With Amul stepping into the market, tricity customers will have more options to buy quality milk at competitive rates. Earlier, Verka --- being the biggest player in the organised sector --- used to dictate milk prices but now with another option available, prices would remain under control.
Competition will ensure quality, say experts.
Dairy farmers all smiles
Dairy farmers are likely to get better procurement price for their produce. It will also give a much-needed boost to the dairy industry.
Amul pays Rs 565 per kg fat along with bonus to its suppliers, while Verka pays around Rs 520.
Verka will have to improve its quality and increase its procurement rates to retain suppliers. As of now, Amul is not procuring directly from dairy farmers and is banking on contractors for supply. But once they start procurement from dairy farmers, it would definitely make things difficult for Verka, said a former chairman of Verka milk plant.
Share of pie
Verka procures only about 5.5% of milk produced in the state. Small dairies, sweetshops and smaller processing entrepreneurs procure the rest.
Tricity milk stats
*Organised milk market: 5 lakh lts per day
*Unorganised market: Between 15 to 20 lakh lts per day
*Verka share as on date: 75% of the organised market
*Vita share: About 5%
*Others: The share of Reliance, Nestle, Mother Dairy, Tru is close to 20 %
Verka prices
Full cream milk: Rs 46/lt
Standard milk: Rs 42/lt
Double tonned: Rs 34/ lt
Skimmed milk: Rs 32/lt
Amul is kept its prices the same as that of Verka. Only the rate of full cream milk is Rs 1 less than Verka.
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The Khalsa College governing councils (KCGCs) move to set up Khalsa University in Amritsar has kicked up a political row a year ahead of the Punjab assembly polls, uniting the main opposition parties -- the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
It was in 2011 that the KCGC had first initiated this move, under which the 123-year old heritage building of the college was to be turned into a university. However, the authorities had to put the ambitious project on the backburner after a three-month-long agitation by teachers of Khalsa College and other institutions.
The fresh initiative by the 101-member KCGC, headed by Satyajit Singh Majithia, father of Punjab revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, has also come under fire.
The state Congress, led by Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh, and AAP are apprehensive that the university would dilute the colleges heritage status. AAP also fears that an attempt can be made by the ruling Badals and Majithias to take control of the colleges properties.
Read: Majithias have business interest in project, says Captain
However, the KCGC has been repeatedly saying that Khalsa Colleges iconic identity and heritage status would remain untouched as the university would be set up at a site away from the college building. The universitys administrative block would come up adjoining the campus of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), more than 500 metres from the college building.
The governing council claims that serving the cause of education is the main aim behind setting up the university. Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, during his address at the Khalsa College convocation in 2013, had said, This college belongs to the quam (community), not to any individual or family.
With Amarinder announcing to stage a dharna outside the college if efforts are made to subvert its heritage character and the Aam Aadmi Party Volunteer Front, an AAP splinter group, threatening to launch a protest outside the campus, the political slugfest over the issue is set to intensify in the run-up to the 2017 elections.
Job-oriented courses
It will be a professional university offering about 30 job-oriented courses in aviation, law and other fields. The main focus will be on information technology, said deputy director, public relations, KCGC, Dharmendra Rataul.
He claimed that Khalsa College would continue to run all its existing courses and departments. The cultivation area used for research by the agriculture department will also remain with the college, he added.
Under its expansion plan for the next five years, the KCGC aims to bring the existing Khalsa College of Engineering and College of Education (both located in Ranjit Avenue here) under the university.
Rataul said the university could become operational from the next academic session after all approvals were in place.
A three-member team of the state government has already visited the site and examined the plans of the KCGC, which is awaiting the letter of intent from the government.
Teachers concerns
College teachers are worried that the authorities might decide to affiliate Khalsa College with the new university (the college is currently affiliated to GNDU). Speaking on the condition of anonymity, staff members and college union members said they could not trust the college management, which had tried to convert the institution into a university in 2011.
That year, we raised our voice against the setting up of Khalsa University. Cases were registered against about 22 teachers. This time, we want transparency at all levels, a section of college teachers said.
Whats in store
Universitys administrative block will be build near the Khalsa College for Law
Existing Khalsa College for Women and the Khalsa colleges of education, law, pharmacy and veterinary sciences will be affiliated to the new university
Initially, three storeys of the law college will be used for the universitys administrative block. Entry to this block is from the Ram Tirath road (rearside of Khalsa College).
Steeped in history
Khalsa Colleges foundation stone was laid in 1892, two years after the colleges governing council was set up. Starting as a school, it introduced graduation courses in 1911. The iconic building was designed by Ram Singh, a renowned architect of his time who also served as the principal of Mayo School of Arts, Lahore.
Read: People are doing politics over the issue, says KCGC president
Former deputy speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha and senior Congress leader Bir Devinder Singh has justified the decision of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in not giving a siropa (robe of honour) to Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne.
There seems to be nothing wrong in denying the siropa to Kathleen Wynne. Its reprehensible that some people are unnecessarily raising a hue and cry over the issue. Religious guidelines issued by Akal Takht jathedar are in tune with the ethos of the Sikh faith. The philosophy of the faith and the guiding principles that pertain to truthful living does not sanction any act of immorality that emanates from the unnatural sexual behavior of an individual, said the former speaker.
With arrest of a former para commando, who was dismissed from the Army in 2006, and his accomplice, the crime investigating agency (CIA) of the police claimed to have solved 27 cases of burglary registered in SAS Nagar over a period of around two years.
The police claimed that 40-year-old Narender Kumar, a former para commando and a resident of Yamunanagar in Haryana, was the kingpin of the gang which used to target locked houses in SAS Nagar. The other accused has been identified as Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Saha in Ludhiana.
The police have also recovered gold and silver jewellery worth Rs 60 lakh, along with Rs 4.8 lakh from the accused.
Narender and Sandeep have confessed to their involvement in 27 burglaries. They used to target locked houses between 11am and 1pm after conducting a recce in the area. They were staying in Zirakpur and had been targeting houses in Zirakpur, Mohali and Kharar, said SAS Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, while addressing a press conference.
The accused were arrested by the CIA team on January 22 from Zirakpur at a special naka.
The accused used screwdrivers and iron rods to break locks of houses. They used to ring the bell to ensure that no one was at home. The accused met in a jail and had been committing thefts for the past two years, added Bhullar.
About the accused
Narender has studied till Class 12 and was recruited as a para commando in 1994. He was dismissed from the Army following an armed robbery with his three accomplices. The accused had looted Rs 10 lakh from the State Bank of India at Ambala in 2006 after holding the staff captive.
Sandeep is also a Class-12 pass-out and is wanted in a number of cases of which 11 are registered in Panchkula, five in Dehradun and three in Bikaner.
Five days after he was released from a Ludhiana jail in a sedition case, United Akali Dal (UAD) president Mohkam Singh, who had played a key role in organising radical Sikh elements Sarbat Khalsa at Chabba village of Amritsar on November 10 last year, was arrested by the Tarn Taran police from Amritsar on Tuesday.
The arrest was made in connection with a case registered against him at the Harike police station under Sections 379 (theft), 431 (mischief by injury to public road, bridge, river or channel), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant), 283 (obstruction in public way) of the IPC, 15 of the National Highway Act and 25, 27 of the Arms Act. The case pertains to the blockade on the Harike bridge in October last during protests against the sacrilege of birs of Guru Granth Sahib.
On Tuesday, he had gone to Amritsar for a court hearing in connection with the sedition case, where he was arrested by the Tarn Taran police. Mohkam was then taken to Harike police station and will be produced in the court of Patti sub-divisional magistrate on Wednesday, police sources said.
Harike SHO Balkar Singh told HT that the case against Mohkam was registered in November last year after protests erupted across the state against the sacrilege of birs of Guru Granth Sahib. The police had found his involvement in laying the siege on the Harike bridge, leading to harassment to the public, the SHO said.
Manawa shifted to Patti jail
Another leader of United Akali Dal, Satnam Singh Manawa, who is facing sedition charges as well, was shifted from Pathankot jail to Patti jail on Monday.
Manawa had functioned as the stage secretary during the Sarbat Khalsa congregation. He has been reportedly shifted to Patti jail in connection with a case registered against him under Sections 382 (theft), 341 (wrongful restraints) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Read also: Mohkam Singh released from Ludhiana central jail
Sarbat Khalsa organisers, including Mann, Mohkam Singh detained
With academic session almost coming to an end, the IT department of the UT administration has reintroduced the Chandigarh Training on Soft Skills (C-TOSS) programme in 87 government schools on Monday.
After delaying it for over four months, the IT department has given the charge of schools to six different agencies including the Regional Institute of English (RIE), Sector 32.
While RIE will be taking charge of 37 schools, 10 schools have been allotted to each of the five private agencies.
With only 20 working days left in this month, the IT department has asked the agencies to teach for 30 hours in total. Meanwhile, new curriculum with 12 topics has been specially prepared for the programme. Presentation skills, interview skills, telephone etiquette, team building, writing skills and informal speechextempore are some of the topics that have been added to the curriculum.
However, one of the officials of a private agency which has been given the charge of 10 government schools, said, It will be very difficult to complete 30 hours teaching in such short time. The programme ideally starts in the month of July and ends in February next year, but this year, they have started the programme in February. This has been probably done for the utilisation of the funds.
The director of the IT department of the UT administration, Prince Dhawan, said, The amount we had supposed to spend on the programme was substantially higher than what we spent previously. Earlier we had almost planned to scrap the tender floating process but later decided to divide the schools with six agencies, including the Regional Institute of English, which had already hired 37 quality trainers.
The RIE had initially sought relaxation in the required qualifications of the instructors but we denied stating that they would only have to appoint quality instructors for the government schools. Thus as they had 37 instructors, we gave them 37 schools while 10 each to other five private agencies. From next academic session, we will plan for open tendering process,he added.
WHAT IS C-TOSS PROGRAMME?
In order to strengthen the objective of making Chandigarh a technology hub, the Society for Promotion of Information Technology in Chandigarh (SPIC), the UT Administration had taken the initiative to start the C-TOSS programme to develop skilled professionals for the ITES (Information Technology Enabled Service)/BPO sector. The training programme was meant to upgrade the skill-sets in Chandigarh with emphasis on the skills required for ITES professionals.
It has been 11 years since the IT department introduced this programme in government schools for classes 9, 10 and 11. Till 2013, the programme was run by few private agencies including Yes Infobiz, C-Tec, VR Systems, Global Voice and Competent School, while in 2014, the entire project was given to the RIE, Sector 32. Budget over ERs 1.5 crore was spent on the entire programme.
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Farmers in Punjab are living under miserable conditions and are forced to commit suicides due to economic distress, former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju here said.
I will study the issue (farmer suicides) in detail and take it up with the state government. This is highly disappointing and must be stopped at the earliest, he said during a visit to Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib on Monday evening.
Punjab farmers are supposed to be happy, but the ground situation is quite contrary to what it should be, he said.
Earlier, Katju met the families of suicide victims at Bhucho village in Bathinda and wrote a letter to the district administration to provide financial assistance to the victims families and job to one member of each family.
Speaking to the media on the Behbal Kalan firing incident of October 14, 2015, Katju said the Investigation report in this regard will be made public in three weeks.
Katju is investigating the firing incident on the request of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, Sikhs for Human Rights and the Lawyers for Human Rights International.
Katju said he was seeking cooperation from the state government and Punjab Police to compile the report as he had already recorded the statements of around 45 witnesses. We want them to come up with their side of story which is necessary for a fair probe, he added.
The former SC judge also raised the issue of drug abuse, land sharks and sand mining in Punjab.
Read: AAP demands criminal case against Tota Singh over Farmers suicides issue
Read: Punjab varsities begin farmer suicide survey
Located in southwest Delhi, close to the domestic and international airport and Gurgaon, Dwarka is an ideal address for people working in any part of Delhi-NCR but keen for an address in the Capital.
As property dealer Rajneesh Garg says, Though one can buy a house in a much posh location in Gurgaon with a similar circle rate, one prefers Dwarka as good appreciation in property prices in the area is expected in the coming years.
However, Dwarka scores low on a number of points, say locals, especially when it comes to vacant plots, ill-maintained parks and dumped construction materials (malba) and garbage across lanes and in several areas. Despite several complaints made by local RWAs and residents to SDMC, DDA and Delhi police, the situation has not changed, says Arvinder Singh Chhatwal, joint secretary, Dwarka Forum and a resident of Dwarka Sector 8.
Lack of police patrolling and dim street lights makes the last mile connectivity from Dwarkas Metro stations to housing societies highly unsafe. After 7 pm, it is not a safe walk for women. Police patrolling is minimal in this area. Incidents of bag and chain snatching are common. There are no lights in the service lanes here. However, the RWA members here have written to the local MLA and hope that lights will be installed by next month, a woman living in Sector 9 who did not want to be named said.
The nearest main market for residents living in sectors 8 and 9 is at Ramphal Chowk in Sector-7, about three kilometers away. Land earmarked by DDA for a shopping centre for Sector 8 is being used by SDMC for their offices and also for parking of garbage disposal vehicle and dumping of old dustbins, says Chhatwal.
Though Sector 8 alone has a number of parks, about 50% of these green areas are not maintained and are virtually inaccessible to residents.
House hunters can find numerous options here, with around 23 multi-storey cooperative group housing societies and several DDA flats in Sector 7. Sector 8 was developed by DDA after allotment of around 1,000 residential plots on the outskirts of Bagdola village.
One can see independent houses and four-storey residential floors being constructed by the builders on the DDA allotted plots. In Sector 9, there are around 17 multi-storey cooperative group housing societies apart from several DDA allotted flats.
The nearest private hospitals for residents living in sectors 7, 8 and 9 are in sectors 12 and 13, among others. However, in case of medical emergency, one needs to travel all the way to Gurgaon, Vasant Kunj or Janakpuri to access multi-speciality hospitals.
Though there are no plots in sectors 7 and 9, one can find plots sized 72 square yard, 120 sq yd and 210 sq yd priced at Rs 1 crore, Rs 1.70 crore and Rs 2.25 crore, respectively, in Sector 8. 2BHK and 3BHK apartments for Rs 35 lakh onwards and Rs 72 lakh onwards, respectively, are also available for sale in the sector.
Fast Facts about Dwarka sectors 7 and 8 (HT Photo)
Demand in sectors 7 and 8 has been consistently low during the past four years. There was an initial surge when the Metro started services, but now people mostly look for rental options here, says Manish Verma, a property dealer. One can rent 2BHK apartments starting at Rs 11,000; 3BHK apartments starting at Rs 15, 000 and 4BHK at Rs 25, 000. In sector 8, 2BHK apartments are available for Rs10, 000 onwards. The sector also has a few 3BHK rental options starting at Rs 18,000. In Sector 9, too, one can rent 2BHK apartments for Rs 15,000 onwards.
Odd-even plan was a blessing: A resident speaks
Arvinder Singh Chhatwal (Photo: Vipin Kumar)
Despite being a well-connected area in Delhi, living in the southern part of the Dwarka sub-city, especially sectors 7, 8 and 9, is not easy. Surrounded by unauthorised colonies and villages, these sectors lack basic facilities such as a multi-speciality hospital, safe and clean roads, and accessible parks. Dumped garbage and construction material and air and sound pollution add to the woes of the residents living here.
In sectors 7 and 8, the land running parallel to the railway track is being used by local building contractors for dumping rubble. Ideally, they should create their own space for storing materials and not use the public space. When the contractors transport building material in open vehicles everything gets covered with dust leading to severe air pollution.
Traffic jams cause problems too. The two main entry points to Dwarka -- the Palam flyover near Sector 7 leading to the domestic airport and the underpass near Dwarka Sector 21 are highly congested and again pollute the area. Ideally, the traffic police should make it one way traffic during peak hours, maybe use roads behind Sector 23 to divert the traffic. The 15-day odd-even plan gave us a respite as the number of vehicles clogging two entry points was much lower than on regular days.
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The stage is all set this week for two gripping Tamil movies. Interestingly, both have very different plots. While Vetrimaarans Visaaranai (Interrogation) -- which premiered at the Venice Film Festival last August -- is a brutal look at police atrocity in Andhra Pradesh, Bommarillu Bhaskars Bangalore Naatkal (Bangalore Days) is a fun-packed comedy about three cousins, though with a tinge of tragedy thrown in.
Visaaranai hit well with the festival audiences, for though it tackled police highhandedness in south India, cruel cops have no boundaries. Put a man in uniform, and he tends to mutate into a monster. What is most despicable is that he uses his baton or bullet on the weak and the deprived.
Last year, The New York Times screamed in a headline that an unarmed black man was shot dead by a South Carolina policeman. A few months ago, 20 Tamil labourers were gunned down by cops in Andhra Pradesh, because they were allegedly stealing forest wood.
Read: Vetrimaarans Visaaranai takes a brutal look at police atrocity
Vetrimaarans Visaaranai depicts police savagery with such rawness that is rarely seen in Indian cinema. Forever fascinated with unusual stories, Vetrimaarans movie is based on Chandra Kumars book, Lock-Up, published in 2006, in which he narrates his horrific 13-day experience in a tiny prison cell in Andhra Pradesh, he and his two friends were incarcerated for no apparent reason.
Watch the trailer of Bangalore Naatkal here:
Visaaranai has three Tamil-speaking daily wage earners in Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), who are jailed, stripped to their waists and beaten most sadistically by a police force pressured into solving a theft case that had occurred in a top ranking bureaucrats house.
Vetrimaaran told this writer this morning that he had added a couple of scenes to what was screened at Venice -- pushing the length of the film to 117 minutes from 108. Short even then by Tamil movie standards, Vetrimaaran added that a far significant difference between the two versions has been the introduction of background score in the Indian release. The music is by GV Prakash. However, there will not be any songs or dances.
That is really bold, for Tamil directors seldom step into the songless-danceless territory. For Vetrimaaran, Visaaranai may well be one more feather in his cap. Earlier, he had dealt with subjects like rooster fight, and is now planning a picture on pigeon racing.
Read: After a long delay, Bangalore Days Tamil remake to roll in April
Bangalore Naatkal is a Tamil-remake of Malayalam hit Bangalore Days. (RanaDaggubati/Facebook)
Bangalore Naatkal is a remake of Anjali Menons runaway hit in Malayalam, Bangalore Days -- a sweet and sour story of three cousins who find fun in a new city. Played by Nazriya Nazim, Nivin Pauly and Dulquer Salmaan, the cousins go through life-changing experiences as they tumble into love and romance.
Bhaskar in a chat with this writer this morning said that he had followed the original Malayalam version -- only replacing the cast with one that was essentially Tamil and Telugu.
Rana Daggubati, the Telugu star, would essay Fahad Faasils character in Menons work. Bobby Simha would replace Nivin Pauly, Arya will get into the shoes of Dulquer Salmaan and Sri Divya would play the character that Nazriya Nazim essayed in Menons Bangalore Days. Nithya Menons part has gone to Samantha, and Prakash Raj will replace Prathap Pothen.
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Hollywood director George Miller, the Australian helmer known for his action-adventure series Mad Max, will head the jury at the upcoming 69th Festival de Cannes. It was in Cannes last May that Millers latest film Mad Max: Fury Road set out on its fantastic journey. The film was shown Out of Competition in the official selection of the festival.
What an unmitigated delight! To be there in the middle of this storied festival at the unveiling of cinematic treasures from all over the planet. To spend time in passionate discourse with fellow members of the jury. Such an honour. Ill be there with bells on!, the director said in a statement.
This photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa in Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures action adventure film, Mad Max: Fury Road, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (AP)
Originally from a small village in Queensland, Miller wrote and directed Violence in the Cinema, part 1 in 1971. He made his feature film debut in 1979 with Mad Max, starring Mel Gibson. Inspired by the outback gothic genre sweeping Australia at the time, the film was a worldwide smash hit.
Read: George Miller to direct Man of Steel 2
The futuristic drama is credited for giving a touch of class to the action genre with its masterly combination of Road Movie, Western and Science-Fiction elements.
This futuristic drama is credited for giving a touch of class to the action genre with its masterly combination of Road Movie, Western and Science-Fiction elements. (Cannes Film Festival)
He subsequently directed Mad Max 2: the Road Warrior in 1981, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985 and a hugely successful Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015.
Read: Mad Maxs George Miller almost made a Justice League movie
His other projects as producer-director-screenwriter are Witches of Eastwick, Lorenzos Oil, Babe, which he produced, Happy Feet and Happy Feet 2. Miller returned to the iconic character Max Rockatanskyin the fourth Mad Max movie after 30 years.
Set in the post-apocalyptic world, the movie deftly weaves feminist and anti-totalitarian overtones with great action. The film has picked up 10 nominations at this years Oscars including the best picture and best director for Miller.
The Cannes film festival will run from May 11-22.
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A special tribunal dealing with war crimes during Bangladeshs independence war against Pakistan in 1971 sentenced two men to death on Tuesday for their involvement in genocide and other serious crimes.
Justice M Anwarul Haque, the head judge of a three-member panel of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), announced the verdicts for Obaidul Haque Taher and Ataur Rahman Noni, both residents of the northern Netrokona district.
Both men were in the packed courtroom set up within the Supreme Court in Dhaka when the verdict was announced.
The death sentence has to be executed either by hanging or by shooting in a firing squad, prosecutor Mokhlesur Rahman Badal told reporters after the verdict.
Both men will be allowed to appeal in the high court. If the court upholds the verdict, they will have a chance to challenge the decision in the Supreme Courts appellate division.
Prosecutor Ziad-al-Malum told reporters he was happy with the verdict while defence lawyer Gazi AH Tamim said his clients would appeal.
The defendants faced six charges, including mass killing, abductions, attacks on Hindus, looting of shops and homes, and arson attacks during the nine-month bloody war. Four charges were proved beyond reasonable doubt, the judge said.
Both of them had earlier pleaded not guilty to all the charges and demanded acquittal.
But the prosecution argued they led militia groups and helped Pakistani soldiers to execute Hindus and people who fought for independence in Netrokona.
The 66-year-old Taher and the 62-year-old Noni are not prominent figures in independent Bangladesh. Both of them were businessmen and Taher had joined the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed 3 million people and raped 200,000 women, while about 10 million were forced to leave the country to take shelter in India during the war.
Some 25 people have been convicted since 2010, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up the tribunal to try war crimes suspects. Four opposition leaders, including three from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, have been hanged for war crimes.
A total of 21 people have so far been given the death sentence for such crimes.
Britains updated list of financial sanctions against mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, one of Indias most wanted fugitives, contains four addresses in Pakistan, where he is reported to be based.
The latest Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK, updated by the Treasury Office on January 27, mentions various names under which Ibrahim has operated, and his Indian and Pakistani passport numbers.
Ibrahim is the subject of an international arrest warrant on behalf of the Indian government for acts of crime and terrorism, including the 1993 blasts in Mumbai.
Pakistan has consistently denied his presence in the country. The sanctions, which involve freezing of assets, were first imposed on Ibrahim by Britain in November 2003.
The financial sanctions list includes organisations such as the Liberation Tigers o f Ta mi l Eelam , Babbar Khalsa, Inter national Sikh Youth Federation, Khalistan Zindabad Force and Hizbul Mujahideen.
According to rules, financial sanctions can vary from the comprehensive prohibiting the transfer of funds to a sanctioned country and freezing the assets of a government, the corporate entities and residents of the target country to targeted asset freezes on individuals and entities.
Financial sanctions may apply to governments, entities and individuals, who may be resident in the UK or abroad.
A targeted asset free z e usually prohibits anyone from dealing with funds or economic resources belonging to or owned, held or controlled by a designated person; and also prohibits anyone from making funds or economic resources available, directly or indirectly, to, or for the benefit of a designated person.
Dawoods four addresses in Pakistan mentioned in the list are:
(1) House No 37, 30th Street - Defence, Housing Authority, Karachi, Pakistan.
(2) House no. 29, Margalla Road, F 6/2 Street no.22, Karachi, Pakistan.
(3) Noorabad, Karachi, Pakistan (Palatial bungalow in the hilly area).
(4) White House, near Saudi Mosque, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan.
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The cut and thrust of politics over Britains membership of the European Union reached a new high on Tuesday with the publication of a new draft deal that meets some demands of the In camp but refuses to satisfy the Out campers.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a referendum by the end of 2017, but there is much speculation that if he were able to demonstrate that he has secured concessions from Brussels, it may be held this year, most likely in June.
There are strong opinions on both sides, on whether Britain should leave the grouping or stay in. The rival camps have been trotting figures and arguments to stay in or leave the EU. As more talks are due, several members of the government have said they want Britain to opt out.
On Tuesday, European Council president Donald Tusk published a draft deal that includes the key demand of hitting an emergency brake on state benefits that migrants in Britain from the EU can access. Both camps interpreted the draft in their favour.
There is much concern here over the large number of migrants from EU countries particularly east European moving to Britain over the last decade under the free movement facility allowed to all EU citizens, and availing state benefits.
The concern was most visible in the rapid rise of the UK Independence Party, which made major gains in recent local and national elections with its demand that Britain sever its ties with the EU, whose membership is perceived as detrimental to Britain in many ways.
However, Cameron and others, including the Labour party, want Britain to remain in the EU not only for economic reasons (the large EU market for goods) but also due to the large number of British citizens living in other EU countries, and to be able to influence EU policies.
The European Commission said EU leaders will discuss the draft deal for the first time on Friday with the aim of getting an agreement at the February summit. According to the draft, Camerons proposed four-year ban on in-work benefits for EU migrant workers could come into force immediately after Britain votes to remain in the EU in the referendum.
Cameron also wants a red card system by which parliaments of EU member-states could come together and veto EU laws that are seen as detrimental. There are proposals in the draft that toughens the existing but less used red card system, but critics dismissed them.
As Cameron claimed some success after months of negotiating with EU leaders, the Vote Leave camps chief executive Matthew Elliott dismissed the proposals, saying: These gimmicks have been ignored by the EU before and will be ignored again as they will not be in the EU treaty.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: The idea we are being sold that a joint red card is some sort of victory is frankly ludicrous.
The Britain Stronger in Europe camp said the red card proposal and the plans to curb benefits or equivalent concessions would represent a significant victory for the prime minister and underline that Britain is stronger in Europe.
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Hillary Clinton narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president.
The former secretary of state and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The party said Tuesday it would not do any recount of the close results, and a spokesperson for the Sanders campaign said it does not intend to challenge them.
For the Republicans, Ted Cruz, a fiery, conservative Texas senator loathed by his own partys leaders, swept to victory over billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
Next up for candidates from both parties is the tiny New England state of New Hampshire, which votes next Tuesday.
Cruzs victory in Iowa was a blow to Trump, the real estate mogul who has roiled the Republican field for months with controversial statements about women and minorities.
But Trump still holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire and national polls.
New Hampshire has historically favored more moderate candidates than Iowa, and more than 40% of the states electorate are not registered in any political party.
Cruz on Tuesday suggested he was focused on New Hampshire but also on South Carolina, which votes 11 days later.
Trump came in second slightly ahead of Rubio, whose stronger-than-expected finish could help cement his status as the favorite of mainstream Republican voters who worry that Cruz and Trump are too caustic to win the November general election.
Trump vowed to keep up his fight, telling cheering supporters that we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up.
In the Democratic race, voters must choose between Clintons pledge to use her wealth of experience in government to bring about steady progress on party ideals and Sanders call for radical change in a system rigged against ordinary Americans. Young voters in Iowa overwhelmingly backed Sanders.
In New Hampshire, Clinton trails Sanders, who is from neighboring Vermont.
But Sanders still faces an uphill battle against Clinton, who has deep ties throughout the partys establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that plays a larger role in primary contests in February and March.
Clintons victory in Iowa means she will collect 23 delegates and Sanders will win 21. With her advantage in superdelegates - the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice - Clinton now has a total of 385 delegates. Sanders has 29.
It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.
Some of the establishment Republican candidates have been focusing more on New Hampshire than Iowa, including former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Ohio governor John Kasich and New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
The caucuses marked the end of at least two candidates White House hopes. Former Maryland governor Martin OMalley ended his longshot bid for the Democratic nomination, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee dropped out of the Republican race.
The main Syrian opposition umbrella group will strive to join the political process on ending the countrys civil war, a spokesman announced Monday after receiving positive messages from the UN special envoy, but warned that Russia was creating a new Hitler in the form of Bashar al-Assad.
(The) Russian regime will create a new Hitler. We are suffering from a Hitler in Syria, Meslet told journalists.
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.
More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syrias nearly five-year war, which has drawn in world powers including Gulf states, Russia, and the United States.
Ted Cruz defeated Donald Trump handily in the Republican caucuses in Iowa Monday night and Hillary Clinton scraped by with the narrowest of wins over Bernie Sanders.
The Democratic race was so close that Associated Press, which is often the first to call elections, finally announced Clinton the winner Tuesday afternoon, more than 12 hours after the close of caucuses.
With 100% of precincts (areas contiguous with police jurisdictions) reporting, Clinton got 49.86% of the delegates, Sanders 49.57% and Martin OMalley 0.57%
But the Clinton campaign had declared victory much earlier, while called it a virtual tie. OMalley didnt wait for the final results either, and dropped out of the race.
There was a casualty on the Republican side too former governor Mike Huckabee and the winner of the Iowa caucuses in 2008, who announced he was suspending his campaign.
But it was Cruzs emphatic win that dominated commentary on the Republican race he had taken down Trump, the front-runner who had made winning the centerpiece of his campaign.
To God be the glory, Cruz said in his victory speech. Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives all across Iowa and our great nation.
Cruz had the better ground game in Iowa, while Trump may have drawn more crowds and made more headlines, skipping the last presidential debate over a feud with host network Fox.
Cruz, a first-time Cuban-American senator from Texas, was expected to win Iowa, but he seemed to have lost the initiative in recent weeks, slipping back in polls behind Trump.
The flashy real-estate tycoon from New York who had dominated the Republican race since he jumped in, was back in the lead, happily citing poll numbers as he always did.
But Iowa had other ideas, and it made them known Monday.
Cruz supporters celebrate the news that the conservative senator had won. (AP Photo)
Republican party establishment favourite Marco Rubio finished a strong third that will keep him within striking distance of the nomination as the race moves to New Hampshire.
If there was a third winner Monday night, that would be the pollsters, who had rightly predicted a close race with leading candidates within margins of error, wary of hazarding a bad bet.
Iowa caucuses kick off US presidential primaries and winners tend to get a boost that places their candidacy on the road to the White House, as it did for Barack Obama in 2008.
But not all winners end up in the White House. Huckabee, the candidate who became the first Republican to pull out tonight, won Iowa in 2008 but failed to go the distance.
Rick Santorum, a Republican who won Iowa in 2012, pulled out out a few months later conceding the party nomination to Mitt Romney, who lost eventually to President Obama.
Two of TE Lawrences most iconic possessions are at risk of being exported from Britain unless a buyer can be found to match the asking prices of 122,500 for his dagger and 12,500 for his robes.
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has placed two separate temporary export bars to provide an opportunity to keep the national treasures in the UK, official sources said on Tuesday.
Known popularly as Lawrence of Arabia, the archaeologist and diplomat, was considered one of the most recognisable figures of World War I, following his work in the Middle East and his involvement in the Arab Revolt.
Lawrence worked closely with numerous Arab leaders and would always be seen in traditional Arab dress. These white silk robes were made in Mecca or Medina and he wore them in a 1919 oil portrait by Augustus John.
The steel and silver dagger was famously presented to him by Sherif Nasir in 1917 after the victory at Aqaba in Jordan, a scene featured in the Oscar-winning film Lawrence of Arabia.
Lawrence posed with the curved dagger--called a jambiya--and the robes while sitting for sculptor Lady Kathleen Scott, the widow of Scott of the Antarctic, in 1921. He left them behind after his final session so Scott could continue working and they have remained in her family ever since.
Vaizey said: TE Lawrence was one of the most extraordinary figures of the 20th century. These robes and dagger are absolutely iconic and a key part of his enduring image. It is important that these classic objects remain in the UK.
Hayden Phillips, chairman of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, said: Although the depiction, in the film Lawrence of Arabia, of Lawrence leading a sweeping camel charge across the desert into Aqaba in 1917 is probably a romantic exaggeration--stunning though it is--the taking of Aqaba from the landward side, with the help of Auda Abu Tayi, leader of the northern Howeitat, was an extraordinary feat and marked a crucial turning point in the campaign.
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The World Health Organization declared on Monday that the Zika virus outbreak spreading across Central and South America should be considered a "public health emergency of international concern."
The announcement came after an emergency meeting of 18 experts established by the WHO convened in Geneva to discuss the "explosive nature of the virus." By declaring it a "public health emergency," world governments will be able to prioritize research to fight the illness, according to Mashable.
The virus has been seen as the probable cause of a sharp increase in birth defects, including a condition known as microcephaly - abnormally small brains - as well as an uptick in adult neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis.
WHO Directror-General Dr. Margaret Chan said that while there was no definitive proof that the Zika virus is responsible for the birth defects, she said the level of alarm is extraordinarily high, according to the Associated Press.
Following that logic, David L. Heymann, the chair of the emergency committee, said Zika alone wouldn't constitute a public health emergency, but its association with microcephaly and neurological disorders led to the declaration.
Further adding to the problem is the fact that the explosively spreading virus has mild symptoms, with a large number of them showing no symptoms at all.
"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 than we can imagine," said Health Minister Marcelo Castro, according to Reuters.
Even with world governments seeking to find a cure for the illness, its unlikely a vaccine will be available for a couple of years. In the meantime, some countries will need to take a hands-on approach with the source of the disease, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Brazil, for example, is mobilizing all resources and people to destroy the mosquitoes' breeding grounds.
The last time a health emergency of this scale was announced was for the Ebola outbreak, which killed more than 11,000 and has only recently concluded. This new outbreak will test the reforms the WHO put in place in the wake of the Ebola outbreak.
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The Obama administration misled Congress and the American people about the government's ability to function during a temporary debt limit shutdown, according to an investigative report from Republican leadership in the House Financial Services Committee.
During the 2011 and 2013 federal budget and debt limit negotiations, the White House insisted that the only way to prevent a catastrophic default and financial crisis was for Congress to increase the amount of money the government could borrow. If the debt ceiling wasn't raised, the administration repeatedly said that it would not be able to pick and choose which government programs to fund and that the government would completely shut down, reports The Hill.
"I do not believe there is a way to pick and choose on a broad basis. The system was not designed to be turned off selectively," Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on Oct. 13, 2013, according to The Daily Caller.
But according to the new report based on documents the committee subpoenaed from the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the administration created contingency plans to continue paying the debt, Social Security and veterans benefits even in the event that the government was unable to borrow funds. The government would continue making the payments "in order to protect the creditworthiness of the United States," according to Federal Reserve documents.
The 322-page report alleges that the Treasury Department lied about its ability to prioritize payments "for the express purpose of creating market uncertainty in an effort to pressure Congress to acquiesce in the administration's 'no negotiation' posture on the debt ceiling."
The documents "show the Obama Administration took the nation's creditworthiness and economy hostage in a cynical attempt to create a crisis so the president could get what he wanted during negotiations over the debt ceiling," said House Financial Services Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas.
Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., chairman of the Financial Services subcommittee on oversight, added: "This report shows President Obama manufactured a crisis to put politics ahead of economic stability. Shame on him. Rather than being honest, the administration deliberately misled Congress and the American people about their ability to honor our commitments to our nation's veterans and seniors. The Administration owes it to the American people to be honest and transparent about its debt ceiling contingency plans."
The lawmakers also charged that the administration refused to cooperate with their investigation and only released relevant documents after receiving a subpoena in May, according to The Washington Examiner.
The "Treasury apparently directed the New York Fed not to answer valid congressional oversight inquiries because Treasury knew the answers would expose the dishonesty of the administration's public statements," the report says.
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Some of the 22 emails found on Hillary Clinton's private unsecured server that were too damaging to publicly release contained "operational intelligence," such as the names of CIA officers and informants living overseas, unnamed intelligence officials told Fox News.
After viewing the highly classified documents, the source said that the presence of the information on Clinton's home email server, which was almost certainly accessed by multiple foreign governments and hackers, jeopardized "sources, methods and lives."
"It's a death sentence," a senior intelligence community official told the Observer. "If we're lucky only (foreign) agents, not our officers, will get killed because of this."
The State Department confirmed for the first time Friday that Clinton's server contained information classified as "top secret." The communications were so sensitive that the administration refused to release it publicly, even in redacted form, reported the Associated Press.
"The documents are being upgraded at the request of the intelligence community because they contain a category of top secret information," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday.
When Clinton started serving as secretary of state in 2009, rather than using the government-issued email account, she set up a server and account in her New York home, but didn't properly secure it to handle classified information. Her tenure ended in 2013 and before turning over work-related emails for federal record-keeping purposes, she deleted 30,000 emails that she unilaterally deemed personal in nature.
"I'll spend the rest of my career trying to figure out what classified information was in those (deleted emails)," a Pentagon counterintelligence official told the Observer. "Everybody is mad as hell right now."
"The worst part," he added, "is that Moscow and Beijing have that information but the Intelligence Community maybe never will."
The FBI is conducting an investigation into Clinton's arrangement to determine whether she knowingly transmitted classified information. Clinton insists that she never sent or received anything that was marked as classified.
She continued to dismiss the controversy Monday, suggesting that Republicans are politicizing it to hurt her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"I can tell you that is not on the minds of the literally thousands of people that I've seen in the last few weeks. I'm glad it isn't," Clinton told CNN. "The facts are the facts and no matter how much selective leaking or anonymous sourcing... that goes on, what people want to know is what I can do to be the best possible president for them and families."
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WHO has declared that the dreaded Zika virus has been elevated to a public health emergency and international communities are called to take action against the spread of the infection, as HNGN reported. The health agency also said travel restrictions are not yet being imposed on countries where Zika cases have been reported, but travelers, particularly pregnant women, are advised to take the necessary precautions.
If you have travel plans in any of the countries linked to Zika, how does this health crisis affect you and what can you do about it? Here's a rundown below:
Cruises: Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises and Holland America & Costa Cruises are offering rebooking for pregnant passengers, while Royal Caribbean will give refunds on a case-to-case basis, according to Cruise Critic. Pregnant passengers of Disney Cruise Lines can make changes to reservations as well, according to its website.
Airlines: American Airlines is offering refunds to pregnant women provided that they show a note from their doctor, as indicated on the website. Delta is allowing travel change dates and refunds could be given on a case-to-case basis, based on the company's advisory. United is also offering refunds or changes in travel itineraries, as advised on its site. Virgin America is asking pregnant women traveling to Mexico to contact its hotline number for their travel waiver, as posted on its travel alert. Other airlines are also offering rebooks and changes for a limited period only, according to NBC News.
Hotels: Some hotel companies are considering waiving fees for booking cancellations, but this has yet to take effect, according to The New York Times. Contact your hotel to know more and also inquire about their protocols against Zika infection. Hotel staff members in Latin American and Caribbean regions are getting educated about the Zika virus to better assist guests who have concerns. Those with vacation packages should also get in touch with their agencies for possible refunds or waiving of fees, as advised by Travel Weekly.
Travel Insurance: Travel insurance companies are treating Zika like any other type of illnesses covered in the terms of the policy. If a traveler does contact the virus during his travels, he can avail of the medical care and benefits in his plan. However, cancellation of trips is not going to be covered by travel insurance, so if you have to purchase travel insurance, opt for a plan that offers a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) option, according to Forbes.
For more on taking precautions against Zika infection, read CDC Releases Guidelines For Pregnant Women, Urges Testing For Some
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A hidden population of lions has been discovered in an isolated, northwestern region of Ethiopia at the Alatash National Park, which lies on Ethiopia's border with Sudan, according to The Guardian. "The confirmation that lions persist in this area is exciting news," lion conservation group 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."
Lion conservationist Hans Bauer of Oxford University, who headed the tracking expedition that discovered the previously unknown population, believes that there could be up to 200 lions in the area.
"Considering the relative ease with which lion signs were observed, it is likely that they are resident throughout Alatash and Dinder [in Sudan]," he said. "On a total surface area of about 10,000 square kilometres, this would mean a population of 100-200 lions for the entire ecosystem, of which 27-54 would be in Alatash."
"The situation is fairly positive," he added. "I think the fact that the Ethiopian government recently made it a national park is a giant leap forward. Now we have to support them in improving park management, but I think they're taking it very seriously."
The Alatash National Park was thought to have lost all of its lions in the 20th century due to the effects of hunting and habitat destruction; since the 1990s, the total number of lions in Africa has declined by approximately 50 percent, according to BBC News. Now, approximately 20,000 wild lions are left spread across Africa, although the population continues to decline and could be halved yet again over the next 20 years, according to New Scientist.
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SuitX has unveiled what could possibly be the cheapest exoskeleton to date that can help paralyzed individuals walk again.
Dubbed as Phoenix, the exoskeleton allows the wearer to move via small motors that are atteched to standard orthotics, MIT Technology Review reported. Through the mechanisms, a paraplegic could control the movement of his or her legs through the buttons built on the crutches. SuitX promises users that Phoenix will let them walk as far as 1.1 miles in an hour.
Phoenix is not the only exoskeleton available in the market that lets paraplegics walk. It has, however, several advantages. ReWalk, for instance, is one of the leading devices today but it costs around $77,000, as HNGN previously reported. Phoenix is also modular and can be adjusted in order to fit the build and height of its wearer. Unlike many exoskeletons today, which are based on industrial robot design, Phoenix is built according to biomechanics.
"It's really not much about the power, it's about cleverness," Dr. Homayoon Kazerooni, SuitX CEO, told Fast Company. "We've designed this machine with minimal hardware that just allows for walking and nothing else."
Users who have tried Phoenix have so far expressed satisfaction. Its compact design, particularly, has allowed them to walk around without people noticing the machine or trying to give way, which paraplegics say is important in order for them to lead a normal life.
SuitX is planning to develop another exoskeleton but this time for children. A concept was already submitted at the Robotics For Good competition, according to Engadget.
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What began as a routine father-son bonding experience Monday ended in tragedy when both died after falling through thin ice while fishing on a lake in Highland Township, Mich. David Michael Lyons, 30, and his son Jackson Lyons, 4, were both about 10 feet from the shore on Alderman Lake at 10:37 a.m. when the incident occurred, reported the Detroit Free Press. How the incident actually played out is unclear, however, with two nearby fisherman saying they saw the pair fall in, while one of them reportedly alleged that David went in after Jackson, but failed to save him.
Rescuers, including dive teams, "quickly" arrived on the scene, using rope from the boat ramp about 350 feet away. They managed to pull the pair out 15 minutes after they had been submerged in 8-12 feet of frigid water. The two were rushed to nearby Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital where they were pronounced dead around 1:45 p.m.
The pair's situation had been complicated by the fact that not only were they both not wearing personal flotation devices, but they were wearing snowmobile suits, which become heavier in water. In light of this, Assistant Fire Chief Richard Cole said people should always wear a life preserver if they intend to do anything on the lake ice.
In a news release about the incident posted on Facebook, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office warned about fishing on frozen lake ice, especially after the abnormally mild weather experienced this winter left temperatures in the 40s.
Please, Please, Please presume ice is unsafe. Our weather has been such that predictable hard frozen ice is not... Posted by Oakland County Sheriff's Office on Monday, February 1, 2016 In the meantime, authorities are investigating to determine how exactly they fell, according to Fox News. "The traverse out was fine, fishing was fine, but the ice has pockets and flows, that's that we think happened," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
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North Korea formally announced Tuesday that it plans to launch a long-range rocket as early as next week in order to place an Earth observation satellite into orbit, which critics note is a major violation of United Nations resolutions and possibly a disguise for testing banned ballistic missile technology.
The United Nations' International Maritime Organization said that North Korea issued a shipping warning of its intentions to launch a satellite sometime between Feb. 8 and Feb. 25.
North Korea also advised the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Telecommunication Union that the satellite will have a functional duration of four years and circle the Earth in a non-geostationary orbit, according to Reuters. The notice is intended to warn ships, aircraft and civilians in the area about falling debris, which is expected to land in waters off the west coast of South Korea and to the east of the Philippines.
Experts say North Korea will be able to use the launch to test some of the technology needed to conduct a long-range nuclear strike, according to BBC.
North Korea's announcement comes just weeks after it claimed to have conducted its fourth nuclear test of a hydrogen bomb for which the Obama administration is attempting to impose stricter international sanctions.
The White House said Tuesday that any additional launches by North Korea would be seen as "another destabilizing provocation."
"I feel confident in telling you that the international community would regard a step like that by the North Koreans as just another irresponsible provocation and a clear violation of their international obligations," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, according to The Daily Caller.
The senior U.S. diplomat for East Asia, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, told reporters that using ballistic missile technology would be an "egregious violation" of Pyongyang's international obligations and shows the need "to raise the cost to the leaders through the imposition of tough additional sanctions and of course by ensuring the thorough and rigorous enforcement of the existing sanctions."
Russel said that even China, North Korea's main ally, agrees with the U.S. that "there needs to be consequences to North Korea for its defiance and for its threatening behaviors."
However, North Korea says it is not intimidated by the threat of sanctions and insists that its launches are for peaceful purposes.
"We have nothing to be afraid of," North Korea's ambassador to the U.K., Hyon Hak Bong, said in September, NK News reported. "We will go ahead definitely, surely. If they... pass resolutions or sanctions, this will be viewed as a provocation and... can make the situation worse. I assure you that the launch is for a peaceful purpose."
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A family has been left devastated after a grandmother and her two grandchildren were killed as a result of a high-speed car chase between police and a car thief. The body of the 6-year-old granddaughter was not found until several hours after the investigation was finished, according to the New York Daily News.
Dorothy Wright, 76, was killed driving her two grandchildren to church in a residential neighborhood in Georgia on Sunday morning, according to the Daily News. They were hit by an allegedly stolen vehicle whose driver was attempting to get away from police and drove straight through a stop sign, according to NBC News. The children were 12-year-old Cameron Cosner and 6-year-old Layla Partridge, according to the newspaper.
All three were killed at the scene, but Layla's body was not found until approximately 11 hours after the crash because it was ejected from the vehicle, the Daily News reported. She had not initially been reported as a victim in the incident until the deaths were reported to the family, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
"I saw that red car coming down the street, minding their business," a witness told reporters, according to the Daily News. "All of a sudden I saw that black car run a stop sign right here and hit them, T-boned them... Get that guy because he killed those people."
The driver of the vehicle, who is described as a black male, may have sustained injuries during the crash but has not yet been apprehended by police, according to the Daily News. Authorities suspected that he had stolen the car from a hotel in College Park before being chased to southwest Atlanta, reported the Journal Constitution.
The Georgia State Patrol is currently handling the case, but College Park Police Department Chief Kevin Meadows stated that it is being investigated whether officers were acting within the department's chase policy, according to Fox 5 News.
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By now, content marketing should be an integral part of your marketing strategy. Whether you rely on email campaigns, blog posts, industry articles or social media posts, content marketing increases your brand awareness, informs your customers and leads to more business for your hotel.
Establishing a fixed content marketing strategy can be difficult, however. With new technology and changing consumer habits, content marketing seems to be an ever changing business platform. To help you succeed with your annual marketing goals, we've summarized what hotels need to know about content marketing in 2016.
Content marketing must be mobile
To stay relevant in 2016, your content must be mobile. Almost two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, and the majority of those who do are a promising marketing demographic; smartphone ownership soars among the educated and those who have relatively high incomes. Google now reports that the majority of its searches are made on a mobile device, and more and more people are searching within apps. On top of that, more than 87 percent of smart phone users report checking their email on their phones at least once a week.
For hotel marketers, that means all of your marketing content emails, blogs, social media posts and webpages must be smartphone and tablet friendly. When you create content, pull it up on different phones and tablets to make sure it is visually appealing, and that the most important portion of the content appears prominently on mobile screens. You also must consider mobile navigation when creating content. Will it be easy for mobile users to follow links from you content to your desired end point, whether that is your bookings page or your email newsletter signup?
Video content will grow
An ever growing component of content marketing, successful video content will become crucial in 2016. The statistics for online videos are staggering: online video accounts for 50 percent of mobile traffic; 78 percent of people say they watch video online at least once a week, and 55 percent say they watch online video at least once a day. That traffic is bolstered by popular social media sites pushing video. This year alone, Twitter began allowing autoplay in user feeds, and Facebook began selling video ads. Livestreaming apps Meerkat and Periscope also launched in 2015. With that in mind, online videos are projected to make up 69 percent of online traffic by 2017.
Video content in 2016 isn't just about the volume of video; it's also about the type of video. The consumption of virtual reality videos and 360-degree videos are projected to explode this year. Last year, Facebook and YouTube began allowing the posting of 360-degree videos, and the Samsung Gear and Google Cardboard allowed smartphone owners to use their devices for virtual reality and 360-degree viewing. This year, several tech companies, including Facebook-owned Oculus and Sony, are set to release virtual reality headsets. Hotel marketers, especially, should consider these new types of video content, as they can transport and immerse users in an environment, allowing marketers to share their hotel experience with potential guests looking to book a room or event venue.
Social media still matters
Social media marketing is nothing new. In fact, it can seem tired and routine, but it shouldn't be overlooked or underestimated. In 2016, social media marketing still matters. Social media marketing allows you to direct consumers to your other content marketing, to your website, and to points of sale. It can grow brand recognition and help build relationships with consumers. Also of value, social media marketing allows for instant feedback. "Likes," comments and especially shares can help you gauge the success of your social media posts and marketing content they direct consumers to.
Quality content reigns supreme
More than anything else, the quality of your content will make or break your 2106 content marketing strategy. Quality content engages, entertains and informs your customer base. Quality content gives consumers a reason to return to your website, read your emails or follow you on social media sites. More than ever, Google search results rely on having quality, informative content rather than a high volume of content.
So in 2016, as you plan out your content marketing strategy, keep in mind your mobile, video and social media options, but make sure that the content you are providing is of value to your customers. Without quality, your hotel brand will be lost in the deluge of marketing content. With quality, your brand will stand out and lead customers to you for information, and ultimately, bookings and sales.
David Cross
Content Manager
YouVisit
Hospitality Net today
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Los Angeles (February 2, 2016) BLLA, in partnership with the Travel Industry Executive Women's Network (TIEWN), wrapped its third annual Executive Women's Conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, January 27. Over 25 guest speakers and more than 100 hospitality professionals, discerning travelers and elite media attended the symposium to enhance the knowledge, ambition and education opportunities for female hospitality successors.
"It's rewarding to see how the women of today continue to empower and thrive in the travel and tourism industries", said BLLA and TIEWN Founder and CEO, Frances Kiradjian. "They are recognized as the leading influencers in the world of social media, and are consciously creating programs to enrich and augment the hospitality and tourism industries today".
Over the course of the day, guest speakers including Crystal Cruises CEO and President Edie Rodriguez, White Lodging's Carolyn Hosna, Luxury Travel Writer Karen Loftus and GOOGLE Travel Senior Account Executive Ashley Mohan, lead seven though-provoking panel discussions to share expertise and experience towards female industry professionals. Guests also had a chance to participate in the discussions of the latest travel, tourism and hospitality trends.
Technology will continue to disrupt the travel industry in 2016. BCD Travel Director of Emerging Technologies, Miriam Moscovici, examined how new-aged technology, such as virtual reality, is vastly making its way into the travel industry. Virtual reality technologies are enabling travel companies to bring their brands closer to consumers through immersive experiences. The Google Cardboard, for example, is seeing its way through hotels such as Marriott or destinations like Jerusalem, who are now using the product to show guests travel destinations. Other notable trend discussions, in the panel moderated by Conde Nast Traveler Contributing Editor, Juliana Shallcross, included the rise of solopreneurs and what hotels are doing to cater to the most ideal female traveler.
During the symposium, BLLA hosted a luncheon, networking opportunities and a closing cocktail reception.
For more information regarding the conference, including a full agenda, guest speakers and event sponsors, visit here. To learn more about BLLA, please visit BLLA.org.
About the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA)
The Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) is the first and only alliance association dedicated to uniting the world's independent boutique and lifestyle hotels and small brands. BLLA was created to be the unifying voice of this distinctive subset within the hospitality industry. With now over 750 members, BLLA's goal is to unite the world's collection of boutique & lifestyle properties and the suppliers that sustain them. BLLA offers their members the opportunity to successfully compete on a level playing field with major hotel companies. The association educates members in order to market themselves to meet the ever-increasing demand from discerning boutique-seeking clients. For more information or to become a member visit www.blla.org.
About the Travel Industry Executive Women's Network (TIEWN)
Founded in 2008 by Frances Kiradjian, Founder & Chair of the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA), this network is about forming connections globally both online at LinkedIn and offline through conferences and events. The more than 9,200 global members are executive women who make significant contributions to all the categories within the travel industry including hotel & lodging, airlines, cruise lines, car rental, tourism, travel agency, corporate travel manager, tour operator, rail, travel technology. They are professional women who have chosen the travel, tourism or hospitality sector and who make it their life's work and passion. This group supports all organizations in this industry who work at organizing professional women.
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As unfortunately feared, the month of December failed to reverse the trend observed throughout 2015, which ended on a mixed note. Occupancy dropped sharply in all categories in Paris and the Ile-de- France region as a whole, as the impacts of the terrorist attacks were strongly felt. The final month of the year was also challenging elsewhere in France. However, the relative weighting of December compared to the rest of the year meant that the overall good performances achieved up till then in regional France held.
Although the major events hosted in Ile-de-France throughout November and December doubtless helped limit the damage, the November 13th attacks had a brutal impact on hotel demand in Ile-de-France in December. Occupancy dropped by between -15,4% and -24,3% depending on the category in Paris, and in most of the Ile-de-France region, too except in those areas able to take advantage of COP21. The majority of hoteliers reasonably decided not to slash prices. However, although average rates remained generally stable over the period, the decline in occupancy automatically dragged down RevPAR. Consequently, with two terrorist episodes and a rather lacklustre summer, notably for Midscale hotels, Paris finished the year on a low note, with a fairly significant drop observed in all categories. The Upscale segment was the only one able to generally maintain Rooms Revenue, with a drop of 0,7% only.
Relatively speaking, the same situation could be observed throughout the rest of France in December. The Cote dAzur and other regions saw a fall in RevPAR, essentially due to a drop in average rates. Upscale hotels on the Cote dAzur were the only ones to record a rise in RevPAR, thanks to a significant increase in occupancy. In one way or another, these observations must be put into perspective: on the one hand, December 2014 was a generally good month on the Cote dAzur and in regional France; and on the other, occupancy is generally low in December, compared to the summer months. December did not, then, call into question the encouraging results previously recorded. The Cote dAzur saw an increase in RevPAR of between +4,1% and +13,5% depending on the category. RevPAR in regional France also grew.
Lastly, Super-budget hotels managed to maintain rate growth throughout the year, which compensated for the VAT hike introduced at the start of 2014 that was not passed onto guests at the time. However, in a strongly competitive environment, this resulted in a drop in occupancy, and consequently in RevPAR (-1%) in 2015.
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Two months ago, Rita Ora filed a lawsuit against Roc Nation in order to get out of her contract, claiming that the label was focusing on marketing its roster of athletes and neglecting its music artists. According to TMZ, Roc Nation has filed a $2.3 million counter suit against Ora to attempt to recoup the money theyve spent marketing her unreleased sophomore album.
Rita Ora signed a 10-year contract with the Roc in 2008. In the lawsuit, the label claims that the contract stipulated Ora produce five albums. She has release one to date, 2012s Ora.
Howard King, Oras attorney, claims that Jay Z has already agreed to release the 25-year-old from her contract. Judging from the fact that Ora is no longer listed on Roc Nations website, it appears that the two parties have already cut ties.
[via]
Rita Ora
The pop star activist will perform a tribute to the late musicial icon.
Lady Gaga has been chosen to honour David Bowie at this year's Grammy Awards.
The 69 year-old legendary artist passed away on January 10, after an 18-month battle with cancer.
The Grammys musical director Nile Rogers, whose affiliation with Bowie dates back to the eighties, will be organising the performance.
Gaga, a self-confessed Bowie fanatic, voiced her admiration for the Thin White Duke when he died. "When I fell in love with David Bowie, I was living on the Lower East Side, I always felt that his glamor was something he was using to express a message to people that was very healing for their souls," she told The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg. "He is a true, true artist and I don't know if I ever went, 'Oh, I'm going to be that way like this,' or if I arrived upon it slowly, realising it was my calling and that's what drew me to him."
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Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the Grammy Awards told Variety that Lady Gaga had already booked when David passed. "We knew we had to change direction," he said. We immediately spoke and agreed that she should be the one to honour David. Shes perfect for it. So I reached out to Nile and, before long, we were on our way to creating what we believe will not only make a great Grammy moment, but one fitting of David.
The New York Times reports that the tribute will last for three or four songs and "is going to be a true homage to who David was, particularly musically, but not ignoring his influence on fashion and pop culture in a broader way.
Kendrick Lamar, Adele, Ellie Goulding, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood and The Weeknd will all be performing at the 58th Grammy Awards on February 15.
Many assumptions have been made about the Syrian people fleeing the civil war in their country, but rarely do we get to hear from the refugees themselves. HOT PRESS travelled with Concern to the Lebanon to find out what's really going on.
Arriving In Beirut Meeting Refugees On The Border Hearing MayzarOs Story This article can only be read with a Premium Account Please Log In or Subscribe to continue reading
Yesterday Max Sound Corp (OTCMKTS:MAXD, MAXD message board) went through another painful session and dropped over 21%. By the closing bell the price stopped at $0.0043 per share a brand new 3-year low for the ticker, as volume ramped up to 27 million shares traded.
MAXD was riding as high as $0.04 per share less than four months ago. Why then is the price down 90% and stomped to new 52-week lows? The reason for the Q3 spike was that back then the company was still barking and baring its teeth at mastodon Google (now Alphabet) and its subsidiaries, suing for patent infringement and hoping for a hefty settlement payout. At any rate, investors were certainly hoping for this sort of payout, judging by the price movement and from the swarm of hopeful posters on discussion forums.
You don't need to have kept up with MAXD's press releases to figure out that this big Google payment is not happening by just looking at the chart. Indeed, in December the company announced dropping its German claim against Google in order to protect its patent rights from irreparable harm.
Now MAXD is doing the same thing it did back in Q3 2015, this time snarling at VSL and claiming damages due to what the company perceives as continued violations of a court order on part of VSL. The court has requested proof of damages sustained by MAXD and directly related to VSL's alleged misconduct. You would think the company might have this sort of documentation ready when going to court but MAXD informs it's in the process of preparing it.
How successful this new round of courtroom drama is going to be and whether and when it might culminate in an actual settlement paid to MAXD remains to be seen.
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Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-02-01 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 20/16 30-31.01/01.02.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] The so-called foreign ministry on UNFICYP extension [02] Colak calls on Qatari businessmen to invest in the occupied area of Cyprus [03] Colak says that she worries about the energy summits held by Cyprus and Greece and the statements made by Foreign Minister Kasoulides [04] Candan evaluated their contacts in Brussels [05] Figures on the number of foreign workers in the occupied area of Cyprus [06] Akansoy: "6,238 rural plots of land were distributed" [07] Excavations will take place in Tekke Bahcesi Mosque in the occupied part of Lefkosia [08] Turkish Cypriot daily says that Turkey is selling 13 times more goods to the Turkish Cypriots than the goods it purchases from them [09] The breakaway regime participated in the Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition in Istanbul [10] Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: A Russian fighter jet violated Turkish airspace on Friday. [11] Spanish Ambassador: Spain's non-removal of Patriot missiles shows proof of solidarity with Turkey [12] Turkey's EU Minister heads to Paris, Brussels for official meetings [13] Chilling' police 'insult' circular aims to quell criticism of state officials, say pundits [14] Nobel laureate Pamuk chides EU for ignoring Turkey's rights record [15] Many hotels in Turkish resorts up for sale amid tourism woes [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] The so-called foreign ministry on UNFICYP extension Illegal Bayrak television (30.01.16) broadcast that the so-called foreign ministry has issued a statement on the decision to extend the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus for a further 6 months. In a statement issued evaluating the decision, the "ministry" said that "the unanimously adopted resolution extending UNFICYP's mandate welcomed the progress reached in the current negotiations process, the prevailing positive momentum and praised the leader's determination to reach a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem". "It is however, as stated by international circles interested in the Cyprus Problem, obvious that the current positive momentum in the talks cannot be maintained for ever. Therefore reference in the resolution to the need for any political or financial assistance of the international community towards achieving that goal is welcomed" the statement read. [02] Colak calls on Qatari businessmen to invest in the occupied area of Cyprus Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (01.02.16) reports that Emine Colak, self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus, has visited Doha, the capital city of Qatar for "official" contacts, during which he said that the possibilities for businessmen will increase with the solution of the Cyprus problem and called on the businessmen to invest in the occupied area of the island. During her visit Colak was, inter alia, accompanied by the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Fikri Toros and the member of the administrative council of the Turkish Cypriot "chamber of industry", Cavlan Paralik. Colak began her contacts the day before yesterday by meeting with the "TRNC citizen", Taisir Mustafa and visited the newly established Middle East Modified Butimen Company, which is a partnership of the Qatari businessmen Khalifa Al Jassim and Ahmad Al Shabi. During a lunch hosted in her honor by the above-mentioned businessmen, Colak briefed them on the negotiating process in Cyprus and on the existing investment possibilities as well as the possibilities which will exist after the solution. During the lunch, Toros and Paralik also invited the Qatari businessmen to invest in the occupied area of Cyprus and referred to methods by which the existing trade relations between Qatar and the breakaway regime could be broadened. In the evening the self-styled representative of the regime in Doha, Aytug Plumer hosted a dinner in Colak's honor. Ahmet Demirok, Turkey's Ambassador to Doha and other foreign ambassadors participated in the dinner. During the second day of her visit, Colak met with Demirok at the Turkish embassy and afterwards visited Dr. Khalid Ibrahim Al Suladi, administrator of Katara Cultural Village. Yesterday Colak also met with Sheikh Faisal Al Thani, chairman of Qatar Businessmen Association and told him that the investment possibilities in Cyprus will increase with the positive climate which will be created in case a solution to the Cyprus problem is reached. (I/Ts.) [03] Colak says that she worries about the energy summits held by Cyprus and Greece and the statements made by Foreign Minister Kasoulides Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (01.02.16) reports that Emine Colak, self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus, has described as "worrying" the statements made by Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides regarding the immediate return of the occupied fenced off city of Varosha on the first day of the solution of the Cyprus problem, the return of some territories and the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops. Talking to Star Kibris, Colak argued that the issues put forward by the Foreign Minister are being discussed at the negotiating table and added: "Everyone may have personal wishes and views. And these views may be expressed. The issue of Varosha and the other issues are on the table. Negotiations are continuing. For this reason, making such statements in during the ongoing negotiating process is not helpful to the solution. Now, because the negotiations are being held, no one is at the position of putting preconditions. I find this statement timeless and unnecessary". Referring to the recent tripartite meeting held in Nicosia and the agreement on the energy issue, Colak argued that they are worried about agreements and discussions regarding the energy issue, which could exclude the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey, before a solution to the Cyprus problem is reached. She added: "It is difficult to say that the statements made after the agreement include concrete steps. However, we think that their statement that they are open for cooperation with other sides as regards the hydrocarbons is meaningful. We are seeing with concern any initiative which could exclude the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey on the energy issue. For the time being general expressions are being used, there is no concrete step. The important thing is how the expressions used during this meeting will be implemented". Colak argued that the steps taken before the solution of the Cyprus problem by all sides should not be influencing the negotiating process and claimed: "They should feel at least partly the sensitivity we are feeling". (I/Ts.) [04] Candan evaluated their contacts in Brussels Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (31.01.16) under the title: "Brussels discussed the issue of the Turkish language to become an official EU language", reported that a "parliamentary delegation" composed by Armagan Candan, "deputy" with the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG), Ergun Serdaroglu "deputy" with the National Unity Party (UBP), Hasan Tacoy, "deputy" with the Democratic Party (DP) and Zeki Celer "deputy" with the Social Democracy Party (TDP) participated in the meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels on January 24-27 and held a series of contacts. Evaluating to the paper their contacts in Brussels, Candan said that they held a series of contacts at the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the EU Commission where they discussed Turkey's EU bid the Cyprus problem and EU's financial contribution for the solution of the Cyprus problem. Candan added that during their meetings in Brussels, they discussed also with the EU officials the issue of their representation at the European Parliament after the solution and the preparations that needed to be done toward this issue. Candan reminded of a decision of the Council of the EU dated on June 2014, envisaging that four months after the solution to be, there will be elections for the European Parliament in the island for the election of 4 Greek Cypriots and 2 Turkish Cypriots MPs. Candan referred also to the gesture of the President of the Republic of Cyprus for the Turkish language to become an official EU language and said that this issue had a positive echo. He also stressed the need for the "foreign ministry" to undertake steps towards this matter. Candan said further that during their contacts, they stressed the need for steps to be taken prior to the solution for the Turkish Cypriot's representation at the EP. He recalled that there are two empty seats at the EP belonging to the Turkish Cypriots and argued that they could achieve their representation to the EP under the observer status. (AK) [05] Figures on the number of foreign workers in the occupied area of Cyprus Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (01.02.16) reports on figures given by the "work permits' centers" of the so-called ministry of labor and interior, according to which between the period of October 2014-September 2015, a total of 47 thousand 798 foreign workers had been either granted a work permit in the "TRNC" or their work permit has been extended. The above figure includes also the work permits given to the foreign students in the occupied area of Cyprus, writes the paper. Also, according to the data, an increase of 10.32% has been observed during the above mentioned period on the numberof foreign workers with work permit in the "country", since, comparing with the period of October 2013-September 2014, the numbers of foreign workers was 43 thousand 323 persons. (AK) [06] Akansoy: "6,238 rural plots of land were distributed" Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (20.11.15) reports on statements by the so-called minister of interior Asim Akansoy who has said that according to the "low-cost housing law", the "TRNC's authorities" has distributed until today totally 6,238 rural plots of land. Akansoy added that the "authorities" had signed sales contract with 2, 198 persons while he added that only 1,857 residences were constructed in these plots. (AK) [07] Excavations will take place in Tekke Bahcesi Mosque in the occupied part of Lefkosia Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (30.01.16) reported that excavations will take place on the Tekke Bahcesi Mosque in the occupied part of Lefkosia, where according to information the remains of a number of missing persons, Greek and Turkish Cypriots are buried. According to the paper, there were difficulties before reaching the decision for the excavation in the mosque area; however some families of missing persons had information that the bodies of their relatives were brought in the area in 1963 after the Agios Vasilios events and gave a struggle for the excavations to take place in Tekke Bahcesi Mosque. Speaking to the paper, the chairman of the Cyprus Missing People's Union, Fuat Nalcioglu, accused the Autonomous Committee on the Missing Persons of drifting apart from its humanitarian mission and of been politicalized. "They see the issue as just a job", he stated. (CS) [08] Turkish Cypriot daily says that Turkey is selling 13 times more goods to the Turkish Cypriots than the goods it purchases from them Under the title "We sell one and buy 13", Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (01.02.16) reports that Turkey exported to the occupied area of Cyprus goods the worth of which was 783 million US dollars in 2015, while the regime exported to Turkey goods valued at 58 million dollars. According to data given by Turkey's Exporters' Council (TIM), the imports of the regime from Turkey reached 1 billion 3 million 487 dollars in 2014. The imports of the regime from Turkey were 995 million 290 thousand dollars in 2011, 972 million 388 thousand dollars in 2012 and 999 million 600 thousand dollars in 2013. (I/Ts.) [09] The breakaway regime participated in the Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition in Istanbul Illegal Bayrak television (29.01.16) broadcast that the breakaway regime participated in the Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition (EMITT) in Istanbul held between the 28th and 31st of January Self-styled minister of tourism Faiz Sucuoglu attended the opening of the exhibition. According to Bayrak Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mahir Unal visited the stand and met with Sucuoglu. Unal said that Turkey and the breakaway regime will walk together and that Turkey will continue to provide all necessary support to the occupied area of Cyprus. The Turkish minister also reminded that he will be paying a visit to the breakaway regime with a delegation in February. Sucuoglu stated that the usual 52 meter square of the breakaway regime stand had been expanded to 208 meter squares this year, in order to promote tourism. Stating that not enough importance had been given to advertisements and promotions in Turkey in the past, Sucuoglu said that they were carrying out an extensive publicity campaign in Turkey this year, hoping to benefit from this in the coming months. In addition, speaking to Bayrak Sucuoglu stated that he is optimistic and hopeful for the tourism sector this year and also announced that Corendon Airways will be re-launching charter flights to the breakaway regime as of the 1st of May this year. He also said that tickets were already on sale in the Netherlands and Belgium. [10] Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: A Russian fighter jet violated Turkish airspace on Friday. Ankara Anatolia news agency (01.01.16) reports that an official statement released on Saturday said that a Russian craft -- a SU-34 fighter-bomber -- was repeatedly warned by Turkish air radar units in Russian and English. "A Russian SU-34 fighter jet violated Turkish airspace yesterday (Jan. 29, 2016) at 11.46 a.m. local time in Turkey [0946 GMT]," the statement read. The Turkish Air Force has declared an 'orange alert' in key bases around the country, military sources have said. Speaking to reporters at Istanbul Ataturk Airport before his departure for Chile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the violation of Turkish airspace, which he also described as NATO airspace, was a result of Russian attempts to escalate existing tension in the region. "Russia will have to bear the consequences if the violations continue," he said. Erdogan said the Turkish Foreign Ministry had made contact with Russia to arrange a meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the incident, but added that Ankara had yet to receive a response. [11] Spanish Ambassador: Spain's non-removal of Patriot missiles shows proof of solidarity with Turkey Turkish daily Sabah newspaper (01.02.16) reports that the Spanish Ambassador to Ankara Rafael Mendivil Peydro said that Spain, which co-sponsors the Alliance of Civilizations with Turkey, has shown its commitment to friendship and solidarity with Turkey by maintaining its deployment of Patriot missiles in the country. Despite the decision by the U.S. and Germany to withdraw Patriot missiles from Turkey, given their assessment of the downgraded threat level from Syria, Spain as another NATO member has maintained deployment of their Patriot missiles within Turkey. According to the Spanish Ambassador to Ankara, this is a proof of Spain's friendship and solidarity toward the Turkish people. Speaking to Daily Sabah, Ambassador Peydro underlined that Spain has long been a strong supporter of Turkey's EU accession process, while reminding that there is a long way to go, and that some issues will not be easy to solve. [12] Turkey's EU Minister heads to Paris, Brussels for official meetings Ankara Anatolia news agency (31.01.16) reported that Turkey's EU Minister and its Chief Negotiator, Volkan Bozkir, will be holding official meetings in Paris and Brussels between Feb. 3 and 5, a statement by the EU Ministry has said. In Paris, the Minister is scheduled to meet with French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir in a working lunch, as well as members and chiefs of France's Foreign Affairs Ministry and EU commission. Bozkir will also give an address to French Deputies. Following his day-time meeting, Bozkir will join French businessmen at a dinner hosted by Turkey's Ambassador to France, while Desir is also expected to be in attendance. After his visit to Paris, Bozkir is scheduled to visit Brussels to meet with European Commissioner for Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis and European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica. Bozkir will also get together with Turkish citizens living in Belgium at a meeting organized by the Belgian branch of the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD). [13] Chilling' police 'insult' circular aims to quell criticism of state officials, say pundits Turkish Today's Zaman newspaper (01.02.16) reports that political commentators have warned that a recent circular by the National Police Department, which has alarmed the police departments of all 81 provinces across Turkey and regards "insult crimes" against senior state officials, particularly President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, aims to quell all criticism of the President and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government officials. According to a report published in the Cumhuriyet daily on Saturday, the National Police Department sent the circular on Jan. 6, in which it warned the Turkey's police departments to take immediate legal action against individuals who engage in "any insult crime" against Erdogan and other senior state officials." The circular in question includes three orders: "When senior state officials are insulted, suspects will be detained immediately and the necessary legal proceedings will be launched against them;" "Counterterrorism and intelligence units [of police departments] will be informed to conduct detailed examinations of the suspects;" and "Those investigated suspects will be held in custody at events attended by senior state officials." The circular also reminds the police departments that an individual who insults senior state officials will face four years in prison and this sentence might increase by one sixth under the Turkish Penal Code's (TCK) Article 299, which is frequently being used as the basis for cases involving charges of insulting Erdogan. [14] Nobel laureate Pamuk chides EU for ignoring Turkey's rights record Turkish Hurriyet Daily News (31.01.16) reported that Orhan Pamuk, accused the European Union of turning a blind eye to the state of democracy and media freedom in Turkey because of its cooperation in the migration crisis. "They have forgotten all their values," Pamuk said in an interview, referring to the EU, adding that the fight against the Islamic State [Iraq and the Levant] group and the migrant crisis had "tied Europe's hands." Pamuk criticized the 28-nation bloc for ignoring Turkey's recent record in freedom of expression. "They are looking to us as they looked to Saudi Arabia once upon a time: If (Turkey) is doing what we want, we don't care what they do at home." Pamuk lamented recent developments in Turkey, including the detention of leading opposition journalists Can Dundar and Erdem Gul on charges of revealing classified information. [15] Many hotels in Turkish resorts up for sale amid tourism woes Turkish daily Today's Zaman (31.01.16) reported that as many as 1,318 hotels have been put up for sale along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts after Russian sanctions along with security concerns hit Turkey's tourism industry hard. The Mediterranean resort of Antalya has the highest number of tourism facilities -- 410 -- that are listed for sale, followed by the provinces of Mugla, which has 349 for sale; Izmir, 203; Aydin, 162; Balikesir, 139; Canakkale, 35 and Denizli, which has 20 in total listed. The total sale price of the 410 hotels in Antalya amounts to TL 30 billion, while the remaining 908 have sale prices of a total of TL 8.8 billion. Denizli Colossae Thermal Chairman Abdurrahman Karamanlioglu said a number of hotels in resort towns were left on the brink of bankruptcy after Russia imposed sanctions against Turkey after the latter downed a Russian warplane in November last year. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (CS/ AM) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-02-02 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 21/16 02.02.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Colak meets with the Qatari Minister of Economy and Trade [02] Ozgur: The influence of Cyprus-Greece-Israel summit on the Cyprus problem is "important and serious"; Bringing electricity from Turkey should be discussed [03] Candan continues the evaluation of their contacts in Brussels [04] Kanatli accused Turkey of following a double standards policy on the Cyprus problem [05] The bloody corpse of a dog is left outside Afrika newspaper's offices [06] Plumer Kucuk: "The remains of 1061 missing persons have been exhumed so far" [07] Sucoglu: "Corendon Airlines plans to bring 30,000 tourists per year" [08] Cavusoglu: "Russia will 'face consequences' if airspace violations continue" [09] Erdogan accused Russia and Western countries of "double standard" policies [10] Erdogan tours Latin America; "Turkey's trade volume with Chile to increase" [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Colak meets with the Qatari Minister of Economy and Trade Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis newspaper (02.02.16) reports that Emine Colak, the self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus who is visiting Doha, the capital city of Qatar, met yesterday with the Qatari Minister of Economy and Trade, Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani. Colak briefed Al Thani on the ongoing negotiations in Cyprus and noted that with the solution of the Cyprus problem the positive climate in the Eastern Mediterranean will create an appropriate environment for foreign investors. Therefore, she claimed, it would be useful for the Qatari investors on the spot to examine the possibilities for investments. Colak said that in case a solution is reached, the Turkish Cypriot community will be the first Muslim member of the European Union under the Federal Cyprus roof and described this development as an "important factor" for the Muslim world. Moreover, the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, Fikri Toros, who is participating in Colak's delegation, explained in detail the fields and the sectors in the occupied area of Cyprus which could interest foreign investors. He said that investments by Qatar, which he described as a "brother Muslim country", are very valuable for the Turkish Cypriots. The delegation visited also Qatar's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and met with its vice president, Mohammed bin Ahmed Twar Al Kovari. Toros and the member of the administrative council of the Turkish Cypriot "chamber of industry", Cavlan Paralik, who also participates in Colak's delegation, invited the Qatari chamber's administrative council to the occupied area of Cyprus, noting that they want the development of the relations between their chambers. (I/Ts.) [02] Ozgur: The influence of Cyprus-Greece-Israel summit on the Cyprus problem is "important and serious"; Bringing electricity from Turkey should be discussed Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (02.02.16) reports that Birikim Ozgur, the self-styled minister of finance of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus, has argued that the influence on the Cyprus problem of the tripartite summit held last week in Nicosia between Cyprus, Greece and Israel is "important and serious" and should not be "skipped over". Addressing the self-styled assembly yesterday, Ozgur noted that the Greek Cypriots are cooperating with Greece and Israel to export natural gas together, adding that in the statements they made these three countries said that they are ready to cooperate with Turkey in this field. Ozgur noted that the regime should determine a concrete and common policy with Turkey on this issue and the project of bringing electricity from Turkey with cables should be discussed. Ozgur described as "a precondition" the discussion of an interconnected system and cooperation between [the occupied area of] Cyprus and Turkey in this field. Referring to the issue of the water which has been transferred from Turkey to the occupied area of the island through undersea pipelines, Ozgur said that investments are needed in order for the water to be used effectively and added that according to the "constitution" of the regime, the administration of the water belongs to the "municipalities". He noted that they have explained this to Turkey and a model in which the "municipalities" will not be at loss came up. (I/Ts.) [03] Candan continues the evaluation of their contacts in Brussels Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Bakis newspaper (02.02.16) reports that Armagan Candan, "deputy" with the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG), evaluated to the paper the "parliamentary delegation's" recent contacts to Brussels and said that they held around 20 meetings there. Candan said that during their contacts with several EU officials, they told them that Cyprus is the only place in the world from which the EU receives good and positive news. Supporting that Brussels is monitoring very closely the developments on the island and the Cyprus negotiation process, Candan said that Brussels also provides an important contribution and support. "Together with this contribution and support to the solution process, the EU Commission sent experts to the country every week. These experts exert efforts and work with both Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot officials on the issue of how the unification of Cyprus will be achieved into the EU", Candan said. Candan added further that during their meeting with officials of the Commission, they discussed the issue of the Turkish language to become an EU language and they were informed about the technical work which needed to be done towards this matter, in order to become realized. Stating that they held also a meeting with the European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey, Kati Piri, Candan said that they had the opportunity to discuss with her Turkey's EU bid and the paragraph on Cyprus to be included in the next EP's report on Turkey. He added that they stressed the need for the EU to support and put pressure to the Greek Cypriot side towards the opening of new crossing points in the island and the implementation without any other delay of the connection of electricity and GSM networks. Candan stated also that during their meetings in Brussels, they discussed with the EU officials the issue of their representation in the European Parliament after the solution and the preparations that needed to be done toward this issue. Reminding of the decision of the Council of the EU dated on June 2014, envisaging that four months after the solution to be, there will be elections for the European Parliament in the island for the election of 4 Greek Cypriots and 2 Turkish Cypriots MPs, Candan said that they demanded for this decision to be implemented soon after the solution. Referring to the meetings which took place in Davos, Candan described them as very important for the Cyprus negotiation process and said that Davos' results had a positive reflection in Brussels. (AK) [04] Kanatli accused Turkey of following a double standards policy on the Cyprus problem Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Bakis newspaper (02.02.16) reports that Murat Kanatli, organizing secretary and member of the executive committee of the New Cyprus Party (YKP) accused Turkey of implementing a "double standards" policy on the Cyprus problem. Issuing a written statement, Kanatli evaluated their recent contacts in Ankara as well as Turkey's policies on the Cyprus problem. Kanatli argued that even though Turkey exerts efforts and tries to present itself to the EU as the side which supports the solution of the Cyprus problem, the policies it follows show exactly the opposite. Recalling the recent statements made by the so-called Turkish ambassador in the occupied area of Cyprus Derya Kanbay on the Cyprus problem, Kanatli said that these statements prove that Turkey follows a separatist and divisional policy. Kanatli went on and called Turkey to withdraw its troops from the island in order as he said to prove that it honesty desires peace and the solution of the Cyprus problem. (?) (AK) [05] The bloody corpse of a dog is left outside Afrika newspaper's offices Under the title "Hey buddy, who are these?", Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (02.02.16) reports that an unknown person holding a bag entered into the building in which the newspaper's offices are early yesterday morning and left the bag at Afrika's door. The corpse of a dog which was still bleeding was found in the bag. The newspaper's security camera recorded this person, the face of whom is not evident. The "police" launched interrogations in Afrika's offices and confiscated the camera's records. Asked last night by the paper's reporters regarding the result of their investigation, the "police" said that they had not found the perpetrator yet. "It is estimated that some circles which are annoyed by the publications of our newspaper have used this method for threatening", writes Afrika. Turkish Cypriot Havadis newspaper (02.02.16) covers the issue under the title "Disgusting attack against Afrika". In statements to Turkish Cypriot Kibris newspaper (02.02.16), Afrika's publisher, Sener Levent said that this was a message to them that "we will kill you like dogs". (I/Ts.) [06] Plumer Kucuk: "The remains of 1061 missing persons have been exhumed so far" According to illegal Bayrak television (02.02.16), the Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee of Missing Persons in Cyprus Gulden Plumer Kucuk, in statements to the illegal TAK news agency, evaluated the ongoing works of the Committee and said, inter alia, that the remains of 1061 missing persons in Cyprus have been exhumed so far and around 700 have been identified and returned to the families. Explaining that around 100-120 locations were excavated each year since 2006, Kucuk said that there were currently nine teams working on both sides in the island. Kucuk also said that the remains of 116 missing persons have been located in 2015, the highest figure in the past four years. Stating that they are expecting the same success this year, Kucuk added that the success rate of the excavations is around 20-25%. (?) [07] Sucoglu: "Corendon Airlines plans to bring 30,000 tourists per year" Under the title: "30,000 tourists per year", Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Bakis newspaper (02.02.16) reports on statements by the so-called minister of tourism Faiz Sucuoglu, who is currently in Turkey for the Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel (EMITT) fair, taking place in Istanbul. In statements during an event organized there, Sucoglu recalled that Corendon Airlines will re-launch flights to the "TRNC" as of May 1, 2016 and said that Corendon's decision was a result of their fruitful efforts. Stating that Corendon Airlines are planning to bring around 12 thousand tourists to the "TRNC" in 2016 and around 30 thousand in 2017, Sucoglu described the company as very important for the "country's tourism sector". Referring to the occupation regime's participation in the EMITT fair and to the contacts they held there, Sucoglu said that during their four days stay, they held around 50 different meetings with officials and representatives of foreign countries, such as Azerbaijan, Sudan, Palestine, Iran, while, at the same time, they signed very important agreements. Sucuoglu added further that Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and the Turkish Minister of Tourism Mahir Unal were among those who visited the occupation regime's stand in the fair and expressed their support. (AK) [08] Cavusoglu: "Russia will 'face consequences' if airspace violations continue" Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (01.02.16) reported that Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned Russia that it will "face the consequences" if it continues to violate Turkey's airspace. "We summoned the [Russian] Ambassador [to Ankara, Andrei Karlov] to our Ministry and protested the act. We clearly told him, 'If there are similar violations again you will have to face the consequences,' because we previously communicated our rules of engagement to Russia," said Cavusoglu on January 31 in Riyadh, at a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. (?) NATO and the United States confirmed the latest violation, with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg immediately urging Russia not to escalate tension by continuing its airspace violations. Russia has denied that it violated Turkey's airspace on January 29, just as it denied the violation on November 24, 2015, which led to Turkey's downing of the Russian jet and the death of two pilots. That incident sent relations between Ankara and Moscow on a downward spiral and led to Russia announcing a raft of economic sanctions against Turkey. Cavusoglu said that this denial was a "typical attitude" of Russia lately and that all details of the breach had been shared with Russia. "We do not only see Russia as a neighbor. We also see them as an important partner. We want to normalize our relations [with Russia] but one-sided steps are not enough for this to happen," said Cavusoglu. [09] Erdogan accused Russia and Western countries of "double standard" policies Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (02.02.16) reports that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on the weapons seized by Turkish security forces during recent counterterrorism operations in southeast Anatolia, said that these are Russian-made and blamed both Western allies and Russia for failing to appropriately fight global terrorism while accusing them of "double standards." In statements after arriving in Santiago for the first leg of a Latin America tour that covers Chile, Peru and Ecuador, Erdogan presented a detailed account of Ankara's view on efforts by the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the status of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the People's Defense Units (YPG), and the fate of ongoing operations against militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). "The EU hasn't acted sincerely so far. They are giving the floor to certain representatives of the PKK in order to make speeches at the European Council. Look, all of those weapons seized in the latest operations in the southeast are Russian-made. Previously, we told the West concerning DAESH and warned them 'not to give weapons to the PYD,'" Erdogan said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL. "What did they tell us in response? 'PYD and the YPG are fighting against DAESH.' At the time, we told them that Russians are also fighting. Then will we call Russia 'good?' The Westerners are making serious mistakes about the PYD. They are saying, 'Good terrorist, bad terrorist,'" he said. "Just as how the PKK is accepted as a terror organization in the European Union and in the U.S., the PYD and the YPG need to be declared as a terror organization, too, because these are also terror organizations like DAESH and al-Qaeda," Erdogan added. Meanwhile, Erdogan also argued that the anti-ISIL coalition forces have not been displaying determination on the transfer of power from the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. [10] Erdogan tours Latin America; "Turkey's trade volume with Chile to increase" Ankara Anatolia news agency (01.02.16) reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in statements at the Turkey-Chile Business Forum in Santiago, said that the Turkish industry's commodity demand is constantly growing and added that the trade volume between his country and Chile will increase. Erdogan said that the two countries were growing rapidly and their profile in the international arena was rising. "These positive developments should be reflected in bilateral relations," Erdogan added. Erdogan stressed also that Chile was an important partner for Turkey. "In that respect, we see this visit as a step at the right time. We can see that the people of two countries, who live far away from each other, meet along common cultural themes. In this respect, the acceptance of a Turkish [TV] series in Chile pleased us". Most of the world's lithium, an important ingredient in rechargeable batteries used in electric cars, is produced in Chile. The country is also major copper producer. Erdogan noted that the number of tourists per year from Chile to Turkey was about 17,000. "We will see some improvements in the near future on that by establishing a direct flight between Istanbul and Santiago with Turkish Airlines which holds the title of the airline flying to the most destinations," Erdogan said. The trade volume between Turkey and Chile, the first nation in Latin America to sign a free-trade deal with Turkey in 2011, amounted to around $417 million last year, a decrease from $562 million in 2014. Erdogan said that the trade volume could be increased to $1 billion in the short term. "All that matters is to believe and trust in each other," he said. The two countries also signed a deal on more cooperation between their government aid agencies. Erdogan will head to Peru on Tuesday -- becoming the first Turkish President to visit the country. He will travel to Ecuador on Wednesday. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio (AK/ LF) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-02-01 Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at Weekend News Bulletin Monday February 1, 2016 CONTENTS [01] We are moving to the restructuring of our country, PM Tsipras says [02] Refugee issue dominates interministerial meeting [03] State Minister Flambouraris rules out the withdrawal of pension reforms bill [04] New Democracy leader Mitsotakis stresses need for reforms to the benefit of many [05] Greek islanders to be nominated for Nobel peace prize [06] Two Greek islanders and actress Susan Sarandon to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize [07] Refugees to travel from Mytilene to Piraeus after seamen's strike suspended [08] Weather Forecast [09] Athens Headlines at a glance Politics [01] We are moving to the restructuring of our country, PM Tsipras says "We are moving to the restructuring of our country, overcoming the crisis and recovering our sovereignty," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in an article to "Avghi" newspaper on Sunday. "Greece will make the big step forward. It will win the battle of democracy, restructuring, social justice and solidarity, paving the way for Europe to follow suit," he underlined. The prime minister described January 25 as a historic day. "It is the day when the Greek people proudly decided to change course and made the left party responsible for leading that long, difficult and hopeful course. A course of economic, productive and social restructuring based on the establishment of a credible and socially fair state, the strengthening of democratic institutions and a more efficient public administration on the side of the citizens," he stated. "We knew that this would be a painful effort and that we would have to conflict with powerful vested interests and pathogenies that led the country to the brink of destruction," he said adding that "we are proud we can continue the battle from better positions, aimed at ending the crisis with justice and democracy." Tsipras underlined that this struggle that started in Greece was a struggle for all of Europe. "But we are not alone in Europe any more. We are moving ahead with alliances that are continuously strengthened, changing the correlations," he noted. Tsipras said that the second year of governance "will mark the rupture with the old regime," adding that the program review will be successfully concluded and the procedure for debt relief is being accelerated. "We proceed to the restructuring of our country overcoming our crisis and regaining sovereignty," said the prime minister. "With faith in our strength and support to the Greek people, we will succeed. Greece will make the great step forward. It will win the battle of democracy, reconstruction, social justice and solidarity, paving the way for all Europe," he concluded. [02] Refugee issue dominates interministerial meeting The refugee issue dominated an interministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday evening. The ministers participating in the meeting decided to speed up the construction of hotspots on Samos, Lesvos, Chios, Kos and Leros as well as the two relocation centres. Greece will have met its commitments by the next EU summit, according to the prime minister's press office which also stressed the importance of the EU and the European institutions to show the same responsibility. [03] State Minister Flambouraris rules out the withdrawal of pension reforms bill "The government is not discussing the withdrawal of the bill on pension reforms," State Minister Alekos Flambouraris said in an interview with RealNews newspaper on Sunday. Flambouraris underlined that the social security reforms are "absolutely necessary and urgent." "Unless reforms are made, funds will not be in a position to grant pensions in the next few years," he said and added: "The government is discussing any proposal that can really improve the social security system." Regarding the reactions of the society, the State Minister cleared out that the government does not need polarization and expressed the view that the society is not against the government, because it recognizes that the government policy seeks "to defend the interests of the overwhelming majority of the Greek people, especially of low incomers." [04] New Democracy leader Mitsotakis stresses need for reforms to the benefit of many New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis in an interview with "Proto Thema" newspaper stressed the need for reforms to the benefit of the many. "I do not want to produce wealth for wealth, but to create social solidarity reserve. Our goal should be the welfare of citizens," he underlined. Referring to pension reforms, he said that the government's plan promotes social automation and the fragmentation of the society, as it offers privileges to specific parts of the population at the expense of others. He also leveled criticism against the government on the refugee issue saying that "we have a three-month deadline to meet our commitments and if we do not do so, we are facing the risk of a de facto two-year exclusion from the treaty." Finally, he stressed that the refugee issue is above all a security issue. General News [05] Greek islanders to be nominated for Nobel peace prize The deadline for the nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize will expire at Sunday midnight. Greek islanders who have been on the frontline of the refugee crisis are among those to be nominated for the Nobel Prize. A petition on the website in favour of the nomination has amassed more than 500,000 signatures. "We are asking the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to the residents and volunteers of the Aegean islands that have opened their arms to refugees and sent a message of humanity and solidarity that has touched the whole planet," the petition noted. The president of the Greek parliament Nikos Voutsis has expressed his support to the Greek islanders. "The citizens of the Aegean islands, and especially Lesvos, constitute an example for the European civilization," Voutsis underlined. Online voting is available at https://secure.avaaz.org/el/nobel_to_greek_islanders/?slideshow [06] Two Greek islanders and actress Susan Sarandon to be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize Emilia Kamvysi, a 85-year old woman from Lesvos island, a 40-year old fisherman Stratis Valiamos and the actress Susan Sarandon have been nominated for the Nobel Prize, according to sources. The deadline for the nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize will expire at Sunday midnight. A petition on the website in favour of the nomination of Greek islanders has amassed more than 500,000 signatures. "We are asking the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to the residents and volunteers of the Aegean islands that have opened their arms to refugees and sent a message of humanity and solidarity that has touched the whole planet," the petition noted. The president of the Greek parliament Nikos Voutsis has expressed his support to the Greek islanders. "The citizens of the Aegean islands, and especially Lesvos, constitute an example for the European civilization," Voutsis underlined. Online voting is available at https://secure.avaaz.org/el/nobel_to_greek_islanders/?slideshow [07] 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. [08] Weather Forecast Mostly fair weather and northwesterly winds are forecast for Monday. Wind velocity will reach 6 on the Beaufort scale. Fair weather in the northern and the western parts of the country with temperatures ranging from -01C-17C. Scattered clouds in the eastern parts and temperatures between 06C-18C. Partly cloudy over the Aegean islands and Crete, 08C-18C. Mostly fair in Athens, 06C-19C; the same for Thessaloniki, 05C-16C. [09] Athens Headlines at a glance KATHIMERINI: (IMF president Christine) Lagarde: Cuts in future pensions are not enough PROTO THEMA: The quartet's VETO on new hirings TO VIMA: Tsipras is a hostage of Alexis ETHNOS: The IMF blocks the negotiation REAL NEWS: Zero hour for the country and the government ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Businesses migrate because of taxes and capital controls RIZOSPASTIS: A mass labour response is needed TO PARON: 35 SYRIZA deputies against changes on farmers AVGHI: Cornerstone. One-year of a left government VRADYNI: Panic over pensions EPOCHI: Radical proposals feed the far right TO ARTHRO: Cut expenses instead of imposing taxes LOGOS: The collapse of the pension funds RIAKATIKI DIMOKRATIA: A call to humanist Europeans 36, TSOCHA ST. ATHENS 115 21 GREECE - TEL: 64.00.560-63 - FAX: 64.00.581-2 INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.ana.gr - E-MAIL: anabul@ana gr - GENERAL DIRECTOR: Michalis Psilos Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin 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] Pensioner, fisherman and Hollywood actress nominated by Athens for Nobel Peace Prize [02] Govt to extend ban on NPLs sale if no deal with institutions by Feb. 15 [01] Pensioner, fisherman and Hollywood actress nominated by Athens for Nobel Peace Prize A pensioner, a fisherman and a Hollywood actress are Greece's nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, it was announced on Monday during a joint press conference of the bodies who made the selection. Eighty-five year-old Emilia Kamvysi and 40-year old fisherman Stratis Valiamos, both natives of Lesvos, the island that has borne the brunt of the massive flows of refugees towards Europe, and the actress and activist Susan Sarandon were chosen for representing a humane response to the refugee crisis over the past year. "The proposed individuals represent all the islanders and those who showed solidarity and stood by the refugees, defending the values of peace, freedom and solidarity," the president of the Academy of Athens, Thanasis Valtinos, told journalists. Kamvysi was selected to represent "all those women who contribute like affectionate mothers in helping children who arrive in Greece and face migration, all the women who help any way they can in dealing with the refugee-migration issue," the announcement said. [02] Govt to extend ban on NPLs sale if no deal with institutions by Feb. 15 The Greek government will extend the current ban on selling non-performing loans (NPLs) if no agreement is achieved with the country's lenders by Feb. 15, a senior government official said on Monday, the first day of negotiations with the heads of the institutions' mission in Athens. Based on a previous agreement, the government had allowed the transfer of NPLs of large businesses, while it had suspended until Feb. 15 the transfer of NPLs which mortgage the main residence, of consumer loans and of small and medium-sized businesses. The same official said that in the first ongoing meeting between ministers and the institutions the two sides are discussing the time table and agenda of the negotiations. After this meeting, the heads of the lenders' mission will meet with Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis and the General Secretary for Public Revenues Giorgos Pitsilis. The first phase of the negotiations is expected to conclude on Friday, when the institutions' mission will leave Athens and they are expected to return after 7-10 days. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-02 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Negotiations between gov't and institutions to focus on pension reforms and bad loans [02] Labour unions escalate mobilisations against pension reforms; nationwide strike on Thursday [03] Greece and Germany are allies and partners in the management of the refugee crisis, says Alt.FM Xydakis [01] Negotiations between gov't and institutions to focus on pension reforms and bad loans The negotiations between the government and the institutions continue for a second day. The first meeting between Labour Minister George Katrougalos and the heads of the institutions is underway at the Labour ministry. The negotiations will focus on the social security reforms and particularly on the pension system. Another meeting between Economy Minister George Stathakis and the heads of the institutions has been scheduled for 7:00 pm to discuss the issue of non-performing loans. The government and the institutions seem to have achieved consensus to extend the current regime prohibiting the sale of these loans until a final agreement is eventually reached. The issues to be discussed in this week's negotiations were determined in a meeting between Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and the institutions on Monday. "There was good mood in the talks on the side of our lenders," according to sources. The heads of the institutions will leave Athens at the end of the week after they have concluded the first phase of the program review. There will be a 7-10 days break until they return for another two weeks. The aim is for the program review to have been completed by the end of February, a government source said. [02] Labour unions escalate mobilisations against pension reforms; nationwide strike on Thursday Greece's largest private and public sector unions GSEE and ADEDY will hold a strike on February 4 to protest against the government's planned pension reforms. Public transport is also disrupted on Tuesday, February 2, as there are no services on the Athens metro, tram, electric railway (ISAP) between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. On Thursday, there will be no trolleys, trains, suburban train and taxis. Busses will run from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm while the metro, the electric railway and the tram will operate from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The media sector will go on strike from 6:00 am Wednesday to Thursday 6:00 am, so that they can provide coverage of the general strike. The Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen & Merchants (GSEVEE) and the National Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE) also participate in Thursday's strike. The Greek Seamen's Federation (PNO) will hold a 48-hour strike starting from 06:00 on Thursday until 06:00 on Saturday. Lawyers, notaries, truck drivers, doctors and pharmacists have also decided to participate in the general strike as well as fuel station owners. [03] Greece and Germany are allies and partners in the management of the refugee crisis, says Alt.FM Xydakis Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xydakis called Greece and Germany allies and partners in the struggle to confront the refugee crisis, speaking on Tuesday to Praktorio 104.9 FM. "Germany has saved and received people regardless of what some extreme circles inside the country say and Germany is Greece's ally and partner, they have a relation," said Xydakis. Referring to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he said that with lots of courage she successfully overturned the stereotypes. "There is a significant part of the public opinion in Germany that supports her but extreme voices exist in her party too." Commenting on the continuous aggressive statements of European officials against the Greek government's dealing with the refugees issue, he said that based on the national law of the European countries, nothing different from what is applied can be done and reminded that if Italy, Germany, Sweden and Austria are excluded, there are a number of countries that accepted a few number of refugees or none. "What is lurking behind every aggressive statement is the easily explainable need of every member state to avoid whatever repercussion of that historic pressure that plagues the Mediterranean and the Middle-East. Not to take a single refugee," he noted. Besides, responding to those who link Greece's management of the refugees with the economic crisis, Xydakis said that any country after six years of recession succeeds in this field with work and infrastructure is a feat. Concluding, the minister said that high tension prevails inside EU, huge differentiations from country to country and an effort, that is still fruitless, for a common policy. "I believe that the non-achievement and non-implementation of a common strategy and a common practice is the source of all the problems and the centrifugal tendencies that we are experiencing at the moment," he said. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-02 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] PM Tsipras tells SYRIZA gov't has been legitimized by the people [02] Meetings between government and institutions to continue on Wed. [01] PM Tsipras tells SYRIZA gov't has been legitimized by the people The government will implement the agreement it has achieved with its lenders while "maintaining strictly its red lines", Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday during a speech at a meeting of SYRIZA's political secretariat. According to party sources, the prime minister focused on the government's central policy, with Tsipras expressing confidence that the Greek people support the government and on the labour action called by farmers and other unions against the planned social security reforms. "The government received three times legitimacy from the Greek people in less than a year," he said. "Some people didn't like that, but it's not them who support and legitimize us." He noted that the Greek people gave a clear mandate to implement the agreement without straying from the red lines which concern the protection of the weak and the majority and noted that this is what his government will do with "vested interests inside the country and abroad". Commenting on the strikes called by the unions, Tsipras said among others: 1. That all pensioners, but also the vast majority of workers, employees, the unemployed, but also farmers and self-employed, will benefit from our proposal, because our basic choice is not to cut pensions again, while we distribute social security contributions depending on income, so that each person will be burdened according to his economic situation. 2. It is not true that the government's proposal burdens incredibly the farmers. The 15-25 euros per month, which will take place after four years, as increases in contributions will be gradual, so that farmers can receive a pension instead of a tip, is neither unbearable, nor irrational or a burden without a gain. 3. In 2014 farmers paid a total of 411 million euros in taxes, while in 2016 they'll pay about 225 million euros because, after an intervention by the government, agricultural aid will not be taxed. [02] Meetings between government and institutions to continue on Wed. The meetings of ministers and other top officials with the heads of the institutions' mission will continue on Wednesday, with the first starting at 09.00 (local) with the General Secretariat for Public Revenues. It will be followed by a meeting at 10.30 on issues concerning public administration, at noon on fiscal issues, at 14.30 on income tax and on 16.30 on pension reforms. Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis will meet again with the heads of the institutions' mission in the morning to discuss non-performing loans (NPLs). Today, the two sides concluded talks on whether to extend the protection on NPLs which mortgage the main residence, as well as those of SMEs until March 15. The government wants to achieve a horizontal exemption of all NPLs which mortgage the main residence, while it is also discussing small improvements in the law passed by former minister Nikos Dendias, a senior government official said after the meeting, adding that the extension will be granted. Concerning the meeting with Labour Minister Giorgos Katrougalos earlier today, a government official said the institutions didn't ask for pension cuts, but noted that negotiations will be tough on all the pending issues. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Veteran Conservative MP Jason Kenney sparked controversy in question period Monday with a heckle directed at Canada's defence minister that a Liberal MP later deemed "racist."
Though Kenney rejected Liberal calls to apologize in the House of Commons, he took to Twitter to explain why he allegedly said MPs needed an "English-to-English translation" as Harjit Sajjan spoke about the government's plans to deal with the so-called Islamic State.
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Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Conservative MP Jason Kenney speak in the House Monday. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/CP)
The incident occurred as Sajjan faced questions from Tory defence critic James Bezan and associate defence critic Pierre Paul-Hus on the Liberal pledge to withdraw Canada's jets from the fight against ISIL.
Bezan accused the rookie minister of blaming allies last week for the spread of terrorism a reference to Sajjan's speech at the Canada 2020 foreign policy conference, in which he took a critical look back at the Afghan war.
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Sajjan, who served in Afghanistan, told Bezan he learned his lessons by "working with our allies." The minister also attempted to turn the tables by asking Tories why the past government did not "attack ISIL when it was a small organization."
Paul-Hus accused the government of "dragging its feet" on the ISIL mission and being incapable of coming up with a clear plan.
Don't want to repeat 'mistakes of the past': Sajjan
Sajjan said the government needs to take its time to consult with allies and assess the situation.
"And I want to make sure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past because every, single time we make those mistakes as political leaders we send our men and women into harm's way for no reason and I will not repeat those mistakes again," he said.
After question period, Liberal Kevin Lamoureux rose on a point of order asking Kenney to apologize for an "inappropriate comment" directed at the defence minister.
Lamoureux charged that Kenney "stated from across his seat that we need to have English-to-English translation" while Sajjan was speaking.
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"I'm wondering if the member would do the proper thing and apologize or at the very least explain his comments," Lamoureux said.
Kenney said he found the minister's answer "totally incoherent."
"And so there's nothing to apologize for," he said, before being drowned out by jeers from the Liberal benches and few shouts of "shame."
Rookie Liberal MP Ruby Sahota jumped online and did not mince words, calling his refusal to apologize "unacceptable."
Shame on @jkenney for his racist remarks during today's qp toward #harjitsajjan. His refusal to apologize is unacceptable. Ruby Sahota (@MPRubySahota) February 1, 2016
New Liberal MP Raj Grewal also drew attention to Kenney's comments.
@jkenney should apologize for his comments in question period today when @HarjitSajjan was speaking #unacceptable Raj Grewal (@RajLiberal) February 1, 2016
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Kenney responded to Grewal, saying he respects Sajjan "a fine, intelligent man" and featured him as "a role model in the Discover Canada Citizenship guide" when he served as immigration minister.
"Unfortunately, I find his answers on ending combat against ISIS to be at best unpersuasive (and) at worst incoherent," Kenney wrote, adding he was sorry if his comment was "misconstrued in any way."
@rajliberal 1/ I have huge respect for Mr. Sajjan. As CIC Minsiter I featured him as a role model in the Discover Canada Citizenship guide! Jason Kenney (@jkenney) February 1, 2016
@rajliberal 2/ Unfortunately, I find his answers on ending combat against ISIS to be at best unpersuasive & at worst incoherent. That's the Jason Kenney (@jkenney) February 1, 2016
@rajliberal 3/ point I tried to make. Sorry if it was misconstrued in any way. He's a fine, intelligent man but, IMHO, his position is wrong Jason Kenney (@jkenney) February 1, 2016
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Grewal tweeted that he appreciated the response and suggested better decorum might help prevent "mishaps like this" in the future.
@jkenney thank you for the response, I think we can both agree that a better decorum in QP will help us all avoid mishaps like this Raj Grewal (@RajLiberal) February 1, 2016
Kenney currently serves as chair of the Tory shadow cabinet's committee on strategic operations a role that involves advising interim leader Rona Ambrose and other critics on question period strategy. A former defence minister himself, Kenney has long been considered a top contender to run for the Conservative Party leadership.
When asked for comment, a representative from Kenney's office pointed to the MP's tweets.
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Harjit Sajjan: Canada's 'Badass' Defence Minister See Gallery
The NDP pressed the federal government over its platform pledge to boost funding to CBC/Radio-Canada, days after the heritage minister hinted Liberals could renege on the marquee campaign promise.
For 10 years the CBC was attacked and needs some oxygen, NDP opposition heritage critic Pierre Nantel said in question period Monday. The government made promises it has to keep them now.
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Natal called the Liberals pledge to provide $150 million in new funding annually to the public broadcaster a clear election commitment, and questioned if the government would stick to its words like it promised.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Melanie Joly responds to a question in the House of Commons on Feb. 1, 2016 in Ottawa. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Heritage Minister Melanie Joly responded by calling the partys platform ambitious when it comes to arts and culture.
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We want to deliver that platform, she said.
But the NDPs deputy culture and heritage critic wasnt satisfied with Joly's answer.
Thats not an answer. A promise isnt something you can just say to get yourself elected, NDP MP Alistair MacGregor said.
He quoted an excerpt from the Liberals 88-page election platform saying the party plans to reverse Stephen Harpers cuts and invest $150 million in new annual funding.
CBC is the cultural spine of this nation, the very essence of Canadian identity, said MacGregor. He asked the government to respond with a clear yes-or-no answer as to whether or not it intends to keep its promise.
... we will abide by it.
Joly did not respond with a firm yes or no, but with a general statement saying the government strongly believes in the role the public broadcaster plays in contemporary Canada.
And this is why we will reinvest in CBC/Radio-Canada and thats a platform commitment and we will abide by it, she said.
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Cut in 2012 was the deepest
Scrutiny over the Liberal promise picked up after Jolys interview with The Huffington Post Quebec last week. The heritage minister did not specify to what extent the government will reverse cuts made to the public broadcaster.
One thing is certain: Radio-Canada is really a priority for us and we are working hard to substantially increase the funding, she told HuffPost Quebec.
On Friday, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair responded to Jolys comments and issued an open letter to her. It outlined how the Crown corporation was made a target by the previous Conservative government with major funding cuts and resulting job losses.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation building in Toronto. (Photo: Geoff RobinsAFP/Getty Images)
After years of deep cuts, it is unacceptable for the cultural sector to face this kind of uncertainty once again, the letter said.
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It was back in 2012 when the former Harper government announced it would slash the broadcasters $1-billion annual subsidy by $115 million over three years.
Despite an explicit pledge to restore and increase funding in the prime ministers mandate letter to Joly, union bosses warn more layoffs and production cuts may be looming despite a change in government.
[CBC] is being boiled to death
Last year, the Canadian Media Guild one that represents CBC/Radio-Canada employees issued a statement calling for the resignation of President and CEO Hubert Lacroix and current board members.
Lacroix was appointed to the top spot in 2007. A majority of its board members were also appointed by the former prime minister. The CMG accused executives of breaking the institutions confidence and failing to step up in the interest of being an effective public broadcaster.
Instead of fighting for a strong CBC/Radio-Canada, accessible on different platforms, they have announced that even if the funding is restored, they will continue with the plan to diminish CBC/Radio-Canada, the union said in a press release.
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We cannot remain quiet about the urgent threat CBC/Radio-Canada is facing given that, to quote the President, like the proverbial frog in cold water that is slowly heated, () [CBC] is being boiled to death.
Surrey RCMP are looking for an unidentified man accused of groping a teen girl last week.
The alleged victim, 17, was walking down the 10200-block of 152nd Street in the Guildford area at around 3:25 p.m. on Thursday when she noticed a man was following her last Thursday.
Once he was close, he asked her for directions before grabbing her from behind and groping her, the police said in a Monday media release.
The victim yelled and the man apologized, but kept assaulting her. He only ran away after the teen punched him, said Cpl. Scotty Schumann.
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A composite sketch of the suspect based on the teen's description. (Courtesy: Surrey RCMP)
The suspect is described as Hispanic or Filipino ranging in age from 17 to 20 years old. He is reportedly 6' tall with a medium build. He has short brown hair, wide-set brown eyes, and blemishes on his face.
RCMP said he was wearing a red, or grey and black hoodie, black shorts or cropped pants, and black shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to call Surrey RCMP at (604) 599-0502 or Crime Stoppers if they wish to remain anonymous.
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Students hoping to attend the University of Alberta will soon have another option to select when declaring their gender on admission forms.
Rather than choosing between just male or female, students who identify as non-binary will have the option of selecting "another/prefer not to disclose," when applying to the university next year.
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It makes the point to really say, 'we include you.' Talking to the students who felt like they didnt feel included was really heartbreaking," Cody Bondarchuk, VP of operations and finance for the Students' Union, told Metro News.
Linh Lu, a former U of A student who identifies as non-binary, told CBC News they would have welcomed the option of not disclosing their gender when applying to university.
The change comes after recommendations made by the students' union on gender policy were passed in September.
It makes the point to really say, 'we include you.'"
"Students deserve equitable treatment regardless of their gender identity and/or biological sex," states the union's political policy on gender.
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The recommendations also push for more gender neutral washrooms on campus, clearer policies for admission of non-gender-binary students to fraternities and sororities, and for school documents to use gender-neutral language wherever possible.
Lisa Collins, the school's registrar, said her office had received negative feedback in the past about the gender declaration on the admission form.
It really worried me when a student contacted my office and said, I identify as neither male or female, and I dont feel comfortable applying to your university,'" Collins told the university's student newspaper, The Gateway.
The change follows other post-secondary schools, like the University of California, who voted last year to add six gender identity options to their undergraduate admission forms.
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Canadas food-price crunch may not be over yet, but at least cauliflower fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
Retail cauliflower prices soared over the past few months to the point that it got the attention of the New York Times, which declared the cauliflower a luxury item in Canada and noted that five heads of the vegetable would buy you a barrel of oil in the Great White North these days.
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Well thats coming to an end, with cauliflower prices coming back down in recent days.
A head was going for $1.99 a head at a number of supermarkets in Toronto this week, and CBC reports similar prices are now being advertised in Vancouver. A spokesperson for Metro Foods confirmed prices have come down in recent weeks at the chain.
Cauliflower heads were on sale for $1.99 at this supermarket on Toronto's Bloor Street, as well as at other supermarkets across the city. (Photo: Andree Lau, HuffPost Canada)
Unlike the spike in the prices of other imported foods, the cauliflower crisis wasnt just a story of a falling Canadian dollar.
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The experts say unfavourable weather conditions in California were behind a supply shortage last year and earlier this year, driving up prices. In Canada, the falling loonie added to the price spike.
But the new cauliflower growing season is turning out much better, said Lia Fletcher, a purchasing manager with Kims Farm Market, in an interview with CBC.
"Because of the weather, rain and freezing rain, the harvest took a little longer. Now it's just the peak season for it and it's being harvested and sold."
But some experts, such as Sylvain Charlebois of the Food Institute at the University of Guelph, say prices came down because of the public outrage about $8-a-head cauliflower.
It was a very interesting market reaction to all the stories you heard about cauliflower, Charlebois told the Toronto Star. Charlebois said retailers are selling cauliflower below cost to appease customers.
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The experts say food prices will continue to rise in Canada as the effects of a lower loonie work their way through the economy. Nearly all fruit and vegetables in Canada are imported, and are therefore quickly affected by changes in exchange rates.
Politicians are known for kissing babies while on the campaign trail. But what happens when Members of Parliament have newborns of their own? Sometimes they bring them to work.
And thanks to MP Christine Moore, the Hill got a whole lot cuter on Tuesday.
Moore is the NDP representative for the Quebec region of Abitibi-Temiscamingue, the critic for rural affairs and a mom. On Twitter, she shared that she brought her daughter to work with her.
First Pressser for Baby Daphnee. I'm ready to take your question #ndp#cdnpolipic.twitter.com/D8hHfrxk5J Moore Christine (@MooreNpd) February 2, 2016
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Moore included the caption: "First presser for baby Daphnee. I'm ready to take your question." Daphnee definitely looks like she's comfortable with political life. After all, this isn't her first time in the House.
I see a child in the House. (Note: not a metaphor. Christine Moore has her baby here.) Aaron Wherry (@AaronWherry) January 28, 2016
Just four months old, Daphnee regularly accompanies her mom during speaking engagements and community visits.
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Born in September, the youngest honourary Parliamentarian is definitely getting an insider's view of Canadian politics.
Bonjour, ce matin a 8h24 j'ai donne naissance a ma petite Daphnee. Elle est en pleine sante, elle pese 2,86 kg (6,3 lb).... Posted by Christine Moore Deputee NPD Abitibi-Temiscamingue on Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Daphnee isn't the first baby to accompany her mom in Ottawa, either. That honour belongs to Sheila Copps' daughter, who was in the members lobby in the '80s.
While there is a daycare on Parliament Hill, MPs can't take parental leave. So there are times they have no choice but to bring their babies to work -- otherwise they miss votes.
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In 1998, former MP Michelle Dockrill brought her baby along for a vote. She was reportedly told not to do that again because of a law against "eating or bringing food" in Parliament.
In 2012, when former MP Sana Hassainia brought her baby to chambers, a lot of her colleagues started taking pictures. The pages then brought Hassainia a note from the speaker, which she thought was asking her to leave. The speaker later explained he was only concerned with the presence of cameras, which aren't allowed in chambers.
In reference to balancing work and home, Hassainia said: "It's not a privilege... It's an important issue for us. And I will make sure, as an MP, as a mother, to defend it again, until we are able to really talk about reconciling work and family because right now it is not the case at all."
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David Suzuki thinks inaction on climate change is serious enough to land you in jail and he'd like to see former prime minister Stephen Harper behind bars.
The prominent environmentalist said as much in an interview with Rolling Stone Australia that is featured in its February issue.
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"I really believe that people like the former prime minister of Canada should be thrown in jail for wilful blindness," he told reporter Andrew Street.
The response came in a Q&A that the magazine conducted with Suzuki ahead of his visit to Australia's WOMADelaide festival.
But the Rolling Stone interview didn't mark the first time that the activist has suggested jail time for political leaders who don't act on climate change.
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In a 2008 speech at McGill University, Suzuki called on students to look for legal avenues through which to put politicians in prison if they ignore climate science, The McGill Daily reported.
Referring to Harper and then-Alberta premier Ed Stelmach, he said, "It is an intergenerational crime that in the face of the work of scientists over the last 20 years, they keep dithering as they are."
Suzuki was comparatively complimentary of Justin Trudeau and the Liberals in the Rolling Stone interview, calling it a "huge thing" that the party was elected to a majority government.
"We've had 10 years of a government that was so oppressive regarding environmental issues," he said.
"I was going to book a one-way ticket to Mars if Harper was re-elected."
"I was going to book a one-way ticket to Mars if Harper was re-elected."
Those remarks are a shift away from how Suzuki spoke of Trudeau during the election campaign.
Suzuki told SiriusXM host Evan Solomon that the Liberal leader sought an endorsement from him in July but the conversation went south after he told Trudeau he was "all over the map" on climate change.
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"He said, 'I don't need to listen to this sanctimonious crap,'" Suzuki quoted Trudeau saying.
The activist then admitted to calling Trudeau a "twerp."
Suzuki gave another controversial interview to Solomon in November, in which he compared the oilsands to slavery.
Suzuki said the idea that pricing carbon will hurt jobs "sounds very much to me like the southern states [which] argued in the 19th century that to eliminate slavery would destroy their economy."
"It's a moral issue," he said. "The issue of slavery was not an economic issue. The issue of climate change is not an economic issue."
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In 2014, Canada ranked dead last among OECD countries in a "Climate Change Performance Index" during Harper's time as prime minister.
The index, which was published by Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe, measured countries based on factors including renewable energy, emission levels and climate policy.
Its rankings came as The New Republic labelled Harper and former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott "Earth's worst climate villains."
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A defence minister who fought the Taliban directly was asked Tuesday if he felt Canada's war efforts in Afghanistan were a mistake.
It was, perhaps, another example of how Harjit Sajjan's life has changed amid heightened pressure to explain Canada's contribution to the mission against the so-called Islamic State.
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In question period, Conservative national defence critic James Bezan said his party was "very concerned" by Sajjan's remarks a day earlier, in which the minister warned against "repeating the mistakes of the past" when it comes to combat.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan responds to a question in the House of Commons Tuesday. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP)
In the House of Commons Monday, Sajjan suggested he needed time to craft a plan that will not "send our men and women into harm's way for no reason." Liberals have pledged to pull Canada's CF-18 jets from Iraq and Syria and focus instead on enhancing the training of Kurdish forces on the ground.
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In an interesting turn, Bezan reminded Sajjan that more than 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan and 159 died.
"Was it a mistake that the hard work of our armed forces enabled millions of children to go to school, including over three million girls? Was it a mistake that we restored the rights of women so that they could work and have health care?" Bezan asked.
"Does the minister believe these successes, as we fought the Taliban, were all just a mistake?"
Sajjan, in turn, reminded Bezan that he served "from the start of the combat mission, right to the end." The remark sparked applause from Liberals.
The minister said he bore witness to both the successes of the mission and moments where those on the ground felt political leadership back home had "failed" them.
"And this is why I will take the time to make sure as we create future plans that those lessons are not lost," Sajjan said.
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"Does the minister believe these successes, as we fought the Taliban, were all just a mistake?"
The Tory MP also highlighted how Sajjan ducked a reporter's question earlier on what Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion told anti-ISIS coalition partners when they met in Rome Tuesday. Sajjan urged the journalist to ask Dion what was said.
"Canadians really want to know who's actually in charge of the Canadian Armed Forces," Bezan said. "Is it the minister of defence or is it the minister of global affairs?"
The defence minister shot back that the "election is over" and that his words shouldn't be taken out of context. Again, he said the Liberal government's anti-ISIS plan will heed past lessons.
"When we come up with a plan, it will be a plan that Canadians can be proud of," he said.
Tories have repeatedly accused the Liberals of having a completely "incoherent" policy on ISIS and have called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to keep Canada's jets in the fight.
Pressure from the NDP, too
But while Tories are pressuring Sajjan to keep the CF-18s there, New Democrats are wondering aloud why it's taking so long to bring them home.
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NDP national defence critic Randall Garrison rose in question period to point out that airstrikes are continuing despite a Liberal pledge in the election campaign to end the bombing mission.
Garrison asked Sajjan to confirm if the government was planning to expand the number of troops that will be on the ground in Iraq.
Sajjan responded that the new government is "committed to ending the airstrikes," but will do so in a way that considers coalition partners.
"There are a lot of things to factor in," he said. "When we do end (the bombing mission), it will be done in a responsible manner."
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Generations of indigenous people were taught to be quiet.
In residential school, staffers would stick needles in the tongues of students who spoke their language, or who opened up about abuse. And that pain lingers with former students who, even today, can't speak up about their experiences.
But Mary Black is sick of the silence. The 23-year-old Ojibwe actress and resource worker from Winnipeg has penned a slam poem, "Quiet," in which she refuses to remain mute about the struggles of indigenous women.
It was posted to her account in October, but its reach has grown to more than 100,000 views in recent days.
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Spoken Word/Slam Poetry "QUIET" by Mary BlackOn being a Silent Indigenous woman in Canada and the struggles our First Nations communities face. Posted by Mary Black on Monday, 12 October 2015
The poem, which was written in less than an hour, is performed simply it's just Black sitting in front of a camera.
But she delivers it with a powerful voice that alternates between quiet intensity and outright anger.
It begins with her saying, "I will not be quiet," and then expands on the suffering of indigenous women.
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"Why are 75 per cent of us raped? Why are our houses constantly surrounded by yellow tape?" she intones in one passage.
Black was inspired to write "Quiet" after seeing reports of spousal violence within Winnipeg stories about domestic abuse, about women being killed by their ex-partners, she told The Huffington Post Canada.
"It made me so angry to be living in such a violent world," Black said.
And she was inspired even further when she thought about how many indigenous people have been taught to be silent.
"It's a disease to me, to be quiet," Black said. "You see it in the communities, on the reserves, in families and stuff, where if somebody's abused, people will tell them not to talk about it. You don't want to shame the family or cause problems."
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"It's a disease, to me, to be quiet."
It's a silence that came from residential school, she said. And it has stopped people from being able to face their abusers today.
"I think our generation is the first that can break this cycle because there's so much to deal with," she said.
"To me, speaking is the only medicine that can cure our souls, because we've been so plagued by this silence and this heavy weight."
Black said "Quiet" marks the first time that she wrote a piece that was completely her own voice. And she's been floored with the support it has received.
People who have suffered abuse themselves have shared the poem, recounting their own experiences for the first time.
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She will deliver the poem at "Stolen Sisters," a series of monologues being performed as part of International Women's Week, in March.
The program, which will take place at the University of Winnipeg's Asper Centre for Theatre and Film, will focus on the subject of gender-based violence.
But "Quiet" isn't Black's only poem.
In late January she posted her work "Delicious Slavery" to Facebook.
"DELICIOUS SLAVERY" by Mary BlackSpoken Word/Slam PoetryWritten for anybody who understands what it is to give every fibre of your Being, your Soul, your Heart & your Consciousness to the One you Love.Dedicated to My Loving Husband, Gabriel Guiboche on our journey we have walked together and for every experience yet to come. Posted by Mary Black on Thursday, 21 January 2016
Black's words come as the federal government establishes an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.
The government is currently engaged in consultations with various communities before the inquiry begins its work.
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Missing and murdered indigenous woman another issue that Black said people have been silent on for so long. And she's amazed it's being talked about at this level.
"I don't like to make assumptions, but so far what I see is amazing progress with our people, and I have a lot of hope," she said.
"I really hope that we see a time of peace and we get some answers.
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That the House (a) recognize that the government must take action to close the unacceptable gap in pay between men and women which contributes to income inequality and discriminates against women;
(b) recognize pay equity as a right;
(c) call on the government to implement the recommendations of the 2004 Pay Equity Task Force Report and restore the right to pay equity in the public service which was eliminated by the previous Conservative government in 2009; and
(d) appoint a special committee with the mandate to conduct hearings on the matter of pay equity and to propose a plan to adopt a proactive federal pay equity regime, both legislative and otherwise, and
(i) that this committee consist of 10 members which shall include six members from the Liberal Party, three members from the Conservative Party, and one member from the New Democratic Party, provided that the Chair is from the government party,
(ii) that in addition to the Chair, there be one Vice-Chair from each of the recognized opposition parties,
(iii) that the committee have all of the powers of a standing committee as provided in the Standing Orders, as well as the power to travel, accompanied by the necessary staff, subject to the usual authorization from the House,
(iv) that the members to serve on the said committee be appointed by the Whip of each party depositing with the Acting Clerk of the House a list of his or her party's members of the committee no later than February 17, 2016,
(v) that the quorum of the committee be as provided for in Standing Order 118, provided that at least one member of each recognized party be present,
(vi) that membership substitutions be permitted from time to time, if required, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 114(2),
(vii) that the committee report to the House no later than June 10, 2016.
Its been nearly three decades since Ostana, a small town in northern Italy, has welcomed a newborn into their community. Baby Pablo was born in January and is now the towns 85th resident.
Sotto il Monviso arriva il bambino atteso 28 anni https://t.co/wsq2nhpmJypic.twitter.com/1qysJNXpl0 La Stampa (@la_stampa) January 28, 2016
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At first I couldn't believe it was true, mayor Giacomo Lombardo told CNN. The news almost shocked me. It's a dream come true.
Watch the video above to find out how Pablo became Ostanas first baby in 28 years.
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A war of words between two Canadian media giants continued Monday, as Postmedia refuted a Toronto Star columnist's claim that the company is "a cancer in Canadian journalism."
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Paul Godfrey at Postmedia office on March 25, 2015. (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
A memo -- firing back at writer David Olive, whose editorial was published on the front page of Saturday's Toronto Star -- was sent to Postmedia staff by CEO and President Paul Godfrey. It was later published on the website J-Source.
In a piece called "The problem with Postmedia," Olive slammed the media conglomerate's financial structure, saying the company, which owns more than 200 Canadian media outlets including the National Post, is too foreign-owned.
"The good news is that the Postmedia abomination, which has never turned a profit, is in such wretched condition that its not long for this world," he wrote.
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In response, Godfrey threw a personal attack at Torstar chair John Honderich.
Godfrey wrote that Honderich's father Beland, who is a former chairman and publisher of Torstar, "would have frowned upon the type of journalism printed in the Star on Saturday."
"The good news is that the Postmedia abomination, which has never turned a profit, is in such wretched condition that its not long for this world."
Godfrey wasn't the only one at Postmedia to come out swinging against Torstar, which owns 110 newspapers in Canada, including the Toronto Star.
National Post comment section editor Matt Gurney also published an editorial Monday, in which he cited Torstar's financial grievances. Gurney urged Olive to apply some of his financial advice to his own employer.
"I wont spend much time on these [proposed solutions]. All have merit as proposals, all also have drawbacks. None are what Olives own TorStar conglomerate is trying."
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Twitter users took note as the two companies threw punches at each other through their publications.
How I feel about the Postmedia/Torstar war of words pic.twitter.com/oFyP686fv7 Joel Eastwood (@JoelEastwood) February 1, 2016
Postmedia is a cancer, Torstar? Go tell that to Guelph https://t.co/NikUTt7hFC A fine counterpoint to the Star's usual sanctimony. Chris Boutet (@chrisboutet) February 1, 2016
Several members of the media poked fun at their exchange.
if only postmedia and torstar understood that the only reason theyre fighting ***is because they cant admit that theyre in love*** Scaachi (@Scaachi) February 1, 2016
postmedia v torstar pic.twitter.com/4NmgZc6OGS Alison Mah (@alisonmah) February 1, 2016
This isn't the first time Torstar and Postmedia have used fighting words against each other.
Last month, Godfrey urged The Star to scrap its tablet edition, which elicited a fiery response from Honderich via an editorial titled "Paul Godfrey, get your facts straight."
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Both Postmedia and Torstar have recently announced layoffs amid financial strains that are also impacting the broader Canadian media industry.
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Edmonton Shoe Repair
A Muslim teen says she forgives an Edmonton store owner after he reportedly refused to serve her because she was wearing a burka.
Sarii Ghalab, 19, says she went to Edmonton Shoe Repair in Northgate Mall get the heel on one of her shoes fixed, but was turned away because of how she was dressed, according to CBC News.
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In a Reddit post about the incident, Ghalab's sibling claimed the store owner told Ghalab, "ethical beliefs do not permit him to deal with such people."
Instead of complaining, Ghalab says she wrote a letter to the store's owner, Ryan Vale, explaining her choice to wear a burka and asked him to treat future Muslim customers with compassion.
She attempted to deliver the letter along with a bouquet of flowers, but was turned down.
"Just like it is in my values to dress this way, it is also in my values and beliefs as a Muslim that I respond to what is hurtful with kindness and compassion," reads the letter, which Ghalab shared with CBC News.
'No-mask policy'
Vale says he didn't ban Ghalab from the store for religious reasons, but did so because her face was covered.
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We have a no-mask policy in the store, Vale told the Edmonton Sun. He added he has signage in the store asking for customers to show their faces for security reasons.
In the Reddit post, Ghalab's sibling alleges Vale told Ghalab not to touch anything in the store, and that when she went to the mall's management, they said it wasn't the first time someone had complained.
According to the Alberta Human Rights Act, it's prohibited to deny goods or services to an individual on the grounds of race or religion.
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Bloomberg via Getty Images Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, Canada's prime minister, speaks during a news conference where he conceded victory on election day in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015. Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party has swept into office with a surprise majority, ousting Prime Minister Stephen Harper and capping the biggest comeback election victory in Canadian history. Photographer: Ben Nelms/Bloomerg
Last October sucked.
Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party lost 60 seats, the Liberal Party gained 148 and Justin Trudeau became the 23rd prime minister of Canada.
My local Conservative candidate ran an efficient, well-organized, losing campaign. I took my well-deserved lumps from Liberal friends. They won fair and square.
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But during the election I'd heard the opinion that former Liberals shouldn't be in the fight. That Conservatives shouldn't welcome those who cross over.
Certain parts of the Liberal Party exhibit elitism, nepotism, Central Canadian-favouritism and a general distaste for Western Canada and our industries. (I'm looking your way McGuinty, Trudeau.) I understand the Western reflex, especially with a Trudeau in the prime minister's office.
In Saskatchewan, however, what's left of Prairie liberalism is more right-wing to begin with, favouring the natural resource sector and smaller government. This allows for the Liberal/Conservative alliance that the Saskatchewan Party harnessed in order to electorally dominate the province.
"Through respecting provincial autonomy Harper built national unity. Prime Minister Trudeau will depart from his predecessor's style of federalism and return to that of his father, Mulroney and Chretien's."
In contrast to the Liberal Party, a federal Conservative Party that advocates for smaller government, personal liberty, keeping taxes low and respecting provincial jurisdiction will continue to appeal more greatly to the Saskatchewan electorate. But within the greater conservative movement, the question of ideological purity arises.
There are those within the conservative movement who insist on it, particularly on social conservative issues. I respect the social conservative viewpoint but believe an insistence on it alienates a new generation of conservatives and winning potential. The conservative movement cannot afford to sacrifice the added value of this generation in lieu of social conservative ideological purity. To do so confines the movement to its base, and opposition.
In addition to the broad conservative coalition that forms the party's base, former Liberal voters contributed to the Conservative Party forming government. Let's preserve the core principles of the conservative movement -- smaller government, lower taxes and individual freedom -- while leaving the door open for a new generation of conservatives.
Here are a few ways I propose we do that.
First, the two lines within the party's social policy that deal with same-sex marriage. Those have to go. As interim leader Rona Ambrose stated the Conservative Party welcomes all conservatives regardless of sexual orientation. Continuing to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman prevents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conservatives who support the movement's principles from fully coming on board.
Second, if there were ever a time for conservatives to take up former MP Monte Solberg's green conservatism, it's after Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and Trudeau's Liberals give Montreal permission to dump eight billion litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence. Wildrose Leader Brian Jean had the right idea. I'm not saying we go full-Green Shift, of course, but there is no question that the conservative movement needs a positive message on the environment.
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Finally, the conservative movement needs to highlight and continue former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's legacy of open federalism.
As a result of Harper's open federalism, David Akin noted, separatist sentiment in Quebec dropped to an all-time low. "Contrast that with one dumpster fire after another on the national unity front through the Pierre Trudeau, Mulroney and Chretien years," he wrote in the Toronto Sun.
Through respecting provincial autonomy Harper built national unity. Prime Minister Trudeau will depart from his predecessor's style of federalism and return to that of his father, Mulroney and Chretien's. Witness Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre reject the Energy East pipeline and Prime Minister Trudeau, as Rex Murphy put it, "act as a disinterested referee."
When Canada's prime minister fails to acknowledge and respect the country's constitution, Canada's conservatives would do well to remind those with Laurentian tendencies that natural resources are within the jurisdiction of the provinces and that interprovincial transportation projects are within the jurisdiction of the federal government.
In a series of tweets, University of Waterloo professor Emmett Macfarlane noted that "Everyone loves 'collaboration' in federalism so much that they seem to forget there are benefits to competition/experimentation. Harper's no strings, fiscally responsible but stable/predictable approach to the Canada Health Transfer was a great example."
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Macfarlane continues in stating that "My worry is we return to intergovernmental relations that hinge on how much money the provinces think they can squeeze from the feds instead of, you know, innovating or -- god forbid -- bringing a little fiscal responsibility to bear in their own affairs."
Mcfarlane's right to worry. The country's left-wing premiers know it's open season on the novice prime minister. When the chickens come home to roost, conservatives have the opportunity to demonstrate national leadership in comparison to the Liberal Party and outflank the prime minister without diverting from their core principles.
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Anadolu Agency via Getty Images ALEPPO, SYRIA - FEBRUARY 2: Collapsed buildings are seen after Russian air crafts hit residential area at Anadan district of Aleppo, Syria on February 2, 2016. (Photo by Ahmed Muhammed Ali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Twenty-two years ago I was a junior diplomat in Syria. I visited the Umayyad Mosque, explored the ancient city of Palmyra, travelled to the Golan Heights and bought carpets in the bazaars of Damascus' old town. Although Hafez Assad's police state was ubiquitous I got to meet Syrians and understand something of their country and culture: creative, intelligent, diverse and proud of their history.
I've travelled widely since but not returned to Syria. I've watched with increasing horror at what has happened over the past five years. A quarter of a million people have been killed to date. Four million refugees now live in Jordan, Syria and the wider region. Thirteen million people within Syria require humanitarian assistance and millions more have been displaced at the brutal mercy of Bashar Assad, Daesh or other extremist groups.
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This week, the UK will co-host a conference, "Supporting Syria and the region 2016," with Germany, Kuwait, Norway and the United Nations. It will take an ambitious new approach to provide longer term support for refugees: through concrete action on livelihoods and jobs, and improved access to education -- giving refugees the skills they need for the future and the best chance of a successful return home.
However the conference alone cannot solve the complex problems facing Syria. A political solution remains necessary to end the conflict.
The London conference will address the huge humanitarian challenges faced by the people of Syria, and raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of those affected. The 2016 UN coordinated appeals for the Syria crisis call for US$7.7 billion. An additional US$1.2 billion in funding is required by affected regional governments hosting refugees.
The conference will bring together global leaders, NGOs, the private sector and civil society to address the most pressing concerns raised by the crisis. As well as raising new funding to meet immediate and longer-term needs, it will maintain pressure on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and respect International Humanitarian Law. And it will identify ways to create jobs and provide education, offering all those who have been forced to flee their homes a greater hope for the future. It will also recognize the generosity shown by neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon has undoubtedly saved many lives and allowed people to stay close to home, avoiding perilous journeys towards Europe.
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However the conference alone cannot solve the complex problems facing Syria. A political solution remains necessary to end the conflict. That means working with the international community to bring about an end to the brutal conflict in the country.
The UK's strategy contains three strands, covering the political, military and humanitarian dimensions. Politically, the UK is deeply involved in the International Syria Support Group working towards a political transition to a peaceful future. Militarily, the UK contributes to the campaign in the region to defeat Daesh. And as the second largest bilateral donor after the US, pledging over 1.1 billion so far to Syria and the region to provide support such as food, shelter, medical care and clean drinking water, for hundreds of thousands of people affected by the conflict, our humanitarian efforts have also been extensive.
Canada also has an important role. My family has joined many Canadians in preparing packs to welcome Syrians to Canada. My son, Michael's welcome letter counsels that "It can get a little bit cold here, so try and keep bundled up and warm, especially in winter." Canadians from the Maritimes to Vancouver are welcoming Syrian refugees with open hearts, providing a role model to other Western countries. Canada is also one of the top donors to those states in the region who are sheltering Syria refugees, but the overall international effort is still not enough. We must do more.
2016 is a critical year for Syria, 15 March will mark the fifth anniversary of the Syrian civil war. It is in all our interests, but especially the people of Syria, that 2016 is the year when we see a turning-point in this crisis. The UK will continue to play a leading role in international efforts to end the suffering of Syrians.
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7 Deadly Threats Facing Innocent Syrian Civilians See Gallery
vkyryl via Getty Images Real estate. A row of new townhouses.
My wife and I live in downtown Vancouver, B.C., one of the hottest real estate markets across the country. We just received our property assessment value for 2016, and it has gone up by over 12 per cent in just one year, and that's probably average for where we live. Places like Lion's Bay, just 30 minutes outside the city, reports of property assessment values rising 15-20 per cent, and some as high as 30 per cent. Every day I hear about a real estate bubble on the edge of bursting, with home sale prices exponentially rising well above assessment values, a new crane/development being announced and friends complaining that rental prices are getting ridiculously high.
So where does it all stem from, why are we such an attractive market? I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that foreign investment from Chinese investors over the past few years, and even decades, has been a major contributor to our real estate boom. There are plenty of other factors I'm sure (our incredible beaches, scenic views, fireworks in English Bay, etc.), but I would argue that the Asian influence would be at the top of the list.
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OK, so with the previous in mind, what kind of impact will the recent market downturn in China have on our precious real estate? For those of you who might have been in a coma over the past few months, here's a quick update -- China's stock market isn't doing so well, like not well at all actually. It all started in June of 2015. At the time, China's stock market was on an incredible hot streak. With the state-owned media urging them on, many people started pouring their money into stocks. The resulting growth was explosive but unsustainable. As the demand for stocks increased, so too did stock prices. Meanwhile, the overall Chinese economy had actually been slowing down, and debt was skyrocketing. This led to a sudden mass loss in confidence, and a shocking drop in the Chinese stock market.
Over the past few months, the Chinese government has done everything in its power to stop losses. At first their efforts seemed to be working, with volatility in the region decreasing towards the end of 2015. However, over the past first few days of trading in 2016, it's clear that there is still a lot of anxiety and fear amongst investors in China. Just last month, China's stock market was again halted after only 30 minutes of trading, the shortest day in its 25 year history. Since the majority of investors in China's markets are individuals, rather than institutional investors, panic and sell-offs have spread at a much faster rate. Most economists agree that the recent wave of downturns stems from the lowering of the local currency.
This leads me to the Renminbi (also known as the yuan), China's currency, which is fixed to the U.S. Dollar. Just recently, and with little warning, the People's Bank of China lowered the exchange rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar by 0.51 per cent. This recent currency move has led to a massive selloff in the region, with investors looking to move their assets out of China. Although it's not as easy to convert and move funds out of China, as it is for us to move down south, the government has yet to impose any major restrictions or limitations on doing so.
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So now that you have some lay-of-the-land, let's bring it back full-circle. Below is a simple flow-chart that I think will help in explaining why I think the recent market turmoil in China will lead to higher demand for real estate in Vancouver. Working our way through, it seems pretty clear that a major fall in the Chinese Stock Market, could ultimately lead to further increases in Canadian real estate prices.
I understand that this is a heated topic, so I welcome your comments and thoughts. As an investment advisor, it's important for my team and I to help educate others on the importance of diversification. Although my opinion is towards a further increase in property prices in Vancouver/Toronto, this is not a fact or with 100 per cent probability. It's important to consider your home and investment properties as part of your net worth, especially as they are typically some of the larger portions of your portfolio. For more specific questions or concerns, please seek the advice of a professional real estate agent.
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Phil Walter via Getty Images AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 15: Anti TPPA protestors march down Queen Street on August 15, 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is a proposed regional free trade deal between 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
RIM's former co-chief executive, Jim Balsillie, recently renewed his attack on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, writing that the TPP's "colonial IP (intellectual property) policies" are "not a net benefit to our economy."
Not to be outdone, University of Ottawa intellectual property law Professor Michael Geist has run a daily blog on "the trouble with the TPP."
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These arguments have been convincingly countered by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and intellectual property lawyers who have underlined that the TPP has "minimal impact."
But the question really is whether it is worth Canada standing on the sidelines of the TPP over intellectual property. Is it the case that our existing, supposedly fundamentally different intellectual property policy/law has made Canada an innovation leader? If not, how is it that the "colonial" intellectual property policies supposedly being forced on Canada have led to more innovation in the "imperial" United States?
Is there evidence that Canada's weaker intellectual property regime made us an innovation powerhouse? Last fall the Canadian Patent Medicines Patented Medicine Prices Review Board reported that generic drugs are 40 per cent cheaper in the United States than Canada. Has coddling a Canadian generic industry helped Canadian consumers?
Trade negotiations are a bargain between multiple parties. Agreements are a function of what we put on the table and what others want from us. So what else would we or realistically could we offer, if not small intellectual property changes?
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It seems to me that Canada's TPP concessions are fairly minimal across the board. It's hard to imagine how we could be in without some intellectual property concessions.
It is discouraging to hear a leading Canadian entrepreneur and innovator react so defensively to the TPP instead of embracing the challenge. That reflexive, defensive reaction to TPP speaks more to the problem of innovation in Canada than anything in this or any other trade deal. Canada can and should do more to support innovation, but autarky is not a strategy.
"Start a more balanced series of consultations where both critics and TPP advocates are invited, and where the Canadian public can see more than tweets of the events after the fact."
Putting aside the uncomfortable irony of tenured Canadian academics arguing against intellectual property rules, should we be concerned by this persistent strand of TPP criticism? Perhaps we should.
Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland has published an open letter to Canadians on TPP -- a delicate pirouette of an explanation of why the new government will sign the TPP but may not ratify it.
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Leading up to this, Freeland and her Parliamentary secretary, David Lametti, embarked on a quickie cross-country TPP consultation exercise. A review of the list of consultations on the government's website and tweets by minister Freeland show a number of meetings with these particular TPP critics.
All of this raises the question of whether the minister is hearing the alternative positive case for the TPP. Minister Freeland's Parliamentary secretary was a noted intellectual property scholar before being elected in October, but there are trade lawyers in Cabinet such as Catherine McKenna, as well as in the Liberal caucus, such as Ali Ehsassi, MP for Willowdale. One is otherwise occupied and the other is not on the newly minted Standing Committee on International Trade.
So, what is the way forward? A start might be for the Parliamentary committee, perhaps with the assistance of the Senate committee, to start a more balanced series of consultations where both critics and TPP advocates are invited, and where the Canadian public can see more than tweets of the events after the fact.
I agree with Prof. Geist's suggestion that it would be useful for public events to be streamed online, and outcomes from other meetings should be posted online.
Experience with trade agreements has shown that when critics are left unanswered for too long, it can be hard to put the cork back in the bottle. Canada does not need to lead the charge to approve the TPP, but waiting too long to engage the affirmative case may prove very costly in the end.
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nevarpp via Getty Images euro invest concept
In a recent editorial, the Globe and Mail endorsed proposed changes to the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), namely to the investment-state dispute settlement provisions that allow foreign corporations to sue governments over regulatory changes that affect their profits.
These changes include modifying the lawsuit and arbitration provisions so that they would resemble, in the Globe's words, "more of a court," thus helping the agreement pass through the European Parliament.
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The editorial board argues, "Fixing CETA in this way would respond to critics of the deal, while improving it. Sounds like a win-win. Where do we sign?"
Having toured Europe and met with both politicians and grassroots groups, I can tell you that a court system is not going to placate European activists or many parliamentarians. Some are already calling it a PR stunt that does nothing but put a Good Housekeeping seal of approval on an already flawed system.
It won't convince them to support this dangerous deal.
French MEP Yannick Jadot declared, "European citizens do not just want a change at the margin of the arbitration, but removal of the provision." German MEP Ska Keller stated, "The proposal changes nothing about the fact that investors get an extra-judicial system that will deal only with their rights, not their obligations."
Not only do the proposed changes fail to address concerns about the investor-state provisions, they actually make them worse. The reforms enshrine extra rights for foreign investors that everyone else -- including domestic investors -- don't have. They allow foreign corporations to circumvent a country's own courts, giving them special status to challenge laws that apply equally to everyone through a court system exclusively for their use.
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Some have called it an oversized public insurance scheme for companies that are unwilling to assume the normal risks of doing business.
Even to call the new arbitrators "judges" is a misnomer, as these tribunals will not be taking into account environmental protection, human rights or other non-corporate considerations that a regular judge usually has to balance. What's more, the arbitrators of this new court system can moonlight as lawyers with the very same corporations that are launching these cases. This is a lucrative business that could cloud an arbitrator's judgment.
There is no proposal to set limits on how much a company can sue for, resulting in a continuation of the multi-million and billion lawsuits already on the table around the world.
It's not an easy change to implement either. It will be politically difficult for Canada to agree to this revision as long as the Americans, who are negotiating their own Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the Europeans, seem to be rejecting it.
Furthermore, trying to sneak the changes in through the legal scrubbing process, without reopening the negotiation process, will lead to further questions about CETA's democratic legitimacy.
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While Marie-Anne Coninsx, EU ambassador to Canada, characterizes the opposition as "mainly led by many people who are anti-U.S., anti-globalization," demonstrations against CETA and TTIP in Berlin in 2015 attracted over 250,000 people. Surely, they are not all "haters" of Uncle Sam.
Contrary to these lazy cliches, I can guarantee you that the opposition is organized, informed and sophisticated. Europeans are coming together irrespective of their differences in language, culture and country. Their issue is with corporate dominance, not with Americans.
The Europeans are calling for a completely different paradigm on how we look at trade agreements. There are many countries -- Brazil and India, to name only two -- that have rejected trade agreements with investor-state provisions. That should be the future of trade agreements, not quasi-judicial tribunals that exclusively serve foreign corporate interests.
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Pascal Broze via Getty Images Portrait of a businessman holding a globe and smiling
Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping never uttered the words, "To get rich is glorious." He seized upon his moment in history with a wave of economic policies that unleashed the industriousness of his people.
That Western media summed up Deng's commitment to change in this phrase rooted in Chinese culture was critical. It has become a signal of China's reorientation to a market economy that has rallied both domestic founders and global investors.
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If Andrew Coyne thinks that Justin Trudeau has been obnoxiously ambitious on the world stage, the forthcoming budget is an opportunity for Prime Minister Trudeau to back up media symbolism with game-changing policies that can earn him and Canada a place in global context. Just let those underestimaters underestimate.
Let's consider the domestic debate about stock options.
Matt Saunders, president of the accelerator and fund at Ryerson University, has proposed a one-time $750,000 exemption on stock options. Saunders' proposal is measured in terms of existing tax policy and that policy's $750-million fiscal impact on federal government coffers.
But what would the impact on government revenue be if the TSX was twice as big and 30 to 50 per cent weighted in fast-growing, globally disruptive technology companies?
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Each of these groups makes their appeal to the Libs upon the basis that startups need stock options to attract and retain talent. It is on point to highlight that a low Canadian dollar policy makes this element of startup compensation even more important.
Still, worries about attracting and retaining talent for startups did not bring the Liberals to power. Canadians rejected fears and threats and instead chose a chance for change for the better.
Like Harper's GST cuts before it, Liberal campaigning to increase taxes on stock options was designed to ride a wave of discontent. In this case, it is the stagnation of wages and promising employment while top exec comp in Canada rises pro rata with American counterparts without supporting increases in productivity.
Let's catch the wave and propose a capital gains exemption for founders and early stage employees. No cap. There is no need for this policy to cut back to existing tax policy, or for the Liberals to bail out on their ride aimed at execs at Canada's big banks and their ilk.
Maybe Mr. Trudeau is one of the big kahunas?
Canada wants to be a globally competitive home for the world's top innovators.
What kind of policy not only keeps our best here, but makes top founders from all over the world pick Canada over California?
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It is not an arbitrary idea moderated by how big the mostly unrealized stock-option payday must be to keep founders on the hamster wheel. In a global context a $750,000 exemption is too low. That doesn't even cover buying a primary family home in many urban markets. Top founders don't reorient their world view for a chance to keep up with the Joneses.
The purpose of this kind of exemption is not only to recruit talent. What Mr. Trudeau really needs to consider is how to prime the pump to create a virtuous cycle of founders who have successful exits and go on to become seed investors in the next wave of new big things.
As we craft policy, let us consider "the impact of this adventure on the minds of men (and women) everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take."
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It's important to recognize when an historic opportunity is within reach. Canada is approaching just such an opportunity -- a moment that has the potential to be transformative for the cities and communities where we all live. Now we must seize it.
In Ottawa, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) will once again convene a meeting of its 21 big city mayors. FCM is assembling the Big City Mayors' Caucus in advance of the federal budget, building on discussions which have been underway ever since the new government took office in late 2015.
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At the gathering, FCM and its mayors will meet with their federal counterparts to discuss the contours of the most significant investment in the quality of life of Canadians in decades. Mayors from communities of all sizes -- urban, rural, northern and remote -- are unanimous in their belief that investing in local jobs and in local communities is the best way to build Canada's economy of the future.
Representing the full diversity of this country, FCM and its mayors will outline what they can do to make Canada strong, vibrant and sustainable.
As FCM and its mayors discuss the upcoming federal budget, we will emphasize to our federal counterparts that municipalities must be the ones to set priorities at a local level. No order of government is in a better position to determine which project will offer the biggest benefit to the largest number of residents.
It is critical that we move away from one-off, project-based funding of municipal infrastructure. This Band-Aid approach is inefficient and makes it impossible for cities and communities to effectively plan long term.
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After all, good budgets aren't simply about one-time spending. They're about generating much-needed economic growth that our communities are counting on today while also investing in the economy of tomorrow. That economy includes sustainable, globally competitive cities and communities.
It's important to remember that federal investments can't just focus on exciting new projects. We need to balance those priorities with the repair and maintenance of existing infrastructure and housing. Smart investments in renovations and retrofits, including eco-retrofits, could put thousands of units of social housing back into use in communities of all sizes right now.
This sort of investment is green, quick to initiate and meets a real need facing Canada's most vulnerable families. In other words, it's one solution that meets three strategic priorities -- if we seize the moment to drive that change.
Canada's municipal leaders have good reason to be confident in our partnership with the federal government. I'm pleased to say that they have been consulting with FCM, with mayors and councillors. Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi has first-hand experience and expertise as a former city councillor. Finance Minister Bill Morneau remains committed to large-scale investments in our economy. And the prime minister himself is personally engaged on this file, as he reaffirmed to me in recent weeks.
We are on the cusp of something truly significant in this country -- an opportunity with the potential to benefit all Canadians for generations to come. Budget 2016 can become a transformative moment. But real change takes action. FCM and its 2,000 cities and communities are ready to work in partnership with the federal government to get the job done.
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Sean_Marshall/Flickr Townhouses and highrises replace 1950s public housing redevelopment.
By Greg Suttor
The task force on Toronto Community Housing Corporation, headed by Senator Art Eggleton, has proposed bold strategic change. TCHC houses about one-quarter of Greater Toronto's tenants with low incomes, so its future is important for the health and social well-being of this city and region.
Two things stand out in its many recommendations: a new structure for the organization, and better support for tenants with special needs. Although our former mayor blamed the problems on poor management, the report makes it clear that the problems are broader and the fix must be strategic.
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The first move is to separate the role of running buildings and serving tenants from the renewal of property assets to meet long-term needs. For most of its 14 years of life, TCHC has put efforts into saving costs on property management, and building up its expertise and track record in development. Its revitalization of Regent Park and other communities is widely celebrated and its expertise is recognized. The side that has suffered is responsiveness to tenants, the people that TCHC exists to serve.
A landlord with a couple of hundred large old buildings, home to people with low incomes, social disadvantage, and old age or disabilities or kids, must have much more than basic property management. It needs tenant relations staff, security staff, community and youth workers, and ways to link tenants to services in the surrounding community. A call centre is no substitute for responsive staff on the ground. And it is hard to do this well if the development arm is first in line for available dollars and attention.
The task force's solutions are decentralized property management and transferring the management of various properties to community-based non-profits.
Some concerns are being voiced that this is selling public assets, offloading responsibility, or abandoning tenants. But the City has another main role in social housing besides TCHC. This is to fund, coordinate and oversee a system of almost 90,000 affordable units, one-third of them in community-based non-profits and co-ops. The City does this expertly and there are lots of safeguards to ensure those groups' accountability and capacity. The success story of Canadian social housing a generation ago wasn't about low-income government projects - it was mixed-income community housing in a system funded and overseen by government. British Columbia and the United Kingdom take this approach further and do far better than Ontario.
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A separate corporation would do long-term asset management. If we want to renew those aging 90,000 units once they hit the 50 or 60-year mark, we need to ramp up activity. If the federal government comes through on its promises about social infrastructure funding we can make a serious start. This activity fits with the City's funding and system management role, not its role in operating housing and serving tenants.
When public housing was built in the 1960s and '70s, a majority of tenants were either working poor or seniors in their 60s. Today, it has unfortunately become housing of last resort. Many seniors are in their 80s and need home care. More intake priority has been given to people with mental health disabilities or who were homeless, and many of these residents need extra support. Many TCHC family buildings sit in neighbourhoods that were once ordinary working-class areas but are now quite poor, and kids face real disadvantages that demand active community programs.
So the task force recommends that TCHC or its successor get systematic about partnerships with community agencies for seniors services and mental health, and the Local Health Integration Networks that fund them. The report points to successful TCHC pilot programs in partnership with LHINs and those agencies.
The Ontario government has announced its intention to reform LHINs, giving them direct responsibility for home care, as well as a role in public health that must mean a stronger relationship with the City. This is an opportunity to make sure that health-funded housing supports are built into LHIN priorities and LHIN-municipal collaboration. The money required would be a fraction of a penny on every dollar of health spending.
The task force's recipe is fundamental change, and there are many questions that need answers and call for due diligence. Senator Eggleton stated on Tuesday that the first and foremost problem is funding, and the largest challenges there are unresolved. But this is an opportunity to seize, to carry out some big changes and ensure that decent housing supports the health and well-being of Toronto residents.
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Greg Suttor is a senior housing researcher at the Wellesley Institute.
European Council President Donald Tusk, left, speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, June 26, 2015. EU leaders, in a second day of meetings, will discuss migration, the Greek bailout and European defense. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Camerons bid to reset the UKs relations with the EU is set to enter its endgame in earnest on Tuesday, with the publication of a new settlement between London and Brussels.
The Prime Minister will inform the Cabinet of the latest plans, before delivering a keynote speech to coincide with the 11am publication of proposals drafted by European Commission president Donald Tusk.
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Key issues such as curbing migrant benefits will feature, although it is unclear whether the emergency brake plan will be too weak to satisfy Eurosceptic MPs or too strong to prevent blocking moves from Eastern European states like Poland.
With Downing Street hoping to resolve the issues in time for a crunch summit this month, and with Mr Cameron hoping for an EU referendum to be held by late June, No10 sources revealed a further bit of progress in the talks.
Tusk is expected to announce MPs in Westminster will be able to join forces with parliamentarians in other EU countries to block unnecessary or unwanted EU legislation under the draft deal.
The proposals will allow the Prime Minister to say he has delivered on a manifesto commitment and secured an explicit agreement to introduce a red card for national parliaments. Mr Cameron has also persuaded Brussels to propose that this could be triggered up to 12 weeks after a draft EU law is proposed.
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The draft proposal provides for a legally binding decision allowing 55% of national Parliaments to club together and force the 27-strong Council of ministers to either stop the proposed legislation or amend in a way that addresses the concerns raised by Parliaments.
Eurosceptics were swiftly pointing out that it will be difficult to clear the 55% hurdle within 12 weeks and that the plan falls a long way short of a real 'red card' for the Houses of Parliament itself.
Mr Tusk, whose talks with Mr Cameron broke up on Sunday night with him saying 'no deal' had yet been done, Tweeted on Monday a signal that a breakthrough had been achieved.
Tomorrow around noon I will table proposal for a new settlement for #UKinEU. Good progress last 24 hours but still outstanding issues Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) February 1, 2016
But even with the publication of the new document on Tuesday, Mr Cameron is braced for an intense negotiation with other EU leaders over the next fortnight.
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Donald Trump lost the Republican Iowa caucuses on Monday, coming second to Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the first contest of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump, who has been leading in national polls for many months and leading in several Iowa polls in recent weeks, landed 24 percent of the vote behind Cruz, who secured 28 percent.
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump visits a caucus site, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in West Des Moines, Iowa
Florida Senator Marco Rubio came a close third (23 percent), followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson (9 percent). Jeb Bush, who spent more money than any other candidate in the state, finished sixth (3 percent).
Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, finished ninth and immediately suspended his campaign.
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I am officially suspending my campaign. Thank you for all your loyal support. #ImWithHucK Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) February 2, 2016
For the Democrats, the campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed victory over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, despite the count being too close to call. A final result is expected on Tuesday, with Clinton and Sanders likely to share delegates after being locked in a "virtual tie."
There were even reports that some close precincts were decided by the toss of a coin.
This is how the #IowaCaucus works. A tie is solved tossing a coin @HillaryClinton wins pic.twitter.com/yZDTUKFJXQ Fernando Peinado (@FernandoPeinado) February 2, 2016
Martin OMalley, the former governor of Maryland, came far behind in third and also suspended his campaign.
After the defeat, questions will be asked about Trumps decision to abstain from last weeks Fox News debate over a spat with moderator Megyn Kelly. During a short concession speech, Trump congratulated all the candidates, including Cruz, and promised to return to Iowa to "buy a farm."
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Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a caucus night rally, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa
On June 16, when I started this journey, there were 17 candidates, I was told by everybody, Do not go to Iowa. You could never finish even in the top 10, Trump said. We finished second... We will go on to get the Republican nomination, and we will go on to beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever they throw up there.
Following his defeat, a Trump tweet from 2014 resurfaced on the social network.
No one remembers who came in second. Walter Hagen Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2014
Cruz, who ran a traditional campaign far removed from Trump's strategy of media dominance, drew on a well of deep support from religious and social conservatives to secure the state. Speaking after his victory, the Tea Party favourite quoted Ronald Reagan: "Tonight, Iowa has proclaimed to the world: Morning is coming. Morning is coming."
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Cruz will face a more difficult road securing similar victories in the primaries ahead, while Trump fans will take solace in past Iowa winners, including Rick Santorum in 2012 and Huckabee in 2008, both failing to win the party nomination.
The remaining campaigns will move to New Hampshire overnight for a week's campaign in the Granite State before primary voters go to the polls on Feb. 9.
See live results from the Iowa caucuses here.
A Conservative MP has revealed the "awful" state of the Lesbos migrant crisis after she visited the island last week.
Heidi Allen and a pair of Commons colleagues travelled to Greece to witness the reality of human suffering and aid agencies' humanitarian support. Lesbos is the gateway to Europe used by thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing oppression and bloodshed.
The group visited two 'processing camps.' "It's a horrible description but that's what they are", Allen said in a recent interview.
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These beautiful children from Syria do have hope for their future @savechildrenuk Let's not let them down. pic.twitter.com/uJqq0iGMRZ Heidi Allen MP (@heidiallen75) February 1, 2016
Caroline Ansell and Jo Churchill, the Conservative MPs for Eastbourne and Bury St Edmunds, accompanied Allen on a 'Save The Children' fact-finder to see how vulnerable children are being protected on their "treacherous" journey to Europe.
According to the charity, 58,547 people have reached Greek shores since the beginning of January. The group highlights kids' separation from parents as "a key child protection concern".
Allen told Newsnight on Monday of the shock of being confronted with the reality of "terrified, often-injured desperate people coming across from Turkey."
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"It's hard. I get home - there's my husband, a cup of tea and a meal waiting for me," she said.
Allen speaks to a Greek aid worker on the lookout for refugee boats off the coast of Lesbos
Quizzed on what she was struck by most, she said: "The overall scale and the inability of the Greek authorities to deal with it.
"I didn't expect it to be a wonderful experience, I knew it would be very upsetting but just the pressure that's been place on the Greek authorities to deal with it... From a coordination point-of-view it's just overwhelmed."
"I feel that every European country - [and] America - should contribute and have some real organisation there and they could really transform the situation.
"If it was me championing that meeting and bringing European leaders together, I think I'd want a grown up conversation.
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"Germany have opened their borders beyond all recognition - some would say far too much. Within the huge numbers that Germany has taken by default there will be an awful lot of unaccompanied child as part of that.
"I think it's a sensible conversation of human beings and saying 'what can you manage, what can you take', but until we have done this work to understand the number of children that are unaccompanied, because no-body should try and find a home for a child if there is an opportunity to find their family. So that process has to be gone through first."
Ansell, Allen and Churchill attend a briefing by Save The Children's Kate O'Sullivan in Greece
Kitty Arie, Save the Childrens director of advocacy and policy, called for urgent action to rejoin young people with their families and hailed last week's government announcement Britain would accept an as yet unspecified number of unaccompanied child refugees as potentially saving lives.
"The support pledged to Greece and Italy to help identify unaccompanied refugee children who have family links in the UK could be a very significant move," she said. "We need urgent action to speed up the process to reunite these children with their loved ones.
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In the detail of the announcements, the government accepted the principle that it has responsibility for refugee children already in Europe, as well as those in the Syria region.
The commitment to resettle vulnerable and unaccompanied child refugees who have reached North Africa or Turkey is very important this has the potential to save lives in the Mediterranean.
"Weve all seen the frequent reports of families with children drowning off the coast of Greece.
There has been unhelpful confusion in the way the announcements have been presented by the government we will be monitoring progress to ensure that the UK meets its responsibilities to the most vulnerable lone refugee children.
"Britain has a proud history of offering a safe haven to the most vulnerable children now we need to see that in action once again.
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Peter Whittle
White, middle-class liberals are the least open minded of all voters, according to Ukips London mayoral candidate Peter Whittle.
In an exclusive interview with the HuffPost UK, Mr Whittle claimed while he was getting great interest from ethnic minority audiences during his campaign, the middle-class liberals hate you on a point of principle.
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Mr Whittle also attacked the long-standing support for multiculturalism by elites, which he believes has fostered an acceptance of a lack of integration by different groups in the capital.
The former journalist, who now runs the New Culture Forum think-tank, argued housing is the biggest issue facing London, and attacked mayoral frontrunners Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith for only focusing on the supply side of the crisis and not talking about the increase in demand caused by migration.
Reflecting on reaching out to non-white voters in both the Mayoral campaign and last years General Election, Mr Whittle told the HuffPost UK: When you are talking about a Black church or City Sikhs for example much more open minded.
People that are the least open minded is an audience of white, middle-class liberals. They hate you on a point of principle because the whole point is generally how they see world is bound up with how they see themselves.
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So thats the big difference. I have found total open-mindedness. I remember doing one [event] which was at a church in Greenwich in the General Election- total open-mindedness.
Once they heard what I was saying, there was great interest afterwards.
From left: Sadiq Khan (Labour), Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem), Peter Whittle (Ukip), Sian Berry (Green), Zac Goldsmith (Conservative)
Mr Whittle, who lives in Woolwich, South-East London, was selected to be Ukips mayoral candidate last September ahead of the perceived favourite Suzanne Evans.
Since then, the race to succeed Boris Johnson in City Hall has been dominated by Labours Sadiq Khan and Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith.
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Mr Whittle believes the two are both misunderstanding how to solve what he sees as the biggest problem facing the capital housing.
He said: Zac and Sadiq are saying sort of the same thing: Im going to build 50,000 houses, Im going to build 60,000 houses or whatever and are talking about infrastructure and all the rest of it.
But I am the only person, and our candidates [for the Greater London Authority], who are talking about the supply side of things and that is Londons just unprecedentedly increasing population.
Mr Whittle added: London has always had immigration but what has happened over the past 15 years is unprecedented so we are adding a million every decade.
While conceding the London Mayor does not have power over immigration, Mr Whittle believes whoever wins the race should act as a galvanizer of opinion.
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He said: You have discussions over housing which amount to phantom discussions, the chief driver of the housing crisis in London is of course uncontrolled migration.
Nobody is against migration - Im not, I dont know anybody who is against migration but it has to be controlled, it has to be sensible but thats not what weve been having in London over the past 15 years.
The Ukip candidate, who is also the partys culture spokesman, believes housing priority should be given to Londoners - but in a city which has such a fluid population, how do you define Londoner?
What we define as a Londoner, going back into our General Election manifesto, is a period of five years of living, depending on what part of housing youre talking about, either in London or in a particular borough.
When it comes for example to GLA land that might be built on, five years in that borough or a neighbouring borough, I think thats very reasonable.
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I think in London to an extent theres always going to be a very transitory element but you have got to give some stability to people and I think that seems to be a very fair amount really.
I think people who have been in London for five years should have priority.
Donald Trump was mocked for his comments about London
Mr Whittle dismissed Donald Trumps comments that parts of London are so radicalised that police are afraid for their own lives labeling the American presidential hopeful as a buffoon.
But he does believe a lack of integration between different groups needs to be tackled.
Mr Whittle said: What we have got in London is not no-go areas, but what we have got is - we tend to think that we dont have this but the rest of the country has - we have a growing feeling of division simply because, I would say, you want people to integrate, I want people to integrate, but at the level of migration coming into London the need to integrate sort of diminishes theres less incentive to integrate.
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Its not been helped over the years by the kinds of elites who run London, or indeed the country, in a sense saying theres no need.
Thats what multiculturalism is in one way, theres no need for you to integrate, theres no need to, for example learn a language or all the rest of it.
I think thats now being seen pretty much across the board as being a mistake. I certainly think so.
We are a multi-ethnic city, a multi-ethnic country but we should be united by common bonds of one law, British values and a common language which I think is very important and I think London is a very good example of that where language is a glue that keeps a place together so you have to encourage and incentivize people to learn it.
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Peter Whittle With Ukip Leader Nigel Farage
In the London Mayor election in 2012, Ukip came sixth, with party candidate Lawrence Webb only finishing ahead of the BNP.
Since then the party has won the 2014 European Elections and came third in the popular vote of last years General Election.
However, it has not experience the same surge of support in the capital as it has elsewhere.
While the race to City Hall is top of Mr Whittles priorities, an EU referendum which could be scheduled for less than two months after the vote may divert the attention of other Ukip figures.
Mr Whittle is not worried and said: When we do hustings together and interviews we will be asked a hell of a lot about the EU. I think it helps us, no question it helps us.
As for the role Ukip leader Nigel Farage will play in the Mayoral campaign, Mr Whittle believes the controversial politician can help win him support.
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He said: Yes without question. I wouldnt be getting him along to public meetings if he werent [an asset].
I think Nigel continues to be one of the most courageous voices in British politics, if not the most courageous actually.
I want him to be leader as long as he wants to be leader.
Anxiety levels peak among people aged 40-60, new statistics show, proving there might be more to the much-referenced 'midlife crisis' than meets the eye.
A new government study of wellbeing in the UK found that, generally speaking, people are experiencing relatively high levels of life satisfaction and happiness - with those aged 16-19 and 65-79 experiencing the highest ratings.
People aged between 45 and 54, however, reported low average ratings of life satisfaction and happiness, which coincided with a sharp rise in anxiety levels.
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Mental health experts and doctors have since issued advice on how to battle anxiety during this time, when divorce, bereavement and money troubles often come into play.
The Office Of National Statistics looked at personal wellbeing ratings between 2012 and 2015, and created average scores for areas including life satisfaction, happiness, worthwhile and anxiety.
It showed that between the ages of 40 and 60 years old, anxiety levels peak with people aged 50-54 suffering the most.
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These levels then drop after the age of 60, coinciding with an increase in life satisfaction and happiness.
Dr Helen Webberley is the dedicated GP for Oxford Online Pharmacy. She says that anxiety issues are something she comes across more and more with middle-aged patients.
"We tend to see more cases in women and I agree, it seems to peak in the forties and fifties," she explained.
"There may be various reasons for this but the typical scenario I see is patients with the burden of one or more jobs, the demands of children and running a home, and then the added worry and stress of caring for elderly relatives.
"In the past there may have been a nanny, cook, house-keeper and maid. Now the two adults in the home have to do it all. Expectations are high from employers, children and relatives - and life is hard.
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"Add to this financial concerns and the pressure mounts leading to depression and anxiety."
Rachel Boyd, information manager for mental health charity Mind, said that dealing with bereavement or divorce can also add to this.
Average personal wellbeing ratings between 2012 and 2015
So why do these feelings of anxiety then decrease after the age of 60?
Boyd said: "It is possible that from the age of 60 onwards people are more likely to retire, relieving them of the pressures of work.
"It is also likely that people may become more accepting of what they have and less demanding of themselves."
For those experiencing high and almost unbearable levels of anxiety, as opposed to feeling generally anxious about life, Boyd has some advice.
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While most people can relate to the idea of feeling tense in the lead up to a stressful event like a job interview or moving house, mental health problems like anxiety and depression, have a much bigger impact on your life and can even stop you being able to do things you used to do," she explained.
"Anxiety as a mental health problem is not the same as being a bit shy and its important to seek help as soon as possible if you feel like your anxiety is interfering with your ability to do the things you normally would."
She explained that anxiety doesn't just have an affect on the mind, but it can also affect your body too.
"Physical symptoms can include increased heart rate, muscle tension, dizziness, difficulty breathing, sweating, shaking and feeling sick," she said.
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"Psychological symptoms include feeling nervous and tense, thinking about a worrying situation over and over again and feeling that other people are noticing your anxiety.
You may experience severe or frequent panic attacks, for no apparent reason, or have a persistent, 'free-floating' sense of anxiety. You may find that you feel like running away or escape, or that youre spending lots of time and energy working out how to avoid anxious situations.
"If you experience social anxiety you might also avoid situations that could trigger your anxiety, such as meeting up with friends, going out shopping or even answering the phone."
Boyd urges people experiencing these symptoms and feelings to speak to someone, such as a GP, or even a friend or family member.
For more information on anxiety visit mind.org.uk/anxiety or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393.
Boris Johnson torpedoed David Camerons claims of victory in his battle with Brussels today as he demanded further safeguards to protect Britains future as an independent country.
As the Prime Minister hailed a new draft deal with the European Commission as real progress, the Mayor of London said much, much more needed to be done to reassure voters ahead of the EU referendum expected this summer.
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Johnsons outburst, which will chime with many Eurosceptic Tory MPs, came as Cameron welcomed the concessions from the EU to his demands on curbing welfare benefits for migrants and asserting Britains role outside the euro.
And the PM faced ridicule from Jeremy Corbyn after he refused to turn up to the House of Commons to face his critics, both on the Tory benches and from Labour.
Eurosceptics pounced swiftly on a watering down of a key Tory manifesto pledge on curbing migrant benefits, with the draft making clear welfare will be graduated so that over the four years immigrants will receive more the longer they stay.
European Council president Donald Tusk published his plan, which sought to reset the UKs relations with Brussels, by paraphrasing Shakespeare.
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To be, or not to be together, that is the question... My proposal for a new settlement for #UKinEUhttps://t.co/w4VSmnbahQ Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) February 2, 2016
Downing Street gave a cautious welcome today to a draft document, but even before details were known, Boris Johnson joked on LBC radio about the full, quivering magnitude of the PMs deal.
So far he has been doing a very, very good job of getting people to see things his way. I think there is much, much more, however, that needs to be done, he said.
Boris - who has yet to reveal if he will lead the Leave campaign in the referendum expected in June - signalled he was unsatisfied with the plans to impose an emergency brake on migrants and to give national parliaments a red card over Brussels plans.
I think what would be better would be if we had a break of our own that we were willing to use and that we were more willing to say, Britains an independent sovereign country and we dont agree with this particular piece of regulation or legislation and we want to stop it. And thats what we should be able to do, Johnson said.
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David Cameron and EU Council President Donald Tusk
Other senior Eurosceptics such as former Cabinet ministers Liam Fox and Peter Lilley said the draft deal did not do enough to wrest back powers from the EU.
Cameron, in his first reaction to the deal, was much more upbeat, claiming progress on key issues like British sovereignty, rights outside the euro, less red tape and the crucial issue of welfare and immigration.
At the beginning of this process we set out the four areas where we wanted to see substantial change and this document delivers that substantial change, he said.
But of course there's still details to be worked on, there's important things to be secured, theres further work to be done and of course theres a negotiation at the European Council so hard work but I think weve made real progress.
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Cameron's entire EU deal on welfare curbs in one equation: X + Y + Z = What The Poles Will Let Dave Get Away With pic.twitter.com/XvSX91Wvap Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) February 2, 2016
Yet the detail of the document revealed that while Britain has won key concessions on areas like keeping out foreign migrants who pose a threat to national security, on the vexed topic of welfare benefits Brussels had found ways to water down the plans.
While Cameron has won a four year curb on migrant benefits, it will be graduated so that over the four years immigrants will receive more welfare. Critics instantly warned this could act as an incentive for them to stay in the UK.
Tory Eurosceptics seized on the fact that the Tory manifesto in 2015 had pledged: "We will insist that EU migrants who want to claim tax credits and child benefit must live here and contribute to our country for a minimum of four years.
Today, in a speech in Chippenham, Cameron changed the language of that manifesto pledge, saying that on child benefit he'd secured 'local' rates and on benefits migrants would have to live here for four years before getting 'full' benefits.
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David Cameron with Polish president Beata Szydlo
Under today's proposals, migrants could live in the UK for less than four years and start claiming in-work benefits such as tax credits.
The graduated benefits plan, as well as a move to index child benefit to the cost of living in migrants' home countries, could also be a huge administrative headache for the Department for Work and Pensions.
But Liam Fox was scathing, not least about the way the deal would not take legal effect until the next change in EU treaties.
"The very limited set of demands from our Government have been watered down by the EU in every area," he said.
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"The British people want to take back control and end the supremacy of EU law over our economy, our borders and our Parliament."
The Prime Minister will now fly to Poland and Denmark on Friday as he starts the long process of winning backing for the plans among 27 other EU member states, with Eastern European nations particularly worried about any moves to discriminate against their citizens in the UK.
Referring to the red card plan, Cameron added: I said I wanted a red card system for national parliaments to block legislation, people said you wouldnt get that - its there in the document.
People said you wouldnt get the idea of people having to wait four years before getting in work benefits in Britain - its there in the document. People said youll never really get Britain out of the concept of ever-closer union, again pretty clearly set out in the document.
Prime Minister David Cameron speaks to factory staff at the Siemens Chippenham plant in Chippenham, Wiltshire. Ben Pruchnie/PA Wire
1. THE TORY MANIFESTO REALLY ISN'T GOSPEL
The Conservative manifesto was pretty clear last year on the vexed issue of migrant benefits. It thundered: We will insist that EU migrants who want to claim tax credits and child benefit must live here and contribute to our country for a minimum of four years.
The PM even ramped up the manifesto demands in his letter to Donald Tusk last November, vowing: People coming to Britain from the EU must live here and contribute for four years before they qualify for in-work benefits or social housing. And that we should end the practice of sending child benefit overseas.
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Well, guess what? Todays draft deal makes two concessions. On tax credits, migrants will be subject to graduated curbs on benefits. They wont be able to claim welfare on arrival in the UK, but thanks to a taper (the details of which are yet to be agreed) they will be gradually allowed access to benefits over their first four years here.
And on child benefit, Cameron has agreed to water down this demand too. Theres now an option to index child benefit to match the standard of living of the migrants home country. Not quite an end to the practice of sending the benefit overseas, but a serious cut in the cash paid nonetheless.
Meanwhile, critics argue that the taper will ironically create an incentive for migrants to stay longer in the UK. And there are unresolved issues on the emergency brake that enacts these benefit curbs: Eastern European states may not want the brake to apply for many years, and it needs the whole of the European Council to finally approve it.
Tory Eurosceptics are unhappy that the manifesto pledges are being wheedled out of. The PM himself sought to re-write that manifesto today, referring to a plan to ban migrants for four years from full in work benefits. Note that word full. He also claimed hed delivered on child benefit local rates. Cameron today said: "I can say hand on heart I have delivered the commitments that Ive made in my manifesto". That was a white lie at best and a big fat fib at worst.
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2. BUT IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER
Call it cynical, call it realpolitik. Yet finessing the manifesto pledges isnt worrying many around the PM. First, not many people even knew or know the detail of this migrant ban or child benefit curb. And Cameron is rather good at selling his policies to the public, as the last general election proved.
On both tax credits and child benefit, No10 is sanguine. The PM is delighted to have any pledge on four years, even if it is upto four years. Ditto child benefit. If he can persuade voters hes got tough on this stuff, he may have done enough to put in place a firebreak on the issue.
And perhaps one of the most powerful things in Camerons favour is his own pulling power. He can sell this stuff.
Many Labour voters are in the bag. Moreover, a recent YouGov poll shows that Tory voters and floating voters are much more likely to back the Remain camp if Cameron himself reassures them hes got a good deal for Britain.
3. THE WELFARE CURBS MAY HAVE A NEGLIGIBLE IMPACT ON IMMIGRATION.
Trickier for Cameron is immigration itself. As for whether any of his deal will make a blind bit of difference to levels of EU migration to the UK, thats far from clear. Net EU migration to the UK last year was a whopping 180,000. Government stats show that 266,000 EU migrants claimed in-work benefits but economist Jonathan Portes claims the number affected is much lower and theres little proof that benefit tourism is what pulls people to the UK rather than our booming jobs market. The introduction of the National Living Wage will probably offset any losses from welfare curbs.
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Cameron has got his emergency brake in the bag, as Brussels has agreed it currently applies. But could there be a legal challenge to the new definition that claims migrants are putting excessive pressure on public services or the job market especially as working migrants pay plenty of tax.
The PM got some key wins on the other issues that really vex some voters: on kicking out those involved in sham marriages, fraudsters and most important of all those who pose a terror or security threat. By redefining present threat to say that need not be an imminent threat, hes made it easier to argue European law wont be allowed to block common sense.
Polls suggest that voters arent actually keen on politicians who bang on about Europe (Camerons infamous phrase). But voters do get furious about the way the European Court of Human Rights blocks deportations of people like Abu Qatada. Thats another area the PM may need to push harder, away from his Tusk deal. Michael Gove's Bill of Rights may give us more clues.
4. BRUSSELS BLINKED FIRST ON SOME KEY DEMANDS.
On areas like ensuring the UK is not discriminated against by the Eurozone, on competitivenesss, on writing into law that the UK will never be subject to ever closer union, on 'no more bailouts', on sovereignty and creating a new red card to block fresh Brussels powers, Cameron has some bankable wins.
Hes got Brussels to agree the UKs migration levels are already so high that exceptional measures are needed. And it looks like hes got them to agree that the status of this deal will have effect in international law.
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Of course, theres lots of Eurosceptic criticism. The PM uses the Whitehall and Brussels jargon that he has four different baskets of demands (though the running joke is among Eurosceps is that his whole renegotiation is itself a basket case). The red card could be very difficult to enact, as it requires 55% of all countries parliaments to agree.
The real block on the welfare deal could be the Eastern Europeans worried about discrimination against their citizens whove moved to the UK. Today, Polands Europe minister Konrad Szymanski said: The U.K.s first three demands are acceptable. The fourth one is the problem. But he added this crucial caveat: We cant accept discrimination but then how does Cameron offer something for people who are against migration? We understand British concerns. They have the right to shape their labour market.
Thats proof that key states are very worried indeed that unless they gives the UK enough ground, it could quit for good. Camerons mandate last May remains his most powerful weapon. No wonder one of his first trips to sell this deal is to Warsaw.
5. BORIS STILL HAS THE CAPACITY TO IRRITATE DAVE
Even before the deal was unveiled at 11.30am UK time, Boris Johnson was out tweaking the PMs tail about full, quivering magnitude of the draft text. Bojo said much, much more needs to be done and called for a better red card scheme to prove that Britains an independent sovereign country.
Some may see Boriss words as being helpful to the PM, allowing him to argue across Europe that some big figures back home still want a better deal. But given the state of relations between No.10 and Boris, thats unlikely. More likely, he was playing to the gallery of Eurosceptics he needs to win in a future leadership contest. Yet many expect him to eventually come round to the Dave Deal.
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Tonight, Theresa May broke cover to say the draft was the basis for a deal. Plenty of people saw that as her clearest signal yet that she would not lead the Brexit campaign.
The fallout in the Tory party will be limited if May and Boris both eventually back the PM. Yet Boris, whos in line for a Cabinet job as part of the healing process after the referendum, wont have endeared himself to his boss by torpedo-ing Camerons claims that this was a big victory.
6. CAMERON HAS FIRED THE STARTING GUN FOR THE 'IN' CAMPAIGN.
Politics is not about getting everything you want. Its about the most important bits of what you want. Most voters get that. The Eurosceptics may well be right that most of the powers the PM has won from Brussels are trivial and dont matter. But even if thats true, and even if the details of the Brussels deal are lost on most voters, Cameron believes that ultimately its the bigger issues of jobs and national security that will swing the vote towards Remain.
Today, it was not a coincidence that he said the argument boils down to prosperity and security. And Theresa Mays decision to back him will play strongly into the terrorism, crime and immigration themes.
As ever, Cameron is a lucky general in that his opponents (from David Davis to Gordon Brown to Ed Miliband) often underestimate him. The voters wont notice if the rival Leave camps are at war. But they will notice if their main spokesmen turn out to be the divisive Nigel Farage or a figure like Iain Duncan Smith or Chris Grayling.
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For all the talk about wanting to see further progress, Cameron effectively fired the starting gun on an EU referendum race that now looks likely to take place in June. And while he has a two-week head start (before the deal is finalised) he warned his Cabinet today that Eurosceptics won't be allowed to speak out until after the deal is done.
His most telling line today was this: "Sometimes people say to me: 'If you weren't in the European Union, would you opt to join the European Union?' and today I can give a very clear answer.
"If I could get these terms for British membership I sure would opt in to the European Union because these are good terms and they are different to what other countries have."
After an uncharacteristic Twitter blackout following his second place finish in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, Donald Trump returned to the social network on Tuesday morning to blame the media for his loss.
In the first contest of the 2016 presidential election, Trump lost out to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who secured 28 percent of the vote to Trumps 24 percent. Florida Senator Marco Rubio came as close third with 23 percent.
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump visits a caucus site, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in West Des Moines, Iowa
Posting from New Hampshire, the host of next weeks primary vote, Trump harangued the media for not viewing his second place finish as a win.
"The media has not covered my long-shot great finish in Iowa fairly, he wrote. Brought in record voters and got second highest vote total in history!
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The media has not covered my long-shot great finish in Iowa fairly. Brought in record voters and got second highest vote total in history! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
The tycoon tried to spin the defeat as a victory for self-funding, noting his campaign spent a fraction of the money of his main competitors.
My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place, he added.
My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place. Nice Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
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 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
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Trump led in some Iowa polls leading up to the caucuses, however his decision to pull out of the Fox News debate over a spat with moderator Megyn Kelly may have proved costly.
I will be talking about my wonderful experience in Iowa and the simultaneous unfair treatment by the media-later in New Hampshire. Big crowd, he also tweeted.
I will be talking about my wonderful experience in Iowa and the simultaneous unfair treatment by the media-later in New Hampshire. Big crowd Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Hillary Clinton won the Iowa caucus for the Democratic Party after the former secretary of state was tied overnight with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
See all the results from the Iowa caucuses here.
Iowa Caucuses 2016 See gallery
Europe Minister David Lidington was accused of "polishing poo" today by a Tory colleague as he set out details of the Government's EU renegotiation deal to MPs.
Steve Baker, chair of the eurosceptic Conservatives For Britain group, made the claim in the House of Commons this afternoon as he gave his view on the draft agreement.
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Mr Lidington was left stuttering at the Despatch Box as he tried to respond to Mr Baker - who was one of a string of Tory eurosceptics to pour scorn on the deal.
European Commission President Donald Tusk this morning published the draft deal agreed between himself and the UK Government ahead of referendum, now expected to be held in June.
But while some welcomed the restrictions on in-work benefits to migrants under certain circumstances and the increase in power for national parliaments, Mr Baker took a different view.
He said: "This in-at-all-costs deal looks funny, it smells funny, it might be superficially shiny on the outside but poke it and its soft in the middle. Will my Right Honourable Friend admit to the House that he has been reduced to polishing poo?
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Mr Lidington responded: "No, I dont and I rather suspect that whatever kind of statement or response to question had been delivered by me or any of my colleagues from the Despatch Box my Honourable Friend would have been polishing that particular question many days ago."
Mr Baker was not the only Tory to express reservations over the draft deal.
Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, told BBC Radio 4s The World At One programme the deal did not address his concerns about the UKs relationship with the EU.
He said: What I have wanted to see for a very long time is a much more flexible relationship with Europe, Ive wanted to see powers coming back to the United Kingdom, and what we have previously campaigned for was to return some so-called competences from EU to UK level and theres nothing of that kind in the document.
"So I dont want to be churlish because I think David Cameron has clearly achieved some important improvements, but they are not on a scale that begins to address the concerns that I have.
When asked if he would back leaving the EU, Mr Brady replied: That is my expectation.
London Mayor Boris Johnson told LBC radio this morning there is much, much more, however, that needs to be done ahead of the referendum vote.
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Mr Johnson who has yet to say whether he backs the UK leaving the EU seemed unhappy with the proposed red card system which would require national parliaments to work together to block legislation.
He said: I think what would be better would be if we had a break of our own that we were willing to use and that we were more willing to say, Britains an independent sovereign country and we dont agree with this particular piece of regulation or legislation and we want to stop it. And thats what we should be able to do.
Peter Lilley, who served as a Cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, questioned the legality of restricting in-work benefits to EU migrants.
Speaking on the BBC, he said: We were told that we couldnt introduce reforms like this because they conflicted with the treaty. If thats the case, then these reforms will conflict with the treaty and within a few months of their being applied someone will apply to the European Court of Justice and theyll be found to be incompatible with the treaty and struck down.
If, alternatively, we were misled all the while and they are compatible with the treaty, we dont need these negotiations, we could have introduced them ourselves immediately or last year or the year before.
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ANSA
Google is planning a system where those who put extremist-related entries into its search engine being shown anti-radicalisation links as part of attempts to highlight "counter-narratives".
The world's largest search engine is to run schemes showing the counter-narratives to anyone googling "potentially damaging" terms, to combat the huge online propaganda machine of groups such as the so-called Islamic State (IS), also called Isil, Isis or Daesh.
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Google executive Dr Anthony House revealed this as he appeared alongside counterparts from Facebook and Twitter before the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday.
He told the MPs: We are working on counter-narratives around the world. This year one of the things were looking at is we are running two pilot programmes.
MPs spoke to the representatives of (left to right) Google, Facebook and Twitter
One is to make sure these types of views are more discoverable. The other is to make sure when people put potentially damaging search terms into our search engine they also find these counter narratives.
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Social media firms have come under scrutiny as IS has used their platforms to spread their messages to impressionable young men in the West, thousands of whom have travelled there.
Nick Pickles, UK public policy manager at Twitter, told the committee the site not pro-actively alert authorities to terrorist content posted by users.
Officials estimate there are more than 50,000 Twitter accounts used by supporters of IS.
Mr Pickles, Dr House and Facebook's Simon Milner were asked about the thresholds they apply on notifying authorities about terrorist material identified by their staff or users.
Labour MP Chuka Umunna asked: "What is the threshold beyond which you decide ... that you must pro-actively notify the law enforcement agencies?"
Dr House and Mr Milner said their threshold was "threat to life".
Mr Pickles said: "We don't pro-actively notify. One of the things... because Twitter's public, that content is available so often it's been seen already.
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"Then law enforcement has established criteria to come to us and then request information."
He said proposals to introduce a legal requirement on sites in the US were not supported by authorities there.
"One of the reasons is, if we are taking down tens of thousands of accounts, that's a huge amount of information and we are not in a position to judge credibility of those threats," he said.
"So actually you may end up in a position where you swamp law enforcement with unwanted information."
The committee heard that Twitter has removed tens of thousands of accounts in relation to violent extremism in the last year.
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Chairman Keith Vaz asked how many people are in the sites' "hit squads" that monitor content.
He was told Twitter, which has 320m users worldwide, has "more than 100" staff, while the Facebook and Google executives did not give a number.
Twitter was at the centre of controversy last year when it emerged it tips off users about requests for their account information "unless we're prohibited".
Mr Pickles stressed that decisions on whether to notify account holders were "context specific" and insisted they work with authorities to ensure they do not disrupt investigations.
He said: "By our policy we allow ourselves to not notify a user where it is counter-productive.
"In the case of an ongoing counter-terrorism investigation, that would be a circumstance where we would not seek to provide user notification that a request for data had been made."
Mr Pickles said the site's policies "clearly prohibit" encouraging and promoting terrorism.
All three emphasised their companies' commitment to combating IS's online activities.
Dr House said: "It's of fundamental importance. We don't want our platform to be an unsafe place."
Mr Milner said Facebook has become a "hostile place" for IS, adding: "Keeping people safe is our number one priority. Isis is part of that but it's absolutely not the only extremist organisation or behaviour that we care about."
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Mysterious 'cauliflower-looking' formations on Mars could have been deposited by "ancient alien life" experts have said.
The deposits of opaline silica were initially spotted inside Mars's Gusev crater in 2008. At the time, scientists were unsure of what was responsible for these formations.
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However, recent research in a Chilean desert suggests microbes could be behind the deposits, the Smithsonian reports.
In December, Steven Ruff and Jack Farmer from the Arizona State University published a paper explaining linking microbes to the silica deposits
Both experts arrived at their conclusions by making comparisons between Chiles Atacama Desert, reported to be very similar in soil-type to Mars, and what was seen by NASA's Spirit Rover.
Their observations are of course an extrapolation of what they have seen on Earth.
Other cauliflower-esque formations, spotted in New Zealand and Wyoming, have also been linked to microbes.
However, other experts in the field warn against getting too excited.
I don't think there is any way around using modern Earth analogs to test where Martian microbes may be found, Kurt Konhauser, editor-in-chief of the journal Geobiology, told Smithsonian.
An SNP MP has called on the home secretary to ban a controversial pick-up artist who has written that rape should be legalised, from entering the UK.
Owen Thompson, the 37-year-old Midlothian representative, is trying to block self-proclaimed neo-masculinist Daryush Valizadeh, who goes by the name of Roosh V, from attending an international meet up of his fans.
Nine events have been organised in cities across the UK by the anti-feminist blogger, although it is unclear whether he will attend either the Edinburgh or Glasgow ones.
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Thompson has urged Theresa May to prevent Valizadeh from entering the UK to make an appearance at either, arguing his "sexist and violent" speeches are tantamount to incitement.
Thompson, left, is taking on Valizadeh, right
"Although I welcome the work by Police Scotland and other organisations do to raise awareness of sexual crime I believe that sexist and violent speeches are clear acts of incitement," he wrote.
"Roosh V has urged supporters to 'neutralize' feminist protestors 'by amassing in high numbers', and stresses the men should record footage of women who disrupt their meeting, uploading it to online 'so we can tear them up'.
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"I therefore call on you to use your powers as Home Secretary to prevent Roosh V from entering the UK.
A fellow SNP MP, Tommy Sheppard, last night tweeted a photo of an Early Day Motion which would prevent the incitement of sexual crime and violence, which calls for action to be taken in light of the Valizadeh meetings.
Just tabled the following EDM - 'Prevention of incitement to sexual crime and violence'. pic.twitter.com/lfl3swSWNt Tommy Sheppard MP (@TommySheppard) February 1, 2016
"This house strongly condemns what it understands is the organisation of sexist and hate-mongering meetings across the United Kingdom by so-called pick-up artist 'Roosh V'," it read.
"This house believes that these meetings are misogynistic and that such behaviour is not tolerable in modern day society."
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One social media user thanked Sheppard, saying she "felt quite threatened" by the upcoming Valizadeh event. "Can't believe I feel like this in 2016," she wrote.
@TommySheppard@ChristinaSNP Thanks to both of you. I've felt quite threatened by all this today. Can't believe I feel like this in 2016. Lesley Bremner (@mrs_bremner) February 1, 2016
A follow-up petition to the Scottish Government hoping to force Valizadeh's meetings to be called off has already amassed over 40,000 signatures.
Set up by campaigner Cat Boyd, it reads: "This makes our cities unsafe for at least half the population.
"Promoting rape is hate speech, and should be treated as such."
Comments on the petition from angry supporters include: "Anyone who promotes rape is encouraging people to break the law. This should be stopped for obvious reasons" and "We are supposed to be a civilised society, why would we promote or allow anyone else to promote barbaric practice?"
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The appeal to ban Valizadeh has reached 40,000 signatures
An Australian personality recently pleaded in a TV address for people to ignore him and instead invest time in reading about the work of a women's refuge charity.
Instead of linking to articles about Roosh V or responding to his calculated, vile tweets which just keep him trending, I challenge you to click something else, Waleed Aly said.
Specifically, click on your social media and share a link to Lous Place. This is a womens refuge in Sydney.
"You have never heard of them because they dont troll people with deliberately outrageous sexist comments and they are not pumped up, self-important media hacks who give trolls like that attention."
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Like many young girls Stephanie Kurlow, who had been dancing since she was two, dreamed of becoming a ballerina. But, in 2010, she stopped performing after converting to Islam, as she thought she could not be both a Muslim and a professional ballerina.
"There are no facilitations or services targeted at Muslim girls," the 14-year-old explains. "In this day and age there is a lack of facilitations for youth who are disengaged or of a different religion or race."
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Recently, however, Kurlow, from Sydney, has decided to continue pursuing her dreams.
"So many inspiring changes are happening to the world.. African-American ballerinas- Michaela De Prince and Misty Copeland, the first Hijabi Emirati [weight] lifter Amna Al Haddad and the first Hijabi news anchor on American television Noor Tagouri - that have motivated me to pursue my passion."
Kurlow is now trying to raise $10,000AUD to reach her goal of training at a ballet school.
"I want to encourage everyone to join together no matter what faith, race or colour," she writes on her crowdfunding page.
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"By your investment in me I will be able to receive my qualifications and diplomas so that I may open a performing arts school that caters to children and teenagers of different religions, races or backgrounds.
"I believe I am here to inspire and motivate youth who feel isolated or disengaged due to labels and restrictions, to pursue their dreams no matter what."
The five things you need to know on Tuesday February 2, 2016
1) TSK, TUSK
Todays the day we get to see just what David Cameron has cajoled from his fellow EU leaders, as he bids to reset the UKs relations with Brussels. Many Eurosceptics have long predicted that this is how the beginning of the endgame will play out: not with a bang but a whimper from No.10.
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The choreography is set, with David Cameron hosting his Cabinet early, and EU council chief Donald Tusk setting out his final draft at 11am UK time. The PM then has his Big Speech responding to the text, out in a nice location aimed at pitching to key voters. Only tomorrow do we get the PM making a Commons statement (a delay the Speaker may not be happy about - will he drag the PM before the House later?)
Overnight, No10 showed a bit more leg with claims that a red card for national parliaments had been agreed, though Eurosceps were instantly critical that it looked more like a lily pink card as 55% of countries would be needed within a tight 12 week deadline. Big issues remain the state of the emergency brake and benefits.
If the PM does get what he thinks he wants, then get set for June 23 for the EU referendum. Just how the newspapers play this will be fascinating: will they really urge their readers to back the Leave camp (some in No.10 think they wont, despite the bluster)? But the Daily Mails not impressed today, with a splash of: Is that it then, Mr Cameron?. The Times points to Theresa May raising fresh issues on immigration, but it seems not on welfare.
Ultimately, however, this is a referendum that could well come down to David Camerons own ability to carve out narrow but crucial victories. The Eurosceptics all think his renegotiation deal is irrelevant or trivial, but polling for YouGov shows that Tory voters will back what Cameron backs, and that could swing this entire vote. If he gets a decent curb on migrant welfare, he could claim to have called Europe's bluff, off the back of his mandate in last year's election.
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Cameron squeaked a win in 2010 (by surprising many with a bold Coalition deal which benefited him and ruined his partners), and in 2015s general election. He squeaked a win in the Scottish indy referendum, can he do so again on Europe? A win is a win after all, and once this is over his supporters hope he can focus on his compassionate Conservatism legacy.
Nigel Farage, in contrast, is a loser and much more divisive a figure than Cameron. He claimed last night that the Vote Leave camp was soft on Brexit as some in its camp back a second referendum. Bernard Jenkin insists hes kissed and made up with other Vote Leavers. But divisions in the Brexit camp can only help Dave.
2) CRUZ CONTROL
So, the hot news Stateside is that Ted Cruz has won the Iowa caucus with a healthy lead and that Trump only narrowly managed to push Marco Rubio into third. My US colleague Howard Fineman writes: In the end it was a surprise that it wasnt a surprise: Iowa Republicans, most of whom are evangelical Christians, chose an evangelical Christian as their man. Note that Cruzs positions on a string of issues (Iran nuke deal, climate change) are no less scary than Trumps to many Brits in Westminster and Whitehall.
For Trump, his sheen has undoubtedly taken a knock. He always likes to start his rallies by quoting the polls and here a real, live poll has delivered the one label he hates: a loser. But whats perhaps worth noting is that he even had a chance here anyway, particularly given his views on moral and religious matters are opaque at best. Rubios strong third will give hope to many Tories over here that the moderate mainstream Republicans still have a chance.
As for Bernie Sanders, his catchphrase Feel the Bern was quoted this morning by the JeremyCorbyn4PM Twitterfeed as an echo of their own Jez We Can (which in turn was nicked from Obama, who nicked it from Latino farm workers, hey politics is often about whos the best magpie). Hillary is claiming a narrow win but Sanders virtual tie underlines that grassroots organisation - which Cruz had in spades and Corbyn too - can, ahem, trump your richer opponents.
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3) THREE-PRONGED TRIDENT?
Emily Thornberry updates the Shadow Cabinet today on the progress of her defence review and is expected to reveal some preliminary findings. Im told the option floated by Jeremy Corbyn on Marr of nuclear subs with no nukes (they dont have to have nuclear warheads on them, as he put it) has been deemed too impractical and expensive.
But while some in the party believe this proves the decision really is a binary one, Im also told Thornberry is keeping alive some third way alternatives. The Telegraph reports that one option would be to retain stealth subs to transport armed forces around the world, though it is far from clear why Successors (the main cost of Trident renewal) would be needed for that rather than cheaper Astute class subs we have at present.
Splits over defence are just one element of the divisions in the party and last night Tom Watson warned the PLP that the clear message from MSPs in Scotland and council chiefs in England was that infighting at Westminster was hurting the party on the doorstep ahead of Mays elections. Will Kezia Dugdales 1p on the basic rate of tax today help fend off the SNP I wonder?
Meanwhile, the Socialist Worker reports (yes, you read that right) Corbyns key supporter Jon Lansman has revealed to a meeting of Haringey Momentum: Im in no doubt that after May we could face a leadership challenge. He added: You hear about Momentum bullying. What happens in the Parliamentary Labour Party every Monday is bullying by a small section of the PLP. What it is designed to do is grind Jeremy down."
BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR
Crazy weather alert: watch this video that proves its been snowing in Saudi Arabia. Its real, not a fake.
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4) ROAD FROM DAMASCUS
Tory MP Heidi Allen, bete noir of the Treasury over tax credits, has again stepped into tricky waters, this time on Syrian refugees. Working with Save The Children, the backbencher visited Lesbos to see first hand the plight of children and families, and has posted some powerful photos on her Twitter feed.
She told Newsnight last night that Greece was just overwhelmed. "I feel that every European country - [and] America - should contribute and have some real organisation there and they could really transform the situation. Governments should ask themselves 'what can you manage? what can you take?.
As it happens King Abdullah of Jordan has told the BBC that his country is at boiling point with nearly 20% of his population now Syrian refugees, and hes refusing to take more unless major cash help is given.
The Suns Craig Woodhouse travelled with Philip Hammond on his own trip to a refugee camp in Jordan, and reports the Foreign Secretary saying less than half of arrivals to Europe are actually fleeing the Syrian conflict. The influx from this region has opened up a flood which includes many people coming from other parts of the world, often via this region but not originating from Syria. Theres that f-word again, but many Tory MPs will agree with him.
5) WASPI-SH STINGS
Just a couple of weeks after Westminster Hall staged a dull and pointless debate on Donald Trump, the Commons second chamber yesterday say a much more passionate and important debate on another e-petition: on womens pension rights.
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The public gallery was packed and noisy as MPs from all parties laid into the way women in their 50s were not properly informed that the 1995 Pensions Act would hike the female pension age to 65 by 2020. The Coalitions move to accelerate the process to 2018 has further infuriated those who say poorest women will lose the most.
The minister Shailesh Vara further incensed the debate by suggesting those who lose out will be able to claim benefits. The SNPs Mhairi Black has been hitting the headlines on this topic but yesterday it was Labours Helen Jones who had the zinger of the day.
When Tory Richard Graham urged colleagues to look at the facts as much as the understandable emotion of women born in the 1950s, Jones rose with this magisterial smackdown: The hon. Gentleman said earlier that the women protesting about the change were being emotional. That is quite often a label attached to women who exhibit behaviour different from that of a doormat.
I wonder what Nicky Morgan (dark horse leadership contender) thinks of it all? In a pointed reference to Daves weekend remarks on diversity in uni places, she told the Birmingham Mail it would be a great mistake if the two people that the party offers up as potential candidates are white men.
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Pregnant women in Britain who have travelled to countries infected by the Zika virus have been advised to have an ultrasound to monitor their baby's growth.
The guidance from the NHS states women who were either pregnant when they travelled or who conceived within a fortnight of returning should see their GP even if they are feeling perfectly well.
The virus has been linked to a increase in the number of women in South America giving birth to babies with microcephaly a condition causing an unborn baby's brain to stop growing in the womb.
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"If you are pregnant and have a history of travel to a country where there is an ongoing Zika virus outbreak, see your GP or midwife and mention your travel history even if you have not been unwell," the advice on the NHS website states.
Doctors attend to a baby born with microcephaly in Brazil
The NHS advice continues: "Your midwife or hospital doctor will discuss the risk with you and will arrange an ultrasound scan of your baby to monitor growth.
"If you have experienced Zika symptoms either during or within two weeks of returning home, see your GP or midwife and mention your travel history.
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"Your midwife or hospital doctor will discuss the risk with you and will arrange an ultrasound scan to measure your babys growth and brain development. If there are any problems you will be referred to a specialist fetal medicine service for further monitoring."
The World Health Organisation warned that the virus outbreak, which started in Brazil, is spreading so quickly that four million people could be infected by the end of the year.
Most people contract the virus through being bitten by an "aedes aegypti" mosquito. It cannot be caught from coming into contact with an infected person, however possible cases of sexual transmission have been reported.
There is currently no treatment or vaccine.
According to the Telegraph, six Britons are already known to have picked up the disease through mosquito bites while travelling in Columbia, Suriname, Mexico, the Cook Islands and Guyana.
The Foreign Office has advised women who are pregnant, or who are planning on becoming pregnant, to "Reconsider travel to areas where Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks are currently reported as further evidence for a possible link between ZIKV infection and congenital malformations emerges."
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Elison, 10, nurses his 2-month-old brother Jose Wesley who was born with microcephaly following an outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil
Public Health England advised men to wear condoms during intercourse for 28 days after returning from Brazil, Mexico or any of the other countries where the virus has been detected, if their partner is pregnant or hoping to become pregnant.
The organisation advised: "If a female partner is at risk of getting pregnant, or is already pregnant, condom use is advised for a male traveller for 28 days after his return from a Zika transmission area if he had no symptoms of unexplained fever and rash.
"Condom use is advised for a male traveller for six months following recovery if a clinical illness compatible with Zika virus infection or laboratory confirmed Zika virus infection was reported."
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A map illustrating the countries in the Americas where Zika virus outbreaks have been reported is available on the Pan American Health Organisation's website.
At the time of publishing, these included: Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, US Virgin Islands and Venezuela.
Children campaign for tax justice in Malawi
"I am angry, really really angry that there are big companies coming to Malawi and not paying tax here. I don't know how they sleep at night. I don't know their conscience."
Those are the words of Bubbily Silingwe, 22, a student of Nutrition & Livelihoods Security in Lilongwe, Malawi. She is furious that big UK companies are able to work in her country, yet could be paying barely any tax because of a 60 year old tax treaty.
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"The row over tax dodging by big companies like Google shows how strongly the British public feels that multinationals aren't paying their fair share. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is estimated that developing countries lose a staggering $200 billion a year to tax avoidance by big companies.
Bubbily Silingwe wants companies to pay their fair share of tax
ActionAid is today launching a new campaign calling on the UK Government to renegotiate the unfair UK-Malawi treaty.
Malawi is the poorest country in the world with a GDP per person of just $255 per year. That is less than a dollar a day. Millions of people are living in desperate poverty. One in twenty children die before the age of 5. Schools and hospitals don't have the money to pay staff, buy medicine or books, or even fix the roof. Women and girls living in poverty are paying the heaviest price as they struggle to access schools and hospitals.
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Malawi is in the grip of a healthcare crisis. There are only around 300 doctors in the entire country (the UK has 273,000). And as one local nurse told ActionAid:
"We can't do without tax. The situation is unimaginable; I don't know what to say. The hospitals are suffering. We need companies to pay taxes."
The Malawi Government desperately needs money to tackle poverty. Yet a 1955 tax treaty with the UK is tying their hands and making it nearly impossible to collect tax from UK companies operating there. The tax treaty is so old that it was signed by the British Governor on behalf of the British colonies of Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
UK companies are big investors in Malawi - US$157 million in 2010, yet this treaty makes it possible for them to pay little or no corporate tax in Malawi.
The treaty is so out of date that not only does it not deal with the taxing of digital goods, it does not even cover the taxing of TV related products!
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More importantly it stops Malawi collecting so-called 'withholding taxes'. This means big British companies could dodge tax by diverting money out of Malawi through clever tax tricks like inflated managements fees, dividends and royalties without Malawi being able to tax the money as it leaves the country.
ActionAid is standing with women like Bubbily and calling for change. The UK now has an opportunity to put the fight against poverty at the heart of its tax policy and negotiate a new treaty that ensures UK companies pay their fair share in Malawi.
When I read about the racial abuse towards asylum seekers in Middlesbrough earlier this month, I hoped that it was a one off that wouldn't be repeated. Then I saw the news that up to 100 masked men had attacked immigrants in Stockholm. The same weekend, violent protests were held in Dover to spread the message that 'Refugees Are Not Welcome' in the UK. The refugee crisis and response from certain media outlets has created unnecessary tension. I can understand why recent events, particularly in Germany and Sweden, have raised some questions about how the situation is dealt with. However, we shouldn't let the completely wrong actions of a few, stop us from helping the majority in need of our support and aid.
We all remember the harrowing photograph of three year old Alan Kurdi from September last year. The photo led to cries of 'Refugees Welcome' from the general public. Yet, less than four months down the line, our empathy seems to have disappeared.
Despite what some newspapers would like us to believe, the refugees aren't coming to the UK to take advantage of our 'easy' benefits system, to exploit our free healthcare or to attack young women. They're coming to flee persecution in their own countries. It's 2016 and people are still dying from the lack of basic supplies of food and water, yet some are suggesting that we turn our backs on them. The United Nations stated recently that some 400,000 people living in Syria are in need of "desperate emergency assistance". To put this into perspective, that is around the same amount as the population of Liverpool. Our willingness to help needs to be shown.
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An anti-fascism protest was also held in Dover the same day. It's a shame that the positive protest hasn't been given as much press attention as the shambolic 'Neo-Nazi' parade. Events such as the Dover protests won't be anomalies if more and more Brits are swept along with the online 'anti-immigration' rhetoric. Faux Christian group, Britain First has over one million likes on Facebook and that number keeps on growing. If the media humanized refugees, and showed the conditions that they have left then maybe it would help educate the uninformed about the reasons why they need to come to the UK.
The quote "do unto others as you would have them do to you" comes to mind.
If the shoe was on the other foot, these protesters would quickly swap life in a war torn country, to a place in the EU. In fact, wouldn't we all? We would expect to be treated with respect, so why aren't they being given respect from us?
Over the years, I have come across many bizarre theories about what might have happened to the 7th Earl of Lucan - and of these, far and away the most eye-popping is the story that he was fed to John Aspinall's tiger.
This hoary old story re-emerged again at the weekend and its juicy details are just as enthralling now as when I first heard them 30 years ago; they are well worth the re-telling.
However, as with all stories that pertain to Britain's most notorious fugitive, all eye-witness accounts should be taken with a lorry-load of salt.
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I go further: Lucan's friends and family would much, much prefer it if Lucan was dead. It's easier for everyone if the accepted truth is that Lucan committed suicide 41 years ago, shortly after he botched his wife's murder and killed the nanny.
He's dead, folks - nothing to see here! He's been dead since 1974 and this story is well and truly over.
Well... It's a view.
And if I may, I'd like to offer an alternative view. I should perhaps mention that over the last decade I have become something of a specialist on Lord Lucan, and have even ghosted his memoirs, Lord Lucan: My Story. (The tale of Lucan being fed to the tiger gets a passing mention on Page 13).
Now I'm not saying that the latest witness to come forward is a liar - dear me no!
What I am saying is that the two people who first promulgated the idea that Lucan killed himself were those multi-millionaire scoundrels John Aspinall (father of Damian) and Jimmy Goldsmith (father of London mayoral candidate Zac, as well as Jemima and sundry others.)
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And therefore: Goldsmith and Aspinall may - perhaps, just possibly - have been telling the truth about Lord Lucan and that he did indeed blow his brains out. But it's far, far more likely that, as ever, Goldsmith and Aspinall were just spreading misinformation. Muddying the waters. That's what this unholy pair of rogues were born to do - and it is what they spent their lives doing.
But first though, and since it is such a great story, let us take a look at the deliciously grisly details of Lucan and Zorra the tiger.
The story was revealed (again) over the weekend, after one of Lord Lucan's gambling cronies, Philippe Marcq, came out of the woodwork. Interestingly, for us sceptics who think that Lucan could still be live, Marcq never actually witnessed the events that took place.
Rather, he heard the story from one of his old mates, Stephen Raphael. That rather tends to be the way of things with these Lucan stories - it's all hearsay from people who are dead.
According to Marcq, soon after Lord Lucan had killed his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett, he sought refuge with his old friend John Aspinall. [This is also described at some length in Lord Lucan: My Story. Spooky how I could have been so on the money, eh? Or perhaps I myself had my own secret sources.]
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Aspinall called in a few friends, including Raphael, for a council of war at Howletts, his magnificent home in Kent.
There, or so it is claimed, Lucan admits murdering Sandra. He's also very worried that his estranged wife Veronica will get custody of not just the three children but also his estate.
There's only one way through this thicket of problems - and that would be for Lucan to kill himself and disappear. With no proof of death, Lucan's estate would be tied up for at least the next seven years, by which time, Lucan's children would be adults and capable enough of making their own decisions.
A pistol is brought out and Lucan is urged to go and do the decent thing.
What a seductive image: Lucan, alone in Aspinall's study, with a bottle of whisky and (I like to think) a pearl-handled revolver. He takes a slug of whisky, and another slug and when he's done he puts the pistol into his mouth and pulls the trigger.
It was now apparently up to Aspinall to complete the second part of the plan and properly dispose of the body. Of course he could have just buried the body somewhere on the Howletts estate, but it would undoubtedly have appealed to Aspinall's sense of the macabre to have fed Lucan to Zorra the tiger. (What did he do with the head? Do tigers eat human heads - or did Aspinall use the top of the skull as a serving dish for his caviar?)
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One thing we do know for a fact is that Aspinall was later quizzed by police about the tiger theory - and told them with his usual chutzpah: "My tigers are only fed the choicest cuts - do you really think they're going to eat stringy old Lucky?"
What a terrific story! I'm not surprised it got such a good airing over the weekend.
Let me now play devil's advocate.
Far from feeding Lucan to the tigers, Aspinall (and probably Goldsmith) helped Lucan flee the country. The pair had the money and also the low-life contacts to not just whisk Lucan out to Africa, but then to set him up with a new face and a new life.
And knowing what we do about Aspinall, he would have relished helping Lucan to escape. Let us not forget that Aspinall's entire fortune was made by cheating Britain's bluebloods at his bent casinos; he loved nothing more than thumbing his nose at the police and the British establishment.
Of course that's all just theory - but this theory, how ever arcane, is at least supported by a small amount of corroborative evidence. Not that we have much to go on, but all the details that have emerged over the last four decades indicate that Lucan got away. More than that: they indicate that Lucan did indeed manage to re-invent himself. Why - Lucan would only be 81 today and, if he has mastered the wonders of the internet, could even now be reading this story. [Morning Lucky - how we doing?]
There are witnesses, credible witnesses, who saw Lucan being flown out of England in a private aircraft. We have a witness who arranged for Lucan's children to go on safari, where their dear old dad could watch them from afar through his binoculars. And, rather bizarrely, we have Lucan's old watch turning up in a pawnbrokers in South Africa.
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As for the theory that Lucan committed suicide, the only evidence we have is dead men's words and the fact that he hasn't been seen since 1974.
Last week saw Facebook cement their commitment to challenging the presence of extremist ideologies online, with the launch of a new campaign called Online Civil Courage Initiative (OCCI). The OCCI will aim to provide funding and develop best practices for NGO's currently working to counter violent extremism (CVE) online, whilst supporting research to understand the roots of extremism and hate speech.
At the launch event in Berlin, Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg was firm. "Hate speech has no place in our society, not even on the Internet" she said, reflecting a growing awareness from social media platforms. In 2015, both Facebook and Twitter announced they would find and remove hate speech from their sites within 24 hours.
The challenge that Facebook and others have is how to reconcile the need to counter violent extremist speech online with the desire to protect the integrity of free speech. Common criticism to the removal of hate speech online is pointing the finger of online censorship. The argument often focuses on concerns that it's a slippery slope towards an online Orwellian dystopia.
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These criticisms should not be ignored, and how social media balances its response with the maintaining of liberal principles will determine its legacy in this new era of digitalised extremism. Despite this challenge, the reality we are living with is that violent extremist groups are using mainstream social media platforms to broadcast and amplify their niche, cult-like ideologies, and infiltrate the phones, homes and minds of the vulnerable and disillusioned. Countering these groups at the root is not the domain of social media platforms, but disrupting their routes of communication should be. Facebook's decision to monitor and remove hate speech, is indicative of the kind of disruption social media platforms can undertake.
In defence of such a strategy, Western societies have already accepted and adapted to the securitization of public and private spaces. It surely does not seem so radical a perspective as to accept some semblance of securitisation online. The offline and online spaces are not separate environments, and the repercussions of online radicalisation can echo violently into the offline world. The function and popularity of sites such as Facebook has given new scope to the recruitment and mobilisation capacities of violent extremist groups, and domestic radicalisation of youths is an issue facing nations from Britain and the US, to China and Indonesia.
Young British citizens, vulnerable to the pull of these groups, are being recruited by far-right and religious extremists who exploit social media to reach this new pool of potential recruits. It is inadequate a response to hold freedom of speech in such high regard as to belligerently shut down any attempts to combat such a damaging threat to the lives of those vulnerable to radicalisation, and to those hurt by their actions. Sheryl Sandberg empathetically claimed at the launch of OCCI that "Facebook is not a place for the dissemination of hate speech or incitement to violence". If social media companies can find the necessary balance between security and the protection of liberal values, then it is their responsibility to act.
Using their financial weight to support NGO's which counter violent extremism is evidence of Facebook's decision to take extremism seriously. It is a somewhat less contentious approach than removing hate speech, and can act as a long-term accompaniment to the 24-hour removal service.
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Organisations that counter extremism online are multiplying by the month, with various focuses from education and critical thinking, to direct engagement with extremists. ExitUSA runs a pro-active online campaign to persuade current and former members of violent far-right groups to contact them, with the offer of support from an active network of former extremists who can relate to their beliefs and struggles.
Involving former extremists in such organisations is a particularly impactful approach to CVE, and was recognised by Sandberg as the best responsive we currently have to the online presence of ISIS:
"The best thing to speak against recruitment by Isis are the voices of people who were recruited by Isis, understand what the true experience is, have escaped and have come back to tell the truth... Counter-speech to the speech that is perpetuating hate we think by far is the best answer"
I knew I wanted an elective caesarean long before I even fell pregnant again. After losing my son Louis, I was naturally terrified at the prospect of losing another baby and knew I couldn't endure another labour and delivery. It was simply all too much for me.
Louis was stillborn at 41 weeks and I knew for the duration of my labour that he was already dead. As far a physical delivery goes, I can say that my body coped well. Louis was nearly 11lbs, no one was prepared for him to be so big and even the midwives were surprised I delivered him unscathed without stitches.
The truth though, was that I was far, far from unscathed. Louis died in 2002 - and the memory of his delivery is so horrific that it still haunts me, nearly 14 years later. Life is so busy these days, I can barely remember what I did last week; yet I can recall almost every horrendous moment of his labour and delivery. I wish I could forget.
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Childbirth is always painful (obviously) but delivering a stillborn child is something different altogether. Such physical participation in your child's death remains an unthinkable experience to those who haven't endured such loss.
Long before falling pregnant again, I spoke with a doctor who said I probably had a form of PTSD - apparently this isn't uncommon in women who experience stillbirth. The doctor confirmed that I would probably be able to choose to have a caesarean. I later discovered that getting an elective caesarean in the UK is far from easy.
Pregnant with my second baby, I tried to engage my midwife in conversations about my desire to have an elective caesarean but I found her to be less than receptive, she shut down most conversations by telling me talk to the consultant. Given my history, I was given extra scans and appointments at the hospital to keep an eye on the pregnancy, at each and every appointment I reiterated my desire to have an elective caesarean. At times I was told it would be very unlikely, most didn't even want to discuss it at all; I was made to feel unreasonable and over emotional - which, to be fair, I was.
By 34 weeks pregnant I was starting to lose hope, I even attended a class on the labour ward in case I had to delivery naturally - being on the maternity ward only confirmed all of my anxieties. Attending one of my last consultant appointments I went in totally stressed out. A young male consultant listened patiently while I rambled on about losing my son and all the terrifying memories of his delivery. No doubt I was probably waving my hands around and trying not to cry by this point. After I finished ranting he simply took out a large desk diary, opened it and said 'let's pick a date for your caesarean', he also said that he totally understood and would feel the same in my position.
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After an entire pregnancy spent trying to convince other people (who to the best of my knowledge had never experienced a stillbirth themselves) his words were a weight off my shoulders; not only was I able to have the delivery I wanted but I also, finally, didn't feel unreasonable in my decision.
I got my caesarean, my daughter Amelia was born in 2007 and like every parent ever said... it was amazing; she was the most perfect baby (now the most lovely eight-year old). They handed her to my husband and seeing her in his arms healed so much of the pain I had carried with me since my son's death. I didn't get to have immediate skin-to-skin and I couldn't have cared less (I got it later...and years of cuddles ever since). I didn't get to breastfeed in the end and it was all fine, my daughter is completely healthy. I was in pain for days/weeks, I have a weird pouchy bit on my stomach that will never go however much work I put in and my insides are apparently riddled with scar tissue but honestly, I would do it the same all over again without hesitation..
Here are some points to consider when deciding if an elective caesarean is right for you:
It is major surgery, and I do mean major. I didn't give this nearly enough thought (so fixated on getting the delivery I wanted). Being awake for an operation, having the spinal administered and being unable to move are points not to be taken lightly. I was so scared during the pre-op prep that it took two nursery to hold my hand steady to get the cannula in!
It hurts! There is so much crap around (written by utter idiots) about caesareans somehow being an 'easier birth' - caesareans are so painful, the pain lingers for days/weeks. Trying to get off the bed for the first time after my daughter's birth remains the single most painful moment of my life. I won't sugar coat it.
Your doctors would like to spare you major surgery. If they try to talk you into attempting a natural delivery, they're not trying to be mean or dismissive (I understand this now), for the reasons mentioned above, caesareans are dangerous, as is all surgery - you sign a form acknowledging you might die! Doctors just want to keep you safe but only you can decide if the risks are worth it.
If you are sure you want a caesarean, if you feel it is the only way you can safely deliver your baby after stillbirth, then be firm. Accept you're probably going to feel emotional about it (because you're pregnant and you've already lost a child) but be firm.
Get back up. My husband was my greatest champion. We met after my son died so he hadn't gone through stillbirth himself but he accepted that I knew exactly what I needed and helped me explain myself to each and every doctor (there were many).
I don't doubt that it's better to give birth without having major surgery. After delivering my son naturally my body bounced back (pretty much), I recovered so much quicker than I did after undergoing caesareans. Experiences can differ wildly, just like natural deliveries. My second caesarean was a far more physically unpleasant experience than my first.
One thing is clear, that however the UK votes in the referendum, our relationship with Europe is going to change. Following David Cameron's negotiations with Europe's leaders, today Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, has published the terms of the deal, called a 'New Settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union', which if approved later this month, could form the basis of the UK's renewed membership of the EU.
David Cameron's new deal effectively grants the UK a form of associate membership of the European Union. Our membership would be totally different from those of countries like Germany, France and Italy. The deal safeguards our special status with exemptions and protections from large areas of EU law, and grants further concessions. It helps to give us what we want, which is full access to the single market, but the right to control our currency, economy and protect our borders.
Specifically, the European Council recognises that we are already exempt from ever joining the euro, we do no participate in the Schengen open borders scheme, and that we have the right to opt out (as we have done) of measures relating to security, crime, justice and policing. In addition to this, the new deal exempts the UK from 'ever closer union' with the European Union and states that 'in light of the United Kingdom's special situation under the Treaties, it is not committed to further political integration.' National parliaments across the EU are also to be given new powers to stop EU legislation they disagree with.
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There has been considerable debate over the power to stop in-work benefits to migrants to the UK from the EU, who have never paid into our welfare system. The European Council makes clear that, 'the right of economically non active persons to reside in the host Member State depends under EU law on such persons having sufficient resources for themselves and their family members not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the host Members State and have comprehensive sickness insurance.'
The new deal goes further and recognises that because of the exceptional pressure that has been put on the UK from migrant workers from the EU, we will be able to apply an emergency brake on in-work benefits they would otherwise receive 'for a total period of up to four years from the commencement of employment.' An additional measure also proposes that people in work will no longer be able to claim child benefit at the UK rate, to send back to their children living in another country.
One of the key areas for our re-negotiation of our membership of the European Union was also to protect our economy and the City of London from interference from the eurozone. The new deal delivers this by stating that there can be no 'discrimination' within the EU based on the official currency of the member state, that the power of institutions like the European Central Bank to rule on issues to do with banking and credit, applies only to the eurozone. It is made clear as well that the supervision of financial institutions and markets for countries not in the Eurozone, 'is a matter for their own authorities'.
Finally, the European Council also recognises the need for greater competition and deregulation. It commits to work to lower 'administrative burdens and compliance costs on economic operators, especially small and medium entreprises', and to repeal, 'unnecessary legislation.'
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So in short, its a new deal for Britain with safeguards for the City of London, which excludes us from political union, gives new powers to stop welfare benefits to EU migrants, commits the EU to more competition and deregulation, and proposes new powers for national parliaments to block EU laws.
On the 19th January 2016, MPs debated a motion calling on the government to abandon its policy on replacing maintenance grants with loans. The MPs voted against this motion by 306 to 292. A final debate took place in the House of Lords on 25th January 2016. The Government claims 'Our system means that students who earn the most contribute more towards the costs of their education'. Arguably they neglect to consider students with disabilities, religion and belief, ethnicity and low-income groups.
As someone who has had to rely on two jobs, two bursaries, one maintenance grant and one maintenance loan, I cannot begin to tell you how much a maintenance grant meant to me. It meant much more than money. It meant I actually belonged at university. I study Law which is still regarded as a 'snobby' degree in some perspectives despite recent socio-economic programmes, such as Pathways to Law. On my first week of university, a small minority of fellow students stated claims such as 'I own some of my Dad's business and he is a millionaire, 'My parents work in oil' and 'I went to a private school worth 30 thousand pounds a year'. Having never been exposed to this environment before, I actually felt like I did not belong at university. I was simply a daughter of a shop assistant wanting to better my future. A maintenance grant to me provided me with the hope for a better future, stability and an opportunity to improve my situation. It meant that the government and this country were supporting me in what I am doing and that despite coming from a low-income background, I do actually belong at university. That hope is priceless.
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My household income is seventeen thousand pounds a year. With tuition fees currently at nine thousand pounds a year and my maintenance loan and grant combined together is nearly eight thousand pounds a year, the cost of attending university for just one year is actually more than my household income. How could I justify or even consider the prospective of attending university if I did not have any help such as bursaries and the maintenance grant?
I have always wanted to go to university but in year nine of secondary school, I was placed in the lower bands for GCSE which meant that I could only finish school with only five GCSEs. I was terribly upset so my mother went to the school to argue my case. The Head of Year Nine said 'Emily is a lovely girl but she has no academic ability'. This could be very damaging for a teenage to hear but I used this as motivation to prove the teacher wrong. This example also shows that if children from lower-income backgrounds are taught they should restrict their options, they could actually believe that they are unable to achieve. Ironically in Year Ten, the Head of Sixth Form placed me on an 'Aim Higher Programme' which was a widening participation initiative to encourage students from minority groups to look at their options at university. I absolutely loved this programme and realised if I worked hard, I can have the results I need to attend university. Without a doubt, this programme was instrumentally in improving my confidence to apply to university. However in 2010 Conservative MP, David Willetts, announced the closure of this programme. I really do not understand why the Government is seemingly determined to not raise the aspirations of those from lower-income backgrounds and minority ethnic groups.
Some may argue that the Government is encouraging aspirations by introducing apprenticeships. My two younger sisters are currently on an apprenticeship and are training to become junior accountants. They have their professional examinations and education paid for them. Whereas on the other hand, when I originally applied to university there were no apprenticeships for Law and the only way to be successful was to have a degree. Is this not encouraging the law profession to remain 'snobby'? Why should I have to change my goals simply because I come from a lower-income background?
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I also read the Student Finance Equality Analysis report on maintenance grants. It stated that 'There are groups of Muslim students whose religion prohibits them from taking out an interest bearing loan' and maintenance grants 'could lead to a decline in the participation of some Muslim students'. I will not pretend to know an awful lot about Islam but surely if Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom, this will segregate a high proportion of the population.
Former British Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy appeals to world leaders and other delegates attending the 2016 Syria Donors Conference.
Dear Delegate,
When you sit in the conference in London on 4 February please spare a moment to consider the people of Syria. This conference is "supporting Syria and the region". It is right that the international community should be seeking to help all those who are generously hosting the millions of Syrians who have fled war and strife at home. In Lebanon, Jordan and Northern Iraq more than one quarter of the population are now refugees or displaced people. Education and health services are over-stretched and poor communities, who opened their doors over four years ago, when the first refugees came, are also suffering.
But this conference should be about Syrians. What would a displaced Syrian inside Syria like to see the 30-plus heads of state gathered in London agree? What difference will those few hours make to daily lives in Aleppo, or Madaya, or other besieged areas? I think it is reasonable to assume that a Syrian inside Syria - one of the 13.5 million people there in need of humanitarian assistance - would like a bit of calm, an end to the bombing, a ceasefire of sorts, an end to the targeting of schools and hospitals, and an agreement to ensure that humanitarian aid gets to all those in need, especially those in besieged areas.
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All of that should be possible. It doesn't need a full peace agreement to stop the bombing now. It doesn't need a full peace agreement to allow in humanitarian aid or to stop targeting hospitals. Heads of all the world's humanitarian agencies made that appeal on 20 January. Please listen to them.
Dear delegate, think too of the Syrians in the Beka'a valley in Lebanon. What do they want to see come out of this conference? What would help give them a bit of hope that they can return home soon? Or even a bit of hope that their lives in Lebanon might be bearable while they wait to return to Syria?
They might like some guarantees that food rations from the World Food Programme will not be halved again like last summer because of lack of funding. Now that all personal savings have been spent, more and more refugees are totally dependent on UN food hand outs and the UN's own statistics show that refugees in Syria are eating less and less.
Syrians in Lebanon would like an opportunity to work legally; to contribute to the economy; to be able to support their families and themselves with a little dignity. In Iraqi Kurdistan where Syrian refugees can work, they have contributed their talents and set up new businesses. It should be possible in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey too. Syrians are clever people: many are skilled and well educated. They could be contributing to making Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey even more vibrant societies.
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Many Syrian children in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq are out of school. They are missing vital years of education because of bureaucratic rules on language of instruction and school curricula.
Dear delegate, please do commit to funding the education budget that the conference is asking for, but please also ask host governments to change their policies to help get Syrian children into education, and help get Syrian teachers back to work.
Dear delegate, your government's pledge to fund is important to all Syrians wherever they are, but money in itself will not be enough. Host governments need to be encouraged to make policy changes that will help refugees regain hope: hope that their daily lives can be lived with dignity and hope that one day soon they will be able to go home.
As the housing market spins into a frenzy with even more landlords jumping on the buy to let ladder to beat the 3% stamp duty hike on the 1st of April, our research reveals a shocking level of bad practice in this sector.
With the help of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, we have looked into an ever-contentious issue between landlords and tenants - rental deposits.
As soon as a landlord receives all or part of a rental deposit they have 30 days to protect it in a government-backed tenancy deposit scheme (14 days in Northern Ireland).
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The landlord also needs to provide written confirmation of where the deposit is protected, their own contact details and the contact details of their letting agent if they have one. This applies to almost every landlord that rents property on an assured shorthold tenancy basis in the UK.
Approximately one in five (4.6 million) households in the UK are privately rented. We've researched the habits of 1.9 million landlords and found that one in seven are still not complying with the rules. This leaves a large number of renters vulnerable with no independent adjudicator or third party protection if they dispute their landlord's decision to withhold some or all of their deposit when they move out.
Renting can be a money minefield and with difficult times ahead for the buy to let market, the problems caused by landlords behaving badly are likely to get worse. While many landlords are doing the right thing and protecting deposits in one of the official government backed schemes it's worrying that hundreds of thousands of deposits are still not properly protected, leaving tenants' money exposed.
Rics are predicting that rents could rise by 5% each year for the next five years. This means new deposits will get heftier, leaving tenants' more susceptible to losing out big time when they move out if their landlord hasn't protected their money.
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What should tenants do?
If you're moving into a new place, ask your landlord which protection scheme your money will be put in before you hand over your money. Landlords don't have to protect holding deposits, unless your holding deposit becomes your official tenancy deposit.
To reduce the risk of losing any of your deposit when you move out, take a careful inventory on arrival. Be thorough and feed any issues back to the landlord or agency promptly so they're on file as proof they were there before you moved in. Don't be afraid to take photographs and video as a backup and share them with your landlord and letting agent before you move in.
If you've been renting the same property for a while and don't know whether your deposit is protected, make sure you ask your landlord and get copies of the relevant paperwork.
How can I check my deposit is safe?
If your landlord has told you where your deposit is protected you can double check it's covered by visiting the relevant deposit scheme's website or, if you live in England or Wales, use the search on Shelter's website.
What should I do if my deposit hasn't been protected?
If your landlord hasn't protected your money then you are completely within your rights to ask them to do so. Explain that it's a legal requirement and doesn't have to cost them a penny and they'll most likely oblige. This guide explains how best to approach this.
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If, however, they refuse the next step is to take them to court where they could be fined up to three times the value of the deposit. This guide explains how to set the wheels in motion - it's comparatively simple and well worth doing if your landlord isn't playing ball.
Does it really matter?
Tenants need to be legally and financially protected from landlords behaving badly and vice versa. Some landlords do not ask for a deposit, which isn't breaking the rules, however I can't understand why a landlord would choose to go down this route. It doesn't have to cost anything to place money with a tenancy deposit scheme and could save so much hassle later on.
By having a third person to step in to resolve any disputes, in theory disagreements will get resolved quicker and both parties should be left more satisfied with the outcome.
Ultimately the responsibility to take landlords to court if they do not put a deposit in a scheme lies with the tenant which seems really unfair to me. The government should step in and take action, rather than leaving tenants to deal with by themselves.
Introducing a register listing for landlords that let properties in England and Wales would be a start. This has worked for Scotland and Northern Ireland and students at Leeds University have started their own website which rates landlords in an attempt to combat problems.
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Harry Potter captured the imagination of young people worldwide as he showed daily that "it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." (The Goblet of Fire) Perhaps, using the same mantra, we can turn around the public health disaster of poor teen mental health, though it will be technology, not Hogwarts, that delivers this education and assists their happiness and growth.
There are over 1billion young people aged 10-19 globally and at least one in five will have diagnosable mental health conditions in their lives, mostly rooted in experiences before the age of fourteen. Key contributors to this are adverse family, school and community circumstances as well as genetics, poverty, lack of jobs, poor nutrition, physical health conditions, conflict and trauma.
Clearly, a systemic approach is needed to turnaround many of these factors. The widespread investment in poverty reduction, improving literacy and health programs have had significant benefits. However, too little emphasis has been placed on how we can equip young people to develop key life skills like emotional intelligence, self-esteem, creativity and critical problem solving. Recently, many of these have been recognised by the World Economic Forum as amongst the top ten capacities that employers will require by 2020.
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While we cannot insulate teens from adverse experience, we can elevate how they engage, learn and develop resilience. Technology offers that opportunity. Clearly not everyone has access to a smartphone but connectivity is an easy issue to solve. Ericsson's November 2015 Mobility Report estimated that 90 percent of the world's population aged six plus will have a mobile phone by 2021. A combined initiative by Gates, Google, Apple and Zuckerberg could ensure that every teenager in the world had a smartphone within a year including the means to use and charge them. Recently I tweeted #ConnectTeens to make that request!
Teen access to smartphones could represent the biggest global public health intervention in history. Instead of traditional approaches focused on those who sink to the bottom through invisible despair, or rise to the top through highly visible disturbing behaviour, we can take a whole system approach. In that respect, I advocate strategies that do not compartmentalise teen experiences into domains such as school, home and community nor into facets of self such as learning capacities, physical health, social skills and mental health.
In a focus group of teens that I ran recently, one boy commented, "sometimes I cannot get off my bed for hours, I do nothing, just think about my granddad dying and stuff at school and feel really distant from everyone and wonder what the point is." Another boy said, "I have come to find the best way to deal with it all, every messed up time, is just cry." As we can engage whole populations in enriching digital experiences, we can engage each teenager as a whole person and not a sum of parts. We can help them understand how unhappiness or stress in one aspect of life can play out in others, like a kid who goes to school and hits a teacher because they have a sick parent at home.
This is where technology offers an unparalleled opportunity. Data patterns can help us learn more about our own behaviours and the behaviours of others we connect with. This has been evident to me in Natural Language Processing where, for example, we've discovered word combinations that, have strong correlation with high scores on a PHQ9 for depression but that would never appear as anything to do with depression in the course of a conversation. Data can help us read between our own and other's lines and lead us into processes for supporting change.
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In terms of programmes which could help stimulate learning and change amongst teenagers, I have become increasingly drawn to "nudge" strategies rather than to bespoke digital programs where the User Interface tends to be poor and drop out rates are significant. Officially, at 8.25 seconds, we have an attention span less than a goldfish yet we still continue to design programmes that require significant absorption of text when the average amount of words read on a page with 111 words or less is 49 percent. No surprise then that many adult designed programs to help teens with learning or improved physical and mental health can stumble at the gate. This week I was honoured to be a judge of a tech competition where several hundred school girls designed compelling digital strategies for getting more girls involved in tech. Nearly all of them used gaming, incentives and other implicit "nudge" in their approaches.
Now let's turn to the "dark side." We know that tech has the power to enrich or be toxic. Think Dumbledore vs. Voldemort. At least one-third of teens have experienced cyber bullying and the cloak of virtual invisibility has been ripe for adoption by those who like to play out, rather than work out, challenges in their psyche. However, my last decade in tech for improving adult mental health has shown me that toxicity can be mitigated through design. In brief, here are just four of the design principles that I operate in order to build for safe and compelling engagement.
Co-creating the experience. Our role as technologists is to act as an informed channel for those for whom we build. The development of the digital mental health service I founded for adults, Big White Wall, was driven by the express wishes of its community. Similarly, I am working with young people on the design of a new teen product I am bringing to market -- amo, a digital friend for life committed to your happiness and growth.
Fostering healthy attachment. As recent studies have shown, too much digital time and not enough offline time with peers appears to correlate with higher levels of depression in later life. Finding a healthy balance between the two is vital and tech can help with that. For example, on Big White Wall a clinically facilitated virtual peer community can be helpful in rebuilding safe engagement as a prelude to improved offline relationships. Similarly, apps can scan for signs of dependency using algorithms and encourage other forms of non-digital interaction.
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Personalising to the individual. Data can help ensure that each person has a digital experience that has immediate utility to them. For example, with our new teen product, your 'amo' will respond to features and patterns that are innate to your individual way of learning and behavioural preferences. So my amo may use different mnemonics with my school revision than yours. Or it may use different strategies for helping me cope with stress in my relationship with my parents. One size does not fit all.
Placing safety at the core. There is no excuse for anyone working in the digital age not to place the safety of their users right in the centre of their work. This is particularly the case where teens may share difficult and even illegal experiences. At minimum, all product design for teens needs to ensure the integrity of data, safety in engagement and clear methodologies for escalating and managing risk to self or others.
In the digital age no young person need be "excluded" from learning or be suffering from anxiety and depression alone. The "magic wand" of tech exists to transform their experiences of self -- to enrich their learning, their physical and mental health, their social relationships and their place in the world. And mostly, like Harry and Hermione, they can engage in their own forms of magic to grow into "what they choose to be."
Muslims have been in the news a lot lately, in fact for a minority community they receive a lot of coverage. We have heard the Prime Minister bemoaning the lack of English-speaking amongst some Muslim mothers, saying that this can be a factor in driving young Muslims to extremism, leading to them leaving the country to join Daesh.
Next he tells organisations that if they institute a ban on the Islamic face veil he will support them, even though there are no current laws against wearing niqab (the most common form of the veil, though still a minority choice). Alongside this, supplementary schools, the majority of which are madrassahs, face being required to register with OFSTED, as the Prime Minister announced, again, that this would also help to deal with extremism by enabling the authorities to act.
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It could not be any clearer that Muslims are regarded as a problem by government - a problem that grabs headlines and many column inches. More than one study has shown that the majority of media coverage of Muslims is negative. At my local dialogue group a week ago a Muslim friend told us that he saw attitudes to Muslims getting worse in society until they reach a tipping point, a point of crisis that would force a more positive engagement with Muslim communities or lead to something much worse. This is where unwelcome media coverage and widespread ignorance leads us.
My problem with public pronouncements by senior politicians is that they do not take any care over what they are saying, or responsibility for its negative consequences - politicians can accuse the Muslim community freely, so anyone else can.
It is no surprise, very sadly, that Muslims, including my friends, are harassed on public transport, shouted at on the street, have headscarves ripped off or are violently attacked. In the aftermath of the murder of Lee Rigby, in which two people were involved, Muslims and mosques were targeted. Muslims, and not just extremists, are being viewed through a lens of security and terrorism.
If there was real concern with a tiny minority of extremists within a particular community (alongside concern for extremists of all kinds throughout society) then more positive conversations with the mainstream could take place, and they should. Government and politicians are not opening up these conversations, nor are they listening to British Muslims, apart from some notable exceptions, across party boundaries. Good, honest government should be about governing, not scapegoating for political advantage and certainly not aping the old colonial approach of 'divide and rule'. It means recognising that we are all British together, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, a wide range of worldviews and ethnicities. It's time Muslims and Islam were welcomed, not vilified, being Muslim is now a normal part of modern diverse Britain, not a cause for alarm.
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Yet there is also something extreme about worrying us all about extremists, when will anyone recognise that our society gives a ready platform to those who cry 'Wolf!', getting us bothered about Muslims when we don't need to be? There is only so long one can accuse others of extremism before one becomes part of the problem, contributing to and encouraging all kinds of negative behaviour, displaying and creating extremism at the same time.
There is a better way, it involves listening, dialogue, consultation, partnership, relationship-building and working for a better society, there is no other way. Many Muslim organisations are involved in dialogue, reconciliation and community building, as is the Christian Muslim Forum and other inter faith bodies. They need strong support from everyone who is interested in a society more comfortable with itself and where 'us' includes Muslims.
David Cameron often calls Britain a Christian country and I echo the words of many others who have challenged him - Jesus told us to love our neighbours, it was at the heart of his message. It is a strong message in Islam too. There is no get out, we cannot say Muslims are not our neighbours. Better to take Jesus' advice now than wake up, too late, to Martin Niemoller's warning:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Whenever I've met Syrian refugees they have told me the same thing: they want to go home and rebuild the country they love. Last month I was in Jordan and Lebanon meeting Syrian men, women and children, some of whom are now spending their fifth winter under a tent. One family told me that when they left they thought they would be home in weeks, perhaps months. Instead it's been almost five years with no end in sight. Meanwhile, the situation for those left inside Syria today is unspeakably bleak. People are under siege, starving, sick and unable to access basic medical care.
With 18million people in need, Syria is the world's biggest, most urgent humanitarian crisis and it needs an unprecedented response from the international community.
That's why on Thursday the UK is bringing together world leaders, UN agencies, charities and NGOs, civil society and business leaders to galvanise a new global response on behalf of Syria and the region. With our co-hosts Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the UN, we are calling for billions of dollars in international aid not only to meet people's basic needs inside Syria, but to provide jobs for Syrian refugees and an education for Syria's children. This is a historic moment for the world to come together and make a real and lasting difference to the lives of millions of people affected by the Syria crisis.
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The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis, pledging more than 1.1billion in aid to date - making us the second biggest country donor after the US. Aid from the UK is helping to provide food for people inside Syria every month, as well as clean water and sanitation for hundreds of thousands of refugees across the region. We are supplying blankets and cooking sets and all the other basic things people need to survive and get by day to day. I've seen for myself how this support is really proving the difference between life and death for Syrian refugees. I've met some of the brave humanitarian workers risking their lives to get aid into Syria. On Thursday we can, and must, raise crucial new funding from around the world to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of those affected by the crisis.
But Thursday is not just about raising more funds. During my time as the UK's international development secretary it's become increasingly clear to me that we need a dramatic shift in the way the world responds to protracted crises like this one.
Traditionally our humanitarian responses focus on immediate, live-saving relief but for a conflict like this it doesn't make sense to apply the same principles that we would to responding to an earthquake or a typhoon. It's as if we were a hospital trying to function with just an accident and emergency department. The sad truth is that the length of time people spend as a refugee is now, on average, 17 years. Refugees stuck in a permanent emergency situation need more than food and water - they need the dignity of work and an education for their children who may well grow up in exile.
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One of my top priorities for the London Conference is a global commitment to provide greater access to education for children inside Syria and for refugee children. I've met Syrian children who have lost everything to conflict - their homes, their schools, their friends and even, in some cases, their families. If we don't take action they will be robbed of an education and a future as well.
That's why in 2013, along with Unicef, I launched the No Lost Generation Initiative which, through UK funding alone, has helped over a quarter of a million Syrian children get back into education. If other countries join our efforts, we can get all Syrian refugee children into education by the end of the 2016/2017 school year.
As well as education, the London Conference will mark an ambitious new approach to livelihoods and jobs for refugees. We want countries like Jordan and Lebanon to open up jobs and opportunities to refugees. In return the international community will invest in their economies and businesses. In this way we can create more jobs, not just for refugees, but for local people, and leave a legacy of stronger economies for those countries that have so generously taken in Syrian refugees.
By taking these actions we're investing in what is overwhelmingly the first choice of Syrian refugees: to stay in the region and closer to their home country. Helping Syrian refugees to build a life for themselves in the region is not only the right thing to do, it is also clearly in Britain and other countries' national interest. If we can give Syrians hope for a better future where they are, they are less likely to feel the need to make perilous journeys to Europe.
It is peace alone that will give Syrian people their future back, but while we strive to find a political solution we must keep up our vital humanitarian work. Again money alone is not enough: this is a man-made disaster. Many are suffering from the inexcusable targeting of civilians, often in schools and hospitals, by the Assad regime. Those unfortunate enough to be living in areas controlled by Daesh are suffering unspeakable violence.
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The UK lobbied hard to secure UN Security Council Resolutions that enable the UN to deliver aid into Syria across borders, without the consent of the regime. This Conference is also the world's opportunity to restate our fundamental commitment to international humanitarian law and to hold those responsible to account.
I believe the London Conference can be a turning point for the Syrian people who have endured so many horrors since war engulfed their country.
One conference can't end the fighting or undo the suffering but it can be the moment when we rise to an unprecedented challenge with an unprecedented response. In London I want the world to offer a different story on Syria and a new vision of hope to its people.
This is an historic opportunity and the whole world must grasp it.
The most important investment any government can make is in our people, and particularly our young people.
I want to see the children in classrooms across Scotland not just have the education and skills they need to get on in life, but be the best equipped workforce on the planet to excel in the industries of the future and get the jobs of tomorrow.
That's why the Scottish budget as it stands is completely unacceptable. It will harm the poorest families in Scotland and rob our country of opportunity for decades to come.
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The SNP Government in Edinburgh are making hundreds of millions of pounds in cuts to services. This will impact on jobs, the services all families rely on, but worst of all on our children's schools.
The SNP have refused to protect spending on schools and education, despite having done so for the NHS and police budgets.
The First Minister said closing the gap between the richest and the rest was her number one priority, but you can't cut the gap between the richest and the rest when you cut the schools budget.
The SNP also plan to cut the Education and Lifelong Learning budget by more than 130 million (4.4%) in real terms next year.
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Scotland's schools cannot take another round of cuts. Local schools budgets have already been cut by the SNP. Teacher numbers are at a ten year low. Since the SNP announced these cuts councils are already planning cuts to education.
Cuts to education aren't just cuts to our children's future; they are cuts to the future prosperity of Scotland. But it doesn't need to be like this. We can break from Tory austerity, reject the SNP's cuts and make a different choice.
The whole point of devolution was about being able to do things differently. In Scotland we don't have to accept Tory austerity - we can reject it, protect education and build a fairer and more prosperous Scotland.
The Scottish budget gets its first reading in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow. Today I'm setting out a different plan.
The Scottish budget should set a new rate of Scottish Income Tax at 11p - 1p higher than the rate set by George Osborne and John Swinney.
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This will raise close to half a billion pounds for additional public spending, more than enough to halt these cuts to education and invest in the future of our country.
We know that for low income families the last thing they need is additional costs. That's why under our plan people earning less than 20,000 a year won't pay a single penny more, and low paid taxpayers will actually benefit with a 100 payment.
That means that one in four workers will pay no more than today, with one in five taxpayers actually gaining from this policy.
Politics is about choices. Given the choice between using the powers of the Scottish Parliament or making cuts to our children's future, our nation's future, we choose to use our powers.
In the budget tomorrow, I hope the SNP see sense and join us.
Photo of Roza Models Teresa Casserly (PMH Volunteer) and Katherine Gannon at a fashion show in aid of Positive Mental Health at Standun (Photographer: Declan Furey)
"At the root of this dilemma is the way we view mental health in this country. When it comes to mental health conditions, we often treat them differently from other diseases like cancer, diabetes or asthma. And that makes no sense. Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it's still an illness, and there should be no distinction."
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Michelle Obama
The Positive Mental Health Foundation was set up in June 2005 by Violet Gavin, a retired career guidance teacher, counsellor and mother of ten children, who recognised the need to educate and train young people in development of positive mental health skills.
The purpose of the programme delivered by Positive Mental Health is to provide secondary school students with appropriate supports that prepare them in their movement towards self-sufficiency and successful achievement of their goals.
This particular programme adopts a competence perspective which is concerned primarily with building strengths and feelings of competency and efficiency amongst the students.
The aim of the programme is a preventative one in that, as students become more capable, their psychological well-being improves. It is also envisioned that increased knowledge of issues around mental health within their immediate domains will result in improved attitudes to mental illness and a willingness to seek help. Violet tells us about her organisation and the impact of her work.
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How did you become involved with Positive Mental Health?
The spiralling rate of suicide among young people between ten and fifteen years old, coupled with a personal tragedy in the Chairpersons life inspired the idea. It was thought that a positive spin on mental health issues (which was an area of fear and stigma) would suit the development of the programme.
How does the organization financially support itself?
We receive a pittance from the Irish Government (Lottery funding through the local Health Executive) but that has been decreasing. Business people, family, friends, benefactors, and events (big and small) which are held throughout the year and are now our sole support.
Why is Positive Mental Health so important?
"There is no health without mental health" is the catchword of Positive Mental Health.
In Ireland, the papers, periodicals and health promotion materials place much emphasis on physical health. The idea of our own programme in schools is to use prevention, intervention and inclusion in the delivery of the eight modules over a number of weeks dealing with issues of mental/emotional health.
What are the greatest challenges student's face today?
A sense of identity, a sense of belonging, strong family ties and good adults to confide in and trust (not 400 "likes" on social media, many of whom they will never meet.) They need a spiritual anchor for the dark days. Self-respect and being able to say "no" and resist the urge to indulge in activities at too immature an age e.g. sexual experience, drink, internet, gaming etc.
How can students develop a positive self-image?
We have a module entitled "Self- Esteem and Peer Pressure" which includes the use of scenarios to promote building of self-esteem and self-worth. Brands, bullying about clothes, tattoos, piercing are all discussed in this module.
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What's the best advice for student's overcoming issues such as bullying?
We have a "10 Commandments of bullying" leaflet which we develop with students and stress the cogency of breaking the silence and confiding in One Good Adult.
What tips can you give students to achieve a healthy lifestyle?
New research has revealed an estimated 800,000 people have vanished off the electoral register. It's shocking but unsurprising news.
It's National Voter Registration Day on Friday and this year it's more important than ever. In late 2015 the government changed how you could register to vote, a move that has disproportionately affected students. In the past, a family member or your university could register you. But now the Individual Electoral Registration (IER) has been introduced and it means you have to do it yourself.
There was a severe lack of publicity and the government made no effort to raise awareness of the changes. Even the Electoral Commission raised concerns about how quickly the IER was implemented. It warned that without a significant publicity drive, the government was risking up to 1.9million people disappearing off the register.
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It was only after this the government bothered to run a voter registration drive. For the most part it was left up to NUS and other parties to call on students to register to vote. But there was only so much we could do.
The electoral register has seen the most dramatic drops in areas with big student populations. Numbers from December show Canterbury has seen a 13% fall in voters and Cambridge and Dundee West have both lost 11%.
The government has claimed the changes were put in place to make the register more accurate and stop fraud and errors. But about one in 10 people were not automatically transferred to the new list of voters. This seems like a pretty big error to me. Some of these people may not even know their vote has been taken away from them. If you're not on the electoral register you can face an 80 fine, but it's even more alarming that 800,000 voices won't be heard in upcoming elections.
Even if the electoral register is miraculously fixed over the next few months, the figures from December could still have a huge impact. The government is planning on using these numbers to carry out a boundary review. Labour is rightly worried any boundary changes will result in new areas being skewed in the Conservatives' favour.
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Students have already had to fight to make their voices heard over issues that directly affect them. NUS had to force a debate in parliament over the scrapping of maintenance grants, it shouldn't be a battle for students to be heard at the ballot box as well.
Government policies are having a huge effect on students, so it is only fair students should have a say on what these policies are. Weekly expenditure on day-to-day travel just get to college has risen by a third in the last year. Accommodation costs for students have soared by 97 per cent between 2001 and 2011 and it's only getting worse.
Over the last week or so Denmark's reputation has taking a bashing in international circles as the minority government passed anti-refugee laws.
It would be a pity for the politically motivated actions of a minority government to be what the international community thinks of Denmark.
I have lived here for eight years and I really believe that despite the Danes reputation as closed and unfriendly people, the reverse is true. Yes, Danes both respect and protect privacy but they are the first to step forward and help others when that help is needed.
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The community is more important than the individual and I can list many examples of where a complete stranger or a neighbour has stepped in to help others.
From a man who stopped on a busy cycle way at commuter time on a cold winter evening to offer his small bike toolkit to my husband who was trying to fix his bike chain. To the people who stopped and stayed with me until the ambulance arrived when I was knocked from my bike and smashed my elbow.
The mothers who helped my visiting friend when her son fell and hurt himself badly in a children's playground in Tivoli. The man in my building who checks on our elderly neighbour daily after he came home from the hospital after a heart attack. The people in my neighbourhood who help the residents of the home for blind people across the street when they need it.
The thousands of people who have set up, volunteered and donated to the grassroots organisations here to help the influx of refugees and are still doing this. The women who give up their time, after long days at work or with families, to go to the refugee centres to help people learn Danish. People who drive across the country to help reunite families and bring them everyday things we all take for granted. The restaurants that donate food to the shelters.
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The neighbours I had spoken to once or twice who offered to take my son to hospital when he was fitting from a fever and then called around later to see how he was. The nurse on my ward when I was admitted after my accident who came back to see me in her street clothes after her shift with some little hospital bits and bobs for my son, as I told her he enjoys playing hospitals at home. The people who fight to save urban trees and to protect our environment. The woman who wraps up statues to protect them from partying hoards on New Year's Eve. The many people who run after me when I have dropped my hat or gloves on the train platform to return them to me. The people on the trains who give homeless people money with a smile.
No one asks these people to help, they just do it because they believe it is the right thing to do. These are the everyday Danes, many of whom probably did not vote for the government in power and many who are angered by its actions, doing everyday things to help the community around them, often without even waiting for thanks. Please think of these people when you think of Danes, not the politicians.
Despite the lack of publicity, the ties between Indonesia and the United Kingdom have witnessed a remarkable growth in the last few years. Last year, the two governments inked four agreements in the fields of maritime, civil aviation, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, in addition to research and innovation.
In the maritime field, the two countries seem to acknowledge the benefits of cooperation. As one of the world's largest archipelagoes, Indonesia is willing to reap the potential wealth of the surrounding sea. This desire was welcomed by David Cameron's government through micro-satellite planning to increase the potential of Indonesian fisheries.
Furthermore, Indonesia is concerned not only with maximising the potentials of its sea, but also to strengthen its maritime security. It is known widely that Indonesia was led into the conflict in the South China Sea after Natuna was claimed by the Chinese government. This raises Indonesia's apprehension of potential maritime conflicts in the region. In acknowledgement of this, the UK decided to offer military training to Indonesian armed officers.
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One interesting aspect of Indonesia-UK ties is the cooperation in relation to counter-terrorism. As a representation of Western countries that are currently struggling with the problem of extremists, the UK government recognizes the opportunity to strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation with Indonesia. Indonesia is believed to play an important role in supporting peace in the Middle East since it is a major actor in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Although efforts by the two countries are still not visible, it is at least clear that the relationship between Indonesia and the UK in combatting radical extremism has increased in the last couple of years.
Recently, the UK-Indonesia partnership in the field of research and innovation has also witnessed significant development. In the last five years, there have been more than 50 agreements in the field of education between the two countries. As Indonesia is working currently to improve the quality of its workforce, the UK undoubtedly will become a strategic partner given its widely recognised quality of education; the location of four of the best universities in the world.
Presently, there are an estimated 2000 Indonesian students pursuing their education in the UK. This has increased significantly in the last two years, especially after the Indonesian government established a large fund for a scholarship programme. This cooperation is regarded as highly profitable for the UK; in particular, for the financing of universities in the UK. With a population of 250 million population and the ever-growing middle-class society, Indonesia will continue to be a potential partner for the British in the field of education.
In the coming years, the economic cooperation between the two countries is predicted to experience remarkable growth. Along with the improvement of economic and political stability in Indonesia, the Indonesian market will become more attractive to British companies; specifically, those in the retail, insurance, and petroleum sectors. Simultaneously, Indonesia is likely to increase its revenues by maximising exports; primarily, wood products and footwear. British importer of Indonesian timber found that exports experienced a considerable increase. In the footwear sector, the value of Indonesia's exports to the UK continued to demonstrate significant growth when other commodities are experiencing decrease. In spite of this, one of the obstacles in the UK-Indonesia economic cooperation is the issue of import duty. President Jokowi is known to have asked the UK government to minimise the high costs of customs; thus, hampering the export of Indonesian products to the UK. Nonetheless, this attempt was rejected by Prime Minister David Cameron, who instead asked Jokowi to establish a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU.
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In all spheres of cooperation between Indonesia and the UK, the only field that has not experienced positive development is the political sphere; in particular, in relation to Papuan independence. In fact, the issue is very sensitive, especially for Indonesia, and could affect the cooperation between the two countries. As it is known, the UK government granted political asylum to Beni Wenda, who is currently the main character in the movement for Papuan independence. With the political asylum, Beni Wenda opens the Representative Office of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in Oxford and continues to campaign for Papuan independence from the UK. London's support for Beni Weda is a misnomer, as British Petroleum has exploration sites located in Papua.
Although London, through its ambassador, has stated repeatedly that the UK recognises the region of Papua as part of Indonesia, it seems that it is still not sufficient to ease tensions between the two countries. This was disclosed by one of Indonesian politicians, Jimmy Demianus Idjie, who questioned why the UK still offers protection to movements that try to secede from Indonesia.
It is clear that the ties between Indonesia and the UK have increased significantly in recent years. However, intensive communication is required from both sides to reduce economic barriers. Moreover, the political interests in Papua that resulted in tension between the two countries must be resolved. This is vital, as political misunderstanding could lead potentially to a crisis of mistrust between the two governments; moreover, it could hamper long-established UK-Indonesian relations.
Michelle George
I still remember the disappointment to this very day. Before I went to boarding school I had never read a fashion magazine. I grew up on a council estate in London and fashion magazines were a luxury item that weren't even on my mind. The closest I got to a fashion magazine was my cousin's Top of the Pops magazines, where we would learn the lyrics to every song and put posters on our walls. Then I went to boarding school and I was exposed to a very different crowd - one of affluence.
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Anyway, in my very first year I shared a dorm space with another girl who would get weekly packages from her mother. And in those packages were a few magazines. I particularly remember Sugar. And every week they would have make up tutorials... How to do the latest looks ... On pale skin, olive skin and dark skin... But the dark skinned woman was Alesha Dixon at best. Fast forward 15 years later, and we're still in the same place.
Maybe I want to try the latest cat eye, or eyeshadow trend? Maybe I want to learn how to strobe and highlight and do whatever else the Kardashians throw at us.
It's not enough. Magazines don't go far enough to be inclusive, and have at least have one model representing every major skin tone. South Asian? East Asian? Mixed Race? Pale? I don't know how, but it would be nice to see more diversity all round. The page could easily be dived to fit even ten girls, showcasing how each beauty trend, looks on each skin tone, and the right shades to use.
All I'm saying is, thank God for YouTube. Thanks to YouTube, we have a wealth of information available to us, with fantastic bloggers such as Jennie Jenkins and Chanel Boateng; both incredible Brits who translate the latest trends onto darker skin tones. When I watch these videos, I somewhat feel like my black is beautiful... at least amongst my peers. That is, until I pop into the local corner shop to pick up some magazines before a long journey, only to find my beauty absent, unacknowledged.
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Maybe the problem is wider than the magazines. If Grazia wants to show us how to wear the latest nude, and the headline is 'how to do nude on a budget', and there are no affordable brands that stock products that I can use, can I blame them? I mean, it's not like I can walk into Boots and buy Rimmel foundation?
The thing is, I don't understand why, when it comes to beauty, dark skinned black women seem to be left behind. On the high street, in the beauty shops, we're not present. I've never walked into a Superdrug or a Boots and found the right foundation for me. Ok, fair enough. Not every skin tone will be catered to, and not every formulation will be right, but at least give me an option. No, Jourdan Dunn is not dark and neither is Beyonce! What happened to Estelle or even Jamelia? Is their black not beautiful? Rimmel, No7, Revlon, Maybeline, GOSH, 17... I'm looking straight at you. And that list isn't exhaustive.
We want options. My younger sisters want options. And it just doesn't seem fair. It's hard to pin point who exactly is to blame. If you take a look around the problem isn't only is fashion; it's in music, it's in film and it's on TV. Darker skinned women just aren't represented anywhere, especially not in the UK. As a dark skinned model myself, I have become even more aware of the lack of representation. Quite recently, I asked my friends to name five dark skinned celebrities in the UK. They struggled. You try. Go ahead, I'll wait. We'll be here a while. I widened it to the USA. Between us, after an hour we named five. This is shocking. In the US media outlets have started discussing the issue of 'Colourism'; the discrimination endemic within certain communities that results in the preference of lighter skin tones over darker ones. This isn't isolated to the black community. It is also present in the South East Asian communities. This is one of the reasons for the prevalence of highly toxic skin bleaching creams that can be found in any uk high street, even today. But that's another topic for another day.
It isn't hard to see how the lack of representation affects the self esteem of many women world wide. And magazines are so accessible to young women these days that I feel magazines should be particularly aware of their responsibilities when it comes to inclusivity. Much noise has been about size diversity, but not enough about skin tone diversity. It's time for this to change.
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Philomena is represented by Models1
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.
As we approach the European Council summit on February 18th and 19th, the renegotiation rhetoric we are used to hearing from the Prime Minister is intensifying.
David Cameron's latest talks were carried out over the weekend with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk. No 10's spin welcomed 'concessions,' yet Tusk was less effusive, leaving the talks saying simply: "No deal." There's clearly more work to be done on the very few requests Cameron has asked for.
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An emergency meeting was held in Brussels on Friday, giving the impression an announcement on the EU referendum date is imminent - with some critics suggesting a deal could well be stuck within the next day or two. Clearly this hasn't happened. With Cameron's renegotiations destined to fail, it seems as though a panicked Prime Minister called the emergency meeting to try and scrape together any sort of deal he can.
With Cameron's last remaining pledge still being broken down, the EU insists there is still a suitable deal to be had. The PM still believes he will be allowed the migrant 'brake' he's been chasing for what now seems like an eternity. However, any such proposal will still need the approval of all the heads of the other 27 EU Member States, with Hungary and Bulgaria already saying they will reject any such deal. If this happens, Cameron will be left with nothing.
Whatever Cameron comes back to Britain with, we already know it won't be anything which brings back significant powers from Brussels...
Donald Tusk's former Minister of Foreign Affairs may have accidentally let something slip in last Thursday's Daily Politics show - which was rather more telling than he realised. Whilst being interrogated by Andrew Neil, Radoslaw Sikorski said "We don't need Britain leaving and adding to the EU's problems. It won't be in Britain's interests." This is what Eurosceptics have been saying for years - the EU needs Britain much more than Britain needs the EU.
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The over-paid bureaucrats in Brussels know if the UK votes to Leave the EU in the upcoming referendum - something which is looking more and more likely - it will set a precedent for other Member States to pack their bags and also pull out.
It is impossible to see which part of leaving behind all the problems of the EU would not be in the UK's best interests. Would it be the uncontrolled mass immigration causing a strain on Britain's public services?
Or perhaps the EU's extremely poor youth unemployment record?
Or maybe Sikorski is referring to our leaving behind all the red-tape legislation created by Brussels which costs Britain's small businesses hundreds of millions of pounds ever year?
Even Barclays Bank has now said Britain outside the EU would be positive economically. Barclays says the worst effect of Brexit would be felt by Europe rather than the UK - which can only benefit by leaving the EU. Sikorski's motives for keeping Britain inside the EU now seem to be a lot clearer.
Any way you look at this, there is only one conclusion. Britain's best interests lie outside the EU - not inside it.
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Even without taking into account the ridiculous regulations constantly created in Brussels - regulations which control the way your toilet flushes, brew your coffee, the power of your oven or the suck of your hoover - it's no wonder popular businesses around the UK are declaring themselves Brexiters.
Brussel's latest target is the paper boy, with a report last week labelling the job 'a violation of the fundamental rights of children'... Sometimes you just can't make it up! The same report says British maternity pay is 'inadequate' and all smacking of children should be banned.
It seems as though if it can be regulated, Brussels will go for it.
It can only be time before Cameron - even if only in private - feels the same way.
If the EU needs Britain - as suggested by Sikorski - why have Cameron's renegotiations failed so badly? Without a doubt, many in the Leave camp knew there would never be enough to regain extortionate demands from Brussels and bring our democracy back to Westminster. But it now seems Cameron will return with absolutely nothing at all - even less than the cost of the ink on the paper!
Australian Scenics via Getty Images Windmill in vineyards, Hunter Valley wine region, New South Wales, Australia.
There are fewer combinations more harmonious than that of travel and wine.
Fuse the fun-loving feeling you get from a holiday with the soft lull that washes over you with a glass (or two) of wine and you've got the best weekend away sorted -- just take your cue from two of Australia's best wine experts.
The Hunter Valley
"There is no doubt that the region is best known nowadays for its concerts. However, it is semillon that really cast The Hunter Valley onto the international stage of excellence, as its a style that can live in bottle for decades,' Andrew Duff, Tempus Two Winemaker told The Huffington Post Australia.
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Peter Nixon, Head of Dan Murphys Wine Panel, agrees.
"One of Australia's oldest wine regions (established in the mid 19th century), the Hunter Valley is famous for impressively long-lived semillon, as well as full-flavoured chardonnay and elegant, savoury, spicy shiraz (pronounced locally as she-rah)."
"When the Hunter Valley has its greatest growing seasons, we can also produce arguably Australias best Shiraz, and more recently there is a great resurgence of exquisite Hunter Valley chardonnay adorning the tables of Sydneys more luxurious dining halls. If you ask me, its all about chardonnay," Duff said.
"My highlights (obviously for food and wine) would include dining at either of Muses exquisite restaurants (Muse Dining or Muse Kitchen) or lunch at Bistro Molines. Casual afternoons on the concourse at Goldfish restaurant to refresh the palate, after a wine tasting in the Tempus Cellar Door, with one of their sterling cocktails (Frangelico sours were introduced to me here). Alternatively, simply sharing a tasting plate of salumi and wine further down McDonalds Road, next to Gundog Estate, at Usher Tinkler Wine and Salumi (I recommend the truffle infused Salami) is a must," Duff said.
The Adelaide Hills
"The Adelaide Hills is best known for chardonnay, and not just limited to the still kind. The area produces sensational cool climate chardonnay and pinot noir, and thus, also blends of methode champenoise (sparkling). The region is also home to arguably Australias classiest sauvignon blanc -- our best comparison to the championed Marlborough region of New Zealand and theres nothing like buying Australian made," Duff said.
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"The Adelaide Hills offer crisp, zesty sauvignon blanc, appley minerally fine riesling, restrained complex powerful chardonnay, earthy lacey fine pinot noir and crunchy velvety cool climate shiraz. They also make world-class methode traditionelle (Champagne-inspired bottle-fermented sparkling wine)," Nixon said.
"What I love about the Adelaide Hills is how you are only half an hour away from the CBD but it feels a world away. The beautiful suburb of Hahndorf is classified as Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, and I love everything from the 100 year old elm and plane trees that line the Main street to the cobblestone pathways and streets," Duff said.
In terms of good eats, check out Tranquilo Restaurant for quality Mediterranean fare, Locavore for delicious share platters, and The Haus Hahndorf for traditional German dishes.
Rows of vines in The Adelaide Hills
The Barossa Valley
"When you think Barossa valley, think shiraz! Big, blocky, concentrated shiraz that Robert Parker Jnr brought to international recognition and great success at the expense of the European styles. Ironic, given Colonel William Wright named the area after the Battle of Barrossa in which the French also lost, but managed to make a mess of the spelling!" Duff said.
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Boasting some of the oldest vines on the planet, many over 150 years old, the Barossa is world famous for its profoundly rich shiraz. Eden Valley is the elevated region (up to 500m) of the Barossa providing great views of the Valley and superb cool-climate vineyards (perfect for chardonnay, riesling, cabernet and elegant shiraz).
"In terms of global significance this is arguably the most important Australian wine region of them all. Steeped in history, a mind boggling array of producers, sub-region and vineyard specific styles, the Barossa, with its fascinating German history needs significant time to unfurl," said Nixon.
Head to Ferment Asian for traditional Vietnamese at its best, or grab a table at Hently Farm Restaurant to samples morsels perfectly paired with their famous shiraz.
The Margaret River
"A relatively young region, expanding rapidly from the 1970s, Margaret River is now considered one of Australia's most significant premium wine regions. Famous for its pristine beaches, consistent sun and superb grape-growing friendly mild climate, suitable for world-class super-fresh sauvignon blanc semillon blends (SBS), intensely flavoured, age worthy chardonnay, spicy medium-bodied Shiraz and arguably the finest examples of premium cabernet sauvignon outside of bordeaux," said Nixon.
"It is hard to pick a favourite as the region is one of the most stunning and unique wine regions in the world from top to bottom -- though the views to the coast from Deep Woods Estate in Yallingup region are memorably breathtaking."
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Reserve a table at Morries Anytime for tapas and cocktails (if you've had enough wine), or head to Mikis Open Kitchen for a quality Japanese fix.
Yarra Valley
"On the doorstep of Melbourne, the luscious Yarra Valley is as much loved for its gracious beauty as it is for its sophisticated wines. Cool-climate classics are its forte -- restrained brooding chardonnay, poised aromatic satin-like pinot noir, classical savoury medium-bodied cabernet and elegant spicy shiraz," Nixon said.
"Its striking 'greenness' and beauty, diversity of producers and cellar doors, art, history and great restaurants is what makes the Yarra Valley so great."
"Fairly close to the top of things on my to do list in the Yarra will be visiting the Four Pillars Distillery for a tasting of mother ruin," Duff said.
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The leader of an American-based group that believes rape should be legalised may be barred from entering Australia, but he has spent the last day boasting about how he could sneak into the country through "vulnerabilities" in our "weak" borders.
"Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has requested urgent briefing". Their borders are weak. I'll get in. https://t.co/KT9VoxW5Dk Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016
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The Sydney Morning Herald revealed on Monday that Return Of Kings -- a U.S. group who advocate for rape to be legalised on private property and that women should follow men -- planned to hold meetings across Australia this weekend.
The news was met with huge outcry, with a petition calling for the banning of the Sydney meeting gaining almost 35,000 signatures by 11am Tuesday. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has called for an urgent briefing on whether the group's leader, Daryush "Roosh" Valizadeh, should be granted a visa, the SMH reports.
Dutton flagged that he may not be allowed into the country.
"People who advocate violence against women aren't welcome in Australia," he said in a statement.
"In the past people advocating violence against women have had their visa refused or cancelled."
Later, a spokesperson for Dutton said Roosh had not even applied for a visa.
Valizadeh has seemingly been enjoying the attention online, however, and has boasted that he could sneak into the country.
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I love how I can trigger entire countries and get women clutching their pearls without stepping foot inside them. pic.twitter.com/jI4klcwfNT Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016
Number one news story in Australia, across the board pic.twitter.com/7APH4Ts9DQ Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016
I'll just take a private boat to Darwin from Indonesia or East Timor. I'll find a way to enter. I won't be stopped. https://t.co/CKbXdRLS4C Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016
I'll 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
I don't need to apply for a visa if I'm coming in by boat. The border is like Swiss cheese: https://t.co/YUCRx3C4rxhttps://t.co/emrPjqUnBS Roosh (@rooshv) February 2, 2016
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He also spent some time sending journalists crude responses after opportunities for comment, including one vulgar reply to a female journalist from The Guardian.
@rooshv ok but I don't know how that will add to the story Rob Stott (@Rob_Stott) February 1, 2016
Would not bang, so no interview https://t.co/2n0hBOmXlu Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016
Return of Kings has courted controversy across the world for their views, with articles on their website including "The Equality Movement Is Allowing Women To Tyrannize Men," "Rape Culture Was Manufactured To Wage An Unjust War Against Men," and "The Intellectual Inferiority Of Women."
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"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." Here are the answers to the nine top questions about the Zika virus. [Erin Schumaker, Anna Almendrala and Ryan Grenoble, HuffPost]
"President [Barack] Obama plans to substantially increase the deployment of heavy weapons, armored vehicles and other equipment to NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe, a move that administration officials said was aimed at deterring Russia from further aggression in the region." [NYT]
What to look out for. [WSJ | Paywall]
Our favorite woodchuck, Punxsutawney Phil, did not see his shadow this morning on Groundhog Day. [NPR]
WHATS BREWING
"No problems were found with the train or with the tracks and signals at the site of the accident." [NYT]
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Annie Leibovitz snapped 13 top actresses for the cover, including Jennifer Lawrence and Viola Davis. [HuffPost]
On Super Bowl Sunday alone. [HuffPost]
Examining the default prism. [HuffPost]
A visual, and terrifying, look at how cancerous tissue can pull in healthy cells. [HuffPost]
For more from The Huffington Post, download our app for iOS or Android.
WHAT'S WORKING
"A Superior Court judge in Delaware has ordered a halt to the death penalty in the state. Judge Jan Jurden's Monday order puts the state's 39 currently pending capital murder cases on hold until the state Supreme Court determines the constitutionality of Delaware's death penalty scheme." [HuffPost]
For more, sign up for the What's Working newsletter.
BEFORE YOU GO
~ We bet that Donald Trump wishes he could take back these tweets about only losers coming in second.
~ Dating as a transgender teen.
~ Susan Sarandon and two residents of Lesbos have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their work helping refugees.
~ Congrats "Law and Order: SVU" fans: the show has been picked up for another season!
~ What to expect in this year's Super Bowl ads.
~ Want to enjoy dinner? Maybe put away your phone.
~ How canceling your wedding can sometimes be the right call.
~ Your Facebook news feed is changing again.
Send tips/quips/quotes/stories/photos/events/scoops to Lauren Weber at lauren.weber@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter @LaurenWeberHP. And like what you're reading? Sign up here to get The Morning Email delivered to you.
By Alexander Jutkowitz
Head to your local drug store this time of year and you'll see armies of smiling teddy bears, a vast array of familiar heart-shaped boxes and overpriced and occasionally clever cards for your sweetheart. Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is as inescapable as the weather, and it's impossible not to reflect on what it means to truly build a lasting relationship.
To reference an old adage, "a happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short." The word conversation is key here. Many of us have experienced a relationship, romantic or otherwise, that felt entirely one-sided, akin to a conversation where the other person endlessly rambles without asking how your day was. Good conversation is never one-sided, and similarly, in the hyper-connected world of today, neither should our marketing efforts.
Advertising began with static images, including fliers, billboards, and newspaper and magazine ads. Today, it's evolved into a beast with many heads. Print and traditional OOH advertising still exist, and they aren't going away anytime soon. But online, new opportunities for dialogue and tailored messaging are exploding every day.
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A recent Medium post by Chris Messina, the developer experience lead at Uber, describes this shift in detail. He says that 2016 will be the year of "conversational commerce," with users interacting with brands and services directly using chat, messaging, or natural language applications. In his argument, he cites Business Insider data showing that messaging apps have eclipsed social networks in terms of active monthly users.
Messina envisions a world where audiences interact with brands seamlessly through messaging, whether it's to get information, say, about a flight status, or to order a product. In this way, brand communication will cease to look like an advertisement. It will function instead like customer service, providing true value to users.
Sometimes, the conversation will be fun, like the Maker's Mark fake Kentucky Derby contest on Reddit. Maker's Mark asked Redditors to decide and vote on the names of horses that were entered into a fake, digital derby that was featured as part of an ad-page takeover of the frontpage. The winning names, like Beast of Bourbon or Much Horse Very Fast, were irreverent and nailed the tone of a typical Reddit thread, which is why the campaign worked on a platform that is notorious for being hesitant towards corporate intrusion. Maker's Mark came into the conversation speaking the language of their audience they wanted to reach and Redditors felt like equal players in the conversation.
Another example is Old Spice's GIF-centric promoted post campaign on Imgur, a platform where users submit all kinds of images, including memes and gifs. Sometimes popular users have "GIF-Wars," where users post gifs at one another until someone gives up or the community declares one of them the victor.
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Old Spice took note of this trend and made their promoted post a showdown between their spokesmen, Terry Crews and Isaiah Mustafa, each of who represent a different scent. As the two battled each other, call and response style, with wacky gifs in the aesthetic styling of Imgur net-art, users voted on what attracted their attention most and a winner was crowned. And, unsurprisingly, the campaign was well received. Digiday went through the top comment under the post and found gems like, "the beautiful bastards in your marketing department understand me better than any man" or "I never thought I would find myself saying this, but this is the kind of shameless ad posting I can get behind." Brands shine when they bring their audience into the dialogue. Ads no longer feel like ads. They feel like an extension of the user experience on a platform.
Users have told us that they don't want one-sided conversations anymore. There are now close to 200 million users of ad blocking software, according to Business Insider.
As I said earlier, ads won't disappear anytime soon, but there's definitely a greater demand for brands to show us their value, not just tell us about it.
Brands should begin leveraging principles of conversational commerce in their marketing efforts today, whether it's a beauty brand offering advice on how to take care of your skin or a financial institution distilling 401K investing tips. Through this dialogue, audiences will associate a product not just with a flashy image, but with the real-life utility and value these brands bring to their lives. Today, it's critical for brands to think of marketing as a relationship builder, one where value is proven and not merely hinted at.
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This time of year, we can't forget the pillars of a good relationship: mutual respect, dialogue, trust and loyalty. As marketers, let's respect our audiences. Instead of demanding their attention, let's engage them in conversation with content that's useful and valuable so we can build trust and earn their loyalty.
About the Author
Memo to: Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuFrom: Director General, Ministry of FriendshipSubject: Our Friends
An Op Ed in the New York Times by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon headlined "Don't Shoot the Messenger, Israel," raises the issue once again of who are our real friends in the world.
The Secretary-General, unfortunately, has crossed himself off that list. He wrote, "Nothing excuses terrorism. I condemn it categorically. It is inconceivable, though, that security measures alone will stop the violence."
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So far so good. But then, he went on the say, "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 won't 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."
Those sentiments are unacceptable. We reject the argument that the 1.8 million Palestinians fortunate enough to live in the liberated territories of Judea and Samaria under our benevolent military rule have anything at all to complain about. They resort to violence because they hate us, they always have and always will and nothing we do, or don't do, will ever make a difference.
Unfortunately, the US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, can no longer be considered a friend after delivering a speech last month in which he questioned why we were steadily expanding our settlements. He said: "Too many attacks on Palestinians lack a vigorous investigation or response by Israeli authorities; too much vigilantism goes unchecked; and at times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians."
Well of course. If we applied Israeli law equally to everyone who lives in the West Bank, we'd be accused by the entire world of annexing the territory. That time will come. Meanwhile, Israelis are Israelis and have all the rights of citizens and Palestinians are Palestinians and do not.
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We are guided by the following principle: to be a true friend of Israel, a person, state or institution must agree 100 percent with everything your government does, Mr. Prime Minister. It is not enough to care about our future, to be deeply concerned about our security, to uphold our right to exist in peace, to support military aid and our qualitative military advantage in the region, to oppose boycotts and double standards, to support and uphold our democratic values and to rally to our side when we are attacked or threatened.
Secretary of State John Kerry has long been crossed off the list of friends but confirmed the wisdom of this decision when he recently warned that violence, settlement-building and demolitions of Palestinian homes were "imperiling the viability of a two-state solution." He said the number of settlers had increased by tens of thousands in five years - implying that this was somehow a negative.
President Obama crossed himself off the list years ago for transgressions too numerous to list. Hillary Clinton, still leading in the campaign to become the next Democratic presidential nominee, still needs to do more to erase our suspicion after she kissed the wife of then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat back in 2000. She's apologized for that numerous times and professes her friendship at every opportunity - but let's face it, she's no Marco Rubio.
The European Union - all 28 members - has not been a true friend for years but when they recently put forward rules to label products from the settlements as products from the settlements, they joined the ranks of our enemies. They may think there is a Green Line dividing our historic homeland -- but we know better. Settlement products are Israeli products, no matter what anyone says.
Some of the EU members are more fanatically against us than others. Top of the list is France, which had the temerity to suggest convening a peace conference - an idea that is as ridiculous as it sounds -- and said it would recognize the so--called "State of Palestine" if nothing came of this. To echo your own wise words, Mr. Prime Minister, there will be no state of Palestine on your watch.
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Apart from these non-friends, we also have many domestic enemies - authors, intellectuals, professors, journalists, leftists, peaceniks, Israeli Arabs and various non-governmental organizations which get money from foreign democracies to monitor what they laughingly call "civil rights." Fortunately, with pending legislation you have backed, we will soon clip their wings.
Thursday Student Voice convened a group of students from around the city of Philadelphia in a Student Voice Convention to launch a national tour. We didn't choose the city by accident--Philadelphia was the birthplace of our nation. It was here, 227 years ago that another convention created an American government for the people and by the people and it is here in 2016 that students discussed how to make an education system for the students and by the students.
We began the day with Philadelphia's superintendent, Dr. William Hite. He spoke about the importance of having your voice heard, especially in the conversations about the current problems facing the city.
The problems are many. The city is facing massive budget cuts that are threatening to shut schools down; students are acutely aware and ready to fight for their schools. And many of those schools are decrepit and falling apart. We heard from Philadelphia Councilwoman Helen Gym about an exploding school boiler which lit an employee on fire.
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In conversation with students, we heard about a "game" played in an African-American History class:
Slave-tag.
In an attempt to teach slavery, one Philadelphia teacher created an activity where he designated certain students in the class as slaves and certain students as slave owners. The goal: catch the slaves.
Philadelphia's school system may need many improvements, but one thing was made absolutely clear: the students have a passion and dedication to their schools and communities that is inspiring. It didn't take long for students to determine that there was something more than a little bit wrong with "slave-tag," and they spoke out.
In Philadelphia high schools, protests are a common occurrence. Students from all walks of life are aware of how policies at the state and district level affect their ability to learn.
Students are supportive. One student explained how her school had their student council taken away. The other students in the room were shocked such a thing could happen. During the rest of the summit, other students helped the girl brainstorm how to make the case to adults in her school to get the student council back.
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Young people help started this country in Philadelphia; young people here today are active change agents in their communities.
Throughout the tour I will write these little posts. They will be done on the fly, whenever I can catch a minute to breathe. Don't expect prolific manuscripts, but do look for student stories. Don't expect complicated prose, but do look for a perspective that maybe you hadn't considered before.
This tour is about confronting norms. It's normal for students to sit in a classroom taking direction from a teacher; today they designed their own conversations by voting on the Student Bill of Rights. It's normal for students to be passive consumers of their education; today they were active co-designers. It is normal for students to be voiceless; today we ran out of time because the conversations were too rich.
Today, we helped raise the consciousness of Philadelphia teenagers from over a half dozen schools about the role they can play in improving education. This weekend we head to Iowa where presidential candidates are gearing up to make the case as to why their vision for America is the right one. Let's see how many of them talk about education.
Be on the look-out for more stories from Philadelphia students as part of our Students of America campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And follow us on Snapchat and Periscope, @Stuvoice, to get a look at each stop.
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Donald Trump, the New York billionaire seeking the Republican nomination for president, achieved something monumental in Monday night's Iowa caucuses. He became the very thing he most despises: a loser. With Texas Sen. Ted Cruz winning 28% of the vote, Trump's 24% narrowly beat Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for second place by one point. So much for all the polling, which Trump had obsessively been citing every three seconds.
To be sure, voter turnout was huge, at record levels. About 50% more Iowans braced the nighttime cold to get in on the action. That's a good thing for our Democracy. The more people who engage in our political process the more effective and inclusive it will be. And yes, as in-the-tank-for-Trump conservatives like MSNBC's Joe Scarborough have been pointing out, he garnered the most votes in the history of this state's caucuses save for Cruz himself. But Cruz won, not Trump, and Rubio essentially also achieved "the most" votes except for Cruz. So in the context of the totals, Trump achieved nothing special except grab a proportionate slice of the record turnout as did his more viable opponents.
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And why was there record turnout? The conventional wisdom prior to Monday held that Trump was so wildly popular that he would be drawing tens of thousands of Iowans off the couch and into the caucuses for the first time. People so angry, so fed up, so ready for "something different" that this would be an election like no other. Quite the opposite could also be said though. That Trump so angered and offended the collective intelligence of the good people of Iowa that they got off that couch, alright, but to ensure that he wouldn't win.
As I've been saying for months, Trump is an embarrassing sideshow. A modern day Morton Downey Jr. A carnival-barking agitator, spewing hate-filled racist rhetoric, not a mainstream politician with substantive policy proposals. And while it's been fun for Iowans and others to pack arenas to experience The Donald Trump Reality Show, as evidenced last night, it's not translating to victory.
So what about New Hampshire? Unless Jeb Bush pulls off a miracle and rises up from the ashes (which I still believe is a strong possibility), the smart money's on Trump fading into oblivion from this point forward, with Rubio taking the Granite State's contest next week. From there, Cruz will win South Carolina, and then it'll be a tough battle between the two "non-establishment" Senators thereafter.
Trump will soon figure out a way to exit the race -- based on some typically self-aggrandizing, truth-stretching gibberish -- and go back to doing what he does best: borrow the shit out of other people's money to slap his ubiquitous brand on gauche skyscrapers, ugly clothing and anything else he can license. Maybe even file a bankruptcy or two and get divorced again. But no matter the spin, he's still a loser. The thing he hates most. There's nothing more delicious than a Trump concession speech.
This post first appeared on the Global Invest Her blog.
In 2010, Chile did not have a startup ecosystem and they felt that their economic growth was being stunted so their government decided to change that. The Chilean government decided to set up Start-Up Chile, a government-backed accelerator program with the ambitious objectives of creating a an entrepreneurial environment in the country and to position Chile as the innovation and entrepreneurship hub of Latin America - nothing less.
Rocio Fonseca, Executive Director in Start-Up Chile is proud to share their exceptional progress to date:
"We are proud to have accomplished our first objectives of creating a startup environment in our country and positioning Chile as a great place to develop your startup. Six years ago we were not even on the global map of the startup landscape. Today we are ranked number 16 in the GEDI index and the only Latin American in the Top 20. Our numbers show that we have also made an important economical impact in Chile. Not only have we proven that the program works, now other countries are copying our model, and that makes us very happy."
Excellent Economic Impact of Start-up Chile : a 4.39X return in only 5 years
Start-Up Chile has helped over 3,000 entrepreneurs .
. 1,100 startups have gone through the program since its inception in 2010.
have gone through the program since its inception in 2010. Globally over 30% have raised capital . Up to July 2015, our startups had raised 135 million USD as reported by them (4.39 times the investment of the Government since the beginning of Start-Up Chile).
. Up to July 2015, our startups had raised 135 million USD as reported by them (4.39 times the investment of the Government since the beginning of Start-Up Chile). Annual Sales: 20% of the startups generate sales reaching a total of $41.5million/year - 3.46 X times the investment made by the Chilean government.
- 3.46 X times the investment made by the Chilean government. Out of 1,100 startups in Latin America, there are 334 operating in Chile now (32%). Of the total foreign startups, 10.3% remain in the country.
Out of the 334 startups, 79% are still operating, 1% were sold and 20% died.
The total value of the startups created by the program is425 million USD, with the top 5 valuations ranging from $75million to $100 million.
* (Data from September 30, 2015, source: Start-Up Chile)
Now, thanks to Start-Up Chile a true startup ecosystem has been born, with every main university in Chile offering its own masters in entrepreneurship and many start-up events and entrepreneurship festivals.
About Start-Up Chile
The Start-up Chile program, created by the Chilean government, seeks to attract early-stage high-potential entrepreneurs to bootstrap their startups using Chile as a platform to go global. So far 15 cohorts have been through one of their 6 month programs, with a total of between 200-250 companies joining the portfolio every year.
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3 different programs according to the stage of your program: (all in English)
1. The S Factory:
Pre-accelerator program focused on Female Founders, for startups at the early concept stage. There are 2 rounds a year of 20-30 companies each round.
Selected companies get around14,000 equity free (10 million CLP) and are part of a 3 months accelerator.
2. Seed:
Accelerator program for startups with a functional product (MVP) and early validation. There are two rounds a year of 80-100 companies each round.
Selected companies get around29,000 (20 million CLP) equity free and are part of a 6 months accelerator.
3. Scale:
Follow on fund for top performing startups that are incorporated in Chile, have traction and are looking to scale in LATAM and globally. There are 2 rounds a year of 20-30 companies per round.
Selected companies get86,000 (60 million CLP) equity free, with that condition that they incorporate and open operations in Chile.
Who can apply - Conditions for all programs:
Applications are open to any nationality, and past participants include teams from USA, France, Albania, Canada, even some African countries
At least one of the founders has to settle in Chile and give back to the Chilean society through a social impact program that aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
What else do you get?
Besides the grants and co-working space, Start-Up Chile offers an acceleration program that includes:
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SUP Academy: Training program (workshops, talks, other learning experiences), Platoons (peer-to-peer mentoring) and Pitch Training
Training program (workshops, talks, other learning experiences), Platoons (peer-to-peer mentoring) and Pitch Training Connections: Global and local mentors, investors and business networks
Global and local mentors, investors and business networks Events: external and internal events (Demo Day and Tech Evenings)
external and internal events (Demo Day and Tech Evenings) Experiences: Soft-landing and internal activities to prmotion networking and community building.
Inti Nunez: Head of Entrepreneurship at CORFO (Chilean Economic Development Agency, part of the Economy Ministry) shares:
"As a public policy, Start-Up Chile has been successful in installing a renewed global vision in the national ecosystem, creating a new way to operate and powerful international networks. This has taken consistency in accelerating current startups from our country. Now Chilean startups have higher valuations because it is assumed that they scale to become more international companies. Start-Up Chile has contributed to increasing the potential of our ecosystem."
Why be part of this program?
Interview with Michael Bond, from Cincinnati, Founder of Spoken, Part of group 14 of Start-Up Chile, winner of Demo-Day
Why would an American entrepreneur go to Chile to develop his prototype, coming from a much more developed economy and from an entrepreneurial ecosystem that offers more opportunities such as the one in the States?
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"US tech culture has the money and the opportunities, but it's still really lacking in diversity - there's a lot of people attacking the same problems from the same direction. As a social entrepreneur, I'm looking to solve the kind of global issues that the market ignores - and sometimes Silicon Valley isn't the best fit for that approach."
How has the program helped you with your startup? Has it helped you raise money? Make contacts? Develop your product?
"We arrived in Chile with a simple prototype, little more than an idea, and in six months had a working product that was ready to help people. Being able to focus on our work in a competitive environment with other entrepreneurs from around the world was invaluable."
Is your focus on the Latin American market? Are you planning to stay in Chile or go back to the U.S to get more investment?
"We're an American company, but we had to be thinking globally from day one - there's no excuse for rushing around trying to figure out "the rest of the world" after the fact. We'll be launching in the US first, but it's clear that our biggest growth will be in other countries and languages that are in more desperate need of new health technology. I don't think that's an uncommon position for entrepreneurs to be in, and getting started here in Chile has really helped us understand the Latin American market better.
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I'm still living here in Chile, and traveling back and forth to raise money and work with the rest of our team in the States. Location now is less about all of us needing to work in the same place, and more about being in places that allow us to work better."
The Focus for 2016:
"Our main challenge for 2016 is to offer our entrepreneurs an excellent training and strong connections with industry and investors. We have created an "Investor Club" which will improve interaction between Start-Ups and investors. We want to increase the quality of the program, continue to generate social impact throughout the country and of course, maintain and build on our excellent economic and social impact."
Rocio Fonseca, Executive Director in Start-Up Chile
Applications Now Open for the Seed Program: Closing date February 16th
Apart from equity free money, co-working space, mentorship, access to investors and networks, you can learn from multicultural teams and put down a foundation to developing your company in the Latam markets - there is a lot to be said for this program, in my opinion. There are many good reasons why this program is a global benchmark, so do check it out.
To Learn More about Start-Up Chile programs:
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Watch Anne Ravanona's TEDx talk on Investing in Women Entrepreneurs.
For interviews with Trailblazing Women leaders on Huffington Post Read More Here
This post originally appeared on blackandwordy.com
A new, life-and-death definition was brought home to Nepal on 25th April 2015. That's when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 8,500 Nepalese, and left an estimated 2.5 million others displaced.
Visiting Nepal in November of 2015, I learned that ever since the country suffered last year's massive temblor, another humanitarian crisis has befallen its people. The landlocked country's new crisis emanates from a drastic reduction of vital imports it receives from India such as petrol, food, gas and medicine.
Little more than two months after the devastating earthquake redefined the word "crisis" there, it has a yet another new meaning thanks to a desperate lack of the essentials of modern civilization.
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I went to Nepal for the typical Kathmandu trip: Yoga, trekking, soul-searching--and Mt. Everest.
A long line of motorcyclist holding their bikes in a straight line caught my eye as I first approached my modest accommodations at the Hotel Friends Home. As I was driven through the streets of Kathmandu, I watched this snaking line of men and cycles twist around corners, stretching along for miles.
Soon after, I asked the manager, Pramod Paudel if I could order something from his hotel's menu.
"I'm sorry, sir, we are not serving lunch or dinner right now because we have to save gas because of the crisis.""What crisis?" "The blockage of imports at the border, sir. We have not received imports from India. Right now, we have lost over 40 percent of our business; and this is high season. We are normally fully booked," he said. "If you want, you can go next door to get food. They are using firewood. We have to save our gas to have enough to cook breakfast. It's worse than the earthquake."
Pramod Paudel, Manager of the Hotel Friends Home hotel.
As I walked along the streets of Kathmandu, and saw semi-erect structures, and broken bricks scattered along the pavement, it was hard to imagine what a crisis "worse than the earthquake" looks like. It wasn't until I walked by another line of vehicles waiting in a queue further than my eyes could see that I started to understand.
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Queue for petrol
Photo Credit: Julian Laurent Instagram: @julianlaurentnow
It was not extraordinary for drivers to wait for a period of three to five days to receive as little as five liters of petrol. When waiting in line is not an option, people are forced to buy black market fuel, which can be double or more the price of 200 Nepalese Rupees per liter for legal gas.
The shortage and escalating prices of petrol has forced many business and taxi drivers to increase prices, making travel within city expensive and incredibly time-consuming: I nearly had to pay $30 (U.S.) to travel a distance of six miles via taxi.
There was no petrol for school buses and some schools outside Kathmandu had been closed for at least a month.
Arriving at a sandwich shop, I asked the clerk how he is impacted by the political blockade. "We have to use our microwave to heat food when we don't have gas, but we have to use gas when the electricity is out from the load shedding," he said.
Load shedding (also known as a rolling blackout) is a temporary shutdown of electricity. The city of Kathmandu is divided into groups and power is cut in each group on a rotating schedule. I was in my hotel room when I saw the power go out for the first time; it lasted for four hours. According to recent reports, load shedding is expected to last for 13 hours a day.
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"How often does the electricity go out?" I asked."3-6 hours per day maybe.""What are you going to do when you run out of gas?""I don't know. Try and get more, but we don't know when more gas will be available."
Uncertainty was a common theme amongst the Nepalese citizens to whom I spoke. With fluctuating prices and sporadic availability of petrol, diesel, and electricity, it was hard not to have anxiety about what might be yet to come.
When would the blockade end? Some people believed that the Indian government is responsible for the blockade while others blamed Madhesi protesters on the Indian-Nepali border. Members of the Madhesi community have been demanding changes to Nepal's constitution, which they say does not give the Madhesi community a political agency
Regardless of its cause, the supply crisis is hurting the Nepalese people each and every day, especially workers.
"It takes me two hours to get to work," said Dr. Bal Mukumba. He works at the International Friendship Children's Hospital. Dr. Mukumba and I spoke adjacent to the hospital's diesel-fueled power generator. As we spoke, I noticed a hospital employee approaching the generator.
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Dr. Bal Mukumba
"Did the power go out," I asked Dr. Mukumba?"Yes.""What happens when the power goes out?""The diesel generator will run until the electricity comes back on.""How much diesel do you normally receive?""We used to get a one month supply whenever we called, but we don't know if we will get more.""What happens if you don't get more fuel?""The generator will run on diesel, but after that nothing.""There will be no electricity?""No.""How much diesel do you have?""fifteen days...This is worse than the earthquake."The doctor and I walked to the pharmacy. "We have two to three days of I.V. drip. We have two to three days left of I.V. cannula, we are running short on antibiotics. This is an emergency."
Diesel Powered Generator Photo Credit:
One of the patients at the hospital and her parent.
That is what "worse than the earthquake" can look like. It may not be a glamorous plight, if there is such a thing; but the Nepalese people are suffering--and something must be done.
Let's say you're on the city council of your hometown, population around 25,000. You decide to run for mayor because there are serious issues you'd like to tackle.
The water and sewer systems need an upgrade, which may result in a half-cent tax hike. Other infrastructure needs include sidewalks and sprucing up the weedy city park. You'd like to hire two or three more police officers.
You'd like to recruit a few small retail chain stores and maybe a manufacturing company to come to town to ease unemployment. You'd like to annex that new housing development on the edge of town in order to expand the tax base.
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You get along well with other council members of both parties, and the current mayor is stepping down to focus on his dry cleaning business. You're a businessperson yourself, and respected around town. Your four years on the council have enabled you to understand how government works, and you know how to negotiate compromises that benefit the community.
Seems like a good time to throw your hat into the ring.
A few days after you announce for mayor and take out a modest ad in the local newspaper, you get a challenger. That's fine, because that's how democracy works.
Except your challenger is the builder of the new housing development on the edge of town, a man with a shady past and no experience in government. Residents of his development have complained about shoddy construction and the desire for city annexation so they can get rid of their tainted wells and leaky septic tanks.
The developer has derided this as a big government solution to private problems, although he has not addressed the problems.
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The developer takes out full-page color ads in the local paper, making the publisher of the small daily very happy. The developer throws weekly rallies at his palatial home, serving free barbecue, hot dogs, and hamburgers.
He is endorsed by the former mayor of a nearby town, an attractive woman who quit halfway through her term to run a regional beauty pageant. The former mayor's daughter, a former pageant winner, has two illegitimate children by two different fathers. The former mayor's son was recently arrested for domestic abuse. She blames "liberals" like you for her son's depression, leading to his arrest.
She says the Almighty is leading the developer's campaign as she leads the crowd in a chorus of "God Bless America."
In his speeches, the developer offers no specifics about what he will do as mayor. He says things like, "I'm really rich," and "I could shoot people and I wouldn't lose a vote."
Meanwhile, you lay out a sensible plan in consultation with other council members based on economic projections and town needs. You talk of buying a new fire truck to replace the one that breaks down.
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Your opponent holds a rally at the firehouse and hands out fire hats to children. He says he will cut taxes. He derides you as "not one of us," even though you have lived here for 30 years, and he has not.
Three weeks before Election Day, the local paper endorses the developer and releases a poll showing him ahead of you.
You meet with concerned residents and members of the Chamber of Commerce. "What are we going to do?" they ask.
"How can we stop this man from becoming our next mayor? He's buying the election. New business will shun us, our schools will decline, and our community will suffer. It will take years to dig out from this mess if he's elected," they say.
For reasons you may find cloying, last week I experienced renewed love, affection and appreciation for my dog Tulip--not the wonderful movie My Dog Tulip--I'm talking about my actual, real-life dog Tulip.
But precisely because of this overwhelming gratitude for my fabulous 11-year-old (You're SUCH a good girl!), I wound up watching White God, an award-winning Hungarian indie film released in the States in July 2015, and currently available on Netflix, which summed it up like this:
When a cruel father dumps his daughter's beloved dog, Hagen, out on the highway to fend for himself, Hagen not only survives the horrors of abandonment, dog fights and starvation, but rouses an angry army of mongrels out to exact vengeance.
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This may be hard to watch, I advised myself. But then again, seems like the dogs make out in the end; and, what the hell, I'm having a dog kind of week, so...
I still don't know why they call it White God, but my God, like good art should, this movie sank its teeth into me (sorry, couldn't help saying that). The bond between Lilli and Hagen is made clear early on through a lovely scene in which she performs a haunting melody on her trumpet to ease her dog's distress. Once Hagen is abandoned, the film tracks both his beleaguered journey and that of his bereaved 13-year-old owner.
Hagen's drama
A homeless man snags Hagen, and sells him to a bloodless, dogfighting dickhead. Hagen's transformation into a battle-ready, bloodthirsty beast is unbearable to watch, I kept my eyes closed the whole time. After the fight, the transmogrified hound escapes, is eventually caught and delivered to a kill shelter. When his turn comes, Hagen lunges for the attendant's throat (you don't want to see this scene either), opens wide the gate to the pen restraining 300 more dogs, and they hit the city streets, snarling, menacing and formidable, with Hagen as their new general. How is Hagen so brilliantly capable of executing this masterful act of domination? That's beside the point. This is a fable, people, and it promises to deliver morallly and rightfully victorious canines; practicing a little patience is called for.
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As Lilli roams the streets in search of her dog, Hagen leads the pack to chilling, people-specific attacks, and we grasp that the evil father, and even Lilli, will surely be the final targets. Spoiler alert! I have to tell you about the ending, which is magnificent, majestic, merciful and a bunch of other M words I can think of. The 300 dogs, now being hunted by a military-type police force, arrive at their final destination, with their leader Hagen at the forefront. Lilli faces them down. Hagen snarls in lunge-ready posture.
After a nail-biting stretch of time, she pulls out her trumpet, plays the melody we've heard before, and we watch as Hagen softens, lies down, and the other dogs follow suit. Lilli, too, lays down her trumpet and prostrates herself; her father emerges and drops down beside her in pranam to the animals.
Several allegories can be gleaned through this dark and powerful reflection on society at its worst, and many were deliberated in breathless reviews of the film: it speaks to the eventual rise of the downtrodden (the 99 percent!); the coming apocalypse; the conquest over fascism; the forgotten nature of man's best friend, and more. But the meaning I took away from this cautionary tale comes closer to the heart: remove the love and a monster emerges.
So, next time you're feeling unloved, abandoned, unlovable; like you will never find love again, or that you've forgotten how to love, keep in mind that a monster -- which must eventually be annihilated -- lies within, waiting to be set loose upon the world.
Visitors explore the Duke University campus during Blue Devil Days Monday, April 24, 2006 in Durham, N.C. With classes over for the year and students focused on final exams and the upcoming commencement for graduates, the controversy that rocked the college campus in the days following rape allegations involving the men's lacrosse team has waned _ at least for now. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
This column originally ran in The Chronicle, Duke's independent student newspaper.
Society has evolved tremendously since the first Greek-letter organization was created in North America at the College of William and Mary in 1776, but the rules that govern sororities today remain startlingly outdated.
According to the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization that sets the standards of national chapters, the majority of the 26 recognized sororities are forbidden from hosting parties or serving alcohol in chapter houses -- even if members are 21.
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Many sororities have strict rules prohibiting the presence of men in their houses. To compensate for this restriction, some organizations have weekly "visiting hours" during which boys can visit members in a public common room. I am a Greek-affiliated student at Duke, and when I learned about these rules, I felt like I had been whisked back to the 1800s.
"The media is quick to spotlight fraternities for recent scandals... but people rarely question why only half of the participants in Greek life -- fraternity members -- control the social scene in the first place."
The National Panhellenic Conference, commonly known as Panhel, originally prohibited sororities from hosting social events to maintain lower insurance premiums. According to The New York Times, fraternities that throw parties pay higher fees because they face increased liability for property damages. Other rationales includes the desire to preserve the intricately decorated interiors of sorority houses and to protect the safety of house residents.
Although fraternities are also Greek organizations, they are not limited to the same restrictions. Fraternities are allowed to host parties and have women present in their houses. The media is quick to spotlight fraternities for recent scandals with which they have been associated, but people rarely question why only half of the participants in Greek life -- fraternity members -- control the social scene in the first place.
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We live in the 21st century. Modern women are proactive and independent, breaking barriers in every element of academia and the professional world. Our roles in society are incomparable to what they were centuries ago when women had to pay dowries to be handed off to prospective husbands and were chaperoned on dates. Yet the constrictions imposed by Panhel -- a women's organization -- do not reflect progressive societal changes.
Society pushes me to believe that I can build a successful career in any traditionally male-dominated profession. But if I want to invite my best friend, a male, to my house for dinner, I can't? The continuance of these regulations suggests that affiliated women should not bear any responsibility for our own social experiences. We are unable to control the most basic, intimate unit of our daily lives: our living spaces. These measures were supposedly instated for our benefit, but they result in women being channeled into a social domain that men dictate.
The fraternity brothers who host an event provide the space, supply the refreshments and determine the guests. Inherently, an imbalanced power dynamic develops and a gender hierarchy forms, regardless of how welcoming or respectful the men could be. We are their guests, which formulates a subtle but underlying relationship of obligation. While women still may appreciate or enjoy the hospitality, the patriarchal dynamic perpetrates the idea that we should rely on men. This does not reflect how modern women operate, especially Duke women.
The "no boys in the house" rule unfairly implies that most relationships with males are promiscuous and deserve to be condemned. An affiliated NC State student, Kelly Elder, spoke out regarding her frustration when her chapter deliberated placing a sorority sister on social probation as punishment for sneaking a boy into her bedroom.
"Society pushes me to believe that I can build a successful career in any traditionally male-dominated profession. But if I want to invite my best friend, a male, to my house for dinner, I can't?"
The girl was struggling with personal issues and relied upon her male friend for support. Since he did not attend the same university, the most comfortable place to speak was in her house. Although the circumstances clearly warrant her actions, the chapter was obligated to consider repercussions. Furthermore, Kelly raises the point that girls in long distance relationships are compelled to leave their own houses when their significant others visit.
Beyond initiating dialogue, some women have taken the issue a step further by breaking ties with their national chapter. An independent local sorority at Dartmouth University, Sigma Delta, has flouted convention by throwing its own parties. Panhel cannot impose rules upon Sigma Delta because no technical affiliation has existed since 1988. The New York Times portrayed the creation of this unique sisterhood as a reactive measure to prevent sexual assault and avoid possible safety issues at fraternity houses.
While many girls admit they feel safer on their home turf because they are familiar with the house, the contents of refreshments being served and the people in attendance, Sigma Delta was not localized as a passive response. These women wanted to proactively construct an organization that reflected their values in a space they could control.
I am not trying to express that whenever I enter a fraternity house I automatically feel compelled to abide by someone else's standards, behavior or desires. Some women may never feel uncomfortable in fraternities while others may feel differently. Nonetheless, I would feel a sense of security and empowerment if I at least had the option to be on my own turf and manage my own experiences.
When granted the choice, some women might say the risks and liabilities of hosting a party on their premises outweigh the benefits. Regardless of the ultimate decision, women should have the right to make the same choices afforded to fraternity members. The fault of this does not lie with fraternities, at Duke or nationally; it stems from the bureaucracy that sets these guidelines.
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Panhel must reframe these obsolete double standards to convey that sorority women can, and should, act as independent community members. More importantly, we must question why these gender discrepancies have been permitted to exist for so long.
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 most 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, UNHCR's senior public information officer in Iraq, met one family struggling to get by.
These days, 40 year-old Syrian father of three, Faruq Mohammed Hamo, tells me there are local shops where he dare not go and show his face
Faruq is deep in debt and is ashamed to go to stores where he can't pay back the food items he's bought on credit. His family fled conflict in the Kobane, Syria, in September 2014. They now live in Qaladze, north of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, just a few kilometres from the border with Iran. They fled with nothing and have been helped by neighbours as well as getting help from UNHCR. But, Faruq says, he has been unable to find regular work and things are going from bad to worse.
Faruq used to get work digging water wells. In Syria, he also supplemented his income farming, raising sheep and goats and selling crops in the market. But since he and his family arrived in Qaladze, work has been drying up. And ever since the onset of winter, he said, he has not worked at all. "It's very difficult to make ends meet. We struggle with nothing."
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"We have one kerosene heater and also use an electric heater when there's electricity - but normally, that is only available 10 hours a day. We just have to get used to the cold - but its much colder here than back in Syria", he said.
"There are shops where I can't go back because I owe them so much money. I'm so worried about what we're going to do; I often can't sleep thinking about that," he said.
Father of three, Faruq Mohammed Hamo, and his family struggle with debts
His wife, 37 year old Adla, says she's at a loss to see how they can change their situation. "Our biggest need is cash...we need money to pay the rent, electricity, kerosene and food. We haven't paid the rent for the last four months", she confided. "We have absolutely no cash in the house. My husband wants to borrow more money, but I'm telling him no! We're so much in debt - how can we pay it all back?"
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The family are supposed to pay 150,000 Iraqi dinar (around $135) for their draughty two-room building which leaks when it rains. Faruq has fixed extra plastic sheets to the roof, held down by old car tyres, which has helped a bit, but it doesn't reduce the draughts and cold, which has resulted in bouts of flu for the whole family.
The family have received assistance from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, which has provided winter cash assistance, as well as extra blankets and plastic sheeting. But, they say, daily life is still a struggle.
And while Faruq's children look forward to more snowfall this year and the prospect of snowball fights and winter games, Faruq is hoping for winter to pass quickly, for the weather to warm up which might bring with it more opportunities to try to find work and provide for his family again.
On 4 February in London, high level delegates from more than 70 governments, together with UN, non-governmental and other organisations, will be discussing the Syria conflict, about to enter its sixth year. The challenge is how to better provide humanitarian assistance to those affected, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries, which are hosting more than four million refugees
In my recent Huffington Post article "In The Shadow Of New Age Spirituality," I documented and commented on the burgeoning scandal regarding New Age spiritual teacher and author Marc Gafni. Whereas some readers may assume that the debacle is relevant only to students and teachers in the New Age movement, I believe that the implications are remarkably far-reaching. In fact, I argue that by enabling Gafni's behavior, those who apologize for and defend him are colluding with larger and more global abuses of power.
We Shouldn't Judge
In response to my article, some readers argued that "we should not judge" Gafni but rather pray for and support him instead of attacking him. To reiterate, my article is not an attack, but rather, one of a host of well-documented exposes of Gafni's inappropriate sexual behavior and his attempts to distort and defend it to his advantage. Shining the light on a plethora of charges from offenders spanning more than 30 years is hardly an exercise in condemnation, but rather, a call to laser discernment which appears to completely escape the defenders of Gafni in the New Age movement. Given his sordid reputation, I assume that Gafni is a lost cause, and therefore, I am not taking him to task, but rather the purveyors of "solar spirituality" who refuse to engage with the dark side of human nature.
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To argue that "we should not judge Gafni" is somewhat like proclaiming that Rosa Parks should not have "judged" the driver who told her to sit in the back of the bus when she refused to do so. It is not unlike accusing Martin Luther King, Jr. of "judging" when he called out Bull Connor for his brutal attacks on blacks in 1960s Alabama.
The renowned Buddhist teacher, Chogyam Trungpa famously spoke of "idiot compassion" by which he meant compassion that is not discerning and which enables injustice or perpetuates suffering.
Justice and truth must be spoken in times of ghastly in-justice, violence, and betrayal. Indeed, justice must be tempered with mercy, but often it is harsh and not what the ego or rational mind would prefer to experience, especially if one is wedded to a spirituality that routinely sidesteps the messiness of life.
The Essence Of Enabling
To enable is to "give power, means, competence, or ability" to a person or behavior. Clearly, for the past three decades, a number of spiritual luminaries surrounding Marc Gafni, most notably Ken Wilber and Sally Kempton, as I noted in my previous article, have defended or minimized Gafni's behavior in the face of glaring evidence of his culpability. Without their enabling, the human suffering caused by Gafni's sexual assaults would not have been swept under the rug by the New Age movement at large. When we enable someone, we collude with them, and the word "collusion" literally means, the sharing of an illusion.
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We often unconsciously choose to "share an illusion" because a repressed part of the psyche, the shadow, contains material with which we choose not to identify, but nevertheless lives in us. To be human is to have a shadow, but it is each human's responsibility, especially those who identify as spiritual teachers and authorities on the psyche, to deeply examine their own shadow not once or twice, but frequently for as long as they live.
In the case of Gafni, evidence is mounting that he may be a sociopath, devoid of conscience and therefore the pangs of guilt with which most humans struggle. The shadow, in fact, may not be the issue for him in this situation because the dynamics of the shadow require that an individual have a conscience. The presence of conscience causes us to repress aspects of ourselves that do not resonate with what we consider morally sound, and we therefore bury those in the unconscious mind, or we choose to examine them and resolve the issue. Individuals without conscience, however, live out rather than repress their demons.
Gafni's shadow notwithstanding, where we find the most egregious shadow behavior is among his defenders. Anyone who defends a sociopath or any individual who has created a thirty-year trail of alleged sexual abuse, mind control, and deceit clearly has his or her own shadow work to do.
The Global Implications Of Enabling Marc Gafni
What the Gafni scandal most deplorably reveals is the moral bankruptcy of New Age spirituality which prefers to think pretty thoughts rather than confront the evil that is ravaging the planet and creating untold suffering for all living beings. Gafni has become the poster boy for abuses of power within spiritual movements in general, of women in particular, and by extension, abuses of the Earth, the poor, and abuses based on ethnicity and class. Groups wedded to what I have termed solar spirituality with an aversion to exploring the dark side of human nature, prefer to avoid issues of racial, gender, and Earth injustice in favor of remaining naive and insulated from "negativity."
Attend virtually any New Age gathering, and you will be deluged with feel-good discourses on personal growth, creating individual abundance, erasing negative thoughts, and "living in the light." Occasionally, some sanitized "green wash" is thrown in by way of encouraging people to recycle their garbage or install solar panels on their homes, but almost without exception, any talk of climate catastrophe or the extinction of species is quickly derailed in favor of "remaining positive." Likewise, the scions of solar spirituality tend to squirm when topics of poverty and economic inequality arise. After all, it was from this milieu that The Secret, Rhonda Byrne's 'you can have it all' narcissistic nonsense emerged, promising the manifestation of one's desires through positive thinking.
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Such pseudo-spirituality is neither in the tradition of the great mystics and wisdom teachers, nor does it serve an increasingly withering planet. What does serve the Earth community are individuals committed to Sacred Activism, the marriage of activism and spirituality---spiritual warriors who aren't afraid to witness and confront darkness with clear-eyed discernment. Until the New Age movement and its luminaries are willing to do their own shadow work, then make an unflinching commitment to social and ecological justice, we can expect to see the proliferation of more Gafnis within its ranks. Thus, the movement will remain ensconsed in naivete, commercialism, and complacency, failing miserably to alleviate a plethora of injustices on a planet in peril. Absent ongoing shadow exploration, all spiritual movements eventually enable not only perpetrators of abuse and exploitation within their own ranks, but throughout the Earth community at large.
All beings harmed by abuses of power, as well as the Earth itself, cry out for awake human beings to commit to the journey of shadow healing. Grueling though it may be, the rewards are inestimable, for as the poet Rumi reminds us, "What hurts you, blesses you; darkness is your candle; your boundaries are your quest."
The headlines on Africa have been filled with challenging news for a continent whose narrative was on the rise. They report that across Africa economic growth is decreasing, commodity prices are down and China's demand for African resources is declining. That borrowing costs are up and that Africa's growing "middle" class has all but vanished; that investment risks are increasing and anticipated returns are down.
But sustained economic development and growth isn't an overnight phenomenon - it is built over time upon a set of fundamentals. Long-term opportunities abound in the Sub-Saharan Africa, but they require patient capital, early stage investments and multiple paths for investors to realize their returns. Trend lines, as opposed to headlines, drive outcomes - and they continue to point toward broad and deep opportunities in Africa.
In many countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, several forces are combining to produce opportunity over the coming decade:
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- Growing demand from a consumer class in urban centers
- A stronger ability to produce competitive goods
- Peaceful political transitions and more effective economic development policies
Investors who leverage these trends will prosper - as will a region that continues to be projected to be the second fastest growing market in the world over the coming five years.
Growing demand from the consumer class
With a population that is growing to 1.7 billion by 2030, there continues to be an expanding demand for fast-moving consumer goods in Africa. The ten largest consumer-facing multinationals in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Shoprite, MTN, Unilever, Nestle, Vodacom and Samsung, as a group now exceed annual revenues of 50 billion as a result of double-digit annual growth over the past six years.
Urbanization and changing spending patterns are helping to fuel this success. More affluent consumers are moving to cities, allowing distribution channels to become centralized and cost-effective. Consumers also are shifting their consumption to different products -- mobile technology offers leap-frogging opportunities and is creating new products and markets monthly. Venture capital for African technology startups is projected to exceed $600 million annually by 2018.
We lack consistent data for the Sub-Saharan region when it comes to measuring an aggregate "middle" class -- a term that may have more meaning outside than inside the Continent. But investors don't invest in an abstract basket of countries, any more than international companies sell to a mythical "average consumer." And, in many countries, the data reflect strong ongoing and growing consumer class demand.
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Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania have an unmet demand for more than 44 million units of housing. Today, existing developers supply less than 200,000 homes annually, with the housing deficit widening each year. In Ghana's capital Accra, at least 1.6 million more people now live in households with a refrigerator and a television than did in 2006 - gateway assets for increasing consumption.
Sub-Saharan African consumers have an enormous unmet demand for power, especially in major cities like Lagos, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Deficiencies cause outages that sometimes last more than 24 hours. Businesses offering power, including those selling pay-as-you-go solar panels, fare well and attract significant investment, particularly as consumers weigh them against purchases of candles, kerosene and charcoal.
A stronger ability to produce competitive goods
The available country data sheds light not only on the ability and willingness of Africa's emerging consumer class to buy new products, but also on the Continent's evolving competitive advantage in making consumer products.
Workers in Ghana, Tanzania, Ethiopia and across Africa are more competitive than ever globally, as manufacturing costs have risen in China and new long-term trade policies are opening more opportunities to African exports. West Africa's regional economic block, for example, where manufacturing remains nascent, is increasingly integrated and enjoys one of the largest, youngest and fastest-growing labor markets in the world.
While China regularly dominates headlines about Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than a quarter of the region's 48 countries sell more than 20% of their exports to China. And despite the headlines, China is continuing to double up on its investments, pledging $60 billion in aid and loans over the next three years to the Continent, with a focus on infrastructure and workforce development. This investment may further bolster Chinese firms' appetite to shift manufacturing to the Continent, generating new and more sustainable sources of growth as Africa's raw material exports to China decline.
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More effective economic development policies
As trend line watchers know, Sub-Saharan Africa's major markets - including Kenya, Ethiopia and Cote D'Ivoire - have become more politically stable, joining Ghana, Tanzania, and Senegal, making their markets more appealing for investments in capital intensive fixed assets like power plants, natural gas and oil platforms and factories. Their Central Banks have become more adept in managing in a volatile global market environment, as reflected by the Fed's rate hike barely registering in the exchange rates of Africa's leading economies, contrary to the expectation of many analysts.
And several governments across Sub-Saharan Africa are making a decisive push to modernize and diversify their economies by building on their competitive labor advantages and planning for more value-added processing and manufacturing. This effort has been most successful in countries that lack strategic seaports and vast minerals, like Ethiopia, Lesotho and Rwanda. At a recent textile trade show in Addis Ababa, manufacturers from twenty-five countries discussed orders, reviewed plans for new factories and sought to convince their suppliers to co-locate and create the types of industrial clusters that lifted Asian productivity half a world away.
Economists in Sub-Saharan African governments are focused on better leveraging Sub-Saharan Africa's abundant local resources, from cocoa and cotton to gold, bauxite, rubber and fruits to create vertically integrated supply chains that serve regional and global markets. Too many of the goods their consumers enjoy are currently imported, increasing trade deficits and currency volatility, and frustrating the traditionally virtuous cycle in which growing consumption goes hand-in-hand with expanded and more sophisticated local production. Leaders are now more actively pursuing these opportunities for their own markets, so the economic transformation on the Continent is only now beginning in earnest.
This holds promise for investors seeking long-term value creation, given that so many Sub-Saharan economies are undervalued relative to their potential with efficiency gains possible in energy, logistics, agriculture, labor and capital markets. And, the trend line data suggests that the odds of realizing this promise are only improving.
Investors in Sub-Saharan Africa watch the headlines - but often make decisions based on trend lines. Those indicators - which matter for the future - continue to point to investment opportunities for those willing to take the long view.
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When Richard Greenberg is at his best, his plays not only vividly illuminate a specific and intimate world but they compel the viewer to look inward and reflect on the arc of their own lives. This is the profound effect that I remember feeling when I first read "Three Days of Rain" - the dialogue so bluntly honest yet meticulously crafted with wit and heart. I preferred "Take Me Out" in its unabridged Public Theater production because even though it contained material that could be and was eventually cut, it was so intricately constructed and woven into the core of its characters. His latest play, "Our Mother's Brief Affair," was first produced at the South Coast Rep a few years ago and is currently running on Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway stage. It takes a similar structure to "Three Days of Rain" of juxtaposing past and present, but instead of giving each period its own act, the two share the stage like estranged friends exchanging an awkward moment. There's a beauty to having the past so close yet in such fleeting glimpses, and Linda Lavin mines the dimensions of a woman "on one of her many death beds" with a secret to tell her children. There are many intricately constructed witty lines to be had throughout the evening, a pretty big surprise, an almost catharsis, and a lot of good acting, but it feels like Greenberg is only scratching the surface here.
As a sequel of sorts to "The Man Who Fell to Earth," it would be unrealistic to expect "Lazarus" to conform to narrative storytelling expectations. What you can expect is a beautiful expansive dream illustrated by Ivo Van Hove of David Bowie's final creative moments. Light and darkness exist simultaneously, informing each other and also highlighting the contradictions of human emotions. In a fit of mania, Cristin Milioti's character shouts, "no one chooses the heads we're born with," in a plea that doubles as an eerie moment of clarity. When Bowie died a couple days after the performance I attended, the outpouring of remembrances, eulogies, and essays was staggering. In a way that was never saccharine, he made a profound case for letting "the other" inside us shine and not get buried underneath a blur of conformity while acknowledging the existential quagmire of mortal beings. "Lazarus" is a fitting elegy to a man who used his creations to expand his and our conception of the world around us.
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Michael Frayn's "Noises Off" is one of the greatest farces written for the stage or screen. The rapidly cascading dialogue delights in the mania and resulting catastrophes inflicted on a poor troupe of traveling actors as they try to memorize stage business - "I take the sardines. No, I leave the sardines" - and cope with off-stage dramas. When I interviewed director Anna Shapiro a couple years back, she told me it was a play she'd love to direct. I hope I we get to see that someday. While Jeremy Herrin's current revival at the roundabout delivers some big laughs in the second and third act, the first fell quite flat for me and I noticed when the curtain came up for intermission, I hadn't laughed much. The last production on Broadway in 2001 by Jeremy Sams had me almost falling out of my seat. I was just beginning college at the time and perhaps that could account for it, but think its becasue this production never quite hits the play's fast-paced rhythm. Farce is like music, if the timing is off, it doesn't matter how virtuosic the musicians are. Despite an excellent cast, this "Noises Off" doesn't find its groove.
One of my favorite things about winter is Winter Jazz Fest, a festival for people who willingly cramp into impossibly tiny spaces and pay dearly to hear their favorite acts play an hour-long set at a storied jazz club. The fests near dozen venues doesn't contain any of these landmarks but rather takes the musicians that normally play them and puts them on stages where audiences can freely move between the wide variations on this rich art form that they represent. On Saturday night, I saw six wildly diverse acts and had planned to see more before exhaustion got the better of me. I began the evening in a plush seat in the New School's beautiful Tishman auditorium listening to Michael Formanek's brassy Ensemble Kolossus. The muscians were incredible and played amazing compositions that at their best echoed Charles Mingus' syncopated drive and experimentation. The problem is they too often descended into technical indulgences that while impressive left my ear cold.
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Next up on another New School stage, I saw the Bad Plus bassist Reid Anderson use a laptop to lay rich pop-inflected backdrops for alto saxophonist Andrew D'Angelo and tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry. It felt like the electronic music world's answer to jazz and hopefully the beginning of a longer exploration for Anderson. I had to leave mid-set to catch the enchanting Ethiopian-American Meklit Hadero who has a sound that is uniquely her own at Zinc Bar. Building on the traditions of Ella, Billie, and all those who came before to move the genre to its next evolutionary plane. A Roots cover fit in as naturally as her originals, which have the airiness of bossa nova with the driving riffs of bebop. There are plenty of pop-melodic lines woven through "Waiting for Earthquakes" but also complex trumpet solos. The bass line on "Slow" paired with a trombone riff that playfully climbs up the scale creates an unforgettable groove.
A few days ago on Fox News, Duck Dynasty star and Ted Cruz supporter Phil Robertson explained to Neil Cavuto why he supports Cruz:
At about 1:20 into the video, Robertson says:
"The reason I'm going for Cruz is that Cruz loves God and James Madison, for crying out loud. James Madison, Neil, was the man who said 'We've staked the whole of American civilization not upon the power of government - not on the power of government - far from it.' He said 'We've staked all of our political institutions on the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves, control ourselves, and sustain ourselves based on the ten commandments of God.' Therefore, Cruz trusts God, Cruz trusts James Madison. That's why, Neil, I trust Cruz."
What Phil Robertson shouldn't trust are quotes from the internet.
This spurious James Madison ten commandments quote has been around for a long time, and, despite the fact that even David Barton, the most popular of all Christian nationalist history revisionists (and head of the pro-Cruz super PAC Keep the Promise), has admitted that this quote is "unconfirmed" and now tells the readers of his website to refrain from using it, it continues to be used as much as ever.
While others have traced the first appearance of this bogus Madison quote back to a 1958 calendar, I was determined to hunt down its exact source and prove once and for all that this quote did not come from James Madison. I began looking into this back in 2007, and after quite a bit of hunting found what I was certain was the exact source of the misquote in 2009 - a speech that conservative leader Clarence Manion was traveling the country delivering in the early 1950s. But as certain as I was that Manion's speech was the original source of this misquote, there was on little problem - one of the sources cited by David Barton for the quote was a book from 1939, thirteen years before Manion even began giving this speech. Further research, however, indicated that Barton's 1939 source was fabricated. With Barton's alleged 1939 source out of the way, there is no question that the source of the infamous Madison ten commandments quote was Clarence Manion's speech, and I'd stake the whole future of American civilization on that.
In my new book, Liars For Jesus, Volume 2, I devoted an entire chapter to my research into this extra special Madison misquote (and while sitting here writing this post decided to put a free PDF download of that whole chapter on my website). But for those who want the short (well, at least relatively short) version, here's the excerpt from my book showing that Clarence Manion's speech is unquestionably the source of the misquote, and explaining why David Barton's alleged 1939 source for this bogus quote appears to be bogus as the quote itself.
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From my book:
Others who have investigated the history of this quote, most notably the late Robert Alley, have all stopped at the same point - the earliest verifiable appearance of the quote, a 1958 calendar published by an organization called Spiritual Mobilization. While a number of slightly differing versions of this alleged Madison quote now appear in various revisionist history books and on countless Christian nationalist websites, the following was the original version, as quoted from the 1958 Spiritual Mobilization calendar in the January 1958 issue of Progressive Calvinism magazine: We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government: upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.
But the question that has remained unanswered for decades is: Where did the publisher of the 1958 calendar get it from? That question can now be answered. The James Madison ten commandments quote was the result of someone's misquoting of a speech that Clarence Manion was traveling the country delivering in the early 1950s. It is in Manion's speech that every phrase in the alleged Madison quote can be found.
Now, it wasn't that Clarence Manion was deliberately misquoting Madison. There was a part of his speech, which he was delivering to countless business associations and conservative organizations across the country, in which Manion would quote something that Madison really did say, albeit a paraphrased version of Madison's words. This real, although paraphrased, quote from Madison was all that Manion was presenting as a quote from Madison. The rest of what Manion would say when using this Madison quote, either when speaking at an event or using the quote on his radio show, was his commentary about what Madison said, and it was Manion's comments about what Madison said that included the ten commandments statement.
We'll get to how Manion's comments got mixed up with James Madison's words to result in the Madison ten commandments quote in a minute, but first a bit about who Clarence Manion was and why he was traveling the country speaking in the early 1950s.
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Clarence Manion was the Dean of the law school at Notre Dame and one of the big conservative leaders of his day. He was a Joseph McCarthy supporter whose particular theory as to what would stop communists from being able to take control of America was the decentralization of power from the federal government to the states. His reasoning was that if communists infiltrated the federal government, they wouldn't be able to take control of anything that was under the jurisdiction of the individual states rather than the federal government, proclaiming that "States' rights is your best defense against Communism."(2)
To get a sense of what Manion was like, just imagine Glenn Beck without a blackboard to connect all his conspiracy theories on. Manion, whose speaking style as well as his conspiracy theories were much the same as Beck's, would say things like: "The left wing, please remember, is strong, well-organized and well-financed. Many gigantic fortunes, built by virtue of private enterprise under the Constitution, have fallen under the direction of Internationalists, One-Worlders, Socialists and Communists. Much of this vast horde of money is being used to 'socialize' the United States." And, also like Beck, Manion's speeches and radio addresses were always chock full of Christian nationalism.
The particular issue that had Manion crisscrossing the country speaking from 1952 to 1954 was the Bricker Amendment, a proposed constitutional amendment, named for Senator John W. Bricker of Ohio, to limit the president's power to negotiate with foreign countries and make treaties. Several versions of this amendment were proposed in the first half of the 1950s, and Manion supported the most extreme version, which would have required a referendum in every one of the forty-eight states in order for any treaty to go into effect. To give a sense of the kind of crazy arguments that were being used in favor of the Bricker Amendment, one example that was used to explain how a treaty could take away the rights of American citizens was that, because treaties became the law of the land, if the president signed a treaty with India, that treaty could make it illegal for an American citizen to butcher a cow here in America.
Now, getting back to how Clarence Manion's words ended up being misconstrued and turned into the alleged Madison ten commandments quote, we need to look at the speech, or actually two speeches, that Manion was giving from 1952 to 1954. The first of the two speeches, titled "Blueprint for Freedom" was the speech Manion was giving in 1952 and 1953. The second, titled "The Constitution is Your Business," which was Manion's standard speech by 1954, contained much of the same material as his "Blueprint for Freedom," including a version of what would be turned into the Madison ten commandments quote. His "Blueprint for Freedom" speech, however, is clearly the speech that spawned the Madison misquote.
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As already mentioned, in his speeches, Manion would present a real, although paraphrased, quote from James Madison. The real Madison quote that Manion was paraphrasing is found in the following passage from Federalist No. 39 (emphasis added):
The first question that offers itself is, whether the general form and aspect of the government be strictly republican? It is evident that no other form would be reconcilable with the genius of the people of America; with the fundamental principles of the revolution; or with that honorable determination which animates every votary of freedom, to rest all our political experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government.(3)
Over the years, other researchers investigating the alleged Madison ten commandments quote have noted that this one phrase from Madison - "to rest all our political experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government" - is very similar to the phrase "We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government" in the alleged ten commandments quote, and that this might be where at least this one part of the alleged quote came from.
The name Clarence Manion has also been brought up by a few of these other researchers, but never as the direct source of the misquote. Robert Alley, for example, mentioned Manion in the paper that he wrote for the 1995 symposium at William and Mary mentioned in the previous chapter. But Alley only brought up Manion as an example of the "numerous commentators from the political right over the past several decades"(4) who have tried to advance a connection between James Madison and the ten commandments. As part of his using Manion as an example, Alley quoted a passage from something written by Manion in 1964 in which Manion had referenced both the ten commandments and what Madison wrote in Federalist No. 39. Alley, however, dismissed Manion at this point as being the direct source of the misquote, saying, "while Manion espouses generally the same sentiment about the Ten Commandments as does the Barton material, the references to the Decalogue are utterly different from the Barton version."(5) And, because Alley had dismissed what Manion wrote as close but no cigar, so did other researchers who followed him. Had Alley pursued this Manion angle further, however, he might have eventually discovered that he was on the right track, and that Manion was, in fact, the direct source of the misquote.
As already mentioned, Manion was not deliberately misquoting Madison in his speeches. He was paraphrasing him, but it is very clear from where Manion put the quotation marks in printed versions of his speeches exactly what he was presenting as a Madison quote and what were his own comments. Although it was his "Blueprint for Freedom" speech, which we'll get to in a minute, that contained all of the phrases that ended up becoming the alleged Madison quote, you can see very clearly in the printed version of his "The Constitution is Your Business" speech that the only thing he was presenting as a quote from Madison was the one sentence beginning "We have staked the whole future of American civilization ...," and that the words "the Ten Commandments of God," which in this speech came before the paraphrased Madison quote, were his own words, and not part of what he was presenting as a Madison quote (emphasis added):
There are three things that you must sell. You must sell the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and, yes, the Ten Commandments of God. Because when all this was done, somebody asked James Madison why this government won't work. "Nobody has ever done this to government before. It won't function. You can't treat government like this; it has no power." And Madison answered classically. He said, "We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it, but upon the capacity of mankind for self-government."(6)
Now, let's look at Manion's "Blueprint for Freedom" speech, the speech that contained all of the phrases that ended up in the alleged Madison ten commandments quote. For this speech, we also have a printed version, this one unquestionably supplied by Manion himself, showing exactly where he put the quotation marks:
Then Madison added this, and here is what we have really forgotten. He said, "We have staked the future of our American political institutions" not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of our civilization "upon the capacity of mankind for self-government." Self-government - you say, well that means politics, voting. No, Madison meant what he said, that the future of this country depended upon our capacity to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to restrain ourselves, under the Ten Commandments of the Creator.(7)
The above version, which appeared in a number of newspapers in Texas in March 1853, came from a printed copy supplied to a reporter by Manion of the version of the "Blueprint for America" speech that he had delivered in November 1952 at the 64th Convention of the National Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association in Chicago. You can see two things from this version. First, you can see that the only words that Manion put in quotation marks as a quote from Madison were "We have staked the future of our American political institutions" and "upon the capacity of mankind for self-government." And, second, you can see, almost verbatim, the rest of what ended up in the alleged Madison ten commandments quote - "upon our capacity to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to restrain ourselves, under the Ten Commandments of the Creator."
While a few of the words in the above version differ slightly from the alleged Madison ten commandments quote - like his saying "the Ten Commandments of the Creator" rather than "the Ten Commandments of God," as he did in his "The Constitution is Your Business" speech - Manion's words are so incredibly close to the exact wording of the alleged Madison quote that there can be no question that Manion's speech was the source of the alleged quote. Bear in mind, of course, that Manion was giving this speech over and over to so many groups that he no doubt had it memorized and would not likely have been reading it word for word from the printed copy in front of him, which would account for any slight variations in his wording here or there.
The only other difference is the word "restrain" rather than the word "sustain." Manion always used the word "restrain" in this part of his speech, but its ending up being "sustain" in the alleged Madison ten commandments quote could easily be explained by the fact that the words "restrain" and "sustain" are similar enough that someone transcribing the speech from a recording or taking notes at one of Manion's speeches could have misheard "restrain" as "sustain."
So, while we'll probably never know the exact version of Manion's speech that was misquoted to combine Manion's ten commandments comment with his paraphrasing of Madison to turn the whole thing into the infamous Madison ten commandments quote, or exactly who it was that misquoted Manion to create this Madison misquote, there is no question that the source of the misquote was Manion's speech, where every phrase that appears in the alleged Madison quote can be found.
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But here's where things get interesting. Manion didn't start giving his "Blueprint for Freedom" speech until 1952, but one of the sources cited by David Barton for the alleged Madison ten commandments quote is from 1939. If this alleged Madison quote appeared in a book that was published in 1939, thirteen years before Manion began giving his speech, then the theory that Manion's speech was the original source of the misquote is obviously out the window, right? Well, not so fast. There's a little problem with this 1939 source that Barton cites. It doesn't appear to exist.
In the 1992 edition of his book The Myth of Separation, Barton cited two sources for the alleged Madison quote. One was the 1958 issue of Progressive Calvinism, in which, as mentioned earlier, the quote was reprinted from the 1958 Spiritual Mobilization calendar. Barton's other source was a book titled Liberty! Cry Liberty! written by Harold K. Lane and published by the Lamb and Lamb Tractarian Society in Boston in 1939. An exhaustive search, however, has turned up no trace of this 1939 book. And, it isn't only that no trace of the book can be found. No trace of its author or publisher can be found either.
Here, I need to jump into the first person to explain the exhaustive search that I have done for this 1939 book, and why I began to doubt that this book actually existed.
When I first began looking into this alleged Madison quote, I did what I always do when looking into what appears to be a fabricated or altered quote in a David Barton book - I looked to see what his sources were so that I could check them for myself. In most cases, the sources cited by Barton are readily available and easy to check, either online or by finding a copy of whatever he's citing from a used bookseller. Sometimes, however, he'll cite a source that's obscure enough to require some hunting, but it's very rare not to be able to find a library or an archive relatively quickly that has a copy of even the most obscure of these sources and order photocopies of them. In fact, I don't recall any case in which I was completely unable to locate a source cited by Barton - until I tried to find this 1939 book Liberty! Cry Liberty!
I began with the methods I usually use to find an old book. I searched WorldCat.org, a site that searches university and public library catalogs around the world, but found nothing. I searched all the used and rare bookseller websites, again finding nothing. I searched the catalog on the Library of Congress website, still finding nothing. I searched the online book archives, such as Google Books, but nothing turned up in those searches except for a slew of other revisionist history books citing this 1939 book as a source.
Now, my initial search was back in 2007, when digital archives and other online resources were far from being as complete as they are today, so when I couldn't turn up any trace of this 1939 book online, I contacted several libraries - the New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, and also the Boston Public Library, since the place of publication listed in Barton's source was Boston. By this time, I had broadened my search to include not only the particular book Liberty! Cry Liberty!, but also any records of anything else written by its author, Harold K. Lane, or published by its publisher, the Lamb and Lamb Tractarian Society.
None of these libraries could find any record of a book titled Liberty! Cry Liberty!, anything else written by a Harold K. Lane, or anything at all published by a Lamb and Lamb Tractarian Society.
The reference librarian at the Library of Congress checked not only the library's digital catalog, but also its old card catalog in case the book hadn't yet been entered in the digital catalog. They also checked other listings, such as the National Union Catalog and the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, to see if any listing for it might turn up in those sources. But they found nothing.
A reference librarian at the Boston Public Library's Department of Rare Books & Manuscripts, who also brought in someone from the library's Social Science Department to assist with the search, couldn't find anything either. They also searched the Boston city directories for the years around the time that the book was supposedly published, but could find no listing for a Lamb and Lamb Tractarian Society.
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At some point during this search, it occurred to me that something seemed odd about the name of the publisher - that a publisher in Boston in 1939 was calling itself a "tractarian society." Why did this seem odd? Because the Tractarian Movement, also called the Oxford Movement, was a very specific, well-known, and highly criticized movement in the Anglican Church in England in the mid-1800s to make the Anglican Church more Catholic. It is extremely unlikely that anybody in 1939 would be calling themselves a tractarian society, not only because the tractarian movement had completely died out by the very early 1900s, but because any publisher of religious materials at that time would have known that calling themselves a "tractarian society" would imply a connection to the Tractarian Movement. In other words, it didn't seem likely that any publisher of religious materials in 1939 would be using the term "tractarian society" just in a general sense of meaning a publisher of tracts. But, as sure as I was of this, I nevertheless did an extensive search of religious periodicals and newspapers from the 1930s and 1940s to see if the term "tractarian" might have taken on a more general meaning by that time. What I found was that it absolutely had not. Every single instance of the use of the word "tractarian" that I could find during this time period was in the context of an historical reference to the Tractarian Movement.
With the Boston Public Library being unable to find any trace of the Lamb and Lamb Tractarian Society, and with this oddity of a publisher in 1939 calling itself a "tractarian society" being interesting but not getting me any closer to tracking down this elusive publisher or the book Liberty! Cry Liberty!, I turned my attention to this mysterious book's equally mysterious author, Harold K. Lane.
The book's having been published in Boston didn't necessarily mean, of course, that its author lived in Boston, so, while I did do a search of the Boston and other Massachusetts city directories for a listing for a Harold Lane, I also searched the United States censuses for 1920 and 1930, looking for anyone named Harold Lane (or any variant, such as Harry Lane, H. Lane, etc.) who would have at least been of the right age in 1920 and 1930 to have made their age in 1939 an age at which they might have written a book. This ruled out most of the Harold Lanes listed in the censuses for those years (e.g., a Harold Lane whose age was listed as two years old in the 1930 census would only have been eleven years old in 1939). I then looked at the education levels and occupations of the remaining Harold Lanes, which ruled out even more of them (e.g., a Harold Lane who was an adult in 1930 but was listed as having less than a grammar school education and an occupation of a farm laborer was not likely to have been an author nine years later).
But, while this search of the 1920 and 1930 censuses did significantly narrow down the field of possible Harold Lanes, it still left a number who could have been the Harold K. Lane (e.g., a Harold Lane who was a teenager in 1930 and listed as a student could quite possibly have been an author in 1939).
At this point, which was around 2009, I temporarily put my search for Harold K. Lane on hold, knowing that the 1940 census was going to be made public soon (a U.S. census is made public seventy years after it is done). If I waited for the 1940 census, which was done just a year after the 1939 book was published, I would be able to look up any of the Harold Lanes that I had found in the 1930 census who were old enough in 1930 to have become an author by 1939, as well as do a search of the entire 1940 census for any other possible Harold Lanes.
There were about a hundred Harold Lanes (or Harry Lanes, or H. Lanes, etc.) listed in the 1940 census. Of this hundred or so, almost all could be eliminated for the same reasons that those in the earlier censuses seemed like extremely unlikely candidates - their education levels and occupations. The chances that someone who, in 1940, was a truck driver or factory worker with a grammar school education or less had written a book a year earlier in 1939 were obviously slim to none.
From the 1940 census, I was down to just a handful of possibilities. None of these remaining Harold Lanes had their occupation listed as a writer, or as anything else that would seem to be related to the writing of such a book. Nevertheless, for this handful of Harold Lanes whose age and level of education made it possible that, whatever their listed occupation, they could have been a writer on the side, I dug a bit further to find out more about them. I searched newspaper archives for anything about them in their local papers, and also looked up their obituaries - searching for anything about their lives that might indicate that they were a person who might have had some reason to write a book in 1939 containing the alleged James Madison quote. While nothing I found in this search that provided any information either way as to whether or not any of these remaining Harold Lanes might have written this book, the search did absolutely rule out a few of them because their obituaries gave their middle initials, which had not been listed in the census, and their middle initials were something other than K.
While the results of all my searching for the mysterious Harold K. Lane are, of course, not completely conclusive, there just doesn't seem to have been anyone named Harold K. Lane who was likely to have written the book Liberty! Cry Liberty! Putting that together with the fact that there is no trace of this book itself in any library, as well as no trace of anything called the Lamb and Lamb Tractarian Society, the obvious next question is: Is it possible that this source was fabricated? And that's a question that can't be answered conclusively because you can't prove that something doesn't exist.
Now, so far, I've referred only to David Barton's citing of this 1939 book, specifically saying that it was the 1992 edition of his book The Myth of Separation in which he cited it. The reason for specifying the 1992 edition is that Barton did not cite this 1939 book as his source for the alleged Madison quote in his earlier editions of The Myth of Separation. The only source he cited for this alleged quote in the first four editions of The Myth of Separation was another revisionist book, America's Providential History by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell, which contained the alleged quote but gave no source for it.
While Barton's The Myth of Separation is certainly the source from which most other revisionists have copied the Liberty! Cry Liberty! source, Barton wasn't the first revisionist to cite this book as a source. That honor appears to go to George Grant, who cited it as his source for several quotes, including the Madison ten commandments quote, in his 1989 book Trial and Error: The American Civil Liberties Union and Its Impact on Your Family, making it entirely possible that Barton simply copied this source from George Grant's book into the 1992 edition of The Myth of Separation, just as a slew of other revisionists have since copied it from Barton's book.
So, where does this leave us? We have a speech from Clarence Manion in which he used every single phrase that ended up in the alleged James Madison ten commandments quote. The first verifiable appearance of the alleged Madison quote was in 1958, just a few years after Manion was giving this speech. It can be found nowhere prior to Manion's speech. It would therefore seem unquestionable that a misquoting of Manion's speech, combining Manion's paraphrasing of Madison with Manion's own words about what Madison said, was the original source of the alleged Madison quote. The only thing that would seem to make it impossible for Manion's speech to have been the original source of the alleged Madison quote is the claim of David Barton and George Grant that this quote appeared in a book published in 1939, predating Manion's speech by thirteen years - a book that not only can't be found in any library anywhere, but for which no trace of the existence of its publisher can be found. With the evidence that the alleged Madison quote originated with Manion's speech being so incredibly strong, the burden of proof is on David Barton and George Grant to produce this 1939 book that they've cited as their source and prove that the infamous James Madison ten commandments quote didn't originate in the 1950s with Clarence Manion's speech.
After months of unease for United States companies and their counsel alike, a deal has tentatively been reached by the United States and European Union to continue the flow of cross-border data transfer from the European Union to the United States.
As of October 6, 2015, the European Court of Justice invalidated the Safe Harbor
Framework in the decision Maximillian Schrems v. Data Protection Commissioner (Case C-362/14). The US-EU Safe Harbor program was a long-standing framework for companies engaging online and transacting data with European customers and users. The absence of the Safe Harbor left many companies scrambling to figure out the best methods to comply with the EU Data Privacy Directive, the EU's privacy regulatory regime.
The upside of the Safe Harbor program was that it was a means for startup companies who wanted to expand to the European market to avail themselves of a more streamlined approach for privacy compliance in doing so. The cost of compliance through other means for a small company, using devices such as the Model Clauses, proves to be onerous and cost prohibitive in many instances.
Details remain to be hammered out, but the program, to be known as the EU-US Privacy Shield, still needs to be ratified. While the new program will allow companies to continue data transfer, the proposed Shield program has already been met with criticism, not surprisingly, from Max Schrems himself who tweeted,
"SUMMARY on new #SafeHarbor: This is 100x more laughable than I would have ever expected from what @VeraJourova is presenting. Back to CJEU?!"
Even with the implementation of a new program, many United States companies, from established retailers to newer web and mobile applications, were not in compliance with the prior Safe Harbor program. If a company is transferring data to and from Europe, selling to European consumers or targeting that market, a hard look should be taken at what is required by companies under the EU Data Privacy Directive. A company finding itself in receipt of an inquiry from a European data protection authority, known as DPA's, comes with legal and, sometimes, investment consequences.
Despite the likely availability in the coming month of the EU-US Privacy Shield program, companies should be aware that they are now dealing with a heightened awareness and regulatory environment in Europe when it comes to user data and privacy. The Safe Harbor debate is and will continue to remain emblematic of the struggle between protecting user privacy and allowing businesses to transact data in their everyday course of business.
COLUMBIA, MO - NOVEMBER 9: Members of the Concerned Student 1950 movement speak to the crowd of students on the campus of University of Missouri - Columbia on November 9, 2015 in Columbia, Missouri. Students celebrate the resignation of University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe amid allegations of racism. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)
On a September afternoon more than three years ago, I gave my first speech to the assembled Brown University community at our Opening Convocation. The theme was the importance of constructive irreverence in the lives of universities: the willingness to break intellectual boundaries and challenge conventional wisdom, while still striving to understand, appreciate and build on the ideas of others.
Universities, with their mission of advancing knowledge and understanding, need irreverence. Without it, inventors would not dream up better materials and products, philosophers would not propose novel theories of justice, and astronomers would not create new theories of the origin of the universe. Many of our most cherished thought leaders -- from Galileo, to John Locke, to Marie Curie and Martin Luther King Jr. -- advanced knowledge and understanding precisely because they questioned the status quo and replaced it with something better.
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The "constructive" part of the equation is equally important. University communities are learning communities. This learning is not unidirectional -- wisdom doesn't flow only from faculty to students --but rather involves all members of our community listening to, learning from and teaching each other. Successful learning communities must be grounded in an ethos of respect, even among individuals who do not always agree.
Although talking about constructive irreverence is easy, it can be challenging to foster a community whose members are both irreverent and respectful of each other. There is necessarily a tension between the two. But even more challenging is to help people from outside of our campuses appreciate what constructive irreverence means for how universities confront and make progress on intellectual and moral issues about which there is disagreement.
This has become very evident over the past fall, as students at Brown and other colleges and universities across the country have protested for greater racial justice on campuses and in society at large. These protests may have been sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement, but they stem from much longer-standing and widely-shared concerns that universities have not made sufficient progress in supporting the academic aspirations of students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in (and, at some points in history, simply excluded from) higher education.
The protests, rallies, sit-ins and confrontations have generated extensive media coverage , with headlines such as "Experts Consider What the Protests over Racial Tensions Mean," "The Lie About College Diversity," "The New Intolerance of Student Activism," "Fighting for Free Speech at US Universities," and "The Campus Fascists are Getting Worse." These articles reflect sharp divides in how student activism is viewed, as well as a range of opinions about what the protests signify for the state of colleges and universities in the United States. A common thread in many articles is a sense of alarm --that something has gone awry in higher education, and that the demands of student activists are pulling universities away from their missions of open inquiry and the advancement of knowledge.
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As a university president, the views I see expressed in many articles leave me baffled and frustrated, because the way that events on campus are being portrayed do not match the reality of what I see taking place, or what I hear from my peers about events on their campuses. Where some see threats to the core missions of universities, others of us see constructive irreverence in action. Two key points are often overlooked or misunderstood by those viewing campus events from the outside.
The first point is that advances in media mean that irreverence is captured and propagated today in ways that were previously impossible. For example, at Brown's 1790 commencement ceremony, a student named James Tallmadge spoke passionately and persuasively in support of abolition. He boldly made his remarks to an audience that would have included a number of members of the Brown Corporation who were in the slave-trading business -- the very people who were about to grant Tallmadge his college degree. If this audacious act could have been captured on iPhones and posted on YouTube for all the 18th-century world to see, I am quite certain it would have generated the same strongly felt and divided opinions as video clips of 21st-century student protests.
The problem now is that the world sees the irreverence without observing the full breadth and seriousness of discussions about race taking place on campuses, which creates a distorted view. The highly visible student protests across the country that occurred this fall have been valuable in raising awareness of the legacy and current realities of racism on college campuses, but they are only one piece of the story. For example, at Brown, faculty, students, staff and alumni have been working for more than a year on plans to promote a more diverse and inclusive campus, many components of which have already been put into place. The set of actions in the Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion plan that was released to our campus in its final form on Feb. 1 have been informed by countless communications with students, faculty, staff and alumni.
I and other university leaders at Brown have met with many people who are eager to address the very real issues being confronted on our campus. And we have met with others who need assurance that the actions we take to produce a more diverse and inclusive community are consonant with our commitment to advancing free inquiry and academic excellence. Similar conversations are taking place at colleges and universities across the country. Although we'll never achieve consensus on all matters, these conversations are helping universities hone constructive, forward-looking plans. This work born of constructive irreverence is contributing to the fulfillment of our mission of preparing all students to thrive and lead in the complex and changing settings they'll encounter after they graduate.
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This leads to the second point that is often misunderstood as the world beyond our campuses observes the recent student activism. This is the fact that the goals at the center of discussions about campus diversity are entirely consistent with -- and in fact integral to -- universities' missions of education and the advancement of knowledge. Universities and colleges are called upon to recruit the best and brightest students -- rich and poor, from all racial and ethnic groups and nationalities, and with varying political perspectives and religious beliefs -- with the drive and inspiration required to become leaders in their fields. The faculty who teach them also represent a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, nationalities and intellectual approaches.
Diversity pays a dividend by contributing to a vibrant intellectual environment where constructive irreverence can flourish. The status quo is more likely to be challenged in environments where individuals do not share the same beliefs. The ability to learn from others is enhanced when members of a community have different backgrounds. The range of subjects that are researched and taught is increased when faculty look at the world from different points of view.
When we bring together students and scholars to study issues such as the intersection of geopolitical conflict and clean water, or patterns of disease in diverse populations, or, in my own field, the connections between economic development, health, poverty and inequality, advancing knowledge and discovery depends on the presence of an exciting mix of voices and ideas. It's our charge, then, to ensure that all members of our diverse communities have the resources they need to thrive and make an impact on the world.
Although the value of diversity is, for the most part, appreciated in academic circles, the protests of the fall are a reminder that it takes work to build successful diverse communities to sustain the core mission of higher education. The months of university leaders talking with members of our communities about racial discrimination and racial justice reflect this. Although there is not always agreement on the tactics we should follow to make progress, there is widespread consensus on what the broad goals should be.
Most campus discussions do not focus on "safe spaces," "trigger warnings" or many of the other things widely discussed and debated outside of higher education. Students simply want what all students should be entitled to: intellectually stimulating and socially supportive environments in which they are free to learn, discover, question and sometimes quarrel, confident in the knowledge that they are full and valued members of their communities.
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A new cottage industry has developed in the politics of America. "Experts" and
"Spin Doctors" ply their skills to interpret what are otherwise empirical facts into "facts" in an alternative or parallel universe.
Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders has based his candidacy on describing and asking questions about some "inconvenient truths" in our country today:
Why in the richest country in the world is it "too expensive" to consider a Single Payer Universal Healthcare Plan for all in America? Why it's not "too expensive" to continue a tax system that minimizes taxes on unprecedented private wealth but it is "too expensive" to consider providing tuition free college education for every High School graduate who wants to attend college?
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The National Democratic and Republican parties are bedeviled by our country's "broken" immigration system. Some Democrats want to minimize the importance of resolving the impact of THIS issue among a substantial segment of our electorate. Republican presidential candidates want to make the immigration issue THE number one issue of their campaign.
Not only national polls but potential voter response and concern about this issue indicate that illegal immigration and its potential impact on domestic job opportunities remain a very important issue to many unemployed or downsized employed Americans.
The most poignant part of the Democratic Primary contests is the presidential candidacy of former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. She has positioned her candidacy as being about HER and her experience, and about being a woman who should NOW be elected President.
Senator Sanders has presented his candidacy as being about WE. He says "WE" have got to change the politics and elections in our country so that the election process is "not rigged" in favor of the rich and powerful from Wall Street and corporate America, who can direct enormous sums of money "to buy" or materially influence the outcome of our State, Congressional and Presidential elections.
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The Clinton campaign says that Sanders is talking about great big ideas and theories that can never to be enacted in the real political world of a US president. Really?
This may be part of the problem of HR Clinton's diminished appeal to potential primary votes, 18-34, male and female, white and non-white. The poignancy I mentioned above is it appears that in many ways, the way Clinton and her campaign managers are conducting her quest for the Presidency seems to be more and more generationally irrelevant to a substantial part of this new 21st Century 2016 voting population.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Clinton-style of campaigning in the Black community.
They speak, write and promote ads whose not-so-subtle underlying assumption is that "You know me, us (including husband Bill). We have been on the front lines of your struggles for Civil Rights." Not explicitly said, but "YOU owe us. Sanders from an overwhelming white state of Vermont, has not done what WE have done FOR YOU!"
They fail to mention the Omnibus Crime Bill that President Bill Clinton signed that resulted in a dramatic spike of arrests and massive prison incarceration of African-American non-violent drug offenders. To refresh the recollection of readers of this blog:
"The 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill) cost $30 billion dollars and helped to accelerate the growth of the prison industrial complex in ways that we are only just beginning to understand. The bill's provisions included:
1. $10.8 billion in federal matching funds to local governments to hire 100,000 new police officers over 5 years.
2. $10 billion for the construction of new federal prisons.
3. An expansion of the number of federal crimes to which the death penalty applied from two to fifty-eight (the bill also eliminated an existing statute that prohibited the execution of mentally incapacitated defendants).
4. A three strikes proposal that mandated life sentences for anyone convicted of three "violent" felonies.
5. A section that allowed children as young as thirteen to be tried as adults.
6. The creation of special courts able to deport noncitizens alleged to be "engaged in terrorist activity" on the basis of secret evidence.
7. Established guidelines for states to track sex offenders. Required states to track sex offenders by confirming their place of residence annually for ten years after their release into the community or quarterly for the rest of their lives if the sex offender was convicted of a violent sex crime.
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After leaving the Presidency, Bill Clinton, undoubtedly anticipating his wife planned run for president acknowledged that the enactment of this legislation under his presidency was a mistake. But, it has not been repealed.
The not so subtle underlying assumption of the Clinton's approach to the African-American community, especially in South Carolina where blacks make up 60% of the eligible Democratic Primary voters, can best be characterized as one of "arrogant entitlement".
Years ago, in Harlem, New York, a group of African-American community activists came to the legendary African-American labor and civil rights leaders, A. Phillip Randolph to complain about members of the Harlem community were were active in the NYC Republican Party. They wanted Mr. Randolph to publicly criticize them.
In response, he reminded them that "We Negroes have no permanent friends or permanent enemies. We have only permanent interests. Our 'friends' today, could be our political "enemies" tomorrow. Our "enemies" could become our friends."
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In South Carolina and other primary States with a substantial number of potential black voters, this should be remembered by both the Sanders and the Clinton Presidential campaigns.
It should be axiomatic: Potential African-American voters are not indebted to either Senator Sanders or Candidate Clinton. In this 21st Century of 2016, their trust and votes must be earned on the basis or merit TODAY, not just yesterday.
If not now, when?
Hey, I've been working some within the women in tech community, supporting women-led startups and code programs for women and girls. Lots of times, the folks in this community don't get the recognition they deserve.
My team and I compiled a list of some women who are real changemakers in the tech space, but this is a list that could be much longer...
1. Yoky Matsuoka, Vice President of Technology at Nest and Founder/President of YokyWorksFollow @yokymatsuoka
Matsuoka is in charge of the user interface and self-learning aspects of Nest's thermostat. Nest is one of the Valley's most watched tech companies, and was bought by Google for $3.2 billion. Nest is now buying hot startups of its own; it acquired Dropcam for $555 million.
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Beyond Nest, Matsuoka is known for her work on robotics and neuroscience, working on more realistic prosthetics. She founded YokyWorks which provides engineering solutions for the gap between research and available products to enhance life experience for those with physical disabilities. Formerly, she was the Head of Innovation at Google and a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington. In 2007, she received the MacArthur Genius Award.
2. Angie Byron, Software Developer / webchickFollow @webchick
Angela Byron is a software developer best known for her work with Drupal, a free and open source content management system and content management framework. She has been named one of the most highly regarded contributors to the open source movement, and has worked to encourage people to become involved with open source, particularly women. Byron was the first woman to be featured on the cover of Linux Journal, in April 2011.
3. Aliya Rahman, Program Director at Code for Progress
Aliya Rahman leads the recruitment, in-residence training, and job placement of Code for Progress fellows into full-time developer positions. Her work is informed by a background in legislative, electoral, and community organizing for racial and economic justice campaigns, and by a former life in public higher education conducting curriculum research and teaching computer programming and educational foundations/policy.
Rahman has developed Django applications, conducted tech trainings, and performed data analysis. Now based in Washington, DC, she says she's "thoroughly enjoying life as a non-accidental techie, and is grateful to be part of an active ecosystem of women and people of color who believe tech has a pivotal role to play in creating social change."
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4. Allyson Kapin, Founder of Women Who TechFollow @WomenWhoTech
Allyson Kapin was named One of the Most Influential Women in Tech by Fast Company and a Tech Titan by the Washingtonian. She founded Women Who Tech several years ago to champion more women in the tech field, and out of Women Who Tech, she started the Women Startup Challenge. (Disclaimer: I'm on the board of the Women Startup Challenge.) The Women Startup Challenge is an impressive effort to get more women-led startups showcased and funded, since only 7% of all investor money goes to women-led startups. So far, over 500 women-led startups have entered the Women Startup Challenge and 22 finalists have pitched their ventures to panels of investors and close to $400K has supported several of the startups. The next Women Startup Challenge will be a national Challenge this spring in San Francisco. Stay tuned to find out more.
5. Sue Black, Founder of Techmums and Bletchley Park CampaignerFollow @Dr_Black
Sue Black founded Techmums, a social enterprise working to give mothers the confidence, skills, and understanding they need to ensure they're making the most of technology. It was through her own tech education that Sue was able to bring her family out of poverty, earn a decent living, and create a better future for them all. She knows first hand what a difference education and confidence with technology can make and now wants to give that opportunity to other families.
Black was recently appointed was a judge for the 2015 L'Oreal-Unesco for Women in Science Fellowship. She's also been widely acclaimed for her role in campaigning to save Bletchley Park, the home of the UK's secret codebreakers in the Second World War. She founded BCSWomen in 2001, which now has more than 1,200 members.
6. Holly Liu, Cofounder and Chief of Staff at KabamFollow @hollyhliu
Holly Liu is co-founder and Chief of Staff of Kabam, one of the leaders in free-to-play core games. Liu also oversees Kabam's corporate culture as head of People Operations ("People Ops"), which is responsible for driving Kabam's vision, mission, and values for its more than 800 employees in offices worldwide. Liu's helped build a world-class human resources team that's responsible for recruiting and retaining top talent; she's grown Kabam's personnel base by 500% in just 3 years.
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Prior to her role as Chief of Staff at Kabam, Liu was VP of People Ops and Director of UX. She led the product design for Kabam's award-winning Kingdoms of Camelot, which has grown into a $250M franchise in less than 4 years. Holly was also an initial designer for the mobile extension Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North, which was the top grossing app on iOS in 2012.
About diversity, Liu said, "We have a lot of diverse perspectives and a lot of diverse experience on our game teams. I feel that richness has enabled us to recognize some of the shifts and react in a very different way. I believe that makes us stronger in the future."
7. Lea Verou, Computer Scientist and Developer/DesignerFollow @LeaVerou
Lea Verou describes herself as a computer scientist / web standards geek / front-end developer / web designer / speaker / author, originally from Greece. Verou is a Research Assistant at MIT CSAIL and an Invited Expert in the W3C CSS Working Group.
She's written a book on advanced CSS for O'Reilly, worked for W3C/MIT, has given 60+ invited talks around the world, released several open source projects, co-founded a Greek startup called Fresset Ltd (which she left in 2011), and many other things. While her background is technical, she has a strong passion for visual design, as well.
8. Elena Zannoni, Senior Director of Linux and Virtualization Engineering at OracleFollow @elena_zannoni
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Oracle is a big player in the Linux world, supplying its customers with a version of the Linux operating system based on Red Hat's Linux. Zannoni is leading that team, which has made her highly visible not just at Oracle, but in the open-source world.
Zannoni came to Linux from years working on other open-source projects, starting at Cygnus Solutions bought by Red Hat and then hired away by Oracle. She's a regular Linux conference speaker and she volunteers to organize the Linux Plumbers Conference. She earned a doctorate in evolutionary computation computer science from Wayne State University.
She has a piece of advice for other women programmers: "I tried always to give my best without thinking too much about gender bias. One important thing is to not doubt oneself. There are plenty of other people that will undermine your confidence, no need for you to do it to yourself."
9. Avni Shah, Vice President of Product Management at Google(Note: we could not find Shah's Twitter handle...)Avini Shah heads up Chrome development at Google. She was one of two women to give presentations at Google's developer's conference I/O in 2014. This was notable because Google's been trying to up the profile of women in tech.
Shah showcased Chrome working with Google's newest version of Android, L. Shah's an MIT graduate who's been at Google since 2003 and previously worked on the Google Toolbar and Google Notebook
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10. Reshma Saujani, Founder & CEO of Girls Who CodeFollow @reshmasaujani
Reshma Saujani is the Founder of Girls Who Code, a national nonprofit working to close the gender gap in technology and prepare young women for jobs of the future. Formerly, Saujani was the former Deputy Public Advocate of NYC. As Executive Director of the Fund for Public Advocacy, Saujani brought together public and private sectors to encourage entrepreneurship and civic engagement across NYC. Today, she's galvanized industry leaders to close the gender gap in STEM education and empower girls to pursue careers in technology and engineering.
Libyans watch the protest against Ansar al-Shariah Brigades and other Islamic militias, in Benghazi, Libya, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. The recent attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans has sparked a backlash among frustrated Libyans against the heavily armed gunmen, including Islamic extremists, who run rampant in their cities. More than 10,000 people poured into a main boulevard of Benghazi, demanding that militias disband as the public tries to do what Libya's weak central government has been unable to.(AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)
DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia -- On Feb. 15, 2011 the wave of protests that had already struck Tunisia and Egypt spilled over to Benghazi, Libya. In front of the courthouse in the north of the city stood a few lawyers demanding the release of one of their colleagues, Fathi Terbil, who represented the families of the some 1,200 prisoners killed in Abu Salim prison in 1996. It started small with a group of protesters outside the courthouse, my aunt who was there told me. Within a few days, dozens of people were showing up to express their dissatisfaction with the oppressive Muammar Gaddafi regime, turning this small movement into a revolution. Following the social unrest, Gaddafi announced in a televised speech his intentions to hunt down every last protestor "zenga zenga," "alley by alley," in Benghazi using his mighty military forces and machinery. In response to his threats, the Libyan people in Benghazi appealed for international intervention. Subsequently, NATO imposed a U.N.-authorized no-fly zone across Libya the next month.
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Five years on, Libya is still in a state of war.
The first time I visited Benghazi was in the summer of 2011, five months into the revolution. My father was a dissident; he left Libya in the early 1970s as a student and did not return until after the revolution. I was exploring Benghazi that summer recalling the many stories he told me about his home as I was growing up. From the Findig vegetable market in al-Sabri district to the movies at Cinema Al-Hurria, none of his recollections could have prepared me for what I found -- a resilient city bursting with newfound energy. I spent two months completely in awe of my surroundings. I would wake up in the morning and help my grandmother pack dozens of meals and ka'ak (Arabic biscuits) for the rebels protecting the city borders. In the afternoon, I accompanied my cousins to their volunteer stations. At night, my aunts took me to the courthouse where hundreds gathered to exchange news, mourn martyrs and celebrate small victories. This is the Benghazi I remember. Three months later, in October, Gaddafi was seized and killed by rebel forces, and the National Transitional Council declared Libya free.
Destroyed car near building debris after Egypt's army warplanes carried out airstrikes in neighboring Libya against ISIS targets. (Jawhar Ali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Five years on, Libya is still in a state of war. The country is split between parliaments, governments, an army and militias in the East and West, each proclaiming legitimacy, while extreme Islamists -- such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State and other Al Qaeda splinter groups -- are establishing strongholds in between. How did it all come down to this? When the protests started in February 2011 there was so much hope for a free and democratic Libya. Government workers, students, lawyers, doctors and activists were celebrating being free of a dictatorship that extended four decades. Libyans who were exiled long ago rejoiced at the opportunity to return home and participate in the country's first democratic national elections. Due to weak leadership in the transitional council and lack of organized public civil institutions, things spun out of control. Weapons became readily available to militias during the revolution from the old regime stashes and from other countries assisting the rebels. Unfortunately, armed groups held onto their weapons, tribal, regional and religious differences surfaced in a fierce manner, the situation started to get violent and dirty politics prevailed.
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It turns out that the best year for Libya was the year after the revolution.
It turns out that the best year for Libya was the year after the revolution. When the regime fell, civil society started flourishing with transparent elections, free speech and active NGOs. By the end of that first year, things started to take a turn. Those who were active were threatened into silence or killed. One of those activists was Salwa Bugaighis, a human rights lawyer. She believed that Libya had the potential to be great. She believed that all Libyans deserved to know and exercise their rights. Salwa was killed shortly after casting her vote in the country's parliamentary elections. Another voice for democratic change was silenced by those who fear the word itself. Despite where we are now, amidst the chaos and civil war, my hope for peace in Libya still holds. The fate of revolutionaries like Salwa won't allow me to think otherwise.
This post is part of a series focused on the Arab Spring, five years on. The Huffington Post invited people who felt like a part of that revolutionary moment to share their thoughts on what the movement means to them, then and now. This blogger's name has been changed for security reasons.
Also on WorldPost:
Man withdrawing a wooden card painted as the gay pride flag from his suit pocket, close up of his hand.
Over two decades after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (also known as RFRA) was signed into law in order to "ensure that interests in religious freedom are protected," the legislature in West Virginia has introduced House Bill 4012. This "License to Discriminate Bill" not only rejects our state motto, but it also further creates a second class citizenship in our state and jeopardizes our state economically. The United States Supreme Court held RFRA unconstitutional as not a proper exercise of Congress's enforcement power, but in response twenty-one states have passed their own RFRAs.
In 2014, the Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. recognized a for-profit corporation's claim of religious belief. Following this ruling many states have since proposed expanding state RFRA laws to include for-profit corporations. This bill in West Virginia is similar to a bill passed in Arizona and vetoed by Republican Governor Jan Brewer in 2014, and another bill passed in Indiana and signed into law by Republican Governor Mike Pence in 2015. Ultimately these bills are nothing more than an attempt by conservatives to further oppose same-sex marriage. These bills have historically been used to allow discrimination of LGBTQ people but extend to also affect individuals based on race, religion, color, etc.
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West Virginia can't afford to follow Indiana's lead. Last year, this bill signed into law by Governor Pence was greatly condemned by businesses and citizens alike and resulted in a loss of an estimated $60 million in tourism money. We can't afford this type of loss in West Virginia. More importantly we cannot continue to send the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against people in this state as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. This is just another reason why West Virginia consistently sees more people moving out of the state rather than moving into the state.
My friends who have left West Virginia for more progressive places constantly ask me questions. They want to know "when are you going to give in and move," or "When are you going to stop fighting this losing battle, and live your life somewhere where you don't have to fight these battles daily," or "why do you want to live there at this point?" I am at a point where I don't even know how to answer their questions. It is astounding to me how we continue to attempt to create second class citizenship for LGBTQ people in West Virginia. If this bill passes, any West Virginia citizen or visitor to our state can be refused service by restaurants, bakeries, movie theaters, hotels, ski resorts, white water rafting companies, but they can also be refused service by doctors, nurses, EMT's, pharmacists, funeral directors, etc. Furthermore, an employee could also sue their employer if the business/business owner forces them to serve these individuals against their will.
Our state motto as adopted in 1863 states "Montani Semper Liberi" (or Mountaineers Always Free." This bill abridges our own motto and jeopardizes basic human rights. Many state and local nondiscrimination laws go above and beyond the federal Human Rights Act and this bill gives a "License to Discriminate." The First Amendment to the Constitution already guarantees Religious Freedom protections but this bill if passed will allow overt discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. Many of the aforementioned groups already experience covert discrimination based on the same demographics and I can only imagine how this bill will manifest itself in reality if passed.
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Saved by the BLANCHE!!! Make your retirement SEXY!
By pooling their resources as housemates, Golden Girls' hottie-of-a-certain age Blanche Devereaux and her homegirls Dorothy, Rose and Sophia keep on living the good life through retirement.
Television's Golden Girls continue to give us a great run for the money and have been at it for three decades this year. Aside from loving them now as much as I did as I was a kid, they also provide an excellent context in which to write about financial issues and retirement planning.
The first Golden Girls Retirement Plan post featured all four housemates. This led to the second Golden Girls post LINK examining the financial fallout that occurs when the widowed Rose (Betty White) loses her pension plan. So now we turn to sizzling sexpot Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) who is able to stay in her comfortable Miami home and keep her retirement account healthy by taking in her three friends as paying housemates. We know that Blanche was having sex with the city well before Samantha Jones was a twinkle in her own dad's eye, but it turns out that our merry widow is a pretty savvy financial player too. Here's what Blanche can teach us:
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1)When life hands you cheese, eat cheesecake. Quite literally, many of the best moments of the show happen in Blanche's kitchen over cheesecake as she trades quips with her friends.
While her situation may not have been the globe-trotting fantasy retirement Blanche had planned with her late husband George, she's nonetheless picked up the pieces and has made the most of life which has, in fact, turned out pretty great. Blanche knows that you don't control the world and sometimes have to roll with the punches, which can be made a good deal easier if you have a financial contingency plan in place or some solid assets behind you.
2)Taking action is the ticket to maintaining a good life through retirement. The Golden Girls would be pretty boring if it was just Blanche sitting around waiting for her kids to visit or her next date to call. Rather, when times got tough, Blanche pulled her head out of the sand and turned her home into an income machine. The combined rents from Rose, Dorothy and Sophia surely transformed Blanche's retirement from the insecurity of scraping by to a pretty comfortable set up.
3)There's no need to right-size your home situation or move out. Their shared living situation has numerous financial upsides for all the Golden Girls, not just Blanche. Like with them, your money will go a lot further when splitting rent and expenses four ways compared to four people living alone in their own homes (and let's not even think about how much the infamous "Shady Pines" facility costs.)
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4)Quality of life has a direct relationship with financial resources. If you're now alone in your home and assuming that you can find compatible people (a big if, I know), who couldn't benefit from an extra few thousand dollars each month to help cement their financial security? Likewise, the huge savings could give you more money and freedom to enjoy more recreation, travel more or pursue your hobbies.
5)Thank you for being a friend. Think of the all the times one of these ladies had to head to the hospital for some reason or another but at the same time had the comfort of knowing there was always someone there who had her back. Having friends around to help you when times get tough can be priceless and even potentially spell the difference between life and death. Though we know that living with (the right) friends in and of itself can greatly increase your standard of living, may also increase the number of years you live as well.
As a financial planner I'd prefer my clients choose this type of living situation when it fits them, rather than because they have to. A Golden Girls household might not work for everyone true, but for many retirees it may be an attractive option assuming it's with the right people. In fact, sharing a home with friends in retirement (rather than being shipped off to a retirement home) could turn out to be a giant silver lining.
DAVID RAE, CFP, AIF is a Los Angeles-based retirement planning advisor with Trilogy Financial Services, a firm managing over $2 billion of client assets. He has been helping people reach their financial goals for over a decade. Follow him on on Facebook or www.davidraefp.com david.rae@trilogyfs.com
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I am a proud Scottish-American who grew up in Edinburgh celebrating our national poet by eating haggis on Burns night, and now I stand happily each year watching the fireworks to celebrate American independence from the British on July 4th. At the same time, I am haunted by the past behavior of my Scottish, Viking, and American ancestors: Raiding, pillaging, conquering, enslaving. The list is long, the suffering unforgivable.
Tacana woman gathering shade-grown coffee within her indigenous territory in Bolivia. Photo WCS.
Have I continued in the footsteps of these forebears? Certainly not. While I am appalled by the sins of my historical "fathers" I recognize that I am in no way responsible or guilty for their acts. Am I acting differently because I am aware of them? I hope and believe so.
I am also a proud conservationist at the Wildlife Conservation Society and celebrate every day an abiding love of nature. Established in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society (NYZS), WCS is one of the oldest international conservation NGOs, founded originally to address the precipitous decline of wildlife populations in North America.
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Fijian fishing community deciding how to manage their fishing grounds and protect the reef and their livelihoods. Photo WCS.
Bison, Pribilof fur seals, passenger pigeons, beaver, and water fowl were all being driven to extinction - primarily as a result of the unregulated and unsustainable behavior of commercial hunters. By 1905 the tens of millions of bison that once roamed the western plains of the U.S. were reduced to 1644 individuals.
As it happened, the slaughter of bison was a symptom of a larger problem of uncontrolled hunting. In 1907 the Alaska Central Railway and many mining companies were feeding their laborers by slaughtering unsustainable numbers of elk, deer, moose, caribou, and Dall sheep, and shipping any surplus to the lower 48 states for sale.
In 1907, the American Bison Society began the transfer of bison - reduced in the span of a few decades of indiscriminate hunting from some 30 million animals to scarely more than 1,500 - from the Bronx Zoo to protected lands in the American West. Photo WCS.
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To limit unregulated hunting, conservationists at the time (including those at NYZS) sought to protect species by creating national parks. Unfortunately, while Native Americans had hunted wildlife sustainably for generations and were not responsible for the collapse in wildlife populations in the US, their hunting would now be prohibited in these areas.
As we know today, the great bison kill-off was in part a deliberate effort by white settlers and the U.S. government to displace the tribes. Yet cruelly and contrarily, Native Americans were excluded from protected areas and prevented from hunting wildlife that they depended on for both their livelihoods and cultural identities.
With WCS help fish abundance has recovered in locally managed marine areas. Photo Stacy Jupiter.
That in the past, NYZS (which would become WCS in 1993) advocated for the physical and economic displacement of native peoples is both a historical truth and a philosophy and practice long since abandoned. It cannot be wished away, but neither does it in any way reflect the values of our current organization a century later.
Today WCS works to save wildlife in some of the most intact and isolated places on earth. The indigenous, traditional and local peoples who live in these places are often isolated from markets, politically marginalized, among the last to receive social services, and some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet - a true bottom billion.
WCS trained para-veterinarian providing livestock health services to indigenous families in Bolivia. Photo WCS.
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That they depend on the sustainable use of natural resources for their survival and sense of self makes local people vital partners and vocal constituents for conservation. At WCS today we believe strongly that wildlife and natural resources are most likely to be conserved and used sustainably when they are managed by the people whose well being depends on these resources.
Given that conviction, WCS strives to secure formal rights for local people who have legitimate claims over the land, waters, and resources they have managed for generations.
With WCS help Tacana men learned how to capture Paiche. By fishing this invasive species the Tacana are generating income for their families and protecting native species of fish within their indigenous territory. Photo WCS.
We help local resource rights holders to build the governance capacity they need to control who has access to their resources and to regulate resource uses so that they are sustainable. To ensure that local people do not unjustly shoulder the costs of conserving global public goods, we look for both market based (e.g., sustainable natural-resource-based enterprises) and non-market based (e.g., livestock insurance, education scholarships) incentives to encourage conservation.
Challenges to conservation and approaches to protecting our planet's biological resources have changed in the last 120 years. Conservation organizations like WCS are staffed by individuals that embrace the diversity of cultures on our planet and who do not see local people as a problem but rather as allies whose rights must be secured, not taken.
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With support from WCS Kabu Tours is protecting endangered turtles and generating income for poor coastal families in Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua. Photo WCS.
Across the globe, we partner with indigenous and local peoples to help them to achieve their vision for a more secure future in which wildlife remain a visible and culturally valued part of the wild places where they live.
High drug prices have been big news lately. Some of this has been due to straight out price gouging by the likes of Martin Shkreli, everyone's favorite young punk hedge fund tycoon and potential convict. However the more common problem stems from the exorbitant price charged for important new drugs like the Hepatitis C drug Solvaldi.
Gilead Sciences, the patent holder for Solavldi, has a list price for this drug in the United States of $84,000 for a 3-month course of treatment. The company argues the drug is worth the price since it can cure people of a debilitating and potentially deadly disease.
While the drug clearly has great value, that does not necessarily justify its high price. After all, the firefighter who rescues your family from a burning house has also provided a service of enormous value, but she doesn't expect to get paid millions of dollars for her work.
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The issue with Sovaldi is actually very similar to the issue with the firefighter. It doesn't actually cost anything like $84,000 to manufacture the drug and deliver it to patients. We know this for certain because there are generic manufacturers in India that can produce high quality versions and sell them profitably for $200-$300 per treatment. This means that Gilead Sciences may be charging a price that is more than 300 times what is needed to cover the manufacturing and distribution of the drug.
The justification that Gilead Sciences and other drug companies offer for their prices is the need to recoup their research costs. They argue they need the monopoly provided by patent protection so that they can charge prices high enough to cover both the research costs on successful drugs and also all the money spent researching drugs that failed.
There are serious questions about the industry's actual research spending. Much money goes to marketing, since the industry has enormous incentive to promote the sale of a drug selling for 300 times the cost of production.
There is also much money that goes to copycat research, since monopoly pricing gives competitors an incentive to get a share of the rents enjoyed on a breakthrough drug like Sovaldi. This can lead to lower prices in a world where the government is granting patent monopolies, but this duplicative research would generally have little value if drugs were sold in a free market.
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And much of the research is often done on the government's nickel. Many important new drugs, including Sovaldi, rely heavily on research that was funded by the government through the National Institutes of Health.
There is a better route. If the government actually paid for the research, not just at the early phases but through the clinical testing and FDA, then there would be no reason for patent monopolies. Drugs could be sold in a free market just like toothpicks and plastic cups. We wouldn't have big problems debating whether Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurers should pick up the tab if the next major cancer drug cost $200 a treatment instead of $200,000.
There are various mechanisms through which the government can finance research. It could offer a prize for promising new drugs and buy up the patent rights, as some economists like Joe Stiglitz has proposed.
An alternative is to pay for the research upfront. This can be done through the private sector with companies bidding for long-term contracts to conduct research in major areas. An advantage of this route is that a condition of the funding could be that all the results are made fully available to other researchers and the public as soon as practical. This should lead to more rapid progress since science advances most quickly when it is open.
Of course no one is going to switch from the current system to an alternative overnight. Any alternative would have to be tested and demonstrate its superiority. An obvious way to phase in a move to the direct funding system would be to have publicly funded clinical trials. If the government paid for the trial of a promising drug, after first buying up the patent rights, it could then make any new drug available at the free market price once it was through the FDA approval process.
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An additional advantage of going this route is that all the clinical test results would be fully available to other researchers and physicians so that doctors could determine if a particular drug is likely to be useful to specific patients. For example, the trials may have evidence that a drug is not especially effective for older people or for those taking arthritis medications. While a pharmaceutical company selling a drug for a markup of 10,000 percent may not be anxious to highlight such evidence, a company that is paid exclusively to conduct clinical trials has no motivation to conceal data.
This is where Bill Gates comes in. With the current gridlock in Washington, which is likely to persist even after the election, we are not going to see any action on financing research any time soon. However a wealthy philanthropist certainly could pick up the cost of financing the clinical trials of several promising new drugs.
According to recent research by an economist with close ties to the drug industry, the total cost of all three phases of the testing process comes to a bit over $300 million, counting the costs of going through FDA approval. If we accept his assumption on failure rates, this would imply costs of roughly $1 billion on average to get at a drug through the approval process. If we allow $500 million to $1 billion for the purchasing the patent rights to promising compounds, we have a total tab of $1.5-2.0 billion, which is well within the resources of the Gates Foundation and in fact several other charitable foundations and wealthy individuals.
Suppose Bill Gates or another wealthy philanthropist went this route and made a major new cancer drug available at free market prices, presumably a few hundred dollars a treatment? This would demonstrate the efficacy of an alternative funding mechanism in a way that everyone could see.
Needless to say the pharmaceutical companies would still be pushing the politicians to protect their patent monopolies, but everyone would know that the drug companies are just using the government to rip them off.
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This past December, Harold Henthorn was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife Toni Henthorn. Originally, when Harold Henthorn reported the death of his wife off of a 140-ft cliff in Denver, Colorado, it was considered an accident.
Accidental deaths while hiking in the Colorado backcountry occur relatively frequently unfortunately. But, upon further investigation, the circumstances surrounding Toni's death became increasingly more suspicious. Prosecutors testified that Harold Henthorn had marked with an X on his map exactly where Toni fell and that he told conflicting stories about the fall. Fox 31 News reported that, "He told law enforcement and family members that he did not see her fall, but rather witnessed a blur while he was reading text messages. He told another witness both he and Toni were checking text messages and Toni had wandered too close to the edge. He told other witnesses that Toni was trying to take pictures and slipped." Harold Henthorn also claimed that he tried to give his wife mouth-to-mouth, but rescuers on the scene said her lipstick was intact.
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Harold Henthorn's motivation? Toni's money. Toni Henthorn was a prominent eye doctor and surgeon while Harold Henthorn was only a self-proclaimed fundraiser for non-profits and churches. None of the connections that Harold claimed to have to these non-profits or churches were real, he simply lived off of Toni's fortunes. Moreover, Harold had taken out three life insurance policies on Toni, policies that would make him a $4.7 million richer were Toni to die unexpectedly. Further investigation into Harold's past reveals that the "accidental" death of his first wife is suspicious too and is now an open and active death investigation.
Photos that the couple took just hours before Toni Henthorn's death depict a happy married pair celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary with a fun hike. The seemingly genuine smile on Toni's face is misleading. Did she know that her husband did not really have a job and relied on her for economic support? Toni Henthorn's tragic case shows that women can be victims to economic abuse, even if they don't know it.
As I explain in my book "Ending Domestic Violence Captivity: A Guide To Economic Freedom" there is no abuse more potent than economic abuse. Although financial treatment is not commonly associated with domestic abuse, economic abuse is crucial to the abuser's ability to gain control over the victim. Although examples of economic abuse in my book exhibit relationships in which the abuser withheld financial resources from the victim, economic abuse is whenever the abuser uses financial power as a means of control. Harold Henthorn was completely economically dependent on his wife and utilized this dependence to take out 3 life insurances policies in her name, ensuring his financial stability after his death. These policies gave him control over her money and ultimately her life.
Sources:
http://kdvr.com/2015/09/21/harold-henthorn-found-guilty-of-1st-degree-murder-in-death-of-2nd-wife/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tip-leads-reporter-to-story-of-mysterious-deaths-2/
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28858797/woman-believes-she-was-number-three-harold-henthorns
http://www.insurancefraud.org/fraud-of-the-month-archive-item.htm?RecID=3450#.Vq1uDUsSD8H
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Social media communication concept little birds gossiping.
New research links social media and sleep problems
Social media has become a fixture of modern life, a constant stream of information coming and going, and a way to stay perpetually connected. I love social media, it keeps me in touch with friends, family, and all of the people out there who are interested in learning more about sleep! But have you ever wondered how all that Twittering, Instagramming and Snapchatting might be affecting your sleep? According to just-released research, time spent on social media may be seriously undermining nightly rest.
Sleep and the digital generation
Young people are among the most avid and heavy users of social media, and this latest research focused on the effects of social media engagement among young adults. The results strongly indicate social media use in young people is linked to sleep problems. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh examined social media use and sleep in a group of young adults, and found that heavier users of social media are significantly more likely to experience disturbances to their sleep.
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Their study included a nationally representative group of 1,788 adults between the ages 19-32. Researchers measured both the frequency and volume of social media use. Social media volume was a measurement of the amount of time spent engaged daily. Social media frequency was a measurement of the number of visits to social media sites over the course of a week. Researchers gathered sleep data using patient-reported information about sleep habits and experiences. So these data are subjective not objective.
The scientists' analysis showed a strong correlation ( a relationship, not a cause) between social media use and sleep disruption. Among participants, heavier volume and frequency of social media interaction was associated with significantly greater likelihood of sleep problems.
The highest volume users of social media--those in the top 25 percent--had nearly two times the risk of sleep disruption as those in the lowest 25 percent.
The most frequent social media users--again, those young adults in the top 25 percent--had nearly three times the risk of sleep disturbance as those in the lowest 25 percent.
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This study did not address what is driving the relationship between social media engagement and sleep. Is frequent, heavy social media use contributing directly or indirectly to sleep problems. Are people who have trouble sleeping more likely to be using social media more often than better sleepers? Or are both influences in effect? These are important questions that need to be the subject of additional study.
The impact of social media on health, sleep
Science is just beginning to assess the impact of social media use on health and well being. This current research is one of the first studies to draw a link between social media engagement and risk of sleep disturbance. But other recent scientific evidence has also provided insight into social media's possible role in undermining sleep and health in young people:
College-age adults who check social media sites during typical sleeping hours are more likely to suffer daytime tiredness and cognitive impairment, according to research. They are also more likely to use sleep medications. (Other research shows that young adults are extremely likely to keep their phones or mobile devices near their beds, and are very likely to use these devices while in bed.)
A 2015 study of teenagers ages 11-17 found that social media use was linked to diminished sleep quality. Researchers also found social media use linked to lower self-esteem among teens, as well as to elevated levels of anxiety and depression. This study examined time of day as a factor in social media's effect on sleep, and found that using social media at night was especially detrimental to teens' sleep.
Links to depression, anxiety
Other research has demonstrated troubling associations between social media use and psychological health in children, teens and young people.
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Frequent use of social media among children and teens in grades 7-12 has been linked to increased levels of psychological stress and diminished mental health, according to research. Higher levels of social media use also increases teens' risk for becoming victims of cyber-bullying.
A recent study of more than 1,700 young adults ages 19-32, also conducted at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, examined the link between social media use and depression. (This investigation involved some of the same researchers as the current sleep and social media study.) Researchers found that young adults with the highest rates of social media engagement were at significantly greater risk for depression.
Depression and sleep have a complicated, bi-directional relationship--that's to say, each condition can significantly influence the other. People with depression very often have trouble sleeping, and people with sleep problems are more vulnerable to depression. The effect of social media on mood and psychological well being, in children and in adults, has important implications for sleep, but is not yet well understood.
Social Media/Sleep Balance
All of these studies, like the current one, draw compelling connections among sleep, sleep-related problems, and social media use. But none of them establish underlying cause. Given the outsized role that social media plays in the lives of most young people--and people of all ages--it is critically important we develop a better, more thorough understanding of how social media behavior is affecting sleep and health, if at all.
In the meantime, it is important to draw boundaries on social media time, and to help children and teenagers learn to do so as well. With such easy and unlimited access, it's not difficult to understand how establishing and maintaining limits around social media might be difficult, but it is not impossible. You can have your tweet, post, or chat in a healthy way, it just about making a decision for balance in your social media world. Let's call it your social media/sleep balance (like your work/life balance).
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The Sleep Doctor Guide for Social Media/Sleep Balance:
Charge your mobile devices out of the bedroom (this way you cant hear it buzz in the middle of the night).
Stop social media use at least an hour before bedtime (this can be a tough one, try 30 minutes at first, then make it a little longer).
Replace this time, with light reading (not on an electronic device), simple stretches, meditation or deep breathing.
Don't check Social Media in the middle of the night when you may wake to use the restroom or just get more comfortable.
The right kinds of food, how much to buy, plus all the other things (coolers!) you probably didn't think about.
"This is the meaning of Negro History Week. It is not so much a Negro History Week as it is a History week. We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice. There should be no indulgence in undue eulogy of the Negro. The case of the Negro is well taken care of when it is shown how he has influenced the development of civilization." ----- Carter Godwin Woodson, "The Celebration of Negro History Week, 1927," Journal of Negro History, April 1927.
February 2016 marks the 90th anniversary of a unique ritual in American and world history. For the next month, America will be challenged to contemplate the global and national journey and achievements of its African-descended residents. The ritual was born and driven by the single-minded devotion and sacrifice of Carter Godwin Woodson (1875-1950), a son of formerly enslaved parents who defied American Apartheid to acquire a Harvard Ph.D., using it with remarkable efficiency to create organizations and rituals that continue to shape our struggle for intellectual liberation.
Contrary to the (sadly) popular joke, February was not "given" to Black America for celebrating our history because it is the shortest month of the year. Woodson chose the second week in February for the celebration of "Negro History Week" because it contained the birthdays of the major symbols of the intertwined fates of Africans and the post-Civil War U.S. nation-state: Frederick Douglass (February 14, 1818) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809). By February 1926, his Association for the Study of Negro [now African American] Life and History had worked for over a decade to achieve his goal of establishing an independent institutional base for the study and promotion of the history of African people. Joining the creation of the Association eleven years earlier at Chicago's Wabash Avenue Colored YMCA, the creation of the Journal of Negro History (1916) and the Associated Publishers (1921), and followed by the creation of the Negro History Bulletin (1937), "Negro History Week" became another in Woodson's strategies to link the deeper study of Black life to acts of community consensus and coalition building.
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Carter G. Woodson was born in New Canton, Virginia on December 19, 1875. His parents, James and Anne Woodson were born into slavery. His father escaped in 1864, serving in the Union army. His mother, whose had seen her own mother and two younger siblings auctioned as a child, ensured that Woodson and his siblings learned to read and write as protection against future oppressions. He left home at 17, working on the railroads and in coal mines until, at age 22, he was able to complete high school and enroll in integrated Berea College in Kentucky. He went on to earn degrees from Berea, the University of Chicago and, in 1912, became the second African (after W.E.B. Du Bois) to take the Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. By then he had relocated to Washington, DC, where he taught at the city's prestigious M Street (Dunbar) and Armstrong High Schools and introduced the first courses in "Negro History" during a brief stint as professor of History and Dean Liberal Arts at Howard University.
By February 1926, Woodson's Association had established "Negro History Week." The celebration afforded Black students, teachers, institutions and organizations across segregated America opportunities to display what they had learned during the previous year's study of what he called "Negro life and history." Four years earlier, Woodson and Charles Wesley had published The Negro In Our History, a wide-ranging textbook that traced the history of African people from the origin of humanity to the present. The Black-owned publishing company's book started the modern era of African American history textbooks that many trace to the appearance of John Hope Franklin's From Slavery To Freedom 25 years later. Woodson believed that integrating factually sound research on the history of African people in both formal and informal educational institutions would aid in the ongoing struggle to transform American and world social, economic and cultural conditions.
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In 1976, the Association expanded the weeklong celebration to a month, creating what we now call "Black History Month." As we begin the 90th celebration of Woodson's ritual, even many who have fashioned careers from interpreting Black experiences have sorely misinterpreted his vision and strategies for carrying it out. Several generations hence, the month has become a revenue stream for everyone from television programmers and department store marketers to enterprising "public intellectuals" of all colors and motive.
In the January 1943 issue of the Negro History Bulletin, Woodson gave what is still the best description of the purpose of "Negro History Week." The editorial for that volume reminds its loyal readership of schoolteachers and children, academics and rank and file members of his army of Black onlookers and co-conspirators that "this is the week set aside by the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History for the purpose of emphasizing what has already been learned about the Negro during the year."
Woodson would likely not be surprised by the heady mix of ignorance and free enterprise that now mark the year's shortest month as the locus of discussions of race rather than a brief reflection period for the preceding year's study of Africana. In the March, 1950 issue of the Bulletin, published the month before he died at his 9th street home in Washington, DC, Woodson recognized that many in the Black community had effectively inverted and eviscerated the purpose of Negro History Week, turning it into a convenient cul de sac for engaging in fleeting considerations of "the race problem." In a hard-hitting editorial titled "No Study and Consequently No Celebration," Woodson addressed the problem head on, saying:
"It is evident from the numerous calls for orators during Negro History Week that schools and their administrators do not take the study of the Negro seriously enough to use Negro History Week as a short period for demonstrating what the students have learned in their study of the Negro during the whole school year. These mischievous orators, as it has been said again and again in these columns, have no message which they can connect with the celebration of Negro History Week. About the only thing on the Negro which they know is the traditional discussion of the race problem and how it has been or can be solved." [Negro History Bulletin, Vol. XIII, Number 6, March 1950]
Emphasizing that there were many schools in the country that were, in fact, "tak(ing) the study of the Negro seriously," Woodson nevertheless warned against the encroaching conflation of external definitions of Black life and its possibilities--the idea that our existence would be reduced during February to variations of answers to the question that Du Bois had argued lies behind most recognitions of Black life: "how does it feel to be a problem?
In 2005, the School District of Philadelphia created the country's first mandatory African American history high school course in a major school district. The authors of the course's curriculum framework anchored it in Woodson's vision for institutionalizing many of his approaches to studying African people and the world. Our framework included a series of lessons called "Intellectuals of the African Diaspora," each a self-contained essay with lesson plans and primary source materials that included representative female and male thinkers from every corner of the African world.
We wanted students to enter the mind and work of Black scholar, aligning their own growing curiosity with the questions asked by their intellectual ancestors and seeing themselves as both receivers and producers of knowledge grounded in their experiences. We selected Carter Woodson as our exemplar. The lesson "Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of African American History Month" can be found by clicking here.
If nothing else, Dr. Woodson's life and work demonstrates that the task of the learner, whether as apprentice or fully developed scholar, is to undertake the search for meaning with will, passion, mastery of content and technique, and stamina, to see where the road leads. What is all too frequently missing in the study of African humanity are roadmaps that afford us the ability to engage in that search independently and at once in comparative, interactive tandem with other genealogies and modalities of human meaning.
Shortly after his passing, Woodson's close friend and collaborator, Mary McLeod Bethune published a eulogy in the Journal of Negro History. Her words serve as a fitting reminder of his work as well as of our own responsibility to continue it:
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"I shall always believe in Carter Woodson. He helped me to maintain faith in myself. He gave me renewed confidence in the capacity of my race for development, and in the capacity of my country for justice for her own people and for all peoples. With the power of cumulative fact he moved back the barriers and broadened our vision of the world, and the world's vision of us."
No troupe is better at reinventing classic fairy tales than Company XIV. Its version of the Brothers Grimm's Snow White, now off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theater, is exquisitely imagined through dance. The Queen (Laura Careless) is forever asking her magic mirror: "Who is the fairest?"
When the answer names a rival even more beautiful, it's time to up the stakes. Extreme envy, vanity and pride translate into murderous intentions. The Queen dons a series of increasingly clever disguises, including a Spanish mantilla and Day of the Dead masks, to search her prey: Snow White (Hilly Bodin).
The poisoned apple, glass coffin, the charming prince and the Seven Dwarfs make notable appearances -- but not always in conventional form. That's the genius of XIV; it combines cabaret, circus arts, ballet and both classical and pop music to produce a singular spectacle.
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Plus, it underscores how fearless choreography can tell a story and engage audiences in a hip way. That's thanks, in part, to Sarah Cimino's makeup design, Zane Pihlstrom's remarkable sets and costumes, and Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew's lighting, which creates a smoky sense of Weimar Republic cabaret: naughty, decadent, alluring and always entertaining.
Of special note is Careless: She's that rare dancer who can also act -- imbuing her performances with great emotion and drama. Magnificent in the just-closed Nutcracker Rouge, she is joined by Marisol Cabrera, Laura Careless, Courtney Giannone, Lea Helle, Nicholas Katen, Malik Kitchen, Mark Osmundsen, Davon Rainey and Marcy Richardson, under the direction of Austin McCormick.
Together, they create a gender-bending extravaganza that is not-to-be-missed amazing.
Also eye-opening, but for completely different reasons, is Rich Orloff's documentary-style play, Chatting with the Tea Party, at the Robert Moss Theater in the East Village.
A self-described independent liberal, he wanted to know, in a polarized political world, what the other side was saying.
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So over the course of a year, the Chicago-born playwright attended more than 20 Tea Party events, and collected 63 hours of interviews with local leaders. Then he revamped it into a play; every word spoken by a Tea Party member. In a country as politically hostile as the U.S., he found the answers revealing -- and surprising.
Yes, he hears outrageous claims about guns and healthcare. Many refuse to listen to facts about the economy (Reagan and Bush doubled the debt; Bush sanctioned the 2007 bailout), employment, education or gun safety. Some rely on dubious information from the Internet or John Birch Society. They tout the Founding Fathers, but shut down when history trumps ideology.
(Orloff doesn't include some of the hateful rhetoric about Obama and immigrants.)
But there is also understanding. There are a number of older, family-oriented Americans who feel disengaged from the process. Some are struggling; others are angry at a system that panders to rich and poor alike, but decimates the middle class.
They want to get involved; they want their voices to be heard. They "get off the couch," an action he applauds. And, for the most part, Orloff (Jeffrey C. Wolf) finds they are respectful to him, open to talking and even, on occasion, willing to consider common ground.
Orloff may disagree with their contradictory politics, but he likes them as people.
A suspicion of big business, bailouts and lobbyists means they have something in common with progressives on the Left: a distrust of corporate America. (An irony, given this "grassroots" movement was founded, largely financed and mobilized by the Koch Bros. to push a specific agenda. Fighting for the rights of ordinary people is not part of their platform.)
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Still, what makes Chatting with the Tea Party so engaging is Orloff's reach across the divide. He has made a civilized attempt to discover why certain Americans feel the way they do. Are they being exploited? Do they have a point? Is there room to compromise?
John E. Brady, Maribeth Graham and Richard Kent Green do an excellent job of portraying both liberals and Tea Party advocates. Paul Girolamo's projections nicely augment the discussion. America is a big country, and Orloff has assembled a series of voices that illustrate not only our differences, but our shared humanity.
By Mark Blessington
The most common way to follow the money in today's economy and track winners and losers is with the Gini Index. It measures the degree of income disparity, where higher numbers represent wider gaps from rich to poor. As shown in the chart below, Gini has been on a steady rise since 1967. This rise has largely persisted through Republican and Democratic administrations.
To bring the picture into sharp relief, I take a different tact. Now I calculate change in Gini for each administration, and sort them with the best administration on the far left (Johnson) and the worst administration on the far right (Reagan).
Income disparity increased most during the Reagan administration. Clearly, Reaganomics and its embrace of trickle-down economics did the most to push wealthy interests forward at the expense of everyone else. From an income equality perspective, Reagan was the worst thing to happen in nearly 50 years of politics. This phenomenon is already well studied by numerous writers.The surprise from this analysis, though, is the fact that the Clinton and Obama administrations together equaled the damage caused by Reagan!
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Clinton's appointments are telling. For Chairman of the Federal Reserve he reappointed Reagan's man: Alan Greenspan. For the Treasury he appointed Lloyd Bentsen (who pushed for NAFTA), Robert Rubin (of Citigroup infamy), and Larry Summers (who supported Gramm-Leach-Bliley). The capstone of Clinton's economic harm was to repeal Glass-Steagall by signing the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Many view these pivotal events as essential ingredients for the Great Recession.
Regardless of any rationale one can conjure in support of the Clinton administration's key economic decisions, the record is clear: income disparity increased significantly during his two terms as president. Indeed, the damage was greater than what was done by Nixon, George W. Bush, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush combined!
The biggest surprise of all is with the Obama administration: it has the second worst record in nearly 50 years. How could this be? At the start of his first term he had 58% of Congress and won nearly 53% of the popular vote.
One of Obama's first acts, over a month before he was sworn in, was to formalize his intention to nominate Timothy Geithner for the Treasury. Geithner had a long-established track record as a financial conservative. Indeed, it was anticipated that John McCain would have appointed him if elected President. Then later in 2009 Obama nominated George W. Bush's Fed nominee, Ben Bernanke, for a second term.
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These two acts alone spoke volumes: there would be no major economic change initiated by the Obama administration. Worse, the march of income inequality actually accelerated. When Wall Street executives claimed their institutions were too big to fail, Obama implicitly agreed. When they bitterly complained about caps on their pay, Obama relented. When they resisted tough Dodd-Frank legislation, he capitulated.
American trust in government is near all-time lows. From where most people sit, they think their votes don't matter. Even when they sent a Democrat with strong support to the Oval Office, all they got in return were pro-wealth appointees, pro-wealth legislation and pro-wealth results.
I call this the Era of Compromise Democrats. From an economic perspective, the last Democrat to really fight for the people was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was even brave enough to stand up to the Supreme Court. While President Obama immediately spoke out against Citizens United in 2010, he did nothing to directly oppose it. While many think the Court far exceeded its purview, Obama merely threw a few small stones. That was not what FDR would have done.
There may be a growing realization among US voters that nothing short of revolution can repair the damage from a half-century of greed-dominated government. Hillary Clinton has purposefully positioned herself as another Compromise Democrat. The Republican candidates are stumbling over themselves as they curry favor with the wealthy and pit poor Americans against one another.
Out in left field is Bernie Sanders, shouting and waving his hands, reassuring Americans he'll catch the ball if it is hit to him. While democratic socialism sounds a bit "Soviet," Bernie has a growing number of people wondering: Does he have the once-in-a-century chutzpah needed to steer our economic ship from the looming rocks of despair and anarchy?
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What do you think? Join the debate. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
Mark Blessington is a sales and marketing consultant and has worked with many of the world's largest corporations. He has written four books, ranging from Deep Economics to Sales Forecasting.
I have experienced racism most of my life in some form or another.
Don't forget, no matter where I am in the world, people will ask where I am from, and my answer is, "I am Dutch, from Amsterdam." The reaction, as you can imagine, is "no way." I always tell people that they are color-blind, as I am, of course, blond and tall but they just cannot see it. I am confronted with my adoption 24/7 when I meet new people. I very quickly state that I am adopted, in such a way that most people do not ask further questions.
I had a conversation with my mother about this a month after 9/11. I told her I might go back to live in North America, where I could handle racism easier than in Europe. It made her really sad; she said that she never thought of that issue while adopting me. I am glad she did not know how often I experienced racism. We discussed racism because of the way the news talked nonstop about the Taliban, Bin Laden, and everything that was going on during 9/11. The news showed terrible pictures of Afghanistan over and over. Pictures are very powerful and people started to associate the people on the news with people like me, who just happened to look like them.
When I went to work after 9/11, racism came back into my life; I had thought it was over and done with. I gave technical seminars on computer programs for multi-nationals and someone made the comment about my looks being identical to the people shown on television. It was surreal. I had watched the same images as my client, and I did not have the same reaction. I told her I was brought up in Europe, and how that war was not my war and had nothing to do with me. I should not have bothered to justify myself, which is a bad habit I have. She could not have cared less and definitely did not listen. All she cared about is that I looked like those people on television and wondered if I could potentially do harm too.
Often, being light-colored is perceived as being superior to darker shades. In many cultures -- for example, Japanese or Thai, just to name two -- people stay in the shade with umbrellas all summer long to keep their light complexion. It seems they want to distinguish themselves from the working class, who are tanned from working outside during the summer months.
One of my experiences with racism was when I was flying back from Tokyo to Brussels. As you know, Mark, I have a Dutch passport. European airports have two lines at arrival, one for EU passport holders and the second for foreigners. It was extremely busy at Zaventem that day, as several international flights from all over the world had arrived at the same time. Security personnel were guiding the passengers to the right line-ups. One of them came up to me, and without asking to see my passport, told me I was in the wrong line. I politely told him I had an EU passport. He told me it did not matter and I should go to the other line. This repeated itself several times. In the foreign line-up they were checking passports and they sent me straight back to the EU line. Finally, after going back and forth for 30 minutes, I saw a tall, foreign-looking man in the EU line. I positioned myself so close to him that he looked down and asked if I was okay. I told him in French that I was curious if he could pass that line-up, as I was having such trouble, and I told him kindly that his skin color was many shades darker than mine. He burst into laughter and told me to stick with him. I thanked him and told him he would not be able to pass, but that it would be fun seeing it all unfold. He said, with a lot of determination in his voice, "We will see about that, won't we?" He was a handsome, well-dressed black man, obviously a businessman.
Finally, our turn came and the man showed his passport, but I could not see very well as the counter was too high for me. Exactly as I had predicted, they looked at him with disdain and told him to go to the line for foreigners. In a very dry tone he pointed out that his passport was French and that he was a French citizen and a member of the EU. The man behind the counter could not care less and continued to speak to the man in a denigrating way. My man stayed polite, which I admired. (I could have learned a thing or two there.) He asked to speak to the supervisor and did not budge.
The supervisor arrived looking disheveled and rubbing his large stomach and asked what the trouble was. The man, my ally by this time, answered in a dignified manner that he was a colonel of the French army and showed his army credentials. Oh la la, what immense fun for me! I jumped up and down with such joy, such relief that this dignified man stood his ground. He turned towards me and said, "This young lady is traveling with me and she is (he glanced at my passport) a Dutch national. You better not give her any trouble either." It goes without saying that I passed in seconds. I profusely thanked the man, who asked if this happened a lot to me. I told him I was used to it, especially at that airport. He said he was ashamed that people would treat others like that and told me to stand up for who I was. I agreed. And I always did so after that!
It is a crippling feeling to be attacked for something you cannot change at all: the color of your skin.
Excerpts from With All My Might by Gabriella van Rij. (Vancouver: We Open Doors, 2011.)
Gabriella is a speaker on racism, prejudice, bullying, and other social issues.
Being Italian I have a love affair with food and what and where to eat is always something I need to know and plan ahead. I don't just eat food. I eat because I love food. And it has to be good!
It's not always easy to find a good restaurant when you're abroad. You end up eating in a place for tourists where quality can be poor and prices are high. I have to admit that Venice is not one of those low-cost destinations, but a good "osteria" can work the quality/price magic.
What traveling has taught me is to ask a local what are their favorite restaurants. And guess what?
That's always the best way to find something awesome. That's the way I started to find my way around in NYC when I started to spend a lot of time in the city.
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What I've learned from my travels is also to never judge the place for its appearance: most important thing are the people inside: locals or tourists?
That's what I've learned a few years ago when I was vacationing in Italy on the island of Ischia. For two weeks I was choosing restaurants on the main promenade with my eyes. I was leaning for the restaurants that had fancy table clothes and nice lighting, and fancy people sitting inside. And I was always skipping this little one that had red and white table clothes and a super uninviting bright light.
The last night when I had already been to all of the others I decided to try that one. The best food for half of the prize and so much fun as the waitress and everybody inside knew one another. So ask around to some locals or do some research before you visit a city and look for locals in restaurants.
So if you are going to my Venice, since I cannot send you to my mom's kitchen, I will suggest you to try these restaurants I love.
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Calm your tasting buds. This is my top 4.
RISTORANTE AI TRE ARCHI
It's a family-run restaurant and pizzeria in Cannareggio. After being run by his mother, since a few years the restaurant is in the hands of Andrea Mazzucato. Andrea is the most funny and entertaining owner you will find in Venice. He reminds me a lot of actor Roberto Benigni. The food is outstanding and very well prized. You can eat fresh fish everyday, delicious meat and their thin crust pizzas are to die for. We ate at this place for 7 days straight while I was filming in Venice parts of my television special for PBS "From Venice With Love". The whole crew could not stop raving about how delicious the food was everyday. They could not wait for lunch or dinner to see what Andrea had ready for us.
And they are located on a quiet side street on the canal so you will enjoy a meal like a real Venetian will do: peacefully.
Where: Cannaregio 552
Website: www.aitrearchivenezia.it
DA FIORE
It's one of the most famous restaurants in the city and it was once an old Venetian tavern. Even though it's pricey (a lunch menu of 3 courses costs 50), their creative cuisine will amaze you. . And one of their table is on a cute little balcony on a small canal with flowers on the deck and the gondolas are passing by. It's a dream!
Book ahead for the table on the canal side. Oh, and you can't miss their cakes. To die for.
Where: Calle de le Boteghe, 3461, 30125 San Marco
Website: www.dafiore.net
VINI DA GIGIO
It's a family-run osteria and another one of my favorites. Food here is so good I couldn't recommend a better place. Their secret? Ingredients are freshly bought at the Rialto market every morning.
A first course (pasta) is 14-15 -- you can check their website for a detailed list of dishes and prices. They also have a huge wine selection.
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I suggest you to reserve a table via e-mail.
Where: Cannaregio 3628/A
Website: www.vinidagigio.com/index.php
CAFFE CENTRALE
It's located in an ancient dwelling that dates back to the 1500s and it's a great choice if you're in Piazza San Marco because it's just one minute walk from there. If you don't know what you want to order, they have iPads: just scroll the menu and you'll see all the photos and descriptions for an easier understanding. Pasta is 20-25.
Where: Calle Piscina de Frezzaria, 1659/B, 30100 San Marco
Website: www.caffecentralevenezia.com/en
Some more restaurants if you're on a budget ( 10-20 per person)
Da La Marisa (lunch only) - Cannaregio, 652
Il Nono Ristoro - Sotoportego De Siora Bettina, 2338
Cantina Do Spade - San Polo, 85
By Jordan Stephen
Across the country, students and graduates alike have been simmering over the growing issue of college loans. Now, with national student debt pushing well past $1.2 trillion,concerned activists are primed to pressure lawmakers to act before the problem boils over.
Young Invincibles, a millennial-focused advocacy organization, is urging those affected by student debt to take the reins through the Campaign to Fix Higher Ed, which aims to ensure the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The law, which gives federal money to universities, offers low-interest loans and maintains certain scholarships, has been a keystone for education funding since 1965. but has yet to be reapproved by Congress.
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"Our goal is to build up a voice behind this idea, to push the legislation forward and show there is a necessity in doing this," Krieg Rajaram, State Outreach Coordinator for Young Invincibles, told GVH Live. "We're seeing a lot of students taking initiative and organizing themselves on the issue."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has long been an advocate for student debt reform on Capitol Hill, spoke to an enthusiastic crowd at the kick-off event.
"This fight is about our values," Warren said. "The federal government should be helping students get an education, not making a profit off their back."
Warren hammered home that creating debt-free college opportunities and allowing students to refinance their existing loans were vital to re-crafting effective policy.
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Senator Warren could not avoid the realities of campaign season, however. She went after several Republican presidential candidates by name, criticizing their approaches to student debt, while offering soft praise for Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
But throughout the day, the conversation was focused on finding solutions that benefit everyone.
"As you can see from the turnout today, there are a lot of people who are very interested and passionate about the issue," Rajaram said. "Individuals are ready to mobilize if they are organized and trained to do so."
Young Invincibles plans to use a full arsenal of digital tools to fuel their grassroots effort. Using the hashtag "FixHigherEd", the group hopes to spread awareness of the campaign online while allowing people to share their stories, Rajaram explained.
Activists who have experienced the burden of debt first hand gathered from all across the country to show support and learn how to tackle student debt at the school, state and federal level.
"I went through the whole process on my own," Brandy Camille Huff, who flew in from Atlanta to attend the event, said in an interview with GVH Live. "The schools and the banks have strategies, they have whole staffs of people dedicated to meeting their financial goals and there really is this huge gap for students and their families and borrowers for meeting their financial goals. There's a need for accountability and education."
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Huff, who graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2004, said that the school did not inform her that she was eligible for more federal funding, but instead steered her in the direction of private lenders.
For many students, figuring out how to cover college costs had a deep impact on day-to-day life.
"There were days when I didn't eat. There were days when I didn't know how to make ends meet. We find out, what can we live without?" Marvin Logan, a former student body president and athlete at Kent State University, said of his experience. "Most student athletes are not on full scholarships, they're on partial scholarships. They have to cover their own living expenses and being able to work is really difficult because being a student athlete is a full-time job."
Although Logan worked in television during his college career, NCAA rules kept him from making money off his own likeness.
Like many others, he expressed support for policy that would increase Pell Grant funding to match rising post-secondary education costs.
Another remedy that has garnered support from both President Obama and congressional Democrats is free community college, a plan the White House claims would benefit up to 9 million students nationwide.
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"Free community college would be a huge, wonderful thing to do for people," Sherita Flournoy, a student at Malcolm X College, told GVH Live. "I want the generation behind me not to have this issue. I'm extremely hopeful, not just for me when I'm getting my Ph.D., but somebody behind me just trying to get their associate's degree."
The struggle to fix higher education may seem like an uphill battle, but the determination in the room was palpable.
Not to mention, Warren's fiery brand of liberal crusading is sure to fan the flames under any movement.
"We have a choice: We can whimper about this, we can whine about this or we can fight back," she told the crowd. "Are you ready to fight for this?"
Just how close was the race in Iowa for Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders?
At least six precincts reportedly awarded their delegates after tossing a coin.
In Ames, the decision to award delegates by coin toss was made after 60 caucus participants apparently disappeared from the results, according to a report from The Des Moines Register.
In all six precincts where coin tosses were used, Clinton won an extra delegate.
Little different from Middle Eastern extremists, the Bundy militias and their ilk confabulate an alternate world to justify their rage at loss of status and a feeling of societal betrayal. Times are changing and the old men and their older power structures are collapsing, crushed by new ideas and youth.
Once, not long ago, the cowboy and the frontier U.S. west were idealized as portraying American values. The legendary independence of westerners and cowboys hid a strong dose of government spending and investment. The movie and television heroes of my youth were invariably western and emphasized the quiet man with a gun rounding up the bad guys.
Heroes like Roy Rogers and Sky King carried guns and brought bad guys to justice. Later in my youth, Twilight Zone and Star Trek were the shows that captured my attention. Television that appealed more to an urban kid.
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The Andy Griffith Show and similar programs began to portray country living differently and less violent. The country was changing when, by the 1950s, even the South and the Midwest were mostly urbanized. The myth of the self-reliant rancher and farmer was being subtly replaced with laughter and nostalgia.
The areas of the country last to host urban majorities remain the most conservative. Reagan, a former western actor himself, knew how to speak to people who felt threatened by the urbanization of America. The myth of independent action strangely coupled with the need to follow strong leaders created the conservative coalition now being torn asunder in the presidential primaries.
The Republican presidential candidates are feeding outrage stoked at the speed of the nation's changing values and traditions. Their audience and their scapegoats are changing quickly also. While their followers decry 'big government', the issue is much broader now. Creating seats at the table for women and minorities, does not steal chairs from white males but it most certainly dilutes their influence and perceived value. In a blog some time ago, I wrote what I thought was happening.
Workers are being crushed from both sides -- more work for the same pay, while taxes creep steadily up. The government empowers corporations to impose demands on small businesses and workers that enable a race to the economic bottom. The Cruz/Trump success is getting these small business people and workers to blame those below them on the economic ladder rather than the government and corporate elite who are the actual culprits.
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Republican presidential candidates now seize upon the message that 'hard working Americans' are being slighted and robbed by government policies. The message works because it is true. Where the blame lies is the real misdirection. While immigrants, minorities and 'takers' are blamed, the real perpetrators, business executives and politicians, are heralded as the saviors rather than the cause.
Business and conservative political agendas merge to form a mutually self-serving agenda that stifles competition and creates oligopolies. This coalition shares the profits among themselves and transfers the costs to the worker and taxpayers. Working diligently, corporations and governments have denied wage and hour protections for employees while shredding the safety net designed to protect workers. The cost to the taxpayer is huge.
This sleight of hand and misdirection is possible because of the conservative base's already devout belief that government is the problem and business is the answer. The Bundy militia terrorism (it is no longer a peaceful protest when you bring guns and threaten to use them.) against the government is a blatant attempt to steal land from the taxpayers. Land designed to benefit the very ranchers now attempting the theft. Essentially, they demand more corporate theft under the guise of 'American Values'.
Democrats, liberals and moderates must demonstrate how the Republican and conservative embrace of Reaganism causes government to be the problem. Democratic candidates for president should address this problem that citizens know to be true - then explain how to change the process with the peoples' support and votes. In the New York Times this week, two columns exposed how corporations and big government are robbing the taxpayer.
In Nevada, the state legislature tripled fees for homeowners with solar panels at the behest of energy company lobbyists. This big government move makes solar panels less attractive and breaks previous agreements to homeowners.
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In North Carolina, factory farmers recently passed legislation stifling both first amendment rights and whistleblower protections. This big government legislation may increase consumer health risks/costs and guarantee factory farm profits. Apparently, consumers cannot know where their food comes from and how it gets there.
As seen on howfarfromhome.com
Travel is a strange thing. Every new place you visit leaves an impression on you.
Sometimes, it's filled with hidden gems that blow you away, turning you into a renegade travel ambassador, selflessly promoting this new place you've found; and sometimes, you experience a massive let down that leaves you underwhelmed and with a bad taste in your mouth.
Sometimes though, you visit a place that you didn't even know about; a place you stumble upon, and a place that paints its own picture in your canvas thoughts.
Such was the case with Bad Gastein.
We were recently fortunate enough to be invited to an Instameet, hosted by @VisitBadGastein, in this town we hadn't even heard of. Grammars from all over Germany and Austria descended into the Alpine town, to meet, explore, and take some pictures, of course.
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As soon as we stepped out onto the small cobbled streets, we knew this was something different. We were greeted by incredible architecture uncanny to that of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Vibrant colours broke through the white blanket of snow. Steam filled the valley from the natural thermal waters that spilled out the mountain, melting the ice as it flowed (and in case your German is a little rusty, the name "Bad" means "Spa", symbolising the importance of the four million litres of thermal water that flows through the town on a daily basis - and is said to have magical healing powers). It was unlike anything we had seen before, but why hadn't we ever heard about it?
It might be because the town is a shadow of its former self; well, that's at least what the general public thinks. The town is filled with magnificent hotels that are abandoned, collecting dust instead of tourists. It feels more quiet than it should be - besides the odd foreign man dressed to tackle the ski slopes. After speaking to some locals, we found out that there are a few reasons why visitors are few and far between. A Viennese business has something to do with it, but it's not important anymore. What is important, is that Bad Gastein, the small gem in the Austrian alps, is in a revival. More and more unique boutique hotels are popping up; a youthful undercurrent is stirring - out with the old and in with the new. We wouldn't be surprised if pictures like the below started to fill your travel feeds in the near future.
To follow our story, check out howfarfromhome.com or find us on Instagram, Facet or Twitter @HowFarFromHome.
Text and photos by Razvan Zamfir
"Look... That's the most amazing road I've ever seen," said Jeremy Clarkson, the despicably funny, ex Top Gear host. But he was wrong. Romania's Transfagarasan is not only the most amazing road he'd ever seen, it's purely the most amazing road in the world. And to prove it, I went there. Not by car -- I hate driving -- but by foot.
And they were the hardest five days of my life.
90 kilometers long, up to 2.034 meters between the highest peaks of Romanian's mountains, Moldoveanu (2.544 meters) and Negoiu (2.537 meters) and then down to the first capital of old romanian provinces, Curtea de Arges, where 1.000 years of history press hard on one's thougths. This is The Transfagarasan, the road built as an answer to the 1968 soviet attack in Czechoslovakia, to help bring the army faster at the northern and western borders.
The gateway to Transfagarasan is guarded by a small village, Cartisoara, known before the road was build. From there, more than 100 years ago, this guy, Gheorghe Cartan, left on foot, like us, but to Rome. Yes, in Italy.
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He went to Rome to see Trajan's Column which tells the story of the wars between romans and dacians, 2,000 years ago. Cartan wanted to prove that romanians and their ancestors, the dacians, have lived here since forever, he brought books from Valahia (Tara Romaneasca) and fought for Transilvania's independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
But enough history, you can find this on Wikipedia.
The small heaven before we met the monster
The road starts easy, the terrain is flat, we walk chating and after 30 minutes we see a road making left on something that looks like a forest path. Should we?
Of course we did, and went on for five kilometers between trees and weird bracken fields we have never seen before. Finally, we got on a sunny plateau, where a small piece of heaven stands. A trout farm with a motel, with children playing, parents fishing or enjoying the last sunshine of the fall.
Our trip took a break, for a coffee and some water. "Where are you going?", asks one of the tourists there, a german if I got the accent correctly. To Transfagarasan. "By foot?" Yes. You are insane boys. It's hard enough by car, I just arrived from there."
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Fortunately, we are no germans and we don't do only what we're suppose to do, so after two hours, we took back the path and went to meet our trials.
And the contact was fast and brutal. The road with spinning curves takes all the energy you can manage to squeeze from you body and after a few kilometers you must stop. No, you must fall down on the side of the road, catching your breath and trying to overcome the pain in your legs.
We walked like this for 30 kilometers, with tortured feet pushed forward by the amazed eyes. Every time the road broke loose from the prison of mountain and trees, the view was almost unimaginable. The light reflected by the rocks explodes on the top of the forest, the valley we are coming from is painted in many colors and out first stop, Balea Falls Lodge appears just a few hairpin turns away.
There, after almost eight hours of walking and with trembling hands, we've put down the +20 kilo backpacks, took a room and slept deeper than the mountain 'till morning.
The road of the free
Try someday to walk the mountains. To get as far away as possible from civilization and its gifts that imprisoned us. You will find freedom. Let it be for a day or for a week, it does not matter, you'll feel like nothing can touch you and that you can solve every problem life throws at you.
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That's the way we felt on the second part of the journey, in the top height of Transfagarasan, at Balea Lake, where Balea Lodge was waiting and where in the winter a hotel of ice is built for tourists coming by cable car.
In a straight line, the distance between the two points is a joke, 4 kilometers, but the road that took the life of 40 people when it was built, between 1970 and 1974, won't let you go so easy.
It looks like an old hawser dumped by an astray sailor and to follow those curves is, the manic drivers say, wonderful. We tried to take it slowly, laughing at the people who were trying to go up on bicycle. That is courage, but they were looking down with red faces and lost the reason to be there.
We walked more than 18 kilometers to go up only 1,000 meters and didn't felt drained like the day before, then we spent the night at Balea Lake Lodge in a babilony of people. Romanians, Germans, Czechs, Polish, all here to see the view above Romania, to put their hands in the crystal clear and cold waters of the lake, to watch the sheep going down from the mountain, following their millennial habit of transhumance.
Back along Dracula's keep
The way down was much easier and with muscles not under pressure, we literally walked, enjoying the view and managing to see a few mountain goats, and from a far and secure distance a bear looking for forest fruits.
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The target was the 166 meters Vidraru Dam and the huge Vidraru Lake and its blue waters. After that, the sinuous road between the mountains continues under Poienari Castle, the place from where Vlad the Third, whom you know as The Impaler or Dracula, protected the country against turks attacks, some 550 years ago. Long before Bram Stocker made a vampire out of him.
With Vlad in mind we left to Curtea de Arges, the first Capital of the Romanian Principate Valachia, with its historical wonders. First Romanian Kings lived and died there and their shadows seem to be everywhere.
It was, as I said, the hardest days of my life, but one cannot imagine what we have seen. So if you visit Romania, do not forget the Transfagarasan. Take a day or two and a fast car and go see it.
You'll leave more alive than you have ever been.
Heading, Black History Month, zigzag border, Color
Stacey Dash, I listened to your comments that you made on Fox News and in all honesty, I wish what you had said would be absolutely true.
You stated that "We have to make up our minds. Either we want to have segregation or integration, and if we don't want segregation, then we have to get rid of channels like BET and the BET Awards and the Image Awards, where you're only awarded if you're black...If it were the other way around, we would be up in arms. It's a double standard." You have also stated that "There shouldn't be a Black History Month. We're Americans, period. That's it." [1]
Ms. Dash, I truly wish your statement could be true; I truly wish that the United States of America would truly adhere to its principles that make us the greatest country in the world. I wish that the United States of America just recognizes all races that were born, migrated and raised in this country as Americans. I wish that the United States of America would adhere to the principle that "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" that Thomas Jefferson stated.
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I truly wish that the United States of America would adhere that "from every mountainside, let freedom ring" and that we "crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea". If all of this were true, then we as African-Americans would not have been deemed property by the Dred Scott decision which legally set us up as not only equal, but that the aforementioned principles don't apply to us because we are not human, let alone property.
If this were true, then our race and ancestors would not have been enslaved for over 400 years, striped of our lineage and culture by eliminating our family names and identities. If your statement were absolutely true, Frederick Douglas, Nat Turner, both of whom are on the extreme spectrum in the name of freedom would have not had to sacrifice their lives to prove to the people of the UNITED states that we as a people are Americans as well.
If this were true, then Harriet Tubman and countless other pioneers in the name of freedom would not had to use codes to praise God and offer guidance to run for freedom in spirituals; if this were true, Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, Henry M. Turner and William P. Quinn would not have had to walk out of St. Georges Episcopal Church because they weren't allowed to pray and worship at the same altar and therefore form the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
If what you stated was true, then Booker T. Washington and W.E.B DuBois would not have to convince our race of the strategies to get the White American race to see us as equals; if it were true, the Jim Crow System wouldn't be hanging strange fruit on trees and admire them in its splendor; if it were true, the word NIGGER would not be used to identify us in the eyes of other Americans. If your statement were true, there would be more than 31 African-American winners of the Academy awards out of nearly 3,000 winners AND they would win for movies where they have acted in different segments and not for movies that focused on slavery, inferiority, corruption and struggle for acceptance.
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If what you stated was true, then we would not have to constantly remind the United States of America that we are a part of this great quilt of unity and freedom; that our communities would be also a part of the upward mobility, that we didn't have to be separated from White and Colored in all parts of the country by ways of de facto and de jure tactics of segregation. If your statement were true, the United States of America would recognize the inventions that African-Americans were contributing to the upward mobility and dominance in all industries.
If what you stated was true, then African-Americans would not have to be afraid to run governor, senator and even President where we have only had less than 10 senators, and governors who have been elected and only 1 African-American president in its over 220 years of this great country's existence.
If what you stated were true, then globalized media would not subliminally and explicitly mark us as a people who are thugs, athletes and uneducated; they would not see our communities as rags of the economic and political struggles that plague our country, the civil rights movement would not had to occur because there would be no need for Malcolm X, Dr. King, Bayard Rustin, Rosa Parks, Adam Clayton Powell, Marcus Garvey, Ella Baker, Mary McLeod Bethune and countless others to advocate and strive for freedom and equality.
If what you stated were true, NO one would BE ABOVE THE LAW; where officers who blatantly harass, attack, brutalize and even kill an unarmed African-American man would rot behind bars for their abuse of power and not walk away free and live a quiet life; where people like George Zimmerman brags about his 'White Privilege' by constantly escaping the arms of the law and makes money for bragging living his life while families of Martin, Gardner, Brown, Rice, Bland and countless others are grieving not only for justice, but their loved one.
If what you stated was true, then the United States of America would not blatantly disrespect the office of the Barack Obama, President of the United States of America by hurling racial slurs and countless other attacks that he has to deal with on a daily basis. If what you stated was true, then we wouldn't need to have our own channels to highlight our successes and stories because it would be transparent across all streams of media; if it were true, you wouldn't have to go on BET to get your career going because you would be able to get countless opportunities on ALL channels, you wouldn't need to succumb to magazines that exposed your black beauty to get attention, instead you would be in magazines that show off your beauty and success that is more than your derriere among other races, live Vanity Fair, Elle and others.
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Stacey Dash and countless others who agree with you, I truly wish that what you said were true. But guess what, it's not and therefore as a proud African-American man, I am working hard to counter this mirage of ideals that we know it will take generations for us to realize. The real sad reality is that despite all that you say, the people and the world still see you as color first before character. You are a Black woman, an African-American woman, whether you want to accept it or not and your lineage is tied to all of us and the rich and ongoing struggle for life, liberty and pursuit of happiness and to be equal under the law.
It's now confirmed that Donald Trump has decidedly lost the Iowa caucuses to Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Moreover, he barely surpassed the vote total of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, this year's "comeback kid." Keep in mind that Trump was beating Cruz by 11% and Rubio by a whopping 23% as late as January 21. Given his huge double digit leads in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Florida, a win in Iowa would have made the billionaire reality TV star/real estate developer a prohibitive favorite to win it all.
Mr. Trump's dramatic fall from voter grace is due, as I made clear last Thursday on another platform, to his colossally stupid decision to skip the last Fox News debate, which was held in Des Moines, Iowa less than a week before the Iowa caucuses. This decision was based on typically petty Trump premises: he did not like a snarky press release that Fox News sent out ahead of the debate. Moreover, there was his weird and vile ongoing animus towards extra peppy Fox News Debate co-host Megyn Kelly. My prediction of last week about how much this would hurt Trump was confirmed by Iowa caucus exit polls: Trump ranked horribly in his grasp of Iowa voters' values.
Up there with God and ethanol, one of the chief values that Iowa Republicans and Great Plains folks in general hold dear - I hail from Omaha, with many kin who hail from neighboring Iowa - is being a person of your word. Look at the very nature of the Iowa caucuses: you have to arrive early in order to make it in the door on time to caucus. You think these voters are going to cotton to a candidate who literally skipped a nationally televised debate - the only national GOP debate held in Iowa - that he previously agreed to attend? Iowans, like Nebraskans, expect you to get to that debate, without excuses, no matter what the circumstance. Trump's arrogant and petulant decision to skip the Fox News Debate in Des Moines is akin to John McCain's hysterical knee-jerk behavior in response to the financial crisis during the general election battle against the more measured and, thus, "Presidential" Barack Obama.
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Iowans clearly took Trump being AWOL as a snapshot of how erratic a Trump Presidency could be. At a time as perilous as this (with a possible Recession on the horizon, low wages, broken borders, a ballooning deficit, ISIS and urban crime), Iowa's GOP voters gave a strong vote of confidence to the comparatively more emotionally stable Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Televised Fox News and CNN exit polls showed that 45% of Iowa GOP caucus voters made up their minds in the last three days. And, of these voters, most broke for Rubio and Cruz. Because Trump skipped the debate - proving Cruz's claim about his "New York values" - he did not get a chance to make a direct pitch to these late-breaking voters, far more of whom watched the Fox News Des Moines debate than Trump's hastily assembled and concurrent Des Moines fundraiser for vets.
The mainstream media didn't report it this way, of course, but, on the ground, this kind of late-in-the-campaign craziness is quite revealing. And steady-as-she-goes Iowans showed Monday night that they don't like it one bit.
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Going forward, I do not see how Trump undoes the damage he inflicted on himself in Iowa. Not only has he unilaterally destroyed his narrative that he is a "winner," but he has now given the rapidly rising, if boyish, Rubio a clear path to victory. This path was never there as long as the more charismatic Trump did not do something unbelievably stupid. He finally did.
By contrast, Ted Cruz was always expected to do well in Iowa, due to the huge evangelical voter contingent there, and the impressive ground game Cruz established (campaigning in all 99 of Iowa's counties in what is oddly termed "the full Grassley"). Until Trump skipped the Fox News debate, Marco Rubio was mired in the middle of the GOP pack. Now he's on his way to a possible second place finish in the next voting state of New Hampshire, where less evangelical GOP voters hold sway.
Rubio has one person to thank for this dramatic reversal of fortune: the imperious and reckless, if perversely entertaining, Donald J. Trump.
It turns out that Flint, MI, is not the only community with a water crisis.
Sebring, OH, is facing its own water crisis which, at least as far as I have seen, is not being covered nearly as widely as the large-scale crisis in Flint. Sebring is a very small town of around 4,000 people which recent water tests showed as having abnormally high levels of both lead and copper, prompting schools to be closed pending further testing. But whereas Flint is dominating the news right now, the crisis in Sebring appears to have not captured widespread media interest -- something I can also attest to.
As I write this, my hometown in Kentucky is also facing a water crisis of its own. Sometime around 1 AM on Thursday morning, I noticed that I had no water pressure. Minor water problems are nothing new here; I live on an upper floor of the building, and it's common for the water pressure to experience extreme fluctuations. When I attempt to wash the dishes, for example, I sometimes will have next to no water pressure at all; other times, it will be fine, and the majority of the time, it's mediocre-yet-usable. Hot water sometimes will not even run, as opposed to running but being either cold or lukewarm. It's a way of life here.
So initially, I thought nothing of it. That was until over two hours later, when I found that I still had no water pressure to speak of. It was at this time that I called the Housing Authority's answering service to see if any other tenants had complained about water issues. The lady who answered said that no one else had reported any issues. I put in a formal complaint that I hadn't had any water in over two hours. She took my phone number and said she would report it to maintenance. I finally went to bed at around 4:30 AM; no one ever bothered to return my call or come up to the apartment. As far as the conversation went, I was the only person in the complex who had no access to running water, and I was on my own.
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I didn't sleep much that night, waking up at around 9:30 AM and finally just getting up at 10:00 or so. When I woke up and went to the bathroom, water service was partially restored; the cold water ran, but not the hot. I went downstairs to the office at around 11 AM or so, and there were bottles of water for residents to pick up. The woman in the office told me that there had been a water line break with no ETA on when water service would be restored; the break had occurred literally right outside the building. At this time, the water had been shut back off entirely; I rechecked it before going downstairs. I decided that I was going to have to go out to eat and would recheck things when I got home. I had a sink full of dirty dishes; my skillets were dirty, and I had no food other than canned soup which could be prepared without either a skillet or water. And with a sink full of dirty dishes, I could only use up so much in terms of bowls or silverware before finally needing to wash them.
The water was back on when I returned home, but when I spoke to residents downstairs, I learned that there was now a Boil Water Advisory in effect. This was basically all I could find out; in fact, it's not even clear exactly how much of the town is covered by it.
No Coverage and No Information
One FYI before I continue: The utility situation here is that, in general, we don't pay water or utility bills; the only things we are responsible for are TV, phone, Internet, and a small monthly charge five months out of the year of $20 apiece for electricity ($100 per year). So we don't actually receive bills with support numbers for the basics, such as water service.
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When I came back to my apartment, I decided to check for local announcements on the Internet to try and find more information about the Boil Water Advisory, namely its approximate duration and the exact parts of town affected. I was dismayed when I found literally no information whatsoever from any source. I sent two tweets to an anchor at one of our local news stations to whom I have spoken on Twitter before but did not receive a response. Late last night, and again this evening, I tried to dig up information from any conceivable source. I can still find no information whatsoever. To make matters worse, when I again spoke with the lady in our office today, she told me that in actuality, this Boil Water Advisory may be indefinite because it will depend on the next round of testing. We do not know when that testing will happen.
Few Dedicated Media Sources; Poor Local Coverage
The basic media presence in my area consists of three television stations and two primary local papers. We naturally have access to major sources such as USA Today, Lexington Herald Leader, and so forth. The problem with my corner of Kentucky, however, is that we have literally zero news stations dedicated to Kentucky, and only one of the two newspapers is based in Kentucky. The only television station located in this part of Kentucky is dedicated solely to religious programming and westerns. Take a look at this list of TV stations within Kentucky; the closest mainstream station is located in Morehead, which is approximately 60 to 90 minutes away.
Our biggest problem with the three local television stations is that they are quite literally spread too thin; each one covers territory in parts of three states. Each covers the majority of West Virginia; a chunk of southeastern Ohio; and most of eastern Kentucky. WOWK, for example, covers a total of 61 counties within these three states. This is a relatively large geographic area for one or even multiple stations to cover; there is simply no way to cover every significant news story within such an expansive area! So I tried again to request media coverage of our water situation:
.@WOWK13News @WSAZnews @wchs8fox11 Will someone please try to find out about the Boil Water Advisory for parts of Boyd County?? Jason Fuller (Twitch: GamerMan_X) (@BlueLightsShine) January 29, 2016
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.@WOWK13News @WSAZnews @wchs8fox11 I cannot find out ANY information from any source as to what areas are impacted or its duration! Jason Fuller (Twitch: GamerMan_X) (@BlueLightsShine) January 29, 2016
Visiting the Web sites for our two local newspapers similarly turned up no information on the Boil Water Advisory, or even that there have been any problems with water in the area. Over the last approximately three weeks, there have been no fewer than three different sites around town where I either witnessed water problems (an apparently gushing line over on the highway) or saw places which had been dug up (outside our building and near the city limits). When I was in downtown Ashland just days ago, I even noticed what appeared to be a fourth site of possible water problems on a closed side street.
Perhaps most amazingly in all of this, however, is that even visiting the Web site for the city of Ashland -- which supplies water to our town -- turned up no information! In fact, it appears no announcement has even crossed its surface since November 2015. In checking the various sections of the site, I was also unable to locate a specific page for the water department, nor could I find anything specific for them on a standard Web search. In short, there is literally no official information to be found anywhere with regard to water problems in this town! Tonight, I still have a sink full of dirty dishes which I cannot wash due to contaminated water, and I am having to eat out for most of my meals now, spending money I don't really have since I'm only just now re-entering the workforce after three months.
This is not the first time we have had water problems, nor is it the first time there has been little, if any, coverage. Water problems tend to come up for different sections of town every few months. I can't even recall how many times the site near the city limits has been dug up. It's not uncommon for there to be a veritable crater in the middle of the highway for days or even weeks on end at that location. For the last few years, particularly during winter, there have been issues with line breaks and low water pressure, most of which are rarely, if ever, covered by any local media outlet. I even enlisted help from independent journalist Rania Khalek in early 2014, when we were having problems at the same time as West Virginia's massive water contamination crisis. A snippet from that E-mail:
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I went to Speedway, one of the local convenience stores, to see if they had any water; at this point, so many of our local businesses were starting to accommodate the crisis in West Virginia that I began worrying about our own access to water. Sure enough, they were nearly sold out. I got a couple of liters, though. But I decided to ask what they had heard. One of the clerks told me that he was told by the water department that they were going to shut the water completely OFF Friday night; that didn't happen, but it alerted me they might still do so. Then I talked to a couple of customers; one told me she heard it might be resolved sometime today (it's not).
This is a perfect example of local media being spread too thin; while everyone was focused on West Virginia's water crisis, a smaller-yet-still-important water crisis was almost completely ignored.
And even cultural events are sometimes ignored by The Daily Independent. For example, my mother told me recently about a concert she would have tried to attend -- except for the fact that there were no local media announcements until that newspaper published one on the day of the show. This is quite common for the paper; many cultural events are not announced until either very close to their scheduled dates, or sometimes after the fact. This is naturally a great way to show support of local businesses and events, by publicizing events when it's too late for anyone to make plans to attend.
It what appears to be the first radio interview of his U.S. Senate run, former state Rep. Jon Keyser eagerly offered his opinion on the Iran nuclear deal, but he dodged questions on whether he'd like to change TABOR and abolish a state program offering in-state tuition for undocumented college students.
On KNUS 710-AM Saturday morning, Craig Silverman asked Keyser, "Are you a high tax or a low tax kind of guy? And how do you feel about changing TABOR -- the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in Colorado?"
Keyser (@8:35 below): Well, certainly, that's a state issue, and I'm running for United States Senate, but I am a low tax guy.
Keyser's refusal to answer questions on state issues came just five days after he resigned from the state house.
But worse for Keyser, political operatives say, is the likelihood that Keyser's Republican primary opponents will hammer Keyser for his refusal to comment on TABOR, the constitutional measure that places extreme limits on state government spending.
In a series of short questions about policy issues, Silverman asked Keyser, "Should we have in-state tuition for illegal immigrant children?"
Keyser (@7:30 below): You know what? I don't think we need to - that's something that the Colorado voters, I think, have already discussed. But where my focus will be is National security. And Michael Bennet has been terrible on that. You know, he wants open borders.
In fact, in the unlikely event you don't know this, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet does not want open borders.
Keyser aligned himself with U.S. Senate Republicans when he told Silverman that Syrians should not be allowed in the U.S. for now because he doesn't think they can be screened well enough at the present time.
Keyser expressed his opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by Obama, which lifted economic sanctions while aiming to stop Iran from developing nuclear bombs.
Keyser said Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet's vote in favor of the pact shows he "cares more about the Iranian economy than he does about the Colorado economy." Ouchy.
In response to a question about global warming, Keyser said he thinks "the climate is changin, but the question is, how much, and to what extent human factors are contributing to that."
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What are your thoughts when you pass on that donation to a charity or homeless chap? If you're anything like me, you probably internally justify that you contribute in other ways. Perhaps you volunteer annually for the animal shelter. Or maybe it's more ad-hoc - leftovers from the odd food court meal to the nearest homeless woman outside.
The truth is that many of us are now desensitized by the overload of visual stimuli caused by serious societal issues. Although I currently reside in one of America's most progressive cities, the first impression of many visitors are the number of desperate people living on the streets of San Francisco.
(Almost) all of us truly want to make a positive difference in life. Direct contribution (e.g. charity) or indirect contribution (e.g. conscious consumption) are the obvious outlets. But the unfortunate reality is that whilst well-intentioned, many of our decisions stem from emotional biases. Social organizations such as Effective Altruism are making truly great strides, but much remains to be done in accessing mainstream decision-making.
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One important decision where we all can make a lasting impact is how we invest our money. A little over two years ago, $1-in-$9 of professionally managed funds in America was invested in sustainable and responsible investments. Today that figure is closer to $1-in-$6. Considering that there are $36.8 trillion invested assets in the United States (Cerulli Associates), this statistic is incredibly impactful.
Driving the rapid growth in sustainable and responsible investing is the reality that impactful investing and strong financial performance are not mutually exclusive. A Harvard Business School working paper1 on corporate sustainability concluded that companies with superior performance on material sustainability issues actually outperform companies with inferior performance on material sustainability issues.
This all sounds a bit too good to be true: invest ethically and be rewarded financially. So let's take a step back and think, well, what really are sustainable and responsible investments? Or perhaps more pertinently, consider the converse: what is not a sustainable or responsible investment?
I heard a great anecdote recently regarding one particular fund manager's thoughts on this issue. This individual was proudly boasting his fund's focus on investing in ethical companies and funds. Investors lauded the manager - strong returns and impactful investing. Brilliant. Upon closer inspection one diligent fund investor was right to query why one of the largest holdings in the fund was an African tobacco company. Seemed contradictory. The fund manager's response was a classic business-school-like one-dimensional response: the tobacco company is one of the largest employers in the region and therefore is acting in a responsible manner. That is, disregard the well-established fact that tobacco use is unequivocally bad for the health of society and its members. And perhaps worse, the array of other investment decisions that could be made on a similar justification makes your mind spin. My goodness.
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It is such decisions, which really make you stop and think: what are my savings invested in? Your invested savings are one of the largest indirect contributions you will make to the world. You will comfortably (and rightly) pay a premium to purchase shoes, water or coffee from sustainable sources, but have you stopped to think where your thousands of dollars of retirement savings are really being invested? Put your money where your mouth is, ask your financial advisor (or check your online portfolio) and be very sure you're comfortable with what you're investing in. Because even the best intentions can... go up in smoke.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Is it surprising that Iowa, where around six in 10 Republicans are self-identified evangelicals, made the evangelical favorite, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the winner? The same thing happened with Rick Santorum four years ago and Mike Huckabee eight years ago. We know that a caucus system, which makes participation far more difficult than a primary, rewards intensity and the ideologically committed.
Is it surprising that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) -- who embraces the anger felt by the base over massive economic inequality -- essentially tied last night with establishment favorite Hillary Clinton -- who preaches a more cautious, incremental approach?
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The far more significant question is how these contests take shape once the second, small, unrepresentative contest in New Hampshire next week ends, and significant numbers of voters begin to weigh in. With Donald Trump and Sanders holding huge leads, the Granite State could deliver a shock to the system if either candidate lost. Apart from a slim possibility, New Hampshire will either anoint the semi-official establishment alternative -- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) -- or keep the hopes of moderates like Gov. John Kasich of Ohio alive.
Given the rise of Trump and Sanders, anger could prove to be the driving force of the primaries.
And when millions of voters begin to speak, we are going to learn answers to questions as consequential as any presidential campaign has raised in decades: just how disaffected is the American electorate? Is disaffection deep and powerful enough to render the traditional assets of a potential president -- experience, temperament, solidity -- an actual liability?
The emergence of Trump has put those questions front and center. For months, he has baffled fragments of political analysts who found it impossible to believe that his background, character, demeanor and (lack of) basic policy knowledge could find support among the electorate. His supporters, by contrast, found those aspects of Trump a feature, not a bug -- a sign that he alone understands how badly the country has gone off course. His willingness to assail immigrants, Muslims and any and all political and journalistic foes shows that he alone has the guts -- or another part of his body -- to tell it like it is. His wealth, far from being a liability in the eyes of those gripped by economic stagnation, is testament to the fact that he is too rich to steal and cannot be bought.
Sanders arrives for a caucus night party, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
What Iowa has thrown in doubt, rightly or not, is both the height and depth of his message. In Cruz, Trump faces a militant conservative who argues that his message is more authentic and consistent than Trump's. In Rubio, Trump faces a candidate whose message is sunnier, more optimistic and much more reassuring to the traditionalists who still dominate the ranks of Republican leaders.
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The emergence of Sanders has also put the issue of disaffection squarely on the table. In his case, he has reached back to an argument not heard in such clear terms for decades: the cause of your condition lies in the unequal and unfair distribution of wealth and power, reinforced by a corrupt campaign finance system that requires a political revolution to put things right. In Clinton, Sanders has an opponent with vulnerabilities: ties to politics as usual and to giant financial institutions. But he also has an opponent who tells her audiences that she knows how to make the system work better, step by step. "I am a progressive that likes to get things done," Clinton proclaimed during her Iowa speech.
November could pose an even more consequential question: against whom is this anger to be directed?
More than anything else, over the next few months, voters will be answering this central question: are you prepared to choose candidates who are sharply different from any you have chosen in the past? In different ways, Trump, Cruz and Sanders all represent such a turn. They have succeeded as much as they have because of a broad belief, running across the American political spectrum, that our political system has failed at the most basic tasks. That belief, in turn, has spawned a sense of anger that similarly bridges the traditional ideological divide. But the central question of this election is whether that belief will be reflected in the votes that will be cast during the four months ahead in the nomination contest.
Will voters in the end choose voices that reassure or arouse? Will they embrace candidates who argue that they can make a flawed system work or those who argue the system cannot be made to work?
Given the rise of Trump and Sanders, anger could prove to be the driving force of the primaries. If so, November could pose an even more consequential question: against whom is this anger to be directed? And how? I cannot remember when voters have had to answer a more significant question.
The Network for Public Education (NPE) unveiled its evaluation of how well the states and the District of Columbia support public schools. Education scholar Diane Ravitch introduced Valuing Public Education: a 50 State Report Card. It identified 29 measurable factors that guided the ratings of six criteria for improving schools.
My state of Oklahoma was tied for 9th from the nation's bottom, earning a D. That is no surprise because the state has a long history of getting high grades on objective report cards, such as Education Week's Quality Counts, for academic standards and early education policies, and pretty good grades for equity and financing processes, but deplorable grades for actual funding and success in overcoming the legacies of poverty. According to one compilation of the reliable NAEP scores, Oklahoma ranks 41th in the nation in student performance. After slashing appropriations by more than 25%, our funding has dropped to 49th in the nation.
The NPE grade card is very different than reports issued by ideology-driven reformers such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst. It was compiled with the assistance of Francesca Lopez and her University of Arizona research team. Valuing Public Education drew upon objective social science, such National Research Council's review of education literature and other reputable, contemporaneous sources. In other words, the NPE's evaluation is based on scholarly research - not the sound bites pushed by public relations departments in corporate-funded, "astroturf" think tanks. It evaluated states on No High Stakes Testing, Professionalization of Teaching, Resistance to Privatization, School Finance, Spending Taxpayer Resources Wisely, and Chance for Success.
So, how do the evaluations on policies by corporate reformers stack up against the traditional metrics of Quality Counts and the NAEP, as well as the NPE?
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The rightwing ALEC gave Oklahoma an overall grade of B- for it education policies. In contrast to the B and B+ grades Oklahoma has traditionally received for academic standards, ALEC gave the state a D. On the other hand, it gave the state an A for Homeschool Regulation, with the A meaning "None." It also gave Oklahoma an A for Private School Choice, but that is not good enough for today's Republican leadership. Even though Oklahoma is #1 nationally in cutting public education, with more severe cuts in the pipeline, Governor Mary Fallin has just endorsed a voucher program which would further undermine school budgets.
ALEC gave Oklahoma an A for exiting "ineffective" teachers and a C+ for retaining effective teachers. The retention statistic will be news for Oklahomans in both parties. The state's teacher shortage is especially acute, with a record number of 1000 teachers hired with emergency certificates. One superintendent recently admitted that it isn't just unreasonable to expect new teachers to be as qualified as those who they replace; it is hard to find anybody to fill many positions.
StudentsFirst advocates for the same type of corporate reforms as ALEC, but it gave Oklahoma a D+. Rhee's organization gave Oklahoma a C for "empowering teachers" (who are fleeing our schools in droves.) It then called for performance pay and for increasing the weight for test score growth when evaluating teachers. Equally inexplicable, StudentsFirst called for increasing class sizes.
On the other hand, the Education Week's metrics were very similar to those issued by the NPE. Partially based on both the (nationally respected) quality of the state's promising, but still modest, early education efforts and our (deplorable) funding, Edweek gave Oklahoma a C for Chance for Success and ranked it 44th in the nation. The NPE grade was a D, with a somewhat higher national ranking.
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Both Education Week and the NPE gave Oklahoma a D for finances. Edweek's grade of a D in terms of K-12 achievement and its ranking of 39th is very consistent with the NPE grade of D for Professionalization of Teaching. Education Week's overall grade of D+ and its overall ranking (46th) is also consistent with the NPE grade of D in terms of how education money is spent.
It should not be surprising that grade card results issued by market-driven reformers were all over the map, while the NPE researchers reached conclusions that were very consistent with the appraisals and the outcomes presented by Education Week and NAEP. The same pattern applies to patrons' and voters' judgments. After Oklahoma's Chief for Change and the ALEC-informed legislature and governor imposed virtually all of the corporate reform agenda, a bipartisan grassroots Opt Out movement prompted a revolt. I doubt many Oklahoma parents would challenge the NPE indictment of High Stakes Testing for lowering graduation rates, and "disparate and devastating effects on particular groups of students, such as English Language Learners."
Even when they support choice, Oklahomans agree with the NPE that charters should face "the same regulations and oversight as public schools." Oklahoma may have been slow in freeing ourselves from our Jim Crow history, but few support cut-throat competition that isolates students by race and class, creating "apartheid schools." My neighbors and colleagues also oppose the state's craze of "replacing teachers with technology [which] is misleadingly called 'personalized learning' when it actually reduces students' direct interaction with other human beings."
It is with great honor to go on a tour with Ms. Yolanda Aviles, HS College Counselor at The American School of Tegucigalpa (AST). Ms. Aviles is dedicated to helping AST students to prepare diligently for college. She counsels AST to apply for school in a timely manner and provides educational resources to AST students & parents in making wise & educated decisions in choosing the best colleges & universities mainly in the U.S.
JAM, JR:
How are you today Ms. Aviles?
MS. AVILES:
I am very well, thank you Mr. Menaiza.
JAM, JR:
Tell me more about this poster with word PERSEVERANCE?
MS. AVILES:
Every month in the American School of Tegucigalpa, we have a theme as part of our values program. The entire school enforces life skills as part of a comprehensive guidance initiative. The theme for this month of January 2016 is PERSEVERANCE.
JAM, JR:
How would you define PERSEVERANCE in your own words?
MS. AVILES:
Jose Angel, The American School Mission states we are committed to a student-centered education that promotes values in a collaborative environment. Perseverance is an integral value that allows individuals to pursue their dream and work hard until the goals are reached. Perseverance is the determination to try our best on a daily basis.
JAM, JR.:
Thank you for sharing this definition. It is very clear and precise. Ms. Aviles, what do you do? You are very successful and you have managed to raise your two daughters, Andrea and Alejandra, to attend AST and be top students. Alejandra is attending 8th grade and Andrea is finishing 12th grade and getting ready for college.
MS. AVILES:
Jose Angel, being a counselor at the American School is a true blessing. I get to do what I love in a wonderful environment. Under the leadership of Mrs. Jenkins and Ms. Motz, I enjoy working with excellent professionals for the growth of our students. Every day I enjoy being a small part of their lives. As educators we have the opportunity to learn from them and also plant seeds of wisdom. With the help of God, we do our best to guide them into making the present more fulfilling and learn to make choices so their future is brighter and more promising.
JAM, JR.:
This is amazing. This is a great school. I also see university banners in your office. I see the one from University of Maimi, Pepperdine University, Georgetown University among others.
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MS. AVILES:
Yes, we are fortunate to get visits from universities in the United States and other countries. We are happy to welcome representatives that talk to students about the learning opportunities abroad. Many of them offer merit and need based scholarships to our promising students. We host two major college fairs every year and we are happy to invite all the bilingual schools to our campus and share these opportunities with other deserving students in Honduras. We have also been glad to welcome you, Mr. Jose Angel Menaiza Jr. who has offered a free one hour course in reading and are offering a workshop in Speed Reading. You will also help them prepare for college.
JAM, JR:
Yes, I am offering a seminar here at AST to empower students to get top scores on standardized tests. Having top scores give students more opportunities to earn admissions in universities such as UCLA, USC, and Stanford University and get scholarships (including full-ride scholarships).
MS. AVILES:
Jose Angel. Yes, I am really excited about this seminar It is being very successful and the students are very interested on learning about speed reading (http://www.tinyurl.com/astseminar). Thank you very much for offering this opportunity to our students.
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JAM, JR:
Thank you Ms. Aviles for all that you do at AST. You are very successful. As I am walking with you in this tour, I can see how AST students greet you with great respect and admiration. Everyone revere you and honor you deeply.
Ms. Aviles, I heard this definition of SUCCESS :
SUCCESS IS ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE SMILE TO YOU, AND HOW MANY PEOPLE LOVE AND ADMIRE YOUR SINCERITY AND YOUR HUMBLE SPIRIT.
That's who you are Ms. Aviles to everyone.
MS. AVILES:
Thank you Jose Angel!
JAM, Jr:
Thanks for the tour Ms. Aviles. I enjoyed the lunch as well. Very delicious Tacos & Enchiladas. I am glad I came this Friday. I love Melon Smootie. I even created song in my childhood while in La Ceiba "Licuado de Melon (Melon Smootie)"
MS. AVILES:
The crunchy tacos are only available on Fridays. You are lucky Jose Angel!
See you Saturday 1/30!
BRIEF BIO OF MS. YOLANDA AVILES:
There once was a time when I thought my dog, Cuda, was the only dog of her kind. She has short spine syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes vertebra in the spine to be compressed -- giving dogs an unusual, scrunched-up look. I recently introduced you to her and the other dogs who are thriving and living happy lives despite the condition.
I'm excited to present to you yet another beautiful dog living with short spine syndrome. His name is Quasimodo and he is also a rescue.
Quasi was found as a stray in Kentucky
Quasi learns about the Minnesota snow
Quasimodo ended up at Secondhand Hounds, a rescue in Minnesota that believes that all dogs, including those with special needs, deserve the chance to live in happy homes. I spoke with Rachel Mairose, executive director of Secondhand Hounds, about their new arrival.
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Secondhand Hounds works closely with a shelter in Kentucky and was contacted by a shelter volunteer there about an odd little dog whose looks set him apart, Mairose said. The volunteer originally thought his condition was due to growing up in a crate. That's a common misconception about dogs with short spine syndrome -- but they are born this way.
He was found as a stray with a severely embedded collar, which means a too-small collar was left on his neck so long his skin grew around it. Mairose said she didn't hesitate when they asked if Secondhand Hounds was interested in pulling him.
Aptly named Quasimodo for his appearance, the dog was transported to his temporary foster mom by a group of volunteers. He is estimated to be around 4 years old and appears to be a purebred German shepherd. Like the other short spine dogs, he is much smaller than his breed standard.
His veterinary examination showed that he had an issue not uncommon in short spine dogs: His tail is corkscrewed and interferes with his bodily functions. It will be surgically corrected shortly, Mairose said. Quasi also has an issue with his penis and very special surgery to correct that has also been ordered.
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As research has shown, short spine syndrome may very likely caused by inbreeding and is often accompanied by issues other than the shortened spine. These issues don't slow Quasi down or cause him any pain. His neck is still sensitive from the injury caused by the embedded collar, and he is being treated for that as well.
Quasi being examined thoroughly in the vet's office
Quasi from the inside out
You can't miss the distinct short spine syndrome stature
Like the other short spine dogs, he may be short in stature, but he is tall in his wonderful temperament.
Mairose said he is a "love bug." He is extremely affectionate and cuddly and adores other dogs. He plays and enjoys attention just like any other dog.
Janey, Quasi's transport driver, gets some love
His first introduction to cats proved to be scary for him. He ran away! .He is not yet ready for adoption but Rachel said there is already a lot of interest in him. I'm not surprised. It is impossible not to fall in love with these special little dogs. Funnily enough, there are now three short spine dogs with the name Quasi.
I was first contacted about him by Sara Marie Anderson, Secondhand Hound's large breed coordinator. She read about the other short spine dogs and knew, based on his appearance, that he belonged to the same family. Anderson is Quasi's adoption coordinator, so look for more information about his availability soon.
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Secondhand Hounds relies on donations, so if you're interested in donating towards his surgery or helping them rescue more special dogs, you can do so so through GiveMN.org or via PayPal
If one of your goals is to be a better mentor, you can find a lot of standard advice such as listen well and stay open-minded. But I think the best way to inspire great mentoring is by describing a man who excels at it.
I met Charlie Warner at the University of Missouri in 1989 when I began teaching broadcast journalism. I also started a master's program in media management, a program run by Charlie. So while we were both faculty members, he was also my adviser, and at times, my department chair and classroom teacher.
Initially, Charlie scared the hell out of me. Before coming to Missouri to take an endowed chair at the top ranked journalism school, he ran radio stations in New York and Chicago. He had hired people like Bob Pittman, who went on to found MTV. And Charlie literally wrote the book on sales -- his book Media Selling has been used by 70 universities.
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I was given a cubicle just a few feet away from Charlie, but I didn't feel like his peer. He taught me in a classroom and later advised me on my thesis. It would be beyond embarrassing if I didn't meet his expectations.
During the four years I spent at Missouri, Charlie mentored me in a variety of ways. And I'm proud to say over the following two decades, he has remained a mentor and a friend.
The ways Charlie helped me can provide a model for anyone interested in improving their mentoring skills:
1. He provided a clear vision of excellence. Every time Charlie opened his mouth, I learned something about what it takes to be good at your job. Whether it was in class, a faculty meeting, or in conversations, Charlie provided a consistent vision of excellence for both media management and academia. Charlie's philosophy is that you need to provide people with a clear vision and goals. Then you deliver regular, specific feedback to keep them on track.
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Charlie's career in broadcast management and teaching is in itself a model for excellence. Charlie has no patience for any kind of politics -- he is always about the work and delivering results. That unwavering commitment to excellence provided a clear roadmap for the kind of teacher and manager I wanted to be.
2. He always made time for me. Even though Charlie was the busiest person I knew at Missouri (he not only taught, but consulted many outside organizations), he made himself available. Now, you couldn't waste his time. You had to prepare for any meeting and show that you did your research.
Over the years, Charlie continued to give me his time, often providing job references and discussing career issues. He does have a great shortcut -- if I ever needed a written reference, he would ask me to write it and then he would edit it. It was actually a great exercise because it forced me to see myself through his eyes. Over the years, there were many jobs and opportunities I landed because Charlie made the time to help me.
3. He gave me honest feedback-good and bad. I had always wanted to become a television news director, so after getting my master's degree, I began job-hunting. But few women held those top management roles in the 1990s and I wasn't getting anywhere. Charlie conducted mock interviews with me on videotape. Afterwards, he told me (as kindly as possible) that I needed more energy and looked a bit "dumpy." That's not an easy thing to hear, but I lost some weight and improved my wardrobe. Before long, I had my first news director position.
Charlie was also quick to praise, and not just with a generic "good job." He delivered specific, detailed feedback. He often took the time to write handwritten notes, such as sharing the positive remarks evaluators made after visiting my class or feedback from a news director who attended a seminar I taught. This kind of "catching someone doing something right" helped me to hone my skills and build my confidence.
4. He challenged me. Charlie's "stretch goals" could be terrifying, but were probably his most valuable gift. He used to run a management seminar for news directors and each year he would ask me to lead a session or two. The first time he did this, I said, "But I don't know anything about Myers-Briggs testing." He responded, "Well, it's a great way for you to learn." I studied intensively and my session was rated highly.
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About a year after I left Missouri, Charlie called me and asked if I would pinch-hit for him at a speaking engagement for news executives. It was a little scary because people were expecting Charlie and I was on my first news director job in tiny Ft. Wayne, Indiana. But I always said yes to Charlie. I delivered the speech and got a nice reception.
5. He always had something new to teach me. When I first met Charlie, I couldn't get enough of his stories about working in the big leagues. But soon I realized Charlie wasn't content to draw lessons from his past. He always had something new to share -- whether it was from a consulting engagement, a conversation with an executive, or new research. He held management seminars for news directors not just to give back to the industry but to stay on top of the latest trends.
And to this day, I'm still learning from Charlie. He is probably the most enthusiastic person I know in terms of embracing change. He combines the mindset of a millennial with decades of experience. I think he was the first person in our department at Missouri to use the Internet. Charlie was one of the first people I know to blog regularly.
Charlie left Missouri in the mid-1990s -- not to retire or take a cushy job, but to become Vice President of Interactive Marketing at AOL. Charlie was hired by Bob Pittman, who calls Charlie "one of my first and most important mentors."
While I didn't become a top executive like Pittman or some of the other folks Charlie has mentored, I've had a good career -- working as a news director before moving on to corporate communications and change management. I'd hate to think what my career would have been like without Charlie. I've tried to pay it forward and help others. And like Charlie, I've even been hired by people I once mentored.
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Frederick Douglass is one of the most important figures in American history, but many know little about the legendary abolitionist. Long before the Civil Rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Douglass stood firmly in opposition to slavery and women's suffrage of the Civil War era. The social reformer's life embodies the American dream and more importantly, the power of literacy and tenacity. His passion to read elevated Douglass from enslavement to the White House. In honor of Black History Month let's remember or newly discover the incredible life and achievements of Frederick Douglass.
1. He was a self-liberated slave.
Born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, Frederick was born a slave around February 14, 1919 (a chosen date, the exact birthdate is unknown) in Talbot County, Maryland. At the age of 12, Douglass insisted to learn how to read, as his mother Harriet Bailey was the only woman of color in Tuckahoe who could read. After his mother died suddenly, the slave master's wife, Sophia Auld, taught young Frederick the alphabet. He then went on to teach himself to read and write. As a teenager, Douglass continued to study political essays and journals like The Columbian Orator, which inspired him to seek a life free of slavery. In 1838, Douglass (age 20) would successfully escape to the north with the help of his future wife, Anna Murray, a free black abolitionist in Baltimore.
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2. He wrote three autobiographies.
In 1845, Douglass wrote his first autobiography The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass at about age of 27. In this work the writer chronicled events of his life, while blatantly exposing the shameful treatment of that time. His slave narrative helped to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th century in the United States. Two years later, Douglass began publishing the anti-slavery newspaper, The North Star to cover politics and abolitionist issues. He wrote two more memoirs about his life: My Bondage and My Freedom (1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881).
3. His narratives created a fatherhood mystery.
There is some mystery surrounding the father of Frederick Douglass and it is all due to his own writings! In his first narrative, Douglass strongly implied that his father was a white man and perhaps his own master. But in his last memoir, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881), he denied actually knowing the identity of his father at all.
4. He was a preacher.
Frederick Douglass became a licensed preacher of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in 1839. Fellow abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison encouraged Douglass to speak at the annual convention of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, the dawning of a new journey as public speaker. During this time, he frequented and became a lecturer for anti-slavery conventions. The orator traveled relentlessly many miles to the East, most notably Britain and Ireland.
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5. He was a Republican.
The human rights leader passionately believed that the Republican party could end slavery in the US.
I am a Republican, a black, dyed in the wool Republican, and I never intend to belong to any other party than the party of freedom and progress.
Douglass appealed to President Lincoln and his cabinet to enlist blacks into the Union Army. Despite having a critical and contentious relationship, Lincoln and Douglass both fiercely fought to abolish slavery. Over time they apparently worked out their differences, because Douglass gave the eulogy at Abraham Lincoln's funeral.
6. He was the first black citizen placed in nomination for U.S. president (twice)
On June 23, 1888, Frederick Douglass became the first black candidate placed in nomination for President. The statesman received one vote from the Kentucky Delegation at the Republican Convention in Chicago. But this nomination was not his first. In fact, the highly publicized day was actually the second time that Frederick Douglass had received a single vote to become a U.S. presidential candidate; his first vote came during the National Liberty Party Convention in 1848. Douglass had no known affiliation to the Liberty Party and was unaware of the circumstances surrounding his nomination for this convention. The patriotic abolitionist would also receive the vice president nomination at the Equal Rights Party Convention in 1872.
7. His daughter wrote a book.
Frederick and his wife Anna Murray had five children, three sons and two daughters. Their daughter Rosetta Douglass Sprague, wrote a biography titled, My Mother as I Recall Her about her mother in 1900. Sprague worried that her mother's legacy would be overshadowed by her father's considerable achievements. In the book, Douglass' daughter revealed that her mother lived an isolated life while regularly hosting white abolitionist who could barely hide their hatred for her. Anna Murray never learned to read despite her husband's attempt to teach her how. Sprague's manuscripts are preserved in a series of Douglass family papers at the Library of Congress.
8. He has a statue in the Capitol.
A bronze statue of the revered abolitionist was dedicated by Congress at a ceremony on June 19, 2013 (Juneteenth), in Emancipation Hall. Sculptor Steven Weitzman was awarded the commission to create the statue in 2006, after a decade-long struggle between residents of the District of Columbia and Congress. The dedication ceremony also honored the slave laborers who built the Capitol by placing Douglass' statue at the same site.
9. He had an affair.
Douglass had an 28-year affair with a German journalist named Ottilie Assing. The daughter of one of Germany's most prominent families, Ottilie arranged to translate his memoir, ''My Bondage and My Freedom". She lived in the Douglass family home for 22 summers until the relationship ended. Douglass refused to leave his wife Anna Murray and Ottilie returned home disillusioned. After Douglass' first wife, Anna Murray Douglass, died on August 4, 1882, he married Helen Pitts, a young abolitionist clerk about 18 months later. Upon hearing of Douglass' second marriage, a cancer stricken Assing committed suicide. Some of Assing letters to Douglass survive in the Douglass papers collection. Helen Pitts devoted her life to preserving his legacy and established the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association following his death in 1895.
10. He is in the movies.
Academy Awards nominated 1989 film Glory featured Frederick Douglass as a friend of Francis George Shaw. The early 19th century hero was played by Raymond St. Jacques.
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There have been various artistic and literary portrayals of his prodigious life. Most recently, in the yet to be released 2016 documentary The Gettysburg Address, a film by Jim and Sean Conant.
Ron Jon Bovi is a bit of the throwback to when lyricism and hard beats mattered in hip-hop and emcees like Detroit's own Phat Kat and Oakland's Casual of the Hieroglyphics crew are two artists that have always embodied that aesthetic. Their first project as the group Ron Jon Bovi titled Neaux Mursi is produced entirely by Heiro crew producer Unjust and is a fresh air in a world of overly programmed and simplistic hip-hop.
Ron Jon Bovi's Neaux Mursi is due out on February 19th but take a look at the new video for the song "We Get It Poppin'" featuring fellow Detroit emcee Guilty Simpson. Also, here are short interviews with both Phat Kat and Casual touching upon the album and their first impressions of each other.
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Q&A with Phat Kat
How did you first ever hear about Casual? What were your first impressions the first time you met?
I first heard of Casual when he dropped "That's How It Is" and I was an instant fan, and when I first met him, I was like this dude is cool as shit.
How was it working with Casual on this album? How did you guys go about piecing the songs together concept-wise?
Working with Casual on the Ron Jon Bovi project was a really organic process. We bounced a few ideas around and decided which tracks we both agreed on (beats); and then we got busy!
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What do you think the essence of this Ron Jon Bovi project is?
The essence of Ron Jon Bovi is about bringing back that raw uncut lyricism and that classic boom bap style of hip-hop that the world has been missing.
Q&A with Casual
How did you first link you with Phat Kat? What were your first impressions of him?
One night on the south side of Pinar Del Rio, I got caught up in some nonsense after a party. I got my jewelry taken by some Cuban ladies who left me (drunk) in the stairwell of a Hotel called Moka. When I came to my jewelry was gone. I relayed to Unjust what happened and he told me to call Phat Kat. Phat Kat made a few calls and my property was returned to the concierge at Moka. I knew he was a boss after that!
What do you think the essence of this new collaborative project Ron Jon Bovi is?
The essence is grit, grime and rhymes 100% of the time. Unorthodox boom box knock and two brash adult emcees. No kiddy stuff.
What is it about the production work of Unjust that made him perfect for this project?
Well he's got that gritty sound, that old basement stuff that we cannot find anymore because all these producers use the same plug-ins and synthesizer patches. Some of these song cats would not even know how to rap to, or when to catch the beat, until they hear Ronnie Euro or #Rapgod spill on that thing, then cats see the format. The music is either menacing, or smooth, but always unorthodox. I like that!!!
Great tequila tells a story like the terroir of California wine. The nuances of a well made tequila can be quite profound and interesting. Improvements in the process and mavericks in the field are garnering a whole new level of appreciation for significant tequila and the finesse that goes into making a truly enviable spirit.
It's early evening just off the square in Healdsburg. I'm hustling to get out of the frigid air on this winter's night. The streets are bleak and foggy, and in an attempt to displace the chill I'm holding my coat and scarf around me as tight as possible while I find my way. I'm headed to my first tequila pairing dinner and am very curious. The only tequila tasting I've done was in Mexico. The most memorable part of that was the dusty hot dune buggy ride to and from the tequila plant. The tasting was very informal and the tequila was ok. It was a completely different and sincerely more casual experience than this. So I beg the question.. How does one pair food with tequila? I understand limes, sweet and sour, garnishes in pairing tequila, but food? This is one big mystery. Another thought that crosses my mind are the aromas of tequila. Usually when you smell tequila there is a reflex. Not a desirable one. Casual tequila drinkers may order a specific tequila because it is smooth, lacks hangovers, and is easy on the stomach. This feels like a whole new experience. It is indeed.
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Today I am sharing insights by a remarkable tequila maker who is as passionate & knowledgable about his craft as the best winemakers and grape growers. I asked David Ravandi, the founder of 123 Organic Tequila "Uno Dos Tres", questions about the process, the inspiration and the parallels between tequila and wine to better understand the spirit, his philosophy and his drive to change the landscape of tequila.
KM: How did you get into the business of tequila?
Ravandi: When I started seriously thinking about making premium tequila in the early '90s there weren't a lot of quality tequilas on the market and certainly none that were 100% organic. Most people had never experienced the magical characteristics in sipping fine tequila. This inspired me to want to make and share something I thought was very special. I started taking regular trips to Mexico to educate myself more about the process of making tequila, which is not just about growing and cooking agave but also deeply rooted in history and folklore that I felt made the product so unique and beautiful.
KM: What similarities are there between wine and tequila?
Ravandi: Tequila has the distinct characteristic of the agave and wine when it is varietally correct shows the nature of the grape variety used to make it. They're similar in this regard because grape varieties like the classic Bordeaux varieties can have green or herbal characteristics and wines also spend time in oak so I think the flavors of tequila are very appealing to wine drinkers.
KM: How can wine drinkers draw parallels between tequila and wine?
Ravandi: When thinking about these parallels, my winemaker friends always come to mind. There are so many similarities in the process of making fine wine and premium tequila. Each is based in importance of the terroir, cultivating plants by applying stress to enhance the quality of the initial flavor profiles and of course the aging techniques.
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It's the slow, graceful aging process that is so essential to ultra premium tequila and of course in making certain wines. All tequila begins with Blanco, the unaged mother spirit, and goes on to become Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo. I've always preferred using new American or French oak barrels over other industry standards. Inspired by winemakers who have long recognized the importance of using quality barrels, I've also used them to enhance the complexity and character of my aged tequilas. When I started making tequila the standard was to use used bourbon barrels, but I never used them. I believe that the quality of each element used in the making tequila is an important contributor to the quality of the end product. For me, which barrel is used is key in the aging process. Of course most importantly, is the consumer's experience. Like fine wine, tequila is always best enjoyed best when paired with good friends and food.
KM: Is there a special process involved in deriving the notes and flavors out of the tequila or enhancing them beyond where they are grown?
Ravandi: I'd say that the distillation process itself is special because it involves far more than just distillation - the processes of roasting and fermenting all contribute aromas and flavors to the finished tequila. But the distiller's art is one that requires patience and a vision for the finished product. Agave plants take years to reach maturity and that's where their complex flavors originate. The distiller's goal is to capture those aromas and flavors during the distillation thus the pure heart of the tequila is captured. The distiller can enhance desirable notes or minimize less appealing aromas and flavors but ultimately is limited by what the agave itself has to offer. Aging, of course, is another matter entirely. As mentioned, we influence the character of aged tequila directly and intentionally by using new American and French oak barrels, with specific amounts of toast, a process where the barrel is charred with fire, prior to aging the tequila. Then the tequila is aged a precise amount of time to arrive at specific flavor profiles. My Reposado is aged for 6 months, Anejo 18 months and the Extra Anejo 40 months.
KM: This is the first I've heard of organic tequila, specifically Blue Agave. How important is this to your craftsmanship and vital to the quality of the tequila?
Ravandi: The process of distilling tequila is as much an art as it is a science so there's an incredible amount of craft in every bottle. Quality begins on the planation where organic estate agave is grown. We're only as good as the raw materials from which we produce our tequila. By law tequila can only be produced from Blue Agave the species known as Agave tequilana Weber (the name of the botanist who discovered it). This is the very reason that we've invested so much time and effort in to securing organic certification for our plantations. In conjunction with the Blue Agave, natural fermentation and terroir maintenance play an important role in crafting the finest of tequilas. 123 Organic Tequila, both US and EU certification, meets the highest levels of organic certification which translates in to quality the consumer can taste.
KM: What are some of the most important things people should understand about tequila today?
Ravandi: As ultra premium "sipping" tequilas have come to market and consumption habits of tequila have changed dramatically, tequila is no longer considered just a shooter, the taste of which has to be masked by salt and lime. Fine, aged tequila can be enjoyed with as much leisure as any fine aged spirit. Also, understanding the use of different styles of tequila in cocktails where roasted agave characteristics contribute complexity to classics like the margarita and the freshly-crafted cocktails that are so prominent in the mixology world today. Often I'm asked which of my tequilas is best, I explain that it is really about each individual's palate, whether sipping or in a cocktail, starting with premium tequila is always important. One thing for sure, there is absolutely no reason to drink a gold tequila (Mixto) which is made with a generic Blanco that has been doctored with caramel and additives to emulate a Reposado. Go straight to the authentic 100% Blue Agave style and save yourself the headaches that inevitably result from drinking a low-quality, adulterated spirit.
KM: Where is your tequila grown? What makes this location unique?
Ravandi: Being appellation, it is the only place in the world where tequila can be produced. Our plantations are sited in mountains of Amatitan just 10 minutes south of the town of Tequila. Our agave fields are at an altitude of 4,200-6,000 feet above sea level. Amatitan was first settled by the indigenous Nahuatlacas peoples who worshiped a god named Titan. After the arrival of the Spanish, the place acquired the name of Amatitan which means "Indian loves Titan." With the dormant, forest-covered Tequila Volcano visible in the distance, agave plants grow for ten years in the iron-rich "tierra roja" red vocanic soils to reach maturity.
KM: It seems the process of making tequila is much more time intensive. Why is that?
Ravandi: The long growing cycle of the Blue Agave requires patience, it takes ten years before our plants are ready to be harvested. The harvesting is very labor intensive, you may be familiar with the iconic image of the man using the jima to cut away the stems of the agave to get to the heart or pina. That traditional harvesting technique is still done in the same way today. Once we have the pina, it is then split and roasted in old fashioned-stone ovens (Horno) for 48 hours then we use a mill to distract the juice. The juice or mosto then goes to our fermentation tanks for 96 hours where it undergoes an all natural open fermentation. After the fermentation we run a double distillation to achieve a Blanco. From field to bottle it takes 10 years plus one week to create my Blanco. The Blanco is unaged, our Reposado is aged for 6 months and Anejo for 18 months and Extra Anejo for 40 months.
KM: What was the pivotal moment for you when you knew you had to make tequila? Who influenced you? Who supported you?
Ravandi: The defining moment for me wasn't a thunderbolt, it was the realization over a period of time that I could develop an ultra premium brand far superior too much of what was then available on the market. My influencers were first and foremost the master distillers in Tequila who have decades of experience crafting fine premium tequilas. As well, I credit my partners who collaborated with me in creating my first brand - Casa Noble tequila. Eight years ago, I developed my current brand 123 Organic Tequila which is truly a culmination of my over two decades of experience and long-time relationships with in the tequila community.
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KM: When tasting tequila what specific things should a novice be looking for? What specific things do you look for?
Ravandi: All tequila begins with Blanco so tasting and learning to assess quality in the Blanco style is essential. Master distillers pay close attention to the quality of Blanco because aging typically won't hide any flaws it will only magnify them. Regardless of the style, I'm looking for agave character whether it's the pungent notes of fresh agave or the deeply caramelized notes of roasted agave, I want them all and in a very delicious combination. Our Blanco has aromas of fresh agave, white pepper and lime zest, mineral-driven and spicy mid-palate attack with focused flavors, mouth-coating flavors of roasted agave and clean, minty notes on a lengthy finish.
KM: What are you most proud of when it comes to your tequila?
Ravandi: I'm very proud to of my tequila and the team of people who help me produce it. This is an artisanal product something that only exists because people take pride in their craft whether it be farming the agave or hand blowing the bottles. Socially-conscious production and quality are my hallmarks and I'm proud to bring a product to market that demonstrates these priorities. I'm very grateful and still get excited when people enjoy my tequilas.
KM: What are your favorite pairings for your tequila?
Ravandi: The most authentic pairings for tequila are, of course, the cuisine of the region where it is produced followed by the cuisine of Mexico and South America in general. I personally pair tequila with fresh, local and seasonal ingredients both in cocktails and in the kitchen. I've also teamed up with many chefs around the country, like Jose Andres'* team, to create pairing menus, where diners can experience how my tequila pairs well with so many different types of foods.
KM: Name three things that are important to you in your lifestyle.
Ravandi: My family, health and simple things like cooking dinner and sharing fine tequila and wine with friends.
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"What would you do if your kitten was kidnapped and abused? What if your dog was tortured by teenagers in a gang ritual? What if you knew of a trailer where dogs and cats had been abandoned, living without food, fresh air, or someone to take care of them?" So begins a letter from HSUS (Humane Society of the U.S.) sent to my home earlier this week, one of two letters from that organization along with another from ASPCA (American SPCA) received in a single day.
What is the answer to the questions asked by HSUS (above)? Well, if you want to get help for those animals, the answer most certainly is not "call HSUS." A call to HSUS will not help the kidnapped kitten, the tortured dog, nor the animals confined to a trailer. That is because HSUS does not investigate animal abuse and neglect here in the Bay Area. The local humane societies, SPCAs and animal care and control agencies are the right organizations to call. For San Mateo County, Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is the right organization to call. Not HSUS.
Similarly, the letter from ASPCA asks for a contribution "to help the ASPCA in our fight against animal cruelty." An important and in every way noble cause but once again the wrong folks are asking for your support. It is the local humane societies, SPCAs and animal care and control agencies here in the Bay Area, not ASPCA, who are (quoting from their letter) helping "neglected cats rescued from a hoarding situation...a puppy found brutally beaten by the owner...starving, injured horses rescued from a life of pain and despair...pets separated from their families in the wake of natural disasters." Not ASPCA.
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HSUS and ASPCA do good work. They just do not do the work they cite in their letters.
Vector flat concept of process social media business and marketing. Startup, business planning and results - vector illustration
I recently interviewed over 200 ultra-productive people including 7 billionaires, 13 Olympians, 20 straight-A students and over 200 successful entrepreneurs. I asked a simple, open-ended question, "What is your number one secret to productivity?" After analyzing all of their responses, I coded their answers into 15 unique ideas.
SECRET #1: They focus on minutes, not hours.
Average performers default to hours and half-hour blocks on their calendar. Highly successful people know where are 1,440 minutes in every day and there is nothing more valuable than time. Money can be lost and made again, but time spent can never be reclaimed. As legendary Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller told me, "To this day, I keep a schedule that is almost minute by minute." You must master your minutes to master your life.
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SECRET #2: They focus only on one thing.
Ultra productive people know their Most Important Task (MIT) and work on it for one to two hours each morning, without interruptions. Tom Ziglar, CEO of Ziglar Inc., shared, "Invest the first part of your day working on your number one priority that will help build your business." What task will have the biggest impact on reaching your goal? What accomplishment will get you promoted at work?
SECRET #3: They don't use to-do lists.
Throw away your to-do list; instead schedule everything on your calendar. It turns out only 41% of items on to-do lists are ever actually done. And all those undone items lead to stress and insomnia because of the Zeigarnik effect. Highly productive people put everything on their calendar and then work and live from that calendar. "Use a calendar and schedule your entire day into 15-minute blocks. It sounds like a pain, but this will set you up in the 95th percentile...", advises the co-founder of The Art of Charm, Jordan Harbinger.
SECRET #4: They beat procrastination with time travel.
Your future self can't be trusted. That's because we are "time inconsistent." We buy veggies today because we think we'll eat healthy salads all week; then we throw out green rotting mush in the future. I bought P90x because I think I'm going to start exercising vigorously and yet the box sits unopened one year later. What can you do now to make sure your future self does the right thing? Anticipate how you will self-sabotage in the future, and come up with a solution to defeat your future self.
SECRET #5: They make it home for dinner.
I first learned this from Intel's Andy Grove, "There is always more to be done, more that should be done, always more than can be done." Highly successful people know what they value in life. Yes, work, but also what else they value. There is no right answer, but for many, values include: family time, exercise, giving back. They consciously allocate their 1440 minutes a day to each area they value (i.e., they put it on their calendar) and then they stick to the schedule.
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SECRET #6: They use a notebook.
Richard Branson has said on more than one occasion that he wouldn't have been able to build Virgin without a simple notebook, which he takes with him wherever he goes. In one interview, Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis said, "Always carry a notebook. Write everything down... That is a million dollar lesson they don't teach you in business school!" Ultra-productive people free their mind by writing everything down.
SECRET #7: They process email only a few times a day.
Ultra-productive people don't "check" email throughout the day. They don't respond to each vibration or ding to see who has intruded into their inbox. Instead, like everything else, they schedule time to process their email quickly and efficiently. For some that's only once a day, for me, it's morning, noon and night.
SECRET #8: They avoid meetings at all costs.
When I asked Mark Cuban to give me his best productivity advice, he quickly responded, "Never take meetings unless someone is writing a check." Meetings are notorious time killers. They start late, have the wrong people in them, meander in their topics and run long. You should get out of meetings whenever you can, hold fewer of them yourself, and if you do run a meeting, keep it short.
SECRET #9: They say "no" to almost everything.
Billionaire Warren Buffet once said, "The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say 'no' to almost everything." And James Altucher colorfully gave me this tip, "If something is not a "hell, YEAH! Then it's a "no!" Remember, you only have 1440 minutes in every day. Don't give them away easily.
SECRET #10: They follow the 80/20 rule.
Known as the Pareto Principle, in most cases 80% of outcomes come from only 20% of activities. Ultra-productive people know which activities drive the greatest results, and focus on those and ignore the rest.
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SECRET #11: They delegate almost everything.
Ultra-productive people don't ask, "How can I do this task?" Instead they ask, "How can this task get done." They take the "I" out of it as much as possible. Ultra-productive people don't have control issues and they are not micro-managers. In many cases good enough is, well, good enough.
SECRET #12: They theme days of the week.
Highly successful people often theme days of the week to focus on major areas. For decades I've used "Mondays for Meetings" and make sure I'm doing one-on-one check-ins with each direct report. My Friday afternoons are themed around financials and general administrative items that I want to clean up before the new week starts. I've previously written about Jack Dorsey's work themes, which enable him to run two companies at once. Batch your work to maximize your efficiency and effectiveness.
SECRET #13: They touch things only once.
How many times have you opened a piece of regular mail -- a bill perhaps -- and then put it down only to deal with it again later? How often do you read an email, and then close it and leave it in your inbox to deal with later? Highly successful people try to "touch it once." If it takes less than five or ten minutes -- whatever it is -- they'll deal with it right then and there. Reduces stress since it won't be in the back of their mind, and is more efficient since they won't have to re-read or evaluate the item again in the future.
SECRET #14: They practice a consistent morning routine.
My single greatest surprise while interviewing over 200 highly successful people was how many of them wanted to share their morning ritual with me. Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning, told me, "While most people focus on 'doing' more to achieve more, The Miracle Morning is about focusing on 'becoming' more so that you can start doing less, to achieve more." While I heard about a wide variety of habits, most people I interviewed nurtured their body in the morning with water, a healthy breakfast and light exercise. They nurtured their mind with meditation or prayer, inspirational reading, and journaling.
SECRET #15: Energy is everything.
You can't make more minutes in the day, but you can increase your energy which will increase your attention, focus, decision making, and overall productivity. Highly successful people don't skip meals, sleep or breaks in the pursuit of more, more, more. Instead, they view food as fuel, sleep as recovery, and pulse and pause with "work sprints".
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Tying It All Together
Two hands cup a heart in a caring and loving way. The heart symbolises love and relationships
Hopefully you've heard about the Love More campaign FEED launched a few days ago. I'm so excited to watch the concept continue to unfold on The Daily FEED over the next few weeks. "Love More" is a simple, yet amazingly powerful, call to action. As a new mama, my heart is bursting with a deep love for my new little babe, James. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly love more, I have been presented with an opportunity and an almost visceral need to do just that. While having a baby certainly has given me a new understanding of what it means to love deeply, I don't think it requires a big life moment to grow our capacity to love. We are all called as friends, lovers, parents, colleagues, and global citizens to do just that.
We've been talking a lot at the FEED HQ about what it looks like to widen our circles of love, extending our support to those we may not personally know. While my heart has been filled with joy experiencing life with my son the past few months, it has also broken for the children and families so deeply affected by situations unfolding around the globe. The Dalai Lama wisely said, "The more you are motivated by LOVE, the more fearless and free you actions will be." For my team and me, choosing to love more means being aware of the plight of others, and then turning that awareness into action. While there is immense need all over the world right now, I have personally been reflecting on how we can show love within the following contexts.
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Syrian Refugee Crisis
The plight of Syrians--both those struggling to provide for their families within besieged towns like Madaya, and those joining the mass of refugees from across the region in search of a safer place to call home--is one that continues to tug at our national and global consciousness. Yet while many of us feel sympathy, we don't know how to help. FEED's global giving partner, the World Food Programme, has been delivering emergency assistance to the nearly 18 million Syrians affected by the crisis that is now going on its sixth year. I am encouraged by stories of hope in the midst of heartbreak, which we will be sharing from our giving partner next week. In the meantime, take a step of solidarity with the I FEED Peace tee, which donates ten emergency meals to Syrians in need when purchased. We've also set up an opportunity for customers to donate emergency meals to Syrians with every purchase on feedprojects.com.
Food Crisis - Central African Republic
The latest food security assessment of the Central African Republic shows that half of the population--2.5 million people--faces hunger. In the three years since the food crisis in C.A.R. began, the number of people struggling with food insecurity has doubled. My heart breaks for the mothers and fathers who cannot provide food for their children within this region right now. I truly believe that the most effective way to help is by supporting proven food interventions. I am so encouraged by the work the World Food Programme continues to do in C.A.R. FEED supports this work through product sales, and donations directly to the FEED Foundation.
Maternal Health
Since going through a pregnancy and nurturing a newborn, I have a new found passion for making sure moms everywhere have access to the nutrition they need to stay healthy. One very effective way of ensuring mother-child health is through offering micronutrient supplements, which are enriched with important vitamins that help both mom and baby not just survive, but thrive. When you purchase a FEED diaper bag (for yourself or a friend), you provide a mother and her child with micronutrients for an entire year.
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Have you ever sold a home that felt like a bad break up from a romantic relationship? Or, are you selling a home now but unsure why your emotions are in flux? Then you are not alone!
Selling a home can be an emotionally charged major life event. However, like breaking up with someone that you genuinely cared for but simply have outgrown, the "blow" can be softened with the right technique, even on the most heinous of days to dump someone (like Valentine's Day -- ugh). Let's discuss the dos and don'ts of selling a home in light of what you hope is an amicable break up.
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DO GET DRESSED UP
Breaking up can be hard to do, especially if you are planning it anywhere near Valentine's day. The respectable thing to do is to meet your former significant other face-to-face. But please don't come in your favorite pair of sweats with holes in unsightly places and stains that reflect a desperate need for washing. Instead, dress up and end things with class so that the other person feels that they mattered.
If you are selling a home, this is equivalent to having finely manicured lawns, stylish listing photos and advertisements. Just because you are ready to move on, do not short-change your efforts (or the money you can command) by having drab photos that communicate you are "so done" with this home. Three-dimensional tech tools like FloorPlan Revolution can help send your home off in style. And be sure to add some daily glam (click here to read more tips on this).
DON'T THINK REMEMBERING THE GOOD TIMES IS OFF LIMITS
When you are separating from someone that was a significant part of your life, it is sweet to share what was good. It is okay to remember the good times before "dropping the hammer." Breaking up does not mean you have to burn photos and wish you could erase the day you ever met that person. Don't forget, there was something that attracted you to the person in the first place.
For those selling a home, you are a great help to your listing agent when you share what you loved about your home, particularly when you first purchased it, instead of rehearsing your "laundry list" of drawbacks. Your fond memories may be the inspiration needed for your listing agent to craft the perfectly worded ad or display the features and rooms that other families too will gravitate to and enjoy. Your appreciation for the home may very well translate into a point of attraction for prospective home buyers and help your home get sold faster.
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BUT DON'T FORGET THE REASON WHY IT IS OVER!
Don't get sucked back in because you remember the good times. If need be, write a list of reasons why it is over -- your deal breakers. Have this list nearby so that you can stay focused or even set an alert on your phone to remind you to get to the point.
As a home seller, it can be bittersweet to complete cosmetic and other repairs on a home to never actually enjoy them. For some, this can even lead you to second-guessing yourself and deciding not to move, although the reasons for moving truly outway any superficial changes you have made to sell the home. To protect your best interests, share with your listing agent the top 5 reasons that you are moving and ask your agent to repeat those to you whenever you get sidetracked. Having gentle reminders to keep you on task will go a long way in helping you progress to the next home and season of life.
DON'T PLAY THE WAITING GAME
Many of us have found that relationships are easier to get over when we just "rip the bandage" off without delay. Choosing to ignore ("ghosting") or delay the issues does not make the relationship, or its ending, easier. Don't assume it will be easier the longer you wait because the wounded soul does not typically just fade off into the sunset, making room for "the one." Instead, it can prolong hurt, anger, and disappointment.
Similarly, did you know we can "ghost" the sale of our homes, hoping our pricing issues will just fade away with a new suitor? Often, as a seller we think, "If I can just leave it at the price I want for as long as it takes, I will eventually get my way." That, like prolonging a break-up, can be the wrong move. But don't just take my word for it. In order to give you perspective outside of little ole' Georgia (note the southern twang), I reached out to Bill Gassett, a respected Holliston Mass Real Estate Agent, who is among the who's who of quality, spot-on real estate advice on social media.
Bill shared,
"The thought process among many is that we have all the time in the world -- waiting longer for the 'right' buyer will allow us to get our number. This could not be further from the truth. In fact there is a direct correlation between days on market and the original list price to eventual sale price. Most real estate agents can attest to the fact the that the number one question from all buyers is how long has the home been on the market. From a buyer's perspective if a home has been on the market for an extended period of time, it is probably not priced correctly. With inflated days on the market, the buyer feels like they have more negotiating power. This is especially true in markets where homes are selling quickly. Many sellers don't understand that time in real estate is your enemy not your friend."
Our delays may actually cause us to lose ground, working against us despite our passive hopes for "greener pastures."
LEAVE THINGS RIGHT
Even when you respect a person and the place he/she has had in your life, hurt feelings can seemingly escalate the end of a season into WWIII. Instead of turning over tables or holding hostage personal items, it is usually best when we make a decision before the break-up meeting that we will keep our temper in check, not place blame, give back anything that was not a gift, and keep the conversation on track NO MATTER how the other person responds. We have to make a decision to be the mature one and to follow the Golden Rule.
Likewise, just because you are moving, that does not mean the home should be treated as a discard. Move out the right way by removing all of your items (including trash), cleaning up (no one wants to use your spaghetti sauce-splattered microwave), and turning over all keys, fixtures, and other items that were identified as staying with the home. And try to be out of the new buyer's way BEFORE closing not during or immediately after.
by: Rachel Peller, Non-Profit Consultant
It could have ended in tears, to say the least. There we were, a mixed group of Democrats, Republicans, Greens, and Libertarians, meeting to discuss our political differences over several mugs of caffeine, a lone raspberry smoothie, and a table that could easily be bounded by even a sub-par athlete. Some of us had never met one another; others were little more than Facebook acquaintances (two had even met on Tinder and were hopefully enjoying their first in-person encounter).
In Iowa one week before the Presidential caucuses, we were far from the only group discussing politics that blustery night. From Sioux City to Davenport and everywhere in between, we Iowans have been bombarded with political billboards flanking our daily commute and dozens of ads in our physical and virtual mailboxes on any given day. We are unable to get coffee from our favorite cafe because of the swarm of reporters covering the latest presidential candidate appearance and our Snapchat stories are filled with ten-second videos of political rallies, concerts, and forums. Unlike elsewhere in the country, talking politics has become a casual topic in smalltalk, and I've found myself more than once innocently querying a passing stranger if they've decided for whom they'll be caucusing (and even less than a week away, the answer is commonly "not yet!")
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But as technology allows us more and more choice over the media we consume, and as the political divide splits along geographical, religious, and generational boundaries, many of these conversations become nothing more than preaching (or venting) to the choir. Surrounding us is an echo chamber of our own opinions reverberated back at us so many times that we are completely aghast the second we see a contradictory statement floating around in the abyss of Facebook.
We have learned to avoid discussing political differences with the loved ones we disagree with as an effort to keep the peace. But when we hold ourselves back, what kind of deeper connections are we missing out on? When we only talk to those with whom we agree, how are we able to even truly understand our own positions, much less those in opposition? And how can we demand that our candidates work across party aisles to create sustainable change when we're unable to even talk with one another?
Each of us at the table that night was willing to bundle up in complicated layers of coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and boots, warm up our cars, drive 30 mph in a 60 mph speed zone through ice, snow, and slush, and spend time talking with actual or essential strangers. Because we so rarely have the opportunity to engage with people of differing opinions without those dialogues turning into heated catastrophes, we longed for this with something deeper inside of us and seized the opportunity as it came.
So there we were: a hippie vegetable farmer, a Catholic high schooler, an immigrant justice activist, the daughter of a Minuteman (you know, those guys who stand by the US-Mexico border with guns), and a religious broadcast journalist, with seemingly nothing in common other than a unique willingness to be present and engage with one another. There was some tension at first - we were hesitant to say exactly who we were voting for, the campaigns we had worked on, or the specific parameters of our belief systems. We dove in head first, unsure of exactly what to expect, but committed to treating one another with the respect we all wanted for ourselves.
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There were moments when we recognized our own biases: the Minuteman's daughter stated that the government had no right to kill humans, in reference to abortion, and the immigrant activist admitted, "I felt myself wanting to jump on you for that statement. I assumed that, because you were conservative, you supported war, and even though you already told me otherwise, I still felt that frustration about inconsistency rise in my chest. I would have argued with you immediately, rather than giving you the opportunity to clarify." We agreed that we all tended to jump to conclusions about one another, failing to create opportunities for nuanced positions and discrepancies between our own views and the platforms of our parties, even though we all admitted failing to toe the party line in both major and minor ways.
There were moments we were confronted with our own ignorances about the topics most important to others: when the Catholic high-schooler shared that one of her main concerns for the future of America was the mounting national debt, both self-identified progressives admitted that they never stayed awake at night over this issue. And when the hippie vegetable farmer expressed frustration with the public for failing to acknowledge catastrophic climate change, the conservative participants shrugged and practically jangled the keys to their trucks and SUVs. While nobody experienced a major opinion shift, we felt a new desire to support the work of one another -- at least when our causes weren't in direct opposition.
Over three hours, our group talked about candidates we had met in person, our shared concerns about violence and power, the role of government in securing human rights, and the ways that words, like socialist, liberal, conservative, and libertarian can be simultaneously insulting and empowering. We launched into tirades against sexism and our shared frustration with political apathy. We empathized with one another for surviving in politically divided homes, for receiving severe backlash after expressing our opinions online, and for putting up with divisive clickbait headlines that serve only to obfuscate issues and tear us even more apart. The five of us with seemingly so little in common were open, honest, vulnerable and, most importantly, kind. We saw the humanity in one another and now we can't look back.
By the end, we were laughing, swapping numbers, and coordinating a time to meet again - maybe over a bottle of wine. Beyond all expectations, we had become friends because we had discussed our political differences - not in spite of it.
Photo: Barry Eisler
Barry Eisler, known to millions of readers for his edge-of-your-seat thriller novels, which include his bestselling John Rain and Ben Treven series, has departed from these characters in The God's Eye View, a compelling novel, introducing Evie Gallagher, an NSA analyst.
Evie discovers the existence of a covert government program given the code name, "God's Eye," and manages to connect it to the unexplained deaths of a series of journalists and whistleblowers. Before long, Evie finds herself and her young son, Dash, in the midst of something far larger and more threatening than she could ever have imagined.
Give us a brief overview of the fictional government program you've named "God's Eye."
Without giving you any spoilers, I'll simply say it's an extensive government surveillance program. It's my fictional version of some of the things actually being done today by our own government's NSA.
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There are many versions of similar programs in effect, including "PRISM," "Minaret," and "Paperclip." Years ago, these and other programs were employed by the CIA and FBI to subvert and surveille the student movements of the 1960s, and to attempt to discredit and derail Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.
These things happened; and to one extent or another, are occurring today.
Human nature doesn't change. Given the tools government had available fifty years ago, they clandestinely infiltrated segments of America...can you imagine what government is likely to do with the far more sophisticated and intrusive tools at its disposal today?
You once said, "When I wrote The God's Eye View, I imagined what wasn't being reported" and you referenced Edward Snowden. Will you elaborate on this issue?
Nobody knows the whole picture.
Former Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, when asked how many American bases are in other countries, couldn't answer that question. When pressed further, even his staff couldn't provide an accurate number.
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Similarly, how many people in America carry security clearances, whether secret or top-secret? There are only estimates of the number. The national security apparatus has become so vast that even the nominal heads can't grasp their full contours.
Even though Edward Snowden had access to a great deal of information, he didn't have access to everything. Looking at the programs he revealed to the public, I presumed there were other similar programs using advanced technology, and my imagination led me to write about a program called 'God's Eye.' By the way, since I turned in the manuscript in April, there's been a ream of evidence confirming what I dubbed 'God's Eye.' And of course, there's news about breaches, which means foreign organizations, criminals, and blackmailers can gain access to that confidential information, as well. You can name your villains--either in reality or in fiction--Russians, Chinese, Iranians, or any mafia organization.
If there's a back door to this classified information, these organizations will be there to open and exploit it.
There's a scene in The God's Eye View where a man is killed when the Internet is used to sabotage his car. Tell us about the dangers of our Internet-based society as exemplified in the novel.
The first time I thought of something like this was in 1993, when I conceived of the opening scene of what became my first novel, A Clean Kill in Tokyo, which was published as Rain Fall. My assassin protagonist, John Rain, turned off a guy's cardiac pacemaker by using a magnet and an infra-red device. The pacemaker was vulnerable to being hacked.
Since then, everything is getting connected. We talk today about interconnectivity. Your refrigerator can tell when you're out of milk. Cars are increasingly controlled by micro processers whereby the brakes, gasoline, cruise control, and indicators for the distance between your car and another vehicle, are all being built in. We even have self-parking cars. If all this can be done, it means different critical control systems can be sabotaged or altered--brakes, gas, steering, even door locks. Car systems can now be hacked and someone other than the driver can remotely take control. Tesla has just released software for self-driving cars.
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Now, if you can hack a car, think about airplanes. I hope their systems are better guarded. Once everything is connected to the Internet, you can name your target: cars, airplanes, corporate infrastructure--anything.
As taken as I was by the threats addressed in The God's Eye View, I was entranced by three characters: Anders, Evie, and Manus. Tell us a bit about them.
Anders is the head of NSA and is one of the antagonists in the story. If you want to make a compelling villain, it's best to get inside that person's head and realize he or she doesn't self-identify as a villain. In our own dramas, we're all heroes. We justify what we're doing and Anders is no exception. He's doing increasingly harmful things for what he considers to be the best and most noble of reasons.
When I think of Evie, she's not quite like Anders. She's a small cog in the huge machine that is the NSA. She's not very aware of the uses to which that machine is being put, and doesn't really want to be made aware of these things. She likes her job and it's important to her. Her son is ten years old and deaf; she sends him to a great, but expensive private school; and she's a single mother who really needs her job. That helps her rationalize away any doubts she may have about the uses to which her work is being put.
It's a human situation. I'm sure there are people in agencies all around the world who have qualms about what they do, but don't want to open their eyes and see what they're actually involved in.
There's a quote I read on the Internet which went something like this: 'The reason so many of us turn our eyes away from injustice and oppression is because if we really acknowledge them, we would have to either try doing something about them, or acknowledge we're cowards.'
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Neither alternative is appealing, so we chose another: we pretend the problem doesn't exist. We rationalize it away.
Let me give you an example of this. About a year ago, ISIS burned a Jordanian pilot alive while he was in a cage. They used gasoline and he died a horrible death. It was a terrible way to die. It was totally inhumane. Western condemnation was swift and severe, as it should have been.
But, we hear about U.S. drone strikes nearly every day. These drones shoot missiles called Hellfire missiles. There's a reason they're named that: they shoot warheads using a combination of chemicals capable of generating incredible heat. If you're hit directly by one, you're incinerated instantly. But if you're on the periphery--if you become collateral damage--they cause horrible burns capable of causing death or severe, lifelong disfigurement. And of course, many civilians are victims of these missiles. Our reaction is to look away and not acknowledge that we--the United States--also burn people alive. We pretend it doesn't happen.
As far as Manus is concerned, he has a terrible backstory and is filled with pathos. I think he's very relatable.
I really felt for Manus. He was my favorite character in the book.
He might very well be mine, too.
Will we ever see a return of John Rain?
Yes. I love Rain. I love inhabiting his mind and describing his perceptions, his feelings, and the events in his world. I began outlining another Rain story, but my wife and I got a new idea and started batting it around. We got so jazzed by it, we kept fleshing it out to the point where I temporarily tabled the John Rain book. When this one's done, the book after it will be a Rain book. So, with enough time, with being glued to the seat, and with enough coffee, there will be another one.
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I understand Keanu Reeves will produce and star in Rain, a television series being developed by Cinemax.
That's the plan, but these things can take a long time.
What's the most important lesson you've learned about writing?
There are many, but one that comes to mind right away is to tell the story, avoiding information dumps. A writer must give information without exposition, and must trust the reader to understand it in the context of the story.
Is procrastination ever a problem?
Yes, It's a continuous struggle. I have such a good rationalization for it: I'm obsessed with political issues. There's so much good writing, commentary and discussion on the matters that interest me, and about which I'm passionate: politics, the rule of law, the media, government transparency, civil rights, and other issues.
I read and blog about them. It takes a lot of time away from what would otherwise be my day-job--writing fiction. Reading and blogging about these issues come easier to me than writing fiction, and I view them as more important than writing fiction. So, the rationalizations for procrastinating are built in. One rationalization is that the political thrillers I write are so driven by and intertwined with real world events, I tell myself I'm really doing research. (Laughter).
It is true--I could never have written The God's Eye View if I hadn't been following Glen Greenwald's reporting, and other political and newsworthy events. Actually, my reading in these areas--procrastination, if you will--has given me so many ideas for future books. It winds up refueling the furnace of my mind. I guess I could call it productive procrastination.
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What do you love about the writing life?
I love the freedom of the lifestyle. On almost any given day, my schedule is my own. Being able to do what I do on my own time is hugely liberating.
More substantively, I love writing. It's great to be able to do what I love. My definition of success is finding something you love so much you would pay to do it; and if you can get someone else to pay you for it, that's success.
Congratulations on writing The God's Eye View, a suspenseful and chilling novel grounded in reality. It's a novel from an author whom The Nation called "one of the most important fiction writers in the military/covert ops/political thriller genre."
Young woman is sitting hunched at a table at home, the focus is on a man's fist in the foregound of the image
It happened on Black Friday 2014 at the Nordstrom's store on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, nestled between the Tribune Tower, Wrigley Building and Trump International Hotel & Tower. Horrified shoppers watched as store employee Nadia Ezaldein was shot in the head as she worked at the accessories counter by estranged ex-boyfriend Marcus Dee who then turned the gun on himself. Ezaldein was a 22-year-old University of Chicago student who had dated the gunman. Black Friday was her birthday. She died the next day.
Like many who kill intimate partners, Dee was known as a loose cannon and a bully. In 2007, a woman who had dated him sought an order of protection from him but did not follow through, not wanting to escalate the situation. "He would basically threaten your family or threaten your friends," she told the press. Ezaldein's sister corroborated Dee's use of collective punishment threats. "He called the entire family, consistently texting," she recalled and he threatened Ezaldein that he would hurt or kill himself.
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Six days before the murder, police confirmed that Dee attacked a friend of Ezaldein's at a party, causing a concussion and broken facial bones and he was due to appear in police line-up.
Like many victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), Ezaldein did not request an order of protection and was reportedly still friendly with Dee. Since Dee was the son of Chicago police officers, some speculated Ezaldein thought an order of protection would go nowhere. But Ezaldein's sister requested an order of protection from Dee (ironically in response to an order of protection he sought against her) which claimed that Dee "cracked Ezaldein's ribs, broke her jaw, ripped her clothing, stabbed her jacket with a switch knife, ripped her boots, bruised her lip, threw her clothing out the window and put a gun in her mouth." Judges denied both protection orders the day they were filed.
While the Michigan Avenue Nordstrom's was tidied up and open for holiday shopping the next day, nine months later the same gruesome series of events occurred in another downtown Chicago location. Police say 44-year-old Alma B. Hernandez was murdered in broad daylight at the AmeriCash Loans where she worked, by her ex-boyfriend Richard Idrovo. Only a month earlier, police had been summoned to the couple's Chicago suburban home because of a domestic disturbance caused Hernandez' attempt to leave the relationship.
More than one third of women murdered in the U.S. are killed by male intimate partners and the brazen murders expose several disturbing truths about domestic violence. First, almost everyone--the victim, the victim's family, law enforcement, neighbors, coworkers--can see the murders coming but seem unable to prevent them: restraining orders are either not requested or fail. Second, they do not always occur behind closed doors but can occur in busy places where others become victims. (Between 2011 and 2015, women in six different beauty parlors were shot by irate gunmen seeking to harm their partners--and 17 died. Several of the gunmen were under orders of protection.)
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Third, the murders are frequently sparked by a woman trying to exit an abusive relationship. And last, the killers are often legal gun owners despite their hot tempers and histories of domestic abuse. Richard Idrovo, who killed his girlfriend at the AmeriCash Loan store, was even a legal concealed gun carrier. Men can certainly also suffer from IVP though the victims are six times more likely to be women.
Ask law enforcement officers what their most dangerous calls are and they will tell you "DV" or domestic violence because of the extreme, unpredictable emotions. Domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence, is often associated with drugs and alcohol and sparked by a perpetrator's "abandonment fears" when a partner tries to leave.
DV cases are notoriously complicated for law enforcement because victims can be economically or emotionally dependent on abusers, afraid to press charges because of abusers' reprisals and even turn their anger onto authorities. In response to such vagaries, "safe houses" and victim advocates have been put in place and 27 states now mandate that police make an arrest despite the victim's wishes, if certain conditions are met.
DV and IPV seldom end on their own but escalate from a raised voice to a raised fist to potentially lethal acts. Victims often naively consider a violent act a fluke, especially if it is followed by a period of calm--but IVP is usually progressive and only gets worse.
Most domestic perpetrators have the classic "bully" personality, picking on younger and weaker victims, so it is not surprising DV is often preceded or accompanied by pet abuse. "Animals can be severely affected by domestic violence situations and many people experiencing violence are unwilling to confide in veterinarians or seek help from animal shelters," says a 2012 paper in a veterinary journal. Fear of harm to pets often keeps victims in abusive situations and in some states, emergency hotline workers have been trained to ask about the safety of pets. One woman who wants to remain anonymous told me her husband found her at a motel where she had fled and told her if she did not come home he would kill the couple's dogs.
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Such emotionally volatile people are described in the book
Since most women murdered by intimate partners in the U.S. die from guns you'd think the gun lobby would support better laws. But it is just the opposite. It defends the "gun rights" of IVP suspects. An NRA bill in Michigan in 2015 would have allowed domestic abusers including those under restraining orders to have guns and even concealed pistol permits until Governor Rick Snyder vetoed itand the lobby vehemently protested adding "dating partner" to a Louisiana domestic abuse battery law. "Not everyone who got in an argument-had a push, had a shove-is going to come back and do more bodily harm," said Bradley Gulotta of Guns Across America. "We don't need to rush to take away people's rights just because they made a mistake."
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Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei is embroiled in a controversy that has damaged his international reputation and threatens to sink his humanitarian activist brand. The Washington Post's Rama Lakshmi sycophantically called it a huge artistic tribute (LINK HERE) when the corpulent art star laid on the beach of the Isle of Lesbos for the media. He was mimicking the now-iconic 2015 photo of the body of refugee toddler Alan Kurdi washed ashore.
This Ai Wei Wei stunt strikes me as crass - gross, even https://t.co/i5uA5kIAoV Joshua Foust (@joshuafoust) February 1, 2016
What in the hell was Ai Wei Wei thinking? His brainless fans insist he did this to draw attention to the refugee crisis. Think about the stupidity of this sentiment. After worldwide attention to the crisis coalesced around this harrowing, moving photo, somehow an adult making a glorified selfie is supposed to ... what? What is it supposed to do? Seriously, what is his ham-handed pose supposed to do that the photo of Alan Kudri has not already done? There could not be a soul alive more moved to take action about the refugee crisis from this posed picture of an art star than from that original stark image.
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To answer what it was supposed to do, let's look at why Ai Wei Wei was there in the first place. From the same Washington Post article we learn that Ai Wei Wei was "collecting rubber pieces of the boats" from the immigrants fleeing the Middle East. And why was he after this scrap? Sadly, too believably, it is for an art installation project of his. While he might be, as reported, assisting refugees from their boats at the shore, he is definitely there to capitalize on tragedy and turn relics of this agony into art for sale.
Ah, but it is somehow special because that art is conceptual art and it is made by him. Ai Wei Wei's conceptual art will likely be a craftsmanship-free abstract blob that is significant only because it has little chunks of ships that carried the vulnerable into oblivion. This is a conceptual art far removed from that of Marcel Duchamp. When pioneering his art that rejected retinal delight and commitment to craftsmanship, Duchamp also dispensed with art history's fetish for reliquary. For almost 2,000 years, the Catholic Church had venerated the bones and organs and clothing of saints as reliquaries divining power from their mere physical association. Ai Wei Wei's insipid reliquaries derived from tragedy tourism revive this long-ignored vein of pre-modernist conceptual art, and conveniently mannered in the international art fair style for quick consumption.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The West loved Ai Wei Wei when he was persecuted by the Peoples Republic of China, hailing him as a one-dimensional icon of art as activism. With this refugee crisis, Ai Wei Wei has the perfect opportunity to ask his motherland to take in Muslim refugees, to integrate them with the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's southwest provinces. But something this sophisticated and confrontational would earn him a death sentence. His saintly posture guilt-trips the West while his former incarcerator uses him as a propaganda tool and as the brand leader for the export-only Chinese contemporary art market.
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For executives worried about being prosecuted criminally for their jobs, the environment has never been worse. The Department of Justice has announced that it is more aggressively targeting individual executives when it goes after corporations. It used to be that business people wouldn't be prosecuted unless they're conduct was well outside the bounds of what others in their industry were doing; now staying within industry practice is no longer a safe harbor.
A good example of that is the prosecution of four executives at WellCare, a publicly traded health care company.
The company provided a broad range of health care services in a number of states, including behavioral health services in Florida. The Florida legislature passed a statute changing how to account of behavioral health services that were paid for by Medicaid. When this new statute - the 80/20 statute - became law, the part of the Florida government responsible for interpreting it didn't issue any regulations clarifying what it meant.
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The 80/20 statute, in essence, said that a company providing behavioral health services had to have 80% of the money that the state of Florida paid go to the provider of those services. In addition, WellCare and Florida entered into a contract that further provided how the funds were to be spent.
As with any unclear law and contract, WellCare did what many companies would do - it hired lawyers and used their interpretation of what the 80/20 Statute meant in light of the contract.
This approach, which is what a business should do, ended poorly. WellCare was raided in October 2007 by 200 FBI and and law enforcement agents, seizing computers, documents, and frightening employees. Five executives, including the CEO, CFO, and the General Counsel were indicted for charges relating to health care fraud based on the company's interpretation of the 80/20 Statute.
For a publicly traded company like WellCare, an indictment alone can be a death sentence. Arthur Anderson was charged with obstruction of justice, and vindicated in the United States Supreme Court, but is out of business solely by virtue of the criminal charges against it.
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Wanting to avoid the same fate as Arthur Anderson, as soon as WellCare learned it was under investigation it started to try to work things out with the government. One of the things it did was file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a restatement of its earnings - disavowing the interpretation of the 80/20 Statute it had used before the investigation.
The restatement said, in essence, that what WellCare told the Florida government about its charges subject to the 80/20 Statute was false.
WellCare had little choice. To buck the government's interpretation of the 80/20 Statute would have been unthinkable. Because of the tremendous leverage the federal government has when it is investigating a corporation, when the Justice Department says jump, the only meaningful question is how high and how quickly. WellCare simply could not afford to challenge what the government said. The company therefore entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, paid huge fines, and agreed to restate its earnings to comport with the government's preferred interpretation of the law and the contract.
Four executives were put on trial. One of the things the government used against them at trial was that restatement of earnings- where the company started using the new calculation of the 80/20 Statute. At closing argument, the government relied heavily on the restatement, saying that those were the accurate numbers and that they lined up perfectly with the government's view. Though, of course they did - the government required the new accounting.
Because WellCare itself was forced to agree with the government that the statements it made about how it should be paid under the 80/20 statute were false, the jury was left to believe that even the company these men worked for thought they were lying when the company used their interpretation of the 80/20 statute.
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The trial of the WellCare executives was lengthy. The jury deliberations were too. Ultimately, the executives were convicted on a handful of charges, though the men were either acquitted or the jury was unable to agree on most of the government's counts.
The appeal was argued in October 2015 before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Besides the main issue on appeal that an objectively reasonable interpretation of a statue (which even the government's experts conceded was the case here) is not criminal, the executives raised the unfair prejudice that came from the restatement of earnings being used against them at trial. It's hard to conclude much from the statements appeals judges make during an oral argument, but when Judge Frank Hull said the government's use of WellCare's restatement is "big time prejudicial" it's hard not to pay attention.
The pineapple dashi component has been a part of their repertoire for a long time, and that has its roots in Dave's culinary education when he was at Cafe Boulud. It just adds such a history to the dish. So you know he was creating an amuse bouche, and he created this scallop dish. At the time, Andrew Carmellini was the chef there and said, "Why don't you add pineapple?" It sounded like a bad fusion dish, but it worked. And then Dave took that, and turned it into a pineapple dashi. They were initially doing this dish with scallops, then someone had the idea of doing it with razor clams. And then somebody had the idea of charring the razor clams to add smokiness to it. So it just kept evolving and just becoming more delicious. I think that dish has so many facets to it. It's deceptively simple when you look at it, but there's such a background to it. So I think that dish is very reflective of the philosophy of Ko and all the people who've worked on it -- including Dave.
White paper boat onto world map with 'Help' sign on it and barbed wire.
Co-authored by Oleg Kucheryavenko
As the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year, there is little hope that the violence will come to an end in the near future, despite increased involvement of the international community. Since the war started in 2011, about 4.4 million dispossessed Syrians have fled to neighboring countries, and the number of internally-displaced persons has climbed to around 7.6 million. Roughly 2.3 million Syrians fled to Turkey, making it the world's largest recipient of refugees, while others have settled in Lebanon, Jordan and, to a much lesser extent, in Iraq.
All of them are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. With their basic needs provided mostly by the UNHCR, the Syrian refugees are subjected to regulations that limit their employment opportunities and block their access to education, thereby hindering their integration into the host society and compromising their wellbeing. On the other hand, the economic, social and political impact of the current crisis on Turkey is enormous. Its complex internal situation is affecting its ability to provide assistance and refuge to those in need.
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So far, Turkey has spent about $7.5 billion in efforts to meet the needs of refugees and asylum-seekers, particularly after the recent migrant wave that hit the country this summer. The recent EU pledge of three billion euros is of great help but it will not stop the growing resentment toward refugees witnessed among the average Turkish population.
The local community's patience has worn thin. The welcoming attitude toward refugees at the beginning of the Syrian crisis has changed, says Aylin Noi, head of the Istanbul Circle of the Mediterranean Citizens' Assembly and professor at Gedik University in Istanbul. Officially registered under "temporary protection status", their presence in Turkey is seen as a burden on the state. The government spends large sums of money for the upkeep of the refugee camps and services for those already settled in urban areas without any significant and sustainable support from the international community.
Prices for housing are going up, as is the feeling of resentment at ever-growing numbers of refugees employed in the informal economy and not paying any taxes.
Public services, such as health care, which used to be accessible and of decent quality prior to the crisis, are now falling apart at the seams, while health professionals feel increasingly overwhelmed by the high demand for their services.
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Moreover, Syrian children have resorted to begging on the streets of the main urban centers in Turkey, says Noi, prompting more calls for the return of refugees and the barring of new arrivals.
Looking for alternatives: from security to human securityWith the heavy focus on security after the Paris attacks, the refugee hysteria that took over the US and the increasing anti-immigration attitude in Europe, it is imperative to remember that "asylum-seekers and refugees are victims, not perpetrators" says Maciej Fagasinski, Member of the Board of Directors at Refugee.pl Foundation.
It is necessary to promote a human security approach, which extends the traditional, state-centric notion of security and increases attention paid to the well being of people. Security is no longer guaranteed through military power or use of force, but through socio-economic and political conditions that favour human development and the protection and expansion of human rights.
Building and sustaining peace requires burden sharing in different forms - the provision of financial aid, assistance with resettlement, and deployment of trained personnel to meet the health needs of refugees. International efforts have been inadequate, and UNHCR's appeals for cash remain unfulfilled - the west has given the UNHCR funds that equate to about 60% of what it requested.
After a long negotiation process, the European Union has hammered together a plan to admit 120,000 Syrian refugees, around 6,000 persons per EU country - "an insignificant number" according to Fagasinski. Yet there is still a lot of uncertainty about how the member states are going to integrate the newcomers.
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Access to health care increases integration successAs winter comes to the northern hemisphere, the Syrian migrants will need immediate assistance. They are sleeping in tents, on the streets or abandoned buildings and their only hope lies in the help provided by local communities, charities and international organizations. While providing material assistance and food to help them cope with the incoming cold is the first priority, addressing the health needs of fleeing Syrians is crucial both for the refugees and for the host communities.
The recent developments in Syria give all reasons to assume that the number of arriving refugees will continue to increase, while resources to support them diminish. There are many barriers to accessing public services and they often overlap. They range from financial constraints such as the cost of transportation and the need for support of family economies, to structural reasons such as the limited space in hospitals, lack of registration papers to demonstrate their legal status, and cultural differences. These barriers can vary in their impact, anywhere from minor inconveniences to fatal language barriers.
The health profiles of newly-arrived refugees are diverse, with a high prevalence of non-communicable and communicable diseases. The outbreak of infections is a possible scenario given the absence or collapse of routine immunisations in Syria, with cases of measles and polio already detected in Turkey, the first in years, according to Noi. Undivided attention is required for mental health issues, considering that even in good times, local services were hardly sufficient for the host population. Those particularly at risk for poor mental health are separated families, minors, and orphans. A focus has to also be placed on sexual and reproductive health. Women of reproductive age constitute 25% and pregnant women 4% of the total refugee population. Many deliveries require life-threatening emergency interventions.
Limited knowledge of health care services and some health conditions is another obstacle that Syrian refugees face upon arrival to transit and host countries. Lack of awareness of possible medical issues delays health-seeking behavior and often exacerbates existing conditions.
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Recently, UN agencies, such as WHO and UNHCR, have begun to provide pamphlets in Arabic about existing health services and how those can be accessed. However, diversities in social norms, values and expectations of medical care, as well as the absence of medical literacy may prevent refugees from "naming" their problem and thus requires targeted interventions. It is well known that confusion and lack of information about current health care programs result in increased mental problems for the immigrant population.
Turning worries into investmentsThe Syrian exodus is a reality that cannot be ignored or used as a tool to support populist discourses, a worrying trend determined by mistrust, lack of solidarity and politicians speculating the refugees' "threat" to their electoral interests even in countries with an insignificant number of migrants like Poland. "The major issue is to assist those in need", says Fagasinski.
Refugees should no longer be seen as the destabilizers of the host society. Understanding the benefits their presence might bring will offer a different perspective and provide solutions to the crisis and to some of the problems the host societies have been facing long before the refugees started marching across Europe.
In the long run, the effective and smooth integration of these refugees into the host society would be a win-win situation, says Fagasinski. "A long term investment. Refugees have to be encouraged and assisted to become self-sustainable and thus independent from the state support".
Allowing them to exercise and improve their skills for employment will not only contribute to economic development within the host country but will reduce the social pressure on the refugees. Opening up the job market to the newcomers could address labor shortages in the host countries.
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About 82% of the refugees who were registered in Europe this year are under 34, an important fact host societies should also consider in light of concerns over their aging populations, especially in countries like Germany. While some may be poorly educated, many Syrian refugees have skills demanded in the host societies and experience in various fields.
On the other hand, while the majority of refugees are willing to return to Syria, actively integrating them in the host country is the best way to provide a model they can refer to during the reconstruction process in Syria.
Integrating them in the host societies and giving them a sense of stability will only increase their determination to apply in Syria the lessons learned in their countries of adoption, once the conflict is over. With little chances to develop their skills, and with no sense of real integration but living over and over again the memory of atrocious experiences, the current situation the refugees are in cancels any hope and creates frustrations whose consequences will soon appear, undermining both the security and the human security of the host countries.
WEST VALLEY CITY, UT - DECEMBER 27: A Utah teacher is shown how to handle a handgun by instructor Clint Simon at a concealed-weapons training class to 200 Utah teachers on December 27, 2012 in West Valley City, Utah. The Utah Shooting Sports Council said it would waive its $50 fee for concealed-weapons training for Utah teachers. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
The city if Lowell, MA, is known as the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, although its red-brick factories stopped turning out textiles eons ago. The city is also where Mickey Ward lives, the boxer whose improbable career was captured in a great movie made by another Massachusetts native, Mark Wahlberg. But what Lowell is now making headlines for is an effort by the town's police chief, Bill Taylor, to inject some sanity into the national debate over gun safety by requiring CCW applicants to state in writing why they want to own and carry a gun, and then to take extensive, live-fire training to prove that they know how to use a gun.
Currently the Massachusetts law grants both gun ownership and concealed-carry privileges to any state resident who passes the standard background check and sits through a course on gun safety which does not require any live-fire training at all. Massachusetts still allows the police to restrict CCW even if an individual's background check comes back clean, but the restriction is rarely invoked, if invoked at all. The bottom line in the Bay State is that most gun owners can walk into a gun shop, purchase a handgun, load it up and stick it in their pocket without ever having shot a gun prior to becoming an armed citizen, or what the NRA calls America's first line of defense.
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The moment that this story broke, the far-right noise machine swung in to full gear. There were the usual rants from Breitbart and Fox, but the looniest of all was posted on The Blaze (where else?), the gist of which was that since all 'rights' come from God, and since this new regulation interferes with the right to self-defense, it's obviously unconstitutional and therefore won't pass muster in any court. The fact that the new licensing procedure was a response to a lawsuit challenging the ability of Massachusetts police to restrict CCW evidently escaped notice when the writer for The Blaze, Cheryl Chumley, sat down to have her conversation about gun laws with God.
Massachusetts is not the only state that gives police discretion regarding who can, and cannot walk around with a gun. But the idea of an unfettered right to play 'armed citizen' has been a central strategy of the NRA since the SCOTUS decided DC vs. Heller in 2008. And even though Scalia specifically stated that keeping a gun for self-defense was limited to inside the home, Gun Nation has been trying to legalize armed, self-defense outside the home as well. Thanks to a well-orchestrated and organized campaign, a majority of states now grant CCW without discretionary review by the police, and six states allow residents to carry a handgun in public without any licensing requirement at all.
The reason I believe the new Lowell licensing policy is rational and correct has nothing to do with whether someone has to write a sentence or two explaining why they want to walk around with a gun. Rather, it is the other, new requirement (which received much less attention) that stipulates a five-day, live-fire training course which needs to be completed before the licensing procedure is done.
As far as I know, Chief Taylor appears to be the only lawman in the entire United States who really believes that guns in the hands of untrained individuals are a risk, not a benefit for public safety. And to show you how dumb it can get, a pro-gun legislator in MA has just introduced a bill that would ban municipalities from passing gun ordnances at variance with any state gun laws. Which means that Chief Taylor's new training requirement for CCW-holders in Lowell would be disallowed because under current state law, you can buy a gun, load it up and carry it around having never shot it even once. And if that's what pro-gun folks believe will make us all more safe, then we've reached a point in the gun debate where a rational exchange of ideas simply can't take place.
A smiling young woman writing a texto on her mobile phone.
For a people who did not truly observe a change in previous revolutions, the fourth world is not one to be heralded with pomp and pleasantry. So despite Davos being a centre for such discuss, the fourth industrial revolution means nothing more than pure nomenclature to three quarters of the African race. It's just a name, a desire, a hope and a profound advancement of the west and a big conversation we would like to hash-tag to our local institutions at least so it trends not so much so it is deployed. Our struggle with bringing an understanding of the SDGs is enough mind work and then making it come alive in our conversations, communities, countries and continent is the business we want our noses in not the fourth industrial revolution! We will have all the time to get to the fourth industrial revolution well that is if you are all patient enough.
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Well maybe because we do not know...we can't truly appreciate the revolution. The fourth industrial revolution means simply; Africans need to take a stand to improve on education in order to keep its people informed, literacy and economy. It means that climate change, access to education and youth unemployment are serious issues that must be addressed on a local and global level. It means that there is a vacuum for the youth and a lot of opportunity and need to learn better and more constructively. It means we cannot afford to stay complacent at the state of our classrooms while we wonder why the west would hire our best minds after educating them.
The fourth industrial revolution is the solution to climate change in Africa; Global warming endangers our health, jeopardizes our national security, and threatens other basic human needs. Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. With the fourth industrial revolution will come electric cars and trucks use electricity as fuel, producing fewer emissions than their conventional counterparts. When the electricity comes from renewable sources, all-electric vehicles produce zero emissions to drive.
The fourth industrial revolution is the solution to education; Let's throw out the blackboards and contribute to installing white boards, let's bring apps that can teach our educated children how to read and how to write. Even though the world is more global than ever before, most of our daily contact still takes place locally starting in the classrooms be it formal or informal. It means our young people have to be given relevant skill in addition to know-how. They must be allowed to bring creativity into their lessons and also take the same out of their education for the sake of the challenges that will come with the workforce ahead.
These are just a few things we can look out for, what more do you think will change for Africa? We are on the border of a Fourth Industrial Revolution that will fundamentally change the way we work and live in the coming decades but what exactly does it mean to Africa? How does this conversation affect the lives of the old farmer in Abak Itenge or the unemployed youth in Accra? To begin with, understanding it, using it intelligently, will require a massive educational revolution because technological change has always been disruptive.
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In this Wednesday, July 8, 2015 photo, herring are unloaded from a fishing boat in Rockland, Maine. New England fishermen are catching staggering amounts of herring, signaling the rebounding of a fishery that collapsed in the early 2000s. But some conservationists and rival fishermen say the fishery, which is important for both food and bait for tuna and lobsters, is wiping out other fisheries with its massive pelagic trawlers. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
America's commercial fishermen provide the public with some of the world's best seafood: Alaska salmon and halibut, Maine lobster, Gulf red snapper, New England cod - names that make your mouth water. These are the fishermen who support our coastal economies and contribute to our food security, and continue to do so in the face of a growing number of challenges.
Increasingly, commercial fishermen face vast uncertainty about changing ocean ecosystems, complex state and federal management systems, and the staggering costs to enter America's fisheries. These factors have contributed to a new challenge: declining numbers of young fishermen entering the commercial fishing industry. As a coastal community loses its next generation of fishermen, it also loses access to economic opportunity, food security, and its heritage.
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As we work together to ensure the health of America's incredible marine ecosystems, we must also find ways to sustain the next generation of fishermen tasked with putting that food on our nation's table. Rather than see fishermen's role in our food system further isolated and diminished, we should equip young fishermen to be successful food producers, responsible marine stewards and valuable additions to their local economies.
Farmers and ranchers had concerns for their own future generations, inspiring Congress to create a number of programs to support this next generation of agriculture, including the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program and the Individual Development Accounts. Young farmers and ranchers have benefitted enormously from this federal support, ensuring a future generation is in place for this part of the U.S. food system.
Unfortunately, not a single federal program exists to provide support and resources to young commercial fishermen - the young men and women critical to the preservation of the culture, economy, community health, and food security in coastal America. This lack of support puts this important part of our food system in jeopardy, especially at a time when more consumers are looking for healthy protein sources that are locally sourced and sustainable. It reflects a massive oversight and a lost opportunity.
But we can change that.
A national program that partners with federal, state and local organizations and agencies to provide increased opportunities for the next generation of commercial fishermen, similar to what our friends in the agriculture community have access to, could be a groundbreaking step in protecting the stability of our coastal fishing communities and our seafood supply chain. Such programming and funding, if available to fishermen, could:
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Offer financial support and guidance for new fishery entrants.
Provide training for developing new markets and adding value to their products.
Create greater engagement in the public processes supporting marine management, lessening the divide between policy-makers and fishermen.
Foster a conservation ethic that prioritizes sustainable fishing practices and marine stewardship.
Identify ways to sustain America's working waterfronts essential to coastal industries and traditions.
British Home Secretary Theresa May called the poisoning "deeply disturbing", and argued, "It goes without saying that this was a blatant and unacceptable breach of the fundamental tenets of... law and civilized behavior." She referred to the Russian state's involvement in poisoning Alexander Litvinenko. But she could have been talking about Michigan.
In his state address, Governor Synder offered apologies, prayers and ostensive outrage at a "crisis" and a "catastrophe," that apparently emerged from unknown, agentless actions; "Mistakes were made." By whom? The Flint water crisis was borne of state decisions that have, like most institutional policies and practices in America, jeopardized Black lives.
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Decisions like that made in January 2014--a few months before Flint tried to save money by switching to river water--wherein the state allocated $2,147,000 to three new police initiatives. Everything we know about policing in this country suggests that these initiatives are likely to produce excessively aggressive surveillance, control, and physical force. Operation Fresh Start, at a cost of $250,000 for one day, was actually designed to build community trust by assisting area residents "who through various reasons, have found themselves in an untenable situation where they are included in the population of individuals who have active arrest warrants."
Again, this language evokes a mysterious, agentless process that sucked residents into a vortex of arrest warrants. But warrants result from decisions--from purposeful police targeting of "misdemeanors, victimless crimes, or civil infractions." It strains credulity to argue that warrants would have fallen harder on a population other than Flint's Black residents (e.g., see Ferguson). And yet, Flint launched the program in the smallest zip code by far (48502), one encompassing a census tract that is 45% White, higher than the citywide average, 37%. Thus, a fresh start was bequeathed to an area with few residents, where beneficiaries would be disproportionately White.
Decisions like those made to cast non-potable, poisonous water as harmless, persuading residents that adults and babies alike should consume Flint's river water (and mandating that WIC could not cover the costs of bottled water). State officials continually belittled residents' concerns, branding them mere "aesthetics". They described total coliform and E. Coli contamination as a "hiccup"; and asserted that regarding TTHMs, "it's not like an eminent [sic] threat to public health."
Decisions like portraying the remediation of lead contamination as an individual responsibility. Officials championed kitchen water filters to provide "added comfort," entreated the flushing of faucets and usage of cold water, and argued that lead can leach from myriad home sources including fixtures, faucets, and lead based paint. The state marshaled answers to FAQs about replacing "leaded materials" with bold print declarations that service pipes on private property are a homeowner's responsibility.
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Public health scholars argue that although the government suggests that we wash our cutting boards thoroughly, that is only necessary when we consume meat from a food system where contamination is likely. Focusing on individual behavior is ineffective as a public health strategy, and even if it were not, racial inequalities in money, power and human capital make it more difficult for Black residents to mobilize their own personal public health infrastructures.
The Flint water crisis will produce a cascade of negative health and social consequences: illnesses caused directly by waterborne pathogens and toxic chemicals; economic losses from expenditures on bottled water, medical bills, lost wages, unemployment, and property devaluation; physiological dysregulation from stress, worry and sleeplessness; cognitive, learning, and behavioral challenges. It's the House that Jack Built.
Snyder proclaimed that he would see to it that "Anyone with lingering health care concerns is quickly, compassionately and effectively treated. I know there will be long- term consequences. But I want you to know that we'll be there with long-term solutions for as long as it takes to make this right." Indeed. Black children confront an educational system that is more concerned with controlling their bodies than enriching their minds. It is unlikely in the extreme that a child with lead-induced impairments will receive the long-term assistance she needs to be successful. Much more likely is a trajectory of suspensions and other punitive measures for behavioral difficulties. And if a boy's trajectory culminates in the school-to-prison pipeline, no one will ask whether he experienced lead poisoning. He'll just be another morally deficient criminalblackman.
And so Governor Synder's assurances ring false. The U.S. has rarely saw fit to redress the long-term repercussions of racist state actions. Andrew R. Highsmith has shown that Flint's urban renewal program turned Black homeowners into public housing tenants, and no long-term assistance was at hand to recompense their loss of wealth. Rather, they were met with a hardening of the city's color line. Blatant state neglect and the resulting catastrophic are a recurring American nightmare (e.g., see Katrina). Like cigarettes, American state policies are hazardous to Black health. When used as directed, they cause harm.
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Bankruptcy is not as bad as you think. Before you dismiss this seemingly novel idea, give Phill Mahony a chance to explain it to you.
"Unfortunately, there's a stigma attached to bankruptcy," he says. "But it doesn't represent failure. The bankruptcy code really puts people on their feet. You come out like a new person. It's really a good deal."
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Phill has his own law practice.
Phill, let the record show, is a lawyer, but this is not mere legal speak. It's the calm, cool collected talk of a man who has spent his life -- in and out of court -- helping people.
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Phill, a tall, calm fatherly figure who possesses the aw-shucks charming innocence of Jimmy Stewart, started out as a beat cop in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
His parents, farmers from County Kerry, Ireland, came to New York for a better life. They settled in Astoria, which is where Phill, his four brothers and sister were born.
Phill is across the street from his boyhood home, where his widowed mother still lives. His sister is on the same block, and one of his brothers is in the house on the other side of the back alley.
"We didn't plan it," he says. "It just sort of happened."
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Phill is an ex-cop.
Which is the same that could be said of Phill's career.
"How old was I when I started working? I don't know," he says. "I started as soon as I could while I was in high school."
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His first grown-up job was as a copyboy at the New York Daily News, which he got after earning a degree in English literature and journalism from New York University.
After the mammoth newspaper strike of 1978, Phill knew he had to find another way to make a living. So he paid close attention when his roommate, a firefighter, mentioned the police academy.
Phill's first assignment was riding in a car with another cop.
"I never shot any bad guys -- I missed them, and they missed me," he says. "But they shot the cop next to me."
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Did Phill mention that he's a Rangers fan?
By the time he was a beat cop in the 77th Precinct in Crown Heights, Phill was working on his master's degree in English literature and journalism, something that was virtually unheard of in the police world at the time.
"I used to walk Franklin Avenue, and in those days it was rough," he says. "It was kind of lonely because I didn't have a partner. I had to really learn fast. The people really liked me because they could talk to me about small problems like potholes, dead dogs and kids truant from school that were not important enough to call 911 for."
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He worked his way up the precinct ladder, getting promoted to detective, sergeant and lieutenant. At one point, he commanded the missing persons squad.
"We found a lot of people we thought were dead," he says.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
He specializes in bankruptcy cases.
Along the way, he met Marya.
The "lovely bride," as he still calls her, sat down next to him on a Manhattan bus with a book. When he couldn't think of anything intelligent to say to get her attention, he interrogated her about her reading matter.
He got her to confess that it was a biology textbook and that she was a nursing student. He told her that cops and nurses were made for each other and asked for her number.
When she refused to tell him, he insisted she take his. Six months later, she called the station, and a year and a half after that, they married. They have four children, ages 17 to 24.
"I loved my 22 years with the NYPD," Phill says. "But I decided to retire and go to law school. I had an interest in the law because when I was a detective I was on trial a lot and cross-examined by a lot of sharp lawyers."
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Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Phill earned his law degree after he retired from the NYPD.
But criminal law, of which he had a cop's-eye view, seemed too close to home.
"I wanted something different because it's a big world out there, and I wanted to make a big jump and take chances," he says.
After an internship in Bankruptcy Court, Phill was hooked.
"I liked the mix of law code and court cases," he says. "It was tangible; it wasn't just theory; it was people trying to get on their feet."
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Phill helps people get back on their feet.
After working for King & Spalding and Kirkland & Ellis and three other firms, Phil opened his own practice late in 2015.
"It's very rewarding for me to do everything from soup to nuts," he says. "Instead of being the fifth guy down the assembly line, I'm the first point of contact and the last. I take people by the hand through the whole system."
He pauses and breaks into a smile.
"It's like being a cop on foot patrol again," he says, adding that he's never thought of it that way before.
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As kids, we learn how to write, maybe play a musical instrument and draw. So why don't we learn to code computers programs too? What coding has in common with writing, playing music and creating art is that it lets you bring your ideas to life. Coding is all about creativity and that's why I love it.
Creating with code
CoderDojo helps young people around the world to learn computer programming for free. When I went to my first CoderDojo session in Dublin City University in Ireland, age nine, I didn't know anything about coding or even what it was. But I remember making my very first web page that first day, and being amazed that I could create such a thing. It was a great feeling that I think every young person should experience!
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By going to CoderDojo every week, I have since learned how to make websites, apps and games and even how to program hardware devices.
One of my apps is called reCharge My eCar, it helps the drivers of electric cars find all the public charging points in Ireland and to see whether they currently are in use or not. I am also making an app called Auto-Journalist, to help journalists and interviewees do interviews even if they are really busy or live in different time zones. Both apps are still in development, and I have demonstrated them at an annual event called Coolest Projects Awards, where young people get to show the public what they have created with code. It's so much fun to share your creations, and to see what everyone else has made too.
Learning environment
For the past three years I have also been helping to teach other young people at CoderDojo DCU -- both at the girls-only class and in the Scratch sessions. When I started, I knew very little about Scratch Scratch -- a drag-and drop interface for programming code - but by helping other people to learn, I was learning myself.
In recent years I have also noticed many more girls attending CoderDojo DCU to try out coding. This has a lot to do with the CoderDojo Girls sessions - girls and young women take part in it with their friends, and it doesn't feel like coding is a 'boy thing'. It is really brilliant to see this, because we need more girls and women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Of course there is more to STEM than coding, but it's a good way to learn more about technology.
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Open doors
Learning to code has brought me so many opportunities. Last summer I spent several weeks in London at Outbox Incubator, a residential programme about running a STEM business, and in December I was awarded EU Digital Girl of the Year 2015.
Last month I got to go to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders, big business people and people in tech come together to talk about the problems and solutions in the world. While I was over in Davos, Will.I.Am came to visit the CoderDojo we were running, he was very interested in how we were helping the local school students to code.
Start early
One of the main things I have learned in the last few years is that coding is not only for adults, coding is for young people too. And when you are child it is a great time to start coding, because your imagination is the limit for what you can create!
On at least one issue, it's becoming hard to tell Republicans and Democrats apart. Try for yourself.
"Iowa has sent notice that 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."
"What the American people have said -- and by the way, I hear this not just from progressives, from conservatives, from others -- and that is we can no longer continue to have a corrupt campaign finance system."
That was Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Bernie Sanders (D-VT), who could not be further apart on political spectrum, but who have nevertheless converged on money in politics as a key issue that animates their campaigns and supporters.
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Outside of the beltway, where nearly 80 percent of Democrats and Republicans agree that money in politics has more influence on politics today than ever before, it's not really controversial to assert that money in politics has reached a crisis level. But in Washington, a town where naming a post office might set off a filibuster, it's hard to overstate the value of consensus.
However, it's starting to look like the volume of the public's outcry and the force of its anger has breached in opening in Washington's ironclad do-nothing status quo. Last week, in a rare show of agreement, liberals and conservatives in Washington, D.C. came together and agreed that money's corrosive influence on our politics is a crisis that must be fixed today.
With support from Issue One, the Brookings Institution hosted a campaign finance solutions summit to bring together influential Americans and experts of all political stripes with the express purpose of fomenting consensus on how to restore meaningful representation for all Americans.
Panelists at the event, which included Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), former members of Congress Rep. Tim Roemer (D-IN) and Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD), current Federal Election Commission (FEC) Ann Ravel (D) and former Commissioner Trevor Potter (R), best-selling conservative author Peter Schweizer, as well as state Supreme Court Justices and state legislators, were eager to share their experiences and expertise.
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Commissioner Ravel railed against the disfunction at the FEC which allows laws to be "flouted without consequence" and where half of the commissioners are ideologically opposed to the agency's mission.
Rep. Steve Israel described spending 4,200 soul-sucking hours over the course of his career calling donors for money. That's 175 days. Assuming an 8 hour work day, that's 525 workdays. He said this fundraising regime, "has never been more dangerous to our democracy," confirming from the front lines what the vast majority of Americans can see plainly from Iowa, New Hampshire and all across the country.
To be clear, this is a system that's not working for anybody except entrenched, rent-seeking special interests and the ultra-wealthy. Miserable members of Congress aside, half of eligible voters choose to ignore our democratic process altogether. Nothing so clearly illustrates how broken American democracy is than that.
Fortunately, the depths of the problem are as dark as the future is bright. Commissioner Ravel, Rep. Israel and Issue One's ReFormers Caucus painted a stark picture of the problem, but it only served as a backdrop for illuminating conversation between staunch conservatives and bleeding-heart liberals on how we can fix our democracy together.
John Pudner, executive director of the conservative money-in-politics group Take Back Our Republic made the case for why Republicans "must lead" on reform and cited disclosure measures and tax-benefits for small political contributions as solutions that the right should champion.
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FEC Commissioners Ravel and Potter agreed that the commission must be overhauled and a new "blue ribbon" committee of commissioners appointed to ensure partisanship doesn't affect the FEC's ability to enforce the law.
Rep. Sarbanes echoed the enthusiasm from state officials for small-donor empowerment programs that free candidates from having to primarily fundraise from special interests and the wealthy, and allow more people to run for office. He chastised the media for missing the "next big story" on money in politics--everyday Americans running for and winning office because of public financing programs.
Brookings Visiting Fellow Norm Eisen summed up the event perfectly:
"Individuals representing the most conservative and most liberal political ideals, from all different worlds, including every branch of government, state and federal levels, media, and lobbyists, have all come together around the consensus that our campaign finance system can and must be fixed. That consensus is what will turn into policy."
By Michelle Schuman for the Orbitz Travel Blog
When you're on vacation, shopping is practically a rite of passage. But in Asia's many markets, where vibrant cultures and traditions abound, it's also an unforgettable experience and life lesson all in one. Here's where to go, and what to get, from South Korea to Kuala Lumpur.
Sinpo International Market - Incheon, South Korea (outside Seoul)
You can buy almost anything at the 140+ stalls that make up Incheon's indoor Sinpo International Market, from fresh meat and seafood, to shoes and clothing. But the main draw is definitely the food, and one popular local delicacy is something of a standout. Sample the Dakgangjeon, a savory dish of crispy fried chicken in a sweet-and-spicy sauce.
Dilli Haat - New Delhi, India
Get a glimpse of India's vibrant history as you walk through Dilli Haat. Here, you can touch, feel and taste New Delhi's cultural tapestry that these local artisans weave together through silks, jewelry, rugs, drapes and more. This market isn't your typical scene of stalls and food carts, either--it's paved with stone and brick, and decorated with flowering shrubs and eucalyptus trees. Pick up some comfortable, camel-hide shoes for your trips to the Red Fort and Mehrauli Archaeological Park.
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Hongqiao Pearl Market - Beijing, China
This Beijing market is a hotspot for all kinds of pearls (freshwater, seawater, cheap, expensive), which you can find on floors three, four and five. But that's not all they sell--the lower floors sell unique wares like jade, silk and electronics. The Toys City market next door's also worth a stop, and a boon for kitschy video games, stuffed animals and model kits.
Jalan Alor Night Market - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Leave the tourists behind as you venture into the Jalan Alor Night Market, a no-frills food fest in Kuala Lumpur that comes alive after the sun goes down. (It's fairly quiet during the day.) You'll rub shoulders with locals at the wai sek kai, or hawker stalls, as you dig into every street food imaginable--curries, fried fish, fish ball soup and more. We recommend the kon lo mee, a tasty blend of minced beef on a bed of noodles.
Qingping Market - Guangzhou, China
Deep-fried scorpions. On a stick. You know you want to. Take a walk on the wild side and give them a try at the Qingping Market in Guangzhou. Not sure? The market's also known for more serene goodies like herbal medicines, flowers and produce, all within its twelve-hundred-plus booths. If you're feeling even a little brave, you'll find a hefty sampling of traditional Southern Chinese eats, like jarred starfish and dried seahorses.
Ramadan Night Bazaar - Hyderabad, India
You'll have to plan your Hyderabad vacation carefully to catch this market--the Ramadan Night Bazaar happens only one month a year, during the month of Ramadan. Beneath the ornate Charminar building--a.k.a. the Arc de Triomphe of the East--the market's narrow bylanes offer up beautiful bangles and ittar, a form of concentrated, natural perfume derived from botanical sources. Snack on haleem and kebabs while picking out crockery, slippers and apparel to bring home as gifts, once your new henna tattoo has dried.
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Temple Street Night Market - Hong Kong, China
Get your fortune told at Hong Kong's Temple Street Night Market--it may foretell of a successful and, well, interesting shopping trip. Shoppers are occasionally serenaded by wandering Cantonese opera troupes, as they sample street food and peruse the antiques, sunglasses, cheap clothes and medicine (yes, medicine). You'll catch even more cinematic scenes around the temple, where old men gamble over chess games out front.
Chandni Chowk - Old Delhi, India
One of the best ways to get to know Old Delhi is through the sheer pandemonium of the Chandni Chowk market, one of the area's oldest and busiest. Amid the ancient alleyways, you'll discover independent bazaars, each of which offers its own specialty. Hunt for jewelry along Dariba Kalan road, and sample parathas (Indian-style flatbread) on Parathe-wali Gali. Before leaving, make sure you try the namesake sweets at at Jalebi Wala, a century-old sweetshop. These carb-loaded confections are, basically, fried dough soaked in a sugary syrup.
Flickr CC: Dax Ward
David Calderon, remembers receiving a call from his sister Kenia Calderon, one night after work.
"David just come. We need more DREAMers here."
The 19-year-old was reluctant; he didn't want to get involved.
David ended up following his 21-year-old sister; he went to the Iowa Freedom Summit protest.
A group of students gathered outside the Hoyt Sherman Place, holding signs and chanting at conservatives. Conservative leaders across the nation including Donald Trump, Chris Christie and Ted Cruz descended in Des Moines to talk economics, social conservatism and national defense.
David remembers his sister asking Donald Trump if he was going to build a wall to keep immigrants out.
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"You'll be happy with me," said Trump.
A year later, the Calderon siblings are still politically active in Iowa, this time protesting Trump events.
David and Kenia are DREAMers. They are immigrants who were brought into the country at a young age, and know the United States to be home.
On June 15, 2012 President Obama expanded a federal immigration policy, creating a new program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA allows undocumented immigrants, like David Kenia a renewable two-year work permit and exemption from deportation.
Following DACA, Kenia's political activism kicked off full gear. David says it was his sister's leadership that triggered him to get involved.
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"She went at it full steam, and I went right behind her" he said.
Since then, Kenia and David have shared their story with people across the state and nation. VICE, an online website, is currently working on a documentary about Kenia's activism. From protesting Trump to the GOP family forum, the Calderon siblings have paved the way for other DREAMers to follow.
"I knew I needed empower other DREAMers , to embrace their status and I knew I had to start at home" said Kenia.
Kenia and David, El Salvadorian natives still remember their journey to the U.S. more than 10 years ago. By 2005 gang violence has plagued the country, forcing the Calderon's to relocate. After obtaining travel visas to Mexico, the family of 5 including, Kenia, David, their parents and younger sister Fatima spent two months in Mexico. From there they took a three-day journey through the Mexican desert. Although he was only nine years old, David understood the journey his family was about to embark.
"I knew what we were doing our parents were really frank with us" David said.
The family walked through the desert uniting the Mexican state of Sonora and Arizona. Their father carried 5 gallons of water. They traveled with a group of 40 people, sprinting for cover anytime they heard "la migra," Spanish for immigration.
For David, the voyage was just "another adventure."
On the third night, David saw city lights and immediately thought "We are almost there."
The future has not always been bright for David. Prior to DACA, he surprised his parents telling them he wanted to leave the U.S.
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"I'm depressed I don't want to live in the shadows for the rest of my life."
With DACA, David knew he had a chance at being successful. He went from being a 2.7 GPA student to a 4.0 GPA student.
David, a secondary education and history freshmen student at Grand View University hopes to inspire others through education.
"My main goal with becoming a teacher is to inspire people of color, to see themselves in me, and realize that anything can happen and they can turn around like I did."
He wants others to be inspired through his story.
My job gives me the opportunity to write about many current and former shelter animals. All of them are special in one way or another, as are the people who welcome them into their homes, and I take great pleasure in sharing their stories via a shelter newsletter and social media. But I can't remember a story that affected me as much as the one that follows. I hope it moves other people and inspires other shelters and rescue organizations to expand their definition of a good home.
They say, "Home is where the heart is."
In this case, "home" is Malta House, an assisted living community in Hyattsville, Maryland. And the "heart" is Olivia, a German shepherd mix who now shares the residence with 31 senior citizens. The story of how this once homeless two-year-old dog came to Malta House makes you believe that some things really are just meant to be.
Olivia arrived at the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) in December 2013 when she was six months old, one of seven dogs from an overcrowded partner shelter down south. Given her sweet disposition and cute scruffy "beard," WARL staff were not surprised when she was adopted just one week later. Another successful adoption...or so they thought.
(photo courtesy of the Washington Animal Rescue League)
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Fate, however, had other plans for Olivia.
Almost two years after leaving WARL, she was returned. It turns out Olivia had severe separation anxiety, which led to excessive barking and urinating and defecating indoors. She just couldn't handle being left alone.
Not surprisingly given her sensitive nature, Olivia found shelter life extremely stressful and her anxiety only increase, to the point that she required medication. Staff began looking for a special foster home...one where someone was home most, if not all, of the time. They knew they faced a challenge.
Enter Elisabeth Orchard, director of Malta House.
From her years of experience in eldercare, Orchard knew that animals can positively impact the quality of senior citizens' lives, especially those of people who have little if any contact with the outside world. She already had arranged for Pets on Wheels to periodically visit Malta House but as she explained, "It just isn't the same as having an animal around all the time."
So she began looking for a way to bring an animal into Malta House on a longer-term basis, both for the benefit of residents and to help an animal not doing well in a shelter.
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When Orchard contacted WARL about the possibility of Malta House fostering a dog, foster and adoption coordinator Mandie Worsley immediately thought of Olivia; what better place for a dog with separation anxiety than a community where someone was always there.
But before proceeding, Orchard had to get the approval of residents, so she presented the idea during a Residents' Council meeting. Most of the residents were unreservedly enthusiastic. A couple, however, who had never lived with cats or dogs were less enthralled, but they said that if having a dog around made other residents happy, they would go along with idea.
Some staff members also had reservations. Yvonne Toukam, for example, was raised in Cameroun, where keeping dogs as pets was not the norm. Plus, her grandfather had died after being bitten by a rabid dog.
But Olivia quickly put everyone at ease. "Her gentle nature charmed everyone," recalls Caesar Dudley, head of the Residents' Council. And that includes Toukam, who now describes Olivia simply as, "my friend."
(photo courtesy of Elizabeth Orchard)
Olivia has even surpassed Orchard's expectations.
"She's very intuitive," Orchard explains. "She makes the rounds every day, nudging residents gently for a bit of attention, which they are only too happy to give.
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Her impact is felt by everyone, especially residents with dementia or mental health issues. "Some of our residents have lost some of their short-term memory," says Orchard, "but Olivia may bring back positive memories from years ago, which adds to their quality of life. She has a calming effect on everyone."
"We love Olivia," says resident Eppie Fields. "She makes everyone happy. We didn't want her to leave."
So Malta House residents and staff chose to make the arrangement permanent. A mere three weeks after she arrived, they voted unanimously to adopt Olivia.
And that's good news for both the dog and the seniors in her "care."
(photo courtesy of Elizabeth Orchard)
Her living arrangement may be unconventional, but it's obvious Olivia is thriving in an environment where she is with people all the time. When not making her rounds in the common areas, she relaxes in the front office, where she has a bed, food bowl, and water bowl. She enjoys regular walks, during which she has the opportunity to socialize with many of the neighborhood canines.
And when Friday rolls around, Olivia takes a break from her responsibilities and heads home for the weekend with Orchard or Gary Randall, one of Malta House residents' caregivers. But while she enjoys these breaks from her weekly routine, she's always happy to get back to her adoring fans on Mondays. "She gets very excited as we approach the front door and runs in and greets all the residents right away," says Orchard. And they can't wait to see her.
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If China continues to grow economically, it will translate that wealth into military might and try to dominate Asia.... There's no question preventive [nuclear] war makes no sense at all, but a much more attractive strategy would be to slow down China's economic growth.
If China doesn't grow economically, it can't turn that wealth into military might and become a potential hegemony in Asia. What really makes China so scary today is that it has so many people and it's also becoming an incredibly wealthy country. [So] I think it's in America's interest and it's in the interest of China's neighbors to see the Chinese economy slow down because if that happens, it can't become a formidable military power.
In Joplin, Missouri, a community where everything has been lost in the prism of May 22, 2011, sometimes it is easy to overlook basic truths.
It is also easy to overlook basic humanity.
Such has been the case with the continuing controversy surrounding the request by Zach Williams' mother to have a chair draped with a cap and gown when Joplin High School graduation ceremonies are held May 22, 2016, the five-year anniversary of the tornado that took her son's life.
The decision was made to list Zach, along with other students and staff members who lost their lives in the tornado, during a part of the ceremony, which will include a moment of silence.
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While this is an appropriate remembrance, it misses the point.
Zach Williams was not just someone who lost his life in the tornado. On May 22, 2011, he was a seventh grader at Joplin East Middle School, where I taught. Zach would have been a member of the Joplin High School Class of 2016.
Actually, except for the fact that it ended Zach's life, this really has nothing to do with the tornado.
It has everything to do with basic humanity and with community.
Since his mother, Tammy Niederhelmen, began her quest to have her son's memory honored, people have written some horrible things about her family. Tammy has been accused of being selfish and putting her needs above the wishes of the members of the JHS Class of 2016.
Some particularly cruel social media comments have pointed out that Zach may not have graduated this year, with one even noting that he may not have made it to graduation because of the growing suicide rate among teens.
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While some seniors who knew Zach have supported the efforts to have a chair for their former classmate, others have complained that it would be too "somber" and this graduation event is about the ones who will receive their diplomas.
In other words, it's sad that Zach couldn't make it, but we did, and it is all about us.
In his December 4 message to parents, Joplin High School Principal Kerry Sachetta reviewed the thought process that went into his decision to reject Zach's mother's request:
Our current and longstanding practice is to recognize students who pass away at any point while attending Joplin High School by announcing their names and holding a moment of silence to honor them during the graduation ceremony. We have recognized ten high school students in this manner over the last several years. This recent request and the conversations occurring on social media and in our community have challenged us to review this practice. Is this the best way to honor students? Should we expand this to include students who never attended our high school but attended Joplin Schools? How would we ensure students weren't forgotten? Is this appropriate during what is typically a celebratory event? What do other schools in our area do? And, what we believe is the most important question, what do our students think? Graduation is, after all, a celebration and recognition of their accomplishments.
As I read that, I remembered a Jasper Missouri High School graduation I covered many years ago during my days as a newspaper reporter, in which the graduating class remembered one of its own, Jessica Jo Lynn. Jessica was not taken from this earth while she was in high school, but during a fire when she was nine years old. Nine years had passed, but her classmates never forgot her and wanted to make sure she was included in their special moment.
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Can you imagine how important that moment was to Jessica's family?
The practice of having a chair with a cap and gown on it has been used at many schools.
Unfortunately, the situation has escalated in Joplin. The threats to hold protests if the empty chair is not allowed have only served, understandably, to stiffen the resolve of school officials. We have reached the point where no one seems willing to make a move in the direction of doing what would serve the community best.
And let's be clear about one thing -- while the spotlight at the graduation ceremony shines most brightly on those who cross the stage and receive their diplomas, commencement has been, and always will be, a community activity.
Community is not just a word to be summoned by school officials whenever it is time to pass a bond issue or increase a tax levy. The Joplin community must be an inclusive one and the best message that can be sent to the community is that Joplin Schools do not leave anyone behind.
This would be the perfect time to start a new tradition. A folding chair with a cap and gown should placed with the students when the ceremony is held at Missouri Southern State University less than four months from now, but it should not be for just Zach Williams. One of the people who commented on Facebook, noted that one of her siblings would have graduated this year, but she was not asking for anything special.
She should.
A chair signifying those who lost their lives far too early would be a sign of a Joplin High School graduating class that never forgets. Invitations to the graduation should be sent to the parents of those children. While the reading of the names of those who receive diplomas should be limited to those who will actually receive them, nothing is wrong with putting a few extra names on the program noting those who have passed.
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These actions would not detract from any of the attention being given to the members of the graduating class any more than the listing of people who died during the preceding year detracts from the Academy Awards. This type of remembrance of classmates who are no longer with us has been done at schools across this country and it has never cheapened the graduation experience.
And again, think of how much this thoughtful action would mean to these parents to know that no matter how many years have passed, their children remain alive in the hearts and memories of their classmates.
The people of Joplin earned the praise they received for their response to the tornado, but the tornado, despite the important role it has played in our lives, is not the sum total of who we are.
In the field of college rankings, there is currently a whole slew of lists that claim to cover "best value" schools. Each one is a little different. So what qualifies as value when it comes to the skyrocketing cost of college and exactly what it buys students?
This is a question I've been trying to answer for years. Back in 2003, in The Princeton Review's Best 351 Colleges, we published our first attempt at a "best value" ranking list: Best Academic Bang for Your Buck. It was comprised of 20 schools, and based on students' assessment of financial aid, our Financial Aid Rating, and our Academic Rating. Great academics, great price (if you qualify for financial aid). Since then, students' and parents' perspectives on "value" have expanded beyond cost and classroom--they see tuition as an investment in the future, and like investors, they want to see a return on that investment. Graduate outcomes and alumni salary figures must be taken into account to provide applicants and parents with a clear sense of value.
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So what sets The Princeton Review's Colleges That Pay You Back apart from all those other "best value" college lists? We go beyond cold hard cash. Students invest more than money in their educations -- they invest time, energy, and passion. And a list that only defines "value" by graduate salary is likely to skew heavily towards schools known for their Science/Tech/Engineering/Math (STEM) programs. That's awesome if you know you want a career in one of those fields, and any STEM subject is a practical choice of major -- and we include the percentage of STEM major grads on each school profile in our book. But not every college applicant is ready to commit to a profession at 18. And what about students who know they want to work in a field that might be less lucrative than engineering, like education or social work? To choose our Colleges That Pay You Back, we analyze more than 40 factors -- covering not only alumni career information and financial aid, but also academic experience and the opinions of 136,000 students. As a result, these 200 schools are diverse in academic offerings, size, region, and type -- and we break out additional ranking lists, like "Best Schools for Making an Impact," based on student responses to survey questions covering community service, student government, sustainability, and student engagement on campus.
SINJAR, IRAQ - NOVEMBER 16: A woman carries blankets into a Kurdish-controlled area after fleeing her ISIL or Daesh-held frontline town on November 16, 2015 to Sinjar, Iraq. Peshmerga forces carefully screened the displaced Iraqis as they arrived, fearing enemy infiltrators and suicide bombers. Kurdish forces, with the aid of massive U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, liberated Sinjar from ISIL extremists, known in Arabic as Daesh, moving the frontline south. About a thousand villagers in Ghabosyeh fled north to Kurdish held territory, to take refuge camps or onward as refugees to Turkey or Europe. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
"Luna," was captured by ISIS fighters when they swept through northern Iraq in August 2014. She was sold four times and raped by all her "owners." She was one of hundreds of Yezidi women and girls who had similar experiences.
Some of them eventually escaped and were reunited with their community, who took refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan. But that wasn't the end of their ordeal.
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Survivors my colleague and I interviewed last year, described organized rape, sexual slavery, and forced marriage by ISIS. They were in dire need of health care, counseling and other services to help them begin to recover from their ordeal.
Kurdistan officials took their needs seriously, but subjected some unmarried women and girls to "virginity tests" -an abusive and inaccurate procedure-- as part of a forensic, post-rape examination. Judge Ayman Bamerny, who heads a committee gathering evidence of ISIS crimes, told us these tests were seen as evidence of rape by Iraqi courts.
On January 24, the judge told another colleague of mine that the committee has stopped referring Yezidi survivors for "virginity tests." He said the health directorate in Dohuk adopted a new medical examination report on sexual violence based on UN recommendations, consistent with human rights and best practice. The chief judge of Dohuk agreed to accept these reports for legal proceedings, he said.
The World Health Organization has stated definitively that "virginity tests" have no scientific validity. They are based on a commonly held but inaccurate belief that all women and girls who are virgins have intact hymens that bleed on first intercourse. As such they are ineffective for determining whether a woman or girl has been raped.
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This is an important step for women and girls like "Luna" who can now pursue justice for the crimes against them in a process that shows deeper respect for women's rights and a commitment to providing better care for rape survivors.
Pope Francis waves to the crowd outside St Peter's basilica after a mass for the 20th World Day of Consecrated Life of the Catholic Church on February 2, 2016 in Vatican. AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABI / AFP / TIZIANA FABI (Photo credit should read TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images)
"Following Francis" is a monthly blog on the latest happenings of Pope Francis. It is prepared exclusively for The WorldPost by Sebastien Maillard, Vatican correspondent for La Croix, Rome.
ROME -- Pope Francis is about to leave for a five-day trip throughout Mexico. This country is among the most visited by recent popes, especially John Paul II. Francis will reach areas where his predecessors never wandered, ending his journey at Ciudad Juarez along the border with the U.S. Generally for his visits abroad, he seeks both meaningful and unexpected destinations (Albania, the Central African Republic, Sweden next October), and when possible, chooses places that are free of other pontiffs' footprints.
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He has traveled now on all five continents. Yet China and Russia still stand on the far horizon. Out of the 180 or so countries that have diplomatic ties with the Holy See (including countries like Iran and Cuba), amid all the heads of government and ministers and politicians and dignitaries who journey from far and wide to the Vatican, Beijing and Moscow remain two forbidden places for the head of the Catholic Church.
For now.
A Tropical Encounter?
Could Jorge Bergoglio unlock the door? From sources close to the Vatican and prelates of the curia who do not wish to be named, I have heard some recent positive attempts to craft an encounter between the pope and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, possibly this year. There is -- or there was? -- the suggestion that both leaders could meet this month in Cuba, when Francis flies back from Mexico and where Kirill will be at the same time on a visit. The project got leaked to a blog, Chiesa Espresso, but was immediately denied by Moscow's patriarch. Anyhow, should the meeting not happen in Cuba, it could take place elsewhere -- Armenia, for instance, a country close to Russia that the pope is supposed to visit later this year.
Wherever it happened, such an encounter would be historic. Under John Paul II, Russia never considered it seriously. The Polish pope was regarded as making his Church too close with former Soviet territories where the Russian Orthodox Church was experiencing a rebirth. Relations warmed up with Benedict XVI. And more recently, the war in Ukraine, involving and dividing the various Christian churches, has since put aside thoughts of an encounter.
Patriarch Kirill leads a Christmas service in Christ the Savior cathedral in Moscow. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
But Moscow seems to appreciate the way the Holy See has expressed a balanced view on what the pope defined, just a year ago, a "war among Christians," rather than Russian aggression against its neighbor. Francis has always kept dialogue open with President Vladimir Putin, who paid two visits to the Vatican (and arrived quite late). The Holy See understands it needs Russia's attention on the fate of the persecuted Christians in the Middle East. It also knows that however deep and historic its links are today with the Patriarch of Constantinople, the most powerful church in the Orthodox cosmos is, by far, Russia's.
From the Kremlin's point of view, showing closeness with the Vatican is a way not to remain too isolated on the world stage. As for the Russian Patriarch, the Catholic Church is a needed partner in order to safeguard traditional Christian values in Europe.
New Year's Greetings to President Xi
Relations with China have not reached that point at all. But Pope Francis is doing whatever it takes to patiently undo the knot. In what seems a real communication strategy, he granted an interview to the Hong Kong-based news website, Asia Times. It was published on Feb. 2, before the Chinese New Year. Showing "great respect" for the Chinese people and admiration for the country's "great richness of culture and wisdom," Francis also expressed his "best wishes and greetings" to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This comes after other signals sent by the Vatican towards Beijing. In summer 2014, Francis was the first pope ever to be granted access to fly over China on his way towards Korea. As he declared to the press on the return flight: "Do I want to go to China? Of course: tomorrow! Oh, yes."
The latest interview was recorded in the Vatican on Jan. 28, a week during which a Chinese delegation was said to be visiting the Holy See over two days to negotiate a compromise on a procedure for the pope to name bishops in China. Beijing has never wanted Chinese bishops to pay allegiance to a foreign state. But the Church has never tolerated its local shepherds to be dependent on any political power. In China, Catholics either belong to an official, "patriotic" Church or risk themselves to an underground one.
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A worshipper displays a photo of Father Joseph Zhang Yilin, the first Catholic bishop to be publicly ordained in China for more than three years, was consecrated on Aug. 4 amid a heavy police presence. (GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)
According to a recent article in the Corriere della Sera, under a deal just reached between the two sides, Beijing would accept the pope to name bishops but only those drawn from a list of names drawn up by the government-supported Church. They would thus be implicitly recognized by the Vatican. Some nominations could even happen soon.
Yet the deal does not mean China and the Holy See are set to have diplomatic ties. That is the next stage. "Catholic" means "universal" and, for the Church, having a black hole as large as China is unsustainable for its very mission. But, on the other hand, to get China's regime to fully open its doors to the Catholic Church at this moment remains a goal unfulfilled.
Earlier on WorldPost:
I am still thinking about James "Sneaky" White, whom I've known for 37 years. When I met him at California's Tehachapi State Prison in 1978, he had just started serving his sentence. I was there running a veterans' group for inmates. A decorated combat Marine who served in Vietnam, Sneaky came up to me afterward saying he wanted to start a vet group of his own, which he did. As the system transferred him to other prisons he'd leave the vet group he'd founded and start another chapter in his new location.
As I write this, I'm in contact with three former inmates, all vets, who were mentored by James White while they were serving their sentences. Each will tell you that his story is not unusual: White has mentored many, many vets in the prison system over almost forty years.. I sometimes wonder just how many lives he's changed.
One of them is Steve Duby, our newest counselor on our LifeLine for Vets hotline. Steve says that White asked him if he was a veteran. This is more important than it might seem. Not all veterans self-identify as vets. We've learned from Kristine Hesse, the NVF's Women's Veteran Outreach Co-ordinator, that women vets rarely self-identify, which makes them fairly invisible. White's tactic of simply asking an inmate instead of waiting for the information to be offered, acts as a shortcut. Vets are identified at the beginning, and then they're invited in.
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White has greatly expanded opportunities for inmates. Steve Duby worked with White at Ironwood Prison, setting up education programs that conferred AA degrees. White's a believer in education. As I mentioned in my previous blog, he set up a program of food sales (think pizza) to inmates that has generated over $350,000 for scholarships and community charities since its inception. His group's contribution runs about $30,000 per year. You remember that this is all done inside the prison, right? Imagine what it took to think this up, then convince prison authorities to let it happen.
A lot of old Vietnam vets like me know Sneaky's story. "Frenchy" is one. He met Jim White in the 60's before Vietnam. They were both Marines stationed at New River. Both were in Vietnam, though at difference times. Years later, Jim sent a letter to a veterans organization of which Frenchy was a member. Are you the same Jim White? Yes, he was. Since then, Frenchy has campaigned for clemency for Jim White through the terms of several governors. At one time he was aide to a Congressional Representative from Massachusetts who, on learning White's story, also agreed that White did not deserve the sentence he received. And that was before the successes White's had from inside the prison system.
There's been a long series of people trying to get White released based on what he's accomplished. Yet James "Sneaky" White (who got his nickname as a helicopter pilot in country in Vietnam) is still incarcerated. He's done so much good for so many inside the prison system and in the surrounding communities. Seems like he's earned a chance to spend what time is left with his wife. Those of us who know him, who are familiar with his story, hope that will happen. And soon.
Combat veterans returning from war still end up in the criminal justice system. The two recent, long-running wars have contributed their share of inmates serving sentences. But now there are veterans courts who take a vet's combat experience into consideration. There are many more programs to support returning vets. That wasn't the case almost forty years ago. PTSD hadn't even been accepted then. Maybe it's time to mete out a new kind of justice. Frenchy said to me, "The reason we stay on it is because we're wired to serve. We can't accept bad justice."
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Can you imagine losing everything you have, except for hope? Can you imagine being totally alone and lost, but not losing your ability to love? I could never have imagined that even one of those scenarios were possible-- until I traveled to Nepal in April of last year, after the horrible earthquake. I encountered people on this trip who have experienced more than I ever have. I met people who had been living in absolute poverty for many, many years, but who lost everything after the earthquake; their homes, their lives. I also met children who lost their parents. Mothers and fathers who lost their sons and daughters. People who lost their brothers, their sisters. They lost everything that made life worth living.
These encounters were learning opportunities for me, because I gained a much better understanding of what real suffering looks like, and what true loss actually means. And I started looking at my daily life with more perspective.
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I finally understood the meaning of real hope and real happiness. One would expect that anyone living under such circumstances must be extremely unhappy, right? But everyone I photographed was friendly, hopeful and positive. They showed me things I had not previously encountered in my privileged life.
I was moved by their stories as well as by their hopeful faces. With my photo project, Faces of Nepal, I am hoping to capture and transmit a different view of life, hope, and love.
Wisdom
I see the pain that the world has imposed on you. But at the same time, there's more hiding behind those eyes. Love for me, love for life.
Fear
I meet you in Sindhupalchok. No other region in Nepal was as heavily damaged by the earthquake. On the way to you I drive through villages leveled completely to the ground. Your family, like many others, lives in a tent.
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Pride
I arrive in your village to distribute food. Children and adults rush towards me, pull the bags right out of my hands. But you don't move; you're silent, you just stare at me intently.
Solitude
You came here from the mountains, and now you live under a plastic tarp, supported only by a few thin branches. You're alone, you've lost everything and everyone.
Happiness
I didn't bring you much, did I? Four notebooks and two pens. What does that even amount to, I ask myself. But your eyes shine with excitement. You look at me happily and gratefully.
Gratitude
All I gave you was a little attention. In exchange, you told me much more about life than you will ever know.
Dignity
I look at you. Slowly, you lift your head up and look at me. You look overwhelmed, because you've lost everything. That's the one story your eyes tell me. But it's not just a story of loss. You've lost your kingdom, true, but not your grace, you dignity, or your pride.
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More information on Faces of Nepal can be found here.
The Iowa caucuses were a victory for pundits. But many will continue to mislead about what's really going on this election -- or be oblivious to its realities.
OK, Monday night certainly didn't pan out for those predicting a coronation for our not-so-benevolent wannabe dictator Donald Trump. Iowa voters treated analysts skeptical of the billionaire Republican's true appeal to a healthy heaping of schadenfreude.
But, as usual, the two main storylines emerging from the Hawkeye State (where I lived for 10 years) reflected long-established conventional wisdom. The first is that Marco Rubio really won the GOP contest (not Ted Cruz, the actual winner) by beating expectations by finishing third (and almost defeating Trump). The second is that Hillary Clinton's near-death experience with Bernie Sanders proves she's facing a Herculean task in winning the Democratic nomination.
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Let's look at the Republicans first. Pundits (and furiously spinning establishment Republicans) aren't wrong. The Florida senator certainly showed he could compete in a crowded field and withstand the Trump free-media juggernaut.
But the idea that Rubio actually won Iowa is laughable, although he gets props for his audacious "victory" speech. In politics, you can often fake it till you make it (as long as you sell it convincingly). Hey, it almost worked for Trump, right?
What Rubio did Monday was firmly establish himself as the establishment GOP darling. That could prove invaluable in New Hampshire next week, where he could essentially (or actually) knock out others in that lane: Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie. But it's not clear Rubio will post a victory there. Trump has been dominating for months -- he could fade a bit, but easily still win and remain a serious contender for the nomination.
And everyone seems to be bizarrely discounting Cruz, who's fresh off an upset win in Iowa. He already was tied for second place with Kasich in New Hampshire polling averages (Rubio was fourth). While the Granite State often favors establishment candidates, Trump certainly doesn't fit that bill. Teeming with momentum from Iowa, Cruz could become an acceptable vessel for GOP voters' anger and frustration, and cannibalize Trump's support.
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In Iowa, the Texas senator proved his organization and analytics team are first-rate. He's playing the long game, and is well-positioned for the "SEC primary" on Super Tuesday, where a bundle of delegates are up for grabs. He's also been hustling in far-flung places from Guam to Michigan, which most campaigns have, thus far, neglected.
While Rubio will certainly see an influx of big money and establishment endorsements, Cruz is still in a stronger position post-Iowa. After all, he's gotten where he is with very little love from pundits, traditional donors and fellow GOP politicians.
As for the Democrats, Monday was essentially a tie, although Clinton eked out a few more delegates. That's not an ideal outcome for the frontrunner -- she should have won in a walk. So Clinton has earned her fair share of negative headlines and lame jokes (Did you hear the one about her losing to a socialist? Yuk, yuk, yuk). But it could be worse. She clearly would have been subjected to a deafening onslaught if she'd lost Iowa outright, as she did eight years ago.
Clinton certainly looks like she'll lose New Hampshire next week. Sanders, who hails from next-door Vermont, was already well ahead. That will produce a couple more weeks of negative coverage for her.
The Democratic contest has been dull with a capital "D," so pundits are visibly relieved that there's finally some drama.
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And Sanders deserves his positive press. He started with nothing -- no money, no institutional support and no media coverage. And he came within a whisker of toppling the formidable former Secretary of State in the first contest.
The Democratic Party has moved left and Sanders has tapped into activists' passion, especially on long-neglected issues like income inequality. The fact that the senator won a jaw-dropping 70 percent of voters under 30 shows that his ideas are the future of the party (for good or for ill).
But Clinton remains the odds-on favorite to win the 2016 nomination, as she's strongly positioned in South Carolina and Super Tuesday, which is a delegate jackpot.
She's been wise to bang the drum on the Flint water crisis, calling out Michigan's Republican governor and clamoring for a Democratic debate in the city. This sends a powerful message to African-Americans, who don't make up much of the Iowa or New Hampshire electorates, but are key to winning the nomination (and could be for the general election, as well). It also allows Clinton to co-opt Sanders' message that powerful interests run the table against the poor and working class.
Looking at the narratives that have played out this election, Rubio has been portrayed as the fresh-faced future of the Republican Party, while Clinton is the untrustworthy candidate of old (a not-so-subtle double entendre). The Iowa results gave fuel to both storylines.
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But beware of what pundits are trying to sell you. They're too often seduced by the most sensational (and ratings-rich) narrative -- why do you think Trump gobbled up so much free airtime?
The Democratic contest remains far more boring than most observers would like to admit. And the Republican establishment isn't nearly as strong as many would like you to believe.
Every pundit brings their own biases into the equation, which is fine. We're all guilty of confirmation bias, convinced that events have proven our preconceived notions.
I'll never forget meeting with a Republican publisher prior to the 2010 election. An outlier poll showed the Dean of the House, Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), down double digits. The publisher was visibly giddy, predicting imminent disaster for the Dean. Dingell, of course, went on to win by a whopping 17 points, and became the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history, before retiring in 2014.
That episode left an indelible impression on me. When I'm evaluating elections, I always try to take emotion out of the equation. Forget what I'd like to happen. Forget who I like (or don't). Just evaluate the facts at hand, as best I can.
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There is no doubt that educational access worldwide has improved in the past two decades. This has been driven by the launch in 1990 of the United Nations' Education for All global initiative. By 2011 there were more than 136 million children enrolled in schools compared with just 82 million in 1999.
The picture is far less rosy in sub-Saharan Africa. The region is home to half of the world's children who ought to be in school but are not enrolled.
This is not for lack of hard work and political will. Take Tanzania, for instance. Immediately after its independence from Britain in 1961, the country declared total war against three enemies of development: ignorance, disease and poverty. It introduced a Universal Primary Education program which managed, to some extent, to address several educational challenges. The program made schools far more accessible to and safer for most Tanzanian children.
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But not everyone has benefited. People living with albinism are vulnerable to attack, mutilation - and murder. This means they're not able to freely and comfortably conduct day-to-day activities such as attending school. The United Nations warned in 2015 that many children with albinism are too frightened to leave their homes and go to school. It is clear that children with albinism are not able to benefit from "education for all".
A dangerous condition
Albinism is much more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa than in other parts of the world. Estimates suggest that as many as one in 1400 people in Tanzania are affected. The prevalence is as high as one in 1000 in selected Zimbabwean and other southern African ethnic groups.
Attacks on people with albinism are rife in Africa. Superstitions abound about people with this condition: for example, it is believed that their body parts are potent charms to bring fortune and good luck. Some believe that drinking the blood of people with albinism will imbue them with super strength.
In fact, people with albinism merely suffer from a genetic pigmentation deficiency that means their hair, eyes and skin have little or no colour.
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Data collected by the advocacy group Under the Same Sun shows that Tanzania is by far the most dangerous country to be an albino. It also warns that such attacks, mutilations, rapes and murders are likely to be under-reported.
It's not common for perpetrators to be arrested, tried and convicted. This might be attributed to the fact that even politicians are thought to be complicit in the murders of people with albinism. Some politicians have been accused of buying albino body parts as lucky charms to help them during elections.
This badly tarnishes Tanzania's image and contributes to the perception that the plight of people with albinism is not taken very seriously by the country's leaders. The country has made some attempts to curb the killings. In 2015 witch doctors, who are central to the trade of body parts, were banned. Sadly, the attacks continue.
In the past ten years a worrying new trend has emerged: children with albinism are often the victims of the brutal attacks described above. This is likely because children are more vulnerable and - since they are expected to be at school every day - easier to find in the same place and at the same time.
Many Tanzanian children walk long distances to and from school. They also play outside unsupervised and, being young and smaller than adults, will not always have the physical strength to resist attackers.
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How can this scourge be tackled?
Seeking solutions
Poverty is at the core of attacks on people with albinism. Those who are battling to survive are often lured by syndicates which offer a lot of money for the body parts or entire body of a person with albinism. In some cases, people can earn as much as USD $75,000 on the black market for this grisly trade.
Tanzania's authorities will need to take a varied approach towards ending the plight of people and particularly children with albinism. Special attention will have to be paid to children who come from poor families and are more likely to leave school out of fear for their safety during long walks or time spent alone. It is important that they be given the support to stay in school and get the same education as their peers who do not have albinism.
In addition, local community leaders and religious leaders need to be involved in advocacy and education. Through these measures perhaps people will learn to live together peacefully, and Tanzanian children with albinism will no longer have to hide in their own homes.
Simon Ngalomba, Lecturer in Educational Foundations, Management and Life Long Learning, University of Dar es Salaam
By Sarah Zhang, New Trier
and Samantha Helffrich, Walter Payton
There was a time when moms and dads carted around their children in the good ol' mini-van -- be it to the movies, practice or the mall. When a kid's sweet 16 finally rolled around, newly-licensed teens were more than eager to cruise to their heart's content.
But now, in the new age of "ridesharing," the dynamic of how we get around has changed dramatically.
Ridesharing generally means carpooling, but ridesharing companies set up one-time shared rides on short notice. Some of the lesser-known companies replacing mom's trusty mini-van are Lyft, Sidecar and Curb. But the industry giant that's quickly becoming a household name? Uber.
Within five years of its launch, Uber earned a spot in nearly eight million phones, was used in over 120 cities globally and was valued at around $17 billion, according to 2014 Global Delivery Report data.
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So it comes as no shock that as such a fast-growing, youthful company, many teens are drawn to Uber. And why wouldn't they be? At any smartphone user's fingertips, Uber's accessibility has made it huge among a younger crowd.
But here's the catch: Although its tagline states that Uber is "everyone's private driver," the company maintains in their terms and conditions that "you must be at least 18 years of age, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction (if different than 18), to obtain an account."
Even with such a rule in place, teens still aren't fazed -- many hardly even know about it. New Trier senior Michaela Shields said she didn't know she wasn't allowed to use Uber if she wasn't 18 or over.
"I'd never even thought to check if there was a minimum age requirement, I just signed up," Shields said. "The sign up was really easy, and I don't even think it asked for my birthday."
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Many teens reported having no knowledge of the restriction imposed by Uber. New Trier sophomore Lorenzo Miller said he didn't feel like Uber made users aware of that rule.
"I use Uber all the time and I didn't know that was a rule," Miller said. "I feel like they definitely don't enforce it."
This lack of enforcement is a tricky area to navigate. When setting up an Uber account, a birth date is not required; by simply clicking "agree" to the terms and conditions, someone of any age is essentially promising that they're 18 or over.
Uber spokeswoman Kristin Carvell spoke to the Wall Street Journal about this very topic in December 2014.
"Users agree to our terms and conditions when they download the app," Carvell said. "We expect them to adhere to them. If we were to discover that someone under 18 had set up an Uber account, the account would be deactivated."
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But how Uber would find out if a minor was using their services? And if they did find out, would they actually do anything about it?
Harry Campbell -- a Forbes technology contributor and founder of "The Rideshare Guy," a blog and podcast for rideshare drivers -- ventured a guess as to why Uber hasn't cracked down on users under 18.
"They definitely know (minors are using Uber), but I don't think it's an issue for them since they're still making money off every ride," Campbell said. "I suspect they only have this provision to meet legal requirements in certain states."
So, even with the threat of deactivation looming, for the most part, minors disregard Uber's 18 and up rule, continuing to use the app for everything from party hopping to commuting to and from the city.
"I use Uber if I'm somewhere and something goes wrong, like maybe an emergency happens and I need to go home quickly," Shields said. "Using Uber means I can be gone in under 10 minutes usually, and it's really easy to book or cancel rides, depending on what's happening."
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Alongside the easy access to a ride, there's another major upside to Uber that draws teens in: The service can act as a replacement for any "designated driver," a chauffeur of sorts for underage drinkers.
Both Shields and Miller admitted they knew of peers and classmates who use Uber to get around after drinking at parties.
"I definitely know certain people who use Uber under the influence, but it's better than driving drunk or anything even remotely like that," Shields said. "If minors having Uber accounts helps reduce the amount of crashes or deaths, then I think it's very important, even if there is a rule against it."
According to a 2015 study Uber did in partnership with MADD, "monthly alcohol-related crashes decreased by 6.5 percent (or 59.21 per month) among drivers under 30" following the launch of uberX in California.
With car crashes leading the way in cause of death for teens -- a quarter of which involve an underage drinking driver, according to MADD -- Uber seems to be an easy solution for many. It makes things easier for parents too, who no longer have to be called at a late hour for a ride home, whether or not the teen is under the influence.
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For some parents, this seems like a godsend, but others are suspicious of Uber and question its overall safety and legitimacy compared to that of a taxi service. Shield's father, Kevin Shields, is wary of Uber.
"When I order a cab, the cab calls me when the cab arrives to verify both my and the cab's identities," he said. "I have used Uber once or twice, and there is no such process ... Cabs are marked, licensed and dispatched centrally. It is difficult to 'fake' a cab. It is easy to 'fake' an Uber."
Mother Suzanne Collins has her own doubts about Uber as well, and the rule against minors only serves to fuel those doubts.
"I was not aware of the law because my minors have Ubered," Collins said. "Obviously, it's not enforced."
Collins said she sees Uber's lack of background checks as another pitfall of the service, and so while she wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of her daughter using Uber, in certain cases, she said it would have to do.
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"I guess I would (allow it) as a last resort," Collins said.
Without enforcement, minors are going to keep using Uber regardless of the rule. Uber may very well replace driving oneself around in the future.
"Sixteen-year-olds in the past couldn't wait to get their license," Campbell said. "Now kids are happy to get Uber accounts and have someone drive them around."
Credit: Lili Sams/Thrillist
Waking up on your birthday to well wishes and good vibes from all the people who remembered is fantastic. But what if all your favorite national chain restaurants remembered too? And what if they then offered you a totally free Cinnabon?? Well, wishes can come true, people, because we've rounded up the best restaurant birthday deals in the country.
As offers vary by location, be sure to call ahead to make sure the deal is valid. No one wants to celebrate their birthday at Arby's unless there's a free shake involved.
A&W All American Food
Sign up for the Mug Club to get a free root beer float on your birthday.
Applebee's
Dessert's on the restaurant for members of the eClub.
Arby's
Sign up for Arby's Extras and excitedly check your mailbox for a free shake coupon sent a week before your big day.
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Au Bon Pain
Lunch is free on your birthday when you join the eClub.
Auntie Anne's
Signing up for Pretzel Perks gets you a BOGO (buy one, get one) pretzel on your birthday, so bring a friend! (Just kidding. Go alone and get two pretzels.)
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill
Birthdays are tasty at Club Baja, where you get a free burrito on your birthday with membership.
Baskin-Robbins
Enjoy a free scoop of ice cream on your birthday as a member of the creatively named Birthday Club.
Ben & Jerry's
Being a ChunkSpelunker sounds vaguely gross until you realize it gets you free ice cream on your birthday! Wait... no, no it still sounds gross.
Benihana
Membership to the Chef's Table grants you a $30 gift certificate to be used anytime in your entire birthday month. If there's any time to get filet mignon hibachi, that time is now.
Bojangles'
You have to join an e-club andmake a purchase to get a "free" Bojangles' birthday biscuit but c'mon... have you tried those biscuits?
Boston Market
Call yourself a VIP at Boston Market for a free dessert with purchase on your birthday.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Snag a spot in the Buffalo Circle to enjoy a free snack-size order of traditional or boneless wings with your choice of sauce during a two-week window around your birthday. That's up to an $11.49 value... wild!
California Pizza Kitchen
Save your birthday dough as a member of the CPK rewards program and enjoy a free dessert during your birthday month.
Capital Grille
Finally, a birthday gift that doesn't require your email address! Show up at the Capital Grille on your birthday for a complimentary chocolate espresso cake to cap off your meal. Free and fancy!
Carrabba's
Score a free appetizer or dessert during the month of your birthday when you join the Amici Club.
Carvel
Everyone loves birthday ice cream! Grab a cone on Carvel as a Fudgie Fanatic.
Chili's
Chili's email club dishes out a coupon for a free brownie sundae, good for two weeks. (The deal, probably not the sundae.)
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Credit: Drew Swantak/Thrillist
Cinnabon
Club Cinnabon gives birthday revelers a free coupon for a "birthday treat." Word on the street is the treat varies, and who doesn't love birthday surprises?
Cold Stone
What's better than ice cream with a friend on your birthday?? Your friend's ice cream and your ice cream in your facehole on your birthday because you joined the My Cold Stone Club and collected your BOGO offer solo.
Corner Bakery Cafe
Join the Corner eCafe and treat yo'self to a free birthday pastry.
Cracker Barrel
This may not be your first-choice venue for a meal on your birthday, but what if we told you they'd give you free dessert and a song? C'mon, at least stop by for a pregame pancake...
Dairy Queen
Everyone loves Blizzards, so you may as well join the DQ Blizzard Fan Club for a BOGO deal on your birthday.
Denny's
Score a free Grand Slam just for being born, no email signup required!
Dippin' Dots
The "ice cream of the future" is oddly nostalgic. Head down memory lane as a member of the Dot Crazy! Email & Rewards Club with free Dippin' Dots on your special day.
Dunkin' Donuts
Sip on a free beverage of choice on your birthday as a member of DD Perks.
Edible Arrangements
Everyone's favorite company for when you don't know what else to get someone has an Edible Rewards program that'll send you an assortment of free chocolate-dipped fruit for your birthday. When will someone create a company that delivers chocolate-dipped chocolate?
Friendly's
How much do you love Friendly's? Enough to be BFF status? Make your commitment email-official and you'll receive a free Happy Ending sundae on your birthday.
Fuddruckers
Join the Fudds Club for a BOGO birthday burger.
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If you learned anything from repeated late-night viewings of the movie EuroTrip, it's be wary of absinthe. Also, nude beaches and sex clubs are never what they're cracked up to be.
But what you should've also taken away is that a Euro trip isn't complete without venturing out of the big cities. Sure, Paris and Rome are iconic, but Europe's loaded with smaller cities (with populations under 275k) that are equally charming, authentic, and seriously underrated. Here are 10 you need to visit.
Credit: Oleksiy Mark/Shutterstock
Lubeck
Germany
Foodies, trust us when we say that Lubeck must be on your European bucket list. This German port city is famous for its marzipan candy and a local wine called Rotspon -- French reds aged in northern weather for a smoother, fuller taste (apparently, Napoleon was a fan). Lubeck's compact old town is also full of charming medieval architecture, like the 15th-century Holsten Gate and seven church steeples. Go forth, and explore those cobblestone streets with a wine buzz and sugar high.
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Credit: Piotr Wawrzyniuk/Shutterstock
Trondheim
Norway
Norway's oldest major city has more than enough history and culture to jam-pack a long weekend. Serving as the country's former capital during the good ole Viking days, landmarks range from a medieval fortress to Nidaros Cathedral (first built in 1070... whoa). Trondheim's privy to a large student population so depending on your age, that's either a good or a bad thing. In either case, it means there's always plenty going on, especially in pubs, clubs, and restaurants.
Credit: Andrei Nekrassov/Shutterstock
Cork
Ireland
Cork's a wee city of 119,000 that doesn't get due credit, especially considering it's got plenty of traditional pubs, hipster cafes, and live tunes to make a visit worthwhile. Corkonians are also known for being the chattiest of the Irish, so be prepared for lots of good-humored banter and friendly vibes. If you're lucky, you might even get goaded into taking the illustrious Barrack St Challenge -- drinking a pint from every bar on the strip and still being able to walk. Gahhhh.
Credit: Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock
Ljubljana
Slovenia
Pronounced "lyoo-BLYAH-nah" (we know you were wondering), Slovenia's capital is an underrated gem. The scenery is reminiscent of Prague -- dramatic, sweeping bridges, and Baroque architecture -- but with a more laid-back vibe. There's also loads to do (and most of it on the cheap), including riverside cafes, museums (did somebody say Slovenian Railway Museum?!?!), and quirky underground bars like Pr'Skelet, which is full of skeletons. Also, the castle. Don't miss the medieval castle.
Pilsen
Czech Republic
Pilsen's a city where ending the night (and your visit) with a big tipsy grin is pretty much inevitable. West Bohemia's capital is the birthplace of pilsner beer, and the Pilsner Urquell brewery and local sparkling winery both do cellar tours. Traditional Czech restaurants and a fantastic old town square also make this city of 167,000 a must-visit. Even better, it's only a couple hours by train out of Prague.
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I've got some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that presidential candidates are starting to talk about Internet issues.
The bad news is that presidential candidates are starting to talk about Internet issues.
Since the 2012 election, the Internet has emerged as a widely discussed political topic. Advocates of an open and accessible Internet number in the tens of millions and include people of every political stripe living in every part of the United States.
This growing community supports Net Neutrality, worries about violations of their privacy by government spies and corporations too, and believes the Internet is a crucial platform that everyone should be able to access at affordable prices.
Whether you're one of the more than 10 million people who protested congressional efforts to pass Internet-censoring copyright legislation or one of the millions who urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt real Net Neutrality protections, you're part of a growing political base that expects our elected leaders to support our rights to connect and communicate.
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That's a good thing, right? Here's the problem. Presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle haven't caught up with the rest of us. When facing intelligent questions about their views on important Internet issues, they just plain get it wrong most of the time.
Kasich: Let's Not Talk About It
During last Thursday's GOP debate, Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly pushed Gov. John Kasich for his views on the important issue of encryption.
"Tech companies and a group of MIT scientists warn that if they create a way for the FBI to have a back door into our encrypted communications, then the bad guys will exploit it, too. And they say that this is going to cause more security problems than it would solve for everyday Americans. Are they wrong?" Kelly asked.
"Megyn, it's best not to talk anymore about back doors and encryption," Kasich said. "It will get solved, but it needs to be solved in the situation room of the White House with the technology folks."
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"But this is public testimony," Kelly pressed.
"I just have to tell you that it's best with some of these things [that they] not be said," the governor said.
Maybe it's an odd sense of secrecy and decorum motivating his answer. Or maybe Kasich would rather not talk about encryption because he knows very little about it. In 2016, we should expect our politicians to be better versed on matters that affect everyone's right to communicate in private.
Clinton: It's Complicated
Other candidates have been more detailed than Kasich -- but no less misguided.
In December, Hillary Clinton offered her view on encryption. "If we truly are in a war against terrorism ... then we've got to shut off their means of communicating," she said. "It's more complicated with some of what they do on encrypted apps, and I'm well aware of that, and that requires even more thinking about how to do it."
Well, the thinking is pretty far along at this point. Encryption isn't the evil it's often portrayed to be. It doesn't shield only terrorist communications. In fact, investigations into the Paris and San Bernardino attacks show the culprits communicating by more conventional means. Encryption is most often used to safeguard businesses, protect people from human rights violations, and keep the data of innocent Internet users safe from criminal hackers.
Were a President Clinton to succeed in weakening encryption services offered in the United States, terrorists would simply go elsewhere to find bulletproof, end-to-end tools. Much of the encryption software developed in the U.S. is already out of our hands, owing to relaxed export controls over the past decade. Law-abiding Americans who use encryption for legitimate ends would suffer the most from attempts to disable these tools.
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Cruz: It's Lunacy
Politicians have flexed their feeble tech muscles on other Internet issues too -- like Net Neutrality.
During a campaign stop in New Hampshire last month, a member of the audience asked Sen. Ted Cruz about the FCC's 2015 decision to protect the open Internet. In the middle of a lengthy, fact-free rebuke of President Obama and the FCC rules, Cruz said, "Anyone who wants to innovate has to go to government regulators to get permission to launch some new website to do something novel on the Internet. That is lunacy."
One problem, senator. Absolutely nothing in the FCC's Open Internet Order gives Obama or anyone else the authority to decide who gets to launch a website and who doesn't. The order is clear that no one -- neither the government nor a corporation -- should interfere with a user's right to access the free and open Internet. That includes our right to create websites and services without permission.
Cruz's dog-whistle politicking turns a deaf ear to the millions of people, Republicans and Democrats alike, who have spoken out in support of Net Neutrality.
Trump and Clinton: Shut It Down
When it comes to alleged government regulation of online content, Cruz should be more concerned about fellow Republican Donald Trump, who on multiple occasions has said the government needs to shut down the Internet to keep America safe.
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"I sure as hell don't want to let people that want to kill us and kill our nation use our Internet," Trump said in December.
Here's the thing, Mr. Trump: The Internet doesn't belong to any one nation. The only politicians who believe that sit in the Chinese Politburo. And China's attempts to nationalize the Internet include building a "Golden Shield" that bars Internet users there from accessing "dangerous" ideas about human rights, free speech and democracy.
China's Great Firewall is not the sort of precedent Trump or any other presidential candidate should follow. Right, Secretary Clinton?
"Resolve means depriving jihadists of virtual territory," Clinton said in December. "They are using websites, social media, chat rooms and other platforms to celebrate beheadings, recruit future terrorists and call for attacks. We should work with host companies to shut them down."
Unfortunately, the social media companies that host much of our communications have a spotty record when it comes to determining what is a censorable offense and what's merely contentious public discourse. Forcing host companies to police speech on social media is a path riddled with First Amendment potholes.
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Bush: It's Crazy
So what is the government's role when it comes to the Internet? The millions of people who have spoken up about it since the 2012 election believe the government should put the rights of Internet users first. That means the government shouldn't regulate our online content but should enable us to innovate, speak and share without interference from governments and corporations alike.
What say you, Gov. Bush?
"The idea of regulating access to the Internet with a 1934 law is one of the craziest ideas I've ever heard," Bush said while taking a question about Net Neutrality from fellow diners at an Iowa pizza joint.
It's not crazy, unless you really think that the only test of a law is how old it is. (How's that Constitution holding up, by the way?)
The laws the FCC returned to aren't some Depression-era relic. Congress updated Title II in overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. That paved the way for the explosive growth of the Internet we know today. This law applies to the cable and phone company networks that connect us to each other.
These companies are always looking for new ways to filter, prioritize and even block Internet traffic. Net Neutrality rules follow the law to provide the safeguards millions of Internet users have called for.
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These Internet users are becoming more visible in 2016. Come November their presence could be felt as more Internet rights advocates go to the polls. Our issues are beginning to get through to the candidates on a few fronts: Both Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders support Net Neutrality protections while Sen. Rand Paul has been an outspoken advocate for online privacy and against unwarranted government surveillance.
At the Free Press Action Fund, we don't endorse or oppose candidates for public office. But we do pay close attention to what they're saying about Internet policy.
As world leaders gather to address human suffering in Syria and the region, the values of humanity, solidarity and responsibility that bring them together must apply for other crises, such as that in the Sahel. This may appear a tall order. It is. But the alternative - insufficient engagement - is much worse. Without urgent and concerted action, the converging effects of climate change, abject poverty, and violent extremism at play in the Sahel risk spiraling out of control.
Leaders of the world are coming together in London this week for all the right reasons: As the violence continues unabated, stoking more turmoil in an already restive region, standing by the Syrians is unquestionably our collective duty. Encouragingly, re-invigorating the quest for durable solutions to the crisis that has plagued the Middle East for long is the order of the day, and it is heartening to see renewed energy coming together in London to this end.
While decision makers meet, it is not only the children, women and men of Syria who must be on their minds. It is also the disenfranchised, the impoverished and the displaced people of the Sahel who grapple with the effects of a powerful cocktail of violent extremism, climate change and abject poverty that is wrecking the lives and prospects of millions.
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Stretching across the central belt of Africa, some 150 million people live in one the harshest environments in the world. All countries in the Sahel are stuck in the bottom fifth of the human development index and extreme poverty affects one in every two people. The region is also one of the world's hot spots for climate change. The impact of environmental degradation is clear as it becomes harder for agro-pastoralists - the backbone of the region's economy - to cope with increasingly unpredictable weather with which people had coped for centuries. The shrinking of the Lake Chad's waters has contributed to crop failures, livestock deaths, collapsed fisheries, thereby increasing poverty and social tensions among communities. As if that were not enough of a burden, violent extremism has added a more dangerous ingredient to the blend. Hunger, poverty and limited economic and social prospects have laid the ground for grievance and radicalization. Across Mali and its neighbours or in the Lake Chad Basin, armed groups lure impoverished youths with monetary compensation they could not earn in a year's honest work.
Immense and ever-mounting humanitarian need is the most visible symptom of the triple jeopardy. The region remains one of the world's main humanitarian operations, representing a tenth of the global relief response. Some 23.5 million people - one in six - struggle to secure their daily meal, and nearly one in five children die before their fifth birthday. Violence has driven 4.5 million people from their homes, a threefold increase in less than two years. Africa's fastest growing displacement crisis is unfolding across the Lake Chad Basin, where the lives and livelihoods of some 20 million are threatened by Boko Haram, today's most deadly armed group.
Calling on world leaders to tackle the root causes of issues in the Sahel as they gather to discuss the ever-present crisis in Syria may seem a bit much. It is. However, today's leaders cannot afford the alternative. The longer we wait to address the tragedy of poverty, climate change and violent extremism, the bigger the problem will grow because of a simple, fourth ingredient: the region records the world's fastest demographic growth. Today, about 150 million people live in the Sahel. With the population doubling every two decades we are likely to see 300 million people in the region by 2036. Shrinking natural resources and stretched basic services will not sustain people's needs, fuelling more tensions, grievances or pushing people to seek safety or life elsewhere.
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Given the scale of the threats, only an urgent and coherent approach that builds on the comparative advantages of security, trade, development, environment and relief can help stabilize the Sahel and create conditions for people not only to survive, but also to prosper at home in their countries. By investing collectively now, we will save much more later.
Follow Toby Lanzer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tobylanzer
This post originally appeared at Town & Country.
Domenico de Sole and his wife, Eleanore (Photo: Getty)
"What do you see?
That is the opening line in RED, the 2009 play about Mark Rothko written by John Logan. Alfred Molina, playing Rothko memorably on Broadway, opens the 90-minute piece, pointing to one of the painter's infamous red and black works -- or since we are on stage, a replica -- and asks: "What do you see?"
That's my question as I sit off and on in the packed courtroom on the third floor of the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse at 40 Center Street in New York, where Judge Paul Gardephe is hearing the month-long civil case of luxury goods magnate (and Sotheby's chairman) Domenico de Sole, and his wife Eleanore (above) , against Ann Freedman, the former president of the Knoedler Gallery, the oldest art gallery in New York until it abruptly closed in 2011. The de Soles argue that Freedman and Knoedler knowingly sold them a fake Rothko, Untitled 1956, for $8.3 million in 2004. (A Long Island woman, Glafira Rosales, has already pled guilty to peddling Knoedler forty or so fake works created by Queens street artist Pei-Shen Quian, which the gallery then resold at staggering markups.) Meanwhile, a criminal investigation hovers. Rosales has not yet been sentenced, and her co-conspirators, Qian and her boyfriend, Jose Carlos Bergantinos Diaz, as well as Diaz' brother, await extradition from China and Spain, respectively. At stake, many in the art world believe, is the opaque manner in which dealers and galleries operate, hiding behind the mythology of expensive art created by talented drug addicts and drunkards, many of whom left imperfect records. Dealers are not required to tell customers the identity of sellers, a standard that would never fly in, say, high-end real estate, or any other multimillion-dollar field.
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What do you see?
Apparently RED is on the mind of several people in court. As she was leaving court last Wednesday, Eleanor de Sole told journalists she'd seen the play performed in her hometown of Hilton Head, South Carolina. So what is it we currently see in the courtroom?
First we see theater: a real-time, real-life high-stakes drama that transports one into the multi-layered art world, a jigsaw-puzzle of innumerable experts, historians, researchers, conservators, and middlemen all looking for an angle and a cut. (Never again will I listen to any art professional who says, "I'm only interested in art, not the commercial side of the industry.") Simply put, there is no art without money: the relationship is symbiotic. Christopher Rothko, Mark's son, has been in court testifying that he has a policy of never authenticating his father's work. David Anfam, the world's leading expert on Rothko and author of the Catalogue Raisonne, has said the same thing. Why? Not because they can't recognize Rothko's art (Anfam was clear on that) but because too much money is at stake. Rothko told Ann Freedman back in the day he thought the fake Rothko was "beautiful," but he was not prepared to document that it was also real. The reliance the whole industry places on nebulous-sounding oratory rather than solid documentation is almost comic. No other sophisticated business does transactions based on verbal fairy-tales. The defense, according to Freedman's lawyer Luke Nikas, plans to show early next week that this "context" -- the very real world of fairy tales and no documentation -- is crucial to understanding it all.
So far the testimony has taken us back to the 1990s and 2000s, inside the opulent walls of the high-windowed Knoedler Gallery on 70 and Madison. Founded in 1846, Knoedler was the oldest, most reputable gallery in America. Ann Freedman, 68, sitting tall off to the left as you face Judge Gardephe, is a reedy, grey-haired, bespectacled woman who looks more like a university don than a hard-charging saleswoman; however, it was Freedman who battled her way up from Knoedler's receptionist to become its president in 1994, earning herself a reputation that commanded respect, yes, but also fear. Peers thought she was sharp-elbowed. Many complained of the abrupt way she replaced her well-liked predecessor Larry Rubin, reportedly changing the succession arrangement he'd set up.
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We also learned last week that certain people in the art community didn't like her way of conducting business. In 1994, which was when Rosales first brought her fake wares to Knoedler, the British-born MoMA curator John Elderfield told Freedman that he didn't think two Richard Diebenkorn works the gallery was showing were authentic. Phyllis Diebenkorn, the artist's widow, who was with him, agreed, according to Elderfield; so too did the Diebenkorns' daughter Gretchen, who testified that the paintings "lack soul." Elderfield tried to be British and polite about his misgivings, which in hindsight might have been a mistake. Assuming Freedman would withdraw the works, he'd be "dismayed" ten years later to discover she had sold them. Diebenkorn's wife was outraged. But -- and it's a big but -- she never wrote to Freedman or anyone complaining.
Meanwhile, as many have testified, Ann Freedman was extremely successful at finding and selling first-rate contemporary art. Her "brand," to quote Domenico de Sole (who, one could argue, knows a thing or two about brands given his stewardship of Gucci and now Tom Ford) was impeccable. De Sole told jurors that under her rule, the Knoedler Gallery continued to be thought of in superlatives. It was "the top."
This was the reason, de Sole told the jury, that he and his wife, Eleanor, a former IBM executive, showed up for an appointment at Knoedler in late 2004. They'd never met Freedman, but they knew her "brand." They also knew she represented an Irish artist, Sean Scully, whose work they'd recently admired on a friend's wall. At that point the de Soles collected art but had never spent more than $2 million on a single item. They are rich, yes, but not billionaires. De Sole, a Harvard-trained-lawyer, had "worked hard" to get where he is, he explained.
As it turned out, Freedman told the de Soles in 2004 she did not have a Sean Scully, according to de Sole, so he asked to see the two works she did have in the office, prompting her to unwrap a Jackson Pollock she said was available for over $11 million. There was also the red and black Rothko, Untitled 1956, available for $8.5 million.
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While de Sole described the scene, its subject, the painting, was beside him on an easel. It was displayed casually, almost absurdly so given the dramatic "unveiling" being discussed. "Aggressive" was the word de Sole used to describe Freedman's pitch. She mentioned a Swiss "client" who wanted to sell his paintings discreetly. His father had been the collector. (Earlier that morning in the courtroom, one of Knoedler's researchers, Melissa De Medeiros, had been forced to admit that although the gallery came up with various "plausible" storylines about who might have advised this client's father, known as "Mr. X", Knoedler had no concrete idea who this person was.)
But to the de Soles Ann Freedman gave the impression she not only knew the "client" but that all sorts of experts, including Christopher Rothko and David Anfam, had seen the work and validated it. (Anfam and Rothko both denied this.) "Magnificent" was another word Freedman used. De Sole would ask her to put it all in writing, which she did. Her letter, shown to the jury, clearly says that Knoedler warranted the authenticity of Untitled, 1956.
Christopher Rothko (Photo: Getty)
De Sole and his wife let the painting, once purchased, go abroad to be viewed at the prestigious Beyeler Foundation in Switzerland, then hung it in their house in South Carolina, where many friends came to view it, said de Sole. It was bought for his daughter Laura, since he and Eleanor have taken trouble to divide up their estate fairly between Laura and another daughter, who "fight," according to their mother.
But one morning in 2011, after he got out of the shower, de Sole found his wife shaking. She'd read a story in the New York Times saying that another painting, Untitled 1950 by Jackson Pollock, sold to hedge fund manger Pierre LaGrange by Knoedler in 2007 for $17 million, was fake. The provenance -- a Swiss collector had supposedly owned it -- sounded all too familiar. De Sole would ultimately call Freedman, who stated that Lagrange was wrong. Both his painting and De Sole's were the real deal. The word "aggressive" was used again.
That was the last time Freedman and de Sole spoke. A criminal investigation began; the Knoedler gallery closed. The truth about Rosales and her scheme would emerge. Freedman, who has not yet testified, will argue that she too was a victim, having bought three works from Rosales too. (At far less of a markup than her customers.) A startled de Sole testified that he had only discovered in court that the "Rothko" he bought from Ann Freedman for $8.3 million had been purchased from Rosales by Freedman for a mere $950,000. He was spluttering as he got that last part out.
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How did you feel about the painting once you discovered it was a fake? he was asked. "It was worthless," he said, adding his wife now cries at night, and finally, "I got a fake painting for $8.3 million and they don't want to give it back to me."
And all the while the painting sat there beside him. At some point the lawyers picked it up and took it out -- fast. Had it been worth $8.3 million -- or more, because a real Rothko by would have appreciated significantly -- men in white gloves would have been called. It was now a rough-handled object of scorn.
And there, really, is the puzzle at the heart of all this for people who don't spend their time pouring over art catalogues or traipsing through galleries. How is it that one moment a painting can be loved and admired, hung on a museum's walls, and the next it is "worthless," jostled, bounced about, and cried over? Surely the painting was still the painting.
What do you see?
However this ends, the spectacle of that painting in court is a deconstructive mockery of all the murky pretension, hypocrisy, and greed around it. It's testament if ever there was that art -- and, as a lover of Keats and a believer in truth being beauty and all that suggests, I really hate to say this -- has no intrinsic value. The value consists entirely in the perception of where it came from, not what it is.
What do you see?
So what I see in court during this trial is a rapidly expanding global industry that, terrifyingly, has zero regulation, is rife with corruption, price-fixing and self-interest, and is little more than a shady, self-interested cartel based on . . . nothing.
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Photo: Facebook page of Dejala Decidir, march for decriminalization of abortion, Peru 2015.
After more than 4,000 cases of microcephaly- the congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development- in Brazil, around 2,100 in Colombia and many on the rise in the rest of Latin America, Zika has just been declared a public health emergency by the WHO.
Public health experts agree that contraception and abortion are two of the best tools for combating the consequences of the Zika virus outbreak, however most Latin American nations prefer to be guided by Christian credo rather than concern for the health of its people, making contraception largely unavailable, penalizing abortion and deciding on the destiny of thousands of women and their families.
It is time that Latin American governments start treating the currently unavoidable issue of abortion as an issue of public health rather than one of conservative religious beliefs, and it is the perfect moment for reproductive rights activists to step up, organize and demand action against the ludicrous responses their governments have to a crisis that will affect those infected for the rest of their lives.
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Most countries in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and southern Asia have severe abortion laws. Those range from 2-6 years of imprisonment in the Philippines to a 30-year prison sentence in El Salvador. Given these country's poor health systems and the unavailability of access to safe abortion, even women with life-threatening pregnancies need to risk their life either by carrying the pregnancy to term or by choosing an unsafe abortion.
Photo: Facebook page of Dejala Decidir, march for decriminalization of abortion, Peru 2015. "I decide over my body"
El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile and the Dominican Republic all ban abortion without exception or consideration for victims of rape, fetal anomaly or the mother's health. And whereas the better answer to this health emergency surely lies in a vaccine against Zika, that answer is simply not available as of today. Yet governments like the one in El Salvador tend to make it sound as if the solution is on its way by telling women to simply wait with pregnancies until 2018.
Not only is the international community far from a solution at this point, but postponing pregnancies is no option for many women in Latin America even if they wanted to. A poor woman living in a rural area of her country- whether that is Brasil or Colombia- is not only more susceptible to the virus (due to the tropical climate and the financial inaccessibility of insect repellent) but she is usually not sufficiently informed about contraceptive methods let alone able to obtain them (legally).
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This is why Zika -just like most infectious diseases- is again a disease that will most likely target the poor disproportionately.
Unlike some other infections, a pregnant woman that contracted Zika will suffer from its effects for the rest of her life. She will need to take care of a child most likely disabled in his/her's mental and/or physical abilities with limited resources, bad access to specialized healthcare and little knowledge about the condition her child was born with.
If the governments of those Latin American countries affected do not change their abortion laws in the face of this crisis, chances are high that Zika will not only force nations to deal with thousands of disabled infants but that governments will also have thousands of women's deaths on their conscience due to unsafe abortions.
Photo: Chola Contravisual The paradox within Latin America is that many of its countries advocate health as a human right. They claim that every single member of society should obtain the services he or she requires to thrive in good health, both physical and mental. Yet it is also Latin American countries such as Ecuador that despite their progressive governments do not seem to acknowledge that a woman's reproductive choice is part of this right.
Data from 2008 suggests that 13% of worldwide maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortions. These are tens of thousands of women who die because their governments, communities or religious circles deprive them of making their own reproductive decisions. Criminalizing abortion is putting thousands of lives at risk every day and it does not reduce the likelihood that women facing an unplanned pregnancy will seek abortion services. All they do is compel women to risk their lives by seeking out unsafe abortions.
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As the WHO noted in its 2008 report on unsafe abortions "safe abortion has become a privilege of the rich, while poor women have little choice but to resort to unsafe providers." This is why more than 80% of unsafe abortions take place in developing countries with Latin America leading the list with 30 or more per 1000 women being forced to turn to bad solutions to a problem easily solved in rich countries and by committed governments.
Photo: Facebook page of Dejala Decidir, pro-choice event at the Lima courthouse, 2015.
Activists on the ground need to grasp this moment and fight this trend. Multiple organizations all over Latin America are already doing their part by demanding from their governments to primarily make contraceptives and early-screening test accessible so that women have the tools they need to postpone pregnancies or once already pregnant, to consider a safe and informed abortion. Women in both urban and rural areas need to be empowered to defend this human right and to decide themselves when to have a child.
The evidence suggests that abortions can be reduced when women are allowed contraception, when women are educated about family planning and when abortion clinics are available and financially accessible (liberalizing laws is not enough if abortion services are not made accessible in practice). Even in countries where abortion is not punished by law, women often have severely limited access because of political will.
US President Barack Obama speaks about equal pay during an event to mark the 7th Anniversary of the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act January 29, 2016 in Washington, DC. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Good news travels fast, and this time, it's generated quite the buzz in cities across America -- particularly in Baltimore, Maryland.
Last Saturday, the White House revealed that President Barack Obama will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore this week.
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He has visited mosques in other countries before, but this will be his first time visiting a U.S. mosque since he took office seven years ago.
While mosque leaders and White House staff coordinate logistics, this exciting news has dominated dinner table conversations especially in Muslim households as families discuss this historic occasion.
The timing is not coincidental. This long-awaited trip penciled on the president's itinerary comes during a critical time for members of the Islamic faith.
In recent months, anti-Muslim bigotry has taken on a pronounced and emboldened tone - creating a hostile environment where demonizing Islam and vilifying Muslims is normalized and profitable.
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"GOP presidential candidates ... have been using distasteful tactics to curry favor among their base, and the fallout from their fear-mongering has affected Muslims on multiple levels."
Islamophobic rhetoric has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels in America, and many Muslims report feeling more dejected and disenfranchised than ever before.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees religious freedom for all Americans. But increased incidences of Muslims being profiled, harassed and bullied reinforce the perception that it only applies to some.
GOP presidential candidates, political pundits and party elites have been using distasteful tactics to curry favor among their base, and the fallout from their fear-mongering has affected Muslims on multiple levels.
Bipartisan repudiation of bigoted attacks has been swift, though largely ineffective.
President Obama has also vocally denounced the hate speech and intolerance while pledging his commitment to defending religious freedom.
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During his final State of the Union address in January, he emphasized that commitment:
When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized, or a kid is called names, that doesn't make us safer. That's not telling it like it is. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country. 'We the People.' Our Constitution begins with those three simple words, words we've come to recognize mean all the people, not just some; words that insist we rise and fall together, and that's how we might perfect our Union.
This week, the president's words will be underscored by his mosque visit, described by the White House as an event to "celebrate American Muslims' contributions to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life."
During a roundtable with community members, the president is expected to deliver remarks stressing the importance of staying true to our core values of welcoming fellow Americans and speaking out against bigotry.
As an activist working to build interfaith relations and protect the rights of diverse Muslim communities, this occasion is especially important because I have witnessed firsthand the startling and grave impact of bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
"I don't want to be Muslim anymore," a Muslim friend's son confessed one night. Unprepared for this discussion, his shocked mother asked why. His response: "Muslims are bad people." Parents like her are anxious knowing they cannot protect their child from every attack on their religion.
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In the aftermath of the tragic San Bernardino shootings, a 13-year-old Maryland Muslim student was bullied and taunted by a classmate who yanked off her headscarf. When reprimanded, he replied that he was "making jokes" -- except it was not funny and no one laughed.
Anti-Muslim bigotry impacts people regardless of their age and socioeconomic status, and it has both immediate and long-term consequences.
"The visit will not be a magic bullet to cure every problem or resolve every grievance. But it will go a long way to restore faith in American ideals..."
The president's visit will not silence critics demanding an end to drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere that kill innocent Muslims.
It will not ease the pressure to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility that holds scores of prisoners detained indefinitely without trial for over a decade.
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It should not and will not appease activists mobilizing against unconstitutional policies and programs that wrongly profile vulnerable communities or compromise the rights of law-abiding Americans.
The visit will not be a magic bullet to cure every problem or resolve every grievance. But it will go a long way to restore faith in American ideals and reassure concerned communities of their place in our country.
It will be a strong rebuke to those promoting bigotry and intolerance by sending the message that American Muslims must also be respected and valued in our country.
On Wednesday, as our commander-in-chief enters a U.S. mosque for the first time since assuming presidency, I will be thinking about my Muslim friend and her son, who is struggling to reconcile his American nationality with his Islamic faith.
As he greets guests and speaks on inclusion and mutual respect, I will remember the thirteen-year-old Muslim girl who was bullied and harassed because she wears an Islamic headscarf.
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 20: (Editors Note: This is an exclusive shoot of Hindustan Times) Bollywood actor Anupam Kher during an exclusive interview with HT City-Hindustan Times for the promotion of upcoming film Gang of Ghosts at HT Media office on March 20, 2014, in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Waseem Gashroo/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI -- Non-issuance of a visa by the Pakistani government has led to the cancellation of actor Anupam Kher's participation in the Karachi Literary Festival, which begins on the 5th of February.
Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day festival by the organisers but he is the only one whose visa has not been cleared. The other 17 Indian participants have been given visas.
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Kher, who has just been honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Indian government, was to participate in at least two sessions and his name figured prominently in the festival schedule.
Confirming that he has not been issued a visa, Kher told PTI on Tuesday that he was very saddened by the development as he was looking forward to participate in the festival and use the platform to dispel misunderstandings in the minds of people there.
"We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity," he said.
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As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher told PTI:
"I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India."
Kher has been in the eye of the storm recently because he had sparked off an explosive social media debate after he told a senior journalist during an interview that he was scared to say that he is a Hindu.
Earlier, In May 2015, an NGO had invited him for an event in Lahore but a visa was denied to him on security grounds, reported The News Minute.
(With inputs from PTI)
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An American citizen flew halfway across the world to attend the wedding of an Indian man who had befriended her on Facebook, proving that blood isnt always thicker than water, but a social media connection can be.
Krishna Mohan Tripathi from Gorakhpur chanced across Deb Millers profile approximately four years ago, reported the Daily Mail. The 28-year-old, who had lost his mother during his teens, gradually forged a deep bond with Miller who is 60 years old, and lives in California.
"Facebook is a wonderful opportunity for people around the world to meet each other," said Miller in an interview with ANI (watch above), but added that the social media tool like any other was only as good as the person who was using it.
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As proof of their connection, Tripathis Facebook mom accepted the invitation to his wedding on 30 January, and flew down to Delhi, after which she took a train to Gorakhpur. I was surprised to receive a call from her on January 20, said the ecstatic groom who went down with his relatives and neighbours to receive Miller at the railway station.
Not only did Miller embrace Indian traditions by donning a golden Banarsi sari, she bestowed lavish gifts on Tripathi and his bride. She gifted them jewellery worth Rs 25 lakh, as well as a 125-year-old ring that she had purchased from an auction house in Britain.
Miller left with promises to come back and visit the Taj Mahal with her son, claiming she had fallen in love with India, and took 24 saris back with her as return gifts.
Tripathi, an aspiring lawyer, who is currently studying in Awadh University in Faizabad, also plans to visit Miller in America soon.
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NEW DELHI -- An Indian man and a Chinese woman were removed from their posts at the Indian embassy in Beijing after it was discovered that they were involved with each other, last year.
The episode also triggered alarm bells because the man had access to top secret areas and highly sensitive files in the Embassy, raising a larger question about compromises in security when an Indian employee of an embassy or consulate gets involved with a foreign national.
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Mail Today identified the man as a level-four employee at the Ministry of External Affairs, who worked as a peon. It is not clear whether he was married during his 'months-long' involvement with the Chinese woman.
The MEA employee admitted his involvement with the Chinese woman in September, and he was sent back to India in October on the orders of Ambassador Ashok Kantha, who retired in January. The woman's employment was also terminated.
Citing sources, Mail Today reported that the Indian worker had regular access to the most sensitive areas in the mission, especially the sealed off fourth floor, which has offices of top officials including India's ambassador to China.
An initial inquiry, which included a check of his phone records, suggested that no sensitive information was passed on to the Chinese national, and the security of the Indian embassy in Beijing was not breached.
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Officials interviewed by Mail Today suggest that relationships between Indian workers and foreign national are not a rare occurrence, and given concerns about security breaches, there is growing call for the MEA to be more transparent about dealing with such cases instead of quietly transferring the person.
"Officials should be held accountable and not simply moved from one post to another," TCA Rangachari, who was India's ambassador to France and Germany, told Mail Today. "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."
Speaking to Mail Today, Rangachari said that lower-level officials are often posted without their families, and they may not even have access to sensitive information, but it is the affairs of senior officials that are routinely hushed up.
"When you have families there and are still indulging in such things and holding more sensitive information, that should be of far more concern," he said.
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - DECEMBER 19: Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi at Parliament House on December 19, 2014 in New Delhi, India. Progress on key bills such as a nationwide sales tax scrutinised as Parliament's winter session ends. Developments in Russia and foreign fund flows will be key. With the Opposition giving the government a hard time in Parliament over the alleged forced conversion row, the fate of several crucial bills hangs in a limbo. The government had planned to get key bills like Insurance Bill and GST Bill passed in the ongoing Winter Session. But with just three days left in the Winter session of Parliament there is hardly any hope that the government will be able to get the Bills passed. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI -- A day after women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi courted controversy over reportedly proposing mandatory sex determination of a foetus, her ministry has completely denied the reports.
"There is no cabinet proposal for the tracking the sex of a foetus," the ministry said in a statement. "Compulsory determination of foetal sex is an idea given by some stakeholders."
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"Some of the newspapers have reported that the Minister referred to a Cabinet proposal about tracking female foeticide and registering the sex of the foetus. This is factually incorrect. What was discussed by the Minister was that effective implementation of the PCPNDT (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act is one of the ways to check falling child sex ratio," according to the ministry. She made these comments during a Press Information Bureau (PIB) summit in Jaipur yesterday.
@MinistryWCD states that compulsory determination of foetal sex is an idea given by some stakeholders. #savegirlpic.twitter.com/RSZyBeeyqA Maneka Gandhi (@Manekagandhibjp) February 2, 2016
Gandhi has instead said to have suggested that sex of each foetus could be registered and in cases where parents request for the sex of their child, female foetuses should be tracked to prevent abortion in such cases because of the gender. However, this was just a suggestion by some stakeholders, she has said, and has invited comments and suggestions on this.
She said in the Jaipur summit that, in her personal opinion, women should be always told the sex of their child while they are pregnant, but that it was just an idea and open to discussion still. She suggested that it was better to track the birth of girl children through this method rather than hope to catch people when they do illegal ultrasound.
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Several people have begun responding to the ministry's announcement, pointing the complexity of the situation.
"The issue is not just of legal permissibility of the ban on ultra sound for sex determination but also of cultural and social acceptance of mandatory ultra sound for all expecting mothers.But for such compulsory scan will give an individual identity to the fetus and fetus will be seen as a person/child," commented Rajesh Jogpal, additional deputy commissioner in Palwal, Jind.
Another commenter from Delhi, Salil Kumar, said, "Ma'am we all agree that sex selective abortion is an issue linked with patriarchal mindset and the larger issue of poor status of women in society. The idea of compulsory determination of sex and tracking is very dangerous as in the hurry of quick solution we are prone to make grave mistake and provide an opportunity to proliferation of such ultrasound centres who will now openly tell the parents about foetus sex. But what will happen thereafter. After knowing the sex people will violate the law and kill the unborn as best possible tracking will not be able to prevent and undo the action."
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - DECEMBER 13: Prime Minister Narender Modi, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, deputy speaker of lok sabha M Thambidurai, Sr. BJP Leader Lal Krishan Advani, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi after flower tribute to martyrs who sacrificed their lives during Parliament terrorist attack at Parliament House on December 13, 2014 in New Delhi, India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered the martyrs of the deadly terror attack on Parliament. On December 13, 2001, five heavily-armed terrorists had stormed Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate fire, killing nine persons. The five terrorists were also shot dead. (Photo by Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
A British arms agent who is wanted by Indian investigators for his alleged role in the 2013 helicopter scam, known as 'Choppergate', has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was ready to cut a deal with the Italian government and "assist in solving the case" against two Italian marines in exchange for information on the Gandhi family's role on the corruption scandal. Christian Michel, 54, has written to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Seas in Hamburg and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague with the allegations, reported The Telegraph.
"I know these are serious allegations, but I stand by them," Michel told the newspaper, even as the Indian ministry of external affairs rubbished the letter's contents and spokesperson Vikas Swarup called it "ridiculous".
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The 2013 helicopter scam concerns the purchase of a new fleet of helicopters from manufacturer AgustaWestland by the Indian government, where several senior government officials were allegedly bribed. It has been alleged that several politicians received kickbacks for the deal on the choppers, purchased to carry the highest Indian dignitaries on official visits. Michel is one of the people wanted by Indian investigation agencies in the case. He has now claimed that Modi was willing to help in the case against two Italian marines accused of shooting down two Kerala fishermen in February 2012 if the Italian government provides intel against Sonia Gandhi and her family in the corruption scandal, reported Charu Sudan Kasturi in The Telegraph.
According to the report, Modi allegedly made the offer to the Italian prime minister during a "brush-by" (unplanned, or unofficial) meeting in New York last year during the UN General Assembly in September 2015.
Michel's letter dated 23 December, 2015 says: "At this meeting, the issue of the two marines was discussed. The Indian PM proposed to the Italian PM that in return for any evidence that the key adviser to Finmeccanica/ AgustaWestland (this is a reference to myself) had any relationship to any member of the Gandhi family, the honourable PM would assist in solving the case against the two Italian marines."
Read the full report on The Telegraphhere.
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Ivan Mehta
Motorola India has launched a new device premised solely on one bugbear smartphone users are tired of negotiating--shattered screens. The Moto X-Force that the company just launched, comes with a shatter-proof display and 4 years of warranty, but is a pricey buy at Rs49,999.
"53% of the phones over the world have shattered displays. So we are giving consumers a device for which will make them free from the worries of a cracked screen," Motorola India general manager Amit Boni said at the launch event in Delhi.
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Apart from proprietary shatter-screen technology, the phone has a 5.4-inch QHD display. It runs on a Snapdragon 810 processor and a 3 GB RAM. It has a 21 MP camera at the back with PDAF technology and a 5 MP front camera both having f/2.0 aperture. The phone has a 32 GB storage inbuilt and is expandable to 2 TB through an SD card.
Moto X-Force has an impressive battery backup of 3,760 mAh, with Qualcomm quick-charging enabled. Motorola is supplying a 25W charger in the box so you can quick charge the phone. It runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with Moto customizations such as voice activation, shake for the camera and eye tracking.
It will be available from 8th of February on Flipkart and Amazon online and at Spice and Croma retail stores. The phone will be available in Black and Grey with a ballistic nylon back and the white variant will have a rubber back. Apart from the colour choices, a 32 GB version will be available at Rs.49999 and the 64 GB variant will cost Rs.53,999
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Hands-On Impressions
The phone felt good and solid to hold with its smooth metallic finish. The back was rough and rugged and it will wear out well for a better feel. In the design department, the phone is not particularly pleasing on the eye and follows closely in the design ethos of Moto X Pure. The QHD display looks good but it is not in the same league as Galaxy S6 or Nexus 6P in terms of visual impressiveness.
The camera performed well in day light, but Motorola has a lot of catching up to do here when compared with more accomplished rivals. The software was smooth and there was no lag--Motorola phones have a justly gained reputation for quick performance.
As for the USP of ruggedness, it was a winner in our preliminary testing. We dropped the phone on cement, wood and grass. It didn't budge. We even banged the phone on a few surfaces and it didn't bat an eyelid. So it looks likely that Motorola has delivered a winner for those looking for ruggedness above everything else. Motorola's heritage involves making rugged devices for military use. Now the company has properly channeled that past into a sleek, modern consumer device.
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Overall the phone looks like a Moto X Pure coated with toughness. But Motorola will have to work hard to justify the Rs50,000 price tag.
Hurlburt Airmen commended for courage on deployment
Two 1st Special Operations Wing Airmen have been nominated for the 2015 Cheney Award by distinguishing themselves through conspicuous acts of valor during an aerial flight while deployed in support of combat and humanitarian operations.
Maj. Matthew Gidley and Staff Sgt. John Minnich, lead pilot and flight engineer with the 8th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, showed significant self-sacrifice and courageous conduct of aerial flight during an unusually precarious ten days while assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command-Central in eastern Africa.
Maj. Gidley and SSgt. Minnich represent all Air Commandos in their steadfast devotion to duty, said Maj. Christian Helms, commander of the 8th ESOS. Throughout their deployment, Matt and John went where the fighting was thick, never hesitated and brought great credit to their squadron and their country. I am proud to serve with Gidley and Minnich. They truly represent all that is righteous about our country and our cause.
The Cheney Award is an aviation award presented in memory of 1st Lt. William H. Cheney, who was killed in an air collision over Foggia, Italy, Jan. 20, 1918. It was established in 1927 and is awarded to an Airman for an act of valor, extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest, performed in connection with an aircraft, but not necessarily of a military nature.
On Oct. 13, 2015, Gidley and Minnich forward deployed from their interim staging base in east Africa to a forward outpost deep in Somalias southern forest region. This outpost would act as home for three CV-22 Osprey aircraft, 12 aircrew and seven maintenance personnel for the next 10 days.
The events consisted of several long flights - and long days - to and from Somalia, according to Minnich. These flights included delivering a variety of supplies to the forces there.
Once there, we conducted several flights assisting the [African Union Mission in Somalia] forces by providing [casualty evacuation] support for their missions, said Gidley. We were also able to accomplish some familiarization training with the AMISOM forces, increasing their trust in our ability to support them.
Immediately following a ground assault force action against multiple terrorist camps on Oct. 15, Gidleys flight was informed that an American contractor conducting clandestine operations on a U.S. Naval vessel in the Red Sea began exhibiting signs of cardiac arrest. The position of the naval vessel was more than 250 nautical miles from any shoreline and flight by normal medical evacuation would have been too long and complex, according to the citation.
Gidley and Minnich began planning the recovery of the patient immediately, leveraging the speed and range of the CV-22. Within two hours of notification, they led a two-ship formation of CV-22 aircraft into a zero-illumination night over more than 250 nautical miles of open water to land on the moving naval vessel at full speed.
We were able to overcome these factors by hashing out a solid plan during mission planning, and equally important, all the training we had done up to that point, said Minnich.
The crew was able to safely land on the vessel, pick up their patient, refuel and deliver the American in critical condition to medical care waiting on shore.
The citation states that the quick planning and deft performance of a night-time, zero-illumination landing aboard an underway naval vessel saved an American life and proved the flights mettle in the face of uncertainty and adversity.
Despite this being awarded to only the two of us, in reality, any other of my fellow flight engineers is fully able and willing to do what I had the privilege to do, said Minnich. I was just fortunate enough to be put in the right position to be able to succeed.
Fourteen hours after delivering the cardiac patient to medical care, Gidley and Minnichs crew were tasked to redeploy to the forward outpost once again to deliver critical food, ammunition, first aid and communication equipment.
The equipment delivered was directly responsible for AMISOM pressure on terrorist activities throughout southern Somalia, feeding AMISOM forces, host-nation personnel and their families as well as providing first-aid medical care to local and third-country nation personnel.
Over the ten days of operations, Gidley and Minnich covered 5,000 air-miles, delivered 4,500 pounds of critical combat and humanitarian supplies and rescued an American.
Gidley and Minnichs nomination at the Air Force Special Operations Command level will now compete at the Air Force level.
Ex-officer was a churchgoer, family man. Police say he may be a serial rapist.
INgrooves Founder Robb McDaniels Launches Faction To Disrupt Music Management
With labels and the music industry offering less and less support, managers have become the linchpin of most artists' teams. But except for those who give up 50% equity to join mega-management groups like Red Light, most managers are left with no road map and little support. Faction hopes to change all that.
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INgrooves Music Group Founder and former CEO, Robb McDaniels has launched Faction, a technology driven startup that aims to serve and empower music managers. Founding launch partners include Kevin Zinger and Ivory Daniel of Regime Management, the managers of Everlast, Dilated Peoples, Madchild and Common Kings.
Faction is designed as a scalable management services company that delivers proprietary technology, centralized infrastructure and a collaborative culture often missing in the music industry. The startup will charge managers a share of commissions for the services. Manager will also participate in an equity pool, further aligning the collective interests of all involved.
Artist managers, and talent managers more broadly, are the CEOs for their creative clients but have been lacking the tools and collaborative culture to operate effectively, commented Robb McDaniels. Faction is the first management company to provide managers with a suite of technology tools, services and partners to help them operate their businesses more efficiently and transparently, and all for a fraction of the cost of doing it on their own or joining a larger management company and giving away up to 50% of their income."
Faction will offer centralized services to its managers, including digital marketing and social media, tour marketing, business operations, accounting, HR and an idea incubator to help managers and artists develop and commercialize new brands and products. By Q2, Faction managers will be able to create their own factions and invite key business partners like labels, publishers, booking agents, etc to all collaborate and share information.
Launch Partners
"Faction is the first business model we have seen that combines technology, services and ownership together to create a culture and platform that can actually make a difference in our daily lives, added manager and launch partner Ivory Daniel.
Additional partners include Kino Childrey (The Initiative Group), Paul Stepanek (Paul Stepanek Management), Marc Friedenberg (MJF Management), Brian Ross (Elliptic Artist Management) and Anna Axster (Axster Bingham Co.). Collectively the managers represents and broad cross section of talent including , Ryan Bingham, Jamestown Revival, Dilated Peoples, Royce Da 59, Sick Puppies, Everlast, Blackalicious, Trevor Hall, Slaughterhouse, Madchild, Common Kings and Poncho Sanchez.
Funding
Faction has raised initial capital from angel investors, including some music industry executives along with Manatt Venture Fund and TechInvest. Faction is based in Los Angeles and has plans to open offices in New York and London later in 2016.
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Philadelphia Wants Musicians To Register With The Police Before They Play A Show
A Philadelphia councilman has recently sponsored a bill which would require venues to collect information from bands to hand over to the police, who would then either approve or revoke a license before said band could perform.
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Guest Post by Bobby Owsinski on Music 3.0
A city councilman in Philadelphia isn't exactly showing much brotherly love to musicians, as he's introduced a bill that would require venues like bars, restaurants and clubs to collect the contact information from bands, rappers, DJs and other performers, then hand it over to the police.
Giving performers information to police when requested enables them to review past performances to see if there were any public safety issues during their events, Councilman Mark Squilla, the sponsor of the bill, told the website Billy Penn via email.
The bill is an amendment to the "Special Assembly Occupancies" section of the Philadelphia code that would grant the police department the ability to approve or revoke a license for gatherings or screenings of more than 50 people.
The bill also raises the license application fee from $100 a year to $500 every two years.
This is just another assault on bars and clubs that has been happening everywhere. Without these venues, not only will it be tougher for musicians to make a living (like it could get any harder), but also make it much more difficult for the next generation of performers to attain the stage time required to learn their craft.
Clubs have it tough enough these days just coping with rising rents and keeping the neighbors happy, but increased police scrutiny for some mystical issue that no one can figure out shouldn't be one of them.
There's a Change.org campaign to stop the bill . I encourage you to sign to help not only support Philly music, but music everywhere.
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Arthur J. Gallagher wholesale broker unit Risk Placement Services announced this week a shakeup in its top leadership.David E. McGurn Jr. has stepped down from his post as chairman of the group, taking on the role of special adviser for Gallaghers wholesale and retail operations. He will be succeeded by Joel D. Cavaness, currently president of RPS.Cavaness has also joined the Gallagher executive management committee.Cavaness joined RPS in 1986 as a marketing representative, working his way up to area vice president by 1990. In 1997, he was named president and in 2000 he was appointed a corporate vice president of Gallagher.J. Patrick Gallagher, chairman, president and CEO of the company, expressed confidence in the new leadership lineup for RPS.Daves strong partnership with Joel over the past two decades ensures solid continuity for RPS, Gallagher said in a statement. Joel is a respected business leader who has spent significant time in the trenches and knows whats needed to support our expanding business interests and relationships.His commitment to business and people development and high professional standards will continue to serve Gallaghers customers and partners well for years to come.Risk Placement Services is one of the nations largest managing general agents and fastest-growing property/casualty wholesalers. The company employs more than 1,300 employees in 30 states.
In other news, Aetna beat analysts expectations on operating profit after the company spent less on medical care than a year ago.
by Richard BrownMark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna Inc., has expressed serious concerns over the sustainability of Obamacares new markets.The sentiments from the head Americas third-biggest U.S. health insurer resonate with those from other leading for-profit insurers who openly slated the new markets mandate initiated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.Bertolini stated: We continue to have serious concerns about the sustainability of the public exchanges We remain concerned about the overall stability of the risk pool.New markets were launched under the 2014 act, encouraging millions of Americans to buy cover Aetna - is one of Obamacares largest insurers -UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Anthem Inc.. All three have found it tough to generate profits from the new markets.Of Aetnas one million individual commercial members, three-quarters enrolled through the exchanges. UnitedHealth is set to post almost $1 billion in losses due to Obamacare plans for 2015 and 2016.In Q4 2015, net income rose 38 percent to $321 million, or 91 cents a share, from $232 million, or 65 cents a share, a year before.Cinncinati, Ohios Great American Insurance Group has hired Lloyd J. Pat Stoik as Senior Vice President within the firms Property and Casualty Group.Stoik will assume reporting responsibilities for Great Americans Property & Inland Marine, Ocean Marine and Specialty Equipment Services Divisions, as well as Great Americans International Division, which focuses on equipment leasing and specialty affinity programs for clients outside the United States.With more than 30 years underwriting and broker experience, Stoik most recently acted as SVP for Chubb Insurance Group, where he managed a global portfolio of business. He has also served as Vice Chair of the Inland Marine Underwriters Association Board of Directors and is an active member of the American Institute of Marine Underwriters.Risk mitigation specialist Kroll has named Erik Rasmussen Associate Managing Director, Cyber Security and Investigations practice, and Jeff Kernohan as Associate Managing Director, Security Risk Management practice. Rasmussen is based in Reston, Virginia and reports to Cyber Security and Investigations practice leader, Tim Ryan. Kernohan is based in Chicago and reports to Security Risk Management practice leader, Tim Horner.Prior to Kroll, Rasmussen was Director, North America Cyber Security Intelligence, Payment System Risk, for Visa Inc., where he developed the threat intelligence platform for cyber intelligence and investigations. He also served for almost a decade in the United States Secret Service where he focused on domestic and international computer crime investigations, including access device fraud, bulletproof hosting services, child pornography, distributed denial of service attacks, botnet attacks and wire fraud.Kernohan rejoins Kroll after three years in Washington, D.C. as Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for Guidepost Solutions LLC, a global provider of monitoring, compliance, investigations and risk management solutions. At Kroll from 2000 to 2012, Kernohan rose to Associate Vice President from 2010 to 2012, with responsibility for managing all of Krolls security consulting, design and engineering services for the East Coast.
Greylock Mill Project Accepted Into State Brownfields Program
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The Greylock Mill project has been accepted by Attorney General Maura Healey into the state's brownfields program, providing liability protection as the property is redeveloped.
Greylock Works LLC is proposing an $18 million revamping of the 140-year-old former textile mill on State Road. The property contains a number of additions and was used after the textile mill closed for other industrial concerns, including an aluminum anodizing plant and a machining company. A separate nonprofit project, Greylock Flume Inc., seeks to restore the water power tail to the Hoosic River as a conservation area and possible access to the planned Mohawk Bike Path.
The developers, Salvatore Perry and Karla Rothstein, have already begun restoration of the "Shed" portion of the mill as a artisanal food production area and event space. They applied for the covenant last year.
"The covenant process was critical to understanding and containing the risks associated with the pre-existing conditions of the site," said Perry. "The meetings we had with experienced professionals at MassDEP increased awareness among the many stakeholders, and fostered a collaborative dynamic to shape a reasonable plan that will clean up the Greylock Mill site. We have already begun that important work."
The agreement reached with Greylock Works and Greylock Flume will allow for the redevelopment of two parcels of property on State Road (Route 2) in North Adams. Greylock Works will clean up and redevelop the 200,000-square foot vacant mill building on 8.85 acres into a mixed-use space that may house residential lofts, artist galleries, a boutique hotel, local culinary booths, performance spaces, and retail shops. The agreement also will provide liability relief to Greylock Flume for the preservation of open space and for the creation of a park, pedestrian walkway, and bike path on Route 2 across from the mill building.
The projects have the potential to create more than 100 new and permanent jobs and generate more than $5 million in annual revenues for North Adams.
The Clarksburg Select Board is looking into the process of becoming a Green Community.
Clarksburg Pursuing Green Communities Status
CLARKSBURG, Mass. The town is moving forward with policies that will allow it to become a state-designated Green Community.
Among the first steps is instituting an anti-idling policy for vehicles, doing an in-depth energy analysis of town buildings and updating zoning bylaws. The state has set five criteria that has to be met.
"The reason we want to go Green Communities is we would be in line for 1 percent with the MSBA," Town Administrator Carl McKinney told the Select Board last Wednesday, referring to the Massachusetts School Building Authority's points toward energy-efficient school buildings. It would also open the town to other grants released to Green Communities. "We could be talking about a quarter million coming into the coffers of the town."
McKinney provided the board with an anti-idling policy to review. Select Board member Linda Reardon said it shouldn't affect the school buses because they are not allowed to idle now. McKinney noted that the anti-idling signs the town acquired for free are very faded.
The town received a technical grant of $5,000 to help it update zoning that hasn't changed since 1993. The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will help shepherd the process, which will tie into the Green Communities criteria.
McKinney said he had met with the Planning Board to address some of the issues, and there had been some concern about by-right alternative energy siting.
"They had assumed this is a by-right siting of windmills but that's not what it is .... it could be manufacturing or research and development or windmills. We might not want to consider windmills, or we might. We have to have a public hearing to hear what the people want," he said. "It's the beginning of a process and I'm in great hope we can bring it to town meeting in May."
'Need to Take Clearance From Govt': BCCI President on Whether India Will Travel to Pakistan For Asia Cup
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChineseNYeats #CollectiveBias
Next Monday begins the Year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese Lunar New Year calendar. Celebrations are held around the world, particularly in places with large Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Locally, Philadelphias Chinatown holds a bunch of different events to celebrate, including a parade and a midnight dance performance on the 8th.
My favorite place in the city, Reading Terminal Market, along with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, is featuring demonstrations of the cuisine and cultures of Asia next weekend. To get in the spirit, I decided to make one of my favorite Thai dishes: Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken.
This recipe comes together really quickly with the help of Minute Rice, Dole and Kikkoman.
For this recipe, I used White Minute Rice, Dole Pineapple Chunks, and Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce and Sriracha Sauce, which I picked up at my local Wegmans, which were found in the rice aisle, canned fruit aisle, and Asian foods aisle, respectively.
Minute Rice is always in my pantry for use on busy weeknights. The rice takes just 5 minutes to prepare and is gluten, MSG, and preservative free as well as cholesterol free and fat free.
Dole Pineapple Chunks in 100% Pineapple Juice are a quick and easy way to add pineapple to your meals. They are naturally fat free, cholesterol free, and rich in vitamin C. (You can get a coupon for Dole Pineapple Chunks here.)
Kikkoman Soy Sauce is another pantry staple of mine. The less sodium soy sauce is traditionally brewed with water, wheat, soybeans and salt, but contains 37% less sodium than traditional soy sauce. Kikkomans Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce is made from marinated chili peppers and Asian spices, and adds the perfect kick of heat to any meal. (You can get a coupon for Kikkoman products here.)
Ingredients:
2 cups White Minute Rice
3 tablespoons peanut oil (or canola oil), divided
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 small yellow onion, chipped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 cup Dole Pineapple Chunks, drained
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup roasted salted cashews
3 tablespoons Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce
Kikkoman Sriracha, to taste (I used about a 1/4 teaspoon, and then served the rice with more on the side)
2 tablespoons green onions, sliced, for garnish
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, for garnish
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
Cook 2 cups of the minute rice according to package directions. Add to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large saute pan over medium high heat. Season your cut chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan, cooking until browned, about 2-3 minute per side.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil to the pan and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs, breaking them into smaller pieces as they cook. When no longer runny, remove from the pan and add to the same bowl as the chicken.
Add another tablespoon oil to the pan, swirling to coat. Add in the onions, garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes.
Add in the pineapple chunks, tomatoes and cashews, cooking until the pineapple browns a bit and you can smell the cashews toasting, about 3 more minutes.
Add in the prepared rice, eggs, and chicken, stirring to combine evenly with the other ingredients. Add the soy sauce and sriracha, stirring to evenly coat everything. Cook for another 3 minutes, and remove from heat.
Spoon into 4 bowls and squeeze some lime juice over each bowl before serving. Top with green onions and cilantro.
The sweetness from the pineapples, with the saltiness of the soy sauce and heat from the sriracha makes for one delicious dish!
For more Asian-inspired recipe inspiration, visit the Chinese New Year Eats social hub.
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
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Press Release: IMF, Ghana and DFID Highlight the Value of Data for Better Economic Policies in Africa
Press Release No.16/39
February 2, 2016
One of the largest regional conferences on the importance of data for better macroeconomic policies was concluded today in Accra, Ghana. Organized by the Government of Ghana, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the conference brought together policymakers from over forty African countries as well as representatives from academia, banks, rating agencies, think tanks, and international organizations.
Participants at the conference committed themselves to promoting the dissemination of data for enhanced evidence-based economic decision-making. More specifically, their discussions were focused on the importance of accurate economic data for analysis and economic policy-making, the special challenges of regional integration for macroeconomic statistics, and the benefits of data transparency for policy-making.
The Ghanaian Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Seth Terkper opened the conference and the IMF Deputy Managing Director, Min Zhu, delivered a key-note speech on enhancing data for macro policies. In Africa, as elsewhere, we need to jump ahead of crisis management when it comes to data, and seek to enhance the gathering, processing, dissemination and analysis of data to help us formulate and implement the best possible set of economic and financial policies, said Zhu.
Reflecting the significance that senior officials attached to this conference, the Kenyan Central Bank Governor, Patrick Njoroge stated: The conference provided a unique opportunity for high-level decision makers to exchange ideas and experiences so that we can work together to strengthen the data used for policy making.
The Directors of the IMF African and Statistics Departments Ms. Antoinette Sayeh and Mr. Louis Marc Ducharme, respectively also provided different perspectives on how data supports effective policymaking. DFID Chief Statistician, Mr. Neil Jackson, spoke to the conference about the objectives and achievements of the Enhanced Data Dissemination Initiative (EDDI) where DFID has supported IMF capacity development activities in Africa benefiting government agencies, national policy makers, civil society and external funding partners.
The conference culminated with a round table to explore the main challenges that African countries are facing to enhance data. This included: the appropriate minimum standards and benchmarks for data quality from a policy makers perspective, what can be done to address the obstacles, and how the IMF can support these efforts, especially its technical assistance and training supported by external partners.
The conference presented participants with an opportunity to learn about the work on statistics that the IMF has been doing in Africa, including with the support of DFID through the EDDI project, now in its second phase. The EDDI2 project covers technical assistance to 44 economies in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and contains 10 modules on national accounts, prices, monetary and financial, balance of payments, and government finance statistics, as well as the dissemination of data.
Background Information
For the further information on the work of the IMFs Statistics Department, including on the African continent, go to: http://www.imf.org/external/ns/search.aspx?NewQuery=STA+AT+A+GLANCE&submit
For more on EDDI2, go to: http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2015/pr15187.htm
Imperial Valley News Center
University Teams Present Innovative Campaigns to Challenge Extremism
Washington, DC - On February 2, the State Departments Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will host the finalists for the Peer to Peer [P2P]: Challenging Extremism initiative. The initiative, an innovative partnership between the U.S. government and universities around the world, empowers students to design and pilot new digital products and tools that counter violent extremist narratives and reach those susceptible to violent extremism messaging.
The final presentations and judging will take place at the State Department in the George C. Marshall Center at 2:30 p.m. The following university finalists, selected by an expert panel from among 45 U.S. and international schools, will present their work:
Lahore University of Management Sciences - Pakistan: FATE: From Apathy to Empathy
Universita della Svizzera Italiana - Lugano, Switzerland: #faces4heritage
West Point Military Academy - United States: #LetsTalkJihad
Prior to the event, non-finalist teams will host a marketplace of ideas to showcase their P2P projects as well.
This semester, Facebook joined the program and sponsored travel for three additional university teams to Washington, D.C. to participate in a second competition, the Facebook Global Digital Challenge, which will take place February 3 at 1776 in Crystal City, VA.
All international finalists are in the United States as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program. Following their time in Washington, D.C., these students will travel to New York City/West Point and San Francisco/Silicon Valley.
Event-related social media will use the hashtag #ChallengeExtremism. Both the State Department and Facebook events are open to media by RSVP, and the finalists are available for media interviews upon request.
Imperial Valley News Center
Investing in the National Cancer Moonshot
Washington, DC - During his 2016 State of the Union Address, President Obama called on Vice President Biden to lead a new, national Moonshot initiative to eliminate cancer as we know it. Today, the White House is announcing a new $1 billion initiative to jumpstart this work.
Too many American families know all too well the devastation cancer can bring. More than 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and cancer will kill an estimated 600,000 Americans in 2016. Cancer doesnt discriminate it strikes young and old, family and friends, neighbors and co-workers. As the President said, we must harness the spirit of American innovation to identify new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
We are at an inflection point, and the science is ready for the concerted new effort this initiative will deliver. Cancer is now known to be hundreds of diseases, each with unique features, driving forces, and vulnerabilities to treatments -- and scientific understanding of how cancer develops and spreads has improved our ability to intervene and attack it. For example, recent advances have led to the ability to activate the immune system against cancer cells. Called immunotherapy, this approach has shown success with melanoma, leukemia, and lymphoma, and is ripe for further exploration in a wider range of cancers. Another approach attacks multiple pathways fundamental in cancer development, using combinations of therapeutic agents to prevent resistance from occurring. But, much more work remains to be done.
The National Cancer Moonshot will work to accelerate these research efforts and break down barriers to progress by enhancing data access, and facilitating collaborations with researchers, doctors, philanthropies, patients, and patient advocates, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The initiative aims to bring about a decades worth of advances in five years, making more therapies available to more patients, while also improving our ability to prevent cancer and detect it at an early stage.
Last week, the President took the first step in this effort, establishing a new Cancer Moonshot Task Force to be led by the Vice President to focus on making the most of Federal investments, targeted incentives, private sector efforts from industry and philanthropy, patient engagement initiatives, and other mechanisms to support cancer research and enable progress in treatment and care.
Investments to Launch the Next Phase of Cancer Research
The Administration is launching the National Cancer Moonshot with a $1 billion initiative to provide the funding necessary for researchers to accelerate the development of new cancer detection and treatments, including:
The Moonshot initiative will begin immediately with $195 million in new cancer activities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year 2016.
The Fiscal Year 2017 Budget will propose to continue this initiative with $755 million in mandatory funds for new cancer-related research activities at both NIH and the Food and Drug Administration.
The Departments of Defense and the Veterans Affairs are increasing their investments in cancer research, including through funding Centers of Excellence focused on specific cancers, and conducting large longitudinal studies to help determine risk factors and enhance treatment.
Within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), these investments will support cutting edge research opportunities such as:
Prevention and Cancer Vaccine Development: Cancers caused by viruses can often be prevented by vaccinating people before they become infected, as demonstrated by the vaccine for cervical cancer and other cancers caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). Unique or signature genetic changes in cancers may also be targeted by cancer vaccines. We will speed the development, evaluation, and optimization of safe cancer vaccines targeting unique features of individual cancers.
Early Cancer Detection: Recent advances in genomic and proteomic technologies have greatly increased the sensitivity of methods to detect markers of cancer raising the possibility of using such methods for screening and early detection of cancer. NIH will invest in the development and evaluation of minimally invasive screening assays to enable more sensitive diagnostic tests for cancer.
Cancer Immunotherapy and Combination Therapy: This initiative will work to extend the early successes of immunotherapy for cancer treatment to virtually all solid tumors by harnessing the power of the bodys immune system by supporting basic research to increase understanding of how the immune system can be used to modify cancer cells and their activities. In addition, the initiative aims to develop and test new combination therapies. Working with health care providers in the community, as well as through existing clinical trials networks, new approaches to prevent and treat cancer will be tested more quickly and efficiently, with special emphasis made to include under-represented populations. This outreach would also include concerted efforts to narrow cancer health disparity gaps by increasing utilization of standard of care recommendations for cancer prevention, screening, and treatment.
Genomic Analysis of Tumor and Surrounding Cells: A greater understanding of the genetic changes that occur within the cancer cell, and in surrounding and immune cells responding to the cancer, will advance both immunotherapy and targeted drug therapy and help lead to an increased ability to enhance patient response to therapy.
Enhanced Data Sharing: Data sharing can break down barriers between institutions, including those in the public and private sectors, to enable maximum knowledge gained and patients helped. The cancer initiative will encourage data sharing and support the development of new tools to leverage knowledge about genomic abnormalities, as well as the response to treatment and long-term outcomes.
Oncology Center of Excellence: The FDA will develop a virtual Oncology Center of Excellence to leverage the combined skills of regulatory scientists and reviewers with expertise in drugs, biologics, and devices. This center will expedite the development of novel combination products and support an integrated approach in: evaluating products for the prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer; supporting the continued development of companion diagnostic tests, and the use of combinations of drugs, biologics and devices to treat cancer; and developing and promoting the use of methods created through the science of precision medicine.
Pediatric Cancer: New technology to develop drug libraries and screens for inhibitors against a wide variety of targets will find new therapies, which will be of particular benefit for pediatric populations. The initiative will intensify efforts to collect and analyze tumor specimens from the rarest childhood cancers, enlisting participation from the pediatric oncology community. Clinical data about course of disease and response to therapy will also be included to enable the research community to develop new approaches to treat childhood cancers.
Vice Presidents Exceptional Opportunities in Cancer Research Fund: To launch the National Cancer Moonshot, scientists, cancer physicians, advocates, philanthropic organizations, and representatives of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry will need to work together to focus on major new innovations in the understanding of and treatment for cancer. The work that the Vice President will be undertaking will ensure just that bringing together all parties, breaking down silos, and sharing data to generate new ideas and new breakthroughs. This proposed new fund will be focused on high-risk, high-return research identified by the collaborative work and new ideas stimulated by the research community as part of this work.
The National Cancer Moonshot requires a whole-of-government approach, marshalling resources from across the Federal government to address this singular goal. Over time, other agencies will make new investments in this effort, beginning with the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA).
DOD provides tens of millions of dollars annually to support a wide range of cancer research initiatives and continues to increase this work. Most notably, DoD funds three Cancer Centers of Excellence, which focus on Breast, Prostate, and Gynecological cancers, enabling cutting edge treatment and research on cancers in our warfighter and other beneficiaries. The world-class Murtha Cancer Treatment Center at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, with support from NCI, provides a multidisciplinary approach to offer the highest standards of care for treating cancer diseases. In addition, DOD, through Congressional Special Initiative funding and groundbreaking peer-reviewed research, is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in strengthening understanding, prevention, detection, and treatment of several of the most prevalent and impactful forms of cancer, as well as less common types of cancer associated with exposure to hazardous materials that some of our service members may encounter while on duty.
The VA cancer research portfolio includes close to 250 projects, including 170 clinical studies at VA facilities nationwide. Projects are targeted towards understanding and preventing cancers prevalent in the veteran population, in addition to broader research on veteran populations and disease prevalence. Specific topics being investigated range from the basic biology and genetic underpinning in laboratory based research to large definitive clinical trials of treatments and approaches to advance care. VAs Million Veteran Program, with over 445,000 enrolled veterans, 32 percent of whom have reported a cancer diagnosis, provides a potential rich clinical database for genetic exploration and analyses. This resource will be valuable in investigating genetic contributions to specific cancers and gene targets for potential new treatments. VAs National Radiation Oncology Program (NROP) is conducting multiple initiatives in cancer research, and its Precision Oncology Program initiative is paving the way for incorporating the results of genetic diagnostic testing to customize medical decision making and treatment for individual patients with cancer.
Way Forward
Together, these investments represent an initial down-payment on the National Cancer Moonshot. Over the coming months, the Administration looks forward to working with Congress to launch the next phase of investments, providing the resources needed to double our rate of progress in this historic fight. As the Vice President has said, the Administration will do everything it can to support research and enable progress while calling on the families, researchers, and physicians across the country to join this effort and confront this challenge.
Governor and First Lady Honor Sgt. Joseph F. Stifter
Sacramento, California - On behalf of all Californians, Governor Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown honor Sgt. Joseph F. Stifter, who bravely gave his life in service to our state and nation. The Governor and First Lady extend their deepest condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
Sgt. Joseph F. Stifter, 30, of Glendale, CA, died January 28 in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, from injuries sustained in a vehicle rollover accident that is under investigation. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, KS. Sgt. Stifter was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
In memorial, Governor Brown ordered that flags be flown at half-staff over the State Capitol. Sgt. Stifters family will receive a letter of condolence from the Governor.
Women expand their home on the range
Sacramento, California - Although Laura Jean Schneider comes from four generations of Midwest farmers, she is uncertain sometimes about her agricultural acumen.
For the past two years, she has ranched cattle across 100,000 acres on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southern New Mexico with her husband. It is, she says, dangerous work compared with the farming she once did in Minnesota with her family. For one thing, should either she or her husband need immediate medical care, it would be a hard ride over 27 miles of uneven dirt roads that flood during monsoon season.
And at age 31, she suffers from debilitating migraines, back pain and ongoing dental work following a near-fatal car accident a decade ago. There are bank loans, and the Wests ongoing drought, that weigh on her. Yet shes learned the ropes, as it were, keenly observing how cattle learn the landscape they live in, and how not all of them are naturally good at rearing their young.
I rope, ride and build fence, she says matter-of-factly. This is what I do. Its my job.
As unique as Schneider seems, she is far from alone. According to the U.S. Agriculture Department, the number of women-operated farms increased from 5 percent to 14 percent between 1978 and 2007. Today, counting principal operators and secondary operators, women account for 30 percent of all farmers in the United States, or just under 1 million.
As striking as those numbers are, particularly when considering the financial risks and physical demands that accompany the work , researchers say they would like to learn more about the full contribution these women make, and what it means for the future of farming and ranching in the United States.
Researchers have observed some possible reasons why more women are farming and ranching. Some women regard themselves less as entrepreneurs and more as gentle stewards of the land, or bulwarks against corporations overtaking family farms and developers sweeping in with seductive offers. Others are drawn to the farm-to-fork movement, where locally grown produce and meat hold much greater appeal. Also, more women are inheriting farms and ranches.
Downsizing and mechanization have also made the work more affordable and less physically demanding although smaller parcels tend to require more physical labor because they are typically managed using hand tools and practices, said Breanne Wroughton, program assistant for the California Farm Academy at the Center for Land-Based Learning in Winters, Calif.
To that end, Green Heron Tools in New Tripoli, Pa., is part of a burgeoning niche industry that customizes farm equipment for women, including a tractor rapid hitch, because the traditional tool for attaching and detaching parts is at best difficult and at worst impossible for women (and many men) to safely manage on their own, according to the companys website.
None of this much matters, however, to Megan Brown, as she leans over her squealing Red Wattle pigs with a fork in her hand so that she can poke and stroke their backs, which, she claims, soothes them and stimulates their appetites. Born and raised on her parents sprawling ranch at the base of Table Mountain near Oroville in northern California, Brown, 34, has made a name for herself raising her heritage pigs and selling their savory meat to local residents and gourmet San Francisco restaurants.
With a swashbuckling demeanor that has attracted a loyal following to her Twitter account (@MegRaeB) and made her a regular fixture at agriculture conferences, she emphatically calls for more women to, so to speak, enter the field.
My mother taught me to develop as many marketable skills as possible, so its not just the ranching with me, said Brown, as she swerved her Polaris ATV across the rocky plateau skirting her parents ranch. I cure olives, make beef jerky. Ive planted tobacco, I can skin my own deer. I got a tractor, and I can lift heavy things with it myself. . . . I really believe any woman can do what Im doing.
According to the USDA, the women who identified themselves as earning their primary income from farming or ranching run the gamut in terms of what they produce. They raise cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs and goats in the West and Midwest. They are viticulturists or, as they refer to themselves at times, vit-chicks who nurture malbec and pinot noir grapes in California, Washington and Oregon. They grow lavender, melons and seemingly every other delicacy under the sun.Some have taken on teaching roles and find that more and more women are joining their ranks.
[Womens] enrollment in the classes has been fairly consistent throughout the last four years of the program, said Wroughton, and 51 percent of our graduates have been women.
And then there are women like Donna Schroeder, who at 77 was never schooled in ranching but was clearly born to the land and still ranches it in Shonkin, Mont.
She says she has no plans to retire, despite admitting to a small profit margin along with plenty of bank debt and machinery upkeep. If someone wants to do ranching these days, she said, basically someone has to get out so you can get in. Theres only so much to go around.
One of the few women to be inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Schroeder is wizened and walks with a slight limp. Her husband died more than 30 years ago; neither of her two children live nearby nor plan to take over the ranch when she no longer can run it.
Cheryl Cosner, 52, who runs a sheep and cattle ranch with her husband in northeastern Oregon, speculates that one of her two daughters could eventually take the reins. She studied agriculture economics and animal science at a time when, she estimates, about only 30 percent of her fellow students were female. She later taught business administration in China and took art classes that proved helpful when she started marketing her farm products.
Last year, Brenda Kirsch Frketich prepared to take over her familys Oregon farm. When her father retired, he appointed her to carry the torch at this 1,000-acre Willamette Valley farm thats been in the family for four generations.
Shed proven her mettle: When she was pregnant with her first child, she was out in the fields long days, long nights, she recalled, when she had to swath and cut the grass into rows so that the dew would hold the seed on the straw stems for when the combine came through. She is now 32 and has a business degree. In taking over the farm, she oversees three employees, seasonal workers and the planting and harvesting of perennial rye and tall fescu grass, wheat, crimson clover, hazelnuts, green beans, Swiss chard, peas, cabbage and radishes.
When I started with all this, I was 11 years old, she said. My feet couldnt reach the tractor pedals.
While moving some records and files into her new makeshift office, she came across a weathered leather-bound ledger book, with orderly figures and notes marching across the pages. She marveled at the detailed, pristine penmanship, now fully aware of her grandmothers essential role in the familys business and legacy.
You can learn the dirt, learn the soil, you can learn the tools, Frketich said, but you also need to understand the business. She did.
Elizabeth Zach is a fellow at Stanford Universitys Bill Lane Center for the American West
Always complain, always explain
Washington, DC - Take a look at ftc.gov and whats the first thing we say in the top right and on pretty much every page on the site? File a consumer complaint. Ever wonder where we get those complaints and how we use them?
Many complaints come to us when consumers click that button to go to the FTCs Complaint Assistant. (We have a video to make the process crystal-clear.) But our interest in gathering up-to-date complaint data doesnt end there. We also administer the Consumer Sentinel Network. Forty law enforcement agencies, nonprofits, consumer organizations, business groups, and others contribute the complaints they receive to the Consumer Sentinel database, making it a one-of-a-kind resource.
Although we try to be as inclusive as possible in collecting complaints, who can review them is exclusive very exclusive. The complaints we receive are nonpublic. The only people who can access them are federal, state, or local law enforcement officers who agree to go through a stringent set of hoops about confidentiality and security. Even groups that contribute complaints to Consumer Sentinel cant review the database unless theyre bona fide law enforcers and meet the rigorous requirements. (Of course, certain federal laws require us to turn over information in limited legal circumstances, but aside from that, complaints are confidential. And even in those instances, we do our best to protect consumers personal information.)
So how do we use complaints?
Law enforcement. This video offers a few real-world examples of how complaints in Consumer Sentinel have helped consumer protection enforcers crack a case. Consumer complaints are only one factor in law enforcement decisionmaking in many cases, consumers might not even know they had been defrauded or deceived but they can offer insights into whats going on in the marketplace. Setting priorities. The FTC uses complaint information to help us track trends in potentially illegal practices and spot areas where more consumer and business education is necessary. Thus, complaints help us allocate taxpayer resources wisely. Transparency. Every year we publish a data book jammed-packed with aggregate statistics on the consumer complaints we received in the past year. (The latest edition will be coming out soon.) We pull information from those stats to compile the annual public review of the Top 10 Consumer Complaint Categories.
If your organization compiles consumer complaints, let us know if youd like to share them with law enforcers.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins say an online pop quiz they developed in 2009 shows promising accuracy in predicting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in young women, although not, apparently, in young men.
A description of the quiz and some field test results, published in the January 29 issue of the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, suggests the self-administered quiz may encourage teenage girls and young women to get laboratory tests for several STIs if their quiz results show them to be at high risk for infection. And if used in clinical settings, the online questions could help physicians assess the need for STI testing of those patients at most risk.
We test a lot of people who are not infected, and although a tool like this might not predict every single case, we think it can be helpful in rapidly predicting the likelihood of an STI for physicians and patients, according to lead author Dr Charlotte Gaydos, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The quiz was a simple, six-question survey designed to evaluate behaviours linked to STI risk, Prof Gaydos explained. The questions ask about the number of sexual partners, the frequency of use of condoms, and the age and past infection status of a respondent.
The quiz was originally developed by investigators as a supplement to their home STI testing kit campaign, iwantthekit.org, for teens and young adults whose concerns about STIs were complicated by the desire for privacy and limited access to healthcare. The researchers note that a mobile-friendly version of the site and quiz will be available soon to accommodate frequent users of smart devices.
For the new study, nearly 3,200 people aged 14 and older from Maryland and Washington, DC, and who accessed the kit website, were invited to take a postal or online risk quiz as well as order a free home testing kit. About half of those invited to take the quiz took it 830 females and 550 males, averaging between 20 and 24 years old.
Quizzes were scored on a zero to 10-point scale. Participants were categorised as high risk if they scored eight-to-10 points for women and seven-to-10 for men; medium risk if they scored five-to-seven points for women and three-to-six for men; and low risk if they scored zero-to-four points for women and zero-to-two for men. Women were categorised differently, the researchers say, because females tend to have higher rates of STIs than do men.
Although each question on its own was designed to be predictive of STI status, all questions were weighted differently. For example, questions related to condom use and number of sexual partners were weighted higher than questions about age or past positive STI tests.
As part of this research, respondents were mailed a home collection test kit, which included a penile or vaginal and/or rectal swab that could be used, then sent, free of charge, directly to the Gaydos laboratory for detection of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomonas, the first two caused by bacteria and the third by a parasite.
Results showed a higher rate of STIs in women compared to men, at 14 per cent versus 7 per cent, respectively. The quiz was also able to predict that women who scored in the high-risk or medium-risk categories were four times and two times more likely to have an STI, respectively, than those who scored lower. In absolute numbers, 117 women and 39 men had at least one of the three STIs, Prof Gaydos adds.
While the pop quiz accurately predicted STI status in women, it did not do so for men. We are not quite sure why this is, but untruthfulness or the fact that men tend to have lower rates of STIs are possibilities, suggested Prof Gaydos, who added that follow-up research was planned to increase accuracy of the quiz for both men and women.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all women under 25 be tested for STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, once a year.
Sex Transm Infect. 2016 Feb;92(1):44-8. doi: 10.1136/sextrans-2015-052058.
Shashi Tharoor, Cat or Lettuce? UK PM Liz Truss's Resignation Has Twitter Looking for New Contender
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Featuring fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, sheet music signed by Mozart and Albert Einsteins notebook, it is certainly an eclectic collection.
But this treasure trove of more than 130,000 historic manuscripts seized by the French courts from an investment firm now under investigation for fraud appears to be struggling to find a buyer.
The value of the collection amassed by the Aristophil group has been estimated by some at hundreds of millions of euros, and the liquidators are determined that it should be sold together.
So anyone wanting an original of Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species will also have to cough up for Louis XVIs last letter to the French people before he was executed and Honore de Balzacs journals.
Initial approaches to specific potential buyers appear to have fallen flat, with a spokesman for the sale saying they had now decided to widen the scope.
The buyer has to present serious guarantees regarding his ability for the custody, safekeeping, management, valorisation, sale or redemption of this outstanding collection, according to the terms of the sale document.
The sellers are acutely aware that a flood of the documents could cause a collapse in prices in the niche market of historical documents. The spokesman said: The pieces could not flow on to the market altogether at the same time.
Aristophil collection - manuscripts for sale Show all 5 1 /5 Aristophil collection - manuscripts for sale Aristophil collection - manuscripts for sale 120 Days of Sodom scroll Marquis de Sade wrote the infamous scroll during his 37-day stay in the Bastille and it was found hidden in his cell. The novel, a by-word in sexual depravity, returned to France when Aristophil bought it. It had been stolen from a descendent of Sade and smuggled into Switzerland where it was sold to an erotic book collector, prompting a legal row. Aristophil collection - manuscripts for sale Dead Sea Scrolls The collection has four fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls which date to between the last three centuries BC to the first century AD and are the third oldest surviving manuscripts of works later included in the Bible. Aristophil collection - manuscripts for sale Marriage of Figaro Aria Among the rich musical manuscripts in the collection including Beethoven and Chopin is an early version of an aria sung by the character Susanna, the countesss maid in the opera in act four, signed by Mozart. The opera, composed in 1786 is one of the most performed works around the world. Aristophil collection - manuscripts for sale David Copperfield extract A manuscript signed by Charles Dickens is also in the collection, on an extract of his novel David Copperfield.It has been called the most autobiographical of his novels. Aristophil collection - manuscripts for sale Edison sketches Six illustrated sheets from Thomas Edison on the use of the light bulbs and electricity, dating to 1886. It also includes one of his original light bulbs. While Edison did not invent the light bulb, he did produce the first commercially viable one.
It is believed that close to 600 institutions and potential private investors have now been sounded out about a bid. Although the collection would enrich the home of any billionaire, it is hoped that a museum, foundation or gallery will come forward.
But it appears that interest has not been overwhelming. The original deadline for bids, ends on Wednesday but a French court hearing is expected to extend that date.
Sources in the art world suggest the collection may be overvalued, and that a top asking price of 100m might be more realistic.
Yes, 5 per cent of the collection is extraordinary, but the remaining 95 per cent is insignificant, one antiquarian bookseller told the Financial Times.
In August last year, the Commercial Court of Paris ordered the liquidation of the collection gathered by Aristophil between 2003 and 2015.
Gerard Lheritier set up Aristophil in 1990 and it became dedicated to buying manuscripts and original historical documents from collectors and specialist libraries. Aristophil sold shares to 18,000 investors, on the promise of strong returns.
But in November 2014, close to 100 French anti-fraud officers raided Aristophils Paris headquarters and seized the money in the accounts. Mr Lheritier has been placed under formal investigation for dishonest commercial practices, fraud in an organised gang , money laundering, embezzlement and presenting falsified accounts.
He denies the charges and calls the liquidation a complete mess, set up by a small gang of civil servants.
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Has YouTube really only been going ten years? It seems like decades ago that we were watching cats playing pianos or sneezing pandas. Except I never was. So vlogging rather passed me by. After an hour of listening to Jim Chapman, whose videos have over quarter of a billion views on YouTube, going behind the scenes of his own industry in this documentary, I will still never understand why people want to watch a guy being slapped around the face with a wet fish. Or sink hours watching someone else playing video games.
What this programme did highlight to me however, was how some vloggers really can make a difference to other peoples lives; whether thats showing them how to apply make-up like their favourite celebrity or inspiring them to come out or report domestic violence. Im just not convinced that the admittedly likeable Chapman was the right man to tell their stories.
He was too close to his subject and all the people he interviewed were preaching to the converted. Part of it is a lack of understanding, said Alfie Deyes, whose PointlessBlog channel has nearly five million subscribers. Deyes vlogger girlfriend, Zoella (of ghost-written book fame), has just notched-up 10 million subscribers across her own channels. The pair recently used Twitter to ask fans to desist from hanging-around outside their Brighton home. In this film we saw Chapman and Deyes accosted by fans from Australia and Asia. Its a tough gig.
There was too much time given to these British names who are comparable with their narcissistic reality-TV-star forebears. More interesting was meeting US vlogger Tyler Oakley who has worked with the Obama government to advise on LGBT issues. Or LA-based Ingrid Nilsen, whose coming out video has nearly 14 million views. Call me old-fashioned, but I think they all could be reminded that turning away from the camera has its merits. To be able to talk with a small, intimate group of people is something I dont get to do that much, said Nilsen at a meet-up with an LGBT group. Why dont you try it again some day, Ingrid?
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A judge has been urged not to act on her threat to jail 13 peaceful environmental protesters as campaigners warn that the British legal systems long-standing tolerance towards non-violent direct action is under threat.
A retired atmospheric physicist with a sick 94-year old mother is among 13 peaceful protesters facing prison later this month after a judge told them to expect a custodial sentence for disrupting flights at Heathrow Airport last summer.
If the Heathrow 13 are jailed, this would be the first time peaceful environmental protesters have gone to prison for the offence of aggravated trespass since it came into force two decades ago.
In interviews with The Independent, members of the group said they are scared by the prospect of jail time but more convinced than ever that they hold the moral high ground. Some have vowed to step up their protests after release, to keep drawing attention to the huge role air travel plays in global warming.
Recommended Read more Heathrow 13 facing jail sentences stand on the right side of history
At 68, Dr Rob Basto is the oldest member of the group, who each face up to three months in prison when they are sentenced on February 24. Dr Basto, who lives in Reigate in Surrey, is an atmospheric physicist by training but spent most of his career as a software engineer on contract for the Wellcome Trust and Reuters.
Married to Judy for 29 years and with a 28-year-old son who also studied physics, he is particularly concerned about the impact on his family should he go to jail.
I still feel fit and healthy and I go climbing. But I am quite apprehensive because of my family situation. My mother is ill and shes 94, he said. Dr Basto said he was frightened into protesting 15 years ago after studying research into the impact of climate change.
12 of the Heathrow protesters (Rob Basto not included), from left: (top row) Danielle Paffard; Ella Gilbert; Melanie Strickland; Kara Moses; (middle) Alistair Tamlit; Graham Thompson; Edward Thacker; Sheila Menon; (bottom) Sam Sender; Richard Hawkins; Cameron Kaye and Rebecca Sanderson
Danielle Paffard, 28, is a biology graduate of Oxford University who helped set up the UK Uncut tax avoidance protest group that occupied branches of Top Shop and Vodafone. She also faces a jail sentence for her part in the Heathrow action.
I was very shocked by the judges comments. It was really galling to hear her say she understands the serious impact of climate change - but that we made some people late and thats unacceptable, said Ms Paffard, who grew up in the Nottinghamshire countryside with her mother, a psychiatrist, and father, who works in the NHS.
Ten of the Heathrow 13 have no previous convictions, while three have been convicted of aggravated trespass before.
Activists protest at Heathrow
Ella Gilbert, who recently finished an MA in climate change at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, added: It is a bit of a shock, but I have absolutely no regrets or reservations about it. I think were standing up and making a difference by contributing to a wider discourse and actually stopping emissions from aviation.
Campaigners were astonished last week at Willesden Magistrates Court last week as District Judge Deborah Wright found the protesters guilty of aggravated trespass and said she planned to jail them.
She paid tribute to the demonstrators for their passion about the environment saying They are all principled people before telling them custodial sentences were almost inevitable.
The Heathrow protest part of the long-running Plane Stupid campaign to end airport expansion saw the group cut a hole in a fence and making their way on to the north runway. The demonstration at around 3.30am on the morning of Monday July 13 forced the cancellation of 25 flights.
It does feel harsh to send us to prison for a peaceful, non-violent direct action, said 44-year old Sheila Menon, a London-based filmmaker and environmental campaigner.
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. 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Mike Schwarz, a lawyer from Bindmans who is representing nine of the Heathrow 13, said: A custodial sentence would be excessive and wrong because there is a long history of recognition by senior judges that an allowance should be made on sentencing for peaceful protests of public importance.
Paul Heron, from the Public Interest Lawyers legal firm, added: For first time offenders, particularly because they not only alerted the authorities and acted in a peaceful way, it would seem harsh to attract a custodial sentence. Mr Heron is not involved in the case and was speaking in a personal capacity.
Dr Graeme Hayes, a reader in political society at Aston University, who has been researching environmental protests for 25 years, said: It would be unprecedented in modern times - for an environmental activist to be imprisoned for a peaceful, non-violent protest which the judge recognises as being conducted with honesty, sincerity and integrity.
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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.
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In the aftermath of an E. coli outbreak at Chipotle, which sickened dozens of people across the United States last fall, and led to an overhaul of the company's food safety practices, Americans reacted by avoiding the beloved fast food chain. Restaurants that once sported long lines were suddenly empty, a phenomenon that was almost surely happening nationwide.
The risks, in other words, were simply too great in people's minds for them to continue frequenting the Mexican-inspired favorite, because Chipotle had a food safety problem.
But the outrage was at least partly misplaced, according to Bill Marler, a lawyer specialising in food-borne illness. The outbreak, he says, was less of an anomaly specific to the chain than a symptom of the American food system, which isn't as safe as it could be and really should be.
Recommended Read more Food poisoning expert reveals 6 foods he refuses to eat
Marler, who has been involved in many high profile outbreaks over the past 30 years, including the 1993 E. coli outbreak at Jack in the Box, which killed several children and forced the government to administer a zero tolerance for the presence of the pathogen in food, reminds that problems like the one at Chipotle are far more common than most people realize. Food recalls, of which there are many, frequently fly under the radar. In 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, more than 8,000 food products were recalled by the Food and Drug Administration and nearly 100 were recalled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The problem touches organic foods, too.
The industry, Marler says, does a good job of nudging people to forget about all this, and we all do a good job of obliging, because food safety isn't the sort of thing anyone likes to think about.
The way in which the American food system works is often perplexing if not entirely nonsensical, according to Marler. For this reason, he takes precautions people less familiar with food safety oversight might find absurd. In a recent piece, published in Bottom Line Health, he lists six foods he no longer eats, because he believes the risk of eating them is simply too large. The list includes raw oysters and other raw shellfish, raw or under-cooked eggs, meat that isn't well-done, unpasteurized milk and juice, and raw sprouts.
Bill Marler specialises in food-borne illness (Food Poisoning Lawyers/YouTube)
"You wouldn't believe some of the things I have learned over the years," he said. "I have some crazy stories."
I spoke with Marler to hear some of these stories, learn about the things we might want to think twice about eating, and better understand what exactly it is that people don't understand about food safety in the United States. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Would the average person be horrified if they knew what you know about the food system?
I think there are a lot of things about the food system that the general public would find completely nonsensicalnot necessarily frightening, but definitely nonsensical. Like how E. coli is considered an adulterant in hamburgers, but salmonella and many other pathogens are not. How salmonella is allowed on chickens, which the USDA oversees, but salmonella is not allowed in any product that the FDA oversees.
There are a lot of disparate pieces in the food safety system in the United States, and there is no one really who is fully in control of it. And the public health system is made up of 51 separate departments of public healththe CDC and 50 statesand theyre not necessarily playing from the same sheet of music.
I know a lot more about the flaws in the system than the average person, and these would be incredibly perplexing to most people. If people knew these kind of things, Im pretty sure they would question why the system is built the way it is.
So it isn't safe?
From a safety standpoint, I dont necessarily think that were the safest food system in the world, but neither do I think that were the worst food safety system in the world. We do have a fairly amazing ability to surveil foodborne illnesses. Not necessarily to find out why they happened, or what we could do to prevent them, but were pretty good at keeping track of people who have positive stool cultures. I speak all over the world on food safety issues, and almost everyone around the world uses the CDC foodborne illness statistics, and then just extrapolates those onto their populations.
Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Show all 8 1 /8 Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Where to put raw meat It is hygienically correct to put raw meat on the bottom shelf Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Handling chicken It is hygienically correct to put raw meat on the bottom shelf Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Campylobacter Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety 'Use by' dates Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Washing meat It is hygienically correct not to wash raw meat Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety The tea towel Maintaining a clean tea towel is important to kitchen hygiene Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Separate chopping boards Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety Food thermometers
In 22 years of doing this, Ive obviously seen things that are chilling. But Ive also seen some great progress. I made hundreds of millions of dollars for my clients in the first decade or so of my practice off the beef industry. Most of the work we did was E. coli cases linked to hamburgers, and those are now almost non-existent, because the beef industry and the government finally figured out that it was a really bad idea to poison people, and that it was expensive, and they created systems that allowed to lower the level of E. coli in hamburger meat. Now there are fewer people getting sick, and Bill Marler isnt making as much money, which is a great thing.
Why is it that the government has acted on E. coli, but not on other pathogens, namely salmonella?
A crisis happened.
The Jack in the Box E. Coli outbreak in January of 1993 came at an incredibly fortuitous time to get government to pay attention to it. It basically broke on inauguration weekend for Bill Clinton. In many respects, and I know this because I know people who were working at USDA and at the White House, this was one of the first things that was on Clintons platethis E. coli crisis in the Pacific Northwest. People wanted to know what he was going to do about it.
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The USDA, in 1994, said that E. coli could no longer be in hamburger meat, and the industry went absolutely nuts. They sued the government, saying E. coli is a naturally occurring bacteria. To the governments credit, they used science and the court agreed that the government had the power to do exactly what it did. And over time, that determination that E. coli was an adulterant worked its way through the system and got us to the place we are now.
Where we are now is kind of where we are with vaccine and people, where you have some people questioning the necessity of a system that works, without question. You know, when was the last time you saw someone with polio? But you hear people in certain parts who take that reality and then wonder whether they need to vaccine their children since polio hasnt really been around. We see places advertising that theyre undercooking hamburgers, because it tastes better. I find that worrisome. Even though weve pushed a lot of E. coli out of hamburgers, theyre playing with fire by not cooking their hamburgers thoroughly.
Is the presence of salmonella any less dangerous?
No. In my view, what the government did in 1994 with E. coli, was they knew what they wanted to do, which was to get it out of hamburger meat. They justified it by saying that the infectious dose was low, that people dont necessarily cook hamburgers the way they shouldits difficult to cook them thoroughly, and theres a high risk of cross contamination. They had a long list of arguments as to why they needed to take that action.
Colonies of a multi-resistant coliform bacteria, E.coli (R Parulan Jr/Moment/Getty Creative) (Moment/Getty Creative)
But frankly all of that applies to salmonella. The infectious dose for salmonella is higher, but were talking about infinitesimal, invisible quantities of bacteria. 100,000 bacterium of salmonella would fit on the head of a pin. So youre not really looking at a product that is grossly contaminated; youre looking at a product that is a little contaminated, and that little bit of contamination is enough to get people really sick. Salmonella kills more Americans every year than E. coli does, and can cause severe long-term complications.
If salmonella is so problematic, why hasn't the government protected consumers from it?
Theres a case that goes back to the 1970s, American Health Association (AHA) vs. Earl Butz, who was the secretary of agriculture under President Nixon. The AHA didnt even know about E. coli 0157, the kind that gets people really sick, back then. They were focused on salmonella, and they wanted to put a label on put that said hey consumer, you need to cook this, and the meat industry went nuts, they said no way were not going to do this. So the AHA sued the government because they thought it was necessary, and the government sided with the industry, and in essence said it was a naturally occurring bacterium on meat, which is untrue, and housewivesthis is actually in the case, I swearknow how to cook it, what to do to make this food safe. That mentality is just below the surface in the meat industry, whether its the beef, chicken, or any other facet. That sort of mentality that theres really nothing we can do about it, and its really the consumer that is at fault if anybody gets sick, its their problem. This is exactly the argument that the industry waged in 1994, with E. coli, but there the government changed its toned because there 700 people who got sick and 4 children who died, and it was kind of hard to ignore that.
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The government has not faced a salmonella crisis like the Jack in the Box E. coli crisis in the early 1990s, that solidifies consumers, government, business, and everyone else to do the thing that would ultimately be the correct thing, which is to do with salmonella exactly what they did with E. coli 0157. And the way the system is set up now, with FSIS being in USDA and essentially just being a captured, controlled agency of the industry, its just never going to happen.
When I applied for the job, back in 2008, and allegedly made it to the shortlist, you can imagine the industry was quite concerned about what I might do if I actually took office.
You mentioned to me in the past that you have a few major frustrations with food safety in the United States. Can you talk a bit about those?
I think certainly the salmonella thing is probably the biggest frustrationand maybe the biggest public health threat. That has to be on the top of my list.
Secondly, the failure of government to have sufficient resources to allow for the level of inspection that is should be required for FDA overseen products, which are differentmeat, generally, is overseen by the USDA. So for instance, the USDA, or really FSIS [Food Safety and Inspection Service] in particular, looks at meat products save for fish. Theres an inspector in every single meat plant in America. That came about post The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair. And, allegedly, the legislation was such that the industry was supposed to pay for the inspectors. But, unsurprisingly, the industry got taxpayers to pay for the inspectors. Now those inspectors are unionized, and now theres an inspector in every plant, and thats the system.
On the FDAs side, which is 80 percent of our other food supplies and imports, theres a skeleton crew of inspectors. Most of the foodborne illness outbreaks that I have been involved in over the past 20 or 30 years, most of the manufacturing facilities have never had an FDA inspector in them. Even if they did, it was five to ten years earlier. And thats just the systemwe chose not to have a system, which basically grew up post World War IIthe mass manufacturing of foods is really a post World War II phenomenonand by the time we started looking at that in terms of what we needed for inspections, we didnt have much interest in paying for what was safest.
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Whats funny, or really tragic, is that we, the consuming public, pay billions of dollars every year for a sort of half-hearted system of inspections, called third party audits, where the Wal-Marts and the Costcos and the McDonalds of the world tell their supply chain that they need to pay for an audit of their businesses. And thats been a well known problem for the industry, because when you pay for your own audit, the likelihood that youre going to get a bad or unfavorable audit is remarkably close to zero. When you look at the audits that have been performed during some of the worst outbreaks that have occurred in the United States, its really troubling.
The lack of taxpayers stepping up and the government stepping up, and the allowing of third party audits that are in many respects a complete shame, is just really frustrating.
So yeah, Id say that salmonella and government inspections are really my two main major frustrations. I think we could have a much safer food system and food supply, if we applied the rules of adulteration across the board, regardless of the product, and we had an inspection core that would actually be available. And I think we could actually make this happen, if we wanted to.
While reporting on Chipotles recent foodborne illness outbreaks, several food safety experts, including yourself, suggested the company might have a hard time implementing its new rules, because the poultry industry is pretty resistant to more stringent testing for pathogens. Whats up with the poultry industry?
The poultry industry is a tough one. If you just look at the Foster Farms outbreak that went on for 18 months, it gives you a really good sense. PBSs Frontline did this fantastic documentary about the outbreak, which I was involved in, and it really showed the scary level of symbiotic relationship that exists between the FSIS, which is the government agency tasked with overseeing food safety in the United States, and the poultry industry. Since salmonella, for reasons I cannot understand, isnt considered an adulterant, they, the FSIS, couldnt do a thing about an ongoing, clear outbreak, that was sickening several hundred people that we know about, and many times more, because the real number is something like 30 times that due to underreporting. So youre looking at an 18,000 to 20,000 person outbreak, that the government isnt doing a damn thing about, other than writing letters.
There was this great scene in the documentary, where the interviewer is talking to an official from FSIS. He asks what they did to Foster Farms, and the official says oh, well, we wrote him a letter. Then he asks him what he did next, and the guy says well, we wrote him another letter. He asks him again, and he says the same thing. And then he asks what theyre going to do if it keeps happening, and he says 'well, were going to keep writing them letters. And thats the problem, we really dont have the ability to hold companies accountable.
Look, you and I in about five minutes could draft a speech for FSIS about why salmonella is an adulterant. Theres plenty of explanation and evidence for how risky salmonella is, and how consumers dont handle chicken properly and how they dont cook it properlyreally, the same exact arguments that were made for E. Coli 0157. You could easily make this argument, and the court would back you up. Youd be bucking a lot of angry chicken guys, but nevertheless you could get it done.
Really, this is the story of an emasculated agency, and one where they dont even want to ask for that authority.
The issues of food safety really come to life when there are big scares or stories. But its the companies that are associated with themlike Chipotle, most recentlythat suffer the PR blow. Are companies like Chipotle to blame, or is the framework or system they function within the real problem?
Each outbreak is differentthe players, the causes, the size. If you look at the Chipotle case, they had six outbreaks in six months, thats pretty unprecedented. I mean, I cannot think of any restaurant, any chain, anything where there have been six outbreaks in that short of a period.
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I look at what happened with Chipotle, and I just think they were so focused on their mission to serve food with integrity, as defined by their commitment to local, organic, non-GMO, and humanely raised food, that they used those words as a proxy for safe food. I think they believed, and probably people did too, that it was true. If you asked people six months ago whether they thought McDonalds or Chipotle was safer, more than 90 percent of people would have said Chipotle in an instant.
But the problem isn't really Chipotle. It's the system, which allows for these sorts of things to happen too often. Chipotle was, for the most part, complying with food safety standards. In many senses, they were exceeding them.
You were trending on Facebook recently, because you listed a handful of things that people love to eat but you refuse to eat for safety reasons.
It depends on how you look at it. I mean, if I went back and looked at all the foods I have been involved in that have poisoned people, you could make a very long listthe things you would be left with would be very short. When I made that list, I stuck a couple things together, like unpasteurized milk and juice. Its based on more than 20 years of experience, that has taught me that these are the food items that are, from my perspective, the ones that have caused more issues, and, especially in a restaurant setting, where youre not controlling the handling of your food, are best left alone. This doesnt mean that other things, like cantaloupe couldnt find their way onto the list. But these are the ones that I have had to deal with the most often over the years.
You keep telling me that you have all these crazy storiesall these things I wouldnt believe. Can you share one of them?
I actually have the perfect one, which I told at a recent conference, and really floored people.
Do you know the juice Odwalla? Well, the juice is made by a company in California, which has made all sorts of other juices, many of which have been unpasteurized, because its more natural. Anyway, they were kind of like Chipotle, in the sense that they had this aura of good and earthy and healthful. And they were growing very quickly. And they had an outbreak. It killed a kid in Colorado, and sickened dozens of others very seriously, and the company was very nearly brought to its knees. [The outbreak, which was linked to apple juice produced by Odwalla, happened twenty years ago].
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If you look at how they handled the PR stuff, most PR people would say well, they handled it great. They took responsibility, they were upfront and honest about it, etc etc. Whats interesting though is that behind the scenes, on the legal side of the equation, I had gotten a phone call, which by itself isnt uncommon. In these high profile cases, people tend to call meformer employees, former government officials, family members of people who have fallen ill, or unknown people giving me tips. But this one was different. It was a SaturdayI remember it welland someone left me a voicemail telling me to make sure I get the U.S. Army documents regarding Odwalla. I was like 'what the heck, what the heck are they talking about?' So I decided to follow up on it, and reached out to the Army and got something like 100 pages of documents. Well, it turned out that the Army had been solicited to put Army juice on Army PXs, which sell goods, and, because of that, the Army had gone to do an inspection of a plant, looked around and wrote out a report. And heres whats nuts: it had concluded that Odwallas juice was not fit for human consumption.
Wow.
Its crazy, right? The Army had decided that Odwallas juice wasnt fit for human consumption, and Odwalla knew this, and yet kept selling it anyway. When I got that document, it was pretty incredible. But then after the outbreak, we got to look at Odwallas documents, which included emails, and there were discussions amongst people at the company, months before the outbreak, about whether they should do end product testingwhich is finished product testingto see whether they had pathogens in their product, and the decision was made to not test, because if they tested there would be a body of data. One of my favorite emails said something like once you create a body of data, its subpoenable.
So, basically, they decided to protect themselves instead of their consumers?
Yes, essentially. Look, there are a lot of sad stories in my line of work. Ive been in ICUs, where parents have had to pull the plug on their child. Someone commented on my article about the six things I dont eat, saying that I must be some kind of freak, but when you see a child die from eating an undercooked hamburger, it does change your view of hamburgers. It just does. I am a lawyer, but Im also a human.
That Odwalla story is one of the crazier stories I can think of, but there are many others, and there would be many fewer if the way we handled food safety here made more sense.
Washington Post
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She's seen the planes, enjoyed the cheap flights, now she's going to try the baked beans. I had two lovely cheap trips to Malta, says Clare Gaches, 44. So I thought I would try the shops.
And boy does she like what she sees: a shopping bag bursting with tinned beans, pasta and the rest: 25 items, for a total of 6.25.
Because this, from Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the man who gave us easyJet, is the first ever easyFoodstore a new concept store, as it says on the big orange banner outside. Everything is 25p for the whole of February.
It isn't so much budget, as ultra-budget shopping. And judging by Clare and others at yesterday's official opening, easyFoodstore stands a good chance of revolutionising bargain shopping in the same way that Stelios's easyJet transformed cheap air travel.
From Acton, Greenford, and just five minutes' walk away they've come to the shop in Park Royal West, Brent. Don't be fooled by the name: there was no royalty, no park. The store overlooks London's North Circular Road. Instead of in-store muzak, you just get the usual roar of traffic.
Harrods, says Richard Shackleton, easyGroup's communications director, it ain't. No-one cares. Asked why they have come here, they have but one answer: price. With money tight, says Clare, a shop assistant: The savings matter. Beans are 50p at Morrisons on offer. Here they're 25p, twice as cheap. The pound stores are good. This is the best.
The decor, to put it kindly, is basic. Think low-ceilinged industrial-estate office with row upon row of non-brand goods: tinned soup, tinned beans, pots of chicken and mushroom noodle snacks in a more carefree age, you would call it the one-stop cornucopia for the bedsit-dwelling bachelor.
This, though, is no carefree age.
EasyFoodstore, says Richard, was partly inspired by the soup kitchens that Stelios had opened in Greece and Cyprus as the economic crisis bit. The idea for this shop comes from that, he says. We have food banks in this country. But what happens if you have a low-paid job and you are no longer entitled to benefits or the food bank?
But if Stelios is being philanthropic, he is also being shrewd?
EasyFoodstore may prove that money is tight for many. It also shows how budget shopping is now a boom business. Iceland has branched out into Food Warehouse stores. Aldi and Lidl have made inroads on the dominance of Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda, doubling their joint market share to 10 per cent in just three years.
The middle classes may have resorted to them in the depths of recession, but they stayed with them thereafter. Last year 31 per cent of Aldi and Lidl shoppers were from upper middle and middle class AB demographic.
Which means, said Richard, that if budget shopping is booming, ultra-budget shopping's moment has come. With Lidl and Aldi drifting upmarket, he says, It has left space at the bottom between them and food banks.
Yes, there is a strong philanthropic thread to this, but we are also looking to make money. We'll decide the [non-introductory, non-loss leading] price point at some stage. I don't know what it will be but You've got pound shops, what about a 50p store?
Problems getting planning permission may have stopped Stelios launching easyFoodstore in Croydon in 2014, but that allowed him to create a mock-up shop and test it on focus groups. They really liked it, says Richard. We wouldn't have gone ahead otherwise.
And by the looks of it, other easyFoodstores will be opening soon. Because the queue for the till is stretching beyond the noodle snacks and heading towards the ketchup. Cereals, frozen chips and burgers have all sold out.
Zero-hours contract worker Mark Lowe, 38, a carer, has bought nearly everything still available, emerging with four bags full and only 19 the lighter: These savings matter for me, for lots of people.
Curiosity has persuaded Janine Towns, 61, to make a pit stop on her way to Asda. I'll come here again. For the basics.
And Clare? I'm definitely coming back, she says, carrying her beans and pasta to the bus stop. Good on you Stelios!
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Whisky enthusiasts have reacted with anger after discovering less than 200 bottles of an award-winning Japanese single malt will arrive in England and the few shops that stock them have sold out already.
Suntory, the makers of the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2016, said that 2,000 bottles were being shipped to 10 European cities this week. However the actual number arriving in London is just 198.
Selfridges has already sold its allocation to through its client base customers who have signed up to receive alerts about new products - while Harvey Nichols said the drink was not yet on shelf, but it has already sold out and has a waiting list.
The 2013 version of the sherry cask became the first whisky from Japan to win the coveted World Whisky of the Year award whose founder said the victory transformed the Japanese whisky industry overnight.
A Suntory spokeswoman said: Everything was done to fairly distribute this whisky and ensure that it is available to consumers, but we are not able to dictate how retailers sell their limited allocation of product. For those not able to find a bottle in retail, we hope theyll be able to enjoy a dram in some of Londons top bars.
One aficionado from Manchester, who declined to be named, complained at the tiny allocation. I called Selfridges and Harvey Nichols to find out when they were stocking the whisky but told they had sold them all already. Its farcical. The whole point of producing more this time than 2013 was for more people to be able to enjoy it, but thats not going to happen now and I can hardly afford to come all the way to London to drink it in a bar for a dram no doubt the same price as a decent bottle of Scotch I can enjoy at home.
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New research published today in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine confirms what many of us have suspected for some time: If you smoke a lot of weed like a lot of it it can potentially do permanent damage to your short-term memory.
Professor Reto Auer of the University of Lausanne led a team of researchers who examined data on the marijuana habits of nearly 3,400 Americans over a 25-year period.
At the end of the study period, the subjects took a battery of tests designed to assess cognitive abilities memory, focus, ability to make quick decisions, etc.
The study found that people who smoked marijuana on a daily basis for a long period of time five years or more had poorer verbal memory in middle age than people who didn't smoke, or who smoked less.
This association remained even after researchers controlled for a variety of other factors known to affect cognitive performance, including age, education, use of other substances and depression.
Auer and his team measured lifetime marijuana exposure in a fantastic new unit of measurement they call marijuana-years.
Cannabis legalisation blocked
Essentially, if you smoke pot every day for a year, that equals one marijuana-year of use. Ditto if you smoke every other day for two years, or once a week for seven years.
The relationship between marijuana exposure and memory problems was essentially linear. The more pot people smoked, the worse they performed on the memory tests. But just how much worse?
Let's say we have two groups of 10 people each. You tell each of them a list of 15 words and ask them to memorize them. Then 25 minutes later, you ask them to recall all of the words to the best of their ability.
The first group consists of 10 people who don't smoke pot or only do so occasionally. Let's say on average, people in this group would be able to remember nine out of the 15 words.
Where cannabis is and isn't legal Show all 10 1 /10 Where cannabis is and isn't legal Where cannabis is and isn't legal UK Having been reclassified in 2009 from a Class C to a Class B drug, cannabis is now the most used illegal drug within the United Kingdom. The UK is also, however, the only country where Sativex a prescribed drug that helps to combat muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis and contains some ingredients that are also found in cannabis - is licensed as a treatment Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal North Korea Although many people believe the consumption of cannabis in North Korea to be legal, the official law regarding the drug has never been made entirely clear whilst under Kim Jong Uns regime. However, it is said that the North Korean leader himself has openly said that he does not consider cannabis to be a drug and his regime doesnt take any issue with the consumption or sale of the drug MARCEL VAN HOORN/AFP/Getty Images Where cannabis is and isn't legal Netherlands In the Netherlands smoking cannabis is legal, given that it is smoked within the designated smoking areas and you dont possess more than 5 grams for personal use. It is also legal to sell the substance, but only in specified coffee shops Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal USA Although in some states of America cannabis has now been legalised, prior to the legalisation, police in the U.S. could make a marijuana-related arrest every 42 seconds, according to US News and World Report. The country also used to spend around $3.6 billion a year enforcing marijuana law, the American Civil Liberties Union notes AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Where cannabis is and isn't legal Spain Despite cannabis being officially illegal in Spain, the European hotspot has recently started to be branded, the new Amsterdam. This is because across Spain there are over 700 Cannabis Clubs these are considered legal venues to consume cannabis in because the consumption of the drug is in private, and not in public. These figures have risen dramatically in the last three years in 2010 there were just 40 Cannabis Clubs in the whole of Spain. Recent figures also show that in Catalonia alone there are 165,000 registered members of cannabis clubs this amounts to over 5 million euros (4 million) in revenue each month Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Uruguay In December 2013, the House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill legalizing and regulating the production and sale of the drug. But the president has since postponed the legalization of cannabis until to 2015 and when it is made legal, it will be the authorities who will grow the cannabis that can be sold legally. Buyers must be 18 or older, residents of Uruguay, and must register with the authorities Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Pakistan Despite the fact that laws prohibiting the sale and misuse of cannabis exist and is considered a habit only entertained by lower-income groups, it is very rarely enforced. The occasional use of cannabis in community gatherings is broadly tolerated as a centuries old custom. The open use of cannabis by Sufis and Hindus as a means to induce euphoria has never been challenged by the state. Further, large tracts of cannabis grow unchecked in the wild Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Portugal In 2001, Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalize the use of all drugs, and started treating drug users as sick people, instead of criminals. However, you can still be arrested or assigned mandatory rehab if you are caught several times in possession of drugs Getty Where cannabis is and isn't legal Puerto Rico Although the use of cannabis is currently illegal, it is said that Puerto Rico are in the process of decriminalising it RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images Where cannabis is and isn't legal China Cannabis is grown in the wild and has been used to treat conditions such as gout and malaria. But, officially the substance is illegal to consume, possess and sell Getty
The second group consists of people who smoked pot every single day over a period of five years. On average, they'd be able to recall 8.5 out of the 15 words.
That doesn't seem like a huge cognitive difference, and by and large it's not. But multiply that by every five marijuana years of exposure and the gap can start to get larger. For instance, say you had a group of people who smoked weed literally every single day from age 20 until they turned 45.
At age 45, you'd expect these folks to remember, on average, 2.5 fewer words as a comparable group who had smoked occasionally or not at all over the same period.
Few people actually smoke this much pot. Among the 3,385 study subjects, only 311 (8 per cent) had more than five marijuana-years of exposure. But many drug policy experts are concerned that legalizing marijuana and making it easier to get will cause rates of heavy, problematic use like this to rise.
One important caveat is that a study like this can't determine causality. It could be the case that heavy pot use makes your short-term memory bad, or it could be that people who operate at a lower level of cognitive function are more inclined to use marijuana heavily.
It's also worth noting that the other cognitive abilities researchers tested focus and processing speed did not seem to be significantly impacted by heavy marijuana use.
The association between short-term memory declines potentially permanent ones and heavy pot use is very real, according to this study, and shouldn't be discounted.
On the other hand, it's also quite surprising that you can smoke weed every single day for five years, and not have it impact your problem-solving abilities or your ability to focus at all.
These findings also need to be understood in relation to what we know about the severe cognitive effects of persistent, heavy alcohol use, which include irreversible brain damage.
Overall, the take-home message is one of moderation. Whether your preferred vice is pot or alcohol or gambling or Big Macs, it stands to reason that if you overdo it, you're going to hurt yourself.
Copyright: Washington Post
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A Harvard scientist has rejected the idea wealth, fame and success can make for a good life and instead argued that strong relationships are what make people happy and healthy.
Robert Waldinger, clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is the fourth director of a 77-year-long Study of Adult Development.
The study started in 1938 involved 724 men who were split into two groups. One set were 268 sophomore students at Harvard many of who went on to fight in WWII.
The other group were 456 12 to 16-year-olds from one of Bostons most disadvantaged areas in the 1930s. Many of these children lived in tenements without any running water.
At the start of the study, the men underwent medical examinations and their parents were interviewed to give researchers a deep understanding of their lives.
They were surveyed biennially about their lives, where researchers explored their attitudes towards their work and home lives, and underwent medical examinations every five years.
A quarter of a century later, 60 of the 724 men are still alive and participating in the researcher while in their nineties.
Professor Waldinger discussed the findings of the one-of-a-kind study at a TED talk.
He told the audience that the study showed three things about life and happiness: all highlighting the importance of maintaining quality relationships.
The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: good relationships keep us happier and healthier: period, he said. Below are the three lessons.
Loneliness kills
Professor Waldinger said that social connections are beneficial to health, and warned that loneliness can kill.
People with more social connections be that to family members, friends or in a community are happier, physically healthier, and tend to live longer.
Those who are more isolated from others than they wish to be suffer with poor health and experience a decline in brain function sooner than those who aren't.
The quality of relationships matters
While being lonely is harmful, being surrounded by people isnt necessarily helpful in itself, explained Professor Waldinger.
"We know that you can be lonely in a crowd and lonely in a marriage," he said.
In fact, marriages which are marked by conflict can be as bad for your health, and in some cases worse, than getting divorced.
Meanwhile, "living in the midst of good warm relationships is protective" he said.
The happiest countries in the world Show all 10 1 /10 The happiest countries in the world The happiest countries in the world 10. Australia Eugene Tan/Hausmann Communications via Getty Images The happiest countries in the world 9. New Zealand Tourism New Zealand The happiest countries in the world 8. Sweden Getty The happiest countries in the world 7. Netherlands BRAM VAN DER BIEZEN/AFP/Getty Images The happiest countries in the world 6. Finland Getty Images The happiest countries in the world 5. Canada AFP/Getty The happiest countries in the world 4. Norway Getty The happiest countries in the world 3. Denmark Getty The happiest countries in the world 2. Iceland Ragnar Sigurdsson The happiest countries in the world 1. Switzerland AFP/Getty
Strong relationships are good for mind and body
Professor Waldinger said that people who feel they can count on another person when they face trouble have stronger memory, while those who dont see this faculity decline earlier.
But a good relationship isnt a perfect one, he stressed, and said that while many of the couples studied bickered, they ultimately knew that they had someone to support them in times of strife.
Professor Walinger concluded by telling listeners that maintaining good relationships is hard work and is not a quick fix to health and happines - but he emphasised that the study repeatedly proved the benefits of persevering.
He said that simple actions such as spending more time with people and keeping long-lasting relationships fresh, to reconciling with an estranged family member can boost a person's health.
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The Spanish fashion brand Mango has been criticised for casting Kendall Jenner as the face of their new African Tribal Spirit collection.
Critics have questioned the decision to use a white model to represent a collection inspired by Africa.
Xavier Tio, the head of the Udutama Association, an organisation that supports minorities in Spain has condemned the move.
Mango should support people whose cultures inspire its collections. It would be a nice way to return the favour.
It would have been a wise decision to hire an African model, and the campaign would have had more success in the media, he said to La Vanguardia newspaper.
Mango have described the Tribal Spirit range, which is due to be released in Barcelona in February as an ethnic-inspired trend which features an abundance of accessories to produce outfits of a tribal and free-spirited influence.
Speaking to Womens Wear Daily, Mangos Vice President, Daniel Lopez, confirmed he thought the American supermodel was the most fitting person for the collection.
We thought that she was the best model to embody this trend.
And obviously the upside 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.
Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Show all 20 1 /20 Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner stars in Calvin Klein Jeans ad Alasdair McLellan/Calvin Klein Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner on the cover of Harper's Bazaar Harper's Bazaar Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendal Jenner models at the Chanel autumn/winter 2015 show Getty Images Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner models for Balmain spring/summer 2015 Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Behind the scenes of Kendall Jenner for Estee Lauder Estee Lauder Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner on the runway at Givenchy Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner on her biggest catwalk job yet leading Dolce & Gabbana's finale during Milan Fashion Week EPA Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner walks the runway at Tommy Hilfiger Women's fashion show during New York Fashion Week Getty Images Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Model Kendall Jenner walks the runway at the DKNY show Getty Images Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner walks the runway at the Diane Von Furstenberg fashion show during New York Fashion Week Getty Images Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne for Love Magazine photographed by Slve Sundsb, Styling: Katie Grand Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner on one of the covers of Teen Vogue's September issue Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner on one of the covers of Teen Vogue's September issue Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner Love Magazine LOVE Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner at Chanel's autumn/winter 2014 fashion show Getty Images Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner at Chanel's autumn/winter 2014 fashion show Getty Images Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner poses for Givenchy alongside Isabelle Huppert and other models, photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott Givenchy Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Riccardo Tisci with Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber Tisci Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Getty Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making Kendall Jenner's fashion career in the making (L-R) Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner accept the choice reality show award for Keeping Up with the Kardashians Reuters
The reality TV star-turned-model, who has garnered a following of 47.5 million people on Instagram, has also released a statement about being selected for the campaign.
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.
But critics have taken to Twitter to express their anger at the decision to select Jenner for a fashion collection focused on African tribal style.
When contacted by The Independent, Mango declined further comment.
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A British tourist has been killed after being trampled and gored by an elephant in front of his daughter.
Gareth Crowe was taking part in a trek on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand when the animal turned on its handler after he got down to take photographs.
He and his 16-year-old daughter, Eilidh, were thrown by the elephant which is then said to have trampled Mr Crowe and stabbed him through the chest with his tusk - killing him instantly.
Eilidh was admitted to hospital with minor injuries but is believed to have escaped with her life after the elephant ran off into the forest.
Mr Crowe, 36, was on holiday with his partner Catherine Hughes, 42, and their two children.
The family are believed to originally be from the Isle of Islay in Scotland but moved to the Scottish mainland two years ago.
The local newspaper, the Samui Times, suggested Mr Crowe - who worked as a diver - had teased the animal with a banana but Eilidh denied this on Facebook from her hospital bed, according to the Scottish Sun.
Elephant rides are a popular tourist attraction in Thailand (Getty Images)
Ms Hughes said: "We were all here on holiday. My son and I didn't go on the elephants. I've been given no information as to what happened or how it happened.Eilidh is OK but I dont know exactly what happened."
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are offering support to the family of a British national who has sadly died following an incident in Koh Samui, Thailand, and are making contact with the local authorities to seek further information."
The local provincial governor, Wongsiri Phromchana, said an investigation had been launched into the incident.
World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. 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A spokeswoman for World Animal Protection said her thoughts were with Mr Crowes family but the incident "was a stark reminder" that elephants are wild animals which are not supposed to be ridden.
She explained most tourists do not know the cruelty elephants on these tours are subjected to in order to make them tame enough to give rides.
She said: "If you can ride it, hug it or have a selfie with a wild animal, then the chances are it is cruel and the animal is suffering."
Additional reporting by PA
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Once they were the future of sea travel. Able to carry hundreds of passengers and dozens of cars across the Channel in less than half an hour in good conditions, hovercraft would speed past jealous ferry passengers and were sufficiently glamorous to count James Bond as a customer.
But those days seem a long time ago, and the last remaining Dover to Boulogne hovercraft long since decommissioned following the advent of modern catamarans and the Channel Tunnel now faces the scrap heap.
The Princess Margaret and Princess Anne Hoverspeed vessels have been on display at the Hovercraft Museum in Lee-on-the-Solent since 2000. However, the Government agency that owns them says it needs the land for housing, and they are now fenced off with their future uncertain.
Recommended Read more Drunk hovercraft pilot is caught on video failing to land the craft
They could yet be saved, however, thanks to an effort backed by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Princess Anne herself.
Despite being stored at the museum, the SRN4 category hovercraft and the site where they are stored are owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) rather than the museum trust. There has been a protracted legal battle between transport heritage enthusiasts and the agency, which wants to develop the land to create new homes and an innovation centre. More than 10,000 people have signed the museums petition in two days, with the same number adding their names to a Change.org petition.
Video: first hovercraft run
The National Historic Ships Register has also stepped in to see if it can save the hovercraft which, at 47 years old, does not meet their 50-year criteria to qualify for the register.
History of the hovercraft Inventors had tried to bring a hovercraft to life but it was mechanical engineer Sir Christopher Cockerell who made it feasible. He wanted to make a vehicle that would move over water on a layer of air and built several models of his hovercraft design in the early 1950s, which was put on a secret list. However, tireless efforts to secure military funding failed. He later joked: The navy said it was a plane not a boat; the air force said it was a boat not a plane; and the army was plain not interested. Hovercraft, hybrid vessels operated by a pilot as an aircraft rather than a captain as a marine vessel, were then declassified so Cockerell was able to secure funding from the National Research Development Corporation for development. The SRN1 vessel made its first hover on 11 June 1959 and successfully crossed the Channel the next month. The fleet of eight SRN4 vessels the worlds biggest carried 18 million people from around the world and 15 million cars between France and England during their lifetime. They were built on the Isle of Wight by the British Hovercraft Corporation in the 1970s and operated from both Dover and Pegwell Bay before being replaced in 2000 by a catamaran service. They were financed through duty-free sales, which off-set the fuel costs but when duty free was abolished in 2000 the hovercraft was axed as running costs became prohibitively expensive. Today Griffon Hoverwork, in Southampton, continues to lead an industry worth 30m selling craft all over the world.
We feel at least one of the hovercraft should be saved from destruction to pass on to next generations, said museum trustee Warwick Jacobs. Weve also had phone calls from France, where they believe its as much a French hovercraft as it is British. As many French people and cars travelled on it as British. They are talking about saving one on behalf of the Government for Calais, although its early days. And we would have one for the Hovercraft Museum.
Mr Jacobs said the museum would, if necessary, clear the Princess Margaret which featured in the Bond film Diamonds Are Forever out of the way to be scrapped, or sent to France, to provide space for the HCA and allow the Princess Anne to be saved.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, a museum patron who took a hovercraft along the River Nile in the 1970s, has contacted the trustees to say he will do what he can to help the cause.
And, although the Royal family do not speak publicly on political decisions, The Independent understands that Princess Annes office has been in touch with the Hovercraft Museum expressing her support for the campaign.
There has been an enormous response from the public worldwide, Mr Jacobs said. People in Australia and South Africa have been in touch supporting us, which has left us, as well as the land agents, quite startled.
Sir Christopher Cockerell was not able to convince the military to invest in his invention
And to be told just a few weeks after we have reopened the museum, after two years of refurbishment, that the hovercraft giants cant stay here is a catastrophe. The hovercraft are as British as the Mini or Concorde. Once theyre gone youll never see them again.
Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage said: "I am hopeful that a deal can be struck which will enable the Hovercraft Museum to gain an important addition to their collection - the Princess Anne - that adds to the site and does not distract from developing the waterfront, which is very important in the creation of jobs and the economic prosperity of our area.
An HCA spokesperson said: Our aim is to develop the land to create much needed homes and jobs, and regenerate the local area. However, we take our responsibility to national heritage seriously. We are talking to local partners to find a solution for the hovercraft and considering all options, including proposals from the Hovercraft Museum to save one of the craft.
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More than 300 eminent academics at Oxford and Cambridge have signed a joint statement calling on the institutions to pursue more morally sound investment policies that have no basis in fossil fuels.
The signatories, who include the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams and the Astronomer Royal Lord Rees, say that Oxford and Cambridge should put their multibillion-pound endowment funds to better use in the light of looming social, environmental, and financial pressures.
The organisers of the student-led campaign hope that the involvement of so many Oxford and Cambridge faculty members will prove to be a watershed moment for the fossil fuel divestment movement, which applies pressure to institutions to get rid of any stocks, bonds or investment funds that are unethical or morally ambiguous.
The University of Cambridges endowment totals more than 5bn, making it the largest in Europe, while Oxfords stands at around 4.2bn. This includes the sums controlled by individual colleges, many of which have their own specific investments. Positive Investment Cambridge, the student group which organised the joint statement, said that it wanted both institutions to align their investment practices with their publicly stated values.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Williams, is among the signatories (Getty)
Around 50 of the signatories are academics at Oxford while 250 are from Cambridge, including the incoming president of the Royal Society, Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, and Sir David MacKay, the former chief scientific adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Organisers said they hoped to persuade both institutions to create an ethical investment blueprint which could then be copied by other universities. Wed like to create a template for the smartest, most ethical investment strategy there has ever been, said Ellen Quigley, a Cambridge PhD student who helped with the campaign.
We think that if that is developed at Oxbridge it would be taken very seriously on the global stage, and at least parts of it could end up being implemented by other funds the world over.
Lord Deben, chairman of the independent Committee on Climate Change and a Cambridge alumnus, has also lent his support. He said responsible investing by leading institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge could prove crucial in keeping global warming at safe levels.
These universities are doing tremendously important work on the research side; it would be great to see those contributions reflected in the investment strategies of Europes two largest university endowments, he added. This open letter, signed by so many esteemed fellows, is a sure sign that there is widespread support for positive investment among Oxbridge academics.
Paris climate talks in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Paris climate talks in pictures Paris climate talks in pictures A man is covered with a multi-coloured banner with the message, "Climate" as environmentalists attend a demonstration near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) that meets in Le Bourget, December 12, 2015 Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures French President Francois Hollande (C) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) applaud after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures US Secretary of State John Kerry (C) speaks with China's Special Representative on Climate Change Xie Zhenhua (R) and officials at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures Delegates and members of NGO's read and work on copies of 'The adoption of the Paris agreement' is pictured after the announcement of the final draft by French Foreign Affairs minister Laurent Fabius at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty Paris climate talks in pictures UN climate chief Christiana Figueres (C) speaks with French President Francois Hollande (L), United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (2ndL) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) after a statement at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on December 12, 2015. The years-long quest for a universal pact to avert catastrophic climate change neared the finish line today with conference host France announcing that the final draft had been completed in the early hours of the morning Getty Paris climate talks in pictures A Swiss Dominican priest poses with activists dressed as polar bears as activists gather for a demonstration to form a giant red line at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures Activists hold up a giant banner reading 'Climate justice' by association 'ourpowercampaign' during a demonstration near the Arc de Triomphe at the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. Getty Paris climate talks in pictures Representatives of indigenous peoples demonstrate in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures Environmentalists demonstrate near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget, December 12, 2015. Reuters Paris climate talks in pictures Activists form a giant red line during a demonstration on the Avenue de la Grande armee boulevard in Paris on December 12, 2015, as a proposed 195-nation accord to curb emissions of the heat-trapping gases that threaten to wreak havoc on Earth's climate system is to be presented at the United Nations conference on climate change COP21 in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images Paris climate talks in pictures The slogan "No Plan B" is projected on the Eiffel Tower as part of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) in Paris, France, December 11, 2015. Reuters
It is clear that, at the faculty level and among the student body alike, there is significant concern over climate change and other great ethical issues of our time and positive investment appears to be viewed as at least part of the potential solution to the growing crises of the modern age.
In 2014, Glasgow University became the first academic institution in Europe to divest from the fossil fuel industry, withdrawing investments worth 18m, and last year 10 other UK universities with endowments worth 115m followed suit. The movement originated on campuses in the US. Oxford has already ruled out future investments in coal and tar sands from its multi-billion-pound endowment, but stopped short of divesting from all fossil fuels.
Cambridge is currently reviewing its investment decisions with the aim of making them more environmentally and socially responsible.
The campaign is being advised by Abundance Investment, which specialises in green and ethical investment products. Investing is not just about future returns, it is also about building the future you want for yourself and future generations, said the companys co-founder Bruce Davis.
The University of Cambridge said it already seeks to invest responsibly for the good of the university in accordance with our mission to contribute to society. It added: In summer 2015, the university commissioned a thorough and unique review whose broad purpose is to explore fully environmental, social, and governance aspects (including but not limited to fossil-fuel investments) in investment decisions.
The working group established for this purpose is able to take evidence and call upon expertise beyond its membership as necessary. It will produce a report for publication and presentation to the University Council. The findings of this working group will further inform our decisions.
A response is being awaited from Oxford University.
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A pensioner bled to death during surgery because of a "spelling mistake", an inquest has heard.
Irmgard Cooper, 85, died on the operating table at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, north-west London, after blood intended for her was sent back due to the incorrect spelling of her name.
An inquest at North London Coroner's Court heard her name had been spelt as "Irngard" instead of Irmgard.
Ms Cooper - who is originally from Germany - had undergone an operation to repair a large bulge in the main artery to her heart when the mistake occurred.
In addition, the surgeon had not been told there was no blood supply avaliable until he had already started the operation.
By the time replacement blood had been located, she had bled to death on the operating table.
Ms Coopers daughter, Lorraine Booker, said her father, Raymond - who was married to Ms Cooper for 62 years - had suffered nightmares since her death.
She told the Brent and Kilburn Times: "My father has suffered from nightmares over my mother's death ever since. We just feel very let down and betrayed by the hospital for a death that should never have occurred."
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
She said she was taken to intensive care to see her mother, who she found "lying in a pool of blood, which was running off the bed" and the "floor was drenched in blood".
Coroner Andrew Walker found gross failings in the effort to provide blood at a critical time when it was already known that supplies would be required.
A serious incident investigation report by the hospital found Mrs Cooper died from serious blood-clotting difficulties, cardiovascular collapse and haemorrhage - and that the blood delay caused her death.
Solicitor Renu Daly, acting on the behalf of Ms Coopers family, told the court: "The first error was the mis-spelling of the patient's name on the blood sample. The lack of communication between the anaesthetist and the surgeon over the absence of blood was the second error.
"Mrs Cooper was effectively dead from the time she arrived in intensive care. She was already suffering from catastrophic internal bleeding, which meant death was inevitable."
The chief executive of London North West Healthcare NHS Trust, Jacqueline Docherty, said: "I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family of Irmgard Cooper and say how sorry I am for what happened.
"We accept the coroner's verdict. Prior to the inquest, the trust undertook a full internal investigation, and has implemented systems to ensure that incidents of this nature do not occur again."
Additional reporting by PA
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David Cameron will make his case in Parliament for a long-awaited draft deal reshaping Britains relationship with Europe while facing a backlash in his own party, after the proposals were revealed to fall short of his original promises of sweeping reform.
The Prime Minister has been forced to water down a commitment to ban EU migrants from qualifying for in-work benefits for four years. He has also come under fire for not obtaining stronger safeguards for the UK over decisions taken by eurozone countries.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, who enjoys strong support in Conservative ranks, said the proposed agreement did not go far enough calling for tougher action to give the House of Commons a veto over EU laws.
Recommended Read more David Cameron swears that he got the EU deal he promised voters
Mr Cameron has hailed the reform blueprint from Donald Tusk, the European Council President, as something worth fighting for and signalled he planned to campaign to stay in the EU on the basis of the proposals.
Although he said there was still work to be done, the Prime Minister has now in effect begun his campaign to remain in the bloc.
He hopes to secure agreement from the other 27 EU leaders at a summit on 18-19 February, using it as the basis for a referendum on EU membership in late June.
Cameron on EU reform
Mr Cameron said: Sometimes people say to me, If you werent in the EU, would you opt to join the EU? And today I can give a very clear answer: if I could get these terms for British membership, I sure would opt in to be a member of the EU, because they are good terms and they are different to what other countries have.
Mr Cameron was backed by Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, who said: Significant movement has taken place. What we have now is the architecture for a deal to be done.
He said he believed there was little risk of a significant negative reaction from other EU leaders.
The Prime Minister received a boost when Theresa May indicated she was likely to support the deal. The Home Secretary, who has previously refused to be drawn on her intentions, said: We have made progress, more work needs to be done, but this is a basis for a deal.
However, the Cabinets big guns will find it difficult to convince many of their colleagues of the merits of the planned deal.
Chris Grayling, the Commons Leader, protested in a cabinet meeting that ministers who favoured Brexit were gagged by collective cabinet responsibility.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has made known that he believes Mr Tusks suggestions for limiting EU migrants do not go far enough. He has pointed out that he was not consulted on the proposals.
European Council President, Donald Tusk (EPA)
One cabinet source said: Theres going to be a lot of pressure on some ministers to start peeling off and to make the opposite case to David Camerons.
Critics of the Tusk proposals focused on the Prime Ministers original pledge to reduce the migration pull factor by stopping new arrivals from the EU from receiving in-work benefits for four years after their arrival. He is now suggesting an alert and safeguard mechanism to allow member states to apply an emergency brake to migrants benefits at times of exceptional pressure.
Welfare restrictions would be in place for up to four years, with benefit payments to be phased in over that period.
If Britain votes to remain in the EU, ministers hope the emergency brake could come into force in six to nine months, although the deals fine print suggested the delay could be closer to a year.
Mr Cameron had to back off from a demand to stop child benefit being paid to UK-based workers with children elsewhere in the EU. Instead, Britain will pay reduced rates linked to the cost of raising a child in the other country.
Mr Camerons demand for nations outside the single currency to be protected from decisions taken by the eurozone has also been diluted.
Mr Tusk proposes a mechanism for non-euro countries to refer disputes to heads of government at the European Council. But this process does not amount to a veto and lacks the force of treaty change.
Liam Fox, the former Tory Defence Secretary, said the proposals had been watered down by the EU in every area and did not even come close to the fundamental changes promised to the public.
Boris on EU 'red card'
Mr Johnson, who is seen as a potential leader of the Out campaign, said that much, much more was needed from Brussels. Prior to seeing the Tusk document, he singled out the emergency brake and the so-called red card proposals to block EU laws, saying that Britain should have control on when to activate such limits on the EUs power.
I think what would be better would be if we had a brake of our own, that we were willing to use, and that we were more willing to say, Look, Britain is an independent, sovereign country and we dont agree with this particular piece of legislation or regulation and that we want to stop it, he told LBC Radio.
Tory MP Steve Baker, co-chair of the Eurosceptic campaign group Conservatives for Britain, was scathing about the deal, saying the Europe minister David Lidington, who answered questions from MPs, had been tasked with polishing a poo.
Eurosceptic Tory on 'red card'
The chairman of the Labour In For Britain campaign, the former cabinet minister Alan Johnson, said his party was pleased the starting pistol has been fired and was hoping for a speedy referendum, ideally on 23 or 30 June.
The Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames said: In the past, Leave campaigners have called for wide-ranging reforms Yet today they have lambasted the reforms put forward by Donald Tusk before the negotiation is even complete.
Mr Tusk told the BBC it was too early to say how other EU members would respond. He said he hoped there would be a deal, adding the stakes are really high.
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David Cameron is edging towards a deal over his European Union renegotiation demands, which would pave the way to a membership referendum in June.
He won backing from EU leaders for the House of Commons and other parliaments to be given a red card to veto legislation from Brussels.
Recommended Read more Cameron insists on brake on benefits as price of deal with EU
European Council president, Donald Tusk, announced he would table proposals on 2 February for a new settlement over Britains relationship with Brussels. He said there had been good progress in talks, but warned there were still outstanding issues.
However, there was growing optimism in London and Brussels that Mr Cameron and the other 27 EU leaders could reach a deal at a summit on 18-19 February. That would be essential for the PM to stick to his preferred timetable of staging the referendum on 23 June. Failure to negotiate agreement then would mean the poll would be delayed until September at the earliest.
Both sides warn there are several hurdles to be cleared before a deal can be struck, with his demand for restricting EU migrants benefits the most difficult issue.
Downing Street sources indicated that Mr Cameron had secured agreement over his call for a mechanism to block unnecessary and unwanted laws proposed by the European Commission.
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
The PM had pressed for the power for 55 per cent of parliaments equivalent to 16 parliaments in the 28 member states to be able to block or rewrite the proposed such legislation. This will strengthen the power of Westminster to stop unnecessary EU laws and addresses concerns that the current yellow card system has not proved strong enough. It ensures the EC cannot just ignore the will of national parliamentarians and delivers greater democratic control over what the EU does, a Number 10 source said.
Mr Tusk held talks in Downing Street on 31 January which ended with him declaring there had been no deal and suggesting there were just 24 hours to put together a proposal to present to EU leaders in 16 days time.
His announcement of a proposed agreement over Mr Camerons demands indicated that further progress had been made in talks in Brussels with British officials. Mr Tusks draft text will now be circulated to EU leaders, triggering a further period of intense diplomatic activity ahead of the Brussels summit.
It will contain his proposed solutions to British concerns over migration, protection for countries outside the Eurozone and competitiveness. The deal over protecting the sovereignty of national parliaments means one of Mr Camerons four key demands has been met.
Downing Street said he had secured an assurance that a proposed emergency brake on welfare payments to EU workers could be triggered immediately after a vote to remain in the EU, on the basis of existing levels of immigration.
It remained unclear how the proposed emergency brake would operate. The mechanism has been put forward by Brussels as an alternative to Mr Camerons plan to impose a unilateral four-year curb on benefits which other states ruled out as discriminatory and breached the freedom of movement principle.
A cross-party group of MPs has called for the membership referendum not to be held in June. They argued there should be more time for debate on the issue, and said they were worried it would clash with elections across the UK in May.
A Commons motion calling for a delay has been put down by SNP Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins and has also been signed by Tory, Labour, Plaid Cymru and the DUP MPs. The Conservative signatory is the former minister, David Davis.
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1. "Legal acts... linked to the functioning of the euro area shall respect the internal market or economic, social and territorial cohesion, and shall not constitute a barrier to or discrimination in trade between Member States."
This is designed to ensure that, as Eurozone countries integrate their economies further, nothing is done or agreed that would discriminate against those countries that are not in the Eurozone. At the same time, these countries agree not to block further Eurozone integration.
However, critics point out that this agreement does not at this stage have the force of a treaty and could easily be violated. If Britain were to vote to remain, they say, there would no longer be any incentive for other countries to pander to Britains interest, and they could take decisions that could adversely affect the economic dominance of the City.
The Government, for its part, has accepted that treaty change is impossible to achieve within the timescale of the referendum, and that at the moment this is the best that it will get.
Recommended Read more David Cameron swears that he got the EU deal he promised voters
2. The relevant EU institutions and the Member States will make all efforts to strengthen the internal market and to adapt it to keep pace with the changing environment."
Britain has long argued that EU regulations stifle business and that the single market has not adapted to allow new service industries (such as UK internet companies) to expand successfully across the EU. While the letter delivers warm words on both of these issues, in reality they are just that: warm words. Without ongoing political will in Brussels, there is nothing here to ensure things will change.
Governments are good at making regulations but much less good at getting rid of them especially when they have to be agreed across such a wide range of countries with very different views.
3. The competences conferred by the Member States on the Union can be modified only through a revision of the Treaties with the agreement of all Member States.
In itself, this is a statement of the obvious. But this section of the letter gets to the heart of David Camerons European negotiation dilemma: that the only way to get fundamental reform is by changing treaties, and that that is simply not possible in the time available.
Cameron on EU reform
Instead the whole document represents one huge work-around, trying to make small changes through backdoor protocols rather than changing the fundamentals of Britains relationship with the EU. This makes whatever is agreed next month easier for the Eurosceptics to challenge. Without any treaty change, they say, whatever is decided can be just as easily undone and could also be challenged in the European Court of Justice, which takes treaties and not protocols as the basis for its decisions.
4. Where reasoned opinions... represent more than 55 per cent of the votes allocated to the national Parliaments, the Council Presidency will include the item on the agenda of the Council for a comprehensive discussion.
This refers to David Camerons so called red-card demand to give national parliaments an effective veto over new EU legislation. Under the plan, if 55 per cent of national Parliaments (weighted by population) objected to a new EU law, they could block the plan and prevent it from happening. It builds on the current yellow card system, where if a third of European Parliaments object to a measure they can require the European Commission and Council to reconsider it. But critics point out that the yellow card has been invoked only twice (and was ignored by the Commission once). The 55 per cent threshold is much higher, they say, making it highly unlikely that it would be achieved.
5. Member States are able to take action to prevent abuse of rights or fraud and address cases of contracting or maintaining of marriages of convenience with third country nationals for the purpose of making use of free movement as a route for regularising unlawful stay in a Member State or for bypassing national immigration rules...
In order to reduce migration from outside the EU, the Government introduced restrictions requiring any British citizen bringing a foreign spouse into this country to prove that they had the income to support them. But this did not apply to other EU nationals, and there is evidence of this fuelling sham marriages to get British residency. This part of the letter is designed to address these concerns.
Critics will say that proving a marriage is a sham is costly and easier said than done. Cameron has clearly failed in his objective to allow the wider British restrictions to apply to other EU citizens.
6. Host Member States may also take the necessary restrictive measures to protect themselves against individuals whose personal conduct is likely to represent a genuine and serious threat to public policy or security.
This was a key demand of the Home Secretary Theresa May who, it has been suggested, could end up leading the Leave campaign.
Effectively, this passage makes clear that Britain can restrict entry to EU citizens it considers a threat even if they dont have a criminal conviction.
However, as it is not written specifically into treaties it could still be challenged in the European Court with no certainty that it would not be overruled by judges who interpret treaties and not protocols agreed between leaders.
7. A proposal to amend Regulation 883/2004 in order to give Member States, with regard to the exportation of child benefits to a Member State other than that where the worker resides, an option to index such benefits to the standard of living in the Member State where the child resides...
David Cameron has previously said that he wanted to ensure that EU migrants coming to live in the UK could not claim child benefit for their children unless those children were also living in the UK. HMRC figures show there are around 20,000 such claims each year.
But he has had to compromise because Eastern European counties complained that you could have a situation where a migrant was paying tax in Britain but leaving their home country to pick up the benefits bill. So instead, Britain will continue to pay but at the rate the migrant would have got in their home country. Again, Eurosceptics will claim that even this moderate demands has been watered down still further.
8. "The limitation should be graduated, from an initial complete exclusion but gradually increasing access to such benefits to take account of the growing connection of the worker with the labour market of the host Member State."
This is the section of the text that deals with the so-called emergency brake the wheeze EU lawyers have come up with to allow Cameron to restrict benefits to migrant workers without compromising the fundamental principles of freedom of movement. While the plan has been widely briefed, the text reveals that Cameron has been forced to give ground on the issue.
While benefits will be limited for four years, migrant workers will be entitled so some in-work benefits before then. In fact, the total ban on benefits will last only two years. The Prime Ministers opponents will claim this does not even fulfil a much watered-down version of his original pledge.
9. The Council implementing act would have a limited duration and apply to EU workers newly entering its labour market during a period of [X] years, extendable for two successive periods of [Y] years and [Z] years.
It is the X, Y and Z at the end of this passage that are important. The Commission has agreed in principle that the UK would be able to implement the emergency brake as soon as a successful Remain vote was announced, but it has not been decided how long ot would last. This is important because it suggests negotiations have so far failed to find a successful compromise and the issue will have to be decided at the European Council meeting later this month.
Mr Cameron is understood to want a break for an initial period of four years that could be extended to seven. This suggests that he is going to have to give ground.
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Why are the EU negotiations taking place?
In 2013, with the Conservatives under pressure from Ukip, Mr Cameron pledged to stage a referendum on EU membership before the end of 2017 if he won the forthcoming general election. He promised that he would renegotiate Britains relationship with the European Union and put it to the country in the referendum.
Following his victory in May, he has embarked on a gruelling round of European capitals, as well as countless telephone calls with the EU leaders, attempting to win backing for four key demands.
What are the demands?
They fall into four main categories. First, he wants more powers for the House of Commons and other national parliaments to block proposed EU legislation which they view as unnecessary or unwanted. Secondly, he is calling for greater protection from EU member states outside the Eurozone from decisions taken by countries with the single currency.
Thirdly, he wants action to cut red tape and boost competitiveness across the bloc. Fourthly, he is demanding a limit on the in-work benefits paid to EU migrants working in Britain.
How have the negotiations gone?
They have been protracted and hugely complex. Two of his demands on vetoing unwanted EU laws and increasing competitiveness have been broadly welcomed by other leaders, but the proposals on the Eurozone and (in particular) migrants benefits have run into strong opposition.
Eurosceptic Tory MPs Show all 7 1 /7 Eurosceptic Tory MPs Eurosceptic Tory MPs Owen Paterson Formerly a cabinet minister, Owen Paterson is now free to make his opinion known on the backbenchers. On the subject of Europe, he does so regularly claiming recently that the EU referendum was rigged in favour of staying in Getty Eurosceptic Tory MPs John Redwood A longstanding eurosceptic, Mr Redwood warned last year that businesses that spoke out in favour of EU membership would be punished at the check-outs by anti-EU Getty Eurosceptic Tory MPs Bill Cash Awkward squad rebel Bill Cash said last year that he thought the EU had become an undemocratic, German-dominated project. An increasingly assertive German Europe is at odds with British national interests, he wrote in the Daily Telegraph Getty Eurosceptic Tory MPs Philip Davies From the Conservative partys hard right wing, Philip Davies has been a longstanding critic of the EU. He founded the Better off Out campaign and is so eurosceptic that Ukip decided not to stand a candidate against him in 2010 because they agreed with him Rex Eurosceptic Tory MPs Nadine Dorries Outspoken Tory MP Nadine Dorries has previously advocated an alliance with Ukip. At the height of the Greek crisis in 2013 she said that the EU was dying on its feet Rex Eurosceptic Tory MPs Liam Fox The former defence secretary is a central figure on the right wing of the Conservative party. Hes long put pressure on David Cameron over EU negotiations Getty Eurosceptic Tory MPs Zac Goldsmith A socially liberal eurosceptic, Goldsmith was one of the founding members of the Peoples Pledge campaign to get MPs to sign up for an EU referendum. His father ran the Referendum Party, a precursor to Ukip Getty
What is the problem with the Eurozone demand?
George Osborne has driven this agenda, pressing for greater protection for the nine countries outside the Euro. Britain is calling for powers to stop Eurozone laws which could affect countries with their own currencies. It is effectively attempting to safeguard the City of London from interference from Europes other financial centres. France is among the nations suspicious of the move, warning that it could hamper the ability of Eurozone countries ability to respond to crises.
What about the migration plans?
Mr Camerons key demand has been for a four-year ban on EU nationals receiving in-work benefits, which he sees as essential for countering a migration pull-factor to Britain.
It has run into vehement opposition in the EU on two grounds: that it undermines the EUs basic principle of freedom of movement and is discriminatory. Poland and other central and eastern European countries have made clear they would not accept his proposal.
The European Commission has suggested an alternative scheme under which an emergency brake on welfare payments to EU workers could be triggered if a nation can demonstrate migration levels are putting public services under impossible strain.
What has happened today?
Donald Tusk, the European Council president, is publishing his proposals for a new settlement between Britain and the EU. He believes it can be the basis of a lasting deal, but has acknowledged there are still several unresolved issues to be addressed.
What do the Tusk proposals say about migration?
He says the proposed emergency welfare brake will allow national governments to impose a four-year restriction on migrants claiming in-work benefits, but proposes that migrant workers should be allowed to have benefits phased in over the four-year period.
But it leaves open the question of how long the brake can remain in place.
The document makes clear that EU states are entitled to refuse access on preventative grounds to people likely to threaten national security, even if the threat is not imminent a measure demanded by Theresa May, the Home Secretary. It also allows member states to tackle the use of fraud or sham marriages to gain the right to enter and remain.
And on other UK demands?
It makes clear that non-euro states are not required to help bail out single currency members which get into trouble, and proposes a new mechanism for non-euro states 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 draft blueprint makes clear that the proposals would come into force immediately after the UK votes in favour of remaining in the EU.
What happens next?
The document will be the basis of intense diplomatic activity in the run-up to a summit in Brussels on 18-19 February. If Mr Cameron can win the support of the other 27 leaders than for his reform blueprint, that will clear the way for his promised referendum to take place on 23 June. Under those circumstances, the Prime Minister and the vast majority of his Cabinet would join the Remain campaign.
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Jeremy Corbyn could face a leadership challenge if Labour does poorly in the May elections, the head of activist group Momentum has admitted.
Party activist Jon Lansman told supporters they had to be in a position to be able to run another leadership campaign if they failed to capture the London Mayoral job and several key council seats at the local elections.
Speaking in Haringey, north London, at a branch meeting of the campaign group - which was launched to support Mr Corbyn after he won the leadership race in September last year - Mr Lansman said:"Im in no doubt that after May we could face a leadership election.
He said getting Sadiq Khan elected as London Mayor was absolutely crucial, the Socialist Worker reports.
The long time left-winger said: "Weve had a very rough timeJeremy and John (McDonnell) particularly. You hear about Momentum bullying.
"What happens in the Parliamentary Labour Party every Monday is bullying by a small section of the PLP. What it is designed to do is grind Jeremy."
But he said they were not "under any illusions" that they were going to do well in the Scottish Holyrood elections taking place at the same time.
In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Jonathan Reynolds,Shadow Railways Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as shadow railways minister in protest at the reasons for sacking Pat McFadden In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Kevan Jones, Shadow Defence Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as a shadow defence minister who strongly supports renewal of Trident. Has spoken out against Jeremy Corbyns leadership before and was also the centre of a row with Ken Livingstone after he said Jones might need some psychiatric help (Jones has previously spoken about his struggle with depression) In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Stephen Doughty, Shadow Foreign Minister: RESIGNED He quit as a shadow foreign minister in protest at the sacking of his colleague Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister. He said he had looked at his own conscience and decided to step down In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat McFadden, Shadow Europe Minister: SACKED He was sacked as shadow Europe minister for "disloyalty" to leader Jeremy Corbyn In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat Glass, Shadow Europe Minister: SAFE Former junior shadow education minister Pat Glass replaced Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emily Thornberry, Shadow Defence Secretary: SAFE She was promoted to shadow defence secretary. She is anti-Trident and therefore more in tune with Corbyns stance and replaces Maria Eagle, who was pro-Trident Getty In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emma Lewell-Buck, Shadow Minister for Devolution and Local Government: SAFE Emma Lewell-Buck was promoted to shadow minister for devolution and local government In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Michael Dugher, Shadow Culture Secretary: SACKED Outspoken critic of Jeremy Corbyns leadership, has been sacked as shadow culture secretary for his "incompetence and disloyalty" In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Hilary Benn, Shadow Foreign Secretary: SAFE Hilary Benn remains as shadow foreign secretary, but Corbyns team has insisted his role now comes with new conditions that he must agree with Corbyn over foreign policy. Benn insists there are no new conditions attached to his job and insisted: "I haven't been muzzled. I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Maria Eagle, Shadow Culture Secretary: SAFE Maria Eagle, moved from shadow defence to shadow culture secretary as part of Corbyns move to make his defence team match his anti-Trident views In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary: SAFE Reports linked him to foreign secretary brief, but Corbyn appears to have backed down on sacking Hilary Benn. He does not see eye-to-eye with Corbyn on home affairs such as the Snoopers charter, but removing your shadow home secretary so soon after starting would have been a dangerous move by Corbyn
"We are going to lose more seats in Scotland", he said.
It comes as sources close to Mr Corbyn predicted at the start of the year that it would be the beginning of the end for the leader if Labour failed to win at least 35 per cent of the vote in the elections.
Mr Corbyn was given a reprieve when the party performed better than expected in the Oldham West and Royton by-election in December.
New MP Jim McMahon secured a 10,722 vote majority in the by-election in December which triggered by the death of veteran Labour left-winger Michael Meacher.
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On the morning after the election, David Cameron promised to make Britain a place where a good life is in reach for everyone who is willing to work and do the right thing.
The Governments newly released Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has revealed just how far from achieving that aim the country currently is.
The report suggests which areas in England were the best and worst to bring up children and get a good job.
In estimating levels of social mobility - or measure of opportunity- the report puts a number on how easy or difficult it is in each area to get a good education, attend university, and pursue well-paid career paths.
Offering yet more evidence than London is markedly different tothe rest of the UK, the capital was revealed to be the most socially mobile region of the country.
Heres an at-a-glance look at the entire country. The green areas are more socially mobile and the bluer ones are less mobile.
(BBC)
As the map above shows, many of the least mobile areas are in the Midlands and parts of the north.
A closer look at the data reveals that not a single local authority in the West Midlands, North East, or Yorkshire & the Humber, is among the areas of England in the top 20 per cent of those most socially mobile.
In contrast, 94 per cent of London's local authorities are among the most socially mobile areas.
The East Midlands has four areas with high social mobility North Kesteven, Rushcliffe, South Holland and South Northamptonshire but many more (17) with very low mobility. The entire region, therefore, rates quite poorly.
All 324 English local authorities have been ranked, apart from the City of London and Isles of Scilly.
West Somerset was revealed to be the least mobile area in England, with Norwich, Waveney, Scarborough, Blackpool, Breckland in Norfolk, and Torridge in North Devon, among the others which rated very poorly.
The relative quality of London schools means the capital is far more mobile than most of England. (Getty)
These areas are said to offer both poor educational opportunities and poor work opportunities for adults.
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The best performing areas at offering both decent schooling and jobs were parts of south London, such as Richmond and Kingston upon Thames, and Wandsworth.
Others areas in and around London, like Islington, Redbridge and St Albans, also did well by both measures, along with places as varied as Rushcliffe, Hart, Elmridge and East Hertfordshire.
Some areas, such as Oxford and South Cambridgeshire, offer a decent shot at a good job, but scant opportunities for children - despite the world-leading universities and public schools in the area.
Many inner-city areas in London, like Newham, Westminster, Hackney, Ealing, Waltham Forest, Brent, and Kensington & Chelsea, have very high levels of educational opportunity but offer poor job prospects.
The Commissions official measure prioritises pre-adult opportunites, so many London areas perform very well even though work opportunities are, in many cases, limited.
Mobility and deprivation
The capitals schooling, often highlighted as a success story of the past 15 years, means mobility in London is far higher than its levels of deprivation imply it will be.
The graph below a link between how deprived an area is and its level of social mobility across much of England.
That's what the red line shows. Areas to the top left of the line are both less deprived and more mobile, with areas to the bottom right of the area being both relatively deprived and immobile.
But many areas in London have high levels of social mobility despite being among the most deprived areas of the country.
These areas are circled in the top right in the graphic above.
Another finding unearthed by the study is stark.
Old industrial towns, like Doncaster, Barnsley, Stoke-on-Trent, Oldham, Carlisle and Derby, and abandoned seaside resorts, such as Blackpool, Lowestoft, Scarborough and Great Yarmouth, are struggling to provide a wide range of opportunities for children or adults.
Seaside resorts like Blackpool and Scarborough aren't as full of opportunity as other areas. (Getty)
Decades after these towns and resorts started to decline, government after government has proven either unwilling or unable to help these places.
The latest findings offer yet more evidence of the divide such neglect is creating.
You can find your area by following this link and clicking on the "data" tab.
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The Iowa caucuses are upon us. Ive 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 (Tex.), who has positioned himself as the leading choice of social conservatives.
The likes of former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich three of the leading establishment choices took a combined seven 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 didnt 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 . . .
2. Bush should have skipped Iowa. Way back in May, when Bush was still the races 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 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.
Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucus
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 wont 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 Clintons 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 . . .
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 its 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 CBSs Face the Nation.
You dont 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 Rubios 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, its also possible that Trumps celebrity is the secret sauce here which is harder for another politician in the future, with the exception of Kanye West, to replicate.
7. Martin O'Malley is the most important person in the Democratic race. The former Maryland governor isnt going to make the viability threshold in lots and lots of caucuses around the state. (Hes at a meager 3 percent in the final Register/Bloomberg News poll.)
Once OMalley doesnt 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 OMalley supporters choose between the two front-runners could be decisive.
Washington Post
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Ted Cruz, a US Senator, has stepped up the race for the Republican Presidential nomination by defeating Donald Trump in Iowa.
His victory in the state has created excitement and relief over a possible three-way competition with Senator Marco Rubio.
Mr Cruz took 28 per cent of the vote four points ahead of Mr Trump and five ahead of Mr Rubio in a result seen as denting the billionaires controversial campaign.
Cruz beats Trump in Iowa nomination contest
Who is Ted Cruz?
He was born in Calgary, Canada, in 1970 but grew up in Texas with his mother, computer programmer Eleanor Cruz, and father Ted Cruz, a Cuban refugee who fled to the US after being imprisoned and tortured in his home country.
He attended the University of Texas and later started a seismic-data processing firm for oil drilling. The elder Mr Cruz is now a Christian pastor in Dallas.
His son attended two private high schools before studying Public Policy at Princeton University, where he won awards for debating before going to study law at Harvard.
Mr Cruz then embarked on a legal career including representing the National Rifle Association in its efforts to impeach President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
He is married with two daughters.
Ted Cruz greets his wife Heidi and daughters Caroline (R) and Catherine (C) before taking the stage announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination to run for US President March 23, 2015 (AFP/Getty Images)
What it his career history?
He briefly entered politics in 1999 as a domestic policy advisor in George W Bushs Presidential campaign and aided his legal cases during vote recounts in Florida.
After President Bush took Office, he served as an associate deputy attorney general and was then appointed as Solicitor General of Texas in 2003.
He continued his support for the gun lobby with moves to declare a ban on handguns in Washington DC as unconstitutional and fought to keep the words under God in the pledge of allegiance, as well as keeping the Ten Commandments monument at the Texas State Capitol.
Mr Cruz has stated that he felt his biggest case was Medellin v. Texas, which ruled that international treaties are not binding in domestic US law.
H then returned to private practice in 2008, representing companies including Pfizer, B Braun Medical Inc and Toyota.
Ted Cruz speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 28, 2012 in Tampa, Florida (Getty Images)
What has Mr Cruz done in politics?
He was elected as a Republican Texas senator in 2012, being supported by Sarah Palin and other prominent right-wing politicians.
During his time in the post, he has sponsored 25 bills, including one attempting to prohibit the use of drones to kill US citizens, to crackdown on criminals buying firearms illegally, to expand offshore oil drilling and fracking, as well as stopping the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
He has made several inflammatory comments about Barack Obama, including calling the Presidents administration the worlds leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism following the nuclear deal with Iran. Mr Obama called the allegation outrageous.
Mr Cruz has previously accused the President of being openly desirous to destroy the Constitution and this Republic, as well as denouncing planned immigration reforms.
His relationship with fellow Republicans has also been strained, particularly after he called them squishes on gun control at a Tea Party rally, and has defended his lack of allies by dismissing the Washington cartel.
He announced his intention to run for this years Presidential elections in 2013.
Ted Cruz said: 'Tonight is a victory for the grass roots' (Reuters)
Where does he stand on gun control and the death penalty?
Second Amendment Rights are championed as one of Mr Cruzs main issues on his campaign website.
It claims Americas current gun laws make its citizens more safe, secure and free.
When citizens cease to have the right to defend ourselves, we cease to be free, the website says. And now, more than ever, as radical Islamic terrorists seek to attack Americans on our own soil, Americans right to protect our families and communities is all the more critical to our safety and freedom.
Citing legal cases where Mr Cruz has overturned firearms bans and loosened restrictions, he has vowed to continue the stance if elected as President.
You dont reduce violent crime by taking away the right of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their families, he said.
Mr Cruz has stated a commitment to preventing any changes to the Constitution and strongly supports the death penalty.
He has championed his role in a Supreme Court case allowing Texas to ignore an International Court of Justice order to review the sentences of dozens of Mexican nationals on death row.
Ted Cruz supports the death penalty (Reuters)
What about abortion and same-sex marriage?
Mr Cruz styles himself as strongly pro-life and has claimed to want to reduce legal abortions to cases where pregnancy endangers the mothers life.
He defeated a challenge to Texas laws that prohibit abortion providers from receiving state funding and called life a precious gift from God while explaining his stance.
Mr Cruz pledges on his website to investigate Planned Parenthood on day one if elected President, without specifying why.
The Senator has also taken a strong stand against same-sex marriage and civil partnerships, writing: Marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman, it has strengthened societies for millennia, and we must uphold the truth of marriage.
Mr Cruz has pledged to 'investigate' Planned Parenthood and wants to curtail the right to abortion (Getty Images)
And the environment?
Mr Cruz denies climate change, claiming that scientific evidence doesnt support global warming and has supported controversial oil pipelines, drilling and fracking plans.
He has also opposed legislation to regulate greenhouse gases and encourage the use of renewable energy by framing it as a threat to American jobs and damaging to the economy.
We need an all-of-the-above energy approach that embraces the bountiful resources in this land from oil to natural gas to ethanol, his website says.
We must harness our nations energy resources and remove federal impediments to energy exploration, development, and trade.
Elsewhere in economic policies, Mr Cruz has proposed a flat income tax, demanded the appeal of Obamacare, called for a stable dollar and opposed the proposed Internet Sales Tax.
Climate change protests around the world Show all 25 1 /25 Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Rome, Italy Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators gather in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world People hold hands to form a human chain during a gathering called by ecologist organisations in Marseille, southern France, to protest against global warming a day ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during protests on Place de la Republique, ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators clash with French riot police during a protest on Place de la Republique ahead of the COP21 World Climate Change Conference 2015 in Paris, France Climate change protests around the world A group of people perform during a rally to promote climate protection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Climate change protests around the world A protester sits next to his sign that reads 'Monsanto the Devil Incorporated ' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Environmentalists dance during a protest near the Place de la Republique after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France Reuters Climate change protests around the world People protest next to characters dressed as wild animals during a march against climate change near the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City AP Climate change protests around the world Protesters carries a banner while they take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People take part in a protest about climate change around New York City Hall at lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People rally to promote climate protection in Piazza Castello, Turin, Italy Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a globe during a protest for the global climate day in Lugano, Switzerland Climate change protests around the world Yemenis hold banners as they participate in the Global March for Climate in the old city of Sanaia, Yemen Climate change protests around the world Protesters dressed as Santa Claus take part in a protest about climate change at New York City Hall steps in lower Manhattan, New York Reuters Climate change protests around the world People gather at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, during the Global Climate March to demand action on climate change telling world leaders on the eve of a crunch UN summit that there is "no planet B". From Sydney to London, humid Rio to chilly New York, at least 683,000 hit the streets in 2,300 events across 175 countries at the weekend, co-organiser and campaign group Avaaz said, calling it the largest number of people to protest over climate change all at once Getty Images Climate change protests around the world Climate change protests around the world Demonstrators participate in the Global March for Climate in Athens, Greece Climate change protests around the world A man wearing a Bernie Sanders mask leads hundreds of demonstrators who marched near City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Patricia Hauser joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California Climate change protests around the world A woman holds a poster of a sick Earth as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Hundreds of demonstrators march around City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world A demonstrator holds cut-out of US Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world George Patten holds a sign that reads 'No Fracking Ever!' as he joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA Climate change protests around the world Gabrielle Sosa wears 'Rising Sea Levels' sign as she joined hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, California EPA
What is Mr Cruzs position on defence?
Calling the US the nation other countries aspire to be like, he has not shied away from interventionist wars or making enemies.
A list of priorities on his website is in the following order: Be a shining beacon, exert world leadership, rebuild our military, defeat Isis, protect the homeland, rip up the Iran deal.
He has vowed to repeal the Iran deal, increase spending on the armed forces, stop withdrawal from Afghanistan and hinted that President Obama and his predecessor are responsible for the emergence of Isis and other terrorist groups.
Mr Cruz has tied terrorism in with immigration legislation and a legal move to deny US citizenship and the right of return to extremists who fight abroad.
Isis seeks to destroy our very way of life, his website says. We must defeat them. That starts by calling the enemy by its name radical Islamic terrorism and securing the border. Border security is national security.
He appears to be referring to the Mexican border, which he wants to secure once and for all, as well as reforming legal immigration to protect American workers.
US air strikes have been aiding YPG fighters in cutting Isis supply lines between Syria and Iraq (Getty Images)
Anything else?
Mr Cruz has highlighted standing with Israel as one of his key policy issues, saying its alliance with the US is a strategic bedrock for defence.
He claims that on day one as President he would make the US recognise Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, effectively abolishing East Jerusalem, which is the part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which also claim the whole city as its capital.
Mr Cruz also said he would change policy towards the Palestinian Authority accusing it of inciting hatred against Jews.
He also claims the United Nations has an anti-Israel bias and pledged to withdraw public funding from any American university with a boycott Israel movement.
Claiming to defend religious liberty Mr Cruz cited the pilgrim fathers as evidence that American rights do not come from government but from God.
He appears to refer to religious liberty only within Christianity, talking about our faith.
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Bernie Sanders declared that the people of Iowa had delivered a message to the world after he pushed his political challenge to within a hairs breath of Hillary Clinton - a margin of less than half a percentage point that he called a virtual tie.
Iowa I thank you, Mr Sanders declared, as he spoke to supporters at a hotel near Des Moines Airport, jabbing his finger on the podium within a sea of supporters at a hotel across the road from the airport where a charter plane was waiting to bear him and his entourage to New Hampshire where the next round with Ms Clinton now awaits.
Nine months when ago I came to this beautiful state, we had no political organisation, we had no money, we had no name recognition and we were taking on the most powerful political organisation in the United State of America.
Mr Sanders said people of Iowa had sent a message to the world (AP)
He added: Tonight, while the results are not fully in, we are in a virtual tie.
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With more than 95 per cent of precincts having reported Ms Clinton was on 49.8 per cent, with Mr Sanders on 49.6 per cent. Martin OMalley secured less than one percent and announced he was ending his campaign.
It was unclear when the final results would arrive. CNN reported that around 90 of the more than 1,600 precincts holding votes, had said they did not expect to report their results until Tuesday morning.
Mr Sanders, 74, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, has utterly upended expectations since he launched his campaign last spring. His effort to confront inequality and to remove the influence of Wall Street and corporations from politics, has struck a chord with many, particularly younger people.
He said that the results in this first vote in the US presidential campaign would ensure he obtained the same number of Iowa delegates as Ms Clinton.
Yet he said the support he had secured, revealed that people were fed up with establishment politics, establishment economics and the establishment media.
The American people know this country is based on fairness, he said. Its not fair when the top tenth of the top one per cent own more than the bottom 90 per cent.
Ms Clinton told her supporters she was breathing a big sigh of relief after the results and thanked her supporters. She lost to then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008 and was pushed into third place, narrowly behind John Edwards.
The former first lady congratulated Mr Sanders and Mr OMalley and not declare victory in her remarks. It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas, she said.
Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucus
Trailing by a few points in most polls ahead of the caucuses, Mr Sanders clearly could only leave Iowa gratified and fueled up for New Hampshire and the primary states beyond even if, once the final numbers are in, Ms Clinton may have just eked out a tiny victory.
Certainly the mood in the ballroom when he appeared was one of heady ebullience, with few supporters fretting any longer whether he would eventually be declared the official winner or not. We did it, was the refrain of the mostly young voters as they filed out at the end and Mr Sanders was bound for his aircraft.
Oh, this is great, Michael Briggs, his campaign spokesman. When asked to assess the nights outcome for his boss, the US Senator from Vermont, he briefly seemed lost for words. Look we came from nowhere.
Indeed, in American politics, the victory or near victory in the first round of the nomination process of a 74-year-old politician who proudly boasts his credentials as a democratic socialist would have once seemed unthinkable.
It may be true that Ms Clinton may just have escaped the disaster that a clean loss in Iowa would have dealt her. But at the same time, the extraordinary photo-finish will give Mr Sanders the right to call himself a giant-slayer and at the very least give him additional momentum going forward into New Hampshire where already holds a significant lead in the polls.
Building that momentum is especially critical for him, however, because after New Hampshire come races in two states, South Carolina and Nevada, with much more diverse populations potentially giving Ms Clinton an edge with support from Hispanics and African Americans.
While the razor-thin difference between the candidates was astonishing, it was not unprecedented for Iowa. Four years ago in the Republican caucuses, Rick Santorum was eventually found to have beaten Mitt Romney by just eight votes across the whole state.
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Bernie Sanders has described the result of the US Democratic party's Iowa caucses as a "virtual tie" in his victory speech.
The self-described democratic socialist said the people of the state had sent a message the country's political economic and media establishments.
He said that unlike other politicians, he did not represent the country's "billionaire class".
Recommended Read more Bernie Sanders wins 84 per cent of Iowa young person vote
Mr Sanders came hot on Hillary Clinton's coat-tails in the vote, in a practical dead heat between the two candidates.
Amongst young voters, who have volunteered for the Vermont senator in droves, Mr Sanders won with a huge 84 per cent, according to figures published by the New York Times newspaper.
The two candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination will next face off in New Hampshire, another traditional early primary election state.
The winner will face the eventual Republican nominee at the US presidential election in November.
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The results of the Democratic Partys Iowa Caucus may have been a virtual tie but there was a clear winner in the contest among young people.
Bernie Sanders, the self-described democratic socialist senator from Vermont who has surprised pundits by giving Hillary Clinton a run for her money, swept the board in younger demographics.
According to figures published by the USs New York Times newspaper, Mr Sanders won 84 per cent of the vote of people aged between 17 and 29 a huge landslide.
Mr Sanderss political programme has focused on fixing Americas broken healthcare system and replacing it with a public, free-at-the-point-of-use system similar to the NHS.
He also supports a significant rise in the minimum wage the US equivalent of a living wage and scrapping tuition fees at public universities.
With the very last votes being counted in the poll it appears that Hillary Clinton very narrowly won the overall electorate with 49.9 per cent, with Mr Sanders close behind on 49.6 per cent.
Mr Sanders campaign has wrong-footed seasoned Washington DC observers and he has been credited with forcing Ms Clinton to swing leftwards and focus more on issues of social justice and equality.
With a lack of other credible candidates Martin OMalley has struggled to even poll single figures the narrative of the race for the Democratic nomination has been polarised between Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders.
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
The senator also did well amongst voters making less than $50,000 a year and amongst voters who described themselves as very liberal, the NYT reports.
Voters aged 17 were polled because people aged 17 are allowed to vote in primary elections in Iowa if they are set to be aged 18 when the presidential election occurs.
The Iowa Caucuses are the first of 50 local state contests to decide who becomes the Democratic and Republican nominee for president/
The other contensts, most of which are conventional primary elections, will be held over the next few months.
In the Republican contenst, held concurrently with the Democratic one, Texas Senator Ted Cruz pulled off a surprise victory, beating frontrunner billionaire Donald Trump into second place. Congressman Marco Rubio also outperformed expectations.
The winners of the two primary seasons will go head-to-head in the US presidential election on 6 November: candidates from other parties are rarely given the time of day.
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On Monday afternoon, Bernie Sanders was pacing in the lobby of his hotel, a cell phone pushed to his ear.
If Mr Sanders appeared a little anxious, his advisors appeared remarkably calm. Even though polls had suggested the Vermont senator was three points behind Hillary Clinton, his team were confident he could do even better.
At the heart of that belief, was the knowledge that Mr Sanders had not veered from his beliefs and had remained true. His supporters - and even those who disagreed with him - could see he was authentic.
Mr Sanders said that Iowa had sent a message to the world (AP)
A few hours later, Mr Sanders was celebrating a virtual tie, having pushed his campaign to within less than half a percentage point of Ms Clinton. While Ms Clintons campaign claimed victory and while she will secure at least 24 delegates compared to Mr Sanders 21 - some result are still not in - many will consider Mr Sanders and his insurgent, grass-roots effort to have been the moral victor.
Iowa I thank you, Mr Sanders declared, as he spoke to supporters at a hotel near Des Moines Airport.
Nine months when ago I came to this beautiful state, we had no political organisation, we had no money, we had no name recognition and we were taking on the most powerful political organisation in the United State of America. Tonight, while the results are not fully in, we are in a virtual tie.
Across Iowa, those who turned out to see Mr Sanders believed he on the side of the ordinary American and were impressed that he had turned down the chance to race money by means of an outside group, or super PAC.
Nick Mosher, 38, who was attending a caucus on Monday night in a high school gymnasium at Pleasantville, south of Des Moines, said he had voted for Barack Obama at the last two elections. Yet he was opting for Mr Sanders rather than Ms Clinton, who has sought to portray herself in many ways as continuing Mr Obamas legacy.
He did not take any money from super PACs. That is one of the reasons. He wants to get the money out of politics, he said.
Bernie Sanders railed against inequality in Daveport (AP)
Last week, on a freezing night in Davenport, Dave Milne was typical of those lining up to see Mr Sanders at a rally at the Danceland Ballroom.
He said that growing inequality was devastating American working men and women and that someone needed to act. Ms Clinton would make a reasonable second choice, but Mr Sanders had earned his backing.
Im for the common man and we think Bernie is the right person for the way the country is right now, he said.
Mr Sanders, who was a became a member of the Young People's Socialist League when he was a student at the University of Chicago and later contested for the anti-war, Liberty Union Party first won elected office in 1981 when he became the Mayor Burlington, Vermont.
What has been striking about the decades-long career of the self-described democratic socialist, is that his views have altered very little. One of his advisors admitted that Mr Sanders may be the most progressive candidate the Democratic party has ever had, even more so than Eugene McCarthy in 1968.
And all the while, even as he won seats to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, people continued to question whether or not Mr Sanders and his radical views were electable.
Ms Clinton received millions of dollars from corporate donors (AP)
Thats always been the rap on Bernie. Everybody always says, He can't win, his wife, Jane, a former college president, told CNN before the vote.
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.
Mr Sanders team said the senator was able to energise younger voters and many people who normally ignored politics, by focussing on issues such as growing inequality and social justice. At his events, he has stressed the need to secure equality for men and women, gays and straights, people of all colours.
This enabled him to finance his campaign by means of small donations from ordinary voters. End of year filings from the presidential candidates, as shown by Politico, revealed Mr Sanders raised 70 per cent of his funds from small-time donors.
Indeed, many of his supporters drew the contrast between his campaign and that of Ms Clinton, which raised millions of dollars from Wall Street and large corporations.
On Tuesday night, in what for all purposes was a victory speech, Mr Sanders said that his win had sent a message to the world.
The American people know this country is based on fairness, he said. Its not fair when the top tenth of the top one per cent own more than the bottom 90 per cent.
If political pundits were surprised that Mr Sanders message has resonated so much with the voters of Iowa, he perhaps was not. He has been saying the same thing all his life.
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The biggest surprises came on the Republican side. The final polls over the weekend predicted victory for Donald Trump and showed Ted Cruz losing support in Iowa.
But thats not what happened. Cruz won the GOP caucuses with 28 per cent of the vote, followed by Trump with 24 per cent, Marco Rubio with 23 per cent, and Ben Carson with 9 per cent.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic caucuses, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders finished in what was essentially a tie.
So what does it all mean?
1. Sanders is a serious threat to Clinton
When the night ended, less than 1 per cent of the vote separated Clinton from Sanders.
By any measure, the exceedingly close outcome is a big victory for the Vermont senator. Last summer Sanders appeared to have no chance in Iowa. Clinton possessed a huge polling lead, a massive campaign war chest, and a monopoly on key endorsements. In contrast, Sanders looked like a fringe candidate.
That is certainly not true today. Sanders has proved to be an exceptionally effective campaigner, particularly with liberal voters. By unapologetically promoting universal healthcare, tax hikes for the wealthy, and strict regulation of Wall Street, Sanders is running as the most forthrightly liberal presidential candidate since Walter Mondale in 1984.
The Sanders strategy worked like a charm in Iowa. He tapped into a populist mood that is spreading like wildfire within the Democratic Party.
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For example, although Sanders predictably won traditionally liberal college towns across the state, he also ran unexpectedly well among blue-collar voters in eastern Iowa and urban voters in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, the states two largest metropolitan areas.
If Clinton made one critical mistake in Iowa, it was her ill-conceived decision to leave the state last week to attend a campaign fundraiser in Philadelphia. A prominent financial services firm hosted the event, which only gave more ammunition to Sanders' accusation that Clinton is too close to Wall Street.
On the heels of his strong showing in Iowa, Sanders heads to New Hampshire with momentum and a big lead in Granite State polls. Hillary Clinton has got a real fight on her hands now.
2. Ted Cruz proved he can take a punch
Ted Cruzs first-place finish in Iowa would be noteworthy under any circumstances, but its particularly impressive considering what a tough month he has had.
Not a single Senate colleague endorsed Cruzs campaign, a fact underscored by former senator Bob Doles declaration that no-one liked Cruz. Trump added fuel to the fire when he repeatedly challenged the Canadian-born Cruzs eligibility to serve as president. Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin piled on by endorsing Trump. Most remarkable of all, the Republican governor of Iowa angrily condemned the Texas senators opposition to ethanol subsidies and even called on Iowans to vote for anybody but Cruz.
Not surprisingly, the final Iowa polls showed Cruz trailing Trump by fiveto seven points.
But on caucus night Cruz proved the pollsters wrong.
The key to Cruzs victory lay in his successful effort to expand his base beyond evangelical Christians. The evangelical vote ended up splitting fairly evenly among Cruz, Trump, and Rubio.
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Cruz won therefore by running well in unlikely places, such as eastern Iowa, the least conservative part of the state. He also did well among GOP voters in college towns like Iowa City and Ames. Most important of all, Cruz won Cedar Rapids and ran close behind Marco Rubio in the GOP-leaning suburbs of Des Moines.
If Cruz can continue to build support among young and suburban Republicans, he has a real chance to win the nomination.
3. Donald Trump underperformed badly
The exact reverse was true of Trump. The caucuses revealed that his campaign had a smaller base than expected.
Trump had all of the momentum going into Monday night. He dominated press coverage in Iowa, he had huge campaign rallies, and he surged into the lead in the final polls.
But when the voting began, Trump underperformed badly. His overall caucus vote of 24 per cent was well below his polling average of 29 per cent.
In the end, Trumps organisational weakness sunk his effort to win Iowa. He never built a grass roots organization on the scale of the Cruz and Rubio campaigns and he paid dearly for it on Caucus night.
He also made foolishly arrogant mistakes. For example, when he fell to second place in Iowa polls in November, the billionaire asked: How stupid are the people of Iowa? Cruz used Trumps insulting line in a very effective ad that aired throughout Iowa last week.
Although Trump has mastered the art of attracting media attention, he has yet to learn that insulting voters is not a winning campaign strategy.
4. Marco Rubio is on the rise
Although Rubio finished in third place in the GOP race, he has plenty of reason to smile. The polls predicted he would finish with 15 per cent of the vote, but instead he captured 23 per cent, nearly as much as Trump.
Crucially, Rubio ran extremely well in metropolitan areas and among college-educated voters. He carried Des Moines and Davenport as well as suburban counties and Johnson County, home to the University of Iowa.
That bodes well for Rubios chances in New Hampshire, where the states Republicans are more urban and far more moderate than Iowa voters.
Keep an eye on Rubio. If he can continue to attract voters away from Trump, the Florida senator will be a force to be reckoned with in the GOP race.
The author is Associate Professor of Law at Drake University. This article first appeared in The Conversation.
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Donald Trump, the self-professed winner of all things, looked more like a loser going into the next stages of the Republican nomination race after voters in Iowa unexpectedly pushed him into second place delivering instead a solid victory to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
With a grassroots campaign that took him to every one of Iowas 99 counties, Mr Cruz won 28 per cent of the vote in Monday nights caucuses. He was backed by a coalition of conservative and evangelical Republicans who yearn to reverse eight years of liberal progressivism under President Barack Obama and to re-embrace Christian values.
Moreover, Mr Trump, who had sought to win in Iowa by commanding media attention with pizzazz-filled arena events and sheer cheek, only narrowly escaped being pushed into third place by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Mr Rubios unexpectedly strong performance made him the other big winner of the night, cementing him as the new favourite of mainstream Republicans and the party elite.
Polls had consistently placed Mr Trump ahead, but when Republicans poured in record numbers to their caucus sites across the state, it seemed many had changed their minds. The billionaire tycoon scored 24 per cent only narrowly pipping Mr Rubio, whose last-minute surge took him to 23 per cent.
Morning is coming, a jubilant Mr Cruz told supporters, echoing the Morning in America campaign mantra that propelled Ronald Reagan to the White House in 1984. To God be the glory, he went on. Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation.
The front page of Tuesday's New York Post
With the aura of giant slayer, Mr Cruz will now seek to build on his Iowa success. Next Tuesdays primary contest in New Hampshire may not favour him it is a far more centrist and secular state but he has better prospects in South Carolina and Nevada later this month. About 60 per cent of Republican voters in South Carolina, where Mr Cruz planned a swift campaign stop, call themselves evangelicals, and religious Republicans dominate in Nevada. He also has a healthy $19m (13m) remaining in his campaign fund, enough resources to remain a credible contender.
As the focus shifted to New Hampshire, the exceptionally crowded and tumultuous Republican field had only been partially clarified. The most urgent question: how bad really was the night for Mr Trump who, for now at least, holds a far wider lead in New Hampshire polls than he ever did in Iowa?
Ted Cruz celebrates Iowa win after Trump defeat
He did not, as some might have expected, turn truculent in the face of disappointment. His speech to his supporters late on Monday was more or less magnanimous. He said he was honoured to have had their backing and vowed to continue. We will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up, he said, before joking about buying an Iowa farm.
Yet the Trump narrative has now changed. He tried to ignore the campaigning rule book in Iowa and came up short. Any post mortem of his campaign will have to ask whether his decision to boycott the last candidates debate because of a spat over its female moderator cost him support.
He used Twitter to try to dispel any disappointment. My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all the experts saying I couldnt do well there and ended up in second place. Nice, he tweeted. He also said: I dont believe I have been given any credit by the voters for self-funding my campaign, the only one. I will keep doing, but not worth it!
If party elders eyes are now fixed on Mr Rubio, 44, it is because Mr Cruz is as unpalatable to them as Mr Trump. His scorched-earth brand of conservatism promises to eviscerate the federal government and scorns bipartisan compromise in Washington making him, the party establishment believes, a disastrous nominee.
Iowa Caucuses - Rubio's post-result speech
Mr Rubio has perhaps always been the sole Republican runner with appeal to conservatives as a hawk on social issues such as abortion and on foreign policy and more moderate Republicans at the same time. On the stump, he has a rare ability to mix humour and humility with toughness. His critique of Hillary Clinton is often devastating.
The party also hopes that his family story as the son of Cuban immigrants will finally offer some appeal to Hispanic voters. He tells it with relish at every stop. He also recalls the pressure he faced to leave the field to his one-time mentor, the former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Their diverging fortunes Mr Bush scored barely 3 per cent is a poignant campaign sub-plot.
Recommended Read more The results of the Iowa caucuses
They told me that we had no chance because my hair wasnt grey enough and my boots were too high, Mr Rubio said after the vote was counted. They told me I needed to wait my turn, that I needed to wait in line. But tonight ... the people in this great state sent a very clear message: after seven years of Barack Obama, we are not waiting any longer to take our country back.
Mr Cruzs long-term prospects are uncertain. Evangelicals also powered victories in Iowa in 2008 and 2012 respectively for Mike Huckabee, who dropped out of this race late on Monday, and Rick Santorum, but neither ended up being nominated. But if Mr Trump now also seems possibly vulnerable, the window that might open will not be left to Mr Rubio alone.
Crowding to stop him in New Hampshire are Mr Bush as well as the governors of New Jersey and Ohio, Chris Christie and John Kasich. Either could yet resurface in New Hampshire, where some polls have put Mr Kasich in second place.
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Ted Cruz won comfortably and Hillary Clinton eked out a victory, but both have a long way to go toward the presidency after winning the 2016 Iowa caucuses. If history is any guide, Monday's results have little bearing on who will go on to win the United States presidency.
Since the caucuses began in 1972, only two Iowa winners have gone on to the White House when an incumbent wasn't running: George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008. The Iowa winners much more often go on to lose the general election or even the nomination.
Iowa holds the first electoral event for the nominating process of the U.S. presidency, meaning it gets heavy media hype.
Recommended Read more The results of the Iowa caucuses
Republican winners of the Iowa caucuses have missed out on the presidency in 1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012. Democrats who won Iowa lost out on the presidency in 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2004. For clarification, in 1976, Democratic winner Jimmy Carter didn't lose the caucus to another candidate, but more people were undecided than voted for Carter, according to the Des Moines Register.
Incumbents have won the Iowa caucuses and gone on to stay in the White House four times: Ronald Reagan in 1988, Bill Clinton in 1996, Bush in 2004 and Obama in 2012. Reagan and Bush both were unopposed.
On Monday, Cruz won with little trouble, taking 28 per cent of the Iowa Republican vote, followed by Donald Trump with 24 per cent of the vote and Marco Rubio with 23 per cent, respectively. Clinton and Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders ended in what many called a virtual tie, but Clinton claimed 49.9 per cent of the Democratic vote and Sanders got 49.6 per cent.
Candidates have now turn their attention toward New Hampshire, which is holding its primary on Feb. 9.
Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
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On Monday night, Ted Cruz thanked God his victory in a speech that went on for almost half and hour.
And on Tuesday morning, the Texas Senator, by then already in New Hampshire, claimed his win was a victory for Judeo-Christian values and for the conservative grass roots.
To God be the glory, he said on Monday evening, as he supporters cheered and waved. Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation.
Mr Cruz actively courted Iowa's evangelical Christians (AP)
Mr Cruz, a staunch social conservative who opposes same-sex marriage and is opposed to abortion except in cases where a womens life in danger, secured his victory by courting Iowa's evangelical Christians, who are numerous, especially in the states rural areas. Around 56 per cent of Iowans consider themselves strong protestants and almost two-thirds of those who voted on Monday described themselves as evangelicals.
Donald Trump secured the backing of Jerry Falwell Jr, the president of the Christian Liberty University, the son of the late activist and preacher Jerry Falwell Sr, but many found the tycoons seemingly sudden embrace of faith inauthentic.
When he spoke at Mr Falwells campus last month in an attempt to burnish his religious credentials, he fluffed a bible reference, and over the weekend he mistook a Communion plate for a collection bowl when he attended a church service and reached into his pocket to get out his wallet.
Yet Mr Cruz, who once declared Any president who doesnt begin every day on his knees isnt fit to be commander-in-chief of this country, has faced no such issues of authenticity. The son of a pastor speaks a language and vocabulary that startles and unsettles liberals.
And in January, his campaign started a national prayer team to establish a direct line of communication between our campaign and the thousands of Americans who are lifting us up before the Lord.
Ted Cruz celebrates Iowa win after Trump defeat
His campaign in Iowa focussed on what he considered threat to religious freedom and attacks on Christianity around the world. In addition to usual political rallies, in Iowa and South Carolina he has appeared regularly at churches
Indeed, results from Monday nights vote show that while Mr Cruz secured the support of 33 per cent of evangelicals, Mr Trump won just 21.
Whether Mr Cruzs social conservatism goes down as well in New Hampshire as it did in Iowa, remains to be seen. But on Tuesday, the man who build a very strong ground organisation with more than 12,000 volunteers, was relishing his victory, he was relishing his victory.
This is the power of the conservative grass roots, he told CNN.
One of the greatest lies that gets told on the airwaves over and over again is that this country has somehow embraced Barack Obama's big government. He added: Thats not true. This is a centre-right country. This is a country built on Judeo-Christian values.
Mr Cruz won with 28 percent of the vote compared with 24 per cent for Mr Trump, whose aggressive and unorthodox campaign has been marked by controversies ranging from his calls to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States.
Another winner on Monday night was Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, who is also a social conservative, and will likely emerge as the candidate of the Republican establishment, which dislikes Mr Trump and loathes Mr Cruz.
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Q | Why is the Iowa caucus so important?
A | The Iowa caucus is when the hot air stops and people actually cast a vote that counts. It is the day supporters of each party who are also registered voters caucus in gyms and school halls to select their preference, in an arcane fashion that tends to infuriate the 315.8 million Americans who do not live in the small, conservative and predominately white state. The process can have a huge impact on the rest of the campaign.
A candidate must make a good showing. According to Norm Sterzenbach, a former executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party, since 1792 nobody who came lower than third ended up winning the nomination.
Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucus
Q | Whats next?
A | With barely a pause to finish their pork steaks, candidates and pundits head to New Hampshire, which holds its primary election on 9 February. Unlike Iowa, New Hampshires vote is like an ordinary election: a secret ballot among party supporters, with polls open all day. Though it only has a handful of voting delegates, the Granite State plays an outsized role because it can either cement a candidates position, or allow someone who slipped in Iowa to bounce back. In 1992, Bill Clintons strong showing eventually coming second after many had written him off allowed him to dub himself the Comeback Kid.
Q | What lies to the south and west?
A | After the freezing north and Midwest, the candidates head to Nevada and South Carolina, which will both test a candidates depth in very different states. In South Carolina, black voters will be of vital importance.
Q | Whats so super about Tuesday?
A | Super Tuesday, this year on 1 March, is the big one. There are 15 primary votes taking place, from Alabama to Wyoming, and this is often the day that makes or breaks a candidate. It should certainly thin out the Republican field. The last of the primaries is Washington DCs on 14 June.
By now, it should be clear who the two nominees are, based on the number of delegates to their parties national convention they have secured.
Q | Is there a convention to the conventions?
A | The party conventions the Republican event will be from 18-21 July in Cleveland and the Democrats between 25-28 July in Philadelphia are a chance for the partys candidate to smile to the troops, console the losers and electrify those watching on television.
They can also be the scene of unscripted drama if no candidate has yet emerged as the winner. In these cases the event is considered a brokered convention, and the parties come up with a nominee through more voting and horse trading. While once common, the last winning nominee produced by a brokered convention was Franklin D Roosevelt in 1932.
Follow this link for the latest coverage of the Iowa caucus: http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/iowa-caucus
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Chinas five leading airlines have agreed to blacklist passengers they consider too unruly to fly.
Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines and Spring Air have all said they would share the names of passengers who misbehave and ban them from any of their flights.
As the number of people flying increases, airlines say they have suffered from a growing problems with passengers behaviour, including being unruly, attacking flight staff, holding up the flight and refusing to board.
Recommended Read more Passenger has entire plane to himself on flight
The number of outbound travellers reached more than 100 million people in 2014 for the first time and the country is set to surpass the US as the largest passenger market by 2034.
Passengers who do not comply with the rules could face criminal penalties, and airlines have said they will share records of difficult passengers with airline and tourism authorities.
The airlines have said passengers whose names are on the list will face certain restrictions, which have not been detailed yet.
We have come up with our own list already, said Zhang Wuan, Spring Airs marketing chief.
The world's safest low-cost airlines Show all 8 1 /8 The world's safest low-cost airlines The world's safest low-cost airlines WestJet, a low cost Canadian carrier, was voted one of the safest low-cost airlines Alasdair McLellan/Creative Commons The world's safest low-cost airlines Virgin America was named as a low cost carrier by airlineratings.com Virginamerica.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Thomas Cook airlines were ranked highly on the world's best low cost carriers by airlineratings.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Boeing 737 Boeing 737 is part of TUI Fly, a German based subsidiary of Thomas Cook Tuifly.com The world's safest low-cost airlines Volaris, a low-cost Mexican carrier, has been rated one of the safest airlines to fly Volaris/Carribeanairlinenews The world's safest low-cost airlines HK Express was rated highly in the rankings HKExpress The world's safest low-cost airlines Aer Lingus was rated as one of the safest low-cost airlines in the world. The world's safest low-cost airlines America's low-cost carrier has been rated as super safe.
It includes (the names of) those who beat up our staff, refuse to get on the plane or block the exit.
Chinese authorities suspended operations in east China in July 2015 after a man set fire to a curtain and newspapers in the first class cabin on a Shenzhen Airlines flight from the coast city of Taizhou to the southern metropolis of Guangzhou.
Around 30 Chinese tourists were detained in 2015 by Thai authorities, who were singing the Chinese national anthem and refusing to board the aeroplane in Bangkok after their flight was delayed for more than 10 hours.
A spokesperson for the National Tourism Administration said: Tourists virtue not only reflect their personal decency, moreover it reflects the nations image and its societal progress.
Certain tourists frequent uncivilised behaviours at domestic and foreign airports as well on aircraft not only harmed the images of themselves and the nation even more, they jeopardize aviation safety, CNN reported.
Airlines have tried to tackle the problem on an international basis. Members of global airlines group IATA have called on governments to adopt the Montreal Protocol 2014 which would allow companies to seek compensation for costs occurred as a result of rowdy passengers.
Additonal reporting by Reuters
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More than 100,000 people have been stranded at a train station in southern China after heavy snows disrupted public transport in the run-up to Chinese New Year.
The holiday seasons sees hundreds of millions of migrant workers make long journeys home to celebrate with their families but it has coincided with some of the worst winter weather conditions across eastern Asia for a generation.
Videos and images posted to social media showed officials struggling to control vast crowds outside the central railway station in Guangzhou, where there were significant delays.
About 176,000 passengers had reportedly been due to pass through the station on Monday alone, and numbers began to pile up after a rare bout of freezing snow saw at least 23 trains delayed.
According to the Xinhua news agency, emergency measures were put in place to try and control passengers outside the station and avoid the dangers of overcrowding.
State broadcasters said more than 50,000 were stranded, but other local and international media put the number above 100,000 at its peak.
Cold snap takes Asia Show all 5 1 /5 Cold snap takes Asia Cold snap takes Asia Shandong province, China A ferry ship docks in the iced-covered sea port in Penglai city in east China's Shandong province, China, EPA Cold snap takes Asia Zhejiang province, China A tourist takes photos of the ice in a mountainous resort in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province, China. A weather station on Tianmu Mountain recorded minus 19.9 degrees Celsius Sunday, setting a record low in the provincial observatory history. EPA Cold snap takes Asia Lebanon Snow covers the historical ruins of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon Reuters Cold snap takes Asia New Taipei City, Taiwan A young boy enjoys the light snowfall on a tea plantation in the Pinglin mountain area of New Taipei City, Taiwan. An unusually cold weather front that caused sudden drops in temperatures has been blamed for killing as many as 57 people in Taiwan's greater Taipei area. AP Cold snap takes Asia Seoul, South Korea A passenger ship (bottom) navigates through the ice flow in the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. A cold snap hit South Korea on Sunday with the temperature in Seoul falling to minus 18 degree Celsius. Reuters
There are too many people and it is too crowded, one stranded passenger, who was not named, told CCTV.
Xinhua has said the country is bracing for record levels of passengers this year, as people brave the travel chaos lasting about 40 days around the New Year itself, which falls this year on 8 February.
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North Korea has reportedly been dropping used toilet paper, cigarette butts and rubbish into South Korea inside balloons filled with propaganda leaflets.
The Korea JoongAng Daily reported that the material denounced the US and called Park Geun-hye, the South Korean President, political filth.
Military and police sources told the newspaper the latest round of balloons started arriving on 12 January, after South Korea resumed making its own propaganda broadcasts over the border in response to its neighbours test on a supposed hydrogen bomb.
Airborne leaflets torment North Korea
Catchy K-pop songs and announcements criticising Kim Jong-uns totalitarian regime have continued to broadcast their message.
Activists and authorities on both sides have used balloons to float messages across the Demilitarised Zone for years, although they are regularly stopped as part of negotiations nad peace agreements.
Police have been collecting the latest packages falling in South Korea and analysing them in cast they contained hazardous biochemical substances.
In some of the bundles, there were cigarette butts, tissues and daily waste, a South Korean police official told the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Between the leaflets, there was lots of filth difficult to describe in words.
In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea South Korean activists prepare to release balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets at a park near the inter-Korea border in Paju, north of Seoul In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea North Koran defectors prepare to release a portrait of deceased North Korean defector Hwang Jang-yop by hanging it from balloons carrying leaflets condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his government's policies, in Paju, near the border with North Korea. The activists launched balloons carrying about 200,000 anti-North Korea leaflets over the border when North Korea marks the 69th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party. The letters on the portrait read " Down with Kim Jong Un" In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea North Korean defector Lee Min-bok sets up a timer to release leaflets from a balloon after they cross into North Korea condemning its dictatorship, as he prepares balloons at his home in Pocheon, about 15 km (9 miles) south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas. It's only propaganda, but the leaflets infuriate Pyongyang and threaten to scuttle negotiations between the two Koreas after the North's biggest peace overture in several years In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea North Koran defectors release balloons carrying leaflets condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his government's policies, in Paju, near the border with North Korea In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea Leaflets condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his government's policies are dropped from balloons which were released by North Koran defectors in Paju, near the border with North Korea In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea South Korean activists prepare to release balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets at a park near the inter-Korea border in Paju, north of Seoul JUNG YEON-JE | AFP | Getty Images In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea South Korean activists launched across the border leaflets slamming North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, as Pyongyang celebrates a major anniversary with Kim conspicuously absent from the public eyes In pictures: Anti-North Korea airborne leaflets disrupt Korean peace talks South Korea North Koran defectors prepare plastic bags containing leaflets condemning North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his government's policies, for attaching to balloons in Paju, near the border with North Korea
The Koreas officially stopped psychological warfare as part of tension-reduction measures in 2004 but the activity is expected to continue.
South Korean officials believe their broadcasts will demoralise front-line troops and residents in its rigidly-controlled neighbour but there are doubts in Seoul that the North Korean leaflets will have any impact on more affluent residents.
The border between the two countries is thought to be the most heavily-fortified in the world since the early 1950s civil war ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving them in a technical state of perpetual war.
About 28,500 American troops are deployed in South Korea as deterrence against the North.
Additional reporting by PA
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A stationery chain has come under fire after it produced globes that named Palestine more prominently than Israel.
The design, in which Israel was among 13 countries to be represented by a number corresponding to a key at the base of the globe, prompted threats of a boycott and accusations of anti-Semitism against the firm, Typo, by supporters of the Jewish state.
Pro-Palestinians are now threatening a similar boycott now the globes have been pulled from the shelves.
Typo, which is Australian, received complaints on its Facebook page on 21 January, with one poster saying it had "wiped Israel from the face of the earth".
Recommended Read more Israel to resume building controversial settlements in the West Bank
The Guardian reported that Typo initially responded to the complaints by saying that the design, a Mercator projection from around 1860, was "an official map from an international body that has been approved for export" and Israels label had been omitted "purely because there wasnt enough space to include the name.
But two hours later it withdrew the globes from sale, prompting more social media unrest, this time from supporters of the Palestinians.
One pro-Palestinian poster wrote: "BOYCOTTING you typo, while you're at it change the names of other countries that have been stolen from native people."
The firms Facebook post said: "We never intended to offend anyone with this product and as a result we have decided to remove them from sale and halt all future production until our supplier can provide artwork that eliminates the need for a key entirely.
"We would also like to ask that any conversations on this page surrounding the globes or political views are voiced in a respectful manner."
On Monday, the firm released a statement saying that it was "not removing any country from the globe" and that it was in the process of sourcing new artwork, the Guardian reported.
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An actor appearing in an experimental theatre production that involved his character being lynched on-stage is in a coma, after the scene went wrong and he was strangled.
Raphael Schumacher, 27, was taken to hospital after a member of the audience realised that he was actually being hanged when a rope tightened around his neck, according to reports.
The Italian actor, who was appearing in the six-scene play Mirages at the Teatro Lux in the historic centre of Pisa, did not regain consciouness and remained seriously ill yesterday.
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Police launched an investigation, The Times reported, having sealed off the theatre and interviewed members of the cast and audience.
According to one report, a box on which Mr Schumacher was supposed to stand while wearing the noose had been moved. He was also meant to be wearing a body harness.
One actor said: "The noose should have been fake and a harness should have caught him if he fell. I cannot explain how an incident like this happened."
People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015.
Mirages' six scenes were staged in different parts of the theatre, with the audience walking between them. The scene, which had been successfully performed earlier the same evening, took place in the Teatro Lux's courtyard.
It is understood that the audience member, a recent medical graduate, realised something was wrong when Mr Schumacher, who was wearing a mask for the scene, started trembling.
The spectator rushed to Mr Schumacher's aid, loosening the noose before lowering him to the ground with another audience member.
The mother of Mr Schumacher, who is from the northern city of Como, rejected the notion - reportedly being explored by police - that he may have been attempting to take his own life.
She said: "My son recently lost his father and had ended a relationship but had found his serenity again. He didn't leave a suicide note and had no reason to kill himself."
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Europe's increasingly hardline treatment of refugees and migrants is being mocked in a spoof video that "encourages" Africans to help the poor and vulnerable in Denmark.
Made by the Danish radio station P3-DR, the video mocks the hard line sentiments which have been on the rise across Scandinavia and northern Europe.
It it, Jackson Nouwah, founder of the entirely fictional 'Adopt A Dane Foundation', tells viewers he was inspired to set up the group after seeing social media comments compaining of money being spent on Africa instead of old people.
Footage shows members of the group looking after elderly Danes.
"Old people are not a burden," Mr Nouwah says, "they are a wonderful gift."
Some in Denmark believe that their country's aid efforts, both at home and overseas, should be reappropriated to help Danes.
The plight of the countrys elderly citizens has received particular attention on social media.
Denmark has also been at the centre of international recently after it passed a bill that allows authorities in the country to confiscate the jewellery of asylum seekers.
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Since the 1980s, the Italian town of Ostana had not seen the birth of a single baby.
But last week, a dream came true, as the mayor of the small town said. A baby was born. The first in 28 years.
According to La Stampa, the town has only 85 inhabitants, including newborn Pablo. Its population has continuously fallen a fate shared by many other Italian towns and villages.
"The real decline started in 1975, with 17 babies between 1976 and 1987, when the last boy was born until little Pablo," Mayor Giacomo Lombardo was quoted as saying. A party will be held to celebrate what he hopes will be the start of a reversal of that trend.
But the population decline will be hard to stop, no matter what ideas Lombardo comes up with. Younger Italians in particular say there are few attractive job prospects in rural areas. Many have moved to cities, leaving their hometowns to the elderly. Ostana, which is in northern Italy, has only one shop, a bar and two restaurants, according to the Italian news site the Local.
Some parts of northern Italy have been hit harder than others. But the south, including the island of Sicily, has faced more dramatic demographic changes in recent decades.
This map compares demographic trends all over Europe between 2001 and 2011. Areas colored green had an average annual increase in population over that time span, and areas colored brown experienced a decline in population. In areas colored white, no significant change occurred.
Reactions have seemed panicked at times. Another Italian town, for instance, recently made it mandatory for its inhabitants to attend a health check. The expressed goal of that initiative: slow down death rates to keep the town alive. Skeptics joked that the idea came close to "making it illegal to die."
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Last year, Gangi, a town on the island of Sicily, had yet another idea: Its council decided to sell about 20 houses for less than $2. At least 50 people applied for the opportunity. There was a catch, of course: The buyers had to agree that they would renovate the properties. Although Gangi still has 7,000 inhabitants, its leaders fear that it might soon face the same decline as Ostana.
The arrival of baby Pablo has certainly been welcomed in Ostana, according to the mayor. "It's great to finally have someone born here, and it shows that our efforts to reverse population decline are slowly working," Lombardo was quoted as saying.
Lombardo has tried to create jobs in order to prevent other young people from leaving the town. Pablo might be the first indication that his strategy is working. His parents wanted to move away several years ago but stayed after they were offered the opportunity to work at a mountain refuge.
Washington Post
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A cartoon etiquette guide supposedly created for migrants using swimming pools in Germany was in fact produced in 2013 and predates the current refugee crisis, Munich officials have said.
The images, showing a red cross over a hand reaching out to touch a woman in a bathing costume, have been circulating on social media and featured prominently in German media reports.
It came amid very real reports that local officials in the small town of Bornheim near Cologne had banned refugees from using a public pool, citing recent reports of sexual harassment and chatting up. The pool re-opened later after the measure was widely condemned.
But the cartoons themselves are at least two years old, and feature a broad range of guidelines for swimming pool use including messages of tolerance.
Rather than being produced in response to the spate of sex attacks on women on New Years Eve in Cologne, a Munich city spokeswoman told the DPA news agency the leaflets have been around since 2013, amid general concerns about anti-social behaviour across its 18 public pools.
The ground rule of respect for women whatever clothing they're wearing is unfortunately not respected by all our swimmers. That's why there is an explicit indication about it, the spokeswoman said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is under increasing pressure to reduce the numbers of refugees reaching Germany and voters are growing doubtful that the state can tackle the crisis, her key ally and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Monday.
Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Show all 13 1 /13 Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism outside Cologne Cathedral on 5 January after the assaults Oliver Berg/EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Women protest against sexism in Cologne following the rash of sex attacks on New Year's Eve Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police initially failed to mention the assaults in report the following morning EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks German far-right supporters demonstrate at Cologne`s train station (Reuters) Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police used pepper spray to control supporters of Pegida, Hogesa (Hooligans against Salafists) and other right-wing populist groups as they protested against the New Year's Eve sex attacks on 9 January, 2016 in Cologne, Germany Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use a water cannon during a protest march by supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016 Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Police use pepper spray against supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement Pegida, in Cologne, Germany, January 9, 2016. Reuters Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Artist Mira Moire protests naked in Cologne against the mass sex attacks on New Year's Eve AP Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks A demonstrator holds a sign in German that reads 'No violence against women' during a demonstration in the wake of the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve, outside the cathedeal in Cologne, Germany, 09 January 2016. EPA Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Counter demonstrators hold up a sign reading "Against sexism, against racism" as they protest against a demonstration of the islamophobic movement PEGIDA at the train station in Cologne, Germany, on January 9, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Germany reacts to Cologne New Year's Eve attacks Demonstration by a womens group on Saturday (AP) AP
Speaking at a panel in the western city of Duesseldorf, Schaeuble said it was "evident" that the pressure on Ms Merkel in the refugee crisis was bigger now than it was eight months ago.
Ms Merkel has promised to "measurably reduce" arrivals this year, but has refused to introduce a cap, saying it would be impossible to enforce without closing German borders.
Instead, she has tried to convince European partners to take on quotas of refugees, pushed for reception centres to be built on Europe's external borders, and led an EU campaign to convince Turkey to keep refugees from entering the bloc.
Additional reporting by agencies
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A "powerful" explosion has been reported at a secondary school in Karlstad, Sweden.
Police and firefighters were on the scene, and emergency services officials told the Expressen newspaper they were "trying to ascertain what has exploded".
There were no immediate reports on casualties, and police said two hours after the incident that they were still unable to establish what had caused the blast.
"There was a massive explosion, the windows and parts of the walls began to shake," the school's headmistress Christine Holmberg told Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet.
The force of the blast set off fire alarms in the main road next to the school, she said, which is located in the heart of the town.
Stefan Wickberg, a police spokesperson, said witnesses had reported seeing a "big column of smoke" rising after the explosion, but no injuries or damage had yet been confirmed.
"It cannot be ruled out" that there will be people injured, he said.
The emergency services later posted an update to Facebook saying that no one had been injured and classes had returned to normal, news outlet NWT reported.
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Two babies were among nine refugees who drowned trying to cross from Turkey to Greece after their boat capsized, Turkish authorities have said.
A spokesperson for the national coast guard said it has launched search and rescue missions for more possible victims following the disaster on Tuesday.
The small fibreglass boat was just 25 metres from the Turkish coastline near the town of Doganbey when it partially capsized.
They were believed to be attempting to reach the Greek island of Samos (AFP/Getty Images)
Two refugees were rescued alive but nine, including two babies were found dead, and more are feared to be missing.
Around 11 members of the group made it to the beach safely after swimming back to shore.
Doganbey lies near a narrow channel separating the Turkish mainland from Samos, one of the many Greek islands in the Aegean Sea where hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers have arrived on smugglers boats over the past year.
Disasters have become more frequent in rough conditions caused by the worsening winter weather and at least 37 drowned, including several toddlers and children, off the coastline north of Doganbey on Saturday.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says more than 270 refugees died attempting to cross the Aegean Sea in January, including around 60 children.
At least 96 more asylum seekers drowned in the central Mediterranean in the same month, on another smuggling route from Libya to Italy.
Syrian refugees struggle to enter Macedonia at the country's border with Greece (Reuters)
The toll is almost triple that from this time in 2015, when the refugee crisis saw more than a million asylum seekers arrive in Europe.
Around 67,000 migrants are believed to have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year mostly Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis landing on Greek islands.
Last year saw 3,400 deaths, peaking in April when 1,100 people died in a week in successive sinkings off the coast of Libya.
Individual disasters in the Aegean Sea have previously had a lower death toll than those in the central Mediterranean because of the small inflatable boats used by smugglers but there are fears numbers could rise if larger boats continue to be used in rough conditions and by inexperienced skippers navigating rocky shoals.
Dozens of people are packed on to the overcrowded dinghys, which frequently sink or capsize in tragedies like the one that killed Alan Kurdi, his mother, brother and other passengers in September.
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.
Images of the three-year-old boy lying dead on the beach sparked international calls for Europe to prevent avoidable deaths at sea and give refugees a safe home, forcing David Cameron to increase the number of Syrians being taken in by the UK.
But less than five months on, the political mood towards asylum seekers has reversed as countries across Europe seek to restrict the number of arrivals and implement controversial proposals to make them pay for their stay.
Hundreds of migrants blocked the main road leading to the Greek-Macedonian border today in protest against rules restricting the asylum seekers allowed to pass through to specific countries.
Taxi-drivers on the Macedonian side had blocked the railway line between the two countries, protesting over the priority given to trains and buses to take the migrants north to Serbia, while on the Greek side, farmers had parked dozens of tractors to demonstrate against planned pension reforms.
Thousands of migrants continue to attempt the treacherous sea journeys every day, fleeing war and persecution in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and across Africa and the Middle East.
Additional reporting by AP and Reuters
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As attitudes and policies towards refugees harden across Europe, a video has emerged that exposes the utter devastation Syrians are fleeing from.
Revealing in detail the consequences of the country's five-year civil war, the drone footage shows the piles of rubble ruined buildings that Homs - previously Syria's third largest city - has been reduced to.
While the video reflects the utter desolation in a city that was once home to more than 650,000 people, peace talks aimed at ending hostilities remain frustratingly unproductive.
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Arguments over who should or should not attend the negotiations overshadowed the continuous damage wrought in a war that has seen over 11 million Syrians flee, more than half the country's entire population.
The video was shot by Alexander Pushin, a cameraman for Russian state television.
While his drone footage from Syria has been described as propaganda designed to promote Russias military involvement in the country, the startling scale of devastation it exposes is beyond question.
(Russiaworks.ru)
Even as news emerged of nine people who died attempting to reach the relative safe haven of Europe, anti-refugee sentiment appears to be growing across the continent.
Denmark recently introduced legislation that permits the seizing of refugees' valuables, which drew comparisons to the treatment of Jews by Nazi Germany.
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.
Sweden is rejecting applications from 80,000 people who sought asylum in the Scandinavian country last year, while Finland also intends to expel 20,000 of the 32,000 applications received in 2015.
Angela Merkel announced recently that Syrian refugees would be expected to return to the Middle East once the conflict is over, while British Prime Minister David Cameron dismissed those living in the squalor of Calais' "Jungle" as "a bunch of migrants".
Starting in 2011, the ongoing conflict in Syria pitches Bashar al Assad's regime - aided by Russia - against a multitude of different and competing factions, including Islamist group Isis and associated militias.
The language of a continent that once appeared to welcome refugees no longer appears so accommodating, despite the evidently dire situation in Homs, Damascus and other Syrian cities reduced to ruins over the last five years.
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The king of Jordan has warned his country could stop taking refugees from Syria if it is not offered more support by the international community.
Jordan says it is already hosting 1.27 million of the more than 4 million people who have fled Syria since the start of its civil war, and King Abdullah said the country was reaching boiling point.
He said only half of the hundreds of thousands of Syrian children in Jordan had been given school places, and said hospitals and jobs were also seeing unbearable pressure.
He told the BBC: Sooner or later, I think, the dam is going to burst. Jordan has been asked by the UN to take in those fleeing conflict in the region for decades. For the first time, we cant do it any more, he said.
King Abdullah was speaking as Oxfam released a new analysis of the contributions to solving the refugee crisis from some of the richest countries in Europe and the West.
The charity analysed whether rich nations were doing their fair share both in terms of offering refugee places and donating funds.
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.
Its study corroborated King Abdullahs claim that the international community is not doing enough finding that rich countries are only taking 28 per cent of the minimum number of refugees they should be.
The UK was highlighted as particularly underperforming, meeting just 23 per cent of its suggested refugee intake. It was nonetheless noted that Britain and the Netherlands were among the most generous nations financially, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia have significantly reduced funding.
Oxfam found that while Australia, France and Russia have increased their direct intervention in the conflict, this was not met with a corresponding commitment to international appeals. Russia provided just one per cent of its fair share to the appeals linked to the crisis in 2015, it found.
Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB chief executive said: "The world is failing the people of Syria. Countries must do more to help in Syria, in the region and in resettling the most vulnerable. Britain specifically can and should do more, Mr Goldring said.
This week, the UN is seeking 5.4 billion in funding to provide aid for 22.5 million people in Syria and neighbouring countries, and King Abdullah said it was time for Jordan to be supported by the rest of the world.
This week is going to be very important for Jordanians to see, is there going to be help - not only for Syrian refugees, but for their own future as well, he said.
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The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has launched an investigation into the effects of its bombing campaign on civilians, after it emerged that pregnant women in the country have been sheltering in caves to avoid air strikes while giving birth.
Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri, a spokesman for the coalition, said that independent the team would look into reports of deaths in civilian areas, following warnings by the United Nations and aid charities such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
Last week, a leaked UN report accused the Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, of the "widespread and systematic" targeting of civilian areas.
And MSF has reported that people living near Shiara, a town of 40,000 people in the moutainous Razeh district in the north of Yemen, are too scared to stay in the town's hospital after it was hit by a missile last month, killing six.
It was the third MSF-supported hospital in Yemen to have been hit during the conflict, which has killed nearly 6,000 people, around half of them civilians. The Saudi-led coalition began a ground invasion in August.
While the origin of the bombing of Shiara hospital, which hit a hosptal corridor, has not yet been confirmed, the Gulf alliance admitted it bombed an MSF hospital in Haydan District, Sadaa province, northern Yemen, on 26 October. MSF has repeatedly called for combatants to desist from hitting civilian targets.
Testimony about the Shiara bombing by Teresa Sancristobal, MSF's head of emergency desk, posted on the MSF website, said: "The town of Shiara is up in the mountains. Most of its 40,000 residents are living in caves to shelter from the bombs. People dont want to leave the area because their crops, which they grow on terraces on the mountainsides, need intensive cultivation.
"People are more afraid than ever. Since the attack, there have been no deliveries in the maternity room pregnant women are giving birth in caves rather than risk coming to the hospital."
The 51-page UN report by a panel of experts, leaked last, week, found that a total of 119 Gulf coalition sorties violated international humanitarian law. Air raids hit densely packed neighbourhoods, camps for the displaced, mosques, schools and weddings.
A statement from the Saudi Embassy in Washington on the latest probe said the committee will assess the coalition's rules of engagement involving civilians and will offer "conclusions and recommendations to better respect international and humanitarian law."
It added: "The coalition has and will continue to take all precautions to protect civilians, medical staff, humanitarian organizations and journalists in Yemen."
A telephone hotline to MSF has also been established to protect the group's facilities and staff in Yemen, the embassy added on its official Twitter account.
Ms Sancristobal called the inquiry "a step in the right direction".
Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Britain has a new ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch, who is just settling into his new Washington digs.
An experienced diplomat, Darroch previously served as national security adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron.
However, Darroch's arrival in Washington has been overshadowed by something all too familiar to many international figures: an awkward photograph and a social media mocking.
The photo in question was the first ever message on Darroch's new Twitter account. It shows the ambassador meeting President Obama during a formal ceremony at the White House.
Many online viewers couldn't help but notice, however, that the ambassador looked a little stiff.
A Reddit thread sprung up on Saturday with many users poking fun at Darroch. Here's just a few of the comments:
British engineering at its best. It almost looks like a real human.
It looks like he's wearing fake arms!
Stiff upper everything.
Is our new ambassador hungover or frightened?
You can see the differences in countries just with that one picture.
He looks like a penguin.
The photograph soon spread, heightening the mockery. .
Darroch finally addressed the photograph on Monday with a tweet thanking everyone for the attention given to the photograph.
The photo may not be my finest moment (classic British response!), but Im very excited about my new role working with people across the US, including the President, Darroch told WorldViews on Monday.
I hoped my first tweet would have an impact, but I didnt expect it to generate that much interest. As a Brit, Im used to plenty of banter its good to see that thats just as true on Twitter as it is in person.
Copyright: Washington Post
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Igal Canaan, a Jewish settler and Airbnb host, threw open the doors of his apartment to reveal a panorama of blue sky and wilderness. Once they see the view, nobody wants to talk politics, he said.
In the morning, you can see shepherds with their flocks, he said, pointing out a village associated with the birth of the prophet Jeremiah. The view is totally biblical. All this, plus pool, kitchenette, fast wi-fi and maybe a welcome bottle of wine, just 20 minutes from Jerusalem, for about 56 per night. Guest reviews call it awesome but according to Palestinians, it is also wrong.
The Palestinian Authority has said offering vacation rentals in Jewish homes in the occupied West Bank, through US-based sites such as Airbnb, Booking.com and TripAdvisor, violates international law. The cottages and villas are not in Israeli neighbourhoods, as some listings suggest, but in Jewish settlements that most of the world consider illegal and the US calls unhelpful to the peace process. Not a typical holiday, then.
A few weeks ago, Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, sent a terse letter to Airbnb chief executive Brian Chesky, warning that his company was effectively promoting the illegal Israeli colonisation of occupied land. Airbnb said in a statement to the Associated Press that it follows law and regulations where it can do business.
So what did some Jewish settlers with extra rooms do? Our people took this as a challenge and have been rushing to Airbnb, said Miri Maoz-Ovadia, a spokeswoman for the Binyamin Regional Council. She represents 42 Jewish settlements in the West Bank which the PLO says violate the Geneva Conventions.
The West Bank Jewish settlement of Eli (David Vaaknin/The Washington Post)
There are about 400,000 Jewish settlers today in the West Bank and more than 200 Israeli bed-and-breakfasts registered in what Israel calls Judea and Samaria. The settlements had 500,000 tourists last year, Ms Maoz-Ovadia said. About 80 per cent were Israelis; the rest were international.
You cant boycott 4,000 years of Judeo-Christian history, she said, although the current wave of stabbings and shootings by Palestinians and live-fire countermeasures by Israeli armed forces has had an impact.
Inbal Zeev at the entrance to her property in Esh Kodesh (David Vaaknin/The Washington Post)
Mr Erekat claimed that Airbnb was propping up the Israeli settlement-industrial complex. Palestinians also say the Airbnb advertisements can fail to warn potential guests that properties are in the occupied West Bank. There is a Google map, but critics wonder if visitors realise the dashes on the map are the Green Line, marking the pre-1967 borders.
The majority dont ask, said Mr Canaan. He believes the whole thing is the work of a global campaign known as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a movement to pressure Israel to end the occupation. I dont think the Palestinians really care. Its a campaign by ultra-leftists from abroad fighting for them, he said.
Up north in Esh Kodesh, Inbal Zeev was tidying up her familys rental cottage. Before, we rented through word of mouth, she said. But when someone told me BDS was pressuring Airbnb, we decided to register.
Her listing describes its location as Shilo, Jerusalem District, Israel, which is a bit of a stretch. But not to Ms Zeev. I dont see this as Palestinian land. Its Israel, she said.
The Washington Post
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The Admont Library, Austria, offered by Xlibris1 as an entry for the Most Beautiful Library in the World, an impromptu competition started by Steampunk Tendencies, who nominated the Klementinum, in Prague. Other contenders include the St Florian Monastery library, Austria, the Strahov Monastery library, Prague, and the Public Library, Lima.
Another chain of internet whimsy led from Moose Allain's idea for a theme park called Dream Park, in which the carriages for the rides are so small you can hardly squeeze in, to Anthony Veitch recalling an article in The Economist from six years ago about tiny Hungarian cars designed to circumvent Stalin's ban on car manufacture.
Janan Ganesh is very good again in the Financial Times, about the triviality of Tory leadership speculation:
Mr Cameron won a general election only nine months ago. He is not yet 50. Next to the prime ministers who were physically hollowed out by the stresses of power, he looks like he has spent the past five years in a spa. He still often scores a net-positive approval rating in a country that has had a decade to tire of his patter. Were he to renege on his commitment to quit, the only mystery at the next election would be whether Labour emerges with enough votes to bother carrying on as a party.
Ganesh blames Cameron himself for the speculation, which has infected politics coverage "since David Cameron blurted his intention to step down as prime minister before 2020". I thought Cameron's announcement, to a surprised and delighted James Landale, that three parliamentary terms would be too many, was premeditated. Ganesh says he shared my view but now thinks it was "definitely" unplanned. One for the memoirs.
"The tiresome 'Let Miliband be Miliband' turned out to be a shorthand for 'Let Cameron be re-elected'." Stephen Bush reflects on The British General Election of 2015, by Philip Cowley and Dennis Kavanagh.
Peter Tatchell has changed his mind on the gay cake case.
And finally, thanks to Moose Allain for this:
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We are only at the start of the endgame. Although David Camerons renegotiation of Britains EU has already dragged on for months, crucial issues remain to be resolved over the next two weeks.
The new settlement falls short of the fundamental reform the Prime Minister once promised. He has had to back down on curbing the free movement of people, and to switch the spotlight from reducing immigration to limiting the benefits paid to EU migrants. Safeguards for the nine non-euro countries, to prevent the 19 in the Eurozone ganging up on them, may need to beefed up to protect the City of London.
What happens next? The hard talking will begin on Friday when sherpas, officials from the EUs 28 governments, go through the fine print of the 16-page draft agreement issued by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council the 28 national leaders who will discuss it on February 18-19.
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EU club rules say that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, so any of the other 27 leaders could throw a spanner in the works by threatening to veto the agreement. Expect at least one to throw a wobbly before February 18, perhaps only for domestic consumption. Watch out for Poland.
Mr Cameron may try some last-minute arm-twisting to win more concessions, and Eurosceptics are convinced that his script includes pulling out a surprise rabbit at the summit so the deal suddenly looks better than expected. He is likely to take what is on offer in two weeks not least because it would enable him to call a 23 June referendum.
Cameron on EU reform
On Tuesday the PM argued that he would opt in to the EU if the UK was not a member and was offered this new settlement. But once the deal is done, the In camp will want want to switch the spotlight quickly on to three more favourable big picture issues -- the economy; security co-operation and Britains place in the world. The Out camp will go head-to-head on all these and be keener to talk about immigration.
Mr Camerons two trump cards are voters fearing a leap into the unknown under Brexit and himself. He is trusted by voters, as last years general election showed. Although opinion polls suggest the In and Out camps are very close, when people are asked how they would vote if Mr Cameron renegotiated Britains EU membership and recommended staying in, about three-fifths of people would vote to remain, while between one-fifth and a quarter would back leaving. While the public do not like the EU status quo, the PM calculates that many will prefer modest change rather than risk the dramatic change of withdrawal.
Mr Cameron's message will be aimed at the third of the public who are undecided (about a third are strongly committed to voting In and the same proportion to Out). His theme tune, which we would hear a thousand times before a June referendum, is that Britain can have the best of both worlds the benefits of the single market for jobs and foreign investment without the downsides of the euro and the open borders Schengen agreement.
Team Cameron appears increasingly confident, and buoyed by disarray in a divided Out camp. But two clouds lurk ominously. We would not win a campaign dominated by immigration, one leading figure in the In campaign admitted. Secondly, people who want to leave the EU may turn out in greater numbers than those inclined to stay; Mr Cameron will have to mind this enthusiasm gap. His powers of persuasion are about to be put to a very big test.
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David Cameron describes the footling concessions he has extracted from the European Union, after months of tedious negotiation and years of grandstanding, as substantial. Such chutzpah in a Prime Minister is admirable in some ways, but he has left himself looking fairly foolish as we stagger towards a June referendum.
Where once the threat of British exit was supposed to strike such fear into our European allies that they would be willing to restore great swaths of British sovereignty, what Mr Cameron has actually brought back over the Channel amounts to some modest adjustments to qualified majority voting, tax credits and a miscellany of minor measures on terror suspects and the City of London. Historic, it aint.
So, no, it wasnt worth it. It was not worth putting so many jobs at risk for the sake of appeasing the Eurosceptics in the Conservative Party, who are mostly unappeasable in any case. Mr Cameron found himself in a tight corner a few years ago with the apparently irresistible rise of Nigel Farage and Ukip and he lost his nerve. The last general election shows that Mr Cameron need not have panicked into making the very dangerous promise of an In/Out European referendum.
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The collapse in confidence in the euro means that the perceived single biggest danger emanating from Europe the ambition to take the UK into the eurozone has receded into fantasy. There is, in reality, little appetite and little prospect of ever-closer union among the 28 member states, and expansion towards the Balkans has been placed on hold indefinitely.
And yet we still have the prospect of this vote in the summer that, in the unpredictable way of public opinion, could easily sever our relationship with our European partners.
All it needs is a few more scare stories about migration readily available from sections of the press and the current majority to stay in could switch back. Thus would the entire pattern of British foreign policy since the Second World War be reversed. And for such pitiful gains, all of which could probably have been secured, sooner or later, through the usual processes of diplomacy and horse-trading that are second nature to the officials in Brussels.
In that context, it is a shame that the Prime Minister didnt manage to prevail on his counterparts to give him some more impressive gains. Were he able to brandish some real new powers for the British Government and Parliament, he might have persuaded some people who are mildly Eurosceptic in truth a sizeable section of the population that we really did have a substantially better deal, and that might persuade them to vote to stay in, albeit grudgingly. Yet with such paltry gains, and coming as they did after such hyped-up expectations, few will be persuaded to change their minds.
What Britain really needs from Europe, and what Europe itself needs, is a thoroughgoing programme of reform, comparable to the 1992 single market project, to improve competitiveness, restore economic growth and boost jobs. Liberalisation of labour markets, deregulation of industries, and a more social market-oriented Europe, perhaps melding the best of the British and the German models of economic management, would dissolve many of the tensions between and within Europes nations.
Mr Cameron did secure some words on that, as did Tony Blair almost two decades ago. Then it was called the Lisbon Agenda, and it made little progress. But at least it was worth waiting for and worth fighting for. Mr Camerons settlement most certainly is not.
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When he started to renegotiate Britains EU membership terms, David Cameron told journalists there would be lots of ups and downs. He was right, as proved by the conflicting headlines about progress and setbacks, breakthroughs and disarray.
Even when we see the outline deal proposed by Donald Tusk, who will chair the crucial EU leaders summit in two weeks, there will still be several loose ends. I suspect Mr Cameron will extract a dramatic last-minute concession at the summit, brokered by Angela Merkel.
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The much-trumpeted emergency brake stopping EU migrants claiming in-work benefits in Britain is almost a done deal, but will be less significant than Mr Camerons original plan for a brake on migration itself. Britain is still pressing for more safeguards for the nine EU members outside the euro, and secondary EU legislation to tighten free movement rules.
In public, the Prime Minister has to say he will wait rather than accept a bad deal at this month's meeting. But he needs an agreement then to enable him to call the 23 June referendum he wants. In his favour is that other EU leaders want to get shot of the British problem so they can focus on the migration crisis shaking the EU to its very foundations.
With the Outers in disarray and fighting amongst themselves, Mr Cameron will never have a better chance of winning his referendum. He is slowly putting the pieces of the jigsaw together and appears to have that crucial campaign ingredientmomentum.
The referendum will not be about the deal, which is mainly designed to show he has won reforms so that people are not voting for a status quo that few support. The campaign will be about two fundamental issues: the economic benefits of EU membership, which will work for the In crowd, versus public fears about migration, the Outers potential trump card.
A third issue could tip the scales in favour of the In camp security. It will argue that, in a dangerous world, we will be safer if we co-operate closely with our EU partners on defence and fighting crime and terrorism.
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With negotiations yet to get off the ground in Geneva, we all have the same big question," who really wants peace in Syria?"
There is a clear trend that has preceded almost every local ceasefire in different towns in Syria over the last three years.
Each ceasefire agreement asked the Syrian regime to lift its siege, allow medical and humanitarian aid into affected towns, and pull out to their peripheries. They also asked for local detainees to be released.
Most of these requests were not met, those that were violated frequently.
On the occasions when sieges were lifted and citizens had the opportunity to move more freely, many chose to flee, fearing a renewed or more complete siege and starvation. In what seems to be a systematic process, the Syrian regime then rarely allowed these people back in to their towns.
In November, the UN was able to deliver 1 per cent of the humanitarian needs to besieged areas. This equals one meal a month per person.
The UN declared who was blocking the requests it was the regime. In the convoys to the besieged areas most of the essential medical supplies were intentionally removed. That an estimated one million Syrian children have not been vaccinated does not come as a surprise.
Recently we shared with footage and medical reports about the starvation in Madaya. Madaya's case built up over six months.
Eventually the UN was allowed in to deliver aid, but up until today, two people continue to die each day as a result of the starvation. Only a limited number of patients were evacuated, and some still died after they were evacuated.
What is more alarming were the calls made by the forces enforcing the siege to evacuate parts of the town earlier this week and the current calls that locals can be allowed out of the town and out of the siege provided that they give away their houses and never return.
Comparable patterns are noticed in Daraya, Moadamia, and many other towns accounting for hundreds of thousands of civilians under complete siege.
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Blocking humanitarian access is not acceptable, and holding people hostage in order to achieve a better negotiating position is not humane.
Whoever wants peace within the regime should start by lifting the siege on every town from suburban Damascus to suburban Idleb. Going forward and to enforce peace, the UN Security Council should create and enforce an accountability mechanism based on the violations reported by the UN agencies. Besides that, the international community might be able to force ceasefires, but not peace.
Without clear accountability for war crimes, all of the current ceasefire agreements will be the result of starving communities to death followed by forceful displacement of the civilians.
This is not the way to build peace.
Dr Ahmad Tarakji is President of the Syrian American Medical Society
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The Syrian conflict is about to enter a sixth brutal year, with more than 250,000 Syrians dead and more than half the population displaced. By far the majority have clung to safety in neighbouring countries, especially Jordan, but increasing numbers are turning to Europe. This desperate situation has put enormous pressure on our global system. Community fears have collided with core social values, putting new strains on the principle of united in diversity which is, after all, not just the EU motto but a basis for co-existence worldwide.
It is apparent from the shattered lives of children washed up on Europes shores that our current approach to handling refugee crises is not working. It is time for a new response that takes better account of the realities we face.
Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. Tomorrow, the nations of the world will gather in London to address the Syrian refugee crisis. This conference comes at a critical juncture, when we have an opportunity not only to ease the heart-rending suffering but to safeguard the future for my region and Europe as well.
This is a conference in which we all must step up for the stability of the region and for the opportunity to bring peace to Syria. It will test our will and ability to act as one to save human lives, to protect human dignity, and in doing so, to save the future we share.
This requires from us a new paradigm for action. Recognising that the crisis is complex and protracted, our strategy can no longer be focused on emergency and humanitarian relief alone. It should be based on sustainable development-based goals.
Three requirements must shape our approach. First, the international response must be sustainable over the longer term: this crisis is too large and too widespread to end soon, even if the political process for a settlement in Syria makes progress. Second, our response must recognise Jordan among key regional host countries as the lynchpin of global action: to invest in our refugee response is to support an ally that can lift a burden that would otherwise fall elsewhere. Third, our initiatives must be comprehensive, to meet the complex crisis of refugee displacement and lay the groundwork for it to end with a positive future ahead.
Even if the Geneva peace conference moves forward, even when Daesh and its cohorts are defeated, it will likely be years before the refugee situation resolves. This means years more pressure on displaced people and the communities and countries hosting them. The needs of both must be addressed on a stable, viable basis.
Refugee-related costs now consume 25 per cent of Jordans national budget. The economies of the US and EU combined are more than $35 trillion (24trn) and they are grappling with the influx of slightly over one million refugees. By comparison, Jordans economy is less than 0.001 per cent of the US and EU economy combined and has been coping with an even greater challenge of hosting nearly 1.3 million Syrian refugees.
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This is not to mention the refugees Jordan received during previous and ongoing conflicts. The amount of external shocks the countless disasters and wars that we had no role in, but had to contend with over the decades is unprecedented.
To assure that Jordan will be able to continue carrying the burden of Syrian refugees, it is vital to provide immediate support to the countrys infrastructure. It is also essential to ensure that doing the right thing does not come at the expense of Jordans youth and the opportunities our next generation will have in life. And, finally, creating new job opportunities through industry, trade and investment is an essential part of our comprehensive approach, now and for the future.
The world needs to build hope for the refugee population we host, so that they become effective citizens in the future of Syria, equipped with education, skills and opportunities. The alternative is to push refugees to despair, crime, and dependence. It is not an alternative we can live with for our region, for Europe or for the world.
Investing in peace and helping Jordan in a real and transformative way will support a country that has been tried and tested throughout time, always emerging stronger for ourselves, stronger for our friends, and stronger for our neighbourhood.
The writer is the King of Jordan
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It has just been revealed that the UK was forced to pay 8 million to Eurotunnel for costs incurred preventing migrants entering the UK between 1999 and 2002.
The figure revealed in an FOI response to campaign group War on Want might not seem that much in the grand scheme of government spending, but it is important for several reasons.
Firstly the Eurotunnel case was an example of the controversial Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) secret tribunals where private companies can sue national governments for loss of profits. Other infamous examples of ISDS include Philip Morris, the tobacco giant, suing the Australian government for introducing plain cigarette packaging and Swedish energy company Vatenfall taking the German government to court for phasing out nuclear power.
Currently the UK hasnt suffered too harshly at the hands of ISDS but that could all soon change with the advent of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership or TTIP, the bi-lateral trade agreement currently being negotiated between the EU and US. ISDS will be an integral part of TTIP and could see the UK government involved in many more cases such as the Eurotunnel one, where it could be forced to pay out millions of pounds of taxpayer money to private corporations.
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The reason the UK hasnt fallen foul of too many cases like the Eurotunnel one so far is that in most of our bi-lateral trade agreements we are the capital-exporting country. However that wont be the case if TTIP comes into effect because of the large proportion of US capital stock in the UK.
A study by the London School of Economics into the potential effects of TTIP showed that we could expect to face as many ISDS cases as Canada under their similar NAFTA agreement with the US. Canada, by the way, is currently the most sued developed country in the world under ISDS, with cases such as oil company Lone Pine Resources suing the government for issuing a moratorium on fracking.
Canada has eight per cent of US foreign direct investment stock compared to the UKs 13 per cent according to the LSE study, so it is easy to see how we could face an equal if not greater number of ISDS cases against us.
Apart from the dangers of ISDS, the Eurotunnel case also highlights just how desperate the UK government is to hide any details surrounding ISDS or TTIP. They have continuously refused to reveal how much money they were forced to pay Eurotunnel since the result of the case was first revealed. It is only because of the FOI request from War on Want that the 8 million figure was obtained (in a document that was otherwise heavily censored, I might add).
To illustrate the governments secrecy on this issue, back in 2014 Green MP Caroline Lucas asked in parliament what legal costs had been incurred in the Eurotunnel case. She was told that the government doesnt hold records going back that far.
Since the Eurotunnel case was in 2009, that is pretty poor record storage in anyones books. My inbox goes back further than that. I know the government is making cuts but are they now storing data on Z X Spectrums? (To answer Lucass question, the legal costs were around 500,000, by the way, on top of the 8 million paid in compensation a figure also revealed in the FOI response which by some miracle, it turned out the Department for Transport had now remembered).
This obfuscation comes on top of the governments recent refusal to share what it claims is proof that the NHS wont be subject to privatisation under TTIP. Or indeed to allow its citizens to have any say in whether we get TTIP or not. 500,000 UK citizens have already signed a petition, endorsed by over three million EU citizens, to stop TTIP. Yet the UK and EU governments continue to ignore the voices of their own people who otherwise have no say in the process whereby TTIP can and probably will be voted through.
Hopefully the threat of throwing even more millions of public money to private companies in a time of austerity will help the government see the error of its ways and vote against TTIP.
Somehow, though, I doubt it throwing public money at private companies is what this government seems to like doing most.
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I wish the despair I feel about our enfeebled democracy today could be written off to exhaustion after a long night following events in Iowa, and to the striking contrast with the vibrancy of democracy over there.
But its deeper than that. Something more concrete than fatigue-driven hysteria underpins the sense that Britain is shuffling on its Zimmer towards one-party statehood.
If that sounds like deranged hyperbole, have the courtesy to ask yourself this. How long do you think it will be before a party other than the Conservatives is in position to form a government? Can you imagine it within two decades, or three? Can you envisage it in your lifetime at all?
The obstacles between Labour and taking power as anything other than a Tory tribute act on 1997 lines were colossal after the catastrophic loss of Scotland in May. The likelihood of the party vaulting them under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, admirable in many ways as he is, seems to lie in direct inverse proportion to the enthusiasm he excites among a narrow but zealous fan club.
Add in the proposed boundary changes expected to boost the Tories by 20 English seats, and an economically left-leaning government becomes virtually inconceivable. It is half a century since a left-of-centre manifesto decisively won a general election. Since Harold Wilsons 1966 landslide, the best Labour could do was a dead heat (twice in 1974) before Tony Blairs triumph as a centre-right shapeshifter.
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And now this Government wants to lengthen the odds further by trimming not just what all political parties receive from the state for parliamentary costs, but by using its vindictive Trade Union Bill to halve what Labour gets from the unions.
I wont insult you by wasting time considering the theory that the motivation is to clean up political funding. Even as skilful a performer as Cameron would have to bite his bottom lip until his shirt was streaked with blood to have a 50/50 shot at claiming that with a straight face.
He continues to whore himself to vulgarian donors with a blatancy that would be hilarious if it were a physical possibility to belly laugh when bent over the bowl channelling ones stomach contents towards the U-bend. As a Times columnist acerbically notes, the Conservatives annual Black and White Ball you know, the one where the hedge fund beauties and derivative instrument sweethearts fight for the right to pay 250,000 for the privilege of clipping Theresa Mays toenails is imminent.
What is so depressing about the plan to stack the electoral odds even further against a change of government isnt that it speaks of cheap political gangsters psephological numbers racketeers in Savile Row suits who are pathologically unable, New Labour-style, to see politics as anything grander and nobler than an Us vs Them combat sport. After all, the Tories brazen contempt for the democratic process has been plain from their increasing reliance on statutory instruments (SI) to sidestep debate and voting in the Commons.
Also revealing has been Camerons descent into Blairish autocratic centralism: when the House of Lords overturned Osbornes cack-handed raid on the working poors tax credits (itself enacted by statutory instrument, lest the Commons vote it down), he reacted with the oblique but unmistakable threat to flood the Lords with so many new Tory peers many doubtless Black and White Ball auction bidders that such a defiance of his authority could not be repeated.
What is so incredibly depressing about all this is not that the PM and Chancellor are out to destroy Labour for good and assure unbroken Tory rule. It is that no one gives a damn. This is partly because nothing bores the pants off the populace like constitutional matters. This is unsurprising in a country which, since its leaders have always avoided writing the rules down because that would curtail their power to subvert them, has no real constitution at all.
Say what you will about politics in the United States. Say that it is a gigantic psychiatric ward full of unreconstructed racists and religious maniacs, staffed by megalomaniac chancers and grifters. So it is. Any country in which Marco Rubio, a pretty virulent right-wing ideologue, is cast as a calm and centrist Eisenhower Republican by the shadow of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz has big problems of its own.
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But my God, you could burst with jealousy when you see Iowans gathering in schools, community centres and their own homes to argue and caucus for their candidates. Their passion for politics, raw and sometimes filthy as it may be, is magnificent. So is their love for a Constitution which, more even than the NHS is to us, is their one shared religion.
The mighty intellects who framed the US Constitution had many ambitions, but their overriding aim was to make it impossible for the tyranny imposed on them by an English King to thrive. Its flaws go beyond the enshrinement of slavery. You doubt Jefferson and the gang would admire the legislative gridlock so frequently created by the complex series of checks and balances they wrote into it. But you assume they would regard paralysis in Washington as a small price for avoiding even a genteel form of tyranny.
They understood that, since even the well-meaning inevitably become corrupted by the temptation to accrue more and purer power, true democracy can only be safeguarded in perpetuity by the formalised separation of power. Here, where there are no written rules to separate power, it is dangerously concentrated in unscrupulous hands.
If mistaking a narrow plurality of the popular vote for a ringing mandate to misuse that power by sidestepping the Commons with statutory instruments, or threatening to shove scores of their bankrolling mates into the Lords while starving their opponents of what they need to conduct effective campaigns counts as democracy, then you really, really wouldnt want to live under an elective dictatorship.
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War and Peace: blink and you would have missed it. Not the entire 1,300-page epic squeezed tighter than Helene Kuragins corset into just six episodes of the BBC adaptation, but the moment on our screens on Sunday evening when a Russian lieutenant colonel emerged from a chilly lake wearing nothing but the blind bravery of an officer about to go into battle with Napoleon. The full-frontal male nudity gave social media fans and critics of the series a new hashtag because #PhwoarandPeace was getting a bit passe #WarandPenis.
As I dont fancy Googling full-frontal male nudity without my ads going X-rated, I can only make an educational guess that this sort of shot is incredibly rare in television and film, even after the 9pm watershed. One viewer asked whether the scene was legal which of course it is, as the member in question was more Michelangelos David than Tower of David. More potentially controversial were the scenes of the Battle of Borodino, including one showing Anatole Kuragin, a scoundrel who had tried to seduce hero Prince Andreis fiancee, having his severely injured bloodied leg cut off. The BBC said no complaints have been made and that all the scenes had gone through a rigorous compliance process. The Great British viewer has shown uncommon sense.
Yet the War and Peace nudity scene featuring actor Oscar Pearce is worth discussing. It is so refreshing, even if just for a day, to be talking about on-screen male nudity, or whether a man has enough clothes on, when it seems 364 days a year we obsess about what women are or are not wearing. After Susan Sarandon wore a black bustier underneath a white suit to the Screen Actors Guild awards last Saturday, it triggered a row about whether she was too old, at 69, to be wearing something that showed her cleavage, or whether it was appropriate for the Oscar winner to wear that outfit when she was introducing the In Memoriam section of the awards show. The broadcaster Ulrika Jonsson wrote yesterday: At a public event you want people to be asking what you were wearing, not what the hell were you thinking. Er, no, you want people to ask you about your career, or what you think about the nominees.
Every day women in the public eye are criticised or scrutinised for wearing too little, or too many, clothes. Female nudity in post-watershed television is a common feature. Im not going to go all Mary Whitehouse and complain about this, and often it is not gratuitous but key to the storyline. It would just be refreshing if we could have more gender balance.
As Pearce said himself in an interview with The Sun (under the glorious headline The Battle of Napoleons Boney Part): Full-frontal male nudity is quite rare whereas, women getting their breasts out happens the whole time. There was a part of me, the feminist side, which thought this would redress the balance.
Last year, one scene in the BBC adaptation of Poldark, in which the male lead Aidan Turner appeared topless as he scythed a Cornish meadow, brought complaints from some male viewers that women were objectifying the actor although Turner himself said he did not mind the attention. The scene was voted TV Moment of the Year 2015 at the National Television Awards, but perhaps it should have been given a prize for Only Moment of the Year a Man Was Topless or Naked on TV 2015. We already know whos going to win that award this year, because Pearces brass monkeys bravery is likely to be a one-off in 2016.
The scene where a tacht ran into trouble and was found crashed into rocks on the western coast of South Africa (National Sea Rescue Institute/PA)
An Irish woman and a Scottish man have died after a yacht ran into trouble and crashed on the western coast of South Africa.
The man, understood to be George Mills, 61, was discovered at the scene of the accident, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.
A 66-year-old man from the Republic survived and managed to raise the alarm, and the South African Maritime Safety Authority is now investigating the incident.
Mr Mills is understood to have been a long-term member of the Royal Cape Yacht Club and owned the 47ft (14m) yacht Tara.
Marina manager Joshio Fisher said: "The owner has been a member for a long time. We have had the burgee, the club's flag, at half-mast.
"The club has got a very tight sailing community. Club members do make use of the restaurant and the bar facilities.
"This owner used to be quite well-known within the club.
"It's been quite a dramatic incident for the club."
He said the yacht had left the club's marina for Port Owen, further up the west coast, and then returned, making one stop, before hitting the rocks.
The NSRI received reports that a yacht had capsized between Bokpunt and Gansekraal on the Western Cape just after 4.30am on Monday.
Sea rescue crafts responded along with a police dive unit but the yacht was discovered broken up among rocks on the shore.
The NSRI said it was not known what had caused the yacht to hit the rocks and whether it had capsized before running aground.
A spokesman said there were three crew members on board, reportedly sailing from Langebaan to Cape Town.
Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is liaising with relatives of the Irish woman.
She had been living in the Western Cape for years.
"The department is aware of the death of an Irish citizen in the Western Cape and consular assistance is being provided," a spokesman said.
Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has challenged farmers to show him a country that sent basic payments out faster than Ireland did last year.
Mr Coveney admitted there had been a "communications" problem surrounding delays in delivering the annual funding to some farmers, particularly national reserve and young farmer top-ups and cases involving land transfers.
Mr Coveney said a new system had been introduced for phone queries, but this had not worked as planned and would be changed for next year.
"I would challenge anybody to show me a country that has got payments out faster than Ireland," he said, adding it had been an especially complex process in 2015 with the number of new schemes in place.
"If you look at our closest neighbour only about 50pc of farmers have got a basic payment and there was no 70pc advanced payment for them at all."
The minister said the Department had now paid out on 97-98pc of basic payments and over 60pc of the new payments to young farmers. An estimated 2,500 farmers are still awaiting payments.
Young farmers
Around 5,500 out of 9,200 applicants for the young farmers and national reserve scheme have been paid so far, with 700 rejected. In total, some 122,291 farmers have been paid 1.1m in basic payments.
ICSA president Patrick Kent said some farmers had been left in "desperate hardship" and "changes are required to deliver payments on time to all farmers".
IFA deputy president Tim O'Leary said the delays were "unacceptable" and farmers were very frustrated with the "inadequate" phone service.
It also emerged successful TAMS applicants will not receive the payments until the second half of the year. Pat McCormack from the ICMSA said for farmers who have installed expensive equipment or facilities it was difficult to wait for the monies on a year with low milk prices.
Mr Coveney also confirmed a further 11,500 farmers out of the 14,000 that applied to GLAS II will be approved, bringing total numbers to 38,000.
Fianna Fail agriculture spokesman Eamon O Cuiv said with the numbers accepted the planned annual GLAS spend of 250m will fall short at around 142m.
A new study to tackle Ireland's most problematic weeds is to commence this autumn.
Teagasc, along with the Irish Seed Trade Association, is funding research into the four most difficult weeds for cereal farmers: sterile brome, blackgrass, canary grass, and the ubiquitous wild oat.
"I've seen crops being wiped out by these types of weeds, and the shame about it is that it can all be avoided if the farmer reacts early enough," said Teagasc tillage specialist, Tim O'Donovan.
Weeds such as blackgrass are a potential nightmare for farmers because they are resistant to almost every type of herbicide that cereal growers routinely rely on.
"I wouldn't go as far as describing them as super-weeds because they can be controlled but it's a problem that farmers can do without," said Mr O'Donovan.
"Blackgrass is resistant to everything except glyphosate, and so it has got to the stage where it has wiped out crops in the UK.
"It's actually been found in pockets of northeast Leinster for many years, but farmers would still need to be very vigilant about introducing it to their farms.
"One of the biggest risks is the importation of straw, seed or machinery from the UK.
"If farmers are careful to intervene now before it gets out of control, they can save themselves a lot of money," said the Teagasc man.
Wild oats
While both blackgrass and wild oats are at static levels, Teagasc's tillage unit has noted the spread of canary grass and sterile brome to more farms around the country.
"That's part of the reason behind this project. We've no information on the resistance status of weeds like this.
"The solution for most farmers is to mix up their cultural methods for a few years, by switching from min-till to a deep plough every three years, or switching from winter cereals to a spring crop.
"But this may not suit everyone, especially if a guy is set-up for min-till only," said Mr O'Donovan.
UK growers report increasing severity of blackgrass infestation, with a massive 30,000ha of cereals lost last year due to the weed.
One in five growers report spending over 120/ha for its control. In winter wheat yield losses of 63pc can occur where just 50 heads/m2 are present, according to UK agronomist, Sarah Cook.
She presented a paper on blackgrass control at Teagasc's tillage conference in Kilkenny last week.
The event drew a large attendance, and heard papers on winter wheat, beans, rotations, and the benefits of discussion groups for tillage farmers.
Beef farmers are losing out on their "fair share" of prices because of weight limits as low as 400kgs and the 30-month age limits, a farm body has warned.
Irish cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) president Patrick Kent said Beef Forum discussions had failed to tackle the issues and already farmers were seeing the consequences of an over-supply of cattle.
"Age limits are back with a bang," said Mr Kent at last week's ICSA AGM. "We are seeing lots of farmers being cut 20c/kg for cattle marginally over-age and overweight," Mr Kent said.
"These weights are totally unworkable in the continental bred sucklers and they take away any chance of the beef finisher making a margin."
Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney told the meeting that the consensus reached at the Beef Forum in 2014 had ended. "We got an agreement for a 12 month period that actually weights wouldn't be used as a penalising factor at all. Unfortunately, that has now come to an end."
Mr Coveney said he was "sick to death" of having to accept that farmers were "price takers". He highlighted the new producer organisations that allow groups of farmers negotiate directly with processors as an alternative for sellers.
Elections
He pledged to look at ways to provide more support for the sheep sector as part of the CAP mid-term review.
However, he insisted there is "no new money" and schemes would have to come as part of the 4bn rural development programme as part of the mid-term review.
He urged people not to be taken in by "cheap promises" during the general election campaign, adding that he had heard promises for 200 per head extra for the suckler sector without any details on where the funding would be sourced.
Fianna Fail agriculture spokesman Eamon O Cuiv, who also addressed the event, admitted it would be difficult to get the monies. However, he said there was going to a minimum underspend of 300m on schemes such as GLAS, TAMS and genomics and these funds could revert to farm schemes.
BT Ireland has announced six new appointments in its business sales division as the BT Group reported underlying revenue growth of 4.7pc in the third quarter of its financial year.
The group reported revenue of 4.59bn (6.03bn) in the three-month period ending on December 31, 2015, while it reported a 3pc rise in EBITDA during the period up to 1.61bn (2.12bn).
Adjusted profit before tax in the firm grew 14pc in the period up to 928m (1.22bn) while adjusted earnings per share grew to 9p per share, up 13pc.
Group chief executive Gavin Patterson, said it was a positive period for the group.
"This is a strong set of results with good numbers across the board. Revenue was up 4.7pc this quarter, our best result for more than seven years," he said.
"We are making good progress towards our goal of sustainable profitable revenue growth."
BT also recently announced the acquisition of UK network EE.
Meanwhile BT Ireland has announced the appointment of six senior professionals to its business sales division.
The announcement comes after the Irish arm reported a 4pc increase on its underlying revenue.
Former Three Ireland employees Erin Kennedy and Karen Harman will join as head of enterprise inside sales and as an account director respectively.
Michael Galvin and Ann Marie Lynch, both formerly of G4S Secure Solutions, are joining as deal architect for the company's major deals team and account director in the MNC division respectively.
Brian Barry, a former sales director with Impact Packaging, has become an account director in the global communications sector.
And Martin Flynn has been added to BT Ireland's team as an account director looking at local large enterprises.
The appointments have been made as BT aims to further its multinational customer base in Ireland.
The managing director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh, said they have come after positive financial results. "BT is in an exciting position in Ireland right now," Mr Walsh said.
"Our financial results reveal revenue growth for the third consecutive quarter this financial year. This has been largely driven by our continued success in delivering large scale, complex communications and IT solutions for Ireland's growing multinational base."
Donald Tusk insisted he is still seeking to strike a deal on EU reform proposals next month to entice Britain to remain as a member of the 28-nation bloc
The Government could soon be entitled to cut or restrict child benefit payments to EU citizens whose children are living abroad, under a plan tabled in Brussels today.
Under EU law, EU citizens working in Ireland are entitled to the same benefits as Irish citizens, even if their child lives in another member state.
But a paper published by European Council president Donald Tusk suggests giving EU governments the option to link child benefit to the cost of living in the (EU) country where the child lives.
The concessions were made to assuage UK concerns ahead of an in/out referendum on its EU membership, which British premier David Cameron has promised to hold before the end of 2017 - but which could be held as early as this summer.
Irish child benefit is now 140 per month for each child after the 5 increase in Budget 2016, but it varies widely across Europe.
More than 10pc of the Irish population was born in another EU country, the third-highest rate in the EU (after Luxembourg and Cyprus) - some of these children were born in countries like Poland and Latvia, for example, where benefit payments are much lower than here.
The plan would also affect Irish people working in the UK, who could be denied social welfare payments in future if the British government decides that its social security system is being overwhelmed by an inflow of EU workers.
Irish citizens are the second-largest group of EU citizens living in Britain, after Polish citizens.
The plan also offers more power to national parliaments to block EU laws, gives non-eurozone countries the option to intervene in eurozone proposals that affect them, and contains a commitment to reducing red tape for businesses.
The changes would only occur if the UK votes to remain in the EU, and have to be agreed by all 28 EU countries first.
EU leaders will meet in Brussels to discuss the plans on 18-19 February.
Traders work at their desks in front of the German share price index, DAX board, at the stock exchange in Frankfurt. Photo: Reuters
Irish shares rose sharply yesterday, the second day in a row of gains, as strong corporate data ensured the market here was one of the few in Europe to start the week with a gain.
By the close in Dublin the ISEQ Overall Index had added 1.66pc, or 105 points, to close at 6,448.24.
Ryanair was the big mover among major stocks, jumping 5.9pc to 14.50. The airline's latest interim statement showed profits were far ahead of market expectations compared to a year ago.
Dalata jumped 2.3pc to 5.02. This newspaper reported that the biggest indigenous hotels firm is planning to end its Irish hotel purchases this year and concentrate on expanding into the UK.
Paddy Power rose 3.8pc to 142.75. The bookmaker saw heavy buying on its last day of trading as an independent company. It will begin trading as part of the PaddyPower-Betfair group today. More than 7m shares traded in the company yesterday - the highest on record. The merged group will qualify for the FTSE 100 Index. As a result, funds that track the index will be mandated to buy Paddy Power shares.
Kenmare Resources jumped 19.4pc even as it said it technically broke its bank covenants. In the UK though, where practically all of its trading takes place, the shares tumbled 23.4pc.
Unlike Ireland, European shares fell amid weak global economic data. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.4pc in London, while in Paris the CAC 40 gave up 0.6pc. The Dax Index in Germany shed 0.4pc. The composite Stoxx Europe 600 Index was off 0.2pc. "Investors are getting conflicting signals about global growth," said Daniel Murray at EFG Asset Management.
"It's all very confusing and it's making people nervous."
Irish miner Kenmare Resources has defaulted on its debt.
Its shares plunged in London yesterday, losing almost a quarter of their value. But the company said it was being given time by lenders to find a solution.
Kenmare said it had presented a required deleveraging plan to lenders but that an agreement had not been reached by a deadline of January 31. The plan includes a $100m investment in the company by the State General Reserve Fund of Oman.
"While lenders are still considering this plan it has not been agreed by the deadline... resulting in an event of default," Kenmare told the market.
"The company continues to monitor and manage its liquidity position very carefully. In support, lenders agreed to defer payment of $2.3m fees... from 31 December 2015 to 29 February. In addition, Kenmare and lenders continue to discuss potential accommodations in relation to events of default (including relating to the deleveraging plan) and conditions to further disbursement of super senior debt and no event of default has been declared by lenders to date."
Kenmare also said that the amount of ore mined at its Moma mine in Mozambique fell by 19pc in 2015, as a result of flooding and power interruptions. But it said an investment in electricity infrastructure by the Mozambique state electricity company "has resulted in a step change in the quality and consistency of our power supply since coming on line in late December".
"Prices of ilmenite, our major product, have remained under pressure in Q4 2015. However, the recent closures of titanomagnetite mines in Russia and China and the reduction of feedstock inventories at Chinese ports are encouraging."
The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) plans to take a 25-year lease on its proposed new six-floor office in Dublin's docklands.
An architect and design team are being sought to work on the new 8,000 sq metre office space, which the debt management agency hopes to move into in late 2018.
The site, known as Block D1, is part of the so-called Project Wave development on Dublin's North Wall Quay, close to the new Central Bank headquarters.
It's located within the area designated as the North Lotts and Grand Canal Quay Strategic Development Zone.
The premises is expected to include an open-plan office space, cellular offices, meeting rooms, a training area, reception area, canteen, storage areas, services areas, toilets and ancillary office accommodation areas.
The NTMA, which manages the national debt, the State Claims Agency, NewERA, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), and the National Development Finance Agency, is looking for an architect-led integrated design team, including a quantity surveyor, a civil/structural engineer, and a building services engineer.
"The selected team will be required to provide all design services and advice/ancillary services in relation to all aspects of the fit-out works and all engagements with the landlord in relation to both the landlord and tenant works throughout the construction period," said the tender document for the design team.
The overall Project Wave development, of which the NTMA office is a part, will reportedly take up 10pc of the available land in the Docklands Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) and provide more than 50,000 sq ft of commercial buildings as well as over 250 apartments.
The NTMA, headed up by chief executive Conor O'Kelly, inset, also assigns staff to the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) and Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI).
The new 140m Central Bank headquarters, which is under construction close by, will have a range of open floor office areas and meeting rooms. It will also reportedly have a seventh floor cafe and a wellness room.
The NTMA declined to comment on whether its new premises will have any additional amenities, such as a wellness room.
Bright start for the UK but companies are cutting staff. Photo: Bloomberg
Growth across the Eurozone's manufacturing sector eased last month, suggesting the sector could be weakening.
Even though companies cut prices at the deepest rate for a year, levels of expansion in output, new orders and new export business all slowed, according to the latest Purchasing Managers' Index for the sector.
And production rose at its slowest pace for four months.
Ireland's manufacturing sector began 2016 with a sharp increase in new orders, but the overall rate of expansion was little changed from December's.
In the UK, however, factories enjoyed a brighter start to the year than expected, helped by surging output at large manufacturers, but companies cut staff at the fastest rate in three years and export orders fell,
The manufacturing PMI for the Eurozone dropped to 52.3 from December's 53.2. Anything above 50 signals expansion.
In Ireland's case, the PMI posted 54.3, little changed from the 54.2 seen in December.
Chris Williamson, economist with financial information firm Markit, said Eurozone manufacturing "missed a beat" at the start of the year.
"Having accelerated for three straight months, the rate of growth slipped from the 20 month high attained at the end of 2015," Mr Williamson said.
"Growth of order books, exports and output all slowed."
Global markets have been battered since the start of this year, hitting stock markets, commodities and oil prices, as concern grew that the Chinese economy, the world's second largest, is struggling.
Mr Williamson said manufacturing growth slowed in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands and stagnated in France and Greece. But he said Spain, Ireland and Austria all bucked the slowdown trend, with Spain regaining top spot for the first time since January 2005.
January's weakening came as companies offered steep discounts on goods.
A sub-index measuring output prices sank to 48.3 from 49.8, its lowest reading since January 2015. In Ireland's case, January saw another sharp increase in new orders, with the rate of expansion quickening for the second month running to the fastest since July of last year.
New export business also rose at a faster pace during the month. But despite the strength of new order growth, the pace of increase in production eased slightly.
But the PMI report said manufacturers continued to take on extra staff in January, although the rate of job creation was modest, and little changed from that seen in December.
The manufacturing PMI for the UK rose to a three-month high of 52.9 in January from 52.1 in December. But manufacturers shed staff at a rate not seen since February 2013.
"Trust us, we have this sorted."
That appears to be what the European Commission is saying with its new transatlantic data privacy deal, the superhero-themed EU-US Privacy Shield' agreement.
Do they have it sorted, though? Some key questions have not been answered.
For example, does the new deal mean that US spies won't dragnet EU citizens' personal emails and online messages as they have been doing?
It's highly unlikely. EU Commissioners talk of "commitments" from US politicians and trade officials that American agencies will "respect" European private data. They even claim that US government bodies won't "indiscriminately" apply surveillance to EU citizens' data.
But they don't go as far as to say that the type of activities revealed by Edward Snowden under America's infamous Prism' data-collecting program will cease. They don't mention the CIA or the NSA.
And that is what got us all into this mess in the first place. The European Court of Justice drew a line in the sand on this stuff last year. It ruled that because our Gmail, Facebook and Instagram accounts are being swept up by US authorities in the name of their own security' requirements, Europe now has to enforce the privacy rights of its online citizens, even if that means restricting transatlantic data flows.
It's very hard to say that the European Commission has solved this basic conflict in the new agreement.
The upshot is that when this agreement -- which is still at least three months from being law -- is challenged in Ireland or any other European country, it will likely go back before the European Court Of Justice. And can anyone see that court changing its mind on the basics of the matter?
All that said, why has the agreement been unveiled and positioned as a breakthrough?
In truth, the Commission is under severe pressure to come up with some sort of deal. Not because of privacy, but because of industry. European law was about to close in on multinationals that depend on transatlantic data flows. And that was an awful vista for the Commission which, on a day to day basis, has to deal with such matters much more than the European Court Of Justice.
This general drift was fairly clear from today's press conference with Commissioners Ansip and Jourova. Where reassurance was articulated, the emphasis was very much on business continuity rather than privacy.
Ireland could provide an early test case for this business. The Irish Data Protection Commissioner, Helen Dixon, is currently re-examining a complaint made against Facebook by the Austrian campaigner Max Schrems. The subject matter is exactly what made up the SAfe Harbour conflict. It will be interesting to see whether or how this new agreement informs the case or whether we're headed back to Europe's highest court.
Law firm Matheson has appointed Tara Doyle, inset, as head of the firm's Asset Management and Investment Funds Group. She succeeds Michael Jackson, who became managing partner of Matheson
Richard Bruton pulled off a slick, and unscripted, performance at the Small Firms Association annual awards yesterday, as he went into full-blown election mode and did his best to persuade the room packed with SMEs that they should vote for Fine Gael.
After AJ Noonan, SFA chairman, laid out all the reasons why Ireland is not as competitive as the UK for entrepreneurs, the minster then took to the podium to hail the "heroes of the recovery" standing in front of him.
"This time around, our jobs growth is built on solid foundations - 45pc of the new jobs are in companies who are orientated towards export markets," he said.
"If you contrast that with the boom in the early thousands, at that stage only 1pc were based on export-orientated companies, 66pc were built on either construction or public services.
"We want to protect that 45pc of new jobs coming from exports."
And he flagged up the risks and challenges, with the message evidently being, 'if you want to get through them, stick with the status quo'.
Seven categories were represented at the SFA showcase.
Big loss for creamery
When Glanbia bought Wexford Creamery back in 2014, it was the end of a protracted deal that put a lot of noses out of joint on both sides of the sale.
The deal received the backing of 57pc of Wexford Milk Producers' (WMP) 326 shareholders in early December 2013.
However, the decision to sell to GIIL proved extremely divisive and led to close to 50 suppliers transferring their supply to Strathroy Dairies.
Despite the controversy it provoked, WMP chairman Marty Murphy insisted that the Glanbia Ingredients Ireland purchase of Wexford Creameries was a good deal for WMP's shareholders.
Well yesterday we saw Wexford Creameries accounts for the year it was sold and they really are not pretty. The accounts for the 13 months to May 2, 2015, show the co-op made a loss of 9.3m. That compared to a restated profit of 14,233 the previous year.
The accounts show Wexford Creamery posting revenue of 75m during the year. Although the directors did not recommend a dividend after the takeover.
The deal saw WMP, which owned 70pc of Wexford Creamery, pay 3m for the 30pc of the business owned by UK's DairyCrest. Glanbia then paid 20m for the business in its entirety.
WMP received a cash payment of 3.7m to fund the DairyCrest buyout.
Visa Europe's new Irish boss
Visa Europe has appointed a fellow called Philip Konopik as its country manager for Ireland.
He joins from UK-based growth consultancy Market Gravity and will be responsible for driving Visa's growth in Ireland.
Visa says nearly 1 out of 3 of Irish consumer spending is made on a Visa card. It's an interesting time to be working in the payments industry as punters move away from cash, with Irish businesses like Stripe and Realex at the forefront of new tech.
Konopik takes over the post from Conor Langford who has been promoted within the Visa organisation.
Visa Europe is an interesting business, which had been separate to Visa Inc since the latter's flotation but was recently sold to it for as much as $23.4bn.
Ireland's three biggest banks, AIB, Bank of Ireland and Permanent TSB, were all shareholders in Visa Europe. About a fortnight ago the banks told The Punt that they didn't know how much they were going to make out of the deal.
The Punt will keep you posted.
Speaking of appointments, law firm Matheson has appointed Tara Doyle, inset, as head of the firm's Asset Management and Investment Funds Group. She succeeds Michael Jackson, who became managing partner of Matheson on January 1.
Total Produce, the fresh produce company, has announced it has acquired a 65pc equity stake in California-based Progressive Produce.
Progressive Produce is a grower, packer and distributor of conventional and organic produce in the US and Canada.
The business serves its customers from four strategically located distribution facilities in California and Washington.
The purchase of the stake will be cleared by an initial payment while a further payment will be made in 2019, should certain profit targets be met.
Total Produce has also revealed that put and call options are in place for the remaining 35pc.
Speaking about the acquisition, Total Produce chairman, Carl McCann, said: "This transaction with a leading California produce company further broadens our US operations and is in line with our strategy.
"We look forward to working with the excellent people in Progressive Produce as it continues to develop its very successful business expansion in future years."
Jim Leimkuhler president of Progressive Produce said: "We believe this is an excellent long-term combination of skills and expertise that will benefit all stakeholders, including our growers, our suppliers, our people and our customers.
The EU and US have struck a deal over data privacy aimed at protecting Europeans from US spies and defusing a political standoff that threatened transatlantic trade.
The two trading blocs have agreed to replace the struck-down Safe Harbour' data treaty with a new accord, to be called EU-US Privacy Shield.
European Commissioners said today that the new agreement provides for more transparency and oversight for Europeans worried that their private information is being mishandled in the US.
The European Commission's vice president for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, said that the EU "has received detailed written guarantees from the US" about not "indiscriminately" surveilling Europeans.
Last year, the European Court Of Justice nullified the EU-US Safe Harbour data transfer treaty because it found that indiscriminate surveillance by US authorities of EU citizens' data contravened fundamental European rights.
Under the new deal, an "independent" ombudsman will be set up to deal with cases of suspected abuse by US authorities.
"This protects the fundamental human rights of Europeans and lives up to the [principles set by the] European Court of Justice," said Vera Jourova, the European Union's Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality.
"It will provide a strong and safe framework for the future of transatlantic data flows."
Ms Jourova said that the new agreement could become law in three months with annual reviews to check on compliance issues.
US multinational companies in Ireland warned last week that a failure to produce a successor to the Safe Harbour treaty could result in the loss of jobs in Ireland.
The detail of the new agreement, which is being referred to as a "framework" for now, has yet to be fully unveiled. However, a European Commission statement said that the agreement would give "certainty" to companies transacting across the Atlantic.
"US companies wishing to import personal data from Europe will need to commit to robust obligations on how personal data is processed and individual rights are guaranteed," said the statement. "The [US] Department of Commerce will monitor that companies publish their commitments, which makes them enforceable under US law by the US Federal Trade Commission. In addition, any company handling human resources data from Europe has to commit to comply with decisions by European DPAs [data protection authorities]."
The statement also referred to "safeguards" and "transparency obligations" on US government access.
"For the first time, the US has given the EU written assurances that the access of public authorities for law enforcement and national security will be subject to clear limitations, safeguards and oversight mechanisms," it said.
"These exceptions must be used only to the extent necessary and proportionate. The US has ruled out indiscriminate mass surveillance on the personal data transferred to the US under the new arrangement. To regularly monitor the functioning of the arrangement there will be an annual joint review, which will also include the issue of national security access. The European Commission and the US Department of Commerce will conduct the review and invite national intelligence experts from the US and European Data Protection Authorities to it."
Tom Maher from Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, with the gun and 1916 medal of his granduncle, Thomas Francis Meagher. Photo: Steve Humphreys
Carmel Dawson and grand-daughter Alannagh McHutcheon (10) from Tullow, Co Carlow, take a closer look at a 1916 Proclamation. Photo: Steve Humphreys
At the Irish Independents and Whytes Auctioneers 1916 in your attic event in the Gresham Hotel were auctioneer Ian Whyte and Daire Whelan, the Irish Independents 1916 co-ordinator. Picture: Arthur Carron
It was 'Antiques Roadshow' 1916-style as Irish Independent readers from across the country flocked to The Gresham Hotel in Dublin for a special '1916 in your attic' event.
Hosted in conjunction with Whyte's Auctioneers, hundreds of history buffs from all over Ireland hauled century-old artefacts, including medals and rifles, to the valuation day in the hopes of getting good news.
For Carlow schoolgirl Alannagh McHutcheon, it was a glimpse at an original copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic that was the most precious of all.
The Scoil Mhuire Lourdes pupil took the train from Tullow to the capital with her gran, Carmel Dawson, to get a closer look at the historic parchment that she has learned all about at school.
Keen reader Alannagh - who is in fifth class - marvelled: "It's amazing just to see it. We're doing our own Proclamation in school at the moment - equality for everyone and helping the homeless are two of the things on it. We're going to raise the flag and read it on the 15th of March."
Thought to be one of just 50 copies in existence, the framed Proclamation is expected to fetch up to 400,000 when it goes under the hammer at Whyte's on Molesworth Street next month.
Speaking to the Irish Independent in between valuations, auctioneer Ian Whyte said: "From a collector's point of view, there's not that many (of them) around, so there should be good demand.
"Some of them can be a little overcleaned, but this is a good one - you'd almost swear it was on O'Connell Street in 1916."
Elsewhere at the exhibition, retired garda Tom Maher from Wexford was astonished to discover that an old medal and revolver owned by his great-uncle and namesake, Thomas Francis Meagher, could be worth up to 5,000.
The amateur historian said: "My grand-uncle was a postman who participated in the uprising in Enniscorthy during Easter Week.
"I was 12 or 13 years of age when he died. He had no children, and always said, 'You will have my medals.'
"They've been lying in a box in the attic all these years. It wasn't until I read about the event in the paper that I remembered them.
"I haven't decided what to do with them yet," he added. "I'm not that worried about the actual value - I'm more interested in the history."
One hundred years on, provenance is key when it comes to sorting the gems from the junk, according to Mr Whyte. "When people come in with a medal, the first thing I always ask is, 'Whose was it? With 3D printers, unfortunately there are a lot of forgeries around."
But the real treasures are always still out there.
CIE is seeking companies to help it generate revenue on its Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann and Iarnrod Eireann fleet, where internet access is currently provided free of charge and available to more than half a million passengers a day. Photo: PA
More than 1,300 Bus Eireann staff have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action if the company imposes drastic cost-cutting measures on Expressway workers.
The National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU) said 94pc of its members backed industrial action - up to a strike - if their terms were changed. There was a 75pc turnout.
The union accused the Government of keeping workers in the dark by delaying publication of a strategic report until after the election.
Bus Eireann is drafting a plan to "secure a viable future" for the service by cutting costs. In December, it said it planned to bring it before its board "as quickly as possible".
It says it has become "significantly more challenging" to grow revenue on Expressway routes due to increased competition. The firm also blames a strike last May for reducing profits.
NBRU general secretary Dermot O'Leary said the vote had sent a strong message to their employer and the Government.
"Keeping workers guessing in relation to their future in order to facilitate a general election campaign is an abdication of the duty of care that Bus Eireann owes to its workforce," he said.
A private in the army who was found guilty of the attempted rape of a woman last December has been sentenced to six years with the last three years suspended.
Bernard Fleming (28) of Owendoher Lodge, Ballyboden, Dublin pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to attempted rape, oral rape and sexual assault of the woman at a location in Dublin on September 24, 2011. The jury convicted him of attempted rape following a trial.
The woman met Fleming and his friend that morning outside an early house, where they had been drinking following a night out in Dublin city centre. She later went to his home along with his friend where they continued drinking.
At some stage Fleming's friend left and the woman went to bed. She woke to find Fleming kissing her and trying to have sex with her. She ran out of the room and was helped by others who were also living in the house.
Fleming then appeared from the room, drunk, aggressive and wearing only a towel. There was a confrontation between him and the victim and he was heard saying sorry but it was unclear what that apology related to.
He was later arrested and denied the allegations. He claimed he had been fully clothed at all times.
The woman, who declined to make a victim impact report, was medically examined and found to have bruises around her arms consistent with the account she gave to the jury of being held down during the attack.
Detective Garda Donal Daly told the court that he felt that this incident has had a major effect on her life.
In mitigation Fleming's counsel said while alcohol "can never be an excuse or an explanation" the court could not ignore what one might call "risky behaviour" by both parties and there was "nothing predatory about what happened."
Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy noted that gardai accepted there was no element of a predatory offence but said Fleming had taken advantage of a drunken young woman who had fallen asleep in his bed.
She acknowledged that since his conviction he had been discharged from the army and accepted that he had no previous convictions and had strong family support.
She said Fleming had suffered the severe consequences of his actions through the loss of his career.
Ms Justice Kennedy sentenced Fleming to six years in prison with the final three years suspended on strict conditions. She ordered that he undergo 18 months post release supervision and engage with the Probation Service for that period.
Alex Owens SC, prosecuting, said the woman had been out socialising with a friend on September 23 where the "consumption of quite a considerable amount of alcohol" had taken place.
The court heard Fleming had been out with his companion and they also had been involved in some "very heavy drinking." After Fleming and the woman encountered each other on the quays, the party of four went to a hotel in Temple Bar.
Later in the night Fleming, his friend and the woman got a bus back to his house in Dublin where more drink was consumed.
Detective Garda Donal Daly said the woman awoke to find Fleming "on top of her attempting to kiss her."
I feel in my dealings with her that this incident has had a major effect on her life, said Det Gda Daly.
Fleming had no previous convictions and had spent quite a few years in the army. He has a young child with his partner.
Brendan Grehan SC, defending, said his client had been "on some kind of a bender that lasted a few days" prior to this event.
The court heard it was "an entirely voluntary decision" where the complainant "latched herself onto the accused and his friend" and went back to his house.
Mr Grehan said it appeared from CCTV footage that the woman and her friend were in the early house for up to four hours on the night prior to meeting his client.
He said his client had spent time overseas while serving the army. He came from "a decent hard-working background" and was immediately discharged from the army upon conviction last year, counsel said.
Mr Grehan asked the court to take into account that the events in this case dated back to over four years ago.
"Time has marched on not just for the complainant but for everyone to do with this case and he is in a stable relationship with his girlfriend for the last number of years and they have a son to whom he is a devoted father," said Mr Grehan.
Counsel said his client had lost not just "something that was his job" but it was "his vocation and his career."
A gun used to kill a man in Dublin had been decommissioned by a British museum, the Central Criminal Court heard today.
Detective Garda Janette O'Neill inspected the Webley & Scott revolver after it was found in a car close to where Seamus 'Shay' O'Byrne was shot dead on March 13, 2009 at Tymon Park North, Tallaght.
Gary Flynn (31), of Rossfield Drive in Tallaght has pleaded not guilty to Mr O'Byrne's murder.
Det Gda O'Neill told prosecuting counsel Alex Owens SC that the gun had a stamp from the Birmingham Proof House, a museum that decommissions guns for display or for private owners who want to keep the weapons as ornaments. She said somebody had replaced the firing arm and pulled out a substance used to fill the barrel, making the gun usable again.
Ms O'Neill also found five spent cartridges in the revolver. She said the bullets that had been contained in those cartridges were of a different caliber to the gun's design.
Ms O'Neill found the gun in a car belonging to Mr O'Byrne and his partner Sharon Rattigan, which was parked outside their home. Ms Rattigan has previously given evidence that she threw the gun into the car after wrestling it from the gunman, who then ran away.
The HSE hospital where Dr Omar Hassan's lack of competence and potential risk to patient safety caused grave concern has defended waiting more than a year before reporting him to the doctors' regulatory body, the Medical Council.
Dr Hassan (30) was taken off duty in University Hospital Galway in January 2014 but was not reported to the Medical Council until February 2015. During 2014, he was sent by an agency to work in other hospitals.
A spokesman for the Galway hospital, where staff at one stage wondered if Dr Hassam was a qualified doctor, said an internal investigation into the case needed to be concluded before a report could be made.Dr Hassan was found guilty of professional misconduct and poor professional performance at a Medical Council fitness to practise inquiry last week.
After the Galway hospital eventually complained about him to the Medical Council in February 2015, the council moved swiftly to secure a High Court order, suspending him from practising.
However, Dr Hassan had been put on supervised work two weeks after starting employment in the Galway hospital, a year earlier in January 2014, following a number of worrying incidents, including his failure to tell the difference between an ankle and an elbow in an X-ray.
The letter of complaint which was eventually sent by the Galway hospital to the regulatory body in 2015 was dated February 2014.
The hospital spokesman said the internal investigation into Dr Hassan did not begin until April 2014.
This was due to Dr Hassan not agreeing to the terms of reference and the two investigators who were appointed.
The spokesman added: "There was also difficulty in getting two people to investigate the complaints.
"There were further delays as one of the two investigators became ill and was hospitalised and one of the staff making a complaint was also sick."
All of the statements had to be proof-read by Dr Hassan and a final report was not made until February 2015.
Dr Hassan worked in other hospitals through a locum agency in 2014, including at the Bons Secours Hospitals in Cork and Tralee.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar yesterday confirmed that he was still waiting for a report on questions raised by the case.
Dr Hassan started work in Portlaoise in 2012 but moved on to Mayo and Galway, despite concerns being raised about his competence in all three hospitals.
He received a glowing reference from Mayo General Hospital in December 2014, despite being taken off call there.
A spokesman for Bons Secours Hospital in Tralee said Dr Hassan worked there in April and May 2014 and no complaints about his competence were made. He was supervised at all times. Cork Bons Secours said it used a reputable agency.
A pregnant post office worker said she feared she might lose her unborn child due to trauma during a violent armed robbery.
A convicted killer armed with an axe was one of three masked men who burst into Bawnogue Post Office in November 2012, the Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Kenneth Wilson (46) had 18 previous convictions including for manslaughter, armed robbery and possessing firearms, for which he was sentenced to 10 years.
Shot
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 and another man burst into Mr Craigs home and shot him as he lay in bed. Mr Justice Paul Carney described it as a brutal and vicious assassination.
Yesterday, the court heard how Wilson and two other men entered the post office in November 2012. 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.
In a victim impact report, Ms Thunder said she feared she might lose her unborn child because of the trauma. 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 10 times, but refused to make admissions. Only a small amount of the money was recovered.
Wilson of Deansrath Road, Clondalkin, Dublin later pleaded guilty to robbery at Bawnogue Post Office on November 28, 2012.
Risk
The defence 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 Wilsons 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 knife-wielding robber who was released on bail twice only to commit further robberies has been sentenced to six years with the final two years suspended.
Jamie Carroll (33) of Cre na Mara, Wexford Road, Arklow, Co Wicklow was charged on November 20 2014 at Arklow Garda Station with two robberies that took place a week earlier in Dublin. He was released on station bail after admitting to the robberies.
He robbed another shop in Enniscorthy two days later, fleeing when a staff member gave chase to recover the money he had taken. Gardai later found him hiding in a bush.
He was again arrested, charged and remanded in custody pending sentencing but was granted bail on March 30 2015 to allow him attend a residential drug treatment program.
However he was not admitted to the program as he was intoxicated. He robbed another shop at knifepoint on April 8 2015.
On each occasion he was armed with a knife. Carroll has 121 previous convictions, primarily driving and public order offences but also including assault, theft and forgery.
Colman Fitzgerald SC, defending, told Judge Sarah Berkeley at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that Carroll has been a heroin user from the age of 14.
Carroll pleaded guilty to five counts of robbery, at Day 2 Day, Military Road, on November 11 2014 and Boyle Sports, Oliver Plunkett Road, Monkstown on the same date; at Bus Stop Shop, Enniscorthy on November 22, 2014; and at Londis, Foxrock Avenue on April 8 2015.
Mr Fitzgerald told Judge Berkeley that no actual violence had been used in the robberies which were committed in each case to feed his drug habit. He said both Carroll's parents were heroin addicts and Carroll was first inducted to criminality by his own father.
Asking Judge Berkeley to suspend a portion of his sentence, Mr Coleman said that Carroll was now drug-free for the first time in many years and presented clean urine analysis reports to that effect.
Judge Berkeley said the robberies had been carried out during a chaotic lifestyle of drug abuse and he had been armed with a serious weapon. She acknowledged that nobody was injured but said staff members were threatened.
The judge described Carroll as having a prolific history of offending and noted that the crimes had been committed to feed a heroin addiction. She suspended the final two years of the sentence having taken into account his remorse and co-operation with the garda investigation.
Garda Stephen Ryan told Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting that Carroll entered the Day 2 Day shop at lunchtime on November 11 2014 carrying a knife with a 12 inch blade and demanded money.
Carroll said it's nothing personal, come on open it or I'll have to stab you. Shopkeeper Bernie Halligan unsuccessfully attempted to fend Carroll off by spraying Deep Heat in his face.
At 6pm that evening he entered Boylesports in Monkstown and threatened two staff members with a knife. They handed over 450.
Gardai later identified Carroll from CCTV of the two incidents. When interviewed by gardai about the day's incidents, Carroll said he had been awake for four days on bubble, a headshop drug.
Garda Paul Kelly of Enniscorthy Garda Station gave evidence of the incident on November 22. Carroll entered the Bus Stop Shop in Enniscorthy knife in hand and demanded money from the till. He got away with 1,470 in cash and cheques worth 1,150.
He was chased by a member of staff and gardai and was soon found hiding in some shrubbery in a nearby carpark. The money and knife were recovered.
On April 8 2015, nine days after his release from custody, Carroll was a passenger in a car on his way to get heroin when he asked the driver to stop at Londis in Foxrock. He entered the shop, produced a knife and demanded money from members of staff.
Garda Joanne Holohan told Ms Cummings that Carroll left the shop with 590 and got back in the car. He told gardai that the driver did not know what he was doing and that he spent all the money on heroin.
A road haulage company fined 1 million after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety laws over a road accident in which two women lost their lives, has moved to appeal its sentence.
Roadteam Logistic Solutions, formerly known as Nolan Transport Limited with a registered address at Oaklands, New Ross, had pleaded guilty at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court to a breach of section 12 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 following a road accident in 2007 which resulted in the deaths of two women.
The company was fined 1 million for breaching the health and safety laws by Mr Justice Raymond Fullam on Februray 25, 2013.
Moving an appeal against its sentence today, barrister Shane Murphy SC, for the company, submitted that the sentencing judge erred in stating that the case was the worst to come before the Circuit Court.
Mr Murphy said his client was sentenced on the basis that what it did was allegedly deliberate and was in alleged disregard of previous warnings but the evidence on all of those points was silent.
Furthermore, Mr Murphy submitted that the fine imposed was wholly disproportionate to an offence of omission rather than commission.
He said it did not involve a deliberate act, it was not perpetrated deliberately for material gain, there had been no previous incidents and the company had not disregarded previous warnings from the Health and Safety Authority.
Mr Murphy said the company had met its responsibility, accepted its fault and expressed deep regret for the incident. He said it was accepted there were very serious consequences for innocent third parties and 700,000 of the fine had been paid to date.
Having fixed the case at an erroneously high level, Mr Murphy said the error translated into the judge's quatum or consideration of the figure.
Citing comparator cases, Mr Murphy said the Health Service Executive (HSE) were fined 300,000 following the death of a paramedic as a result of a faulty ambulance door. In that case, he claimed, "a life could have been saved" if a previous warning had been heeded.
In another comparator, Wicklow County Council pleaded guilty following the deaths of two firemen and 350,000 was considered the appropriate sentence in that case, counsel said.
In response to a question from Mr Justice Alan Mahon, Mr Murphy said no special tariff applied to public bodies whose fines were paid with public funds as opposed to private companies.
Mr Murphy said other options were open to the DPP, including corporate manslaughter, which were not followed.
Barrister Paul Anthony McDermott SC, also for the appelant, said the judge engaged in an ad-hoc enquiry into the structure of the company.
That certain entities were offshore shouldn't have been an issue, Mr McDermott submitted adding that the appelant was indiscriminately punished for the way it structured its' affairs.
Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Thomas O'Malley BL, said the company pleaded guilty to an offence which specified that persons were put at risk because of a load not being adequately secured.
That failure resulted in the death of two completely innocent women and injury to three others.
He said the failure to secure a load was a central concern to anybody involved in the road haulage business.
A report produced by the European Commission, which was contained in the Book of Evidence, opened with the statistic that 25 per cent of accidents involving trucks could be attributed to inadequate cargo securing, Mr O'Malley said.
The appelant was a major road haulage company in Ireland and possibly the EU. For the appelant to be unaware of the fact that there has to be a very high level of care with the securing of loads, would have added to their culpability and pushed it higher, Mr O'Malley said.
There was more than one opportunity to ensure the load was secured, he said. The lorry, which left Wales for Rosslare, was parked in the appelant's yard in New Ross and resumed its journey the next day.
Mr O'Malley said the fine was heavy but in no means the heaviest. The maxium fine available was 3 million and the judge imposed one-third of that on the appelant.
A fine was never intrinsically too severe or too lenient, Mr O'Malley said. You have to look at the means of the offender involved and the judge did that.
Furthermore, he said the court was entitled to have regard to deterrance.
Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and Mr Justice Alan Mahon, said the court would reserve judgment.
Judge Butler, the lead judge on the Special Criminal Court, said the new rules 'may turn out to be good, bad or indifferent'
One of the country's most senior criminal law judges has expressed surprise that he was not consulted about major changes to High Court bail procedures.
Yesterday Mr Justice Paul Butler, who presides over High Court bail applications, announced he would no longer be in charge of the weekly list of cases.
It is understood the High Court bail list will shortly be taken over by newly appointed High Court President Mr Justice Peter Kelly, who introduced the new rules late last week after spending time covering the list himself.
Judge Butler, who thanked lawyers for acting in the best interests of their clients, said that "for better or for worse" the new "regime change" was introduced "without reference to or consultation with me".
Judge Butler, the lead judge on the Special Criminal Court, said the new rules "may turn out to be good, bad or indifferent", adding that the changes reminded him of the non-binding remarks of the late Chief Justice Cearbhail O Dalaigh "to the effect that the rules of court are servants of justice, not its master".
Occupants of the court burst into spontaneous applause at his remarks.
There are fears the new regime could delay applications for bail as they may lead to suspects being detained in custody for longer periods as they seek to comply with the new requirements.
Under the practice direction issued late last week, suspects seeking bail will have to personally swear the court statement (affidavit) grounding their application for release pending trial. At present, due to their incarceration, High Court bail applications are, for the most part, sworn by their solicitors.
However, it is feared that, under the new rules, it may take much longer for solicitors to consult with clients and to draw up affidavits which must then be sworn by a solicitor from another firm.
From Monday next, the Central Office of the High Court will not provide a court date for a bail hearing unless an application - with 12 strict requirements - is sworn by the suspect seeking bail.
Motivated
Legal experts fear the revised process could delay a full bail hearing for suspects by up to two to three weeks.
Under the new rules, the days for hearing Dublin and "country" bails will be changed.
Remand prisoners detained in Dublin prisons will not be allowed to adjourn their cases to a day that non-Dublin prisoners are being dealt with; similar rules will apply to prisoners detained in prisons outside of Dublin. This move is said to be motivated by concerns for the welfare of prisoners spending long periods of time in prison vans or cells as they await their bail cases, which are often adjourned, to be heard.
The Law Society was not consulted in advance about the new regime.
A detective garda was "ferociously and viciously" attacked by two pitbull terriers, a judge has been told.
Det Garda John Leahy told a garda compensation hearing in the High Court that the incident happened in June 2008 while he was a member of the Divisional Drug Unit in Galway.
Mr Justice Bernard Barton heard that Garda Leahy and Garda Orla Keenan were patrolling in a car when they noticed two known drug users around Wolfe Tone Bridge.
They married father of one said they followed the drug users until they entered a house at St Dominic's Road, The Claddagh, which was known as a place used for the distribution of heroin.
Garda Leahy told his barrister, Bruce Antoniotti SC, that they shouted "Garda Drug Unit" as they entered the house. Garda Leahy said he saw a man put a suspected packet of heroin in his mouth and warned the man that he was going to be searched.
In a struggle, three dogs - two pitbull terriers and a Yorkshire terrier - were released from another room. The court heard that the pitbulls attacked Garda Leahy, biting him on the legs.
Garda Leahy, who is suing the State, said the dogs were extremely vicious, growling and ripping at his jeans and his flesh.
Garda Keenan, who burst into tears as she recalled the incident, said it was the worst experience she had seen in her life.
"It was horrific. I've never ever seen anything like that. The dogs were ripping open his leg. He was screaming and there was blood everywhere," she said.
Mr Antoniotti told the court Garda Leahy was taken to Galway Hospital, where his injuries were sutured. One wound required 100 stitches.
Garda Leahy said it exacerbated a degenerative condition in his back, caused hip pain and left multiple scars on his legs.
The State claims that it accepts the incident may have exacerbated Garda Leahy's back condition, but denies that it was sufficient to result in surgery. Judge Barton reserved his judgment.
The gap in social and political education at senior cycle has long been a source of concern. Photo: Getty Images. Picture posed.
Pupils will start studying the new Leaving Certificate subject of Politics and Society from next September.
The first exam will be in June 2018 and will qualify for CAO points in the normal way.
There was considerable demand from schools to be the first to offer the subject, with 115 asking to be included from next September, but there was a cap of 41 on places for the initial phase.
Politics and Society will be available to fifth-years in the remainder of the country's 730 second-level schools in September 2018.
The new subject will build on Civil Social and Political Education, which is taken at Junior Cert level, and will bring a social-science perspective to Leaving Cert studies for the first time.
The gap in social and political education at senior cycle has long been a source of concern and it is about a decade since the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment started work on it.
The Government finally decided to phase it in from next September as part of the State's programme to mark the centenary of the 1916 Rising.
Launching the new subject in Limerick yesterday, Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan said it would help to learn from reflection on past events to better equip students to make progress into the future.
She said she was convinced that the new subject would "inspire a generation of new social and political activists in Ireland and I look forward to seeing the positive impact these students will have on society hereafter."
Politics and Society will aim to develop a student's ability to be a reflective and active citizen and will cover areas such as democracy, culture, conflict, globalisation, equality, diversity and sustainability.
Assessment will include a written report by students on an active citizenship project, for 20pc of the total mark.
It will also help equip students for study in areas such as sociology, philosophy and anthropology at third-level.
Welcoming the announcement, Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals said its core components, such as "the values of active citizenship and respect for human rights, are critical parts of the journey to adulthood".
He said it was "important that our school curriculum also provides the opportunity for students to understand how politics works, the rights and responsibilities of citizens and how to participate in the civic society which surrounds them.
"Making it an examinable subject is very significant in that the new subject area is equally attractive to students as other areas, such as science or languages."
This years figure is likely to rise further as potential third-level students take advantage of the CAOs late application facility.
Demand for college places has hit a new record - but new career routes have also started to open up for school-leavers.
As the CAO recorded 76,227 CAO applicants yesterday, the first of new-style apprenticeships in the financial services sector were announced.
CAO applications are up from 74,499 at this time last year, and from 71,151 on the same day in 2013.
This year's figure is likely to rise further as potential third-level students take advantage of the CAO's late application facility. Last year, the final tally was more than 79,214.
Because CAO points are determined by the law of supply (number of course places) and demand (number of applicants), the rise in applications is likely to see points jump in some areas. It will be several weeks before the CAO issues a breakdown showing where the extra demand is focussed this year.
The increase in applications is linked to the ongoing rise in pupil numbers at second-level and demand for qualifications for careers in the modern era.
But, as the CAO logged the last of its applications ahead of its February 1, 5.15pm deadline, another event gave a taste of new choices ahead, and it is starting this year.
Employers in the financial service sector have launched the International Financial Services Apprenticeship Initiative, offering an 'earn and learn' approach to career development.
The apprenticeships will allow for qualifications from Level 5 - the equivalent of a post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) course - up to Level 9, the equivalent of a master's degree.
The apprentices will graduate with qualifications in areas such as international financial services, data analytics and risk and compliance.
The initiative is a partnership between a range of financial services companies and the National College of Ireland which is located in the heart of the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin's docklands.
Apprenticeships were traditionally confined to industries such as construction, motor, aircraft maintenance and print, but, following a major review, they are being extended to new areas, including white-collar sectors such as financial services and information technology.
Apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with time in college and there has been demand from employers to broaden the offering to allow companies to meet all their skills needs.
In the case of the Financial Services Apprenticeship Initiative, apprentices will spend 60pc of their time working in companies and the remainder gaining specific qualifications.
The initiative is promising 1,000 opportunities up to 2020, 220 of which will be available this September, some for school-leavers or PLC students and some, more specialist, for career changers.
Other new apprenticeships will be rolled out in the months ahead, while there is also a resurgence in opportunities in blue-collar trades as economic recovery takes hold.
Marc Coleman, director of Financial Services Ireland (FSI), the division in the employers' body Ibec that represents the financial services sector, said the apprenticeships will give access to careers in international financial services to those who otherwise may not have considered it.
John Leahy speaks to Jean Craven while canvassing in Kilcormac, Co Offaly. Photo: Douglas OConnor
When John Leahy appeared beside Lucinda Creighton and Eddie Hobbs to herald the birth of Renua, few knew anything about the Offaly man.
His moment in the national spotlight was short-lived, and for the past year he has been back in the midlands trying to build his profile locally.
"When my name is put forward for various talk shows, they just want Lucinda.
"The national media won't take newbies or unknowns, they just want the leader," he told the Irish Independent.
Five years ago, he was a surprise package in the general election as an Independent, but the GAA man knows that he's not only wearing a different jersey this time, it's a different playing pitch.
"It was a big talking point when I joined Renua - but I looked at the political landscape and it's very hard to get anything done at a national level as an Independent.
"I said to Lucinda when we met that I wanted Renua to broaden out to associate with rural Ireland, and it has. The only way to get a voice across at national level is in a group," he said.
The constituency has switched from a five-seat Laois-Offaly, to just Offaly with three seats. That presents both an opportunity and a risk for the councillor.
Sitting TDs Barry Cowen (FF) and Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy (FG) are likely to retain their seats, leaving the final place up for grabs between Mr Leahy, Carol Nolan (SF) and possibly John Foley of the Independent Alliance.
Transfers will be key and that's where Mr Leahy believes he holds the upper hand.
"My involvement with community groups is greater than any of the other candidates and I've no problem saying that," he said.
Sinn Fein performed extremely well in the local elections, taking three council seats - but appear to have taken a calculated risk in nominating Carol Nolan.
Her base in the west of the county means that she will be trying to pull from the same voting pool as Cowen, Corcoran-Kennedy and Leahy.
Meanwhile, the north of the county is devoid of a party candidate apart from Fianna Fail's number two Eddie Fitzpatrick. Sinn Fein could have opted for Brendan Killeavy in Tullamore and targeted the area around Edenderry but this didn't happen.
The opening ground in Edenderry means John Foley is an outside bet.
The businessman was previously a member of Fianna Fail.
Prediction: one Fianna Fail seat, one Fine Gael and one Renua
A man has admitted starving his pet Husky to death and then leaving its body in his kitchen for four months.
Robert Porter was charged with animal cruelty after the dog was discovered by an animal welfare officer at his former home in Maghera.
The Derry man, whose address was given as Ballysillan Drive, Belfast, appeared at Magherafelt Magistrates Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to causing the dog to suffer unnecessarily and failing to take steps to ensure the needs of the dog were met.
The court heard that on May 20, 2014, animal welfare officer Sam Jackson went to Porter's previous address at King William III Crescent, Maghera, following a complaint. Inside, he was immediately struck by the smell of a decomposing body. He found the dog's remains in the kitchen, and noted the animal was very thin.
Further searches of the house uncovered rubbish, including empty tins of dog food.
Following a post-mortem examination, a pathologist found the dog was malnourished and weighed just 11kg.
He had been dead for some time, his skin was dry and there was thick mould inside his mouth. There was no food in his stomach and the dog did not have a disease. The post-mortem found the dog died from starvation and dehydration.
During police interview, Porter said he was the owner of the Husky, admitted the dog had been dead for four months before it was found, and that it had not been fed for several weeks before it died.
District Judge Alan White described it as a "shocking" way for an animal's life to end.
He told Porter that he had seen photos of the dead dog which were "disgusting".
A prosecuting solicitor told the court she was seeking a lengthy disqualification order against Porter.
Porter's solicitor, Enda McKaigue, told the court that a pre-sentence report was being prepared ahead of sentencing, on March 1. The case was adjourned until then.
Judge White said he was taking a serious view of the matter. He told Porter he would have to co-operate with the Probation Board and that, if he did, he would consider a non-custodial sentence and a lengthy disqualification order.
In a statement, Mid Ulster Council said: "The council is committed to safeguarding the welfare of domestic pets and horses and will investigate complaints thoroughly, taking all appropriate action.
"This includes prosecution, as in this particularly harrowing case, which should serve as a warning to anyone who does not properly care for their animals."
HEALTH authorities here have confirmed the first two cases of Zika virus in Ireland.
Sources have told independent.ie that the cases concern a man and a woman, and that the woman is past child-bearing age.
It is understood the two people recently returned to Ireland from overseas.
"The HSE was informed today of two unrelated cases of Zika virus infection in two adults who are currently well and fully recovered," the HSE said in a statement.
"Both individuals have a history of travel to a Zika affected country. These are the first cases of Zika virus infection confirmed in Ireland. Neither case is at risk of pregnancy.
"The finding of Zika cases in Ireland is not an unexpected event as many other European countries have reported cases as a result of travel to affected areas. Currently, outbreaks of Zika virus are occurring in some countries in South and Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands.
"Infection when it occurs usually results in a mild illness that typically lasts between 2 to 7 days. The majority of people who become infected by Zika virus have no symptoms. Zika virus is spread through the bite of a mosquito that is in certain countries but which is not present in Ireland.
"While almost all cases of Zika virus are acquired via mosquito bites, one case of sexual transmission of Zika virus has been reported internationally, however the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be extremely low."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global health emergency, with Zika now spreading "explosively" in Latin America.
Read More
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.
In response to the situation, Irish tour operators including American Holidays, Travelmood and Falcon are permitting pregnant customers concerned about travel to affected countries to change their bookings.
The pandemic has thrust long-haul and honeymoon destinations like Mexico and the Dominican Republic into the spotlight, with the Department of Foreign Affairs changing its travel advice for 32 countries and territories in recent days.
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.
The Cabinet is to consider today whether or not to set up a commission of investigation into issues relating to a foster home in the south-east. What is all the fuss about?
Questions have been mounting for years about the handling by the HSE and its predecessor, the South East Health Board, of abuse claims at the foster home.
It has been claimed that health officials failed to act on concerns of alleged physical and sexual abuse at the home.
The issue has been kept in the public eye in recent months due to hearings of the Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which has been examining protected disclosures by two whistleblowers.
Another hearing on the issue, under the chairmanship of John McGuinness, takes place today.
Amid mounting pressure to take action, Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch is also rushing to Cabinet today seeking its support for a commission of investigation.
The commission would sit in private and would have the power to compel witnesses, search premises and seize documents.
There have been a few investigations into this issue already. Do we really need a commission of investigation too?
Indeed, there have been more than a few investigations.
But the minister believes the commission of investigation model is now necessary, as "for a number of reasons, it has been difficult to establish the facts with certainty".
She said it was "clear that there have been failures in protecting vulnerable people in our care".
What investigations have there been to date?
The HSE has commissioned two independent reviews, neither of which has been fully published.
The reports were compiled by consultant Conal Devine and consultancy firm Resilience Ireland.
The Devine report, looking at the care of one girl, was completed in 2012, while the Resilience review looked at 46 other children and was completed last year.
Taken together, when associated legal costs are factored in, they have cost over 500,000 between them.
A senior counsel, Conor Dignam, is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the commissioning of those reviews after concerns were expressed by the PAC.
The HSE has said it cannot publish the review reports in full until gardai give the go-ahead.
Gardai are on their second major investigation of issues related to the foster home.
The first one, looking at allegations of abuse in the foster home, failed to result in any prosecutions.
The second is now focused on whether health service staff were negligent through failing to act quicker to stop referrals to the home and by failing to remove children sooner.
To date, no one has been charged with any offence and no health official has been disciplined.
How many children could be involved?
Some 47 children, many with intellectual disabilities, were placed at the foster home between 1983 and 1995.
It is not clear how many of them may have been abused.
One of these, known variously by the pseudonyms 'Grace' and 'Rachel', is believed to have been neglected and badly sexually abused.
Unable to speak and with a profound intellectual disability, she was referred there as an 11-year-old in 1989.
Although referrals to the home stopped in 1995, Grace was not removed and remained there, apparently largely forgotten, until 2009.
Has the HSE admitted it got things wrong?
To a certain degree it has, but the full extent of the HSE's failings have not been specified.
The HSE has said it is apologising to all those who received poor care at the home. In particular it apologised to Grace "for the significant failings of the service in meeting the service user's needs" over an extended period.
However, the issuing of the apology was initially bungled.
An apology was supposed to be issued at a meeting set up with Grace and her social worker in December, but none was made. The HSE compounded the issue when it continued to insist an apology had been made, only to relent last week. A formal apology has since been issued. A legal case being taken on Grace's behalf against the HSE is not being contested.
Just how badly treated was Grace in the foster home?
According to a dossier supplied to the PAC by one of Grace's social workers, when she finally left the home in 2009, she had to have seven teeth removed under general anaesthetic because her oral hygiene had been completely neglected. The social worker believed she was severely sexually abused over a prolonged period and may not have been the only victim.
She also claimed Grace was never brought to a doctor and received no schooling.
What warnings signs were missed or simply not acted upon by health authorities?
According to the social worker's dossier, the Brothers of Charity ended its association with the foster home in the early 1990s after becoming aware the family had been "dishonest" about the number of children in their care.
Then in 1992, concerns were expressed by a family about their daughter and an allegation of sexual abuse was made. The complaint was dropped after a threat of legal action by the foster family. It appears the health board did not investigate the issue further.
In late 1995, a further allegation of sexual abuse was made.
The health board decided to cease placing children in the care of the family. But for reasons which have never been explained, Grace would stay there for a further 13 years.
While out of the home on a visit to a day service for people with intellectual disabilities in 1995, a 17-year-old Grace was reported to be "wolfing down" her dinner, stealing food, stripping off her clothes, banging her head against the wall, screaming, and laughing uncontrollably. There was bruising on her body that her carers could not explain.
A report from the health board's area medical officer stated she weighed five stone.
Did no one try to remove her?
The health board did decide to end Grace's foster care arrangement at the home.
But this was appealed by the foster family, who petitioned the Department of Health. It would be 2009 before she was eventually removed.
An investigation is to be carried out by the Government into allegations of sexual abuse at a foster home in the South East.
It comes as Primary and Social Care Minister Kathleen Lynch admitted the Government had failed to protect the vulnerable people at the heart of the allegations.
The new Commission of Investigation will not be established for at least another three months as the Government waits for an independent report to be finished.
The conclusions of the report will be used as the terms of reference for the Commission of Investigation.
Ms Lynch said the investigation would not interfere with an ongoing Garda criminal inquiry into the allegations of physical and sexual abuse.
"It is clear that there have been failures in protecting vulnerable people in our care," she said.
"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," the minister added.
"You can have a Commission of Investigation provided that you draw up a terms of reference that says nothing in that investigation will interfere with any criminal investigation or any other investigation. 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."
The independent report by barrister Conor Dignam will not be concluded until the end of April.
"That will give us the type of questions that need to be answered, where the gaps are and that will allow us to draw up the terms of reference for the commission," said Ms Lynch.
"That is the independent element of this. He knows what he is doing and he has done a lot of work in this area."
However, the investigation will have to get the approval of Cabinet and then it needs to be voted on in the Oireachtas before getting the final go-ahead.
Two other internal HSE reports on the alleged abuse will also be used as part of the investigation. "We want this to be very focused, we want it to be very clear and we want to make sure that we get the answers that we need," said Ms Lynch.
"Both myself and Minister (Leo) Varadkar have formally requested and, on the advice of the Attorney General's office, been told that we can have the two reports," she added.
"They will also form a part of what Conor Dignam will look at and also, if the commission decides, will form a part of that."
She said the Government's decision will not interfere with the Public Accounts Committee, which is due to meet with HSE Director General Tony O'Brien today.
The investigation is unlikely to be established before the Dail is dissolved by Taoiseach Enda Kenny ahead of the General Election but Ms Lynch said she would be surprised if the next government did not approve it.
"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.
"Even if we had not decided to have a Commission of Investigation now, we probably would have decided it when Conor Dignam's report is completed," she added.
"We concluded, having consulted with both the Tanaiste and the Taoiseach, that the only way forward in this whole area is to commission a statutory Commission of Investigation," Ms Lynch added.
TWO senior staff in St Vincents Hospital in Dublin have been dismissed following an investigation into purchasing and procurement practices.
A spokesman for the hospital said a disciplinary process was carried out which culminated in the decision to dismiss both employees.
It followed allegations by a television undercover team that the two employees accepted holidays from a supplier to whom they also gave commercial information.
The two staff members, Ger Russell and David Byrne were suspended on pay, pending the outcome of the expose by the RTE investigations unit.
The employees were involved in securing supplies for the hospital from the company Eurosurgical.
A spokesman for the hospital said it is currently making arrangements to advertise both posts and declined to comment further.
The scene of the crash in Ardrahan, Co Galway, where a man in his sixties was killed and two gardai were injured. Photo: Andrew Downes
The health watchdog is reviewing the death of a nursing home resident who was killed in a crash which left two gardai injured.
The 66-year-old man, who was a resident of the Little Flower Nursing Home in Labane, Co Galway, died yesterday after he was hit by a car at 12.30am while standing on the side of a road.
Two gardai, who were searching for the man, were left with serious injuries in the incident.
Gardai and the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) are investigating the incident after the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) found there was no garda misconduct involved.
The man, who was not from the local area but is understood to be from Galway, had been transferred to the nursing home recently.
The pensioner went missing from the facility on Sunday night. It is understood he had not been suffering from any form of dementia.
Gardai were alerted and a patrol car was sent to the area to search for the man.
Two gardai came across the man on the N18, some 2km from Labane village, shortly after 12.30am yesterday.
Within moments of leaving their patrol car to speak to the man, he was struck by a car coming towards them.
The vehicle also struck the stationary patrol car and left the gardai with multiple injuries.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His remains were brought to University Hospital Galway for a post-mortem.
The officers were also taken to hospital where their injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening.
It is understood they sustained a number of broken bones in the incident.
A source said that both gardai are facing "a long road to recovery".
The driver of the car that crashed into the patrol vehicle, a man in his 40s, was arrested at the scene and taken to Gort Garda Station for questioning. He has since been released.
Hiqa was notified of the incident by the nursing home, which was legally required to do so.
A spokesman for the body said it would review the incident.
"The provider in this case has notified us of the circumstances. We will evaluate all the facts and we will follow up with the provider, as would be the norm in these cases," he said.
It is understood the home in question has a strong level of compliance with all regulations.
Sources say it seems to have been a tragic incident and they do not expect any further action to be taken.
An investigation by the Garda Ombudsman into the incident was immediately launched and two investigators travelled to the scene yesterday morning.
After an examination of the scene, they ruled there was no garda misconduct in the case.
"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 said in a statement.
Locals in the Ardrahan area told of their shock at hearing the news of the tragic accident.
"Everyone is so upset for the poor man involved. It's such a sad accident, may God rest him.
"People locally are just hoping the two gardai will make a full recovery, it's an awful thing to happen when they were just out doing their jobs," said one local woman.
Local Fianna Fail councillor Gerry Finnerty said the community "woke to a terrible tragedy".
"It highlights the dangers for pedestrians walking at night on these roads.
"It's just so dangerous. It's hard on everyone involved including the driver," he said.
Mr Finnerty also praised the gardai for the work they carry out.
"It could have been a lot worse if those two gardai had been badly hurt.
"While they don't have any life-threatening injuries, they will have to deal with the shock and trauma of what happened," he added.
The stretch of the N18 was closed for a number of hours yesterday to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators.
Gardai have now appealed for any witnesses to the incident to come forward.
The National Lottery confirmed it had been contacted by the winner and offered them preliminary advice. (Stock image)
Ireland's Euromillions winner will have to wait at least five days before they can come to collect their 66m win.
The massive win has yet to hit the bank account of the National Lottery, and it could be the end of the week by the time the cash comes through.
National Lottery Chief Executive Dermot Griffin told RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland that the money still needs to be collected from the other countries.
He said the Lottery's Prizewinner Centre spoke to one person who claimed the Euromillions win, but there is still a possibility the win could be for a syndicate.
"One person rang the centre. Naturally when you become a multimillionaire it takes a bit of getting use to, but we're there to help them and we'll be in contact with them over the next few days.
"We will give them a bit of time and advice," he said.
"They can then make the arrangements to come in and pick up the cheque,
"We spoke to one person on the phone, but again it could have been a syndicate or a family syndicate or they could be on their own, we just don't know.
"We congratulated the person in question and we gave them some advice, to sign the back of their ticket and to keep their ticket safe," he continued.
"The money still needs to be collected from the other countries, the jackpot is pooled of course, so it will certainly be the end of this week before the money arrives in Ireland and we can pay it out.
"So this person has plenty of time to decide when it suits them to come in and collect the money."
Mr Griffin said it is National Lottery policy not to reveal the specific area of the win when the money in question is so large.
"When they come in we have a booklet that we give to all the big winners, we also have a video which Craig Doyle shot on our behalf given them some tax advice and some professional assistance.
"We're also here for them if they have any other specific questions or queries.
"They can ring us anytime, we have people who have dealth with a number of these multimillion euro wins now."
Rumours
Rumours the winning ticket was bought in Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford have been dismissed by the Mace store owner John Brady who said it is 'pure speculation'.
He said he has dealt with close to 2,000 people in the past 24 hours enquiring as to whether he sold the winning ticket. He said it was the only thing on the minds of local people.
He pointed out that until somebody claims the winnings, the seller could be from any part of the country.
"It's still a rumour and we haven't heard anything to say that it actually is from here - no official has contacted us about it, but there has been great excitement around the area because of the speculation.
"I must have had 2,000 people coming in or ringing me and asking me about it in the last 24 hours, because we're the only shop in the area that sells lottery tickets.
"It's only a small village, with 600-700 people and one pub that's actually open, so it's a very tight-knit community.
"To me, it's all been blown out of proportion a bit. We're a bit embarrassed by it, but good luck to whoever won it.
"I hope it's someone from around here and I hope it's someone who really needed it."
Spokeswoman for the National Lottery Paula McEvoy said she wouldn't be surprised if the winners decided to take their time.
"You have 90 days to collect the prize and some people leave it quite late. They can give themselves time to talk to advisers and their friends and family, but then again some people like to get the money first and then think about what they're going to do about it.
"We provide very general advice, practical advice for people when they come into big wins, but a lot of the time when people come to collect their winnings, they've already thought about what they might do."
It is the policy of the National Lottery not to reveal the location of the winning ticket seller for Euromillions jackpots.
"We'll respect the wishes of the winner with regards to whether they want it to be public or private," said Ms McEvoy.
The latest windfall is Ireland's eighth major Euromillions win.
The biggest win was in 2005, when Limerick woman, Dolores McNamara scooped more than 115m.
A man who solicited two undercover gardai posing as Polish drug mules to import cocaine into Ireland has lost an appeal against the severity of his sentence.
Nigerian born Sunny Idah (41), with addresses at Lipton Court, in Dublin City Centre and Gerard House, Brown Street in London, had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to soliciting another person to unlawfully import cocaine on dates between September 14 and 19, 2010.
He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended by Judge Catherine Murphy on December 5, 2014.
Dismissing an appeal against the severity of his sentence today, Mr Justice Alan Mahon said Idah engaged two undercover gardai posing as Polish drug mules to fly to Brazil and, once there, to eat or ingest one kilogram of cocaine pellets each worth a total of 140,000.
The would-be mules were to be paid 5,000 each, Mr Justice Mahon said, and were provided with airline tickets, details on where they should stay, instructions on how to ingest the pellets and funds.
The sentencing judge described the offence as "a very well planned and highly sophisticated crime".
Mr Justice Mahon said the Court of Appeal was satisfied to treat Idah as a central figure. His role was undoubtedly a critical and important one. In no way could he be considered a mere functionary, Mr Justice Mahon said.
The plan to import into the country 140k worth of cocaine with all the consequences that would follow - the ensuing damage to the health and livelihood of young people, the utter disregard to those whom he intended would ingest these drugs and keep them inside their bodies for a considerable period while they made their way to Ireland - all served to emphasise the seriousness and callousness of the offence, the judge said.
The risk to the health and possibly the lives of the would-be mules would have been very significant had it succeeded and there have been many examples of people dying through the ingestion of drugs, the judge said.
Having decided that the maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment was the correct sentence, the Circuit Court judge proceeded to discount that term by two years for Idah's guilty plea and a further two years for his lack of previous convictions, lack of violence and his good conduct in custody.
A further 12 months was suspended without identifying any particular reason, Mr Justice Mahon said.
The Court of Appeal was satisfied that the 10 year term with the final 12 months suspended fairly allowed for all the mitigating factors.
Mr Justice Mahon, who sat with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan, said the sentence was appropriate and therefor the appeal was dismissed.
The court heard that Idah is currently on temporary release. He had succesffuly appealed his conviction in 2013 and the sentence imposed in 2014 was backdated to 2010 for time spent in custody.
President Michael D Higgins at the launch of On the Importance of Ethics at Aras an Uachtarain. Photo: Mark Condren
Political parties must engage in long-term planning to create a more ethical society and a "better Ireland" which gives citizens a real role in decision-making, President Michael D Higgins has said.
In a timely intervention in the run-up to the General Election, the president has warned that Ireland is not an equal society, that the financial and business sectors are overly concerned with regulation instead of doing the right thing and that citizens are being denied the opportunity to engage in real decision-making.
Speaking to the Irish Independent following the publication of a report on his ethics initiative, President Higgins said the anniversary of the Rising provided an opportunity to conduct a "systematic reflection" of ethics across society, including a "declaration of Irish citizens' values".
He said Ireland was at a "critical time" and suggested that economic theory should be taught in schools to help students develop the skills needed to fully participate in an open democracy.
Future governments must also address the fact that Ireland is not an equal society, despite this being a key promise of the Proclamation of Independence, he said.
One suggestion should be a 2016 proclamation of "an ethical code for modern Ireland", where a "rebalancing" of the ideals of the Easter 1916 leaders was developed.
"When you take a text like the proclamation, which is a statement of hope . . . I look at it and see intertwined in it are themes of separatism, independence and equality," he said.
"You now have the benefit 100 years on of looking at the balance of these themes within the proclamation, and you realise the State that came into existence hasn't delivered equality.
"You really must look at the rebalancing of what you want. I think myself it should reflect our new responsibilities internationally and reflects our interdependency. I like to call it our shared vulnerability. That's not a negative, because acknowledgment of our vulnerability is an empowering phenomenon and is at the root of the best modern philosophy."
His comments came at the publication of a report 'On the Importance of Ethics' which set out the main themes highlighted during his ethics initiative, launched in November 2013. Since then, more than 60 events have taken place across the country and the report outlines the main concerns highlighted during that process.
They include a perceived disconnect between citizens and politicians, especially between elections, and the need to reform the structures of government that allow people become involved in decision-making.
He said communities were often offered only a "single option for assent" rather than allowing them help shape proposals. Unless there was more transparency, and accountability among the business community, social cohesion would suffer.
In particular, he highlighted discussions taking place about a new EU/US trade agreement called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which has been criticised for being negotiated in secret.
He said the lack of discussion among ordinary people was a "great mistake".
"You should be able to participate in the forming of options for a decision, in the decision-making rather than the decision-taking," he said. "There is nothing so technical it cannot be explained to people."
He also said that two immediate priorities for politicians should be creating a culture of inclusion around debate, instead of treating opponents as enemies, and to engage in long-term planning. "It is so important to think and plan long," he said.
"The most disastrous set of responses would be short-term responses, to assume that there are a set of inevitabilities - a cage - that preclude you from thinking long, in thinking ethically, thinking inclusively and thinking with patience and acknowledging a common vulnerability."
He added that a third and final initiative to be launched later this year would introduce themes on how these goals might be accomplished on a practical level, and at the "level of consciousness and policy" which would help create a "real" Republic founded on "freedom, inclusion and equality".
VOTERS in Roscommon have been given another clear eve of election pledge this time that the county will not be divided if Enda Kenny is re-elected Taoiseach.
The pledge resembles the Fine Gael promise not to downgrade the local hospital - given during the 2011 general election campaign. That undertaking was broken soon afterwards causing huge division and political fall-out.
On his last day answering TDs questions, Mr Kenny told Independent Roscommon-Galway deputy, Michael Fitzmaurice, that he did not back a proposal to shift 38 square kilometres, close to Athlone, from Roscommon to Westmeath.
The proposal has been advanced as necessary to facilitate more efficient administration of Athlone which is rapidly expanding westward on the Roscommon bank of the River Shannon.
The proposal is currently being examined by an expert group who are due to report on February 29 three days after the expected polling day.
Mr Fitzmaurice told the Dail that under British rule, one western corner had been put into Westmeath, making it the poorest part of the county ever since. He urged the Taoiseach to pledge today that, if he was re-elected Taoiseach, Roscommon would not be divided and the River Shannon would remain the county boundary with the area known as Monksland not going to Westmeath.
Will you give that undertaking here today? Mr Fitzmaurice asked.
The Taoiseach said the expert group would produce a non-binding administrative report which would go to politicians for their consideration. He said the issue arose because of a fear that infrastructural development of the area known as Monksland, part of the Athlone hinterland, though in Roscommon, was not getting the best possible council service.
I agree with you people would be very upset if they were to see that area shifted to another district. And Im very much a supporter of developing Roscommon as an entity. Why wouldnt I be? Mr Kenny said.
Ill answer your question in the affirmative if I have anything to do with it thats my belief, Mr Kenny said.
Storm Henry the eighth since November greeted the opening day of spring with winds of up to 130kmh. It will be followed by Storm Imogen. However, the high seas didnt stop teenagers jumping off the diving platform at Blackrock in Salthill, Co Galway. Photo: Andy Newman
Storm Henry invaded St Brigid's Day with a vengeance as the eighth Atlantic storm of the season marked the opening day of spring by leaving almost 5,000 without power.
Winds of up to 130kmh were recorded, with the north and north-west bearing the brunt of Storm Henry's fury.
Up to 5,000 people were left without power in Donegal, Dublin and parts of the mid-west, with the north-west coast the worst hit. The number included 2,000 customers in north Dublin as high winds brought down power lines and caused line faults in Malahide, Portmarnock, Sutton and Ballymun.
Such was the ferocity of the winds that Clare County Council issued a public appeal for people to avoid coastal areas amid safety fears.
Peak
Storm Henry reached its peak late last night with average winds of 65kmh to 80kmh, though gusts of almost 130kmh are understood to have been recorded off Donegal.
Maritime officials were warned that offshore waves could reach heights of between 12 and 15 metres.
The road between Letterkenny and Derry at Killea had to be closed while council workers removed fallen trees.
Fallen trees also closed roads in Strandhill, Co Sligo, and Blackwoods Lane, Dublin, while a lorry caught in the gusts shed its load on the M18 at Killow in Co Clare.
The LE Samuel Beckett, recently returned to fisheries protection duties after refugee rescue missions in the Mediterranean, had to take shelter in Lough Swilly as Storm Henry whipped up 15-metre waves off the Donegal coast.
Met Eireann warned that exceptional wave heights were also expected off exposed coastal areas of Mayo, Galway, Derry and Antrim until early today.
However, unlike previous Atlantic storms, Henry was not accompanied by large amounts of torrential rainfall.
The ESB confirmed that Lough Derg water levels in the Shannon basin have fallen again. A spokesperson confirmed that, as a result, water flows from Parteen Weir, downstream of Lough Derg, will be reduced to 230 cubic metres per second.
While the flow levels remain under constant review, the reduced discharge is expected to ease flooding concerns in low-lying areas in Limerick.
These include Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnell, Mountshannon (Annacotty) and the University of Limerick.
Met Eireann said winds were expected to ease late last night and into the early hours of this morning.
However, today will be cold and blustery with heavy or prolonged showers of rain or hail, some thundery.
They will turn increasingly wintry in the late afternoon and evening, with snow flurries on hills in the northwest.
*****
Ireland's leading climatologist has told how the alphabet of storms set to continue to batter the country in 2016 is proof of global warming.
Storm Henry, the eighth weather event to strike since November, lashed the country last night.
And while storms have always been a feature of our winter weather, Professor John Sweeney, of Maynooth University, said global warming is making them worse.
"We can't say that the storms wouldn't have occurred - but we can say that the probability and severity have increased alongside greenhouse gas loading in the atmosphere."
Last year, Met Eireann and the UK's Met Office jointly asked the public to help name the roster of storms set to strike both sides of the Irish Sea.
Beginning with Abigail, Storm Henry's predecessors included Barney, which blasted Ireland with gusts of up to 110kph in November, and Frank, which flooded parts of the country in December.
Now 'The Hateful Eight' are due to be followed by Storms Imogen and Jake in the coming weeks, before winding down with Wendy later. Other storm names on the horizon include Orla and Mary.
Praising the awareness-building exercise, Professor Sweeney said: "Germany has been naming these winter storms for years. I think it does help - people relate more to names than just another set of isobars."
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told his local radio station that he will dissolve the Dail tomorrow and formally announce polling day for General Election 2016.
Speaking to Mid-West radio this afternoon, Mr Kenny said he will travel to Aras an Uachtarain and formally seek the dissolution of the Dail.
But the Fine Gael leader refused to confirm that the election will be held on February 26, as is widely expected throughout Government circles.
Mr Kenny also made no mention of formally dissolving the parliament in the Dail chamber.
He is expected to hold a joint press conference with Tanaiste and Labour Party leader Joan Burton outside Government Buildings - after returning from Phoenix Park.
"Yes, I have already told the Cabinet that I will proceed to Aras an Uachtarain tomorrow to ask for a dissolution of the Dail and to announce polling day," Mr Kenny told the station.
But he refused to confirm that the election will be held on February 26.
"I'm not going to comment on that until I make it absolutely formal...but I do hope that people reflect very carefully on the critical decision they have to make here. From our point of view, obviously progress has been made. Unemployment is down to 8.6 (per cent) today and tax returns are 7pc up for the month of January.
"If that progress can be maintained, then clearly, you're going to have the resources to deal with many of the problems that are still abound in the country."
#Stickerguy was the big winner at the Iowa caucuses
The general election looms, Gardai prode HSE foster care abuse claims, Ted Cruz beats Trump in Iowa but #Stickerkid steals the show, and Ireland's latest millionaire makes contact.
#GE16
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is poised to announce the date of the General Election on the back of new figures showing an extra billion euro has been poured into the State's coffers since January.
Mr Kenny is expected to visit President Michael D Higgins in the coming hours and seek permission to formally dissolve the Dail.
As many as five health service workers are facing a Garda probe into their handling of sexual and physical abuse concerns at a foster home.
Garda investigation opens into abuse at foster home
The young woman at the centre of the abuse allegations is believed to have been twice brought to hospital with bruising around her breast and thighs before being returned to the foster home.
The health staff have been implicated for allegedly failing to ensure the safety of vulnerable children and adults, some of whom have intellectual disabilities, despite being aware of abuse concerns.
Henry leaves thousands in the dark
Storm Henry has invaded the west coast with a vengeance, as almost 5,000 homes are left without power.
Mysterious EuroMillions winner has been in touch
Meanwhile, the National Lottery has confirmed that the winner of the 66 EuroMillions jackpot has been in touch.
The mystery winner still has not collected their prize, and the lotto says it will still not reveal where in Ireland the winning ticket was sold.
#Stickerkid wins big at Iowa caucuses
Elsewhere, Republican Senator Ted Cruz beat billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa on Monday while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders remained deadlocked in the first presidential nominating contests of the 2016 White House race.
Cruz, a conservative lawmaker from Texas, won with 28 pc of the vote compared to 24 pc for businessman Trump.
But the big winner in Iowa caucuses was Sticker Cheeks Guy, the Internets latest star.
During Hillary Clinton's rally, one lone face stuck out among the crowd of supporters: a man with oversized Clinton stickers on his face, who Twitter has dubbed #stickerkid
Throughout Ms Clinton's speech, Sticker Cheeks Guy stole the spotlight with his enthusiasm, crazy faces, and random dancing.
Brexit set for June
Across the shore, Britain is heading for a June referendum on its membership of the EU as it emerges David Cameron will be offered a deal today to allow the UK Parliament to block unwanted Brussels laws.
Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, is to publish a draft of a deal setting out the reforms being offered to Britain ahead of the referendum.
Zika threatens four million
The World Health Organisation has declared an international emergency over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to thousands of birth defects in the Americas.
The WHO estimates that there could be up to four million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year and has said that it could take upwards to ten years to create a vaccine to combat the disease.
Migrant crisis to cost Germany 50 billion
And finally, Germany is to spend some 50 billion over the next two years to house and integration the refugees it has taken in since the beginning of the migrant crisis.
Actress Ariel Winter arrives at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
Actors Sarah Hyland (L) and Ariel Winter attend The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 25650_021 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner)
Actress Ariel Winter attends the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/WireImage)
Actress Ariel Winter attends The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 25650_016 (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Turner)
Modern Familys Ariel Winter has spoken out about the scars left behind from her breast reduction surgery, which she exposed on the red carpet at the SAG Awards on Sunday.
The actress revealed that she did not let the scars determine her outfit and opted to wear a backless mermaid style Romona Keveza gown which put them on display.
After the ceremony the star, who will turn 18 on Thursday, said she was proud of the scar left behind by the surgery.
Guys there is a reason I didn't make an effort to cover up my scars! They are part of me and I'm not ashamed of them at all, she said.
Expand Close Actress Ariel Winter attends the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/WireImage) / Facebook
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Whatsapp Actress Ariel Winter attends the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dan MacMedan/WireImage)
The actress underwent breast reduction surgery last year which saw her bust reduce from 32F to a 32D and she admitted it was one of the best decisions she has made.
I got it for myself. I cant even really put it into words about how amazing it feels to really feel right, she told Glamour after the surgery.
"Every article that has to do with me on a red carpet had to do with Ariel Winter's Crazy Cleavage!' or Ariel Winter Shows Huge Boobs at an Event!'"
"That's all people would recognize me bynot, Oh, she does great work on Modern Family.'"
Guys there is a reason I didn't make an effort to cover up my scars! They are part of me and I'm not ashamed of them at all. :) Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) January 31, 2016
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Winter said it was when she went swimsuit shopping and couldn't find anything that fit that confirmed she wanted a change.
"I went to a swimsuit store with my cousin a few months ago and couldn't find a bathing suit that fit me. I really felt bad about myself. I didn't feel happy," she added.
"I just kept saying, What am I going to wear? There's nothing for me to wear at the beach, at the pool.' I can't go to a party with my friends and wear the same thing as them. I have to be completely covered up otherwise I'll look a certain way that I'm not intending to look."
Expand Close Actors Sarah Hyland (L) and Ariel Winter attend The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 25650_021 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner) / Facebook
Twitter
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Whatsapp Actors Sarah Hyland (L) and Ariel Winter attend The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 25650_021 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner)
"It's amazing to finally feel right," she shared. "This is how I was supposed to be."
Premium
Colette Browne Opinion Every effort must be made to retrieve oral histories of mother and baby home survivors
With three days to go until the Mother and Baby Homes Commission ceases to exist as a legal entity, we are being told that audio recordings of hundreds of witnesses which were deleted may not actually be gone forever. It is another usual twist in a most emotional saga. For decades, survivors of mother and baby homes have been denied a voice and denied autonomy. When they fell pregnant, many through rape and abuse, they were marched to the doors of religious institutions.
Premium
John Downing Opinion Pension reforms are dicey territory but grand plan by minister Heather Humphreys just might win through
Pension system changes all across the western world have a great propensity to infuriate those most feared by politicians: the grey brigade. And when the oldies take to the streets, they usually play for keeps.
Premium
Sinead Moriarty: 'Weve got to disconnect to reconnect to our gift of the gab'
Are we losing our world-famous gift of the gab? In an attempt to save our traditional national pastime, a pub in west Cork has banned people from using mobile phones. Billy Fleming, owner of the Anchor Bar, in Courtmacsherry, has said that the locals who drink in his pub support his decision and that mobile phones have gradually killed conversation over the last few years.
The news that around 10,000 unaccompanied child refugees have vanished in the heart of Europe is mind-blowing. Children have suffered unspeakable anguish as a result of child sex exploitation.
Children are primary victims of poverty and violence, and often find themselves in hazardous situations at the mercy of paedophiles and drug traffickers, as well as suffering sex slavery, illnesses and low-wage jobs.
We must also bear in mind the vast cultural differences between European and Middle Eastern civilisations, which could have acted as a catalyst for the sex assaults in Cologne, and which could be exploited by far-right parties against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
The refugee crisis has reached catastrophic proportions. It has become so complex that we must now set up a comprehensive, more sustainable approach to deal with this calamity.
Hopefully, the forthcoming conference in London will succeed in lending succour to Jordan and Lebanon, the countries with the largest numbers of refugees, safeguarding children from sexual exploitation and adopting strategies that are commensurate with the magnitude of this calamity.
Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob
London NW2, UK
Voters longing for real change
As another election rolls in, people feel like they have seen it all before.
Each party has fixed its own agenda, even before the smiling faces of their candidates appear on the lampposts. I cannot see any party that has deviated from developing a secular society with a liberal agenda.
Individual TDs try to make us feel that they have our interests at heart.
Numbers of young voters will go for whatever seems to enable them to be superficially free and make the most money. Many cannot see their desires in any kind of depth because education in true human values is pathetically lacking.
I shall vote for individuals of genuine integrity, whether Independents or party members, who share my values. They are thin on the ground but I hope they will have the courage to spell out their objectives.
There are plenty of people longing for something different.
We had enough of the greed, power-hunger and false promises.
Angela McNamara
Churchtown, Dublin 14
Inquiry a missed opportunity
Many of those people now complaining about the weakness of the Banking Inquiry are the same people who opposed the referendum that would have strengthened it way back in 2011.
They have nobody to blame for the result of the inquiry but themselves.
Killian Foley-Walsh
Kilkenny city
Time for new national anthem
In view of the upcoming commemorations of the 1916 Rising, I believe that the time is right to adopt a new national anthem.
The current anthem has stood us in good stead over the years but its call to arms, as it were, is now outdated.
I believe that we have, in the stirring music of Sean O Riadas Mise Eire, a suitably made anthem with suitable words to acknowledge our present and future status as a country in our own right.
I am aware, of course, that time is rather short but surely it is not beyond our capabilities to achieve this objective, given the occasion.
I can almost hear, even now, that haunting horn and the crash of the symbols as they ring out in Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium on big match days.
Peter Pallas
Glengariff, Co Cork
Remember King Charlie?
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin asserts that Fine Gael wants a coronation and that Fianna Fail dont do coronations really?
One recalls Charlie Haughey, a former Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader who had decidedly regal pretensions: large estate, fawning sycophants and a distinct air of entitlement.
Mr Martins criticism of our Taoiseach Enda Kenny (a man uninterested in trappings) for being a story teller serves only to confirm that Fianna Fail is as much a party of philistines as ever.
Eithne McFadden
Co Donegal
State-funded IVF treatment
After five years of huge cuts finally this Government has shown some compassion. It will soon announce that it will fund the first IVF treatment for couples who so desperately want to have a child but for one reason or another are having difficulty conceiving.
As the average cost of the treatment is around 5,000, this news yesterday morning must be like a dream for couples all over the country. Take note, Labour, this is how to win votes.
Mike Burke
Sixmilebridge, Co Clare
Catch 22 for homeless people
People who are homeless have no fixed abode. People with no fixed abode do not have voting cards.
People with no voting cards cannot vote.
Can we therefore say with confidence that the results of the upcoming General Election reflect the true feelings of the entire Irish populace?
Peggy Walker
Oughterard, Co Galway
Hippocratic oath must apply
Every profession has incompetent practitioners among its ranks. As reported in this newspaper (Irish Independent, January 30) the alleged hesitancy in the medical profession to report incompetent colleagues is particularly disturbing.
In fact, it would be a blatant violation of doctors Hippocratic oath: to apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures that are required.
James Conroy
Mullingar, Co Westmeath
Wogan: loved by both nations
Sir Terry Wogan, the Irishman from the Treaty County, has done Ireland and England great honour, and, indeed, has restored some belief in the distinction of knighthood.
Can we, the English, claim him as one of our own? Only in a secondary and limited sense.
For once, The Sun and the Daily Mirror have both got it right. He may not have been one of us, but we surely loved him as one of us.
Perhaps in honour of him, the Treaty County can put it up to the Cats at Croke Park next September. Who knows? All things are possible in sport between friends.
Dr Gerald Morgan
The Chaucer Hub
Trinity College, Dublin 2
Palin: Democrats Trump card?
The Democratic Party in the USA must be delighted that Sarah Palin has given her support to Donald Trump.
Richard Burke
Hollywood, Co Wicklow
Democratic and Republican presidential candidates across Iowa were scrambling for the first votes in the 2016 race for the White House, urging their supporters to take part in caucuses in which outsiders Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are pinning their hopes on a large turnout.
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 February 9 primary and other early voting states. The caucus results should also help cut down the crowded Republican field of nearly a dozen candidates.
Snow forecast for last 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, Mr Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul, had the support of 28pc of likely caucus-goers, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz on 23pc and Florida Senator Marco Rubio on 15pc.
Victory
The Iowa Poll, published by 'The Des Moines Register' and Bloomberg, also found Hillary Clinton with 45pc support to Mr Sanders' 42pc.
"I don't have to win in Iowa," Mr Trump said, before adding he believes he has "a good chance" of victory.
Mr Rubio pitched himself as the pragmatic choice for Republicans who want to win the November election.
On the Democratic side, Mr Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont is depending on enthusiastic young voters to turn up in greater numbers at the caucuses. Mrs Clinton has more support among older voters who regularly turn 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," Mr Sanders said.
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby arrives for a preliminary hearing on sexual assault charges at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania February 2, 2016.Reuters/Mark Makela
Bill Cosby and his lawyers have gone to court to try to get the sexual assault case against him thrown out because of what they say was a binding commitment by a previous district attorney not to prosecute him a decade ago.
The current district attorney has said he has no record of such an agreement.
Cosby, 78, arrived for the hearing in a black SUV, dressed in a tan suit and tie. Two men held his arms for support as he walked up a ramp to the Montgomery County Courthouse, and one carried Cosby's cane. The comedian chatted with his handlers while ignoring reporters' questions.
Cosby is accused of drugging and violating former Temple University athletics employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004.
In a barrage of allegations that have destroyed Cosby's image as America's Dad, dozens of women have accused the former TV star of drugging and sexually assaulting them since the 1960s. But this is the only case in which he has been charged.
Cosby's lawyers contend that he had a deal with then-district attorney Bruce L Castor Jr in 2005 that he would not be prosecuted and that he could testify freely in Ms Constand's legal case. Mr Castor said at the time that there was insufficient evidence to charge Cosby.
Damaging testimony from that case was released last summer, prompting Mr Castor's successors to reopen the case and ultimately charge Cosby. He could get 10 years in prison if convicted.
Cosby admitted in the deposition that he had affairs with young models and actresses, that he obtained quaaludes to give to women he wanted to have sex with and that he gave Ms Constand three pills at his home. He said he reached into her pants in what he insisted was consensual contact.
In an unusual twist, Mr Castor was called to the stand at the hearing. Mr Castor has insisted that he worked out an oral "non-prosecution" agreement in 2005 with Walter M Phillips Jr, a Cosby lawyer who died last year.
Mr Castor was not immediately asked about such an agreement on Tuesday. But he defended his decision not to bring charges, testifying that he saw Ms Constand's year-long delay in reporting the allegations, inconsistencies in her statements, and her contact with a lawyer before going to police as red flags.
Still, Mr Castor said he investigated the case thoroughly because he wanted to show authorities in Ms Constand's native Canada that celebrities do not get preferential treatment in America.
Kevin Steele, the newly elected DA who is pursuing the case, has said Cosby would need an immunity agreement in writing to get the case thrown out. He has said he has no evidence one exists.
Anne Poulin, a law professor at Villanova University, said the defence has a high bar to meet to get the case thrown out early on. But "if they can win without this ever going to trial, then they've done their client a big service".
Broadcaster Vincent Browne has declared he would vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton because it would be more fun.
The TV3 presenter said he would favour the controversial Republican candidate for the White House while making an argument that the Labour Party are dreary.
Having ridiculed Labours reaction to their 1pc rise in opinion polls at the weekend he asked Senator Susan OKeeffe who she would vote for in Iowa.
Ms OKeeffe, herself an election candidate in Sligo-Leitrim, said she would probably support the Democratic frontrunner.
Oh I bet you would. What about Bernie Sanders the socialist? Oh, no way, Mr Browne said.
The senator attempted to turn the tables back on Mr Browne and asked who would he chose between Trump and Clinton.
Actually Id vote for Donald Trump before Id vote for Hillary Clinton. More fun, more fun, laughed Mr Browne.
Ms OKeeffe replied: And more abusive. What an abusive man.
But the presenter cut her off, stating: The miserable people of the Labour Party who go to conferences while other people are out enjoying themselves would probably vote for Hillary Clinton because they dont like fun.
I think you should probably go back and check some of the things that Donald Trump has said before you say that, Ms OKeeffe retorted.
Eventually Mr Browne conceded: Hes an appalling man.
Fianna Fails environment spokesman Barry Cowen, who was also a guest on Tonight with Vincent Browne, sat quietly trying not to laugh as the row unfolded.
Also on the show Mr Browne revealed that he will be absent from most of TV3s election coverage as he requires medical treatment.
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump watch the evening results at a post-caucus rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Morgan
The family of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stands onstage at a caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Morgan
Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump speaks with his family onstage at a caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump react as they gather for a post-caucus rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump makes a face as he and his wife Melania and members of their family leave the stage at his caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Morgan
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters at his caucus night rally as his daughter Ivanka looks on in Des Moines, Iowa, February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Morgan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks as his wife Melania watches at a caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (rear) applauds his wife, Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as they appear with their daughter Chelsea (R) at Mrs. Clinton's caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
Austin Bayliss of Altoona, Iowa, watches as the stage for U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's caucus night rally is taken down in West Des Moines, Iowa, February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Morgan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump react as they gather for a post-caucus rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaTPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump watch results as they gather for a post-caucus rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump react as they gather for a post-caucus rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Republican Senator Ted Cruz beat billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa on Monday while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders remained deadlocked in the first presidential nominating contests of the 2016 White House race.
Cruz, a conservative lawmaker from Texas, won with 28 percent of the vote compared to 24 percent for businessman Trump in the Republican contest. Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, came in third with 23 percent, easily making him the leader among establishment Republican candidates.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, and Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist U.S. senator from Vermont, both came in at roughly 50 percent with 95 percent of the state's precincts reporting results. Sanders declared the results a tie.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who had trouble gaining any traction in the Democratic race, suspended his campaign. He took third place with less than one percent.
Expand Close Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump speaks with his family onstage at a caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria / Facebook
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Cruz's win and Rubio's strong showing could dent the momentum for Trump, whose candidacy has alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies such as his calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.
"Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation," Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech that lasted more than 30 minutes. Buoyed by evangelical voters, Cruz thanked God. He said the results showed that the nominee would not be chosen by the media, the Washington establishment or lobbyists.
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Trump, 69, congratulated Cruz and said he still expected to win the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election.
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"I'm just honored, I'm really honored," Trump told supporters. He said he looked forward to the next contest next week in New Hampshire, where polls show him ahead.
Clinton, 68, said she was breathing a "big sigh of relief" after the results. She lost to then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008. The former first lady congratulated Sanders and did not declare victory in her remarks.
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"It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now to have a real contest of ideas," she said.
Sanders, 74, said he and Clinton were in a "virtual tie" and said he was overwhelmed.
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"Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state, we had no political organization, we had no money, we had no name recognition, and we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America," he said.
The results could shift momentum in both races. Clinton hoped for a strong finish against Sanders to vanquish his insurgent candidacy. Sanders is leading in opinion polls in New Hampshire.
Expand Close U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters at his caucus night rally as his daughter Ivanka looks on in Des Moines, Iowa, February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Scott Morgan / Facebook
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Rubio's third-place finish established him as the Republican mainstream alternative to Trump and Cruz.
"I am grateful to you, Iowa. You believed in me when others didn't think it was possible," Rubio, 44, said.
The results could have ramifications going forward.
"There is now blood in the water for Donald Trump," said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. "Ted Cruz proved he could successfully beat back Trump attacks because he had a great ground game and identified well with evangelical voters."
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said he was suspending his campaign for the Republican party nomination. Huckabee won the Iowa caucus in 2008.
Iowa has held the first nominating contests, called caucuses, since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the U.S. electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning candidates. The caucuses are voter gatherings that take place in 1,100 schools, churches and other public locations across the Midwestern state.
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, fueling the campaigns of Trump, Sanders and Cruz.
Market reaction in Asia to the results was muted, with U.S. stock futures down around half a percent.
"Financial markets might be more comfortable with Hillary (Clinton) than Bernie (Sanders)," said Sean Callow, a strategist at Westpac Bank in Australia.
"There would have to be at least some jitters over the guy who plans to break up the big banks. But it's probably too early to expect the U.S. presidential race to have an impact on the U.S. stock market."
(Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici, Dustin Volz, Steve Holland, Ginger Gibson, Amy Tennery, Megan Cassella, Alana Wise, James Oliphant, and Jonathan Allen, and Vidya Ranganathan in Singapore; Writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by Howard Goller)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump at a campaign rally at the Gerald W Kirn Middle School in Council Bluffs, Iowa, ahead of the crucial caucus vote last night. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Senior Republicans have privately accepted that, should Donald Trump emerge victorious from last night's Iowa caucus vote, the property mogul's drive for the nomination could be "unstoppable".
One Republican official said: "If Donald Trump wins Iowa, I think he has won, period."
By all the laws of traditional politics, Iowa should be an easy gain for his closest rival Ted Cruz, who was only a few percentage points behind in polls.
More than half of Republican voters in the state identify themselves as "born-again" evangelical Christians. Mr Cruz, the son of an evangelical pastor, has toured all 99 of Iowa's counties in a bus called "The Courageous Crusader".
He gave addresses that were more religious sermons than political; the thrice-married Mr Trump, meanwhile, flitted in and out on his private jet and flaunted the sex-appeal of his wife, a former model.
Mr Cruz called his campaign an "awakening" and at events in churches quoted the Bible and asked his supporters to pray. "Amen," came the cries everywhere he went.
But Mr Cruz's religious "awakening" may not be enough. Voters in Iowa are not only deeply religious, they are angry. That anger is aimed at politicians, at Washington and at an "establishment" they feel has failed to bring prosperity to America.
As a US senator representing Texas, Mr Cruz has struggled to escape the label of being part of that "establishment".
Mr Trump's lack of any political record is actually an advantage in identifying himself as the ultimate outsider. This creates a "passion" among the billionaire's supporters that "just doesn't exist for other candidates," said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
"Cruz has a much bigger operation in Iowa, twice as many people have been contacted by the Cruz campaign than by Trump's, yet more people have committed to come out and vote for Trump," added Mr Murray.
Since the 1940s, the 'Des Moines Register' Poll has been a key indicator of how Iowa will vote. Released two days before the caucuses, it shows who is getting a final surge, and who is flailing. Ahead of last night's vote, the results were announced at the Marriott Hotel in Des Moines. Trump scored 28pc, five points ahead of Cruz.
There was also good news for Marco Rubio who placed a solid third on 15pc, adding weight to anecdotal evidence that he was getting a last-minute surge of support.
However, among the big losers was Jeb Bush who languished on 2pc despite spending millions of dollars on TV adverts, many attacking Mr Rubio.
Chris Christie also disappointed on 3pc.
On the Democrat side, Hillary Clinton (pictured) had a lead of only three points over Bernie Sanders, which meant it could go either way.
The poll on both Republican and Democrat sides did not differ dramatically from others in recent weeks.
It did offer some interesting insights though - 71pc of Trump supporters said their minds were made up and could not be changed no matter what, a higher figure than for other candidates.
The poll found 24pc approved of Mr Trump's controversial decision to miss a recent televised debate, 29pc disapproved, and 46pc didn't care.
Three-quarters of voters didn't care that Cruz was born in Canada.
One of the biggest problems voters had with Trump was that he had in the past supported late-term abortion - 56pc said that "bothered" them.
Overall, the poll made happy reading for Mr Trump.
Meanwhile, the controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of an private email account to conduct government business deepened, as the US government revealed that 22 emails found on the unsecured "homebrew" server in her home contained "top secret" information. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Burma National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrives to the opening of the new parliament after decades of struggle. Photo: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tu
The new dawn of Burmese democracy was painted in vibrant hues yesterday as MPs filled parliament in a sea of orange tunics - the outfit of Aung San Suu Kyi's winning party - and tribal costumes.
The MPs gathered in celebratory mood for the historic opening session of the first democratically elected parliament since 1960 in the country also known as Myanmar.
With a spray of jasmine in her hair and in a striking pink blouse stitched with a peacock feather design of the National League for Democracy (NLD) symbol, Ms Suu Kyi led her party into power.
The formal business was brief as the MPs elected in the NLD's November landslide confirmed the party's nominations for the speaker and his deputy in the lower house.
Veto
Those appointments were the first steps in parliament's role in establishing the next government that will take office on April.
And it remained unclear who will officially lead that administration as president amid speculation that the military might still consider a waiver on the constitutional clause that currently bars Ms Suu Kyi from the top job.
The presence of serving officers in their green and blue uniforms occupying the 25pc of seats reserved for military appointees was a reminder however of the continuing influence of the armed forces. The military holds a veto over constitutional changes and also controls three key ministries.
It was nonetheless another remarkable day in Burma's dramatic transition from five decades of military rule towards a more democratic government.
The session convened 26 years after Burma's ruling generals simply ignored the result of the last fully contested elections when the NLD won with a similar landslide.
For many, it was an occasion of which they could long never have dreamed - especially for the 115 former political prisoners who were elected to the two houses as NLD candidates.
A student leader in the 1988 democracy protests, Pyone Cho spent 20 years in prison, but he was now taking his seat in the ranks of the ruling party in the grandiose parliament built by the regime that jailed him.
"I think my presence here is a sign that everyone in this country has the right to participate in politics and that is what we were struggling for all those years," he said. "It's a very exciting day but this is just the start of our work in the new parliament."
The new arrivals consistently emphasised the country's struggling peace process as their main priority.
Burma has witnessed ethnic insurgencies for nearly seven decades, but there are hopes that Ms Suu Kyi's new government will bring fresh impetus to peace negotiations.
"All this excitement will be meaningless without peace in our country," said Khin Maung Myint, an ethnic Kachin NLD MP. "We have to secure an enduring peace.
"I chose to run as an NLD candidate rather than for a Kachin party because the NLD can make a difference. I am making my voice heard now as a Kachin and an NLD MP."
Western diplomats who attended the session emphasised the country's peaceful handover of power.
Atmosphere
"There is a wonderful atmosphere here today," said Andrew Patrick, the British ambassador. "There is lot of hard work still to be done, but the signs are certainly good. A lot of people have waited a long time for this day."
As the session was adjourned, MPs again turned their attention to Burma's favourite political parlour game - who will be president.
Ms Suu Kyi, who spent 15 years under house arrest, is barred from the role by a clause in then military-drafted constitution that rules out any candidate whose close relatives are foreign citizens. Her sons are both British, as was her late husband.
If that clause is not suspended, then she has said that she will nominate a figurehead to the job while she effectively governs from a position "above the presidency".
She is expected to announce a candidate this month - possibly as early as next week.
Cosby was arrested and charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in January 2004. (AP)
The former district attorney who declined a decade ago to bring sex-crime charges against Bill Cosby has testified that he believes his decision is binding on his successors and forever closes the door on prosecuting the comedian.
Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor took the stand as part of a bid by Cosby's lawyers to get the case thrown out because of what they said was a decade-old non-prosecution agreement from Mr Castor.
The current district attorney has said there is no record of any such agreement.
Cosby, 78, was arrested and charged in December with drugging and violating former Temple University athletic department employee Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Mr Castor said that he found serious flaws in the case in 2005 and declined to bring charges. He said that he made the decision as a representative of the state - as "the sovereign," as he put it, over and over - and that it would last in perpetuity.
"For all time, yes," Mr Castor said when pressed on the point.
And he suggested that Cosby and his lawyer at the time had the same understanding, because Cosby later agreed to testify without invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a lawsuit brought against him by Ms Constand.
"Cosby would've had to have been nuts to say those things if there was any chance he could've been prosecuted," Mr Castor said.
Mr Castor said he hoped, correctly, at the time that the decision would free the comedian to testify in the lawsuit and help Ms Constand win damages. She eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.
"I did not believe it was just to go forward with the criminal prosecution, but I wanted there to be some measure of justice" for Costand, Mr Castor said.
He added: "I was hopeful that I had made Ms Constand a millionaire."
He said he relayed word to Cosby's then-attorney, Walter Phillips, that Cosby would not be charged. However, Mr Castor said the two lawyers did not have "an agreement" that Cosby would testify.
"Mr Phillips never agreed to do anything in exchange for Mr Cosby not being prosecuted," Mr Castor said. "I thought making Mr Cosby pay money was the best I was going to be able to set the stage for."
Phillips is now dead.
Kevin Steele, the newly elected DA who is pursuing the case, has said Cosby would need an immunity agreement in writing to get the case thrown out. He has said he has no evidence one exists.
In a barrage of allegations that have destroyed Cosby's image as America's Dad, dozens of women have accused the former TV star of drugging and sexually assaulting them since the 1960s. But this is the only case in which he has been charged.
Damaging testimony from Ms Constand's lawsuit was unsealed last summer, prompting Mr Castor's successors to reopen the case and ultimately charge Cosby.
Cosby admitted in the deposition that he had affairs with young models and actresses, that he obtained quaaludes to give to women he wanted to have sex with and that he gave Ms Constand three pills at his home. He said he reached into her pants in what he insisted was consensual contact.
Mr Castor defended his decision not to bring charges, testifying that he saw Ms Constand's year-long delay in reporting the allegations, inconsistencies in her statements and her contact with a lawyer before going to police as red flags.
He said her delay was of "enormous significance" in his consideration of the case. He said it thwarted his ability to test her hair or fingernails for evidence she was drugged.
Still, he said, he investigated the case thoroughly because he wanted to show authorities in Ms Constand's native Canada that celebrities don't get preferential treatment in America.
Mr Castor said that he believed Ms Constand was indeed violated but that proving it would have been problematic because of serious flaws in the case, and so he declined to bring charges in 2005.
While Mr Castor was called as witness by Cosby's side, the former DA said he is rooting for the prosecution.
"I'm not on your team here," he told Cosby lawyer Brian McMonagle. "I want them to win."
Meanwhile in Los Angeles a judge ordered Cosby to attend another deposition in a lawsuit filed by a woman who says the comic forced her to perform a sex act on him at the Playboy Mansion around 1974, when she was 15.
Also model Chloe Goins dropped a lawsuit accusing Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. Goins gave no explanation for the move.
BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron will be presented with a deal today that will determine whether Britain stays in Europe.
Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said last night that he would publish an offer to Mr Cameron setting out a series of reforms designed to reduce the number of migrants travelling to the UK.
Mr Tusk was forced to delay the publication of the deal after Mr Cameron on Sunday night told him that the deal on the table was "not good enough".
The deal, to be published at midday today, will offer Britain an immediate "emergency brake", allowing the UK to deny in-work benefits to EU migrants.
It will also provide assurances that Brussels is no longer committed to "ever closer union". And, crucially, it will give Britain some sort of opt-out on issues seen to damage countries that are not part of the Eurozone.
In a message on Twitter, Mr Tusk said: "Mr Cameron is expected to welcome the deal, which will pave the way for the in-out referendum to be held in June."
It comes as one of Mr Cameron's toughest critics in Europe softened his stance yesterday, as negotiators sought to agree a draft deal before a deadline expires within a few hours.
Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, hailed Mr Cameron as "brave" and said the British EU referendum negotiations were an "opportunity" to improve the entire EU. He added that a deal could be done over free movement.
Last summer, he emerged as a stiff opponent of the reforms, accusing Mr Cameron of attempting to "dismantle" the EU and dismissing his benefit curbs as a "non-starter".
The comments reflect how far many leaders, faced with the prospect of Britain leaving the EU, have been willing to dial down their public hostility.
'Sherpas' from all 28 states are expected to meet on Friday. If not, it puts the prospect of a summer referendum in serious doubt. The talks were extended for 24 hours following a meeting over dinner between Mr Tusk and Mr Cameron in Downing Street on Sunday night.
In a rare piece of public commentary on the talks - which have hitherto been held in relative secrecy in Brussels - No 10 claimed a "significant breakthrough" after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker's office said that the UK's current levels of EU migration would justify the imposition of an "emergency brake" on benefits.
"On welfare, the Commission have tabled a text making clear that the UK's 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," Downing Street said.
The brake is a device drawn up by Mr Juncker's office as an alternative to Mr Cameron's absolute four-year ban on benefit claims by EU migrants. But the British government insists it would have to come into force immediately after the referendum, and that Mr Cameron will "not do a deal at any price".
The European Commission yesterday confirmed an offer had been tabled, but hinted that Downing Street was premature to declare victory.
"We do not negotiate via the media," said Mr Juncker's spokesman. "It is not enough for the Commission and Council lawyers to agree. This is a process that is run at 28, and the Commission works for all 28 member states of the union."
The spokesman refused to say whether Downing Street's statement meant that Mr Juncker agrees that EU migration to the UK is too high.
Mr Michel told Mr Cameron as the renegotiation began that he would resist any attempt to unpick free movement or reverse the achievements of European integration. "If you want to go, just go. We will not let you ruin Europe by staying," he was quoted as saying.
But yesterday, he told 'Le Monde' that all of Europe could benefit from the British reforms. "I think that it is brave on the part of a prime minister to organise this referendum and that it's in everyone's interests, including that of Britain, that this country remains inside the union," he said. "The issues raised by Mr Cameron are difficult to resolve but must be treated as opportunities for the EU... these are important questions and can improve the way Europe works." ( Daily Telegraph London)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel with Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking with at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin walls in Moscow Credit: Maxim Shemetov
Moscow's intervention in an alleged rape case involving a German-Russian girl has heightened suspicions that it is trying to stir up trouble, with a view to weakening Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The case of the 13-year-old, named only as Lisa F., became the focus of political intrigue after she told police that she had been kidnapped in east Berlin last month by migrants who raped her while she was held for 30 hours.
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By undermining Ms Merkel, who has taken a tough line on the Ukraine crisis, Moscow hopes to destabilise Europe and create a vacuum into which it can project its own power, they say.
"There is a Russian attempt to strengthen disunity in the EU and to work with anti-European, right-wing populist parties," said one senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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The teenager's case blew up into a diplomatic row last week when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the German authorities of "sweeping problems under the rug". Berlin warned Moscow not to exploit the case "for political propaganda".
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.
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.
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Russians protested in Bavaria at the weekend, after about 700 people had demonstrated in front of 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.
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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.
Mr 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".
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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 Ms Merkel as the leader of this country."
Another senior German official added: "The EU cannot allow third parties to split the union."
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A poll last week showed 40 pc of Germans wanted her to resign over her refugee policy.
Ms Merkel's role in EU relations with Russia is crucial.
"Ms Merkel is, from Putin's viewpoint, the main problem," said Meister. 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 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 Putin.
Mystery shrouds the death of the French chef who ran 'the world's best restaurant' after Benoit Violier was found dead at his Swiss home in an apparent suicide, casting a cloud over the revered Michelin guide's new star ratings.
Sources close to the 44-year-old said the discreet and universally admired superchef had been troubled in recent days following surprise news and had "not been the same man" since.
His shock death sent tremors through the gastronomic world on the launch of this year's edition of the prestigious Michelin food guide, which observed a minute's silence for him.
It has also re-ignited debate over whether cooks are equipped to deal with the merciless pressures that come with culinary stardom and a brutal kitchen culture.
Crissier, near the south-western Swiss city of Lausanne, is home to Violier's restaurant, Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville.
"Late on (Sunday) afternoon, police... went to Crissier where they discovered at his home the body of Mr Benoit Violier," said Swiss police, adding that it appeared he had shot himself with his hunting rifle.
Mr Violier's apparent suicide came just weeks after his restaurant was crowned the best of 1,000 top eateries across 48 countries ranked by France's La Liste .
Mr Violier said at the time: "It's wonderful, it's exceptional for us. This ranking will only motivate our team more."
Franck Pinay-Rabaroust, who runs the top Atabula food website, said Mr Violier had appeared on "top form" when he interviewed him a few weeks ago. "He was smiling, loved his job and seemed very sure of himself and his cuisine. He was at the summit of his art and had received unanimous plaudits from guides and his peers," he said.
However, a source close to Mr Violier said something had happened last Tuesday in the restaurant and that he had been "troubled ever since and was not the same man".
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she was "breathing a big sigh of relief". (AP)
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, accompanied by his wife Heidi, came out on top in Iowa. (AP)
Hillary Clinton has narrowly won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, outpacing a surprisingly strong challenge from Bernie Sanders to claim the first victory in the 2016 race for president.
The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The Iowa Democratic Party said that it would not do any recount of the close results, and a spokesman for the Sanders campaign said it does not intend to challenge the results of the caucuses.
The Iowa caucus-goers had to choose between Mrs Clinton's pledge to use her wealth of experience in government to bring about steady progress on party ideals and Mr Sanders's call for radical change in a system rigged against ordinary Americans. Young voters overwhelmingly backed Mr Sanders.
Mrs Clinton was bidding to banish the possibility of dual losses in Iowa and in New Hampshire, where she trails Mr Sanders, who is from neighbouring Vermont.
Mrs Clinton appeared before supporters to declare she was "breathing a big sigh of relief".
Mr Sanders had hoped to replicate Mr Obama's pathway to the presidency by using a victory in Iowa to catapult his passion and ideals of "democratic socialism" deep into the primaries.
Mr Sanders still faces an uphill battle against Mrs Clinton, who has deep ties throughout the party's establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that plays a larger role in primary contests in February and March.
Iowa has long led off the state-by-state contests to choose delegates for the parties' national conventions. Historically, a victory has hardly assured the nomination, but a win or an unexpectedly strong showing can give a candidate momentum, while a poor showing can end a candidacy.
Earlier Republican Ted Cruz swept to victory over billionaire Donald Trump and Florida Senator Marco Rubio in Iowa.
Mr Cruz's victory in Monday's caucuses, which drew a record turnout, was a blow to Mr Trump, who has roiled the Republican field for months with controversial statements about women and minorities.
Mr Cruz, a fiery conservative Texas senator loathed by his own party's leaders, now heads to next Tuesday's first-in-the nation primary vote in New Hampshire as an undisputed favourite of the furthest right voters, including evangelical voters and others who prioritise an abrupt break with President Barack Obama's policies.
But Mr Trump still holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire and national polls.
New Hampshire has historically favoured more moderate candidates than Iowa, and more than 40% of the state's electorate are not registered in any political party, giving them the power to choose which parties' primary to vote in on February 9.
Mr Cruz suggested he was focused on New Hampshire but also on South Carolina, which votes 11 days later.
Mr Trump came in second slightly ahead of Mr Rubio, whose stronger-than-expected finish could help cement his status as the favourite of mainstream Republican voters who worry that Mr Cruz and Mr Trump are too extreme to win the November general election.
Mr Trump sounded humble in defeat, saying he was "honoured" by the support of Iowans. And he vowed to keep up his fight, telling cheering supporters that "we will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up".
Former president Bill Clinton said he was satisfied with his wife's narrow victory in Iowa, casting the state as difficult political terrain.
"It's hard there," he said. "It was a jump ball and I'm glad it came down on our side of the coin."
Iowa and New Hampshire, he said, are "two of the most challenging places" for Mrs Clinton's presidential campaign. Though she won New Hampshire eight years ago, Mr Sanders has long represented the bordering state of Vermont, making him a familiar figure to voters.
Mrs Clinton's victory means she will collect 23 delegates and Mr Sanders will win 21.
With her advantage in superdelegates - the party officials who can support the candidate of their choice - she now has a total of 385 delegates. Mr Sanders has 29.
It takes 2,382 delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president.
After her Iowa win Mrs Clinton admitted she has "some work to do" to attract young and first-time voters to her campaign for president.
In an interview on CNN's Situation Room, she said that she's pleased that so many young people are participating this year in the Democratic nominating contest and recognises that rival Bernie Sanders did well among that group in Iowa.
Mrs Clinton says that in next-up New Hampshire and beyond, she'll be emphasising her plans to help young people start their lives, including a proposal to make college more affordable.
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By Vince Jackson
CLEMSON One of the city's major roadways is closed this week until soil under the sidewalks and road can be replaced and compacted.
An infrastructure project along College Avenue from Strode Circle to the Rubin Square area resulted in the roadway being closed to traffic this week to replace a sewer line and main. The construction work is part of the city's planned sewer upgrade and has been in the works for some time.
City engineer Kent Guthrie said extra work being done by Fowler Corporation would require a change order in the amount of $37,870, which the City Council approved Monday evening at its regularly scheduled meeting. The change order was necessary due to recent rains making the soil impossible to compact. City Councilman Tim Fowler, a principal in Fowler Corporation, recused himself from the vote.
The city is also requiring the contractor who built the retaining wall along U.S. 123 near the Golden View community to rebuild the wall because recent rains have caused it to buckle. Andy Blondeau, assistant city administrator, said the work could take up to three weeks. During that time one lane will be blocked along U.S. 123.
Blondeau said the delay in building the Berkeley Drive pedestrian bridge near Clemson Elementary School will hopefully get the full approval of the South Carolina Department of Transportation by spring. The existing bridge is considered to be too dangerous to walk on, say city officials.
In other business, the City Council extended the contract for external auditing services for the city with Stancil, Cooley, Estep and Stamey, LLP for a period of five years. The CPA firm has been the primary auditor for the city for at least 10 years, said Mayor J.C. Cook.
Mason Gary, superintendent of Anderson District 3, speaks during the Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Business and Education Forum at the Madren Center in Clemson on Thursday morning.
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By Frances Parrish of the Independent Mail
The Anderson School District 3 board of trustees voted to release Superintendent Mason Gary from his contract and accept his resignation at a special called meeting Monday night.
The board also discussed several ideas in executive session, but took no action regarding a plan to replace Gary, who accepted the position of deputy superintendent of the Greenville County School District on Thursday.
"I am very excited about joining the School District of Greenville County team and putting my 27 years of experience in public education to work for such a progressive school district," Gary said in an email to the Independent Mail. "It's always exciting to join a team that protects the teaching-learning environment, as is evident in Greenville County."
As deputy superintendent, Gary will be responsible for the day to day operations of the schools, and will receive a salary of $165,319, according to the Greenville County School District.
Before Gary begins his duties in Greenville, he will continue to work with District 3 until March 11 to complete the AdvancEd Accreditation process.
"I don't want to leave them hanging," Gary said. "They've been good to me, and I want to do right by them as well."
During his four-year tenure, Gary said he is most proud of the academic gains made by the students, teachers and administration in the state ratings of school districts.
In 2012, the district's state rating was average and in 2013, the district's rating improved to excellent, the highest rating the district could receive.
"To move from average to excellent is an awesome feat," Gary said.
This jump shows the district's tenacity in focusing on making students successful in high school and after graduation, said Dana Yow, director of public engagement and communications for the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee.
Gary said he is also proud of the foundation he helped build for the career center between Districts 3, 4 and 5, which will give students more opportunities to be successful, Gary said.
Most of all, Gary said, he will miss the people he has built friendships and working relationships with over his tenure as superintendent.
"I want to retire and look back on lives I've impacted and the relationships I've built and that will be my retirement paycheck," Gary said.
Because of his leadership, the board gave Gary an excellent review in January and voted to extend the superintendent's contract by another year and raise his salary to $134,900, which would have gone into effect July 1.
At the time of the vote, Chairman Curtis Wiles said he was not aware of the possibility of Gary leaving the district. In December, Gary said he had sent a letter of interest for the job opening in Greenville County, and on Jan. 22, Wiles received an email from Gary informing him of possible plans to accept the job.
Wiles said he hopes the board will have a plan in place to select Gary's replacement by the next scheduled board meeting Monday night.
Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM
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By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail
The next few weeks will be the best time to see presidential candidates and their surrogates in South Carolina.
But judging from history, it is unlikely that any White House hopefuls will return after the state holds its "First in the South" presidential primaries later this month.
"You have to see them now," said Anderson County Republican Party Chairman Dan Harvell.
The presidential race kicked off Monday night in Iowa. The New Hampshire primary is the next contest on Feb. 9, followed by the South Carolina Republican primary on Feb. 20. The state's Democratic primary will be held Feb. 27.
Polls indicate that Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have comfortable leads in South Carolina. But Clemson University political science professors David Woodard and Bruce Ransom said they wouldn't be surprised to see both races tighten.
Woodard was the guest speaker at the 1st Monday Club of Anderson, which held an impromptu straw poll during its monthly luncheon. Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz tied for first place with 15 votes each, followed by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio with 11 votes. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee each received 2 votes, with Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders each receiving a single vote.
Woodard said the grass roots conservative group's unscientific survey might actually be a fairly accurate gauge of the presidential race in South Carolina.
"I think that is about where we are," he said.
The procession of presidential candidates in South Carolina will resume this week with visits by Cruz and Trump. Former President Bill Clinton plans to make a stop Wednesday in Columbia to campaign for his wife and their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, is scheduled to speak at Clemson University's Lee Hall at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Republican presidential candidates will take part in a nationally televised debate at the Peace Center in Greenville on Feb. 13, one week before the state's GOP primary.
South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Matt Moore is predicting that up to 750,000 votes could be cast in the state's GOP primary, which would top the record-setting turnout in the 2012 contest won by former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich.
"South Carolina is the gateway to the South and beyond," Moore said.
The Republican field currently consists of 11 candidates, but Moore said he expects several may drop out if they perform poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire.
The South Carolina primary could be crucial for Bush, who was not expected to do well in Iowa and is running far behind Trump in New Hampshire. Recent polls indicate that he has inched past Carson into fourth place in South Carolina.
Woodard said Bush may decided to call it quits if he feels he cannot win in South Carolina. His father, former President George H.W. Bush, and his brother, former President George W. Bush, both won the state's GOP primary on their road to the White House.
South Carolina could be seen as a "family benchmark," for Jeb Bush, Woodard said.
If he does stay in the race, there are rumors that George W. Bush may campaign for his brother in South Carolina, which Woodard said would be "very helpful."
Harvell said he has seen no signs of a groundswell for Bush in Anderson County. He said he is receiving a large number of requests for Trump and Cruz campaign signs, as well as a few for Rubio.
R.J. Force was one of the first people in Anderson to put Trump signs in front of his home. He said Monday that the signs have been repeatedly stolen from his yard on East Calhoun Street.
Force said he supports Trump because the Manhattan real-estate tycoon "is not a career politician."
Ransom said South Carolina's Democratic primary may prove to be vitally important for Hillary Clinton. She was facing a tough challenge from Sanders in Iowa and trails him by a sizable margin in New Hampshire, according to recent polls.
If she loses one or both of the first two contests, Ransom said, Clinton "would need a no-holds-barred victory in South Carolina."
The presidential candidates are expected to spend at least $20 million in advertising and other campaign-related expenses in South Carolina. But after the votes are counted, there is little likelihood they will return to a state that has consistently backed Republicans in past general elections.
"There should not be a reason for them to come back to South Carolina, which is a solidly red state," Moore said. He said his party will "do our part" to make sure that the Republican presidential nominee can focus on other states before the November election.
Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM
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By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail
COLUMBIA South Carolina's technical college system appears to be popular with state leaders, but it remains to be seen if that popularity will translate into more money for Tri-County Technical College and its 15 sister schools in next year's state budget.
System president Jimmie Williamson and the presidents of the 16 colleges made their first pitches Tuesday to a South Carolina House of Representatives Ways and Means subcommittee for money in next year's state budget.
The colleges are operated under one statewide budget, which is $811.5 million for the budget year that will end June 30. Williamson's requests for the new budget included $35.8 million in new annual appropriation, a four-percent tuition waiver for in-state students and $427 million in one-time dollars for campus construction projects and other capital improvements around the state.
Tri-County President Ronnie Booth asked for $12 million to expand the industrial technical center in Sandy Springs, replace the mechanical systems in one of the older buildings on the Pendleton campus, and help pay for the new satellite site his college plans to operate with the School District of Oconee County near Walhalla.
Other college presidents pitched acute building needs. One school, Williamsburg Technical College in Kingstree, hasn't added any square footage in 30 years despite climbing enrollment in its health and manufacturing classes.
"We desperately need more space," said Patty Lee, President of Williamsburg Tech. "This is not a wish list, not a pipe dream. This is a dire need."
South Carolina Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt and Lewis Gossett, president of the state manufacturers' alliance, watched along with several state House and Senate members all of whom showed up to show support for the colleges.
Subcommittee chairman Rep. Jim Merrill, a Charleston Republican, said the popular support for the technical colleges and growing demand from employers for trained workers. But he told the college presidents they need to rally their local legislative delegations to support all of technical colleges. He said too many legislators support their local colleges, then vote against the rest of the schools in the system.
"They have to do what's right for their neck of the woods and across the board; I can't be more honest than that," Merrill said. "As much frustration there is on your parts, there is as much frustration on our parts."
Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a Democrat from Orangeburg, agreed heartily with Merrill that a state bond bill, such as the $200 million proposal shot down late in last year's session, would fix a lot of the problems. She said legislators need to hear that their constituents would benefit from new, improved technical colleges.
"When it comes time to count the votes, we need you to help carry us," Cobb-Hunter said. "There is a disconnect between the people who would benefit and the folks you send here to vote."
By Ray Chandler
WALHALLA Local leaders have revealed a proposal to convert wilderness around historic Stumphouse Mountain into several miles of mountain biking trails.
The Greenville County-based Upstate chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) a regional mountain biking organization has expressed interest in making Walhalla an active area for off-road biking, according to Dan Pollock, president of the Walhalla civic organization Partners for Progress.
Pollock told his group Monday about a possible $600,000 project to build 10-12 miles of trails in the 430-acre preserve owned by the city of Walhalla. He said the Palmetto Conservation Foundation would seek a $100,000 grant with $20,000 matching funds to complete one leg of what would be an extension of the state's 350-mile Palmetto Trail for biking and hiking.
"We thought what we would get was 3 to 4 miles of trails," Pollock said. "But there will be multiple loops, and what we think we'll end up with is 10 to 12 miles."
The Palmetto Conservation Foundation announced plans last summer to extend the Palmetto Trail from its present terminus at the Oconee Station Historic Site in northern Oconee County. The extension will take in Isaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Mountain before ending in Walhalla.
Luther Lyle, curator of Walhalla's Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina, said the increased tourism from SORBA's presence would benefit other local attractions, such as the museums.
In other business Monday, Richard Harper outlined the program for reintroducing donated trees into the city's downtown streetscape. The planting will include 16 Nuttal oaks planted 40 feet apart on the new main street medians, with 25 Legacy maples planted on the street corners and selected sites along the sidewalks.
This story has been corrected to report accurate information about plans of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA).
Timothy MarkA Mize
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By Ray Chandler
A Westminster man is charged with filing false insurance claims totaling $800,000.
Timothy Mark Mize, 54, of Earles Grove Road was charged late Tuesday with three counts of filing false insurance claims, each greater than $10,000, on warrants obtained by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
In affidavits supporting the warrants, SLED investigator Joe F. Jordan alleged that on Feb. 28, 2011, Mize filed two claims, one for $50,000 with the Stonebridge Insurance Company and another for $250,000 with the Lloyds of London Insurance Co. In both cases, Jordon stated, the claims were based on a medically documented pre-existing condition.
The third charge is based on the allegation that Mize filed a claim for $500,000 in October 2012 with the Chubb Insurance Co., also based on a pre-existing medical condition.
The nature of the pre-existing condition is not specified in the affidavit.
Mize was released from custody Tuesday on personal recognizance bonds totaling $45,000.
The organisers of the literary festival in Karachi has invited Bollywood actor Anupam Kher as one of their guests to attend their fest.
He is scheduled to attend a session at the Karachi literary festival on February 5. But, it seems the actor won't be able to attend it now as Pakistan has denied his visa.
If reports are to be believed, Anupam Kher is the only one who has been denied the visa from among the group of 18 participants.
He was quoted by a leading daily saying, "I am very sad and disappointed that out of 18 participants, 17 were given visa and I was denied." [sic]
But, the Pakistan High Commission has a complete different story to tell. Reacting to the news, they claimed that Anupam Kher never submitted any application for the visa.
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Tata Communications, global telecommunications company, reported consolidated net profit of Rs.21.89 crore for the quarter ended December, 31, 2015, registering decline of 79.83% yoy, but growth of 263.62% qoq. The companys revenue stood at Rs. 5,099.50 crore, up by 3.76% yoy but down 1.06% qoq.
Its consolidated core operating profit of Rs. 759.83 crore for the quarter, declined by 5.14% yoy and 4.58% qoq. Operating profit margin for the current quarter at 14.9% contracted by 140 bps yoy and 55 bps qoq.
For nine months ended December 31, 2015, the company reported consolidated net loss of Rs. 5.95 crore as compared to net profit of Rs. 179.54 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Its consolidated revenue for the period stood at Rs. 15,460.12 crore, registering growth of 2.4% yoy.
Tata Communications Ltd's core operating profit stood at Rs. 2,288.09 crore, recording growth of 1.53% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 14.8% contracted by 13 bps yoy.
On standalone basis,Tata Communications Ltd, reported standalone net loss of Rs.69.64 crore for the quarter ended Q3FY16. However, it had reported net profit of Rs.120.20 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year and Rs. 141.15 crore in the preceding quarter. The companys revenue stood at Rs. 1,208.27 crore, up by 13.42% yoy and 0.35% qoq.
Its standalone core operating profit of Rs. 285.05 crore for the quarter, clocked growth of 15.58% yoy but decline of 0.54% qoq. Operating profit margin for the current quarter at 23.59% expanded by 44 bps yoy but contracted by 21 bps qoq.
For nine months ended December 31, 2015, the company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 219.02 crore, declining by 57.38% yoy. Its standalone revenue for the period stood at Rs. 3,568.19 crore, registering growth of 10.38% yoy.
Tata Communications' core operating profit stood at Rs. 849.46 crore, recording growth of 11.43% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 23.81% expanded by 21 bps yoy.
Tata Communications (Q3 FY16): Voice overshadows robust data trends:
Tata Communications reported a subdued quarter with miss on revenue, margin and PAT. Q3 revenues declined 1.1% qoq and up 3.8% yoy vs expected +0.3% qoq and +5.2% yoy respectively. A strong showing from data services was offset by pronounced weakness in voice. Thus data revenues grew 16.7% yoy and 4.2% qoq while data margin at 21.7% improved 250bps qoq and 70 bps yoy.
Result Highlights: (Rs. in crore)
Reported Results IIFL Estimates Variance (%) Consolidated Revenue 5,099.50 5,172.15 [1.40] Consolidated Net Profit 21.89 33.04 [33.75]
Standalone EPS for the quarter stood at Rs. 0.77.
Bloomberg estimated the companys consolidated net profit at Rs. 12.83 crore.
Stock Commentary:
Tata Communications Ltd ended at Rs. 404.55, down by 5.65 points or 1.38% from its previous closing of Rs. 410.2 on the BSE.
The scrip opened at Rs. 413.35 and touched a high and low of Rs. 415.35 and Rs. 401.4 respectively. A total of 512054(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 11529.68 crore.
The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 10 touched a 52 week high of Rs. 504.9 on 15-Apr-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 336.3 on 25-Aug-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 415.1 and Rs. 384.3 respectively.
The promoters holding in the company stood at 74.99 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 18.09 % and 6.91 % respectively.
The stock traded above its 200 DMA.
As the countdown begins to the much awaitedhas its pipeline brimming. Built around the theme Mobility Evolution through QDR (Quality, Durability & Reliability) & Advanced Technology, Safety & Environmental contribution, Toyota has two big product launches lined up to showcase its prowess in the new generation MPV segment and passenger car segment with special emphasis on hybrid technology. Toyota will also be launching a breakthrough technology initiative which will further add to customer delight.Conceptually designed as a 3D Wave Dome, the Toyota pavilion will be situated at Hall No 9 at the Auto Expo 2016. Toyota will showcase their exhibits in three separate zones, namely the New Product Zone, Hybrid Zone & Existing Toyota Line-up Zone. The Toyota pavilion will also consist of three corners, namely- New Initiative corner, Services Corner & Safety Corner. Apart from these, Toyota will also be showcasing CSR Initiatives undertaken in the recent times.Commenting on the subject,said, This Auto Expo our key focus will be exhibiting our product strengths in the MPV as well as the Hybrid technology areas. Amid the raising concerns for pollution, we see a spike in demand for Hybrid vehicles and thus, hybrid technology is going to be one of our key focus. We are looking at working closely with the government on how to improve hybrid manufacturing in India.TKM will have an entire zone dedicated to hybrid & alternative fuel technology where the automaker will be displaying Toyotas cutting edge innovations in both these fields. Toyota is the pioneer in hybrid technology worldwide and has sold more than 8 million hybrid units worldwide. Toyota's Hybrid cars have received overwhelming responses from the customers and the company has already sold 1000 units since its launch in India last year."We would like to showcase to our customers this technology which is not only environment friendly but is also often misunderstood to be lacking power" - he added.At the Auto Expo 2016, Toyota promises to offer its customers an engaging experience and usher in a new motoring experience.
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www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others.
hindustantimes
Don't we love Swara Bhaskar for her strong opinions and no-nonsense attitude? She just proved it one more time what it takes to be a woman of substance. The fearless actress has condemned the Delhi Police for beating up students protesting over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Delhi Police drew flak when two days back, a video surfaced showing policemen assaulting some students who were marching towards the RSS office. While the viral video broke the internet with people condemning the act, Swara also termed it a "brutal" and "unprovoked" action by the police.
The Raanjhanaa actress even shared a picture of a man who is not in police uniform baton-charging the students, including women.
Look at this pic ask @DelhiPolice @BhimBassi who this man in Blue Jacket is beating student? #DelhiPoliceHiresGoons pic.twitter.com/ZDOfK92dBb Swara Bhaskar (@ReallySwara) February 1, 2016
While a Delhi Police official defended the act saying the students manhandled the police team, an indignant Swara further sent an email to the media, without shying away from criticising the police.
thehindu
"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 Bhaskar
Delhi-born Swara who is the daughter of well-known strategic analyst Uday Bhaskar, is one of the few aware actors who do not hesitate in speaking out against social wrongdoings and community injustices and make it a point to voice their opinions fearlessly on social media. We respect this woman!
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)
Technology might very soon end up biting the hands that feed it. Thanks to advancements in technology, we now have robots for practically everything. And that might be a problem. The World Economic Forum has warned us that advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D printing and other technologies are likely to lead to a loss of around 5.1 million jobs across the world by 2020.
Reuters
According to the published report, "Without urgent and targeted action today to manage the near-term transition and build a workforce with futureproof skills, governments will have to cope with ever-growing unemployment and inequality and businesses with a shrinking consumer base."
WEF
The estimate is based on surveys and data provided by 371 companies worldwide whose combined workforce include over 13 million employees across developed and developing economies. The biggest loser would be the office and administrative job sectors. The technological trends will eventually make many of the jobs in these sectors completely redundant. Other fields with major expected losses include manufacturing and production (1.61 million) and construction and extraction (497,000).
WEF
On the bright side, sectors like engineering and architecture will see a massive boost since there will be a need "to create and manage advanced and automated production systems." Even the "computer and mathematical sector" will benefit citing the need of data-crunching specialists so that they can adapt to modern disruptions.
Robotics, however, isn't the biggest reason for the hiring change. It's cloud and mobile technology. Even with the robots, the hiring trends will not change until 2018, respondents to the survey believe. They also believe that flexible work environments are the most impacting trend as mobile technology gives us access across the globe.
WEF, in its report, also warns that the new hiring trends don't really favour women because the sectors that are likely to lose most jobs are also the ones that hire most women. More than that, it also warns us of the constantly evolving nature of new industries' workforce demands. Like how a technical college's first-year lessons become outdated by the end of the four-year course.
WEF
As a counter to this problem, WEF also offers a vast list of recommendations for major companies to prepare themselves for the change in scenario. There cannot be any more "excuses" when it comes to diversity in hiring. The report also recommended companies to invest in "wholescale reskilling" for their current employees.
Reuters
They also urged the governments to update their schools and colleges for the new economy. The report says, "Two legacy issues burdening formal education systems worldwide are the dichotomy between humanities and sciences and applied and pure training, on the one hand, and the prestige premium attached to tertiary-certified forms of educationrather than the actual content of learningon the other hand. Put bluntly, there is simply no good reason to indefinitely maintain either of these in todays world".
We don't think hard enough before we set a password because it's a headache. Averse to keeping different passwords for different accounts simply because we know we'll forget it sooner or later. We'd much rather sign in via Facebook, or Google. But that, you see, not only puts us at the mercy of prying eyes, but it's also a problem for the whole internet. Which is why tech giants like Google, Apple, Samsung and others are a part of the FIDO (Fast ID Online) Alliance that wants to replace the password with fingerprint and other alternatives to secure the identification and authorisation process.
hullabaloo.co.uk
Formed in 2012, the FIDO alliance was formed to combat the problems users face with creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. They plan to make authentication faster, more secure and simpler, while also reducing our reliance on passwords. With companies like Google, Samsung's Pay Pal and Nok Nok (that allows Apple's ID touch to work with other 3rd party applications), as their partners, the FIDO alliance has announced a new certification program. The apps joining hands with FIDO will use different authentication methods - voice and fingerprints - while never storing them to ensure it remains private. Despite the advantages, many companies are yet to get onboard the FIDO alliance. Like Microsoft, who aren't willing to commit to anything until they announce their next spec.
phandroid.com
But what about those who don't have an iPhone, the Nexus, or any of the new generation phones that don't have the fingerprint sensor? Things need to be streamlined for those still loyal to their older phones. That's where Google/Alphabet comes into play with project Abacus- Google's own little way of mercilessly murdering the password.
Google Abacus
Abacus would replace the password with a smart, yet complex and uncrackable collection of biometric readings. It's quite a technological marvel as it will unlock devices and apps based on a "trust score". Your "trust score" is calculated as your phones continuously keep monitoring and analysing your general location pattern, your voice, speech patterns, how you walk, how you write, and your face among many other things. To put it in the simplest way, your phone will just know it's you. This, for 'simple' people like me who absolutely despise passwords and the whole 'sign-in process', is groundbreaking.
wired
During a demo at Google's I/O conference, Regina Dugan claimed that with its "trust score" method, Project Abacus "may prove to be ten-fold more secure than just a fingerprint sensor." Which isn't very hard to believe considering the technological leaps that we have taken over the years. But its critics also make a fair point. Like Cisco engineer Shawn Cooley, who said, "very cool until I break my leg or hand & can't authorise to any services to get healthcare info since my behavior is different." These concerns, however, haven't gone unnoticed by team Abacus.
Your complex passwords or even the new, two-factor authentication process isn't as secure as you'd think or like it to be. A two-factor authentication is what you have to go through while net banking where you first put in a password and then receive a security question or a number via SMS or mail to prove that it's really you. Of course, there's the fingerprint sensor too, and it is true that it's very secure, but even fingerprints can be obtained by physical force. But on the other hand, you have Abacus, that would actually make the user do very little.
The unnerving bit
Most of the work for the project is already happening. The data and constant monitoring that is the key for Abacus is already happening with your smartphone as we speak. Your phone already knows who you are, where you are, and depending on your check-ins and uploads, also what you're doing. Google is already tracking you. All it needs now is to use the tracked information as a security system, and constant surveillance and access to some private records, which, truth be told is quite unnerving. Even if the idea is incredible.
gforgames.com
Although we are well aware that we are constantly under surveillance thanks to our smartphones and other devices, I'm not very sure if we'll be okay with this one application having every single piece of information related to each of us, just to create a "trust score." This, on an Android, considered by many as the most hacked operating system on the planet, is even more unnerving. It does solve a problem for the consumers at a very basic level, yes. But then the data we are also resigning to the fact that our critical data is with someone else too, and if something goes wrong, we risk losing more than we bargained for. Is it worth having all our eggs in one massive basket of data?
With inputs from Engadget, Verge, The Cipher Brief and FIDO Alliance.
97-year-old former freedom fighter and anti-alcohol crusader Chimman Lal Jain decided to set fire to liquor outlets on Gandhi's death anniversary (January 30) this year, and he began with a small 'theka' in Agra.
Thankfully, police stopped him, the Pune Mirror reported.
This isnt the first time Jain has tried to perform such lethal protests
Last year, Jain had announced a suicide bid by on the 15th of August, by jumping into the Yamuna river, if liquor sale weren't banned in Agra by October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.
He'd then lead protests - mostly women and children, from Agra's Dalit areas, threatening to torch shops selling liquor. Jain said that when India became independent 68 years ago, there were only 11 liquor vends in Agra. "But today their number exceeds 1,100. So many families have been ruined, women and children left to fend for themselves"
He may have a point: Abhinay Prasad, director of NGO Adhar told the Times of India that over 2.5 lakh people, mostly Dalits, were engaged in shoe-making business in Agra, and studies suggest that the incidence of liquor addiction was alarmingly high among this section.
Anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare asked him to not do it, instead promising him support for his cause.
stpetersagra
Jain, according to one media report, has followers in the "thousands",
Hazare had earlier met Jain in 2011 during the anti-corruption protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. On one occasion, Hazare had invited Jain to the podium and touched his feet as a mark of respect. Jain had even spoken to the protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar. "Anna spoke about the anti-liquor campaign that I've been running in Agra since 1965. I am overwhelmed. But I will not drop the idea of jumping into the Yamuna. I will keep my word," Jain said. Yet, Jain is still alive, and planning to kill our buzz - and himself.
An obsession to get their name in the Guinness Book of World Records made two Agra brothers create what they call the world's "heaviest and largest" underwear, 18 feet tall and 2kg in weight.
The unique try has got the Guinness Book people interested and the brothers have been asked to exhibit the garment, shoot a video and send it to the officials.
TOI
"Underpants have always been one of the most famous props for all those who are attempting for a world record," said Faizal Khan, a BCom student who has created the garment along with his younger brother Anis. On being asked what motivated them to attempt this feat, they say they always wanted to do something big in life but couldn't think of anything till this idea struck them. They wanted people to search for them on Google.
"I was going through Facebook when a news item mentioned how the largest gathering of people wearing only underwear was achieved by 2,270 participants in USA, on September 24, 2011. I found it interesting but was sure such an act would not be possible in India. We also searched for many other things related to underwear including wearing the most number of underpants, but failed. That is when we decided to make the world's largest underwear," said Anis.
The brothers, both pursuing graduate degrees, have stitched the underpants, blue in colour, over eight hours of hard work. The manufacturing cost for the cotton garment is around Rs 5,000, they said.
"We have applied for an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records but as our video was in Hindi, they have asked us to send a video in English, Russian or French. We are looking forward to getting our names in the world's most prestigious record book," said the duo.
The Centre plans to crack the whip making matrimonial websites responsible for obscene material or misuse of their platform for dating or chatting. Prospective grooms and brides will now have to give proof of identity and address before they can register on a matrimonial website, according to draft guidelines by the ministry of women and child development.
pixabay
Transmitting obscene material electronically already comes under the Information Technology Act, Section 67 that prescribes a jail term of three years and penalty of Rs 5 lakh for the first offence and a prison term of 5 years and fine of Rs 10 lakh for subsequent offences.
Speaking in Jaipur at the All India Regional Editors conference WCD minister Maneka Gandhi said, "We are reforming matrimonial websites, reforms will be in place next month.'' The minister has been vocal on her concern over the growing "misuse" of matrimonial websites as a ruse to cheat people. Complaints have poured in about fraudulent claims by users.
The guidelines say, users will have to give proof of identity and address before they are registered on any website. The identity proof could be Aadhar card, voter identity card or driver's license among others while for foreigners it could be their passport.
wikimedia
The draft says that before activation of the users profile, the service provider will have to verify that the proof of identity and photo given match. "The local contact can be telephonically verified. In case the documents are found to be forged, the account will be disabled and referred to the police within three days," a source said.
To safeguard against misuse, websites will give a declaration that the site is only for matrimonial matches and not dating or chatting or posting obscene material.
The websites will be tasked with setting up a grievance redressal mechanism.
When a Mumbai court last week sent a terror accused to a juvenile remand home, it underlined a disturbing trend for security agencies: that of outfits such as the Islamic State targeting the young.
dailymail | representational image only
The lawyers of the accused, Imran (not his real name), claimed he was 16 - making him perhaps the youngest in the country to be arrested for terror links. A resident of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, the accused is a Class XII student. He was arrested by Mumbai's ATS and UP Police on January 24.
Imran's lawyer produced his Class X marksheet, which said he was born in May 1999, in the additional metropolitan magistrate's court in Sewri. But the investigating agencies produced electoral records of Kushinagar showing him to be 20 years old.
Agencies have identified Imran as an IS recruiter.
According to the Maharashtra ATS, he was instrumental in securing safe houses and hideouts used to train jihadis. He allegedly rented properties in Mumbai and Goa with the money he got from hawala channels.
Worryingly, half a dozen of the 14 men rounded up by NIA in a nationwide crackdown against IS sympathisers on the eve of R-Day are aged less than 24. These include Mohammad Aleem (20) from Lucknow and Asif Ali (23) and Suhail Ahmed (23) from Bengaluru.
"Most of the young suspects rounded up were connected to outfits such as the IS and its subsidiaries through social media," said a senior officer of the UP ATS. "The terror outfits are perhaps targeting the young since they can be easily radicalised."
Retired IPS officer and UP ex-DGP Prakash Singh said youths are easy to tap. "With easy access to all sorts of platforms through social media, the young fall easy prey to propaganda by IS, which is using social media in a big way."
For the first time in India, a woman police officer has been appointed as the head of a paramilitary force. 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.
daytodaygk
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.
(Inputs from PTI)
In what is seen as a ray of hope for the LGBT community in India, the Supreme Court has agreed to re-examine its own verdict which criminalised homosexuality.
Reuters
The court has also referred the case to a five-member bench. The decision came in a curative petition filed by LGBT activists against a Supreme Court order which criminalised gay sex.
Here are some of the reactions.
Y is it so hard2 get tht its NOT about CHOICE ! We dont CHOOSE r gender or r orientation ! We r who we r by CHANCE not choice ! #Section377 sangeeta mehra (@sango20) February 2, 2016
We are NOT different because you don't understand us.
We are different because you REFUSE to understand us. #Section377 #SameLove #LGBT Khaled Nazari (@KhaledNazari92) February 2, 2016
We have always believed that who you want to love is a matter of personal choice:Randeep Surjewala #StrikeDown377https://t.co/YsD0s3AlUF TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 2, 2016
Even if SC were to reject this today, we'd still be as strong as we were before: Darshina, LGBT activist #Section377 pic.twitter.com/LVY8GB8PRF ANI (@ANI_news) February 2, 2016
#Section377 should be decriminalized, all sections of our society need to have equal rights-D Raja,CPI pic.twitter.com/b7cxdlxAqN ANI (@ANI_news) February 2, 2016
So what is Section 377?
Section 377 of the IPC came into force in 1861.
The law, written during Queen Victoria's regime, states "Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine."
AFP
Here is a timeline of the legal battle so far
2009, Delhi High Court
In July 2009, through a historic judgement the Delhi High Court de-criminalised consensual homosexual acts in private by declaring as unconstitutional a part of Section 377 of IPC that criminalises unnatural sex. In its ruling the court said, the section denies a gay person a right to full personhood
2013, Supreme Court
In December 2013 the Supreme Court quashed the Delhi Court ruling, ending four years of decriminalisation that had helped bring homosexuality into the open. While re-criminalising gay sex, the apex court said the parliament can remove or change the law.
Politics
The decriminalisation of homosexuality has always been a politically dividing issue. However it has been gaining support from various corners in the recent times.
BJP
The BJP had supported the Supreme Courts verdict which upheld Section 377 IPC.
PTI
But since it has changed its stand. Senior BJP leader and finance minister Arun Jaitley backed calls for changing the law and ending the ban. "When millions of people world over are having alternative sexual preferences, it is too late in the day to propound a view that they should be jailed. The Delhi High Court's view appears more acceptable."
Congress
Congress had appealed against the Supreme Court order and it had promised to pass a law decriminalising gay sex if it returned to power in 2014.
PTI
Last December Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had introduced a personal bill in the parliament seeking to amend the law on gay sex, but failed to attract support.
Other parties including the AAP and Communist Party have also supported scrapping of Section 377.
While homosexuality is still a crime in India, here is a list of countries where it is legal.
United States
On June 26, 2003, sexual activity between consenting adults of the same sex as well as same-sex adolescents of a close age was declared legal nationwide. Same sex marriages became legal in all states on June 26, 2015.
Ireland
In May 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote. Same-sex marriage still remains illegal in Northern Ireland.
Finland
Finland Parliament accepted a bill legalising same-sex marriage on December 12, 2014. The law will come into effect from March 1, 2017.
Scotland
Same-sex marriage was approved by Scottish Parliament in February 2014 and received royal assent on 12 March 2014. It came into effect on 16 December 2014
Luxembourg
Luxembourg Parliament passed same-sex marriage and adoption rights in June 2014 and it took effect on 1 January 2015.
France
France became the thirteenth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013.
England
Same-sex marriage was legalised in England and Wales on March 29, 2013 under the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.
Brazil
In May 14, 2013, The Justice's National Council of Brazil legalised same-sex marriage in the entire country.
New Zealand
Same-sex marriage was legalised in New Zealand on August 19, 2013.
Uruguay
On August 5, 2013 same-sex marriage became legal in Uruguay.
Anupam Kher and his tweets have often landed him in controversies. The Padma award winner was trolled on the internet for changing his stand on awards. Meanwhile, his twitter war with Shashi Tharoor made headlines last week.
Kher, who was supposed to attend the Karachi Literature Festival on February 5 now claims that he has been denied a visa by Pakistan. Anupam Kher has told media that around 18 people had applied for visa but only his got rejected. He added:
"I am very sad and disappointed that out of 18 participants, 17 were given visa and I was denied."
Twitter
Weird, isn't it? Explaining his displeasure on the scenario, Kher used Twitter to express his feelings. He wrote:
"Delay is the deadliest form of denial.":) Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) February 2, 2016
Sources have confirmed the news and theyve also stated that the Pakistan government has a different story to tell. According to Pakistan Government, Anupam Kher had never applied for the visa &, therefore, the question of them denying the visa to Anupam Kher appear baseless.
(Story will be updated)
A "violent, head-on collision" created Earth as we know it, ground-breaking new research has revealed.
A planetary embryo called Theia, thought to be around the size of Mars or Earth, collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago when our planet was just 100 million years old.
altheadlines
It was already known that Theia and Earth collided, but the new evidence from the UCLA-led scientific team shows it was less of a side swipe, as previously thought, and more of a "head-on assault".
The force of the impact resulted in early Earth and Theia, together to fuse and form a single planet, with a piece breaking off and entering its gravitational pull to form the moon.
Researchers studied moon rocks from three Apollo missions and compared them with volcanic rocks found in Hawaii and Arizona.
To their surprise, no difference was found in the oxygen isotopes and it was established that the rocks from each shared chemical signatures.
Edward Young, lead author of the new study and a UCLA professor of geochemistry and cosmochemistry, said, "We don't see any difference between the Earth's and the moon's oxygen isotopes; they're indistinguishable.
"Theia was thoroughly mixed into both the Earth and the moon, and evenly dispersed between them. This explains why we don't see a different signature of Theia in the moon versus the Earth."
According to Professor Young, Theia was growing and would likely have become a planet, had it not been destroyed in the collision.
The research, funded by NASA, the Deep Carbon Observatory and a European Research Council advanced grant (ACCRETE) and published in the journal Science, also raised questions about Earths origins.
They include, whether the collision would have removed any water contained by Earth - before asteroids rich in water hit our planet tens of millions of years later.
Follow us on going going gone 70 000 models of le1s smartphone sold out in two seconds on flipkart
New Delhi: A Chinese smartphone maker called LeEco achieved an incredible feat today after 70,000 units of its Le1s smartphones were sold off in just two seconds during a flash sale on Indian e-tail giant Flipkart, said a top company official.
Le1s was launched in the Indian market on January 20, 2016, along with another model named LeMax.
"We have sold 70,000 phones in two seconds in our first flash sale and are extremely happy about it. I think its a new industry record and we are just delighted about it," said Atul Jain, COO, smart electronics business, LeEco India.
"It's amazing to see the kind of response we have got in the Indian market on the opening day. We had got 650,000 registrations for the first sale," he added.
Jain, a former Samsung official, reiterated his claim of being among the top three smartphone companies in the Indian market. "A strong opening has given us a hope. We are hoping best for it," he said.
"India is our new destination. We look forward to making our presence felt strongly in the Indian market, a market of youths," he added.
Earlier in January, the company had showcased in a select preview event, a series of its smart devices, including 3D helmet, Bluetooth headphone and super cycle.
LeEco, a Chinese internet giant, claims affordability of its devices as its unique selling point.
Specifications of Le1s:
* 2.2 GHz Octa-core Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10 processor with PowerVR G6200 GPU
* 3 GB DDR3 RAM
* 5.5-inch display
* 32 GB storage
* 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with ISOCELL technology and blue glass infrared filter
* 5-megapixel front camera
* Dual 4G/LTE
* Wi-Fi
* Bluetooth
* 3,000 mAH battery
* Mirror-finish fingerprint identification system
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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 unbelievable thalaivaa rajinikanth not allowed to board flight at chennai airport
New Delhi: Rajinikanth, the superstar who enjoys God like status in South India, was on Tuesday not allowed to board a flight at the Chennai airport.
As per reports, the veteran actor was heading towards Malaysia for shooting for his upcoming movie Kabali when he was stopped by the airport authorities.
Apparently, he had forgotten to bring his passport and as a result could not board his flight. This uncalled for problem threw the actor in a bit of a pickle.
Much like his movies, the incident sparked the suspense whether the superstar would be able to board the flight on time. But, luckily, his assistant was quick enough to bring the passport on time facilitating Rajinikanth's smooth boarding and hassle free travel to Malaysia.
His airport pictures are all over the social media after the incident, much to the fans delight.
On the scene, Rajinikanth also addressed the media and the fans who were crowding him. He conveyed his immense gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Indian government for awarding him with Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour.
Talking about the movie, Rajinikanth revealed that the shooting for Kabali is about to be completed soon.
Helmed by Pa Ranjith of Madras fame, Kabali also stars Radhika Apte, Kishore, Kalaiyarasan, Dhansika and Dinesh Ravi in important roles. The movie is slated to release in May this year.
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Follow us on 16 years of cut off with srk 10 other secrets sunny deol revealed
New Delhi: Actor Sunny Deol doesn't need any introduction. One of the most loved action heroes of Bollywood, he has acted in a plethora of movies, Gadar, Border, Ziddi, Ghayal to name a few.
He is gearing up for his next movie, Ghayal Once Again' for which he has donned multiple avatars. Sunny has directed, written, produced and acted in the movie.
Sunny visited the sets of Aap Ki Aadalat' and got into a never-seen-before conversation with India TV's Editor-In-Chief Rajat Sharma.
During the thoroughly entertaining conversation which lasted for about an hour, Sunny revealed secrets about his career which never saw the light of the day.
Here's a list of 10 interesting facts which Sunny said:
1. Surprising as it may sound, Ghayal's director Raj Kumar Santoshi could not find any producer for the film. Sunny and Raj Kumar went to many producers but landed rejection only because they disliked the script. It was then that Sunny approached his father Dharmendra and got a green signal from him.
2. The Gadar' actor who went to London for higher studies says it was impossible for him to pursue his goals of being an actor in India. He said, Wherever I went, people were usually sweet or extremely rude become of my father was superstar, which made it impossible to establish my own identity.
3. Speaking about his childhood days he revealed that he was a notorious kid. He loved riding vehicles and got injured most of the times. His troubles didn't end after an injury as his mother Prakash Kaur used to beat him for his actions.
4. It isn't a hidden fact Sunny Deol is a shy person. He has accepted many times that he gets uncomfortable shooting romantic scenes. He accepted that he thought if he goes to London and interacts with westerners he might change. Alas! This didn't happen, he chuckled.
5. Sunny also revealed something from the sets of Darr' (1993) which was not known to many. During filming he was upset with Yash Chopra because a scene depicted Shah Rukh Khan hitting him with a knife. According to Sunny, if he was playing a commando, it was stupid if a boy hit him while he stood still. When Yash Ji did not agree with Sunny, he put his hands in the pocket. He was so furious over the incident that his closed fist inside the jeans tore it.
6. Following this incident, Shah Rukh Khan and Sunny Deol hit a rough patch. When questioned if Sunny did not speak to SRK for 16 years, he replied in a laughing tone, Maybe he was scared because he did something wrong. He then added, There isn't anything like this. I don't socialise much and have never ran into him. We are colleagues and will always remain so. He pursued, Shah Rukh is sober down and he is nice.
7. Telling more about him locking horns with Yash Raj Films, Sunny said he wasn't offered movies by them. He added, A few days ago I met Adi (Aditya Chopra) and we laughed about the past. As they say time heals everything.
8. On his equation with other actors Sunny laughed off saying, I don't have problem working with any actor. I think it is them who might have issues working with me.
9. A doting son to his father Dharmendra, Sunny said that his love for his father knows no boundaries. He also added that of anyone speaks ill about his father he will not spare that person. It saddens me sometimes that Papa did not get his due. However, when I see the love he has received from people I feel content, a proud son Sunny told.
10. Known for staying away from parties, award functions and alcohol, Sunny Deol asserted that he doesn't need any of the aforementioned stuffs to have fun.
11. Spilling beans on why he decided to promote Ghayal Once Again' religiously when he never did the same for his previous movies, he said he learnt his lesson. I have changed with time and I know that for a movie to fare well promotions are very necessary. He also added that they (Dharmendra and himself) learnt the importance of movie promotions from Shah Rukh.
Watch the full episode here:
Latest Bollywood News
Follow us on air india crew member caught stealing in flight food items
Chennai: In a shocking incident at Chennai airport, officials caught an Air India cabin crew member stealing in-flight food items.
Despite airline's new chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani warning of strict action against those caught pilfering, not much seems to have changed in the national carrier.
As reported by Hindustan Times, the vigilance officials received this complaint on January 27 about a woman, an Air India cabin crew member from an international flight from Colombo. When her baggage was screened, the officials found all the in-flight food items and beverages.
The items seized from her include milk cartons, coffee boxes, in-flight meals, juice packets, cashew nuts and whiskey bottles.
Speaking to the daily, an Air India spokesperson said, "It appeared that she had brought with her anything and everything she could lay her hands on inside the plane.
When the member's baggage was screened, vigilance and customs officials could not believe what they saw.
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.
An official said, She had operated the Chennai-Colombo-Delhi flight with a night halt at Delhi and did Delhi-Colombo-Chennai. She was caught after she landed in Chennai.
Aviation expert Rajji Rai said, Anything on board is company property. It's high time Air India had a zero-tolerance policy on anybody caught stealing.
Already the aviation ministry had informed Parliament of several cases a couple of years ago, which included a flight purser being caught by customs at the Delhi airport.
As he was trying to take out 372 mini liquor bottles from the aircraft and missing caviar tins costing Rs 20,200 from a special charter flight found in possession of catering officer among others.
Latest India News
Follow us on war of words anupam kher counters pak high commission s lie authority asks submit documents
New Delhi: Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Tuesday evening held a press conference to counter the claims of the Pakistan High Commission that the actor had never applied for a visa.
Refuting the stand of the Pakistan High Commission, Kher presented documents of communication exchanged between him and the organisers of Karachi Literature Fest to prove his claims.
I did not personally ask for a visa, the organizers of Karachi Literature Festival did. For last 15 days, all my visa documents are ready. The organizers of the Karachi literature fest said that government officials had told her not to invite Anupam Kher. I don't know why, said Anupam.
Kher claims that it is his point of view on Kashmiri Pandits and his pro-Modi stand which could have led to the visa denial.
When asked if he is angry over the whole issue, Anupam replied in the negative, saying that he was hurt and saddened.
I will go to Pakistan if I am given a visa in the future, the Padma awardee said.
Controversy broke out when Anupam Kher expressed on Twitter that his Visa has been denied by the Pakistan authorities. Kher was due to attend the Karachi Literature Festival on February 5, as a speaker. However, of the 18 delegates slated to visit Pakistan from India for the event, he was the only one who didn't get the green flag to fly to Pakistan.
This morning, Pakistan High Commission stated that Anupam hasn't applied for the visa in the first place, refuting the claim that it had been denied.
While addressing the media, Anupam also expressed his empathy for Pakistan's issues, saying, I was probably the only actor from Bollywood who wrote an open letter condemning the attack on Peshawar school.
He also urged the invitees of Karachi Literarure Fest to comment over his Visa denial.
Want to know what others who are invited to Karachi think about me being denied visa, but yes I don't have anything against them, he said.
Within hours after his statement, the Pakistan High Commission has issued a statement in response to Anupam Kher's claims.
We greatly respect Mr Kher. It is not correct to say that we denied him visa. Had he submitted his documents like other participants his visa application would have processed by now. Visa is processed when visa application is submitted, not on the basis of an invitation letter. His staff should have submitted his visa documents, the statement reads.
Latest India News
Follow us on delhi s air quality much better than mumbai s declares safar
Mumbai: A recent analysis by the System for Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has concluded that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the business capital of India, Mumbai, was much worse than that of Delhi, despite a fall in pollution levels in the city on Monday.
As per the reports by SAFAR, the AQI for Mumbai in the morning was calculated at 308 which marginally came down to 304 by the evening whereas Delhi registered the AQI of 208 in the morning and improved to 169 by sunset.
The reason behind the improved air quality of the national capital, according to the SAFAR experts, is a change in the wind patterns and it could be temporary.
For Mumbai, the only positive is the fact that its AQI on Monday was better than Sunday's 333, Saturday's 318 and Friday's 341.
Hopeful of reduction in the pollution levels in Mumbai after (put details of fire/smoke engulfing Mumbai), Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR, had said, "Conditions seem to be improving as the fire has been controlled, but weather conditions like winter temperatures and high moisture levels have still kept the pollution in the very poor category. The winds are now picking speed, which will help reduce pollution levels in the coming days."
"The winds are not very calm now, but the humidity levels are very high. Due to this, the pollutant particles are still in the air and the particulate matter concentration in areas like Chembur, Mazgaon and BKC is still very high. The sea breeze helps the city to clean up naturally, but it will take a couple of days before things are back to normal," said K S Hosalikar, deputy director general of the Regional Meteorological Center in Mumbai.
Residents of Mumbai have been complaining about the increasing population in their respective areas. R Badrinath, a Chembur resident said, When I went out early in the morning, the situation was much better as compared to the past few days but between 7.30 am and 9 am, a blanket of smoke covered the area once again.
Another Chembur resident, Jhanvi Kulkarni said, I have been coughing for the past four days. My mom's eyes have irritation. There is smoke everywhere. I decided to go for a run but I couldn't run for more than 10 minutes. There is smoke on our clothes, blankets and almost everywhere.
Latest India News
Follow us on in a first govt appoints woman ips officer as head of ssb
New Delhi: In a first, the government has appointed senior woman IPS officer Archana Ramasundram as the head of the paramilitary force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
58-year-old Archana is a Tamil Nadu-cadre IPS officer. She has been appointed as the Director General of the SSB on Monday.
According to an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), currently Special Director, National Crime Records Bureau, has been appointed to the post till the date of her superannuation September 30, next year.
Archana 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.
The SSB chief's post fell vacant on January 31, after then DG BD Sharma retired. According to reports, Archana is understood to have sought time to take over her new job, as she is the main organiser of an ongoing biometrics conference in Bhopal.
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.
Besides her, IPS officers--K Durga Prasad and KK 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.
KK Sharma is currently Additional Director General, BSF, which guards the country's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
MK 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.
ARK 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.
With PTI Inputs
Latest India News
Follow us on 4 rajasthan postal dept employees spying for isi arrested
Jaisalmer: Four employees of Postal department were arrested at Pokhran and Barmer in Jaisalmer for allegedly sharing confidential information related with Indian Army with a Pakistani spy.
The arrests were made after joint raids at post offices in Pokhran and Balotra by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), CID Border Intelligence and the local police.
The accused were allegedly passing on confidential information about Army, like those related to war exercises, addresses of the army men, etc, to ISI.
Among those arrested is Kishanpal Singh, post master at Pokhran's chief post office and Narendra Sharma who was employed as computer operator here.
They are said to be passing on Army-related letters and other documents to a Pakistani agent
"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) UR Sahoo told PTI.
Two men were arrested and one woman detained in Balotara area of Barmer while one man was arrested in Jaisalmer.
Islamuddin and CR Dahiya were arrested and Pramila was detained in Barmer whereas Narendra Sharma was arrested in Jaisalmer, police said.
"Two employees of the Balotra main post office were also arrested. Also, post inspector Vasu Dev Meghwal has been detained. A woman named Pramila was released as preliminary investigations," police said.
They all are posted with local post offices in Balotara (Barmer) and Pokaran (Jaisalmer) and had shared information through emails.
Latest India News
Follow us on isis beheads 4 india origin militants in iraq
New Delhi: Dreaded terror group ISIS has beheaded its 4 fighters of Indian origin in full public view for trying to flee a war zone in Iraq's Mosul city. According to reports, these 4 Indians are among 20 militants who were executed last week.
Security agencies, however, said that there is no confirmation yet about the killing of 4 Indians and that they are verifying the reports through different sources.
Sending out a warning to others in the group against desertion, the ISIS in Iraq and Syria captured a group of its own fighters who tried to flee Mosul city of Nineveh province and executed them in public.
The dissidents were arrested at a checkpoint in the vicinity of Mosul on Friday. After being identified as fighters who have left their positions at the fighting front in western Mosul, they were transferred to the Sharia Court for prosecution.
Subsequent to a brief interrogation, the Sharia Court decided to behead the dissidents on charges of treason, reports said.
Observers said the beheadings were made in a bid to terrorise ISIS members who may leave their posts in the war-torn region. The jihadis were beheaded in central Mosul in front of hundreds of people, mostly ISIS members and commanders.
ISIS considers jihadis who leave their posts without permission as traitors and enemies of its so-called Caliphate.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined ISIS of whom six were killed in different incidents in Iraq, Syria. As many as 17 Indians are believed to be in different conflict zones of the IS-held areas.
Earlier, an intelligence report shared by foreign intelligence agencies along with Indian agencies mentioned that ISIS does not consider South Asian Muslims, including Indians, good enough to fight in conflict zone of Iraq and Syria.
According to the content of the report it stated that South Asian Muslims which includes Indian Muslims also were treated as inferior than Arab fighters. They were often tricked and were pushed into suicide attacks.
This is not the first time that ISIS has executed its own militants on charges of treason. Earlier, it was reported that ISIS militants who lost a key town to Iraqi forces were burned alive in full public view by their own men after they fled to the group's stronghold of Mosul.
In December, the extremist group had beheaded ten militant fighters "convicted of high treason" for evacuating their post at the battlefront without the group's permission.
In November, ISIS executed 73 militant fighters for escaping battles with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Shingal (Sinjar) district in northern Iraq.
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Follow us on isis deputy chief in india is a juvenile court told
Mumbai: The alleged ISIS operative, Khalid Ahmed Ali Nawazuddin alias Rizwan who is believed to be the second in command of terror outfit's India wing, is a juvenile.
Rizwan's lawyer Chirag Shah made the startling disclosure when the accused was produced before an additional metropolitan magistrate court in Sewri on Saturday, much to the surprise of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Shah produced Khalid's Class X marksheet, which said he was born in May 1999, before the court, making him perhaps the youngest in the country to be arrested for terror links.
Security agencies have identified Imran as an IS recruiter. According to the Maharashtra ATS, he was instrumental in securi- ng safehouses and hideouts us- ed to train jihadis. He allegedly rented properties in Mumbai and Goa with the money he got from hawala channels.
Shah pleaded that the FIR against Khalid was registered on December 30, 2015, while the amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act was applicable only after January 15. Khalid, however, was arrested on January 22 from his house at Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. The new amendment where those above 16 will be considered hardcore criminals will not apply for Khalid, said Shah.
Investigating agency, however, countered the claim and produced election documents before court, which pointed out Khalid was registered as a voter in 2014 when he was 20 years old
The prosecutor said the attempt to claim Khalid was a juvenile is just to stall investigations. He, however, sought time to reply to Shah's contention.
The court ordered Khalid to be kept in a district protection centre of the Mumbai police in the mean time. The judge then directed Khalid to be kept in the remand home until the next hearing on February 9.
The latest development has brought to the fore a disturbing trend where youth are easily lured by ISIS handlers. Around half a dozen of the 14 men rounded up by NIA in a nationwide crackdown against IS sympathisers on the eve of R-Day are aged less than 24.
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Follow us on sex determination test just an idea no formal proposal in place maneka gandhi
New Delhi: Amidst a raging debate over her remark on making sex determination tests mandatory, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi today sought to defend herself saying that the idea was in the discussion stage and that there was no formal proposal or a Cabinet note on the issue of allowing for prenatal sex determination.
"Minister WCD clarifies that there is no Cabinet proposal for tracking the sex of a foetus and that compulsory determination of foetal sex is an idea given by some stakeholders, WCD ministry wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter.
The explanation makes a departure from her earlier comment suggesting that such a test should be made compulsory to check female foeticide.
Speaking yesterday at an event in Jaipur, Gandhi had said that the tests were necessary to ensure safety of the girl child. "In my personal view, the woman should be compulsorily told whether it is a boy or girl child whom she is going to give birth to. I am just putting out this idea. It is being discussed though there is no conclusion yet," she had said.
The minister's suggestion, which would eventually result in lifting of the ban on prenatal sex determination under PCPNDT Act, evoked sharp reaction from activists and netizens. "At least the present law has maintained a certain level of fear with respect to sex determination even among the rural and illiterate populace," read one tweet.
"#India sex-ratio-918. Need of the hour is investing in changing d social cultural environment rather than scrappingban on #sexdetermination," said another.
In view of the raging debate, the ministry also issued a statement today asserting that while such an idea had been mooted, there was no Cabinet proposal in this regard. The ministry said the matter needs to be debated further and invited views and suggestions in this regard.
"She (Gandhi) had specifically stated that this needs further debate and had requested the media persons to give their suggestions," the statement said. The idea behind mandatory registration of the gender of unborn child is to enable proper monitoring of his or her birth, it said.
"It is an alternative point of view that if each pregnancy could be registered and the sex of the foetus could be made known to the parents and if the same happens to be a female, the delivery should be tracked and recorded. Such a system would help in ensuring that a foetus is not aborted only because it is a female," the statement said.
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Follow us on visa row pak high commission is lying claims anupam kher
New Delhi: Amid claims and counter claims, Anupam Kher has refuted claims made by Pakistan High Commission that the actor has not applied for visa.
The actor said that the Pak high commission is lying, rest of the 17 people got visa only I was denied.
"I would request my Govt to also take it up personally,"Kher told reporters.
"Maybe its due to my point of view on Kashmiri Pandits or my pro-PM stand," he added.
Earlier, Pakistan High Commission refuted claims of veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher that he has been denied visa to attend Karachi Literary Festival to be held on February 5.
KLF is hosting several luminaries from India, including director/actor Nandita Das, transgender rights activist Laxmi Tripathi and Indian journalist Barkha Dutt.
While Nandita Das has received her visa and will be attending, Kher is off the agenda.
The veteran actor claimed that a total of 18 delegates including him had applied for the visa to attend this festival and that he alone has been denied the permission.
The Hindustan Times also cites reports suggesting that the visa has been denied due to "security reasons".
This is not the first time that Kher has been denied visa to Pakistan. Earlier in May 2015, he was denied visa when he was invited by an NGO for an event in Lahore.
"I am very sad and disappointed. Out of 18 participants, 17 were given a visa and I was denied," Anupam Kher said.
Kher also took to twitter to express his his disappointment.
Refuting claims made by Kher, a Senior official of Pakistan High Commission told India TV, "He has not submitted visa application! Pl check out from him if he has any receipt."
The 60-year-old actor, who has been in the eye of controversy, was awarded the Padma Bhushan recently and also locked horns with Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor.
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Follow us on students stage protest outside police headquarters against cop attack on protestors
New Delhi: Agitated over the alleged assault on student protesters by police, students from various universities across Delhi today staged a protest outside police headquarters here blocking the traffic at ITO.
A video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair outside RSS headquarters here during a protest over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide had triggered widespread outrage with Congress and AAP seeking action against the erring cops.
The students from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) staged a demonstration outside the police headquarters demanding action against the cops who allegedly assaulted the protesting students.
"Government is not listening to our demands, police is attacking us, where are the students supposed to go? Hang ourselves like Rohith did and succumb to their atrocities?," said JNU Students Union Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora.
A KYS protester said, "The police commissioner needs to tell the country why cops behaved in this manner and on whose instructions they did so. They were so prompt in taking action against the students, why is the top cop not acting against his own policemen now?"
The protest by the students caused traffic jam at the ITO stretch as they did not allow the vehicles to move ahead.
The students alleged that they have been treated in similar manner by the police whenever they have tried to stage any demonstrations and raise their voice against any issue.
"Be it the 'Occupy UGC movement' or protests against sexual harassment by any professor, we always had to face similar crackdown from police. So many times we tried to go to the HRD Ministry but we were not even allowed to submit memorandums," said Sunny Kumar, a protester.
The students from Jawaharlal Nehru University had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike last week when they were detained from outside HRD Ministry for staging a protest there against the alleged delay in justice to Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar who was found hanging at Hyderabad Central University's hostel on January 17.
The protesting students have been demanding the resignations of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and the Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad University over the issue.
The students also alleged the police is acting at the behest of Centre as two of its ministers are facing flak over the issue.
"We demand independent probe into the issue. The video is very clear where police and RSS goons assaulted students then why Bassi is taking so much time to act," asked 25-year-old Dinesh.
Another protester Nikita alleged, "Delhi Police has shown that its original colour is not khakhi but saffron. They are the private army of the Central government which thrashes protesting students demanding justice".
"The entire country is aware of our demands that Smriti Irani, Dattartreya and VC must resign immediately instead of crackdown on students," said Ritesh.
RSS had yesterday rejected allegations that some of its workers were involved in thrashing a group of student protesters along with police personnel outside its headquarters.
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Follow us on french president pardons woman convicted of killing abusive husband
Paris: French president Francois Hollande has pardoned a woman who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for killing her husband after decades of abuse.
The pardon granted by Hollande amounts to a reduction of Jacqueline Sauvage's sentence that will allow the 68-year-old to leave prison in mid-April, her lawyers said.
The rare gesture came amid growing public sympathy and just two days after the president met for the first time with Sauvage's three daughters and her lawyers on Friday.
In the face of an exceptional human situation, the president wanted to make it possible for (Jacqueline) Sauvage to return to her family as soon as possible, the presidency said in a statement.
Earlier, her sentence was upheld on appeal in December 2015 as the state rejected her plea of self-defence.
Sauvage was married for 47 years to Norbert Marot, a violent alcoholic who she said raped and beat her and her three daughters and also abused her son.
On September 10, 2012, the day after her son hanged himself, Sauvage shot her husband three times in the back with a rifle.
She was faulted for her passivity faced with the violence and incest carried out by her husband.
We were afraid of him, he terrified us, one of her daughters told the court.
Another of her daughters, raped at the age of 16, described her father's death as a relief.
Sauvage's case has cast a spotlight on the tricky and controversial legal argument known as battered woman syndrome.
The case drew a wave of support, from women's groups, politicians and sympathizers around France with a petition signed by tens of thousands.
Sauvage's case had become a cause celebre in France, with more than 400,000 people signing a petition demanding her release.
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Follow us on i have prepared an army that adores death masood azhar s threat to india
New Delhi: Pathankot attack mastermind and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief, Maulana Masood Azhar, has threatened strong retaliation if Pakistan takes action to shut down terror groups operating on its soil against India.
Azhar, charged by India with several major terrorist attacks including last month's Pathankot IAF base strike, has also warned the Pakistan leadership that its 'action against mosques, seminaries and jihad is dangerous for the integrity of country'.
"I have prepared an army that adores death. To uproot this army is not in the power of our enemies. God willing, this army will not let our enemies celebrate, nor occasion for anyone to miss my presence," Indian Express quoted Azhar in Peshawar-based jihadi magazine al-Qalam's issue dated January 26.
Azhar is known for his close ties with Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. India had earlier identified four handlers of Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM, who were in touch with the six terrorists who stormed the Pathankot airbase on January 2 in which seven military personnel were martyred and 22 were injured. Those identified by the Indian agencies are Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, Ashfaq Ahmed and Kashim Jaan.
Azhar, earlier reports had claimed, was taken to an undisclosed destination by Pakistani agencies and was questioned as part of a crackdown against the perpetrators of Pathankot attack. But later, reports surfaced that no action was taken against the militant and his group.
This is for the second time in last one month that Azhar has openly warned his 'enemies' that any action against the jihadis operating against India will have dangerous consequences.
Before this, Azhar had had written a piece under his pen name Saidi in the online version of al-Qalam's warning the Nawaz Sharif government that crackdown against JeM is 'very dangerous for this country'.
Notably, Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif had last week made a statement promising early action by Islamabad on the 'intelligence' provided by New Delhi. But reports yesterday mentioned that Pakistan government team investigating the matter has failed to make any headway and sought more proof from India.
Furthermore, Azhar in the magazine, slammed his country's leadership for engaging in talks with their Indian counterparts. Azhar's reaction is seen as a reply to Sharif remark that 'the two sides were going in the 'right direction' after PM Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's Pakistan visit and that attack in Pathankot stalled the dialogue'.
The new issue of the magazine also contains an article on the Pathankot strike by Naved Masood Hashmi, a cleric well known in jihadi circles for a 1998 biography of slain al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.
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Follow us on kabul suicide bombing stuns police base 10 killed
Kabul: A suicide car bomb rocked a police base in central Kabul today, leaving several bodies strewn around the area, officials said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid 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.
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Follow us on powerful blast reported at school building in sweden s karlstad
Stockholm: A powerful explosion has been reported at a secondary school building in the Swedish town of Karlstad, local media reported. The cause of the blast is not known yet.
There is currently no information to indicate that someone has been injured in the explosion, according to rescue services.
According to Expressen newspaper, fire broke out at the site of the blast following the explosion.
As per the report, police and fire-fighters had reached the scene, and emergency services officials said they were trying to ascertain what has exploded.
We are on site and are trying to ascertain what has exploded. Whatever it is, we do not know it yet, said Ola Akesson, head of rescue operations on standby at the Emergency Services in Karlstad.
There was a very loud bang. We thought it was a bomb, one of the teachers, who was in the staff room inside the building at the time of the incident, told the NWT newspaper.
Emergency services are in place with major resources following a powerful explosion at the Thingvellir gymnasium roof, police spokesperson Stefan Wickberg told local media, adding that eye-witnesses had reported seeing a "big column of smoke" rising after the explosion, though no injuries or damage had yet been confirmed.
A bang was heard in the inner city. The alarm was dialled in as it involved a building, Akesson told the paper.
Possibility of people being injured "cannot be ruled out", he said.
We do not know where the hit came from. It seems that it came from outdoors. Rescue Service has searched the premises and found nothing to suggest a bomb, said Tingvalla Gymnasiets principal Christine Holmberg.
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Follow us on tcs infosys wipro join obama s computer science for all plan
Washington:Three major Indian IT companies Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have joined US President Barack Obama's ambitious computer science for all initiative as part of a public-private collaboration, pledging over USD 3 million in grants.
Obama announced his 'Computer Sciences for All' plan in his weekly address yesterday as he emphasised on the need forteaching the subject as a "basic skill" to all children across schools in the country in a changing economy.
While Infosys has pledged a USD 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 yesterday.
"TCS offered micro grants of USD 3,000-5,000 to teachers in 27 US cities for formal training to teach Computer Science.
This will create a multiplier effect through a cadre of teachers who can teach CS courses," a TCS spokesperson said.
"We are delighted to partner with the White House and support President Obama's bold new initiative to empower American students with the computer science skills," the spokesperson said.
Wipro announced a USD 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 tocollaborate 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 USD 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 goalto 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.
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Follow us on ted cruz beats donald trump in republican iowa caucuses
DES MOINES, Iowa: Ted Cruz comes out on top in the leadoff Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa, pushing aside Donald Trump and emerging from the pack of candidates.
On Monday night, Cruz won with strong support from Iowa's influential evangelical community and conservative voters. Cruz is flying from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines to join those celebrating his win.
Cruz's victory in the first contest of the 2016 race comes just four years after he rode a tea party wave to win election to the Senate.
Cruz earned the support of around 28 percent of caucusgoers. Trump got about 24 percent of the vote whereas Marco Rubio got about 23 percent of the vote. Ben Carson and other candidates were far behind the top three.
Cruz said that his victory in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses is a victory for the grassroots and his triumph is part of a larger movement of conservatives against what he calls the 'Washington cartel'.
The first-term Texas senator said, "From day one, we built our campaign as a movement for Americans to organize and rally to band together against the disaster of the Washington cartel."
Meanwhile, Donald Trump said he's honored by what he's calling his second-place finish in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses.
Trump was speaking at an event with supporters after Cruz was declared the winner of the Monday night contest.
Trump said that when he started the campaign, he was advised not to compete in Iowa because he couldn't finish in the top 10. Trump said he felt he had to do it and wanted to give it a shot.
Trump, congratulating Cruz and the other candidates, said that he thinks he'll win the New Hampshire primary next week and that he will go on to be the GOP nominee and win the White House.
The race now moves to New Hampshire, where Trump has strong support among voters frustrated and angry with Washington.
Meanwhile, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said on Twitter he's ending his second run for president. Huckabee only received about 2 percent of votes with 85 percent of precincts reporting.
With AP Inputs
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Follow us on who declares global emergency over zika virus spread
Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a 'public health emergency of international concern' on Monday over the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas.
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.
The UN health agency yesterday convened an emergency meeting of independent experts in Geneva to assess the outbreak of the virus. The meeting was convened 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.
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 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 first identified in 1947
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."
With AP Inputs
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Follow us on after 29 years trial ex joint secretary sk bahadur convicted in da case
New Delhi: After a trial for 29 years, a special CBI court has convicted the then joint secretary in the Union Commerce Ministry for amassing assets of Rs 23.77 lakh disproportionate to known sources of his income.
CBI had registered the case against SK Bahadur nearly three decades ago in 1984 for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 46.24 lakh during 15 years of service between October 16, 1969, and December 4, 1984.
After the trial that ran for nearly 29 years and in which 55 witnesses were examined and 181 documents presented, Special Judge, Tis Hazari court, convicted Bahadur and sentenced him to one years' rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10 lakh and forfeiture of Rs 26.78 lakh recovered from the accused, CBI spokesperson R K Gaur said here today.
"The assets included a house at Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad, a plot in Sector 27, NOIDA (both assets in the name of his wife) and moveable properties. After investigation, a charge sheet was filed in the court on June 27, 1986 under the Prevention of Corruption Act," Gaur said.
Meanwhile, in a separate case in Chennai, the then Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise and Customs, Balaji Rao, and his son Arthanarishwar Rao have been convicted in a disproportionate assets case.
While Rao has been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of two years, his son will undergo one year's rigorous imprisonment. The total fine imposed amounts to Rs 75,000, Gaur said here in a statement.
"CBI had registered a case against M Balaji Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Customs, and his son on allegations that M Balaji Rao during the period January 1, 2002 to October 12, 2007 had acquired assets in his and in the name of his son, family members to the tune of Rs 26.54 lakh (approx) disproportionate to their known sources of income," the official said.
Follow us on kumar vishwas seeks apology over character assassination
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 today 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.
Follow us on mehbooba mufti talks tough wants confidence building measures from centre before govt formation
Jammu: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti today toughened her stand on the issue of continuing the party's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state, saying that the central government needed to undertake some confidence-building measures for the region before the formation of government in Jammu and Kashmir. She was speaking to journalists after meeting the state Governor N N Vohra over the formation of government in the state.
Before formation of new J&K government, I want the central government to take some confidence building measures for the region, Mehbooba Mufti said after the meeting.
J&K Governor Vohra had earlier written to both partners of the PDP-BJP alliance seeking a clarification on their stand on government formation in the state. Jammu and Kashmir has been under central rule following the death of Chief Minister and Mehbooba Mufti's father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. There has been uncertainty over the formation of government in the state ever since the former CM's demise on January 7.
Talking to reporters after meeting Vohra, Mehbooba said the state, which is different from others, needs a "good atmosphere, space and a fillip" if a new government is to be formed. She said her late father Mufti Sayeed, without bothering about his "political career", had aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the hope that the Centre will bring out the state from the difficult situation it is in.
"Jammu and Kashmir is a different state, there are different challenges. In Jammu and Kashmir, there are several forces which need to be tackled. We need the Centre to be fully with us," she said, without ealborating on the measures that she wants the Centre to take.
Though both the BJP and the PDP have maintained that they are committed to the vision for the state laid down in the form of the common minimum programme of the state government chalked out last year during government formation, there have been signs of a rift between the two parties, leading to uncertainty.
The PDP is said to be unhappy about fund flow from Delhi not turning up as promised. According to PDP sources, the party wants a written assurance from PM Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah on supporting PDP's stand on issues such as Article 370 and the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Speaking to reporters today, the PDP chief indicated that she wasn't too willing to take up the mantle as J&K chief minister either. I don't have that vision which Mufti sahab had, neither do I have the experience right now, Mehbooba Mufti said after meeting the Governor.
Prior to the meeting, BJP's three-member panel from its state's core group yesterday rushed to New Delhi and held consultations with central leadership before meeting the Governor to discuss government formation. The BJP is expected to put forth its views before the Governor when its representatives meet him later today over the formation of government in the state.
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(With PTI inputs)
Follow us on rajnath singh chairs meeting with muslim clerics over isis impact on indians
New Delhi: Amidst increasing attempts by ISIS to lure Indians into its fold, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today held a meeting with top Muslim clerics and sought their cooperation to check the growing tentacles of the dreaded group among Muslim youth.
The hour-long meeting, also attended by NSA Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry officials, apprised the Muslim clerics about activities of the Middle-East terrorist group and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold.
The Home Minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who offered all help to the government in this regard, official sources said.
The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to ISIS, the growth of ISIS influence in India's neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response.
Those who attended the meeting include Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti of Ajmer Sharif, Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi of Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Tauqeer Raza Khan, Rafiq Warshiq, Shia leader Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Qalbe Jawaid, Kamal Farooqi, Mushafa Faruqi besides others.
The need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed, especially in the area of information technology were also discussed threadbare.
In his remarks, the Home Minister said India's traditions and family values will overcome such nefarious designs of terrorist groups and that while the traction that ISIS has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant in comparison to other countries, there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner.
This was for the first time that the Home Minister had a meeting with Muslim clerics on the issue of ISIS.
Last fortnight, the Home Minister had a meeting with top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states and discussed steps to check the growing influence of ISIS among youngsters through social media and other sources.
Singh had reviewed the situation arising out of some Indian youths getting attracted towards ISIS on several occasions in the past and how to deal with the challenge.
The Home Minister had also said a large number of people and most Muslim organisations in India had come out against both ISIS and other forms of terrorism.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of whom six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq-Syria.
Among the 23 are two absconding members of the banned Indian Mujahideen who had gone from their hideouts in Pakistan.
The dead were identified as Athif Vaseem Mohammad (Adilabad, Telangana), Mohammad Umar Subhan (Bengaluru), Maulana Abdul Kadir Sultan Armar (Bhatkal, Karnataka), Saheem Farooque Tanki (Thane), Faiz Masood (Bengaluru) and Mohammad Sajid alias Bada Sajid (Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh).
Around 150 Indians are under surveillance for their alleged online links with ISIS.
As many as 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East.
Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youths from Kalyan near Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian.
Several Indians, who were trying to recruit youths into ISIS, were deported from friendly countries, including the UAE, recently.
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Dont Shoot the Messenger, Israel By BAN KI-MOON February 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " NYT " - 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. At the same time, thousands of Palestinian homes in the West Bank risk demolition because of obstacles that may be legal on paper but are discriminatory in practice. Palestinians especially young people are losing hope over what seems a harsh, humiliating and endless occupation. Israelis are also reeling from near-daily attacks and losing sight of the possibility of a comprehensive peace with the Palestinians. Along with the United States, the European Union and the Russian Federation, the United Nations is calling for substantial changes in policy to strengthen the economic, institutional and security pillars of the Palestinian Authority. We are engaging with Arab countries in the region to harness the support that both sides need to bring peace and security to Israelis and Palestinians alike. 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. Of course, a lasting agreement between Israel and Palestine will require difficult compromises by leaders and peoples on both sides. Israeli authorities need to unequivocally support the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian institutions. This requires significant shifts in policies toward the West Bank and Gaza, while safeguarding Israels legitimate security concerns.
Such steps can start with housing, water, energy, communications, agriculture and access to natural resources. Specifically, they should include immediate approval of master plans proposed by Palestinian communities in the Israeli-controlled Area C of the West Bank, which will enable investment and development. For their part, Palestinians must make political compromises to bring Gaza and the West Bank under a single, democratic governing authority according to principles laid down by their national umbrella organization, the Palestine Liberation Organization. This also means consistently and firmly denouncing terrorism and taking preventive action to end attacks on Israelis, including an immediate stop to Gaza tunnel construction. I will always stand up to those who challenge Israels right to exist, 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. And I am disturbed by statements from senior members of Israels government that the aim should be abandoned altogether. 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; and a corrosion of the moral foundation of Israeli and Palestinian societies, ever more inured to the pain of the other. 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 Israels closest friends, it cannot be sustainable to keep lashing out at every well-intentioned critic. Everyone is free to pick and choose what they like or dislike from speeches. But 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.
Moral Enhancement
By Julian Savulescu and Ingmar Persson February 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Philosophy Now " - For the vast majority of our 150,000 years or so on the planet, we lived in small, close-knit groups, working hard with primitive tools to scratch sufficient food and shelter from the land. Sometimes we competed with other small groups for limited resources. Thanks to evolution, we are supremely well adapted to that world, not only physically, but psychologically, socially and through our moral dispositions. But this is no longer the world in which we live. The rapid advances of science and technology have radically altered our circumstances over just a few centuries. The population has increased a thousand times since the agricultural revolution eight thousand years ago. Human societies consist of millions of people. Where our ancestors tools shaped the few acres on which they lived, the technologies we use today have effects across the world, and across time, with the hangovers of climate change and nuclear disaster stretching far into the future. The pace of scientific change is exponential. But has our moral psychology kept up? With great power comes great responsibility. However, evolutionary pressures have not developed for us a psychology that enables us to cope with the moral problems our new power creates. Our political and economic systems only exacerbate this. Industrialisation and mechanisation have enabled us to exploit natural resources so efficiently that we have over-stressed two-thirds of the most important eco-systems. A basic fact about the human condition is that it is easier for us to harm each other than to benefit each other. It is easier for us to kill than it is for us to save a life; easier to injure than to cure. Scientific developments have enhanced our capacity to benefit, but they have enhanced our ability to harm still further. As a result, our power to harm is overwhelming. We are capable of forever putting an end to all higher life on this planet. Our success in learning to manipulate the world around us has left us facing two major threats: climate change along with the attendant problems caused by increasingly scarce natural resources and war, using immensely powerful weapons. What is to be done to counter these threats? Our Natural Moral Psychology Our sense of morality developed around the imbalance between our capacities to harm and to benefit on the small scale, in groups the size of a small village or a nomadic tribe no bigger than a hundred and fifty or so people. To take the most basic example, we naturally feel bad when we cause harm to others within our social groups. And commonsense morality links responsibility directly to causation: the more we feel we caused an outcome, the more we feel responsible for it. So causing a harm feels worse than neglecting to create a benefit. The set of rights that we have developed from this basic rule includes rights not to be harmed, but not rights to receive benefits. And we typically extend these rights only to our small group of family and close acquaintances. When we lived in small groups, these rights were sufficient to prevent us harming one another. But in the age of the global society and of weapons with global reach, they cannot protect us well enough. There are three other aspects of our evolved psychology which have similarly emerged from the imbalance between the ease of harming and the difficulty of benefiting, and which likewise have been protective in the past, but leave us open now to unprecedented risk: 1. Our vulnerability to harm has left us loss-averse, preferring to protect against losses than to seek benefits of a similar level. 2. We naturally focus on the immediate future, and on our immediate circle of friends. We discount the distant future in making judgements, and can only empathise with a few individuals based on their proximity or similarity to us, rather than, say, on the basis of their situations. So our ability to cooperate, applying our notions of fairness and justice, is limited to our circle, a small circle of family and friends. Strangers, or out-group members, in contrast, are generally mistrusted, their tragedies downplayed, and their offences magnified. 3. We feel responsible if we have individually caused a bad outcome, but less responsible if we are part of a large group causing the same outcome and our own actions cant be singled out. Case Study: Climate Change and the Tragedy of the Commons There is a well-known cooperation or coordination problem called the tragedy of the commons. In its original terms, it asks whether a group of village herdsmen sharing common pasture can trust each other to the extent that it will be rational for each of them to reduce the grazing of their own cattle when necessary to prevent over-grazing. One herdsman alone cannot achieve the necessary saving if the others continue to over-exploit the resource. If they simply use up the resource he has saved, he has lost his own chance to graze but has gained no long term security, so it is not rational for him to self-sacrifice. It is rational for an individual to reduce his own herds grazing only if he can trust a sufficient number of other herdsmen to do the same. Consequently, if the herdsmen do not trust each other, most of them will fail to reduce their grazing, with the result that they will all starve. The tragedy of the commons can serve as a simplified small-scale model of our current environmental problems, which are caused by billions of polluters, each of whom contributes some individually-undetectable amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, in such a model, the larger the number of participants the more inevitable the tragedy, since the larger the group, the less concern and trust the participants have for one another. Also, it is harder to detect free-riders in a larger group, and humans are prone to free ride, benefiting from the sacrifice of others while refusing to sacrifice themselves. Moreover, individual damage is likely to become imperceptible, preventing effective shaming mechanisms and reducing individual guilt. Anthropogenic climate change and environmental destruction have additional complicating factors. Although there is a large body of scientific work showing that the human emission of greenhouse gases contributes to global climate change, it is still possible to entertain doubts about the exact scale of the effects we are causing for example, whether our actions will make the global temperature increase by 2C or whether it will go higher, even to 4C and how harmful such a climate change will be. In addition, our bias towards the near future leaves us less able to adequately appreciate the graver effects of our actions, as they will occur in the more remote future. The damage were responsible for today will probably not begin to bite until the end of the present century. We will not benefit from even drastic action now, and nor will our children. Similarly, although the affluent countries are responsible for the greatest emissions, it is in general destitute countries in the South that will suffer most from their harmful effects (although Australia and the south-west of the United States will also have their fair share of droughts). Our limited and parochial altruism is not strong enough to provide a reason for us to give up our consumerist life-styles for the sake of our distant descendants, or our distant contemporaries in far-away places. Given the psychological obstacles preventing us from voluntarily dealing with climate change, effective changes would need to be enforced by legislation. However, politicians in democracies are unlikely to propose such legislation. Effective measures will need to be tough, and so are unlikely to win a political leader a second term in office. Can voters be persuaded to sacrifice their own comfort and convenience to protect the interests of people who are not even born yet, or to protect species of animals they have never even heard of? Will democracy ever be able to free itself from powerful industrial interests? Democracy is likely to fail. Developed countries have the technology and wealth to deal with climate change, but we do not have the political will. If we keep believing that responsibility is directly linked to causation, that we are more responsible for the results of our actions than the results of our omissions, and that if we share responsibility for an outcome with others our individual responsibility is lowered or removed, then we will not be able to solve modern problems like climate change, where each persons actions contribute imperceptibly but inevitably. If we reject these beliefs, we will see that we in the rich, developed countries are more responsible for the misery occurring in destitute, developing countries than we are spontaneously inclined to think. But will our attitudes change? Moral Bioenhancement Our moral shortcomings are preventing our political institutions from acting effectively. Enhancing our moral motivation would enable us to act better for distant people, future generations, and non-human animals. One method to achieve this enhancement is already practised in all societies: moral education. Al Gore, Friends of the Earth and Oxfam have already had success with campaigns vividly representing the problems our selfish actions are creating for others others around the world and in the future. But there is another possibility emerging. Our knowledge of human biology in particular of genetics and neurobiology is beginning to enable us to directly affect the biological or physiological bases of human motivation, either through drugs, or through genetic selection or engineering, or by using external devices that affect the brain or the learning process. We could use these techniques to overcome the moral and psychological shortcomings that imperil the human species. We are at the early stages of such research, but there are few cogent philosophical or moral objections to the use of specifically biomedical moral enhancement or moral bioenhancement. In fact, the risks we face are so serious that it is imperative we explore every possibility of developing moral bioenhancement technologies not to replace traditional moral education, but to complement it. We simply cant afford to miss opportunities. We have provided ourselves with the tools to end worthwhile life on Earth forever. Nuclear war, with the weapons already in existence today could achieve this alone. If we must possess such a formidable power, it should be entrusted only to those who are both morally enlightened and adequately informed. Objection 1: Too Little, Too Late? We already have the weapons, and we are already on the path to disastrous climate change, so perhaps there is not enough time for this enhancement to take place. Moral educators have existed within societies across the world for thousands of years Buddha, Confucius and Socrates, to name only three yet we still lack the basic ethical skills we need to ensure our own survival is not jeopardised. As for moral bioenhancement, it remains a field in its infancy. We do not dispute this. The relevant research is in its inception, and there is no guarantee that it will deliver in time, or at all. Our claim is merely that the requisite moral enhancement is theoretically possible in other words, that we are not biologically or genetically doomed to cause our own destruction and that we should do what we can to achieve it. Objection 2: The Bootstrapping Problem We face an uncomfortable dilemma as we seek out and implement such enhancements: they will have to be developed and selected by the very people who are in need of them, and as with all science, moral bioenhancement technologies will be open to abuse, misuse or even a simple lack of funding or resources. The risks of misapplying any powerful technology are serious. Good moral reasoning was often overruled in small communities with simple technology, but now failure of morality to guide us could have cataclysmic consequences. A turning point was reached at the middle of the last century with the invention of the atomic bomb. For the first time, continued technological progress was no longer clearly to the overall advantage of humanity. That is not to say we should therefore halt all scientific endeavour. It is possible for humankind to improve morally to the extent that we can use our new and overwhelming powers of action for the better. The very progress of science and technology increases this possibility by promising to supply new instruments of moral enhancement, which could be applied alongside traditional moral education. Objection 3: Liberal Democracy a Panacea? In recent years we have put a lot of faith in the power of democracy. Some have even argued that democracy will bring an end to history, in the sense that it will end social and political development by reaching its summit. Surely democratic decision-making, drawing on the best available scientific evidence, will enable government action to avoid the looming threats to our future, without any need for moral enhancement? In fact, as things stand today, it seems more likely that democracy will bring history to an end in a different sense: through a failure to mitigate human-induced climate change and environmental degradation. This prospect is bad enough, but increasing scarcity of natural resources brings an increased risk of wars, which, with our weapons of mass destruction, makes complete destruction only too plausible. Sometimes an appeal is made to the so-called jury theorem to support the prospect of democracy reaching the right decisions: even if voters are on average only slightly more likely to get a choice right than wrong suppose they are right 51% of the time then, where there is a sufficiently large numbers of voters, a majority of the voters (ie, 51%) is almost certain to make the right choice. However, if the evolutionary biases we have already mentioned our parochial altruism and bias towards the near future influence our attitudes to climatic and environmental policies, then there is good reason to believe that voters are more likely to get it wrong than right. The jury theorem then means its almost certain that a majority will opt for the wrong policies! Nor should we take it for granted that the right climatic and environmental policy will always appear in manifestoes. Powerful business interests and mass media control might block effective environmental policy in a market economy. Conclusion Modern technology provides us with many means to cause our downfall, and our natural moral psychology does not provide us with the means to prevent it. The moral enhancement of humankind is necessary for there to be a way out of this predicament. If we are to avoid catastrophe by misguided employment of our power, we need to be morally motivated to a higher degree (as well as adequately informed about relevant facts). A stronger focus on moral education could go some way to achieving this, but as already remarked, this method has had only modest success during the last couple of millennia. Our growing knowledge of biology, especially genetics and neurobiology, could deliver additional moral enhancement, such as drugs or genetic modifications, or devices to augment moral education. The development and application of such techniques is risky it is after all humans in their current morally-inept state who must apply them but we think that our present situation is so desperate that this course of action must be investigated. We have radically transformed our social and natural environments by technology, while our moral dispositions have remained virtually unchanged. We must now consider applying technology to our own nature, supporting our efforts to cope with the external environment that we have created. Biomedical means of moral enhancement may turn out to be no more effective than traditional means of moral education or social reform, but they should not be rejected out of hand. Advances are already being made in this area. However, it is too early to predict how, or even if, any moral bioenhancement scheme will be achieved. Our ambition is not to launch a definitive and detailed solution to climate change or other mega-problems. Perhaps there is no realistic solution. Our ambition at this point is simply to put moral enhancement in general, and moral bioenhancement in particular, on the table. Last century we spent vast amounts of resources increasing our ability to cause great harm. It would be sad if, in this century, we reject opportunities to increase our capacity to create benefits, or at least to prevent such harm. Julian Savulescu is a Professor of Philosophy at Oxford University and Ingmar Persson is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Gothenburg. This article is drawn from their book Unfit for the Future: The Urgent Need for Moral Enhancement , which will be published in July by Oxford University Press. Prof. Julian Savulescu and Prof. Ingmar Persson 2012 Philosophy Now 2016. All rights reserved
Pity the Children By Chris Hedges February 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Truth Dig " - Larrynot his real nameis 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 povertys disintegration of families, as mass incarceration and indiscriminate police violence continue to have a catastrophic impact on communities, Larrys 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 whore that introduced him to coke. It was a lifestyle he was unfamiliar with, but cocaine didnt 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 wasnt 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 stopany day nowbut 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 worlds prison population. We have scaled back or cut social services, including welfare. Our infrastructuresincluding our inner-city schools, little more than warehousesare 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 Athenshimself raised in a violent householdhas 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. Killers have reasons, however twisted, for killing that they believe to be significant, not trivial, or senseless, Athens says. Physical abuse, he writes, often causes central nervous system damage, thus contributing to impulsivity, attention disorders and learning disabilities it provides a model with which to identify. Finally, it engenders rage toward the abusing parent, rage that can then be displaced onto authority figures and other individuals, against whom the child may vent this anger. The basic assumption behind my theory, Athens writes in Violent Criminal Acts and Actors Revisited, is that crime is a product of social retardation. Social retardation exists when people guide their actions toward themselves and others from the standpoint of an underdeveloped, primitive phantom community, an us that hinders them from cooperating in the ongoing social activities of their corporal community or the larger society in which it is embedded. In past societies, such as medieval Europewhere corporal punishment, especially of children, was widespread, along with domestic violence, sexual abuse, public floggings and executionsthere was a corresponding higher rate of violent crime. In 13th-century England, Rhodes points out in his book on Lonnie Athens, the national homicide rate was around 18 to 23 per 100,000. The United States has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000. But when you look at impoverished inner cities you find homicide rates that are astronomical. St. Louis has a homicide rate of 59.23 per 100,000, Baltimore 54.98 per 100,000, and Detroit 43.89 per 100,000. Some impoverished neighborhoods within American cities have even higher homicide rates. West Garfield Park in Chicago, for example, with 18,000 people, had 21 murders last year. This gives the neighborhood a homicide rate of 116 per 100,000 people. The countrys 10 largest cities have seen murder rates climb by 11.3 percent in the last year. No night class in marital counselingDavid Brooks and the capitalist elites ridiculous response to social and economic disintegrationis going to help. These crimes are the crimes of neoliberalism, which, in the name of profit, has abandoned poor children in cities like Flint, Mich., where it forced them to drink poisoned water, and Baltimore and St. Louis. The idea that the elites are going to teach virtue to those they have oppressed is another example of how woefully out of touch our ruling classesconsumed by greed, hedonism and corruptionhave become. Give the poor a chance economically by providing jobs, integrate them into the social order, provide vigorous protection and quality education for children, make possible a life of dignity for families, secure neighborhoods, end mass incarceration. If those things are done, violent crime and drug addiction will dissipate. If we continue down the road of neoliberalism and austerity, violent crime and drug addictionthe way many of the broken cope with the stress, humiliation and despair of povertywill grow. To understand the roots of violent crime is not to condone it. If we continue to ignore its causes, if we turn our backs as our children are brutalized, we perpetuate a world of misery for the young and create a world of misery for ourselves. Violentization, as Athens points out, is a developmental process. And, as Rhodes writes, Violent people come to their violence by the same universal processes of soliloquy and dramatic self-change that carry the rest of us to conformity, pacifism, greatness, eccentricity or sainthoodand bear equal responsibility for their choices. I am very ashamed of the man I am today, Larry said. I never thought this would be my life. I have tried to talk to God, but Im not sure if he hears me or even wants to. I dont necessarily blame him, but I do feel alone. 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. 2016 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Emperor Has No Clothes:
The West Bank, Settlements and the Two State Solution By Miko Peled February 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " American Herald Tribune " - Sadly, over the last seventy years Israel has had many successes at the expense of the Palestinian people. But the one success that is the most remarkable is getting Palestinians and the world to buy into the notion that the occupation of Palestine began in 1967, and that therefore, the solution to the Palestinian question is what is known as the two State Solution. This is a manipulation of reality that would make any magician proud. It has become completely acceptable to disregard the fact that the vast majority of Palestine has been occupied since 1948. Mentioning the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the eradication of Palestinian towns and villages, mosques and churches, schools and homes is now considered radical. Forty-nine years of occupation is the claim one hears over and over again, the fiftieth anniversary of the occupation is upon us, people say, and hard as I try, when I add forty-nine to the year 1948 I do not come up with 2016, but rather 1997. There is almost complete disregard by the international community for the crimes committed by the Zionists between 1948 and 1967. The erasure of the fact that these were years marked by dispossession, massacres, and unspeakable abuse of human rights by Israel, is a truly impressive magic trick. Two small areas within Palestine that were drawn by Israel and left out of the boundaries of Israel in 1948, i.e. the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, have become recognized as Palestine. But that is not all. Not a single inch of the West Bank or the Gaza Strip is under Palestinian sovereignty. All of the Palestine, from the River to the Sea is controlled by Israel. So when European countries recognize Palestine they too are behaving like fools in a magic show, happy to be part of the illusion of some great master of deceit. And indeed, as the world is led by the nose, fooled by the illusion of a Palestine that exists, Israel, the master of deceit, continues to shrink what little is left of Palestinian life and no one stands up to admit that the emperor has no clothes! There is no Palestinian state, there is no Two State Solution, there is no West Bank, and there is not a single inch of Palestinian sovereignty anywhere in Palestine. OPT has become a rather well known acronym, used to describe the Occupied Palestinian Territories. But when we ask people to see those territories on a map, all we see is what used to be the West Bank, an area that Israel created in 1948 and then eliminated in 1967, and the Gaza Strip which exists only as a concentration camp in which Israel is allowed to commit genocide, as the world looks the other away and pretends not to see. This begs the following questions: If the OPT are limited to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip then where are the Un-occupied Palestinian territories? Are there Palestinian territories that are not occupied? If such territories do exist, can someone please point them out on a map? Because every map I look at and every inch of Palestine that I visit is occupied. Another term that is used a great deal in connection to Palestine is settlements. Sometimes they are called, illegal settlements. Both refer largely to the Israeli colonies built in the West Bank. There is talk of settlement expansion, settlement blocks, etc. Again, this begs a question: what is the difference between the Jewish settlements in those areas and the ones built in Al-Jaleel or the Naqqab? What about the settlements built around Jerusalem or the one near Yaffa known as Tel-Aviv? Israelis who live on Palestinian land that was stolen in 1948 like to see themselves as authentic Israelis, good liberal minded people and God forbid they are not settlers. Settlers are those other Israelis who live on lands that were stolen from Palestinians in 1967. But what is the difference? All of Palestine was stolen by force, and with very few exceptions, all Israeli cities and towns, villages and farms were built on land that was stolen, which makes them all illegal settlements. Once again the master of deceit is leading us all by the nose to see the world as Israel wants us to see it and there is no one to cry out: the emperor has NO clothes! Between 1948-1967 Israel gained legitimacy by committing horrendous crimes and creating what they call facts on the ground. The 1967 conquest of the West Bank and Gaza, in which Israel completed the occupation of Palestine, shifted the focus from the territories Israel occupied in 1948 to the newly occupied territories. Now, for the past five decades Israel has been creating facts on the ground in those areas, which are now known as Judea and Smaria. But every magician, every thief and certainly a master of deceit of such proportions has to have accomplices. Few people can actually claim not to know what Israel is doing. The international diplomatic corps is fully aware of what takes place in Palestine. The CIA and the US State Department are fully aware of every trick and every crime committed by Israel. Each and every US administration as well as the European governments has been complicit in the crimes committed by Israel. However, it is time for the rest of the world to wake up and end the illusion. The illusion that Israel has legitimacy, the illusion that Israel is somehow the answer to the holocaust and to anti-Semitism, and the illusion that some parts of Palestine are occupied while others are not. Its time to call out loud and clear that all Israeli settlements everywhere are illegal and just as in the tale The Emperors New Clothes, the emperor had no clothes, Israel too has no legitimacy. Miko Peled is an Israeli writer and activist living in the US. He was born and raised in Jerusalem. His father was the late Israeli General Matti Peled. Driven by a personal family tragedy to explore Palestine, its people and their narrative. He has written a book about his journey from the sphere of the privileged Israeli to that of the oppressed Palestinians. His book is titled The Generals Son, Journey of an Israeli in Palestine. Peled speaks nationally and internationally on the issue of Palestine. Peled supports the creation of a single democratic state in all of Palestine, he is also a firm supporter of BDS.
Western Aggression: The Highest Form of Terrorism By Edward S. Herman February 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Aggression is arguably the highest form of terrorism as it invariably includes the frightening of the target populations and their leaders as well as killing and destruction on a large scale.. The U.S. invaders of Iraq in 2003 proudly announced a shock and awe purpose in their opening assault, clearly designed to instill fear; that is, to terrorize the victim population along with the target security forces. And millions of Iraqis suffered in this massive enterprise. Benjamin Netanyahu himself defined terrorism as the deliberate and systematic murder, maiming and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends. This would seem to make both the Iraq war (2003 onward) and the serial Israeli wars on Gaza (2008-2009; 2012; 2014) cases of serious terrorism. How do the responsible U.S. and Israeli leaders escape this designation? One trick is the disclaiming of any deliberateness in the killing of civilians. It is collateral damage in the pursuit of proper targets (Iraqi soldiers, Hamas, etc.). .This is a factual lie, as there is overwhelming evidence that in both the Iraq and Gaza wars the killing of civilians was on a large scale and often not comprehensible in terms of genuine military objectives. (I give many illustrations in They kill reporters, dont they? Yes--as Part of a System of Information Control That Will Allow the Mass Killing of Civilians, Z Magazine, December 2004. That this goes back a long way is well documented in Nick Turses Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam [Metropolitan, 2014]). But even if the killings were only collateral damage, the regular failure to avoid killing civilians, including a built-in carelessness and/or reliance on undependable sources of information, is both a war crime and terrorism. Recall that the Geneva Conventions state that combatants "shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and, accordingly, shall direct their operations only against military objectives" (Part IV, Chap. 1, Article 48). Also, if civilian casualties are extremely likely in bombing attacks against purported military targets, even if the specific civilians killed were not intended victims, their deathssome deathswere predictable, hence in an important sense deliberate. Michael Mandel, while dismantling the claim of non-deliberateness in the usual collateral damage killing of civilians, points out that even in Texas a man who shoots someone dead while aiming at somebody else is guilty of murder (How America Gets Away With Murder [Pluto, 2004, 46-56]). A second line of defense of U.S. and Israeli killing of civilians, only occasionally made explicit, is that the civilians killed are helping out the enemy armed forces--they are the sea in which the terrorist fish swim---so this makes them legitimate targets. This opens up vast possibilities for ruthless attacks and the mass killing of civilians, notorious in the Vietnam war, but also applicable in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza. Civilian killings are sometimes admitted to be an objective by official sources, but not often, and the subject is not focused on by the mainstream media. This rationale may placate the home population but it does not satisfy international law or widely held moral rules., The same is true of the retaliation defense. The United States and Israel are always allegedly retaliating for prior aggressive acts of their targets. Deadly actions by the target military or their supporters, even if they clearly follow some deadly action by the United States or Israel, are never deemed retaliatory and thus justifiable. It has long been a claimed feature of the Israeli ethnic cleansing project that Israel only retaliates, the Palestinians provoke and virtually compel an Israeli response. In fact, the Israelis have long taken advantage of this bias in Western reporting at strategic moments by attacking just enough to induce a Palestinian response, that justifies a larger scale retaliatory action by Israel. Of course all of these tricks work only because an array of Western institutions, including but not confined to the media, follow the demands of Western (and mainly U.S.) interests. For example, although the Nuremberg judgment against the Nazis features aggression as the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole, because the United States is virtually in the full-time business of committing aggression (attacking across borders without Security Council approval), the UN and international community (i.e., Western and even many non-Western leaders, not publics) do nothing when the United States engages in aggression. The brazen 2003 invasion of Iraq called forth no UN condemnation or sanctions against the U.S.aggression, and the UN quickly began to cooperate with the invader-occupiers. The word aggression is rarely applied to that massive and hugely destructive attack either in the media or learned discourse, but it is applied with regularity to the Russian occupation of Crimea which entailed no casualties and could be regarded as a defensive response to the U.S.-sponsored February 2014 coup detat in Ukraine. The U.S. invasion of Iraq was surely not defensive, and was rationalized at the time on the basis of what were eventually acknowleged to be plain lies. (For an exception to the establishments villainization of Russia in the Ukraine conflict, see John Mearsheimer, The Ukraine Crisis is the Wests Fault, Foreign Affairs, Sept.-Oct. 2014) Perhaps the most murderous aggression and ultra-terrorism of the last 40 years, involving millions of civilian deaths, has been the Rwanda-Uganda invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), beginning in 1996 and still ongoing. But the invasions leaders, Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni, were (and still are) U.S. clients, hence they have been subject to no international tribunal nor threat from the Security Council or International Criminal Court, and there has been no media featuring of the vast crimes carried out in this area. You have to be a U.S. target to get that kind of attention, as with Iran, Syria and Russia. These rules also apply to the major human rights groups. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have a rule that they will not focus on the origins of a conflict but will attend only to how the conflict is carried out. This is wonderfully convenient to a country that commits aggression on a regular basis, but it flies in the face of logic or the UN Charters foundational idea that aggression is the supreme international crime that the world must prevent and punish Thus, neither HRW nor AI condemned the United States for invading Iraq or bombing Serbia, but confined their attention to the war crimes of both the aggressor and target, but mainly the target. HRW is especially notorious for its huge bias in featuring the war crimes of U.S. targets, underplaying the criminality of the aggressor, and calling for international action against the victim (see Herman, Peterson and Szamuely, Human Rights Watch in the Service of the War Party, Electric Politics, February 26, 2007.). During the period leading up to the U.S.-UK attack on Iraq, HRW head Kenneth Roth had an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal entitled Indict Saddam (March 22, 2002). Thus beyond failing to oppose the imminent war of aggression, this human rights group leader was providing a public relations cover for the supreme international crime. His organization also failed to report on and condemn the sanctions of mass destruction against Iraq that had devastating health effects on Iraqi civilians, accounting for hundreds of thousands of deaths. For HRW these were unworthy victims. In the case of the Rwandan Patriotic Fronts invasion and massacres of 1990-1994, HRW and its associates (notably Alison Des Forges) played an important role in focusing on and condemning the defensive responses of the Rwanda government to the military and subversive advances of the U.S.-supported invading army of Tutsi from Uganda, thereby making a positive contribution to the mass killings in Rwanda and later in the DRC. (See Herman and Peterson, Enduring Lies: The Rwandan Genocide in the Propaganda System, 20 Years Later [Real News Books, 2014], 66-70.) Similarly the ad hoc international tribunals established in the last several decades have always been designed to exclude aggression and to focus on war crimes and genocide. And they are directed at U.S. targets (Serbia, the Hutu of Rwanda) whol are actually the victims of aggression, who are then subjected to a quasi-judicial process that is fraudulent and a perversion of justice. (On the Yugoslavia tribunal, see John Laughland, Travesty [Pluto, 2007; on Rwanda, Sebastien Chartrand and John Philpot, Justice Belied: The Unbalanced Scale of International Criminal Justice.[Baraka Books, 2014]). The International Criminal Court (ICC) was also organized with aggression excluded from its remit, in deference to the demands of the Great Aggressor, who still refused to join because there remained the theoretical possibility that a U.S. citizen might be brought before the court! The ICC still made itself useful to the Great Aggressor by indicting Gadaffi in preparation for the U.S.-NATO war of aggression against Libya. In short, terrorism thrives. That is, state terrorism, as in the serial U.S. warsdirect, joint and proxy-- against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya and Syriaand the still more wide-ranging drone assassination attacks. In the devastating wars in the DRC by Kagame and Museveni. And in Israels wars on Gaza and Lebanon and ordinary pacification efforts in Gaza and the West Bank. And in Saudi Arabias war on Yemen and Turkeys proxy war in Syria and war against the Kurds. All of these wars have evoked mainly retail terrorist responses to the invading, bombing, and occupying forces of the United States and its allies, responses that have been shocking and deadly, but on a much smaller scale than the state terrorism that has evoked them. But in the Western propaganda systems it is only the responsive terrorism that surprises and angers politicians, pundits and the public and is called terrorism. There is no recognition of the true flow of initiating violence and response, no recognition of the fact that the global war on terrorism is really a global war OF terrorism. The propaganda system is in fact a constituent of the permanent war system, hence a reliable supporter of wholesale terrorism. Edward S. Herman (born April 7, 1925) is professor emeritus of finance at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania and a media analyst with a specialty in corporate and regulatory issues as well as political economy. He also teaches at Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He is perhaps best known for developing the propaganda model of media criticism with Noam Chomsky
Proctor had found that the cigarette industry did not want consumers to know the harms of its product, and it spent billions obscuring the facts of the health effects of smoking. This search led him to create a word for the study of deliberate propagation of ignorance: agnotology. It comes from agnosis, the neoclassical Greek word for ignorance or not knowing, and ontology, the branch of metaphysics which deals with the nature of being. Agnotology is the study of wilful acts to spread confusion and deceit, usually to sell a product or win favour. I was exploring how powerful industries could promote ignorance to sell their wares. Ignorance is power and agnotology is about the deliberate creation of ignorance. In looking into agnotology, I discovered the secret world of classified science, and thought historians should be giving this more attention. The 1969 memo and the tactics used by the tobacco industry became the perfect example of agnotology, Proctor says. Ignorance is not just the not-yet-known, its also a political ploy, a deliberate creation by powerful agents who want you not to know. To help him in his search, Proctor enlisted the help of UC Berkeley linguist Iain Boal, and together they came up with the term the neologism was coined in 1995, although much of Proctors analysis of the phenomenon had occurred in the previous decades. Balancing act Agnotology is as important today as it was back when Proctor studied the tobacco industrys obfuscation of facts about cancer and smoking. For example, politically motivated doubt was sown over US President Barack Obamas nationality for many months by opponents until he revealed his birth certificate in 2011. In another case, some political commentators in Australia attempted to stoke panic by likening the countrys credit rating to that of Greece, despite readily available public information from ratings agencies showing the two economies are very different. Proctor explains that ignorance can often be propagated under the guise of balanced debate. For example, the common idea that there will always be two opposing views does not always result in a rational conclusion. This was behind how tobacco firms used science to make their products look harmless, and is used today by climate change deniers to argue against the scientific evidence. This balance routine has allowed the cigarette men, or climate deniers today, to claim that there are two sides to every story, that experts disagree creating a false picture of the truth, hence ignorance. For example, says Proctor, many of the studies linking carcinogens in tobacco were conducted in mice initially, and the tobacco industry responded by saying that studies into mice did not mean that people were at risk, despite adverse health outcomes in many smokers. A new era of ignorance We live in a world of radical ignorance, and the marvel is that any kind of truth cuts through the noise, says Proctor. Even though knowledge is accessible, it does not mean it is accessed, he warns. Although for most things this is trivial like, for example, the boiling point of mercury but for bigger questions of political and philosophical import, the knowledge people have often comes from faith or tradition, or propaganda, more than anywhere else. Proctor found that ignorance spreads when firstly, many people do not understand a concept or fact and secondly, when special interest groups like a commercial firm or a political group then work hard to create confusion about an issue. In the case of ignorance about tobacco and climate change, a scientifically illiterate society will probably be more susceptible to the tactics used by those wishing to confuse and cloud the truth. Consider climate change as an example. The fight is not just over the existence of climate change, its over whether God has created the Earth for us to exploit, whether government has the right to regulate industry, whether environmentalists should be empowered, and so on. Its not just about the facts, its about what is imagined to flow from and into such facts, says Proctor. Making up our own minds Another academic studying ignorance is David Dunning, from Cornell University. Dunning warns that the internet is helping propagate ignorance it is a place where everyone has a chance to be their own expert, he says, which makes them prey for powerful interests wishing to deliberately spread ignorance. "While some smart people will profit from all the information now just a click away, many will be misled into a false sense of expertise. My worry is not that we are losing the ability to make up our own minds, but that its becoming too easy to do so. We should consult with others much more than we imagine. Other people may be imperfect as well, but often their opinions go a long way toward correcting our own imperfections, as our own imperfect expertise helps to correct their errors, warns Dunning. Dunning and Proctor also warn that the wilful spread of ignorance is rampant throughout the US presidential primaries on both sides of the political spectrum. Donald Trump is the obvious current example in the US, suggesting easy solutions to followers that are either unworkable or unconstitutional, says Dunning. So while agnotology may have had its origins in the heyday of the tobacco industry, today the need for both a word and the study of human ignorance is as strong as ever.
President Muhammadu Buharis frequent oversea trips have been described by some Nigerians espcially the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as mere jamborees. However, the senior special assistant to Buhari on media and publicity, Garba Shehu came up to clear the air saying that the foreign trips were necessitated by the presidents desire to block and recover funds looted out of Nigeria but Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State disagreed. On Tuesday, Fayose advised President Muhammadu Buhari to stay at home and govern the country instead of flying from one country to another. INFORMATION NIGERIA has compiled the points put forward by Fayose to support his argument
Fayose said conservatively, about $1 million goes into every of the foreign trips and the way the President is going, foreign trips alone might gulp 20 percent of the Federal Government budget and that will be disastrous for the dwindling economy of the country.
The Governor added that it was even more worrisome that while the economy is already in shamble and insecurity pervades the land with Boko Haram burning Nigerians, including children alive in the North East, the President is busy globetrotting.
Fayose pointed out that foreign countries wont solve Nigerias problems, therefore it was better for Buhari to remain in Nigeria and deal with issues plaguing us.
He said that from available records, in June 2015 alone, the President traveled to Niger Republic, Chad, Germany and South Africa. Also in 2015, the President travelled to United States of America in July, Benin Republic in August, Ghana and France in September, India in October, Iran, France and United States of America in November and in December, he traveled to South Africa, Benin Republic, and in 2016 , President Buhari has travelled to the United Arab Emirate, Kenya, Ethiopia and he is leaving for France and United Kingdom today to spend four days abroad. He said most of these trips cost about $500,000.
He noted that two months out of his eight months as President of Nigeria, have been spent outside the country, stressing that a country like Nigeria can not progress with its president spending the better part of his time abroad.
Do you agree with fayose???
Salihu Isa Nataro, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in an interview over the weekend in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, 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. 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. When Information Nigeria threw this question to Nigerians, here is what some of them had to say
Adokiye Blakk, believes it is too early for the APC to be talking about succession, when Buhari is still yet to fulfill his campaign promises, in his words l
Another reactor, Chuks Chuks agreed with Adokiye Blakk saying
Another person who reacted to the question was neither against or for. He said only better performance from Buhari and Osinbajo will bring them back in 2019 should they decide to seek re-election, he added that We dont need paper speech now. We need job, money in circulation, food on our table etc.Therefore better performance will translate from- Vice President to President. Without that it is a dream that can never be acheived. Sit down now and work. God bless!!!.
Rilwan Sani who also responded, was in support of Buhari for second term. He said
Rotimi Ogunkoya, was of thesame thought as Rilwan as he expressed his believe that Buhari can clean up the mess in Nigeria. He supported his opinion with a prayer saying
Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka and founder of the Adoration Ministries Enugu (AMEN) has disclosed that he didnt collect any money from President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to Aso Rock in December.
When eventually I met Buhari when I went for prayers at Aso Rock, what I demanded from him was good governance for Nigeria. I didnt ask him to give me one kobo. One kobo of Buhari has never entered my hand, the priest told reporters.
Mbaka visited Aso Rock on December 18, when Buhari described his exhortations one of the best in the country.
In the run up to the 2015 presidential election, Mbaka told his teeming followers that erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan would not be re-elected because of pervading corruption and insecurity in the land.
He was recently transferred from Christ The King Parish to Our Lady Parish in Emene, a suburb of Enugu, leading to insinuations that his transfer was punittive.
The Chairman and Chief Executive of The Bazaar Limited, a growing player in the retail outlet and food chain business in Nigeria, Mr. Rajesh Mehta, has commended Sterling Bank Plc for its contribution to the economic growth of the country through the provision of adequate capital for its customers across the value chain in all the sectors of the economy.
Mr. Mehta who made this remark at the opening of The Bazaar Retail Store outlet in Ogba at the weekend, indicated that the provision of capital and other advisory services by the Bank has boosted the growth of his business.
His words: Sterling Bank is indeed a bank of choice. We have been banking with the Bank for the past 20 years. We started with one of its legacy institutions- Magnum Trust Bank and we have come this far because of the quality of banking services we enjoy from the Bank. Apart from the provision of capital, the advisory services provided by the Bank stand out in the industry and its staff are adequately trained to support the business growth of their customers.
According to the Euromonitor International, a leading independent provider of strategic market research globally, Nigerias retail business has become more organized in recent years. The huge demand posed by the population of the country has made the country a hotbed for international retailers and investors. It is expected that this trend would be replicated across the various sectors of the economy.
Corroborating the claims by Mr. Rajesh Mehta, MD of Bazaar Limited, the Bank in a statement at the weekend assured that it will continue to support the growth of both new and existing businesses in various sectors of the economy. The Bank committed to doing this by providing adequate working capital which it described as the life blood and nerve centre of any business. No business can run successfully without sufficient working capital, the statement noted.
In the area of financial advisory and capacity building for SMEs, the Bank stated that it is already equipping the operators in the MSME segment with the right skills to effectively manage their businesses for success. Last year, we organized the first MSME Academy which was well attended by operators in this segment to equip them with the right skills and minds set to effectively manage their businesses for success. In response to the positive feedback and customers request, we are expanding the Academy to more locations across the country.
President Muhammadu 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. Buhari had said On the fight against corruption vis-a-vis the judiciary, Nigerians will be right to say that is my main headache for now, a statement that has attracted criticisms from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The PDP said the judiciary was as the last hope of the common man, while calling on it 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. INFORMATION NIGERIA highlights in this piece what PDP makes of Buharis statement
The acting national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, who described President Muhammadu BuhariS statement that the judiciary was the major headache of his administration as shocking said the statement is a direct affront on the statutorily guaranteed independence of the judiciary.
Secondus said 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 was worrisome.
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.
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State on his part said President Buhari should have simply told the whole world that he hated the Nigeria 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.
Fayose who insists there is nothing wrong with Nigeria said 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.
Do you agree???
Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to stay at home and govern the country, as foreign countries wont solve our problems for us and the Presidents incessant foreign trips is already bleeding the economy with about $1 million being spent per trip.
Fayose said most of the trips embarked on by the President were unnecessary, as he could have sent the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to represent him at some of the function.
Conservatively, about $1 million goes into every of the foreign trips and the way the President is going, foreign trips alone might gulp 20 percent of the Federal Government budget and that will be disastrous for the dwindling economy of the country, a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said.
It is even more worrisome that while the economy is already in shambles and insecurity pervades the land with Boko Haram burning Nigerians, including children alive in the North East, our President is busy globetrotting.
From available records, in June 2015 alone, the President travelled to Niger Republic, Chad, Germany and South Africa. Also in 2015, the President travelled to United States of America in July, Benin Republic in August, Ghana and France in September, India in October, Iran, France and United States of America in November and in December, he travelled to South Africa, Benin Republic.
This year alone, President Buhari has travelled to the United Arab Emirate, Kenya, Ethiopia and he is leaving for France and United Kingdom today to spend four days abroad.
In most of these trips, about $500,000 is spent on estacode, transportation, accommodation, honorarium, media coverage, contingency and other expenses on accompanying Presidency officials. The Presidential Air Fleet, which includes fuelling of the planes and allowances for crew members as well as the Presidents estacode per night and those of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his aides is said to be in the range of $500,000.
Out of his eight months as President of Nigeria, two months have been spent outside the country, and one wonders how a country like Nigeria can progress with its president spending the better part of his time abroad.
Mr President is therefore advised to focus more on governing Nigeria from home because foreign countries wont solve our problems for us. He should fulfil his promise of leading the fight against Boko Haram from the front. Most importantly, the President should pay more attention to the ailing economy of the country while he carries on with genuine fight against corruption, Fayose said.
He advised the President to rather listen more to his critics, instead of those hailing every of his wrong steps either because of what they intend to gain or for fear of persecution.
Syria peace talks are continuing into a second official day in Geneva, after a first meeting on Monday between the opposition and UN diplomats. For several days it was unclear whether the opposition would participate in the talks at all. The opposition team had initially demanded a lifting of sieges, an end to airstrikes and the release of prisoners before coming to Geneva.
The negotiations will be, as the UN had always planned, proximity talks. The Syrian government team is expected at the UN on Tuesday morning, the opposition in the afternoon. The BBCs Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the fact that both sides are participating is being seen as positive, but the opposition is waiting for a sign that the government will respond to its calls for humanitarian measures, such as the lifting of sieges.
The Syrian government has said the opposition is not serious about peace. More than 250,000 people have died in almost five years of war in Syria. Eleven million others have fled their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other, as well as jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State (IS).
Representatives from Syrian opposition groups said they had a positive meeting with UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura on Monday. They are waiting for the outcome of the UNs discussions with government officials on Tuesday before deciding whether to formally join the peace process. Opposition spokesman Salim al-Muslat said Russia should stop its attacks against opposition forces immediately.
BBC.
An Oregon teenager shocked a crowd at a coffee shop last week when he stabbed himself to death on stage after singing at an open mic night. Kipp Rusty Walker, 19, took the stage at Strictly Organic Coffee in the town of Bend, Or. on Thursday to perform a song he called Sorry for the Mess. When he finished playing, he pulled out a knife with a double-edged 6 inch blade and stabbed himself multiple times in the chest in front of a confused crowd of roughly 15 people.
It was really unclear at first what was even happening. Because, you know, it is an open mic and its a performance, the shops co-owner Rhonda Ealy told local television station KTVZ. People at first thought it was some sort of theatre. Once the crowd saw blood and figured out what was happening, Walker was rushed to St. Charles Medical Center where he died of his wounds.
A friend of his, who did not want to be identified, told Oregons NewsChannel 21 Walkers death did not come as much of a surprise because the teenager had contemplated suicide before and even planned to kill himself in a public place. Ive been preparing for it for a while, Im sad about it, but I think Im in shock, its like a whirlwind of emotions, the friend said. It was almost like he wanted to prove a point, like theres no point in being scared of death because its going to happen to us anyway. Walker first tried to take his own life on Mar. 20th, the friend said, who helped to have him hospitalized at the psychiatric unit of St. Charles Medical Center-Bend.
He said he warned Walker that killing himself would have lasting implications. I actually told him, I was like, Dude, this is going to mess a lot of people up, the friend told the TV station. The traumatic incident is the first of its kind in the area, police Sgt. Chris Carney told Oregon radio station KBND. You know, 19 years with the Police Department, I cant think of any event similar to this where somebodys done something in such a public forum, he said. We still dont know the reason why he chose to do this, why he chose this location or anything and we probably never will.
NY Daily News.
A Tinubu Magistrates Court in Lagos state on Monday, commenced the trial of a lawyer, Joshua Olomo, who worked in the Legal Department of the New Cross Petroleum Limited on Victoria Island, Lagos State.
Olomo is being arraigned on five counts bordering on stealing by a police prosecutor, Inspector Philip Osijale.
One Bolaji Oguntade, a witness, testifying against him, told the court that recordings from a Closed-Circuit Television camera in the company revealed how the 25-year-old lawyer, Joshua Olomo, scaled a fence to gain entrance into the office of the firms Chief Financial Officer around 9pm on December 9, 2015.
Oguntade who is the Chief Executive Officer of the oil company, told the presiding magistrate, Mrs. M.B. Folami, that Olomo initially denied entering the office, but later owned up.
He said the videos showed how Olomo broke a safe in the office and stole some vital documents, and an envelope, containing the sum of $40,000 (about N8m) belonging to the company, a sister company to Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, whose records are also in the custody of the CFO, Oluseyi Oladapo, The Punch reports.
According to the witness, The defendant is a contract staff member in the Legal Department of the New Cross Petroleum Limited. On December 11, 2015, the CFO came to my office, informing me that he had been able to track down an individual that broke into his office. He said the safe in the office was broken and that money had been stolen in his office. He presented CCTV recordings that had been documented two days earlier.
Six recordings showed an individual, scaling the fence and coming into the office around 9pm. We were able to identify the individual in the video as Mr. Joshua Olomo. We asked him to view the recordings and identify the individual therein.
He said I inferred that the individual in the video was him, which was not true. He later said he was doing research in the office and was trying to get access to documents for his research. We asked him about the missing money, but he said he knew nothing about it, Oguntade testified, disclosing further that the defendant confessed to have stolen S20,000 after he put it to him that $200,000 was missing from the office.
He (Olomo) said he did not take anything like that ($200,000), but he saw an envelope which contained $20,000. In his own words, I took it, I put it down, then I took it. I asked him where the money was and he said it was gone. $40,000 is missing.
Oguntade disclosed that the case was subsequently reported to the police at the Maroko Police Division, leading to Olomos arrest.
The charges against him read in part, That you, Joshua Olomo, between January and December 9, 2015, at Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Limited, Victoria Island, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did enter into the office of the CFO with intent to commit felony therein.
That you, on the same date, time and place, in the aforesaid magisterial district, did steal documents and the sum of $40,000, property of Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Limited, from the CFO, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 284 and punishable under Section 285 (8) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.
The presiding magistrate, Folami, adjourned the case till February 2 and 3 for further hearing.
Source:Dailypost
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...
Users and businesses alike are clinging on to Windows 7 as if it is the last hope for their PCs. It's time to stop and either seriously prepare to move to Windows 10 or move to a more stable and reliable option, like the Mac's OS X or even desktop Linux.
I understand why people cling to Windows 7:
Windows 7's predecessor, Vista, sowed deep doubts about Microsoft's ability to manage Windows' future. (Vista is why I switched to a Mac, from which I safely watch the horror show that has been Windows from my stable, no-drama perch.)
Windows 7's successor -- Windows 8 -- reopened all the Vista wounds with a confusing, unusable mess of an OS.
Windows 8.1 added several Band-Aids but kept the Windows 8 wounds raw.
Last year's Windows 10 is the first decent Windows since 2009's Windows 7, but it's not complete, and its functional gaps and Microsoft's ongoing series mismanaged updates give users good cause to wait.
But it's clear that Microsoft can't, or at least won't, support its older Windows versions. The company mainly pretends that Windows 8 doesn't even exist, with most policies and updates focused on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. As for Windows 7 and 8.1, they consistently nag customers into upgrading, and Microsoft is withholding support for new PC technologies if you continue to run Windows 7 or 8.1.
It's Microsoft's fault that users cling to Windows 7. But that clinging makes it even harder for Microsoft to get its act together. Its ability to build the future is hampered by the strong pull to support the past.
It's not only Windows, of course:
The Outlook platform is also a mess, with different architectures, protocols, and features from platform to platform, resulting in a fractured, unreliable collaboration environment.
Ditto for OneDrive and SharePoint in Office 365, which also don't work on the operating systems you'd expect (like, seriously, Windows 8.1) and whose functionality is rickety and full of holes in several versions, both on-premises and in Office 365.
The same goes on the browser front, where Internet Explorer and some of its technologies like Microsoft's version of Java and ActiveX have become a sprawling mess of incompatibility that has forced many companies to stay stuck in the past.
In all these cases, Microsoft is slowly -- too slowly -- working to bring a consistent, modern architecture to all its core apps and services, jettisoning older versions along the way. It'll take years at Microsoft's current pace, unfortunately.
Ironically, if customers adopted the new technologies, Microsoft could stop investing in the past even faster than it is doing now. It sure needs to stop spending resources on the legacy if it hopes to actually build the future.
The problem, of course, is that these new technologies are not completely ready. Windows 10 is better than Windows 8, but not as stable as Windows 7. Office 365 is great on the productivity side -- or will be when the enterprise version of the Office 2016 suite for Windows is finally released later this month -- but terrible on the collaboration side. The new Edge browser meant to to displace Internet Explorer isn't that good, and users are avoiding it.
Still, it's time to fish or cut bait.
In the case of Windows, that means planning to move to Windows 10 this year, at least for general-purpose PCs. If you have apps and hardware that won't work in Windows 10, replace them if possible and isolate them to the minimum number possible of Windows 7 systems, and be sure to use older PCs for such purposes to ensure hardware compatibility.
If Windows 10 really won't work, then switch to the Mac as your baseline PC; OS X is much more compatible for general office use than most IT shops will admit. Look at Linux PCs for specialty functions, like instrumentation controllers. The bottom line is that if Windows really can no longer do the job, you need to move to something that can and whose track record is not so soiled.
Whether you switch to Windows 10, OS X, or Linux, you'll have to abandon Internet Explorer. It's as much a chain to the past as Windows itself and is often co-dependent on a Windows version. Chrome should be your standard browser on a Windows or Linux PC, and Safari on a Mac. if you're concerned about Google spying on your Web traffic, use Safari on Windows and Firefox on Linux. If you use an app dependent on a specific version of IE, you need to get rid of it -- and you've known that for years. Procrastination must end.
If you switch to Windows 10 or OS X, you'll also get a better Office 365 experience than on earlier Windows versions. Although the Mac apps still lack some of the key newer features, the base functions in Outlook and OneDrive are now stable enough for most; if SharePoint access is critical in your Office 365 environment, look to tools such as Colligo's instead -- Colligo's tools are more compatible with SharePoint than Microsoft's OneDrive is.
Clinging to the past only prolongs the pain. We've had eight years of Windows pain. It's time for that pain to end. Move on.
Imagine your friends house is broken into over and over. Each time the intruder gains entry by smashing a window. In response, your friend notices that his door locks arent Bluetooth-enabled or biometric, so he buys intelligent door locks for his house.
He is surprised, over and over, that no matter how much he upgrades his door locks and how many other door locks he installs, thieves continue to break in through a window. Sound insane?
This type of scenario plays out over and over in most companies today. No matter how often bad guys and malware keep breaking in, companies keep spending millions of dollars fixing and fighting the wrong issues.
Sometimes the obvious isnt obvious until someone else points it out. Billionaire Warren Buffet is famous for telling people to buy low and sell high. Apparently that's hard advice to follow because tens of millions of people sell their investments at a loss whenever a temporary panic sets in.
Here's my advice for vastly improving your computer security defense: Try to defend against that which has been most successful breaking into the systems you manage.
Its that simple. Dont get distracted by the latest gee-whiz technology and the myriad of other projects that people try to get you involved in. Nope, if you want to be a better defender, figure how your company is getting compromised, especially the root causes behind the initial entries, and mitigate those issues. Unfortunately, this advice can be hard to put into practice in a complex environment with many distractions.
How do you fix the window instead of the door? Heres a four-step plan:
1. Dig into threat intelligence
Threat intelligence is all the incoming data that you or your company analyze to determine which threats to worry about. Unfortunately, with 15 new threats coming at you every day, its hard to figure out where to place your concerns.
Heres my take: Turn your attention to what has already happened to you. Contrary to popular belief, most adversaries are not super hacking experts. Most like using what has worked in the past, and they'll go with the same program and technique over and over until it has no more utility. Past behavior is one of the best predictors of future behavior. Plus, if your company is hacked a lot because of a particular unpatched program or another technique, this usually reveals a gap that needs extra attention.
The most important threat intelligence isnt a vendors threat feed. Its your own data. Start locally before thinking globally.
Next, pay attention to whats happening around you. Have some of your competitors or partners been attacked by a particular hacking group? What are they seeing? Then, finally, you can start thinking about the popular global attacks that are hitting every company. But remember: Your own data is the best threat intelligence feed.
2. Use threat monitoring and detection
In order to ensure youre getting the best local threat intelligence, you have to make sure your company is actually detecting malicious activity.
I know plenty of companies that wonder why they havent been attacked by an advanced persistent threat (APT) when nearly everyone else in the world has. I have a clue for them: Youve been compromised, but youre not looking in the right places. Survey after survey reveals that most companies had the data they needed to detect malicious hacking, but didnt look at it. They set up event logging and forgot it.
While you need an enterprisewide threat detection plan, as with threat intelligence, start with your own experience. What would it take to detect those things? If you can detect what has successfully compromised your company in the past with a high degree of proficiency, then youve gone a long way toward a successful threat detection program.
Lastly, if you tell me that you track billions and billions of events, Im not impressed. Those are billions and billions of useless events. Its almost all noise. Im more impressed if you told me that you have defined one to two dozen events that always indicate maliciousness. Less is more in the threat detection world.
3. Communicate!
Once youve identified likely threats and how to detect them, communicate what youve discovered throughout the enterprise. Im always surprised that almost no one, even on the IT security team, understands the top threats. If neither the security team nor the enterprise knows, how can you fight the badness? The answer: You cant.
Once youve identified the top threats, distribute a ranked list to everyone, including all users and senior managers. Youll be surprised by how much help youll get in the right places if you alert everyone to the main problems. Threat intelligence in secret does no one any good.
4. Measure mitigation success
When youve identified the top threats and spread the word, encourage everyone to think about and select mitigations. In fact, I would analyze every IT security project and rank them according to how well they help mitigate the top threats youve identified -- no use in spending money on projects that fail to minimize or stop the top threats.
Hold mitigations and their sponsors accountable. If someone said X product would stop Y threat, and you spent money on it, measure its success in doing what it said it could do. This is not about admonishing people for choosing the wrong implementations. Its simply part of the process for figuring out why it was the wrong choice. Only by examining your mistakes can you improve future projects.
5. Put it all together
The most intelligent threat intelligence yields successful mitigations. Its not enough to report what you found out. Threat intelligence needs to be part of making sure the right things are deployed in the right places.
Someone in the IT security team needs to make sure that root causes are addressed by the mitigations. Someone needs to understand the whole process -- and speak up and correct mitigations that have little impact on top problem areas.
Obvious, right?
UNITED NATIONS, February 1 -- Amid mounting questions about the UN using only unpaid interns, favoring the most affluent, Inner City Press on February 1 asked the International Labor Organization's Guy Rider and AIESEC's Ana Saldarriaga about it, video here.
Rider diplomatically said that ILO, unlike the UN Secretariat, does pay its interns and that he thinks this is important. He said he is aware of controversies that have taken place elsewhere -- that is, in the building in which this press conference took place. Inner City Press also asked him about the breaking of the NY UN Staff Union under Ban Ki-moon. He said he enjoys a lively relationship with ILO's union, and that having a union is a fundamental right.
Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric tried to cut off the answer there, but then Saldarriaga agreed that paying interns is key. She said, as young people we need working experience, we need to have the opportunities. Young people need to have a stipend to live.
On January 29, Inner City Press asked Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary-Generals Envoy on Youth, about the issue . Video here.
Alhendawi told Inner City Press there is a dialogue, there is an openness; he said he is not an expert in human resources issues but directs groups of intern to the right people to speak to in the UN system. It seems that, like with getting a UN Freedom of Information Act, Ban Ki-moon will not do it; it should be asked of (candidates to be) the next Secretary General.
Inner City Press also asked Alhendawi about how the new Security Council resolution on youth is impacting the UN's Syria and (non-existent?) Yemen talks. In Geneva now, for example, how many youth did de Mistura invite? Alhendawi said it's a new resolution but will have an impact. We'll continue to cover this.
Back on November 10, 2015, a group of interns tried to raise the issue inside the UN . But UN Security first told them they could not display their (small) signs, then tried to prevent photographing and filming of the muted protest by the Press.
On November 13, Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about why it has been told not to film, why the interns' (small) signs had been prohibited and about the substance of the protest, that unpaid internships mean only the most affluent can intern with the UN. Video here and embedded below.
UN deputy spokesperson Haq first tried to say photographing had not been hindered. Inner City Press replied, We were told not to take any, I was there.
Then the UN's Haq said the UN Security officers had said not to photograph them, that they had not given consent.
Inner City Press pointed out that by this logic, covering a protest could be stopped by Security officers standing in front of it. In any event, even just outside the UN it is entirely legal to film police officers. Does the UN say that its Security Officers, even while they are breaking up or dispersing a protest, can't be filmed? Apparently so.
Pressed on the substance of the protest, Haq said that it is entirely up to the General Assembly; there was no sense that Ban Ki-moon is even asking the GA for any change.
The November 10 protest in rainy New York was preceded by one in Brussels, standing up for those who cannot afford working for free; in Geneva on this theme shoes were lined up on the street.
Photo: UNpaid intern trying to raise the issue in UN are told they can't hold signs pic.twitter.com/diZ4zHQwPz Inner City Press (@innercitypress) November 10, 2015
This comes at a time when Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's UN is moving to give raises to its Under Secretaries General such as Herve Ladsous, who linked peacekeepers' raping to their lack of R&R and distraction.
Inner City Press and the Free UN Coal ition for Access (FUNCA) have pre viously asked the UN about this issue and covered it :
Inner City Press on September 4 again asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it, video here, transcript here:
Inner City Press: I have been meaning to just follow up on this. The letter that was written to the Secretary-General by unpaid UN interns in New York and Geneva, seemed like it was responded to by USG [Under-Secretary-General Yukio] Takasu. It's not clear I guess I wanted to ask you. Is the Secretariat saying that it's an administrative instruction some time back that precludes them from paying interns from the developing world, so that the pool can become more diverse? Or are they really saying that the GA has definitively made it impossible? Is there any consideration in asking the GA to address the issue?
Spokesperson Dujarric: It's a valid of question. I haven't seen the letter. I need to take a look at it. Nobody has shared it with me. Nobody tells me anything here. You know, I think on the issue of interns, it is also I think it's also important to remember that the UN has a global presence, not in every country in the world, but almost every country in the world, and we do take interns locally, so I think there's also obviously there's a greater mass of interns at our Headquarters station, but we do take interns most UN offices take interns in different places, which doesn't include the need to travel. Let me look in the letter and I'll get back to you.
Inner City Press: Can you get data on that?
Spokesman: Probably not, because I don't think it exists.
Really.
Back on August 11, Inner City Press asked Dujarric, video here, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: I'm sure you've seen this story about the New Zealand intern at the UN in Geneva living in a tent. I want to ask sort of a more fundamental question, which is that what would the UN say to those who say that by having so many entirely unpaid internship, it basically, it it limits this possible career step of learning to only the most affluent people?
Spokesman Dujarric: I think it's a very valid point. The debate around the payment of interns is one that's been going on for some time. We are not in a position to pay our interns. It's too bad in a way, because I think it does limit the opportunity to those who are able to pay their own way and house themselves. Unless the General Assembly changes those rules, there is no change in sight. What's important is that any internship be used as a learning opportunity for the intern and not be used as, you know, as free labour or as a substitute for work done by staff.
Inner City Press: Okay. Is that something that the Secretary-General has ever raised to the GA [General Assembly] or?
Spokesman Dujarric: I'm not aware of that.
Back in May 2013 an internship in the UN was auctioned off, ultimately for $26,000, in a process extensively covered and questioned by Inner City Press. The UN said it was embarrassed by the auction or the "optics," and resisted Inner City Press' questions about the sale.
After Inner City Press asked several times about it, the description of the internship being auctioned was "amended," as the UN spokesman put it, to read:
"Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity for a 6-week internship in NYC working for Bruce Knotts, Chair of the UN-NGO Committee on Human Rights. You will gain inside knowledge of just how the UN really operates and have tremendous opportunities to make invaluable connections. This truly is the ultimate internship opportunity for any college or graduate student looking to get their foot in the door!"
The auction, on CharityBuzz.com, said it was to benefit the RFK Young Leaders. Press inquiries to that entity and its parent, the RFK Center, did not yield any answers. But today, at least, we have a detailed answers about how such internships or grounds-passes work, from the Director of the UN Department of Public Information's Outreach Division, Maher Nasser.
Inner City Press, along with another DPI question to which it is still awaiting the answer -- why was UNTV shut off while Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat was giving a speech on Monday morning -- asked Nasser, "I heard when you told DPI-NGO orientation that it makes the UN look bad, and that the UN is not obligated to let the person ('m. alam') who purchased the internship into the building. Is that the case? And you could keep me informed on this, when the purchased internship is to begin and what the UN / DPI does?"
To his credit, Nasser provided Inner City Press with the most detailed UN response to date on the auctioned internship:
Subject: Question re the auctioned internship, thanks
From: Maher Nasser [at] un.org
Date: Mon, May 20, 2013 at 2:38 PM
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] InnerCityPress.com
Hi Matthew, On the internship issue, as you know from the relevant website, this was for an internship with an NGO, not an internship at the UN. The optics of it and use of the UN's image implied otherwise, which is why I flagged it in the orientation with newly associated NGOs as something that hurts the UN and is not acceptable.
Every NGO associated with DPI is entitled to only six yearly passes, two of which are for youth representatives. The names to whom the passes are issued are provided by the president/head of each NGO. By providing the names, the NGO certifies that these names represent the NGO concerned. Up till now, we have had no reason not to grant a pass to people designated as representing an NGO. An old system of temporary passes issued throughout the year was discontinued by DPI several years ago.
With reference to the six names provided, and as I said above, this has not happened in the past, if we find out that someone had to pay or buy a slot on that list, we would take it up with the concerned NGO and depending on the feedback, not endorse that name for a pass.
In view of the case of the auctioned internship, we are preparing language to be added to the forms to be completed by DPI associated NGOs to avoid such possibilities in the future.
So at a minimum, the "m. alam" on whose behalf $26,000 was bid for this internship might not be endorsed for a pass to actually enter the UN. Would they get a refund? And what do the UN-NGO Committee on Human Rights and the RFK Center have to say? Watch this site.
Grains higher despite mixed export sales Banghart Properties - 8 minutes ago Grains higher this morning. Weekly export sales came in better than expected for soybeans, while both corn and wheat came in fairly disappointing
Cotton Follows Limit Loss with Mixed Response Barchart - 57 minutes ago Midday cotton prices are mixed within 50 points of UNCH. The December contract is down the most, but still a premium to the other front months. May and July contracts are firmer with July showing gains... CTZ22 : 77.63 (-0.84%) CTH23 : 77.51 (-0.59%) CTK23 : 77.25 (-0.23%)
Hogs Working Mostly Higher at Midday Barchart - 57 minutes ago December lean hog futures are trading down by 20 cents at midday. The other front month contracts are up 10 to 45 cents so far. The 10/18 CME Lean Hog from was up 1 penny to $93.20. The National Average... HEZ22 : 87.200 (-0.20%) HEJ23 : 93.075 (+0.35%) KMZ22 : 97.000 (+0.13%)
Cattle Mostly Higher on Firm Market Barchart - 57 minutes ago The midday cattle complex is mixed, showing mostly gains in the front month fats and mostly weakness in the feeders. The fat cattle gains are limited to 40 cents through midday, with June 23 down by... LEV22 : 149.750 (+0.27%) LEZ22 : 151.600 (+0.17%) LEG23 : 154.700 (+0.29%) GFV22 : 175.625 (+0.23%) GFX22 : 177.450 (-0.35%)
Midday Gains in Thursday Wheat Barchart - 57 minutes ago Wheat prices are working higher across all three domestic futures classes. SRW is up 4 1/4 to 11 cents on the board so far. HRW futures are trading with gains of 5 to 8 1/4 cents across the front months.... ZWZ22 : 852-2 (+1.31%) ZWH23 : 870-6 (+1.31%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.8683 (+1.42%) KEZ22 : 950-2 (+0.90%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.0771 (+0.95%) MWZ22 : 962-0 (+0.89%)
Corn Bouncing on Thursday Barchart - 57 minutes ago Thursdays corn market is showing 3 3/4 to 5 1/2 cent strength through midday. Weekly USDA data had 408k MT of corn booked for export during the week that ended 10/13. That was mid-range of estimates... ZCZ22 : 684-2 (+0.88%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7176 (+0.91%) ZCH23 : 690-2 (+0.84%) ZCK23 : 690-2 (+0.77%)
Double Digit Gains in the Beans at Midday Barchart - 57 minutes ago So far through the midday portion of Thursday, soybean futures are sitting 1% to 1.4% higher in the front months. November is up 19 1/4 cents and at the high of the day was just 4 1/4 cents under the $14/bu... ZSX22 : 1392-2 (+1.44%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.4614 (+1.49%) ZSF23 : 1400-4 (+1.28%) ZSH23 : 1408-2 (+1.19%)
Coffee Recovers Early Losses on Strength in Brazilian Real Barchart - 1 hour 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 : 191.05s (-0.65%) RMF23 : 2,041s (+2.05%)
Farhad Ebrahimi would like to see philanthropy as we know it, and the inequality that created it, cease to exist. His Chorus Foundation's climate justice program and otherwise edgy approach to giving suggest he's quite serious.
Chorus is carving out a radical path among environmental funders, combining a spend-down plan, long-term general support grants (really long-term, like a decade), divestment and mission investing, and a heavy emphasis on community and justice groups. Sure, the Boston-based family foundation is relatively small, giving around $5 million a year, but Ebrahimis ultimate goal is to bring other foundations along with him.
Theyre definitely on the cutting edge in several areas; theyre experimenting and taking a pretty interesting approach, says Rachel Leon, executive director of the Environmental Grantmakers Association. A lot of foundations might try out one such unorthodox change, she says, but the fact that theyre doing multiple approaches just shows that theyre really serious about trying to have a different model.
Other funders are spending down, for example. General support is gaining ground. And inequality has become a top priority among some of the countrys biggest funders, like the Ford Foundation under Darren Walker.
Related: At Ford, the Revolution That Wasnt
But its the aggressive combination of these tactics, combined with the way Ebrahimi is highly involved in the philanthropic community in spite of his disagreements with it, that makes Chorus such a compelling member of environmental philanthropys left flank. Ebrahimi sat down with Inside Philanthropy recently to discuss the foundations plans, and where he hopes philanthropy overall is headed.
The kind of future that I hope were supporting is one where foundations dont exist as we think of them now, because we dont accumulate huge piles of capital and then have small numbers of people decide what should happen with it, he says.
Its easier for me to say because Im not a philanthropic professional, in the sense that I applied for this job and if I make my board uncomfortable theyll fire me. I was gifted more money than I thought I should have, right? So its a wealth redistribution project for me.
Protests, Policy, and Power
At 37, Ebrahimi is open about his initial discomfort with the wealth he acquired when his father, former owner of software company Quark, gave him a chunk of the familys assets. (Quark wealth, we should note, is also the basis of the Gill Foundation, which was created by Quark founder Tim Gill and focuses on LGBT rights.)
When he was younger, and figuring out exactly what he wanted to do, Ebrahimi got a mathematics and computer science degree at MIT, and spent some time playing in bands and participating in lefty activism. He still identifies as an activist as much as a philanthropist, having been involved in Occupy in 2011 (he landed a spot in an NBC online feature Occupy protesters find allies in ranks of the wealthy), Keystone pipeline and coal plant protests, and Black Lives Matter.
In 2007, he founded the Chorus Foundation to carry out his philanthropy, always with a focus on climate change, but agnostic as to the strategy at first. Ebrahimi and trustees, having mostly science and investment backgrounds, spent the early years exploring the field. The foundation's current board consists of his sister Sasha Ebrahimi, brother-in-law Eric Griffith, and investment manager Nina Ross.
Choruss team, which includes Mott Philanthropics Cuong Hoang, explored common climate strategies such as market-driven energy efficiency and national policy. Lets just say that the results were mixed and thats being extremely generous in some cases, Ebrahimi wrote in a Medium blog post describing the foundations process and early mistakes.
Over time, Chorus began to settle on place-based funding to support the countrys transition away from fossil fuels. Their current strategy is based on the just transition framework, an environmental justice approach that employs a bunch of tactics to ensure that the economy breaks from fossil fuel reliance in a way that doesnt further concentrate wealth and power, or leave workers jobless.
A Big Bet (No, Seriously)
Toward the end of 2015, the foundation announced that it would be focusing on four locations where this work is happening, adding three places to its existing, long-term program in Eastern Kentucky. From here, those four placesBuffalo, NY; Richmond, CA; Eastern Kentucky; and Alaskawill receive about 60 percent of all future grantmaking. Most of that will be in the form of general support to a few anchor groups in each place, continuing for the remaining eight years of the foundation's existence.
The term big bet is way overused in the context of foundations, often in reference to pretty standard 5 percent payout that takes little actual financial risk for the institution. But given the no-strings nature of these grants over the rest of the foundations lifespan, this program actually qualifies.
It was just the realization that we really love these groups; we have a lot of confidence in them, Ebrahimi says. There are other conversations that I think both the groups, and us as a foundation, would rather have than doing that kind of ritual reapplication.
Related: The Chorus Foundation Looks to Communities to Take the Lead on Climate
While the clock started ticking in 2013, Ebrahimi made the decision early on to spend down down the foundations assets, which are now approaching $40 million. Other donors like John Hunting of the Beldon Fund were a big influence, Ebrahimi says, but the threat of climate change also played a factor in the decision.
This is urgent, so we shouldnt try to exist in perpetuity, but we should come up with a timeframe to move the assets that we have at our disposal and do it in the most strategic way.
Ebrahimi's fierce sense of urgency is good to see at a moment when many other funders talk of a climate crisis, yet are unwilling to raise payout rates or otherwise change behavior in ways that align with the threat at handa point we've made often lately.
Related:
In the meantime, Choruss team is also trying to be strategic about how to invest its assets. Ebrahimi had abandoned fossil fuel stocks by the time he founded Chorus, meaning the foundation was divested from the start, and long before the movement started picking up steam.
But the funder is also pursuing mission-related investments, like backing clean energy companies and financing worker-owned cooperatives to secure local ownership. For example, the foundation supported a lending project by the Working World that allowed workers to purchase a closed Chicago window factory and run it as a co-op.
Risky Business
Some of the tactics Chorus is taking on will not appeal to many foundations. This is especially the case with larger funders that priotize long-term financial security, or the metrics-obsessed effective altruism crowd.
While Ebrahimi doesnt come across as particularly worried, hes well aware of some of the risks involved in Chorus's giving strategy.
First, theres the delicate political dynamic of an entity from another city making large, long-term financial commitments in often tight-knit communitiesthe bull in a china shop factor. The possibility of being a wealthy party, swooping into low-income communities where he might not be not wanted is one of the things that keeps me up at night.
Ebrahimi expresses a lot of confidence in these anchor groups, but you cant help but think of the possibility that they might not realize the progress they are going for in the next eight years. And then the foundation is done. Thats part to the risk involved with spending down in general.
There are really great organizers who have pushed back on that. When we talk about it, [theyve said], Listen, Ive been doing this work for decades. Somebodys going to be doing this work for decades after me. Ebrahimi says. But I think what were hoping with Chorus is to demonstrate an approach where we view ourselves as a transitional form. And part of the goal is to help all of these communities, not just the organizations but the communities themselves, build their own economic power.
That sort of effort to not just fund programs and campaign victories, but instead to fund movement building and creation of wealth and power, is something he hopes will catch on among other foundations. A big part of the strategy at Chorus is to organize the rest of the philanthropic community, to position itself as an activist member in its ranks.
Playing Well With Others
One important thing to understand about Ebrahimis philanthropy is that, even though he takes plenty of shots at the standard philanthropic model, hes not some pariah or curmudgeonly anti-philanthropist.
Theyre definitely a fun, exciting member to have, because they like to shake things up and to really raise new approaches, says EGAs Leon. And they put their money where their mouth is, in the sense that they really come in and engage and actively volunteer.
Ebrahimi co-chaired EGAs 2015 flagship retreat, which featured Black Lives Matters Alicia Garza as a speaker. He also sits on the board of the Democracy Alliance, and participates in a number of other philanthropic networks. He says he gets into surprisingly few heated arguments in all these gatherings.
Not as many as I feel like I should, he says, noting that while Chorus is being intentionally provocative, the goal is not to attack, but to get people discussing whats problematic.
Ive actually found that within most philanthropic spaces that Im in, institutional or individual donors, I think for a lot of folks its refreshing to have those conversations.
Even if hed like to see it out of business one day, Ebrahimi is a part of that philanthropic space, and he likely will be even after the spend down. Its feeling right these days, he says. It also turns out wealth is hard to shakethere will eventually be some sort of additional inheritance coming to him down the line. When thats the case, hes suspects hed pursue a similar approach as with Chorus, hopefully improving based on lessons learned.
The fact of the matter is, I come from a certain context of class privilege that is never going to go away. So Im always going to try to leverage it in the best way possible.
Notice anything missing from national politics lately? Oh, right: Almost nobody is talking about K-12 education. This issue has barely been mentioned in the presidential debates among either Democrats or Republicans, and also seems to have disappeared from the agenda in Washington, D.C., since lawmakers united to replace No Child Left Behind last year with the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Related: No Child Left Behind is Gone. But What Does the New Ed Law Mean for K-12 Funding?
To be sure, other education issues are surfacing in national politics, with President Obama continuing to push pre-K and both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton touting plans to make college more affordable. Meanwhile, though, K-12 has seemingly sailed into the doldrums.
But fear not: Here in the philanthrosphere, the quest to improve public schools is as hot as ever. Even hotter, actually. In the second half of 2015, we reported on several big developments: a new $500 million plan by funders to move half of students in Los Angeles into charters schools; a major initiative by Laurene Powell Jobs to reinvent high school for the 21st century; a big regional initiative by the Nellie Mae Foundation to improve education in New England; the launch of a new Learning Policy Institute backed by the Sandler Foundation and other funders; and the announcement by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan that they will devote 99 percent of their fortune to social change, with education as a major focus.
Related:
This momentum continues in the new year.
So far, 2016 is shaping up to be a big year for K-12 education philanthropy. Earlier, we told you about the Walton Family Foundation committing $1 billion over the next five years to education projects, which is great news for the charter school movement 25 years after the nation's first charter schools opened in Minnesota. Walton is one of the most enthusiastic funders of charter schools, and it plans to use much of its $1 billion commitment to grow new charters.
Related: How Walton is Doubling Down on Charter Schools
On the heels of Walton's announcement comes the news that Netflix founder Reed Hastings has created a new education philanthropy fund, known as the Hastings Fund, through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The fund will be worth about $100 million.
Like Walton, Hastings is another prominent supporter of charter schools. The former president of the California State Board of Education and current board member of the California Charter Schools Association has spent big on charter schools in the past. Previous gifts include $2 million to Rocketship Education, a charter school operator. Hastings' education interests are not limited to charters, however. He has also given $3 million to Khan Academy, the personalized learning organization.
Hastings' new education funding initiative includes higher education, as well. Early funding decisions include the United Negro College Fund and the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. Hastings will fund college scholarships through these investments.
Related: Longtime Ed Reformer Reed Hastings Steps Things Up. Where's He Headed?
Now comes the news that banking giant JP Morgan Chase will put $75 million into career and technical education (CTE) programs to improve employment opportunities for youth. This new funding commitment from JP Morgan Chase aims to better prepare young people in high school for careers in "middle-skills" industries, the kinds that require a certificate or two-year degree rather than a four-year college degree. These fields include computer technology, nursing and manufacturing. The initiative will award grants of $100,000 each to up to 25 states to implement CTE programs aligned to the needs of local employers. Follow-up grants will give $2 million each to as many as 15 states for their CTE programs.
This move by JP Morgan Chase is another sign that school-to-career efforts are gaining favor among funders. Just the other day, we reported on how the Barr Foundation, among the most important ed funders in Boston, is revamping its K-12 grantmaking to head in this direction.
For those of you keeping score, these major funding commitments from Walton, Hastings, and Chase add up to an estimated $1.2 billion for for early 2016. While $1.2 billion is a tiny fraction of the billions spent on education at the federal, state and local levels, it's pretty good evidence that K-12 philanthropy isn't losing steamdespite the disappointments and frustrations that funders have experienced in the past decade.
We've argued that the mixed track record of education philanthropy in recent years suggests that funders need to consider new strategies for attacking larger inequities in education and the underlying problem of poverty. We'll keep an eye out for new initiatives in 2016 that take on these systemic issues, perhaps piloted by fresh funders arriving on the scene. As we often point out, the philanthrosphere is very much in flux right now, with many new major donors emerging.
Related: Ed Funders Need to Think Bigger About Systemic Change. Here Are Some Ideas
Beyond the new initiatives already mentioned, 2016 will likely see continued support for charter schools and technology-heavy ideas such as blended learning, as well as support for projects aimed at teacher training and college and career readiness. We also expect more efforts aimed at changing how students learn with an eye on improving critical problem solving skills and fostering creativity. The momentum behind personalized learning is sure to grow, especially with Gates focusing more in this area.
Related: Personalized Learning Is a Big, Exciting Idea. But Can Funders Like Gates Get It Right?
Update 5/9/16 Some Livonia City Council members were disappointed in the site plan submitted by Michigan Property Group for the self-storage facility tabbed to replace Cloverlanes. The council appears to still favor the project but may decide more work on the design is needed when it addresses the project again on May 16, according to the source.
This isnt the building I expected to be taking a look in the site plan, councilmember Maureen Miller Bosnan told DAscenzo during the study meeting. I think some of the ideas and the concepts you had presented us with were so much higher-end looking originally than this.
The developer indicated he is willing to address municipal concerns in the design. Our concept is storage, so we do want it to look somewhat like retail storage, DAscenzo said. The original [design] we gave you was just plain. Were willing to work with the city and work out the details on that.
Some council members affirmed their support of the project but brought concerns raised by local residents. I think its a very creative and productive use of this property, Bahr said. One concern that has been expressed to me by two of the neighborsand I think its a legitimate concernis that with that carport being right up against the wall, with heavy snowfall and things, whats to keep stuff from coming off of that roof and into his yard?
DAscenzo said the carports have been designed to accept some of the water from the gutters, so as snow melts, it will fall into the carport and parking lot, and away from residential backyards. He noted most of the neighborhood residents have given the project their approval.
The council could approve the site plan during the May 16 meeting or decide to send it back to committee for additional work, according to the source.
3/15/16 The Livonia City Council approved the rezoning request from Michigan Property Group, which intends to replace the former Cloverlanes bowling alley with a self-storage facility. The council approved changing the zoning to light manufacturing from general business, despite opposition from the planning commission, according to the source.
Everyone agrees that we want to see that building torn down as quickly as possible, Meakin said during the meeting. We worked with the petitioner to add numerous conditions to really make this work.
Councilmember Scott Bahr agreed with Meakins assessment that the self-storage project will be positive for the city. This is a really creative, first-class idea, he said. Were often concerned with spot zoning, and some may see this as that. I dont really see it as that with where it is.
Dascenzo must still submit a site plan for approval by the planning commission and council.
2/25/16 Michigan Property Group has submitted additional conditions in its request to have the former Cloverlanes property rezoned to allow self-storage. The Livonia City Council discussed the zoning request during a public hearing this week, but sent the item back to committee without making a decision, according to the source. The council is expected to revisit the request on March 9.
Concessions put forth by Dascenzo include restricting outdoor storage to only recreational vehicles and limiting lease terms on outdoor storage to month-to-month. The storage business wouldnt allow tenants to occupy their RVs while in storage, and it would prohibit the storage of hazardous materials, among other conditions, the source reported.
We will work with the planning department and the law department to finalize the rezoning agreement prior to the final approval, Dascenzo told the council. We believe this project will be a great project for the city of Livonia and the community, and we ask for your support.
Councilmember Brian Meakin expressed some support for the project as long as additional conditions are met. When we do get the site plan, this council has made it pretty clear that they want the best of the best for Livonia, he said during the hearing. I believe this project will do that. Its creative; it is thinking out of the box. This is a good move for the city of Livonia.
Other councilmembers shared similar concerns to the planning commissions previous objection. Zoning for manufacturing right up against residential presents me with a lot of concern, councilmember Maureen Miller Brosnan said. Brosnan asked for a resolution, sending the rezoning request back to committee for further discussion, according to the source.
Dascenzo argued that approximately 95 percent of the neighborhood supports the project. At least one resident, Kevin Whitemarsh, spoke in favor of the self-storage facility during the hearing. I support this. Ive spent the last few years not being able to open my windows at night [due to the bowling alley], he told the council. Id just like something thats a little more low-key.
2/1/16 The Livonia, Mich., Planning Commission recently rejected a rezoning request from real estate developer Michigan Property Group LLC, which had intended to build a self-storage facility at 28900 Schoolcraft Road. Owner Ernie Dascenzo proposed to demolish the former Cloverlanes bowling alley and replace it with 116,000 square feet of self-storage, according to the source.
The project would have required a change from general business to light industrial and also called for outdoor storage of recreational vehicles. The commission rejected the proposal, preferring to pursue other possible developments that fit the propertys current zoning designation, the source reported. I think the site planthe conceptual use we see for this propertyis ideal for this particular site, commissioner Ian Wilshaw said during the meeting. A manufacturing zoning, while being the only option currently available, is not the appropriate zoning for this site.
After turning down the zoning change, the commission voted to hold a public hearing to determine the best use for the property.
Dascenzo had argued the self-storage facility would have fit in well with the community. We believe the concept we have works really well for the community, he told the commission. It meets the criteria of a nice building in Livonia. The developer said the buildings design would resemble an office building.
Opened in 1962, the bowling alley closed last year. Dascenzo told commissioners the structure was not suitable for a storage conversion.
Planners rejected the zoning change despite support from several residents who spoke in favor of the self-storage project.
Real estate investment company Armada Holdings LLC is converting a former propane business in Loveland, Colo., to a self-storage facility. The property at 215 E. 29th St. will be redeveloped as 29th Street Self-Storage. The company will break ground on the 38,000-square-foot facility in April and open the facility in August or September, according to the source.
Armada Holdings purchased the 1.9-acre parcel for $275,000 in September 2014 from AmeriGas. "It's been such an eyesore for so long. I drive that street all the time, and I've been trying to think about what to do with it, said Justin Erion, an Armada Holdings partner and Loveland native.
The company considered other uses, including office space, residential and retail, but rejected them due the location of the site, which is near BNSF Railway Co. tracks. "This may the highest and best use. I thought self-storage would be perfect," Erion said.
Loveland has experienced a surge in self-storage development in recent months. Developers have cited new housing developments and a lack of nearby storage facilities as a catalyst for the increased activity.
Erion said while he understands there are several newly built facilities and more under development, his feasibility study shows the area can bear more. He predicts the total costs for the project will be roughly $3 million.
The facility will include climate-controlled and drive-up storage units, free Wi-Fi, gated access, LED lights controlled by motion sensors, video cameras, and a retail store that sells moving and packing supplies. Customers will be able to rent units online or via an onsite kiosk. The facility will be open 24 hours a day.
Armada Properties, a property-management company and division of Armada Holdings, will relocate its offices to the propertys two-story building, Erion told the source. The companys staff will increase from five to seven when the facility opens.
Founded in 2010, Armada Holdings is based in Loveland, Colo. Its property-management division focuses on managing the real estate assets and investment goals of income-property investors in the Northern Colorado.
The continuing soft market is the biggest challenge facing brokers, according to the latest Insurance Business poll.With 28% of the vote, the continued soft market is playing on the mind of brokers with direct competition and lack of new business rounding out the top three with 22% and 16% respectively.Managing director of BizCover , Michael Gottlieb, told Insurance Business that he agreed with the poll result and noted that the top two challenges are linked.As markets continue to remain soft and insurers are unable to achieve a satisfactory return they will look for alternative distribution channels, Gottlieb said.At the end of the day intermediaries are better equipped and structured to handle clients and therefore they should not be afraid of insurers going direct. Ultimately clients are looking for choice and insurers can only offer their own products.However, brokers do need to be proactive and move into the digital age and create an online solution to suit those customers that have less complex needs and are a little savvier.Gottlieb continued that in order to stave off some of these challenges and win more new business, brokerages should look at specialisation as a way to secure new clients.It is important to be regarded as a leader in a niche area, Gottlieb said, If you are regarded as a leader you become the point for referrals.Choose a group of occupations, a specific industry or type of risk and become known as the best broker in Australia.Generalists will continue to be marginalised. It is important to ensure you are adding value in the supply chain which is easier to achieve if you are a specialist.If you are simply providing an information or transactional service you are likely to find growth difficult.Other challenges may dot the horizon but Gottlieb said that brokers will face familiar foes throughout 2016.There are always a range of challenges but I dont see anything radically different to the previous few years, Gottlieb noted.I dont think insurance innovation in the commercial area has gained enough momentum to be threatening at this stage to the broker market.At the end of the day the insurance industry is incredibly large and slow moving. If the threat isnt here right now we are probably talking about a 2017 or 2018 threat rather than a 2016!
Clyde & Co has announced that five new partners will join its team in Sydney as the business looks to bolster its presence.The partners have joined the business following a deal announced in December which saw the global firm reveal that the partners would join from Lee & Lyons.Partners David Lee, Lucinda Lyons, David Amentas, Michelle Dunne and Christopher Smith have officially joined the business alongside 24 fee earners.Managing partner of Clyde & Co in Australia, John Edmond, said that the move will help strengthen the business across key areas."At Clyde & Co our strategy is to be the pre-eminent global law firm in our core sectors and insurance is at our heart, Edmonds said.These appointments will allow us to increase significantly our capability in general liability and further expand our professional liability claims work.Our clients have made it clear that this is what they want from us to serve their needs better and we are responding. We will also add to our existing well regarded financial lines and D&O practice.Scott Castledine, a commercial litigator who specialises in professional defence, also joined the firms Sydney office it was announced.
UK companies and institutions remain vulnerable to cyber attacks despite the fact that many CEOs now rank cyber as one of the top threats to their businesses, warns PwCs Cyber Security practice.
Almost three-quarters (74%) of chief executive officers in the UK rate cyber security as the third biggest risk to their company after over-regulation and geopolitical uncertainty, according to PwCs 19th Annual Global CEO Survey*, which was released at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos.
Commenting on the survey, Richard Horne, cyber security partner, said more needed to be done by boards to protect company data and systems.
There appears to be a disconnect between concerns at the top of business and the speed and consistency with which these security measures can be implemented within organizations, Horne said.
This vulnerability to attacks becomes more stark when we take into account the speed of technological change and how organizations new digital initiatives present greater potential for attackers, arming them with both new tools and a wider range of targets, he added.
The survey showed that UK business leaders were more alert to the threat of cyber attacks than most of their global counterparts (global average 61 percent). CEOs in the United States are most concerned, with 88 percent citing it as a threat to their organizations growth.
Commenting on the PwC Global Annual CEO Survey findings, Ian Powell, chairman and senior partner of PwC UK, said: UK business leaders see threats to their business coming from new and more complex sources. Cyber security has rapidly risen up CEOs list of concerns and businesses cant afford to ignore cyber risks any longer.
Horne said while it is good to see that awareness of attacks is higher in the UK, leaders needed to have a greater understanding of what would make their organization more secure.
Cyber security is becoming as much about ensuring the way technology gets used is securable in the first place and that is about changing how businesses work and how people think, he went on to say.
The full survey and results can be downloaded via the PwC website.
* PwCs 19th Annual Global CEO Survey was conducted during the last quarter of 2015, with 1409 CEO respondents in 83 countries.
Source: PwC
Topics Cyber
Chubb has announced a group of appointments with immediate effect, which complete the line-up of its new European leadership team.
First, there were the executive appointments that were announced late last year:
Andrew Kendrick as senior vice president, Chubb Group and regional president, Europe.
Jalil Rehman as executive vice president and chief business operations officer, Europe.
Matthew Shaw as executive vice president, Europe and division president, Chubb Global Markets.
David Robinson as executive vice president, Europe and division president, UK and Ireland. In addition, reporting to David Robinson are:
Phil Sharpe, chief operating officer for Chubbs UK and Ireland Property & Casualty business; and
Jeremy Miles, head of Distribution, UK and Ireland.
Drazen Jaksic as senior vice president, Accident and Health for Chubb in Europe and Eurasia and Africa.
Rahim Firozali as general manager for Combined in Europe.
In addition, Chris Eappariello, was named chief marketing officer and senior vice president, Personal Lines. Eappariello will continue to oversee Specialty Personal Lines in Europe as part of his international role. He will report to Darryl Page, vice president, Chubb Group and division president, Personal Lines, for Chubbs Overseas General Insurance division.
Simon Mobey was named senior vice president, International Personal Risk Services, for Chubbs Overseas General Insurance division. Also reporting to Darryl Page, Mobey will continue to manage the companys European High Net Worth business as part of his international role, working closely with Jalil Rehman.
All of the above and following positions will report to Andrew Kendrick, senior vice president, Chubb Group and regional president, Europe, unless otherwise stated.
In its most recent appointments announced this month, Chubb has named its Continental Europe leadership team:
Jeff Moghrabi will serve as division president, Continental Europe. Formerly regional president, Continental Europe, at ACE, Moghrabi will continue to have responsibility for the companys property & casualty, accident and health and consumer lines operations across Chubbs 16 countries in the region.
Steven Reiss will serve as chief operating officer in Continental Europe. Reiss will report to Jeff Moghrabi. Formerly chief operating officer for ACE in Continental Europe, Reiss will continue to have specific responsibility for the performance and development of business lines as well as the sales and distribution function in the region.
Moghrabi and Reiss will continue to be based in Chubbs Continental Europe headquarters in Paris.
Also in the recent spate of appointment announcements is Chubbs European functional leadership team which is named as:
Mark Hammond who will serve as executive vice president and chief financial officer, Europe, for Chubb. Formerly CFO for ACE European Group, Hammond will have overall responsibility for finance including financial accounting and reporting, financial planning and analysis, actuarial, tax, and treasury.
Simon Wood will serve as deputy chief financial officer, Europe, reporting to Mark Hammond. Wood was formerly CFO for Chubb in Europe.
Mark McCausland will serve as chief risk officer, Europe. Formerly chief risk officer for ACE European Group, McCausland will be responsible for supporting the board and executive management in assessing, mitigating and managing risks across Chubbs regional operations as well as leading its regional capital modelling work.
Darragh Gray will serve as director of communications and marketing, Europe. Formerly director of communications and marketing for ACE European Group, Gray will be responsible for Chubbs marketing, public relations, corporate and internal communications in the region.
The following roles are based in London and report to Jalil Rehman with immediate effect:
Peter Murray will serve as director of Claims, Europe. Formerly director of Claims at ACE European Group, Murray will lead Chubbs wholesale, retail, property and casualty and consumer claims operation across the region, ensuring it anticipates and responds to customer needs.
Ashley Mullins will serve as general counsel, Europe. Formerly deputy general counsel for ACE European Group, Mullins will oversee the companys legal, compliance and company secretary functions in the region.
Lisa Skeels and Richard Cross will lead the human resources function for Chubb in Europe. Skeels, formerly senior vice president of human resources for Europe at Chubb, will have responsibility for employee relations, resourcing, learning and development, talent management and management information. Cross, formerly human resources director for Consumer Lines, Claims and Operations for ACE in Europe, will be responsible for leading all people integration activity for Europe as well as the compensation and benefits function for the region.
Eileen Castolene will serve as director of operations, Europe. Formerly vice president of Global Operations for ACE, Castolene will have responsibility for the companys regional operations including customer relations, policy servicing, facilities, procurement, change management and business continuity.
Max Gibbs will serve as chief information officer, Europe. Formerly chief information officer for ACE European Group, Gibbs will have responsibility for the technology function in the region, including strategy and delivery of information management, innovation and system solutions to support the companys continued development.
Chubb said that functional leaders will also continue to provide support for the companys Eurasia and Africa region.
Andrew Kendrick, senior vice president, Chubb Group and regional president, Europe, said:
This is a group of true leaders, highly regarded insurance professionals with a wealth of experience and proven track records. Their knowledge and experience will be instrumental in ensuring the successful integration and ongoing success and growth of Chubb in Europe. Together, we will help bring to life for our brokers, partners and clients in Europe exactly what our new company stands for: superior underwriting, superior service and superior execution.
Jalil Rehman, executive vice president and chief business operations officer, Europe, said that Bert van der Vossen, formerly Continental Europe manager for legacy Chubb, has decided to leave the company at the end of May, but will continue to support the integration process until then. Bert leaves with our best wishes for the future and our sincere thanks for his dedicated service to Chubb over a distinguished 26-year career with the company.
Source: Chubb
Related:
Topics Europe Property Casualty Chubb Human Resources
Lloyds of London insurer Amlin plc announced the completion of its acquisition by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc., following receipt of regulatory and legal approvals. MSI has acquired the entire issued and to be issued share capital of Amlin.
(The deal was announced in September 2015, when MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings said it had agreed to buy Amlin for about 3.47 billion pounds, or $5.3 billion, at exchange rates at the time.)
Charles Philipps, chief executive of Amlin, will lead the business, which will be called MS Amlin. It is intended that MS Amlin will comprise the historic Amlin businesses, together with MSIs London and Bermuda-based businesses.
Amlin and MSI are at an advanced stage of planning the integration of these businesses which will, subject to further regulatory approvals, involve the merger of Amlins and MSIs Lloyds syndicates and reinsurance subsidiaries. Its international business will be anchored in the Lloyds market.
Philipps commented: Our combination with MSI is incredibly positive for our business, our employees and our clients. I am very much looking forward to working with the MSI teams in London, Bermuda and elsewhere to unlock our full potential as part of MSI.
Also commenting, Yasuyoshi Karasawa, president and CEO of MSI, said: MSI and MS Amlin have just taken a new step toward a glorious future together. MSI Group will step up to the next level in creating a world class insurance and financial group by maximizing both companies strengths and promoting mutual cooperation within the group.
Source: MS Amlin and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance
Related:
Topics Mergers & Acquisitions London Mississippi
A group of 124 Chicago police officers has cost the city $34 million in misconduct settlements since 2009, according to a newspaper report.
While 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 one officer had seven lawsuits against him that were settled.
Unlike high-profile police 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.
Also, the Tribune found many of the incidents didnt occur in high crime areas as union officials have argued and officers were rarely disciplined.
A Chicago police spokesman acknowledged its been a decades-old problem.
There is no question the department needs to do a better job identifying officers with problematic behavior to hold them accountable and restore trust in the police, Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Tribune.
He added that improving early intervention will be a focus of a new police accountability task force and U.S. Justice Department Investigation.
Federal authorities announced a civil rights investigation after the November release of a police video showing a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times in 2014.
The Tribune reports the vast majority of CPD officers, roughly 82 percent, arent named in any settlements.
Still, experts say the toll is greater than financial.
Defense attorney Terry Ekl, a former prosecutor, said that not punishing officers, even in less serious crimes, eats away at public trust in police, particularly in Chicago.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement
ISO has launched a management and professional liability unit. The unit will spearhead new and revised coverage options as well as actuarial and analytics products for business and corporate risks. Joining ISO to lead the effort are Stephen Whelan, Michael Doyle, and Barbara Russo. ISO is a Verisk Analytics business.
The newly hired individuals will 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.
Stephen Whelan takes on the role of product development director. Whelan has experience in management liability, having served as an executive at AIG, The Hartford, and most recently at Everest Specialty Underwriters.
Barbara Russo joins as managing director of excess and surplus. Russo is an insurance executive with experience in customer management and business leadership roles. She previously headed the international segment for Zurichs Global Corporate business unit in North America and held positions of leadership at Travelers, Marsh, AIG, and Winterthur.
Michael Doyle recently joined the team as actuarial director for specialty lines. Doyle brings more than 20 years of insurance and reinsurance experience in the professional liability and specialty markets, leading teams at ProSight, Munich Re, ACE, XLCatlin, and CNA.
ISO is a source of information about property/casualty insurance risk. ISO provides statistical, actuarial, underwriting, and claims information and analytics; compliance and fraud identification tools; policy language; information about specific locations; and technical services commercial and personal lines of insurance. ISO serves insurers, reinsurers, agents and brokers, insurance regulators, risk managers, and other participants in the property/casualty insurance marketplace.
Topics Excess Surplus New Markets
Glatfelter Commercial Ambulance (GCA) is expanding into several new states. After an initial rollout in Pennsylvania and New Jersey last year, GCA plans to expand to Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio and Texas during the first two quarters of 2016. Coverages available include property, auto, portable equipment and various forms of liability.
According to Troy Markel, president of GCA, the program is part of the parent organization as VFIS, a provider of insurance and training for fire departments, EMS, rescue and 911 centers in North America.
Along with the expanded program roll-out comes a new website offering tools and training programs, including risk management training, self-assessments and free risk assessment tools and communiques.
Eligible business classes include commercial emergency medical ambulance operations, commercial non-emergency medical ambulance operations and paratransit non-medical transport operations not to exceed 60 percent of total call volume.
GCA serves the insurance and safety needs of commercial ambulance services. It is a member of Glatfelter Program Managers. GCA offers tailored insurance products for private ambulance companies. GCA is currently writing business or plans expansion in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio and Texas. to legal privilege.
Topics Commercial Lines Training Development
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced a leadership transition in its U.S. wholesale brokerage business, Risk Placement Services (RPS).
The international brokerage firm said David E. McGurn Jr., current RPS chairman, who has been with Gallagher since 1978, is stepping away from his daily responsibilities. He will be taking on a new role with Gallagher as a special advisor, providing strategic guidance to the companys growing wholesale and retail operations, according to the announcement.
Joel D. Cavaness, current president of RPS, will take his place but retain the titles of president of RPS and corporate vice president. He will join the Gallagher Executive Management Committee and report directly to J. Patrick Gallagher Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Cavaness will continue to provide day-to-day leadership for the business unit.
The company noted that McGurn and Cavaness were co-founders in 1997 of RPS, which today markets itself as one of the largest managing general agents and underwriting managers in the country with 1,300 RPS employees in more than 30 states.
McGurn joined Gallagher in 1978 as an account executive, moving up the leadership ranks from unit sales manager, to divisional executive vice president, to divisional chairman. He was named a corporate vice president in 1994 and served on Gallaghers board of directors from 1993 until 2001. He began his career in the insurance industry in 1976 as a management trainee for Aetna Insurance Co.
Cavanessl joined Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in St. Louis as a marketing representative in 1986, working his way up to area vice president by 1990. In 1996, he moved to Itasca as president of International Special Risk Services Inc.
In 1997, he was named president of RPS and in 2000 he was appointed a corporate vice president of Gallagher.
In 2014 and 2015, RPS acquired nine companies including Monument, Excel Insurance Services and American Wholesalers Underwriting.
Source: Arthur J. Gallagher
Topics USA A.J. Gallagher
The North Carolina Supreme Court upheld the firings of sheriffs deputies who declined to donate to their bosss political campaign, ruling Jan. 26 that they arent covered by a state law protecting county workers from political coercion.
The justices agreed with a lower courts ruling that deputies work directly for the sheriff and do not have the same protections as county government workers when it comes to political activity.
Three deputies and a jail counselor had taken former Mecklenburg County Sheriff Daniel Bailey to court, saying they were fired because they declined a request to contribute to his successful 2010 campaign.
The high court noted that county sheriffs hold an elected office established by the state Constitution, and theyre recognized in state law as having sole authority over how their offices are run. Though they receive county funds, their offices are considered distinct from county government.
In addition, the sheriff has singular authority over his or her deputies and employees and is responsible for their actions, the Supreme Court opinion said, adding a deputy sheriff or employee of a sheriffs office is not a county employee.
The court also rejected plaintiffs arguments that their free-speech rights were violated, noting that mutual confidence and loyalty between a sheriff and a deputy are crucial in accomplishing the sheriffs policies and duties as an elected law enforcement official.
Bailey, a Democrat, ran his first campaign for sheriff in 2010 after being appointed to the role in 2008. He didnt run again in 2014, ending 20 years with the sheriffs office.
About 11/2 years before the election, Bailey obtained the addresses of all 1,350 employees of his department and sent each a letter on his campaigns letterhead asking for contributions.
The three deputies and jail counselor stayed neutral in the 2010 sheriffs election, one of their lawyers has said, but high-ranking department officers were involved in coercing contributions. The former employees say they were fired because they refused to give money.
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Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics North Carolina
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
North Carolinas captive insurance program continues to exceed expectations as the program begins its third full year of operation, according to North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin.
The North Carolina Department of Insurance became authorized to license captive insurance companies in October of 2013 after the passage of the North Carolina Captive Insurance Act, and the program has grown significantly since that time, Goodwin reported.
As of Jan. 25, 2016, 336 risk bearing captive insurance entities are under the regulation of NCDOI96 captive insurers and 240 cells or series. Since year-end 2014, the number of captive insurers increased by 44 and the number of cells or series almost doubled.
The North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) said since the inception of the North Carolina Captive Insurance Act, the captive insurance company industry has favorably impacted North Carolinas economy by creating jobs and generating premium taxes and business revenues.
From the start, we have been committed to growing and continually improving the captive insurance program in North Carolina, said Goodwin. I am proud that, in such a short time, we have become one of the fastest growing states for captive insurance in the country.
NCDOI credits the success of North Carolinas captive insurance program to a number of factors, including the well-crafted North Carolina Captive Insurance Act; NCDOIs pro-business approach to regulation; the support of and participation by captive insurer owners, captive insurance managers and other captive insurance service providers; and the contributions of the North Carolina Captive Insurance Association.
Captive insurance is a form of self-insurance through which a business may form its own insurance company to insure its risks. Potential benefits of captive insurance are reduced insurance costs, stabilized pricing, customization of policy terms and conditions to meet a businesss needs, and the ability to obtain coverage that is not readily available or too costly in the commercial market.
Related:
Topics North Carolina
Alameda County, Calif. fire officials say a hoverboard was found in the area where a fire sparked at a San Leandro home.
KRON-TV reported that firefighters responded over the weekend to reports of a fire at a two-story home. No one was at the home and no injuries were reported. A hoverboard was found on the first floor and had been charging since Friday evening.
Fire investigators say they have not determined the cause of the blaze, but that they will be contacting the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission about the fire.
Hoverboards have drawn criticism in recent months, as reports have come out across the country of the two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered devices bursting into flames. Two fires in Sonoma County in January have been attributed to hoverboards.
Related:
Topics California
After a successful staging last May, the Asia Tax Awards will be held once again on Thursday May 4 2017, at the Goodwood Park Hotel in Singapore.
See this coverage of the Asia Tax Awards 2016.
Submissions are open now and close on Monday January 23. Entry, which is free, is by submission only.
Please read this explanation of the categories and methodology.
The entry forms are hyperlinked below.
The firm awards will be presented in these categories:
National tax, transfer pricing and litigation and disputes firms of the year in 18 jurisdictions:
Australia; Cambodia (no transfer pricing award) China; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; Myanmar (no transfer pricing award); New Zealand; Pakistan (no transfer pricing award); Philippines; Singapore; South Korea; Sri Lanka (no transfer pricing award); Taiwan; Thailand and Vietnam
Asia Tax Firm of the Year (no separate submission form - award will be judged according to the national submissions)
Asia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year (no separate submission form - award will be judged according to the national submissions)
Asia Tax Litigation and Disputes Firm of the Year (no separate submission form - award will be judged according to the national submissions)
There are separate submission forms for these regional awards:
The ceremony will include one award for company tax departments:
To win they must compose a 500-word description of their objectives for the 2016 calendar year and how they were achieved, highlighting areas where the work done by the team made a significant impact on the overall goals of the company.
Individuals
The four individual awards cover:
Please send all entries by email, using the forms hyperlinked here, to Ralph Cunningham, who is also your editorial contact for the awards.
Methodology
Between January and February 2017, companies, law firms, tax advisers, accountants and other tax service providers from the jurisdictions mentioned above can submit three examples of their best work for consideration for the national tax, transfer pricing, and litigation and disputes awards.
The awards will be judged according to:
Size (Not conclusive, though it does indicate what a tax team is capable of taking on)
Innovation (Did the advice the firm gave show something more than the straightforward answer that is commonly used?)
Complexity (Did the matter address tax issues that were out of the ordinary and what ingenuity did the firm show to solve them?)
Impact (What impact did the advice have on the taxpayer? For example, did it help them take over their biggest rival? Issue equity and debt in a particular market for the first time? Win an unprecedented judgement in court?
Join ITR and TMF Groups tax experts at 2pm CET (1pm GMT) on November 15 as they discuss how finance leaders are increasingly faced with doing more with less, and how CFOs should adapt.
Barthold will receive the award during the TCPIs 17th annual tax policy and practice symposium on February 11 and 12 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington.
He will be the seventh recipient of this award, which honours individuals in the tax community who consistently go above and beyond what is required of them to fulfill their professional obligations.
To receive the Pillar of Excellence Award individuals must have played a key role in developing US tax policy, recognising its impacts on business and the economy, and improving the overall understanding of foreign and domestic tax policies among tax professionals, executives and policymakers.
Barthold became chief of staff at the JCT in May 2009, having started his career as a staff economist in 1987 and serving as a senior economist, deputy chief of staff and acting chief of staff. He has experience of working on a wide variety of issues for the Committee, including capital gains taxation, savings incentives, environmental and energy taxes, estates and gift taxation, the taxation of multinational enterprises, tax-exempt bonds and organisations, among others.
The JCT is a non-partisan committee of the US Congress. It has a group of experienced professional representatives that assist members of parliament in both houses of congress on tax litigation.
"With an impressive career in public policy and a track record of thoughtful leadership in the development of tax policy for almost 30 years, working for and garnering the respect of both parties, Tom exemplifies the criteria of the Pillar Award," said Doug Bates, chairman of TCPI's board of directors and vice president of federal relations at Northwestern Mutual.
E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei.
Sky: Rafforzata leadership
Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018.
Sfida Serie A
Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia.
Ad aprile l'indice nazionale dei prezzi al consumo per l'intera collettivita (Nic), al lordo dei tabacchi, aumenta dello 0,2% rispetto al mese precedente e dell'1,1% su base annua (era +1% a marzo). Lo comunica L'Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (Istat) nel comunicato odierno dove conferma la stima preliminare.
Il comunicato
La lieve accelerazione dellinflazione si legge nel documento Istat si deve principalmente alla dinamica dei prezzi dei Servizi relativi ai trasporti (da +0,5% a +2,8%), dei Servizi ricreativi, culturali e per la cura della persona (da +0,9% a +1,6%) e dei Beni energetici non regolamentati (da +3,3% a +3,7%). A contenere queste accelerazioni sono il netto rallentamento dei prezzi dei Beni energetici regolamentati (da +7,8% a +4,3%) cui si aggiunge quello piu contenuto dei prezzi dei Beni alimentari non lavorati (da +1,9% a +1,0%) e lavorati (da +0,7% a -0,1%). Sia linflazione di fondo, al netto degli energetici e degli alimentari freschi, sia quella al netto dei soli beni energetici accelerano lievemente, rispettivamente da +0,4% a +0,6% e da +0,6% a +0,7%. La crescita congiunturale dellindice generale e dovuta per lo piu ai prezzi dei Servizi relativi ai trasporti (+2,5%), dei Servizi ricreativi, culturali e per la cura della persona (+1,7%) e dei Beni energetici non regolamentati (+1,4%). Bilanciano solo in parte queste spinte il calo marcato dei prezzi degli Energetici regolamentati (-8,5%) e quello piu contenuto dei Beni alimentari non lavorati (-0,9%) e dei Servizi relativi alle comunicazioni (-2,2%). Linflazione decelera per i beni (da +1,3% a +0,9%), mentre accelera per i servizi (da +0,7% a +1,3%); il differenziale inflazionistico diventa quindi positivo e pari a +0,4 punti percentuali (da -0,6 di marzo). Linflazione acquisita per il 2019 e +0,6% per lindice generale e +0,4% per la componente di fondo. Per i prodotti di largo consumo si attenuano le tensioni sui prezzi: decelerano sia quelli dei Beni alimentari, per la cura della casa e della persona (da +1,1% a +0,3%), sia quelli dei prodotti ad alta frequenza dacquisto (da +1,5% a +1,1%). Lindice armonizzato dei prezzi al consumo (IPCA) aumenta dello 0,5% su base mensile e dell1,1% in termini tendenziali (stabile rispetto al mese precedente). La stima preliminare era +1,2%. Lindice nazionale dei prezzi al consumo per le famiglie di operai e impiegati (FOI), al netto dei tabacchi, registra un aumento dello 0,1% su base mensile e dello 0,9% rispetto ad aprile 2018, conclude Istat.
What Is a Robo-Advisor?
Robo-advisors (also spelled roboadvisors) are digital platforms that provide automated, algorithm-driven financial planning services with little to no human supervision. A typical robo-advisor asks questions about your financial situation and future goals through an online survey; it then uses the data to offer advice and automatically invest for you.
The best robo-advisors offer easy account setup, robust goal planning, account services, and portfolio management. Additionally, they offer security features, attentive customer service, comprehensive education, and low fees.
Key Takeaways Robo-advisors are digital platforms that provide automated, algorithmic investment services with minimal human supervision.
They often automate and optimize passive indexing strategies based on modern portfolio theory.
Robo-advisors are often inexpensive and require low opening balances, making them available to retail investors.
They are best suited for traditional investing and are not the best options for more complex issues, such as estate planning.
Robo-advisors have been criticized for their lack of empathy and complexity.
1:48 Click Play to Learn About Using Robo-Advisors
Understanding Robo-Advisors
The first robo-advisor, Betterment, launched in 2008, with the initial purpose of rebalancing assets within target-date funds. It sought to help manage passive, buy-and-hold investments through a simple online interface.
The technology itself was nothing new. Human wealth managers have been using automated portfolio allocation software since the early 2000s. But until Betterment launched, they were the only ones who could buy the technology, so clients had to employ a financial advisor to benefit from the innovation.
Today, most robo-advisors use passive indexing strategies optimized using some variant of modern portfolio theory (MPT). Some robo-advisors offer optimized portfolios for socially responsible investing (SRI), Halal investing, or tactical strategies that mimic hedge funds. Additionally, they can handle much more sophisticated tasks, such as tax-loss harvesting, investment selection, and retirement planning.
The industry has experienced explosive growth; client assets managed by robo-advisors reached nearly $1 trillion in 2020, with the expectation of reaching $2.9 trillion worldwide by 2025.
Other common designations for robo-advisors include "automated investment advisor," "automated investment management," and "digital advice platforms." Regardless of the name, it all refers to fintech (financial technology) applications for investment management.
$231+ billion In 2021, the largest robo-advisor in terms of assets was Vanguard Personal Advisor Services, with more than $231 billion in assets under management (AUM).
Portfolio Rebalancing
The majority of robo-advisors utilize modern portfolio theory (or some variant) to build passive, indexed portfolios for their users. Once established, robo-advisors continue to monitor those portfolios to ensure that the optimal asset class weightings are maintained even after markets move. Robo-advisors achieve this by using rebalancing bands.
Rebalancing Bands
Every asset class, or individual security, is given a target weight and a corresponding tolerance range. For example, an allocation strategy might include the requirement to hold 30% in emerging market equities, 30% in domestic blue chips, and 40% in government bonds with a corridor of 5% for each asset class.
Using rebalancing bands means that emerging market and domestic blue-chip holdings can fluctuate between 25% and 35%, while 35% to 45% of the portfolio should be allocated to government bonds. When the weight of a holding jumps outside of the allowable band, the entire portfolio is rebalanced to reflect the initial target composition.
In the past, this type of rebalancing has been frowned upon because it can be time-consuming and generate transaction fees. However, robo-advisors are designed to do this automatically with low fees.
Tax-Loss Harvesting
Another type of rebalancing commonly found in robo-advisorsand which is made cost-effective through algorithmsis tax-loss harvesting. Tax-loss harvesting is a strategy that involves selling securities at a loss to offset a capital gains tax liability in a similar security.
This strategy is typically employed to limit the recognition of short-term capital gains. Robo-advisors do this by maintaining two or more stable exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for each asset class. So, if the S&P 500 ETF loses value, it will automatically sell it to lock in a capital loss; simultaneously, it buys a different S&P 500 ETF.
Make sure your robo-advisor is programmed to select ETFs appropriately so that you avoid wash sale violations.
Benefits of Using Robo-Advisors
The main advantage of robo-advisors is that they are low-cost alternatives to traditional advisors. By eliminating human labor, online platforms can offer the same services at a fraction of the cost. Most robo-advisors charge annual flat fees of less than .5% per specific amount managed. It is much less than the typical 1% to 2% charged by a human financial planner (or more for commission-based accounts).
Robo-advisors are also more accessible. You can reach them 24/7 as long as you have an internet connection. Furthermore, it takes significantly less capital to get started, as the minimum assets required to register for an account are typically in the hundreds to thousands ($3,000$5,000 is a standard baseline). One of the most popular robo-advisors, Betterment, has no account minimum for its standard offering.
Efficiency is another significant advantage these online platforms have. For instance, before robo-advisors, if you wanted to execute a trade, you'd have to call or physically meet a financial advisor, explain your needs, and wait for them to execute your trades. Now, you can do all of that with the click of a few buttons in the comfort of your home.
On the other hand, using a robo-advisor will limit the options that you can make as an individual investor. For example, you cannot choose which mutual funds or ETFs you are invested in, and you cannot purchase individual stocks or bonds in your account. However, this might be beneficial as buying individual stocks to try and beat the market has been shown repeatedly to produce poor results; on average, ordinary investors often see better results with an indexing strategy.
Many human advisors prefer to take on clients with more than $100,000 in investable assets, especially those established in the field. These high-net-worth individuals need various wealth management services and can afford to pay for them.
Hiring a Robo-Advisor
Opening a robo-advisor will often entail taking a short risk-profiling questionnaire and evaluating your financial situation, time horizon, and personal investment goals. In many cases, you will have the opportunity to link your bank account directly for quick and easy funding of your robo-advisory account.
The hallmark of automated advisory services is their ease of online access. But many digital platforms tend to attract and target specific demographics more than othersnamely, Millennial and Generation X investors who are technology-savvy and still accumulating their investable assets.
This population is much more comfortable sharing personal information online and entrusting technology with essential tasks, such as wealth management. Indeed, much of the marketing efforts of robo-advisory firms employ social media channels to reach these investors.
The SEC issued a risk alert to investors in November 2021 regarding compliance issues with many robo-advisors, so it helps to keep yourself informed by checking the FINRA Investor Alerts and the SEC Division of Examination websites for information.
Robo-Advisors and Regulation
Robo-advisors hold the same legal status as human advisors. Accordingly, they must be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are subject to the same securities laws and regulations as traditional broker-dealers.
Most robo-advisors are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). You can use BrokerCheck to research robo-advisors the same way they would a human advisor.
Assets managed by robo-advisors are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), as they are securities held for investment purposes, not bank deposits. However, this does not necessarily mean clients are unprotected, as there are many other avenues by which broker-dealers can insure assets. For example, Wealthfront, another prominent robo-advisors in the U.S., is insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).
How Robo-Advisors Make Money
The primary way that most robo-advisors earn money is through a wrap fee based on assets under management (AUM). While traditional (human) financial advisors typically charge 1% or more per year of AUM, many robo-advisors charge around just 0.25% per year per $1,000 in assets under management.
In addition to the management fee, robo-advisors can make money in several other ways. One way is the interest earned on cash balances ("cash management"), which is credited to the robo-advisor instead of the client. Because many robo-advised accounts only have a small allocation of cash in their portfolios, this can only become a significant source of income, again, if they have many users.
Another revenue stream comes from payment for order flow. Typically, robo-advisors will accumulate funds that have been added from deposits, interest, and dividends; then, they bundle these together into large block orders executed at just one or two points in a day. This allows them to execute fewer trades and get more favorable terms due to the large order sizes.
Finally, robo-advisors can earn money by marketing targeted financial products and services to their customers, such as mortgages, credit cards, or insurance policies. These are often done through strategic partnerships rather than advertising networks.
If the returns on your investments with a robo-advisor do not outweigh the total costs associated with using it, then you may be better off not using one.
The Best-in-Class Robo-Advisors
There are hundreds of robo-advisors available in the U.S. and worldwide; more of them launch every year. They all provide some combination of investment management, retirement planning, and general financial advice.
Here is a compilation of the most competitive offerings with the largest market shares.
Standalone Robo-Advisors
These firms are some of the earliest pioneers of digital advisory technology. They have the most competitive fees with low to zero account minimums. Clients with no current invested assets can start from scratch with these platforms.
Legacy Offerings of Robo-Advisors
An increasing number of financial services and asset management firms are launching robo-advisors. These platforms typically have higher fees and account minimums and are geared more toward sophisticated investors. They are convenient options for clients who already use these firms as asset custodians.
Shortcomings of Robo-Advisors
The entry of robo-advisors has broken down some of the traditional barriers between the financial services world and average consumers. Because of these online platforms, sound financial planning is now accessible to everyone, not just high-net-worth individuals.
Still, many in the industry have doubts about the viability of digital advisors as a one-size-fits-all solution to wealth management. Given the relative nascency of their technological capabilities and minimal human presence, robo-advisors have been criticized for lacking empathy and sophistication.
They are good entry-level tools if you have a small account and limited investment experience. You may find them lacking if you need advanced services like estate planning, complicated tax management, trust fund administration, and retirement planning.
Pay attention to what a robo-advisor invests in, as many are now moving away from passive index strategies and investing in more risky areas that could underperform the market.
Automated services are also ill-equipped to deal with unexpected crises or extraordinary situations. For example, they will not know if you're in-between jobs or dealing with an unexpected expenseyour funds could be drained unexpectedly if you have automatic withdrawals set up for the digital advisor.
A study conducted by Investopedia and the Financial Planning Association found that consumers prefer a combination of human and technological guidance, especially when times are rough. According to the report, 40% of participants said they would not be comfortable using an automated investing platform during extreme market volatility.
Furthermore, robo-advisors operate on the assumption that you have defined goals and a clear understanding of your financial circumstances. For many investors, that is not the case. Survey questions like, "Is your risk tolerance low, moderate, or high?" assumes that you have a fundamental knowledge of investment concepts and the real-life implications of each option you choose.
What Does a Robo-Advisor Do? Robo-advisors provide financial planning services through automated algorithms with no human intervention.
How Does a Robo-Advisor Work? A robo-advisor works by first gathering information on a client through an online survey and then automatically investing for the client based on that data. Robo-advisors often use passive index investing strategies.
Can Robo-Advisors Make You Money? Yes, you can make money with a robo-advisor just like you can with any other financial advisor.
Can You Lose Money With Robo-Advisors? Yes, you can lose money with robo-advisors, particularly with rebalancing costs, fees, and tax-loss harvesting.
Do Robo-Advisors Beat the Market? Most robo-advisors will not beat the market because they invest in a passive index strategy that seeks to replicate the market following modern portfolio theory rather than incorporating a strategy that could potentially beat it.
The Bottom Line
Robo-advisors leverage advances in algorithmic trading and electronic markets to automate investment strategies for ordinary investors. Often based on Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), robo-advisors are able to optimize investors' risk-return tradeoff and automatically manage and rebalance their portfolios. Automation also allows for tax-loss harvesting and other strategies that were once too complex or expensive for ordinary investors. With low fees and small minimum balances to get started, robo-advisors are often a good choice for most long-term investors, and may be especially attractive to younger, tech-forward individuals.
What Is Theranos?
Theranos Inc., a consumer healthcare technology startup, was once valued at $10 billion, and its leadership claimed it would revolutionize the blood-testing industry.
On Jan. 3, 2022, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of four out of 11 fraud charges.
However, the technological breakthrough that CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former company president Ramesh Balwani touted was never demonstrated, and the assertions of Holmes and Balwani amounted to outright deceit. Holmes and Balwani were ultimately charged by the SEC for massive fraud. The two executives agreed to settle subject to court approval.
On June 15, 2018, Holmes and Balwani were charged with wire fraud according to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, North District of California. Holmes stepped down as the CEO of the company on the same day.
Theranos Inc., a consumer healthcare technology startup, was once valued at $10 billion, and its leadership claimed it would revolutionize the blood-testing industry.
Based largely on the company's claims, Theranos reportedly raised roughly $724 million of capital from venture capitalists and private investors.
The technological breakthrough that CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former company president Ramesh Balwani touted was never demonstrated, and the assertions of Holmes and Balwani amounted to outright deceit.
The SEC charged Theranos, its founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, and its former President Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with fraud.
Holmes lost control of the company, returned millions of shares, and was barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years.
Theranos started shutting down its clinical labs and wellness centers in late 2016, finally ceasing operations in September of 2018.
By June 2016, Elizabeth Holmes' net worth reportedly dropped from $4.5 billion to nothing.
Understanding Theranos
Theranos was a privately held healthcare technology company founded by then 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes in 2003.
Using a "nanotainer" (a small device designed to draw, retain, and analyze a droplet of blood from a patients fingertip) and its proprietary "Edison" testing technology, Theranos claimed the device could run a multitude of tests on a patients physiology within minutes and at a fraction of the cost of current technology.
After more than ten years of fundraising and reaching a peak valuation of roughly $10 billion, the tide started to turn in 2015 thanks to skepticism from the press.
A New Yorker profile termed Holmes' explanations of Theranos' technology "comically vague," citing as one example Holmes's statement that "a chemistry is performed so that a chemical reaction occurs and generates a signal from the chemical interaction with the sample, which is translated into a result, which is then reviewed by certified laboratory personnel."
The Wall Street Journal then followed with a highly critical report on Theranos. Based on interviews with ex-employees, the newspaper alleged rampant management incompetence and claimed that Theranos had grossly exaggerated the capabilities of its proprietary technology.
One former senior employee stated that only a small fraction of all the tests were conducted on the "Edison machines," and the majority of tests were handled on competitors equipment despite Theranoss claims to the contrary. If true, this would have been a violation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules.
The FDA then released two reports from its ongoing investigation into Theranos. They were less than favorable and claimed that Theranos had "uncleared medical device(s)," poor records, was mishandling complaints, and had failed to conduct audits and produce supplier qualifications. In regard to an unspecified medical device, an investigator noted: "the design was not validated under actual or simulated use conditions." Further, Theranos failed to ensure the device conforms to defined user needs and intended uses.
At the beginning of 2016, a letter released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that a California-based lab used by Theranos posed "immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety." CMS gave the company 10 days to correct the deficiencies or face daily fines and/or loss of CMS approval for Medicare payments.
After a couple of years of settled lawsuits, dissolved relationships with big partners such as Walgreens, and broken deals with the likes of Safeway, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) formally charged Theranos, Holmes, and former company president Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with "massive fraud."
The complaint alleged that the company raised more than $700 million by deceiving investors for years about the company's performance.
Both Theranos and Holmes agreed to settle the fraud charges pending court approval. Holmes lost control of the company, returned millions of shares, and was barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years.
Several works are based on Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes including John Carrreyrou's 2018 novel titled Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, ABC's 2019 podcast called The Dropout, and Alex Gibney's 2019 documentary named The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.
A Timeline of Theranos's Rise and Fall
2003: Nineteen-year-old Stanford chemical and electrical engineering drop-out Elizabeth Holmes founded Theranos with the aim of revolutionizing blood testing.
2004: Theranos raised $6.9 million in early funding gaining a $30 million valuation.
2007: The company's valuation hit $197 million after it raised another $43.2 million in early-round funding.
2010: After further rounds of funding, Theranos was valued at $1 billion.
2013: After a decade working "in the dark," Holmes introduced Theranos to the world via press appearances and unveiled a website.
2014: With over $400 million in funding, Theranos was valued at nearly $9 billion. Holmes effectively became a multi-billionaire thanks to her 50% stake.
December 2014: Despite her company's hefty valuation, Holmes remained tight-lipped on how exactly Theranoss technology worked. It turned out that the technology had never been submitted for peer review in medical journals.
July 8, 2015: Capital BlueCross, a Pennsylvania insurer with 725,000 customers, chose Theranos as its preferred lab work provider. Theranos was valued at $10 billion.
October 15, 2015: The Wall Street Journal ran a scathing article criticizing Theranos.
Holmes appeared on "Mad Money" and other media outlets to do damage control. She was shocked by the Wall Street Journal article and claimed that Theranos supplied over 1,000 pages of documentation to refute the allegations. The Wall Street Journal stood by its reporting.
October 16, 2015: A follow-up article in the Wall Street Journal stated that Theranos was forced to suspend the use of its unapproved nanotainer for all but one type of blood test.
October 27, 2015: The FDA released two partially-redacted Form 483 reports from an ongoing investigation into Theranos.
October 28, 2015: Fortune reported that Theranos had sought to raise an additional $200 million in Series C-3 funding just days before the initial Wall Street Journal article was published.
November 10, 2015: A $350 million deal with Safeway fizzled out after Theranos failed to meet key deadlines for rollouts and Safeway executives questioned the validity of the test results.
December 27, 2015: The Wall Street Journal ran another article alleging management ineptitude at Theranos and test rigging to produce better results for its Edison machines.
January 27, 2016: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases its damming report on Theranos' California-based lab.
January 28, 2016: Following the CMS report, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) decided to temporarily close the Theranos Wellness Center in its Palo Alto store and suspend its use of Theranos's Newark, Calif. lab.
May 1, 2017: Theranos settled a lawsuit with Partner Fund Management, one of its largest investors, after the hedge fund accused the company of securities fraud. Theranos had previously settled proceedings with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Arizona Attorney General.
March 14, 2018: The SEC charged Theranos, its founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, and its former President Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with massive fraud.
$10 billion Theranos's valuation at its height in 2015.
June 15, 2018: A federal grand jury indicted both Holmes and Balwani on nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office stated that in order to promote Theranos, both Holmes and Balwani "engaged in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud investors and a separate scheme to defraud doctors and patients."
Holmes had stepped down as Theranos CEO earlier in the day although she continues to be the chair of the company's board.
Theranos FAQs
Was Theranos Publicly Traded?
No. Theranos was a privately held corporation until it was shut down and liquidated in September of 2018.
Is Theranos Still Open?
Theranos started shutting down its clinical labs and wellness centers in late 2016, finally ceasing operations in September of 2018.
What Did Theranos Do Wrong?
Theranos claimed to have developed blood tests that required only small amounts of blood and devices that could quickly perform the tests. Based largely on those claims, Theranos reportedly raised roughly $724 million of capital from venture capitalists and private investors.
How Much Did Walgreens Invest in Theranos?
Walgreens reportedly invested $140 million in its partnership with Theranos.
Is Elizabeth Holmes Still Wealthy?
According to Forbes, by June 2016, Elizabeth Holmes' net worth dropped from $4.5 billion to "nothing."
The Capital Group's American Funds family has been offering mutual funds to investors since the early 1930s. It currently boasts 54 fund offerings, spanning a broad array of categories. Most of the funds are actively managed by professional analysts and managers. The following funds boast the longest track records.
Note: All financial data is current as of May 2021.
1) American Funds Investment Company of America
The Investment Company of America fund (AIVSX) is an actively managed growth- and income-focused equity fund. Its average annual return since its 1934 inception is 12.04%, outperforming the S&P 500s 10.64% average annual return for the same time period as of March 2021. The fund has a five-year annualized return of 12.73%, an expense ratio of 0.58%, and a dividend yield of 1.26%.
2) American Mutual Fund
The American Mutual Fund (AMRMX) is a large-cap value fund that aims to preserve capital by selecting stocks offering strong fundamentals and sustainable dividends. Since its 1950 launch, the funds average annual return is 11.53%. The funds five-year annualized return is 10.9%, its expense ratio is 0.59%, with a 1.73% dividend yield.
3) AMCAP Fund
Launched in 1967, the AMCAP Fund (AMCPX) seeks long-term capital growth by targeting stocks that consistently demonstrate superior earnings. The fund's average annual return over the past ten years is 12.43%, its five-year annualized return is 15.34%, and its expense ratio is 0.68%, well below the category average of 1.17%. The dividend yield is 0.17%.
4) New Perspective Fund
American Funds launched the New Perspective Fund (ANWPX) in March 1973, with an investment goal of seeking long-term capital appreciation. The fund manager chiefly invests in multinational blue-chip multinational companies, in the form of common stocks, preferred stocks, bonds, or convertible securities. As of May 2021, the average annual return since inception is 12.61%. The funds five-year annualized return is 17.16%, and its expense ratio is 0.76%, with a 0.11% dividend yield.
5) The Growth Fund of America
Launched in December 1973, the Growth Fund of America (AGTHX) seeks long-term capital growth by investing in cyclical businesses, undervalued companies, and potential turnaround stories. The fund's average annual return is 13.44%, its five-year annualized return is 19.25%, and its expense ratio is 0.64%.
6) The Income Fund of America
Introduced in December 1973, the Income Fund of America (AMECX) seeks to achieve capital growth by investing in a mix of stocks, convertible securities, and bonds. Its 10-year annualized return is 7.71%, its five-year annualized return is 7.96%, and the funds expense ratio is 0.57%. The fund boasts an attractive 2.95% dividend yield.
7) The Bond Fund of America
Launched in 1973, the Bond Fund of America (ABNDX) maintains a diversified fixed income portfolio by adjusting to changing bond market conditions in pursuit of high income and capital preservation. The fund's 10-year annualized return is 3.08%, and its five-year annualized return is 3.00%. Its expense ratio is 0.57%, with a 1.5% yield.
8) American Balanced Fund
Launched in July 1975, the American Balanced Fund (ABALX) seeks long-term capital and income growth by investing at least 60% of its assets in common stock and 40% in the bond market. The fund's five-year annualized return is 9.81%, the expense ratio is 0.58%, and the dividend yield is 1.6%.
9) Fundamental Investors Fund
Since its August 1978 inception, the Fundamental Investors Fund (ANCFX) has targeted value opportunities and stocks exhibiting superior sales and earnings potential. The fund's 10-year annualized return of 12.30% has been eclipsed by its five-year annualized return of 14.33%. The expense ratio is 0.61%, and the dividend yield is 1.33%.
10) The Tax-Exempt Bond Fund of America
Launched in October 1979, the Tax-Exempt Bond Fund of America (AFTEX) seeks to maximize tax-exempt income by investing primarily in municipal and public authority bonds. The fund boasts a 10-year annualized return of 4.07% and a five-year annualized return of 2.62%. The fund's 12-month yield is 2.14%, and its expense ratio is 0.52%.
Top 10 Countries by Nominal GDP at Current U.S. Dollar Exchange Rates Country Nominal GDP (in trillions) PPP Adjusted GDP (in trillions) Annual Growth (%) GDP Per Capita United States $23.0 $23.0 5.7% $69,287 China $17.7 $27.3 8.1% $12,556 Japan $4.9 $5.4 1.6% $39,285 Germany $4.2 $4.8 2.9% $50,801 United Kingdom $3.2 $3.3 7.4% $47,334 India $3.2 $10.2 8.9% $2,277 France $2.9 $3.4 7.0% $43,518 Italy $2.1 $2.7 6.6% $35,551 Canada $2.0 $2.0 4.6% $52,051 South Korea $1.8 $2.4 4.0% $34,757
1. United States
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $23.00 trillion
$23.00 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $23.00 trillion
$23.00 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 5.7%
5.7% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $69,287
The United States economy is the largest in the world as measured by nominal GDP. The biggest contributor to that GDP is the economys service sector, which includes finance, real estate, insurance, professional and business services, and healthcare.
The United States has a relatively open economy, facilitating flexible business investment and foreign direct investment in the country. It is the worlds dominant geopolitical power and is able to maintain a large external national debt as the producer of the worlds primary reserve currency.
The U.S. economy is at the forefront of technology in many industries, but it faces rising threats in the form of economic inequality, rising healthcare and social safety net costs, and deteriorating infrastructure.
2. China
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $17.73 trillion
$17.73 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $27.31 trillion
$27.31 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 8.1%
8.1% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $12,556
China has the worlds second-largest nominal GDP in current dollars and the largest in terms of PPP. With annual growth that consistently outpaces that of the United States, China may be on track to become the largest economy in the world by nominal GDP in the years to come.
As China has progressively opened its economy over the past four decades, economic development and living standards have greatly improved. As the government has gradually phased out collectivized agriculture and industry, allowed greater flexibility for market prices, and increased the autonomy of businesses, foreign and domestic trade and investment have taken off.
Coupled with an industrial policy that encourages domestic manufacturing, this has made China the worlds number one exporter. Despite these advantages, China faces some significant challenges, such as a rapidly aging population and severe environmental degradation.
3. Japan
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $4.94 trillion
$4.94 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $5.40 trillion
$5.40 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 1.6%
1.6% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $39,285
Japan is the third-largest economy in the world. Its GDP crossed the $5 trillion mark in 2018. Strong cooperation between government and industry and advanced technological know-how have built Japans manufacturing and export-oriented economy. Many major Japanese businesses are organized as networks of interlinked companies known as keiretsu.
After the Lost Decade of the 1990s and the impact of the global Great Recession, Japan has seen an uptick in growth in recent years under the policies of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; however, Japan is poor in natural resources and dependent on energy imports, especially after the general shutdown of its nuclear power industry following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Japan has also struggled with a rapidly aging population.
4. Germany
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $4.22 trillion
$4.22 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $4.82 trillion
$4.82 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 2.9%
2.9% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $50,801
Fourth among world economies is Germany. Germany is also Europes largest economy.
Germany is a top exporter of vehicles, machinery, chemicals, and other manufactured goods and has a highly skilled workforce. Germany, however, faces some demographic challenges to its economic growth. Its low fertility rate makes replacing its aging workforce more difficult, and its high levels of net immigration strain its social welfare system.
5. The United Kingdom
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $3.19 trillion
$3.19 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $3.34 trillion
$3.34 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 7.4%
7.4% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $47,334
The United Kingdom has the fifth-largest economy in the world.
The U.K. economy is driven by its large service sector, particularly in finance, insurance, and business services. The nations extensive trading relationship with continental Europe has been greatly complicated by the resolution of Brexit subsequent to the 2016 vote to leave the European Union (EU). As of Jan. 31, 2020, the U.K. is officially not a member of the EU, but contentious negotiations over trade relations between the two are ongoing.
6. India
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $3.17 trillion
$3.17 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $10.22 trillion
$10.22 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 8.9%
8.9% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $2,277
India is the sixth-largest economy in the world. Because of its large population, India has the lowest per-capita GDP on this list.
Indias economy is a mixture of traditional village farming and handicrafts alongside booming modern industry and mechanized agriculture. India is a major exporter of technology services and business outsourcing, and the service sector makes up a large share of its economic output.
Liberalization of Indias economy since the 1990s has boosted economic growth, but inflexible business regulation, widespread corruption, and persistent poverty pose challenges to ongoing expansion.
7. France
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $2.94 trillion
$2.94 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $3.42 trillion
$3.42 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 7.0%
7.0% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $43,518
France has the seventh-largest GDP in the world. Tourism is an important industry, and France receives the most visitors of any country each year.
France is a mixed economy that has many private and semi-private businesses across a diverse range of industries. However, there is still heavy government involvement in certain key sectors, such as defense and electrical power generation.
The French governments commitment to economic intervention in favor of social equality also creates some challenges for the economy, such as a rigid labor market with high unemployment and a large public debt relative to other advanced economies.
8. Italy
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $2.10 trillion
$2.10 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $2.71 trillion
$2.71 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 6.6%
6.6% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $35,551
The worlds eighth-largest GDP belongs to Italy. It is also the eurozones third-largest economy.
Italys economy and level of development vary notably by region, with a more developed, industrial economy in the north and underdeveloped southern regions. Italy faces persistently sluggish economic growth due to a very high public debt, an inefficient court system, a weak banking sector, an inefficient labor market with chronically high youth unemployment, and a large underground economy.
9. Canada
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.99 trillion
$1.99 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $1.99 trillion
$1.99 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 4.6%
4.6% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $52,051
Canada is the worlds ninth-largest economy. Canada has a well-developed energy extraction sector, with the worlds third-largest proven oil reserves. Canada also has impressive manufacturing and service sectors, based mostly in urban areas near the U.S. border.
Canadas free trade relationship with the United States means that three-quarters of Canadian exports head to the U.S. market each year. Canadas close ties to the United States mean that it has developed largely in parallel to the worlds largest economy.
10. South Korea
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.80 trillion
$1.80 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $2.43 trillion
$2.43 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 4.0%
4.0% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $34,757
Rounding out the top 10 economies in the world by GDP is South Korea.
South Koreas economy is a 20th-century success story that is today firmly established as an advanced, industrial economy. Known for its strategy of export-led growth and the dominance of its chaebols (large business conglomerates), South Korea in recent decades has built a network of free trade agreements covering 58 countries that account for more than three-quarters of the worlds GDP. It is a major producer and exporter of electronics, telecommunications equipment, and motor vehicles.
With this progress, however, South Korea also now faces some of the same challenges that many other advanced economies are dealing with, including slower growth and an aging workforce.
11. Russia
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.78 trillion
$1.78 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $4.78 trillion
$4.78 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 4.8%
4.8% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $12,172
Russia is the worlds 11th largest economy.
Russia has moved toward a more market-based economy over the 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but government ownership of and intervention in business is still common. As a leading exporter of oil and gas, as well as other minerals and metals, Russias economy is highly sensitive to swings in world commodity prices.
In 2022, Russia launched an invasion against its neighbor, Ukraine. As a result of its actions, the country was hit by many sanctions and other economic punishments, which are expected to greatly hurt its economy in 2022 and beyond.
12. Brazil
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.61 trillion
$1.61 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $3.44 trillion
$3.44 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 4.6%
4.6% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $7,518
Brazil is the 12th largest economy in the world and the largest in South America. Brazils diversified economy runs the gamut from heavy industries, such as aircraft and automotive production, to mineral and energy resource extraction. It also has a large agricultural sector that makes it a major exporter of coffee and soybeans.
Brazil emerged from a severe recession in 2017 and suffered a series of high-level corruption scandals along the way. In the wake of these events, Brazil instituted a series of major economic reforms intended to rein in public spending and debt, invest in energy infrastructure, lower barriers to foreign investment, and improve labor market conditions.
13. Australia
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S.: $1.54 trillion
$1.54 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $1.44 trillion
$1.44 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 1.5%
1.5% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $59,934
Australia is the 13th largest economy in the world
Australia combines a relatively open domestic economy with an extensive network of free trade agreements with trading partners all around the Asia-Pacific Rim. This works to the advantage of Australias abundant natural resources and agricultural export industries; however, it has also left Australia vulnerable to swings in world commodity demand and prices in energy (coal and natural gas), metals (iron ore and gold), and agricultural products (beef and sheep products).
14. Spain
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.28 trillion
$1.28 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $1.79 trillion
$1.79 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 5.1%
5.1% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $27,056
Spain's GDP makes it the 14th largest economy in the world.
Spains economy suffered severely during the Great Recession, with unemployment soaring above 25% and a rising national debt despite attempts at fiscal austerity. It has recovered in recent years as moderating inflation and labor costs have encouraged foreign investment and increased the competitiveness of Spains exports, including manufactured machinery and foodstuffs. However, political instability has hindered the governments ability to sustain further economic reforms.
15. Mexico
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.29 trillion
$1.29 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $2.61 trillion
$2.61 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 4.8%
4.8% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $9,926
Mexico is the 15th largest economy in the world.
Over the past three decades, Mexico has emerged as a manufacturing economy under a series of free trade agreements with the United States, Canada, and 44 other countries. Many major U.S. manufacturers have integrated supply chains with counterparts or operations in Mexico. Mexico supports a variety of exports, including consumer electronics, vehicles, and auto parts, as well as petroleum and agricultural products.
The international drug trade constitutes an ongoing challenge to Mexicos development, contributing directly to violence and corruption in the country. Weak legal institutions have made it difficult to regulate and integrate the large informal economy that employs more than half of Mexicos workforce.
16. Indonesia
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.19 trillion
$1.19 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $3.57 trillion
$3.57 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 3.7%
3.7% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $4,291
Indonesia is the worlds 16th largest economy.
Indonesias economy is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and is based largely on commodity export industries. Major exports include coal and petroleum products, in addition to agricultural commodities suitable for industrial use, such as rubber and palm oil. Indonesia's budget deficit for 2023 is targeted at 2.81% to 2.95% of GDP; however, regional inequality, lack of infrastructure, and governmental corruption remain problems for Indonesias rising economy.
17. Netherlands
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $1.03 trillion
$1.03 trillion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $1.12 trillion
$1.12 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 5.0%
5.0% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $58,061
The Netherlands stands as the 17th largest economy in the world.
The Netherlands is a major commercial transportation hub, with some industrial manufacturing as well as petroleum extraction and processing. It has a highly developed agricultural sector and is the second-largest agricultural exporter in the world. The Netherlands has a large financial services sector, with assets four times the size of Dutch GDP.
18. Saudi Arabia
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $833.5 billion
$833.5 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $1.75 trillion
$1.75 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 3.2%
3.2% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $23,585
Saudi Arabia is the 18th largest economy in the world.
The Saudi economy is heavily based on oil and is the worlds largest oil exporter. The Saudi government owns and operates much of the countrys major industry through its oil company, Aramco; however, with global environmental concerns driving increasing interest in developing non-fossil fuel energy sources, the Saudis are looking to diversify their economy by encouraging more private investment in healthcare and other service industries.
The Saudi government has also begun to at least partially privatize Aramco, listing the company on the Saudi Stock Exchange through an initial public offering (IPO) in December 2019.
19. Turkey
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $815.27 billion
$815.27 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $2.60 trillion
$2.60 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 11.0%
11.0% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $9,586
Turkey is the 19th largest economy in the world.
Turkey has a largely open economy, with large industrial and service sectors. Major industries include electronics, petrochemicals, and automotive production. Political turmoil and involvement in regional armed conflicts have led to some financial and currency market instability and uncertainty about Turkeys economic future in recent years.
20. Switzerland
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $812.90 billion
$812.90 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $672.54 billion
$672.54 billion 2021 GDP Growth: 3.7%
3.7% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $93,457
The Alpine nation of Switzerland is the 20th largest economy in the world.
Switzerland has a large service sector, including financial services, and a high-tech manufacturing sector served by a highly skilled labor force. High-quality legal, political, and economic institutions and solid physical infrastructure set the stage for a productive economy with one of the highest per-capita GDPs in the world.
21. Poland
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $674.05 billion
$674.05 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $1.42 trillion
$1.42 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 5.7%
5.7% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $17,840
Poland is the 21st largest economy in the world. Heavy industry, including iron and steel production, machinery manufacturing, shipbuilding, and coal mining, is an important part of Polands economy.
Polands business-friendly climate and sound macroeconomic policies allowed it to be the only EU country to avoid recession in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. However, inefficient legal and regulatory structures and an aging population are challenges for Polands ongoing growth in the future.
22. Sweden
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $627.43 billion
$627.43 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $617.90 billion
$617.90 billion 2021 GDP Growth: 4.8%
4.8% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $60,239
Sweden is the 22nd largest economy in the world. Sweden is a competitive economy, with a high standard of living and a mix of free enterprise alongside a generous social welfare state. Swedens manufacturing economy relies heavily on foreign exports, including machinery, motor vehicles, and telecommunications.
Sweden has taken in a large number of new immigrants and thus faces a short- to medium-term challenge with integrating them into Swedish society and its labor market.
23. Belgium
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $599.88 billion
$599.88 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $682.88 billion
$682.88 billion 2021 GDP Growth: 6.2%
6.2% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $51,767
Belgium is the 23rd largest world economy. Belgium is a trade and transport hub that has a diversified economy with a mix of services, manufacturing, and high-tech industry.
Because of its deep integration with the rest of the European economy, Belgium is highly sensitive to swings in the overall economic performance of its neighbors. Belgium faces a high public debt burden relative to its GDP, which can constitute an obstacle to growth.
24. Thailand
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $505.98 billion
$505.98 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $1.34 trillion
$1.34 trillion 2021 GDP Growth: 1.6%
1.6% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $7,233
Thailand is the 24th largest economy in the world.
The Thai economy enjoys relatively high-quality infrastructure, in addition to pro-free-enterprise and pro-investment policies. Thailand is highly dependent on exports, which account for about two-thirds of its GDP. Its main exports include electronics, agricultural products, motor vehicles and parts, and food products. Thailand also has a substantial international tourism industry. Its agricultural sector makes up approximately 10% of its economy but employs about 30% of its workers.
25. Ireland
2021 Nominal GDP in Current U.S. Dollars: $498.56 billion
$498.56 billion 2021 PPP Adjusted GDP in Current International Dollars: $535.28 billion
$535.28 billion 2021 GDP Growth: 13.5%
13.5% 2021 Nominal GDP Per Capita in Current U.S. Dollars: $99,152
Last but certainly not least is Ireland, the 25th largest world economy.
A strong component of Ireland's economy is its export sector from foreign multinational corporations. Ireland has a low corporate tax of 12.5% and a pool of high-tech workers, making it an appealing place for foreign companies to set up shop and attractive for business investment. Due to international pressure, Ireland will implement more stringent tax laws. Its economy is supported by a strong export sector and job growth.
How Do You Calculate GDP? Gross domestic product (GDP) is calculated as consumption (consumer spending) + government spending + investment (business spending) + net exports (exports - minus imports).
What Are the Top 5 Largest Economies? The top-five largest economies in the world are the U.S., China, Japan, Germany, and the U.K., as measured by GDP.
There is no citizenship requirement for owning stocks of American companies. While U.S. investment securities are regulated by U.S. law, there are no specific provisions that forbid individuals who are not citizens of the U.S. from participating in the U.S. stock market. However, even if a non-U.S. citizen can legally trade U.S. stocks and bonds, it may still be required (in addition to being advisable) for them to consult with an investment firm and use the services of a professional.
There are some extra hoops that non-U.S. investors may have to jump through before investing in U.S. stocks. Foreign owners and holders of U.S.-based assets are subject to an array of U.S. laws intended to protect U.S. interests. An international stockbroker can help non-U.S. investors ensure that they are complying with any regulations that govern U.S. stocks and bonds.
Key Takeaways There is no citizenship requirement for owning stocks of American companies.
There are some extra hoops that non-U.S. investors may have to jump through before investing in U.S. stocks because foreign owners and holders of U.S.-based assets are subject to an array of U.S. laws intended to protect U.S. interests.
Some brokerage firms may require non-U.S. citizens to produce additional types of identification documents in order to comply with their individual policies.
For investors that really want to invest in the U.S. market but are encountering barriers to entry, there are also some U.S. companies that list their stocks on foreign exchanges.
Identity Requirements for Non-U.S. Citizens
One of the goals of the Patriot Act of 2001, passed following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was to prevent individuals with any links to terrorist activities from funding their illegal activities through the American capital markets. The act led to brokerage firms implementing more stringent requirements for verifying customer identities, particularly for non-U.S. citizens. Part of this legislation also requires stockbrokers to report any suspicious account activity to the U.S. government. However, these regulations obviously do not impact the majority of international investors because the vast majority of investors do not have any criminal associations.
Some brokerage firms may require non-U.S. citizens to produce additional types of identification documents in order to comply with their individual policies. This can include visa information, a valid Social Security number, or a Certificate of Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting form (also called a W-8BEN). Some brokerages may also require non-U.S. citizens to submit paper applications versus submitting online applications to open accounts.
Opening a Brokerage Account
An international stockbroker can help investors new to the U.S. market manage their investments. Brokerage firms can help ensure that your investments comply with all laws. Plus, a broker in the U.S. will be familiar with how to navigate the intricacies of the American stock market. Some brokerage firms even specialize in working with international investors.
However, for non-U.S. investors, it is advisable that they research whether or not the brokerage firm accepts investors from their specific country; some firms restrict what geographical regions they work with. The good thing is that many brokerage firms maintain online portals where investors can monitor their investments at any time of the day and from any location.
For investors that have a hard time finding a U.S. stockbroker, some international financial institutions will allow investors to open accounts that give them access to U.S. stock exchanges. For investors that really want to invest in the U.S. market but are encountering additional barriers to entry, there are also some U.S. companies that list their stocks on foreign exchanges.
Tax Implications of U.S. Investments Abroad
There are tax implications for trading U.S. investments if you are not a U.S. citizen. Investors that qualify as non-resident foreign nationals of the U.S for tax purposes are not liable for capital gains tax on the earnings from their investments. This means that the brokerage firm will not withhold any taxes from earnings in an account. However, many other countries require their residents to pay capital gains tax on money earned in foreign markets. Investors may be liable for those taxes in the countries where they are residents or where they pay taxes.
If you are a non-resident foreign national, and you invest in a company that pays dividends, those dividends are usually taxed as income at a flat rate of 30 percent. There are some exceptions to this rule: for example if the investor's country-of-residence is involved in a treaty with the U.S. that allows for a lower tax rate. Similarly, some investors are eligible for a lower tax rate on their dividend earnings if the earnings are interest-related.
It is important to keep in mind that non-U.S. residents are subject to U.S. estate and gift taxation with respect to certain types of U.S. assets, also at a maximum tax rate of 40% but with an exemption of $60,000, which is only available for transfers at death.
International taxation rules are very complex; this is another reason that it may be advisable for a non-U.S. investor to work with an international broker who is knowledgeable about the tax implications of investing in foreign markets.
The Four Largest Mutual Fund Holders of AT&T Fund Holder # Shares Market Value Date Reported Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund 201.8 million $5.45 billion Q3 2021 Vanguard 500 Index Fund 149.9 million $4.01 billion Q3 2021 SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust 76.8 million $1.75 billion Q3 2021 Fidelity 500 Index Fund 69.7 million $1.60 billion Q3 2021
Source: Yahoo! Finance
1. The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX)
AT&T's largest mutual fund holder is the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX). The fund owns more than 201 million shares of AT&T with a market value of around $5.5 billion as of Q3 2021.
Vanguard's VTSAX is designed to offer broad exposure to the total U.S. stock market. With approximately $1.4 trillion in net assets under management (AUM), the VTSAX has an expense ratio of just 0.04%, and a five-year annualized return of around 18% as of the end of 2021. A minimum investment amount of $3,000 is required.
However, for those who don't have the $3,000 initial investment, Vanguard also offers an exchange traded fund (ETF) called the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI). The VTI has a similar makeup to the VTSAX and the initial investment cost is the price of one share.
2. The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX)
AT&T's second-largest mutual fund holder is the Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX), which owns roughly 150 million shares for a market value of $4 billion as of Q3 2021.
The VFIAX provides exposure to 500 of the largest U.S. companies across various industries mirroring the Standard and Poor's 500 index (S&P 500). The VFIAX had approximately $856 billion in assets under management, an expense ratio of 0.04%, and a five-year annualized return of around 17.5% as of the end of 2021.
Although the VFIAX has a minimum investment requirement of $3,000, Vanguard also offers an ETF version called the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO). The VOO has similar holdings to the VFIAX and its initial cost is the price of one share.
3. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)
AT&T's third-largest mutual fund holder of its stock is the popular SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), which is managed by State Street Global Advisors. The SPY ETF tracks the S&P 500 index and is invested in 505 stocks.
The SPY owns just under 77 million shares of AT&T for an approximate market value of $1.75 billion as of Q3 2021. The SPDR SPY has $413.5 billion in assets under management with an expense ratio of 0.0945%. The SPY has a five-year annualized return of around 17.5% as of the end of 2021.
4. The Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX)
AT&T's fourth-largest mutual fund holder of the company's stock is the Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX), which has $400 billion in assets under management. The FXAIX also tracks the S&P 500 Index following a passively managed strategy.
The FXAIX owns nearly 70 million shares of AT&T representing nearly $1.6 billion in market value as of Q3 2021. Fidelity's FXAIX has an expense ratio of 0.015%, no investment minimum, and a five-year annualized return of around 15% as of Q3 2021.
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The Republican primary campaign has gone on so absurdly for so long that its become easy to think its some kind of whacky cable television show, rather than a process that actually has a purpose and an end.
But alas, here we are, at the point where the actual voting begins.
On February 1, Iowans will put down their deep fried butter and head off to the election booth. Polls show that Republican residents of the Hawkeye state are torn between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and so that dubious duo have been going at it hard in recent weeks. And at the center of their fight is the issue of immigration.
As CNN reported this week: Cruz, in a dogfight with Trump for top billing in Iowa, launched an early-state offensive here meant to tear into Trump's position of strength by exposing his record on his signature issue: immigration, later adding, Across Iowa on Saturday (January 24), Cruz began a closing pitch to unravel Trump's immigration cachet, portraying him as an embracer of amnesty masquerading as a restrictionist in order to win a Republican primary.
For many neo-nativists of the Trump variety, Americas immigration problems began in the 1960s. They tend to have a sentimental view of the Ellis Island generation of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Poland and elsewhere in Europe. Immigration then slowed in the 1920s (thanks to laws passed as a backlash to heavily Catholic and Jewish immigration waves) and the 1930s (because of the Great Depression.)
By the mid-1960s, with major legislation passed to secure Civil Rights and Voting Rights for African Americans, lawmakers then looked to reform the U.S. immigration system. In fact, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act back in October. President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the new law at the foot of the Statue of Liberty.
Funny thing about that law. It radically transformed the nature of American immigration. It was not supposed to. Its main architect, a prominent Irish American lawmaker, hoped the new law would bring more immigrants from Ireland and other European countries to which American had historic ties.
We know how that turned out.
The story of this radical change is the subject of Tom Gjeltens new book "A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story."
Fifty years after its passage, it is clear the [Immigration and Nationality Act] definitively altered the complexion of the U.S. population, Gjelten has written.
In 1965, the immigrant share of the population was at an all-time low. Eighty-five percent of the population was white, and seven out of eight immigrants were coming from Europe. By 2010, the share of the U.S. population born overseas had tripled, and nine out of 10 immigrants were coming from outside Europe.
At the center of the debate over and passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act was Michael Aloysius Feighan, described in Gjeltens book as a dour Irish American, who was also chairman of the House Immigration subcommittee.
According to Gjelten, Feighan had no interest in passing any immigration legislation. But Feighan was subjected to President Johnsons infamous lobbying, generally known as the treatment.
So, being that a law was going to be passed, Feighan and others at least wanted to control the kinds of immigrants who came to the U.S. Initially, they wanted to prioritize those whose skills were in short supply in the U.S.
Feighan, however, insisted on prioritizing those immigrants who already had relatives in the United States, believing that a family unification preference would favor those nationalities already represented in the U.S. population, meaning Europeans such as the Irish, Gjelten writes.
He adds: The motivation of Europeans to move to the United States was diminishing, while the urge to migrate was growing in Asia, Africa and other non-European countries.
Once small numbers of the latter groups got to the U.S., they were able to sponsor many more family members.
Which brings us to where we are today a diverse nation of nations. Or, if you are voting for Trump or Cruz, a post-apocalyptic hellhole on the brink of disaster.
But dont blame the immigrants. Blame Michael Aloysius Feighan.
* Contact sidewalks@tdeignan.blogspot.com.
Just weeks after Tanaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) and Labour Party Leader Joan Burton found herself faced with a vote of no confidence and accusations of cronyism, Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption, has named Ireland as the 18th least corrupt country in the world.
With a 2015 score of 75 in the organization's index, Ireland tied with Hong Kong and Japan, coming close behind the United States in 16th place and the United Kingdom in tenth place.
The score, however, is based simply on perceptions of corruption within the county, meaning that it may not accurately reflect the genuine amount of public sector corruption or reflect the level of corruption that countries may be engaging in overseas while their own public sector appears to have a clean record.
Denmark was deemed the least corrupt country in the world by the index with a score of 91, just one point above second-place Finland. Sweden rounded up a Scandinavian top three with 89 points.
Not only is Ireland in the top 20 least corrupt countries in the world, according to this research, but the organization found that corruption has in fact been in decline in the country in the past five years, improving each year since 2012 when it had a score of 69.
Despite this, it dropped one place in the overall index since 2014.
Problems with the Corruption Perception Index come into play as early as third-placed Sweden. Swedish-Finnish firm TeliaSonera is currently facing allegations of using bribes to acquire business in Uzbekistan, who place 153rd in the index.
TeliaSonera is 37 per cent owned by the Swedish state.
The research highlights, however, that no single country in the world is corruption free, finding that half of all countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are violating their international obligations to crack down on bribery by their companies abroad.
On the release of the 2015 index, Transparency International Ireland, the Irish branch of the organization, stated that the fight against corruption must be a higher priority for the incoming Irish government after this years general election.
They called on all parties and candidates to commit themselves to reform, stating that although Ireland is considered to be one of those countries least affected by systemic public-sector corruption, it is perceived to be far less clean than many of the worlds advanced democracies.
Ireland not doing well in #corruptionperceptionindex Only Mediterranean and ex-Eastern Bloc behind us among EU list. http://t.co/kU6Qrb7pm2 William Foley (@_FoleyLiam_) December 3, 2014
Some important reforms, such as new whistleblower protections and lobbying regulations have recently been introduced and will help prevent wrongdoing, said TI Ireland Chief Executive, John Devitt.
However, the failure to publish new anti-corruption legislation, four years after it was announced, is hugely disappointing and should be a source of embarrassment for the Government.
New political finance rules and reforms enacted in 2012 have an important role to play in helping prevent corruption. Yet we know that people will break the rules. Laws that are not enforced are not worth much more than the paper theyre written on.
Read more: Massive storms hit Ireland as planning corruption becomes clear (PHOTOS)
In December 2015 the level at which corruption is still operating within Irish politics was in some way exposed by an RTE undercover investigation into corrupt councilors.
On Monday December 7, former Co. Monaghan Councillor Hugh McElvaney was one of three Irish county councilors shown in talks with an undercover journalist from RTE in which he sought payment from the reporters fictional company in return for his off-the-record and illegal assistance.
The RTE Prime Time Investigates program about standards in public office, headed by RTE journalists Conor Ryan and Ken Foxe, investigated the ethical standards of Irelands local councillors.
In order to ensure transparency, Irish politicians are required to list all of their interests, adhere to rules if a conflict of interest arises, and are not allowed to seek any private benefit for their work.
Along with Sligo Fianna Fail Councillor Joe Queenan, and Independent Councillor John ODonnell in Donegal, McElvaney was contacted by fake company Vinst Opportunities. Although each of the three politicians offered the company help in breach of the three aforementioned main requirements of an Irish politician, McElvaney, a four-time mayor of Monaghan and a winner of nine successive council elections, was revealed as by far the most audacious in asking the fictional company for money.
McElvaney is reported to be considering running for election in Monaghan again despite the scandal and remains confident of his success.
Read more: Hilarious remix makes corrupt Irish politician do the Macarena (VIDEO)
As mentioned, Tanaiste Joan Burton also faced allegations of blatant cronyism in early 2016 when it emerged she had appointed former union boss David Begg as chair of the Pensions Authority with no public service advertising or appointments process.
Independent Alliance TDs forwarded a motion of no confidence in the Social Protection Minister stating that although the move is allowed under state board guidelines, and Begg is qualified for the job, it is a return to the days when those supporting the government are awarded.
The motion of no confidence was defeated by 81 votes to 32 on January 20, 2016.
Never ever in my existence have I ever been involved in anything that has involved any break of the law, said Burton of the motion.
Devitt believes, however, that many member of government are still blind to corruption or are not willing to rectify the problem if noticed, especially with regard to the Moriarty Tribunal.
Unfortunately, too many members of the Oireachtas dont seem to realise how big a problem corruption is. he added.
If they do know and theyre not prepared to call for reform, then the only conclusion we can draw is that they dont care.
The apparent lack of action and political ambivalence towards Judge Moriartys findings sends the public the message that different rules apply to those in positions of power and influence. This will be deeply corrosive of public confidence in democratic government and our criminal justice system, Devitt concluded.
The Corruption Perceptions Index covers 168 countries worldwide looking for key characteristics within the public sector which give the perception of a lack of corruption: access to budget information so the public knows where money comes from and how it is spent; high levels of integrity among people in power; and judiciaries that do not differentiate between rich and poor, and that are truly independent from other parts of government.
TI Ireland adds that it does not attributes a country's rise or fall on the index to any individual event or individual.
We called my grandpa Big Fish because his stories, true as they might have been, were always completely outrageous. He was a flight marshal on a plane that got hijacked to Cuba. He escaped a cop by climbing down a manhole and climbing back up a different one a few blocks away. He was just mischievous by nature.
The last years of his life were spent at St. Patricks retirement home in the Bronx where he hung out with a senile woman named Rose and, of course, terrorized the staff. His favorite thing to do was to sit at the bar with a bottle of Georgi and play We Gotta Get Out of This Place and Streets of New York on repeat. That is, until the shouting from Bingo began to interfere with his routine.
When all of the Bingo balls suddenly disappeared, he became the prime suspect. He swore up and down that he had nothing to do with it. ALS had left him wheelchair bound and hardly able to hold a pen, let alone able to climb into a storage closet. He never admitted to the theft, but after he passed away my uncle cleaning out my grandpas closet and out bounced dozens of Bingo balls. Rose turned out to be a perfect accomplice.
Read more: Brave Irish American with ALS inspired the #IceBucketChallenge (VIDEO)
My grandpa was a hard-working first-generation American. He had more jobs than I can count. He joined the Navy during World War II, owned and operated his own moving company, had a stint as a flight marshal (mentioned above), but he was most proud of his years served with the NYPD and FDNY.
My grandpa clung tightly to his Irish roots and instilled in his family their importance. He made us proud to be Irish. The fondest memories I have are of sitting with him on Sundays listening to Fordhams Irish radio program, or simply hearing him talk about Ireland and its historyas if it were some type of paradise. Which, I would eventually find out, wasnt far from the truth.
When I told my grandpa that I was planning to spend a semester in Ireland, he shocked me by telling me it was a bad idea. I couldnt believe it. The same man who had cried at my Irish Step Dance recitals and taught me everything he knew about Ireland didnt want me to see the place he held so dear. But he explained that he thought once I went to Ireland, I would never want to come back home.
I spent five months in Galway during my third year of college and it was life-changing. I met some of my best friends while studying at UCG. We spent our semester seeing as much of Ireland as possible. We did a bus tour of Connemara, took ferries out to the Aran Islands, hiked around the Ring of Kerry, and spent a couple weekends in Dublin. Five months was not nearly enough time to see all that Ireland has to offer. However, I gained an appreciation for what Ireland has to offer and knew it would not be my last visit.
I thought about my grandpa every day during those months. I lit a candle for him at every church I visited. Every trad session I heard brought me back to those Sundays at his house. It even got to the point where I did a double take at every man I saw walking by with a cane.
My grandpa died before I left for college. So I was never able to talk to him about my experience there, but I know he was with me in spirit. When it came time for me to fly back to New York, he was absolutely right. I didnt want to leave.
Read more: My grandmother was supposed to be on the Titanic. Here's what she did instead (PHOTOS).
An Irish woman has died in a yachting accident off the South African coast.
The 49-year-old, and a 61-year-old Scottish man died when their boat capsized and ran aground on rocks on the Western Cape, north of Cape Town.
A 66-year-old Irish man survived the accident and managed to get to shore to raise the alarm.
All those on board were residents of the Western Cape area, according to South African rescue services.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is providing consular assistance to the family of the deceased woman.
The Cabinet will meet this morning to outline proposals for a Commission of Investigation into alleged sexual abuse at a foster home in the south-east.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar and junior minister Kathleen Lynch are recommending it be established.
Read: Read More: Government to set up Commission of Inquiry into HSE abuse case
However the Taoiseach said that the terms of reference will be decided by the next Dail.
The HSE's director general Tony O'Brien is due to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to give a full account of their handling of the case at noon.
This could push any election announcement later in the evening or into tomorrow - as the dissolution of the Dail would also dissolve the PAC.
The alleged sexual abuse is already being investigated by senior counsel Conor Dignam - and any Commission of Investigation would likely draw heavily from his work.
Tanaiste Joan Burton has said that she is in favour of a full judicial inquiry into the foster home.
But any investigation will not be established until the end of April - after the General Election.
Two Limerick brothers, charged with possession of 50,000 worth of heroin, have been remanded in continuing custody.
Brian and Kieran Collopy were arrested last December after Gardai swooped on a house in Limerick city and found the drugs.
The brothers were arrested in a planned Garda operation at the house at St Ita's Street, St Mary's Park, on December 15.
Garda previously told the court that books of evidence - being complied by the Director of Public Prosecutions - are at "an advanced stage".
At a previous special sitting of the court in Kilmallock, Co Limerick, the Collopy brothers were refused bail after the State raised concerns that they may be leave the jurisdiction and not face trial on indictment.
Detective Garda David McGrath said Brian Collopy, Killonan, Ballysimon, Co Limerick, had left Ireland 11 times in 2015, and that Gardai believe he is a "genuine flight risk".
Brian Collopy, 43, who is in receipt of a disability payment, made nine trips to Alicante in Spain and visited the UK twice during 2015.
Kieran Collopy, 40, St Itas Street, St Marys Park, was in Spain four times in the past year and made one trip to Prague, the court heard.
Both men are charged with possession of heroin, contrary to Section Three of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
They are also charged with possession of heroin with intent for sale or supply, contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Today, Judge Mary Larkin remanded both men in continuing custody, for preparation of books of evidence, to appear before Limerick District Court again, on February 23.
The brother of the former chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank David Drumm has said that it is a nonsense to suggest that his sibling fled the country.
Ken Drumm said it was always his brother's intention to make his home in America.
Update (4.27pm): The Garda Ombudsman has said it is satisfied there was no Garda misconduct involved in a fatal collision in Galway today.
Update (4.04pm): The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission has launched an investigation into a fatal road traffic collision in Co Galway earlier this morning.
In a statement, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission says the incident was referred to GSOC by Gardai.
GSOC investigators attended the scene and are carrying out an examination.
The scene of the crash this morning. Pic: Hany Marzouk
Earlier: A pensioner killed in a road accident in which two Gardai were also injured had been missing from a nursing home.
The 66-year-old man died after being struck by a car on the main Galway to Limerick N18 road about two kilometres north of Ardrahan.
Gardai said the crash happened at about 12.30am.
Parallel investigations are being carried out by traffic corps officers and the Garda Ombudsmans office after a superintendent referred the case to the watchdog a routine decision when a Garda vehicle is involved in a road accident.
It is understood the dead man had left a local nursing home earlier on Sunday night. The two Gardai injured in the accident had stopped their vehicle on the main road after spotting the man and were making efforts to assist him.
The Garda press office said the officers were taken to University Hospital Galway but their injuries were non life-threatening.
A man aged in his 40s, who had been driving the second car involved in the accident, was arrested at the scene and taken to Gort Garda Station. He was later released.
The N18 remained closed for several hours after the crash.
Two Garda Ombudsman investigators were dispatched to the scene in the middle of the night and spent several hours on site.
Garda forensic collision investigators were also examining the road to establish the cause of the crash.
Appeals were made for any witnesses or people with information to contact Gort Garda station on 091-636400 or to use the Garda confidential line on 1800 666 111 or to contact any Garda station.
By Daniel McConnnell and Fiachra O Cionnaith
The HSE's Director General Tony O'Brien has said that his organisation 'mishandled' the apology to a victim of abuse in a foster home in the South East.
Addressing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr O'Brien also accepted the committee was misled by the HSE after it claimed the apology was given to the woman at the centre of the scandal who has been given the name 'Grace'.
The HSE, after the Irish Examiner first revealed the story, informed the PAC an apology had been given directly to Grace, but last weekend was forced to admit that no apology had been given.
At the committee, Mr O'Brien and his senior Social Care official Pat Healy, were pressed by members John Deasy and Joe Costello over the fabricated apology.
Mr Costello said it was hard to avoid the conclusion that the fabrication of the apology to the PAC "was deliberate".
Addressing the committee, Mr O'Brien accepted the making of an apology to Grace and her mother was mishandled.
He said that in considering how to communicate to Grace in the most appropriate way, the view taken was that this should be undertaken in person, in the first instance, rather than by letter.
With this change in the mode of communication in the case of Grace it is now evident that the official HSE apology that was intended to be issued to "Grace" and to her mother was not made at that time. Unfortunately, the desire to offer a formal HSE apology was lost in the communication to the staff members who were to conduct the meeting in person with Grace, Mr O'Brien told the PAC.
He added however, having personally reviewed the situation with those staff involved, he was satisfied that it was the intention to offer a full and frank apology to Grace.
I wish to confirm that the HSE has since apologised officially to Grace and her mother.
This official apology has been made by the Chief Officer both in person and in writing, with the assistance of the professionals now caring for her, he added.
Mr O'Brien, As the Director General of the HSE, informed the committee that he wrote yesterday to the 44 families, to let them know that he was unhappy with the way the HSE mishandled the apology.
I also apologised to them for the further distress that this mishandling may have caused them or their family member, Mr O'Brien said.
Furthermore, it is clear from both of the unpublished reports that there were significant failings in the care provided by that foster family and significant failures by the former Health Board (and subsequently the HSE) to make the situation safe, Mr O'Brien said.
For this, I offered them and their family member a full, sincere and heartfelt apology, the HSE boss said.
Grace was one of 47 children and adults, many of whom had intellectual disabilities, placed at the foster home between 1983 and 1995.
Referrals to the home ended in 1995 after the former South Eastern Health Board received allegations of abuse.
However, Grace was not removed from the home until 2009 and her social workers believe she was the victim of neglect and sexual abuse.
PAC vice-chairman John Deasy told todays hearing it was feared Grace had suffered truly horrific abuse.
Rape with implements. Horrific sexual abuse allegations. Some of the worst examples of abuse I have ever come across, he said.
Mr OBrien told the PAC the allegations of abuse were of the most egregious nature.
UK prime minister David Cameron has said the package of proposed reforms to Britains membership of the EU will allow the UK to be better off, more secure, more prosperous as a member of the 28-nation bloc, as he set the scene for an in/out referendum within a matter of months.
Mr Cameron said the proposals drafted by European Council president Donald Tusk were something worth fighting for, and were good enough that he sure would back Britain joining the EU under these terms, if it was not already a member.
The Syrian government has allowed aid into a rebel-held area near Damascus in what appeared to be a goodwill gesture after UN-mediated indirect peace talks got off to a rocky start in Geneva.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered 14 trucks of aid provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross to the al-Tal suburb, said Damascus-based ICRC spokesman Pawel Krzysiek.
He said the delivery included food and hygiene kits for some 3,500 families as well as 25 metric tons of bulk food.
The Syrian opposition had demanded that aid be allowed into 18 besieged areas throughout the country and that Syrian and Russian forces halt the bombardment of rebel-held areas ahead of the talks, which officially began on Monday.
But as UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has shuttled between the government and opposition delegations in Geneva, Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes have captured three villages north of the city of Aleppo.
The military offensive and the continuing blockade of rebel areas has infuriated the opposition and thrown the future of the talks into question.
Opposition official Ahmad Ramadan dismissed the aid shipment to al-Tal as an empty gesture, saying the only way to save the negotiations is for the United Nations and the United States to force an end to bombardment and the targeting of civilians.
The delivery to al-Tal came a day after the Syrian government approved a UN 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 Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Tal has been under siege by Syrian President Bashar Assads forces for months.
De Mistura kicked off what he called a second day of peace talks by hosting a government delegation for the second time since Friday. He said he would meet with the main opposition group later in the day.
But opposition figures said they had no scheduled meeting with de Mistura on Tuesday, and condemned what one member called the crazy escalation by Syrian and Russian forces around Aleppo.
The talks are aimed at ending a war that has killed 250,000 people, displaced millions and left much of the country in ruins. The last round of talks broke down in 2014, and expectations are low.
The government has criticised the presence in the opposition delegation of individuals from two hard-line Islamic groups -- the Army of Islam and Ahrar al-Sham -- that it considers terrorist organisations. The government said over the weekend it would never accept the inclusion of the two groups in the talks.
Our aid reached Mleiha, a small town near Damascus isolated by fighting for 3 years https://t.co/piITSGmbIS #Syria pic.twitter.com/IJQJpau8gE UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) February 2, 2016
After meeting with de Mistura on Tuesday, Syrias UN ambassador Bashar Jaafari - the head of the government delegation called the opposition amateurs and said his delegation was still waiting for a list of opposition participants.
The opposition hit back, saying the government wants to derail the peace process through its military actions.
The regimes and Russias actions gravely threaten the political process at early stages. We urge the international community to take immediate, serious and clear steps to ensure the credibility of this process, said Farah Atassi, another member of the opposition delegation.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking from Rome at an international conference focused on the battle against the Islamic State group, also called for a halt to the bombing.
We are all extraordinarily sympathetic to the limits of propriety and common sense in the opposition sitting at the table while someone continues to bomb them, Mr Kerry said. He added that the UN agreement underpinning the talks states that when the political dialogue begins, there will be a ceasefire. The expectation is that it shouldnt take long.
We expect a ceasefire. And we expect adherence to a ceasefire. And we expect full humanitarian access, he said.
Moscow has been a key ally of the Syrian government throughout the five-year uprising and began launching airstrikes four months ago.
The strikes have allowed Syrian troops to advance on a number of fronts. The Observatory, an opposition group that monitors both sides of the conflict through local activists, said troops have captured three villages near Aleppo since Monday, opening a key supply route into the city.
The Observatory said heavy aerial bombardment, presumably from Russian warplanes, helped the troops advance.
Speaking in Geneva, Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Moscow will continue to help the Syrian government.
Russia realises the importance of a ceasefire. But that doesnt relate to terrorists, he said.
Russia has played a pivotal role in organising the current talks, along with the United States, and does not want to see them derailed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Abu Dhabi that all opposition parties in Syria except for the Islamic State group and the al Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front should take part in the negotiations.
He said the inclusion of members of the Army of Islam and Ahrar al-Sham in the opposition delegation reflects realistic stances.
But he said it did not amount to recognition of them as legitimate partners for peace, adding that they are considered terrorist groups.
The chief negotiator of the oppositions High Negotiations Committee meanwhile said he was pessimistic about the talks.
Mohammed Alloush, a member of the Army of Islam, told reporters in Geneva that the situation on the ground has not changed and as long as the situation stays like that there is no optimism from our side and no good intention to reach a solution by the regime.
The cyber attack in November, 2013 put Loyaltybuilds Irish business out of action for seven months and cost the company millions of euro in lost revenues.
As a result of the cyber attack, the Data Protection Commissioner slapped a prohibition order on the firm that stopped it from operating in Ireland for a period of time.
The Commissioner confirmed the data breach involved of personal data of 1.5m people, including 376,000 individuals whose full credit card data was compromised.
A large proportion of the losses at the firm are connected with the restructuring of Loyaltybuilds French entity during 2014 that was purchased in 2013.
The directors report says that during the financial year, the company implemented a plan to restructure its French branch.
"Significant restructuring costs, including redundancy costs, were incurred as a result.
The accounts show that Loyaltybuild Ltd incurred exceptional costs of 7m relating to a non-cash impairment of 4.2m and restructuring costs of 2.9m.
The acquisition of the French firm in 2013 helped to almost double revenues in 2014 from 12.3m to 23.8m.
The accounts also confirm that departing executives at the Co Clare firm shared a pay-off of 1.3m in 2014.
The head of the Ennis operation Peter Steenstrup, who oversaw the firms immediate response to the cyber attack, resigned in April 2014.
A second director, head of European Operations at parent company Affinion, Guillaume Huser, resigned on November 2014.
A spokesman declined to respond to a number of questions around the firms accounts, including the compensation payments to directors.
He said Loyaltybuild continues to progress well in the Irish market as in other territories.
The directors report says that the company intends to continue to expand its activities in the coming financial year both within existing markets and through the development of strategic partnerships in new markets.
The long-awaited regulations will place a number of responsibilities on retailers and wholesalers with worldwide turnover of 50m or more, in order to protect their suppliers.
One of the key requirements is all new or renewed contracts between retailers or wholesalers and suppliers will have to put in writing, while suppliers must also be paid within 30 days.
In 2014, through the Competition and Consumer Protection Act, powers were provided to introduce strong regulations to govern relationships in this area, said Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton.
There is potentially a real inequality between these players which can be abused in a manner not in the interests of jobs, consumers or sustainable safe food.
I am now signing an initial set of regulations into law which will guard against abuse.
These regulations will focus on food and drink, which have been the products on which there has been most concern expressed.
Other requirements include:
Contracts cannot be varied or terminated except with express consent of both parties;
Suppliers can require a retailer or wholesaler to provide forecasts of the goods that will be needed
Provisions to deal with non- performance of duties due to circumstances beyond parties control;
Retailers and wholesalers cannot seek payment from suppliers for promotions, shelf space, marketing, wastage and shrinkage costs unless provided for in the contracts.
The regulations come into force on April 30 with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) responsible for enforcement.
The new Grocery Regulations are an important addition to the enforcement tools at our disposal and we are committed to using all of our powers to create a culture of compliance in the grocery sector to benefit consumers and businesses, said CCPC chairwoman Isolde Goggin.
The regulations were welcomed by the Ibec-affiliated Food and Drink Industry Ireland, which last week called for their urgent introduction after Tesco was found to have seriously breached the UKs groceries supply code of practice by short-changing suppliers in order to protect its own finances.
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) also welcomed the new rules but said serious flaws remained.
We have waited the lifetime of this Government to have this initial set of regulations signed into law.
"They contain important safeguards for suppliers however, the absence of a ban on below-cost selling is a serious weakness, said IFA national chairman Jer Bergin.
The establishment of a retail Ombudsman also remains a key objective, he added.
It comes as the IBOA which represents 15,000 finance staff across Ireland, which compares with a peak of 23,000 on the eve of the crash is due to complete pay negotiations with Bank of Ireland this week and with Ulster Bank next week.
General secretary Larry Broderick told the Irish Examiner there was growing concern that chief executives at State-owned banks would again top excessive amounts in pay and in share-based incentives as the Government starts to sell down shares later this year.
Pay caps would need to be extended even as the Government launches its first IPOs of bank shares, while some sort of correlation needs to be established linking pay across all staff in the banks.
Our view is that the pay of the chief executive should be correlated with the pay of the lowest bank official in the bank or the financial institution, Mr Broderick said.
There should be some correlation between the bottom and the top.
"Despite the fact that the Government introduced all sorts of caps there does seem to be growing concern from our point of view that as banks come out of State ownership that there is no commitment to retaining the cap.
The IBOA did not accept the argument that unless banks pay huge sums to their chef executives that they will not attract the best talent in the industry, he said.
He said he was, however, reluctant to say what the correlation or multiple should be between pay of the the top executive and the lowest-paid grade.
The gulf in pay that emerged during the boom years helped lead to the finance unions members losing their jobs, and to the Irish public paying the price for the banking bust, Mr Broderick said.
He said that share incentives in the past were used extensively across all grades in the banks.
Our concern would be that there was a disproportionate incentive to the senior executives, he said.
There should be some mechanism that limited the amount of shares available to the senior executives and maybe it should be capped at a certain amount for people at a senior level.
In its official response to the banking inquiry yesterday, the IBOA added its criticism to the report, saying it did not go far enough.
The IBOA said: We had expected the Banking Inquiry would bring forward a comprehensive raft of recommendations to address the wide-ranging deficits in the culture, governance and oversight of the banking sector especially in light of the catastrophic events of the recent of the recent past and their devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of the people of this country including workers in the financial services sector.
Experts last week said they were disappointed that the report had failed to uncover the precise reasons that the banks internal controls were ignored.
Yesterday, the IBOA said: One of the key features of the banking crisis was not the lack of credit control mechanisms to monitor risk but the fact that the red flags, which theses procedures would have highlighted, were effectively ignored.
Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has unveiled the mechanism to distribute the 1m direct aid package for pig farmers.
He was speaking at the presentation to him of a pig industry stakeholder group report, with 60 recommendations to address the challenges facing the industry.
Mr Coveney said: This support payment originates from a package of measures proposed by the European Commission in response to price deterioration experienced by pig farmers in 2015, the impact of which has been exacerbated by the closure of the Russian market.
"The Government decided to match the EU funding for the sector, thus providing for a 1m package.
Further details will be sent to pig-herd owners in the coming days.
The minister is also considering the allocation of funding to the Irish Pig Society to further its work in representing smaller scale producers.
The pig industry stakeholder group, chaired by Sean Brady, is working to address challenges facing the pig sector under themes such as bio-security, animal welfare, quality assurance, antiobiotic usage, animal health, salmonella control programme, marketing, feed, non-intensive sector and other production models.
Dr Brady said: I believe farmers and the processing industry in Ireland are ready, willing and able to take on the challenges and grasp opportunities highlighted in this report, and to continue to play a significant part in the ongoing development and growth of the Irish agri-food sector.
The refinerys future continues to hang in the balance as the obligation on its owner Phillips 66 to operate the facility until July 2016 draws closer.
The ongoing uncertainty is cause for concern for the port which counts on Whitegate for 55% of its freight traffic.
The possibility that the refinery would be converted to a storage facility if the worst-case scenario came to pass offers some solace regardless of whether Whitegate remains operational, said Port of Cork chairman John Mullins.
The worst case scenario if it closes is that it will be converted into strategic storage and actually a place where refined product will be shipped from, said Mr Mullins.
We believe [oil] product will still have to come through Cork.
Logistically, you just couldnt turn a switch over night and actually give this to Dublin or give it to Shannon Foynes.
"They do not have the capacity nor do they have the transport infrastructure, the reservoirs, the tankage etc, to do it but thats cold comfort if the refinery closes down.
Our view as a port board and company is we believe [Whitegate] is of strategic energy importance; not just to the south of Ireland but actually to the totality of Ireland and our thoughts are with the workers at the moment and hopefully this will get clarified very soon.
Theres a glut of oil that needs storage so therefore we believe were insulated to an extent but frankly wed prefer to see refining activity continue in Whitegate.
In addition to the 155 or so staff directly employed by the refinery and 130 additional contractors, consideration must also be given to those employed in the transport industry whose fortunes are heavily influenced by the facility, Mr Mullins added.
Limited options for future of Whitegate oil refinery according to the FGE head of refining https://t.co/dtfw3rYCNp pic.twitter.com/gvrnyAQF3I Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) January 5, 2016
The refinery is also of strategic importance to protect Irelands energy supply.
Certainly, other countries in Europe have a deep security of supply concern if they didnt have refineries.
"If this refinery closes were probably one of two countries in Europe that wouldnt have a refinery, said Mr Mullins.
The ports chairman also criticised the extent of the support Whitegate had received to date.
He called on the Government to offer additional support, adding: So far all youve heard is that it is of strategic importance; thats not saying its of strategic necessity.
Texas-based Phillips 66 put the refinery back on the market in November 2015 after reporting losses of more than $280m (263.13m).
Valerie Orr first met her Scottish boyfriend James Cameron in 2012 at the Castlewellan Show where she was showing her cow, Knowehead Jane, apparently an Irish Moiled breed.
James was a judge at the event and something sparked when their eyes met over the judging ring that day, so when they met again two years later at the Stirling Bull sales, the rest, as Valerie said, is history.
Valerie and James at the Castlewellan Show in 2012. Pic: ChrisMcCullough
James moved from Perthshire in Scotland to the North in June 2014, but was unable to find work there as a beef stockman, so he moved back to Scotland the year after.
Their relationship blossomed, but the long haul from Northern Ireland to Scotland was becoming a bit much.
Valerie said: "He decided to go back to Scotland to find work while I managed our herd back home.
"Long distance relationships can be very hard work and with both of us working on farms getting chances to get away to see each other was very difficult."
Fate seemed to be working in their favour, however, as Valerie applied for a job as an Agricultural Officer with ScotGov, which she got.
A delighted Valerie said: "Over the last year things have gradually developed with opportunities coming our way that just seemed to be right."
As Valeries cows meant the world to her she could not be without them so she was in a bit of a dilemma, but she bit the bullet and decided to bring the herd with her.
She said: "We shipped over 25 cattle in total which was all our Shorthorns and a portion of the Irish Moiled herd."
Unfortunately, Storm Gertrude hit the day they were to ship the cattle over to Scotland which nearly scuppered everything.
Valeris said: "In the end we had to delay the move by around six hours until the weather had calmed enough to allow livestock to sail. It worked out well though because it meant we were able to load the cattle in the sunshine as opposed to the pitch black of 5am!"
Thankfully, the cows arrived safely at their Scottish farm a little tired from the journey, but glad of the deep straw beds to lie on.
Some of Valeries cows at their new home in Scotland. Pic: ChrisMcCullough
Moving wasnt an easy decision for Valerie, but in the end she followed her heart.
She said: "I have worked hard on the farm for five years to build up the cut flower and Christmas tree business along with my family.
"However, I knew I had to literally follow my heart and that is with James and our herd of cows (not forgetting our dogs Jude and Gyp).
"Home will always be home but I love Scotland too and we see the opportunities in farming here to be much better for us."
Thanks to Chris McCullough for sending us this story and all the photos.
Andrew Dineen, aged 61, with an address at Sovereign House, Oysterhaven, Co Cork, was 47 when he committed the offence on October 21, 2003, and while he did plead guilty to having drugs for sale or supply on May 14, 2004, he then absconded to England where he remained until recently.
Detective Sergeant Lar OBrien testified yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that the taxi was stopped by drugs squad gardai at Camden Quay, Cork, on the night of October 21, 2003.
Dineen was driving the taxi. A search was conducted and a little over a kilo of cocaine was found stashed inside the taxi sign on the roof.
Interviewed after his initial arrest Dineen admitted travelling to Dublin to collect drugs and ferry them to Cork.
He claimed his belief at the time was that the drugs were cannabis, but Judge Sean O Donnabhain was sceptical about that point.
Sinead Behan said Dineen was acting as a courier at the time. She said he had a family in Cork previously and went on to start a new family in England since he went there in 2004.
In 2011, gardai were approached by a relative of the accused about him coming back but nothing came of it at that time. Since then he suffered ill health and decided that he would return to Cork.
Judge O Donnabhain said if the accused had stayed around to face his sentence it would have been long behind him now. Ms Behan accepted that but said that people did not always make the right decisions when they were under pressure.
Judge O Donnabhain said: It was a significant amount of drugs and his involvement was principle (compared with a passenger in the car who was also involved in the deal and previously sentenced for his part).
He all but denied himself the benefit of the guilty plea by absconding. He was doing this for money and he knowingly absconded and went to England.
The judge then imposed a seven-year sentence with the last two years suspended.
Ms Creighton, during her time as European affairs minister, wrote a newspaper column in 2012 placing pressure on Germany to pay part of Irelands debt.
The former Fine Gael TD, who lost the party whip in 2013 when she voted against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, said she received a phone call from a high-ranking Government official who was ringing on behalf of Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan ordering her to pull the article.
Word got out about the article and I got a call from the Taoiseachs office and the Department of Finance asking me to withdraw the article, the Renua Ireland leader said.
Relations between Germany and Ireland were still in a fragile state in 2012 as the Fine Gael-led Government had only been around a year in power and still trying to negotiate with Europe on the countrys massive debt.
The article advocated debt mutualisation which would have involved other EU members including Germany sharing Irelands debt burden, which Ms Creighton said was at odds with the Governments strategy of remaining on good terms with Germany.
She said that, while on a ministerial trip to Cyprus in 2012, she received a call from the Department of the Taoiseachs chief of staff, Mark Kennelly, who had strong words with her over the phone urging her not to go ahead with the column.
I told him that if Michael Noonan or Enda Kenny wanted to phone me they could but I would not be taking instructions from an unelected functionary, she said.
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The article was published the following day. However, she said this was only because she was told by The Irish Times, which was publishing the article, that the piece had already gone to print.
Ms Creightons Renua which is fielding 18 candidates in the general election is proposing a flat income tax rate of 23%.
Launching the partys manifesto, Ms Creighton said: Weve gone to great lengths in developing this proposal of a flat rate of income tax to ensure that firstly, those on and beneath the minimum wage will be absolutely protected.
So the various supports that exist, family income supplement, child benefit and so on, would be protected. But really this is about the people who are earning low, middle income salaries, who will benefit substantially.
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A Fine Gael ministers meeting, which normally happens pre-Cabinet on Tuesday, was moved to last night, during which Mr Kenny discussed the partys manifesto in detail. It is expected ministers will be told the date of the election at this mornings cabinet meeting.
President Michael D Higgins has left his schedule free today and tomorrow, fuelling further speculation. In order to call an election, Mr Kenny must go to Aras an Uachtarain, in Phoenix Park, to ask the President to dissolve the Dail.
It has also been suggested by a number of Government sources that, instead of going to the Dail chamber, Mr Kenny may hold a joint press conference with Tanaiste Joan Burton after the cabinet meeting and then go straight to the Aras.
Asked yesterday whether the election would be called via a joint press conference, Ms Burton said: 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 the detailed breakdown, she said.
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She added that she would be meeting Mr Kenny prior to this mornings cabinet meeting adding that people will be taken out of their misery very soon.
It has been indicated that a joint announcement of the election date on the steps of Leinster House would act as a show of unity from the Coalition.
However, senior Government sources last night said the Taoiseach who is currently father of the Dail is extremely traditional and may like to wait until the Dail resumes at 2pm today to call an election.
Yesterday, Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said he was sure Mr Kenny would let the Cabinet know this morning. He said he did not think there would be any massive surprises, adding that everyone knew the election would be done and dusted this month.
Fine Gael have not booked out any conference rooms but it is understood that, in the event of an election being called, they have plans to hold briefings in their own party headquarters.
Last October, Mr Kenny gave his first indication of the timing of the election when he said: Were going to have an election early in spring, early in the spring.
E-A-R-L-Y, early in the spring.
The general election must take place no later than April 11 and the minimum amount of time between announcing an election and voting is 18 days, not including Sundays.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Kenny will chose Thursday, February 25, as polling day or the following day, which would facilitate students living away from home and those working away from their constituencies to return to cast their ballot.
Opposition parties as well as the Union of Students in Ireland are against holding the election on a Thursday. Environment Minister Alan Kelly has also made it known he would favour a Friday. Fianna Fails Eamon O Cuiv yesterday said: I believe the maximum number of people should be given the opportunity to vote and I think Friday is the optimal day.
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Given a failure by the HSE to adequately clarify matters involving the foster home, and a succession of conflicting information, the Government last night announced its intention to establish a statutory Commission of Investigation into the abuse allegations.
HSE bosses will this morning have to account for the failure to sanction those who allowed vulnerable disabled children remain in a foster home in the south-east after serious abuse allegations had been made.
They will be appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which was misled by the HSE over whether an apology was given to one person, Grace, who was left in the foster home for 13 years after concerns were raised.
Kathleen Lynch, minister of state with responsibility for social care, admitted that many of the managers who were in place when allegations surfaced remain in their posts and no sanction has been handed out, despite the clear failings in care.
She also admitted last night that she has not yet seen the contents of two HSE sponsored reports into the allegations of abuse, despite them being completed in 2012 and 2015. She insisted the HSE was precluded from sharing the reports with her because of ongoing Garda investigations.
Her senior minster, Leo Varadkar, yesterday invoked a section of the Health Act which permits the release of the report to him and Ms Lynch.
Mr Varadkar is said to be be most uneasy as to the lack of verifiable information relating to the handling of the abuse allegations.
One matter still being clarified is whether another person remained in the foster home until April 2015, but this remained unclear last night.
Mr Varadkar spoke to one of the whistleblowers at the heart of Graces case before having a two-hour meeting with HSE director general Tony OBrien.
Following that meeting, Mr Varadkar and Ms Lynch contacted Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Joan Burton, arguing that a commission of investigation was needed.
We concluded having consulted with both the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste that the only way forward in this whole area is to commission a statutory commission of investigation, Ms Lynch told reporters.
Ms Lynch said work already under way by senior counsel Conor Dignam will greatly inform the drafting of the terms of reference for the commission of investigation.
Mr Dignam was asked by Government to review the allegations in December and is due to complete his work in April.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Waterford TD John Deasy said: This is a welcome development for the families of the people involved. The whistleblower from WIDA has made this happen. For the families and the individuals involved, her work will benefit children in care for many years.
One of the whistleblowers at the centre of Graces case last night welcomed the announcement by the Government. However, she said this inquiry must be the last inquiry and the Government must ensure proper terms of reference are put in place.
Let this be the last inquiry into all of this, but that requires proper terms of reference to ensure we find out what really happened, she told the Irish Examiner.
The HSE welcomed the announcement.
News: 7
Editorial: 12
Michael Crinnion, aged 24, of 1 Blackwater Grove, Togher, Cork, was jailed for four years and Judge Sean O Donnabhain imposed an additional suspended two-year sentence to commence when Crinnion is finished that sentence.
The judge said: The guards are to be commended for this type of operation. Anything that can be done to root out drug dealing is to be commended.
Judge O Donnabhain noted from the evidence of Detective Garda Liam Finn that every time the accused was contacted by the undercover garda he arrived at the agreed location with a single deal of heroin, taking care to separate himself from the main stash.
This is indicative of a deep involvement a knowing involvement in the trade, the judge said.
Det Garda Finn said gardai contacted a mobile number through which they were put in touch with Crinnion at different locations in Cork City.
The undercover officer bought 30 worth of heroin from him at Bishop Lucey Park on February 25, 30 worth at Togher Road on March 10, and 50 worth of the drug at Noonan Road on May 11.
Det Garda Finn said that these transactions were part of an investigation code-named Operation Emerson, designed to make controlled purchases of drugs from street dealers.
Judge O Donnabhain asked about the naming of the undercover operation and wondered if An Garda Siochana was in competition with the meteorological office in their efforts to come up with names for storms.
The judge suggested that coming up with a name like Operation Emerson was probably a job for someone of the rank of assistant commissioner.
The jobs were announced by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, and Abtran said that recruitment for the positions is to begin immediately.
Im delighted to welcome these new jobs in Cork where Sky has chosen Abtran as its business process partner for customer service operations, Mr Coveney said in a statement.
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.
JD Buckley, managing director of Sky Ireland, said its 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, he said.
Michael Fitzgerald, CEO of Abtran, said the company places our clients brand and customers at the centre of everything we do, making services easier and more accessible.
We look forward to supporting Skys ongoing business growth with top quality customer service, he said.
Established in 1997, Abtran already employs more than 2,000 people across Dublin and Cork, and its clients include Aviva, Irish Water, and Electric Ireland.
The companys handling of Irish Water was recently raised in the Dail by Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy, who said there were obvious questions of probity in awarding the contract to Abtran given what she described as high-profile failings on the part of the company in its work on processing student grant applications through the Susi system.
Ms Murphy discovered, via the Freedom of Information Act, that the criteria for the firm to which the contract would be awarded was to have a proven track record.
Given the criteria, is the Tanaiste satisfied that despite the very public failings of Abtran on Susi and the property tax that it was still awarded an extremely lucrative contract by the State? she asked in the Dail last Thursday.
The Fianna Fail agriculture spokesman made the thinly veiled attack on Labour as he launched the partys rural strategy yesterday.
Mr O Cuiv said the public must now make a choice between the Fianna Fail action plan for rural Ireland, which he said would bring jobs, infrastructure and services to isolated areas, or the Governments plan to create plans.
He said: We have to get away from this Alice in Wonderland view of rural Ireland, you know, if you keep a few basic services there, they will be happy.
Rural Ireland has the same aspirations as the rest of the country to high-quality services and jobs.
What we need is the basic provision of infrastructure and services to do that.
The Governments recently published rural charter proposes nothing other than a talking shop. After five years in power, their record on rural Ireland is shameful.
Fianna Fails manifesto promises to bring 30,000 jobs to rural Ireland, restore the pupil-teacher ratio in small schools, and press ahead with decentralisation of government bodies.
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They would also reinstate a senior rural ministry, maintain rural GP cover, and increase GPs rural practice allowances.
Providing high-speed broadband and proper mobile phone coverage across the country would be a major priority.
Turning to the Labour Party, Mr O Cuiv said: I have to compliment the Labour Party on one thing: Implementing Fianna Fail policy, and literally ditching their own policy as soon as they walked in the door to government.
However, he added that Labour would have spent more money and hastened the crash if they had been in power during the time of the Fianna Fail government.
Mr O Cuiv claimed that, while in opposition, Fine Gael and Labour did not ask the Fianna Fail-led government to reduce spending but instead encouraged it to spend more.
At its conference over the weekend, Labour repeatedly pointed out that Fianna Fail had crashed the economy.
Reacting yesterday, Mr O Cuiv said that neither Fine Gael nor Labour had stood up against the amount his party were spending prior to the crash, adding: In fact they demanded more.
Not one private members bill was saying would you slow it down lads and stop spending that money on social welfare, that money on education, that money on health.
Likewise, he said that Fine Gael and Labour in opposition had not spoken out against reducing taxes all we ever got to be quite honest was, there is 3bn in surplus would you for Gods sake spend it?
Mr O Cuiv said he sincerely regrets any part he played in the downturn but said that Labour would have inflicted more pain if they had been in power at the time of the crash.
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In addition, more than one in 10 women who responded said they had been subject to unwanted sexual contact.
A significantly lower proportion of men reported similar experiences, with less that 1% reporting either rape or attempted rape.
The study, conducted by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), is the first online study of its nature and scale conducted in this country, and the USI hopes it will contribute to counteracting the culture of victim- blaming that exists in this country.
Approximately one in six students reported having experienced some form of unwanted sexual experience while in their current educational institution.
Of these, 38% reported that these experiences had occurred on more than one occasion and 36% said they had occurred either several times or many times.
When asked why they did not report matters to the gardai, the two most frequent responses were that they did not believe the incident was serious enough to report (57%) and that they did not think what happened was a crime (44%).
Completed by 2,590 Irish students and 162 international students, the survey also found that, in more than six in 10 cases, the perpetrator was believed to be under the influence of alcohol.
A large proportion of victims did not report these incidents because they were ashamed or embarrassed (29%); because they thought they would be blamed (22%); or because they did not want their parents or family to find out (21%).
The findings, contained in the report Say Something: A Study of Students Experiences of Harassment, Stalking, Violence & Sexual Assault, will be published today to coincide with the launch of a Say Something card. The card is designed to provide information for students who find themselves in a situation where sexual violence or assault has occurred, and 30,000 cards will be delivered to students unions across the country over the coming weeks.
USI president Kevin Donoghue said he hoped the statistics would shed new light on the area of violence, including physical and sexual harassment.
We want to reverse the culture of victim blaming in Ireland and instead of blaming the victim, we want to help, support, and empower them, he said.
The research was funded by Cosc and the Department of Justice and Equality.
Coinciding with St Bridgets Day, the reading events by artists, activists, and supporters were designed to illustrate the affect that denial of access to abortion in Ireland has on those who seek such services and to encourage the removal of the eighth amendment to the Constitution.
The public performances were held in Colbert railway station in Limerick; Connolly Station, Dublin; Kings Cross Station in London; Paul St, Cork; Maynooth University, Kildare, and Shop St, Galway.
Described as a Renunciation, the performances were held simultaneously at 6.01pm, immediately following the traditional time for the ringing of the evening Angelus bells.
The readings echoed the rhythm and structure of the Hail Mary prayer.
The Renunciation is, respectfully, an intervention in the reflective space offered by the modern-day Angelus, said the organisers.
This work contains a set of stories that describe a set of social rituals for twelve-plus people from Ireland seeking abortions daily. Read aloud, the verses publicly present uncensored insights into real experiences.
It is a production by home/work, an initiative that collectively confronts censorship through art and public performance.
The Renunciation challenges the double standards dictated by idealised notions of womanhood and mothering that ignore present day realities and less-than-ideal circumstances.
The contents are based on legal cases and anecdotes shared with the producers of the home/work collective.
Last November, the Renunciation was performed as part of an evening of spoken work in the Project Arts Centre in Dublin as part of The Bram Stoker Festival.
Home/work and The Renunciation emerged from research undertaken by artist Siobhan Clancy with activist members of the Abortion Rights Campaign. It is funded under The Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme. Videos, images and audio from the performances are being shared on Twitter. For more information see homeworkcollective.tumblr.com and abortionrightscampaign.ie.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar has confirmed his intention to provide public funding for assisted reproductive treatment in conjunction with the planned introduction of legislation saying fertility treatments should be funded in such a way that not only maximises efficiency but which ensures equity of access as well.
A review of international public funding models is to be carried out and it is hoped the legislation could be in place by the end of 2016 or early next year.
Dr Cathy Allen, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Merrion Fertility clinic at the National Maternity Hospital welcomed the news. She said about one in six couples will need help. They will experience some sort of a delay in conceiving when they want to, she said. For many of them a visit to their primary care physician GP can be extremely helpful, sometimes its a lifestyle adjustment that needs to be done. For people who are referred on for more expert help to secondary level fertility clinics in hospital or tertiary level assisted reproductive medicine units, about half of those will be referred on for in vitro fertilisation.
While the Government has not provided final details of how the scheme will operate and be funded, it is likely to be consider factors such as the age of the mother and number of treatments of IVF treatments it is willing to pay for.
Dr Allen told the Anton Savage Show on Today FM: If you are looking at an economic model, I think the Government will have to considering funding, possibly certain in categories up to three cycles to give people a fair crack of the whip. She confirmed the treatment is expensive, about 4,000 per cycle.
That is fresh creation of embryos, she said. But some couples will be lucky and they might make three or four or even five embryos. So we put back one and cryo-preserve or freeze the other ones for the future. Once they are safely in the cryo-preservation, that is not quite so expensive and they can remain there.
Dr John Waterstone, President of the Irish Fertility Society and medical director of the Cork Fertility Centre said: My hope is that whatever funding arrangements are made are comprehensive, and I would particularly hope that they provide for the area of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. This treatment is used for couples at genetic risk, who are endeavouring, in a proactive way, to prevent transmitting life limiting conditions to their children.
Helen Browne, co-founder of the National Infertility Support and Information Group, said going for fertility treatment is a stressful and emotional journey for women.
Having funding will relieve some of that stress, she said. She pointed out that, prior to the economic crash, some women could afford to pay privately for one cycle of IVF treatment and, if a second was required which was the case in more than half of cases, they would maybe seek help from relatives.
She said after the crash, that was all gone. While some were left with no treatment option because of the cost, others were forced to travel to other countries, such as the Czech Republic, to seek treatment as it was as much as 50% cheaper.
I AM sitting down with over 50 students from a girls second level school that actively promotes the science subjects; so great is the emphasis that this school places on science and maths that their guidance counsellor is a former maths and science teacher. Science is also mandatory for first-year and Transition Year students.
Ive been chatting to first year and TY students about science, technology and maths (STEM): what do they think of it? Are they considering it as a future career as it has great opportunities and earning potential?
The answers are not what you would expect in 2016: ranging from we dont think of doing it as as you dont see women engineers, we mightnt be able for it and they could be judged for doing a mans job.
Yet these responses are far from unusual nationally or internationally as global report after report shows young girls still think men are better suited to STEM subjects.
My research at the West Cork school stemmed from helping my son, a Leaving Certificate student who wants to study engineering , to complete his CAO application.
I inquired whether engineering was a popular choice with the other students in his almost all-male class.
Oh, virtually all the lads were considering it, was the response.
What answer would I receive, I wondered, if I asked the same question in an all-girls school as statistics show that in 2014 females accounted for just 24% of entrants to engineering programmes, up a measly one per cent since 2004.
Meanwhile, girls constituted just 17% of third level entrants to IT programmes in 2014 and the situation is even more alarming in maths, where just 22% of entrants were female in 2014 compared to 35% in 2004.
A quick headcount of one TY class at Colaiste na Toirbhirte in Bandon showed that out of 22 students, just seven were considering taking hard science subjects like physics and chemistry for the Leaving Certificate programme.
Despite the schools best efforts, it seems that many senior students swerve away from these subjects.
We did offer technology for Junior Cycle but we stopped because uptake was so low, says career guidance counsellor Eileen OBrien.
When it comes to choosing science subjects at Leaving Certificate, she reports, 75% - 80% of pupils take biology, 40% - 60% chemistry and only 10% - 15% do physics.
I think theres a perception that biology is easier to learn; parents say its easier, and of course theres pressure on students to do well, she says adding that the school has a 60% to 70% uptake of honours maths at Leaving Certificate level.
The lack of visible female role models in STEM is an issue, believes TY student Sophia Jumaa:
Girls can do anything boys can, but sometimes we might not think of doing it because you dont see a lot of women engineers or women in tech.
Classmate Isobel Ronan believes a subtle gender discrimination exists and that girls are encouraged towards careers like nursing: Its been suggested to me that I should go for medicine but engineering has never been suggested to me. Its trendy for boys to do tech or engineering, but for girls its kind of unusual.
Its widely acknowledged that in their careers, men are more likely than women to apply for jobs where they dont have all the skills or experience requested in the job description. Men have a greater self confidence. It seems this same lack of self confidence exists in the classroom.
Girls are more scared than boys that they might not be capable of doing something, but the lads will say I dont care, Ill give it a try. observes student Amy Gallagher.
The problem may also be due to a lack of familiarity with careers in the tech sector, says Grace Crowley, who adds that girls have more of a sense of whats involved in nursing or teaching: Girls like to know more about something before they risk doing it.
Asked why less girls tend to opt for STEM courses at third level, first-year students Ada Wargal, Amy OConnor and Saoirse Hayes believe gender stereotyping is influential.
Girls think they will be judged for going for what is seen as a mans job, commented Amy.
Most girls would choose biology over physics or technology because people say engineering is for the lads and people would think it was weird if a girl was doing it added Ada.
Saoirse Hayes agrees: If a girl chooses physics or engineering it is seen as a strange choice.
Its like if a boy wants to do nursing.. thats what our parents think. Boys do more manly stuff.
The STEM sector has realised they need to work with not only young girls but also with parents. According to research almost 60% of students see their parents as key influencers in subject choices, yet nearly 70% of parents feel badly informed about STEM opportunities.
Colaiste na Toirbhirte actively encourages girls towards the sciences, but its guidance counsellor says that the majority of college-going pupils still opt for care-based courses.
As regards technology or engineering I can talk about it til Im blue in the face because girls want to work with people. They think if they do science or engineering it will not be as people-centred. They have a perception that healthcare is more people-centred. This mindset has clear implications for the tech sector.
Marie Moynihan, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Global Talent at Dell, the giant multinational computer technology firm says finding suitably qualified female tech workers is a constant challenge.
Among other things, Moynihan, who heads up a 500-strong global team, is responsible for filling 30,000 positions a year across the company.
Girls reluctance to engage in the tech sector is affecting the talent pool about seven in 10 employees in the sector are male. Were losing out on women who are equally talented and qualified, she says.
She says we need to expose the myth that IT is more suited to men, pointing out that research confirms young girls believe tech is more suited to a boys brain.
As a result, she observes, girls are losing out on excellent salaries, flexible working conditions and great travel opportunities.
A recent study by Forbes Magazine showed that careers in science and engineering are among some of the best-paying jobs for women.
Every company is looking for tech skills because technology impacts on every aspect of our lives, not just in tech companies, says Moynihan.
Dell is one of the primary sponsors of the I Wish conference in Cork later this month. Caroline ODriscoll, an accountant and tax partner at KPMG, organised the first such conference last year with Ruth Buckley, head of IT at Cork City Council and prominent Cork solicitor and former Cork Chamber of Commerce president, Gillian Keating.
Up to 1,000 female students from schools across Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford attended talks and demonstrations and got to have much-needed chats with women working in STEM.
What spurred ODriscoll, Buckley and Keating on? ODriscoll points to a watershed warning by FORFAS in 2012 of uncertainty about whether Ireland can match the demand for 44,500 vacancies expected to materialise in tech by 2018.
TY students among them some 90 pupils from Colaiste na Toirbhirte will hear from female leaders in Dell, PepsiCo, Google, Vodafone, Twitter and meet young female entrepreneurs.
After last years conference, the organisers carried out a teacher feedback survey and received startling results. Not only did the conference get an enthusiastic thumbs-up, but 60% of teachers reported that students had changed their subject choices as a direct result of attending the conference.
This year iWish has been increased from one to two days meaning it can take twice as many students as last year.
That's right, from the end of February the country will be offering a loan of a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 to select tourists as they enter the country through Seoul Airport. 250 a week will be chosen and they'll be able to keep the phone for up to 5 days, and the handset comes with 1 gig of data.
It's a way of ensuring even more people come into contact with the tech, which is a bit surprising when you consider the profile the company already has. If nothing else it might be a handy way to get out of paying too many roaming costs while in the country, and you'll get to play with a really nice handset as well.
The prospect of a British exit from the EU is well and truly upon us. It seems increasingly likely that the upcoming European Council meeting will result in a deal on the conditions of the UKs EU membership a deal that will be put before British voters in a referendum, possibly as early as this summer.
But, just as everything rushes forward, Britain and the EU need to take a moment to think carefully. After all, despite assurances from both sides, no one knows how the referendum will unfold, much less how to navigate the aftermath if British voters chose to leave.
The referendum is the most immediate unknown. Past experience shows that, when voters make such decisions, they rarely focus on the issue at hand. In referenda on the EUs draft constitution in 2005, for example, the Dutch focused on the euro, while the French worried that Polish plumbers would take their jobs.
So far, the signs indicate that the upcoming British referendum will follow the same pattern, with voters focusing more on simplistic prejudices and emotions than pragmatic considerations. And the anti-EU camp has been by far the more passionate side and the more inflammatory in its rhetoric.
From a European perspective, this is deeply worrying. It is well known that a British departure would deal a devastating blow to European integration, possibly causing an already-fragile process to unravel.
But the British should also be worried about the consequences of withdrawal, if only because of how little is known about what it would entail.
The problem is that most Britons have little awareness of the turbulence that Brexit would generate. Beyond the impact on Scotlands independence movement, Irelands Good Friday Agreement, and the UKs special relationship with the US, there are important questions regarding the future of UK-EU relations.
Many advocates of withdrawal cherry-pick policies and regulations, such as provisions of the EUs free-trade agreements with Canada and Singapore, to cobble together a vision of what life would like be for the UK outside of Europe.
They want Britons to believe not only that the City of London would remain Europes top financial centre, but that the UK would also retain access to the EUs single market, even without free movement of labour.
This is pure fantasy. Although the UK would retain its strong international standing in terms of defence and foreign policy, its clout in negotiating trade and investment agreements including with the EU itself, which accounts for half of British trade would be severely diminished. That has been the experience of non-EU countries such as Switzerland and Norway.
In fact, EU leaders are already unhappy with Switzerlands access to the single market; the idea that they would give the UK such access, especially after being slapped in the face, is not convincing.
Some claim that a Brexit could resemble Greenlands easily negotiated 1985 withdrawal from the European Economic Community (EEC), the only such withdrawal that has ever taken place.
However, the circumstances could not be more different. The limited EEC of 30 years ago does not compare to the robust EU of today, just as Greenland pales in comparison with the UK in economic size or political significance.
Furthermore, Greenlands withdrawal was eased considerably by its constitutional ties with EEC member Denmark, which continued to represent its interests in European bodies. With no equivalent patron to smooth the way for the UK, negotiations following a vote for withdrawal would be complicated and acrimonious, dragging out over a number of years.
All of this uncertainty would take its toll, on both businesses and ordinary citizens. Who would commit to a long-term investment in the UK without knowing what legal arrangements will be in place?
To avoid this outcome, the European Council should affirm the UKs far more stable prospects as an EU member, while demonstrating Europes fundamental flexibility. Already, the UK has been allowed to opt out of the Schengen Area, the euro, and justice and home affairs. Now the EU has shown its willingness to seek reasonable compromises on British prime minister David Camerons demands.
In some areas, such as boosting competitiveness and streamlining regulation, consensus will be relatively easy to achieve. Agreement is also possible on giving national parliaments a greater role in guiding EU legislation, although Mr Camerons proposal to allow parliaments to show a red card to EU law goes too far.
As for Mr Camerons demand to end Britains treaty obligation to work towards an ever-closer union, the key to compromise may be nuance. Rather than moving to integrate member states more deeply, perhaps the EU should shift its focus to uniting, increasingly closely, the peoples of Europe.
The final issue may be the thorniest: Immigration and welfare. Cameron has called for a four-year timeout on in-work and child benefits for EU migrants working in the UK an approach that many agree is discriminatory.
One shift that may ease the way towards a compromise on this highly fraught topic would be to enforce a clear division between this discussion and debates on the ongoing refugee crisis. The focus must remain on Poles and Latvians, not Syrians.
In 1953, Winston Churchill famously declared: We are with Europe, but not of it; we are linked, but not compromised.
If the upcoming European Council can achieve a compromise that reflects this sentiment, Brexit may be avoided, benefiting everyone. But, with the referendum looming, even a good deal may not be enough. With fantasy and manipulation continuing to dominate the British debate, the UK and Europe may be in for a very sobering surprise.
Ana Palacio, a former Spanish foreign minister and former senior vice-president of the World Bank, is a member of the Spanish Council of State and a visiting lecturer at Georgetown University. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2016.
However, for the woman we have come to know as Grace, the move by the Government to establish a Commission of Inquiry into her case, comes very late in the day. Victim of the most horrific abuse over a long period, Grace has been failed utterly by the State which promised to cherish her.
Grace, now a woman in her 40s, has had to endure so much, as have her family, and those brave enough to risk their careers by speaking out about what went on.
However, just what is this all about?
In 1983, the State started to use the foster home in the south-east as a respite refuge for intellectually-disabled children.
For some of the most vulnerable children in our State, who lacked a voice, it turned out to be a place of absolute horror.
Barnardos' Fergus Finlay calls for inquiry into abuse of children with disabilities in sou https://t.co/CBAyXKek1j pic.twitter.com/xUBMtGGjCD Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) January 29, 2016
The vast majority of those who stayed there did so for short respite periods during the summer months, usually one week or two weeks at a time. As many as 47 children and young adults went through the home, which was the scene of the most savage rape, physical abuse, and neglect ever to emerge.
In 1995, concerns were raised about the situation at the home, and, as a result, no more children were sent.
However, it has emerged that some of the children, mostly with intellectual disabilities, were emotionally, physically, sexually, and financially abused at the hands of their carers and others who lived on the site.
Grace, or, Service User 42, as she was referred to by the HSE, was a girl with an intellectual disability. She was placed in the foster home on a full-time basis in 1989. She remained there until 2009, at which point she was removed to an appropriate full-time resident placement.
A child, she was unable to speak out about the horror she had endured at the hands of her foster parents.
When she was removed from the home, her carers were concerned when she acted out some of the sexual abuse to which she had been subjected.
She would adopt a sexual pose simply on the uttering of a specific phrase. Her family has said she has suffered horrendous internal injuries, having been raped with implements.
In 2009, allegations were flagged by two whistle-blowers to the HSE into what happened to Service User 42 or Grace (a name attributed to her by Fergus Finlay in this newspaper).
The case became the subject of the Conal Devine report, which cost over 100,000 and was completed in 2012.
However, the report has not been published.
We have betrayed one of our defenceless fellow citizens, writes @fergusfinlay https://t.co/fcuNo1tNKU (GM) pic.twitter.com/VIlvESzbVh Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) January 26, 2016
Worse was to come. She and her carers were told her allegations couldnt be prosecuted, because she would not make a good witness, due to her inability to speak.
A second report into 46 other cases in the foster home was completed in 2015 and that too has not been published. This was on foot of Garda requests, as investigations into the allegations of abuse continue.
At least two other cases of sexual and physical abuse have emerged and are under investigation.
In December, the HSE was forced by the Information Commissioner to release some details of the Devine report to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). In that document, it was stated an apology was given to the victim and her carers.
However, as first revealed by the Irish Examiner, the victims carers and birth mother denied any apology was given and have told the PAC that. After our story was published, the HSE insisted the apology was given and issued a rebuttal.
Then, in a letter to PAC, the two whistleblowers again stated that no apology had been given, and that HSE management knew no apology had been given when it issued the rebuttal to the PAC.
The two local HSE representatives who were meant to have given the apology have confirmed that they were never asked to apologise, that they did not apologise, and that they told the HSE chief officer that no apologies were given.
Over the weekend, the HSE embarrassingly admitted the claimed apology was not given. They issued a grovelling apology to the PAC for misleading it,
However, shockingly, HSE director general Tony OBrien then revealed that another woman, now in her 30s was placed in the foster home in 1993 and was only removed in October 2013.
Given the debacle within the HSE, Health Minister Leo Varadkar cleared his diary over the weekend and, along with Minister for Primary Care Kathleen Lynch, he met OBrien and other senior brass in the HSE for more than two hours. Both ministers contacted their party leaders, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Joan Burton, who agreed with their calls to establish an inquiry.
Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan has also confirmed the latest allegations will be investigated by officers already examining what occurred in the foster home.
However, it will be for the new Government to see it through. They will not be bound by the decision of this Government, but political and moral pressure will be on to ensure Grace and her fellow victims get justice.
It is the least they deserve following their experiences.
Todays expected confirmation by Taoiseach Enda Kenny of an election date Friday, February 26, apparently; the long-awaited end of the phoney war in Americas presidential race as the results of the Iowa primaries provoke the inevitable cull of candidates; and the possibility of a vote on Britains EU membership within six months, will have meaningful consequences for everyone in each of those countries.
Should Britain vote to quit the EU, and we must fervently hope that they do not, that decision would have a negative impact far beyond the reach of the House of Commons. Spains inconclusive vote on December 20, one that returned the most fragmented parliament in that countrys history, feeds into the narrative that the EU, increasingly divided over how to cope with millions of immigrants, needs a steadying hand on the tiller. The very real possibility of Catalonia bowing to the old, tarnished gods of insular nationalism and voting to secede from Spain must exacerbate those fears.
The date was not a random choice, it was to mark the previous Januarys 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Since its liberation by horrified Soviet forces, Auschwitz had become a universal symbol of the Nazi determination to exterminate European Jewry. The aspiration of the general assembly was to foster a global recognition of the Holocaust as a historical event.
Therefore, the article by Sara Bloomfield and Irina Bokova in the Irish Examiner of January 27 was a timely reminder that this humanitarian ideal has to all intents and purposes remained nothing more than a utopian aspiration.
The evidence makes it is clear to all of us that extremist groups around the globe wield new technologies to incite hatred and perpetrate new mass killings and genocides.
The horrific terrorist attacks in France and Denmark left the world reeling with the sheer barbarism of so-called Islamic State.
These individuals had been radicalised by vicious anti-western, anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist propaganda.
As Bloomfield and Bokova so cogently pointed out, this strategy has a terrifying predecessor as the Nazis deployed sophisticated modern communications technologies, including radio and film, to win the battle of ideas and thus to shape public opinion and behaviour.
In less than a decade, this process had dehumanised Jews in the German psyche to such an extent that they willingly ignored the initial persecution, then disappearance and finally extermination of neighbours, friends and schoolmates.
The anti-Semitic worldview in evidence now is reinforced by an insidious propaganda fostered and disseminated by the hard-left. This is exemplified by the resignation of Christiane Taubira, the French justice minister who rejected the governments move to strip citizenship from convicted terrorists with dual nationality.
This illogical world-view is predicated on erroneous and despicable analogies to the plight of Jews in wartime France, as leftist ideologues compare it to the revocation of citizenship of French Jews during the Second World War (Irish Examiner, 28 January).
It is simply outrageous to compare Islamic terrorists who have committed mass murder with law-abiding, assimilated men, women and children who were willingly handed over to the Nazis simply because they were Jews.
Dr Kevin McCarthy
Kinsale
Co Cork
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.
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.
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 once they have reached the apparent safety of Europe.
Over one million migrants and refugees, many fleeing the Syria conflict, crossed into Europe last year.
More than 10,000 refugee children are missing in Europe https://t.co/CiR2uCSGkt pic.twitter.com/kriWgHEtFv Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 1, 2016
Whether they are registered or not, were talking about 270,000 children, Donald said.
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.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebels fought back against an offensive by government forces near a supply route into the city of Aleppo 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 late last night 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 Syrias holiest Shiite shrine.
There had been a groundswell of support for Jacqueline Sauvage, victimised for decades along with her daughters.
The decision, days after Mr Hollande met with Ms Sauvages three grown daughters, was not a pardon, but it allows Sauvage to immediately seek conditional freedom, the presidents office said.
Fertility chiefs have been accused of putting science before ethical principles after giving the go-ahead for scientists to edit the genes of human embryos.
The move by the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates fertility scientists, means the UK is the first country in the western world to allow such research.
Scientists led by Dr Kathy Niakan, at the Francis Crick Institute in London, have been granted a licence to cut and paste the DNA of donated embryos as part of an investigation into mis-carriage.
The work is controversial because it involves altering germline DNA that is inherited.
All the embryos used must be destroyed after two weeks and it will be illegal to implant them into a womb.
But critics say the HFEA has ignored warnings, acted too hastily, and set scientists on the start of a slippery slope towards the creation of genetically-modified designer babies.
Dr David King, director of the watchdog group Human Genetics Alert, said: This research will allow the scientists to refine the techniques for creating GM babies, and many of the Governments scientific advisers have already decided that they are in favour of allowing that.
Q&A: Everything you need to know about the controversial human embryo gene-editing method https://t.co/5xUUKrCgpz pic.twitter.com/psYEnrU0Te Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) February 1, 2016
"This is the first step in a well mapped-out process leading to GM babies, and a future of consumer eugenics.
Anne Scanlan, from the pro-life organisation Life, said: The HFEA now has the reputation of being the first regulator in the world to approve this uncertain and dangerous technology.
"It has ignored the warnings of over a hundred scientists worldwide and given permission for a procedure which could have damaging far-reaching implications for human beings.
We are... concerned that such controversial intervention in the human germline opens up the very real possibility of eugenics where the existence of human beings becomes conditional on the possession of certain physical characteristics.
Josephine Quintavalle, from the group Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core), accused the HFEA of arrogance.
She pointed out that a Nuffield Council expert panel looking at the ethics of gene editing had only completed its consultation on Sunday.
This is a very contentious and extremely dangerous area of embryo manipulation which is eliciting worldwide concern, and at the very least the HFEA should have waited until Nuffield had had a chance to examine responses, said Ms Quintavalle.
In sharp contrast, members of the scientific establishment lined up to congratulate the HFEA on its decision.
Professor Peter Braude, an expert in obstetrics and gynaecology from Kings 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.
Darren Griffin, professor of genetics at the University of Kent, called the ruling a triumph for common sense.
Dr Niakans team wants to use a sophisticated new technology called CRISPR/Cas9 to make precise changes to the genetic code of human embryos by slicing up DNA using molecular scissors.
All the embryos will be donated by couples undergoing IVF treatment who no longer need them.
Technically the application still has to be approved by the local Research Ethics Committee, made up of scientists, health professionals, and lay-members, but this is no more than a rubber-stamping procedure.
A statement from the HFEA said: Our licence committee has approved an application from Dr Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute to renew her laboratorys 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.
Earlier this year, Dr Niakan said the aim was to improve understanding of the genes needed for a human embryo to develop into a healthy baby.
She added: The reason why it is so important is because miscarriages and infertility are extremely common, but theyre not very well understood.
In April 2015, a Chinese team reported the worlds first attempt to use CRISPR/Cas9 to modify the DNA of human embryos.
The 16 researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou wanted to see if it was possible to correct the gene defect behind the blood disorder beta-thalassaemia.
They did not try to create a pregnancy and only used abnormal embryos, unlike the Francis Crick Institute scientists who will experiment on healthy embryos.
While in some cases the Chinese team was successful, in others the technology did not work or introduced unexpected mutations.
Asia Thai Authorities Say Fishing Industry Crackdown Intensified
Thailand, facing possible trade sanctions over abuses in its seafood industry, says it will ramp up fight against human trafficking and unregulated fishing.
BANGKOK Thailand, which faces possible trade sanctions over abuses in its seafood industry, says it has accelerated its fight against human trafficking and unregulated fishing.
Deputy national police chief Thammasak Witcharaya said Monday that in the eight months since a task force was set up to combat fishing industry abuses, it has investigated 36 cases, arrested 102 suspects and rescued 130 presumed trafficking victims. In the 16 months prior to that, only 15 cases were investigated. Trafficking victims in the fishing industry sometimes work in slavery-like conditions.
The EU has warned Thailand, the worlds third-largest exporter of seafood, that its seafood may be banned if it fails to institute effective measures against unregulated fishing. The US has called for stronger measures against human trafficking. It has put Thailand on a blacklist of countries that fail to meet the minimum standards in combating trafficking but has opted for now not to impose sanctions on its longtime ally.
Thammasak said nearly all of the suspects were prosecuted and two-thirds were sent to prison.
Several investigative reports by The Associated Press have focused on slavery in the seafood industry and resulted in the rescue of 2,000 men last year, highlighting longstanding abuses in Thai fisheries.
Thailands military government in May 2014 established a Command Center for Combating Illegal Fishing, headed by its navy chief, to coordinate efforts to combat human trafficking and unregulated fishing. It acted after scores of bodies were found buried in abandoned camps in the jungles on its southern border with Malaysia, revealing a brutal network of human traffickers.
Thammasak spoke at a news conference at police headquarters in Bangkok at which officials also announced the rescue of 30 Burma citizens who were to be forced to work on fishing vessels.
Anti-Human Trafficking Police commander Kornchai Kaikueng said the men were rescued last Thursday from a 4-by-6 meter (13-by-20 foot) room where they were being illegally held on the southern island of Phuket. He said the raid was carried out at the request of Burma authorities, who were informed of the situation by four Burmese men who escaped from a fishing vessel.
Two Burma nationals were arrested in connection with the case on charges including human trafficking, and an arrest warrant was issued for a third, Kornchiai said.
Burma A Visual Guide to Burmas New Parliament
The Irrawaddys researchers put together a few visuals to illustrate the composition of the new legislature.
On Feb. 1, Burma will have a new Parliament with a fresh political order. As the current session wound down on Friday, many lawmakers from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)which held a majority of both houses over the past five yearsleft the assembly for good. Only 41 USDP members will sit in the new Parliament, which will convene on Monday, some old and a few new.
Aung San Suu Kyis party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), will assume 390 seats, enjoying a majority in both houses after a landslide win in the Nov. 8 general election. Those gains account for 80 percent of all contested races. The party only held 43 seats in the outgoing Parliament, which they won in a 2012 by-election.
The NLD-led legislature will bring an assorted set of lawmakers including ethnic minorities, academics and former political prisoners. The number of women in Parliament will have doubled from 31 to 65. Despite the drastic diversification of elected seat-holders, one thing will remain the same: The number of military representatives will be 166.
The Irrawaddys researchers put together a few visuals to illustrate the composition of the new legislature.
Research compiled by Wai Yan Aung.
Burma Arakan Govt Falls Short on Resettlement Pledge, Locals Say
A plan by the Arakan State government to resettle dozens of conflict-displaced households appears to have been optimistic, according to a civil society leader.
RANGOON A recently announced plan by the Arakan State government to resettle dozens of conflict-displaced households appears to have been optimistic, according to a civil society leader who claims the state had grossly underestimated costs.
Khaing Kaung San, of the Wunlark Development Foundation, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the money allocated to the families, who were recently displaced by conflict between government troops and the Arakan Army, fell far short of their needs.
The aid worker said that the state had pledged to provide about 500,000 kyats (US$450) per family as part of a plan to provide materials, labor, housing and farmland for the displaced. According to Khaing Kaung San, a plot of land alone costs about 200,000 kyats in the proposed relocation area, leaving families with little left to rehabilitate their homes and livelihoods.
Khaing Kaung San and one displaced villager told The Irrawaddy this week that the state had, in fact, begun providing aid to some of the refugees, but that it was mostly in the form of corrugated metal for use in homebuilding. The state had not yet purchased land or cattle for the villagers, they said, though some have received cash.
Tun Tha Sein, a displaced villager in Mrauk U Township, said the materials delivered by state authorities were not enough to build a house and described some of the resultant structures as lean-tos, or temporary shacks.
Hla Thein, of the state governments public relations department, told The Irrawaddy in late January that the state was prepared to support 32 households, though Khaing Kaung San said that the aid was actually being delivered among about 56, further thinning the supplies. Some were nonetheless able to build modest structures in Mrauk Us Zayti Taung Ywar Haung village and Ywar Ma Pyin of Kyauktaw Township, he said.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, Hla Thein said he did not know exactly how much money the state was prepared to spend on resettlement efforts, but that to the best of his knowledge, the state government has no specific budget [allocation] for them.
The displaced villagers are currently taking shelter in a monastery in Kyiyar Pyin village. They are among an estimated 200 civilians who fled their homes after conflict broke out between the Arakan Army and the Burma Army in late December, lasting for about three weeks.
The Arakan Army is not recognized by the government as a legitimate non-state armed group, and has been excluded from the ongoing peace process between the government and other ethnic armed organizations.
Burma Intrigue Mounts over Ongoing Parleys on Presidency
As incoming lawmakers take up their seats in Parliament, conjecture continues over reported negotiations between Suu Kyi and the army on the presidency.
As jubilant incoming lawmakers attended the first session of the new Parliaments Lower House on Monday, conjecture continues to build over reported negotiations behind the scenes between National League for Democracy (NLD) chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi and the military over the presidential post.
Suu Kyi has officially met Burma Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing twice since the Nov. 8 election and informed sources suggest she has raised the question of amending the Constitution to allow her to assume the presidency.
NLD representatives have reportedly also held several other closed-door confabs with military leaders since the election.
Article 59(f) of Burmas military-drafted charter disqualifies anyone with a foreign spouse or children from becoming president, effectively barring Suu Kyi whose two children are British nationals, as was her late husband.
While Suu Kyi may still hold the slim hope of becoming the nations next president, there are a few ominous signs. An opinion piece in the army-owned newspaper Myawaddy on Monday, written under the pen name Sai Wai Lu, claimed that charter change was impossible.
Some observers interpreted this as a blow to Suu Kyis efforts, or at least a sign that reported negotiations on the matter are yet to produce the desired breakthrough.
There has been past speculation as to whether Article 59(f) could be suspended, with the approval of military lawmakers, to allow a Suu Kyi presidency. However, some now-former lawmakers dismissed that notion as unconstitutional and it is unknown whether military lawmakers would support it.
The possibility of Suu Kyi assuming the presidency gained traction in some circles following a meeting between the NLD leader and former dictator Than Shwe. During that surprise dialogue, according to Than Shwes grandson, the junta-era leader referred to Suu Kyi as the future leader of Burma and said he would assist her as best he could.
On Sunday, local media outlet Voice Weekly suggested that Suu Kyi was still negotiating with the military to seek the presidency. The report also cited comments from NLD central committee member Win Htein that the partys leader would seek amendments to the Constitution, but that such changes were unlikely within the first year of the incoming governments term.
Other Burmese-language reports have suggested the military is also seeking clarification on the appointment of chief ministers in several key states and divisions. The president is constitutionally empowered to appoint the chief ministers of all Burmas states and divisions and the NLD has indicated the posts would be awarded to lawmakers from within the partys ranks.
In an interview with the Washington Post in late November, Min Aung Hlaing was asked whether he was willing to allow amendment of Article 59(f).
I cant decide this alone, the commander-in-chief replied. Under Chapter 12, the parliament must discuss any amendment to the constitution. I am not directly responsible for that.
However, with major amendments requiring the support of over 75 percent of lawmakers, military MPs, who command a quarter of parliamentary seats, hold an effective veto over charter change.
Suu Kyi has pledged to rule from above the president if she remains constitutionally barred from the position. Several contenders for the role have been cited, including party patron Tin Oo, Suu Kyis physician Tin Myo Win or senior party member Htin Kyaw, among others, but the NLDs first choice has remained a closely guarded secret.
Burma Kachin Anti-Poppy Campaign Continues Despite Hurdles
Vigilante drug eradication programs in northern Kachin State sustain momentum, even in the face of threats to several volunteers lives last month.
Vigilante drug eradication programs in northern Kachin State have been able to sustain momentum, despite threats to several volunteers lives last month.
For two years, local civil society organizations (CSOs) have been leading anti-drug campaigns to destroy poppy fields. In January, activities took a violent turn when a volunteer was shot dead and three others were injured by poppy growers in Tanai and Waingmaw townships.
Still, Tang Gun, secretary of a drug eradication group in Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital, said the programs will continue as poppies begin to blossom. Between 600 and 1,400 members of local CSOs have traveled to larger plantations in five townshipsSumprabum, Putao, Chipwi, Waingmaw and Tanaiacross Kachin State to destroy the illicit crop.
Tang Gun told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that teams have destroyed more than 1,500 acres of poppy fields in Tanai and 2,000 in southern Waingmaw, the townships with the most fields.
He added that three people were injured on Jan. 31 during such an exercise: two in a mine blast near the Sha Ngaw stream in Waingmaw, and another by a shotgun. One volunteer died that same month from injuries sustained from gunshot wounds to the chest and head.
The teams aim to prevent the production of heroin in the region, Tang Gun said. Locals suffer a lot from drug-related problems. Many young people already face addition to the drug. We dont want to see more of that.
Drug eradication activities were far-reaching in Kachin State during the 17-year ceasefire between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the government. But when this tenuous peace broke down in 2011, locals said that it also revitalized poppy growing in the region.
The apparent uptick gave local CSOs and community members, led by the Myitkyina-based Kachin Baptist Convention, a new cause to join hands in the eradication of poppy fields in Kachin State. Today, teams conduct surveys in their respective regions on field locations, raise awareness and attempt to persuade locals to join them in anti-poppy campaigns.
Tang Gun said that the results have been promising, with the number of poppy plantations diminishing as a result of combined efforts from teams in Kachin and northern Shan states. He also urged poppy growers to look to seasonal poppy substitutes.
We have a lot of good soil in Kachin State. We can grow crops other than poppy.
Burma Local Rice Prices Climb Ahead of Chinese New Year
Due to high demand, traders are selling more Burmese rice on the China border, causing the price of the staple grain to increase at home.
RANGOON Due to high demand on the eve of the Chinese New Year, traders are selling more rice on the China border instead of within Burma, causing the price of the staple grain to rise at home.
Higher demand from China, Burmas biggest rice buyer, is directing more rice exports through the Muse-Ruili crossing on the Shan State-China border in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year, which begins on February 8 and will last for two weeks.
With more stock diverted to China, some markets have raised rice prices for local consumers. In areas of Arakan and Mon states, residents reported that the cost of a standard basket of rice increased 500-1000 kyats (US$0.40-$0.80). A rice basket in Mon State holds 16 pyi, or just over 40 liters, and previously cost 14,000-15,000 kyats ($10.80-$11.60).
There is high demand in the market these days, and though were looking for more rice, the supply and demand do not match. Thats why a basket of rice is going up more than 500 kyats, said Kyaw Kyaw Lwin, a rice trader in Mon States Kalathut village.
Dr Soe Tun, Vice Chairman of the Myanmar Rice Federation, estimates that about 4,000-5,000 tons of rice are being routed through the Muse-Ruili trading hub every day. Like Kyaw Kyaw Lwin, he linked this to a temporary five to ten percent rise in prices within Burma.
Demand in China is getting high. Thats why rice prices have increased a little bit, but I can say that it will go down again in the next few days, he said.
Merchants began directing more rice through the Muse-Ruili trading hub during the last week of January. Chan Tha Oo, a rice trader in Muse, confirmed that the greater demand for rice from the Chinese side of the border became evident late last month. This resulted in an increase in rice prices in border areas by 500-600 kyats, raising the cost of a 50-kilogram rice bag to almost 29,000 kyats ($22.50).
But as official holidays begin in China, Chan Tha Oo said he believes trade will soon come to a halt.
The Chinese stop trading three or four days [ahead of the New Year], he explained.
Despite increased exports, he added there was no shortage of rice, and therefore no need for people to worry, a claim echoed by Dr. Soe Tun.
Summers paddy [harvest] has not yet surfaced in the market, so were still consuming old rice. It will be okay later, he said.
Figures from the Ministry of Commerce put Burmas total rice exports at more than 1.7 million tons in the 2014-15 fiscal year, bringing in nearly US$645 million. Rice was shipped to China and Japan, as well as over 60 countries within ASEAN, Africa and Europe.
Burma NLD Lawmakers to Forfeit Bonus, Take Pay Cut for Party
The NLD implements a sweeping donation policy to raise party funds and preempt excessive spending by its members.
RANGOON The National League for Democracy (NLD), which on Monday entered Parliament as the new ruling party, has implemented a sweeping donation policy to raise party funds.
Outgoing NLD lawmakers have agreed to donate the entirety of their party pension, a state-funded gratuity paid for their time served in Parliament, to a party fund. The previous assembly approved a 5 million kyat payout for exiting lawmakers, though NLD membersalong with others who only served since a 2012 by-electionwill receive 3 million.
We feel uneasy about taking the money while people are living in poverty, said Lower House NLD lawmaker Min Thu, who was elected in 2012. Plus, [party chairwoman Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has guided us to try to be as close to the people as possible. We agreed to contribute our pay to the party, to be used for people-centered services.
Apart from the gratuity, lawmakers have also agreed to give up a percentage of their salaries to the party fund. In November, just after the NLDs landslide electoral victory, Suu Kyi told her partys MPs-elect that they could expect a drastic reduction in salarysomewhere between 25 and 50 percent.
Anyone in the top positions will see a 50 percent pay cut, she said, according to a party member present at the meeting. This means that Win Myint, who yesterday was appointed as Speaker of the Lower House, will likely see his salary dive from 3.5 million kyats to 1.75 million.
Some of the extra funds are to be used to pay for party offices, which previously relied on donations from supporters.
Sources have also suggested that Suu Kyi plans to limit speakers to one car; current law allows up to four.
Min Thu said that when the first NLD members took office in 2012, their salaries were slashed by 10 percentincluding Suu Kyisright from the onset, and reduced again after Parliament approved a raise for itself in January 2015.
One hundred thousand kyats went to the party and 150,000 went to development funds run by the party, he said.
Burma Western Diplomats Hail Sitting of Historic New Parliament
Foreign diplomats congratulate Burma on the first sitting of a Parliament dominated by the National League for Democracy, a party persecuted for over two decades.
RANGOON As Burmas new Parliament was seated for the first time on Monday, foreign diplomats congratulated the country on its historic day, with some ambassadors attending proceedings at the sprawling legislative complex in Naypyidaw as observers.
The 2016-2021 Parliament is packed with new lawmakers from the National League of Democracy (NLD), which won nearly 80 percent of seats in a November general election after more than two decades persecuted by the former military junta.
A total of 429 parliamentarians were present for the first day of the Lower House parliamentary session on Monday, with four lawmakers on leave.
British Ambassador to Burma Andrew Patrick expressed optimism as the fresh batch of lawmakers convened in the capital Naypyidaw. A statement from the British Embassy in Rangoon released on Monday quoted him as saying, Its over 50 years since the last properly elected Parliament sat in Burma. So this was an important day for democracy, and a great credit to this country.
There are challenges ahead, and of course the military still appoints 25 percent of the seats, he continued in the statement.
The US Embassy saluted the process of democracy that led to this historic day.
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, a statement from the American mission in Rangoon read.
In a post to its Facebook page, the Canadian Embassy said it would look forward to working with the newly formed government to help contribute to Burmas goal of a peaceful, democratic, federal union.
Ambassador Roland Kobia of the European Union Delegation was on hand for Parliaments first day and said his visit was to witness this new step towards democracy.
Parliaments Lower House is scheduled to reconvene on Thursday and the legislatures upper chamber will sit for the first time on Wednesday.
The annual awards, run by Croydon Council, are designed to thank people for their help in improving the environment.
Entry forms have just been published and the closing date for most categories is August 25. Other categories have a closing date of July 7.
Previous winners in the 13-year-old competition have included those who have made wildlife areas in school grounds, or run community clean-ups and weekend rubbish collections, reported flytipping, or brightened up the local area.
There is a new category this year for action combating vandalism, graffiti, flytipping and criminal damage. The closing date is August 25.
The traditional sectors remain. Gardeners can enter for the greenest corner award, which will go to the person with the best wild garden or patch. The closing date for this is August 25. Meanwhile activists should go for the green action award if they feel they have made a difference to their surroundings. The closing date is August 25.
Examples of potential entrants to the green action award include community groups which use Croydon Council's weekend rubbish collection services, champion recyclers and those who have adopted a patch of land or look after a street tree.
Organisers of the Care for Croydon Awards 2000 also want to hear from schools and colleges which have been involved in green projects for the Education and the Environment category. The closing date is July 7. The other categories are:
p Croydon caring business. Up to four prizes. Closing date August 25.
p Considerate contractor. One prize. Closing date August 25.
p Front gardens, Window boxes or balconies. Up to 12 awards. Closing date July 7.
p How does your rubbish grow? (Using items which would normally be thrown away to grow plants or flowers.) Up to three awards. Theclosing date is July 7.
p Good gum poster competition (best poster design and slogan to get people to bin their chewing gum.) Up to four awards. Closing date August 25.
p Civic pride award (The best overall effort by an individual.) One award. Closing date August 25.
Winners receive cash prizes or vouchers in addition to an award.
Booklets containing the entry form and explaining the categories are at the One-Stop shop in Taberber House, libraries and some local shops and supermarkets.
Alternatively, you can telephone Croydon Council environmental and recycling unit on 020 8760 5524.
Google has been very instrumental in influencing the world to go digital. But in its recent launching of Doodle, it opted to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the mechanical TV.
The internet search giant unveiled the current Doodle on Jan. 26. This is also the day when the mechanical television was unveiled by John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, 90 years ago, in Jan. 26, 1926.
According to an article in The Telegraph, Baird transmitted the image of the moving head of his business partner, Daisy Elizabeth Gandy, on a small TV screen. Gandy's image was not clear and the screen was very small, measuring just about 3.5 x 2 inches (8.8 x 5 cm).
This earliest progenitor of modern TV was called "Televisor" which allowed 'looking and listening in' simultaneously. It was equipped with a rotating mechanism that generated an image that accompanied the sound. The device made history when it made its first live broadcast in 1926.
Baird continued developing his invention and a year later, he made his first video and audio transmission between Glasgow and London through a 438-mile long telephone cable.
After that, he established the Baird Television Development Company and produced the first live transmission of the Epsom Derby, as well as the first transatlantic TV broadcast.
Baird also developed the first color TV. In 1929, he introduced the first mass-produced TV in the world. From that time until 1937, Baird's company was the one used by BBC to air its TV broadcasts.
The Google Doodle is a concept of its founders, Larry and Sergey, who played around with their corporate logo to signify that they have attended the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert.
Time went on and now, the Doodle is used mostly in celebrating familiar holidays, anniversaries and significant historical events. This year the company elected to celebrate the humble beginnings of the mechanical television.
Most of us believe that to be a Hollywood star is the ultimate dream. All the glamour, the fame, the money and the movies - everything seems perfect. Surprisingly, those probably did not matter that much to these celebrities, because they decided to ditch the bright lights and paparazzi shots to undertake a much more average career path. Here are 5 of them:
1. Jack Gleeson. After getting killed off the show, Game of Thrones' Joffrey Baratheon announced his retirement from the craft to achieve an academic career. He is only 23, and despite playing the monster that is King Joffrey, all of his co-actors described him as one of the nicest people they have ever met.
2. Dylan Sprouse. Known as one of the twin brothers from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Dylan left his Hollywood job to host at a restaurant in New York City. He has also been commentating Super Smash Bros. tournaments since 2014.
3. Jonathan Bennett. Known for his roles in Van Wilder, Cheaper by the Dozen and Mean Girls, Jonathan Bennett a.k.a. Aaron Samuels decided to pursue his passion for fitness and became a spin instructor at LA studio, Flywheel. He shared how passionate he is for fitness, and added that it, and the people, helped him heal from his mother's passing.
4. Kel Mitchell. Best known for his role in Kenan and Kel, Mitchell left Hollywood to become a family man. The actor wanted to spend his effort and time into his Christianity and raising his family.
5. Kevin Jonas. The oldest of the musical trio Jonas Brothers, Kevin left his career to pursue his one true passion as a contractor. In 2009, Kevin married Danielle Deleasa and starred in their own reality show called Married to Jonas. It was a year after the Jonas Brothers broke up when Kevin decided to try contracting.
NASA's Mars Opportunity rover that was originally said to last for only 90 days is now celebrating its 12-year anniversary on the red planet.
Opportunity has made its way to 12 years because of the help of several factors, including helpful unforeseen surface conditions and few creative software changes. It landed in Mars back in January 2004 after a six-and-a-half-month journey from Earth. It made its successful entry to the Martian atmosphere through the aid of a parachute, retrorockets, and a cocoon of airbags.
As reported in TechCrunch, the extreme level of the dust on Mars is one of the factors why NASA believed the rover would only last for 90 Martian days. They further believed that these dust particles would "build up on Opportunity's solar panels and eventually, the rover would be unable to receive power."
Receiving solar power on Mars, which is 50 percent farther away from the Sun than Earth, was a known challenge even without the dust. NASA designed Opportunity's solar panels to be as wide as possible in order to collect as much sunlight as it could. Even so, the lifetime of Opportunity was measured in days, perhaps months, but certainly not years.
Luckily, a surprising thing happened: every once in a while, whirling columns of air, or "dust devils," swept over the rover and cleaned off the coating of dust from the solar panels.
Although dust build up would continue to be a challenge, NASA believes it also has helped keep the rover's lights on.
Throughout the years, Opportunity has faced a lot of challenges. For instance, it has found itself slightly buried in a sand dune. Thankfully, the hardworking engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was able to come up with a sequence of wheel rotations that would ultimately set the rover free.
Another challenge faced by the team is the needed software upgrades. These upgrades have to be done remotely. "Remote software updates to improve the rover's visual detection, photography, and hazard detection capabilities."
The greatest challenge is the yearly cost of keeping the rover functional. It is estimated that NASA spends about $14 million annually to keep Opportunity operational. This is one of the reasons some believe Opportunity should no longer be kept functional, especially that it is no longer as capable as it once was.
As of present, the rover continues to accomplish useful scientific work, and after 12 years, Opportunity is believed to be moving onward.
Natalie Portman, the actress behind the film Jane Got A Gun directed by Gavin O'Connor, expresses her concern about gun violence in the country. She may have played a gun-slinging cowgirl in her latest movie but she feels strongly about tighter gun laws.
Portman is a strong advocate for tighter gun laws in the United States. During the premiere of the Jane Got A Gun in New York, Natalie stated in an interview that she is very concerned about the state of guns in the U.S. and agrees with President Barack Obama's platform to increase gun ownership regulations. She has expressed her support for Obama's recent effort. She was worried about the influence the film might bring to the general public but she was quick to point out that there is a difference between then and now.
"I definitely am very concerned about gun violence in our country."
Portman plays a pioneer woman living in New Mexico who faces a threat from outlaws. How did the actress successfully fulfilled her role in a movie that requires her to shoot her co-stars? Portman did admit to People that she was nervous about handling a gun on the set. Her concern did not just mean her safety but also meant she was concerned about everyone on the premises. She felt the responsibility as she was also the producer of the film.
"I always want to be sure of safety, especially because I was a producer on the film, I felt responsible for everyone, not just as an actor."
She describes the setting of the fim as an era that lacked government which was why gun violence was rampant at that time. "That's different than our current situation", Portman explains.
Jane Got A Gun is now in theaters and it also stars Ewan McGregor.
Around 40 people - including children - died as a boat on its way to Greece capsized off the coast of Ayvacik district, Canakkale, Turkey on Saturday Jan. 30.
Mehmet Unal Sahin, the mayor of Ayvack, said that the locals were awakened by the sound of the migrants' screams. He added that they have been attempting rescue ever since, and that the task at hand is made challenging due to the distance of the coast - the 80-kilometer-long coast across from Lesbos.
The 17 meter boat carrying a minimum of 120 people was said to have hit rocks very soon after it left the shore, according to Saim Eskioglu, deputy governor for the coastal Canakkale province. He also reported there to have been almost 10 children among the dead, with four of them babies of one or two years. The migrants are supposedly of Syrian, Afghan and Myanmar origin.
This is the latest tragedy in a series of tragedies where refugees have died trying to escape war torn areas to migrate to Europe or other neighboring countries. Two days ago saw the drowning of 25 migrants (which included 10 children) off the Greek island of Samos.
Over one million migrants and refugees came to the European Union during the course of the last year. Around 36,000 are said to have died or gone missing. This has led to the EU being forced to consider keeping its Schengen open-borders area for another two years. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been under pressure for her welcoming position towards asylum seekers, stressed to a meeting of a members of her Christian Democratic Union party that the refugees were to be expected to go home once the war was over.
It is estimated that almost 500,000 refugees from the five year long war in Syria have migrated through Turkey, and then put themselves in danger trying to reach the Greek Islands in 2015. 2.5 million Syrian refugees are taking asylum in Turkey. International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 4,000 people died in efforts to reach Europe by sea last year, and that 244 migrants died at sea during the first 28 days of this New Year alone.
Nokia and Samsung are set to announce a settlement regarding the dispute over their two-year patent. Analysts are predicting that the settlement may involve hundreds of millions of Euros in one-time payment for the Finland-based company.
Nokia engaged the South Korean company into a binding arbitration that requires the latter to pay additional compensations involving a five-year period beginning early 2014.
In late 2013, Nokia announced that Samsung will license and pay the Finnish company for a number of patents for five years. The deal started in Jan. 1, 2014. However, the two companies were not able to agree on the price for patent licensing. Thus, they went on arbitration on the pricing which is originally expected to be finalized until 2015.
Since then, the South Korean company and the Finnish company have been battling each other. Charges were thrown by Nokia that executives of Samsung have seen some private licensing details between them and Apple.
The purpose of the arbitration is to find a remedy to their problems without resorting into a very expensive legal battle.
The two companies lodged their arbitration in the International Chamber of Commerce and the legal body is due to announce its decision very soon.
Sami Sarkamies, a Nordea analyst, says that the decision could increase the operating profit of Nokia to the tune of 700 million euros ($758 million) this year.
"Samsung has been paying Nokia probably 100 million per year, and the rate could now come up to around 300 million euros (per year)," says Sarkamies. "The settled rate will also be paid retrospectively for the last two years," he adds.
Once the dominant company in the manufacture of handsets, Nokia is now concentrating on telecom network. However, it still holds a significant portfolio of mobile phone patents. It had been advised by the ICC that by the end of January 2015, its settlement with Samsung will be finalized.
Zika has spread rapidly in Brazil, and now, it seems going the way of Colombia. The South American country has announced that there is currently over 2,000 pregnant women infected with the virus.
The National Health Institute reports that there are now a total of 20,297 cases of infection by the virus that causes irreversible brain damage in newborns and that includes 2,116 pregnant women.
With these figures, Colombia can be considered as South America's second most infected region. Brazil, the most infected country, is where the virus is suspected to have originated.
The most affected in Colombia are the women. They have accounted for about 63.6 percent of the cases. Health authorities say that they expect over 600,000 people to be infected with the Zika virus this year, and estimate that some 500 cases will be microcephaly.
The rapid spread of the virus in Latin America has alerted Asian health authorities which promptly issued advisories to prevent it from reaching their shores. Travel advisories were issued to pregnant women asking them to avoid travelling to Central and South America.
Zika virus is linked to the Aedes Mosquito. It causes the underdevelopment of heads and brains of fetus inside the womb of pregnant women. At birth, the newborn will have a small skull housing a small brain. Currently, there is no vaccine or cure to this condition.
To prevent the disease from spreading in the Asian region, health authorities have requested travellers coming from the Americas, who manifests symptoms of the disease, to present themselves to health authorities for inspection and treatment of symptoms. Doctors are also required to report actual cases of Zika virus infection once they are detected.
In a statement, the National Health Institute of Colombia suggested for married couples to delay their pregnancies for about six to eight months. Perhaps they hoped that by that time, an effective vaccine is already developed and distributed in the country.
Recently, a student from Williamsburg, VA has contracted the Zika Virus. The virus is transmitted through mosquito bites and it has already spread across countries around Central America, South America and it is expected to crawl into the United States.
University officials from the College of William and Mary has released information that one of their students has contracted the deadly Zika Virus. The student was traveling in Central America during the school's winter break. The good news is that the student is expected to recover and has not exhibited other symptoms.
After reports have indicated that it may enter the United States, the school has confirmed that there is no health threat to the student community and its campus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has worked with the school to analyze this situation.
Though that is the case, the World Health Organization held an emergency meeting recently regarding the Zika virus and has then declared the outbreak to now be a global crisis. How does one disease merit such international status? The sudden spread of the Zika virus has met conditions that would make it an international emergency, as stated by The Guardian.
"Members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern", says WHO Director Margaret Chan. This claim has started funding for the prevention and research for the virus so better diagnosis and prevention can be found. Chan who declared it a public health emergency has declared it a threat especially to pregnant women and babies.
The CDC continues to learn about the virus and there is no certainty that it will or will not spread in the United States.
How do you know if you have contracted the disease? Zika is a mosquito-borne virus and the most common symptoms exhibited are rash, fever, conjunctivitis and joint pain. It has been linked to severe birth defects that affected brain-damaged babies in Brazil and is similar to some symptoms of other mosquito-borne illnesses so it is wiser to check with your local physician for better consulting.
If you have traveled to Central or South America recently, don't panic. It is best to check with your local health clinic.
Credit Suisse Group AG and Barclays Plc have recently agreed to settle the charges against them lodged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and New York's Attorney General.
The allegation is that the two banks have misled investors in the way their trading platforms were managed.
Credit Suisse is required to pay $84.3 million, $24 million of which will go to the SEC for interest and disgorgement, and the remainder to be shared between the two institutions. According to the US SEC, Barclays is ordered to pay $70 million, the biggest fine imposed on an operator of dark pool.
The authorities have investigated the two banks if they have disclosed sufficient information to their clients regarding their dark pool trading. It appears that the authorities have seen Barclays misrepresenting the way it monitored its dark pools for high frequency trading.
According to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Credit Suisse methodically routed its clients' orders to the bank's own dark pool, but told them that it didn't favor any special trading venue.
Dark pools started in the 1980s. They are private stock markets operating inside some of the biggest banks in Wall Street. This system of trading enables market traders to buy and sell big blocks of stock without informing other traders. Trading in dark pools over the years has risen to 20 percent of the total amount that is exchanged in the stock market every day.
"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," said Schneiderman.
"We will continue to take the fight to those who aim to rig the system and those who look the other way," he added.
"Walking the Camino dos Faros", published in 2019, is my 4th Cicerone guide. This article provides a background to the walk and...
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The gang down at the old Thiensville State Bank building spent the morning parsing the Iowa results for clues as to the cleavages and fault lines that would determine the two eventual nominees. On the Democratic side it was clear. Bernie won the cities, with the exception of Des Moines, the state capitol, and Hillary won the establishment in the state capitol of Des Moines plus all the rural stuff.
"Kind of like in Wisconsin Bernie has Madison with its University flavor (despite the state capitol establishmentarians) and Hillary has most everything else," noted one of the Democratic attendees.
We all agreed it was kind of like that.
On the GOP side it was a bit more complex. Rubio won the big cities of Des Moines and Davenport and the University town of Iowa City, Trump won the mid-size cities like Sioux Falls and Council Bluffs, plus the counties along the Mississippi, and Cruz won everywhere else.
"It is kind of like Rubio leads Dane county Republicans, Trump leads Green Bay, the Fox River valley, and La Crosse/Eau Claire, and Cruz leads the Milwaukee ring counties," threw out the GOP veteran to my right.
"Yeah, it is kind of like that," we all agreed.
"Well, what factor will determine the outcome of this extended contest?" a friend from out of state demanded to know.
"Events, dear boy, events!" I chuckled merrily.
Thanks go out to the people of Iowa for participating, and to all the candidates. The American people have begun to think. Godspeed, people. Choose wisely.
Editor's Note: Purple Wisconsin is a collection of community bloggers with views from across the political spectrum. The Journal Sentinel hosts these blogs as a way to encourage thoughtful debate about the important issues facing Wisconsin and the Milwaukee region. The opinions voiced here are those of the individual bloggers alone; they are responsible for their posts. The Journal Sentinel does not edit or direct the bloggers in any fashion.
Moe Kasem and his brother own six prepaid-cellphone stores and use LEDs at all of them. Credit: Rick Wood
SHARE Moe Kasem is among a growing number of small retail business owners who have been outlining their storefront windows with strings of bright LED lighting as a way to attract customers attention. Rick Wood
By of the
For a growing number of small retail shops in Milwaukee, the guiding light is the LED.
Cheap to operate many places leave them on 24 hours a day and flashy as an Elvis jumpsuit, the eye-catching lights are changing the streetscape along some commercial strips.
Easily more than 100 businesses here have installed them, usually stringing them around borders of windows and doors. The owner of one sign and light company here claims to have fitted out more than 300 locations across the area.
It's largely a central city phenomenon, with the lights setting off businesses such as cellphone outlets, smoke shops, nail salons and restaurants.
But the trend has spilled over Milwaukee's boundaries, and raised eyebrows in Shorewood and West Allis.
For merchants who have been lining their storefronts with the lights, the goal is simple: Attract attention.
"It just makes the store stand out," said Firdous Chandani, whose shop, Reflections Jewelry, 1306 W. Forest Home Ave., is studded with LEDs.
The lights work as a marketing tool, making people notice the store, said general manager Joe Arnezeder, Chandani's son. He pointed across Forest Home, where a barbershop trimmed with bright white LEDs outshone the relatively subdued neon at an adjacent nail salon.
"You can't even tell they have the lights on in the window compared with the LED next door," Arnezeder said.
Another business owner, Moe Kasem, described what happened when he opened a shop in Texas without LEDs.
"We didn't see any action," he said. "...People don't know that you exist."
Now, all six of the Milwaukee cellphone stores he owns with his brother have LEDs bordering the windows. The lights come in colors blue, green, red but Kasem prefers white.
"You're not at a strip club," he said.
There's something of a snowball effect to the trend. Because the lights pop so strongly, particularly at night, some shopkeepers feel obliged to follow when they see them elsewhere.
Sunni Benipal, owner of Pueblo Foods, 2029 N. Holton St., outlined nine windows, three doors, the roofline and the main sign at his grocery after deciding that other stores were more attractive than his.
"We were comparing our business with the other ones that look better," he said.
He said Pueblo's extensive lighting cost about $2,700 installed, with the work done by a Chicago distributor whose name he got from another store owner.
Cheap fixtures can cost far less, said Adam Brown, co-owner of Sign Effectz Inc., a Milwaukee custom sign manufacturer. Brown doesn't work with storefront LEDs but is familiar with them.
Prices sharply lower
LED prices have dropped substantially over the last 10 years, helping spur the wave of decorative commercial use, he said. Where strips of LEDs once cost $15 to $20 a foot, they now go for as little as $1.50, though high-quality sets might run $10 a foot, he said.
And where neon lights use high-voltage electricity and are fashioned by skilled tradesmen, LEDs take low-voltage power and can be installed by a maintenance man or a shopkeeper himself, Brown said.
With incandescent bulbs, electric current heats a slender thread of metal inside a vacuum, or a gas-filled chamber, until the filament glows. LEDs, on the other hand, produce light and less heat as excited electrons move within a solid semiconductor.
LEDs use such small amounts of electricity that a display window bordered by 20 feet of the lights might draw just 10 watts of power, said Brad Saunders, Grafton-based regional director for Titan LED Inc., of Simi Valley, Calif.
"The cost of operation is literally maybe a dollar a day," he said. Like Brown, Saunders doesn't deal in storefront LEDs.
Byron Lopez, who owns Florida-based SuperStoreLED and describes his business as a leader in the field, said storefront LED migrated to the U.S. from South Korea.
"We brought it here to the states because we thought it would do well, and we're one of the largest fabricators and sellers," Lopez said.
Locally, the self-described driving force in storefront LED is a south side business owner (Speedy Printing Signs & Lights, 3531 W. National Ave.) who peppers his Facebook page with motivational quotations and publicly discloses only his last name, Alonso.
"I'd rather not use my first name just because of, just, situations," he said. "...I go by Alonso Alonso."
He said he has put LEDs in more than 300 locations across the area, many on Milwaukee's south side but also in places such as West Allis and Oak Creek.
City officials concerned
But while many shopkeepers applaud them, they're not universally well received.
In West Allis, city planners are considering updating the signage ordinance in part because of the appearance of the LED lighting at shops along W. Greenfield Ave., planning and zoning manager Steven Schaer said.
"There are aesthetic concerns," he said. "There are perhaps even safety concerns with how bright this stuff is. But then there are the retailers' concerns, so you're trying to balance all of these interests."
Shorewood got its first taste of the outdoor LED lighting just a few weeks ago, when a businessman installed them at his gas station on N. Oakland Ave.
As it happened, village planning and development director Ericka Lang already had been working on a commercial-lighting ordinance the existing code covers only parking lots and she'd noticed the decorative LEDs in Milwaukee.
"It's been on my radar because I've seen them elsewhere, and thinking we have to control for this," Lang said.
The ordinance language Lang drafted, which the Plan Commission approved this week, limits the allowed intensity of outdoor commercial lighting and would restrict the LEDs.
"We don't want this brightly lit commercial district," Lang said. "We're a village and we want to have that feel of a village. More quaint."
Brown, the sign manufacturer, foresees further proliferation of LEDs, but then increased restrictions.
"I would expect the code to stiffen up quite a bit, otherwise it's just going to look like Vegas all over the place," he said.
But business owners such as Benipal, Kasem and Chandani have an alternative perspective. You might say they see things in a different light.
By of the
A historic downtown Milwaukee office building would be partly converted to apartments under a new proposal.
Developer Cal Schultz, who also is converting a Walker's Point office building into apartments, would create 50 apartments on four upper floors of the eight-story Century Building, 808 N. Old World Third St.
The 110,000-square-foot building has offices on its upper floors and street-level retail.
The conversion proposal would keep the retail and some office space, while adding apartments to the building, which was constructed in 1925, said building owner Ron San Felippo.
Schultz, who operates Oshkosh-based Keystone Development LLC, is seeking federal affordable housing tax credits to help finance the project, according to information released Tuesday by the authority.
Those credits are provided through an annual competition overseen in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. The authority usually announces credit awards in April.
Developers who receive the credits are required to rent apartments at below-market rates to people earning no more than 60% of the area's median income.
Of the Century Building's 50 apartments, 42 would be provided at below-market rents, according to the authority.
Ald. Robert Bauman, whose district includes the property, said he's concerned about another older downtown office building being converted to apartments. Bauman said those buildings provide affordable office space for small law practices and other businesses.
Bauman opposes possible city financing of $1.5 million to help convert the nearby Germania Building, 135 W. Wells St., into 90 affordable and market-rate apartments.
However, it's difficult for older office buildings to raise enough rent to pay for ongoing maintenance costs, said San Felippo, whose investment group Sixth Property LLC owns the Century Building.
Converting part of the Century Building would keep some of its offices and also raise money to make improvements to the building's outdated elevators and mechanical systems, said San Felippo, whose group would sell the property.
The building includes 36 underground parking spaces, and is "completely surrounded by parking lots and parking ramps," San Felippo said.
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By of the
With a sharp decline in its oil and gas industry sales, Twin Disc Inc. on Tuesday reported a loss for the recent fiscal quarter.
The Racine-based maker of power transmission equipment said it had a loss of $2.3 million, or 21 cents per share, for the second quarter of fiscal 2016, compared with a profit of $3.7 million, or 33 cents, for the same period a year earlier.
Twin Disc had $44.9 million in sales in the recent quarter, that ended Dec. 25, down 38% from $72.7 million a year earlier.
"The significant decline in fiscal 2016 sales is the result of reduced demand for the company's oil and gas related products in both North America and Asia, driven by the global decline in oil and natural gas prices, along with softening demand in Asia for the company's commercial marine products. Demand from customers in Europe remains weak, while overall demand in North America remains relatively stable for the company's commercial marine and non-oil and gas industrial products," Twin Disc said in a statement.
A beer celebration draws busloads. Credit: The theater, owned by Neighborhood Theater Group, is showing three of this years five foreign-lang
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By of the
Well, that was fun. Central Waters Brewing celebrated its 18th anniversary with busloads of fans Saturday in Amherst. There was music, there was food and there was beer.
And there's more ahead:
Feb. 5: Join me for "Ladies Night," which is not as you imagine but a look women's history with beer, part of the "Brew City MKE" exhibition at the Milwaukee County Historical Society. I'll moderate a panel of head brewers Jamie Baertsch of Wisconsin Dells Brewing Company, Ashley Kinart of Capital Brewery, Allyson Rolph of Thirsty Pagan Brewing and Heather Ludwig of Pabst Brewing Co. as they talk about their experiences in the beer industry.
Tickets are $20 ($15 for members). The talk begins at 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5: Stubby's Gastrogrub celebrates Fat Friday with a bourbon barrel aged Rye Pale Ale from Louisiana's Abita Brewing Co., and a Mardi Gras menu
Feb. 6: Burnhearts, 2599 S. Logan Ave., hosts its annual Mitten Fest. The free party with live bands, rare beers from Central Waters and Founders, starts outside at noon. Honeypie Cafe, Goodkind and Gypsy Taco will have food for sale. See the Mitten Fest Facebook page. Bring food, clothing and/or cash donations for Hunger Task Force.
Feb. 9:Milwaukee Beer Bistro, 2730 N. Humboldt Blvd., gets in on the Fat Tuesday celebration by serving beer-infused Cajun specials and brews from Abita Brewing Co.
Feb. 9: The Brass Tap, 7808 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield, says "Laissez les bons temps rouler" with the help of Abita. The party includes $5 bowls of shrimp gumbo, according to a Brass Tap Facebook page.
Feb. 9: There's another Fat Tuesday celebration at World of Beer, 418 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa. The beer bar will have Abita Triple Haze on the infusion tower starting at 6 p.m., according to the WOB Facebook page.
Feb. 10: The Milwaukee Beer Society says it will honor the end of Fasching, which they describe as German Mardi Gras, and the beginning of the Lenten season. Monks back in the day would fast during Lent, drinking Doppelbocks as their main source of nutrition for 40 days. You can do it for one night. The Beer Society meets from 6 to 9 p.m. at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, 901 W. Juneau Ave. See milwaukeebeersociety.com for admission cost.
Feb. 10: Upland Brewing takes center stage at Ray's Growler Gallery, 8930 W. North Ave., in Wauwatosa. Look for Barrel Chested Barleywine, Teddy Bear Kisses and Syrupticious on tap.
Feb. 11: Burnhearts gets in on the Bock action with four variants of bock from Minnesota's August Schell Brewing Co. beginning at 6 p.m., according to a Baby Got Bock Facebook page.
Feb. 12-13: Try a brew from Luxembourg when Bofferding hands out samples from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 12 at Discount Liquor, 5031 W. Oklahoma Ave., and noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 13 at Discount Liquor, 919 N. Barstow Ave., Waukesha.
Feb. 18: It's August Schell again, this time visiting the Malt Shoppe, 813 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa. Expect to try traditional Bock, Doppelbock and the brewery's Pre-Prohibition Bock and Heirloom Bock from 5 to 9 p.m., according to the Malt Shoppe Facebook page.
Feb. 20:Food & Froth at the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St., features more than 100 beer names and eight bands from 7 to 10 p.m. Ticket prices range from $125 for VIP admission to $75 for general admission.
Feb. 21:Midwinter Brewfest raises money for the MACC Fund. It's held at the Milwaukee Ale House, 233 N. Water St. The fest runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $45.
Feb. 23:Atlas BBQ, 1304 12th Ave., Grafton, and Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. team up for beer and cocktails. The menu includes Pork Belly and Deviled Egg, Smoked Osso Bucco and Strawberry Shortcake. It's $40 for three courses, each with a beer or cocktail pairing. Call (262) 618-2181.
Other dates to keep in mind:
Milwaukee Beer Week kicks off on April 16 and the annual Crafts & Drafts Spring Beer Festival is set for April 17 at Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave.
For a guide to beer news and more, check out Tap Milwaukee's Beer Here page: jsonline.com/beer.
By of the
A former Mequon lawyer who stole more than $2 million from a pair of her estate planning clients as they neared death was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert, who rejected a shorter sentence recommendation by the government, also ordered Sarah E.K. Laux to pay $2.1 million in restitution, though none of that will reimburse dozens of other clients who say Laux charged them $4,000 for ineffective legal work.
Clevert said Laux had exhibited a "staggering" degree of "callousness," and compounded her crimes by lying to families, banks and other lawyers.
Yet he said she deserved less time than the 51 months at the low end of federal guidelines because Laux has no criminal history, has turned over assets, needs to earn money to pay the balance of restitution and has four young children, one of whom needs surgery.
He allowed Laux to report to prison in about 45 days.
Laux, 36, told Clevert that through "soul searching and much needed therapy" she has come to realize that "nothing I own or have owned is worth time with my children."
Laux graduated from Homestead High School and earned engineering and law degrees before joining her father, John Kitzke, at his Grafton law office. She later opened her own office in Greenfield, finding older clients through free luncheon seminars about estate planning and trusts.
She also had a related insurance company she at times claimed was a nonprofit organization, according to former clients.
But it was the dealings with two of her better-off clients that finally got federal investigators involved.
Laux's growing troubles were first reported by the Journal Sentinel in 2013, when the heirs of early 20th-century Milwaukee industrial leader Charles Pfister Vogel claimed she had converted more than $1.5 million money they claimed Laux used, in part, to purchase real estate in Mequon and pay personal expenses.
"My mother trusted Sarah implicitly," Andrea Mayerson told Clevert, before describing how Laux lied to her mother as she died of cancer. She said Laux had no moral compass and likely would have victimized other families if she hadn't been caught.
"I'm only thankful my mother didn't witness this devastation," Mayerson said.
Mark Franzen told Clevert how he came home from Arizona to check on his retired parents after reading about Mayerson's lawsuit, since he knew they were also working with Laux. He went to the FBI after Laux wouldn't give him straight answers about the $2 million she persuaded his parents to transfer to her control, then ultimately confessed to using some of it for herself and giving back about $1 million.
Franzen said he made at least a dozen trips from Arizona and spent thousands of hours on the matter, but the bigger cost was to was to his mother's lost sense of security.
"She couldn't properly grieve my dad's death, so concerned was she about not having money to live on," Franzen said.
More lawsuits and investigations by lawyers and insurance regulators followed, and in December 2014, Laux was indicted on nearly three dozen criminal charges. Facing disbarment, she gave up her law license last year.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Campbell thanked Franzen and lawyers for Mayerson's family and Associated Trust for greatly aiding the investigation that led to Laux's indictment.
As part of a plea bargain, Laux pleaded guilty in October to five of the original 33 counts against her, one each of bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and filing a false tax return.
Federal guidelines called for 51 to 67 months in prison, but Campbell recommended 42 months, citing Laux's help in identifying and turning over assets to pay restitution.
She has agreed to forfeit two homes in Mequon worth an estimated $700,000 to $800,000, jewelry worth about $30,000, a time share in Las Vegas and other cash and client lists from Lasting Legacy and Family Foundation Planning, though no one estimated a value for those former insurance businesses.
Her husband, who Campbell said was not aware of the fraud, also gave up his interests and $10,000, money he said had been a gift from his wife. That money will go toward the roughly $90,000 still owed to Franzen's mother. The proceeds of the Mequon home sales will mostly go to Mayerson's family.
A young lawyer she hired right out of law school has sued Laux for firing him after he says he pointed out legal and ethical problems with how she was doing business.
Michael S. Kilkenny of Brookfield said he has since tried to help former Laux clients obtain some relief from the Lawyer's Fund for Client Protection.
Other former clients have said they could never get records from Laux, or had new lawyers review the trusts she had set up for them, at further expense.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's "state of the city" speech this year outlined an audacious plan for Milwaukee to stake its claim as the freshwater capital of the world.
"I'm not talking about selling our water," he said. "I am talking about growing and selling our expertise with treating freshwater. Water will be one of the largest economic growth sectors in the world over the next few decades. And Milwaukee can be the hub for freshwater technologies and research if we do something now to plan for our future."
Now the city could indeed be on the path to become a major-league laboratory for the way that freshwater is delivered, but perhaps not in the way Barrett and regional business and academic leaders hoped for.
Scrambling for cash simply to fund basic city services - and less than a year after the passage of the Great Lakes compact designed to protect the world's largest freshwater system from being drained by profiteers - Milwaukee is looking into turning its state-of-the-art water treatment system over to a for-profit company.
Cities such as Buffalo, Indianapolis and Atlanta have dipped their toes into the water-for-profit business by signing deals with private companies to run their systems for periods ranging from five to 20 years, with varying degrees of success - and failure. Atlanta ripped up its 20-year contract after four years of customers grumbling about boil orders, brown tap water and fire hydrants in disrepair.
Milwaukee is pondering a 75- to 99-year lease.
Water experts say the length of the deal Milwaukee is considering and the half-billion dollars it hopes to net make it unlike any other ever done in the United States.
"It already has some of the largest players in the contract operations market drooling," states an article in the April edition of the trade publication Global Water Intelligence.
Motivated by the money
It's not that Milwaukee is doing a lousy job of running a system that supplies this most basic life necessity to its 600,000 residents as well as 15 suburbs - the city is lauded as a national leader in delivering quality drinking water.
It's not that the system needs an infusion of private cash to keep functioning - it's actually a money maker, bringing in about $70 million in annual sales.
It is, basically, about accounting.
In October, Milwaukee Comptroller W. Martin "Wally" Morics floated the idea of privatizing the city's Water Works as a possible solution to Milwaukee's long-term financial problems. Barrett and the Common Council reacted warily but agreed to let Morics search for a consulting team to study the idea.
Morics is interested in a deal because Milwaukee can't simply raise more money for city services by charging more for the water it sells to its residents and the ever-expanding markets outside city limits. State law requires all of the money Milwaukee takes in for water to be spent on the Water Works. None of it flows into the city's general fund to ease the burden on city taxpayers. Thus, Morics sees the long-term lease as a way to pump money out of an essentially frozen asset.
He figures a long-term lease could bring a one-time payment of $550 million to $600 million. That money would then be invested to create an endowment that could generate about $30 million a year to help run city operations - and stave off constant debates over whether to chop services or boost property taxes and user fees.
Without a cash infusion, Morics has warned that Milwaukee could lose so many of its basic services that it is in danger of becoming "a different city."
Barrett and other city leaders are interested enough in the idea that they authorized Morics to solicit consultants who will compete for a contract to help the city figure out how much money it could draw from a long-term lease. That contract alone has already drawn interest from 16 teams - typically consortiums of investment banking, engineering and law firms. Morics hopes to recommend one of those groups to council leaders in early summer.
Not everyone is thrilled that the city is headed - albeit cautiously - toward privatizing the public water system without yet holding an official public hearing on the matter.
"Why would we spend one penny on appraising a system that could put us on a track that may be completely counter to what the public wants?" said Melissa Scanlan of Midwest Environmental Advocates.
Scanlan frets that such a deal would cripple the city's ability to make its own decisions about water management for the rest of the century - a century in which everyone agrees water is going to grow in value, both economically and politically.
"Committing the city to a 100-year lease seems absolutely ridiculous with all the unknowns out there," she said. "Take the uncertainties of climate change alone. What is the value of water going to be 20 years from now, 50 years from now? How can you plan out 100 years, and to try to put a value on that at this point? It seems just like an impossible proposition."
Like charging for air?
The terms of any long-term lease are, of course, nowhere close to being reached. But whatever they might someday be, a private company won't be able to charge city residents whatever it wants for their water. Rates are set by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
But if a company is going to spend a half-billion dollars for the rights to operate a city's water system, plainly it plans to make some money off its residents - and their descendants. That would presumably come in more efficient operations and, likely, higher water rates.
Water privatization is becoming an increasingly thorny concept in this "century of water," mostly because some people don't like the idea of someone making a buck off something so basic to life. Opponents liken it to charging for air. They rarely mention it's also like charging for food.
City leaders expect bidders to include European conglomerates that already are dominating the business of private water delivery and waste treatment.
The French firm Veolia, for example, has a 10-year, $400 million contract to operate the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.
"This is a lease. It's not a sale," Morics said of his plan for the Water Works. "At the end of the day, if the council's not comfortable that they're in control of the resource, I don't anticipate they'd proceed."
Ald. Michael Murphy, chairman of the council's Finance & Personnel Committee, agreed, saying, "I doubt highly that the council would give up control of the resource."
Still, city leaders surely have to yield some decision-making; a company isn't going to cut a $500 million check to be a silent partner.
"The biggest concern we hear from folks about private management of water utilities is that suddenly the folks making the decisions about whether services are provided are in a boardroom in some far-away city," said Jon Keesecker, a researcher for the Washington, D.C.-based Food and Water Watch, a group opposed to water privatization. "They're no longer sitting in the city council chambers right in town."
'The lakes don't care'
The Great Lakes compact that President George W. Bush signed into law last year prohibits large-scale diversions outside the massive watershed known as the Great Lakes basin. The idea behind the eight-state agreement is to keep the lakes from being tapped - and diminished - by thirsty outsiders.
The compact does allow diversions to communities just outside the basin, provided they send their treated wastewater back to the lakes. That paved the way for the deal Milwaukee just struck with the City of New Berlin, which will mean about $1.3 million in additional annual revenue for Milwaukee's Water Works.
The City of Waukesha could be in line next under the new compact rules, and Milwaukee - or whoever someday might run its Water Works - has loads of capacity to add more customers.
Barrett maintains any deal that the city makes with a private company will honor both the letter and spirit of the compact.
Noah Hall, a Wayne State University law professor who helped draft the language in the compact, sees no inherent problem with turning a public water system over to private operators.
"It is not an environmental issue one way or the other, but really an issue of ensuring good management and accountability, which can be accomplished through either public or private operational management," he said.
Hall said he actually sees a potential advantage to privatizing the system, because a for-profit company may be more likely to implement rate structures that will force customers to limit how much water they use.
"The lakes don't care whether it's public or private employees who are treating the wastewater and running the water systems," he said. "From the lakes' perspective, what matters are the results."
The same can be said for the customers at the opposite end of the pipes.
Dramante Freeman, a nephew of Archie Brown, lights candles during a vigil for Archie Brown and remembrance for the other victims in a shooting near 48th and Glendale in April of 2015.
I knew two of the 145 people killed in 2015 in Milwaukee, and like all of the people on the list, their deaths were senseless. One was widely publicized; the other was not.
The community was outraged when Archie Brown Jr. the father of four daughters was fatally shot in the chest after accidentally hitting and killing a toddler with his van. Damani Terry, a rambunctious 2-year-old, had darted into the path of Brown's van.
Archie, 40, stopped and got out of his van to comfort the toddler. He did everything right. But his life ended, along with the life of 15-year-old Rasheed Chiles Damani's brother when the boys' uncle, Ricardo Chiles III, lost control of his emotions and decided that a gun was the answer to this tragedy. Archie did what most of us would do. And he died for it.
Chiles killed Brown and accidentally hit his nephew Rasheed, in the shoulder. The teen was rushed to the hospital where he died in surgery that night. Chiles, 27, fled the city and took his own life as authorities closed in on him at a Chicago-area hotel.
Just like that, four more African-Americans were dead. Most of the 2015 homicide victims were black. Nearly all of them were male.
Senseless is the word that comes to mind but the word fails to describe these tragedies.
News of Archie's death had everyone talking. He was well known in the community. He was an advocate for the disadvantaged, and he was a friend to many in the poetry community. He kept a smile on his face, and if you needed anything you could call him.
Mayor Tom Barrett and Police Chief Edward Flynn both called the event horrific and said it underscored the challenges they face.
We know what is contributing to such mayhem: There are more illegal guns on the streets today than ever before. Milwaukee cops are keeping pace with cities such as New York when it comes to confiscating illegal guns.
We also know that the gun laws that are currently on the books do little to scare felons such as Chiles. The day he killed Archie and his nephew near N. 48th and Glendale, he shouldn't have even had a firearm. Milwaukee must adopt a policy that says if you are convicted of carrying an illegal handgun, you will serve at least 3 1/2 years behind bars. No exceptions. New York did this, and the city's homicide rate dropped. Milwaukee should follow suit.
A "mandatory minimum" sentence alone will not end the violence. Nothing makes a community safer than livable wage jobs, strong families and an educational system that refuses to let our children fail.
But even with all of that in place, our safety is not guaranteed. I mentioned that I knew two people on last year's list of the murdered. The second person was Willie Allen. He was my neighbor.
Allen, 56, was stabbed in the heart on July 19 at a cookout in the 5100 block of N. 47th St. He died from complications from his injuries in October.
Allen's death was missed by most people. The mayor and police chief didn't call for immediate action after he died. There was no shrine. No marches. What I can tell you about Allen is that he liked to drink, but he seemed to be a decent sort. A guy who would often help me snowblow my driveway after a heavy storm.
When I had a rummage sale, Allen was one of the first people to come by, and whenever I would wash my car or clean up the yard, he would always check with me to make sure my parents were OK. He was a good neighbor and friend who would watch your place when you were out of town.
Willie was killed after he allegedly groped a woman at a cookout. The woman Allen allegedly touched, Danita A. Crawford, 53, followed Allen in the house and stabbed him.
Senseless? Yes. But I'm sure the same thing can be said for any of the other homicide victims. If we don't start coming up with sensible solutions to senseless violence, we will all know people on the homicide list.
James E. Causey is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email james.causey@jrn.com. Facebook: fb.me/jamescausey.12 Twitter: jecausey
Doing Nothing class at Lawrence University garners national attention
The Doing Nothing course meets for one hour every week and is taught by a new professor each week. Students are graded either pass or fail and can't have their phones during the class.
Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) |
Donald Trump has encouraged his followers to commit violence before. Now hes taking it up a notch, offering to pick up the tab for any lawsuits incurred while beating down protesters. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told the crowd gathered at his campaign rally on Monday to knock the crap out of anybody who threw a tomato at him.
Trump said the events security staff told him there was a risk people would throw the juicy fruit.
So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, Trump said at his rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, he added. They wont be so much because the courts agree with us too.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |
The Iowa Caucus voters likely voted mainly on domestic policy issues, though security and terrorism have been a big part of the campaigns as well. Now that the smoke is clearing, it is worth considering the foreign policy implications of the winners of the primary.
Iowan conservatives awarded the victory to Ted Cruz. Cruz has pledged to carpet-bomb eastern Syria and northwestern Iraq to get at Daesh (ISIS, ISIL), leveling e.g. Mosul (a city, in 2013, of 2 million, i.e. the size of Houston). Cruz also hinted that he might drop a nuclear bomb on eastern Syria (he wondered if the desert sands would glow thereafter). The population of al-Raqqa Province in eastern Syria before the rise of Daesh was roughly 900,000, of whom I figure a good half have fled the brutal rule of the phony caliphate. The province is thinly populated. The capital, also called al-Raqqa, probably had a population of 220,000 before Daesh took it. My guess is that at least half the people have run away. In any case, a nuclear bomb would kill everyone left in al-Raqqa and the radioactive fallout will likely land on Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey American allies.
On the other hand, Cruz is sanguine about allowing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to remain in power.
So Iowans chose the Mad Bomber over everyone else.
The second place was taken by that yuuuge loser, Donald J. Trump. Me, I like people who dont come in second place. Trump advocates turning Syria over to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump wants to start major trade wars with Mexico and China. He wants to abrogate the Iran deal and take over Middle Eastern oil from its owners. He will charge Saudi Arabia for supplying it with an American security umbrella.
Third place went to Marco Rubio.
Marco Rubio has said of Daesh (ISIS, ISIL), This group needs to be confronted and defeated. They are not going to go away on their own. Theyre not going to turn into stockbrokers overnight or open up a chain of car washes. They need to be defeated militarily, and that will take overwhelming U.S. force. He insults Irans Shiite Islam. Rubio wants to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad as soon as possible. Rubio wants to exclude Syrian refugees from the US, except for Christians, orphans and the elderly.
Rubios major backer is corrupt Likudnik casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who also gave us Bibi Netanyahu, so he would further crush and immiserate the Palestinians.
They gave fourth place to Dr. Ben Carson. It is genuinely difficult to know what Carsons policies are, since he is a confused conspiracy nut. I mean moreso than the first three. But anyway he is not going to be president.
Neither in all likelihood are the first three. Theyve alienated the Latinos, African-Americans, women, gays, non-religious, youth, and other major constituencies. To win they would have to get the three million votes out there that Mitt Romney couldnt. Instead theyve chased those 3 million away again plus lots of others. Romney would have done worse if Latino youth had voted in greater numbers (as they did in 2008), and the word is that Trump has galvanized them to register and participate in this one. W. called the 2008 McCain-Palin campaign a seven-spiral crash. This one has more spirals.
Iowan Republicans gave short shrift to the least hawkish and interventionist Republican candidate, Sen. Rand Paul, though I argue that he is more hawkish and interventionist than he is typically depicted.
As for the Democrats, whatever the final vote tally they more or less tied. So Iowan Democrats cant make up their minds between a dovish Sanders who opposes most interventions in the Middle East and the more hawkish Hillary Clinton. But note that both support the Iran nuclear deal and neither would put ground troops into the Middle East. Both are therefore way less hawkish than most of the Republican candidates.
So, to sum up. Iowa Republicans had difficulty making up their minds between crazy and completely insane. More reasonable conservatives like Kasich and Paul were dismissed from the field.
Iowa Democrats just had difficulty making up their minds, though there was a powerful generational divide, with young Dems going for Bernie and those over 45 favoring Hillary. Since, with the exception of 2008, most elections in the US are dominated by older, wealthier voters, that is bad news for Bernie in my view.
Related video added by Juan Cole:
CBSN: Ted Cruz delivers victory speech in Iowa
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Human Rights Watch |
(New York) Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has recruited thousands of undocumented Afghans living there to fight in Syria since at least November 2013, Human Rights Watch said today, and a few have reported that Iranian authorities coerced them. Iran has urged the Afghans to defend Shia sacred sites and offered financial incentives and legal residence in Iran to encourage them to join pro-Syrian government militias.
Human Rights Watch in late 2015 interviewed more than two dozen Afghans who had lived in Iran about recruitment by Iranian officials of Afghans to fight in Syria. Some said they or their relatives had been coerced to fight in Syria and either had later fled and reached Greece, or had been deported to Afghanistan for refusing. One 17-year-old said he had been forced to fight without being given the opportunity to refuse. Others said they had volunteered to fight in Syria in Iranian-organized militias, either out of religious conviction or to regularize their residence status in Iran.
Iran has not just offered Afghan refugees and migrants incentives to fight in Syria, but several said they were threatened with deportation back to Afghanistan unless they did, said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch. Faced with this bleak choice, some of these Afghan men and boys fled Iran for Europe.
Iran hosts an estimated 3 million Afghans, many of whom have fled persecution and repeated bouts of armed conflict in Afghanistan. Only 950,000 have formal legal status in Iran as refugees. The Iranian government has excluded the remainder from accessing asylum procedures, leaving many who may want to seek asylum undocumented or dependent on temporary visas.
Funerals for Afghan fighters killed in Syria are frequently held in Iran, sometimes attended by Iranian officials. While Iran officially claims that thousands of Afghans living in Iran have volunteered to join the militias, their vulnerable legal position in Iran and the fear of deportation may contribute to their decision, making it less than voluntary. Many said that the threat of arrest and forced conscription in Iran was an important contributing factor in their decision to leave Iran.
Among the cases documented by Human Rights Watch are a 17-year-old Afghan boy who was detained in Tehran with his 17-year-old cousin. The first boy was forced to go to military training and then fight in Syria against his will. His cousin, deemed unfit for military service, was deported. Others were two brothers, ages 32 and 20, and a 16-year-old boy, all of whom were detained in Tehran and coerced to fight in Syria or face deportation.
Other Afghans told Human Rights Watch that they had been detained by Iranian authorities and given the choice between deportation and fighting in Syria, and had chosen deportation. Still others said they had volunteered to receive military training or to fight in Syria on Irans behalf, although they cited the need to regularize their status in Iran as an important factor in their decision.
While Iranian law allows conscription by the Iranian military, it is limited to Iranian nationals. The conscription of anyone else, including Afghan nationals, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps falls outside the conscription allowed by Iranian law, and is thus arbitrary.
Six of those interviewed said that Iranian forces had trained them or their relatives in military camps near Tehran and Shiraz in 2015, and four had fought in Syria for pro-government militias commanded by Iranian officials. Two of the six had joined voluntarily, while the other four said they or their relatives had been coerced or forced to fight.
They said that based on their own experience fighting in Syria and information from others who had fought in Syria, Afghan fighters organized and commanded by Iranian military officials were fighting in many areas of Syria, including Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Deir al-Zor, Hama, Lattakia, and in areas near the Syrian border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They said that their Iranian commanders had forced them to conduct dangerous military operations such as advancing against well-entrenched ISIS military positions with only light automatic weapons and without artillery support. They said that in some instances, Iranian commanders threatened to shoot them if they failed to obey orders to advance under fire.
Read the whole thing at Human Rights Watch
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Link to Tolo video news report (Dari Persian only)
VANCOUVER, Feb. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Corvus Gold Inc. ("Corvus" or the "Company") - (TSX: KOR, OTCQX: CORVF) announces new exploration results from three additional target areas at the North Bullfrog property in Nevada, including two targets in the new Eastern Steam-Heated Zone. The initial scout drilling on these three new target areas has returned positive results with broad zones of low-grade gold-silver mineralization with some internal zones of +1 g/t gold.
These results have expanded the gold system in the North Bullfrog District and provided critical data for the planned 2016 follow-up drill program, which will be targeting new high-grade discoveries within these new, large and unexplored gold systems.
New Target Review
Jolly Jane North: One hole was drilled at the Jolly Jane North target about 80 metres north of previous Corvus hole NB-12-123 (139m @ 0.27 g/t Au). The hole is located 450 metres north of the Jolly Jane resource (Figure 2). NB-15-283 intersected a broad zone of low-grade dominantly oxide mineralization (104m @ 0.23 g/t gold and 0.6 g/t silver) within the Sierra Blanca Tuff in the footwall of the West Jolly Jane Fault (WJJF). The WJJF is a large displacement fault zone similar to the MP Fault which hosts the main historic Bullfrog deposit and also similar to the YellowJacket fault zone. The Sierra Blanca/YellowJacket deposit lies about a kilometre to the west in the hanging-wall of the WJJF which appears to be a major mineralizing fluid conduit. The WJJF is a mineral system of similar size to the current Sierra Blanca/YellowJacket deposit with unconstrained potential to the north under post-mineral cover.
NB-15-283 has not only confirmed the potential to expand the Jolly Jane low-grade deposit to the north but opens up a major new target area for new blind, high-grade feeder veins discoveries like those at YellowJacket or the historic Bullfrog mine. Follow up drilling is being planned for 2016.
Cat Hill: Two holes (NB-15-284 & 285) were drilled in the Cat Hill target area. The Cat Hill target has a strong surface gold anomaly that is associated with large overlapping high and low sulfidation mineral systems (Figure 1). The target area lies adjacent to the large Road Fault structural zone which extends 10 kilometres to the south where it is called the Contact Fault, a major structural control to the historic Bullfrog deposit mined by Barrick Gold in the 1990's. At Cat Hill, a series of N-S- to NNE-trending structures control alteration, gold mineralization and irregular qtz-calcite veins exhibiting boiling textures. The initial two holes at Cat Hill intersected broad zones of near surface, low-grade, oxide mineralization with one hole having two 1.5 metre, +1 g/t gold intercepts within targeted NNE-trending structural zones. Targeting work is ongoing for a follow-up drill program this year.
Vinegaroon: A total of 7 holes (NB-15-286 to 292) were drilled on the Vinegaroon target. The Vinegaroon area lies ~2 kilometres east of Cat Hill, within the main Eastern Steam-heated Zone. As at Cat Hill, the Vinegaroon target has a surface gold anomaly associated with overlapping high and low sulfidation mineralization (Figure 3). A series of N-S- to NNW-trending structures control alteration and mineralization in this area. Five of the seven holes intercepted low grade gold mineralization along the large Vinegaroon fault zone. This is highly encouraging, as it represents a new and extensive area of alteration and gold mineralization in the large Eastern Steam Heated Zone. The alteration style is quartz-adularia-illite with local quartz stockwork including amethystine quartz, which is similar to the Sierra Blanca/YellowJacket deposits. The drill data is being evaluated for follow-up in 2016, including a re-evaluation of the surface mapping.
Jeffrey Pontius Corvus Gold CEO states "The results from these early stage scout holes in new and untested target areas across the North Bullfrog District are encouraging. The intersection of broad zones of low-grade oxide gold mineralization in a new area of the District is the first step in finding additional zones of high-grade mineralization like the YellowJacket deposit and our new NW Sierra Blanca discovery. These results have expanded the potential of the North Bullfrog District and the area favourable for hosting additional deposits which will be addressed in the next phase of exploration scheduled for this spring."
The 2015, North Bullfrog exploration program tested a total of 12 new gold targets across the District, seven in the Western Zone and five in the new Eastern Zone. A total of 10,260 metres were drilled in 38 holes (1,450m of core and 8,810m of RC). Of the 12 targets tested, five are scheduled for the next phase of follow-up drilling in the 2016 program. In addition five new targets have been developed for initial testing. The initial 2016 North Bullfrog exploration program is currently scheduled to complete approximately 9,000 metres of drilling.
Table 1
Initial Drill Results from Cat Hill, North Jolly Jane and Vinegaroon Targets
(Reported drill intercepts are not true widths. At this time, there is insufficient data with respect to the shape of the mineralization to calculate its true orientation in space.)
Cat Hill Target From (m) To (m) Length (m)* Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) NB-15-284 22.86 30.48 7.62 0.29 0.05 AZ 090 dip -50 70.1 80.77 10.67 0.25 0.05 86.87 91.44 4.57 0.18 0.08 103.63 143.26 39.63 0.22 0.11 including 114.3 115.82 1.52 1.12 0.12 179.83 207.26 27.43 0.27 0.71 including 185.93 187.45 1.52 1.33 1.25 231.65 237.74 6.09 0.15 0.22 NB-15-285 30.48 47.24 16.76 0.23 0.04 AZ 320 dip -55 56.39 82.3 25.91 0.15 0.03 106.68 109.73 3.05 0.37 0.06
North Jolly Jane Target
From (m) To (m) Length (m)* Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) NB-15-283 92.96 196.6 103.64 0.23 0.62 AZ 090 dip -50 227.08 230.12 3.05 0.11 0.22 260.6 274.32 13.72 0.13 0.35
Vinegaroon Target
From (m) To (m) Length (m)* Gold (g/t) Silver (g/t) NB-15-286 35.05 39.62 4.57 0.15 0.73 Azi 060 Incl -45 89.92 99.06 9.14 0.20 0.33 115.82 123.44 7.62 0.15 0.41 138.68 152.4 13.72 0.20 1.45 160.02 166.12 6.1 0.14 2.93 NB-15-287 No significant results Azi 050 Incl -50 NB-15-288 42.67 50.29 7.62 0.18 0.27 AZ 230 dip -45 144.78 146.3 1.52 0.12 7.00 NB-15-289 9.14 10.67 1.52 0.15 0.22 AZ 090 dip -45 30.48 32 1.52 0.14 0.32 38.1 50.29 12.19 0.13 0.44 NB-15-290 No significant results AZ 250 dip -45 NB-15-291 25.91 27.43 1.52 0.29 AZ 090 dip -45 97.54 105.16 7.62 0.11 167.64 172.21 4.57 0.13 NB-15-292 12.19 13.72 1.52 0.15 1.58 AZ 060 dip -45 25.91 30.48 4.57 0.11 1.63
* Mineralized thickness calculated @ 0.10 g/t Au cutoff with internal vein/stockwork intervals calculated @ 1.0 g/t Au cutoff
About the North Bullfrog Project, Nevada
Corvus controls 100% of its North Bullfrog Project, which covers approximately 72 km in southern Nevada. The property package is made up of a number of private mineral leases of patented federal mining claims and 865 federal unpatented mining claims. The project has excellent infrastructure, being adjacent to a major highway and power corridor as well as a large water right.
The North Bullfrog project includes numerous prospective gold targets at various stages of exploration with four having NI 43-101 mineral resources (Sierra Blanca, Jolly Jane, Mayflower and YellowJacket). The project contains a measured mineral resource of 3.86 Mt at an average grade of 2.55 g/t gold and 19.70 g/t silver, containing 316.5k ounces of gold and 2,445k ounces of silver, an indicated mineral resource of 1.81 Mt at an average grade of 1.53 g/t gold, and 10.20 g/t silver, containing 89.1k ounces of gold and 593.6k ounces of silver and an inferred resource of 1.48 Mt at an average grade of 0.83 g/t gold and 4.26 g/t silver, containing 39.5k ounces of gold and 202.7k ounces of silver for oxide mill processing. The mineral resource for the mill process was defined by WhittleTM optimization using all cost and recovery data and a breakeven cut-off grade of 0.52 g/t gold. In addition, the project contains a measured mineral resource of 0.3 Mt at an average grade of 0.25 g/t gold and 2.76 g/t silver, containing 2.4k ounces of gold and 26.6k ounces of silver, an indicated mineral resource of 22.86 Mt at an average grade of 0.30 g/t gold and 0.43 g/t silver, containing 220.5k ounces of gold and 316.1k ounces of silver and an inferred mineral resource of 176.3 Mt at an average grade of 0.19 g/t gold and 0.67 g/t silver, containing 1,077.4k ounces of gold and 3,799.2k ounces of silver for oxide, heap leach processing. The mineral resource for heap leach processing was defined by WhittleTM optimization using all cost and recovery data and a breakeven cut-off grade of 0.15 g/t.
Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance
Jeffrey A. Pontius (CPG 11044), a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Pontius is not independent of Corvus, as he is the CEO & President and holds common shares and incentive stock options.
Carl E. Brechtel, (Nevada PE 008744 and Registered Member 353000 of SME), a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has coordinated execution of the work outlined in this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Brechtel is not independent of Corvus, as he is the COO and holds common shares and incentive stock options.
The work program at North Bullfrog was designed and supervised by Mark Reischman, Corvus Gold's Nevada Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project log and track all samples prior to sealing and shipping. Quality control is monitored by the insertion of blind certified standard reference materials and blanks into each sample shipment. All resource sample shipments are sealed and shipped to ALS Chemex in Reno, Nevada, for preparation and then on to ALS Chemex in Reno, Nevada, or Vancouver, B.C., for assaying. ALS Chemex's quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:1999. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Finally, representative blind duplicate samples are forwarded to ALS Chemex and an ISO compliant third party laboratory for additional quality control.
For additional information on the North Bullfrog project, including information relating to exploration, data verification and the mineral resource estimates, see "Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for Combined Mill and Heap Leach Processing at the North Bullfrog Project, Bullfrog Mining District, NYE County, Nevada" dated June 16, 2015, which is available under Corvus Gold's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
About Corvus Gold Inc.
Corvus Gold Inc. is a North American gold exploration and development company, focused on its near-term gold-silver mining project at North Bullfrog, Nevada. In addition the Company controls a number of other North American exploration properties representing a spectrum of gold, silver and copper projects. Corvus is committed to building shareholder value through new discoveries and the expansion of those discoveries to maximize share price leverage in a recovering gold and silver market.
On behalf of
Corvus Gold Inc.
(signed) Jeffrey A. Pontius
Jeffrey A. Pontius,
Chief Executive Officer
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the potential to develop multiple YellowJacket style high-grade zones, the Company's belief that the parameters used in the WhittleTM pit optimization process are realistic and reasonable, the potential to discover additional high grade veins or additional deposits, the potential to expand the existing estimated resource at the North Bullfrog project, the potential for any mining or production at North Bullfrog, the potential for the Company to secure or receive any royalties in the future, business and financing plans and business trends, are forward-looking statements. Information concerning mineral resource estimates may be deemed to be forward-looking statements in that it reflects a prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered if a mineral deposit were developed and mined. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, the Company's inability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's 2013 Annual Information Form and latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and the Company's most recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings in Canada may be accessed via www.sedar.com and filings with the SEC may be accessed via www.sec.gov and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.
Cautionary Note Regarding References to Resources and Reserves
National Instrument 43 101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource estimates contained in or incorporated by reference in this press release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") Standards on Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on November 14, 2004 (the "CIM Standards") as they may be amended from time to time by the CIM.
United States investors are cautioned that the requirements and terminology of NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards differ significantly from the requirements and terminology of the SEC set forth in the SEC's Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7"). Accordingly, the Company's disclosures regarding mineralization may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7. Without limiting the foregoing, while the terms "mineral resources", "inferred mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "measured mineral resources" are recognized and required by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards, they are not recognized by the SEC and are not permitted to be used in documents filed with the SEC by companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7. Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability, and US investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a mineral resource will ever be converted into reserves. Further, inferred resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher resource category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of a feasibility study or prefeasibility study, except in rare cases. The SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant "reserves" as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit amounts. The term "contained ounces" is not permitted under the rules of SEC Industry Guide 7. In addition, the NI 43-101 and CIM Standards definition of a "reserve" differs from the definition in SEC Industry Guide 7. In SEC Industry Guide 7, a mineral reserve is defined as a part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the mineral reserve determination is made, and a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical price is used in any reserve or cash flow analysis of designated reserves and the primary environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our latest reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. You can review and obtain copies of these filings at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. U.S. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any defined resource will ever be converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant reserves.
This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.
SOURCE Corvus Gold Inc.
Figure 1. Cat Hill drill hole map showing 2015 drill hole locations and select intercepts.
Figure 2. Northwestern Resource Area map showing 2015 North Jolly Jane drill hole location.
Figure 3. Drill Hole location map of the Vinegaroon target area in the Eastern Steam Heated Zone.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 1, 2016) - Wealth Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: WML) (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.
(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
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 2, 2016) - Cornerstone Capital Resources Inc. ("Cornerstone" or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE:CGP)(FRANKFURT:GWN)(BERLIN:GWN)(OTCBB:CTNXF) announces the following project update for the Cascabel copper-gold porphyry joint venture exploration project in northern Ecuador, in which the Company has a 15% interest financed through to completion of a feasibility study. SolGold Plc is funding 100% of the exploration at Cascabel and is the operator of the project.
DRILLING HIGHLIGHTS:
CSD-15-013 ("Hole 13") final assay results return 480m @ 0.46 % copper and 0.22 g/t gold, including 206m @ 0.61 % copper and 0.30 g/t gold.
Alpala trend extended by 200m to the north west and now drill defined over 600m length.
CSD-15-014 ("Hole 14") was completed on January 17, 2016 at a depth of 1857.0m testing the eastern flank of the Alpala Central deposit. Hole 14 intersected prospective early mineral "D10" diorite and "QD10" quartz-diorite intrusions from 669.0m to 1176.0m. Assay results are expected in February 2016.
CSD-15-015 ("Hole 15") is at a current depth of 1048.4m, but has been delayed due to technical drilling issues. Hole 15 intersected early mineral "D10" diorite from 870.3m to its current depth of 1048.4m.
CSD-16-016 ("Hole 16") intersected volcanics containing fine-grained copper sulphide mineralization and weak veining, from surface to its current depth of 179.2m. Hole 16 is planned to extend the Alpala Central deposit by 100m to the south east of the Hole 12 intersection of 1312m @ 0.67% copper and 0.63 g/t gold.
MAPPING AND SAMPLING PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
Infill soil gridding at 50m x 50m spacing was completed over approximately 360,000 square metres of the Trivinio prospect area.
Trivinio outcrops have been mapped and sampled in detail. The extent of outcropping mineralization has been mapped over an area of approximately 300m x 400m. Assay results are expected mid-February. The Trivinio prospect is characterized by copper rich stockworks of quartz-chalcopyrite-magnetite-bornite veining, diagnostic of a strong porphyry system exposed at surface.
Magnetic data from completed drill holes was used to constrain the 3D MVI magnetic model, and suggests the greater Alpala mineralized trend could be very large. The zone of strong magnetic response covers up to 2.5kms in length, and up to 500m in width, over a vertical column approaching 1.5km. This zone has only been drill tested to date over 600m of the prognosed 2500m strike length.
At Aguinaga, a ridge and spur program of auguring and pitting has commenced and will be completed by the end of February, in order to gain in situ rock samples under the extensive soil cover. This work is to augment the lack of significant rock outcrop in the Aguinaga area.
All reported intervals referred to in this news release are core lengths. At present the true thicknesses of Hole 13 intersections are uncertain due to the early stage of drilling.
Figures, photographs and tables referred to in this news release can be seen in PDF format by accessing the version of this release on the Company's website (www.cornerstoneresources.com) or by clicking on the link below:
http://www.cornerstoneresources.com/i/pdf/NR16-01Figures.pdf.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
The Cascabel project is located in northern Ecuador, within the Eocene Andean Copper belt, the same metallogenic belt as some of the world's largest porphyry copper and gold deposits (Figure 1).
The 50 square kilometre project area holds a cluster of porphyry copper-gold targets that have been identified by SolGold's geologists based on geophysics, geochemical anomalism and in some cases also by outcropping porphyry style mineralization. Drilling to date has focused on defining the extent of the Alpala Central deposit, while field activities have focused on upgrading advanced prospects at Aguinaga and Trivinio, as well and developing other targets at Alpala Southwest and Cristal (Figure 2).
Hole 13 was terminated at a depth of 1666.9m and final assay results have now been received. These returned an intersection of 480m @ 0.46 % copper and 0.22 g/t gold, including 206m @ 0.61 % copper and 0.30 g/t gold (Table 1).
Hole ID DepthFrom DepthTo Interval (m) Cu_% Au_g/t Cu.Eq_% CSD-15-013 882 1362 480 0.46 0.22 0.60 incls 920 1126 206 0.61 0.30 0.79 incls 932 1094 162 0.66 0.31 0.84
* Data Aggregation Method
- Intercepts reported with up to 10m internal dilution. (Excluding bridging to a single sample)
* Gold Conversion Factor calculated from Cu price US$3/lb and Au price US$40/g
Table 1: Final assay results from drill Hole 13.
Hole 13 Intersected the prospective early mineral "D10" diorite from 933.9m to 1198.0m and the copper and gold intersections have increased the known strike extent of copper and gold mineralization along the north-west striking Alpala trend by 200m, to over 600m in total. Significant portions of the Alpala porphyry system remain untested and Hole 13 marks the most northwesterly extent of drill testing to date (Figure 3).
This result is very significant, considering the fact that the inner propylitic epidote-actinollitebiotite alteration assemblages across this interval are consistent with the margins of a typical porphyry copper-gold system, and suggests that the potassic altered porphyry centre may hold much higher grades than those achieved thus far at Alpala Northwest. Zones of high copper / zinc values in soil gridding indicate higher temperatures of mineralization and suggest that untested porphyry centres exist within the greater Alpala area, for example, the 200m zone that lies between Holes 11 and 13 (Figure 4).
Hole 14 was completed on January 17, 2016 at a depth of 1857.0m and assay results are expected in February 2016. Hole 14 tested the eastern flank of the Alpala Central deposit, and intersected visible porphyry stockwork veining, from 669.0m to 1176.0m, hosted within the prospective early mineral "D10" diorite and "QD10" quartz-diorite intrusions (Figure 4).
Hole 15 is at a current depth of 1048.4m. The hole initially intersected several diorite dykes cutting through the volcanic host rock. Drilling passed into visible porphyry stockwork veining, hosted within the early mineral "D10" diorite from 870.3m to its current depth. Hole 15 aims to target the extensions of the Alpala Central deposit both at depth and to the north east (Figure 5). Drilling contractors have experienced difficulties in seating the HQ casing at the current depth which has resulted in delays in penetration of Hole 15. A specialist advisor is on site working on a solution towards continuing this important hole and it is expected that the hole will resume drilling with reduced NQ core size in the coming days.
Photographs of drill core examples from mineralization intersected in Holes 13, 14, and 15 show typical mineralization encountered in these holes (Figure 6).
Hole 16 commenced on January 25, 2016 from the same drill site as Hole 14, and is at a current depth of 179.2m. Hole 16 has intersected volcanics from surface to its current depth. This hole is being drilled at an azimuth of 198 degrees and a dip of -83 degrees and is planned to extend the known extent of the Alpala Central deposit 100m to the southeast as well as to the north east of the Hole 12 intersection that yielded 1312m @ 0.67% copper and 0.67 g/t gold.
Magnetic data from drill holes was used to constrain the 3D MVI magnetic model, and suggests the greater Alpala mineralised trend could be very large. The zone of strong magnetic response covers up to 2.5kms in length, and up to 500m in width, over a vertical column approaching 1.5km. This zone has only been drill tested to date over 600m of the prognosed 2500m strike length.
Field programs continue across a number of other prospects:
At Trivino, an infill soil geochemistry sampling grid, at 50m x 50m spacing, has been completed over the prospect area. Outcropping mineralization has been cleared and mapped and sampled in detail over an area of approximately 300m x 400m and remains unclosed in all directions. Stockwork quartz-chalcopyrite-magnetitebornite veining occurs within volcanic rocks and represents the strongest occurrence of porphyry copper-gold mineralization, veining and alteration discovered to date within volcanic host rocks. Trivinio rock saw channel sampling assay results are expected in the coming weeks. Drilling is planned during 2016 in order to test the intrusions below surface at Trivinio.
The initial field program at Aguinaga has now been completed. This work involved outcrop exposure and trenching work with follow up geological mapping, Terra Spec clay sampling to determine alteration styles diagnostic of mineralized zones, and rock saw channel sampling of outcrops. Only one outcrop occurrence was located at the Aguinaga prospect and a ridge and spur pitting program is underway to locate more in-situ rock under a pervasive soil profile on Aguinaga Hill. Compilation of field data and interpretation of mapping completed over the Aguinaga prospect is in progress prior to defining drill targets. A drill rig will be mobilized to drill test Aguinaga in the next quarter of 2016.
A detailed further update on the field work at these advanced prospects will be provided when further assay results are received.
Similar field programs over Alpala Southeast and Cristal areas are planned during the quarter and emerging targets at America-Tandayama, Chinambicito and Alpala West will also be assessed by geologists in the next quarter.
Significant portions of the Alpala system remain untested, and an aggressive drilling program is planned for 2016 in order to test the numerous targets being developed within the broader Cascabel concession area. The presence of these recent discoveries at surface, in conjunction with encouraging geophysical, geochemical and geological signatures of the inferred porphyry centres to date are very encouraging and highlight the fertility and strength of the mineralizing systems present within the Cascabel cluster of porphyry targets.
About Cascabel:
SolGold Plc owns 85% of the equity of Exploraciones Novomining S.A. ("ENSA"), an Ecuadorean company that holds 100% of the Cascabel concession in northern Ecuador. Cornerstone owns the remaining 15% of ENSA, which also holds the rights to the La Encrucijada gold-silver project. SolGold is funding 100% of the exploration at Cascabel and is the operator of the project. Cornerstone's 15% interest is financed through completion of a feasibility study.
Cascabel is located in north-western Ecuador in an under-explored northern section of the richly endowed Andean Copper Belt, 60 km northeast of the undeveloped inferred resource of 982 million tons at 0.89% Cu Junin copper project (0.4% Cu cut-off grade; Micon International Co. Ltd. Technical Report for Ascendant Exploration SA, August 20, 2004, pages 28 & 29). Mineralization identified at the Junin copper project is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization on the Cascabel Property.
Qualified Person:
Yvan Crepeau, MBA, P.Geo., Cornerstone's Vice President, Exploration and a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, is responsible for supervising the exploration program at the Cascabel project for Cornerstone and has reviewed and approved the information contained in this news release.
Logging, sampling and assaying
Holes referred to in this release were or are being drilled using HTW, NTW, NQ and BQ core sizes (respectively 7.1, 5.6, 4.8 and 3.7 cm diameter). Geotechnical measurements such as core recovery, fracturing, rock quality designations (RQD's), specific density and photographic logging are performed systematically prior to assaying. The core is logged, magnetic susceptibility measured and key alteration minerals identified using an on-site portable spectrometer. Core is then sawed in half at the ENSA core logging facility, and half of the core is delivered by ENSA employees for preparation at ALS Minerals Laboratories (ALS) sample preparation facility in Quito. Core samples are prepared crushing to 70% passing 2 mm (10 mesh), splitting 250 g and pulverizing to 85% passing 75 microns (200 mesh) (ALS code CRU-31, SPL21 and PUL-32). Prepared samples are then shipped to ALS in Lima, Peru where samples are assayed for a multi-element suite (ALS code ME-ICP61, 1g split, 4-acid digestion, ICP-AES finish). Over limit results for Ag (> 100 g/t) and Cu, (> 1%) are systematically re-assayed (ALS code Ag-AA62, 4-acid digestion, AAS finish). Gold is assayed using a 30 g split, Fire Assay (FA) and AA finish (ALS code Au-AA23).
Quality assurance / Quality control (QA/QC)
The ALS Laboratory is a qualified assayer that performs and makes available internal assaying controls. Duplicates, certified blanks and standards are systematically used (1 control sample every 15-20 samples) as part of Cornerstone's QA/QC program. Rejects, a 100 g pulp for each core sample and the remaining half-core are stored for future use and controls.
Plans:
SolGold has announced it is planning a resource statement at Alpala, the most advanced target at Cascabel, during 2016, in addition to drill testing the other key targets at Aguinaga, Trivino, Tandayama America and Chinambicito in the Cascabel concession. By the end of 2016 SolGold has reported it is planning further metallurgical testing, and completion of early stage mine and plant design and a scoping study for an economic development at Cascabel. SolGold is investigating both high tonnage / low grade open cut and high grade / low tonnage underground developments as a block caving operation.
About Cornerstone:
Cornerstone Capital Resources Inc. is a mineral exploration company with a diversified portfolio of projects in Ecuador and Chile, and a proven ability to identify, acquire and advance properties of merit. The company's business model is based on generating exploration projects whose subsequent development is funded primarily through partnerships.
Further information is available on Cornerstone's website: www.cornerstoneresources.com and on Twitter.
Cautionary Notice:
This news release may contain 'Forward-Looking Statements' that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of Cornerstone's plans, objectives, strategies, intentions and expectations. The words "potential," "anticipate," "forecast," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "may," "project," "plan," and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify 'Forward-Looking Statements.' Although Cornerstone believes that its expectations reflected in these 'Forward-Looking Statements' are reasonable, such statements may involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed in our regulatory filings, viewed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets, predicting natural geological phenomena and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of an environmental, climatic, natural, political, economic, business, competitive, or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our Forward-Looking Statements. Although Cornerstone believes the facts and information contained in this news release to be as correct and current as possible, Cornerstone does not warrant or make any representation as to the accuracy, validity or completeness of any facts or information contained herein and these statements should not be relied upon as representing its views subsequent to the date of this news release. While Cornerstone anticipates that subsequent events may cause its views to change, it expressly disclaims any obligation to update the Forward-Looking Statements contained herein except where outcomes have varied materially from the original statements.
On Behalf of the Board,
Brooke Macdonald, President and CEO
Further information is available on the Cornerstone Web site at www.cornerstoneresources.com; via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or toll free at 1-877-277-8377.
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.
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Feb. 2, 2016) - Nemaska Lithium Inc. ("Nemaska Lithium" or the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE:NMX)(OTCQX:NMKEF) confirms the signing of the final contract for the $12.87 M non-repayable grant for construction and operation of its Phase 1 Lithium hydromet plant. Concurrently with the signing of the agreement with Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), the Corporation has received the first installment of $2.1M.
The Phase 1 plant is designed to produce 500 tonnes per year of high purity lithium hydroxide. The Corporation is pleased to announce that the detailed engineering has commenced and that the construction of the Phase 1 plant is expected to start during Q1-2016 and be completed during Q4-2016. Once built, Nemaska Lithium intends to use this facility to produce commercial lithium hydroxide samples to send to end users in the lithium battery market with a goal of securing off-take agreements in advance of start of operation at the Whabouchi lithium mine and commercial hydromet facility. Nemaska Lithium is in discussions with a number of potential end users, all of which have requested samples as soon as possible.
"The demand for lithium hydroxide is growing at double digit rates annually and end users are keen to secure supply," commented Guy Bourassa President and CEO of Nemaska Lithium. "Our unique method of producing lithium hydroxide uses electrolysis technology whose main input is electricity which, in Quebec, is green renewable hydro-electricity. This makes our lithium hydroxide process one of the greenest and lowest cost in the world. This is a value proposition which is unmatched in the industry and perfectly aligns us with the values of battery manufacturers, electric vehicle and energy storage consumers globally. The SDTC has a vision for clean technology-based businesses in Canada and we are proud to be a recipient of SDTC funding."
The SDTC agreement is comprised of three milestones and provides for two payments during the first milestone, where each payment represents 45% of the SDTC milestone contribution. Each payment to be received at the beginning of the two subsequent milestones will represent 90% of the total SDTC milestone contribution. Nemaska Lithium will produce a report at the end of each milestone after which it will receive the next installment for the following milestone. The remaining 10% of each milestone will be paid after filing the final report.
About Nemaska Lithium
Nemaska Lithium intends to become a lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate supplier to the emerging lithium battery market that is largely driven by electric vehicles, cell phones, tablets and other consumer products. The Corporation is developing in Quebec one of the most important spodumene lithium hard rock deposit in the world, both in volume and grade. The spodumene concentrate produced at Nemaska Lithium's Whabouchi mine will be shipped to the Corporation's lithium compounds processing plant to be built in Shawinigan, Quebec. This plant will transform spodumene concentrate into high purity lithium hydroxide and carbonate using the proprietary methods developed by the Corporation, and for which patent applications have been filed.
About SDTC
Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) acts as a primary catalyst in building a sustainable development technology industry in Canada, funding and supporting Canadian cleantech projects across a number of sectors. SDTC invests in Canadian companies that through their innovative technologies bring positive contributions to Canada: creating quality jobs, driving economic growth, and preserving our environment. SDTC is a foundation funded by the Government of Canada.
For more information, please visit sdtc.ca
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.
The statements herein that are not historical facts are forwardlooking statements. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Corporation does not assume the obligation to update any forwardlooking statement.
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02/01/2016 // Hartford, CT, USA // cttriallawyers // Neil Ferstand // (press release)
If you are unfamiliar with the term, a common definition of defensive medicine is the practice by a physician of ordering precautionary treatments, tests and procedures largely or entirely to avoid potential liability. The concept came into prominence when the AMA started using the term in the mid to late 60s and it started to gain traction sometime in the 1970s. The medical industry claims the costs associated with defensive medicine significantly add to the costs of U.S. health care.
The problem with this claim is that not one shred of evidence or research that has been authenticated or peer reviewed, supports the notion of defensive medicine driving costs. In fact in study after study of this claim, and there have been many, the contrary has been true. In one of the most recent conducted in 2014 at Northwestern University entitled, Do Doctors Practice Defensive Medicine, Revisited, the authors examined health care spending trends in nine states that had enacted tort reforms.
Their finding: [O]ne policy conclusion is straightforward: There is no evidence that limiting medical malpractice lawsuits will bend the healthcare cost curve, except perhaps in the wrong direction. Policymakers seeking a way to address rising healthcare spending should look elsewhere.
Taking the issue a step further, it is not unfair to compare claims of defensive medicine to health care fraud. To believe that defensive medicine is actually driving costs one must also believe that doctors are conducting unnecessary tests and billing for them resulting in insurance companies, state and federal governments paying for them.
Take Medicare or Medicaid as an example. A doctor who bills for tests or procedures done for a personal purpose, such as possible lawsuit protection, as opposed to what is medically necessary is committing fraud under state and federal law. Medicare law specifically states that [N]o payment be madefor any expense incurred for items or serviceswhichare not reasonable and necessary
More importantly, the Medicare claim form (Form 1500) requires providers to expressly certify that services were medically indicated. If not, the claim is false. As a recent reminder, there have been several Medicare fraud investigations conducted in Connecticut and nationwide. It is unknown whether the fraud conducted, contained unnecessary testing or billing for tests and procedures never conducted.
Alternatively, there are other reasons doctors order too many tests and procedures: workload and revenue. In a 2013 survey of hospital attending doctors published in JAMA Internal Medicine, 22 percent of physicians reported that workload led them to order potentially unnecessary tests, procedures, consultations, or radiographs due to not having the time to assess the patient adequately in person.
In other words a heavy workload, not fear of a lawsuit, caused the ordering of extra tests.
In 2014 UCLA Medical School conducted a review of 2012 Medicare data which showed that high-earning clinicians make more money by ordering more procedures and services per patient rather than by seeing more patients, which may not be in patients best interest. The lead author Professor Jonathan Bergman, MD, MPH, found that the findings suggest that the current health care reimbursement model may not be creating the correct incentives for clinicians to keep their patients healthy.
Defensive medicine ranks right up there with the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot many people have claimed theyve seen it, but no one can find it.
Media Information:
Address: 150 Trumbull Street, 2nd Floor Hartford, Connecticut 06103
Phone: 860 522-4345
Url: http://ctlablog.org/claims-of-defensive-medicine-driving-healthcare-costs-not-new_13812.html
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01/24/2016 // Dallas, Texas, United States // Attorney Keith Clouse // Keith Clouse // (press release)
Most employers know they have a duty under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act to accommodate an employees disability. Some employers, however, may not realize that this duty extends to newly-hired individuals, even before they start working for the employer.
In a recent case before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the plaintiff alleged that his job offer had been rescinded after he underwent a pre-employment physical examination. Cannon v. Jacobs Field Servs. N. Am., Inc., No. 15-20127 (5th Cir. Jan. 13, 2016), available at http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/15/15-20127-CV0.pdf. The doctor cleared the plaintiff for the position as long as the company accommodated his disability. The company immediately rescinded the plaintiffs job offer without further exploration of the plaintiffs impairment or determining whether the requested accommodations could be made. The Court noted that there was little argument to be made that the employer engaged in the interactive process as required by law.
The take-away lesson for an employer is to understand that a duty to engage in the interactive process exists even before a newly-hired employee begins work. An employer must take steps to determine if the individuals disability may be accommodated and must work with the individual to attempt to find a solution.
To speak to an employment law attorney about disability accommodations, send an email to [email protected] or call (214) 239-2705. This article is presented by the Dallas employment law lawyers at Clouse Dunn LLP.
Media Information:
Address: 1201 Elm Street Suite 5200 Dallas, Texas 75270 2142
Phone: 214.220.2722
Url: http://dallasemploymentlawyer.cdklawyers.com/duty-to-accommodate-a-newly-hired-employee_13807.html
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Dallas, 02/02/2016 /SubmitPressRelease123/
Texas criminal appeals attorney Mick Mickelsen discusses statistics showing the number of execution stays offered by the states high court increased dramatically in 2015.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted double the number of execution stays last year than any other year in the last decade new reports say, which comes as a major surprise to many due to the states conservative repute.
Source: Yahoo News Report Texas top criminal court gives more death row stays in 15
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas highest criminal court halted more executions in 2015 than in any of the last nine years, which some legal experts say is a sign of a legal shift in the nations most active death penalty state.
To read more visit http://news.yahoo.com/texas-top-criminal-court-gives-more-death-row-164142285.html;_ylt=AwrC2Q6Z8J9WbBsAP23QtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBydDI5cXVuBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM2BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg.
The state has garnered a reputation for having a record number of executions to occur year after year throughout history. Even with the noticeable decline in executions, the number that occurred in 2015 was still higher than in any other state nationwide. Of the 28 executions that took place in 2015 across the United States, 13 occurred in Texas.
Source: PBS Report Why is Texas #1 in Executions?
There are many legal and cultural explanations for why Texas executes far more people than any other state and is doing so at a pace that has no parallel in the modern era of the death penalty in the U.S Texas has become ground zero for capital punishment. Between 1976 (when the Supreme Court lifted its prohibition on the death penalty) and 1998 Texas executed 167 people. Next in rank was Virginia which executed 60 during the same period.
To read more visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/readings/texas.html.
Reports also say that in 2015, the states high court granted stays to eight inmates who had been sentenced to be executed, which is the highest number reported since 2007. According to Texas criminal appeals lawyer Mick Mickelsen, execution stays are critical for inmates who may be entitled to a different outcome than warranted by an initial trial. Says the Dallas based criminal defense lawyer, statistics show that Texas has been a national leader in the number of exonerations of defendants who were wrongfully convicted. There is no turning back once someone has been executed, therefore it is important that defendants are given every reasonable chance to have a proper and thorough review of their case during appeal.
A Changing Landscape for Texas Criminal Appeals?
The recent reports have led some to now question whether changing attitudes on a national scale will influence changes in the Texas legal system in the years to come.
Some experts suggest the dramatic increase in Texas execution stays may be in part due to new members being appointed to the states Court of Criminal Appeals. Others say a national shift in attitudes may also be having an impact.
Lee Kovarsky, a University of Maryland law professor, is quoted by the AP as stating of the issue I strongly suspect that the (Court of Criminal Appeals) would still rank very close to the pole representing the least hospitable areas, although the spectrum itself may have shifted a little I think the drift of the court is certainly toward a little bit more caution in allowing executions to go forward.
Social Media Tags: #Dallas #Criminal Appeals Lawyer Read more here about federal and state criminal appeals.
Connect with the Texas criminal appeals attorneys of Broden Mickelsen on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn.
Follow Broden, Mickelsen on social media #dallasfederalcriminaldefenselawyers
source: http://www.brodenmickelsen.com/blog/texas-court-of-criminal-appeals-execution-stays-granted-doubled-last-year/
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Houston, TX, Harris, 02/02/2016 /SubmitPressRelease123/
Veteran Exposed To Asbestos Files Lawsuit Against Apartment Complex
A Virginia veteran has filed a lawsuit against his apartment complex for allegedly exposing him and numerous other tenants to asbestos and subsequently attempting to cover up the asbestos exposure by evicting hundreds of their tenants. The asbestos suit was filed by Ray P, a Virginian veteran who resided in the Hunting Point Apartments for nearly twenty years. Ray says the property owners exposed him, together with numerous other tenants, to hazardous asbestos through ongoing construction works for approximately four years.
According to the suit, ongoing renovation and construction to the complex, which began in year 2012, has exposed tenants including Ray to dangerous asbestos particles. As a result, the suit says, many of them could develop life-threatening asbestos-related conditions including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. Additionally, the suit states that the exposure was done maliciously with reckless disregard for the safety of hundreds of tenants living in the apartment complex including the plaintiff. The malicious acts on the part of government officials and the developers include conspiracy, collusion, and a continuing cover-up that led to illegal gentrification, displacement and removal of many tenants including the plaintiff.
Mesothelioma Veterans Assistance Benefits After Being Diagnosed with Abestos Mesothelioma
.Besides receiving substantial financial damages by filing an asbestos claim, U.S. Navy Veterans suffering from malignant mesothelioma could also be eligible to get some Veterans Administration-related benefits (VA benefits). VA benefits might include medical and financial benefits, depending on the veterans service-related (direct or indirect) asbestos exposure. In general, the Veterans Administration offers some special benefits programs for service-linked disorders such as ionizing radiation, Gulf War syndrome, Agent Orange etc. These benefits programs allow U.S. Veterans to get benefits solely based on the diagnosis of any qualifying disease.
The Veterans are not required to prove how, where, and when they were exposed. However, VA hasnt included exposure to asbestos and a consequent mesothelioma diagnosis so far in its special benefits program (in spite of the fact that numerous Veterans are suffering from asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma because of their service-related exposure). Veterans with mesothelioma have to submit an application for benefits, which should be supplemented with the diagnosing pathology/medical report indicating the disease and sufficient evidence of the specific service-related asbestos exposure. For this reason, the service of an experienced mesothelioma lawyer is vital for Veterans suffering from mesothelioma.
If you have any questions regarding potential VA benefits, please call Danziger & De Llano Experienced Mesothelioma Attorneys at 800-818-5047 for a free consultation.
Originally published in http://topclassactions.com
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Are you a Veteran Diagnosed with Mesothelioma?
It is important that you act on your behalf as soon after your diagnosis is confirmed. When youve suffered an injury, the very first thing that you focus on is getting medical treatment and getting better. But once your most immediate needs have been met, it is natural to sit back and assess the situation, especially when your injuries were caused by anothers recklessness or negligence. That is what happens when youre involved in an accident such as a car accident or a slip and fall, and it is the same process that you should go through if you learn that you or someone that you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos. Just as a personal injury attorney can help you hold those responsible for a car accident liable for your injuries, a mesothelioma lawyer can help you seek redress from those who have caused your illness.
Mesothelioma is a rare and fatal form of cancer that has a long latency period, so unlike the injuries that you suffer immediately when a neighbor fails to shovel their walk or a business fails to protect you from a hazard, the symptoms of this asbestos-related disease dont appear until decades after youve been exposed to asbestos. Though this may raise fears that too much time has gone by for you to seek justice, a mesothelioma attorney can help you to identify those responsible for your illness and explain what your rights are in terms of filing a lawsuit.
A mesothelioma lawyer can explain how mesothelioma claims differ from other personal injury lawsuits, and that you generally have anywhere from one year to several years from the time that you are diagnosed with the disease to file a lawsuit against those responsible. Every state has its own statute of limitations that dictates the amount of time available, and an experienced mesothelioma law firm will be able to immediately address these and other concerns and advise you as to your rights.
Because these limitations do exist, it is important that you act on your own behalf soon after your diagnosis is confirmed. The more time that you give your mesothelioma attorney to prepare a case for you, the more successful your lawsuit against the asbestos company or manufacturer that caused you harm is likely to be. It has been well established that many asbestos companies were well aware that they were exposing employees and consumers to harm as a result of asbestos exposure and that instead of acting to provide protections, they ignored the problem hoping the victims would not take action. Dont let that happened to you. Call Danziger & De Llano at 800-818-5047 to speak with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer to take legal action on your behalf today & get a FREE Asbestos Trust Fund Packet Today.
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COLUMBUS Gucci. Fendi. Prada. Columbus?
A new committee of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce is embarking on an initiative to turn Columbus into its own name brand, much like a recognizable designer handbag or familiar font.
The chamber's branding steering committee has been working on the project since March with a goal of coming up with a completed idea by late summer.
Dee Hanson, co-chairperson of the committee, said the purpose of the project is to highlight the appeal of Columbus to entice outsiders while giving current residents pride in where they come from.
Though Columbus: The City of Power & Progress is already an example of the citys branding, Hanson said the committee would like to take it a step further as the chamber encompasses more than just the city.
Were looking to extend our reach. We wanted to create something that would cross county lines, Hanson said.
The task at hand is to create a logo and tag line that can be incorporated together in a memorable and striking way.
Hanson used the logo from the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce as one of the campaign examples the committee has been following.
For the past two years, the phrase We dont coast has been plastered along highways, painted on businesses and adorned on apparel throughout the state's largest city.
The message behind Omahas branding is that the city has a lot to offer, even though it's not found in a "cool" locale such as the East of West coasts.
A website, www.wedontcoast.com, goes a step further by encouraging social media users to link #wedontcoast to their Omaha-related posts.
Hanson also mentioned the Lincoln Chamber of Commerces efforts and their widely used branding through the Life is right motto. Even though residents there may not hear this phrase as much, Hanson said many recognize the logo an arrow pointing up toward the L in Lincoln.
You see that logo everywhere throughout (Lincoln), she said.
That's the point of the local branding campaign, to create something familiar that links back to Columbus.
Hanson hopes area companies and organizations will want to utilize the branding to add to the appeal of Columbus.
Its to attract and retain people to the area since were experiencing such a shortage of workers and talent in the community, Hanson said. We really need to find something thats going to get peoples attention and get them thinking about coming to Columbus.
Hanson said the committee is still in its research phase, but hoping to cross into the creating phase by spring.
She encourages those interested in taking an active role in the creation of the branding to apply with the committee through the chamber. The committee is looking to hire up to eight people who have experience with design or copyrighting.
Were hoping to see a local effort. We want people within the community to take part in making this brand their own because they know its the best and they know what Columbus has to offer, she said. We really want to see our local folks take ownership and really help it to be a success.
By fall, Hanson is hoping to see the logo take over the city, placing it on billboards, T-shirts and different promotional items that can be distributed in other communities.
The branding also will be made available to businesses and organizations across the city to use.
Its for those who are looking to attract skilled workers to help fill the gap in the work force while also appealing to the interest of young families or even just bringing graduates back to the community, Hanson said.
This episode includes music from Kuwaiti musician Zahed Sultan, South African rapper Okmalumkoolkat, Chilean dance musician Matias Aguayo, Costa Rican pop band Patterns, Japanese pop group peaceFIRE, and Spanish indie band Svper.
Playlist
Zahed Sultan - Like This
Okmalumkoolkat - Allblackblackkat
Matias Aguayo - El Rudo del House, Round One
Patterns - Shout
peaceFIRE - Hot Glitter
Svper - La Melodia del Afilador
Detention Center
The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Monday was 96, with 51 from Platte County and 45 from out of county.
Police Department
Dec. 27
11:21 p.m. At 2514 30th St., Kimberly Galvan-Vasquez, 19, 573 12th Ave., was cited for criminal mischief.
Jan. 4
2:19 p.m. At 818 E. 23rd St., Jessica Bryant, 33, 8472 36th Ave., was cited for theft of lost or mislaid property.
Jan. 16
Unknown time At 818 E. 23rd St., Ashley Ladehoff, 31, 1671 23rd Ave., was cited for shoplifting.
Jan. 19
12:55 p.m. At the intersection of 30th Street and 33rd Avenue, Mildred Rief, 70, 3164 30th Ave., was cited for failure to yield right of way.
Jan. 22
11:15 a.m. At 2324 11th St., No. 2, Brandy Wolford, 38, 1059 24th Ave., was cited for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
Jan. 24
10 a.m. In the 4200 block of Wilderness Road, Samuel Mancuso, 21, 2223 Singletree, was cited for failure to maintain control.
Jan. 27
8:03 a.m. At the intersection of 23rd Street and 26th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Ariadna Ambriz, 28, Schuyler, and Roberto Cruz-Dominguez, 32, 4048 E. 26th St., Lot 668.
8:32 a.m. On Lovers Lane west of South Seventh Avenue, an unattended vehicle not placed in park rolled into a parked vehicle owned by Leroy Johnson, 735 Lovers Lane.
9:16 p.m. At the intersection of Eighth Street and 12th Avenue, Paul Carswell, 27, West Glade, Kansas, was cited for a truck route violation.
Jan. 28
8 a.m. In a parking lot at 3010 23rd St., traffic accident. Drivers were Kenny Davis, 56, 3811 19th St., Gary Goodrich, 49, 118 23rd St.
12:13 p.m. In the 1300 block of Third Avenue, Wayne Schultz, 54, David City, was cited for a railroad crossing violation.
3:52 p.m. Theft at Family Video Movie Club, 2457 33rd Ave., Suites B and C, cell phone stolen, no loss amount.
5:02 p.m. At the intersection of 33rd Avenue and Seventh Street, traffic accident. Drivers were Kathy VanDyke, 58, Osceola, and Norma Farley-Zoucha, 41, Schuyler.
Jan. 30
8:30 a.m. Burglary at 3811 18th St., under investigation.
Sheriffs Department
Jan. 24
10:54 a.m. At the intersection of 83rd Street and 38th Avenue, traffic accident. Drivers were Enrique Baro, 20, 1711 Behlen St., and Michael Landkamer, 42, 971 16th Ave.
Jan. 28
10:57 a.m. Wanted person at the Platte County Courthouse, Rachel Handley jailed on a Hall County warrant.
11:58 p.m. Traffic violation on U.S. Highway 30, Jorge Bedolla-Coria jailed for driving during revocation.
Jan. 29
11:08 p.m. Traffic violation at Eighth and 12th streets in Duncan, Robert Vaught of Duncan cited for no valid registration.
Jan. 30
2:13 p.m. Assault at the Platte County Detention facility, 1125 E. 17th St., Berenice Garcia cited for second-degree assault.
5:26 p.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of Highway 91 and 400th Avenue, Robyn Determen of Columbus cited for speeding.
8:51 p.m. Traffic violation at the intersection of 28th Street and 250th Avenue, Christine Tannehill of Lincoln cited for an open container of alcohol and Martin Nutter of Harvard cited for open container and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jan. 31
1:41 a.m. - Domestic dispute at 5152 83rd St., Roger Loseke jailed for third-degree assault.
Fire Department
Jan. 28
12:48 p.m. - In the 1300 block of Eighth Street, medical.
2:38 p.m. - In the 2100 block of 44th Avenue, medical.
6:33 p.m. - In the 800 block of 18th Avenue, medical.
10:36 p.m. - In the 1100 block of 15th Street, medical
Jan. 29
2:33 a.m. - In the 3000 block of 39th Avenue, medical.
10:59 a.m. In the 3300 block of Linden Drive, medical.
6:14 p.m. In the 4800 block of 35th Street, no transport.
8:03 p.m. In the 4400 block of Sunrise Place, medical.
11:51 p.m. In the 3300 block of 51st Avenue, medical.
Jan. 30
11:24 a.m. In the 900 block of 30th Avenue, medical.
12:32 p.m. In the 220 block of East 23rd Street, medical.
6:02 p.m. Car fire in the 4000 block of SE 16th Street.
Jan. 31
11:15 a.m. - In the 500 block of 17th Avenue, medical.
5:32 p.m. - In the 1600 block of 40th Avenue, medical.
Feb. 1
3 a.m. - In the 3000 block of 16th Street, medical.
COLUMBUS The first blizzard of the winter season is expected to impact the area through Tuesday, dropping more than a foot of snow and making travel "impossible."
An updated forecast from the National Weather Service shows Columbus could receive 14 inches of snow on Tuesday, with a north wind gusting up to 50 mph reducing visibility to a quarter-mile or less.
Basically, whiteout conditions, said Van DeWald, a meteorologist with the weather service in Valley. Travel will be impossible."
The weather service issued a blizzard warning extending until 4 a.m. Wednesday that includes the entire Telegram coverage area. The warned area stretches from Sioux City, Iowa, southwest through Columbus and Kearney.
Snow began falling early Tuesday morning and is expected to end sometime later today.
Columbus Street Superintendent Jay Nickolite said the city pretreated highly traveled streets Monday in anticipation of the storm. During the first part of the snowstorm, plow operators will focus on keeping the main arterial streets open, then will clear side streets and residential areas.
In some cases people are just going to have to bear with us because its hard to keep roads open in these conditions, said Nickolite. As far as a timeline, the weather will dictate that."
Columbus Public, Lakeview and Scotus Central Catholic all canceled classes for Tuesday before the first snowflake fell.
Typically, wed like to have snow on the ground first, said CPS Superintendent Troy Loeffelholz. In this position, with this storm, were able to make that call the day before.
With the advanced warning, DeWald said people should be prepared for the winter storm.
Weve been talking about this for one week, he said. Everyone should have food and water and should have a plan of action if they lose power. With the roads, they could be trapped for a day or two.
Hy-Vee store director Chad Dyhrkopp said the grocery store has seen a jump in sales of staple items milk, bread, cereal and water since the blizzard was forecast.
Everyones stocking up, he said. Its amazing how much milk and bread people can buy when theyre predicting a blizzard.
Dyhrkopp said Hy-Vee will discontinue grocery delivery service all day Tuesday through noon Wednesday for their drivers safety. Meanwhile, because the storm was predicted so far in advance, he said theyre not having much trouble keeping up with demand.
Its good that we had some advance warning, he said. Were definitely not as full as wed like to be, but were not out of anything.
After an absence of three years, Park Shi Hoo has been making his drama comeback with a starring role in the OCN drama "Neighborhood Hero."
But that does not mean Park Shi Hoo's comeback is happening without some backlash. According to the Korean media outlet mydaily, Park Shi Hoo recently decided to take legal action against 76 online commenters. The comments did not begin with his comeback but Park would like them to stop.
His lawyer Jo In Ho spoke with the publication, saying that there are many netizens who have consistently posted negative comments since Park Shi Hoo's 2013 scandal. In 2013 Park was accused of raping an aspiring actress but he claimed the sex was consensual. The accusation resulted in a string of lawsuits that were all eventually dropped.
"Over the past few years we kept track of netizens who consistently post vicious comments, especially those that are most insulting, and we decided to sue them," said Jo.
Park's legal team reportedly submitted a lawsuit to the prosecutor's office, requesting that the commenters be investigated for defamation of character.
As a result of the scandal, the actor did not work in Korea for a few years, although he did work in Japan. When he previously considered returning to dramaland with a role in the 2014 drama "Golden Cross," the negative feedback may have factored in his decision to postpone his comeback. In 2015, he did commit to "Neighborhood Hero," in which he plays a former agent who buys a bar and then becomes a secret crime avenger.
Next month Park can also be seen in the Korean-Chinese film "After Love" with Yoon Eun Hye. When Yoon Eun Hye decided to take the role she received many negative comments, saying that working with Park Shi Hoo could damage her career. The film was supposed to be released last year in Korea, China and Japan but will finally be released in March.
In the film Park and Yoon play husband and wife. He is a distant husband who does not realize that he loves his wife until he loses her.
Park Ki Woong has announced that he will join Kang Ji Hwan in the upcoming MBC drama "Monster - 2016."
The actor's agency, Haewadal Entertainment, announced the decision on February 1. It will be Park's first leading drama role since playing a Japanese officer in the KBS historical drama "Bridal Mask" with co-star Joo Won and an idol group member in the comedy "Full House Take 2."
Park Ki Woong did have a cameo in "The Good Doctor," also with former co-star Joo Won, and was seen in two films since starting his 2014 tour of military duty, the 2014 "Mad Sad Bad" and the 2015 Kim Ki Duk production "Made in China." But Park's mandatory military duty as a conscripted policeman did keep him away from dramaland.
In "Monster - 2016," Park will play Do Geon Woo, the son of a company CEO and his mistress. His birthright will bring him into direct conflict with the character that Kang Ji Hwan plays. Kang plays Kang Ki Tan, a man who lost his parents when he was little. He wants to take revenge against the wealthy and careless individuals who ruined his life and caused him to suffer.
Kang Ji Hwan's role in the drama was reportedly offered to Joo Won, which would have given the actors a third chance to work together, but Joo ultimately turned it down. Seo Kang Joon also reportedly turned down the role, choosing instead to appear in the Korean remake of "Entourage."
Hwang Jung Eum was previously offered the leading female role in this drama but ultimately declined to focus on her upcoming wedding at the end of February.
Jang Young Chul, who wrote "Empress Ki," "History of the Salaryman," "Giant" and "Incarnation of Money," is writing the screenplay. Joo Sang Woo, who directed "Legendary Witches" and "One Hundred Years Inheritance," is directing 'Monster - 2016."
The 50-episode "Monster," previously titled "Tyrant," will air on Mondays and Tuesdays in April after the end of "Glamorous Temptation."
If you're not in the mood to commit to a whole drama, you may want to check out a k-movie. Haven't tried one? K-movies offer some of the same fun, the same actors and the cool insight into Korean culture that the dramas do. And it has become so much easier to see k-movies wherever you live in the world.
Here are 10 that you may want to check out that are currently featured on DramaFever's new CJ E&M Movie Channel.
"The Happy Life"
If you're a fan of Jang Geun Suk's work in dramas such as "You're Beautiful" or "Mary Stayed Out All Night," check out this film in which he becomes the front man of an aging rock band.
"Penny Pinchers"
Enjoying Han Ye Seul in "Madame Antoine?" Excited about seeing Song Joong Ki in "Descendants of the Sun?" The actors team up in this film about a conscientious young woman who is obsessed with saving money. She teams up with her handsome but clueless neighbor in a money-making scheme.
"Venus Talk"
Uhm Jung Hwa stars in comedy about women in their 40s. They have kids moving out and younger boyfriends moving in. It's a must for "I Need Romance" fans.
"Friend 2"
If you have not yet seen this Kim Woo Bin film, check it out. Also known as "Friend: The Great Legacy," the film takes place 17 years after the hit original, following three generations of gangsters as they compete for power.
"Tough As Iron"
Enjoying Yoo Ah In in "Six Flying Dragons?" In this action drama he plays a young man who joins a gang to provide for his mother who suffers from Alzheimer's.
" Hwang Jin Yi"
If you loved Song Hye Kyo in "That Winter The Wind Blows," she's excellent as Hwang Jin Yi, Korea's most famous courtesan. She plays a 16th century aristocrat who discovers she isn't really of noble birth, and after stepping down, decides to settle a few scores. Makes a nice contrast if you've seen Ha Ji Won play the real-life courtesan in the drama of the same name.
"The Berlin File"
For those who love spy dramas, this one is top notch. It stars Ha Jung Woo as a North Korean ghost agent and Jun Ji Hyun of "You Who Came From The Stars" as his wife. After the spy is betrayed he tries to unravel the actions that led to his predicament.
"Helpless"
This thriller stars Lee Sun Gyun of "Coffee Prince" fame and Kim Min Hee of the film "Very Ordinary Couple." They play an engaged couple. When he returns to his car at a rest stop, she is gone. He returns home to find their apartment trashed and discovers that their life is not what he thought it was.
"Parallel Life"
Ji Jin Hee of "Beloved Eun Dong" plays a young judge whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when his wife is brutally murdered by a man he had ruled against. A tidy case becomes a bizarre story when a reporter uncovers that an almost identical incident occurred exactly 30 years ago, and if the pattern holds, the judge is about to murder his own daughter.
"Little Black Dress"
Yoon Eun Hye stars in this coming-of-age romantic comedy about four friends in their twenties who are navigating their way through high society, sudden fame and babysitting.The film also stars Yoo In Na, Park Han Byul and Cha Ye Ryun.
These are just a few of the films you can find at dramafever.com.
KEARNEY Forecasters warnings were correct. Severe winter weather steamrolled into Hub Territory today with winds of up to 50 mph and snowfall as deep as 15 inches forcing closures and cancellations.
Fortunately, only one serious accident was reported in the region by late morning. It occurred at Highway 183 and 738 Road near Holdrege, where a two-vehicle mishap sent one person to the hospital.
Kearney shop employees were busy this morning putting chains on all Kearney Police Department cruisers. Sgt. Tony Cordova said side streets were virtually impassable, even for many four-wheel drive vehicles, let alone the Ford Escort we just pulled out, he said around 8:30 a.m.
Several city street employees stayed overnight at the city shops, and several officers, deputies and dispatchers who worked the overnight shift were stranded at the law enforcement center on cots until the storm clears, Cordova said.
Buffalo County Emergency Manager Darrin Lewis said people heeded warnings and stayed home.
The wind is causing havoc. If it wasnt for all this darn wind, I think we would be in good shape, Lewis said.
A number of vehicles were reported in ditches around the Kearney area. Nebraska Department of Roads officials urged motorists to stay home and not attempt to travel until snow removal crews were able to work. This morning, whiteout conditions forced plowing to stop near Elwood.
Lewis said there were no problems with power outages in Kearney. However, intermittent electrical outages were reported in Franklin and Alma.
A blizzard warning remained in effect until midnight tonight as light to moderate snow continued falling throughout the day and was whipped into drifts and blinding conditions by the strong winds.
The National Weather service expected the heaviest accumulations, from 8-15 inches, to occur in a wide swath stretching from McCook in southwest Nebraska to Norfolk in northeast Nebraska.
Kearney hotels were busy Monday with guests canceling their stays.
The Fort Kearney American Red Cross was poised to open a shelter for travelers trapped in Kearney, but the shelter wasnt necessary because hotel rooms remained available.
Numerous sporting events planned for tonight were called off Monday. There were no classes at Kearney Public Schools, Kearney Catholic, Zion Lutheran, Faith Christian or the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Claire Poland, a junior at Kearney Catholic, planned to relax today at home.
Ill probably watch Netflix or read a Harry Potter book, she said from her home just north of Kearney near Menards.
KCHS announced near the end of the school day on Monday afternoon that todays classes were canceled.
Everyone was so excited. We all were trying to make plans, but then we thought, How are we going to get to each others houses? Poland said.
Public offices also were closed today, including Kearney city hall, as were attractions, including The Archway.
Travel was complicated by the depth of the snow and the slushy, icy layer underneath it. Even four-wheel-drive vehicles that could manage forward motion encountered difficulty in stopping and changing direction because of the compromised traction. The poor traction and blowing snow also complicated matters for snow removal crews, who had trouble maintaining momentum and keeping up with the accumulating snow.
Monday night was mostly quiet for emergency responders in Kearney, although crews were dispatched to a pileup on 39th Street just west of Kearney High School.
Staying inside during todays blizzard wasnt an option for many Hub Territory cattle producers or their livestock.
Whether in fields of cornstalks or feed yards, cattle will huddle together to stay warm and put eating on hold until the worst of the storm passes, said Bruce Treffer, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educator in Dawson County.
It covers up a lot of feed, he said about the blowing and drifting snow, So people are going to have a lot of work to do.
For cattle on cornstalks, that work will include delivering hay as an alternative feed source. In feedlots, workers will spend time out in the elements to keep feed bunks clear of snow and generally keep an eye on things, Treffer said.
Any weight gains are on hold today, so producers will want to get feed to cattle as soon as the storm eases.
Treffer said hay is better than grain as a cold-weather feed. Cattle have to work to digest the hay ... so it warms them up better, he explained.
Although horses and cattle are well-insulated to withstand cold weather, some may have gotten wet Monday before the cold winds started to blow. Treffer said that means they will have to burn more energy to keep warm.
A big plus is that farmers and ranchers had a lot of warning about the blizzard.
Being able to prepare was especially important for producers involved in calving season. It would have been a train wreck without the days-ahead warnings, Treffer said.
I dont think there will be a lot of (cattle) losses. Everyone was pretty well-prepared, he said, plus the temperatures are not expected to fall below zero.
The weather conditions still are dangerous for producers who think they need to check on livestock, even though cattle wont be eating or drinking much during the storm. They (producers) probably should stay inside ... but they need to check on stuff, Treffer said.
He added that although cattle will eat snow if they cant access a water tank, its better for them to have warmer water.
Isolated power outages may be seen, but Treffer said all the big livestock operations have back-up energy systems, as do many other rural residents.
Interstate 80 was closed from Elm Creek east, said Capt. Chris Kolb of the Nebraska State Patrol at Grand Island.
Its pretty treacherous out there. Visibility was terrible, Kolb said after helping a stranded motorists to safety.
He said motorists were cleared from the rest areas, and their stranded vehicles were taken to safety.
LEXINGTON Three Lexington businesses failed Dawson County alcohol compliance checks on Saturday by selling alcohol to a minor, the Nebraska State Patrol said.
Businesses that allegedly sold alcohol to a minor were:
- El Tropico at 201 E. Fifth St. in Lexington
- Kirks Nebraskaland Restaurant at South Highway 283 and Interstate 80 in Lexington
- Premier Night Club at 111 E. Sixth St. in Lexington
The Nebraska State Patrol conducted alcohol compliance checks at 11 retail outlets in Dawson County, including convenience, liquor, and grocery stores, and restaurants and bars.
Law enforcement performs checks to ensure that businesses are complying with the states alcohol laws and to reduce youths access to alcohol. The Dawson County compliance checks were conducted thanks, in part, to a grant from Partners For Success.
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, greets supporters during a caucus night rally, 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/Charlie Neibergall)
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Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, arrives for a caucus night rally, 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)
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Question: We are planning a trip to Cuba. Is there a particular bank you recommend to exchange euros?
Answer: No.
But sorry, readers. Thats not the end of this column.
In fact, it opens the door to many, many questions readers have about money in Cuba, which continues to be a hot destination.
In 2014, about 90,000 Americans visited the island nation; by the end of 2015, that number had jumped to 150,000, CBS This Morning reported last week, a 60 percent increase. And if travel restrictions are ultimately lifted, as many as 1.5 million people may visit, CBS reported, citing Reuters and Marriott.
So let us state the obvious: Cuba is hot, hot, hot.
But changes to the infrastructure tourists deal with? Not, not, not. At least, not thus far.
Much has changed since President Barack Obamas December 2014 announcement about normalizing relations with Cuba.
Normalizing is a bit of an overstatement. Yes, a U.S. Embassy has reopened after more than 50 years. Yes, travel to Cuba now requires only that it falls into one of 12 categories that make it allowable there. In Obamas recent State of the Union message, he asked Congress to reconsider the half-century embargo against Cuba.
It seems likely that politics will get in the way of travel pleasures at least in the short term. So for now, travel to Cuba is different, beginning with the proviso that we, as travelers, must not go there to lie on the beach but to learn about the culture. Not that people to people travel, one of the 12 categories, is a bad thing. Returning home with knowledge of the place you visited, and not just a new tan line, is a win-win.
But travel to Cuba is still quirky, beginning with money. First you will need to carry cash; credit cards are not yet widely accepted.
To Vancott's question about euros, many travelers believe that you'll get a better exchange rate if you convert European currency instead of U.S. dollars.
Doing so has has become quite popular, said Cecilia Utne, president and chief executive of Cross Cultural Journeys, which has been arranging trips to Cuba since 1998. Check on the exchange rate on the day that you're making the transaction and what your bank is charging, she said. If you're sitting on a wad of euros or Canadian dollars, it might be a little more beneficial.
But might is the operative word. Cuba, Utne noted, is not an inexpensive destination, and although you never want to waste money, the amount you save may be disproportionate to the effort to do so.
How much cash should you have? Unless you're planning to buy an expensive piece of art, you can do just fine with about $100 a day, said Amanda Bradshaw, trip coordinator for Distant Horizons, a Long Beach, Calif., travel agency that has led scores of trips to Cuba for nearly 20 years. That should cover lunches and dinners (breakfast is usually included at your hotel) and cab fares, depending, of course, on how far afield you're going.
Don't convert all your cash, she added. You'll lose money when it's time to convert it back, which you'll do before you leave. Also, don't walk around with large amounts of cash. If you lose it and don't have a reserve stash, you'll be up the proverbial creek, absent automated teller machines.
Cuba will continue to evolve as a travel destination, but probably not as quickly as we both fear and hope. The fear? Every corner will have a U.S. fast-food joint or a coffee purveyor. The hope? The accommodations, restaurants and other mainstays of serving tourists will improve.
One of Utne's challenges, she said, is making sure the expectations of her well-educated clientele meet the reality of today's Cuba. It's not yet a five-star experience, she noted, and she works to help her travelers understand that Cuba is a work in progress.
The progress also means that to serve the expected influx of visitors ferry service and regular (not charter) air service by U.S. carriers is expected this year more and sometimes better hotels and restaurants are needed.
Cuba is not ready for prime time. In an interview in Havana, Janet Moore, owner of Distant Horizons, recently painted this picture for CBS This Morning: If you came to me tonight and said, Janet, I need a hotel room tonight, I'd have to say, I can't give you one.
Fifty years of isolation won't disappear in the blink of an eye. Might Cuba become Caribbean Disneyland one day? Possibly. But even the Magic Kingdom wasn't built in a day.
LINCOLN With time running out on his legislative tenure, Sen. Dave Bloomfield of Hoskins offered a compromise proposal Monday that would repeal the requirement that all motorcycle riders in Nebraska wear protective helmets.
Bloomfield's bill (LB900) would sharply increase motorcycle registration fees to fund a newly created traumatic brain injury fund while allowing riders 21 and older to wear eye protection gear in lieu of helmets if they choose.
The measure also would prohibit children younger than 8 from riding on motorcycles on Nebraska highways.
"I am willing to compromise," Bloomfield told the Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee.
He said he does not like parts of his own bill, specifically mentioning the proposed increase in motorcycle license fees from $6 to $25, but said he is determined to attempt to give motorcycle riders "the right to choose."
This is Bloomfield's final legislative session as he bumps into term limits at the end of the year, and ending the helmet requirement has been a priority for him.
The bill triggered a familiar round of testimony at the committee hearing that centered on an argument fundamentally divided between personal liberty and choice versus safety and the personal and financial costs of head injuries.
"I think I have the right to decide," Mike McHale of Bellevue said in supporting the bill.
A number of medical witnesses urged the committee not to undo the helmet requirement, describing the brain injuries suffered by motorcycle riders they have treated.
"A brain trauma fund would be great, but not one that leads to this," said Dr. Reginald Burton, director of critical care at Bryan West Campus.
Hospital and insurance representatives opposed the bill.
The first noted event of remembering 1916 was the lecture by local historian Jim Maher - the Rising and its aftermath in Kilkenny.
Jim is the most valued voice on the period in Kilkenny having taken the time, while many of the men were alive, to talk to them, record their thoughts, and visit the scenes of action.
But while Jim concluded with the statement that the 1916 Rising was essentially a Dublin rising, he nevertheless enthralled a packed attendance with his local knowledge - many nuggets unveiled for the first time in words, text and photograph.
And the aftermath, locally, was very much shaped by this newspaper, The Kilkenny People and its then editor ET Keane, whose writings in the months after the rising ensured the election of two Sinn Fein candidates. Indeed a letter from Michael Collins to Eamon De Valera was displayed, showing Collins having been in contact with Keane on the election trail.
As Seamus Brennan of KAS put it at the conclusion, Jim gave a lecture on real people, which ran in tandem with the mainstream of the events. He was also thanked by Tony Pattison, who described the 80 minute talk as electrifying.
And so to the lecture, and what Jim unveiled. Arthur Griffith's Sinn Fein, which was founded in 1905, opened it's first branch in Kilkenny in 1907, in Thomastown.
But the most significiant connection with Kilkenny was the arrival of Thomas MacDonagh to teach in St Kierans College - from 1901 to 1903. At the time, despite MacDonagh's promptings, the school did not teach Irish -yet he joined the Gaelic League and would have attended meetings in the Gaelic League room in Rothe House.
MacDonagh left the League over a row with Alderman James Nowlan (of Nowlan Park fame) and Edward McSweeney (Jim's Uncle) over a job appointment - both men were IRB members and would have sided with same. Another interesting date was Roger Casements's visit to The Parade in 1914, where he met Peter de Loughry.
And of course Tom Treacy, Pat Corcoran and De Loughry and the split of the Irish Volunteers, when 28 men bravely walked past over 600 comrades in 1914.
Months later, 5,000 National Volunteers were in attendance for John Redmond receiving the freedom of Kilkenny.
Irish Volunteer numbers prior to the Rising in Kilkenny showed 132 in total of which 66 were in Kilkenny and the other branches were Clara (23), Cruth and Chatsworth (13), Conahy (10), Dunmore (8),Comer (6), Fianna Eireann (6).
Jim also noted the three Republican deaths - Patrick Bealin from Castlecomer - summarily executed by the British in the cellar of a bar he worked in for delivering a message to volunteers; Thomas MacDonagh who was executed by firing squad and Fr Albert Bibby, a famed Cappuchin who supported the volunteers and was sent to America in 1924 and died there from TB.
At the time of the Rising, Kilkenny had 60 men on standby, few arms as they planned to meet with their Wexford comrades just outside Kiltealy, and on the way collect guns in Borris. Nothing materialised, 'Ginger' O'Connell was run out of Wexford but convinced Kilkenny not to arm and march. Pierce Brett was the first Kilkenny man to hear of the Rising, from a train driver at the now MacDonagh station and he told Tom Treacy.
Thirty five Kilkenny men were arrested, brought to Kilkenny Jail, one died marching to the tain station - John Kealy - who was suffering from pneumonia.
They went to Richmond Barracks, then boarded a cattle boat, arrived in Wakefield, spent time in Frongoch, then Wormwood Scrubs, before coming back to a very different Kilkenny in August of that year.
A wonderful new book, Kilmacow Folklore 2 gives the collected folklore from two schools in Kilmacow as part of the Schools Folklore Collection organised by the Department of Education for the newly formed Irish Folklore Commision in 1937-1939.
A wonderful new book, Kilmacow Folklore 2 gives the collected folklore from two schools in Kilmacow as part of the Schools Folklore Collection organised by the Department of Education for the newly formed Irish Folklore Commision in 1937-1939.
Edited by retired teacher and Kilmacow native, Jimmie Cooke, this excellent publication was launched recently in the Parish Hall, Kilmacow, on by Tom Whyte who also contributed to the publication.
Many past pupils from the two schools involved in the Schools Folklore Collection 1937-39 were present and told their memories of Mr. Richard Rellis, principal, Strangsmills NS and of Sr. Calasanctius (Lennon) of the Presentation Convent NS. Paddy Costello remembered Mr Rellis as a very religious man and a great teacher. Ms May Merry (now Mrs. May Maher) who taught in Strangsmills school added that he had a wickedly funny sense of humour, especially on April Fools Day.
Sr. Calansanctius was remembered as a great teacher who put on many girls for teacher-training exams and entry tests to get into the Civil Service but she taught music too, to a very high level of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) exams. There are many photographs of the teachers and former classes of pupils from both schools. The book is available at 10 each from the schools, local shops in Kilmacow, and from the bookshops in Waterford and Kilkenny.
It also contains five memoirs of living folklore about growing up in Kilmacow from the 1930s up to the 1970s by five past pupils: Tom Whyte (Dublin), Senan Walsh (Waterford), Brother Peter Phelan (North Borneo), Jimmie Cooke (Dublin) and Harry Knox .
McEwen Mining Inc.(NYSE, TSX: MUX) has received notification from the New York Stock Exchange that the company has regained compliance with the NYSEs continued listing standards for the minimum price of its common stock. Last summer, the company was advised that it had fallen below the threshold requiring the average share price to close above $1 for a period of 30 straight trading days. Chief owner Rob McEwen says the companys ability to regain compliance highlights our strong operational performance in 2015, where we increased our gold/silver production, decreased our production cost/ounce, generated free cash flow and steadily built our treasury over the year. Also, during the year we declared and paid our first ever semiannual capital distribution. Our share price appreciation since July, 2015 reflects the value in exercising financial discipline and resisting the temptation to finance at the bottom of the market. We refused to give away our future upside. We have not and will not sell metal streams, sell royalties or hedge our future production. At this time, we are debt free, (and) we have $33 million in cash and bullion.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Iamgold Secures $250 Million Revolving Credit Facility
Tuesday February 02, 2016 08:45
Iamgold Corp. (TSX: IMG; NYSE: IAG) says it has signed agreements with a banking syndicate to refinance its expiring unsecured revolving credit facility with a $250 million facility, consisting of a $100 million immediately available revolving credit facility with an option to add a further $150 million. "Iamgold's balance sheet is strong, its bonds are not due until October 2020, and the company ended 2015 with approximately $700 million in cash and bullion that contribute to its peer-leading net-cash position," says Carol Banducci, chief financial officer. "The $250 million credit facility reflects current market conditions and is appropriate for the size and financial liquidity requirements of the company. We do not expect to draw upon the facility in the foreseeable future." The new corporate facility will expire in February 2020.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Newmarkets Flagship Fosterville Gold Mine Pours One Millionth Ounce
Tuesday February 02, 2016 08:45
Newmarket Gold Inc. (TSX: NMI; OTCQX: NMKTF) reports that its flagship Fosterville Gold Mine in Australia poured its one millionth ounce of gold on Jan. 7 after more than 11 years of continuous operations. " In its first 1 million ounces of production, Fosterville has logged more than 8 million man hours, processed 8.4 million tonnes of ore and accomplished world-class recovery using a BIOX treatment system, all while maintaining an excellent safety record, says Douglas Forster, president and chief executive officer.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Klondex Receives BLM Approval On Environmental Assessment At Fire Creek
Tuesday February 02, 2016 08:45
Klondex Mines Ltd.(TSX: KDX; NYSE MKT: KLDX) says it has received a finding of no significant impact for the environmental assessment completed for its Fire Creek property in Nevada. The assessment was required by the National Environmental Policy Act since as a portion of the Fire Creek property is located on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The approval will allow Klondex to advance mining and exploration, the company says. "The successful completion of this process will allow Klondex to continue unlocking value at Fire Creek while demonstrating our core value of environmental stewardship," says Paul Andre Huet, president and chief executive officer.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Juliet (Kaylee Frede, right) incurs the wrath of her parents, Lord (Bob Downing) and Lady (Jennifer Hodges) Capulet.
SHARE Nurse (Ali Budge, middle) and Lady Capulet (Jennifer Hodges, right) dote on young Juliet (Citori Luecht). Romeo (Cody Masoner, left) and Julilet (Citori Luecht) are wed by Friar Laurence (Wallace Ross). Swordplay erupts in Verona among (from left) Mercutio (Maxwell Levit), Romeo (Cody Masoner), Benvolio (Owen Eardley) and Tybalt (Kristopher Jones).
By Michael C. Moore
BREMERTON "Romeo and Juliet" is one of those rare stories that just about everybody already knows.
William Shakespeare's greatest tragedy has been told, and seen, and heard, so often that its doomed-young-lovers premise no longer can sneak up on anyone. Before the curtains even part, spectators know full well that the title characters are going to be at the top of the body count.
Bremerton Community Theatre is the latest of about a billion-and-a-half companies around the world to attempt to retain the classic elements of "Romeo and Juliet," while simultaneously trying to breathe some freshness into its familiar-to-point-of-cliche plot.
Director Kristi Jacobson, a Shakespeare enthusiast and scholar, ultimately decided to go full speed ahead.
"After studying the text, I decided to go with the idea that we're going to tell you a story, tell the story for what it is," she said. "It's a well-known story, yes, and I wanted to tell it the way people expect it, but still do it in a way that's engaging."
"Romeo and Juliet," and other Shakespeare staples, have be re-imagined, re-set and re-purposed endlessly, as often as not in ways that should have re-sulted in the re-placement of those re-sponsible. But BCT's take on the 1590s tale of forbidden love finding a fatally flawed way will be set and costumed in period fashion, as will the dialogue.
When she got the assignment, Jacobson cast a wide net to fill her crew, pulling in not only BCT familiars but folks more identifiable from their work with other local companies. The actors who showed up to audition were a similar combination.
"Much of the cast is new to BCT, actually," she said. "We drew a lot of people who really like their Shakespeare."
Jacobson originally set out to double-cast both the title roles, both because of the line load and emotional range required and to double the opportunities available to young actors to get such plum roles on their resumes. She was successful only with Juliet(s), though, winnowing a list of hopefuls down to Citori Luecht and Kaylee Frede, both of whom have numerous credits at CSTOCK although Luecht is coming off the Jewel Box's Shakespearean outing last summer, "The Taming of the Shrew / The Tamer Tamed."
Cody Masoner, who'll play Romeo to both Juliets, likewise is a "Taming / Tamed" veteran, and has several recent CSTOCK roles in his rearview.
"The trick is finding young people capable of carrying the load," Jacobson said of her star-crossed lovers. "They're big parts. You don't often get the chance to give two actors the opportunity, but both Citori and Kaylee had what we were looking for."
Other BCT familiars in the cast include Gary Fetterplace who also designed the multilevel set (you've got to have that balcony, after all) Ali Budge, Sharon Greany and Kristopher Jones, with a number of ringers brought into the mix with backgrounds at CSTOCK, Port Orchard's Western Washington Center for the Arts and points beyond.
Jacobson said it's been 16 years since BCT last had a go at "Romeo and Juliet," and pointed out that one member of that cast has returned for the revival in Evelyn Panfili, who'll once again help populate Verona.
"Evelyn came to auditions and said she just wanted to be a part of it," Jacobson said. "She just wanted to be in the ensemble, and we were happy to have her."
PREVIEW
'ROMEO AND JULIET'
Who: Bremerton Community Theatre
What: Tragedy by William Shakespeare
Where: BCT's Montgomery Auditorium, 599 Lebo Blvd., Bremerton
When: Feb. 5-28; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays
Tickets: $15-$8
Information: 360-373-5152, bremertoncommunitytheatre.org
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT
Registration opens: Wednesday
Special program options: El Velero Spanish immersion, prekindergarten through fourth, Ordway; Mosaic Home Education Partnership, Commodore Options School
Informational event: 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Ordway
Open house events: 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Feb. 9, Wilkes; 8:15 a.m. Feb. 10, Blakely; 8:30 a.m. Feb. 11, Ordway
New this year: All-day kindergarten tuition free at all schools. (All other districts offer all-day, tuition free kindergarten at all schools.)
Website: www.bisd303.org.
BREMERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Registration opened: Monday
Special program options: Montessori, Kitsap Lake Elementary; STEM focus, West Hills STEM Academy; Spanish immersion, K-3 at Naval Avenue Early Learning Center, 4-5 at West Hills
Preschool/kindergarten fair: 4-5:30 p.m. March 30 at the district office, 134 Marion Ave. N
Website: www.bremertonschools.org
CENTRAL KITSAP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Registration opens: Wednesday, families are encouraged to register between 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on school days at their neighborhood school.
Special program options: STEM focus, Brownsville; Montessori, Hawk Elementary at Jackson Park (kindergarten will be added in 2016-17).
Open house events: Information to come in spring
Website: www.ckschools.org
NORTH KITSAP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Registration opens: Feb. 22
Special program options: Spanish dual language program (classes of students with both native English and Spanish speakers), Vinland; Options Program, alternative learning, K-8, Gordon
Open house events: Information to come
Website: www.nkschools.org
NORTH MASON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Registration open: April 15
Open house events: To come in May
Website: www.nmsd.wednet.edu
SOUTH KITSAP SCHOOL DISTRICT
Registration opened: Monday
Special programs: STEM focus, Olalla, South Colby and Mullenix Ridge; Hidden Creek and Orchard Heights applying for International Baccalaureate certification; Burley Glenwood offers Spanish immersion beginning in first grade.
Open house events: Begin Feb. 24 (Orchard Heights) and run through June 1 (Burley Glenwood)
Website: www.skitsap.wednet.edu
NAVAL BASE KITSAP-BANGOR
What: Kindergarten Fair for Navy and federally connected (DOD) families
When: 3-6 p.m. Monday
Where: Jackson Park Community Center
More: Local school districts will be represented to answer questions.
Info: 360-396-5139; nbk.slo@navylifepnw.com
By Ed Friedrich of the Kitsap Sun
BREMERTON Most Kitsap Transit board members, whether they support cross-Sound passenger ferries or not, say it's time to let county voters decide. All voters.
During a meeting Tuesday morning, members panned the idea of a separate ferry district that would comprise 85 percent of the county's residents but collect 98 percent of local sales taxes. The ferries most likely would be supported by a sales tax increase of 3 cents per $10 spent.
Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson made a motion to include the entire county in the district. The motion failed 4-4 with Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido abstaining, though she backed the idea earlier.
Supporting the motion were Erickson, Bremerton City Councilman Richard Huddy, County Commissioner Rob Gelder and Poulsbo City Councilman Ed Stern. Opposed were County Commissioner Ed Wolfe, Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu, Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent and Bainbridge Island Mayor Val Tollefson. Putaansuu called it premature. Others appeared caught off guard by the sudden proposition. Garrido said it was a study session where action isn't normally taken and will be taken up again in a couple of weeks.
Two residents also testified against a smaller ferry district.
Kitsap Transit, which saw ferry plans rejected by voters in 2003 and 2007, knows where its supporters are, and they don't reside in the county's western and southern reaches. Those areas were left out of suggested ferry district boundaries.
"My sentiment is (the plan) should go to the people, but it better not go gerrymandered," said Erickson, who has never been a fast ferry proponent.
The sales taxes would benefit "a tiny, tiny few" with the ferries, "but think of the good we could do in the county with $11 million a year," she said. "I will absolutely vote against it when it gets to the ballot."
According to the business plan, ferries would make half-hour trips from Bremerton, Kingston and Southworth. They'd cost $2 more each way than the state car ferries. They would be owned by Kitsap Transit but operated by King County.
No other board members vehemently opposed the plan, but they concurred with Erickson in some regards.
"I agree wholeheartedly with Mayor Erickson about the districting element," Gelder said. "It equates to taxation without representation."
Board chairman Wolfe said he's a believer in the ferry plan and the need to deliver it to the voters, but has a problem with excluding anybody.
Huddy favors passenger-only ferries but not the trimmed district.
"We'd be increasing the sales tax without everybody voting," he said. "We'd be asking for everybody to pay for the benefit of very few. How many people out of 250,000 in the county would be regular beneficiaries?"
Stern suggested starting with a scaled-back Plan B in Bremerton, where the car ferry can provide backup. It would be supported by a smaller district. Putaansuu countered that the plan has been in the works for a decade and reflects the community's desires.
"It's time to put it forward and let the cards fall where they may," he said.
Lent said the state's fast ferries initiated a Bremerton revival before their shoreline-damaging wakes drove them away in 2002. Ferries also can take cars off crowded highways, like 305 on Bainbridge.
"If we're looking at today, yes, maybe it doesn't make sense, but we're looking at the future," she said. "I think we need that cross-Sound transportation. This is an opportunity we may not have again."
Executive Director John Clauson recommended a few weeks ago that the proposition be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot. That appears to be the plan, though it isn't official. The board must determine how to proceed by its July meeting, he said.
Another study session will be held 8 a.m. Feb. 16 for up to three hours. The meeting is open to the public.
Burley Glenwood Elementary School kindergartner Kayla McKinney, 6, uses a magnifier to locate the letter Z in class pictures during an alphabet search Monday in her classroom. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN
SHARE Burley Glenwood Elementary School kindergarten students use a highlight tracker light to help read. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN Burley Glenwood Elementary School kindergarten teacher Jenny Brisbon reads a book during story time in class. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN Burley Glenwood Elementary School kindergartners Jacob Pate (left) and Kyler Hanks, both 6, use letter stamps to work on the alphabet Monday. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN A Burley Glenwood Elementary School kindergartner uses a highlight tracker light to read a book. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN Related Coverage Kindergarten options in Kitsap, Mason counties
By Chris Henry
SOUTH KITSAP Kayla McKinney, 6, used a magnifying glass Monday to spot the letter Z in a picture during Jenny Brisbon's kindergarten class at Burley Glenwood Elementary School.
Classmate Avery Shinn, 6, was making letters out of plastic straws, and Jacob Pate, 6, was learning his alphabet playing with rubber stamps.
Time was, kindergarten was mostly for play. Today, with the focus on higher academic standards in all grades, it's for learning through play, said Brisbon, whose district Monday opened registration for next year's incoming kindergartners.
The foundation set in kindergarten is a launchpad for the rest of a child's K-12 education. There's much at stake, it seems, and so many choices.
Kindergarten is a transitional year when some children still are working on basic skills like tying shoes and managing personal hygiene. Parents of children born near the Aug. 31 eligibility date and those who lag physically or socially might wrestle with whether to wait a year.
Go ahead and send kids on the cusp, suggests Linda Sullivan-Dudzic, Bremerton School District's special programs director. It's better than having them miss a year of skill building. And the sooner they're enrolled, even if struggling, the sooner they can connect with learning specialists and other child development experts.
On the flip side, Sheryl Belt, Bainbridge Island's assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, recommends against "early enrolling" kids who might seem precocious but fall far short of the Aug. 31 cutoff. "It's hard to be the youngest one in your class, especially in older grades," she said.
As the options for families of incoming kindergartners expand, districts also are moving to free (state-funded) all-day kindergarten, with half-day programs rare or available by arrangement.
Most parents have embraced the full-day option. Early childhood experts say a full day at school is not just more time in school but better learning time because activities aren't rushed. Parents who strongly desire the half-day option should speak with their child's principal about the possibility of accommodation.
Families today have special program options like never before.
Time was, kindergarten students went to their neighborhood school, period end of story. Today, districts have added options like Montessori, foreign language immersion and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) at certain schools. Two elementary schools in South Kitsap are applying to become International Baccalaureate schools. IB is a challenging program of integrated studies with a global focus.
Experts say a parent's best bet for evaluating their child's neighborhood school (the school to which you're geographically assigned) and special program options is to visit during open house events. Follow up with an appointment to talk to the principal and visit a kindergarten class.
Teaching preschool through third grade is a specialty that calls for recognizing and feeding the developmental stages each child is going through, Sullivan-Dudzic said. Most kindergarten teachers are adept at teaching to windows of opportunity for learning new skills, Sullivan-Dudzic said. The unfortunate few in both public and private schools provide either too little structure offering little to no directed play or too much, in a "drill and kill fashion."
She suggests asking questions that get at the rhythm and feel of the classroom. "What's the schedule of the day?" "What are you teaching my child?" "How are you teaching that?" "What do you do for kids who struggle?"
One look at the classroom tells much, said Anita Chandler, executive director of teaching and learning for South Kitsap School District.
"You look for a balance where play is incorporated in learning centers, where kids are still learning, but it's a play atmosphere," Chandler said. "Kids look happy, when it gets down to it. They look happy and they're learning."
Special programs can offer enrichment, but check with your school principal, counselor or teacher to find out what programs might best suit your child.
Montessori, for example, offers a "prepared environment" where children work independently and in small groups with materials designed to stimulate specific motor skills, analytical thinking and problem solving. Some people mistakenly think it's "a free for all," Sullivan-Dudzic said, but children who have trouble following directions might struggle in a Montessori classroom.
The benefits of learning a second language at a young age are well documented, but a language immersion program is best suited for children with strong verbal skills, Sullivan-Dudzic said.
As for parents who fret about not getting it right for their child that first critical year, don't worry, most options still will be there, Belt said. She encourages a deep breath and a quick gut check.
"The most precious thing you have are your children, and you just want the best for them," she said. "My advice for parents at any level is to do your homework, find out the options you have and at some point you just have to make your best choice."
SHARE
Margaret Wagner, Bremerton
Speak up on transgender law
There seems to be a collusion of silence in most media regarding the new transgender bathroom law in Washington, which went into effect on Dec. 26. Forget the majority of citizens who oppose it. I don't believe Gov. Jay Inslee or the Washington State Human Rights Commission had any intention of letting the public get wind of this before the fact.
This means that men, women and young adults may now be confronted with the presence of an opposite-sex transgender male (or female) in their bathroom, locker room or shower. So if the presence of a (naked) male or female transgender person in the bathroom, locker room or shower makes you uncomfortable, you will need to leave or use a private changing room.
Call your representatives at the legislative hotline (1-800-562-6000) and ask them to support Graham Hunt's locker room bill, HB 2589 and get it out of committee. For more info on how the current transgender law affects your rights, go to Family Policy Institute of Washington.
The Herald reports:
Malcolm Turnbulls Australian cabinet may overturn a commitment given by former Prime Minister Tony Abbott to back Helen Clark for Secretary General of the United Nations if she becomes a candidate, according to The Australian newspaper.
The paper revealed that Mr Abbott and Prime Minister John Key committed in letters to conduct a joint strategy to promote Ms Clark as the successor to Ban Ki-Moon whose term ends at the end of this year.
But that commitment looks set to be compromised by two factors: Mr Abbott did not consult his Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, before giving the undertaking to Mr Key.
And former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made it known he is interested in the job.
Ms Clark has not publicly expressed her interest in the job but it is an open secret she would like it and Mr Key would not have been seeking Australias help without her consent and private ambition for the post.
Mr Key has publicly expressed strong backing for her, should she put up her hand.
" " Face it: Your gadgets don't have a long shelf life. nelik/iStock/Thinkstock
Unless your company sells breakaway glass to the movie industry, "built to break" is hardly a winning marketing slogan. But for many consumers who have purchased anything electronic in the past 15 years, it often feels as though our shiny new devices need to be replaced practically the moment we buy them. Could it be true that our computers are actually built to break?
A 2009 report by warranty service company SquareTrade found that about 20 percent of laptops and 24 percent of less-expensive netbooks will suffer a hardware malfunction (read: fail) within the first three years of ownership [source: SquareTrade].
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Even if the device itself still works, new software updates or operating systems may be incompatible with our "old" computers, rendering them obsolete before their time [sources: Chaves, Electronics Takeback Coalition].
The Economist argues that planned obsolescence is part of the business strategy for the computer industry, with the next generations of software and processors in development before the last ones are even on the market [source: Economist].
A 2013 study commissioned by Germany's Green Party found that electronic goods lasting less than two years may have been built badly on purpose, or at least knowingly. The study cited smartphones and notebooks built with batteries that cannot be replaced or with cases that can't be opened because they are glued rather than screwed together [source: The Local].
Others have noted laptops designed with heat-sensitive capacitors on the hottest part of the circuit board (where they are sure to fail), unavailable replacement parts and repair costs that make it almost as expensive to fix a device as it would be to replace it [source: Chaves, Seydtaghia].
The upshot: Unless computer manufacturers experience a sudden urge to come clean, we might never know whether our computers are in fact intentionally built to break. But intentional or not, both evidence and experience seem to indicate that at the very least modern consumer electronics aren't built to not break, so to the consumer the end result is the same.
BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINNEL Jeff Bohanan, president of Protomet Corp. of Oak Ridge, talks about his company during a press briefing in 2014.
SHARE Employee Mama Liberatore works to manufacture aluminum at the Oak Ridge-based Protomet Corp. Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Founder and president Jeff Bohanan said the company plans to expand its facility and add about 200 jobs over the next five years. Protomet is considering moving out of the Oak Ridge area because of a lack of room to grow further. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) Jeff Bohanan, founder and president of Oak Ridge-based Protomet Corp., said the company plans to expand its facility and add about 200 jobs over the next five years Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Protomet is considering moving out of the Oak Ridge area because of a lack of room to grow further. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) Billets of aluminum wait to be manufactured at the Protomet Corp. facility in Oak Ridge Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Jeff Bohanan, founder and president, said the company plans to expand its facility and add about 200 jobs over the next five years. Protomet is considering moving out of the Oak Ridge area because of a lack of room to grow further. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL) Jeff Bohanan, founder and president of Oak Ridge-based Protomet Corp., said the company plans to expand its facility and add about 200 jobs over the next five years Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. Protomet is considering moving out of the Oak Ridge area because of a lack of room to grow further. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)
By Ed Marcum of the Knoxville News Sentinel
Oak Ridge-based Protomet Corp. said Tuesday that it plans to expand its facility and add about 200 jobs but also said that it's considering moving out of the Oak Ridge area because of a lack of room to grow further.
During a news conference, Protomet CEO and founder Jeff Bohanan, said the company is planning a $30 million expansion to include a new 100,000 square-foot facility and 200 new jobs over the next five years.
However, Protomet is landlocked at its eight-acre site at Bethel Valley Industrial Park, where it has a 40,000 square-foot facility. Ideally, talks that are underway between the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and the U.S. Department of Energy could result in DOE making about 20 acres of its land next to the industrial park available, Bohanan said.
"We have been working over the last few months with Oak Ridge economic development officials to see if we can get a conveyance of a small percent of that property that is available," he said. "That would allow us to expand in our current location."
However, the DOE land transfer might take a year or more to accomplish, and Protomet plans to break ground on its facility in June and have it completed in 10 months, Bohanan said. The company needs to scale up to meet customer demand, and contracts are involved, he said.
"That puts us in an awkward situation with that," Bohanan said. "So we are trying to push to see what we can do to potentially accelerate that (the DOE transfer), but we are having to look at other locations as well."
Besides expanding in Bethel Valley Industrial Park, Protomet has also looked at moving to the Horizon Center industrial park in Roane County and Centre 75 Business Park in Loudon County The company has also had some talks with officials in South Carolina, Bohanan said.
"We've certainly enjoyed strong growth here in Oak Ridge, but because of where we are now, we have to look at all of our options," he said.
The company has seen substantial growth, partly due to the economy but partly to its business strategies, Bohanan said. When the recession hit at the end of the last decade, Bohanan and others with Protomet took pay cuts, but otherwise channeled funds into research and development, with the idea that great opportunities will exist for companies that weathered the crisis.
As a result, the planned Protomet expansion is its second since those days. In 2013, Protomet more than doubled the size of its Oak Ridge operation by opening a $7 million, 40,000 square-foot facility. The company now has about 70 employees.
Founded in 1997, Protomet provides engineering and manufacturing services to clients in a host of markets, from marine/boating, automotive, homeland security, industrial, energy and power. It specializes in high-precision production manufacturing and finishing.
In the past few years, Protomet has been expanding its presence in the boating industry with custom products for clients, and its own products such as mirrors and brackets for ski and wakeboard use.
"We have products that have won innovation awards and we are continuing to expand the distribution of those products," Bohanan said. "The marine industry is bringing out new products every year and we will make literally hundreds of new products. Our computerized machines allow us the flexibility to make changes in designs and enhance those designs, and that helps our clients bring out new products."
BOB FOWLER/NEWS SENTINEL The Riverside Grille and associated event center, off Melton Lake Drive in Oak Ridge, has been sold to the Copper Cellar restaurant group, according to a news release on Monday from the former owners. It has closed for now, but will be remodeled and opened as a new dining concept, the ex-owners said.
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By G. Chambers Williams Iii
Oak Ridge's Riverside Grille has closed and the property sold to another restaurant operator, but the reported new owner the Copper Cellar group isn't commenting about the deal.
Rick and Ryan Chinn of R&R Properties, owner of the restaurant and event center on the shore of Melton Hill Lake, said they had sold the property to "the Copper Cellar family of restaurants."
Riverside Grille has been closed, and will reopen under Copper Cellar's management after renovation, Rick Chinn said in a telephone interview.
"We're excited to announced we have sold it to them, and think it's going to be a great deal for Oak Ridge," Rick Chinn said. "I know they're going to do some renovations. It could reopen in two weeks or two months. My understanding is they are looking to hire the staff back about 50 people."
He said the restaurant and event center, situated on about seven acres, were sold to Copper Cellar's operators in the deal. He declined to reveal the purchase price.
But a spokesman for Copper Cellar, Rick Laney of Rick Laney Marketing, said Monday that the restaurant group "has no comment" about the report, and he declined to confirm or deny that it had purchased the property.
The Knoxville restaurant management company Diverse Concepts Ltd., who Chinn said had been operating the Riverside Grille, also declined to comment about the sale on Monday, and denied that it had been the operator.
Although Diverse Concepts' website on Monday still prominently displayed the Riverside Grille as one of its restaurants, a company officer said it had no connection to the Oak Ridge restaurant other than to having performed some "back office" functions for it.
"We do not own the Riverside Grille," said Mark Smith, who identified himself as chief financial officer of Diverse Concepts, which operates the Parkside Grille in Knoxville, among other restaurants.
"The Riverside Grille is not affiliated with our company," Smith said. "The owners have elected to close it. We provided only administrative services."
He added that, "If Riverside Grille is still showing up on our website, it will be removed soon."
A news release from R&R Properties, dated Monday, said, "For the past 10 years the Chinns have been responsible stewards of the property and kept the property in pristine condition."
The announcement added that "The current restaurant's kitchen and dining room will close immediately to allow renovations for the new concept."
The release also noted that "The Copper Cellar Family of Restaurants will attempt to work with currently scheduled events" at the Riverview Grille's event center, which has seating for up to 250 people.
"Rick and Ryan Chinn have over 37 years of real estate experience that has been focused on commercial and retail properties in Oak Ridge," the release said.
"During renovation, the events center on the property will remain open and all events will be honored," the release said. "For questions regarding an event, please contact Kimberly Sterchi at 865-673-3399."
Over their 10 years of ownership of the property, "finding a capable operator has proven to be a more difficult task than first expected ..." the Chinns said in the release.
The restaurant previously was known as the Flat Water Grille, but the name was changed to Riverside Grille about two years ago.
The Bull Run Steam Plant is one of the oldest coal-fired plants at TVA. Major work was completed a few years ago to update the plant to reduce air polluting emissions. FILE PHOTO 1/24/06 Photo by Clay Owen/News Sentinel.
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By Ed Marcum of the Knoxville News Sentinel
TVA plans to hold public meetings this week to present two alternatives for disposing of coal ash at its Bull Run and Kingston fossil plants.
The meetings are part of a public input process TVA is holding on 11 coal ash impoundments it is looking at closing by an April 17, 2018 Environmental Protection Agency rule.
The first will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike, to discuss plans for the Bull Run plant.
Next will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at Roane County High School, 540 W. Cumberland Street, Kingston, for the Kingston Fossil Plant.
TVA staff members at the meetings will discuss a draft environmental impact statement that considers two methods for coal-ash impoundments at the fossil plants. These alternatives are to close the impoundments in place and cap them, or to remove the material.
Closure in place involves removing all standing water from an impoundment and installing a final cover that minimizes water infiltration. Closure by removal involves excavating the impoundment and moving all the coal ash elsewhere either to be stored in a structural fill or used in products.
Some environmental groups see problems with TVA's approach in the draft report if TVA decides to close the impoundments in place. Abel Russ, a lawyer with the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project, said TVA should consider each ash impoundment individually.
"One of our biggest concerns is [that] the way these impoundments are built is conducive to contamination," he said. "Most of them are built beneath the water table and the groundwater is in contact with the ash."
This means the potential is there for contaminants from the ash to leach into groundwater, Russ said.
In its impact statements for both Bull Run and Kingston, TVA concludes sealing and capping the impoundments would inhibit rainfall infiltration into the ash and reduce subsurface leaking from the sites into the groundwater.
Russ said TVA maintains that an Electric Power Research Institute study backs up this approach, but he said the study does not appear to be complete and available.
According to the EPA, either closure in place or closure by removal would be equally protective if done properly, although closure by removal is generally more difficult and expensive.
Copies of the draft environmental impact statement for both fossil plants are online at www.tva.gov under "environmental stewardship."
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam delivers his State of the State address Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
By Richard Locker
NASHVILLE Gov. Bill Haslam's fiscal 2016-17 budget proposal includes substantial increased funding for K-12 and higher education which will impact public schools and college campuses in the Knoxville area.
And while it provides no state funding for major new building projects at the University of Tennessee's Knoxville campus nor Pellissippi State Community College, the two local campuses will benefit from $29.4 million the governor proposed for major maintenance projects in the UT system and $45.5 million in the statewide Board of Regents system.
UT is earmarked for $6.7 million in improvements on its veterinary medicine building and $5.4 million for window replacement and masonry repairs on various structures around campus. Pellissippi is down for $750,000 in air conditioning improvements.
In addition, Roane State Community College gets a $450,000 roof replacement at its Oak Ridge campus and a $370,000 roof replacement on the O'Brien Building and $160,000 in repaving work on its main campus in Roane County.
These state-funded projects are in addition to dozens of other projects planned for UT and other campuses funded by the institutions themselves, through student fees, gifts and other revenue.
The governor did propose major renovation projects on UT's campuses in Chattanooga and Memphis: $36 million for classroom building renovations at Chattanooga and $39 million in improvements at the College of Dentistry faculty practice and research building in Memphis.
UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, who was in Nashville on Monday night for the governor's State of the State speech, said he was pleased with the Haslam's budget recommendations, including salary and benefits for employees, which he said will enable the university to hold tuition increases under 3 percent. He said Knoxville campus projects will move up next year in the Tennessee Higher Education Commission's priority list for state funding.
Other budget items for the Knoxville area include:
$5.5 million for improvements at the Tennessee National Guard's Knoxville Readiness Center on Sutherland Avenue.
$1.13 million for building improvements at Tennessee School for the Deaf.
$190,000 for air conditioning upgrades at the Knoxville Veterans Home.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam delivers his State of the State address Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Nashville. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
By Richard Locker
NASHVILLE Gov. Bill Haslam sent lawmakers a $34.8 billion state budget proposal Monday night that he said "invests" heavily in education, social services for the state's "most vulnerable" residents, and state and university buildings and maintenance.
It increases state spending on K-12 public education operations by $248 million, higher education by $83 million, TennCare by $175 million and on state employees salaries and benefits by $125 million.
PDF: Gov. Bill Haslam's State of the State address
The budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 also contains the governor's recommendations on how to spend a record surplus estimated at $746 million, built up last year and in the ongoing current fiscal year. Those recommendations include $184 million for new construction at the state's public colleges and universities, $75 million in improvements to existing campus buildings, $130 million to the transportation fund and $107 million in new construction and maintenance of other state buildings and parks.
The budget is up $833.6 million from the projected total of the current year's budget, which ends June 30. It calls for no general tax increase. The increased spending results from unusually higher revenue generated by existing sales and business taxes, and from surpluses from fiscal years 2015 and 2016.
The governor presented the budget plan in his televised "State of the State" address to the General Assembly. Lawmakers will now spend the next 2 months reviewing the budget in detail before approving it with some tweaks in late April.
"The reality is that the state of our state is one of unique opportunity, an opportunity that must not go to waste," Haslam said. "This opportunity is a result of a strengthening economy combined with the hard work and discipline of our departments and the conservative fiscal strategy employed by the General Assembly, our constitutional officers and this administration."
The $130 million for the roads and highways is half of the $260 million taken from the transportation fund more than a decade ago during a revenue shortfall. That's one-time "nonrecurring" money that the governor hopes will lay the groundwork for a fuel tax increase next year, Tennessee's first since 1989.
Haslam also proposes a $100 million deposit from the surplus into the state's "Rainy Day Fund," which is held in reserve to help balance the budget when revenue is down. That would push the fund balance to $668 million at the close of fiscal year 2017 its second highest balance on record. The reserve fund held $750 million in 2008, at the start of the recession, but it dropped to $284 million by 2011 after three consecutive budget years in which officials had to use some of it to balance budgets ravaged by declining state revenues. It has gradually increased every year since.
"This is our opportunity. Let's bear down on what we can do together, keeping Tennessee a state with a strong financial condition, helping Tennessee to be the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs, and making certain that all Tennesseans regardless of their circumstances have an opportunity for a high-quality education," he said.
The increased spending for K-12 schools includes $105 million more for teacher salary increases plus $45 million for the state's share of the costs of providing teachers with a 12th month of health insurance. Education officials said there is no way to say how much of a percentage increase teachers will actually receive because the new money flows to Tennessee's school districts, where individual school boards will decide how to allocate it.
The $105 million is a 5.6 percent increase in the salary portion of the state's public education funding formula called the Basic Education Program, which gets divided among school districts based on their local tax bases and ability to generate local school funding.
Until last year, the state only paid for a share of 10 months of local educators' health insurance, leaving school boards to fully fund the remaining two months as well as the local share of the other 10 months. Haslam last year added state funding for the 11th month and is now proposing to add the final month.
In addition to those salary and benefit improvements for educators, the budget also contains another $40 million in enhanced state funding through the BEP for more special education teachers and teachers of English as a second language and for instructional technology improvements, $9 million for a new reading initiative, $6.5 million for the new student testing system, $3 million for professional development for English and math teachers and $1 million for staff to assess student readiness.
"What's important in all of this is that we're not investing in the same old public education system in Tennessee," Haslam said. "We've raised our standards. We've linked teacher evaluations to student performance, and we've expanded education options for children. We're showing historic progress, and we can't back up."
The $83 million recurring increase proposed for higher education is the largest single increase in years, and includes $67 million routed through the higher education funding formula for program enhancements, and the state's share of college and university salary and benefit increases. It also includes $13.2 million more for need-based student scholarships, which the administration said will help an additional 7,000 students with tuition assistance but that's less than half the $28 million in additional student aid sought by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The Tennessee Board of Regents and the University of Tennessee board of trustees will decide later how much of an impact the state funding increases will have on student tuition and fees, but it is expected to hold those increases to less than 3 percent.
SHARE U.S. Representative Stephen Fincher (R-TN). (Photo by Kris Connor)
By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel
WASHINGTON Three prominent Republicans already have jumped into the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher, who announced Monday that he will not seek another term.
Former U.S. Attorney David Kustoff said in a statement that he will be a candidate for the 8th Congressional District seat.
"I strongly believe our state deserves a congressman who will continue the fight for Tennessee values and principles, and that is why I will be candidate for the 8th Congressional District," Kustoff said.
State Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Memphis, announced his candidacy on Twitter. "Yes, I'm in," he tweeted.
Memphis radiologist George Flinn, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2010 but lost to Fincher, also announced on Twitter that he is running.
"I've decided to run for TN Congressional District 8!" Flinn tweeted. "The people of our community deserve great leadership. Watch #FlinnFor8 for more!"
Fincher's announcement that he will step down at the end of his third term came as a surprise in political circles.
"I have decided not to seek re-election to the 8th Congressional District seat this year," the Crockett County Republican said in a statement. "I am humbled by the opportunity to serve the people of West Tennessee, but I never intended to become a career politician. The last six years have been the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am honored to have been given the chance to serve."
Fincher, 43, said he will be returning home to Crockett County to his family and business, "but I intend to stay involved to the extent I can," he said. "I want to thank every citizen of the 8th District for the privilege of serving."
Fincher was elected in 2010 after longtime Democratic Rep. John Tanner retired and during a Republican sweep that saw the GOP retake the majority in the House.
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.
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It is deeply troubling and quite disheartening to see Doug Harris championing school vouchers. As chair of the Knox County Board of Education, he should be actively opposing the current legislative effort that, if successful, will steal taxpayer dollars from already underfunded public schools. On average Tennessee spends $8,208 per pupil, which ranks it 46th in the nation. Knox County's per pupil spending is $9,043. How much of that would Harris like to see taken away from public school students to subsidize private schools? Harris acknowledges in a May 2014 post on his blog that Knox County Schools are underfunded and concedes increased funding would help improve student achievement, yet he now advocates diverting funds to private school vouchers. Before embracing school vouchers, Harris should read the results of recent studies that find the long-term vouchers programs in Milwaukee and the District of Columbia to be failures.
Harris speaks the language of the corporate education reform movement, which is dedicated to seeing the end of public education in favor of privatization. He writes about unleashing an "entrepreneurial spirit," cost-effectiveness and a "return on investment." He compares public education to an industry. Knox County Schools are a public service, not a for-profit industry. If you want to see what happens when business principles are applied to public services, look at the present disaster in Flint, Michigan. If Harris does not believe in public education, he has no business serving on the Knox County Board of Education.
Edward T. Sullivan, Oak Ridge
AS CHANCES grow of a British referendum on EU membership as soon as June 23, it is vital that everyone with the right to vote makes sure they are registered.
All Britons who have been out of the country for less than 15 years have the right to take part in the referendum as long as they were registered voters in the UK before leaving. People who were too young to vote when they left with their parents may also register to take part if they left the UK less than 15 years ago.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron is now reported to be hopeful of securing a deal on EU reforms at a meeting with EU partners on February 18-19, with a preference then for a referendum in June after a four-month campaign 18 months before the deadline for holding it, which is the end of next year.
This early timetable makes registering to vote more urgent than ever. However, it is also likely to put a damper on any remaining hopes that the government might still give long-term expats a chance to vote by abolishing the 15-year rule.
After a bid to amend the Referendum Bill to include the long-term expats failed last year, voting rights for the referendum remain essentially those for a General Election vote which will not change until the government eventually introduces a promised Votes for Life bill.
If you were on the voting register for the General Election last year you may still be registered but you should double check, as you will drop off if you are not sent an annual form by your electoral registration office in the UK, or if one is sent and you do not complete it and send it back.
It is possible to register in a few minutes with details such as National Insurance number and your passport, at Register to vote.
Once registered you must also complete a form to request a postal or proxy vote, unless you plan to be in the UK on the polling day.
Considering difficulties with the postal voting system in recent elections, a proxy vote may be the most reliable method. Proxies do not have to be close family members or friends but must be registered UK voters.
In view of the urgent need to register, the British Embassy will be promoting an Overseas Voter Registration Day on Thursday this week (February 4), saying that with some half a million Britons in France, it is important that their voices are heard. It is estimated that worldwide so far only about 5% of eligible overseas voters are registered.
Christopher Chantrey, chairman of the British Community Committee of France, said: "It is very important that Connexion readers, and indeed all Britons living in France, pass on this message to all their British friends and colleagues here, so that as many as possible can register.
Those who are prevented from voting by the 15-year rule will be relying on those who are not prevented registering en masse."
By Choi Sung-jin
The government has set its export goal to Iran at $6.3 billion this year, restoring the level of 2012 and going all out to attain it, officials said Tuesday. It also aims to treble exports to the Islamic country in three years.
Korea Trade Assurance Corp. will conclude a basic financial agreement with Iran's finance ministry later this month and provide trade insurance worth $2 billion. The Export-Import Bank of Korea has also decided to sign a similar accord valued at 5 billion euro with Iran's central bank, to help Korean contractors receive orders for large offshore plants, they said.
Eximbank will also provide a credit line of $200 million to help Korean companies export industrial equipment and consumer goods as part of its short-term export-boosting package. The government made these and other decisions at an interagency meeting to promote exports to Iran, presided over by Assistant Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Woo Tae-hee.
Korea and Iran will hold a joint economic committee meeting on Feb. 29. At that meeting, the two countries will discuss activating seven subcommittees industry-trade-small business, energy-resources, construction-environment, shipping-port, health-medicine, finance-treasury-customs and culture-ICT-science-e-government. They also are scheduled to sign 21 memorandums of understanding in areas such as establishing electronic trade, financial support and hydroelectric power stations.
Government officials hope the Iranian government will push for improving its energy and social infrastructure by making the most of its oil export revenue and $100 billion of unfrozen assets. They also expect Teheran to import equipment and facilities to expand the production of cars and petrochemicals and increase imports of consumer goods, including cosmetics and home appliances.
"We need to make the most of the joint committee meeting to create the basis for Korean businesses' advance to the Iranian market and increase their exports," Woo said.
South Korea and Iran agreed to maintain the current won-based settlement system while seeking an alternative payment method that can further promote bilateral trade and investment, the government said Tuesday.
Following recent talks held in Tehran, the finance ministry said the oil-rich country agreed to hold onto two Korean won accounts it has maintained over the years.
The move comes after the international community lifted its blanket sanctions imposed on Iran early this year as the country pledged to freeze its nuclear program
The two sides also discussed ways to use the euro, Chinese yuan and Japanese yen to create another medium for payment and clearance.
Officials from the finance and foreign ministries held talks with Iran's central bank representatives. Woori and the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK), which control the Iranian accounts, were present at the gathering.
These bank accounts that contain some 3 trillion won ($2.49 billion) are owned by Iran and were created in September 2010 to bypass trade restrictions and allow the two sides to conduct trade, without violating the embargo.
Under this system, a South Korean refinery could purchase crude from Iran and deposit the money either into the Woori or IBK accounts. Iran's central bank would confirm the transfer and give the Iranian seller rial, which then concluded the transaction.
"Since South Korean companies bought more than they sold to Iran, the amount of money in the accounts has grown steadily over the years," a ministry source said.
The source, meanwhile, said talks on creating other forms of payment system were not concluded at the meeting.
"Iran has considerable trade with Europe so they prefer using the euro as a medium of trade," the official said. He said more talks will take place in the future on this matter.
On some media reports that Iran wanted to convert the won it held in its accounts into another currency, the insider said that the amount mentioned is very small.
"Iran naturally wanted to make more money out of the money it held, but the total it was to convert is way too small to actually affect the won-based settlement system," he claimed. (Yonhap)
An Seung-kyun, left, portrays Oskar with Park So-dam as Eli in a scene from the play "Let the Right One In," staged at CJ Towol Theater of Seoul Arts Center. / Courtesy of Seensee Company
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Upon entering the CJ Towol Theater at Seoul Arts Center, audiences can see a forest of silver birch trees and the stage covered in snow, as if they have been transported deep into a forest in Northern Europe. This is the set for the play "Let the Right One In," which revolves around a relationship between a vampire and a bullied schoolboy.
Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist's vampire novel of the same name was first adapted to film in 2008 and for the stage by the National Theatre of Scotland in 2013. The theatrical version is helmed by director John Tiffany, who is acclaimed for his directing of "Once" and "Black Watch."
The Korean production is a restaging of the original Scottish production and Tiffany and his team visited Korea for casting and to stage the show. This is the first non-English production of "Let the Right One In."
Eli is a vampire with the appearance of a teenage girl who lives with Hakan, an older man who "hunts" humans to provide blood for her. When Eli meets her new neighbor Oskar, a timid boy who is hassled at school, cracks appear in the longtime relationship between Eli and Hakan.
Actress Park So-dam in "Let the Right One in" / Courtesy of Seensee Company
There are many more characters and subplots in the novel, but Tiffany decided to concentrate on the triangle of Eli, Hakan and Oskar in the stage adaptation.
Vampires have been a favorite subject in popular culture for their versatile characteristics -- Ian Somerhalder, star of the "The Vampire Diaries," said vampires can be old but sexy, dangerous but loving, worldly and confident, yet volatile.
Tiffany said that if Samuel Beckett had written a horror film, it would be about vampires, as they verbally communicate with each other a lot. Indeed in the play, Eli's conversations with Oskar and Hakan progress the plot.
At the same time, the play relies much on visual storytelling through Tiffany's exquisite direction and movement director Steven Hoggett's actions.
"Let the Right One In" is not a play to watch with a light heart as there are seven deaths in two hours, but the Korean actors do a fine job in conveying the terrifying yet lyrical atmosphere.
Park So-dam, the starlet who shot to stardom last year playing a demonically possessed teenager in the supernatural thriller "The Priests," alternates the role with aspiring actress Lee Eun-ji, whose background is mainly in theater.
Both actresses have the right physicality to play a vampire but each brings her own distinct take on the character. Park's Eli is more of a teenage girl with an innocent vibe, while Lee's Eli has an unknowable, ageless look, hinting the immortal life of the bloodthirsty creature.
An Seung-kyun and Oh Seung-hun play the schoolboy Oskar, who grows into a man after meeting Eli. In the original novel, Hakan is portrayed as a pedophile while Oskar is the true love of Eli, but the play leaves room for Oskar to grow into another Hakan, who ages alongside the eternally young vampire lover.
The coldness and serenity of Northern Europe is portrayed in the set and music, taking audiences to a world of snow and ice. Icelandic musician Olafur Arnalds's soundtrack complements the play beautifully.
Set designer Christine Jones' simple yet surprising sets provide one of the most breathtaking moments of the show, when Oskar is dunked underwater in a real pool by bullies.
The play runs until Feb. 28. Tickets cost from 33,000 to 77,000 won. For more information, visit www.iseensee.com or call 02-580-1300.
By Kim Jae-heun
Model Kim Sang-woo flies a paper plane with the Rising Sun pattern in this photograph released in the Maison Kitsune look-book last month.
/ Courtesy of Maison Kitsune
French digital music and fashion label Maison Kitsune drew fire for using the Rising Sun flag, a symbol of Japan's militarism and imperialism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in their new collection look-book released last month.
The promotional images with the flag appear more than once, where a male model flies a paper plane with the Rising Sun pattern and a female model actually holds the ensign.
Maison Kitsune's 2016 Men's Fall/Winter collection "Love Rise" was inspired by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's movie "The Wind Rises." The film portrays the life of fighter aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi with World War II as the background.
The French brand issued an apology, Jan. 24, saying that "the controversial images in 16FW look-book will not be used for Maison Kitsune and sincerely apologize for the mistake of the French creative team that did not understand the cultural sensitivity of the image of the flag. It is not what the team originally intended to show."
"This is all about the lack of historical awareness," said Jung Duk-hyun, a culture critic. "People learn what they have done wrong belatedly. It applies not only to Korean stars but entertainers abroad. It is an apparent blunder of ignorance."
The Rising Sun Flag has a red circle in the center of the ensign that signifies the sun and 16 rays spreading outward. It is often considered the Asian version of the Hakenkreuz flag, a symbol used by the Nazi Party, later by the Third Reich, during WW II, which has been banned in Germany since 1945.
The Rising Sun Flag also disappeared with Japan's surrender in 1945, but was re-adopted in 1954 after the establishment of the Japan Self-Defense Force under the approval of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP).
In Korea, China and some Southeast Asian countries that were colonized by Japan up to the end of WW II, people still find the Rising Sun Flag offensive.
However, the recognition of the meaning of Japan's flag is not widely known. The controversy grew even bigger as the male model in the look-book turned out to be a 22-year old British Korean, Kim Sang-woo. Kim, who walked the Burberry show for the first time as a Korean model, also posted an apology Jan. 23 through his instagram, a photo-sharing social network service.
Other celebrities, including rapper T.O.P of K-pop boy band Big Bang and Hollywood actress Kristen Stewart were embroiled in the same controversy after wearing fashion designs with the Rising Sun logo, in 2007 and 2015, respectively.
Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun), left, and Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun) from "My Love from the Star" on SBS
TV character Do Min-joon from Korean drama "My Love from the Star" (2014) has been turned from an alien into a novelist for Chinese audiences.
Yonhap reports that Chinese TV broadcasters strictly prohibit dramas portraying ghosts or aliens.
Anhui Television (AHTV), which aired the romantic comedy-drama's first episode on Jan. 29, edited the ending of the show that ran on SBS from 2013 to 2014.
The original portrayed alien Do (Kim Soo-hyun) leaving Earth but then returning to live happily with his girlfriend, Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun).
The Chinese broadcaster revised the plot so Do is a novelist who comes up with the story and gives the book to Cheon as a gift.
"My Love from the Star" was a sensation in China when it was shown on Chinese video websites around the same time it aired in Korea. The drama recorded 4 billion hits. But despite its online buzz, it could not be shown on Chinese TV because of the strict rules.
AHTV shortened the drama's episode length and extended the number of episodes from 21 to 30.
The drama was made into a movie for theaters in China but the regulations prevented its showing.
/ Yonhap
North Korea has notified the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that it is planning to send a rocket carrying a satellite into space between Feb.8-25, increasing concerns that it is making preparations to further violate U.N. resolutions with the long-range rocket launch, according to various reports Wednesday.
The North on Tuesday sent a letter to the IMO, a U.N specialized agency, that its "Earth observation satellite" will be launched between 7 a.m. and noon Pyongyang time. In the letter, sent under the name of Jon Ki-chol, director-general of the North's Maritime Administration, the North said that the launch of the "Earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong' is pursuant to the national space development program."
The North also provided coordinates for areas where the rocket stages are expected to fall -- the first in the West Sea, the fairing in the East China Sea and the second stage in the Philippine Sea.
An earlier report by Japan's Kyodo News said that the International Telecommunications Union also received a similar notification from the North.
South Korea will launch its first magnetic levitation (maglev) train service on a route linking Incheon International Airport to a nearby station this week, becoming the second nation in the world to succeed in commercializing maglev technology.
The unmanned train, slated to go into service on Wednesday, will run the 6.1-kilometer line between South Korea's main gateway and Yongyu Station in 15 minutes, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. It will be serviced free of charge from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
South Korea is the second country in the world to launch a locally-made urban maglev transport service following Japan, the ministry said.
Four maglev trains each with two carriages will run every 15 minutes, with up to seven trains available for operation. A maglev train can carry up to 230 passengers and will run at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour although the train was designed to run up to 110 km per hour.
Maglev trains use a powerful magnetic field to suspend them above rails. The train, which runs 8 mm over the rail, was developed with 100 percent home-grown technology.
Unlike conventional trains, maglev trains have no wheels, which cause noise and vibrations, and allow passengers to travel with superb comfort.
In October 2006, the government launched a project to commercialize maglev train service for citizens living in and around the Seoul metropolitan area. A total of 413.5 billion won (US$382 million) has been spent on the project.
Twenty government agencies and private companies have taken part in the project, including the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Korea Rail Network Authority and Hyundai Rotem.
Test operations kicked off on a 6.1-kilometer rail line built in a town near Incheon airport in November 2012. Commercial service was originally planned to begin in August 2013 but has been delayed in order to correct problems exposed in the year-long test run and reinforce safety measures.
The Incheon International Airport Corp. plans to run the new service free of charge as it is a pilot project. The corporation said it may turn it into a commercial service after consulting with the Incheon city administration and the ministry, depending on demand.
Japan launched its urban maglev train service on an 8.9 km line in Nagoya in March 2005. (Yonhap)
President Park Geun-hye chided her senior secretary for political affairs for rejecting the opposition party's offer to send her an orchid as a gift for her birthday, an official said Tuesday.
Hyun Ki-hwan politely turned down the Minjoo Party's offer, believing that it was not appropriate to take the flower at a time when the rival parties have failed to pass a set of bills, presidential spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk told reporters.
A spokesman for the opposition party was on his way to deliver an orchid to Park's chief of staff Lee Byung-kee, Jeong said.
Park celebrated her 64th birthday by having lunch with her top aides earlier in the day. (Yonhap)
By Kang Seung-woo
Two Chinese military aircraft briefly intruded into the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Tuesday.
"A Chinese military surveillance aircraft and an early warning plane flew into the KADIZ over Ieodo, a submerged rock in the East China Sea without prior notice," the JCS said.
Ieodo, some 150 kilometers southwest off Jeju Island, is the subject of a territorial dispute between South Korea and China.
Right after the Chinese planes entered the zone, the Korean military issued a warning to the pilots of the infiltrating aircraft and ordered ROK Air Force fighters to be on stand-by alert. The pilots reportedly identified themselves as Chinese and immediately flew out of the area.
After leaving KADIZ, the aircraft also violated Japan's air defense zone, travelling south of Tsushima Island and Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighters in response, according to Japanese reports.
This was the first time that Chinese military planes have flown into the KADIZ without giving advance notice, triggering speculation that the flight was a show of force against Seoul's move toward accepting the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile interceptor on Korean soil.
The air defense identification zone is not a country's territorial airspace, but was established outside the territorial airspace for the purpose of identifying air traffic and to enable early warnings, by asking aircraft entering it zone to identify themselves and submit flight plans.
Japan's Ministry of Defense said that the planes did not intrude into its airspace. The JCS declined to comment on what China's intentions were regarding the flights.
However, a military official said that the incident may reflect China's concerns about talks between Seoul and Washington on the deployment of the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) on the peninsula.
The Chinese government has urged Korea to avoid having THAAD deployed here, claiming that it could be a threat to China's security.
"The flight must have been carried out intentionally because there is little chance that state-of-the-art military planes could mistakenly take a wrong route," the official said.
"Through the flight, China appears to be flexing its military muscle against THAAD deployment."
Japan's Mainichi Shimbun said that China may have flown them to collect information on Japanese Aegis destroyers which are in service to target any North Korea ballistic missiles heading for Japan.
Last week, the Korean defense ministry said that the Kim Jong-un regime may soon test a long-range ballistic missile amid increased activity at its northwestern launch site.
Korea expanded the zone in 2013 to counter China's unilateral declaration of its own air defense identification zone that overlaps with KADIZ and covers Ieodo, part of Korean territory located southwest of Jeju Island.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Tuesday reaffirmed his opposition to the removal of the statue of a girl that symbolizes Korean sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
"It is extremely difficult for us to forcibly remove the statue, which has been erected through fund-raising by civilians and citizens," Park said during a news conference at the Korea Press Center in downtown Seoul.
"Seoul citizens think of the statue as symbolic and historical," he said in reference to the Japanese government's demand for the relocation of the statue set up in front of its embassy in Seoul.
On Dec. 28, South Korea and Japan reached a landmark deal in which they agreed to resolve the "comfort women" issue with Tokyo's formal recognition of responsibility, an apology from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Japanese government's offer of 1 billion yen (US$8.29 million) in reparations to the 46 surviving Korean victims.
"Despite such a diplomatic agreement, spring has not yet come between South Korea and Japan," Park said. "Yet, Seoul and Tokyo maintain a very close relationship on the provincial government level." (Yonhap)
By Chung Ah-young
Chung Il-young
Chung Il-young, new CEO of the Incheon International Airport Corp. declared Tuesday that the airport was in a state of emergency situation following a series of security breaches.
The 59-year-old former president of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (KTSA) made the declaration about the emergency instead of celebrating his inauguration.
The move comes in an effort to tackle recent problems that have tarnished the airport's reputation, earned over more than a decade, as one of the world's leading airports.
"We've grown rapidly over the 15 years since we opened but the current crisis is the result of negligence after indulging in success," Chung said. "We should promptly solve the problems by pushing ahead with painful innovation and reform."
The airport has been under fire for its loose security after a series of illegal entries of transit passengers to the country took place. Also, suspected explosives were found at the airport last week, while luggage mishandling caused flight delays last month.
Chung said he would directly inspect some 100 operations at the airport and all managing officials will have to work at the airport during the Lunar New Year holidays to brace for contingencies.
The new president also vowed to devote himself to achieving the national goal of becoming an aviation hub for Northeast Asia.
Chung is expected to perform his duties stably as an experienced government official in related fields. Chung has been in charge of various aviation-related projects from planning, construction and operation of the airport over the last 20 years.
Chung served as aviation policy manager of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 1992 when construction of the airport began. He contributed to its successful opening when he worked as an international aviation officer in 2001.
As president of the KTSA, he performed management innovation and restructuring in 2011.
The airport's top post had often been used as a revolving door for politicians from the ruling party. Park Wan-su, the former president, quit his post in December to run in the general election in April on the ruling Saenuri Party's ticket in the Changwon-Uichang constituency in South Gyeongsang Province. Also, Jung Chang-soo, Park's predecessor, vacated his post to run for the Gangwon Province governor job in March 2014.
By Lee Kyung-min
Korea cannot rule out the possibility of the Zika virus coming to the country through aircraft carrying mosquitoes from affected regions, though any spread is unlikely for now due to cold weather, health authorities said Tuesday.
The authorities held an emergency meeting to prepare preventive measures against the virus, after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global emergency, Monday.
According to the Korea Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (KCDC), the country has not found any of the two kinds of mosquito aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti that carry the Zika virus.
"Even if they travel here on aircraft, infection from a bite is highly unlikely due to the cold weather, during which their activity is close to zero," a KCDC official said during a media briefing in Seoul.
Currently, three flights a week are in operation between Korea and Brazil, the hardest-hit nation, bringing up to 600 people from Brazil to Korea a week.
The KCDC said it would maintain its lowest alert level and would raise it only if a case was confirmed.
So far, there have been five suspected cases. Three tested negative, while two are awaiting results.
It is said that the virus causes microcephaly a birth defect where newborns have abnormally small heads although the causality between the pregnant mother being bitten and the defect has not been officially confirmed.
The KCDC advised pregnant women not to travel to affected regions. "If they have to visit such countries and develop suspicious symptoms such as fever, they should tell their doctors about their travels and have their fetus monitored regularly," the official said.
For possible transmission through bodily fluid which is also not officially confirmed the KCDC said those who recently visited the virus-affected Central and South America regions should refrain from donating blood for up to one month.
The KCDC said it would come up with more detailed response manual and release it to the public, especially to travelers at airports.
The WHO has designated the Zika virus and its suspected complications in newborns a public health emergency of international concern.
"The experts agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not yet scientifically proven," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said after a meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
The declaration is the fourth following the first one in 2009 during the H1N1 influenza epidemic that is believed to have infected up to 200 million worldwide; the second in May 2014 when a paralyzing form of polio re-emerged in Pakistan and Syria; and the third in August 2014 with Ebola in West Africa.
The WHO has estimated that the virus will infect up to 4 million people by the end of the year.
By Kim Hyo-jin
Cho Eung-chon
A former aide to President Park Geun-hye joined the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), Tuesday, prompting mixed reactions from conservative and liberal politicians.
Cho Eung-chon, a former presidential secretary for civil service discipline, was acquitted by a district court last October after he stood trial on charges of leaking intelligence on Park Ji-man, the President's brother, from June 2013 until January last year. The case is currently being reviewed by an appeals court.
The leaked information, which was reportedly collected by an officer who worked under Cho, was about Park's confidants who allegedly dislike the president's sibling.
.
Former MPK Chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in reportedly visited Cho numerous times to persuade him to join the party.
"I'd like to bring hope to politics," Cho said during a press conference, while announcing his decision to join the party. "Moon inspired me by saying that preventing the pain that I suffered from spreading to others is the politics we should be engaged in."
He added that the MPK, which showed efforts of renewal, moved him.
Cho's joining came as the opposition party is gearing up a campaign to highlight policy failures of the Park Geun-hye government ahead of the general election scheduled for April 13.
"A series of moves shows the party's intention to gain momentum on anti-Park election campaigns," said a party official, referring to the appointment of Kim Jong-in, Park's former aide as the party leader.
Cheong Wa Dae refused to comment on Cho, but a note of discontent was detected. "It's preposterous that someone who stirred commotion with a false scandal to step into politics," one official at the presidential office said. "Joining the MPK equals Cho's climb down that he engaged in leaking memos with political intentions," another official mentioned.
The ruling Saenuri Party hit out at the MPK. "It is out of the line," Kim Yong-tae, a party member leading its Seoul committee said, calling it a "ridicule of politics." Kim Young-woo, the party's chief spokesman said, "It is deemed as an act out of betrayal ahead of the general election."
By Kang Seung-woo
China is maintaining its strategic ambiguity about international calls to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test, while reacting sensitively to possible missile defense talks between South Korea and the United States.
The Chinese stance is regarded as somewhat hypocritical here because it is attempting to shift the blame to Seoul for rising tensions, while taking little action to curb the North's nuclear ambitions the root cause of regional security concerns.
Analysts said Monday that this "two-faced" approach by China will prompt Seoul to further boost its security alliance with Washington, setting the stage for a fiercer military rivalry between the U.S. and China in Northeast Asia.
While Pyongyang has been modernizing its nuclear program, sparked by the Jan. 6 nuclear test, the South and the United States are closer to deploying the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula to better protect against nuclear warhead-loaded missiles.
However, the Chinese government has stood against the plan, remaining silent on the North Korean nuclear program.
"It is necessary to take issue with China that is strongly opposing THAAD, but doing little to resolve North Korea's nuclear weapons, a reason for the move toward the THAAD deployment," said Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University.
The Chinese government has urged Seoul to avoid allowing THAAD on the peninsula because it believes the missile defense system could threaten its security.
After the North's fourth nuclear test, the international community has sought to slap the Kim Jong-un regime with stricter sanctions, but China has been procrastinating over the process of pursuing punitive action. China has reportedly proposed to delay a decision on sanctions until after its Lunar New Year holidays from Feb. 7 to 13 in an apparent bid to soften the punishment.
As a result, President Park Geun-hye said in the Jan. 13 press conference that the government will review deploying THAAD here to press China to aggressively do its part as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
"It is an effective measure to enhance publicity on the issue and to seek to deploy it," Chang said.
"China, a dominating force in the region, is required to settle the cause of THAAD, or the North Korean nuclear program, and in this respect, it should send a clear message against it to the North Korea leader."
Park Hwee-rhak, dean of the Graduate School of Politics and Leadership at Kookmin University, said that China fears that the THAAD deployment could toughen the trilateral alliance between South Korea, Japan and the U.S.
"China's opposition is aimed at preventing the U.S. from forging a three-way coalition that will target Beijing behind its Pivot to Asia policy," Park said.
Critics say that a lack of the Park government's strategy toward the North has led to this situation, as well.
"Despite growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean government has not set clear strategies to deal with the North. Compared with Japan, we are far behind," Park said.
Chang echoed Park's view, saying that under the U.S. strategic frame, we have failed to have its own vision and leverage over the North.
Wu Dawei, right, China's representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs, shakes hands with Pak Song-il, deputy director of the America department at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, upon his arrival at Pyongyang Airport, North Korea, Tuesday. The visit of Wu, China's point man on North Korea, comes amid a flurry of diplomacy following North Korea's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6. North Korea says it successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb. / Yonhap
China's top nuclear envoy made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday, a news report said, amid rising tensions over the North's fourth nuclear test last month.
Wu Dawei, China's top delegate to the long-stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, flew into Pyongyang in the afternoon, Japan's Kyodo News agency reported.
China is currently under international pressure to exert its leverage on North Korea to make sure Pyongyang ends its nuclear program.
Wu is expected to meet with North Korean officials over the Jan. 6 nuclear test, which Pyongyang claims was a successful detonation of a hydrogen bomb.
The test has raised security tensions in the region to a new high, with the U.N. Security Council pushing to adopt another sanctions resolution against Pyongyang.
South Korea appears to be inching closer to introducing an advanced U.S. missile defense system to counter the threats posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
Meanwhile, satellite imagery has shown increased activity at the North's Sohae, also known as Dongchang-ri, rocket launch site, raising concerns that the communist nation may be preparing for a long-range missile or rocket launch.
North Korea's official news agency made a brief report about Wu's arrival in Pyongyang. China's foreign ministry had no immediate comments.
Diplomatic sources in Beijing said the visit by Wu is likely to be aimed at moderating North Korea's future provocations, including the possible launch of a long-range rocket, while trying to persuade the North to resume negotiations.
"Preventing North Korea from carrying out an additional provocation is likely at the top of the agenda," a diplomatic source said of the visit by Wu to Pyongyang. "If North Korea launches a long-range missile again, it will further complicate the situation."
While China has been reluctant to join in drawing up tougher sanctions against North Korea, Beijing has repeated its long-standing stance that the six-party talks should resume at an early date.
"As China has talked about the resumption of the six-party talks, I think that the resumption of the talks may be one of the items on the agenda," the second source said. (Yonhap)
North Korea should expect to see the world not only issue strong condemnations, but also take action to punish the regime if it conducts a long-range rocket launch, a senior U.S. nonproliferation official said.
Concerns have grown that the North could carry out a long-range rocket launch in coming weeks, with satellite imagery of the country's rocket site showing what were believed to be preparation activities. A rocket launch would represent a serious act of defiance just a few weeks after a nuclear test.
"Such activities are clearly forbidden by the United Nations Security Council, and you should expect the rest of the world, including the United States and including China, not just to strongly condemn such a test but also to take appropriate action," Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Tom Countryman told reporters during a briefing Thursday.
Countryman hosted a conference on Wednesday of countries committed to the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) campaign aimed at stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery means and related materials.
Representatives from 70 of the 105 PSI-endorsing countries attended the meeting. In light of the North's Jan. 6 nuclear test, they reaffirmed the importance of using the PSI and all other cooperative means to prevent the transfer of WMD technology to the North.
"Without question, the efforts made by the United States and our partners have slowed down both the nuclear and the ballistic missile program in North Korea but obviously have not brought it to a complete halt," Countryman said during the briefing.
"We do need to work harder on preventing such exports. We also need to recognize that a change in North Korea's policy requires the world to do more than simply work harder against technology shipments. There needs to be a price that the North Korean regime pays in order for there to be a change in policy in North Korea."
He also said that the North's byeongjin policy of simultaneous pursuit of economic and nuclear development is a "mistaken belief."
"This is not possible. They will not have a normal political or economic relationship with the rest of the world as long as they possess nuclear weapons," the official said. "And it will require a unified voice from the world sending that message to change that policy." (Yonhap)
Canadian writer Dale Quarrington stands in front of Tapsa Temple in Jinan County, North Jeolla Province.
/ Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
By Jon Dunbar
Canadian writer Dale Quarrington published this month his second book on Buddhist temples around Korea. Titled "Korean Temples: Art, Architure and History," it spotlights the nation's 25 most significant temples across all nine provinces.
"I guess what really drew me to Korean Buddhism was my interest in art, religion and history," he told The Korea Times. "And at a Korean Buddhist temple, you get all three, in one place."
He visited his first Buddhist temple Bulguksa in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in fall 2003, shortly after moving to Korea from Tottenham, near Toronto, Canada. He said he was immediately hooked.
In January 2011 he opened www.koreantemples.com where he documents his travels. He tries to visit a different temple a couple times a month.
Explaining his devotion to visiting temples is difficult for him, especially as he isn't Buddhist. But he certainly finds the visits highly rewarding.
Currently he lives in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, with his Korean wife, a practicing Buddhist. She accompanies him on his temple visits half of the time, he said.
"We tend to have a bit of a routine," he said. "I go around and explore and she prays. After, we meet up. She's glad that I have a hobby that's not too expensive. In part, I think she's happy that I have a hobby that is so integral to her country."
In June 2014 he published "Korean Temples: From Korea's Southeast Corner," focusing on the corner of the country he's called home for over 12 years. For his second self-published book, he expands his scope to the whole peninsula.
"All 25 temples I discuss in my new book are the most prominent and historically significant temples in Korea," he said. "Any and all of the 25 temples are a great starting point to explore and better understand Korean Buddhism."
As well as introducing famous temples such as Bukguksa, Tongdosa and Haeinsa with original reports and almost 100 color photos, he also provides directions to help readers who want to visit for themselves.
Quarrington reckons he's visited between 400 and 500 temples across Korea. "There are roughly 10,000 temples in Korea, so I've only visited the tip of the iceberg," he said. "I guess an art connoisseur is never satisfied with one picture."
His book is available in paperback or e-book form on Amazon, or through koreantemples.com.
Two Chinese military planes recently entered the overlapping air defense identification zone of South Korea and China, prompting South Korea to ready a sortie of fighter jets, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday.
The Chinese jets entered the zone near Jeju Island on Sunday and flew out of it after South Korea sent a warning message, according to JCS spokesman Jeon Ha-kyu.
"We took necessary surveillance and tactical measures adequately," he said.
The ministry put fighter jets on standby in case the Chinese planes intruded into South Korean territory, he added.
The incident occurred amid a burgeoning stand-off between the Northeast Asian neighbors over the possibility that Seoul will introduce the advanced U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
The Pentagon wants to deploy the THAAD unit on the peninsula, citing North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.
But China is fiercely opposed to the plan, saying it is apparently aimed at curbing China's military influence.
In 2013, South Korea expanded its own air defense identification zone, called KADIZ, to cover Ieodo, a submerged rock.
South Korea has scientific research facilities on Ieodo, which China also includes in its air defense identification zone. (Yonhap)
Russia is opposed to the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea because it could destabilize the region's security landscape, Moscow's top envoy to Seoul said Tuesday.
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, has been a source of renewed controversy in Northeast Asia as South Korea is seen as moving to introduce it in response to North Korea's recent nuclear test. Russia and China have expressed strong opposition to the idea, anxious about an even greater U.S. military presence in the region.
"This issue is drawing a lot of attention in Russia," Ambassador Alexander Timonin said during a meeting with reporters at the embassy. "We are paying close attention to the increased contacts over the issue between relevant organizations of the U.S. and the Republic of Korea."
Washington is seeking to deploy a THAAD battery to South Korea, saying it is necessary to better shield its 27,000 troops in the country from North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations. Both Seoul and Washington, however, have repeatedly denied that formal talks are under way.
China and Russia said a THAAD unit here would bring the region back to the Cold War-like tensions.
"Russia believes that the deployment of THAAD to South Korea will not be helpful to peace and security in Northeast Asia nor to the resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula," Timonin said. "That is why Russia is urging all relevant nations to refrain from actions especially in the military field that could aggravate the situation."
Following the North's nuclear test on Jan. 6, Russia, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has joined consultations on a sanctions resolution against Pyongyang, but it has no plans to impose unilateral sanctions on the neighbor, the ambassador said.
"Before we talk about sanctions, we must first determine the exact nature of the test North Korea conducted," he said. "North Korea claims it tested a hydrogen bomb, but Russia has no evidence to confirm that."
At this stage, it would be too early to discuss the level or type of sanctions, he added.
What's clear, however, is that Russia and China will likely adopt similar positions on the sanctions resolution because they share a "nearly identical" view on how to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, according to the envoy.
China is reluctant to push the North too hard out of concerns for its own security interests, including the possibility of an influx of North Korean refugees or a U.S.-allied, unified Korea on its borders. Analysts say Beijing regards Pyongyang as a buffer against American hegemony in Northeast Asia.
Timonin cast doubts over the effectiveness of any nuclear talks excluding the North, saying Russia believes it is impossible to resolve the nuclear issue without Pyongyang's participation.
President Park Geun-hye proposed last month that South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. hold five-way talks to bring the North back to the six-party negotiations on ending its nuclear program. The six countries last met in late 2008.
The U.S. and Japan welcomed the proposal, while China and Russia effectively rejected it. (Yonhap)
The United States said Tuesday North Korea's planned satellite launch would violate numerous U.N. resolutions, stressing that the international community must impose "real consequences" for Pyongyang's provocative actions.
Earlier in the day, the North notified the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that it will launch an earth observation satellite between Feb. 8-25, confirming widespread concern the communist nation is readying for a banned long-range rocket launch just weeks after its fourth nuclear test.
"This act would violate numerous Security Council resolutions by utilizing proscribed ballistic missile technolgy. It also comes on the heels, as you know, of the Jan. 6 nuclear test, which is itself an egregious violation of U.N. Security Council resolution," State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a regular briefing.
The international community must impose "real consequences for the regime's destabilizing actions and respond with steadily increasing pressure," Kirby said, echoing remarks that U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power made right after the North's nuclear test.
"The Security Council has a key role to play in holding North Korea accountable by imposing a tough, comprehensive and incredible package of new sanctions and by ensuring rigorous enforcement of the resolutions it has already adopted," he said.
By Choi Sung-jin
Senior writer
Elections are voters' judgment of incumbent leaders and their parties. The coming parliamentary polls will also be an occasion to assess the first three years of President Park Geun-hye and the Saenuri Party.
President Park, long called the "election queen," could emerge victorious, yet again, on April 13, capitalizing on the divided opposition. Her conservative ruling party may even carry 180 seats or more out of the 300-member single-house parliament, enough for constitutional revision for itself.
The rudderless opposition party, notwithstanding, the wide gulf between Park's dismal performance and her successive election wins is a mystery of sorts in Korean politics. If this repeats on a national scale about two and a half months later, however, that could prove to be a major political setback many Korean voters might regret in helping to materialize.
Koreans have only to ask themselves three questions: Are they safer now than they were three years ago? Are they better off? And is the nation more democratic or not?
The answer is, even without much thinking, a resounding "no."
This country is the most insecure it has been in decades. While Park and her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, have done nothing about North Korea's atomic programs, the reclusive regime has conducted three more tests to become a virtual nuclear state, with its warheads becoming smaller and delivery vehicles flying longer. Ironically, it seems to be the South Korean, not North Korean, leader who is more isolated in the wake of the North's nuclear test on Jan. 6, though.
Not just China and Russia, but the United States, have given the cold shoulder to Park's calls for "five-nation" talks, an unrealistic proposal that excludes the perpetrator and any possibility of negotiating away the issue. To pressurize a reluctant Beijing, Seoul is pushing to introduce a U.S. missile defense system, a risky diplomatic gamble that could push Beijing even closer to Pyongyang. Because of her rigid, inflexible diplomacy that she confuses with a disciplined stance, Park has put herself in a powerless and awkward position.
Even more surprising, foreign and defense ministries seemed caught off guard by the commander-in-chief's premature initiatives for the five-party talks and importing the theater of high altitude area defense (THAAD) missiles, causing Koreans to question this administration's decision-making process on crucial national security issues. It is imperative that Korea, a prawn surrounded by whales, pulls the wisdom of all related people to tide over high diplomatic waters. National security is too crucial an issue to let the President make decisions impulsively, and then have the Cabinet mop-up the mess she has made.
President Park's "you-move-first" rigidity and her failure to consult key parties involved were also behind the disastrous deal over the "comfort women" issue. While Park was avoiding her Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, calling for Tokyo to resolve the issue first, Japan came up with a half-baked proposal that met minimal preconditions and, with the support of increasingly impatient Washington, forced Seoul to accept it, and never to discuss the matter again. Now Korea is just sucking its thumb while Japan is going backward, saying there was no coercion in recruiting girls and women who were forced to work at military brothels before and during World War II.
Economically, up to 90 percent of Koreans except for chaebol families, their employees and some wealthy individuals are far worse off than in 2013. Cheong Wa Dae says the administration has implemented many policies to realize Park's "economic democratization" pledge reforming family-run conglomerates and narrowing the income gap. Nearly 80 percent of Koreans see it otherwise, however, as the widening gap of wealth makes it all but impossible to rise up the social ladder.
Three years ago, Park pledged the state would raise all children under five, halve tuition for college students and give a basic pension to elderly citizens and said she does not make promises she cannot keep. The chief executive has kept none of these fully, and compares people who protest against such failures to "IS terrorists" because they wore masks.
In some ways, this setback in the freedom of expression and crackdown on opponents is the most symbolic, and gravest, failure of all turning the democratic watch backward. It is no small surprise, then, that people say the Park administration's obsession with a state-authored history textbook, which replaces several different versions reflecting diverse historical views, is not just intended to whitewash her father's pro-Japanese records and his dictatorial rule but to keep historians from painting her own tenure as going back to the bad old days of former President Park Chung-hee.
Over the past three years, Park has refused to meet anyone she dislikes be it Abe or Kim Jong-un, opposition lawmakers or union leaders until she is forced to.
Now, she has joined, and is leading, a business-initiated signature-collection drive to press the National Assembly to pass bills for "economic revival" which many private economists believe are helping big businesses at the expense of workers ignoring the separation of powers and directly appealing to people, mostly her diehard supporters and the establishment.
The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency Monday, noting that a surge in serious birth afflictions in South America was strongly suspected of being caused by the Zika virus. The U.N. health agency's seemingly swift move comes after it was harshly censured for being slow to respond to the Ebola outbreak that devastated parts of West Africa in 2014.
The mosquito-borne Zika virus is spreading explosively across the world. The virus began to run rampant last May in Latin America, including Brazil, and more recently, the United States, Europe and Asia have been affected. On Sunday, Indonesia reported a positive Zika case on Sumatra for the first time.
Zika is transmitted by the aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever. The virus is usually discovered in countries with a tropical climate and has affected 24 countries over the past two months. In Brazil, which is to host the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August, some 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly have been reported, of which 270 have been confirmed.
Since the Zika virus was first discovered in Uganda in 1947, the virus has posed no serious threat, causing only mild fever and rash. But a growing number of infected women have given birth to babies with microcephaly, having smaller heads and brain damage.
Still, there is neither vaccine nor medicine. At the present time, it's best not to be bitten by mosquitoes.
Despite the international health emergency warning, few expect the possibility of the virus gaining a foothold in Korea. Mosquitoes are not active in the winter in Korea, and chances of person-to-person infections are slim. So there is no need to panic over the spread of the virus.
Nevertheless, this is no time to be complacent. Travelers can be infected by the virus while taking a tour of Zika-infested areas. Pregnant women, in particular, must pay heed to the government's travel advisory.
On Friday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare designated the Zika virus as a legal infectious disease, and organized a meeting of health experts Tuesday in what appears to be a preemptive action. These are welcome moves, considering that last year's outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome caused serious confusion in Korea while the government was caught off guard.
As the weather warms, it will be necessary to step up efforts to drive off mosquitoes. Simultaneously needed is to beef up quarantine inspections at airports. Prevention is better than cure.
The number of female workers at various businesses in Seoul surpassed two million in 2014, thanks to the persistent increase of women's participation in economic activity, the Seoul metropolitan government said Tuesday.
The total number of women employed at businesses in Seoul stood at 2,060,316 at the end of 2014, a 4.12 percent increase from the previous year's 1,978,718, according to the capital city's survey of businesses.
The number of men at private businesses during the same period showed a slight increase to 2,679,567 from the previous year's 2,606,372, a mere 2.81 percent rise.
The ratio of female workers accounts for 43.47 percent of the total 4,739,883 people working at companies or running their own businesses.
By types of employment, some 1.37 million women were employed as average workers, while some 239,000 are owner-operators.
The number of temporary or part-time female workers slightly shrank to 267,000, a decrease of 0.63 percent from the previous year.
But the number of businesses represented by women increased 3.8 percent to 270,000. This means that the portion of female representatives at all private businesses in Seoul rose to 33.25 percent, a 0.09 percentage point up from the previous year.
By business entities, female representatives in the lodging restaurant sector accounted for 56.22 percent of the total, followed by education with 52.44 percent.
But the portion of women at electric, gas, tap water, mineral and transportation businesses was very low, remaining in the 2 to 4 percent range.
According to the Seoul city survey, the total number of private businesses including the self-employed stood at 812,000, a 3.53 percent increase from the previous year.
(Yonhap)
Yoo Jin-woo, third from left, poses with, from left, Premier Music College of Prague pianist Iva Rakova, Dubai Media City managing director Mohammed Abdullah, and Riad Kudsi, the head of the jury of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Music Competition and director of the National Conservatory, Dubai, at the CNN Building in Dubai Media City on Jan. 24. / Courtesy of the National Conservatory of Dubai
By Kwon Ji-youn
Young violinist Yoo Jin-woo has been named one of the grand winners of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Music Competition, organized in conjunction with the 12th Emirates International Peace Music Festival.
Also known as Eljin Yoo, the 13-year-old was announced as grand winner in the intermediate violin category of the GCC-level competition organized by Dubai Media City last month. He will perform as a soloist with the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO), comprised of the UAE's leading young musicians, at the opening ceremony of the Emirates International Peace Music Festival on March 20. Yoo will be joined by his fellow grand prize winner Xiaolin Zhang, 10.
He also received a scholarship for summer courses at the Premier Music College of Prague in the Czech Republic.
"I felt honored and grateful for the grand prize," Yoo said in an e-mail interview. "When I was younger, I cared more about the results. But now I am a little older and wiser to really appreciate the pieces that I play and the preparation period."
The competition, which took place in Dubai from Jan. 22 to 24, saw 60 young musicians perform for a committee of 10 international professional jury members. The GCC-wide contest was chaired by Riad Kudsi, director of Dubai National Conservatory, and it hosted representatives from the Premier Music College of Prague.
The Emirates International Peace Music Festival, founded in 2004, is a prominent classical music event for young virtuosos. It is held in partnership with Dubai Media City and organized by the EYSO. This year's festival will bring together some of the world's greatest youth musicians from GCC countries Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait Bahrain and Qatar, as well as Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.
Yoo began playing the violin at age six. He is just 13, but he seems to truly enjoy playing, according to members of his family.
"I was drawn to the violin's sound," he said. "I loved how it vibrates and produces its lovely sound. I like playing the violin because it lets me express myself through different pieces. I love experiencing the various emotions embedded in music."
Yoo won several awards at school and earned second honorable mention at the Kocian Competition in the Czech Republic in May 2012. He is currently a student of the Stanford University Online High School, which gives him time to volunteer as a music teacher at a local school that has no music classes.
"My dream is to build a small orchestra with less fortunate students who cannot afford music lessons," he said. "In this sense, my role model would be visionary economist, organist and politician Jose Antonio Abreu, who started Venezuela's El Sistema in 1975, with five children in a parking garage. When I met and performed for Gustavo Dudamel at the Abu Dhabi Festival three years ago, I felt the connection, since Mr. Dudamel also joined El Sistema when he was young, and I decided to start my own project. I am working hard to make this dream a reality."
Yoo's dream stage as a violinist is Dvorak Hall in Prague.
"But as a John Williams fan," he said, "I would love to perform with the Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by John Williams. The piece should be Binary Sunset from the Star Wars saga."
Yoo will participate in more upcoming international competitions this year in Europe, including the Euterpe Music Competition in Bari, Italy, in and possibly Greece's Muse Competition in September.
The organizers of the GCC competition, which goes international next year, are accepting Korean applicants for 2017.
Jung Ki-suck
By Lee Kyung-min
Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital President Jung Ki-suck has been named the new head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Cheong Wa Dae said, Tuesday.
Jung, 58, is the first appointee following the position's promotion to the vice-ministerial level last year following public criticism that the agency should play a bigger role in preventing infectious diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that swept the country last year and killed 38.
He will succeed former head Yang Byung-guk, for whom the Board of Audit and Inspection recommended dismissal for failing to contain the MERS outbreak.
"Jung has abundant experience in treatment and clinical studies, so we believe he is qualified to upgrade the nation's disease prevention and control system, especially against infectious diseases including MERS and Zika virus," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Jung Youn-kuk said.
The spokesman said Jung has long led the Hallym hospital, possessing a talent for managing organizations.
A respiratory disease expert, Jung is known for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as bronchial asthma and pulmonary infections.
When the nation was hit by MERS and in 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), another viral respiratory illness, Jung treated a large number of patients with efforts to identify the mechanism of airborne viruses that transmit lung diseases when breathed in.
He has also served as chair of the guideline control committee of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases and the education committee of the Korean Academy of Internal Medicine.
He has participated in more than 30 global and domestic clinical trials on pulmonary medicine, publishing more than 160 papers on the topic since 1990.
"I'll try to enhance the KCDC's emergency response capability, so that it can gain public trust," Jung said.
Regional head focuses on 4K, image sensors
By Kim Yoo-chul
Sony Korea Managing Director Osamu Morimoto answers questions during an interview at the company's headquarters in the International Finance Center, Yeouido, southern Seoul, Tuesday.
/ Courtesy of Sony Korea
Sony Korea, the Korean subsidiary of the Japanese consumer electronics giant, emerged last year as the country's top supplier of both the interchangeable lens and mirrorless camera segments, beating its longtime rival Canon.
The latest achievements came a decade after the company began selling its cameras in 2006. The head of its regional office said the result was due to its efforts to put "wow" technology in cameras.
"I think it was possible as we do have our own original technologies in image sensors, image processing and optics," Sony Korea Managing Director Osamu Morimoto said in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in One IFC, Yeouido, southern Seoul, Tuesday.
The executive confirmed that Sony had been named here as the top camera supplier by sales last year.
He said Sony Korea has been challenging itself to release premium and differentiated products as part of its diversified strategy.
"In cameras, we were late; however, that's why Sony Korea was able to challenge the conventional camera market with new technologies," Morimoto said.
He replaced Kenji Sakai to become the new chief executive at Sony Korea about a year ago. The local camera market is currently led by the two Japanese manufacturers after Samsung Electronics exited the market.
Morimoto said the subsidiary expects tough competition this year as demand for cameras remains weak mostly due to the growing demand for alternatives such as budget smartphones with competitive camera features.
"But Sony Korea became no.1 for the first time both in the interchangeable lens and compact camera market, which means we are going ahead in spite of the tough market situation. The more important thing is that our premium strategy last year has worked well among local professional users," he said.
Sony plans to focus on releasing a premium lineup to keep the current momentum.
"Our camera in every perspective must be premium so that only Sony can fulfill with our superior optical and imaging sensor technologies."
Citing data from market research firms, Sony Korea said its share in interchangeable lens cameras in Korea increased to 34 percent in 2015, while that of mirrorless was up to 56 percent.
Powered by solid demand for cameras, Sony lifted its Korean sales in terms of profits during the fiscal 2014 as operating profits from Apr. 4, 2014 to Mar. 31 2015 rose 69 percent from the previous fiscal year.
Focusing on 4K
Morimoto said demand for 4K content, which delivers vivid and clearer images than existing full HD ones, is still weak; however, Sony expects the upcoming Winter Olympics in Korea may awaken idling demand for vivid content, helping sales.
"Conventional local broadcasting companies have not been studied yet about the real effects of 4K content on the local media industry," said the managing director. "Also, producing 4K content costs a lot. Economic difficulties were also cited as another reason to delay the adoption rate of 4K content. But we see some demand to replace conventional HD content into 4K."
He asked the Korean government for more support to help local broadcasters accelerate their efforts to invest more in 4K content and related infrastructure.
Morimoto said its indisputable competitiveness in sensors is helping the company connect with the automotive industry which leading technology firms are betting on amid the convergence between hardware and software.
"Sony Korea maintains a good relationship with automotive parties," the regional chief said. "Car companies aren't Sony's direct threats as they are our business partners. Car companies need tier 1 or tier 2 partners to source needed parts. Sony could be an ideal partner."
Mentioning its latest decision to acquire the Belgium-based Softkinetic and Altair Semiconductor of Israel, Morimoto said it aims to deliver components that feature both sensing and communication capabilities, as well as new LTE solutions that leverage the strengths of these devices.
"If we can cover everything using internal technology, then it's okay," he responded. "However, everything is opened. Just simple, we need to diversify."
Morimoto said as smartphones have become commodities, its local business will see lots of challenges this year because its key mainstream business is in sync with the growth of smartphones.
"The consumer electronics market will completely be uncontrollable this year," the executive said. "We should keep our bottom line by rolling out premium products both for general and professional use. Then, we can reach into the next stage."
Beyond the business front, Morimoto said Sony Korea will do more to be recognized as a "good samaritan" by expanding its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.
"Sometimes, a special business target is important," he said. "We have to recognize our responsibility as a corporate citizen. We will expand our charity programs and environmental protection activities. We have responsibility as far as we are corporate citizens."
/Screen capture from Twitter
Some people avoid sex due to myths, says Anna Magee from U.K. health and well-being website Healthista. She says there is no need to stop sex because of them.
Magee shares seven sex myths even smart women believe and provides expert advice to support her arguments.
1. Women cannot get pregnant during their period.
Dr. Gillian Lockwood, a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist and medical director of Midland Fertility Services in the U.K., says there is no time that a woman of childbearing age cannot get pregnant. "This is why we hear about lots of women who've thought, 'Oh, it's the tail end of my period, I'm perfectly safe,' but actually they get pregnant," she said.
2. Having sex increases the risk of a heart attack
Based on many studies, it seems unlikely sex is a relevant trigger for a heart attack.
Dr Mark Knapton, associate medical director of the British Heart Foundation, says sex can count as an essential part of the daily exercise regime of heart attack patients.
3. People with bad backs should avoid strenuous sex
Physiotherapist Tim Allardyce of Surrey Physio says some sex positions are good for lower-back pain.
4. Urinating before sex can reduce the chance of an STI
Dr Zaki Almallah, consultant urologist at BMI Hospital in Edgbaston in the U.K., says urinating before sex has no effect on preventing a post-intercourse urinary tract infection (UTI). But he says urinating afterward can help. "Urinating after sex flushes out any bacteria that has lodged during intercourse into the urethra, which is the source of this transport of bacteria into the bladder," he said.
5. Sex and orgasm can induce early labor.
Dr Gabrielle Downey, a consultant gynecologist and obstetrician at BMI Hospital, says sex may induce early labor because it stimulates movement in the uterus. But she says the movement tends only to last 20-30 seconds and will rarely make a woman go into early labor.
6. Lying down with feet in the air increases the chance of pregnancy
Dr Downey says gravity does not affect sperm's movements that much, explaining that the fallopian tubes have rhythmical movements that help transport the sperm.
7. Headaches are a good excuse not to have sex
Some women make excuses when they do not want to have a sex, telling their partner "not tonight, darling."
But according to research by a team of neurologists from Germany's University of Munster in 2013, sex reduces or eliminates a headache by triggering the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.
The worst aspect of the Uberization of our economy may not be the transformation of workers who could once earn a living wage into independent contractors who can barely make ends meet (though thats bad enough); it may be the spreading myth that any economic function can be shoehorned into the Uber format of service-on-demand at a rock-bottom price.
A case in point is the mirage of an Uber for healthcare. The latest and most prominent promoter of this notion is the conservative healthcare analyst Avik Roy of the Manhattan Institute. In a new issue brief he poses the question directly: Why isnt there an Uber of health care? he asks. Why cant we deploy, in health care, the same forces that are improving quality and lowering costs in virtually every other sector of the economy?
Short of teleportation, the doctor house call will always be an irresponsibly massive reduction in primary care efficiency. Jay Parkinson, MD, CEO of Sherpaa
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Millions of dollars in venture funding have already been deployed to answer Roys question with a Why not, indeed? Pager, a mobile app company that arranges doctor house calls in New York and San Francisco, has attracted more than $24 million in early-round investment; Heal provides a similar service in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego regions. But both have limitations that point to real difficulties in applying the Uber idea to healthcare. In fact, there are indications that the model makes healthcare less efficient.
Lets dismiss right off Roys assertion that Uber necessarily has improved the quality or lowered the costs of transportation, much less any other service. Although Uber may have made local transportation more available in some places and some times of day, theres no evidence that its drivers are better, or safer, than taxi drivers, and some evidence that the form does less than taxi fleet owners or regulators to ensure the safety and quality of the person behind the wheel or the vehicle being driven.
As for lowering the costs, tell that to someone blindsided with a surge price for a ride late at night or in a high-demand period. And thats the price, not the cost--for the latter, one has to factor in the cost to the driver of providing the service net of expenses, which in many cases can reduce the drivers take to minimum wage or less.
The real question is whether healthcare harbors the same inefficiencies that Uber has exploited. That involves the question of whether healthcare is a service that can be reduced to fundamentals like local transportation. Is diagnosing or treating a disease the same thing as driving a car?
Indications are that the answer is no.
From the patients standpoint, services like Heal and Pager arent especially cheap compared with, say, an insurance co-pay for an office visit. Pager doesnt accept insurance, so a patient summoning a medical professional to a home via Pagers app will pay $200 per visit (after a first-visit come-on fee of $50). Heal accepts some Blue Shield and Anthem Blue Cross coverage; everyone else pays $99. Lab tests are extra. Some services dont always dispatch a doctor; sometimes its a nurse practitioner.
The range of what these professionals can offer at the home is necessarily limited. Youre not going to arrange a Pager or Heal appointment for anything that looks like, say, a cardiac event. Kidney stone with a pain rating of 10 out of 10? You want to be at the hospital.
The services are more suited for diagnosis and treatment of minor complaints that might require first aid, like sprains and minor burns, or stomach aches, routine blood tests, or simple physicals for camp, school and employment, as Pager says. Heal lists colds, ear infections, and headaches as indications for which you might summon a visit.
Some of these ailments may not require any professional treatment at all, which means that the services are encouraging more consumption of healthcare when sitting tight and waiting for the problem to resolve itself might be the right move. Pager and Heal both push health assessments, which could involve blood tests or other diagnostic efforts for no particular reason at all. Thats the sort of casual, wasteful consumption of healthcare that many experts say we should be moving away from.
Then theres the issue of whether these services are the best use of professionals time. Doctors and nurse practitioners are not as thick on the ground as are people who think theyre qualified to spend a couple of hours a day driving others around. Few of them may be willing to undergo the rigors of itinerant patient visits, especially if the equipment and medicines they need are located in a central place, like their office.
Consider the experience of one who knows. In 2007, Jay Parkinson, a young Penn State- and Johns Hopkins-trained physician, started an Uber-like house-call service on his own in Brooklyn. My idea was perfect for the promise of the mobile Internet, he wrote in December on the website KevinMD.com. Patients could visit his website, click on an embedded Google Calendar and make an appointment. He got mentioned on MSNBC, CBS, NPR, and elsewhere, and soon his calendar was filled to the brim with patients in his small service area, at $100 per visit (no insurance).
He had fun, but soon got burned out physically and psychologically: Id wake up and hope that I got a few early appointments during the night. Id read their stories and then email them to arrange the house call. If I needed to draw blood, Id ensure the right supplies were in my doctor bag. If I needed vaccines, Id have to swing by the pharmacy to pick up the vaccine. If I had to draw blood, Id have to drop that off to be picked up.
Parkinson realized that more than half his time was spent on logistics and traveling between appointments, a huge suck of time he needed to spend actually seeing patients. Short of teleportation, the doctor house call will always be an irresponsibly massive reduction in primary care efficiency.... Traditional primary care doctors can see 30 or so patients a day in their offices. House call doctors can see seven to eight. Even with a 20% increase in house call efficiency, house call doctors could see a maximum of 10 patients a day.
Parkinson eventually give up his house-call practice to launch Sherpaa, a service marketed to companies that arranges preliminary diagnoses for their employees, advising remotely whether they should see a doctor and, if so, arranging office appointments.
The app-enabled house call at even $100 will soon disappear, he predicts. Theyll be more like $499 or $599. And a shockingly small number of consumers will pay that amount for their pink eye. For example, its about the same amount of people willing to spend $499 on a cab to JFK. Also, zero health insurers will reimburse $499 for pink eye treatment.
The Uber for healthcare, in other words, will be a rich persons plaything.
That doesnt mean that massive inefficiencies cant be wrung out of the American healthcare system. Indeed, some payment paradigms being tested under the Affordable Care Act aim to do just that, by discouraging payment by test, moving toward payment by outcome, and giving hospitals incentives to reduce readmissions.
Much of the talk of an Uber for healthcare comes from people, like Roy, who think the free market is the answer to everything--let doctors work when they want, on who they want, without any interference from government or insurance companies, then all the complexities of medical care will fall away. Everyone will make more money while the patients pay less.
The truth is that no one even knows yet if Ubers model is a profitable one for Uber itself. For a capital- and knowledge-intensive sector like healthcare, in which a missed or mistaken diagnosis can mean injury or death, the idea that an app is the answer looks more like fantasy.
Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see our Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.
The University of California makes money when American workers become trapped in endless cycles of high-interest debt.
Thats because the university has invested millions of dollars in an investment fund that owns one of the countrys largest payday lenders, ACE Cash Express, which has branches throughout Southern California.
ACE isnt an upstanding citizen even by the bottom-feeding standards of its industry.
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In 2014, Texas-based ACE agreed to pay $10 million to settle federal allegations that the company deliberately tried to ensnare consumers in perpetual debt.
ACE used false threats, intimidation and harassing calls to bully payday borrowers into a cycle of debt, said Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This culture of coercion drained millions of dollars from cash-strapped consumers who had few options to fight back.
UCs connection to payday lending has skated below the radar for about a decade. The university has never publicized its stake, remaining satisfied to quietly reap profits annually from what critics say is a business that preys on peoples misfortune.
Steve Montiel, a UC spokesman, said even though the university has a policy of socially responsible investment and has pulled its money from tobacco and coal businesses, there are no plans to divest from the payday-lending-related fund.
He said the university is instead encouraging the fund manager, New Yorks JLL Partners, to sell off its controlling interest in ACE.
You want to invest in things that align with your values, Montiel acknowledged. But its better to be engaged and raise issues than to not be involved.
That, of course, is nonsense. If youre high-minded enough to sell off holdings in tobacco and coal, its not much of a stretch to say you shouldnt be in bed with a payday lender.
Im a UC grad myself, so this isnt just business its personal. The university could be just as vocal in raising issues about a payday lender without simultaneously making money off the backs of the poor.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found that only 15% of payday loan borrowers are able to repay their loans on time. The remaining 85% either default or have to take out new loans to cover their old loans.
Because the typical two-week payday loan can cost $15 for every $100 borrowed, the bureau said; this translates to an annual percentage rate of almost 400%.
Diane Standaert, director of state policy for the Center for Responsible Lending, said most questionable fund investments persist solely because no one knows about them. Once they come to light, public-fund managers, especially those espousing socially responsible values, are forced to take action.
In UCs case, this is definitely troubling, Standaert said. Payday loans harm some of the very same people that the University of California is trying to serve.
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As of the end of September, UC had $98 billion in total assets under management, including its pension fund and endowment. UCs cash is spread among a diverse portfolio of stocks, bonds, real estate and other investments. About $4.3 billion is in the hands of private equity firms.
In 2005, UC invested $50 million in JLL Partners Fund V, which owns ACE Cash Express. The fund also has stakes in dozens of other businesses.
JLL Partners declined to identify its investors but says it works with public and corporate pension funds, academic endowments and charitable foundations, sovereign wealth funds and other investors In North America, Asia and Europe.
Montiel said UC has made money from its Fund V investment, but wed lose money if we suddenly pulled out of it.
Thomas Van Dyck, managing director of SRI Wealth Management Group in San Francisco and an expert on socially responsible investments, said UC needs to weigh potential losses against the repercussions of being linked to a highly exploitative industry. The public relations hit could be more costly than divesting, he said.
The university has been down this road before. Most prominently, it bowed to pressure from students and others in the 1980s and pulled more than $3 billion from companies doing business in South Africa, which was still under the apartheid system.
After Jagdeep Singh Bachher was appointed in 2014 as UCs chief investment officer, he implemented a policy of pursuing environmental sustainability, social responsibility and prudent governance.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) convened a meeting on Capitol Hill last July to assess the impact of payday lending on low-income communities. Afterward, she wrote to UC, Harvard, Cornell and public pension systems in several states to ask why, through their Fund V investments, theyre stakeholders in the payday-loan business.
This is unacceptable, she said in her letter. These institutions should not support investments in companies that violate federal law and whose business model depends on extending credit to our nations most vulnerable borrowers often on predatory terms.
She urged UC and the other entities to divest their holdings in Fund V.
Montiel said UC contacted JLL Partners after receiving Waters letter and asked the firm to clarify its position in ACE Cash Express. The firm replied, he said, with a letter defending ACE and the role that payday lenders play in lower-income communities.
Since then, Montiel said, theres been no change in UCs Fund V investment. It isnt something were ignoring, he said. Things dont happen overnight with this sort of investment.
Officials at Harvard and Cornell didnt return emails seeking comment.
Bill Miles, JLLs managing director of investor relations, told me that ACE and other leading payday lenders have gotten a bad rap.
These are emergency loans to people who have no other way of borrowing money, he said, specifying that his remarks reflected his personal thinking and not that of his company. Its really the only source of funding to that community, short of a loan shark.
In 2014, 1.8 million Californians took out 12.4 million payday loans, clearly showing that many if not most borrowers took out multiple loans, according to the state attorney generals office.
Loan sharks like to be repaid. Payday lenders dont seem satisfied until people are constantly borrowing more.
Obviously a $50-million investment in a fund with a payday-loan connection is pocket change for UC. But that doesnt make the investment any less meaningful, nor does it excuse the university from profiting from peoples hard luck.
Theres a reason the university no longer invests in tobacco or coal. As UC says, they dont align with the 10-campus institutions values.
Payday lending does?
Absolutely not.
David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
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Digital First Media, the owner of the Los Angeles Daily News, has indicated interest in bidding for the Orange County Register and other assets of bankrupt publishing company Freedom Communications.
That move could set up a three-way bidding war for the Register among Digital First, Freedom Communications insiders and Tribune Publishing, the Chicago-based parent of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union Tribune.
Both Tribune and Digital First Media, which also owns the Long Beach Press Telegram, could benefit from adding the territory served by Freedom, which owns the Riverside Press Enterprise, to their existing coverage areas.
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The other likely bidder is a group led by Freedom Chief Executive Rich Mirman and Santa Ana developer Mike Harrah.
In a filing submitted to federal Bankruptcy Court last week, attorneys for Digital First signaled the companys intention to bid by requesting that the court push back the deadline to submit initial bids for Freedoms assets from Friday to Feb. 12.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Mark Wallace in Santa Ana on Monday approved the request by moving back the deadline for so-called stalking-horse bids, which set a minimum price for a bankrupt companys assets. Freedom is scheduled to be auctioned off March 16.
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FOR THE RECORD
Jan. 2, 9:49 a.m.: An earlier version of this article stated that Mark Wallace is a U.S. district judge. He is a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge.
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Digital First, a Denver company that owns dozens of newspapers including nine serving the greater Los Angeles area, had been thought to be interested in acquiring Freedoms assets since December when it was revealed in court that the company had offered a loan to help fund Freedoms operations during bankruptcy.
Thats a step often taken by firms interested in buying a bankrupt company, but Digital First declined to comment on the move at the time.
Representatives of Digital First did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. Alan Martin, an attorney representing Digital First, also declined an interview request after the hearing.
Though Digital First requested the extension, Jeremy Rosenthal, an attorney for Tribune Publishing, said the extra time would be helpful.
In court, he expressed concern that some of the assets held by Freedoms pension plan are unusual, making it difficult for Tribune to finalize a bid.
james.koren@latimes.com
@jrkoren
Its hard to name a category of start-ups that has struggled to produce big, billion-dollar exits more than e-commerce.
Competing with Amazon isnt easy, it turns out, and aspiring Davids have turned to ever more novel strategies to differentiate themselves from Goliath. The problem? Like anything trendy, each new twist on the e-commerce model eventually goes out of style.
Perhaps you remember the great subscription commerce wave of 2012 as I called it, stuff-in-a-box. It was a clever way to score recurring revenue by sending subscribers a container of curated stuff they didnt even know they wanted.
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But it didnt take long for each new stuff-in-a-box start-up to feel increasingly ridiculous: subscription perfumes, dog toys, cured meats, even stilettos hawked by Kim Kardashian. Customers were often frustrated by the relentless barrage of products, with some not realizing they were being automatically charged each month for the goods.
Investors quickly realized the model was little more than a 21st century twist on the Jam of the Month club, and the subsequent shakeout, marked by mergers, shutdowns and pivots, happened quietly.
After subscription commerce came content and commerce, a trend that peaked so fast its more of a blip than a full-fledged fad.
The idea tacking an editorial operation onto a store failed to increase profits for most start-ups, and last year the leader of the pack, Thrillist, split its e-commerce and media businesses. Founder Ben Lerer conceded to technology website Re/code that it was not the most productive for the two to share resources.
Lately the hottest thing in e-commerce is ClassPass for X, a trend that combines monthly subscription fees with experiences. (Millennials love experiences, Im told.)
It follows the success of ClassPass, a well-funded start-up that sells unlimited fitness classes at participating studios for about $100 a month, depending on the market. (In the Los Angeles/Orange County market, the price of ClassPass was recently increased to $119 a month from $99).
There is already a ClassPass for hair blowouts (Vive; $65 per month), massages (Zeels Zeelot program; cost varies) and live music (Jukely; $25 per month). Its too soon to call this new model a fad, but if past e-commerce innovations are any indication, it may not be long for this world.
All of these recent e-commerce models are descendants of the mother of all retail fads: flash sales. With the January acquisition of Gilt Groupe at a painfully low price it raised $280 million but sold for just $250 million the model has finally croaked.
Flash sales (and its cousin, daily deals) suffered from over-saturation. Copycats drove up the price of acquiring customers, which accelerated start-ups burn rates and prompted shopper deal fatigue.
When it became clear in 2012 that Groupon and Gilt would not live up to soaring expectations, copycats pivoted away from the model. But instead of focusing on the fundamentals (supply-chain management, say, or customer service), many of them simply latched onto the next hot strategy.
With such carnage, its puzzling that so many e-commerce entrepreneurs continue to chase buzzy new business models.
But the explanation is simple: As long as theres an Amazon, there will be e-commerce fads. The Jeff Bezos-led behemoth has already won on price, selection and service. All that leaves is novelty.
Erin Griffith is a writer at Fortune.
erin.griffith@fortune.com
Twitter: @eringriffith
Superfecta, the title work in Sadie Barnettes impressive Los Angeles solo gallery debut, casts a sharp and witty side-eye on the state of todays art world. Its a love-hate theme that runs through her show.
At Charlie James Gallery, the word is drawn in dark graphite on white paper, lower on the left than on the right, its invocation of making a long-shot wager on a horse race presented as a steep climb. At the words end, a spritz of black spray-paint turns the superfecta into something between a smudge and a dark shooting star.
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Its reminiscent of the jaunty Spam can in Ed Ruschas great 1962 painting, Actual Size, an advertising label for a canned good that is turned into an unnatural comet shooting across the canvas. Barnettes drawing is mounted on a 36-by-44-inch sheet of orange plexiglass that pulls in ambient light, framing the sentiment with a subtle, queasy glow.
Barnette uses sheets torn from the daily racing form as the paper for most of her drawings. Numbers one through nine, alternating between positive and negative stencil-shapes in the manner of Jasper Johns, are drawn in silvery graphite that obliterates much of the surface.
What peeks through is sporting information about competition. There are lists of contesting horses, an avalanche of statistics, trumpeted purses that an eager bettor might reap and ads that pitch a variety of handicapping aids. Todays behemoth art market, which subsumes artistic engagement within guesses about the potential for assorted asset classes, looms.
One triptych further ups the ante. At the left, a jockey on horseback furiously pushes his steed forward. At the right, an American flag sags, drooping along the bottom of the sheet.
And in the center, the excited chant of the fans -- go, go, go, go -- is repeated more than 20 times across the underlying racing form. The sly invocation of global art dealer Larry Gagosian, nicknamed Go-go by the art world, seals the deal.
Charlie James Gallery, 969 Chung King Road, Los Angeles, (213) 687-0844, through Feb. 20. Closed Sunday through Tuesday. www.cjamesgallery.com
christopher.knight@latimes.com
Twitter: @KnightLAT
History is given a warm theatrical salute in Fly, a tap-dance-infused drama that tells the story of a group of Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American Army Air Corps fighters who helped break down the color barrier in the military through their excellence, bravery and willingness to lay down their lives for a country that still treated them like second-class citizens.
The show, which opened Sunday at the Pasadena Playhouse, is marked by a generosity of spirit as it follows the journey of four ambitious young men chosen to take part in the highly selective flight training school in Tuskegee, Ala., at the peak of World War II. The color of their skin is presumed by their white commanding officer to disqualify them from being elite airmen, but this only hardens their determination to prove their personal and patriotic mettle.
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Written by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan, Fly personalizes the history through a traditional biographical setup but broadens the focus through a production that incorporates not only dance and poetry but documentary visual imagery along with plenty of shots of open sky.
The switching of registers between the straightforward dramatic storyline and this more poetic theatrical context has a few awkward moments in the beginning, but Khans staging grows in confidence and fluidity once the men are airborne.
The year is 1943. The U.S. is at war with Germany and Japan, but at home a different battle is underway the battle for civil rights, a long and difficult struggle thats especially explosive in the Jim Crow South.
Serving as a kind of spirit guide is Tap Griot (Omar Edwards), a Savion Glover-style tapper who uses the percussion sound of his shoes to intensify the pressure-cooker feeling of the airmen and the raging horror of combat that awaits them.
Fly has a restless energy that doesnt want to remain earthbound. The writing may not similarly soar the dramatic introduction of the four trainees is more efficient than artful but the action moves at a nice clip even when taxiing down the runway.
W.W. (Brooks Brantly) is a strutting ladies man from Chicagos South Side, educated at Howard University and dressed in zoot suit style. Oscar (Terrell Wheeler), an Iowa country boy who went to Morehouse College, describes himself as a no-nonsense race man. Anything and everything for my people.
J. Allen (Damian Thompson), a dignified and genial chap from the British West Indies, brings a touch of class to the barracks. Chet (Desmond Newson), the baby of the bunch, hails from Harlem and precociously learned to fly while working as a flight-obsessed janitor in Long Islands Roosevelt Field.
Their pioneering story is framed by another historical milestone: the first inauguration of President Obama. Chet, as an older man, is asked early on how he, a Tuskegee airman, feels about this momentous day.
History is the river we stand in, he says with retrospective wisdom. At the time he was making history, however, Chet acknowledges, We were all so young and none of us had any idea to where or how far its current would take us.... We just knew, each and every single one of us, that we had one dream, to be a flier.
The heavy of Fly is Capt. OHurley (Anthony J. Goes), the bitter white Boston bully who calls his pupils George after the derogatory nickname of porters on George Pullman trains. But I am not a porter! J. Allen objects, but hes advised not to argue with a racist who believes it would be more patriotic for these officer candidates to drop out of flight school than bungle the war effort with their inexperience and ineptitude.
OHurley, however, cant help being impressed by their rapid progress. Sponges for learning and too proud to concede defeat, these black cadets surpass the statistical expectation that only one of them will succeed. Success, however, moves them to a more deadly challenge providing cover for other pilots on some of the most dangerous missions of the war.
Because of the nature of the historical material, the rudimentary dramatic outline is less of a drawback than it might otherwise be. If the playwriting isnt always especially sophisticated, it has the virtues of being intelligently distilled and briskly delivered.
The characterizations are writ large. Each is individually contoured, but the weight of history works against too much subtlety. The four actors are at their most effective when singing a military song or marching in stylish lockstep. (Hope Clarkes choreography gives Fly a welcome tail wind.)
The production, on a clean set by Beowulf Boritt that transforms readily into the inside of fighter plane, is jazzed up by geometric screens upon which Clint Allens projections kaleidoscopically depict the civil rights struggle at home and the war abroad. John Gromada ratchets up the intensity with a thrilling sound design.
Fly might be best appreciated as a vibrantly executed historical exhibit. But the story of this group of Tuskegee airmen is ultimately as moving as it is enlightening.
The real-life Tuskegee airmen in attendance at Sundays opening performance were acknowledged with a standing ovation. These men have a double legacy: They not only helped save the free world but they advanced the cause of racial justice in a democracy still struggling to live up to its highest ideals.
The Los Angeles City Council has approved a settlement that resolves a legal dispute with the regions largest pay-TV provider, Time Warner Cable, over the payment of fees.
City Council members on Tuesday voted 15-0 to reclassify $5.2 million in fees that Time Warner Cable had paid under protest. The money will go into the citys general fund, where it can be used for various services.
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This money will pay for police officers, firefighters, street paving, tree trimming and more, City Attorney Mike Feuer said in a statement after the vote.
The disputed amount originally was earmarked for the citys Public Educational and Government Capital fund, which includes the citys public access TV channels. After the city sued the cable provider, Time Warner Cable demanded the city return the money.
Tuesdays action brings to an end nearly two years of legal wrangling.
Feuer in early 2014 filed a suit in federal court against Time Warner Cable, the dominant provider in Southern California, which provides high-speed Internet and cable TV service to more than 1.5 million homes in the region.
The suit demanded the cable provider pay the city nearly $10 million and claimed the company had shirked its responsibility during the financial crisis that strained the citys budget.
City leaders on Tuesday hailed the agreement, saying it could free up as much as $50 million over the next 15 years to be deposited into the citys general fund.
By securing this settlement, the city is receiving a substantial payment into the general fund. ... It will allow us to improve our fiscal health and enhance critical services in neighborhoods across Los Angeles, said Councilman Paul Krekorian, chairman of the city Budget and Finance Committee.
Time Warner Cable declined to discuss the settlement, which noted that the company had paid in full the various fees it owed the city.
The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, a Time Warner Cable spokesman said.
Time Warner Cable is in the process of being acquired by smaller Charter Communications. The two companies are hoping to win federal and state approval for their $57-billion merger.
Times staff writer Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report
Twitter: @MegJamesLAT
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The features lineup for this years South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival is a typically unpredictable group of films that leans toward the eclectic and unusual. With their program announcement released Tuesday, the Austin, Texas-based festival, which this year runs from March 11 to 19, looks to maintain its position on the festival calendar as a home for fresh talent and outsider voices.
Among the titles in Tuesdays release are comedian Mike Birbiglias Dont Think Twice, featuring Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs and himself; Jean-Marc Vallees Demolition, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts; John Michael McDonaghs War on Everyone, starring Michael Pena, Alexander Skarsgard and Tessa Thompson; Ti Wests In a Valley of Violence, starring Ethan Hawke and John Travolta; and Jesse Moss Bandit, a documentary look at the friendship between Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham and the making of Smokey and the Bandit.
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Previously announced titles include the opening-night world premiere of Richard Linklaters Everybody Wants Some and John Lees Pee-Wees Big Holiday, featuring Paul Reubens return to his signature character. Other announced titles include Jeff Nichols Midnight Special; Athina Rachel Tsangaris Chevalier; Taylor Brodskys true-crime documentary Beware the Slenderman; and Joe Berlingers documentary Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru.
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For the Record
Feb. 2, 2:45 p.m.: An earlier version of this article incorrectly gave the name of Pee-Wees Big Holiday director John Lee as Jeff Lee.
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An additional program announcement is expected on Feb. 9.
Though this years lineup may on first glance lack such obvious crowd-pleasing titles, such as last years Trainwreck or Spy, Janet Pierson, head of SXSW Film, points out, that films such as those by Linklater or Nichols are still major studio releases.
Its so interesting this year that our studio films happen to be from the kind of filmmakers who come more from the independent world, Pierson said in a phone call from Austin this week.
Every year festival programmers are asked to sift through their lineup in search of new themes, and for Pierson this year represents continuity rather than change.
I dont know if anything is new this year except for our commitment to discovery and fresh voices. Which isnt new, its a continuation, Pierson said. Every year it gets harder as there are more and more alums that we love. But in a lot of cases we opted for new voices. Were very committed to that.
Its not easy, theres no easy trend, she added. Some years they jump out at me, and this year I was staring at the board trying to think of how do I answer this question when it comes up.
The festival will feature 139 feature films, including 52 from first-time filmmakers, and 89 world premieres. The selection comes from more than 2,400 feature films submitted.
The 10 films in the narrative feature competition are all world premieres and include The Arbalest, directed by Adam Pinney; Before the Sun Explodes from Debra Eisenstad; Claire in Motion, directed by Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell; collective: unconscious by Lily Baldwin, Frances Bodomo, Daniel Patrick Carbone, Josephine Decker and Lauren Wolkstein; Donald Cried, directed by Kris Avedisian; Hunter Gatherer, directed by Josh Locy; Miss Stevens, directed by Julia Hart; The Other Half from Joey Klein; A Stray from Musa Syeed; and Transpecos, directed by Greg Kwedar.
Were interested in anything thats interesting. Janet Pierson, head of SXSW Film Festival
The 10 films having their world premieres as part of the documentary competition are Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America, directed by Matt Ornstein; Alive and Kicking, directed by Susan Glatzer; Best and Most Beautiful Things, directed by Garrett Zevgetis; Goodnight Brooklyn -- The Story of Death By Audio, directed by Matthew Conboy; The Liberators, directed by Cassie Hay; Orange Sunshine, directed by William A. Kirkley; Ovarian Psycos, directed by Joanna Sokolowski and Kate Trumbull-LaValle; The Seer, directed by Laura Dunn; The Space in Between -- Marina Abramovic and Brazil, directed by Marco Del Fiol; and TOWER, directed by Keith Maitland.
Julia Hart will be premiering her feature directing debut Miss Stevens as part of the competition. Though she had previously been to Austin for the local Fantastic Fest in the fall with The Keeping Room, a film she wrote, this will be Harts first time attending South by Southwest.
Ive always wanted to go. Ive gotten the sense that its an innovative and inclusive festival, Hart said.
I am more than a little excited that my first film will be premiering at a festival run by a woman, Hart noted via email. I feel honored to be added to the list of female filmmakers whose work SXSW has championed.
Among other world premieres announced Tuesday are Sophie Goodharts My Blind Brother, starring Adam Scott, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate and Zoe Kazan; Linas Phillips Rainbow Time, starring Melanie Lynskey, Phillips and Jay Duplass; Clay Lifords Slash, starring Michael Johnston, Michael Ian Black and Missi Pyle; and Ben Brewer and Alex Brewers The Trust, starring Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood and Jenny Lewis.
In a Valley of Violence filmmaker Ti West has had numerous films premiere at the festival, starting with his 2005 debut feature The Roost, and he expressed excitement at returning to the event.
What better place to premiere a western than Texas? West said this week. West credits the festivals early support in providing his films with appreciative audiences and giving him the boost he needed to continue.
Its really hard to express just how meaningful that is to a filmmaker unless you experience it yourself, said West. South by Southwest was the first big festival to really showcase micro-budget films and filmmakers, and without them taking those kinds of chances I wouldnt have a career today.
Zach Clark will be premiering a film at the festival for the fourth time when he appears with his new Little Sister. Clark was even at the festival before he had a film of his own, first attending in 2006 for a film he edited, Aaron Katzs Dance Party U.S.A.
I think 75 people showed up for our world premiere and that felt amazing, said Clark this week. You could make a movie for no money and people would take it seriously, who knew?
SXSW was also among the first film festivals to give attention to new television programs, going back to when it first premiered Lena Dunhams Girls in 2012. Now it has become quite common for festivals to premiere series work made for television or streaming.
It feels great we were there early, said Pierson, but it was a little inevitable too.
This year five series will have their world premieres during the festival. The supernatural Preacher, directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and starring Dominic Cooper, will play, as will Vice Principals, from the creative team of Danny McBride, Jonah Hill and David Gordon Green.
Outcast, directed by Adam Wingard, who made Youre Next and The Guest, will also premiere in the television section. Search Party, starring Alia Shawkat, is written and directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, who won the festivals feature competition in 2014 with their Fort Tilden. John Scott Sheperds You Me Her will also premiere.
While the recently concluded Sundance Film Festival was marked by a frenzy over unprecedented sales deals and a buying spree from streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon, Pierson notes that SXSW defines itself by different terms.
We define success basically on how strong the work is, how well received it is, and even more so by what kind of experience the filmmakers have within their own community, Pierson said. One of the things we hear over and over again is, I met the collaborators of my film this year while I was at the festival two or three years ago. Theres this alchemy where people meet really significant other people. And we love that, were sort of an inspirational melting pot. Thats how we define success, not by the conventional acquisitions market.
Put more succinctly, Pierson defined the mission of the festival when she said, Were interested in anything thats interesting.
1 / 72 Kelly Rowland speaks during her Chasing Destiny SXSW interview at the Austin Convention Center on March 19. (Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for BET) 2 / 72 DJ Steve Aoki poses with a fan at the Pandora Discovery Den on March 19. (Rachel Murray / Getty Images for Pandora) 3 / 72 The Roots brought their legendary Jam Sessions to the festival for the first time during an exclusive performance at the Bud Light Factory on March 19. (Rick Kern / Getty Images for Bud Light) 4 / 72 Rapper Tory Lanez performs at the Pandora Discovery Den on March 18. (Rachel Murray / Getty Images for Pandora) 5 / 72 Actor Paul Reubens answers questions at the premiere of Pee-wees Big Holiday at the Paramount Theatre on March 17. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 6 / 72 Actors Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara attend the premiere of Pee-wees Big Holiday at the Paramount Theatre on March 17. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 7 / 72 Wynonna Judd, center, with her band the Big Noise attend the Pandora Discovery Den on March 17. (Rachel Murray / Getty Images for Pandora) 8 / 72 DNCE perform at Music Is Universal Styld.by Gap presented by Marriott Rewards and Universal Music Group at the JW Marriott Austin on March 17. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Universal Music) 9 / 72 Rae Sremmurd take the stage at the Bud Light Factory during the Interscope Showcase on March 17. (Rick Kern / Getty Images for Bud Light) 10 / 72 Har Mar Superstar performs on a table at the McDonalds Loft on March 17. (Jay Janner / Associated Press) 11 / 72 The Cactus Blossoms perform onstage during the Pandora Discovery Den on March 17. (Rachel Murray / Getty Images for Pandora) 12 / 72 Iggy Pop performs at ACL Live the Moody Theater on March 16. (Rich Fury / Invision/Associated Press) 13 / 72 Chvrches Lauren Mayberry performs at the MTV Woodies/10 for 16 taping on March 16. (Jack Plunkett / Invision/Associated Press) 14 / 72 Anderson.Paak performs at the MTV Woodies/10 for 16 taping on March 16. (Jack Plunkett / Invision/Associated Press) 15 / 72 Ryan Adams performs at Music Is Universal on March 16. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images) 16 / 72 John Legend headlines the AXE Collective + Crew on March 17. (Rick Kern / Getty Images for AXE) 17 / 72 Musicians Thao Nguyen, center, and the Avett Brothers attend a screening of A Song For You: The Austin City Limits Story on March 17. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 18 / 72 Actor-director Don Cheadle attends the screening of Miles Ahead on March 16, (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 19 / 72 First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at the South by Southwest festival on March 16. (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for SXSW) 20 / 72 Big Boi performs at South by Southwest Interactives closing party at Stubbs on March 15. (Jack Plunkett / Invision / Associated Press) 21 / 72 Actor Don Cheadle poses in the Samsung Studio at the South by Southwest festival on March 15. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Samsung) 22 / 72 Aluna Francis of AlunaGeorge performs at Spotify House during the South by Southwest festival on March 15. (Anna Webber / Getty Images for Spotify) 23 / 72 From left, recording artists Sleepy Brown, Ray Murray and Rico Wade of Organized Noize attend a screening of The Art of Organized Noize at the Paramount Theatre during the South by Southwest festival on March 15. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 24 / 72 Texas meets Hollywood near the Paramount Theatre as the South by Southwest festival kicks off in Austin, Texas. (Larry W. Smith / EPA) 25 / 72 A general view of The Powerpuff Girls parade and screening at SXSW on March 14. (Robin Marchant / Getty Images for Cartoon Network) 26 / 72 Seth Rogen, left, and Evan Goldberg answer questions at the premiere of the work-in-progress Sausage Party at the Paramount Theatre on March 14. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 27 / 72 Actor Greg Poehler, from left, actress Rachel Blanchard, You Me Her creator John Scott Shepherd and actresses Priscilla Faia and Melanie Papalia attend the SXSW premiere of AT&Ts Audience Networks You Me Her on March 15. (Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for DIRECTV/AT&T) 28 / 72 Actors Melanie Papalia, from left, Priscilla Faia and Greg Poehler attend a brunch celebrating the premiere of AT&Ts Audience Networks You Me Her on March 15. (Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for DIRECTV/AT&T) 29 / 72 Bella Thorne, a Shovel Buddies cast member, attends the movies South by Southwest screening on Monday. (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for SXSW) 30 / 72 Motivational speaker Tony Robbins attends the screening of the documentary Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru on Monday. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 31 / 72 Andrew Jarecki, director of the documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, speaks at SXSW on Monday. (Rich Fury / Invision / AP) 32 / 72 Actor Craig Robinson, at SXSW with the movie Morris From America, poses for photos in the Samsung Studio on Monday. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Samsung) 33 / 72 Comedian Hannibal Buress serves as host at the Spotify House on Monday. (Anna Webber / Getty Images for Spotify) 34 / 72 Rapper Tory Lanez performs at the Spotify House on Monday. (Anna Webber / Getty Images for Spotify) 35 / 72 Actors Dominic Cooper, from left, Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun attend the screening of Preacher at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas on Monday during the South By Southwest festival. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 36 / 72 Directors Evan Goldberg, left, and Seth Rogen attend the screening of Preacher at Paramount Theatre during SXSW on Monday. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 37 / 72 Director J.J. Abrams speaks after the screening of Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey at the Paramount Theatre during SXSW on Monday. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 38 / 72 R2-D2 attends the screening of Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey at the Paramount Theatre during SXSW. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 39 / 72 Sia performs at Samsung Galaxy Life Fest at SXSW on March 13. (Rick Kern / Getty Images for Samsung) 40 / 72 Sia, background, and dancers perform at Samsung Galaxy Life Fest. (Rick Kern / Getty Images for Samsung) 41 / 72 Willie Nelson performs at the Spotify House during SXSW on March 13. (Anna Webber / Getty Images for Spotify) 42 / 72 James Caan attends a screening of his new film The Waiting at the Paramount Theatre on March 13. (Jack Plunkett / Invision/Associated Press) 43 / 72 Andrei Dementiev, wearing the GoPro camera setup, attends a screening of Hardcore Henry at the Paramount Theatre on March 13. (Jack Plunkett / Invision/Associated Press) 44 / 72 Singer Elle King performs onstage at Samsung Galaxy Life Fest at SXSW on March 13. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Samsung) 45 / 72 Actor Johnny Galecki experiences Samsung Gear VR at the Samsung Studio at SXSW. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Samsung) 46 / 72 Actresses Kate Micucci, left, Alia Shawkat and Gillian Jacobs at the Samsung Studio on March 13. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Samsung) 47 / 72 Director Mike Birbiglia attends a screening of Dont Think Twice at the Paramount Theatre on March 13. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 48 / 72 Scandal actress Kerry Washington speaks during South by Southwest at the Austin Convention Center. (Rich Fury / Invision / Associated Press) 49 / 72 Mr. Robot actor Rami Malek speaks during South by Southwest. (Rich Fury / Invision / Associated Press) 50 / 72 Mr. Robot actor Christian Slater speaks during South by Southwest. (Rich Fury / Invision / Associated Press) 51 / 72 Anthony Bourdain speaks during South by Southwest at the Austin Convention Center. (Rich Fury / Invision / Associated Press) 52 / 72 Jake Gyllenhaal, left, Jean-Marc Vallee and Bryan Sipe arrive at the screening of Demolition during South by Southwest at the Paramount Theatre. (Rich Fury / Invision / Associated Press) 53 / 72 Actor Alexander Skarsgard, left, director John Michael McDonagh and actor Michael Pena at a screening of their new movie War on Everyone during the South by Southwest Film Festival. (Jack Plunkett / Invision / Associated Press) 54 / 72 Actors Jordan Peele, left, and Keegan-Michael Key attend the screening of Keanu during the 2016 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival in Austin. (Mike Windle / Getty Images for SXSW) 55 / 72 Miguel performs as part of the SteelHouse Concert Series during the South by Southwest Interactive Festival. (Gary Miller/Getty Images for SteelHouse) 56 / 72 Burt Reynolds sits on a 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am at the world premiere of The Bandit during the South by Southwest Film Festival. (Jack Plunkett / Invision / Associated Press) 57 / 72 Ellen Page speaks at a panel discussion during South by Southwest. (Rich Fury / Invision / Associated Press) 58 / 72 Vice Principals Georgia King, left, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Danny McBride and Walton Goggins gather during the South by Southwest Film Festival. (Jack Plunkett / Invision / Associated Press) 59 / 72 Zoey Deutch arrives at the premiere of Everybody Wants Some at the Paramount Theatre. (Rich Fury / Invision/Associated Press) 60 / 72 Director Richard Linklater at the premiere of Everybody Wants Some at the Paramount Theatre. (Rich Fury / Invision/Associated Press) 61 / 72 Actors Glen Powell, left, Juston Street, Austin Amelio and Wyatt Russell at the Samsung Studio at SXSW. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Samsung) 62 / 72 Dallas Mavericks wwner Mark Cuban speaks during Sports and VR, presented by Gear VR, at the Samsung Studio at SXSW. (Rick Kern / Getty Images for Samsung) 63 / 72 Festival goers experience Samsung Gear VR at the Samsung Studio at SXSW. (Rick Kern / Getty Images for Samsung) 64 / 72 Actors Nathan Parsons and Ksenia Solo at the Samsung Studio at SXSW. (Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images for Samsung) 65 / 72 President Barack Obama, right, talks with Texas Tribune Editor in Chief/CEO Evan Smith at the Center for Performing Arts in Austin as part of the South by Southwest Festival. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP) 66 / 72 President Barack Obama waves upon his arrival on Air Force One at Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Hell speak at SXSW and attend two Democratic National Committee fundraisers. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP) 67 / 72 The First Order, from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has landed at SXSW. (Vivien Killilea / Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios) 68 / 72 The Austin Convention Center is ready for the publics arrival on the first day of South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Friday. (Larry W. Smith / EPA) 69 / 72 A state trooper and a volunteer walk through the hall inside the Austin Convention Center before the public was let in on the first day of the South by Southwest festival. (Larry W. Smith / EPA) 70 / 72 People line up inside the Austin Convention Center to register on the first day of SXSW. (Larry W. Smith / EPA) 71 / 72 People wait in line to see President Obama participate in a South by Southwest interactive panel on March 11 in Austin, Texas. (Erich Schlegel / Getty Images) 72 / 72 Visitors look over movie posters inside the Austin Convention Center at SXSW. (Larry W. Smith / EPA)
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The Port of Los Angeles has failed to meet pollution-reduction requirements at another shipping terminal, city officials said Monday, their second such admission in recent months.
The TraPac terminal near Wilmington did not comply with air quality improvement measures the city adopted years ago, including mandates that massive cargo ships shut down their engines and plug into shore-based electricity while docked to reduce harmful diesel emissions, a recent audit by the city-owned port found.
Port officials acknowledged last fall that they had failed for years to enforce similar mandates at the China Shipping North America terminal near San Pedro. Between them, TraPac and China Shipping handle about one-third of the containers moving through the port.
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Despite emissions reductions in recent years, the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex remains the largest single air pollution source in Southern California, with diesel-fueled cargo ships and trucks among the top contributors.
According to documents released last week under the California Public Records Act, ships plugged in to shore power at the TraPac terminal just 53% of the time in 2015, far below the requirement of 80%.
The port also failed to ensure that all yard equipment at the terminal ran on the cleanest possible Tier 4 diesel engines by 2014 as required by the city, the ports review found. By that year, only 105 of 135 pieces of equipment met those emissions standards, according to the port.
Gene Seroka, the ports executive director since 2014, blamed the shortcomings on construction work that prevented ships from using shore power and on last years labor-related congestion problems, which left more than two dozen ships waiting in the waters outside the port.
The backlog forced ocean carriers to charter additional vessels to deliver goods from Asia. Those vessels were not capable of plugging into shore power.
Seroka said he was heartened that the audit found the terminal was in compliance with all but three of the 52 measures required by the city, but it still shows there is work to be done.
Harbor commissioners approved the expansion of the TraPac terminal in 2007, imposing a series of conditions to reduce pollution and health effects on people in harbor-area communities.
TraPac did not return a phone call seeking comment. In a November letter released by the port Monday, Scott Axelson, a vice president for the company, called the failure to meet the shore power rules a one-time shortfall and pledged to meet them in the future.
Seroka said TraPac has also provided purchase orders to show its remaining yard equipment would be upgraded this year to the cleaner models required.
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Port officials launched the review of TraPac after revealing in September that the terminal operated by China Shipping had failed to comply with similar air quality improvements the city had agreed to as part of a 2004 legal settlement with homeowners and environmental groups.
The problems at China Shipping included unfulfilled promises to deploy cleaner yard tractors, cargo-handling equipment and natural-gas-fueled trucks. The public was not informed of those shortcomings.
The Times reported in December that the port had privately rolled back some of the pledged pollution-cutting measures, giving China Shipping permission to violate shore power rules starting in 2009.
Last month, state Controller Betty Yee, who is also chair of the environmentally powerful State Lands Commission, wrote to Seroka saying the ports years-long failure to execute the air quality measures promised in the China Shipping terminal expansion directly harms the public.
Yee reminded Seroka that the lands commission has the power to investigate, audit and review the administration of the land the port sits on.
Asked whether such an investigation was imminent, Jennifer Hanson, a spokeswoman for Yee, said, I dont think were at that point; we would hope it doesnt get to that point.
Yees letter also urged Seroka to push harder to bring zero-emissions technology such as clean-fuel-burning trucks and heavy equipment for moving cargo to the port. The ports current plans lay out only minimal deadlines and milestones toward that goal, Yee noted.
In a revised lease signed with the port in 2009, TraPac agreed to various environmental measures, including a gradual phase-in of the use of shore power until all ships plug in by 2018.
But TraPac was not bound by the shore power requirements until 2013 because the city took several years to install the infrastructure allowing ships to plug in, said Phillip Sanfield, a port spokesman.
Morgan Wyenn, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the disclosure of unmet requirements at TraPac is significant in that it shows that the port allowed noncompliance, and didnt tell the public about it, at more than just the China Shipping terminal.
The problems at TraPac are worrisome because they too were kept hidden instead of being disclosed publicly and dealt with in a public way, Wyenn said.
In recent months, community groups and some elected officials have demanded independent oversight of the port over the unfulfilled air quality measures, which they say have harmed peoples health by allowing excess pollution for years.
tony.barboza@latimes.com | Twitter: @tonybarboza
jack.dolan@latimes.com | Twitter: @jackdolanLAT
ALSO
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35 former members of California Coastal Commission oppose effort to oust executive director
Mitchell Englander and Janice Hahn lead pack in fundraising for supervisors races, filings show
Good morning. It is Tuesday, Feb. 2. The Super Bowl is just days away. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton arrived in San Francisco sporting $849 zebra-striped pants from Versace. Meanwhile, the Broncos team bus was in a minor crash on the 101. Heres what else is happening in the Golden State:
TOP STORIES
On the run
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For five days, a taxi driver was the prisoner of three prisoners who escaped from an Orange County jail. He was forced to join them on a journey from Southern California to the Bay Area. Their ability to move through the state undetected ended, however, when two of the inmates got into a fight over whether to kill the cabbie. Sheriffs officials believe two of the inmates began plotting their escape six months ago. Los Angeles Times
Police review
The U.S. Department of Justice is stepping in to review the San Francisco Police Department, which has been criticized since officers shot an African American man in December. Cellphone video appeared to show cops shooting Mario Woods, 26, as he walked away from them. 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, according to the director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Los Angeles Times
Coastal fight
Thirty-five former members of the California Coastal Commission are calling on the current commissioners to keep Charles Lester in place as executive director. Their letter is among the more than 11,000 the commission has received since the panel announced it was considering firing the longtime leader. Many people are concerned that the termination is motivated by pro-development interests rather than Lesters job performance. A hearing on Lesters fate will be held on Feb. 10 in Morro Bay. Los Angeles Times
DROUGHT AND CLIMATE
Fewer fish: Federal and state efforts to save the Chinook salmon appear to have failed. Just 3% of the species juveniles survived along the Sacramento River last year. Despite the many eggs laid by returning adult salmon, only 3% survived to reach Red Bluff. Those few survivors face further high mortality as they continue through the Delta and into the ocean, according to the fisheries service. Sacramento Bee
Defensive driving: There was a 44-car pileup in Truckee on Sunday because of ice- and snow-covered roads. SFGate
L.A. AT LARGE
Not so green: Officials with the Port of Los Angeles say they failed to meet pollution-reduction requirements at a second terminal. The TraPac container terminal did not comply with environmental standards set by the city years ago. It was revealed last fall that another company, China Shipping, failed to comply with air quality improvements. Los Angeles Times
Endorsement reversal: Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries has withdrawn his support of a ballot measure that would limit mega-developments in Los Angeles. After additional consideration, Boyle decided the proposal wouldnt do anything to create housing for the working poor. In a letter to The Times, he suggested he had signed onto the measure on the advice of two unnamed friends. Los Angeles Times
Temporary housing: Secretary of State Alex Padilla and his family have been living in a Burbank hotel for the last six weeks. The politician and his family left their Porter Ranch home after experiencing symptoms from the odorants leaking out of nearby Aliso Canyon. What we dont know about methane leaks and the amount of gas that has come out of that Aliso Canyon facility is very concerning to me as a father and a husband, Padilla said. NBC 4
Home makeover: In case you needed another reminder that the Los Angeles housing market is heated, here is a listing for a Northridge home priced at $475,000. The listing, which solicits an all-cash offer, describes the condition of the home as truly the worst home in the best neighborhood. Daily Mail
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Conservation measures: Sen. Dianne Feinstein could cement her reputation as a conservationist this week if President Obama declares three national monuments in the Mojave Desert along Route 66. Six years ago, these lands were on the verge of being bulldozed for industrial solar and wind installations amid an all-out drive by the Obama administration and national environmental organizations to boost renewable energy in the fight against climate change. The senator and the Wildlands Conservancy were the only two things that stopped those developments. San Francisco Chronicle
Reelection funds: L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti raised about $7,300 for his reelection campaign during the second half of 2015. That brings his total campaign war chest to $2.23 million. The mayors campaign doesnt plan to raise beyond $2.237 million so he can remain eligible for public financing. Los Angeles Times
Safe sex: Officials with the San Francisco Unified School District want to reduce the number of pregnancies and STD infections among students, so theyre considering a proposal to hand out condoms in middle schools. Under the plan, a student would have to meet with a social worker or school nurse before receiving condoms and other educational materials. San Francisco Examiner
CRIME AND COURTS
History of flight: Years before he escaped an Orange County jail, Hossein Nayeri fled the U.S. Marine Corps. Military records show he went missing shortly after completing boot camp at Camp Pendleton. When he was found, the Marines put him in the brig for 47 days, court-martialed him and kicked him out under a bad conduct discharge. Los Angeles Times
At war: How does San Bernardino view the Dec. 2 shooting? San Bernardino has long been at war, and losing. The steady erosion of the American working class, with a commensurate rise in local poverty, has been killing the city for decades. Bloomberg
CALIFORNIA CULTURE
Party house: Nightclub owner Jeff Beacher is planning to make an offer on the Playboy Mansion in the hopes of turning it into a high-end night club. One problem hes expected to offer $90 million, even though the mansion is listed for $200 million. If the sale were successful, Beacher would still have to petition the city to change the homes zoning so it could operate as a club. Curbed LA
No. 19: Whats for lunch? Every sandwich at Langers Deli, apparently, plus some Matzo ball soup and pastrami chili cheese fries. Got any Tums? Eater LA
#loveisblind: A Murrieta woman who communicated with a man on Instagram married him just moments after meeting him at the airport in Ontario. Dont listen to your thoughts. Dont listen to your head. Follow your heart. Follow your soul, Arte Vann said after embracing Erica Harris in the airport terminal. CBS 2
CALIFORNIA ALMANAC
San Diego will be mostly sunny with a high of 61 degrees. Los Angeles will be sunny and 64 degrees. In Riverside, it will be mostly sunny and 58. San Francisco will have morning showers and clouds. Highs are expected to reach 53 degrees.
AND FINALLY
Todays California Memory comes from Steve Smith:
In 1967, at the age of 12, my parents took my brother and me to Yosemite National Park. Burned in my memory is the view exiting the Wawona Tunnel overlooking Yosemite Valley. In front of me on that clear day was El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall, and I was mesmerized. Yosemite was the location of the happiest single moment of my life and was the favorite place of my late wife. I return twice a year to honor her and to, as she would say, clear out the cobwebs from my mind.
If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)
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.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday heard arguments ahead of a decision that could settle the fight involving pop star Katy Perry, the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese, a successful restaurateur and an order of nuns over the sale of a convent in Los Feliz.
Judge Stephanie Bowick will soon make a pivotal ruling in the convoluted legal battle, which centers on who has the legal authority to sell the villa-style hilltop property, which spans several acres and features birds'-eye views of downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains.
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary contend that they have the legal authority to sell the property, which is among the assets of the orders nonprofit institute.
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The nuns claimed their sale agreement with restaurateur Dana Hollister for $15.5 million was legal.
The Los Angeles Archdiocese, however, has fought to stop the sale, contending that the church has exclusive legal authority over the property and that the nuns sale was unauthorized. The archdioceses agreement to sell the convent to Perry -- for $14.5 million in cash -- is legally binding, the archdiocese argued.
Bowick is expected to rule in the coming weeks on two motions that seek to invalidate the sisters agreement with Hollister.
One of the motions, part of a complaint filed by the archdiocese, argues that the nuns had no authority to sell the property and the sale must be voided. The church and Perry argue that the nuns failed to secure the approval of Archbishop Jose Gomez.
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Attorney Michael Hennigan, who represents the archdiocese, said that Gomez, not the sisters, controls the orders nonprofit institute.
The second motion, part of a separate complaint filed by Perrys company, Birds Nest, asks the judge to give Perry the sole right to purchase the property.
An attorney for two of the nuns, John Scholnick, argued that more evidence should be gathered before a ruling is made.
Perrys attorney, Eric Rowen, though, said that Hollister and the sisters were attempting to stall.
The sisters, Rowen argued, conceded that they did not oversee the institute when they withdrew a separate legal action that challenged the authority of the archbishop.
All they want to do is live another day, he said.
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Scholnick said that withdrawing the legal action was a strategic decision and that the sisters could refile after more evidence is gathered.
Hennigan said that if they prevail, the church and Perry would ask for damages.
Decisions on the motions are expected within 60 days.
For more Los Angeles civil court news, follow @sjceasar
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Campaign finance reports filed Monday gave a glimpse at the strength of candidates running for two open seats on the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The seats held by longtime Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Don Knabe are up for grabs this year as both are being forced out by term limits.
Mondays filings show Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander holding a narrow lead in fundraising in the race for Antonovichs seat and U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn with a strong lead in building a war chest in the run for Knabes seat.
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This years election will continue a power shift that began with the 2014 elections, as newly implemented term limits begin to take effect. Before that, sitting supervisors had held onto their seats on the board for two or even three decades.
The election will probably also continue a leftward tilt in the boards politics. Although officially the seats are nonpartisan, Antonovich and Knabe are Republicans, and the other three board members are liberal Democrats. A win by Hahn would give the board a four-member supermajority of liberal Democrats.
The county government manages a $28-billion budget, represents 10 million constituents, and runs massive public health, social service and criminal justice operations. The county has the nations largest local jail system, child welfare system, and second largest municipal health system.
The race to replace Antonovich in his sprawling north county district, which includes the Antelope Valley and parts of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, is hotly contested. Ten candidates have filed statements allowing them to raise campaign money for the seat. Mondays campaign filings covered fundraising and spending for all of 2015.
Englander reported raising $905,006 throughout the year, with $324,436 of that coming between July and December.
He received strong support from business and development interests and from a number of private-sector unions, as well as from the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1277, which represents public transit workers.
Kathryn Barger, Antonovichs chief of staff, came in close behind, raising $832,104 in all of 2015 and $317,147 in the second half of the year. Barger garnered support from some county employee unions, including those representing physicians and probation officers, as well as from a number of individual county employees and department heads.
Alternate Public Defender Janice Fukai, county Health Agency director Mitch Katz and director of the Department of Public Social Services Sheryl Spiller all contributed to her campaign.
But Barger said in a statement that a majority of her support had come from residents of the district.
I am not the candidate of the downtown and Sacramento special interests, so I am grateful for the support from the community I am running to represent, she said.
State Sen. Robert Huff raised $741,804 throughout the year and $477,367 between July and December. About 30% of Huffs money was transferred from another campaign committee he had formed to explore a run for the state Assembly.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Elan Carr raised $724,693, with $298,824 between July and December. Separately, an indepedent expenditure committee set up to support Carr reported raising $8,500. Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian raised $306,934 in 2015 and $193,282 in the second half of the year.
All five of those candidates are Republicans.
Filings for four other candidates, Raj Pal Kahlon, Alan S. Reynolds, Pauline Field and Darrell Park, were not posted by the county registrars office. Candidate William Malone reported raising a total of $4,685.
The field running for Knabes seat in a district that includes Long Beach and other South Bay cities is smaller and so far dominated by Hahn, who raised $646,832 last year.
Steve Napolitano, a Knabe aide who is endorsed by the supervisor, raised $228,909. Former Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin -- also a former Knabe aid -- brought in $162,994.
Hahns father, Kenneth Hahn, served four decades on the county board, and she has been considered the favorite to win the seat.
Hahns campaign consultant, Dave Jacobson said her strong fundraising showcases the fact that U.S. Representative Janice Hahn is the consensus candidate among every constituency in this race.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, who are so far running unopposed for reelection, raised $639,931 and $432,615 respectively last year.
Twitter: @sewella
Time staff writer Maloy Moore contributed to this report.
Higher-than-normal rainfall associated with El Nino has diminished the risk of wildfires in California for the next four months, according to a national fire agency report.
However, those same rains ultimately could trigger an uptick in grass fires at lower elevations because of a heavy grass crop expected in late spring, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. The NICC helps oversee wildfire response efforts.
Heavy rainfall and increasing snow accumulations brought on by widespread storms in January have resulted in above-normal precipitation for Northern and Central California, allowing vegetation to grow and green-up, the report said.
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Southern California hasnt been so lucky however, and precipitation there has reached only near-normal levels.
Although models predict that El Nino will dump more rain in the lower part of the state, the report notes that some people are growing skeptical.
While the two storms of early January were enough to bring the monthly precipitation totals to within close proximity of normal for southern Orange County and San Diego county, an extended stretch of dry weather in late January has led to some in the general public to question whether the current El Nino would end up bringing significant rainfall to Southern California, the report said.
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Five years of California drought and above-normal temperatures have caused firefighters to rethink their approach to battling wildfires in the winter and spring.
Traditionally, the threat of wildfire has been low from January to May. In the past few years, however, wildfire activity has increased during this period. Wildfires also have grown much more destructive during the normal fire season.
In 2015, two massive wildfires in Northern California the Butte and Valley blazes killed six people and racked up at least $1 billion in insured losses. Together, the fires covered 150,000 acres and destroyed thousands of structures.
Although the fire agency is anticipating above-normal precipitation over the next few months, it cautioned that the benefits are likely to be temporary.
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Above-normal precipitation is certainly a welcome change to the dry winters of the past few years, the report said. But one wet year is unlikely to bring an end to the drought.
For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA
MORE ON EL NINO
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Fatality from falling tree in El Nino storm called unimaginable
High-pressure mass above Southern California keeps brunt of El Nino away
The Los Angeles Police Commission ruled Tuesday that officers were justified in shooting a homeless man last year in a controversial, video-taped killing on skid row, but faulted another officer who shot and killed an unarmed man in Burbank days later.
The officers did not violate the LAPDs policy on using deadly force after Charly Leundeu Keunang, a 43-year-old man known as Africa along skid row, reached for a rookie patrolmans holstered gun during a struggle March 1, according to the commissions ruling.
Keunangs death garnered international attention after a bystander posted a dramatic video of the shooting to Facebook. The recording of his death became the latest in a catalog of video that has left police shootings under intense scrutiny.
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Some homeless-rights advocates sharply criticized the decision by the commission and the LAPD to find the shooting within policy.
Obviously theres a disconnect in terms of what were seeing and what theyre deciding, said General Jeff Page, a skid row activist who attended Tuesdays commission meeting.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the shooting along with other incidents prompted his department to reexamine how officers are trained to interact with people who have mental illnesses. He noted the LAPD is expanding teams that pair officers with mental health professionals to better respond to calls of crisis like the one involving Keunang.
This one was obviously made more difficult by the times we live in and by the outcome which was sad, certainly, Beck said, referring to other high-profile police shootings. But I also recognize how hard police officers jobs are. And they have a right to defend themselves.
In the other shooting, the commission found that Officer Brian Van Gorden violated LAPD policy when he killed Sergio Navas. Navas was shot four days after Keunang, but the circumstances surrounding his death were overshadowed by the skid row incident.
Officers tried to stop Navas after they spotted him speeding in a gold Mercury Sable in Toluca Lake, but the 35-year-old took off toward Burbank, according to a report Beck sent the commission.
Six minutes later, Navas came to an abrupt halt on National Avenue, a dead-end street. The officer who was driving the police SUV told investigators he tried to stop behind Navas car, but was driving too fast and had to veer alongside the Sable to avoid hitting it, the report said.
Navas then got out of the car, the report said. The officer who was sitting in the passenger seat told investigators that Navas slammed the Sables door and turned to face him. At that point, the officer said, he thought Navas was trying to trap me in the car and ambush me, according to the report. The officer said he couldnt see Navas hands, the report said.
He wasnt trying to run. He was facing right at me. Thats when I thought, I was like, this guy is going to try to shoot me, the officer told
investigators. I didnt want to wait around and find
out.
The commission agreed with Becks conclusion that an officer with similar training and experience would not reasonably believe Navas actions presented an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. The board faulted both officers for their tactics leading up to the shooting.
Van Gorden remains on administrative duty. His attorney, Gary Fullerton, defended the officers actions, saying he was in fear for his life.
The officer was face-to-face with the suspect and believed he was going to shoot him, Fullerton said. If you wait, theres a good chance youre a dead man.
A lawyer representing the Navas family in a lawsuit against the city said the commissions finding could help shift the perception that the panel gives officers wide latitude when considering police shootings.
That provides hope, attorney Dale Galipo said.
But that sentiment wasnt shared by some of those who had criticized the killing of Keunang.
The video of Keunangs death, which drew millions of views, helped renew long-standing complaints from skid row residents and advocates who say police use heavy-handed tactics against a population plagued by mental illness and drug use.
Police Commission President Matt Johnson said the boards analysis of the shooting was deliberate, thoughtful and compassionate based on an investigation that included interviews with more than a dozen witnesses, DNA analysis and video from police body cameras. He called the shooting nothing short of a tragedy.
Reports from Beck and Inspector Gen. Alex Bustamante summarizing the investigation described an intense struggle between Keunang and the officers, who went to South San Pedro Street after someone called 911 and reported a robbery. When the officers arrived, the reports said, they were told that Keunang had also threatened the caller with a baseball bat.
Keunang became aggressive during the encounter, clenching his fists and raising his voice, according to the reports. Recordings from body cameras worn by two of the officers, the inspector generals report said, show Keunang ignoring one officers commands and repeating, Let me express myself.
The officers repeatedly warned Keunang he would be Tased if he did not calm down, the reports said.
At one point, Keunang walked back into his tent. Two sergeants pulled the tent open as Keunang grabbed a cellphone from inside. One officer then used a Taser, the reports said, but it didnt appear to have an effect.
1 / 14 Protesters march on March 3 from the skid row site where a homeless man was killed by officers on March 1 to the headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 14 Marchers protesting the officer-involved killing of a homeless man on skid row on March 1 head down 5th Street toward the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on March 3. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 14 Protesters demonstrating against the officer-involved shooting of a homeless man on March 1 chant outside the headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 14 Suzette Shaw, 50, screams You cant kill! during a March 3 protest at the skid row site where a homeless man was killed by police officers on March 1. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 14 Kelly Kunta, who lives on skid row, sits on the ground in front of Los Angeles Police Department headquarters March 3 during a symbolic die-in protesting the fatal shooting of a homeless man in a confrontation with LAPD officers. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 14 Protesters stand in front of LAPD headquarters March 3 after marching from the scene of a fatal shooting of a homeless man in a confrontation with police officers on skid row. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 14 A small memorial at the site of Sundays deadly officer-involved shooting. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 14 An LAPD patrol car drives by the site of Sundays officer-involved shooting. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 14 Ota Omoruyi, 53, who has been homeless for a year, places a cardboard sign on Monday at the site of Sundays deadly officer-involved shooting. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 14 LAPD Chief Charlie Beck discusses the recent police shooting on skid row. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 14 People gather at Pershing Square on Sunday to protest the police shooting of a homeless man. The man was killed by LAPD officers during a confrontation downtown. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 14 Patrisse Cullors, cofounder of Black Lives Matter, speaks to people gathered at Pershing Square on Sunday to protest LAPDs fatal shooting of a homeless man. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 14 Police close San Pedro Street between 5th and 6th streets in downtown Los Angeles after an LAPD officer-involved shooting on Sunday. (Christina House / For The Times) 14 / 14 An investigation is underway on San Pedro Street between 5th and 6th streets in downtown Los Angeles after an officer-involved shooting on Sunday. (Christina House / For The Times)
Instead, Keunang charged an officer and began swinging his arms, the reports said. One officer punched Keunang in the face, and he was taken to the ground. A Taser was used on him again.
At some point, a rookie officer said, he felt Keunang grab his holstered pistol. Hes got my gun, the officer yelled. My gun, hes got my gun.
One officer opened fire. When the other officers heard the gunshot, they said, they believed Keunang had control of the weapon.
I firmly believed that this suspect had shot an officer, one said. It was very very quick.
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Portions of the shooting were captured by several cameras, including bystanders cellphones and body cameras worn by a sergeant and one officer.
That video evidence showed Keunangs hand grabbing the top and grip of the officers gun, the reports said. One video showed Keunangs hand holding onto the gun as it was substantially removed from the holster, the inspector generals report said.
A coroners report showed Keunang was shot six times, including twice by a gun pressed against his body. The autopsy also showed he had meth in his system.
Although the Police Commission determined the officers were justified in firing their weapons, it decided in a 3-2 vote to fault the rookie officer who did not pull the trigger for his failure to maintain control of his pistol and baton.
Redacted versions of reports made public Tuesday did not identify the officers. But the LAPD previously identified the three who opened fire as Sgt. Chand Syed and Officers Francisco Martinez and Daniel Torres. All three have returned to the field, according to an LAPD spokeswoman.
Dan Stormer, an attorney representing the Keunang family in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, criticized the LAPD for not reaching out during the investigation, saying he believes he knows of witnesses to whom police have not talked.
This was a police coverup, not a police investigation, he said.
The district attorneys office has yet to decide whether to bring criminal charges against any of the officers.
Navas and Keunang were among 21 people fatally shot by on-duty LAPD officers in 2015.
After the commission announced its decisions, about a dozen activists gathered outside police headquarters in downtown L.A., chanting, Charly Africa. Charly Africa.
Page, the skid row activist, said the panels actions would serve only to widen the rift between the homeless population and city officials trying to bring services to them.
Its worse than reinforcing it creates an even stronger divide, he said.
Follow @katemather for more LAPD news.
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Years before his other well-known instances of taking flight from criminal cases in Madera County, Orange County and, finally, from the Orange County jail itself -- Hossein Nayeri fled his post as a U.S. Marine.
Nayeri, now 37, enlisted in the Marine Corps as a teenager in August 1998 but vanished from his post at Camp Pendleton not long after completing boot camp, according to military records.
Nayeri was labeled a deserter and remained missing from October 1998 to March 1999. When he was found, the Marines put him in the brig for 47 days, court-martialed him and kicked him out under a bad conduct discharge, said Marines spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock.
He barely earned the title Marine, she said.
That did not stop Nayeri from invoking his military service when he was seeking leniency in connection with the 2005 drunk-driving death of a friend in Madera County.
Nayeri was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, posted bond and disappeared,. He was captured in Seattle more than a year later and ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter without gross negligence, which carried a maximum of four years in prison.
In a letter to a sentencing judge in 2009, Nayeri wrote that he and some friends from his wrestling team decided to join the military after high school in Fresno.
After careful consideration, we decided to join the Marine Corps because we wanted a challenge and the Marine Corps was perceived as the toughest and the best, Nayeri wrote. I even took it a step further and worked hard and qualified for Reconnaissance School.
His military service was a theme in many other letters written on his behalf.
His sister, Negar Nayeri, praised her brother, saying that he joined the Marine Corps at the age of 18, graduating second in his class and being part of the selected few to be chosen for reconnaissance.
In another letter, a high-school friend with whom he had joined the Marines wrote: The Marine Corps made us into men.
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The letters did not mention his desertion. The Marine Corps said Nayeri was not in the service long enough to become a specialist in reconnaissance or any other area.
A Madera County judge gave Nayeri a suspended prison sentence, plus time served in county jail, and released him into a one-year substance abuse rehabilitation program, said Steven Geringer, his attorney on the case.
Nayeri now faces life in prison if convicted on charges of kidnapping, aggravated mayhem, torture and burglary. Prosecutors say that Nayeri, along with two other men, kidnapped a pot dispensary dealer from his Newport Beach home, dragged him to the desert and cut off his penis in October 2012.
Authorities said Nayeri fled to Iran as their investigation closed in on him, but he was captured in Europe in late 2013 and returned to Orange County.
He was awaiting trial in the kidnapping case when, on Jan. 22, authorities say he masterminded a breakout from the jail. Nayeri and two other escapees who were being held on unrelated cases are all now back in custody.
christopher.goffard@latimes.com
MORE ON THE O.C. JAILBREAK
O.C. jail fugitives abducted cabdriver, argued over killing him, officials say
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
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens called the escape of three men from the Central Mens Jail an embarrassment and acknowledged that the maximum-security lockup appears not to have followed proper policies to keep track of inmates.
In an interview Monday, Hutchens said she was extremely troubled by the lengthy delay in discovering the escape by the three inmates, each accused of violent crimes. The delay gave the trio a head start of up to 15 hours before jailers noticed their absence.
Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Duong broke out Jan. 22 sometime after the days first head count at 5 a.m. They cut through four layers of metal and rebar and burrowed through the jails plumbing tunnels to reach the roof. They rappelled down the building with a rope made of knotted bedsheets.
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Deputies in the jail did not notice their absence until the nightly head count, which occurs about 8.
Hutchens said that in the hours between the two daily head counts, tracking the movements of the 1,433 inmates at the Santa Ana facility can be complicated. Inmates may have court appearances, may move to visiting rooms or classrooms, and may be transferred to medical facilities.
They are not just sitting in the dorm and you cannot just count, she said.
In addition to the two physical counts, deputies are supposed to conduct three administrative counts in which they review records to determine the location of inmates. Hutchens department is reviewing whether that policy was followed, but she was skeptical.
Apparently, it does not appear to be that way, because they went undetected as missing for quite a while, Hutchens said.
Since the escape, deputies are now required to confirm that inmates have actually moved to new locations during the day.
The head of the union representing Orange County deputies, Tom Dominguez, has publicly criticized the jail leadership and called for the removal of the captain overseeing the facility. Dominguez said the departments policy on counting inmates was ignored in the months leading up to the escape.
Hutchens has said that no disciplinary action has been taken against department personnel.
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She suggested that the trio were able to access their escape route for several days before they broke out of the jail, which was built in 1968.
I dont think this was a one-day thing. This took awhile to defeat the security systems, to defeat these metal grates, to defeat their one-inch-thick bars took some time, in my opinion, she said.
The plan escalated after Duong was arrested in December and placed in the module where Nayeri and Tieu were also housed, Hutchens said.
Loc Ba Nguyen, an associate of Duong, visited the jail a few times and is believed at some point to have helped smuggle in the tools the men used to cut through the metal and rebar that fortifies the jail, according to the departments spokesman, Capt. Jeff Hallock.
Neither Hutchens nor Hallock detailed what Nguyen smuggled into the lockup. Prosecutors allege Nguyen smuggled a knife and two other items used in the escape sometime between Jan. 12 and Jan. 15, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Nguyen drove to the jail about 5:15 a.m. on the morning of the escape, shortly after the trio rappelled down the side of the facility, Hallock said. He then drove them to a residence in Westminster, and the men began moving between homes in Santa Ana and Huntington Beach, Hallock said. They collected cash from friends, hailed a taxi and headed toward Rosemead, where they shopped at a Target and spent three nights at a hotel.
Hutchens said that an English instructor at the jail, Nooshafarin Ravaghi, provided a view of the rooftop to the inmates, printed from Google Maps. The sheriff insisted that her department was correct to arrest the 44-year-old teacher. The Orange County district attorneys office declined to file charges against Ravaghi, citing insufficient evidence.
Based on the evidence, we felt she was a co-conspirator, Hutchens said. She said there was no rift or acrimony with the district attorneys office.
The sheriff expressed relief at the recapture of the three men and said the departments staff worked through the night for more than a week while they were on the lam.
Three dangerous individuals got out of a maximum-security jail. That would be an embarrassment for anybody, Hutchens said. That is why we worked so hard around the clock.
For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.
Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.
MORE ON THE O.C. JAIL BREAK.
Her pink Taser, poisoned hamburger patties and an iPhone: the story of a wife who lured an Orange County fugitive out of Iran
O.C. Sheriffs Department examines what went wrong as fugitives return to jail
For a week, O.C. jail escapees stayed a step ahead of authorities
Dr. Cameron Webb runs a blog called Mosquito Research and Management, which is going forthwith into my Bloggers list. Here's his January 29 post: Does Zika virus pose a threat to Australia? Excerpt:
There is little doubt the virus can make it to Australia. There have already been a number of infections reported in travellers arriving in Australia from the Cook Islands and Indonesia.
Mosquito-borne viruses generally arent spread from person to person. Only through the bite of an infected mosquito can the virus be transmitted.
In the case of Zika, there have been some unusual cases of transmission, including through sex and the bite of an infected monkey. Despite these unusual circumstances, mosquitoes will still play the most important role in any local transmission.
While dozens of mosquitoes are capable of spreading local mosquito-borne pathogens, such as Ross River virus, only one of the 300 or so mosquitoes found in Australia can transmit Zika virus: Aedes aegypti, the Yellow Fever Mosquito, which is only found in north Queensland.
The Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is critical to the spread of Zika virus in many regions of the world, including Australia.
For local Aedes aegypti to spread Zika virus, they must bite an infected traveller shortly after they return from a country where the virus is circulating.
While the chances of this happening are small, there is then a risk of a local outbreak occurring as the infected mosquito bites people whove never left the country.
This is the process that occurs in outbreaks of dengue in Far North Queensland. If we can get outbreaks of dengue, there is no reason we cannot, or wont, get an outbreak of Zika in the future.
How to reduce the risk of transmission
Fortunately, authorities are well placed to contain an outbreak of Zika virus, as the required strategies are the same as management of dengue outbreaks. Perhaps the real message here for Australian authorities is that they need to work diligently to keep exotic mosquitoes out of the country.
While Aedes aegypti may not become established in southern cities, even with a changing climate, there is great potential that Aedes albopictus, better known as the Asian Tiger Mosquito, could become established in southern cities. As well as a vector of Zika virus, it can spread dengue and chikungunya viruses and be a significant nuisance-biting pest. Keeping this mosquito out of our cities is critical.
The Seventy Four, an organization whose co-founder is a controversial education advocate, has taken over LA School Report, a website covering the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The organizations name is a reference to 74 million students attending public schools in the United States. The site was co-founded by former CNN anchor Campbell Brown, who is part of a lawsuit seeking to overturn tenure protections for teachers in New York.
The groups entry into Los Angeles has alarmed union leaders and some supporters of traditional public education. They say it could undermine trust in the reporting of education controversies. They had expressed similar concerns when The Times recently accepted outside funding to supplement its education coverage.
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The Seventy Four, based in New York City, describes itself as a nonpartisan news site with the mission of exposing an education system in crisisto challenge the status quo, expose corruption and inequality, and champion the heroes who bring positive change to our schools.
The groups funders include a roster of charter school supporters, such as the Walton Family Foundation, the Doris & Donald Fisher Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Critics call the Seventy Four an advocacy effort on behalf of a pro-charter school, anti-union agenda. The organization, critics say, uses opinion pieces and reported stories to promote charter schools and to find fault with traditional campuses and teachers unions.
Not so, said co-founder and Chief Executive Romy Drucker.
We try to highlight whats working, Drucker said. Part of the mission also is highlighting whats broken and needs to be fixed and highlighting the solutions.
No type of effective school is favored; no type of ineffective school is spared, said Drucker, who had been a top New York City schools official under former Chancellor Joel Klein.
Klein is closely associated with advocates who believe that school systems should be run more like successful businesses.
Charters are independently operated and exempt from some rules that govern traditional schools. Most are nonunion.
Charter school growth has become a flash point in Los Angeles, which has the most students enrolled in charters, about 101,000, of any school system in the nation.
A confidential document, obtained last year by The Times, laid out a plan, spearheaded by the Broad Foundation, to more than double the number of local charters, pulling in half the district enrollment over the next eight years. Potential funders included the Walton Family Foundation, which was set up by the heirs to the Walmart fortune.
That plan, were it to go forward, could push the nations second-largest school system into insolvency, according to an independent panel of experts.
Is there a connection between the Seventy Fours takeover of LA School Report and the Broad-Walmart plan to privatize LAUSD schools? Of course there is, said Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of the local teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles.
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Broad is not listed as a funder on the Seventy Fours website.
Campbell Brown is not about fair coverage, Caputo-Pearl said. She is about reform, which is often a code word for criticizing teachers and advocating that public schools get turned into charter corporations.
Drucker, of the Seventy Four, said that its news stories are fair and fully reported and should not be confused with opinion pieces, including those by Brown.
LA School Report owner and founder Jamie Alter Lynton launched the site three years ago during the run-up to school board elections. She had been a campaign contributor to a slate of candidates backed by corporate-style reform advocates, but said she directed her editors to play no favorites.
From the beginning there was a lot of hand-wringing about whether my personal views would be imposed on the readers of the LA School Report, she said Monday. We worked very hard to cover this space with an eye toward what is good for kids--not this war between the adults, the reformers and the union, which is such a narrow way of looking at these issues.
Not everyone was persuaded, but school board President Steve Zimmer, a union ally, said he came to believe the goal of editor Michael Janofsky was to provide balanced coverage. So did Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
LA School Report has been a legitimate and credible news organization, Weingarten said. The 74 million is not.
Zimmer linked the acquisition to what he characterized as a pattern of wealthy partisans trying to control the media message, including at The Times, which has received funding from Broad and others to increase education coverage.
Truth itself, as it relates to public education in Los Angeles, will be filtered through an orthodox reform lens at every turn, said Zimmer in an email to Janofsky, who was replaced as editor of LA School Report by Laura Greanias, a former Times editor who recently worked as city editor for the Los Angeles Daily News.
Janofsky said Monday that he declined to stay with LA School Report once he was told another editor had been installed.
Lynton said she had little choice but to find a partner if the school report was to survive. Until now, she has put up the money herself, she said.
The transaction involved no money; instead, the Seventy Four, with its $4-million annual budget, absorbed the school report and its staff an editor and two reporters.
The Seventy Four employs 11 staff members in its New York City bureau, has one reporter in Washington, D.C., and also relies on about two dozen regular contributors across the country, Drucker said.
Lynton would not disclose readership numbers but said the L.A. publication would improve with the added resources of the Seventy Four. Lynton will be joining the governing board of the Seventy Four, which is organized as a nonprofit.
howard.blume@latimes.com
Twitter: @howardblume
Editors note: Education Matters receives funding from a number of foundations, including one mentioned in this article. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Baxter Family Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the California Endowment and the Wasserman Foundation. Under terms of the grants, the Times retains complete control over editorial content.
MORE EDUCATION COVERAGE
As USC faculty awaits results of a union vote, some hope for a bigger voice
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A former Laguna Beach rug store manager accused of multiple sex crimes against women pleaded not guilty to all felony charges Monday in a Santa Ana courtroom.
Attorney John Barnett, standing in Superior Court next to his client, Saeid Maralan, 57, said Maralan denied the nine charges including rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, attempted oral copulation and distributing lewd material to a minor.
The alleged crimes occurred from 2007 to 2011, when Maralan oversaw the now-shuttered Sirous & Sons Rug Gallery on Ocean Avenue.
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Female customers alleged that Maralan made advances toward them.
In August 2007, a 49-year-old woman accused Maralan of pulling down his pants and exposing himself, prosecutors have said. He allegedly grabbed her hands and tried to get her to touch him, according to prosecutors.
The Orange County district attorney originally filed 14 counts, including 11 felonies, against Maralan but whittled the list down to the nine charges.
At a December hearing, Barnett objected to two of the nine counts, arguing that evidence and testimony did not meet legal standards.
Barnett also questioned a Laguna Beach detectives work ethic, saying the allegations should have received further scrutiny.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 15.
bryce.alderton@latimes.com
Alderton writes for Times Community News
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Responding to calls for help from San Franciscos mayor and Board of Supervisors, the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a review of the citys Police Department, which has been under fire for the shooting of a young black man in December.
The two-year review will be conducted by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which provides grants to improve policing. Its reviews are meant to change practices collaboratively rather than by punitive measures such as a consent decree, Director Ronald Davis said at a news conference here Monday.
But Davis warned that firmer measures would be taken if the department balks at the recommendations or if the review turns up serious abuse.
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I tell all the chiefs that the truth hurts, but selective ignorance can be fatal, Davis told San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr, who was standing nearby during the news conference in the federal building. You must want to know the truth because it is going to come at you fiercely.
Davis said the process, called collaborative reform, would include public hearings, patrol ride-alongs, in-depth interviews with city officials and community activists alike, and intensive data analysis. Officers could speak anonymously to avoid intimidation, he said.
City leaders had called for the review as they faced a wave of protests roiling the city since a cellphone video of the Dec. 2 fatal shooting of 26-year-old Mario Woods went public.
The video shows several officers confronting Woods, who had been reported as a suspect in an assault and was armed with a knife, as he stood against a wall. As he appeared to walk away, officers opened fire.
Mayor Ed Lee, whose second-term inauguration last month was disrupted by chants of Fire Chief Suhr, requested the review in a Jan. 21 letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch offering to throw our doors open, inviting transparency and accountability.
After Woods shooting, Lee said, he had proposed comprehensive police reforms but still sought further guidance and counsel on what we can do as a city to prevent these incidents whenever possible in the future.
On Jan. 26, the 11-member Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution requesting a federal investigation.
Saying video of the shooting had shocked the community, the board said, Police Department policies and practices should not just meet constitutional standards but exceed them.
Karen Fleshman, who attended the news conference on behalf of the Coalition for Justice for Mario Woods, said she was satisfied that the federal officers demonstrated a great degree of competency and understanding.
But she was not yet convinced that the office conducting the review, known as COPS, had the teeth to root out the warrior culture in the SFPD.
After the news conference, Fleshman described behavior that she considered bullying by police at a recent police commission hearing.
Marty Halloran, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Assn., did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
But even before the formal requests for a federal review, reaction to the shooting had stirred virulent objections from the union.
Early in January, Halloran posted a statement on the unions website accusing public officials of blindly following the path of political expedience.
He said critics should have withheld their comments until local reviews were completed. The shooting is being investigated by the San Francisco district attorneys office, the Office of Citizens Complaints and the Police Departments Internal Affairs Division.
To judge an incident based on 8 seconds of video and publicly denounce the officers is blatantly unfair and grossly irresponsible, the statement said.
Outrage over the shooting was aggravated when a judge ruled in December that officers who had 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.
The 2012 texts were disclosed in a 2014 court filing made by prosecutors in a police corruption case.
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.
A Department of Justice review of the Los Angeles Police Department prompted by the Rampart scandals of the 1990s led to a 2001 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. It was lifted in 2009.
A statement issued by the U.S. attorneys office on Monday outlined a milder approach designed to provide technical assistance to agencies facing significant law enforcement-related issues.
Using subject matter experts, interviews and direct observations, as well as conducting extensive research and analysis, the COPS Office assists law enforcement agencies in enhancing and improving their policies and procedures, operating systems and professional culture, the statement said.
The office is currently working with agencies in Spokane, Wash.; Philadelphia; St. Louis County; Salinas, Calif.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Calexico, Calif.; and Milwaukee, and has completed the process in Las Vegas, the statement said.
Davis cited Philadelphia and Las Vegas as cities where COPS had substantially improved police departments community relations.
When a woman stood up at the news conference Monday and called for immediate action, Davis asked her for patience.
This will be a long-term journey, he said. Lets see if this will work.
Twitter: @peterhking, @LATdoug
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While the public was captivated over the weekend with the search and capture of the remaining prisoners who escaped from an Orange County jail last month, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department accidentally released a man suspected of murder.
Steve Lawrence Wright, 37, who is accused of a gang-related killing in Pasadena in 2011, was released from custody at the Inmate Reception Center on Saturday afternoon, an error that went unnoticed until Sunday night.
Wright had been in custody facing a murder charge. Last week, he was sentenced to five days in jail for a contempt of court conviction he garnered while awaiting trial, said Sheriffs Department Cmdr. Keith Swensson.
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When Wright was transferred to the Inmate Reception Center from court, the paperwork he was sent with contained an error, Swensson said. The docket number for his contempt of court case was put in the box where his murder case should have gone, making it appear he was due to be released Saturday instead of being held without bail pending a trial, Swensson said.
The clerk made a handwritten note with the correct information at the bottom of the form -- but three Sheriffs Department employees overlooked it and Wright was released just before 1 p.m., he said. No one noticed the mistake until 9:30 p.m. Sunday, when the district attorneys office asked if he was still in custody, officials said.
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This is just one of those things, Swensson said.
Wright was being held on suspicion of killing Donnell Taylor, 47, in January 2011.
The Inmate Reception Center processes more than 100,000 releases annually and only a fraction of those are errors, Swensson said. In 2013, deputies accidentally released 24 inmates early, Swensson said. In 2014 it was down to 21, and last year that was cut to six, he said.
This is a cornerstone of our reform efforts, Swensson said.
In 2013, deputies accidentally released Johnny Mata, who was being held on suspicion of murder for a killing in Baldwin Park. Police found him about a year later in Mexico.
That was really the last one that was significant, Swensson said.
The search for Wright began just after the search ended for two Orange County fugitives who escaped from jail. Both men were found in San Francisco a day after a third escapee turned himself in to authorities in Santa Ana.
L.A. jail officials said they will launch a critical incident review to make necessary improvements to the system.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna
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Thirty-five former members of the California Coastal Commission declared Monday that they oppose the effort to fire Charles Lester, the embattled executive director of the powerful land-use agency.
In a letter to commission Chairman Steve Kinsey, the group stated that Lesters termination would significantly undermine both the agencys work and Gov. Jerry Browns legacy to protect Californias vast coastal resources.
Our state is facing a period of unprecedented change and challenge with a rapidly growing population and the impacts of climate change increasing threats to our coast, the former commissioners wrote. Dr. Lesters professional leadership provides a critical steady hand at the helm during these particularly challenging times.
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The correspondence is among more than 11,000 letters the commission has received from the public since the panel decided to consider Lesters firing during a closed session at its December meeting in Monterey. A spokesperson for the agency said that only two letters favor ousting the executive director.
The outpouring of support included another letter signed by 76 environmental organizations, which wrote they are deeply concerned over the unjustified and misguided attempt currently underway to oust Dr. Lester.
The attempt to dislodge and terminate Dr. Lester is ill-advised. Former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dan Secord, a Republican
The move to terminate the executive director has touched off a fierce debate over whether it is motivated by a pro-development faction on the commission or legitimate questions about his ability to run the agency.
The 12-member commission wields broad authority over land use along 1,100 miles of shoreline that includes some of the most valuable real estate in the country. The panel was established by voters in 1972 to prevent overdevelopment of the coast, protect the environment and safeguard public access. It was made permanent by the California Coastal Act of 1976.
Lester, a low-key but conservation-minded attorney who was unanimously approved to head the agency in 2011, received written notice Jan. 14 that the commission will consider whether to dismiss you.
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The panel gave him the option of resigning or attending a public hearing to weigh his future. He chose the hearing part of a meeting scheduled for Feb. 10 in Morro Bay which ensures that the tug of war over his fate will become the subject of public debate.
Sources, who requested anonymity, said the effort to oust Lester is being led by pro-development members of the panel, including Browns four appointees: Effie Turnbull-Sanders, Wendy Mitchell, Martha McClure and Erik Howell.
Kinsey, the commission chairman, declined to discuss the letter from the former commissioners. Like other members of the panel, Kinsey says Lesters situation is a confidential personnel matter under state law.
The letter was signed by a mix of Democrats and Republicans who have served as alternate commissioners, regional commissioners and state commissioners for the last 40 years. Among them are Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach); former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dan Secord, a Republican; Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian (R-San Luis Obispo); and former Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara).
The attempt to dislodge and terminate Dr. Lester is ill-advised, said Secord, who voted for Lesters appointment as executive director. He has done a good job. I have not seen anything yet that would speak to the contrary.... No one has been able to tell me why they want to throw Charles Lester under the bus.
The letter stated that Lester has worked diligently to uphold the California Coastal Act and serve the interests of all Californians. It praised Browns visionary leadership for signing the act during his first term in office and noted that the commissions independence has served citizens and the states $40-billion-plus coastal economy well for decades.
Former Commissioner Mel Nutter, a Long Beach attorney who organized the group along with Nava, said the letters signers are concerned about the direction of the commission and perceive that something is going on far more significant than who was going to be executive director.
The agency is supposed to be a quasi-judicial body with certain legal responsibilities, but that isnt always reflected in the way some commissioners do their business. Nutter said. There has been a tendency for there to be less careful scrutiny of proposals that come before the commission.
dan.weikel@latimes.com
tony.barboza@latimes.com
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Bill Cosby made his first significant courtroom appearance since being charged with sexual assault five weeks ago.
But much of the drama at a hearing Tuesday centered on another polarizing figure: former Montgomery County Dist. Atty. Bruce Castor, a onetime Cosby investigator who is now testifying for the defense.
Cosbys lawyers put Castor on the stand to support their claim that in 2005 he and Cosbys late attorney Walter Phillips had entered into a non-prosecution pact. The defense is seeking a dismissal of the charges based on that alleged agreement.
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Prosecutors challenge such a deal was made and say they are not bound by it.
Cosby, 78, is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault, a second-degree felony, for a 2004 encounter involving drugs and alcohol with former Temple University basketball staffer Andrea Constand.
Bill Cosby arrives at court. The entertainers attorneys are trying to derail a criminal case against him. (Clem Murray / Associated Press)
But far from getting into salacious details, Tuesdays proceedings centered on the minds of lawyers. Castors testimony relied on an involved legal theory in which he said he deliberately shut down the possibility of a criminal trial with the so-called agreement because he wanted to deprive Cosby of any 5th Amendment protection should Constand bring a civil lawsuit.
The claim of a non-prosecution agreement also hinged on a news release Castor issued in 2005 that the defense says makes such a pact clear and binding.
Cross-examination on the subject, however, veered toward the snippy. Please, tell me in the press release where you made [an agreement] absolute, Assistant Dist. Atty. M. Stewart Ryan said after Castor intimated as much.
I will if you quiet down and let me look at it, Castor fired back.
For his part, Cosby appeared lighthearted and relaxed at the start of the proceedings but grew more serious as the day wore on, often resting his chin in the crook of his palm or staring intently at Castor as he offered testimony.
Prosecutors hammered away at Castor on the ambiguous language in the news release. At the end of Castors testimony, the presiding judge, Steven ONeill, directed some of his own skepticism at the witness, questioning why, if an agreement existed, there was no concrete evidence of it.
If you felt there was an agreement, why did you not put it into writing? ONeill said to Castor. Why did you not do that if your intention was to bar prosecution for all time? I mean, do you know why you didnt do that?
If the judge rules against the defense, the Cosby case could move down a path, however windingly, to a jury trial.
At stake is more than just the reputation of a show business icon. The Cosby case has, according to some, become a cautionary tale of privilege and sexism.
After decades as the countrys patron saint of family foibles, Cosby has been buffeted over the last 15 months by allegations from women, now numbering more than 50, who say the comedian initiated unwanted sexual contact, often after plying them with drugs or alcohol. The statute of limitations on most cases has run out. But the Constand-related charges were filed just shortly before a 12-year deadline.
According to the Montgomery County complaint, the Canadian athlete struck up what she believed to be a protege-mentor relationship with Cosby in the early 2000s. In 2004 she visited Cosbys home in Cheltenham, Pa., to talk about her future.
After some diverting conversation, Cosby urged the athlete to drink wine despite her objection that she hadnt eaten. When she described feeling stressed, he also brought out unidentified pills that he characterized to Constand as his friends then pressed her to take them, the complaint says.
After she did, the filing says, Cosby proceeded to penetrate Constand vaginally with his fingers and engage in other nonconsensual contact. Cosbys defense, led in court Tuesday by Brian McMonagle, has said the contact was consensual.
Yet for all the graphic details, it may be another factor that shapes Cosbys fate: local politics.
The prosecution is led by newly elected Montgomery County Dist. Atty. Kevin Steele, who defeated Castor in a bitterly fought November election in part on a campaign vow to prosecute Cosby. Steele on Tuesday remained largely quiet as Ryan led the cross-examination.
Meanwhile, Castor, who over his career has earned both supporters and detractors for his swagger, is thought to be unenthusiastic about the idea of a rival making progress on a case in which he was unwilling, or unable, to bring charges.
By early Tuesday, representatives of dozens of news outlets had descended on the courthouse in this town 20 miles northwest of central Philadelphia. The streets, dotted with low-key restaurants and businesses, were packed with TV news vans, their satellite equipment poking high into the air. Camera operators camped out on a lawn, trading rumors about the celebrity defendants arrival. Helicopters circled overhead.
The entertainer hopes to avoid a messy public trial that will put the details of his interactions with Constand under a media microscope. Cosby has already seen his star dim in Hollywood. Entities such as Netflix and NBC shelved projects with the comedian in 2014, though he continued to tour well into last year.
Part of the reason the case is now stronger than when Castor was in office (he left after eight years in 2008) has to do with the unsealing last summer of a deposition in the civil lawsuit that Constand brought against Cosby. The newly released material includes Cosbys admission that he previously obtained Quaaludes to facilitate having sex with women. Cosby settled Constands lawsuit in 2006.
The hearing is scheduled to resume Wednesday, and ONeill could rule in the afternoon.
Though the proceeding is designed primarily to determine the question of a non-prosecution agreement, the defense pressed forward often over the objection of prosecutors to create holes in the larger case.
From the stand, Castor offered his own doubts. Although he may be personally inclined to believe Cosbys guilt, he said, he thought a number of factors, such as Constands delay in bringing the initial complaint, would hamper prosecution.
Castors presence as a weapon of sorts against his former office was a surreal touch on a day that, with numerous mentions of Cosby as a kind of abstraction, was filled with them. Though Castor was there to bolster the case of the defense, for instance, he took one opportunity to remind the room of where his allegiance lies.
Lets be clear, Mr. McMonagle, he said when the Cosby attorney pushed him on a point. Im not on your team here, he added as he turned toward the prosecution. I want them to win.
steve.zeitchik@latimes.com
MORE ON BILL COSBY:
Twitter reacts to Bill Cosby defamation countersuits
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Bill Cosbys sexual assault scandal moves from the court of public opinion to the court of justice
Three days after a passenger train derailed in Philadelphia last year, investigators met with a groggy, banged-up Amtrak engineer who had become the center of a great mystery.
Eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured on May 12 when Amtrak train No. 188 -- headed from Washington to New York -- suddenly tumbled from its rails while speeding through a 50-mph curve at 106 mph.
It was one of Americas deadliest train crashes in years. Passenger cars crumpled like soda cans as sparks showered around the train. Passengers slammed into windows, ceilings and chairs.
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But engineer Brandon Bostian didnt remember any of it, according to investigative documents released Monday that include transcripts of his meetings with investigators.
The last memory I have, Bostian, 32, told crash investigators, is approaching and passing the platforms in North Philadelphia. ... The next thing that I remember is, when I came to my senses, I was standing up in the locomotive cab after the accident.
In a second interview, six months later, Bostian said that a couple of prominent scenes from the crash had since come back to him.
I hesitate to use the word dreamlike because it sounds like I was asleep, and I dont believe that I was asleep at all, he told an interviewer.
I remember feeling my body lurch to the right, towards the right side of the engine. I remember feeling as though I was going too fast around a curve. In response to that feeling, I put the train brake on, made about a 10-pound application of the brake.... The train felt, the engine felt, as though it were tilting over, he said.
But Bostian, who suffered a concussion and other injuries during the crash, warned: I couldnt say with certainty that my memory is accurate.
The more than 2,000 pages of documents released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board includes photographs, interviews and data that investigators will now use to diagnose the official cause of the crash.
No conclusions about how or why an accident occurred should be drawn from the docket, the board warned in a statement about the documents, declining to make further comment.
Observers, however, have zeroed in on two crucial elements that allowed the crash to happen.
The NTSB has previously said an automated safety system known as positive train control could have prevented the disaster, but it was not installed on the stretch of track where the train derailed.
The second potential factor is Bostian himself, who officials said put the trains accelerator at full throttle almost a minute before hitting the turn in North Philadelphia at more than 50 mph over the curves speed limit.
A second qualified engine service employee in the operating compartment would have undoubtedly prevented this accident, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union said in a suggested probable-cause finding to the NTSB.
But why did he do it? Investigators seem to have found few if any clues that Bostian was in some way distracted, intoxicated or otherwise unfit for duty.
Bostians phone had been turned off since he steered the train out of Washington, records show. Tests found he had no drugs or alcohol in his system, and he was generally in physical good health, according to a company physical he had a few weeks before the crash.
Bostian got an average of six to eight hours of sleep each night before work, and neurologists and cardiologists found no underlying conditions.
Bostian was also a lifelong rail enthusiast and a safety advocate who came highly praised by his peers and co-workers including those who were riding on the train that crashed.
[He] is great, an assistant conductor told investigators. He knows his job. Hes there on time for the briefing. He answers any questions we have. Ive never seen him do anything that he wasnt supposed to do.... He was a very good engineer.
I was actually really happy with him, because I found him to be involved in the briefing process, another assistant conductor said. Plus, I thought he was really communicative on the radio. Like I could always understand what he was saying and I could he always responded to everything that was said to him.
Emilio Fonseca, a conductor on the train who spent 10 days in the hospital for the injuries he suffered, told investigators Bostian was very on top of his game in terms of his knowledge.
I would ask him questions; he would always know the answer, Fonseca said. As far as his knowledge went, I had no reason to doubt him at all. I felt he was very knowledgeable in the territory, and he loved his job.
Joseph Brennan, an Amtrak train dispatcher who was riding the train, said he found an injured Bostian outside the train right after the crash.
He told me he was the engineer, Brennan told investigators. He told me his name. I asked him, I said, What happened? And he just looked at me and said, I dont know.
Twitter: @MattDPearce
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Police have arrested three teenage boys in connection with a shooting at a Seattle homeless encampment that left two people dead and three others wounded.
The suspects ages 13, 16 and 17 were arrested Monday afternoon underneath an Interstate 90 off-ramp in Seattle, Police Chief Kathleen OToole said.
There are no outstanding suspects that were aware of, she said.
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Shooting erupted on the evening of Jan. 26 at a homeless encampment in the city known as The Jungle. After the shooting, police said they believed it stemmed from a low-level drug-dealing dispute and that the suspects and victims knew each other or knew of each other.
OToole said at a news conference Monday that detectives worked around the clock to identify the suspects and that numerous scenes and a vehicle were searched. She said police believe at least two of the suspects fired weapons that night.
No other information on the suspects was immediately available.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray had high praise for law enforcement after the arrests.
This violent crime shocked Seattle, Murray said in a statement. Thank you to the team at the Seattle Police Department for your professionalism in pursuit of this investigation, resulting in these three arrests. Our homicide investigators worked tirelessly to pursue leads and track down these suspects. We are also grateful for the efforts of our partners from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
The two people killed at the encampment have been identified as 45-year-old Jeannine L. Zapata and 33-year-old James Q. Tran. Both died of gunshot wounds.
The three people wounded, ranging in age from 25 to 45, remained at a hospital Monday with a man and woman in satisfactory condition, according to Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg.
She said the other woman wants to keep her condition private. Her condition last week was listed as satisfactory.
OToole said the city is continuing its assessment of the encampment, which is not authorized by the city, to determine what should be done at the site. Murray said last week that the encampment has been unmanageable and out of control for almost two decades.
In November, Murray and King County Executive Director Dow Constantine declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness, pledging more than $7 million to address the crisis.
The number of those living on the streets Seattle is rising, according to a one-night count done on Friday.
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After months of polling and endless speculation, actual voters finally took to the polls Monday in Iowas caucuses. Yes, they were a relative handful of people and not a particularly diverse set. But they were nonetheless real voters, lending flesh to all the political theories. Iowas track-record of picking winners has been mixed, but it almost always shapes the race. This years results were a typical mixed bag of dashed expectations and surprising surges.
Here are a few things we noticed:
The GOP now has a three-man race, with valuable cards held by each of the top finishers in Iowa
Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs upset victory was a testament to his methodical strategy of winning over evangelicals, tea party conservatives and libertarians. Though New Hampshires more moderate GOP will be tough for him, he has great opportunities to expand his coalition in South Carolina and other early voting states in the South, where arch conservatives are strong.
Donald Trump, though he loathes losing, always expected Iowa would be tough. Second place there, combined with his big lead in New Hampshire polls, has not yet knocked him off the pedestal. But it did dent his self-made image as a guy who never loses.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is the kind of third-place finisher who can act like he won the Super Bowl. His late spike put him within about 1% of Trump, something few thought possible. Now, he can make the best case to unite establishment supporters who do not believe Cruz or Trump are palatable nominees.
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Tight finish a blow to Clinton
Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of State, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders finished in a virtual tie, with both candidates claiming victory. Heres what it means. Clintons hopes of cruising to the nomination are history. Sanders is favored to win the New Hampshire primary next week and can now make the case that he is a serious alternative. Clinton still has the advantage, particularly as the race moves to states with more minority voters, where she tends to do better.
The herd is thinning
Some dark horse candidates will wait until next weeks contest in New Hampshire to call it quits. A few may even claim their sixth or seventh place finish gives them crucial momentum.
But the campaign is now effectively over for several of them.
On the Democratic side, say goodbye to Martin OMalley, the former Maryland governor who has spent so much time in Iowa that he may soon need to re-register his car. He drew less than 1% and withdrew from the race Monday night.
Casualties in the GOP include two former Iowa caucus winners who were once again counting on the states evangelical voters: former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who also announced his withdrawal Monday. Ben Carson, the former neurosurgeon who led Iowa polls for months, fell to fourth place on Monday, making his days numbered as well. Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard chief, will also run out of rationale soon, leaving the GOP with an all-male field.
Whither the establishment?
The evidence has been mounting for months. The establishment is losing and, especially on the Republican side, may not recover.
Clinton, who has been in the forefront of Democratic politics for a quarter century, fell into a tie with a self-described Democratic socialist from Vermont who has promised a political revolution.
On the Republican side, Cruz, who wears his pariah status in the U.S. Senate as a badge, and Trump, a reality television star and business mogul who has flouted nearly every tenet of political orthodoxy, won a combined 52% of the vote. Even as fourth-place finisher Carson faded, he still took 9%.
Establishment candidates are hoping for a comeback in New Hampshire. But that remains a big hurdle on the Republican side. Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich won a combined 30% of the vote in Iowa. The four candidates are drawing less than 40% of the combined vote in New Hampshire, according to polling averages.
Super PACs arent so swell
Most analysts predicted super PACs would play a huge role in the 2016 election. But Iowa showed why money has not, at least so far, bought political happiness.
Bush led all candidates in television ad spending in Iowa, with nearly $15 million, according to an analysis last week from SMG Delta, as reported by NBC News. All of that money came from Right to Rise, the juggernaut super PAC supporting his presidential bid. His vote in Iowa? 3%.
Cruz and his super PAC spent less than half as much ($6 million). That was good enough for the win. Trump, the reality star and business mogul, spent even less, $3.3 million, and took second place.
For more, go to www.latimes.com/politics
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Subdued Donald Trump wants more credit for second place
(Matt Rourke / Associated Press)
He could have been a little better, could have been one notch better, Donald Trump conceded Tuesday, but insisted that most people say I did a great job.
Trumps news conference in New Hampshire on Tuesday evening, his first session with reporters since finishing second in the Iowa caucuses to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, was Trumpian, in many respects, with frequent tangents and references to his own success and how it should be judged.
But a key difference was notable: his delivery was subdued. The candidate, who constantly bills himself as the gold standard of winning, seemed annoyed that others were now taking shots at him for falling to second place.
People didnt talk about my second place. They didnt talk about it as positively as they should have, he said, sounding frustrated with the attention given to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
And yet with Marco, who was more than 2,000 votes behind me -- thats a lot of votes, by the way -- they said, Oh, hes surging, hes surging. So I dont know why is the third place doing well.
Trump, who received the endorsement of former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, suggested that his decision to boycott a Fox News debate may have played a role.
I think some people were disappointed that I didnt go in the debate, he said. If I had it to do again, Id do the exact same thing.
Trump said that his event for veterans raised $6 million, making it worth a second-place finish if that was the cost. He also took a shot at Cruz, some of whose supporters had spread a rumor on caucus day that Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon, was dropping out.
That was a disgrace, Trump said.
Cruz has apologized for the incident.
Trump insisted he was not feeling pressure to win New Hampshires primary next Tuesday. He has been heavily favored in polls in the state for months. But perhaps learning a lesson about the expectations game, he took the step -- unusual for him -- of downplaying his chances.
Id love to finish first, he said. But if he doesnt win there, he insisted, it would still not be horrible because youre competing against a lot of very talented people that have been politicians all their lives. Ive been a politician for six months.
Thanks to my friend Joan Acosta for sending the link to this new report in The New Yorker: How Zika Virus Can Spread. I've added a link to the Haddow paper it mentions. Excerpt:
When Andrew Haddow was a boy, in the nineteen-eighties, his father told him bedtime stories about his grandfather, a Scottish scientist named Alexander John Haddow, who studied rare viruses in the jungle outside Entebbe, Uganda. As Haddow got older, he began reading his grandfathers papers. One of them was about the discovery, in 1947, of a virus in the blood of a rhesus monkey that lived in the Zika Forest.
This viruswhich, like dengue fever and yellow fever, is transmitted to humans mostly by mosquitoesremained virtually unknown for the next sixty years, but it interested Haddow. In 2012, Haddow, now a medical entomologist, published a paper on the genetic lineage of the Zika virus. Haddow identified two points of originone African, the other Asianand showed that a recent outbreak on the island of Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia, had been caused by the latter strain. His paper also warned that Zika might spread.
Today, in much of Latin America, Haddows prediction has become a frightening reality. The World Health Organization estimates that the virus could infect as many as four million people in the coming months; on Monday, it declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, a designation that has rarely been applied in the past, and is intended to coordinate international funds and expertise.
Fortunately, the majority of people who catch Zika (perhaps eighty per cent) will experience no symptoms. But what no one, including Haddow, foresaw was the apparent, though still unproven, link between the virus and microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and, in most cases, irreversible brain damage.
In Brazil, where the virus was first reported in May, health officials have implicated Zika in thirty-seven hundred new cases of microcephaly. (Fewer than a hundred and fifty cases surfaced in 2014.) Some epidemiologists have said that the viruss invisibility makes it more dangerous; a pregnant woman might not know that she has contracted it.
As much as he excites hard-right conservatives, Sen. Ted Cruz remains a problematic potential presidential nominee for many voters including Republicans who want to win the White House in November. But even some of Cruzs critics have reason to celebrate the Texas senators first-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. By denying Donald Trump a victory by turning him into what he most despises, a loser Cruz may have helped not only his party but also the country dodge a lethal bullet.
Iowa may be just the first of many states to stage a pre-convention contest, but a victory for the boorish and bigoted real-estate mogul would have been a seismic and embarrassing event. In some respects, Cruz is just as extreme as Trump, and may even be more vulnerable in Novembers general election. And far from campaigning against partisan paralysis in Washington, Cruz has championed it. But by besting Trump, he has slowed what some in the party feared was a runaway train, creating space not only for himself but also for other, less divisive candidates, notably Sen. Marco Rubio.
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The other headline from Iowa was the strong showing of the Florida senator, who despite his youth is emerging as the preferred candidate of what is loosely called the Republican establishment. Sooner or later, other mainstream candidates in the crowded Republican field will vacate it, leaving the party with a choice not between moderate and conservative options but between varieties of conservatism. Rubio has outlined a more realistic set of policies than Cruz, yet he still must define himself convincingly as a more electable alternative without alienating the base of the party.
On the Democratic side, Mondays results were less surprising: an excruciatingly close contest between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders that confirmed that the self-described democratic socialist from Vermont is no symbolic protest candidate. With the withdrawal of former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, the stage is set for a sustained two-candidate race in which Clinton may remain the front-runner all the way to the convention, but wont be able to ignore Sanders or his radical critique of her platform of realism and incrementalism.
Its fashionable to lament the importance that is attached to the Iowa caucuses simply because they come first on the election-year schedule. That criticism is fair, but someone has to go first and Iowans of both parties deserve credit for their energy and their enthusiasm. In making their choices, they have winnowed the fields without foreclosing further developments and additional debate. And they turned out in record numbers, setting an example the rest of the country should follow.
Hoy: Lea esta historia en espanol
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In a law review article I wrote 15 years ago about cognitive decline on the U.S. Supreme Court, I predicted that, in the coming years, no one would take action to mitigate the problem. Instead, another half a dozen mentally decrepit justices would join the roster of jurists who harmed their court and hurt their own reputations by remaining on the bench too long.
Although most justices who have retired since then left with their wits (more or less) intact, Im concerned that my prediction is about to come true.
Today we have four Supreme Court justices who are superannuated: Stephen G. Breyer is 77, Anthony M. Kennedy will turn 80 this summer, Antonin Scalia will celebrate his 80th birthday on March 11, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg will celebrate her 83rd four days later. Both Clarence Thomas, 67, and Samuel A. Alito Jr., 65, also qualify for Social Security. None of these justices has indicated that he or she will step down anytime soon, even if a like-minded individual wins the White House this year. (Officeholders in the apolitical branch often time their retirements for when an ideological cognate sits in the Oval Office.)
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In the past, once-revered justices such as William O. Douglas and Hugo Black could at least count on relative privacy when they doddered into senility; the press didnt check behind certain closed doors. But with Justice Breyer showing up on TMZ, Justice Alito and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. (age 61) regularly attending public sporting events, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor (age 61) getting spotted at Costco, a secret breakdown is no longer realistic.
That the two oldest justices, Ginsburg and Scalia, represent opposite poles of the ideological spectrum is a happy accident, as calls for reform must have a nonpartisan hue. Although neither has had a confirmed episode of cognitive decline, theyre both putting themselves in the way of embarrassment. Ginsburg fell asleep during the State of the Union (twice), the papal address and even during an oral argument; she also speaks about pending cases, which, if not a sign that shes forgotten the rules, is an indication that shes beyond respecting them. Scalia once called himself an old fogey who doesnt understand the world in which he lives, and he sounds increasingly irritated in his opinions and public speeches.
Chief Justice Roberts should use his authority as head of the federal judiciary to require his high court colleagues and others to undergo regular mental health check-ups.
The problem of an aging judiciary extends beyond the Supreme Court to the hundreds of elderly federal judges across the country. The average age of these jurists is now over 70, with many in their 80s and 90s. The 94 U.S. district courts and 13 courts of appeals decide more than 98% of all cases with federal jurisdiction, so the continued mental acuity of these jurists should be a concern for all of us who use interstate commerce or expect due process.
If theres a silver lining, no pun intended, its that some of these jurisdictions have implemented programs to promote sharpness in judges as they age. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, for instance, offers a battery of mental health assessments, hosts discussions with neurological experts and has created a hotline where staff may report signs of cognitive decline in their colleagues. Such measures are necessary because its hard for friends and family members, let alone the individual in question, to know if a tendency to, say, forget ones keys is innocuous, or portentous.
Unfortunately, the 9th Circuit program and a handful of others across the country exist in isolation, as there is no judiciary-wide strategy to cope with cognitive decline. That should change. Chief Justice Roberts should use his authority as head of the federal judiciary to require his high court colleagues and others to undergo regular mental health checkups.
Further, he could recommend a judicial retirement age of 70 or 75, as is done in the rest of the Western world. He and future nominees to the bench could even pledge to serve for no more than 18 years, as has been suggested by constitutional scholars and interest groups on the left and right as a reasonable limit on judicial tenure.
Our court system and the law benefit from the wisdom of judges with many years of experience. But the federal judiciary, especially given congressional dysfunction, is simply too important to leave in the hands of old fogeys.
David J. Garrow is professor of law and history at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
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The big-state residents of California, population 38.8 million, cant abide the once-every-four-years spotlight shined on Iowa, population Orange County.
That sums up the morning-after reaction by our letter writers, most of whom live in California, to the attention given to the Iowa caucuses on Monday, which were won by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the Republican side and Hillary Clinton (by the narrowest of margins) on the Democratic side.
Perhaps it isnt entirely fair to say that Californians bristle at Iowas quadrennial moment in the sun on account of their self-importance. Mondays caucuses were preceded by months of poll-watching and analysis, much of it tedious and needlessly distracting from the timely policy debates that deserve more attention than an election that wont happen until after the next World Series. And for that to culminate in a state less populous than the city of Los Angeles might understandably make some of us wonder why Californians should bother to vote in their primary ... on June 7.
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It boggles my mind that the media place so much importance on such a tiny victory in a small state known primarily for growing corn. John Trask, Thousand Oaks
Here is how some readers reacted to the Iowa caucuses.
John Trask of Thousand Oaks shows how few votes are in play in Iowa:
According to the Washington Post, Cruz won 28 percent of 32 percent of 19 percent of 1 percent of the country -- 0.016 percent of the nation on the whole. And the presidential election is still 10 months away.
It boggles my mind that the media place so much importance on such a tiny victory in a small state known primarily for growing corn. Cruz surely wont be getting my vote.
Huntington Beach resident Richard C. Armendariz lists the reasons why Iowa is different from the national electorate:
Its time we put the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary in the proper context. Iowa only has six electoral votes, and New Hampshire has four; California, in contrast, has 55. Past winners of the Iowa caucus like Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum have had little success in later states.
Cruz played the part of evangelical pastor, which went over well with Iowas Republicans. But as the general electorate becomes more relevant, hell fall by the wayside. Someone has to tell Marco Rubio that third place means that two people finished ahead of him, and Trump evidently did not bother to understand the intricacies of the caucus process.
Both Iowa and New Hampshire do not have the ethnic or political diversity of the nation. Yes, the votes in Iowa and New Hampshire give us the first actual results of this election, but they will soon be forgotten.
Diane Scholfield of Vista rises to California voters defense:
As you implicitly chide California voters in todays editorial by noting that Iowans turned out in record numbers, let me remind you what will be on my June ballot:
A presidential primary in which all but the leading two candidates in each party will have dropped out. A congressional district that has been so gerrymandered that the opposing party rarely has a candidate, and the incumbent is so sure of victory that he rarely meets with middle-class constituents. A list of initiatives that is long and often requires a law degree to understand.
Yes, I will vote in June. But excuse me if my enthusiasm for doing so is less than ideal.
Huntington Beach resident Rob Burns breaks from the pack and takes a positive view of the Iowa caucuses:
I was amazed watching the Iowa caucuses on TV.
People were excited! Everyone was filming the count! The names were on little pieces of paper, and some did head counts!
This was truly democracy in action, and it brought tears to my eyes. And I loved all the young people there too. The transparency was unbelievable.
My family votes in every single election. We gather around our dining room table and talk about the issues and candidates and figure who and what were going to vote for. We do this too, because so much blood has been spilled to give us this right. Its important. Please vote.
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Imagine the father of two young children whose mother has died or disappeared. The father is desperately trying to make ends meet so he can pay the rent.
And then he gets arrested, perhaps on a drug charge. He is convicted and jailed, and the children are sent to two different foster homes. This wont be cheap. Taxpayers are now on the hook, paying to house and supervise three people in three places.
But the father does his time lets suppose its two months and gets out and wants to put his life back together and be reunited with his children. His time in jail was time away from work, though, so he lost his job and couldnt pay his rent. So he also lost his apartment.
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Now hes sleeping on the street, where he is more likely to suffer health problems that send him to the countys emergency room. Or more likely to return to drug use and end up in the countys jail. In either event, the public will pay.
Meanwhile, the taxpayers are footing the bill for his children to stay with strangers in foster care, where (according to data on children parted from their parents) they are likely to suffer emotionally and do poorly in school, despite the foster parents best efforts and intentions.
What if we took the money that is going to those two foster homes and instead used it to rent an apartment for the father, who could get off the street and then because he now has a place to live get his children back from foster care? No new public money will be needed in fact, public money will be saved. No new housing has to be built. There is no need for ongoing supportive services. If he gets a new job, or his old one back, he can pay his rent and the county can stop paying anything at all.
Who is responsible for thinking through solutions like that? Who is responsible for failing to think through solutions like that?
Los Angeles County government handles jails, foster care, emergency rooms and, in large portions of the county, law enforcement. But the county -- with its 100,000 employees, its $26.9-billion budget and its five-member Board of Supervisors -- is almost unknown compared with the city, Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City Council. The city gets the headlines for its emergency declarations and its promises of funding. The county is mistakenly seen as an obscure bystander.
County government is the chief provider of social services and has the obvious responsibility for people who are discharged to the streets.
Yes, the city of Los Angeles has an important role in meeting the homelessness challenge. City laws and police practices determine whether people living on streets and sidewalks will be arrested and whether their belongings will be confiscated. City leaders have to figure out how to meet the need for housing units, how to pay for them and how to overcome community resistance to new buildings and new neighbors who have histories of homelessness and, perhaps, mental illness or addiction.
The same is true for Long Beach, the next most populous city in Los Angeles County. And for Glendale, the next biggest after that. And for the next, and the next Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Palmdale, Pomona and in fact each of the countys other municipalities. Their local policing and land use ordinances have a direct bearing on the fate of people who live on the streets of each of those cities. Any solution to L.A.s homelessness necessarily includes all 88 city halls.
But county government has by far the largest responsibility for homelessness and for solutions meant to address it. The county is on the supply side, because county institutions feed the streets and stoke the misery when they discharge people who have nowhere to go: Young adults who age out of foster care with no home and no income. Medical patients who are discharged from county hospitals. Inmates leaving jail. Patients leaving mental health clinics. And the county bears at least partial responsibility for people such as domestic violence victims who leave shelters but cant go back home, and young sex trafficking victims who flee from their abusers.
Because it operates the jails, foster care and all those other institutions, it is the county as well that holds the key to ending much of the misery. County government is the chief provider of social services and has the obvious responsibility for people who are discharged to the streets. The county has the same responsibility that cities do to site and build affordable housing; but it also has the ability to craft solutions that require no new housing and little new money for people like the inmate returning from jail, wanting to get his kids back.
The county may lack the tools to deal with more systemic problems like poverty and inequity, both of which push people to the streets. But apart from the federal government, the county has the chief role in dealing with the fallout.
There are many ways the county can abdicate that responsibility, and it has tried most of them. For example, after the Board of Supervisors in 2006 adopted a plan to create five regional homelessness service centers, community opposition made several supervisors gun shy, and the county shelved the project. When the board rejected countywide expansion of then-Supervisor Zev Yaroslavskys Project 50 in 2009, Supervisor Gloria Molina argued that homelessness was more properly a state issue. Other supervisors balked at the potential cost. And over the years the county has sometimes squabbled with the city over control of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which is a joint project of both the county and the city.
Meanwhile, county government has struggled with a hide-bound bureaucracy that too often keeps people who want to help those in need from actually doing so. The county has stumbled on rules that, for example, earmark funds for foster care but not for family housing, or pay for a clinic patients drug rehab but not a jail inmates. The county for too long was unwilling or unable to work with the state and federal governments to remake funding rules to work for the homeless, and was instead content to make the homeless try to fit the rules.
So its noteworthy when the county acknowledges its role as locus of both the homelessness problem and the homelessness solution, as it appears to be doing now.
The homelessness initiative that the board is to consider on Feb. 9 takes on county institutions and their discharge plans. It also deals with funding streams and bureaucratic silos. It even takes on community resistance, poverty, housing supply and what to do about those things.
Much of it has yet to be fleshed out. But the county does not, at present, appear to be shirking its responsibility.
Many of the elements in the countys current plan have been seen before, so lets hope the vote next week doesnt turn out to be just another dry run. Weve seen enough of those.
robert.greene@latimes.com
Follow me @RGreene2
During CNNs Iowa caucus coverage Monday night, political consultant (and former Obama campaign manager) David Axelrod distilled the difference between the candidates for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Clintons speeches focus on her resume years of experience as the first lady, as a member of the U.S. Senate, as secretary of State, all those past battles with the right that have prepared her for this moment.
Sanders, on the other hand, focuses little on his own background and bangs a steady drum about the economic health of voters (except when hes channeling Donald Trump and talking about his poll numbers). With his rumpled appearance he channels Peter Finchs Howard Beale character from Network Im as mad as hell and Im not going to take it anymore and people join in.
So is this campaign about the voters, or about the candidates?
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On most policy issues, Clinton and Sanders tend to overlap. Of course, there are differences, especially in how each regards Wall Street, healthcare (Sanders wants to replace Obamacare, which Clinton supports, with a single-payer system), and international engagements (hes more of a dove). But connections with voters often hinge on the ephemeral such things as likability more than on specific issues. Voters like to feel that casting their ballot says something more than just, yeah, Ill go with this one, or, worse, as a bulwark against a perceived electoral disaster. (Anything to stop X.)
And so far, Clinton hasnt positioned herself as that kind of movement candidate. Shes staking out the more pragmatic ground, with a wink and a nod at the slate of conservatives the Republicans are considering for their nomination.
But Sanders, for all his calls for a political revolution, isnt much of a movement candidate, either, and has a much narrower appeal than Clinton, according to the Iowa entrance/exit poll.
In a nutshell, Sanders trounced Clinton, 61% to 34%, among the 27% of Democratic caucus-goers to who listed income inequality as their top concern. But she trounced him among the 31% who focused on the economy and jobs, and the 30% who said healthcare was the most important issue facing the country. She got most of the older voters (age 45 and up); he got most of the younger voters. She got support from families making $50,000 a year or more; he prevailed among the lower-income caucus-goers. She won among women; he won among men.
In what may be the most significant divide, though, he won among self-perceived liberals and those who voted based largely on the idea that the candidate cares about people like me and is honest and trustworthy, while Clinton won among the moderates and those who focused on who can win in November and has the right experience.
So which will prevail among the Democratic voters as the caucuses and primaries go on? Will they go with their hearts or with their heads? With their dreams or with their fears? Will they head into the fall fighting from the left or the relative center?
Hard to say. But its interesting that women accounted for 56% of the Democratic caucus-goers, while men accounted for 52% of the Republican caucus-goers. And there Ted Cruz did best among lower-educated, self-described conservatives while Donald Trump and Marco Rubio did best among the moderates. Interestingly, 42% said they most preferred a candidate who shares my values, and those voters went heavily 38% for Cruz.
So for voters looking for a candidate they feel reflects their values (Cruz) or cares about them (Sanders), the choices in Iowa at least are the outsiders. That disconnect should worry establishment leaders in both parties.
Follow Scott Martelle on Twitter @smartelle.
Marco Rubios strong third-place finish in Iowa surprised many after his lackluster performance in the polls, but his ability to capitalize on the momentum will prove more difficult as he positions himself as the GOPs best hope against the Democrats.
Team Rubio always expected the Florida senator to begin to peak around this time. The campaign takes a long view of the 2016 nominating contest, a strategy that looked increasingly risky as rivals Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump soared.
But exit polls show Rubio drew support not only from Iowans who made up their minds in the final days, but also from those looking for a viable candidate who can win in November.
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Rubios backers now call it a three-way race with Cruz and Trump, dismissing the remaining seven main GOP contenders. They see Rubio as the best alternative to the hard-line Texas senator and the billionaire reality star in the battle against the Democratic nominee.
I think people realize 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 the conservative movement but to grow it, Rubio said Tuesday morning on Good Morning America. And defeat Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.
Risks, though, abound. Rubios optimistic message of a better future, somewhat clouded recently by his fear-stoking outlook on national security, may play well in New Hampshire. After that, the electoral calendar is not on his side.
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The Southern states, starting with South Carolina, have strong religious underpinnings that may be more welcoming to Cruz, who pulled more evangelical votes in Iowa than any other candidate, and Trump, who has drawn large crowds. Nevada, the fourth contest, offers some hope for Rubio, who spent part of his childhood there while his dad worked as a casino bartender, but polling has not put him ahead.
Rubio also will need cash to keep his campaign running -- and a suit of steel to handle the incoming attacks from Cruz and others.
In New Hampshire, rivals who share his more tempered conservative approach -- Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich -- want to halt his rise.
If Rubio expects to have the resources needed to push on, donors will need to coalesce around his campaign in a way that hasnt yet happened.
While the senators fourth-quarter fundraising haul was his best yet, Rubio still lags behind the small-donor base that Cruz has inspired, and Trumps ability to dip into his wealth to fund his campaign.
Rubios team acknowledges the long haul is longer than they expected, but the goal is to build what the campaign calls Marcomentum until Florida, his home state, votes March 15, creating an inevitability of his nomination.
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He picked up the backing Tuesday of South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who echoed the campaigns message of win-ability. We have one shot in 2016 to beat Hillary Clinton and that shot is Marco Rubio, and with him as our candidate, we win.
Conservative Solutions, a super PAC supporting Rubio, began running TV ads nationally and in the early nominating states Tuesday to try to reinforce his inevitability.
Marco Rubio is the conservative who can win -- and the Clinton machine knows it, said one ad. Rubio beat the establishment. Hell unite Republicans and restore the American dream.
For the latest from Congress and 2016 campaign follow @LisaMascaro
For more, go to www.latimes.com/politics
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It often takes years after legislation is introduced before Congress reaches consensus and passes a bill, if it happens at all. Thousands of bills are introduced each year, and often fewer than 5% make it to the president's desk.
In honor of Groundhog Day (well, mostly in honor of the Bill Murray movie of the same name) here's a look at a handful of bills California's delegation has filed over and over again.
via GIPHY
1For more than 15 years, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) has pushed Congress to study if there should be later school start times for high school students, pointing to research showing teenagers naturally stay up late and wake up late.
The most recent version of her Zzz's to A's Act, first introduced in 1998, was referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee in March. The resolution has never gotten out of committee.
2In recent years, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) has taken over efforts to remove the deadline for approving the Equal Rights Amendment, allowing the proposed Constitutional amendment to move forward without having to start over.
Phyllis Schlafly, national chairman of Stop ERA, in 1976. (Associated Press)
The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in 1923 and was introduced in each session of Congress until it passed in 1972. Thirty-five states ratified the amendment before the 1982 deadline, just three states short of passage. Since then, members of Congress have repeatedly tried to remove the deadline to no avail.
3Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) has asked colleagues to create a specialty stamp to raise money for the Peace Corps each year since 2003. The current version has been in the House Foreign Affairs Committee since January 2015. A Peace Corps stamp was last offered in 1972.
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4Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) has tried since 2010 to pass legislation to require new national monuments to be only as big as "essential to ensure the proper care and management of the objects of historic or scientific interest protected by the monument."
The National Monument Designation Transparency Act also requires the president to hold public hearings and report to Congress on the economic effects on local communities of creating a new national monument using his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906. If Congress didn't approve the new monument within two years, a president's new monument order would be void.
Berryessa Snow Mountain will be part of the new national monument. A previous image that appeared with this story showed Lake Berryessa, which is not part of the national monument designation. (berryessasnowmountain.org)
All but three presidents have used the act to create National Monuments, but President Obama has been the most prolific, creating or expanding 19 monuments and setting aside more than 260 million acres for conservation, exceeding even the amount of land designated by President Theodore Roosevelt. One of the most recent uses was the creation in July of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, located north of San Francisco.
5Since 2007, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Whittier) has filed the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which would require school districts to adopt anti-bullying conduct codes specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and religion.
6Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel) has filed the Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act, since 2012. The bill has been heard twice by the House Natural Resource Committee's Subcommittee on Federal Lands, most recently in December. Farr says passing the bill is a priority before he leaves Congress in January. He is working with GOP Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock and David Valadao of Hanford on the bill.
HAZARDOUS STUDY: Technicians on all-terrain vehicles sample the dust they raise at the Clear Creek Management Area. They are wearing backpacks with air pumps and filter intakes. (Environmental Protection Agency)
It directs the Bureau of Land Management to open the 75,000-acre Clear Creek Management Area in San Benito and Fresno counties to recreational use, including off-road vehicles, hiking and hunting. The Environmental Protection Agency closed the area because of high levels of naturally occurring asbestos.
7In each Congress since 2003, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) has filed the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act. The most recent version of that bill excludes from their future Social Security benefits any wages earned while a person is working in the United States illegally. It was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee in March.
sarah.wire@latimes.com
Follow @sarahdwire on Twitter
Read more about the 55 members of California's delegation at latimes.com/politics
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Elected officials in Sacramento and Los Angeles are urging Gov. Jerry Brown to weigh in on the fate of the embattled executive director of the California Coastal Commission, saying that his dismissal would jeopardize pending environmental protection efforts.
A letter sent to Brown by 16 Democratic legislators on Tuesday warned that an attempt to fire Charles Lester, the commissions executive director, would be disruptive to achieving the states coastal protection and management goals.
Lester, who has led the politically appointed panel since 2011, was notified last month that the commission was considering his removal. He then asked for the issue to be resolved in a public hearing, now scheduled for the commissions meeting next Wednesday in Morro Bay.
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Supporters of Lester have charged that pro-development groups are pushing to remove him, while others have insisted the effort may be more about his ability to run the quasi-independent agency.
Praise for Lesters work leading the commission also came on Tuesday from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which unanimously approved a resolution warning that an attempt to remove him would undermine the stability of the commission, while simultaneously further compromising its ability to effectively carry out its mission.
In response to the letter from legislators, Brown spokesman Evan Westrup reiterated that this is a personnel matter -- initiated without any involvement from our office -- for the Coastal Commission to decide.
The commission is made up of 12 voting members, four of whom are appointed by the governor. The remaining commissioners are selected by leaders of the state Senate and Assembly.
Brown has no formal role in commission matters, though even the panels website notes that gubernatorial appointees serve at the pleasure of the governor.
The letter sent to Brown was written by Democrats largely from coastal parts of California, led by state Sens. Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara and Ben Allen of Santa Monica.
We strongly support the value of an independent Coastal Commission staff, wrote the legislators, and we respect the commitment and the accomplishments of Dr. Lester during his tenure as executive director.
On Monday, almost three dozen former commissioners also weighed in to support Lester. And since the dispute became public, the commission has received thousands of letters. The move to oust the commission director was first considered during a closed-session meeting in December.
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Glendale police seized more than 200 marijuana plants from a Sun Valley home during a probation compliance check last week that led to three arrests, police said.
A married couple and their cousin were arrested on suspicion of drug sales and fraud. However, police werent looking for the trio.
Glendales AB 109 Task Force created three years ago to address the local impact of the states criminal realignment law supervises anywhere from 40 to 50 Glendale residents on post-release community supervision.
However, the task force, which includes officers from Glendale and Burbank, also keeps its eye on probationers and parolees who come through the city.
Thats how Andrey Arutyunyan made it on the teams radar.
Arutyunyan, who police identified as a known gang member on probation, was cited in Glendale last August after patrol officers approached him for a smoking violation and discovered that he had a loaded syringe in his pocket, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Robert Rosas, who supervises the task force.
Thats what prompts our unit to go out and conduct a compliance check, Rosas said. What weve found is a lot of different crimes that occur in the city are [by] individuals living outside of the area.
But the task force didnt find Arutyunyan at the Sun Valley home. Authorities later discovered that hed been evicted in June and is actually in jail in Missouri, where his family had reportedly sent him for drug treatment, on a pending assault charge.
Instead, officers uncovered an elaborate marijuana farm in a converted garage, leading them to seize more than 200 marijuana plants, 5 pounds of packaged marijuana, two loaded guns, cash and packaging materials, according to Glendale Police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.
Los Angeles utility officials cut the power in the home due to illegal electrical work and a $4,000 unpaid electric bill.
The residents married couple Michael, 28, and Marine Petrosian, 24 were arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana. Michael Petrosian, who reportedly told police the operation was legal, was also booked on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale.
The couple told police they did not know Arutyunyan, but police reportedly found mail addressed to Arutyunyan in Michael Petrosians car.
Meanwhile, Michael Petrosians cousin Armen Simonyan, a 27-year-old North Hollywood resident, showed up while police were at the home, Rosas said. He was arrested on suspicion of credit- and debit-card fraud after police reportedly found him in possession of fraudulent identification and credit cards.
The trio was released from police custody after posting bail.
--
Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
Kung Fu Panda 3 KOed the competition at the Chinese box office last week, notching the biggest three-day opening ever for an animated film and surpassing its North American opening weekend.
Po and friends earned $51 million Friday through Sunday, compared with $41 million in the U.S. and Canada.
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The DreamWorks Animation movie, which has earned $58.5 million in China so far including sneak preview screenings, is on track to easily surpass the first two installments in the series, according to Rance Pow, president of film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway.
In 2008, Kung Fu Panda earned $27.4 million in mainland China, and the sequel pulled in $91.9 million in 2011.
The highest-grossing animated film of all time in China is the domestic production Monkey King: Hero Is Back, which grossed $147.1 million in summer 2015. Kung Fu Panda 3 is coming into theaters at a prime movie-going time, just as the country is about to celebrate Spring Festival, a.k.a. Chinese New Year, when schools, businesses and government offices are closed.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is not being treated like an imported film in China because it was produced partly in the mainland at Oriental DreamWorks. The $330-million, Shanghai-based joint venture is 45% owned by DreamWorks Animation; Chinese partners include a Chinese government investment fund, China Media Capital, and Shanghai Media group.
Kung Fu Panda 3 accounted for more than half of all box-office receipts for the seven days ending Sunday.
In distant second place for the week was Star Wars: The Force Awakens with $7.8 million; the Disney film has taken in $123.5 million since its Jan. 9 opening. That was followed by the local animated film Boonie Bears: To the Rescue, with $6.3 million and Sony Pictures The Walk, which took in $5.7 million. In its first 10 days of release, The Walk has earned $12.5 million.
In fifth place for the week was the domestic holdover Detective Chinatown. The Wanda Pictures film has so far outperformed Star Wars, earning $124 million since its New Years Eve release.
Twentieth Century Foxs Alvin and the Chipmunks 4, which arrived in Chinese cinemas last week, managed only $4.7 million.
Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China
Via CartaCapital.com.br, an AFP report: A historia do zika no Brasil passa por Camacari.[History of Zika in Brazil starts in Camacari] Edited excerpt from the Google translation:
The city of Camacari was in chaos, with crowded hospitals, not knowing what was going on and not suspecting it would have the first confirmed cases of an unknown virus that spread throughout Brazil.
Could it be some type of dengue? An allergic reaction to water pollution? The inhabitants of this town located 50 km from Salvador, Bahia, felt anxious in the first months of 2015 because of an unknown disease affecting more and more people.
The mysterious disease had come to be called "indeterminate eczematous syndrome" by doctors because of the irritation it caused to the skin. "My two sons and I were sick. In my neighborhood, everyone has been infected,"AFP heard from Vanessa Machado dos Santos, 35, who makes a living selling coconut water in torrid Camacari.
"My skin began to prickle, I had fever, headache and body, a lot of pain in the joints" she described. A short time later she was informed that all she felt was because of a virus called Zika, but doubts persisted.
"No one knew very well what it was. They said it looked like dengue, was caused by a mosquito, coming from another country. There were many stories about the famous Zika" she recalls. "Was I afraid? Of course! I did not know what was next. People are always afraid of the unknown."
Request for help
In April 2015, the medical centers of this city of 200,000 inhabitants were crowded.
Dr. Antonio Carlos Bandeira, in St. Helena Hospital, considered it urgent to identify the cause of this syndrome and contacted virologist Gubio Soares, of the Federal University of Bahia, whom he knew.
The symptoms that patients had, and the explosive contagion - entire buildings were crowded by sick people, he said - made him assume that it was an 'arbovirus,' the generic name for viruses transmitted by an insect.
"At that time there was a chaos due to the number of queries. We sent a real appeal to Gubio to help us in the identification of the infectious agent," he said.
In his laboratory at the Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia in Salvador, Soares and his colleague Silvia Sardi dedicated themselves to investigate about 20 samples sent from patients in Camacari.
Eventually they found the villain of the story: Zika, first identified in 1947 in Africa, and which appeared in the Pacific Islands in 2007 and 2013; but the geographical features there meant it had not had the same impact.
Soares had tests that allowed the identification of the virus, he said in an interview with AFP. "I had read interesting work on Zika. At the same time, I saw the pictures of people infected with the virus and as there were many in Camacari, I thought it was the Zika. I discussed this with Silvia Sardi, did the tests and they were conclusive. And so identified the first virus in Brazil," he said.
Indias Supreme Court said Tuesday that it would reexamine its decision criminalizing gay sex, giving hope to activists who have called the law a violation of fundamental rights.
The high court said it would constitute a five-judge panel to hear an appeal by advocacy groups challenging the 2013 decision that criminalized same-sex relations between consenting adults.
That controversial decision reinstated Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which outlaws sexual intercourse against the order of nature.
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Activists cheered the decision, which appeared to signal that the court was willing to hear arguments that it had erred in its judgment.
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It seems to indicate theyre ready to hear the matter, which is good, said lawyer Anand Grover, who has challenged Section 377 in court.
Activists say that while the law has not led to Indians being prosecuted for same-sex relations, it has caused many homosexuals to live in fear and exposed them to extortion and threats.
Though there is growing support in India for the law to be changed, including from top levels of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, church groups and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board told the Supreme Court jurists that they were decriminalizing homosexuality.
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Legal experts say the five-judge panel hearing the activists so-called curative petition -- a mechanism by which the Supreme Court can reverse a decision it deems to have been a mistake -- can only decide to overturn the decision on narrow legal grounds. Only three such petitions have led to a high court ruling being overturned, experts said.
The court did not say when the five-judge panel would be appointed.
shashank.bengali@latimes.com
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The United Nations mediator in Syrian peace talks met Monday with the major opposition delegation, ending days of uncertainty about whether the talks would proceed.
The talks have started, Staffan de Mistura, U.N. special envoy to Syria, said during a news conference after meeting with representatives from the oppositions High Negotiations Committee.
De Mistura said he would be meeting with both sides Tuesday to go deeper into the issues they have raised and their concerns.
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The announcement comes after the opposition bloc had repeatedly threatened to walk away from the talks if the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad did not end its sieges on rebel-held areas and release political detainees.
On Monday, though, both the opposition coalition and the U.N. seemed upbeat after a meeting at the U.N.'s Palais des Nations here.
I believe we received very positive messages, said Salim Muslet, spokesman for the opposition committee, told reporters. We are here to see the suffering of our people end soon.
The opposition committee, made up of armed Syrian factions and political dissidents, is a Saudi-backed umbrella group that was formed in December in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and flew to Geneva in a Saudi jet. Saudi Arabia is a major backer of armed groups fighting to oust Assad.
The U.N. mediator said it was key that all sides in the talks believed that their viewpoints were being taken into account.
The first immediate objective is to make sure that the talks continue and that everyone is on board, De Mistura told reporters. Its crucial that no one should be feeling excluded.
There was no public word Monday from the Syrian government delegation, which has already criticized the opposition bloc for arriving late and for making demands before formal talks began. Damascus has also labeled as terrorist groups a pair of armed factions that are part of the opposition committee.
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De Mistura suggested that the International Syria Support Group, a coalition of 17 nations that pushed for the Geneva talks, take a greater role in promoting a cease-fire.
That group includes regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are on different sides of the conflict, as well as the United States and Russia. Moscow is a major ally of Assad, while Washington has called for him to step down and aided groups seeking to oust him.
The U.N. envoy stressed the need to show some improvement on the ground in Syria as the negotiations proceeded.
In addition to securing a cease-fire, the talks, which could last for months, are aimed at forming a transitional government and eventually organizing U.N.-backed elections. But everyone acknowledges those goals will be difficult to attain.
On Monday, pro-government forces overran opposition-held areas north of Aleppo city, disrupting supply lines and threatening to cut off rebel-held territories to the west, according to government and opposition accounts.
The offensive, which was bolstered by Russian airstrikes, also brings the Syrian army within less than two miles of Nubul and Zahra, two Shiite Muslim-majority, pro-government towns that have been under siege for several years by Sunni Muslim rebel groups, including the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front.
Breaking those sieges would be a major accomplishment for pro-government forces, which have been on the offensive since Russian warplanes joined the fight in September.
On social media, pro-rebel activists reported that opposition factions in the area had exhorted all who own weapons to head directly to help their mujahedin brothers.
Bulos is a special correspondent and McDonnell is a staff writer.
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Bombs kill more than 50 people in Syria; progress is elusive at Geneva peace talks
Both sides in the Syria peace negotiation expressed frustration Tuesday with the sluggish progress of the talks, raising new doubts about the viability of the most determined diplomatic push to date aimed at ending the nations almost five-year conflict.
The renewed sense of uncertainty came a day after the chief United Nations mediator, Staffan de Mistura, confidently declared that the talks had officially started, allaying fears that the process could collapse before it began.
But mutual distrust between the two sides the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the leading opposition delegation was front and center again Tuesday. Talks on any substantive issues do not appear to have taken place.
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The opposition bloc demanded an end to ongoing government advances in Syria, citing Syrian Army thrusts outside the cities of Homs and Aleppo. Air strikes by Russia, a Syrian ally, have helped government forces push forward on a number of battlefronts since Moscow intervened last September.
Our first goal is to try to pressure toward stopping this escalation, Fara Atassi, a member of the leading opposition committee, told reporters outside U.N. headquarters in Geneva.
The opposition committee has insisted that substantive talks cannot begin until the Syrian government and its allies take several steps, including ending bombardment and sieges of rebel-held areas and releasing some prisoners. The government says it will not accept preconditions, but is willing to discuss whatever proposals are formally on the table as part of the talks.
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The regimes and Russias actions gravely threaten the political process at this early stage, Atassi said in a statement. We need the international community to take immediate, serious, and clear steps to ensure the credibility of this process.
One of the goals of the Geneva talks is to achieve a lasting cease-fire in Syria as a prelude to government reform, the writing of a new constitution and U.N.-backed elections in Syria. But, having seized battlefield initiative in the run-up to the talks, Damascus has given no indication that it is willing to cease broad offensive operations absent a negotiated settlement.
On the government side, Damascus negotiating team complained that vagueness clouded the Geneva process.
So far, nothing is clear, declared Bashar Jaafari, the chief government negotiator, in comments to reporters. There are no clear answers. What is the agenda of the meeting? The important procedural issues have not yet been dealt with.
In particular, the government is perturbed that it has not been provided with a list of the names of the opposition delegates, names that have not been made public by the United Nations.
The Geneva negotiations will not be face-to-face sit-downs but rather proximity talks, in which opposing sides remain in separate rooms. U.N. mediators will shuttle from delegation to delegation. Still, Syrian government officials say they want to know who is on the other side.
So far, we do not know who are the delegations that are supposed to represent the Syrian opposition, said Jaafari, Damascus ambassador to the United Nations, who added that he had asked the U.N. to provide the names.
The talks are backed by major powers on both sides of the conflict, including the United States and Saudi Arabia, which back the opposition; and Russia and Iran, which support Assads government.
Diplomats have called the current Geneva process the best chance to end the punishing Syrian conflict, which has cost more than 200,000 lives and helped generate a refugee crisis stretching to Europe, among other deleterious effects. U.N.-brokered talks in Switzerland two years ago collapsed amid disagreements on key issues, including the future of Assad, who has said it is up to the Syrian people to decide whether he should stay or go. The main opposition bloc in Geneva insists that Assad must step down as part of any peace process.
The U.N. has effectively named a Saudi-based opposition umbrella group, called the High Negotiations Committee, or HNC, as the chief opposition delegation, though the U.N. also has invited other opponents in apparent observer roles. The committee includes both Syrian political dissidents and representatives of several armed rebel militias.
Damascus and Moscow consider a pair of the Islamist armed factions represented in the opposition committee to be terrorists.
Whether members of either of those factions Ahrar al Sham and Jaish al-Islam were to be part of the committees formal negotiating contingent at the Geneva talks was not clear. But the HNC delegation in Geneva includes Mohammed Alloush, a leading figure of Jaish al-Islam, which controls a broad area in the suburbs of Damascus. Alloush has described himself in interviews as the committees chief negotiator.
The opposition bloc has dismissed as extraneous the governments complaints about not knowing the identities of those with whom it is supposed to be negotiating.
Our names are available and our names are known, and we represent many people, many Syrians, said Atassi, a member of the Saudi-based opposition committee. We are a sample of the opposition.
McDonnell is a Times staff writer and Bulos is a special correspondent.
Twitter: @mcdneville
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Guatemala has earned notoriety for being deemed a violent country for women. Even to this day, women and young girls in the Central American country face the dangers of discrimination, violence, sexual assault and even death at the hands of men. Now Guatemalan soldiers are to face trial for war crimes against 11 Mayan women, per The Guardian.
Women and young girls fall victim to Guatemala's discrimination, mostly brought about by poverty and a lack of education.
The Guatemalan Civil War spanned for more than three decades and was fought between the Guatemalan government and leftist rebel groups, widely supported by Mayans and Ladino peasants. It was reported that during those dark days, 100,000 women were raped. For years, their stories were unknown, but now they choose to fight.
In a report with The Guardian, in a historic event, Guatemalan soldiers will be standing trial for war crimes on sexual slavery charges involving 11 Mayan women in Sepur Zarco. It has been more than 30 years since the unspeakable crimes have been committed, and only now could justice be served.
The Guatemalan soldiers first came for the men of Sepur Zarco, where they were dragged out of their village and killed. The women were then raped in front of their children. These Mayan women were stripped of their belongings, and were forced into servitude and sexual slavery by several soldiers in the nearby military base.
The historic trial will see two former military officers, Esteelmer Reyes Giron and regional military commissioner Heriberto Valdez Asij, face trial on charges of sexual slavery and forced disappearances.
Yahoo reports that Reyes will be charged on "authorizing and consenting for soldiers under his command to exercise sexual violence and inhuman, cruel and degrading treatment against Maya-Q'eqchi' women."
Valdez will be prosecuted for his acts of sexual violence against the Mayan women as well as the "forced disappearance" of nine men.
The Mayan women gave their testimony in court, telling of the horrors that they have suffered during the Guatemalan Civil War. The victims of these crimes are now in their 80's, mostly weak and illiterate, and are unable to speak in Spanish.
Many of the veterans defend their innocence, claiming that they were fighting a war on communism. However, the Guatemalan Civil War brought about many atrocities highlighting the inhumanity of it all, as 200,000 were killed or were missing during the 36-year conflict.
2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The thawing diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba have resulted to a global intellectual-property dispute concerning booze conglomerates, Pernod Ricard and Bacardi.
The row between the two firms originated in the Cuban revolution in the 1950s, according to Quartz.
On Monday, Bacardi issued a Freedom of Information Act request urging the U.S. government to explain its decision to remove the company's right to the Havana Club trademark, Reuters reported. Last January, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office gave permission to Cuban state firm Cubaexport to register the Havana Club name once again in the U.S.
Bacardi's request sought to have access to all records concerning the Havana Club trademark decision held by the executive office of President Barack Obama, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the State Department, the National Security Council, the Treasury Department, or any other offices, the news outlet listed.
"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 U.S. and international public policy and law," Eduardo Sanchez, senior vice president and general counsel of Bacardi, said in a statement quoted in Reuters' report.
The U.S. government's decision allowed Cubaexport and its French partner, Pernod Ricard, to sell the Havana Club rum brand in the U.S. and be locked in a direct competition with Bacardi's products, the news outlet added.
Pernod Ricard, the world's second largest spirits company, markets the Havana Club brand around the world on behalf of Cuba -- except in the U.S., where Bacardi has the trademark, Quartz further reported. Bacardi believes it has the full rights for the name, which it purchased from the Arechabala family.
Cuba cannot sell its rum in the U.S. because of the trade embargo on the island, Reuters noted. However, the recent improvement in the two countries' diplomatic relations raised Cuba's hopes of gaining access to the globe's largest rum market.
The Bermuda-based Bacardi left Cuba after the 1959 revolution, Reuters wrote. After the move, the firm acquired the rights to the Havana Club name from its pre-revolutionary owner whose distillery was nationalized.
Quartz wrote that it will be unclear how Cuba "would survive a legal challenge under section 211" if they attempt to regain ownership of the brand name because it would invalidate the trademarks linked to seized Cuban firms. It's also possible that the law would settle claims dating back to the Cuban revolution and "potentially revoke section 211, which would dramatically change the French company's odds in court," the news outlet added.
2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Pope Francis is once again a top contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize Committee is set to close the nomination window for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize winner on Monday.
Also a front-runner for last year's Nobel Peace Prize, the Pontiff of Rome said that he was not interested in such honors. Last year, among the contenders for the prestigious award, were the women of Paraguay, who fought valiantly during the 19th-century War of the Triple Alliance. Pope Francis cited those who he deemed "more deserving" of the honor.
Pope Francis has been considered to be the "Pope of Surprises," as the Pontiff likes to set his agendas personally. In a report with The Huffington Post, 2016 is looking to be a busy year for Pope Francis, as he is set to canonize Mother Teresa of Calcutta in September of this year. The "Mother of Calcutta" was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize back in 1979. She remains to be the most prominent Catholics to have received the award.
Among the nominees include Nadia Murad, a former victim of sexual slavery at the hands of the Islamic State. She is now a champion of women who have been abused by IS militants. The women's rights advocate has been nominated by Audun Lysbakken.
Like Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis remains a favorite among the Nobel Peace Prize contenders. John Paul II was rumored to be nominated because of his opposition towards the 2003 war on Iraq.
But part of the Pope's global appeal is his tendency to shy away from such awards. The Pontiff has been known to wear old clothes and shoes, and tries to implement his own brand of humility within the Vatican, Time reports. The Argentine Pope refuses to live in the live in the Vatican apostolic palace.
According to NBC News, the Norwegian members of the Nobel Commitee receive more than 200 nominations, and these are kept in secrecy for 50 years. The report said that Panel members can make their nominations on Feb. 29, which is set to be the first judging.
Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu gave his vote to Pope Francis. Back in 2015, Pope Francis met privately with the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize and praised them for being "architects of peace." The prize went to Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, who "championed the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia."
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The top chef of the Swiss restaurant, recently declared as the best in the entire world, was discovered dead inside his home over the weekend, and authorities are looking at suicide as a possible angle.
CNN reported that Chef Benoit Violier of the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland, was found lifeless on Sunday afternoon inside his home in the same locality.
It noted that the initial investigation by authorities revealed that he could have ended his life by shooting himself.
No further details were revealed by the police, saying they wanted to respect the privacy of the family.
In December last year, Violier's restaurant was named the world's best restaurant by France's La Liste, which ranks the top 1,000 restaurants around the world.
According to CNBC, the famous restaurant also has three Michelin stars, aside from other international recognition and praise from a lot of people.
Last April 2012, Violier became the chef in charge of the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville's kitchen after the leadership of French chef Philippe Rochat, who died last year in a bicycle accident.
It was highlighted in The Guardian report that Violier's death came six weeks after the La Liste recognition. The chef even expressed gratitude for the restaurant's achievement.
"It's wonderful, it's exceptional for us. This will serve to motivate the whole team even more," Violier was earlier quoted by the same report as saying.
The reason is still not clear as to why the top chef decided to end his life, but The Guardian said that he recently suffered two losses in 2015 -- the death of his mentor Rochat and his father's demise last April.
It was added in the same report that Violier is not the first top chef to end his own life, noting that this once again highlights the pressures that come with the job.
Thirteen years ago, French chef Bernard Loiseau also shot himself using a rifle, which ended his life at 52.
He was reportedly "depressed, overworked and heavily in debt" prior to his suicide.
As news of the chef's death spreads, colleague Fredy Girardet, who is also a renowned Swiss chef, said that he was "dumbfounded" by the incident, per 24 Heures.
"He was a brilliant man. Such talent, and an amazing capacity for work. He was so kind, with so many qualities. He gave the impression of being perfect," Girardet added.
Meanwhile, Swiss chef Edgard Bovier of the La Table d'Edgard restaurant in Lausanne, tagged Violier as the "Federer of cooking" as well as an approachable and warm person.
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United Airlines have brought back the free snacks for their passengers. Now, all customers of the flight carrier can enjoy crackers and mini pretzels onboard.
NBCDFW reported that the free snacks were distributed starting Monday in the main cabin of United Airlines flights.
It noted that airlines in the United States used to offer free snacks to its passengers, but they had to do away with these after the September 11 attacks and the recession in 2008 to save money.
But Philly said Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines did not stop offering the in-flight snacks, even with these setbacks in the industry.
"The return of free snacks comes at a time when many U.S. airlines are posting record profits," added NBCDFW.
Meanwhile, PR Newswire said that United will also offer other complimentary snacks like sesame sticks, wasabi peas, Cajun corn sticks and ranch soy nuts to economy passengers who are flying within North America, to and from Central America and between Guam and Honolulu.
United Airlines vice president of food services Jimmy Samartzis, said that this effort is aimed at improving the experience of their passengers.
"For the customer heading home from a business trip and for the family embarking on a long-planned vacation, we are building a new inflight experience of comfort and familiarity, with complimentary snacks playing a small but important part," Samartzis said in the PR Newswire writeup.
In addition, the Los Angeles Times said that those who want to eat more can spend a couple of dollars and choose what he or she wants - like a bowl of beef, which could cost around $4 to $10.
For their Latin American flights, USA Today said that flights that offer free meals will not receive the complimentary snacks anymore.
Along with this, NBCDFW mentioned that American Airlines has also announced that it will soon bring back free snacks for its main cabin passengers.
In April, American Airlines said all domestic flights will already be enjoying the said perks.
USA Today also noted that the airline industry has indeed established stable footing after losing billions of money in the past decade.
It explained that the increase in profits has resulted in efforts to improve the flying experience of the passengers.
"What has changed is that the airlines have been able to fix our core business and be able to reinvest in our customers," said American Arilines vice president for global marketing Fernand Fernandez.
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Certain parts of Cuba are finally getting connected with the worldwide web, as the Central American government revealed plans on launching residential Internet services to homes in two areas in Havana.
According to the Associated Press as cited by the Verge, the country's state-run telecommunications company known as ETECSA, will soon be able to provide residents with Internet access in two Havana neighborhoods.
Thanks to a partnership between the Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA) and Chinese telecom company Huawei, fiber optic connections will soon be available to selected Cuban homes in the capital.
Among the two communities included in the pilot program is the popular tourist destination, Old Havana, which is known as the colonial center.
ETECSA Havana director Odalys Rodriguez del Toro also told the Associated Press that they will also allow establishments like cafes and restaurants to order broadband service for their customers.
He revealed that within this year, there will be a total of 30 more Wi-Fi hotspots to be opened in the Cuban capital alone.
The Havana director did not say when all this could happen, but the news is very welcome among the residents of Cuba, since they live in "one of the least connected countries" in the world, according to Mashable.
Before this momentous development was revealed, Internet in Cuba has become "the greatest obstacle," per the Mashable report.
In fact, the outlet noted that only about 25 percent of the entire Cuban population had access to the information super-highway based on a 2011 record from the state National Statistics Office.
What is more surprising is that this statistic encompasses an even smaller percentage of about five percent of Cuban residents who have access to open Internet, which costs about $2 per hour.
Also, the current connections cannot even be considered decent, as they still run on dial-up connections, which have become obsolete since the coming of the fiber optic connections.
"When they do access the Internet, they try to do really the bare minimum," Freedom House Latin America Senior Program Officer Cynthia Romero explained to Mashable.
Cubans have had to find a creative way to get information, despite how little information it may be.
"With such limited access, Cubans have employed more creative methods of surfing. One of the most popular is for people to download online articles onto thumb drives, then pass them around to friends and family," Mashable explained.
According to BBC, the move from the Cuban government was in response to U.S. President Barack Obama's call for better services and improved tourism conditions in the Caribbean country as the U.S.-Cuba relations continue to warm up.
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A number of taxi drivers cried in protest against the emergence of Uber in Costa Rica, saying that the international service is a big threat to their livelihood. In fact, agitated motorists were seen blocking driveways on Monday, asking the government to stop the mobile ride hail company in the country.
The Central American operators admitted that they can't compete with Uber because of the high prices of operating licenses and insurance that they can't afford. They all joined together and decided to park their taxis in front of Casa Presidencial, according to The Tico Times.
They also barred the overpass and off ramp in Zapote and jammed traffic at La Hispanidad rotunda in front of the San Pedro Mall. They also threw eggs over the taxi drivers who didn't join their protest.
As a counteract, Uber decided to offer free rides to its users. The company announced 15,000 or about $30 free fair for its riders from 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. using the promo code COSTARICANOPARA on Monday.
"On a day as hard to get around as today, we've decided to give away a free ride to all the members of our community because if #CostaRicaNoPara (Costa Rica doesn't stop), Uber won't stop," the company wrote.
Before the protest, some of the government officials met with the organization of taxi drivers, Tico Times added. President Luis Guillermo Solis' administration was firm in saying that "Uber's service is illegal under Costa Rica law."
This is the authority being held by the Government Attorney's Office and the Public Transportation Council. However, it is not yet known how this law will be implemented as Uber remains in the country.
On the contrary, Science and Technology Minister Mauricio Jenkins contradicted the interruption of Uber in Costa Rica. "We're not in the business of censoring the Internet. That is not a step that this government or any other democratic government wants to take," he told the reporters.
Meanwhile, Uber was launched in Costa Rica just last year in spite of being unauthorized, Yahoo News reported. In fact, they haven't received any permission from the government to continue their service in the country.
Uber is now earning more or less $50 billion in 58 countries.
2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
One of things you learn when diseases break out in poor countries is that their government websites are terrible and their health-ministry websites are worse. Even Ebola never provoked Guinea to create a new health site to replace the decrepit one some Indonesian hacker had euthanized, and Liberia's and Sierra Leone's are pretty seriously inadequate. Don't get me going.
Now that WHO has declared a PHEIC, we can expect a tsunami of money to flood into fighting Zika, microcephaly, and Guillain-Barre syndrome. But it will be hard to define progress in this effort unless we know something about the state of neurological syndromes and microcephaly in Latin America before Zika arrived. As I discovered while researching my Tyee article this weekend, congenital malformations are routinely tracked in Europe and North America, but finding such information in Latin America is beyond my feeble Google search skills.
In fact, if you go to the Ministries of Health Worldwide link in my Key Sites list, and browse through Latin American sites, you'll be lucky to find a search function, let alone information on congenital malformations. Even Google Scholar turns up almost nothing (again, mea culpaGoogle's own wizards could doubtless find masses of information).
Confirming Zika's involvement in microcephaly and GBS will be hard at best, and still less so if we start out clueless about their prevalence in Latin America (and the South Pacific, and East Africa) before Zika began its march around the world from Uganda.
An obvious resource is ECLAMC: the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations, which raised the first serious questions about the Zika-microcephaly link (see the Zika Virus document on their site). But much information will have to be extracted from dusty ministry archives, if it is there to be extracted at all.
As we've seen with SARS, H1N1, H5N1, cholera, MERS, and Ebola, WHO is exactly as effective as its political perceptions allow it to be. If it annoys a Member State with political clout in the UN, it will suffer. So, gladly or not, it suffers too many governments run by fools, for whom the suffering of babies and their parents doesn't even register, let alone be written off as a cost of doing business.
We can hope that Zika will make it different this time. And if not Zika, then the next outbreak. Or the next.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will head to the United States this week to ask for billions of dollars to continue the controversial Plan Colombia program.
The president's visit will also commemorate the 15th anniversary of the U.S.-funded military program, a multimillion-dollar anti-narcotics and counterinsurgency initiative, teleSUR reported. With Plan Colombia, millions of dollars were sent to the South American country to combat the drug trade and left-wing guerillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC.
Later this week, Santos will ask the U.S. Congress for a total of $5 billion, which is $500 million each year for up to 10 years, teleSUR wrote. Details of the initiative, which has been called Plan Colombia 2.0, have not yet been released. The plan is to use the money to fund a post-conflict peace agenda once the Colombian government and the FARC sign a final peace accord. Their self-imposed deadline is set on March 23.
The original Plan Colombia deal was signed in 2000 by then U.S. President Bill Clinton and his Colombian counterpart, Andres Pastrana, the news outlet noted. Since then, the U.S. has provided over $10 billion in military aid to Colombia. In recent years, however, Colombia has only been receiving around $300 million annually from the U.S.
Human rights monitors claim that the program only provoked the country's militarization, which sparked violence and human rights abuses, teleSUR further reported. Colombia's Victims Unit said that the number of victims of the country's five-decade long civil war exceeded 7 million this year. The figure also involved those who have been killed, disappeared, or displaced since 1956.
The group added that "the majority of victimization occurred after 2000, peaking in 2002 at 744,799 victims," only two years after Plan Colombia was signed, the news outlet noted. Leaders, meanwhile, consider the deal as a major success story for U.S. foreign policy, saying that the program resulted in the destruction of coca crops and allowed Colombia's government to reclaim control of the countryside.
The money for Plan Colombia 2.0 is also intended for the payment of regional development projects, which the first initiative failed to achieve, teleSUR reported. The plan would also assist in the demobilization and reintegration of around 7,000 guerilla fighters into civilian life.
In addition, Santos will update the Congress on the peace negotiations with FARC, teleSUR wrote. The Colombian leader stressed out that he is not traveling to the U.S. just to ask for financial backing, but rather to thank the U.S. for its support over the past years.
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The former director of Petrobras, Jorge Zelada, has been arrested and jailed on charges of bribery and corruption. This latest arrest is a "strong blow" to Brazil, as the country is in the midst of a corruption scandal.
A majority of Brazilians believe that the corruption probe will continue, despite Brazil falling into economic instability. Zelada, who headed the state-owned oil company's international division, has been sentenced up to twelve years in prison. The former director was jailed due to charges of money-laundering and corruption, VOA reports.
Zelada's lawyer, Renato de Moraes, said that he will do all he can to seek his client's acquittal.
BBC reports that Zelada was arrested in July 2015 in what is to be Brazi's biggest corruption scandal to date. The widespread corruption scandal has seen the arrests of Brazil's most powerful officials, including BTG Pactual bank chief Andre Esteves and Senator Delcidio do Amaral.
Investigators also said that some of Brazil's construction and engineering companies paid bribes to Petrobras' political executives in return for "doctored" contracts.
According to the report, Federal Judge Sergio Moro said that the former Petrobras director gave U.S. company Vantage Drilling a Petrobras contract in 2009 for the drill ship Titanium Explorer. Zelada was said to be given bribes hidden away in undeclared accounts in Monaco and Switzerland.
Along with Zelada, Petrobras manager Eduardo Costa Musa was also jailed. The men were said to have received $30m from Vantage Drilling Corporation.
Federal Judge Sergio Moro said that he had requested to call on Vantage Drilling CEO Paul Bragg as a witness. However, the request was not granted per the cooperation treaty between Brazil and the United States. The said treaty states that witnesses should only be called upon by the prosecution.
Moro has focused on engineering firms and executives accused of price fixing during the course of the corruption probe. These firms were also accused of overcharging Petrobras, and using those funds to bribe Brazil's politicians.
While Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has been previously connected to the Petrobras scandal, she has been cleared of any involvement in the entire case. Though the president's popularity had a significant drop, Brazilian Congress found that there was no significant proof on Rousseff's involvement in the corruption scandal.
The commission who reported that Rousseff was clear of any involvement said that the crimes committed in the entire scandal were personally motivated. They called the state-owned oil company a "victim of a cartel."
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Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff implemented a nationwide mandate this week allowing government health workers to enter private properties to crush Zika breeding grounds. Exterminators now have the right to inspect and disinfect households, even without the presence of its owners.
The nationwide policy isn't the first of its kind in Brazil. The Wall Street Journal noted that the country enacted a similar directive in the early 1900s to rid Rio de Janeiro of yellow fever-carrying mosquitos.
Still, the new countermeasure has raised human rights concerns. Citizens fear the sudden intrusions would violate their right to privacy. Some have even required health workers to present a court warrant authorizing their Zika raid.
Brazilian law expert Luiz Flavio Gomes sees no reason for people to be distressed, as Rousseff's mandate would play a huge role in curbing the spread of the Zika virus.
"This is the first time I remember since the start of last century, when we had the so called Vaccine War, that the government adopted a measure like this," Gomes explained. "But the situation right now is dangerous and people are aware of the problem and likely to support the government's decision."
People who are bitten by Zika-carrying mosquitos will often experience fever, rashes and joint pains. These are relatively mild symptoms compared to other epidemics. However, the Zika virus has been linked to the ballooning cases of birth defects in Brazil.
According to The Washington Post, roughly 4,000 cases of microcephaly have been reported in Brazil in 2015. Most of the cases were from ZIka-stricken areas. By comparison, the country only had 147 reported cases of microcephaly in 2014.
A team of high-ranking epidemiologists and neurologists has already been deployed in Brazil to investigate the outbreak. Lavinia Schuler-Faccini, the president of the Brazil Medical Genetic Society, said researchers have yet to discover conclusive evidence that links the Zika virus to microcephaly in newborns, per Time.
"Most of the babies we are seeing, if we test them for the virus, the genetic material for the virus is not there," said Schuler-Faccini. "Our inferences are made from maternal history of infection or something that is comparable to a Zika infection like fever not too high, rash, and pain in the joints."
Zika's potential link to microcephaly has deeply concerned the Brazilian citizenry, and has brought extreme pressure on the government to address the matter.
As of the moment, Brazilian authorities have been busy cleansing waterlogged areas, while health officials have launched a nationwide campaign that intends to further educate people on the Zika virus, and its carrier the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
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The healthcare in Guam is expected to improve with the government expressing its plan to not only modify the services of the lone public hospital, but the entire system as well.
Kuam News said the Legislative Committee on Health, headed by Senator Dennis Rodriguez, Jr. was initially created to work on the challenges of the Guam Memorial Hospital (GMH), but now the body is focused on a bigger role.
"Because that approach doesn't work - it's a whole system of care, it's access of care for our people, ensuring there are health insurance coverage that our people have, ensuring that the resources that we have on our community supports the need of our community," Rodriguez said.
This new system, as per Kuam News, was suggested by a task force, which researched the current status of healthcare on the island.
Task force member Roseanne Jones noted that the government should not only focus on the hospital, but the health system of Guam as well, if they want to see a change.
An initial plan of the task force was to build a new hospital, but over the past months, the group thought of not just building infrastructure, but solving the problem in healthcare as a whole.
"Because a new concrete, although very nice, is not going to change or solve the problem at our hospital," Rodriguez explained.
He also mentioned in a Pacific News Center report that the renovation of the GMH will also be very expensive, since it was projected to cost $100 million or more. This is said to be a very high cost, which the residents of Guam will pay for.
The senator added that the task force has formulated a 10-point plan, which includes reforms in the medical programs in Guam, legislation as well as a likely public-private partnership.
"I intend to take this out to the community, to as many people as I could to let them know what the plan is because this really lays that groundwork of establishing and pursuing long-term sustainability," Rodriguez said.
A proposal of the task force was to allow the Guam Economic Development Authority to look for interested parties who will partner with the government in their effort to improve the health system.
According to Pacific Daily News, GMH has been struggling financially, and are finding it hard to pay for utilities, retirement contributions and even the supplies provided by its vendors.
In 2010, Guam Gov. Felix Camacho declared a state of emergency in the public hospital after it incurred a $16 million debt to its vendors.
Currently, the hospital is estimated to have about $24 million in accounts payables, which have resulted in the disruption of services in the medical facility.
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Salaries of employees involved in financial services are expected to rise by 4.3 percent this year in Latin America and Asia, a survey of a New York-based investment consultant revealed.
Prensa Latina said the recent survey of Mercer disclosed that the expected increase in the salaries in the two regions are double that of the projected figures in Europe and North America.
It added that the development will happen even as prices of commodities drop, and growth in China continues to slow down.
There are some organizations in North America which are said to be experiencing difficulties in retaining their employees and overseeing the processes, as per FTSE Global Markets.
The same report noted that this was part of the survey's result, despite it revealing that most businesses have earned positive results with such risk management efforts.
According to Insurance Journal, the Global Financial Services Executive Compensation Snapshot Survey of Mercer looked into 71 banks, insurers and financial services companies in various areas in South America, Asia, North America and Europe last year.
Results of the survey showed that 61 percent of the firms have plans to raise the salaries of their employees by as much as 5 percent, an increase which many did not expect with a lot of economies in Latin America affected last year.
Meanwhile, Business Wire noted that the survey also highlighted the focus of financial services firms to set the right tone in their companies with good leadership and risk management.
"Overall, total compensation levels remain broadly the same compared to levels prior to regulated bonus caps. However, banks, particularly in Europe, have significantly increased fixed pay levels, improving the certainty of pay delivered to key risk-takers," said Mercer senior partner Vicki Elliott in the same report.
On the other hand, Mercer Principal and Financial Services Project manager Dirk Vink explained that there is still a concern in relation to the increased focus on fixed guaranteed pay, which reportedly "breaks the link" of pay and performance.
Vink said this could be counterproductive for the company and the employees as well.
"We have concluded that the most positive impact on sound risk-taking behaviors and decision-making has come from significantly improved governance and increased involvement of risk management in the performance management and compensation process," he added.
In addition, Insurance Journal noted that the changes in the financial services sector are part of their effort to maintain strong governance in their companies.
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Cuban President Raul Castro and French President Francois Hollande met in France to reaffirm their willingness to strengthen their countries' bilateral relations, reported Prensa Latina.
In a statement from the Elysee Palace, Hollande said, "Today we are opening a new page in the links between the two countries." The links refer to the signing of a bilateral economic road map between France and Cuba concerning tourism, transport, and trade partnership. He also added that this agreement was reached due to a December 12 meeting between Cuba and the Paris Club, concerning the Cuban Debt.
Hollande added, ""We want to go further bilaterally, boosting great cultural cooperation, university exchanges. The French Development Agency is working on the identification of projects that could be boosted."
Business Standard noted that ties to Cuba were restored with the United States in December 2014. Following this, the European Union, led by France, Netherlands, and Spain, also expressed their interest in resuming ties.
For France, the economic ties with the Caribbean country is mainly with the hotel industry, construction, telecommunications, energy, and banking, with around sixty French firms already setting up shop in Cuba. Castro's visit to the European nation marks a historic trip aimed to cement such relations.
Castro, for his part, highlighted the link of both countries in reference to culture and friendship. He stated, "We have held fruitful talks about different issues of the bilateral agenda. We ratify the willingness to broaden and diversify the relations and cooperation in the political, economic-commercial, financial, academic and cultural fields."
In their talks, a new bilateral deal has emerged between the two countries. The Washington Post noted that Paris agreed to waive Cuba's remaining debt of $390 million, converting it instead to $230 million for a fund that will finance French-Cuban projects on the Caribbean island.
Another agreement also came to allow France to open a French Agency of Development in Havana, where the financial public institution can make loans to both public and private sectors to support development projects.
This signing highlights the agreement between Cuba and France, which, as Castro stated, is "creating more favorable conditions for the development of financial relations and the execution of new joint plans and projects."
He added, "We also appreciate France's leadership in promoting the construction of a new phase in the relations between the European Union and Cuba, based on respect and reciprocity."
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As a celebration of life, birthday parties are supposed to be joyful events in teenagers' lives. However, in Guerrero state in Mexico, things took a turn for the worst when unidentified gunmen shot and killed 11 people at a girl's 15th birthday party.
Newsweek reported that the state's governor, Hector Astudillo Flores, was able to confirm the massacre, saying that the shooting took place at a coming-of-age tradition party called the "quinceanera" near the border of Michoacan. Drug-related violence and homicides are frequently recorded there.
Astudillo said, "There was a problem at a 15th birthday party, and according to the information we have, 11 people were killed." BBC also noted that the governor mentioned the case being forwarded to the attorney general, however, he made no mention of any arrests made.
Details of the incident were not made readily available either, but according to family accounts, there is a likelihood that the problem started with a disagreement between two families attending the event.
This is not the first time that violence wracked southern Guerrero. Telegraph UK noted that in September 2014, a group of 43 students disappeared after being attacked by the municipal police and were delivered to a drug cartel, which allegedly killed them. This sparked a series of protests, where activists called out the government for their collusion with criminals.
In 2015, Mexican authorities charged the former mayor of Iguala, Jose Luis Abarca, and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda with the kidnapping of the students. Out of the 43 abducted, none so far have been confirmed found. The International Business Times noted that a total of 60 graves were spotted in Iguala, near where the students disappeared, with a total body count of about 129 based on the bits and pieces of human remains found. However, without any of the tests showing relation to the missing students,the case remains open.
Mexico's poorest states have been subject to violence, with at least 324 people killed in the southern region between October and December 2015 alone. Most of these deaths are said to be related to the burgeoning drug trade in the country. Newsweek noted that numbers are even higher compared to previous years, with an estimated number reaching around 100,000 killed in Mexico alone since 2007.
Still, the national government is fighting to end the drug war. However, the capture of prominent drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in January holds little to no clue as to how it will affect the drug trade in Mexico. Per the Huffington Post, experts believe that even though it's a start, it will not make too much of an impact on drug-related violence in the country. With the massacre at a teenager's birthday party, it looks like the experts may be correct in their prediction.
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Puerto Rico is one of the more problematic countries in South America with over $50 billion in debt that taxpayers have to pay. To sort out the problem, however, the Puerto Rican government decided to propose cutting the debt nearly in half to $26.5 billion, which did nothing to impress their creditors.
A source close to a major creditor told CNN Money, "It's frustrating, and it doesn't feel like a credible offer."
The debt did not reach such massive numbers without a bad turn, so how did Puerto Rico reach such low levels in their economy?
The New York Times noted that the free electricity in the country is one of the main reasons for their $9 billon dollar debt.
In 1996, Puerto Rico's finances started dwinding, greatly affecting their economy with bad finance strategy. However, despite their meager finances, the government decided that it should push on with multiple development projects. The first in this poorly-called strategy started with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), which gave free power to the island's municipalities, many of which were for government-owned enterprises and even for-profit businesses. However, the electricity was not free for Puerto Rico's citizens. Due to the massive power needs of the densely populated island, PREPA had to borrow more money, burrowing itself in debt in order to keep the electricity source afloat.
The government is now working through its massive debt and is already defaulting on their bonds. However, an effort is currently underway to limit the free electricity, which is costing them hundreds of millions of dollars.
And this is where the problem of Puerto Rican citizens comes in. Eduardo Bhatia, president of the Puerto Rico Senate, noted, "If the towns don't get free energy, they're going to have to pay for it by increasing their property taxes or something, so the people will end up paying."
This will not bode well with the islanders either, as the island only recently increased sales tax -- originally set at 7 percent, to the current sales tax of 11 percent.
At this rate, CNN noted that the crisis will lead to a court battle that may need the intervention of Washington politicians. The country is now so far in debt that its government already defaulted twice over the past year --- once in August and again in January, per CNN Money. As of the moment, the government agreed that the only way to keep their economy afloat is to trim their debt, proposing that creditors exchange their current bonds voluntarily for new bonds.
Puerto Rico's secretary of state Victor Suarez noted, "A crisis of this magnitude must be addressed in concert, otherwise we risk our ability and the opportunity to escape the spiral of a stagnating economy, endless deficits and increasing debt."
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Latina Child From Arizona Saved by Dead Infant's Heart; Mother Hears Dead Son's Heart for the First Time
media@latinoshealth.com By Christon Jervil Feb 02, 2016 05:30 AM EST
Heather Clark, one mom from Rancho Cucamonga in San Bernardino County, listened to the rhythmic throbbing of her son's heart. But for some twist of fate, and through the benevolence of the human spirit, she gets to hear the heartbeat from the child of another mother.
Clark heard the pulse of her 7-month-old son Lukas' heart for the first time after his death back in 2013. And it was through a young girl from Arizona who received the organ donation from the mother-and-son pair from California on June 22, 2013.
Mom Hears Dead Son Inside 4-Year-Old Girl - 'Heather Clark donated her son's heart after he died' https://t.co/LcLvN8QvQQ WiLD 94.9 (@Wild949) February 1, 2016
"There is another family out there, somewhere, you know who's feeling something of what I'm feeling, somewhat, and I have the chance to make them not go through what I'm about to go through," said Heather Clark said on her decision to donate her son's organs, the Fox10 Phoenix reported.
"The only thing I can think of is, I can't save my own son so why not save someone else's child because I can't do anything with him," she added.
The 4-year-old Jordan Drake suffered from a congenital heart defect and has been a frequenter in the Phoenix Children's Hospital. Thanks to the heart transplant, she was able to survive the whole process.
"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," said Jordan's mom Esther Gonzalez.
While the outcome has brought hope to the two families, it all started from the tragic incident surrounding the death of Clark's son. Lukas died after he was left with a babysitter to whom Clark entrusted her son to.
Allegedly, the young boy was abused by the boyfriend of the babysitter that led to his death, but Clark decided not to go through the details as criminal investigation is still pending.
Clark and little Jordan, together with her mom, had their first encounter last Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, at the Phoenix Children's Hospital with the help of Donor Network of Arizona, a non-profit organization.
In return for the gift of life, Jordan gave Clark a teddy bear that lets out a heartbeat sound when pressed. Clark described it as a "perfect gift" as she could now listen to her son's heartbeat whenever she pleases to as the sound was an audio recording of Lukas' heartbeat, wrote Inquisitr.
"We're family now, we're friends now, our families are families, we've brought our families together," said Gonzalez.
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Boko Haram is now the target of blame after a witness said it was the extremist group who massacred a small village in Nigeria. According to the Associated Press via CBS News, countless numbers of people perished during the widespread burning and shooting that lasted for hours.
Nigeria's President Muhhamadu Buhari's bold statement that the group is "technically defeated" only sparked outrage and deliberately caused Boko Haram to inflict danger to the small villages in the country.
An anonymous soldier said that there were three female suicide bombers who carried the attack. Despite the attack, some of the victims were able to flee to the nearby Gamori village. The exact count of the victims is still unknown as retrieval operation still continues.
After the attack on Saturday, Dalori village had a lot of dead bodies scattered on the streets. The said village is just three miles from where the Boko Haram group was established. A survivor of the deadly attack recounted the ordeal, saying that children were not spared from the violence.
According to Yahoo News, citing the Associated Press, military assistance arrived at the scene around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday. However, they failed to secure the area.
On Sunday, there were approximately 86 casualties and 62 villagers who suffered burns and are under treatment. The Boko Haram attack was not confined within Dalori village as a nearby refugee camp, which had 25,000 people living in it, also suffered.
Alamin Bakura, a survivor of the attack expressed his grief, saying that several members of his family were either killed or wounded.
CBS News noted that for years, the military has forced the group to leave the villages in Nigeria, which prompted the Boko Haram to start their attacks. The group has killed at least 20,000 people since 2009. When Boko Haram was founded in 2002, they slowly developed as a violent group. In March 2015, the group declared their affiliation with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Yahoo! News also said that the Boko Haram attackers only retreated when the military, with high-end weapons, arrived in the village. According to CBS News, Nigerian militants now pose a greater threat than its Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) counterpart. Today, millions of families in Nigeria have been displaced by the group's terror attacks.
Latin Post presents "Turnout," a series featuring leading politicians, government leaders and advocacy groups discussing and debating the most important issues facing the Latino voting bloc.
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Lucy Flores, candidate for Nevada's 4th Congressional District, is helping to tackle the issues affecting many hard-working families.
The Latino Vote
According to Flores, the media, generally, tries to condense the Latino electorate into one small demographic that only believes and supports certain issues like immigration.
"Immigration is an important topic for this community but it's not the only topic and it's certainly not the most important one. There's a lot of important issues, whether it's the economy, jobs, education, etc., all of the issues that are important to hard-working families are important to the Latino community," said Flores, who described the electorate as "very diverse."
In regards to the congressional district she's campaigning to represent, "This district is incredibly diverse. It's actually a little snapshot of what Nevada is." Flores acknowledged the 4th Congressional District's constituents range from rural Nevada and urban cities, with Latinos, African Americans and small Asian populations making up the bulk of the minority-majority population.
Flores told Latin Post she initially had no intention of running for political office -- given her history.
She began her political involvement in college, working on the issue of wrongful convictions. It was then she encountered a few life scenarios: she could work to become a lawyer in order to work within the system or become an elected official or an advocate to still fix the system that she viewed as broken. Flores would continue to work on wrongful convictions, eventually graduated law school and was elected to public office in the same year.
"It was just about seeing that things weren't right for so many people and feeling like you can do something about it and frankly just believing in yourself that this is something you can do," Flores said. "When I first decided to run for office, I was very scared; I didn't think anybody would vote for a former juvenile gang member, ex-parolee, high school dropout but I was very honest about my challenges and also my opportunities and the ways I was able to break that cycle of poverty and do something better for myself and for my family and for my community."
"I still continue seeing any of my campaigns as a way to making a difference, to continue demonstrating, especially to our Latino community that yes, sometimes things are difficult and yes, sometimes there's lots of roadblocks but if you keep at it, if you stay focused, if you work hard, you can still make a difference and you can still improve your life and improve your family's lives. For me, that's really what its all about and why I continue to run."
Flores on the Issues
If elected, Flores said she wants to continue working on the issues she championed during her time as an assemblywoman for Nevada's 28th District. For Flores, it is important to not only work on "traditional" issues, such as economic development and job creation, but to also look at the issues other people are encountering on a daily basis. She said it is her track record that distinguishes her from fellow challengers seeking Nevada's 4th Congressional District, and as seen during her two terms in the Nevada Assembly, Flores does not want to just fight for issues but wants to see accomplishments.
"I think you have a lot of politicians out there who talk about what they believe in and what they fight for and all these other things, but I'm more interested about what they've actually done and how they're going to continue accomplish things," said Flores, adding that she focused on passing reforms such as changing testing methods for high school students, as Latinos and fellow students of color were previously disproportionately failing exams for various reasons.
Flores also championed the state's consumer protections bill, which addressed unauthorized practice of law, particularly its harmful affects on immigrant communities, senior citizens and low-income earners.
"I also worked on domestic violence; that's a very personal issue for me, I was a domestic violence victim, in a very abusive relationship in my early 20s," Flores said, noting Nevada led the country in domestic violence-related homicides and it's an issue not many people championed but it's an issue affecting many families.
Flores, and fellow Democratic Assemblyman Elliot Anderson, sponsored the "Safe Getaway Law," based on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which allows domestic violence victims to leave the abuser and break their tenant rental lease agreement without financial risks.
The Flores-Anderson bill also helped undocumented women.
"I fought very hard with Republicans who did not want this option in there, to allow undocumented women and other domestic violence victims, to be able to go to other people to report the violence, whether it was a pastor or a priest or a social worker or someone who is non-law enforcement, because often times we know that particularly with undocumented women, they are afraid to go to law enforcement," Flores said.
Supporting Sanders: What Latinos Should Know
Last month, Flores endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for president. The congressional candidate said the most important thing Latinos should know about Sanders is his vision for economic equality benefits Latinos the most. Flores acknowledged the wage disparities affecting women, but it gets worse when recognizing Latinas, who earn far less than every dollar a male earns. She said Sanders' policies and vision on balancing wages is the the reason why she decided to endorse him.
"I really do believe that he is working towards fundamental change of our system, of our political system, and of our economy and he wants to change it in a way that benefits everyday people," said Flores, later adding, "It's really Latinos that benefit the most under Bernie Sanders' policies."
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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.
A Peruvian lady is changing the meaning of Malcriadas with the goal of empowering women everywhere to fight for their rights.
Huffington Post wrote that the Peruvian newspaper Tome previously published images of women in scanty clothes in one of its sections with the label Las Malcriadas.
Kelly Elfaro, a local woman, decided to change the meaning of the term to celebrate women activists and revolutionaries. She shared that she was first inspired to initiate the project while she was studying engineering and realized only 10 percent in her class were women. Her second inspiration was borne out of a conversation with her grandmother. She said that it was important to identify successful women who had a vision for change.
Malcriada is a Spanish world that roughly means ill-mannered or misbehaved. Elfaro has changed the perception of the word by using malcriada to name her feminist calendar, which showcases female activists, artists and revolutionaries, who helped bring about good changes to women everywhere.
In a teleSUR video, Elfaro stated that the objective of the racy calendar is to pay tribute to women, who began revolutions and introduced changes that improved the way of life of women everywhere due to their misbehavior. Elfaro continued that she aims for the calendar to inspire other women to continue fighting for their rights, since there is still much to improve in that area.
"The idea is to highlight the attitudes and actions of women who inspire us to have more rights and to show this so we can continue doing similar actions, with the same passion, because we still have a long way to go, she said in the teleSUR video.
Some of the women who were featured in Las Malcriadas are Rigoberta Menchu Tum, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and anactivist for indigenous rights, Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for girls education and Angela Davis, a political activist, among others.
Las Malcriadas is sold in Peru at Feria Peru Independiente, La Libre de Barranco and LibreriaContracultura. Elfaros efforts have also spread on the internet, through the Facebook page of the same name, providing an avenue where women and supporters can continue to inspire and talk about their heroes. The Las Malcriadas Facebook community have since started to empower each other by sharing articles, photos, statements and other materials that will hopefully uplift the rights of women all over the world.
More updates and details on Kelly Elfaro and the Las Malcriadas calendar are expected soon.
From the Amazonian rain-forests to the beautiful architecture in Colombia, Latin America is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places to explore, which makes it an ultimate destination for backpackers and luxury travelers alike. Numerous tourists would flock the continent to get a glimpse of Latin culture and the mouth-watering dishes. Traveling may be interesting, but it is important to respect local cultures and maintain travel etiquette.
Most beautiful landscapes can be seen all throughout Latin America, but their dark history is still embedded on their culture. Latin America was once known for its booming drug trade and huge drug cartels during the time of Pablo Escobar and Griselda Blanco.
Despite having a dark past, Latin America was able to redeem its name and is now one of the most beautiful places to visit. Listed below are a few things to consider when exploring Latin America.
Beat the Heat
Apurando o olhar sobre Belem... #mangaldasgarcas #turismo #belem #Para #amazonia #amazon #brasil #forest #amazonforest A photo posted by Junior Oliveira (@junioreubelem) on Feb 1, 2016 at 7:52pm PST
It is important to pack a high SPF sunscreen most especially when traveling to the southern part of Latin America such as Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Keep yourself hydrated at all times and pack long sleeved shirts and a hat to protect yourself from the scorching southern sun.
Respect their Culture
Latin Americans value their roots, which makes them one of the most culturally inclined people. Even if you don't observe the same faith or political views, be sensitive enough not to say or do something that would question their beliefs or spark a debate.
It is important to research on what their cultural norms are and take note of the gestures that could easily offend them.
Stop Stereotypes
Latin America is often associated with cocaine and drug cartels, most especially Colombia and Mexico, but times have changed and the drug-infested cities are now one of the most livable destinations in the world.
Drug stereotypes should be set aside as locals would find it offensive.
Travel with an Open Mind
There are certain scenarios (over-charged taxi, pickpockets and scams) that would tick a traveler off which makes it important to travel with caution. Do not wander on some areas that you are not familiar with, especially when you're travelling alone.
As per the Go Backpacking website, call a taxi in advance instead of just hailing a cab from the streets. Most taxi drivers would scam tourists; though there are some that are honest, it is important to take safety precautions.
Baltimore's Masjid Al-Rahmah mosque, which President Barack Obama will visit on Wednesday, is being criticized by some American Islamic leaders due to its controversial ties with extremist groups, per FOX News.
The Islamic Society of Baltimore was surrounded by controversy due to a former imam named Mohamad Adam El-Sheikh, who has ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan and alleged Al Qaeda recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki.
"As a Muslim American I'm just insulted, this is disgraceful that this is one of the mosques or the mosque that he's chosen to visit. This mosque is very concerning," Zuhdi Jasser of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy said.
"Obama is visiting a mosque that is against our Muslim reform movement. Historically, as I said before, they are basically a radical, extreme mosque and is not representative of modern Muslims in America," Jasser added.
El-Sheikh served as an imam in Masjid Al-Rahmah mosque from 1983 to 1989 and a second term from 1994 to 2003. He also served as the regional director for the Islamic American Relief Agency, an organization connected to Al Qaeda and Taliban, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
After being the imam in Baltimore, El-Sheikh moved to serve for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia. The Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque is where Awlaki served as an imam before becoming a high-ranking member of Al Qaeda.
According to the Baltimore Sun, the Masjid Al-Rahmah mosque will become the first ever American mosque President Obama will visit as president. The president will be talking with Muslim leaders of the ISB located in Catonsville.
Established in 1969, the Islamic Society of Baltimore is one of the largest Muslim communities in Maryland, per the society's official website. The Masjid Al-Rahmah mosque was built in 1987 followed by the ISB Quran Academy and Sunday School.
The Baltimore Sun also mentioned the increase attacks against American Muslims prompted the meeting between Obama administration officials and several Muslim leaders at the White House back in December. Many Muslims have received threats and media attention due to the recent terrorist attacks as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's willingness to ban them from entering the U.S.
"When politicians insult Muslims, whether abroad or our fellow citizens, when a mosque is vandalized or a kid bullied, that doesn't make us safer. It's just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. It betrays who we are as a country," Obama said during his final State of the Union Address last month via the Washington Post.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Monday that the two Shiga-toxin-producing Escheri coli outbreaks linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. appear to be over. However, CDC officials were unable to determine the cause of the outbreak.
"The epidemiologic evidence collected during these investigations suggested that a common meal item or ingredient served at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants was a likely source of both outbreaks. The investigations did not identify a specific food or ingredient linked to illness in either outbreak," the CDC stated.
The initial outbreak happened last Oct. 19, 2015 with 55 total cases in 11 different states, but no deaths were recorded and only 21 were hospitalized. The most cases came from Washington with 27 followed by Oregon with 13.
The second outbreak on Dec. 1, 2015 affected five people in three states with just one victim being hospitalized. The Food and Drug Administration, Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, and several public health officials from the affected states helped CDC in investigating the outbreaks.
"We are 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," Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in a statement via CNBC News.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Chipotle temporarily closed 43 of its restaurants in Washington and Oregon before being reopened. A norovirus outbreak also happened in Boston from a Chipotle branch, which affected 141 students from Boston College.
Chipotle is planning to close all of its stores in the U.S. on Feb. 8 to hold a meeting with all their employees about the company's new food safety procedures. In a report by Forbes, the Denver-based company hired a consultant to design a stricter food safety program.
The outbreaks have caused Chipotle's stock and total sales to go down by 30 percent. However, the Los Angeles Times noted that the company's stock price increased after the news of CDC declaring that the E. Coli outbreak is over.
Although Chipotle's stock price increased on Monday, CNN reports that Wall Street is predicting a drop in its sales and profits for the first quarter of 2016. It is mentioned that Chipotle still have some competitions including McDonald's, Panera and rival Qdoba, but most importantly, they have to regain its customer's trust back.
A notorious gang, known in Boston as MS-13, had 56 members recently arrested, authorities say as reported by Fox News Latino. The gang that is mostly comprised of young immigrants have been indicted on Friday for racketeering, murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Furthermore, MS-13, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, had its 56 members all charged of different cases. This is after five deaths were reported, which are allegedly directed to the group's responsibility, according to the news agency.
The murders were said to have happened last 2014 and included an alleged attempted murder of 14 people in Massachusetts. After investigation and planning, raids were reportedly held early morning on Friday, where 36 members of MS-13 were caught and detained.
The news outlet further reveals that most members, who are between 14 and 15 years old, are allegedly recruited from local high schools and usually come from immigrant families.
Local schools have released warnings, urging the youth not to participate in illegal activities and join the notorious violent group known for using knives to kill opponents from other gangs, the Boston Globe reports.
After being informed of the illegal activities done by the MS-13, parents, especially Latin Americans, are warning their children to stay away as it will only bring trouble to their lives.
In light of the current criminal activities, communities like Boston have already started planning different activities to divert the youth's attention and promote positivity.
"The church and the whole neighborhood are trying to provide opportunities for young people," Rev. Thomas Domurat, pastor of Most Holy Redeemer Church, said as quoted by the news agency. "Teenage years are not easy years. We know that it's a challenge."
The arrests also prompted many families to rethink their current living location and the possible effects of the community that their children are exposed to.
"It's something that you think about," Andres Munoz, a 33-year-old Colombian who lives in East Boston said as quoted by the news outlet. "It makes you want to make the decision to move somewhere else," Munoz added.
Meanwhile, organizations concerned with the matter are urging parents to keep an eye on their children and the people they usually hang out with, the publication reports.
"We know there are these kinds of problems," Lucy Pineda, executive director of Latinos United in Massachusetts, said as quoted by the news agency. "We asked how can we help or give support. This problem is much bigger than we think."
An agreement between Enfarma EP, Ecuador's state pharmaceutical company, and Chinese pharmaceutical giant, Sinopharm, was signed on Monday, allowing the Latin American company to host the development of pertinent medical projects such as the development of vaccines and antivenoms.
The deal, which is valued at $53 million, was finalized at the headquarters of Ecuador's Ministry of Industry and Productivity, and is set to be effective for three years, according to Plenglish News. During that time, Ecuador would enjoy an influx of vaccines and other medical supplies from Sinopharm.
Eduardo Egas, Ecuador's Minister of Industry and Productivity, stated that that the $53 million funding would primarily be utilized for the development of vaccines against prominent diseases such influenza and hepatitis B.
The vaccines that are set to be developed with the partnership will target viruses and bacteria such as apilloma and poliomyelitis.
That is not all, however, as an existing medical plant in the coastal province of Guayas is also set to be rehabilitated. A new facility would also be built in Duran, an Ecuadorian town.
Regarding the results of the development of vaccines, Egas assured that Enfarma would have full autonomy in the production of the vaccines and antivenoms.
Also very optimistic about the deal with Luis Monteverde, the general manager of Enfarma EP, who stated that the partnership with Sinopharm is a vital step for the country in order to foster and promote more foreign investment.
Cui Jiao, the representative of the Chinese conglomerate, also stated that the company is optimistic about the partnership, further adding that the agreement has marked the beginning of even more opportunities for Chinese industries and the Ecuadorian government.
The deal with Enfarma EP and Sinopharm comes at a time when Latin America is reeling from the onslaught of the Zika virus, which has already affected thousands of newborn babies across the region, reported The Comment.
With the Zika outbreak bringing widespread panic and chaos across Latin America, world-renowned pharmaceutical companies have started development on a possible antidote for the notorious virus.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc, one of the world's most respected pharmaceutical companies, is one of the key players in the development of a possible vaccine for the Zika virus. Gwynne Oosterbaan, a spokesman for the company, stated that GlaxoSmithKline has already reached out to partners and collaborators in the Latin American region in order to assess the current outbreak and possibly create a viable antidote.
Medical researchers, however, have warned that a possible cure for the Zika onslaught might still be months, if not years away.
Argentinian Energy Minister Juan Jose Aranguren and his Chilean counterpart, Maximo Pacheco, have agreed on a series of accords that is set to aid Argentina's energy sector during the winter months, according to Merco Press.
Under the tenets of the agreement, Argentina, which has been suffering from a relatively weak energy sector, will be receiving about 5.5 million cubic feet of natural gas every day, starting May 2016.
Apart from selling natural gas to Argentina, Chile is also set to provide the energy-embattled Latin American country with about 200 megawatts of electricity every day, which would be distributed through the interconnection power systems between both countries.
The aid that Argentina is set to receive from Chile is quite significant as the natural gas figures from the deal correspond to roughly about 20 percent of the country's gas imports. What is interesting, however, is the fact that the gas Chile will be selling Argentina would be acquired through imports as well.
Chile regularly imports gas from southeast Asia in the GNL terminals of Mejillones and Quintero, and it is the very same gas that the Chilean energy sector will be endorsing to Argentina to power several industrial and residential grid in Buenos Aires.
Most of the natural gas will be delivered through the NorAndino and GasAndes pipelines, according to the Buenos Aires Herald.
Electricity-wise, Chile will be exporting power through a major power line which goes from the Chilean area of Mejillones and the Salta province in Argentina.
That is not all, however. Apart from acquiring natural gas and electricity from Chile and Argentina have also agreed to contribute to the development of the Incremental Project of the Magallanes Area, which is expected to increase the production of natural gas in Argentina from 2.4 million to 4 million cubic meters a day. It is also set to give the Chilean economy approximately 180 million annually.
Chilean Energy Minister Maximo Pacheco is very optimistic about the accords that were reached with Argentina, emphasizing that both nations would benefit greatly from the developments.
"A new era begins in the energy integration between Chile and Argentina," he said.
What is particularly interesting is that about two decades ago, Argentina and Chile were playing opposite roles, with Chile being fully dependent on the natural gas supply of Argentina. A series of unfortunate turns in the natural gas sector, headlined by the involvement of the Kitcheners, eventually gave the natural gas industry a massive blow. From being a world-class natural gas exporter, Argentina became a world-class natural gas importer.
Dozens of immigrant rights advocates rallied in New Jersey over the weekend in protest against the federal government's controversial deportation raids, which led to the detainment of a 21-year-old undocumented worker in New Brunswick.
Last month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended 121 undocumented immigrants of mostly mothers and children in several states across the country. As a result, these raids have fueled widespread fear within Latino communities and sparked nationwide protests from critics who say Central American families are being unfairly targeted.
On Saturday, about 60 protesters gathered in New Brunswick to denounce immigration enforcement actions and demand the release of German Nieto-Cruz, who was detained by immigration agents during an early morning raid on Jan. 5, reports The Daily Targum.
Nieto-Cruz's brother, Francisco Nieto, said officials accused the 21-year-old Mexican native of being affiliated with a gang and took him into custody. Family members also say the agents were aggressive and did not have warrants when they broke down their backdoor to enter the home.
"When I turned around, they were coming in from the back door. They told me and my dad to get on the ground. Then I started to cry," said Nieto-Cruz's niece, Anel Nieto, who was present at the time of the raid. "My dad said don't cry, and when he lifted his head a little bit, they stepped on his neck and told him to get down."
Francisco Nieto added, "What they did to us was an injustice and we feel discriminated."
Oscar Barbosa, an immigration lawyer with the firm representing Nieto-Cruz, said the New Jersey high school graduate does not have a criminal record, had a work permit and was gainfully employed at a local tire shop. Advocates also point out that Nieto-Cruz was protected under President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. But now he is being detained in an Essex County jail.
"There is a lot of injustice around this case ... because he had (a deferred action status)," said Teresa Vivar, director of Lazos America Unida, one of the groups that sponsored the protest. "To justify the way how their agents behaved during the raid, they said that German is guilty of being part of a gang and that he is a criminal, even though German has no criminal record."
"We are aware that ICE has been conducting raids across the county as well as New Jersey," said Ellen Whitt, an organizer of the rally, reports NJ.com. "We wanted people to know we are against the raids, including the one here in New Brunswick that took German Nieto-Cruz."
During the protest, activists voiced their opposition to the raids, which is also taking place in New Jersey.
"I'm here fighting against ICE that's deporting people in New Brunswick under false grounds," said Rick Dillenberger, a 20-year-old student at Rutgers University, at the rally. "The dehumanizing way in which they conducted the raid, it's traumatizing for the kids."
Since 2014, Mexican drug cartels have been suffering economically after marijuana was legalized and became conveniently available in Colorado. Operations in Mexico and along the southern border of the United States have reportedly been affected.
According to an ABC News article, the legal production, sale and distribution of recreational marijuana in Colorado is one of the contributors of reduced smuggling operations by Mexican drug cartels. A post on the Weed Blog, a site that supports marijuana use and legalization, also acknowledges that drug trafficking by Mexican drug cartels waned, seeing a decline of up to 70 percent over the past two years in relation to Colorado's change in legislation.
The findings were confirmed by an official report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in October 2015. The report indicated that there has been a year-on-year 23 percent reduction in border smuggling in 2014. Furthermore, authorities have seized about 900 tons of illegal marijuana along the U.S.- Mexican border.
Fox News Latino noted that Colorado legalized marijuana in November 2012, after majority of voters agreed to Amendment 64. Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Maryland provided reports that showed how a black market in Colorado offered a kind of pot that was shown to be more potent than the illegal Mexican type, resulting to a decrease in drug smuggling operations among Mexican cartels.
Colorado was the first state to officially offer recreational marijuana and is expected to rake in huge sales and tax revenues in the next few years, writes The Motley Fool. Citing the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (CMED), The Motley Fool wrote that retail marijuana and medical marijuana sales totaled over $900 million in 2015. The state still has policies and limitations as to which retailers can set up shop. Colorado imposes a standard sales tax, special sales tax, licensing fees and application fees, among others.
In the same ABC News article, it was revealed that some federal authorities are concerned that Colorado may have given drug traffickers a safe haven who buy or grow weed within the state and then sell these in other places where the product is banned. The violators come from various locations like Mexico, Cuba and other nearby states. Legalizing marijuana in Colorado may have made it easier for drug traffickers to transport the product to nearby areas, which is a concern.
More updates and details on Colorados marijuana laws and effects are expected soon.
Jorge Zelada, former director of Petrobras, the Brazilian oil firm, was recently sentenced to imprisonment for 12 years, after he was convicted of money-laundering and corruption. Authorities continue to investigate the huge scandal, which alleged that the state-owned company is ridden with bribery and corruption.
BBC News reported that Eduardo Costa Musa, a Petrobras manager, and two others have also been sentenced to imprisonment. Zelada served as director of international operations from 2008 to 2012. He replaced Nestor Cervero, who was also convincted in May 2015 of money laundering and sentenced to imprisonment for five years for his involvement in the growing scandal.
Based on the findings of investigators, Zelada was guilty of transferring huge sums of money in offshore bank accounts which he owned in China. Authorities have also reportedly frozen his Monaco bank account containing about $12 million. Zelada was arrested in July 2015 and detained in jail in the city of Curitiba in southern Brazil.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Zelada is the fourth former executive of Petrobras to be arrested after having been accused of bribery and bid rigging. His arrest was called Operation Monaco Connection.
Zelada and Musa were accused of accepting a $30 million bribe to award the company, Vantage Drilling Corporation, with a lucrative contract in 2009, says the same WSJ report. The deal involved freighting Titanium Explorer, a drill ship, to Petrobras.
Over 100 individuals, including Petrobras top executives, politicians and some of the largest construction companies in Brazil, have been arrested during the two-year investigation. President Dilma Rousseff, who was chairman of Petrobras during the period when the corruption was said to have occurred, was cleared.
Wall Street Journal also added that according to Zeladas attorney, Eduardo de Moraes, his arrest was unnecessary considering that his client poses no risks to the pending investigation. Moraes added that he had no access to the formal charges against his client. He said that they will appeal the sentence.
Investments by Petrobras comprise 2 percent of the countrys gross national product. In 2014, Brazilian authorities discovered what they believe is a corruption scheme that has continued for a whole decade, involving some of the biggest companies in the country and several government officials.
The corruption scandal has hurt the national economy after the prices of commodities have dropped. Petrobras has suffered over $16 billion because of the scandal, including $2 billion that was allegedly paid to corrupt executives and companies.
More updates and details on the pending Petrobras scandal investigation are expected soon.
Expatriates who are looking for love may find the right one for them in several Latin American and Asian countries. InterNations, an expat networking site, recently provided a compilation of reports from expats living in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Malta, just in time for Valentines Day.
The Malay Mail Online revealed that to come up with a ranking of the top 10 countries for love, 14,000 individuals living in 195 countries were included in a poll and the nations were ranked accordingly. The list includes the best places to search for new love or rekindle an old relationship.
The top 10 list includes the following countries:
1. Ecuador
2. Costa Rica
3. Malta
4. Israel
5. Philippines
6. Indonesia
7. Panama
8. Thailand
9. Portugal
10. Mexico
InterNations cited that majority of expats in Thailand and the Philippines is in a relationship with a local resident. Several expats in Israel, Panama and Malta have an expat partner. Latin America and Asian nations are the most common destinations for expats who are looking for love. More expats travel to Panama (13 percent) and Indonesia (12 percent) due to their partners career, compared to the global average (9 percent). Expats in Panama, Malta, Mexico and Thailand also usually have partners from the same country of origin.
Overall, in almost all of the top 10 countries, more expats are in a committed relationship, compared to the global average of 62 percent. In the Philippines, 74 percent have a partner, which is the highest in the list. Single expats are also likely to find love in these nations. Expats in all 10 countries are more likely to disagree that their lifestyle makes it difficult to have and maintain a relationship.
Based on the same report by Malay Mail Online, more single expatriates searching for a partner are more likely to find one in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, which showed the highest percentage of expats who reported finding their partner in their new host country. The total showed that there were more female respondents in Malta, Israel and Portugal, while there were more male respondents in Thailand and the Philippines.
Among the top 10 countries, the average age of respondents was between three and 12 years over the general survey population, which is 40.9 years old. Majority of respondents in the Philippines, Ecuador and Costa Rica were at least 51 years old. Overall, 53 percent of respondents were women, while 47 percent were men.
The recent poll might compel expatriates to visit any of these beautiful countries to find the love of their lives.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is winning it -- on social media during the pre-Iowa caucuses.
Sanders and his rival Hillary Clinton as of press time, are locked in a virtual tie in the Iowa Caucuses, but the Vermont senator is dominating his rival when it comes to social media followers.
According to Politico, Sanders captured about 42.4 percent of the conversation among Iowa citizens on Facebook from midnight to noon of Monday. His record is better than Donald Trump who garnered 21.7 percent and Hillary Clinton with 13.1 percent.
Other candidates were also part of the "Facebook Conversations" with Iowa Republican winner Ted Cruz with 10.7 percent, Rand Paul with 4.7 percent, Ben Carson with 2.6 percent and Marco Rubio with 1.9 percent.
Sanders is clearly the top dog because just among the Democratic candidates alone, the self-proclaimed socialist-democrat captured 73 percent of the conversation, compared to Clinton's 25 percent.
The Republican side is not surprising at all, as controversial magnet and outspoken Trump really got people talking about him as he captured 50 percent, compared to Cruz's 23 percent and Paul's 11 percent.
In a similar report by Reuters, it has declared Sanders as the clear winner when it comes to social media dominance.
Before and during the caucuses, Sanders garnered the majority of Twitter mentions as he was mentioned over 77,000 times during the caucus, while Clinton only got mentioned 52,000 times.
He also got the most followers on Facebook than any other candidate, as he got 15,695 new followers. The Donald came in with a distant second with 10,704 new followers, followed by Clinton with 6,210.
This comes as no surprise as Sanders is pretty popular among American Millennial voters, who make up the majority of social media users.
In fact, Sanders even dominated Yik Yak, an emerging social media network popular among the youth. According to the statistics, Sanders was mentioned in about 60 percent of all the "yaks" that discussed Democratic candidates during the caucuses.
Although it should be noted that dominating social media does not exactly mean it's going to win votes, it does give a great estimate regarding the amount of interest a candidate generates.
The Guardian reported that despite Hillary winning Iowa by a really close margin, it still proved that she's far from winning the national polls. Just months ago, Clinton is clearly ahead of Sanders, but with the recent couple of weeks leading into the Iowa caucuses, Sanders proved that his campaign is working.
With the New Hampshire polls following shortly, it's interesting to see if Sanders will win, or will Hillary take it again with a slight margin.
Peruvian cuisine is already creating an international buzz in the culinary field. That's because Peru has the freshest and most diverse ingredients that make Peruvian delicacies a delicious masterpiece. By using these ingredients, Peruvian Chefs could create the most exotic and rich flavors perfect to satisfy every craving. Peru's capital, Lima, is slowly becoming the culinary capital of Latin America. And Astrid y Gaston is one of those Peruvian restaurants that really stands out.
Hidden in the hot Miraflores neighborhood of Lima, the Astrid y Gaston Restaurant offers more than 25 courses even though each of them speaks most of the Peruvian culture and its culinary tradition. With its modern and stylish Peruvian-Mediterranean touch, this restaurant has become the restaurant most people, even tourists, would always want to check out. Originally created by the ambassador of Peruvian food, Chef Gaston Acurio and his wife, pastry chef Astrid Gutsche, Astrid y Gaston has evolved into the present's Casa Moreyra.
The first years of Astrid y Gaston have been in the beat under Gaston Acurio. But after he retired, the privilege of leading this Peruvian restaurant was given to Diego Munoz, a veteran of the most known kitchens of Australia and Europe.
Infused Exposures stated that since Chef Munoz has taken over the restaurant, he has used his own ideas to conceptualize every course and craft every masterpiece with care and detail. Just like Gaston and Virgilio Martinez, Chef Munoz is also fond of using ingredients fresh from native Peru. That's why, through the years, the restaurant has been able to preserve its culture of bringing out the excellent tastes out of Peru's best ingredients.
In 2011, Astrid y Gaston in Miraflores has made it to the #42 rank of the World's Top 50 Restaurants list. As posted by Go Backpacking, Astrid y Gaston is one of only three Latin American restaurants which made it to the list.
Aside from its world class dining experience, the best thing about the restaurant is its excellent service, the team's hospitality and the ambience's elegance, sophistication and coziness. With the orange walls and white high peaked ceilings, accented with a colorful modern architecture, everyone inside the restaurant will surely have a great and memorable time.
Tourists and locals who would want to visit Astrid y Gaston's for the first time should try their specialties such as the "noble robado fish served in miso sauce with crunchy oysters" or the "spicy roasted ribs."
Users feeling a little nostalgic can now opt to run the classic Windows 95 operating system right at their internet browsers.
It's a bit strange to imagine that 20 years ago when Windows 95 was first released, it would require a state-of-the-art computer to run. Nowadays, smartphones and even a watch can run this legendary OS.
And now, even a sole web browser can run it. According to a report by PC World, the browser-based version of Windows 95 was created by Andrea Faulds, a computer programmer who used DOS emulator DOSBox to run a copy of Windows 95. She then compiled the DOSBox code into Javascript using the Emscripten program.
Tech Republic noted that the web browser version is available on Google Chrome, FireFox and even Internet Explorer. However, since the OS is not running on its native environment, users are warned to expect crashes and lags while using it.
Many users reported that using the Internet Explorer on the emulated OS will cause it to crash, as well as using simple tools and accessories. But good news though, the classic MS Paint is available to use with no problems whatsoever.
In addition, the operating system runs also slower than usual, due to the fact that it's just running on an emulated system and the way DOSBox runs inside the browser.
But for the sole purpose of just going down memory lane and playing some classic Solitaire, it is enough to make curious users and old school fanatics try Windows 95.
As for Faulds, she said that the reason she created the browser-based OS was for the simple reason of reliving her childhood.
She said that even though she's just 19 years old, Faulds basically grew up using the old operating system as her dad was too stubborn to upgrade to Windows XP.
"My dad stubbornly refused to upgrade to Windows XP for quite a long time, so the family computer kept running Windows 98SE," Faulds said.
Faulds described herself as an "occasional programmer" who maintains an active presence in the PHP community. Her new fans might be a bit surprised as her major, which is German and Language and Linguistics at the University of Aberdeen, far from her extra-curricular hobbies.
Since the Windows 95 operating system is copyrighted software, she pointed out that she only made the web browser-system for "education purposes" and she will take it down once she receives a "cease and desist" letter from Microsoft.
After hiding his HIV status for more than 4 years, the "Two and a Half Men" actor revealed his HIV status during an interview with Matt Lauer on Today Show. After his shocking revelation, Charlie Sheen gathered numerous lawsuits and negative feedback coming from his past lovers and fans alike.
As of the latest update in regards to his HIV status, Sheen decided to seek alternative treatment from Mexico which didn't work. The controversial treatment was headed by Dr Samir Chachoua, an Australian doctor who practiced his field in Mexico.
During an interview with Bill Maher, the host asked Chachoua about the HIV alternative procedure wherein he stated that he used an arthritic goat's milk as part of the treatment as per Daily Mail.
Dr Chachoua told Bill Maher that, "This virus destroys HIV and protects people who drink it for life."
Aside from his claims that an arthritic goat's milk can cure HIV, he also made it clear that what he's offering is a cure and not an alternative therapy.
In addition to his wild claims, Dr Chachoua stated that he was able to eliminate HIV and chikungunya in Africa back in 2006. Though he might sound convincing, the doctor's claims were not backed by scientific explanations.
As per Gawker's report, the doctor even claimed that sheen was his "first adult patient in history to go HIV-negative."
During his interview with Maher, Chachoua added, "The minute he (Sheen) started my therapy, his liver went to normal levels. I saw a very sad person in a very sad place and I really wanted to give him a boost. There was real hope out there, there was a way of curing him. And I did that. It was spontaneous."
Contrary to what he said, however, Charlie Sheen's manager confirmed that his HIV alternative treatment with Chachoua failed wherein he immediately went back to his prescription after his numbers drastically went back up.
His manager told People, "Just to be clear, Charlie put his life at risk for a doctor who claimed to have a cure for HIV. When it didn't work he immediately went back on his medication."
Going back into Chachoua's interview with Maher, the doctor told the talk show host that his AIDS cure was stolen from him back in the 1990's. But Peter Stanley, an HIV activist debunked his claims by exposing the truth in regards to Chachoua's lawsuit against UCLA and Cedars-Sinai on his Facebook account.
Harry Potter fans around the world were thrilled after J.K. Rowling made a stunning announcement. Last Sunday night, Rowling announced the name of 4 new wizarding schools around the world as the Harry Potter phenomenon continuously expands leaving the fans hungry for more details.
As per Independent's report, Pottermore Twitter page shared the names of schools that offer wizardry.
Listed below are 3 of the 11 wizarding schools as described by the Pottermore website:
Mahoutokoro
Known as smallest wizarding school located on the topmost point of the volcanic island of Minami Iwo Jima in Japan, Mahoutokora offers classes to students as young as 7 but they are ferried between school and home as young students are not yet allowed to be housed.
By the time they would reach the appropriate age, which is 11, they will be receiving their first enchanted robes which grow along with their tenure and change color once the student would learn a new skill.
The Pottermore website describes the school as: "While day students, wizarding children are flown back and forth to their homes every day on the backs of a flock of giant storm petrels. The ornate and exquisite palace of Mahoutokoro is made of mutton-fat jade, and stands on the topmost point of the 'uninhabited' Volcanic island of Minami Iwo Jima."
Castelobruxo
Located in the rain forest of Brazil, Castelbruxo is hidden in the mist of Amazon wherein it is protected by mischievous spirits called Caiporo. The students are skilled in herbology and magizoology, wherein they'd wear green robes as part of their uniforms.
Pattermore described the school as: "The Brazilian school for magic, which takes students from all over South America, may be found hidden deep within the rain forest, The fabulous castle appears to be a ruin to the few Muggle eyes that have ever fallen upon it (a trick shared by Hogwarts; opinion is divided on who got the idea from whom).
Ilvermorny
There isn't much details about the school as to whether it would accept muggles or students at a young age, but the website mentioned that the school is located in North America, however the exact location of the wizarding school was not yet specified.
The school that is currently Rowling's work in progress was described by the website as: "As for Ilvermorny... All of you eagle-eyed fans had an inkling that word was going to mean something special, and Pottermore will bring you more writing by J.K. Rowling on this magical school soon."
One of the best things to do in Latin America is to hike. The misty cloud forests, innocence of the view and the breathtaking backdrop of Andean mountains are simply making the experience world class. Latin America's nature offers limitless opportunities on how to enjoy a journey. Whether it's a short day's hike or a multiday trek, options are endless.
Some of the best hikes locals and tourists must try are:
Santa Cruz Trek in Peru
Also known as Quebrada Santa Cruz, this masterpiece is by far the most popular hike located in the Cordillera Blanca or the White Mountains in Peru. Considered as the highest mountain outside Asia with a height of 6,768 meters, the place offers the safest and the most gorgeous breathtaking experience that even non-hikers would definitely love. There is also hot springs that surround the area where everyone can relax before the start of an adventure. The best time to visit the place is between May to Sept. where the weather is perfect. It is one of the most recommended hikes because aside from its promised beauty, the hike is also budget-friendly.
Salcantay, Machu Picchu Trek in Peru
Located about 50 miles northwest of Cusco, Peru, the Salcantay Trek or Salkantay Trek has been recognized by the National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine as one of the 25 Best Treks in the World. With a height of 4,830 meters, Salcantay's difficulty level is moderate. The trek will last for about six days. Each day, hikers are urged to walk around for eight hours and will stay in tents at night. The name Salcantay was named after an amazing "glacier-encrusted peak" located in Cordillera Vilcabamba with a height of 6,721 meters.
La Ciudad Perdida, Lost City Trek in Colombia
La Ciudad Perdida was built 1,000 years ago. The natives used to call it Teyuna. During the Spanish Colonization, natives living in the place where pushed into the Sierra Nevada until everyone has left. That's when the city has been renamed "The Lost City." The starting point of the five-day trek is in Santa Marta. Trekkers must first book through tour companies first for a standard price of 600,000 Colombian Pesos, approximately around $320. And because insects can be very persistent in the jungle, trekkers are also advised to bring an effective mosquito repellant with them.
Other best hikes to try are The Colca Canyon of Peru, Valley of the Volcanoes and Cotopaxi Volcano in Ecuador and Inca Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu in Peru.
One of the daughters of reputed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has trademarked his nickname and could soon be selling everything from jewelry to toys bearing his likeness.
According to Time, Alejandrina Gisselle Guzman Salazar commenced taking steps to register her father's nickname with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property as far back as in 2010.
Reportedly, the family now owns official trademarks for El Chapo jewelry, watches, umbrellas, toys, luggage, Christmas tree decorations and both leather and pleather for the next four years.
Despite his well-known reputation as the reputed leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, El Chapo remains immensely popular across Mexico and the merchandise is pegged to be a surefire big seller.
Guzman is now being held at a maximum security prison in Mexico after recently being recaptured following a prison break where he dug a tunnel from his cell to the outside and spent several months on the run.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto recently told CNN members of his administration are working with U.S. officials to extradite him here "as soon as possible." Guzman faces several federal indictments in the U.S. related to his alleged drug smuggling.
"Evidently, there's a whole process we have to go through that involves the judicial branch of our country, but the directive that the Attorney General's Office has been given is to work and speed up this work to make this extradition of this highly dangerous criminal happen as soon as possible," he said.
Guzman has now escaped from maximum security prisons in Mexico twice in the last 14 years and is now said to be under around the clock watch.
While most recently on the run, he met with Mexican actress Kate del Castillo and Academy Award winning actor Sean Penn for a feature article the "Carlito's Way" actor penned on him for Rolling Stone.
The interview lasted for several hours and Mexican officials have indicated the ongoing correspondence between the two camps was instrumental in helping them track down El Chapo.
Sarah Palin went on the defense when asked about the controversial comments she made last month tying President Barack Obama to her son's struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
The former Alaska governor sat down with NBC's "Today" show hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie on Monday in what marked her first television interview since she officially endorsed Donald Trump's presidential bid.
During the interview, Palin reiterated her support and confidence in the billionaire businessman's ability to "restore constitutional government."
However, the former Republican governor became feisty when asked to clarify the statements she made involving PTSD and the president. She made the comments after her 26-year-old son, Track, was arrested in a domestic dispute in Alaska last month for reportedly punching and kicking his girlfriend. He was also charged with assault and possession of a firearm while intoxicated, reports Yahoo! News. Following the incident, Palin suggested that her son's domestic violence arrest could be related to PTSD from serving in Iraq in 2008. She then linked his PTSD to Obama, who she claims has a lack of respect for war veterans.
"My son, like so many others -- they come back a bit different. They come back hardened," Palin said at a Trump rally in Oklahoma in January, just one day after endorsing the GOP 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 added, "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 and to secure the freedoms that have been bequeathed us?'"
When Guthrie asked her about her remarks, Palin's interview on "Today" turned sour.
"You guys brought me here to talk about Iowa politics and the caucus tonight, not to talk about my kids," Palin shot back. "And that was a promise. But as things go in the world of media, you don't always keep your promises, evidently."
The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee went on to deny that she was placing blame on the president for her son's PTSD.
"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."
Lauer followed up by pressing Palin on the issue, asking if she regretted laying PTSD "at the foot of the president."
"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. 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."
Watch the interview below:
1 Mohaymen Kiaran McLaughlin TapitJustwhistledixie, by Dixie Union Well, Im convinced now. I thought he was good last year, but he really has his act together this year. I said last week he could jump into the top spot with an impressive performance, but this far exceeded what I was expecting. I loved the way he looked in the post parade, I loved his race, and I loved the way he came prancing back on his toes as if he hadnt even run. His closing fractions of :23 1/5, :23 2/5, and :06 flat made him virtually unbeatable, and he did it in hand. He looks like this years PRM (Perfect Racing Machine). You could see he was in the zone in the post parade -- muscled up with his neck arched. He is the consummate professional, as one can see by the way he just sits comfortably behind horses even stuck down on the rail, and then turns it on at the right time without being asked. He can beat you on the outside, inside or between horses and he can move early or late. Even though he did absolutely nothing wrong last year, hes much more brilliant and polished this year. I mentioned earlier about his incredible demeanor in the sales ring (See youTube), and assistant trainer Trish McLaughlin said he is by far the quietist and classiest Tapit she has ever been around, and watching him breeze is a Wow every time. I think we know now why they spent $2.2 million for him. We tend to embrace Cinderella stories like California Chrome, but we all love Downton Abbey, so we do have a place in our heart for aristocracy.
2 Greenpointcrusader Dominick Schettino BernardiniAva Knowsthecode, by Cryptoclearance There is absolutely no reason to be down on him. He ran a terrific race in the Holy Bull, being too sharp and taken out of his comfort zone. And he was giving 2 lbs. to Mohaymen. When youre battling on the lead, going against your running style, and come home in :23 2/5, :23 3/5, and :06 2/5, youre going to win 9 out of 10 times. He went into the race off three slow breezes and without a work to take the edge off, he simply may have been a bit too fresh. He should get a lot out of this race returning to his best running style. This is a horse who wants to sit back and close, as he did in the Champagne with an explosive stretch kick that decimated his field, including Saturdays Withers winner Sunny Ridge. Needless to say I was surprised to see him on the lead even with the lack of pace. And then he had to go head and head with Perfect Saint, who would wind up finishing last, beaten over 18 lengths. He fought back when Mohaymen came up on his inside to stick his head in front and kept trying, despite the rapid closing fractions, finishing 2 1/2 lengths clear of the third horse and 5 1/2 lengths ahead of highly regarded Conquest Big E. The bottom line is that no one was beating Mohaymen on this day. We dont know how good his full-brother, Algorithms, could have been, but his other two stakes-winning brothers (Justin Phillip and Keyed Entry, by speed-oriented sires) were a sprinter and a miler, so he really needs to be taken back off the pace and give that Bernardini blood a chance to kick in. He looked great physically in the post parade and this should be a good learning experience and help move him forward.
3 Brody's Cause Dale Romans Giants Causeway Sweet Breanna, by Sahm Continues to work steadily, breezing a half in :49 2/5. As of now the Derby gods seem primed and ready to present the blanket of roses to Kiaran McLaughlin, but it wont take much to put Romans back in the hunt, even though he has some waiting to do before his big guns get going in earnest. This colt remains his main hope. He has the class, the turn of foot, and a dynamite knockout punch. We all know that his sire Giants Causeway is a stakes producing machine, but few know about his broodmare sire Sahm. He won the grade II Knickerbocker Handicap, but his main asset is being out of the mare Salsabil, who became the first filly in 90 years to win the Irish Derby. Brodys Cause is inbred to English Derby winner Roberto. His dam, Sweet Breanna, was stakes-placed in Canada, including the Woodbine Oaks, and his second dam. Sweet Roberta, won the Selima on grass and finished second in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. So, while there is an abundance of grass in his pedigree, there is enough dirt, and hes already proven himself to be a top-quality dirt horse.
4 Nyquist Doug O'Neill Uncle MoSeeking Gabrielle, by Forestry Breezed a slow 6 furlongs in 1:16 1/5, but came home his final eighth in :11 4/5, and Id rather see him work like this than turn in short fast works. We already know he has speed and can carry it two turns. Hes scheduled to debut in the 7f San Vicente, so that will be his sharpener. He doesnt need to work fast for a sprint that is not necessary to win. The only thing thats important on the Derby trail is getting to the Derby the right way and not trying to keep an unbeaten streak going. You cant be afraid to lose. The last thing this colt needs is to get speed crazy. Also, ONeill has been having him gallop long before breaking off into his works and obviously is concentrating on building up his stamina. Id still prefer to see him race twice at two turns after the San Vicente. ONeill knows his horses as well as anyone and knows how to prepare lightly raced horses for a big race (See Ill Have Another), but hell have to be at his very best if he expects to get this colt a mile and a quarter off only one two-turn race followed by a 5-week layoff. Its certainly not the traditional way of preparing a horse for the Derby, so well see if he can pull this off.
5 Airoforce Mark Casse Colonel JohnChocolate Pop, by Cuvee Love the way hes been working, and his last, 5f in 1:00 1/5, the second fastest of 32 works at the distance, was excellent. But supposedly he came out of it with a minor respiratory issue and will now likely point for the Risen Star Stakes for his 3-year-old debut. His stablemate, Conquest Big E, was a big disappointment in the Holy Bull, so Airoforce looks to be the Casses main Derby hope as of now. He just needs to show it on a fast track. As weve mentioned, the form of the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes has more than held up, with the subsequent success of Mor Spirit and Mo Tom in graded stakes, and this colt blew them away with a powerful stretch kick in his dirt debut. And lets not forget about his huge effort in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, when he unleashed another big stretch run, only to get nipped on the wire by the European Hit It a Bomb, who came from the clouds. He gets stamina from his sire and his tail-female family, but his broodmare sire is pure sprinting speed. Anyone know if Cuvee has sired any distance horses in Turkey? Cant wait to see if this colt has the same closing punch going 1 1/8 miles on a fast track. If he does, I would imagine Colonel John, Tiznow, and With Approval will get him that extra eighth.
6 Exaggerator Keith Desormeaux CurlinDawn Raid, by Vindication Looking for a big effort when he returns in the 7f San Vicente Stakes against Nyquist. Again, he doesnt need to win, just be running hard at the wire. Two different training approaches, as he blazed 5f in a bullet :58 1/5. This is a colt still looking for an identity. He hasnt shown a great deal of early speed and hasnt demonstrated a big closing kick except for his maiden score at 6f; he just manages to be there at the finish. Nothing wrong with that. Sunny Ridges victory in Saturdays Withers Stakes boosts his reputation and every little bit helps. Bottom line is hes as honest as they come, at all distances and all tracks, and you can count on him being right there in the stretch and at the wire. We just dont know yet if he has what it takes to beat the heavy hitters. The San Vicente could be a good starting point. Love Curlin and love Vindication, and his tail-female family traces to English and Irish Derby winner The Minstrel and Belmont Stakes runner-up, the Graustark stallion Ruritania, owned and bred by Greentree Stud. So there is plenty of classic blood on both sides of his pedigree.
7 Mor Spirit Bob Baffert EskendereyaIm a Dixie Girl, by Dixie Union Continues to to work well for the Feb. 6 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, breezing 5 furlongs in 1:00 2/5. We really have no idea how good the Southern California-based horses are this year, especially with two of the top Derby contenders slated to debut in the 7f San Vicente. That leaves the Robert Lewis open for several of the late developers looking to stretch out for the first time. As mentioned, Toews on Ice, who he defeated in the Los Alamitos Futurity, ran a disappointing race when shipped to Oaklawn for the Smarty Jones Stakes. What this ridgling has going for him is his ability to race near or well off the pace, and with his big long stride he has an effortless way of moving. Baffert also has the first two finishers of the Sham Stakes, Collected and the fast-closing Lets Meet in Rio, as well as the exciting, but lightly raced Drefong, so he has several options. But right now, Mor Spirit is definitely his big Derby horse, especially with his versatility and ability to keep coming at you in a steady relentless manner.
8 Smokey Image Carla Gaines Southern ImageSpecial Smoke, by Free House After California Chrome, do you really want to dismiss a Cal-bred who is undefeated in six starts, five of them stakes, at five different distances from 5f to 1 1/16 miles, and won his first two-turn race, the Cal Cup Derby, like he was out for an afternoon stroll? And this was coming off a 3-month layoff. Cant wait for him to face open company, which likely will be the San Felipe Stakes. This colt is not as smooth and polished as California Chrome, and thank goodness he finally learned to change leads in the Cal Cup Derby, which he won by 8 1/2 lengths while under cruise control, and throwing his ears around the entire race. He was a little awkward heading into the first turn, with his head turned to the inside. but he quickly settled into a nice stride on an uncontested lead and then just opened up at will. Although he did switch leads this time, he needed help from Victor Espinoza, who else? He also has to learn to drop his head after turning for home, although he did lower it as he got closer to the wire. So there are still some kinks to work out, but there is no doubting this horses ability. We just need to see that ability against top-class horses.
9 Awesome Speed Alan Goldberg Awesome AgainSpeedy Escape, by Aptitude Ive been waiting to put this colt in the Top 12 and this looks as good a time to experiment as any with things in limbo. I like the way he won his last three races, showing hes a very tough horse to get by. When he won the James Lewis at Laurel, his time of 1:09 67 was only two-fifths slower than the Frank DeFrancis on the same card, featuring top-class older sprinters Gentlemens Bet and Palace. He easily handled Vorticity in his maiden score and Vorticity has come back to win the Marylander and finish second in the Jerome and Withers Stakes. Stretching out to a mile, Awesome Speed won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes in a sharp 1:35 4/5 after getting bumped into another horse at the start and rushing up into contention before settling into stride just off the leader. Hes a beautiful mover, and no matter how much hes under pressure in the stretch, he doesnt need the whip and won the Mucho Macho Man with his ears pricked, galloping out strong past the wire. Finally, you have to love the fact that he has such brilliant speed, despite being bred strictly for stamina top and bottom. And heres the topper. His great granddam, Great Finesse, was featured in the book Chicken Soup for the Horse Lovers Soul. She became blind due to progressive eye disease and learned to place her head on her handlers shoulders and arm and use them as her guide, as a blind person would a guide dog. She learned to follow them by touch. Because they were afraid to buddy her up with another mare they got her a llama as a companion. Her foals would have a bell put around their neck and she became a wonderful mother caring for them. From 1983 to 2001, she produced 12 foals, and six of her seven foals to race earned over $150,000, averaging 43 starts. Now she could have a great grandson in the Kentucky Derby, who has inherited her class, courage, and great mind.
10 Mo Tom Tom Amoss Uncle MoCaroni, by Rubiano Turned in a solid half-mile breeze in :48 1/5 as he prepares for the Risen Star Stakes. There is no doubting this colts powerful stretch kick and hes shown he can come flying on the far outside or along the rail. His LeComte was a big step forward, as he ran a much more professional race than in the Kentucky Jockey Club. He actually runs contrary to his pedigree, with the brilliant Uncle Mo and the late-running sprinter Rubiano. Perhaps it is that Nijinsky and Northern Dancer inbreeding that is allowing him to be effective around two turns. But the question is can he keep turning in those big stretch runs as the distances stretch out, especially to a mile and a quarter? As long as he keeps displaying the same kind of closing kick he did in the Kentucky Jockey Club and LeComte, hes got a shot to be a force on the Derby trail.
11 Rafting Graham Motion TapitPaiota Falls, by Kris S. Here we go again with another possible two-week wonder. I'm banking on him running big in the Feb. 13 Sam F. Davis Stakes, based on his works and his most recent victory in the Smooth Air Stakes. I'm ignoring his bizarre, ugly race and ride in a Keeneland allowance last year that Motion called a fiasco. He has sandwiched that race with victories, including an impressive score going 7 furlongs at Saratoga. In the Smooth Air, he was a completely different horse than the one we saw the race before, doing everything professionally and drawing off to another impressive victory, defeating Fellowship, who confirmed the form of the race by coming back to finish a good third in the Holy Bull Stakes at 40-1. Also, Rafting beat El Charro by 6 lengths in the Smooth Air and El Charro came back to finish second, beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Awesome Speed, in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes. Following a pair of strong 6-furlong drills he breezed 5 furlongs in a bullet 1:00 4/5, fastest of 27 works at the distance, indicating he should be ready for another big effort. His second dam is a full-sister to the great Hall of Famer Dance Smartly.
12 Cherry Wine Dale Romans Paddy OPradoC.S. Royce, by Unbridleds Song Smart move by Romans skipping the Holy Bull, but hell likely have to face Mohaymen in the Fountain of Youth, unless he hits the road to possibly take advantage of Fair Grounds long stretch in the Risen Star Stakes. Keeping sharp with a 5 furlong work in 1:00 4/5 at Gulfstream. Normally, Im apprehensive about getting too high on big allowance winners who have not shown any speed, especially after six races, and this colt needs to get faster if hes going to be competitive with the top horses. But Im going basically by his turn of foot and his ability to burst clear of his opponents, and the fact that hes showing such dramatic improvement. We have no idea at this point what his ceiling might be. The big question is whether he can do that against quality horses when its going to take some sharp speed figures to win or place in graded stakes. So for now Ill go by the visuals of his last two and the fact that hes trained by Romans. But he could very well fall off the list as others come along with big efforts in stakes. Ill try to keep him on as long as possible. We just have to wait until he runs again to be more conclusive about him.
Knocking At The Door
Its hard to get a line on the Withers Stakes results. It seemed pretty obvious that the track was on the slow side. At least it better have been if any of these horses have any hope of being a major Derby contender, as they all were struggling pretty good down the stretch, running the 1 1/16 miles in a tick under 1:47 and coming home in nearly :07 seconds. SUNNY RIDGE confirmed that he is one of the most consistent 3-year-olds in training and gives 100 percent every time, and this was an excellent debut under the circumstances, in which he was under pressure every step of the way, battling with a talented horse in VORTICITY. Hes not exactly bred to relish a mile and a quarter, but well see how far he goes as the distances stretch out. I wasnt thrilled to hear trainer Jason Servis say hell probably be pointed for the Gotham and/or the Wood Memorial. I like the and, but certainly not the or, if he runs in the Gotham and thats it. I dont see him as a Derby threat with just this race the Gotham, never having been farther than 1 1/16 miles and a two-month layoff to the Derby.
As for the 1-2 favorite, FLEXIBILITY, his flat performance was not a shock, with this being his fifth start in only 3 1/2 months, including a 1 1/8-mile race and two tough battles with Mohaymen. I was surprised to see him in the Jerome a month after chasing Mohaymen at 1 1/8 miles. But after he won that with authority, I thought for sure hed be given some time off and point for the Gotham, but he came right back with his second start in January. Chad Brown knows his horse better than I do, so its not a criticism, just a surprise. He didnt have the clearest of trips, and got bumped a bit in the upper stretch, but this was not the same horse weve seen in prior races, as he was unable to out-close ADVENTIST, who had only a single six-furlong maiden race under him, for third. Perhaps a slow and possibly demanding track (they came home the final eighth in almost :13 1/5 in the 6f Toboggan Handicap) under the circumstances was the last thing he needed. Its way too early to give up on him as a Derby contender, as his two efforts against Mohaymen were excellent, but Brown will have to go back to the drawing board and decide where to go from here.
There was great interest in last Fridays one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream, with all eyes on Shadwells exciting SHAGAF, a six-length winner of a mile maiden race at Aqueduct in November and the Todd Pletcher-trained RALLY CRY, who had also broken his maiden impressively going a mile at Gulfstream in December. Although Shagaf won with authority, while Rally Cry ran into a ton of trouble, there were many racing people on Twitter who were not impressed with the victory and spoke more highly of Rally Crys third-place finish.
There are several ways to look at Shagafs two-length score. From a visual standpoint, the son of Bernardini, who reminded me of his sire in overall appearance, looked impressive, stalking a testing pace four-wide and then cruising to the lead on his own on the far turn as if he were going to win by the length of the stretch. He changed leads smoothly and on cue and was doing everything brilliantly until the final furlong when he either started getting tired or just lost focus, having gone to the lead so early in the race. He was kept to task under a steady hand ride, so its not that was being eased at the end. So how does one account for fractions of :23 3/5, :23 1/5, :23 4/5, and :26 2/5? What happened in the final furlong that allowed 36-1 SOUTHSIDE WARRRIOR to cut his lead in half and also allow Rally Cry, who looked to be out of contention, to rally for third? He still had good extension to his stride through the final furlong and was throwing his ears around.
Lets remember, this is a young inexperienced colt who found himself with a clear lead on the far turn, in what looked to be a premature move and had his rider looking back at the quarter pole. At this point, we should give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he simply lost focus and was not tiring, especially since he re-broke right after the wire and opened a good 5 to 6-length advantage on the gallop-out. To all those who may have gotten a bit down on him, this is still a very talented colt who gained a great deal of experience from this race and should run even better next time. After all, he did win by two lengths and looked fantastic turning for home, so lets not act like this was a disappointing effort.
Rally Cry ran a terrific race after getting bumped by the rail horse at the break, then having to alter course to the inside shortly after when pushed in by the horse to his outside. Javier Castellano made a bold move along the rail nearing the half-mile pole and seemed about to stick his head in front when the horse on the lead came in, forcing Castellano to take up. In a flash, Rally Cry was now 6 lengths back and appeared to be out of the race. Despite never changing leads, he still managed to close well to finish third, beaten 4 1/4 lengths.
So, although this race was far from definitive, leaving questions about both colts, it did indicate they both have a bright future, and it will be interesting to see how Shagaf performs as he matures and gains more experience.
AWESOME BANNER ran another big race to win the 7f Swale Stakes by 5 lengths to remain undefeated in three career starts. Of course, he picked up zero points for his sprint score, but right now he just seems too fast and too dependent on the lead to be considered a Derby horse anyway. He ran the 7f in a sprightly 1:21 4/5, but note that Cathryn Sophia easily won the Forward Stakes the race before in 1:22 flat and came home her final eighth almost a full second faster. Trainer Stanley Gold has no plans for the colt at this time, but he does have a more classic type in his barn in FELLOWSHIP, who ran a big race to finish third in the Holy Bull Stakes at odds of 40-1. The Florida-bred, who like Awesome Banner is by Awesome of Course, was making his eighth start in a stakes race, so you have to give him points for that.
On the Pletcher front, he sent out the Uncle Mo colt MO POWER to a workmanlike one-length victory in a one-mile maiden race at Gulfstream, in which he tracked a strong pace (half in :46), took over turning for home, and held off the late closing charge of the Shug McGaughey-trained DOCTOR MOUNTY, a son of Street Sense, out of an A.P. Indy mare, who was making his second career start. The mile was run in a solid 1:36 3/5. Mo Power is a half-brother to grade II Lexington Stakes winner Behindatthebar. ZULU had been ranked No. 12 strictly off his potential with the knowledge he has a lot to prove and a lot of catching up to do. So we have to scrutinize every little thing surrounding him, and that includes not working in the two weeks since his allowance score. Dropping him could very well be unwarranted, but its difficult keeping a horse like this on the list too long, as others perform well on the track. If his inactivity on the work tab is by design, thats fine. But until he shows up again, well just have to keep him in limbo. I still think he could be special. Two of Pletchers other Derby hopefuls, the recent wire-to-wire maiden winner GETTYSBURG and DESTIN, worked a bullet half in :47 3/5 breezing in company, fastest of 20 works at the distance.
Donnie Von Hemel will run both his Derby hopefuls, SYNCHRONY and SUDDENBREAKINGNEWS in the Feb. 15 Southwest Stakes rather than split them up and send the latter to Fair Grounds for the Risen Star Stakes. Synchrony, who breezed a sharp half in :47 3/5 Jan. 29, is coming a off fast-closing third in the Smarty Jones Stakes, while Suddenbreakingnews was beaten a nose by Smarty Jones winner DISCREETNESS in Remington Parks Springboard Mile. Also pointing for the Southwest is the John Servis-trained BIRD OF TREY, the Pennsylvania Nursery winner who finished fourth in the Jerome Stakes last time out. Recent allowance winner WHITMORE, breezed 5 furlongs in 1:02 for the Southwest. Another Southwest hopeful on the work tab was allowance winner CUTACORNER, who breezed 5f in 1:01 for Jack Van Berg. One Oaklawn-based horse to drop off the Derby trail was the Steve Hobby-trained KNIGHTS KEY, who will undergo surgery to remove two small flakes in his knee.
All eyes were on Rachel Alexandras brother, DOLPHUS (by Lookin At Lucky), in Sundays mile and 70-yard allowance at Fair Grounds, and while he didnt exactly look like his big sister, he still ran well enough to defeat his three opponents, winning by three-quarters of a length over two promising colts second-place finisher JENSEN, who ran well stretching out from a 6-furlong maiden victory, and fourth-place finisher (beaten 2 lengths) HARLAN PUNCH, coming off a third in the Delta Jackpot. Joe Sharp trains the winner, while Larry Jones trains, owns, and bred the runner-up.
BLUE CREEK, who has been highly touted in Dubai, winning his first two starts with ease for Godolphin, finished second in the one-mile Al Naboodah Cargo Trophy Jan. 30, beaten 1 3/4 lengths by Active Spirit.
MALIBU SUNSET is playing major catch-up, but the son of Bernardini was spectacular breaking his maiden by 10 1/2 lengths in 1:10 4/5 for the six furlongs in his career debut at Fair Grounds. This colt just bounds along with long fluid strides and he had this field demolished by the three-sixteenths pole, winning under wraps in the final sixteenth. If only he had gotten started earlier. He is not among the early Triple Crown nominees.
Pity the California horses if I WILL SCORE can carry his speed two turns. With the ridiculously fast fractions hes run in his first two starts (how about :21 flat and :43 1/5?), trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has been working the son of Roman Ruler longer, with a pair of 6 furlong drills in 1:11 3/5 and 1:12 2/5. Lets see if he shows up in the Robert Lewis or sticks to sprinting in the San Vicente.
GUN RUNNER, a game fourth in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, breezed a sharp 6 furlongs in 1;12 3/5 at Fair Grounds for the Risen Star Stakes. Hopeful Stakes winner RALIS continues to train well for his 3-year-old debut, breezing a half in :48 1/5. Top Canadian 2-year-old RIKER returned to the work tab with a 3 furlong breeze in :36 1/5 at Gulfstream Park.
The Obama administration has imposed sanctions on five Russians for human rights violations under the 2012 U.S. law. The five Russians were allegedly involved in the 2009 death of Russian whistle-blower and anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the U.S. State and Treasury Departments have identified Aleksey Anichin, Boris Kibis, Pavel Lapshov and Oleg Urzhumtsev as Russian officials who took part in the death of Segei Magnitsky.
Magnitsky was jailed after courageously exposing Russia's most controversial tax fraud that amounted to $230 million in tax rebate, as noted by the New York Times. He died in prison in 2009 after being severely beaten and having been denied of medical treatment. The death of Magnitsky sparked a worldwide clamor over human rights violations in Russia.
Russian courts apparently failed to give justice to the investigations over the incidents surrounding Magnitsky's death, prompting the United States Congress to pass a law in 2012 that would prohibited anyone responsible for Magnitsky's death from entering the US.
When the Magnitsky Act was passed in 2012, Russia's Duma responded with a legislation of their own which prevented US families from adopting Russian children.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the State Department would've have submitted the new names on Friday, but Secretary of State John Kerry prevented the rollout on Friday, as he allegedly still had a few questions regarding the persons to be included in the Magnitsky List. But the list got out when Rep. Jim McGovern congratulated the State Department for adding the new names to the list. McGovern said Friday they would be revoking the list because it was passed prematurely.
Nevertheless, the announcement of the names puts Kerry in a tight position as he is still in trying to seal cooperation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Syrian peace talks in Geneva this week. Kerry is reportedly asking Russia to cease attacks on Syrian civilians and other members of the opposition bloc who are not part of the Islamic State.
A fifth official named Yevgeni Antonov is also being added on the Magnitsky List. Antonov ran a prision in Chechnya that was known for strings of human rights abuses.
There are currently 34 individuals in the Magnitsky List, 28 of whom were actually linked to the murder of Magnitsky. The others are included in the list for human rights violations. Aside from punishing those involved in Magnitsky's death, legislation had intended for the list to be a way of punishing violators of human rights in Russia.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey warned Gilead Sciences that it could face legal action if it doesn't reduce the prices of its hepatitis C drugs. But if Healey proceed to sue the biotech company, her case probably will rely on an untested legal theory that could be applied widely to other specialty pharmaceuticals.
In a letter to Gilead CEO John Martin, Healey said her office was considering legal action as the costs of two hepatitis C drugs, Sovaldi and Harvoni, "may constitute an unfair trade practice in violation of Massachusetts law," according to CNBC.
Healey also said in the letter that her office will "continue to examine this potential claim for unfair commercial conduct."
A 12-week treatment course of Gilead's Sovaldi pills costs $84,000, and the company's Harvoni, a two-drug combination treatment, costs $94,500.
According to The Boston Globe, lawyers in the attorney general's office won't discuss how it would build a case against Gilead. But the top lawyers in Healey's office have been known to deploy legal tools beyond the consumer protection act, as well as regulatory and investigatory levers and public pressure to challenge businesses.
The attorney general's office is studying the potential complaint for Gilead would be brought under Massachusetts' consumer protection law, known as Chapter 93A.
Michael C. Gilleran, partner in Boston law firm Burns & Levinson and the writer of a book on Chapter 93A, said Healey would be relying on the statute of choice for business litigation in Massachusetts. He said the statute is very broad, very vargue, and has huge firepower. "It provides for triple damages and attorneys' fees," Gilleran added.
However, the statute has never been used to force a drug company to drop the price it has set for a drug. The case involved changing an already established benchmark price.
Gilleran said he is not aware of any state court in the U.S. that has ruled that overpricing is an unfair and deceptive practice. He said there is no general authority under 93A to regulate prices.
To win the case, Healey would have to prove that Gilead in "unfair and deceptive" practices that harmed people needing treatment for hepatitis C virus but can't afford the drugs. Only 10 percent of hepatitis C patients in the U.S. have been treated with Gilead's drugs.
There is also hope that new competition from Merck's brand-new two-drug cocktail Zepatier might force Gilead to lower its prices. According to FiercePharma, Merck's Zepatier costs $54,600 per treatment course.
Drugs generally cost more in the U.S. than other countries. Healey noted that Gilead's Sovaldi, priced at $1,000 a pill in the U.S., costs only about $4 a pill in India and $10 a pill in Egypt.
Gen. David Sejusa, a Ugandan military official, was arrested. He is currently detained at a military barracks in Kampala. The official was one of the rebel groups who opposed to President Yoweri Museveni's way of governing the country.
Sejusa's lawyer, Ladislaus Rwakafuuzi, stated Sunday, Jan. 31, that the military general was arrested, Yahoo News reported the same day, citing the Associated Press as its source. Prior to his arrest, military police went to Sejusa's residence, Rwakafuuzi added.
Uganda is set to hold its next presidential elections on Feb. 18. Museveni, who went into office since 1986, is running for another term.
Sejusa is one of the groups who staunchly opposed Museveni's reelection. The arrest happening a little more than two weeks before the said election will most likely heighten political tensions in the country, News24 also reported.
Sejusa's association with Museveni goes way back 20 years ago when the latter came into power. Sejusa was one of Museveni's senior commanders when their group declared and won a war against the government at the time. The group claimed that the government manipulated the outcome of the elections to their favor, reports said.
When Museveni became president, Sejusa was appointed general. He also became a high-ranking military official and presided for the country's local and foreign external spy agencies.
Sejusa is now detained at the Makindye military barracks, NTV reported. He will face a general court martial on Feb. 2, Tuesday, the newswire noted.
The current tension started when Sejusa, in 2013, informed the local spy chief to examine a plan to create unrest in opposition to Museveni's son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, entering the political scene. Kainerugaba currently holds a brigadier rank in the Ugandan military. Sejusa stayed in London after this move, and returned to Uganda last December.
"It is thought that the Museveni regime, which has ruled Uganda for nearly 30 years, and may be facing defeat at the coming elections ... has a plan to arrest top Uganda pro-democracy activists, like General Sejusa, so as to forestall possible mass uprising that is seen as inevitable should Museveni refuse to hand over power to the victorious political opposition," free Uganda, a pro-democracy group, was cited via a statement.
Numbers of capital murder cases are now on hold as a Superior Court judge halted all penalty hearings and trials. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court in Delaware weighs the constitutionality of the state's death penalty law.
On Monday, President Judge Jan Jurden, head of the Superior Court system issued the order. The Supreme Court accepted more than a few questions submitted by a Superior Court judge. The questions were prompted by a recent ruling of the US Supreme Court. It asks about the roles of juries and judges in death penalty cases, particularly in Delaware.
Delaware has more than two dozen pending cases for capital murder, and this could be impacted as the Supreme Court decides whether it will consider the constitutionality of the death penalty legislation as reported by Delaware Online. The state of House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a death penalty repeal bill this Thursday. Governor Jack Markell released a statement saying he would sign the bill if it passes.
The Superior Court Judge Paul Wallace asked the Supreme Court to use Benjamin Rauf's trial as a test case. Benjamin Rauf, a Temple University law graduate, was charged with gunning down his 27-year-old classmate Shazi Uppal in a parking lot at a nursing home last summer. ABC News reported that supporters of the bill said they would try to resurrect the measure after a five-week break for budget committee meetings.
The Republic reported that the US Supreme Court said that Florida's death penalty scheme was unconstitutional because a jury, not a judge, must find each fact required to execute a death sentence.
Florida's sentencing scheme is similar to Delaware. 13 inmates are now on death row in Delaware, but reports say that the state does not have the necessary chemicals to carry out death penalty if one were ordered.
The latest data showed that more people are visiting New Zealand and choosing to live and work in the country led by Indians, Australians, and Chinese. In fact, NZ recently welcomed 24,504 migrants coming from the neighboring county Australia.
According to Statistics NZ, 25,273 people migrated to New Zealand from Australia in 2015 and in which almost two thirds of them were New Zealanders returning home. A total of 24,504 people moved from New Zealand to Australia, making a net flow of 769 people going in the country.
The yearly gain in migrants has even set records for the past 17 months. Arrivals increased to 12 percent to 121,900 in December 2015 and the departures fell 2 percent to 57,000.
There was a seasonally adjusted net gain of 5,500 migrants in December, which considered low considering the all-time high of 6,200 in November. The net inflow of migrants from Australia continued, with a net gain of 200 in December, the ninth month in a row, NBR reported.
And of the entire migrant arrivals in the December year, 25,300 were from Australia. Fewer New Zealand citizens left to head to Australia, with departures down 11 percent to 21,100 in 2015, less than half the peak departures set in 2010.
Michael Gordon, senior economist at Westpac, stated via NZ Herald that the continuing net immigration will cause New Zealand's annual population growth rate to reach its highest peak since 1974. He added, "the balance of transtasman job opportunities is now shifting, with Australia reporting strong jobs growth and a lower unemployment rate than New Zealand. If this trend continues, New Zealand will eventually become a less attractive destination."
NZ's economic and political stability and the end of Australia's mining boom, have been named as the reasons for the shift. The country's Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler also mentioned last week that tourism, construction activity and a lift in business and consumer confidence would power growth in 2016.
The entire part of NZ had also claimed a net gain of international migrants in December, with most heading to Auckland and Canterbury. Just over half of the migrants with a stated address on their arrival card were moving to the Auckland, which records 34 percent of New Zealand's population.
Meanwhile, New Zealand and Australia have an agreement which allows most citizens to live and work in either country. The net increase in immigration from Australia to New Zealand is not only due to New Zealand citizens returning, but also because Australians and citizens of other countries are moving to NZ.
Breeder Eamon Cleary took a gamble when planning the mating that resulted in Mohaymen, dominating winner of the Jan. 30 Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II).
Using pedigree consultant Alan Porter as a sounding board, Cleary was mulling breeding his multiple grade II winner Justwhistledixie to a rising son of Pulpit named Tapit. Cleary had acquired the mare privately in 2010 from the racing partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm, and R.D. Hubbard.
The mating was no slam dunk because the A.P. Indy sire line with the Dixieland Band broodmare sire line had not been an outstanding cross. Thoroughbred racing is a game of percentages, and breeders prefer the numbers skewhowever slightlyin their favor. At the time Clearys daughter of Dixie Union had a Street Cry colt on the ground and had been bred to Distorted Humor in 2011.
Besides Tapits obvious rise on the general leading sire list (he jumped from 12th-leading sire in 2010 to the third-leading sire in 2011), he intrigued Cleary because Tapits sire had a pedigree similar to that of Dixie Unions dam, Shes Tops. Pulpit was a son of A.P. Indy (by Seattle Slew) and out of the Mr. Prospector daughter Preach. Shes Tops was a daughter of Capote (by Seattle Slew) and out of Shes a Talent, by Mr. P.
An intriguing connection also existed in the third generation of both Tapit and Justwhistledixie. Tapits third dam is the stakes winner Moon Glitter, who produced grade III winner and respectable sire Glitterman. Justwhistledixies broodmare sire is Honour and Glory, whose sire Relaunch is a full brother to Moon Glitter.
There had already been a couple of Tapit stakes winners with Relaunch and the sister, Porter recalled. It was intriguing inbreeding, so we thought Tapit would be an interesting option.
Porter gives credit for the success of Clearsky Farms breeding program to Cleary, who was a true student of pedigrees. The farm was well-represented in the classics last year when Firing Line (Line of DavidSister Girl Blues, by Hold for Gold) won the Sunland Derby (gr. III) and finished second to American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
He was extremely knowledgeable in his own right and really just needed someone to bounce ideas back and forth, Porter said. He was also a very shrewd buyer of mares.
Unfortunately, Cleary never got to see the result of his gamble on Tapit, having died from cancer Sept. 21, 2012. Mohaymen was born May 2 the following year and immediately stamped himself as a foal to watch.
Mohaymen looks more like the mare, more refined, said Barry Robinette, farm manager for Clearsky. He was just a real pretty yearling; yet, he has the Tapit shoulder. He has a great mind and was always a mature horse.
Justwhistledixies first foal also radiated quality. Porter said cardio evaluation and other metrics indicated he was the pick of the farms 2011 yearlings. That colt was New Years Day, who broke his maiden in late August 2013 and won the Breeders Cup Juvenile (gr. I) in his next start for Gary and Mary West.
In 2014 Shadwell Estate Co. bought Mohaymen for $2.2 million out of the Keeneland September yearling sale. The striking gray colt is now undefeated in four starts with three of those races being grade II stakes. Mohaymens 312-length, geared-down romp in the Holy Bull brought his total qualifying points on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard to 20. He ranks second to last years Breeders Cup Juvenile winner Nyquist, who is also undefeated.
With the phenomenal success both Tapit and Justwhistledixie have shown since Cleary weighed his decision to mate them, Porter jokes now the decision doesnt seem so clever.
Obviously, shes a terrific mare, and Tapit is a great sire, so Im not sure how smart one needed to be, he said.
Undeniably, Cleary had an eye for quality as the broodmare career of Justwhistledixie is proving. From three foals of racing age, she has three winners that include two graded stakes winners. The mare is expecting a foal by Tapit this year and will be bred back to Tapit.
He had such a sharp mind; he analyzed everything. Pedigrees or life on the farm, really everything, said Robinette about Cleary. And, he never minded trying something different.
Robinette said its rewarding that Clearys gamble has paid off so handsomely, with the potential for even bigger dividends this spring. Then he paused. I dont let it carry too far, he said. Weve been down this road before, and it is a long way to May.
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Feb 2, 2016, 10:52am ET
FCA revises diesel calibrations in wake of VW scandal
The company claims to be preemptively reacting to an expected shift toward real-world testing.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has announced plans to revise emissions control calibrations for its Euro-spec vehicles.
The move is clearly related to Volkswagen's TDI emissions scandal. FCA claims to be fully compliant with emissions regulations in all markets, however the company acknowledges a shift in public attention towards real-world testing.
"FCA diesel vehicles do not have a mechanism to either detect that they are undergoing a bench test in a laboratory or to activate a function to operate emission controls only under laboratory testing," the automaker said in a statement.
The company suggests European vehicles are currently being tested "by a range of entities in a variety of member states using an assortment of procedures none of which are prescribed by law or share any commonality." The calibration revisions reflect the anticipated adoption of new standardized testing provisions in the EU, presumably with a higher focus on replicating real-world conditions.
"As a voluntary measure, not mandated or requested by any regulatory authorities, FCA will be updating its Euro 6 calibrations with new data sets to improve emission performance in real driving conditions," the statement added.
The software will be standard for all new vehicles sold on or after April 2016, while owners of existing Euro6-compliant vehicles will be able to receive the new programming for free.
Looking forward, FCA claims to be expanding selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to more vehicles starting in the second quarter of 2017, "well in advance of any applicable regulatory requirements."
Ann Richards, former governor of Texas, became famous for one quip about George H.W. Bush by saying, He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
Anns daughter Cecile, president of Planned Parenthood, has carried on the tradition of joking about body parts. Well, not Cecile herself, but some of the people who work for her. There is no one with a pulse who hasnt seen or heard of the undercover videos filmed by David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress, in which Planned Parenthood employees are seen munching on salad and chuckling about how they could perform abortions in such a way as to preserve the choicest organs.
After the videos were released last year, abortion supporters tried to do some damage control by saying they were heavily edited and taken out of context. Methinks they did protest too much, because the unedited versions were made available online for anyone who had the stomach to view them.
Its also very hard to find a proper context for a doctor who says, while sipping merlot, If we alter our process, and we are able to obtain intact fetal cadavers, then we can make it part of the budget, that any dissections are this, and splitting the specimens into different shipments is this, I mean thats, its all just a matter of line items.
Intact fetal cadavers are, after all, so much better for research purposes than a mass of smashed organs.
Many of us were convinced that this was the moment that Planned Parenthood would be called to answer for some of its more shady practices, the ones that had nothing to do with providing birth control or mammogram referrals.
But even the most sophisticated and savvy of us could not have anticipated the turn of events last week, when a grand jury in Harris County, Texas, handed down an indictment against the filmmaker and his assistant.
According to District Attorney Devin Anderson, As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us.
The evidence did not lead the DA, a registered Republican, to indict Richards and her friends. Apparently, Anderson agreed with the abortion rights supporters and the FOC (Friends of Cecile) that the videos did not show Planned Parenthood employees doing anything illegal, since there wasnt enough evidence that the organs and tissues harvested by its employees were being sold for a profit.
If things had ended there, I might be annoyed, but Id chalk it up to the powerful FOC and their ability to protect their fair-haired girl from any real trouble.
But things didnt end there. That grand jury, which was intent on indicting much more than the DAs ham sandwich, found a way to stick it to the fellow who made their sweet Cecile sweat. Improbably, they dug up some esoteric Texas law that makes it a crime to tamper with a governmental record, a felony punishable by up to 20 years. In this case, the tampering involved playing around with a drivers license. And as if the drivers license count wasnt enough, the grand jury charged Daleiden and his assistant with the misdemeanor count of purchasing (or attempting to purchase) human organs.
At this point you must be laughing hysterically, right? I mean, you cannot make this stuff up.
When the grand jury turned around and handed down its indictment against Daleiden, it was clear that its members were no longer engaged in a search for the truth. They were out for blood.
At least Daleiden didnt pervert the legal system to do his work. He engaged in exactly the type of activities that investigative journalists have used for over a century.
So Im thinking there will be some First Amendment rumblings in defense of these charges. And I know the defendants wont have to worry about legal fees, because a lot of pro-life attorneys out here are willing to lend them a body part, or two.
After all, Cecile isnt the only one with friends.
Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
Northampton County's district attorney was blunt when he described the punishment his office will seek against the two men accused of shooting two teens in Bethlehem.
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, at the podium, speaks at a news conference on Monday about the arrest of two men in the shootings of two teen boys Saturday in Bethlehem. Bethlehem police Chief Mark DiLuzio is on the left. (Sarah Cassi | lehighvalleylive.com file photo)
"We want to warehouse these young criminals who are on our streets with guns, who aren't afraid to use these guns to go after each other. Sooner or later innocent people will be getting hurt," John Morganelli said at a news conference Monday afternoon at Bethlehem's City Hall. "We have to warehouse these criminals during their crime years, which is (ages) 14 to 35. There aren't too many gang members running around that are 50 years old."
Morganelli said his office will be "aggressive" in the shootings of a 14-year-old and 16-year-old Saturday night, and intend to seek the maximum sentences for Omar "Kush" Quinones and Elias Zachariah Ariza, both 19 and both of Bethlehem.
Quinones is accused of shooting the 14-year-old, identified as T.W., at least eight times and Ariza is accused of shooting the 16-year-old, identified as K.W., in the knee.
Bethlehem police on Monday said the victims were members of the Bloods gang, and that Quinones, a member of the Crips, was in a dispute with the 14-year-old over a girl.
"This is street justice, is what we're seeing here...they take out the justice on the street with their guns," the district attorney said.
Quinones was arrested and charged on Sunday. Ariza was arrested Sunday following an unrelated shooting in Allentown, and was charged in the Bethlehem case on Monday.
"This is another example of what we're seeing here, not just in the Lehigh Valley but throughout the country, that is these young kids -- 14, 16-year-old victims -- identifying with gangs. It's also an example of the violent nature of criminal gangs that we have that are involved in criminal enterprises," Morganelli said. "What we see now are these gangs and the member of the gangs starting very young."
For parents struggling with kids who may be involved in gang activity, Morganelli urged them to contact law enforcement.
"Call the police and let (prosecutors) and the police departments intervene before they're shot, before they kill somebody," he said.
Morganelli also said he wants to focus on bringing a criminal gang statute to Pennsylvania, making it a crime to just be a member of a gang.
"We need to get to the nest of these gangs, and to make gang membership itself unprofitable. And then we can start to lock some of these criminals up who are in these gangs just by being a member of a gang," Morganelli said. "A gang is only a criminal enterprise."
Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Starters Riverport
The Riverport building is shown in this 2011 lehighvalleylive.com file photo. Bethlehem is exploring modifying the parking garage for an intermodal facility.
The city of Bethlehem is jump-starting dormant plans to bring an intermodal facility to South Bethlehem.
In 2008, then-Mayor John Callahan and U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent stood in a parking lot along East Third Street celebrating the award of a federal grant to design a massive intermodal facility.
Plans called for a 1,000-space parking garage and intermodal center that would house buses from both LANTA and Trans-Bridge Lines.
More than seven years later, that land is now part of Bethlehem's City Revitalization and Investment Zone. And Greenway Commons, a three-building complex of luxury apartments, offices and retail space, is being built on the property.
A planned 600-spot garage at Third and Polk streets and a 626-spot garage at Third and New streets has taken care of South Bethlehem's parking needs. But neither parking garage is suited to also hold an intermodal center.
City officials are now eyeing the Riverport parking garage on Second Street as space the could be modified to house an intermodal facility.
On Tuesday night, Bethlehem City Council will be asked to consider awarding a $90,450 contract to Maser Counsulting to explore whether Riverport can be modified.
Funding for the study would come from the $390,820 Federal Transit Authority planning grant, which requires a $78,000 city match, said Alicia Miller Karner, director of community and economic development.
Maser's work will include environmental and sound studies, a cultural resource analysis, traffic investigation and architectural evaluation. The firm will also conduct a topography survey, land development plan and public outreach.
Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Tainted soil in Route 33 spill cleaned up in 8-hour effort
The crash of a dump truck hauling a bladder containing hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen, is seen Feb. 1, 2016, on Route 33 North between William Penn Highway and Route 22. (Courtesy photo)
UPDATE: Driver cited in Route 33 'dirty dirt' spill, police say
Cleanup crews late Monday night were righting a dump truck that had spilled its potentially dangerous load some eight hours earlier onto a Northampton County highway.
The truck was hauling a bladder containing soil laced with hexavalent chromium, a known cancer-causing compound. It rolled onto its side about 2:55 p.m. on Route 33 North between the William Penn Highway and Route 22 interchanges, in Bethlehem Township.
"We did confirm the bladder did not break," the county's acting director of emergency management, Todd Weaver, told lehighvalleylive.com about 11 p.m. Responders at that time were about to return the truck to its wheels, he said.
Authorities closed Route 33 North at Interstate 78, and it was expected to open about midnight at the earliest, Weaver said.
The trucking company brought in a cleanup contractor to remove the material, a process that required opening the bladder so it could off-loaded into approved containers, Weaver said.
The process was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Lehigh County Hazardous Materials Response Team, Weaver said.
It was a lengthy operation because workers had to wear protective suits and take breaks as the effort continued, according to Weaver.
He reiterated there was no cause for concern for motorists or nearby residents or businesses.
Dry material, such as soil, containing hexavalent chromium requires an isolation zone of 75 feet, Weaver said. He described the soil as freshly dug up Monday, though where it was from and where it was headed were unavailable late Monday night.
"The biggest thing is that it was fairly moist, so there was no chance of it blowing around or anything like that," Weaver said.
Pennsylvania State Police at Belfast were investigating the incident.
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The criminal case has been dismissed against one of the men accused in the Jan. 8 robbery of the Family Dollar in Downtown Easton, according to court records.
Rachyeed David Hollenbach, 24, of York, Pennsylvania, was released Monday from Northampton County Prison, where he was held since Jan. 9 in lieu of $85,000 bail.
His attorney, Dennis Charles, said he argued Thursday during a preliminary hearing before District Judge Antonia Grifo that Hollenbach was simply in the store while it was being robbed by another man.
"All the facts pointed to mere presence at the scene of the crime," Charles said.
Charles presented case law and Grifo agreed with his argument, he said.
Charges of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery were dismissed because the prosecution didn't provide sufficient evidence to move the case forward to Northampton County Court, court records show.
Assistant District Attorney John Obrecht, who argued the state's case, and District Attorney John Morganelli could not immediately be reached to see if they would refile charges.
"The decision is up to the prosecution," Charles said, adding he would represent Hollenbach again if the charges were reinstated. Because the case was dismissed at the district court level, there is no double jeopardy and charges can be refiled, Charles said.
Easton police officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Police alleged Hollenbach went into the store on Centre Square at 9:18 p.m. with Jonny Sanders, who pointed two handguns -- one a semiautomatic and the other a revolver -- at a clerk. An undisclosed amount of money was turned over and the men fled the store and drove off in a gray Hyundai, police said.
Easton police inside the Family Dollar store at 301 Northampton St. after an armed holdup was reported there at 9:18 p.m. Jan. 8, 2016. (Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com)
A police patrol unit spotted a car along Riverside Drive and Hollenbach and Sanders ran up a rugged, steep slope toward College Hill, police said. Hollenbach was quickly taken into custody while Sanders, 44, most recently from Philadelphia, wasn't found for a few hours until he came out from under a classic Plymouth Fury in a parking lot just off North Delaware Drive.
Lafayette College was locked down and College Hill residents told to stay in their homes during the manhunt.
A third man who was in the car was determined not to be involved in the crime, police said.
Sanders has a preliminary hearing scheduled March 29 on six counts of aggravated assault, two counts of making terroristic threats and one count each of robbery, resisting arrest and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He remained jailed Tuesday in lieu of $500,000 bail, according to court records.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
miguel rodriguez
Miguel Rodriguez
(Lehighvalleylive.com file photo)
After dead ends, false leads and testimony compelled before a grand jury, Miguel Angel Rodriguez will finally be brought to justice for a murder he committed in Easton three years ago, according to a prosecutor.
The attorney for Rodiguez, however, said another man who was in the bar that night is the real killer. Defense attorney Brian Monahan said police never bothered to preserve evidence that could have helped catch him.
Rodriguez, who goes by the street name "Dolo," is accused of fatally shooting Damien "Head" Robinson at Eddie G's bar in Downtown Easton on Feb. 9, 2013. He's charged with criminal homicide and Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Patricia Fuentes Mulqueen is seeking a first-degree murder verdict in the trial that opened Monday.
Although the bar was full that night, nobody wanted to help police, Mulqueen said.
"It was a world where people don't want to help police solve a crime," she said. "It's a world of fear. It's a tough world where you keep your mouth shut and you don't tell the cops what you heard or saw or know."
Through persistence, police eventually won over the trust of bartender Jennifer Delgado, who said Rodriguez confessed to her as she gave him a ride to New York to prevent Rodriguez from being arrested.
She initially refused to cooperate with police. Then she was stabbed multiple times when she agreed to testify about the case before a grand jury, Mulqueen said.
Bouncer Mike King initially told police he couldn't identify the shooter. But he told the grand jury he looked Rodriguez in the eyes and saw him holding a gun. King heard shots as he ran away, Mulqueen said.
He didn't cooperate at first because, "he was afraid for his family, afraid for his own safety. That's just what a lot of witnesses feel," Mulqueen said.
She said Rodriguez's DNA was found on a phone and a baggie in the back room of the bar where Robinson was killed.
Monahan said most people ran out the front door after they heard shots, but one man ran out the back. An Easton police officer saw a single line of footprints in the snow, but no one bothered to photograph or preserve them to compare them to anyone's shoes before EMS personnel and firefighters trampled them.
Also, the 911 recordings were lost, so it's unclear who called in the shooting and what was said, Monahan said.
A witness said he saw someone lift up his shirt and show a gun that night, but police never followed up on that tip. Nor did they test that man's hands or clothes for gunshot residue.
Also, a gunshot in the back room penetrated a door at a downward angle. Rodriguez stands 5 feet 8, while Robinson is 6 feet tall. Given the height difference, it would make sense for the shot to be rising, not falling, Monahan said.
"There are inconsistencies in the evidence that do not make this a slam dunk case and we believe provide reasonable doubt," Monahan said.
Prosecutors say Rodriguez is a member of the New York-based Very Crispy Gangsters street gang. The killing was precipitated by some sort of dispute, the details of which remain murky.
Mulqueen said last week it's possible the trial could last until Friday.
Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
A former Reading City Council president has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for taking a bribe in exchange for efforts to repeal the city's campaign finance law.
The Reading Eagle reports that former Reading council president Francisco Acosta apologized Monday in federal court in Philadelphia, saying what he did was "wrong, despicable and a dishonor for the people who elected me."
When U.S. District Judge Juan Sanchez noted that he had heard nothing about why the 40-year-old defendant committed the crime, Acosta said "I ask myself that question every day."
Acosta pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy in accepting $1,800 to help the campaign of a political ally, identified by his lawyer as Acosta's wife. She ran unsuccessfully for district judge. She wasn't charged.
The Reading case was tied to an ongoing federal case in Allentown involving several public officials and Mayor Ed Pawlowski through Pawlowski's former campaign adviser, Mike Fleck.
Fleck, the former Easton councilman, also managed the campaign of former Reading mayor Vaughn Spencer, who was not charged.
Pawlowski has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged in a continuing probe that to date has yielded four guilty pleas in Allentown.
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northampton county courthouse
The Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington St., Easton.
(lehighvalleylive.com file photo)
The teen often paused and needed to be reminded to speak up during her testimony Monday during the trial of Joseph Gerhart on rape charges.
But she summoned the courage to tell the jurors that the 49-year-old Allentown man raped her "every couple of months" between 2003 and 2011 in Upper Mount Bethel Township.
She said she was about 5 or 6 when it started and about 11 or 12 when she finally put a stop to it.
"He did things that he shouldn't have done," she testified during the trial in Northampton County Court.
Another alleged victim, a male, is also expected to testify against Gerhart.
The teen who testified Monday recalled being raped multiple times in a bedroom and in a van. She described her feelings as "confused."
"I didn't really know what was happening for a while," she said.
She said the abuse ended when she finally refused to allow it to continue. She told Assistant District Attorney Anthony Casola she did not fabricate her allegations.
Defense attorney Philip Lauer will have an opportunity to cross examine her Tuesday morning.
Casola plans to call psychologist Veronique Valliere to testify. Her testimony is permitted due to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in November allowing expert testimony on the delayed reporting of sexual abuse.
She is not permitted to testify about the specific victims in this case, but generally about how children's behavior and decisions can be molded by a perpetrator.
The trial is expected to wrap up Wednesday or Thursday.
Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
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 in Saylorsburg, Monroe County, 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 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.
WASHINGTON -- The engineer of the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia last May was not on his cell phone at the time of the fatal accident, according to documents released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The materials also indicated that a train window was broken, but not by a gunshot, and that the engineer told interviewers that he did not remember the minutes before the train went into the curve at more than twice the posted speed limit.
The findings were included in 2,200 pages of interviews, reports and other documents released by the NTSB, marking the end of its investigation into the derailment. The board is expected to issue a final report on the probable cause of the accident this spring.
The Amtrak train was traveling at 106 mph, more than double the posted 50 mph speed, and the engineer was unable to slow it down before heading into a curve. Eight people were killed and more than 200 passengers were injured.
Safety board chair Christopher A. Hart has said that the accident would not have occurred if Amtrak had automatic speed control in place on that section of track. Congress has extended to December 2018 the deadline for requiring railroads to install positive train control, but Amtrak met the original December 2015 deadline on the Northeast Corridor tracks it owns.
The documents also showed that engineer, Brandon Bostian, was not on his cell phone when the accident occurred. The engineer pulled the phone out of his pocket following the crash, turned it on, reported the accident (which Amtrak already knew about) and lent it to one of the passengers, the documents show.
He said he might have had a concussion, a sprained knee and multiple cuts and bruises as result of the accident.
Post-accident tests of the engineer and crew found no evidence that they had used drugs or alcohol before the crash.
The documents do reveal that prior to the crash, the windshield of a SEPTA train passing through the area was shattered, possibly by rocks. The Amtrak engineer said he heard discussions about the incident.
While a window on the Amtrak train also was broken, there was no evidence that someone had shot at it.
Bostian said he "was a little bit concerned for my safety" following the reports of the SEPTA train windshield being shattered. "But I figured there's a good chance that they left," he said.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Hackettstown High School was searched Tuesday morning by police from multiple agencies and bomb-sniffing dogs following a bomb threat that was determined to be a hoax.
Hackettstown High School in a file photo.
Police responded to the high school at 701 Warren Street just before 10 a.m. An employee at the school's front office answered the phone to a voice at 9:55 a.m. telling saying a "bomb was inside the school."
The search included K-9 bomb-sniffing dogs from the New Jersey State Police, as well as officers with the Somerset County Sheriff's Office and the Morris County Sheriff's Office.
Hackettstown Police Sgt. Darren Tynan declined comment if students and staff were evacuated during the search, saying he can't discuss safety protocol procedures. Tynan didn't have an exact time for how long it took to search the school, but said it was "minimal."
"All I can say is that the proper school security protocol was followed," Tynan said.
Following the search, Tynan said classes were back to a normal operating schedule.
Hackettstown High School Principal Matthew Scanlon was dismissing students for the day and couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A 22-year-old Hackettstown resident faces drug charges after a search warrant was served Monday where he lived, town police report.
Derbyk Davila (Courtesy photo)
Derbyk Davila is charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and three counts of possession of cocaine, police said. Cocaine was found in the home at 209 Sharp St., police said.
Davila was sent to Warren County jail in lieu of $20,000 bail, police said.
The investigation into cocaine distribution lasted a month, police said. The Warren County Narcotics Task Force, the Warren County Tactical Response Team, Washington Township, Warren County, police and New Jersey State Police assisted town police.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
In January 1996 there was a record-setting blizzard.
In January 2016, that record was broken.
In January 1996, there was a warmup, a powerful rainstorm and a major flood.
In 2016, there was a warmup, a forecast of heavy rain and a flood watch.
But that's where the similarities end, meteorologists from the National Weather Service, WeatherWorks and Eastern PA Weather Authority said Tuesday.
A cold front, which is related to a storm that is ripping through the Midwest and heading into Canada, will bring up to an inch of rain Wednesday but not a '96-style deluge of nearly 2 inches, Bobby Martrich said from Eastern PA's Allentown headquarters.
"Every storm is different," Larry Nierenberg added from the weather service's Mount Holly, New Jersey, office. While minor to moderate river flooding is possible in the Schuylkill River basin in Pennsylvania and the Passaic and Raritan river basins in New Jersey, a major event is not expected, he said.
"This will not be '96 all over again," Rob Reale said from the WeatherWorks headquarters in Hackettstown.
Hunterdon and Lehigh counties are included in a flood watch, which runs noon Wednesday until 5 p.m. Thursday. Warren and Northampton counties are not included, the weather service said. It's possible the line moves up in the next day, Nierenberg added.
But the melt has been orderly so far after 31.9 inches of snow fell Jan. 22 and 23.
"Once it snowed ... we pretty much warmed up," Nierenberg said, adding that's unusual because the snowpack itself usually keeps temperatures down for a few days. "It melted a little bit each day, then it got really warm over the weekend."
There is still about 9 inches of snow on the ground, according to measurements at Lehigh Valley International Airport, Martrich said. Much of it has compacted from its fluffy first few days, and it might be hard enough after a several-day melt-and-refreeze cycle for the rain to run off rather than quickly finish the melt, he said.
So there wouldn't be as much melted snow to add to the rain when it comes to potential flooding, he added.
"By the time it's done here on Wednesday, I wouldn't be surprised if we still have a snow cover here in Lehigh Valley," Martrich said.
The greatest risk to flooding in the Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey will be roads, although overwhelmed small streams could become an issue, Reale and Martrich said.
"I don't think it's overly concerning," Martrich said. "if you have the opportunity today, go out and clear (the snow from the grates above) the storm drains" near your house.
That sort of backup might be this brief storm's greatest threat, he added.
The weather service sees the rain beginning between 10 and 11 a.m. Wednesday with the heaviest rain over by evening, Nierenberg said.
Martrich said the risk for heavy downpours is only a couple of hours long, with showers on either side.
There aren't ice jams on local rivers as there were in 1996, Reale and Martrich said.
But if you live along a river, it's never a bad idea to keep an eye out, according to Martrich. Winds could hit 45 mph, he added.
At 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Delaware River at Easton was at 2.45 feet, according to the USGS. The projected crest on Thursday is 10 feet, the weather service said. Flood stage is 22 feet, with real damage not being done until it rises several feet above that in most areas.
It crested on Jan. 20, 1996, at 30.65 feet, well below the August 1955 record of 43.70 feet, but it was still the first major flood on the river in 41 years in Easton.
Will Wednesday be anything like that?
"No, no, no," Martrich said.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A home care worker with the HSE has been convicted of stealing around 5,000 from a 73-year-old Portlaoise man.
A home care worker with the HSE has been convicted of stealing around 5,000 from a 73-year-old Portlaoise man.
Deirdre Walshe, aged 39, of 13 Rathevan View, Portlaoise, pleaded not guilty to the charges and a hearing took place recently at Portlaoise District Court.
Inspector Aidan Farrelly prosecuted on behalf of the State, with evidence given by Garda JP OBrien, while defence for Walshe was barrister, Mr Colm Hennessy.
The court heard that Walshe was the care worker for the injured party, a 73-year-old man who is wheelchair-bound. She had previously been the care worker for his partners mother.
The mans partner had had a child out of wedlock years before and the child was put up for adoption. The man confided in Walshe, who gave an undertaking to find the child in Cork. Walshe took 1,000 from him, saying it was for expenses and to arrange counselling for his partner.
Walshe instead used the money for a holiday for herself and her family in Cork.
On another occasion, Walshe requested a loan of 2,500 for a college course which she agreed to pay back. She subsequently spent 1,500 on a course in Tullamore and the rest on herself, and none of the money was paid back.
Following the death of the mans partner, the man asked for memorial cards for his partner and carpets for the bedroom of the house. He gave 380 to Walshe and neither the cards nor carpets were purchased, nor was the money paid back.
On another date, the man was looking for a panic button and gave Walshe 150. The panic button was never purchased.
Walshe also asked for a loan of 150 for an item for herself and never paid the money back.
The injured party gave evidence at the district court, and evidence of his bank statements showing withdrawals was also produced.
The court heard that when he reported the offences to the gardai, Walshe offered to pay him back 1,000 a month, but there was no attempt made to pay it.
Walshe contested the matter, meaning the 73-year-old man was fully cross-examined by defence. However, after lunch on the day of court Walshe changed her plea to guilty.
Judge Catherine Staines commended the injury party on coming forward, and put the matter back for a probation report. She told Walshe to have 5,000 compensation by February 15, and warned her that she may face a custodial sentence.
Judge Staines also told the gardai to notify the HSE of the conviction.
Local Link Sligo Leitrim and Roscommon is delighted to announce that the National Transport Authority has approved an increased level of service in the South Leitrim Area.
Operating from Ballinamore to Dromod and onto Mohill and Carrick-on-Shannon the new service will now run six days per week, Monday to Saturday, providing 4 return services daily. A key feature of this integrated Service is the Mohill Round Town Hail and Ride Service 4 times daily. A service links passengers from Mohill to Carrigallen via Cloone and Aughavas on Tuesdays and a Service links passengers from Ballinamore and Derrada and Corraleehan rural area to Ballinamore and onwards to Mohill and Carrick-on-Shannon. Services will also travel between Mohill and Eslin and Derryoughter and Drumsna and Jamestown offering the opportunity for both locals and visitors to the area the option to connect with Carrick-on-Shannon. The establishment of these interconnected services, represents a significant investment in public transport in the South Leitrim area and the increased number of services will prove to be a significant benefit for people living in the area.
A spokesperson for Local Link said Working with the NTA we have developed the timetable with a view to linking Local Link services with Bus Eireann services to Sligo and Longford and with Irish Rail at Dromod and Carrick-on-Shannon to Dublin and Sligo. This will enable passengers to make onward connections while also increasing visitor access to the area. We are confident that the service will attract sufficient passengers to ensure the continuation of the service long into the future. A detailed timetable is published in the advertising section of this edition.
The fare structure is competitive with concessions for students and young children. The services are free for passengers holding Department of Social Protection Travel Passes. Local Link Sligo Leitrim & Roscommon who have Responsibility for the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) was assigned to the National Transport Authority (NTA) in 2012 and 17 Transport Co-ordination Units (TCUs) have now been established as local agents of the Authority.
The TCU for Sligo Leitrim & Roscommon founded under the aegis of the Sligo Roscommon Leitrim Rural Transport Company Ltd operate all rural transport services under the Local Link brand. Local Link Sligo Leitrim and Roscommon currently provide over 100 return services weekly across Counties Sligo and Leitrim and Roscommon. For further details please contact 071-9650437 to speak with Sinead and Bridin. In addition to its primary role of developing and managing rural transport services, the NTA sees TCUs having an important role to play in embedding integration within transport service planning, primarily by co-ordinating travel needs for access to employment, health, social and education opportunities.
Camilla Kelly, Manager of Local Link Sligo Leitrim and Roscommon said The purpose of setting up the 17 Local Link offices was to proide sustainable rural public transport services in rural areas into the future by ensuring a more efficient delivery structure that would maximise integration with other State transport services and by making rural transport services a sustainable part of the public transport system. Camilla further explained Rural Local Transport plays a major role in combating rural isolation and is a model of partnership where key sectors actively engage in planning and developing transport services that ensure equality of access for all. Local Links remit is to operate in cases of market failure and services aim to complement existing public transport services provided by Bus Eireann and private transport operators. Local Link Sligo Leitrim and Roscommon is funded by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport through the NTA. For further information contact 071-9650436 and at slr@locallink.ie
Can you explain how you arrived here, and your journey? Have there been moments when youve thought it wasnt worth it ?
My journey is a long story. Many people leave Afghanistan, I knew who I had to pay to arrive here. There is an enormous number of smugglers who organize the journey to Europe. I paid between $6,000 and $7,000 for the journey, everything was organized. I wasnt really worried, I knew I would arrive safely in Europe. I left Afghanistan in the back of a truck with 7 other people. We traveled up to Turkey, where we changed trucks, and then we went directly to Italy.
We didnt talk a lot during the journey, and when we arrived in Milan, we went our separate ways. Then, I just bought a train ticket for Paris and then took a Eurolines bus from Paris to Calais. The moment when I thought it wasnt worth it, was when I felt, when I had my leg broken. It was the worst moment of my life. Fortunately, the police and the security staff were there, they called an ambulance and thats how I ended up here.
No-one can say that this Government has not fully embraced David Camerons mantra to cut the green crap. Since getting to power they have, one by one, removed, restricted and reduced the green initiatives put in place under the Liberal Democrats watch.
Today, in the House of Lords, we will stand against the latest cuts. The Government plan to cut the Feed-in-Tariff scheme early will result in nearly 20,000 losing their jobs and half of the solar sector disappearing more or less overnight. The Government snuck this past the Commons, and now, given a chance in the Lords, we will send it back.
Today we will remind the Government that supporting green industry is vital to building an economy fit for the future, and, more importantly than that, it will save the world in the long run.
This is just one battle in a wider war on our environment. The Government are cutting the green crap at every available opportunity. Pulling the support away from the solar sector at such a vital time is a continuation of a widespread assault on the environment.
We face a Tory Government demolishing the Zero Carbon Homes programme, an excellent initiative pushed forward by Ed Davey the former Lib Dem Energy Secretary, which would have seen all houses built from this year onwards be carbon neutral. Instead the Government is undertaking nothing short of climate vandalism, cancelling the plans just before they were due to come in. We will be retro-insulating new homes for decades to come and families will pay the price on their bills, as we chase carbon targets that will quickly slip beyond our reach.
We have a Government that has cut support to wind farms ripping out a lifeline to the wind sector. Our island should be making the most of the natural resources we have, one of which is wind. By shutting this sector down we have squandered an opportunity to move away from fossil fuels and embrace the weather of these islands which we always talk so much about.
When the Government tried to remove the green remit of the Green Investment Bank, despite the clue being in the title, it was the Lords who fought the change.
Everyone knows we need to build towards a greener future. The science is there, the public will is there and increasingly the profits are there. Why do we face a government so opposed to this concept, a Government so stuck in their ways that we have to fight them on every green issues?
Its surprising too that the Tories cannot even see the economic case for investing in the green economy. This is the future, and other countries are just wakening up to the opportunities and starting to invest. Its madness for Britain to be pulling out of this promising sector.
This is a Tory government on the rampage. Today we will take a stand to protect the future of the solar industry, ensuring the Government thinks again not just on these devastating proposals but, hopefully, on their entire brutal approach destructive approach to our environment. We must have a greener future whether the Tories want it or not.
* Robin Teverson is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.
Picture Charles III, risen to the throne after a lifetime of waiting, ready to be consulted and give his advice on affairs of state, finding his views ignored and being unwilling in good conscience to give royal assent to a bill to regulate the press.
Yes, credulity is stretched somewhat a Labour Prime Minister from Wales at least, not Scotland. An oily Tory opposition leader shamelessly encouraging and denouncing the king (who would have guessed that?). But it is hard to resist suspending disbelief for the cause of having such fun with our beloved royals. In a semi-Shakespearean language and style, Kate Middleton channels Lady Macbeth, and the ghost of Princess Diana channels the three witches; tanks appear on the palace lawn and Harry, in a hoodie, falls in love with a stunningly articulate republican commoner with scandals to her name.
It wont happen of course, but you can picture it: Charles conception of duty being so different to that of his mother. He cares too much about his causes here the freedom of the press, though they have been no friend to him. We do not know the royals at all, so it may easily ring true.
A Constitutional crisis arising from uncertainty over which royal prerogatives are symbolic? Ridiculous, yes, but perhaps it is Elizabeth IIs triumph that it seems ridiculous. There is a sense of unfinished business for me about our constitution. And while adopting the written constitution of a grown-up country is eminently the rational thing to do, it is hard to do incrementally which is still the better way to change a constitution.
This play by Mike Bartlett runs in Sheffield until 6 Feb, then visits Brighton, Oxford, Cheltenham, Manchester and Norwich. Thoroughly recommended.
* Joe Otten was the candidate for Sheffield Heeley in June 2017 and Doncaster North in December 2019 and is a councillor in Sheffield.
CBDT ink two bilateral APAs with United Kingdom
Published: February 1, 2016
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed two bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with United Kingdom (UK).
These APAs were signed with two Indian group entities of a UK based Multi-National Company (MNC) as per the terms of Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) process mentioned in the India-UK Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).
This is third bilateral APA, India has signed so far. With these 2 agreements, CBDT has signed total 41 APAs, 38 of which are unilateral and three are bilateral.
About Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs)
APA usually is signed between a taxpayer and the central tax authority (in case of India it is CBDT) for multiple years on an appropriating transfer pricing methodology .
. In India it was introduced in 2012 as per the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
It provides certainty to taxpayers regarding transfer pricing that aim to avoid disputes between taxpayer and tax regulator.
It seeks to introduce certainty in tax law by reducing compliance costs and make tax regime investment friendly.
In case of Indian context, it seeks to give a boost to economy and ease of doing business as it provide alternative path to the investors with rollback provision to reduce litigation.
What is Transfer pricing?
It is referred to the fixing of the price for goods and services sold between related legal subsidiaries (entities) within an enterprise.
This is to ensure fair pricing of the asset transferred without any manipulation of reduce tax liability. For example, if a subsidiary company sells goods to a parent company, then the cost of those sold goods is deemed as transfer price.
Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016
Topics: Advance Pricing Agreements CBDT Current Affairs - 2017 Current Affairs 2016 Taxation Transfer Pricing United Kingdom
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A SPECIAL meeting of Limerick City and County Council will examine ways of paying a permanent tribute to Terry Wogan in his native city, Mayor of Limerick Cllr Liam Galvin has confirmed.
The meeting, slated for 9.30am on Friday, will pass a vote of sympathy to the iconic broadcasters family, who died on Sunday after a short battle with cancer. Cllr Galvin also said that he was in favour of the erection of a statue honouring Sir Terry.
It is certainly something that I wont rule out - and that will be for the council to decide. I think there should be, by the way, he said, when the question of the erection of a statue was put to him by the Limerick Leader.
The special meeting will maybe decide on that - we will bring it to the party leaders and decide what we will do from there on. But certainly, I wouldnt be ruling that out.
The Mayor was speaking at the opening of a book of condolences at City Hall on Monday morning, intended to pay tribute to Mr Wogan, and allow the people of his native city to do so in turn. First in the queue to sign the book was 78 year old Jim McAllister, who knew the broadcaster when we were younger. The Ballinacurra Weston man said the broadcasting luminary was a very nice man.
I didnt hear (about his death) until this morning when I heard the news, and I got a shock to be quite honest. Because he was a wonderful person, he was very good, said Mr McAllister.
Council officials, led by Mayor Galvin, gathered to open the book at City Hall, with a second book also open at County Hall in Dooradoyle and on the councils website, all of which will remain so for the next two weeks.
Mayor Galvin said Mr Wogan meant a lot to the people of Limerick and my phone didnt stop ringing yesterday - people asking what we were going to do to mark his death.
So I decided yesterday that we would open the book of condolences this morning and we have also called a special meeting of the council for 9.30am on Friday morning to pass a vote of sympathy for the Wogan family, he explained.
Certainly he was a massive asset to the city and I say that in a very positive way, because he spoke of Limerick very positively. He wanted Limerick, not alone to be best city in Ireland, but the best in Europe. I do feel that today, you can see already the way people are coming and going, the respect that that man was held in.
Mayor Galvin also indicated that he would be going to any funeral service, whether it is held in the UK or closer to home.
I think the people of Limerick need to be represented at that funeral, both by management and myself. I am not sure of the arrangements yet, but I intend to go it, if circumstances allow me, he said.
Friends Mary Duffy and Mary Barrett, from Westbury, dropped into City Hall to sign the book in memory of the iconic broadcaster.
Asked why she had attended the event, Ms Barrett said: Because he is from Limerick first of all and he is one of our own. I always had time for him, he was always good character, good personality - he just done a lot of good for Limerick I think as well, you know. He put Limerick on the map.
Labour councillor Joe Leddin, who was mayor when Mr Wogan received the freedom of the city in 2007, said he would like to see an ecumenical service so that the people of Limerick would like as an opportunity to come in and pay homage to the man that was Terry Wogan.
With regard to a permanent memorial, he said: Well, what we will do is discuss it with the mayor, call a meeting of the protocol council and look at maybe a more permanent recognition of the man that he was. Certainly, it should be considered, but I wouldnt like to launch into any particular issue to do with a bridge or a building today, there will be plenty of time for that.
But based on the contribution that he made, based on his love and appreciation of the city, yes I do think we should look at something.
A MAN who committed a robbery at the Limerick City Hotel last May and held a syringe to an employees throat, has been sentenced to six years in jail by Limerick Circuit Court, after he was caught red-handed by gardai.
Judge Tom ODonnell heard that Kenneth Noonan, 30, of Crecora Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston pleaded guilty to robbing 101.54 from the night manager at the hotel in the early hours of May 6 last, a conviction which can carry a life sentence, and to false imprisonment on the same date.
Gardai were alerted at 3.05am when a worker from the hotel ran into the public office at Henry Street garda station. Gardai then ran to the scene where they observed the defendant, who was wearing a green hoodie and tracksuit pants, running from the hotel. An employee was at that time standing outside the hotel and pointing in the direction of the accused.
A struggle with gardai ensued, during which Noonan produced a diabetic syringe and threatened to f****** stab him. The garda had to use pepper spray and hit him with a baton across the legs to subdue Noonan, who was extremely aggressive and violent.
Judge ODonnell was told when the defendant entered the hotel he held another syringe against the neck of the night porter and demanded he hand over the float box, which contained a small quantity of cash.
In a victim impact statement, the night manager, a married father-of-two, said he has not socialised since this incident and that he is attending counselling. His colleague, the night porter, the court heard, has also not returned to work.
Brian McInerney BL, defending, said his client committed an opportunistic crime in a very amateurish fashion.
He said he is now engaging with the Merchants Quay Project and knows he has to address his alcohol addiction.
While imposing sentence, Judge ODonnell said this was an extremely frightening and upsetting incident for the night manager, who is from the Phillippines and who had been working in the hotel industry for some time since moving to Ireland.
Since then, he said he has been under great stress, continued medical care and is in fear of his own safety and that of his familys. The night porter has also ceased employment in the hotel.
The accused, who has convictions from 2007 up to April of last year, was at the time of this offence subject to part of a suspended sentence. However, the judge declined to impose the suspended part of his prior sentence.
He has no work history, 85 previous convictions and has chronic alcohol issues, the court heard.
Judge ODonnell said that the aggravating factors in this case were the frightening experiences endured by the two victims, and the element of pre-meditation employed. He said the fact that a diabetic syringe was used, and contained nothing sinister, was of little comfort to the victims on the night,
He imposed a six year sentence, to be backdated to May 6, 2015. A second six-year sentence imposed is to run concurrently.
ONLY TWO men from the Republic of Ireland made the recent Sunday Times/Debretts 500 list of the most influential people in Britain and one was born and raised in Lisnagry John Gilhooly.
John became director of Londons Wigmore Hall in early 2005 when he was just 32, making him the youngest leader of any of the worlds great concert halls.
In 2013, he was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music.
And now he is listed amongst the great and good of Great Britain.
Its lovely to be included in the list. As far as Im aware there are only four Irish people on the list. Two from Northern Ireland - Rory McIlroy and James Nesbitt - and then me and Graham Norton from the south.
Other people on the list include David Beckham, Dame Judy Dench, Sir Elton John, The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
Theres a party tonight for everyone who made it onto the list, so Im looking forward to attending that, John told the Leader on Monday.
The University College Dublin graduate has spent most of his working life in England but Lisnagry remains home.
And he is well-up on the flooding situation that threatened countless houses and how the council, army and locals did everything in their power to combat it.
I was thrilled to be at home in Lisnagry for Christmas. I missed the worst of the flooding in Castleconnell that came afterwards, but I was very impressed to hear about local people who know the area and the river getting up every morning to give their all and their knowledge to try and prevent serious flood damage.
I come from an astonishing parish where theres a great sense of community. Its heroes like those who did so much to protect peoples homes and property who deserve lots of recognition, said John.
He regularly comes back to Limerick and he will be doing so in a work capacity next October.
Ive just been invited to say a few words at the Castleconnell Concert Series and Im pleased to say that I can fit it in.
Its wonderful to go home to Castleconnell to do something Id usually do in Germany or Austria.
This is the first time Ive done something like this in Ireland and Im thrilled that its happening in my home village, said John, a brother of Owen Gilhooly - a tenor and founder of the Mid-West Vocal Academy.
THE boss of ride sharing app Uber wants to see a change in the approach of the taxi regulator so he can bring the service to Limerick as soon as I possibly can.
Kieran Harte was one of the keynote speakers at the Limerick Chambers first annual Business Strategy conference.
Uber whose app connects people needing to make a car journey with drivers has opened its European centre of excellence in Limerick, and will employ between 300 and 400 in Thomas Street.
The Limerick Leader revealed last month Ubers top brass are hoping to allow local drivers use the service later this year.
But to do this, Mr Harte says the approach of the taxi regulator which will ultimately decide whether to allow Uber on Limericks streets needs to change.
Regulators see their role and their job is to look after, to help and maintain the industries they are paid to regulate. They dont see it as their responsibility being to unlock the huge economic opportunities which they can make for the local communities and the people.
They dont feel it is their responsibility to open up the opportunities that will enable people to have cheaper and more reliable transport. And they dont feel it is their responsibility necessarily to solve some of the problems we have with citys congestion.
Australian native Mr Harte said staff at Uber need to believe passionately in what we do so much that we cannot accept taking no for an answer, he told the conference.
Asked by event host Matt Cooper whether he felt regulation was a bad thing, Mr Harte answered: No.
Uber believes we absolutely need to regulate. But regulation where we need to be right now. Not the regulation of the past, he said, pointing out the length of time it can take for taxi drivers to gain licences now.
We believe to work [as an Uber driver], a driver should have a full licence without any drink driving or dangerous driving convictions. We believe every driver should have a full garda background check, every car needs to be insured to be made safe for the people in it, and we believe every car needs to be vehicle checked and road worthy, he added.
The use of Uber by members of the public has proven controversial in many cities, particularly Paris and London, where taxi drivers have staged protests, accusing the firm of decimating their trade, and outlining safety fears.
But the company has argued that many taxi drivers have in fact moved over to the Uber platform.
At present, Uber operates a ride-sharing service in Dublin, but has yet to develop this outside the capital in this country.
Mr Cooper asked Mr Harte when he expects Limerick to be added to the 350 global cities where Uber cars are present.
He said: As soon as I possibly can is the best answer. But just before an election, there are not too many people who want to put their head on the parapet to bring something like ride sharing to the streets of Ireland.
Children are technology mad, with it rare to find a youngster not having at least some access to the internet and social media pages.
And with such easy access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networking websites, come great dangers.
From cyberbullying among their peers to far greater dangers, parents need to be extra vigilant with what their children are viewing online.
Now, a Limerick businessman has designed what is believed to be Irelands first ever social network for children, operating from the heart of the city.
Effin man Diarmuid Hudner, a former headhunter in the City of London, has designed Cybersmarties.com, which he describes as a safe educational social network for kids.
Working with University of Limerick graduates Brendan Woodage, Charleville and Wenqian Xu, Castletroy at offices in the Crescent, almost 40 schools have already signed up their children to use the web site, mainly from the Mid-West region.
Similar to Facebook with like, share and commenting functions the network is aimed at primary school age children. No adults are allowed on the site, save for school teachers, who act as moderators, and as a way to verify the identity of children signing up.
This is why Diarmuid targets schools en-bloc to join the site.
Unlike Facebook, the site has a variety of built-in features designed to ensure children do not engage in cyber-bullying and learn at an early age this is not the way to behave.
On the messaging itself [when children message one another], there is a behavioural content filter which blocks negative words. With children it is all about speed of messaging, and when you block words individually, they are not allowed to send a message if the word is listed. In tests we have done, we found, because they had to change negative words, in the space of a very short space of time, literally four to five days, because it slowed them down, they stopped using negative words. It was a very simple thing in that respect, Diarmuid explains.
While the system blocking out negative words and variations of negative words (for example h8) is very robust, it can never filter everything.
Where some words do fall through the net, as it were, Diarmuid says children are encouraged to immediately report this.
When they do this, there is an automated system which asks the child why are you reporting this?'. The responses we find tend to be emotional basis. The child who sent the message has his account temporarily shut down. The content of the message is sent to the teacher, who has a look at it. It allows the teacher who knows the child to interact with them very early on and say: it is not nice to send a message like this, Diarmuid explains.
On top of this, no pictures are allowed of children, just cartoon figures to help prevent judgemental comments based on appearance.
He believes this will leave children positively conditioned towards social media, before they advance towards Facebook, which has a minimum joining age of 13.
There is nothing wrong with social media. We just havent been taught how to use it, ever. I liken it to the thing now of basically the drivers licence in a way. My parents were given their licence. They bought their licence there was no driving test at the time. I think for your safety and the safety of others, you have to be educated how to use it in the same way you have a practical test for driving, Diarmuid states.
Prior to setting up Cybersmarties, Diarmuid wrote a book entitled ImHappyNow.com, a self-published title which draws on the experiences of three young people, victims of bullying, and looking at how they tackled this.
Effectively, it was this book and its response which led to the setting up of this social media site, for which Diarmuid says he has sunk huge sums of money into.
After this book, I was looking into cyberbullying in a big way. I could see where there was a problem in this area. It took me a long time to figure out what was the best way to change it, and the only way you do this is to change behaviour. I was initially thinking of targeting Cybersmarties at secondary school students, but we were not going to change anyone who has already been pre-taught, he said.
'Cybersmarties.com' is very much in its infancy when the Limerick Leader visited its Georgian offices, furniture was still being brought in, boxes were still being sorted.
Despite this, Diarmuid has big plans for the site, targeting a trebling of its size by the end of this year, plus developing an equivalent version of Cybersmarties for young children with learning difficulties.
While other social media companies operate from shiny new offices in high-profile locations, the Effin native says it was never in my mind to set up anywhere other than Limerick.
A social network specifically aimed at school children is, by its nature, likely to attract some unsavoury characters.
But Diarmuid says with its model of getting schools, rather than individuals to sign up, this will help eliminate this problem. A 20 annual charge with the parent most likely using their credit card to pay also ensures a further level of security, plus a guarantee the web site is free from advertisements.
We know all the kids are real kids in schools. The school basically will tell us they have 100 members who want to go on. These are real children. The big thing too is we keep no data. We issue a user-ID number and a password to the school. We dont know who the kids are, he explains.
The bottom line, Diarmuid feels, is that while children as they progress through their early years, have no concept of Facebook until they reach a certain age.
I would hope their first experience of social media will be us. Kids have no preconceptions of what they can and cannot do on social media.
So they are being taught in a wholly different way than anyone before was taught. It is a generational shift in thinking, he concluded.
For more information, see www.cybersmarties.com, where a free one-month trial is available.
PUPILS from St Patricks Boys and St Patrick's Girls national schools replaced their uniforms with costumes from 1916 as they marked the centenary celebrations of the school's move to the Dublin Road.
As part of the celebrations, pupils and staff from both schools reenacted a walk which was made by pupils of the old St. Patricks Boys and Girls school on February 1, 1916.
We are reenacting the very first day that the school opened on the Dublin Road, said Fr David Gibson, who explained that prior to 1916, the school was located on a site at the rear of St Patricks Church, Clare Street.
While both schools remained in the same building for half a century, the boys moved across the road to a new building in 1966 due to population growth in Garryowen and Rhebogue. While it has undergone change, the current girls school remains in the same location.
Sixth-class pupil Rebecca Murphy from Rhebogue says it was fun getting her costume together ahead of Mondays event.
We looked up the internet to get ideas and then we went into town and we went into charity shops where we got my skirt, she explained.
We are officially the 100th sixth class - its exciting, its not every day your school turns 100 years old, added Rebecca.
For teacher Sinead Clancy, Monday saw her follow in the footsteps of her grand aunt, Margaret Mayburns who was one of those who made the original walk 100 years ago.
There has been a lot of preparation for the reenactment, it took a lot of organisation but it turned out very well the costumes, the decorations it has come together very well, said Ms Clancy, who teaches sixth class at St Patricks Girls NS.
Minister for Education and Skills, Jan OSullivan, who attended Mondays event said, Its a real way for the pupils to get a real personal feel of what life 100 years ago might have been like and fair dues to the teachers who have hired costumes and are all dressed up as well.
More pictures in Wednesday's Limerick Leader
WHO declares Zika virus outbreak as International Emergency
Published: February 2, 2016
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
It was announced after WHOs emergency meeting of independent experts headed by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. The meeting was convened in Geneva, Switzerland to assess the outbreak of the virus which is linked to birth defects in the Americas.
Key facts
Deceleration of international emergency means that there is underscoring seriousness of outbreak and needs a coordinated global response and greater attention to stop it.
WHO has predicted that around four million people may be infected with Zika virus in the Americas (South and North America).
This is the fourth time the WHO has declared an international public health emergency. Earlier, the UN Health agency had declared two emergencies in 2014 for the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa and a resurgence of polio in Syria and other countries. In 2009, the first emergency was declared after the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.
About Zika virus
Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
mosquitoes. It is close cousin of other other vector-borne diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya and Yellow Fever transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes .
The virus was first identified in 1947 in Uganda and its name has been derived from Zika Forest.
Transmission: Zika virus is not contagious but it is mainly transmitted by daytime-active Aedes aegypti mosquitoes after it bites someone infected with the virus and transmit it by biting another human.
Zika virus is not contagious but it is mainly transmitted by daytime-active Aedes aegypti mosquitoes after it bites someone infected with the virus and transmit it by biting another human. Most common symptoms: Headache, muscle and joint pain, mild fever, rash, pinkeye and inflammation of the underside of the eyelid.
Headache, muscle and joint pain, mild fever, rash, pinkeye and inflammation of the underside of the eyelid. Linkages: It causes neurological disorders and foetal deformation known as Microcephaly in which infants are born with abnormally smaller heads that can cause brain damage.
It causes neurological disorders and foetal deformation known as in which infants are born with abnormally smaller heads that can cause brain damage. A possible link between the virus and Guillain-Barre syndrome (a condition in which the bodys immune system attacks part of the nervous system) is also suspected.
(a condition in which the bodys immune system attacks part of the nervous system) is also suspected. Treatment and Prevention: There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available. The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites and clearing stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016
Topics: Current Affairs 2016 International Emergency Public health WHO Zika virus
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I have to speak up before my mum ends up like Osinachi - Lady cries out for help for her mum who has been suffering abuse and domestic violence
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India, Afghanistan ink pact for visa-free travel by envoys
Published: February 1, 2016
India and Afghanistan have signed an agreement for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries.
This agreement was signed after Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afghanistan Government Abdullah Abdullah met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Both leaders also shared views on further deepening the India-Afghanistan relationship both in the bilateral and regional context and also to reenergised the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Afghanistan CEO also met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during which they discussed the Afghan peace process, internal political situation in the strife-ravaged country.
They also discussed security situation in the bilateral and regional context. Indian side also assured that implementation of existing as many as 92 small developmental projects in Afghanistan will be expedited.
Presently, India as part of its goodwill diplomacy is helping Afghanistan in various spheres including defence and for meeting its developmental needs. Earlier in December 2015, India had given three multi-role Mi-35 helicopters to Afghanistan for combating terrorism in the war-torn country.
CEO of Afghanistan Government
It is an extra-constitutional post within the Government of Afghanistan created in 2014 following the disputes that arose in the 2014 Presidential election when both Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani had claimed victory.
The election dispute was resolved by signing a national unity agreement in which it was agreed that Ashraf Ghani would assume the Presidency and a new post of CEO would be created for Abdullah Abdullah.
Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016
Topics: Afghan peace process Current Affairs 2016 Defence India-Afghanistan Secirity
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India and Afghanistan on 1 February 2016 inked a pact for visa-free travel by their diplomats. The agreement was signed after Afghan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which they discussed key bilateral and regional issues including security cooperation.
On the other hand, both leaders discussed the role of international community to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan and to defeat challenge of terrorism. They also shared views on further deepening the India-Afghanistan relationship in the bilateral and regional context and also to reenergise the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Besides, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Afghan Chief Executive about India's efforts to expedite implementation of as many as 92 small developmental projects in Afghanistan that are nearing completion.
About Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan
The Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan is position within the Government of Afghanistan.
The extra-constitutional post was created in September 2014 following the disputes that arose after the 2014 Afghan presidential election when both Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory in that election.
As part of a national unity agreement, it was agreed that Ashraf Ghani would assume the presidency and a new post of Chief Executive Officer would be created for Abdullah Abdullah.
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If you think you know a lot about love and romance, the Park Hills - Leadington Chamber of Commerces annual Sweetheart Trivia Night has a table waiting for you.
The chamber will be hosting its popular pre-Valentines Day event on Feb. 6 at Elizabeth Hall located at 210 E. Woodlawn Dr. in Leadington.
We're inviting all the sweethearts, lovers and couples to plan a Valentine date night with us, said Tammi Coleman, the chambers executive director. Although, she said, the event is not just for couples.
This is just a fun time. Its Valentine-themed because its right before Valentines Day, she said, but it doesnt have to be couples.
The event is usually populated with a variety of groupings. It could just be a group of friends, a group of women or whatever, she said.
The evening will begin with dinner at 6 p.m. followed by trivia at 7 p.m. New 2016 Chamber President Chad Speakar will serve as emcee of the event.
Trivia players will test their knowledge on topics of love, marriage, romance and all that goes with it in 10 rounds of 10 questions each. Winners of each round will receive a $100 cash prize thanks to the events sponsors, who are Belgrade State Bank, Central Methodist University, C.Z. Boyer & Son Funeral Homes, First State Community Bank, Heartland Memorial Services, Isagnenix by Rita Martin, Mineral Area Office Supply, Moss Media, O.D.A.C.S., Inc. and Parkland Flower Girl.
To win a round, all questions must be answered correctly.
If we have two teams that get all the questions right in the same round, said Coleman, then it rolls over to the next round. The points are added together and the team with the most overall points wins the money. And sometimes it rolls over a couple of times.
Teams can include up to eight people.
Ticket prices are $20 per person and include a pasta bar featuring a variety of noodles, sauces and toppings, tea, lemonade and a ticket for a door prize. A cash bar will also be available.
In addition, there will be a dessert auction with all types of delectable desserts to drool over and bid on. At past events, according to Coleman, more popular desserts have included a chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake and a German chocolate cake.
Chamber members are currently seeking donations for the dessert auction and also door prizes to award to event participants.
Door prizes usually include gift baskets, gift certificates and all kinds of things, said Coleman.
All proceeds from the evening will be used to benefit the Chamber's Scholarship Fund which will provide one deserving Central High School Student with a $2,000 scholarship to either Mineral Area College, Central Methodist University or Missouri Baptist University.
Anyone interested in participating can register and pay online at phlcoc.net or at the chamber office located at 12 Municipal Dr. in Park Hills. The deadline for registration is Feb. 5.
For more information, call 573-431-1051 or email Coleman at info@phlcoc.net.
The door prizes and dessert auction are two of the things that make the Sweetheart Trivia Night one of the most popular among all area trivia nights. The chambers goal is to ensure that everyone who participates leaves with something nice. With that in mind, businesses and organizations donating door prizes and/or desserts will receive the following benefits:
-Their business name announced by the emcee.
-A reserved spot in each team packet for business cards and pamphlets.
-Businesses donating a prize(s) or dessert valued at $100 or more will receive a two inch by two inch full color promotional spot on the table placemat. (A limited number of spots are available.)
-Businesses donating a prize(s) or dessert valued at $50 or more will receive a full color promotional logo spot on the table placemat. (A limited number of spots are available.)
-Businesses donating a prize(s) or dessert valued at less than $50 will have their business name listed on the table placemat.
-Recognition in the chamber's e-newsletter and on the chamber's Facebook page.
Anyone interested in making a donation to the event should contact Coleman at 573-431-1051 or info@phlcoc.net.
It doesn't suck to have a new leech species named in your honor.
Acclaimed writer Amy Tan author of numerous bestselling novels, collections of essays and children's books will now also be known for inspiring the name of Chtonobdella tanae, a wee ground-dwelling leech from Australia. In addition, while identifying the species, the scientists also pioneered a method that allowed them to capture the soft-bodied leeches' insides in 3D.
In a study describing the new leech species, the authors credited Tan with "provoking much thought about the foibles of fieldwork" in her 2005 novel "Saving Fish From Drowning." In the book, in which a group of American tourists are kidnapped while traveling from China to Myanmar, Tan mentions ground leeches several times.
To identify the tiny leech, which measured a mere 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) long and 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) wide, the researchers turned to a noninvasive technique known as computed tomography, or CT scanning, which is frequently used to capture objects' and specimens' internal shapes in 3D, the researchers explained in the study, published online Jan. 11 in the journal Zoologica Scripta. But CT scans, commonly used to image dense, hard structures like bone, chitin or fossilized material don't work well on soft tissue. If this procedure was going to succeed with a leech, the scientists had to get creative. [Video: Scientists Scan an Australian Leech in 3D, Naming it for Amy Tan]
Mark Siddall, senior author of the study, credited his past work with electron microscopy for triggering the eureka moment that made it possible to CT scan a leech. Siddall, curator of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York, told Live Science that he recalled a procedure commonly used when readying specimens for electron microscopy. The technique, called double fixation, involves preserving a specimen by immersing it in chemical fixatives in two stages, the second of which binds a heavy metal to the specimen. Siddall suspected that this two-step process could also be used to reveal soft tissues to the CT scanner, and that suspicion proved to be correct.
Having this option for examining very small and very delicate species or specimens too precious to damage through dissection is, to put it mildly, a very big deal, he said.
"It opens up the opportunity of getting at all of the external and internal anatomy simultaneously, without destroying the specimen," Siddall told Live Science. "We can now leverage material that has been in museum collections for over 100 years precious material that you don't want to damage by cutting it open. And that's huge."
Michael Tessler, the study's lead author and a graduate student at the AMNH's Richard Gilder Graduate School, told Live Science in an email that he is looking forward to applying this process to new discoveries, too. "With this new technique, we are thinking of describing more tiny species that have, until now, been too difficult to work with," Tessler said.
Tan, meanwhile, has pronounced herself "thrilled" to lend her surname to the new species, saying in the statement that she was greatly anticipating a future trip to the leech's Australia habitat. "I hope to take leisurely walks through the jungle, accompanied by a dozen or so of my namesake feeding on my ankles," she said.
Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Lets face it: gossips get a bad rap.
Smugly looking down from a moral high ground and secure in the knowledge that we dont share their character flaw we often dismiss those who are obsessed with the doings of others as shallow.
Indeed, in its rawest form, gossip is a strategy used by individuals to further their own reputations and interests at the expense of others. Studies that I have conducted confirm that gossip can be used in cruel ways for selfish purposes.
At the same time, how many can walk away from a juicy story about one of their acquaintances and keep it to themselves? Surely, each of us has had firsthand experience with the difficulty of keeping spectacular news about someone else a secret.
When disparaging gossip, we overlook the fact that its an essential part of what makes the social world tick; the nasty side of gossip overshadows the more benign ways in which it functions.
In fact, gossip can actually be thought of not as a character flaw, but as a highly evolved social skill. Those who cant do it well often have difficulty maintaining relationships, and can find themselves on the outside looking in.
As social creatures, were hardwired to gossip
Like it or not, we are the descendants of busybodies. Evolutionary psychologists believe that our preoccupation with the lives of others is a byproduct of a prehistoric brain.
According to scientists, because our prehistoric ancestors lived in relatively small groups, they knew one another intimately. In order to ward off enemies and survive in their harsh natural environment, our ancestors needed to cooperate with in-group members. But they also recognized that these same in-group members were their main competitors for mates and limited resources.
Living under such conditions, our ancestors faced a number of adaptive social problems: whos reliable and trustworthy? Whos a cheater? Who would make the best mate? How can friendships, alliances and family obligations be balanced?
In this sort of environment, an intense interest in the private dealings of other people would have certainly been handy and strongly favored by natural selection. People who were the best at harnessing their social intelligence to interpret, predict and influence the behavior of others became more successful than those who were not.
The genes of those individuals were passed along from one generation to the next.
Avoiding gossip: a one-way ticket to social isolation
Today, good gossipers are influential and popular members of their social groups.
Sharing secrets is one way people bond, and sharing gossip with another person is a sign of deep trust: youre signaling that you believe that the person will not use this sensitive information against you.
Therefore, someone skillful at gossip will have a good rapport with a large network of people. At the same time, theyll be discreetly knowledgeable about whats going on throughout the group.
On the other hand, someone who is not part of, say, the office gossip network is an outsider someone neither trusted nor accepted by the group. Presenting yourself as a self-righteous soul who refuses to participate in gossip will ultimately end up being nothing more than a ticket to social isolation.
In the workplace, studies have shown that harmless gossiping with ones colleagues can build group cohesiveness and boost morale.
Gossip also helps to socialize newcomers into groups by resolving ambiguity about group norms and values. In other words, listening to the judgments that people make about the behavior of others helps the newbie figure out whats acceptable and what isnt.
Fear of whispers keeps us in check
On the flip side, the awareness that others are likely talking about us can keep us in line.
Among a group of friends or coworkers, the threat of becoming the target of gossip can actually be a positive force: it can deter free-riders and cheaters who might be tempted slack off or take advantage of others.
Are they talking about me? (Image credit: Shutterstock)
Biologist Robert Trivers has discussed the evolutionary importance of detecting gross cheaters (those who fail to reciprocate altruistic acts) and subtle cheaters (those who reciprocate but give much less than they get). Gossip can actually shame these free riders, reining them in.
Studies of California cattle ranchers (opens in new tab), Maine lobster fishers (opens in new tab) and college rowing teams confirm that gossip is used in a variety of settings to hold individuals accountable. In each of these groups, individuals who violated expectations about sharing resources or meeting responsibilities became targets of gossip and ostracism. This, in turn, pressured them to become better members of the group.
For example, lobstermen who didnt respect well-established group norms about when and how lobsters could be harvested were quickly exposed by their colleagues. Their fellow lobstermen temporarily shunned them and, for a while, refused to work with them.
Celebrity gossip actually helps us in myriad ways
Belgian psychologist Charlotte de Backer makes a distinction between strategy learning gossip and reputation gossip (opens in new tab).
When gossip is about a particular individual, were usually interested in it only if we know that person. However, some gossip is interesting no matter whom its about. This sort of gossip can involve stories about life-or-death situations or remarkable feats. We pay attention to them because we may be able to learn strategies that we can apply to our own lives.
Indeed, de Backer discovered that our interest in celebrities may feed off of this thirst for learning life strategies. For better or for worse, we look to celebrities in the same way that our ancestors looked to role models within their tribes for guidance.
At its core, our fixation on celebrities is reflective of an innate interest in the lives of other people.
From an evolutionary standpoint, celebrity is a recent phenomenon, due primarily to the explosion of mass media in the 20th century. Our ancestors, on the other hand, found social importance in the intimate details of everyones private life, since everyone in their small social world mattered.
Theres an entire industry devoted to celebrity gossip. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
But anthropologist Jerome Barkow has pointed out that evolution did not prepare us to distinguish among those members of our community who have a genuine effect on us, and those who exist in the images, movies and songs that suffuse our daily lives.
From TMZ to US Weekly, the media fuels gossip mills that mimic those of our workplaces and friend groups. In a way, our brains are tricked into feeling an intense familiarity with these famous people which hoodwinks us into wanting to know even more about them. After all, anyone whom we see that often and know that much about must be socially important to us.
Because of the familiarity we feel with celebrities, they can serve an important social function: they may be the only friends we have in common with new neighbors and coworkers. Theyre shared cultural touchstones that facilitate the types of informal interactions that help people become comfortable in new surroundings. Keeping up with the lives of actors, politicians and athletes can make a person more socially adept during interactions with strangers and even offer inroads into new relationships.
The bottom line is that we need to rethink the role of gossip in everyday life; theres no need to shy away from it or to be ashamed of it.
Successful gossiping entails being a good team player and sharing key information with others in ways that wont be perceived as self-serving. Its about knowing when its appropriate to talk, and when its probably best to keep your mouth shut.
Frank T. McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, Knox College
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science.
The fight is on to save human limbs: As the rate of diabetes continues to rise, the foot ulcers and chronic wounds that can come with the condition and can lead to amputations in severe cases remain a persistent problem.
To address it, medical professionals are now turning to wound dressings made from human amniotic membrane, a tissue found in the human placenta.
With this innovative approach to treating wounds, doctors are giving another option to patients whose wounds won't heal using existing treatments. The method uses a substance that would otherwise end up discarded as medical waste following a birth.
"When you put membrane on the wound, the wound starts to heal faster," said Dr. Dusko Ilic, a physician and stem cell science professor at King's College London who specializes in regenerative medicine. In a new article, published Jan. 12 in the British Medical Bulletin journal, Ilic and his colleagues reviewed the use of medical products made from human amniotic membrane tissue to treat chronic wounds.
The human amniotic membrane is a thin, intricate protein mesh that covers the placenta as a fetus develops. When a pregnant woman's "water breaks," this is the protective layer that ruptures. Following birth, the membrane comes out of the woman's body along with the rest of the placenta.
The membrane resembles a piece of standard cling wrap, but it is full of growth factors, stem cells and nutrition for embryo development. The cells are stripped away when the membrane is prepared for use as a wound covering, leaving behind the protein scaffold, which is rich in one protein called collagen. [5 Amazing Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Biotech]
"What actually helps the healing is that intricate network of the proteins," Ilic said.
When wounds don't heal
Diabetic ulcers affect 15 percent of people with diabetes during their lifetimes, and these wounds lead to more than 70,000 amputations annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The wounds develop because persistently high levels of blood sugar can damage nerves over time. This nerve damage, called neuropathy, interferes with the body's normal protective mechanisms. People with diabetes may not sense that they're putting too much pressure on one part of a foot for long periods of time, producing painful sores. The disease can also dry out skin, leading to cuts on the foot a person with diabetes may not even feel. Poor blood circulation means broken skin takes longer to heal, increasing the risk of infection.
Although studies have shown that wounds heal significantly faster when amniotic membrane products are used, Ilic found that there are only two major companies in Europe that are making products that use the membrane. The number of manufacturers is larger in the United States, but dressings made from the membrane still aren't commonly found in hospitals or clinics here.
"The wound-care community is relatively small," said Chris Liscio, director of regenerative tissue products at Derma Sciences, a medium-sized company in Princeton, New Jersey, that makes amniotic membrane dressings. Most diabetic wounds are treated by primary care physicians, or sometimes emergency doctors, he added.
A simulated wound is covered with a dressing made from a piece of human amniotic membrane. (Image credit: Derma Sciences)
Once ulcers set in, they can be difficult to heal, he said. In people with such wounds, "circulation is bad, nerves are damaged and sometimes [the wounds] persist for ages for years," Ilic said.
The ulcers can lead to worse outcomes for patients. In one 2007 study, published in the International Wound Journal, researchers at Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago found that approximately half the patients receiving a diabetes-related amputation would not be alive in five years. That mortality rate is similar or worse than those of many common types of cancer.
For the toughest wounds, amniotic membrane really does help, Ilic said, especially those that haven't responded to other treatments. [Bionic Humans: Top 10 Technologies]
In one clinical trial, which tested a membrane product from Marietta, Georgia-based company MiMedx, researchers looked at 84 patients with diabetic ulcers ranging from 2 and 20 centimeters (0.79 to 7.9 inches) across. The ulcers had completely permeated the skin layers and still remained open after a month. The researchers treated the patients with either the membrane or traditional wound care, and then checked to see if the wounds were at least 40 percent closed within one month of treatment. Of those treated with an amniotic membrane product, 62 percent met the benchmark, compared to 32 percent who had received standard treatments, according to results published in 2014.
The idea of using this membrane is not new. In 1910, Dr. J.W. Davis at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore tried using the tissue as a skin graft and found it performed well. Throughout the early part of the century, medical researchers continued to experiment with the material, and found success using it for eye surgery.
Using the translucent membrane for wound dressings remained a fairly common practice until concerns about disease transmission interfered. The membrane was used less in the years after World War II, Ilic said. Then the rise of AIDS and other blood-borne diseases in the 1980s and 1990s caused the membrane to fall out of favor. Scientists turned to pigs and cows for skin substitutes.
However, within the past decade or so, researchers developed methods to safely test, sterilize and process the membrane for use in dressings, Ilic said. The membrane is used today most commonly as biological dressing in ophthalmology. Only within the past five years or so have specialists started using advanced amniotic membrane products to treat diabetic wounds.
Several American companies make medical products from human amniotic membranes, including Derma Sciences, MiMedx and Osiris Therapeutics in Columbia, Maryland. Each company differs in how it processes the membrane, using proprietary methods. Liscio said there are generally two versions of the product, either cryogenically frozen or prepared for off-the-shelf use, like Derma Sciences' version.
Usually the companies collect membranes from women who have planned C-sections. That way, there is minimal damage to the placenta, Liscio said. Within hours of the membrane donation, the company begins processing the material.
MiMedx has a patented process called Purion for cleaning and preservation. Derma Sciences uses technology called Dryflex, which allows the final, sterile product to be stored up to five years.
Gaining wider use
A wound dressing made from a human amniotic membrane (Image credit: MiMedx)
While the products are available on the market and could potentially be employed by any physician, use currently tends to be limited to specialized wound care centers.
"Medical staff has to get it embedded in their heads," Ilic said. "This exists. This is really working."
Amniotic membrane derived from human tissue is relatively free of any significant side effects when used in the sheet form, said Dr. Donald Fetterolf, chief medical officer for MiMedx. Each membrane must be prepped and sterilized using strict American Association of Tissue Banks guidelines. "Tissue rejection or allergic reactions as a result have not been reported," he said. "The natural antigens that [would] identify a tissue as 'foreign' are not present in this unique environment."
The downside of using amniotic membrane products is that the cost to cover one wound can be incredibly high. "They're different sizes, but the price can range from $400 to $4,000 easily," Liscio said. Insurance coverage for amniotic tissue products varies widely as well.
The applications extend beyond aiding people with diabetes, to those with burns or diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa, a painful genetic disorder in which the skin surface peels away. For a patient with that condition, even using a towel would cause wounds, Ilic said. [Top 3 Techniques for Creating Organs in the Lab]
Additional randomized clinical trials are now underway for human amniotic membrane products, but these studies are expensive to conduct.
"Just like with every new medicine, it has to pass time and then people embrace it," Ilic said.
Liscio said he sees the field growing rapidly in the future. "The diabetes problem is not getting better," he said. "If you can do something to delay an amputation or even prevent it, the person could have a much better quality of life."
As for production, Ilic said he is confident plenty of amniotic membrane will be available. "Production is extremely cheap," he said. "And resources? The whole human race."
Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
A transparent material that can be attached to a smartphone's touch screen could help the device generate electricity whenever anyone taps it, researchers in China say.
Touch screens are now found on most cell phones and tablet computers. Using a touch screen typically involves finger taps, and scientists at Lanzhou University in China reasoned that the mechanical energy from these motions could be converted into electricity to charge the phone's batteries, which could significantly extend the working time of these portable devices.
The researchers developed a new material based on a transparent silicone rubber known as PDMS. Scientists embedded wires in this rubber that were made of lead zirconate titanate that were only 700 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, wide. For perspective, this is about 140 times thinner than the average width of a human hair. [Top 10 Inventions That Changed the World]
As the rubber solidified, the researchers used electrical fields to align the nanowires in the rubber in columns. This alignment helped set both the material's electrical and visual properties.
Whenever such nanowires are bent for instance, whenever anyone taps on the material they generate electricity, a phenomenon known as piezoelectricity. By making sure the nanowires are lined up with one another, the researchers helped ensure that they would react to finger taps in unison, generating as much energy from the motions as possible.
When the material is viewed head-on, these incredibly narrow wires are largely invisible, and the material can look mostly transparent. As such, the nanowires "can harvest tapping energy on a screen without influencing the screen's normal working," study senior author Yong Qin, a materials scientist at Lanzhou University, told Live Science.
In addition, when the material is viewed from an angle, the nanowires interfere with light rays, which means that anything seen through the material at that angle will look blurry. As such, the material can also help protect a user's privacy by preventing anyone nearby from being able to peek at someone else's smartphone screen.
In experiments, tapping on the material generated an electrical current of 0.8 nanoamperes, or about one-millionth of the electricity used by a hearing aid. The scientists noted that the results of future research could help their material generate more current to efficiently recharge the batteries of mobile devices.
Electrical signals from nanowires could also help researchers develop more sensitive touch screens, Qin said.
The scientists detailed their findings online Jan. 13 in the journal Small.
Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
This image of the Zika virus was taken using a transmission electron microscope. The virus particles are 40 nanometers in diameter, with an outer envelope, and an inner dense core.
Zika virus is "now spreading explosively in the Americas," World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said on Thursday (Jan. 28), and 3 million to 4 million people in the Americas could be infected by the virus this year alone, according to the latest WHO estimates.
However, U.S. officials have said that the virus is likely to cause only small outbreaks in this country.
Officials' main concerns about the virus are over its possible links with two severe conditions: microcephaly, which is a birth defect that causes a baby to be born with a small head and brain and face lifelong cognitive impairments, and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes leading to paralysis in children and adults.
To understand how the Zika virus spreads to new regions, and how researchers can tell whether a region is likely to experience large outbreaks or small ones, Live Science asked the experts what sequence of events has to happen in order for the virus to become established in a new region. Here's what they said:
How exactly do mosquitos spread the virus?
The Zika virus is spread by certain species of mosquitoes in the Aedes genus, most often the species Aedes aegypti. For local transmission to occur in a new region, for example in the United States, a female A. aegypti mosquito in the United States would have to bite a person who became infected with the Zika virus abroad, and then came to the U.S. The person would have to have active virus in his or her blood. Then, that same female mosquito would need to bite someone else, and expose that person to the virus.
Humans who are infected with Zika have sufficient amounts of the virus in their bloodstreams to infect a mosquito that bites them for anywhere from three to 12 days after they are initially infected, said Laura Harrington, a professor and chair of the entomology department at Cornell University in New York, who has studied the Aedes aegypti species of mosquitoes. [Zika Virus FAQs: Top Questions Answered]
After that bite, it can take approximately 10 to 15 days (depending on the outside temperature) before the female mosquito can transmit the virus to the next person, Harrington said.
Slightly more than 30 cases of the virus have been reported to date in the United States, all of them considered "travel-related," said a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Americans who have contracted the virus were infected while traveling overseas, but there have been no cases of Zika virus being transmitted inside the United States to a person who has not been traveling, which would be called local transmission.
The mosquito can't immediately infect another person, because the virus typically first enters the mosquito's gut when the insect bites someone, Harrington said. From there, the virus infects the mosquito's gut tissue and a variety of other organs, taking days to make its way to the mosquito's salivary glands, from where the virus can be injected into the next host that the mosquito bites, she explained.
A mosquito from genus Aedes. (Image credit: Chik_77/Shutterstock.com)
But once a female mosquito has the Zika virus in her salivary glands, and is capable of transmitting it to humans, the insect is able to do so for the rest of its life, Harrington told Live Science. Her research has found that such a female mosquito tends to live about 15 days.
Parts of the United States, especially the southernmost states, have A. aegypti mosquitos. This species is considered aggressive, prefers to bite people during the day, and can live both indoors and outdoors. People cannot catch the Zika virus by being around an infected person. [The 9 Deadliest Viruses on Earth]
Only two countries in the Americas Canada and (continental) Chile do not have the species that can spread the virus, according to the WHO.
Another unique quality of this mosquito species is that it feeds once every other day on human hosts, which is more often than other mosquito species do.
"This is really unusual and significant, because it leads to much greater potential for this mosquito to infect the people it feeds on, more so than any other mosquito," Harrington said.
A. aegypti has the ability to use human blood for both energy and egg production, and that makes this mosquito more fit, Harrington said. And a fitter mosquito means that it can live longer, breed more and infect more people with the Zika virus.
Concerns about U.S. spread
Some infectious disease experts say it's only a matter of time before the continental United States sees small outbreaks of Zika that involve local transmission of the virus on U.S. soil.
So far, the CDC has issued an interim travel advisory that currently affects 24 countries and territories where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. These locations are Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Samoa, Suriname, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
But local transmission of Zika virus will probably happen in the U.S. this spring or summer, said Dr. Peter Hotez, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
The Gulf Coast of the United States is especially vulnerable to the spread of Zika virus as warmer weather approaches from May through September, when mosquitoes are most active, Hotez said. [7 Devastating Infectious Diseases]
The Gulf Coast which runs from western Florida, through the southern parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas has two Aedes species of mosquitoes known to carry the Zika virus, as does Tucson, Arizona, Hotez said.
The extreme poverty in some locations along the Gulf Coast may make individuals in this region more prone to a Zika outbreak, he said. Some residents might lack screens on their windows and doors to protect against mosquitoes, and some areas have inadequate garbage collection, meaning discarded tires and containers may become reservoirs for standing water that attract mosquitoes to breed, Hotez told Live Science.
He said his overwhelming concern with the Zika virus relates to its possible link to the cases of microcephaly showing up in some babies born to mothers in areas of Brazil, Hotez said.
The exact mechanism for how the virus may lead to this birth defect is not known. However, one plausible explanation is that the virus gets into a pregnant woman's blood after she has been bitten by an infected mosquito, is transferred to the placenta, and then invades and damages brain cells in the developing fetus, Hotez said.
The United States will continue to see an increase in cases of Zika virus that are travel-related, and some of those infected people will be pregnant women, predicted Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
He said he also suspects the U.S. will very likely get some "bursts of localized transmission," of Zika virus, however, not widespread transmission of the infection.
"We have the Aedes species of mosquito in the U.S.," Schaffner said, and local transmission is most likely to occur in Southern states, he predicted.
But Schaffner said that it is very unlikely that Zika virus will establish itself in the same way that it has rapidly spread in South and Central America. "People in the U.S. spend more time indoors in air conditioning than people do in Central America and the Caribbean," he said. (Using air conditioning is a preventive strategy recommended by the CDC to limit mosquito exposure.)
However, tracking the virus' spread is going to be difficult because many people who become infected do not develop any symptoms, Schaffner noted. About 80 percent of people infected with Zika virus get no symptoms. And people who do develop symptoms typically have mild ones, such as fever, rash, joint and muscle pain, red eyes and headaches. These symptoms may last a few days to a week.
"It's basically a transient illness, but the two central nervous system complications the microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome are both serious consequences that are extremely concerning," Schaffner said.
Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.
Two frog species with a bizarre behavior have been discovered in Taiwan: The tadpoles of the newfound tree frogs munch on their mom's gooey, unfertilized eggs.
One of the newly discovered tree frogs Kurixalus berylliniris, which is Latin for "green-colored iris" has emerald-hued eyes and a slim body that can be either a dark green or deep tan. Discovered in wet forests in eastern Taiwan, the frogs are dimorphic, with the females having a slight size advantage, measuring 1.6 inches (41 millimeters) in length, compared with the male's 1.37-inch (35 mm) bodies.
Some of the K. berylliniris tadpoles the scientists collected showed creamy, yellow tummies, suggesting the youngsters had feasted on some of their mama's eggs, study leader Shu-Ping Wu of the University of Taipei and colleagues noted online Jan. 28 in the journal ZooKeys.
The other newbie was named Kurixalus wangi in honor of herpetologist Ching-Shong Wang. This golden-eyed frog is tiny, with males measuring some 1.18 inches (30 mm) in length and females extending 1.34 inches (34 mm). Compared with its eyes, the frog's body is pretty drab, with brownish-green skin covered in dark-brown and black spots. The animal's belly and throat are whitish. [See Photos of 40 Freaky Frogs]
A golden-eyed tree frog, Kurixalus wangi, found in Taiwan. (Image credit: Dr. Shu-Ping Wu)
Both tree frogs lay their eggs in tree holes, the researchers found.
The two frog species, as compared with each other and other species, had different mating calls, distinct genetic compositions and other genetic features, and diverse morphological characteristics, leading the researchers to conclude these were two new species.
"Although Taiwan is a highly developed island with significant alterations to the natural landscape and destruction of critical habitats for amphibians, it is noteworthy that during the last 50 years, six of the seven newly described frog species in Taiwan were tree frogs inhabiting forested areas," the researchers wrote in their journal article.
Follow us @livescience, Facebook& Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Curiosity Self-Portrait at 'Big Sky' Drilling Site Night Close-up of Martian Sand Grains This Jan. 19, 2016, self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at "Namib Dune," where the rover's activities included scuffing into the dune with a wheel and scooping samples of sand for laboratory analysis.
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has snapped a selfie featuring sunshine and lots of sand, but it's no vacation pic.
The car-size Curiosity rover was hard at work investigating Namib Dune part of a larger complex of shifting dark Martian sand called Bagnold Dunes when it captured the photo on Jan. 19.
Curiosity has been studying Bagnold Dunes for about two months now, helping mission scientists better understand how the wind creates and shapes dune fields on Mars. [The Top 10 Space Robot Selfies]
As part of this work the first up-close examinations of dunes on a world beyond Earth the six-wheeled robot has scooped up three samples of Namib Dune for analysis by its onboard instruments, grabbing two on Jan. 19, and another one on Jan. 22, NASA officials said.
Processing of the third sample did not go according to plan, however. An actuator in the processing device on Curiosity's 7-foot-long (2.1 meters) robotic arm failed to function properly, leaving part of the sample trapped inside a sort of tunnel, NASA officials said.
The Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the robotic arm of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used electric lights at night on Jan. 22, 2016, to illuminate this postage-stamp-size view of Martian sand grains dumped on the ground after sorting with a sieve. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
"The rover responded properly to this unexpected event," Curiosity deputy project manager Steve Lee, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in a statement. "It stopped moving the actuator and halted further use of the arm and sampling system."
The incident, which will prohibit analysis of the third sample, is under investigation. (The rover's onboard instrument suite will still study the second sample scooped from Namib Dune, NASA officials said.)
The Bagnold Dunes lie on the northwestern flank of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-high (5 kilometers) mountain at whose base Curiosity arrived in September 2014. The rover is steadily climbing up through Mount Sharp's lower reaches, studying the many rock layers for clues about how and why Mars shifted from a relatively warm and wet world in the ancient past to the cold, dry planet it is today.
The new Curiosity sand-dune selfie is actually a composite of 57 separate images captured by the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera at the end of the rover's arm. The arm was not visible in the photos (or portions of photos) used to construct the selfie, NASA officials said.
Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
This is part two of a two-part story.
Amanda Barton-McCarver plummeted into a downward spiral four years ago after losing custody of her sons.
She hasn't seen them since and when they were gone she just gave up.
Drinking or getting high wasn't the main attraction in my life, said McCarver. Sure, there were times that I wish I didn't do it, but I didn't do very much though. Everything had changed, my kids were gone and I started using more than I should have. It wasn't just a weekend thing anymore. I was using more than I should have and it controlled by life.
McCarver said nobody thinks they are going to grow up and become an addict or that they are going to grow up and do drugs. It just happens and you're exposed to it in some way and try it. She added that when she tried it, it gave her a feeling of euphoria and it took away all those bad things that were going on inside of her.
I was not feeling bad anymore, I figured out a way to get away all those bad things that was going on inside of me, she said. I became fixated on that feeling since I had figured a way out to get around feeling bad. Then our lives get flipped upside down and the fortunate ones, this is the bad part, the fortunate ones are the ones who get caught. There a lot of addicts out there that need to get caught, because then the state will intervene. Now all of a sudden there are resources available, tools available, all this stuff is at our disposal that we wouldn't have had otherwise.
Road to recovery
McCarver said that being away from her kids is excruciatingly painful and every day she lives with the pain of not being able to see her boys.
I do get to see the girls and it hurts that I can't bring them home at night, but I still get to see them, said McCarver with tears in her eyes. I haven't seen my sons in four years and it really breaks my heart every day. I think to myself I remember what I felt like away from my mom when I was little. I remember feeling unwanted. I remember wondering why she wasn't there and I think that my kids feel these things and it breaks my heart.
McCarver added that she cant see her boys right now, but she can talk to them and they know she loves them. She added that being away from them made her think what she could do since her kids are well provided for.
When I think about all the times that I have had a drink or have gotten high, I did it out of hurt, said McCarver. If you decide you want to get clean, first and foremost you have to want it. You have to truly want it and then when you want it, the next step is to seek to help. There is help out there, you have to contact a rehab, or a church and there are several churches around here that have meetings, several meetings, several times a week.
McCarver said in the past, the pain she felt would leave her wanting to numb it by smoking some pot or doing some meth. She didnt care what it was, just as long as it made it go away.
Now I just choke it down, take a deep breath, and even look in the mirror and tell myself it'll be OK, you've got this, said McCarver.
McCarver feels that the St. Francois County drug court program is an evolving program and that it has opened her eyes to how the system can work. She now sees that it can help people, but in the beginning she hated the program for so many reasons.
I had a lot of different problems, said McCarver. I have been in the program for a year now and so many things in my life have changed. I am doing amazingly well, I'm in a different place in my heart and head. I have mental health help now and I have counseling that helps me deal with all that stuff that I rejected my whole life.
Unfortunately this area is saturated with drugs and is saturated with people who can't deal with life. She said they all have one thing in common. Everyone said they got higher or drunk because they liked it.
Further into the recovery I realized that we didn't just get high because we liked it, we did it because we're uncomfortable in our skin and miserable inside, said McCarver. We were desperately seeking a way out and that was the easiest outlet we could find. Addicts will use drugs or alcohol and not realized they were putting a wedge in between the people that they love the most. It was a very selfish act.
The aftermath of addiction
McCarver said she isnt mad about not having her kids, because it's the past and she can't change that. Now she tries to find the positive in all the negative. That's the only way she can make it through each day.
I can see that the boys need to be with their dad now and that's the way I look at it, said McCarver. They were with me for 7 years and he has only had them for 4 years, I have had them for the majority of their life. I look at pictures of them every day and the other day I got their clothing size from their dad so I could buy them Christmas presents. I picked up a shoe and it was a size 8 and I really started crying. It was at that moment I realized my son is grown up.
McCarver said she realizes now that the right thing for her to do is to put her emotions aside and do what's in the best interest of her kids.
I don't think it's healthy to raise children in some false pretense that the world is free of bad stuff, because its not and that is sheltering them from the truth, said McCarver. That will raise the child to become angry and have a lot of internal issues, which will probably lead to substance abuse. That's where it will lead people's minds these days, to drugs. They want to self-medicate. There are other ways to escape it. There are groups and help available.
Moving forward
McCarver said she would like people to know that recovering addicts are doing things like the backpack program. She added that the drug court alumni get together once of month to think about what they can do to help the community.
Everybody throws out ideas of what charities we want to help, then we will set a goal and we will meet that goal, said McCarver. We like to give back because one of the worst things that we can do as a parent is make one of these mistakes. If we make one of these mistakes the whole world finds out about it and now you have shamed yourself and your family and your children. Do something positive out of the negative and prove to people that you don't have to let your mistakes define you.
There are currently more than 350 children and teens in the foster care program in St. Francois, Madison, Washington and Ste. Genevieve counties.
The thing about being in the drug court program is that it has taught me to really think about other people, said McCarver. I had someone bring me a box with 19 backpacks in it with the tags on them. The drug court members are joining in and they are going to help take up collections.
Several businesses have helped with collecting donations already. The circuit clerks office, the Park Hills Library, McDonald's on Columbia Street in Farmington, and Ministerial Alliance donated items for babies for the project. Most of what she collected are from recovering addicts, the children of addicts and some high school kids helped too.
Court alumni people are buying stuff to help, said McCarver. We are really doing this as a group, I came up with the idea but I don't want to take credit for all that by no means. I think everybody should get recognition because we are all giving something to help a child get through that pain. I don't want this to be all about me. There are others out there who are doing good things as well. I just want to share this with them. I'm not the only one that is turning my life around.
McCarver is proud of her daughters because they wanted to do the backpack project with her. She suggested for Christmas this year that she get them just one big gift and then they will fill backpacks with gifts for foster care kids.
They loved that idea and they were happy to do it, said McCarver. They were asking themselves what they could give to these little girls. It's amazing that they have this in their hearts.
McCarver hopes that by telling her story it will help others like her. McCarver was also nominated for Missouri Mental Health Champion. The Missouri Mental Health Foundation honors people with mental illness and substance abuse problems that do positive things in the community.
For more information on the foster care program or to donate to Project Backpack, contact McCarver at 573-366-7995 or Phillips with the childrens division at 573-431-6592 or Master Foster Parent Millie Smith at 573-631-0520.
Elon Musk's dream of creating a superfast new transportation system got a step closer to reality over the weekend.
On Saturday (Jan. 30), a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) won the first stage of the SpaceX Hyperloop design competition, which was held at Texas A&M University in College Station.
The MIT grad students beat out more than 100 other teams with their design for a passenger-carrying Hyperloop "pod," and will now start building a small-scale prototype to test this summer next to SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. [Images: Elon Musk's Hyperloop Transit System of the Future]
"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."
Some members of the MIT team, which submitted the winning pod design for the SpaceX Hyperloop design contest in January 2016. (Image credit: Courtesy Nargis Sakhibov)
Musk the CEO of private spaceflight company SpaceX and electric-car company Tesla Motors announced hisvision for the Hyperloop in a 2013 white paper. The system would use pods, traveling in tubes in a near-vacuum, to move people between big cities that are no more than 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) apart, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The pods would levitate above the ground. They would therefore encounter very little friction, and could zoom along at nearly the speed of sound (about 767 mph, or 1,234 km/h, at sea level), according to Musk.
Musk envisioned using a cushion of air to achieve levitation, but the MIT team decided to go with magnets above a conducting plate. The aluminum test track that SpaceX is already building near its headquarters will serve as this conducting plate, MIT team members said.
"The beauty of the system we designed is that it's completely passive, an elegant property that will make our pod very scalable," Kirschen added.
The MIT team's prototype Hyperloop pod will be about 8.2 feet (2.5 meters) long by 3.3 feet (1 m) wide and weigh 550 lbs. (250 kilograms), with the aerodynamic feel of a bobsled, Kirschen said. The vehicle will be built to accommodate a mechanical pusher (which will provide propulsion) as well as a variety of sensors, university officials said.
The MIT team will need to finish final assembly of its pod by mid-May. The students will aim to achieve a speed of at least 225 mph (362 km/h) during the vehicle's 20-second inaugural run, which will not include carrying any passengers.
Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
This image of the Zika virus was taken using a transmission electron microscope. The virus particles are 40 nanometers in diameter, with an outer envelope, and an inner dense core.
A person in Dallas appears to have spread the Zika virus to another person through sex, Texas health officials said today.
Officials at Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) said that a person in the area was infected with the Zika virus after having sexual contact with another person who had returned from Venezuela, where the virus is spreading, and was ill. The case was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the DCHHS said today (Feb. 2).
"Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others," Zachary Thompson, the DCHHS director, said in a statement. Thompson noted that abstinence or condoms are the best prevention methods against sexually transmitted diseases. [Zika Virus FAQs: Top Questions Answered]
The Zika virus, which is currently spreading in more than 20 countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean, is usually transmitted by mosquitoes. But in rare cases, the virus has been reported to spread through sex, according to the CDC.
For example, in 2008, an American scientist contracted the virus while working in Senegal, and apparently transmitted the virus to his wife when he returned home to Colorado. Sexual transmission was the most likely way that the wife became infected, according to a 2008 report of the case written by the scientist and his colleagues.
And in a study published last year, researchers reported finding the Zika virus in the semen of a man who was infected with the virus during the 2013 outbreak in French Polynesia.
The Dallas case is the first report of the Zika virus spreading in the United States this year. Health officials predict that there could be small outbreaks of the Zika virus in the country from the spread of the virus by mosquitoes, but this hasn't happened yet.
Infection with the Zika virus usually causes no symptoms, but can lead to mild illness in some people, including fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes. However, health officials are concerned about a link between the Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly, a birth defect in which the baby's head is abnormally small. In Brazil, the number of suspected cases of microcephaly rose dramatically in 2015, at the same time the country was experiencing a Zika virus outbreak. Researchers have also found the Zika virus in the brain tissue of infants born with microcephaly.
On Monday (Feb. 1), the World Health Organization called the link between the Zika virus and microcephaly "a public health emergency of international concern."
The CDC recommends that all U.S. pregnant women consider postponing travel to the areas where the Zika virus is spreading, including 24 countries in Central and South America.
Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
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.
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Local News, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events
By Long Island News & PR Published: February 02 2016
Suffolk County Legislators Bill Lindsay and Rob Calarco recently honored Bayport Blue Point Chamber of Commerces St. Patricks Day Parade Grand Marshal Bob Draffin at their annual parade dinner.
Bayport - Blue Point, NY - January 29, 2016 - Suffolk County Legislators Bill Lindsay and Rob Calarco recently honored Bayport Blue Point Chamber of Commerces St. Patricks Day Parade Grand Marshal Bob Draffin at their annual parade dinner.
Draffin has been greatly involved in the Bayport-Blue Point community, serving as President of the Bayport Civic Association for the past thirteen years. His unwavering commitment to civic engagement and community activism deems him not only a valuable asset to Bayport, but also a distinguished role model for his fellow board members and Suffolk County residents alike.
The 26th Annual St. Patricks Day Parade will take place on Sunday, March 13th starting at 11AM.
Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay is the Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Chairman of the Parks & Recreation Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Government Operations, Personnel, Information Technology, and Housing Committee. Bill represents the 8th legislative district which consists of Bayport, Blue Point, Bohemia, Holbrook, Holtsville, Oakdale, Sayville, West Sayville parts of North Patchogue and Ronkonkoma.
School & Education, Local News, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: February 02 2016
The problem is well-documented and alarming: College students who graduated in 2015 were the most indebted in U.S. history, and student borrowing for higher education continues to rise.
Valley Stream, NY - January 28, 2016 - The problem is well-documented and alarming: College students who graduated in 2015 were the most indebted in U.S. history, and student borrowing for higher education continues to rise.1 Despite those facts, for many young people, the benefits of pursuing a degree outweigh the cost. College graduates fare better than their high school-educated peers, and the difference in their earnings is more pronounced than it was for their parents. College has intangible benefits too; workers with a four-year degree are more likely to be satisfied with their careers than those who begin working immediately after high school.2
While earning a four-year college degree is a wise decision in the long term, student loan payments can be daunting, especially for recent graduates who are still searching for a good job and building a financial foundation. New York States Get On Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program, which is now accepting applications, can help ease that early financial stress.
Students who graduated both high school and college in New York State and received an undergraduate degree in or after the 2014-15 academic year and have lived in the state for 12 continuous months may be eligible to have up to two years of federal student loan payments forgiven. To be considered for the program, applicants also have to be enrolled in either an income-based or pay-as-you-earn repayment program and have an adjusted gross income of less than $50,000.
The Get On Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program goes hand in hand with other efforts to reduce the burden of student debt for young people. For example, the New York State Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Incentive Program offers full-tuition scholarships to students who study in certain STEM fields at SUNY or CUNY schools and work in the state after graduation. But while the STEM Incentive Program targets new college students, the Get On Your Feet program provides assistance for recent graduates, regardless of major.
Whats good for our students is also good for our state. Like the STEM Incentive Program, the Get On Your Feet initiative requires its beneficiaries to stay in New York State and contribute their newly learned skills to the workforce as soon as they find jobs.
Applications for the Get On Your Feet program are now being accepted; visit online or call 1-888-697-4372 to learn more. If you have questions about this or any other issue, please contact my office at 516-599-2972.
Local News, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: February 02 2016
Surrounded by neighbors, family and supporters, former federal prosecutor Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky announced today his candidacy to replace Dean Skelos in the New York State Senate.
South Shore, NY - January 31, 2016 - Surrounded by neighbors, family and supporters, former federal prosecutor Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky announced today his candidacy to replace Dean Skelos in the New York State Senate. A lifelong fighter for integrity in politics and for the residents of his native South Shore, Kaminsky pledged to clean up Albany and stand up for Long Island.
As the former lead prosecutor of the federal governments local public corruption unit, Kaminsky won big cases against corrupt Democrats and Republicans before his election to the State Assembly. Since then, Kaminsky has delivered results for Long Island, winning tax relief for Sandy victims, significantly increasing education funding for the South Shore, and passing reforms to hold Albany lawmakers accountable.
As a corruption prosecutor, I was proud of the work I did, successfully convicting both Democrats and Republicans for violating the publics trust. But, as weve seen in our own community, the corruption continues, Kaminsky said at his announcement. We must return our government to where it belongs -- into the hands of the people -- so that it will deliver the results Long Island deserves.
There is a real cost to corruption. The fight against corruption is the fight for better schools. The fight against corruption is the fight for lower taxes. The fight against corruption is the fight for a better Long Island, Kaminsky continued.
We are at a pivotal moment for Long Island and for New York. If we dont fix whats wrong with our government, we will not be able to fix whats wrong with our cities, villages and towns. Today is when we start. Today we stand together to bring integrity back to Albany, to take our government back, and to make it work for Long Islanders. Today I announce my candidacy for the State Senate.
The 9th Senate District seat became automatically vacant upon Skeloss conviction in December on charges of bribery, extortion and conspiracy. The Nassau County Democrats chose Kaminsky as their preference for the seat on January 5.
A committee to help elect Kaminsky to the Senate opened earlier this month, and raised more than $250,000 in less than one week. Kaminsky also reported two weeks ago that he already had more than $332,000 on-hand for a Senate race.
About Todd Kaminsky
Assemblyman Kaminsky has spent his career fighting for Long Island families and working to end government corruption. As a federal prosecutor representing Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens, and as acting deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section, Todd took down corrupt elected officials, drug kingpins and other major felons.
In 2014, Todd was elected to represent the South Shore in the New York State Assembly. During his first term, Todd fought for and won ethics reforms, tax breaks, aid for Sandy victims, and a new emergency center at South Nassau Communities Hospital. Todd authored the most laws by a first-year assemblymember in recent New York State history.
Hempstead, NY - January 27, 2016 - To help save lives and combat the Heroin epidemic, Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and New York State Senator Kemp Hannon will host a free Overdose Prevention Seminar on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 7 p.m. at the Center for Rapid Recovery, located at 312 Greenwich Street in Hempstead. Residents will learn how to administer Narcan - the lifesaving antidote that can reverse the fatal effects of an Opiate overdose - and learn the warning signs of drug addiction, treatment options, personal stories of recovery, and more.
Through education, awareness enforcement and treatment, my administration and the Heroin Prevention Task Force are diligently combatting heroin and opioid abuse throughout Nassau, said County Executive Mangano. These free Overdose Prevention Seminars continue to help save lives and keep families whole.
At least 190 Nassau residents died from Heroin and prescription painkillers in 2014 (final statistics for 2015 is not yet available). Narcan has been used by paramedics and emergency room doctors for decades, to save lives. Yet a 2006 State law allows citizens to administer Narcan in an attempt to save a life, without fear of liability. Nassau County has already provided Narcan training for nearly 6,000 people since 2012. At least two dozen trainees have used that knowledge - and the Narcan kit they were given - to revive someone overdosing on Heroin or painkillers, and save their lives. Narcan is administered through a nasal spray, and is provided at no charge to trainees over the age of 18.
Social Worker and Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor attendees will be eligible to receive free Continuing Education Units (CEU) for the two hour workshop which is provided by the Nassau County Department of Human Services.
Anyone can attend, but seating is limited. Residents MUST pre-register either by email or by calling (516) 571-6105. For dates and locations of other Overdose Prevention Seminars, visit online.
Local News, National & World News, Health & Wellness, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: February 02 2016
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today pushed a three-point federal plan aimed at containing the Zika virus outbreak that has already affected thirty people in the United States, including at least five in New York.
Washington, DC - January 31, 2016 - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today pushed a three-point federal plan aimed at containing the Zika virus outbreak that has already affected thirty people in the United States, including at least five in New York. First, Schumer is calling on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to prioritize and increase its involvement in Zika-affected countries abroad in order to better prevent, contain and treat the virus. USAID is one of the lead government entities that works overseas to help improve global health, help societies prevent and recover from conflicts, and more. Second, Schumer is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) to focus resources to expeditiously develop a vaccine and to work alongside the private sector in doing so. Currently, there is no cure, treatment or vaccine available for Zika, which can be extremely serious to pregnant women because of possible birth defectslike microcephaly--linked to the virus. Lastly, Schumer is calling on the U.S. to push the World Health Organization (WHO) to publicly declare a health emergency. The WHOs International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus is convening in Geneva on February 1st and therefore, Schumer is urging the U.S. to push the committee to officially declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Schumer today said that this plan, along with the WHO designation, would help better fight this virus abroad before it spreads further and more cases are brought to the United States.
With at least five Zika cases already in New York, the feds must pull out all the stops to vanquish this dangerous virus as soon as possible, said Schumer. The feds should deploy all possible resources to prevent, contain and treat Zika virus abroad; expeditiously develop either a cure or medication to treat Zika virus; and declare a public health emergency. Together, this three point plan will help to beat back the Zika virus globally before future individuals, including pregnant women, are affected.
Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person who has already been infected by the virus. The Aedes aegypti has spread most of the cases; these types of mosquitoes have been found in Florida and Hawaii. The Asian Tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is also known to transmit the virus; these types of mosquitoes have been found in New York and Chicago.
According to the CDC, there has been one report of possible spread of the virus through blood transfusion and one report of possible spread of the virus through sexual contact. Common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, however, the virus may cause more serious risks to those who are pregnant. It is possible that Zika virus could be passed from mother to fetus during pregnancy. The virus has been linked to birth defects, including microcephaly, a rare condition in which the babys head is abnormally small and can have brain damage. Microcephaly may not be detected until the end of the second trimester. According to media reports, approximately 4,000 infants in Brazil have been born with microcephaly since last spring. There is currently no treatment or vaccine available for Zika.
In May, the Pan American Health Organization issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil. So far, approximately 1.5 million people have contracted the virus in Brazil. Zika virus has spread to more than two dozen countries including the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Saint Martin, Venezuela and others. Earlier this month, the CDC issued a travel warning about the risk of traveling to countries affected by the virus.
In the United States, there have been nearly three dozen reported cases involving 11 states and the District of Columbia. In New York, there have been at least five confirmed cases including a pregnant woman. The New York cases include two people from New York City, one from Nassau County, one from Orange County and one from Monroe County. There has been one locally transmitted case in Puerto Rico.
According to the CDC, the imported cases could result in local spread of the virus in the United States. The World Health Organization has said that the disease is spreading explosively in the Americas and estimates that up to four million people across the Americas could become infected with the virus over the next year.
USAID is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. Specifically, USAID provides assistance to more than 100 countries, including Brazil, where the Zika virus has grown most prevalent. USAID has programs dedicated to ensure that the U.S. is safe from infectious disease threats and works with other nations to ensure that preventable epidemics are avoided, that any disease threat is caught early, and that the response to an existing disease threat is both quick and effective. Schumer said that prioritizing these activities to address Zika would help ensure that U.S. citizens and others traveling abroad are not exposed to this illness. As part of his three-point federal plan, Schumer is urging USAID to prioritize the Zika virus abroad and help to eradicate the virus before it spreads further. In addition, Schumer is urging USAID direct provide resources to aid in the prevention and treatment of Zika.
Second, Schumer is calling on the CDC and NIH to move full speed ahead on developing a vaccine to treat the Zika virus or to prevent the disease altogether. Right now there is no vaccine or medicine available. On January 22, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) issued a notice to highlight high-priority Zika virus research, including the development of drugs against the virus. Schumer said that the feds should make sure researchers and scientists have the resources necessary to expeditiously develop these drugs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency as part of the United Nations dedicated to international public health. On February 1st, WHO Director General Margaret Chan will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus as well as the observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations associated with the virus. The Committee will convene in Geneva to discuss whether the outbreak is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. According to WHO, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern is defined as an extraordinary event which is determined, as provided in these Regulations: to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease; and to potentially require a coordinated international response. Schumer noted that WHO has already suggested that the disease is spreading explosively and therefore, the Senator is urging the U.S. to push the WHO to publicly declare this outbreak a health emergency.
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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?
Jihadist groups around the globe denounced Saudi Arabias execution of more than 40 men in early January. Some of those sentenced to death had taken part in al Qaedas first campaign to disrupt the kingdom between 2003 and 2006. It was only natural, therefore, that al Qaeda, its regional branches and other affiliated groups would decry the House of Sauds decision to follow through on the death sentences.
However, Ansar al Sharia Libyas response was especially noteworthy. In a three-page statement released via Twitter on Jan. 15, the group compared those executed to senior al Qaeda leaders killed in Americas drone campaign.
Al Salul [a derogatory reference to the Saudis] recognizes the importance of the true righteous scholars who control jihad with the correct provisions from the book of Allah Almighty and the sunna of His messenger, peace and blessing be upon him, and the impact of the absence of these scholars on the jihadist arena, Ansar al Sharia Libyas officials wrote, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal.
The jihadists claimed that the Saudis message in this regard is similar to the acts of the head of global nonbelief, America, which has killed righteous scholars.
Ansar al Sharia then listed eight such scholars, all of whom were al Qaeda leaders killed in US airstrikes: Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, Ibrahim Rubaish, Anwar al Awlaki, Nasir al Wuhayshi, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, Abu Yahya al Libi, Atiyah Abd al Rahman (referred to as Atiyatallah), and Khalid al Husainan.
The list is no accident. Ansar al Sharia regularly promotes sermons delivered by some of these same ideologues. Web banners used to advertise the speeches, which were first produced by al Qaeda, can be seen at the end of this article.
Throughout December and January, the organizations radio station, Ather al Madinah, posted clips on social media of lectures by Nadhari and Rubaish, two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) clerics who were killed in 2015.
One of Nadharis talks was divided into seven parts. He covered various theological issues, including the concept of tawheed (or the oneness of Allah). Nadhari explained in another sermon why Muslims should answer the call to jihad.
Several lectures by Rubaish, a former Guantanamo detainee who became an influential AQAP theologian after he was released from US custody, covered similar themes. In one, Rubaish advised Muslims to avoid selling out their religion for the pleasures of this world. Still another featured Rubaish and Nadhari together.
Abu Yahya al Libis speeches have also been rebroadcast by Ather al Madinah. Al Libi blasted the supposed false idol of democracy in a talk disseminated online in December.
Al Libi was one of al Qaedas most prominent ideologues at the time of his death in June 2012. On Sept. 10 2012, al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri confirmed al Libis death in a video released online. Zawahiri also called on Libyans to avenge his fallen comrade. Ansar al Sharia Libya and other al Qaeda groups attacked an American diplomatic mission and the CIAs so-called Annex the following day.
Ansar al Sharia continues to refer to the Benghazi assault in its propaganda. In a short video released in December, for instance, the groups fighters are shown chanting: O tell lowly America that we will free Abu Khattala.
Abu Khattala is the lone suspect from the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi raids in American custody. A screen shot of the fighters who chanted in the video can be seen on the right. The video was shot at a training camp named after Mohammed al Zahawi, Ansar al Sharias first emir (or leader), who died as a result of injuries in either late 2014 or early 2015.
After Zahawis death was confirmed in January 2015, Nadhari released a eulogy for the slain jihadist. Nadhari explained that Zahawi had personally met with Osama bin Laden in the 1990s in Sudan and adopted al Qaedas methodology at that time.
Although Ansar al Sharia Libya was initially portrayed by some as purely a local jihadist group, it has been a part of the al Qaeda network since its inception in 2011. The Long War Journal has documented the organizations ties to al Qaeda and its branch in North Africa, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), on multiple occasions.
And the group now openly promotes al Qaeda clerics to its followers on a regular basis.
Ansar al Sharia Libyas banner ads promoting the lectures delivered by al Qaeda ideologues
Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, an AQAP official killed in January 2015:
Ibrahim Rubaish, an ex-Guantanamo detainee who became an AQAP official and was killed in April 2015:
Rubaish and Nadhari together:
Abu Yahya al Libi was a senior al Qaeda ideologue until his death in June 2012:
Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.
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Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji Debuts Elopement Package
The package allows the bride and groom to stay for seven luxurious nights while paying for only five.The Elopement Package includes an intimate wedding ceremony, complete with every detail from a wedding bouquet and crown to a Fijian choir. Set on a deserted, sandy beach with the calm waters of Savusavu Bay as a backdrop, this simple, beautiful ceremony begins with the beating of the lali drum as the groom is escorted by Fijian warriors to the traditionally-decorated palm frond and floral altar to await his bride. The sound of the davui, a conch shell which is blown, signals the procession of the bride, which begins as she is led along the beachfront by Fijian warriors and presented to her groom. At the completion of the ceremony, the bride and groom are guided through a traditional kava ceremony and presented with Champagne. The celebration continues with an intimate feast on a lantern-lit romantic pier. Also included in the package are pre and post-ceremony festivities, including a facial and manicure, honeymoon picnic on a deserted private island, and a couple's massage.The Elopement Package is available May 1-31, October 9 - December 18, 2016, and January 8 -March 17, 2017. The all-inclusive package also includes a meet and greet at Nadi International Airport and Savusavu domestic airport, bure accommodation, all a la carte meals, most resort activities including five off-site excursions scheduled on a weekly basis, boat snorkel trips with resident marine biologist, snorkeling equipment, Wi-Fi, and return vehicle transfers from Savusavu Airport to the resort. Starting rates for the Elopement Package begin at FJD12,875 for a seven-night stay in a range of luxurious beachfront bures.Nestled in one of the world's most pristine and spectacular settings, surrounded by elegant palms, a mystic mountain backdrop, and the calming Savusavu Bay, the eco-luxury Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is the leading destination in the South Pacific for couples seeking to experience authentic romance, magical natural surroundings, warm Fijian hospitality, world-class dining, and an exclusive escape from daily life. A pioneer in experiential travel, the resort offers an outstanding lineup of romantic activities, such as day trips to a private island, intimate dinners on the pier, and an array of Fijian-inspired spa treatments. The environmentally and socially-conscious resort also offers couples an engaging, cultural experience with the local community, resulting in an emotional connection that continues to bring guests back year after year. For more information or reservations, please visitor contact Randy Gardner at info@fijiresort.com.
The King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf Visits Los Cabos
King Carl Gustaf practiced one of his lifelong hobbies, sport fishing, together with his entourage. As part of his agenda, the King met with local marine biologists and entrepreneurs to learn about the success story of Los Cabos combining fishing and tourism in a sustainable way.His Majesty's visit was inspired by the popular Swedish documentary, "The Old Man and the Sea - The Expedition," where Solmar's founder, the late Don Luis Bulnes, played a key role being a strong supporter of the project even during its early stages. The Martin Falklind documentary depicts an adventurous journey as two friends follow in the footsteps of Hemingway going Marlin fishing off a kayak. Recreating the narrative, Falklind, the filmmaker, accompanied the king in search of a marlin in the abounding waters of Los Cabos.King Carl Gustaf, the Honorary President for the World Wildlife Fund in Sweden, has long been interested and active in the long-term health of our oceans and conservation of marine life, with projects that include the protection of salmon and improving the potential of Sweden as a sport fishing nation. His Majesty looked to Los Cabos as an inspiration of a thriving tourism destination relying on the sea for its livelihood. One of the visit's goals was taking back valuable knowledge to position sustainable sport fishing as a mean to create growth, employment and investment in his country- a goal similarly shared and achieved by Don Luis Bulnes.The Solmar legacy dates back to the 1950s when Don Luis, a young tuna cannery manager, embarked on an adventure of his own as he built the area's first sport fishing fleet and later a five-property hotel collection, putting Cabo on the tourism map. Mr. Bulnes was also an advocate of sustainable fishing and founder of the Mexican Billfish Foundation.As part of his stay, King Carl Gustaf enjoyed a variety of fishing expeditions, from navigating in small pangas to fishing aboard a large big game boat with the namesake of Don Luis. During his stay, the King was delighted to catch a striped marlin, which was tagged and released.Taking advantage of prime whale watching season in Los Cabos, his Majesty also participated in a whale watching excursion. Another highlight of his trip was snorkeling with whale sharks in La Paz.For more information on Solmar Hotels & Resorts properties, visit: http://www.solmar.com
The Unofficial Guide to Washington D.C., An Insider's Guide
With advice that is direct, prescriptive, and detailed, it takes the guesswork out of travel by unambiguously rating and ranking everything from attractions to rental car companies. With The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. you know what's available in every category, from the best to the worst. Step-by-step detailed plans allow readers to make the most of their time in our nation's capital.Five great features and benefits offered only by The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C.: Details on the best guided tours on foot and by boat, bus, horse carriage, Segway, bicycle, and trolley A complete guide to Washington's cultural and historic sights, with helpful hints for making the most of your time Hotels reviewed and ranked for value and quality, plus secrets for getting the lowest rate possible Everything you need to know to get around quickly and easilyAbout the authors: Eve Zibart is the author of several books, including The Unofficial Guide to New Orleans, The Unofficial Guide to New York City, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for Grown-ups, and The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion. She spent many years as a feature writer, nightlife columnist, and restaurant critic for The Washington Post and has contributed to numerous magazines, including Cosmopolitan, US Airways magazine, Capitol File, Gotham, Philadelphia Style, Ocean Drive, and others. Renee Sklarew was raised in the D.C. area and writes about her hometown for numerous publications, including The Washington Post, the Washingtonian, Northern Virginia magazine, and VivaTysons magazine. She contributed to Fodor's Washington D.C. guidebook in 2013 and 2014, and is thrilled to be part of the Unofficial Guide team so she may offer readers her insider's advice about navigating the city from a parent's point of view. Len Testa is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, The Unofficial Guide: The Color Companion to Walt Disney World, and The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. Len leads the team at TouringPlans.com, the website and research arm of The Unofficial Guides. Len lives in Greensboro, N.C.Buy book on Amazon.com:Photo: Hay Adams Hotel Federal Suite
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.
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As part of our #BREAKFREE from racism week, we're exploring racial and religious discrimination. Sophie Dishman explains why nobody is immune...
Im a woman - of faith. I am a Buddhist.
Yes, Im one of those people that follows the teachings of the big, fat, laughing man who, when you rub his belly, gives you good luck - supposedly. (In case you dont know who he is, hes called Buddha.)
But in the past few months, Ive had some shocking comments thrust towards me, simply because of my religion or my way of life as I prefer to call it.
In the past few days alone Ive had comments like - 'Youre a Buddha arent you?' and 'they are tree huggers!'. But for me, the one Ive found to be the most offensive is, 'I should be a Buddhist, things dont make me happy.' As if it was that simple.
I began my path of enlightenment half a decade ago, having been a Christian for 10 years. You could say that Ive always been a person of faith, as I was baptised a few months after my birth. Regardless, being a woman and being religious does have its consequences.
I frequently get asked, But what is Buddhism about? and when I openly tell people, my answers are usually met with a disconcerting upward gaze and raised eyebrows, almost with a hint of snobbery. Is there anything wrong with employing moral behaviours and attributing them to someone from the past? There seems to be - unfortunately. Buddhism is regarded in many countries as a religion of tolerance, love and compassion. Christianity promotes moral behaviours, as does Islam, so why should Buddhism be seen any differently? Why is it OK to publicly dismiss one religion? Is it because it's seen as less of a threat?
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Im a woman. You cant identify me as a Buddhist, unless you read into it or know me quite well. Some Buddhists choose to wear yellow or white to represent the Middle Way, and yellow is also the colour of Buddhas robes. Other Buddhists wear modern clothing but focus on the colours of the Buddhist flag; yellow, white, orange, blue or red. The different colours represent the important concepts of Buddhism. Some of us choose to cover up.
When people ask me about Buddhist dress, some seem interested. But most people find it odd. They shrug their shoulders and tell me I should 'get with real society'. But what's normal for them shouldn't have to be for me.
People who are religious are placed into another category (or sometimes on another planet) for believing in 'sky-fairies', as someone once said to me. Ive also been told that women should be practical and not theoretical in their beliefs.
I have felt prejudice because of my religion. Theres the belief that I can't feel bad or get irritated about things and sometimes that means people can - and do - take advantage of me. Its happened before and its offensive. I still get jealous and annoyed like any other human being and thats okay as Im still learning. But when people say my emotions mean I'm 'not a proper Buddhist', that hurts. My faith means a lot to me. I'm trying.
If I look at myself in the mirror and feel a pang of low self-confidence, my faith tells me to be optimistic and to be kind to myself. Theres nothing immoral in that. It doesnt make me narcissistic, it makes me confident. I dont hold a grudge either and thats because I dont like to get attached to things. People always ask me to explain my behaviour because I am a Buddhist. 'Why do you do that?' is something I often hear. I dont mind explaining, but I do feel like I'm asked more because of my gender.
When we bring mental health into the picture, things can get even more complex. So Im a woman of faith - who also has mental health problems. Suddenly I'm a 'mad woman', who doesn't have her beliefs taken seriously. Being Buddhist helps me with my mental health, but the gender codes of society label me in a way which means I feel guilty for being anxious. Like my behaviour and my faith isnt normal. I then feel guilty for being Buddhist - and I shouldnt. Its my religion and Ill practice it how I like - meditation, chants and all.
I'm not hurting anyone.
But people are hurting me.
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Us Brits can finally join the beauty party...
It has been a long wait, but Marc Jacobs Beauty is finally available to buy in the UK. Horrah!
Ever since the much-lauded gel eye crayons and irrisistably foundations launched in cult US store Sephora back in 2013, weve been longing to get our hands on the great formulas and sleek packaging. But now us Brits can finally join the party thanks to Harrods and Harrods.com who have exclusively snapped up thecollection.
Renowned for its innovative formula and intense pigments, the range of colourful cosmetics and luxurious brushes are available both in-store and online just in time for Valentines Day, hint hint.
Speaking of the collection, Jacobs commented: "I see beauty in many things and I am attracted to all sorts of imperfection - to style, to confidence or experimentation. It's unexpected and surprises you... I think the idea of transforming into this person you want to be is a lot of fun. It's this idea ofa young woman enjoying creating her look, getting ready for her night out, or her night after her night out."
A firm favourite among the beauty team, the Marie Claire HQ can certainly vouch for the great quality. On a recent trip to New York, we were amazed to find gorgeously thick nail polishes which only need one coat and divine musky fragrances which, until now, where sold exclusively in the US.
But thanks to Harrods we can now snap up the brands new Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara and the legendary Re(Marc)Able Full Cover Foundation as well as host of products for the face, lips, nails and face.
With prices starting at 15 for one of the must-own pebble-shaped bottles of high-shine nail polish, we think Harrods may just have become our new favourite beauty destination
Marie Claire newsletter Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Thank you for signing up to . You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions (opens in new tab) and Privacy Policy (opens in new tab) and are aged 16 or over.
Kate Middleton made a bold style statement as she met with young cadets in Ayrshire
Kate Middleton upped the style ante in a red Armani coat this morning (Friday) adding a welcome dose of colour to the grey skies as she met with young cadets at Dumfries House in Scotland.
KATE MIDDLETON WEARS TARTAN FOR VISIT TO SCOTLAND
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a second day of commitments in Scotland as Prince Charles joined them. The trio opened the new Tamar Manoukian Outdoor Centre, East Ayrshire and meet with young people serving in the cadet forces.
For the event Kate Middleton made a strong statement in a red coat worn with her favourite black knee-high boots as well as essential gloves! The mother-to-be also used the opportunity to perform another style re-run wearing the Strathearn tartan scarf she debuted during the Queens Jubilee boat parade last year.
KATE MIDDLETON REVEALS HER DUE DATE AND SHORTLIST OF BABY NAMES
Its a good job Duchess Kate rapped up warm, part of her morning itinerary includes watching members of Youth United, (a group Prince Charles formed in 2009 to include the Scout Association, Girlguiding, St Johns Ambulance as well as army, air and sea cadets) tackle an obstacle course.
Prince Charles was mindful of the cold as he explained hed make a short speech to allow everyone to get inside and warm up during one of the coldest Aprils on record. The royals visit to Dumfries House will culminate in a flypast by three Typhoons by 6 squadron RAF Leuchars providing a pretty display.
KATE MIDDLETON ON HOW SHES STAYING CALM AHEAD OF BIRTH
Kate and William will then move to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria to spend the afternoon learning about new nuclear powered submarines being built for the Royal Navy.
Then itll be time for more meeting and greeting as the royal couple visit the production facilities of the Vanguard replacement programme before speaking with the crew of Artful and their families.
WATCH! Kate Middletons best moments
KATE MIDDLETONS BIRTHING PLAN REVEALED
ROSARIO DAWSON: KATE MIDDLETON IS AN INSPIRATION
KATE MIDDLETONS BEST EVER DRESSES
KATE MIDDLETONS STYLE HIGHS AND LOWS Got a tablet? You can now download Marie Claire magazine straight to your iPad (opens in new tab), Kindle (opens in new tab) (just search the store for 'Marie Claire magazine'), Nook or Google Nexus (opens in new tab).
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What do you get when you cross a Baywatch icon with a Motley Crue rocker?
What do you get when you cross a Baywatch icon with a Motley Crue rocker? The answer is Dylan Jagger Lee, son of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, who is the latest celebrity offspring to find some fame of his own as the star of the new Saint Laurent video teaser.
Saint Laurent creative director Hedi Slimane (opens in new tab) shot 18 year-old Dylan on a beach in Malibu (where else) for a series of portraits and videos ahead of the brands LA-based fashion show at the Palladium on 10th February. The show, which will feature both mens and womens collections and is being held in Hollywood for the first time, is rumoured to be Hedis last at the helm, as he is tipped to take over at either Dior or Chanel.
To get a better introduction to Dylan (because who wouldnt want that?) we took a look at the star-in-the-makings Instagram account, and discovered that he loves surfing, plays guitar, and is really, really ridiculously good-looking.
Hedi has long had a reputation for discovering Hollywoods next big names, and in his other life as a photographer on the Californian rock scene, hes brought the likes of Frances Bean Cobain (daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love) and Dylan Brosnan (son of Pierce) to our attention.
As is tradition, Dylan Lee is now expected to walk in the brands catwalk show next week a pivotal moment for both our crush of the day, and the fashion house itself. In the meantime though, let's take a look at some of Dylan's best Instagram moments, shall we?
Pamela Anderson with son Dylan Lee
Dylan Lee for Saint Laurent
Dylan Lee for Saint Laurent
See even more pictures by clicking through our gallery...
Mission to educate the public about the benefits and opportunities in the marine industry
Carleen Lyden-Kluss, Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Marketing & Communications, along with RADM Cari B. Thomas of the United States Coast Guard were recently appointed IMO Maritime Ambassadors by the International Maritime Organization. The two were nominated for this positon by the United States Coast Guard.
An IMO Ambassador is an advocate for maritime and seafaring professions and actively conducts community outreach activities which encourage young people to consider careers at sea or in the maritime industry. IMO Maritime Ambassadors are encouraged to share their passion about the maritime world with others, particularly young people who are starting out on their further education, apprenticeships and career pathways. The IMO Ambassador Scheme was launched in February 2015 as an initiative to emphasize the importance of the maritime industry. The program depends on the experiences of people in maritime careers to promote it.
Thomas and Lyden-Kluss were nominated by the United States Coast Guard because of their extensive careers in different maritime activities as well as their unique interest in maritime education and training opportunities for students, stated a Coast Guard announcement. Thomas and Lyden-Kluss are two of the first IMO ambassadors from the United States and are congratulated on their appointments!
RADM Cari Thomas assumed duties as Assistant Commandant for Human Resources in June 2015. In this capacity, she is responsible for implementing the vision for human capital management; to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse, proficient, effective workforce to meet the current and future needs of the Coast Guards nearly 60,000 member active duty, reserve and civilian workforce.
Carleen Lyden-Kluss Kluss is a marketing and communications professional who has been engaged in the commercial maritime industry for nearly 40 years. Her passion, and mission, is the promotion of the maritime industry and its value to global society. In her work with the North American Ministry Association (NAMMA), she has become an advocate for seafarers and their welfare.
While working with NAMMA, she brought the World Maritime Day to North America in 2006, and with NAMEPA has created an observance every year, rotating between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. She was instrumental in producing the World Maritime Day Parallel Event in 2009 in the United States, and most recently, Carleen collaborated on the North American World Maritime Day Conference on Maritime Education and Training in Linthicum, MD.
In 2007, Carleen co-founded NAMEPA, whose mission is to engage industry, regulators, environmental groups and educators to develop strategies to protect the marine environment and to educate seafarers, port communities and students to Save our Seas. Under this banner, she has been able to reach out to millions of students urging them to learn more about the maritime industry, and to port communities and the public at large throughout North America and the Caribbean explaining the value proposition of the maritime industry and the opportunities to enter the field for a lifelong career.
In 2014, Carleen co-Founded the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage (CIMH) whose goal is to unite the modern day industry with its antecedents to educate the public on its importance.
When asked for her goals as an IMO Ambassador, Carleen expects to deliver presentations at regional Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce, informational sessions on the industry through the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (highly organized afterschool programs offered to underserved populations) and regional Key Clubs (high school student volunteer programs), work closely with maritime high schools and academies to promote the benefits of our industry and its structure (IMO), develop a series of Whats up in Maritime videos which can be targeted towards a variety of populations as well as uploaded to YouTube, further develop the Consortium for International Maritime Heritage which will serve to promote the maritime industry and the IMO, and reinforce to the public that the shipping industry is a highly regulated industry by the IMO. This is a factor that is often overlooked by the public, who continue to perceive us as lawless cowboys doing whatever we want on the high seas she commented.
IMO will share information provided by the Maritime Ambassadors on the activities they have undertaken via its social media networks.
Parties bring together technical capabilities on trans-Arctic shipping
Facing changing climate conditions in the Arctic which have effectively generated new opportunities shipping in the region, classification society ABS and commercial shipper China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) have signed a cooperation agreement aiming to enhave trans-Arctic shipping development.
Signing the agreement in Shanghai were ABS Greater China Division President and COO Eric Kleess and Captain Meijiang Cai, Director of COSCO Safety & Technology Supervision Division. ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Howard Fireman and COSCO Executive Vice President Yuhang Wang were also in attendance at the signing ceremony.
As shifting climate conditions open new operational and trading opportunities in previously unnavigable areas, several new attractive opportunities are no presented to the global shipping industry. Using the Northern Sea Route for a voyage between the principal Asian and European ports, for example, reduces the sailing distance by nearly 4,000 miles compared to the traditional route through the Suez Canal.
With these opportunities in mind, COSCO and ABS aim to expand COSCOs use of the Northeast Passage for more regular trading, explore navigation in Northwest Passage, and develop ice-classed vessel types appropriate for Trans-Arctic shipping. The parties will begin by establishing a cooperative initiative on Arctic Shipping Technology Development.
ABS is excited to work with COSCO to develop this pioneering trading route, Kleess said. Combining ABS technical experience with COSCOs successful use of the Northeast Passage with the first Chinese merchant ship, Yongsheng, navigating this route creates a solid foundation for jointly promoting the development of sustainable shipping in Arctic waters.
We are proud of the successful navigation through Arctic waters and the contribution we are making to Trans-Arctic shipping, Captain Cai said. Further cooperation between COSCO and ABS will allow us to make new contributions to the sustainable use of Arctic sea routes.
1848 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War and establishes the boundaries between the two republics.
1862 - Capt. David G. Farragut, commander of his flagship, the screw sloop of war Hartford, departs Hampton Roads for Ship Island, Miss., where Farragut takes command of the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron in preparation for the assault on New Orleans.
1938 - While piloting a PBY-2 aircraft in a tactical exercise off California, Lt. Carlton B. Hutchins collides with another VP-11 PBY-2. Remaining at his badly damaged planes controls, Hutchins courageously allows members of his crew to parachute to safety, but is killed in the planes subsequent crash. For his "extraordinary heroism," he is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
1942 - USS Seadragon (SS 194) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Tamagawa Maru.
1943 - A Japanese destroyer is damaged, and later scuttled, by a mine laid by US Navy light minelayers off Cape Esperance.
1944 - Destroyer USS Walker (DD 517) sinks Japanese submarine RO 39, 10 miles east of Wotje, Marshall Islands.
(Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division)
General Darren McDew, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, visited State University of New York Maritime College February 1.
During the visit McDew toured the campus and Maritime Colleges Training Ship Empire State VI, where he spoke with cadets about their experiences on the training ship and Military Sealift Command ships.
SUNY Maritime College, along with the other state maritime academies, is responsible for producing 70 percent of the unlimited tonnage licensed mariners that keep our nation safe and economy strong, said RADM Michael Alfultis, president of the college. As the largest of the state academies, Maritime College holds a special place in that role and we welcomed the opportunity to show our facilities to Gen. McDew.
The U.S. Transportation Command is the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense. It is also the operational commander for Military Sea Lift, which provides the civilian mariners responsible for operating the ships that support the nations missions in times of peace and war.
Approximately 70 percent of Maritime Colleges graduates earn their Coast Guard licenses after completing three summer sea terms and other required training on the Empire State VI. The training ship is more than 50 years old and will reach the end of its service life in 2019. Maritime Colleges administration is working with the five other state maritime academies, the U.S. Maritime Administration, elected officials and others to secure funds to build replacement vessels for the aging training ships. The ships are owned by the federal government and operated by the state maritime academies.
Replacing the Empire State VI with a new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel will ensure that SUNY Maritime students continue to get necessary real-world training with the additional ability of the ship to be used for disaster response, Alfultis said.
McDew has been commander of the U.S. Transportation Command since August 2015. He received his Air Force commission in 1982 and, since then, has logged more than 3,300 flight hours. He served for two years as an Air Force aide to President Bill Clinton, as vice director for strategic plans and policy for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and as commander of Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base.
Over the course of his career, McDew has been decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legon of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal, among more than a dozen others.
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Nine-line received and patients enroute, yells a corpsman. Immediately, several others prepare the medical tent to tend to the injuries of fellow service members on their way to be treated for notional injuries.
Sailors with 2nd Medical Battalion conducted Shock Trauma Squad training at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune North Carolina, Jan. 28, 2016 in preparation for an upcoming exercise, -Cold Response 16.1, in Norway, March of this year.
We are getting the Norway personnel ready to deploy, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Christina Erickson, a training corpsman with the battalion. These sailors just got back from cold weather training in Bridgeport, Calif. and we are getting ready to deploy as a STS.
An STS is a small version of a medical platoon that has been scaled to size to meet the requirements for the upcoming exercise.
Role-players were dressed-up with fake injuries and sailors had to perform their duties as they would in a real-life scenario. The sailors started the exercise with injured patients flying in on a notional helicopter. The corpsmen assessed and treated every patient in a designated medical tent, as they would for a real-life injury.
We are going to be in extremely cold weather, Erickson said. So we have these role-players injuries geared to those types of injuries, such as snow blindness, high-altitude injuries, hypothermia and frostbite.
Another key reason for conducting this training is to make sure these sailors are capable of handling any situation that may arise with the equipment supplied.
A big part of this training is to make sure [the sailors] know how to use the equipment, and how to set it up, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Brennon Brown, a combat management instructor with the battalion. Medical training is continuous for us, but making sure they know how to use the equipment properly is equally as important.
As the sailors worked, they were being evaluated on the methods they used. After each scenario the corpsmen were debriefed and had to explain what they found on the patient, how they treated them and why.
So far the corpsmen are doing very well, Erickson said. Some of these [sailors] have done this stuff before, but for some this is the first time they are experiencing treating these types of injuries. They are learning fast and showing they have what it takes to complete the mission in Norway.
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Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 252, II Marine Expeditionary Force, completed Mountain Exercise 1-16, a cold weather training exercise, at Mountain Warfare Training Center, Jan. 11-15, 2016.
This training prepared the unit for Cold Response 16, a large, multi-national exercise that will take place in Norway in March of this year. The exercise will allow Marines to work side-by-side with their NATO partners and allies.
Marines spent the first few day of Mountain Exercise at lower base camp, where they took several basic survival classes in preparation for their ascent up the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Marines learned how to properly use the gear, wear the correct warming layers, and boil snow to make water, said Capt. Robert Dyer, camp commandant with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion.
As the Marines hiked their way up the snowy hillsides, they put what they learned to work. They dug out holes in the snow for their cold weather tents, and purified drinking water in between classes on mountain survival.
The Marines brought more down from the mountain than what they took up; they walked away with a new set of skills and a new-found respect for cold weather environments, which will lead to their success in Cold Response.
Ive learned not to rely on my units resources, but off of the resources provided in my surroundings, said Cpl. Steven Diez, data network specialist from CLB 252. I definitely feel more confident after spending time in a cold weather environment that I can survive and become more self-sustaining in this kind of atmosphere.
After completing the training at MWTC, Marines with II MEF are more ready than ever to work alongside their allies in a cold weather environment.
We appreciate the support of our NATO allies and partners and are excited to work with them during Cold Response 16, said Dyer.
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A bill introduced in the General Assembly by Del. Danny Marshall is designed to help the New College Institute (NCI) become a branch campus of a public university.
Marshall, R-Danville and a member of NCIs board of directors, introduced the bill on Jan. 22. The bill would let NCI and any public university in Virginia enter into an operations and governance agreement that would lead to the merger of the schools or the university being delegated or assigned some or all of the institutes duties.
The bill now is before the House Committee on Educations higher education subcommittee.
State Sens. Bill Stanley, R-Glade Hill; Del. Les Adams, R-Chatham; Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Glade Hill; and Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, are co-patrons of the bill. Stanley and Toscano also are on NCIs board.
Marshall said the bill also is supported by state Sen. Emmett Hanger Jr., R-Mt. Solon, and another member of the institutes board.
"They all agree that its the right thing to do," he said of the lawmakers.
The Henry County Board of Supervisors and Martinsville City Council have drafted a joint resolution in support of the bill. The supervisors will consider adopting the resolution during its planning session this afternoon, and the council will consider adopting it during a special meeting Wednesday morning.
NCI, which was established in 2006, is funded by the state and The Harvest Foundation. It provides local access to higher-level courses needed to earn certain bachelors and masters degrees from various colleges and universities statewide. The degrees generally are ones needed for careers for which workers are in demand in Southern Virginia.
The institute, based on Fayette Street in uptown Martinsville, also provides training and professional development programs in response to the needs of industries and other businesses in the region.
It was established to help make it easier and more affordable for area residents to earn degrees. Southern Virginia is the only region of the state without a public university, and private universities generally are more expensive to attend without financial aid than public ones, officials have said.
About five years ago, NCI entered into discussions with several universities about potentially becoming a branch campus of one of them. However, its board and the universities mutually decided that the timing was not right. Due to state financial constraints, if a university wanted to establish a branch campus, it would have had to find money within its own budget to do so, which would have caused them problems, Leanna Blevins, acting executive director and chief academic officer for the institute, has said.
"The original vision for NCI was to serve as a branch campus for an existing four-year university, or an eventual stand-alone four-year facility," but that vision was "halted by a faltering economy," the proposed resolution of the supervisors and the council states.
"The path toward (NCI) becoming a four-year institution always has been the ultimate goal" of both localities, as the citys strategic plan and the countys annual legislative packages show, the resolution reads.
"NCIs current organizational structure is of great benefit to Martinsville and Henry County," the resolution continues, but "an even greater impact could come with conversion to a branch of a four-year institution or as a stand-alone four-year institution."
Blevins has said that NCI continues to explore options for its future. Yet there have been no recent discussions with any universities about potentially taking the institute under their wings.
Marshall said he and Poindexter plan to discuss the idea with representatives of a university today. He declined to identify that university, but he said "its a well-established university, a household name."
He was unable to predict the outcome of the discussion. But if the idea is well-received by the university, many more discussions will be needed before a merger could come occur, he indicated.
"Its like trying to get a job," he said. "Its not often that you get a job the first time you knock on somebodys door."
In the future, "if we find somebody to merge with this (bill) would speed up the process a bit," Marshall said.
Under the bill, an operations and governance agreement between NCI and a university would have to be ratified by at least two-thirds of the members of both the institutes board and the universitys board.
Two-thirds is "a pretty high threshold," Marshall said. But the bills patrons "want to make sure that both groups know what theyre getting into" if they decide to pursue a merger.
Martinsville Police Chief Sean Dunn confirmed Monday that he is one of three finalists for the police chiefs job in Portsmouth.
Dunn said, however, that he believes he will not be offered the job and, if that is the case, he will be glad to stay in Martinsville.
"Ive been working like Im going to stay here," he said.
He expects to find out by the end of the week whether he will be made an offer.
Dunn has headed the Martinsville Police Department since May 2014. He previously spent 21 years his entire career until he came to Martinsville with the Portsmouth Police Department and rose through its ranks over the years. His last job there was as police commander.
Dunn said he applied for the chiefs job in Portsmouth in mid-November, a couple of days before the deadline. He said he had not planned to apply, but family members and friends there pressured him to seek the job.
"I figured, hey, why not put my name into the hat," he said.
According to The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, the other two candidates being considered for the Portsmouth job are Tonya Chapman, the states deputy secretary of public safety and homeland security who previously was the Richmond Police Departments deputy chief, and Michael Moore, an instructor at John Tyler Community College in Chester who previously was a special agent for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
"I believe Im a competitive contender" for the job, Dunn said. "I know the people (in Portsmouth). I know the ins and outs. I know the strengths and weaknesses of the police department and the community."
But "my gut feeling is that I wont be the candidate" selected, he said.
He thinks Chapman will be the person hired, based on what "folks close to the inside scoop" in Portsmouth city government tell him, he said.
Frankly, "shes the right person for the position," Dunn said. "Shes got a lot of experience, and shes got fresh ideas" that could benefit Portsmouth, based on its uniqueness as a community, he said.
Portsmouth is a city with a population of roughly 96,000 in the metropolitan Tidewater region. It is seven times larger than Martinsville, and it has a problem with violent crime there were 27 homicides in the city last year, Dunn said. He attributed the problem to "a tough economy and a tough socioeconomic situation" there.
Dunn worked for various police chiefs in Portsmouth. Leading that citys police department is "a difficult job that it takes a special person" to do, he said.
Amid the violence, "people get hurt when police are not at their peak performance," he added.
Dunn said Moore is "a good friend of mine, and hes also an excellent candidate."
"He lives there. He loves Portsmouth, and he probably feels its a great opportunity to give back to the city he loves," Dunn said, speculating as to why Moore applied.
Asked whether he has applied for any other jobs since he has been in Martinsville, Dunn said "there was another position that I expressed some interest in," but he declined to elaborate. He also said he has been contacted about whether he would be interested in some other jobs, but he was not interested in those.
"Im not trying to get out of Martinsville. I can assure you of that," Dunn said. "Im very happy here."
"I love Martinsville. It has a very professional (police) department. Ive received a lot of support from the city manager, and the city council has been very supportive" of his work, he continued.
He said that City Manager Leon Towarnicki is aware that he applied for the Portsmouth job. Towarnicki could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Dunn and the other two candidates spoke during a forum Saturday night at a high school in Portsmouth. After the forum, residents told him they would like to see him come back and lead the police department there, he said.
While input from the community as to who should be named police chief has been sought, ultimately it will be up to Portsmouth City Manager Lydia Pettis-Patton to decide who is hired, he said.
Pettis-Patton also could not be reached.
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As I look over the course of my life, its unmistakable how Ive been blessed by the example and presence of people I can only describe as h...
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President and CEO of Rocky's Ace Hardware, Rocco Falcone II, seen here at center, congratulates the owners of of Rogers Ace Hardware in Bath, Maine.
(photo provided)
SPRINGFIELD - Rocky's Ace Hardware, a New England based, family-owned business with neighborhood hardware stores is proud to announce today, the acquisition of Rogers Ace Hardware in Bath Maine.
Rogers Ace Hardware has been serving MidCoast Maine for more than 140 years, being established in 1872. The present 28,000 square foot retail store has beenlocated at 55 Congress Avenue, just off Route 1, since 1985.
Although, gradually over the next several months, the name will change, there will be no interruption in the quality service that the area's loyal customers have come to depend on. John Hichborn and the Rogers family have owned and run the family business for four generations. John will be staying on to ensure a smooth transition over the next several months, Rocky's said in a news release.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for the community to benefit from the Rocky's family of hardware stores. I'm positive our customers are going to be impressed by their renowned customer service." Said Mr. Hichborn. "I am genuinely pleased to find a fellow Ace retailer; the Falcone family, comprising of James, Claire and Rocco II; who have been running their enterprise for three generations to acquire our family business," added Hichborn.
The President and CEO of Rocky's Ace Hardware, Rocco Falcone II stated:
"John and Gayle Hichborn, along with their loyal staff, are known in the greater Bath area for their knowledge and expert advice; we look forward to serving the Roger's customer base with the same qualities they have depended on for so many years. The familiar faces will remain, just as will the award winning service. The name may change, but not the values generations of Midcoast Maine residents have come to appreciate."
The store has achieved a fine reputation of knowledgeable service and of having a great selection of products for both homeowners and businesses, alike. "We do not anticipate any change to the core business and well established values the Rogers team has delivered year after year." Said Geoffrey Webb, Director of Marketing and Advertising.
"The acquisition of a new store in this market strengthens our presence in the Northeast and helps us serve the needs of the great community of MidCoast Maine," Said Rocco Falcone. "My family is proud to have the opportunity to be connected with this legendary business the fine folks at Rogers have had in place for so many generations." Mr. Falcone added.
AMHERST Scholars as well as the lay public have yet to fully appreciate the radical and emancipatory nature of abolition that should be a source of inspiration for contemporary activists and citizens who fight against racial and other forms of injustice, says the author of a history of abolition.
In her book, "The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition," author Manisha Sinha shows that rather than being composed of white, bourgeois, racially paternalistic reformers, abolitionism was a radical movement of women and men, black and white, slave and free who supported feminism, labor rights and utopian socialism.
"I argue that slave resistance did not lie outside the movement but was the essential precondition and constitutive of abolition," she said. "Abolition was a radical movement that overlapped with international social movements like utopian socialism (and) early feminism, and led many abolitionists to espouse the rights of labor (and) American Indians and develop incipient critiques of economic inequality and European imperialism."
In celebration of Black History Month, a panel of historians from the Five College Consortium will discuss the book Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Goodell Hall at the University of Massachusetts from 4 to 6 p.m. Participants who will discuss the book with the author are: Elizabeth Pryor, Smith College, Northampton; Lynda Morgan, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley; Susan Tracy, Hampshire College, Amherst; Martha Saxton, Amherst College; and Bruce Laurie, University of Massachusetts emeritus.
It will be followed by a reception and book signing, with books available for purchase.
The event is free and open to the public.
Relying on extensive archival research and newly discovered materials, "The Slave's Cause" explores the influence on abolition of the Haitian Revolution and slave resistance. By viewing the impact of the movement within its international context, the book illustrates how the abolitionist vision linked the slave's cause to the struggle to redefine American democracy and human rights throughout the world.
"Most Americans do not realize that African Americans were never the passive recipients of the gift of freedom but architects of their own liberation and that in fighting for their own freedom and rights they have pushed the American democratic experiment forward," said Sinha, a professor of Afro-American Studies and History who teaches the history of slavery, abolition, the Civil War and Reconstruction. "It is an important fact to remember during Black History Month, what the great activist and scholar W.E.B. Du Bois called the part black folk have played in reconstructing American democracy."
IF YOU GO
Event:
Discussion of the book "The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition"
When:
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 4 to 6 p.m.
Where:
Goodell Hall at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Cost:
Free
For more information:
Call (413) 542-4017
A co-author of "Contested Democracy: Freedom, Race, and Power in American History and The Abolitionist Imagination," Sinha wrote "The Counterrevolution of Slavery: Politics and Ideology in Antebellum South Carolina," which was named one of the 10 best books written on slavery by Professor Sven Beckert, Laird Professor of History at Harvard University.
To be published Feb. 23 by Yale University Press, "The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition" lists for $37 and has 784 pages.
The author said it "overturns and questions so much of the conventional historical wisdom on abolition and reconstructs the long history of abolition from the eighteenth century to the Civil War."
She began writing the book as a history of black abolitionists but soon realized that she could not write about them in isolation from the broader movement. "I also realized that such an approach allowed historians of abolition to either ignore or marginalize the contributions of African Americans, free and enslaved, to the abolition movement," she said.
Regarding the panel discussion about the book, Sinha said: "We are lucky to live in the valley where we have five institutions with experts on aspects of abolition. My colleagues in the Five Colleges will discuss the different themes in this fairly big book, slave resistance, black abolitionism, women's rights, abolitionist print culture and the national and international politics of slavery. I thought it would be a nice way to introduce a broader lay audience to the major arguments of the book and generate a discussion between the panelists and audience. A democratic exchange of ideas that abolitionists encouraged!"
For more information, call (413) 542-4017.
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It's a pretty big deal when you can join the ranks of artists such as Janet Jackson, Kerry Washington and Lawrence Fishburne, and that's exactly what Springfield native Sakina Ibrahim has done.
"It's a very incredible feeling. Sometimes you work so hard for something you're passionate about, and you never know what the results are going to be," she said in a telephone interview. "So to be on the same platform with people who, to me, are legendary as actors or musicians or entertainers makes me feel very grateful."
The 2007 graduate of Pioneer Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts has been nominated for a prestigious NAACP Image Award for her book, "Big Words to Little Me: Tips and Advice for the Younger Self." The book was recognized in the category of "Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional." Ibrahim's self-published book offers help in building a better sense of identity and power in young black girls.
Ibrahim wrote the book after working with some students in Inglewood, California, doing a civic engagement and youth empowerment curriculum.
"I got really close with a group of girls and we would talk about life and they had questions about growing up. And I knew that I was leaving because I move around a lot, and I realized they needed something to figure out how to make positive decisions in their lives," she said. "And when I was talking to them, I kept saying, 'I wish someone had told me this stuff when I was 13.' So I realized I had to create something that would do just that."
Ibrahim spends much of her time traveling between New York City and Los Angeles, working as an educator, performer, and writer. But since graduating from PVPA in 2007, she has regularly returned to the school, working as a substitute teacher in dance and performance arts, and serving as a role model for current students.
"It's been great to be back. I'm reminded of the community I come from and how much of a rule that particular school played into my success and how I see the world," she said. "I'm from the inner-city, and I felt like the school was my first introduction to seeing things differently. Having that exposure and having exposure to all different types of people really opened my eyes to want more from my life."
She said the nomination came out of the blue.
"I got an email from the NAACP that told me that the book qualified for the awards. But I have no idea how they found me or heard about the book. It's very mysterious," she said with a laugh. "It came at a time when my book wasn't selling and I was having a hard time booking workshops, so this opportunity came at a perfect time. I'm very excited about the whole thing."
The NAACP Image Awards is the nation's preeminent multicultural awards show from an African-American point of view. The event celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of black artists, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors.
The Image Awards will air live on Friday on TV ONE.
Ibrahim's book, "Big Words to Little Me: Tips and Advice for the Younger Self," can be purchased on Amazon.com or by emailing Sakinanadiah@gmail.com
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Emerson College. Photo by John Phelan (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Boston-bound travelers looking for a short-term college experience are out of luck after an Emerson College student was told his dorm room listing on Airbnb violated the college's residential policies.
According to a "Free Jack Worth" Change.org petition, Worth decided to rent out his dorm room in January "to help offset the expense of attending the college." The petition, created by Emerson student Stig Regan, said Worth was penalized $150 by Airbnb and is at risk of dismissal from the school. Worth, the petition said, will face several charges of misconduct at an upcoming student conduct hearing.
In an interview with Boston.com, Worth said the listing was available for two weeks, during which time he hosted three guests. The college asked Worth to remove the listing, he said. In an email to Boston.com, the Emerson College would not comment on the specific case, though the statement cited safety and security risks as reasons the Emerson College Residence Hall policy and housing contract forbids renting or subleasing dorms.
As of Tuesday morning, the Change.org petition, which asks readers to sign to express their support, is more than halfway to its goal of 500 signatures.
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The Michelman Law Office building located at 1317-1343 East Columbus Ave., is shown at the corner of Howard Street in Springfield. The firm is seeking 30 conditions on MGM Springfield, its abutter, related to parking, congestion, noise and lighting.
(File photo / The Republican)
SPRINGFIELD After a failed sale of its building to MGM Springfield, a South End law firm has come back swinging, asking the city to impose conditions on the casino giant including free reserved parking spaces for the firm and its tenants and the use of casino land for large trash receptacles.
The Michelman law office property on East Columbus Avenue, referred to as "Parcel #14" on casino site plans, has asked the City Council to consider imposing 30 conditions on MGM to address alleged hardships related to its newest neighbor, MGM Springfield. MGM is constructing a $950 million casino project on a 14.5 acre that abuts Michelman's building.
Lawyers Jay N. Michelman and Jeffrey Burstein, who have law offices at the South End location, said the conditions are in response to "substantial changes to the land uses surrounding Parcel #14, and the grave risk to the safety of the public, and the occupants and residents" as a result of the MGM project.
The lawyers issued a joint statement in response to questions raised by The Republican and MassLive, about the dispute with MGM Springfield and litigation also filed in Massachusetts Land Court.
MGM Springfield, in response to the proposed conditions, stated that some are unwarranted, unnecessary or intended to inappropriately use zoning to enrich the law office property.
"A construction project of this scale brings an expected amount of disruption, and we have always anticipated addressing any reasonable direct impacts," MGM spokesman Carole Brennan said. "Our construction team's top priority is safety. We appreciate that the city's Planning Department confirmed that our scheduled upgrades will improve, not reduce, safety for Parcel 14 tenants."
Both sides in the dispute said there have been some discussions aimed at resolving some of the raised issues.
Michelman said that MGM had entered into a contract to purchase the law firm property in March of 2012, but "elected not to consummate the purchase of Parcel #14 in 2014..."
The building is at the corner of East Columbus Avenue and Howard Street, and MGM's property fence lines the rear of the building. There are no parking spots on the property except for a small driveway and there is some parking allowed on Howard Street, the lawyers said.
Michelman and Burstein said the company had long been allowed to park on some surrounding properties, including an automotive property, but that has been purchased by MGM. In addition to the parking needs of the two ground floor law offices and their clients, there are five apartments in the two-story building with just one currently rented, they said.
According to a City Council summary, Michaelman and Burstein are asking the council to require MGM to provide 25 guaranteed parking spaces inside the MGM parking garage on the first and second floors, available around-the-clock, seven days a week.Those designated spots wold be "for the exclusive benefit of Parcel #14 owners, residents and guests," the lawyers' proposal states.
MGM responded that the owners "are inappropriately seeking to use the zoning process to obtain valuable improvements to their property, which they did not previously enjoy." In addition, the firm will have the same general access to free parking in the garage as the general public.
Michelman and Burstein said there was available parking along both Bliss and Howard streets in the past, mostly ended, with both streets slated for partial closures.
In addition, Michelman and Burstein are seeking construction of a shielded area abutting the law offices on MGM property "for two industrial-size dumpsters."
MGM responded that the owners currently use the sidewalk on Howard Street to put out regular trash barrels. MGM is willing to discuss a private agreement with the owners, according to its response to the City Council..
On another matter, Michelman and Burstein have asked the council to require MGM to install a public sidewalk along the east side of the law office building, connecting Howard Street and Bliss Street. MGM stated in its response that MGM has no right to access to that site, and said there is already a sidewalk on East Columbus Avenue in front of the building.
East Columbus Avenue is a three-lane road, northbound, and Michelman and Burstein are calling for an added turn lane for the casino, saying it was originally planned.
MGM said that with the purchase of Parcel #14 not occurring, its traffic consultant developed an alternate plan for creating a sweeping right turn, with the city's public works director, Christopher Cignoli saying he believes it is an improvement for traffic flow and safety.
The lawyers also called for MGM to insulate the law office building's walls, and install sound proof windows for their building. In addition, the firm proposed that transformers for the casino property should be enclosed in an insulated structure.
MGM responded that it does not see a need for sound-proofing the walls of the law firm, and said the transformers are back-up equipment already enclosed by a wall.
Michelman and Burstein are seeking a restriction on lighting of any signs on the parking garage and on MGM property between its parcel and the garage between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. in order to protect its residents. MGM cited the proposal as "not feasible," but said it will provide funds for fabric awnings or interior window treatments as appropriate.
Michelmen and Burstein said there numerous requests are reasonable.
"MGM cannot return Parcel #14 to its pre-existing position," the lawyers stated. "Road closures, land acquisition and 25,000 proposed new daily vehicles have eliminated access to Parcel #14 and have changed the way of life for Parcel #14 and its residents and businesses."
Michelman and Burstein said the law firms previously had space and access as allowed by prior property owners of St. Joseph's rectory and Robbie's Auto Repairs.
"We trust that the City Council understands the severe impacts created by the MGM plan, and will honor their specific obligations under Springfield Zoning Ordinance.. to protect the built environment and ensure effective public services and a high quality life for the abutters," they said in their prepared statement.
Brennan said the MGM team is involved in ongoing discussions with the owners "and we see a way forward."
The lawyers state that the city's zoning ordinance requires that the casino contribute positively to the "built environment," and "ensure effective public services and a high quality of life for nearby businesses and residents," the lawyers said.
The law office property at 1317-1345 East Columbus Ave., has been owned by Jay Michelman's father, Leonard S. Michelman, since 1966. Burstein is a co-owner.
Neither the current owners or MGM revealed the asking price for the law office property, but the city assessor's database lists the property at $667,400.
Various other property owners have also submitted proposed conditions to the City Council, currently in the early stages of its review of MGM's site plan and some proposed design changes.
There are numerous other abutters seeking conditions relating to the MGM project. Those abutters include Red Rose Pizzeria, a Pride Store, and the Colvest Group-Berkshire Bank property.
The council has had four meetings this month related to MGM Springfield's site plans, road closures, its host community agreement and design changes. Additional meetings are planned.
The City Council has oversight over all zoning issues related to MGM Springfield.
BOSTON - Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said her office will work with families following a Superior Court judge's order in a case delving into an alleged child rape at Bridgewater State University's child day-care program.
Judge Dennis Curran excoriated state officials, including Healey's office, for a motion to dismiss a lawsuit sought by parents looking for information in order to determine the nature and extent of a potential cover-up. Curran rejected the state's motion in a passionate order that asked, "What has become of us, as a people"?
The parents, identified as John and Jane Doe Nos. 1-3, are seeking information to help lay the groundwork for a future civil lawsuit on a potential cover-up and alleged failure to report sex crimes at Bridgewater State University. A state-paid teacher allegedly raped and molested children while at the Children's Center, the university's day-care program.
Healey, whose office is called upon to defend state entities like the university in court, called the case "tragic" and the allegations "horrible." Her office established a child welfare protection division after she assumed the office of attorney general in 2015.
Her office has worked closely with lawyers for the Bridgewater State University case's families before the information-seeking lawsuit was filed "so that we could make as many documents available as possible," Healey said.
"Obviously we've read and we're reviewing the judge's order. We're going to produce documents and work to get the appropriate information to families," Healey said. "But this has been an ongoing effort, ongoing work, and our office has been engaged in working with counsel for the families right from the outset and we'll continue to do that."
Curran, the judge, wrote, "Who speaks for the children in this case. Not the Attorney General's office, charged with protecting the public safety, not a few university administrators who seem to have forgotten the original purpose of an educational institution: to seek the Truth."
Asked whether the judge was too harsh in his ruling, Healey said, "I'm not going to characterize the judge's ruling. What I will say is that our office was, is and continues to be committed to making sure that families have the information that they need and we work to do that quickly and expeditiously, and we will do just that."
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As a small business owner, theres something bittersweet about the thought of selling your business.
On the one hand, youve worked so hard to grow your operation that it can be difficult to let go.
On the other hand, you can finally enjoy the fruits of your labor by getting a substantial check that allows you to retire or pursue a better lifestyle.
However, regardless of how you feel, its important that you understand how the sale process works.
By Anna Johansson
Full Story: http://www.business.com/business-opportunities/let-it-go-what-you-need-to-know-about-selling-your-small-business/
Americas fourth largest state, Montana is bigger than Germany or Japan. Despite the presence of some of the nations fastest highways, the drive from one side to the other takes around twelve hours.
Fortunately, many of the states most treasured destinations and experiences are clustered in the rugged western portion, making it less daunting for the first-time visitor trying to discover the best of "Big Sky Country." Here, Eric Grossman tells us why Western Montana is the star of Americas West.
By Eric Grossman
Full Story: http://www.roughguides.com/article/6-reasons-why-montana-is-the-star-of-americas-west/
With the start of a New Year looming, theres no better time than now to commit to being a better leader in 2011.
Heres a list of 31 activities that can help you become a better leader. Each one can be done in a day.
Full Story: http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/12/31-days-to-become-better-leader.html
Us Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, Zions Bank open new statewide competition; register from now until March 31
If youre a Utah high school student with a product or business idea, your lucky day could be coming soon.
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah just opened a new high school idea competition, the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge http://lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec/ (HS UEC). All students throughout Utah, ages 14-18, are welcome to compete for a chance to win $22,000 in cash and scholarships. The competition is sponsored by Zions Bank.
Students can enter the competition now by entering their ideas online http://lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec/ . Submissions are due by March 31, and the awards ceremony will be held at the U on May 14.
"Students will not only gain valuable skills and entrepreneurial experiences to help them launch a new idea, but will also have a experiential-learning advantage when applying to and attending college," said Mark Rasmussen, student chair of HS UEC who helps manage the program with a scholarship from the Lassonde Institute http://lassonde.utah.edu/ .
HS UEC is designed to be a fun way for high school students to explore innovation and entrepreneurship. The competition focuses on problem-solving and the first step in developing a business idea.
Students who already have a product or business idea are encouraged to compete, but this competition is not just for them. High school students across the state are challenged to think of a solution to any problem they may see globally, locally or individually, and then propose the solution in the form of a business idea. Students are encouraged to be as creative as possible.
"This is a practical-learning opportunity and fun way to explore business," said Kathy Hajeb, a director at the Lassonde Institute who is working with U students to manage the program. "We want students to present ideas that fix problems they see around them."
To participate, students form teams, develop an innovative idea and submit a presentation online to be judged for the first round. Sixteen finalist teams will be announced on April 15. Those teams will be invited to the final HS UEC event for presentations and judging. This event will include a tabling pitch event, presentations and awards.
"Utah is known for its entrepreneurial spirit, and we believe some of the best ideas come from teens across the state," Hajeb said.
HS UEC is the high school counterpart to the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, which is also managed by the Lassonde Institute and one of the largest collegiate business plan competitions in the country.
The new program is part of the continued growth of programs and opportunities provided by the Lassonde Institute to support student entrepreneurs. Other developments include a one-of-a-kind living and learning facility called Lassonde Studios http://lassonde.utah.edu/studios . The $45 million facility opens this fall. All incoming and current U students are encouraged to apply now http://lassonde.utah.edu/studios/apply/ to live there. High school students can also participate in InnovationWeek http://lassonde.utah.edu/innovationweek/ , an annual summer camp.
Learn more about the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge at http://lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec/ .
Download a logo and graphic to use with this news here: http://bit.ly/1maQvwF
About the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first programs were offered in 2001, through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an alumnus and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute now provides engagement opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include graduate seminars, business plan competitions, startup support, innovation programs, scholarships, community outreach and more. All programs are open to students from any academic major or background. The Lassonde Institute is also constructing Lassonde Studios, a new $45 million housing and creating facility for all students opening in fall 2016. Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu.
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Un rapport complet publiepar World Rugby (www.WorldRugby.org), un an jour pour jour apres la finale de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2019, sur la foi des conclusions menees par deux etudes menees a lechelle mondiale, souligne la forte croissance du rugby a la fois dans les pays historiques et les pays emergents au cours de lannee 2019.
Au cours dune annee majeure pour le rugby, on observe une augmentation significative de son attractivite qui sest traduite par une forte hausse de linteret, inspire notamment par la montee en puissance du rugby feminin et le succes de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2019 au Japon.
Menees par Nielsen, leader mondial des etudes marketing et des systemes danalyse, ces etudes ont collecte et analyse les donnees des pays historiques de rugby ainsi que des nations emergentes du monde entier. Les principales conclusions paraissent ce lundi 2 novembre 2020 dans un rapport titre Global Reach of Rugby 2019 (La portee mondiale du rugby en 2019).
Global Reach of Rugby 2019 les principales conclusions
Linteret pour le rugby a augmente de maniere significative dans le monde entier. On comptait 877 millions de followers en 2019, soit une hausse de 11% par rapport a 2018
En 2019, on estimait a environ 405 millions le nombre de fans de rugby dont 126 se declarent ferus, soit une hausse respective de 18% et 17% par rapport a 2018
Le rugby feminin connait une nette croissance avec un interet en hausse de 45% dans les marches traditionnels et de 27% dans les marches emergents, soit une progression respective de 15% et 22% depuis 2018
Sur les 36 marches interroges, on denombre 140 millions de fans feminines en 2019, +29% par rapport a 2018
On note egalement un regain dinteret pour le rugby masculin de +63% dans les marches historiques et +30% dans les marches emergents, soit une hausse respective de 11% et 15% compare a 2018
Le rugby est associe a des valeurs positives. Deux tiers des followers dans les marches historiques reconnaissent que le rugby donne un exemple positif
Consecutivement a la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2019 au Japon, linteret pour le rugby a ete fortement stimule dans le pays. On compte quatre fois plus de fans qui se declarent ferus de rugby et le nombre de fans a augmente de 138% en 2019
Limpact de la RWC 2019 sest ressenti dans toute lAsie. En Inde, 14% des habitants se declarent desormais interesses par le rugby (+78% par rapport a 2018). La Thailande, les Philippines, la Malaisie et le Vietnam figurent dans le Top 20 des meilleures audiences TV de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2019
Le nombre de fans de rugby interroges sur les marches emergents a quasiment double depuis 2013, pour atteindre 168 millions aujourdhui. Le Bresil et lInde sont les pays qui enregistrent la plus forte hausse
Avec un nombre de followers qui a grimpe de 65%, la France a particulierement suivi lactualite rugby au cours de lannee 2019, a un moment ou lenthousiasme grandit a la perspective daccueillir la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2023.
Les resultats de letude mondiale conduite par Nielsen demontrent que 2019 a ete une annee exceptionnelle pour notre sport, illustree par une Coupe du Monde de Rugby historique et spectaculaire et un interet croissant dans le monde entier, avec une progression significative pour le rugby feminin et de la part des nations emergentes , a declare Sir Bill Beaumont, le president de World Rugby.
Nous avons constate une croissance phenomenale de linteret envers le rugby, en particulier au Japon et dans toute lAsie. Nous travaillons en etroite collaboration avec nos federations, nos partenaires et les autres parties prenantes pour tirer parti de cet elan et poursuivre le developpement de notre sport de maniere durable tout en nous adaptant a la nouvelle normalite du sport dans le monde.
Tout en rappelant que les resultats presentes dans ce document ont ete compiles avant le debut de la pandemie de Covid-19, les perspectives positives de cette etude nous donnent neanmoins des raisons detre optimistes a un moment ou nous observons une forte volonte collective de revenir sur le terrain du rugby international en toute securite, dans un environnement sur et plus solide.
2019 a certainement ete une annee couronnee de succes pour le rugby, dont le point culminant a sans aucun doute ete la premiere Coupe du Monde de Rugby a se tenir en Asie , a ajoute Spencer Nolan, directeur executif de Nielsen Sports & Entertainment pour le Royaume-Uni et lIrlande.
Apres le tournoi, nous avons vu le nombre de fans de rugby (interesses ou tres interesses) augmenter de 18% dans 85 pays, passant de 344 millions en 2018 a 405 millions en 2019. Il sagit dune croissance incroyable de plus de 60 millions de fans de dune annee a lautre !
Compare a dautres sports majeurs tels que le football, le basket-ball, le tennis, le sport automobile et le golf, le rugby a ete le sport le plus performant en 2019 en termes de croissance des fans.
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Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
by Maarten Albarda , Featured Contributor, February 1, 2016
We have written here before about the alleged improprieties that agency holding companies (especially their media and digital outposts) may have conducted with their clients money.
For decades, rumors swirled around, and some actual cases came to light in Europe. And then last March Jon Mandel, former CEO of Mediacom, spoke at the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Media Leadership Conference.
He lobbed bombshells, mentioning a media agency agreeing with an unnamed media vendor to an industry-standard 2% commission, but as much as 9% in volume-based incentive. He also asked, Have you ever wondered why fees to agencies have gone down and yet the declared profits to these agencies are up? and noted, They (the media agencies) are not transparent about their actions. They recommend or implement media that is off strategy or off target if it works for their financial gain.
The ANA, shocked by the allegations, and perhaps on the advice of its legal department, did a bit of back-pedaling. It stated a week later: "Statements were made which suggested that material agency transparency issues (i.e., undisclosed rebates) were a considerable concern in the industry. While ANA cannot specifically identify the breadth and scope of such practices, we regret any impression that agencies in general are engaged in questionable activities and apologize to those who were offended. It was certainly never the intent of the ANA to make any sweeping statements of widespread agency participation in any questionable practices. ANA will continue to investigate and work to bring greater understanding to the media marketplace regarding transparency concerns."
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True to its word, the ANA announced the formation of a joint task force with the 4As (the American Association of Advertising Agencies), hiring media auditors Ebiquity and K2 Intelligence.
K2 is no small potatoes. Its website explains its business as providing intelligence and addressing risk across the strategic, operational and reputational landscape, and it employs former prosecutors, law enforcement officials, journalists and academics.
It all became a bit much for the agencies, so last week the 4As launched a set of guidelines with an announcement that was sufficiently vague enough to suggest this was what we all had been waiting for: Clarity! Transparency! The truth!
Errrmm nope. The one-sided initiative from the 4As was immediately denounced by the ANA as incomplete and rogue.
Apparently, the breaking point in the relationship -- at least for the agencies -- had come when the ANA suggested that the language coming from the joint task force would become the blueprint for client-agency contracts. The agencies say that this is not the role of umbrella organizations.
I have looked at the guidelines the 4A's released, and I have to side with the ANA: The guidelines are full of language that give the agencies a lot of leeway to continue doing what they allegedly have been doing, but now within a framework that makes it somewhat transparent.
And the guidelines put the onus of understanding agency finance on the marketers, with clauses like It's critical that there is a deep understanding of the business model by both clients and agencies and the terms of the contract, particularly for opt-in services. As media becomes more complicated, so do the business models and contract arrangements.
Most importantly though, this set of guidelines is intended for the future, and leave the past completely unaddressed -- a past that will only become clear once Ebiquity and K2 report their findings.
Who needs the primaries when youve got this continuing controversy!
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, February 1, 2016
Online tracking expert Ashkan Soltani has departed from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy after being denied security clearance.
Soltani, who announced his departure Friday via Twitter, said he wouldn't speculate on the reasons why he didn't obtain the clearance. But many industry watchers appear to think the move was in retaliation for helping the Washington Post interpret documents obtained by former NSA contractor Ed Snowden.
Journalist Barton Gellman, who wrote the Post's stories, responded to news about Soltani by tweeting that the privacy expert didn't himself leak any documents. "He made our NSA stories better & fairer -- and the workspace far more secure," Gellman said in a tweet. Those stories helped spur a new interest in encryption, resulting in Yahoo's decision to encrypt email by default.
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Soltani joined the White House as senior adviser around six weeks ago, at the request of Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith. For one year prior to that, he served as chief technologist for the Federal Trade Commission.
His next career move isn't clear, but his Web site now describes him as "an independent researcher and technologist specializing on issues relating to privacy, security, and behavioral economics."
Before joining the FTC, Soltani spent many years shedding light on questionable online ad practices. For instance, Soltani reported in 2011 that the analytics company KISSmetrics tracked people using ETags, which store information in users' browser caches. If those users erased their cookies, they could be recreated with information from the ETags.
Within one week of Soltani's report, KISSmetrics not only stopped using ETags, but said it would allow people to opt out of tracking.
In 2009, he authored a report detailing Web companies' growing use of Flash cookies to track people who deleted their HTTP cookies. That report not only led to lawsuits, but eventually spurred Adobe to roll out tools that enabled people to more easily delete Flash cookies.
Soltani also helped the New Jersey Attorney General build a case against PulsePoint, which allegedly circumvented Safari users' default privacy settings, which block cookies by ad networks and exchanges. PulsePoint (formed by a 2011 merger of Datran Media and ContextWeb), agreed to pay $1 million and to implement a comprehensive five-year privacy program as a result of the probe.
State officials said in court papers that PulsePoint served an estimated 215 million ads to Safari users in New Jersey from June of 2009 through February of 2012.(PulsePoint said the cookies were set by predecessor company ContextWeb, and that PulsePoint executives weren't aware of the practice until February of 2012.)
Now that Soltani is no longer employed by the government, it wouldn't be surprising to see him again publicize new online tracking techniques that would otherwise remain secret.
Public execution in Saudi Arabia (file photo)
Saudi authorities executed a Saudi national on Monday for the murder of a compatriot, bringing the number of executions by capital punishment to 56 in the kingdom this year.
Ahmed al-Harbi was found guilty of stabbing and shooting Fahed al-Balawi during a quarrel, according to a statement by the interior ministry published by state news agency SPA.
Harbi was executed in the northern city of Tabuk.
Most executions in Saudi Arabia are beheadings carried out by sword.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia ordered the execution of 153 people, the majority of which were death penalty sentences given 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 Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Amnesty International reports that the total number of executions in the kingdom in 2015 was the highest for 2 decades.
Saudia Arabia enforces a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape, homosexuality and apostasy are all punishable by death.
Source: Agence France-Presse, February 1, 2016
by Karl Greenberg , Staff Writer, February 1, 2016
Good times for automobile manufacturers might be a mixed blessing for their dealers. Car companies saw, and are still seeing, blistering sales. But that also means tight supply, and supply is like blood pressure. Its nice if its a little low, but deadly if its too low. Industry average is about 62 days. Last fall, some of the hot-selling crossovers were at 24 days and the average for crossovers wasnt too much higher than that.
Well, dealers still have to drive engagement, not to mention revenue. Service is where that happens, and that equation hasnt changed: good times or bad, the margin is made in service. And when owners come in for regularly scheduled maintenance and various repairs and upgrades, dealers reap the benefits of a virtuous circle: service makes money and drives loyalty, and loyalty drives repeat sales and more service. But, what drives that service business is a great experience.
Jim Roche, SVP of marketing and managed services at dealership services firm Xtime, points out that owner loyalty is at about 50%; one out of two people dont buy from you again. What is the role of service retention in that. All studies show that if you are not servicing at dealership on regular basis, service retention is cut in half, and that lack informs loyalty, he says.
And the experience an owner has with the dealership over time is far more important than it has ever been because of customer expectations defined by engagement with other brands. We did surveys of dealership managers and principals around what is more important to todays consumer, the repair and or the experience. And overwhelmingly it was at the experience, which is a sea change from how they might have viewed it 10 or 20 years ago.
Parent company Cox Media did a consumer auto buying study last year that found that over 50% of people would pay pay more if you provide them a preferred experience. What the consumer wants is, if you scrape away the other stuff, is value, convenience and trust, says Roche. He adds that trust, for example, is about consistency of message. I dont want to be told on the website that an oil change is $30, on the phone that its $50, and when I mail it in, $25. Trust has to flow across the entire transaction.
He offers an example outside the realm of cars: Dominos pizzas sales and delivery platform that combines real-time information with the ordering process. If you click on your emailed coupon you are taken to a website presenting you with ways to configure your pizza a million variations. You pay, and now you are told when its in the oven, when its in the delivery vehicle, and how many minutes until you get it; all this for a $10 pizza. Its a really engaging experience that is consistent in look, feel and presentation.
Contrast that with how more than a few dealerships probably still operate: you get something in the mail, then go to the dealership where you are greeted with a person with a clipboard asking you who you are, and why youre there. Contrast that with getting a digital link allowing you to schedule an appointment, showing up to someone greeting you with an iPad, who knows why youre there, he says. The contrast between those two is night and day, and that goes back to quality of ownership that drives service retention and ultimately drives repurchase, says Roche.
by Jess Nelson , February 1, 2016
Microsoft is the leading cloud email provider among publicly listed companies, according to a Gartner study released Monday.
8.5% of public companies sampled by Gartner researchers use Microsofts Office 365 cloud email service. Google Apps for Work ranked in second place with 4.7% of companies using the cloud email service, according to the report.
The Gartner research study was based on an examination of publicly available email routing records from 40,000 public companies globally.
The study notes that Microsoft is especially favored in regulated industries, such as the utilities, energy and aerospace industries. On the other hand, Google is favored by more consumer-facing companies including retail, advertising and travel.
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Microsoft is also more popular in larger organizations (10 billion in revenue or more), while Google pulls in a larger share of smaller companies (50 million in revenue or less).
Interestingly, only 13% of companies use one of the two email cloud vendors. Eighty-seven percent of the companies investigated by Gartner researchers have either on-premises, hybrid, hosted or private cloud email services managed by smaller vendors.
Gartner expects the number of email cloud adopters to grow.
"Although it is still early days for cloud email adoption, both Microsoft and Google have achieved significant traction among enterprises of different sizes, industries and geographies," states Nikos Drakos, research vice president at Gartner, in a press release. "Companies considering cloud email should question assumptions that public cloud email is not appropriate in their region, size or industry. Our findings suggest that many varied organizations are already using cloud email, and the number is growing rapidly."
Garner also predicts the public cloud services market worldwide will grow 38.4% in 2016 to reach $204 billion.
by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, February 2, 2016
Programmatic agency Xaxis on Tuesday named Jason Webby SVP, client engagement. In that role, hell be responsible for leading the programmatic sales and account management team in the U.S. He succeeds Matt Sweeney in the role; Sweeney was recently promoted to CEO, North America.
Webby joins Xaxis from NBCUniversal, where he was SVP, sales at CNBC International. Prior to CNBC, he was SVP, global head of sales for The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a division of The Economist Group. Earlier, Webby was the SVP of advertising for The Economist.
Of his new role, Webby told Real-Time Daily via email: My appointment is significant in that Xaxis' Direct business is the fastest-growing among all of its U.S. revenue streams. In order to build on that momentum, Xaxis was looking for a sales leader who excels at building relationships directly with clients, has earned business from agencies of all sizes, and who has developed and managed world-class sales teams.
Jason will play a key role in growing our direct client business in the U.S., developing strategic partnerships and launching new data and tech products, Sweeney said in a release.
New York, NYTechnology may have lowered the barriers to publishing, but a panel of leaders of independent brands at the American Magazine Media Conference 2016 say it doesn't diminish the power of established brands.
Instead, the challenges are figuring out how to monetize digital and encouraging audience engagement.
its very easy to build an app. Its incredibly hard to build a brand, CEO of AOL Tim Armstrong said earlier in the day at the AMMC. In fact, Armstrong said brands are so incredibly powerful that many Facebook or Google employees are leaving Silicon Valley to work for publishers and develop mobile and video.
Stephanie Ruhle, the moderator of the panel and managing editor and anchor of Bloomberg TVs morning program Bloomberg , asked Declan Moore, CEO of National Geographic Partners, how the company can compete with adventurers who strap GoPros to their heads and take captivating video and photos.
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Moore suggested drawing on the power of brands as taste makers. People trust brands for quality content, curated by leaders and experts in the industry. He said influencers on social media are key people for big, established brands to partner with, as they reach out to a community interested in the brands content.
Paul Rossi, president of global media businesses of The Economist Group, explained that partnering can be challenging, given the niche market of independent brands. Growth can be slower compared to that of bigger publishing groups.
But digital can solve some of those problems.
Larry Burstein, publisher of New York Magazine, said that going digital helped the brand reach beyond readership in the tri-state area. Now those interested in the urban experience that New York covers can access the content online, allowing the publication to reach a whole new global audience.
Rossi explained that the next challenge for publishers is monetization. Mike Perlis, president and CEO of Forbes Media, said that while print is holding its own, digital grows dramatically.
Michela OConnor Abrams, president and CEO of Dwell, predicted that everything will go native at her brand soon, because native advertising is more engaging. We cant wait to get out of the banner business, she said, calling it disruptive.
Rossi said The Economist Group uses ads and subscriptions to slowly monetize digital.
For example, content on social media can trigger engagement, which then can lead to subscription offers. For example, if you share a Dwell article on Facebook, you'll start seeing ads for a subscription to that brand.
The panelists agreed that making content more accessible is another way to get your brand out there publications can use video, social media and mobile to reach out to an audience that might not want to buy a full-sized Economist but are interested in accessing specific content.
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, February 2, 2016
Google's book search feature, which displays snippets of published works, has a "real-life impact" on writers' ability to earn a living, according to the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
That group argues in a new court papers that the snippet-view feature "produces market harm and actual damage."
The ASJA, which represents around 1,200 freelance writers, makes the argument in new court papers backing the Authors Guild in its long-running fight with Google over its book digitization project. The ASJA contends in a friend-of-the-court brief that some people are reading Google's snippets instead of purchasing books.
In its brief, the group points to the book "Osa and Martin: For the Love of Adventure," written by ASJA member Kelly Enright. She has told the organization that the book's entire first chapter is available for free via Google, and that high school students are drawing on that chapter to write school reports. "Instead of buying the book, they are referencing only the first chapter and focusing their projects on the the period covered by that chapter, resulting in a serious impact on her sales," the ASJA writes.
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The ASJA also says that even if any one individual can only obtain a small portion of a book via Google snippets, a group of people can collaboratively obtain nearly the entire work.
"One ASJA author has learned that her textbook was being used for a class at a well-known university," the organization writes in its legal papers, filed Monday with the Supreme Court. "The students in the class banded together, purchased one copy of the book, and then each student in the group used terms in the purchased copy to search different terms on Google 'snippet view.' By doing this, they were able collectively to obtain nearly the entire book."
The dispute between the Authors Guild and Google dates to 2005, when the organization alleged that the search company infringed copyright by digitizing millions of library books in order to make their contents searchable. The Authors Guild said Google didn't have the right to copy books without the owners' permission.
A federal appellate court in New York recently ruled in Google's favor. That court said the company's book digitization project was "transformative," and therefore protected by fair use principles. "The purpose of Googles copying of the original copyrighted books is to make available significant information about those books," that court said in its October 2015 decision.
Late last year, the Authors Guild asked the Supreme Court to hear the case. The Authors Guild says the ruling represents the type of policy decision that should be made by Congress. "Ultimately, this case is about whether classic infringing behavior -- copying for profit -- should be excused by courts based upon the perceived social benefit of ignoring creators exclusive rights," the Authors Guild says.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, February 2, 2016
Officials from Europe and the U.S. said Tuesday they have agreed to a framework for a new pact that will allow tech companies to transfer data about Europeans to America.
Broadly, the "EU-US Privacy Shield" will require U.S. companies to "commit to robust obligations on how personal data is processed and individual rights are guaranteed," the European Commission stated. The Department of Commerce will now monitor those commitments, which are enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission, the EC stated.
The U.S. also will appoint an ombudsman who will hear complaints from Europeans at the request of privacy officials in their own countries. European officials added that the U.S. has provided "written assurances" that the authorities won't engage in "indiscriminate mass surveillance" on European's data.
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Officials only released the broad contours of the agreement, so many of the specifics remain known. A more detailed draft is expected to be unveiled in several weeks.
But it's not yet clear that this pact will be finalized. EU's individual members must still approve it, and some privacy activists are already prepping a court challenge, according to The New York Times.
Some privacy advocates in the U.S. also oppose the deal. Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, says the pact "weakens protections for both Europeans and Americans."
If the deal goes through, the Privacy Shield will replace the 2000 "safe harbor" agreement, which was invalidated by Europe's highest court in October. The EU court said the old agreement didn't adequately protect Europeans' privacy because the U.S. allows the government to monitor communications. That decision appeared to stem largely from concern over former NSA contractor Ed Snowden's revelations about mass surveillance.
More than 4,000 U.S. companies that do business in Europe relied on that former agreement to transfer data from the EU to America, according to the think tank Future of Privacy Forum.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau and Direct Marketing Association cheered news of the agreement. This new agreement provides certainty to American and European businesses that trans-Atlantic data flows may continue and confirms the establishment of clear safeguards for protecting individual privacy rights," DMA Vice President of Advocacy Christopher Oswald said in a statement.
Microsoft's Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer, tweeted that the announcement "represents a vital step in maintaining data flows and strengthening confidence in the cloud."
Proton therapy, also called proton beam therapy, is a kind of particle therapy, or radiation therapy. It directs proton beams at cancer cells with precision. Proton therapy appears to be safer and more effective than conventional radiation therapy, because it can deliver a high dose to a very specific area, with minimal impact on surrounding tissues. A radiologist uses a high energy beam of protons, instead of high energy X-rays, to deliver a dose of radiation therapy to people with cancer. It is the most advanced radiation therapy available today. It destroys cancer cells but causes less damage than traditional radiation to surrounding healthy tissue. It is also painless and noninvasive. Proton beam therapy has been in use since 1990 in the United States, but its use has not spread widely due to high costs.
What is proton therapy? Share on Pinterest bernie_photo/Getty Images Proton therapy is similar to radiation therapy, but it offers a more targeted approach. This means that the risk of damaging tissues around the tumor is lower than with standard radiation. The treatment is suitable for cancers that involve tumors near sensitive parts of the body, such as the eye, brain, and spinal cord. Traditional radiation therapy cannot target such tumors because it could damage the surrounding nerves. Proton therapy may be suitable for treating a range of tumors , including cancers that affect the: brain, spinal cord and central nervous system (CNS)
head and neck
nose and eyes
rectum and anus
pancreas
liver
bone
soft tissues of the spine and pelvis, known as sarcoma
lungs
breast
esophagus It can treat solid tumors, but it cannot treat cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. The MD Anderson Center at the University of Texas describe proton therapy as a 196-ton, cancer-killing machine with sub-millimeter precision that can target a patients tumor while sparing nearby healthy tissues and minimizing side effects. In its most simple terms, thats proton therapy. However, proton therapy is expensive, and some researchers have questioned whether it provides an overall advantage compared to other, cheaper therapies.
Proton vs. standard radiation therapy According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), proton therapy may deliver up to 60 percent less radiation to healthy tissue around the target site, while delivering a higher dose to the tumor itself. In proton therapy, the doctor can decide exactly when and where the proton releases most of its energy. This makes it possible to inflict maximum damage to cancer cells and minimum harm to nearby tissue. In standard radiation therapy, the X-ray beams deposit energy along their path before hitting their target, for example, on the bodys surface and beyond. The X-ray beam continues beyond the tumor, releasing energy and harming tissue. This is called the exit dose. In other words, treatment hits the cancer cells that it targets, but it also affects those along the X-ray beam before and after the tumor. This can lead to health problems after treatment. With proton therapy, the doctor can use a higher dose of radiation than in standard radiation therapy, but they can also protect surrounding tissue and vital organs. In standard radiation, the radiologist may have to use a dose that is lower than desired to minimize the damage to healthy cells. This can limit the effectiveness of treatment. Proton therapy adapts to tumor shape Tumors come in all shapes, sizes, and locations, and they are unique to each individual. Proton beam therapy, a radiologist can use patient-specific hardware to sculpt the proton beam. They can customize it to strike within the borders of the tumor, whatever shape it is. Proton beams can hit the tumor from different directions. This also helps to lessen any damage to the surrounding cells, reducing the risk of complications that people usually associate with radiation therapy. This video explains how conventional radiation and proton therapy affect the body. Video credit: Lomalindahealth
Uses and applications There are two main reasons for choosing proton beam therapy. Higher dose Proton therapy is suitable for tumors that need higher radiation doses. In some cases, the ability to provide higher doses has provided better outcomes for individuals than with conventional radiotherapy. It has been successful in treating: unresectable sarcomas
tumors in the eye
tumors alongside the spinal column Fewer side effects Proton therapy carries a lower risk of undesirable side effects as it limits the damage to normal, healthy tissue. This is true even if the dose is the same as in conventional therapy. This could be useful for treating prostate cancer and cancers that affect the prostate, the spine, the head, and the neck. Proton therapy is useful for treating childhood cancers , because it can target the cancer cells without damaging other cells in a growing body. Children who receive traditional radiation treatment have a higher risk of stunted growth.
Proton therapy with other therapies Doctors can combine proton therapy with traditional radiation or chemotherapy. They can also use it as a follow-up to surgery. In 2014, a team of oncologists reported in the journal Radiotherapy and Oncology that proton therapy offered an additional gain for patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma after treatment that involved node radiotherapy.
Risks: Secondary cancer A person who has traditional radiation therapy can sometimes develop secondary cancer, or their cancer can return. In 2013, another team published results of a study that was carried out to determine whether proton therapy and traditional radiation therapy (conformal radiation therapy) might increase the risk of secondary cancer in normal organs among patients with neuroblastomas. Neuroblastomas are cancers that develop from immature nerve cells located in different parts of the human body. They typically arise in and near the adrenal glands. They found that radiation doses observed in normal, healthy organs were lower among patients receiving proton therapy compared to those receiving traditional radiation therapy. They concluded that while traditional radiation therapy slightly increases the risk of secondary cancer in most organs, proton therapy appears to reduce the risk.
Treatment: What to expect The procedure begins with a simulation that aims to map out the area for treatment. Simulation The medical team, usually a radiation oncologist and a radiation therapy nurse, will make and fit the person with a device that holds the body still while treatment is underway. The type of device depends on the location of the tumor. People with cancer that affects the head will have a special mask fitted. If the target area is the body, leg, or arm, they will use a cradle device. An MRI or CT scan will map out the area for treatment. The team will mark on the skin the location toward which they will aim the beam. Proton treatment usually occurs up to 10 days after the simulation. The person must take care not to wash off the marks before treatment. Treatment The individual will lie in a donut-shaped device known as a gantry. This rotates around the person and directs the protons at the tumor. A synchrotron, or cyclotron, creates and accelerates the protons. The protons are then removed from the synchrotron and magnets direct them to the cancer cells. During the treatment, the radiation therapist is in another room, but they will see and talk to the patient using a two-way intercom and closed-circuit television. Treatment may last for 1530 minutes, depending on the number of locations for treatment. There should be no discomfort. After this, the radiation therapist comes back into the room and removes the device that helped keep the person still during treatment. Proton therapy is an outpatient procedure. The number of treatments will depend on the type of cancer and other factors, such as the dosage. Side effects will be mild compared with those resulting from conventional radiation. There may be redness around the treatment area and some (temporary) hair loss if treatment is to the head or scalp.
While it is clear that breast is best when it comes to infant feeding, there are concerns that breastfeeding may expose babies to certain toxins in breast milk. Now, researchers have developed a new test that detects whether breast milk contains parabens or bisphenol A.
Share on Pinterest The new test can detect the presence of BPA and the PBs methylparabens, ethylparabens, propylparabens and butylparabens in breast milk.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical widely used in polycarbonate plastics often used for food and drink packaging and epoxy resins, which are used to line the inside of metal products, such as water supply lines and food cans.
Parabens (PBs) are chemicals commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics, including hair care products, moisturizers and make-up. PBs are also found in some foods and drugs.
Previous research has suggested that both BPA and PBs are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which interfere with the hormonal system, causing reproductive and developmental problems.
In the last years, the capability of these chemical substances to interfere with important, physiological functions has been proven, says co-lead study author Alberto Zafra Gomez, of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Granada (UGA) in Spain.
Moreover, it has also been proven that PBs are not metabolized in mammary cancer tissue, so it has drawn attention on its possible toxic and carcinogenic nature.
The most common ways in which humans are exposed to BPA and PBs are through skin contact, inhalation or direct ingestion.
New mothers exposed to these EDCs may pass them to their infants through breast milk, the study authors note, and because these infants are in the early stages of development, they may be more susceptible to the damaging effects of the toxins.
Cesarean section is sometimes the preferred or safer method of infant delivery, depending on individual circumstances. There is one downfall to the procedure, however; it can deprive infants of beneficial microbiota that they would otherwise be exposed to with vaginal delivery. But in a new study, researchers may have come up with a simple solution to this problem: swabbing newborns with their mothers vaginal birth fluid.
Share on Pinterest Researchers say their study shows it is feasible to partially restore beneficial bacteria lost through C-section by swabbing newborns with their mothers vaginal birth fluid.
Lead study author Maria Dominguez-Bello, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, NY, and colleagues publish the details of their novel idea in the journal Nature Medicine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that no more than 10-15% of births should be by cesarean section (C-section). In the US, however, C-section rates stand at 32.2%, increasing almost seven-fold since the mid-1960s.
A C-section is primarily done as a result of foreseen or unexpected problems during delivery, though some mothers elect for the procedure over vaginal delivery.
While C-section can be a life-saving operation in some circumstances, numerous studies have linked the procedure to greater risk of negative health outcomes for the infant, such as increased risk of obesity and asthma.
Researchers have suggested that these increased risks are down to lack of exposure to the mothers vaginal microbiome with C-section delivery. This is spurred by the finding that the microbiomes of children born by C-section differ from those of vaginally delivered infants, with the latter holding bacterial communities that more closely resemble those of the mothers vagina.
Only a few animal studies have demonstrated a direct link between microbial differences between vaginal and C-section delivery and risk of disease. However, researchers have pointed to a correlation between an increase in microbial-disrupting factors among infants such as C-section and antibiotic use in pregnancy and an increase in rates of asthma, obesity and autoimmune diseases in recent decades.
With a third of US babies now born by C-section, twice the number as is medically necessary, the question of whether a babys founding microbiome affects its future disease risk has become more urgent, says Dominguez-Bello.
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 travels to rural areas in Alabama. 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."
New Delhi: Heating up the competition in compact sedan, Volkswagen on Tuesday unveiled its first car in the segment Ameo.
The sub-4 metre sedan will compete with Maruti Suzukis Dzire and Hondas Amaze.
Volkswagen called it Made in India and Made for India car that will hit Indian roads in the second half of 2016.
Volkswagen is betting big on India as it expects the country to become the biggest car market by 2020 and also a regional hub for exports.
The German auto maker It also plans to launch more new models including premier SUV Tiguan and Passat hybrid.
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced today that it has launched a vaccine research and development project targeting the prevention of Zika virus infection and disease.
Sanofi Pasteur leads the vaccine field for viruses in the same family as Zika virus (ZIKV), with licensed vaccines against Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis and, most recently, Dengue. Importantly, Sanofi Pasteur's expertise and established R&D and industrial infrastructure for the newly licensed vaccine for dengue, Dengvaxia, can be rapidly leveraged to help understand the spread of ZIKV and potentially speed identification of a vaccine candidate for further clinical development.
"Our invaluable collaborations with scientific and public health experts, both globally and in the regions affected by the outbreaks of ZIKV, together with the mobilization of our best experts will expedite efforts to research and develop a vaccine for this disease," said Dr. John Shiver, Global Head of R&D, Sanofi Pasteur.
The ZIKV is closely related to Dengue; it belongs to the same Flavivirus genus, is spread by the same species of mosquito and has a similar acute clinical presentation. Common symptoms caused by a Zika infection include fever, rash, joint swelling, conjunctivitis and headaches. However, there is a growing body of evidence linking Zika infection in pregnant women with an increased risk of a severe congenital complication at birth called microcephaly. Normally a rare condition, microcephaly results in an abnormally small head impairing brain development.
"Sanofi Pasteur is responding to the global call to action to develop a Zika vaccine given the disease's rapid spread and possible medical complications," says Dr. Nicholas Jackson, Global Head of Research for Sanofi Pasteur who will be driving the new ZIKV vaccine project. "In addition to the serious possibility of congenital complications associated with Zika, investigations are also underway to assess another reported connection between Zika and a dangerous neurological disorder".
Until recently, ZIKV was considered a rare and seemingly benign virus. However in May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed ZIKV infection in Brazil, and since then it has spread across the Americas. In the United States, authorities have reported a locally transmitted case of Zika in Puerto Rico, with reports of cases in continental United States in returning travelers.
At a briefing session during the 138th Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan, stated that the WHO is deeply concerned about ZIKV for four main reasons:
the possible association of infection with birth malformations and neurological syndromes;
the potential for further international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector;
the lack of population immunity in newly affected areas;
absence of vaccines, specific treatments, and rapid diagnostic tests.
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued travel recommendations for pregnant women to post-pone travel to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where ZIKV transmission is ongoing.
Presently there is no vaccine or specific treatment for Zika. Vector control remains an important means of potentially controlling the mosquitoes responsible for spreading Zika.
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The married father, from west Cornwall, wrote: "Why am I posting this? 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 test then we would have caught this at an early, and much more manageable stage. 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."Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with around 44,000 diagnosed cases every year. 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.'Source: Medindia
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"I have concerns about the lack of access to GP medical records for patients, which was certainly so in Ryan's case. I want improvements to be made," said Siddique.GP Indira Wariyar, who saw Ryan four times, admitted there were "missed opportunities" to help the toddler.Prashant Hiwarkar, the consultant pediatric hematologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital, said, "Leukemia would have been detected if blood tests had been taken on some medical visits.""If Ryan's gums were bleeding on August 9 and still red and bleeding on August 18 this would be a red flag for me. I would have asked for a blood test. I believe you would have seen signs of an abnormal blood count in August," Hiwarkar told the inquest.Hiwarkar added that the children diagnosed early with Ryan's form of aggressive leukemia had a 40 to 60 percent chance of survival."Seeing him lying there attached to a machine was heartbreaking. I walked away from the ward with tears in my eyes. He was my world. Time after time when we took him to seek medical help we were told 'Don't worry - there is nothing to worry about'," Kulvinder Bhogal, father of the child, told the inquest."A simple blood test should have been carried out, and there were many missed opportunities to do this. But this was never done," said Gurpal Bhogal, Ryan's aunt.The family said they would discuss whether to take further action against the GP practice and the hospital.Source: Medindia
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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. 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.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. 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."Jones considered having an abortion just four days after she found out she was pregnant, but decided against it. Jones said towards the end of her second trimester in April 2014 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 the anti-depressant Prozac.Jones was voluntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital at the mother and baby unit in Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospitaland remained there from mid-August 2014 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."Jones said she would frequently hear voices in her head and have panic attacks during this time, but said the support she received while at the Wythenshawe Hospital was amazing.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."Source: Medindia
While the first teaser showed Jon Snow lying in a pool of blood, speculation was rife that Kit Harrington would return as Snow in the sixth season. However, the actor refuted the rumours in an interview. The fact that he has still retained his famous long-hair avatar until now suggests that he will be back. He may be seen in flashbacks in the story arc of his younger brother Brandon, along with the other Stark children, including the deceased Rob Stark.
1. Sophie gushes over Ryan Gosling
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Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark in Game Of Thrones, had a fangirl moment during the SAG awards over the weekend, when she took a photograph with a clueless Ryan Gosling in the background. Sorry boys. Im off the market, the 19-year-old actress jokingly captioned the pic, in which she looks star-struck as the Notebook actor sits at the table behind hers.
2. Leaks Galore
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2015: Last year, first four episodes of the fifth season were leaked online, prompting an uproar among fans, since every episode of Game Of Thrones contains half a dozen spoilers.
2016: This year, a newly-cast actor shared a page of the script by mistake in a photograph he shared online. No harm done yet, but it reveals an important scene, where Daenerys is taken hostage by the Dothrakis and they decide what to do with her!
3. New cast members
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Pilou Asbk as Euron Greyjoy: Theon Greyjoys uncle, Euron Gtreyjoy aka the Crows Eye is literally the biggest badass in the books. Forget enemies, even his family is super wary of him! There was speculation that Hannibals Mads Mikkelsen would play the role, but instead the makers cast Danish actor Pilou Asbk for the role.
James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly: Popular as the Pope in the series Da Vincis Demons, James Faulkner is cast as Randyll Tarly, the father Samwell Tarly. The show will have Sam travel to his parents with his crow wife Gilly and face his stern and even brutal dad who had actually planned to murder him for his cowardice!
Max von Sydow as the Three Eyed Raven: The three-eyed raven is a recurring character in the first, third, fourth and sixth seasons. He debuts in person in the fourth season, very briefly portrayed by Struan Rodger, though Max von Sydow takes over the role when the character reappears in Season 6.
Sebastian Croft as Young Eddard: Eddard Stark, popularly known as Ned, is a major character in the first season. He is played by starring cast member Sean Bean, and debuts in the series premiere. He will reappear in the sixth season, in a flashback, played by Sebastian Croft.
4. Kings Landing and Cersei are in deep trouble
HBO
The walk of shame by Queen Cersei in Season 5 was the beginning of the war between the High Sparrow and herself. The Sparrows are faith militants who were long banned in Kings Landing but came to power with the help of Cersei again, who wanted them to teach her daughter-in-law Marjorie a lesson. Their leader, played by actor Jonathan Pryce, had said in an earlier interview that he had a major role to play in the next season. In the teaser we see him say, Every one of us is poor and powerless, and yet together, we can overthrow an empire.
5. Brandon Stark, the Greenseer
HBO
Missing in action during the fifth season, Isaac Hempstead-Wright will be back in a big way in this season. While the teasers dont show him, an earlier photo of him looking older was leaked online. Also, in a recent interview, the young actor confirmed the fact, I am back this season and its going to get particularly interesting with Bran he has some interesting visions. The visions he is referring to are the same ones in which we may see Jon Snow and the other Starks returning to the scene, albeit in a flashback mode.
6. Ramsay Boltons pink letter
HBO
In the first teaser, we hear Ramsays eerie and sadistic voice saying that he has become the new master of Winterfell. Formerly known as Ramsay Snow, an illegitimate child, he has now become a trueborn and married Sansa Stark. He is seen reading from a pink letter, which is the one that he sends out to everyone in the North, including Jon Snow, informing them that he has killed Stannis Baratheon and Winterfell now belongs to him. He also desperately wants Theon Greyjoy aka Reek back, along with Sansa, both of whom escaped from Winterfell in the last episode of Season 5.
7. Daenerys and Drogo vs 20,000 Dothraki screamers
HBO
At the end of Season 5, Daenerys Targaryen is captured by Khal Jhaqos Khalasar, who was her late husband Khal Drogos general. The next biggest guy around, Jhaqo swallowed her husbands army. In the teaser, we hear him deriding Daenerys heritage, her dragons and her claim to the iron throne. Reports suggest that Daenerys will be held hostage by the Dothrakis for some time. While her story in the books is similar to the series, it will be interesting to see how she manages to free herself from an army of 20,000 Dothraki screamers.
The deadlines at work are approaching, procrastination has gone to a whole new level, the scorching sun is heating the office like a furnace here in India but a lot of lucky people out there in Switzerland are probably celebrating.
Switzerland is preparing to become the first country in the world to implement the national wage and its definitely not making us feel any better. To put things into perspective, the citizens of Switzerland might soon get 1,700 pounds per month, regardless of whether they work or not. Thats 1 lakh 66 thousand Indian rupees to be precise!
Thinkstock/Getty Images
This scheme has been proposed to ensure that their people have a regular income even if theyre unemployed. A survey was conducted to know if that would encourage people to sit at home and not work but turns out, most of Switzerland would still want to pursue their careers, despite getting a regular income.
We dont see this happening in India ever. Lets at least take 5 minutes off work and dream about it, maybe?
There is a ray of hope for the LGBT community as the Supreme Court agreed to reconsider the debate on Section 377 that criminalises homosexuality. The countrys highest court accepted the petition to decriminalize homosexuality and has referred it to a 5-judge bench. The petition was filed by NGO Naz Foundation and several gay rights activists appealed against the Supreme Courts earlier ruling (on 11 December 2013) that upheld Section 377.
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This is a significant and positive step towards a more liberal and progressive India. The SCs decision to reconsider its own decision proves our judiciary is open to debate and is transparent. Though there is time for the final decision of the jury to come, the LGBT community has seen a ray of hope and the whole country is celebrating this small but significant move.
"I am hopeful to yet again in a democratic set-up have a way to argue for our rights," said LGBTQ activist Gautam Bhan.
Twitter
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal came out in support of the LGBT community and their rights, and said that human sexuality should not be stigmatized.
Finally! #Section377 gets referred to a constitutional bench. There is hope yet. #StraightButNotNarrow Meghna Ahlawat (@Meminger28) February 2, 2016
This is what happened in 4 minutes in the Supreme Court today #StrikeDown377 #Section377 pic.twitter.com/cfMzGdxfOF TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 2, 2016
We have always believed that who you want to love is a matter of personal choice:Randeep Surjewala #StrikeDown377https://t.co/YsD0s3AlUF TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 2, 2016
And this:
WATCH: LGBT community celebrates in Chennai, after SC agrees to hear the matter and refers it to 5 judge bench.https://t.co/66wbIZSQHp ANI (@ANI_news) February 2, 2016
As the country was shrouded in an atmosphere of communal tension and regressive bans, this move by the SC has come as a breath of fresh air.
Mumbai: Months before his current term as RBI Governor ends in September, Raghuram Rajan on February 2 said he sees himself back in the academic world five years from now, while researching and writing in Chicago.
"Five years from now in my academic office, writing or thinking," Rajan said replying to a specific question on the career trajectory he would like to choose in that time.
When asked if he sees himself back in Chicago, he said, "Yeah, Chicago has been kind to me over my history".
Rajan is on-leave Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
He has also served as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The academic-turned-central banker Rajan, whose three-year term as the Governor of RBI ends in September this year, declined to answer a direct question on an extension in the same office, calling it a "hypothetical question".
Rajan assumed charge in one of the most testing times in economic policymaking where the rupee was battered due to the 'Fed tantrums' to be one of the worst performing currencies in the world.
The RBI Governor, who famously predicted the 2008 global financial crisis, is well respected for his opinion on world finance and has built a profile which endears him to the investors.
However, experts say it is his not-so-warm equations with North Block and the government which will have a major bearing on whether he continues at Mint Road post-September.
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New Delhi: There is no relief for Sahara chief Subrata Roy, languishing in jail since March 2014 as Sahara is unable to pay Rs 10,000 crore towards bail bond for his release.
He is in further trouble with the Supreme Court posting for final hearing on March 29 an application filed by Sebi for a direction to appoint a receiver to take over all the properties and sell them to recover the total outstanding dues of about Rs 36,000 crores.
A three-judge bench of Justices T.S. Thakur, Anil R. Dave and A.K. Sikri accepted the submission of senior counsel Arvind P. Datar that the application should be posted for final hearing as there is no progress in the payment by Sahara and not a penny has been paid to lakhs of investors, who trusted Sahara.
Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias departs tomorrow, Tuesday, 2 February, for Baku, where he will carry out an official visit at the invitation of his counterpart the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Mr. Kotzias will have a one-on-one meeting with Azeri Foreign Minister Mammadyarov, followed by expanded talks between the two countries delegation. Following the meetings, the two Ministers will hold a joint press conference.
On Wednesday, 3 February, Mr. Kotzias will be received by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and Speaker of Parliament Ogtay Asadov, and he will meet with the Greek-Azeri parliamentary friendship group. Mr. Kotzias will also meet with the Energy Minister and Chairperson of the Greece-Azerbaijan Joint Interministerial Committee, Natig Aliyev.
Upon completion of his visit to Azerbaijan, Mr. Kotzias will travel to Amsterdam, where he will participate in the informal biannual Gymnich meeting of EU member-state Foreign Ministers, which is taking place on Friday and Saturday, 5 and 6 February.
The first day of the meeting will focus on the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy issues and the recent developments in Iran, particularly following the initiation of the implementation of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme.
On Saturday, 6 February, Mr. Kotzias will present to the Ministerial meeting also to be attended by the Foreign Ministers of candidate countries for EU membership the systematic efforts being made by Greece to manage the unprecedented mass refugee/migrant influxes.
Finally, on Sunday, 7 February, Mr. Kotzias will travel to Tehran, accompanying Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on his official visit to Iran.
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'.
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.
Read: 'Aligarh' controversy cheap publicity stunt by Mehta: Pahlaj Nihalani
"They (censor board) are not understanding my anger. About Nihalani's 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.
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 don't 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.
According to reports, Arbaaz and Malaika have decided to go separate ways after 17 years of marriage.
Mumbai: B-town is abuzz with Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khans recent divorce reports. Though the couple chose to remain tight lipped about the issue, Arbaaz has finally decided to set the record straight.
Read: Secret Santa caused Malaika Arora Khan her marriage with Arbaaz Khan?
He posted a dubsmash video of popular song 'Kuch toh log kahenge' from 'Amar Prem' and wrote, "Some people need to mind their business, stop talking and writing bullshit and concentrate on their own miserable lives."
Some people need to mind their business, stop talking and writing bullshit and concentrate on their own miserable lives A video posted by Arbaaz Khan (@arbaazkhanofficial) on Feb 1, 2016 at 10:00pm PST
According to reports, the couple has decided to go separate ways after 17 years of marriage and will now file for a divorce soon. While there were media speculation that all was not right with the couple, the whispers got louder when Malaika decided to move out of their Bandra home last week. It is said that she shifted to an apartment in Khar, along with her 14-year-old son Arhaan.
In pictures: Arbaaz Khan parties with sister-in-law Amrita Arora in Dubai
Malaika, who has been hosting television show Power Couple with her husband, is no longer seen on the show. Reportedly, the couple had asked for separate rooms and did not even talk to each other on the sets.
Malaika was also conspicuous by her absence at Arbaazs sister Arpita Khan Sharmas baby shower in Dubai recently.
Priyanka Chopra, who was excited after the annoucement was made, said she is looking forward to the Oscars.
After making waves with her American sitcom ' Quantico' and presenting an award at the 2016 SAG awards; Priyanka Chopra is all set to take over the Academy.
In an exciting development, it has just been revealed that she will be one of presenters at the soon to be held Academy awards. An update on the official Academy Awards website read: Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today the second slate of presenters for the 88th Oscars telecast. The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air live Oscar Sunday, February 28, on ABC.
Some of other presenters include noted entertainers such as Quincy Jones, Andy Serkis and Steve Carell to name a few.
The statement further read, "These artists have enriched the international movie going experience with a range of memorable work from the comic to the profound, Hudlin and Hill said. In the process, they have won over millions of fans, and we count ourselves among them. The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood."
An elated Priyanka took to Twitter to post-
Looking forward @TheAcademy !! This will be an insaaaane night! https://t.co/zaHmPsK6HC PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) February 1, 2016
On work front, Priyanka is currently shooting for the second season of 'Quantico'. She will soon be seen in 'Jai Gangaajal'.
The actor brought his little bundle of joy, AbRam along with him to Gujarat.
Mumbai: Bollywoods King Khan has resumed shooting for his much awaited film Raees. The actor was spotted at Bhuj airport, Gujarat with his little bundle of joy, AbRam.
The actor will be shooting for director Rahul Dholakias film Raees, which also stars Pakistani actress Mahira Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. In the video, we see two ladies rushing towards the car with AbRam on tow and few seconds later, SRK steps out of the airport, followed by a massive crowd of fans.
As soon as people saw Shah Rukh Khan, they started cheering and hooting for the star. SRK also stopped and waved at his fans before stepping inside the car and driving away.
The actor also helped a lady get up after she fell down at the airport.
SRK Pulled Up a Lady Woh Fell Down at Bhuj Airport #Raees pic.twitter.com/tfRGOibLCx SRK Universe BD (@SRKUniverseBAN) February 2, 2016
We also have some fresh new inside pictures of the stars from the sets of Raees.
EAST LANSING A broad partnership, including The Nature Conservancy, the Michigan AgriBusiness Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wants to help farmers in the Saginaw Bay watershed improve water quality.
The Saginaw Bay Regional Conservation Partnership Program, will make financial assistance, provided through the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program, available to help farmers adopt new conservation practices. Private sector crop consultants and other partners will assist the effort by informing farmers about the resources available through the program. Farmers in designated watersheds can submit applications any time at their local USDA Service Center. Applications received by cut-off dates, near the end of each month beginning on Jan. 29, will be considered for funding on a monthly basis.
PIGEON Law enforcement and school officials worked together on Monday following a bomb threat and subsequent lockdown at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port High School on Friday afternoon.
Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson told the Tribune on Monday afternoon that the investigation had resumed. He could provide no new information at that point, other than to say that Laker Superintendent Brian Keim and detectives would be going over some information pertinent to the case.
We are working hard to investigate this incident so that we can continue to provide a safe and secure environment for our children, said Keim in a statement.
On Friday afternoon, a note was found in a high school bathroom indicating a possible bomb threat. As a result, all secondary students were transported to the elementary school, where they remained until dismissal time at 3 p.m. Students who drove to school had to find another means to get home. All afternoon practices were canceled.
Shortly before 5 p.m., school officials were given clearance by the sheriffs office to return to the secondary school buildings and parking lots.
Hanson said its not often his office has to deal with a bomb threat.
Weve had experience with it before, but its not been on a regular basis that this happens, Hanson said. Its quite infrequent, but theres always the training of the active shooter and stuff like that, which keeps us in touch with the schools.
That communication helped officials come up with the best possible solution in a timely manner. Keim said after considering all possibilities and consulting with the districts crisis team and law enforcement, the move to the elementary building was done because they believed the threat was localized to the secondary school building only.
Moving students to the elementary was the most safe and effective option for us under the time constraints we were under, Keim said.
Hanson and Keim said the two sides will be meeting sometime this week to debrief and determine if there are things they can improve on in the future. Hanson said this is common practice.
Anytime we have a major event, whether its a drowning or a fatal accident or a search or anything like that, we always have a debriefing, he said.
Keim said he is thankful for the trust and cooperation of parents and the help of the many staff members who pulled together to help students get through the incident and return home safely.
We also would like to thank local law enforcement for their prompt response and support, he said.
Anyone with information regarding the bomb threat can contact the sheriffs office during regular business hours at 989-269-6500 or Huron Central Dispatch anytime at 989-269-6421. Confidential callers can also use the TIPS line at 989-269-2861.
Richard Lee Kosal, 84 years young, of Macomb Twp., arrived at the Sunset of his life, accepting the call to come home to his Eternal Father, died on Friday Jan. 29, 2016 at his daughter Kathys home surrounded by his loving family after a hard fought battle with cancer. When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and the manner in which you live. - Stewart Scott
He would tell you he was born on the Ides of March, March 15, 1931, to Alphonsus and Susanna Kosal in Ruth, Huron County.
Richard was a veteran, proudly serving his country in the Army from 1952 to 1954. Throughout his life, he was a farmer, school bus driver, cement mason and a renowned carpenter who worked as a handyman until he was in his 80s, loving every minute of it. One of his favorite sayings was Carpe Diem! which he fully embraced and strived to live his life by. He loved adventure, having traveled to all 50 states and seven countries continually meeting people who became lifelong friends as he rolled along in one of his many Ford F-150 pickup trucks. He was a positive inspiration to everyone that crossed his path and strived to live a life worthy of God. Every day he said Its a great day to be alive! trying to learn something new and pausing to witness the miracles God gives us every day if we just look around. He would tell you the best place on Earth is under the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron which he visited as often as he could. The utmost pride and joy of his life was his family; he loved his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with all his heart, saying they are my legacy; the most important part of my life.
He is survived by his daughters, Kathryn (Barrie) Vardon of Fargo, Michigan; Amy Kosal of Lake Butler, Florida; daughter-in-law, Betty Kosal of Spring Hill, Florida; grandchildren, Jason (Lara) Vardon of Linden, Jordan (Kerri) Vardon of Charlotte, North Carolina, Alicia (Michael) Drago of Spring Hill, Florida and Christie Kosal (Stephen Knudsen) of Vero Beach, Florida; great-grandsons, Kevin Drago and Jack Vardon; sister, Mary Jane Purkart of Plainfield, Illinois; sister-in-law, Lillian Lee Kosal of Ubly; his god-daughter and pal, Lynn Purkart of Wheaton, Illinois; special companion, Lucille Jurson of Ann Arbor; 16 step-grandchildren; nine step-great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Richard is preceded in death by his son, Kevin Kosal (2006); brother, Eugene Gene Kosal (2009); sister, Anna Kosal (infant); brother-in-law, Rudy Purkart; and his parents, Alphonsus and Susanna Kosal.
A lovely place of quietness lies deep within my heart ruled over by the Prince of Peace whose love will never part. So when Im worn and weary and burdened down with care, I enter my secluded spot and find Christ waiting there.
Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Jowett Funeral Home, 1634 Lapeer Ave. at 17th Street, Port Huron. Brother Al Gebarowski will officiate.
Interment will be in Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Ruth.
Visiting hours are from 2 to 8 p.m. Monday and from 10 a.m. until the time of the service Tuesday at the funeral home.
To view obituary and share memories visit www.jowettfuneraldirectors.com
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 demotion of Department of Veterans Affairs' director for the Philadelphia region has been reversed by an administrative law judge.
The VA demoted Diana Rubens from director of the Philadelphia office to assistant director and reassigned her elsewhere after concluding she forced out her predecessor and then moved into the Pennsylvania job.
On Monday, William L. Boulden, chief administrative judge for the Merit System Protection Board in Philadelphia said VA's disciplinary action against Rubens was unreasonable and ordered that she be returned to her job in the Senior Executive Service with all "back pay, interest on back pay, and other benefits" within the next 60 days.
Rubens was the second director to appeal her demotion and reassignment to a Merit System Protection Board judge over allegations she maneuvered herself into a desired job at the expense of the previous director.
Last week, Kimberly Graves' demotion and reassignment from the St. Paul, Minnesota regional office was reversed by an MSPB judge in Chicago.
The VA demoted the two after the Office of Inspector General investigation found they abused their positions as SES officials and manipulated the employment system for their own benefit. The IG claimed they coerced the former directors of the two regional offices into taking transfers neither wanted, and then maneuvered themselves into the vacated jobs.
VA said the two were demoted for exercising poor judgement and creating a perception of impropriety.
Initially, both women held onto their SES status even though the regional directorships carried less responsibility. Also, in making the job-related moves the women were awarded a total of about $400,000 in relocation expenses. But in demoting the officials, the VA stripped them of their SES status, which reduced their annual salaries by about $50,000.
The department forwarded the IG report to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible criminal charges but the office declined to prosecute and returned it to the VA for any disciplinary action.
Chief Administrative Judge Michele Szary Schroeder, who ruled on Graves' appeal, noted Graves broken no laws by retaining her SES salary or by receiving the relocation benefits.
Schroeder said Graves was able to show that in her demotion and reassignment, she was treated differently than a more senior official in her chain-of-command, Acting VA Under Secretary for Benefits Danny Pummill, whom the VA considered taking action against but failed to do so.
"If Ms. Graves is going to be disciplined for failure to exercise sound judgement by creating the appearance of impropriety, then it would only be reasonable if any other [SES] members involved in the same situation were disciplined as well," Schroeder said.
In ruling on Rubens' case, Boulden named other officials that the IG linked to the improper job switches. These included former Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey, who resigned amid the scandal in October, Pummill, and Beth McCoy, deputy under secretary for field operations.
McCoy had been Rubens' assistant and moved into her old job when she took the Philadelphia region directorship.
The VA ultimately took no action against Hickey, Pummill or McCoy. McCoy, Boulden said, not only pressured Antoine Waller, director at the St. Paul office, to take a transfer to Baltimore, Maryland, but benefited directly from Rubens' move to that job.
McCoy facilitated Graves' reassignment to Philadelphia office, Boulden said, by signing off on a recommendation approving her for a relocation program. Rubens made it clear she wouldn't take the Philadelphia job without the program, which provided her about $300,000 for the cost of her home.
"Once [Rubens] was reassigned, McCoy stepped into appellant's former position with a sizable pay raise," Boulden said. "This creates the precise appearance of impropriety which appellant created ... Additionally, as an aggravating matter, McCoy, unlike appellant, actually pressured Waller to go to Baltimore."
For these reasons, he said, the onus was on the VA to show a legitimate reason for punishing Rubens and not McCoy.
Rep. Jeff Miller, a Republican from Florida who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee, urged the strongest possible disciplinary action against the Graves and Rubens. On Friday, he called Schroder's ruling "a twist of tragic comedy [as] VA's attempt to discipline Kimberly Graves was undone by its refusal to discipline other employees involved in this scandal."
Monday's ruling repeats that, he said.
"VA isn't consistently and fairly holding employees accountable and -- contrary to the repeated assertions of department officials -- VA leaders do not have the authority they need to swiftly discipline misbehaving employees," Miller said.
-- Bryant Jordan can be reached at bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bryantjordan.
The Pentagon's $582.7 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2017 includes a modest 1.6 percent pay increase, more funding to counter ISIS, Russia and China, and projects to develop an "arsenal plane" and swarming "microdrones" while keeping the A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft in the inventory.
In an address Tuesday to the Economic Club of Washington, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the budget proposal, which included about $59 billion for the war funding Overseas Contingency Operations account, reflected a reshaping of priorities to meet shifting national security threats.
"Today's security environment is dramatically different than the one we've been engaged with for the last 25 years and it requires new ways of thinking and new ways of acting," Carter said, echoing the preambles of other Defense Secretaries on budget proposals.
Carter never mentioned pay in his 27-minute speech to the Economic Club of Washington, and the issue did not come up in a lengthy question-and-answer session that followed, but the proposed increase was expected to be in the range of 1.6 percent.
The 1.6 percent increase was up from the 1.3 percent increase in FY 2016 but was below the Congressional Budget Office's projected increase for private-sector wages in FY2017 of 3.2 percent, MilitaryTimes reported.
In a conference call with defense reporters, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Republican staff declined comment on whether Congress would seek to boost the 1.6 percent increase proposal. The pay proposal was among "all those things that will be discussed at the appropriate time," a HASC staffer said.
On the A-10 ground attack aircraft, better known as the "Warthog," Carter essentially scrapped current Air Force plans to mothball the A-10 fleet, which have consistently been rejected by Congress. In Iraq and Syria, the A-10s "have been devastating ISIL from the air," Carter said, using another acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
"The budget defers the A-10's final retirement until 2022, replacing it with F-35s on a squadron-by-squadron basis so we'll always have enough aircraft for today's conflicts," Carter said. Congressional advocates of the A-10 quickly charged that Carter's deferral of the A-10's retirement wasn't good enough.
Carter's announcement on the A-10 "confirms why we fought so hard and continue to fight to keep this plane flying," but "this is still an early retirement," said Rep. Martha McSally, R-Nev., a HASC member, retired Air Force colonel and former A-10 pilot.
"I'll continue to lead the fight to ensure we keep the A-10 until a suitable alternative yet to be identified is developed, tested, and proven to do the mission," McSally said in a statement.
The budget will also include proposals for developing new weaponry such as an "arsenal plane" and swarming "microdrones," which could be thrown into the air by ground troops for battlefield intelligence.
The arsenal plane concept would take an existing "large platform" aircraft, such as a B-52, stock it with a variety of munitions, and have it led into battle by an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to provide targeting.
The proposals will be fleshed out next Tuesday after President Obama unveils the last federal budget of his term in office at the White House. The projected budget was also the first solely developed by Carter and likely his last, since he almost certainly will step down next year with the inauguration of a new president. All of the proposals will be subject to Congressional review.
"In this budget, we're taking the long view. We have to, because even as we fight today's fights, we must also be prepared for the fights that might come 10, 20, or 30 years down the road," Carter said.
Carter said that defeating ISIS in the short term will involve greater participation by Arab and European partners and will likely include sending more U.S. troops to Iraq as trainers.
However, "in the longer perspective, we must also take into account in our budget that as destructive power of greater and greater magnitude falls into the hands of smaller and smaller groups of people, countering terrorists will likely be a continuing part of the future responsibilities of defense and other national security leaders," Carter said.
For the immediate campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Carter proposed boosting spending to $7.5 billion, which would be 50 percent more than in 2016. The increased funding would partly go to replenishing the stockpile of precision-guided bombs which have been used exclusively in Iraq and Syria in more than 10,000 airstrikes over the last 18 months.
"This will be critical as our updated coalition military campaign plan takes hold," Carter said. "For example, we've recently been hitting ISIL (another acronym for ISIS) with so many GPS-guided smart bombs and laser-guided rockets that we're starting to run low on the ones we use against terrorists the most. So we're investing $1.8 billion dollars in 2017 to buy over 45,000 more of them."
Carter said that his proposals were indicative in terms of strategy of "the broader shift reflected in this budget. For a long time, DoD tended to focus and plan and prepare for whatever big war people thought was coming over the horizon," he said. Then the focus shifted to the counter-insurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The focus was again shifting toward concerns over potential "high end" threats from major nation states, Carter said "Now we have to think and do a lot of different things about a lot of different challenges -- not just ISIL and other terrorist groups, but also competitors like Russia and China, and threats like North Korea and Iran."
"We don't have the luxury of just one opponent, or the choice between current fights and future fights -- we have to do both. And that's what our budget is designed to do," he said.
Carter's proposals immediately drew fire from Congress. While praising moves to spare the A-10 and increase munitions stockpiles, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Tex., the HASC chairman said that both of those initiatives were kept alive against the opposition of Carter and the Obama administration.
In addition, Thornberry said in a statement that Carter was taking credit for proposals that he left unfunded. "The increase in counter-ISIS investments and deterrence of Russia are welcome and needed moves but the President's budget request, for example, does not add funds to accommodate the $7.5 billion in additional funding to counter ISIS or the $3.4 billion to deter Russia."
Thornberry also said that Carter was ignoring the spirit of the two-year defense budget deal reached last November between the administration and Congress. "Once again, the responsibility to provide the appropriate level of funding to address these threats will fall to Congress," Thornberry said, suggesting that the long budget battles of previous years will be repeated in 2016.
Thornberry and his staff appeared to have a fundamental difference with Carter and the administration on the overall figures in the budget proposals.
The Pentagon is currently in the midst of a decade-long process to cut spending by nearly $1 trillion, but the two-year deal reached with Congress last year raised DOD's spending caps by $25 billion for 2016 and $15 billion for 2017.
For FY 2016, DOD received a total of about $580 billion, which broke down to $521 billion for the base budget and $59 billion for war funding in OCO, which is not constrained by budget caps.
Carter's proposed FY 2017 budget would set the Pentagon's base budget for 2017 at about $524 billion and OCO at a minimum of $59 billion.
In the conference call with reporters, House Republican staffers said total defense spending, when funding for the Department of Energy and the National Security Agency is included, actually totaled $610 billion for FY2017.
The staffers also said that Thornberry was "disappointed" that OCO funding was being treated by the administration as a ceiling rather than a floor, suggesting that Congress would attempt to pad OCO to fund its own initiatives.
In response to questions at the Economic Club, Carter included a pre-emptive strike at the expected Congressional complaints. "I find that the great majority of members of Congress that I interact with are serious" but "sometimes they find themselves in a situation where they can't do the right thing," he said. However, "You can't just pound your spoon on your high chair," he said.
In one of his most striking proposals, Carter pushed for more than quadrupling funding for the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) -- from $800 million to $3.4 billion -- to counter Russian threats to Ukraine and NATO allies. The funding would bolster U.S. Army Europe, forward position more supplies and tracked vehicles, and provide for the rotational deployment of an additional army brigade.
In a statement, President Obama said that the boost in ERI funding was intended to assure allies of U.S. commitments to NATO's defense, serve as a catalyst for coalition partners to increase their efforts against ISIS and in Afghanistan, and also encourage the Europeans to increase their own defense spending.
"All 28 NATO allies are members of the Counter-ISIL coalition, and NATO allies and partners must continue to work together to support the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces," Obama said in a statement.
"This budget request ensures that the United States is prepared to meet its commitments to NATO, and should be a reminder that every ally must properly resource its defense and invest in the capabilities our alliance requires," Obama said.
In his speech, Carter said the budget was intended to meet five main threats posed by ISIS, Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, and also represented a "major inflection point" in the Pentagon's long-term concepts for providing national security.
"Two of these challenges (Russia and China) reflect a return to great power competition," Carter said. "The first is in Europe, where we're taking a strong and balanced approach to deter Russian aggression -- we haven't had to worry about this for 25 years, and while I wish it were otherwise, now we do."
"The second is in the Asia-Pacific, where China is rising, and where we're continuing our rebalance to maintain the stability in the region that we've underwritten for the past 70 years, and that's allowed so many nations to rise, prosper, and win," Carter said.
In response to China's building of artificial islands in the South China Sea, Carter said "we have to react. We're going to fly and sail and operate where international law permits, period," he said. "It's self-isolating behavior" by the Chinese. "I don't know when they'll realize that."
Carter also included the usual pledges of a Defense Secretary to finally get acquisition costs under control, while acknowledging the failure to do so on the ballooning expenses for the new Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier that could potentially reach $15 billion.
In the future, "We're not going to build them in the way that was built," Carter said of future Ford class carriers. "That was a program that was undisciplined. I'm not going to try to justify it. It's not okay."
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com
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Benoit Violier -- seen here outside his three-Michelin starred 'Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville' -- was found dead at his home in Switzerland. (Photo: AFP)
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.
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 merciless pressure top chefs are under was in the spotlight after French-born Violier's death on Sunday at the age of 44, just two months after his Swiss restaurant was named the best in the world.
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. Police were still investigating the circumstances of Violier's death near Lausanne in Switzerland, where he was found with his hunting rifle by his side.
Violier retained his three Michelin stars for the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier when its Swiss guide was published in November.
Ramsay loses out
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.
If you're on active duty, you probably move a lot. Often, living on base or renting a nearby apartment makes the most sense financially. But renting can drain your bank account if you're caught off guard. Before you sign a lease, follow these three tips to help protect your hard-earned money.
1. Protect Your Stuff
Always make renters insurance a priority. This is important when you rent off-base, but it's just as necessary if you live in on-base housing or privatized military housing, such as a government-approved apartment complex.
If a fire or flood swept through the building, you are responsible for replacing your personal possessions -- clothes, electronics, jewelry and anything else you owned. The bill could total thousands of dollars. And it would come straight from your pocket unless you had renters insurance.
An adequate renters insurance policy can cost as little as $12 a month -- well worth it to protect you from a financial meltdown.
2. Stretch Your Housing Allowance
If you're not living in military quarters, you're generally eligible for some form of Basic Allowance for Housing, which is a tax-free, monthly allowance to help you pay for housing expenses. The size of your monthly check depends on your duty station and pay grade, and whether you have dependents.
It's important to understand that your housing allowance is calculated the same no matter what you pay for rent. If your rent is higher than your allowance, you'll have to make up the difference. If it's less, you'll enjoy a monthly surplus.
But don't make the mistake of matching your rent exactly to your allowance amount, because you won't have enough left over to cover items such as insurance and utilities. USAA's military affairs professionals recommend spending no more than 85% of your allowance on housing itself, reserving the rest for those additional expenses.
3. Insist on a Military-friendly Lease
When you're on active duty, numerous scenarios could force you to move before your lease has expired:
Deployment
Orders to move onto the installation
Permanent change of station
Retirement
Make sure a sudden move won't cause you to violate your lease agreement, leaving you on the hook for ongoing rent payments. Before renting from a private landlord, make sure the lease includes a so-called "military clause" that lets you terminate the agreement without penalty in any of these situations. Your installation's military assistance officer can help you draft language that gives you the protection you need.
Dear Ms. Vicki,
I have a very unusual problem. I do not know if my husband is dead or alive.
My husband, Steve, served in the Navy for more than 20 years. He passed away in May of last year -- or did he?
I always thought we had a great relationship. We got along great, we laughed together, we traveled a lot with each other, and he gave me wonderful cards that said how much he loved me. When he was gone on a truck route, he would tell me how much he missed us girls.
My son passed away six months before my husband; he had a 2-year-old little girl named Fendi. Steve and I were planning to adopt our granddaughter after our son's death. We had been raising her since she was a newborn. We had all the custody papers signed and notarized and were just waiting for our court date, which was scheduled for May 6. But Steve died on May 2.
A few days after Steve was pronounced dead, I went to the mortuary to make arrangements for his funeral and the mortuary employees told me that they had lost Steve's body and had not been able to locate him. Then, a few days later, I got a Skype call from Steve. I could see him on the screen but he did not speak, he just sat there and stared. I was holding up notes and adjusting my volume, but he did not respond. It especially scared me because I'd had to make a decision to take Steve off life support. I did so because the doctor told me that if he did wake up, he would likely never leave the hospital because he would be brain dead. I knew that Steve would never want that. So, when I got the Skype call, I was thinking that somehow Steve must have woken up and was lost and confused and couldn't speak, that he was brain dead just like the doctor said.
I was so freaked out by that Skype call! I thought that Steve was out there somewhere and lost. I confided in my mother, several other family members and some friends, and they all convinced me to calm down. They said that someone had just been messing with me, that it was some kind of a cruel joke. Later that day, I called the mortuary and they said they had located Steve's body. I asked if they were sure that it was him, and they said yes. Steve was cremated and we had his funeral, but I never was at peace with it because something inside me was telling me that he had not really died.
And then it got weirder because I started getting emails from him every few weeks. So I started digging and found documents that led me to believe that Steve was still alive. The documents stated that he was making deposits in a new bank account and another said that because he was still working, he could not draw the full SSI. I found a document that said he had a new vehicle and others that seemed to say he'd been applying for jobs. I found a notice that said he needed to change the PIN on his MyPay account. I received an email notification that said there was a new posting from Steve. When I opened it, there was a photo of Rottweiler puppies and it had the phone number of a guy that we had sent $500 last year to buy a puppy for our granddaughter.
Last week, I got a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs addressed to Steve with a 1095B Form in it for him to report to the IRS concerning the health care benefits it said he has been receiving for the last 12 months. If he was dead, it seems like the letter should have come in my name, but my name wasn't listed -- only Steve's and his Social Security number. Then I received an email from Chase Bank wanting to confirm some information, and I do not have a account with them, but I noticed in a file in Steve's computer that he did.
Steve had always told me that he carried a life insurance policy because he said he wanted to take care of me, but when he died he had nothing except an annuity for a $1,003 a month. Maybe if he'd had life insurance I could have kept our home. But the bank is foreclosing on it this month. So, in a year's time I have lost my son who I know is gone, and my husband who is gone one way or another, and I lost my home.
I could go on and on about this because there is so much more. I don't know if you can help me find out the truth or not. My heart is dying over all of this. I loved him so much and I just do not understand. Does the government fake deaths and hide it from the spouse? Are the ashes I have even Steve's? Someone is either messing with me horribly or Steve is really still alive. Please help me so that one way or another I can move on because right now I feel so lost, so stuck and unable to move forward.
-- Is My Husband Dead or Alive?
Dear Dead or Alive --
I'm very so to hear about your loss. Reading your letter, it's clear that 2015 was a significant year of loss for you. You lost your son and your husband within a month of each other. I can understand what you're going through because I have also experienced a year of significant loss. My mother died in April 2013 and my brother died a few months later. It was devastating. I was in shock and disbelief as I sat in funeral services. It was surreal for me. It felt like I was there, but at the same time I was not there.
Grief is a process. I believe you are still in the shock and disbelief phase of grief. You may even be in denial. You can't believe your husband is gone, so you think this must be a trick.
To be honest, I don't see a reason why someone, or the government, would want to fake your husband's death. Though I can't tell you to let go of this feeling you are having that your husband is still alive, I do think you should try to stay close to your family, friends and other social and spiritual supports to help you through this. This is a very tough time for you, I know. I wish I could help you more, but I think the ashes you have are really your husband's.
I'm sorry.
-- Ms. Vicki
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DETROIT, MI - General Motors' total sales edged up 0.5 percent on an annual basis to 203,745 units in January, as the Buick brand performed extremely well, though only made up a fraction of the Detroit automaker's total volume.
The Chevrolet and Cadillac brands were off single digits, while the GMC brand rose.
"We believe industry fundamentals such as the age of the vehicle fleet, well managed inventory levels, firm used car pricing, good credit availability and low fuel prices will support higher industry sales in 2016," Mustafa Mohatarem, GM's chief economist, said in a release Tuesday. "In addition, household balance sheets are strong and the labor market continues to improve."
Related: Fiat Chrysler posts 70th-straight month of U.S. sales gains
Related: Ford's sales dip 3% in January
Here's a closer look at how each brand fared on an annual basis in January:
Chevrolet
Chevy's total sales were off 4 percent to 137,803 units, but its retail sales grew 12 percent to 108,861 vehicles.
For volume leaders, Silverado sales increased 5 percent to 37,863 units, while Equinox sales decreased at the same rate to 18,574 units. Sales of the Cruze fell 23 percent to 14,362 units, while sales of the Malibu rose 24 percent to 14,746 units.
One of the most dramatic declines was for the Spark, which dropped 65 percent to 1,121 units. On the other end of that spectrum, sales of the Trax compact crossover jumped 104 percent to 3,746 units.
Sales of the Colorado were off by 7 percent to 5,508 units. Camaro sales were up 11 percent to 5,551 units.
Cadillac
Every Cadillac model's sales fell by double digits in January with the exception of two: Sales of the XTS dipped just 4 percent to 1,813 units, while the SRX helped offset lagging sales for the brand with its sales rising 37 percent to 4,778 units. Overall, Cadillac sales fell 8 percent to 10,740 units in January.
Buick
As mentioned, sales of Buick were especially strong, growing 46 percent to 18,269 units. Sales of the Regal jumped 235 percent to 2,653 units. Sales of the new Lacrosse climbed 101 percent to 4,057 units.
GMC
Sales of GMC utilities and trucks were up 4 percent to 36,933 units. The Sierra led the way, with sales up 14 percent to 14,381 units. This was partially offset by a 9 percent decline for the outgoing Acadia to 5,385 units.
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.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A chain known for its steakburgers and custard desserts has opened its first Michigan restaurant in Grand Rapids.
The state's first Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is located at 3777 Plainfield Ave. NE, in front of a Meijer superstore.
The Wichita, Kan.-based chain is looking for more locations across the state, said Mark A. Baker, broker and owner of Michigan Commercial Properties.
"The Greater Grand Rapids market is likely to be the location (of the second Freddy's) because it would be close to the first location," said Baker, adding that it was soon to say when another Freddy's would open in the state.
The chain's popular menu items are steakburgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs and shoestring fries, along with freshly-churned frozen custard desserts.
The restaurant has an open-kitchen concept so customers can watch kitchen staff prepare the meals.
"It's a fun way for our guests to get a view of the choreography that goes on in our kitchen as their food is started after they order and still comes out hot and fresh within minutes," said Joe Reber, franchise owner.
The 3,800-square-foot restaurant has 106 seats and drive-thru service. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
There are nearly 200 Freddy's locations across 28 states from California to Pennsylvania, Virginia and down the east coast states to Florida.
The company likes to note that Freddy's made Consumer Reports' 2014 list of best burgers, cleanest fast-food restaurants and those with the best service. The list is published every three years.
Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.
New York: Positive fantasies about how future events will turn out might boost your mood now but may actually lead to increased depressive symptoms in the long run, a new study has claimed.
In a series of four studies, researchers from New York University (NYU) found that the more positively participants fantasised about the future, the fewer depressive symptoms they showed at that moment but the more symptoms they showed at a follow-up session.
The pattern of results emerged when the researchers tested both adults and children and over follow-up periods that ranged from 1 month up to 7 months after the initial session.
For the study, researchers asked 88 undergraduate students to imagine themselves in 12 different open-ended scenarios. The students were given a prompt for the scenario and were told to imagine how the scenarios would play out.
The participants wrote down whatever thoughts and images came to mind and rated how positive and how negative these fantasies were.
They found that the college students who came up with more positive fantasies had lower scores on a scale measuring depressive symptoms - that is, at that moment, they seemed to be less depressed than their peers.
However, when the students completed the scale again one
month later, they showed higher depressive symptoms relative to students who had imagined more negative scenarios.
Researchers saw similar results in a study they conducted with 109 fourth- and fifth-graders, finding that children who reported more positive fantasies had fewer symptoms at the initial session but more symptoms 7 months later in comparison to children who reported more negative fantasies.
Additional findings indicate that individual effort may help to explain the link between positive fantasies and depressive symptoms.
College students who reported positive fantasies tended to report putting less effort into their coursework; this was, in turn, associated with lower grades and higher depression scores.
"Our findings suggest that as pleasurable and helpful as positive fantasies are for depressive mood in the moment, they can be problematic and cumbersome over time," said Gabriele Oettingen from NYU who led the study.
"Our findings raise questions of how costly this market may be for people's long-term well-being and for society as a whole," Oettingen said.
Investing in positive fantasies may prevent us from acknowledging the obstacles that stand in the way of reaching our goals and undertaking strategies to surmount them, researchers said.
"Positive fantasies must be complemented with a good sense of reality," Oettingen said.
The findings were published in the journal Psychological Science.
The Ann Arbor City Council once again went on record Monday night raising concerns about an underground dioxane plume that's been slowly spreading through the city for decades, inching closer to the Huron River.
The council voted unanimously to approve a resolution introduced by Council Member Chip Smith, D-5th Ward, calling on the state to follow the law and adopt stricter cleanup standards for 1,4-dioxane that take into account the latest science, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 findings that the cancer risks from dioxane are greater than previously believed.
The resolution calls on the state to reduce the permissible levels of dioxane in groundwater from 85 to to 3.5 parts per billion, reflecting the EPA findings.
"Our state standard is so far out of whack with the acceptable science that this change is a considerable change for the state to make," Smith said. "This will give us the ability to get the attorney general into court and give us greater ability to influence the outcome of this cleanup. It is a beginning point, not an end point."
In light of the Flint water crisis, there's heightened attention surrounding the potential long-term threat the dioxane plume poses to Ann Arbor's drinking water supply, and concern that ongoing cleanup efforts by Pall Corp., the company responsible for the pollution, haven't been aggressive enough over the years.
City officials and residents recognize there could be devastating consequences if the plume ever hits Barton Pond, where the city gets most of its drinking water.
The new resolution is similar to one the council adopted in 2013, but the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and state Legislature still haven't followed through on updating the state's cleanup standards as required by law.
Chip Smith, D-5th Ward, speaks during the Ann Arbor City Council meeting on Feb. 1, 2016. (Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News)
"We have been told as a community on several occasions that these new standards are coming any day now, and deadline after deadline has been missed," Smith said.
He added, "What's happening in Flint is a tragedy. We also don't want to have a tragedy here that's caused by not trying to work with the DEQ."
Matt Naud, the city's environmental coordinator, called the EPA's toxicological review of dioxane the "gold standard," but it's still not reflected in the state's standards more than half a decade after being published.
The DEQ promises revised standards will be proposed soon, and those will then go through an administrative rules process that could take six to nine months, including a chance for public input and a public hearing.
The council resolution notes the DEQ has been working for years to simultaneously develop revised cleanup standards for not only dioxane, but also 300-plus other hazardous substances that are regulated by the state.
From the 1960s into the 1980s, Gelman Sciences, which later became Pall Life Sciences, used the industrial solvent 1,4-dioxane in its processes for the manufacture of medical filters on Wagner Road, just west of Ann Arbor in Scio Township, leaving the groundwater in the area heavily polluted.
That pollution continues to spread, including east into Ann Arbor, and has caused the city to shut off a well station on the city's west side, while a groundwater use prohibition zone remains in effect for a large segment of the city.
"The city has already stopped using a municipal supply well on the city's west side and will unlikely ever be able to use this groundwater," the council resolution states. "The city remains concerned that the contamination could flow north to Barton Pond, the primary source of drinking water for Ann Arbor and surrounding municipalities."
Smith's resolution notes the city has been working with the DEQ since 2013 to revise the cleanup standards so that the permissible levels of dioxane reflect the best science and are in accordance with the federal standards, but the DEQ has delayed the release of revised standards several times.
The City Council is planning to hold a special work session on the topic of the dioxane plume on Feb. 29, inviting the DEQ and state attorney general's office to discuss the latest information and efforts to address the contamination. The county plans to hold a similar meeting on Feb. 18.
There also has been talk of holding one or more town hall meetings to discuss the issue with residents.
Naud said it's ultimately the state Legislature that must update the cleanup standards once the DEQ proposes new rules.
"So, rather than having paid professional staff make these changes, it happens with the (elected officials)," he said. "And there's been a continuous kind of easing of the regulations, so for the most part you're allowed to leave contamination in the ground, especially if you're in a city like Ann Arbor where we all have access to municipal water. So, because no one is directly exposed to it, a lot of these contaminated sites, you're allowed to just leave it in the ground."
Mayor Christopher Taylor said residents expect the city to do everything it can to protect the city's water supply and ensure that it is safe.
"The reason we are focusing so closely on getting the MDEQ to change the cleanup standard is because it will give us additional tools to be able to accelerate and expand the cleanup to require the polluter to do what ought to have been done years ago," he said.
Council Member Jane Lumm, an independent from the 2nd Ward, said the city has been trying for years to get the state's allowable dioxane levels lowered. She said there's no reason the state standards shouldn't reflect the federal standards, and it was time for the city to reaffirm its position in the form of a council resolution.
"According to the EPA standards, it's what's considered a non-threshold carcinogen," Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, said of dioxane. "There is no threshold by which there is not a risk of increased cancer risk."
Warpehoski said there's an opportunity to push the state to act now that there's heightened attention around the issue of safe drinking water.
Council Member Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward, said people might wonder why the city hasn't been too panicky about the dioxane plume.
"And one of the reasons for that is that our drinking water does not come from 1,4-dioxane-tainted water today," she said. "And we believe, though we can't prove it, that it's quite possible it never will come from 1,4-dioxane-tainted groundwater."
She added, "We can't prove it because there are an insufficient number of wells to properly test the water and ensure the safety of the groundwater."
Vince Caruso, a founding member of the local Coalition for Action on the Remediation of Dioxane, speaks out at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting on Feb. 1, 2016.
Briere said the plume has caused people on the west side of Ann Arbor to lose access to well water, forcing them to tie into the city's water system.
"If the 1,4-dioxane plume spreads further to the west, more people will be affected by this, and more infrastructure will need to be built in order to meet the needs of people for safe drinking water and bathing water," she said.
"If 1,4-dioxane spreads across the river into Ann Arbor Township on the north side of town, where we haven't run any infrastructure, we're going to have to work as a community, in collaboration with other communities, to address the needs of people there who are living on well water, because the state isn't stepping in to take care of that," Briere said. "This is potentially an enormous expense to the state of Michigan, an enormous expense to the residents of Ann Arbor, to the individual residents who live on well water, and to the townships."
Briere said one of the problems the city faces has been what she called a "casual reaction" to this issue by state officials.
"When the DEQ changes the standard, and I hope that will be soon, I expect the attorney general to return to court to change the settlement agreement with Pall-Gelman," Briere said. "When that occurs, the city has an opportunity to be a more active partner in the enforcement of a new settlement."
She added, "This local issue is really a statewide issue -- how to keep our water and air and environment safe. The DEQ is charged with doing this."
Ann Arbor resident Jeff Hayner spoke out at Monday night's meeting and encouraged the city to take direct local action on the dioxane issue.
"I'm asking this body to create a fund specifically to address the coming need to take charge of our own water cleanup," he said. "This fund could be called 1 Percent for Water. It could be funded by taking 1 percent of all new development hookup fees and placing them in the fund. And 1 percent of every water and sewer bill, placing it in the fund. And at least 1 percent of the DDA's annual TIF skim."
Hayner proposed that the money would be used to safely clear the city's drinking water of 1,4-dioxane.
"Don't entrust our clean water future to others," he said. "We need to start saving 1 percent for water now."
Vince Caruso, a founding member of the local Coalition for Action on the Remediation of Dioxane who lives on Ann Arbor's west side, also spoke Monday night. He thanked council members for the resolution and for proposing upcoming discussions with CARD regarding the dioxane issue.
Caruso suggested petitioning the EPA for designation of the plume as a federal superfund site to get the EPA involved in overseeing the cleanup.
"EPA will set higher standards for the cleanup -- 3.5 ppb, not 85 ppb," he said. "EPA will force Pall to pay for the cleanup. EPA will use best available technology. EPA has much deeper pockets than the DEQ. EPA will protect Ann Arbor's drinking water. Can you say the DEQ will, considering what's happening in Flint?"
Caruso also expressed concerns that Pall isn't sharing enough data about the dioxane plume from its monitoring wells.
"Pall must restore its digital well data sharing that we had before," he said. "They are not sharing their data on a regular basis. It's our freshwater resource. We should have that data. And they should not be allowed to keep it in house."
Caruso also argued the groundwater use prohibition zone should be expanded because of dioxane readings at 85 ppb along the southern edge.
Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com.
Mary Gorzenski is 100 years old and still works at her business, Joe's Appliance Store, 2106 Kosciuszko Ave. in Bay City.
BAY CITY, MI -- It was during World War II when Mary Gorzenski's husband Joe essentially put her in charge of the family's appliance store.
He took a factory job at the time and told her -- perhaps half-jokingly -- that if the business flopped and they lost money, it would be her fault.
"At that point, I knew I needed to get my things together and really learn how to run a business," Gorzenski said. "I prayed the Rosary that night -- the same one I still pray today. I prayed everything would work out."
Nearly 75 years later, it's safe to assume things have worked out.
On Saturday, Jan. 30, Mary Gorzenski celebrated her 100th birthday. Two days later, she walked into her business -- Joe's Appliance store in Bay City's South End -- and sold her umpteenth washer, proving that age is only a number, and when it comes to making sales, she's still got it.
"I have a certain touch with the customers," she said, showing off her confident smirk. "After all of these years, you know a customer is coming in here to buy a washer, to buy something. They just need to know you're going to help them and be honest."
In her century of life, Gorzenski has done it all. She worked as a nanny, made cigars and manned the cash register and decorated cakes at her husband's first business, a bakery. But it was the appliance store that she ended up calling home.
A photo of Mary Gorzenski and her husband, Joe Gorzenski, sits on a cabinet at Joe's Appliance Store, 2106 Kosciuszko Ave. in Bay City.
Early Life
Born Jan. 30, 1916, to Polish immigrants in the United States, Gorzenski was the fifth of nine children. Her father worked as a mason for Jablonski Contracting and as a coal miner at the Unionville Mine. She carries much pride that her father "never took any welfare" to provide for her family.
After completing the eighth grade, like most girls at the time, she was told to focus on cooking and working around the home. It was 65 years later, as a 79-year-old, she would return to school and earn a high school diploma through Bay City's adult education program.
While working as a nanny, she met a baker named Joe with whom she would fall in love and ultimately marry in 1934.
The couple opened the Taste-Right Bakery on Van Buren Street. But after spending too much time baking breads and cakes, Joe Gorzenski developed an allergy to wheat, and his doctor told him to try another business.
"I told him, 'Just go work a job for someone like everyone else,'" she said. "But he was a man who needed his own business. "
They sold the bakery and in 1941, opened Joe's Appliance Store at 2106 Kosciuszko Ave. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best time to get into the appliance business. All steel in the U.S. was going toward the war effort, so no new appliances were being manufactured. Plenty of repairs across the city needed to be made, though, and that's where the business started to flourish.
While Joseph Gorzenski was out repairing appliances, his wife was keeping an eye on the shop, even as their family grew. The couple had four children.
They would eventually add onto their shop and build a loft that would become their home. Joseph Gorzenski died in 1985 at the age of 74, but his wife continued to run the shop, and to this day, still lives upstairs.
"My kids are No. 1, and the store is No. 2," Mary Gorzenski said this week. "If I was going to watch the store, I needed a place where I could also watch my kids."
The 100-year-old had four children. Only one, JoAnn Charbonneau, is still alive today. Gorzenski also has four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mary Gorzenski sits at her desk Monday, Feb. 1, at Joe's Appliance Store, 2106 Kosciuszko Ave. in Bay City. She received tulips for her recent 100th birthday.
Thoughts of a 100-year-old
Six days a week, Gorzenski still walks down a flight of stairs -- despite having hip surgery as a 99-year-old -- and sits at her desk, greeting customers and answering any questions they may have.
Ask her about her secret to living a long life. "I don't drink alcohol. I don't smoke. And I've always boiled my water. I never liked the way the water tasted from our pipes, so still today, I boil the water."
Her advice for young business owners? "Be patient. Everyone wants to make a lot of money right away. That's not how it works. You have to work two shifts all the time and work like hell."
Also, some advice for women business owners: "Don't be afraid to work with men. I've dealt with a lot of men, and they're not too bad."
Favorite appliance brands? "A lot of people complained about Hoover, but I made a lot of money off Hoover. Whirlpool has also treated us very well."
Politics? "I've never missed a presidential election since I was 18. Roosevelt was the first president I ever voted for. He was a real nice man, and I liked him. I would vote for him again today, if I could. Maybe it happens as you become older, but I've always been a Democrat, but when Obama started making changes, I thought maybe I need to switch."
Who is she voting for this November? "This is the first time where I really have no idea. I'm not really sure about Hillary. Don't even get me started on Trump. We need someone who understands that nothing is created without hard work."
Retirement isn't on Gorzenski's mind. She says she feels healthy and is taking life one day at a time. It probably runs in the family. She had a sister who died last August who also reached 100 years old.
"If I didn't feel good, I wouldn't be here," she said.
"You can't keep her down," said her granddaughter, Sherry Binder. "It's absolutely amazing. She has this fierce determination to keep my grandfather's legacy going. He started this washing machine repair shop, but to her, it's so much more. That legacy is important."
On Monday, Feb. 1, Gorzenski sat behind her desk, her bright, white hair in a perfect perm. She rested one hand on her lap, the other on her chin, looking at her store's showroom, knowing she has lived a good life and has run a business she is proud to call her own.
"And I'll be here again tomorrow," she said.
Just another day on the job.
BAY CITY, MI -- A 25-year-old Bay City man police say stalked a woman in text messages, saying he was a vengeful deity, is to undergo a psychological evaluation.
Bay County District Judge Mark E. Janer Thursday, Jan. 28, granted a request from defense attorney Robert J. Dunn to have Alexander J. Newsham sent to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti. Staff there are to assess Newsham's criminal responsibility and competency to participate in court proceedings.
Once staff have completed their examination, Janer will review the matter and rule if Newsham is competent to stand trial.
Newsham is charged with one count of aggravated stalking. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The charge stems from a 23-year-old woman calling police on Thursday, Dec. 10, to report she had been the victim of stalking. The woman told Michigan State Police troopers she had been receiving text messages from a person she believed to be Newsham, who she had a personal protection order against since March. She has had issues with Newsham since 2014 and he was on probation for violating the PPO, court records show.
The telephone number sending the text messages had a Florida area code, court records show. The woman emailed the trooper the offending text messages.
"Your make up looks horrible, maybe you should just take it off and stop it," reads one message. The woman responded by asking the sender his or her identity. "God," the texter responded.
"So you should prolly listen. Enless you want to be smited, covered in a sea of locusts, and internal fire, eternal demnation. Which you should prolly just prepare for anyways, because as god I know you dont honor your mother. And thats a pretty heft sin their child. except Jesus christ as your lord and savior, because he gave his life for you, you know. So you prolly start adhereing to your mothers wishes, and also stop dressing like you work the night shift on woodward ave."
The text messages went on to tell the woman to read her Bible, go to church, follow the Ten Commandments and repent for her sins, court records show.
Police visited Newsham's parents' house. The man's father said he had kicked his son out of his home previously for making threats against him. At one point, Alexander Newsham asked his dad if he wanted to know what bleach tastes like, he told police.
The father went on to say his son refuses to get help for his issues and should be on medication, but refuses to take it. He told police he previously bought his son a bus ticket to Florida to stay with family, adding that if he was going to be homeless, he could do it someplace warm.
On Dec. 16, the same alleged victim told police she had received several more messages, though they were now originating from a local number, court records show.
On Dec. 28, police went to Newsham's aunt's house and encountered him. He initially denied any knowledge of the odd texts received by the woman.
"I asked Alexander why he was texting her knowing that (she) has a PPO against him," the trooper wrote in his report, contained in court records. "Alexander shrugged his shoulder and said he does not have a reason why, he just does."
Newsham added he uses a Google Play app to send the texts, court records show.
Janer is to review Newsham's case on Thursday, March 10.
FLINT, MI -- Due to a number of scams exploiting sympathetic donors and victims of Flint's water crisis, a consumer alert was issued by Michigan's Attorney General Bill Schuette Tuesday, Feb. 2.
From fake contractors to identity thieves masquerading as representatives of charitable organizations, the alert says there are always scammers looking to take advantage of those wanting to help, or those who want quick answers and quick solutions to their water problems to help them return to a sense of normalcy.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton also sent out a news release warning residents of possible scams.
"I don't want to spread further fear in our community, but I also want our residents to be extra careful and vigilant at this time when dealing with unsolicited offers from strangers and unknown companies," Leyton said. "The old adage is, 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.'"
Leyton said the scams can come in a variety of forms, including aggressive phone solicitations, mailers, emails and door-to-door solicitors. They may offer services or special insurance or warranties and will ask for personal information, like social security numbers, birth dates bank and credit card information and requests for money.
He also said otherwise legitimate companies may also offer services that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, but that are unnecessary or ineffective in dealing with current issues.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette speaks at a Jan. 25 news conference, where he introduced Andrew G. Arena, far left, and Todd Flood, far right, as investigators of the Flint Water Crisis.
The alert from Schuette gives several tips to those wanting to donate money, as well as those directly affected by the crisis. People need to keep their guard up, be aware and do their research before donating, hiring someone or giving out their personal information, according to the alert.
Tips for those directly affected include:
Don't make rash decisions. Research contractors before giving anyone money or signing any contracts. "This is especially true if you are approached by anyone telling you they can fix your water lines right away - but only if you accept their 'help' right now." Leyton suggested asking for printed information about the company and its services, and to talk with family, friends or neighbors to get their opinion before purchasing anything.
Ask to see the identification of anyone who wants to enter your home or business. Then, see if they check out by contacting the group they claim they're from. Avoid giving any personal information, as some scammers will pose as safety inspectors or utility workers who say immediate work is required. While true inspectors may verify damages, they do not do repairs or recommend or certify any contractor, and they do not solicit or accept money.
Be wary of any contractor going door-to-door for jobs, especially those that ask you to pay cash for services or that say they can make repairs at a discount using leftover supplies from another job. To check into the business, call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division (toll free) at 877-765-8388 to get the company's complaint history, and contact the Better Business Bureau. You may also check
Do not allow anyone to remove your water meter, and do not pay anyone for alternative water services. Anyone who tampers with water system equipment may be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Tips for those looking to help or donate:
SWARTZ CREEK, MI - A man once arrested for spying on women in a Burger King bathroom is back in jail after police claim he was peeping into people's homes around Swartz Creek.
John Robert Riley was arraigned Jan. 30 on a charge of first-degree home invasion, two counts of surveilling an unclothed person and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer following an investigation by the Swartz Creek and Mundy Township police department.
Riley, 23, was taken into custody after police began receiving multiple complaints of a person peering into windows around the Swartz Creek area.
Deputy Police Chief Clolinger said police first received a complaint Nov. 20 from the Winchester Village subdivision for a possible peeping Tom. Two additional complaints were later received for similar situations, according to Clolinger.
Detectives began investigating the case, but they caught a break when a Michigan Department of Corrections probation agent, Denise Dutoi, said the description of the suspect matched a probationer she was overseeing.
"Her intuition was correct, and working in conjunction with the Swartz Creek and Mundy Township authorities, a GPS tracking device was placed on the suspect's car," said MDOC spokesman Chris Gautz. "Two days later, he was arrested after being observed engaging in criminal behavior."
The home invasion charge was sought after Clolinger said officers allegedly observed Riley enter a home's garage.
Going on a few grainy photos, a brief description of the suspect and her knowledge of offenders she has supervised in the past, led her to act on a hunch.
Riley was previously arrested in 2011 after he attempted to view two female coworkers as they used the women's bathroom at a Frankenmuth Burger King. He was ordered to serve five years of probation.
A 17-year-old identified Riley as the man she saw looking up at her from beneath the door of the public bathroom stall.
He was already on probation at the time of the Burger King incident after pleading guilty to surveilling an unclothed person in Tuscola County in 2010.
Riley is currently lodged in the Genesee County Jail on $50,000, bond. He is due back in court Feb. 11. His attorney, William Ivey, could not be reached for comment.
FLINT, MI -- A group of Detroit radio talents are set to hold a town hall meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 2, focused on Flint's water crisis at the University of Michigan-Flint Northbank Center, 432 Saginaw Street from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
All 910 AM Superstation personalities including the Rev. Charles Williams II, David Bullock, Ralph Godbee and Steve Hood will participate in the meeting along with panelists from the Flint area.
Williams, a Detroit-area pastor, said he was "outraged" by Flint's water crisis.
"I am outraged at the behavior of Gov. Snyder and his underlings," said Williams. "They have treated the people of Flint inhumanely and they should pay with their jobs. We need solutions and I don't think they are the people we can trust."
The town hall meeting will be aired on WADL TV, The Word Network, internationally, and simulcast on 910AM Superstation.
The Word Network is based in Southfield, promotes itself as the largest African-American religious network in the world. It was founded in 2000. The network is known for Christian focused programming including a gospel music.
FLINT, MI - Attorney Geoffrey Fieger says he has filed a lawsuit seeking $100 million after a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the Flint area.
Fieger filed the lawsuit Monday, Feb. 1, in Genesee Circuit Court against McLaren-Flint on behalf of 58-year-old Debra Kidd. Kidd died from Legionella pneumonia on Aug. 2, 2015, seven days after she arrived at the hospital's emergency room with a headache.
The lawsuit claims McLaren, which used Flint city water, knew its water supply was contaminated with the Legionella bacteria in April 2014. Over the next 17 months, multiple McLaren patients developed Legionnaires' disease.
McLaren officials confirmed to The Flint Journal in January that Legionella bacteria was found in the hospital's water supply at their Flint location after the city switched from Detroit to the Flint River as their water source in 2014.
Gov. Rick Snyder and state Health and Human Services Department officials said Wednesday, Jan. 13, that the Flint area experienced a spike in Legionnaires' beginning in summer 2014.
Initially, state officials reported that 10 people had died from the outbreak, but that number was changed to nine in the newest study from the state. More than 70 were sickened in the outbreak.
The outbreak began shortly after Flint stopped using treated water from Detroit and began using the Flint River as the source of its drinking water, a change made by a Snyder-appointed emergency manager.
State health officials investigated a possible link between the city's water supply and the outbreak, but the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a report Jan. 21 saying the state investigators were unable to "determine a conclusive environmental source" of a Legionnaires Disease outbreak in the Flint area.
However, Fieger claims the water change played a role in the outbreak.
"The more I read and learn about this, the angrier I get," Fieger said. "To save a few dollars, the Snyder Administration poisoned an entire city and thought they could get away with it because those poisoned were poor, and primarily black."
McLaren spokeswoman Laurie Prochazka said the hospital has not yet seen the lawsuit and declined comment.
"It wouldn't be appropriate to discuss the litigation," Snyder's Press Secretary Dave Murray said. "But with regard to Mr. Feiger's comments, Gov. Snyder takes the well-being of all of Michigan residents very seriously, and Flint residents are not an exception to that."
No response has been filed in the case.
FLINT, MI -- Firefighters were called to a vacant school for a fire on Flint's west side Tuesday morning, Feb. 2.
Crews were called to 3701 Van Buren Ave., the shuttered Coolidge Community School, around 10 a.m., said District Commander Mark Kovach with the Flint Fire Department.
When they arrived, they found smoke in the school and an area in one of the rooms where someone apparently started a pile of debris on fire, Kovach said.
It burned a small hole in the floor, but there was otherwise no damage. No injuries were reported.
Arson investigators from the Michigan State Police were called to investigate.
In April 2015, the Flint School District approved the sale of the elementary school to the nonprofit Communities First Inc.
The district sold the building to Communities First for $60,000. Planned for the building was a community facility, housing and offices for the school, according to Flint School Board documents.
FLINT, MI --Mayor Karen Weaver put an exclamation point on her call to remove all Flint's lead water service lines today, Feb. 2, but funding for such a massive public works program remains unclear.
Weaver, backed by other sitting and former mayors, initially told a news conference that Flint's lead lines can be replaced for an estimated $2,000 to $3,000 by modeling a replacement program after one charted by the city Lansing. Current estimates place the cost around $3,670 per household.
Replacements should begin with homes at highest risk, where pregnant women and children are living, she said.
Lead service lines are thought to have been a culprit in the Flint water crisis, which developed as corrosive water from the Flint River caused lead to leach from lines even three months after after the city stopped using the river as its source of drinking water.
"The lead pipes have got to go," said the mayor, who also announced an initiative to "chart a new path to prosperity for the city and its residents," according to a statement released by the city.
Weaver said the Flint Action and Sustainability Team will be headed by retired Brigadier General Michael C. H. McDaniel and said she is counting on help from others, including Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and Shirley Franklin, a former mayor of the city of Atlanta.
The mayor said she is looking for "private and public funds" to carry out the lead service line replacement program but did not announce a specific source of funding.
Replacing 15,000 lead service lines at an average cost of $2,500 each would cost more than $37 million.
Dave Murray, press secretary for Gov. Rick Snyder, issued a statement following the news conference, saying there is "a consensus among experts and state lawmakers, including professor Marc Edwards (and state) Sen. (Jim) Ananich -- that much has to be done before pipes can and should be replaced."
"Experts say that the best plan is to first coat the pipes with phosphates to inhibit corrosion, then conduct a study to determine which pipes need to be replaced," Murray said in an email to The Flint Journal-MLive.
Staff from the city, state, University of Michigan-Flint and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are working to study old maps and handwritten city records to create digital maps to determine the location of pipes to start that process, Murray said.
"At that point, experts can determine what changes can be made the water infrastructure," the statement said.
Weaver said she will tell the state of her plan to push for pipe replacement and said her plan is "the plan for Flint to move forward. This is the city's plan."
FLINT, MI - A group of Flint residents who want to be heard in Washington, D.C., will leave Flint tonight.
Organizers want people who are impacted by the Flint water crisis to be able to tell their stories during the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing.
"We are going to DC so our voices aren't lost in the middle of political posturing," the message on the signup form says.
There will be a prayer vigil and news conference after the hearing where Flint residents will be able to tell their stories to the media, organizers said.
There will be trainers on the bus to help residents on how to share their story with the media.
The group will leave from the parking lot of the former Kmart at Miller Road and Ballenger Highway.
There is no cost to ride the bus, but travelers must provide for their own meals.
Signup for the bus is on a first-come, first-served basis. The bus leaves at 7 p.m.
Online registration is available here and ends at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 2.
The trip is sponsored by the National Action Network, Flint Democracy Defense League, Michigan Faith in Action, AFSCME SEIU, Michigan Nurses Association, Progress Michigan, National People's Action Advancement Project, National People's Action, Center for Popular Democracy and Michigan United.
Another bus charted by the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network also will leave from the same location.
Gov. Rick Snyder should have to testify before Congress, according to Michigan NAN President Rev. Charles Williams II. NAN also is calling for a $400 million appropriation from Congress to help fix Flint's toxic water.
"We're hoping that Congress will pull Snyder and the emergency managers in to find out what they've done," Williams said. "They're trying to deflect the conversation. This was under (Snyder's) house. Under his administration. He needs to answer for this."
Williams said buses carrying 100 people each from Detroit, Cleveland and New York also will head to the hearing.
"For a congressional committee meeting, people are invited to testify by the committee chairman," Snyder Spokesman Dave Murray said in an email to The Flint Journal. "Gov. Snyder has not been asked to testify. Keith Creagh, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, was invited and plans to speak before the committee this week, talking about challenges faced in Flint and what the department is doing moving forward to protect the health and safety of residents. That's our focus now."
Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or
post that changed it all: One of the photos put up by Deelip Menezes of the couple who offered him a free meal while he was en route Narsipatnam to Lambasingi (Visakhapatnam)
Trending online is a heartwarming post that biker Deelip Menezes put up on his social media page recently. Undertaking a five-day ride from Goa to Visakhapatnam, Menezes recounts his experience when he stopped by a village en route Narsipatnam to Lambasingi (in Visakhapatnam) to have breakfast.
I asked for a cup of tea and something to eat. The old man pointed to the tea and then said something in his local language that I didnt understand. I made the sign for food and he turned to his wife who was standing close by. She pointed me to a bench outside their hut, asked me to sit down and went inside the hut. After a few moments she emerged with a plate of idlis and chutney which I enjoyed along with the tea, writes Menezes (40), managing director of a US-based company.
Deelip Menezes's facebook post
When the time came to pay for his meal, Menezes was stunned to realise that he was being charged only Rs 5.
I realised that theirs was merely a tea stall and they had given me some of their own breakfast, which meant there would be less for their family to eat that morning, says Menezes, adding, I stayed quiet for a moment as I wrapped my head around what had just happened. I then reached into my wallet, took out some money and handed it to the old man. He refused to take it, but I insisted and after some pleading he finally gave in. As I rode up the ghat to Lambasingi I couldnt stop thinking about the old couple and the life lesson I learned from them. You haven't truly given until you have given till it hurts.
Deelip Menezes - managing director of a US-based company.
Matters take an unexpected turn
When Menezes, a resident of Goa, shared his experience on FB, he was completely unaware of what was soon to follow how quickly his post would go viral and how he would end up confronting Bollywood actor-director Varun Pruthi for sharing the incident as his own.
Pruthi shared the incident on his official page without giving any credit to Menezes. My post has been shared more than 30,000 times since I put it up three days ago. I have been receiving a lot of messages from people, and one of them was a tag onto Purthis post that made me realise that the actors PR team was using my post as their own, he says.
Actor Varun Pruthi
Menezes later shared the screengrab of the post and wrote, Sad to see celebrities stealing stories from lay people to make themselves look good. This actor must be using a third rate PR agency to have stooped so low.
When I went through the link on the actors page, there were photos where they had gone to the extent of cropping out my bike. And only a link to one of my photos was given towards the end of the blog. So if you were reading, you would assume that the incident took place with Pruthi. And thats how it appeared because people were congratulating him, says Menezes.
The actor, in his defense, wrote back to the people who were questioning his motives: The story source is clearly mentioned. Please do read the full story before questioning. We are just helping to make it reach more people so it can inspire everyone. Story source: Deelip Menezes.
Not new to creating controversy, Pruthi was previously in the news for handing out money to the impoverished and claiming that God sent him for them.
While the post is no longer available on the actors page, Menezes admits that he is let down. He is a celebrity and the way the post was shared was quite deceiving. In the end, they decided to take down the post, he says.
FLINT, MI -- Former Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley is refusing to testify on the city's water crisis during a Congressional hearing Wednesday, Feb. 3, and Democrats are pushing Gov. Rick Snyder to direct him otherwise.
Earley, who is leaving his position as Detroit Public Schools emergency manager Feb. 29, has told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that he will not testify about how the Flint water crisis unfolded even though he has been invited as one of five witnesses, Congressional sources said.
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., issued a statement Tuesday, Feb. 2, saying Earley's refusal to testify hurts the committee's search for answers about how Flint's water crisis was allowed to happen.
Democrats, who make up a minority of the committee, have already complained that Snyder himself was not called to testify.
"At Wednesday's hearing, we won't hear from the governor, any of the emergency managers he appointed in Flint, or anyone else from the state who was involved in making decisions that led to this crisis," Cummings statement says.
"In our search for the truth, we must hear from everyone involved to understand what happened. Having such a one-sided hearing undermines the credibility of the committee and subjects the committee to accusations of partisanship. No matter who is responsible, the people of Flint deserve a comprehensive investigation that gets them answers -- not a partisan effort to protect the governor and others who brought about this crisis."
The Flint Journal-MLive could not immediately reach Earley or a representative for U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the oversight committee, for comment.
Snyder Press Secretary Dave Murray said in an email that he's "not aware of Mr. Earley's plans."
"Keith Creagh, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, plans to speak before the committee this week, talking about challenges faced in Flint and what the department is doing moving forward to protect the health and safety of residents. That's our focus now," Murray's statement says.
In addition to Cummings' statement, the Michigan Democratic Party released a statement Tuesday, calling on Snyder to "demand" Earley's testimony before Congress, and State Sen. Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said the former emergency manager shouldn't be able to "dodge his responsibility to fully comply with every investigation about his role in the Flint water crisis."
"The governor must demand that he testify before Congress tomorrow and be completely transparent in turning over every document related to what happened," Ananich said.
In addition to Earley, the committee witness list includes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency representatives, Virginia Tech university professor Marc Edwards and Creagh.
U.S. Rep Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp., is also scheduled to give remarks to the committee.
Earley may not want to testify, but he has stated his opinion on responsibility for the Flint lead in water crisis in the past.
Flint's emergency manager from September 2013 until January 2015 said in an email to The Flint Journal-MLive in October that the decision to use the Flint River as the city's water source in April 2014 was made months before Snyder appointed him to run the city.
"The decision to separate from (the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department) and go with the Karegnondi Water Authority, including the decision to pump Flint River water in the interim, were both a part of a long-term plan that was approved by Flint's mayor, and confirmed by a City Council vote of 7-1 in March of 2013 -- a full seven months before I began my term as emergency manager," Earley's email says.
Members of the council, the mayor and others have taken issue with that history because both the council and the mayor had been stripped of their authority after the governor declared a financial emergency here and appointed four different emergency managers to run the city.
FLINT, MI -- Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Macklemore made a last-minute stop in Flint to learn about the city's water issues and discuss possible solutions.
He visited the Flint Local 432, an all-ages, non-profit music and performing arts venue located in downtown Flint, on Monday, Feb. 1, to talk with more than two dozen community members from all over the city.
Flint Local club manager Sara Johnson said the meeting lasted about 90 minutes.
"It focused on the water issue itself: the specifics of what led to it, how it's directly affecting citizens, how the city and state are helping, how celebrities' visits have been helping and what needs to be done from here," Johnson said.
He is in Michigan as he prepares to play Detroit's Fox Theater on Tuesday. Johnson said their pit stop in Flint was a last-minute decision. The event was made possible by Natasha Thomas-Jackson from Raise It Up! youth arts and awareness organization.
Johnson said Macklemore also asked about the role race and privilege played in the crisis.
"He was very transparent about his level of knowledge and his privilege, and did far more listening than talking," Johnson said. "From what he did say, it was clear he was eager to learn about the issue and its potential solutions from people actually in the community, to hopefully use his position of privilege to help as much as possible."
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis took home the Grammy for best rap album with its 2012 release of "The Heist" and they were named best new artist. The group released and recorded the album independently, rather than relying on a record company
The Flint Local celebrated its 30th anniversary in October and serves as an alcohol-free, all-ages concert space. It helped serve as a launching pad for many local groups, including Chiodos and The Swellers.
FLINT, MI -- Arthur Woodson said the time for waiting is over.
One of the self-proclaimed "water warriors" in the city of Flint, Woodson stepped behind the pulpit Monday, Feb. 1 at First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church to give his testimony.
Going through a history lesson of sorts on the water situation, the crowd rose to its feet when Woodson, dressed in a black and white "Flint Lives Matter" T-shirt which many sported called for water bills to be suspended.
"We have to let them know that we are not asking for anything anymore," said Woodson, with the crowd rising to its feet. "These are demands."
More than 500 people filled the sanctuary and listened along through open doors in a small gallery space as Woodson, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Rev. David A. Bullock, attorney Benjamin Crump, Pastor Jamal Bryant, and several others called for action and a change in leadership.
Hanna-Attisha, director of Hurley Medical Center's Pediatric Residency Program, said the city is in a state of emergency because of the potential consequences over lead exposure.
"Water is a today issue; we need to invest in tomorrow," she said.
Steps have been taken at the state and federal levels, with Gov. Rick Snyder recently signing a $28 million appropriations bill to be used towards additional nurses, EarlyOn monitoring for children 0-3, and nutrition support.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a laundry list of actions taking place in the city at the federal level, including the Environmental Protection Agency working with state and local leader on lead testing.
But many in the crowd argued for change in the city's infrastructure to replace lead lines to homes and would not settle for anything less.
"Flint is strong, Flint is proud, and we the citizens of Flint aren't going to settle until we get new pipes," said Ashley Liddell-Ruffin, a Flint resident who spoke of her child's illness and the difficulties of day-to-day life using bottled water.
She argued the issue at hand is one that goes beyond the bounds of the city and race.
"This isn't a black lives matter things, this is a Flint lives matter (thing)," said Liddell-Ruffin.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, whose represented the families of Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice, said accountability is needed and spoke to the mayor seated behind him while as he addressed the crowd.
"We are here today, Mayor Weaver, because a crime has been committed in the city," said Crump.
He is penning a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch to open up a federal investigation on the city's water crisis and urged residents to have their voices heard.
Rev. Ezra Tillman, Jr., pastor of First Trinity, said in a press conference following the town hall that people "will no longer accept the status quo."
"We are a praying people, we are a shouting people. Now it's time to be a people of action," he said. "So, it's our desire from this day forward we'll not drop the ball as has been done so many time before."
Tillman said there will be "boots on the ground" moving forward, with people standing in the halls of local and state government.
The power in those voices, Bullock said, is creating a true narrative of the situation taking place in the city. He's one of the organizers in a recall effort against Gov. Rick Snyder.
"Sometimes tragedy can become a platform for spectacle, because people are always looking for a platform. You have to be careful," he said. "You have to manage the platform and control the story. If you don't tell your own story, somebody will tell it for you."
Weaver addressed those in the crowd not from Flint as she spoke of the city's history as the birthplace of the middle class, the Sit-Down Strike of 1936-37, a model for community school, and celebrated athletes hailing from the Vehicle City.
"I welcome you to Flint. I wish it was under different circumstances," she said. "We're like a bird whose wings have been clipped."
Weaver reached into the Bible for an analogy on Flint's water woes.
"With the faith of a mustard seed saying to this mountain, and the water crisis is our mountain, get up and get out of our way," she said. "We will rise up and we will fly again... nothing will get in our way."
FLINT, MI -- U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee says he will testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on the Flint water crisis Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Kildee's announcement comes amid reports by The Detroit Free Press and others that former Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley may not testify after having been called to by the House committee.
Kildee is not on the committee's witness list, but will speak to the panel.
The Web site for the committee still listed Earley as a witness today, Feb. 2.
Kildee issued a statement today that says, "Flint deserves answers from the state on how this terrible water crisis happened and what is being done to make it right.
"It is my hope that this congressional hearing will find the facts, hold those accountable who created this tragedy, and ensure that Flint families and children get the resources they need to deal with this ongoing public health emergency."
In addition to Earley, the committee witness list includes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency representatives, Virginia Tech university professor Marc Edwards and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Keith Creagh.
House Democrats have said the committee, which has a majority of Republican members, should have requested testimony from Gov. Rick Snyder, who was not called to testify.
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CHARLEVOIX, MI -- Police do not suspect foul play in the death of a 22-year-old woman found dead along the shoreline of a Northern Michigan lake.
Nataleigh Musser of Charlevoix is believed to have drowned in Round Lake, Charlevoix City Police Chief Gerard Doan said.
Authorities located her body on Friday, Jan. 29 under a shallow ice shelf along the north shore of Round Lake.
Doan said evidence at the scene seems to indicate that Musser went into the water, then came back out before re-entering the water.
A Coast Guard crew used a light to help find the body underneath the ice shelf, he said.
He said Musser was familiar with the area.
She was reported missing earlier in the day Friday and police were able to determine a possible location as to her whereabouts.
E-mail John Tunison: jtunison@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/johntunison
Gay rights supporters celebrate outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Tuesday after the apex court agreed to review agreed to hear the petition on Section 377 which makes gay sex a criminal offence. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said homosexuality was a "humane issue" and the government had not formulated any view on the matter so far.
Reacting to the apex court referring the issue to a five-judge constitution bench, the minister said, "It is a humane issue, we have to study various aspects and take a final view. The debate is on. The government has, to my knowledge, not formulated any final view, but it is now before the court, let us await what is going to happen..."
Asked about his personal view, he said, "I have no personal view, because as a minister people should not talk about personal views."
Expressing happiness over the positive approach by the apex court, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, "The Supreme Court has actually breathed some hope into the cause of redressing the denial of rights of so many."
Former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram welcomed the Supreme Court decision to refer to a five-judge constitution bench the re-examination of the verdict on same sex relationships and hoped that the Delhi High Court judgement on it will be upheld. "I am happy that an error is being corrected. This is only the first step. I look forward to the day when the SC will uphold the judgement of the Delhi High Court."
If SC doesn't repeal the discriminatory, draconian & archaic #Section377, government & MPs must intervene in the interest of social justice Milind Deora (@milinddeora) February 1, 2016
Meanwhile, equal rights activist Anjali Gopalan of the Naz Foundation expressed relief, saying, "They have accepted the petition that means they see some merit in it."
Amnesty India tweeted: "The Supreme Court has another chance to correct a grave error, which continues to put LGBTI people under physical, mental and legal threat."
Teachers belonging to Jacto across Tamil Nadu on Monday stage a protest demanding better pay and working conditions on Monday. (Photo: DC)
Chennai: The Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisation (Jacto) on Monday threatened to boycott public exams and elections if the state government fails to hold talks about their 15-point charter of demands including salary on par with central government school teachers.
On Monday, over a lakh teachers, who boycotted work on the third and final day of the protests, got arrested across the state for staging demonstrations.
Though we were protesting for several months, government hasnt called us for talks. This demonstration is a major success as 1.5 lakh teachers have boycotted schools and joined protests, said Sami. Sathyamoorthy, a high level committee member of Jacto.
The school education department officials told DC that 19,000 teachers (14 per cent ) from high and higher secondary schools and 75,000 teachers (51 per cent ) from primary and middle schools were absent on Monday.
After consulting with the government, action will be taken against protesting teachers, they said. Jacto high level committee meeting will be held in Chennai this Friday or Saturday. After that we will announce the decision regarding the boycott of exams and elections, said P. Ilangovan, state coordinator of Jacto.
We will consult with other government employees organisations who are also protesting for various demands before announcing the boycott of the election, he added.
About 1,000 teachers were arrested for trying to stage a road roko in Chennai apart from those who got arrested for staging demonstration at district headquarters.
The protesting teachers also want the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) to be scrapped and replaced with the old pension scheme and merging 50 percent of the dearness allowance in the salary and a special officer in government schools for implementing the welfare schemes.
Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is preparing a flood master plan on the back of lessons learnt from December 2015 floods as part of its mitigation plans for the future.
On Monday, top ranking officials of the GCC, Chennai metro water, subject experts from the Netherlands, private firms and also representatives of IIT-M, Anna University and the World Bank, got together at a summit at Amma Maaligai at Ripon Building premises.
The summit, organised under the 100 Resilient Cities moniker, was an initiative of the Rocke-feller Foundation.
Speaking to DC, senior officials of the corporation said the summit helped float ideas from different partners with it coming in handy for the local bodys master plan.
For instance, the canals and rivers are under the purview of the public works department. The corporation cannot on its own set about formulating an action plan and so it needs the support and encouragement of every department concerned. We will also need views from world over to make a customised action plan that suits the city, an official said.
Our zonal officers have already mapped out localities, which suffered extensive damage, drawing up on their own personal experience during the floods. The plan will be forwarded to the government for approval soon, the official added.
The summit consisted of two sessions, with the forenoon session seeing former commissioner Vikram Kapur describe experience of the corporation and efforts undertaken to prevent epidemic outbreak in the aftermath of the flood.
The afternoon session involved foreign experts submit presentations on disaster mitigation plans in application in their respective countries.
Vikram Singh, associate director of 100 Resilient Cities programme, told Deccan Chronicle that he was impressed by the many examples of community volunteerism in the aftermath of the flood.
Of course, there were gaps in terms of how a situation could have been handled better. But the fact that the corporation worked to put the city back on its feet in four, five days and that there was no epidemic outbreak deserves appreciation, he said.
Singh added that the action plan is likely to be put in motion within a period of 9-12 months. The Corporation, however, is yet to appoint a Chief Resilient Officer for the programme, a key demand of Rockefeller Foundation. We understand that elections are upon the state. We expect that until the new regime takes charge, there wont be much of a forward movement but we already have the seal of approval from the government, Singh said.
The 'Experience with Diana Hamilton' finally arrived on the shores of Accra on Saturday the 30th of January and surely it did not disappoint. The event really lived up to the preceding hype.
Rev. Danny Danso kicked the evening off with a medley of energetic praise and worship songs followed on by young up and coming artistes Pee & Kay who belted out songs from their Aseda album. Impeccably dressed Brother Philemon flew in all the way from China and was also in on the action with his full band. U.K. Ghanaian artiste Samuel Refined 'A' got the crowd involved and treated them to his hit single 'Way maker'.
By the time Uncle Ato mounted the stage, the crowd were already in a state of worship and stayed on their feet throughout. As is typical of Joe Mettle, he did not disappoint either, treating audiences to a series of his well known soul inspiring worship songs, sending the audiences into deep worship as they sang along with him.
If anyone was in doubt as to the inclusion of the acclaimed Nigerian gospel music giant Sammie Okposo, their doubts were quickly dispelled when the 'Welu Welu Master' mounted the stage. His ministration on the night was energetic and infectious and jelled so well with PL Crew, the band for the evening. His ministration was interspersed with a carefully choreographed dance with his backing vocalists and band, and not forgetting the waving of his trademarked white handkerchiefs.
Then the lady of the night was introduced to the crowd by the MC Randy Abossey (Joy FM) to an exquisitely presented stage and carefully designed lighting. Diana walked majestically onto the stage in her elegant gown to a thunderous applause and belted out song after song of her popular hits like 'Osoro be kasa' , 'Eye Woa', 'Overwhelmed', 'Papa Reigns' and her current hit 'Work In Progress' from her recently released 'Yehowah' album.
Her performances on the night exuded a calm confidence and a connection with the crowd, with her honed distinctive voice ringing throughout the auditorium and supported by harmonies of her backing vocalists and the very capable PL Crew.
EC12oneTV made a surprise presentation of a portrait of Diana to her during a short intermission.
The night was attended by various dignitaries and celebrities including the General secretary of the church of Pentecost Apostle Alex Kumi-Larbi, Dr. Peter Tobin, super model Victoria Michaels, Anita Erskine (Starr FM) SP Kofi Sarpong, Ohemaa Mercy, Cwesi Oteng and many more. It was a very successful night and organisers have hinted that plans are already afoot for DH Experience (GH) 2017 and a date in Kumasi.
The event was organised by Mace promotions, sponsored and supported by Mace Group, Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Zoom Lion, Abii National, Priority Insurance, Halifax Asset Management, Eagle Properties, Special Ice, Pent TV, Atinka FM, Peace FM, OK FM, UTV, Multimedia Group, 1615 Media and Bethel Retreat Centre
Mumbai: The management and principal of the Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society-run Abeda Inamdar College in Pune have said that the drowning incident in which 14 students lost their lives was unfortunate and could have been averted had there been lifeguards available on the spot from where the students were washed into the sea. The college added that it had identified the 14 students and is in the process of informing their families about it.
Ten girls and four boys lost their lives in the tragedy and among the drowned girls, two Rafia and Shafia Mumtaz Ansari were sisters.
Meanwhile, as rumours of some students still being untraceable spread across Pune, prayers were held at various religious places for their safety and well-being.
P.A. Inamdar, trustee of Inamdar College, confirmed that 14 students had died in the mishap. The picnickers were accompanied by around 10 staff members including teachers. We have been told that the beach where the students had gone apparently had no lifeguard available, said Mr Inamdar adding that the college had sent officials to Murud to help the authorities to identify the bodies. The college has taken all precautions to ensure that the families of the deceased are informed about the tragedy only after the identities of the drowned students are confirmed, he said.
Shakir Mohammad, a resident of Viman Nagar, said that as news of the tragedy and missing students spread, mosques requested devotees to pray for the departed as well as the well-being and safety of the missing students. The city is abuzz with talks of the tragedy and people are talking about the deceased and missing students. The imam of a mosque in Viman nagar called for special prayers for the students after the evening prayers got over, said Mr Mohammad.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
MOVIE ACTOR John Dumelo's scathing attacks on Nana Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, seems to have landed him (Dumelo) in big trouble.
The actor's reported comments that Nana Akufo-Addo cannot become the president of the country, had incurred the wrath of several residents of Kumasi, including known NPP members.
One of such angry people, Edmund Kyei, the Asokwa NPP communications director, has sternly cautioned the movie actor to refrain from attacking the NPP leader in his (Dumelo's) own interest.
If he wants to descend into the gutters, then he should know that some of us are ever ready to enter the gutters with him so he should be warned, the NPP man stated.
Speaking in an interview with BEATWAVES, Mr Kyei wondered why John Dumelo has suddenly from nowhere become the official spokesperson for the NDC.
We thought he was an actor and if his career is dwindling and he has therefore decided to become a politician to secure his daily bread, then he is welcomed, the NPP communicator said.
Mr Kyei, however, cautioned Dumelo that he has no right to constantly attack Nana Akufo-Addo, adding that if he continues his childish behaviour, then we will be forced to attack him too.
He suspected that Dumelo's real motive is to always attack the NPP leader in order to divert the people's attention from how poorly the country is being managed by President Mahama.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
Not many Kumawood actors will publicly admit that monies they get from acting has transformed their lives but for actor Akwasi Boadu aka Akrobeto, he does not regret leaving his search for greener pastures in Belgium for acting.
There is money in Kumasi, anyone who says there is no money, the person is lying. I dont regret heeding to the advice of returning to Ghana while I was in Belgium looking for greener pastures. Ever since I came down, my life has not been the same, he said in an interview with Delay on the Delay Show.
Asked what he has been able to achieve so far and the number of movies he has featured in, the actor who was reluctant to mention how much he takes per movie said; so far I can say 200 movies and still counting and out of these, I have been able to purchase cars and two houses.
One in the Ashanti Region and another in Greater Accra Region. All of which is made up of eight bedrooms.
Akrobeto also went to say that at least, he features in about four movies every month ever since the industry recognized him as a force to reckon with.
Tunis (AFP) - Relatives of two Tunisian journalists who disappeared in Libya about 18 months ago protested Tuesday to demand more cooperation from the Tunisian government about their fate.
Sofiene Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari went missing in Libya on September 8, 2014 and the Islamic State group later claimed it had killed them.
But in September last year, Tunisia's then foreign minister Taieb Baccouche said the pair were still alive. Since then no information about their fate has surfaced.
"This marks a year and five months since the disappearance of Nadhir and Sofiene... We're here to put pressure on the government because clues indicate that they are still alive," Chourabi's father Sami said.
"We're asking for the minimum... We have drawn up a plan to go to Libya and meet tribal leaders but they (Tunisian authorities) have not even looked at our project.
"We're waiting, hope is still here," he added.
Protesters held up portraits of the journalists and banners that read: "We are all Sofiene, We are all Nadhir."
According to the regional representative of Reporters Without Borders, Yasmine Kacha, Ktari's parents are expected to be received Wednesday by foreign ministry officials.
Chourabi, an investigative journalist and blogger who was active during Tunisia's 2011 revolution, and photographer Ktari went missing in the Ajdabiya district of eastern Libya.
In January last year, the Islamic State group claimed to have killed the pair.
But on September 7, Baccouche said he had "irrefutable proof" that Chourabi and Ktari "are alive".
"We are trying to bring them back to Tunisia," he said at the time, with no development since.
Ave-Seva, Feb 01, GNA - Mr. James Gunu, Akatsi North District Chief Executive (DCE), has called for more women participation in the management of communities and associations.
He said though women played very important roles in the day-to-day activities of communities at different levels, male chauvinism kept them away from vital positions.
Mr. Gunu, who was inaugurating a seven member Ave-Seva Youth Association comprising all males executive, said the time had come to break that culture that kept women on the periphery of affairs.
He said the situation in homes, where males are encouraged to excel and women kept down should stop.
Mr. Gunu commended the Ave-Seva youth for uniting to develop their community in consonance with government's plans.
He said the Association's efforts will also supplement the efforts of the Assembly, which remains on course to advance the development of the District.
GNA
01.02.2016 LISTEN
Accra, Feb.1, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Monday remanded Cleland Dennis Nii Odartey, a trader, for supply of narcotic drugs.
Cleland was said to have in his possession 106 wraps and quantities of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs for the purpose of supply without lawful authority.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge but was remanded by the Court to reappear on Feb 15.
Chief Superintendent of Police, Duuti Tuaruka told the Court that the complainants are police officers from Alpha Swat Unit, Accra Region, whiles the accused person is a trader residing at Ablekuma.
He said on October 9, 2015 at about 0830 hours, while the complainants were on their way to Ablekuma on duty, they had information that someone was dealing in narcotic drugs at Odorkor.
The complainants proceeded to the scene and spotted Cleland in his provision shop. He was arrested and a search conducted revealed 106 wraps and quantities of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp in a tray hidden under his counter.
The prosecution said in his investigation caution statement, Cleland claimed ownership of the stuff and stated that it is for his personal use.
He said subsequent investigations revealed that Cleland sells the substances to prospective buyers.
GNA
A solar-powered bus described by its Ugandan makers as the first in Africa has been driven in public.
Kiira Motors' Kayoola prototype electric bus was shown off at a stadium in Uganda's capital, Kampala.
One of its two batteries can be charged by solar panels on the roof which increases the vehicle's 80km (50 mile) range.
The makers now hope to attract partners to help manufacture the bus for the mass market.
Kiira Motors' chief executive Paul Isaac Musasizi told BBC News that he had been "humbled" by the large and positive reaction to the test drive.
Image captionSolar panels on the roof of the bus will top up the vehicle's battery
People have been excited by the idea that Uganda is able to produce the concept vehicle, or prototype, and Mr Musasizi said he wanted it to help the country "champion the automotive, engineering and manufacturing industries" in the region.
He also hopes that it will generate employment, predicting that by 2018, more than 7,000 people could be directly and indirectly employed in the making of the Kayoola.
But backing from international companies, which make vehicle parts, is essential for the project to take off.
The vision is that by 2039 the company will be able to manufacture all the parts and assemble the vehicle in Uganda.
The 35-seat bus is intended for urban areas rather than inter-city use because of the restrictions on how far it can travel.
If it is mass produced, each bus would cost up to $58,000 (40,000), which Mr Musasizi says is a a competitive price.
Kiira Motors grew out of a project at Uganda's Makerere University, which is now a shareholder in the company, and it has also benefitted from government funding.
South Cotabato, Philippines The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has established an exclusive Peace Committee to take united action towards making the nation free from conflicts. In order to support the practical initiatives suggested by UN DPI NGO, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), the IBP has inaugurated a total of 93 lawyers (9 Board of Governors and 84 regional representative lawyers) as members of HWPL National Committee on Peace in IBP.
The lawyers were also appointed as HWPL Publicity Ambassadors. The IBP is an official organization of all Filipino lawyers whose names appear in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court.
For the inauguration ceremony, IBP President Atty. Rosario T. Setias-Reyes, an active member of the HWPL Advisory Council, extended special invitations to the South Korean Peace Delegation: Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL and Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim of the International Womens Peace Group (IWPG). The two Chairpersons will serve as advisory members to the HWPL National Committee on Peace in IBP. Atty. Jose I. De La Rama, Jr. will serve as the head of the Committee while he continues to serve as the IBP Governor for Central Luzon.
In response to President Setias-Reyess call for the Board of Governors to voluntarily establish the Peace Committee in the IBP, the committee members pledged to strive to make peace a reality in the Philippines through supporting HWPLs peace proposal: the International Convention on the Renunciation and Cessation of War and International Armed Conflicts. They affirmed their solidarity in instilling hopes for those in need of peace through their expertise.
As the only means to bring peace to the world, HWPL Chairman Lee has suggested such a Convention and founded the HWPL International Law Peace Committee, consisting of international law scholars and professionals.
If each nations head and leaders desire for world peace and love their people, they must work for the establishment of the right framework for the international convention on peace. For future justice in the Philippines and the rest of the world, all the honorable officers who are here with me today are forming that framework on behalf of all people. We have to urge the nations to participate in supporting the International Convention which can promote peace, said Chairman Lee.
Chairwoman Kim also called on the officers present, especially women leaders to actively work for peace by saying Numerous international agreements and principles for peace have been drawn up and ratified until today. However, war and civil unrest have not stopped in this world. We, the women, have the responsibility to protect our husbands, children, and our neighbors.
Since IBP faces unique challenges inland, it continues to provide free legal services to citizens of the Philippines as one of main objectives of IBP. Just last month, IBP vowed to help and give legal assistance to the lumad (Indigenous People) evacuees.
At the same time as the formation of the IBP Peace Committee, the Monument to the Declaration of World Peace was erected and an HWPL day was designated in the MILF base camp in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao Province. This location was once a hot-spot during 40-years of armed conflict between MILF and the government of the Philippines. The region now serves as a reminder to the real costs of armed conflicts and the need for transformation from a culture of violence to a culture of peace.
Authorities in Congo-Brazzaville must immediately and unconditionally release an opposition leader arrested and detained for over two months simply for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today.
Paulin Makaya, President of Unis pour le Congo (UPC), was arrested on 23 November 2015 while reporting for questioning at the office of the Public Prosecutor. He was charged with alleged crimes in relation to his participation in a protest held on 20 October in Brazzaville in opposition to amendments to the countrys constitution.
The right to express political opinions and protest peacefully are fundamental human rights that should always be respected and protected, not least during election periods, said Alioune Tine, Amnesty International Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
Paulin Makaya and others detained for nothing more than exercising these rights should be released immediately and unconditionally.
Amnesty International considers Paulin Makaya, as well as several others arrested during the same period, to be prisoners of conscience detained simply for peacefully exercising their right to express their political views.
The treatment of Paulin Makaya has also contravened a number of international fair trial standards as well as national legislation. He has been questioned several times without his lawyer, detained for seven days without being charged or brought before a court, and his bail application finally denied on 20 January took seven weeks rather than the five days prescribed by Congolese law.
Among the charges levelled against Paulin Makaya are that of incitement to disturb public order, unlawful possession of weapons of war and ammunitions and complicity to commit arson.
All charges against Paulin Makaya should be dropped and as national elections approach, the authorities should promote and facilitate peaceful protest and respect the expression of different views, said Alioune Tine.
Background
On 20 October 2015, security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition at protesters in Brazzaville demonstrating against the proposed changes to the Republic of Congos Constitution.
A referendum was held on 25 October 2015 to give way for, amongst other things, the current President to run for a third term in office in 2016.
The referendum was preceded by demonstrations organised in Brazzaville, Pointe Noire and across other towns to express dissent over the proposed changes to the constitution.
Clashes between security forces and protesters led to the death of at least 16 protesters and bystanders in Brazzaville and Pointe Noire alone.
Ahead of the referendum, the right to freedom of expression was also severely curtailed with mobile internet services, text messaging and the transmission signal of some radio stations being cut in Brazzaville. The presidential election which was initially scheduled for July 2016, will now be held on 20 March.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu the second is advising financial service providers to device strategies to boost public confidence to enhance local investment.
He says the rate at which traders continue to keep money in their shops, with the attendant risk, suggests banks and other financial institutions have more work to do.
The Asantehene gave the advice when officials of Ideal Finance paid a called on him at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
His call comes after some traders at the Kumasi Central Market lost huge sums of money in a recent fire outbreak.
Otumfuo advised management of the institution to place a premium on building and maintaining good reputation in view of recent developments in the financial sector.
He said the current developments where some financial institutions that have taken customers money could not account for them should serve as a lesson for players in the sector to avoid such situations in the future.
According to him, it will require proper planning to avoid falling into such incidents.
Officials of Ideal Finance were at the Manhyia Palace ahead of the official opening of its first branch this week.
The company donated 10,000 Ghana cedis to the Otumfour Foundation.
Earlier the team visited Komfo Anokye Hospital where it presented 20, thousand Ghana cedis to the Maternity Ward to discharged mothers who are unable to settle their hospital bills.
Dr. Nii Kotei Dzani is Chief Executive Officer explained the rationale behind the donation and said it is their campaign to reduce the hospitals burden.
It is economic problem and burden on hospital when patients cannot pay their bills. That is the campaign we want to help solve the challenge in the hospitals. He said.
Board Chairman, Captain (Rtd) Kojo Butah, sheds some light on the companys package for the Kumasi market.
We have done a lot of job in Accra. But we now want to extend our services to Kumasi to help residents here. Thats why we came to see you. Captain Butah said.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Participants attending the 26th Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, have been asked not to see the Summit as talk shows but rather, they should translate what transpired and agreed upon to their citizenry.
The Head of Oxfam International and Liaison Officer to the AU, Mr. Desire Assogbavi said this yesterday at the opening of a two-day training workshop for civil society groups, journalists and press attaches at the various Embassies in Addis Ababa.
He suggested the need to send experts to such Summits, citing instances where people with no technical background participate but failed to make meaningful contribution, simply because they do not understand the subject matters tabled.
Some of the delegates call themselves experts and attend virtually every meeting including Trade, Finance, Peace and Security, gender among others but failed to make meaning contributions or impact because they lack the knowledge surrounding what was discussed, he noted.
Mr. Assogbevi wondered the role of the Permanent Representatives at the AU who are Ambassadors representing member countries, noting that some Embassies have experts who could best attended such meetings, instead of people with no ideas.
He therefore asked civil society groups including journalists to put governments for that matter the AU on their toes by ensuring that the right thing was done.
Mr. Assogbavi, described as unfortunate, the number of protocols and decisions that were arrived at during such Summits, but failed to implemented because the delegates are unable to understand and propagate their voices to their citizenry when they return back to their respective countries.
Averagely, he said, 50 decisions and protocols were taken at each event yet, only few of such decisions were implemented.
He cited the 25th AU Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year where 40 decisions were taken, however, only four of the decisions were implemented.
He described that as not the best and urged the AU and member states move to an optimum level.
Mr. Assogbavi said the time had come for member countries for that matter the AU to be proactive and assertive by ensuring that they go by what the Summit agreed upon and make their citizens feel part of what was discussed.
Making a presentation on the African Governance Architecture (AGA) Dr. George Mukundi of the Political Affairs Department of the AU Secretariat, said the AGA was a continental institutional framework aimed at connecting, empowering and building capacities of African people.
It was to also facilitate, harmonise and coordinate the instrument of initiatives in governance and democracy among AGA platform members.
Touching on the theme of the Summit, he said, it was an opportunity to reflect on the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the African Charter in Nairobi in 1981.
The year, he said also marked the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the African Charter, the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the African Charter in 1986; and 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 marked the 10thAnniversary of the operationalization of the Court.
This year, he added, it also gave reflection of the Maputo Protocol 13 years and to reaffirm AUs commitment to gender equality, in 2004, the Assembly of Heads of State adopted, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA) among others.
Mr. Mukundi noted that the commitment was reinforced with the adoption of the first-ever African Union Gender Policy in 2009 and Assembly Declaration of 2010-2020 as an African Womens Decade and the launching of the Fund for African Women.
The Head of Division, Coordination and Outreach of Women, Gender and Development Directorate of the AU, Ms. Victoria Makola said the declaration of 2016 as the Africa Year of Human Rights provides further opportunity to consolidate the gains made over the years, ensure better coordination of human rights bodies on the continent, and move towards the establishment of a true human rights culture on the continent, she said.
The year, she said marked the second consecutive year on the agenda of the UN to promote gender equality and womens right.
She enumerated the numerous challenges that African girls and women go through including harmful cultural practices and discrimination hence the focus on womens right at this years Summit of the AU.
It is also an opportunity for the AU to assess its position in human rights and the commitments made in the area of human rights, she noted.
She challenged the member States to be advocates of human and womens rights by ensuring that they well understood agreed upon and implemented.
Giving an overview of the transformation from the Organisation of African Unity to the African Union, the Policy Advisor, Peace and Security and Oxfam Liaison Officer to the AU, Ms. Brenda Mofya, said the OAU started as an ideological institution of building a strong United African to resist colonialism and build strong solidarity and deal with racisms among others.
The then leaders, she said wanted a continent that was free from colonialism towards the attainment of peace and security and improve the economic and welfare of the African people while attaining its dignity and sovereignty
The AU sometimes rush to take decisions but failed to implement them, unfortunately, they bring people who do not have legal and technical background to attend the Summit and sign protocols one-half of member countries
The training, being organised by the Department of Information and Communications of the AU and Oxfam international, was part of an annual pre-summit workshop to sensitise the participants to understand and engage the AU.
Hyderabad: Three issues that are plaguing AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu are the Kapu reservation problem, the discontent in Rayalaseema, and obstacles to the construction of Amaravati.
Mr Naidus election promises are haunting him as he is now two months short of completing two years in office. Admittedly, he has been speaking about these issues repeatedly while attacking the opposition.
While speaking to the media on Sunday, the CM had said that the YSRC wanted to use these issues to corner his government.
Read: Chandrababu Naidu blamed for Kapu violence at Tuni
They want to create obstacles to Amaravati. The opposition tried to incite regional passions in Rayalaseema saying it was not developed. Most of the projects are actually coming up in Seema. They also tried to stall Pattiseema and are now instigating fights between castes on the Kapu reservation issue, he said.
Construction of Amaravati is a daunting task and Mr Naidus chances of re-election in 2019 will depend on whether he can showcase at least some parts of the capital. He had made several key promises, which he failed to implement including reservations for Kapus and Boyas.
Read: Telangana government too may face reservation row
The Opposition allege that Mr Naidu has failed to keep his promises and instead is blaming them. They say that these three issues will definitely spell doom for the TD in the next elections.
Former economic adviser to the AP government D.A. Somayujulu said, The only thing they implemented is Rs 1,000 pension for the poor. Only a negligible part of the Rs 80,000 crore farm loans has been waived. To cover up a mistake the government is doing more mistakes. On the revenue front Central taxes and grants have increased by at least 30 per cent this year. At the same time taxes including VAT on excise, fuel and sand have been increased. Due to this the states revenues increased by 17 per cent. But the government is not implementing promises.
Opposition leader Jagan said, If anyone questions the forcible land acquisition in Amaravati, Naidu says that they are opposing the capital. The lands owned by Murali Mohan, Sujana Choudary, minister Narayana and other benamis of Naidu were not acquired. Even lands of SC/STs have been acquired. Pattiseema was taken up with 20 per cent excess commission instead of Polavaram. When we question it he says we are against Rayalaseema. In the call money case his own MLAs and MLCs are involved but no action was taken.
Kapus can tilt the balance
Why do Kapus and associated sub castes constituting 27 per cent of AP matter for all political parties in AP? The Kapu reservation movement has turned into a nightmare for Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and the TD government as Kapus steered the party to power.
Kapus have a strong presence in the Godavari districts and Krishna, Guntur and other pockets of AP.
Read: Kapu violence: Cops file 50 cases on Mudragada Padmanabham
TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu had promised to provide reservations in education and jobs for the Kapu community during the 2014 election campaign which is legally a big problem. The demand to incluse Kapus, Telaga, Balija and Ontari communities in the Backward Classes list is a long pending one.
The Kapu, Balija, Telaga and Ontari communities, which were grouped as one class under the broad category of Telaga, have been in and out of the Backward Classes over the last 100 years. The four communities were listed as BCs from 1915 but were removed from the list in 1956. They were brought back into the list five years later but excluded in 1966. The community has been fighting for re-inclusion since then.
Kapus along and sub-castes are socially and educationally backward and are employed in the unorganised sector. The Kapu community and sub castes together constitute 27 per cent of the state's population post bifurcation. The AP government recently set up a panel to study the reservation to be granted to them.
Kapus not eligible for quota
The Kapu community has not only produced a large number of IAS and IPS officials, it also has a huge influence on the film industry with stars and directors like Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan, Allu Arjun, S.V. Ranga Rao, Puri Jagannath, Dasari Narayana Rao, Kaikala Satyanarayana, Savitri, V.V. Vinayak and Kodi Ramakrishna hailing from the community.
Read: Chandrababu Naidu is criminal No. 1, says Jagan Mohan Reddy
After the Kammas, there are at least 55 prominent Kapu actors and directors in Tollywood. The community also has several MPs, MLAs and former Union ministers like Mr M.M. Pallam Raju. In Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidus Cabinet too they are influential people like Mr P. Narayana, Mr Ganta Srinivasa Rao and deputy CM Nimmakalaya Chinarajappa.
In the YSRC deputy floor leader Jyothula Nehru hails from the community. There are 138 MLAs and MPs and ministers from the Kapu community.
BCs leader and TS TD MLA R. Krishnaiah said, The Kapu community has rich contractors and businessmen. There are also poor people in their community like in other castes. But reservation is not for economic empowerment. In social aspects Kapus are not eligible for inclusion into the BCs list.
The community also has zamindars who are of the ruling class including the samsthans of Athili.
Several prominent Kapus have held top Constitutional positions. K.V. Reddy Naidu was the governor of the composite Madras state in 1935. He was also a member of the Governor's Council.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
The Ghana Chapter of the ECOWAS Community Development Programme (ECOWAS-CDP) media network has condemned the massive killing of over 20 people in the recent terrorist attack that occurred at the Splendid Hotel and the Cappuccino cafe at Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
The network described the attack on innocent citizens, staff and guests as barbaric vis-a-vis the destruction at the hotel and the nearby cafe.
A statement, jointly issued by the Chairman of the sub-regional network, Francis Asamoah Tuffour and the Chairperson, Mrs. Hannah Awadzi, described the attack as a worry to the peaceful and co-existence of people.
The statement added that the havoc and atrocities that terrorists and insurgent groups are causing to innocent people and countries is a major threat to human lives.
The sophisticated nature at which crime is committed globally in recent times, calls for total collaboration by individuals, groups and stakeholders to deal with the situation, the statement noted.
According to the statement, terrorism, atrocities and other heinous crimes, have taken center stage in the world; an affront and worse form of human rights violation.
It says that these security threats require that we all join forces with the security agencies to stem the act before the situation gets out of hand.
The situation, the statement noted demands vigilance on the part of all, and report or arrest anybody whose mannerism(s), action or activity creates suspicious or poses threat to individuals, communities or member states.
The network also caution shadow parties and interest groups who could best be described as 'spoilers' to refrain from influencing or aiding the perpetrators either with weapons, money or grenade for their selfish interests to the detriment of innocent lives.
It added that apart from putting fear in the lives of people, the act closes door to tourists and slows development in the affected communities and countries.
The network express its condolences to the relatives who lost their lives in the attack and in similar violence in parts of Mali, Nigeria among other state(s) and by extension, counties outside the sub-region, especially Cameroon while wishing the injured speedy recovery.
It therefore urged civil society and faith based organisations and other bodies to canvas against such acts while urging institutions, hotels, border posts and the security agencies to intensify their operations and if possible, fix security gadgets and conduct body check on people at public places.
The ECOWAS-CDP is an association of journalists aimed at creating awareness of activities of ECOWAS, the CDP and deepening regional integration among others.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
In my last post or sharing I empathised that every Christian must not rely on self motivation as some Christian writers seem to suggest. But trust only in God through Jesus Christ (John 21:15_17). Jesus Christ is the Christian model and the first seed sown to yield us; He said this in (John 5.19-20) regarding His working relationship with the Father..
We also know from Scriptures "the word of God", that (Mark 16.19-20,( Rom.12.28 ,Eph.4:11),it's God who equipped and continues to equip Christians after calling us.Jesus Christ the returned Spirit (the Comforter who now dwells with and in the believer) gave Christians gifts,skills,talents (Eph.4:12-16,1 Cor.12:1,28 ) to function correctly and totally dependant (Matt.28 :19,20 ) on Him (God) (Eph. 2:19-22) as servants. God voluntarily gives each Christian the gifts according to His own choosing. No man gives or appoint people with these gifts.
Not as Church officers (as traditionally known and practised by many),but equips Christians as His ( battle) axes to build His Church. Concerning this functionality,God did not prescribe qualifications because all were working through Him as His body segment and as He chooses. Even the righteousness of the Christian belongs to Jesus Christ. A praying Christian is without doubt a necessity and it's the will of God. However the gift that God gives the Christian doesn't require a sort of deliverance or special prayers before we acquire them. Undoubtedly we are encouraged to pray ceaselessly to remain constantly in the Spirit. The Spirit came to both Jews and gentiles in the same way.
There is yet another group (officers or elders to serve at the tables) in the Church.Their appointments are made by Spirit filled (men )(Acts.14:23; Titus 1:5;Luke14:23 ) Church members as was done by the early disciples. Similarly to that of Moses, when he was advised by his father in law as to the proper management of the released Jewish people. It is for these group that the early church fathers prescribed qualifications (Tim. 3.1-7) to. This was to ensure that the right calibre of men and women were appointed.
Unfortunately, with the current farce it's difficult that most denominations (I won't call them "the Church");they have become quite rightly churches due to their divisions,names and their constitutions or tenets ( Revelations). "The Church" however is One-"the Bride", Jesus Christ as her Husband/God, One body in many parts (not divisions), One believe, One law, faith and righteousness who is Jesus Christ.
Therefore no matter how a member of the Church is effective or become, there is no need for self-complacency. Many have become lost in reward or life due their failure to glorify God/Jesus Christ who have made them extra-ordinary. Rather they have become very complacent. Such approach has also lead to the decadence and the rot in the Church which I call it Spiritual "abortion". God said so about the weeds among the wheat the Farmer sowed;or add something to it saint.
Look at this segment with me in the following, which was partly first shared by Amana.
Rev. 3:17 Because you say, I am wealthy and have become rich and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
John 7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
According to the Word of God and the experience of many saints, the first thing the Holy Spirit does within a person (which is the same work He does within everyone) is to create a longing heart in him. All spiritual progress begins when God initiates a good work in a person through the Holy Spirit by creating a longing within.The first work of the Holy Spirit is to give us a sense of dissatisfaction and to create in us a desire to be better.This is the beginning of spiritual progress. Putting it another way, all failure and decadence is the result of self-complacency.
The beginning of our failure is self-complacency. Our feelings of dissatisfaction with ourselves indicate the Holy Spirit has begun His work in us and that is the time for us to go forward. Whenever we are ignorant of our poverty and deficiency, we have come to a standstill. Decadence comes from self-complacency, whereas progress comes from hunger. This is a fact, and it is true throughout our Christian life. Invariably the Holy Spirit first creates a desire in us for more, and then God comes in to satisfy us and fill us. In order to perform His filling
work, He must first carry out His emptying work. When we are empty, God will fill us.
Unquote " (Eph. 3. 14-21) Why will God fill us? God fills us in part so that we will be those who will always be on our knees praying for our continuous dwelling in the grace of God, to do His will. By so doing prophecies of the end time and the big agenda and will of God is constantly revealed to us. And we will perpetually be reminded of His "Word" the first born. We will be aware of the times we are in, so that Christians will not falter as during the times of Noah. His coming to those on the watch will never come as thief, for God's home will be in our hearts. We will be energised by Him and He will strengthen us and keep us young and agile. We will be fearless of death; and even should we die before His coming, it will be with satisfaction. We can identify, understand the knowledge surpassing love of Christ. Eventually; we will be filled with the fullness of God Himself to His satisfaction forever and ever".
Some brothers and sisters have a genuine desire before the Lord and are genuinely conscious of their deficiencies and shortcomings. Brothers and sisters, if we have such a feeling, we can rest assured that this life will be ours. This is because the desire does not originate from ourselves but from the work of the Holy Spirit in us. We should realize that God Himself fills up whatever He has emptied. God will not leave us empty forever; His purpose is to fill us. Since
God has emptied us, He will surely fill us. Emptying is merely the means; filling is the goal. Therefore, God never empties anyone without filling him again.
If there is a longing heart in us, it proves that we are already under the operating power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit never engages Himself in a fruitless work. The only question is whether or not there is some hindrance within us. If there is a genuine desire within us, we will certainly receive what we desire. Please bear in mind and be deeply impressed that once the Holy Spirit begins His work, He always finishes it. Therefore, we may rest assured that when we are empty, He will fill us. Be a disciple of Christ boldly and unashamedly; not even physically and on the internet. Join our sharing whenever it happens and by whom God has appointed.
Note of caution!!! The Church ( for the Unchanging Yahweh " I AM") should not conform to the world. Rather the world ought to be transformed through the Church by God.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Akua Donkor, Founder and Leader of the Ghana Freedom Party, has underrated and insulted the integrity, wisdom, common sense and descent education of all Ghanaians, irrespective of party affiliation.
Academians as well as university dons, under graduates, members of social media and traditionalists must bow their heads in shame for an irresponsible and clueless Akua Donkor to equate Nana Akufo-Addo, Flagbearer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), with the two Yemeni criminals from the Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre.
Nana Akufo-Addo is a gentleman and a scholar, whose education is unparallel to the duo from Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre
What does Akua Donkor know academically about Nana Akufo-Addo and how much he is worth globally? She should not hide behind her ignorance to demean an incorruptible eminent Ghanaian, Nana Akufo-Addo.
I have been expecting that Akua Donkor will be chastised and taken to task by the social media and all people of goodwill, barring all partisan politics.
Akua Donkor, who is believed to have neither school mate nor class mate, on January 15, 2016, had the urge to abuse knowledgeable Ghanaians that their descent education was meaningless and of no use.
It is ridiculous to read all these nonsense from people like unsophiscated Akua Donkor and allow it to go unchecked. Akua Donkors idol, John Dramani Mahama, and not Nana Akufo-Addo, has created tension in the country. A proverb in AKAN says he who brought sugarcane to home invited flies to follow.
During negotiations, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Interior have both claimed they were sidelined by their incompetent President Mahama in certain aspects of the negotiations with the U.S. Government. Does Akua Donkor understand the statement of the two Ministers of State?
She should sympathize with Ghanaians instead of insulting Ghanaians.
It is also said birds of the same feather flock together. Incompetent and clueless Akua Donkor and Mahama have joined hands to dance to the tune of AZANTO.
In a related development, Alhaji Asoma Banda, Member of Council of State and unproductive Businessman, has claimed that Nana Akufo-Addo lacks intelligence and wisdom to be President. If Nana Akufo-Addo lacked intelligence and wisdom, he would not have stalwartly represented moron Asoma Banda in court to convince panels of judges on his behalf.
Alhaji Asoma Banda is one of the panhandlers seeking to get his airline business on track. The interviewer, Kwesi Pratt, is also not new to most of us. Pratt is known to hate Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP. Kwesi Pratt has always fabricated stories against Nana Akufo-Addo and fellow journalists. He is therefore isolated by fellow journalists.
This baseless statement by Asoma Banda will never convince Ghanaians to vote for IRRESPONSIBLE MAHAMA. Asoma Banda knows his business is collapsing and needs money to boost it, hence this statement.
Mahama, the NDC and Akua Donkor will be shown the exit door on November 7, 2016.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Ghanas ambassador to France, Johanna Svanikier, has donated three vehicles to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) towards this year's election campaign.
Mrs Svanikier presented the Renault Logan cars at the NDC headquarters yesterday.
She said her gesture was to assist the party's campaign towards victory in election 2016.
The donation has set tongues wagging, calling to mind the 2012 elections when vehicles were freely donated to NDC activists.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, and other officers of the party received the vehicles.
They expressed their appreciation to the ambassador for her kind gesture.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
The Danquah Institute (DI) has called on the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, to postpone the limited voter registration exercise the Commission intends embarking on from March 21 to April 4.
According to DI Executive Director, Nana Attobrah Quaicoe, the postponement will enable the EC to consider and incorporate an all-important recommendation by the Justice Crabbe panel of five eminent persons on how a credible voter register can be compiled ahead of the 2016 elections.
It will be recalled that from October 29 to 30, 2015 the EC put together a two-day public forum on whether or not the country needed a fresh voter register ahead of the November elections. On December 21, 2015, the panel of five presented its report to the Electoral Commission.
In addition to the removal of 584,892 persons from the electoral roll, which the panel of five described as the most critical both in terms of magnitude and copulative effect, with implications on the credibility of the electoral process, the panel proposed a viable option for the cleaning up of the register.
According to Nana Attobrah, the panel proposed mandatory validation of all registered voters, something the EC has so far remained silent on.
The validation process proposed by the panel gives all registered voters an opportunity to authenticate the inclusion of their names on the register by turning up at a registration centre, during a period of limited or special registration, to have their fingerprints biometrically verified, their facial image cross-checked with the EC database, and that they should turn up with not only their voter ID, but also an additional legally approved personal identification document to justify their eligibility and names remaining on the electoral roll, the DI man said.
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He further explained that considering all the options available to the country, validation appears to be the most viable way to produce a credible register in Ghana for 2016 without spending hundreds of millions of dollars, which the country does not have.
Validation, he said, and as defined by the report of the panel, means that all citizens who want to remain registered voters will be required to report to a registration centre (their polling station) during a certain limited period to be validated.
Mr Quaicoe indicated that in the words of the panel, those who do not show up to have their voter status validated should not be maintained on the register, in much the same way that an eligible voter who does not appear for registration will not be inserted into the list.
In view of this, the Danquah Institute was at a loss as to why this most sensible and cost-effective proposal from the panel of experts is being totally ignored by the EC.
Outlining reasons as to why the proposal was being ignored, the Executive Director of the Danquah Institute stated that the EC has already given a date for the limited registration, which is from March 21 to April 4, and that exercise has nothing to do with validation as currently planned.
He continued, In our view the period for limited registration is perfect for validation as well. And the Danquah Institute, by this news conference, is asking the EC to postpone the date for the limited registration for another month or so, consider the proposal from the panel and work towards incorporating validation with the limited registration exercise.
A DAILY GUIDE Report
The Art of Leadership
02.02.2016 LISTEN
By Dag Heward-Mills
Foreknowledge is to see and know about evils that lie ahead. A good leader can attain greatness through foreknowledge. Knowing what is going to happen takes away your enemy's ability to surprise you.
'From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.'
Matthew 16:21
Jesus Christ knew that He would be arrested, tortured, manhandled and killed. Talking about this reality did not mean that he had no faith. It did not mean that He was not a man of God or a man of faith. He was a man of wisdom because He knew and accepted what was to happen.
The key to long lasting fruits is foreknowledge. The Holy Spirit ministers to us by impressing certain realities on our hearts. Holy Spirit also ministers to us through the word of knowledge! Impressions are not as sensational as prophetic revelation. However, common sense and wisdom are just as important. Most of us are given common sense, but some people are given special prophetic revelation that can make a difference in the battle. The prophet Elisha gave foreknowledge to his king through prophetic revelation. This foreknowledge made him win every battle. If you have the Holy Spirit, you can expect prophetic revelation in the form of dreams, revelations, words of knowledge and words of wisdom.
'Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, in such and such a place shall be my camp. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.'
And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O KING: BUT ELISHA, THE PROPHET THAT IS IN ISRAEL, TELLETH THE KING OF ISRAEL THE WORDS THAT THOU SPEAKEST IN THY BEDCHAMBER.
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2 Kings 6:8-12
Elisha was of great assistance to the king of Israel in all his wars. He constantly revealed the whereabouts of the enemy troops, which led to repeated defeats of the Syrians.
Much military technology has been directed at acquiring foreknowledge. To know in advance, to prepare yourself, to be ready for enemy, will transform every military commander into a deadly fighting machine. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished (Proverbs 22:3). The way a good leader can achieve greatness beyond ordinary men is to see the evil ahead!
Foreknowledge and the Six-Day War
The Six-Day War is the 1967 Arab-Israeli war that was fought between June 5 and June 10, 1967. Within six days, Israel had won the war and gained control over several significant areas. Within these six days, Israel captured the places that we often hear about in the news: the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. What gave Israel the upper hand in these battles was foreknowledge!
Israel had sent their secret agent, to infiltrate the Syrian government. The spy made many friends with high-ranking Syrian generals including the Prime Minister. In this capacity, Cohen visited the Golan Heights and suggested that trees be planted where soldiers were stationed to shade them from the sun. He then secretly informed the Israeli army to use the trees as markers to locate and bomb the Syrian soldiers. Through the spy, Israel had foreknowledge which gave the Israeli army the upper hand when they attacked Syria.
Today, there are many people who do not accept the fact that they will die. They do not accept realities that God shows us. People die all around them but they think, It can never be me. They will rebuke and curse you if you suggest things that God has determined. Many leaders do not set in order what should happen if they are to die. The ability to act on the foreknowledge of your certain death makes you greater than the ordinary. What is the point in doing a good work that will turn into a mountain of upheavals, quarrels and disunity when you leave?
What is the point in striving hard to lay a foundation only for people to destroy it the day after you leave? Jesus told us to go out and bear fruits that would abide. May foreknowledge help you to bear long-lasting fruits!
[email protected]
Matthew Opoku Prempeh
02.02.2016 LISTEN
NO Ghanaian who suffers from high blood pressure would have had his condition made any the better if he/she had read this story that was published on 30 January 2016:
QUOTE: 15 more Gitmo detainees expected in Ghana
[The] Member of Parliament for Manhyia, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, is alleging that President John Dramani Mahama negotiated for 17 Guantanamo Bay detainees and not two, as claimed by Ghana government officials. According to him, fifteen (15) more Guantanamo Bay prisoners are on their way to Ghana.... Speaking exclusively with Adom News' ... Dr. Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as Napo, accused President Mahama and his foreign affairs minister, Hannah Tetteh of concealing the truth from Ghanaians. UNQUOTE
Why should this story have agitated Ghanaians?
It is because arguments have not ceased raging over the merits of accepting the Gitmo-2 in Ghana, given their connection to Al Qaeda, and the recent increase in Al Qaeda activity in West Africa, especially Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
The most crucial question serious analysts are considering is this: What will Al Qaeda say to our accepting the Gitmo-2?
If, as can be expected, Ghana's willingness to accept the two men marks her out as a self-confessed partner of the United States in its war on terror, what consequences will flow from an Qaeda assessment of that fact?
Will Ghana be regarded by Al Qaeda now as an enemy country that can be targeted at will without any scruples? (As if Al Qaeda needed any!)
These questions have, of course, not been adequately answered by anybody from either our Government or the US Embassy in Ghana. All we've got are assertions without any proof that the men are no longer dangerous. Some have even parroted the argument first advanced by President John Mahama himself and later peddled by some paid hacks that because Ghanaians are known to be largely imbued with Christian compassion, they should accept the Gitmo-2, no matter what danger they pose to us.
Other obtuse Ghanaians, obeying the imperative to support Governmental action without subjecting it to serious analysis, have taken the religious argument to an even more dangerous level, by claiming -- as they do -- that the Christians in Ghana who have criticised the deal do not want the ex-detainees merely because the ex-detainees are Muslims.
That is absurdly illogical, of course, because, first of all, the Christian compassion being invoked is not supposed to be absolute but highly qualified. What Jesus Christ, whose word forms the basis of Christianity, said was: Love they neighbour as thyself. He never said Love thy neighbour more than thyself!
Secondly, the Christianity-versus-Islam argument is also hollow because the people being slaughtered by, say, Al Qaeda's affiliate, Boko Haram, in Northern Nigeria, on a daily basis, are themselves, mostly Muslims.
So also are most of the people being killed in Mali, Niger or Burkina Faso by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Of course, Christians especially white foreigners assumed to be Christians are also a main target of AQIM. But that does not negate the murders that Aqim commits against fellow Muslims.
The complicated targets of terrorism therefore make the simplistic Christian-versus-Islam argument being disseminated in Ghana to mask the realities concerning the Gitmo-2, is a shameless dose of blackmail being sold to the Ghanaian populace through the mouths of naive propagandists who wouldn't recognise any of the schisms afflicting the Islamic world, if it landed right in front of their foreheads as they pressed it to the ground in a Mosque.
Enough confusion already? Not quite: stir into the mix, the letter sent to the Chairman of the US Senate Appropriations Committee by four of his fellow Republicans, asking the Committee to lop $10 million off the aid earmarked for Ghana in 2017, for each of the detainees that the Ghanaian authorities are unable to keep strictly out of circulation.
The Honourable Opoku Prempeh must surely be aware that all these aspects of the issue are being discussed in an unending debate in the media and on the Internet. Yet he goes to a radio station and casually throws a verbal grenade, as it were, into a crowd that is already slashing at one another with machetes and swords!
Ho! (he says to us in so many words) you are worried about thetwo ex-Gitmo detainees? You ain't seen nothing yet! Fifteenmore are on their way! Your Government negotiated to take seventeen only it hasn't told you! So, expect the other fifteen!
Sure, the MP is entitled to impart such information to his fellow citizens. But he is not entitled to play with our emotions in that way without providing any SOURCE WHATSOEVER to substantiate the explosive information he was unveiling. As an MP, he must know that his words would weight with the public, and he therefore ought to be very responsible when discussing sensitive issues.
I don't know the Honourable Opoku Prempeh. But he appears to be well-known to the media, which refer to him in parenthesis with the obscure sobriquet:, Napo.
That is, of course, a shortened form of the name of one of the most notorious Generals in European history, Napoleon Bonaparte. Is the Honourable Opoku Prempeh called Napo because he is short in stature? (Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was a very short man!) Or is he called Napo because he is a by-heart man? (Napoleon Bonaparte was such a by-heart General that he invaded Russia by heart! (That is, he ignored the advice of his own Generals and launched an invasion against Russia in the very severe winter months of Russia.)
Well, Napo has not done Ghanaians any favours. First of all, he has created a lot of confusion, and an argument has already started about whether he is telling the truth or not. If he goes to www.ghanaweb.com and reads the extremely unkind comments that have already been made about his statement, he will probably be more careful in future about making unsourced statements on highly emotive issues.
At the very least, he should provide a little flesh to clothe the bare bones of the statement he made, namely, that : fifteen more Gitmo ex-detainees are on their way to Ghana! When will they be sent? When was the agreement on their rendition to Ghana reached? Will Ghana be punished as per the letter of the Republican Senators if she refuses to accept these fifteen?
By distracting our attention away from the Gitmo-2 and diverting it to such new questions, our Honourable Member of Parliament has not been fair to us. Nor has he been fair to himself. For does he not realise that he could be easily accused of being an American agent who is being used to (1) "swerve" Ghanaians away from the two ex-detainees already here, by subtly airing the notion that their case is not as bad as feared, because there could be a worse scenario on the cards? Or (2) That, at the very least, he is being used as a sounding board to find out what the public would say if it was proposed that another 15 detainees should be brought to Ghana?
Indeed, if he believes that what he is telling Ghanaians is true, then it ought to be asked: what practical steps has he taken, as an MP, to get the decision reversed? Didn't his own party, the NPP, issue a statement saying that the importation of the Gitmo-2 was an illegal act, in that it infringed the provisions of Ghana's Anti-terrorism legislation? Why didn't he point to that fact in his statement about the 'Proposed Fifteen'?
Actually, we have to ask, what sort of Opposition (Minority Group) do we have in our Parliament? Look -- the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Doe Ajahoe, goes to a church and urges the congregation to pray for Ghana because Burkina Faso had been attacked by terrorists and Ghana could well be next to be attacked! Yet the Opposition do not seize the opportunity to either (1) table an Urgent Motion criticising the Government for putting Ghana's security at risk; or (2 to table Urgent Questions demanding to know from three Ministers those for Foreign Affairs, the Interior and Justice their role in, or lack of participation in, the discussions that resulted in the Gitmo-2 being brought to Ghana.
It should be pointed out that in some countries, a Parliamentarian, upon obtaining [secret] information that a further fifteen ex-Gitmo detainees were being imported, would have asked the Speaker to allow him to make a Personal Statement on the floor of the House. In the Statement, he would have outlined his allegation. He might also have divulged the information by way of an Urgent Question. (One of the duties of the Clerk of Parliament is to provide direction on such technical matters so that an MP might not infringe the rules of the House).
That is how the Parliamentary game is played. In either instance, the MP should have alerted the media, so that whether he was allowed to make his statement or not, the media would have been obliged to go to town with the core issues he had raised, or been prevented by the Majority from raising on the floor of the House.
If the Opposition sits on its hands over this issue, unable to create a major rumpus either by staging a walkout, or deliberately inviting an ejection if necessary they will have underwritten the notion that has been gaining ground in many circles, that our Parliament is a useless one.
And that, I fear, would be a most dangerous conclusion, for all manner of reasons.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
BRONG AHAFO REGIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS MUST CALL THE QUEEN MOTHERS WHO INVOKED DEITIES ON SIR JOHN AND THE TWO MPs TO ORDER - EASTERN REGIONAL PPP YOUTH ORGANIZER.
Chapter 22 of the Forth Republican constitution of Ghana specifically deliberate on chieftaincy in Ghana.
Art276(1) States - a chief shall not take part in active party politics and any chief wishing to do so must abdicate his stool or skin.
The financial mishaps regarding the DKM financial services and the people of Brong Ahafo has become so disheartening that traders and individuals who have fallen victims to this uncertainty have faced and still facing the bitterness of the mishaps.
For several months, the government has not told Ghanaians the efforts they are making towards retrieving and giving the monies back to the victims.
This is what the queen mothers and the traditional leaders in Brong Ahafo must border themselves about on behalf of the suffering masses rather than invoking deities on those perceived to be linking the government and the first lady to the issue.
It took me by surprise to hear that some queen mothers who are to set good morale examples have invoked deities on Sir John and some MPs for speaking for the vulnerable people whose monies are locked up for several months without any effort by the government to retrieve it for them.
Are the queen mothers now communicators for the NDC government?
Not long ago, the Brong Ahafo NDC communicators were praising the First Lady and her husband President Mahama for making DKM accessible to the people of BA. The first lady herself admonished the people of BA to actively get involve in the DKM transactions so I ask, Why the paradigm shift?
The decision by the queen mothers to invoke deities on some people because they have linked the first lady to the DKM financial hoax indicates clearly that those queen mothers who were involved in that unwanted act are interested in partisan politics and have shown their political colours to Ghanaians.
This year is an election year hence what is expected from the traditional leaders is to call for peace before, during and after the election rather than cursing persons perceived to be opponents to the President and the first lady.
I appeal to the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs to investigate and sanction the queen mothers for acting politically as spokespersons for the NDC party and government.
Traditional leaders are to offer neutral political advise rather than invoking deities on people especially when the case is political which doesn't matter them.
What's their interest?
Have they taken bribes?
It is said that the Queen mothers were given half piece of cloths after they have invoked deities at the press conference.
What the queen mothers did is absolutely uncalled for. They could have used that opportunity to intervene for the suffering people rather than what they did.
I am very disappointed in them.
.........Signed.........
Lennos Frimpong
PPP Eastern Regional Youth Organizer
0206815976
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Have you ever imagined living in a community and not being allowed to buy neither food nor water basic necessities of life? Or perhaps you deciding to travel to transact a particular business and not being allowed to board a vehicle simply because drivers are heeding a directive not to pick you? Well, it seems thats the fate Fulani herdsmen in Agogo, in the Ashanti Region, and its environs have to suffer for deciding to stay on despite the numerous calls on them by the indigenes to leave their town.
The Agogo Youth Association, led by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante-Akim North, Honourable Kwadwo Baah Agyemang, last week issued a stern warning and a 24-hour ultimatum to the herdsmen to leave Agogo and its environs or risk dire consequences. The youth also admonished traders and drivers in the area not to transact any business whatsoever with the Fulanis after the expiration of the ultimatum, failing which would result in offending parties facing their wrath.
The youth have been up in arms about the activities of the Fulanis in the area for quite some time now. They have accused the herdsmen of allowing their cattle to destroy their farms, while the Fulanis themselves are alleged to be raping women in the area and also killing farmers who confront them about their nefarious activities.
While the youth accuse traditional authority of being complicit in the refusal of the herdsmen to leave Agogo, they also believe the police have failed to protect their valuable lives and properties, hence the decision to take their destinies into their own hands and handle the situation their own way!
Of course one needs not belabour the point that, wherever these Fulanis have settled, their activities wreak havoc on indigenes. I recall the countless occasions farmers at my village, Hweehwee, in the Eastern Region, have expressed similar sentiments as being echoed by the youth of Agogo about the activities of these herdsmen. Be that as it may, I find the current posture of the Agogo youth not only worrying but also problematic.
First of all, it is high time the youth realised that it is not their core duty to protect lives and property or ensure law and order within Agogo and its environs. That is the responsibility of the police and other security agencies, and so they owe it an obligation to allow the police to handle whatever infractions the activities of the nomads have caused. They have no business issuing an ultimatum and threatening to take the law into their own hands!
Secondly, it is important for all of us to bear in mind that Ghana is not an island; it belongs to the community of nations, and so has responsibility to protect the lives of all persons living within its territory. That also includes respecting its treaty obligations to allow, for example, the free movement of these foreign nationals from neighbouring West Africa.
Again, one of the basic principles which undergird the concept of human rights is the principle of non-discrimination, especially as Article 21 of the 1992 Constitution guarantees the fundamental human rights and freedoms of ALL PERSONS IN Ghana including the Fulani herdsmen. Therefore, the directive to traders and drivers not to have anything to do with the nomads clearly amounts to discrimination and an affront to the Constitution.
Yes, the youth have genuine concerns. They cannot sit aloof and look on as their women are allegedly raped and others killed. However, I dont think we can restore justice through injustice. We would only end up compounding the situation. It is, therefore, important that long lasting solutions are sought to deal with the problem at hand.
For me, since the Fulani menace is not peculiar to Agogo, I think it is time government took a stance on the matter. If it would mean that these foreigners have to be repatriated to their home countries or a more appropriate place found for them to undertake their activities, then the government can initiate moves to ensure the proper thing is done for peace to prevail.
In the meantime, the current impasse between the youth and the herdsmen should be seen as a national issue, and not left at the beck and call of the Agogo Youth Association. The Regional Security Council and the District Security Council must maintain a heavy presence in the area to ensure law and order and to arrest anyone who would attempt breaching the peace of the area.
Finally, all relevant stakeholders the police, MP, traditional authority, representatives of both the youth and the herdsmen must sit around the table and explore practical ways of dealing with the current fracas through dialogue. For a start, the ban on traders and drivers not to mingle with the drivers must be lifted immediately. Obviously, the herdsmen cannot leave Agogo without water passing their lips and without having eaten anything!
Richard Amoako Ansong
Email: [email protected]
Blog: aasirrichard.wordpress.com
(The writer is a public relations and communications professional)
The Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, has praised Ghana for her stable and enduring democracy.
He said this should serve as the foundation to launch policies that will create opportunities for the youth.
This, for him, is necessary to stem the tide of human trafficking and create a congenial environment for the promotion of human dignity in Africa.
Mr. Renzi was addressing the Parliament of Ghana Tuesday morning in the capital, Accra. He is a two-day visit to Ghana.
The visit follows President Mahama's visit and meetings with him and President Sergio Mattarella in July 2015.
The Prime Minister said world leaders, especially those from Africa, have a responsibility to work hard and create opportunities that the youth particularly can take advantage of and better their lives.
If this is done, he said, young energetic Africans won't risk their lives and travel through the Mediterranean to go to Europe.
More soon
The home district of rural development and panchayat raj minister, H.K. Patil, Gadag does not have toilets in over half of its 2.32 lakh households going by a 2012 survey.
Hubbali: While Bengalureans are becoming accustomed to the stench of garbage all around them, the Gadag Zilla Panchayat is campaigning to see that the town smells of roses.
After several workshops and pamphlets failed to persuade the locals to build toilets in their homes under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the zilla panchayat has decided to persuade them with flowers instead. So should anyone be caught defecating in the open, its officers approach them armed with garlands and roses to send home the message that the town needs to smell of their fragrance and not of stinking stools in the fields. The aim is to free Gadag of open defecation by 2019.
The home district of rural development and panchayat raj minister, H.K. Patil, Gadag does not have toilets in over half of its 2.32 lakh households going by a 2012 survey. Last year officials of gram panchayats made rounds using sticks and whistles to embarrass those defecating in the open. Zilla Panchayat chief executive officer S.B. Shettennavar, too joined the campaign, which succeeded in villagers building 43,000 toilets in a short span of 20 days.
Panchayat officials have also held street plays, sung folk songs and used loudspeakers to campaign about cleanliness and toilets. Now Shettennavar hopes his latest brainwave will succeed even more. He has formed teams of panchayat development officers, anganwadi and ASHA activists and other staff to hound people defecating in the open with roses and garlands to embarrass them into giving up the practice .
More than 50,000 families in the rural areas of Gadag district still do not have toilets in their homes. Open defecation is spreading disease. So we are now distributing roses and garlanding the villagers to embarrass them into building toilets. We have also conducted awareness programme by highlighting the government grants available for the purpose, Mr Shettanavar explains.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Some workers of Standard Chartered Bank who are to be laid off this year have dragged the bank to court over the severance package being offered them.
Several workers of Stanchart Ghana are to be laid off this year as part of moves by Stanchart Global to operate a lean and efficient bank.
The bank's parent company based in London late last year announced it will eliminate 15,000 jobs or 17 percent of its workforce, as soaring bad loans in emerging markets hurt earnings.
But some workers of the bank affected by the move are up in arms against Standard Charted over the severance package to be given to them and have subsequently dragged the bank to an Accra High Court over the matter.
The workers sought an interlocutory injunction to restrain the bank from going ahead on 29 January, 2016 to implement an MoU it signed with the Union of Industry Commerce and Finance (UNICOF) who negotiated on behalf of the workers.
The MoU rules into detail their entitlements.
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Court documents reveal the MoU, when implemented, will see the workers lose about half of their entitlements due them following the number of years they have worked at the bank.
Portions of the court document stated that 'the applicants rights are being taken away and the compensation should be commensurate to their years of service, clearly the 17.5 percent years being offered the plaintiffs, who have worked close to between 26 to 35 years is unfair and unjust'.
According to the writ filed by the workers, the said MoU signed on their behalf by UNICOF is fraudulent and does not have their requisite mandate and input.
The workers also blame UNICOF for not protecting their interest during negotiations with the bank for the severance package.
The latest development means the bank may have to put on hold the implementation of the MoU following its contention in court.
Citifmonline
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Robert Dowuona Owoo, acting Project Director of the Ghana Commodity Exchange Project (GCX), says Ghana is still on course to deliver the first commodity exchange in the West African sub-region.
According to him, the country is also positioned to lead the re-writing of the narrative about Africa's economic renaissance which is to create wealth through the transformation of the agricultural sector.
Mr Dowuona Owoo made this known at GCXs second bi-monthly consultative meeting with its key stakeholders following the inaugural meeting held in November, 2015.
The consultative session, known as the Market Council meeting, is a platform for the GCX Project Secretariat to solicit feedback on the various outputs of the project which is in its implementation phase from council members.
The consultative session, which deliberated on concerns that bordered on trading related considerations, market surveillance and other key issues critical to the successful execution of the project, brought together all members including key producers, aggregators, traders, wholesalers, processors and other stakeholder groups.
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The Project Director of the Ghana Commodity Exchange Project commended the Market Council members for showing commitment towards the establishment of the first commodity exchange in West Africa.
He said the Exchange promises a bright, secure future to market actors in Ghana's agricultural value chain, especially smallholder farmers.
Mr Dowuona Owoo called on stakeholders to support the Project Team to enhance market efficiency, transparency and integrity through the dissemination of market information in real time to all market players.
Launched in June 2015 by President John Mahama, the GCX Project is a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) initiative aimed at transforming Ghana's agricultural sector through the establishment of the first modern commodity exchange in the country.
The GCX Project is being financed with equity investment by the Government of Ghana under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and a private sector financing consortium made up of domestic and global institutional investors.
By Cephas Larbi
[email protected]
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has initiated a project to star-rate public hospitals in line with their emergency response situations, human resource, equipment and financial strength.
This, according to the Director General of the GHS, Dr Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira is to help motivate improvement in the quality of services provided at various health institutions and ensure responsibility to duty.
He told Accra based radio station, Joy FM that the criteria for the ratings have already been made available to all public institutions.
'In a hospital you need emergency response, when people are sick they are looking for three things, are the people ready for me, they want to see if you are conscious about the medication and they should be satisfied so that by the time they go home they are informed.'
'We will also look at logistics management. So it is the human aspect, the technical aspect and the supporting structures,' he said.
Dr Denkyira also said the facility's relationship with the community will be taken into account 'because ideally the institution is for them and you are working there so you should be able to stay in touch with them.
"You should be able to tell the traditional leaders that guinea worm has come but this is what we are doing and should reflect in the media or personal touch."
Visiting Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has said Italy is genuine and passionate about its investment in Ghana.
According to him, the European country is taking strategic steps to enhance its long existing relationship with Ghana and is hopeful that the West African country will continue to open its doors to genuine cooperation.
In an address in Ghanas parliament Tuesday , Mr. Renzi called on other European countries to invest in Africa in order to send the right signals to future generations.
Your wealth will be our wealth and your challenges will be shared across our collective efforts in finding solutions that work among the two countries in the spirit of collaboration.
...Europe must invest in Africa in order to send the right message to future generations, he stated.
The Italian Prime Minister is in Ghana for a two-day official visit to the country. He is the second Italian premier to visit Ghana after Giorgio Napolitano visited during the erstwhile Kufuor era .
Tension is beginning to mount between some Ghanaian entertainers and the NPPs Ashanti Regional chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako ahead of the November 7 polls.
The gradual civil war started after Bernard Antwi-Boasiako warned artistes against openly campaigning for President John Dramani Mahama in Kumasi.
Wontumi vowed on NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie'that he will personally lead a crusade to sabotage any entertainer who will campaign for the President in the upcoming elections.
But he has been dared by actor Clement Bonney also known as Mr. Beautiful to go to hell with his empty threats.
The Kumasi-based actor has promised to rally some of his fellow screen actors to openly campaign for the re-election of President Mahama in the upcoming November 7 polls just as he did four years ago.
Despite publications that is he scared for his life for the threats made against celebrities who plan to hit the Presidents campaign trail Mr Beautiful rather called the bluff of Chairman Wontumi as the NPP Ashanti Regional Chair is affectionately called.
Speaking on NEAT FM, Mr. Beautiful tagged Wontumi as "childish" and "mad" whose involvement in politics is unfortunate.
I am sad for that little boy called Wontumi. No sound minded person will behave like the way he behaves. He is not a qualified politician. No wonder he is in the NPP...
"Its shameful for the Ashanti region to have someone like him as a chairman. I am not a politician but more knowledgeable than Wontumi in politics. He is a disgrace, he told host Kwasi Aboagye.
African leaders, including ministers of health, finance, and other line ministries, will gather in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 24-25 February 2016, for the Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa the first-ever ministerial-level convening with a singular focus on ensuring that people across the continent can get access to life-saving vaccines.
The conference hosted by the World Health Organization Regional Offices for Africa (AFRO) and the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) in conjunction with the African Union Commission will provide a powerful platform for African policymakers and advocates to celebrate progress toward expanding immunization coverage; discuss strategies for tackling the biggest challenges facing vaccine efforts; foster country ownership for sustainable financing for immunization; and advocate for greater engagement with all stakeholders to ensure sustainable demand for immunization. The Ministerial Conference is a unique opportunity to secure buy-in at the highest levels for prioritizing immunization across the continent, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. With strong commitment from everyone, we can make universal access to immunization a reality. In collaboration with the Ministerial conference, WHO and PATH are hosting an event celebrating the success of the Meningitis Vaccine Project, which resulted in the first tailor-made vaccine for use against meningitis A in the 26 African countries in the meningitis belt. The event will convene representatives from these countries and immunization partners. Since the ground-breaking MenAfriVac vaccine was introduced in 2010, more than 230 million people in 16 countries have been protected, resulting in the control and near elimination of deadly meningitis A disease outbreaks across the meningitis belt. Over the past five years, 50 countries in Africa have successfully introduced at least one new vaccine into their immunization programs, yet many African countries have been slow to make progress on other nationally agreed-upon immunization targets, and one in five children in the Region still does not receive the vaccines they need. In 2014, nearly 8 million infants (21%) in the African Continent did not receive the required three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine, a strong indicator that health systems are underequipped and underfunded to deliver other vaccines and health care services. We know that vaccines are one of the most cost-effective solutions in global health and, as a continent, we must do more to accelerate progress and reach more children, said Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Vaccinating children against life-threatening diseases is a great investment in socioeconomic development in Africa and the world as a whole. The Ministerial Conference is expected to convene more than 500 political leaders, technical experts and advocates from across Africa and globally. Conference sessions will cover a range of topics, including sustainable financing for immunization, the role of communities in driving coverage and demand for vaccines, building on the success of Africa's polio eradication initiative, and building stronger systems to improve child health. Media can sign up to attend the meeting on the conference website. Media attendees will have access to all conference sessions and benefit from a variety of on-site media activities, including press conferences, one-on-one interview opportunities, a fully-equipped on-site media work room and select side events. A 'virtual' media room will be available to those who are unable to attend the conference in person. Virtual registrants will have access to all conference materials, as well as telephone access to press conferences taking place at the event.
Array
02.02.2016 LISTEN
We in the motherland, who are with long memory and cared to pay attention have known for years that congress has been branding the motherland into poverty. Congresspeople have been ripping us off with rebranding extra charges on services procured through state symbolism. A long list shows branding as one of the motherland resource thieving strategies.
Before January 7, 1993, and especially from January first 1982 (forget the camouflage 'P' before the nondescript 'N'), congress had been devising ways and means to rip compatriots off with more changes in the design of passports, vehicle licensing plates and anything else state icon, that could be redesigned.
If you drive or own a motor vehicle, two tyres, three tyres, four tyres or more, you will notice the unavailability of driver licenses for years. The response to queries has so far had a mea culpa response only, with no knowledge of when or if ever the driver licence would be available in the life of this congress government. Reflector stickers and everything else that comes from the DVLA have been rebranded at heavy cost to the client.
When they succeeded with election stealing back into administrative positions from where they could revive the thieving habit, they resumed the stealing through branding practice. This time, it has been by creating an office at the presidency (from which anticipated oil money looting and sharing could easily be facilitated), to underscore branding as a device for thieving public funds.
No one has said the oil money has gone also into the construction of a party office to rebrand create-loot-and-share. From there, notice was served to all MMDAs to show cause why state and parastatal organisations should not be rebranded. So all banks, media and other organisations, fully or part owned by the motherland were listed for rebranding.
It was like the judgment debt notice which was served to all these organisations to go searching for anything that could attract a judgment debt payment that could be looted and shared. It has now even spread to ex-gratia payments including the one delayed and paid after fifteen years of voluntarily or being compulsorily retired from a position occupied in a state organisation.
You couldn't have forgotten President Kufuor who had moved the motherland from impoverished HIPC to lower middle income in seven years was denied his ex-gratia. He, who found oil to enrich the motherland did not qualify for ex-gratia. But the ex-con expert in thieving, he whose thieving ways delayed and caused digression in our oil search efforts is being paid ex-gratia fifteen years after a sack from a botched job. He had been fired for causing poverty by throwing away money that could enrich poor motherland compatriots.
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I will not provide you with the list of what has been rebranded or capacity-rebuilt. But just cast your mind across the few I just made reference to: banks, passport, along with driver and vehicle licensing. Change of names and symbols (call them logos) was paramount in rebranding. To make money for themselves, they would assign new names and sometimes, like in the case of a merchant bank, rebranding would mean selling off state assets.
You wouldn't, my compatriots, have forgotten the massive stealing of state money in NYEP rebranded as GYEEDA and you couldn't have forgotten the daylight robbery-sale to rebrand a merchant bank. When a presidential brother wouldn't pay debt he owes a state-owned bank, sell it off to his lawyer and others and rebrand it.
Much, a lot of the oil money, has been ferreted into congress private pockets per rebranding, capacity building and workshops/seminars/forums. There has come and gone a Senchi never materialised conference document to reshape the economy. The economy has gone from bad to worse since the creation of loot and share of those expenses.
Sahara, Ga lands, ex-gratia; remember the heady transition days. They are worse, a lot more worse now. Remember when an attorney-general (later the biggest thief next only to the presiding thief) ended up not throwing any Kufuor minister into prison, but rather thieving huge sums through fabricated judgment debt payments?
If it's congress and you hear or read rebranding, it could and would be a thieving scheme. It better be stopped because it is impoverishing the motherland. Think all the projects that would have benefited my compatriots. Think the potable water, schools, health facilities and roads we could have gotten with all the money congress has stolen through rebranding.
Rebranding is repackaging for improvement. Congress rebranding creates contract to loot and share. ABAKS (Abor, Bayie, Krno, Sikadie) congress! ABAKSS (Abor, Bayie, Krno. Sikadie, Sikawia) congress! Congress has rebranded electricity supply dums at huge cost to the motherland. Congress shot three heads of state for corruption and now picture projecting their own in rebranding thieving.
By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh
NPP supporters at the mini rally
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Daniel Bugre Naabu, the New Patriotic Party(NPP) Northern Regional Chairman has stressed that Nana Akufo-Addo is a compassionate person who will never inflict pains on Ghanaians as the John Mahama and the NDC has done.
He said this when he in the company of the Northern Regional NPP Communication Director, Mohammed Abdul-Kudus, Deputy Women's Organizer and other constituency executives, received 200 NDC defectors on behalf of the NPP in the Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, the outspoken NPP Northern Regional Chairman indicated that the defectors decision is apt and an indication that Ghanaians are fed-up with the NDC since nothing seems to be working in the country.
He described the John Mahama-led NDC administration as a missing plane whose pilot could not find his way to the airport. This pilot, he said, will finally land in an ocean killing all passengers onboard.
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He reminded the people to be mindful of the NDC since they will soon bring money to induce them to vote for them saying those monies are stolen tax payers monies.
He appealed to them to vote massively for the NPP in the 2016 polls to revive and transform the sinking Ghanaian economy.
Spokesperson for the purported defectors who until his defection was a leading member of the NDC in Mankarigu, Asuma Awusi said lack of jobs for the youth in the area, poor road networks, inadequate access to portable drinking water and the economic hardship informed their decision to defect to the NPP.
He said the total neglect of the Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency is worrying and expressed disgust over the ineptitude of the NDC government to the plight of the constituents in the area.
The Parliamentary candidate for the area, Samuel Tika, appealed to the constituents to give him the opportunity to lead them since the NDC has failed them.
FROM Eric Kombat, Daboya
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Militants claiming to support the Biafran cause have hijacked a merchant ship off the Nigerian coast. They are demanding the release of pro-Biafran leader Nnamdi Kanu as a ransom for the safe return of the ship and its crew.
The ship was allegedly hijacked on Friday in the Bakassi Peninsula, a disputed region between Nigeria and Cameroon off the southeastern coast of Nigeria, according to domestic media outlet NewsDay reported on Sunday .
A spokesman for the militants, named only as General Ben, said on Saturday in Nigeria's southern oil hub of Port Harcourt that a 31-day ultimatum had been issued to the Nigerian government within which Kanuwho was arrested in October 2015 and is awaiting trial on charges of treason should be released. The spokesman threatened to blow up the ship with the crew onboard if the government failed to comply.
A group of ex-Niger Delta militantswho were allegedly involved in the destruction of oil pipelines in Nigeria's oil-producing heartland during an insurgency in the mid-2000s reportedly issued the deadline earlier in January, though it is not clear if the same group is responsible for the hijacking.
Bridgadier General Rabe Abubakar, the Nigerian military's director of defense information, tells Newsweek that the incident has taken place and that the Nigerian authorities are pursuing the hijackers, but was unable to provide further information about the ship or the condition of the crew. This is an act of criminality, an act of sabotage, says Abubakar.
When asked whether the militants were demanding Kanu's release, Abubakar tells Newsweek: We don't care about personality. What we care about is the nation, the safety of our ex-patriates, the safety of our citizens and the safety of everybody who is [in Nigeria] on legitimate contentions or business.
Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a secessionist movement that advocates the creation of an independent state of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria. Biafra existed as a republic separate from Nigeria between 1967 and 1970. Its creation by Nigerian military officer Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu sparked a three-year civil war in which more than 1 million people were killed.
By Conor Gaffey
Major opposition parties in the country are questioning the Electoral Commissions preparedness for this years election.
The 2016 election unlike the previous ones will be conducted on November 7.
However, with less than 10 months to go to the polls, the opposition political parties feel the EC is not pulling it's weight.
Voter sensitization is their main cause of worry. They believe the EC must do more.
Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahene in an interview with Joy News complained about the posture of Commission.
He said we are being told that there is going to be a limited registration. How are you going to conduct this limited registration?
Another serious indictment on the EC is that the chairperson herself told the whole world that she was highly convinced that there were 200,000 ghost names in the register. Few Days later she came to tell us that was not her position and that she should be forgiven. These utterances gives grounds to conclude that the EC is not a trust worthy institution, he said.
The Convention Peoples Partys Nii Armah Akomfrah said his party expected a meeting to be called to enable all stakeholders contribute to towards how to clean the register but this has not been done. He believes the EC is taking the minority out of the whole process.
National Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party Murtala Mohammed he has not seen or heard of any concrete measure being taken by the EC with regards to the election.
I have not heard of any workshop organised with regards to election 2016, especially when we are going to have this elections in November. The EC cannot assume that we have had elections many times and there for this will go smoothly.
The Peoples National Convention on the other hand is of the view that much more needs to be done with regards to the creation of awareness.
The failure to create awareness, Atik Mohammed believes is the reason we tend to encounter some challenges with our elections. Some of these challenges could be averted in order to have successful elections.
This should not be seen as an attempt to condemn the EC but to wake it and all other agencies and institutions responsible for educating Ghanaians up to realise that not much has been done, he said.
Executive director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Jean Mensah raised similar concerns on Monday.
She told Joy News there is so much work to be done and although the EC has put out a timetable, I am not hearing of voter education.
I am not sure the EC is collaborating with the NCCE to raise awareness about the election. We need to start engaging in voter education, we only have about eight months to the election and I am not sure we are putting ourselves in place to have a successful election.
The governing National democratic Congress disagrees. The party said the arguments hold no merit.
Deputy General Secretary of the party, George Lawson said there is something going on.
Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com
Chennai: Its status as an exploding pandemic notwithstanding, the Zika virus does not scare Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials as they believe they will be ready for it in case of an outbreak here. Zika, which has been spreading across the Americas, especially South American nations, is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also causes dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya.
Though deemed not fatal, the Zika virus has been linked with a large number of microcephaly cases registered in the affected countries.
Greater Chennai Corporation officials told DC that as there were no reported cases as yet in India, or in Chennai, there was no need for a knee-jerk reaction.
According to GCC estimates, the current mosquito density reported across Chennai is between 0.16 and 0.4 per cent. Only if the breeding per cent is above should there be any reason for concern among the public. It points to the level and quality of fumigation activity that we have taken up, a health official noted.
GCC officials insisted that mosquito density reduction has also resulted in lesser number of dengue cases reported in the city. So far in 2016, we have had 22 cases of suspected dengue out of which six tested positive> Even these were treated and cured, an official said.
But while Western media reports note that there is no vaccine cure for Zika, as little research had gone into studying the disease as it was considered rare 18 months ago, state health officials are convinced that it is merely a ploy of big pharmaceutical companies to create panic.
What is microcephaly?
Microcephaly is a serious birth defect caused due to below normal brain development resulting in the foetus to have a small head. Infants born with microcephaly will suffer from lifelong physical and developmental problems.
Zikas role in causing microcephaly is still debated but evidence shows that the spurt in microcephaly cases to pregnant women affected by Zika is higher. The virus has also been said to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, an auto-immune disorder that can cause paralysis.
Dangerous Aedes aegypti
The Aedes aegypti mosquito which breeds in warm, urban climate is responsible for causing dengue and chikungunya besides Zika.
According to the Greater Chennai Corporation, the city has reduced number of chikungunya and dengue cases recorded in the last five years. The corporations health department stated that only 916 cases of dengue positive was recorded between 2012 and 2015 down from 1,634 between 2006 and 2011.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the Italian Prime Minister to review terms of a deal between Italian Oil Company, ENI and the government of Ghana.
This was contained in a statement the party issued to welcome the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi who was on a two-day-visit to Ghana but left this afternoon.
President John Dramani Mahama revealed in his state of the Nation Address last year that an oil and Gas deal had been signed with Italys largest oil company ENI. The deal which was in collaboration with Vitol Energy was to boost Ghanas gas supplies to secure the energy sector.
The agreement, worth $7billion was for the development of the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) integrated oil and gas project.
But the NPP says the benefits of the ENI-Sankofa deal seem to be lob-sided, favouring the company and not Ghana.
Below is the full statement
NPP WELCOMES ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER, RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT ENI-SANKOFA DEAL
The New Patriotic Party joins the Government and people of Ghana to welcome His Excellency Mr. Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy, to Ghana today. The NPP appreciates the enormous assistance of Italy to Ghana over the years and the excellent state of our relationship.
On this auspicious occasion of the Prime Ministers visit, however, the NPP is constrained to highlight for the consideration of His Excellency and, indeed, all Ghanaians aspects of Ghanas contractual relationship with ENI, a state-owned Italian oil conglomerate, and its partners over the exploitation of the Offshore Cape Three Points Block (OCTP).
Our worries, which have also been expressed by some Civil Society Organisations in the oil sector, include:
i. The Government of Ghanas provision of financial terms to ENI and its partners of 20% return on investment, instead of the normal 12.5%, is an unusually high rate for commercial transactions of this nature, especially as GNPC assumes all the risk in the project.
ii. The negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu for gas from the Sankofa fields is too high by world standards, of between $5-7/MMBtu. It is even higher than the price of gas sold to Ghana from Nigeria, which stands at $8.3/MMBtu, delivered at Takoradi. It is even more expensive than our own Atuabo Gas price of $8.8/MMBtu delivered at Takoradi. At the negotiated gas price of $9.8/MMBtu, it puts to great risk Ghanas potential of becoming the Petrochemical hub of the region to Nigeria, due to that countrys lower gas prices.
iii. This agreement compels GNPC to buy up to 90% of ENI produced gas at a higher negotiated price of $9.8/MMBtu for 20 solid years. This gas sales same agreement is further guaranteed against default by three guarantees the government of Ghana, the World Bank and GNPC amounting to some $750 million.
Furthermore, GNPC, after buying the gas from ENI at a guaranteed price stands the risk of losing its market (VRA, IPPs, petrochemical industries) to other cheap gas suppliers. iv. Ghana also guarantees additional free cash flows to the company by allowing them to write-off 7% interest on all commercial loans from project revenues, when the normal provision is between 2-3%. This also reduces Ghanas potential tax revenues from this project by over $160 million. No other companies, whether from Jubilee or TEN, have been given this same rate of 7%.
v. The cost of the development of the Jubilee Fields, with more reserves of oil equivalence and with a water depth of 3,630 ft, came to $4 billion. The cost of development of the TEN oil fields, also with more oil reserves of oil equivalence, came to $4.9 billion. The cost of development of ENIs Sankofa is $7 billion, with less reserves of oil equivalence and at relatively lower water depths of 2,706 ft. We wonder the quality of due diligence done, if any.
We ask, what possible motives could drive the government of Ghana to bend backwards and grant all these unprecedented incentives, which are not even available to the original developers of Cape Three Points?
We are highlighting these issues, as this is potentially the largest single investment in Ghana, which will bind the Ghanaian people for the next 20 years. It is, therefore, important that the benefits of this project are not so one-sided as they seem today.
We hope the Italian Prime Minister will use his good offices to prevail on ENI and the Government of Ghana to review some of these terms, in order to maximise our mutual benefits from this project. We believe this will further strengthen the Ghanaian-Italian relationship and North-South co-operation.
signed
Nana Akomea
Director of Communications
02.02.2016 LISTEN
A draft deal on his reform demands delivers the substantial change he wants to see to the UKs relationship with the EU, David Cameron has said.
But the UK prime minister said there was detail to be worked on before a crunch summit on 18-19 February.
The deal, published by European Council President Donald Tusk , allows for an emergency brake on migrant benefits.
But Leave EU campaigners said the deal did not come close to the changes Mr Cameron had promised. Whats in the draft deal
Mr Camerons proposed four year ban on in-work benefits for EU migrant workers could come into force immediately if the UK votes to remain in the Union.
But it would have to be agreed by other EU nations and it would be graduated, with more money from tax credits paid to migrants the longer they remain in the UK.
It says Mr Camerons demand to exempt Britain from the EU principle of ever closer union between member states would be written into a future treaty.
There are also measures relating to protection for non-euro countries in the EU, a new way for member states to club together to block some new EU laws and on business regulations. What happens now
Mr Cameron will visit Poland and Denmark on Friday, as he embarks on a whirlwind charm offensive to persuade the other 27 EU leaders to sign up to the Tusk package in Brussels on February 18-19.
If Mr Cameron can get an agreement in February, he is expected to hold a referendum in June on whether Britain should remain in the EU.
Mr Cameron has until the end of 2017 to hold a referendum. A July or September referendum remains a possibility but a repeat of last summers migrant crisis in the Mediterranean and eastern Europe could make Mr Camerons job of making the case for remaining in a reformed EU more difficult.
A cross-party group of MPs, led by the SNP, has warned Mr Cameron against holding the EU referendum in June, arguing it will be too close to elections in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, London and local authorities. What David Cameron said about the deal
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The prime minister said more work needed to be done to nail down details but added: We said we needed to deliver in four key areas, this document shows real progress on that front.
He said the proposals were some something worth fighting for, and were good enough that he would back Britain joining the EU under these terms, if it was not already a member.
He said Britain could have the best of both worlds by giving it access to the single market and a voice around the top EU table, while retaining its status as a proud independent country not part of a superstate.
He said ministers would be free to campaign for either side in a personal capacity, but the government would not be taking some sort of neutral position.
If we get this deal in February or in March or later and if the cabinet agrees to this deal the governments position will be to campaign for Britain to stay in a reformed European Union.
Asked by the BBCs Laura Kuenssberg if he could guarantee the reforms would cut immigration and had not been watered down, he said: I can say, hand on heart, I have delivered the commitments made in my manifesto. What those who want the UK to leave the EU say
Richard Tice, co-founder of Leave.Eu, accused Mr Cameron of trying to deceive the British people by saying that theres substantial change there is nothing except a restatement of the existing status quo.
The Vote Leave campaign said Mr Cameron had broken a key Conservative manifesto pledge to insist on a four year ban on in-work benefits, saying that the ban was now conditional.
Former defence secretary Liam Fox said the proposals did not come close to the changes voters had been promised.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage said Mr Camerons deal was pathetic and hardly worth the wait. Donald Tusks reaction
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.
-bbc
02.02.2016 LISTEN
The Australian House of Representatives has changed its rules to allow lawmakers to breastfeed and bottle-feed in the chamber.
Under the old rules, MPs could only take babies into the public galleries or offices of the parliament building.
The leader of the house welcomed the changes to antiquated practices.
Breastfeeding in parliament is a controversial issue in many countries, and lawmakers have been criticised for taking their babies to sessions.
The new regulations in Australia mean MPs infants will no longer be considered as visitors, banned from entering the chamber of the lower house.
The changes were approved after a recommendation from a parliamentary committee.
No member male or female will ever be prevented from participating fully in the operation of the parliament by reason of having the care of a baby, House Leader Christopher Pyne said.
There is absolutely no reason that rules should remain in place which make life in politics and the parliament more difficult for women.
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Forty of the 150 members of the House of Representatives are women, and three have had babies since March, the Associated Press news agency said. Four other MPs are reportedly due to become fathers.
Last year, Assistant Treasurer Kelly ODwyer was reportedly advised to express more milk in order to not miss sessions in parliament. Risk ridicule
The subject is a sensitive issue in many parliaments around the world. In January, Spanish MP Carolina Bescansa, from the Podemos (We Can) party, was both criticised and commended for by taking her baby into parliament and breastfeeding him.
Iolanda Pineda, of the Socialists Party of Catalonia (PSC), also took her baby into Spains upper house of parliament in 2012.
Italian politician Licia Ronzulli was first pictured with her baby in the European parliament in September 2010 when the child was six weeks old.
Last year a group of MPs in the UK called for a ban on new mothers breastfeeding their babies in the House of Commons chamber to be overturned.
However others warned it would risk ridicule from the tabloid press.
-bbc
02.02.2016 LISTEN
A Scottish tourist has reportedly been killed by an elephant while on holiday on Koh Samui island in Thailand.
The man, named locally as Gareth Crowe, was on an elephant trek with his teenage daughter when he was thrown by the animal, according to local press.
The Bangkok Post said the 36-year-old was trampled on and wounded by the elephants tusk on Monday afternoon.
The Foreign Office said it was aware of the incident and was offering consular assistance to the mans family.
A spokesman said: We are offering support to the family of a British national who has sadly died following an incident in Koh Samui, Thailand, and are making contact with the local authorities to seek further information.
The mans daughter is understood to have been treated in hospital. Attacked on ground
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Jonathan Head, the BBCs South Asia correspondent, told Good Morning Scotland: From what the police are telling us this elephant was stressed, perhaps it was hot, it may also have been on heat and thats always a problem with male elephants it has to be looked at very carefully by their handlers.
The mahout the elephant handler was clearly having some trouble controlling the elephant and they have a sort of iron spike that they use it looks rather brutal but they use it to strike the elephants head, not usually very hard, but at least to let it know what to do.
He was struggling a bit with that, so there were indications that things were wrong.
The mahout appears to have got off the elephant to take photographs of Mr Crowe and his daughter and at that point the elephant lost its temper, it attacked the mahout and threw the two tourists off its back.
I think they were both injured, its quite high up on an elephant and then it attacked Mr Crowe on the ground, where he was apparently gored and trampled, his daughter is fine, shes in hospital now, she was slightly injured.
There are estimated to have been around about a dozen incidents similar to this over the past 15 years.
-bbc
Dakar (AFP) - The French and US ambassadors called for tighter regional and global cooperation to fight the threat of jihadist attacks in Senegal and the broader West Africa region in separate statements issued Tuesday.
After two successive attacks in past weeks in the capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso, Senegal's Interior Minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo said "the surge of terrorist groups shows the international community must fight terrorism everywhere with the same combativity."
Speaking at talks on a four-year French funding plan against terrorism, he said the only way forward was to "strengthen our cooperation" and "share our means."
France's ambassador to Senegal, Jean-Felix Paganon, who attended the meeting, said cooperation in the fight against the Islamist threat "calls for regional and international cooperation."
At a separate meeting with the media, US ambassador James Zumwalt said "the Senegalese are very eager to partner with us and work with us because they obviously are concerned about the possibilities of terrorist incidents and also worried about radical extremism here in Senegal."
Senegal, like Mali and Burkina Faso which were hit by deadly Islamist attacks in December and January, is a majority Muslim nation though it has so far been free of extremist jihadist attacks.
"The threat is no greater now than it was before the attack in Burkina Faso, it's the same threat. And the Senegalese capability is the same capability that they had before," the US diplomat said, referring to the January 15 attack against hotels and cafes popular with foreigners in the Burkina capital Ouagadougou that left 30 dead.
Both that attack and the one in Bamako in December were claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
"There's more awareness now about those threats and we clearly want to work very closely with Senegal to help them increase their capacity to respond, either pre or post attack, to a terrorist incident," he added.
He said an upcoming three-week joint military exercise between Africa, US and European troops, known as Flintlock and starting next week in Senegal and Mauritania would aim to help a country's respond to an Islamist attack.
Around a dozen people, including several Muslim preachers, were arrested in November in Senegal for "links to AQIM and Islamic State", a Senegalese security source told AFP.
Accra, Feb. 2, GNA - Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy has stated that members of the European Union would need a strategy to give Africa the opportunity to develop its potentials.
This, he said, would include financial support, investments and other developments that would make African countries self-reliant.
President Renzi said this when President John Dramani Mahama hosted him to a dinner as part of his two-day official visit to the country.
President Renzi, who arrived 1700hrs on Monday and was met on arrival by Ms Hannah Tetteh, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, also held closed door bilateral discussions with President Mahama at the Flagstaff House, Kanda.
The Italian Prime Minister said he was impressed with the progress of Ghana and gave the assurance that Italy would continue to share expertise and knowledge with Ghana to harness her development potentials.
He said Rome is prepared to share its experience with Ghana in some areas including agriculture especially in the tomato farming and processing sectors.
President Mahama on his part expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for reciprocating the visit he made last year to the European country.
He said Italy was instrumental in the economic development of Ghana as there were over one hundred Italian enterprises based here.
President Mahama said the contribution of Italy is felt in the private sector and Small and Medium Term Enterprises as well.
The President said Ghana and Italy would also work around the 15 key issues that the two countries had agreed on concerning migration to ensure that migration issues in the country was smoothened.
Prime Minister Renzi on Tuesday morning is expected to visit the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, lay wreaths of the tombs of late President and his wife Fathia Nkrumah.
The Italian Prime Minister would climax his two-day official visit to Ghana by addressing the Parliament of Ghana before his departure at 1130 hrs.
GNA
Suma-Ahenkro (B/A), Feb. 2, GNA - The 2016 Akwantukese of the chiefs and people of Suma Traditional Area has been launched at Suma-Ahenkro in the Jaman North District of Brong-Ahafo Region.
Speaking at the launch of the festival, on Sunday, Odeneho Dr. Affram Brempong III, the paramount chief of the area, announced that the week-long event would bring together the leaders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to foster tolerance and peace as the nation approached the Election 2016.
He stated: 'What matters is not a political party that wins the elections, but the political party that ensures that Ghanaians are able to realise their hopes and aspirations in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility'.
Odeneho Dr. Brempong said it was the duty of traditional rulers to assist in the promotion of tolerance and peaceful co-existence for a sustainable national development.
He said Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the presidential candidate of the NPP had been invited as a special guest of honour to the Adinkra durbar of the festival scheduled for Friday, March 18.
The Adinkra durbar is the first of its kind and would be attended by Nana Kwasi Adinkra Agyemang, the Gyamanhene in the Republic of la Cote D'Ivoire, as well as eminent traditional rulers in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire.
Odeneho Dr. Brempong said another durbar slated for Saturday, March 19, to climax the festival, and would be attended by President John Dramani Mahama as the special guest of honour.
He said former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor would grace the festival, while other dignitaries who had contributed immensely to the socio-economic progress of Suma would be honoured at the festival.
Mr. Siaka Stevens, the NPP Member of Parliament for Jaman North Constituency, in an interview, advised the youth not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to disturb the peace of the nation before, during and after the general election.
GNA
Kasoa (C/R), Feb. 2, GNA - Reverend David Aduah, newly ordained Priest of the Assemblies of God Church at Kasoa, has appealed to Ghanaians to continue to pray to God for peaceful elections in November 2016.
He also urged them to offer their prayers and support to the government to rule the country successfully.
Rev Aduah made the appeal when delivering his maiden homily at the Akweley-Kosoa branch of the church at Kasoa in the Central Region.
'We are in an election year therefore we should continue to pray so that peace would continue to prevail in the country.'
He expressed regret that many people call themselves Christians but do not have focus in life.
Rev Aduah urged them to desist from the quest for material gains to avoid landing themselves into evil.
GNA
Accra, Feb. 2, GNA - Ghana will host the third Annual Diplomatic Fair, which was formally known as Embassy Fair from May 24 to May 26, 2016 at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The Fair is being organised by Precise Communications Limited in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and the office of the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Ghana.
An official statement issued in Accra and signed by Stephen Gyasi-Kwaw, Chief Executive Officer of Precise Communications Limited, said the annual event, established in 2012, is a one-stop shop for the public to have access to information on the various services and programs offered by diplomatic organizations in Ghana.
It said the event brings together diplomatic organization accredited to Ghana to educate, promote their services and also showcase achievements in contributing to the development of Ghana.
'The Diplomatic Fair also affords government, business, the diplomatic corps and other sectors of the society opportunity to network and engage,' it said.
The statement said the event, which will feature exhibitions and seminars, is officially supported and endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
'Diplomatic Fair 2016 will feature many exciting segments aside the normal exhibitions, as done in the past since its inception in 2012.
'The 2016 edition will feature discussions on 'the role of diplomacy in enhancing economic development', diplomatic business networking reception and a fashion and music show.
The Fair will also create an opportunity for the public to seek information and advice on trade and investment, immigration, international education and development programmes.
GNA
Accra, Feb. 2, GNA - Victoria Bright, Lawyer and Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is asking the Accra High Court to declare as null and void, the Okaikoi South parliamentary primary that elected Ahmed Arthur as candidate.
In a writ of summons filed on her behalf by her counsel, Thaddeus Sory, she said the constituency primary was also conducted in gross violation of NPP rules.
The plaintiff averred that on May 23, 2011, Madam Vivian Addae, then Constituency Chairman petitioned that Ahmed made false declarations in his nomination forms to enable him contest the 2012 primary that he had completed short courses in Public Relations, Management and Journalism at Ghana Institute of Journalism.
A steering committee set up to investigate on June 6, 2011 found out that Mr Ahmed, the first defendant made a false declaration in paragraph 12 of his nomination form dated March 2, 2011 and was accordingly disqualified.
On June 29, 2011 the committee's decision was endorsed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NPP, which decided a re-run of the primary.
The plaintiff said in a bizarre twist, however the then National Chairman of the NPP wrote to the party's regional chairman to inform him that the defendant had decided to appeal his disqualification.
In a letter dated September 28, 2011, the NPP's General Secretary wrote to inform NEC that it had upheld Ahmed's appeal with the effect that he was the parliamentary candidate.
This, the plaintiff said this was a violation of NPP's eligibility rules and usurped NEC powers.
Ms Bright said Ahmed was also allowed to contest the 2016 parliamentary elections, although he admitted his false declaration set out in his nomination forms.
She said prior to the 2016 primary some constituents commenced legal proceedings to restraint the conduct of the election.
Ms Bright said despite the dependency of the application for an order of interlocutory injunction, which was published widespread publicity, many were of the view that the primary would not come on July 25, 2015.
She said be that as it may the application for interlocutory injunction was dismissed but rather bizarrely, on Saturday, August 1, 2015 the General Secretary of the NPP signed a release declaring that the contest should take place on Sunday August 2, 2015.
Ms Bright said the move was clearly arbitrary, unlawful and usurpation of the mandate of the Parliamentary Elections Committee (PEC) of the constituency, governing the conduct of the contest.
She said the voters register used for the election was not the one certified by PEC and submitted to the Electoral Commission.
GNA
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the government was in regular touch with different parties regarding the GST Bill. (Photo: PTI)
Bengaluru: Government would leave no stone "unturned" to get the long-awaited GST bill passed in the budget session of Parliament which would begin after February 20, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Monday.
Naidu said he hoped that Parliament functions "smoothly" to get important bills, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST), approved, and for this, the government was in "regular touch" with different parties.
"We need to pass GST bill. If we pass GST, it will revolutionise taxation system and according to experts, it will increase our revenue by 1.5 to 2 per cent. It is a very vital reform that is needed in the taxation structure," he told reporters here.
"We will make every effort to get it passed this time... No stone will be left unturned," he said, adding that the government was in regular touch with different parties.
Referring to a recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the matter, the Minister said, "We have tried to understand what are their concerns. We have tried to address those concerns also."
"There is tremendous public opinion building up across the country in favour of GST. I hope other parties will realise the importance of GST and support," he said.
Naidu said the government was also looking forward to the clearing of bills on real estate development and regulation and bankruptcy.
"I appeal to all parties, including major opposition party Congress, please see reason and support this bill so that we can bring forward, country and states can prosper," he said.
He said a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) had been called on February 4 to discuss about the budget session.
Referring to reports that dates had been fixed for the session, he said, "Nothing has been fixed till now... I can tell you that Parliament session will start after 20th (February) only, that much is clear."
Clarifying on media reports about him having called an "all-party meeting" regarding the schedule for the budget session, he said it was an informal meeting with leaders of some political parties in states where polls are slated soon.
"Taking the views of those parties who have large presence in those states is important. So I informally called them to take their views in order to finalise the schedule of the budget session," he added.
02.02.2016 LISTEN
The last time I revised my notes, patients could buy medicines from drugstores on the recommendation of a qualified and licensed physician. The whole system appeared regulated that patients are turned down by drugstore operators because they had no authorized note from a doctor.
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) had its authority stamped on all drugs sold in the country that only the recommended and clinically certified ones are allowed to be sold around the neighborhoods. What changed?
Changing Landscape with Expensive Drug Advertisement:
The environment is changed from the periods 1990 to 2015. In the past, the average patient could not list at least 5 drugs on top of his head because they are recommended by doctors. However, the situation is different today. One can name more than 15 drugs on top of his head. Direct consumer advertising has proven the magic to this new trend in the Health industry of Ghana.
Pharmaceutical companies both local and international have found a space in the privacy of these patients and prospective patients to market their drugs directly to them with less effort. Often these commercials do not show persons in the alleged disease situation that the drug aims at curing. They show vibrant, energetic people who are excited for using the drug. What fascinates me is that they often end their commercials with the note that if symptoms persist for more than three days, consult a physician. Why dont they say consult a physician before taking it?
What makes these commercials potent is the kind of emotional connection that they create bounding with the patient. And because of the Ghanaian culture for quick fixes, we turn to buy some of these drugs even when they have not been recommended by doctors. So now, anybody at all could walk to a drugstore to purchase any medicine of his choice without the greeting of interrogation from the seller. The list of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Ghana is growing rapidly due to the tons of million dollars they get every year. Starwin products, pharmanova limited, Midland pharmaceuticals limited, Lagray Chemical Company, M & G Pharmaceuticals Limited, Amponsah Efah Pharmaceuticals, Ayrton Drugs Manufacturing Limited, Danadams Pharmaceuticals limited, Ernest Chemist limited, Eskay Therapeutics limited, Letap Pharmaceuticals, Kama Industries limited, Intravenous Infusions limited, Kanbros Chemical Industries, Sharp Pharmaceuticals, and Kinapharma limited are few of the registered companies with the all-powerful Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG).
Drugging the Ghana Medical Association (GMA):
The situation is deepened by the drugging of doctors by pharmaceutical companies to help market their drugs to patients. This trend, though inconspicuous, has proven efficient in the new multi-million drug sale trade in the country. The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has its rank and file infiltrated by pharmaceutical companies in Ghana, India, America and Europe to co-opt their members to prescribe their medicines as most effective for the cure of certain diseases even when they are not efficient or clinically safe for consumption. A visit to doctors quarters, consorting rooms and patient wards are filled with paraphernalia of pharmaceutical companies. These doctors are walking advertisers of medical companies who display pens, stethoscopes, and calendars branded by these companies. The job that earns them GHC5, 000 plus a month would be to prescribe the paymasters drugs as effective for certain diseases over the others. Very simple.
Buying Influence the Food and Drugs Authority:
Today, the situation is worsened day by day by the malfunctioning of the oversight function of the Food and Drugs Authority a body mandated to check the excesses of products of drug and food manufacturing companies locally. How is one drug better than the other? How do we prevent drug manufacturing companies from packaging yesterdays drug that refused to sell to patients in a different brand? At least what I know is that theres no great difference between the different types of drugs that cure the same disease.
The drug for cold and flu manufactured by Ayrton drug is not different from that of Kinapharma limited, and not any different from the one by Ernest Chemist. And this point is given much volume by the refusal, or the inability of drug manufacturing companies to show how different their drug is from the others in the market. Government officials have found themselves servants of these multinational drug manufacturing companies desilting the regulatory books for these killers of innocent Ghanaians. The only time one sees the FDA at work, is when it gets bad mouthed in the public or when a private individual has undertaken an investigation in some of the cobwebs of these products. Commercials are aired without authorization from the FDA compounding the situation.
How Many Death of Innocent Lives is much?
The combined effort of the trio has led to the mass slaughter of several Ghanaians who could have been saved had we been human to our conscience. We are often deluded into believing that drug manufacturing companies are here to save lives when what they actually do is snuffing lives in thousands. They bombard us with huge amount of money they had to spend in researching disease types and their possible cure and we connect to their generositythinking they are our saviors. Theres no free lunch. No business, that has investors and shareholders to satisfy, would throw its cash away in some kind of philanthropic activities. They tell our leaders that they suffer to produce the so called miracle to the many dire situations we live in to save our liveswhich is a million dollar lie.
De-drugging Ghanaians:
We can de-drug Ghanaians if what we want to do is to do the right things as global citizens. As a free market society, as Ghana appears or seems to be (me), its possible to create a product, market and sell it, within the remit of the laws of the country. Anything short of this is an anathema to peace and security of the country. Drug manufacturing companies local and international should be made to operate within the claws of the law. Any misdemeanor need to be stamped out through sanctions from the Food and Drugs Authority to discourage others following. Drug advertisements in the media should have the embossed authority of the FDA before being carried to consumers.
This also means that the media should help in this endeavor since they have for years aided these companies to dupe and rape Ghanaians in the health sector. We need as a country to re-tighten our regulatory frameworks so long as drug sale and advertisements are concerned. Government officials need to show the boundary between loyalty and patriotism. The health needs of our people should be prioritized to preserve the quality human resource materials of this country. We can no longer pretend to be asleep when our people are slaughtered daily by these companies. Lets rise to the occasion.
Please do share your comment with me. I am interested in knowing what you think about the issue under discussion even as you learn from me. Thank you.
For more on Kwabena Brako-Powers please visit: www.brakopowers.blogspot.com
02.02.2016 LISTEN
Being a part of the communication team members of the Volta region NDC present when the Minister of Trade and Industry addressed the media, it is unfortunate that some including Ben Ephson misconstrued what Dr. Spio Garbrah really said on the tariff increment. It will take a very objective mindset to appreciate that the Trade Minister was not criticizing government on the tariff increase but rather trying to court sympathy for government.
When the Minister was asked by journalists as to the impact of tariff increment on businesses, Dr. Spio Garbrah sought to suggest that it could be possible some of the increment in an election year could be meant to make government and his NDC party unpopular. In his assumption, the Trade Minister was disappointed that some agencies could wait until an election year to increase tariffs on the services they provide.
Looking at past experiences, perceptive minds will fathom that it is thinkable in the Ghanaian dispensation for politicians to infiltrate some of the utility providers in order to sabotage government. Even with governments efforts at increasing the megawatts of power needed to overcome the dumsor, Ghanaians constantly hear of blown up transformers at some of the power stations. Except, Ben Ephson will try to say that there could be no sabotage of the systems and that the transformers just naturally blow up every time.
Taking the increase in electricity and water tariffs for instance, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) told Ghanaians on the 7th of December, 2015 that government had no hands in formulating a new water and electricity prices. The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) says it takes responsibility for more than 50% price hike in utility prices and that government had no hand in formulating a new water and electricity prices. Public Affairs Director of PURC Nana Yaa Jantuah says she is surprised that dissatisfied utility consumers are attacking government following the announcement. She maintained the PURC is an independent body uninfluenced by political considerations in taking its decisions.
(See more at: http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2015/December-7th/dont-attack-government-come-to-us-for-redress-purc-tells.php#sthash.bDO6hLZd.dpuf
Down memory lane on October 16, 2015, the PURC was emphatic on Eyewitness news in stating that it will be impossible for the President to order the Commission to increase tariffs because PURC is an independent regulative body, it has been set up by an act of Parliament and not subject to the control or directive of any organization (See more at: http://citifmonline.com/2015/10/16/president-hasnt-ordered-us-to-increase-tariffs-purc-insists/#sthash.MDEiFqqI.dpuf ).
It is therefore unfortunate that with these facts available to even the ordinary citizen, a senior journalist such as Ben Ephson could consider that the President and his cabinet could be responsible for tariff increases when these agencies themselves have confirmed they are independent of governments interference.
So how could one fault Dr. Spio Garbrah in expressing the views of the silent majority that he smells a conspiracy to make the President unpopular with the hike in tariffs particularly in an election year? To call the Trade and Industry Minister to resign for empathizing with his own government marks of hypocrisy that Mr. Ephson should apologize to the experienced Minister. What Mr. Ephson may fail to note is that apart from President Mahama, Dr. Spio-Garbrah is the only cabinet Minister in the present government with the privilege to have served in the Rawlings cabinet which lost the 2000 elections therefore is experienced enough to know the effect of such tariff increases in an election year for his NDC party.
Being a journalist of long standing, Mr. Ben Ephson could be familiar with the serial killing of women leading to the 2000 elections. One could recall the Kuffor-led NPP campaigned vigorously on that with J. H Mensah declaring an end to the serial killings of women when voted into power. When the killing stopped immediately after J. A. Kuffour was elected, it rather dawn on former President Rawlings that the killing of 34 women was a political killings to cause panic and insecurity leading to disaffection for the NDC government. Rawlings therefore called for the famous Chemical Interrogation of senior NPP leaders.
If one could murder 34 women for power, set power stations in flame, burn market places in the desperation for power, how impossible is it for Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah to fear there could be a conspiracy or sabotage in an election year against his government and party? The best Ben Ephson can do for some of us who still hold him highly is to render an open apology to Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah for his hasty comments on him. It will serve a great purpose because in his haste he did not digest carefully the angle Dr. Spio Garbrah was coming from.
Signed:
Eric Bene
0208413131
Ransford Kasu
0200171992
The Hague (AFP) - Former Ivorian youth leader Charles Ble Goude on Tuesday denied any role in deadly post-poll violence in his country in 2010 and 2011, saying he had "no blood" on his hands.
And the 44-year-old's lawyers also tried to bill him as a man of peace in the same mould as celebrated American civil rights activist Martin Luther King.
"When it comes to my fellow citizens, I do not have a single drop of blood on my hands," Ble Goude told the International Criminal Court, where he and ex-president Laurent Gbagbo face charges of crimes against humanity arising from the 2010-2011 bloodshed in the west African nation.
"I feel like I have become the target of a hunt," said Ble Goude, telling the three-judge bench he was "afraid of war in the Ivory Coast."
Gbagbo, 70, and Ble Goude -- known for his fiery rhetoric -- have denied four counts including murder, rape and persecution after some 3,000 people died in five months of violence in the country.
Their landmark 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 a November 2010 presidential election, but France, the former colonial power, the United States and the United Nations said victory belonged to his bitter rival Alassane Ouattara.
The row triggered a bitter standoff that saw bloody clashes erupt on the streets of Abidjan.
- 'Falsifying history'-
Prosecutors accuse Ble Goude -- dubbed Gbagbo's "General of the Streets" because of his powerful oratory skills -- of ordering his "Young Patriots" militia to murder, rape and burn alive hundreds of people during the crisis.
But lawyer Geert-Jan Knoops said the exact opposite was true and his client was a "man of peace".
"Charles Ble Goude never ordered the violence," Knoops said.
Ble Goude was "even considered to be too pacifist, like Martin Luther King," said Knoops, referring to the 1960s civil rights icon.
Another defence lawyer, Claver N'Dry, accused war crimes prosecutors of "falsifying history."
Speaking in French, but switching briefly to English to make a point, the stylishly-dressed Ble Goude told the judges he would never foment ethnic or religious tension in the world's largest cocoa grower.
"We know in the Cote d'Ivoire that we will never use ethnic group against ethnic group... religion against religion."
"It is dangerous. So don't play with it," he warned.
Lawyers showed a video of Ble Goude accompanied by American civil rights activist, Jesse Jackson, who was close to King, to underline their contention that he was a man of peace.
Ble Goude himself told the court "I am not ashamed to say that I am afraid of war."
"Not because I am a coward, but because of my sense of responsibility."
- 'No Street General' -
He said he took exception to being called a "militia leader" adding Gbagbo "never sent me out to commit crimes".
Knoops said there was "a major difference between a person who uses his rhetoric skills to call for liberation... and a person who uses his rhetoric skills to get control," as prosecutors have suggested.
"He was no General of the Streets," Knoops stressed.
After Gbagbo's fall, Ble Goude was arrested in January 2013 in Ghana. He had been on the run for more than 18 months and was transferred to the ICC in 2014.
Judges in March 2015 joined Gbagbo and Ble Goude's cases to speed up proceedings.
Prosecutors are expected to present the first witnesses to testify in their case on Wednesday.
Our attention has been drawn to a publication on your network www.myjoyonline.com on Thursday, 21st January, 2016, which was captioned PAC raises red flag over LEAP Mobile Money Mode.
In the said publication, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu expressed concern that the adoption of mobile money mode of cash transfer to the beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme by the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) may encounter accountability challenges.
We wish to state that electronic payment mechanisms including mobile money mode have comprehensive audit trails for all such transactions. The audit trail of transaction addresses issues of accountability.
With specific reference to mobile money, we wish to draw the Chairmans attention to the fact that, every single mobile money transaction is traceable and recorded. Mobile money transactions involve two fundamental processes: sending of funds through e-money and receiving of funds by the recipients. The sending of funds by mobile money is done by transfer of funds from the Ministrys bank accounts to the mobile money trust account of the mobile money organisation. From the mobile money trust account, the funds are converted to electronic funds in favour of the Ministrys mobile money wallet. From the Ministrys mobile money wallet, each beneficiary households wallet is credited.
These transactions are linked to the banking system through the trust account of the mobile money organisation and are therefore recorded and traceable, thus enabling accountability and traceability. The cash out transactions of beneficiaries from agents are also system recorded and traceable.
The Ministry used the mobile money mode of MTN, the Point of Sale (PoS) mode of Aya Technologies, and the E-zwich platform of GhIPSS to deliver LEAP grants to beneficiaries during the e-payment piloting process. The piloting is over, and after a competitive tendering process, the GhIPSS has been selected and contracted as the main payment service provider for the LEAP programme. GhIPSS is expected to be using the E-zwich platform to deliver cash to all LEAP beneficiaries by April 2016.
The E-zwich platform of GhIPSS uses biometric fingerprint system of verifying beneficiaries before cash payment is made to them. This system is linked to the banking system, ensuring that every transaction is recorded and traceable.
Aside the security that comes with the E-zwich system, it also ensures that the extremely poor beneficiaries who hitherto were financially excluded become included in the financial system of the country.
Finally, we wish to state that, there is no system that better assures transparency, security, accountability, and robustness than an e-payment system with biometric means of validating recipient of cash.
We hope that this rejoinder would be given the same publicity it deserves just as the statement from the PAC Chairman.
Issued by the LEAP Programme
Department of Social Development
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP)
Ghanas IMANI Center for Policy and Education (IMANI) has been ranked the most influential think tank in Ghana and the second most influential think tank in Sub-Saharan Africa, for the second year running according to The Lauder Institute of The University of Pennsylvania in its latest publication on the performance of think tanks globally.
The Lauder Institute and its partners monitor and maintain the largest, most comprehensive database of over 6,500 think tanks globally. The performance of IMANI has consolidated its position as the most reliable and tenacious think tank whose activities have shaped policy and enhanced governance and development in Ghana. Globally, IMANI has chalked some successes by ranking high in various areas . It is ranked the topmost Education Policy Think Tank in Africa. IMANI is also the number one African think tank with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals. In addition, IMANI leads the African think tanks to watch rankings, twelve of them out of 101 ranked globally.
IMANIs successes have won it the admiration of many. A cross-section of Ghanaians interviewed have expressed satisfaction with the work they do. Key media personalities and opinion leaders have also praised IMANI and shared statements of Imani in my vision of Ghana in the coming years. IMANI has been a game changer in Ghanas civil society, according to Richard Dela Sky , award-winning Citi FM broadcast journalist.
Paul Adom-Otchere , one of Ghanas leading broadcasters, says as a think tank, IMANI represents a catalyst in the society and must continue to do what they do without fear or favour.
Mr Adom-Otchere believes that Ghanaians as a people, we must resource them. Universities and institutions must collaborate with them and provide technical support and expertise. The media must also amplify the voice of IMANI to educate the masses and force change where and when it is needed. They must also be given financial help to enable them do more to enhance policy in Ghana. While praising IMANI for their great performance over the years, he says he expects IMANI to lead the charge to get the freedom of information bill passed into law.
Bernardino Koku Avle , Director of News Programming at Citi FM says IMANI has redefined the way Ghana approaches pressing issues of our time. IMANIs incisive and eclectic approach to research and advocacy have redefined the way we engage with the pressing issues of our time. They show that great impact can be achieved with little resources and innovative leadership in opening up the African public policy space.
Aspiring MP and former host of the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah believes more meaningful results would be achieved if governments and various political actors listened to IMANI. Having seen IMANI work its way to the top in the last 8+ years by tackling real issues with a fact-based approach, I have become aware that if our governments and Political actors were to listen more to such Think Thanks, they could achieve more meaningful results in the real areas that matter. In the near future as our politics evolves, I expect to see organisations like IMANI, better attended to by Policy makers. I expect them to become key partners in crafting and assessing national policies and programs and supporting the political class with empirical views and critique.
I trust that increasingly our Political class will listen to views expressed by IMANI and similar real think thanks and factor them into our work to achieve more meaningful results in the lives of our people.
Award winning broadcast journalist, Shamima Muslim Alhassan , admonishes IMANI to continue to be relevant. According to her, IMANIs consistency is key for its survival.
Congratulations to IMANI for the great feat. Its definitely a mark of consistency and continuous relevance which is key to the survival of any CSO. Over the years IMANI has proven its ability to think and speak and influence policy conversations, direction and results. Now in a highly polarized political environment like Ghanas the greatest challenge to IMANI is how to guard its integrity, remain consistent and relevant and not pander to any political interest. I have no doubt IMANI will navigate the nuances remarkably.
For Development and Communications Professional, Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta , IMANI and others who demand critical thinking, consistently challenge assumptions, publicly call out opportunities and challenges based on evidence-based research and analysis is an essential commodity. In my opinion, a democracy worth living and fighting for requires institutions, processes, leadership, prioritising targets, access to information, actual accountability, time bound best practice costed and measurable targets connected to a plan that is at the least known, understood and better yet, owned and renewed regularly by a critical section of the population. My assessment of Ghana, of public policy and institutions without which the essential rest civil society, business community, political parties, security, economic growth, individual freedom and a culture that provides the basis for real meritocracy cannot deliver is that we fall far short of stretch targets, she says.
Mr. Boakye Agyarko, former Vice President of Bank of America and Director of Policy of the New Patriotic Party says Ghanas prospects for sustainable development rest on the kind of work IMANI does. We now live in a world where decision making is driven by data and solid policy research. If Ghana is to leap frog into the ranks of the developed, it will have to rely heavily on the kind of quality research and analysis done by the likes of IMANI.
Alhassan Suhuyini, ace broadcaster formerly of Radio Gold and currently the parliamentary candidate for Tamale North believes IMANI is misunderstood sometimes. Congratulations to IMANI. I am aware that it is one organisation that has seen many policy battles and been misunderstood sometimes. I will urge them to do all they can to be clear in their communications, credible and non-partisan and above all seek the interest of Ghana. Congratulations.
IMANI continues to lead the way in policy and education. The team comprising of Franklin Cudjoe, Bright Simons, Kofi B. Bentil, Selorm Branntie and the group of brilliant associate researchers and interns regularly put their shoulders to the wheel in delivering quality analysis.
The works of IMANI are available at http://www.imaniafrica.org/
Mr. Sam Poku, long-time Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, has been honoured by the Ghana Chamber of Mines in recognition of his outstanding leadership during his tenure as Executive Director of the Chamber, as well as his inestimable contribution to the mining industry.
Mr. Poku, one of the longest serving heads of the Chamber, served as Assistant Executive Secretary 1976-1980 and Executive Director I980-1996. Mr. Pokus tenure at the helm of the Chamber coincided with the period of Ghanas most tumultuous political history, thus creating huge difficulties for business in general, but even more so, for the mining industry, which was dominated by big multinational companies, with massive investments in the country.
Those formidable challenges notwithstanding, Mr. Poku is credited with creating the opportunity for the Chamber to work amicably with key regulatory authorities and the political leadership. His effective leadership role created the foundation that helped build the reputation of the Chamber in advocating for policies that were beneficial to the economy in general and the mining sector in particular. In this sense, Mr. Poku played a significant role in steering the growth of one of the most important sectors of the economy at a crucial time in Ghanas political and economic history.
The Chamber of Mines, currently under the leadership of Mr. Sulemanu Koney, organized the maiden edition of the Mining Industry Awards GMIA 2015 at the plush Alisa Hotel on 3rd December 2015 to honour, among others, its past CEOs. Mr. Poku was honoured at the event, alongside other past CEOs of the Chamber, including Mr. John Bentum-Williams, Ms Joyce Aryee, and Tony Aubyn.
Mr. Sam Poku, a proud Akora (1960 Year Group), is a polymath and a true patriot who has spent his entire career in service to this nation in various capacities. Currently in his 70s, Mr. Poku works as the CEO of the Business Council for Africa-BCA (GH) and is married to Mrs Mary Yvonne Poku, with six children and 11 grandchildren.
The Board, Management and Staff of IMANI would like to take this fine opportunity to celebrate one of IMANIs biggest fans. We are truly privileged to be associated with you.
Ayekoo Uncle Sam!!!
Support IMANIs work by
donating to our mobile money accounts:
0554309966 (MTN) or 0561556308
(Airtel). You can also visit join.imanighana.com
E-mail: [email protected] | Tel: +233(0)30 297-2939
Ho, Feb. 2, GNA - VOICE-Ghana, a disability interest think-tank based in Ho in the Volta Region, is developing a disability-manifesto to be a reference point for campaigns by political parties in the 2016 election.
Mr Francis Asong, Director of VOICE-Ghana, speaking to the GNA on the sidelines of a meeting to evaluate an Inclusive Governance Project for Persons with disabilities said the manifesto would stem from existing pro-disability interest laws and statutes, both local and international.
The umbrella law governing the rights of Persons with Disability (PWDs) in Ghana, Act 715, 2006, appears to be lacking vigour 10 years after enactment.
VOICE-Ghana in a statement on World Disability Day 2015, expressed 'worry about the gap between existing national statutes regarding welfare of people with disabilities and the situation on the ground'.
Mr Asong said the disability manifesto should pin serious political parties and their candidates to the issues of PWDs, so that they could be taken on for their words.
He said this should end the wishy-washy attitude of political parties and governments to concerns of the estimated five million PWDs in Ghana.
Mr Asong said the projected disability manifesto should commit political parties to the statute-backed world trend of mainstreaming issues of disabilities into governance at all levels.
GNA
Accra, Feb.2, GNA - The Hansen Road Seventh-Day Adventist Church, has launched its 75th anniversary celebration in Accra, on the theme: 'Celebrating our rich heritage- Living in the light of His word.'
Giving a brief history of the church established in May 1941, Pastor Professor J.J. Nortey, former President of the Africa-India Ocean Division of the SDA, he noted that the mission was pivotal of Adventism in Accra.
He said it developed over the years to have a number of branches springing up in Accra and its environs, thereby becoming the 'Grandmother of all Adventist Churches in Accra'.
Some of the branches include Labone, Odorkor, Accra Newtown, Tema, Bubiashie, Mataheko and Abeka.
Activities lined up for the year, in the various SDA churches in Accra include clean up exercises as a civic duty in conformity to the National Sanitation Day programme.
A programme dubbed: 'This is my story,' would place the spotlight on senior citizens of the church.
There would also be a musical concert to be organised in the last month of every quarter.
April has been declared as Health Awareness Month, to be marked with activities such as blood donation, health talk, health walk and keep fit exercises.
There would also be a debate and quiz competitions to be based on the scriptures, history of the church, and the church's weekly Bible study lessons.
A time with the Missionaries and Pioneers of the church as well as the congregation in the Diaspora, dubbed: 'Akwaaba Week' would start from June 18 - 25 June, followed by the outdooring of an anniversary brochure.
Children's funfair and a grand musical concert have been scheduled for June, to be followed by indoor and outdoor games in August.
An Evangelistic Campaign to win more souls for the Lord, a grand float, and a 'photo fair' have been scheduled for October.
The anniversary celebration would be climaxed in the last week of October and followed with a thanksgiving service on November 5 and the outdooring of a documentary on the church on December 31.
Pastor T.T. Ocran, President of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the SDA formally declared the year-long celebration dully launched.
In a goodwill message, Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, who was a leading member of the Hansen Road Church, advice the church not to relent in its efforts of winning and preparing souls for the second coming of Christ.
He also admonished the church to continue promoting health messages of the global Adventist church adding: 'Never stop what has brought this church this far, and continue to promote the Adventist health message because more people need them.'
The anniversary launch, which had most of the church's past and present leaders in attendance, also witnessed the presence of some high profile dignitaries, including the President of South Ghana Conference, Pastor S.O.T Hammond. GNA
Nsoatre (B/A) Feb. 02, GNA - The Sunyani West District Chief Executive (DCE) is constructing five buildings, funded by the District Development Fund, at a total cost of GH558,943.00.
Ms Agnes Kusi, during a two-day working tour to cut the sod for the projects urged the residents to participate actively in assembly's work and be committed towards the development of the areas.
The projects include a three-classroom block designed with ancillary facilities for the Yeboah Pene D/A Primary School at Attakrom, near Chiraa, at GH150,730.00. It would be completed in six months.
There would also be fenced Community Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound with an overhead tank at GH61,550.00, to be completed in three months at Dumasua.
The Community Development Vocational and Technical Institute at Nsoatre would benefit from a kitchen and a five-seater latrine valued at GH75,122.00, which would be ready in four months; the Awuah-Domase Maize Market would be paved at the value of GH199,200.00 ; and a 20-seater KVIP latrine would be constructed for Tanom at GH80,321.00.
The pavement job would finish in eight months, while the latrine would be completed in four months.
At separate durbars organised in her honour, Ms Kusi expressed concern about the level of partisanship in assembly debates, which she said usually complicated simple issues.
She noted that the nation could not progress if Ghanaians, especially assembly members, neglected their primary responsibilities and allowed their partisan interests to influence their decisions.
The DCE, therefore, urged them to make decisions for their common good.
The chiefs of the beneficiary communities, on behalf of their people, expressed their appreciation to the Government for responding to their requests promptly and promised to take good care of the facilities for the benefit of even the future generation.
GNA
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KOCHI: Sitting of the Assembly subject committee on the proposed Hartal Regulation Bill held here on Monday witnessed heated arguments for and against the bill.
During the sitting, chaired by home minister Ramesh Chennithala, students, tour operators and representatives of commercial firms strongly supported the bill, while trade union representatives objected the move.
The sitting was to seek opinion and suggestions from the public on the proposed bill. The state government proposed such bill based on a High Court verdict.
According to tour operators, frequent hartals have been badly affecting the tourism industry and the neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka are taking the advantage. Some of the stakeholders sought exemption for private vehicles during hartals.
A law student said that it was high time to regulate hartals which cause students to miss exams and classes, and investors opportunities.
MLAs V.D Satheesan, Hibi Eden, K. Muraleedharan, A.K Balan and Suresh Kurup were present during the sitting.
Some of the major recommendations of the Bill are a notification of three days to conduct hartals, depositing fixed amount by the organisation concerned and arrest of those involved in hartal-related violence without warrants.
Raju P Nair, convener of Say No to Hartal campaign, told DC that during the sitting they demanded more stringent provisions in the bill.
They demanded that the notification period should be increased to one week. The minister said that the bill will be passed during the tenure of the present government.
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What is an IVA? With an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) you can make affordable monthly payments towards a percentage of your debt for 5 years. At the end of the 5 year plan, your remaining debt will be completely written off.
Benefits of an IVA
Here is a list of the cost common advantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA):
Affordability You will only be asked to pay back what you can afford, with allowances taken into account for food, bills, entertainment, travel, childcare and others. You may be sacrificing certain essential costs at the moment. With an IVA they are budgeted for so they will no longer be neglected
No upfront costs When you set up an IVA, there are no upfront costs whatsoever. This means that you can put a debt solution in place today without spending a penny
You have a finishing line Do you feel like there will be no end to your debt problems? With high interest costs and charges, the balances of your credit accounts may not reduce as you need them to. With an IVA you will become totally debt free at the completion of the IVA (usually 5 years). You can use this as an opportunity to change your financial life, for good
Confidential Your IVA is not advertised in the London Gazette or local newspaper. It is your decision whether you would like to disclose it to other people or not
No more contact from creditors When you are in an IVA, your creditors will no longer have the right to contact you or refer the debt on to debt collectors/bailiffs. This is a great benefit for most people as it will take away the stress caused by constant calls/texts/emails and home visits
Stay in your house Unlike some debt solutions, an IVA will allow you to stay in your current home. This is even the case if the property has a mortgage or is owned outright
Your pension An IVA does not have an impact on your pension. You will not have to surrender your pension or withdraw money from it to pay into your IVA
Risks of an IVA
Here is a list of the cost common disadvantages of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA):
Equity Release If you own your property and it has value, you may be asked to release the equity in the property
Credit Rating If you have a perfect credit rating, this will be damaged and you will not be allowed to take out more debt whilst in an arrangement
You must keep up with repayments If you do not keep up with your monthly repayments, there is a risk you will be made bankrupt
Who qualifies for an IVA?
There is no office guidelines to who qualifies for an IVA. It is a legally binding, Government legislation designed to help all people. Generally speaking, insolvency practitioners (IP) will look at your situation if they think the IVA proposal they submit is beneficial to both yourself (the debtor) and your creditors. This often restricts people to a certain criteria which you will have to meet:
Over 5000 worth of unsecured debt You must have 2 or more creditors of 2 or more lines of credit Must live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland Must be insolvent Must be willing to pay at least 70 per month into their IVA Must have some type or types of regular income
What debts can I include in an IVA?
You can include a wide range of unsecured debts within your IVA. These include:
Credit card debt/credit cards
Loans/loan debt
Payday loans
Council tax arrears
HMRC debt
Overpaid benefits
Catalogues
Gas and electricity arrears
Overdrafts/overdraft debt
Water arrears
Income tax arrears
Debts to friends and family
Other unsecured debts
Note: If you are a resident of Scotland, you will need to apply for a Scottish Trust Deed (legally binding). Speak to our advisors for Scottish Debt Advice.
What debts cant be included in an IVA?
Secured loans
Your mortgage (if you still live in the house)
Car finance (if you still have the car)
Rent arrears for your current property
Court fines/Police fines
Hire purchase arrears (if you still have the product)
Log book loans (if you still have the vehicle that the debts are secured on)
Student loans
Other secured debts
What does I.V.A stand for?
IVA stands for Individual Voluntary Arrangement. It is a formal way to consolidate your debts into one affordable monthly repayment, resulting in the debtor becoming debt free at the end of their payments.
Can I apply for an IVA online?
Use the IVA Calculator to check your eligibility Prepare your IVA proposal and apply for your IVA. When your IVA is accepted, your creditors can no longer contact you. Pay 60 low monthly payments. After 5 years, you are out of your IVA and completely debt free.
Will an IVA affect my employment?
In most occupations, your credit rating or credit scoring is not a factor and it may never have been checked in the past, it may also be likely that it is not checked in the future either.
There is no law to tell you that you must advise your employer that you have entered an IVA or that you owe money. They will not be notified by your insolvency practitioner. If you wanted to keep it a private matter, in most cases this would be absolutely fine. With some roles such as financial advisors, solicitors or bank workers it may make up part of your contract to advise them of changes like this. In these situations we would advise to inform your employers of your intentions before you enter into any arrangements. This way there will be no nasty surprises for you later down the line. More often than not, we find that your employer would not be concerned by your IVA and that it would not affect your employment status. An IVA is a formal solution and could affect some employments, such as if you were a solicitor or accountant for example. We would always recommend that you receive approval from your employers that your job isnt affected before you sign up for anything.
Will an IVA impact my partner?
There are certain situations where you may not want to involve your partner at all in your IVA proposal due to personal reasons. Insolvency Practitioners are very aware of these circumstances and can operate solely via telephone and email and at your convenience, so rest assured that your matters can be kept completely private.
If the debts which you are looking to place into your IVA are in joint names, then this would be different. Your IP would look to place all of your debts into an IVA, including joint debts therefore you would have to inform your partner of your plans.
If your debts are solely yours, then there would be no negative impact on your partner, their credit score would remain unaffected and they would not be entered onto any registers or be tainted in any way.
Will an IVA affect my credit score/credit file?
Whilst you are in your arrangement, you will not be able to get any credit. An IVA will stay on your credit file for 6 years, so 12 months after a typical IVA. When this time has passed and your monthly payments have ended, you will be able to rebuild your credit rating.
What proof will I need to apply for an IVA?
Proof of ID Passport/driving license/birth certificate/utility bills/national insurance identification/credit agreement Bank statements 3 months bank statements with all transactions displayed Proof of income 3 months payslips/P60/proof of benefits
How long does it take to set up an IVA?
Your initial call will only last around 5-10 minutes. The IVA process will be explained to you and you will be told what further information you will need to provide to proceed with your IVA proposal. Once you have returned the required information, an IVA will usually take between 7-14 days to get into place. You will be protected from creditors within this time, your advisor will provide you with documentation via email.
How long does an IVA last?
Most IVAs will last for a length of five years. The i v a will remain on your credit file for a period of six years and is placed on the Insolvency Register for that period. You can work out what date it will be removed from your credit file, it will be six years from the start date of the IVA term. So if the IVA started on 1 January 2000, it should be removed from your credit file six years from that date, which would be 1 January 2006. When you apply for an individual voluntary arrangement your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) will tell you if you qualify for an IVA, how long it lasts, how much it costs and provide you with any other debt advice which you may need.
How much will debt advice cost for an Individual Voluntary Arrangement?
The advice cost for individual voluntary arrangements is free of charge. Your I.V.A company will tell you if you qualify for an IVA. They will talk to you about your different debts, provide you with free debt advice and check if your creditors are likely to approve your proposal for your IVA for debt.
How does an IVA affect your life?
By taking out an IVA you may affect your overall financial position. You will not be allowed to take out credit for 6 years. You will struggle to get a mortgage or remortgage your existing property. It also may affect any future increase in earnings or windfalls you may receive, as these will need to be paid to your insolvency practitioner. Your insolvency practitioner will take control of your debts for this period, they will deal with all of your creditors and this is legally binding. That means you will not be allowed to take out any more debts whilst in the IVA.
Once the plan is completed, any debts which you accrue will be managed by yourself. Your ability to take out further debts in the future will not be impacted once the IVA has completed.
What is the IVA protocol?
The I.V.A protocol is a voluntary set of guidelines which your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) can sign up for which improves the efficiency of Individual Voluntary Arrangements. When you apply for debt advice, it is important that you understand the steps of the debt solution, so you can decide whether or not the solution is the best one for your circumstances.
How do I know if creditors will accept my IVA?
Generally speaking, most creditors will approve voluntary arrangements for unsecured debt. But some debts can not be included within one formal debt solution. Your Insolvency Practitioner will tell you how likely it is that your creditors will be willing to accept your proposal, based on the voting creditors.
Can I pay in one lump sum?
There are occasions when you may be eligible for a debt solution which is payable in a one off lump sum as a final settlement to your creditors. This is usually when the money is being gifted from some one else, or you have received inheritance or a windfall for example. With a one-off lump sum payment, the advice is usually the same as when you normally apply for an IVA. You wouldnt have to make regular payments into the solution, your IP can provide you with more advice on one off lump sum solutions for your debts. Your IP will provide you with more advice on the debt IVA and explain what is IVA to you.
Who regulates the debt industry?
At present the debt industry is not regulated. Some Insolvency Practitioners offices choose to sign up to the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) or register with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can contact the IPA using the contact details or email address on their website. Your creditors do not regulate the debt industry and your creditors will not be able to impact any decisions which the IPA or FCA make. In our experience, the regulators will take assertive action on any advisers or businesses which do not comply with their strict codes of practice. To check if a person is regulated by the FCA, enter their name into the search box in the FCA website.
Should I use a debt charity?
There are thousands of companies which provide debt help in the UK. You may be looking for an alternative to a private company. You should know that charities usually pass their fee charging products to sister companies which charge fees and disbursements, just like private companies. So what you initially thought was a good option, on further analysis could be different to what you originally thought. Charities do have their part to play though. They can help you if you have a problem with your bank accounts, maintenance arrears, living costs, credit reference agencies, child support arrears, bankruptcy, assets, accountancy issues, mortgages, creditor issues, insurance providers, mobiles, your bank account, rates arrears, PAYE contributions or if you want to work out your expenditure. They can make sure that you speak to an adviser or supervisor and look at proposals to offer your lender. A petition has started with the possibility of a debate in parliament about how charities represent themselves and their services.
Which charities help with debt?
You can contact Money Advice Service, National Debtline, Step Change, Shelter or a combination of the three. Charities are particular useful for a low debt level under 1,000. If the debt is high (such as a debt value of 10,000 or more) you would usually seek an assessment from a professional adviser. If you do decide to use a charity to guide you, make sure you check their charity number and the registration number on their website to make sure you are content that their team can answer your questions in the right ways. A lot of clients of charities have a minimum debt level which does not meet the basis for an IVA, so you could always chat to a charity that is happy to act on your behalf for low debt levels.
Although an I.V.A could be the answer to your debt problem, its important to understand the monthly payment so call us on our free phone number. Anyone customers can receive expert feedback on their rights from debt charities, if they cant help they will usually point you in the director of firms which help with IVAs.
We are homeowners, will lenders see my proposal differently?
In some cases yes. In the majority of cases, if you are a homeowner you will not need to remortgage or take out any additional finances that will effect your property. You will need to sign a additional restrictions which remove your ability to take out additional credit tied to your property, which is something that is restricted once you are in an i.v.a. There are exceptions to this, such as when you have a lot of equity in your property/properties. If you own half of a property and another party owns the other half, only your equity will be affected.
If you are landlord and you are in a position of equity, your IP may review your trading position or business to make sure the figures in question are in order. This is usually the case if you have two or more properties, as sometimes the equity can be used to form a repayment to your creditors. But this usually depends on the amount of value built up in your properties.
Banks and building societies will not change the terms of your mortgage as long as a contribution is still being made for the duration of your arrangement. Your mortgage payments will be added to your expenses and accounted for within your budget, as long as you can provide evidence that you can afford to continue to make payments into your mortgage for duration of the plan.
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business Sahara sells Grosvenor, plans to sell Sahara Star, F1 team In addition, Sahara Group has refinanced loans over New York Hotel with Russian government-owned bank and has submitted details of deal in a sealed cover.
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Intelligence officials have also recovered several photos of sensitive Indian installations from Irshads smart phone. (Photo: PTI)
Pathankot: An Indian national, Irshad Ahmed, has been arrested in Pathankot by the Punjab Police for collecting sensitive information of military bases and passing them on to his 'handlers'. His arrest comes in the backdrop of the recent terror attack on the Indian air force base.
Irshad was detained after intelligent services alerted the cops. He is reportedly an ISI agent who worked as a labourer in the Mamoon Cantonment in Pathankot, an important base for the Indian Army and the Air Force.
Intelligence officials have also recovered several photos of sensitive Indian installations from Irshads smart phone.
Pathankot Cantt is one of the biggest and most sensitive military bases of the Indian Army. A division of the Indian Army is stationed here, which includes infantry battalions and cavalry.
This arrest is being considered a big catch for India's intelligence agencies as it shows Pathankot is still on the terror radar despite the recent attack at the air base.
Irshad was tasked to collect photographs of all sensitive installations and equipment inside the Cantt and was sending them to his Indian handler, Sajjad, in Jammu, intelligence sources said.
Sajjad was recently arrested in Jammu in a pending Arms Act case.
He will now be questioned on the basis of what Irshad reveals.
A close watch and full alert is being maintained for any other espionage agents in the area.
New Delhi: Terming as "unfortunate" the death of two children after falling in tanks in their respective schools here, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of AAP government, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the school authorities.
"It's a very unfortunate incident. This matter requires consideration," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said.
The court also asked the education department of Delhi government, SDMC, Commissioner of Police and both the schools - Ryan International and the MCD-run school in Kapashera- to file their status report and "the action they have proposed to take in view of the present incidents."
It also issued notice to all the respective authorities directing them to explain the "steps they will be taking to ensure that no such incident takes place in the future," and sought their replies before February 9.
Meanwhile, during the brief hearing, the counsel for SDMC told the court that soon after the incident took place, the Kapashera school's principal was suspended.
The PIL filed by Col (retd.) Devinder Sehrawat, MLA from Bijwasan constituency, through advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, sought judicial inquiry into the deaths of the children and also called for disaster management assessment of all schools here.
Divyansh Kakrora, a six-year-old Class I student of Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj here died after falling in a tank in his school on January 30.
In a similar incident on January 27, five-year-old Ankit died after falling into an open septic tank in an MCD school in Kapashera area of south Delhi.
In his plea, Sehrawat also sought direction for payment of Rs 50 lakh each as compensation to families of the children.
"The petitioner prays that urgent steps be taken to ensure that such ghastly incidents do not reoccur and authorities entrusted to safeguard citizen's health and life perform the duties for which they are paid handsome salary from the state exchequer," the plea said.
Thiruvananthapuram: Breaking his silence overcharges levelled by solar scam accused against him, Chandy Oommen, son of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Tuesday said he had never harboured any interest in it or any other business concern, as was alleged.
A due process of law is presently underway and attempts of individuals with "questionable character" to undermine its sanctity requires a response, which is as per law, he said in a Facebook post.
"There is a due process of law that is presently underway and all of us have to respect the same. Attempts by individuals with questionable character to undermine its sanctity requires a response which is enshrined within the process of law," he said.
Read: Solar scam: Kerala CM's son had affair with accused, says Saritha Nair
His response comes after allegations were made by solar scam prime accused Saritha S Nair, who in her depositions before the Justice Sivarajan commission, had alleged that she had been told by the Chief Minister to create the Kerala Renewable Energy Cooperative Society Ltd, involving Chandy Oommen and some other family members.
She had also alleged that Chandy Oommen was a partner of an American firm called Starflames Inc and it was suggested that the US-based company could be used for importing solar panel required for the institution to be formed in Kerala.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi's words "They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me. Then they will have my dead body, but not my obedience", Chandy Oommen said he drew comfort from these words in the last three days when "wild allegations" had been levelled against him.
"Despite deep provocation and many calls of deep concern from friends, associates and well wishers, I have chosen to remain silent. I believe that my silence is the perfect response to the wild statements that do not even deserve a denial from my end.
"My well wishers are aware that I have or never had any interest in solar or any other business concern. Truth always stands the test of time and it will be no different this time!" he said.
Despite significant share price declines in recent months, the materials sector is not a land of investment opportunity. The average stock under our coverage trades at a 6% premium to our assessment of intrinsic value. However, the mean masks significant dispersion of valuation assessments.
Morningstar analysts continue to forecast weak Chinese fixed asset investment and commensurately tepid demand growth for related commodities such as copper and iron ore. We remain relatively bullish on commodities oriented to the Chinese consumer but nonetheless expect Chinese household consumption growth to decelerate from the trailing 10-year average.
Companies are responding to tectonic shifts in the macroeconomic environment by reorganizing their portfolios. Miners coping with poor Chinese demand and weak commodity prices are looking to sell assets and shrink. Agricultural chemical companies have taken a different approach. Faltering crop prices have prompted many to seek mergers in a bid to cut overhead and grab synergies. We remain negative on the outlook for Chinese fixed asset investment, a view weve held since 2011. Overcapacity abounds across the Chinese economy, from real estate to manufacturing to infrastructure. Excess investment has manifest in a worryingly high debt-to-GDP at the macroeconomic level and struggling manufacturers at the company level.
Chinese Investment is Not Going to Rise
The recent slowdown in fixed asset investment is therefore more of a structural than a cyclical phenomenon. We expect, at best, 1.5% growth in Chinese fixed asset investment in the next five to 10 years. This will have profound implications for most mined commodities, since Chinas investment-led growth model underwrote nearly all demand growth in the last decade.
For example, we believe Chinas copper demand has peaked and should shrink as real estate activity fades to a level more commensurate with underlying urbanisation trends and power infrastructure spending pivots from copper-hungry distribution outlays to copper-light transmission outlays. We expect copper prices to slip below $2 per pound in 2017 and, in contrast to most forecasters, do not expect a sustained recovery to the $2.50 $3.00 range in subsequent years.
We remain relatively more bullish on commodities oriented to the Chinese consumer, as well as the stocks of companies that produce those commodities. Although we expect Chinese household consumption growth to decelerate, it should nonetheless perform much more strongly than the investment side of the economy.
What About Gold?
Our positive long-term gold outlook reflects this thesis. Although we expect gold prices to slip below $1,000 per ounce in 2016 as faltering investor interest in the yellow metals weighs on total demand, we believe sustained jewellery demand growth in China and India will lead gold prices on a sustained recovery thereafter, touching $1,300 per ounce by 2020. Consolidation activity in the chemicals space has picked up, highlighted by the mega-deal between Dow Chemical DOW and DuPont DD. With crop prices under pressure and agricultural chemical profits somewhat lagging, companies have been looking to cut costs to weather the storm.
Add in activist pressure and management shakeups at a number of big industry players and you get an environment ripe for M&A activity centered around cost synergies. We think the Dow and DuPont merger of equals will be value accretive for shareholders of both companies. Interestingly, and contrary to the broader trend in the materials space over the last decade, the Dow and DuPont plan is to eventually split the merged company into three separate publicly traded companies focusing on agriculture, material science, and specialty products.
Although this reduces the ability to generate corporate costs synergies, we like the fact that it gives investors more choice. Prospective cost synergies will likely be the big selling point for any additional consolidation in the space. We wouldnt be surprised to see Monsanto MON take another run at Syngenta SYT, after being rebuffed in 2015.
KOCHI: BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan on Monday made it clear that the Aranmula airport project would not be allowed at any cost.
Addressing a press conference here as part of his Vimochana Yatra, he said that the airport project violated all the laws of the land, especially environment laws, and the National Green Tribunal had struck it down.
He said this when it was pointed out that the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju had said on Sunday that if the project was resubmitted by adhering to the laws, then it could be reconsidered.
Referring to the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case, he said it was for Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to take a decision on ordering a CBI probe into it.
Or it should be ordered by the court. Then only the Centre can ask the CBI to take over the case, he said. The UDF and the chief minister have a responsibility to make clear why a CBI probe was not ordered into the murder. In the Kathiroor Manoj case, when the CBI is trying to unearth the truth, the CPM is trying to sabotage it, he added.
On the readmission of leaders like P.P. Mukundan and Raman Pillai to the party, he said that it would be decided by the state committee of the party after the culmination of his Vimochana Yatra.
In the BJP the decisions are collectively taken. I am keen on bringing grassroots- level workers who left the party also and not just leaders. The doors of the party are open, Mr Kummanam said.
He was unaware of former BJP state president V. Muraleedharan keeping away from a protest meet of the BJP Thiruvananthapuram district unit which was attended by Mr P.P. Mukundan.
To another question, he said that the party state leadership was unaware of any appointment fixed by Kerala Congress leader K.M. Mani with Mr Amit Shah.
There was nothing extraordinary if such moves take place and the state leadership need not be in the loop. A state BJP delegation will be sent to Delhi to press for Keralas needs, he said.
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It wasn't long ago the broker channel was predominately represented by small-shop brokerages. In a November 1992 survey commissioned by the Mortgage Brokers Section of the Ontario Ministry of Financial Institutions, an estimated nine in 10 brokerages had five or fewer people. In fact, 48% of brokerages had only one person. This was the lay of the land for many years.
Fast-forward to today: the 1,436 mortgage brokerages registered in Ontario paint a very different picture. Yes, the traditional small-shop brokerage is still around, but the larger national networks have taken centre stage. At least, thats how it seems when it comes to influencing lender policy. (The Financial Services Commission of Ontario [FSCO], the current regulator for the province, has neither commissioned a new survey similar to the one cited above, nor was FSCO able to share this information when I requested it.)
For the past few years, there has been a trend among some lenders to cut off business ties with the small-shop brokerage by requiring brokerages meet minimum-volume requirements. For example, if the brokerage cant originate $5 million in new loans annually, the lender will cut off the brokerage. It doesnt matter how well the loans perform; or if the brokerage maintains an application-to-funding ratio at or above the lenders standard. Its simply a matter of volume.
For a large national brokerage, this isnt a problem. The number of mortgage agents together will satisfy any lenders minimum volume requirements. But for the small-shop brokerage, theres not enough business to go around to satisfy multiple lenders. This draconian measure is wrong on many levels. And as the proprietor of a small-shop brokerage, I can no longer stay quiet.
Every mortgage broker and agent in Ontario or any other part of the country should be as outraged as I am about this unfair practice. It doesnt matter what size brokerage you work for now or may work for in the future. As licensed mortgage professionals, weve all fulfilled the same requirements to do business. That doesnt change because you prefer to work in a smaller office. Where you decide to do business should have no influence on the number of lenders to which you have access. For years, that was the fair practice. What changed?
And what about the public? Is the consumer better served by marginalizing smaller brokerages? Definitely not! Ask any small-shop brokerage about their level of service, supervision and training. Im sure theyd match up against any large office.
But thats not the point. There should be room for everyone to operate in this industry. You should have the opportunity to work wherever you want, and with the same access to lenders who service the broker channel.
No one would argue against lenders controlling their costs. If your benefit to a lender is net negative because your application-to-funding ratio is consistently below the industry standard, and no amount of training has changed that, you deserve to go. If your business adversely affects the lenders delinquency ratio, and they have good reason to suspect fraud, you deserve to go. On the other hand, if any business you originate performs well; your application-to-funding ratio is good; and no BDM is spending extra time or money on you, then your benefit to that lender is net positive.
By being forced to comply with minimum volume requirements, mortgage brokers are losing their ability to shop around so they can maintain their active status with lenders. This undermines the integrity of our professional service.
So what can be done to reverse this ugly trend and restore the fair practice that has characterized this industry for decades? This is my call to action for every brokers association, including CMBA, to right this ship. Collectively, you represent every mortgage originator who works exclusively in the broker channel across Canada. You have the ear of the lending community, and I cant think of anything more important you can do for your membership.
At the grassroots level, I encourage every originator who works in the broker channel to make some noise. Lets unite and reinforce the ground we stand on.
Blair Anderson is a mortgage broker at Anderson Associates, a professor at the Real Estate and Mortgage Institute of Canada, and the founder of MortgageResource.ca.
West Leads Nation with Double Digit Price Increases
Once again a report on home price changes indicates that appreciation has not yet slowed. CoreLogic issued a report on its Home Price Index for December of Tuesday which indicates a pick-up in monthly increases.
The index shows prices nationwide, including distressed sales, rose 0.8 percent from November to December compared to a 0.5 percent change from October to November. On an annual basis there was a 6.3 percent gain, the same as the November 2014 to November 2015 pace.
"Nationally, home prices have been rising at a 5 to 6 percent annual rate for more than a year," said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. "However, local-market growth can vary substantially from that. Some metropolitan areas have had double-digit appreciation, such as Denver and Naples, Florida, while others have had price declines, like New Orleans and Rochester, New York."
Among the states the highest annual appreciation was again in Colorado at 10.4 percent followed by two other western states, Washington and Oregon at 10.3 and 9.1 percent respectively. Three states posted declines; Louisiana (2.9 percent), Mississippi (2.8 percent), and New Mexico (0.1 percent).
Among large metropolitan areas the largest annual increases were scored by San Francisco at 12.6 and Denver at 11.4 percent.
The CoreLogic HPI Forecast indicates that home prices will increase by 5.4 percent on a year-over-year basis from December 2015 to December 2016, and on a month-over-month basis home prices are expected to increase 0.2 percent from December 2015 to January 2016. The CoreLogic HPI Forecast is a projection of home prices using the CoreLogic HPI and other economic variables. Values are derived from state-level forecasts by weighting indices according to the number of owner-occupied households for each state.
"Higher property valuations appear to be driving up single-family construction as we head into the spring. Additional housing stock, especially in urban centers on the coasts such as San Francisco, could help to temper home price growth in the longer term," said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. "In the short and medium term, local markets with strong employment growth are likely to experience a continued rise in home sales and price growth well above the U.S. average."
Anantapur: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a dig at the BJP-led NDA Government over the delay in granting of special category status to Andhra Pradesh, saying it is the responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfill his promises.
"It is the responsibility of the Prime Minister to grant 'special state' status to Andhra Pradesh. For the first time in the history of independent India, a promise made by the Central Government (granting special status) is not being fulfilled. His words should carry weight," said Gandhi while addressing a rally in Anantapur.
Gandhi also charged the Centre with adopting a hypocritical stand on the Mahatma National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme Act (MNREGA).
"Even Arun Jaitley ji in a closed room appreciated the MNREGA programme. To which I said why doesn't he say this in the open? He (Arun Jaitley) smiled and didn't reply," he added.
"The whole country profited as conditions in villages got better through MNREGA. Under MNREGA, the rural economy enhanced what was reflected nation-wide. We didn't ask caste or religion of poor, we only said all poor of India be helped through MNREGA," he said while praising the UPA regime, which introduced this scheme.
Since when does the oil and gas industry benefit from subsidies?
During Thursdays debate between Republican candidates running for president, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was asked about ethanol subsidies. Cruz has called for government to stop picking winners. That is a message we support.
He again stated his opposition against federal subsidies for the corn industry. Corn is used to make ethanol, and as Time reported on its online edition, Cruz doubled down on an obscure Environmental Protection Agency regulation, known as the blend wall, which caps the amount of ethanol that U.S. refiners can blend into gasoline. Considering the Iowa caucuses were just days away, he considered it a bold stance.
Then Cruz offered that his tax plan eliminates all mandates and subsidies. ... It eliminates subsidies for oil and gas.
Excuse us? What oil and gas subsides is Cruz talking about? Cruz uttered the same talking point Sunday during an appearance on Meet the Press, and again we are dumbfounded that the junior senator from the state of Texas repeatedly goes on national TV to drive home a message that government caters too much to the oil and gas industry. Maybe we now know why Cruz wont open a West Texas office in Midland. As much as he enjoys collecting money from Midlanders, he wants to keep the region and oil and gas industry at arms length.
The Reporter-Telegram tried to reach the Cruz campaign about his comments about oil and gas subsidies. They never returned our emails. Congressman Mike Conaway has told the Reporter-Telegram that one of his pet peeves is how the uneducated in Washington talk about oil and gas subsidies without knowing what they are talking about. When asked about Cruzs comments and if there are oil and gas subsidies, media officials in Sen. John Cornyns office said, you need to contact the Cruz campaign.
Local industry leaders were surprised to learn of Cruzs comments. Surely, he knows the difference between tax provisions regarding intangible drilling costs and subsidies such as those given to alternative energy producers, they said.
The U.S. government lists the following tax provisions for fossil fuel production: expensing of intangible drilling costs, percentage depletion for oil and natural gas wells, domestic manufacturing deduction for fossil fuels, two-year amortization period for geological and geophysical expenditures, percentage depletion for hard mineral fossil fuels, expensing of exploration and development costs for hard mineral fuels, capital gains treatment for royalties of coal, deduction for tertiary injectants, exception to passive loss limitation for working interest in oil and natural gas properties, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) credit and marginal wells credit.
Again, we have no problem with the Cruz campaign using space in our newspaper to tell our readers which ones he regards as oil and gas subsidies and why. Are the tax provisions not part of doing business -- no different than what other businesses can deduct? Our readers deserve to hear from Cruz in his own words.
We are beginning to understand why so many refer to Cruz as an opportunist. Some people call his brand of politics courageous. We are not sure what to make of it when our elected official throws our region under his political bus.
Parents and community members can hear a slightly different take on the age-old nature versus nurture debate when Trinity School hosts author and journalist Ashley Merryman on Thursday for its annual Hal and Sweetie Clay Peck Memorial Speaker Series.
Merryman is the co-author of two New York Times bestselling books; the most recent is NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children. She will speak 6:30 p.m. at the Petroleum Club.
Patricia Maurer (head of Trinitys pre-school) actually read about Ashley Merryman and NurtureShock, and we thought, This would be a really good topic, said Kobi Lincoln, director of institutional advancement at Trinity.
Merryman also will speak to Trinity students on Thursday morning.
Some of the topics that Merryman has written about and likely will touch on during the lecture are why children lie, the inverse power of praise and the importance of sleep, Lincoln said.
Merryman confirmed those were likely topics, which all center around how to raise children to be resilient.
For the parents, Ill be talking about how to raise children in a way that theyre going to be resilient and be prepared for competition and think of it as an opportunity for success rather than a burden they are going to have to deal with, Merryman said during a phone interview.
She said that the main motivation behind her work, which uses scientific research as evidence, comes from wanting to know the science of humans.
Im interested in anything that makes me understand how humans tick and what motivates them and helps them perform at their best, Merryman said.
Merryman will also share some of her other key tenets of NurtureShock and her other book, Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing -- such as learning from mistakes and flaws of the mindset in which everybody gets a participation trophy.
I also think that one of the things Ive learned, it takes a really long time to get good at something. Its OK to make a mistake, (and) its OK to fail as long as you learn from it, Merryman said. The best way to get over mistakes is to problem-solve. What did you learn from this experience? And if we give kids a trophy just for showing up, we are showing them they dont need to problem-solve, figure out mistakes, and figure out how to make it better next time, because the reward will come anyway.
While much of her research centers around early childhood development, Merryman said a key topic will be motivation, which is an issue for everyone.
One of the things I want to talk about is absolutely stress management, and the ideas and understanding mistakes is opportunity for growth. I think its going to have more resonance for older kids, especially if they are planning to go to college, she said. Im definitely going to be talking about, How do you start an effective goal?
To prepare for Merrymans visit, Trinity School hosted a parents book club for NurtureShock.
What I think some of the other parents have appreciated in this book study is that she has real research to back it up, and theres some surprises, Lincoln said.
Merrymans lecture is open to the public. Lincoln said that despite Trinity being a private school, the Peck lecture series is a way for the school to serve a public purpose.
Follow Cassie on Twitter at @Cassie_Burton51
http://www.marketstreetunited.com/
As the first initiative to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of United Supermarkets, or The United Family, the chain will donate $100,000 to schools throughout West Texas, Dallas-Forth Worth and Eastern New Mexico.
The Texas-based grocery chain, which has stores in 36 communities -- including Market Street and Albertsons in Midland -- will donate $1,000 to 100 schools to be used for whatever the schools choose, as part of their Shop to Support Schools program, said Drew Wilson, a spokesman for The United Family.
ODESSA -- The University of Texas of the Permian Basin STEM Academy will be adding grades, students and a building next fall, Superintendent Juli DAnn Ratheal-Burnett told board members at a meeting last week.
The STEM Academy currently runs from kindergarten through seventh grade and has 44 students per grade for a total of 308. Plans are to have 66 students per grade, Ratheal-Burnett said.
Oil company executive Paul L. Morris was sworn in last month on the Midland College Board of Trustees to fill the unexpired term of Neil Florer, who died in August. Morris, chief executive officer and co-founder of Elk River Resources, is a member of the Board of Governors of Midland Memorial Hospital.
He formerly served on the board of the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, with the Midland Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Midland and is a former president of the Petroleum Museum and of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association.
Morris discusses, via email, his vision for the college and the role that MC has to play in the community.
Morris also confirmed that he will run for the seat in November.
Reporter-Telegram: What sparked your interest in the position?
Morris: I became very interested in Midland College when Dr. (Al) Langford was heading this institution. He was always talking to me about the benefits that flowed from the college to Midland County and the area. I became more aware of most of these benefits when each of our three daughters attended Midland College while pursuing their degrees at Texas Tech University.
My exposure, knowledge and experiences were further amplified by Messrs. Cy Wagner and Jack Brown in their love and support of the college during our 25-year association. I saw through this association and involvement what having a great college meant to the Midland community.
Serving on the Rawls College of Business Advisory Board at Texas Tech University further inspired me to serve locally.
MRT: Many of the members have been on the Board of Trustees for decades. What does it say that MC has such an experienced board?
Morris: Midland College is extremely fortunate to have such dedicated community and business leaders as board members and for them to serve as long as they have. It speaks well of the College leadership, faculty, students and the community involvement and support.
MRT: Could you describe your vision for Midland College?
Morris: Midland College will continue to improve and lead in being the institution that offers all graduate high school students in West Texas, in particular Midland County, the opportunity to pursue their dreams of advanced education, training and becoming responsible members and leaders of our community.
MRT: Whats the role of Midland College in our community?
Morris: The College must continue to attract and provide opportunities for our people, as well as, maintain and improve the institution that is an important foundation of our community. Midland must have an educated and trained workforce in order to remain a viable and growing community. We will continue to assist and direct our young adults in their pursuit of a great future. Midland College is doing this.
MRT: What do you think are the top priorities for the college moving forward?
Morris: We must maintain strong leadership, faculty, staff, facilities and the support of our great community as we continue to educate and attract new students. We must also adapt to changing times and environment.
MRT: One issue that community colleges are facing in the next couple of years is campus carry. How do you think MC should move forward on that issue?
Morris: It is of utmost importance that all of our students, faculty, and staff have the safest possible environment in which to learn and work. They must not fear for their safety. One of our many responsibilities is to see that this concern is minimized to the extent possible. The carrying of firearms in a responsible manner is a privilege that our state legislators have given us and I will certainly support the laws.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The latest on developments in Monday's Iowa caucuses, the opening contest in the 2016 race for the White House (all local times):
It's Ted Cruz on top in the leadoff Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa.
The Texas senator has edged past of Donald Trump and a crowded GOP field.
Cruz won with strong support from Iowa's influential evangelical community and conservative voters.
Cruz's victory in the first contest of the 2016 race comes just four years after he rode a tea party wave to win election to the Senate.
The race now moves to New Hampshire, where Trump has strong support among voters frustrated and angry with Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) The top Army and Marine Corps generals told senators Tuesday that it will take up to three years to fully integrate women into all combat jobs, adding that women also should have to register for the draft.
The military service leaders repeatedly vowed that they will not lower standards to bring women into the more grueling jobs. But they warned that inherent physical differences and different injury rates between men and women will have an impact on how the integration moves ahead.
The selective service question revealed differences between the military chiefs and their political leaders. Army Gen. Mark Milley and Marine Gen. Robert Neller both flatly said that women should be included in the requirement to register for the selective service at age 18. But Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Army Acting Secretary Patrick Murphy would only say that the issue should be discussed. Political leaders overall have so far been reluctant to endorse the draft requirement.
The sometimes contentious hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee laid bare the deep reluctance of Marine Corps leaders to bring women into certain demanding infantry, armor and special operations jobs.
After a lengthy review by the services and the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Ash Carter in December ordered all combat jobs open to women, but also vowed that no standards would be lowered to make way for women.
The Marine Corps initially sought to keep certain infantry and combat jobs closed to women, citing studies showing combined-gender units are not as effective as male-only units. Allowing women to compete for ground combat jobs, it concluded, would make the Marine Corps a less-efficient fighting machine.
Both Mabus and Carter rejected that argument. In response, Marine leaders, including Neller, immediately began to lay out implementation plans, but they continue to make clear their reservations.
"We have a decision and we're in the process of moving out," Neller told the senators. "We will see where the chips fall. And, again, our hope is that everyone will be successful. But hope is not a course of action on the battlefield."
Neller said that Marine Corps testing revealed two significant differences between all-male units and those with men and women. He said all-male units were able to better march long distances carrying heavy loads and also were able to fire their weapons more accurately after marching over distance.
Being big and strong and having a "certain body mass give you an advantage," said Neller. He added that as women do more conditioning and weight training to meet combat standards, they have been more likely to be outside the required weight and size requirements for women. The Marine Corps, he said, is looking at that issue.
Mabus and Neller have deep differences on how the Marine Corps should proceed, and provided their views in starkly different ways.
Mabus presented a lengthy opening statement laying out his views and why he disagreed with the Marine's recommendation, and had to be warned by McCain to finish up quickly. Neller, meanwhile, made no opening statement, provided short, clipped answers to questions, and avoided most direct disagreements with Mabus.
Asked to list his concerns, Neller said he's worried about retention, injury rates and unit effectiveness.
Lawmakers, including McCain, criticized Mabus for deciding to allow women to compete for Marine combat jobs and telling the media before fully reading and taking into account the massive Marine study.
"You're handling of this issue has really complicated this issue for those of us who support integration," McCain snapped at Mabus at the end of the hearing.
Milley said he fully supported allowing women to seek combat jobs, but cautioned that it should be done slowly and methodically so that, "we must not rush to failure."
The military leaders said that for the first time the services are developing standards that are specific to each job, based on the requirements and tasks that must be accomplished. Those standards, they said, will be applied equally for men and women.
He added that at this point he does not expect that women will be forced into infantry jobs. The Army, he said, doesn't involuntarily send men to the combat post right now and the service is meeting all its needs. But, he said, things could change in the future depending on the military's needs.
Carter's order to allow women to compete for combat posts opens the final 10 percent of military positions to women a total of about 220,000 jobs. And it allows them to serve in the most demanding and difficult jobs, including as special operations forces, such as the Army Delta units and Navy SEALs.
The rider-sharing company Uber has told potential customers it will no longer provide service in Midland County.
The transportation network company based in San Francisco said it ceased operations effective monday because of new vehicle-for-hire regulations.
These new regulations make it difficult for us to provide you the level of service that you have come to know and expect, Uber General Manager Leandre Johns said in a statement.
Johns said a small handful of cities decided to impose regulations. The Quorum Report reported Monday that Uber is also ceasing operations in Galveston.
Uber gives municipalities an ordinance and says pass this or we will leave, said District 4 Councilman J.Ross Lacy on Monday night. It is becoming an ongoing battle with cities in state of Texas that they dont want to follow same rules as someone else.
Lacy expressed disappointment with the result. He said he personally worked hours on negotiations with Uber. In December, City Council passed the second reading of an ordinance that Lacy said featured work from those negotiations. It included:
-- a $2.50 fee for every ride originating at the airport,
-- allowing TNCs to conduct background checks of its drivers instead of those drivers having to get background checks at the police department,
-- allowing TNCs to submit applications once a month for TNC vehicle licenses on behalf of their drivers and
-- reducing the TNC vehicle license fee from $25 to $5.
The council had reacted to taxi companies that had wanted a level playing field with these newer, technologically saving TNCs.
They (Uber) will not agree to terms of the ordinance because they dont want to set a precedent, Lacy said. I worked a long time and had a handshake agreement, and for them to come back after the fact is disappointing. I negotiated in good faith. They didnt.
Uber will continue to operate in Ector County because there is no ordinance in Odessa. In the statement, Johns said Uber customers could even request a ride from Ector County to Midland.
We hope the City Council will reconsider their decision so we can once again serve the Midland community, Johns said.
New Delhi: Amidst increasing attempts by ISIS to lure Indians into its fold, Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with top Muslim clerics on Tuesday and sought their cooperation to check the growing tentacles of the dreaded group among Muslim youth.
The hour-long meeting, also attended by NSA Ajit Doval and senior Home Ministry officials, apprised the Muslim clerics about activities of the Middle-East terrorist group and its efforts to attract Indian youth to its fold.
The Home Minister sought the cooperation of the clerics, who offered all help to the government in this regard, official sources said.
The issues that were discussed included misuse of social media, sources of impetus that attract persons, specially youth, to ISIS, the growth of ISIS influence in India's neighbourhood and the best possible law enforcement response.
Those who attended the meeting include Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's Maulana Arshad Madani, Maulana Abdul Wahid Hussain Chisti of Ajmer Sharif, Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi of Jamiat Ahle Hadees, Tauqeer Raza Khan, Rafiq Warshiq, Shia leader Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad Qalbe Jawaid, Kamal Farooqi, Mushafa Faruqi besides others.
The need for appropriate welfare schemes for minorities, social media strategies to be followed, especially in the area of information technology were also discussed threadbare.
In his remarks, the Home Minister said India's traditions and family values will overcome such nefarious designs of terrorist groups and that while the traction that ISIS has got in India is extremely limited, and almost insignificant in comparison to other countries, there is a need to keep up vigil on all fronts, and not let down the guard in any manner.
This was for the first time that the Home Minister had a meeting with Muslim clerics on the issue of ISIS.
Last fortnight, the Home Minister had a meeting with top officials of central intelligence and investigative agencies and police of 13 states and discussed steps to check the growing influence of ISIS among youngsters through social media and other sources.
Singh had reviewed the situation arising out of some Indian youths getting attracted towards ISIS on several occasions in the past and how to deal with the challenge.
The Home Minister had also said a large number of people and most Muslim organisations in India had come out against both ISIS and other forms of terrorism.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of whom six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq-Syria.
Among the 23 are two absconding members of the banned Indian Mujahideen who had gone from their hideouts in Pakistan.
The dead were identified as Athif Vaseem Mohammad (Adilabad, Telangana), Mohammad Umar Subhan (Bengaluru), Maulana Abdul Kadir Sultan Armar (Bhatkal, Karnataka), Saheem Farooque Tanki (Thane), Faiz Masood (Bengaluru) and Mohammad Sajid alias Bada Sajid (Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh).
Around 150 Indians are under surveillance for their alleged online links with ISIS.
As many as 30 other Indians, who were radicalised by ISIS elements, were prevented from travelling to the conflict zone in the Middle-East.
Among those who are currently fighting for ISIS include two youths from Kalyan near Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, one youth from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and another Singapore-based Indian.
Several Indians, who were trying to recruit youths into ISIS, were deported from friendly countries, including the UAE, recently.
For nearly 10 years, Soundcloud has been one of the top online music streaming platforms, however, has lacked functionality that other (newer) platforms had. But now, Soundcloud has caught up to other streaming platforms by adding top 50 lists for over 30 genres of music. This may not sound all that impressive, but this seemingly minor addition may prove to be an incredibly major one.
Soundcloud had fallen on some bad luck in recent months. In mid-2015, they almost ran out of money, despite a net worth of over $700 million. Just a few months later, Soundcloud reportedly had reached an agreement with Universal Music Group that would not only change the licensing on millions of illegal bootlegs streaming on the platform, but bail Soundcloud out of their financial troubles with the proposal of paid subscriptions through the site. Finally, in early 2016, they reached a deal with UMG which was certainly something Soundcloud wanted, and desperately needed.
Things quickly turned around for Soundcloud as they went from almost having no money, to signing a mega licensing deal with one of the largest on the planet, UMG.
As Soundcloud continues to gain on their positive momentum, in an article from Dancing Astronaut, Soundcloud just unveiled a new feature to the site, which allows users to see the Top 50 tracks for over 30 genres of music. This is a massive milestone due to the fact that as one of the largest online streaming platforms, it now has the ability to compete with the charts provided by other music streaming platform sites like Spotify, iTunes, and most notably, Hype Machine.
The top tracks on SoundCloud are always changing. Now you can keep up with Charts on web. Learn more: https://t.co/MvSPAnjWrk SoundCloud (@SoundCloud) January 14, 2016
Hype Machine is one of the most notable music charting platforms, as the site consists of 764 carefully selected blogs that post articles on today's best music. Once an artist's track, whether it be a remix or an original, gets posted by one of the 764 blogs, that artist's song will begin to "trend" on the Top 50 Remix Chart, the Top 50 Overall Chart (comprised of original pieces and remixes), or both charts.
For years, trending on the Hype Machine charts has been a pinnacle of an artists' success, however, that may have just changed with Soundcloud's newly implemented chart system.
With Soundcloud's Top 50 charts covering a vast array of music such as, alternative, country, dance & EDM, pop, techno, hip-hop and rap, and more, it will be interesting to see where the music world shifts to in regards to their songs charting.
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Fans took a trip down memory lane back to Rydell High when Fox debuted the highly anticipated musical, Grease: Live, on Sunday (Jan. 31). Whether viewers were singing their hearts during the performances or rolling their eyes, they were tuned in. The live telecast topped The Wiz Live! by earning over 12 million views, according to The Hollywood Reporter. See how celebrities reacted to the show.
Nielsen, an American global information and measurement company, released an early number rating of Grease: Live. The three-hour live event reportedly racked up a whopping 12.2 million and a 4.3 rating among adults ages 18-49 and a 7.4 overnight rating among various households, according to THR.
This was the network's first attempt at a live musical, which only allowed room for comparisons to NBC's last three telecast efforts. Grease: Live came in second to the 2013 showing of The Sound of Music Live, starring Carried Underwood, Stephen Moyer, Audra McDonald, and Laura Benanti. The show drew in 18.3 million viewers with a 4.6 rating with adults ages 18-49 and an initial 10.9 overnight rating.
NBC's 2015 production of The Wiz Live! attracted 11 million viewing audience, while their 2014 live production of Peter Pan bombed. Fox is set to explore religion in their forthcoming two-hour musical special, The Passion, which will be hosted and narrated by Tyler Perry on March 20.
Among the millions of Grease: Live fans were several celebrities who couldn't help but share their opinions of the show for the world to see. According to People, the telecast generated over 1.4 million tweets between 8-11 p.m. on Sunday night , with over 90,000 of them mentioning Vanessa Hudgens (Rizzo).
Former High School Musical co-star, Ashley Tisdale, professed how proud she was of her good friend Hudgens, while Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the sold out Broadway play Hamilton, admired her strength for putting on a show shortly after losing her dad to cancer.
A photo posted by Laurennnn Palmer (@kekepalmer) on Jan 28, 2016 at 1:37pm PST
Derek Hough cheered on his little sister Julianne Hough (Sandy) and besties Gigi Hadid and Taylor Swift had fun belting out the song lyrics.
Check out what some of the celebrities had to say about Grease: Live below:
I wouldn't expect anything less @VanessaHudgens is killing it! So proud of my girl #GreaseLive AshleyTisdaleFrench (@ashleytisdale) February 1, 2016
Taylor Swift & Gigi Hadid watched 'Grease! Live' together last night: pic.twitter.com/FTQMl9ekmx Shady Music Facts (@musicnews_shade) February 1, 2016
Imagine you had Vanessa Hudgens' day, and doing that.
What a superhero.
In total awe. Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 1, 2016
ok i am officially watching Grease Live...I am in awe of how difficult the behind the scenes of this must be. christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 1, 2016
Imagine if you had a day like @VanessaHudgens & performed like that. Wow.What a strong woman.My new hero#GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/ZSyprJ5hnY Mario Lopez (@MarioLopezExtra) February 1, 2016
Ugh crying I love the original grease so much and this is awesome. #GreaseLive Nicole Polizzi (@snooki) February 1, 2016
I'm a little too excited that I know every song and every line from #GreaseLive Kyle Richards (@KyleRichards) February 1, 2016
Wow congrats to everyone involved in #GreaseLive! Production & performances were amazing! Way better than my high school production!..just X Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) February 1, 2016
OMG @KekePalmer oh my god amazing Chloe Grace Moretz (@ChloeGMoretz) February 1, 2016
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Welcome back! On Monday (Feb.1), Love & Hip Hop: New York aired episode eight of season six, properly titled "The Long Game." This episode was filled with so many surprises. Some of the biggest shockers came when Rich Dollaz and Cisco played MariahLynn, as well as, Cardi B revealing her ideal wedding would be in jail. Find out what else went down last night in the full episode recap below.
Yesterday's episode picks up where episode seven left off. After Bianca Bonnie crashed Miss Moe Money's studio session with Yandy Smith, things escalated fast. Bianca threw a drink at Moe and both girls began charging at each other to retaliate. Thank goodness for security, because these girls were ready to exchange blows. Yandy gets irritated and disappointed in Bianca for her actions. Cardi B decided to stay behind while Bianca was escorted out of the studio. She admits she doesn't think Moe is about that action. Moe expresses her dislike for Bianca and promises to finish the fight later after she finishes her music session. She even tells Cardi B to relay the message to Bianca.
MariahLynn receives some devastating news about her mom, so she turns to Rich Dollaz for comfort and support. She reveals her mom was arrested again. To make it worse, her mother was denied bail and she's currently in her third trimester of her pregnancy. MariahLynn reached out to Cisco first, but he never responded. Rich offers some words of encouragement and tells her to channel her emotions and put it into her music. MariahLynn is thankful for his advice and asks if they could work together in the studio. Due to their flirtatious ways and sexual past, Rich is hesitant about getting involved with her. He believes they should either keep things strictly business or strictly pleasure, but not both. MariahLynn hints that she would rather keep the pleasure.
Peter Gunz meets up with Amina Buddafly to break the news to her about Tara Wallace's pregnancy. Amina is in complete disbelief and breaks down in tears. She begs Peter to admit he's lying or joking about her pregnancy, but that admission never comes. Amina is heartbroken, especially since she just had an abortion. Still grieving from her decision to do so, Amina can't help but think that Peter wanted another baby Tara and not her. Peter admits he didn't know Tara was pregnant. Amina stuck by Peter through the cheating and drama, but decides this is the final straw. Believing this will give Tara another reason to use the kids as an excuse to keep Peter hooked, Amina wants nothing to do with either one of them. Peter tries to get her to calm down and give their marriage another chance, but Amina walks out of the room.
MariahLynn invites Cisco over to finally talk to him about the troubles she's dealing with in her personal life and to tell him that she was forced to call Rich for a shoulder to cry on since he wasn't around. Cisco isn't too happy to hear about that. Due to their lingering beef and MariahLynn's history with Rich, Cisco believes that's the last person she should have run to. He admits he couldn't return her call because he was handling a situation with his kids in Atlanta. Cisco tells her to make a decision, because she seems to have too many options on her plate. MariahLynn tells him she wants to be with him. Cisco insists they get tested, before they take things to the next level. MariahLynn thinks Cisco is trying to insinuate that she's dirty, because she messed with Rich. They ultimately decide if they want to move forward in their relationship, then getting tested is the right thing to do.
Cardi B has a lot of things on her mind, so she turns to her little sister Hennessy for advice. She tells her sister about her plans to marry her incarcerated boyfriend, Tommy. Hennessy thinks Cardi B is moving way too fast, but Cardi B believes her feelings for Tommy are real. Hennessy wants to see how Tommy acts once he gets out of jail, just to make sure she doesn't cheat on her or take advantage of her. Cardi B thinks it would be cute to get married in jail and isn't really interested in waiting for him to be released from prison. Despite her sister's advice, her mind seems to be made up.
Bianca is still upset that Yandy is working with Moe, so she decides to have a one-on-one with her about it. Before she can even sit down, Bianca's bottled up emotions pour out. She feels betrayed that Yandy would work with her and play Moe the same record that she initially offered her. Bianca questions her motives. Yandy explains that this is her business, so she decides who she works with and who she gives a record to. Yandy begs her to stop worrying about Moe and focus on her music. Yandy isn't ready to give up on her yet and offers her one more chance. Bianca agrees to calm down and get serious about getting her career back in order.
DJ Self is on a mission to expand his plate, by adding artist to his resume. He's seen performing his song, "I Got the Juice." Rich and Rah Ali came out to support him during his show, so the three meet up to talk about business. Rah Ali tells Self she's managing MariahLynn and Sexxy Lexxy and they'll be performing at his forthcoming cypher. Rich and Self are both surprised that Rah has taken on a managerial role, especially with those artists. Rah really believes MariahLynn is going to come with that heat at Gwinin Fest XL, but is concerned she has too many distractions around her, including Cisco. Rah is surprised to find out that MariahLynn recently hooked up with Rich. Rich quesitons MariahLynn's motives after realizing she's messing with Cisco.
Amina meets with Peter's daughter Whitney to tell her about the recent events that have transpired. She tells Whitney about Tara being pregnant and about Peter begging her to stay with him. Whitney asks Amina what she's going to do? Amina knows she has to get her thoughts in order and cut the cord that's holding them together. Whitney believes Amina and Peter need to have a big conversation about this and decide how to move on from this.
Cardi B meets with her manager Shaft to discuss her current business endeavors. He tells her he recently closed a deal on her own portable charger. Their meeting is cut short when she gets a call from Tommy. After telling Cardi B he wants her to be a housewife and take care of their future five kids, Cardi B becomes a little hesitant about jumping into a marriage with him. She starts to wonder if they've known each other long enough to take that next step. Tommy admits that he loves her and Cardi B instantly falls back under his spell.
Rich invites MariahLynn out for drinks after finding out that she's been fooling around with Cisco too. MariahLynn thanks Rich for supporting her and being there when she didn't have anyone else to talk to, but based on the look on Rich's face, he's not buying it. As they're talking, Cisco slowly makes his way into the establishment, only for audience members to find out that Rich called Cisco to meet them for drinks without MariahLynn knowing. Rich was looking to set MariahLynn up in order to get some real answers out of her. Rich confronts MariahLynn about contacting him during crazy hours of the night and telling him when she's off her period, when she's been dealing with Cisco this whole time. Rich continues to throw around the six minutes of sexual pleasure he gave her...one can only assume he was referring to oral sex. MariahLynn doesn't believe she owes Rich any explanation since they're not dating.
Tired of listening to them argue about their sexual history, Cisco decides to break up the discussion and confess something to them. He admits that he only started talking to MariahLynn to get back at Rich, but that isn't true. He really only said that so MariahLynn wouldn't think it she could play him so easily. MariahLynn is shocked. She turns her anger to Rich, who she believes is throwing her under the bus just to prove something to Cisco. Cisco wants to have a private conversation with Rich and then clear his mind with MariahLynn later. MariahLynn walks out and is seen crying and mad about what just went down.
Next time on LHHNY: What made Cisco and Rich Dollaz's relationship escalate from words to fists? Will Rose be the reason DJ Self and Yorma break up? How will Rah Ali react to Yandy Smith helping with Remy Ma's wedding?
Love & Hip Hop: New York airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on VH1. Tune in next week for another recap of the drama.
Watch season six, episode eight of LHHNY below:
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Massive Attack returned this week with their first release since 2010's Heligoland, Ritual Spirit. The four-track EP features longtime collaborator Tricky, who also released his debut solo LP titled Skilled Mechanics this week.
Ritual Spirit was produced by Massive Attack's own Robert del Naja, AKA 3D, alongside long-term studio collaborator Euan Dickinson. In addition to "Take It There," the track with Tricky, the EP features collaborations with Young Fathers, Roots Manuva and Azekel.
"Take It There" comes with a music video directed by Hiro Murai and featuring drunken stumbly dance moves from Deadwood actor John Hawkes surrounded by a creepy crew of backup dancers. Watch the video below.
Massive Attack first shared snippets of the new EP via an iPhone app called Fantom, which was designed in part by 3D. According to a press release, the app is "a sensory music player that remixes and reforms songs uniquely using a variety of environmental variables including location, movement, time of day, heartbeat and the integral moving image camera."
Now, Ritual Spirit is out via Virgin/EMI. Stream it below or purchase it on vinyl via the band's website.
A second EP co-produced by Daddy G is due to drop sometime this spring, followed by a full-length album later this year. The band is touring Europe in support of all the new music.
Meanwhile, Skilled Mechanics finds Tricky flexing his vocal chords and demonstrating his wide range.
Tricky explained the project's title in a press release: "It's from a documentary about espionage. There was an ex-C.I.A. agent on this programme speaking about assassins who were sent abroad by the US to start revolutions and topple governments. He called them 'skilled mechanics'. I thought that was a great name for someone who was a killer basically. The name was so dark and cynical it just stuck with me," Pitchfork reports.
As Thump points out, the vinyl release of the LP has already sold out, but it's available to stream below via the artist's BandCamp page.
Skilled Mechanics by Tricky
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tame Impala are in the middle of their Currents celebratory tour, making stops at festivals and appearing on late night shows in between recieving awards for their Grammy-nominated, third studio album. On Monday night (Feb. 1), Kevin Parker and company took the stage on the latest episode of French TV program Le Grande Journal, to jam through a trippy three-song set.
While most U.S. television shows give performers a one-song slot, sometimes two, French TV was gracious with giving Tame Impala enough time to execute three songs, Diffuser notes. It seems the French are the lucky ones, however, for being able to host the Australian natives as they continue on their path to award-winning psychedelia.
Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery and Julien Barbagallo treated the audience to two tracks from last year's Currents, "The Less I Know the Better" and "Let it Happen." The psychedelic-electronic infused group also dusted off their redundant yet classic 2012 throwback hit, "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" from their sophomore album, Lonersim.
If this live performance wasn't enough for you, Tame Impala already have tour dates listed for 2016. They'll play Manchester on Feb. 11 and London on Feb. 12 and 13 in the U.K. Tame Impala will then make a return to the U.S. with a handful of stops across the country. The group will also take on this year's Bonnaroo on June 9 as well as BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! on June 14 and 15.
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
RAMESWARAM: Loading and unloading operations of fish consignment at Rameswaram fishing harbour has been hit as load-men resent any reduction in their daily wages, even as traders remained unrelenting on their demand.
The impasse has added to the frustration of Rameswaram fishermen who are unable to sell their daily catch.
While load-men had been so far receiving Rs 50 per icebox they load and unload from transport vehicles, after the fish catch arrives in the port here, representatives of fish traders say that they would henceforth pay only Rs 40 per ice box, which will be on par with the rates paid to load-men at other fishing harbours across TN.
Initially, Rameswaram DSP, Muthuramalingam tried to sort out the issue between the two conflicting parties, but could make no headway.
Meanwhile, the fish traders on Sunday refused to buy any fish from the fishermen who returned to the shore with their catch after a six-day statewide work stoppage by the latter to protest the repeated arrests of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Sources said that on the DSP's suggestion that a tripartite meeting between representatives of the load-men, fish traders and fishermen could be held to sort out the daily wage issue, transactions at the fishing harbour picked up late on Sunday, albeit slowly.
Fish traders cry hoarse of rising costs, even load-men demand that there should be no reduction in whatever they have been getting so far as wages amid rising prices.
The fish traders refusal to buy the fish from the fishermen also hits the latter and results in distress sales by the fishermen, sources said, the impasse has affected all the three sections.
The Ramanathapuram district administration has to intervene and resolve the issue quickly, the representatives from all three sides urged.
The Roots are once again ready to take over their hometown of Philadelphia during the first week of June. On Tuesday (Feb. 2), the Tonight Show band announced its ninth annual Roots Picnic date as well as the stacked lineup, featuring Future, Usher, Leon Bridges and, of course, The Roots.
The full lineup was announced by queens Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer of Broad City. As the two girls plan their day, which includes some hookups, hanging out with Abbi's friend Jean and plenty of hydrating, they also rolled out the lineup - and it's just as filled with glorious R&B and soul goodness as fans of this annual event have come to expect.
In addition to headliners Future, Bridges and Usher (who will be backed by The Roots), other acts on the bill include Blood Orange, Kehlani, Jidenna, Anderson .Paak, Willow Smith, Swizz Beatz and more.
The Roots Picnic will take place on Saturday, June 4, at the Festival Pier in Philadelphia. The general public on-sale for tickets will begin on Friday, Feb. 5, at noon EST.
The Roots Picnic 2016 Lineup:
Future
Usher
Leon Bridges
The Roots
Blood Orange
Kehlani
Kaytranada
Swzz Beatz
Jidenna
Ibeyi
DMX
Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals
Willow Smith
Lolawolf
Everyday People feat. DJ Moma
Paris Monster
Rich Medina
Tish Hyman
Lil Uzi Vert
Gogo Morrow
This year marks the ninth anniversary of the Roots Picnic and nine years of stacked lineups. Previous performers include The Weeknd, Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Janelle Monae, Gary Clark Jr. and more.
2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mumbai: With the controversy over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide refusing to die down, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said it fears the issue will further gain political heat and may lead to washout of the Budget session of Parliament.
"The Budget session (of Parliament) is merely 15 days away and it seems that the whole session will be wiped out over Rohith Vemula's death. There will soon be Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh and thus the suicide matter will be heated up for political gains," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed grief over Rohith's death and had remarked that "We have lost a son of the soil," it noted.
Criticising a senior BJP leader for his reported comments against Vemula, the ruling ally said the party high command should now clarify if the student was a son of the soil or a "supporter of terrorists".
While expelling Vemula after a Union minister's intervention may be termed as a disciplinary act, why was he not allowed to put forth his views, the Sena sought to know.
"In our country, talks are carried out with Assam's ULFA and agreements are made with Nagaland's terrorist outfits. Naxalites and Maoists are also spoken to and in the Kashmir Valley, terror elements get an invite to hold talks.
Not only this, dialogue with Pakistan is also on and Supreme Court works at night to deliberate if (1993 Mumbai serials blasts convict) Yakub Memon should be hanged," it said.
"Inspite of all this, why was Rohith Vemula not given a chance to put forth his views despite his numerous pleadings," the Sena asked.
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Hyderabad: After the MIM party workers started the riot in various parts of Old city, police took control of the situation by arresting dozens of offenders. TS home minister Nayini Narasimha Reddy visited the areas including the house of Deputy CM, Mahmood Alis house and ensured strict action.
We will not leave anyone involved in these attacks. We have all evidences against the offenders. Based on them, they will be punished soon, he said.
Senior police officials from South Zone said that cases have been booked in different police stations following complaints.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders lodged a petition with state police DGP Mr. Anurag Sharma and demanded the arrest of MIM leaders Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi. They gave deadline of 24 hours to make the arrests and warned they would start a protest.
They alleged that the MIM was trying to divert the attention of police by starting a riot in order to rig the election. They alleged that TRS, MIM and police colluded to create chaos.
The MIM workers in connivance created chaotic condition since they feared defeat in the election. The MIM leaders including Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi roaming around in the areas with their henchmen to create tension, alleged the congress leaders.
MIM leaders lodged complaints against other party leaders. A complaint was lodged against Deputy CMs son Azam Ali.
Sarkodie should have been bigger than ...
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)
NEW DELHI: A day after the World Health Organisation declared the spread of Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern, the Centre on Tuesday issued detailed guidelines for combating the disease, to either defer or cancel travel to the affected areas.
The new guidelines suggests that all international airports and ports will have to display billboards/signages with information on the disease, with travellers being asked to report to Customs if they are returning from affected countries and suffering from febrile illness.
Non-essential travel to the affected countries to be deferred/cancelled. Pregnant women or women who are trying to become pregnant should defer/cancel their travel to the affected areas. All travellers to the affected areas should strictly follow measures, it said.
For persons with co-morbid conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc., it has been suggested that they should seek advice from the nearest health facility, prior to travel to an affected country.
Travellers having febrile illness within two weeks of return from an affected country should report to the nearest health facility, the guidelines said.
In its guidelines, the ministry has also asked the directorate-general of civil aviation, ministry of civil aviation to instruct all international airlines to follow the recommended aircraft disinfection guidelines.
The Airport, Port Health Organisation would have quarantine facility in identified Airports, it said.
While the government reassured that there was no cause for undue concern, as the disease has not been reported in India so far. However, Union health minister J.P. Nadda said he has asked for steps to be taken to prevent entry and transmission in India of the virus.
The health ministry said the overall situation would be monitored by a joint monitoring group under director general of health services (DGHS) while the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) would identify the research priorities and take appropriate action.
Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) shall be activated at Central and state surveillance units with each team comprising an epidemiologist or public health specialist, a microbiologist and a medical specialist, the ministry added.
Keeping in view its explosive spread, the WHO too on Tuesday urged Southeast Asian countries and India to strengthen surveillance and take preventive measures against Zika virus, especially as the mosquito responsible for its spread is found in many areas of the region.
Countries should build capacity of their laboratories to detect the virus and strengthen surveillance for cases of fever and rash, neurological syndromes and birth defects.
Associated Press Writer
The investigation into the disappearance of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart bounced between Texas and New Mexico before authorities determined they were chasing a false lead.
A man suspected of stealing cars along the two states' border turned out not to be Bret Michael Edmunds, who is being sought for questioning in the girl's apparent abduction from her bedroom June 5.
"I guess you might say at one time he was considered a look alike," Steve Powell, an FBI agent in Lubbock, Texas, said about the suspected car thief. "There's no connection whatsoever with our Utah case."
Salt Lake City Police Capt. Scott Atkinson said Friday he didn't believe the 26-year-old Edmunds was involved in the girl's disappearance, but authorities think he may have information.
Atkinson said investigators are making progress in the 10-day investigation by eliminating some of the thousands of potential leads called into the department.
More than two members of the Smart family had submitted to polygraph exams, but he didn't know exactly how many. Atkinson refused to comment on the tests except to say they hadn't resulted in new leads.
Asked if 9-year-old Mary Katherine Smart, who shared a bedroom with her sister, was unable to get a good look at the man because the bedroom was dark, Atkinson would only confirm that the room was dark.
During a televised briefing Friday, the missing girl's aunt, Cynthia Smart-Owens, addressed the abductor: "God knows where you are. God knows where Elizabeth is and we are praying with all our hearts to find her. The satisfaction you might have dreamed of in having Elizabeth will never be there. Let her go."
The investigation into Smart's disappearance moved to Texas early Friday after police in the panhandle town of Hereford said they had found an abandoned vehicle that had been reported stolen in Colorado. A store clerk there later identified a man who stole a bottle of water as Edmunds.
By Friday night, authorities had captured the man suspected of stealing the cars and determined it was not Edmunds.
"When you have a national alert on an individual, you're going to have folks calling saying 'Hey, I think we just saw him,'" said Powell, the FBI agent.
Edmunds is also wanted on outstanding warrants on charges of fraud and assault on a police officer.
On Thursday, the license plates police said were on Edmunds' car were found at a park in Centerville, a suburb north of Salt Lake City.
___
On the Net:
http://www.elizabethsmart.com
http://www.utahchiefs.org/rachel_alert.htm
Last week was a busy one for Plainview police as a rash of burglaries capped off the month of January.
Just over the weekend, police were called to at least five burglaries.
Burglaries included unknown amounts of money being taken from businesses located in the 1200 block of 24th Street Saturday morning and in the 600 block of 24th Street and 1200 block of East Fifth Street Sunday.
On Saturday, an unknown person reportedly stole a brown dresser, valued at $175; a night stand, valued at $75; a bed frame, valued at $125; a stereo with speakers, valued at $125; a Craftsman miter saw, valued at $400; a table saw valued at $600; and a Panasonic DVD player, valued at $40, between 12:27-1:06 p.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of Quincy Street.
At around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, an unknown person reportedly stole a Samsung 46-inch television, valued at $700; a Hitachi 32-inch television, valued at $300; and a 19-inch television, valued at $150, from a residence in the 1100 block of West 28th Street.
Police feel the burglaries on 24th Street and Fifth Street are connected. Police are still investigating and have a suspect in mind.
Theft has hit Plainview hard in 2016 as the following are still open cases.
On Jan. 22, someone entered a house in the 500 block of Nassau and took a black Craftsman pressure washer, red Husky tiller, battery charger and a spray paint set.
On Jan. 28, someone entered a home in the 300 block of Cedar and took a 46-inch Sanyo television.
On Jan. 21, someone took a set of wheels and tires from a vehicle parked on the Bill Wells' Chevrolet lot, located on Interstate 27.
On Jan. 21, someone took a set of wheels and tires from a vehicle parked on the Reagor-Dykes parking lot, located on Interstate 27.
On Jan. 18, someone entered a residence in the 300 block of N. Austin and took several knives, Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii, and several other items.
On Jan. 16, someone entered Benjamin's Donuts and took several miscellaneous items.
On Jan. 11, someone entered Sadler Monuments and took a telephone and computer equipment. The inside of the building also was ransacked and extensive damage was caused.
Anyone having information on the above crimes or any other crimes occurring in Plainview or Hale County can contact the Crimestoppers Hotline at 293-8477 (293-TIPS). All calls will be confidential.
CRIME REPORT
An unknown person reportedly caused $200 damage to a front door entry and a door frame between 8 a.m. Jan. 23 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 29 in the 2000 block of Smyth Street. --A Plainview man was arrested for assault between 9:30-10:45 p.m. Jan. 29 in the 800 block of Houston Street. --An unknown person reportedly caused $10 damage to a vehicle paint job between 7:50-7:58 p.m. in the 400 block of Ennis Street. --An undisclosed amount of money was taken during a burglary between 8:42-9:19 a.m. Jan. 30 in the 1200 block of 24th Street. --Two Tulia women was arrested for criminal trespass and burglary between 9:43-11:04 a.m. Jan. 30 at Seventh and Oakland streets. --An unknown person reportedly stole a brown dresser, valued at $175; a night stand, valued at $75; a bed frame, valued at $125; a stereo with speakers, valued at $125; a Craftsman miter saw, valued at $400; a table saw valued at $600; and Panasonic DVD player, valued at $40, between 12:27-1:06 p.m. Jan. 30 from the 1000 block of Quincy Street. --Plainview police are investigating a sexual assault that took place between 12:20-2:30 a.m. Jan. 30 in the 200 block of East Givens. --A Plainview man was arrested for assault between 7:18-7:25 p.m. Jan. 30 in the 2000 block of Joliet Street. --An unknown person reportedly stole a commercial metal laundry basket, valued a $300, between 7:30:15 p.m. Jan. 30 from the 400 block of North Broadway. --An unknown person reportedly stole a Samsung 46-inch television, valued at $700; a Hitachi 32-inch television, valued at $300; and a 19-inch television, valued at $150, between 1:15-1:30 a.m. Jan. 31 from the 1100 block of West 28th Street. --An undisclosed amount of money was stolen during a burglary between 6 p.m. Jan. 30 and 8:30 a.m. Jan. 31 from the 600 block of 24h Street. --An unknown person reportedly exposed themself between 10:40-10:46 a.m. Jan. 31 in the 1000 block of West 20th Street. --A Plainview man was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and a Plainview woman was arrested for possession of marijuana under 2 ounces and paraphernalia between 11:36 a.m. and 1:32 p.m. Jan. 31 in the 1400 of Burlington Street. --An undisclosed amount of money was taken during a burglary between 10:20-10:45 a.m. Jan. 31 from the 1200 block of East Fifth Street. --An unknown person reportedly stole a black and white Pink backpack, valued at $60; a white Boost HTC Desire 510 cellphone, valued at $175; a cellphone case, valued at $15; and two articles of clothing, valued at $60, between 2:30-4 p.m. Jan. 28 from the 1500 block of Quincy Street. Anyone having information on the above crimes or any other crimes occurring in Plainview or Hale County can contact the Crimestoppers Hotline at 293-8477 (293-TIPS). All calls will be confidential.
Hyderabad: Police on Tuesday arrested MIM senior leader and Charminar MLA Ahmed Pasha Quadri for attacking Congress candidate and two-time corporator Mr Mohammed Gouse at Ghansi Bazaar. MIM leader and Malakpet MLA Ahmed Balala was also arrested by the police.
MIM workers lead by party supremo Asaduddin Owaisi stopped vehicles of Mr Shabbir, Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy and Mr Ram Mohan Reddy at Mirchowk and attacked them. Few workers were seen forcefully opening the Congress leaders cars and repeatedly kicking them and punching them.
Two MIM activists pushed the windshields of the vehicles till they were damaged. Leader of Opposition Shabbir Ali sustained an injury under in his right eye in the attack.
A group of MIM workers allegedly lead by Mr Balala confronted MBT leader Amjadullah Khan and brutally attacked him near Mumtaz College. Mr Khan was shifted to a corporate hospital after susta-ining injuries on his face.
Mr Khan alleged that Mr Balala had assaulted him with the butt of a revolver. Another group of MIM workers got into a scuffle with BJP workers near one of the polling booths at Langar Houz.
The attacks started following an incident at the Ghanzi Bazaar ward when an argument broke out between Congress candidate Mr Gouse and Charminar MLA Quadri.
Mr Gouse, who had recently switched over to Congress from MIM, was threatened and attacked by Mr Quadri and his men.
The South Zone police soon swung into action and took the leaders of both parties inside the local ACPs office, eyewitnesses said.
Congress leaders came to know of the incident and went to the ACPs office to release Mr Gouse. While they were returning via Mirchowk, Mr Owaisi and his men, who were on bikes, stopped the vehicles.
Asaduddin asked the Congress leaders Why are you roaming in Old City? You are not contesting from here. The Congress leaders retaliated saying it was none of his business. The MIM workers then started abusing and attacking the leaders, said another witness.
The Congress leaders came there to provoke us. They wanted to create tension in the Old City, that was why they came to Mirchowk, said MIM leader Shahbaz Khan.
Men lead by MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi allegedly attacked a BJP activist, leading to tension in the Falaknuma-Chatrinaka area. More than 1,000 people gathered at Falaknuma to retaliate at night and BJP workers pelted stones.
However, the situation was controlled after a large paramilitary force was deployed in the area. MIM workers also attacked a journalist working with the daily Siasat. The victim Mubashir Kurram sustained injuries on his legs.
Srinagar: Shortly before Mehbooba Muftis scheduled meeting with Governor N N Vohra at Raj Bhavan in Jammu to explain her partys position on government formation, the PDP president was reportedly urged by alliance partner BJP to seek more time from him so that issues that may be interfering in their relationship are discussed at ease.
Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh, met Mufti soon after she arrived in Jammu from Srinagar to convey an important message from the party high command.
Singh was among four senior BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir who met BJP president Amit Shah and its national general secretary Ram Madhav in Delhi on Monday evening to explain ground realities in the State and the line of thinking in the partys state unit on the issue. Later, Shah closeted with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to discuss the issues, which have led to present crisis in the State, which in turn have brought 10-month old PDP-BJP alliance to the edge.
Mehbooba Mufti was scheduled to meet the Governor at 4.30 PM whereas the BJPs state unit president Sat Pal Sharma will call on him at 6 PM. Vohra had summoned them to Raj Bhavan to clarify whether they will form the new government in the State or not.
Most constitutional and legal experts say that if the PDP-BJP combine conveys to the Governor about their failure to form the new government and he is satisfied that none of the other political parties are in a position to fill the vacuum by providing Jammu and Kashmir a stable government he may recommend dissolution of the State Assembly and holding of fresh elections.
He wants unambiguous answers from PDP as well as BJP also because he has to appoint advisors which he has not done so far in the belief that the Governors rule imposed in the State on January 8 following the demise of Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, and consequent failure of the PDP-BJP combine to form the new government would be a brief affair. In the event of the alliance partners asking for more time for government formation, the Governor would go ahead with appointing advisors and may also order some changes in bureaucratic structure towards smooth working of the administration under him.
The PDP emerged as the largest party in the November-December 2014 elections to the 87-member Assembly after winning 28 seats. It cobbled up a coalition with ideologically divergent BJP, which has 25 seats, in March last year to form a government in the State. Owing to the demise of its patron and Chief Minister, Mr. Sayeed, in a Delhi hospital on January 7, the PDPs tally has come down to 27. Mr. Sayeed represented southern Anantnag constituency. Two other major parties National Conference (NC) and Congress have 15 and 12 members, respectively. The remaining seats went to smaller parties or independents.
Meanwhile, ahead of Mr. Sharmas meeting with the Governor, the BJPs extended core group is holding an important meeting in Jammu to discuss the issues in the backdrop of the talks the partys delegation had had with Mr. Shah and Mr. Ram in Delhi on Monday. The meeting began at 4 PM and is the second such meeting in past 24 hours, party sources said.
All party lawmakers too have been invited to the meeting where they are being briefed about the outcome of discussions the party delegation had had with Mr. Shah and Mr. Ram who played major role towards forging alliance with the PDP last year. J&K BJPs general secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul when asked about the uncertainty said, From our side there is positivity and we feel the same from other side. There is no uncertainty from BJP side
Meanwhile, opposition NC working president and former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, on Tuesday took a dig on the PDP over its stand on the government formation, saying it was desperate to save its face and even a phone call will do the job. Someone please phone her, he said on micro-blogging site Twitter.com adding They so desperately want a face saver that now even a phone call will do. Lagao number.
Ms. Mufti had on Sunday while presiding over a meeting of its extended core group said her party will take a call on government formation as and when it is confident that the vision and mission of its patron and former Chief Minister Mr. Sayeed will be carried forward and implemented in letter and spirit.
Mufti Sahib took a courageous, although unpopular, decision of aligning with BJP with the hope that the Central government headed by Mr Narendra Modi will take decisive measures to address the core political and economic issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir and its people, she said adding that Unfortunately, instead of partnering with and implementing Mr. Sayeeds vision of bringing peace, stability and prosperity to Jammu and Kashmir, certain quarters, both within J&K and in New Delhi, started overtly and covertly triggering frequent controversies over avoidable contentious issues resulting in wastage of the State governments energies in fire fighting and propitiation.
She also said that she was not disinclined to form the government but would not do it unless she receives these assurances from the alliance partner. I will not burn my fingers for nothing. PDP will not form government just for the sake of power but, if it does, it will be, as envisioned by Mufti Sahib, with the objective of addressing the core political and economic issues confronting J&K as was done by the PDP-led government between 2002 and 2005, she said.
The PDP has been maintaining that the Agenda of Alliance is a sacred document and wants its implementation on ground in letter and spirit to ensure the States inclusive development. Ms. Mufti told Sundays meeting that Mr. Sayeed died a sad man as non-fulfilment of the promises made to the people in past ten months taxed him heavily.
Campbell Ewald, the advertising agency that has produced most of USAAs ads, has been dumped by the San Antonio financial services and insurance giant.
The termination, which takes effect at the end of April, follows the publication of a racist email by a Campbell Ewald creative director based in San Antonio, who was fired, Adweek reported.
Whether you stream, buy or rent, heres a look at whats new or notable in home video. Movies are available on streaming sites such as iTunes, Amazon and Vudu unless otherwise noted.
The Veil: American Horror Story regular Lily Rabe plays the lone survivor, now grown up, of a mass suicide orchestrated by a charismatic cult leader (Thomas Jane, halfway between Jim Jones and Jim Morrision). When a documentary director (Jessica Alba) takes her back to the scene of the crime 25 years later, they discover death may not have been the end for the cultists.
Martyrs: A young woman seeks revenge on the cultists who kidnapped and tortured her when she was a child. She probably should have just stayed away. This is a remake of a 2009 French horror film, available to rent on iTunes and Amazon, that Variety described as a splatterfest.
Buy it now
Our Brand Is Crisis: In this dark comedy suggested by the well-reviewed documentary of the same name, the Bolivian presidential election is the latest round in an ongoing rivalry between American political consultants (Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton in full-on James Carville mode). Whats good for Bolivia isnt really an issue. The consultants dirty tricks are sometimes funny, often enraging but truth be told rarely as stunning as the election campaign going on right now in the U.S.
Also: Crimson Peak, Spotlight, The 33
Rent it now
The Assassin: Revered director Hsiao-Hsien Hous first martial arts film is the story of a reluctant assassin whose master tries to harden her heart by sending her home to kill her cousin, the governor of a Chinese province. Though the seventh-century political intrigue is hard to follow, and there is much more talking than fighting, the cinematography and settings are uncommonly beautiful. The Assassin is like a procession of landscape and still-life paintings almost indifferent to the movie taking place inside their frames.
Naz & Maalik: Teenage friends Naz and Maalik spend their day reselling lottery tickets and bootleg perfume. They also are gay, which puts them at odds with their orthodox Muslim families. So they have reasons to be wary when an FBI agent comes calling. She clearly suspects them of something more serious, and those Law and Order-style scenes feel false. The real pleasure of this indie is just following these kids as they walk and talk around Brooklyn.
Also: Bridge of Spies, The Last Witch Hunter, Sufragette
Television
Show Me a Hero: Oscar Isaac had a great year in 2015, with Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and this HBO miniseries from David Simon (The Wire) about the fight to integrate public housing in Yonkers, New York. Thats not as much fun as playing with femme bots or X-wing fighters, but Isaac gives a great performance. He channels the young Al Pacino as an ambitious young lawyer who cant quit politics even when the public turns on him.
Black Work: Fans of bleak British police procedurals who dont have time to binge might want to snack on this compact, fast-moving miniseries. When Detective Constable Jo Gillespies (Sheridan Smith) husband, also a police officer, is killed while working undercover, questions arise almost immediately about his actions in the week before his death. Convinced that the police are more concerned about protecting their reputation than catching a killer, Jo starts investigating on her own. (Acorn DVD, $34.99)
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One professor just invented the most puro college class that anyone has ever seen: Taco Literacy.
But while San Antonio college students are saying Yes! to the thought of acing a course they already have expert knowledge in, there is just one problem the class is being taught at the University of Kentucky at Lexington.
Yes, some badass professor by the name of Steven Alvarez introduced his new class, called Taco Literacy: Public Advocacy and Mexican Food in the U.S. South, in a somewhat random state not in the Southwestern U.S.
RELATED: 2 San Antonio tacos on Texas Monthly's Top 10 list of best in the state
In the spring course, students will learn the history of authentic recipes (not that Taco Bell stuff), food presentation and local variations, as well as learn how Mexican food in the south fits into family life, according to a photo of a class flyer Alvarez posted on Instagram.
In recent years, television food shows and travel journalism have popularized interest in the rich diversity of Mexican cuisine and its impact on the United States, Alvarez, an assistant professor of writing, rhetoric, and digital studies, states in the flyer. Less explored, however, has been the influence of Mexican cuisine in the U.S. South.
Alvarez told BuzzFeed News that students will learn about culture surrounding food, mainly, but they will also spend time eating at Mexican restaurants.
One of those assignments is a Mexington taco tour, when students will visit Mexican eateries around Lexington, BuzzFeed News reported.
RELATED: Where 18 of San Antonio's top restaurants got their unique names
Alvarez added that taquerias around Lexington are located mainly near Latino communities or horse farms, where many immigrants work.
Other assignments include writing a thesis paper about food in Mexican communities and reading Gustavo Arellanos Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America and Jeffrey Pilchers Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food, BuzzFeed News reported.
Click through the slideshow to view some of Alvarezs Instagram posts about his class, followed by the best tacos in San Antonio, according to Texas Monthly.
rsalinas@mysa.com
New Delhi: As MGNREGA completed 10 years, the NDA government on Tuesday claimed it has brought a "transformation" in the rural job guarantee scheme which was in a "pitiable" state under UPA due to frequent curtailing of funds.
Asserting that schemes are "not cast in stone" and their modification is required with the passage of time, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said MGNREGA underwent change under NDA and new initiatives were taken besides increasing the fund allocation to the scheme so that its benefits could reach the people in a better way.
"...transformation has been brought in the implementation of this scheme. When a government scheme runs for many years, an attitude of indifference develops towards it. A kind of indifference towards it was growing by 2013-14 when the scheme has entered its seventh and eight years.
"When there was a change of government in 2014-15, there was a talk in and outside Parliament on whether the scheme will be discontinued or its fund allocation will be curtailed. But the new government not only took forward the scheme but also increased its fund," Jaitley said, delivering his key note address at MGNREGA Sammelan here.
Rural Development Minister Chudhary Birender Singh said that in last 19 months, people availing the scheme have benefited in the true sense and were contended due to correct implementation of the scheme.
Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat said the condition of MGNREGA was "quite pitiable" in the beginning of the 2014-15 when UPA was in power and claimed that it was the NDA government which gave the maximum funding for the scheme.
Singh said that the attraction which is now visible for scheme is due to its "transformation in last 18 months" of the NDA rule "which did not happen in last ten years".
He also lauded Modi government for increasing the fund allocation in MGNREGA from Rs 33,000 crore to Rs 36,977 crore.
The remarks by the Union Ministers came on a day when Rahul Gandhi is in Bandlapalli village of Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh to mark the completion of ten years of UPA's flagship rural job guarantee scheme, which was launched from there by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in February 2006.
A political slugfest on the issue has already begun. Congress, which had earlier accused Modi government of trying to "dilute" MGNREGA, has taunted the government after it had hailed the measure as a "cause of national pride and celebration" yesterday.
Rahul Gandhi today mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his government's praise of the MGNREGA is a "shining example" of Modi's "political wisdom" as he only had called the UPA's job guarantee scheme a "living monument of Congress" failure.
"After calling NREGA 'living monument of INC failure' Govt now hails it as cause of 'nat pride & celebration'! Shining eg of Modiji's pol wisdom", the Congress Vice President said in a tweet.
The war of words on MGNREGA comes in the backdrop of Congress accusing the government of "appropriating" its icons" and "renaming" its schemes.
Jaitley claimed that it is perhaps for the first time that the actual expenditure of MGREGA is much more than that was provisioned for the financial year in the Budget. There was perhaps not a time in last many years that there was no curtailment in the fund for schemes announced in the Budget, he said taking potshots at UPA.
Under the scheme, people in rural areas are guaranteed 100 days of work.
Jaitley also complimented Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh for bringing in "transformation" in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Schemes are "not cast in stone" and their modification is required with the passage of time, he said, adding that MGNREGA underwent change and new initiatives were taken to reach its benefits to people in a better way.
"As the Rural Development Minister has rightly said that a transformation has been brought in the implementation of this scheme. When a government scheme runs for many years, an attitude of indifference develops towards it. A kind of indifference towards it was growing by 2013-14 when the scheme has entered its seventh and eight years," Jaitley said.
He further said that although India has no control over fall in international commodity, mineral and oil prices as well as global slowdown, within the country there is a need to create one more engine of growth by giving funds to the rural sector.
"We should spend more on rural electrification, irrigation and roads to witness development of rural economy. The amount of funds we can put in these sectors, it would not only help improve the sector but also boost the economic growth of the country. This is the responsibility which we are undertaking through MGNREGA," he said.
Jaitley said there are political, social and economic arguments behind putting funds in rural sector when it is stressed. "The funds that we put in that will push the economic growth".
He said the Rural Development Ministry has worked on the scheme so that there is asset creation, employment generation, money is transferred directly to bank accounts to avoid pilferage. "He (Singh) has changed the format of MGNREGA, which has helped the poor," Jaitley said.
"When there was a change of government in 2014-15, there was a talk in and outside Parliament on whether the scheme will be discontinued or its fund allocation will be curtailed.
But the new government not only took forward the scheme but also increased its fund," Jaitley said.
As the job market grows and things to do sprout up around the area, Forbes is labeling San Antonio one of the country's next boom towns, meaning an uptick of out-of-towners are settling into the city in search of opportunity.
The landscape of San Antonians is changing so rapidly that its becoming difficult to know whos from here and who isnt. It actually doesn't matter who's who, we're all family here, but being able to tell one from the other may helpful when telling your transplant friend to make a right on Durango.
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SAN ANTONIO The city health department said Monday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of the Zika virus in Bexar County.
The individual has recovered and is now virus-free, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District said. Seven other cases have been confirmed in Texas all in the Houston area and those individuals have all recovered.
At least six people in Bexar County were tested last week. The city health department said, "all are associated with travel to affected areas."
RELATED: WHO declares global emergency over Zika virus spread
The outbreak of the virus, which has been linked to birth defects, was deemed an international health emergency by the World Health Organization Monday.
The WHO called the outbreak an "extraordinary event" that poses a public health threat to other parts of the world.
RELATED: New Zika virus cases confirmed in Houston area
According to the city health department, "the Zika virus is part of the same family as the viruses that cause yellow fever, West Nile, Chikungunya and Dengue. Zika is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth. About one in five people infected with Zika will get sick."
Common symptoms, which typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, include fever, rash, joint pain or red eyes, according to the city.
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.
"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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
kparker@mysa.com
Twitter: @KoltenParker
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.
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A small town in Iowa is suing a Texas-based company for allegedly claiming that its "flushable" wipes are sewer-friendly, citing well-documented issues other cities, including San Antonio, are having.
The city of Perry which boasts a population of more than 8,000 has sued Irving-based Kimberly-Clark Corporation among five other personal care companies that manufacture "flushable" wipes to cease claiming that their products are "sewer and septic safe" and "break up after flushing."
The lawsuit claims that cities including San Antonio spend excessive resources on cleaning tons of wipes and other debris from sewage systems.
"Rather, the flushable wipes remain intact long enough to pass through private wastewater drain pipes into the municipal sewer line causing clogs and other issues for municipal and county sewer systems, wastewater treatment plants and public buildings, resulting in thousands, if not millions, of dollars in damages," the lawsuit filed in New York federal district court reads.
RELATED: SAWS workers find then free raccoon trapped in San Antonio sewer
San Antonio Water Systems spokesperson Anne Hayden declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said that workers for the agency clear out about 45 tons of debris from sewers each month.
"Flushable wipes are part of an overall problem for San Antonio's sewer systems," Hayden said, adding that the wipes form "concrete-like blockages" when combined with grease and other debris.
The Iowa lawsuit joins at least six others filed in federal court.
The New York Daily News reported that a New York judge put a stay on those six as the Federal Trade Commission looks into complaints regarding the wipes.
RELATED: SAWS yanks another mystery object out of San Antonio sewers
SAWS regularly uses its Twitter page to show San Antonio residents how their wipes look after they flush the toilet.
Scroll through the slideshow to see what kinds of creepy and gross thinks SAWS workers have pulled from area sewers.
jfechter@mySA.com
Twitter: @JFreports
A man crashed his car into a van and then hit a building downtown Monday after weaving through traffic, authorities said.
More than nine emergency crews were dispatched to the wreck on West Commerce and North Nueces streets just after 5:30 p.m.. A San Antonio police officer said two people were inside the car that crashed into the building, and five were in the van that veered into an apartment complex fence after colliding with the car.
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A jury found Christian Bautista guilty of murder Tuesday in the stabbing death of Lauren Bump on New Years Eve in 2013 after his defense attorney presented no witnesses and argued that prosecutors had failed to prove their case.
Bautistas behavior was weird but that didnt mean hes guilty of murder, attorney Tim Molina told jurors in closing arguments.
Bautista was convicted of killing Bump, 24, at O.P. Schnabel Park, where she had gone for a run while visiting home in San Antonio from college. Bautista, now 31, was charged in the stabbing just a few days after Bumps body was found.
In her closing arguments, prosectuor Wendy McClellan enumerated the witnesses who saw Bautista at the park that day, including those who saw him sitting at the location on a trail where Bumps body was found.
Dont let him get away with murder, McClellan urged the jury.
Molina stressed that Bump was a good person from a good family but said Bautista quickly became a person of interest for no other reason than his odd behavior. He faulted San Antonio police and news media for focusing on him to the exclusion of other possible suspects.
Molina said there were numerous friends of Bautistas roommate, admitted drug user Ryan OShea, who stayed at their trailer and could have had access to the knife OShea said he gave Bautista a few days before the killing.
Where are they? Molina asked.
And he said runners inserted themselves into the investigation and inflamed others, and accused witnesses who placed Bautista in the park that day of adding and embellishing details. And he cited the use of social media in creating the impression that Bautista was guilty before the case was ever presented.
There was little solid evidence, no weapon or clothing, that directly connected Bautista to Bumps death, Molina told the jury.
At the most, you have people saying they saw Christian in the area, Molina said.
On Monday, an expert testified that Bump's and Bautista's DNA could not be excluded on a T-shirt and a pair of underwear worn by Bautista.
Lead prosecutor Mary Green was more emphatic in her arguments to the jury: This is a match, she said, pointing to the underwear and T-shirt and saying DNA on Bautista's innermost layer of clothing has Bump's blood on it.
Dr. Rajesh Kannan, Bexar County deputy medical examiner, said Bump had 27 deep stab wounds or cuts to her body.
This was a sadistic, senseless, predatory crime, Green said. It saddens me that the last face this beautiful woman saw is the face of evil. He must be held responsible. Find him guilty.
Bautista faces a maximum of life in prison.
ezavala@express-news.net
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The family of a Texas State University student who was shot and killed during an attempted robbery last month is offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those involved in his killing.
Justin Douglas Gage was shot to death Dec. 6 after three men tried to rob him at the Retreat at San Marcos, an apartment complex on the 500 block of Craddock Ave.
According to authorities, Gage was out with one of his friends when they stopped at a friend's apartment at the Retreat.
RELATED: Texas State University student shot, killed at student housing complex, 3 gunmen on the loose
After entering the apartment, three men walked in behind them, San Marcos police said. All three suspects were wearing masks, but were described as black men between 5'8" and 5'10".
One suspect wore a black mask and a red hoodie; another wore a white mask and a gray hoodie and the last suspect wore a black mask, according to police.
One of the suspects, who is still at large, threatened Gage and his friend with a gun. Gage's friend attempted to grab the gun from the suspect, and Gage was shot during the struggle. The three men ran from the scene, and Gage and his friend ran after them until they realized Gage had been shot.
RELATED: Police: Student fatally shot during Fort Smith home robbery
Gage collapsed in the parking lot of the complex and his friend called police. Officers and medics arrived just before 3:30 a.m. and took Gage to University Medical Center-Brackenridge where he was treated for gunshot wounds to the torso and upper arm. He died that afternoon.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact Detective Sandra Spriegel at 512.753.2369, sspriegel@sanmarcostx.gov 8 a.m. -5 p.m. Monday through Friday or SMPD non-emergency line at 512.753.2108 after hours.
If information is received that helps lead to an arrest, the Crime Stoppers reward will be paid separately from the Gage family reward.
MMedina@mySA.com
Twitter: @MariahMedinaaa
SAN ANTONIO The wife of a San Antonio Police Department officer who nearly lost his life in a hit-and-run crash on New Years Eve was driving the SUV that slammed into him, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
Diana Marileen Lopez, 26, was arrested in Laredo on Tuesday on a third-degree felony charge of failure to stop and render aid. Her arrest comes a month after the crash that left Ernesto Vasquez critically injured on the North Side just before the turn of the new year.
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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.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar during his Janata Ka Darbar programme in Patna on Monday. (Photo: PTI)
Patna: Resuming his public interaction programme, Janata Ke Darbar Mein Mukhya Mantri, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday met over 1,000 complainants during a nine-hour session.
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 ministers Office said.
Kumar looked into the complaints regarding police, land reforms, general administration, and registration department and directed the state police chief PK Thakur and other senior police officials to help the complainants.
Sunday saw 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.
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A statue and memorial plaza honoring the memory of slain American Sniper Chris Kyle is in its final stages, with an unveiling set for May in Odessa near a Veterans Clinic off Highway 191.
The 9-foot-tall bronze statue is set to depict Kyle posing with a sniper rifle resting on his hip, according to a photo of a clay rendering from July 2015. The Odessa American reports some of the details regarding the final product may change.
Recently, workers have laid three large pieces of limestone at the site of the memorial, weighing more than 40,000 pounds, according to the Odessa newspaper.
RELATED: 'American Sniper' widow Taya Kyle wins Texas shooting competition against world-class sniper
In January 2015, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared Feb. 2 to be Chris Kyle Day.
The sculptor, Vic Payne, has consulted with Kyles widow, Taya, and his father Wayne, about the sculpture.
Taya Kyle called the memorial in Odessa truly special back in September, according to the Odessa newspaper.
Payne has been sculpting for more than 35 years. The Odessa American reports that Paynes wife, Angie, told the newspaper that Vic Payne uses lost-wax casting, a method dating back to Biblical times, to create a new bronze sculpture from his original clay model. The mold used for the bronze statue will be ready within the next month, possibly, according to the Odessa American.
RELATED: Taya Kyle, widow of 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle, faces President Barack Obama on guns at town hall
After the statue is created, Payne will reportedly ship it to Odessa by truck and it will be lifted onto the limestone base, according to the Odessa American.
Aside from the sculpture itself, the memorial is set to be a 2,800-square-foot plaza made of Texas limestone and granite, according to the Odessa Chamber of Commerce.
The memorial plaza will be located adjacent to the Veterans Clinic on the property of Medical Center Hospital on Highway 191 in Odessa.
RELATED: Chris Kyle's father to Clint Eastwood on 'American Sniper': Disrespect my son, Ill unleash Hell
The unveiling of the memorial plaza is set for May of this year, according to CBS7.com.
A group is still raising money for the $400,000 project, having already met about 75 percent of its goal, according to CBS7.com.
Chris Kyle was killed by Eddie Ray Routh on Feb. 2, 2013. Routh is serving a life sentence in prison.
twhite@mysa.com
Twitter: @tylerlwhite
Have you ever heard of a national organization endorsing someone for vice president? Let alone doing so before voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and other early states cast a single ballot for the top job?
Me neither. Were in uncharted territory now that the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce which has, at this point, not endorsed anyone for president is backing U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket.
Hey, folks, arent we getting a bit ahead of ourselves?
Castro has endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Clearly, this rising star is not feeling the Bern.
But even if Clinton survives what has turned out to be a strong challenge by Bernie Sanders and emerges as the nominee, whom she chooses as a running mate is an open question.
The choice will come down to three things: politics, politics and politics. It wont be about who is more qualified, since that phrase is totally subjective. The only qualification that matters is whether having a certain person on the ticket will help Clinton get elected.
If Republicans snap out of their Trump trance and nominate Marco Rubio, it would be smart for Democrats to recruit their own telegenic, well-spoken, 40-something Hispanic lawyer to act as a counterweight.
Castro, who raised his national profile significantly when he delivered the keynote speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, is a longtime friend of mine. Candidly, I dont think hes ready to be a heartbeat from the presidency.
But then again, watching Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama deal with their most challenging moments in the White House has taught me that this is a job that one is never ready for. As scary as it sounds, serving as president or vice president calls for on-the-job training.
Still, Im delighted Castro is in the mix and is being talked about as a possible running mate for Clinton. He has a lot to offer the candidate and the country.
But this story isnt really about Castro. Its about whether it was a good idea for a national Hispanic organization to so blatantly advertise its ethnic allegiance by forcing his name into the conversation especially this early.
It wasnt. The move was presumptuous, arrogant and improper. It trivialized the idea of the Hispanic vote and the viability of Hispanic officials such as Castro. It hurt the cause of trying to get more respect for Hispanic voters, and their eagerness to be counted in the political process. Lastly, it makes clear that at least one Hispanic organization has lost its focus, dabbling in politics and making itself the center of attention.
So why would the USHCC, which claims to advocate for nearly 4.1 million Hispanic-owned businesses that contribute more than $661 billion annually to the U.S. economy, do such a thing?
Javier Palomarez, the organizations president and CEO, told Politico its because millions of people living in this country look to Julian as the gatekeeper of the American Dream.
Thats silly. Its the USHCC and its leader who want to be the gatekeepers to Hispanic voters. Be that as it may, Palomarez insisted that his organization is happily endorsing (Castro) for the vice presidency.
What Im happy about is that this maneuver which, Im sure, Castro knew nothing about and would have discouraged if he could have puts Clinton in a tough spot. Clinton has only said that she thinks Castro would have to be considered for any number of positions in her administration. This could force her to be clearer about her intentions.
Some Democrats think Clinton should pick Tim Kaine as her running mate. Some even had the gall to suggest that the senator from Virginia would have greater appeal to Hispanics than Castro because his Spanish is better. How insulting.
In the end, Clinton wants to make her own choice but also keep Hispanics on the line by teasing them with the possibility that shell choose Castro even if she doesnt intend to do so.
Weve seen this game before, and it gets tiresome. Whether it intended to or not, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce might have just changed the rules.
ruben@rubennavarrette.com
A victory for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz a win for Hillary Clinton by the slimmest of margins over Bernie Sanders, .3 percent. Iowa spoke. The countdown to Texans doing some speaking begins.
Speaking? More like shouting. Texas will provide the lions share of delegates to be awarded on Super Tuesday March 1 (or candidates voted on and delegates awarded later in some instances).
So, Texans simply must do better than the 11.09 percent turnout for Republicans and 4.52 percent turnout for Democrats in the 2012 presidential primary in Texas. It makes no sense for so small a percentage of voters to determine the states choices for nominees in either party.
Texas will be among 13 other states (plus American Samoa) voting in Super Tuesday primaries or caucuses on March 1. More delegates will be at stake than any other time in the nations 2016 primaries. And Texas will be providing the most 155 of the 632 delegates up for grabs in Republican contests that day, 252 of 1,007 that day for Democrats.
The delegates are awarded proportionally by both parties according to how votes, depending on the party, go in state senate districts, congressional districts and statewide votes. Democratic candidates must reach a threshold of 15 percent of the vote to get delegates, Republican candidates 20 percent.
Coming up is the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday and South Carolinas primary on Feb. 20.
Texas will likely see a narrowing of the GOP field by March 1. But its clear, because even a winnowed GOP contest is likely to remain heated, Texas will count big in the nations nomination process.
This is a good thing.
Cruz will be counting on winning big in his home state. But other candidates still in the race are not likely to take a Cruz win for granted. And Texas voters will be the better for it if they dont.
It boils down to Texas having a large say in the direction of the GOP. After Iowa, observers were seeing a three-man race Cruz, Donald Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
That makes two first-term senators one who was instrumental in a government shutdown (Cruz) and a billionaire businessman who has never held public office. But its also likely that some establishment figures besides Rubio will still be vying for votes on March 1 perhaps Jeb Bush, who can claim Texas roots.
It will be an open primary, which means that any registered voter can vote in either partys primary.
And Texas will also be a test also for Bernie Sanders. Can he mobilize the young voters he needs to upset Clinton here and elsewhere? She does better among older voters. Texas does not have a history of turning out large numbers of young voters. If that changes, Sanders will have made a difference.
The biggest way for Texas to make a difference is for as many of all registered voters as possible turning out. The last day to register was Feb. 1.
At issue is whether Texas will demonstrate weak democracy or a more vibrant variety. The stakes are high.
Barely weeks after taking the wraps off its K4 Note, Lenovo is ready with a follow-up in the K5 Note. This lower mid-range handset offers a premium all-metal design, a large Full HD display, powerful cameras, an octa-core processor and a fingerprint scanner.
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Design and Display
With this device featuring an all-metal design, it seems the construction material is fast losing its premium classification since we have been seeing more and more affordable devices using same recently. You no longer need to break the bank to have a solidly-constructed phone in your hand, with offerings like Lenovo K5 Note around. Aside its powerful chassis, the handset offers attractive colour options, including gold and silver.
The 8.5mm thick device packs in a 5.5-inch LTPS IPS with Full HD (1080p) resolution promising amazing colours and clarity.
Camera and Storage
The Lenovo K5 Note is built to appeal to photography enthusiasts, especially selfie takers. On the rear, it rocks a 13-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture and phase detection autofocus for high quality shots. You should also expect to take share-worthy pictures with the wide-angle 8-megapixel selfie snapper on the front.
Most users should find onboard storage capacity of 16 GB sufficient for their needs this is extendable by up to 128 GB using a microSD card.
Performance and Operating System
Robust performance appears to be on the card for the Lenovo K5 Note, judging by the powerful MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core processor running under the hood.
The 64-bit chip is paired with 2 GB of RAM and a Mali-T860 GPU for enjoyable multitasking and decent responsiveness. The operating system of choice here is Android 5.1 Lollipop, which has Lenovos Vibe UI skin lying on top of it.
Other Features
The K5 Note is fitted with a powerful 3,500mAh battery whose dependability is helped by support for fast charging. It carries a fingerprint sensor on the rear for extra security, payment make and image capturing.
The phablet is decked out to pump out pleasant sound through a 1.5W rear-facing speaker, backed by Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. Lenovo K5 Note offers dual-SIM slots and supports lightning-fast 4G LTE connectivity.
Pricing and Availability
Lenovo K5 Note is not yet available in Nigeria. When available, you can buy it at leading online stores in the country. Lenovo K5 Note Price in Nigeria is expected to range from N35,000 to N42,000 depending on your location in Nigeria.
Coimbatore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that his government is keen on passing important bills, but Opposition was 'not cooperating with the government'. He also said that the opposition party had not been able to digest defeat in 2014 general elections.
"We had hoped that the Congress will work with us, help Parliament in enforcing (fiscal) reforms but there is one who does not agree. The Congress has not been able to digest defeat (in Lok Sabha elections)," Modi said in his address to the BJP workers in Bhopal before inaugurating the 10th Vishwa Hindi Sammelan.
"I appeal to those defeated and rejected by the people to please let the nation move ahead," said Modi. "Every political party must leave no stone unturned to meet public expectations if it won and also introspect in case of defeat," he added.
Modi also said that the government engaged in carrying out labour reforms through consensus and dialogue with stakeholders including workers without compromising on their genuine protections and rights.
Modi's assurance to the working class comes against the backdrop of the campaign by central trade unions against labour reforms and their plans to hold a day-long all-India strike on March 10 against the "anti-worker" polices of the central and state governments.
"We are progressing on the reform path by building consensus on these reforms through extensive stakeholder consultations with employers, workers representatives, and state governments," he said addressing after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of ESIC Medical College and Hospital here.
Modi further said, "Keeping in mind our commitment to 'minimum government, maximum governance', the ministry is simplifying central labour laws by consolidating the existing 44 laws into four labour codes. Namely, on wages, industrial relations, safety and security, and health."
Even though the talk of Grexit has receded from the headlines due to the Troikas apparent success in reducing Greece to a vassal state, that operation is in fact not complete. Both unresolved elements of the seemingly permanent bailout negotiations, and a new set of confrontations created by the refugee crisis, means that the Greeks and their putative masters may be at loggerheads sooner rather than later.
As an article in Politico describes, Greece and its creditors are still at odds over a key point in the funding talks: that of Greeces supposedly lavish pension system. What the European press has conveniently failed to report is that Greece lacks most elements of the sort of social safety nets that other European countries have, such as disability insurance, and the pensions have wound up serving as one-stop shopping. The IMF actually appeared to appreciate the point, since in the later stages of the seemingly endless negotiations of early 2015, the agency put forward a proposal that would require Greece to create some proper social support programs as it cut pensions.
Here is the current state of play, per Politico:
Greeces creditors are heading to Athens this week to discuss Greeces first review under the third bailout program. As has been the case many times before in Greece, this review should already have been completed and the funds released. The main sticking point is pension reform. The third bailout program calls for pension cost savings of 1 percent of GDP in 2016. The government has implemented measures achieving two thirds of that the target so far, leaving a gap of roughly 600 million. Syrizas plans to make up the gap include higher contributions from farmers and the self-employed, an unpopular proposal that has led to widespread protests across the country. Considering that, according to the Small Enterprises Institute, more than 50 percent of Greek households relied on pensions as their main source of income in 2015, its no wonder pension cuts are a particularly toxic issue in Greek politics.
The Syriza-led coalition has only a three-seat majority, so its hold on power is fragile. The creditors dont appear to think they are much at risk if they break the current government. The new head of the center-right New Democracy party, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is the presumed replacement for Alex Tsipras, and the lenders anticipate hell be more pliant. But how does this logic hold together if the reason for new elections is opposition to pension cuts? Its not obvious how this favors the formation of a coalition that would be softer on this issue. Yet the reading in Politico is that the IMF, which earlier had made noises that it would either require the creditors to provide real debt relief to Greece or it would not participate in the upcoming round of rescues, has now relented in the face of creditor refusal to provide much relief. That means the IMF has returned to its traditional role of kneecap-breaker.
The new fault line that has opened up is over the flood of refugees into Europe, and a high proportion transit through Greece. Greece is being charged with failure to stop the influx. Again from the article:
The hard deadline for agreeing the first review and releasing funds for Greece is when Greece runs out of money and cannot afford a debt repayment. This will come in July, when Greece has over 3.5 billion in debt to roll over. But by late July, Greece could be a fundamentally different country. The flow of refugees from the Middle East slowed from over 200,000 in October 2015 to over 50,000 in January 2016 but is likely to pick up again as the weather improves. Other EU countries have complained that Greece is not following the rules on setting up hotspots and registering refugees that come across the Aegean via raft from Turkey. The German chancellors open-armed welcome to refugees arriving in Europe, over 1 million of whom came to Germany, was called into question by the mass sexual assault in Cologne on New Years Eve in which most of the suspects were asylum seekers. With her popularity dwindling and an upcoming general election in Germany in 2017, Merkel is looking for ways to stem the flow of refugees. Rather than reintroducing Germanys national borders, a more politically appealing option for Merkel would be to outsource border closures to Macedonia and Bulgaria, stranding a number of asylum seekers in Greece. Redrawing the Schengen boundaries to exclude Greece would deal a major blow to the countrys relations with the EU. If Greece fails to fulfill its commitments to protect its borders and establish hotspots for refugees, goodwill among creditors to find agreement on the bailout negotiation in July will in short supply.
This is even more disingenuous than it seems. Greece has an insanely long coast and land borders in underpopulated areas. Please tell us when to expect the German Navy to assist Greece in repelling refugees.
The hotspot label is an astonishingly dishonest term for open air prison camps. You can imagine why Greece is not keen to become a gaoler unless it is compensated very well for taking on that nasty role. But per the discussion above, no such rewards appear to be planned. In fact, the Troika seems to think it has the whip hand and can force Greece into compliance.
Its effectively being made the whipping boy for problems that are ultimately American but more immediately Turkish in origin. Turkey is refusing to stop the refugee flow in part because that would be work, but in part because that gives the government a very powerful bargaining chip with the Europeans and the US. But since Turkey is playing footsie with Russia too, persuading it to reduce the flow of migrants isnt as high on the horse trading list as one would think it ought to be. But you can see the logic from the discussion above: the Eurocrats think its easier to get Greece to do their dirty work than cut a deal with Turkey, which even if Turkey complied, would probably only reduce rather than stop the problem.
As the article concludes:
And among Greeks, anti-EU sentiment is likely to grow as the country is forced to handle the brunt of a refugee crisis not of its own making and without sufficient financial and political support from the rest of Europe As Greece faces a financing crunch in July, it will also likely see the influx of refugees hit fever pitch. In the absence of a coherent and effective European migration policy before July, its hard to imagine Greece avoiding expulsion from Schengen and with the new line for Europe drawn at Greeces northern borders, Greece will be one step closer to being out of the European project. Last summer, Schauble suggested Greece take a temporary break from the eurozone, and relations between Germany and Greece have only deteriorated since. It is likely Schauble will put his proposal back on the table this summer. Greeces fate may ultimately be determined by how much solidarity there really is in Europe in which case, the future looks grim.
Shorter: expect a hot and nasty summer.
Owner Lori Hanno in her gift shop The Paisley Peacock in Bonita Springs on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Hanno has had her gift shop for three years and shares the space with a floral shop next door. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff)
SHARE A necklace on display at The Paisley Peacock in Bonita Springs on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Owner Lori Hanno has had her gift shop for three years and shares the space with a floral shop next door. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff) Master Designer Mary Lou Mack works on a floral arrangement in the floral shop that shares a space with The Paisley Peacock in Bonita Springs on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. The Paisley Peacock owner, Lori Hanno, has had her gift shop for three years. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff) Owner Lori Hanno in her gift shop The Paisley Peacock in Bonita Springs on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Hanno has had her gift shop for three years and shares the space with a floral shop next door. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff) Merchandise on display at The Paisley Peacock in Bonita Springs on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Owner Lori Hanno has had her gift shop for three years and shares the space with a floral shop next door. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff)
By John Osborne
No business likes the "hidden" part of being a hidden gem.
Ever since a Comcast office next door closed shop a little over a year ago, Lori Hanno, owner of The Paisley Peacock gift store at 24830 U.S. 41 S. in Bonita Springs, south of the CVS on Pelican Landing Drive, said business has dipped significantly.
"It's a shame, because we really are one-stop shopping if you want flowers and a little gift item to go along with them," said Hanno, a former data systems consultant from Chicago who shares 3,000 square feet inside the Pelican Village shopping plaza with A Flower Boutique, owned by her friend, Melissa Jacobs.
With an eclectic range of offerings that includes Michael Aram candles, Beatriz Ball tableware, lotions, jewelry, baby items and greeting cards, Hanno said the two businesses enjoy a symbiotic relationship.
"We work together as one," said Hanno. "During her busy season, I help her out, and if I'm traveling, she maintains my side of the store. All six of us women who work here get along really well. We're very helpful to each other, and we're all friends. And I'm not just saying that, either. None of us have ever had so much as a snit."
Jacobs, who has owned her flower business for 11 years (in the current location for the last five), backed that up.
"Between her employees and mine, we have all gotten along so well," she said. "There's never been a problem. If I'm busy during the holidays, her employees will take it upon themselves to answer my phone when we're not able to get to it, and during the summers, when her business is a little slower, the same thing happens in reverse. It has worked out really nice for both of us."
Expressing gratitude for having the complementary businesses in the same space, client Signe Wynne, of Bonita Springs, said those who haven't found The Paisley Peacock yet don't know what they're missing.
"Since Lori first opened the store, she's pretty much been a destination for me," the Wisconsin native said. "She chooses her merchandise very carefully by season, and she always has lovely handbags, jewelry, candles and cards at really good price points. I can buy a darling pair of earrings there for under $30, and I can't do that anywhere else."
Wynne said The Paisley Peacock has also become her go-to place for last-minute gifts.
"The other night I went to a dinner where I needed to take something, and her place was my first thought," she said. "She has a lot of wonderful cards and candles, and I was able to pick up a wonderful gift bag for my dinner. I also really like the way she turns over her merchandise so that the store has a fresh look every time I go in there."
A founding trustee of the Southwest Florida Wine and Food Festival, Hanno said the two businesses don't hesitate to ring up each other's sales when necessary despite having their own cash registers.
"We just reconcile everything at the end of the month," she said. "We really are two businesses under one roof, with our door right in the middle."
FILE - Lehigh Regional Medical Center, formerly East Pointe Hospital. Gary Coronado/Staff
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By Daily News Staff
The 88-bed Lehigh Regional Medical Center has a new owner.
Community Health Systems has completed the sale of the Lehigh hospital to California-based Prime Healthcare Services, effective Monday. Terms of the sale have not been disclosed.
The Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health, Systems, CHS, the parent company of Physicians Regional Medical Center in Collier County, announced last Sept. 21 that it had signed a definitive agreement with Prime Healthcare to sell the Lehigh hospital. CHS continues to own 25 hospitals in Florida.
Prime Healthcare operates 35 acute-care hospitals in 11 states. In late January, Prime announced it had closed on a $700 million secured line of credit with Wells Fargo Bank.
Editor's note: Brent Battens column Tuesday included incorrect information regarding the selection of members of school textbook review committees. Each school board members can pick one of the 15 to 21 members of each committee.
There are few guarantees in life.
Keith Flaugh would like there to be at least one more.
Flaugh, one of the founders of the Collier-based Florida Citizens' Alliance is trying to put pressure on lawmakers in Tallahassee to bring Senate Bill 1018, which would require textbook publishers to guarantee their products, to committee hearings and ultimately a vote.
The bill deals with a range of issues surrounding the selection of textbooks and other instructional material in the schools. A similar bill passed in 2014 but with what Flaugh and others describe as loopholes that allow school districts to skirt requirements on taxpayer involvement in the process.
So far the bill and its House companion have not been scheduled for any committee hearings, an ominous sign that it isn't going anywhere.
With 21 co-sponsors, the bill enjoys at least a modicum of legislative support. Members of the Citizens' Alliance and other groups from around the state that support the bill have met with more than 70 legislators this year, picking up additional backing.
The Citizens' Alliance issued a statement Monday putting the blame for the lack of progress squarely at the feet of Sen. John Legg (R-Lutz) and Rep. Marlene O'Toole (R-Lady Lake), respective chairs of the education committees that would first consider the bill on its way to a floor vote in each chamber. The citizens' groups are asking taxpayers to call their offices to demand committee hearings in the House and Senate.
A staff member in Legg's office said the senator and his staff do not discuss bills that aren't on the committee calendar. O'Toole's office didn't return a call seeking an update on the bill.
The stalled bill would do several things, according to supporters. First, it would require all districts to submit materials for public review before purchase. Some districts have interpreted the 2014 law to mean that if they purchase from a state-approved list they don't need additional local review.
Second, it would encourage greater public involvement in the review process. The review committee members would be named by the board and its meetings would be subject to the Sunshine Law.
At least of the third of the committee would have to be made up of parents with children in schools. The current law requires only one parent on the committee.
And third, it would require publishers to guarantee their materials in case it falls short of requirements spelled out in the law. For example, the law says material must be research-based, noninflammatory, balanced and age-appropriate.
"If you buy a car, if you buy a computer, you get a warranty," Flaugh said. "Why wouldn't you insist on getting that warranty?"
Under the 2014 law, the school board holds the final say over challenged texts but the new law would give parents a right to appeal to circuit court.
Critics of the proposal say it could lead to frivolous lawsuits but Flaugh points out that the law would make the losing side pay the other side's legal bills, a mandate that would discourage such lawsuits.
Other provisions of the law would give all taxpayers, not just parents, access to materials in school libraries and makes classroom texts available for sale to the public.
Textbooks account for hundreds of millions of dollars in school budgets nationwide and once purchased, tend to stay in the school for years.
Recent videos from the undercover filmmakers at Project Veritas shows textbook company executives making embarrassing statements about their business practices.
It all should encourage greater citizen involvement in the selection process, but so far key legislators aren't buying in. "We want to inundate them (with calls)," Flaugh said.
(Connect with Brent Batten at brent.batten@naplesnews.com, on Twitter@NDN_BrentBatten and at facebook.com/ndnbrentbatten)
Aerials looking north of the Naples Bay Resort along U.S. 41 East near the intersection of Davis Boulevard in this staff file photo.
By Donna Fiala
I was surprised to see the editorial in the Naples Daily News the other day suggesting that the Gateway Triangle development in East Naples should contain rental properties rather than breathing new life into that area. Almost the entire area is filled with low-income housing, much of it rental.
Why would we want to violate the state statute that states we must "avoid concentration of low-income housing in any one area" and build more? Wouldn't we want to see an area improve? With all the run down commercial properties in that area, isn't it time for a face lift?
Yes, the first presentation is startlingly high and compact, but when you are dealing with an area that can be a gateway for better things to come, and an area considered blighted, with slums and crime, then a drastic change needs to be made.
Once the negotiations take place, there will probably be modifications to the plan, but I hope it will lead to a much safer, more productive area than what it is now. Yes, the height scares some, but that is the first concept. When the sausage comes out of the machine it looks a lot different than when it went in.
Right now when you leave the city of Naples, you are hit smack in the face with immense blight. Is that the first feature the East Naples people want others to see when they cross over the bridge? Is that the face of our community? When an area is covered with low-income housing, do we really need more for that same area?
State laws make it clear that too much low-income housing can break the back of a community, shops will not locate there, businesses go out of business, and the area looks like a slum. This is our chance to make a difference and improve the area. The new businesses will create jobs for people already living in the area, and the tourists' impression as they depart from the city will improve immensely. One of the other plans presented actually included government-subsidized housing. When is enough, enough?
While I'm talking about touchy subjects, I might as well hit fluoridated water. The editorial poked fun at me because I referred to people on the dais drinking from water bottles. So let me state that I was referring to the fact that anyone can drink water from bottles, and they do regularly in their car, in their home, at meetings, etc., so you can choose whatever you want to drink.
I've lived here over 41 years, and raised all of my kids here and none of us have ever had a problem with fluoride. It seems everyone is allergic to something or some foods hit others in a different way. If you are lactose intolerant, you don't drink milk. If you are diabetic, you don't eat sugar. It's all about your choice to drink water from the tap or bottled water or filtered water, etc.
And, I might add, the county has won many awards for their outstanding tasting water in the state. Yes, there are other sources of water, depending on where you live, but each one has its good points and bad points, and our dental society is strongly in favor of keeping fluoride in the water, and the Public Health Unit states clearly that they have never had anyone suffer from any fluoride-related illnesses.
Recently I noticed how dark the east side of Airport-Pulling Road is near the soup kitchen and homeless shelter, so I mentioned the problem to Collier County's transportation department, as there are many walkers and bike riders in that area, among other things.
They conducted a safety review which indicated the lighting in this section needed improvement for safety. Therefore, the county will be funding the lighting installation and working with Florida Power & Light (FPL) to add luminaires to their new poles when they upgrade the existing poles. FPL currently has this work scheduled for spring 2016. Thanks everyone for conducting the safety review immediately, and in time to work with the FPL schedule for this coming spring. I'm sure it will improve safety in that area.
As a quick reminder, mark your calendars for my town hall meeting on Feb. 11. An online recently had the wrong date listed for the meeting at South Regional Library, but it is still Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Thanks to Shirley Calhoun and her eagle eye for catching it and letting us know.
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Connect with Donna Fiala via email at DonnaFiala@colliergov.net.
Life is expensive for Susan Devine.
Theres the upkeep on her mansions in Europe, her $2.2-million home in Naples and her 64-acre property in Brazil. Theres tuition owed to the University of California-Berkeley for her son and a British boarding school for her teenage daughter.
Most costly, there are massive legal fees more than $200,000 per month mounting to defend her familys fortune, which has been frozen amid accusations that she laundered the proceeds of her ex-husbands $200 million penny stock scheme.
Facing those bills and dozens more, Devines lawyers asked Thursday for a judge to unfreeze millions of dollars worth of assets under siege following a lawsuit filed in Fort Myers federal court. Lawyers for a hedge fund once managed by Devines fugitive German ex-husband, Florian Wilhelm Jurgen Homm, are going after more than $50 million in assets owned by Devine and spread across dozens of bank accounts and properties. The hedge fund lawyers allege Devine, 54, and Homm, 55, executed a sham divorce to shelter the ill-gotten assets.
Related story: For Naples woman, life with one of FBI's most wanted leads to claims that she pocketed millions
Devine is asking for about $215,000 per month for legal fees, $50,000 per month for living expenses and $42,000 per month for maintaining those seven properties. The residences include an eight-bedroom house in Luxembourg, an oceanside mansion in Malaga, Spain, and a 14-acre French estate with six buildings, an array of farm animals and a river running through it.
Lawyers for Homms former hedge fund argue that Devines requests are excessive, writing in a motion that even a head of state would be hard-pressed to defend many of the itemized expenditures as necessary or reasonable.
At Thursdays hearing, Devines lawyers focused primarily on gaining access to money for legal fees, which they said are necessary to mount a defense against extensive accusations of money laundering and conspiracy.
What we want is a fair playing field to be able to meet these allegations head-on, said Carl Schoeppl, a Boca Raton-based lawyer for Devine.
Instead, the hedge funds lawyers agreed to release one house, two paintings, other pieces of art and furniture purchased before 2004, when the penny stock fraud is alleged to have started. Those assets have an estimated value of about $7 million.
We think that is a sufficient amount to get busy liquidating and selling off, and it covers everything she asks for and more, said David Spears, a New York City-based lawyer for the hedge fund. He also agreed to release $10,000 per month in cash to Devine.
U.S. District Court Judge John Steele will rule in the coming weeks whether Devine is entitled to more than the agreed-upon unfrozen assets. Devines lawyers argued that the house, art and furniture would be difficult to sell quickly, requiring the release of more cash to cover mounting legal and personal costs.
Devines case, detailed in a Daily News article on Sunday, involves a made-for-the-movies tale marked by corporate greed, an international manhunt and lavish excess.
Swiss and U.S. prosecutors have said that Homm and a network of conspirators bilked investors of his hedge fund, reaping about $115 million in profits from the penny stock scheme.
Devine filed for divorce from Homm in 2006 and moved from Europe to Naples, but the hedge funds lawyers allege that the couple remained close. In 2007, Homm cashed in his shares of the hedge fund, fled to Colombia and remained in self-imposed exile until 2013, when Italian police found him in Florence with Devine and their son.
After gumming up the Italian legal system, prompting his pretrial release in 2014, Homm fled to Germany, which doesnt extradite its own citizens. Hes now on the FBIs list of most wanted white-collar criminals.
The hedge funds lawyers filed a lawsuit against Devine in June. Spears suggested Thursday that a judgment against Devine could easily exceed $10 million, along with a requirement that she surrender more than $35 million worth of assets.
Devines lawyers have hinted at a few possible defenses. Schoeppl said Thursday that Devine didnt know about Homms scheme at the time of the divorce and transfer of the family fortune, which exempts her from money laundering charges.
Were working all the different defenses we expect could be used, Schoeppl said.
Panther (FWC)
By Daily News Staff
An endangered Florida panther was hit by a vehicle and killed on Interstate 75 near the Daniels Parkway exit.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologists found the 2- to 3-year male panther Tuesday morning and took it to the Naples field office. It will be sent to Gainesville for a necropsy.
After a record 2015 for panther roadkills with 30, four panthers have been confirmed killed on Southwest Florida roads so far in 2016. A cause of death has not been determined for a fifth panther found dead in Golden Gate Estates last month.
Panthers have rebounded to as many as 180 animals, scientists say, raising questions about how the panther population should be managed.
So far this year, biologists have confirmed that panthers have killed two calves on ranches near Immokalee and a chihuahua in Copeland, a town in eastern Collier County.
DAVID ALBERS/STAFF - Collier County Commissioners Georgia Hiller, Tim Nance and Tom Henning, left to right, discuss the renewal of the contract of Executive Director at the Collier County Airport Authority Chris Curry on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, in Naples. The board decided not to renew Curry's contract past September and to transfer his responsibilities to the office of the county manager.
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By Maria Perez and Greg Stanley of the Naples Daily News
Collier County Commissioner Tim Nances announcement that he wont seek re-election has kicked open the door for candidates hoping to replace him.
The District 5 race, where it once looked like Nance might run unopposed for a second term had he wanted it, is quickly becoming a crowded field. In the three weeks since Nance announced he wont run, three candidates have filed for his seat Doug Rankin, Bill McDaniel and Randy Cash.
In District 3, where Commissioner Tom Henning has also announced he wont seek another term, five candidates have filed to fight it out. Meanwhile in District 1, no one has filed to take on Commissioner Donna Fiala, the only incumbent in the race.
Its not surprising for candidates to flock to races without an incumbent, said Dave Carpenter, qualifying officer for the county supervisor of elections.
Unseating a commissioner is tough in any environment, but history has proved it particularly difficult in Collier County.
It happened in 1988, 1992 and 1998, when Jim Carter beat Tim Hancock, Carpenter said.
It doesnt happen very often, he said.
The only other candidate to knock off an incumbent in recent years was Nance, who unseated Jim Coletta in 2012. In doing so, Nance raised $213,763 in campaign contributions, a local record that dwarfed the previous high of $129,000 set by Commissioner Georgia Hiller in 2010.
Nance won pretty easily and put up a lot of money, Carpenter said. To take him on would have been rough.
Rankin, who has served in offices of the local Republican Party for the last 20 years, said he has been thinking about running for commissioner for a few years.
He currently is an elected committeeman, one of the top three positions in the local branch and is on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.
Everybody on that commission has made mistakes and done good things and bad things, Rankin said. Our situation now in Golden Gate Estates is were finding out the many flaws to the master plan where things like charter schools are exempt from certain review processes. Theres going to be more nasty surprises waiting for people and thats why Im running.
McDaniel originally filed to run for Hennings seat in District 3. He made the switch to the District 5 race shortly after Nance bowed out, saying he didnt originally file for District 5 because he thinks Nance has done a good job in office.
I had no intention to run against Commissioner Nance, he said.
Cash, too, said he is a big supporter of Nance and worked to help get him elected.
I wouldnt have considered running against him, Cash said.
Cash owns Flamingo Air Management, a company that provides airfield management and air traffic control services. He is an Army veteran.
District 5 covers much of the eastern half of the county, including Golden Gate Estates, Immokalee, Ave Maria and Everglades City. The key to winning the district has long been having support in Golden Gate Estates, where nearly three-quarters of the districts 27,868 registered voters live.
The three candidates all live in or next to the Estates.
With Nance on the way out, some Immokalee community leaders were hoping to see a candidate with an Immokalee address on the ballot. So far, none have filed.
Members of the Immokalee redevelopment agency and other local boards say their corner of the county, which has a poverty rate above 41 percent, is being ignored by commissioners.
Frustration boiled over this fall during an Immokalee redevelopment agency meeting, where an agency advisory board member and a county employee had a brief, hostile exchange about the issue before the county employee stormed out of the room.
Danny Gonzalez, president of the Immokalee Chamber of Commerce said Nance lost the support of many in the community. Gonzalez said the commissioner has done OK, not good or bad.
Im disappointed, he said. I wish somebody from Immokalee would run.
Immokalee has 5,158 registered voters, and only 3,806 have voted within the last two general elections, said Trish Robertson, spokeswoman for the supervisor of elections office.
Rankin, McDaniel and Cash all agreed Immokalee has been ignored, saying it is past time for the county to pay more attention.
Mesac Damas appears to sleep in a Collier County courtroom as autopsy photographs of his wife and children are shown during a hearing on the admission of the photographs in his murder trial on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in East Naples. Damas is accused in the September 2009 murder of his wife and five children. (David Albers/Staff)
By Jacob Carpenter of the Naples Daily News
As autopsy photos of his wife and five children flashed by on a television screen, Mesac Damas leaned forward in his chair, put his head on a table and closed his eyes.
Damas would stay that way through much of a two-hour hearing Monday, in which Collier Circuit Judge Fred Hardt ruled that prosecutors could show 60 out of 79 autopsy photos of Damas' wife and five children at trial. Damas, 39, is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and faces the death penalty in the September 2009 killings of his six family members. The former North Naples resident has admitted to committing the homicides in emails and statements to the Daily News.
Prosecutors said Monday that they had selected 79 autopsy photographs to show to jurors out of "hundreds and hundreds" of pictures taken by the Medical Examiner's Office. The photographs would help show that Damas planned the killings, and that he committed them in a cold, calculating manner one of several factors that could lead to jurors recommending a death sentence.
One of Damas' defense lawyers, James Ermacora, argued the autopsy photos are prejudicial, in large part because the pictures are similar to crime scene photographs showing the six victims' bodies. Assistant State Attorney Richard Montecalvo said a medical examiner who is expected to testify at trial "wants to be sure he's testifying to photos he's taken."
Hardt ruled that 19 of the photographs were either unfairly prejudicial or needlessly excessive in light of other photographic evidence. Still, jurors who are seated in the high-profile trial could see dozens of graphic photographs, many of which depict deep knife cuts to Damas' wife and kids.
As Hardt and lawyers went through the pictures one-by-one, viewing them on a screen and on paper, Damas never looked at them. He only spoke once, saying, "How much longer is this gonna take? I've got to get back and take a nap. I'm uncomfortable."
Prosecutors, Ermacora and Hardt briefly touched on scheduling for the six-year-old case, agreeing that they needed to wait on the Florida Legislature to address the state's capital punishment law. The U.S. Supreme Court in January ruled that part of Florida's death penalty procedures are unconstitutional, requiring the Legislature to make changes before such cases can move forward. Legislators are drawing up a new framework, with hopes of putting new laws into place by the end of the legislative session in early March.
Even if the Legislature agrees to a framework which isn't a guarantee, given the short window of time between the Supreme Court ruling and the end of session Hardt hinted that there could be additional delays.
"If we assume the Legislature does pass some law, depending on what that might be, we have to assume the (Florida) Supreme Court will have to enact some rules," Hardt said.
Damas' next hearing is set for Feb. 19, when Hardt is expected to rule on the admissibility of crime scene photographs. All sides expressed skepticism that the Legislature will enact new capital punishment laws by then.
Before getting it, Terry Brennen had never heard of 'flesh-eating' Vibrio
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its alliance partner BJP are understood to have sought more time from Governor N.N. Vohra on government formation in Jammu and Kashmir even as PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has yet again put the ball in the Centres court saying the situation, in view of the States dissimilar socio-economic and political dimensions, demands some confidence-building-measures.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and BJPs state president Sat Pal Sharma met Mr. Vohra separately at Raj Bhavan in winter capital Jammu on Tuesday evening to explain their respective party view points on the government formation.
Ms. Mufti was accompanied by PDP vice president Muzaffar Hussain Baig whereas Mr. Sharma was joined at his meeting with the Governor by two senior party colleagues- former deputy chief minister Dr. Nirmal Singh and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma. The leaders of both the parties, which comprised the PDP-BJP coalition government till the passing away of Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, informed the Governor about their respective positions in regard to government formation, a statement issued from Raj Bhavan said.
The Governor had on Sunday night sent fax communications to Ms. Mufti and Mr. Sharma, asking them to clarify by Tuesday evening whether they will form government in the state again or not.
This came soon after Ms. Mufti told a meeting of PDP lawmakers in Srinagar that the party will take a call on government formation only as and when it is confident that the vision and mission of its patron and former Chief Minister Mr. Sayeed will be carried forward and implemented in letter and spirit. She also said that the PDP was not disinclined to form the government but would not do it unless she receives clear-cut and concrete assurances from the alliance partner. Amid looming crisis and the 10-month old alliance between the two parties seemingly coming to the edge, the Governor stepped in to seek clarifications from the alliance partners on the issue of government formation.
PDP leader Ms. Mufti after her meeting with the Governor gave signs of its alliance with the BJP staying intact yet she sought to put the onus on alliance partner BJP saying the situation demands some confidence building measures to be taken by the Centre. The Government of India should initiate Jammu and Kashmir specific CBMs before the formation of government in the state, she told reporters.
Dismissing reports about differences with the BJP, Ms. Mufti said that her father used to say that he didnt join hands with Narendra Modi but with billions of people who elected him as Prime Minister. She added, I dont have that vision nor do I have the experience right now.
She asserted that Jammu and Kashmir being different from other states needs a "good atmosphere, space and a fillip" if a new government is to be formed. She added, There are different challenges in Jammu and Kashmir; there are several forces here which need to be tackled. We need the Centre to be fully with us." Refusing to specify the CBMs, she referred to 'Agenda of the Alliance', the common-minimum programme reached between the two parties for government formation last year, saying it had been firmed up at the highest level by the two sides.
Mr. Singh after BJP leaders meeting with the Governor said, Were in favour of continuing this alliance with the PDP. Asked about Ms. Muftis making government formation subject to announcement of J&K-specific CMBs by the Centre, Mr. Singh said the BJP will take any steps only after the PDP elects its Legislature Party leader and notifies the Governor about it.
Party sources said that the BJP has sought 10 days of time from the Governor on government formation. Ahead of their meetings with the Governor, Mr. Singh met the PDP president at the state guest house in Jammu reportedly to urge her to seek more time from him so that the issues that may be interfering in their relationship are discussed at ease. He also conveyed an important message from party high command, the BJP sources said.
Mr. Singh was among four senior BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir who met BJP president Amit Shah and its national general secretary Ram Madhav in Delhi on Monday evening to explain ground realities in the State and the line of thinking in the partys state unit on the issue. Later Mr. Shah closeted with Prime Minister, Mr. Modi, to discuss the issues.
Later on Tuesday Ms. Mufti said in a statement that she told the Governor that the PDP wants a government that will actively address the plethora of problems confronting Jammu and Kashmir and for this Central government shall have to take some concrete confidence building measures.
She said most of the crucial political, economic and administrative issues that need immediate attention through tangible CMBs, both by the State and the Central government, have already been emphasized in the Agenda of Alliance and if implemented with sincerity of purpose these could to a large extent respond to the complex problems of J&K, faced as it is with decades long political uncertainty, economic disempowerment, development deficit, unfulfilled aspirations and mounting unemployment.
It was the credibility and stature of Mufti Sahib that despite facing enormous resource constraints and frequent unsettling issues during the past 10 months, he kept the things moving on the governance and development fronts and even ventured out into the areas in Kashmir, especially in Srinagar, where no mainstream politician would dare to go, she said and added that although PDP faced various challenges in the ten months of its alliance with BJP, unfortunately, Mufti Sahibs resolute decision was not reciprocated by the Central government, the way he expected it to be. She also said, It is not about the BJP and PDP, it is about formation of a government in J&K which will pull the State out of the morass.
She said if a government is to be formed in the State, it will have to take tangible measures to address the causes of alienation, trust and development deficit in Jammu and Kashmir and work towards finding a long-lasting solution to the problem plaguing the State for the past more than six decades.
Today, it is not about the BJP and PDP. It is about what we tell the people about fulfilling Mufti Sahibs vision. We need tangible confidence building measures to be taken by the Central government to give the new government in J&K a fillip, she said and added the Centre needs to create an environment to infuse confidence, and unless that happens, we cannot move forward.
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Tom Slater, Naples
Apology in order
Last year, anti-choice activists from the Center for Medical Progress publicized videos purportedly showing officials of Planned Parenthood discussing the sale of body parts for research. Planned Parenthood protested that the videos had been tampered with and were false, that there were no such offers by their organization.
Republican politicians jumped on those videos to attack Planned Parenthood and women's right to choose, rallying their followers to condemn Roe vs. Wade.
In response, the Harris County, Texas district attorney convened a grand jury to indict Planned Parenthood. But, lo, the grand jury proved not as gullible as the Republican politicians.
After an investigation, the grand jury instead indicted employees of the Center for Medical Progress on a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record and a misdemeanor count related to purchasing human organs. Elsewhere it was reported that the so-called Center for Medical Progress was created a few years earlier for the sole purpose of defaming Planned Parenthood.
As to the Republican candidates willing to force another government shutdown to achieve defunding of Planned Parenthood over this cooked-up issue, don't expect an apology, or even an admission that they had swallowed and recklessly endorsed phony evidence.
The Ignite SparkSWFL breakfast held Wednesday, January 27 raised over $40,000 to invest in Southwest Floridas women and girls.Over 100 Ignite SparkSWFL Founders and donors matched the grant funds underwritten by United Way of Collier County and Naples United Church of Christ. The event launched a new initiative of the Womens Foundation of Southwest Florida to educate the community about issues impacting women and girls and empower Southwest Florida leaders to change outcomes for local women in need. Comerica Bank was the event's Title Sponsor held at Talis Park Vyne House in Naples, Florida. Hodges University and Florida Community Bank were presenting sponsors.
Teresa Younger, President of Ms. Foundation for Women and keynote speaker, advised women to "Take your seat at the table. Not the seat in the back for the room, the less obvious place to be noticed but your rightful seat. If the table is filled, pull up a chair. If there is no more space, get a bigger table. If the room is full, get a bigger venue!"
Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida will apply the funds to signature programs such as Baby Think It Over. Pace Centers for Girls in Lee and Collier in Immokalee will invest in programs to offer a healthy healing environment to their clients. For more information the agency websites are:
http://gsgcf.org/
http://www.pacecenter.org/locations/lee
http://www.pacecenter.org/locations/collier-at-immokalee
We believe the best way to drive change in the community is to unite forces to address critical issues, says Steve Sanderson, President, and CEO of United Way of Collier County, who contributed $10,000 to match SparkSWFL Founder's contributions.
The next steps for Ignite SparkSWFL Founders will direct and leverage over $20,000 also raised at the Ignite SparkSWFL event to the 2016 PopUps - Philanthropy On Purpose United People Spontaneously - grant cycle to support nonprofits in Southwest Florida that support women and girls. You can be a part of the solution. Help us ignite philanthropy! Connect with us via email at contact@fundwomenfl.org or call 239- 908-0301.
The Womens Foundation of Southwest Florida Is the only non-profit in Southwest Florida focused exclusively on women and girls and was the first to publish academic research assessing the status of women in the five county region. Signature programs include #StopSellingOurKids, Kiva Zip Mico-Loan Program and PopUps. The Board of Directors will build a $5 million endowed organization dedicated to the advancement of women and girls in Southwest Florida by 2020. With this sustained funding source, the Womens Foundation of Southwest Florida will make significant and sustainable investments in collaborative partnerships, create and fund innovative solutions to complex problems and deliver measurable impact. The Womens Foundation of Southwest Florida welcomes financial contributions to support key initiatives at www.FundWomenFL.org or via email contact@FundWomenFL.org. Follow the Women's Foundation online at http://facebook.com/womensfundfl and on http://twitter.com/womensfundfl.
Disclaimer: WFSWFL is not affiliated with Spark and Spark is not a sponsor of the Spark SWFL event.
American Banker Regulatory Symposium. Se. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Richard Cordray, Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Marriott Gateway Hotel, Sept. 24, 2013 Alexandria VA Rick Reinhard 2013 email rick@rickreinhard.com Rick Reinhard/ Rick Reinhard 2013
WASHINGTON PHH Corp. has been ordered to pay $109 million over allegations that it illegally accepted kickbacks on reinsurance premium payments after Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray partially overruled a decision previously made by an administrative law judge.
Cordray issued the decision Thursday, agreeing with an administrative law judge who found last year that PHH (and several related companies) received mortgage kickbacks in the form of reinsurance payments from insurers to which it had referred customers. The judge tied the violations to reinsurance premiums paid and to loans that closed since July 21, 2008.
But Cordray's final decision expanded the scope of the allegations, saying PHH's violations occurred more often than the judge ruled and dated back to loans that closed earlier than the 2008 date.
Beyond the court's findings, "I now conclude that PHH committed a separate violation of RESPA [Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act] every time it accepted a reinsurance payment from a mortgage insurer," said Cordray in his final decision. "That means PHH is liable for each payment it accepted on or after July 21, 2008, even if the loan with which that payment was associated had closed prior to that date."
The CFPB has an internal administrative proceeding process that it can use to file a case against a company. An administrative law judge from the CFPB's Office of Administrative Adjudication then makes a recommendation to the director, who can accept or overrule it.
In the PHH case, Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot issued a recommendation in November 2014 that found that PHH had violated RESPA by accepting kickbacks through a subsidiary company. Judge Elliot's decision, however, limited the violations to the kickbacks the subsidiary received that were tied to loans that closed after July 21, 2008. But Cordray ruled Thursday that Judge Elliot had "misunderstood" another case that was about one-time kickback payments to a title insurer, which became the basis for his decision on PHH.
"The ALJ incorrectly held that PHH violated section 8 (of RESPA) only at the very moment that a particular loan closed, not each time the mortgage insurer forwarded a premium payment to" a PHH subsidiary called Atrium, Cordray said. "Here, the mortgage insurers made a series of separate kickback payments to Atrium, and each was a separate violation."
PHH and related the parties involved PHH Mortgage Corp., PHH Home Loans LLC, Atrium Insurance Corp. and Atrium Reinsurance Corp. were the first group to appeal to the agency's administrative enforcement process. As part of his decision, Cordray denied that appeal.
Instead, Cordray ordered PHH to pay $109 million, representing the amount of reinsurance premiums it received beginning July 21, 2008. The CFPB will then send the money to the Treasury Department, an agency spokesperson said.
PHH was also prohibited from continuing such practices. All of the named entities tied to the PHH order were banned for 15 years from entering into any captive reinsurance agreement as well as referring consumers to a real estate settlement service provider if that provider is paying PHH for any service or referral.
PHH issued a statement on Thursday taking issue with Cordray's decision, and vowing to appeal it to an appeals court.
"We strongly disagree with the decision of the Director. We believe this decision is inconsistent with the facts and is not in accord with well-settled legal principles and interpretations," the company said in an emailed statement. "We continue to believe we complied with RESPA and other laws applicable to our mortgage reinsurance activities."
PHH said it "did not provide reinsurance on loans originated after 2009."
"We intend to file an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals," PHH said. "While there can be no assurances as to the final outcome of any such appeal, we believe our appeal will be successful and, as a result, are not adjusting our previously issued earnings guidance for this matter."
It may not be cost effective for a third party to monitor the quality of collateral in prime jumbo residential mortgage bonds, but they may have a role to play in deals backed by riskier loans.
Clayton Holdings said Monday that it had been selected by Angel Oak Capital Advisors to be the representation-and-warranty reviewer for a $150.4 million private-label securitization of nonprime loans.
The transaction, which was closed in December, is comprised of 555 nonprime whole loans originated by two of Angel Oak Capital's affiliate companies: Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions and Angel Oak Home Loans.
Clayton will provide an independent review of certain loans based on triggers defined within the transaction documents. In the event that a loan becomes seriously delinquent or is liquidated with a realized loss, Clayton will complete a set of tests designed to determine whether the loan complied with the representations and warranties made about the loans to the trust and whether any observed test failure represents a material breach.
Following Clayton's reporting of a material breach, the trustee could then request repurchase or other remedy from the representation provider.
"We selected Clayton for this role based on the company's extensive experience in loan reviews and private-label securitization," said John Hsu, head of capital markets at Angel Oak.
It's not clear how risky the loans are, but the role appears to be somewhat narrower than the "transaction manager" role that was being widely discussed at this time last year. In a report published in June 2015, Fitch Ratings said a transaction manager would be responsible for coordinating with all other transaction parties, including servicers, trustees, custodians, specialty vendors and investors. It would have the ability to replace underperforming servicers, which would heighten servicer accountability and mitigate losses on distressed loans.
In the report, Fitch concluded that it probably wasn't cost effective to have someone in this role on deals backed by high-quality loans, at least in a benign credit environment. And to date, not a single sponsor of prime jumbo deals has hired one. However, several recent securitizations of loans that were once delinquent but are now current have had third parties play a role similar to Clayton's.
"One of the headwinds that has slowed the return of nonprime private-label securitization has been a concern over whether the trustee adequately represents the interests of the investors over the life of the deal," said Mark Hughes, executive vice president at Clayton, in the press release. "By formally naming a representation and warranty reviewer, Angel Oak has proactively addressed this concern. Going forward, we expect this kind of function to be included in other nonprime securitizations."
Hyderabad: Over 1,800 voters of Roshandowla Colony (ward no. 16) in Hasthinapuram boycotted voting on Tuesday and protested in front of the polling station asking the collector or MRO to promise development in the ward.
The residents complained that they had been neglected by the previous TDP corporator Mr Rama Reddy for over five years, and though funds were released for sewerage, roads and water, nothing had reached the ward.
Over 800 families living in Roshandowla Colony have been facing severe problems with snakes and stray dogs. The DRO later intervened and promised funds for development.
Up till noon on Tuesday, only 99 votes were recorded in the ward. Colony resident Mr K. Srinivas said, Its a 30-year-old colony and defence establishments are adjacent to it. For every development (including building constructions) the Defence centres need to be kept in mind".
"Whenever we approached the corporator he would say that funds had been released and were with the collector. Several times residents had protested at the collectorate but there was zero response", Srinivas said.
"We have no sewerage, water connection, no road connectivity, and are facing increasing number of dog and snake bite cases. Even the ground water is contaminated", added Srinivas.
The colony falls under the Saroornagar mandal revenue office. Earlier this ward was under L.B. Nagar but after delimitation it is now under Hasthinapuram division.
Residents protested at the polling station till 3 pm, demanding the collector to assure ward development.
Children often fall sick due to water contamination and no one attended to the dog and snake menace, many a times snakes have entered the colony temple. The open drain is a proof of how the ward has ben neglected, said a resident.
Towards the end of the voting schedule the deputy revenue officials assured the residents that funds would be released and works would be executed.
Soon after this assurance, few protesting residents went ahead voted.
Rating:
ASUS, the company more known for its laptops and gaming peripherals, jumped into the smartphone division and managed to raise eyebrows in the budget segment. With the launch of the Zenfone series, the Taiwan-based tech company began climbing its way into the industry and started leaving its mark sooner than expected. With a sturdy and unique design and Intels Atoms and Qualcomms Snapdragons under the hood, ASUS soon became one of the recommended smartphones in each segment.
Towards the end of January 2016, ASUS announced its first, and one of the best innovations in the smartphone segment yet, a high-end photography-centric handset, the Zenfone Zoom. Though there are other premium smartphones under the Zenfone brand, the Zoom commands the flagship title simply because of a powerful hardware under the hood and a 3x optical zoom camera on its hump. So what does the Zoom show off and is it something greatlets find out.
For many who must have previously witnessed the Zenfone series, this one may seem a tiny bit different. Though the rear panel is something you may have never seen on any smartphone before, the front panel will immediately spell out an ASUS Zenfonethanks to the iconic ASUS design with the concentric-circle detailing just below the display panel. The anodized chassis is made of metal with a sand-blasted finish and a chiselled edge that flushes with the display and the rear panel.
The right side features all the basic, necessary controls. Including the usual power and volume, the manufacturer has also provided two individual physical camera buttonsone each for the shutter release and video recording. A well thought of feature especially for a smartphone that has been designed with concentration on the camera. On the bottom lies the micro USB port and a microphone along with a slot for using a wrist strap (something that other smartphone manufacturers seem to have wiped out totally). The top features a secondary microphone and an audio jack as usual. Sadly, ASUS has not placed an IR module for using the device as a remote control.
The rear panel features the primary camera, a twin LED dual-tone flash and the mono speaker.
Moving on to the rear panel, you will notice a difference in design altogether. ASUS has tried to concentrate on the looks of the smartphone to be similar to that of a camera. The unique circular design around the camera gives the Zoom a premium look. To add to the premium look, the rear panel (basically made of plastic) is coated with a layer of thin, handcrafted leather. The rear panel features the primary camera, a twin LED dual-tone flash and the mono speaker. The rear panel is also designed well so that the camera lens is not damaged when the phone is kept on its back. Below the rear panel are two slots, one each for the Micro SIM card and the Micro SD storage card. The NFC antenna is built into the rear panel and is fused on the back side of the plastic.
The ASUS Zenfone Zoom measures 11.95 mm thick and weighs a hefty 185g. (Ouch!)
Under the hood is a powerful Intel processor which is as good as the one that you would find in standard entry-level laptops. With an Intel Atom Quad Core Z3590 processor guzzling at a whopping 2.5GHz along with PowerVR 6430 graphics unit and 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, the Zenfone Zoom is sure to keep you up and running smoothly and in full speed. To add to the performance, ASUS has also provided a whopping 128GB of internal storage which is further expandable using a micro SD card (up to 128GB). This means, you can hold a maximum of (up to) 200GB+ of photos, videos, movies and music on your smartphone and wont need to backup anything for longer periods.
ASUS seems to have given the product a good thought on the storage front. Since the device is aimed more towards photography, the storage requirements are sufficiently met. To make the deal even sweeter, ASUS has also provided a lifetime free storage of 5GB on its own cloud (ASUS WebStorage) and an additional 100GB of ASUS WebStorage for 2 years from registration. This deal gets even sweeter when you start the phone for the first timeASUS also helps you gain additional free 100GB of Google storage for two years. What more do you needa whopping 300+ gigabytes of storage is what you get on buying this device.
On the bottom lies the micro USB port and a microphone along with a slot for using a wrist strap (something that other smartphone manufacturers seem to have wiped out totally).
The new Intel Atom chip is tuned to give you better performance (of up to 37% increase) and better power saving (up to 50%).
Moving ahead, the ASUS Zenfone Zoom provides 2G/3G and 4G network compatibility along with Wi-Fi connectivity 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac on the connectivity front. As for the display, I thought ASUS would give us a little better as the competition has already stepped on the future, but they did not. The Zenfone Zoom features a Full HD 1920x1080 pixel display in a 5.5-inch panel and protected with a Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Though the Gorilla Glass 4 is supposed to be stronger (better scratch resistance) than the predecessor, Glass 3, our take on the same is in the other direction. My Zooms (review unit) display was easily scratched within the first two days itself. I am pretty sure I was careful with the handling of the device, but am still clueless about how that scratch got there. In fact, I personally own a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge with Gorilla Glass 4 and also found scuffs on the display. My previous Samsung (Galaxy S4) handset is still going strong with a Gorilla Glass 3 and has absolutely no scratches, even though I dont use a screen guard. Well, I am still clueless.
On the rear panel, you will notice a difference in design altogether. ASUS has tried to concentrate on the looks of the smartphone to be similar to that of a camera.
The ASUS Zenfone ZOOM is powered by a 3000mAh Li-Polymer battery and is non-removable. The battery should provide you a comfortable full-day use since ASUS has managed to fix dome of the battery drain issues found in the earlier Zenfone 2 series.
As for the performance of the Zoom, I had absolutely no complaints. The powerful processor with 4GB of RAM operates smoothly and multitasking was absolutely good too. However, I am yet to witness the performance after a few months of usage when the demand of applications increase with the next version of Android being loaded on the device. ASUS is yet to serve the latest Android Marshmallow and the device is still running on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) out of the box.
The display is crisp and clear with great viewing angles and vibrant colours. The brightness and contrast a well balanced and watching a movie, viewing photos or playing games are good enough. The only place I was disappointed was when I took the device in broad sunlightI could just not see anything on the display. The display visibility is pretty bad in bright sunlight even with the display brightness turned up to the highest.
As for the usual feature-list, I did have a word with the ASUS team about features that are (probably) missing or indirectly the ones that they could have actually implemented. Firstly, since the ASUS Zenfone Zoom is proclaimed to be a near DSLR-like smartphone, it lacks a proper flash similar to those seen on conventional cameras. ASUS could have introduced a xenon flash into the body itself, but has opted to sell the Zenflash separately. The company has places an offer on the Zoomfor an additional price, you can have the Zenflash and a mini tripod bundled with the phone during purchase. Though the deal is a steal, I still think ASUS could have done it better. Lastly, since the Taiwan-based tech giant stressed on the Zoom having PC-like hardware, I still think they should have shipped it with a Windows operating system rather than going with Android. This would (probably) make it a nice combination of a mini PC and a camera in a pocket-able smartphone. Simply connect a keyboard, mouse and a display and you can have a full-fledged desktop-like PC on your desk.
ASUS has also worked a little more on the sound output for the device. The built-in speaker (featured on the rear panel) is not a conventional speaker like those found on other smartphones. The one on the ZOOM features a five-magnet speaker system with ASUS-exclusive SonicMaster 2.0 technology. This is to ensure better bass and voice clarity. The speaker also uses a dedicated sound chamber for better audio performance. Clubbed along with AudioWizard 2.0, a powerful audio suite, ASUS has aimed for better audio enhancement while gaming and watching movies.
The user interface on the Zoom is ASUSs own ZenUI. The UI is crisp and clean with a lot of themes and fun elements. The UI also holds a load of useful tools and apps which can be beneficial for daily use.
The user interface on the Zoom is ASUSs own ZenUI. The UI is crisp and clean with a lot of themes and fun elements. The UI also holds a load of useful tools and apps which can be beneficial for daily use. However, there are many out there who may either find these apps useless or will want to use their own preferred apps, thus making these apps as good as bloatware. Sadly, ASUS has given no option to uninstall these apps, but only disable them, utilizing precious data space on the app zone. The ZenUI features the following: Touch Gesture, Tap-tap Motion, Motion Gesture, PhotoEffects, PhotoCollage, MiniMovie, ZenCircle, Launcher, Themes, Font, Color Style, Bluelight Filter Mode, SnapView, Easy Mode, Kids Mode, Power Saving, Browser and Private Contact and Messaging.
The rear panel is also designed well so that the camera lens is not damaged when the phone is kept on its back.
Now heading to the main USP of the Zoomthe camera. The ASUS Zenfone Zoom features a 13MP with an aperture of f/4.8, clubbed along with a 10-element Hoya lens with a 4-stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). The 13MP camera is a little less for a smartphone camera that hopes step into the DSLR segment. The camera has an optical zoom of 3x and a digital zoom of 12x, giving you the ability to zoom into a subject from a distance without losing out on image quality. The camera also features a laser-assisted focussing system which can quickly focus on a subject ion under 0.03 seconds. The camera also uses a twin (dual-colour) LED flash for enhancing real tones on portraits and close-ups. ASUS has also implemented Back Light (HDR) mode with ASUS PixelEnhancing Technology for up to 400% brighter images than usual and also a low light mode with ASUS PixelMaster Technology for better photo capture in low light environments. The low light mode automatically flashes to alert you when the ambiance light is low. Additional features of the camera include a super resolution mode for photos up to 52MP resolutions. The Zoom also features DLSR-like camera features, which includes a manual mode for better control on the shutter speed, EV, ISO, white balance and auto focus area.
As for the cameras performance, I would say that ASUSs development team has definitely done great job. Photos taken by the Zoom are crisp, sharp and clear with a great balance of brightness, contrast and colours. Photos come out rich and vibrant and the camera handles the intake of light with finesse. However, though the low light mode is said to give you the ability of capturing a subject in low light environments, the photos still come out with a lot of noise. The low light photos are also restricted to a 3MP resolution. Though the photos are viewable, they are not usable for printing and alike.
The Zoom also features DLSR-like camera features, which includes a manual mode for better control on the shutter speed, EV, ISO, white balance and auto focus area. The low light mode automatically flashes to alert you when the ambiance light is low.
In broad daylight, photos are great. Zooming into a subject with the optical zoom feature gives you better photos as compared to conventional high-end smartphone cameras without an optical zoom lens. Macro modes are even greatwith a minimum distance of 5cm from the lens, the Zoom can take excellent macro (close up) photos with great ease. Before I leave you with a few too many samples of photos captured by the Zenfone Zoom, here is a list of features from the camera modesReal Time Beautification, Night mode, Depth of field, Selfie mode, Photo Effects, Panorama mode, Miniature, Time Rewind, Smart Remove, All Smiles and Time Lapse, including video modes of 1080p full HD capture with 60 fps. The front camera of the Zenfone Zoom features a 5MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and a wide angle selfie capture capability of up to 14-degrees with low light, time lapse, HDR and GIF animation options. Finally, check out the images I managed to shoot with the Zoom.
Problems with the camera: As for the issues I noted with the camera (or the app in reality), the Zooms camera was a bit erratic when switching between modes. Especially when using the manual mode, you tend to set the camera's ISO, shutter and other areas to get that perfect shot. But when you switch back to auto mode, the manual mode settings remain on the auto mode and the camera is not able to set the values according to the automatic AI mode. This leaves you with possibilities of bad and dull images if you have not reset the cameras settings in manual mode before switching to another mode. The same issue was also noted in the earlier Zenfone models, which means that the camera app needs to be worked on by the ASUS team. I did get a firmware update after two days of receiving the phone for a review, but the issue still exists. Hopefully ASUSs team releases a camera patch at the earliest.
Another issue I faced was that the camera takes quite a while to start up from the time you click on the camera icon. The lag is not something that I like and would definitely tend to lose my desired shot before the camera is even ready.
Lastly, I also noticed that the optical zoom is pretty slow when used from the display (pinch to zoom feature). It takes a while for the lens to zoom in after using it from the display. However, when using the physical volume buttons, the zoom is faster.
The camera also tends to heat up after a while, but marginally. However, it should not be much of a concern and is pretty expected from a high-end device and an aluminium body.
Hope ASUS rectifies these minor issues in its next software patch.
Expectations: As mentioned earlier, I thought the Zenfone Zoom would probably ship the Zoom with a Windows operating system as the company touts it similar to a PC-like device since it features desktop-equivalent hardware. Also the Zoom could have incorporated the Zenflash (or a xenon flash) within the unit itself.
Verdict: The ASUS Zenfone Zoom is a great smartphone for travellers. Ample storage, powerful hardware and a great camera, all packed into one single portable device makes it a true value for those who are constantly on the move and need to travel light. The performance of the device and the camera put together make the ASUS Zenfone Zoom a must have smartphone, but the price seems to be a tad too heavy on the pocket. If you have a large enough wallet and are looking for a great all-in-one gadget, then the ASUS Zenfone Zoom should be on your shopping list. The ASUS Zenfone Zoom is available for an MRP of Rs 37,999, and for an additional Rs 2,000, the smartphone is clubbed along with a Zenflash and a mini (portable) travel tripod.
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The total budget for fiscal year 2017 will be $583 billion, Carter said, far surpassing that of any other country and exceeding the combined defense spending of the next eight biggest militaries in the world. (Photo: AP)
Washington: US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday announced a big boost in military spending to counter Russia and raise the US presence in eastern Europe, while also stepping up the fight against the Islamic State group.
The total budget for fiscal year 2017 will be $583 billion, Carter said, far surpassing that of any other country and exceeding the combined defense spending of the next eight biggest militaries in the world.
The budget includes $3.4 billion -- quadruple the amount spent last year -- for operations in Europe to deter Russian "aggression," Carter said.
"We're reinforcing our posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia's aggression," Carter said.
"That'll fund a lot of things. More rotational US forces in Europe, more training and exercises with our allies, more prepositioned warfighting gear, and infrastructure improvements to support it."
Additionally, the United States will spend $7.5 billion -- a 50 percent increase from last year -- to fund the fight against the Islamic State group. He noted that the 18-month US-led air campaign against the jihadists in Iraq and Syria has depleted US bomb stocks.
"We've recently been hitting ISIL with so many GPS-guided smart bombs and laser-guided rockets that we're starting to run low on the ones we use against terrorists the most," Carter said, using an acronym for the IS group.
"So we're investing $1.8 billion dollars in 2017 to buy over 45,000 more of them."
He also said America would continue to invest in futuristic technologies such as the rail-gun, which can shoot projectiles at a massive velocity, and swarming micro-drones.
Rates for cancer in children on the rise
How this third grader helped the cause
Something to take home
(NaturalNews) Meet Lauren LaRay, a third grade honor roll student from Las Vegas, who recently impressed the world by getting involved in the fight against cancer . The cute and very bright 8-year-old girl has her very own YouTube channel Tutorials by Lauren LaRay. Here, she uploads videos wherein she teaches other girls her own age to craft different things. Why? Because she loves videos and she also loves helping others.Recently, however, Lauren learned something terrible about her best friend's little sister, who has cancer and started losing her hair as a result of the chemotherapy treatment. The matter did not pass unnoticed for Lauren, who was inspired to use her hobby in order to help other young girls with cancer.According to the American Cancer Society , more than 1 million people in the United States get cancer every year. Here, one of every four deaths is due to cancer. Although only 1% of all yearly discovered cancers represent childhood cancers , the rates have been increasing throughout the past decade. In 2016, it is expected that approximately 10,380 children under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with some form of the disease.It seems incredibly unlikely that a healthy child would develop cancer, and yet this represents the second leading cause of death in children in the United States. Due to the fact that cancer prevention is still a rather uncharted territory, children who are diagnosed with the disease and their parents are forced to turn to oncology and chemotherapy for hope.Nausea and vomiting, fatigue, anemia, loss of appetite and depression, are all reported side effects of chemotherapy. Although it has no direct impact on their physical health, many young girls who suffer from cancer find it extremely difficult to deal with alopecia, or hair loss. Lauren LaRay's friend was no exception.However, Lauren quickly came up with a solution, when she decided to create a beautiful wig for her best friend's sister. And she did not stop there. On the contrary, she was inspired to create another 30 equally charming wigs for other girls who suffer from the effects of chemotherapy. With the help of a GoFundMe Campaign , Lauren managed to raise $720, which she will use to purchase the materials she needs for her wigs. By June, she hopes to donate all 30 wigs to the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, not because she is looking for fame or favoritism, but because she wants to give these little girls a reason to smile.Lauren's kind gesture did not go unnoticed. Jeff Gordon, the President and CEO of the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, explained that little girls suffering from cancer are very much affected by the subsequent loss of hair. He commended Lauren for her kind intentions, and assured her that the wigs she created would definitely bring some normality back to the lives of his young patients.If nothing else, Lauren's donation teaches us that kindness and compassion for others have no age restrictions. She has also showed the world that it doesn't take a billionaire to start a charity. All it took for her to commit to the project was a bit of empathy for her friend, a little financial aid from other YouTubers and the hard work she put into the wigs themselves.At the end of the day, although it might not seem like much, Lauren's contribution will offer a few moments of hope to the little girls who need it the most.
The potential spread of ISIS to Libya, where rival factions are struggling to form a united government nearly five years after a Western coalition helped topple dictator Muammar Gaddafi, will feature prominently, a senior US official said. (Photo: AP)
Rome: Nearly two dozen nations gather on Tuesday to plot their fight against the ISIS militant group in Syria and Iraq and how to choke off its rise in Libya.
The meeting takes place as talks have begun in Geneva to try to end the five-year Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in the United States and Russia on opposite sides.
Twenty-three nations from the wider Global Coalition to Counter ISIL will review their efforts to regain Syrian and Iraqi territory from the jihadist group and to discuss ways to curb its wider influence, notably in Libya, officials said.
While Washington has long said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead, it has made clear that its first priority is to try to rein in militants from the ISIS group, which is also known as ISIL.
US officials said the Pentagon's fiscal year 2017 budget will call for more than $7 billion to fight ISIS, up roughly a third from the previous year's request to Congress.
Tuesday's meeting will cover stabilising areas such as the Iraqi city of Tikrit, which has been wrested from the group, as well as broader efforts to undercut its finances, stem the flow of foreign fighters and counter its messaging, officials said.
The potential spread of ISIS to Libya, where rival factions are struggling to form a united government nearly five years after a Western coalition helped topple dictator Muammar Gaddafi, will feature prominently, a senior US official said.
"Where they control territory is where it gets on our radar screen," he told reporters, saying the group was trying to seize parts of Libya, notably Sirte, and Washington would work with the Libyans and coalition partners to try to prevent that.
Despite the focus on Libya, Syria and Iraq remain the main theaters of action against ISIS.
Syrian government troops and allied fighters captured hilly countryside near Aleppo on Monday, putting a key supply route used by opposition forces into firing range, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
Rebels said the offensive was being conducted with massive Russian air support, despite a promise of goodwill steps by the Syrian government to spur the peace talks, which UN envoy Staffan de Mistura declared had begun on Monday.
Opposition official Monzer Makhous accused De Mistura of overstepping by declaring peace talks had begun and said the government must within days declare its willingness to stop attacking civilians and allow humanitarian access.
"We are here for a few days. Just to be clear, only a few days," Monzer told Reuters Television "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."
'I'd walk a mile for a Camel'
Cigarette tar causes fatal cancer in mice
American tobacco execs suppressed work of German scientists who proved smoking caused cancer
(NaturalNews) One of the most compelling pieces of work demonstrating the twisted collusion between highly respected scientists and top tobacco execs,, reveals that the science was in on cigarettes long before Americans were privy to it. In fact, German scientists understood smoking caused cancer as early as the 1930s, explaining why Adolf Hitler outlawed smoking in his presence.Authors Naomi Oreskes and Eric Conway revert to 1979 when tobacco industry heads met with marketing pioneer Colin Stokes former chairman of R.J. Reynolds, the company famous for producing the very first cigarette advertisements to discuss their strategy for controlling the science on a product they knew was dangerous. The following is a snippet from the book To read more of this fascinating book, be sure to pick up your copy here
Causes of sex changes in fish
Could this cause sex changes in humans?
(NaturalNews) According to a recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey, male bass are experiencing sex changes due to chemicals that are found in most waterways across Northeast National Wildlife Refuges.Studies have found that up to 85% of male smallmouth bass in the region are demonstrating "characteristics of the opposite sex" including eggs being located where testes should be.This isn't a one off in fact, 27% of largemouth bass in the same region also show undesirable sex change indications. Meanwhile, an earlier report by Natural News states that tiny amounts of estrogen used in birth control pills is making its way into waterways and causing wild fish populations to collapse.With the increasing number of reports around the subject, is it possible that humans are also at risk of unwanted sex changes?It is thought that the natural excretion of synthetic estrogen from birth control pills can be one of the leading causes of sex changes in fish, with male fish becoming feminized once they come into contact with the chemical. This causes them to produce the same hormones that female fish do and develop eggs where their testes should be.The amount of estrogen needed to feminize male fish is thought to be very small, meaning that fish populations can drop quite dramatically after exposure to a small amount of the hormone.Another cause of sex changes in fish is the chemical pollution of water from agricultural runoff containing chemical pesticides like atrazine , which can disrupt the endocrines of fish and other wildlife. Mutations in bass across the U.S. have been successfully correlated with the proportion of agricultural land within the watershed of the area in which they were found, supporting this theory.The most worrying thing is that this is not only true of fish populations near to houses and farms, but also populations in National Parks where the water is thought to be cleaner and less polluted.These sex changes have not just been recorded in fish, but also in frogs, alligators, turtles, quail and rats, with studies into whether the same effects are happening in humans well underway.Most farmland in the U.S. has been in regular contact with atrazine, an odorless white powder which controls weeds and helps crops flourish. Every year, approximately 248 tons of this herbicide becomes airborne and falls into waterways with rainfall, up to 620 miles from the original source.Atrazine and other herbicides can be found in 57% of U.S. streams, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. As atrazine is washed into water systems, it interacts with and boosts the aromatase enzyme in species that come into contact with it. This enzyme leads to an increase in the production of the female hormone estrogen, interfering with natural hormone balances in animals and even humans.Numerous studies around the subject over recent years have found evidence of a reduced sperm count in men from agricultural regions, thought to be caused by exposure to atrazine and other herbicides. The European Union has banned atrazine altogether due to its ability to contaminate water and interrupt endocrine systems, and the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency has recently announced a review of the herbicide because of human health concerns.The sex changes seen in fish are a strong indication that something is very wrong with our waterways and there is a good chance it is affecting humans too.1. USGS.gov 2. WashingtonPost.com 3. NaturalNews.com 4. ScientificAmerican.com
Just months after GM mosquito release, thousands of babies born with defects in Brazil
Despite health problems, some still embrace a genetically-modified world
(NaturalNews) The latest virus understandably striking fear among the masses is the Zika virus , known to cause birth defects and neurological problems. In fact, what started most recently as an issue primarily in Brazil, where some 4,000 babies were born with microcephaly since October 2015 (a defect in which the head is significantly smaller than normal), is said to likely reach pandemic levels.In fact, it's already reached the United States. "We are aware of one case in Massachusetts, a person who had traveled to an area where we already know Zika is being transmitted," says Dr. Larry Madoff, director of the Division of Epidemiology and Immunization at the Department of Public Health. The Boston, Massachusetts, man is expected to recover from the virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and in some cases, sexual activity.Of course, experts such as those at the World Health Organization (WHO) have been meeting to get to the bottom of the crisis. However, they may only need to go back as far as the release of GM mosquitoes in Brazil in 2015, just mere months before people in that region began giving birth to babies with serious defects.Case in point: Oxitec, a company that calls itself "... a pioneer in controlling insects that spread disease and damage crops," unveiled its GM mosquito farm in Brazil in July 2012. Its goal was to reduce dengue fever, a disease which is spread by the Aedes mosquitoes which also spread the Zika virus. Then, in 2015, these GM mosquitoes were released into the wild in Brazil. In July that same year, the release was declared a success by the company, who noted that they'd been able to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads dengue fever, chikungunya ... and the Zika virus. However, in October, people in the general area where the mosquitoes were released began to experience illnesses related to the Zika virus at alarmingly fast rates.Indeed, it would appear that once again man's need to create a Franken-environment has created what might end up becoming a global pandemic.After all, the series of events is logical. The Zika virus was first discovered in 1947, and since then, only a few cases occasionally appeared. Throughout the years, some additional cases popped up, but nothing nearly as devastating as what's taking place today. Again, 4,000 babies in Brazil have been born with defects since October 2015 the same year that GM mosquitoes were released into the wild, in the very same area where the problems are now occurring.Coincidence? We think not.The health effects that develop when humans tamper with everything around them happens time and again. It's everywhere, from the chemical violence that Monsanto unleashes and people's bad farming practices, to the vaccines and the release of genetically modified mosquitoes. People are becoming ill because of all the harmful things they're breathing, eating and getting poked and prodded with on a daily basis, and it's virtually never-ending.Sadly, an article intitled, "This Is How to Stop the Zika Virus," touts the benefits (benefits?) of GM practices. The author states that embracing such methods could very well help keep the virus at bay."As the situation worsens, several technological approaches may start to look appealing," author Michael Reilly writes. "Genetically modified mosquitoes could also have a role to play. Successful tests in the Cayman Islands and Brazil have shown that the introduction of modified male mosquitoes can cause local populations to crash. But these tests, conducted by the British firm Oxitec, have so far been on the scale of a few neighborhoods. Ramping up the process to cover all of Brazil would require a huge logistical effort to grow and distribute the modified insects."Ramping up? Sure, let's put more unnatural things into the world, focusing on a place that's already grappling with a serious health problem, that was likely sparked by genetic modification to begin with.It's a backwards world, indeed.Many technologies and various inventions have created wonderful benefits for this planet. Genetically modified foods and animals are not one of them.(1) HealthNutNews.com (2) NECN.com (3) Oxitec.com (4) TechnologyReview.com
Even the CDC could not narrow down E. coli to an ingredient source
Chipotle very likely increasing its own operational security
Why the biotech industry is trying to destroy ethical food companies like Chipotle
(NaturalNews) After months of investigation, the CDC has now reached a conclusion that provides yet more support for the likelihood that Chipotle was, which targeted Chipotle because of its non-GMO menu.On December 23 of last year, I wrote about the likelihood of bioterrorism as the cause of Chipotle's E. coli problem , pointing out that corporate sabotage was 100% consistent with the actions of the biotech industry and its criminal-minded "mafia" of operatives (see MonsantoMafia.com for a list of all the "mafia" members). That article was predictably downplayed by the mainstream media, whose journalists remain absolutely clueless about the death threats, censorship, defamation and other dirty tactics routinely used by biotech industry shills to silence opposition.But now the CDC has reached a conclusion in its investigation of Chipotle that further supports my original contention. "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," reports The New York Times . "[I]nvestigators were unable to specify the food or ingredient responsible for the contamination."To investigate the E. coli problem,and each food source in order to try to find one common cause for the E. coli contamination. But all their tests turned up negative. The stunning upshot of this is thatWhy wasn't it found in any particular food source? The answer is simple: because. It was sprayed onto the foods by bioterrorists working for the biotech industry who targeted Chipotle restaurants.This also explains why the strain of E. coli was different from the strain usually found in foods. The most likely explanation is that in planning their corporate sabotage, the biotech bioterrorists, then found a simple mechanism for nebulizing it (spraying it) on Chipotle food materials at targeted Chipotle restaurants. I'm not going to offer any details on how this could be accomplished (I don't want to give food terrorists any ideas), but I assure you it's a very simple matter to accomplish due to the way Chipotle has the fresh food ingredients placed adjacent to the customer line (so that customers can see their foods are being made fresh).Because E. coli was introduced to the Chipotle foods through an act of bioterrorism and not a farm source, the CDC was entirely unable to trace it to any particular ingredient or supplier. The NYT headline says it all: "C.D.C. Unable to Trace Cause of Outbreaks at Chipotle."It is my contention that we have just witnessed America's first act of corporate bioterrorism in the food wars. This fact may never be confirmed with absolute certainty, but now the CDC's own investigation provides further support of this being the most likely explanation.I'd imagine that Chipotle executives are privately taking this possibility very seriously, even if they cannot publicly confirm such consideration. They already know they've been targeted by the vindictive biotech industry, which tried to defame Chipotle with its "Chubby Chipotle" campaign that ridiculously claimed that eating fresh food ingredients would make you fat.Watch for signs of Chipotle boosting its own operational security because of all this. This will likely be reflected in the company's screening and training of its own employees as well as increased video surveillance over its food serving stations.Chipotle is an ethical company with a pioneering vision of what clean fast food should look like. As such, Chipotle is an industry disruptor that threatens the waning dominance of the factory-processed, chemically formulated food giants like McDonald's and KFC. The GMO agri-giants that produce the low-grade ingredients sourced by McDonald's and other fast food giants aren't happy about Chipotle disrupting their "poison for profit" business model, and they've decided to play nasty (which is how the biotech industry operates by default).This means we probably haven't seen the last of corporate-sponsored bioterrorism in America. Watch for more malicious attacks on ethical food companies by the biotech industry, a nefarious cabal of truly evil corporations run by criminal-minded deceivers who have made it their mission toTo learn more about one of the biotech industry's most malicious operators, read these articles on Jon Entine , a former Forbes.com writer who spews false GMO propaganda at every opportunity:Learn more at MonsantoMafia.com and GMO.news The New York Times
The long-running tussle between Herbalife International (NYSE:HLF) and Pershing Square Holdings over the supplement companys business model and the financial firms stock-and-shock accusations has experienced some form of closure, with Herbalife enjoying some vindication. A two-year-long federal investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan into Herbalifes business practices found no evidence Herbalifes multilevel marketing (MLM) business model is fraudulent, but it also found no evidence Pershing and its CEO William Ackman sought to manipulate HLF stock in publicizing allegations against Herbalife. Despite the decision not to bring any charges against either party, two other federal agencies, FTC and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), still have open investigations into Herbalifes business practices and Pershings stock-and-shock tactics.
In a nutshell, Ackman accused Herbalife of being a pyramid scheme and put up $1 billion of Pershings funds to short HLF stock, essentially betting the market would react and HLF stock price would plummet. Herbalife then alleged Ackman and his fund, Pershing Square Capital Management LP, publicly trashed Herbalifes business in order to make money on the shortin a short sale, a party sells borrowed" stocks and then buys actual stock once the price plummets in order to return" the stock to the borrower at a profit.
In this case, Pershing borrowed $1 billion of HLF stock in May 2012 at around $47/share. He said his breakeven price would be somewhere in the low $30s. Following his December 2012 research report blasting Herbalife as a pyramid scheme, HLF stock experienced huge drops and rises over a couple of years, at one point trading as low as Ackmans breakeven level for a moment in January 2015 and as high as more than $80Ackman remained steadfast in his determination to stick out his short despite huge losses on paper. At press time, HLF price was around $47.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney secured and analyzed evidence from both parties including lobbyists and public relations firms representing Herbalife and Pershing, as well as former New York federal prosecutors and SEC officials hired by Herbalife. Neither federal agency commented on the decision to end the investigation without bringing charges.
Both Pershing Square and Herbalife declined to comment on the probe and ongoing saga.
During the breeding season, reed warblers set up a sort of "neighborhood watch," Cambridge University researchers reveal in a new study. This line of defense, they say, is to protect warbler nests from popular parasitic birds, the cuckoos.
Cuckoos are expert tricksters, able to produce eggs of varying color to mimic those of their local hosts'-reed warblers, for example. To best disguise their eggs, cuckoos lay only one egg per nest in a matter of ten seconds - ensuring they aren't spotted by the parents.
However, when a cuckoo chick hatches, it pushes the reed warbler eggs and young out of the nest and tricks warbler 'parents' into raising it to full-fledgling. (Scroll to read more...)
In the latest study, researcher from the University of Cambridge examined the interactions among several neighboring communities of reed warblers and the strategies they used for coping with cuckoos. Using a series of controlled experiments, involving model cuckoos and broadcasts of reed warbler alarm calls, researchers found warblers actually gather information from a variety of local nests, keeping birds up-to-date with the latest threats, according to a news release.
When they aren't doing all that, warblers embark on an annual migration of some 5,000 kilometers, from their West African winter homes to breeding grounds in the north each May. Although it is often difficult for a warbler to distinguish between its own egg and a parasitic cuckoo's, researchers revealed warblers paid close attention to those eggs laid in neighbor nests, and factored this information into their decision on whether or not to eject an egg from their nests..
For example, when reed warblers spot a cuckoo, they may mob it and emit alarm calls that carry up to 40 meters, attracting neighbors to the scene. However, this is insufficient cause for warblers to eject a suspect egg from their own nests.
"We found that warbler pairs ejected an odd egg only when there was strong evidence that it might not be one of their own. For action to be taken, the clues had to add up: the warblers needed to be alerted by their neighbors' behavior that there was a cuckoo at large in the neighborhood and they needed to be aware of a more local and imminent threat, by seeing a cuckoo near their own nest," Rose Thorogood, co-author of the study from Cambridge's Department of Zoology, explained in the release.
In turn, this makes it more difficult for cuckoos to fly under the radar, as their neighborhood is abuzz with information regarding their whereabouts.
"Because the information warfare between cuckoos and their hosts extends well beyond individual interactions, there's pressure on cuckoos to be increasingly secretive, not only to avoid alerting their target host pair, but also other host pairs in the local neighborhood," Thorogood added.
Consequently, cuckoo populations have declined by as much as 60 percent in the last 30 years. Generally between 10 and 20 percent of warbler nests are used by cuckoos. Recently, hwoever, researchers found only two percent of warbler nests host cuckoos.
"Reed warblers are much less likely to eject an egg from their nest today than they were in the 1980s. This makes complete sense. They have matched their behavior to the changing level of risk," co-author Nicholas Davies concluded in the university's release. "Most reed warblers have just one or two summers in which to breed. So every opportunity to mate, construct a nest and raise a clutch of eggs is precious.
"If a pair of warblers mistakenly identifies one of their own eggs as a cuckoo egg and chucks it out, or deserts the nest, the loss is great," he added. "Our work shows how they match their defenses to the risk of parasitism."
Their study was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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Two new tree frog species with gemstone-colored eyes have been discovered in broadleaf forests in the island country of Taiwan. Aside from their dazzling eyes, researchers from the University of Taipei report that these frogs demonstrate a reproductive behavior unlike their siblings from mainland China and Southern Asia: As tadpole embryos they feed on eggs while still inside their mother's womb.
The team of researchers, led by Dr. Shu-Ping Wu, found that one of the species - Kurixalus berylliniris, meaning green-colored iris - primarily dwells on leaves of moist forests in eastern Taiwan. It is a slender-bodies amphibian and females tend to be slightly bigger than males, measuring an average length of 41 and 35 millimeters respectively. Its body matches its emerald eyes, with the exception of its white, speckled belly, according to a news release.
The second new tree frog - Kurixalus wangi - is relatively smaller than its new relatives, with males measuring an average of 30 millimeters and females an average of 34 millimeters, researchers say. This species is characterized by golden-yellow eyes and a distinctive brownish-green upper body with deep brown and black spots and whitish belly and throat.
Both species appear to lay their eggs in tree holes, but during different times of year. The pair is also the first representatives of their genus found in the East-Asian country. However, researchers believe it is unlikely that they are the only ones, indicating there is much more work to be done.
"The actual amphibian species diversity on the island of Taiwan is likely higher than currently thought, given the diverse habitats and the dynamic history of geographic events," researchers wrote. "Although Taiwan is a highly developed island with significant alterations to the natural landscape and destruction of critical habitats for amphibians, it is noteworthy that during the last fifty years, six of the seven newly described frog species in Taiwan were tree frogs inhabiting forested areas."
Their findings were recently published in the journal ZooKeys.
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-Follow Samantha on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13
As Zika virus is expected to spread across nearly all of the Americas, researchers plan to use genetically engineered mosquitoes to stop it in its tracks.
Transmitted through the sting of an infected mosquito, Zika virus is linked to a rare birth defect known as microencephaly - a condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and brains. Currently, there is not a vaccine to help stop the disease from spreading, and what's worse is the World Health Organization estimates that as many as 4 million people could be infected with the virus in the Americas before a vaccine is created.
That's why biologists from the biotech firm Oxitec, based in the United Kingdom, have an alternative plan. Essentially, they want to unleash swarms of genetically engineered mosquitoes into Brazilian jungles to prevent virus-carrying bugs from multiplying.
Researchers explained the mosquitoes, specifically a strain called Aedes aegypti, have been genetically modified to pass on a lethal gene to their offspring after mating with wild individuals. This gene basically causes young mosquitoes to die before they reach reproductive age -- thus reducing populations of virus-carrying bugs and, eventually, the spread of the Zika virus.
"As a vector that transmits a number of serious diseases, the Aedes aegypti mosquito poses a major threat to public health and the economic welfare of nations," Dr. Samuel Broder, Senior Vice President and Head of Intrexon's Health Sector, said in a news release. "Brazil has been hard hit by dengue and the situation there has been aggravated by the recent introduction of Zika virus infections leading to a startling increase in the number of children being born with microcephaly.
"Through the responsible engineering of biology, we demonstrate a new paradigm of species-specific vector control resulting in dramatic reductions of dangerous mosquitoes, without persistence or harm to the ecosystem, representing a major scientific, environmental and clinical advance," he added.
As it turns out, the Aedes aegypti mosquito carries a number of other tropical diseases, including dengue fever. Remarkably, however, researchers were able to reduce virus-carrying mosquito populations by 90 percent or more during trials in Latin America and Asia, Oxitec reported. This suggests genetically modified mosquitoes may be the best line of defense against these serious diseases for which there is no cure.
Currently, the biotech firm plans to expand its existing operations in Brazil, which will allow the company to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in the future.
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The US said it would intensify and accelerate the campaign against ISIL/Daesh in Iraq and Syria (Photo: AP)
Rome: Washington and its allies vowed Tuesday to "accelerate and intensify" the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq but distanced themselves from calls for military action to curb the group's expansion in Libya.
Meeting in Rome, ministers from the 23 countries involved in the US-led coalition battling the extremist group said progress was being made in pushing IS back in Syria and Iraq and cutting off its sources of finance and energy.
And they pledged to step up their action.
"We will intensify and accelerate the campaign against ISIL/Daesh in Iraq and Syria, act in concert to curb its global ambitions, and take every measure to ensure the protection of our citizens," they said in a statement.
"We reaffirm our commitment to deliver a lasting defeat to this barbaric organisation."
The statement expressed concern over "the growing influence" of IS in Libya but stopped short of threatening air strikes. It said only that the allies would "continue to monitor closely developments there, and stand ready to support" a proposed national unity government that is struggling to establish itself.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and US Secretary of State John Kerry opened the talks by telling their allies that IS was adapting to the pressure on its heartland and redirecting its efforts towards Libya and into attacks like those in Paris, Ankara and San Bernadino, California.
"We are surely not here to brag about anything," Kerry cautioned after saying IS fighters have lost 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria.
Gentiloni added: "If anything we need to be ever more wary and more watchful because we know that the more Daesh is squeezed in its core territories, the more tempted it is to pursue its terrorist activities elsewhere.
"We are witnessing renewed activity in Libya and in sub-Saharan Africa," he said.
Within the coalition, Italy has taken the lead in planning how to address the IS threat which is just a short boat ride from its southern shores, in and around the Libyan coastal city of Sirte.
But Rome's focus is firmly on trying to rally the international community behind efforts to get a national unity government established and helping it stabilise a country that descended into chaos after the ouster of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.
Direct military intervention against IS fighters is not on the immediate agenda, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters, rubbishing reports that Paris was pushing for strikes.
"There is absolutely no question of military intervention in Libya," Fabius said. "There is pressure (for that) but that is not the position of the government."
Gentiloni also played down the need for "hasty military intervention."
Washington says it has built a 66-nation coalition to fight the IS group, with Afghanistan becoming the latest country to join, Kerry said.
But a so-called "small group" of 23 nations has taken the lead in carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria and training and arming local forces to fight the jihadists.
Kerry said the effort now needs to be stepped up, citing the example of Washington's deployment of small numbers of special forces troops inside Syria.
The allies need to "push ahead with a strategy we have learned will work and to do so relentlessly, giving Daesh no time to regroup, no place to run, no safe havens in which to hide," he said.
Fabius said France also supported intensified strikes in Syria but suggested "more strategic" targeting was required while peace talks are under way in Switzerland.
"We cannot bomb in Syria and negotiate in Geneva," he said in an explicit allusion to Russia's air campaign in Syria.
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.
An English teacher who was arrested for allegedly helping three inmates escape from the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana will be freed Monday, with District Attorney Tony Rackauckas saying there's insufficient evidence to charge her with a crime.
Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, of Lake Forest, was arrested Thursday for allegedly providing materials such as Google Earth aerial maps of the jail complex to one of the inmates -- Hossein Nayeri, 37, of Newport Beach. Nayeri took English classes from Ravaghi at the jail, and sheriff's officials said he developed a close relationship with the teacher.
Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu, 20, of Fountain Valley, and Bac Duong, 43, of Santa Ana, escaped from the jail Jan. 22. Duong surrendered Friday in Santa Ana, while Nayeri and Tieu were arrested Saturday morning in San Francisco.
Rackauckas said Ravaghi will be released on her own recognizance, although authorities plan to hold her passport to ensure she does not leave the country.
"She's being cooperative," Rackauckas said. "She has every reason to stay."
Ravaghi works for the Rancho Santiago Community College District and had been teaching English-as-a-second-language classes at the jail since July 2014, according to the sheriff's department. She is also an associate faculty member at Saddleback College, according to the Mission Viejo college's website.
Nayeri and Tieu were returned from San Francisco to Santa Ana about 1 a.m., according to Orange County sheriff's Capt. Jeff Hallock. Police arrested the two Saturday morning after being tipped off by someone who spotted a white van they were using in the parking lot of a Whole Foods Market.
Duong was arrested Friday, a week after the Jan. 22 jailbreak, in the 1400 block of North Harbor Boulevard. He walked into a business called Auto Electric Rebuilders, which is owned by an acquaintance of Duong, and said he wanted to surrender. The business owner's wife called 911, and sheriff's deputies responded and arrested Duong.
Investigators had said they believed the three escapees were living out of a stolen white GMC van while on the run. Hallock said all three escapees were spotted Thursday in San Jose, but Duong somehow made his way back to Santa Ana to surrender.
The district attorney said another man -- Loc Ba Nguyen -- is expected to be charged with assisting the escape by smuggling tools and other materials used in the escape into the jail. His relationship with the inmates wasn't immediately clear. Rackauckas said he was not an inmate or employee of the jail.
An attacker stabbed a California Highway Patrol officer multiple times in San Francisco Tuesday morning before other officers put him in handcuffs outside a bank about a mile from the downtown site of Super Bowl 50 festivities.
The officer was listed in stable condition at San Francisco General Hospital and was expected to survive after being slashed across the throat and stabbed in the upper torso with a knife, CHP officials said.
The officer, a seven-year CHP veteran who has not been identified, was attacked about 10 a.m. near the Essex on-ramp to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge at Harrison Street, which is also not far from where homeless people have been camping out, especially as Super Bowl-related events and installations have taken over other parts of the city.
Thanks to all who have reached out about the @CHPSanFrancisco officer who was injured today. The officer is in stable condition. CHP Golden Gate (@CHP_GoldenGate) February 2, 2016
Police spokesman Albie Esparza said the officer was responding to reports of a pedestrian wandering on a freeway. They didn't find the person, but as they questioned a man near some roadside tents, they say things got ugly.
"The officers made contact with the subject and during that enforcement contact the subject attacked one of the officers," CHP Commander Chris Sherry said.
The suspect, identified by police as 44-year-old Noel Corpuz, was arrested less than half-a-mile away outside the Wells Fargo at 490 Brannon Street. A backpack that contained a butcher's knife and belonged to the person was recovered, police said.
"We don't know the history of the suspect," Sherry said. "We don't know what prompted this attack on the officer."
A witness said Corpuz seemed mentally ill.
Emily Seip was working in an office building when she heard sirens wailing for about half an hour then a commotion outside.
She looked out her window and saw police arresting a man.
"There was a fair amount of what looks like blood on his (clothing)," she said.
Witness John Oshima said he watched the incident unfold while he sat in his parked van.
"He was acting crazy, yelling and screaming," Oshima said. "When they eventually got off of him there was a pretty big hunting knife on the ground next to where he was laying."
Corpuz has been booked into county jail for attempted murder, aggravated assault and resisting arrest, police said.
The stabbing and subsequent investigation prompted the temporary closure of on- and off-ramps near 4th and Bryant streets and 3rd and Essex streets, police said.
A mural inside Newtown High School that paid tribute to victims of the Sandy Hook shooting rampage was created as a form of art therapy.
But within two years, the administration became worried that despite its intentions, the painting of a dreamcatcher was upsetting some students. To address those concerns, painter Lindsay Fuori at the start of this school year colored over the words "In loving memory" and "12-14-12," a reference to the date of the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators at the elementary school.
"I don't think the solution is as simple as covering the painting," Fuori told NBC Connecticut. "It is important to be aware and considerate of students still struggling with the shooting, but covering up the mural is not a productive way to do that."
Then in October, the Newtown superintendent had her 10-foot-by-15-foot mural covered with plasterboard.
The decision led to an online student petition rallying support for uncovering the painting, sparked debate on how to acknowledge the tragedy and provided a glimpse of the challenges facing administrators in a school system that remains in recovery three years after the shooting.
Superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr. wrote in a note to families that he knew covering the mural would be controversial, but he had to act.
"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," Erardi wrote Nov. 20.
Fuori, now a student at Boston University, said the blank, white wall that now greets students at the top of a stairwell might cause more problems than the painting.
"That white wall burying the painting is causing more problems than the actual mural ever did," Fuori told NBC Connecticut . "It's a very difficult situation, but I don't think this is the solution."
Fuori, 19, painted the mural in late 2013 as part of a senior-year project at Newtown High School that also included research on the uses of art therapy and the creation of a guide to local therapy resources. The mural depicts 26 green beads, footprints and clouds along with the dreamcatcher, a theme she thought fitting because intrusive dreams and memories are common effects of post-traumatic stress.
The leadership of the high school and the school district changed after project was completed, and Fuori said she understood that Erardi in 2014 committed to removing all references to the tragedy from Newtown schools. Fuori thought the painting would be allowed to stay after she covered up the elements that administrators described as triggers for some students. Despite the compromise, she learned weeks later from a friend that the mural had been covered.
"There will always be reminders of the tragedy, but there won't always be people around who care or understand," Fuori said. "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."
Fuori said she rejected an offer last month to paint a new mural that would be subject to the administration's approval.
More than a month ahead of the primary election for Illinois state's attorney, Kim Foxx condemned her opponent, State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, for her handling of the police shooting of Chicago teen Laquan McDonald in a campaign advertisement released Sunday.
"A teen murder, shot 16 times, but for 400 days Anita Alvarez did nothing," the ad claims.
McDonald was killed October 20, 2014, but it wasn't until dash-cam footage of the incident was released 13 months later that the shooter, Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, was charged with the teen's murder.
In the wake of the McDonald tragedy, large-scale protests were staged in Chicago calling for Alvarez's resignation.
The ad posits Foxx as an advocate for the abused as well as a proactive prosecutor and social justice reformer.
Foxx previously served as Cook County's Assistant State's Attorney for 12 years. More recently, Foxx was chief of staff for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinckle. During her time under Preckwinckle, Foxx developed a criminal justice reform agenda that dealt largely with racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
In November of last year, Alvarez said she "refused to be bullied by politicians" in the case of Laquan McDonald.
Alvarez's campaign manager Mike Carson issued the following statement in an emailed response:
"It's disappointing that Kim Foxx is running attack ads to score political points off the death of a teenager--in a case that Anita Alvarez has already charged after a joint investigation with the FBI and the US Attorney's Office."
"Maybe Foxx wants to avoid a discussion about her real record of pay-to-play fundraising schemes, raising the sales tax and using tax dollars to give out millions in political pay raises to her supporters. It's time for voter to learn about the real Kim Foxx."
Foxx and Alvarez will face off in the March 15 Democratic primary election. Donna More is also on the ballot but has taken a backseat to her opponents who have received more high-profile endorsements.
A Detroit couple has been arrested for allegedly buying and selling diseased body parts that came, in part, from an Illinois company, officials said.
Arthur Rathburn, 62, and his wife Elizabeth Rathburn, who own International Biological Inc., a company that rents out body parts for medical training, are accused of fraud and face 13 counts pertaining to buying, renting and transporting diseased body parts, according to a federal indictment.
The indictment alleges body parts from the Biological Resource Center of Illinois, among other sources, were being sold to International Biological, Inc. in Michigan. It accuses the Rathburns of knowingly purchasing cadavers that tested positive for Hepatitis and HIV for a reduced cost, then selling or renting them to unwitting customers across the U.S.
NBC 5 Investigates first reported last year that human cadavers were being sold on the black market, where body brokers make a profit off the bodies of those who wanted their remains donated to science.
Federal agents raided body donation businesses in Michigan, Arizona and Illinois in 2014. None of the owners have been charged, but Stephen Gore, owner of the Biological Resource Center of Arizona, recently pleaded guilty to running an illegal body donation center. All three businesses chose to shut down after the raids and have not re-opened.
Arthur Rathburn is accused of using a chainsaw or band saw to dismember the bodies. According to the indictment, he then stored contaminated human heads with non-diseased heads by stacking them directly on top of each other.
The couple is alleged to have then shipped these diseased body parts through the mail and on commercial flights.
On one occasion eight diseased human heads were packaged in trash bags and put in camping coolers and shipped on a Delta cargo plane, the indictment claims. When blood was discovered, Rathburn allegedly told law enforcement the liquid was in fact Listerine.
Elizabeth Rathburn has posted bond and her attorney told NBC5 Investigates she maintains her innocence. Arthur Rathburns initial appearance has been postponed until Tuesday. The two attorneys representing the owners of Biological Resource of Illinois declined to comment.
Theresa Fambro Hooks, also known as Teesee of the famed Chicago Defender column Teesees Town, passed away Sunday at 80 years old.
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our own Grand Dame, Ms. Theresa Teesee Fambro Hooks, the Chicago Defender wrote on its website. Teesee passed away a few hours ago in the comfort of her home. She was 80 Years old. We will miss her greatly and are saddened by our loss.
Hooks, a longtime socialite and award winning columnist in Chicago, whose popular column captured the lives of the wealthy for decades, was a member of the Black Press since 1961. She stepped down from her role at the Chicago Defender last year.
She was sought after by the social elite to join them at their prestigious events and gatherings because to make it in Teesees Town column meant that you had arrived, the publication wrote.
Hooks was born in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois, Roosevelt University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Arrangements for a memorial were not immediately available.
The video shot from a mobile phone, shows the migrants brutally attacking an elderly man, holding him by the arms and even verbally abusing him. (Photo: YouTube Video Grab)
Berlin: A shocking video has emerged in which a few migrants can be seen physically assaulting an elderly man who was reportedly protecting a young woman who was harassed by the migrants on a train in Munich, Germany, according to a report in the DailyMail.
The video shot from a mobile phone, shows the migrants brutally attacking an elderly man, holding him by the arms and even verbally abusing him.
Even as the old man was attacked, another victim was held by the neck and was threatened.
Tom Roth, a Munich resident, uploaded the video on his Facebook page which later went viral. He recorded the incident while he was travelling from Sendingler Tor to city central terminal.
Roth uploaded the video on Facebook with a post that read, A woman was being assaulted on a metro train. When two old men tried to intervene and help her, they too were brutally attacked.
He further wrote, when we were sitting in the train, one of the migrants bothered the lady. He said something to her to which she did not respond. As the journey continued, the migrant hit the window of the train with full force. He was angry as the lady rejected him, says Roth.
When the migrants further tried to misbehave with the woman, two gentlemen intervened and tried to help her and were attacked by the migrants. Roth believes that Angela Merkel should take strict action against the nuisance caused by migrants.
This incident comes in the wake of the recent New Years assaults by Arab and North African migrants on several women.
Watch: Elderly men attacked by several migrants in Munich train
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, Hillary Clinton came in ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders in a historically-close race.
The former secretary of state, senator from New York and first lady edged past the Vermont senator in a race the Iowa Democratic Party called the closest in its caucus history.
The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday afternoon that it would not do any recount of the close results, and a spokesman for the Sanders campaign said it does not intend to challenge the results of the caucuses.
"Tonight we saw an historically close Iowa Democratic Caucus," the party said in a statement shortly before 4 a.m. ET.
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.
RESULTS: See all the results from Iowa here
"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.
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." 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.
After landing in New Hampshire, Sanders dismissed a question about whether he would contest the close Iowa result, NBC News reported.
"Honestly we just got off the plane, we don't know enough to say anything about it," he told reporters. "We look forward to doing well here in New Hampshire. And after that we're off to Nevada and then South Carolina where I think we're going to surprise a whole lot of people, just as we did in Iowa."
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.
"They told us we got no chance because my hair wasn't grey enough and that my boots were too high. They told me I had to wait my turn in line," Rubio told supporters Monday night.
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.
Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Lisa Lerer, Ken Thomas, Scott McFetridge and Scott Bauer contributed to this report.
Billionaire Donald Trump began complaining about the medias treatment of his campaign Tuesday morning after his loss to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in Iowa, tweeting that it was covering his long-shot great finish unfairly.
He said he had finished strong despite experts who said he could not do well in the country's first presidential nominating contest.
Trump went uncharacteristically silent ahead of Monday's results with a 7:30 p.m. tweet -- that appears to have since been deleted -- encouraging supporters to caucus for him.
Trump returned to his nearly 6 million followers just about 11 a.m. ET with a fusillade of attacks. Besides going after the media, he tweeted that voters were not giving him credit for self-funding his campaign.
My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn't do well there and ended up in 2nd place. Nice Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
The often bombastic businessman typically starts his day with a battery of tweets: insults about his competitors or exhortations to followers to, in the words of his campaign, Make America Great Again.
After weeks of packed rallies and poll numbers that suggested he had passed Cruz, Trump finished second in the countrys first nominating contests in Iowa Monday night, a loss that raised questions about the depth of his support. The Texas senator got the support of 28 percent of caucus-goers to 24 percent for Trump. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida had a strong third-place finish with 23 percent.
After his defeat, Trump told supporters Monday night: 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."
In New Hampshire on Tuesday, Trump's rivals were ready with "loser" barbs.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said at his campaign headquarters in Bedford that, "we can stop with the Donald Trump inevitability, because the guy who does nothing but win lost last night."
Trump, who has been leading in New Hampshire polls, is scheduled to speak at a rally in Milford at 7 p.m.
An exotic dancer is accused of attacking a 72-year-old Bridgeport man who offered her a place to stay.
The Bridgeport man told police he met the woman at a strip cub and she told him that she had no place to stay because her alcoholic mother threw her out, the Connecticut Post reports, so the man offered that she could stay at his place for a bit.
The woman, identified as Aleksandra Kamiska, 32, took the man up on the offer, but things quickly went sour when the man confronted her after realizing that his credit cards were missing, the Post reports. http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Good-deed-gets-punished-6799304.php
Kamiska threatened to file a false rape report, dragged the man by his feet, punched him and stole his wallet and car, according to police.
Police found Kamiska at a nearby McDonalds and charged her with third-degree assault on an elderly person, second-degree larceny and interfering with an emergency call.
Its not clear if she has an attorney.
Two Connecticut police officers are being praised for buying a girl's birthday cake when her mom couldn't afford to.
Norwich officers Elizabeth Harsley and Christopher Hawrylik responded to a call involving an "emotionally distraught mother," police said.
The officers arrived to find a mom upset about not being able to afford her daughter's birthday cake. Harsley and Hawrylik bought the cake with their own money so the mother and her daughter could "enjoy her birthday together," according to police.
"Chief Fusaro and the Norwich Police Department are proud to have officers like Officer Hawrylik and Harsley who perform their duties faithfully and routinely go above and beyond the call of duty to serve the citizens of Norwich with compassion and concern," the department posted on Facebook.
Some conservationists oppose the planned relocation of 18 elephants from Swaziland to zoos in the United States, but a U.S. official has said the animal transfer can be done humanely and is permissible under international law.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month approved the transfer of the elephants to the Dallas Zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, and the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska.
The service's associate director, Robert Dreher, told The Associated Press that he recognizes the "humanitarian concerns" of opponents of the elephant export. However, he said it does not threaten conservation of the species, which is being heavily poached, and that zoos educate the public about wildlife.
"We have looked hard at this," Dreher said Saturday in South Africa's Kruger National Park, one stop on an Africa trip with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. The American delegation also visited Gabon and Kenya to discuss ways to stop wildlife trafficking.
In a statement, the Dallas Zoo said Swaziland would have had to cull the 18 elephants "to prevent further degradation of the land and to make room for critically endangered rhinos" in its wildlife reserves. It also said regional drought was threatening wildlife in the southern African nation.
However, a group of conservationists said wild elephants often suffer health problems in zoos; there is no evidence that options for relocating elephants in other African parks were explored; and that the relocation has no conservation value.
"It's condemning these wild animals sentient wild animals to life imprisonment," said Francis Garrard, director of South Africa-based Conservation Action Trust. He described the elephant project as a commercial venture for the zoos.
Last year, Zimbabwe sent 20 elephants to zoos in China despite similar protests from some conservationists.
The former district attorney who declined a decade ago to bring sex-crime charges against Bill Cosby testified Tuesday that he believes his decision shields the comedian from ever being prosecuted in the case.
Bruce Castor was put in the hot seat on Tuesday, and the judge had many questions about why he did not charge Cosby in the past when allegations were brought against him. NBC10s Harry Hairston reports with more on what happened in the courtroom before the judge recessed for the day.
Former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor took the stand at a pretrial hearing in a bid by Cosby's lawyers to get the case against the TV star thrown out because of what they say is a non-prosecution agreement with Castor.
Bruce Castor testified Tuesday and answered questions about why he did not charge Bill Cosby in 2005 when allegations were brought up against him. NBC10s Deanna Durante reports with more on Castors decision and his time in the courtroom Tuesday.
The current district attorney has said there is no record of any such agreement.
Castor admitted the only place the matter was put in writing was in the 2005 press release announcing his decision not to prosecute.
Under questioning, he acknowledged that he didn't draw up a formal immunity agreement filed with a judge because, he said, Cosby was worried that would make him look bad. Also, Castor said, "It was unnecessary because I concluded there was no way the case would get any better."
Skyforce10 was there to see Bill Cosby leave the courtroom during the first day of a hearing that will determine whether a sex assault case against him should continue. Legal Analyst Enrique Latoison gives his perspective on Tuesdays testimony and how the trial is going.
The proceedings will resume on Wednesday, when Common Pleas Judge Steven T. O'Neill said he hopes to rule on whether to throw out the case.
As Bill Cosbys attorney continues to try to get his case thrown out, former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor was brought on stand Tuesday to testify. NBC10s Rosemary Connors reports with more on Bruce Castors testimony in court.
Cosby, clad in a tan suit and walking with a wooden cane, declined to comment outside the courthouse Tuesday, but nodded at NBC10's Matt DeLucia when asked how he was doing. He later waved to the crowd as he left the courthouse shortly after 5:30 p.m., entered an SUV and headed home.
As Cosby left the courthouse, one of his supporters was detained by police. Officials told NBC10 the man was blocking traffic.
Some guy just got detained after Cosby left court. pic.twitter.com/PxS6XlpVRo Randy Gyllenhaal (@RandyGyllenhaal) February 2, 2016
Cosby, 78, was arrested and charged in December with drugging and violating former Temple University athletic department employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He could get up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Castor said Tuesday that he believed Constand's story but that proving it would have been problematic because of serious flaws in the case, and so he declined to bring charges.
He said that he made the decision as a representative of the state and that it was intended to last in perpetuity.
"For all time, yes," Castor said when pressed.
And he suggested that Cosby and his lawyer at the time had the same understanding, because Cosby later agreed to testify without invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a lawsuit brought against him by Constand.
"Cosby would've had to have been nuts to say those things if there was any chance he could've been prosecuted," Castor said, referring to the damaging testimony unsealed last summer.
Castor said he hoped correctly, it turned out that the decision not to prosecute would prod Cosby to testify in the lawsuit and help Constand win damages. She eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.
"I thought making Mr. Cosby pay money was the best I was going to be able to set the stage for," the former DA said. He added: "I was hopeful that I had made Ms. Constand a millionaire."
He said he and Cosby's then-attorney, Walter Phillips, did not have an actual agreement that Cosby would testify in exchange for not being prosecuted. Phillips has since died.
According to Castor, statements Constand gave to police in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, and authorities in Canada about the alleged assault had "a number of inconsistencies" that were serious enough to hurt her credibility at trial, NBC News reported.
Bill Cosby walked with a cane as he arrived at court in Norristown Tuesday morning for a hearing. His lawyers will argue that the sex-assault charges against him should be dismissed. NBC10s Drew Smith reports live from outside court.
Kevin Steele, the newly elected DA who is pursuing the case, has said Cosby would need an immunity agreement in writing to get the case thrown out. He has said he has no evidence one exists.
Prosecutors on Tuesday pressed Castor on numerous, seemingly inconsistent statements he made over the years on whether Cosby could still face charges. Castor sparred with prosecutors, parsing the language in his press release and in various emails sent to his successor.
He said he was referring in some passages to bringing charges against Cosby in connection with other women and other crimes but not in connection with the Constand encounter.
While Castor was called as witness by Cosby's side, the former DA said he is rooting for the prosecution.
"I'm not on your team here," Castor told Cosby lawyer Brian McMonagle. "I want them to win."
Cosby watched the back and forth between Castor and the lawyers from the defense table, swiveling his head slightly as if at a tennis match. He stifled a cough with a fist and showed no reaction even as the courtroom erupted periodically in laughter over a quip from the talkative Castor or one of the lawyers.
In a barrage of allegations that have destroyed Cosby's image as America's Dad, dozens of women have accused the former TV star of drugging and sexually assaulting them since the 1960s. But this is the only case in which he has been charged.
Comedian Bill Cosby arrives at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown Tuesday morning as his lawyers fight to get sex assault case dismissed.
Castor said Constand's delay thwarted his ability to test her hair or fingernails for evidence she was drugged.
Anne Poulin, a law professor at Villanova University, said the defense has a high bar to meet to get the case thrown out early on. But "if they can win without this ever going to trial, then they've done their client a big service."
Comic legend Bill Cosby will be in a Pennsylvania courtroom Tuesday morning hoping to get his case dismissed.
Bill Cosbys legal team claims an alleged deal had been made with prosecutors back in 2005, but nothing is in writing. NBC10 legal expert Enrique Latoison gives his legal opinion on the issue and Cosbys allegations.
Also Tuesday, model Chloe Goins dropped a lawsuit accusing Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. Goins gave no explanation.
[NATL] Bill Cosby Through the Years
The Associated Press and NBC10 generally do not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to have their names published, as Constand has done.
NBC News' Tom Winter contributed to this report.
More than 40 years ago, a scheduling quirk vaulted Iowa to the front of the presidential nominating process, and ever since most White House hopefuls have devoted enormous time and money to a state that otherwise would get little attention.
HOW IT STARTED
For most of Iowa's history, activists have gathered in the winter to deal with politics, but no one outside the state paid attention until 1972, when Democrats established their caucuses in January. That made the party's presidential preference vote the first in the nation, and candidate George McGovern, encouraged by his campaign manager Gary Hart, took advantage by campaigning in Iowa and finishing a stronger-than-expected second place. McGovern's showing helped propel him to the Democratic nomination, and four years later it did the same for a little-known governor from Georgia, Jimmy Carter.
The Republicans joined Democrats with the early caucus date in 1976. Since then Iowa has drawn more candidate visits and media attention with each campaign.
HOW IT WORKS
The Democratic and Republican parties hold their caucuses at the same time this year starting at 7 p.m. CST on Feb. 1 at spots in all of Iowa's 99 counties. Caucuses are held in each of the state's 1,681 precincts, but the number of meeting sites is smaller because some precincts share buildings. Democrats will meet at about 1,100 spots and Republicans will gather at nearly 900. Voters from some small precincts meet in homes, but most join in schools, veterans' halls and other large venues.
The parties hold their caucuses simultaneously, but they operate differently.
FOR DEMOCRATS
When Democrats attend a caucus, they break into groups that publicly declare 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 candidate group. That leads to some intense wooing and sometimes confusion as candidate representatives try to persuade others to join them and prevent their supporters from switching to another top candidate.
The results are the first step in determining delegates who are expected to support candidates at the national convention. A total of 44 delegates to the national convention are at stake. They will be awarded proportionally, based on the statewide vote as well as on the vote in individual congressional districts, to candidates who get at least 15 percent of the vote.
FOR REPUBLICANS
For Republicans, it's a much simpler matter of giving supporters of each candidate a chance to give a brief speech, then privately marking ballots. The ballots are counted, then communicated by a local caucus organizer to the state party using a new smartphone app developed for both parties. A total of 30 delegates to the party's national convention are at stake. They will be awarded proportionally, based on the statewide vote.
WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING
All the candidates hope to win the caucuses, giving them a boost of attention as they shift focus to the New Hampshire primary eight days later. But more than a win, the goal is to exceed expectations. Even if a candidate finishes second or third, he or she can claim a victory by noting they finished near the top and received more support than expected.
It's worth noting that a win in Iowa doesn't necessarily translate into a party nomination. In fact, the last time the ultimate Republican nominee won a contested caucus was 2000, when George W. Bush finished first. The winner of the Democratic caucus has fared better. In the last three contested Democratic nomination races, the Iowa winner became the nominee.
TURNOUT
The Iowa Republican Party chairman, Jeff Kaufmann, said he expects GOP turnout to top the previous record of 120,000 people, set in 2012. Andy McGuire, the Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman, said she also expects a strong turnout, though not as large as the 2008 caucuses, when Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and other candidates drew 240,000 to the party's caucuses.
Even if turnout meets the party's expectations, it's worth noting that only a sliver of Iowa voters will participate in the caucuses. About 1.2 million residents are registered in either the Democratic or Republican party, and another 727,000 voters don't declare a political party. So, even if there is a strong turnout of 300,000 voters, that would mean a turnout of about 15 percent of registered voters. In the 2012 general election, Iowa's 73 percent turnout was among the nation's highest.
IOWA ELECTORATE BREAKDOWN
According to the 2014 Census figures, Iowa has a population of 3.107 million, including 2.7 million whites, 173,594 Hispanics and 101,236 African Americans.
According to the Secretary of States Office in Iowa, there are 2.096 million registered voters as of February 1, of whom 1.937 million are active.
Among the active voters, 586,835 are Democrats, 615,763 are Republicans and another 727,112 have no party affiliation.
Iowa permits residents to register to vote or to change parties on caucus night.
PRETTY WARM FOR IOWA
One factor in turnout is always the weather, which can be awful in February. This year it looks like the parties could catch a break with temperatures expected to remain above freezing for most of the state until the event is over. Look out, though. A snowstorm is forecast to hit the next day, and if the wintry weather arrives earlier than expected, at least some caucus-goers could opt to stay home rather than brave slick roads.
While we might quibble over the most important dramatic film or the most essential classical piece or the fashion designer who went on to influence other stars of the industry, it isn't difficult to trace modern children's literature back to a single book from the Victorian era.
It's "Alice in Wonderland," Lewis Carroll's adventure-themed tale of a girl's fantastical journey down a rabbit hole. From the Disney film to several live-action movies to the countess iterations in music videos and graphic novels and clothing lines, Alice, as a major force of pop culture, has reigned more powerfully than the Queen of Hearts herself.
A century and a half has passed since the first publication of "Alice in Wonderland," and the California International Antiquarian Book Fair will celebrate the book's sesquicentennial.
The rare-and-vintage tome to-do, which lands at the Pasadena Convention Center over Valentine's Weekend, also has some impressive years logged: It marks its first half-century in 2017.
That means that visitors can find a host of first editions and hard-to-find works and pros who know pages. And, yes, in 2016 there'll be an Alice-focus, complete with a special exhibit featuring "books, illustrations, papers and original ephemera from the G. Edward Cassady M.D. and Margaret Elizabeth Cassady R.N., Lewis Carroll Collection at the University of Southern California Libraries, Special Collections."
The famous Mary Blair drawings of the Disney Alice will also make a cameo.
And if you're looking to own an "Alice in Wonderland" book there'll be several on hand, from a number of eras, for the perusing and/or buying, from various dealers.
Think you have an interesting rare book at home, one you'd love to get appraised? "Discovery Day" at the fair is Feb. 14, and you can present up to three items for an examination by an expert. Cost? Free.
Though do note the fair itself is ticketed. Want to buy your pass to Wonderland... er, Pasadena, rather? The rabbit hole is this way, book buffs.
A cemetery which some residents called fake popped up on an Acton property right in the path of where a high-speed rail was proposed, which raised eyebrows of residents who said they believe the entire thing is a ruse to stop the rail project.
Google Satellite Map images of the property from 2016 did not show any tombstones as of Monday.
The land at the intersection of Sierra Highway and Red Rover Mine Road began turning heads recently when a resident said she noticed something she hadn't seen before: tombstones.
Dale Bybee, the man who owns the property, said the tombstones had been there for some time, and perhaps residents began to notice them because he was clearing brush on the property.
"It's been here for a while. Some of them are just bases," Bybee said. "They could've been stolen or families came and took the tops."
Bybee said that the cemetery has real tombstones.
"And it happens to be in the path of one of two routes chosen by the high-speed rail [project]," Bybee said.
Residents started reaching out to Acton City Council as they began to notice the curious gravestones and supposed burial area.
"I've known it was here, yes," Pam Wolter, member of the Acton City Council, said.
Wolter has been fielding calls.
"[They've called] wondering what it's all about," Wolter said. "And knowing full well that one of the routes goes very close here."
The California High Speed Rail Authority, which has a project for a proposed rail that would go from Palmdale to Burbank, said the routes under consideration including the one that goes through the "cemetery" were in the environmental analysis phase. The Authority did not have information on a cemetery in the area.
"Our cultural resources team has no information related to any existing cemetery sites in the vicinity of Sierra Highway and Red Rover Mine Road," Adeline Yee, California High-Speed Rail Authority Spokesperson, said. "However, we will be working with the property owner and continue to evaluate potential cultural resources in the area."
As the story unfolded, NBC4 reached out to the LA County Assessor's office. An official said because Bybee's property is a zoned as an agricultural space, it certainly would be allowed to have a burial ground on the property.
So what's the deal?
"Whether it's real or not, it's a visual statement as to what's happening," Bybee said in a second interview with NBC4.
Bybee said he didn't mean to mislead anyone, but there are no bodies buried under the tombstones.
The tombstones are real, he said. He got them from Whittier Historical Museum, which had them after a different cemetery was abandoned in the 1950s.
Bybee said his "cemetery" is a symbol of his hope that the high speed rail will be abandoned like the real cemetery where the tombstones came from.
A newsletter released by the Whittier Historical Museum confirmed that Bybee had indeed taken the 24,000 pounds of tombstones from the backyard of the museum to his home in Acton.
"I have a lot of acreage and I wanted to create a replica cemetery," Bybee said in the newsletter. "When I brought them home, my wife freaked out and my kids were creeped out. When Im finished its going to look like a western-themed cemetery like the displays from Knotts Berry Farm."
The newsletter, a 2015-2016 edition, goes on to detail that the gravestones came from Founder's Memorial Park, which used to be called Deadman's Park, on Newlin Ave.
The cemetery, which has history reaching back to 1880, was abandoned in 1958, the newsletter states.
The newsletter also says family members had the opportunity to claim the headstones before they eventually ended up in the backyard of the Whittier Historical Museum.
Bybee told the museum his plans for the replica cemetery were to lure possible producers who sometimes film in Acton.
In an interview with NBC4 on Monday, his plans for the "replica cemetery" had changed.
"The high speed rail is decimating people and taking people's homes and people's properties and businesses for a train that may never be built," Bybee said. "Including mine."
The accused, who was not named, opened several Twitter accounts to call for the release of prisoners convicted of terrorism. (Photo: Pixabay)
Riyadh: A Saudi who used Twitter to call for the release of prisoners convicted of "terrorism" and security offences has been jailed for 10 years, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The Okaz daily said the accused, who was not named, opened several Twitter accounts.
A special court for terrorism cases found him guilty of using the accounts to "call for protests and spread chaos to release detainees that are held for security and terrorism charges".
He also joined a protest calling for the release of one detainee outside the prisoner's home, it said.
Twitter is widely used in the conservative kingdom, which has repeatedly denounced bombings and shootings carried out in various countries by the Islamic State group and other extremists.
The kingdom itself has been targeted in attacks claimed by IS against minority Shiites and members of the security forces.
Last year the interior ministry said it had arrested hundreds of suspects involved in attacks and plots.
At the same time, the ideas of fundamentalist preacher Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab, who co-founded the Saudi state, have been accused of fuelling deadly Sunni extremism around the world.
It is an offence for Saudis to travel abroad to fight, but they comprised the second largest nationality among "foreign terrorist fighters" with IS, according to a report last year by the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force.
In a separate case, Okaz reported that the special court for terrorism sentenced a Saudi to 3.5 years in prison "for supporting Hezbollah" and possessing the flag of the Lebanese-based Shiite militant movement.
Alleged leaders of Hezbollah are under sanction by Saudi Arabia.
California's attorney general announced a lawsuit Tuesday against Southern California Gas Company that alleges violations of state law in connection with a months-long gas leak in the San Fernando Valley.
Thousands of people living near the Aliso Canyon facility in Porter Ranch have temporarily relocated, two local schools have closed and thousands of students have been relocated for the rest of the school year.
Attorney Generla Kamala Harris' lawsuit claims the utility violated California health and safety laws to quickly control the leak and report the release to authorities. The lawsuit also cites an environmental threat due to the release of methane.
"The impact of this unprecedented gas leak is devastating to families in our state, our environment, and our efforts to combat global warming," Harris said in a statement. Southern California Gas Company must be held accountable, said Harris in a statement. "This gas leak has caused significant damage to the Porter Ranch community as well as our statewide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the impacts of climate change. My office will continue to lead this cross-jurisdictional enforcement action to ensure justice and relief for Californians and our environment."
The lawsuit seeks relief in the form of injunction, civil penalties, and restitution.
SoCalGas issued a statement saying company is "working hard to both stop the leak and adress our neighbors' concerns. Beyond that, we do not comment on pending litigation and will respond to the lawsuit through the judicial process."
The city and county of Los Angeles have already filed suit against SoCalGas over the leak, which was discovered Oct. 23. Late last month, Southern California air regulators approved a sweeping abatement order aimed at minimizing the release of natural gas.
Also Tuesday, Rep. Brad Sherman, who has a home in Porter Ranch close to the site of the Southern California Gas Co. gas leak, announced that he plans to introduce legislation designed to prevent more leaks in the future. Sherman noted in a statement that the Department of Transportation Materials Safety Administration has established federal safety regulations for natural gas transportation.
U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein said last week that they will seek a federal review of the ongoing leak. The California Democrats plan to introduce an amendment to energy legislation currently on the Senate floor. The amendment would direct Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to lead a review of the cause and response to the leak at Southern California Gas Co.'s Aliso Canyon site.
Gas Co. officials have said they are in the process of drilling a relief well that will allow them to cap the leak, but that process is expected to take weeks. The gas company also has created a website to provide updates on the relief well progress, air quality monitoring, community resources and other relevant information.
Make sure to follow @NBCLA on Twitter! On Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 11 a.m. we will tweet the clue to the first location in the Find Fallon Treasure Hunt.
Arrive to the first location as soon as you can and look for the two show representatives in Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon hats, to get your clue for the next location. At the second location, again look for two show reps in hats, for your clue to the third and final location.
Small prizes will be handed out to the first 40 people to arrive at locations 1 and 2, and the first 5 people to reach the final location will receive a pair of tickets to a Los Angeles taping of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon during the week of February 15-19, 2016. Good luck and have fun!
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Find Fallon
Official Rules for KNBC Los Angeles
February 6, 2016
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION: No purchase is necessary to enter the Contest. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Participation in this Contest is void where prohibited. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Find Fallon (Contest) will begin on February 6, 2016 at 11:00AM Pacific Time and end on February 6, 2016 at 3:00PM Pacific Time (Contest Period). All times in the Contest refer to Pacific Time (PT). Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.
PARTICIPANTS SHOULD NOT EXPOSE THEMSELVES OR OTHERS TO ANY DANGEROUS OR HARMFUL BEHAVIOR OR ACTIVITY AT ANY TIME DURING THIS CONTEST. PARTICIPANTS AGREE TO ABIDE BY ALL TRAFFIC, SAFETY, AND OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS.
ELIGIBILITY: Open only to permanent, legal United States (U.S.) residents who are physically residing in one (1) of the fifty (50) states and the District of Columbia (excluding Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories), who are physically located in the greater Los Angeles area, and who are eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the start of the Contest Period. Officers, directors, and employees of Contest Entities (as defined below), members of these persons immediate families (spouses and/or parents, children, and siblings, and each of their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside), and/or persons living in the same households as these persons (whether or not related thereto) are not eligible to enter or win the Contest. Contest Entities, as referenced herein, shall include NBC affiliate TV station KNBC located at 100 Universal City Plaza, Bldg 2120 Universal City, CA 91608, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112 (collectively, Sponsors), and each of their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies, and administrative, advertising, and promotion agencies, and any other entity involved in the development, administration, promotion, or implementation of the Contest.
ENTRY AND WINNER SELECTION: During the Contest Period, visit the following: (1) go to www.twitter.com/nbcla or www.facebook.com/nbcla and (i) become a follower of @NBCLA. (ii) If you do not already have a Twitter or Facebook account, create a free Twitter or Facebook account according to the instructions on the Twitter or Facebook Sites and follow (i) above;
On or about 11:00AM PT on the day of the Contest Period, Sponsors will post a clue (Clue) on their Twitter and Facebook Sites describing the first location (each Location, collectively Locations) somewhere in the Los Angeles, CA area. There will be a total of three (3) Locations during the Contest Period. Sponsors may amend any element of this Contest or suspend the Contest itself at any time for any reason.
At each Location, representatives of the Sponsor will be present, wearing a TONIGHT SHOW hat. There will be forty (40) Prizes (defined below) at each of the first two (2) Locations. One prize will be awarded to each of the first forty (40) contestants to arrive at each of the first two (2) Locations, and one (1) Grand Prize (defined below) to the first five (5) contestants to arrive at the third and final Location. Participants will get a hand stamp at the first and second locations, which they will have to show for validation at the third and final location.
In the event that more than five people reach the third and final Location at the same time, there will be a series of tie-breaking trivia questions asked by Sponsor until there are five decisive winners. Each contestant will be asked the same amount of questions.
Prizes will be awarded as follows:
From 11:00AM Pacific Time to 1:00PM Pacific Time the first Location will have a Prize representative to award a First Location Prize giveaway and hand out the clue printed on a sheet of paper to the second Location.
From 11:00AM Pacific Time to 2:00 PM Pacific Time the second Location will have a Prize representative to award a Second Location Prize giveaway and hand out the clue printed on a sheet of paper to the third and final Location.
From 11:30AM Pacific Time to 3:00PM Pacific Time the third and final Location will have a Prize representative to determine the Grand Prize Winners.
If no one claims the Prizes within reasonable time, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion, Sponsors may choose to give the Prizes away at random.
PRIZES: The first forty (40) contestants to arrive at the first Location will receive a Hashtag the Panda plush toy (First Location Prize). Estimated retail value (ERV) of each Prize is: $24.95. The first forty (40) contestants to arrive at the second Location will receive a Tonight Show pillow with an estimated value of $24.95 (Second Location Prize). The first five (5) contestants to arrive at the third Location will receive Grand Prizes. Grand Prizes consist of a pair of tickets (2 tickets) for a specific nights taping of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in Los Angeles, CA, week of February 15th February 19th, 2016.
First Location Prize, Second Location Prize and Grand Prizes will be referred to herein as Prize or Prizes.
Prizes will be awarded as is with no warranty or guaranty express or implied by Sponsors.
Decisions of Sponsors and/or their representatives are final and binding with respect to all matters related to the Contest. Winning is subject to verification of eligibility. Potential Winner will be required to execute and return an affidavit of eligibility, release of liability, and, except where prohibited, publicity release before receiving the Prize. Noncompliance with these Official Rules may result in disqualification and, at Sponsors discretion, and time permitting, an alternate potential Winner selected from the next eligible contestants to arrive.
Entry into the Contest constitutes the Entrants permission (except where prohibited by law) to use their name, city, state, likeness, image, and/or voice for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval. By entering the Location, Entrant agrees to be filmed, photographed, identified and/or included in the Sponsors promotional materials.
PARTICIPATION CONDUCT: A participant may be removed from the Location and/or disqualified from participating in the Contest, at the sole discretion of Sponsors, for any reason at any time, including but not limited to the advice of Sponsors representatives at Location (Event Staff), by creating an unauthorized disturbance, interruption, or unnecessarily rough physical or mental threat to the well-being of any other participant or Event Staff, he/she may be removed from the Location. Any act performed by participant defined by Federal, State or Local statute or ordinance as constituting a criminal act may result in removal from the Location and/or disqualification from Contest. At the sole discretion of Sponsors, if a participant uses profanity, or demonstrates any lewd or sexually suggestive gestures or full or partial nudity, the Sponsors shall have the right to remove the individual from the Location and/or disqualify participant from Contest. At the sole discretion of the Sponsors and Event Staff, if a participant creates a potential for death, disability, injury, property damage or any other negative incident during Contest or during his/her participation in Contest, the Sponsors shall have the right to disqualify participant from Contest and to remove that individual from the Location. Disqualification and/or removal from the Location will result in forfeiture of any Prize that may have been awarded.
By participating, each participant (i) understands the Sponsors have not arranged for and do not carry any insurance of any kind for participants benefit and that participant will be solely responsible for obtaining and paying for any medical, life, accident, automobile, property or other insurance relative to his/her participation in Contest; (ii) agrees that he/she will obey all traffic, safety and other applicable laws and will not speed or otherwise expose himself/herself or any other individual, whether participating in the Contest or not, to harm or danger of any kind; (iii) agrees to release and hold harmless the Released Entities (defined below) from any injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including, without limitation, death, to persons, or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participating in Contest; and (iv) agrees to indemnify the Released Entities (defined below) from any losses, liabilities or expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys fees, resulting from any claims, proceedings or investigations arising from or in connection with participants participation in Contest or compliance or non-compliance with these Official Rules.
Sponsors will determine all details of Prize in their sole discretion. Sponsors reserve the right to substitute Prize (or portion thereof) with a similar prize (or prize element) of comparable or greater value. All taxes and other expenses, costs, or fees associated with the acceptance and/or use of Prize are the sole responsibility of Winner. Prize cannot be transferred by Winner or redeemed for cash and is valid only for the items detailed above, with no substitution of Prize by Winner. If Prize is unclaimed within a reasonable time after notification from Sponsors, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion, it will be forfeited, and time permitting, an alternate Winner may be selected from the remaining eligible entries at Sponsors sole discretion.
RECORDING: Sponsors may, in their sole discretion, elect to tape the arrival of the entrants at the Location, and the Opportunity, and incorporate the audio and video recording of the entrants arriving and announcement of the Winner (each a Recording) in any media. The use of Recordings will not be considered an employment opportunity, and the entrants will not be entitled to compensation or credit thereof. The nature of the Recordings, if any, will be determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion. If the Recording is used, such use will be at a time, for a length of time, and on a date determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion. The content of the Recordings as, and if, finally exhibited and the number of exhibits and re-airs thereof, if any, will be determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion. Entrants will have no right of review, notice, or approval of the content of the Recording or any exhibition or exploitation thereof. These Official Rules and the Contest itself are neither a contract nor an application for employment. Sponsors will have no obligation to play any Teaser and/or the Recording in any media.
CONDITIONS: By entering the Contest, each Entrant agrees for Entrant and for Entrants heirs, executors, and administrators (a) to release and hold harmless Contest Entities and each of their respective officers, directors, and employees (collectively, Released Parties) from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from such Entrants participation in the Contest and/or his/her acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of Prize or any portion thereof (including any travel related thereto); (b) to indemnify Released Parties from any and all liability resulting or arising from the Contest and to hereby acknowledge that Released Parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to Prize, including express warranties provided exclusively by Prize supplier that are sent along with Prize; (c) if selected as a Winner, to the posting of such entrants name on Website and the use by Released Parties of such name, voice, image, and/or likeness for publicity, promotional, and advertising purposes in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval, and, upon request, to the giving of consent, in writing, to such use; and (d) to be bound by these Official Rules and to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error therein or in the Contest itself, and to be bound by all decisions of the Sponsors, which are binding and final; and (e) to follow all applicable local, state, and federal rules and regulations while participating in the Contest, including, but not limited to, traffic and public safety rules and laws. Failure to comply with these conditions may result in disqualification from the Contest at Sponsors sole discretion.
ADDITIONAL TERMS: Sponsors reserve the right to permanently disqualify from any promotion any person they believe has intentionally, recklessly, or by gross negligence violated these Official Rules. Any attempt to deliberately damage the Contest or the operation thereof is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsors, who may seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law. The failure of Sponsors to comply with any provision of these Official Rules due to an act of God, hurricane, war, fire, riot, earthquake, terrorism, act of public enemies, actions of governmental authorities outside of the control of Sponsors (excepting compliance with applicable codes and regulations), or other force majeure events will not be considered a breach of these Official Rules. Released Parties assume no responsibility for any injury or damage to Entrants or to any other persons computer relating to or resulting from entering or downloading materials or software in connection with the Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for telecommunications, network, electronic, technical, or computer failures of any kind; for inaccurate transcription of entry information; for errors in any promotional or marketing materials or in these Official Rules; for any human or electronic error; or for entries that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed, lost, late, damaged, or returned. Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Contest or any element thereof (including, without limitation, these Official Rules) without notice in any manner and for any reason (including, without limitation, in the event of any unanticipated occurrence that is not fully addressed in these Official Rules). In the event of cancellation, modification, or suspension, Sponsors reserve the right to select Winners in a random drawing from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the time of the event warranting such cancellation, modification, or suspension. Notice of such cancellation, modification, or suspension will be posted on this Website (www.nbcla.com). Sponsors may prohibit any Entrant or potential Entrant from participating in the Contest, if such Entrant or potential Entrant shows a disregard for these Official Rules; acts with an intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other entrant, Sponsors, or Sponsors agents or representatives; or behaves in any other disruptive manner (as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion). Sponsors reserve the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest.
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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
Florida's highest court has delayed the execution of a condemned inmate, just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court found flaws in the way the state sentences people to death.
Florida's justices provided no reasoning for their decision Tuesday, but earlier in the day, they heard arguments from the state and an attorney for inmate Michael Lambrix, who told them the U.S. Supreme Court ruling should apply to all 390 people on death row.
"To execute people in Florida on the basis of a statute that has been declared unconstitutional is just wrong,'' Martin McClain said.
Lambrix was scheduled to be executed Feb. 11. He was sentenced to death for the 1983 slayings of Clarence Moore and Aleisha Bryant. Prosecutors said Lambrix beat Moore with a tire iron and strangled Bryant after meeting the two at a bar and inviting them back to his trailer for dinner. The jury's death recommendation was not unanimous for either murder.
The U.S. Supreme Court found Jan. 12 that the state's sentencing procedure is flawed because it allows judges to reach a different decision than juries. Juries play only an advisory role in recommending death in Florida.
Judges have recommended death against the jury's recommendation in the cases of three of Florida's current death row inmates, state officials said. The last time it happened was 1999.
Lambrix's juries recommended death by an 8-4 vote for Moore's murder, and 10-2 in Bryant's.
Scott Browne of the Florida Attorney General's office argued Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling should not apply to already-decided cases. He warned the court that allowing the ruling to apply to old cases would create chaos and suffering for victims' families in the state with the second-most death row inmates in the nation.
"That would be a catastrophic (decision), we have nearly 400 inmates sentenced to death. It would be an immense burden on judicial resources,'' Browne told the court. "These are tragic cases. To unsettle the expectations of victims' family members without any compelling provision is unwarranted.''
Browne said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision should be treated the same as a related case out of Arizona. In that case, the court ruled not to apply it retroactively.
Justices appeared conflicted during the arguments about how to the ruling in Florida.
"There has to be something to the law that is beyond technicalities. One person is executed today, but the one that comes up tomorrow is not, and there really is no difference in their cases,'' said Justice R. Fred Lewis. "I'm struggling with the word games.''
University of Florida Levin College of Law professor Teresa Reid, a death penalty expert, said she was not surprised by the Court's ruling. Many of the Justice's questions indicated they are extremely concerned about whether and how Hurst should be applied to already-decided cases, she said.
"This stay and the detailed questions they asked counsel during Tuesday's hearing demonstrate they're carefully considering the arguments presented. They're not just rubber-stamping prior decisions,'' Reid said.
Meanwhile, Florida's Legislature has started to address the death penalty system.
Under one new proposal, the jury would have to make a unanimous decision about whether aggravating factors warrant capital punishment, but they could also choose life in prison without parole.
Judges could only consider an aggravating factor that was unanimously found by the jury.
There is also growing support for another bill sponsored by Sen. Thad Altman that would require a unanimous verdict in order for there to be a death sentence.
"By no way is this a 100-percent finished product,'' committee chair Rep. Carlos Trujillo said. "At some point we will have to reconcile both bills before it goes to the governor.''
A proposed bike lane for a Upper West Side thoroughfare is stirring up some fierce debate among residents worried about traffic bottlenecks.
New York City recently announced plans to build a protected bike lane on Amsterdam Avenue between West 72nd and 110th streets. The proposal, part of Mayor de Blasios vision zero initiative to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities, would reduce the four-lane road to three while creating a separate lane for cyclists, but its left some worrying about congestion on the uptown-bound roadway.
Theres a lot of trucks and deliveries, said Patricia Trevisoni. Not a good idea.
The bike lane mirrors ones seen across the city including a block away on Columbus Avenue -- and is set to be built this spring. But some people in the, including community advocate and cyclist Joseph Bolanos, are hoping a petition will stop the project because the roadway is used by commercial vehicles.
Theyre going to narrow down four lanes of commercial traffic down to three, Bolanos bemoaned.
Others say that the change will make Amsterdam Avenue safer for everyone and will better meet the needs of people living on the Upper West Side.
Among the supporters is City Councilman Mark D. Levine, who wrote in a letter to community board 7 that the current design is unsafe for pedestrians, cyclists and cars alike and that one with protected bike lanes would address issues for all travelers. The full letter was posted to the Streetsblog NYC website.
Marjorie Borba said she agrees with Levines assessment.
"I would love it, she said. Totally missing a bike lane here."
State health officials said Monday that the mosquito blamed for infecting people with the Zika virus isn't found in New York, but they plan this spring to test related mosquitoes in New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley.
The only U.S. cases so far involve people who traveled to Brazil and other places where mosquito bites have been linked to Zika infections and increased numbers of babies born with a congenital brain and skull condition, said Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker.
There were nine confirmed cases in New York as of Friday, according to the Health Department. Its Wadsworth Center is testing blood and urine of people believed infected to confirm cases.
There's no need to isolate or quarantine infected people, Zucker said in a conference call. The symptoms are usually mild, can include a rash, fever, joint pain, or conjunctivitis and appear a few days after a bite by an infected mosquito.
The state health department is offering free advanced lab testing for symptomatic invidivuals who have traveled to areas where Zika is ongoing. The testing to be done by the Wadsworth Center, one of only three state labs in the nation to conduct that sort of advanced testing, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
For more information, New Yorkers can call a hoteline at 888-364-4723.
Zika can't be spread by casual human contact, though health officials are investigating a concern that it can be sexually transmitted, the Health Department said. It has been reported also in several countries in tropical Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.
The federal Centers for Disease Control recommended that pregnant women consider avoiding areas where they could get the virus from mosquitoes.
"The cases we've seen are obviously those who've traveled to countries where it's a significant problem," Zucker said. The main mosquito that causes this is not in our area but the cousin of the mosquito, which has carried other viruses in the same family as Zika virus, is in our area so we'll keep an eye on that."
The information can change rapidly so they'll continue to update it, he said.
A Dallas County resident has become the first Zika patient to contract the virus in the U.S. without traveling abroad, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. County health officials said the patient was infected through sexual contact, not through a mosquito bite.
Dallas County Health and Human Services said the patient was infected after having sexual contact with an individual who developed symptoms after returning from a trip to Venezuela. The individual from Venezuela is also infected with the virus. Both patients have fully recovered from the infection, health officials said Wednesday.
"A person who recently traveled to an area with Zika virus transmission returned to the United States and developed Zika-like symptoms. The person later tested positive for Zika, along with their sexual partner, who had not traveled to the area," the CDC said in a statement.
Neither is pregnant. Both are thought to still be in Dallas County.
DCHHS said Tuesday that the CDC confirmed the Zika test and that the county health department confirmed the virus was transmitted sexually through a follow-up interview with the patient. The CDCs statement did not confirm or rule out that the virus was transmitted sexually.
Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others, said Zachary Thompson, DCHHS director. Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually-transmitted infections.
The Zika virus is usually spread through mosquito bites. The CDC previously said it was aware of reports of the virus being spread through sexual contact, but had not confirmed the transmission method. While exploring the possibility the virus could be spread through sex, investigators found the virus in one man's semen in Tahiti, and there was report of a Colorado researcher who caught the virus overseas and apparently spread it to his wife back home in 2008, according to The Associated Press.
There are no reports of the virus being spread locally by mosquitoes, though local transmission by mosquitoes is possible with the virus now known to be in North Texas, according to the county. Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Health, said infected people could infect the mosquitos and "start the transmission cycle."
"And once that occurs, it's almost impossible to get the virus out of the population," he said.
Common symptoms of Zika virus include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week, Dallas County health officials said.
The virus can have far more harmful effects on women who are infected while pregnant. Zika has led to reports of microcephaly in infants ad other "poor pregnancy outcomes," according to the CDC.
Those with symptoms, or those who have had sexual contact with someone who has symptoms, are urged to seek immediate medical care, to protect themselves from further mosquito bites and to avoid unprotected sexual contact.
The CDC said it has no definitive information on the infectious time period and will provide more guidance as it learns more about the virus.
There is no medication to treat Zika virus and there is no vaccine; the best prevention is to avoid mosquitoes and sexual contact with infected people. The recommendations for avoiding the Zika virus are the same for avoiding West Nile virus.
Dusk and Dawn: Stay inside if possible mosquitoes are most active during dusk and dawn.
Stay inside if possible mosquitoes are most active during dusk and dawn. Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.
For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent. DEET: Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent.
Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent. Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.
Additionally, the CDC continues to recommend that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant take the following precautions:
Pregnant women should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who must travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional first and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during the trip. Pregnant women should also avoid exposure to semen from someone who has been exposed to Zika virus.
Women trying to become pregnant should consult with their healthcare professional if their partner has had exposure to Zika virus.
To date, there are seven other confirmed Zika cases in Texas, in Houston and Harris County. In each of those cases, the patient had traveled abroad to an area where Zika is present.
Dr. Seema Yasmin, medical expert at The Dallas Morning News, answers more of your questions about the Zika virus.
NBC 5's Kevin Cokely, Holley Ford and Todd L. Davis contributed to this report.
A teenager was stabbed to death in a northern New Jersey street Monday morning when he tried to rob the son of a former top aide in New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, officials say.
The killed teen, Savion Lewallen, was among a group of five people who tried to rob 19-year-old Khari Noerdlinger near his Edgewater, New Jersey home, according to prosecutors. Noerdlinger is the son of Rachel Noerdlinger, former chief of staff to First Lady Chirlane McCray, the Edgewater mayor told NBC 4 New York.
Noerdlinger fought back and stabbed Lewallen in the leg, then tried to remove evidence from the scene along with the others, officials said.
Lewallen was taken to Palisades General Hospital, where he died of a stab wound to his right thigh, prosecutors said.
Khari Noerdlinger was arrested Monday on charges of aggravated manslaughter, weapon possession and hindering apprehension. He's been remanded to Bergen County Jail on $500,000 bail, prosecutors said.
Attorney information wasn't immediately clear. A message left with his mother wasn't immediately returned.
De Blasio and McCray said in a statement emailed to NBC 4: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family that has lost their son, and with everyone affected by this tragedy."
Lewallen is from Spring Valley and was recently released from Rockland County Jail for allegedly holding and assaulting a 15-year-old girl for 90 minutes in the woods near Spring Valley High School against her will, The Journal News reports.
The four other people with Lewallen were charged in the robbery attempt, prosecutors said.
Khari's mother, Rachel Noerdlinger, left the de Blasio administration in November 2014 amid scrutiny over her personal life. An official probe found she committed no wrongdoing by failing to disclose her live-in relationship with a man who has been arrested at least five times and convicted in a 1993 fatal shooting of a teenager over a jacket.
But after her son was arrested on a criminal trespass charge in Washington Heights in November 2014, Noerdlinger decided to leave her post.
She said in a statement at the time that her son's arrest "heightens the need for me to devote my full attention to Khari, my number one priority."
"I can handle criticism and scrutiny of me, even when it's mean-spirited -- that comes with the territory when you take on the status quo," Noerdlinger said at the time. "But increasingly, my son has been subjected to attacks that have nothing to do with the public interest, and everything to do with derailing this administration. I do not want to be a distraction -- the work at hand is far too urgent."
Three others youths were arrested along with Khari at that time, and two of them were allegedly found with marijuana. Khari was not one of them.
The case Monday is being investigated by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.
Detectives could be seen at the scene near Old River Road at about noon. The roadway in front of a pizzeria was cordoned off. There was what appeared to be a bloodstain in the street.
Pakistan Prime Minister could be in trouble, if summoned by the court, the judge observed. (Photo: PTI)
Islamabad: A senior judge of Pakistans Supreme Court warned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could lose his job and go to jail if he avoids implementing judicial orders.
Justice Azmat Saeed of the Supreme Court said if the courts orders were not implemented, they would summon the Prime Minister and he would not get to go back as there was enough place in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Hearing a contempt application of a customs officer, the judge said, In view of the matter, if they summon the Prime Minister, then he will not go back. There is enough space in Adiala Jail. He added the Prime Minister, if summoned, would be in trouble.
The court, expressing displeasure over non-appearance of the Establishment Division secretary, put him on notice and ordered issuance of promotion notification of Customs Officer Umer Farooq within two days.
Justice Saeed, heading a two-judge bench, said they had summoned the Establishment Division secretary many times, but he did not turn up even to file the reply. He said no one would be allowed to defy the court orders.
The judge observed the Establishment Division had been making fun of the apex court for the last eight months. The apex court ordered promotion of Customs Officer Umer Farooq on April 27, 2015.
Arif Chaudhry, representing the Establishment Division secretary, said the division had sent a summary to the Prime Minister on January 29, 2016, regarding Umar Farooqs promotion.
Justice Saeed remarked the Establishment Division had been making fun of the court for the past eight months.
He said the notification for the promotion of Umer Farooq was issued on January 29, 2016, adding no one was looking after the process of promotions. Umer Farooq said the Supreme Courts order 27-04-15 had not been implemented in letter and spirit.
The governments lawyer assured the bench that the court order would be implemented and a new notification would be issued. The court adjourned the hearing till February 3.
Former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani was sacked by the Supreme Court in 2012 for refusing to implement the top courts orders on reopening cases against ex-President Asif Ali Zardari.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said peace and development in Balochistan was top priority of the government.
He was talking to Speaker Balochistan Assembly Raheela Hameed Durrani here.
The Prime Minister said it was highly encouraging that a female has been elected speaker of Balochistan Assembly for the first time.
Nawaz Sharif said peace has been restored in the province due to commendable efforts of civil and military law enforcement agencies during the last three years.
Raheela Durrani briefed the Prime Minister on the parliamentary and legislative proceedings in the Provincial Assembly.
It may not be Jurassic Park, but the San Diego Zoo entomology department received 300 eggs last weekend from a critically endangered stick insect.
The Lord Howe Island stick insect or tree lobster, thought extinct for over 80 years, was rediscovered in 2001 on an eroded remnant of a volcano called Balls Pyramid just off the coast of Australia.
The eggs arrived from Australias Melbourne Zoo and placed in 16-ounce containers filled with vermiculite, a soil additive that provides appropriate moisture for the eggs development. The eggs will be kept in an off-exhibit area to hatch at a precise temperature and humidity.
"The rearing facility at the zoo is a very clean space," said "The animals are restricted to that area because we want to make sure we have all best practices and that means no fear of cross-contamination with the other invertebrates in our collection. It's very hot, it's very humid, it's very much like Lord Howe Island."
The entomology department successfully hatched the insect in 2012, but the group didnt thrive. A review by the animal care staff and horticulture team decided the insects needed special plants that were used the Melbourne Zoo programs, which were unavailable in North America at the time. Plans to hatch more eggs were put on hold until the zoo was able to raise enough of this plant to feed the insects.
Horticulture supervisor Seth Menser traveled to Australia in 2012 to bring back 100 cuttings of Melaleuca howeana, a shrub native only to Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid. The zoo now has over 150 plants growing in six different plots. This is expected to be the insects primary food source.
The eggs are expected to hatch in two weeks and are expected to grow to seven inches long.
Since the rediscovery of the insects, the Melbourne Zoo has had great success in their efforts to breed them.
A Vermont man accused of traveling to San Diego to have sex with infant girls appeared in court Monday to face to two felony counts.
Joel A. Wright, 23, was a seminary student in Columbus, Ohio when he flew to San Diego International Airport on Jan. 29.
Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) met Wright outside of baggage claim and took him into custody.
According to officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Wright had plans to travel to Mexico to have sex with at least three babies.
An Ohio student studying to be a priest traveled to San Diego Friday seeking sex with infants, according to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. NBC 7s Omari Fleming reports.
On Monday, Wright did not enter a plea to 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.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard G. Skomal assigned Wright federal defenders.
At a hearing Thursday, Wright agreed to be held without bail as his case continues. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 25.
Getty Images
Wright was expelled from his seminary school Friday morning because he left school without permission, school officials told the Columbus Dispatch.
Authorities are investigating a reported sexual attack on a female student inside the stairwell of a building at San Diego City College (SDCC) by a man she met on a bus hours earlier.
According to Chief of Police Ray Aguirre with the San Diego Community College District Police Department, the assault happened around 2 p.m. Monday. The victim was walking in the stairwell of the T Building on campus when a man in his mid-20s attacked her.
Investigators said the sexual battery suspect is described as approximately 26 years old, with a muscular build, standing at 5-foot-6. He wore a gray shirt with yellow and blue writing on it and blue or black sweat pants. Police said they do not have enough information to release a suspect sketch at this time. The mans name may be Abraham, according to the victim.
As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, no arrests had been made.
A lieutenant with the campus police department spoke with NBC 7 Tuesday and said the victim somewhat knew her alleged assailant.
The official said the victim initially met the suspect on a city bus in San Diegos Skyline neighborhood. After riding the bus, the two boarded the trolley into downtown San Diego headed toward San Diego City College.
The lieutenant said the pair were engaged in conversation the entire ride and exchanged phone numbers. They parted ways when the victims went to class, but stayed in contact via phone.
Once the victim got out of class, the suspect met her on campus. The lieutenant said that as the duo walked, the suspect tried making advances on the woman. At that point, the battery occurred.
The official would not go into specifics about the sexual battery and what kind of attack it was.
The investigation is ongoing, but campus police believe this was an isolated incident and do not fear the suspect is targeting other victims. The SDPD Sex Crimes unit is helping with the case.
Anyone with information on this case or similar assaults on or near the college campus should contact City College Police at (619) 388-6405 or the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000. Tips can also be reported to Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS.
Campus police say students at the campus may request safety escort services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To arrange an officer escort, students can call College Police at the aforementioned phone number.
Aguirre said there are emergency call boxes installed in many classrooms at the college campus, as well as in elevators and parking lots. Those call boxes are directly linked to the San Diego Community College District Police Department and can be used at any time to report an emergency on campus.
After this incident, campus police said everyone at the college received an email notification warning of what happened and reminding students to walk with others. The alert also reminded students to have the number to campus police programmed in their cell phones.
"It's pretty sad," student Chelsea Sylvester told NBC 7 after hearing of the incident. "I mean, you come to school you want to focus on the criteria that you're here for, and you're not able to because you have all these things on the outside happening, and it's preventing you to really focus, and instead you're focusing on all these bad things that can happen to you."
San Diego City College a public, two-year community college is located on 60 acres at 1313 Park Boulevard, less than one mile from the heart of downtown San Diego. According to this map of the campus, the T Building, where the alleged crime occurred, is located near Russ Boulevard.
The college offers 250 majors and certificate programs and 1,500 classes each semester to more than 17,000 students. In 2014, City College celebrated its 100th anniversary. When it was founded in 1914 San Diego Junior College, the campus was the first community college in San Diego and the fifth community college established in California.
Some San Diego Sheriff's deputies will begin wearing body cameras as part of a 90-day trial.
Deputies at the Rancho San Diego station, Lakeside substation, Vista station, North Coastal station and Rural Command will wear body cameras starting Friday. Deputies assigned to the Hall of Justice who work primarily in field operations will also wear body cameras.
"This is one of the most significant programs we have initiated since I was elected Sheriff, and I want to do it the right way for our personnel, and for our communities, Sheriff Bill Gore said in a statement.
The Vista station will have 22 deputies with body cameras, the Rancho San Diego station will have 16 deputies with cameras, North Coastal will have 15, Lakeside will have eight and Rural Command will have two. Deputies at the Hall of Justice will have 12 cameras.
The cameras will be provided by WatchGuard Video, TASER International and Vievu. Each company will each have 30-day in-field trials, Gore announced. Deputies who participate in the trial phase will be trained by the providers.
Once the trial phase is over, participants will provide feedback, review and analysis. That information will be used when making a final decision on the vendor.
A Body-Worn Cameras committee established in August 2014 has been examining the sustainability and feasibility of body-worn cameras for the past 18 months.
During that time, committee members met with agencies across the west coast, including those with the San Diego Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and Arizona Police Department, to discuss their experiences with body cameras. Members also looked at various providers, equipment, best practices for storage and policies.
San Diego Police officers have been wearing body cameras for more than a year now.
Officials also spoke with members of the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board to assess the technology and how it would serve the community.
San Diegos community of emerging artists may soon have a place to call home as a nonprofit organization drafts plans to build a house and art center in Sherman Heights for budding talent.
Space 4 Art, a San Diego-based nonprofit, is in the process of designing and building a unique place where artists and the community can inspire one another.
In spring 2014, the organization purchased a half-acre vacant lot of land on Market Street, between 25th and 26th streets, to pursue the construction of a permanent space where local artists could live and work.
According to the nonprofits website, the art center and home would be a way for artists and Space 4 Art to have lasting impact in San Diego.
The space will house approximately 50 artists in units where they can work and live. The 50,000-square-foot building will be a combination of private and public space, designed to feel like a small neighborhood around courtyards.
Theres going to be galleries, performing arts, there's going to be education, there's going to be workshops where people can come and work with artists, explained Bob Leathers, co-founder of Space 4 Art.
Leathers said the live-in units will be an affordable housing option for artists something the area currently lacks.
The project is very much a collaborative effort that is designed and built by community volunteers and driven by artists.
To that end, students from High Tech High in Chula Vista are helping with the buildings design.
Recently the students, who worked with architects at Space 4 Art, presented their renderings for affordable rental units within the home.
We're making them from actual blueprints and on sketch up, too. And we're going to actually build them too," explained Vania Alonso, a 9th grade student at High Tech High.
Teachers, architects and even the future tenants sat in the audience and assessed the students layouts.
For the students, it was an educational experience that also taught them the value of team work.
I think it's a pretty cool project because I've never done this and it's an experience to learn,"Javier Belendez, a 9th grade student at High Tech High, told NBC 7. Group work is very good, [compared to] an individual because you get things done and they turn out better.
Aleks Loera, also a freshman at High Tech High, has been working with Javier and Vania the last few months on the design project.
Loera said the project has also helped him overcome his shyness.
I think I did good. I feel good, the student said, beaming.
Currently, Space 4 Art is housed in a rented location in downtown San Diegos East Village, with 35 spaces for artist studios and another five spaces where artists can also live.
Musicians Chris and Arianna Warren live in one of those five units, but plan to move into Space 4 Art's future home in Sherman Heights.
The Warrens sat in the audience while the High Tech High students gave their design presentation.
They definitely took a close listen to our ideas about what would be helpful and they ran with it. They made brilliant things with it, said Chris.
Being two musicians in the house, we need two separate spaces, said Arianna. One big one to do big rehearsals together, and one smaller one for me to practice my own instruments and teach lessons.
There is much work ahead for Space 4 Art, but the plans are moving along.
Space 4 Art had to wait until the city approved zoning changes for Southeast San Diego early this month before it could move full-steam ahead with its plans for the new building. Currently, the architects are meeting with city planners and going through environmental reviews.
Over the next few months, students and architects will be creating a prototype of a work-live loft. They'll place it at the new site later this year.
In March, High Tech High students and their teachers will begin building three of the work-live lofts, which they call tiny houses, at the school.
They need $50,000 for raw materials for the project and have created an online Kickstarter campaign where they are accepting donations. As of Saturday morning, the group had raised nearly $2,000.
On the Kickstarter page, Regina Kruglyak, a 9th grade teacher at the high school, lists the groups goals:
To raise a minimum of $18,000 in order to buy all of the raw materials it takes to build one tiny home from scratch. We will be making everything (this includes windows, doors, any metal work, etc).
But our hope is to exceed our fundraising goal, because if we double the amount, we will be able to buy better quality equipment and transportation for getting to our build site so we do not have to rely on volunteer drivers on a daily basis.
And if we triple the amount of money we hope to raise, we will be able to build communal spaces for the artists that will help enhance their living space in their tiny home community.
After theyre built, the tiny houses will be placed at the new space in Sherman Heights this summer.
Vania told NBC 7 she cant wait to see the students hard work and creativity come to life.
I feel like that's going to be mind-blowing because we designed these, we built these, we put out everything into these houses. And actual real people are going to be living in these houses, she said.
Space 4 Art architects hope to begin construction on the home in 2018.
When everything is said and done, Leathers hopes the project will have deep ties to the community that helped build it and, in its own unique way, gives back to the community for decades to come.
So it becomes a force in the community where the art reaches out into the community and really changes the neighborhoods, he added.
For more details on the project, visit Space 4 Arts website.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley suspended his bid for the Democratic nomination for president Monday night, he said at a rally in Iowa, amid low caucus numbers.
"I am suspending this presidential bid, but I am not ending this fight," he told supporters.
O'Malley spent more time in Iowa than any other candidate and remained the most accessible. He ran an energetic campaign, leading the field with the most bold progressive policy proposals, and he successfully pushed the other candidates on gun safety, immigration, and climate policy.
O'Malley's decision to drop out of the race came even before a winner had been declared but as early results showed O'Malley garnering negligible support in the first primary contest, the Associated Press reported.
A veteran of Colorado Sen. Gary Hart's presidential campaigns in the 1980s, O'Malley sought to portray himself as a fresh face for a party searching for new ideas. He launched some of the toughest critiques of the race, accusing Clinton of being on "three sides" of the gun control debate and offering "weak tea" when it came to policing Wall Street.
But the ex-governor struggled to raise money and was mired in single-digit polls for months, despite an active operation in Iowa and New Hampshire. His campaign was forced to accept federal matching funds in the fall and he failed to become Clinton's chief alternative as Sanders tapped into the party's liberal base.
"We must hold strong for that third-grade kid who's only going to be in third grade once," he told his supporters Monday night.
A former Maryland judge pleaded guilty Monday to deprivation of rights under color of law for telling a sheriff's deputy to stun a criminal defendant during a pre-trial proceeding.
Federal prosecutors accused former Charles County Circuit Court Judge Robert Nalley with an episode of misconduct while Nalley served on the bench in July 2014, the News4 I-Team first reported.
In their court filings, the prosecutors said Nalley ordered the deputy to activate a Stun-Cuff, a remote-controlled device that deploys electro-shocks, against a criminal defendant. They said doing so deprived the victim of due process of law.
The victim, Delvon King, was representing himself in a criminal trial when he repeatedly ignored Nalley during jury selection, reading a prepared statement instead, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. When King twice ignored Nalley's instructions to stop reading the statement, the judge ordered the use of the Stun-Cuff.
The charge is a misdemeanor punishable by a year in prison, but by pleading guilty, Nalley will get only probation.
King said the sentence is a "slap on the wrist."
The Maryland Court of Appeals removed Nalley as a judge in September 2014. He had previously been disciplined for a 2009 episode in which he was accused of tampering with a motor vehicle. A state investigation said Nalley used a cutting device to deliberately let the air out of the tire of a car parked in his reserved courthouse parking spot.
Nalley will be formally sentenced March 31.
A former White House supervisor accused of doctoring time sheets and pocketing taxpayers' money pleaded guilty Tuesday.
Andrea Turk, 46, entered the plea at her arraignment.
According to FBI records obtained by the News4 I-Team, Turk executed a scheme to manipulate time sheets for personal gain while serving as a manager who oversaw and approved time sheets and employee work schedules at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Turk -- who was fired from her job at the White House in 2013, according to court records -- served as White House director of information services beginning in 2009. She supervised a staff of 15 while serving in the post, earning $85,000 per year. Her employees were switchboard operators, according to FBI records. An FBI special agent said one of those employees was victimized in Turk's scheme, court records show.
Investigators said Turk insisted an employee accept extra, unearned overtime pay and then funnel the proceeds back to Turk.
"(The employee) initially responded that she did not want to assist Turk in this manner and suggested that Turk seek financial assistance or ask for a loan," the FBI affidavit said. "When (the employee) also expressed concern that she and Turk would be discovered and get into serious trouble, Turk replied that the Human Resources department did not pay attention to such issues and would never discover their conduct."
According to court records, the FBI said the scheme occurred during 20 pay periods between 2012 and 2013, indicating it likely generated thousands of dollars for Turk. The records indicate Turk's employee was able to keep some of the proceeds of the time-sheet doctoring but also said the employee felt "obligated" to perform personal favors for Turk.
Those favors included babysitting and picking up Turk's child from daycare.
Turk had expressed concerns about her own financial well-being, according to FBI agents.
"When we became aware of the facts described in the complaint we took appropriate personnel actions, including terminating the employee, and referred the matter to the Department of Justice," a White House official said. "With respect to any questions about the law enforcement investigation, we would direct you to the Department of Justice."
The FBI records detail how agents describe the operation of the alleged scheme.
"(The employee) made the first payment to Turk in cash," the records said. "Following the initial cash payment, Turk requested that Employee A make future payments via online wire transfers, directly from (the employee's) bank account to Turk's bank account. Turk provided Employee A with her bank account information."
Employee A received about $10,900 for overtime that wasn't worked and paid Turk about $5,015, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The court records do not specify the identity of the other employee referenced in the FBI investigation. The FBI declined requests for comment on the case, including whether that employee is also under investigation.
Turk did not comment as she left court Tuesday.
She faces six months in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 20.
Maryland Democrats announced Monday that plans to help people save for college and retirement are a priority this session.
The Democrats, who currently control the House and Senate in Maryland, are backing a measure to create a matching program to encourage thousands of families to start saving for college early. The state would provide a $250 match for money put in a college savings plan.
The measure also would create a tax credit program to help middle class workers with student debt exceeding $20,000. It would provide a tax credit of up to $5,000 for about 1,000 people.
Democrats say they also support creating incentives for Maryland businesses to provide retirement savings plans for their employees, but details remain to be worked out.
Deadly protests have broken out over the planned privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (Photo: AFP)
Karachi: Two demonstrators were shot dead and several more were wounded at Karachi's international airport on Tuesday when clashes broke out between security forces and staff from the national airline protesting privatisation plans, officials said.
Police and paramilitary rangers deployed tear gas and water cannon against the protesters from Pakistan International Airlines after they blocked the main entrance to Karachi's Jinnah International Airport around midday.
Gunfire later erupted, although the source of the shots was unclear. Both law enforcement agencies denied they had shot at protesters.
Dr Seemi Jamali, a spokeswoman for the government-run Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, said the hospital had received a total of 10 wounded, one of whom later died.
"Four people with gunshot wounds were brought to the hospital, one succumbed to his injuries while the other three are in stable condition," she said. Six others, among them journalists who had been covering the protest, were treated for other injuries.
Another employee, who had also been shot, was taken to the private Aga Khan University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
"The PIA employee was brought dead to our emergency department and our team attempted to revive him for 20 minutes," a spokesman of the hospital told AFP, identifying the deceased as Inayat Raza.
Nadeem Jaffer, a colleague and friend of Raza, confirmed his death at the hospital.
Kamran Fazal, the police chief of the city's eastern district said: "The situation escalated when a couple of gunshots were fired. My officers told me that they might be fired from the crowd.
"We are searching for the empty shells and only then can we establish who opened fire."
The PIA employees' union had announced a day earlier its plans to shut down the airline's flights after weeks of token strikes against government proposals to complete the partial sale of the carrier by July.
The move follows years of crushing losses and mismanagement that have battered the airline's reputation.
PIA suffers from frequent cancellations and delays and has been involved in numerous controversies over the years, including the jailing of a drunk pilot in Britain in 2013.
The airline has also traditionally handed out tens of thousands of free tickets each year, contributing to its losses.
UPDATE: There's been an arrest in this case. Click here for the latest.
A beloved teacher and her 2-year-old daughter died Tuesday after they were found shot outside their home in Fort Washington, Maryland, officials say.
NeShante Davis, 26, and her daughter, Chloe Davis-Green, were found about 7 a.m. in the parking lot outside their townhouse in the 1300 block of Palmer Road, Prince George's County police said.
A witness said he heard yelling and then multiple gunshots. Davis' body was found right away, next to her car, police said. The injured toddler then was spotted through the tinted windows of her mother's blue Chevrolet. The toddler was rushed to a hospital, where she died.
A friend of Davis' for more than a decade, Melonie Parker, said at an emotional service Tuesday night that she was heartbroken.
"Who can shoot a child?" she asked. "How could you look a child in their face and shoot a child? I don't understand."
Davis' mother, sister and other loved ones mourned the mother's and daughter's deaths at Community Temple Bibleway Church in Cheverly, Maryland. Members of the crowd prayed and cried together.
"I'm going to miss her. And Chloe," the toddler's grandmother, Carolyn Turner, said, unable to speak any longer.
Investigators searched for evidence at the crime scene for hours Tuesday, with the county's acting police chief and chief prosecutor on hand to ensure nothing was overlooked.
"This is absolutely unacceptable in any civilized community that a child should be killed," Prince Georges County States Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said. "We are absolutely enraged."
Police are still working to identify a suspect and motive.
On the scene, Interim Chief Hank Stawinski told reporters that investigators are pursuing viable leads.
This is a profoundly sad day, and my prayers go out to the family for a crime that, frankly, shocks the conscience," Stawinski said.
Davis was a second-grade teacher at Bradbury Heights Elementary School in Capitol Heights, according to the school's website. She worked for years as a teacher's aide at the school and was in the middle of her first year teaching after recently graduating from Bowie State University.
Davis likely was headed to drop Chloe off at day care and then head to work when they were shot, school officials said.
Parent Tiffany Byrd said Tuesday afternoon she was preparing to speak with her son about why he would not see his teacher again.
"I have no idea how he's responded knowing she won't be back now and he'll have a new teacher," she said.
"Miss Davis was awesome. She really, really helped him to improve a lot," Byrd said, saying her son had struggled at another school but earned all As and Bs since entering Davis' class.
The father of a student at the school wiped away tears as he spoke about Davis.
"It really hurt me. The school called this morning," Erik Hines said. "Miss Davis was an excellent teacher."
Counselors were available at the school Tuesday to help students and staff members coping with the tragedy.
Court records show Davis and Chloe's father were involved late last year in a paternity and child support action. It's unclear whether that dispute had any connection to the killing.
Davis lifelong pastor and family friend rushed to the crime scene to offer comfort to family members who who looked on in disbelief.
"Whoever it is, they need to be caught and penalized to the fullest," he said.
Davis' sister, Nikki Turner, pleaded for answers at the prayer service Tuesday night.
"We will forgive you. God will forgive you," she said. "We just want you to turn yourself in. We want justice to be served."
News4's attempted to speak with Chloe's father and was turned away at his apartment complex by a security guard.
Anyone who may have seen or heard something in the area about 7 a.m. is asked to call police at 1-866-411-TIPS.
A Virginia man flying from Washington, D.C., to Jacksonville, Florida, had to be restrained after attacking another passenger and two flight attendants, authorities say.
Joseph Michael Sharkey, of Reston, has been charged with assault or intimidation of a flight crew, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday.
Sharkey, 36, faces up to 20 years in prison.
A criminal complaint says Sharkey was on a JetBlue flight Sunday when he verbally assaulted another passenger and then placed that passenger in a headlock. The complaint says Sharkey then fought with two flight attendants before he could be restrained.
The plane landed safely in Jacksonville, and airport police arrested Sharkey.
A formal detention hearing is set for Wednesday. An after-hours phone message left with the federal public defender's office wasn't immediately returned.
A 73-year-old Vermont woman is recovering from severe facial injuries suffered when a chunk of flying ice that witnesses said broke off the roof of a tractor-trailer smashed through her SUV's windshield.
Judith Donaghy, of North Hero, was driving Saturday on Route 2 in South Hero when the "ice missile" struck her car, according to Sheriff Ray Allen of Grand Isle County.
"This person could've been killed as a result of it," Allen observed, describing the smashed windshield which was struck by the so-called ice missile directly in front of the steering wheel.
Other drivers said a sheet of thick ice broke off the roof of a tractor trailer and hit Donaghy's hood and windshield, according to Allen. No one other cars were struck. The truck driver kept driving, perhaps unaware of what happened, Allen said.
Donaghy was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. Allen said he expects her to be released Tuesday.
Mitchell Richardson of Keeler Bay Service & Sales towed away the SUV from the scene.
"There was a lot of force," Richardson said, describing the impact from the ice to the hood and windshield of Donaghy's car. "I can't imagine what her experience was. I just can't."
Allen said he and his deputies are working to gather additional witness accounts and surveillance footage from businesses along Route 2. They hope of identifying the trucking company and give Donaghy an opportunity to receive an insurance settlement.
Allen said he found an image of an interstate trucking company that may have been involved, but would not release more information on the still-unfolding investigation.
There is no Vermont "ice missle" law that could lead to the application of penalties or criminal charges in this case, Allen said. He noted that state requirements around windshield visibility demand those be cleared, but there is no such law mandating ice be cleared from vehicles' roofs.
"I think we ought to do something about it," said State Rep. Kurt Wright, a Republican from Burlington.
Two years ago, Wright proposed "ice missile" legislation like Connecticut's, hoping to give Vermont law enforcement the ability to issue fines in egregious cases.
Wright recalled Monday in an interview with necn that the bill did not have traction in 2014. A prime argument against it, Wright acknowledged, was that there is no easy way to clean the tops of big tractor-trailers.
"We ought to work with the trucking industry to find a solution to this," Wright said Monday. "There's going to be a tragedy that occurs some time, and we're going to wish we had been stronger on it."
For now, Allen is urging drivers to take extra time to knock snow and ice off vehicles after storms, highlighting Donaghy's case as an example of why it's important.
"You know the snow's coming," Allen said of forecasts in advance of Vermont storms. "Get up a little bit earlier and clean off your vehicles, pick-ups and trailers you're going to be hauling. This is very serious."
A young man was killed after being struck by a commuter train in Massachusetts Tuesday afternoon, authorities confirm.
The victim has been identifed as 13-year-old Eric Plathe of Dedham.
MBTA Transit Police say the teen was killed at Endicott Station on the Franklin branch line around 4:20 p.m.
Dedham firefighters, police and EMS responded to the scene along with transit police, authorities said.
Although the line has since been reopened, commuters are being warned to expect severe delays.
The investigation is ongoing.
Authorities say a 3-year-old Boston boy who was rushed to a hospital for trauma on Sunday night has died.
Boston police say the child, who has not been identified, was found unresponsive inside a home on Alpine Street in the city's Roxbury neighborhood around 9:40 p.m.
The child was taken to Boston Medical Center, were he died on Tuesday.
The Department of Children and Families was familiar with the boy and his 5-month-old sibling. DCF has an open case on the children and a social worker had reportedly visited the boy just two days before he was found in the home Sunday.
No other details were immediately available.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information to contact detectives at 617-343-4470.
Even good news for the MBTA, it seems, comes with bad news. The latest example: The T's finally put into service 40 new commuter rail locomotives it bought for over $5.5 million apiece, replacing units that were in some cases nearly 40 years old.
But from July to December, they still had over 60 breakdowns. And according to new data first reported by Nicole Dungca in The Boston Globe Monday, failures with the new units accounted for nearly a third of all delayed trains from June through December. Two of the brand-new locomotives have even been sent back to Motive Power Inc. and its engine subcontractor, General Electric, for major repairs.
Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, in an interview after Monday afternoons meeting of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board, said she is not worried that the HSP46 locomotives are lemons.
There's a reason why you buy locomotives with two year warranties, and it does take a certain amount of time to shake them down, Pollack said. Were obviously seeing things that need to be fixed, and we fully intend to hold the manufacturer accountable for under the warranty.
MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola said that were not completely pleased with the units but agreed that problems are being fixed, some operator error issues with engineers and mechanics have been addressed, and they are proving to get more reliable.
In December, the most recent month with full statistics, the HSP46 units went on average 18,723 miles between failures, according to data provided by MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. That was three to five times better than most of the other older units still in operation.
Kate Price of Wellesley, waiting for her afternoon train home, said shes been enjoying reliable service this winter. I take it every single day, and its been good so far, knock wood, Price said. She never notices what kind of locomotive is pulling her train. Not really, no. I just want it to get me there, Price said.
The T first ordered the locomotives back in 2010 and many that arrived in Boston in 2014 were kept off the road for months while problems were worked out. The T boasted then the units would reduce emissions and save 36,500 gallons of diesel fuel annually compared to other units.
You need to look at the overall performance of the fleet, Pollack said. While it is not where it needs to be, and we will get it better, and we will get anything fixed that is owed to us under warranty, as a fleet it is working better than the locomotives it replaced. There is no question about that.
A day after Bernie Sanders came within a hair's breadth of winning the Iowa Caucus over his better-known and better-funded opponent, Hillary Clinton, people in the senator's home district of Vermont were cheering his success.
"Feel the Bern!" beamed Bo Muller-Moore of Montpelier, a t-shirt artist who has been selling so many Bernie 2016 apparel and mugs to buyers nationwide, he was able to leave his other job at a bakery to print shirts full-time. "He's shaken the whole system up. He's making people pay attention to some issues that a lot of us hold dear-- a lot of us working class people."
Clinton defeated Sanders by less than three-tenths of 1 percent, the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history, the state party said. The Associated Press reported Sanders said his campaign was still reviewing the results and did not concede.
In Keene, New Hampshire Tuesday, Sanders told more than 1,100 supporters at a rally that his campaign came back from a 50 percent point deficit in the polls and "began the political revolution not just in Iowa, not just in New Hampshire, but all over this country."
At Capitol Grounds in Montpelier, coffee roaster Chris Pyatak said he has received enthusiastic communication from all over the country for his Bernie's Beans, coffee sold in bags bearing an illustration of Sanders.
"It's great for a small business," Pyatak said of the boost in online sales for Bernie's Beans.
Pyatak noted that pundits and many large media organizations initially wrote off Sanders' campaign as being only able to attract fringe support.
But many Vermonters suspected all along it was unwise to underestimate the self-described democratic socialist in his White House run, because of the wide margins by which he won many of his Vermont elections, and because of his reputation for giving rousing speeches that captivate audiences.
Capitol Grounds said it hopes buyers of Bernie's Beans see a reflection of the independent spirit Sanders and the city of Montpelier stand for when they drink the coffee described as being between light and medium roast.
"You don't have to go big and corporate with everything," Pyatak said of a value the coffee roasters share with Bernie Sanders.
Twenty percent of the sales of the $15 bags of coffee go to one of the candidates' favorite causes: the Vermont Veterans Fund, Pyatak said.
In the Vermont Statehouse, Rep. Chris Pearson, P-Burlington, recalled in an interview with necn his days working for Sanders in the late 1990s.
"Bernie's strength comes from being very up-front about his passion for the middle class and working families," Pearson observed.
As for the photo finish with Hillary Clinton Monday night in Iowa, Pearson chalked it up in large part to Sanders' reputation for sincerity in prioritizing the middle class, the environment, and his threats to knock the most financially powerful off their perches.
"I think if he had another week in Iowa, he probably would've beaten her by a point," Pearson speculated. "He campaigns harder than anyone I know. He leaves staffers half his age panting on the sidelines as he roars into another speech. He's a very impressive man."
Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she has "some work to do" to attract young and first-time voters to her campaign for president.
She said in an interview on CNN's "Situation Room" that she is pleased so many young people are participating this year in the Democratic nominating contest and recognizes that rival Bernie Sanders did well among that group in Monday's razor-thin Iowa caucuses.
The AP reported Clinton said in next-up New Hampshire and beyond, she will be emphasizing her plans to help young people start their lives, including a proposal to make college more affordable.
Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont, has pledged his support to Clinton, and Tuesday called her a "pragmatic progressive who will work with people to get things done."
Shumlin praised both Clinton's razor-thin victory in Iowa, and Sen. Sanders' success in energizing the electorate, especially young voters.
"Let's remember, Hillary lost Iowa: she came in third there eight years ago," Shumlin told necn. "So for her to be able to turn that around and win Iowa is a big deal. And also, Bernie did much better than anyone would have thought months ago, so I really think this is an example where both came out very well."
Shumlin and many observers are predicting a long road to the Democratic nomination, so it looks like Bo Muller-Moore is going to stay pretty busy with his squeegees and Bernie 2016 t-shirts.
"I have had loads of fun with it," he said as he got back to work on his screen printing.
Jimmyb said: I think he was just having a little harmless fun with the title. Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your comment. I was really hoping this subject would come up, and that is exactly why I asked that the disrespectful post be removed. Is this forum for teenagers or adults? We once thought there was an important difference between children and adults, and children were not welcomed in adult conversation.What we have here is one of the most important generational differences. I once said something like that to my grandmother and she stood, looked directly at me and said my full name! The power of God glared at me from grandmother's eyes and I knew He would strike me dead if I made such a careless statement again.My grandmother was a school teacher and when she walked into the room, full grown men sat a little taller. Her generation was distinctly different from the next generation who had been in the second world war. I wish our young could meet these people today, but they are all dead, and their children's generation is mostly gone. With them the memory of what we were is dying.We once took self-government very seriously and newspapers defended our democracy by keeping us well informed. We valued good manners and good character and human dignity was a priority. These things go with understanding our democracy and protecting our liberty. But today we behave like The Three Stooges. We trash everything and everyone, but you better not irritate a security guard at an airport because this can result in a strip search and delay.? Maybe our harmless fun is not so harmless, but related to the shift in authority?
Unstructured data is notoriously tricky to analyze using traditional methods, so it's tough to suss out trends from "messy" sources like news articles and social media. That's quickly changing, however, and on Monday, OpenText launched a timely example that's focused on the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.
Election Tracker '16 is an interactive online tool that lets anyone visually monitor, compare and discover new insights about election coverage from 48 major online news sources.
+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD Examining 5 Presidential candidates support from tech company employees +
The tool automatically scans hundreds of online media publications from around the globe for sentiment and trends, generating summaries of stories about the race. It organizes them by categories including news agency, candidate, topic and tone.
Election Tracker translates its findings into visual summaries and delivers them in an online app with interactive dashboards and reports. Users can compare coverage of candidates based on categories like topic, date, geography, and sentiment.
OpenText Release 16 is the software driving the process. More specifically, OpenText InfoFusion automatically crawls the Web for election-focused articles and retrieves the raw text for evaluation. OpenText Content Analytics processes that text to determine sentiment and extracts people, places and topics following standard or custom taxonomies, providing the metadata necessary for analysis.
Visual summaries are designed using OpenText Analytics Designer, then housed and deployed on OpenText iHub, where they're embedded into the app's user interface with the iHub JavaScript application programming interface.
Mostly, it's a timely demo of OpenText's technology. But it's also a vivid illustration of the technological muscle that's increasingly available for tackling unstructured data. YouEye, Tamr and Taste Analytics are among the numerous young companies that have emerged recently to meet that challenge.
Underwater communications networks are excruciatingly slow, and that's hampering oil and gas exploration and scuba communications, among other businesses.
The communications technology needs upgrading to more closely match high-speed, through-air radio networks, say experts.
One answer may be to adapt software-defined radios and couple them with special underwater acoustic modems, according to electrical engineers at the University of Buffalo.
Radio too slow
Sound-waveslike those used by whales and dolphinsas opposed to radio-waves, are the best media for communicating underwater, the scientists say.
Traditional radio methods don't work properly. The problem is that radio doesn't function well underwater. Commercial underwater modems are slow, and voice solutions are limited by distance and clarity, the scientists say.
However, the engineers believe sound waves could be a better solution. That is, of course, if they can get around some of the problems.
It would be faster, for one thing.
Doppler
"The trouble is that sound waves encounter such obstacles as path loss, delay and Doppler which limit their ability to transmit," says a University of Buffalo news release about the work.
The Doppler shift effect occurs when a wave's frequency changes as parties move closer or away from each other. It's common in sound. A good example is how a train horn sounds different when it's moving, compared to when the train is standing still.
That can be a problem if you need to interpret the sounds.
Plus, "underwater communication is also hindered by the architecture" of systems, which "lack standardization, are often proprietary and not energy-efficient," the university continues.
Software-defined
The key to the solution, they think, is to use software-defined acoustic modems. The engineers say their modem prototype can achieve high data rates in underwater acoustic links.
The "real-time reconfigurable capabilities" allow the underwater networks to be efficient and provide a "high data rate," an IEEE abstract says. The electrical engineering society published the study in November 2015.
Traditional Software Defined Radio is radio equipment that can have its frequencies shifted by computer, rather than by physical means.
"Applying software-defined radio to acoustic modems could vastly improve underwater data transmission rates," the university's release says.
Testing
And the Buffalo engineers report success.
In tests at Lake Erie, they were able to boost data transmission rates "by ten times what today's commercial underwater modems are capable of," the university says.
Uses
It's not just scuba divers and oil and gas exploration that benefit from better underwater communications. The Coast Guard might detect marine drug smugglers more easily or coordinate search-and-rescue missions better, for example. The technology could also have an effect on pollution monitoring.
In fact, it's in that last one, sensor deployment, such as those used in tsunami warning systems, where this technology might play a significant role.
Aqua-IoT sensors
Just as with the land-based Internet of Things, an aquatic Internet of Things could allow better eco-monitoring. Around 71% of the earth's surface is water.
"The remarkable innovation and growth we've witnessed in land-based wireless communications has not yet occurred in underwater sensing networks, but we're starting to change that," Dimitris Pados, of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Buffalo, a co-author of the study, said in the news release.
Sigfox, a French networking company whose technology is already supporting large Internet of Things (IoT) deployments in several countries in Europe, has its sights set on the U.S. market.
The company hasn't been shy about its plans for U.S. expansion in 2016. By the end of the first quarter, Sigfox claims its networks will be up and running in 10 U.S. cities: San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, and Austin, Texas.
So, how does the company plan to accomplish this? And how can it succeed in establishing a nationwide network for the IoT?
What is Sigfox?
Sigfox deploys Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) that work in concert with hardware that manufacturers can integrate into their products. In terms of compatibility, the network takes a similar approach to traditional GSM networks. Any device with integrated Sigfox hardware can connect to the internet in regions where a Sigfox network has been deployed without any external hardware, like a Wi-Fi or Zigbee router. But, in another sense, the Sigfox network is entirely different than traditional GSM networks, in that it can only transmit small amounts of data, at just 100 bits per second.
This is what Sigfox says makes it ideal for IoT devices. Relying on unlicensed spectrum, particularly the 900 MHz band in the U.S., the Sigfox network "whispers" data rather than "shouts" it, according to Sigfox president of North America Allen Proithis. This enables the devices using the network to conserve and extend battery life. Thomas Nicholls, executive vice president of communications for Sigfox, says its technology makes for sensors that can "go to sleep" when not transmitting data, consuming energy only when they need to. As one example, Sigfox claims a car theft warning system that uses its technology lasts five years on just two AA batteries, according to a CNET article from last March.
How do they build the network?
The focus on low-power, low-bandwidth communications also makes the Sigfox network relatively easy to deploy. Nicholls says the company completed its nationwide deployment in Spain in about 10 months, for example.
With a base station the size of a briefcase, Proithis claims the company can do multiple site installs in one day, sometimes on rooftops in major cities but also in less conventional places, like billboards. And because the network sends such low amounts of data, it can reach farther distances with fewer base stations. Nicholls added that Sigfox's network is designed as a collaborative network, which prevents base stations from recognizing each other after they've been deployed. This eliminates the need to reconfigure the network when deploying a new base station.
"When you put up a new Sigfox cell, you just basically plug it in and it's part of the network," Nicholls says. "So you just extend the capacity and the reach of the network by installing a new node, but there's no reconfiguration to do on the others. One base station doesn't know the other one."
Sigfox is already live in San Francisco, where the company partnered with city officials looking to launch smart city applications on the network. Proithis says that San Francisco was a "unique situation," due to the city's cooperation. Going forward, the company is likely to deploy in multiple cities at the same time, Proithis says.
What kinds of 'things' is it connecting?
Nicholls says Sigfox considers its market split into three categories. The first involves existing use cases, such as utilities, that could become more efficient or less expensive by integrating its low-power connectivity. The second is the kinds of devices that haven't been connected before. A good example of this is Sigfox's recent collaboration with French postal service La Poste, which involves attaching a small, internet-connected button to mailboxes that customers can press to alert La Poste when they have a package to send.
The third market segment that Nicholls laid out is when Sigfox's technology can be complementary, in a sense. As an example, Nicholls cited a security camera company that used 3G to send its video feeds to security personnel, which became concerned over the availability of GSM signal jammers that could disrupt the video feed. By integrating Sigfox's technology alongside the 3G networking technology, the device could fall back on the Sigfox network to send a low-power message to alert personnel in the event that the 3G signal was jammed.
Will it succeed in the U.S.?
Sigfox has had some success in Europe, with live coverage throughout France, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, and parts of Belgium, the Netherlands, England, and Ireland. In addition to its U.S. plans, Sigfox is still in the process of rolling out its networks in Italy, Czech Republic, Denmark, and further throughout the UK and Ireland.
It'll surely face competition from networks based on technology from the LoRa Alliance, although at least one company has developed a chip that integrates both technologies. And though some experts claim the forthcoming 5G networking standard will be designed to accommodate the Internet of Things, Sigfox doesn't seem too concerned about it. While some early discussion may suggest 5G will accommodate the IoT, the network's first priority will be high-bandwidth applications, Proithis says.
"When you have a hammer, everything works like a nail," Proithis says. "And so, I think there's some great spectrum efficiencies, some peer-to-peer stuff, some of the things they're doing with 5G that will be very valuable. But to say that one thing is going to provide a premium service and at the same time provide the lowest-battery service, it's like saying Nordstrom is going to start opening dollar stores. You sort of have to say 'which one do you want to be?'"
"No one person or company can be all things to all people," Proithis added.
Proithis points to Sigfox's investors, such as Telefonica and NTT Docomo, that will be intimately involved with the development of the 5G standard. Their support in itself is a sign that Sigfox's market will exist even as 5G becomes a reality.
Above all else, the IoT represents an opportunity for an entirely new approach to connecting devices. That's the need Sigfox is aiming to fill.
"The IoT is very, very different from mobile phones," Nicholls says. "This is a volume market. It's not about national deployments, it's about worldwide markets. So it's a very, very different place. It's a place where you need a much more agile approach to the connectivity."
17 men and lorry driver arrested after exiting van in Thatcham
Seventeen suspected illegal immigrants have been arrested in West Berkshire today (Tuesday).
Police swooped on Colthrop after receiving reports of a group of men exiting a lorry in Colthrop Lane at 10.10am.
The search spread to nearby villages with a police helicopter, riot vans and numerous police cars dispatched.
Thames Valley Police has arrested 17 men on suspicion of immigration offences.
Police spokeswoman Connie Primmer said that the arrests ranged from entering the UK without to leave or a passport.
All 17 are currently in custody and the cases have been referred to the UK Border Agency.
The driver of the lorry, a 45-year-old man from Turkey, was also arrested.
The arrest is on suspicion of helping an asylum seeker enter the UK.
Miss Primmer said that police were still conducting searches in the area and that any residents with concerns should contact the force on the 101 number.
On this topic, it is appropriate to know the connection of our President, the Obumerrhoid, who is already a PROVEN MONUMENTAL FRAUD, LIAR, and a WANNABE COMMIS/MUZZIE.
Do we really know the extent of this wonderful chap's involvement with the Whackjob Islam ?
By googling: "Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and Obama", one gets a mountainous amount of info about the Obumerrhoid and his connection to wonderful Islam. One of the links there provides the following startling info: "1987 Bill Ayers solicited Khalid Abdullah Tariq al-Mansour (a.k.a. Donald Warden) to raise money for Obamas Harvard Law School education. al-Mansour is an orthodox Muslim, a black nationalist, an outspoken enemy of Israel, and mentor to Black Panther Party founder Huey Newton and his cohort, Bobby Seale. At the time al-Mansour associate Percy Sutton was raising money for Obamas education, al-Mansour was the top financial advisor to mega-billionaire Prince Alwaleed (Alwalid) bin Talal of the Saudi royal family. Obumsky is beholden to Black Panther's most outrageous TERRORISTS, and is beholden to Al Mansour a TRUE Muslim and an OUTSPOKEN ENEMY OF ISRAEL !!!
I suggest that you and the other readers of this post google "Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and Obama" and you'll get startling information on the Obumerrhoid which will go a long way to proving that the Obumerrhoid is a MONUMENTAL FRAUD, LIAR and a WANNABE COMMIE/MUZZIE.
It will further connect the Obumerrhoid to that BLACK RACIST PSYCHO Rev Jeremiah "******* AMERICA" Wright's Cathedral of Hate to Islamic Terrorism.
So, waddaya think of them apples ?
4 MONTHS, 5,000 POLICE INCIDENTS W/MIGRANTS IN SWEDEN
February 1, 2016 Daniel Greenfield
I'm starting to wonder whether the Europeans may not have figured out the problem by taking a toxic dose. And whether it's too late or not.
Swedish police have dealt with 5,000 incidents involving migrants since October as they revealed they are concerned the problems are getting worse.
Officers in the country have been called out to nearly 600 assaults in the last three months as well as four rapes, two bomb threats and 450 fights.
Migrants and asylum seekers have also been involved in 194 violent threats, 58 fires and nine robberies, according to data obtained by SvD .
MINE:
Of course the reason the Obummerrhoid and the DEMS want them here is for the same reason they want the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS here......TO GET THEIR VOTES !!!
What has that person been through? Under what circumstances has he grown up? What is the trauma he carries?
He said he was distraught on behalf of Miss Mezhers familybut also for the killer, saying:....and there you have it.
Never much cared for math, but I do like probabilities.
So, if someone flips a coin six times, what is the probability of hitting 6 times heads of tails?
a.) It would be 50% because each flip is not dependent on the other five flips. I used to work in a casino and people would play a game like roulette and will play RED because RED came up the last four times and they erroneously see a "trend" when in actuality each spin of the ball is not dependent on previous spins
b.) Or would the odds be 1.5625%, Since the odds would be 50%-25-12.5-6.25-3.125-1.5625%?
Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.
All the posts here were published in the electronic media main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.
Philomath High School was a bustle of activity Monday morning as it awaited the arrival of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, to arrive for his annual town hall in Benton County.
The schools choir warmed up in the auditorium for their opening performance of The Star-Spangled Banner, local officials like Corvallis Mayor Biff Traber and Oregon State University President Edward Ray filed in, and in the back of the room a group of people set up a banner that said Flush the TPP, a criticism of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed trade agreement between the U.S. and 11 other counties.
When Wyden, Oregons senior senator, arrived, he responded to more than a dozen questions from audience members (both community members and students) for around an hour. During his first Senate campaign in 1996 Wyden committed to holding a town hall in each of Oregons counties every year. The Philomath town hall was his 766th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the banner in the back of the room, several audience questions, including the first, were about Wydens work on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and whether the agreement would give multinational corporations new powers to sue states over changes to laws (such as public health policy or environmental laws) that would affect their profits.
Wyden said this was an important question, but added past lawsuits against the U.S. over changes in laws that affected corporate profits always have failed, and added he had no intention of letting that change.
He said hed worked to have text added to the agreement, which is still secret, that would prevent such lawsuits.
I insisted big tobacco companies couldnt come in and set aside public health laws, he said.
Wyden, a Democrat, defended the deal by saying one-fifth of Oregon jobs come from trade, and he wants there to be a larger market for Oregon goods.
He added that people skeptical of the agreement would have a chance to read its text and raise their concerns in the future.
I have insisted that entire text be available for months before its voted on, he said.
In response to a later question on the TPP, Wyden said he didnt think its text should be kept secret because secrecy makes people think something sleazy is going on.
The questions from students were a bit more far-ranging, covering topics from preventing youth suicide, feminism and marriage equality to gas and oil extraction through hydraulic fracturing.
One topic the students asked multiple questions on was on the efficacy of Common Core State Standards and the standardized tests aligned to them. In his response, Wyden said the recently replaced No Child Left Behind act was responsible for pressuring states and schools to heavily emphasize standardized testing.
Weve been on a testing bender, he said.
However, he said, the successor to No Child Left Behind, the Every Student Succeeds Act, would do away with the cookie-cutter approach of No Child and allow for more local control. (The Every Student Succeeds Act still requires states to do annual standardized tests in grades three through eight and once in high school but it is left to the states to determine what the outcomes for schools with low-performing students will be and what other factors can be used in evaluating a school.)
Wyden responded to a student question about income inequality by saying that education is the best solution for an income gap, and discussed his desire to make college more affordable. He said in addition to fighting for more funding for Pell Grants, he had introduced a bill that would prevent Social Security benefits from being garnished to pay student loan debt.
Wyden also spoke about Oregons graduation rate being the fourth-worst in the country.
This is a blot on Oregon, he said.
Ken Ball, the principal at Philomath High School, interrupted to mention that the schools graduation rate was 91 percent, well above the state average of 74 percent announced last week by the Oregon Department of Education.
Wyden asked the Philomath students to give him ideas for how to improve graduation rates, even having a staffer give one particularly vocal student a clipboard to use in collecting ideas for him.
He praised the students of Philomath High for having an extraordinary graduation rate.
Thats exactly why I want to get the Philomath High message out, he said.
[The initial version of this story did not make it clear the text of the TPP is now open to the public online.]
Columnist
Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
Reporter
Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist today plans to tell a Senate committee reviewing a proposed minimum wage hike, Its ironic under the guise of reducing poverty, government and special interest groups are proposing legislation that will increase grocery prices statewide.
Last week, Nyquist and fellow commissioners John Lindsey and Will Tucker sent a letter to Gov. Kate Brown and all legislators detailing why they believe increasing the minimum wage to as much as $15.50 per hour would be unwise economically and unlawful under the Oregon Constitution.
The commissioners said that Article XI, Section 15 of the state constitution prohibits the state from imposing unfunded mandates on local government.
The governor had previously announced backing a plan to increase minimum wage to $13.50 in most of the state and $15.50 in the Portland area.
But Friday, based on feedback from stakeholders, Gov. Brown announced that she would now support moving the minimum wage to $9.75 in July and $13.25 by 2022 for areas outside of the Portland Metro Urban Growth Boundary, where it would start at $9.75 and increase to $14.50 in the same time period.
Again, the governors proposal does not identify the costs of this plan to local governments, even though its a constitutional issue about unfunded mandates, Nyquist said. This would also trigger renegotiations of some union contracts.
Nyquist points to a Budget Information Report issued last week by the Legislative Fiscal Office that moving the minimum wage to $13.50 per hour could increase the cost of state government by $1.1 million per biennium, and $15.50 would increase costs by about $4.8 million.
The reported projects the increased cost to school districts could be $23 million and $52 million, respectively.
Nyquist said based on 25 years of local statistics, the commissioners believe raising the minimum wage would increase Linn Countys costs by $2.25 million.
The commissioners believe that statewide, additional costs to government would be $400 million to $500 million.
The legislative report notes, The current common consensus seems to be that a low minimum wage might have a net positive effect, while a high minimum wage may have net detrimental effects, but there does not appear to be current research on how high the minimum wage needs to be to cause the effects to become negative.
Nyquist said he believes this proposal spotlights a major problem with the Oregon political process.
This is an exercise in political opportunity when it should be a conversation about good solid economic strategy for the entire state, Nyquist said. Instead, the process to this point has been driven by big businesses from Portland and big labor unions. Their interests have been heard behind closed doors.
Nyquist said this issue has very serious consequences for the rest of this state. There was no one in the room representing rural Oregon or seniors.
Oregons minimum wage of $9.25 per hour already exceeds the Federal minimum wage of $7.25.
According to the legislative report, about 5.7 percent of the jobs in Oregon paid $9.10 or less during the first quarter of 2014.
In Linn County, the figure was 6.7 percent and in Benton County it was 6.3 percent.
Three of the states most rural counties Malheur, Harney and Wheeler all posted figures of about 10 percent. Multnomah County was 4 percent.
In January, the Oregon Neighborhood Store Association released report prepared by Eric Fruits, president and chief economist with the Economics International Corp.
According to the report, increasing minimum wage to $13.50 could result in 55,000 fewer jobs statewide, and increasing it to $15 could result in 67,000 fewer jobs.
The report also notes that Oregon already has the 10th highest unemployment rate in the nation as well as some of the highest levels of underemployment adults working part-time jobs who would like to be employed full-time.
The World Health Organization is calling on governments to rate movies that portray tobacco use in a bid to prevent children and adolescents from starting to smoke cigarettes and use other forms of tobacco.
Movies showing use of tobacco products have enticed millions of young people worldwide to start smoking, according to the new WHO Smoke-Free Movies Report From evidence to action, the third edition since its launch in 2009.
With ever tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising, film remains one of the last channels exposing millions of adolescents to smoking imagery without restrictions, says Dr Douglas Bettcher, WHOs Director for the Department of Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases.
Taking concrete steps, including rating films with tobacco scenes and displaying tobacco warnings before films with tobacco, can stop children around the world from being introduced to tobacco products and subsequent tobacco-related addiction, disability and death.
Smoking in films can be a strong form of promotion for tobacco products, adds Dr Bettcher. The 180 Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) are obliged by international law to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Movies hook millions of young people on tobacco
Studies in the United States of America have shown that on-screen smoking accounts for 37% of all new adolescent smokers. In 2014, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in the United States alone, exposure to on-screen smoking would recruit more than 6 million new, young smokers from among American children in 2014, of which 2 million would ultimately die from tobacco-induced diseases.
In 2014, smoking was found in 44% of all Hollywood films, and 36% of films rated for young people. Almost two thirds (59%) of top-grossing films featured tobacco imagery between 2002 and 2014. That same year, the US Surgeon General reported that adult ratings of future films with smoking would reduce smoking rates among young people in the USA by nearly one-fifth and avert 1 million tobacco-related deaths among todays children and adolescents.
Many films produced outside of the United States also contain smoking scenes. Surveys have shown that tobacco imagery was found in top-grossing films produced in six European countries (Germany, Iceland, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom), and two Latin American countries (Argentina and Mexico). Nine in 10 movies from Iceland and Argentina contain smoking, including films rated for young people, the report states.
The WHO Smoke-Free Movie report, in line with the guidelines of article 13 of the WHO FCTC, recommends policy measures including:
Requiring age classification ratings for films with tobacco imagery to reduce overall exposure of youth to tobacco imagery in films;
Certifying in movie credits that film producers receive nothing of value from anyone in exchange for using or displaying tobacco products in a film;
Ending display of tobacco brands in films;
Requiring strong anti-smoking advertisements to be shown before films containing tobacco imagery in all distribution channels (cinemas, televisions, online, etc).
In addition, the report also recommends making media productions that promote smoking ineligible for public subsidies.
Dr Armando Peruga, programme manager of WHOs Tobacco-Free Initiative, says countries around the world have taken steps to limit tobacco imagery in films. China has ordered that excessive smoking scenes should not be shown in films. India has implemented new rules on tobacco imagery and brand display in domestic and imported films and TV programmes. But more can and must be done, Dr Peruga adds.
BY FROMA HARROP
FOR RELEASE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2016
Government Keeps rural West
The 187,000 acres on which sits the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge never belonged to the state of Oregon, much less the band of cowboy exhibitionists whod taken it over. This and other federal lands were acquired through conquest over, purchases from or treaties with Mexico, Russia, Spain, England, France and Native Americans.
The federal government lets loggers, ranchers and other businesses make a subsidized living off public land, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. The fees ranchers pay for grazing on federal land are considerably below those charged by private landowners. The government loses money on nearly all timber sales on public land.
Now that weve gotten this off our chests, lets sympathize with the hardworking people of the rural West, losing a beautiful way of life to harsh economic realities. The growing poverty in the sparsely populated high desert of south central Oregon is shared by communities far from the regions booming cities.
The good folks of Harney County certainly did not deserve this invasion by outsiders. They are entitled to resent the closing of the refuge along with threats against neighbors working there. The disruption spread through the community.
Its true that the federal government owns massive amounts of Western land. Its true that tighter environmental restrictions have curtailed some economic activity on this property. And we must recognize that many local complaints about federal management of the land have merit.
But a federal retreat from the rural West would spell economic disaster. Thinking people throughout the West understand this. In Harney County, government paychecks account for 60 percent of earned income.
Consider this headline in The Missoulian newspaper: Rural western Montana counties struggling mightily with loss of federal funds. This happened during the 2014 budget wars, when Congress failed to renew the Secure Rural Schools Act and Community Self-Determination Act. Gone was $300 million in subsidies for roads, schools, government jobs and other programs.
Rural Westerners might ask themselves why so many of them buy into the government is evil philosophy. The conservatives they send to Washington have made common cause with Easterners eager to save their taxpayers some dollars.
Ronald Reagan famously said, Governments view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases. One was if it stops moving, subsidize it.
You dont have to be a small-government conservative to question the trainload of subsidies that keep many rural economies moving. If a shoe factory in Massachusetts cant make a profit, it closes. Why are the rules so different for Western agricultural businesses?
Its easy to blame environmentalists and ignore the biggest killer of logging jobs: automation and a large forested landmass called Canada.
Rural areas benefit from the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes program whereby Washington sends money to counties with large tracts of federal land that local governments cant tax. (The fairest of subsidies, the funding was cut under sequestration.) Some suggest changing the program to direct more money toward the poorer communities.
A wildlife refuge is itself an economic asset. The federal government pays salaries and other costs of maintaining an amenity that also brings in tourists.
Do the state and local taxpayers care to bear these costs? Or would the plan be to let industry pay for the right to savage the land, except for the nicest vistas, which would be sold to billionaire ranchers?
An estimated 47 million bird watchers in America spend $40 billion a year on their passion. Having a federal wildlife refuge in your community seems not a bad deal at all.
As Reagan said, Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
'We Can Beat Any Team': Scotland Coach Wants His Players to Play Without Focusing Too Much on Opponents
Brett Lee begins to celebrate after taking the wicket of Hamish Marshall for no score in ODI in Sydney. (Photo: AP)
Gov. Kate Brown did outstanding work during last years legislative session, when she unexpectedly assumed the states top office after the resignation of John Kitzhaber.
As you probably recall, that happened in the early days of the 2015 session, and one of the very real possibilities in those days was that the session would go off the rails.
But Brown stepped into a tough situation and did a remarkable job. As she said last week during a session with reporters, I have worked really hard to steer the ship through some really rough waters. Thats undeniably true, and she deserves credit for that.
Her biggest failure in last years session revolves around the failure of the Legislature to approve a transportation package, which would have provided badly needed funding to improve the states roads and other infrastructure. But those negotiations got entangled early on in the Legislatures race to renew the Oregon Clean Fuels Program, and so that proved to be too difficult a deal to pull off.
But Brown knows, as she said last week, that the 2016 session offers another and considerably different test of her leadership skills. This is really my first session as governor to introduce my own legislation, she said.
And the tests will go beyond what happens on the floor of the Legislature. Brown has to be considered a heavy favorite for re-election, but a stumble in the next couple of months could provide an opening for an opponent. Here are the some of the themes to watch for in the next five weeks:
Browns proposal to increase Oregons minimum wage will serve as the starting point in that legislative debate. Her current proposal calls for an increase to $9.75 beginning in July, with the rate rising to $13.25 by 2022, with higher wages in the Portland area. To put it bluntly, we think this is bad public policy that will hammer small businesses and rural Oregon in particular. But with Democrats in control in both houses of the Legislature, this one looks like a cinch to pass and expect Brown on the campaign trail to remind voters frequently that she led the charge on this issue.
Brown also will be pushing for legislation to help increase the stock of affordable housing statewide. This is a legitimate need, but its important that the package that passes the Legislature addresses issues statewide, and not just in major metropolitan areas. She also will be pitching for additional funding to help fight wildfires and to assist Harney County cover the costs of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge standoff, both important needs (and the sort of budgetary fine-tuning for which the short session was intended).
But her biggest challenge in the next couple of months might not involve legislative action at all: Brown remains cagy about a proposal to increase corporate taxes, Initiative Proposal 98, which seems likely to trigger another brutal showdown between Oregons labor and business interests. Can Brown manage to strike a deal that would convince measure proponents to keep it off the November ballot? That could be a tough task but it could be a signature accomplishment of her still-young administration. (mm)
The Oregon Legislature begins its short 2016 session today, and one of the intriguing themes that might be worth watching over the next five weeks focuses on the split between urban and rural communities.
State leaders agree that the economic recovery has not provided equal uplift to all parts of Oregon. In fact, rural communities are at constant risk of falling behind their urban counterparts economically.
During a press conference last week to preview the 2016 legislative session, Gov. Kate Brown said her goal is for all of Oregon to enjoy a healthy, thriving economy. She said her administration wanted to help small businesses in rural portions of the state improve their bottom lines and cut through red tape. She also talked about the continuing importance of agriculture and timber to the state and touted efforts to renew career and technical education in Oregon schools.
So were going to be a state of entrepreneurs? an editor asked her.
I think so, Brown replied.
Fair enough and those all are worthy goals.
But heres the thing: Those words increasingly sound hollow to the leaders of Oregons rural communities. Even as Brown spoke, the legal paperwork was being prepared for a pending lawsuit to be filed by Linn County against the state of Oregon over how the states forests have been managed for decades.
And last week, not content with that salvo, Linn County commissioners fired off a letter to the state in which they argued that any state-required increase in the minimum wage (expected to be one of the main topics in this years short session) would be unconstitutional, in part because it would amount to an unfunded mandate.
Normally, of course, we wouldnt be particularly worried about these weighty topics in a 35-day session, because they wouldnt be on the table in the first place: Legislative leaders would have delayed them for a fuller discussion during the longer sessions held in odd-numbered years. But, this year, legislators say they need to take action on the minimum wage in part to pre-empt a ballot measure on the topic this November. They use the same reasoning to justify considering a pair of environmental measures that might have huge impacts on rural Oregon; sure, the reasoning goes, these are huge topics, but we have to do something to hold off a ballot measure that could be even worse.
No wonder rural Oregon increasingly feels outnumbered and overwhelmed every time the Legislature meets. And the hectic pace of the shorter session doesnt do anything to allay those feelings: Near the end of the session, if you want to weigh in on an important issue but cant get to Salem in a matter of hours to testify, forget about it: Critical committee meetings can be convened in some cases with an hours notice.
Heres the difference that might start to play out during this session, as brief as it is: Rural Oregon, from Linn County outward, appears increasingly willing to be sure its voice is heard in the halls of the Capitol. The key question is this one: Who will be listening? (mm)
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
Believe It or
Not, Some World
Leaders Lasted
Just Minutes
(Newser) Martin O'Malley may be in a position to swing the Iowa caucuses toward either of his Democratic rivalsbut the perpetually third-place candidate says that won't happen. As the Wall Street Journal explains, a candidate who lacks 15% of caucus-goers at any of Iowa's 1,600 caucus sites is considered "not viable," meaning those supporters can choose to sit out or support another candidate. Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders may then try to woo those votes, or, if the supporters appear to prefer the other candidate, give O'Malley enough votes to make him viable. With O'Malley maxing out at 7% in recent Iowa polls, the strategy will surely arise.
"I have talked to the Clinton people a lot about being ready to go and get them over on your side," says former Sen. Tom Harkin, a Clinton backer involved in Iowa politics. It happened in 2008, he says, when "the Obama people just went right after" supporters of candidates like Joe Biden, former Gov. Bill Richardson, and former Sen. Chris Dodd (Obama won that year in Iowa). But O'Malley maintains he won't play king (or queen) maker, Politico reports. "The people who have stuck with me, the friends that I have I think they are pretty resolute in their support for me," he says. "My message to them is to hold strong." One bonus for Clinton's team: They're using an app that shows how many supporters belong to each candidate and how many are needed for viability, BuzzFeed reports. (Read more Iowa caucuses stories.)
(Newser) A father and former bicycle puller is gearing up for major surgery at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital in Bangladesh to remove more than 11 pounds of bark-like warts on his hands and feet that have earned him the nickname "tree man." The 26-year-old tells AFP he has suffered from what doctors call epidermodysplasia verruciformis for a decade, but that the growths dramatically increased in size and number four years ago. "Slowly I lost all my ability to work," says Abul Bajandar. "There are now dozens of two to three inch roots in both my hands. And there are some small ones in my legs." The genetic skin disease is so rare that one doctor says there are only three known cases in the world.
At first Bajandar says he tried to cut the growths off himself but found it too painful, and when he went to a village homeopath his condition worsened. And while the six-person medical team is already starting to perform blood tests and biopsies, they describe Bajandar as too malnourished and weak for multi-stage plastic surgery, reports the Daily Star. "Doctors said I might need to stay here for six months," he said. His mother and sister are with him now, while his wife and 3-year-old daughter will join him soon. "Even here at the hospital, hundreds have already gathered" to try to get a look at Bajander, says his sister. Surgery is expected to start in three weeks, and the hospital is not charging Bajandar. (This baby's skin blisters when simply touched.)
(Newser) The Obama administration said Monday it had turned down Donald Trump's offer to pay for a new $100 million White House ballroom, USA Today reports. "I'm (not) sure it would be appropriate to have a shiny gold 'Trump' sign on any part of the White House," says Press Secretary Josh Earnest. "That's what most of the buildings that he offers to build include." For his part, Trump said at a rally in Sioux City that a ballroom would be better than tents on the lawn for visiting dignitaries. "No. 1, its not a good security thing. No 2, the guy that owns the tents is making a fortune," he says. Trump had suggested the ballroom idea before but never heard back from the White House. "He did offer to build one," David Axelrod tells Time. "I passed his offer along to the social secretary." (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
The campaign for Ann Roe, who is running for Congress against Lyin' Bryan Steil has come out with the best one-liner of this cycle so far: I can't argue...
11 months ago
(Newser) For 16 years, a man known only as "Garage 66" lay in a California hospital bed, unable to speak after suffering severe brain damage after an automobile accident. Now authorities say they've finally discovered the name of the man who was probably still in his teens when he first arrived at San Diego's Sharp Coronado Hospital in 1999, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. He has been on life support and unresponsive ever since. The Mexican consulate in the city says that after the mystery man's case was publicized, DNA tests confirmed that he was the long-lost relative of one of the families that came forward. The consulate says the man's relatives have asked for privacy, and medical privacy laws prevent him from being named publicly. "But his Sharp caregivers can now address him by name, and we are all celebrating the dignity afforded a person who has an identity and a history," says a consulate spokesman.
After the accident near the Mexican border, authorities apparently named the man after the garage where the wrecked van he was riding in was taken, inewsource found when it reported on the case last year. The founder of the immigrant rights group Border Angels tells the Union-Tribune that he helped find the man's familyand he hopes the case will give hope to other people whose relatives vanished in attempting to cross the US border. "There are a lot of Garage 66s out there," Enrique Morones says. "Maybe it's not a 16-year-old case, maybe it's a six-day-old case. But there's a mom who still wants to know, 'Did my son make it?'" (An Alabama woman reported missing after a tornado in 2011 was recently found alive and well in Florida.)
(Newser) An Indiana man who helped send millions of illegal spam messages to US and international cellphones and computers has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison by a federal judge in Pennsylvania. Phillip Fleitz, 31, of Indianapolis, was handcuffed and ordered Monday to immediately begin serving the sentence, the AP reports. Fleitz's two co-defendants previously received probation for their roles, and a defense attorney argued Fleitz should receive a similar sentence. But the judge agreed with US 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," US District Judge Maurice Cohill Jr. said in imposing the sentence.
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 porn emails and text messages. The computer and text-message spam included Internet links. Those who received the text messages were told they had won Best Buy gift cards that could be accessed by clicking the links. In reality, those who responded were routed to pages controlled by marketing companies that harvest email addresses and other information. "I just want to say I'm sorry," Fleitz said, adding that the regulations governing marketing are among the things that "make this country great" and should be followed. "I was stupid for not doing so." (Read more spam stories.)
(Newser) A cancer awareness advocate and fundraiser known as the unofficial mayor of West Seattle and who for the past decade has branded herself as a cancer patient and survivor may have faked her illness the entire time, KOMO reports. A rep from Susan G. Komen headquarters in Dallas confirmed the organization was informed by a family member that not only does Tracy Dart not have cancer now, she never did. "Komen was notified of this situation last week and has been in contact with Tracy's family," an email statement to the West Seattle Herald reads. "We are sad for Tracy and her family and hope that she, and they, will find healing in the days ahead." Dart's family reportedly found out she had lied about her cancer when she had to go to the hospital recently for a liver problem and the hospital couldn't find records of her supposed three bouts with the disease, "reliable sources" tell the paper.
Members of the group Dart founded to raise money for Komen are stunned. "The first words were 'she doesn't have cancer,'" Team Tracy participant Matthew Welch tells KOMO. "'She never had cancer' were the second words, and it just blew my mind." But he notes Team Tracy, which has now been dissolved over the news, did a lot of goodand the Komen statement, which points out Dart never personally received money from the group, says Team Tracy's California and Seattle members raised more than $414,000 for Komen since 2006, while Dart herself raised more than $28,000. "I wouldn't say we're angry," Welch tells KOMO. "I would say she needs help, and I hope she gets it." A Seattle Police Department rep tells the New York Daily News that they're in the loop, but it's unclear whether an investigation has been opened to look into possible illegal activity. (A beauty queen was accused of faking leukemia.)
(Newser) It's perfectly constitutional to require some convicted sex offenders to wear a GPS tracker all day, every day, for the rest of their lives. That's per the Seventh Circuit federal appeals court, which ruled Friday on the case of Michael Belleau. He was convicted in 1992 of sexually assaulting a boy from the time the boy was 8 until he was 13; Belleau served a year in prison, but while he was on probation he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl. For that, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and paroled after six; a year later he confessed to "grooming" two little girls for sex, his parole was revoked, and he was committed for five years. In 2010, he was released, but only under the condition that he wear a GPS monitoring anklet every hour of every day for the rest of his life, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reports. Belleau sued the Wisconsin Department of Corrections over the statute requiring that penalty, Courthouse News reports.
He argued that the state's lifetime monitoring statute violates his Fourth Amendment right to be protected from unreasonable searches, and initially, a federal judge agreed. But the Seventh Circuit found that the statute is constitutional and that sex offenders can, within reason, be constantly monitored. "Pedophilia is a lifelong affliction for which there is no treatment," Judge Richard Posner wrote for the three-judge panel. "Coupled with the particularly devastating consequences of their conduct, these offenders pose a unique ... challenge for conventional law enforcement techniques," and this statute "is not punishment; it is prevention." Posner noted that the need to protect children trumps the need to protect a sex offender's privacy, and added that since Wisconsin sex offenders' addresses, photos, and criminal records are already public, the additional monitoring isn't excessive. (Go inside the mind of an infamous sex offender.)
(Newser) A second Virginia Tech student is now facing life in prison in connection with the abduction and murder of a 13-year-old girl last weekend, ABC News reports. David Eisenhauer, 18, and Natalie Keepers, 19, were arrested on Saturdaythe day Nicole Lovell's body was found in North Carolina and three days after she first disappeared from her bedroom in Blacksburg, Virginia. Eisenhauer was immediately charged with murder, while Keepers was charged with improper disposal of a body and being an accessory to murder after the fact, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. On Tuesday, authorities upgraded the charges against Keepers to include accessory to murder before the fact, which carries a punishment of 20 years to life.
Authorities released charging documents and held a press conference Tuesday, but still little is known about the murder, the Baltimore Sun reports. Preliminary indications are that Lovell was stabbed to death on the same day she disappeared, but results from an official autopsy won't be available for weeks. Police say Eisenhauer used an unspecified relationship with Lovell to abduct her. Her mother, Tammy Weeks, says the two met online. No motive has been given for the crime, and authorities say Eisenhauer believes the truth will set him free. Weeks also spoke at Tuesday's press conference, remembering the daughter who "touched many people throughout her short life." Weeks says Lovell survived a liver transplant, lymphoma, and more. She loved pandas, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper and wanted to be on American Idol. (Read more murder stories.)
The hermit state of North Korea might have conducted a failed test of hydrogen bomb components on January 6th which defense and intelligence analysts around the world largely dismissed as a dubious claim according to a recent pronouncement by a US official.
"The test was conducted more than two times deeper underground...However, the size of the seismic event and other intelligence indicates it was not likely a fully functioning device," reported CNN which broke the news first.
Despite the failed test, the incident still sends an alarming sense of caution regarding the totalitarian state's military capabilities.
According to Business Insider, a hydrogen bomb (also known as thermonuclear weapon in military parlance), is a more advanced and deadlier version of a conventional nuclear bomb- this type of weapon harnesses the power of either plutonium- or uranium-based reaction to create a frenzied reaction of hydrogen isotopes that could release tremendous amounts of unimaginable destructive energy.
North Korea's fourth nuclear test (a hydrogen bomb this time) could potentially create a regional scenario reminiscent of the Cold War Era when countries were poised to take on a hardline military positioning. Even China- the country's only real ally- felt the apparent need to side with the rest of the world in condemning North Korea's destabilizing provocations.
In a related development, the country's military is gearing up for another missile test following a failed test of hydrogen bomb elements. The planned missile firing test prompts Japan's Self Defense Forces to be on high military alert.
"We will take steps to respond, but I will refrain from revealing specific measures given the nature of the situation," said Minister of Defense Gen. Nakatani who ordered Japan's Aegis destroyers to shoot down projectiles from North Korea as mentioned in a report by Reuters.
Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, recorded the highest rate of homicides since 2000 for the month of January.
The police department stated that the 51 cases, which they described as "unacceptable," were due to an increase in gang-related activities and retaliations.
"It's the new way of taunting, challenging other gangs," Interim Superintendent John Escalante said to reporters reported by USA TODAY. "It's the modern way of gang graffiti."
According to the statistics, 51 is the highest number to be recorded in this month in 16 years. In January 2015 and January 2014, the number of homicides, respectively, was 29 and 20. On top of the increase in homicide cases, the city has also seen a spike in shooting incidents with a total of around 292, which is more than two times the number recorded last January.
"Both figures represent unacceptable increases from 2015 and were driven primarily by gang conflicts and retaliatory violence," Chicago PD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an email to CBS Local. "While we have much more work to do, the entire Chicago Police Department is determined to keep every Chicagoan safe. We will continue to work tirelessly on ways to stop violence, and restore accountability and trust in communities throughout the city."
With the increase in murders, the Chicago PD will continue to face public backlash. The department has been put under intense public scrutiny after the video of a white officer fatally shooting a black teenager, Laquan McDonald, 16 times was released. The police have stated that the increase in homicides is not because policemen are being less aggressive after the McDonald case.
Based on the numbers for January, the city is on pace to surpass 600 murders for the entire 2016. The last time that Chicago recorded more than 600 murders dates back to 2003.
"The violence is not gonna end. It's getting worse," 51-year-old Gwendolyn Holiday, who lost her son due to a shooting, said reported by the Chicago Tribune. "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."
The department says it will be enforcing plans to address gang violence.
Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League of Democracy (NLD) has swept Myanmar's parliamentary elections back in November last year winning an overwhelming 80% of the coveted seats. The historic victory will enable the new ruling party to form the next democratically government- the first in the Myanmar's modern political history since the military junta seized power in 1962.
"This is Myanmar's first parliament in years that was chosen by the people. We have the majority. We have the duty to fulfil our manifesto and change the lives of the people in this country," said Pyon Cho, a former anti-junta activist who is now a member of the parliament as quoted saying by The Star.
Despite hopeful and promising signs of peaceful democratic transition, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi and her allies remain cautious of any possible military-led intervention. While NLD is poised to dominate the political transition, the junta-drafted 2008 Constitution guarantees a quarter of parliamentary seats and control of key ministries to the military.
But NLD's long years of struggle and wariness do not seem to dampen the optimism of some party activists who experienced the excesses of military crackdown on then political opposition.
"We have been struggling for democracy since 1988. We have suffered very much but now we see the results and the fruits of our suffering. It is a beautiful beginning," remarked U Win Htein, a spokesman for NLD as mentioned in a report by The Guardian.
What will be Aung Suu Kyi's new political role?
The incumbent Burmese President Thein Sein is due to hand over power to a president-elect chosen by the parliament. However, the 2008 Constitution bars Suu Kyi for a shot at presidency because her children are British citizens- any Burmese whose children hold foreign citizenship are not eligible for key positions in the government.
But according to a BBC report, the Burmese democratic icon hinted that she'll take control saying she'll be "above the president". However, it remains to be seen how being "above the president" plays out in Burma's still military-dominated political system.
Brad Pitt and Angelina's Hollywood Hills home experienced a security scare over the weekend as their CCTV caught sight of a man behind the bushes.
According to TMZ via Mail Online, the man is not a trespasser but a homeless person who desperately needs a leak. And thus, with the call of nature at hand, he urinates behind the bushes.
After being spotted on camera, the man was arrested and detained but was released shortly when the cops arrived in the scene and announced that the man has no crime history or warrants.
"Turns out it was just nature's call. The guy was homeless and in desperate need of a leak," an insider said as reported by Spy.
Brad Pitt and Angie were not at home at that time as both are busy with their respective movie projects. The 40-year old actress is with her kids in Cambodia filming First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, a historical film about the atrocities of the Khmer regime.
Brad, on the other hand, was spotted wearing camouflage fatigues outside the Grand Hotel in Paris, France as he performed the role of top U.S. Army general fighting a war in Afghanistan in the satirical movie in Netflix, War Machine.
Previously, Jolie has been busy promoting her new movie Kung Fu Panda 3 where she is performed the voice of Tigress with Jack Black performing as Po.
In a recent interview, Jack Black talks about working with the A-list actress saying that their friendship extends the boundaries of the movie set.
"I like Angelina, I love hanging out with her, but as with all my movies, you do the work and then you go home to the familia," he said as mentioned in Business Standard.
The actor is married to Tanya and has two sons, Thomas and Samuel.
Cindy Crawford is sending mixed messages to the public lately now that she is turning 50 this month. Earlier, in an interview with United Airlines magazine Hemispheres, she has been hinting that she will retire from the modelling industry after a successful two-decade career.
"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!). 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 holds! xo Cindy," the supermodel shared on Instagram as reported by AOL.
Despite her announcement on her social media page, it cannot be denied that the model-entrepreneur has released emotional words in the Rhapsody magazine interview last week.
In the publication's February issue via E! Online, the model announced that she is ready to move on from being a supermodel.
"I feel like I'm allowing that to have been great, and I'm celebrating it. And I'm sure I'll have my picture taken for 10 more years, but not as a model anymore. 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."
Crawford started modelling in the 80s and has made a name on how models 'branding' in the industry can make a difference. And since her career thirty years ago, the Illinois-born model has started the 'supermodel' brand in the course of history in that Rollingstone called her as 'the purest embodiment of human perfection in our evolutionary continuum,' The Daily Beast said.
Aside from her recent project for French fashion house Balmain's spring/summer 2016 fashion campaign, the mother-of-two is also busy cooking up her book Becoming Cindy Crawford
Life in the Desert
I danced in the desert,
I swam by the shores,
I spent warm nights under starlit blankets of silver,
I made friends from far-away places
I ate and drank and savored it all
I loved and was loved
What more could anyone ask for?
(Desert Girl, Kuwait)
Vanessa Hudgens is a true-blooded entertainer performing Betty Rizzo's role in Fox's Grease Live hours after her father, Greg passed away after suffering from stage four cancer.
According to People, the show had an average 12.2 million viewers from 7-10 p.m. ET which made it garner the title best-rated live TV musical since NBC's 2013. Then on, it became trending in social media with netizens congratulating the High School Musical alumni.
"I wouldn't expect anything less @VanessaHudgens is killing it! So proud of my girl #GreaseLive," Ashley Tisdale, Hudgen's High School Musical co-star tweeted as reported by CNN.
"AND to perform under those circumstances? I mean, props to that lovely lady," Stacy London said.
The 27-year old actor is said to have derived great support from long-term boyfriend, Austin Butler, who also lost his mom, Lori from cancer in September 2014, US Weekly remembered.
"He was by [Vanessa's] side nonstop. And having been through the same situation with his mom, he was very understanding," a source said.
While watching the actress performed, Butler also expressed pride for Hudgen's performance on Twitter.
"#GreaseLive is MIND-BLOWING! Constant chills @VanessaHudgens," he wrote.
"WOW @VanessaHudgens singing 'Worst Things' had me in tears. Just brilliant #GreaseLive."
After the show, the actress expressed her gratitude to her fans for patronizing her performance.
"I can't believe @gogrease is OVER! Grand opening and grand closing. Thank you to everyone who watched & supported..."
".. me last night. Doing #greaselive was one of the most incredible experiences and I'm so glad you guys liked it as much as I did..." she wrote.
In a 2015 interview while accepting the 2015 Industry Dance Awards in Los Angeles., Vanessa Hudgens revealed about her father's life-threatening sickness.
"Last year, my boyfriend, Austin, lost his mom, Lori, to cancer, and my dad has just been recently diagnosed with stage four cancer," she said. "Let me tell you, I hate cancer. I hate cancer with every cell of my being," she said that time as reported by CNN.
A general in Uganda has been arrested and charged in a court-martial for speaking out against the longtime President Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking to extend his control over the country.
The lawyer for Gen. David Sejusa said that Sejusa, 61, has been sent to Luzira maximum-security prison, which is located in the outskirts of Kampala. According to one of his lawyers, Ladislas Rwakafuzi, reported by Reuters, the General was charged "with being absent from the army without official leave and participating in politics in violation of army laws" and insubordination.
The Independent reported, "In the first count, the court heard that, in April 2013 after Sejusa was granted leave of absence for three weeks by the Speaker of Parliament, he did not return after the leave ended. In the second count of participating in political parties, court heard that on November 22, 2015 while at Democratic Party (DP) offices on Luwum Street, Sejusa attended a political party event in which he canvassed for support."
"He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was remanded. He will be brought back to court on," Rwakafuzi said.
The court date is scheduled for Feb. 9, a little more than a week from the Feb. 18 election date.
Museveni, who has been president for 30 years, faces his toughest opponents yet in Kizza Besigye and former ally Amama Mbabazi. Since Museveni's run to extend his presidency, many human rights organizations have accused his government of using intimidation tactics to try to win the election. The government has denied all of these accusations.
Supporters of the General believe that his arrest benefits Museveni, who might have been worried that Sejusa was going to rally people against him.
Sejusa has a history of being opposed to Museveni. In 2013, he alleged that the government had tried to murder officials who were opposed to the President's wishes to hand over his power to his son, Kainerugaba Muhoozi.
At the time, Sejusa had fled the country but returned in 2014.
North Korea has plans to launch an observational satellite before the end of February, a United Nations agency said on Tuesday.
"We have received information from DPRK regarding the launch of earth observation satellite 'Kwangmyongsong' between 8-25 February," a spokeswoman for the agency, the International Maritime Organization, told Reuters via email.
The spokeswoman, Natasha Brown, who referred to Korea using the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, added that the satellite will be launched between 7 a.m. and noon local time.
Kyodo News agency in Japan reported that North Korea also notified the International Telecommunication Union about Kwangmyongsong, which translates as Lode Star.
A South Korean official stated that the country is expecting debris to fall near the western coast. More debris is expected near Jeju Island.
With every new rocket launch, North Korea's missile technology continues to grow despite efforts to contain it. Many analysts believe that North Korea's goal is to have a missile that could hit the United States.
Per USA TODAY:
"Each new rocket launch improves North Korea's missile technology, which is crucial for its goal of developing a nuclear-armed missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. ...
North Korea has spent decades trying to develop operational nuclear weapons. It calls its rocket launches satellite missions, but the U.N., the United States, South Korea and others say they are meant to test ballistic missile technology. The U.N. Security Council prohibits North Korea from nuclear and ballistic missile activity."
In 2012, North Korea launched a long-range rocket test, claiming that it was an observational satellite. At the time, several groups and countries believed that the test was a front for the country's plans of creating ballistic missiles that could reach further distances. The U.S. State Department described that launch as "highly provocative."
North Korea continues to claim that the goal of its satellite program is to collect data for scientific purposes.
North Korea is currently under U.N. sanctions for carrying out its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6. Many countries have condemned North Korea's actions and are calling for newer sanctions.
Chennai:
With the assembly elections a few months away in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today 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 politics.
On a five-hour visit to the textile city in Western Tamil Nadu, which is among the 20 cities choosen for the Centres 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 Modis 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 NDAs 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 seatsone 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 Vijayakants 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.
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Hyderabad:
Rahul Gandhi today took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his governments praise of the UPAs flagship scheme MGNREGA is a shining example of Modis political wisdom.
He said Modi dispensation, which had called the UPAs job guarantee scheme a living monument of Congress failure, has now been forced to accept its success.
After calling NREGA living monument of INC failure Govt now hails it as cause of nat pride & celebration !Shining eg of Modijis pol wisdom, the Congress Vice President said in a tweet.
Gandhis reference was to Primes Minister snide remarks about the UPA flagship scheme during the Budget Session last year.
Do you think, I will put an end to the scheme. My political wisdom does not allow me to do it. This is a living monument of your failure to tackle poverty in 60 years. With song and dance and drum beat, I will continue with the scheme, Modi had said during the last budget session.
Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President, also took a jibe at the Prime Minister on the issue.
#MNREGA shows how Govt can create jobs where pvt sector cant. Such is its impact that those who mocked it are now rushing to celebrate. MNREGA is most transformative govt scheme in Independent India. Over 182M ppl have benefited making it the worlds largest public scheme (sic), Patel said in a series of tweets.
Patel said the UPA flagship programme reflected Congress commitment to a welfare state.
#MNREGA reflects our commitment to a welfare state. Congress President, Dr (Mamnohan) Singh,NAC & entire UPA have played a vital role in its success. Even Modi govt was forced to accept yesterday that MGNREGAs achievements are a cause of national pride & celebration, Patel tweeted.
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New Delhi :
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said for quality control of AYUSH drugs steps are being taken to bring regulatory amendments for effective enforcement and strengthening.
Addressing the third Global Ayurveda Festival here, he said, "In India, we have had a long great tradition of saints and hermits, who evolved our own indigenous systems of healthcare and the Government was fully committed to the promotion of Ayurveda and traditional systems of medicines."
Noting that Kerala is the hub of traditional Ayurveda, he said the status is not only due to the long uninterrupted practice of Ayurveda in the state, but also due to the global popularity of its authentic medicines and therapies.
He, however, underlined the need for looking beyond providing healthcare, and stressed on engaging in the pursuit of good health - a combination of physical and mental well being.
Underlining that escalating costs of treatment, side effects of medicines have prompted experts to think of widening horizons to traditional systems, the Prime Minister said, "Our efforts are to tap real potential of Ayurveda, other AYUSH systems in imparting preventive, promotive, holistic healthcare to people."
"Traditional medicine is affordable to many rural people, locally available to the communities, time-tested for its safety and efficacy," he said, adding that above all, it imbibes the culture and eco-system of the communities within which it grows.
The Prime Minister said, "We will learn from the experience of other countries, and ensure Ayurveda and other Indian systems are propagated and popularised. We would like to offer institutions as centres for training, capacity building and information and technology exchange programmes in Ayurveda."
Noting that India has a long history and rich heritage of Ayurveda and Yoga, he said, "Our traditions grew by sharing knowledge, both locally as well as across cultures. We will share the knowledge of our systems with the world and continue to enrich our traditions by learning from other systems."
Recounting phrases from Ashtangahrudayam, one of the most famous texts of Ayurveda, Prime Minister Modi concluded, "The poor, those suffering from disease and those afflicted by sorrow should be helped. Even insects and ants should be treated with compassion, just as one's own self."
The Global Ayurveda Festival is an international Ayurvedic biennial event started to serve as a force to galvanise the Ayurvedic sector to aspire, plan and achieve greater heights.
Madrid:
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 today.
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 Spains financial sector - spend around 12 million euros on themselves between 2003 and 2012.
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 99,000 rpt 99,000 euros 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.
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Mumbai:
Actress Kangana Ranaut feels celebrities should not be bothered about clarifying their stand after giving statements on the current issues.
Recently a string of Bollywood A-listers including Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan had to bore the brunt of outrage after they expressed their opinion on controversial matter like intolerance.
The way you have expressed something and the way others have received, perceived, consumed, assessed and utilised is definitely going to be different depending on their outlook towards life.
So, that much liberty we should take. We should be thick skinned as that helps environment. People have loads of contradictory opinions, oppositions and neuro criticism. It is actually perfect to have contradicting opinion and there is nothing wrong in that, Kangana told reporters here when asked whether celebrities should speak on national matters.
The Queen star, who was in the capital to inaugurate a table reservation app by Big Fish Ventures, said people can have different perspective.
I feel that when someone says something or speaks something, it definitely goes through many filters, it is not that they want to reconstruct or distort it, its just that the other persons perspective is going to be different, she said.
The actress is not on social media and said she does not want to be a part of it as she is a private person.
I am not a social media person. Social media is a platform to make comment on issues and to express yourself. I prefer to express myself through my movies. My personal space is for myself and my near and dear ones, she added.
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New Delhi :
Controversy over Anupam Khers comment on visa denial by Pakistan to attend Karachi Literature Fest has once again widened the crack between India and Pakistan.
The issue was brought to media attention on Tuesday when Kher claimed that he has been denied visa by Pakistan to attend the Karachi Literature Fest, which is slated to be held on February 5.
He also expressed his disappointment saying 17 out of 18 people were granted the visa while he was the only one who wasnt granted the same.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan High Commission has denied such claims stating that Kher had not even applied for the visa.
He added that Anupam Kher seems to be unaware of the current process as he has not showed the acknowledgment slip.
The issue comes just days after Kher's name appeared in the list of Padma awardees. He was also embroiled into a controversy with Congress leader Shashi Tharoor over Hindu remarks.
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bioRxiv, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/038406George Busby, Gavin Band, Quang Si Le, Muminatou Jallow, Edith Bougama, Valentina Mangano, Lucas Amenga-Etego, Anthony Emil, Tobias Apinjoh, Carolyne Ndila, Alphaxard Manjurano, Vysaul Nyirongo, Ogobara Doumbo, Kirk Rockett, Domnic Kwiatkowski, Chris Spencer, The Malaria Genomic Epidemiology NetworkUnderstanding patterns of genetic diversity is a crucial component of medical research in Africa. Here we use haplotype-based population genetics inference to describe gene-flow and admixture in a collection of 48 African groups with a focus on the major populations of the sub-Sahara. Our analysis presents a framework for interpreting haplotype diversity within and between population groups and provides a demographic foundation for genetic epidemiology in Africa.. Our in-depth analysis of admixture provides an insight into haplotype sharing across different geographic groups and the recent movement of alleles into new climatic and pathogenic environments, both of which will aid the interpretation of genetic studies of disease in sub-Saharan Africa.
Lucknow:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always asked people to express their problems and issues before the BJP government.
Facing problems, an Unnao boy on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Prime Minister which sent the Railway officials in a tizzy.
11-year-old Nayan Sinha, who studies in Chandrashekhar Azad Intermediate College, wrote to PM in last September and mentioned the poor state of infrastructure in his vicinity.
In the letter, he mentioned that the absence of a crossing at the railway tracks between his locality and the school meant he and 200 other students had to take a longer route every morning.
Soon the letter prompted the Prime Minister to send the Railway Ministry into tizzy.
However, the problem stands unsolved as according to a new railway policy, a railway crossing or overbridge cannot be constructed till the state government puts in a request with the Railway Ministry.
Then a team is sent to assess the site and approve the demand.
The child in his letter also wrote that he never crosses the railway tracks as his parents have asked him not to.
But the alternate route is much longer, so I reach school late and get punished on most days.
The family had forgotten about the letter but two days back received a letter from the divisional engineer, Northern Railways, but no Railway official has visited them or sent any clear response to the request so far.
Notably, Nayan used to walk over two kilometres to reach the manned railway crossing at Rajepur, and then to school. Around 200 children from our colony take the same route.
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Bengaluru:
Facing public pressure and criticism from various quarters, Karnataka government today reinstated a senior woman police official after she was transferred allegedly at the behest of a state minister for putting his call on hold.
A video footage showing state Labour Minister P T Parameshwara Naik making a boastful claim for the shunting out of Deputy Superintendent of Police of Kudligi sub-division in Ballari district, Anupama Shenoy had gone viral and triggered a storm.
The claim by Naik, the district minister in charge, to party workers in Hadagali assembly constituency, had come as an embarrassment to the Congress-led state government as the video surfaced, just a few days after the minister rejected any role in the transfer as far from the truth.
The order signed by Director General and Inspector General of Karnataka Police states that the (previous) order posting Shenoy to Indi Sub Division, Vijayapura district, on Official Duty (OOD) has been withdrawn with immediate effect.
It stated that Shenoy will continue to discharge her duties in Kudligi sub-division in Ballari district, the same position she held prior to her transfer, and asks the official concerned to submit a report about her reporting to the duty.
Earlier today, a group of women activists, rallying behind Shenoy, sought the intervention of President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Women Commission Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in the issue.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had defended the abrupt transfer calling it an administrative matter.
Home Minister and state Congress Chief G Parameshwara had also said the DySP has not been transferred and she has been sent on OOD(On Official Duty), calling it natural in an administrative set up.
Shenoy had reportedly received a call from a number which said the minister would speak to her.
At the same time, she also received a call from the Superintendent of Police, Ballari and she allegedly put the ministers call on hold and spoke to the SP. Angered by this, Nailk reportedly took her to task and also complained to her higher-ups.
The minister as well as the government drew flak from opposition and public for action against the officer. There were also reports that Congress high command had sought a report from party state unit.
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New Delhi:
The Jaish E Mohammad chief and prime perpetrator of Pathankot attacks Masood Azhar has spewed venom against India in a written article. Also, he has threatened his own government if Pakistan shuts down terrorist groups operating against India.
I have prepared an army that adores death. To uproot this army is not in the power of our enemies. God willing, this army will not let our enemies celebrate, nor occasion for anyone to miss my presence, Azhar wrote in the Peshawar-based jihadi magazine al-Qalams issue dated January 26.
Their actions against mosques, seminaries and jihad are dangerous for the integrity of the country itself. Azhar wrote attacking his own Government.
The rulers of our country are sad that we have disturbed their friends, Azhar wrote in the article, in an evident reference to Nawaz Sharif . They wish to arise on the Day of Judgment to be judged as friends of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (former Prime Minister) Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Many, times I actually attacked and chased arrest, only for it to escape from my grasp, he claimed. When arrest finally came, it did not leave me even at my own home. For eight months, arrest lived with me in my home, where I could see even my aging parents only twice a week. This was though I did not have any case registered against me in any of the police stations in entire Pakistan, and I had never even imagined, let alone planned, doing harm to my country, he wrote. I got only one answer when I asked why I was in prison: What can we do, we have world pressure for your arrest.
He urged his followers not to be afraid of incarceration: Pervez Musharraf was fond of keeping me imprisoned, but he was also arrested and imprisoned. He continues to lead a life of quasi-imprisonment. It is akin to worship to have been arrested because of your service to Islam, and every Muslim should be mentally ready for it, because, all the Holy Prophets and holy Companions have faced imprisonment.
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New Delhi:
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. PTI
New Delhi :
Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today summoned Delhi Police joint commissioner S K Gautam and sought a report over the police action against students during a protest outside RSS office in central Delhis Jhandewalan area yesterday that has sparked widespread outrage.
Sources said that Gautam, who is the joint commissioner of Delhi Polices central range, briefed the Lt Governor over the issue at the latters office today. Jung is learnt to have sought a detailed report on the incident.
Gautam is heading the probe into the matter. The probe was initiated by Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi after due consultation with Special Commissioner (Law & Order) Deepak Mishra.
Delhi Police came under severe criticism after a video emerged in which its personnel were seen thrashing protesters and dragging activists by their hair outside the RSS office here during a demonstration against dalit student Rohith 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. Agitated over the alleged assault on student protesters by police, students from various universities across Delhi today staged a protest outside police headquarters here blocking the traffic at ITO.
A video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair outside RSS headquarters here during a protest over Dalit student Rohith Vemulas suicide had triggered widespread outrage with Congress and AAP seeking action against the erring cops.
The students from Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) staged a demonstration outside the police headquarters demanding action against the cops who allegedly assaulted the protesting students.
Government is not listening to our demands, police is attacking us, where are the students supposed to go? Hang ourselves like Rohith did and succumb to their atrocities?, said JNU Students Union Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora.
A KYS protester said, The police commissioner needs to tell the country why cops behaved in this manner and on whose instructions they did so. They were so prompt in taking action against the students, why is the top cop not acting against his own policemen now?
The protest by the students caused traffic jam at the ITO stretch as they did not allow the vehicles to move ahead.
The students alleged that they have been treated in similar manner by the police whenever they have tried to stage any demonstrations and raise their voice against any issue.
Be it the Occupy UGC movement or protests against sexual harassment by any professor, we always had to face similar crackdown from police. So many times we tried to go to the HRD Ministry but we were not even allowed to submit memorandums, said Sunny Kumar, a protester.
The students from Jawaharlal Nehru University had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike last week when they were detained from outside HRD Ministry for staging a protest there against the alleged delay in justice to Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar who was found hanging at Hyderabad Central Universitys hostel on January 17.
The protesting students have been demanding the resignations of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and the Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad University over the issue.
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Melbourne:
Over 20 schools across Australia were today evacuated or locked down after receiving threats of bomb and shooting attacks believed to have originated overseas to cause disruptions, in the third scare within five days.
A series of threats were made to schools of either bombing or shooting attacks, leading to evacuation of a number of schools in the Victorian state, media reports said.
However, they turned out to be hoaxes. There were similar scares at schools in France, Italy and Britain last week.
Autralian Police in a statement on Facebook said that the schools had been evacuated as a precaution.
In Queensland, about nine schools were evacuated after receiving similar phone calls. Bomb threats were called in to Queensland schools, while Sydneys Cherrybrook Technology High and Denistone East Primary School were also affected.
Education Minister James Merlino said almost 20 schools across Victoria had received threatening phone calls, including threats of violence.
He said emergency management plans were implemented immediately once the calls were made.
Chief Commissioner Ashton said the threats were a hoax scenario but each needed to be taken seriously. It may be that a particular call that might come in that is not a hoax.
Several schools in New South Wales were evacuated yesterday and Friday after receiving similar phone calls.
On Friday, thousands of students were evacuated from schools in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria due to the threats. The threats had come on the first day of the opening of the schools after the long Christmas break.
NSW police said they were investigating the incidents, adding that threats appear to be hoax calls from overseas.
There is no evidence these are anything other than hoaxes designed to cause unnecessary disruption and inconvenience, NSW police said.
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New Delhi:
Chinese smartphone major LeEco has sold 70,000 units of 4G Le 1s smartphones within two seconds. Its been an incredible sale in India for the first timer in India market. It started the sales on e-commerce portal Flipkart.
Around 6.05 lakh buyers registered themselves to buy Le 1s, which was the highest ever on Flipkart for any brand.
The firm had low stock as against high number of registrations. The smartphone major has announced another sale on February 9.
The company claims to sell Le 1s at no profit basis and is looking to monetise through its other products, which could set benchmark for others.
The new Le 1s features a metal with a 5.5 inch full high definition display, powered by 64-bit octa-core processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. It has 13-megapixel rear camera, and 5-megapixel wide angle selfie camera and 3,000 mAh battery with fast charging support.
Bengaluru:
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today defended the state governments decision to increase the petrol allowance to ministers from 750 litres to 1,000 litres a month.
He said BJP has no moral right to criticise it because their government at the Centre did not reduce petrol and diesel prices even after the prices of international crude oil fell to USD 28 per barrel.
Please ask them (BJP), what was the rate of crude oil when the (previous) NDA government was there? What is the rate of crude oil now - its USD 28 per barrel. When the UPA government was there, it was USD 120 per barrel, Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
In spite of falling crude oil prices, why have they not reduced the rate of petrol and diesel? What moral right do they have to criticise (our move to increase petrol allowance of ministers), he asked.
The state government on January 28 had issued a notification increasing the petrol allowance of 31 ministers from 750 litres to 1,000 litres per month.
BJP criticised the decision, saying it came at a time when as many as 136 taluks in Karnataka are reeling under drought.
They also contended the hike in petrol allowance would prompt the government to shell out Rs 63,380 per month compared to Rs 47,535 per month per minister.
Siddaramaiah also flayed the central government for increasing excise duty when it had saved Rs 1.50 lakh crore in crude oil alone due to fall in international prices.
Home Minister G Parameshwara said the hike in petrol allowance was not related to the ministers privileges.
These are not related to one another. These are the steps a government has to take. This has nothing to do with the ministers privileges, he said.
Sometimes, the ministers themselves bring some austerity measures, depending on the severity of the situation, he said.
Asked if it was necessary to hike petrol allowance to 1,000 litres when it is not possible for any minister to use the entire quota, Parameshwara said, No, it is a provision made. It is not necessary to use the entire 1,000 litres.
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Mumbai:
Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan today said the current level of cash reserve ratio (CRR) at 4 per cent is ideal and there is no need for any change in it.
As far as the optimal level of CRR goes, we dont think there is a strong reason right now to move away from this level, Rajan said in a post policy concall with analysts and researchers here today.
It could be noted that lenders from long time are demanding a cut in CRR, which they have to keep as reserves with the RBI.
Rajan also said the RBI will be reviewing its entire liquidity framework over the next few months.
On liquidity management, the Governor said RBI will use all instruments including open market operations (OMO) to ensure enough liquidity in the market.
We have variety of instruments to manage short term liquidity as well as long term liquidity and OMOs is one of them, he said.
The governor said CRR and OMO are possible inputs to liquidity management.
Earlier in the day, Rajan told reporters that the view that there is enormous liquidity shortage at this point in the banking system is not consistent with the fact.
Our measure of whether there is enough liquidity is to see whether rates in the call money markets are broadly in line with the policy rates and I think the evidence is that they are, he had told reporters in the post policy conference.
We will look at the emerging liquidity needs and use all instruments to manage those, he had said.
Reserve Bank today left the repo rate unchanged at 6.75 per cent and said a further easing will depend on structural reforms in the forthcoming Budget as well as macroeconomic factors.
When asked whether RBI can go for an inter-meeting rate cut, he said such cuts can happen when there is great sense of urgency.
He said sometimes the inter-meeting cuts are to signal a broad change in direction of policy which was when RBI employed it last time.
We will have to see rationales which are strong for doing it (inter-meeting rate cuts) but I dont want to either say that we are going to do it or deny the possibility, Rajan added.
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Beijing:
China today said it will send a ship equipped with a sophisticated sonar system to join the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 as its fate remains unknown nearly two years after it mysteriously vanished along with 239 people on board, including five Indians.
The Dong Hai Jiu 101 will join the search for the Boeing 777 plane in the remote southern Indian Ocean on February 10. The plane vanished while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 8, 2014.
The Chinese ship will join three other vessels contracted from Dutch firm Fugro currently scouring the sea off Western Australia where the plane is believed to have crashed after diverting from its flight path.
The vessel has been refitted with deep-water search equipment in Singapore, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center under the Ministry of Transport said.
China will make all-out efforts to search the plane and closely coordinate with Malaysia and Australia, Transport Minister Yang Chuantang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.
The Australian-led operation completed a search of 86,423 square km of waters by January 30 and is expected to cover all 120,000 square km of key areas in June, the report said.
Relatives of those aboard MH370 have criticised the Malaysian government and airline for failing to provide credible answers. The disappearance of the sophisticated plane without a trace for nearly two years has become one of aviations greatest mysteries, generating many conspiracy theories.
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Iran will need hundreds of new aircraft as it rejoins global aviation networks, a move that could include direct flights to the U.S. for the first time in 36 years...
...Years of sanctions have left Iran's airlines with outdated and unsafe aircraft. With those restrictions now lifted, Iran is looking to spend heavily with Boeing (BA) and Airbus (EADSF), Iranian transport minister Abbas Akhondi told CNN.
"We think [we need] about 100 short range fleet for our local flights. And for international flights about 400 fleet, who can do the middle and long range flights," Akhondi told CNN at an aviation conference. "Iran will compete in 5 to 7 years with all the major regional airlines."
BadBlue Real-Time News
The headline and the story courtesy of Ed Driscoll at Instapundit While Iran is working on ICBM technology (blatantly violating terms of their various agreements with the allied nations), who needs missiles when you can fly planes to the U.S.?Iran has announced that nuclear EMP attacks are "Sharia-approved" (legally allowed by the non-Islamic religion of Islam). Which means a couple of Iranian planes over New York City and Washington, DC detonating EMP weapons could cripple the Eastern seaboard.But why worry about Iran in our hemisphere? After all, it's busy humiliating the United States Navy in the Middle East , capturing our sailors, firing heavy weapons near our ships, and even flying a drone over an aircraft carrier.
New Delhi:
Indias maiden sovereign wealth fund NIIF today signed an agreement with Russias Rusnano OJSC to set up a fund that will invest in high technology projects in India.
NIIF signs MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Rusnano of Russia for setting up India-Russia High Technology Fund. NIIF fast taking shape, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeted.
Both NIIF and Rusnano will establish a joint working group with a view to further develop cooperation and work on the development of the definitive agreements.
The High Technology Private Equity Fund, a finance ministry statement said, will invest in projects in India.
The MoU follows Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Russia on December 23-24, 2015, during which discussions were held between NIIF and Rusnano.
Both sides agreed to cooperate in diverse sectors and facilitate high-technology investments in India, it added.
Set up in December, the Rs 40,000 crore National Investment and Infrastructure fund (NIIF) would invest in greenfield, brownfield and stalled projects.
NIIF will be a major investor in infrastructure in coming months, Das said.
Rusnano is a Russian development institute with interest in projects in the field of high technologies and defence including the projects aimed at establishment of manufacturing industrial enterprises in India.
Government is in consultation with several sovereign funds and pension funds from Russia, Singapore, UK and UAE to participate in the NIIF. Government holds 49 per cent stake in the fund and the rest would be held privately.
The objective of NIIF is to maximise economic impact mainly through infrastructure development in commercially viable infrastructure projects and other nationally important projects in India.
New Delhi :
Sunny Deol, who is launching four new faces with his upcoming directorial venture Ghayal Once Again, says he will launch his son Karan in his next movie.
The 58-year-old Gadar star will serve as the director for the project, which he will start working on after seeing the response on his current movie.
After Ghayal Once Again I will talk about my sons debut. That is the next thing I will be working on, Sunny said in a interview here.
The actor, whose film Mohalla Assi made headlines for the abuses in the trailer, said he does not understand why people go away from the very essence of the subject, just because it has cuss words in it.
Mohalla Assi is a nice subject... One should try and understand deeper into it, which we never do. There are no abuses in the film which we have put forcefully. We lose the subject and go offtrack, he said.
Sunny has become very particular when it comes to choosing his films and the actor considers lack of exciting scripts responsible for his absence from the big screen.
I am not getting any good scripts. I am eagerly waiting for something good to come my way. We are talking about 100 crores, 200 crores but nobody talks about people liked it or not. That is sad and I am not in favour of it, the Yamla Pagla Deewana actor said.
I am keen to work with any director, who is not full of himself, but full of the subject, he added.
After spending over three decades in Bollywood, Sunny has managed to keep a clean image and shares a good rapport with everyone. However, he says he does not share personal bond with any of the industry insiders.
We are colleagues. We are not enemies. Enemies are those, who keep fighting till they kill each other. Friendship is always till school. Thats the era of friendship, after that everything is professional.
Produced by Dharmendra, Ghayal Once Again also stars Om Puri, Soha Ali Khan an Tisca Chopra. The film will hit the screens this Friday.
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Hyderabad:
Tension prevailed in the Mirchowk area here today as MIM and Congress workers clashed during the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls and the police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse them.
The trouble started when Congress candidate Mohammad Gouse and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Pasha Quadri had a confrontation in Mirchowk in old city following which they were taken into police custody briefly.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress leader in the Council Shabbir Ali reached Mirchowk Police station, where Mohammad Gouse was kept in custody, Assistant Police Commissioner, Mirchowk division, Srinivas Rao, said.
MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also reached there just about the same time which escalated tension between the two groups, he said.
Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to disperse the agitated party workers when they, led by their respective leaders, gathered at the police station, Rao said.
A vehicle belonging Reddy was allegedly damaged by miscreants, he added.
Uttam Kumar Reddy termed it as a conspiracy by both Telangana Rashtra Samithi and MIM.
Somehow, they want to win the elections, he said. He said the police released Gouse after a lot of pressure.
We were attacked by Asaduddin Owaisi and his supporters. They broke my car. They manhandled the leader of Opposition. I have filed police case on this issue, Reddy said.
Later in the evening, Congress party held a sit-in agitation in front of the DGPs office demanding punishment to those responsible for attack on its leaders.
MIM MLA Pasha was also released later.
In a separate incident, police had to disperse MIM workers when they allegedly tried to attack Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Alis son Azam Ali.
MIM MLA Ahmed Balala was taken into custody in this connection, police said.
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New Delhi:
Actor Anupam Kher, who grabbed headlines on Tuesday after being denied visa by Pakistan for his visit to Karachi for a literature festival, has said that he was not angry but hurt by the decision.
I am not angry at anyone, I am hurt and saddened, Kher told a news conference.
A Pakistani diplomat had said earlier that Kher had not submitted any visa application.
I did not personally ask for a visa, the organisers of the Karachi Literature Festival did, Kher clarified.
For last 15 days, all my visa documents are ready, he said. The organiser of the Karachi lit fest said that (Pakistan) government officials told her dont invite Anupam Kher. I dont know why, the actor added.
Has my visa been denied because I speak about India's rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) February 2, 2016
Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa on second time in a year, while around 17 people will participate in the Karachi Literature Festival as guests, Anupam had tweeted earlier.
This is the second occasion when Kher has been denied visa to Pakistan. In May last year, he faced the similar situation when he was to visit Lahore for an event. However, he was reportedly denied visa to Pakistan back then due to security reasons.
Kher tweeted: Has my visa been denied because I speak about Indias rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian government welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan government bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue, he tweeted.
He said he felt bad for all those people who were looking forward to meet me in Pakistan and vice versa.
I was probably the only actor from Bollywood who wrote an open letter condemning attack on Peshawar school, the actor said at the news conference.
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Militia meltdown: Is Oregon standoff really about government insiders selling U.S. uranium to Russia?
Robert LaVoy Finicum, the spokesman for an armed militia occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge, was shot and killed during a traffic stop Tuesday. The anti-government activists seized the site in protest of the federal governments treatment of Dwight and Steven Hammond, who were sentenced to prison for unpaid grazing fees and setting fires on federally owned land. Given the federal governments brute handling of the controversy, some suspect alternative motives may be at work.
The standoff took place 70 miles north of Burns, Oregon, where protests over the Hammond ranch caused activists to occupy a federal building earlier this month. The occupiers were led by Ammon Bundy, son of Cliven Bundy, the key figure in the 2014 Bundy standoff. The FBI stopped a vehicle harboring Bundy, his brother, Finicum and others who were on their way to a public event.(1)
Agents with the FBI stopped the vehicle, at which point one of the individuals in the vehicle pulled out a weapon, The Wall Street Journal reports. At that point, FBI agents fired [and] the individual who was brandishing the weapon suffered fatal injuries, officials said.(1)
Hammond Ranch a gold mine for uranium
Unanswered questions remain about why the feds came down so hard on the protesters and occupiers. One possible reason is that the federal government needs to seize the Hammond ranch for its precious metals and uranium. According to the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a federal agency under the Department of the Interior:
In September 2011, a representative from Oregon Energy, L.L.C. (formally Uranium One), met with local citizens, and county and state officials, to discuss the possibility of opening a uranium oxide (yellowcake) mine in southern Malheur County in southeastern Oregon.(2)
Uranium One controls a good portion of uranium production in the US. Russia gradually took over Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013. Now, Vladimir Putin controls 20 percent of all uranium production capacity in the US.(2,3)
Clinton Foundation played pivotal role in securing Uranium One deal with Russia
During that time, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. After Russia announced its plan to take over Uranium One, former President Bill Clinton received $500,000 for a Moscow speech from a Russian investment bank with ties to the Kremlin.(3)
In other words, there is good reason to believe that the Clinton Foundation helped sell Uranium One to the Russians by ensuring them US plutonium. Therefore, its possible the recent Oregon standoff wasnt fueled by the activities of Dwight and Steven Hammond, but by government insiders trying to sell US uranium to Russia.(2)
According to this theory, the reason why US authorities have been so hard on the protesters is because they are occupying a valuable piece of land a piece that was promised to Russia for its plutonium resources.
The New York Times states, Whether the donations [to the Clinton Foundation] played any role in the approval of the uranium deal is unknown. But the episode underscores the special ethical challenges presented by the Clinton Foundation, headed by a former president who relied heavily on foreign cash to accumulate $250 million in assets even as his wife helped steer American foreign policy as secretary of state, presiding over decisions with the potential to benefit the foundations donors.(3)
Could the Clintons be behind whats going on at Hammond Ranch? Its certainly possible. The Clinton Foundation played a crucial role in securing the Plutonium One deal with the Russians. If that deal involved uranium mining in Oregon, then the recent events surrounding Hammond Ranch shouldnt be chalked up merely to coincidence.
Sources include:
(1) ZeroHedge.com
(2) JonRappoport.WordPress.com
(3) NYTimes.com
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Pacific Command chief says more freedom of navigation missions coming in a challenge to outsized Chinese territorial claims
(NationalSecurity.news) The head of the U.S. Navys Pacific Command says that in the near future more freedom of navigation missions will take place in the South China Sea in what appears to a bid by the Obama administration to reassert American power in the region.
As reported by USNI News, Adm. Harry Harris said during a conference sponsoered by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that freedom of navigation is a matter of fundamental principle to the U.S., adding that more operations in the South China Sea would not only take place but that they would be more complex.
I believe the [USS] Lassen [operation] did challenge some of Chinas claims, Harris said in response to a question at the forum, held in Washington, D.C.
Further, he said that the passage of the U.S. guided-missile destroyer to within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, one that has been artificially reclaimed by China, was carried out as a means of not abiding by Beijings claims of sovereignty over the islet as it pertained to innocent passage.
You will see more of these, he said.
Earlier, Harris said that the Chinese practice of turning reefs into manmade island that will be capable of supporting significant military forces would also include deep-water ports. And though other regional powers have also staked claims in the region believed to be rich in mineral and oil and gas deposits none have put forth an effort matching that of Beijing. To emphasize that point, Harris put up a slide that showed China had reclaimed some 3,000 acres of former reefs in the past year-and-a-half alone.
Calling the South China Sea a contested area, Harris said that assured access to the regions natural resources is in dispute, even as it has become one of shared domain in terms of surface shipping/trade and, below the surface, the placement of fiber optic cables.
Harris said that in a meeting with Chinese military officials last fall they were pretty rigid about their ownership of the islands and their resources, USNI News noted. In response, Harris said that the U.S. believes the reclamation projects are provocative, along with territorial claims the Obama administration believes are outsized.
USNI News further reported:
Saying Beijing has been helpful in anti-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa, civilian evacuations from Yemen and in other areas, China will continue to grow and that is not a bad thing. Harris said the concern is about how China uses its power. One example of that growing power is Chinas building of a coast guard cutter25 percent larger than an Arleigh Burkeclass guided-missile destroyer (DDG-51) for use in disputed waters with Japan.
And while the U.S. retains a qualitative advantage over the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy in terms of gear, ships and personnel, Beijings forces in the region outnumber U.S. assets there. To counter that, Harris said he has discussed with officials in the nations capital the need to bolster American asymmetrical advantages like anti-submarine warfare.
But he also noted that the U.S. is not alone in the region.
We have allies, friends and partners where China does not, he said, adding that the U.S. works in concert with Australia, Singapore, the Philippines and Japan, among others, to shore up alliances that would prove useful against future Chinese aggression.
Indeed, as the Washington Free Beacon reported Saturday, the Pentagon sent the USS Curtis Wilber, a guided-missile destroyer, to South China Sea waters near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands chain in the northern part of the sea to challenge excessive maritime claims, spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban said.
Urban said the freedom of navigation mission was aimed not just at China but others Vietnam and Taiwan which also have territorial claims in the region.
Steven Radil, a political geography and geopolitics professor at the University of Idaho, told NationalSecurity.news that Chinas assertiveness and outsized claims in the region are natural for an emerging global power.
That said, Radil noted that getting China to reverse course that is, end its reef-building will be difficult given the symbolism they represent. The consequence of this symbolism is that the more China invests into the story of its claims in the Spratlys, the less likely it is to back down or reverse course, he said, adding that the U.S. is in the difficult position of attempting to discourage Chinese expansionism while at the same time attempting to assist in Beijings development as a regional power and not a rival. As for the U.S. freedom of navigation missions, Radil says the send a clear signal to China that the U.S. isnt going to simply cede the South China Sea to Beijing. He said that a freedom of navigation mission last fall, when a U.S. destroyer passed to within 12 nautical miles of a manmade Chinese reef, a Chinese warship followed the American vessel for some distance. He also noted that the U.S. government likely made the American warships mission known to the Chinese government beforehand. This means that the U.S. will likely continue to make sure the Chinese government knows about these missions well in advance to take the decision about how to respond out of the hands of the Chinese military, he said. See also: USNI News NationalSecurity.news is part of the USA Features Media network of sites. For advertising opportunities, click here. Materials reuse policy: Click here
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Do you ever find yourself watching TV and wondering just how much advertisers paid for high-profile prime-time spots? The same thought crossed my mind while watching Shark Tank, the popular ABC show featuring aspiring entrepreneurs pitching businesses to potential multimillion-dollar investors. I pulled the rate card out of curiosity and, as you might have guessed, its incredibly expensive -- at least at first glance.
After the sticker shock wore off, I realized purchasing the spot might not be as much of a stretch as it seemed. If my company, Hawke Media, were to purchase a spot on the show, plenty of people outside of our target would see the commercial. And while those viewers are gravy for us, what mattered more was getting 30 seconds of undivided attention from those in our actual target.
Related: Im Gonna Be on TV!
Based on my experience with the process, here are four things your company needs to have in place before launching a commercial:
1. A proven conversion funnel with optimized user flow
TV advertising, by nature, is going to bombard you with leads that dont fit your target demographic. Shark Tank, for example, has not only many entrepreneur viewers, but also a lot of families. Because not all viewers are your customers, you need a solid plan for converting impressions into sales. Start with digital testing; thats where you can gradually tweak things until you feel good about your conversion funnel.
2. Plan to nurture and leverage leads
One of the main benefits of TV ads is that the results are trackable. This can be done by embedding a unique URL or phone number into the commercial, both of which allow a business to directly track the response to its spot. Media Design Group, for instance, provides raw data that shows a spike in website activity when a commercial runs -- whether visitors are first-timers or ultimately convert into buyers. Take advantage of data like this to capture leads, not just conversions.
Keep in touch -- via email and retargeting -- with people who dont necessarily want to buy the first time they see your product or service so you can re-engage them. If you cant afford the popular retargeting apps, free website pixels can capture leads as well. Once you know who has visited your site, you have the flexibility to choose how much or how little you want to spend instead of blindly paying for a specialist or third-party platform.
3. A brand message that stands the test of time
You need to have your message down, or it will be impossible to articulate your brand visually and audibly in 30 seconds. Tell people why you are exactly what they need.
Related: The New Prime-Time for Ads -- and How to Use It to Your Advantage
To do this, work with a team, and scrutinize every word. This will slow down the process, but if one person doesnt like a word, talk about it. My team does this, and its a super collaborative process.
I know how to market, but I dont know how to make a 30-second TV spot. So my business partner and I develop the bones, overarching theme, tone and basic dialogue. Then, we go back to the team to see what they think. Make sure you have an idea before approaching your team, though. If you dont have any direction from the start, you wont make any headway.
4. Meaningful mass-market traction
A national TV commercial is a wide-net, shotgun approach. You spend a lot of money, get 30 seconds and hope for the best. That means you have to be out of the early-adopter phase and absolutely certain a mass audience is ready to buy your product. If so, TV truly is the cheapest place to get out a major brand message, especially considering that roughly 40 million households are able to receive ads either through video on demand or linear TV that are targeted at their households. You can even test a well-executed campaign for just $10,000.
Uber, for example, used TV to make an urgent case for its survival in New York City after Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed capping the number of new Uber vehicles for a year to reduce traffic congestion. And Dollar Shave Club doubled its subscribers in 10 months, partially thanks to its recent TV spots.
Its no secret that advertising on television is a great tool in building your brand, Michael Dubin, founder and CEO of Dollar Shave Club, told Ad Age. Some of the messages we wanted to communicate felt really right for television.
The decision to run TV spots shouldnt be taken lightly. Knowing that your brand has the traction to make such a big investment worthwhile is imperative. But if you have a solid conversion funnel and plans to continue to engage leads, even a high-priced Shark Tank spot could be worth the price tag.
Related: Time to Pull the Plug? 8 Real Threats to Traditional TV
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4 Must-Haves for Brands Considering TV Commercials
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Fearing drones can disturb both wildnife and human visitors, the Connecticut Audubon Society on Tuesday announced it has banned all drones from its 19 state sanctuaries.
The organization believes it is the first in the state and one of the first in the nation to ban drones. In 2014, drones were banned temporarily in all national parks; they have been prohibited in San Francisco parks since last year.
Local sancturaries include the 155-acre Larsen Sanctuary and the 60-acre Banks South Farm, both in Fairfield; the 8-acre Smith-Hubbell sanctuary at the Milford Point Coastal Center; and the 74-acre H. Smith Richardson Preserve in Westport.
No creature - great or small, human or wildlife - visits our sanctuaries hoping to be buzzed by a drone, said Alexander Brash, president of the Connecticut Audubon Society said in a release on Tuesday. We are taking this action to protect the birds and animals that consider our sanctuaries home, and to ensure that our sanctuaries are also a place of respite for our human guests too.
Although there has been only one recent incident of a drone at a Connecticut Audubon sanctuary, the organization is instituting the ban proactively, in anticipation of increasing drone use across the nation.
Among other rules, motor boats and vehicles are already prohibited in our sanctuaries, so banning drones is the logical next step, said Peter Kunkel, chairman of Connecticut Audubon Societys Board of Directors. We believe our sanctuaries are where the states wildlife should have a chance to live unharrassed, and where humans should be able to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced last week that almost 300,000 drone owners registered their unmanned aircraft in the first 30 days after the FAAs new online registration system went into effect last year.
Because the recreational use of drones is relatively new, research into their effects is just getting underway. Wildlife biologists have noted that small unmanned aircraft, if flown too close to animals, may cause unnecessary and harmful stress, and are likely to scare birds and other wildlife into scattering from their breeding, resting and feeding areas. Drone use near nesting birds is likely to result in broken or dropped eggs.
In its release, Connecticut Audubon noted a study last year in Minnesota showed that when drones were flown near a group of black bears, their heart rates increased by 400 percent; one bear was roused from its hibernation by a drone. In France, researchers found that when drones approached wading birds from above, the birds scattered - a reaction likened to the reaction when a bird of prey approaches.
DANBURY Police Chief Al Baker confirmed Tuesday that he will retire in June after more than 10 years on the job.
Baker, who came to Danbury from Wisconsin, joined the Danbury Police Department in April 2005.
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media
FirstLight Hydro Generating Company is accepting grant applications for the Housatonic River Project Fund to support activities and projects in the 23-town Housatonic River region.
The projects must promote environmental protection, energy efficiency and public safety. The fund was established in 2015 to provide opportunities to a broad group of organization through a thoughtful and competitive application process.
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NEWTOWN The school systems top administrator says he will not reverse his unpopular decision to cover up the high school mural painted by two students in tribute to Sandy Hook shooting victims, despite the public rift it has caused with the artists supporters.
It is a beautiful mural, but as Newtown continues to go through recovery, school leaders need to pay attention to all students and need to listen to those students who are hurting the most, Superintendent Joseph Erardi said Tuesday. This mural caused extraordinary discomfort to students who were impacted by the Sandy Hook tragedy, and we need to be respectful about that.
Erardi, who informed the mural artists and high school families about the decision to cover up the painting late last year, said he invited the students to paint a new mural.
One of the artists, Lindsay Fuori, said she rejected Erardis offer to paint a new mural.
Meanwhile, an online petition to remove the white covering from the mural had 185 signatures.
Talented students worked very hard to paint it, and put lots of love into it, essentially representing what our town is made up of: love and kindness, the petition reads in part. Sometimes the world can get a bit ugly, but we're here to add something beautiful to it.
Fuori and classmate Mairin Hayes painted the mural as part of a 2013 school project that included research about the role of art therapy in recovery, Fuori said.
"There will always be reminders of the tragedy, but there won't always be people around who care or understand," Fuori told the Associated Press. "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."
The controversy is the latest test of Newtowns resolve to recover from the worst crime scene in Connecticut history on Dec. 14, 2012. On that day, Adam Lanza, a former Newtown High School student, killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
One of the tenets of trauma care is that people cope differently. While some families in town affected most by the tragedy have been able to speak publicly about their grief, others are just now coming to acknowledge that they need help, the towns recovery experts say.
Erardi said he knew the decision to cover the bright mural would not be popular.
He was right.
The painting depicted a threaded hoop called a dream catcher, which in Native American lore snares bad dreams and allows only good dreams to pass through.
This is not about censoring at all, Erardi said Tuesday, as national news organizations picked up on the story and media calls poured into the high school. We need to create an environment in that building so that all students can come to class to learn without being compromised.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342
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HARTFORD Cue Sonny and Cher singing I Got You Babe.
The day before the real-life Groundhog Day, minority Republicans warned Monday that Democrats and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy are on the brink of turning the annual state-budget process into Bill Murrays classic 1993 comedy, at the expense of taxpayers who are not laughing.
But House Minority Leader Themis Klarides and Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano said that with a half-billion-dollar budget deficit on the horizon, saving tax dollars and making major systemic changes including state-employee health care would be the equivalent of the personal growth that Murrays jaded TV weatherman eventually learned by repeating the same mistakes, over and over.
Its appropriate that this budget week, being the first week (of the new legislative session), includes Groundhog Day, said Fasano, R-North Haven, during a morning news conference. Because it seems like we do this every year: tax increases, deficit, tax-increases deficit.
Fasano recalled that the Murray character finally realized he had to change his life to get out of the rut of waking up to Sonny and Cher on the clock radio in perpetuity.
The question is whether the Democratic majority will change the way we do business in this state and change the structural nature of our budgeting in appreciation of getting out of the Groundhog Days of tax increases and deficit, he said.
Were in a hole weve never seen before, said Klarides, R-Derby, flanked by about two dozen House and Senate Republicans in the Legislative Office Building. Klarides said the states fragile, $20 billion budget, even with hundreds of millions in reactive spending reductions and despite two of the states largest tax increases in 2011 and 2015, is showing further revenue erosion.
We are in a death spiral of a magnitude this state has never seen, Fasano, told reporters in advance of Wednesdays short, three-month budget-adjustment session. Where are we going? We are killing this state.
The GOP proposals include mandatory review and approval of labor contracts, a proposal that has been rejected by majority Democrats. The Republicans have transportation priorities that include $1 billion investments annually for the next 30 years without tax increases or tolls.
In reaction, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D- New Havenm, said the Republicans have launched a partisan attack before the governors budget proposal on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt for an early kickoff to the 2016 General Assembly elections.
The Republicans couldnt even wait for the opening of the General Assembly session before embracing the dark side of partisan politics and resorting to a gross political stunt, Looney said in a statement. Sadly, the Republicans are the party of no. They voted no on historic property tax relief; they voted no on bringing Jackson Labs to Connecticut; they voted no on partnering with United Technologies.
Malloy, in Meriden on Monday, reiterated support for the so-called lockbox to prevent transportation funding from being raided by lawmakers struggling to make ends meet. A renewed effort to make the issue a constitutional amendment is expected to come to the General Assembly this year. If approved by three-quarter votes in the House and Senate, it can become a ballot question in November. It was originally a GOP proposal.
kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Every few days, another bombshell appears in the media illustrating just how poorly Hillary Clinton, during her tenure as our nations foreign policy boss, handled communications security. By now, we have a complex portrait of someone whose mishandling of our nations secrets, by herself and her staff, beggars belief for anyone versed in such matters. EmailGate isnt going away, no matter how much Ms. Clintons supporters want it to.
The number of unclassified emails that turn out to be classified, some of which transited Ms. Clintons unencrypted server of bathroom fame, now surpasses 1,300 and may go higher still. A couple weeks ago I explained howMs. Clintons emails included highly classified information from the National Security Agency, based on signals intelligence about Sudan at the Top Secret Codeword level (see this for an explanation of such classifications). How they got there has yet to be explained.
Weve since learned Ms. Clintons unclassified emails also included Top Secret information from the Central Intelligence Agency, including espionage from a compartmented Special Access Program . SAPs, as they are called in the Intelligence Community, represent crown jewel information. Even for holders of Top Secret Codeword clearances, the highest in the U.S. Government, access to SAPs requires special permissions, on a strict need-to-know basis.
Just what a sinkhole of secrets the Secretary of States office was during President Obamas first term, when Ms. Clinton occupied that chair, is frighteningly apparent.
How such highly classified information from both NSA and CIA wound up in Ms. Clintons personal email is a messy question that the FBI is currently unravelling. Dont expect pretty answers. That her staff at Foggy Bottom treated classification as a nuisance is already apparent, and such guidance, which was flagrantly illegal, could only have come from the boss.
Just what a sinkhole of secrets the Secretary of States office was during President Obamas first term, when Ms. Clinton occupied that chair, is frighteningly apparent. Allegations are swirling that her staff systematically copied Top Secret Codeword information off separate, just-for-intelligence computer systems and cut-and-pasted it into unclassified emails. This, if true, is an unambiguous felony. There is reason to be cautious about this claim, which is unsubstantiated so far, and would indicate a complex degree of intent: moving Top Secret Codeword information into unclassified emails is not simple, rather a multi-step process, and would leave an audit trail.
Nevertheless, the casual approach of Ms. Clinton and her staff to classified information is already abundantly clear. Cheryl Mills, her chief of staff at Foggy Bottom, was using her personal Blackberry for work, including the transmission of classified email. That alone is a crime. Then, in a move worthy of a dark comedy, Ms. Mills proceeded to lose that Blackberry. This would be a career-ender, at best, for any normal U.S. Government employee. Ms. Mills, a longtime Clinton insider, naturally suffered no penalties of any kind for this astonishing security lapse.
Of course, the loss of classified information is bound to happen when the nations top diplomat refuses to use government communications systems for government business, as Ms. Clinton did, intentionally rejecting email, as has been established , and her staff did the same, with awful consequences.
Even half-drunk the SVR could get those emails, and they probably couldnt believe how easy Hillary made it for them.
Why Ms. Clinton and her staff refused to use State Department email for official business is an open and important question. Suspicion inevitably falls on widespread allegations of pay-for-play, a corrupt scheme whereby foreign entities gave cash to the Clinton Global Initiative in exchange for Ms. Clintons favors at Foggy Bottom. The FBI is investigating this matter in connection with EmailGate.
Regardless of whether Ms. Clinton was engaged in political corruption, she unquestionably cast aside security as Secretary of State. She cant quite keep her story straight on why that was, and she is at pains to deny that there is any real issue here at all, suggesting that its just another right-wing propaganda ploy . Ms. Clinton is veering hazardously close to her infamous What difference at this point does it make? claim, which she touted about the 2012 Benghazi attack.
Yet, as any seasoned intelligence professional will tell you, it matters a great dealjust not in ways visible to the American public. The communications of Americas top diplomat are closely monitored by dozens of foreign spy services, and anything sent out unencrypted, as Ms. Clintons email was, should be assumed to be read by numerous countries, including some who are not our friends.
John Kerry, her successor at Foggy Bottom, admitted that Russia and China are almost certainly reading his unclassified emails. Bob Gates, Obamas first defense secretary, recently asserted its very likely that Russia, China, and Iran were inside Ms. Clintons homebrew email server. Mr. Gates is a career intelligence officer who served as CIA director, and he simply stated what any espionage professional knows.
Worse, access to Ms. Clintons personal email likely gave foreign spy agencies hints on how to crack into more sensitive information systems.
To take just the Russians: their plus-sized embassy in Washington, D.C. is conveniently located on a hill overlooking the city, with an impressive antenna field on its roof aimed downtown. That is where Ms. Clintons unclassified emails went. The Russians care so much about State Department information theyve been caught planting bugs inside a conference room just down the hall from the Secretary of States office. Of course the SVR got it all, explained a high-ranking former KGB officer to me about EmailGate (the SVR is the post-Soviet successor to the KGBs foreign intelligence arm). I dont know if were as good as we were in my time, he added, but even half-drunk the SVR could get those emails, they probably couldnt believe how easy Hillary made it for them.
Any foreign intelligence service reading Ms. Clintons emails would know a great deal theyre not supposed to about American diplomacy, including classified information: readouts from sensitive meetings, secret U.S. positions on high-stakes negotiations, details of interaction between the State Department and other U.S. agencies including the White House. This would be a veritable intelligence goldmine to our enemies. Worse, access to Ms. Clintons personal email likely gave foreign spy agencies hints on how to crack into more sensitive information systems. Not to mention that if Clinton Inc. was engaged in any sort of illegal pay-for-play schemes, our adversaries know all about that, as well as anything else shady that Ms. Clinton and her staff were putting in those unencrypted emails.
The State Department has a longstanding reputation for being less than serious about security, and its communications have often wound up in foreign hands. Its something of a tradition at Foggy Bottom, to the chagrin of the Intelligence Community, and history records numerous examples. To take a big one, in early 1917 British intelligence intercepted the infamous Zimmermann Telegram, Germanys ham-handed effort to get Mexico to attack the United States, and shared it with President Woodrow Wilson. Shocked, Mr. Wilson used this to get America into the First World War on Britains side. What he didnt realize, and neither did anybody else in Washington, was that London got their hands on the Zimmermann Telegram by intercepting and decrypting classified State Department communications.
In every American embassy around the world, Marine guards have standing orders to fight to the death to protect the classified informationinformation Ms. Clinton gave away by choice.
Even by these low standards Hillary Clinton is an outlier. Her willful disregard for basic security has harmed our country, though it may take decades to discover exactly how. As a top French diplomat explained in exasperation, You cannot say just anything on just any network!a reality-based viewpoint wholly absent when Ms. Clinton ran the show at Foggy Bottom.
As Secretary of State, Ms. Clinton had access to a wide array of government-supplied communications systems, ranging from lightly encrypted to deeply so, at varying levels of classification, all intended to protect our nations secrets. She chose not to use them, and its not Hillary Clinton whos paying the price for that.
Stephanie Seymour, a former supermodel, was arrested by Greenwich police on Monday morning for leaving the scene of an accident last month 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.
Seymour, 47, of North Street, came to town police headquarters and turned herself in on a warrant for her arrest on a misdemeanor charge of evading responsibility for driving off after hitting the utility pole. The investigating officer matched debris from the site on Stanwich Road to Seymours vehicle, police said Monday.
She was also issued a traffic ticket for failing to drive in lane.
When Seymour was arrested by state police for the DWI incident off I-95, police said, it was apparent that the car had suffered extensive front-end damage.
Police Lt. Kraig Gray said Greenwich police received a report of broken telephone pole from a local resident on Jan. 15. An examination of the damage to the Stanwich Road utility pole matched up with the damage on the car, leading to the warrant and Mondays arrest.
The investigating officer put all the facts and circumstances together, including physical evidence at the scene, said Gray.
Seymour was released Monday on $500 bail. She appears in Stamford Court Tuesday on the DWI charge.
State police made the original arrest on Jan. 15 when Seymour allegedly backed into a Mercedes-Benz driven by a New Haven woman, causing minor damage.
Seymour has been linked to illicit activities before, and she has appeared at the courthouse in Stamford. In 2010, during a contentious divorce case with husband Peter Brant, a polo-playing art collector, reports came out that she was abusing drugs and alcohol. The two are still married.
The former model appeared in advertisements for Victorias Secret and a music video for Guns N Roses.
About the cover photo
This viewpoint in Tuna Canyon Park in the western Sa nta Monica Mountains, looks out over the Pacific Ocean and the shoreline of the beach communities of Los Angeles. Though I've moved on to New Orleans, I like to be reminded that sometimes you have to get up above it all for the best perspective.
A few years ago I read Elizabeth Warren's book, A Fighting Chance and I remember being very impressed with a story about how then First Lady Hillary Clinton had single-handedly turned around the Administration on a toxic brankuptcy bill and persuaded her husband to veto it at the very end of 2000. It actually made me feel good about Hillary. But, it turns out, I didn't actually have the full story.
The banking industry bought everything; they even bought their own facts. The industry commissioned three different studies, each of which was touted as "independent." Each explained the urgent need to change the law-- exactly the way the banking industry wanted it changed. One particularly damaging result of these bogus studies was a claim that bankruptcy cost every hardworking, bill-paying American family a $550 "hidden tax." The number was entirely made up, fabricated out of thin air, but the press reported it as "fact" for years.
This one hit me hard. I'd spent nearly twenty years sweating over every detail in a string of serious academic studies, agonizing over sample sizes and statistical significance to make certain that whatever I reported was exactly right. Now the banks just wrote a check, commissioned a friendly study, and purchased their own facts. They had their own press people distribute the facts and lobbyists hand the facts to congressional staffers. From the halls of Congress to the front pages of newspapers all over the country, these new "facts" became reality.
This strategy-- and the cynicism behind it-- made me furious. It also scared me. If the facts about bankruptcy could be purchased, then who knew what they could claim next?
...[T]he president [Bill Clinton] was under enormous pressure from the banks to sign the bill, but in the last days of his presidency, urged on by his wife, President Clinton stood strong with struggling families. With no public fanfare, he vetoed the industry's bill.
...The banks lost in 2000, but they didn't quit-- they just spent more money on lobbying and campaign contributions. Soon the banking industry was outspending everybody else-- tobacco, pharmaceuticals, even Big Oil. Credit card companies lined up to boost George W. Bush's presidential campaign.
In 2001, the bill looked sure to pass Congress again, and now George W. Bush was in the White House, promising to sign it into law. The recent election kept the House in Republican control, and every single Republican was ready to support the bill. The Senate was evenly split between the two parties, but one of the bill's lead sponsors was Democratic powerhouse Joe Biden, and right behind him were plenty of Democrats offering to help... The baking industry had lost for a second time, but it came back once again, bringing even more money and more lobbyists. It was like fighting some kind of mythical creature-- cut off one head and two grow back.
Now, take a look at that video up top of Elizabeth Warren speaking with Bill Moyers in 2004. Turns out there was more to that story than Warren put in her book. In the interview, she acknowledges that Hillary-- who had a far keener understanding of the disastrous consequences of the bill-- got President Clinton to veto it. However... "One of the first bills that came up after she was Senator Clinton was the bankruptcy bill. This is a bill that's like a vampire; it will not die. There's a lot of money behind it. Her husband had vetoed it very much at her urging. She voted in favor of it. As Senator Clinton, the pressures are very different. It's a well-financed industry... A lot of people don't realize the industry that gave the most money to Washington over the past few years was not the oil industry, was not pharmaceuticals, it was consumer credit products-- the credit card companies-- and they have influence. She has taken money from the groups..."
Oh, yes, she has. Hillary, in fact has taken far more from the Financial Sector than anyone who has served in Congress other than Obama and McCain-- $36,846,987 and rapidly growing, sure to overtake McCain momentarily.
Maybe this helps explain why Warren hasn't endorsed Clinton so far and why she's the only Democratic woman in the Senate who hasn't. And maybe it helps explain her statement the other day on the Senate floor: "A new presidential election is upon us. Anyone who shrugs and claims that change is just too hard has crawled into bed with the billionaires who want to run this country like some private club." It came right after the Clintons claimed that single-payer is just too hard to achieve. If conservatives like the Clintons (and the Republicans) had had their way, we would still be a British colony; there would still be slavery; only wealthy old white men would be voting; there would be no public education; there would be no Social Security or Medicare...
A few days later Warren released an 11-page report, Rigged Justice 2016 , showing how wealthy and powerful corporate parasites go unpunished . The Warren-Sanders wing of the Democratic Party "contends that aggressive prosecutions would not only signal to executives that theyll be held to the same standard as everybody else, they could also spare working people whod otherwise get gouged. In other words, Warren is arguing that by simply wielding the laws already on the books, rather than struggling to pass new ones, a president could strike a blow against the inequality now agitating the left. And all it would take is somebody in the White House committed to stocking the administration with likeminded enforcers." These are t he people who have financed the Clintons' careers
But, just in case Hillary doesn't drop out of the race now, you can help make sure Bernie wins the nomination by contributing what you can here
[D]irect payments to Hillary Clintons political campaigns, including for the Senate in 2000 and for the presidency in 2008 and now in 2016 ... had reached a total of $712.4 million as of September 30, 2015, the most recent figures compiled by Open Secrets. Four of the top five sources of these funds are major banks: Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Morgan Stanley....
TPP Countries to Sign Trade Pact in New Zealand Feb. 4
The 12 nations party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will formally sign the agreement on Feb. 4 in New Zealand.
Andres Rebolledo, director general of Chile's General International Economic Relations Bureau (DIRECON), confirmed the Feb. 4 date in a meeting yesterday with the country's National Human Rights Institute to discuss how the agreement would affect human rights issues in Chile. ...
The signing will come four months after the 12 countries in the TPP concluded negotiations in the U.S. on Oct. 5. The 12 countries include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam (193 ITD, 10/6/15).
The signing will be a celebration, but the critical work comes after with the ratification process in national parliaments, Gary Hufbauer, of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Bloomberg BNA in a telephone interview.
Sanders is leading the opposition in Congress to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would be the biggest trade pact in history. He also was at the forefront in earlier battles against the North American Free Trade Agreement and permanent normal trade relations with China trade agreements that Secretary Clinton supported which have led to the loss of more than 30,000 good-paying jobs in Iowa. Can you be a great country when everything we buy is made in China? he asked the union workers.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue told Bloomberg News he expects Clinton to support a 12-nation trade agreement, a deal she praised before recently signaling concerns.
Clinton had praised past trade agreements and once called the Pacific trade deal the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade, the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field.
On October 8, however, she said that as of today, I am not in favor of what I have learned about it. I dont believe its going to meet the high bar I have set. She hasnt talked about it since then.
This petition is sponsored by DeFazio for Congress, Huffman for Congress, Sean Patrick Maloney For Congress, Nolan For Congress Volunteer Committee, Pingree For Congress, Pocan for Congress, Louise Slaughter Re-election Committee and Paul Tonko for Congress.
I had meant to mine the terrificarticle, " The Clinton System ," for the next few days since it's so rich in detail. For example (my emphasis):Seven hundred million dollars donated to one politician who only started campaigning in 2000 is one heck of a lot of money. Prior to this cycle, she's been before the voters just three times, one of which (the 2006 Senate race) was a no-contest blowout. Again, that's just the tip of the iceberg; the rest of the article is similarly loaded.But let's look at TPP, since it's due to be signed this week in New Zealand.Signed but not ratified or confirmed. As we learned recently , the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Tom Donohue thinks the vote will take place after the election because it can't pass otherwise and also thinks that if Hillary Clinton is president, she'll support it.Which suggests a number of questions. First, is Donohue right? Does he know some insider something we don't know? We know where candidate Bernie Sanders stands for sure. Sanders hasopposed these "trade" deals. From a January 28 campaign press release (my emphasis):I'm not the only one now wondering if Tom Donohue knows something. From that same press release:And we know from this anti-TPP petition that a number of Clinton-supporting congresspeople are opposed to TPP:Only Peter DeFazio and Mark Pocan are not listed here as endorsing Ms. Clinton.So will Ms. Clinton reassure her supporters (above) and the voting public that she still stands where her most recent statements put her? It could be awkward for these congresspeople if supporting her actually undermines their campaign against it. After all, this is not a winning argument: "I hate TPP and urge you to support Hillary Clinton, who might actually approve it after all."This is an important question, the one about Hillary Clinton and TPP. NAFTA, GATT and the WTO have devastated the fortunes of a generation of Americans, all to line the pockets of the wealthy, many of whom, I'm sad to say, have contributed over $700 million to finance her political career, as noted above.It's also an appropriate question, especially since it was the Chamber of Commerce that brought it up in the first place. TPP is finally due to be signed, and the clock on the fortunes of the next generation of Americans is ticking. Ms. Clinton please clarify. Updated to add Mark Pocan as not endorsing Clinton.)GP
Labels: 2016 presidential race, Bernie Sanders, Chamber of Commerce, Gaius Publius, Hillary Clinton, TPP, trade policies, Trans-Pacific Partnership
[February 02, 2016] 802.11ac CPE Shipments Rise to Represent Nearly 65% of All Access Points in 2016, WiGig to Enter the Market
SINGAPORE, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Wi-Fi access points based on 802.11ac steadily gained momentum over the past year, rising to represent 39% of total Wi-Fi access points shipped in 2015. According to ABI Research, the leader in transformative technology innovation market intelligence, adoption will continue to accelerate in 2016 as more 802.11ac Wave 2 products enter the market, along with the introduction of tri-band access points. "Wave 2 access points are based on a richer set of technologies in the 802.11ac specification," says Sam Rosen, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. "This includes MU-MIMO, which supports better efficiency for high density wireless environments. We forecast Wave 2 access points to spearhead 802.11ac shipments, with those shipments representing nearly 65% of total Wi-Fi access points in 2016." In addition to the emergence of Wave 2 product this year, tri-band access points are likely to hit the market in the first half of 2016. Tri-band Wi-Fi products use 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ad in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 60 GHz bands, respectively, and are backwad compatible to the older protocols within each band.
"If all goes according to plan, TP-Link's Talon AD product line will kick-start the market for tri-band access points with WiGig (802.11 ad)," concludes Rosen. "The access points, however, are likely to take an additional one to two years' time before they gain significant market share in the overall Wi-Fi CPE market." Moving beyond the scope of this year's market data to take a look at the overall market, ABI Research predicts Wi-Fi access point shipments to surpass 204 million units in consumer applications and 19.3 million units in enterprise in 2020, with the majority of those shipments supporting 802.11ac.
These findings are part of ABI Research's Set-Top Box and Home Gateway (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/set-top-box/) and Wi-Fi (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/wi-fi/) Services, which include research reports, market data, insights and competitive assessments. About ABI Research For more than 25 years, ABI Research has stood at the forefront of technology market intelligence, partnering with innovative business leaders to implement informed, transformative technology decisions. The company employs a global team of senior analysts to provide comprehensive research and consulting services through deep quantitative forecasts, qualitative analyses and teardown services. An industry pioneer, ABI Research is proactive in its approach, frequently uncovering ground-breaking business cycles ahead of the curve and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. In all, the company covers more than 60 services, spanning 11 technology sectors. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com. Contact Info: Christine Gallen
Tel: +44.203.326.0142
[email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151014/276887LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/80211ac-cpe-shipments-rise-to-represent-nearly-65-of-all-access-points-in-2016-wigig-to-enter-the-market-300213725.html SOURCE ABI Research
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[February 02, 2016]
Johnson Controls recognizes key suppliers for excellence in execution and leadership
MILWAUKEE, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls is honoring 11 suppliers at its sixth annual Supplier Excellence Awards ceremony. The company recognized its suppliers, which excelled in providing cost savings, quality and leadership, while demonstrating values embraced by Johnson Controls.
Recipients of the Johnson Controls Excellence in Execution Award, which recognizes suppliers for their commitment to quality, delivery, service and efficiency, are:
Shanghai TECO Electric & Machinery (Taiwan)
PPG Industries (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Shanghai Hanshi Molding Shape (Shanghai, China)
The Johnson Controls Leadership Award honors suppliers for their contributions in the following areas: innovation, sustainability, customer satisfaction, shareholder value and quality. Recipients of the Johnson Controls Leadership Award are:
Vaisala (Vantaa, Finland)
HID Global (Austin, Texas)
PCL (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Penoles (Coahuila, Mexico)
Dumas (Bergerac, France)
Cimco Resources (Rockford, Illinois)
Uniper (Dusseldorf, Germany)
Western Industries Corporation (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
"We are proud to recognize 11 world-class suppliers today for their significant contributions to our success. We appreciate these suppliers for their relentless focus on quality, efficiency, delivery and service," said Alex Molinaroli, chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls.
About Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 150,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and seating components and systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful. In 2015, Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Johnson Controls as the #14 company in its annual "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com. Follow Johnson Controls Investor Relations on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JCI_IR
CONTACT: Fraser Engerman
414-524-2733
[email protected]
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/johnson-controls-recognizes-key-suppliers-for-excellence-in-execution-and-leadership-300213728.html
SOURCE Johnson Controls, Inc.
[February 02, 2016] "Real Early Case Assessment Will Be Vital for the Legal Industry in 2016 and Beyond:" Nuix CEO
NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LegalTech Conference 2016 Eddie Sheehy, CEO of Global technology company Nuix, has called for the legal industry to redefine and reconsider its approach to early case assessment (ECA) in litigation. "As ESI evolved in eDiscovery, some vendors have deliberately confused the market by seeking to define ECA in terms that align to the features of their products, for example conflating it with a narrow set of technology assisted review (TAR) technologies such as predictive coding," said Sheehy. "In fact, these three-letter acronyms have almost nothing in common and predictive coding is particularly poorly suited for ECA. The legal industry is letting its clients down by wrongly defining and poorly executing early case assessment." "Nuix has long been an advocate for true ECA, which helps litigants quickly understand the facts and merits of the case, key players, and critical dates so they can set a realistic case strategy." Using an intelligent technology-enabled ECA process, litigants can visually understand context and establish scope, prioritize sources of electronically stored information (ESI) at the outset of a case and avoid the wasted time, money, and effort of setting eyes on every document, Sheehy explained. Nuix's white paper "Early Case Assessment: Evolving from Tactical to Practical"by Angela Bunting, the company's director of eDiscovery Products and Solutions and George J. Socha, Jr., Esq., co-founder of EDRM and the president and founder of Socha Consulting LLCexamines how legal teams can use statistical, date, textual, and relationship analytics to rapidly identify and prioritize their ESI sources.
"With these techniques, you can get a much clearer, more accurate, and comprehensive view of the issues at hand and the potential pitfalls you will need to avoid, at the earliest possible stages of the discovery process," said Socha. The paper highlights how the transition from paper-based to digital discovery led to a loss of valuable skills and has been exacerbated by misleading new technology concepts.
"In pre-digital days, the discovery team would conduct a preliminary walkthrough of boxes containing material potentially relevant for disclosure to understand and start to prioritize those materials," said Bunting. "In the transition to electronic discovery, we seem to have lost those basic skills in favor of more esoteric capabilities that technology vendors and analysts told us we needed." The paper also lays out a practical five-step methodology for applying these analytics as the digital equivalent of the traditional walk through the warehouse. Legal teams can quickly find out what data they have, flag any issues with that data, learn who the key players are and what information they hold, uncover the fundamental facts of the case, and clear out digital deadwood. "These five core elements of ECA will be vital for the legal industry in 2016, especially with the changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure placing a greater emphasis on the proportionality of discovery," said Sheehy. "By updating its approach to ECA, the industry can reduce costs for litigants and make fair trials more accessible to everyone." About Nuix
Nuix (www.nuix.com) protects, informs, and empowers society in the knowledge age. Leading organizations around the world turn to Nuix when they need fast, accurate answers for investigation, cybersecurity incident response, insider threats, litigation, regulation, privacy, risk management, and other essential challenges. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/real-early-case-assessment-will-be-vital-for-the-legal-industry-in-2016-and-beyond-nuix-ceo-300213777.html SOURCE Nuix North America
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[February 02, 2016] iSolved Network Celebrates Success at President's Club Event
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The iSolved Network recently hosted its inaugural President's Club for its elite individual sales producers. The event, held on Amelia Island, Florida, honored those who have most contributed to the rapid rise of iSolved as a best-in-class human capital management solution for the small to mid-size employer. The iSolved HCM cloud-based solution has now grown to include over 55,000 employers and 1.7 million employees committed to the technology platform. The iSolved Network event was also an opportunity to recognize the 2015 achievements of its top-performing iSolved Network Partners, elite payroll service bureaus that provide iSolved to their customers. The theme of the inaugural President's Club Event, held January 2729 at Florida's Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, was "iSolved Spartans." Commander Mark McGinnis, who served as a U.S. Navy SEAL, delivered a keynote focusing on teamwork, mental toughness and accountability qualities that have contributed to these attendees' considerable professional and personal success. After several other theme-relate activities, the event's grand finale was the awards ceremony, where several top partner awards were announced along with awards for the individual sales achievements of the year. Coastal Payroll Services, a founding partner of the iSolved Network headquartered in San Diego, was named iSolved Network Partner of the Year.
"2015 was one of the best years in Coastal Payroll's history and we attribute much of our success to being an iSolved Network Partner," said Jonathan Gallagher from Coastal Payroll. "iSolved has allowed us to build relationships with clients we never dreamed possible while simultaneously exceeding their expectations. We look forward to even greater growth in 2016." "We are very proud to have such dedicated, high performing and professional Network Partners representing iSolved for their clients," said Dave Dawson, CEO of the iSolved Network. "Their efforts have been crucial to the success of the iSolved Network and we are thrilled to have been able to recognize and congratulate these partners on their 2015 achievements at this President's Club event. I look forward to the continued growth and success of our partners in 2016."
About iSolved Network The iSolved Network allows elite, high-growth payroll service providers using the cloud-based iSolved human capital management technology to deliver a complete set of workforce solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. Launched in the summer of 2014, the iSolved Network has experienced rapid growth and now has almost 1.7 million employees committed to the technology. The iSolved solution delivers a comprehensive approach to workforce management; offering payroll, onboarding, human resources, time and labor tracking, and benefit enrollment from within the same solution. About iSolved iSolved is Infinisource's comprehensive human capital management solution for payroll, time, benefits and HR that manages an employer's most important asset their people. The cloud-based platform is delivered through elite, regional payroll providers who provide best-in-class service to their clients. This unique approach gives small to midsize employers access to a cutting-edge HCM solution, while retaining the local service relationship they prefer. For more information, visit www.infinisource.com. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140908/143813 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/isolved-network-celebrates-success-at-presidents-club-event-300213825.html SOURCE iSolved Network
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The European Commission and the International Energy Agency will address the impact of the energy crisis on SMEs in an online event on 21 October.
The two remaining embattled senators from Anambra State, Senators Andy Uba and Stella Oduah yesterday made a bold appearance in the Na...
The two senators who were reported by some media channels to have been removed from office on account of the judicial affirmation of the Ejike Oguebego faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also attended their committees meetings unhindered.Their action nonetheless, lawyer to the Oguebego faction, Chris Uche, SAN yesterday, wrote the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, asking the body to withdraw the certificates of return issued to Andy Uba and Oduah. Uche in the letter sighted by Vanguard also asked the commission to issue certificates of return to the nominees presented by the Oguebego faction.Senator Uba, PDP Anambra South attended the meeting of the Senate Joint Committees on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions yesterday while Oduah, PDP, Anambra North was in her office attending to visitors and files on her table.Their presence at the National Assembly caught the attention of staff and visitors, following news reports at the weekend of their sack from office on account of the Supreme Court judgment on the supremacy battle between the contending factions of the PDP in Anambra State.The letter from the Oguebego faction addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, was titled Compliance with judgement of Supreme Court Anambra state PDP National Assembly Candidates SC/37/2015-Ejike Oguebego and Anor vs Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, dated January 29, 2016.The letter was also copied the Chairman, Legal Services Committee, INEC Headquarters, Abuja; the Director, Legal services department INEC, Ibrahim Bawa, SAN, and Hassan Liman, SAN, INEC lead counsel.Uche stated that the effect of the Supreme Court judgment is that those who were not part of the list of candidates produced by the congress/primary elections under the watch of Oguebego and his executive committee ought and must vacate the positions they occupy at present on the grounds that they were not validly nominated.The names of Chris Ubah, Annie Okonkwo and 42 others were replaced following the appellate court judgment of 6th February 2015, just before the 2015 general elections.According to Uche, it is the responsibility of INEC to enforce and comply with the said judgement, saying there was no other primary election conducted by PDP to produce candidates other than the one that produced his clients.The letter reads in part: the effect of the Supreme Court judgment consequently is that all those who were not part of the list of candidates produced by the congress/primary elections that the Ejike Oguebego and his executive committee participated in, and monitored by INEC ought and must vacate the positions they presently occupy having not been validly nominated.In the light of the foregoing, we therefore demand that your commission complies promptly with the said judgment of the Supreme Court by issuing forthwith Certificates of Returns to our clients as the authentic and legitimate candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party for Anambra state who won the election, the entire gamut of litigation having been exhausted.We look forward to your timely cooperation and compliance.A panel of the Supreme Court, had last Friday,in Abuja, reaffirmed the earlier Federal High Courts verdict, declaring the Oguebego-led PDP as the recognised executive in Anambra State.The Oguebego faction had masterminded the National Assembly primaries which threw up a separate list of National Assembly aspirants as candidates of the party for the election. Among them is Chief Chris Uba the putative leader of the faction, a brother to Senator Andy Uba who had emerged as Senatorial candidate for Anambra South in rivalry to his brother.The apex court in its judgment on Friday upheld the earlier decision by Justice Chukwu of the Federal High Court that the Oguebego-led faction as the validly elected leadership of the state chapter of the party.In December 2014, the Federal High Court had ruled that it was only the constitutionally recognized state party leadership led by Ejike Oguebego that could organize the party primaries.
The Presidency on Monday said the foreign trips by President Muhammadu Buhari were necessitated by his desire to block and recover fund...
The Presidency on Monday said the foreign trips by President Muhammadu Buhari were necessitated by his desire to block and recover funds looted from Nigeria.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said this in an interview with State House correspondents.Buhari will on Tuesday travel to France and Britain. He had visited Kenya and Ethiopia last week.But Shehu said it would be wrong to describe the Presidents foreign trips as jamboree.He said so far, Buhari had during his trips secured agreements with various countries on recovery and repatriation of stolen funds.He also disclosed that some top security officials in the country would, in the next one week, travel to the United Arab Emirates to further actualise an agreement on recovery and repatriation of stolen funds.Shehu 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.There are numerous agreements we have also signed with them; drugs, human trafficking and stolen assets that have been stolen abroad.So, the President want to make it difficult for people, even when then steal from Nigeria, there would probably be no hiding place for stolen assets.
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, on Tuesday, warned President Muhammadu Buhari to stay at home and govern the country instead of j...
The governor, who said most of the trips embarked by the President were unnecessary, added that ministers or at best the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo could have been made to attend most of the functions being attended abroad by the President.According to a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said that the President should rather listen more to those of us who criticize him instead of those hailing every of his wrong steps either because of what they intend to gain or for fear of persecution.The statement read: Conservatively, about $1 million goes into every of the foreign trips and the way the President is going, foreign trips alone might gulp 20 percent of the Federal Government budget and that will be disastrous for the dwindling economy of the country.It is even more worrisome that while the economy is already in shamble and insecurity pervades the land with Boko Haram burning Nigerians, including children alive in the North East, our President is busy globetrotting.From available records, in June 2015 alone, the President travelled to Niger Republic, Chad, Germany and South Africa. Also in 2015, the President travelled to United States of America in July, Benin Republic in August, Ghana and France in September, India in October, Iran, France and United States of America in November and in December, he travelled to South Africa, Benin Republic.This year alone, President Buhari has travelled to the United Arab Emirate, Kenya, Ethiopia and he is leaving for France and United Kingdom today to spend four days abroad.In most of these trips, about $500,000 is spent on estacode, transportation, accommodation, honorarium, media coverage, contingency and other expenses on accompanying Presidency officials. The Presidential Air Fleet, which includes fuelling of the planes and allowances for crew members as well as the Presidents estacode per night and those of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his aides is said to be in the range of $500,000.Out of his eight months as President of Nigeria, two months have been spent outside the country, and one wonders how a country like Nigeria can progress with its president spending the better part of his time abroad.Mr President is therefore advised to focus more on governing Nigeria from home because foreign countries wont solve our problems for us. He should fulfil his promise of leading the fight against Boko Haram from the front. Most importantly, the President should pay more attention to the ailing economy of the country while he carries on with genuine fight against corruption.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has confirmed that it is considering petition submitted to it by human rights lawyer...
The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has confirmed that it is considering petition submitted to it by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN over alleged crimes against humanity committed in the context of the arms procurement scandal. The ICC revealed this in a letter dated 1 February 2016 with reference: OTP-CR-32/16 and signed by Mark P. Dillon, Head of Information & Evidence Unit of the ICC.The letter reads in part: The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court acknowledges receipt of your documents/letter. This communication has been duly entered in the Communications Register of the Office. We will give consideration to this communication, as appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.It would be recalled that Falana had in a petition dated 19 January 2016 requested the ICC 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 insurgencyThe petition reads in part: On account of the deliberate refusal of the former military authorities to equip and motivate the members of the armed forces involved in combat operations the insurgents have killed about 25,000 soldiers and civilians including children and displaced over 2,000,000 people. Having compromised the security of the people of Nigeria by collaborating with the terrorists the former military authorities deliberately encouraged the brutal killing of innocent people including ill-equipped officers and soldiers.During a visit to Borno state in 2014, former President Jonathan revealed to some selected leaders of the community that it was when Alhaji Modu Ali Sheriff caused the extra judicial killing of the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Yusuf that the group declared war on the Nigerian people. Even though President Jonathan knew that Alhaji Sheriff was a major sponsor of the terrorist group the government did not charge him to court under the Terrorism Act applicable in Nigeria.In order to divert the attention of the Nigerian people and the international community from the afore mentioned crimes against humanity, scores of soldiers were put on trial before courts-martial for demanding for equipment to fight the well-armed members of the Boko Haram sect. The military courts convicted the soldiers and sentenced them to various terms of imprisonment while 70 were sentenced to death. Over 3,000 others were dismissed from the Nigerian Army in similar circumstances.Having investigated and confirmed that the said soldiers were sacrificed to cover up the criminal negligence of the former military authorities the current Army leadership has ordered the recall and reinstatement of the 3,000 dismissed soldiers and commuted the death sentence of 66 out of 70 convicts on death row to 10 years imprisonment.The inquiry conducted by the Presidential Panel on arms procurement has established that the bulk of the sum of $2.1 billion and N643 billion ($4 billion) earmarked for the purchase of military hardware to fight terrorism was criminally diverted by the former government through the office of the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd). It has also been confirmed that the said Col. Dasuki colluded with some serving and retired military officers and civilians to divert the sum of $2 billion and N29 billion set aside for the procurement of fighter jets and other equipment for the Nigeria Air Force.As if that was not enough, the sum of $322 million and 5.5 million from the Abacha loot which was illegally transferred to Col. Dasuki by a former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for prosecuting the war on terror has also been criminally diverted. Part of the stolen fund was used to fund the campaign for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections.Apart from diverting the fund for acquiring military equipment some corrupt public officers also stole money set aside for acquiring the necessary gadgets and equipment for securing the Nigerian people. For instance, the $470 million contract awarded in 2009 for the installation of CCTV cameras in Abuja, the seat of the federal government, was poorly executed due to corrupt practices. Thus, the identification of terrorists who launched bomb attacks in public places in Abuja has been frustrated by the government officials who stole the contract sum.Notwithstanding the deliberate refusal of the military authorities to purchase arms and armament due to the criminal diversion of the security fund, Col. Dasuki gave a lecture at Chartam House in London on February 8, 2015 where he claimed that Nigeria had acquired adequate equipment to prosecute the war on terror. At the time he was addressing his London audience Col Dasuki was well aware that the fund for procurement of weapons had been stolen by himself and his cohorts.However, out of the fear that he could be made to account for his role in the diversion of the security fund the then Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Barde disclosed, while he was retiring from the service on July 30, 2015, that the armed forces led by him lacked the equipment to fight the terrorists. In his reaction to the disclosure Col. Dasuki stated sometime in August 2015 that the equipment ordered by the Jonathan Administration had not arrived the country!It is submitted that the former public officials, serving and military officers as well as civilian collaborators who engaged in the criminal diversion of the security fund are liable to bear full responsibility for the death of about 25,000 people who were killed by the Boko Haram sect and the over 2,000,000 people displaced by the terrorist organisation.Nigeria is a state party to the Rome Statute and deposited its instrument of ratification on 27 September 2001. The preamble to the 2003 United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which Nigeria has also ratified states that corruption is no longer a local matter but a transnational phenomenon that affects all societies and economies.We strongly believe that allegations of corruption so far made against Col. Sambo Dasuki and other public officers have had catastrophic effects on the lives of over 25,000 Nigerian soldiers and civilians including children akin to crimes against humanity as contemplated under the Rome Statute and within the jurisdiction of the Court. The Rome Statute in article 7 defines crime against humanity to include inhumane acts causing great suffering or injury, committed in a widespread or systematic manner against a civilian population.Corrupt officials in the government know well that their conduct is criminal and injurious, and that their ostentatious lives, built on a radical breach of solemn trust, aggravate their crime against humanity. We believe that these allegations of widespread and systematic corruption amount to crimes against humanity and therefore clear violations of the provisions of the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court. These allegations have given rise to individual criminal responsibility of those suspected of perpetrating corruption, as entrenched in the Rome Statute.We therefore submit that this is sufficient to hold Col Dasuki and others that have been indicted in the arms theft scandal responsible for crimes against humanity perpetrated against Nigerians. The failure of a former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to prevent widespread and systematic corruption including the re-looting of the Abacha loot amounts to complicity under the Rome Statute, and therefore fits the legal requirements of a crime against humanity. Falana then asked the ICC Prosecutor to:Urgently commence an investigation proprio motuon the allegations of the criminal diversion of the security fund of $2.1 billion and N643 billion earmarked by suspected perpetrators, with a view to determining whether these amount to crimes against humanity within the Courts jurisdiction. In this respect, I also urge you to invite representatives of the Nigerian government to provide written or oral testimony at the seat of the Court, so that the Prosecutor is able to conclude on the basis of available information whether there is a reasonable basis for an investigation, and to submit a request to the Pre-Trial Chamber for authorization of an investigation.Bring to justice those suspected to bear full responsibility for deliberate under funding of the armed forces through widespread and systematic corruption in Nigeria; and Urge the Nigerian government to fulfil its obligations under the Rome Statute to cooperate with the ICC; including complying with your requests to arrest and surrender suspected perpetrators of the criminal diversion of security fund, testimony, and provide other support to the ICC.
A six-month old pregnant woman whose name was given as Mrs. Ikhuoria has been allegedly stabbed to death by her neighbour over N1, 000. ...
A six-month old pregnant woman whose name was given as Mrs. Ikhuoria has been allegedly stabbed to death by her neighbour over N1, 000.The deceased was said to have gone to demand from her neighbour identified as Mama Emmanuel to pay back the N1000 loaned to her.The owner of the house located at Iyamu Street, off Textile Mill Road, Benin City, Edo State, where the incident occurred, Mrs. M. Okpojie, said she was working at the back of the house when she heard shouting from the house.Okpojie said she found the deceased bleeding and rushed her to a private hospital where doctors referred her to another hospital.I was working at the back of the house when I heard shouting. I rushed the victim to a private hospital when I saw the way she was bleeding. Doctor said it was an internal bleeding and I should take her away so I called the husband to come.Husband of the victim, Ediale Ikhuoria, said, My wife borrowed the attacker N1,000 and when she demanded for the money, Mama Emmanuel stabbed her. She killed my wife. My wife was six months pregnant. She died on Monday morning.The states police spokesman, Osifo Abiodun, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.
If I were to ask you to name one or two countries that can be said to be friends of Nigeria, my guess is you would be hard-pressed to ans...
If I were to ask you to name one or two countries that can be said to be friends of Nigeria, my guess is you would be hard-pressed to answer. The truth is that Nigeria is a lone-ranger in international relations. We have no friends. There is virtually no country we can run to or rely on in a time of need. If anything speaks eloquently of the failure of Nigerias diplomacy, it is our failure to cultivate friends and allies in international relations in 55 years of independent nationhood.A friend is useful in times of need. Today is Nigerias time of need. Our economy is in shambles. The price of our oil has collapsed. We are fighting insurgency in the North-East. We need international friends to help us weather the storms. But the truth of the matter is we have no friends.We used to say Africa is the centerpiece of Nigerias foreign policy. True enough, when the going was good and our oil economy more buoyant, we expended a lot of capital on our African friends. We helped them militarily, diplomatically and financially. However, these friends were not really our friends because we defined friendship simplistically by race. If you were black African, we considered you to be our friend because of our vaunted status as the biggest black country on earth.These fair-weather friends took our money but denied us their love. Indeed, some took our money and despised us. They obtained our support but did not feel obliged to us in any way, especially because we were foolish enough to ask for nothing in return. We simply assumed that since we helped them, they would be grateful and would like us. But they did not. Today, there is no African country we can confidently call a friend of Nigeria. Not even neighbouring Cameroon, to whom we generously and foolishly ceded Bakassi.The West African sub-region is our natural zone of influence. Within it, we are a colossus. The Nigerian economy is larger than that of all other ECOWAS countries put together. Our population is over 50 percent of all ECOWAS. Over the years, we have expended a lot of capital, both human and financial, in building up ECOWAS. We have engaged at great expense in regional peace-keeping and peace-enforcing, especially in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Nevertheless, we cannot confidently say today that these countries are our friends.Ghana is a major Anglophone ECOWAS country. It should be a natural ally of Nigerias in the sub-regional sea of Francophone countries. Nevertheless, Ghana is more our competitor than our friend. We have been known in the past to expel Ghanaians from Nigeria under our infamous Ghana Must Go policy. Such acts of hostility do not promote friendship; neither are they easily or readily forgotten.Even more pathetic is our relationship with Southern African countries. If no other countries in Africa are friends of Nigeria, the Southern African countries of Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa should be our very best friends because of our active participation in their liberation struggles. Not only have we gone out of the way to establish friendship with them, there can be no doubt that they owe it to Nigeria to be our friends.With South Africa, for example, Nigeria was at the forefront of its anti-apartheid struggle. This earned Nigeria the honorary status of a frontline state, even though we are geographically a West African, as opposed to Southern African, country. Nevertheless, Nigerians were recent victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa. When Nelson Mandela died, the Nigerian president was not even given the privilege of making a speech at his funeral.On a basic and fundamental level, Nigerians do not want friends, especially extra-African friends. We are too brash and too independent to seek international friendship. We like to believe we need no one. Our former so-called oil-wealth was a blinder in this regard. It gave us the illusion that we did not need help. As far as we were concerned, we could go it alone and were determined to do so.On the wider international scene, we delighted more in irritating the West than in courting it. At critical junctures in the courts of the United Nations, we voted against Western interests, and made a great song and dance about it. We made speeches, telling off the West. We had romances and dalliances with the Eastern bloc countries. We joined OPEC in confrontation of the West. We declared national sovereignty over our natural resources and tweaked the tail of Britain by nationalising British Petroleum assets in Nigeria.We have never really expressed a liking for Britain, our former colonial overlord, beyond making it a destination of choice for shopping, schooling and immigration. No sooner had we become independent than we jettisoned the British parliamentary system. Later, we dumped the British pound for the Nigerian naira. We decided to drive on the right and not on the left. We ditched yards for metres. The only thing British we have left is the English language, but even there, we have a distinctive preference for nasal American phonetics to Queens English.Having ditched rule Britannia, Nigerians are now enamoured of the United States. We adore the American exuberance. We like the fact that Americans are larger than life. We are fascinated by American gangs and gangsters. Our musicians are American copycats. Our television is all things American. Our political system is made in America. However, what we want is to be like the Americans. We would not have the Americans rule over us.In any case, the Americans see us more as nuisances than as friends. To be a friend of America from the American point of view, you have to be a slave of America. But Nigerians learnt from rule Britannia that: Nigerians never never never shall be slaves. We dont want to forge a strategic military alliance with the Americans. We dont want to create a port for their navy. We dont want American troops on our soil. We are even leery about them training our soldiers. We will not let them browbeat us into legalising same-sex marriage.Friends of the United States are required to kowtow to the Americans. They are required to bow down to them. But since Nigerians are too proud for that, the American have no time for us. Their disdain for Nigeria is palpable. American news networks regularly bad-mouth Nigeria. When CBS 60 Miniutes wants to do a programme on corruption, it does not base it on New York or Chicago; it bases it on Lagos. When Obama visits Africa as the first black president of the United States, he deliberately ignores Nigeria; the biggest black African country and economy.The CIA maliciously envisaged the collapse and unraveling of Nigeria by 2015. It must be none too pleased that this did not happen. With the onslaught of Boko Haram insurgency, the Americans refused to sell us arms, even though we were not asking to buy them on credit. With the onslaught of Ebola, they sent special drugs to Liberia and not to Nigeria. Lately, the United States moved from being the largest importer of Nigerias oil, to a zero-importer of Nigerias oil.The illusion of the Buhari administration lies in the belief that the West is not anti-Nigeria but simply anti-Jonathan. The Americans supported the opposition APC against the PDP government in the 2015 elections. Obamas campaign gurus doubled as Buharis campaign advisers. They provided the APC with a media blitz that showcased a suit-wearing Buhari to dazzle Nigerians.Mid-way through the election, Buhari borrowed a leaf from Obama and carried his campaign to far-off Chatham House in London, even as Obama carried his to Berlin in 2008. During the 2015 election itself, the American interfered in the process, complaining about the postponement of the election and warning the Nigerian government not to rig the vote.With the election won, Buhari eagerly made a trip to the United States. However, he came back empty-handed. Buharis government is mistaken in the belief the Americans are now friends of Nigeria. This is far from the truth. The Americans have mouthed sweet-nothings about helping us defeat Boko Haram, but there is considerable evidence that the Boko Haram is sponsored by the Saudis; and the Saudis are key American allies in the Middle East. This is where the whole situation gets murky.The Saudis have a principal regional adversary, the Iranians. The Saudis are Shias; the Iranians are Shiites. For the time-being, their battle-grounds are Syria and Iraq, but if Buhari is not careful, it will soon extend to Nigeria. Instead of minding our business, the Buhari administration decided to join an anti-insurgency coalition organised by the Saudis, clearly designed to short-circuit Iranian return from international isolation after its nuclear deal with the West.It is no coincidence that as we were slaughtering hundreds of our Shiite brothers on very spurious grounds in Zaria recently, the Saudis were also announcing in Riyadh the execution of 47 Shiites on terrorism charges, including Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr; provoking great uproar in the Shiite world. In short, while still grappling with Boko Haram, we have laid the foundation for another insurgency in Northern Nigeria by importing the incendiary of Sunni/Shiite conflagration into Nigeria; all in the interest of being in the good books of the Saudis and their Western allies.Saudi Arabia is no friend of Nigerias. It cannot be because it remains a principal sponsor of international terrorism. Britain and the United States are no friends of Nigeria. The only friendship they accept would make us their slaves. France is no friend of Nigeria. It regards the francophone countries of our ECOWAS sub-region as its subalterns, making us its competitor. In any case, it is better to be an enemy of the West than a friend. Enemies of the West get destroyed by Western friendship. We do not need to become a battle-ground for Western and Saudi proxy wars in Africa.The young and naive Buhari administration needs to tread with caution, even as it looks for friends on the international scene. Anti-corruption is not the only viable foreign policy option of Nigeria today. A diplomacy that requires you to bad-mouth your country in order to please your so-called new friends every time you venture abroad only goes to show that your friends are not really your friends.
Eleanor J. Clark, a Harrington Park-native and veteran prosecutor who helped win the conviction of mass murderer John List, died Friday. She was 73.
The cause was spinocerebellar ataxia, a rare disease, according to her family. A longtime Ridgewood resident, Clark recently relocated to California from Manhattan to be near her grandchildren. She died in El Cerrito, Calif.
While serving as an assistant Union County prosecutor, Clark successfully prosecuted List for fatally shooting his wife, mother and three children at their Westfield mansion in 1971.
List was a fugitive for nearly two decades until an "America's Most Wanted" viewer tip led to his arrest. He was convicted of five counts of first degree murder and died in prison while serving a life sentence.
At the trial in Elizabeth in 1990, Clark said List "acted as a hideous angel of death, weighing the options right up until the night before, killing his family."
A crowd cheered as Clark emerged from the Union County Courthouse after the verdict, news reports at the time said.
Speaking to reporters, Clark said "justice was not denied because of the delay," in prosecution.
Clark also served as a New York State Special Deputy Assistant Attorney General in Manhattan, where she handled Medicaid Fraud cases.
She retired from public service in 2005.
Clark co-founded Alternatives to Domestic Violence, formed in the mid-1970s in Bergen County.
Before her career as a prosecutor, Clark worked as a Wall Street securities analyst, authored three nonfiction books, including a Bob Hope biography, and was a realtor in Ridgewood.
Clark was born in Englewood, graduated from St. Cecilia's High School in 1960 and the then-Montclair State College in 1964, where she majored in English. She earned her juris doctorate from Pace University Law School at Purchase, New York.
She is survived by husband, Patrick, 74, her daughter, Caitlin Erice Lliro, 45, son-in-law, Omar Erice Lliro, 48, two grandchildren and a sister, Elizabeth Lewis, 70, of San Francisco.
The Clark family requested donations to the National Ataxia Foundation of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
SUFFERN, N.Y. -- A Saddle River man faces several charges after police said he tried to cross the Ramapo River in a Jeep Wrangler, NorthJersey.com reported.
John Careri, 28, was in an off-road area Saturday morning when he entered the waterway and the vehicle became submerged. Careri believed the water was shallow, police said.
Careri, who turned himself in over the weekend, has been charged with reckless endangerment and other offenses by the New York State Environmental Conservation Police. The Ramapo is a source of drinking water for Suffern and some New Jersey residents.
Careri and a passenger both recovered after being treated for hypothermia.
RIVER VALE -- A telephone bomb threat led to the evacuation of Holdrum Middle School on Tuesday morning, police said.
The threat was phoned in at the school around 9:50 a.m., prompting a "full response" from authorities, according to a statement issued by police spokesman Detective Sgt. John J. DeVoe.
"The circumstances of the threat were evaluated and it was determined that an evacuation of the school campus was in order," DeVoe said.
Responders secured the area and moved occupants of the school to a safe area under police escort, the statement said. The Bergen County Sheriff's Office deployed its bomb squad, including a canine team.
After a "thorough search" of the school's campus, the scene was deemed safe, DeVoe added. Students and staff were allowed back inside shortly after 11 a.m. Police said officers stayed at the facility for the rest of the school day.
DeVoe said he could not release further details on the threat, citing the active investigation. It was unclear if the threat was related to a string of automated phone threats received at schools across Bergen County in recent weeks.
Local police were investigating along with assistance from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Computer Crime Unit, he added.
"Cooperation between our school and police is vital and resulted in an efficient and safe response to this threat," police Chief William Giordano said in a statement. "Our officers patrol our schools on a daily basis, inclusive of interior security checks of each school."
The police department was in frequent contact with school district officials, the statement said.
"In fact, a meeting between our organizations took place just last week in order to review and update emergency protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff at all times," the police spokesman said.
Anyone with information was asked to call investigators at 201-664-1111.
Police from Old Tappan and Westwood, along with River Vale firefighters and the ambulance corps also responded.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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.
The British Embassy in China said it was aware of the sentencing.
"The British government maintains its longstanding opposition to the death penalty, and has formally communicated this to the Chinese government during the course of the trial," the embassy said in an email.
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; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Relacionados China sentences two men to death in killing of Tibetan religious leader
EDGEWATER -- The borough man charged with stabbing a New York teen knew the alleged victim, a prosecutor said Tuesday. In fact, they were both drug dealers.
Khari Noerdlinger, 19, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Bergen County Superior Court to charges of aggravated manslaughter, weapon possession and hindering apprehension.
Noerdlinger stabbed Savion Lewallen in an altercation Sunday night near his home in Edgewater, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal has said.
The two were drug dealers and Lewallen worked for Noerdlinger, Acting Bergen County Senior Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Grootenboer said in court.
Khari is the son of Rachel Noerdlinger, a publicist and former aide to New York City First Lady Chirlene McCray. Rachel resigned from that post after failing to disclose that she was living with boyfriend Hassaun McFarlan, who had been convicted of manslaughter when he was 15.
After the stabbing, Noerdlinger returned home and told someone about it, Grootenboer said. She didn't identify in whom he confided.
Noerdlinger and the person went to the scene and took items away, Grootenboer said. He also changed his clothes.
Jeffrey Lichtman, an attorney for Noerdlinger, said the person was not Rachel or anyone related to Noerdlinger.
Lewallen, 16, of Spring Valley, N.Y., allegedly traveled to Edgewater to commit an armed robbery with fellow Rockland County residents Mirleny Tremols, 33, Kevensky Lubin, 18, Richard Jean-Pierre, 18, and Calim Gaspard, 23.
Tremols, Lubin, Jean-Pierre and Gaspard have been charged with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Lewallen died at Palisades General Hospital in North Bergen of a stab wound to the femoral artery in his right leg, the Bergen County Medical Examiner said.
Lewallen traveled to Edgewater with the others because Noerdlinger owed him money, Grootenboer said. Lewallen spoke with Noerdlinger on the phone on the way to Edgewater.
Noerdlinger was carrying a knife Sunday night when he left his home on Thompson Lane, just around the corner from where the stabbing is said to have taken place on Old River Road, Grootenboer said. The knife cut seven inches into Lewallen, she said.
Noerdlinger is being held in Bergen County Jail. Grootenboer argued, and Judge Susan Steele agreed, that bail should stay at $500,000.
Licthman he would ask for a reduction. He said he had never heard the allegations that Noerdlinger was a drug dealer.
"He was attacked," Lichtman said. "Regardless of what he was it doesn't change the fact that he was attacked by armed people."
Noerdlinger is a full-time student at Bergen Community College, Lichtman said. He lives with his mother.
Licthman expects Noerdlinger to make bail "soon." He said he wouldn't take any deal, and plans to take the case to trial.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CAMDEN -- The two children not seen since Sunday and later reported missing alongside their mother were found safe Tuesday afternoon, according to the Camden County Police Department.
Camden County police were looking for two children and their mother. (Submitted Photo | For NJ.com)
Mother Kenya Garrett, Javaughn Ossario, 1; and Kenya Ossario, 3, were reported missing late Monday by their father, who shared custody of the children with Garrett.
The father, who does not live in New Jersey, reported the kids missing to the state Child Protection and Permanency agency.
Camden County police offered a brief update to say that the children were safe. It's unclear where the children were found or if Garrett made contact with police.
Reached at her Ferry Station Apartments home early Tuesday afternoon,
in some way while in the custody of their father.
This is what prompted Garrett to keep the children past the point when she and the father were supposed to meet up, according to the great grandmother who did not want to be identified. Camden County police did not respond to a request for comment regarding the allegations.
"Any mother would do that," the great grandmother said of Garrett failing to return her kids to the oversight of their father.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
UPDATE: Mom wouldn't harm missing N.J. kids, family member says
CAMDEN -- Authorities are searching for two young children and their mother, who were reported missing late Monday night.
Kenya Garrett and her two children -- Javaughn Ossario, 1, and Kenya Ossario, 3 -- are being sought by the Camden County Police Department.
Garrett is known to frequent the Ferry Station Apartments, Kaighn Avenue, South 4th and Pfeiffer streets, according to authorities.
One-year-old Javaughn is described with brown hair and eyes, weighing between 30 and 32 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a gray thermal shirt, black RVX sneakers and a blue, white and red checkered coat.
Javaughn also has a birthmark near his left nostril.
Three-year-old Kenya also weighs between 30 and 32 pounds and was last seen wearing long gray jeans with ruffles, a pink shirt with a black flower, black boots, and a pink bubble coat with white fur.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the mother and her children is asked to contact the Camden County Police Department at 856-757-7042.
Brittany Wehner may be reached at bwehner@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @brittanymwehner. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
Brian Williams made his big primetime return Monday night to co-host MSNBC's coverage of the Iowa caucuses with Rachel Maddow.
Though the New Jersey newsman returned to TV work in September, it was his first time back anchoring a major evening broadcast. On Twitter, viewers showed up en masse to evaluate Williams, as well as riff on his reputation for "conflation" and "misremembering."
Some recalled #BrianWilliamsMisremembers, the hashtag revolving around the incident that got him suspended, and eventually dismissed, from his job at the helm of "NBC Nightly News."
At one point, Williams, 56 -- who famously apologized to viewers of "Nightly News" in 2015 for misreporting details of his Iraq War experience -- had to apologize to MSNBC viewers for some profanity in a live interview (it didn't come from his mouth).
Caution: video contains explicit language.
"I know Jacob apologizes," Williams said, referring to the reporter on scene. "We all join him in apologizing for a bit of French that snuck into our English-language translation there," Williams mused.
Here's a sampling of the tweets that made Williams a trending topic on Monday:
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.
crackhead-bob-dead-dies-howard-stern-wack-packer
George Harvey (aka "Crackhead Bob") appears onstage during his last KROQ show December 16, 2005 in New York City.
(Bryan Bedder)
George Harvey -- aka "Crackhead Bob" from "The Howard Stern Show" -- has died at the age of 56.
TMZ reports that Harvey was hospitalized in Texas two days before he was found dead in his apartment. The cause of death is not yet known.
A legendary member of Stern's Wack Pack, Harvey came to prominence on the show in the mid-'90s. His slurred speech, which the show capitalized on through prank calls and other gags, was a result of several strokes that left Harvey paralyzed after smoking crack.
From the moment he first appeared on the show, "Crackhead Bob" became fan favorite and his camaraderie with Stern and the rest of the on-air talent was easily apparent. "He was a huge champion of our show," Stern said on his web site Monday.
Stern show producer Gary Dell'Abate also expressed his condolences. "I really liked him a lot. He talked about how bad and mean he was before the stroke but I had a hard time believing that guy existed. He was really the nicest guy you ever met. ...I'll miss you Bob," he said.
Harvey's death comes in the wake of sad passings of Stern show regulars and Wack Packers. In the past 18 months, Eric the Actor, Riley Martin and Johnny Fratto have all passed away.
Anthony Venutolo may be reached at avenutolo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyVenutolo and Google+. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Robert Hayes 2015
Robert Hayes, 20, of Newark, died on July 9 after he was found naked, beaten and unresponsive on a city street. Three men are facing a murder charge in his death.
(File photo)
NEWARK -- Three men have been indicted on a murder charge in the beating death of a college student in Newark last summer.
Eric Santiago, 26, of Belleville, and Jonathan Tejada, 23, and Edgardo Mendez, 25, both of Newark, were indicted on Jan. 15 in connection with the July 9 killing of 20-year-old Newark resident Robert Hayes.
Santiago and Tejada remain in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $500,000 and $250,000 bail amounts, respectively. Mendez was released on Nov. 11 after posting $250,000 bail.
The three men are scheduled to be arraigned on the murder charge on Monday before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler.
RELATED: Father of slain N.J. college student found naked, beaten: 'He made me a better man'
A student at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, Hayes was discovered naked, beaten and unresponsive by a passerby on the morning of July 9 near the intersection of Highland Avenue and Verona Avenue in Newark's North Ward.
Hayes was transported to University Hospital in Newark and pronounced dead later that day. Family members have said Hayes suffered a severe head trauma and was declared by doctors to be brain dead.
Authorities have not released details on the circumstances of the apparent beating or the motive behind it.
Jonathan Tejada, Eric Santiago and Edgardo Mendez, pictured left to right, have been charged with murder in the July 9 beating death of Robert Hayes in Newark.
Tejada was arrested in July and Mendez was arrested in September. Santiago remained at large until December, when he was captured in Florida.
Hayes's father, Robert Carpenter, has said his son was majoring in national security studies at New Jersey City University and was scheduled to graduate in 2016. Carpenter said Hayes had dreams of becoming a federal law enforcement agent.
While pursuing that goal, Hayes worked as a concierge at luxury apartment buildings in Bayonne and Jersey City.
Carpenter has said Hayes was "such a good kid he made me a better man."
Melissa Cahir, a resident of one of the apartment buildings where Hayes worked, previously remembered him as having an infectious smile and a kind demeanor.
"I just can't believe he's gone, and that it happened that way," Cahir said.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- Domestic violence was likely at the center of a string of city homicides that saw one man and two women killed over the weekend, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
In the midst of a bloody week in the state's largest city, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray announced that East Orange resident Jeffrey Holland was arrested and charged Monday with the deaths of Newark residents Ashley Jones and Tiniquah Rouse.
Holland, 27, had prior romantic relationships with both female victims, confirmed Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter. Jones and Holland each had active restraining orders against each other, she added.
Holland has also been charged in the killing of Jones' boyfriend, Jarell Marshall, authorities said.
Jones, 23, and Marshall, 28, were found shot to death inside a Clinton Place home Saturday, authorities have said. Three children under the age of five were found inside the home at the time.
According to officials, Holland had two children with Jones. Along with Marshall's own child, both children were found in the home where police discovered their parents' bodies Saturday.
Both Jones and Marshall suffered multiple gunshot wounds before dying, officials have said.
Rouse, 21, was found strangled to death on Friday prior to the killings of Jones and Marshall, officials confirmed.
A five-month-old baby identified as Rouse's son was later found inside a closet in the home, authorities said. The discovery led authorities to also charge Holland with endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.
Holland now faces three counts of first degree murder, Murray said. He is currently being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility on $2 million bail.
Mayor Ras Baraka thanked members of the county's homicide task force for their work in identifying and arresting a suspect in the killings.
"This person has made our streets unbearable," Baraka said. "We're thankful that he has been taken off the streets, and with community's help, we can keep him off the streets."
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
They recently sent 3,000 bottles of water to Flint, Michigan, a struggling city rocked when it was discovered that state officials allowed residents to drink toxic water from the Flint River for two years.
After the San Bernardino terror attacks in California, they began a campaign to raise $50,000 for victims and collected more than $180,000.
And when five black Southern churches were set on fire last year, Muslim-Americans - as they did in Michigan and California - stepped in and helped as their faith compels them to. They raised more than $100,000 to assist in rebuilding.
This is a story of Muslim-Americans and Islam that doesn't often get told, a story that Muslim leaders say best exemplifies their religion, one that is couched in social justice and requires them to condemn violence and be involved.
"That's a better manifestation of what Islam is, than for me to sit down and tell you what I believe and how I pray,'' said Linda Sarsour, an outspoken civil rights Muslim-American activist from Brooklyn, N.Y.
"What I'm asking Muslims to do is to live Islam out publicly, live compassionately. ... live love, live justice and the way that you do that is by showing up for other people and showing up for other humans, and that's what our faith tells us.''
MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns
During a panel discussion - "Faith over Fear: The Future of Islam in America" - Muslim leaders from New Jersey and New York this past weekend sought to do this and challenge the irrational fear of its people, which is greater now than after the 9/11 attacks.
The conference, sponsored by the New Jersey chapters of the Islamic Circle of North America and Why Islam, was held Saturday at the Al-Wali Community Center in Edison.
More than 300 people filled the center to hear speakers address the future of Islam and how to combat stereotypes and myths about the religion. They included Sarsour; Dalia Fahmy, an assistant professor of political science at Long Island University; Imam Asif Hirani, of Masjid Al-Wali; U.S Attorney Paul Fishman; U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.); and the Rev. James Thomas, of the Interfaith Clergy Council Clergy of Woodbridge.
The panelists addressed the unfortunate narrative - more like the anti-Islamic, vitriolic rhetoric that goes unchecked - from some Republican presidential candidates, including frontrunner Donald Trump.
"The negativity today is being perpetuated by a completely different establishment,'' Fahmy said.
She said candidates in the GOP primary are not making the distinction between acts of violence and the Islamic faith, as President George W. Bush did following the Sept. 11 attacks.
"You're not seeing that level of responsibility that did take place after 9/11,'' she said. "Fear of Islam has become more and more prominent today and in everyday political discourse.''
As a result, you get Islamophobia- prejudice against or hatred of Islam and Muslims. That turns into increased attacks on Muslims and symbols of Islam. Mosques are desecrated, Muslim women are afraid to wear the hijab, a head scarf. And because uninformed people are just that, they also attack Sikhs, mistaking them for Muslims because of turbans they wear.
MORE CARTER: Marc is Jewish; Karim is Muslim. Together, they have the same goals
When the reaction to lslam is not violent, panelists said discrimination plays out in other ways, including attempts to block Muslims from building mosques in places such as Mufreesboro, Tennessee. Five years ago, there was a similar situation in Bridgewater. And most recently, Bayonne residents expressed mixed emotions about plans for a Mosque in their town.
Fishman, who is Jewish, said he is in solidarity with the Muslim community on a personal level and that his office has an obligation to stand with people of all faiths who have a right to use their property for places of worship.
"We have seen and heard profound, loud, prejudiced opposition to the building of mosques that will be the place of peaceful prayer,'' Fishman said.
He said his office opened an investigation in the Bridgewater case because the local government violated federal law when it refused to permit the Al Falah Center to convert a building into a mosque, although zoning laws allowed such use. His office closed the investigation after a settlement was reached last year that allowed the construction.
Islamophobia, however, continues to inaccurately define many Muslims as terrorists, nonprogressive, anti-justice, anti-women, anti-everything.
Until you meet Fahmy and Sarsour, and other Muslim men and women. They're educated and factual in explaining that Islam didn't just arrive in America after 9/11 or that it is some exotic foreign entity, without roots.
Sarsour said Islam is intertwined in the history of African-Americans, many of whom are Muslim, and Fahmy points out that Muslims have always been a part of this country's fabric, including service during its wars.
"Muslim veterans of American wars have been in and fought in every single war since the Revolutionary War.'' Fahmy said.
Hirani, the imam of Masjid Al-Wali, encourages others to share conversation with Muslims and he called on his community to lead by example in the discourse.
But it must be done "unapologetically," said Sarsour, with Muslims standing tall, squaring their shoulders with pride.
"We have nothing to be ashamed of,'' she said.
Not when you have faith, backed by action, to take down fear every time.
Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL
NEWARK -- Nearly eight years since Newark's Saint James Hospital was shut down, elected officials gathered on Monday to celebrate the opening of a new health center designed to serve residents affected by the hospital's closure.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official opening of the Saint James Federally Qualified Health Center in the city's Ironbound neighborhood, which officials said would significantly expand quality health services to thousands of local Latino families.
"Investments in our community health centers - like Saint James - are exactly the kind of investments we must make if we want all of our communities and families to prosper," U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said in a news release about the event.
In addition to Menendez, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Reps. Albio Sires (D-8th Dist.), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-10th Dist.). and Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) attended the event, along with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka; city Councilmembers Luis Quintana, Augusto Amador and Anibal Ramos, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, and State Sen. Teresa Ruiz, according to the release.
"Newark continues to expand access to quality, comprehensive and affordable health care services," Baraka said in the release. "This clinic is another step forward, the result of collaboration and partnership with our federal legislators, Essex County, the Obama administration and the City of Newark."
RELATED: Despite bitter protests, Newark's Saint James Hospital quietly closes
The facility at 228 Lafayette St. is meant to help fill the shortfall in access to medical care since Saint James Hospital closed in 2008. After the hospital was shuttered, many local residents did not visit doctors or relied on emergency rooms at other city hospitals, the release states.
Now the multilingual staff at the new center will be providing primary care, OBGYN, pediatrics and internal medicine, the release states.
The center - which is funded in part with $600,000 from the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare - is expected to serve 4,000 patients this year, operating five days a week, and offering extended weekend and evening hours, beginning in the spring, according to the release.
Nicole Fields, President and CEO of Saint James Health, said in the release that her organization was founded in 2014 "to fill the gap in primary care left by the closure of Saint James Hospital, to improve health outcomes and to guarantee access to culturally competent care, specifically in the East Ward."
"Our residents are not traditional health care patients. Here many residents face language and cultural barriers. They may not have proper health insurance," Fields added. "Most critically they are experiencing disproportionately high rates of asthma, diabetes, and hypertension. This trend must be reversed if we are to reach the goal of a healthy Newark."
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- Authorities have arrested a male suspect in connection to three weekend killings in Newark, NJ Advance Media has learned. Sources familiar with the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the arrest.
The man has been identified as Jeffrey Holland, 27, of East Orange, according to information provided at a press conference held by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Tuesday afternoon.
Holland was charged with the fatal shootings of Newark residents Ashley Jones and Jarrell Marshall, authorities said.
Jones, 23, and Marshall, 28, apparently a couple, were found shot to death inside their Clinton Place home Saturday, authorities have said. Three children under the age of five were found inside the home at the time.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Tuesday warned the country's second-largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), that time is running out to begin peace negotiations to end five decades of war.
It called on the ELN to make clear and concrete efforts following its more than two years of exploratory peace talks so that formal negotiations can begin.
"Time is running out for the ELN to form part of a political solution to the armed conflict in Colombia," said Frank Pearl, head of the government delegation engaged in preliminary talks with the ELN.
The ELN has been saying it is ready for full talks since April.
"If that organization truthfully wants to reach a negotiated solution to the conflict, it has to be capable of taking serious decisions and change its ambiguous and useless words and statements for clear and concrete efforts toward peace," Pearl added.
He did not say what kind of steps he wanted the ELN to take.
President Juan Manuel Santos's government is close to agreeing a peace accord with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the nation's biggest rebel group, in talks underway in Cuba. Any ELN talks would be independent to those underway with the FARC.
More than 220,000 people have died in the conflict between the government, the ELN, the FARC and right-wing paramilitaries.
The ELN has battled a dozen governments since it was founded in 1964 and is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. It has continued kidnapping and attacks on infrastructure even as the talks continue.
Inspired by Cuba's 1959 revolution and established by radical Catholic priests, the ELN was close to disappearing in the 1970s but steadily gained power again. It has about 2,000 fighters.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Helen Murphy; Editing by W Simon)
steven brigham abortion doctor
Steven Chase Brigham, seen in this file photo at a Board of Medical Examiners hearing, manages the abortion clinics he said he no longer owns. The state revoked his license in 2014.
TRENTON -- The doctor stripped of his license for committing "gross negligence" while performing late-term abortions is managing the seven clinics he was required to sell, according to a document released Tuesday by the state Board of Medical Examiners.
The revelation that Steven Brigham is still linked to American Women's Services was contained in a 24-page decision from state's physician disciplinary board that said the true ownership of the clinics ought to be decided by a judge.
The ruling is at least a temporary victory for Vikram Kaji, the clinics' long-time medical director, whose license is at stake. Brigham tapped Kaji take ownership of the clinics after the board revoked Brigham's license in 2014. Brigham had to divest himself from the business because the state requires medical practices to be owned by a physician.
In June, Deputy Attorney General Bindi Merchant asked the medical board to immediately suspend or revoke Kaji's license for fraud, alleging the transfer from Brigham to Kaji was a "sham."
N.J. Attorney General: Abortion doctor unlawfully owns clinics
Merchant produced statements Kaji made to a state investigator in April and a committee of the board in May, denying he was the owner. "He expressly testified that 'there is no other person around, (Brigham's) the only one who runs the show,'' according to the Merchant's complaint.
Joseph Gorrell, the attorney for both Kaji and Brigham, challenged the state's case, producing records and new testimony from Kaji who he claimed was "confused" by the questions. No property had changed hands, and the business itself was losing money, so there was no actual sale, according to the decision.
Gorrell produced a contract that showed Kaji had hired Fidelity Venture Services, a management company owned by Brigham, to manage the clinics, located in in Elizabeth, Mount Laurel, Paramus, Phillipsburg, Toms River, Woodbridge and Voorhees.
"He has absolutely no clinical responsibilities. He is acting as a manager which does not require a license," Gorrell said. The management company was established long before the dispute, he added.
The board ultimately agreed that it could not move ahead on a decision about Kaji's license under a summary judgment motion. "There are material facts that are genuinely disputed," according to the decision.
"We are pleased with the decision, which we believe is correct because there are significant factual disputes in the case," Gorrell said.
Marie Tasy, executive director for New Jersey Right to Life, said she "applauded the Attorney General for pursuing this case and hope their case against Kaji and Brigham will prevail."
"This is just more of the usual legal semantic gymnastics and abuse of the law we have come to expect from Brigham and Kaji," Tasy added. "The fact that Brigham is still in charge of these clinics in an administrative capacity is deeply disturbing and in contravention of New Jersey law. The real losers in all of this are unsuspecting women who frequent these clinics."
The board suspended Brigham's license in 2010 after the state argued he used the two-state process to evade New Jersey's requirement that terminating pregnancies must take place in a hospital or licensed health care facility after 14 weeks. Brigham did not have hospital privileges at the time and is not an obstetrician or a gynecologist. His license was revoked in 2014, but Brigham has appealed.
From his main office in Voorhees, Brigham inserted Laminaria, a device to expand his patients' cervixes, and administered a shot of Digoxin to cause "fetal demise." At his instruction, his patients later drove to drive to a clinic in Elkton, Md. where the fetus would be surgically removed by another doctor in consultation with Brigham.
One patient was severely injured during the medical procedure in Maryland and needed to be airlifted to a hospital.
Brigham was not licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, but he thought he was following Maryland law that allowed its doctors to consult with out-of-state physicians, his attorney said.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
By Francesca Piscioneri and Gabriela Baczynska
ROME/BRUSSELS (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".
(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)
In response to worsening drought conditions and increased food insecurity, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on January 19th an additional $5 million contribution to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe.
This brings total U.S. Government funding for humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe to $32.5 million since June 2015 following a poor harvest across the country.
According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee, an estimated 1.5 million rural Zimbabweans will face serious food shortages in the first three months of this year. This figure is likely to increase if El Nino, as predicted, causes continued drought and a poor April June 2016 harvest.
USAIDs additional $5 million contribution will support WFPs Productive Asset Creation activity starting in May 2016 and will provide food rations or cash transfers to over 80,000 individuals in eight districts across Zimbabwe over a six-month period. In exchange for the food rations or cash transfers, beneficiaries will participate in the creation or rehabilitation of community assets, including irrigation systems and dams, to improve infrastructure and livelihoods for the future.
With total contributions of $32.5 million, USAID is working with its implementing partners WFP, World Vision, and Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture to scale up food security programs across ten districts in Manicaland, Masvingo, and Matabeleland North and South, reaching 450,000 people with humanitarian assistance.
For more than 30 years, the American people, through USAID, have invested over $2.6 billion in Zimbabwe. Current projects include initiatives to increase food security, support economic resilience, improve health systems and services, and advance a more democratic system of governance.
USAID is proud to support the World Food Programme to help vulnerable Zimbabweans cope through this difficult drought, said USAID/Zimbabwe Mission Director Stephanie Funk. This program addresses immediate food security needs while gradually helping vulnerable communities build resilience to climatic shocks and eliminating the need for food assistance in the long-term.
On a recent trip to Cambodia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his hope that Cambodia "will realize the full benefits of a thriving, multiparty democracy." The U.S. he said, "care[s] deeply about respect for human rights, universal freedoms, and good governance. And progress in each of these areas is really critical to being able to fulfill the potential of our bilateral relations but also importantly, the full potential of the hopes and aspirations of the Cambodian people."
In his discussions with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Secretary Kerry further stressed that Democratic governments have a responsibility to ensure that all elected representatives are free to perform their responsibilities without fear of attack or arrest." This includes opposition party leader Sam Rainsy who was forced into exile after the government called for his arrest for allegedly defaming foreign minister Hor Namhong.
So as Cambodians prepare for elections next year and again in 2018, it is very important to allow for vigorous but peaceful debate.
The U.S. remains interested in developing its economic relationship with Cambodia. Indeed, the United States is Cambodias largest single-country export market today. Last November both countries held their first Competitiveness and Growth Dialogue. "Now," said Secretary Kerry, "we look forward to trade and investment framework agreement talks that will take place soon. And we will continue to explore ways to deepen our trade and investment relationship including by helping to tackle corruption and exploring ways to strengthen Cambodias legal institutions." To that end, the United States looks forward to welcoming Cambodia to the U.S. ASEAN summit in February.
A threat of common concern to both the U.S. and Cambodia is countering violent extremism. Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed interest in Cambodia working with the U.S.-led coalition against DAESH.
The U.S. also cooperates with Cambodia on other issues including health and food security, and mine clearance. There are active Fulbright and Peace Corps Programs on the ground in Cambodia. And the U.S. continues to help with sustainable development in the Mekong River region.
The U.S. remains deeply committed to its partnership with Cambodia and with all the member of ASEAN on a regional and global basis.
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.
The Democratic race in Iowa appears to essentially be a tie, with the result too close to call as of The Daily Nonpareils press time early Tuesday morning.
Hillary Clinton appeared to maintain a slim margin over rival Bernie Sanders in the contest, the tabulation of local caucuses held across Iowa where delegates were assigned based on supporter turnout after eliminating candidates who failed to meet a viability threshold at each of the 1,681 precincts.
As of midnight, Clinton had 49.8 percent of delegates and Sanders had 49.6 percent, according to the Iowa Secretary of States Office. Martin OMalley, who dropped out of the presidential bid Monday after preliminary Iowa results, had 0.6 percent of the delegates for the state convention.
Southwest Iowa predominately went to Sanders, with Pottawattamie County splitting 50.7 percent Sanders to 49 percent Clinton, with 0.3 percent uncommitted. Mills County bucked the trend in the region, going 51.1 percent Clinton to 48.9 percent Sanders. Harrison County was 54.7 percent Sanders and 45.3 percent Clinton.
In Fremont County, with one of five precincts outstanding, Sanders was up 50 percent to 44.4 percent for Clinton and 5.6 percent for OMalley. In Montgomery County, caucus-goers came up with 64 percent for Sanders and 36 percent for Clinton. Cass County was 60 percent Clinton, 38 percent Sanders and 2 percent OMalley. Page County was close with 50.7 percent for Sanders and 49.3 percent for Clinton. Shelby County went 58 percent Sanders and 42 percent Clinton.
Sanders campaign described the outcome as a tie, which could end up as more of a win for Sanders even if Clinton is ultimately the victor numerically because Sanders defied early expectations.
Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action, released a statement describing a tie as a huge win for the Sanders campaign and progressive politics generally.
It is incredible that Bernie Sanders came from so far behind in just a few short months, closing a massive gap to end up in a virtual tie in the Iowa Caucus tonight, Sheyman said. The Sanders campaign leaves Iowa with the wind at its back and substantial momentum heading into New Hampshire.
Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, is expected to prevail next week in neighboring New Hampshire. Clinton, the former secretary of state, will now likely need to battle Sanders for votes well into the campaign primary season.
For Clinton, the night had to feel a little like deja vu. Eight years ago, Barack Obama was the maverick candidate who beat Clinton in Iowa and surprisingly surged to the nomination. Clinton held a narrow lead as she took the stage in front of her supporters, saying she was breathing a big sigh of relief.
However, Clinton refrained from claiming victory and declared herself ready to press forward in a real contest of ideas. Looking beyond New Hampshire, Clinton has deep ties throughout the partys establishment and a strong following among a more diverse electorate that will play a larger role in primary contests leading up to Super Tuesday on March 1.
Different perspectives on the evenings uncertain outcome were evident among the candidates supporters.
Hillary goes out and works with what we have to work with. She works across the aisle and gets things accomplished, said 54-year-old John Grause, a precinct captain for Clinton in Nevada, Iowa.
Its going to be Bernie. Hillary is history. He hasnt been bought, countered 55-year-old Su Podraza-Nagle, who was caucusing for Sanders in the same town.
Connie Gronstal of Council Bluffs, a prominent local Democrat and wife of Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, joined her husband in introducing Clinton during her campaign stop on Sunday at Abraham Lincoln High School. She noted that both sides had done a good job of getting supporters out to caucus.
Its exciting. I think Bernie Sanders brought in a lot of new, young supporters. Thats always good for the party, she said.
Asked about the idea that a tie is a win for Sanders, Gronstal disagreed.
I dont really think so that a tie is a win for him. I think Hillarys in good standing, she said. There was so much media blitz about how well Bernie Sanders was doing and how enthusiastic his supporters were, that Hillary Clinton supporters wouldnt turn out. I dont think that turned out to be fact.
I think she did great.
In a campaign in which Clinton has closely aligned herself with Obama, more than half of Democratic caucus-goers said they were looking for a candidate who would continue the presidents policies, according to preliminary entrance polls of those beginning to arrive at caucus locations.
Nonpareil Assistant News Editor Mike Brownlee, The Associated Press and Henry J. Cordes of the BH Media News Service contributed reporting.
January 20th is a red-letter day for the students and teachers of Bacha Khan University, situated not far from the town of Charsadda, in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The students, personnel, and indeed much of the Charsadda district, had planned an observance of the 28th Death Day of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Bacha Khan, after whom the University had been named.
Much like his close friend Mahatma Gandhi, Bacha Khan was a pacifist whose political activism for independence from British rule was non-violent. He was a Pashtun, a leader of his people, and a devout Muslim. Throughout his life, he worked to establish schools, which put him in opposition to village mullahs, who understood that an educated person is difficult to control.
Indeed, violent extremists in the region have made it a point to destroy education. They have burned down schools, gunned down students in classrooms, forbade girls from attaining even basic education, and thrown acid in the faces of those that defied them.
This January 20th, armed militants crept through the morning fog and climbed over the walls enclosing Bacha Khan University campus. Screaming Allahu akbar!, they ran through the school, shooting students and staff alike. By noon, more than 20 innocents as well as 4 murderers lay dead in the halls of the university that had been established to reflect Bacha Khans message of peace and universal brotherhood.
The United States condemns this appalling attack. The blatant disregard for human life displayed by these attackers is intolerable, said U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale.
[It] stands in stark opposition to the desires of the Pakistani people to create a secure, stable, and prosperous country, based on respect for all. We offer our deepest condolences to the victims and their families during this time of grief.
Those who would attempt to justify such murderous actions, should remember the words of Bacha Khan: Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.
Words like dramatic and overwhelming were used to describe the turnout of Republicans at Thomas Jefferson High School Monday evening.
At least 700 showed up, according to two workers, Bill Riley and Troy Arthur, and both said that estimate may have been on the low side.
The numbers were outstanding and thats great, Riley said.
There were 11 precincts that held their respective caucuses there, a larger number in one spot than in previous caucuses, according to Riley, participating in his fifth one.
In fact, some people left before voting because of the crowds, he added.
Nine Council Bluffs GOP precincts held their events, most in classrooms, while both precincts in Carter Lake held their caucuses jointly in the schools auditorium. It was easy to gauge a good turnout early on, based on the schools Second Avenue parking lot being completely full a good 30 minutes before things officially began.
This is dramatic, said Arthur, the chair of Precinct 2, watching the long lines of people registering and walking about.
Its overwhelming, added Riley, one of the permanent precinct chairs.
Like elsewhere around Pottawattamie County, most of the precincts there went to real estate mogul Donald Trump with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a solid second. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio did well, also, with support for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush nowhere to be found.
Those who participated, or came simply to observe, seemed to represent all aspects of society and ages. Some were veterans of this political experience, others doing it for the first time.
One caucus newcomer was Ashley Budlong, 27.
I voted before, but never at a caucus, said Budlong, who brought along her 8-year-old daughter Taleah to observe.
When asked why she decided to caucus this time, Budlong said, Its because of how things have changed so much. I do think its important. You need your voice heard.
Its almost like a town hall meeting, observed first time participant Melissa Johnson, 28, who came with her husband, Michael, and their small children.
Darla Allen, who is in her 60s, also came for the first time.
I always voted, but things have changed for the worse, she said. People are angry. I am angry.
Assaults on religious freedom and the pro-life movements were issues that brought her out, she said.
Her husband, Larry, also came for the first time.
I like the process and I was impressed with the number of young people here, he said. We need people to be involved.
Roger Frieze was making his third trip to the caucuses. Though he voted for Trump, he was also impressed by Ben Carson.
Theyre not politicians, he said. The country is ready for a change.
As part of the process, the various candidates had opportunities for their official spokespeople or supporters to make a final case before the voting. Some had no speakers, others had someone in the crowd make a comment or two. The Marco Rubio campaign brought in California Congressman Doug LaMalfa.
Sen. Rubio is the one to unite us best in November, LaMalfa told the Carter Lake participates.
This was also his first observance of the Iowa Caucus.
This is a fascinating, fun process, LaMalfa said. Its a big deal.
As the caucuses were ending, Arthur simply said, This was a huge turnout.
Forecasts for a winter storm that struck southwest Iowa on Tuesday morning placed much of the region on edge and on the edge between moderate snowfall and near-blizzard conditions.
Luckily, most of the region saw the former.
An unexpected mass of dry air moved in from the south, sparing Council Bluffs and much of the surrounding area from forecast snowfall between 8 to 12 inches and concerns of blowing and drifting snow.
Despite closures for nearly all area schools and many businesses plus a snowfall rate of 1 or 2 inches per hour Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service in Valley, Nebraska, said Eppley Airfield had reported just 4 inches of snow as of 11 a.m. Heavier snow was reported to the north and west.
We knew it was going to be close, and the gradient as far as snowfall was pretty sharp, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Fobert. And thats the way its working out.
He said a second round of snow was expected in the late afternoon, with accumulation ranging between 1 and 3 inches. Because the first batch was heavy and wet, Fobert added, it dramatically reduced the possibility of blowing and drifting snow limiting visibility and closing roads.
But, early on Tuesday morning, the heaviest snow blanketed the Council Bluffs-Omaha metro area before lifting to the northwest, where it wreaked havoc on cleanup efforts.
We happened to be right on the edge, Fobert said. We had a two- or three-hour period this morning across the area, but that moved to the north and west.
After leaving southwest Iowa, the heavier bands of snow continued north, leading to whiteout conditions stretching hundreds of miles from Sioux City to Grand Island, Nebraska.
The blizzard conditions have led to the closure of roughly 80 miles of Interstate 29 between Sioux City and Sioux Falls and more than 200 miles of Interstate 80 in Nebraska, from near Lincoln to North Platte, according to the states roads departments.
The story was far different in Council Bluffs.
Its going pretty well, Public Works Operations Director Pat Miller said Tuesday afternoon of the snow removal effort in Council Bluffs. We didnt get the 9 to 12 inches that we thought we were going to get.
Miller said that while some forecasts were calling for another band of snow to move through the area Tuesday afternoon and evening, he thought additional accumulations would be no more than an inch and likely less.
While the citys plan had initially called for city crews to begin snow removal operations in residential neighborhoods today, Miller said some areas were being cleared Tuesday afternoon; and he hoped additional residential areas would be plowed Tuesday night.
The forecasts call for colder weather later this week, and our goal is to have the city streets cleared before this slush and snow can turn to ice, he said.
Because the snow is wet and heavy, the plowing has left big boulders on the sides of the road and in intersections. Miller warned drivers to be aware of the boulders. Once the temperatures drop, the snow boulders will freeze, causing damage if a car hits one.
While total accumulations were far less than initially predicted, city officials Tuesday morning declared a mandatory even-odd parking ban for snow removal that was effective at midnight today. The parking ban began with parking allowed only on the odd-numbered addressed sides of streets.
Beginning at 12 a.m. Thursday, the parking ban will continue with parking allowed only on even-numbered addressed sides of the streets. The odd-even parking ban will remain in effect until 5 p.m. Thursday.
During the even-odd parking ban, no parking will be allowed in cul-de-sacs until the snow has been plowed from the cul-de-sac. During a snow even-odd parking ban, cars are subject to a fine and/or towing at the owners expense.
The earlier snow emergency parking ban that was effective beginning at 8 p.m. Monday remains in effect until 5 p.m. today. The snow emergency parking ban applies to all streets posted as snow emergency routes by the city of Council Bluffs.
During a snow emergency parking ban, cars left parked on emergency snow routes are subject to a fine and/or towing at the owners expense.
Michelle Bandur, the citys communications director, said Council Bluffs Police officers knocked on about 300 doors of Council Bluffs residents Monday night to inform them of the Snow Emergency Parking Ban.
Police, Public Works and the city want to thank our Council Bluffs Residents for voluntarily moving their vehicles off the routes, she said. It made the job of snow plow crews much easier to get through those routes. Police did tow about 30 cars and recovered several stolen vehicles.
Bandur said one resident called to personally thank a sergeant and an officer for their help. She suffers from COPD and other medical conditions and couldnt physically move her car. The officers moved it for her, and she avoided being towed and ticketed.
The snowstorm led all schools in the area, including Iowa Western Community College, to close. Several districts waited until Tuesday morning to make a decision, while all Council Bluffs and metro-area schools announced Monday afternoon they would be closed.
Most schools, including all in Council Bluffs, were closed Wednesday as well. A handful of other districts announced plans to start two hours late.
The winter storm didnt affect plans for two school special elections in southwest Iowa. State law limits the days available for such contests, which is why Tuesday was selected despite the Iowa Caucuses being held the previous evening.
The Fremont County Auditors Office confirmed a physical education and recreation levy request by Hamburg would still go before voters Tuesday afternoon, while the Cass County Auditors Office said a physical plant and equipment levy for CAM was still on a special ballot as well.
Check The Nonpareils Thursday edition for results from these special elections.
The heavy, wet snow that fell on the area caused a number of power outages throughout The Nonpareils coverage area. At 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, officials at MidAmerican Energy 6,200 customers were without power in the Council Bluffs area.
By 11 a.m. Tuesday, MidAmerican Energy was reporting 1,138 customers in Pottawattamie County were still without power. There were still 94 Council Bluffs customers without power. By 3 p.m. Tuesday, the number of customers without power had dwindled to seven in Council Bluffs and five in Pottawattamie County outside of Council Bluffs.
In Mills County, the number of MidAmerican customers without power stood at 1,339 at 11 a.m. By 3 p.m. that number had been reduced to 175 custo mers.
The number of MidAmerican customers without power in other surrounding counties was significantly lower at midday. Harrison County reported a single outage; Cass County, 35; Fremont County, 3; Montgomery County, 212; Shelby County, 7; and Page County, 12.
As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, CHI Health emergency departments had seen 17 weather-related injuries, including one heart attack triggered by shoveling snow, snow blower injuries and slips and falls, according to spokeswoman Kelly Grinnell. Three of the patients were seen at CHI Health Mercy Hospital.
A patient at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital had to have surgery because of a hand injury from a snow blower, spokesman Vince Rew said.
Assistant News Deputy News Editor Scott Stewart and Reporter Tim Johnson contributed to this report.
They're here.
After seemingly endless political advertisements and several months -- or were they years? -- of candidate visits, the Iowa Caucuses are here. And it's Iowa's time to boldly guide the nation into the future.
Fourteen major candidates believe they are best choice to become leader of the free world. And all of them are bending Iowans' ears, coming to our schools, churches, restaurants and convention centers to spread their message. They've all been to southwest Iowa at least once in the past few months, with many making their third, fourth or even fifth visits this weekend.
And tomorrow night, those of us registered as Republicans and Democrats will pile into many of those same locales where candidates have spoken to have America's first official say on who should become our next commander-in-chief. This honor is something to be taken seriously -- and something that must draw a far higher percentage of caucus-goers than four years ago.
In a diverse Republican field, one that was large in comparison for most years prior to 2016, only 7 percent of registered Republicans caucused in 2012. That's an abysmal rate of just one in every 14 party voters. The Democratic field was an even smaller percentage four years ago, but that can be attributed to an incumbent president running unopposed.
This year, higher percentages are expected to caucus, particularly given the widely publicized, competitive, colorful nature of this race. That's a very good thing, particularly as the eyes of a nation will be fixed upon the Hawkeye State on Monday night.
You may note the tone of this editorial echoes our general urging of readers to participate in primary and general elections. For years, we've encouraged southwest Iowa residents to head to the polls for races that arguably have more impact on locals' day-to-day lives. But there's an added mystique that comes during years with presidential elections, one we hope draws far more to their neighborhood precincts than in years past.
Because, let's face it: A small turnout is simply an embarrassment to the great say Iowans have had deciding the next president of the United States for the past four decades. Many writers to our Your Views section in recent weeks have come from out of state, and the majority expressed wishes that they could get such a front-row seat in the American political process.
Despite the nonstop barrage of political advertisements, Iowans have been given a great gift. Don't overlook it or take it for granted.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, co-chair of President Obamas Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking, concluded an official visit to Gabon on January 25th, where she met with senior government officials to discuss ways the United States and the African countries can work together to combat the worlds growing illegal wildlife trade, which is having a devastating impact on species such as elephants and great apes, pushing them into further decline and even near extinction.
Reversing the scourge of wildlife trafficking requires bold action and commitment from the United States and international partners, and it was encouraging to see how our partnerships on the ground in Gabon are helping the country take swift, effective steps to shut down this trade that threatens to wipe out species around the globe, Secretary Jewell said.
Marking her first official visit to the continent of Africa, Jewell and U.S. Ambassador to the Gabonese Republic and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe Cynthia H. Akuetteh met with Gabons President Ali Bongo Ondimba; Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, the Forest and the Sea Flore Josephine-Mistoul; Minister of Sustainable Development, Economy and Investment Promotion Prospects Regis Immongault; and Director of the National Agency for National Parks Dr. Lee White. Secretary Jewell will next travel to Kenya and South Africa to continue these conversations.
Gabon is refuge to more than 50 percent of Africas remaining forest elephants, despite making up only 13 percent of the elephants historic range in Central Africa.
President Obama in July 2015 announced proposed regulations to prohibit most interstate commerce in African elephant ivory and further restrict commercial exports, which will result in a near total ban on the domestic commercial trade of African elephant ivory in the United States.
In addition to wildlife trafficking, Secretary Jewell also discussed Gabons interest in renewing its candidacy for the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) and reinforced the importance of transparency across all sectors of the economy and society.
Gabon has shown strong leadership in the region, and we support its progressive and ambitious vision for wildlife conservation and ecotourism while sustainably managing its natural resources, said Secretary Jewell.Leaders of both nations recognize the need to act now if we are to pass on a world to our children and grandchildren where marine and terrestrial ecosystems are intact and magnificent species still roam in the wild and are not just seen in history books.
Clinton the sanest in a year of crazy
I was born in Iowa and my mom still lives in Mason City, so I have a vested interest in this election.
First of all, let be me clear that this election will make a difference in your life when candidates are discussing doing away with health care coverage and Social Security or starting another war with boots on the ground. Frankly, the GOP side seems to have gone totally insane in a contest of who can be the bigger bomb-thrower and hate-mongerer, so I will stick with the Democratic side.
Unlike many of you, I am old enough to remember past elections when Democrats nominated a person who, like McGovern in 1972 and Mondale in 1984, lost by a landslide because Democrats picked the most liberal candidate. The old adage is Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.
I like Bernie Sanders, but polls show that anyone who calls himself a socialist has lost 50 percent of the vote off the top. Secondly, while I like his proposals, there is no way to pay for them nor get them through a GOP-controlled Congress. Its all pie-in-the-sky.
The GOP will hit him with their smear machine, and, like McGovern and Mondale, it will be another snatching defeat from the jaws of victory moment for Democrats.
I encourage thinking Democrats to vote for Hillary. She is the only candidate with the global skills needed by a president. I know this since I have negotiated in nearly 50 countries, while she has been in over 100. The presidency is no place for on-the-job training by amateurs. She also is a fighter for the middle class.
So, I encourage a vote next Monday for Hillary Clinton, a sane candidate in a year of crazy candidates who will plunge America back into the policies favoring the 1 percent and the fiscal nightmare that led to the crash of 2008.
Michael Fjetland, Houston, Texas
A call for Democrats to support Dodd
I know some of you Democratic caucus-goers have concerns about supporting either Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, or Martin OMalley. I hope that Bernie Sanders continues as a U.S. senator for many years.
I am asking you to caucus for former Sen Chris Dodd. If he pulls an upset in Iowa with a strong third-place showing, he can be drafted into the race. Larry Sabato, the well-known political science professor, wrote an article talking about drafting someone.
Why not draft the candidate who would make the best possible president? You saw him and met him in 2008. Most of you believe that he is qualified to president and would be an excellent one.
His record of accomplishment is long over many years. It includes such landmark legislation as the Family and Medical Leave Act. His foreign policy experience and understanding is very extensive.
Why not elect an idealist president who has turned idealistic dreams into every day reality? Listen on YouTube to his speech from 2008 at Howard University titled Toward a New Age of Idealism.
I ask you to be part of history of electing a person who would be one of the most accomplished presidents in American history. As Chris Dodd said, he knows how to get the job done. Its not theory for him.
Brad Handlin, Strongsville, Ohio
The White House needs a doctor
There are so many truths people need to believe when it comes to knowing and understanding Dr. Ben Carson important things that will help to heal America.
There are those who need to realize that it takes someone like Dr. Ben Carson who, for reasons of conscience, objects to those who try to promote themselves and their own agendas through distortion.
There are so many of the candidates running for president, both Democrat and Republican, who have a common desire to attack by vilifying their competition.
The modern-day method of campaigning by many seems to include attack strategizing. This has seemed to become the common desire of those who dont understand how to share positively. One of the more obvious abilities Dr. Carson has showed during the GOP debates is the control of his speech when it comes to negative versus positive words and body language.
Who in their right mind would vote for someone who thinks they could walk onto a street in New York and shoot someone, like Donald Trump said he could and still be the leader of our great nation?
God not only works with Dr. Ben Carsons hands; he also works with his mind. America needs a trustworthy president like Dr. Carson. Its obvious he understands healing, unity and leadership, the things necessary for renewal. He needs our help to do the things and implement the ideas he supports that can make this country great again.
And, as a veteran, I believe the good doctor will see to it that veterans get what they need and most definitely deserve.
America needs a doctor in the White House!
Allen Stark, Council Bluffs
Outlier candidates spice up election
This years number of candidates provides an array of choices. We have one or more who can promise exactly what you want to hear in order to glean your support in the Iowa Caucuses.
With two exceptions, the leaders are largely bought and paid for by large donors, lobbyists and political action committees. These two candidate have at least an appearance of independence.
They are the unlikely combination of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat/Independent Bernie Sanders. It is easy to disagree with some or even most of each candidates positions, but they do have at least a chance of being their own man.
Their major attraction is that they are not part of the political establishment that has promised us everything from prosperity to peace and always change while the middle class dissolves, our infrastructure deteriorates and we continue to wage wars on our national credit card. The only winners are the rich the establishments real constituency who get richer.
Mr. Trump is largely paying for his own campaign. He was born to a wealthy family, but, very much to his credit, has gone well beyond his starting point, amassing a vast real estate fortune worth billions. He is flamboyant and a self-described tough negotiator, although apparently that toughness escaped him momentarily when he used normal rich-kid options avoiding the Vietnam War draft.
He is potentially a wild card in the Republican Party who could do something as pragmatic as raising the gas tax to help rebuild our pitiful infrastructure or maybe raise taxes to pay for a war, as the Iraq war has added more than $2 trillion to the national debt. Beyond a litany of ultra-conservative statements, no one knows for sure what he would do. That makes him an attractuve alternative for many discontented conservatives.
Sen. Sanders has promised to address a litany of liberal issues. Two are free colege tuition and regulation of the banking industry. The latter is the most important. Repeal of key provisions of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, as amended during the Clinton administration, contributed significantly to the near meltdown of our banking system.
This legislation kept our banking system safe for more than 60 years. The subsequent federal bailout of the system cost hundreds of billions of dollars. This change in legislation could partly explain how the Clintons merited $35 million from the banking industry.
The two outlier candidates should make the caucuses much more interesting.
Gene Sturm, Council Bluffs
One of the most rewarding aspects of creating the Northcore brand is that its brought me into contact with some amazingly creative, adventurous, articulate, often fearless individuals. All of them have inspired myself and Im sure others with their work and approach to life. So Id like to share some of their stories, introducing you to these folks in a series of short interviews.
Im stoked to bring you our first interview with renowned surf and adventure photographer Chris Burkard. Id admired Chriss work for a number of years after buying his book The California surf project. We then had the opportunity to talk when he released his next book Distant Shores: Surfing the ends of the earth .So I caught up with Chris Burkard recently and asked him a few questions for our interview:
With such readily accessible camera technology it seems like everyone is a wannabe surf photographer these days. However there still remains a handful of elite lensmen like yourself, so what is your approach to standing out from the crowd which results in such stunning imagery?
I think it really comes down to creating a unique style that remains consistent amongst your work. With all my imagery I want people to be able to recognize it as mine without having to read a name. Thats probably the biggest compliment someone can give me, when they say that they knew it was my image the second they saw it.
One of the joys of travel and surfing is the people we meet who has been the most remarkable or interesting characters youve met during your career?
I think my friend Elli Thor Magnussen, he is a local surfer and photographer in Iceland. I really look up to him because all he has ever known is Iceland, the cold winters and long summer days. Wetsuits are his second language. I love the way he translates his love for the sea into his photographs. Its really inspiring to me.
Your adventures take you to some remote places, what was the most memorable destination?
Thats such a difficult question. Ive been fortunate enough to travel to some absolutely incredible places, Iceland has to be mentioned. Ive been there over 22 times now and continue to be inspired to go back again. I think Russia was also just a crazy experience overall the people and the landscape. It felt like the wild west. Really love that place.
Do you have one single favourite image which you feel defines your work?
Josh Mulcoy threading the needle in the Aleutian Islands. This photo could sum up all the best parts of life to me: cold weather, empty surf breaks, and amazing backdrops. This trip was one of the most raw and intense trips Ive ever been on. We had no idea whether we would score any waves on our trip. We were lucky to score on one of our first few days of the trip. This image has everything that I want in the imagea monumental snow covered volcano in the background with a rolling hill below it, and a surfer in high action in the foreground.
Have you gone mirror-less with your camera yet!?
Yeah! In fact Ive been a pretty early adopter of the mirrorless system. I started using the Sony mirrorless system almost 6 years ago now and Ive been shooting mirrorless bodies exclusively for several years now. I currently use the Sony A7RII as my main camera, and the Sony A7SII for low light and night photography. For a travel photographer, the space and weight savings that mirrorless bodies offer is an incredible benefit.
If theres one destination, surf spot or surfer youd love to shoot but havent yet had the opportunity where/who would it be and why?
Ive always wanted to shoot in Scotland there is an insane wave there called Thurso East that Ive wanted to shoot. While Ive shot this surfer before, the perfect guy for that wave would be Dan Malloy. I always seem to score on trips with that guy!
In days of film the different film types and dark room processes influenced the look and feel of images. How would you measure the importance of the post-production editing process for digital images in todays world?
The reality is that all images you see now are edited, its a totally necessary although frustrating thing. I wish it was as easy as taking images and sharing them with the world, unfortunately it isnt. But I try and stay away from heavy handed edits and photoshop. Pretty much all the edits I do in the studio revolve around getting images to how they were perceived with the human eye when they were taken.
Wed like to say a big thanks to photographer Chris Burkard for taking the time to chat with us. If youd like to find out more about his work visit him at www.chrisburkard.com
Seven people have been killed and twenty five wounded after a suicide bomber struck a minibus on Darulaman Road in Kabul carrying employees of the prominent Afghan news network Tolo TV on January 20th.
The bombing, the first major attack on a media organization in Afghanistan, came just months after the Taliban declared Tolo TV -- which includes a number of television, online, and radio outlets -- a legitimate "military target." The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the murders.
"The enemy of peace and Afghan people have martyred my colleagues," Fawad Aman, a well-known Tolo News anchor, wrote on his Facebook page. "Such cowardly attacks will not deter us from exposing the truth."
Tolo News is a popular, outspoken independent television station that is often critical of the Taliban. The news channel is part of the larger Tolo TV network, which was launched in 2004 amid international efforts to develop free media in Afghanistan.
The United States Embassy in Kabul strongly condemned the attack. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time, the Embassy said in a press statement.
Murdering those who work to enlighten, educate, and entertain will not stop Afghans from exercising their universal human right to freedom of expression. A vibrant media is one of the great successes of the Afghan people over the past 14 years. We stand with the Afghan people and the Afghan government as they work to build peace and security in the country.
In the fall of 1972 I arrived in Little Current, Manitoulin Island with an old Volkswagen van (pop-up roof), a motorcycle, a beard, a change of clothes, and a C chord harmonica. I was the new editor of the Manitoulin Expositor.
In the fall of 1972 I arrived in Little Current, Manitoulin Island with an old Volkswagen van (pop-up roof), a motorcycle, a beard, a change of clothes, and a C chord harmonica. I was the new editor of the Manitoulin Expositor. As a refugee from Don Mills in Toronto, by way of Thunder Bay, I was ready to open chapter two in my Northern Ontario odyssey, which was to keep me connected to the North for the rest of my life.I soon experienced the best and the worst of the relationship between First Nations peoples and the hardy souls from around the world who came to inhabit this extraordinary Northern land. I knew nothing about how small towns work or Aboriginal communities function.Soon enough, I was writing a story about racism at the newly built high school in West Bay (now MChigeeng).The question was the deliberate streaming of Aboriginal students away from higher education opportunities.The landlord of the building occupied by the newspaper suggested the rent would go up by four if we continued to write about such intemperate themes. I took a small inheritance and bought a building up the road and moved the Expositor the following month. It wasnt my best investment, but it opened my heart and my eyes to the realities of the day. Ironically, if I hadnt bought the building I would never have moved to Sudbury to start my newspaper company, which changed my life.Last week, Justin Ferbey came to Sudbury to speak at the Goring Family Lecture Series at Laurentian University in Sudbury. He is an extraordinary First Nations leader from Carcross, Yukon, about 40 miles south of Whitehorse. He has been at the centre of revolutionizing the First Nations economy of Carcross. In 10 short years they carved out of their land a mecca for mountain biking.Carcross has some of the best trails in the world. They started by sending their children up into the mountains to build trails, followed by retraining their parents to build a commercial village to serve the growing tourist trade, and leveraged those skills to build housing for the community and for people looking to spend more time in their neck of the woods. It is an inspiring story of self-help, determination, sophistication, and success. The theme was Well do whatever it takes and they did. The community has changed forever. It could not have happened without the freedom to determine their own priorities. In short: self-government.At the same lecture series, my friend Dawn Madahbee, general manager of the Waubetek Business Development Corporation on Birch Island (up the road from Manitoulin), came to speak about the development of the Great Spirit Circle Trail on Manitoulin Island.This is another story of moving from being taken for granted (bus tours meandering through First Nations communities without so much as postcard of introduction) to taking control of the tourism experience, shaping it through First Nations values (some traditions are for sharing, others too sacred for such exhibition) and building a sustainable business for the benefit of First Nations people. The most dramatic representation of this success is the new Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre owned jointly by five First Nations communities in the area.Both these stories are leading indicators of the extraordinary growth and revitalization of many Aboriginal communities. Waubetek has invested in more than 2,000 Aboriginal businesses within 125 miles of Sudbury with extraordinary success.None of this success comes easily or uniformly in Canada. The road is pockmarked with disappointment, political infighting, corruption, entrenched welfare infrastructure, the effects of the residential school system, racism, lethargy and vested interests on both sides of the question who benefit from stasis.The torpor is crumbling. The Supreme Court, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the new federal government and people like Dawn and Justin are smashing the usual.There is hope and, yes, the rent will go up, but the dividends will be remarkable.Michael Atkins is the president of Northern Life.
Later this month, officials from the TV series Hard Rock Medical will be making the formal announcement that they will be shooting a third season, and the production will be done in North Bay (it was previously done in Sudbury).
Later this month, officials from the TV series Hard Rock Medical will be making the formal announcement that they will be shooting a third season, and the production will be done in North Bay (it was previously done in Sudbury).Jim Calarco plays one of the key roles in the series.The North Bay native also runs a talent agency based here in the city called NorthStar Talent.I play the head of the large mining company basically based in Sudbury, said Calarco.The series is supposed to be taking place in the Medical School in Sudbury. The story is about the interaction of the young doctors with the community. They are going to school, learning to become doctors, and they are out and about in the community helping out and learning what it takes to be a doctor and what the responsibility does entail.Aside from Calarco, the series also stars another pair of local actors in Jamie Spilchuk and Leigh Elliott.Calarco says the crew is also teaming up with Canadore Colleges TV & Cinematography program as part of the project and will be doing work out of the school.This is kind of an interesting concept, the director Derek Diorio has put together a program where hes actually going to be teaching some of the courses at Canadore during the course of the film and hes also instituted a mentoring program where Canadore students can work with professionals on the shoot, cast and crew, Calarco explained.Several of them (students) will have the opportunity to kind of mirror the cast members as they go about their daily activities so its really interesting, which means the students will be there at 5 a.m. when the actors are being made up and they will probably be there at midnight when they wrap, so its going to give them a real hands on experience with the film industry.Canadore is thrilled with the Hard Rock Medical partnership.This is the first time that a TV series has been embedded into Canadores Digital Cinematography curriculum, giving students a great learning opportunity, says Yura Monestime, Interim Associate Dean of Media, Design and Dramatic Arts at Canadore College in a release.Working with Hard Rock Medical allows us to continuously create different experiential outcomes for our students and at the end of the day prepare them for the work force.While Calarco has a big role in the project, he also points out that a lot of other local talent will be utilized.My agency has 82 actors in it and so far they have hired 30 of my actors and they are not just one liners, these are major roles this company is offering, said Calarco.A formal announcement and press conference is expected to take place on Feb. 11 at Canadore College.For more information on the series which airs on TVO and APTN, go to hardrockmedical.com
Winter storm on its way, says Environment Canada
With a winter storm on its way tonight, Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Greater Sudbury and vicinity.
More snow in the forecast for Monday and the temperature will drop down to -20 this evening. File photo.
With a winter storm on its way tonight, Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Greater Sudbury and vicinity.
A mixed bag of winter weather in store for northeastern Ontario starting tonight and persisting Wednesday, the statement said.
A storm system currently developing over Kansas will track across the midwest plains states today reaching the Great Lakes on Wednesday. Snow is forecast to begin this evening in northeastern Ontario and fall rather heavily at times tonight.
The snow may be lighter in many areas on Wednesday. Latest information suggests five to 10 cm of snow is likely tonight in most areas with a further five cm in some regions on Wednesday."
Total snowfall is expected to be in the 10 to 15 cm range in communities from Sault Ste. Marie to Kirkland Lake. The snow combined with expected gusty winds could make for poor visibility for drivers in open areas.
Despite the storm watch, Environment Canada doesn't expect to have to issue a warning about the snow. The threshold for a warning is 15 cm in 12 hours, which is not expected to be reached.
Sudbury, North Bay and Manitoulin will see precipitation falling initially as snow which should transition to a period of ice pellets and freezing drizzle Wednesday morning before changing to straight rain.
An Ojibway community on the north shore of Lake Superior is carving out a path to prosperity in forestry.
An Ojibway community on the north shore of Lake Superior is carving out a path to prosperity in forestry.
Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (formerly Pic River First Nation) has taken possession of new European-made harvesting equipment to launch a forestry company to start harvesting off its traditional land this winter. Coupled with that is the news of secured contracts to start supplying two area forestry mills with wood.
Under the banner of Mkwa Timber, the bands fledgling forestry company, two harvesters were purchased from Ponsse of Finland, a leading international forestry machine manufacturer.
An Ergo and an eight-wheeled Scorpion King arrived off the boat in Canada on Jan. 28 and were shipped to Timmins for inspection before arriving in the community for a scheduled public showing on Feb. 5.
Combined with two forwarders and starting with eight operators configured in two shifts, Mkwa Timber was starting operations in early February.
Were excited about the opportunity we have created here, said company president Byron LeClair, who ordered the equipment a year ago and just announced timber supply agreements with AV Birlas Terrace Bay pulp mill and White River Forest Products sawmill.
The band had been working on the contracts through the Nawiinginokiima Forest Management Corporation to harvest softwood for Birla and saw logs for White River.
LeClair said Pic River holds a legacy commitment from the province for exclusive harvesting rights on the Pic River Ojibway Forest and is moving toward securing the same on the Big Pic Forest, the management unit surrounding the community.
Its Terrace Bays wood to receive, but its our right to harvest, he said. I say this tongue-in-cheek, companies come and companies go, but Pic River First Nation is going to be here for a long time.
The community previously had its hand in commercial harvesting back in the early 1980s, supplying the former owners of the Terrace Bay mill. But the bush work was contracted out, which did little to develop local capacity and build a skilled workforce.
Before we were a stump-to-dump operation that relied heavily on one contract, said LeClair.
Weve been burnt on that Terrace Bay mill before. The previous owner declared bankruptcy and we lost substantial amounts of money for wood (harvested) that was never paid for.
The arrival of Birla in Terrace Bay and the restart of the former Domtar sawmill in White River provided the impetus for the band council to get back into the business in 2013.
This approach was intended to create career opportunities (for community members), said LeClair.
In procuring equipment, the bands forestry board heard presentations from three major suppliers but came away impressed by the innovative technology offered by Ponsse and its commitment to provide on-site training.
This is high-tech, leading-edge equipment, said LeClair. The industry has always been challenged by companies like Ponsse that take a new approach to how things are done.
LeClair declined to say how much the equipment costs, but its in the millions of dollars.
The strength of the investment came from revenues derived from Pic Rivers stable of hydroelectric generating stations on the White, Kagiano and Black Rivers.
Its a difficult process to get into forestry, but certainly when have you have supporting enterprises like Pic River Energy, it makes that process much more attainable.
The equipment operators spent two weeks of training at Ponsses North American headquarters in Rhinelander, Wis. and another four weeks in their home community.
Were going to see where we are after nine months and Im projecting right now that we are going to be buying more equipment, said LeClair. I see incredible growth potential here for us.
Down the road, LeClair, who worked on the bands power developments, has some value-added, job-creation forestry projects in mind, including a commercial hardwood firewood business and possibly a pellet mill geared to a residential consumer market.
First, weve got to develop our competency around harvesting first to become an efficient low-cost harvester and supplier to the mills, said LeClair.
The important point thats not lost on me is that its not about just creating jobs for Pic River, its about supporting those jobs that already exist with Birla and in White River. Theyre only as good as their supply chain and we want to be an important part of that.
Whenever construction of the east-west transmission tie starts, the provinces proposed 400-kilometre long electricity line between Thunder Bay and Wawa, LeClair said Biigtigong Nishnaabeg wants to be part of the action.
This investment in (forestry) capacity is really a signal to Ontario that if you want to build a line in our territory, we want the contract to clear.
A vastly improved electricity grid would also enable Pic River to enlarge its roster of power generation stations.
The band has future plans for more hydroelectric stations along with wind and solar farm projects, including one in southern Ontario, he said.
The wind hasnt stopped blowing. Its our ability to reach the market, in terms of access to the transmission grid, that has been constrained which has put the damper on transmission projects in the North.
Giulio Regeni
So after we have been asking where Mostafa Massouny and Ashraf Shehata as well other Egyptians are, we are asking now about the whereabouts of Italian student Giulio Regeni.Giulio Regeni is a 28-years old Italian Cambridge University PhD student who came to Egypt as AUC visiting scholar.He is based at POLIS, Cambridge University's Department of Politics and International Studies.He suddenly disappeared in Cairo on2 25 January 2016. The last he was seen in Cair was at 8 PM when he was going from El-Behoos metro station in Dokki, Giza to Downtown Cairo specifically Bab-louk square which is few blocks away from Tahrir square. He speaks perfect Arabic by the way.I am now thinking that the Metro station in Tahrir was closed on that day already and wondering where he would have gone.His family and friends can not reach him.The security authorities in Egypt now say that he was not arrested.We have known publicly about Giulio's alarming disappearance from the Italian Ministry of foreign affairs' statement about him and how the Italian FM called his Egyptian counterpart raising the matter with him. Giulio's friends in Italy, UK and Egypt have launched an online campaign to spread the word about his disappearance whether in Arabic or in English. To be honest, I am so worried on Regeni. Let's pray he and others have gone missing will be found soon.
All 16 NRL Clubs and NRL ambassadors are setting out on an important blitz across Australia and New Zealand, helping to deliver wellbeing messages as part of the NRLs annual Community Carnival.
The visits will occur throughout February and March, with NRL players and ambassadors from each Club delivering a range of important health and wellbeing messages to hundreds of thousands of young fans throughout regional and rural towns.
Now in its 16th year, players and ambassadors will meet with local communities and play a role in educating school children on the importance of proper hydration, adequate sleep and developing and supporting a strong sense of belonging.
This year, Clubs, players and ambassadors are estimated to travel more than 40,000kms, visit over 1,000 schools and conduct up to 80 Junior League clinics.
NRL Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Young, said the NRL Community Carnival visits were an opportunity for Rugby League to reach out to thousands of supporters and Club fans in regional and remote areas and say thank you ahead of the 2016 Telstra Premiership season.
Last year, players and ambassadors reached more than 250,000 school children as part of the carnival and we are expecting this years program to have an even greater reach and impact, Ms Young said.
Our communities are the foundations from which Rugby League draws its strength and it is important that we continue to educate not just our elite players, but communities further afield, on the importance of living active, healthy and happy lifestyles.
Professor Ron Grunstein from the national Sleep Health Foundation, acknowledged the support and positive initiative of the NRL and Clubs to engage with local communities and impress important health messages.
The program being rolled out across Australia and New Zealand provides key messages, including the importance of sleep for young people, Professor Grunstein said.
Healthy sleep helps young people be more attentive and learn and perform better, both as students and in their sporting activities.
Players and ambassadors will help present two education resource programs as part of local visits:
- NRL Wellbeing: delivered to primary school students, focussing on empowering students to value health and wellbeing in their own lives.
- Dream Believe Achieve: delivered to high school students, focussing on the important link between having hope and aspirations for the future and maintaining a positive wellbeing.
Both programs are curriculum linked and endorsed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), responsible for the national curriculum, assessment and reporting of students from Kindergarten to Year 12.
A full list of NRL Community Camp locations and clubs are listed below:
Broncos: Bundaberg, Thursday 4th Friday 5th February. Local blitz - Sunday 7th February.
Bulldogs: Northern NSW - Kingscliff, Cudgen, Fingal Head, Duranbah & Kyogle Postville, Byron Bay - Wednesday 3rd Friday 5th February. Local blitz - Monday 22nd February.
Cowboys: Mount Isa - Thursday 18th Friday 19th February. Mackay - Thursday 18th Friday 19th February. Cooktown & Mossman - Thursday 18th Friday 19th February.
Dragons: Shoalhaven & Nowra - Tuesday 2nd - Wednesday 3rd February. Narooma, Moruya & Batemans Bay - Tuesday 2nd - Wednesday 3rd February. Local blitz: Kogarah - Wednesday 9th December.
Eels: Alice Springs - Thursday 11th February. Local blitz - Tuesday 16th February.
Knights: Kurri Kurri, Aberdeen & Scone - Wednesday 3rd February. Orange, Wellington, Bathurst & Spring Hill - Thursday 18th February. Local blitz - 15th - 17th February, 25th & 29th February.
Manly: Western Region - Dubbo, Nyngan, Cobar, Coonamble & Gilgandra - Sunday 7th Tuesday 9th February. Local blitz - Monday 15th February.
Panthers: Local blitz - Monday 22nd February.
Rabbitohs: Cape York - Sunday 7th - Wednesday 10th February. Local blitz - Tuesday 9th February.
Raiders: Canberra to Orange - Cowra, Blayney, Mulyan, Canowindra,Manildra, Molong, Bathurst, Orange - Wednesday 17th - Friday 19th February. Local blitz - Tuesday 23rd February.
Roosters: Central Coast: Umina & Blue Haven - Friday 5th February. Local blitz - Tuesday 2nd February
Sharks: Ipswich - Thursday 4th - Friday 5th February. Local blitz - Monday 22nd February
Storm: Albury & Wodonga - Thursday 4th - Friday 5th February. Mildura: Thursday 4th - Friday 5th February. Local blitz - Thursday 4th - Friday 5th February
Tigers: Coffs Harbour Area: Nambucca Heads & Woolgoolga - Tuesday 2nd Thursday 4th February. Local blitz - Leichardt/Balmain - Wednesday 10th February. Local blitz - Campbelltown/Group 6 - Wednesday 17th February.
Titans: Tamworth & Surrounds: Werris Creek, Quirindi & Narrabri - Wednesday 3rd Friday 5th February. Local blitz - Monday 15th Friday 19th February.
Warriors: Whangarei - Thursday 11th Saturday 13th February. Nelson - Thursday 18th - Saturday 20th February. Local blitz - Wednesday 24th February.
NRL Ambassadors: Broken Hill & surrounds - Monday 22nd Wednesday 24th February. Kingaroy - Tuesday 1st - Thursday 3rd March. Albury & Wagga Wagga - Thursday 4th - Friday 5th February. North Sydney - Tuesday 16th February.
Official 2016 Community Carnival Hashtag: #NRLWellbeing
NRL Community Twitter Handle: @NRLCommunity
Chicago Shakespeare Theater recently kicked off its international arts festival Shakespeare 400 with a groundbreaking production of Measure for Measure.
The theatrical event, presented by Cheek by Jowl and Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre, proved a powerful production set in modern times. Since the show was performed in Russian, theater attendees watched screens set above the stage and on both sides to follow the English subtitles.
Shakespeares Measure for Measure revolves around morality themes in politics, city corruption and entanglements involving lust, greed, religion and power.
Although the production was entirely in Russian, that fact didnt hinder the casts ability to draw audience members into the action of the play. And if one wasnt bothered by having to read the English subtitles fairly quickly, it wasnt difficult to follow the story.
Cheek by Jowl co-founder Declan Donnellan directed the play, while Nick Ormerod, Cheek by Jowl co-founder and co-artistic director, designed the show.
Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre has received much praise for its version of Measure for Measure. The production earned five Golden Mask Award nominations (in Russia). Among the nominations were for Best Director and Best Large Scale Drama Production.
This international rendition of Measure for Measure proved a good way to kick off the Shakespeare 400 Chicago festival. The festival, celebrating all that is Shakespeare, his reach in modern society and his relevancy, is a yearlong celebration in the Windy City. The event also is marking that its been 400 years since the death of Shakespeare in 1616.
Shakespeare 400 will include collaborations with various theatrical, musical, cultural and other groups throughout the year. Programs will take place on assorted stages, at institutions and other locales and include a focus on everything from theater, dance and music to literature and even food.
Upcoming programs on the Shakespeare 400 schedule include King Lear, Feb. 4 through 14 by the Belarus Free Theatre; A Midsummer Nights Dream, a collaboration between Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, running Feb.13; Shakespeare A Cappella, a collaboration between Chicago a cappella and Chicago Shakespeare Theater, running Feb. 13-21; and Othello, Feb. 23 and 24 by Hamburg Ballet. Visit shakepeare400chicago.com to view a complete list of upcoming programs and for more information.
HAMMOND Don't expect everyday to be like a typical episode of CSI on television but Hammond Police crime scene investigators and detectives say a day of investigation can be painstaking, tedious and overwhelmingly sad.
"We're not all dressed in suits or having a cup of coffee like you see on TV," Det. Jason Gonzalez said.
Hammond Master Sargeants Allan Retske and Robert Vaught, who share responsibilities in charge of the department's crime scene unit, Sgt. Butch Logan, Community Affairs, and Gonzalez spoke to more than 150 Bishop Noll Institute students Thursday to give them a better picture of how they gather evidence.
This is an entry-level STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Math) offered to freshmen students as they explore STEM topics. The students also have done projects on drones, website design and energy-efficient housing.
Three BNI teachers are involved including Rebecca Dostatni, Paul Douglass and Anthony Hoolihan.
Dostatni said the STEM class has eight different projects. She wanted the Hammond police to talk to students about the importance of problem solving, and how police have to think critically on a daily basis to solve a crime.
BNI Principal Craig Stafford said the high school offers a STEM elective to students in grades 10 through 12.
"Over the next three years, we will be developing a 10th-, 11th-, and 12th-grade STEM class," he said. "The current freshmen will take a STEM course every year they are enrolled at BNI. The curriculum has been (and will be) developed by teachers representing all departments, including myself, and Dr. Carla Johnson from Purdue (West Lafayette). She is a professor and STEM expert."
Dostatni said the students are collecting data on the City of Hammond and other communities in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago suburbs, looking at the crime rates and creating data.
The Hammond officers brought numerous items to show students including casting for footprints and a fingerprint kit. The police authorities said a laser projection of bullet trajectories is one of the latest innovations in crime scene investigation. The kit contains all of the tools necessary to provide vital information about the flight of the bullet.
Retske and Vaught said after the evidence has been collected, they go back and diagram the crime scene.
Gonzalez said his work is to investigate the case, and he told students the first 48 hours are critical.
"It's important to talk to witnesses, neighbors, the family and the suspects," he said.
"A lot of them are willing to come and discuss with me what happened, how it went down. what the beef was and why everyone was angry," Gonzalez said. "When I was in patrol working at high schools as a resource officer, I often talked to kids. The next thing you know, they may be sitting in a box and we're talking about why he or she had a situation that turned violent and someone was killed."
Noll freshmen Alejandra Wedryk and A.J. Vazquez said the students are collecting data, and putting together statistics about various types of crime in Hammond and neighboring cities.
Wedryk said she is interested in forensic science and thinks that could be an interesting career. Vaqquez said he has been watching CSI, and is more interested in it after listening to the Hammond officers.
Stafford said Bishop Noll has a total enrollment of 536 students, a 14-year high for the Catholic school. He said about 48 percent of the students use a voucher. A voucher or Indiana Choice Scholarship allows a family to use public school tax dollars to enroll in a private school.
INDIANAPOLIS Indiana this year will not enact legislation specifically protecting the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Hoosiers.
Senate Bill 344 failed to advance Tuesday for a final vote by the Republican-controlled Senate after its sponsor, state Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, declined to allow senators to consider changes to the measure.
His decision ends some 10 months of debate over whether Indiana would adopt an LGBT anti-discrimination law to wipe away lingering controversy tied to approval for the 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was widely seen as licensing discrimination against gays and prompted nationwide boycotts of Indiana businesses.
As a result, RFRA remains law in Indiana with the caveat that Hoosiers cannot use "religious freedom" to discriminate against LGBT individuals.
LGBT Hoosiers still can be denied employment, housing and access to public accommodations for any other reason, except in communities with local ordinances prohibiting such discrimination.
Holdman said, despite his best efforts to craft legislation balancing civil liberties with strong protections for religious freedom, he simply could not find enough Senate support for the plan that was approved 7-5 last week by the Rules Committee.
It would have added sexual orientation, but not gender identity, to the seven classes already protected under the state's civil rights statutes, with exceptions for nearly any entity with a connection to religion and most wedding service providers.
"I believe the balanced approach that was outlined in the bill would be a step forward for our state," Holdman said. "I am greatly, greatly disappointed. I believe we have let down a number of friends, both our LGBT friends and our friends in the faith community."
Senators clearly disagreed, filing 27 proposed changes to the measure.
After an extended private discussion Tuesday among Senate Republicans about the amendments, Holdman decided to kill his proposal rather than watch it become unrecognizable.
Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said it wasn't clear the legislation would pass the Senate, even if any or all of the suggested changes were adopted.
"They didn't want to go through the pain of having all this discussion if, in fact, in the end the bill was not going to move," Long said.
"We also got messages from the House that they weren't really probably going to seriously consider it. I don't know what the message was from down on the second floor; we still aren't sure what the governor would or wouldn't have done."
"All of that weighed into a difficult environment for us," Long said.
Supporters of an LGBT anti-discrimination law, including Freedom Indiana, Indiana Competes, Tech for Equality, Indiana Chamber of Commerce and ACLU of Indiana, all said the Senate should have at least voted on the proposal.
"The issue of legal discrimination against hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers will not go away, and we will continue to fight this session to update our civil rights law and undo the damage done to our state last year," said Chris Paulsen, Freedom Indiana campaign manager.
Long indicated he will not allow the Senate to consider any other civil rights measures in the five weeks remaining in the legislative session, but he's confident the issue will be before lawmakers again next year.
Sheriff John Buncich called on Lake County's 12 state lawmakers Monday to spare the county from further embarrassment by amending state statute to temporarily replace or remove incarcerated East Chicago Councilman Robert "Coop" Battle from office.
Buncich said he's been inundated with calls from East Chicago and Lake County residents who are disgusted that no action has been taken.
Battle, 42, is being held without bond at the Porter County Jail on federal murder and drug charges. He's accused of fatally shooting alleged Two Six gang member Reimundo Camarillo Jr., 31, on Oct. 12 in East Chicago after Camarillo confronted Battle about cooperating with authorities investigating alleged drug activity.
Voters in East Chicago's 3rd District re-elected Battle in November, and he recently was sworn in for his new term by a notary public inside the Porter County Jail.
In a letter to lawmakers, Buncich wrote that as an elected official he thinks it's a travesty Battle "has been allowed to remain in his position with full pay even though he is currently incarcerated for what appears will be a very extensive period of time."
East Chicago City Council members made $42,356 a year in 2014, more than five times the average salary of council members of 75 community governments, according to the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.
"I fully understand our system of 'innocent until proven guilty,'" Buncich wrote. "However, some form of action either permanent or temporary should be taken immediately."
Buncich said there has to be some way to provide voters in Battle's district with effective representation. Legislation could at least provide for a temporary replacement, he said.
"You've got an individual that's being paid and not there. An empty seat," Buncich said. "Now, where do the residents of East Chicago go?"
He hopes legislation can prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. The taxpaying residents of East Chicago deserve better, he said.
When asked why voters would re-elect Battle in the first place, Buncich said, "That's a good question."
"He was incarcerated, but he was on the ballot," he said. "Legally, we couldn't have taken him off the ballot."
Battle also ran unopposed, he said.
Buncich said he didn't mention his position as Lake County Democratic Party chairman in his letter to lawmakers because he wanted to take a bipartisan approach.
He emailed his letter to Democratic Sens. Frank Mrvan, Lonnie Randolph and Earline Rogers, Republic Sen. Rick Niemeyer, Democratic Reps. Charlie Brown, Vernon Smith, Donna Harris and Linda Lawson, and Republican Reps. Mike Aylesworth, Bill Fine, Hal Slager and Julie Olthoff.
CROWN POINT Bruce Wallace moved into his Briarwood Subdivision home 25 years ago. A month later he discovered water coming up through the drains during a storm. That was his first indication of the area's storm water problems.
The last time it happened was the day after Christmas. On Monday he and a handful of Briarwood residents presented a petition signed by 61 people demanding the city pay to correct the flooding problems on Mohawk, Lexington and Iroquois drives and the surrounding area.
"This has been going on for decades," Wallace said. "People have called and complained about it. The city said to put in backflow valves, but you can't use your sinks or toilet when there's a flood. It needs to be fixed."
He said one homeowner's insurance company has threatened to cancel his policy if he makes another claim. Wallace spent $11,000 to disconnect the footing drains from the sewers, but he has considered moving away, as others have done, if the problem isn't fixed.
"You go out of town for a few days and you have to worry about your basement flooding," Wallace said. "The city finds money for other projects. They can make North Street pretty, but this is a health issue when you've got sewage backing up."
Mayor David Uran told the residents the city will notify Wallace when the next storm water board meeting is held so he can bring the problem to their attention and help the board determine if anything can be done.
The council also heard pleas from residents for Clark Road to be repaved and for a traffic light to be studied for the intersection of Indiana and 129th avenues.
Resident Ray Reiplinger said Clark has been in bad shape for several years, and the edges are crumbling causing drivers to swerve into the other lane to avoid the potholes. Reiplinger said Lake County and Schererville repaved their portions of the road two or three years ago.
Uran said the city just got its budget approved by the state Monday and now can sit down to see how much money it has to put toward paving. He said typically the city can only do two or three of the 130 miles of city streets each year. The roads will be studied and a priority list made. City Engineer Tris Miles said Clark is on the city's radar, but it is expected to be a long, expensive project.
The stoplight was requested by Mike Perry, who compared the difficulty of crossing the road to a game of "Frogger." Uran said Indiana is a state road, which means the city can't install the light, but the city will ask for a study by the Indiana Department of Transportation to see if the light is warranted.
CROWN POINT Five candidates from Crown Point, Gary and Hobart are competing Wednesday to be one of county government's top three executives.
Gary City Councilman Kyle Allen; Gary businesswoman Lita M. Iatarola Filippo; the Rev. Dwight Gardner, a Gary church pastor; Christopher A. Meyers, a Crown Point consultant; and Dave Spott, a Hobart political activist, are the candidates for the 1st District Lake County Board of Commissioner's office.
Democratic Party committeemen from 190 precincts are set to caucus at the Lake County Government Center auditorium Wednesday night to name who will serve the remaining years left in the term the late Roosevelt Allen was serving until his death last month.
State law gives the political party of the former officeholder the right to fill the job. No popular election will be held for this office until 2018, although elections are being held this year for the 2nd and 3rd District commissioners.
Kyle Allen has served on the Gary City Council since 2000 as a Democrat and was re-elected last year to an at-large seat for his fifth term. He ran unsuccessfully for Calumet Township trustee a decade ago.
Lita M. Iatarola Filippo, a Gary businesswoman, unsuccessfully opposed Allen's re-election in the Democratic party's primary election two years ago. She also has run for the County Council and Gary City Council.
The Rev. Dwight Gardner, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Gary, just finished an eight-year term as president of Interfaith Federation of Northwest Indiana.
Meyers is a freelance consultant who has worked in historic preservation in Gary, as a business development specialist for the Gary, Hammond, East Chicago Empowerment Zone, Gary's director of planning and development and Crown Point's planning and zoning director.
He worked in 2014 and last year for a committee to revitalize the northwest section of the city of Hobart. He said he is making his first run for public office. "I believe my character, education, work experience and knowledge of county and local government constitute essential characteristics called for in our next commissioner," he said.
Spott ran unsuccessfully last year as a Democrat for Hobart City Council. He ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for Hobart Township trustee and Hobart City Council previously.
A 2007 Lake Central high school graduate and Schererville native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of a crew working aboard one of the worlds most advanced guided missile submarines, USS Georgia (SSGN 729).
Petty Officer 1st Class Zachary Massey is an information systems technician (submarine) serving aboard the Kings Bay-based boat, one of four Ohio-class guided missile submarines.
He is responsible for designing, installing, maintaining and operating state-of-the-art information systems.
I like working on different types of computers and operating systems, Massey said.
Measuring 560 feet long, 42 feet wide and weighing more than 16,500 tons, a nuclear-powered propulsion system helps push the ship through the water at more than 20 knots.
Guided missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy platform, armed with tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabilities.
Massey is part of the boats blue crew, one of the two rotating crews, which allow the ship to be deployed on missions more often without taxing one crew too much. A typical crew on this submarine is approximately 150 officers and enlisted sailors.
Because of the stressful environment aboard submarines, personnel are accepted only after rigorous testing and observation. Submariners are some of the most highly trained and skilled people in the Navy.
I like how the Navy provides stability, which allows me to provide for my family, Massey said.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navys most relied upon assets, Massey and other Georgia sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes.
Since joining the Navy, I learned how to lead future sailors, who are tomorrows Navy, Massey added. The experience learned will be very beneficial in the civilian sector.
ST. JOHN With growing criticism from residents over traffic congestion and the inability of the town's roads to handle additional development, the council has authorized a study of whether a road impact fee could be established.
The fee would be assessed to developers to pay for improvements needed to accommodate traffic from new subdivisions or other developments similar to the impact fee paid by residential development for parks. State law allows communities to charge impact fees for certain infrastructure improvements needed as a result of development, and the law establishes the procedures that must be followed before the fees can be imposed.
A road impact fee was suggested along with a school impact fee by a resident at a recent meeting. The law does not allow for a school impact fee, but a road impact fee is possible. Town Manager Steve Kil said, as far as he's been able to determine, no one in the state has enacted the road fee while many have the park fee. He expects the road fee is somewhat more difficult to enact.
"If it was that simple, somebody would have done it because we are all in the same boat with the roads," Kil said. "We are going to do our due diligence to see what it takes."
Based on the park impact fee, which can't take effect until six months after it is enacted following a detailed study process, Kil said the road impact fee process could be lengthy.
In the meantime, the town held a hearing on the proposed annexation of 24 acres at the southwest corner 101st Avenue and Calumet Avenue. Kil said the owners plan to sell it to a developer, who wants to put commercial development on a small portion of the property close to the intersection and houses on the rest.
Resident Joe Hero objected to the plan to annex it with the commercial zoning already in place. He said it had been customary to annex property as residential and wait for the rezoning request at the time it is ready for development. This would allow more time for residents to comment and for the town to do traffic studies and look at the other impacts of the project.
Kil said the zoning category usually is determined by the area where the property is located. Residential areas are annexed with that zoning while commercial areas would get the commercial zoning. The annexation could be voted on in February.
Councilman Christian Jorgensen said the town has asked the Indiana Department of Transportation do a traffic study of the intersection at Joliet Street and U.S. 41 to see if a traffic signal is warranted there and if left turns at the intersection could be banned. The intersection had 39 accidents between 2012 and 2014 as opposed to 17 in the two-year period 2001 to 2003.
GARY Police are investigating a possible connection between the fatal stabbing of a man found about 10 p.m. Sunday in Gary and the stabbing of another man found about an hour earlier and three miles away waving his arms at cars on Cline Avenue.
Fernando Verduzco, 26, was found dead in the back seat of a car at the Ivanhoe Nature Preserve in the 200 block of Hobart Street, according to the Lake County coroner's office.
The preserve sits at the end of Hobart Street, just south of the Indiana Toll Road in Gary's Brunswick neighborhood.
Lake County sheriff's police were dispatched about 9 p.m. to the area of Cline and Chicago avenues for a suspicious person and located a 26-year-old Bridgeview, Illinois, man with stab wounds, department spokesman Mark Back said.
The man told officers that two friends asked him to give them a ride to another person's residence to collect money for a debt, Back said.
The man said they arrived at the residence and he was handcuffed, stabbed and thrown in the truck of his 2000 white Acura. The man could not describe the people involved in the stabbing or recall the location of the residence, Back said.
The man told police the vehicle eventually came to a stop and he escaped. He claimed several people stole his cellphone, wallet, vehicle and fled, Back said.
Police were unable to locate the two friends, Back said. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Gary police were dispatched about 10 p.m. to the 200 block of Hobart Street for a suspicious vehicle, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said.
Officers found a man dead in the back seat of a gray four-door Acura that fit the description of the suspicious vehicle, Back said. The man appeared to have stab wounds similar to those suffered by the 26-year-old found on Cline Avenue, he said.
The man was pronounced dead at 11:02 p.m. at the homicide scene, according to the Lake County coroner's office.
"Any connection between the two cases has yet to be determined," according to a sheriff's news release.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call Detective Alex Jones, of the Lake County Metro Homicide Unit, at (219) 755-3852. To remain anonymous, call (866) CRIME-GP.
NEWBURY, N.H. Next up: New Hampshire.
Presidential contenders on Tuesday turned their airplanes and their hopes to the next arena in the fight for the nominations, a state that will test Ted Cruz's broader appeal and give Hillary Clinton a chance to reinvigorate her battered campaign in the Granite State.
Clinton eked out a win over rival Bernie Sanders in Monday's Iowa caucuses. But the razor-thin margin suggested the Democratic contest is headed toward a protracted wrestling match between its progressive and pragmatic wings.
On the Republican side, Cruz's win provided a twist worthy of the topsy-turvy race. Winning 27.7 percent support, the Texas senator proved to be beloved by evangelicals, even if maligned by many others in his party, and adept at mounting a powerful grass-roots operation. Donald Trump's second-place finish at 24.3 percent was a humbling blow to the boastful mogul who had dominated the polls for weeks. Coming in at a close third with 23.1 percent, Marco Rubio was catapulted to the top of heap of establishment candidates vying to be the party's preferred alternative to Trump or Cruz.
With all precincts reporting, Clinton bested Sanders by less than three-tenths of 1 percent. Although the Iowa Democratic Party declared the contest "the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history," officials said Tuesday afternoon that they would not conduct a recount and Sanders' campaign said it would not challenge the results.
After coming in third in Iowa eight years ago, Clinton said Tuesday she was "so proud" of coming out on top.
Still, it was clear the results were too close for comfort for the Clinton campaign. Tapping into youthful enthusiasm and the party's Clinton-fatigue, Sanders was able to hinder the former secretary of state's coast to the nomination. New Hampshire presents a formidable challenge for Clinton, who now faces an electorate that has been receptive to Sander's anti-establishment, anti-Wall Street message.
Sanders said Tuesday he considered the results a "giant step" toward proving his long-term viability.
"We're in this for the long haul," he told reporters abroad his flight to New Hampshire early Tuesday. The senator didn't waste any time. Upon landing at dawn, he addressed a hardy group of supporters in Bow, New Hampshire who anxiously awaited his arrival.
For Republicans, the pivot to New Hampshire meant the still-crowded cast of the candidates turned toward a less religious and mostly undecided electorate.
New Hampshire has historically favored more moderate candidates than Iowa, and more than 40 percent of the state's electorate are not registered in any political party, giving them the power to choose which parties' primary to vote in on Feb. 9. Polls show well over half of GOP voters have yet to make up their minds.
That may be good news for Cruz, who is hoping to avoid the conservatives' Iowa curse. Unlike past conservatives who found love in Iowa but fizzled fast, Cruz argued Tuesday that his campaign has staying power, resources and broad appeal.
Rubio, too, was looking ahead. His advisors cast the race as a three-person contest an attempt box out the other contenders vying for mainstream Republicans.
That won't be easy. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday stormed into New Hampshire with packed campaign schedules.
And then there is Trump, who may be the candidate most in need of a comeback after Iowa. Despite stealing the spotlight and driving the debate for months, Trump appears to have been out-organized by Cruz in Iowa.
Of the 36 percent of Iowa caucus-goers who said they were contacted by someone asking them to come out to support their candidate, Cruz had a 31 percent to 23 percent advantage over Trump, according to entrance polls conducted for the Associated Press and television networks.
On Tuesday, Trump blamed the media for dismissing his "longshot great finish."
"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," Trump tweeted.
ELKO An Arizona man was arrested Sunday on multiple charges after the carcasses of two golden eagles were found in his vehicle.
Law enforcement was originally notified about a careless driver headed west on Interstate 80. The vehicle was located at the Wal-Mart parking lot but took off when the deputies were spotted, said Undersheriff Clair Morris.
Because of how busy the parking lot was, the deputy chose not to chase the vehicle at the time it was later found back at Wal-Mart, at the tire center.
The complete carcasses of one hawk and two golden eagles were found inside. As it is against the law to shoot these birds, Nevada Department of Wildlife was contacted.
Additionally, a .17-caliber Savage bolt-action rifle, with a round in the chamber, and cartridges were in the vehicle.
There were two individuals in the car. Only one, Dana M. McIvor, 30, of Red Mesa, Arizona, was arrested as he is believed to have shot the birds.
He allegedly admitted to killing one bird in Nevada, said Morris.
McIvor admitted to keeping the raptor parts for ceremonial purposes, said Quinn Hesterlee, NDOW game warden, in a statement. He had two recently killed eagles and a hawk in his possession that were seized for evidence. Two wings from two separate recently killed hawks were seized as were 124 separate eagle and hawk feathers.
It is believed the feathers came from two or three additional raptors, Joe Doucette, NDOW public information officer, told the Free Press.
Hesterlee estimated the total value of the seized raptors and their parts could be as much as $10,000.
Eagle feathers are often sold and traded illegally to be used in Native American celebrations and for profit in international markets, stated NDOW. In Nevada, and other states, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit is required for possession of raptors and raptor parts.
The USFWS provides feathers for these celebrations, which are available through the National Eagle Repository. NDOW works with the USFWS to transfer killed and euthanized raptors to the repository, explained the release.
NDOW coordinates the transfer of numerous birds from Nevada to the repository, yearly, for this use.
Its unfortunate that these amazing birds get killed each year for their feathers when there are perfectly legal ways to obtain them, said Hesterlee.
McIvor was charged with reckless driving, carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun in a vehicle, an unlawful act regarding a bald or golden eagle, and five counts of hunting, trapping, possessing or selling a bird of prey without a permit.
His total bail was listed at $5,370.
SPRINGFIELD Visits to Illinois' historic sites fell by 7 percent in 2015, despite the state's commemorations of the 150th anniversaries of the Civil War's end, President Abraham Lincoln's assassination and his burial in Springfield, according to state figures.
A 5 percent spike in attendance at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum after 2014's lowest-ever number of visitors could not make up for a 9 percent slide at 29 other state-administered historic points one-third of which have direct ties to the 16th president.
Last year was the first full year of shorter hours at many facilities because of a state budget crunch which Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration pointed out began in 2014, under his predecessor and major sites such as Lincoln's Tomb were shuttered for months.
The numbers don't bode well for the financially struggling state, where Rauner has made boosting economic investment the fulcrum of his plans to restore prosperity.
"Our staff worked diligently to keep our top sites open at the most convenient times for our visitors and to offer special events and programming," Illinois Historic Preservation Agency spokesman Chris Wills said. "The result is that attendance at most of our sites did not drop as much as might have been expected."
Most troubling was a 16 percent slump in stops at Springfield sites associated with Lincoln, who called Springfield his home. That was due in part to his tomb being under renovation from January through March and his law office closing the entire year for renovations.
"We view Springfield as the anchor to draw people to central Illinois for the Lincoln story," said Sarah Watson, executive director of Looking For Lincoln, a National Heritage Area of 42 counties associated with the former president. "We hope that when people coming to or from Springfield to visit the Lincoln sites here, they'll stop in other communities and learn the rest of the Lincoln story and visit sites there."
Tourists not only walk where great figures of history walked they eat in restaurants, sleep in hotels and gas up. In small towns particularly, Watson said, such spending "can have a sizeable impact."
Revealing the impact that longer hours of operation can play, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site maintained by the federal government and open seven days a week saw 233,000 visitors in 2015, a 7 percent uptick from 2014, site superintendent Dale Phillips said. Repeatedly, rangers and volunteers said that tourists were disappointed that they could not also see the tomb or Old State Capitol, where Lincoln served as a legislator, because of limited hours, he added.
After dipping below 300,000 visitors in 2014 for the first time in its 10-year history, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum rebounded to 303,579. The May re-staging of Lincoln's funeral featured a ceremony outside the Old State Capitol, just blocks from the library and museum, which hosted 89,000 visitors in April and May, it's biggest two months in at least six years.
However, the library and museum's total visitors didn't touch its 2013 numbers, which Wills pointed was the year the critically acclaimed film "Lincoln" was released and there was wide publicity surrounding the sesquicentennial of the Gettysburg Address.
The April anniversary of General Robert E. Lee's 1865 surrender to end the War Between the States boosted interest in the Confederate leader's counterpart. The Galena home of Ulysses S. Grant, the Union commander who later became president, saw a 19 percent jump in attendance in 2015.
A police shooting that killed an unarmed Bronx teenager inside his home will be marked with protests and letters to the mayor and U.S. Attorney to fire the officer who pulled the trigger. NY1 Criminal Justice Reporter Dean Meminger spoke with Ramarley Graham's father who also says he has not looked at all of the disturbing security video in the case, until now.
Franclot Graham says the pain of loosing his son Ramarley to a police bullet four years ago is almost crippling.
"Still no justice," Graham said.
When the anniversary of his death rolls around, that pain is most accute. The unarmed 18-year-old was killed by Officer Richard Haste, inside his family's bathroom.
"This time four years ago, how did he feel, what was he thinking? His life was coming to an end," his father said,
It was February 2, 2012, cops from the Street Narcotics Unit said they thought Graham had a gun on White Plains Road. They say they chased him to his 229th Street house. Officer Haste is seen on surveillance video kicking the door.
Haste's lawyers have said the officer had the right to enter, because people inside could have been in danger.
Eventually the officer shoots the teen in the bathroom. Some marijuana was found but not a gun.
Until now, it has been too difficult for his dad to watch the entire video, which eventually shows his son's body being brought from the house.
"For the first time, I sat and watched that tape, the surveillance tape from the house, about three weeks ago," he said.
Graham said he never knew Haste was the officer who entered the house from a rear door.
"But after watching the tape I realized it was him all along," Graham said. "He was so bent on getting inside that house."
Marking the anniversary of Ramarley Graham's death, his family says they will be demanding action in the case with rallies in Lower Manhattan at City Hall and the Justice Department. They will also rally in The Bronx at the 47th Precinct.
Officer Haste was indicted, but it was tossed out because of a prosecutor's mistake. A second grand jury didn't indict.
The U.S. Attorney's office says it is still investigating.
"Your office is our last chance for justice, justice in the court of law," Graham said.
The police union stands behind Haste saying due process must take place. The officer is on modified duty still receiving his paycheck.
With the Nevada presidential caucuses just weeks away we are offering readers a glimpse into the stances of the candidates on a key issue federal public lands control.
For the Democrats there is not much choice.
Bernie Sanders has not taken a stance on letting states and counties have a greater say in public land use, but he has called for raising grazing fees and prohibiting logging and oil drilling on public land.
Hillary Clinton during a press conference in Las Vegas a couple of months ago said the country should preserve federal public lands and add even more.
We certainly should not be giving in to this ideological argument from the right that we need to put more public lands into private hands, she exclaimed. I dont agree with that.
On the Republican side, most have called for some level of privatization of federal lands.
The exception is Donald Trump, who was asked at a gun show in Las Vegas recently about whether he would support relinquishing federal land control to states.
I dont like the idea because I want to keep the lands great, and you dont know what the state is going to do, he replied. I mean, are they going to sell if they get into a little bit of trouble? And I dont think its something that should be sold.
While John Kasich has been silent on the topic all the other Republican candidates have expressed some degree of favor for transferring control to states and/or privatizing.
As a senator from Texas Ted Cruz voted in favor of an amendment to facilitate the transfer of public lands to the states. In 2014 he also offered an amendment to a bill that would have prohibited the federal government from owning more than 50 percent of the land in any state.
Rand Paul has also said federal lands should be transferred to the states. He has met with Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy and expressed sympathy for his plight.
You run into problems now with the federal government being, you know, this bully this big huge government bully, Paul has said. As a Kentucky senator he introduced a bill to give states more power under the Endangered Species Act. It failed.
Like both Cruz and Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio supported an amendment to facilitate the transfer and sale of public lands.
He also backed transferring control of federal energy resources to the states. This common sense bill will empower states to develop our domestic energy resources responsibly and effectively, Rubio said.
Ensuring states have more authority in our nations energy development will help keep energy costs low, create jobs and grow our economy.
Businesswoman Carly Fiorina in a recent newspaper interview said, The federal government does a lousy job of managing forests. The private sector does a much better job of managing forests. The federal government controls too much land in this country.
Retired surgeon Ben Carson also has expressed the need to allow more local control of the lands. We the people of the United States are the only ones capable of preventing uncontrolled government expansion and abuse, Carson wrote in a column in the conservative National Review. Like the ranchers in Nevada, Americans must find the courage and determination to maintain a free and vibrant nation.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, during a speech in Nevada, said he favored more development of oil and gas exploration on federal lands. One of the real challenges in the western states is that energy in those areas is often not able to be explored, he said.
Huckabee also said something is wrong when the federal government can put a gun in a citizens face and threaten to shoot him over a cow eating grass.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has called for moving the headquarters of the Interior Department to the West.
I think these lands have to be managed in a true partnership, Bush said during a speech in Reno in October, noting that public lands should be viewed as something that creates economic activity, can create cultural values, create wins for citizens and residents of the West.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, while not addressing directly privatization of federal land, has been a strong advocate of privatizing public services such as parks in his state.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has supported transferring or privatizing public lands.
We need to get it back into the hands of the states and even to the private sector, Santorum told an Idaho newspaper. And we can make money doing it.
An artists' workspace in Queens is honoring one of its most famous sculptors by re-creating his art.
The sculptures are titled "String Quartet," but this band is heavier in bronze than bass. World-renowned sculptor Charles Gagnon created the life-sized musicians before passing away in 2012.
He sculpted most of his artwork at the Modern Art Foundry in Astoria.
Now, artists at the foundry are putting the finishing touches on replicas of the statues.
When he finished the string quartet he put the actual strings into the sculpture, so those are castings of the life-sized instruments, said Arlyn Gagnon, the artists wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Gagnon have been coming to the foundry for many years since the late 60s. This string quartet that we've been working on for the last few years is a grand piece that we look forward to finishing, said Jeffrey Spring, the President of Modern Art Foundry.
Mrs. Gagnon says she hopes to sell both the sculptures the replicas to fund a museum honoring her late husband's work in their hometown of Rochester, Minnesota.
Pina Bausch, the German choreographer who combined potent drama and dreamlike movement to create a powerful form of dance theater that influenced generations of dancemakers, died on Tuesday in Wuppertal, Germany. She was 68.
The cause was cancer, her company, Tanztheater Wuppertal, announced. She received the diagnosis just five days ago, said Ursula Popp, a company spokeswoman. Ms. Bauschs family did not release the exact nature of the illness, Ms. Popp said. As recently as June 21, Ms. Bausch stood on stage after a performance of a new work, which is untitled, Ms. Popp said.
Ms. Bausch, whose roots were in prewar German Expressionism, helped change the perception of what could be brought into a dance performance. Her shows featured a deep sense of theatricality; disconnected and sometimes absurd episodes; and elaborate, unusual sets, like carpets of carnations and peat moss or a collapsing wall.
Her base was in Wuppertal, an industrial city near Dusseldorf in northwest Germany, but the company was often at Sadlers Wells Theater in London, the Theatre de la Ville in Paris and festivals around the world. This summer, the company is to appear at the Spoleto Festival in Italy.
Wuppertal, Germany
THE dancers of the Tanztheater Wuppertal were rehearsing in late August in Pina Bauschs favorite studio, a former movie theater with a broad balcony and a slim stage. This oval room, its walls hung with the dresses and suits that the Bausch dancers often wear in performance, has no natural light. Its a kind of self-sustaining cocoon in which Bausch had long extracted thoughts, memories and feelings from her dancers in the improvisational exercises that formed the basis of her productions.
But a year after Bauschs unexpected death from cancer at 68, it was her long-time dancer Dominique Mercy and her former assistant Robert Sturm who sat at a table in front of the dancers, making notes and occasionally offering corrections.
The two men were appointed joint artistic directors soon after Bauschs death, and the company has continued to perform and fulfill its tour engagements. On Sept. 29 the Tanztheater Wuppertal brings her 2006 Vollmond (Full Moon) to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a 10-day engagement, continuing a relationship that began with its first appearance there in 1984.
But Tanztheater Wuppertal faces an uncertain future, as does any dance company whose identity depends upon a sole creative source. Merce Cunningham, who died just a month after Bausch, decreed that his company would survive him by only two years.
Its a rich, slow-spreading smile, like butter melting in a skillet over a low flame. And whenever it creeps across James Cordens face in the splendidly silly One Man, Two Guvnors, which opened on Wednesday night at the Music Box Theater, you know two things for sure: Youre in for trouble, and youre already hooked. Struggle as you will, there aint nothing you can do about it.
That smile captures the essence of One Man, Two Guvnors, Richard Beans inspired adaptation of an 18th-century Italian farce by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Nicholas Hytner. A runaway hit in London, where it originated at the National Theater, One Man is, like Mr. Cordens grin, both satanic and seraphic, dirty-minded and utterly innocent. Letting loose and neutralizing all sorts of demons, its ideal escapism for anxious times.
As woman after woman has come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault, there has been growing public revulsion, but also a nagging question: Did it have to be Cliff Huxtable?
He was Americas Dad, the star and co-creator of the most-watched show in America in an era when network television drew big enough audiences to shift the national conversation. Parents and children watched together, identified themselves in the struggles big and small of the characters. Mr. Cosbys was an old-school obstetrician, the kindly type whom women trusted to guide them to motherhood.
It has made the rising drumbeat of allegations more shattering than typical celebrity misbehavior. Particularly for Americans who grew up with The Cosby Show, the transformation of Mr. Cosbys image has produced the discomfort and struggle akin to coming to terms with the dark past of a family member.
Christianity in her view has thus become the opposite of itself, and Christians seem preoccupied with sins Jesus never mentioned. For the prophets the great sin was always social injustice, but too many American Christians seem comfortable in a world in which 1 percent of the population controls 40 percent of the wealth, and are not perturbed to hear the Gospels cited to legitimize for-profit prisons or to sanctify the use of guns. Jesus said, Blessed are you who are poor, but we now hear talk of the unworthy poor and of schemes that will humiliate and dispossess them.
Robinsons heroic lamentation is magnificent. Yet for me something crucial was missing: There is no sustained discussion of Americas relationship with other nations. Robinson admits that the United States often seems like a blundering giant, invading countries of which we know nothing, but there is no particular meditation on foreign policy or the Iraq war and its tragic aftermath. Robinson recalls Lincoln telling Americans during the Civil War that they must love their enemies because God loves them, but she does not wonder what that great president would have said about Guantanamo Bay or Abu Ghraib. Similarly, she mentions Martin Luther King and notes with sorrow that America unfairly privileges the values of those who are white, but we hear nothing specific about the current plight of African-Americans.
In Britain, we still see ourselves as Shakespeares sceptred isle, but in the interdependent global economy no nation is an island. Like Robinson, I am in my early 70s, and in this last phase of my life I too find myself reflecting painfully on the failings of my country, especially on its colonial behavior, which has contributed to so many of our current problems. Actions always have consequences. Every night on the news we see traumatized migrants from the Middle East and Africa literally dying to get into Europe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Europeans invaded and exploited these regions for their own benefit; now, in a karmic reversal, their peoples are invading us. Yet we talk only of how to keep them out.
Robinsons insistence, throughout these essays, that we recognize the limitations of our knowledge is timely and important. She is acutely aware that the us and them mentality, so prevalent in modern political discourse, is dangerous, false and unsustainable, and that it is essential that we cultivate a respectful awareness of lives lived otherwise. Yet sometimes she herself pulls back from the given, as when she wonders, with some trepidation, if those who do not know Christ can enjoy the ultimate good promised to the Christian. She concludes, tentatively, that because they participate in Gods world, they must somehow be included in Gods providence. This solution may have been acceptable in Calvins time. But after studying the profundity and richness of world religions for over 20 years, I can no longer believe that any one faith has a monopoly on truth or wisdom.
Robinson rarely mentions other religious traditions specifically; when she does, however, she is seldom complimentary. She seems to have inherited from Calvin an anti-Catholic bias her discussion of the Huguenot tragedy, for example, is one-sided and fails to take into account the recent scholarship clarifying that in this complex struggle there was bigotry on both sides and that it is impossible to divide 16th-century France into neat communities of Catholics and Protestants. She is extremely (and in my view inappropriately) scathing about ancient Near Eastern mythology. Yet she approvingly cites William Jamess warning that we should never assume that our knowledge of anything is more than partial. This must surely? mean that no tradition can have the last word on the ineffable. Protestant Christianity had admirable, indeed indispensable insights, but like any ideology, its vision too was partial. John Locke, who, after Calvin, is Robinsons favorite theologian, suggested that the liberal state could tolerate neither Catholics nor Muslims, claimed that Native Americans had no property rights to their land, and showed some robust support for the institution of slavery.
Murray Louis, the son of a Brooklyn baker who won acclaim as a brilliantly nimble dancer and a quirky and often surprising choreographer, died on Monday at his home in New York City. He was 89.
His death was announced by the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance, which did not specify the cause. Mr. Louis and the choreographer Alwin Nikolais had been artistic collaborators and companions for more than 40 years.
As both a performer and a maker of dances, Mr. Louis was notable for his quick directional shifts, tiny darting gestures and unexpected contrasts between rigidity and stillness.
With a mind as agile as his limbs, he was able to make separate parts of his body seem to move as if they were independent of one another. He could hold attention as easily with a waggling toe as he could with flurries of arm and torso movements.
At its most basic, the Knoedler & Company fraud trial revolves around whether a once celebrated art gallery knowingly sold a forged Mark Rothko painting.
But testimony in recent days has focused on a larger question at the heart of the art market: Were experts in modern art able to determine whether works sold by the gallery were genuine?
Domenico and Eleanore De Sole, who bought the fake Rothko for $8.3 million in 2004, have sued the gallery and its former director and president, Ann Freedman. The defendants say that they had no idea the works were forgeries and that experts they consulted were also fooled.
But two of those experts, including Rothkos son, Christopher, testified on Monday in Federal District Court in Manhattan that Ms. Freedman had misrepresented their opinions over the years. And both said she had lacked permission to include their names on a roster of experts who had viewed the forged painting, a list Ms. Freedman included with a letter of authentication provided to the De Soles.
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould answered the questions here.
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, the show runners of AMCs Better Call Saul, are taking questions from New York Times readers. The series returns for its second season on Feb. 15.
Played by the comedian Bob Odenkirk, the ethically flexible attorney Saul Goodman, formerly known as Jimmy McGill, joined Breaking Bad in Season 2 for what was supposed to be a comic relief role in an otherwise intense drama. He ended up staying until the bitter end and beyond. Mr. Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, and Mr. Gould, a writer on the show, decided there was enough to Saul to fill out a series of his own. The acclaimed first season of Better Call Saul, which also featured the Breaking Bad alum Jonathan Banks as the gruff and wily Mike Ehrmantraut, began to fill in the blanks about how Jimmy became Saul, and revealed new dramatic dimensions for Mr. Odenkirk, who was nominated for an Emmy for his performance.
Before Breaking Bad, Mr. Gilligan was best known as a writer and producer for The X-Files. Mr Gould also wrote the HBO movie Too Big to Fail, based on the book of the same name.
Please leave questions for them in the comments. We will post responses next week.
Previously we heard from Sarah Treem of The Affair; Alex Gansa of Homeland; and Nahnatchka Khan of Fresh Off the Boat.
American International Group is sticking with a strategic plan that aims to streamline the company but falls far short of calls from activist shareholders like Carl C. Icahn to break into three.
On Monday, Mr. Icahn told Bloomberg News that the plan was inadequate and that he would propose a slate of possible board members by the end of next week. Mr. Icahn has said he owns 42 million A.I.G. shares, making him the largest activist shareholder, followed by the hedge fund manager John Paulson, with 14.6 million shares.
Mr. Icahn did not return a phone call.
In a statement released after the stock market closed on Monday, A.I.G. said it had been talking to shareholders in the week since presenting its strategic plan.
Douglas M. Steenland, the companys nonexecutive chairman, said: Our board of directors and management are fully aligned behind the strategy outlined on Jan. 26. We look forward to continued discussions with our shareholders on the strategy we have advanced.
After several months of researching the scarcity of primary care doctors who accept new Medicare patients, a local group has reached a surprising conclusion: The best place to find a doctor in Elko is ... in Battle Mountain.
About six months ago Great Basin College professor Larry Hyslop started investigating the issue after he reached retirement age and had trouble finding a doctor.
A friend had told him, When you turn 65 in Elko, you become a second-class citizen. This turned out to be true at least when it comes to primary medical care and he was determined to find out why. So he called for a public meeting and drew a standing-room-only crowd of 120 concerned residents.
The group is smaller now, but it meets again from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the GBC social room and newcomers are welcome. Their goal is to find practical solutions for seniors who are having trouble finding care.
The factors that make Elko a virtual desert for primary physicians are many. It starts with the way doctor fees are determined, using formulas such as relative value units. Rural doctors generally get paid less, and reimbursed less for Medicare services than their big-city counterparts because of relatively low costs of providing service.
The key word is generally, because certain communities may be designated as underserved, and qualify for higher rates. According to Hyslop, doctors in Battle Mountain receive up to four times as much for Medicare services as doctors in Elko.
Hyslop said getting an appointment is fast and easy in the tiny town located two counties away. There are currently three doctors on hand, and not enough patients to keep them busy. The one-hour drive also is much closer than Twin Falls, Reno or Salt Lake City.
The group has published flyers informing local seniors about the situation.
Because of our demographics, Elko for the most part scores too high on the relative value scale to receive a similar designation. Hyslop said Elko is still a great place for seniors to get specialized services.
He said there are many other factors at play. For example, Nevada Health Centers operates under a different designation but it has the same difficulty as the hospital when it comes to recruiting physicians.
They only have one doctor, and hes leaving next month, Hyslop said.
This is still the case two years after county commissioners voted to join Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in subsidizing internal medicine residents from the University of Nevada.
The hospital also has offered subsidies to doctors for taking Medicare patients, he said, but limited to a two-year period.
Golden Health Clinic, which expanded in 2010, snapped up local doctors to serve the regions mining employees. Ironically, those same workers have trouble finding a primary care doctor after reaching retirement age.
The advent of Obamacare has become part of the problem, too, Hyslop said. His group is not looking at political solutions, however, but more immediate ways to see that seniors are getting the care they need to avoid major illnesses and emergency room visits.
Thats a noble goal, and one we think Nevadas congressional delegation should look into. Senior citizens should not be left out in the cold, simply because they live in one town instead of another.
Activist investors are increasingly pressuring companies to return money to shareholders or buy back shares. Last year through the end of the third quarter, according to Mr. Fink, buybacks skyrocketed 27 percent over the previous year, which itself had been a record. Companies that buy back shares reduce the amount of stock they have outstanding, a move that can have the effect of increasing earnings per share and the stakes of existing shareholders.
The decline of the stock and bond markets this year has been painful, and it remains difficult to predict what is in store for the future. A Bad Year for Bonds : This has been the most devastating time for bonds since at least 1926 and maybe in centuries. This has been the most devastating time for bonds since at least 1926 and maybe in centuries. But much of the damage is already behind us
Discordant Views: Some investors just dont see how the Federal Reserve can lower inflation without risking high unemployment. Some investors just dont see how the Federal Reserve can lower inflation without risking high unemployment. The Fed appears more optimistic
Weathering the Storm: The rout in the stock and bond markets has been especially rough on people paying for college, retirement or a new home. The rout in the stock and bond markets has been especially rough on people paying for college, retirement or a new home. Here is some advice
College Savings: As the stock and bond markets wobble, 529 plans are taking a tumble. Whats a family to do? Theres no one-size-fits-all answer, but As the stock and bond markets wobble, 529 plans are taking a tumble. Whats a family to do? Theres no one-size-fits-all answer, but you have options
Mr. Finks call comes at a time of stepped-up chatter among big investors and other business leaders to try to encourage companies and investors to be less focused on short-term efforts to lift earnings. Critics of buybacks question whether the purchases are a productive use of profits, rather than investing in their businesses and creating jobs.
BlackRock, along with other mutual fund giants like Fidelity Investments and T. Rowe Price, recently held a meeting with Warren E. Buffett at the invitation of JPMorgan Chases chief executive, Jamie Dimon, to devise a series of voluntary standards that companies should adopt, according to people briefed on the meetings. Another meeting is planned for next month. The discussion of short-termism on Wall Street has also become part of the presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton made a policy speech last year that endorsed many of the ideas Mr. Fink had raised. There has long been speculation that Mr. Fink could eventually land a senior government post in Washington.
In an interview, Mr. Fink said he wrote this letter now to get ahead of proxy season, a period during the spring when many companies hold their annual meetings and vote on shareholder resolutions. He hopes to influence how chief executives discuss their companies performance and goals in their annual letters to shareholders.
Of course, some companies in fast-moving businesses like technology might argue that it is impossible to present a multiyear road map without telegraphing plans to rivals.
Mr. Fink dismissed that possibility. I dont think a public discourse on how a companys C.E.O. sees their position is going to result in proprietary secrets being revealed.
WASHINGTON Lawmakers and presidential candidates are having their say about the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade accord that is President Obamas top economic priority in his final year in office. But lately the liveliest debate over the deal is among blue-ribbon economists.
On Monday, it was the critics turn: Economists from Tufts University unveiled their study concluding that the pact, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, would cause some job losses and exacerbate income inequality in each of the dozen participating nations, but especially in the largest the United States.
Supporting the authors at the National Press Club was Jared Bernstein, who was the top economic adviser to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. during Mr. Obamas first term.
The conclusions of the Tufts economists contradict recent positive findings from the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the World Bank about the trade pact, which would be the largest regional accord in history and would bind nations including Canada, Chile, Australia and Japan.
SHANGHAI A Chinese court has sentenced 10 employees of the American food supplier OSI Group to prison and fined the company up to 2.4 million renminbi, or $364,875, over claims that it reused returned food products to avoid losses.
The verdict is the end of a long-running investigation into OSI after a safety scandal in 2014 involving the fast-food giants it supplied McDonalds and Yum Brands, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in China.
The Shanghai Jiading Peoples 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 was not clear whether Mr. Yang, who the court said was an Australian citizen, would serve jail time in China. OSI has criticized the handling of its case by the local food regulator, a rare act in China, where foreign firms typically steer clear of any public criticism of the authorities. The company said in a statement that the verdict was inconsistent with the facts and evidence.
The court statement said Mr. Yang and other workers at OSIs China units reused products from returned or canceled orders. Nine other people in the case will be given shorter jail terms and will have to pay fines. Jail sentences for four of the nine will be suspended, the court said.
David Bowies music was a staple of the mens fashion shows that recently concluded in Europe, and it was back for the start of the mens fashion week in New York as the first model made his way down the runway for Joseph Abboud.
The song, Cat People (Putting Out Fire), was originally released in 1982, five years before Mr. Abboud started his namesake collection. The designer went on to become an icon of American mens wear in the 1980s and 1990s, but he eventually lost the rights to his name.
The last time he had a fashion show was 15 years ago. But after taking the job of chief creative director at Mens Wearhouse, now known as Tailored Brands, he was able to reclaim the Joseph Abboud label for himself in 2013.
The death of a man in a Brooklyn police station house on Sunday was the third time since May that someone had hanged himself in a New York Police Department holding cell, the authorities said.
They identified the man as Serge Duthely, 28. An autopsy on Monday verified that the cause of Mr. Duthelys death was hanging, said Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the citys medical examiners office. Ms. Bolcer said the office had ruled his death a suicide.
On May 27, a 53-year-old robbery suspect hanged himself with a shirt in a holding cell at the 121st Precinct station house on Staten Island, the police said.
Then, on Nov. 11, the police said a 49-year-old robbery suspect hanged himself in a holding cell at the 49th Precinct station house in the Bronx, in a case that led to a sergeants being placed on modified assignment.
Seeking to show progress in New Yorks efforts to improve homeless shelters, Mayor Bill de Blasio released a new and overdue report on Monday that catalogs the number of safety violations at more than 600 sites used to house homeless people.
The report, the Shelter Repair Scorecard, documents longstanding problems in cluster-site shelters, which are housing units rented as shelter space from private landlords.
The 265 cluster shelters house about 20 percent of the citys 58,000 people in the shelter system, but those buildings accounted for 67 percent of the outstanding violations, or 14,418, as of the end of December.
City officials announced a plan last month to stop using cluster shelters by the end of 2018.
By contrast, the citys 357 traditional shelters, many of them operated by nonprofits under contract with the city, fared better in the scorecard. More than half of those shelters had 10 or fewer violations, and family shelters averaged less than one violation each, a level the city said was similar to a typical city apartment building.
The son of a former top aide to Mayor Bill de Blasios wife was arrested on Monday on charges that he fatally stabbed a 16-year-old suspect in an armed robbery attempt in New Jersey, according to law enforcement authorities.
The acting Bergen County prosecutor said Khari Noerdlinger, 19, was arrested along with four other people and charged with aggravated manslaughter, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and hindering apprehension. A judge ordered him held at the county jail on $500,000 bail, according to the prosecutor, Gurbir S. Grewal.
Mr. Noerdlinger, of Edgewater, N.J., is the son of Rachel Noerdlinger, a publicist and the former chief of staff to the mayors wife, Chirlane McCray. Ms. Noerdlinger took a leave of absence from City Hall after her role was overshadowed by controversy over her personal life that raised questions about the hiring and vetting process for senior aides. She left in November 2014, a few days after her son was arrested on a criminal trespassing charge, and as city investigators were looking into her omission during a background check that she lived with a boyfriend who had written provocative online posts criticizing the police and had a long record of arrests.
Mr. Grewal said Mr. Noerdlinger was arrested after he and others tried to remove evidence from the stabbing scene on Sunday night in Edgewater. Officials did not explain the dispute that led to the stabbing.
Uber drivers are commonly referred to as workers in the on-demand economy.
But on Monday, weeks after Uber announced that it was slashing prices for rides in cities across the country, hundreds of drivers gathered at the New York City headquarters of the ride-hailing service with a demand of their own: restore prices or face a backlash.
Tsering Sherpa, a Queens resident who said he drove for Uber six days a week, eight hours a day, predicted the fare cuts would force him to work 10 to 14 hours a day to make his rent and car payments.
New York City just keeps getting more and more expensive, Mr. Sherpa said at the rally. How are we supposed to survive with less money?
They call us partners, he added. But theyre treating us like slaves.
It was a sentiment shared by others in the crowd but one that Uber officials called unfair on Monday.
Arthur: Exactly. Some people think the Iowa caucuses have become the political equivalent of consulting a psychic: Im feeling a weak energy when you talk about someone named OMalley.
Whats your view?
Gail: At least we could get a different psychic every once in a while. I appreciate the theory that the first couple of shots should go to small states where the voters can get to know the candidates one on one.
But Iowans have become so entitled they feel offended if somebody fails to show up for their backyard barbecue.
At a minimum we should let, say, Nebraska and Connecticut have a turn.
Arthur: Even before the caucuses opened, the excuses and reproaches had started for the traditional candidates seemed poised to do so poorly which they did, except for Rubio. Over on the right, some traditional conservative leaders were already declaring last week that there is a permanent sea change in America; that the Republican Party is in a process of total realignment or disintegration; that the apocalypse is upon us; that dogs and cats will soon be living together. I think that that is overblown and premature.
What are you seeing over in Hillary world?
Gail: Well, Iowa certainly wasnt a great moment. And while Clinton represents the mainstream of the party fine, theres always that concern that something disastrous might happen.
Arthur: Ive heard that rooting for Hillary is sort of like being a Cubs fan: loyalty tinged with a sense of doom.
Do you mean theres concern over losing to Sanders or concern about an indictment that hands the election to the Republicans? That crisis seems to be getting worse, with new revelations of mishandled Top Secret emails as recently as Monday. Wouldnt it be something if a home-brewed email server got Cruz or Trump elected president?
No question, its one of the most devastating moments Ive experienced in politics and campaigns, he said. But you learn more from the losses than the wins.
Losing doesnt have to be demoralizing, but it is instructive. And so, in good faith, here are some tips for candidates to pick themselves up and brush themselves off after being disappointed in Iowa. If anything, they can take heart in the fact that they have joined an illustrious cohort of rejects.
To Jeb Bush: In 2015, your campaign proved super PACs cant buy voters affection. In 2016, its time for full YOLO mode. Harness the sheer power of your awkwardness to become an Internet meme of your own (MacBook Pro, baby) and for Petes sake, let yourself eat some dairy once in awhile. Lastly, please stop using the word serious to describe yourself and not serious to describe Donald Trump. Aside from being the least catchy buzzword of all time, seriousness is clearly not what voters are looking for this cycle.
To Chris Christie and John Kasich: Neither of you have made any suggestion that you would do well in Iowa, and we, the residents of Spin City, thank you for that honesty. In fact, you were both already in New Hampshire when the caucus results started coming in, and thats where you will remain for the foreseeable future.
To Carly Fiorina: You put Mr. Trump in his place on his vile comments on women once and you can do it again. The muddled anti-Trump effort within the G.O.P. needs a vocal leader why not claim that title as your own? Youll get plenty of hate from Mr. Trumps supporters, sure, but youd also earn a lot of admiration from Republicans who feel as though theyve been living through a rerun of Idiocracy for the past seven months.
To Rand Paul: Lots of people thought you would be the anomaly candidate this election year. You had cheerleaders in the libertarian base, and even in the political press, who hoped your more liberal policy ideas about criminal justice reform would enlarge the G.O.P. voter pie. Sadly, being dubbed the most interesting man in politics doesnt make you the most exciting one to voters. It might not be time to pick up your ball and go home just yet see what New Hampshires free staters have to say but dont forget you have a Senate election to worry about.
To Ben Carson: This isnt how it was supposed to happen, was it? Iowas Christian conservatives may adore you, but as youve found out, that doesnt mean they want you to be president. The so-called SEC primary in Bible Belt Southern states could still hold some hope for your bid. Just make sure Ted Cruz hasnt been siphoning gas out of your campaign bus while you werent looking.
CAIRO Miss Mona, welcome home. The airport told us youve just returned from Vienna.
I knew from the private caller ID that appeared on my phone that it was National Security calling to remind me as if Id forgotten that they kept tabs on me. I had indeed just returned to Cairo from months abroad promoting my book, but Vienna had not been on my itinerary. That was a reminder, too, of the incompetence that laces even the sinister in Egypt.
The officer, who identified himself by rank and first name only, did correctly name other places I had visited, including some I had not mentioned on my Twitter feed. That led me to believe the agency also monitors networks like WhatsApp and FaceTime chats that I use for private communications.
We just wanted to check in with you, he said. Did you visit Israel? Were calling you because you used to live in Israel. Has anyone offered you any work?
I was a Reuters correspondent in Jerusalem years earlier, from 1997 to 1999. Egypt and Israel have been at peace since the 1979 Camp David peace treaty; even so, Egyptians who visit Israel are regarded with suspicion and are often subjected to questioning upon return. I told the officer that I would not answer his questions unless my attorney was present, and ended the call.
He cited the shameful case of Kalief Browder, who was arrested in New York City at the age of 16 in 2010 and jailed for three years without trial for allegedly stealing a backpack. Mr. Browder spent two of those years in solitary confinement, endured unspeakable violence at the hands of inmates and guards and tried to kill himself several times. He was released in 2013, but never fully recovered, and he hanged himself last year.
Despite horror stories like this, as many as 100,000 people including juveniles and people with mental illnesses are held in solitary confinement and other forms of restrictive housing in American prisons, according to a new report by the Justice Department. Inmates often spend months or even years in small, cramped cells with virtually no human contact.
According to the report, the Bureau of Prisons in recent years has cut the number of inmates in solitary confinement and other restrictive housing. Federal officials believe that the new policies recommended in the report will lead to additionall reductions in restrictive housing populations. One recomendation is to divert inmates with serious mental illness to mental health units; another is to ban the use of punitive segregation for low-level infractions.
The new federal policy sets an excellent example for states and local governments that have yet to undertake reform.
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced last week that women in the military would get 12 paid weeks of maternity leave in all the services, twice the amount most were previously entitled to. (The Navy last year changed its policy to give women 18 weeks of paid leave.) In addition to the change announced by Mr. Carter, which does not require legislative approval, the Pentagon intends to ask Congress to increase paid paternity leave to 14 days from 10 days.
Mr. Carters thinking on this issue was informed by talking with private businesses about their parental leave policies in an effort to make the Pentagon, which employs roughly 1.3 million troops on active duty, more family-friendly.
The changes to Pentagon policy make it more generous than the policy that applies to civilian federal workers including those employed at the Defense Department who are allowed to take up to six weeks of paid sick leave after the birth of a child but are not entitled to paid parental leave. That, unfortunately, is the norm for American workers. According to the Department of Labor, only 12 percent of workers in the private sector get paid parental leave.
While you recruit a service member, you retain a family, Mr. Carter told reporters at the Pentagon last week. So what we do to strengthen quality of life for military families today, and what we do to demonstrate that were a family-friendly force to those we want to recruit, is absolutely essential to our future strength.
The boutique hotel El Fenn has long been a favorite of the fashion crowd for its glittery rooftop bar with views of the medina, and its one-of-a-kind rooms, decorated with hand-woven kilim blankets and plush, modern Berber carpets from the renowned rug seller Soufiane Zarib. Now, with its new, lushly appointed gift shop, admirers can take these home plus browse a carefully edited selection of other goods from Morocco and beyond, including unusual vintage jewelry, ethereal clothing by the French designer Thierry Colson and dramatic leather caftans and djellabas, embellished with snakeskin and ostrich, by the American artist Paul Rowland, who spearheaded the store.
After hackers breached the computer network of the U.C.L.A. medical center last summer, Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California, and her office moved to shore up security across the university systems 10 campuses.
Under a program initiated by Ms. Napolitano, the former secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration, the university system began installing hardware and software in its data centers that would monitor patterns of digital traffic, like what websites are being visited by faculty and students, or telltale signs of cyber intruders. The program, which was begun with little notice or consultation, soon rankled a group of professors at one campus, Berkeley, which has a deep-seated ethos of academic freedom as the cradle of the free speech movement in the 1960s.
In recent days, the professors have begun speaking out publicly about the issue. My primary concern is monitoring the private information of students and faculty in secret, said Eric Brewer, a professor of computer science at U.C. Berkeley. Im sure theres good intent. But I cant see a good reason for doing it.
The resistance from Mr. Brewer and other professors at Berkeley, which is now becoming a public debate with the university systems administrators, raises the issue of how to define academic freedom in the age of online attacks. While some of the professors criticize the monitoring program as one that invades their privacy, the University of California has responded that privacy perishes in the absence of security.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. In the final session of a trial that could yield a crucial decision about a policy that has been disputed for years, a federal judge heard closing arguments on Monday about North Carolinas voter identification law.
The arguments capped a six-day bench trial, before Judge Thomas D. Schroeder of Federal District Court, that included emotional testimony about voting rights and technical analyses of the laws impact. The outcome will be seen as an important measure of what voting-related laws federal courts might allow states to pursue and enforce.
The North Carolina chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. and other plaintiffs argued Monday, as they have for months, that the Republican-controlled General Assembly drafted the voter identification law in 2013 as a surreptitious way to curb the influence of black and Hispanic voters. The N.A.A.C.P. has argued that those voters are less likely to have one of the six accepted forms of identification required and often face more hardship in obtaining them.
They knew that all these provisions, taken individually and together, have racially discriminatory intent, said Catherine Meza, a lawyer for the United States Justice Department, which joined the N.A.A.C.P. in the litigation.
LOS ANGELES After five days on the run, two of the three inmates who had broken out of an Orange County jail came to blows as they argued over whether to kill a taxi driver they had kidnapped in Southern California and taken with them to San Jose.
One escaped inmate, Hossein Nayeri, 37, apparently wanted to kill the taxi driver and bury his body, law enforcement officials said. But another escapee, Bac Duong, 43, objected, and the two fought inside the motel room where they were hiding on Wednesday.
The altercation proved to be a turning point in the statewide hunt for the three escapees, who had broken out of the Orange County Central Mens Jail on Jan. 22. All three now face charges for the escape.
When Mr. Nayeri and the third escapee, Jonathan Tieu, 20, left the motel on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Duong and the cabdriver took off. The two drove back to Southern California, where Mr. Duong turned himself in on Friday morning, according to Orange County Sheriffs Department officials. The other fugitives were recaptured the next day.
DES MOINES Fury carried Ted Cruz to victory. And it stopped Hillary Clinton from truly claiming one.
The vote here in Iowa was a portrait of red-hot America, so disaffected that it turned to a pugilistic evangelical Republican who calls for demolition of a system saturated with corruption. And it sent a forceful message to Democratic leaders that it was unwilling to put aside its resentment of Wall Street and corporate America to crown a lifelong party insider who has amassed millions in speaking fees from the big banks.
Monday nights results confirmed that despite the widening cultural and political fissures that have divided right and left, voters are united in an impatience, even a revulsion, at what they see as a rigged system that no longer works for them.
For Republicans, the enemy is an overreaching government, strangling their freedoms and pocketbooks. For Democrats, it is an unfair economy, shrinking their paychecks and aspirations.
Among the Republicans it may be Mr. Rubio, with his late leap toward the top of the pack in Iowa, who now has the best opportunity to consolidate support from establishment-minded Republicans in New Hampshire and nationally. The campaign here has already erupted into bitter combat between the candidates, as an array of super PACs have aired attack ads against Mr. Christie, Mr. Kasich and Mr. Rubio, and the candidates have sparred with each other from afar.
Peter Spaulding, a longtime Republican elected official in New Hampshire who chaired Senator John McCains successful campaign in the state, said Mr. Trump remained the defining figure in the race here. Should his base of support fracture, the other candidates could gain ground quickly.
The question mark is really how strong and committed the Trump vote is, said Mr. Spaulding. New Hampshire is a fickle electorate and there are always surprises.
Mr. Christie and Mr. Kasich could face virtual elimination if they fail to stand out in New Hampshire. They have little money left in their campaign accounts and are relying on a strong showing to replenish their coffers and give them a shot of momentum for the next primary contests, in South Carolina and Nevada.
Jan. 31
Shaelynn Gonzales, 23, of Elko was arrested at the intersection of Silver and 11th streets for DUI. Bail: $1,140
Dana M. McIvor, 30, of Red Mesa, Arizona, was arrested at 2944 Mountain City Highway for reckless driving and carrying a loaded rifle or shotgun in vehicle. Bail: $1,530
Dana M. McIvor, 30, of Red Mesa, Arizona, was arrested at 2944 Mountain City Highway for an unlawful act regarding a bald or golden eagle and five counts of hunting, trapping, possessing or selling a bird of prey without a permit. Bail: $3,840
Rachelle L. Reymers, 21, of Elko was arrested at 1806 Winchester Drive for failure to appear after bail for a misdemeanor crime. No bail listed.
Devin S. Shadel, 20, of Las Vegas was arrested at 1170 Colt Drive for possession of a controlled substance and use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $5,637
PELLA, Iowa When Dan Spotten opened the doors to Pella High School shortly after 5 p.m. to allow voters from six Republican precincts to cast ballots in the Iowa caucuses, he was committed to running a tight ship.
Mr. Spotten, the site chairman for the caucuses, owns a sign-making company, and he made color-coded signs directing people to register at tables for each voting precinct, sit together, fill out color-coded ballots and drop them into colored buckets.
He planned to keep the speakers for each candidate to a tight schedule. I am not fussing around, he said. Theyve got two minutes. Im going to line em up like cattle.
Mr. Spotten predicted a large turnout, as many as 2,000 people compared with the 1,260 who caucused four years ago. There would be a surge for Donald J. Trump, he said, but also for other first-timers who wanted to stop Mr. Trump.
5:40 P.M. As a precinct captain for the first time, Steve Rose memorized talking points from the Sanders campaign and studied a math sheet on viability counts (paid for by Bernie 2016 not the billionaires), his sights set on converting OMalley supporters who might find themselves in need of a new candidate.
He arrived here with other enticements as well: Rice Krispies Treats, miniature cinnamon buns and sandwiches from the local Hy-Vee supermarket. This is Iowa, so I brought some food and water to appeal to the basic needs, said Mr. Rose, an education professor at Simpson College in Indianola. Well be there for a couple hours.
Mr. Rose, whose wife, Mary Jones, was a precinct captain for Senator Barack Obama in 2008, ruefully recalled losing out on some supporters because a rival campaign had brought homemade sandwiches.
7:02 P.M. The chairman, Mr. Nelson, raps his hand on a table and calls the caucus to order. The eyes of the nation are on us tonight, he says. And the world, too, I might add. The count is announced: 137 eligible voters, meaning candidates will need 21 voters to remain viable.
A billionaire real estate mogul, Mr. Trump satisfied the thirst of many voters for an outsider candidate. About half of voters said they wanted the next president to be from outside the political establishment, and of those voters, nearly half supported Mr. Trump.
Just over 1 in 10 voters named immigration as their most important issue, but Mr. Trump did well with those voters.
Mr. Rubio saw strength among college graduates, who favored him over the other candidates. About 1 in 5 voters said a candidates ability to win in November was the quality that mattered most, and they backed Mr. Rubio, who has emphasized his electability in November.
More than one-third of Republican caucusgoers said they decided whom to support more than a month ago, and they heavily backed Mr. Trump. The same number made up their minds in the last few days, and they broke for Mr. Rubio.
On the Democratic side, Mrs. Clinton, who served as secretary of state in President Obamas administration, has presented herself as the best person to build on his agenda. The majority of Democratic caucus voters said the next president should generally continue President Obamas policies, rather than change to more or less liberal policies.
Those voters who want to continue Mr. Obamas policies favor Mrs. Clinton over Mr. Sanders by a large margin.
The Justice Department announced Monday that it will conduct a sweeping review of the San Francisco Police Department, looking at everything from episodes involving the use of force to officer training and stops of civilians.
The review was requested by Edwin M. Lee, San Franciscos mayor, after police officers fatally shot an African-American man, Mario Woods, 26, on a city street on Dec. 2. Mobile phone video of the shooting was made public, prompting protests and calls for the police chiefs resignation.
This will be a very in-depth analysis, said Noble Wray, who heads the federal office responsible for the review. It is a tremendous asset to law enforcement for the Justice Department to come in and provide technical assistance.
San Francisco is the latest big city over the past year to have a federal review of its police department, after Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
Three teenage boys were arrested in Seattle on Monday in connection with a shooting last week at a homeless encampment known as the Jungle that left two people dead, the police said.
The suspects, ages 13, 16 and 17, were arrested at a homeless encampment under an Interstate 90 off-ramp, said the Seattle police chief, Kathleen OToole. They were being interviewed by homicide investigators on Monday evening and were to be booked at the Youth Service Center for investigation of homicide, the police said.
No other suspects were being sought.
Catching those responsible for this senseless act of violence has been the focus of our efforts since our patrol officers arrived on scene, Chief OToole said.
Chief OToole said the authorities searched multiple locations and vehicles after the arrests, and one gun was recovered. Investigators were conducting ballistics tests to determine whether it had been used in the shooting at the Jungle or in other crimes, she said.
DES MOINES Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, powered by a surge of support from evangelical Christians, dealt a humbling loss to Donald J. Trump in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, throwing into question the depth of support for Mr. Trumps unconventional candidacy.
In the first contest of what so far has been more a populist revolt against the political order than a traditional Republican primary, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida finished a strong third, bolstering his case to consolidate the support of Republicans uneasy about the two top finishers.
With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Mr. Cruz had nearly 28 percent of the vote, Mr. Trump 24 percent and Mr. Rubio 23 percent.
The French government urged the United States to lift the economic embargo against Cuba during a state visit by the Cuban president, Raul Castro, that was aimed at bolstering economic relations between Havana and Paris. Mr. Castros trip on Monday came after a breakthrough deal was reached in the French capital in December to lighten Cubas foreign debt. President Francois Hollande greeted Mr. Castro, 84, on Monday with a warm embrace in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace, then started the meeting by exclaiming Vive Cuba! The United States announced a normalization of relations with Cuba in December 2014, but it still maintains an economic embargo of the Caribbean island.
At least 13 college students drowned in the Arabian Sea on Monday after being swept away by a receding tide. A group of more than 100 students had visited a beach in the western state of Maharashtra and went for a swim after lunch, said J. P. Yadav, a Coast Guard official. The bodies of 10 women and three men were recovered, and six women were rescued, Mr. Yadav said. One student was still missing. Drownings took place in the same area in 2014 and last year, which prompted the authorities to post warnings.
It is not clear how Russia will react to the fortified military presence along NATOs eastern flank. Since the signing of a cease-fire agreement last year, Mr. Putins government has tried to ease tensions with the West. Officials said the Russian government was eager for the United States and Europe to roll back economic sanctions, which suggested that it would not escalate tensions over the new military commitments.
But outside analysts were surprised by the magnitude of the increase in military funding for Europe, which is part of an overall budget request of $580 billion for the Pentagon. Mr. Obama, according to a defense official, is also going to ask Congress for a 35 percent increase $7 billion to fight Islamic State militants.
Some analysts said the increased funding and deployments would certainly rattle Russia. Among the countries where the equipment and additional forces could be deployed are Hungary, Romania and the Baltic countries, Pentagon officials said.
This is a really big deal, and the Russians are going to have a cow, said Evelyn N. Farkas, who until October was the Pentagons top policy official on Russia and Ukraine. Its a huge sign of commitment to deterring Russia, and to strengthening our alliance and our partnership with countries like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
While the increase in funding for Europe is significant, the administration is proposing that the money come from a separate war-funding account that is meant to pay for operations in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, as well as the continued American military presence in Afghanistan. That means it is a one-time request, not necessarily a continuing commitment built in to budget requests beyond 2017, officials said.
A grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a reform-minded cleric who was disqualified last week from running for election to an important clerical council in Iran, received a significant endorsement on Monday from an influential former president, a possible indication that his candidacy might be revived. The grandson, Hassan Khomeini, 43, has said he would appeal his disqualification to run for a seat on the council, known as the Assembly of Experts, which is empowered to choose the next supreme leader. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president and political veteran who was close to Mr. Khomeinis grandfather, the founder of the Islamic Republic, was quoted in state media as saying that the vetters of candidates had no right to disqualify Mr. Khomeini.
The monument to the provisional second lieutenants taken down on Monday. LUIS SEVILLANO
With no prior warning, the city of Madrid has begun tearing down its remaining monuments dedicated to figures and entities connected to the Franco dictatorship.
On Monday, workers took down a stone memorial to Spanish army officers located in the Jeronimos neighborhood, without first informing the Madrid Heritage Committee. The piece paid tribute to officers who served under the military rank of alferez provisional (provisional second lieutenant).
Also on Monday, a headstone put up in memory of the right-wing unionist Jose Garcia Vara, who was assassinated in an ambush in 1935, was removed.
You cant just take down monuments like this, regardless of whether you like them or not
Before that, on Friday of last week, city workers took away a plaque in the Carabanchel district commemorating the execution by leftist forces of eight Carmelite friars in 1936.
And the city has now revealed plans to do away with five other memorials, including two in honor of Jose Calvo Sotelo, a right-wing deputy who was killed in 1936 by members of the Republican Assault Guard.
When the leftist citizen platform Ahora Madrid successfully took over the city council from the long-ruling Popular Party (PP) conservatives after the May 2015 elections, one of its promises was to eliminate all Francoist vestiges from the city streets, in compliance with the Historical Memory Law that Congress passed in 2007.
But not everyone in Madrid is happy about the move. On Monday, workers who took down the monolith in Jeronimos attempted to load both sections into a truck, but met with opposition from several individuals who had gathered at the scene.
Street names up for change V.G.O. On December 22, Madrid City Hall approved a Socialist proposal to change at least "30 street names referencing the Franco dictatorship." The initiative met with support from Ahora Madrid and Ciudadanos, but received a no vote from the PP. The local government is now working on a memory plan to implement the project.
Ultimately, the workers drove away, leaving the sections lying on the grass. Somebody later covered the downed monument with a Spanish flag.
A witness told EL PAIS that one of the protesters sat on top of the stone memorial to prevent workers from taking it away. The latter called the police, but then decided to leave before the patrol car showed up.
The monolith, which had been in place since 1960, is a tribute to a military category alferez provisional, or second lieutenant explains Antonio Morcillo of Gefrema, an association that works to preserve Madrids Civil War heritage.
There were a great many of them who came out of the academies with a very basic military training, with no experience, and who were placed in command of troops, says Morcilla. Their lack of know-how led to huge casualties. Most of them did not make it past their first battle.
This scholar opposes the elimination of such memorials. Deleting the things that reflect the history of either side seems to me like an atrocious thing to do.
Completely perplexed
The Socialist spokeswoman for cultural affairs, councilor Mar Espinar, says she feels completely perplexed at the citys decision to remove the monument.
You cant just take down monuments like this, regardless of whether you like them or not, she said. The choice of plaques, sculptures or memorials set for elimination must first go through the citys Culture Committee, which must greenlight the move after analyzing each case.
Espinar said her party had no official knowledge of what the Manuela Carmena administration was up to. There are no reports on the subject, she said.
But government sources deny that they are removing monuments without warning. The culture commissioner [Celia Mayer] announced it at the December 22 plenary session, said one source.
English version by Susana Urra.
The mystery of what will happen to Picassos 1931 plaster bust of his mistress and muse Marie-Therese Walter after the Museum of Modern Arts blockbuster show closes on Sunday has been temporarily resolved.
The two parties disputing the sculptures ownership the dealer Larry Gagosian and a representative of the Qatar royal family have agreed that the statue will go to the Gagosian Gallery until the conflict is adjudicated.
The two groups both claim that they own the bust and that it was sold to them by the daughter of Picasso and Ms. Walter, Maya Widmaier-Picasso, 80. In a legal action filed last month in federal court in Manhattan against the Qatari familys agent, Pelham Holdings, Mr. Gagosian claimed that he bought the sculpture in May for about $106 million from Ms. Widmaier-Picasso, and then sold it to an undisclosed New York collector.
But an agent for Pelham Holdings, which is managed by Guy Bennett, maintained in its own court documents that it had an agreement with Ms. Widmaier-Picasso to buy the work in November 2014 for 38 million euros, or about $42 million.
Though he wont be the next music director of the New York Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen isnt leaving anytime soon: Named the orchestras composer in residence last year, he remains in that position through the 2017-18 season. He programmed and hosted the Philharmonics latest installment of its Contact! new-music series on Monday at National Sawdust in Williamsburg, a rare foray to Brooklyn by a Lincoln Center institution.
Mr. Salonen gave the evening a personal slant, and not just with the inclusion of his own Floof (Songs of a Homeostatic Homer), written in 1982, when he was in his mid-20s, and revised in 1990. He rounded out the concert with chamber works by three of his mentors and teachers, introducing each piece with witty, sometimes poignant reminiscences. (For one thing, it turns out that Franco Donatoni, with whom he studied in Italy, was apparently banned from the town center in Siena because of his kleptomania.)
The predominant mood was of high yet forbidding spirits; there was barely an easy moment in the hour or so of music. But played with relish and precision by members of the Philharmonic and some guests, the works felt vital and thorny, full of character.
Influenced by John Cage, Lutoslawskis String Quartet (1964) moves in unexpected directions: At times, the musicians cue one another to determine when one section is over and the next should begin, and the four players lines are supposed to function independently, overlapping largely by chance.
The sexual outlaw is now a sexual outcast. Youd think after Burroughs had put a bullet through his wifes head, after Mailer had stabbed his, the demented comedian in Sandy comments, Id catch a break. Instead, a persecuting spirit all but hounds him out of Brooklyn.
Once in Michigan, he finds a house and sets up a literary war room. His novel is long overdue, so he lays in enough Office Depot goodies, of a luxury sort, to knock the thing out in a few months. Here we find him midappraisal: I also had an Aeron chair, a laptop with separate cordless keyboard and mouse, an external hard drive, a printer, a scanner/fax/copier, a smartphone, an iPod and a stereo dock, a modem, a high-speed Internet connection, and a wireless router to connect it all; everything the reclusive author needed except a briar pipe and a walking stick.
What he lacks is his muse. His novel is not merely stalled; privately, hes given it up for dead. He fritters away his days, watching pornography, listening to playlists of thrillingly sad music and ingesting beers before lunch. His publisher is threatening to demand that he return his advance; hes living on a grant that may be cut off.
Mr. Sorrentino is the author of five previous books, notably Trance (2005), a winding and Don DeLillo-ish novel that was a remixing of the events surrounding Patty Hearsts kidnapping. That book was a finalist for the National Book Award but didnt attract the audience it deserved. Trance had the misfortune of appearing in the wake of Susan Chois sublime 2003 novel, American Woman, also loosely about the Hearst case, which caught a larger ride in the culture.
Mr. Sorrentinos new novel is, you cant help noticing, at least vaguely autobiographical. Like Sandy, he was involved in a painful divorce, so painful that a book Benjamin Anastass memoir, Too Good to Be True (2012) has been written by another party in the sorry mess. Sandys father, a college professor, somewhat resembles the authors own, the novelist Gilbert Sorrentino. Sandys novel is overdue; this is Mr. Sorrentinos first major book in more than a decade.
Enthusiasm spread like a virus in the way that you always hope will happen, Molly Stern, the publisher of Hogarth, said. Well see if that virus spreads into the reading public.
The story centers on Yeong-hye, a melancholy housewife who is haunted by violent dreams that drive her to stop eating meat. Her abusive husband views her vegetarianism as an act of rebellion, while her brother-in-law becomes obsessed with her increasingly emaciated figure and her bluish birthmark, and lures her into performing in his sexually explicit video art. Like a cursed madwoman in classical myth, Yeong-hye seems both eerily prophetic and increasingly unhinged when she begins starving herself, hoping to transform into a tree.
Ms. McBride, the author of A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing, said she was struck by the alignment of extraordinarily lyrical prose with incredibly brutal content.
The tension between the two creates a very singular effect within the reader; a sense of complete immersion and utter disorientation all at once, Ms. McBride wrote in an email. The technical achievement is astonishing and all the more so because she never allows you even a glimpse at the seams.
If Ms. Han gains a broad American readership, she will be one of the first South Korean authors to do so. While American publishers have become more willing to take risks on works in translation, particularly since the commercial success of international authors like Elena Ferrante, Karl Ove Knausgaard and Haruki Murakami, literary imports from South Korea remain scarce. Just a few prominent contemporary South Korean novelists have been published in the United States, including Young-ha Kim and Kyung-sook Shin.
Some scholars, editors and translators say it is a shame that South Koreas vibrant and diverse literary culture has been largely overlooked by Western publishers, even as other Korean cultural exports like K-pop have spread across the globe. There are so few works of Korean literature in translation, especially contemporary stuff, said Ed Park, a Korean-American novelist and executive editor at Penguin Press.
If you cant beat em, join em. Unilever, the global food and consumer products giant, said on Tuesday that it would begin selling an eggless sandwich spread.
Hellmanns Carefully Crafted Dressing and Sandwich Spread will make its debut a little more than a year after Unilever sued Hampton Creek, the upstart food company whose Just Mayo eggless spread has dented the market share of conventional mayonnaises.
We talk with our fans all the time, share ideas and begin to have idea of what theyre interested in, said Russel Lilly, marketing director at Hellmanns, which is known as Best Foods west of the Rockies. There was clearly a lot of excitement and interest from our fans and thats why we decided to take this step.
Carefully Crafted will hit shelves in the middle of this month, together with three organic versions Original, Roasted Garlic and Spicy Chipotle of Hellmanns mayonnaise.
China is on the verge of its biggest ever foreign deal and another possible political storm.
The state-owned China National Chemical Corporation is nearing a deal to acquire Syngenta of Switzerland, one of the worlds biggest manufacturers of agriculture chemicals and seeds, people with knowledge of the discussions said on Tuesday.
The deal values Syngenta around $43 billion, one of the people said. An acquisition would signal Chinas continued global business ambitions even at a time when worries about its slowing economic growth have gripped the worlds markets.
An announcement could come as soon as Wednesday, when Syngenta reports earnings, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
A purchase of Syngenta could help China, the worlds second-largest economy after the United States, revolutionize its agriculture sector. A deal could help accelerate Chinas push for food independence.
The advance of the China National Chemical Corporation, a state-owned company, on Syngenta leaves Monsanto in a thorny spot.
The Chinese company, known as ChemChina, is nearing a deal for Syngenta, the Swiss seeds and pesticides maker. Its friendly nature and the cash involved probably make it better than a similarly valued offer last year from the American rival Monsanto, whose merger options are getting tougher.
Having kicked off the industrys mating season, Monsanto is for now on its own. It made repeated overtures to Syngenta to combine the worlds leading players in seed production and crop protection. Its most recent offer was 470 Swiss francs in cash and stock per share in August 2015.
Syngenta argued that Monsanto was trying to buy it on the cheap at a low point in the agrochemical cycle, but it now looks ready to accept a similar price from ChemChina. By offering all cash, the Chinese company could wind up being less intrusive for both employees and senior management.
LONDON National Australia Bank said on Tuesday that it would delay the initial public offering of its British unit, Clydesdale Bank, by a day after a request from a ratings agency for information that could affect the units rating.
In a news release, National Australia Bank said the spinoff was proceeding as planned, with final pricing to be announced on Wednesday.
The offering is supported by investors at a price of 180 pence, or about $2.57, a share, National Australia Bank said. That is near the bottom of its previously announced range of 175 pence to 235 pence a share.
Clydesdale, one of the three banks authorized to print pound notes in Scotland, would be valued at 1.54 billion pounds, or about $2.2 billion, at the bottom end of the range.
Magic Leap, a secretive augmented reality start-up based in Dania Beach, Fla., announced on Tuesday that it had raised a $793 million round of venture financing, valuing the company at $3.7 billion, excluding the new funds.
The round comes during a race to discover and create the next breakout platform for consumers, which many of the worlds largest tech companies think will be some form of virtual reality.
In 2014 Facebook paid $2 billion for Oculus, a virtual reality company that plans to ship its first headsets to consumers in the coming weeks. Microsoft has been working on Hololens, and Apple is reportedly at work on its own efforts.
But Magic Leap has drawn attention for the prominent investors it has attracted Google, Fidelity Investments and Warner Brothers, among others despite being almost completely closed off from showing the public any of its products. Only occasionally do the founders pop up to give interviews.
LONDON LVMH, the worlds largest luxury group by sales, recorded full year profit and revenue for 2015 that outpaced analysts expectations, despite a rocky global market.
Annual profit from recurring operations rose 16 percent last year to 6.6 billion euros, or $7.2 billion, LVMH, a French company, said Tuesday, a soaring earnings increase from its portfolio of over 70 brands including Louis Vuitton, Veuve Clicquot and Bulgari. Analysts predicted profit of 6.5 billion, according to an average of 27 estimates.
Total sales were 35.7 billion ($38.8 billion) for 2015, a growth of 6 percent in organic terms compared with 2014 and more than twice the estimated 2 to 3 percent growth in the global luxury market as a whole.
A strong performance in the United States, Europe and Japan offset weakness in China, where LVMH has recently shuttered stores, the company said in a statement after the Paris markets closed.
More information Ted Cruz derrota a Donald Trump en los caucus de Iowa
Billionaire Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump discovered on Monday night that he is not quite as invincible as he makes himself out to be.
In a surprise result, the New York mogul who has caused a stir in US politics with his aggressive speeches and his xenophobic stance on migration and terrorism lost the Republican caucus in Iowa to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the Christian-right conservative who has been one of the main targets of Trumps campaign speeches.
Cruz emerged the winner with 28% of the Iowa vote, compared with Trumps 24%. Marco Rubio, the Republican senator from Florida, trailed narrowly behind in third with 23%.
In the Democratic vote, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ended up locked in a tight race with Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont, one of the nights moral victors. Clinton received 49.9% of the Democratic vote, with Sanders right behind with 49.5%.
The close results in both the Democratic and Republican caucuses indicate the US race will be long and bitter
The close results in both the Democratic and Republican caucuses indicate that the race for the White House will be long and bitter.
The outcome in Iowa throws up a fascinating paradox in American politics. The Midwest state, with a more than 90% non-Hispanic white population, has given a real and a strong moral victory to two Republican Latinos Cruz and Rubio, both of Cuban descent who also support tougher immigration laws.
After the results were announced, Trump gave one of the strangest speeches of his campaign so far at a hotel in West Des Moines. Strange because it was so normal: short, and without any broadsides or insults against his opponents.
On the other hand, the tone of Rubios speech hopeful, patriotic and somewhat autobiographical sounded like the remarks of the winner.
No clear Republic favorite emerged from the Iowa caucus. Cruzs victory does not automatically give him popular-choice status among Republican voters: he is too far to the right to appeal to voters with more centrist views than those in Iowa.
In the Democratic race, even though Clinton won, Sanders strong showing on Monday night half the voters in the assemblies held statewide supported his candidacy may indicate that there are deep ideological divisions within the party.
The former secretary of state faces a lot of mistrust among a good part of the electorate. But she has a solid campaign in key states and the support of minority Latinos and Hispanics, who are expected to play a decisive role in the November 8 election.
The Iowa caucus and the state primaries in general is a guessing game. Rubios better-than-expected showing has thrust him into the limelight as the person who can beat Trump and shake up the Republican Party.
Trump did not hurl any broadsides or insults against his opponents in his speech
The candidates now move on to New Hampshire, where the first primary of the 2016 election will be held on February 9. Trump and Sanders are the favorites in the New England state of 1.3 million residents.
The caucuses in Iowa have never been decisive in the race for the presidential nomination a process that will last five months with all 50 states participating. But they do help filter out candidates who have little or no support.
Former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley withdrew his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination after receiving less than 1% of the vote. Republican Mike Huckabee also said that he would be abandoning the race.
Monday nights outcome will not stop Trump from seeking the Republican nomination, but will serve to bring him back down to earth.
Clinton has the support of Latinos and Hispanics, who are expected to play a decisive role in the November 8 election
Until Iowa, the real estate mogul had never faced any kind of vote. The Trump phenomenon was based solely on the results of voting intention polls, the huge crowds he attracted to his rallies, and the media attention he was getting.
But real politics is rather more difficult than the virtual kind.
English version by Martin Delfin.
Last September, Dallas-area drivers for UberBlack, the companys high-end car service, received an email informing them that they would be expected to start picking up passengers on UberX, its low-cost option.
The next day, when the policy was scheduled to go into effect, dozens of drivers caravaned to Ubers office in downtown Dallas and planted themselves outside until company officials met with them. Many had taken out loans to buy luxury vehicles that cost upward of $35,000, and worried that the modest per-mile rate for UberX passengers would barely cover gas and wear and tear, to say nothing of their car payments.
The standoff stretched across nearly three more tense days until Uber allowed them to opt out of the policy. They thought we were just going to give up, walk away, said Kirubel Kebede, a leader of the group. But we said, No, this is our livelihood.
In the rapid growth of the online gig economy, many workers have felt squeezed and at times dehumanized by a business structure that promises independence but often leaves them at the mercy of increasingly powerful companies. Some are beginning to band together in search of leverage and to secure what they see as fairer treatment from the platforms that make the work possible.
They include Justin Yu and Karen Man at Oxheart in Houston, Shirley Chung at Twenty Eight in Irvine, Calif., Brandon Jew of the eagerly awaited Mister Jius in San Francisco, and Sheridan Su of Fat Choy in Las Vegas. In New York, Mission Chinese Food and RedFarm both have a similar spirit and exciting food.
There is also a junior class of specialists, like Hannah and Marian Cheng of Mimi Chengs Dumplings in the East Village, where the dumplings are made from sustainable meat and served with farm-to-table vegetable sides from their Taiwanese mothers recipes; the Boba Guys, who use organic milk and house-made syrup in their bubble tea; and Debbie Mullin of Wei Kitchen in Seattle, who makes small-batch shallot and chile oils.
Mr. Su is a refugee from fine-dining kitchens on the Las Vegas Strip who started a solo career making bao in a corner of a strip-mall hair salon. His newest venture, Flock & Fowl, is devoted to the classic southern Chinese dish called Hainanese chicken rice, but with upgraded ingredients and innovations like congee topped with fried (free-range) chicken, a poached (organic) egg and (house-made) pickles.
Most of these chefs have never been to China and have no Chinese culinary training, so they are learning as they go, synthesizing the values of the kitchens they know (organic, seasonal, soigne) with Chinese elements they do not. No one would give me even the lowest kitchen job in Beijing, said Cara Stadler, 28, who grew up in Massachusetts and moved to China with substantial experience in the kitchens of the chefs Guy Savoy and Gordon Ramsay. Instead, she started the citys first underground supper club. Going to the markets every day forced me to really learn about Chinese produce, she said.
Ms. Stadler is now the chef and owner of Tao Yuan in Brunswick, Me., where the shellfish are plentiful and exquisite. Next week, for the Lunar New Year, she will be making plump scallop won tons and then drying the bivalves side muscles to simmer into a homemade XO sauce, a fiery, funky, hugely popular condiment from Hong Kong.
Chinese ingredients by themselves are a vast field of study dried mushrooms, cured meats, salted fish and bean pastes are only the beginning. Most of these chefs grew up without them: Instead, they ate a combination of American snacks, global fast food and the kind of meals a Chinese mother living in Dayton, Ohio, or Avon, Conn., might produce on a Tuesday night in the 1980s: beef stir-fried with romaine lettuce (in the absence of gai lan or bok choy) or fried rice studded with pepperoni instead of sweet lap cheong.
Headliner
Kossars Bagels & Bialys In the bagel capital of the world, the bialy, the round, flattened roll with onions in the center, also gets its due. Evan Giniger and David Zablocki, who in 2013 bought the 80-year-old Kossars Bialys on the Lower East Side, closed it in September for renovations. The working bakery in the back is now enclosed in glass, and the storefront is no longer drab, newly decked out with subway tiles and white marble. And now you can order your bialy sliced and filled with cream cheese, peanut butter, hummus and even whitefish salad, which was never offered before. Kossars is also making its own cream cheeses, labeled (and trademarked) as Schmears, in flavors like lox, vegetable, horseradish and everything bagel. The bialys have gone on a flavor trip, too, with sun-dried tomato, olive and apple-cinnamon. There are also pletzls (onion flatbreads), challahs and babkas. Sandwiches like the Yenta, with whitefish salad and pastrami salmon, are available for the first time. (Opens Friday): 367 Grand Street (Essex Street), 212-473-4810, kossars.com.
Opening
City Crab Shack Now that City Crab & Seafood on Park Avenue South is giving way to the relocated Union Square Cafe, Andrew Silverman and Dean Palin have moved their version of a Chesapeake Bay seafood spot a short distance away. The centerpiece is a tank full of blue crabs and lobsters that become Maryland crab soup, lobster rolls and crab beignets. (Wednesday): 10 East 16th Street, 212-529-3800, citycrabshack.com.
Lionsbeerstore A bistro and bodega stocked with more than 350 beers pours them to go with hearty food like a sausage platter, fish and chips, and chicken soup with dumplings, and sells them retail: 104 Second Avenue (East Sixth Street), 212-475-0595, lionsbeerstore.com.
Pizzeria Sirenetta When the Mermaid Inn on the Upper West Side moved next door, its original space was left dangling. Danny Abrams and Cindy Smith, the owners, have turned it into a white-brick and tile Italian restaurant and pizzeria. Theres a need for good Italian up here, Mr. Abrams said. Danny Amend, who was at Marcos and Frannys, is consulting, and Camille Rodriguez, formerly at the Red Cat, is in the open kitchen that divides the space into two dining rooms. A wood and gas oven roars in full view, turning out lusty pizzas, including their version of white clam and another with spinach, garlic hot peppers and fontina. Antipasti with an emphasis on vegetables, and a concise array of pastas and main dishes round out the menu. Sirenetta translates as little mermaid: 568 Amsterdam Avenue (88th Street), 212-799-7401, pizzeriasirenetta.com.
Who knows? Last week at the Paris couture shows, playing the front-row game of telephone, it was said that Haider Ackermann was being considered for the Lanvin job.
Image Hedi Slimane, the creative director at Saint Laurent. Credit... Yves Saint Laurent, via Getty Images
All of it pales, however, in comparison to the talk surrounding the future of Hedi Slimane, the Saint Laurent creative director who will have a mega-blowout mens wear show on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles, after which, goes the chatter (which has been denied by YSL by the way, to no apparent avail), he may go to Christian Dior, to take the job Raf Simons left in October. Or to Chanel. Or to start his own house. Or, well, to do something else. He did it before, after all, when he left Dior Homme in 2007.
Of course, he might not go to Christian Dior, theres some history there, not all of it good. Also, he is based in L.A., and its hard to imagine the petites mains of a Parisian couture atelier hopping on a plane with their sewing kits multiple times a year. So maybe Sarah Burton, the creative director of Alexander McQueen, will go to Dior even though she is based in London, about to have her third child and is emotionally tied to the house her mentor built. Plus, McQueen has denied she is leaving.
And Mr. Slimane might not go to Chanel, because maybe Ms. Burtons compatriot Phoebe Philo, the creative director of Celine, might take that job.
And, of course, Chanels creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, despite being 80-something, does not appear to be going anywhere. He just produced one of the best couture shows of the week.
A case of Zika virus infection transmitted by sex, rather than mosquito bite, was discovered in Texas on Tuesday, a development sure to complicate plans to contain a global epidemic.
The Dallas County Health and Human Services Department reported that a patient with the Zika virus was infected after having sex with someone who had returned from Venezuela, where Zika is circulating.
After the report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its advice to Americans visiting regions in which the Zika virus is spreading.
Men having sex after traveling to these areas should consider wearing condoms, officials said, although they did not indicate for how long this would be necessary. Pregnant women should avoid contact with semen from men recently exposed to the virus, federal officials also said. The agency plans to issue further guidelines soon.
One by one, the jurors held the Glock 9-millimeter pistol that had belonged to Police Officer Peter Liang, from which a bullet ricocheted down a housing project stairwell and killed an unarmed man in November 2014.
In turn, each juror aimed the gun at the back wall of the courtroom and squeezed the trigger. Each click was audible. In the audience, some started in their seats.
The dramatic demonstration took place at State Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Tuesday, the second week of the trial of Officer Liang, who faces manslaughter and other charges in the death of Akai Gurley, 28. A bullet from the officers gun pierced Mr. Gurleys heart in a stairwell at the Louis H. Pink Houses in the East New York section of Brooklyn.
Earlier on Tuesday, Melissa Butler, who was with Mr. Gurley on the staircase, described her attempts to revive him on the landing.
Public Advocate Letitia James has sued the New York City Education Department, saying a $130 million computer system meant to track services for students with disabilities was a failure.
Because of the systems shortcomings, the lawsuit said, children have been deprived of necessary assistance and the city has lost out on hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements.
There are more than 200,000 students in the citys public schools with individualized education plans, known as I.E.P.s, which entitle them to special education services like speech therapy. The computer system, called the Special Education Student Information System, was developed in 2009 as a way to keep track of them, a replacement for a system that relied on paper.
The system was intended to track the services students were eligible to receive and to create records that could be used to get the city reimbursed. But Ms. James, a Democrat, said it had been plagued with difficulties since its inception.
Eventually, he worked his way over to a biscuit in the pen and seemed to warm to the crowd. (The ceremony was tweaked after Chucks fall in 2014: The animal appeared in the pen and was not held aloft by a public official.)
Ms. Hochul reached over the walls of the pen to beckon Chuck, as other officials sharing the stage glanced nervously in her direction. Eventually, he was plucked from the pen by a zoo employee, who carried him to the podium as the crowd cheered the promise of an early spring. As Chuck squirmed in the employees steady grip, Ms. Hochul gave the groundhog a few quick strokes with her hand.
The lieutenant governor maintained that she had been prepared to take more decisive steps. There was no way he wasnt going to come out under my watch, she said. I was going to give him a couple more minutes; then I was going to have to take a little more aggressive action.
But, the specter of the missing mayor hovered over the proceeding, the subject of numerous laugh lines from the presenters (There have been allegations of foul play in the past, said Michael E. McMahon, the Staten Island district attorney).
In the audience, one person theorized that the mascot on stage was really New York Citys chief executive in disguise, but the costumed groundhog was not tall enough. Others wondered if Mr. de Blasios pilgrimage to Iowa to campaign for Hillary Clinton had somehow been timed to avoid another encounter with the groundhog.
Hes hiding from Chuck, Tamar Owens, a volunteer docent at the zoo, said.
Ms. Owens said she was a veteran Chuck watcher and had witnessed both the bite and the fall, but also had seen other public figures successfully stand in for mayors, as Christine C. Quinn, who was the City Council speaker, did for Mr. Bloomberg in 2013.
Its just like any other animal, Ms. Owens said. You have to see how the animal is feeling and respond to it.
The mayors office, though it brushed off claims that Mr. de Blasio had intentionally avoided the event, pointed to a comment he made last week: If there were a groundhog union, they would ask me to miss Groundhog Day.
To the Editor:
Re Cruz Wins in Iowa While Democrats Are in Virtual Tie (front page, Feb. 2):
It really doesnt matter that Ted Cruz beat Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses on Monday night. What matters is that the majority of Republican voters in Iowa threw their support to one of two candidates whose main campaign themes are meanspiritedness and bigotry.
Though this weeks talk will be all about Mr. Trumps loss, it should really be about Americas loss, and about confronting head on the racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia not to mention callous indifference to poverty and suffering that have become the calling cards of these politicians, and that are sadly embraced (or, at the very least, overlooked) by far too many Americans.
RICHARD JAY NUSSBAUM
New York
To the Editor:
The Iowa caucuses should go down in history as a travesty for political polling. From first to last, Donald Trumps astonishing standing in the polls validated his candidacy. He regularly invoked it to pound down his competitors. Yet the pollsters consistently inflated Mr. Trumps standing by assuming that he had the same ability to convert a preference into an actual vote as the others did. He did not; he failed at the ground game.
FRED ANDREWS
Southold, N.Y.
To the Editor:
Out of the chaos of the Republican race emerged a glimmer of hope for centrist Republicans whose only desire is to retake the White House. Yes, Ted Cruz had the most votes, and Donald Trump was second. But handily outperforming his poll numbers was Marco Rubio.
To the Editor:
As terror continues to wash over Israel, claiming more lives, the people in my country were surprised to find another infuriating statement by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Dont Shoot the Messenger, Israel (Op-Ed, Feb. 1).
Throughout the United Nations history, terror attacks have received harsh and unequivocal condemnation from its secretaries general. Many times they were followed by Security Council resolutions. Only when it comes to Israel, however, is terrorism like the murder of a mother in front of her children last month denounced with ifs and buts.
The secretary general writes that history proves that people will always resist occupation. Nothing can justify the murder of 30 innocent Israelis since last September. His statement legitimizes the Palestinian Authoritys incitement to terror and violence.
If Mr. Ban is looking for the factors leading to terror, he should listen to the terrorists themselves, who have admitted that it is the hate-filled programming on the Palestinian Authoritys official TV that inspires them to stab and murder.
A street protest on July 12, 1997 demanding the release of kidnapped councilor Miguel Angel Blanco, who was executed by ETA the next day. ALFREDO ALDAI
The Spanish High Court has slapped a Twitter user with a two-year prison sentence for humiliating victims of the Basque terrorist group ETA, for whom she professed admiration.
Maria Lluch Sancho, a 24-year-old from Valencia, received the harshest sentence available for this type of crime.
In its ruling, Spains central criminal court said that Lluchs tweets ooze pure, unadulterated wickedness.
The young woman tweeted that she cried every time an ETA member passed away
Her online comments about well-known victims of ETA attacks including a young councilor who was kidnapped and executed, and a child who lost both legs in a car bomb were described as containing levels of cruelty, humiliation and mercilessness of superlative proportions.
Besides the prison term, Lluch will have to pay the legal fees and abstain from standing for public office for the next eight years. The courts decision may be appealed.
Guillermo Zapata, a former Ahora Madrid councilor who resigned after tweeting offensive messages. Claudio Alvarez
Under Spanish law, a prison sentence of two years or under is usually suspended, unless the defendant has prior convictions.
The young womans defense had claimed that her tweets were a result of her solidarity with regard to the Basque problem, and that she was completely indifferent to ETA, despite having expressed that she cried every time an ETA member passed away.
Between November 2012 and August 2014, Lluch Sancho used the nickname Madame Guillotine to poke fun at ETAs victims.
She repeated slogans such as Maderos a la guillotina, ETA matalos (Police officers to the guillotine, kill them all ETA), and provided her 790 followers with links to YouTube videos that made fun of terrorist attacks.
This is not the first time that the Spanish courts have opened investigations into the use of online media to laugh at terrorism victims. Guillermo Zapata, a short-lived culture councilor at Madrid City Hall, is the target of a similar probe by the High Court after tweeting jokes about ETA attacks and the Holocaust.
English version by Susana Urra.
An Oversimplified Debate
Re Israels image issue (Jan. 29): Roger Cohen identifies one of the most widespread but least discussed causes behind a shift against Israel on college campuses, namely a way of thinking which considers all forms of oppression, (racism, sexism, colonialism, etc.) fundamentally interconnected. This theory, known as intersectionality, has gained popular appeal among students, especially among activist circles and the left.
As tempting as it is to reduce complicated and longstanding conflicts to digestible categories and the familiar roles of victim and oppressor, its intellectually dishonest and serves only to exacerbate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, foremost by denying Palestinian leadership their autonomy.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including all its actors and parties, deserves to be debated, analyzed and criticized without being subsumed into a simplified catch-all campaign against oppression and injustice.
Michael Snow, Berlin
Dont Close Denmarks Doors
Re Danish law is passed to seize assets of refugees (News, Jan. 28): The refugee policy adopted by the Danish Parliament last week is shameful and degrading, a most worrying victory for a xenophobic mentality so different from the values that have made Denmark a beacon of humanity in the darkness for centuries. French Huguenots, starving Poles, Jews, Arabs, Vietnamese, Iranians, Sudanese, Somalis the door of this country was always open.
To the Editor:
Re Iranian Oil Shipper Makes Up for Lost Time as Sanctions End (news article, Jan. 29): As an American born in Iran who shared a sigh of relief with hundreds of millions worldwide, I am pleased to witness the nuclear breakthrough and the Western economic prospects it is yielding between Iran and the West, especially for the 80 million highly educated, entrepreneurial and tech-savvy Iranians.
The millions of Iranians in diaspora will play a pivotal role to bring the West and Iran closer in such endeavors. And as the sovereignty and security of the nation of Iran, several millenniums in the making, is reaffirmed, I yearn for its people to ultimately enjoy reform, liberty, equality, justice and peace, ideals they have been struggling for the last 200 years.
DAVOOD N. RAHNI
New York
Just weeks before Turkeys early elections on Nov. 1 , Ms. Merkel came to Istanbul to meet with Mr. Erdogan and strike a deal: If Turkey helped stem the flow of refugees into Europe, Germany would help push forward talks on Turkeys membership in the European Union. Many people fear that Ms. Merkel offered another compensation in exchange for help on the refugee issues: The European Union would tolerate Turkeys human rights violations and its reckless handling of the Kurdish conflict.
The United States, which has crucial air bases in Turkey, cannot afford to alienate the Erdogan government, either. When Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. visited Turkey recently, he made a point of meeting with journalists who had been fired under government pressure. But afterward, Mr. Biden declared that the Turkish government was the United States strategic partner an apparent gesture of reconciliation by Washington. Like many Western governments, the Obama administration has distanced itself from Mr. Erdogan since his suppression of the Gezi Park protests of 2013.
The diplomatic balancing act cannot go on indefinitely. The Syrian Kurdish group known as the Democratic Union Party, or P.Y.D., a branch of the P.K.K., is an American ally on the ground against the Islamic State and has received American military aid. Meanwhile, Turkey continues its attempt to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad by supporting Jaish al-Fatah, a Syrian rebel group that includes the Nusra Front, Al Qaedas Syrian branch.
Turkey and the United States also do not see eye to eye when it comes to the Islamic State. Washington views the group as a high-priority threat and is pressuring Turkey to build a wall along its 60-mile border with the territory the jihadist group controls. Ankara, by contrast, sees the Islamic State as a symptom of a larger problem Bashar al-Assads continued presence in Damascus and is entreating Washington to back an Islamist-dominated rebel group. The United States is ill at ease about this state of affairs, yet believes it has no choice but to stand behind Mr. Erdogan.
Turkey and the European Union are in a more complex entanglement. At present, the European Union wields considerable leverage over Turkey, both as the market for more than 40 percent of its exports and as the arbiter of its long-stalled membership bid. Europes current strategy of placating Mr. Erdogan for the sake of its own short-term interests is misguided. As the Paris and Istanbul attacks have shown, Europe and the Middle East are part of one open system: Chaos and conflict in one region is sure to have repercussions in another. The millions of Syrians seeking refuge in the West, as well as the thousands of jihadists going to Syria from Europe, are now Europes problem a problem that cannot be solved by building walls.
To the Editor:
Re Is Warfare in Our Bones? (editorial, Jan. 24):
The military theorist B. H. Liddell Hart taught, If you want peace, understand war. The recent discovery of 10,000-year-old skeletons in northern Kenya, with every sign of being killed in battle, has revived the debate over the origins of warfare.
There is other archaeological evidence of humans killing humans, including Native Americans long before Europeans brought guns or horses to this continent. We are not only a violent animal, but also a uniquely violent animal.
Only a few mammalian species systematically and deliberately kill their own species. Bears dont do this, tigers dont, cats and dogs dont, but chimpanzees, hyenas and without any shadow of doubt human beings do. It is a predisposition that evolved among these intelligent and highly social animals because the winning side gained more resources and, ultimately, more of their progeny survived the basic metric of Darwinian evolution.
The good news is that we dont have to live out our inherited predispositions of team aggression against our fellow human beings. While ISIS expresses the default behavior for much of human history, the huge majority of the 7.4 billion people in the world today are not killing their neighbors.
MANCHESTER, N.H. Senator Bernie Sanders, who came within half a percentage point of defeating Hillary Clinton in Iowa, will spend the next week trying to maintain a significant advantage in New Hampshire, where he has been leading in polls for months.
His campaign will stage rallies in the more populous southern parts of the state, where he also will air more than $1 million worth of television ads.
Now we have a two-way race, one-on-one, and it is going to be played out here in New Hampshire, said Tad Devine, a senior strategist for the campaign.
To hear the Sanders campaign tell it, the close race in Iowa established the Vermont senator as a viable alternative to Mrs. Clinton and raised his profile with voters around the country. Now, campaign officials say, they hope a New Hampshire victory will help him press forward by generating excitement among voters in later-voting states and bringing in money for his upstart campaign, which raised more than $1 million in the 90 minutes after his speech Monday night, according to Michael Briggs, campaign spokesman.
DES MOINES Late Monday night, supporters of Hillary Clinton gathered for what they expected would be a victory rally.
Over the weekend, her campaign had exuded confidence, with some advisers predicting she would win the Iowa caucuses by several percentage points, and by Monday evening, they were urging news outlets to call the race in her favor. Mrs. Clinton prepared a victory speech in which she virtually ignored her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and attacked the Republican candidates.
Then the caucus results started rolling in. And everything changed.
The outcome in Iowa which at least until Tuesday afternoon appeared to be effectively a tie with a far left senator from a small New England state dealt a jolting psychological blow to the Clinton campaign, leaving volunteers, donors and aides confused throughout the night, and then crestfallen. They had hoped that the former secretary of state would garner a decisive victory here and put to rest any doubts about her strength as a candidate.
Instead, they now head to New Hampshire, where Mr. Sanders is heavily favored in the polls, and brace themselves for another battle before they reach more hospitable states like Nevada and South Carolina.
The Sanders campaign is arguing that a victory here by Mr. Sanders is not a certainty.
Now we have a two-way race, one-on-one, and it is going to be played out here in New Hampshire, said Tad Devine a senior strategist for the Sanders campaign. Thats our big test right now, he added. We have to demonstrate that he can take on Hillary Clinton and defeat her.
Mr. Sanders vowed on Tuesday afternoon to campaign hard across New Hampshire and said that as in Iowa, his campaign would focus on getting supporters to the polls on election night. Secretary Clinton won here in 2008, he told a group of reporters in Keene after a rally. Secretary Clinton has a very formidable political organization and, as you know, has virtually the entire political establishment on her side. So, you know, we are taking nothing for granted.
For the Clintons, the New Hampshire primary holds an emotional attachment. It is the state that made Mr. Clinton the Comeback Kid after he overcame scandal to place second here in 1992. Mrs. Clinton said she found my own voice in New Hampshire in 2008 with a surprise victory here after finishing third in Iowa.
Advisers have encouraged the Clintons to devote more time on Nevada and South Carolina but have been met with resistance because the couple refuse to entertain the idea that what could be the last presidential campaign of their political careers would include a loss here.Mrs. Clinton did not alter her stump speech on Tuesday, but she did turn the focus to a broiling debate inside the Democratic Party, one that pits her more moderate but achievable goals against the liberal ambitions of the big government vision of Mr. Sanders. Clinton advisers said there were no plans for Mrs. Clinton to turn sharply negative against Mr. Sanders, but rather she planned to focus on courting young voters and liberals, the two parts of the electorate that overwhelmingly favored Mr. Sanders in Iowa. New Hampshire polls have shown that many young Democrats here are deeply skeptical of Mrs. Clintons honesty and view her unfavorably.
Both candidates are expected to focus intensely on New Hampshire, with Clinton advisers saying that Mrs. Clinton may leave the state only for potential fund-raising events. Mr. Devine, Mr. Sanderss strategist, said Mr. Sanders might spend a night at home in Burlington, and next week could dip into Massachusetts, which has an election on March 1.
WASHINGTON The Obama administration said on Tuesday that it would ask Congress to spend an additional $1.1 billion next year to combat a growing epidemic of prescription painkiller and heroin abuse.
Almost half of the new money would be used to expand treatment facilities, which are in short supply in much of the nation.
Opioid abuse and overdoses have hurt families from across this nation, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the secretary of health and human services, said in a news conference. My home state of West Virginia has felt the cost almost more than any other.
WASHINGTON President Obama held a rare meeting Tuesday with the top Republicans in Congress to assess opportunities for compromise during his final year in office, even as the two sides continued partisan sniping that could undermine the prospect of serious legislative progress.
Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Mr. Obama rivals from the 2012 campaign met over lunch on Tuesday in their first extended interaction since Mr. Ryan ascended to power last year in the Republican-controlled House. The private lunch followed an Oval Office meeting that also included Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader.
White House officials said the president expressed optimism in the two meetings that the Republican-controlled Congress would work with the administration to address five key goals: the financial crisis in Puerto Rico, ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, providing money for an initiative to fight cancer, confronting a resurgence of heroin addiction and overhauling the nations criminal justice system.
Hopefully, were going to find willing partners on Capitol Hill to advance those measures, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, told reporters Tuesday. I think that is certainly the expectation of most voters across the country.
King Felipe (left) with Pedro Sanchez. Chema Moya (AP)
Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday confirmed that he will try to form an alternative government if the winning candidate at the December 20 election, Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party (PP), refuses to bid for reinstatement.
Following his second meeting with King Felipe VI to discuss Spains government options, Sanchez gave a press conference to explain his plans.
I told the king that the Socialist Party (PSOE) is ready to form a government if Rajoy renounces his obligation, said Sanchez. The PSOE will take a step forward and will try to form a government to take the institutions out of the current deadlock.
Pedro Sanchez: Rajoy has given up on presenting a political project for Spaniards for the next four years
Felipe VI will later meet with Rajoy, thus concluding the second and latest round of meetings with political leaders ahead of the investiture session to name a new prime minister.
Spain faces an unprecedented political conundrum that could lead to fresh elections this year if nobody is able to form a government in the coming weeks.
The incumbent, Rajoy, has already once refused to bid for the post because he knows he lacks the support to get himself reinstated in office despite his 123 seats in Congress.
Sanchez, whose Socialists obtained 90 seats, has repeatedly refused Rajoys offer to create a grand coalition together.
Instead, he has been drumming up support for an alternative coalition that might include many or some of the other opposition parties, such as Podemos, Ciudadanos, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Catalan pro-independence forces.
But Sanchez has always insisted that Rajoy had to try to form a government first.
If the latter refuses again on Tuesday, the Socialist leader will be ready to make his move.
I think that Spaniards would not understand it if the forces of change did not unite to bring about this change, said Sanchez at the press conference. Rajoy has given up on presenting a political project for Spaniards for the next four years.
A potential alliance between the Socialists and Podemos has met with opposition from high-ranking PSOE officials because of the anti-austerity partys defense of a Catalan referendum on self-rule.
I think that the question that [Podemos] leader Pablo Iglesias and also the other groups need to answer, is whether they support the kind of change that the PSOE can lead, or whether they want the PP to be in charge for four more years, said Sanchez.
Sanchez: The question Podemos needs to answer is whether it supports the kind of change the PSOE can lead, or if it wants four more years of the PP
Recently, Socialist officials stated that the federal committee would have to approve any alliance that Sanchez arrives at.
The federal committee is not preventing me from forming a government with any party, Sanchez said on Tuesday. It is my convictions that prevent me from doing so.
Despite weeks of intense cross-party negotiations, no combination of groups seems strong enough to form even a minority government. Most recently, Podemos said it would not enter into any coalition with Ciudadanos after the latter had said the same about the anti-austerity group.
After Tuesday, the king will have to choose between telling a candidate to try to form a government despite everyones scant possibilities of success, or giving them more time to negotiate further in the hope of reaching greater support.
English version by Susana Urra.
WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said Tuesday that the United States faced a dramatically different security environment than at any point in the past 25 years, arguing for an increase in military spending to confront an array of threats like the Islamic State and Russia.
Unlike in previous years when the United States could focus on one major threat at a time, like the Soviet Union or Al Qaeda, the country no longer has the luxury of just one opponent, or the choice between current fights and future fights we have to do both, Mr. Carter said.
Now we have to think and do a lot of different things about a lot of different challenges, Mr. Carter said in a speech at the Economic Club of Washington, where he provided a preview of the Pentagons 2017 budget request.
The administration is expected to formally unveil the budget next week. It will call for $582.7 billion in military spending roughly half of the governments discretionary spending.
MANCHESTER, N.H. Emboldened by Donald J. Trumps defeat in the Iowa caucuses, conservative leaders and rival candidates for the Republican presidential nomination began to challenge him aggressively in New Hampshire on Tuesday, aiming to cut into his wide lead here and perhaps even to embarrass him by denying him victory in a second consecutive state.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, having prevailed in Iowa, teased Mr. Trump for having attacked him bitterly on the way to an embarrassing loss. Jeb Bush released a commercial in which he called Mr. Trump a man of deep insecurity and weakness. Gov. Chris Christie sarcastically called him Donald the Magnificent. And former Gov. John H. Sununu of New Hampshire, an elder statesman of the state Republican Party, branded Mr. Trump a loser with a string of business failures behind him.
For the first time, Republican leaders opposed to Mr. Trumps candidacy said they believed there was a chance to break his grip on New Hampshire as the party establishment closes ranks around a smaller number of candidates and Mr. Trump faces new threats on the right.
On the Democratic side, too, the nomination fight quickly descended on New Hampshire. Hillary Clinton, who won in Iowa by the narrowest of margins over Senator Bernie Sanders, declared in Nashua that she would battle the Vermont senator in a contest of ideas here leading up to the primary on Tuesday.
Mr. Bushs team has long staked its campaign turnaround on New Hampshire a state where several aides and supporters describe the strategy as a game of Whac-a-Mole. Mr. Bushs main rival here is Mr. Rubio, whom he hopes to finish above or virtually tied with in order to harness the momentum and enthusiasm he needs to keep his campaign afloat. But other candidates competing for more moderate voters, like Mr. Kasich, pose more of an immediate threat by poaching potential Bush supporters.
Mr. Bush hopes to emerge as the serious alternative to Mr. Trump, and has long trained his attacks on the businessman-turned-reality-TV-star. (That pitch, however, just became much tougher after Mr. Rubios strong finish in Iowa, nipping at Mr. Trumps heels.) Mr. Bush has also increasingly started to contrast his record with those of his more moderate rivals. And expect Right to Rise, the super PAC supporting Mr. Bush, to intensify its already robust assaults on Mr. Christie, Mr. Kasich and Mr. Rubio. The Bush campaign has five offices and more than 40 paid staff members in the state.
A storm packing blizzard-like conditions, as well as lightning strikes, was expected to deposit several inches of snow on the countrys midsection Tuesday.
On Monday into Tuesday morning, the storm swept across Colorado, where it was billed as the first major snowstorm of 2016. By early Tuesday, it had delivered upward of 10 inches in the Denver area, prompting officials to close schools and promising to thwart morning commutes.
To the delight of Colorados ski industry, the mountains and foothills were pounded the hardest. One resort reported Tuesday that it had received about 30 inches in the previous 48 hours.
MIAMI In the wake of a United States Supreme Court decision that struck down part of Floridas capital punishment law, the State Legislature and courts are grappling with proposals that could significantly change sentencing in a state with one of the nations most crowded death rows.
For now, the ruling has closed the states pathway to the death penalty: Prosecutions in capital punishment cases are stalled, and lawmakers are rushing to write and pass a new statute before their session ends in six weeks. It is also uncertain whether the 390 inmates awaiting execution in Florida will remain on death row or be resentenced to life in prison. As of last week, more than 40 of those inmates had appeals pending.
On Tuesday, the Florida Supreme Court granted a stay of execution to Cary Michael Lambrix, who was to die by lethal injection on Feb. 11 but received a reprieve until the court rules on an argument from his lawyers. They argued Tuesday that the decision from the United States Supreme Court last month should apply retroactively to all of Floridas death row inmates.
Already, one Pinellas County judge has told prosecutors that they cannot pursue capital punishment in a first-degree murder trial because Florida currently has no death penalty.
More than a dozen elephants from southern Africa are being moved to American zoos, a plan that critics say will imperil the animals.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service last month approved the transfer of the 18 African elephants from Swaziland to three destinations: the Dallas Zoo; the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas; and the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha. A statement from the wildlife service said the animals were threatened by habitat destruction and drought in Swaziland and were scheduled to be culled.
The three zoos have formed a partnership to import the animals, saying that dozens of elephants are confined to fenced enclosures in two privately managed parks in Swaziland, a small, landlocked country bordering South Africa and Mozambique. The zoos said they had not bought the animals but instead would donate money to the countrys rhino-conservation efforts.
The wildlife service approved the permit, saying in a statement on Jan. 21 that several conditions had been met to import of the elephants, including: the move would not be detrimental to them; they would be suitably cared for; and they would not be used for primarily commercial purposes.
The Medina Charter established the idea of common citizenship regardless of religious belief, said Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah, a Mauritanian religious scholar and a professor of Islamic studies in Saudi Arabia who helped convene the meeting, in a speech. Enough bloodshed. We are heading to annihilation. It is time for cooperation.
Since it was issued last Wednesday, the declaration has been welcomed by many, though with some skepticism, and it is only now beginning to gain wider circulation. Some experts said they doubted that the meeting would have lasting impact because it did not include representatives of more extremist movements, like the Muslim Brotherhood. They also said the groups that did attend do not have great sway over young people.
These efforts are compromised from the get-go because of their association with states that dont have legitimacy among young, angry, frustrated Muslim youths in the Arab world, said Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and the author of Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World, who did not attend the conference. Its something that appeals to Western governments, but whats the follow-up?
The targeted audience should be people who are predisposed to radicalism, he continued. A young Muslim who is intrigued by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria would be more likely to listen to a Salafi scholar than a traditionalist scholar.
Yet for the representatives of persecuted religious minorities who attended the meeting or followed the proceedings from afar, the gathering and the document it produced were a hopeful sign that influential Muslim leaders and scholars were grappling with a serious problem.
Francisco Flores, a former president of El Salvador who was facing charges of diverting $15 million in contributions for earthquake victims to his personal and political party accounts, died on Jan. 30 in San Salvador. He was 56.
His death, of a cerebral hemorrhage, was announced by the Nationalist Republican Alliance, or Arena, the conservative party that has controlled the presidency for two decades, beginning in 1989.
Mr. Flores had been under house arrest since November 2014.
He was accused of illegal enrichment by embezzling donations from the Taiwanese government that were intended for earthquake survivors in 2001. Taiwan was grateful to El Salvador for supporting Taiwans application for membership in the United Nations.
In December, a Salvadoran judge ordered Mr. Flores to stand trial on charges of pocketing $5 million personally and disbursing $10 million to his partys coffers. He insisted that the money had been distributed properly to deserving victims. Despite Mr. Floress death, the authorities are likely to pursue civil litigation to recover the funds.
KABUL, Afghanistan The Afghan government declared Wasil Ahmad a hero for leading a militias defense against a Taliban siege last year, parading him in front of cameras in a borrowed police uniform too big for him. On Monday, the Taliban triumphantly announced that they had assassinated him with two bullets to the head.
Wasil Ahmad was 10 years old.
He was gunned down in Tirin Kot city, the capital of southern Oruzgan Province, just a few months after leaving militia life and enrolling in school as a fourth grader.
Wasils story is a painful example of how child combatants continue to be a part of life in Afghanistan, both in the ranks of pro-government forces and among the Taliban insurgents.
Rafiullah Baidar, a spokesman for the Afghan independent human rights commission, said that despite strict orders from President Ashraf Ghani last year against using children in the military, his commission continues to receive reports of child soldiers in the Afghan forces, particularly in the Afghan Local Police militias. The Taliban, he said, used child soldiers, too, in recent fighting in places like Kunduz and Badakhshan, in the northern part of the country.
SEOUL, South Korea In a new dare to the United States and its allies, North Korea has notified the United Nations agency responsible for navigation safety that it is planning to launch a long-range rocket this month to put a satellite into orbit.
The agency, the International Maritime Organization, said Tuesday that it had received a notification from the North Korean authorities of a multistage rocket launch between the hours of 7 a.m. and noon local time, on an as-yet unspecified day between Feb. 8 and 25. An agency spokeswoman, Natasha Brown, said North Koreas notification described the payload as an Earth observation satellite it called Kwangmyongsong, which translates as Lodestar.
If the launch goes as planned, the notification said, the rockets first stage will fall in waters off the west coast of South Korea, and the second stage in waters east of the Philippines.
SYDNEY, Australia Health officials in Australia on Tuesday confirmed two cases of the Zika virus in residents who most likely were infected on a visit to Haiti, and the officials also warned pregnant women not to travel to areas where transmission rates are high, like the Caribbean.
The two residents, from New South Wales, had mild cases of the virus when they returned from Haiti and have since recovered. The virus does not pose a serious threat to Australia, the Health Department said.
It is very unlikely that Zika virus established local transmission in New South Wales as the mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, that spread the infection are not established here although they are found in some parts of North Queensland, Dr. Vicky Sheppeard, the states communicable diseases director, said in a statement after confirming Australias first cases of the virus this year. Since 2014, occasional cases of Zika have been identified in New South Wales among people who had traveled to areas where the virus has been most commonly transmitted, the statement said.
The World Health Organization said on Monday that the virus was an international public health emergency. The main concern is the viruss possible link to microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with unusually small heads and, in the majority of cases, damaged brains.
LONDON The European Union offered a proposal on Tuesday intended to keep Britain as a member of the bloc, setting out compromises on hot-button issues like immigration and setting up a referendum as early as this summer on whether the country wants to retain close ties to the Continent or go its own way.
The proposal, drafted by the European Council president, Donald Tusk, addressed all the issues that Prime Minister David Cameron had insisted be revisited if he was to campaign to keep Britain in the union. But it remained vague on some crucial points, and in any case was unlikely to sway those most committed to Britains exit from the bloc.
Mr. Camerons task in the months before the referendum is to rally enough supporters of continued membership and win over enough of those on the fence to avert a vote to leave, a choice that many predict could have global ramifications.
Written after weeks of diplomacy, the dense texts still need to be approved by leaders of the other 27 members of the bloc, who, along with Britain, will meet for a crucial summit meeting in Brussels this month. A deal there could pave the way for a British referendum as early as June.
The Obama administration is proposing more than $3.4 billion in military spending in the region next year far more than the $786 million in the current budget and will position new equipment and have a full armored combat brigade deployed somewhere in the region, on a rotating basis, at all times.
Administration officials argued that the rotating deployment would keep the United States in compliance with the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997, under which both sides promised not to station large numbers of troops along borders shared by Russia and members of the alliance.
Government leaders in Poland and the Baltic nations have argued that Russias aggressive actions in Ukraine have already violated the act, and they urged American leaders to station permanent troops in the region. Polands new right-wing government, in particular, has made the deployment of NATO troops in the region a major foreign policy goal.
This summers NATO summit meeting will be held in Warsaw, and the American proposal anticipates some of the demands likely to be raised.
It seems that they have finally realized that their previously weaker interest in this part of Europe hadnt done them any favors, said Lukasz Kister, a security and foreign policy expert from the Collegium Civitas in Warsaw. This decision will try to make up for that.
Radko Hokovsky, executive director of European Values, a research organization in Prague, said he hoped that allies in Europe would respond to the United States example. Europeans really need to step up their defense efforts so that they are not like a child always waiting for an American mom to come save them because they are so lazy to spend their wealth on their own security, he said.
Mr. Tilly is steeped in a European tradition that made jesters, or fools, the kings during Carnivals. From the Saturnalia of the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages, the Continent celebrated what Mr. Tilly called the magical time when winter nears, then spring and summer await.
In Carnival, the people said, This is our time. We have the power, Mr. Tilly said. And a bit of that remains, he added, calling Carnival the time of passions, when taboos do not exist.
But, of course, they do, particularly in a shrinking world where sensibilities and sensitivities bump up against each other with sometimes dangerous consequences.
Mr. Tilly is certainly no stranger to the perils of satire, an art he has practiced for over 30 years. I came when I was 20, he said, looking around his workshop, and somehow I never left.
Last year, the parade occurred weeks after the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo, a publication Mr. Tilly said he has read all his adult life. His float depicted a terrorist lunging with a bloody sword at a decapitated person running with a copy of Charlie Hebdo. Instead of blood pouring from his head, there is a thought bubble with the words, You cannot kill satire!
The float was considered daring enabling Mr. Tilly, and his many backers here, to lord it over Cologne, Dusseldorfs archrival in all things Carnival, and which declined to address the same delicate subject.
Hungary
What is important to consider is that the process of the primaries produced Sanders as an alternative; without this process, we still wouldnt know how little support Clinton has from the Democratic base, and we would have never known Sanderss alternative program. In Hungary, in leftist-liberal circles, one wish often appears: the need for someone to finally motivate voters and challenge Viktor Orban. Candidates, however, dont come out of nothing it is precisely a political process, similar to the primaries, that can produce them.
Csaba Toth, political analyst and director of strategy at the Republikon Institute, an independent political research institute in Budapest, in Magyar Narancs, a liberal weekly
Germany
The American dream is dying. Those on top let the middle class slip into poverty. The United States is on the wrong path. These are the words of the frustrated, frightened, embittered, desperate, enraged citizens of America.
Theo Sommer, a former editor in chief and publisher of Die Zeit, a Hamburg-based weekly
Italy
Hillary is vulnerable, and the tiredness and fatigue that have destroyed Jeb Bush apply to her, too. The novelty of being a woman is limited by the long, excessive habit to her name. Its a beautiful story, but its yesterdays story. Clinton will have to earn the nomination, and her path is full of mines, but Sanders wont survive the confrontation in the Southern states, where the African-American vote is crucial for the Democrat. Hillary is the sovereign designated by Obama. Only she, with the doubt of her past behavior as a secretary of state, can stop Hillary.
Vittorio Zucconi, a journalist at the daily newspaper La Repubblica
France
To note the following isnt to speak badly of Iowa or of the great Midwest prairie: this little state is in no way representative of the United States. With three million inhabitants, a 99 percent white population, most of it employed in agriculture, Iowa is hardly a national electoral sample. And yet it has the exorbitant privilege of opening the presidential primaries. And, at the very least, it gives an idea of the political climate. No surprise there: the weather is stormy.
Editorial in the newspaper Le Monde
Britain
Last nights results lay bare the scale and depth of the realignment that has been taking place within the country for almost a generation: a polarization of left and right that has made elections more volatile, politics more gridlocked and discourse more shrill. A socialist is in the running for the Democratic nomination; Donald Trump could be president. If these are the things we are saying in February, imagine what we might be saying come the Democratic and Republican conventions in July.
Gary Younge, a columnist at The Guardian, a left-leaning newspaper
The current government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is the most conservative in years. Its ministers have been promoting divisive legislation like a loyalty in culture initiative and legislation that would require nongovernmental organizations to disclose funding they receive from foreign governments. Such legislation has brought condemnation from liberal Jews abroad.
The Kotel decision, after years of fierce discussion and delay, came as a rare contra to this trend. But the timing was more prosaic, and it probably does not portend any broader shift. Officials said the parties were pushed to wrap up negotiations because Mr. Netanyahus point person on the matter, Avichai Mandelblit, was leaving his post as cabinet secretary to become attorney general.
The new prayer space, where men and women can worship together, is to receive public funding. It will be governed by a committee led by the head of the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental organization that works with the Diaspora, and will include representatives from the Reform and Conservative movements, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Israeli government and Women of the Wall, a group that for 27 years has been agitating against the male-dominated establishment.
Advocates say this amounts to state recognition of the non-Orthodox branches of Judaism, though the laconic cabinet resolution sidestepped the issue by avoiding the words Reform and Conservative, instead referring obliquely to the issue of prayer arrangements at the Western Wall.
A last-minute argument over the wording at Sundays cabinet meeting ended with the government decision to implement the recommendations of the advisory team, rather than to adopt them. The resolution passed, though the ultra-Orthodox coalition members voted against it and got in their licks.
Referring to Reform Jews, Moshe Gafni, an ultra-Orthodox Parliament leader, said, There will never, ever be recognition for this group of clowns, not at the wall and not anywhere else.
The plan is likely to face many hurdles. The wall is a remnant of the retaining wall that surrounded the Temple Mount, revered by Jews as the location of their ancient temples and the holiest site in Judaism. The mount also houses Al Aqsa Mosque compound, one of the three holiest sites in Islam.
Mr. Fischli, who appears in one early photograph of the pair sporting a cowboy hat, a cigarette and a smirk, comes off in his 60s as a bemused philosophy professor, with gray hair, stylish black glasses and an easy laugh. While he and Mr. Weiss were each married and had separate lives (at the time of his death, Mr. Weiss was divorced and he left behind two children) the two probably spent as much time around each other as a married couple would.
Since Mr. Weisss death, Mr. Fischli said, he has tried as an artist mostly to do things that dont feel artificial or unnatural, despite the great sense of absence in his life. Its biography, he said simply, without elaborating, of that absence, and you cant get away from it.
He has continued to work on pieces that were underway at Mr. Weisss death. And he has followed through on a plan they conceived together, to place one of their stranger public works, Haus an overgrown model of the plainest modernist office building imaginable, once installed near a train station in Munster, Germany on Fifth Avenue, alongside the magisterial Guggenheim, during the run of the retrospective. Haus, from 1987, was the artists riff on modernisms tepid, rational end, a structure so functional as to be nearly invisible, evoking what they described as Central European sadness.
To place the model, which seems just too big to be a model and just too small to be an actual building, in front of the Guggenheim, seemed a perfect, life-size pairing of odd fellows that would stop confused pedestrians in their tracks, Mr. Fischli said. (Through May 1, the Public Art Fund will also stage, at Houston and Mott Streets, the first United States presentation of a six-story wall mural, How to Work Better, a 10-point motivational list the artists once found on a bulletin board in a factory in Thailand, with trite yet effective advice: Accept Change as Inevitable; Say It Simple; Smile.)
What happens when the nations foremost voice on the race question is also its most confined and restrained? Michael Eric Dyson raises this question about President Obama in his latest book, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America. The book inspires one to raise similar questions about Dyson himself. For, while hardly restrained, Dyson appears noticeably boxed in by the limitations placed on celebrity race commentators in the Age of Obama.
Readers will recognize Dysons practiced flair for language and metaphor as he makes an important and layered argument about American political culture and the narrowness of presidential speech. The book argues that Americans live under a black presidency not so much because the president is black, but because Obamas presidency remains bound by the rules and rituals of black respectability and white supremacy. Even the leader of the free world, we learn in Dysons book, conforms principally to white expectations. (Dyson maintained in the November issue of The New Republic that Hillary Clinton may well do more for black people than Obama did.) But Obamas presidency is black in a more hopeful way, too, providing Americans with an opportunity to better realize the nations democratic ideals and promises. Obamas achievement gestures toward what the state had not allowed at the highest level before his emergence, Dyson writes. Equality of opportunity, fairness in democracy and justice in society.
A certain optimism ebbs and flows in The Black Presidency, but only occasionally does it refer to white Americans beliefs about race. Far more often, Dyson hangs hope on Obamas impromptu shows of racial solidarity. One such moment was the presidents remarks after the 2009 arrest of the Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. (who was arrested trying to get into his own home). Another was Obamas public identification with Trayvon Martin. Both acts may have been politically risky, but they also greatly heartened African- Americans. Hope builds, and by books end, readers find a chapter-long celebration of the presidents soaring invocations of Amazing Grace during last years memorial service for the slain parishioners of Emanuel A.M.E. Church. For Dyson, the eulogy at Emanuel seems to serve as a sign of grace that black America may still yet enjoy from the Obama White House.
Its cresting invocations of hope aside, the book ably maintains a sharp critical edge. Dyson uncovers a troubling consistency to the presidents race speech and shows that in spite of Obamas reliance on black political networks and black votes during his meteoric rise, the president chose to follow a governing and rhetorical template largely hewed by his white predecessors. As both candidate and president, Obamas speeches have tended to allay white guilt. They have scolded African-American masses for cultural pathology and implied that blacks were to blame for lingering white antipathy. Obamas speeches have also often consigned the worst forms of racism and anti-black violence to the past or to the fringes of American political culture. One finds passive-voice constructions everywhere in Obamas race talk, as black folk are found suffering under pressures and at the hands of parties that go largely unnamed. Obama is forced to exaggerate black responsibility, Dyson advances, because he must always underplay white responsibility.
Last August, Anne Rice posted a call to arms on Facebook, of course warning that political correctness was going to bring on literary end times: banned books, destroyed authors, a new era of censorship. We must stand up for fiction as a place where transgressive behavior and ideas can be explored, she proclaimed. I think we have to be willing to stand up for the despised. I, a fan of transgressive literature, could not pinpoint why I found her post to be so much more vexing than the usual battle cries of P.C.-paranoiacs. I finally had my answer after reading Han Kangs novel The Vegetarian: What if the despised can stand up on their own?
All the trigger warnings on earth cannot prepare a reader for the traumas of this Korean authors translated debut in the Anglophone world. At first, you might eye the title and scan the first innocuous sentence Before my wife turned vegetarian, I thought of her as completely unremarkable in every way and think that the biggest risk here might be converting to vegetarianism. (I myself converted, again; well see if it lasts.) But there is no end to the horrors that rattle in and out of this ferocious, magnificently death-affirming novel.
When Yeong-hye awoke one morning from troubled dreams, she found herself changed into a monstrous . . . vegetarian. And thats where the misleadingly simple echoes of a certain classic premise end. Hans novella-in-three-parts zigzags between domestic thriller, transformation parable and arborphiliac meditation, told from the points of view of her lousy husband, who works at an office (Part I); her obsessive brother-in-law, who is an artist (Part II); and her overburdened older sister, who manages a cosmetics store (Part III). These three characters are largely defined by what they do for a living, whereas Yeong-hye stops doing much of anything altogether. I had a dream, she says in one of her rare moments of direct dialogue, her only explanation of her newfound herbivorism. At first she is met with casual disdain by family and friends; a dinner acquaintance passive-aggressively declares, Id hate to share a meal with someone who considers eating meat repulsive, just because thats how they themselves personally feel . . . dont you agree? But soon her physical form creates the very negative space those close to her fear: weight loss, insomnia, diminished libido and the eventual abandonment of everyday civilized life.
An ascetic tome this is not: The novel is full of sex of dubious consent, all sorts of force-feeding and purging essentially sexual assault and eating disorders, but never by name in Hans universe. A family gathering where Yeong-hye is attacked by her own father over meat-eating spirals several layers darker into self-harm, though it wont be the last time a man (or she herself, for that matter) violates her body. Violation of the mind, however, is a different issue. The Vegetarian needs all this bloodletting because in its universe, violence is connected with physical sustenance in meat-eating, sex-having, even care-taking. Outside intervention, from family and friends and doctors, works to moderate the reality of this story, but their efforts are in the end as anemic as Anne Rices rescue of the despised. After all, who is the victim here? You cant save a soul if it becomes something beyond salvation.
Wherever it is found, erasure, as a practice, can be detected by its preference for what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie called the single story for easily legible narratives that reinforce the existing order. Take the furor around the film Stonewall, released last year. Purported to portray the historic three-day standoff between patrons of the West Village gay bar and the police in the summer of 1969, the film was instead regarded as an example of egregious whitewashing. Transgender women of color who famously participated in the uprising, including Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, as well as Storme DeLarverie, a mixed-race butch lesbian and bouncer, were sidelined (and DeLarverie played by a white woman) in favor of a fictional male lead, a wholesome Midwestern type who instigates the riot. Rivera, Johnson and DeLarverie were central actors in their own liberation, but characters loosely based on them, among others, were reduced to playing supporting roles to a protagonist white, conventionally masculine, Ivy League-bound that the director seemed to have felt was more traditionally heroic than transgender women. Erasure keeps certain people at the center of the story and insulates them from guilt, or sometimes even the knowledge of the people theyve displaced. Only last year, the Texas Board of Education issued new textbooks for some five million public-school students that omitted mentions of Jim Crow and the Ku Klux Klan and made slavery a side issue in the Civil War.
There is such a thing as symbolic erasure, too, and this idea has been at the crux of #OscarsSoWhite, the criticism that for the second year in a row, no minority actors were nominated for an Academy Award. The underlying issue of the Academys failure to recognize black artists is the presumption that baseline experience is white experience and that black life is a niche phenomenon, Richard Brody wrote at newyorker.com. The result is that only narrow and fragmentary views of the lives of African-Americans ever make it to the screen. (Of the seven black actresses to ever win an Academy Award, two played slaves, and one played a maid.) For white audiences to fully engage with black lives, Brody argues, they would have to encounter their own complicity in black suffering, in the past and the present.
But its more daunting than that. To engage with the lives of others, white audiences would have to encounter something far more frightening: their irrelevance. They would have to reckon with the fact that the work will not always speak to them, orient them, flatter them with tales of their munificence or infamy, or comfort them with stereotypes. If there is an opposite of erasure, it is allowing for full personhood in all its idiosyncrasies. It is affording artists the freedom not to pander or advocate. This is the theme of Percival Everetts 2001 satirical novel, Erasure, in which a struggling black writer of ambitious, Greek-infused novels cynically publishes a novel called My Pafology, about a black man with four children by four different women. To his horror, he finds he has a critically acclaimed best seller on his hands.
What would it look like to emerge from erasure? There has been a blank around the lives of older women, who report feeling invisible as they age which is, as it turns out, less feeling than fact. Much international data measuring health, assets and domestic violence studies only women from 15 to 49, generally viewed as the end of a womans childbearing years. Research into violence against women in conflict zones ends at that age, too. So does H.I.V.-prevalence data. Despite being one of the fastest-growing demographics in the world (there will be more than one billion women over the age of 60 by 2050), older women simply go missing. In literature, there are a few to be found in Agatha Christie and Alice Munro. There is Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strouts 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a flinty retiree, and Muriel Sparks retirement-home black comedy, Memento Mori. But theres nothing to compare with the ranks of Ravelstein, Rabbit at Rest, Le Pere Goriot, Oblomov, King Lear, the Book of Job, Gilead, Death in Venice, any number of Philip Roths later novels a veritable library of what its like to age as a man, the evolution of the body, mind and ego.
Older women have fared just as poorly in film and television (The Washington Post reported that of the 100 top-grossing films of 2014, not one had a woman over 45 in a lead role), but there have been recent signs of change. Recently, weve seen new television shows like Transparent, I Am Cait and Grace and Frankie. In film, there have been Grandma, The Lady in the Van, Ricki and the Flash, 45 Years. There is ample room for improvement most of the older women featured are well-off and white. But we are starting to see a range of experiences of women aging: pique, acceptance, vanity, swagger, bewilderment and pain, aging being as singular as anything else we do in life. No two loves are alike, no two deaths and no two losses, the poet May Sarton wrote at the age of 66. One is no more precious than the rest.
I should warn you, Josh Brolin said, calling from North Carolina. Ive just come out of the woods after three and a half months, and Im a little crazy.
He was in Asheville, working on The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter, his first project since Hail, Caesar!, Ethan and Joel Coens new satire of the 1950s Hollywood studio system. But the weather had stalled shooting, and Mr. Brolin had exited the Blue Ridge Mountains like a slab of feral Americana: 40 extra pounds of what he called bear weight packed on his rugged handsomeness.
The Revenant is such a crock he said, using some colorful language and adding, compared to what were going through I heard they had hot tubs on the set! Arriving in October, he hiked woods and swam rivers while temperatures dropped into the low single digits.
I deserve the Oscar, he laughed. I deserve five of them.
That day may come. Mr. Brolin, who turns 48 on Feb. 12, already has an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Dan White, a former San Francisco city supervisor who assassinated the gay rights activist Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, in Milk (2008).
In a case with hundreds of motions and comparatively few rulings, a Lee County judge on Monday denied a motion to dismiss the felony ethics case of Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, based on the appointment of Acting Attorney General Van Davis.
Hubbards defense entered a motion to have the indictment dropped in December 2014, less than two months after the 23 felony ethics charges were announced, alleging that the Lee County special grand jury that met for more than a year was improperly impaneled. The motion argues Attorney General Luther Strange did not have the authority to appoint Davis as acting AG after Strange recused himself from the investigation, and that that authority belongs only to Gov. Robert Bentley.
But Walker ruled Monday that Strange had statutory authority to appoint Davis, who is a supernumerary district attorney, pursuant to the Code of Alabama.
The defense has also alleged Davis Jan. 31, 2013, appointment letter was backdated.
Since the original motion to dismiss was filed on Dec. 19, 2014, the court allowed Stranges deposition, with several questions focusing on the letter. Walker also asked the special master e-discovery expert to conduct an investigation into whether the letter was backdated.
The ruling quotes Strange as testifying in his deposition that he personally signed the original letter in my office on January 31, 2013, which is the date of the letter. The letter was not backdated. I executed the original letter on January 31, 2013, which is the date of the letter.
Walker further notes that the special master conducted three hearings with the prosecution and defense regarding the alleged backdating of the appointment letter, and the ruling adopts her conclusion that Hubbard has not presented any evidence or argument sufficient to warrant the time and expense of further discovery from the states information systems on this issue at this time.
Walker also quashed the subpoena of and denied the request to depose Shelley Ballard, a paralegal with the AGs Office when the appointment letter was written.
Last week, Walker denied the defenses motion to delay the cases March 28 trial date. On Thursday, state prosecutors complied with their obligation to provide trial exhibits to the defense 60 days before the trial date, according to court documents.
During last weeks hearing, the prosecution asked Walker to mandate the defense must provide its trial exhibits to the prosecution 15 days before trial. Walker issued an order Friday dictating that the state must provide additional case law within 30 days, giving the court authority to compel a criminal defendant to disclose his or her trial exhibits.
Hubbard was indicted in October 2014 and has maintained his innocence. His trial was originally scheduled for October 2015, but was continued until next month.
The speaker announced the House Republican Caucus proposed Right for Alabama agenda for the 2016 session, which starts Tuesday. Though his trial is scheduled during this years legislative session, Hubbard says he will not let his legal troubles distract him from his leadership position, though the Alabama Republican Party steering committee has asked him to step down.
I basically told them Im not going to let anything be a distraction, Hubbard told the Associated Press Friday.
SEAL BEACH A man headed to Los Angeles International Airport with his sister Tuesday morning died after he was thrown from a rollover crash on a I-405 carpool connecter, officials said.
Officials said he wasnt wearing a seat belt.
A 70-year-old woman from Newport Beach was driving with her brother around 6:45 a.m. on the northbound I-405 when her brother directed her onto the northbound I-605 in the carpool lane connector, California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Joy said.
The woman swerved at some point and hit the yellow plastic barriers, causing the car to overturn.
Mack Williams, of Laguna Niguel, was driving right behind her; he was on his way to LAX to drop off his 22-year-old son headed back to San Antonio, Texas.
I think what happened was she got over to the 605 and then she swerved to try to get back over to the 405, but the median came up, Williams said. The car started to drift sideways, hit (the median) sideways, and then the car took two tumbles over the median.
Williams and son immediately pulled over and jumped over the median to help.
(We) pulled her from the back seat, because the car started to smoke, and I didnt know what was going to happen, Williams said.
Another driver stopped to help, and Williams said they put her in the back seat of that car.
She was completely disoriented, starting crying and asked someone to help her brother, Williams said. I tried to shield her from (the scene) and just tried to get her away from seeing her brother. I just told her the paramedics would take care of him.
Orange County Fire Authority paramedics took the Newport Beach woman to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center with minor injuries.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com
DANA POINT A homeowner trying to unclog a sink mixed Liquid Plumber with sulfuric acid late Monday night, creating a chemical cloud that stunk up the neighborhood with a dangerous chlorine smell, officials said.
About 20 Orange County Fire Authority officials, including a hazmat team, responded around 11:15 p.m. after a man called to say he had mixed chemicals in the kitchen sink at his home in the 26800 block of Vista Del Mar, Capt. Steve Concialdi said.
Right away, the chemicals made a violent reaction, the fire captain said.
The man, in his 50s, ran out of the home after he was hit in the face with a powerful and toxic smell.
When he mixed the Liquid Plumber and sulfuric acid, it immediately created a chlorine cloud that was extremely toxic, Concialdi said. Residents were asked to shelter in place in their homes and close their windows.
Two Hazmat officials entered the home around 11:45 p.m. wearing splash suits, white protective outfits and respirators. The windows were opened. The uninjured resident had returned by 1:15 a.m.
The Fire Authority responded to a similar incident on Dec. 29 when a woman in Santa Ana tried to unclog a shower drain after her landlord told her to mix sulfuric acid and Drano.
A similar cloud formed in the womans face, making it difficult to breathe and burning her eyes and throat. She was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or aduranty@ocregister.com
SANTA ANA Two City Council members who voted against a bonus for Santa Anas highest paid City Manager say they are baffled at how a contract extension got lumped in with a resolution affirming the bonus in an item on Tuesdays council agenda.
The contract extension would come as City Manager David Cavazos is being investigated for several personnel allegations, including a romantic relationship with a subordinate city employee. His contract expires Oct. 21, 2017.
I just think, why now? Mayor Miguel Pulido said Monday. Why not wait until the investigation concludes, look at the findings and decide what it means and then make decisions?
Cavazos, who was the highest paid city manager in the citys history when he was hired in 2013, received a 5 percent, $17,085.53 bonus after a Jan. 19 closed session vote of 5-2, with Pulido and Councilwoman Michele Martinez dissenting. The bonus was reported out of closed session, but a contract extension was not, said Clerk of the Council Maria Huizar, who is also slated to receive a 5 percent bonus Tuesday.
Martinez said there was conversations on the extension during the closed session, which was listed as a performance evaluation for Cavazos. But no decision was made, and she was surprised to see the extension up for approval.
The agenda item that includes the extension was signed by Cavazos, City Attorney Sonia Carvalho and finance director Francisco Gutierrez. The document includes places for the mayor and city clerk to sign as well, but those lines are both blank.
On top of the contract extension not being reported out of the closed session, Martinez wondered how Carvalho reported out Cavazos bonus to the public, since neither she nor Huizar were at the closed session meeting. Only council members were in attendance, Martinez said.
Im still perplexed at the way that this process was not transparent. It comes across like everything was done behind closed doors, and maybe that was not the intent, Martinez said. Thats why its important to have the city attorney, so its open and transparent and its not coming from a couple of council members.
Thats where we find ourselves in trouble, creating a Bell scandal, added Martinez, referring to a Los Angeles County city busted for misappropriating public funds.
Cavazos wrote in an email Monday that it is not necessary but I certainly welcome the opportunity to have the city council affirm my pe(r)formance bonus in open session in the spirit of transparency and it is even more transparent to include the affirmation as part of an extension of my contract.
If council members approve the bonus affirmation and the contract extension, Cavazos wouldnt get a salary increase, but his term would run until Feb. 19, 2019. His salary is $372,165, including bilingual pay, a housing allowance and medical cash back, and he receives $107,450 in medical, dental and retirement benefits.
The contract extension also would allow him to cash out some of his unused sick leave.
All of this comes in the midst of the investigation into Cavazos relationship with a city employee, for which the city hired an outside investigator.
Cavazos has said he cant discuss the investigation, but in an Aug. 27 email obtained by the Register, he tells the mayor that the relationship is not prohibited by any federal, state or city rule and that the employee is in a different department.
The council meets at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at 22 Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7762, jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong
Pinkberry, once the darling of the burgeoning frozen yogurt sector, is diminishing in Orange County.
The latest round of permanent restaurant closures in O.C. include two Pinkberry locations.
A closer look at the closures:
Pinkberry in Brea, which was testing a self-serve option, closed Nov. 1. In late December, a second Orange County Pinkberry closed in Santa Ana at The City Place. When asked if the chain is pulling out of Orange County, the companys new owner Kahala Brands declined to comment.
Paninoteca Maggio closed in mid-December in downtown Santa Ana. The premium sandwich shop and Italian cafe had relocated last year from the City Place in Santa Ana to 304 Main St. Its unclear why it closed. On the restaurants Facebook page, the owner thanked fans for supporting the 4-year-old concept.
Jerrys Wood-Fired Dogs recently closed its Santa Ana location on Tustin and 17th Street. A for lease sign is up on the property. Jerry OConnell, founder of the Santa Ana-based chain, could not be reached for comment.
Boldo Bol on 4th Street in downtown Santa Ana closed recently. It will be replaced by a hand-roll concept by Leonard Chan, who owns several food concepts in Orange County, including The Iron Press.
Kaya Street Kitchen in Aliso Viejo has closed. The restaurant blended flavors from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The restaurant was previously a Tokyo Bento but was rebranded last year when Kaya in Los Angeles was bought by a Japanese-based restaurant company, according to food news blog Eater LA.
DES MOINES, Iowa Ted Cruz sealed a victory in the Republican Iowa caucuses Monday, winning on the strength of his relentless campaigning and support from his partys most conservative wing.
The victory in the first Republican primary contest ensures that Cruz will be a force in the presidential race for weeks to come if not longer. The first-term Texas senator now heads to New Hampshire as an undisputed favorite of the furthest right voters, a position of strength for drawing in evangelical voters and others who prioritize an abrupt break with President Barack Obamas policies.
Perhaps most importantly, Cruzs win denied Donald Trump a huge opportunity to gain momentum heading into New Hampshire. Trump parlayed his fame as a billionaire real estate mogul and reality television star into large rallies and national poll numbers that before Monday night had established him as the Republican front-runner.
But Trump, who campaigned on the concept of being a winner, failed to come in first. He was battling for position with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has worked for a strong enough showing to help cement his status as the favorite of mainstream Republican voters who worry that Cruz and Trump are too caustic to win the November general election.
The Texas senator visited all 99 of Iowas counties and convinced voters that he would deliver on promises to end Obamacare and use extensive aerial bombing campaigns to stop Islamic State militants in the Middle East.
Cruz backer Shane VanderHart, 43, of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, said he believes Cruz will actually repeal the health insurance program introduced by Obama in 2010, a longtime pledge by Republican candidates.
When he says hes going to repeal it, I believe him because hes followed through on his campaign promises in the Senate, VanderHart said.
Michael Napuunoa, 25, an electrician from Des Moines, said he liked Cruzs promise to strengthen the military and fight terrorism.
He may not be as aggressive as Trump, Napuuona said. But I dont want a hothead. I want a man whos going to get the job done and not kill everyone in the process.
The Iowa results have already narrowed an unusually crowded Republican field, with a number of candidates struggling to achieve the turnout needed to continue. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee ended his campaign Monday night.
GOP caucus-goers were overwhelmingly motivated by their frustration with the government. Nine out of 10 Republican voters said theyre angry or dissatisfied with Washington.
Among conservative caucus-goers, the entrance poll showed Cruz was the top choice. Trump fared best with moderates. Caucus-goers who said they were somewhat conservative were split between Rubio and Trump.
Mondays contest provided hard evidence that Trump could not easily turn the legion of fans drawn to his adversarial populism into voters. The scope of the billionaires organization in Iowa was a mystery, though Trump himself had intensified his campaign schedule during the final sprint.
Meanwhile, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich barely register in recent Iowa polls. The governors are banking instead on strong showings in New Hampshires Feb. 9 primary to jumpstart their White House bids.
DES MOINES, Iowa Ted Cruz, a hard-driving conservative, defeated national front-runner Donald Trump in a fierce struggle for supremacy in the Iowa Republican caucuses Monday while Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battled far into the night over who will claim the first prize in the Democratic presidential contest.
The Iowa caucuses, a tradition-steeped exercise in untraditional times, opened voting in the slog to November as people filed into schools, churches and veterans halls, with a looming snowstorm holding off long enough not to mess up voting night.
A look at developments:
PATH TO VICTORY
Neither race produced a quick winner but it was immediately apparent that the flamboyant Trump, a magnet for excitement from his massive crowds and derision from his rivals, had a terrific fight on his hands not just from Cruz, but from an ascendant Marco Rubio.
Cruz went into the caucuses with a ground organization that was the envy of his rivals. He scored heavily with conservatives and won the day. Late preference polls had suggested a tight finish between Cruz and Trump with the New York billionaire having a clearer advantage in next-up New Hampshire.
Clinton tried to fend off an upstart challenge from avowed socialist Bernie Sanders and score an Iowa victory that eluded her eight years ago against Barack Obama. As their dead heat dragged on, former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, with a negligible performance for the night, dropped out of the race.
BEATING EXPECTATIONS
Even though Rubios team had made clear he was fighting for third place and thats where he finished Rubio outperformed expectations. Thats because he shrank a gap in preference polls to finish just behind Trump.
With Iowa (and New Hampshire) offering only a small contingent of delegates needed to win the party nominations, the national campaign at this point is very much about who does better and worse than people think they will.
That changes when the rush of big-state primaries begins and the delegate math becomes decisive.
GOP DISAFFECTION
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 by Edison Research for The Associated Press and the television networks.
YOUNG & OLD
Democrats under 45 favored Sanders; those older tended to back Clinton, the surveys found. That trend was even more pronounced among the youngest and oldest Democrats interviewed.
THE DEMOCRATS
The bracing Sanders-Clinton contest came down to a struggle between practicality and passion, with both candidates from the left but Sanders farther to the left. That continues in New Hampshire and beyond.
Clinton went hard after Sanders for magic wand ideas, like substituting government-paid health care for the hard-won and landmark health law everyone knows as Obamacare.
She called herself a progressive who wants to make progress and actually produce real results in peoples lives.
Said Sanders, You dont make progress unless you have the courage to look reality in the eye.
THE REPUBLICANS
From one provocative comment to the next, Trump was the man to beat in Iowa, just as he will be in New Hampshire next week despite his defeat Monday. He flouted convention at every turn and capped his iconoclastic ways by blowing off the final Iowa debate in a snit with Fox News.
Cruz, who campaigned and organized exhaustively in Iowa, put into motion a strong ground game to get Iowans to the caucuses.
IOWA VOTERS SAY
Hes the one true conservative in the race. I dont think hes the wolf in sheeps clothing. Brad Sorensen, 46, of Waukee, who works for the Iowa Farm Bureau, on why he came out for Cruz.
I think hes got leadership written all over him. Wayne Wagemann, 35, who was among more than 2,000 people at a concert hall in Clive, a Des Moines suburb,on why he backed Rubio.
I look for real. I look for transparent. I look for a statesman, not a politician. I look for a heart. Jane Gaines, 66, of Churdan, Iowa, at a pre-caucus Ted Cruz rally, with a pile of his pamphlets and a childrens Cruz-themed activity book next to her seat. She was going to the caucus undecided.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
A final call on the Iowa Democratic race, then the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have already decamped to New Hampshire, where they figure theyll do better.
Also ahead: Some further winnowing of the field as trailing contenders decide whether to pack it in. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee ended his campaign Monday night.
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-Citren highlighted the interest among many foreign companies in Europe and Asia for quick re-entry into Irans large consumer market.
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.
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.
Myanmars first freely elected Parliament after half a century of military rule opened Monday, a symbolic but critical milestone in the countrys fragile transition to democracy, and a moment long awaited by Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the nations democracy movement.
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 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 Suu Kyi, former political prisoners. They were formally installed Monday after an unusually jubilant celebration Friday, with karaoke singing and dancing, to mark the end of the military-led Parliament.
The honeymoon period will be brief, Aung Zaw, an influential journalist who returned to Myanmar in 2012 after 24 years in exile, wrote Monday on the website of his publication, The Irrawaddy. All the hard work lies ahead.
Still, he called the opening of Parliament a momentous day for Burma, which was the countrys official name until 1989 and is still used by many in Myanmar.
The lower house of the new Parliament elected Win Myint, a lawyer from Suu Kyis political party and a former political prisoner, as its new speaker. But in a sign of conciliation, lawmakers picked as deputy speaker Ti Khun Myat, a member of the Kachin ethnic minority and a representative of the military-affiliated Union Solidarity and Development Party, which is now the party in opposition.
President Thein Sein, a former general who leads that party, gave a speech Friday promoting the countrys democratic transformation. As the prime minister from 2007 to 2011, Thein Sein helped to establish a military-led civilian government and to pave the way for the end of the military juntas monopoly on power, which it had held since a 1962 coup. The transition included Suu Kyis release from house arrest in 2010, a parliamentary by-election in 2012 that put her in Parliament, improved relations with the United States and the European Union, and the easing of some economic sanctions.
Thein Sein is to step down in March, and the new Parliament will choose his successor. But under the new constitution, which was drawn up by the previous military-led government and accepted by Suu Kyi, the democracy leader is not eligible for the position because of the foreign citizenship of her husband British historian Michael Aris, who died in 1999 and her two sons, who hold British citizenship.
Suu Kyi, who spent 15 years under house arrest under the former military government, said last year that a victory by her party would put her above the president, suggesting that the next president would be, if not largely ceremonial, a loyalist essentially governing on her behalf.
The National League for Democracy has been consumed with speculation about possible candidates for president. Among the names being mentioned are Suu Kyis longtime personal physician, Tin Myo Win, who was one of the few people allowed to visit her during her years in detention; a lawmaker, Su Su Lwin, and her husband, Htin Kyaw, both democratic activists; and Tin Oo, a former military commander in his late 80s who threw his support behind the 1988 democratic uprising that led to the partys landslide election victory in 1990. (The junta refused to recognize the results.)
The military, which still controls three key ministries under the new constitution, remains a key force in the country.
In an email, Aung Zaw, the journalist, predicted that the National League for Democracy, despite its overwhelming victory last fall, would move carefully in forming a new government, which will take office in April.
This is a new political beginning in Burma, he wrote. There is definitely renewed hope among people.
Myanmar, a nation of 53 million people, faces enormous challenges, including widespread poverty, an underdeveloped economy and environmental degradation. There are still political prisoners behind bars, and Suu Kyi has faced criticism for not responding more aggressively to deadly violence by members of the countrys Buddhist majority against the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group.
The ambassadors from Britain and the European Union were among the dignitaries who attended the opening of Parliament on Monday. On Thursday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the nomination of Scot Marciel, a career diplomat, to be the new U.S. ambassador to Myanmar. This came after the Obama administration had assured lawmakers that it would not move hastily to lift sanctions until the human rights situation showed demonstrable improvement.
BLACKSBURG, Va. A 13-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom was stabbed to death by a Virginia Tech student, and another freshman already charged with hiding the body was more deeply involved, authorities said Tuesday. A neighbor said the seventh-grader told friends she would sneak out to meet her boyfriend David, an 18-year-old she met online through the Kik messaging app.
Nicole Madison Lovell was killed Wednesday, the same day she vanished, by David Eisenhauer, a freshman at Virginia Tech now jailed on charges of kidnapping and murder, Commonwealths Attorney Mary Pettitt said Tuesday.
The prosecutor also announced that Eisenhauers classmate, Natalie Keepers, will face a charge of being an accessory before the fact to first-degree murder, in addition to helping to dispose of the body. The new charge could mean a life sentence if she is convicted.
Eisenhauer said, I believe the truth will set me free, after he was arrested Saturday, a police document says.
Nicoles mother discovered her missing the morning of Jan. 27, setting off an intense hunt for the girl, who suffered from bullying at school and online over her weight and a tracheotomy scar, and needed daily medication after surviving a liver transplant, lymphoma and a drug-resistant bacterial infection as a 5-year-old.
Police quickly zeroed in on Eisenhauer, and then found Nicoles body on Saturday, hidden off a North Carolina road, two hours south of campus.
Stacy Snider, a neighbor whose 8-year-old twins played with Nicole, told The Associated Press that before she vanished, Nicole showed her girls Eisenhauers picture along with a thread of texts they had shared and said she would be sneaking out to meet him.
She was talking about this boyfriend she had that was 18 and went to college, and his name was David. And showed some text messages off of a Kik and pictures. And thats what the girls told the police officers when they asked.
Snider said she learned all this from her girls only after Nicole went missing. I would have told her mother. But we didnt know nothing about it until she came up missing, unfortunately, she said.
Her fate devastated her mother, Tammy Weeks, who also spoke at Tuesdays news conference, describing the health problems her daughter battled and the joys in her short life.
Her favorite color was blue. Nicole was a very lovable person. Nicole touched many people throughout her short life, Weeks read from a statement before her sobs became uncontrollable and she was ushered away.
Blacksburg police said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared Wednesday, but provided no more details.
Nordstrom Rack will open in the fall at the Market Place in Tustin. It will replace the former Toys R Us.
The 32,500-square-foot store offers items 30 percent to 70 percent off regular prices found at Nordstrom stores.
Were grateful for the support our customers in Southern California have shown us and were thrilled to grow our presence in Orange County, said Geevy Thomas, president of Nordstrom Rack, in a statement. The Market Place is a top shopping destination and will help us better serve the many customers we are fortunate to have in the area.
Nordstrom has 22 traditional and 31 Rack stores in Southern California.
The Market Places Toys R Us store announced plans in early January to close at the end of the month, a move based on store performance, the chain said.
As with all retailers, we regularly look at the performance of our physical locations to ensure they are meeting the needs of our business, and this decision was made as part of that process, company spokeswoman Alyssa Peera told the Register.
Toys R Us recently closed its flagship store in Times Square in New York, but Peera said the chain does not plan to close a large number of other stores.
Staff writer Nancy Luna contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
ISLAMABAD 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 Quran, 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 Quran 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.
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.
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, at least one of which 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.
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 , students get a 30-minute lesson five days a week. Initially, the lessons focus on the proper pronunciation of Quranic 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 move to translating and interpreting the Quran, 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 Quran 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 religious scholar who runs a seminary in northwestern Pakistan, said such courses fulfill the spiritual needs of both students and teachers.
Its mandatory for every Muslim to learn the Quran and spread it to others, Khattak said. Online Quranic academies are doing great service . . . and kids in the West are now taking a keen interest.
Still, 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 Quran, 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 , 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.
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, and they are all our market, he said. All you need is a computer, microphone, headset and Skype.
WASHINGTON A survey of Muslim voters in six states has found one surprising result: Donald Trump was the most popular Republican presidential candidate, despite his calls for tighter surveillance of Muslims and limits on Muslim immigration.
The poll, not unexpectedly, found that 67 percent of the respondents support the Democratic Party and 51 percent of them plan to vote for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders trailed with 22 percent.
But of the 15 percent who said they intended to vote for Republicans, Trump was the first choice, with more than 7 percent of the total.
More than 73 percent of respondents said they plan to vote in their states primary elections, an increase from the 69 percent who answered that way in a similar survey taken before the 2014 midterm elections.
The survey, which was commissioned by the Council on American Islamic Relations and carried out Jan. 26, comprised interviews with 2,000 registered Muslim voters in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas and Virginia the states with the largest Muslim populations in the United States.
The council did not identify the independent automated call service provider that undertook the survey.
Robert McCaw, the councils government affairs manager, suggested that the increase in respondents who said they planned to vote was likely driven, at least in part, by concern over the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric since terrorist attacks late last year in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif.
About 30 percent of the respondents said Islamaphobia was their No. 1 concern. The economy and health care ranked No. 2 and No. 3.
Despite the concern over anti-Muslim feelings, Trump was the most popular of the Republicans among the respondents even with his calls for closing down mosques, monitoring Muslims and barring them from immigrating to the United States.
Support for other Republicans was negligible: Ted Cruz received 2 percent, Jeb Bush 1.57 percent and Rand Paul, Ben Carson, Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina each received less than 1 percent.
Ibrahim Hooper, the councils director of communications, called the Trump result puzzling.
It is not unusual to find Muslim Republicans, because the two are similarly socially conservative, he said. But at a time when anti-Muslim rhetoric and bigotry is being spewed by Republicans, it is rather unusual.
Hooper, however, said it was possible that the Trump supporters were unaware of the candidates anti-Islam stands. He noted that former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, a Democrat who became the first presidential candidate to visit a mosque in December, was favored by just 0.98 percent of the respondents.
This is what makes me think that this result could be more about the recognition of Donald Trumps name than anything, he said. People probably do not know of a Martin OMalley, but they surely know of Donald Trump by default.
When Maria Cerpa was in high school in the 1990s, her parents pulled her out of classes for several weeks every winter for family trips to Mexico, where they visited with relatives, celebrated religious feasts and reconnected with their culture.
But when Cerpa planned a similar trip for her own family in December, she was sure to have her 14-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter back in school when classes resumed in early January.
I think its really important that they know where their roots come from, and they need to appreciate what my parents went through in order for us to be here, Cerpa said. But I want them to be prepared when they go to college and to be able to handle the classes.
Its a sentiment welcomed by educators at schools across the Chicago area, who say January is no longer a stressful month spent catching up large numbers of Hispanic students after extended absences. A decade ago, school administrators tried such things as forums educating parents about the importance of attendance , threatening to fail students and forcing the repayment of registration fees to keep families from taking winter trips that lasted a month or more.
This winter, however, only a few of students at Community High School in West Chicago asked to take extra time off around the holidays compared with 10 to 15 percent of the student population five years ago said Antonio del Real, dean of students. Administrators in other school districts with high populations of Hispanic students reported similar decreases.
For us as a school and administrators, its great that they can be here and not miss so much, said del Real, noting that improved attendance helps ensure that students can keep up with required coursework and meet graduation requirements. We still have students leave, but not for long periods of time.
Families have offered a variety of explanations for discontinuing extended vacations, school officials say.
Immigration enforcement at the borders has made it harder for some families with mixed immigration status to re-enter the country. In other cases, local landscaping and construction companies that employ some parents have retained employees over the winter, so they no longer have extended time off. But perhaps the biggest reason is that many of todays Hispanic parents grew up and were educated in the U.S. and therefore are more familiar with the importance of attendance, school officials said.
Im seeing my former students bring their kids here as students, said Eileen Considine, principal at Columbia Explorers Academy in Chicago, where fewer than 1 percent of families took extended winter breaks this year, compared with as much as 15 percent of the student population years ago. My parents are very respectful and they understand that its very important for their kids to be in school.
At Waukegan Public Schools, administrators began asking parents to sign paperwork four years ago acknowledging that if students were absent for more than 10 consecutive days, they could be dropped from the class list and required to reregister, said Vanessa Campos, director of school improvement for Waukegan Public School District 60.
As a result, the number of students at Carman-Buckner Elementary School who took extended winter breaks dropped from 10 to about two a year, said Campos, the schools former principal.
It dramatically went down through education and accountability, Campos said.
Jose Lara, a former principal at Clearview Elementary School, also in Waukegan, said he was pleased to see similar declines.
In this age of accountability, its important that every kid has a chance to show what he or she has learned, Lara said. If theyre not at school, nobody can help them.
Maria de los Angeles Torres, executive director of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, a Chicago-based national consortium of university-based centers that studies Latinos, said the shift demonstrates how immigrant communities are able to assimilate over time without giving up the rich sense of culture they bring to their new countries. In many instances, evolved immigrant communities are able to give back to their new homes by adding institutionalized ties such as the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicagos Pilsen neighborhood, Torres said.
What it means is immigrant communities are resilient and can learn multiple cultures, Torres said.
Jasmine Martinez, a mother of two, has fond memories of visiting Mexico with her parents each winter. The family would take up to four weeks off to drive across the border and enjoy Christmas traditions.
Next winter, Martinez plans to introduce her two daughters to the same traditions with a winter trip to Mexico. But she said she already knows the family wont be gone longer than the school calendar allows.
I wouldnt want them to miss and be that far behind when they come back, she said.
BISMARCK, N.D. North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple on Monday ordered deep cuts to government agencies and a massive raid on state savings to make up for a more than $1 billion budget shortfall due to depressed crude prices and a drop in oil drilling.
The state had more than $2 billion in various reserve accounts just one year ago, but oil prices a key contributor to the states wealth have taken a nosedive in the past year. The Legislatures record-high $14.4 billion budget for the two years that began July 1 was built on oil prices and economic assumptions that have fallen much greater than anyone would have predicted, the governor said.
After 15 years of receiving almost entirely good news about the growth in revenues for North Dakota, it seems strange to hear that things have gone in the other direction, the Republican told state agency officials at the state Capitol in Bismarck.
To balance the budget, Dalrymple ordered agencies to cut their budgets by 4.05 percent, which will save the state about $245 million through the spending cycle. The governor also will take more than $497 million from the states Budget Stabilization Fund, a surplus stash of cash that has been built up over the past decade largely from past oil bounty. That fund will now have a balance of about $75 million.
Dalrymple is only the third governor to tap the fund. Then-Gov. John Hoeven used it in 2002, and former Gov. George Sinner did so during the 1980s, due to depressed prices for crops and oil.
The remainder of the shortfall will be made up by using the previously anticipated ending fund balance of about $331 million.
Still, North Dakota will have about $875 million in surplus cash in various reserve accounts, according to Pam Sharp, the states budget director. And that doesnt include the oil tax-funded Legacy Fund, which holds more than $3.5 billion. The fund was approved by voters in 2010, and receives 30 percent of the states oil tax collections, though none of the money can be spent until 2017.
North Dakota became the nations second top oil-producing state, behind only Texas, thanks to the booming oil patch in the western part of the state. A one-time spending spill signed by Dalrymple last February fast-tracked $1.1 billion for highways and communities affected by the states exploding growth, nearly depleting the Strategic Investment and Improvement Fund, which is funded in part with oil and gas taxes. Most of the money was spent in western North Dakota, which has been overwhelmed with spending needs on roads, utilities, housing and schools.
The spring semester has begun, and while some students are returning from a blissful break of sleeping in and playing video games, others opted to spend the interterm seeing the world with their fellow Panthers.
Every interterm, alongside more typical courses, Chapman offers a bevy of travel courses, sending students to join professors around the world as they further their research, learn about other cultures and enrich themselves in ways sitting in a classroom never could.
For example, rather than listening to a lecture on A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens timeless novel set in London and Paris during the French Revolution, interterm students visit those cities to see the markings of the tale with their own eyes.
These travel courses can be focused on just about anything, including business, cooking, science, culture even all at once. Penny Bryan, a professor of scholarly practice at Chapman, recently returned from a interterm travel course to Florence, Italy, with 13 students.
During their three-week stay, these students lived the lives of true Florentines, immersing themselves in the culture as much as possible. This wasnt a case of seeing a landmark and hurrying to the next one students stayed in apartments, went to supermarkets, took their clothes to the cleaners, shopped around, explored and lived as members of the community.
Bryan says that as a huge portion of the worlds artistic treasures are in Italy and with a good chunk of those in Florence, students can learn more about aesthetics and culture by living their daily lives as Florentines than they ever could in a lecture hall back home.
There is art everywhere. If were thinking about aesthetics and culture, its in the stones on the street, its the architecture of the building, its the way people display their goods in the grocery store, Bryan said.
On an average morning, after meeting in a palazzo classroom, students would debrief on the previous day, talk about the coming days activities and then set out to see the city.
Every day took students to a different museum, church or other artistic site.
Peppered throughout the trip were an assortment of workshops giving students a chance to go hands-on with true Italian masters to practice the arts of pottery, cooking and more.
Bryan mentioned that many students went through an evolution during their travels cautiously exploring the city in groups but later boldly venturing out on their own. Some students like alum Nikki Sammet, who received a masters degree in leadership development from Chapman last year, returned home with a completely different attitude than they had left with. When Sammet journeyed to Florence with Bryan last year, she had a lesson with an Italian pottery master that taught her far more than how to work with clay.
There was this instance where I was working with the clay it was my first time working with it and I was struggling to mold it into the shape I was thinking. I realized in that moment that Im constantly doing that in my own life, trying to create a perfect image thats going to crumble and mold into different things. Whatever it molds into is exactly what its supposed to be, Sammet said. From that experience, Im now allowing things to evolve the way theyre supposed to instead of trying to fit a mold that theyre not fitting.
A big part of this transformation for Sammet was being brought out of her comfort zone and being exposed to one-of-a-kind experiences something these travel courses excel at.
Bryan has led these classes for five years. Motivated in part by the chance to see students transform in the way Sammet did, shes not stopping any time soon.
Were walking on cobblestones that Michelangelo walked on seeing things, six, seven or eight hundred years old, Bryan said. We eat in a room that was established in 1100. Its a very different sense of history that goes along with it. Theres no way you can get that sitting in a classroom in Orange there just isnt. You have to go out and be willing to open yourself to that kind of experience.
Contact the writer: jwinslow@ocregister.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas A UC Irvine team finished fifth in a competition to transform SpaceX and Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musks idea into a design for a Hyperloop to move pods of people at high speed.
More than 100 university teams and more than 1,000 college students presented design concepts to a panel of judges in an event that began Friday at Texas A&M University in College Station.
The top teams will build their pods and test them at the worlds first Hyperloop Test Track, being built adjacent to SpaceXs Hawthorne, California, headquarters.
The Hyperloop is a high-speed ground transport concept proposed by Musk to transport pods of 20 to 30 people through a 12-foot diameter tube at speeds of roughly 700 mph.
The 24-person UCI team built a scale model of their HyperXite pod (pronounced Hyper Excite) for the contest. The concept uses compressed air to levitate and glide the pod on a track. Powerful magnets would serve as breaks for the 1,067-pound train.
Dean Defuria, the team captain for the trains levitation and networking systems, said last week the teams 1-foot scale model had gotten up to speeds of 219 mph.
What sets HyperXites design apart, said Jacob Gantz, the teams project manager, is its redundant breaking, levitation, navigation, control systems, making their pod safer than those theyre competing against.
If we were to make the system less safe it just wouldnt feel right, Gantz said. Right from the start safety was a priority.
The HyperXite design uses a control system most often seen in nuclear power plants. The system translates well because of the number of valves on which the HyperXite relies, Gantz said. The team based their dimensions on an airplanes fuselage.
The team already has passed two milestones with SpaceX, but the remaining hurdle is money. If the team can raise $60,000 needed to make a half-scale model, they can make it to the June final, Defuria said.
In last weeks contest, a team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was named the winner Saturday.
Delft University of Technology from The Netherlands finished second, the University of Wisconsin third and Virginia Tech fourth.
Staff writer Lauren Williams and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BRUSSELS The prime ministers of Belgium and France vowed Monday to reinforce counterterrorism cooperation, with French Premier Manuel Valls warning it is only a matter of time before the next attack by violent extremists against Europeans occurs.
Valls and Belgian counterpart Charles Michel held an extraordinary meeting of high-ranking police, justice and intelligence officials from both countries.
Michel said the session at a country estate in eastern Brussels focused on the current threat posed by IS and other extremist groups, the state of the investigations into the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, lessons to be drawn from that massacre and what bilateral and European Union-wide responses are necessary.
There is no zero risk, Michel said at a joint news conference, echoing Valls sober tone. The Belgian leader said all Europe is faced with a new level of threat and must adapt swiftly.
We need to increase our cooperation in all areas: intelligence, justice, police, Valls said.
He also called for decisive action by the 28-nation EU, to which both France and Belgium belong, including swift approval of a system to share airline passenger data, systematic checks on travelers in the visa-less Schengen zone using data submitted by member countries according to uniform standards, and creation of an EU border guard service.
Michel said high-tech ways must be found to foil the current ability of extremists to plot in secret through the use of Internet encryption, and similarly, that biometrics should be employed to thwart the forged passports or other fake travel documents they can often obtain.
The attacks carried out in Paris were staged from Belgium, and suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud lived in Brussels. Following that carnage, skepticism was voiced in France about how zealously Belgian law enforcement had been pursuing suspected Islamic radicals.
Valls tried to diminish such doubts, saying once again, Belgium and France are together.
SAN FRANCISCO Endangered native salmon suffered a second straight disastrous year in Californias drought, with all but 3 percent of the latest generation dying in too-shallow, too-hot rivers, federal officials said Monday.
Survival rates for Californias endangered native fish regularly are a flashpoint in the disputes among fishermen, farmers and others about how federal and state authorities divvy up the states water supplies.
Just 318,000 juvenile winter-run salmon survived last year, or 3 percent of nearly 10 million eggs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations fisheries agency said Monday. That compares to just 5 percent survival the previous year and 41 percent in 2011, just before Californias drought set in.
Salmon need cold water, but dams have blocked their historic retreats to the chilly upper reaches of Northern Californias Sacramento River tributaries. Federal officials in the drought have tried to finesse releases from Californias largest reservoir, Shasta, to keep the river water just deep enough and cool enough. Especially given scanty snow last year, water temperatures repeatedly went over the maximum for the young fish.
I think everyone tried to make it work and despite everybodys best efforts it still was too warm, said Maria Rea, a deputy regional administrator with NOAA fisheries.
However, a fishing industry official maintained the fish would have done better if water managers had released less water in the spring for farmers and other users.
Fishermen are asking what it will take to get the fish and wildlife agencies to protect our endangered species during times of drought, said John McManus, executive director of the Golden Gate Salmon Association.
Farm groups and state lawmakers speaking on their behalf this month have stepped up public complaints that farms are being short-changed on water, to benefit wildlife.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects to release hundreds of thousands of hatchery-raised winter-run salmon this month to try to offset the higher losses in the wild, spokesman Steve Martarano said.
From the outside, this house in Newport, Oregon, looks pretty ordinary, with yellowed brick walls, white cladding, and a two-car garage. But youll be surprised to learn that inside its actually an opulent Renaissance-era palace complete with hand-carved doors, stained-glass windows, and centuries-old antique decor.
The unique house belongs to a member of the British nobility the Right and Honorable Dowager Countess of Shannon, Almine Barton apparently has excellent reason for maintaining the striking contrast between the spectacular interior and rather drab exterior taxes.
Born in South Africa, Barton immigrated to the US and married a local attorney before she purchased this house in 1979. After they divorced she travelled to the UK, where she met and married Richard Bentinck Boyle, the ninth Earl of Shannon. Years later, having travelled the world, Barton realised that it was an absolute gem to raise children in Newport.
Three blocks you can walk down to these pristine white beaches, she said. Its a safe little town and people are friendly. If you forget your wallet somewhere, they say, Come back and pay me next time. So she decided to return to the 3,212-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom house shed previously purchased, but also to add a touch of class to the unimpressive interior.
It was an ordinary suburban house, she told Yahoo Real Estate. The owner built it with just basic materials in a very, very sturdy way. But when I went in and saw the small little space, it just didnt feel right to me. So she took on the task of converting it into a dwelling fit for nobility, while leaving the exterior intact to keep her tax bill as low as possible.
Barton took her time with modifications, changing each aspect of the house one year at a time, spending thousands of dollars over 40 years. She first knocked down walls to create a large front foyer that opens up into a grand living room. She then remodelled the old ceiling in the living room and installed new raft beams with intricate gilding. If you take one side of the molding and ungild it, it runs something like $16 per inch, she said.
She had the walls covered in moire silk and French Schumacher silk satin, and installed milled oak floors finished with a special Jacobean brown stain. These materials were so expensive that some of the craftsmen were actually afraid of damaging them. Barton had to spend months looking for someone willing to install the $150 a yard Schumacher fabric on the walls. They were scared to mess it up because of the costliness of the fabric, she said. The man that hung that wallpaper used to come in drunk every day because he was nervous of messing it up.
The windows were replaced with hand-rolled glass or stained glass sourced from cathedrals. The master bedroom upstairs features a pair of cathedral windows depicting Peter the Apostle that were found in an attic in England. There are stained-glass bay windows from an old English church downstairs, as well as two 18th century stained-glass windows from Lancaster cathedral. Since the colored windows make the house darker than usual, Barton compensated for it by choosing fabrics and colors that reflect light to decorate the rest of the house. Its like living inside a Rembrandt painting, she said.
Barton slowly added plush furnishing and antique decor pieces to the house an Australian lead crystal chandelier, ancient books dating as far back as the 17th century, drapes worth $14,000, handcrafted silk rugs, Victorian-era wood furniture, antique cabinets made from violin wood, and Italian stucco work.
Sadly, Barton suffered a stroke a couple of years ago, and has found it difficult to maintain her palatial home since then. After much deliberation, shes reached a difficult decision to sell the home that has been her work of art in progress for the past four decades. Shes settled on a price of $399,000, but she isnt willing to let it go to anyone who might try to dismantle the interiors and sell them off. Im embarrassed to say I feel somewhat sentimental about it, she said. The artistry in it, the curtain that matches the rugs that matches the upholstery.
Ill work with somebody who can see what Im seeing in terms of the value, who wouldnt tear it all apart and sell it piece by piece, she added. I sound a bit foolish, but it would be like taking the Lincoln Memorial apart to sell its bricks. Im bending over backwards to sell it furnished. Shes willing to include all the antique furnishings for an extra price of $50,000.
According to real estate experts, the price Barton is quoting is about average for the propertys size and interiors. In Portland, that will hardly even buy a condo, she said.
Photos: Realtor
Mere minutes after meeting in person for the first time, a California woman and a New York man got hitched at the Ontario International Airport on Friday. Theyre now calling their meeting an insta-engagement and insta-wedding, paying tribute to the fact that they first got in touch on Instagram in March last year.
After three days of wedded bliss, Erica Harris and Arte Vann claim they are still madly in love. I didnt realise how much I love this man, Erica, a mother-of-three. Now weve theyve spent three days together, I cant believe how much I love him.
The decision to marry was premeditated; reporters from CBS News were waiting at the airport to film Erica Harris and Arte Vann tie the knot. In fact, Erica was the one who informed CBS about her wedding plans and invited them to record it, so that her new mother-in-law could watch it on TV. I believe this man deserves a lot of love, and I want to give him the love he gives me, she said. [Calling CBS] was a present to his mom, because she wouldnt be at the wedding since we were eloping.
Photo: CBS video caption
A spokesperson for the airport told reporters that the local media had alerted them about the wedding in advance. It was set up by them, the spokesperson said. All we did was crowd control. Our PR told us they never met and the first time they met they got married in the terminal.
Erica revealed that she had noticed Vanns profile last year because of his cute avatar. She then started observing the way he interacted with other women online. What drew me to him is a lot of men, you can tell how they are to women through their comments, she explained. I saw that Arte was very personal, and he was very attentive, and thought, Wow this guy seems like a nice guy.
Photo: CBS video caption
So she started liking his pictures, which is how Vann became aware of her profile. He checked out her page and soon tagged her in a full-body mirror selfie, which came as a pleasant surprise to Erica. Im like, a tag? Ive never gotten this, and I said, Oh my gosh, this man is good-looking, so I followed him right off the bat and he followed me right back.
They left comments on each others pictures, messaged each other, and eventually started talking on the phone. According to Erica, they spoke for five or seven hours for the first night. They were in touch for several months, but things slowed down a bit in May last year, when Erica, fearing that they were getting too close too soon, stopped talking to Vann. They both deleted their Instagram page and started fresh accounts, but didnt contact each other for months.
Photo: CBS video caption
But Erica found the separation difficult, and eventually reached out to Vann, the man who had always been there for her. I messaged him, Arte, I need you and a week later, nothing, she said. Unbeknownst to me, he got into a car accident and wrapped himself around a tree. Fast forward to November, he goes back on Instagram, we reconnect and were right where we left off.
The couple got pretty serious about their relationship after that they would speak for hours on the phone with Ericas sons telling Vann goodnight and I love you every night. They also interacted in a tight-knit writing community on Instagram, where they posted poems and commented on the works of other users. In December, another member of that group told the couple they need to get hitched, to which Erica replied Yeah, well, okay, why dont we get hitched?
Photo: CBS video caption
Vann apparently loved the idea too, so he quit his job in New York and bought a one-way ticket to California. He told Erica, I cant come out there and go back to New York. I cant leave you. So they met at the airport for the first time, fully intending to marry each other, letting God be their officiator.
We know God brought us together, so we let God be our pastor, Erica said, adding that both she and Vann have been victims of abuse in the past. I used to hate the idea of marriage, but hes Prince Charming.
You dont drag your feet with real love. You leap into that like theres no tomorrow, and thats what were doing, she added. Im going to enjoy life more than ever. Were just going to laugh and get to know each other.
Who said fairy-tale romance doesnt happen in real life?
Sources: CBS Local, Daily Mail
Netherlands-based rail pass company Eurail Group has selected travel and hospitality agency Spring OBrien & Co. for the purpose of promoting European train travel to North American audiences.
A name synonymous with European rail travel, Eurail markets and sells a variety of passes and tickets for railroad travel through 28 countries in Europe, including its world-famous "Eurail pass," which can be purchased only by non-European residents. Owned by Europes rail and shipping carriers, the Utrecht-headquartered company was founded in 2001 and sells more than 330,000 Eurail passes each year. Eurail currently has three North America distributors: ACP Travel, STA Travel and Rail Europe.
As Eurails North American agency of record, Spring OBrien will now provide PR and marketing support for the company and its rail products throughout North America, communicating with key media to promote the passes as well as the experience of traveling throughout Europe via train.
Travel by rail in Europe is a great way to meet the local people and get a flavor of the country you're traveling in," Spring OBrien President Chris Spring told O'Dwyer's. "The trains travel from city center to city center with much less hassle than flying. Our job for Eurail is to highlight the romance and ease of train travel for North Americans who want an authentic experience.
Finn Partners has appointed Jeff Hentz to the role of partner, Finn Partners Travel/Lifestyle. He'll guide global travel marketing services and trade sales within the agencys travel and lifestyle practice.
Jeff Hentz
Hentz comes to Finn Partners from tourism marketing company Catalyst Destinations International, where he was managing partner and chief strategist. Prior to that he served as president and CEO of the Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau and was chairman of Visit California's High Sierra Tourism Council. He also held travel marketing leadership roles at Ocean Club Cruises, Destination Yosemite, Tourism Marketing Consultants, United Vacations and Disneys Premier Cruise Lines.
Hentz will now head a portfolio of services within Finn Partners global travel practice, which serves destinations, airlines, cruises, visitors bureaus, tourism offices and hotels and resorts.
Finn Partners managing partner and travel practice director Gail L. Moaney said Hentzs experience, combined with our existing resources, brings a new level of tourism marketing and communications services to clients by offering sales and marketing trade services to support the building of tourism infrastructures in emerging destinations around the world.
New York-based Finn Partners accounted for nearly $7 million in travel and tourism related net fees in 2014, according to ODwyers rankings of PR firms.
Status Labs, with offices in New York, Austin and Sao Paulo, has added New York counselor Mike Paul to its board as an advisor.
Mike Paul
Mike is one of the most notable figures in our industry and we look forward to learning from his expert knowledge, network and proven crisis strategies said Darius Fisher, president.
Status Labs clients include Fortune 500 brands, politicians, athletes and other public figures. It has been featured in media including the New York Times, Daily Beast, Yahoo!, DuJour, The Observer and US News & World Report.
Paul is president of Reputation Doctor, handling crisis management, reputation, corporate communications, government relations and litigation support.
PR often helps make money for the rich but rarely for the poor. PR experts advise the wealthy how to handle crises but dont counsel those affected by poverty who often resort to poor choices as a means of getting by.
PR helps the rich pass laws that are great for business and professionals, but may pass on steps that could be great for adding jobs, affordable housing and neighborhood safety.
A rich kid can choose a college to study computers, engineering, nursing, writing, accounting and other skills that thousands of employers want. But a poor kid in an impoverished school may attend a school with few resources, where they teach skills that almost no employers want.
To earn money, a poor kid without above average intelligence may have little opportunity aside from crime or the military. Unemployment among minors can run above 50 percent. Fortunately although it isnt yet happening nearly as much as it could government could retain PR firms of all sizes to help the poor and save many billions more than the PR costs.
Government relations: Instead of advocating only algebra, history and English lit, students should have a right to study professions where employer demand often exceeds supply, such as car repair, truck driving, hairdressing, nursing or medical technologist skills. The public needs these services.
Employment counseling: Can you imagine how many millions of kids dont know how to get a job? Or conversely, what skills they should cultivate to keep one and advance? PR firms can create booklets, websites and tapes for this.
Internal communications: Just as employers have skilled editors producing employee publications and websites that encourage attitudes and behavior good for employees and their employers, PR can do this for students and their schools.
Practical political science: How does one approach local legislative offices for help when it comes to getting a job, an apartment, an education or another chance? Why cant we offer services to train and eventually license someone to be a cab driver, a barber or electrician, or join a union?
Practical domestic science: Governor Christie recently said that keeping a prisoner in jail costs $49,000 a year. America has more than two million people in jail. For those in poverty who dont go to jail, more use of PR by our governments could reduce crime, reduce welfare, reduce hospitalization and drug treatment costs, and help many in the bottom economic third climb to where the middle third is now.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal ... says the Declaration of Independence, but we know equality is neither self-evident nor true. Some are created smarter or less smart than others, others richer or less rich.
What is true if less evident is that nearly all people can be guided to be productive and happy. PR can do this, and more use of PR by government can help make that happen.
Wouldnt it be great to read not just news of how the rich are using PR, but also how the government is using PR to help people affected by poverty? Not everyone can grow up to be President, but PR could at least help more people grow.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS The first choice confronting caucusgoers Monday evening in Precinct 11 came as soon as they entered the doors at Broadway United Methodist Church. Posted on a stairwell landing, the sign read: Republicans, upstairs. Democrats, down.
As voters streamed into the church, there were more than a few chuckles over whether the room assignments were accidental or by design. The church was one of few local caucus sites where both parties met under one roof.
Given the hyper-partisan nature that seems to define American politics today, you might think that could lead to some friction.
But this was a church and these were neighbors and there was a winter storm coming.
So the good citizens of Precinct 11 peacefully followed the appropriate arrows that took them either up to the sanctuary, with its padded pews and stained-glass windows. Or down to the basement fellowship hall, with its metal folding chairs and coffee urn.
We get to go below, quipped 69-year-old Herb Christensen, a substitute teacher, as he stood in a long line of Democrats waiting to go downstairs.
Despite caucusing with Democrats on Monday, Herb has supported Republicans in the past making him an example of Iowas swing-state nature.
In fact, while Herb said hed back Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist running for the Democratic nomination, he also likes one of the most conservative Republican presidential hopefuls, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Whether Democrat or Republican, the initial process was the same. Register to vote, if needed. Sign in. Find a spot. Throw in a few bucks, if you can, for party organization costs.
But from there, the caucus experience was night and day.
Upstairs, volunteer caucus leader Naomi Leinen, a teacher, led Republicans through a pretty straightforward drill.
Say the Pledge of Allegiance. Sit tight while supporters for various candidates run through brief pitches. Check a box on a simple ballot.
They did. They sat quietly in the chilly sanctuary. They clapped politely for each speaker. They were patient and subdued as they marked ballots and handed them in.
Among them was Pam Fogle. She settled into a pew and mulled the list of 11 Republican candidates. She was a first-timer. And she was undecided.
Ive never done this before, explained Pam, newly retired from a customer service job at age 60. I need to do this.
Eventually, she chose Carson.
Downstairs, however, was like a high school hallway when the bell rings. Caucus leader Bill Grove, a retired school superintendent, explained the rules: They would divide up and stand in groups for each of the three presidential candidates.
A candidate needed 15 percent of the room 26 people in this case to be viable. Only support for viable candidates would count in distributing the precincts 16 Democratic delegates to their county convention in March.
In minutes, there were three groups: A big Sanders group on one side of the hall. A not-as-big Hillary Clinton group on the other side. And a very small Martin OMalley group in the back just eight people. Not viable.
The eight lonely OMalley backers had to quickly decide: Peel off and join the Sanders or Clinton camps. Or try to convince Sanders or Clinton supporters to come to their side. This felt a bit like the playground game Red Rover, with the sharks from the two bigger camps circling.
The OMalleyites soon gave up the hope of viability as did their candidate, who dropped out Monday evening. Two supporters went to Clinton. Four went to Sanders. That left two staunch OMalley backers, steadfastly refusing the passionate arguments Sanders and Clinton people made right to their faces.
The pressure was intense, with one Clinton supporter appealing to nostalgia.
A lot of kids in the neighborhood had you as a teacher, Kathleen Jurgens said to holdout Karen Holmes.
But Miss Holmes, as her neighbors called her, stayed put.
Im staying with him, she said of OMalley.
Asked later about the pressure, she said: That just makes me all the more independent.
Bill, the caucus leader, then told the room get into their final groups for good. The count was 101 people for Sanders; 68 for Clinton. This meant Sanders got 10 of the rooms delegates; Clinton got six. OMalley got none.
Upstairs, the Republican vote counting took a while, but by 8 p.m., Naomi had the final tally.
One-hundred forty-three voters. One-hundred forty-three votes cast, she read.
Then she rattled off the numbers: Carly Fiorina, 1; Chris Christie, 2; Rick Santorum, 4; John Kasich, 6; Rand Paul, 6; Marco Rubio, 17; Ben Carson, 28; Ted Cruz, 35.
Donald Trump wins, Naomi announced, with 44 votes.
After the counts, both Bill the Democrat and Naomi the Republican watched most of their respective rooms empty as fast as you can say the words: Impending blizzard.
There was still some party business to address, but for most caucusgoers, the show was over and they were eager to get home.
The Republicans walked down some stairs; the Democrats walked up. Both exited out the same door, into the same parking lot and into the same winter night in Iowa.
Huskers fans are still holding out hopes for a Top 25 recruiting class come National Signing Day.
Those chances took a hit Monday when four-star wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick spurned Nebraska and committed to Louisville. But even without him in the class, NU can still crack that Top 25 threshold for the first time since 2013.
We played with 247's class calculator to figure out how.
The class as it stands now with 19 commits ranks No. 29 nationally, according to the 247 composite, with a score of 206.28.
This, of course, is based on the Huskers also retaining everyone currently committed. Linebacker Quayshon Alexander is still worth monitoring after he took an official visit to Rutgers over the weekend. His commitment is worth 2.49 points to the team total.
The difference-makers though are the ones left to decide, and the Huskers have two targets still on the board.
The first will be four-star Lamar Jackson, and his announcement's coming early Tuesday afternoon. Four-star athlete Isaiah Simmons, who'd be a wide receiver at Nebraska, follows him with an announcement Wednesday.
Jackson ranks as the No. 81 overall recruit and No. 5 safety. Simmons is No. 327 overall and No. 16 at his position.
If NU lands Jackson, his commitment would add 11.24 points, making the team total 217.52. Simmons' commitment would add 4.72 points, a total of 211. Land them both, and that would make a final total of 221.63.
So how would that compare to past teams in the Top 25 recruiting rankings? Let's look at the point totals of the No. 25 team in each of the last five years:
2015: Missouri, 217.59
2014: Michigan State, 217.41
2013: Mississippi State, 212.84
2012: Virginia, 219.02
2011: Oklahoma State, 213.55
Jackson alone would get the Huskers enough points to be Top 25 in three of the last five years. Simmons alone wouldn't be enough in any of the last five years.
But get them both, and NU would likely be guaranteed a spot in the Top 25.
Unless Nebraska wants to make some late offers or entertain some signing day switches, it appears the Huskers will be done with their recruiting class one way or another on signing day eve.
First Lamar Jackson will release his Bleacher Report video sometime around noon on Tuesday. Jackson is considered a Nebraska lean, but so was wideout Desmond Fitzpatrick before a late visit to Louisville.
At 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Olathe (Kansas) North athlete Isaiah Simmons will announce his choice between Clemson, Michigan and Nebraska.
Simmons just returned from his visit to Clemson and told both Husker Online and Huskers Illustrated that he knows where he's going.
Here's his Twitter post that he was moving up his commitment announcement:
Commitment dropping tomorrow @ 5:00pm Isaiah Simmons (@isaiahsimmons25) February 2, 2016
Nebraska currently has 20 commits in its 2016 recruiting class.
A man who held law enforcement authorities at bay over two days in late January when they went to his northwest Omaha house intending to take him to a hospital for a psychological exam died Tuesday, officials said.
Mark LHeureux, 59, who was married and had a teenage son and daughter, was accused of firing at deputies and shooting dead a police dog in his home near 83rd Street and Keystone Drive during the standoff on Jan. 22 and 23. He eventually surrendered and was charged with attempted second-degree murder and other crimes.
The deputies had intended to serve LHeureux with a Board of Mental Health warrant.
Tuesday, he was taken from the Douglas County Jail to Nebraska Medical Center, where he was declared dead at 1:15 p.m., the countys Department of Corrections said.
The cause of LHeureuxs death was unclear, said Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine and Chief Deputy Tom Wheeler. A Sheriffs Office-led investigation was underway, and an autopsy will be performed.
A grand jury will review LHeureuxs death.
In June, LHeureux walked to a neighbors yard and used shears to cut daylilies that he intended to put in a bouquet to take home with him, the neighbor said.
During the standoff, he at times wore a towel wrapped around his head.
On Jan. 26, a district court judge ordered LHeureux to submit to a competency evaluation at the Lincoln Regional Center. He refused to leave the jail to attend the hearing.
World-Herald staff writer Todd Cooper contributed to this report.
Trial against A1+ in the case of Flying Sail postponed
The preliminary court hearing in the lawsuit filed by Trchogh Aragast (Flying Sail) Ltd against A1+ TV company was postponed. Judge Ruben Apinyan gave time to the representative of Meltex Ltd, advocate Arthur Ayvazyan to get acquainted with the materials of the case. The representative of the plaintiff, advocate Hasmik Pakhanyan mentioned four respondents in the lawsuit presented to the court. They are A1+ TV company, Meltex Ltd, mamul.am, and Social Media Ltd. Judge Ruben Apinyan urged the representative of the plaintiff to make corrections in the text of the lawsuit, as A1+ TV company and mamul.am media outlets belong to Meltex Ltd and Social Media Ltd respectively. To note, Flying Sail Ltd demands from A1+ TV company to reject the information reissued in Oratsuyts (Calendar) program, according to which Georgian citizen Poghos Poghosyan was killed in the restroom of Aragast (Sail) cafe on September 24, 2001. Representative of the plaintiff, advocate Pakhanyan refused to give any comment promising to do it next time. Representative of Meltex Ltd, advocate Arthur Ayvazyan thinks that the lawsuit of Flying Sail against Meltex Ltd is baseless and must be rejected, We think that Meltex Ltd didnt cause any damage to the honor, dignity and business reputation of the abovementioned company. The next court hearing will take place on March 23 at 16:15 at the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative districts.
Catholic school does more than educate a child. In the words of Pope Francis, "It affirms their dignity as an inalienable gift that follows from our original creation as children made in the image and likeness of God."
When you enroll your child in one of the Archdiocese of Omaha's 70 Catholic schools, you get more than just a first-class education. You and your entire family become members of a community like no other.
A community made up of teachers, administrators and priests dedicated to educating the whole person: mind, body and spirit. A community that views its students and parents as an extension of their own families.
If you desire a Catholic education for your child, there is a place for you among the many outstanding Catholic schools throughout northeast Nebraska. We welcome students of all faiths and backgrounds and financial aid is available.
See more at lovemyschool.com.
Its a goal of many to publish a novel sometime in their lives. Its an accomplishment that 12-year old Brooklynn DelaPena can scratch off her to-do list.
About a year ago, Brooklynn had the idea of writing her own book series. Two weeks ago, Dawns Rise, the first book in her trilogy, was published.
I guess I just one day had this urge to want to write and get published, Brooklynn said.
The book tells the story of the warrior Shadow, guard of Queen Scarlet, who grows up knowing little about her past. She soon escapes and joins the Dawn Rebellion in an uprising against the evil queen. Along the way she meets a wide variety of creatures that help her on the quest, including the half-cat Amber.
Brooklynn, a sixth-grader at LeMay Elementary School in Bellevue, has already finished writing her second novel, tentatively titled Darkened Night, and that book is in the editing process.
She already has a few ideas for what she wants to happen in the third novel of the trilogy.
LeMay Kids Time site director CeeJae Cooper, who had experience publishing her own novels, guided her through the steps of writing and publishing a book. Cooper helped Brooklyn through the editing and revision process, and when the novel was complete, Cooper helped publish it and put it for sale on Amazon.com
Although sales figures are not yet available, Dawns Rise has already been purchased in several different countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany.
Brooklynn was influenced by many of the genres she enjoys reading, such as sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian novels. The first draft of the book came relatively easily to Brooklynn, but she found the hardest part of writing a book to be the editing process.
That was hard because it was very, very long, Brooklynn said.
Brooklynn believes this book will especially appeal to younger children.
Although there are a few big vocabulary words for them, I think it would be fun for them to read, Brooklynn said.
Even after she finishes the trilogy, Brooklynn hopes to keep writing.
We were so excited for her, Brooklynns mother Lisa said. She was ecstatic.
Dawns Rise is for sale on Amazon in paperback and e-book formats.
LINCOLN Getting another 6 cents per hour may not mean a whole lot for state employees paychecks.
But if given on each five-year anniversary, it might be enough to slow the turnover of experienced state workers that has played a key part in several recent state scandals.
Representatives of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, the largest state employees union, delivered that message to state lawmakers Monday, along with a petition signed by 1,280 state employees.
They urged support of Legislative Bill 896, a measure that would provide longevity pay increases for state employees.
Current state human resource policy does not recognize longevity and value the service of long-term state employees, said Mike Marvin, the unions executive director.
As a result we are witnessing an ongoing crisis in morale and staff across most of state government, he told members of the Business and Labor Committee.
Bo Botelho, deputy director and general counsel for the State Department of Administrative Services, spoke against the bill. He said state law and the state constitution give the governor the authority to negotiate collective bargaining agreements with state employees.
He argued that the Legislature cannot set or approve wages for executive branch employees, and he disputed reports from the union leaders that state officials had said the opposite during the 2014 contract negotiations.
But Jerry Sonnek, a union representative who works at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York, said he was in the room when the states chief negotiator said the union would have to go to the Legislature to get approval for longevity pay.
Marvin said the state has refused to consider longevity pay or step increases as part of collective bargaining agreements since 2002.
The state contract included step increases under Gov. Ben Nelson, but the state eliminated those under the administration of Gov. Mike Johanns.
As a result, Sonnek said, raises go equally to all employees, and a person hired 10 years ago makes the same as a person hired yesterday.
The situation leads to the loss of experienced employees, he said.
Turnover among state workers has been a common thread in recent state problems, including the years of troubles at the Beatrice State Developmental Center, the problems plaguing the states public benefits call center system known as AccessNebraska and the riots at the Tecumseh State Prison.
State Sen. Matt Hansen of Lincoln said he introduced LB 896 as a result of his experience on a legislative committee investigating AccessNebraska.
Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, whose district includes the Tecumseh prison, co-sponsored the bill.
LB 896 would provide longevity pay raises for state employees, starting at 6 cents after five years and going up another 6 cents at each subsequent five-year mark. Assuming no overtime, each raise would be worth $130 a year.
The longevity increases would top out at 50 cents for 40-year employees.
Marvin said that 26 states have laws that provide for recognizing longevity among state employees. Those states include two of Nebraskas neighbors, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Contact the writer: 402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com
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Additional information on the Legislature
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. Central District Health Department officials said it is unlikely that the High Plains Community Schools student who died on Thursday had meningococcal meningitis.
Testing has so far indicated the presence of streptococcus pneumoniae and not meningococcal meningitis, which is also called bacterial meningitis. That makes it less likely, although not impossible, that the youth had bacterial meningitis, said Teresa Anderson, health director of the Central District Health Department.
The Central District and Four Corners Health Departments continue to investigate the death of the 16-year-old.
Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria live in the bodies of many people.
A lot of us just carry it around, Anderson said. But sometimes, for reasons not completely known, it gets into the blood and it can cause an infection.
Streptococcal pneumoniae can commonly cause ear, sinus, lung and blood infections that can spread to other parts of the body. The bacteria often do not cause illness, but at other times, can cause illness with symptoms of sudden chill, fever and cough.
Health officials were concerned that the student had contracted bacterial meningitis, which is a very serious condition, Anderson said.
While meningococcal bacteria are not terribly easy to catch, they are very dangerous, Anderson said.
Representatives of the Health Department and Litzenberg Memorial County Hospital in Central City counseled and provided antibiotics to more than 300 people on Friday in Polk and Central City. Officials believe they have reached everybody that is at high risk, Anderson said.
For most people, the antibiotic treatment consisted of one tablet of ciprofloxacin. An alternative antibiotic was given to pregnant women and children younger than 2 years old.
Initially, personnel planned to give the antibiotics to people who were at high risk of exposure. But the death of a young person caused anxiety, so pills were given to more people than planned, she said.
The actions taken were based on what we knew on Friday, Anderson said. The Health Department, she said, is not about to let bacterial meningitis slip through the cracks.
Classes were held Monday as usual at High Plains, said Brian Tonniges, superintendent of High Plains Community Schools, which is based in Polk. The school is closely following the advice and suggested protocol of the Central District Health Department.
An autopsy was done on the students body on Thursday, Merrick County Attorney Lynelle Homolka said.
The Merrick County Sheriffs Office and Homolka, acting as coroner, investigated the scene of the death at the familys home. Two deputies also attended the autopsy.
As soon as the diagnosis was revealed, we had emergency management involved, Homolka said. We had local physicians helping us. Hospital administrators and staff members pitched in, as well as the Health Department.
Those agencies came together quickly, analyzed the situation and devised a plan to educate and protect the public, she said. The Health Department has expertly managed the situation, in my opinion.
Homolka is prohibited from releasing the name of the deceased because there was a potential infectious disease involved, she said.
Commanders at Offutt Air Force Base's 55th Wing have announced they will close the base except for certain mission-essential personnel because of the forecast storm, said Ryan Hansen, a spokesman for the wing.
Hansen said all base services will be closed, including the laboratory and pharmacy at Offutt's medical clinic. The closure also covers personnel from U.S. Strategic Command, the second-largest military unit at the base.
"The entire base is closed, except for designated personnel," Hansen said.
Those people have already been informed and may include some security personnel, firefighters, and snowplow operators.
Hansen said 55th Wing training flights out of Offutt have been cancelled for the day. Crews involved in real-world missions were scheduled to leave Monday and conduct their flights from another base.
About 10,000 military and civilian personnel work at Offutt, which is the largest employer in the Omaha metropolitan area.
On Wednesday, Hansen said, workers should plan to report to work two hours late.
175-year-old cellar, unique sample of winemaking history, to be demolished (video)
There is an old wine cellar in the cellar of house at Pushkin 4/5. The cellar of the house was built 175 year ago. Soon this building will also be included in the list of buildings to be demolished according to the decision of the Government. I know that grapes were brought on donkeys and camels, filled and came through a pipe, there was a grape masher and the jugs were filled with grape juice, and it became wine by itself without covering or stirring, says Karen Grigoryan, son-in-law of the house owner. According to decision of the Government the territory was recognized an eminent domain and Local Developers company belonging to Samvel Mayrapetyan was recognized an acquirer. A multifunctional building must be built here. It may sound funny, but it is the same as someone decides to demolish the Cheops pyramid in Egypt in order to build a multifunctional territory. It is a unique sample of winemaking history, it is a national value, small national value, where Tairov walked, made wine. It is simply a matter of dignity, if we dont have dignity, lets demolish it, says Hovakim Saghatelyan, Director of Trinity Canyon Vineyards. According to the words of Avag Harutyunyan, President of Union of Winemakers, the best solution must be the mixture of old and new, Let them recognize it an eminent domain and build whatever they want, but the projects must maintain the existing as much as possible, in particular, one-two floors must be maintained. Director of Areni festival Nune Manukyan has recently returned from Israel and draws an interesting comparison, Do you know what was offending, a nation, which rejects Jesus, creates antiquity everywhere, says he was sitting here, he was standing here and sells that antiquity. The matter is that we, as a tour operator, want to have a product in order to sell. By the way, an alarm signal installed during the years of war was maintained until recently in that cellar, When we turned it, the sound reached up to Moscow Cinema. Firefighters took it as a memory, says Karen Grigoryan. The first dental clinic of Armenia was also at Pushkin 4/5. In order to maintain this historical building the citizens concerned about the fate of Yerevan will apply to Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan.
DES MOINES Hillary Clinton may have eked out a razor-thin victory in the Iowa Democratic caucuses Monday, but Bernie Sanders was the candidate who got a boost.
Clinton finished ahead of Sanders 49.8 percent to 49.6 percent. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Andy McGuire called the results "the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history."
The showdown between Sanders and Clinton drew more than 171,000 Democrats, even with the threat of a winter storm that ultimately didnt arrive until Tuesday morning.
Dennis Goldford, a political science professor with Drake University, said the virtual tie was a middle result for Clinton not the disaster that a loss would have been but clearly not as beneficial as a clean win.
"Its not a fatal wound, but its not a rocket booster either," Goldford said. "She has her work cut out for her."
The Democratic race has been fairly positive so far, he said, which means Clinton hasnt done much to alienate Sanders supporters.
"But shes got to show that she can actually find a consistent and coherent message, stick with it and pull Democrats together. Because the question is: If she gets the nomination, what do these Sanders supporters particularly the young ones and the first-timers what do they do? Do they stay home? In which case, she would have a huge problem in November," he said.
Despite Clintons victory, Sanders claimed the momentum as the race for the Democratic nomination moves to New Hampshire for next weeks primary.
"The people of Iowa have sent a very profound message to the political establishment, to the economic establishment and, by the way, to the media establishment," Sanders said. "And that is: Given the enormous crises facing our country, it is just too late for establishment politics and establishment economics."
Clinton, meanwhile, was eager to claim the win, no matter how small, as she appeared before supporters with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea.
"As I stand here tonight breathing a big sigh of relief thank you Iowa," Clinton said as the crowd cheered and applauded. "I want you to know I will keep doing what I have done my entire life. I will keep standing up for you. I will keep fighting for you. I will always work to achieve the America that I believe in where the promise of that dream that we hold out to our children and our grandchildren never fades but inspires generations to come."
Clinton declared herself a "progressive who gets things done for people" and said shes looking forward to a debate with Sanders about the best way forward for the party and the country.
"I know that we may have differences of opinion about how best to achieve our goals," Clinton said. "But I believe we have a very clear idea that the Democratic party and this campaign stands for what is best in America, and we have to be united when its all said and done."
With impressive grassroots fundraising that netted his campaign $20 million in January alone, Sanders isnt going anywhere anytime soon. He has the resources to keep competing and has indicated he will see the race to the end.
One thing is clear the Democratic contest is now officially a two-candidate race.
A third Democratic candidate, Martin OMalley, suspended his campaign Monday night. He never gained traction.
Sanders, however, unexpectedly caught fire, drawing crowds that included enthusiastic college kids and dedicated older voters.
He is pitching an unapologetically liberal agenda raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, going after Wall Street abuses and moving the country to a single-payer health care system.
Clinton has cast herself as the best person to build on President Barack Obamas legacy and touted her resume,
On-site polling by CNN and others captured that difference. Sanders supporters skewed toward young people looking for someone who embodied their values, while Clinton picked up the support of older voters placing a premium on experience.
Even with such differences, Democrats say they will stand together come November.
Jenny Gustafson and Amy Ehlers of West Des Moines, were at the Clinton party, pressed up close to the stage and podium in a crush of people.
Gustafson said there was "Democratic love at her caucus site.
"It didnt matter if you were Bernie or Hillary, we are going to beat whoever is the Republican candidate, she said. "The room was full of love. We were all united against the Republicans.
DES MOINES Marco Rubio landed in New Hampshire in the wee hours of the morning Tuesday, as Iowa faded in the rearview mirror for him and the rest of the traveling crew of Republican presidential candidates.
Both Ted Cruz and Donald Trump quickly joined Rubio in the Granite State.
The trio nabbed the top three tickets out of Iowa after a record number of 186,000 Republicans caucused in the Hawkeye State home to the nations first presidential test.
Cruz left Iowa with the win, fueled in part by his strong support among the states evangelical GOP base.
Trump, the brash New Yorker whose favorite derogatory term is "loser" not only failed to win Iowa, but he barely held on to second place in the face of a Rubio surge.
All three will face a new political landscape in the snowy mountains of New Hampshire, where the Christian right is not as strong and where more traditional, business-oriented Republicans have a chance, said Dennis Goldford, a political scientist at Drake University.
The three governors in the GOP race former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are all banking on New Hampshire to jump-start their campaigns after a dismal showing in Iowa. (None of the three won more than 3 percentage points.)
"New Hampshire is more of where that action will be," said Goldford.
Cruz may have won the Iowa caucuses, but Rubio appeared nearly giddy with his third-place finish. The Florida U.S. senator is now in a good position to argue in New Hampshire and beyond that establishment Republicans should back him, and not any of the three governors.
As for Trump, the question becomes whether the tough-talking New York real estate developer is as invincible as he portrays himself on the trail. He is the candidate, after all, whose whole political persona is built on the premise that he is a winner and not a loser.
"If your brand is winning and you lose, its not good for your brand," said Dave Redlawsk, a political scientist at Rutgers University who studies the Iowa caucuses.
Redlawsk said he believed the real winner in Iowa may have been Rubio, who appeared to get his fair share of the new caucus-goers who turned out to take part in this historic election.
"The real story may be Rubio. He did better than anticipated," said Redlawsk. "It suggests a big move to Rubio at the end."
The rest of the candidates in the 12-person Republican field essentially got trounced. The only other candidate who came close to double digits was retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
Carson caused some confusion early on Monday evening when he said he was returning home to Florida, rather than decamp to New Hampshire. He clarified that remark later in the night, saying he simply needed to go home for clean clothes and a rest and he would hit the campaign trail on Wednesday.
Many of the caucus-goers were believed to be new to the process, said Charlie Szold, a spokesman for the Iowa Republican Party.
The previous turnout record was set in 2012, with 122,000 people.
"A lot of candidates generating a lot of enthusiasm with good campaigns bring people out," added Szold.
In his acceptance speech, Cruz took a subtle jab at the people who had come out in the final weeks of the campaign to try to torpedo his campaign in Iowa.
Most notably, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad had urged Iowans to reject Cruz because of his opposition to federal support for ethanol.
"Let me first of all say: To God be the glory," Cruz said. "Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa."
He then added: "Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and the next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment (and) will not be chosen by lobbyists."
For his part, Trump surprised many by toning down his East Coast bravado during his concession speech in Des Moines. He praised Iowa and said he was "honored" to finish second in the state. At one point he joked that he may return and buy a farm.
However, Trump also tried to downplay the Iowa vote, saying he never had much of a chance of winning.
"I was told by everybody not to go to Iowa (after he jumped into the race). You could never even finish in the top 10," Trump recalled. "But I said I have friends in Iowa and I think theyll really like me lets give it a shot."
Trump also vowed to continue the fight, predicting victory in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
For his part, Rubio appeared nearly giddy when he took the stage at his caucus-night party in Des Moines. Some people, said Rubio, had questioned whether a 44-year-old man of Cuban heritage who was raised in Florida could win in Iowa.
"They told me we had no chance because my hair wasnt gray enough and my boots werent high enough," said Rubio.
He also took the opportunity to make his pitch that he could be the unifier of the Republican Party.
"When I am your nominee, we are going to unify this party and were going to unify the conservative movement," said Rubio. "We will grow our party."
As for Cruz, time will tell whether an Iowa win will translate into the GOP nomination.
Cruz ran a traditional campaign in Iowa, building a strong organization across the state. He also heavily courted Iowas influential evangelical and Tea Party wings.
His strong position in Iowa became clear late last year when he won endorsements from U.S. Rep. Steve King of western Iowa and Bob Vander Plaats, the head of the Family Leader.
In the final weeks of the campaign, Cruz faced a flurry of opponents and criticism. There were questions whether the Canadian-born Cruz could legally run for president. (Legal experts have said he is eligible.)
Others, including former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, argued that Cruz was not well liked in Congress and would be a divisive president.
Cruzs win is clearly a "feather in his hat," but its important to remember that the past two winners of the Iowa caucuses have failed to win the nomination, said David Caputo, a political scientist at Pace University in New York.
"Iowa is important, but its not as important as Iowans want to tell you, especially when you look at (Rick) Santorum and (Mike) Huckabee," said Caputo.
Huckabee won in 2008; Santorum won in 2012.
One big question that emerged Monday is whether the steam has gone out of the Trump machine.
Trump leads in national polls and has a fervent base of followers. But he now has a loss on his political record, and questions may arise about the strength of his fan base and his ability to drive his voters to the polls.
It may also be difficult for Trump to maintain his standing in the polls as the field narrows. About 27 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Trump, which may make it difficult to expand his base into a majority, said Redlawsk.
"Hes not just polarizing, but his negatives are even high within his own party," Redlawsk said. "How does he grow as other candidates drop out?"
Contact the writer: 402-444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com
DES MOINES The church vote proved stronger than a billionaires legion of angry fans Monday as Ted Cruz won the Iowa Republican caucuses.
Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, relied upon strong evangelical support to defeat Donald Trump, the flamboyant New Yorker whose entire political persona is built on the idea he is a winner and not a loser.
In fact, Trump barely held on to his second-place finish in the face of a surge by Marco Rubio, a Florida senator who many believe is now in a good position to unify the establishment wing of the Republican Party behind his candidacy.
Its a nice, nice bump for Cruz and it certainly puts Trump in the position of being a loser not a winner, said Dave Redlawsk, a political scientist at Rutgers University who studies the Iowa caucuses.
But the real story may be Rubio. He did better than anticipated, said Redlawsk. It suggests a big move to Rubio at the end.
The rest of the candidates in the 12-person Republican field essentially got trounced. The only other candidate who came close to double digits was retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
In his acceptance speech, Cruz took a subtle jab at the people who had come out in the final weeks of the campaign to try to torpedo his campaign in Iowa.
Most notably, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad had urged Iowans to reject Cruz because of his opposition to federal support for ethanol.
Let me first of all say: To God be the glory, Cruz said. Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa.
He then added: Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and the next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment (and) will not be chosen by lobbyists.
For his part, Trump surprised many by toning down his East Coast bravado during his concession speech in Des Moines. He praised Iowa and said he was honored to finish second in the state. At one point, he joked that he may return and buy a farm.
However, Trump also tried to downplay the Iowa vote, saying he never had much of a chance of winning.
I was told by everybody not to go to Iowa (after he jumped into the race). You could never even finish in the top 10, Trump recalled. But I said, I have friends in Iowa, and I think theyll really like me lets give it a shot.
Trump also vowed to continue the fight, predicting victory in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
For his part, Rubio appeared nearly giddy when he took the stage at his caucus-night party in Des Moines. Some people, said Rubio, had questioned whether a 44-year-old man of Cuban heritage who was raised in Florida could win in Iowa.
They told me we had no chance because my hair wasnt gray enough and my boots werent high enough, said Rubio.
He also took the opportunity to make his pitch that he could be the unifier of the Republican Party.
When I am your nominee, we are going to unify this party and were going to unify the conservative movement, said Rubio. We will grow our party.
Rubio now heads with the rest of the GOP field to New Hampshire, where he will face competition from three governors who are also seeking the mainstream Republican vote: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
All three governors placed in the low single digits in Iowa, but they have put most of their resources into New Hampshire.
As for Cruz, time will tell whether an Iowa win will translate into the GOP nomination.
Cruz ran a traditional campaign in Iowa, building a strong organization across the state. He also heavily courted Iowas influential evangelical and tea party wings.
His strong position in Iowa became clear late last year when he won endorsements from U.S. Rep. Steve King of western Iowa and Bob Vander Plaats, the head of the Family Leader.
In the final weeks of the campaign, Cruz faced a flurry of opponents and criticism. There were questions whether the Canadian-born Cruz could legally run for president. (Legal experts have said he is eligible.)
Others, including former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, argued that Cruz was not well-liked in Congress and would be a divisive president.
Cruzs win is clearly a feather in his hat, but its important to remember that the past two winners of the Iowa caucuses have failed to win the nomination, said David Caputo, a political scientist at Pace University in New York.
Iowa is important, but its not as important as Iowans want to tell you, especially when you look at (Rick) Santorum and (Mike) Huckabee, said Caputo.
Huckabee won in 2008; Santorum won in 2012.
One big question that emerged Monday is whether the steam has gone out of the Trump machine.
Trump leads in national polls and has a fervent base of followers. But he now has a loss on his political record, and questions may arise about the strength of his fan base and his ability to drive his voters to the polls.
It may also be difficult for Trump to maintain his standing in the polls as the field narrows. Only about 27 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Trump, which may make it difficult to expand his base into a majority, said Redlawsk.
Hes not just polarizing, but his negatives are even high within his own party, Redlawsk said. How does he grow as other candidates drop out?
One of the 12 Republicans in Mondays caucuses has already dropped out: former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee, who ended his campaign shortly after the first results were announced.
Others are expected to follow.
Contact the writer: 402-444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com